Eating Out on Weight Watchers

One of the hardest things about dieting is what to do when you go out to eat.  It's bound to happen sooner or later and for us, it happened sooner. Actually, quite soon - our first week. We don't eat out that often anymore, but the past couple of weeks I have been out three times.  I am proud to say that each time I managed to eat a nice meal and stay within my points.  I didn't even dip into my points allowance!  So, what did I do?  I bet you're thinking that I must have had salad each time, but have you ever really done a calorie count of the meal salads you get when you go out?  A chef salad can be 25 points. To give you a reference, Joey gets 32 points for an entire day. An entire day!!! That's a lot of points for a salad. I don't know about you, but if I am going to blow a ton of points on something it sure as hell is not going to be a salad! When I go out I want to have a real meal. However, I have to admit it's hard to know what is within your points range and what's not, but with a little planning it is totally possible to eat out, have a wonderful meal and not break the points bank.  That's the key - plan ahead!

Check out the menu online - In this day and age you'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant that didn't have it's menu online. Take advantage of that and decide what you are going to have before you go out.  It's surprising how much you can get if you order correctly.  When Joey and I went to Fog Harbor Fish House, we really were able to get a huge meal: appetizer, soup, salad, and an entree! If we hadn't decided what we wanted beforehand we probably would have ended up ordering one thing we thought was healthy and ended up still hungry. Worse yet, that one thing could actually have a zillion points without us knowing it. We each had 25 points for dinner so, with my 25 points, a-plannin' I did go.

The first thing I did was go over the menu at home and see if there was anything that I just had to have. In this case there was. One can't really go to Fisherman's Wharf and not have clam chowder. That was a good start for me and when I found out that a cup was only 5 points my tummy did a little jig. A cup was all I needed and that gave me plenty of points for an entree. I looked over the menu and checked off the things I knew I couldn't have, but then I had a thought - we could order anything we wanted if we split it.  Luckily, Joey and I like the same things and we decided on Fish & Chips. Since we were splitting it, what would have been 16 points was now only 8.  Yippee, that's only 13 points total! Now, I may be counting points, but I have 12 points left and I am going to use them! I certainly am not going to let them go to waste.

Since we were sharing the entree, why not share a salad as well? I know I said that salads can have tons of points, and they can, but there are ways to cut that.  We had the Crab Louie and ordered the dressing on the side.  The thing was huge and really was just crab and vegetables.  The only thing that had points was the crab and the dressing.  That turned out to be only 6 points and that left me with 6 left.  Yay, appetizers!

Appetizers were hard, especially at a place like this.  There was a lot of cheesy, bready, deep-fried goodness on that front.  We could split away and still would go over our points. I gave up on that one.  We didn't really need an appetizer anyway.

The meal was delicious, satisfying and best of all in our points range.  We did it!  Appetizer, soup, salad and entree.  Yep, we did get to have an appetizer after all and a tasty one at that! I noticed while we were waiting for our table that they had oysters on the half shell. I figured a couple oysters would be about 6 points, but guess what? It's six oysters for 1 point!  How awesome is that?  Our entire meal was only 20 points.  We might have been able to use our 5 extra points for dessert, but honestly we were too full for that.

Weight Watchers - My First Gold Star!

Okay, it's not really gold, but close enough.  I earned my first 5-pound star!  I have to say I am a sucker for virtual praise and have found it works quite well for me. Getting recognition for small successes really motivates me and these little icons hold special meaning.  Joey also got his star but he isn't nearly as needy as me on the praise front.

These past two weeks have not been hard at all, but we have had to make conscious changes.  The only thing I am really noticing is that I am eating a ton of fruit and, I have to admit, I am bitchier.  The fruit thing is good, the bitchy thing is not, so let's pray that Cranky Kelly takes a hike fast.

So, congratulations to us!  There is still a long way to go (26 more pounds for me), but we are off to a great start and we need to celebrate each milestone along the way no matter how small. By the time we're finished I will have a horn o' plenty of little Weight Watchers stars!

Weight Watchers Update

Last week, on May 1st, Joey and I decided that we were going to take the plunge and join Weight Watchers.  It's been almost two weeks now, so I thought I would give an update on how it's going.  I intended to write this earlier in the week, but have't been able to post since Wednesday with all those blogger problems.  No matter, now is as good a time as any to give an update.

First off, I am so happy we took this step.  It's really true that every journey starts with one step. Often times, though, that first step is the hardest to make.  For me, I get all caught up in the timing and planning of that first step.  So much so that I never end up taking it!  I am glad to say with this particular adventure, we just pretty much decided, let's do it and if we don't like it we will find out later.  I am happy to say we like it - a lot.

The past couple of weeks have been fantastic.  Yes, we have had to get adjusted to a slightly new way of eating, but it's not nearly as hard as I remember it being the last time we did this over six years ago.  I am noticing some key differences, though.  The new points system really encourages you to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.  Since almost all fruits and vegetables are 0 points (yes, ZERO) I am eating a whole lot more that I ever have in my life.  Before a banana would be 1 or 2 points; and, let me tell you, I was certainly not going to waste a precious point on a banana when I could use it on pasta! I know, I know, that makes no nutritional sense, but when you are dieting and have some choices you are not going to make the smartest ones! Anyway, now I can eat as many bananas as I want and I am!  That along with all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables that I now kick myself for not taking advantage of before!  There was all this yumminess right at my disposal and I just ignored it!  But, there is not use kicking myself for not doing yesterday what I am now doing today.

I have been very diligent tracking my progress with the online Points Tracker, but I am going to be honest and say that little tool, while has vastly improved, needs some more work. I cannot tell you the number of times I have input all my information for the day and have it not save.  This is very frustrating!  Besides that, it is a good tool, though, and some of the new features they have introduced, like the Progress Reports are really great.  It gives me a graphical representation of my entire week!

I guess you can see that I am happy with Weight Watchers.  As the weeks go on I will be writing more about it along with more detailed reviews of its various components. For today and just wanted to get it out there that for Joey and me, so far so good! We are losing weight, eating better and generally feel better about ourselves.  That, in itself is worth the price of membership!

Oh, I guess I should also share our progress!  Ready for this?  We both lost 3.8 pounds our first week! Can't wait to see what the scale says tomorrow!

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

I have been meaning to post this recipe, but never got around to it.  While this certainly does not fall into our new Weight Watchers Program, it is too good to keep to myself!

A few weeks back my friend Marya told me about this fantastic recipe she had made over the weekend.  I love sharing recipes with Marya because they are usually easy, tasty and often fun.  Most importantly the ingredients are accessible.  I don't know about you, but nothing drives me crazier than recipes with this one ingredient that you have to travel to India for.  Before I go on, this does contain one ingredient that you most likely don't have in your pantry - Tapioca Flour.  Out here in California, or at least in San Francisco, it's super easy to find at the supermarket.  I am sure any Whole Foods has it.  There is one more thing you will need for this - a mini muffin pan. For my first batch Marya lent me her pan as well as provided me with some tapioca flour.  Since I can't do that I am just going to say this.  The first time I tried these I ordered the pan right away - they are that good!  It was only $9.99 and, to my surprise, I have used it for two other recipes already.  I have also made these rolls no less than six times!

Now that I got all that out of the way you might be asking, "What are Brazilian Cheese Rolls?"  The best way to describe them is they are airy, chewing, cheesy bites of goodness.  They are like little popovers in that they puff way up, but the bottom is really chewy.  All I can say is I love them.  They make a great accompaniment to any meal couldn't be easier to make.  All you need is a blender!  You can even make the mix ahead of time!

Marya presented me with two recipes for this little goodies: one from Simply Recipes a favorite site of ours; and, the other from Our Best Bites, a site by two Mormon mom's which is also becoming a favorite of mine.  I actually tried both recipes on the same weekend.  The verdict?  Well, I am probably going to get my gay card revoked, but Our Best Bites won hands down.  The rolls were much puffier and lighter.  There isn't a big difference between the two, but the difference make a difference!

You must try these out.  I guarantee you will be making them on a regular basis.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 C grated cheddar cheese* (preferably medium or sharp)
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

* You can use any combinations of cheeses. My favorite is Monterey Jack. You can also add herbs. Last time I added Rosemary and it was delicious!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse 2 times.
3. Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn’t non-stick, spray lightly with non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.
5. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan.
6. Serve warm.

Notes

These actually don’t reheat well so I recommend making and eating fresh. I can almost guarantee you won't have any leftovers.

Great Deal on Organic Olive Oil - 60% off!

Okay, I am a total sucker for a deal.  I saw this on the Care2 website this morning:

60% off Organic Award-Winning Olive Oil

I just couldn't resist the $10 for $25 coupon so I broke my promise not to internet shop this month.  But only this once!

I have never been one to use fancy ingredients.  I really never thought it mattered, but recently I bought some olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the Castro Farmer's Market and it was amazing.  I really could tell a huge difference.  So what the heck!  I am going to give it a try.  If food critic David Rosengarten and Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks like it then that's good enough for me.

Weight Watchers It Is!

Joey and I have wanted to diet for a long time, but were really having a hard time taking the plunge.  While we were waiting we decided to do Dr. Mao's 8-Week Program, but we starting losing interest in it.  Not that it was hard or anything.  Actually it wasn't hard at all which was kind of disappointing.  However, it seemed like a good idea while we looked for a diet plan that suited us.  I had these grand plans of researching different diet plans and going with the one that was best for us.  The problem was, I was doing no research and we were getting fatter. Oh, I did buy a book - The Dukan Diet.  Since the royals were doing it . . .well you know.  After doing  a little research it really seemed too extreme for me.  Yes, it would be great to suddenly drop all this weight, but it really didn't seem like a way of life to me.  And, let's be honest, the side effects did not sound all that appealing.  Who wants bad breath and fatigue? 

We kept looking around, but I think we both knew that we were most likely going to go back to Weight Watchers.  We had done it six years ago with huge success.  I was looking back over our progress that year and I lost over 25 pounds!  I kept the weight off for a couple years, but now I am almost 40 pounds heavier than my lowest weight.  Once I realized that I decided not to waste any time so, Sunday, May 1st, we took the plunge and joined Weight Watchers Online.  

The first thing I noticed when we joined is that the program is vastly different.  The points are calculated in a completely new way and I am still wrapping my head around it.  I seem to have an awful lot of daily points - 44!  At the end of the day today I still had 11 points left.  I don't think I ever had points left on the old plan.  I started to think that something was wrong, but then I realized that Joey and I don't eat particularly badly, but we indulge ourselves way too often.  For example, we have a Groupon for Beard Papa that we need to use this month.  Joey calculated how many points the cream puffs were and one chocolate cream puff is 8 points!  Honestly, we would have eaten the entire dozen over the weekend and that would be 48 points each!!!  Right then I knew that our decision to join Weight Watchers was a good one.

I think this is going to be an interesting journey.  I am older now, and hopefully a little bit wiser.  If noting else I am determined to fit in my skinny clothes and that will make this all worthwhile.

Happy Anniversary Joey!

Seven years and counting!

I LOVE YOU, JOEY!