So, it’s been a week of my new dietary guidelines (followed within the WW program). How is it going, you may ask? I’ll get to that in a minute, but first of all, I have to thank you for all your support, insight, encouragement and advice last week when I shared my new goals with you. You were upfront, honest, and didn’t hesitate to share concerns or places where you thought I could change something.

After some consideration, and at the advice of a couple of you, the one tweak I’m making is changing the wording of my “splurge” day to a “treat” day. I think this puts it in better perspective. It is a day to enjoy a treat (or two or three) that I wouldn’t normally have during the week, but it’s not a license to go all-out nuts and totally indulge myself (which I sort of did this week….more on that in a moment).

So, without further ado, what were the big weigh-in results? Down 1.4 pounds – oh yeah! Would I have liked to see a higher number, especially after a week of making healthier changes? For sure. But, given what I was up to Friday night, the fact that I was able to see a loss that significant Sunday morning is pretty close to miraculous.

So what was Friday night? Oh, you know, the usual. Just a spontaneous trip to Toronto with my good friend to see a Raptors game with her and my mom in BOX SEATS with tons of delicious food and then a stay overnight in the city! The chance came up at the last minute through a combination of random circumstances, and I decided to jump on it. Even though I knew the food offered there wouldn’t be healthy (in fact, when I decided to go, my mom said “I hope you have saved all your flex points!), I chose to embrace the opportunity and not stay home out of fear that I’d overdo it (I’m not going to lie, that thought crossed my mind, as silly as that may sound).

I certainly had my splurge for the week, as I enjoyed all the food you see above – chicken fingers, mini burger, veggies (for good health), Greek salad, bruschetta, pizza, even a piece of sushi (the fish-less kind), and then a Drumstick ice cream bar, chocolate and fruit and a piece of a Twix bar for dessert. And the Tim Horton’s cups that our tea came in even had the ACC logo on them!

My viewing companions were about as interested in the basketball part as I was (which was pretty much not at all), so it was nice just to be able to enjoy the atmosphere, chat, and have lots of good eats. Surprisingly, the game went by pretty quickly.

I snapped a quick pic of my breakfast Saturday morning, since it was so yummy, and only 6 points plus, in hopes that you might be able to replicate it if you find yourself starting your day at Starbucks in the future. Plain oatmeal (3 points plus) with a banana sliced over it, a grande skinny caramel latte (3 points plus) and a glass of water. I love how the plethora of oatmeal and yogurt parfait options available at coffee shops and fast food restaurants makes it so easy to have a healthy breakfast on the go. And this combo was perfect for a SUPER COLD morning, as it was on Saturday. After our leisurely breakfast at the ‘Bucks, we made a quick visit to the CBC building (Canada’s national broadcaster, for those of you reading this south of the border), then headed home.

So, after this spontaneous night of indulgence (which I totally enjoyed and don’t regret for a second) the night before my typical weigh-in, you see why I’d be a little bit nervous, so I decided to postpone one day. And, thankfully, the scale delivered! I can only imagine how much I would have lost if I hadn’t gone to the game next Friday. We’ll see what happens next week (provided I don’t get another invitation to a Friday night sporting event).

What reflections do I have a week into my new eating plan?

I love nuts! I now have this little jar station set up on my counter as a reminder. I knew I liked nuts before, but they weren’t something I ate on a day-to-day basis, only in desserts, or at holidays/parties, when I was stuffing my face from a bowl of mixed/seasoned nuts. Now, since I’m trying to eat less wheat products, and more naturally, they’re great for adding crunch to desserts and snacks. I’m especially loving the pecans – so buttery! 6 halves have 2 points plus, which might seem like a lot, but I’m finding that when crumbled up, a little goes a long way.

How you eat affects how you drink. I really try to get most of my calories from what I’m eating, not what I’m drinking. That means hat my go-to flavoured drink of choice when wanting something other than water to go with a snack is Diet Coke. Now, I know there are all kinds of differing opinions out there on Diet Coke and its affects on weight and health, and while I’ve never been one to guzzle the stuff, I probably could stand to cut back. You know what? When my late night snack isn’t something filled with carbs, I really don’t want one. I mean, a Diet Coke, nuts and fruit? Not exactly a typical combo. I don’t plan on giving it up completely, but my new way of eating has definitely helped me reduce my intake.

Natural can taste pretty darn good. I used to read a lot of healthy living blogs and think I’d never be one of “those people.” You know the ones. The “I only eat food that’s made with natural ingredients,” or “I shun things with long lists of ingredients and things I can’t pronounce” type of people. And, to be honest, I still don’t think I’ll ever be one of those people all of the time (and I believe that’s OK). I thought what would be the hardest this week was my more “natural” desserts, and cutting back on those packaged sweets, cookies, and ice cream. Honestly? The stuff I came up with was pretty darn tasty, and I didn’t feel my desserts were lacking at all. I mean, just look at that bowl of deliciousness – peach/strawberry/banana soft serve topped with pecans, cacao nibs, unsweetened low fat coconut and a bit of sweetened ricotta (5 points plus total) – that was a killer sundae! Again, just like the Diet Coke, I don’t think that stuff will ever be totally gone from my life, but cutting down on it sure can’t hurt me.

It’s not that bad. I’ve heard it said before that when trying to make a diet/lifestyle change for the better, don’t focus on what you CAN’T have, focus on what you CAN have, and it’s so true. I could mope around and think about all I’m giving up, or choose to focus on all the new food combinations I’m going to try and get excited about it (hello pecans!). Really, this lifestyle change that I’m attempting is not all that difficult. It’s making me think outside the box a bit (which is a good thing) and get beyond the diet staples I’ve depended on for so long. I think that having my goals broken down to specific number targets for each week really helped, as did having my chart on the fridge to check them off (and I even with my splurge, I met them all last week – yay me)! Also, knowing I wasn’t totally cutting out all processed foods cold turkey, and could still have them, just less often, helped prevent me from feeling totally deprived.

Take this salad for instance. It’s a great example of “it’s all in how you look at it.” A negative attitude would be: “Uggh, salad for supper – BORING! Total diet food!” My positive spin? “Salad for supper – yum! A great blank canvas to add tons of flavour, and I’ll be able to have way more options without all those carbs taking up valuable points.” This SUPER awesome, filling, and delicious salad had a total of 9 points plus, and included the following flavourful ingredients:

• spinach leaves for a base
• broiled (for added flavour) cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and red onion
• 2 oz leftover cooked steak
• one hard-boiled egg
• 1 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds
• a quick balsamic vinaigrette made with one teaspoon olive oil

The flavour and texture combinations in this salad were just killer, and as it had tons of protein, it was really filling and satisfying. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything!

So, week one of this plan was largely positive. I’m excited/nervous to see what will happen in week two, given all of the ups and downs (mostly ups) I’ve had on the scale with WW last fall. Stay tuned!

What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve done lately?