Lesser of two, metophorical food evils...

I resisted Taco Bell. Haven't been there in months, which is really saying something for me. Instead, I went to the grocery store and bought the ingredients for cucumber chutney, which is a fabulous yogurt-based salad containing all sorts of great veggies.

All the veggies are fresh and raw, and the yogurt is fat-free. It does call for half a cup of buttermilk, but that's only 50 calories. The real kicker? Tons of salt....at least when I make it. It's rather bland without it.

Anyhow, I was super excited about my (mostly) healthy lunch and then two things happened.
A: I passed through the frozen appetizer aisle...FAIL. Now, 600 calories and 10 cheese wontons later, I'm wondering why I didn't avoid the aisle altogether.
B: I read an article (after making my chutney, mind you) about just how bad salt REALLY is for your body, and especially for one trying to lose weight.

But what can I do now? I can only move forward. On the agenda for today:
Drink at least 3 more bottles of water to balance my insides.
Dance for 30 minutes.

I'll let you all know how it goes....keep fighting the good fight :)

Virtual prophecy

Apparently this is what I'll look like at 155? Not bad. Now you'll have to excuse me...I'm going to celebrate the unveiling of the "future-Lou" by eating a few cookies....

[just kidding]

Want your own virtual weight-loss model? Use Prevention's Weight Loss Simulator.

An apple a day...literally.

I sometimes have to trick myself when it comes to eating. For instance, I sometimes pretend apples are some kind of natural candy, and that they're way yummier than chocolate. Ha. I love chocolate. But apples are a decent replacement when I'm craving something sweet (which, incidentally, is quite often). Here are some apple facts that help me feel great about eating them like they're going out of style, brought to you by the University of Illinois and Food-Facts from Suite 101.

• Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.
• A medium apple is about 80 calories.
• Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
• Pectin in apples can help to lower LDL cholesterol
• The antioxidants in apples can help prevent asthma, heart disease, and cancers such as lung, breast, colon, and liver.

Visit this blog to read about how the stickers on apples and other produce can give you key information about what you're putting into your body. I highly recommend checking it out!

Current weight: 219lbs.
Goal for January 1, 2010: 199lbs.
Long term goal (no matter how long it takes): 155lbs.