What a weekend!

Let me just say, wow. Weekends have been killer for me since…well, forever. I always eat too much on the weekends, don’t get enough exercise and end up starting over on Monday, hoping those two days can make a difference for my Wednesday weigh ins. Hmm…

I kicked butt this weekend! I had a few treats (in the form of dark chocolate PB and sugar free Werther’s) but I kept my portions and calories WAY in check and I felt great about it. I was never hungry and never too full. Plus, no cravings for sweets or “bad” carbs! My energy has been amazing, even in spite of hormones. I feel freakin’ fantastic! And it could just be all in my head, but I’m pretty sure my pants are already fitting better.

I never thought I could like a “diet” so much (it’s all about discipline and mental preparedness). I’m not stressed out at all, quite the opposite actually.

So let’s take a look at Sunday, shall we?

Well, first, here is what I ended up having as a snack on Saturday night, hehe. I justify this because a) it’s peanut butter which is protein, b) dark chocolate in small amounts is good for you and c) it only has a few grams of sugar for 2 tbsp and I usually only have one (although it was 2 this particular time).

Sunday breakfast – This brings me to Experiment # 3. I bought some skim milk since I had eaten cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese with no lactose-intolerant-like symptoms afterward. I made a smoothie with my no sugar added chocolate breakfast powder, 1 cup of skim milk and some ice. Yep, no symptoms! Hmm…I am pretty much convinced now that me and dairy are okay, as long as I don’t overdo it. I’m going to continue to monitor my reactions to foods and point out any culprits.

Now for the rest of breakfast…two scrambled eggs and 3 links of turkey sausage. This, plus the smoothie, plus a cup of coffee at church kept me going FOREVER. I didn’t even feel the need to eat until after 1:00 when we got home. This never happens! At church, I did savor three sugar free Werther’s candies. I don’t keep a whole bag with me because they still do have calories and some people are sensitive to sugar alcohols. I also chew sugarless gum, I have found these two methods a good way to keep from eating when I’m not hungry, to distract my mouth 🙂

Lunch – Veggie burger with slice of cheddar veggie cheese, green beans and edamame. Oh and a tbsp of habanero ketchup — this claims to have 0 g of sugar, but it’s in the ingredients (and we all know ketchup has it). I will continue to use sparingly.

After tons of cleaning, shopping, laundry and running around, I had 1/4 cup of Planter’s unsalted mixed nuts (including almonds, brazil nuts, cashews and peanuts). This has got to be one of my all-time favorite mixes! The jar was on sale at CVS for $2.99, regularly more than $5, so I am very glad I snagged it. May have to go back and get more before the sale ends! Sorry no pic, I’m not sure what happened there.

I did some work on the computer, balanced the checkbook (always fun, right? hah) and then got ready for dinner. I made this salad with romaine lettuce, portobello mushroom slices, cucumber, a sprinkle of parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette mist. It was a little bland, I’m sorry to say. I will seek improvement for next time (maybe some nuts?).

Main course – Salmon, seasoned with Mrs. Dash lemon pepper (one of my favorites) and baked in the oven; served with steamed cauliflower (with S + P). It tasted good, but I still think the whole dinner lacked a lot in flavor. I will have to improve upon my cooking methods. Any suggestions?

Almost immediately after dinner, I ate this sugar free caramel pudding cup!

Then I got to work big time on cleaning the house and diving into the heap of laundry I had to do. I did no formal exercise this weekend, but I hardly sat around! By the time I was done with my tasks, my legs were tired and I was ready for bed, but feeling quite accomplished. I even changed the sheets and everything on the bed!

I had one last snack for the day, 2.5 tbsp of dark chocolate PB. I have to put the jar away because if it’s just sitting there, it is way too tempting. I still have the cinnamon raisin PB in the pantry, but raisins are a big no-no right now, so I will have to save that for later. I drank two huge glasses of water with this because I’m sure part of my ‘hunger’ was really thirst.

I am so pleased with this weekend. I forgot to mention, when I weighed in last Thursday with my health assessment, I was down 2 lbs. Sweet!

Happy Monday blogland!