1st Weight Watchers Update this time around

Well, I finally feel like I've dug out from underneath all of the stress the last year and I'm ready to take control of my life again. With that, and central goes my weight. I've been making bad choices and blaming them on stress, but I'm owning up to the fact that I've gained 20 pounds or so in the last year and it's time to get rid of it. I'd really love to be able to breathe in my clothes again, especially my civil war corset. :)

And with that, Mark and I joined Weight Watchers again. I'd made lifetime last summer but I quit going, I quit being accountable, and I quit watching what I was eating nor even having a clue what went into what I was eating. When I joined again yesterday my weight in jeans and a tee shirt and socks was 163. I'm planning on weekly blog entries to update my progress with this until I get to my goal weight again of 145 or lower. I hope that will help me remain accountable to myself and to my clothes as we go into the fattening "grandchild Hawaiian visit - Thanksgiving - Christmas - putting on weight for the winter" season.

I do have a story to relate on how easy it is to lose sight of what a person is eating. My points (weight watchers assigns points to all foods depending on the calories, fiber, and fat content of them...very sensible program!) that I aim at per day are 20. I can use 35 extra per week, but I know from the past that if I use too many of them, I won't lose weight so I try to stick to those 20 per day. Well, my favorite place for lunch lately has been Q'doba. It's Mexican fast food that tastes better than most upscale Mex resteraunts. They're building one right by me. My favorite dish is called "Mexican Gumbo" and I went on the web to find the nutritional information for the way I've been ordering it with rice, black beans, sour cream (lite), and cheese and chicken and it amounts to a whopping 18 points per bowl! Add to that the Raspberry tea that I love that is full sugar at 3 points per 8 ounces (a medium drink is about 20 ounces, I'll let you do that math!) and I'm way over my daily points. Add to that the 2510 mg of sodium and then tell me why I've gained back 20 pounds of the weight I'd lost. Geesh.

Here's also what I learned, just in case I just HAVE to have my Q'doba fix, because I know if I tell myself I can't have it, I'll be bellying up to the bar for a double. Here are options for my mexican gumbo that I love:
18 points for cheese, sour cream, chicken, pico, rice, and black beans.
16 points for sour cream, chicken, pico, rice and black beans (no cheese).
14 points for chicken, pico, rice and black beans (no cheese nor sour cream).
12 points for sour cream, chicken, pico, rice (no cheese no beans).
10 points for sour cream, chicken, pico, beans (no cheese no rice).
SO, I can have a nice lunch at Q'doba for 10 points if I'm willing to watch what I eat for breakfast and supper.

Of course, a better option is to take half of it home and have a large green salad with spray salad dressing that will be less points. I'm learning. Hopefully the amnesia won't set in again, it's too darn hard to lose again. :(

Have a great week, you'all...I'm working my buns off this week, I'll update next weekend. :)