Weight Lost This Week: 2.2 lbs!
Total Weight Lost: 3.5 lbsI am thrilled with my weight loss this week. 2.2 pounds is a great number, and I totally stuck to the plan (Weight Watchers) this past week, tracked everything, and didn't go over on weekly points.
Speaking of the plan, can we talk for a moment about Starbucks? I made a shocking discovery yesterday, while out with a friend for coffee. I already knew that lots of hidden fat and calories are in those mochas and lattes, so I patted my back as I opted for a black coffee and just added a little cream and sugar of my own. Needing a little something to eat, I decided on pumpkin bread. It sounded like a sensible choice at the time.
However, when I got home and entered it into my points tracker, that one slice of pumpkin bread was worth 11 points! To give you some perspective, I could have had a McDonald's cheeseburger, a large french fry, or a DQ peanut butter sundae for that same amount of points, and I only have 27 in each day with 49 flex points to use throughout the week. Points are calculated based on an item's fat and carbohydrates in relation to its protein and fiber, so for example all fruits and vegetables are worth 0. Items with higher fat and/or carbohydrate content but lower fiber and protein are worth more points.
The real kicker is, that piece of pumpkin bread wasn't the worst thing I could have chosen there. I did a little research. "How about a scone?" I thought. Surely a refined British scone would be a better choice - nope - 13 points!
"Hey! A zucchini walnut muffin - that has an actual vegetable in it, so that must be good for you." I thought. Bam -13 points. Lemon pound cake - 14 points. The reduced fat coffee cake isn't much better at 9 points.
Basically any bakery item you might get to accompany your coffee could be half of your daily intake.
And what if I had chosen a different drink? That could have been even worse:
Grande (16 oz.) cafe mocha - 10 points
Grande (16 oz.) pumpkin spice latte - 11 points
Here are some things from Starbucks that would have been a much better choice than the pumpkin bread and far more satisfying...
Chipotle Chicken Bistro Box - 7 points (yummy and a whole small meal really)
A banana - 0 points and a multigrain bagel - 8 points
Yogurt and fruit parfait - 7 points
The bottom line is, I could very easily spend all my daily points on Starbucks, and I think a lot of us often indulge in a mocha and a little something from the bakery case. This is not to say that there is not a place for indulgence, which is in fact what I love about the Weight Watchers plan. But, I think I have not been honest with what exactly was an indulgence, calling it instead breakfast.