Chili Chicken & Mexican Avocado Salad Tonight

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Cajun RubI love my rubs. I made a batch of chili seasoning back in February. I decided to use it as a rub on some chicken breasts. The result: spicy and tasty.

Rather than the old standbys of steamed broccoli or grilled zucchini, I decided I wanted veggies that had a little more kick. So I’m making a salad I found in a low carb recipe book. Like the chili chicken, it too looks spicy and tasty.

Chili Seasoning/Rub
Serving Size: 4
Carb Count: 0
Weight Watchers Points: 3-6 (depending on size of chicken breasts)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Using your hands, rub seasoning into chicken breasts. Place into a Ziplock bag, and add 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Let chicken marinate for up to 1 hour then its ready for grilling.

Mexican Avocado Salad
Serving Size: 8 1-cup servings
Carb Count: 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 Points

Ingredients
24 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 medium head iceberg lettuce cut into 1/2 inch ribbons
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and chopped

Directions
1. Combine tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Add onion, jalapeño and cilantro; toss well.
2. Arrange lettuce on a platter and top with avocado. Spoon tomato mixture on top and serve.

I’m thinking of substituting the red leaf lettuce I’m growing on my deck for the iceberg lettuce. Either way, tasty goodness on the menu tonight!

Weekly Weigh In: April 20 (a.k.a., “What the hell is wrong with that scale?!?”)

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April 20 weigh inI knew I would have to pay the piper for that visit to IHOP. Oh yes, I tried to put it off with all of my strength training and daily power walks. But today the piper was determined to collect.

This week I was up 1.4 lbs.

Let’s be honest. It’s not just my trip to IHOP. I also ate delicious Indian food…and some pizza…OK a lot of pizza. Not exactly low carb fare. I tapped into both my weekly PlusPoints allowance and activity points – and then some.

Yet, I’m not panicked or upset. In fact, I’m proud of myself. Not for going off program. I’m happy I was able to face the scale knowing what I ate.

I used to be afraid of the scale. If I blew my points for the week, I would just skip my Weight Watcher’s meeting. I just couldn’t face the scale. But I found out the hard way that if you skip once it gets easier to skip another meeting…and another. Soon, I’d no longer go to the meetings and I’d be packing on the pounds.

I no longer fear the scale because I understand that it wasn’t the scale that I was afraid of. It was the self-doubt that would creep in. I’d be down 25 lbs, go up 2 and start thinking I’m a failure. Didn’t matter that I lost way more than I gained. I couldn’t see past the current reading on the scale. In any other aspect of my life, if I got knocked down, I’d get back up, dust myself off and keep moving forward. But when it came to my weight I never could see the forest through the trees. I’d just throw myself a big ol’ pity party (with lots of ice cream).

Well those days are gone. Now I’m determined to step on to the scale every week. I know I’m human. I will not always make the right food choices. And that’s OK, provided I learn from my mistakes.

So what did I learn from this week? Besides IHOP, Indian food and lots of pizza in one week isn’t smart.

1. Woohoo I’m down 66.6 lbs.
2. The scale is not my enemy.
3. I’ll have a better weigh in if I continue stay on program.

That scale is going down next Saturday!

Should I Up My Strength Training

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lifting book coverI missed my Tuesday session with my trainer due to a nasty ear infection and stomach bug. Thankfully I bounced back for today’s session.

I’m tired as hell, but feel great. How does that work?

It really is amazing how I feel after each session. Yes I’m drenched in sweat. My legs feel wobbly. My arms are jello. Yet, I am very relaxed and have an overwhelming desire to go for a long walk. I’ve heard about a runner’s high, perhaps this is something similar.

Right now I’m strength training twice a week and speed walking the other days. But I’m starting to wonder if I should up my strength training. I came across an article in Women’s Health about the value of strength training over cardio. Two stats jumped out at me:

1. Just 21% of women strength train two or more times a week.
2. Two strength training sessions per week can reduce overall body fat by 3 percent in a 10 week span.

The article isn’t about choosing between one or the other. I don’t think I have a choice. I need to do both. It’s about the clear benefits of strength training and encouraging women to take advantage of it. I think women don’t strength train because they fear bulking up too much. Sorry ladies, but we just are not built that way. I promise, you won’t turn into her.

But I’m wondering if my strength training and cardio are out of whack. Right now I’m split 70-30 in favor of cardio. Yes, I do believe that as long as I continue to eat the right foods and exercise, I’ll lose weight. The difference is that with cardio I’ll lose weight, but that can mean fat and muscle. With strength training, I can target my problem areas and lose fat, not muscle.

For the time being, I’ll stick with what I’m currently doing. I’ll re-evaluate around June 1. By that time I should be working again and can see how realistic it is to add another session.

In the meantime, I’ve ordered The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Since I’ve added strength training, I noticed I need to make some adjustments to what I’m eating. I have noticed that my metabolism plunges a few hours after these sessions. Clearly I’m not fueling my body properly. My last couple of sessions, I came home an ate an apple and that seemed to help, but I need to really work in more protein. Problem is, protein is a high point item on Weight Watchers. So I really need to figure out the most bank for the buck without going over my daily points allowance. I’m hopeful that this book can shed some light on the nutrition front.

Confession Time

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IHOP - My downfall on Saturday. They actually add pancake batter to omeletts.

IHOP – My downfall on Saturday. BEWARE: They actually add pancake batter to omelets.

I made a promise to my husband on Friday that we would go to IHOP. I felt sorry for him. He had to fast all day Thursday for his colonoscopy on Friday. As the anesthetic was wearing off after the procedure, in a very pathetic weak voice, he asked if we could go to IHOP.

“Of course we can, but we need to go home first.” I thought he was so out of it, he wouldn’t remember.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. After my 5k I went to Weight Watchers to weigh in. My husband, who was driving, didn’t go straight home after Weight Watchers. Nope. He went to the nearest IHOP. Damn!

As we rolled into the parking lot, my tummy was rumbling loudly. I was in trouble. I quickly came up with a game plan – order the Create Your Own Omelet with tomatoes and spinach, and just heat half. Easy peasy.

What I didn’t count on: 3 silver dollar pancakes on the side.

Really!?! Cauliflower mash is a side dish. A side salad is a side dish (the name sort of says it all). Three fluffy, delicious pancakes? Not a side dish.

I was so hungry I tore into the omelet, doing my best to ignore the pancakes that seemed to be calling to me. I ate about 40% of the omelet. I felt satisfied. However…

Those pancakes…so warm…so fluffy. And with a scoop of melting butter sitting on top. Hmmmmm.

I tried to be strong, but I heard a little voice say, “You just did a 5K. Go ahead. Have a few bites. It won’t hurt.” That little voice belonged to my loving, supportive husband. Thanks honey!

I cut off a small piece. Then I had another…and another. I ended up eating about 3/4 of a pancake before stopping.

I didn’t beat myself up. The old Dot to Trot wouldn’t have stopped. And that omelet would be toast too. All in all not terribly bad.

Then I went home to look up the Points Plus value of my meal and discovered that IHOP actually puts pancake batter in their omelets. Crap!

Pedometers – Are They Really Worth It?

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I considered buying a pedometer. As I plowed through the online reviews, it struck me that people really love their pedometers. Even in my Weight Watchers meetings, people talk about the wonders of pedometers. It’s as if this little device came from the fitness gods and holds the key to unlock the mysteries of weight loss.

Well to that I say:

That’s right. I call Shenanigans!

Sorry, but I just don’t see it. It counts steps. It’s just a tracker and not much else. Yeah, I’ve seen the articles about how it inspires you to get moving. I started a blog about my weight loss journey…how much more inspired do I need to be? It just seems that I would have to obsessively track all that I do. That’s not how I roll. I just don’t want to over think this workout stuff.

Do I track what I eat? Yes. Do I track my walks? Yep. How about my workouts with my trainer or other activities? You betcha. But I can do that via Weight Watchers’ eTools and it takes about 15 seconds. Not much effort involved. Yes, I have been using MapMyWalks for my daily walks. I would love for it to count steps too (it might, but I don’t want to pay for it). Sure, the data it provides helps me push myself a little more each walk. But it’s on my iPhone. So is my playlist. And a way to call for help. Both of which I consider a necessity when walking. I just don’t want another gadget to carry around.

So I looked at pedometer apps too. Sigh. I just thought, I’ve got too many apps as it is. And lets get real. If Weight Watchers were to add a kick ass walking tracker to their app, how long do you think MapMyWalks will last on my phone? The fewer apps, the better I say.

Am I missing something?

50 Fattiest Foods In the States (A.K.A. How I Got Fat)

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Quadruple Bypass Burger courtesy of the Heart Attack Grill.

Quadruple Bypass Burger courtesy of the Heart Attack Grill.

Oh my. This list is incredible. I traveled around the country for my last job, and I’m afraid that I’ve sampled 23 of the dishes listed.  Yikes!

I am somewhat surprised as a native Michigander, I never heard of the Michigan BLT. Hmmmm bacon…is there anything it can’t do?

Also, I lived in Arizona for nearly 10 years and never heard of the Heart Attack Grill.  But if you are over 350 lbs you eat for free.  Thankfully I didn’t hit 350, but something tells me if this burger was around when I lived in Phoenix, I might have.

Now that I’ve lost weight, I look at this list and it really doesn’t tempt me. In fact, I feel a little mad at myself. Well not for the Café Du Monde beignets. They are yummy!

But looking at most of the items on the list, I just ask myself “Why didn’t I make better choices?” Today, I wouldn’t spend any of my 36 daily points on that crap.

Eating until I bust isn’t something I aspire too anymore. I use to think I got a good deal at a restaurant based on the portion sizes. The more food, the better the restaurant.

How times have changed. I don’t even use our 12-inch dinner plates anymore. Nope. Only the 6 inch salad plates now. Why? Because I learned the hard way that my eyes, not my actual hunger level, were driving how much was on my plate.

As my dad always says, my eyes were too big for my stomach. Well, not anymore.

14:56 Baby!

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Today is the first day of Weight watchers’ LiveLife Active Challenge. My goal today was to walk for 45 minutes, or 3 miles. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather so I decided to break my walk into 2 segments – a fast morning walk and a moderate walk this evening.

For the fast walk, I just decided that I would go as fast as possible without jogging for one mile. My speed goal for the past few weeks is the elusive 15 minute mile.

Turns out today’s the day. I hit 14:56 during my morning walk. Since I was going a total of 2 miles, I nearly had nothing left to finish my walk. I actually had to stop after I hit one mile for about 45 seconds to catch my breath before continuing. Mile two I finished at a pace of 16:39 – not too shabby.

I now just have to keep building up my stamina to consistently hit 15 minutes for that first mile, but have enough gas in the tank to hit 15 minutes on that second mile.

Taking the LiveLife Active Plunge

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liveLife ActiveWeight Watchers just announced its new LiveLife Active Challenge and I’ve signed up.

The challenge lasts through June 1. Each week I’ll kick my workouts up a notch and keep track of all my activities via eTools.

Since I’ve been focused much more heavily on exercise the last couple of months, I’m very excited about participating in my very first challenge. So what’s on tap this week?

Week 1 Daily Workout Plan
Monday – 45 Minute Power Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday – Body Sculpting
Wednesday – 45 Min Power Walk (3 miles)
Thursday – Body Sculpting
Friday – 45 Minute Power Walk (3 miles)
Saturday – Brambleton Ribbon 5K (walk)
Sunday – Day Hike at Great Falls

Brambleton will be my first 5k in about 10 years and my first 5k this year. Can’t wait to start.

Weekly Weigh in – April 6

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With this weeks weight loss, Dot to Trot has lost more than 20% of her total body weight.

With this week’s weight loss, Dot to Trot has lost more than 20% of her total body weight.

Despite battling an infection this week, I ended up losing 1.8 lbs. So it looks like the new trainer is paying off. That makes the total weight loss 66.4 lbs which means I’ve officially lost 20% of my body weight!

Alcohol, Homer J. Simpson & Weight Loss

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Trust the Tao of Homer!

Trust the Tao of Homer! Image courtesy of Simpson Crazy

I had dinner last night with my good friend Elizabeth. We went to the Dogfish Head AleHouse. What a difference a year makes. Miss E and I both worked together at a hellacious office. It was very common for us to visit the local watering hole after work and consume about 10-15 Weight Watchers points in our favorite wines or brews.

So last night after being seated Elizabeth asked if I wanted the beer menu. “Nope,” I replied. Without skipping a beat, she put it aside and we both opted for water and unsweetened ice tea. Then I thought of something that great philosopher Homer J. Simpson said:

“…Alcohol! The cause of and solution to all of life’s problems.”

He is so right.

Yes, alcohol may have helped in commiserating about the job, but it came at a cost.

A chunk of my weight gain came from drinking wine. I do love the nectar of the gods (Hell, I still want to open my own wine store). And Miss E knows her good brews. The difference today? Both of us are focused like frickin’ laser beams on our health (oh, and we both have quit our jobs).

During the last year, I really have limited my alcohol. I’m probably down to twice a month and when I do drink, it’s about 2 4-ounce glasses at the most now.

Never doubt the Tao of Homer.