Is The Indulgence Worth It?

Losing weight is hard.  Well, for most people anyway.  It gets harder when you get those sugar cravings, those I’ve-got-to-have-something-sweet-where’s-the-darn-chocolate type of cravings, know what I mean?  And you know how the elusive “they” tell you not to deprive yourself, just have a small portion of that craving every so often so you don’t go overboard by doing something crazy like eating a whole gallon of ice cream or an entire cake because you haven’t had any sweets in forever?  I do totally agree with that philosophy...I mean, if you’ve been having something all the time in large quantities and you stop eating/drinking it cold turkey, sooner or later the dam will break and you’ll find yourself sitting on the floor surrounded by empty containers of those old favorites.  And you’ll feel miserable about it to boot.

I was in Publix the other day picking up a few things and I was having one of those cravings.  Yes, bad timing for the craving to be going on while in a grocery store (especially while in Publix with their heavenly bakery cakes).  Anyway, I came across these little mini-cups of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  They’re very small, you can see by this pic where I have it next to an 8-oz can of tomato sauce how small it is.

 The serving size is right about a half cup--which is normally what a serving size of ice cream is considered.  Pretty inexpensive-only $1.15.  It came with a tiny spoon in the lid, too.  Maybe they think the tiny spoon will make the ice cream last longer so you’ll feel more satisfied eating the little portion.  I say “little portion” because, even though a half cup is considered a serving size, who really only eats a half a cup?  Measure yourself out a true half cup of ice cream and you’ll see what I mean...even when you get ice cream at a scoop shop, a single scoop is more than a half cup.

So back to the title question-is the indulgence worth it?  Well, it depends.  This particular indulgence-a half cup of B&J’s Cookie Dough ice cream-will set you back 250 calories.  Yes, you read that right.  250 calories.  So for me, I would need to do at least 2 miles just to work this tiny half-cup of indulgence back off.  And honestly, even with the tiny spoon making the eating of the ice cream take longer...still not terribly satisfying.  Did it taste good?  Heck yeah!  But overall--not worth it...not at all.  Especially since the portion size is so small.

What to have instead when I crave something like this?  My go-to desserts are by Healthy Choice-their Pomegranate Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Bars (90 calories, 1 gram of fat) or even better, their Fudge Bars (80 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber).  Both are much more satisfying.  Another choice I like is making Jell-O sugar-free pudding, especially butterscotch or chocolate flavored, and topping it with a small dollop of Cool Whip Free or Cool Whip Light.  All of these are less than half the calories of that mini-cup of ice cream and are also more filling.

Now, I’m not always a good girl and I do sometimes cave and get the “bad” stuff.  But it happens, I shake my head afterward and move on.  I’m working on it...a work in progress...and like I said, losing weight is hard.  I just have to make the right choices.

Do you have a sweet tooth?  What are your go-to treats that fit into your eating plan? Yes...I am looking for ideas LOL.

10 Words That Describe My Blog-April Blogger Challenge #2

1-Disney-my biggest addiction!  Especially Walt Disney World...I can never get enough of WDW :-) 

2-Running-or, okay, walk/running...but still, I’m out there moving! 

3-Pictures-I like to include pictures with my blog entries, I think it makes them more interesting
4-Recaps-as in race recaps, I try to recap all of my races-not just because others may be interested in them, but as a way for me to be able to look back and remember all the fun (and not-so-fun) times.  Interesting tidbit?  My Expedition Everest recaps are my most viewed posts and continue to get views every week!

5-Lighthearted-most of the time anyway.  I prefer to have people smile when they read than have to break out a box of tissues
6-Honest-I don’t put fake stuff out there
7-Free-that’s right peeps, you don’t pay a cent for any of this content!  Okay, you had to buy that computer...and get internet service...but hey, you didn’t just get that to read my blog, right?
8-Friendly-I welcome everyone to come read.  Even if you don’t agree with something I say, as long as any comments you post or emails you send me aren’t nasty, derogatory or the like, everyone is welcome here :-)
9-Personal-yes, I am writing about my own life, experiences and opinions.  Not too personal of course (that’s reserved for only my DH) 

10-Growing-my audience has grown and is still doing so.  I’m looking at ways to expand pages within my blog, connect with other blogs and sites and just keep things interesting here.  After all, if there’s nothing to bring others here, it’ll just be me all by my lonesome...and that’s no fun, everything’s more fun with friends :-)

If you have a blog, what 10 words would you use to describe it?

Don't forget to check out my post from yesterday with my test giveaway.  I'm giving away a fun Disney Parks Growth Chart...just something simple to test out the Rafflecopter widget (my first time using it) to prepare myself for future giveaways on my Disney World Files blog.  I know the growth chart is not a big, fancy prize, but I'm just using it as a way to learn the Rafflecopter stuff.  Please try it out.  If you win and really don't want the chart (though you could give it to a friend or family member who might use it), I can treat you to a drink during any race weekend we're both at instead. Deal?

Time for a test giveaway with a real prize!

All right everyone, are you ready to be my test subjects?  Many of you know either from reading my posts or by checking out the page tabs at the top that I have another blog, The Disney World Files, that is strictly about Walt Disney World.  I started it almost one year ago (it’ll be one year since my first post this coming Monday) and I want to really start growing that blog, especially since I want to intertwine that blog with my travel business-you may remember I became an independent travel agent specializing in Disney Destinations last August-so I can not only grow the blog but also grow my business.  After all, I plan on using my earnings from my business to help pay for my re-emerging race habit.    

Anyway, one of the things I plan on doing is hosting giveaways from time to time, but I’ve never done that before so I’m trying it out here first.  And yes, there is a real prize!  It’s nothing huge, but it’s simple and fun--a Disney Parks Growth Chart. The measurement markings are on the left side:

 It actually goes all the way up to six feet high so even if you’re a grown-up kid (like me!), you could use it for you and your friends...or just start measuring your little kiddies if you have them and you can keep it up until they’re taller than you ;-)  

I figured this is something cute that people would like that I could use for my test giveaway.  So yes, even though this is a test so I can figure out how to use Rafflecopter (everyone I know who has used it says it’s really easy so I thought I’d give it a try), you can still win a fun prize.  Once I know what I’m doing, I’ll start doing my Disney blog giveaways and maybe even do some more over here from time to time...so please help this newbie-giveaway person out by participating and feel free to share with others.  I didn’t make any of the entry options mandatory-meaning you don’t HAVE to do each entry option if you don’t want to...though you would need to do at least one of them to get an entry.

Since this is a test for me, I didn’t make it a long contest-it will end on 4/10/13 at midnight.  In the meantime, feel free to enter and share and so forth so I can get a handle on how the widget for the contest works.  Let me know if anything doesn’t seem to work right or if you have any questions.  And if it’s not a prize you’d really use, you probably know someone who would, so you could enter and give it to a friend or family member if you won and didn’t want it for yourself.

All right peeps, here you go...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

10 Things My Readers Don’t Know About Me

April Blogger Challenge #1

1. I collect full-sized swords and daggers.  I started at the first Florida Renaissance Festival that I went to and normally pick one (or more) up every time I go.  I’ve also picked up a couple at Epcot (one each from the Japan and China pavilions).  I’ve got some pretty cool ones, including these babies:  
   
   
   
   
2. I’m addicted to paranormal romance books (mostly Young Adult).  And there are a ton of them available for FREE in Amazon’s Kindle bookstore.  How addicted you ask?  At last count I have over 550 of them.  I think I need serious help (and no, I haven’t read them all yet but still check Amazon almost every day to see if there are any I don’t have yet). 
   
3. I can’t stand seafood...well, except for tuna fish sandwiches (but only solid or chunk white tuna, can’t stand that “chunk light” stuff-yuck!).  Can’t stand the smell, though I tolerate it when others are eating.  Funny thing is, when I was a kid I ate nova, lox and whitefish.  Now?  No way, no how, nuh-uh.  Good thing is, my BFF is exactly like me when it comes to seafood, so I’m not alone.
4. I have a horrible short-term memory.  If I don’t write something down when I think it or log it in my phone, I’ll forget.  Classic example?  DH and I stopped at a grocery store for a few things (I can’t remember what, it was many years ago).  He didn’t want to go inside and asked me-right before I stepped out of the car to enter the store-to also pick up a can of ravioli.  And yes, as you may have expected, that was the ONE thing I forgot...even though he had JUST told me a few minutes before.  And he has never, ever let me live that down.
5. I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime under any condition just...like...zzzzzzzzzzzzz
6. I’m actually shy in person.  I tend to stay on the fringes unless I’m with family or a group of close friends.
7. When I get in a mood, I can sit for hours on end watching through complete seasons of my favorite shows.  I usually start at the very beginning of a series and keep going until the series finale.  Of course this can take days, weeks or longer since I still have to work and do other life stuff.  And yes, I can watch my favorites again and again.  My faves? Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and SG-U. 
   
8. I used to be a pretty good bowler.  I had an average in the low-190’s, a high game of 289 (darn 10-pin!) and two 700 series.  And then Hurricane Wilma decided to blow thru South Florida causing enough damage to the center I bowled in for it to close down...and I wasn’t going to drive any farther somewhere else so I pretty much stopped bowling altogether.  I tried to get back into it a few years ago, but my average never got above 165 or so (using my bowling balls from 5 years prior that had been sitting in a hot garage may have had something to do with that).  I don’t bowl anymore except for parties that might be held at a bowling center.
9. I don’t need much to keep me occupied.  I can curl up on a couch with my blanket and just start out the window and be content.  Or just sit reading for hours on end (do you get why I’m addicted to the Amazon Kindle bookstore?).  I don’t constantly need new books, shows or activities either-if it’s something I really like, I can read, watch or do it over and over again.
10. I never, ever thought I would become a blogger.  I’m just not the writer type.  Voracious reader and watcher, sure, but writer and blogger are never words I would have expected to be used when describing me.  Then I decided to lose weight, get in shape and chronicle my journey and it kind of snowballed from there.  Now I have 2 blogs that I try to keep up with.  So ladies and gents, never say never about anything...it might actually happen when you least expect it.

So, what don’t your readers (if you are a blogger) or your friends (if you’re not) know about you?  Were you surprised by any of the things I listed about myself today?

The Dreaded “Starting Over”; Training Calendar update; April Blogger Challenge

You know how it’s easy to become complacent once you’ve lost a bit of weight, and you start to slip a bit..you know, a soda here, some larger portions there?  And how quickly that slippery slope becomes one of those terrifying rides into the dark where when you finally get off, you wonder how the heck you ending up where you did?  That’s what happened to me.  I had lost 45 pounds after I started my initial weight loss journey back in September of 2008.  Then I kind of got stuck where I was and those little slips started happening.  42 pounds later and I’m almost back to where I started.  Well, now 41 since the scale said I lost 1.4 pounds when I got on this morning (yay!).

I had planned on doing the Disney full marathon this past January, but training issues last fall (caused in part by the extra weight gain which gave me problems running more than 30 seconds at a time) caused me to defer my entry to January 2014 instead.  And there’s no way I can do the full without dumping a bunch of this weight again.  And so I started working on my training calendar for the rest of this year (finished it this past Friday, click on the link to take a look)...and started tracking my food again yesterday using Sparkpeople.com (LOVE the site, so much info and several tools like the food and fitness trackers...all for free!). 

So basically, I’m starting over.

Another thing I’m doing is trying to get myself posting more frequently here on my blog.  Not just running stuff, but other stuff as well.  To get myself going, I’ve joined the April Blogger Challenge over at The Dragyn’s Lair.  It’s a fun site that I’ve been following for a while now, and she’s having a blogging challenge-nothing too crazy, it’s not every day of the month, but once every 3 days.  So along the way you’ll learn some stuff about me and see some general posts in addition to my other stuff.  Feel free to join in, either by joining her challenge or you can see my posts as they go up this month and you can do yours off of that.

So that’s what’s up right now...tomorrow will be my first challenge post, so see you then!