The Big Weight Loss Challenge

Okay, so week one is coming to a close. In honor of 5 full days of not cheating, here are my secret weight loss weapons:

1. Cilantro-Michael puts barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's) on EVERYthing, but my choice is fresh cilantro, hands down. It makes just about everything taste better.
2. Fat Free Cool Whip-This week I froze individual portions of Trader Joe's Plain yogurt. Before work I added a tablespoon of Cool Whip. By the time I'm ready to eat it for a snack it's just-enough thawed and almost tastes like ice cream. I also like adding fat-free Cool Whip to other things to make it go further such as...
3. Culver's Lemon Ice-One of my favorite treats in all the land is Culver's frozen custard + Heath bars. For obvious reasons, not a good snack choice (download nutrition information before you eat it if you're not convinced). This week I discovered their Lemon Ice and it's no frozen custard, but it's very satisfying and delicious.

4. The Panini Maker-Low cal bread + thin sliced meat + 1/2 slice swiss cheese + 1 tablespoon avocado, mashed= a pretty darn good sandwich. Especially if you cut the cheese in little pieces. The meltiness makes it seem like you're eating more than you actually are.
5. Wii Fit-Aside from its being a little snarky (wow, Mom, it's been 7 days since you last worked out...been busy lately?) I like tracking my weight on the wii fit and I like doing the yoga and "strength" training exercises. I also like, "If you feel unsteady, don't be afraid to lean on objects or people to help you." Good advice.
6. Dr. Joe-his plan really works and his aforementioned oatmeal starts my day out right.
7. My Excel Spreadsheet-I made this up to keep track of my calories, fat, carbs and protein. It does math for me and I can cut and paste things I've eaten in days' past. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to see all the day tabs lined up across the bottom.
8. Chamomile and Lavender tea-I have this in the evening before bed and it makes me feel cozy. And also get up in the night to go to the bathroom.

9. Planning ahead-most of my eating disasters come from allowing myself to get too hungry and not planning ahead. Planning meals and snacks and taking food to work with me helps prevent this from happening.