Nothing can throw a wrench into your resolve to staying “on track” more than going out for dinner where you are not in control of what goes “into” it, am I right? Or does it? Well, on the flip side, nothing can make you feel better and empowered with in keeping with your plan than creating an appropriate balance between treating yourself and making great choices!
Last night it was a “holiday” night for us in Nova Scotia because today is Remembrance Day (comparable to Veterans Day in the U.S.). It was a special evening because we were attending a surprise birthday party for the husband’s business partner. He never suspected a thing because his birthday had already passed and he thought he was “in the clear” and it was a Tuesday night! Perfect!
So rather than make supper after work, we decided to go out. *cue scary music in my head* lol This would be the “first” dining out experience since joining the WW meetings. I wasn’t 100% comfortable with it, but I decided I wouldn’t hold back and to trust myself. I also realized I still had around 10 POINTS left for the day and 25 Flex banked for the week PLUS APs. My day re-starts on Saturday, and I realized that it was the perfect night to indulge and use them while still giving me enough time Wed, Thurs, Fri to get lots of activity etc. PLUS I always had success throwing in at least 1 higher POINT meal in the mix once per week. This keeps your body happy that you’re not starving it because when you are losing weight, you are almost always restricting calories. And when my metabolism is happy, I am happy ;-)
We decided on Jack Astor’s. They have the BEST spinach & artichoke dip EVER. Even the husband loves it and well, it blows my mind because the only thing in there that he EVER would normally eat would be the cream cheese!
Obviously pure badness!!! Since he was really looking forward to ordering it, and I knew if he was ordering it I would have some, I quickly modified my choice for my main. If there was no appetizer involved I would have likely gotten a grilled chicken sammie on a foccocia with a side salad (the Mediterranean one rocks), but since this dip was SUPER high, I think I made an excellent choice:
This is a new menu item and it’s actually an appetizer. It’s served cold. It’s mostly vegetables! To make sure I was leaving the restaurant satisfied, I ordered a side of garden fresh veggies too:
I definitely had my share of the nachos with the dip, but we didn't clean out the dip itself. I counted my portion of the dip & nachos as 12 POINTS which I think is fair. I googled the NI and came back with this which surprises me. I thought it would have been higher. This is assuming that the serving that they give you is 100g which could be true, because the dish really wasn’t that big. It definitely doesn’t include the nachos. Even if my own consumption was 100g I still think my estimate is a good one.
It was absolutely delicious, worth every POINT and I felt like I wasn’t missing out on something I wanted which is KEY for long term success! I didn’t take a picture of it because quite frankly, I didn’t think it was something to be featured as a “good” choice, but I do want to show you the rest because it ended up being a PERFECT compliment!
There were so neat! They are served cold (they tell you that when you order so you’re not surprised) and really it was mostly veggies and very light on the chicken and noodles:
They came with these crispy noodles, which I didn’t eat many of at all. The sauce was sesame-ginger soy sauce for dipping and all in all I felt great eating it! I counted these as 6 POINTS and the veggies as 1 POINT since there was some butter of some sort on them.
I love their side veggies and I was 100% satisfied when I left. I wasn’t over full and I indulged in an amazing treat. I’m definitely going to order these side veggies every time I go there from now on!
Then we headed over to the surprise party where the birthday boy was completely fooled and surprised (so fun!). I went there on a full tummy which is a good idea when attending a party with lots of tempting nibbles! I wasn’t going to be drinking any alcohol and ended up having two cranberry juice + club soda spritzers (thanks to Christine who was quick to point out that alternative to me ;-) ) and I had a few nibbles of cheese, crackers and hubby and I shared a very small piece of cake.
The cake! I wish I had of taken a picture of the cake! It was so nice that it was a shame to cut it! She had it specially made, two tier with fondant icing and it had a little Macbook laptop made of icing, a guitar and a coffee mug which pretty much sum up the birthday boy. Great job Christine! You completely fooled him and we enjoyed ourselves very much ;-)
As we were standing around admiring the cake, I was quick to brag about Lex to whoever we were chatting with. I told them about the Rubiks cube cake she made for Dave and then Blackberry Messaged her to ask her to send me a picture so I could show them! lol
I counted it all up and I estimated that my day was around 43 POINTS in total! Wooweee eh! The amazing part about that is that I’m still absolutely within my POINTS and I can hardly believe that there are still a few Flex and Activity POINTS to spare for the next few days! It seems hard to believe, but this is why I love Weight Watchers! Even when I strayed away from the plan for a long time, I always recommended it to anyone who asked because it is such a realistic program for life!
No guilt! Guilt = the enemy and can lead you into a downward spiral and I spent a long time ridding myself of feeling badly for living life and especially when it falls within my rights on the plan.
So since I started showing you guys my journal, I think I have a few days of catching up to do:
Today’s agenda includes a longer run outside (one lap includes the pup), laundry, cleaning and cooking. I’m reeeeeallly looking forward to the run. I had to miss out on Monday night’s Fitkick because I had a hair appointment and last night’s workout was replaced by well, you see here! lol Today I’m all rarin’ to work up a sweat and train more for our race.
So I have a question for yas. Do you find that you feel “guilt” when you think you have “over indulged” even though you know that you’re still within your plan to do it? I think it is a common feeling for most people who are on a quest to lose weight and I am interested in how it affects you mentally when you feel you have “over-indulged” and if it does, how long does it affect you? For the day? A week? Until your next WI?
I have gotten to the point on this journey where I can honestly say that I no longer feel that way because I accept the necessary balance that is required to feel satisfied for long term sustainability, but I’m tellin’ yas bloggies, it took a loooooong time getting here! It was ALOT of work!
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32 comments:
sounds like a great meal!!
I feel guilt when I splug if it was unplanned for; ie; someone bringing chips or cake to work, or if we go out and I think i picked healhty when really it wasn't. I have a little fit for about half an hour and then get over it.
And I agree WW is totally something that fits into life.
You did an awesome job with food choices eating out. That wrap you got looks delicious and makes me wish we had a Jack Astor's close to where I live :)
I feel guilty when I try so hard to plan ahead (pick a good restaurant, look at the menu & NI) and when I foil it at the very last second. My resolve to say "no thank you" needs a little help.
So far I haven't over indulged to exceed even just my daily points, but I see it as a weakness in myself that reminds me too much of how and why I've gotten to the weight I have.
You know I "embraced the balance" long ago. Hence the blog name! hehe. It's the single most important thing I learned. There is totally a fine line between healthy/happy and healthy/hating it.
I hope a lot of people walk away feeling just that when they read this post.
Good job girlie!! toooooot! :)
Amazing job! It's ben a learning process for me to not feel guilty.
those thai rolls look so yummy. i still feel guilty when i feel too full - no matter if i've eaten too much pizza or a plate full of veggies.
wow girl totally impressed, way to work in eating out meal and taking charge. I hope you realize your not only empowering yourself with sharing your victory.
Sometimes I think that I have totally blown my points for the day, but then when I track it, it turns out not to be as bad as I thought. I find that if I don't track a "bad" day/meal that it starts me down a slippery slope. I then don't track at all cus I figure that I have already blown it. I am trying to get into the mentality that the next meal/day is a new chance. And that one slip-up shouldn't ruin what I am working toward.
I don't feel guilty if I indulge but stay within (or close to) my calories. I decided when I started this that it had to be realistic, as you know, and part of being realistic is living life as it comes.
I have gotten lectures about my indulgences once in awhile, though. A lot of people don't understand that it's important not to let yourself feel deprived.
Holly: I know exactly what you mean. Being flexible at the last second can always throw you for a loop.
Amy: It is a new menu item and was I ever happy to see it! I think it totally was the key to the successful dinner out. Girl, you don't want a JA near you b/c the pan bread is to DIE for! ;-P
Jaime: it's most definitely the ultimate lesson to learn on the journey to a healthy weight because it's not only the weight that needs to be healthy, but a healthy balance to feel like you can live life and the world does not end when you have something "bad."
Allison: I think it has taken me nearly 3 whole years to teach myself this very think. I am starting to see why I took my time "off" WW. I have come around nearly full circle ready to finish it off with a deeper most IMPORTANT lesson now ingrained. It feels so wonderful!
Cali: Yeah I relate to the "over full" feeling too. I don't like that feeling. I almost forgot that this wasn't my first time dining out since re-joining because we went for sushi too! I left the restaurant feeling perfectly satisfied (which seems to be the way with sushi always) and this time I felt the same way. There so much more gratification in feeling perfectly satisfied vs. overfull.
Shirls: ;-) I am hoping to talk a lot more about how my brain has become "re-trained" over the past few years. These kind o discussions are really helpful :-)
Tammy: You know, in our last meeting that was one of the key points that I brought up when she put me on the spot about what I do to help sustain motivation. I have gone through many ups and downs with those kinds of thought processes and I what's always always helped was to write it down so that you can actually "see" how bad it actually WASN'T when you think you "blew it". It's almost never as bad as you think! I think that the emotional toll we put ourselves through is 10000 times worse than the indulgence to begin with. That's an EXCELLENT point ;-)
Lainey: girl I think that listening to your cravings is another KEY component for making it sutainable. I completely agree.
Did I read that right that you have not been in a restaurant since being on program? I go out at least three times a week - being single, it is part of my social life and connection to people. However, I count high.
Yes, I have totally been there where a high point day or meal can send me on a downward spiral. However, this is for life this time and life is full of ups and downs - highs and lows. When my mind starts going there, I say, "One meal at a time, no guilt, move on ahead girl." The greatest guilt comes to me when I have a plan and I desert my plan. I use those times as learning experiences (like budgeting)...was I too strict? Did I have a craving? Did I drink or eat something that triggered this downward spiral? How did I react to the people/scene around me (tension throws me into crazy eating choices)....when you learn, you grow and that is a GOOD thing.
This is about so much more than a healthy body..it's about a healthy mind!
Woohoo! Way to rock it, lady :D. Glad the surprise went over well.
Bethy: you read it right but I think you took it out of context because if you haven't been following along with me in the last two weeks you wouldn't realize that what I meant was that I joined WW meetings a week and a half ago and I meant since "then" but even then I was wrong because I went out for sushi last week with the girls and I forgot! No I definitely enjoy eating out, don't get me wrong! I was referring to being back in the "counting points" mindset and out out with the husband.
I agree with what you said.
Vanessa: thanks girl (as always) ;-)
In my points counting heydey(s) I never felt guilty if I indulged if it fit into the points I had available to me on any given day. I always always always felt celebratory that I could go to a restaurant, have great food and maybe a beer and still be ON PLAN. This is why I will always recommend Weight Watchers to anyone who asks as well. The feeling of being in control when you are out having fun in so great.
Great work Angie. You continue to inspire.
It isn't easy, is it? I recently was invited to a good friend's for dinner. She knows I am on WW. She announced we would be having fillet of beef and Caesar salad. I was almost in a panic. I don't eat meat and Caesar salad is loaded with fat but I thought fast and asked if I could bring a nice vegetable dish. I roasted some asparagus, onions, carrots and sweet potatoes. Everyone loved it and I now had something I could feel good about eating.
When I'm OP, it's so much easier not to feel guilty for eating the occassional treat becuase you know without a doubt that its okay; That you are in control and that everything in moderation works. I haven't felt truly guilty about eating in a while actually, thanks for making me think of that. :)
Great job on the LSD this afternoon, I saw your 8.5K tweet!
I only feel guilty if I didn't plan on it... like if I end up snacking after dinner "because I'm bored" or "because I still feel hungry" when that time comes around, I usually make wrong choices. But if I know that there is something coming up, and I can plan for it, I just track it and move on. It's all normal- something that we all have to be able to do to work the lifestyle that is Weight Watchers!
I love your attitude and totally agree, besides, sounds like it was a totally fun night!
All of that food looks delicious! I feel guilty when I eat foods that aren't exactly the best choice. Often times, I feel so guilty that I don't bother tracking it and we all know where that leads! But many times, when I actually track it I can't believe that I'm still on target!
Tamara: I think that is the difference. The only time I ever felt "guilty" for eating "before" was when I didn't feel like I was on the right track in general. Now that I'm feeling back on my game, any guilt surrounding food is more because it's not good for me. But it's everything in moderation anyways ;-)
Weighting Around: Go YOU! That's SUCH a great example of how to take an otherwise difficult situation for you to stay on track and turn it into a positive experience! Totally impressive!
Lynn: it totally is the "in control" thing. That is the trump card!
Jenny: the exact reason why WW is a realistic plan for "real" people!
Mae: I relate to that. If I'm going to feel any guilt for eating anything nowadays it tends to be because it's not healthy for me. I'm considering that a major step up ;-)
Thanks for sharing you guys! I thought it would be an interesting discussion because I am starting to see a huge shift in my thinking when it comes to food and guilt and I feel so damn GREAT about it!! :-)
I am so jealous of your Weight Watchers system! I am doing WW here in Australia and all we have is our daily points (I am allowed 22 per day) and no flex points!! We can earn APs but that it is!! Sighhhhhhhhhh! Congrats on doing an awesome job with WW - I have been reading your blog for ages but I am a lurker!!
Melissa
Melissa: Seriously??? I am so surprised with that!! I can't believe that you don't have Flex Points!! I would crash and burn without them! lol Does the program work for you? Are you a meetings member or an online member?
Thank you for de-lurking! I'm so intrigued!!
Well done, Angie! Way to work the program! Glad you were able to enjoy yourself, stay within your Points for the week and have no guilt about indulging a little. That's the way to LIFETIME :)
Ang - thanks for coming last night! We had a great time and I'm SO glad that you guys did as well. :)
My first comment! hee. I do enjoy getting healthy food and recipe ideas from your blog...AND I am going to commit to really trying to eat healthier and your blog does inspire me to do that :)
You're freakin' fantastic.
just had to say it.
Great planning with dinner out, and giving yourself (and others!) that confidence boost for being in the driver's seat.
No guilt. That is why I chose WW. Running two non-healthy based food blogs, I definitely needed WW to be the choice for me.
I love that I can eat all of the things on my blog and still lose weight every week. Some weeks more than others. ;)
Great job! Glad you had a great time and enjoyed your eats!
Sometimes I feel guilty, sometimes not, I just pick back up again though.
Great! I think that you did wonderfully. The key is to not feel guilty for enjoying something that was ok for you to do. You did stay within your points after all. Enjoy your run later. It's always nice to do exercise.
I've had your post up for almost a day thinking about it.
You asked a good question - about feeling guilt after over indulging even if you have the points.
Of course, for me, it isn't that straight forward. For me it also involves the reason BEHIND the over indulgence.
If I have a nice evening out planned and work my magic on my points - I don't feel any guilt. I up my water and exercise and keep on trucking.
HOWEVER if I have had an evening of.... what I call disordered eating.... and it fits within the program and points limits.... I absolutely feel guilt. Because I know that what I've just eaten isn't in the "spirit" of the program.
How I deal with the guilt and how far it throws me off honestly depends on the other stressors I have at the time. Thankfully, somehow, I always work my way back.
You're extremely brave you could stay on track on an eating out.
For me there used to be a huge guilt, which kept me overweight for so many years. When I started this weight loss journey I had stuggled with guilt most of the time. Now, I know I have a weekly weigh in which keeps me on track. I eat sometimes more than I should have, eat sometimes things I shouldn't have but trying to balance things in a smart way. Not one bad eating occasion makes us fat... and I'm quite good accepting this right now. But still a work in progress (:
Hey Lady! You eat the most delicious looking foods. Great job on not letting the meal ruin your day. :D
I wanted to suggest www.dwlz.com to you if you've never checked it out. When the company I work for had a weight loss challenge they gave us a lot of links to help us along the way, and this was one. Homegirl Dottie has every restaurant you can imagine with the whole menu equated to weight watchers points. It's great. I use it all the time. The website is kinda generic looking, but don't let that fool you. So when you go to the page, find the restaurants link. They had Jack Astor's on there...but I didn't see your entree, but there were similar ones if that helps.
Marissa: Wheeeeeee Lifetime!!!!
Christine: We had a great time! You totally fooled him!!! Wish we could have stayed longer, but for the pootch at home!
Farm Girl: *mwah*
Peabody: Oh really? What kind of blogs were they? That is so interesting!
Sarah: it's the picking up again part that makes or breaks us, isn't it!
Lu: Agreed.
Fatinah: Thank you so much for your post taking my questions into further consideration. I was hoping that some of you would ;-)
Eszter: It is a long process to mentally reverse a way of thinking that has taken years to become second natured to begin with. That's a big accomplishment.
Jessie: Thanks buddy! OMG you just took me down memory lane!! We all use to covet dwlz when we all first joined WW Online 3 years ago! I had forgotten all about that! Is all the info up to day I wonder?
If you click on my name you will see that I run baking blog. That can sometimes get me in trouble.
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