Thursday, June 18, 2009

How to Calculate Your Calorie Needs

The formula below will give you a ballpark figure for your daily caloric needs:

  1. Figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR).
    Women: weight in pounds x 10 = BMR
    Men: weight in pounds x 11 = BMR
    (e.g., for a 130-pound woman: 130 x 10 = 1,300 BMR)
  2. Calculate your lifestyle percentage (L%).
    Sedentary: 20 percent of BMR = L%
    Somewhat active: 30 percent of BMR = L%
    Moderately active: 40 percent of BMR = L%
    Very active: 50 percent of BMR = L%
    (e.g., for a somewhat active woman: 1,300 x 30% = 390)
  3. Add the two together to work out your daily calorie needs.

Note: If a woman who needs 1,690 calories per day eats more or becomes less active, she’ll gain weight. If she eats less or becomes more active, she’ll lose weight. It will happen at the rate of 3,500 calories per pound.

from Dottie's Newsletter

Floating Reinkers .... or is it Monet?

 

Monday Mailer

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Fathers Day Cards

 

 

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Out and about in DC

Just a quick post before we're off again!! As usual, Ashley is wearing me out!! But we're having fun! Yesterday was the big promotion day. I'll try and post some pictures later today. Ashley and one of the other fellows were both promoted to Major (Army). They held the promotion ceremony in the rotunda of the National Archives with the cases of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, etc. surrounding us! We were the only ones in the building (except for the guards) so it was pretty special. We had to be out by 9 a.m. After the ceremony, we took pictures outside and then wandered around DC until things opened at 10 am. We went to the American History Museum; took the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument; went to a Statue Garden; had lunch at Old Ebbitt's Grill and took the metro back home around 7 pm. Today, we are going back into town .... after breakfast at The Original Pancake House .... and going to the Newseum, a new Smithsonian about newspapers.

Taste of Tuesday - Rainbow Cole Slaw

Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 small head red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 small head green cabbage, shredded
  • 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
  • 1½ tsp celery seeds
Preparation
    • In a small bowl, whisk the mustard and lemon juice.
    • Whisk in the mayonnaise, then the sugar and salt.
    • In a large serving bowl, mix the red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, onion and celery seeds.
    • Drizzle with the dressing.
    • Toss to coat.
POINTS:   *2.5
PER SERVING:
123 Calories, 2 g Protein, 7 g Total Fat, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 13 g Carbohydrate, 260 mg Sodium

Monday, June 15, 2009

Barbecue Meal Ideas

Here are some ideas for summer bar-b-queing and Weight Watcher point values for you.

Grilled Meats
1 lean Hamburger (3 oz. cooked), 5
1 lean Cheeseburger (3 oz. cooked & 1 slice cheese), 7
1 Vegetarian Burger (meatless), 2
1 "Boca" Burger (meatless) *Excellent, 1
1 Hot Dog (beef or pork), 5
1 Ball Park Fat Free Franks, *Excellent, 1
1 slice London Broil (2 oz.), 3
3 BBQ Spareribs (pork), 7
1 BBQ Chicken Breast (skinless, with bone, ¼ cup BBQ sauce), 5
1 Chicken Leg (skinless), 1
1 Chicken Thigh (skinless), 3


Grilled Fish
½ cup Shrimp (cooked), 1
1 Tuna Steak (6 oz. cooked), 4
1 Swordfish Steak (6 oz. cooked), 4


Vegetables/Sides
Grilled Veggie Kabobs - Alternate sliced zucchini, mushrooms, onion, green or red bell pepper & cherry tomatoes on skewer. Brush with 1 tsp oil. Grill until tender, turning often. 1
1 cup Baked Beans (canned), 4
1 small ear Corn on the Cob, 1
1 cup Coleslaw, 6
Tossed Salad, 0
½ cup Potato Salad, 6
1 medium unsweetened Pickle, 0


Breads
1 Hamburger Roll, 3
1 Frankfurter Roll, 3
1 Roll, any type, 3


Snacks & Desserts
14 Potato Chips, 4
1 slice Watermelon (2"), 1
1 cup Fruit Salad, 2
1 piece Apple Pie (1/8 of 9" pie), 10
1 scoop low-fat Frozen Yogurt, 3
1 slice Angel Food Cake (2 oz) topped with ½ cup blueberries, ½ cup sliced strawberries, ¼ cup whipped topping, 4


Dressings & Condiments
2 tbsp fat-free Dressing, 1
2 tbsp reduced-calorie Dressing, 2
2 tbsp regular Dressing, 4
¼ cup Ketchup, 1
¼ cup BBQ Sauce, 1
Mustard, 0
1 tsp Relish, 0
1 cup Sauerkraut. 0


Beverages
1 bottle or can Light Beer (12 oz.), 2
1 small glass Wine, 2
1 can Diet Soft Drink, 0

from Dotties Newsletter

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Did You Know????

  • The word news was coined from the fact that early daily papers carried images of globes on their mastheads and boasted that their reports came from all directions – North, East, West, and South.
  • Tip is an acronym for “to insure promptness” – and once upon a time was given in advance.
  • Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
  • Because the studio expected it to bomb, the budget of Casablanca was so low that the plane used in the background of the final scene was a small cardboard cutout. To give it the illusion of being full-sized, the producers hired midgets to portray the crew preparing it for takeoff.
Resource: ~~Who Knew? By David Hoffman

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Paper Weaving

Monday Mailer - paper weaving from SU

 

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close up of the weaving -

 

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Friday, June 12, 2009

A Long Day!

Whew!! Well, we are finally in DC but Thursday was a long day. I started out the day with a trip to the dentist. My teeth were all in good shape, thank goodness. He saw no problem with my gums after my incident with the airplane pressure when we went to Texas. My gums are still sorta numb feeling so he referred me to an ENT doc and gave me some antibiotics since I would be flying again that day. He did say that my sinus area looked a little cloudy and it should look clear. So, when I return guess I'll be finding an ENT Doc.
We left the house about 3:00 for the airport ..... NO UPS man yet! So, I dropped a Priority envie and cash off at Judy's house and will have to wait patiently for the delivery here at Ashley's. (Judy, hope you are enjoying my catalog!!) When we arrived at the airport, we discovered the Long Term Parking area (all 3 lots) were closed and we had to proceeded to the Remote Parking Lot ($6/per day vs about $4/per day). Of course, that would be the way it is when we are going to be leaving our car there for 10 days and not just a weekend trip!! We got checked in at the airport and then of course, had to wait in a long line for Security. We get to the gate about 40 minutes before the flight is to leave and our flight is not even listed! We found out that the plane coming to Charlotte has been delayed making our flight late. No worries .... we knew we had about a 2 hour layover in Cincinnati. Flights all around us are getting canceled because of the weather - Texas flights, New York flights, so I was a little worried. But, I figured it was no biggie - Ashley's promotion wasn't until Monday. We could always go back home (and I could get my cattie!!) and fly another day. Finally, our plane arrived and we boarded around 5:30. Still, plenty of time to make our 8:15 flight out of Cincinnati or so I thought. Well, I didn't take into account that we were going to sit on the runway for over 30 minutes!! Because of the storms in the Charlotte area, Air Traffic Control wanted 10 minutes between each plane taking off. So, after a scary bumpy flight, we landed in Cincinnati with enough time to make a run for our connections .... I thought. But, the jet way was not in place for our flight so we had to sit on the runway waiting for someone to connect the stairs! When we got inside, we asked the ticket agent about our flight (it was about 8:10 at that time!). Instead of radioing down and finding out anything, she checked and said "it hasn't left yet - you might catch it if you run!" We were in Terminal A and had to run through the terminal, down the escalator, catch a tram, run up the escalator, and through Terminal B to Gate 16. Guess what??? No one was in Gate 16!! Duhhh! So we found a ticket agent in Gate 15 who told us there were not any more flights to Baltimore that night. No problem .... we'll take any flight into DC. Luckily, DC has 2 other airports to choose from - Baltimore is just usually the cheapest. Yes, there was a flight to DC National at 9:00!! Yay!! So we headed to that gate and got checked in to that flight. We were lucky because that flight was originally scheduled to leave at 8:00 but because of the weather, it was delayed. So, while waiting for the flight, we went in search of some dinner. Who knew that Cincinnati rolls up the sidewalks at 8:30!! All restaurants and shops were closed. Luckily, I had eaten a bag of pretzels in the Charlotte airport. Oh, and don't forget the 2 little bags of peanuts we got on the flight!! Yum!! We actually didn't leave until after 9:30 and arrived in DC about 11:00. Our baggage was another story. They were short-handed in the ramps at Cincinnati so no one could re-route our bags for us. We arrived in DC with no other problems and were able to hop on the metro right from the airport to Ashley's house. She picked us up at the metro stop which is 2 blocks from her house and took us home! We were in bed within minutes .... at least Ashley & I were. Sonny was eating a bowl of cereal as I drifted to sleep!!
This morning while Ashley was in the shower getting ready to go to work, the doorbell rang. I was terrible afraid it was a realtor wanting to show her house .... at 6:15 a.m????? Remember, it woke me up!! Anyway, surprise!! It was our luggage!! Can you believe it?? So, now I just need to shower and I'll have clean clothes to put on! The sun is shining here this morning although rain is called for all weekend.
Hope your weekend is a good one!!

Chips - good choices and bad choices!

Chips seem to be a staple at many picnics and family gatherings and I could easily sit down and eat half a bag of potato chips by myself!! The problem is that most chips are very high in fat and calories, which doesn’t help us lose weight and stay there! There is also the problem that it is extremely hard to “just eat one" (as I said before!)
Below are the calories, fat and sodium of some of the more popular chips on the market. This will help you make the best choice for your fun-filled get-together.
Some of your best bets are:
Snyder’s of Hanover MultiGrain, 8 chips (1 oz) ~ 130 cal/5g fat (0g saturated fat)/110mg sodium ~ 3g fiber makes this a great choice!
Funyuns, 13 pieces (1 oz) ~ 140 cal/7g fat (1g saturated fat)/240mg sodium ~ I love these! Sun Chips Original, 16 chips (1 oz) ~ 140 cal/6g fat (1g saturated fat)/120mg sodium ~ Sun Chips uses only whole grains, which helps keep your blood sugar stable along with helping you feel full.
Baked! Tostitos Scoops!, 15 chips (1 oz) ~ 120 cal/3g fat (0.5g saturated fat)/130mg sodium ~ Half the fat of Fritos and double the pleasure!
Baked! Doritos Nacho Cheese, 15 chips (1 oz) ~ 120 cal/3.5g fat (0.5g saturated fat)/220mg sodium ~ Add 2g of fiber to these and you’ve got a winner!
Que Pasa White Corn, 14 chips (1 oz) ~ 140 cal/7g fat (0.5g saturated fat)/50mg sodium ~ Wonderful plain tortilla chip!


Some of your worst bets are:
Natural Cheetos White Cheddar, 32 chips (1 oz) ~ 150 cal/9g fat (1.5g saturated fat)/290mg sodium ~ Sure ‘Natural’ is on the package but that means nothing in the eyes of the FDA.
Fritos Original, 32 pieces (1 oz) ~ 160 cal/10g fat (1.5g saturated fat)/160mg sodium ~ I love these but they are a very poor choice if you’re watching your weight.
Fritos Pinch of Salt, 34 pieces (1 oz) ~ 160 cal/10g fat (1.5g saturated fat)/75mg sodium ~ These are lighter on sodium but remember that 90 calories are from fat.
Bugles Original, 1-1/3 cup (1 oz) ~ 160 cal/9g fat (8g saturated fat)/310mg sodium ~ Each bugle is almost 50% saturated fat by weight.
Tostitos Multigrain, 8 chips (1 oz) ~ 150 cal/8g fat (1g saturated fat)/135mg sodium ~ Half of the calories are from vegetable oil which supplies each serving with a full gram of saturated fat.
Tostitos Hint of Lime, 6 chips (1 oz) ~ 150 cal/8g fat (1g saturated fat)/160mg sodium ~ Yes, these taste good but they are a bad choice if you’re planning on staying on your Journey.
Resource: ~~Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding