Start Livin' Y'all!

We made it! It is time for another weekend to begin. Aside from the stifling, horrible, choke you to death heat, it feels like football season is finally getting near because of all the buzz! I am sure that I will be talking about it more in the coming weeks but it has been on my mind this morning as Alabama started practicing this week.

As some of you may know, Weight Watchers has a slogan...



I actually think this is a pretty good one. The difference between Weight Watchers and what I have done in the past is that it truly doesn’t feel like a diet. I RARELY feel like I’m starving (and even if I do, I can eat, I just usually choose to save most of my points for dinner) AND it isn’t one of those gimmicky diets where they completely deprive you of something your body needs (like carbs with the Atkins diet). I really don’t believe in dieting anymore. I am someone who has struggled with weight my whole life. I have tried different diets in the past...like the Richard Simmons diet when I was a teenager that took me WAY down to 1200 calories a day right away or the Atkins diet which meant I was eating WAY more bacon than one person ever should. The truth is, as many of you know, these diets DO work in the short term. However, any time you stray from those rules, your body immediately puts the weight back on. With Weight Watchers, I have gradually decreased the amount of food I eat. Counting points can be a pain but it forces you to make decisions about what you eat. When you really want a loaded baked potato, you can have one but that’s ALL you can have for dinner so you think...OK...I’ll have a baked potato, skip the butter, cheese & bacon and that way I can have a meat, veggie and snack later. There are very few times that I see that as a compromise, I see it as a win because I ALWAYS vote to maximize the amount of food I eat. I am by no means saying Weight Watchers is perfect or that I do it perfectly (I am terrible about getting my vitamins and milk servings in) and as always, you have to be ready yourself before you can really do it but I do want to put it out there that I don’t feel like I’m on a diet...even though I do joke about having diet rage sometimes....if I’m being honest...that’s just my regular rage...lol.

I know that sometimes eating healthy can be tough...ESPECIALLY if you don’t like vegetables. Fortunately, I love most vegetables with the exception of peas and beans so I cook A LOT with squash, onions, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, potatoes, etc. My roommate Cassandra is not really a fan of many (or any) vegetables and she is always saying how she wished that there were recipes that had veggies in them but they were hidden. I’m sure there are cookbooks out there (anybody know of any?) but you can really just figure it out yourself. You can always chop vegetables VERY tiny and put them in your pasta or casseroles and if it’s a vegetable like squash or green beans...you won’t be able to taste them at all...especially if you finely chop them. That way, you are getting all kinds of fiber without you even knowing it. I am the kind of person lately that will go through the pantry and throw random crap into a skillet...




Obviously, if you HATE vegetables, this might not be for you but I made this the other night. It’s not a recipe or anything but I threw ground beef, garlic, W sauce (all of which will overtake the “yucky” flavor of the vegetables you don’t like), potatoes, squash, broccoli, onions and mushrooms. It was so good and filling. You don’t have to use ALL of those ingredients but you could definitely use the meat & potatoes and then hide some squash in there.

The point is, there are ways of getting around a dislike of healthy foods. Using a lot of spices, garlic and onion is really helpful in doing that. I love those types of meals I just throw together...it reminds me of being a kid when my mom would always make these awesome, random concoctions that she made by using what we had...not to mention...it’s ALWAYS cheaper to eat a meal like that than to go out.

Ok, lol, I think I’m done going on and on about hoping you all will Stop Dieting & Start Living. I hope you all have a fun weekend planned. I think I have one in the works...maybe a movie tomorrow and then tomorrow night I will be going out with Cassandra to celebrate her birthday. Sunday...I plan to rest until I need to rest from resting! I should have an awesome “1,000,000 Step” report on Monday! Have a great one! Bye!

“Here's this guy, thinks he's bad to the bone
He wants to pick me up and take me home
Well, I don't think so
I don't think so

Cage fights, PlayStation, X-Games, Raider Nation
Oversize pants with an ego to match
It's not like I'm not trying
'Cause I'll give anyone a shot once

And, I , I close my eyes
And, I kiss that frog
Each time finding
The more boys I meet the more I love my dog

Why can't they be like the ones that mean everything to me
The warm and loyal, open and friendly
It's not like I'm not trying
'Cause I'll give anyone a shot once

I close my eyes
And, I kiss that frog
Each time finding
The more boys I meet the more I love my dog.” More Boys I Meet-Carrie Underwood