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by Danica

Journey with Juliette: Stick with The Plan While Travelling

July 26, 2011 in Contributors, Journey with Juliette

Image Via Squeezeltln

Juliette has successfully lost 40 lbs and will be sharing her journey as she works toward her goal.  She is an avid runner, traveller and someone who I think we can all relate to.  You can catch up with her latest post where she introduces herself in Journey with Juliette.

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Yipppiiee the weather is warm, the sun is shinning and there are travel days ahead. I don’t know about you, but I love traveling. I have noticed that the older I get the more I want to get out and explore. The only downside I know of while traveling is…..eating! Okay it is not always a downside for some of my best meals have served away from home while surrounded by friends, but it is the mentality of being either on vacation or away from home that eating is a free for all.

I admit I spend quite a bit of the year away from home not only visiting family and friends that have spread out, but also for my job. I admit that there is something about being away from home that triggers for me this joyful bubble filled of thoughts of food that is different then what I have been eating at home. I don’t what it is, but as soon as I am out of my normal environment my brain thinks bring the food on and let me sample it all!! Perhaps that is part of why I have gained weight since I can spend up to 3/4ths of the year away from home and always have that mentality!!!

I have learned in the recent year or so that I can control my eating while away from home, stick to my plan and still indulge. It seems like a foreign concept even to me still, but with some planning it is totally do able. Here is what I do when I travel to stick to my plan and not over eat each and every single day…..

  1. If at all possible bring breakfast with you. For me I need to start my day off right or I think well since I already blew it lets just blow it all day long. When I go downstairs for breakfast the hotel usually has a free breakfast, but really what is there to eat?? Most of it is bread, sweetened carbs (I have gluten intolerance), cereal (I am allergic to milk) and if your lucky some fruit and possibly some yogurt. So what I do is I bring with my some bars I know I like, protein powder and a shaker jar. I go downstairs and get some fruit, mix up my shake with some ice and sit down and enjoy my meal. Sure sometimes I get strange looks, my coworkers on trips call my high maintenance and then ask for a protein bar to try to be healthier, but I feel good and know that I can indulge later when I find something worth it.
  2. Google the town or area you will be in and figure out what the food specialties are for the area and then plan to indulge in it since it wont be something you can find at home. On a recent vacation with friends we indulged in fresh made donuts and had no guilt afterwards. We knew it was a treat and something special. On my current work assignment most of the region is known for cheese, but I did find a write up about a specialty cupcake bakery. Now when I go there for work I get one cupcake and know that is my treat!
  3. Try to eat your larger meal for lunch since you will probably be walking around or doing some sort of activity later in the day. I find if I eat larger at lunch, not only is it cheaper, but I will most likely burn it off. If I eat my heavier meal for dinner I get sluggish and feel more tired.
  4. Find some restaurant options before you leave your house for your trip. I often have a list of 3-5 restaurants with me for any given trip. I do this so I know I will have some healthy choices, for those times I am starving and anything and everything sounds good and also so that if I have a bad experience at some place I randomly walked into I can then go back to my list and say hey the next meal will be better. I often use Yelp to find places to eat and then review them after I have been to them.

 Those are my tips and tricks that get me through those days and weeks away from home.

What do you do when you are away from home and want to stay on track??

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Catch up with last week’s contributors by clicking on the “Contributors” tab above then following the drop down menu to find the contributor you are looking to read up on.  You can also check out the “Latest Contributors” below for the two most recent posts.

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by Danica

Featured Recipe of the Week: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream w/Blueberry Sauce

July 25, 2011 in Dessert, Recipes

Shannon of Shannon’s Kitchen is back with another fantastic ice cream recipe!  This week she shows how simple it is to make homemade vanilla bean ice cream with a deliciously easy fresh blueberry sauce.  I bet this blueberry sauce would be fantastic on greek yogurt and oatmeal too. 

ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 5 egg yolks (save the whites for an omelette)
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Combine the milk, half and half and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a small pot. Slit the vanilla bean down the middle and scrap out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the pan and heat until it is gently boiling. Stir frequently.

2.  While the milk mixture is heating, vigorously whisk the egg yolks and other 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth.

3.  When milk mixture is lightly boiling, add 1/3 cup of milk into egg mixture and whisk quickly. Add one more 1/3 cup of milk to the eggs and whisk again.

4.  Add egg mixture to the milk mixture in the pan and turn heat down to low. Stir continuously for 3 -5 minutes until the spoon is coated with a light layer of custard.

5.  Pour hot mixture through a sieve into a bowl and disregard the vanilla bean. Cool mixture on the counter until it reaches room temperature.

6.  Mix in vanilla extract, cover and chill for 1-2 hrs.

7.  Follow your ice cream makers instructions.

Makes six, 1/2 cup ice cream servings. 4 points+ each

BLUEBERRY SAUCE INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 large lemon zested and juiced

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Add all ingredients to a pot and stir gently. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

2.  Cool and store in a tupperware container.

Makes 8 servings, 1/4 cup, 1 points+ each

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by Danica

Weekly Challenge: Conquer it!

July 24, 2011 in Challenges

How are you doing at working towards your Labor Day Challenge?  There are 42 days left until Labor Day…. If you are doing well, keep working it!  If you feel like you could do better or you missed it, re-adjust your goal and set a new one for this week!  There is still time to set a goal and reach it ~ what is yours going to be? You can do it!  We are all here to cheer each other on along the way so don’t be afraid to ask for support.

 

This past week I took a step back by gaining 1.6 lbs.  I am still in a net loss position working towards my Labor Day goal and I am letting the scale fuel my fire.  I tend to struggle with being consistent.  If I have a great week, I think, ohhh, I can lighten up this next week because I am a rock star loser LOL.  Ummm, it doesn’t really work that way :)  

The ONE THING I am focusing on this week is writing down every single bite and being consistent. 

This week, I want you all to do TWO things:

1.  Identify ONE thing you struggle with the most on your weight loss journey.  Is it afternoon snacking, overeating on the weekends, not planning ahead, not getting out there to move more?  Once you know what it is, write it down.

2. Then, CONQUER IT!  Create an action plan so you can overcome that one challenge that stands in your way each week.

Let’s all help each other tackle our challenges ~ leave a comment below and share your ideas to help each other conquer them!

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by Danica

Move More: The 100 Workout!

July 22, 2011 in Move More

Happy Friday everyone!  I have been wanting to share the 100 workout ever since I saw it on marisa’s blog.  I think it is such an awesome concept to count down doing 10 things in order…it’s fun, it’s intense and it’s a great way to mix things up!

Ready, set, go!!!!

  • 100 jumping jacks
  • 90 floor crunches (with my legs straight up in the air)
  • 80 sumo squats holding a 10# plate
  • 70 lying leg raises (35 each side, consecutive)
  • 60 jumping jacks
  • 50 bicycle crunches
  • 40 sum squats holding a 10# plate
  • 30 lying leg raises (15 each side, consecutive)
  • 20 jumping jacks
  • 10 minute run or walk on treadmill

Have you ever completed the 100 Workout?  Do you follow it as is or do you have your own variations?

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by Danica

Will Run For Chocolate: Standing Up for Myself

July 21, 2011 in Contributors, Will Run For Chocolate

Katie shares her life experiences as she writes Will Run For Chocolate The Musings on balancing life’s priorities as a Weight Watcher for us each week here at Friends for Weight Loss.  You can keep up with her posts Under Contributors ~ Will Run For Chocolate.

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Ah, vacation. The time every year when I relax. No work, no stress, and usually, no exercising or watching what I eat. Just sitting back, maybe reading a mindless book or trashy magazine, and watching the waves role in.  I was already looking forward to vacation this year.  My sibling, their significant others, and my parents were renting a place by the beach on the Gulf Coast.

Nothing but sun and white sand for days! But one thing was nagging at me. I wasn’t going to be in control of what was in the house ALL WEEK. I struggle with eating healthfully, but I’ve learned one of my main ways to be successful is to control my environment. 

And I was arriving a day later than everyone, so the grocery store trip would be complete by the time I got there. I started to worry primarily because I didn’t want a week to throw me off track and have to re-lose what I’ve been working on so far, but also because I didn’t want to insult my family by not enjoying what they had purchased because of this worry.

A few days before we met up – I came up with a solution. I hurriedly dashed off an email to my mom with a grocery list of all my favorite foods – the ones that would keep me from eating the junk food I don’t love as much all week. I tried to frame it not as ‘what I can and can’t eat’ but as ‘foods I prefer to eat’. 

And it worked. One afternoon, my dad peered over my shoulder as I prepared a hearty salad and said it looked a lot better than the chips, dip and sandwich he was eating. And on my night to cook dinner, we feasted on local fish and shrimp and a variety of grilled veggies and roasted potatoes, all simply prepared. My brother looked up after polishing off a piece of fish, only garnished with a little lemon and garlic, and asked for more.

So maybe I can’t completely change my family’s eating habits in 6 days, but I can change how I react and the decisions I make. And I am sure I made the right decisions last week, since for the first time ever, I didn’t gain weight on vacation – I lost it! Those negative pounds are a better souvenir than all the airbrushed t-shirt and funny shotglasses I’ve ever bought.

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Catch up with last week’s contributors by clicking on the “Contributors” tab above then following the drop down menu to find the contributor you are looking to read up on.  You can also check out the “Latest Contributors” below for the two most recent posts.

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