Lunch at Chili's - On Weight Watchers

Today is Valentine's Day, but I don't expect to have a fancy and/or romantic dinner with my husband. We have 3 kids and Valentine's Day is on a Tuesday. It's just not practical for us to go out alone. What is practical is a lunch date with our 3 year old son. So that's what we did. I met my husband at Chili's yesterday for our "date." I was craving the sweet and spicy chicken entree that I had the last time we went there.

I figured the sweet and spicy chicken was a pretty good option for Weight Watchers. It's grilled chicken with broccoli and rice...AND it's one of the "lighter" choices, which means under 750 calories and 25g of fat. I ordered and ate the whole thing before looking up the nutrition information. Thanks to my iPhone and the WW calculator I figured out that the meal I thought would be 10-12 points+ was actually 18 points. 18 points for grilled chicken, broccoli and rice?! Well...I guess there was a very sweet glaze, probably made with oil...and the rice has a ton of carbs...but the portions aren't huge, and the broccoli isn't drenched in butter, so I just thought it would healthier. Good thing I had cheese and a banana for breakfast because now I only have 7 points left for the rest of the day!

So at first I was really irritated that I didn't research the nutrition information before I went today. I hadn't expected my meal to cost me more than half of my points from my daily points bank. Then I had an idea. I decided to look up my favorite meal at Chili's, which I would have eaten if I hadn't been on Weight Watchers.  Had I eaten the Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich and french fries I would have used 37 points! That's 10 more than my daily allowance, and it doesn't include the extra ranch that I usually dip my sandwich into, and the honey mustard that I would dip my fries in.

So in retrospect, I guess the 18 point meal that I had wasn't all that bad! I wouldn't eat it every day, but it was worth it for a special Valentine's Day treat. Now if I can stay away from the sugar cookies that I'm making for my kids today, I'll be all set!

Starting off 2012 on the Right Foot

We are now 2 weeks into 2012, and although I haven't finished my Year in Review of 2011, or really set my goals for the rest of this year, I have made one decision that I hope will have a lasting effect in 2012. Last week I joined Weight Watchers with my friend, Chrissy. I have put on about 20 pounds since my mother got sick in August, and I had pretty much stopped exercising. In all fairness, I didn't have a lot of time or energy to devote to eating right and exercising, and my emotions were definitely getting the best of me.

Ok, hold on. While that last statement is the truth, it is a cop-out. The decision I made after the new year was not to make any more excuses. I decided that I was tired of eating my feelings and using any excuse not to take care of myself. I mean, seriously. How hypocritical was I?! I was treating my body like crap, and ignoring my mental health, all while blaming my parents for not taking care of themselves enough to still be on this earth!

It's not like losing weight isn't on my list of resolutions every year. In fact, getting healthy and losing weight were #1 on the list last year! I had a good start in 2011. I joined a gym, lost some weight, and felt a little bit better about myself. That all came to a screeching halt in the middle of August when my mother went into the hospital. From that point on I spent a lot of time travelling, grieving and trying to avoid my feelings. Food was my go-to mood enhancer. Well, not anymore! I'm using diet and exercise (Zumba and workout videos) to get back on track.

With Weight Watchers I am focused on every food that I put in my mouth. I'm learning to pay attention to portion size, and make better decisions about which foods I want to spend my points on.  I'm drinking a lot more water and I'm down to 1-2 diet cokes per day, which is a huge success in my book!

I guess we'll see how my choices translate on the scales. Tuesday is weigh-in day. My starting weight (and I can't believe I'm going to put it in print) was 184.2. Of course that's with capris, a t-shirt and a fleece jacket on. I'm hoping to see 180 lbs. on Tuesday! I worked out 4 days this week, and I intend to work out pretty hard tomorrow.  My ultimate goal weight is 145 lbs so I have a ways to go. Wish me luck!


Are you making healthy changes for the new year? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section!