We had a new leader this past week. I was kind of sad to not be able to talk to Linda our normal leader. I am not sure if or when she will be back. She has been going to college and graduates soon. The new lady has been in our meetings for a long while and has lost over 100 pounds. She's super sweet and very funny, and I like her, but she's just not Linda LOL.

Anyway......Her meeting was all about her "bag of tricks". She showed us some of her favorite foods, recipes, and how she creates fun table settings for each season to reward herself and treat herself. She uses cute little candy dishes and saucers for her dinner plate. She says she picks these up on clearence at walmart and such for $1 or less sometimes. One she had was in the shape of a leaf for fall another was a sunflower for summer. She also says she uses a baby spoon And she gave us each one. One of her tricks were english muffin pizzas filled with lots of 0 point veggies. She hasn't had actual pizza in two years. This gives her the pizza taste for lower points. I think she said that one whole muffin could be turned into pizza for like 2 points with veggies and FF cheese and a dab of sauce. She admits to making herself as many as 5 sometimes...but that could be what 10 points? That's a slice or two of regualr pizza depending on how you eat it. And her version fills you up more

So I took her small dish and babyspoon idea and tried it out. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE icecream. It's my nightly ritual. I know many people try to avid night time snacks, I work mine in. I look forward to this treat everyday, often sharing it with DD once DS is bed, it's our time to be girls together

So I used a small tupperware dessert dish instead of my monsterous cereal bowls and my baby spoon (no lack of those around here LOL).

I ate less icecream, it took me just as long to finish the small portion as it would have the large portion and I enjoyed it just as much. Sometimes I have so much icecrem I don't even want to finish it.....yet I do LOL

I will definatley add this to my bag of tricks. Does anyone else have anything they have tucked in thier "bag"? What helps you stay in control, what foods have you learned to enjoy and can't live without?

Zero point drinks I use that aren't water:
flavored seltzer--I especially like peach, vanilla and the berry flavors
iced tea--I make my own from the bags, often decaf. green
flavoring my water with a slice of fresh fruit

Another option--
a can of V8 to count as a veggie serving

Eat only at the dining room table, do not eat in front of the tv or computer or while reading. I fill up 2 large water bottle every night and put them in the fridge so they are nice and cold. If I drink both of them thats 2 litres. I buy lots of prewashed precut veggies so I don't have the excuse of not having time to wash and cut the up. I limit myself to 1 serving of any meal, 1/2 of the plate should be veggies, 1/4 should be a protein and the other 1/4 could be a starchy carb like potatoes, rice or pasta. I try hard not to keep my forbidden foods in the house. There are things I know I will eat no matter what, chip especially are my downfall. I'll buy chips that I know my husband like but I don't especially care for.

Anyone know how much salsa you have to eat for it to count as a serving of veggie?

There's probably not much nutritional value in the shelf stuff at the supermarket, but I buy the fresh stuff from the refreigerated section, and it's really just a bunch of chopped onions and tomatoes with some spices. Don't you think half a cup should count as a veggie serving?

I'd say yes!