It must be fate. Right as I start this blog, one of my "obstacles" occurs. That obstacle being...Buffalo Wild Wings 60-cent wing night. I'll be going tonight with some friends. It may not be a surprise to you that these breaded bits 'o chicken are a little high in calories (and violate my new rule of eating meat that comes from humane farms...dang it). So, I thought I would talk a little bit about how I accommodate wings (inhumane ones. Sad face.) in my efforts to lose/maintain my weight.
Before Weight Watchers, I understood that it would be important to balance out the rest of the day's meals to stay healthy, but do you think I actually did that? Nooooooo. I ate a full-on regular set of meals before, gorged that night (complete with fries on the side), and felt miserable. Fun!! It was to the point where I needed acid reflux meds to keep me going, and not even just on BBW nights. I actually started throwing up because I was eating too much grease sometimes. Thought I was really sick--turns out I was just unhealthy.
So, now what? How has that changed since I started this process of fit=fun? Well, let's use today as an example. I don't intend to skip out on fun times and good food with my friends, and I also don't intend to jack up my diet. So. I got up this morning and did a little exercise. Pretty soon I'm going to the Y to take a class for more exercise. I don't get in all the exercise I need every day, but if there's something gross and delicious in my day's events, you can bet I am sure to fit it all in. WW asks us to do 4 activity pts a day, so I'll do at least that many. Then those are 4 points I can add to my daily allotment guilt free...that's a (small) boneless wing with a point leftover! Score!
But, of course, that's not enough. Exercise won't get me all the way to guilt-free wing night. So today, I have plans to really make good food decisions. On days like this, I don't really eat meals. I graze. I don't want to eat too much, but I also don't want to have a grumpy and empty stomach so I eat just enough, and just often enough, to keep my stomach in line. I just ate some steel-cut oats (TRY THEM!!) with fresh blueberries. That's 2.5 pts (about 200 cals if you don't follow WW). After I get done with pilates, I'll have a little more fruit. Then around noon or 1:00, I'll have some vegetables (probably bell peppers) with a Laughing Cow cheese or hummus. Then around 2:30 or 3:00 I will have some more fruit and/or maybe some Ryvita crackers (TRY THEM!!!) with either the Laughing Cow or hummus (whichever I didn't have before). None of these things have more than 2pts. So by the time it's 5pm and I'm at the table at BWW, I'll have eaten maybe 7 or 8 points (I get 25 per day, plus whatever activity points I earn). That leaves me PLENTY of room for wings with zero guilt. And I'll have had something in my stomach all day--and all high-fiber, filling foods. I'm sure I will feel a tad hungry, but I'll never feel ravenous.
The other little trick is to keep water with you at all times. I do every day, frankly, but on days like this, where I'm reserving points for a big meal, I am constantly sipping on water because that makes my stomach feel fuller with no points. Perfect!
The important thing, though, is that you don't go all nutters from hunger. Don't let yourself starve and get grumpy. If you're trying to graze all day to save up, but your stomach needs food, eat. If you don't, then you'll end up convincing yourself that you need 20 wings by the time you get there. Because ultimately, even if you go over your calorie/pt allotment for one day, it's soooooo not the end of the world. You just promise yourself that you'll be diligent the next day with exercise and staying carefully within your appropriate range. Your body can accommodate the occasional overindulgence. It's more important to enjoy yourself moderately than starve yourself ridiculously.
Oh, and also. I get a salad with low-cal dressing to eat before my wings. That makes me a little fuller with fewer wings. :)
Lastly, speaking of restaurants, a high school friend reminded me of a site I haven't been to in awhile but that's worth a look. Dotti's Weight Loss Zone gives you the WW point counts for food at tons of restaurant chains. Basically, a good rule of thumb is 1pt = 50 cal, so you can estimate cals if you're not into the WW point system. It will shock you to see the numbers, but happy that most places have a decent choice or two.
Oof. That was a long one...
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