Typical 19 Point Day, Finally

Dear Friends and Family,

I think I have the food thing figured out, at least for another eight pounds. Every 10 pounds, Weight Watchers drops your point allowance by a point until you hit the minimum of 18 points. I am currently at 19 points and have finally found a food routine that works for me on the weekdays.

I've been struggling with the no fridge, no microwave, early breakfast, late dinner thing for about a month now. And, I tried the grazing routine. It worked for like a week and then I got fed up with the same old two point snacks six times a day. Thanks, but no thanks.

Some people, when they lose a point, they try to take their current routine and "find" a point they could lose like switching bread brands or switching from low-fat to fat-free cheese. For me, that's like a bad game of strip poker gone awry. I can't find myself gaming myself out of a point by switching brands, I like most of the stuff I eat now, and it's mostly healthy stuff.

Instead, I find myself switching up my food routine by a lot. It's a good way to keep things fresh. So, what's my 19 points per day routine? How does it work with my new work constraints?

Breakfast (2 points) - 1 container Stonyfield Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt, 1/4 cup Fiber One, 2 cups tea, a multi-vitamin

Lunch I (2 points) - 1/2 sandwich (whole wheat bread, low fat cheese, roast turkey or ham or chicken or beef, mustard), 3 oz carrots

Lunch II (2 points) - the other 1/2 of the sandwich, 3 oz grape tomatoes

Lunch III (4 points) - 5 oz strawberries, 1 large banana, 5 oz some other fruit, 9 grams almonds

Dinner (9 points) - varies by night

I've tried it a couple of days this week and it works for me. The fruit salad is the lynch pin to this whole gig. Since it's nearly a pound of food, it keeps my belly working for a long time. And, the nuts. Without the nuts, it feels like diet food. With the nuts and the banana, it feels like a special treat.

So, until I hit my next point drop, I've got a plan. I'm keeping track here, because at some point in maintenance I might need to come back to this plan on some weeks and I know I'll forget it if I don't write it down.


Cheers!
mouse