Saving Some Fat & Calories

So I've been thinking about oatmeal chocolate chip cookies all morning. I wish I could say I've been thinking about being strong and NOT stuffing my face with them...but mostly it's been just the opposite. The ooey gooey chocolaty goodness of those little nuggets of temptation are evil, I tell you, E.V.I.L. !

Since it seems to be beyond my willpower to avoid eating one (or 6) every time I walk into the kitchen, I've been doing two things. One - avoiding the kitchen...this is evidenced by the breakfast dishes still sitting out with syrup on them (evil...see?!). And two - figuring out how to make them a tad bit better for me.

What if I make them with Smart Balance spread and Egg Beaters instead of real butter and eggs, I wonder?

2 sticks real butter: 1600 calories, 176 g total fat, 112 g saturated fat
2 large real eggs: 108 calories, 7.4 g total fat, 2.2 g saturated fat
Total just from these ingredients: 1708 calories, 183.4 g total fat, 114.2 g sat. fat

Using Smart Balance: 1280 calories, 144 g total fat, 40 g saturated fat
and Egg Beater type eggs: 60 calories, 0 g fat
Total: 1340 calories, 144 g fat, 40 g sat. fat

Difference: 368 calories, 39.4 g fat, 74.2 g sat. fat

As much as I'd love to eat all 4 dozen cookies, even I can usually stop at oh, 2 dozen or so! Let's break it down per cookie:

By using Smart Balance and Egg Beaters instead of the real stuff, I'd save (per cookie):
7.67 calories
.82 g fat
1.55 g saturated fat

Hmmm. I'm not sure if it really makes that much of a difference. I'm not sure that it even made enough difference for me to take the time to fire up my calculator! Well, I guess every little bit helps.

I wonder if they'd taste any good. You know I'm forced to make a new batch, right?

I hate it when the "math" tells me that to really save on fat and calories I should just eat in moderation. I hate moderation. At least when it comes to these cookies...

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

They have oatmeal...does that make it okay to have 3 for breakfast? I hope so.

Sigh. I'm so very weak.

Hittin' The Road

I have a new favorite workout. I NEVER thought I'd say this, but my new favorite? Running.

Just me and my music. And the fresh air. And the rustling leaves in the trees. And the occasional dog that chases me and scares me half to death. And the rather large rock I carry in my left hand to give myself a small amount of peace of mind against said dog. Hey, at least my left bicep will be stronger. Hmm, maybe I should alternate arms?

My hubby is so smart. He knows what makes me tick. Not like that...well, yes, like that...but that's not what I'm talking about! Ahem (blush).

I mean, he knows what motivates me. He signed us up for a local 5K race, and it's this coming weekend. So that's why I've been running. Now, it's for the love of getting on the road. But in the beginning? It was all about the desperate need to not be humiliated this Saturday!

Hubby's doing the race too. I don't know what came over us in the past few months. He looked at me one day and said, "This is not who we are, and we need to do something about it!" He went on to explain how he wants to have a future of fun and activity and full years...not a future of sitting on the couch, feeling and looking old and fat, and lots of doctor visits.

He has a great point. I wanna get old with him. Really, really, old and saggy and wrinkly. We can compare dentures and "regularity". We can go on long walks while I ask him what he thinks about my latest hairstyle (I've come to terms that I'll never be happy with however I've cut my hair, and it's just his lot in life to answer my stupid questions..."do you like it better like this, or this?"). We can visit our kids and grandkids (hey, maybe they can tell me what to do with my hair!). We can travel the world. Lucky him ;)

I hope he doesn't read this. If he suddenly loses his passion for a healthy lifestyle, I'll know he has...

But I Thought I'd Already Reached My All Time Low!

Today has been (as my wonderful grandma would say) a "hum-dinger".

Not much going on, just one of those days.

I managed to get into my exercise clothes, get the Wii going, did a little boxing, hula-hoop, and step. And then, half way through a boxing match, I thought, "I'm just plain bored and I don't wanna do this."

I turned it off, and gave up on the workout. So I got, what, 10 minutes of sweating done? Silly. I guess it's not nothing though.

I think it's a hormone thing for me. Nothing sounds interesting or fun. I'd really rather just sit on the computer and edit photos or cruise blogs all day.

A sure sign that it's a hormone thing? Aside from the lack of energy, motivation, or high spirits? My candy stash. It dawned on me after lunch that I have a bag of Easter candy stashed in my closet! Now, I'd totally forgotten about it until today! It's proof...proof that my chocolate desperate mind and body is grasping at straws. My brain had to dig DEEP for the memory of that candy, I'll tell ya!

So now, after my non-workout...I'm stuffing my face with those blissfully sweet and crunchy robin's eggs.

It's days like this when I realize that I'll likely never be a size 8 again. Heck, I don't know if I'll fit into my 10's and 12's by the end of THIS week!

Checking In...

Well, I decided to pull out the tape measure and scale to compare my measurements to where I was when I started this.

I was hopeful, because I feel like I've been working hard. I've been working out 3-4 times a week for the past 6 weeks or so. I'm sleeping better, have more energy, and hubby tells me I look different. So I was looking for a little pick-me-up with in improvement in the numbers.

I weighed. I measured.

I gained 2 pounds.

I gained about 1/2 inch on every measurement...except my chest. Isn't that just crappy? If I'm gonna gain inches anywhere, it had better be in the boobs. But no.

My determination is slipping away on me...

Unpleasant

Nothin' quite like trying to squeeze into last year's jeans to motivate a workout...

It's All About The Bra

Yes, the bra. When I get up in the morning, I get dressed right into my exercise clothes. There's just something about wearing a sports bra that makes me want to take it off (not very comfy)! And I just hate taking it off if I haven't gotten a workout in.

Strange motivation, to be sure. But hey, I'll take anything I can get.

Still no change on the scale.

But the other day I was horsing around with Ben, and I flexed my arm muscle at him. "Whoah MOM, where'd you get THAT?!" was his very satisfying response. I love that kid. He's officially my favorite ;)

My baby boy turns 1 NEXT WEEK. I can't believe it. I'm hesitant to wean him just because I know this is my last time nursing a baby, and it's such sweet time with him. But I'm also feeling more and more like I'd like my body back. Oh, the constant push and pull that is motherhood!

I'm still holding out hope that I'll have an easier time losing some fat once I wean him. I just HAVE TO remember to cut back on eating after I'm done nursing. I've gotten pretty accustomed to being able to eat an extra 500 calories per day "for the baby"!

Oh, change is hard, don't you think? I think.