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Taco Bell Fresco Taco

January 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I tried a fresco style crunchy ground beef taco at Taco Bell yesterday, but just one.

I wasn’t holding out much hope that it was going to taste good because what’s a taco without cheese? (which is why I only ordered one instead of two or three.) Taco Bell Fresco Taco

But I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good (either that or I was really hungry).

I actually didn’t miss the cheese at all and I’m from Wisconsin where we pretty much think everything is better with cheese!

But, it’s not like I saved a ton of calories by ordering the fresco taco. According to Taco Bell’s nutrition guide I only saved 20 calories, and also saved 3 grams of fat.

But the calorie and fat savings was enough to cut the taco down from 4 Weight Watchers points to 3 Weight Watchers points (but always check points values yourself because nutrition information for food can change at any time). If I can save a point without feeling like I’m missing out on flavor I’ll do it so I’ll definitely go “freso style” the next time I go to Taco Bell (if I can resist the “siren call” of the Nachos Bel Grande).

Here’s the comparison of the two tacos:
Regular Taco Bell ground beef taco
170 calories
10 grams fat
330 milligrams sodium
12 grams carbs
3 grams fiber
8 grams protein
1 gram sugar (that stuff sneaks into just about everything)

Fresco style Taco Bell ground beef taco
150 calories
7 grams fat
350 milligrams sodium
13 grams carbs
3 grams fiber
7 grams protein
1 gram sugar (still has the sugar in it – my guess is that it’s in the shell)

One thing that jumped out at me when doing the comparison stats is that the fresco style taco, which is perceived to be healthier than the regular taco, is higher in sodium than a regular taco. While it’s a healthier option to me because I don’t have to watch my sodium, it definitely is not a better choice for someone like my Mom who has to watch her sodium intake carefully. Why is it that when a restaurant takes something away, like calories, it usually adds something else – typically sodium or sugar – instead? I hate that.

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, Food Finds, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tips, Weight Watchers Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Caribou Coffee Lite White Berry Drink; Is It Really Lite?

January 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Seriously, how can Caribou Coffee say their Lite White Berry beverage is light? (or “lite” as they like to spell it).

The medium size (382 grams which is a little over 13 ounces) contains 530 calories!

Yes, 530 calories or 11 Weight Watchers points by my calculations.

The description of the drink says “It’s indulgence without the guilt.”

WHAT?

Who considers a 13 ounce drink containing 530 calories light? The Jolly Green Giant? Michael Phelps when he’s in training?

It’s no wonder I’m fat. I buy into the “light” hype and consume without guilt.

Although to be fair to Caribou Coffee their lite white berry, which is made with skim milk, is a lighter option than the same drink made with 2 percent milk. No wonder it tastes so good.

Caribou Lite White Berry

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Foods, My Weight Loss Journal, The Fat Girl Diaries, Weight Loss, Worst Light Foods Tagged With: , , , ,

Broiled Grapefruit Recipe

January 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s January, I’m psyched to eat healthy, and that includes eating more fresh fruit. But most of my favorite fruits are out of season and exorbitantly priced so I’ve stocked up on the more reasonably priced oranges, apples, and grapefruit.

But, plain grapefruit feels like “diet food” to me so I dress it up a little and turn into a treat that tastes like a decadent dessert but without the high calorie and fat count more desserts have.

Broiled grapefruit is easy and quick to make; and by my calculations a half of broiled grapefruit is just 1 Weight Watcher point (but check points values yourself to be sure).

BROILED GRAPEFRUIT
Ingredients:
1 grapefruit half
1 teaspoon brown sugar
cinnamon
optional: pinch of ground nutmeg and pinch of ground cloves

Turn oven to broil.
Section grapefruit with sharp knife, leaving it intact in the peel.
Sprinkle with brown sugar, a light dusting of cinnamon, and a small pinch of nutmeg and/or ground cloves if desired (a very small pinch of ground cloves – a little goes a long way).
Heat under broiler until sugar browns, about 5 minutes.
Eat and enjoy!

Filed Under: Diet Friendly Recipes, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tips, Weight Watchers Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Low Cal Treat That Won’t Wreck Your Diet –

January 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Are you craving something sweet but are trying to avoid inhaling a thousand calories worth of chocolate and derailing your weight loss?

Try having a Tootsie Roll Pop instead.

Unless you can only stand to take two or three licks before biting into it to get to the tootsie roll center, it lasts a long time, satisfies a craving for something sweet, and only has 60 calories (only 1 Weight Watcher point!).

Plus there’s yummy new Pomegranate flavor.

Filed Under: Tasty Snacks, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tips, Weight Watchers Tagged With: , , , ,

My 3 Rules for Holiday Eating While Dieting

December 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

If it hasn’t already started for you, the rounds of family gatherings and parties is hitting its full swing this week.

With those events comes the mountains of food and endless buffets filled with holiday treats like fudge, frosted cookies, eggnog, dips, Chex mix (homemade of course because only loads of real butter in it will do – oh and lots of cashews too), cocktail sausages (wrapped in bacon for extra fatty deliciousness), cheese in cubes and cheese in cheese balls and cheese in fondue and just about any form that can be imagined. And that’s not counting the actual Christmas day meal nor all the temptations we face while holiday shopping (the smell of Cinnabon practically makes me swoon!).

Is it any wonder the average American gains weight over the holidays, and according to WebMD we don’t lose all that weight after the obligatory New Year’s resolutions to join the gym and only eat salads for the entire month of January.  No, we tend to hang on to at least a pound a year, which added up over time leads to lots of extra pudge.

I used to tend to “let loose” over the holidays and ate to the point of bursting (I practically bought Tums by the case and I only thought of that because over the weekend I saw someone at Walmart stocking up on Tums and she literally had her arms full of bottles of Tums – gave me heartburn just thinking about it).

Last year was the first year I made a conscious effort to not overdo it. My goal was to maintain my current weight over the holidays (although secretly I was hoping to lose a couple of pounds because I was really watching what I ate). I ended up gaining a pound which wasn’t my goal but it was a lot better than previous years when I typically gained between five and ten pounds.

This year I truly do hope to be a “loser” during the Christmas holidays, especially since I spent the last 2 months “letting loose” and gaining back 14 pounds (although according to my scale this morning 2 of those stubborn pounds have come off in the last week but I’m not going to celebrate until I get the “official” reading at my Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow morning).

But instead of trying to follow a bunch of “rules” about what to eat and drink I’m keeping it simple with just 3 guidelines that I’m going to follow:

1) half my plate will be filled with fruits and vegetables and I will eat those first so that I’m not so tempted to overdo it on the higher calorie stuff (and 25 percent of it will be filled with cocktail shrimp if they are available – low calorie and super delicious!).

2) I will drink lots of water so I’m not eating when I’m actually thirsty and to help flush the extra sodium out of my body that is going to be in that tasty holiday food

3) I will stop eating when I’m satisfied even if I know I will not be able to have that particular food again until next Christmas.

That’s it – just three guidelines. I’m keeping it simple so I can actually enjoy myself rather than standing by the buffet agonizing over what I’m going to allow myself to eat. 

Because really, the holidays aren’t about stuffing ourselves to oblivion.  It’s about spending time with friends and family and in my house it’s also about celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tips Tagged With: , , ,

Go Foods and Slow Foods

December 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Do you remember being a kid and being told to “not put so much butter on your potatoes” because “it’s bad for you,” and to put the potato chips away because they’re “bad for you” and that you didn’t need to have any ice cream because it was “bad for you.”

I heard those exact words more times than I can count.

When I complained that I was hungry as I was reluctantly putting the ice cream back in the freezer (why the heck did we have it in the house if it was so bad for us?), I was told to “have an apple,” “peel yourself an orange” or “eat some carrots,” because they were “good for me.”

The Mom at Weight Watchers that shared the “go foods” and “slow foods” concept says it has dramatically changed how her kids view food. Sure, they still have some of the not so healthy choices but the kids willingly choose to eat less of it in favor of foods that are health and help them “go.”

How great is that?

Yeah, that was real motivation to want to eat the apples, oranges and carrots. NOT!

Being told I couldn’t or shouldn’t have something made me want it even more because it was now a forbidden and therefore more attractive food. I started to crave bad food and ate it on the “sly” anytime I could. Is it any surprise that I became a “chubby” child?

As for the “good for me food,” what kid really puts those words in a positive context? Good for me started to equate with “tastes bad” because I was never given any reasons why the food was good for me other than my Mother saying it was (and there comes a certain age where kids question everything their mother says).

Then someone at my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday mentioned how her child’s teacher had a great way of teaching kids about healthy foods and actually getting them to want to choose them over less healthy choices.

Because I think the concept is so great I’m going to shamelessly steal it.

It’s “GO FOODS” and “SLOW FOODS,” meaning healthy foods help you go and unhealthy foods slow you down. What kid doesn’t want to be able to run and jump and play as fast as possible? Kids love to be on the go and in constant motion!

That’s a concept I could have gotten my head around as a kid; equating those fruits and vegetables with energy and being able to “go” versus eating too much “slow” foods such as those chips and ice cream that aren’t so healthy and caused me to have the horrible nickname of “two-ton Tessie”.

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , ,

Are We “Bad” People When We Eat Too Much?

December 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Does overeating make a person bad or good? The voice inside my head almost always tells me that I’m a bad person for not having enough control over myself to stop after 1 cookie or 1 plate of pasta, or 1 dinner roll (and anything else that is loaded with carbs or sugar).

But am I really a bad person or just making bad decisions?

The sensible part of myself says I’m not a bad person because I haven’t broken any laws (didn’t run a red light, didn’t steal, and didn’t hurt anyone) and I wasn’t mean to anyone (didn’t yell at my husband or kids, didn’t let the door slam in someone’s face who was loaded down with packages, and didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings), yet I insist on beating myself up and telling myself how bad I am when I don’t make good food choices. I guess I am hurting someone – myself (I’ve obviously perfected the art of self-hate).

When I am being honest with myself I know I’m not a bad person.

There is no food in the world that makes me either a bad person or a good person.

Food is just food. Obviously the food choices I make affect my weight, my energy levels, and my overall health but it’s still just food – neither bad nor good because the day my food looks up at me from my plate and starts talking to me is the day someone better haul me off to the loony bin!

I need to remind myself that my food choices don’t make me a bad person, because when I feel like I’ve been a bad person I compound my food issues by eating even more bad for me food in an effort to pacify myself which only leads me to being harder on myself (yes, a crazy self destructive cycle but there’s no denying that’s one of the biggest reasons why I got to the point of being overweight).

Here’s my self reminder number one: “I’m not a bad person!” (now I’ll just have to repeat to myself about a thousand times today since the voice in my head is very talkative and doesn’t want to shut up so if you see someone walking down the street mumbling and talking to herself it’s probably me).

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,

I Have a Sugar Hangover

December 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

If a person can have a sugar hangover then I have one. I ate so many frosted sugar cookies yesterday (the ones I make are the most super delicious ones in the world!) that I physically got sick and still have a queasy feeling stomach today.

Those damn little cookies do me in every year yet do I stop making them? Of course not because I think that everyone in my family will be upset if I don’t make them (read that to say “Me, myself, and I will be upset if I don’t make them,” plus it’s tradition and wouldn’t I be a Scrooge if I messed with tradition?). But, do I cut back and just make a single batch? Nope, don’t do that either.

If I’m going to go to bother of making the dough, rolling it out, cutting out those cute little snowmen and bells and stars and trees, baking them, making frosting to frost them, frosting them, decorating them with colored sugar (and non-pareils and jimmies and cinnamon candies and silver dragees – yum!), letting them dry overnight and then packing them into cute little containers for friends and families plus a big container to keep at home for people who drop in to wish up happy holidays (again, you can read that to say “keep a container at home for me, myself, and I”), then I am going to make a double or triple batch because it’s a “friggin” lot of work!

Last year at a Weight Watchers meeting someone suggested freezing Christmas cookies so they wouldn’t be so readily available to eat and so that a person would have to actually think about how badly they wanted one and would then have to take one out of the freezer and wait for it to thaw. That sounded like a great idea to me because short of throwing out all the cookies I worked so hard to make (or feeding them to the dog and making her sick which wouldn’t make me a very good mommy to my cute and spoiled doggie) I had a to find a way to keep myself from snacking on a half dozen of them every night.

Guess what I discovered?

Frozen frosted sugar cookies are the most delicious thing in the world!

Maybe I do need to throw them out……….

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss Tagged With: , ,

Navigating the Food Court At The Mall

December 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yesterday I was on a power shopping trip with a friend. Yes, we braved the mall on the weekend and were among thousands of other idiots who thought a Saturday in December was a good day to find the perfect presents for everyone on our lists.

Twelve hours and several hundred dollars later we both had most of our presents purchased and I even found a way to not wreck my weight loss plans while eating at the food court in the mall (SUCCESS!).

Usually I will pre-plan what I am going to eat before going anywhere but the crazy busy holiday season sometimes makes it hard for me to fit that in. Instead I used all the tips I have learned over the last year since I joined Weight Watchers and ate fairly healthy at the food court without going hungry and without eating too many calories.

I started the morning with a pear (grabbed on the way out of door) and a non-fat latte with an extra shot of expresso (needed that extra boost to power my way though the crowds!).

My lunch choice was Panda Express. Instead of having deep fried and breaded orange chicken swimming in sauce over fried rice I opted for black pepper chicken with steamed rice.

Calorie and fat comparison:
Orange chicken with fried rice: 970 calories, 38 grams of fat
Black pepper chicken with steamed rice: 620 calories, 11 grams of fat (click here to view all the Panda Express Nutritional Info)
Conclusion: did okay, not as great as I thought but still ate 350 calories and 27 grams of fat less than normal and that is comparing the single entrees. I used to always have the 2 entree meal with 2 servings of the orange chicken and the fried rice so I really ate 750 calories and 47 grams of fat than normal.
What I will do different next time. Probably nothing. I really enjoyed it and had a very active day logging almost 11 miles on my pedometer, which helped me burn it off.

My dinner choice was TGI Fridays where I had half a Jack Daniels burger without the cheese, half an order of fries (my friend and I shared the meal), and a house salad with dressing on the side, which I used a quarter of.

Calorie Comparison:
I couldn’t find any nutritional information for TGI Fridays (hate when restaurants don’t supply it) but normally I would have had ordered an appetizer that was deep fried instead of the salad and would have eaten the entire burger and fries by myself.
Conclusion: I think I did pretty well. Yes, I had unhealthy fries but I don’t have them every day and I limited myself to half an order. Plus I resisted the calorie and fat laden green bean fries and had healthy salad instead.

The scale was still my friend this morning so I feel okay about my food choices yesterday. I will focus on very healthy eating today though because I probably ate about a week’s worth of sodium yesterday since restaurant food is almost always heavily laden with it.

Even though I ate more calories yesterday than I do in a normal day I do always allow myself one day a week to eat a little more so yesterday was it.

I’m just really proud of myself for not going overboard and for being able to resist having a Cinnabon, a pretzel from the Pretzelmaker (the really good dipped in butter ones) and a chocolate chip cookie sandwich from the American Cookie Company (the ones with loads of frosting in the middle). Yes, I normally would have indulged in all of those on a long shopping trip along with my regular meals (used to be a fan of treating myself way too much which is evident by looking at the loads of extra pudge on my body).

These are the tips I used to navigate the food court without blowing my diet:
- Did not skip breakfast even though I was eating out for the rest of the day
- Opted for grilled versus fried
- Light on the sauce
- Salad with light dressing on the side to help fill me up without eating too many calories
- Made sure to eat enough at my meal so I wouldn’t be so hungry later on that I could not resist the smells of the cinnamon rolls, the pretzels, and cookies.
- Drank lots of water that I brought with me (could have purchased it throughout the day as well and if you tuck the bottle of water in your purse you don’t need to worry about what to do with it in stores that have signs forbidding food and drink in them).
- Had a small single serving bag of almonds in my purse just in case I got really hungry so that I could have had those instead of aforementioned cookie, pretzel, or cinnamon bun.
- Chose water to drink instead of sugary drinks
- Chose the smallest size meals and said “no” to the so called money saving larger sizes and combo meals

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

Why Do Women Feel Guilty When They Treat Themselves To A Piece of Cake?

December 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Why do us women feel so guilty when we allow ourselves a small treat?  (Okay, maybe all of you don’t but I sure do). 

Case in point: last night my husband and I attended my work Christmas party.  Dessert was delicious looking chocolate cake.  After the plate was passed around our table and I had declined it even though I really wanted it, the person holding the plate asked who had not taken their piece (he was a guy of course).  I told him I had not and that I really did not need the cake, which was true.  I did not need the cake but I really wanted it. 

He said encouraged me to take it and said “everyone should be able to have a piece of cake.”  I let myself get talked into it because:

A – I really really wanted that cake!

B – He was my boss and my mind is predisposed to do what he tells me to

C – I had enough room in my “calorie budget” to eat the cake

D – I really really wanted the the cake!

I ate half of it.  It was delicious and I really enjoyed it but after pushing away the rest of it because I was full and was satisfied with the amount I had I immediately started to feel guilty and started wondering if I could get myself to be sick so that I could get rid of the cake that was now making me horrible and shameful and like I will never be able to lose my extra weight and be able to shop in the normal size section of the clothing store. 

My inner thoughts slipped out as a huge sigh.  The lady sitting across from me heard it and said “Yeah, I wish I wouldn’t have eaten the cake either.  It was like she knew exactly what I thinking!  The other ladies at the table nodded in agreement.  I realized we all were feeling guilty for indulging in cake. 

But were any of the guys?  No!  They were talking about how good it was. 

I later asked my husband when we got home if he felt guilty for eating the cake because he is trying to lose weight too (and btw he ate the whole piece and it was the biggest piece on the plate!).  He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Of course not!  Why would I feel guilty for eating cake.  It was delicious.” 

He did the right thing.  He enjoyed his treat and moved on.  I had a hard time falling asleep because my mind was so riddled with guilt. 

And, freakily, I woke up at 2:13 am feeling sick to my stomach and did throw up.  Did my sub-conscious mind make me do that?

Filed Under: My Weight Loss Journal, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,
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