Now I know my A, B, C's

Good Morning all -

No weight-loss to report today. I won't be recording my weight until Friday morning. This morning I just wanted to touch base with you and discuss a few things I've learned so far. I will also leave you with a new AWESOME recipe.

1. Don't drink your calories.

• Philip and I were at the grocery store just yesterday and we saw a fruit drink that we thought looked tasty (grape and something else) and upon further inspection realized it was loaded with calories and sugar. Just wasn't worth the caloric investment, so we left it alone. We find ourselves drinking diet drinks or 0 calorie water based drinks.

2. Record everything.

• I've said this before, but holding myself accountable and not lying to myself has helped. If it doesn't fit my goal for the day - I don't do it. Myfitnesspal people!

3. If the scale pisses you off, try on a pair of jeans that used to be tight.

• During my plateau a couple of weeks ago, the scale just wouldn't budge but I noticed my pants were getting baggier.

4. Don't (completely) rely on others for recognition.

• I love my husband, and I am very lucky to have a very emotionally invested guy for a partner. But he's also very honest and not secretive. The first couple of weeks I lost weight I wanted sooooo badly for him to say something, but he just didn't notice. It drove my crazy, but he wasn't going to tell me that I lost weight just to make me happy. This actually turned out to be a good thing, because when I wear something new and he notices that I've lost weight he's the first to say something. And when he does, I know he's being honest and has really noticed a difference.

5. Still eat your favorite foods- just eat smarter. Which brings me to this story ...

Last night we had stuffed pasta. Buitoni. It's a little under 500 calories for a large portion of 1 1/4 cups. I wanted something to go with it, and asked Philip if he liked the Red Lobster Garlic rolls. I got a "meh." You see - Philip doesn't care much for sharp cheddar, and he can avoid foods all together just because of a taste he doesn't care for. For that reason I suggested adapting them to his tastes by using Mozzarella instead. This was actually helpful, because there are some mozzarellas you can find that are part-skim which cuts 20 calories off each serving. Thanks to google I found a recipe I could adapt to make more low-cal. They turned out great:

The end up being 143 calories a piece. That's using the recipe to make 13.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. Heart Smart Bisquick

3/4 c. 1 % milk

6 tbls. cold light butter

3/4 tsp. garlic bowder

1 c. part-skim mozzarella (shredded)

Pinch of Salt

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. In a bowl combine Bisquick and 4 tbls of cold butter. Combine these with a pastry cutter, large fork, or two knives. You'll end up with pea size pieces of butter throughout the bisquick. Add milk, cheese, and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder.

3. Mix by hand (preferably using your hand, it's much easier.) Drop on an un-greased baking sheet and bake for 15 - 17 mins.

4. In a small bowl (you can use your microwave) melt 2 tbls of butter. Add 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and brush on top of biscuits. Sprinkle with parsley.

Enjoy!