Well it's that time of the year again - that time when you take stock of the year behind you (and while personally I can't say that 2016 was especially bad for me, I think we can all agree that its merits were questionable overall). Enough said on that subject.
In better news, the start of a new year is traditionally the jumping off point for a fresh start - and for SO many of us, that means re-evaluating your eating habits, and trying to shed pounds put on over the holiday season - or in some cases, over several years.
Full disclosure - back in June of 2016, I re-joined Weight Watchers - (for what I believe was maybe the 4th go-round for me). While I probably carried it fairly well, I knew I had an extra 25-30 lbs. that weren't doing me any favours - from both a cosmetic AND a health standpoint. So one fine June morning, I walked into my local WW location, and said "sign me up!" (again!)
I'm pleased to say that since June, thanks entirely to following the WW program, I've shed about 10 lbs., increasing my level of daily activity in the process, going down a size, and just feeling better overall. I'm NOT so pleased to say that for the past month or so however, I've fallen off the wagon somewhat. :( Totally my fault - I think in my case, because I didn't have THAT much to lose, I was fairly satisfied with my 10 lb. loss, and my motivation to lose more started to wane.
Aaaaaaaaaaaanyhooooo.....all that to say that Weight Watchers has a fantastic new program since I'd last joined - their more holistic "Beyond the Scale" program still uses their familiar point-counting system - but the items that have points have changed. For instance, the vast majority of fruits and veggies count as 0 points - so you're encouraged to load your plates with them, and keep the higher-point items to a minimum. You're allotted a weekly amount of points (plus a few extra for good measure) - and if you track your daily & weekly points, you should gradually lose weight. It's that easy, and it works!
While I don't think I'm going to go all out and blog full-time about my progress, you may still see posts here from time to time documenting my WW experience, and offering some tips, tricks, and recipes along the way. Circling back to the beginning of this post, I believe the time has come for me to get serious about finally reaching my goal weight and becoming a lifetime WW member. So here I go again! Today, I'm starting off with something quick and easy, while showcasing an inexpensive little kitchen appliance that I love!
Who doesn't love a good breakfast sandwich? And contrary to the fact that the world's biggest fast-food chain popularized them, they're not really that unhealthy a choice. They're easy to make, easy to transport, and yummy to eat. Now, of course you can make them the traditional way - toast an English muffin, fry an egg, add toppings of your choice - OR - you can invest less than $30 and use the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker:
This little beauty puts it all together for you in less than 5 minutes, and has you walking out the door with a restaurant quality (perhaps better than!) breakfast sandwich in hand. You start by heating up your machine until the "ready" light glows green, then adding your ingredients to the top and bottom rings (in my case, English muffin, shredded cheese, and ham slice on the bottom; cracked egg and English muffin on the top).
In a about 4-5 minutes, you've got this little beauty:
English muffin: 4 points
2 tbsp. shredded cheese: 1 point
1 slice ham: 1/2 to 1 point
1 large egg: 2 points
TOTAL: 8 smart points
So, let's all sit down and tuck into 2017! My very best to you all for a happy and healthy new year!
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