How My First Week of Meal Planning Went

This is a recap of how things went with my meal planning for the week.

Instead of duplicating the info on this post you can check out the original post and see what worked and what I changed.

It took a while to put the menu together, to make the grocery list and shop but it was worth the time. Knowing what I was having for breakfast and lunch and what our family dinner was going to be each night really took the stress off of me. The menu was posted on the fridge and the recipe or directions were on the counter. If I wasn't home whoever was there could easily put the meal together.

Not only did it save time but I ate better and I saved money. No last minute runs to the grocery store or worse stops at a fast food place.

BTW I lost 3.2 pounds this week so I'm saying planning my meals was a good thing!

Patti

Zumba or How to Move Your Booty!

Zumba!

The hardest work out I've ever done and the most fun I've ever had working out!

1 hour and 20 minutes of non stop movement.

That pretty much sums up Zumba.

Find a Zumba Class

I found this class by searching Zumba.com. You can search by city or zip code. 

I emailed the teacher for more info. I made it clear that I was looking for a class that would be suitable for someone who was new and inexperienced. I could tell from her reply that I'd found the right class for me. 

What You'll Need

• Wear a good pair of shoes that will give your foot support and cushion. You'll need a smoother sole so it doesn't grab when you move.  You will be sliding and jumping around!
•  You don't need expensive workout clothes just get something comfortable and easy to move in. You will be moving and sweating! 
• Lots of water - you'll work up a mighty thirst!

Go With a Friend or Two

It's much more fun to go with someone. You can encourage one another and keep each other accountable. Trina brought her sister, Renee brought her daughter and I brought my daughter-in-law. 

How much will you burn?

If you're interested in calories burned during a workout you can check out this calculator. According to the calculator I burned 885 calories in about an hour. 

Steps

I'm not sure how accurate it was but I wore my pedometer and it said I took over 9,000 steps during the workout. For me that's about the same number of steps as a 4 mile walk. And I know that I got a more heart pumping workout with Zumba than with my normal walking routine.

To be honest I just keep moving and don't worry too much about the steps. Just make sure you're not on video!

Will You Be Sore?

Yes. (but it goes away and you'll feel better in the long run)

Why You Should Take A Class (or why I need to take a class)

I know for a fact that if I was doing a workout at home on DVD there's no way I would have finished the whole thing. I'm basically a wimp and I don't like to sweat...For me being in a class with other people to encourage me and a teacher to give me an extra push keeps me going. I would not get the same workout on my own. That's just me:-) 

What I Love About Our Class

What I really love about this class is that everyone is so nice. The teacher is super helpful, positive and full of energy. She made me want to do better without feeling bad about myself. (I admit I have trouble remembering my left foot from my right:-) And the other students are all really nice too. No show offs. Just a group of ladies who are all  out to have fun and get in shape and they're happy to welcome newcomers. 

So if you've never tried Zumba I encourage you to check out a class and get moving today!

Patti

My Menu Plan For the Week

Updated with a few changes that I made during the week. 

normally do make a menu plan of sorts. The day before or sometimes that morning I decide what's for dinner. I wanted to try something different so this week I sat down and made a menu for the entire week. I tried to include all meals and snacks.

We'll see how the week goes. I'm hoping it will help me to stay on a better eating plan and make my days go smoother. Making a plan should save time (and money) in the long run.

For breakfast I usually alternate oatmeal one day and eggs the next. For lunches I made a list of a few things with various points. I did the same with snacks.

Based on how many points dinner is I'll decide what to eat for lunch and snacks that day. An 11 point dinner will mean I should eat a lower points lunch and snack...

I made a grocery list and I did my shopping Friday morning so hopefully I have everything I need to make it through the week. I may have to go to the store for a few fresh veggies and fruit.

Today I made a big pot of Vegetable Soup...I'm going to freeze some in individual servings to use for lunches.

I'll try and post about some of the recipes during the week.

This is my meal plan for the week of: 

Friday, March 8 - Thursday, March 14

Breakfast:

I alternate each day between eating an egg or oatmeal

Oatmeal and fruit

3 Points

½ cup cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp brown sugar

Cooked with 1 chopped apple or 1-cup blueberries or cherries

Frittata (a good way to get a serving of veggies)

4 points (add extra points if eating toast)

1-cup broccoli or cauliflower chopped – 0 point

Little bit of chopped onion and green or red pepper – 0 point

1 Tablespoon shredded cheese – 1 point

1 whole egg – 2 points

1 tsp olive oil – 1 point

Cook the veggies in the microwave to soften. Heat the oil in a small skillet and sauté the veggies, scramble the egg and pour over the veggies. Cook to set and add the cheese on top.

Snacks – I try to incorporate dairy

Added 100 calorie bags of cookies which I think are 3 points.
I also ate a Klondike ice cream bar which was 7 points. Yes it was worth it!!!

Smoothie

2 points

1-cup coconut milk 2 pts

1-cup fruit such as frozen cherries or blueberries- 0 pts

1 ripe banana

Yogurt and fruit

2 points

Yoplait Greek 100 calories w/fruit – 2 points

Add additional fruit – 0 points

Vegetables and Dip

2 points

Raw veggies – 0 points

Dip – 4 tablespoons light sour cream, dried onion, garlic, dried dill and parsley. – 2 pts

Carrots, Pepper and Celery w/ Hummus

3 points

Veggies – 0 points

Hummus – made with garbanzo beans, garlic, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers – ¼ cup = 3 points (depending on the amount of olive oil)

Lunch (I'll decide on what I’m having for lunch that day or the night before.)

Sunday we went to Captain D's which could be a disaster but I tried to handle it the best I could. 

Instead of my normal 2 piece fish dinner with fries, hush puppies, coleslaw and sweet tea which is around 35 points!

I ate:

2 pieces of batter fried fish 10 points

1 hush puppy 5 points

2 orders of green beans 2 points

Water to drink

Total 17 points

Still a lot but making a few changes improved the outcome! 

Salad with beans and fruit

3 or 4 points – depending on the type of beans

Any combination of salad greens

1 cup Strawberries or grapes

½ cup canned beans, rinsed and drained (Kidney, garbanzo beans=3pts / Black beans = 2pts)

2 Tablespoons of 1 point dressing (Sesame Ginger or Strawberry Balsamic)

Sandwich

7 points

4 ounces turkey – 4 pts

Round bread or wrap – 3 pts

Dijon mustard – 0 pts

Lettuce and tomato – 0 points

Carrot and celery sticks

 

Soups

0 – 4 points + crackers 1 point

Add 5 saltine crackers – 1 point

Garden Vegetable Soup – 0 points

Split Pea Soup – 1 cup – 4 points

Something different

4 points

*Broccoli with Spicy Honey Sauce – 2 cups = 4 points

Added to lunch:

1/2 cup Tuna salad made with mayo and sweet relish = 4 pts.

 Dinner

* Recipes from the Weight Watchers cookbook “Fresh, Fabulous, Fast”

Friday

7 points

Salmon Patty 5 ounces, green beans, salad with 1 pt dressing

(I used the recipe builder to figure the points for my patties)

Saturday

11 points

*Pecan-Crusted Chicken – 8pts

½ cup brown rice – cooked in veggie broth, with chopped onions, red peppers.  (1-cup=5 pts. I round ½ cup up to 3 pts)

Carrots

This was really good but the recipe called for 4 teaspoons of oil to brown the chicken in. That wasn't nearly enough. It took almost 3 Tablespoons so I upped the points to 12...

Sunday

9 pts

*Fig Glazed Pork Chops w/ green beans 5 pts

Sweet potato – 4pts

 

Monday

10 points

*Thai Beef and Vegetable Curry w/brown rice

This was really good. Everyone loved it!

Tuesday

7 points

*Brazilian Chicken w/ black beans and rice instead of the original recipe I made a slow cooker meal by layering chicken breast, black beans and Rotel tomatoes - cooked on low for 6 hours. Served with rice. Same points.

Wednesday – Zumba! Use the crock-pot

10 points (including 2” square of cornbread)

Lima Beans, brown rice, cucumbers, cornbread

Thursday – WW meeting!  Let the guys grill

11 points

*Grilled pork tenderloin w/ chipotle peach glaze – 7 pts

Steamed veggies– zucchini, broccoli, onions, peppers steamed – 0 points

Sweet potato – 4 pts

How do you plan your meals?

I'd love to hear your ideas.

Patti

Damage Control and A Recipe For Grilled Salmon

Have you ever had one of those days when you're trying to do everything right but you mess up royally?

That was my day today. 

While out running errands my husband suggested that we stop and get a chicken pot pie from KFC. 

OK I thought a chicken pot pie full of veggies couldn't be all that bad.

I wasn't prepared and I didn't have my Dining Out guide so I guesstimated the points at around 12-15.

Ha! Was I wrong. After we got home I checked the points. 

21 Points!

I was so mad at myself. I only get 26 points for the whole day!!!

But I couldn't go back and change what had already been done so I did a little damage control. 

First, I looked at what I'd done right that day.

1. I had eaten a low 3 point breakfast. Good

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal

1 apple

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2. With my pot pie I drank water. Good

3. I had 2 points left from my daily allowance after I ate the pot pie. Not great but at least I had something to work with:-)

4. I haven't used any of my extra points for the week. Good

How I salvaged the rest of the day:

I'd already planned to grill salmon steaks for dinner so I decided to go ahead and cook it. 

Dinner

6 ounces grilled Wild Salmon = 8 points (with 1 tsp oil)

Salad with 2 TBS of Sesame Ginger dressing = 1 point

Broccoli and red peppers lightly steamed = 0 points

Yummy!
All this plus a salad for only 9 points!

I also wanted to get in at least one serving of dairy so for an evening snack I made a smoothie. Coconut milk, banana, cherries and a hand full of spinach. All for only 2 points.

I had to dip in to my bonus points to make up the extra 9 points that I went over today. 

But that's OK. I try not to use them but that's what the bonus points are for. 

There was a time that I would have just thrown in the towel and said the heck with it. I screwed up by eating the wrong thing so I might as well forget it and eat whatever I want. 

Just a little damage control and I'm back on track. 

What do you do when you mess up? Give up or do a little damage control?

Recipe
Grilled Salmon Steaks

1 - six - eight ounce salmon steak per person
(Be sure to purchase wild salmon not farm raised.)

For each salmon steak:
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
1 teaspoon olive oil 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Rinse the salmon steaks and pat dry with paper towel.
Brush each steak with oil.
Salt and pepper each steak
Oil the grill grate so the fish doesn't stick. 
Place each steak on the grill and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.
Grill over hot coals for 6 minutes. 
Flip the salmon, sprinkle the rest of the lemon juice on the fish and cook another 6 minutes. 
Test for doneness. 
Fish should flake easily. 

Don't overcook!


Enjoy!

Patti

Tip for the Day-Reducing Sugar in Our Diet

Last night at my WW meeting one of the ladies said she had a drinking problem. 

KOOL-AID that is! 

The real stuff made with real sugar. 

She said she'd drink the whole pitcher-at least 2 quarts. That's one cup of sugar!

People were giving her advice. Telling her to drink something sugar free like Crystal Light or to drink water instead. 

One of the ladies who has had a very successful weight-loss (and kept it off) told her not to do that. That instead of trying to go cold turkey she should wean herself off the Kool-Aid slowly by adding a little more water to the pitcher.  Increase the amount of water and decrease the amount of sugar slowly so her taste buds could adjust. 

She said that by going cold turkey she'd be setting herself up for failure. 

I did something similar with sugar and oatmeal. I used to use at least 2 Tablespoons of sugar on my oatmeal. I began to reduce the amount of sugar by 1 teaspoon a day. I now can eat my oatmeal with only 1 teaspoon of sugar and I'm OK with it. I know if I'd tried to go cold turkey I wouldn't have stuck to it. 

It also worked with my coffee. I went from 3 teaspoons of sugar per cup to drinking it with no sugar. 

Sometimes we have to trick our bodies in to doing the right thing!

Patti

My Very Good Week - By Patti

I've had the best week I've had in a long time.

I love our weekly get together. I don't like calling us a group or that we have a weekly meeting because that seems so formal. We're just three friends getting together and helping one another.

Last week we went on a field trip of sorts. To the mall - specifically to Victoria's Secret. Lunch out and a day of shopping does wonders. It was the jump start I needed to get back on track. 

At Barnes and Noble I bought two books. 

Walk It Off by Readers Digest

Some really good, practical ideas to get you walking. Plus exercises and recipes. 

The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook

A fun read about Noreen who loses both her job and her boyfriend and finds herself floundering. She dons a pair of sneakers and a pedometer and starts walking. Along the way she meets two new friends and improves her health and her life. 

Like Noreen I pulled out my pedometer and started walking this week.  Tried to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. 

I tracked every bit of food I consumed and stayed within my points.

Ate my five veggies and fruits each day.

Even got in two servings of dairy - on most days.

And it paid off. I lost 2.4 pounds this week! 

Yippie!

I've struggled each week to lose  .2 or .4 so I'm elated!

Since Trina posted about her purchase here I have to share my big Valentine's purchase.

I loved what she had to say on her post...

Have fun now while you're on your way

to accomplishing your goals!

I agree! Why wait?

Don't put things off until you think you achieve that perfect goal.

Have fun NOW!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Patti

A Day Out - By Trina

Instead of our Healthy Habits meeting last week ,

we went out for the day!

We ate a healthy lunch and did a little shopping.

and . . .

We are experimenting with moving outside our comfort zone.

Here's one of my purchases. It's for Valentine's Day, well for that evening.

Here's the card I made for my sweetheart!

Inside the hearts at the top it says you, me, God. Also later I added a paper key to the front.

Have fun now while you're on your way

to accomplishing your goals!

Maybe this motto needs to be one of our Healthy Habits!