Good luck and small victories

Good Luck.

That’s what my roommate Kristen said to me as she walked out the door with what seemed like the last healthy food in our house. How was I supposed to navigate through the whole day at work while trying to avoid the pitfalls of the snack machine?! Normally, I’d say “forget it” and go on a fast food and snack rampage. Not today, I told myself. Not today. So I rooted around my fridge and pantry, trying to find something to throw together last minute (and not break the calorie bank). I found canned chicken, craisins, Greek yogurt, onions and celery. I thought, “Hey! I can make a chicken salad out of this!” So I found the last 2 pieces of whole wheat bread and toasted it. I mixed the ingredients together, spread it on the toast and put a little vinegar on it for a bolder flavor. I also threw on a piece of Swiss cheese. It was DELICIOUS! It was definitely a small victory for me. I made a conscious decision to look for healthy alternatives before giving up and ruining my calorie count for the day. And when you have as much weight to lose as Kristen and I do, you really look at those small victories as motivation to keep going. Those bigger goals seem so distant and impossible. Once you stop looking at the larger goals and focus on the smaller ones, you’ll find that even the larger goals become easier to attain.

Now, onto the weigh-ins:

Cindy:
1/20/11 – 337lbs
1/27/11 - Pounds lost: 5
Current weight: 332 lbs
Total pounds lost: 16

Kristen:
1/20/11- 301.5lbs
1/27/11 – Pounds lost: 2
Current weight: 299.5lbs (UNDER 300lbs – Goal one accomplished!!!!!!!)
Total pounds lost: 10.5



Recipe of the week:
Cindy’s chicken salad sandwich
2 slices whole wheat bread - toasted – 140 cals
2 oz. canned chicken breast, drained – 70 cals
1/8 cup Craisins – 35 cals
2 tbl. onions – 8 cals
2 tbl. celery – 2 cals
2 tbl. Greek yogurt – 42 cals
1 tbl. red wine vinegar – 3 cals (optional)
1 slice 2% Swiss cheese – 60 cals
Total cals - 360

Toast the bread. Mix the chicken, Craisins, onions, celery, yogurt, and vinegar together in a bowl. Spread the mixture on a slice of toast and top it with the cheese and the other slice of toast.

Tip: I used Cabot Greek yogurt for this which is a little higher in calories than the Chobani yogurt that we usually use, but the Cabot has a more tangy flavor that I thought complimented the sandwich better. You can switch out or tweak any of the ingredients listed. I added the calorie counts on each individual food item so you can adjust it to your taste and not wonder how many calories you’re eating.