I finally slept pretty well last night and so when 6:00 came I was tempted to reset the alarm for 7:00, but decided I better get up and get caught up on reading for by Hinduism and Buddhism class. We’re studying Buddhism now and I am way behind on the reading!
I mentioned that I picked up some fresh cranberries at the store because I think they’re pretty, but have no idea what to do with them, so I really wanted to try to use them in my oatmeal this morning. I could not find instructions on how to cook cranberries online! All the recipes told me to add like 1 cup of sugar, maybe if I was cooking the whole bag? But I just wanted to cook enough for my oatmeal. I remembered seeing something about boiling cranberries (and to make sure to put a lid on the top of the pot!) so I tried that. I mixed 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries into 1 cup of oatmeal and topped it off with .25 oz of sliced almonds. The result was bland tasting, so I added 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 1 packet of Sweet and Low. This picked it up a notch! I’m still disappointed that I couldn’t taste the cranberries though. Any suggestions? I also had 1 cup of 1% milk for a total of 5 points.
I was able to get some of the reading done, but I am still behind! This is the time of the semester when things get overwhelming because all of the professors assign the big projects, etc.
On the way to school, I drank the second half of the Naked Mighty Mango for 3 points.
One of the biggest and most inspiring changes that I have seen with my body is an increased fitness level. I am frequently amazed when I walk the 1/2 mile+ to class, up hill, and then I am able to literally run up 3 flights of stairs. It only takes me a matter of seconds to catch my breath. I used to have a hard time just going up those stairs alone. Yay for Non Scale Victories (NSV)!
School went fine today. I was very nervous because I had to read something I had written to the entire class. Why do I get so nervous? I don’t know. I think it has something to do with self confidence. (not to self: WORK ON THAT!) But it went ok, and I got the last paper back that I had to read to the class and I got an A on that one. I am just too hard on myself. I seriously thought I had failed that one.
We ended up getting out of class 15 minutes early- which is great for me because I’m always rushed on Thursdays trying to get home, make lunch, eat and sign in to work. On the way home I ate a small banana for 1.5 points.
The sky was absolutely beautiful on the way home and I had to take a picture to share.
For lunch, I had the last of the leftover Taquitos topped with mashed avocado and salsa for 6 points.
I decided to try a new HG recipe for dessert. I made Cup o’ Chocolate-Coconut Bread Pudding. I didn’t realize, until after I started making it, that I didn’t have any coconut extract, so I used about 1 Tbs. of flaked coconut instead. The very top of this was delicious, but I was tired of eating it by the time I was done. 3 points.
Before signing in to work, I brewed some coffee and mixed in FF vanilla creamer for .5 point.
The afternoon working went really quickly- which is always a good thing! After work, I did a Rev Abs workout and burned 202 calories in 40 minutes. I will admit, my heart wasn’t in it today. But at least I got that activity in and I did break a sweat. Now that I know how to track AP’s (100 calories burned = 1 AP) I know where I stand. So I earned 2 APs tonight- very nice!
For supper, I had a baked sweet potato, which I scooped out of the skin, along with 4 Schwan’s Teriyaki chicken breast wings for a total of 6 points.
I forgot how much I love that chicken- YUM! Awesome flavor and if you cook them according to the directions, the outside is crispy. Definitely try them if you get Schwan’s food!
I was feeling hungry a little later, and with 3 points left I decided to have something that I was craving. I had 20 grams of dry roasted peanuts for 3 points.
Lately, I have been feeling very guilty about eating my weekly points. But the truth is, I have eaten my weekly points almost every week since beginning this. So why do I feel guilty now? I do sometimes eat weekly points at night after I’ve posted my food for the day and it makes me feel like I’m cheating because I’m not telling you guys. But I am right on plan and I’m tracking what I’m eating. This is not binge eating of any type. I have also been very good at listening to my hunger signals, too. So no worries about that! To me, these guilty feelings are dangerous feelings that I want to get away from. It’s when I feel guilty or put too much pressure on myself that I will get burned out and I don’t want that to happen. I feel a little extra pressure now that my family is reading. I feel like I have to do perfectly or I will fail them or they will think less of me. This is a struggle that I have to overcome. I tend to set very high expectations for myself- and while that might help me be successful, it also makes me be stressful! I’m not sure if I’m making sense here or not.
So, that being said, I am a little hungry tonight and I probably will use some weekly points. I usually eat things like Jolly Time Healthy Pop or dry cheerios. Sometimes I do use my weekly points on indulgences. That’s what weekly points are for, right? I should not be feeling guilty as long as I am in control of my emotions and my eating. Now if I can just make myself believe that and make the guilty feelings go away.
But I would love to hear your thoughts about this. For those of you on WW, do you feel guilty for using your weekly points?
I talk about those HG cookbooks ALLLLL the time, so I’m sure you all want her cookbooks too! Well…Check out Darci’s Blogiversary post for a great giveaway over at http://darcithelbloser.blogspot.com. By the way, she’s giving a way a HG cookbook- one that I don’t have!! 
