dieting for dummies {1.23}

this past week, i hit my first milestone of 5 pounds lost! my first 5lb reward was a short sleeve sweater, coordinating sparkly shirt and some matching bracelets for an upcoming trip (total cost = $30).

healthy mexican

one of my weaknesses is mexican food. it's one of the things that i knew i'd miss most. often times, when matt was working, i'd make a mexican concoction for supper. some combination of tortillas/chips, cheese, refried beans, cheese, ground beef, cheese, jalapenos, cheese...

well, it turns out i can have my cake mexican and eat it too. on a whim, i picked up an avocado at the grocery store. it's pretty bland so i added some cajun flavored powder stuff i found in my pantry. a wheat tortilla with the avocado and some black beans...pretty darned tasty!!!  and the next night, i ate the same thing but added a bit of spinach to my "wrap". point value? only SIX. and yes, it was actually quite filling.

italian wrap

after falling in love with the above-mentioned mexican wrap, i decided to try an italian version. i began with the same wheat tortilla and then layered pepperoni and mozzarella cheese (part-skim). i warmed it in the microwave enough to melt the cheese and then added raw spinach. the spinach just helps give it a bit more substance (in my opinion) and keeps it from getting too dry. i didn't have any, but a nice addition would have been to drizzle on some reduced fat italian dressing as well.

beer/wine

i've always felt like you had to drop alcohol completely to lose weight, but that's really not true. my drinks of choice are usually a glass of white wine or miller lite - both of which are 3 points. i found out that miller 64 is only 2 points and i enjoy that so i have made a point to purchase that for myself. as long as i have a decently controlled day, it's perfectly fine for me to add 3 or 6 points to some evenings. weight watchers note: i did learn that you can not use the WW point calculator with alcoholic beverages. the points will not be accurately counted due to the sugars in the alcohol.

food favorites: edamame, hot water with lemon, soup

yucky things that didn't work: plain greek yogurt with stuff added to it. not a fan.