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How is your week going, everyone? I'm excited to enter Week #2 of my challenge today, but first here's a recap of week one, my food find of the week, and a tip about making the most of meals on the go!
PROGRESS: My first week got off to a bit of a slow start. I did wave goodbye to my first pound though. To be honest, my allowance of one "cheat" meal per week turned into an entire cheat (holi)day. Of course you have to grill out on Memorial Day, right? In a celebratory mood I'm afraid I let one cheddar brat turn into two, and then followed that up with a Cookie Jar Blizzard. Oops! ;) My hubby has a birthday coming up and had a bogo for a free blizzard. Unfortunately it didn't actually make the ice cream calorie free for us though! YUM, but yeah...it hindered the progress a bit. Lesson learned. No worries though. Hoping to be able to pick up the slack in week two. Stop back next Thursday to see if I'm successful with that! ;)
Note to self:
We began using the Couch-to-5K program as a family! The girls LOVED it! It was so nice to be outside and exercising together! Glad that we're moving forward in getting fabulously fit as a family!
A salty, crunchy snack for much less than average chips! Yes, please! These are fantastic with Hidden Valley Ranch Dip. I prepared my HVR dip mix with light sour cream which made it only 40 calories/2 TBSP! Snack time delight! I haven't seen these anywhere but Wal-Mart, but there seems to be one of those places where everyone thinks the dress code is last night's pajamas ... what is up with that, anyway?! stores in just about every city, so look for them the next time you wish you weren't there. ;)
TIP OF THE WEEK:
NEVER assume that something is either too high in calories OR that it must be low! There have been many times that I've been shocked to find out that seemingly healthier options were anything but figure friendly! If you're busy with Summer activities or sports and you have to grab fast food, ALWAYS be sure to check out the nutritional facts to know your options before ordering! You may be very surprised by your findings too!
Say you run through a Burger King drive-thru, hungry for a burger, but that fresh looking salad on the menu must be better for you, right? In some cases that's actually not true!
Let's compare BK's Whopper Jr. to their Garden Fresh Salad Chicken Apple & Cranberry with Tendergrill and dressing:
Whopper Jr.:
340 calories, 18g fat, 1g fiber
vs.
The aforementioned Salad:
520 calories, 26g fat, 4g fiber
Now, look what the "have it your way" can do..
Whopper Jr. without mayo: 260 calories, 9g fat, 1g fiber
Who can eat just a burger though, right? Adding a side would totally put us over the salad, wouldn't it? Let's see...
Onion Rings, Value Size: 150 calories, 8g fat, 1g fiber
So, you can actually have a Whopper Jr. without mayo and value size Onion Rings for 410 calories, 17g fat, 2g fiber, enjoying BOTH for 110 calories and 9g fat LESS than that salad! I'd venture to guess that most people ordering the salad think they are choosing the healthier option on that menu.
Be wise even when on the go! A quick peek on your phone at a restaurant's nutritional facts can really help you make a smart choice!
*If you don't have a smart phone to look up the info online when out and about, most fast food restaurants now also either have the nutritional facts posted, or available if requested.
Need some new light and delicious recipes?
Check out my Pinboard: Delicious Ways to Shrink.
You'll find oodles of yumminess there to inspire your next week's meal plan!
How are you doing? I'd love to hear about your week too! If you'd like to share your triumphs, struggles, or anything that you've found to be helpful, remember my comments section below is officially a CHEERING SECTION on Thursdays! Let's cheer each other on, friends!
Until next Thursday...
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I'm glad you found me and now I've found your challenge. I've actually been working out and trying to eat healthier for about two weeks now. The hardest days for me are Saturday and Sunday, since I don't stick to the routine.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have come across your blog too! I think weekends can be tougher for sure! Extra activities throwing us off our normal schedules and routines seem to make things a little trickier! So happy to have you here, Rachel! Excited for you as you work towards your goal as well!! Hope to hear from you again next Thursday (if not sooner! ;)) Have a fabulous weekend!!
DeleteWoohoo! Good for you for challenging yourself! Don't let the downfalls get to you. Turn those into opportunities to improve yourself even more!
ReplyDeleteJulie @ This Gal Cooks
Thank you so much, Julie!! Your encouragement is MUCH appreciated! Have a wonderful weekend! :)
DeleteYou are so right about how some "healthy" foods actually have more calories. I've noticed that little trick they do! But, I guess a salad might end up being better than a greasy burger? Seems like you just have to choose which battle to fight. :/
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those Veggie chips. I've had something similar that a friend shared with me - they were in the shape of french fries, but they were the veggie "chips". Really yummy! Next time I go to the DREADED PLACE, I will look for them (so I'm not the only one that hates going there? lol).
Fast food restaurants can be tricky tricksters can't they? ;) Yep, you are definitely not the only one how hates going there! lol :) We get the "Veggie Straws" that are in the shape of fries sometimes too. We really like them! Chips are one of my downfalls, so "better for you" alternatives are always nice to find and enjoy! Thanks for the comment, Chrissy! Always love hearing from you! ;)
DeleteWay to go at losing a pound this week! A pound gone is a pound regardless of whatever else may have happened this week. I had to learn, when I was losing lots of weight, not to beat myself up when I made mistakes. Everyone does, it is part of the process. Stopping after 1 mistake is better than beating ourselves up and then just giving up for that whole day and eating 2000 calories vs the 200 calorie mistake. Just what I learned. Thanks for sharing all of this with us! Oh btw, Trader Joe's sells some veggie chips and so does Costco...they are yummy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up at the Real Family Fun link party! Hope to see you next week.
KC
Thanks so much for your encouraging comment, KC!! I really appreciate it! Thanks for sharing where else those yummy veggie chips can be found too! ;)
DeleteIt's always fun linking up with you! Thanks for hosting each week!! :)
Way to go sweets!! I love the I'm not finding it again. So need that on a t-shirt!
ReplyDelete