Weigh in Wednesday

For those of you who are new to reading my blog, every Wednesday I post about my weight loss efforts. I will also try to give you some helpful tips, which have helped me! So far, I have lost 32 pounds!!! This week I lost 3 pounds! I seriously don't know how, since on last Saturday I went to a birthday party & ate a hamburger & a small piece of cake! So, if anything, I thought I would've gained. But I lost 3! Sorry, I'm so excited but I'm at my goal weight now, I'm feeling great, and this is the first that I've lost any weight in a few weeks! Enough about me though! Here are a few tips about healthy eating:

*Tip #1

Some things to avoid when your trying to lose weight--

*Avoid Gravy, cream sauces, or oil-based sauces

*Avoid Butter, Margarine and oils

*Avoid Full fat dairy products

*Avoid Fatty meats as much as possible

*Avoid Salad dressing (unless it low or non-fat/low calorie)

Here are some alternatives:

* Use 0 cal, 0 fat butter spray like I can't believe it's not butter

(On sale this week at Kroger's, check out my Kroger's post for the deal & coupon.)

*Choose fat free salad dressing. I like Kraft Free dressing.

Get a bottle of Kraft Free dressing for FREE... Here's how- use the Free Kraft dressing coupon from the August Issue of All You Magazine. You can buy this magazine for $1.77 at Walmart & it will save you lots of money. But anyways, just purchase 3 packets of Kool-aid (usually between 18-22 cents ea. depending on where you go) and get a Free bottle of Kraft dressing with the coupon! Easy enough.

*Choose skim milk, fat free yogurts, fat free cheese, fat free cream cheese ect.

You can always find coupons for yogurts in the Sunday paper or in my purple coupons.com box on the left column. Also, half gallons of milk are on sale this week for 3 for $4 or $1.34ea. So why not pick up a half gallon of skim milk & give it a try!

*Choose Laura's lean ground beef, low fat hot dogs, lean cuts of lunch meat --

When choosing deli meats, try lean ham, turkey breast and chicken. Check the label & look for deli meats that have less than 4.5 grams of fat & 480 milligrams of sodium or less per serving.

I like healthy ones lunch meats & usually buy these when they are on sale. For a printable coupon for healthy ones go here. This coupon is good until 4/30/09 & you can save a copy to your hard drive! I use this coupon at Kroger's & they double it to $1 off. I've gotten free lunch meat before with combining sale w/coupon. For a coupon for Laura's lean ground beef go here, and I also wanted to add that there is also a coupon for free hot dogs in the All you mag. If you wanted to try the low fat ones. I think that they taste just like the fattening ones.

*Tip #2

When choosing frozen meals, always check the labels. Look for dinners that have less than 750 milligrams of sodium, and aren't too high in calories or fat. I like eating Smart Ones meals, Lean cuisines, and Michelina's lean gourmet entrees. I usually only buy these when they are on sale. They are good for a quick lunch, or dinner. (when the rest of the family is eating something high fat) Michelina's are always priced under $1 ea. at Walmart. Here is a printable coupon for save $1 wyb 5. Smart Ones are on sale at Kroger's this week. Check my Kroger's post for the full deal & coupon.

*Tip #3

When cooking--

*use egg whites, not whole eggs

*use spray margarine instead of oil or butter- example: Pam spray (o cal 0 fat)

*Tip #4

Use small plates/dishes to eat off of. It tricks your mind, making you think that you're eating more when your plate looks full.

*Tip #5

Always measure out your portion sizes. Here are a few examples:

*I always leave my measuring cup in my cereal box. So that I remember to measure 1 cup of cereal & 1/2 cup of skim milk! Or whatever amount the serving size says for the particular cereal.

*I always divide snacks into small Ziploc bags counting out the serving size so that I'm less likely to overeat on snacks like baked lays, crackers, ect.

Some other portion control reminders:

--3 ounces of chicken or meat is about the size of a deck of cards

--1 ounce of cheese is equal to the size of 4 dice

--1 cup of rice or pasta is the size of a tennis ball.

*Tip #6

Here are a few snack options (yes, you can still have snacks!)

-- Pretzels, baked chips, or pop secret 100 calorie popcorn mini bags (kettle corn is my favorite!)

Refer to tip #5 & don't forget to divide servings!

--Choose to snack on fruits & veggies whenever possible

--Non fat yogurts, pudding cups, and string cheese also make a good snacking option.

--Choose low-fat, low-calorie deserts. I like the Skinny Cow skinny dippers, non fat fudge bars, or non fat soft serve yogurt. For an occasional treat, Yummy!!!

That's it for this week. Are you joining me in my adventures of losing weight? If so please leave a comment & share how your doing, how much weight you've lost, or any additional tips or advice! I would love to hear from you!