Trending in the right direction

Well, hello there!

I'm happy to report that I lost weight this past week - now trending in the right direction! The total amount that I lost was 1.8, but for the purposes of the tracker above, it only shows 1.6 down...and that's because I was up 0.2 the week before.

Anyway, YAY ME!  This past week was especially hard because we had a snow storm on Friday in Denver and work was cancelled.  That meant me.  In my house.  Alone.  With all the snacks I wanted.  And silly me didn't think that the snow was going to be that bad, so I assumed that I'd be able to stock up on the essentials (like fresh fruit) later.  Not so much.  I survived though...and made the best choices possible.

This week, I'm on a business trip - in fact, as I write this I'm in the town of Goldsboro, NC.  Traveling, in the past, always meant being on vacation and eating whatever the heck I wanted.  And what I wanted was to binge.  And I'll admit, I did a bit of that last night when I ordered boneless chicken wings at Chili's for my dinner (washed down with a large wheat beer).  BUT I definitely had the points left for that...and besides, that is precisely what sounded good after all day travel.  I had already had my nutritional breakfast in the morning, a baggie of cut up apples as a snack on the first leg of my trip, and a healthy turkey and swiss sandwich (with coleslaw) for lunch in the airport in Cleveland (when the burger joint across the way smelled much more appetizing).

This morning's breakfast buffet had no fruit options and no real "healthy" options.  So I stuck with peanut butter and a toasted bagel and a coffee.  For lunch I had a half of a footlong Subway sandwich loaded with veggies and had the other half for dinner.  I did enjoy a package of Sun Chips with each sandwich and I splurged and had Skittles as an afternoon snack.  Other than that?  Nada.  Truthfully? I miss my mid-afternoon fruit and veggie snacks.  Maybe I haven't made the best of choices every time, but I think overall, I've done well - and I've done markedly better than what I ever have done in the past.

This trip has actually been a huge blessing because I have a nasty cold that has me sniffling, sneezing, and coughing often.  I had some work to do today at the manufacturing plant that I visited here, but for the afternoon and early evening, I was able to nap and read a book.*  And honestly?  That has been just what I needed.

I make my return back to Denver tomorrow and with any luck will be able to restock my fridge with fresh items for the weekend and have a nutritious dinner at home. 

I'm determined to have another loss this week.  I'm determined to get some miles in this weekend if the weather cooperates so that I can start preparing for my 7K in a month.

I'm determined to keep trending in the right direction.

* Confession time: I'm actually on my third book since leaving Denver yesterday morning...I read the first two books in "The Hunger Games" trilogy and am 28% through the last one.  If you're looking for a book to distract you from eating (because you're so into it), these might be the ones for you.

Things I love: Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

For YEARS I've been drinking skim milk.  Because for years, nutritionists and know-it-all's alike preached the health benefits of it.  Who doesn't love things that are fat-free?  And when you compare the stats on skim milk to whole fat buttermilk, skim wins by a watery landslide.

But when I started reading more about soy milk and almond milk, I became curious.

I've found a new love - especially for coffee and oatmeal.  It's UNSWEETENED Vanilla Almond Breeze.

The stats stack up like this:

That's ONE (1) point for a cup of this...and because it's thicker, I think it feels more indulgent than skim milk - but again, it still has the same point value!

Like I said, I use it in my coffee (my to-go cups hold two cups of coffee, one cup of this, and a few squirts of sugar-free syrup) every morning.  Here's my tip for coffee: heat up the "milk" first before mixing it with the coffee...it keeps your coffee hotter longer instead of cooling it down immediately.  Lukewarm coffee isn't my favorite.

The flavor is *slightly* nutty and there is a vanilla flavor (not sweet though)...but definitely not overpowering.  The color is definitely darker than skim milk and again, it's more opaque. 

I think it's available in the normal dry goods sections of stores, but I get mine in the refrigerated section - and the half gallon is typically good for about a month (according to the expiration date on the carton).  They suggest that you use the product within 7 days of opening, but by using over a cup a day, this isn't a huge issue for me.

There are other flavors that I'm aware of are pictured above - but they are more calories and the sweetened versions are definitely sweet.  My father picked up some regular sweetened almond milk and it was too sweet to mix into my coffee...then again, I'm not a huge fan of overly sweetened coffees.

Have any of you used low points options (other than milk) to lighten your coffee?