Bits & Pieces -- long post, be warned!

I know I still have a long journey ahead of me, but I am so proud of how I've done so far. My only regret is that I wish I had joined WW much earlier! The past 4 1/2 weeks have been relatively easy. I hope I don't jinx myself by saying that!

Below are just some random tellings and thoughts...

Last night one of our neighbors brought us a little bag of homemade cookies, so I splurged and had a chocolate chip one (I had to dip into my flext points since I was out of daily points...it was 9:45 p.m. when she came over!). It was really, really yummy...except that it gave me an instant tummy ache! And it was so sweet that it actually hurt my throat! I know that sounds weird, but it happens when I eat super sweet stuff. So I guess it's obvious that my body isn't used to that kind of stuff any more.

I used to hate the taste of the low sodium V8. I decided to try it again though and now I like it! I don't even notice that it's not as salty. I also discovered that I was figuring the points wrong for my 2 cups that I bring to work for a morning break. I had been tracking it as 2 points, since when I figured it for 1 cup, it was 1 point. So I doubled the points since it was double the amount. Yesterday I calculated it for 2 cups and it is still just 1 point! I drink it every morning at 10 a.m. and it fills me up enough to hold me over to lunch. Plus, it counts as 4 vegetable servings. So between that and my daily cup of orange juice with breakfast, I have my 5 servings of F & Vs in by noon!

I also discovered some raspberry flavor packets to add to water. They are delicious! I drink plain water during the day at work (68 ounces), but I add the flavor occasionally in the evening. I have a couple in my purse, too, for when we eat out. I can order water, then add the flavor to it and it seems like a treat!

The other thing which has helped me a great deal is the little notebook I bought. I have a section on "Points" where I write down common stuff. I include the brand, serving size, and points value. It's easier to refer to the notebook than have to recalculate all of the time. I also have a section of "Recipes." Again, it's easier to refer to that than have to keep track of printouts from the WW web site.

I have also created my own yummy chicken salad sandwich recipe. I use fat-free mayo, fat-free ranch dressing, a little bit of garlic salt, celery, and apples. It's only 2 points for 1/3 cup. This last time I also threw in some slivered almonds. It bumped it up to 3 points, which still isn't bad.

I found a new bread that is only 1 point for 2 slices! The other bread I was using was 2 points per slice! OUCH! So my sandwhiches had 4 points alone in just the bread...now they will only have 1 point! That's a huge points savings!

Well, I've rambled enough. I'll post again after weigh-in this Saturday!