What's for breakfast?

You have heard it a bajillion times. Breakfast is so important. I know it to be true. On days when I don't eat a proper breakfast I just set myself up for poor snacking or binging later.

What I choose to eat for breakfast seems to make a big difference too. A strange side effect that I seemed to have kept from my pregnancies is the need to eat carbs and not much else for breakfast. Anything but carbs and I get very queasy. Toast or cereal is just not filling and is usually loaded with too much sugar. Where does that leave me?

Oatmeal.

Oatmeal is filling, high in fiber, low in calories and you have complete control over additives and sugar. Cinnamon adds flavour with no calories and also helps keep your blood sugar stable.

Of course, oatmeal on it's own can get pretty boring pretty quickly. The trick is to keep switching things up. Here is a rundown of some of my favourite things to do with oatmeal.

• Grated apple, cinnamon, sugar-free maple syrup, spoonful of peanut butter
  
• add a teaspoon of plain cocoa powder to your cooking water, then top with 1/2 banana, cinnamon and Splenda (it's like dessert!)
• frozen berries , cinnamon, fat free vanilla yogurt
• Fruit cocktail and vanilla soymilk
  
• More ideas from Hungry Girl

What do you eat for breakfast??

Weigh In Wednesday #3

Well, it is the end of the Shrink into Summer Challenge at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I joined during the last three weeks and have faithfully lost a pound each week.

As I mentioned in my previous post I learned the hard way last week that weigh in after respite night is not pretty nor an honest picture of how I am doing. I hold salt like crazy and restaurant meals seem to be packed with them so I am always bigger the next day, even if I stay on track with my calorie allowance. I now weigh in the day before respite night so my weigh in Wednesday is really a Tuesday. (Funny--that used to be my Weight Watchers meeting day.) I then drink my weight in water the next day to flush the salt out and de-puff myself.

I also found that being brutally honest on my food journal, for better or worse, is really helping me keep on track. I can't say enough good things about The Daily Plate. I am Prairieknitwit there. If you are a member, friend me and we can snoop on each other's journals.

So, without futher ado. here are my stats so far:

Beginning Weight: 166.4 lbs
Finishing Weight: 163.4 lbs
Percentage lost: 1%

Doesn't look like much, but I am only beginning. Just wait until the next challenge!

True Confession Monday

Yes. It's Tuesday. Yesterday was a holiday though so today is really Monday.

1. I weighed in today instead of tomorrow. My respite night is tonight so even if I stay under my calorie goal, the sheer amount of salt in whatever I eat will negate any loss. (Down one pound! Yay!)

2. I can barely keep my eyes open today so it is a real struggle for me to stay away from sugary carbs right now. There is only so much caffeine one can have before you are just tired and jittery instead of just tired.

3. Since I can barely keep my eyes open today the only exercise I could muster was a couple of laps around the mall while running errands. Every little bit helps, right?

4. I am eating dinner at 8:00 PM tonight at a new pizza joint. I need to try very, very hard to not eat all the kid's leftovers when they have dinner. I WILL make a big salad and chow down on that to take the edge off. Girl Guide's Honour. I can't make any promises about the pizza.

Weigh In Wednesday #2

No good news here. I am up a pound. I had a triple-whammy of birthday party, mom visit and Mother's day this week and I lost control. I am really mad at myself. I did journal every transgression so I can see the damage I have done in black and white.

Onward and upwards, right??

Edit: I weighed myself the day after posting this after Mother Nature showed me I was also in the throes of PMS last week. I am down two pounds after all!





I am not going to rest on my laurels. Clearly my current plan is working.

Weigh In Wednesday #1

I have been lurking at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for quite a while now. They are very down to earth and inspiring people.

I have had to lose weight three times in my life. Once, when I was newly dating Mister Hummingbird Metabolism and in Nursing School--keeping up with him and enjoying a studious and sedentary lifestyle packed a lot of extra pounds on my body. My rock bottom was seeing 180 on the scale and having to shop in the plus-size department for the first time in my life. I started in Weight Watchers, and ended in a teeny town that had no pizza delivery, but a 24 hour gym. I dropped the weight just in time to marry Mister HM, and get pregnant before the ink was dry on our paperwork.

I then gave birth to my sweet Emmett, who is now 5 and 7/8ths. I packed on 40 lbs growing him and only lost around 20 before getting pregnant with my darling Charlotte, now 4. I joined WW again and dropped over 30 lbs. I was back in size 8 and feeling great. Five minutes after I bought the cute jeans I got pregnant with my adorable Matthew, now 1-1/2. I am back where I started. I won't disclose my weight here right now, but I am wearing size 13 pants and they are tight. People ask me when my baby is due and I haven't been pregnant in two years.

I have been stopping and starting. Doing well for a week or two, then resorting to binge eating in my pantry. I exercise sproadicaly. It is time to make some changes. I hardly recognize the face I see in the mirror. I am tired of trying to figure out what to wear that doesn't make me look pregnant. I am back on the wagon.

I chart my food, exercise and weight at The Daily Plate. I know I can't do this alone.

I am so excited to finally dip my toe in and participate with other shrinkers!