Calling all WW'ers...share your insight...

So as I travel down this WW journey once again, I realize that you really have to make the program "yours." What works for you might just not work for your friend. That two-bit snack she eats may send you into a dizzying spiral of chocolate transgressions. Rather than telling people what they should do, I'm just going to share what works for ME. Won't you tell me some of your "secrets" too? Maybe I can learn another little helpful trick that makes it work. Maybe something will stick for someone else.

Here are some things that I'm finding are really helping me:

**Protein! I used to fear eating meat. But I've found that if I don't have protein, I tend to snack. I aim for a nice dose of protein in the morning (protein shake, or a few slices of lunchmeat turkey) and make sure lunch and dinner involve lowfat protein as well. If I'm feeling especially hungry, I may opt for turkey or cottage cheese as a snack. Yes! Cottage cheese has a surprising amount of protein!

**Fast Food. I'm a fast food junkie. While I may not eat the traditional McD's or BK a lot, I do like some local fast food options that include Potbelly Sandwiches and Jimmy John's, and I'm a big fan of Chipotle. I've taken the time to figure out points for a few menu items on their company websites or other sources, and I don't deny myself their food. And contrary to my own prior thinking, I can actually have Chipotle WITHOUT GUACAMOLE. I even tried my usual option without cheese, but then i decided it's never THAT serious. A non-negotiable? I always, ALWAYS get the rice. Worth. Every. Point. My newest find? Doggonit, those Subway breakfast melts (egg whites) are really good. And cheap!

**Flex points. We get 35 points to "play" with. I eat EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Gasp? Really, I do. I weigh in on Saturday mornings, and at the same time my points re-set and I get my new extra 35 points. I use them all. My rule is that whatever is not used by Sunday night, I pretend they're gone anyway. In my few short weeks back on plan, there was only one time that I didn't use them all.

**Activity points. On the flip side, I aim to earn about 20 APs per week. I don't eat a single one. Ok, that's a lie, because I did eat ONE a few weeks back. I dunno, I sort of feel that is the "punishment" for voraciously gobbling up those flex points. Once I really get back to running longer distances, I will begin to think about eating APs again.

**WW products. I kinda think they're a waste of money, especially the two point/one point bars. They are pretty pricey, and you can find equally as tasty items in similar point ranges at the store. (KUDOS, for example.) But overall, those kinda of sweets tend to send me over the edge anyway. Plain and simple, it's hard for me to stop at 1. A 50-bar pack from Costco is a disaster waiting to happen.

So what are your own personal tricks of the trade? Care to share?

Eating and Running; Running and Eating

SUBTITLE: Sweet Glory!

You might think this is a post to lament over my eating way too much food and not running enough. No, it's not, although said post might be warranted. I'm writing about two upcoming events.

This Friday, in an effort to absolve my running sin of not running the marathon that I signed up for, I'm hosting a pasta party..."Eat and Run: Let the Carbo Loading Commence," reads the evite. My NYC friend is coming into town, and we're making the pasta from scratch. Yeah, you read that right, and yeah, I'm pretty proud and ONE BAD @$$ chic, eh? So I've invited my marathoning friends, and a few who are not running this year for various reasons. And we're going to eat! YAY! Me like eating!

Next event...and get ready for this one, cuz it's a beauty. I am signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15K. (whatever, you say.) But first....there's the awesome gear. I mean, this is some NICE STUFF!!!!!


But it get's better...the sponsor is Hershey. HERSHEY! (Shhhh, do you hear the angels singing?) The website reads "After the race, join us for the SWEETEST post race party you can imagine with CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, and MORE CHOCOLATE. Just imagine dying and going to Chocolate Heaven, because it exists at the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k post race party."


WOW. I'm just worried that as a 12:00 pace, there will be no chocolate once I've finished running. I'm envisioning something similar to the chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.


Anyway, I hate to just dash off after writing about eating and running, but I gotta go!

Product Review: Dunkin Donuts Flatbread Breakfast Sandwiches

Ok....so I've been intrigued by the barage of advertising anyway. A chain restaurant featuring an EGG WHITE sandwich? C'mon, it probably tastes like cardboard! So this morning when I saw another add...was hungry after running....well I decided that I would pay a visit to the Dunkin Donuts just a few blocks from the girls' daycare. (After I dropped them off.)

So I get to the store and they have two kinds (although I've heard there are four different flavors available throughout the U.S. of A.) So between the veggie or turkey sausage, I waffled a bit (eye roll) and decided on the veggie.

Let me tell you, it was GOOD. Not GOOD in a "well that was pretty good for calorie-laden, sugar-laced, we're going to kill you by age 50, greasy fast food joint" kinda good. But good like "a GOOD breakfast sandwich from the neighborhood coffee shop" kinda good. I was quite pleased and will be going back again to try the turkey sausage one.

Try it, you'll like it. WW'ers, either of these filling, fiber-filled sandwiches will set you back just 6 points.

Product Review: Kashi Honey Sunshine

So as I strolled through the supermarket (who says supermarket anymore?), I noticed a new item on the shelves. Kashi Honey Sunshine. "Honey-kissed Seven Whole Grain Cereal Pillows." I was intrigued. I read the stats in true WW fashion "100 cals-1.5 grams fat-6 grams fiber", ch-ching, my head did the math at 1 points per serving. (3 for two servings, and if you're ravenous, or food-obsessed, 6 points for three servings.)

Well let me tell you friends, this cereal is DELICIOUS. Especially if you have a hankering for Captain Crunch cereal, because quite frankly, it tastes awfully familiar. But with WW stats at 120-2-1 for 1 cup, weighing in at 2 pts-5pts-7pts for 1, 2 and 3 servings (and you're hungry later b/c of so little fiber), well folks, I think we have a winner here. Plus, who doesn't feel good about buying from Kashi?

Kashi Honey Sunshine, you're my newfound friend!