Review - As Promised

Time has gotten away from me - I have valid reasons...but some time ago I said that I had requested some samples of a product to flavor up my water - calorie free!

It's called True Lime (though there is also True Lemon and True Orange). They also offer True Lemonade - it does have calories but only 5 per packet - I haven't tried this version so I can't speak about it.
So I got my samples and immediately poured myself a beverage. The packets are the size of a sugar packet in a restaurant - and it says that one packet equals about one wedge of fruit.

Did you know - when those slices were tested in restaurants - they often had many bacteria on them? This is a natural product without the germs.

It did have a nice flavor - though if you wanted it to be strong, you may need 2 packets for a normal glass of water. The price for a box of 32 is around $5. For most flavor packets I'm paying $2-3 for 10. So even using 2 packets at a time, this product is very competitively priced.

Also, I enjoyed the orange and lemon in club soda - a nice alternative to sugar / chemical filled soda!

Overall - we have a winner!

What Was I Thinking?

As I shared about a week ago - I was going to try some Special K Regina-ized two week long diet.

Then the holiday weekend happened.

And baseball season.

And work meetings.

And this is the problem with diets that don't really include "real / normal food".

It only took me about 3 minutes when reviewing the Special K diet online to realize that their suggestions were filled with HFCS, lots of sugar, not lots of fiber (even when they said it was a high fiber item), and little to no veggies / fruits. And even a little sprinkling of "insignificant" amounts of trans fats!

I guess if you were consuming fast food in super sized quantities every single day - this would be a good change. But even then, it wouldn't be long lasting and it is DEFINITELY NOT the road to a healthier YOU!

I thought this would be a good idea for me because in this season - I often don't want to eat at all. Or I want to eat something cold. (And while ice cream for dinner can happen on occasion - I would not suggest you try it for weeks on end.)

In the Regina-version of this Special K diet. I did eat a good amount of cereal. I do not own a single bowl that makes the box suggestion of a "serving" an easy thing to measure out (and by the way, it varies by flavor of Special K that you are eating)...but isn't this the problem with everyday food intake? The box says 5 crackers - and 10 crackers aren't enough to seem like a snack? Must learn portion control.

Also, you would think I would know better...several years ago I had a gum graft ( a midevil procedure where they take skin from the roof of your mouth and add it to the gum line - yeouch!) and since then the top of my mouth has been very sensitive. I don't like soggy cereal. So this means that meal after meal of crunchy flakes= my mouth feeling very assaulted.

I will continue to replace a meal here and there with cereal - it's not the easiest thing to pack for my desk. And sometimes a girl just needs real food - you know?

What I should have done instead - is branch out even further from the Special K diet. I should have done the Baked Oatmeal diet - high fiber, low sugar, fresh fruit. Serve it warm or cold! I am still considering this - as I simply do not get tired of this food item. And if I wanted cereal - who's to say that a higher fiber cereal wouldn't work just as well as a meal replacement?

Needless to say - with the decreased fiber, the holiday, the concession stand at baseball games...the numbers are not moving in the right direction. So 1 week in and I'm already sick of the plan!

How many times must we be doomed to re-learn the basics? Fruits and veggies first. Moderation everywhere. Smaller serving sizes. More calorie free drinks. And a healthy - moving lifestyle.

Can you say "duh"?

Lost Causes and Plan B

I'm not sure when it happened - but I think I was robbed.

...Robbed of my ambition and motivation.

But I think someone returned it recently. So I'm looking forward to getting back ON track!

All things considered - I guess I haven't done too bad...assuming you will forgive me for my silence.... *slap on the wrist - bad blogger, bad!*

My numbers are still hovering in the same area. My soda consumption is still around 1 per week - often less. (And at this point, usually when I drink it - my body tells me "no thank you" and it's not nearly as good as I remember it to be.) I'm looking forward to ice cold water with lime and mint (a virgin mojito?) on a nice sunny deck.

I'm eating okay but as always need to ramp up the veggies and fruits.
I have a planter full of homegrown lettuce that is soon going to be on my diner plate!
And a garden of veggies that I hope will inspire me to eat better!

I've been doing a lot of gardening - and I know that counts for some kind of workout because I FEEL the BURN, but it can't be my ONLY form of exercise. This is the season of "slowness" at my position - so no excuses not to get back in the habit of desk push-ups and taking my break on the treadmill or walking around the block (and possibly getting lost to meander a bit more freely through the town).

AND - I'm planning to kidnap my hubby a few times a week to make him walk with me in the evenings while dragging the poochies along for the fun.

That's the plan - try, try again?

My New Favorite Junk Food

Okay, I know – I haven’t posted for some days/ weeks. I’m not sure what happened; other than I got caught up the whirlwind called life.

And don’t worry – I didn’t fall off the wagon, well not totally.

I did have a short love-affair with the soda. I drank more than I would care to confess. But I’m here to come clean and tell you that I have returned from the “dark side” and have remained on the 1-soda per week program successfully THIS week and plan to keep it up.

But back to my new favorite junk food…

I HAVE to call it junk food. Because for as long as I’ve lived if I’ve gotten “stuck” on a food--you could pretty much bet it was a junk food. Bread sticks, pizza, milkshakes with cookie dough – you know the stuff… high calorie, not good for you, and certainly not a food that you want to eat OVER and OVER and OVER.

Now, I have to say – I have WISHED for years that I LOVED oatmeal. It’s so good for you. It has magic powers against the cholesterol. It’s filled with fiber and keeps you full.

But alas, the texture of oatmeal mostly makes me want to gag and IF I manage to eat it, it’s almost always followed by nausea. I know, it’s weird, but it’s just part of being ME. Who wants to start their day THAT way?


So last year – I fell in love with Oatmeal on the Go bars by Quaker. My only disappointments were that it does involve some High Fructose Corn Syrup, and it does contain “an insignificant amount of trans fats” ….and you know how that grinds my gears. Regardless, I bought the high fiber variety – nuked it and enjoyed a warm, mostly healthy kind of breakfast most of last year at my desk. (And only recently have I found that my usual grocery stop has decided to NOT carry this flavor.) My blood work results at the annual physical did tend to show some improvement with the numbers – and this is the ONLY major change that I identified.

Imagine my joy – when I found an easy to whip up, so delicious I call it junk food, recipe for baked oatmeal. It involves NO fats. It uses fresh fruits. It’s kind of like eating cake. You can make it in a wide variety of flavors (we’ve tried apple, blueberry, strawberry). And while I haven’t done the calorie count – at a glance it’s got to be a winner.

Since we’ve discovered this recipe I swear we have gone through one HUGE tub of oatmeal each month, if not more. We have enjoyed it for dinner and I am now in the habit of making sure there is enough in the fridge to get me through the week.

Even with all that – I swear, I find myself wanting it for dinner ….. or snack….. or dessert….

Now that is a junk food winner! Do you have any super –healthy foods that you’ve not been able to eat enough of?

I’ll post the recipe next Tuesday.

A Mostly Sugar Free Easter

Well, I'm returning from my Easter holiday with a mostly happy report on the world.
(I say that and I realize that I haven't weighed for several days in a row...)

Somehow in the past years - we've grown this horrible tradition on our house. The "E Bunny" hides 100+ eggs in the yard or house (depending on weather). The downfall is that all those eggs contained a piece of candy. I know, I know, I don't even remember how it got so out of control.

And certainly...calories / pounds were to follow.

I spent a lot of time prepping for the idea that perhaps the "E Bunny" was going to be a little lighter on the candy this year. Though I assured the little man that there would be plenty of other treats involved and he could still run around the yard picking up 100+ eggs. And come Easter morning - I crossed my fingers and hoped.

Okay, really I got out of bed at 5am to "hide' the eggs - which is a joke, b/c when you are talking about 100+ eggs - let's be honest, there is little hiding involved. You stand and throw and hope that the colors nicely spread across the yard in some kind of magical display. And even if this would not normally be your nature to be so careless - it's 5am! it's cold! and you know an excited child is going to wake early so you better get all the sleep you can before he wakes up!! But I digress....back to the candy...

The good news is that the Easter load ended up consisting of 6 Butterfingers Eggs, 1 Large Marshmallow Bunny, and 1 Cookies and Cream Bunny, and 1 Small Pastel Bunny. When you compare this to the normal 'load' - we seriously downsized. (Also take into account the unbelievable fact that I purchased these bunnies at the Russel Stover's Outlet MONTHS earlier and put them in the freezer - for a ridiculously low price, but better yet - there were still around to make their "debut" for the holiday!!! There may be a Noble Prize coming my way...this took serious self-control.)

And in the midst of all this low-cal nonsense...my little man (knowing and understanding my deep love for Butterfingers) offered to share - even though he only got 6! I teared up a little. And he made the same offer with each of the bunnies.

So the good news is, that while I may not have eaten like a Saint this weekend - I had less junk to reach for. And that's a gift that will keep on giving for weeks to come!!! An important lesson - listen to the child. Maybe you will find that it's the "hunt" and not the "prize" that they really enjoy the most?

Thanks Easter Bunny! Bock! Bock!

Take The Box Challenge - I Dare You!

A bit ago - I shared the blog "You Won't Find It In A Box" - and basically my thinking was that if you eliminated boxes from your shopping list, you'd improve the state of your health (with just a few exceptions).

So I'm starting The Box Challenge. *applause, please*

What can you win? Nothing! *oooh*
What can you gain? Less grocery bags. *aahhhh*
What can you lose? I'm predicting - weight! *yeah!*
What happens if you fail? Self-punishment is in your hands. *boo!*
When do we start? How about now?

And we'll go about a month (officially) and end in time to observer the great chocolate tradition of Valentines Day - though, seriously dude, if you are buying more than 5 of those heart boxes - your following in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and that didn't end so well - so just put the chocolate down...I digress.

The rules. (as I quickly discovered this is trickier than it sounds)
1. Vegetables that are purchased in a box DO NOT COUNT as a box.
(though you could be a dear and buy it out of a bag - just for the sake of following along)

2. Tea or other drink products that are calorie free OR less than 10 calories per serving do not count. Soda ABSOLUTELY counts if it comes in a box form.

3. Oatmeal (or other cereal- as pointed out by Janet) doesn't count as long as it is less than 12 grams of sugar per serving.

4. Dried fruits don't count (so long as they don't include high fructose syrup).

5. Non-food items don't count. No need to go without your favorite over the counter med or cosmetic product!

5. You are allowed 5 boxes on any given shopping trip. (A shopping trip should be defined as leaving the house and returning - regardless of number of stores you visit in between.) And while I am sure that no one would consider such things - let it be said: sending your significant other out to purchase all of the normal box items would be considered cheating.

The object is not to be perfect. Just to eliminate a lot of crap - that happens to be packaged in boxes. Join us (see how I just volunteered Janet to join in) by leaving a comment and come back now and again to let us know how you are doing - and if your scale thanks you! I"ll be self reporting about once a week as part of The Perfect 10 challenge. Happy shopping!