Special K Crackers

If you haven’t tried the new Special K crackers, I think you’ll love them!

They come in a regular box or in 90 calorie packages. Let’s just say it’s very dangerous to buy the box. These are goooood. The regular kind taste like wheat thins, and the tomato & herb have a strong flavor, but I think they’re delish! I feel like they have kind of a cookie/cracker consistency rather than just a plain cracker! Anyone else had these? They are 2 points for the little bag and I actually find these are filling!

Fiber Plus Bars

I love my Fiber One bars, but someone convinced me to try the Fiber Plus bars. I picked up the Dark Chocolate Almond and it’s pretty darn good too. These are also 2 pts. Slightly smaller than the Fiber One bars. But if you don’t like Fiber One bars, this is worth a try.

Technology Rocks

I confess- I LOVE technology. About 3 weeks ago, my ipod Nano (3rd Gen), just suddenly quit. I went without for a few weeks, but it sooo hard to work out without music, so I finally dropped the dough on a brand new 2nd Gen Itouch! first of all, this thing is seriously cool! It’s just like the iPhone, but w/o the phone & camera capability.

You can download all kinds of cool apps. One very cool thing is Weight Watchers mobile! As long as I have access to wi-fi, I’ve got access to my Etools whereever I go. That’s surely going to come in handy!

But this is not necessarily about my ipod or WW mobile. It’s about the new treadmill at the gym on the Navy base here. It’s a Matrix treadmill with an LCD touch screen. It has a built-in fan, and a hookup for your ipod. The touch screen isn’t super sensitive, so it can be a little difficult to maneuver things while you’re running, but overall -very cool!

http://www.matrix-fitness.com/products/treadmills/T7xe.asp

So the next cool thing I discover is the following day when I plug my ipod into my computer to charge/sync. I get this message from NikePlus. Basically, it had recorded all of my workout information and then it prompts you to send it to nikeplus.com, where you set up an account. Now, everytime I use that treadmill, I can log in my progress! It is soooo cool!

Here’s a sample of Nike Plus and my progress this week!

Boy Scout’s New Volunteer Weight Requirements

The Boy Scouts apparently don’t like gay people or fat people.

Ok, so that’s a little harsh, but it surely appears that way. The Boy Scouts of America are instilling new weight requirements for volunteers who accompany the boys on adventure trips.

Too Fat for the Boy Scouts? New Weight Requirements Anger SomeNew Requirements Ban Longtime Volunteers From Scouting Events

Given that such adventure trips can be strenuous, especially on those who are not physically fit, I can understand that the Boy Scouts would need to ensure that those volunteers do not become a liability.

The Boy Scouts of America’s solution to this problem is to simply ban those that are too fat.

My question: How is this not discrimination?

Discouraging a volunteer who happens to be overweight/obese is not good publicity for the Boy Scouts.  Promoting a healthy lifestyle and physical activity is one of the great things about youth organizations.  If a volunteer is ‘high risk’, then they should be asked to sign a waiver that acknowledges that risk. Banning someone who desperately NEEDS the physical activity is not the right solution. Promoting safe activity, IS.

Do not tell a volunteer he can’t attend a trip with his son because he’s too fat!

Chicken Fajita Salad

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I opted to make a fajita salad rather than celebrate with margaritas this year.  I had never made the fajita salad before, but it turned out wonderful. I’ll definitely be making this again.

I’m currently without a working stove, so this was prepared on my trusty George Foreman grill!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of salad greens

5 1/2 oz. of chicken breast

1/3 cup of Fat Free Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Black Beans

1/2 Pinto Beans

3/4 cup red onion

3/4 cup green pepper

1/2 cup mushrooms

= 6.5 Weight Watchers Points

Mix onions, peppers, mushrooms, and chicken breast in a bowl with fajita seasoning. Sautee’ on the grill for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat up beans in the microwave.

Pretty easy to figure out the rest!

Next time I may add tomatos and/or salsa to the mix. Need some more color!

No treadmill? No sweat?

I live in a very small town in Virginia directly in between DC and Richmond.  There are two gyms. One of which is the new YMCA and the other is the gym located on the Dahlgren Navy Base.

Since no YMCA existed when I first moved here, I decided to join the gym on the base.  Being a contractor, that just made since (and it’s a better deal).  It took several months to actually get up the nerve to join.  Working out with Navy guys was slightly intimidating for me.  Still is sometimes, but I’ve never let that stop me from my daily routine.

A few weeks ago a flyer went up at the gym saying that the cardio room would be closed for renovations starting April 20th, and that it would be closed for 3 weeks.  Wonderful.

This year I’ve gotten into running. I ran an 8K in March and immediately signed up for a 5K in Fredericksburg, Va. on May 17. Part of my daily routine has been using the treadmills at the gym to keep training and improve. I’m not a runner but I’ve been trying to become one.

3 weeks closed, 4 weeks until the 5K. This girl has no treadmill access otherwise.

Yes, I could run outside, but like the intimidation of working out with those who are in the Navy, I’m also intimidated by running outside.

a.) I’ve watched too much Law & Order.  We all know how many ladies are assaulted while jogging through a park, right?

b.) Virginia drivers are crazy. There are no sidewalks or bike lanes on the roads near me. I will fear for my life. Is that worth it or I am overreacting/overly cautious?

c.) The obvious one: I don’t want people to see me jogging. I don’t know why. This is the dumbest of my reasons for not running outside.

d.) Tree pollen here is through the roof! We’re right in the middle of allergy season, folks! I’ve not been affected by allergies yet and I’d like to keep it that way.

Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time since the cardio room had closed.  When will the renovations be complete? “Oh, it’s probably going to be at least 4 more weeks. At LEAST.”

To the gym’s credit, they tried to come up with an alternative and moved some of the equipment into another area of the gym. No treadmills, but there are 4 ellipticals and 6 bikes set up temporarily in the 90-degree racquetball court.

I was sweating before I even stepped onto the elliptical. *sigh* I felt like crying.

I literally felt like I was defeated yesterday.  How am I going to survive 4 more weeks without a treadmill? Will I be able to get over my outdoor running fear and just do it because I basically HAVE to? Will I be able to find a safe running route that’s convenient ?

So many questions. This will most certainly force me to find alternative activities in the next month. However, I’ve definitely figured out that I do like running. Right now, I’m truly missing it! I heart you, treadmill!

/end rant

Cajun Shrimp w/ Brown Rice & Veggies

Tonight I made Cajun Shrimp with brown rice, loaded with fresh veggies. It’s one of my favorites! Love spicy stuff!

Ingredients:

One Package of BirdsEye Steamfresh Whole Grain Brown Rice (One bag: 5.5 points)

6 oz. Fully Cooked Shrimp (3.5 point)

Green Pepper (3/4 cup -O points)

Red Pepper (3/4 cup-O points)

Red Onion (1 Cup-O points)

Mushrooms (1 1/2 Cups 0.5 points)

Cajun Seasoning

Total WW Points: 9.5 points

Hint: You can change any of the portions to make it less points. This is a LOT of food. You can easily use half of the package of rice.

Prep:

This is super easy and that’s why I like it! I buy the fully cooked shrimp and take out from the freezer and thaw in some water for about 10 minutes. While that’s thawing, sauté the red onions, green peppers, red peppers, and mushrooms in a skillet with some Pam and ad some cajun seasoning, to taste.

Pull the tails off the shrimp once thawed and add to the veggies. Throw the package of brown rice into the microwave for about 3 1/2-4 1/2 minutes. Add the rice to the dish and some more cajun seasoning to taste! Be careful not to add to much. It can get very spicy!

It’s done!

Cook time: 15 minutes

United to Charge Obese for Extra Airline Seat

Very obese fliers on United may have to buy 2nd seat

It’s just yet another reason why it’s a good thing to watch our weight.  It’s not surprising that United Airlines is becoming the first airline to officially start charging ‘very obese’ passengers for a second seat. I’m sure more airlines will continue follow United’s lead.

I wonder what they would classify as a ‘very obese’ person.  How would one know if they fit in that category? Many people who are actually obese do not realize it and will continue to deny that fact. There are many different body shapes.

When you book at ticket online will it require that you enter your weight and then automatically charge you double if you fit within their weight restrictions? What if you don’t know your weight or lie about it? Then you get to the airport and you’re bumped to another flight because you were not truthful.  Will they make you step on a scale along with your luggage when you check in?

Airline seats are pretty tight spaces to begin with. Luckily, I’ve never come close to fitting into this category (well maybe about 9 years ago), but you could have a large male sitting in the middle seat and it can be equally uncomfortable to sit next to him.

It seems unfair that in a country where obesity has become a growing epidemic and will only continue to get worse, that ‘very large people’ would be discriminated against when they travel.  Obese people are discriminated against in many other ways and this is just another discouraging, embarrassing situation for them.

However, I don’t blame the airline for making this decision. When airline seats are as tiny and uncomfortable as they are already, it would be very uncomfortable to have a 5-hour flight next to someone who’s overflowing into your seat.

It’s pretty sad that it’s come to this-that there are so many obese people in this country that an airline would receive THAT many complaints to prompt them to make this change.

Multivitamins – Yes or No?

I don’t take a multivitamin.

Most weight loss programs require that you take a vitamin, including Weight Watchers.  However, it’s not so much that I refuse, it’s mostly because I can’t get in the habit, and the fact that I’ve always been concerned about what’s actually in the vitamin.

A few years ago I went to a military trade show in Tampa, and there was a booth marketing vitamins to the military and I talked with the lady there and she told me that a lot of multivitamins contain supplements we don’t’ even need and sometimes that can be dangerous.  Since then, I’ve been very leery about taking ANY vitamin.

This article from MSNBC somewhat confirms some of my fears about multivitamins:

Danger in your daily multivitamin?

Report: Some had too-high dosages — others were contaminated with lead

More than 30 percent of multivitamins tested recently by ConsumerLab.com contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed, or were contaminated with lead, the company reports.

ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.

I would take a vitamin if I knew it was made exactly for me and what I need. Until then, I will take my chances and just continue to eat a ton of fruits and vegetables, and hope that I get what I need. Until there is some federal regulation on vitamins, I will not trust them.

New Look to Weight Watchers Weight Tracker

If you follow Weight Watchers, you may know the benefits of doing WW online and using their Etools features to track points and monitor your weigh-ins, etc.  This week when entering in my 1.8 lb pound loss, I noticed some updates to the site.

The Weigh-In chart is much more versatile!

If you have Etools, I suggest you check it out. I haven’t had a chance to play around with all the new features, but it’s very motivating for me to look at my weight tracking charts.  Instead of only allowing you to view a window 3 months, you can view it 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks and your entire weight loss to see your progress. Very cool.

There’s another feature. A new table to track your measurements-hips, thighs, waste, bust, dress size and arms! AWESOME! This will actually get me to pay attention to those measurements that I know are really important, especially when I”m not seeing the progress on the scale that I want!

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I LOVE Etools!

Study: 1 in 5 4-year olds are Obese

I was astonished to see the new statistic on childhood obesity yesterday.  According to a study, 1 in 5 4-year olds  are obese! WHAT!?

Wow. This is definitely a national epidemic and something needs to be done. I know many people argue that the government should not control what you eat, but there definitely needs to be some kind of legislation and/or national programs to reteach people how to eat, so they know how to be a good influence on their children.

It’s also interesting to see the breakdown in race.  At times I think there is a direct correlation between income and being able to eat healthy.

Here’s the story:

Study finds 1 in 5 obese among 4-year-olds

CHICAGO (AP) — A striking new study says almost 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese, and the rate is alarmingly higher among American Indian children, with nearly a third of them obese. Researchers were surprised to see differences by race at so early an age.

Overall, more than half a million 4-year-olds are obese, the study suggests. Obesity is more common in Hispanic and black youngsters, too, but the disparity is most startling in American Indians, whose rate is almost double that of whites.

The lead author said that rate is worrisome among children so young, even in a population at higher risk for obesity because of other health problems and economic disadvantages.

“The magnitude of these differences was larger than we expected, and it is surprising to see differences by racial groups present so early in childhood,” said Sarah Anderson, an Ohio State University public health researcher. She conducted the research with Temple University’s Dr. Robert Whitaker.