EAT-- Adding Up Dinner

So I got home from work tonight and I was starving, I mean STARVING. The kind that when you say "I'M STARRRRR-VINNNNNG" you say it in the "Hulk Angry" voice, deep and slow. I needed something good and something fast. My friend Cari turned me on to this thing where you grill a half head of romaine lettuce and then top it with all kinds of goodies, but I did not even want to wait to grill the lettuce! So I chopped the head of Romaine into a salad bowl and added this (WW Points included):

2 Tbsp. Bacon Bits = 1 point
2 Tsp. Sun Dried Tomatoes = 1 point
Green Onions
Red Bell Pepper
2 Tbsp. Light Alouette Garlic and Herb Cheese Spread = 1 point
2 Tsbp. Newman's Light Balsamic Dressing = 1 point
6 Ounces Grilled Chicken Breast = 5 points
Total Points -- 9
IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!! I AM SOOOOO FULL!!

I would have taken a picture but by the time I remembered the salad was gone!

And it took no time at all! The trick is keeping all the stuff on hand so that you can make a good choice even when you are STARRR-VINNNG!

You can go here to see grilled romaine!

BIKE--Extravaganza Wrap-Up

Today the Formerly Three Now Two Day Bike Ride Extravaganza wrapped up with a trip to Medical Lake to ride their paved path around the lake. According to their website, it is a four mile loop, but we went around it twice and only logged six miles. It was a fun and pretty ride.

I tried again to take pictures while I rode, it might be easier if I used my camera instead of my iPhone. Anyway, the lake was very nice. There is a park with baseball diamonds and picnic areas and lots of people were down there having picnics for Memorial Day. One guy had a tightrope tied between two trees and was walking on the tightrope while juggling! I took a picture but he was too far away.  There was a start and finish line painted on the path by the park, I thought that was pretty cool.

There was a guy running in the opposite direction from us.  He had on a shirt that had "Land Shark"  printed on it. We saw him three times during our two loops, I think he was faster than we were!  The third time we saw him I couldn't take it any more and yelled "GO, LAND SHARK!!!"  I don't think he appreciated it and I'm not sure my friends did either!  However, we did think that the Land Sharks would be a good name for our bike club gang.

After our ride was finished, we thought of some other places we could ride, some local, some a bit of a drive. I'm so glad I have friends who like to ride bikes as much as I do, I hope we keep this going all summer long!

BIKE-- Ride On, Ride Off

So since I have gotten my bike, I have become a total convert, love it to death, and wish I could just ride all the time.  So when this Memorial Day weekend came along, I decided that I would make it a three day bike riding extravaganza!  Yesterday, we rode the Fish Lake Trail. It is a beautiful trail, 7 miles of smooth pavement. This is the only picture I took, since I am not coordinated enough to ride and take a picture at the same time. 

So I am not too sure what happened, but I think I may have pedaled too hard or something at one point, because today the ball of my right foot hurts like a bitch so I did not go on today's ride. I am resting my foot so that I can go riding tomorrow. Two day bike riding extravaganza doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but it will have to do. Today I will plant my tomatoes and perhaps knit with my friends. Life is good!

Charming

Weight Watchers has my number.  They do this thing where they give you a key ring and charms as you achieve certain goals, weight loss and otherwise.  I am close to getting some of these and it is keeping me on track and motivated to continue.  They are just stupid little charms!  They have no power!  However I am powerless over my own coveting nature, which compels me to collect these little pieces of metal.  I am trying to figure out which one I will get first.  I estimate I am about a week or so away from getting my 25 pounds lost charm. I am 2 weeks away from getting my 16 weeks charm, which they give you after you have gone for 16 weeks. Weight Watchers says that is how long it takes to create a habit, so they reward you for it. The award I will be receiving last is ironically the one I should have received first! It is the thing that holds the charms, and you get it when you lose 10% of your body weight. I still have a few pounds to go before I get that one, but not too many! I am looking forward to receiving all these in the next few weeks. The next one after these will be the charm for fifty pounds lost. That will take a while, but I am reasonably certain that I will eventually get there. I am in it for life!

EAT--Shaving My Coffee

As a Weight Watcher, I can have a certain amount of points worth of food every day.  When I first started, that number of points was 37.  As my weight goes down, so do the number of points per day. Now my number is 34, and it will continue to go down as I lose more weight.  So I have started to try to figure out how I can cut out a point or two here and there while not sacrificing taste or amount of food.  Every morning I have coffee with coconut creamer.  The coffee is zero points but the creamer is three points.  So far, being able to have my creamer from my pre-WW days has been worth the three points. But now I am at a point where I do not want to give up my coffee but I do not want to spend three points on it either. So I am experimenting with different ways to make three points into one point but still have it taste good. I bought some of that syrup they use at coffee houses, sugar free coconut, no points! And half and half is only 1 point for 2 tablespoons!  So I was all excited to try it, and I have to admit I was less than impressed with my one-point coffee. Tonight I tried almond milk instead of half and half with the syrup, and again I was disappointed. Perhaps I should quit trying to shave points off my coffee and look elsewhere for point cutbacks!

Coming To

I have lost 23 pounds in the past 3 months. And I feel fatter than ever. Here is what's going on.

I read somewhere recently that most overweight people are unconscious of their bodies. This resonated with me because that's exactly how I have felt for most of my life. And I didn't really realize it because I was unconscious to all of it. Body image was not something I ever thought about. I mean, I have a good self image and happen to think that I am a great person, and a lot of other people think so too. My body and how fat or thin it was never really entered into it. But things are changing on the outside, and the inside is following. I am becoming a more active person with more energy. And now I am finding that the image of myself in the mirror does not match up with who I am inside. My clothes are getting looser but I am not quite ready for the next size down, so I just feel like a baggy slob these days. Weight loss cannot happen fast enough. I still have a long way to go, in fact I could stand to lose another 100 pounds. But I guess the good news is that for the first time in my adult life, I can see what's going on with me inside and out. I am no longer unconscious.

KNIT-- The Lilac Garden

Last night we got to knit at the park for the first time this year! The lilacs are almost in full bloom and their fragrance is strong and sweet. It was absolutely lovely. In a couple of weeks we will move up to the Rose Garden!