Preparing for T-Day

If they had an award in high-school for "person most likely to be stuck cooking big family dinners for the rest of her life" I would've won it, hands down. In my family, holidays are important. It's a chance to sit down and be awkward together. In spite of this, or rather, because of this, my husband and I are always the hosts. The family dynamics are too long and complicated to go into, but suffice it to say, the family feels the most comfortable at our place.

This Thanksgiving, I thought I'd be able to dodge hosting duties because of the half-marathon on Sunday. Saturday we're resting and taking it easy, Sunday we're walking, and Monday is recuperation day. And after all these years of hosting, it'd be nice to have a year off.

Unfortunately, every time I try to take a year off, something invariably conspires to keep me from doing so. This year is no different [insert long story here]. So this is where I'm at: planning a last-minute Thanksgiving dinner for Friday night.

This means last-minute mental rehearsals because I didn't think I'd have to deal with eating a big Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings! Fortunately, I still have a couple of days to get into the mindset and have already made great strides towards a hopefully guilt-free dinner. I'm serving ham instead of turkey. I like ham, but I love turkey. Specifically, turkey skin. I could eat the skin off an entire bird if given half the chance. But ham? I like it but not with the unending devotion I have for turkey. And with my weigh-in the very next morning, I have even more reason to be good at dinner.

I'll also be serving a lot more veggies than normal and may even try the WW recipe for Sausage, Apple and Cornbread Stuffing if there's time. I know stuffing isn't supposed to go with ham, but what the heck :)

If you've got any tips for a guilt-free Thanksgiving, please feel free to share!

Review: Starbucks warm breakfast sandwich

If there's one thing I would love to have every morning, it would be some sort of breakfast sandwich. Egg, bacon, cheese, yum. But, trying to follow this whole eating healthy thing, I wisely do not indulge in this desire. Or, at least not on a daily basis.

However, I still plan for the occasional sandwich. Which is why, when I espied a reduced-fat version of the new Starbucks breakfast sandwiches, I knew I had to have one. I'm happy to report that I found it quite good. Reduced-fat turkey bacon, reduced-fat white cheese, an egg that tasted like an egg but apparently has had its cholesterol magically removed and all served on a whole wheat biscuit bun type thingy. At this point you're either thinking it sounds absolutely horrible* or are desperately wanting to know what the points are.

Surprisingly, it has the same points value as a Bacon n' Egg McMuffinlicious. So I dug a little deeper to see which one was better nutritionally. Here's how they stack up:

	Weight (g)	Calories	Fat	Fibre	Protein
Starbucks†	159	350	11	4	20
McDonalds†	123	310	14	2	16
† Note that this nutritional info is only as accurate as the info provided by the companies and as my fingers can make them. Also note that Starbucks nutritional information varies according to region - and it can vary wildly! You will need to visit the Starbucks web site in order to obtain the appropriate nutritional information sheet for your area.

Disclaimers aside, you get more bang for your points value out of the Starbucks sandwich. Not only is it bigger, it has less fat and twice as much fibre. Still, it's not a low point meal, but if you've got enough to spare, you might want to give it a try!

* After writing my post, I wandered around the blogosphere to see what others thought. There's a number of folks who think poorly of the Starbucks sandwiches, with the reduced-fat version faring the worse. To those people, I say, "What do you expect? It's reduced fat!" And to my readers I say, "Take my recommendations with a grain of salt." Murphys Law says that I'm an anomaly and the only one who actually likes it.

Thirty-fourth Weigh-in

It's funny how when I have an awesome weigh-in, I post it right away instead of getting around to it on Sunday. Yes, it was a great weigh-in. I'm down 1.6 lbs this week. This means I've earned another star AND I've lost over 40 lbs!! I was so excited and in such a happy daze that it took the receptionist's gentle reminder that I still had to give her my weigh-in booklet and coupon. This means I've also met my mini goal of 164lbs and have lost over 40% of my starting weight. Whoohoo! I still don't know what to do with myself other than order another charm for my bracelet and set another goal.

The meeting itself was very fun. I'll be posting more about that later with a fun exercise everyone can do.

40lbs!!! :) :) :) :)

This weight loss brought to you by...

Sometimes I think I ought to be a spokesperson for any number of companies who've helped me lose weight. I eat under-6-grams-of-fat Subway sandwiches, I order non-fat lattes from Starbucks, I go to Curves, I've eaten Slim-Fast bars for snacks, I load my iPod Shuffle with audio books from Audible, I buy exercise videos from Amazon, and of course I go to Weight Watchers. Not to mention local grocery stores and businesses with fresh food or healthy menu choices.

So what do you think? Are you a spokesperson, too? And if so, for whom?

New clothing = the key to better posture

In new clothing, I sit up straighter, I keep my stomach in. No, it's not because I've found a stronger sense of pride in myself. Instead, it's to keep from everything hanging out. Clothing which fits – being neither too big nor too small – has no room for slouching. None whatsoever. Take this lovely sweater I'm wearing today. One momentary lapse of control and it won't be pretty.

So take it from me, new clothing will help you sit up straighter. It'll also work your abs, too!

Review: Slim-Fast Optima Chewy Caramel Crunch

Wanting a sugar fix, I bought a box of Slim Fast's Chewy Caramel Crunch Optima bars from Shoppers on the weekend thinking they'd taste just as good as it's cousin, Peanut Butter Crunch. Not so. It's 3 points for a bar of mediocre. I found the caramel taste to be metallic and the "crunch" to be mostly soft with the occasional crispy morsel. Though I ate one bar in its entirety, I regretted it later and have been moodily thinking about tossing the whole box.

The verdict: If you're a fan of the Peanut Butter Crunch Optima bars – and you should be, it's only 2 points and tastes like an honest to goodness Crispy Crunch – steer clear of the caramel bars.

Autumn is wonderful

On a sunny fall day, it feels good to be out and about. Today, my friends and I went on a day-trip to a beautiful provincial park with the most glorious waterfalls. We walked all over the park, following the river down and hopping from rock to log to rock again. I felt so very healthy and vibrant that it was difficult to imagine being anything but. But of course, half a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to keep up as well, nor even feel the joy of simply being outside and moving my body.

The company and scenery aside, I also did very well with food today. Normally I don't do so well on the weekends, let alone day trips. But, I spent some time practicing in my head beforehand what I'd order for breakfast at the restaurant (known for its fattening, but tasty breakfasts) and pulled it off flawlessly. I also did well at lunch, forgoing the side of fries for a side of the soup of the day. And, because I had earned so many Activity Points leaping around the park, I indulged in a small treat from the bakery.

As I write this, I'm sipping a cup of tea and enjoying some gingersnaps. Autumn is wonderful and it feels good to be alive, healthy, and fit.