Post Thanksgiving and Pre Christmas

Isn't this the time of year where we all gain 5 pounds? Historically speaking this is true for me. YUCK! That's a lot of turkey & dressing. I'm planning to LOSE 5 instead.

I think I told you that I have 29 points per day + 49 extra to be used throughout the week or in one setting, if desired. If you exercise you earn extra activity points for that. If you want to lose the weight faster, you don't use your extra points. BUT they're there for you when you need a splurge or have a special occasion. You are supposed to be successful even if you use all 49 + your earned activity points. I would just like to lose faster so I'm trying to save those for something special or skip them all together. Okay, now you know how my points work.

So...Thanksgiving. We stayed at home this year and I cooked. I made grilled chicken, roasted butternut squash, mashed potatoes, dressing, rolls & pecan pie. We bought a chocolate pie at the request of the boys. Notice I didn't say anything green? I figured we eat a TON of fruits & veggies every single day, we could skip it to save room on this one meal. I had normal size portions - 2 1/2 oz. chicken, 1/2 cup potatoes, 1/2 cup dressing, 1/2 cup squash, a roll. I was STUFFED. I waited until the afternoon to have a slice of pie. I had dressing, potatoes & a roll for dinner. We had pumpkin donut for breakfast. YES, it was a feast. Total points tally? 69!!! HOLY COW! I didn't even pig out. I'm not saying I didn't have a good amount but go hog wild? No. That food BE BAD.

So, I used 47 of my extra 49 this week. BTW, my week in WW runs Thursday - Wednesday. I've earned 11 activity points since Thursday and I'll earn around 20 more before the new week begins. I have no intention of using those to swap for food though.

I have boot camp M/W/F this week. I'm planning on doing a little extra cardio on T/TH. I'll stick within my 29 points each day. I'll want to shove cookies in my face splurge on all the holiday treats but I'll make something small work within my points.

I need to check in daily to stay accountable. I would love it if you asked me how I'm doing.

I made this recipe this week and it was good. If you're counting points it's 3 per generous 1 cup serving.

Sausage & Lentil Soup

1/2 pound chicken sausage (I used habanero)
1 cup lentils
8 cups (2 cartons) organic chicken broth
3 carrots - chopped
1/2 onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Rotel for kick)

Throw it all in a pot and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Good comfort food without a bunch of points. I think I'll toss some Kale in at the end next time. Just for an extra nutritional boost. You can serve it with cornbread and that would be delish. I didn't because of the point factor. Maybe I'll look that up...