Long time no "type"

So, OK, it's been a long while. Yeah, I know. I haven't been "feeling it". And it shows in everything. I finally got over my funk though and have decided to get serious about this again. Until that is, yesterday, Sidnee's birthday. Although, looking back, I didn't do to terribly bad. She wanted to have dinner at the Texas Roadhouse and go shopping at the mall with a couple of her friends. I knew we'd be going out for dinner so I planned for it and made sure I ate good all day, so that I could slack a little at dinner. The rolls were calling my name from the mall!! What also helped was that we didn't have a cake. I know, a birthday with no cake?!!!? Yes. At first I felt bad that I hadn't thought of everything for Sidnee's birthday, but you know, she hasn't even mentioned it. Nor did her friends. It's like they didn't even notice that it was gone. Weird, huh? So, now I don't have to worry about what to do with cake leftovers. (Eat them of course! lol) Now it's over and I've done better this evening. Man, the weekends are always tough for me because we eat out so much. Also, Monday through Thursday I got my behind out of bed at 5 A.M. and got to the gym! I am so proud of myself! For those who really know me, you know that I HATE getting up early. So, this is an amazing accomplishment for me. Anyone else have great accomplishments to share?
I also tried something different for breakfast, now that I actually have some time to eat breakfast at home. I took a banana that was starting to get mushy and mashed it up, then added a packet of instant regular oatmeal to it, a packet of Splenda, and some cinnamon. (That's one fruit serving down.) Also, instead of using water I used 2/3 C of skim milk. Then nuked it. After it was cooked I used another 1/3 C of milk to help cool it down some and make it thinner. (Now that's a milk serving down too.) This stuff was so good, it tasted like banana bread. Or I thought it did anyway, plus I had two of the eight food guidelines started.
Another thing I tried today was an easy fix for my sweet tooth. I popped a bag of 94% FF popcorn, sprayed some olive oil on it, sprinkled a packet of Splenda and some cinnamon on it. This too tasted pretty good. Even Sidnee and Emma liked it. I couldn't keep them out of my bowl! Spraying the olive oil gives you another guideline to mark off the list. Let's see....what else has happened since my last post? Nothing post worthy I guess. Anyone else have anything to share? Please let me know!!! I'd love to hear from all of y'all! Until next time......

Ok..So, I haven't self destructed....

Yeah I know. What is she doing home posting on her blog at this time of the day. I'm home sick and have had enough of resting in bed. Nothings on TV (as usual) and I need to "talk" to someone. And isn't Will wonderful?? He got both girls up, got Emma's bag together and got her dressed, took her to Shirley's, got Sidnee to school and didn't wake me up for help at all! Amazing huh? He's the greatest. I truly am blessed to be married to such a great man. OK...enough with the mushy, sappy stuff...

Well, this is amazing. I don't know how it happened, but it did. After the week I had I still managed to lose .4 lbs. Hey, it's only a stick of butter, but when I was really thinking I was going to gain it feels like a 5 lb loss! OK..so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. So, how did everyone else do?

Alright, I'm hungry now...going to go warm up some soup. Talk to everyone again soon. Let me know how ya'll have been doing.
Love ya!
Sonia

YOU ARE NOW IN SELF DESTRUCT MODE!!! HURRY....RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

Ever feel like you're in self destruct mode? I sure do. All week actually. Every day was something different. Wednesday was dinner at church (I packed my own, yeah me!!). Then Thursday was Homecoming Mum making extravaganza, Sidnee and Will went golfing, Emma was being herself, then Sidnee went to the bonfire. I so wanted to have dinner with them and hear about their days so I waited, and waited, and yup, waited some more. THEN, finally, at 9 PM everyone was home and hungry. You know on Core, you're supposed to listen to your hunger cues. Well I didn't. I was hungry at 7, but by 9 I was STARVING!! We ordered from Ranchers and I did initially start with a good choice. A chicken fajita salad. Well, Will called in the order but forgot that I now don't eat it with cheese. No big deal, I'll just scrape it off right? Well....wrong! By the time I ran to Wal-Mart, got the food and sat down to eat, my cheese problem was not even a problem anymore. I ate it AND all of the ranch dressing to boot. Oh yeah, and the greasy chips!! AAAHHHH!!! Then Friday was Homecoming, there I was trying to get 3 girls ready, hair brushed, mums pinned on and everyone out the door. Did I mention it was my 10 year reunion? Yeah, so there I'm trying to find something to wear to the game as well!!! That's enough stress in itself. So, needless to say, we didn't eat before the game as I had planned. Instead, we're going through McDonald's and we all know regardless of what plan you are on...McDonald's is not safe at all!!! Do you see where I'm going with this? Good...the rest of my WW week followed the same suit. Oh yeah! Mother nature decides to visit too....AAAAAAAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! No wonder I can't control my own emotions, thoughts, or stomach!!! She always has such a strong hold over everything I do for the week!! Why? Could it be physiological? Could she be my scapegoat? Or could it be with everything else going on in my life that week that "my give a damn was busted"? Or perhaps all of the above. Oh well. I'll be at my meeting tonight to face the music. I'll fill you guys in on how everything went.

But, I found an interesting article that I thought ya'll might like to read. It has some good pointers, some we already know, but who couldn't use a refresher course now and then right? Hope it helps! Until next time!
http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100215766&GT1=32001

Making Core Easier

Some of you may know this and others may not. But, I'm going to share something I just discovered last week. If you have access to E-Tools, go into the planner. From there you click on the find and explore tab on the left and it takes you to a screen with a search box. In the search box you can type in ANY food and of course you know if it's listed in the WW database, then it will bring up all the results listed and the points values. Here's where it gets even better if you're doing the Core plan (actually this would work for Flex as well) on the left there are some tabs that say food, restuarants, recipes. If you click on the Recipes tab it opens and expanded list for you. Then there's a box that you can check that says Core plan only. Then it gives you the results that fall under the Core plan. For example, I typed in "chicken" pretty broad and generic I know. When I went under the Recipes tab and checked the Core box it gave me 109 Core recipes that used chicken!! I then tried Progresso. It brought up all the soups that are listed under Progresso then I checked the Core box and Voila! it gave me all the Progresso soups that are Core! Pretty neat huh?

I've also had people ask me "What do you eat on Core? Nothing?" So, I've decided to list my menu from Monday to give others some insight.

Monday:

Breakfast:
Coffee with Splenda and 1/4 C FF half and half (counted 1 point)
Didn't have breakfast because mornings are not good at my house.

Lunch:
Leftover Spaghetti made with Ronzoni noodles and 96/4 ground beef
Peas
Pear

Dinner:
Baked Chicken
Brown Rice with a little Reduced sodium soy sauce
Steamed Veggies
Green Beans

Snacks:
1/2 C plain, fat-free yogurt with splenda and vanilla with
1/2 C grapes and
1/2 C sliced strawberries (this was after work)
then after dinner I had an entire bag of 94% fat free popcorn with 2 t. EVOO and some kernel seasonings sprinkled on top
None of this had to measured, I only know the amount of grapes and strawberries because I happened to use the 1/2 cup to take them out of the bowl I had them in. The only points were used were for the 1/2 &1/2.

Not bad right? If I had wanted something none Core, no big deal, I could eat it and just figure my points for whatever it was.

Well, back to work! HOpe to hear from ya'll soon!

Bravo Moment

Yeah, I know....I didn't post last week. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to because of the fact that I was bummed out about "only losing .4". Then I realized that it was a loss still...AND that I had a big loss the week before. So, that made me feel a little better and then I decided I was going to post this piece on "self sabotaging" and never got around to doing it. I still think that would be a great topic, for another time. I'm just not feeling it at the moment.

I am however, feeling proud of myself. I had a HUGE Bravo Moment and didn't even recognize it. It was only after talking on the phone with this AMAZING friend of mine (IRPMS) that the moment was brought to my attention. One night this week (I think it was Sunday...maybe Monday, anyway) I had had enough. Emma was whining, Will was not being helpful (I love the man...but still he's a man and sometimes....well, you all know how that can go) I was tired, the day seemed never ending, I didn't feel too swell, etc., etc., etc. So, at 10:00 at night, when I should have been sleeping, I pulled out my sewing machine and decided to sew some new pillows for my couch! I was telling my friend this really just to bring out the humor in the situation when she responded with "at least you didn't go into the kitchen". And you know what? She was right! I hadn't even realized that I didn't do that. Before, I would have gone in an scarfed whatever was available, but this time I didn't! I did tell her that I hadn't even gone to the store yet and that was probably why (and another reason for my mood), then thought, "No, I still would have found SOMETHING to eat just to feel better." So, my moment was that I did not comfort myself with food. I found something else to occupy my mind and help me chill out. I've always know I was/am an emotional eater, but never could control myself, or slow down enough to really access any of my "bad", "mad", "sad", feelings to really think about what I was about to do, or what I was doing. (And to be honest, I did run to the kitchen earlier in the evening and had some Nilla wafers with Nutella. Yes, I'm embarrassed to even admit it, but oh well, I'm a work in progress remember?) Now, not to say that I'll always start a project when things aren't going my way (work in progress remember LOL), but to have one time under my belt when I was in CONTROL feels pretty darn good. And maybe, just maybe, I'm actually getting the hang of this.

So, what about you? Does this post getting you thinking about any bravo moments that have gone unnoticed? TELL ME ABOUT THEM!!! I'd love to hear about them!!

Wow Wow Wowzers!!!

OK...LET ME START OFF WITH THIS....

I FREAKIN' LOVE THE CORE PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll admit when I first started I didn't have much success and wasn't too knowledgeable about what to eat. But I put my mind to it this week and have been reading some things here and there to get more information and it paid off!! I lost 4.4 lbs.!!!!!!!! I also became determined to get on the right track again and have started working again. Thank goodness for routines and schedules. (This coming from a very unstructured person who normally could do with out both!) I had become so disgusted with myself after last week's weigh in. I had realized that I had gained 7 lbs. over the summer. :( Yeah, my goal was to lose 10....oh well. I'm now back on track and plan to keep my thoughts positive.

Getting to this point made me think though. About little things. You know, little things can really add up. Be it positive or negative. Little compliments here and there can add to one's self esteem, they can even put an extra little spring in your step. Little bursts of extra movement during the day can help with getting in some exercise and getting more things done. Little cut backs can help save big...be it with your calories or with your finances. Little splurges or luxuries like a special brand of coffee, pedicures, nice smelling lotion, a new piece of clothing or jewelry can also help us feel good about ourselves or even keep us sane. And we've said this before, even little weight losses can eventually add up to a big number. But let's study the flip side for just a second. Little negative thoughts about yourself can ruin any positive feedback you've received. Little splurges here and there can also ruin your bank account. Little bites, tastes, licks, "very small servings", even little sips can ruin your eating plan over a course of time. Those can even cause our "little losses" to become "little gains". And little gains can also add up to big numbers over a period of time just like the losses do. (I know from first hand experience.) And why is it that we are so quick to belittle our little losses and yet so quick to be so hard on ourselves for the little gains? Doesn't seem to make much sense does it? Why don't we celebrate the little losses or try to figure out why we had a gain instead of beating ourselves up for them? Just something to think about.

On a much lighter note, has anyone tried the new two point bar yet? I LOVED IT! It tasted like trail mix! I love the stuff, but rarely eat it because I could never justify to myself spending the points on such a small serving. These are GGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRREAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! (Sorry Tony.)

I did find the name to be somewhat fitting for the first week back to school. Fruity Nutty Madness! LOL That's exactly how the first two days have been!!!

Well, it is a "school night" and I'd better get my "to-do list" completed or at least three-quarters completed! Good Night To All and have a GREAT WEEK!

And again...please feel free to comment about any or everything. Add your own food finds or tips, because when it comes down to it...we could all use a LITTLE extra help every now and again!

Bye!

Update...

Well, I know this isn't normally the day that I try to post, but I found a couple of new blogs that ya'll might be interested in. Also, I wanted to update everyone on how things have been going on Core.

Things were going great (I think) until Saturday evening. When I started doing more research I figured out that I had been eating Core Plan friendly for a while. There were just some things that I had to tweak, like the skim milk, plain yogurt...little details like that. I am so liking not having to weigh and measure every little thing, being able to eat all the fruit I want and not have to count it! Let me tell you, watermelon and cantaloupe have been my go to when I get the urge to snack...oh! and popcorn (reduced fat of course!). The only thing is I'm kind of worried about eating too much and too often. I guess that comes from being on the flex for so long that I've "trained" my brain to only eat a certain amount of certain foods because of the points values. Not because of my satitisfaction level. Make sense? I don't know. It's hard not being on a regular schedule right now...you know us we're already unstructured and me not having to work during the summer doesn't make it any better! LOL Anyway, I was doing pretty good.... THEN, we took Bailey to Red Lobster for her birthday and I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, plus there was cake and ice cream today and the pizza for dinner. Yes, I was too lazy to put any effort into my dinner and let Will get some frozen pizzas instead. I should really have elastic legs for times like these. Why elastic? So that I can kick my own self in the @$$ for doing stupid things that I shouldn't be doing.
Anyway, we shall have to see Tuesday how much my goof cost me. I was really hoping that I could be more disciplined on my first week. I'm going to consider this my "learning" week. I'll give an update after my WI. I hope I didn't screw up too badly.

Now...I found out about these blogs from the MB on WW.com. So, some of ya'll might have already visited these.
The first is pretty much a recipe blog that has Core recipes on it and tips. It's www.freewebs.com/hwc1973
The second is an interesting one from a WW.com user also. What I've read seems pretty neat. http:coletted.blogspot.com
Check them out!

Well, that's all for now. I'll let ya'll know what happens on WI on Tuesday!!!

Core

Ok...sorry I haven't been able to post in a couple of weeks. We were on vacation last week, and the week before that I don't really know what happened. I do know however, that I'm beginning to get that "burnt out" feeling. It's a familiar feeling that I resent getting. I've heard that when these feelings begin to creep in, or when you've hit a plateau, the best thing to do is to change something. Either try different foods, cut snacking out, add more healthy snacks, excercise more, try different excercises. Something. So, to try to destroy these feelings, I've decided to try the Core plan. Does anyone follow the CP? And, what tips do you have to stay on plan?
What do you do when you feel like you need a change?

What do you eat?

OK, this week I'm going to try something a little different. This week I'm going to leave the post up to my readers.

The topic..."What do you eat?"

I'd like for everyone to post what you eat that helps keep you on track. Maybe favorite recipes or what you keep your pantry stocked with.

I thought this might help those of us who are getting burnt out on eatting the same ole same ole.

Ok...ladies....type away!!!

Successful yet still discouraged and a food find

Well, this past week was a success! I lost the two pounds I had gained, plus .2 more! But, part of me still can't help but be disappointed. I worked soooo hard to reach my goal and yet I still didn't reach my "exact" goal. I met my friend at the gym every morning at 6 AM (and you know that I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!!) I tracked everything that I put in my mouth. I followed some of the tips we got at the meeting last week. Especially the one that said to make sure I had all my healthy guidelines in before I allowed myself things like cookies. Yeah, I did it and I know I had a good loss. Wait, a great loss, but I wanted to reach my 30 pound mark so bad this week!!!!! I'm not going to get discouraged though. I've got a deadline to meet. I want to lose 5-10 pounds by August 2nd. I know the 10 side is a little extreme. That would mean I had to loss 2 pounds every week and I know that's not exactly possible, but it doesn't hurt to dream does it? That's why I can settle for 5...or maybe 8! LOL

Ok, I've got a food find to report about.
~Blue Bunny makes this sugar free fudgesicle pop that is made with Splenda. And here's the great part...one pop is 0 points!!! Oh yeah, they taste great too!

Also, here's an alert. If you use Nature's Own WhiteWheat sandwich bread make sure you double check the stats on the label. The points value is now 1 point for 1 slice. Apparently, they've started using bigger loaf pans to bake the bread and now get bigger slices? Anyway, double check the points values. (Thanks for checking this out for us Paula! You're awesome!)

Well, until next week, please post any and all thoughts and food finds. Hope you all have a great and safe 4th of July!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tracking

People, people, people. I can not stress enough the importance of tracking!!! Now, I'm not talking about the mental tracking that some of us (ok..me) do sometimes. I'm talking about the actual writing down (or typing down if you use Etools) of ALL the foods you eat.



I know this. You'd think as long as I've been doing WW that I would do this. But, alas, I didn't this week. Nor did I do it very well last week either. This was proven on the scale both weeks. Yes, I gained AGAIN. Now, instead of being at my goal of 30 pounds lost, I'm still not there and now have to lose 3 pounds to get to my goal instead of the one pound. So, what I'm trying to say is that the "mental math" doesn't work for me. I really don't know what happened. I started the week out with my determination at such a high level then.....who knows. I was journaling everything, I was making sure I was following the good health guidelines, I was watching portion sizes. Has anyone else had this happen?





Oh well. The only thing I can do now is start this new week with a positive mind frame. Nothing good ever comes out of beating yourself up about things.



So, in closing. TRACK EVERYTHING. Like Cindy says..."IF YOU BITE IT, YOU WRITE IT!!!"

Determination

Determination. As defined by Webster is "the mental habit of settling upon some line of action with a fixed purpose to adhere to it". This one word can apply to so many things in life.



And to tell you the truth, I've been lacking this in my weight loss journey the past couple of days. I'm sure those of you that actually read this have noticed, due to the fact that my post is late this week.



I felt especially crappy when I didn't make my goal this week. One pound. That was all I wanted to lose. Not 2 or 3. Not 1.something. Just one. Instead I gained .2. Talk about being bummed. One pound would have put me at an even 30. Not my actual goal weight. But it was one of my "mini goals".



So, you may be asking how I dealt with this? Well, normally I would have been really bummed and even a little peeved with myself. This time I decided not to let a small set back crush me. This time my determination will not be shattered.



This week I'm going to get my water intake in, my veggies and fruits and the rest of the healthy food guidelines in as well. I'm going to try to get some type of exercise in as many days as I can. I'm going to keep my before picture on the fridge in plain sight for all to see. Including myself. I'm not going to forget how far I've come and what my ultimate goal is. I'm also going to set more mini goals as to not overwhelm myself.



So, the challenge this week is to keep your determination in check.

Excuses

Excuses....you know what they say about them. They're like @$$holes. Everyone has one and they all stink. (Thank you Coach Lewis.)

So, with that being said, why do we continue to use them? We use them for why we didn't exercise. We use them for why we over ate. We use them for not being prepared, for not showing up or staying at meetings, for not weighing in if we're doing it solo. Why? Yes, they are easy to use, and the more they are used the easier they get to come up with. Almost like second nature. But no more!! One of my goals for this week is to shoot down the excuses I come up with if it henders my weight loss sucess.

Plus, I've come up with a challenge for the few readers I have. I challenge you to do the same. If you can't sqaush your own excuse. Send it to me and I'll try to help and vice versa. There's safety in numbers.

Also, I've discovered a new, well, not "new", but new to me website. It's RecipeZaar.com (http://www.recipezaar.com), this site was interesting to me because it has a search option for you to use to find any recipe you can think of. PLUS...it has the nutritional info on the site as well. I haven't really had too much time to play with it and really get into it, but I liked what little I saw and had to share. I hope it proves helpful.

Oh yeah, also for this week (until Tuesday, I think) H.E.B has a coupon for $.75 off of Nature's Own WhiteWheat bread and buns! Stock up!!! These are the buns that I mentioned in an earlier post that have a points value of 1!!! Oh Yeah!!

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

I couldn't help but notice at our WW meeting tonight that alot of people referred to having "bad days" or a "bad week". I too have found myself thinking and saying this as well. Why? What really made it so "bad"? We were all able to wake up, some didn't. We were able to spend time with our families, some can't or don't have any. We were able to eat whatever we wanted to, even if it wasn't the best choice for us WW wise. And something tells me that we enjoyed every bit of it too! LOL Some people have to go with out food. They don't even have enough to feed their families and I'm sure all of us have no problems with that. We were able to spend the holiday with family and friends and other's are over seas, they are the reason we have this holiday that we just celebrated. We have the support and encouragement of WW buddies, friends and family to help us during these difficult times. Many struggle on there own to lose weight. So why do we let the scale dictate what kind of day or week we've had? We focus so much on the negative that we forget the great things that we've done. Be it the total weight we've lost, the newfound energy we have, maybe even the great wardrobe we're getting into. Maybe it's being able to work out on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes now instead of just the 5 we huffed and puffed through? Or perhaps it's being able to get a hug from your kids or grandkids and getting a "whole body hug" instead of a half one?

There have been times that I've fallen off the wagon. Heck, there's been time's I've fallen off the wagon and been ran over by it. I've also had days that I've become so fustrated with myself and my slow weightloss that it turns into a "bad day". (That will have to be another posting for another day!) So, I am going to start remembering this verse and receiting it daily. It will become my new mantra. Not to say that I won't have a "bad day", but perhaps this will make it easier. I hope this helps you. I know it's not really a "tip", or a food find, but sometimes we need a "tip" for our souls too.

Excercise

Ok...I HATE to excercise. Does anyone else have this problem?

I paid for a gym membership, but rarely went. Then, I renewed the darn thing!!! I have good intentions, but those don't help the flab fall off. I've even got friends from church that are willing to meet me there to work out as well and this week I've been unable to show up everyday so far. What am I to do? I already know the answer so you don't have to say anything. I need to get my rear in gear and get to the gym. My biggest excuse though, and one that I don't even try to find a solution for is that I have noone to watch Emma. And get this, one friend has older sons that are willing to help babysit her, and still I'm a no-show. I just hate to bother someone with babysitting. Does that even make sense? And I'm sure if she reads this, she'll let me know what she thinks :) (Love ya NS!)

Know what else? I've even bought a dance it off work out DVD and have used it twice! I work at a school that has it's own walking track and don't use it. I could use it after school when I really have don't have much to do, I could make the kids walk with me at recess, but still I DON'T!!! What is wrong with me? I severly lack self motavation!!

Oh look at that! It's 9:09 p.m. and the gym closes at 10!! And I've already gone through every excuse I have in my head not to go and they all worked!! Another day without exercise....maybe tomorrow.

Food Finds

I have found (with the help of my friend, Karen B.) the BEST salad dressing!! It's All Natural Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Lighten Up! It has 50% less fat and 50% fewer calories than regular Balsamic Dressing. The serving size is 2 T, which is pretty standard for all dressings and has a points value of 1 point!!! I know that fat free Italian is zero points, but I'm not really a fan of it, so I feel like I'm having to choke down my salad. Not cool at all. Now, I'm not saying I will never use FF Italian again, because it is good to use a marinade for veggies and chicken, just it won't be on my salad anymore if I can help it. Oh! Who has tried the Weight Watchers cookies yet? Sidnee and I tried the chocolate chip ones Thursday and they were pretty darn good!! I was really surprised. The cookie is an ok size, for 1 pont, but they were nice and soft and the taste made up for the size.

Also, I know some don't actually attend WW meetings, but are still trying to follow the plan solo and some are just trying to cut back on calories and eat healthier, so with that being said, here are some more food finds.


Nature's Own now makes hamburger buns and hot dog buns that are 1 point each!! They are Whitewheat and taste pretty good. The only thing, the hamburger buns are kind of small, but once you add your "fillings" to it, they still seem to be pretty filling. Nature's Own also has there Light Honey Wheat sandwich bread, the points value is 1 point for 2 slices.

La Tortilla Factory makes 0 point tortillas!! I've only tried the original low carb ones and I've only found these in Gatesville at Wal-Mart.

Kraft has cheese slices that are fat free and some that are 2%. In my opinion, just buy the 2% ones, they are the same in points (1), as the FF ones, but taste a ton better.

The same goes for milk. I use the 1% not skim...why drink cloudy water when you're not saving any points? Both are 2 points for a 1 cup serving.

Pregresso has some Weight Watchers inspired soups 5 different flavors. One serving is 1 cup for 0 points, the whole can will cost you two though, but still 2 points for a whole can of soup is not bad. They have a Vegetable and Noodle, Zesty Southwesteren-Style Vegetable, Homestyle Vegetable and Rice, Italian-Style Vegetable & Savory Vegetable Barley.

Nabisco makes Multigrain crackers that are 1 point for 5 crackers. I think the serving for FF crackers is 7 for 1 point, but FF crackers taste like cardboard to me, so I opt. for losing 2 crackers for taste.

Well, I hope this short starter list helps some of you out. I want to try to keep posting food finds as I find them or remember them. If anyone else has some they know off the top of their head, please feel free to share!

Websites

Ok, now that I have a few more minutes, I want to compile a list of helpful websites. I've used these websites numerous of times and have found helpful information on all of them.

1. Weight Watchers Online=http://www.weightwatchers.com/
There is information on here that is FREE. You can even sign up for the free newsletter, read message boards and get recipes too!
2. Hungry Girl=http://www.hungrygirl.com/
This too has a FREE newsletter that you can subscribe to, recipes to get, and helpful information.
3. Aimees Adventures=http://www.aimeesadventures.com/
This one has lots of recipes that you can print off for FREE, plus links to other sites that can be useful to you as well.

Please, if anyone has any other sites that they use or have heard of but haven't had time to try out, leave feedback for us all!!

First Time Around

Well, this is my first attempt at creating a blog. I hope all goes well.

The major goal is this, to create a place where the women and men of Central Texas can get more local Weight Watchers advice. On the message boards for WW, I often see food sold at places that aren't even around our "neck of the woods". Also, people are sometimes more apt to talk about their problems, concerns, tips and tricks with people they know.

With that being said, this will first be shared with family and close friends. Please share what you think of this idea!