Tools of the Trade

Tools of the Trade

Since starting on my weight loss journey I have discovered several things that have made it much easier to stay on track. Many of these things I believe I will use long after the journey has ended.

Spices

Adding spices to your food make it more flavorful and to me much more satisfying that bland food. I use these spices regularly and have them on hand in ample quantities.

The first is Kosher salt. It has less sodium than regular table salt and gives you more bang for the buck. There is a learning curve to using it! When I was beginning to use it I ended up with what have been lovingly called "Dead Sea Mashed Potatoes". I put in the normal amount that I would have used and they were so salty you couldn't even taste the potatoes. It was like licking a salt block. I have since learned that using about half of the normal amount of table salt is sufficient and contains about one quarter of the sodium one would normally consume.

Next FRESH Ground Pepper. Truly it is not that much more expensive than pre ground and the flavor is amazing. You need not purchase fancy gourmet brands(unless that floats your boat) . McCormick has one right in the grocery aisle at Kroger's. 

Garlic Salt and Garlic Powder.....Well I come from a big Italian family and everything is covered in garlic. If you are not a big garlic eater you may want to skip this one. I find that it adds flavor to dishes and sort of make them comfort for me. You may want to experiment and find your favorite go to seasoning especially if you have a date with a vampire. I'm pretty sure werewolves dig the smell of garlic though! 

Minced Onion is something I only recently discovered the benefits of. I always had it in my spice cabinet for whatever reason but usually it ended up in the garbage during my yearly spring clean out.  I have found that it can enhance the flavor of everything from soup to hamburgers.

On the subject of Hamburgers.....I discovered a fantastic seasoning that is pretty inexpensive. It's McCormick's Hamburger Seasoning. It takes burgers from blah to blam! This is an important part of dieting because you don't want to feel like you are being deprived. I will warn however that it does contain a fair amount of salt.

I also use a seasoning blend that I get from Marino Brothers, a local deli type market. It is called Italian Seasoning (most likely available pretty much anywhere) It contains Basil, Marjoram, Oregano and Red Pepper.  I like theirs because its fresh, it contains red pepper and because it's local. Being a local business owner I try to support the local economy. 

Good oil and vinegar are great additions to the arsenal as well. They can provide much needed flavor to an otherwise bland meal.

Measuring Devices

I have a great set of spoons from Weight Watchers that I received as a gift. They are serving spoons but measure food precisely. There is a 1 Cup, 1/2 Cup and 1/4 Cup.  They even came with a little cheat sheet of what should be measured in each.

I also frequently use my Starbuck's coffee scoop it is exactly two tablespoons and of course the standard tablespoon and teaspoon measures.

A food scale is a pretty important device when dieting. I have a cheap one from Wal-Mart. I think it was around 10 bucks. It is by no means as nice as the digital varieties but it gets the job done.

My dinner plate

When first starting the journey this plate was invaluable. It is 9 inches and separated into three section one half and two one fourths. As I stated in a previous blog half of you plate should be veggies, one forth should be starch/carbs and the other forth should be protein. This plate was only a couple of bucks at the corelle outlet and I got a couple so that my kiddos can use them too.

Scale

I have just a plain jane digital scale. The only "fancy" thing about it is that it measures weight in tenth of a pound increments. That is important because it allows you to celebrate even small success. For example Lets say today I weigh 192.9 and tomorrow I weigh 192.0 while a normal scale would show zero loss, my scale shows that I lost .9 pounds which is probably around 14.5-15 ozs and that's pretty good weight loss for the day! By the way I think I should mention. Never "regulate" your scale by placing a ten lb bag of potatoes on it. Um there are limits in which the bag of potatoes must be and I have never opened a bag to find a partial potato and I'm sure they don't keep trying potato combinations until they get it right.....so I'm guessing it's not dead on. (Don't laugh someone I know got in a very heated argument over this with a nurse at the doctor's office - I just covered my face to conceal my laughter and kept my head down)

My cell phone

My cell is a valuable asset in my journey. I almost always have it with me so it's pretty readily available when need and there are literally hundreds of apps that can be downloaded to aid in dieting. Most of my apps come from crackberry.com. There are pedometer, calorie counting, etc. My favorite app I have found is the couch to 5K app. Through use of your GPS it tracks your walking and running. I am not a techie. In fact I think I am technologically deficient. I think most these apps are pretty cool. Some are free, there are a few that you have to pay for but most of them are under 3 bucks. You can't even purchase a cheap calorie counter at the checkout for that price and it leaves another thing to keep track of in your purse. If you purse is like mine.....the less clutter the better.

A goal!

My goal is a black dress, shoes and pearls I have drooled over for years. I am not even sure where I can wear the ensemble but I will wear it to Target if that's what it comes down to. I have set incremental goals throughout my journey and this is the end product!

Hope this helps and yeah I know the outfit is very Audrey....she's my hero