December 03, 2014

Dates

I never knew that dates (the fruit) could be so complicated! After my post yesterday, there was quite the discussion about whether they were fresh or dried, or if they contained Weight Watchers PointsPlus or not. It was interesting, and prompted me to learn a little more about dates.

The reason I counted them as 0 PP is because according to Weight Watchers, fresh dates are 0 PP; and dried dates are 4 PP (for only 2 dates!). The dates that I bought were labeled as "fresh", but apparently there are different types of fresh dates: soft, semi-soft, or dry. And get this--the "dry fresh" dates are NOT the same as "dried" dates. If that's not confusing, well, I don't know what is! But after typing in "medjool dates" on the Weight Watchers app, low and behold, they are listed as 4 PP for 2 dates. So I guess the medjool dates are a different category from "fresh dates" and aren't included with the 0 PP fruits.



I ate a lot of dates when I was doing really well with my weight loss/maintenance in 2012-2013, and I always counted them as 0 PP. But, that said, I only ate 1-2 per day at most (that I can remember, anyway). If I had been eating several of them each day, there may have been a problem. But for now, I think I'll just count them as 0 PP, as long as I only have 1-2 per day. If I had to count them as 2 PP each, there is no way I'd choose them over something that's pure junk. I like dates, but they aren't worth 2 PP each!

That said, here is my food log from yesterday:


Today was a rest day. I ended up going to Target to get a couple of Christmas presents, and while I was there, I bought an electric kettle. I've wanted one of these for about 10 years, but just never got around to buying one. I make tea so much now that it was worth it to buy one.


I'm not sure if there is any advantage to having that over my stovetop kettle, but I tried it today when I made some tea, and I really like it. Noah likes to make tea for me, and the electric kettle seems safer (and it certainly pours better).

I finally got around to cooking our turkey today. Jerry's employer gives all of the employees a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving; the only problem is, we only get it two days before Thanksgiving, so it's never thawed in time. I've had this turkey in the fridge since last Tuesday, and it was still partially frozen this morning. I was tired of it taking up half the fridge, so I ran it under warm water for a few minutes thaw it out.

I've only cooked a turkey a few times in my life (we usually give it to my parents), so I don't really know much about cooking them (the first time I made one, I left the bag of innards inside! hahaha). I roasted it for four and a half hours. And then at the last minute, I realized I should probably make a couple of side dishes (I'm so used to making one-pot meals that I rarely make sides). I quickly made some mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and corn. Then I realized I had no gravy, so I made homemade gravy for the first time in my life. It all happened so fast, and then it looked like a tornado went through my kitchen. But the food was good! The kids were very impressed with my gravy ;)

I spent more time cleaning up my kitchen mess than I had making it, and now I'm really looking forward to sitting down with a glass of wine (and Breaking Bad) tonight!

30 comments:

  1. Real talk: what's the point of following the program if you're going to make up your own rules?

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    1. I've always said that I think it's really important for each person to find what works for him/her. There are several "rules" of Weight Watchers that I've tweaked to fit into MY life--it makes the program easier for me to follow. If it means I lose weight a little slower, I accept that. Even my Weight Watchers leader has tweaked some rules to make the program easier for HER. I don't know of anyone who follows the rules right to the letter 100% of the time.

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    2. I agree completely. You have to make it work for your life. Something you can live with for the rest of your life.

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    3. I agree. You have to allow yourself a little wiggle room (no pun intended). If I had realized the dates were 2 points instead of 0, it would have totally derailed me if I didn't allow for wiggle room. It obviously worked for you. You've got the pics to prove it!

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    4. Katie, it sure seems like your reasoning works for you. My WW leader talks about making these kinds of adjustments all the time. Her major philosophy is that if you're not counting something (or for example, eating tons and tons of fruit but never counting it) and you don't like what you see at the scale, then it's time to start counting or cut back. That's how you make it work for life.

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  2. Knowing the P+ does help me eat ONLY 2 and I don't have them every day, but I agree with your approach entirely. Much better to have dates as a snack than some prepackaged whatever that is technically P+ equivalent. Sometimes these adaptations are the only things that keep us in a good mental space. I appreciate you clarifying the weird confusion that is dates, and really get how you're handling it. My inlaws have an electric kettle and it is SO fast. I really want one. Good buy!

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    1. Oh, good, I was hoping the way I explained it made sense. And I agree--just seeing the calories in the dates have helped me to eat just 1-2, even though (I thought) they were 0 PP.
      I love the kettle! I used it a couple of times today :)

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  3. I always love your posts. Practical, real world scenarios with an honest and light tone. TY so much. I use my coffee pot to run hot water for tea and such.

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    1. Thank you! I use the coffee pot in hotel rooms to make tea... and oatmeal! ;)

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  4. I haven't cooked a turkey in YEARS but my best friend swears by this method! She's used it for the past 4-5 Thanksgivings and her turkeys are perfect: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/5h5pj8pq/brown-paper-bag-turkey.html (for future reference, of course :) )

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  5. You need more fruits and veggies in your diet!

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    1. Agreed. And dates have so much sugar in them, I would probably choose those OR the WW Brownie OR the brown sugar in the oatmeal, if you're looking to have something sweet during the day. Not to be picky, since I also love dates and they're actually quite good for you, but it's just sooo much sugar during the day if you're eating them along with other sweet things. There should be a better balance of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, etc. and the sweets in moderation. (Sorry, it's the nutritionist side of me talking!) But I'm proud of you for posting your food journal online!

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  6. If you live near an Asian market, sometimes they have fresh red dates. They are small green/brown fruits that are super high in fiber and very yummy.

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    1. I don't live near an Asian market, but if I ever see one, I'd love to try them!

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  7. I drink a lot of tea too so I got one of these. They are pricey but to never have to wait for hot water (unless I forget to fill it) is AMAZING. I use it for oatmeal too.

    http://www.zojirushi.com/user/scripts/user/prod_category.php?prod_category_id=2

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    1. Ohmygoodness, that is awesome!! I'd never seen one before. Maybe someday :)

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    2. I couldn't imagine life without one now :) My friend has a tea shop and she has about 10 of them going at all times :)

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  8. where did you get your food journal? Since we don't have WW at Work anymore, I need something to log my food and points in. Thanks for any info.

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    1. I buy them at my WW meeting center. They have 3-month journals, and they're really nice for planning out your meals for the week, too!

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  9. I like how you are posting your journals although it is probably hard because you do get some criticism. Nobody eats perfectly all the time (coming from a registered dietitian).

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    1. Thanks, Lisa! I'm aware that there are a ton of things I could do better with my diet, and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one :)

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  10. I hope you didn't throw out the turkey bones - you can make a very healthy homemade soup in your slow cooker! Good job with the points accountability.

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    1. I did throw them out. I wish I'd have thought of that! That is something else I've never done--make soup with the turkey (or chicken) bones.

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  11. Electric teapot? What? I need to get out more. I didn't know those existed. I need one!

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    1. It's not for steeping; just to heat water, rather. But I like it!

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  12. I don't know how many WW points it would be (I haven't done WW in about 8 years) but I love to wrap each date in a slice of organic bacon and bake it in the oven/toaster oven for about 10 minutes. SO YUMMY!

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    1. That's a very unique way to eat dates! Interesting :)

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    2. It's a Paleo thing. Bacon is meat candy. When you are in Portland, OR, there is an amazing place called Cultured Caveman. They have a restaurant and a bunch of food trucks. That's where I first tried bacon wrapped dates.

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