I’d like to shout from the rooftops:

Thanks. I needed to get that out of my system. I’m down another 1 1/2 lbs today! A total of 17 lbs lost!

Here are some of my favorite tools for weight loss….

Hidden Carb Calculator

Hidden carbs are very easy to find. All it takes is the nutrition label and a little math. Here’s an example of how it works:

The Great Value Heavy Cream nutrition label says it has 50 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0 carbohydrates, and 0 grams of protein per 1 tablespoon. To see if this is accurate we simply use the following formula:

fat x 9 calories + carbs x 4 calories + protein x 4 calories = total calories per serving.

So here’s how this works. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. Each gram of protein contains 4 calories. (Now you know what that little line at the bottom of the nutrition label means!) In our example above, our fat should be worked like this:

5 grams of fat x 9 calories = 45 calories.

That accounts for most of the calories in this product. But we still need to find out where the other 5 calories are coming from. So we continue on..

0 Carbohydrates x 4 calories = 0 calories.

0 Protein x 4 calories = 0 calories.

Now we have a problem. There are 5 calories unaccounted for. Most likely those are attributed to carbohydrates. So while the label says there are 0 carbs per 1 tablespoon, in all likelihood there are actually 1.25 carbs per tablespoon.

5 left over calories divided by the 4 carb calories = 1.25

How do the food industry get by with this? In most cases all they have to do is keep the serving small enough that the carb count is below 1. It could be .9 carbs and they can still list it as 0 because it isn’t technically a full gram of carbs. Do you see how easy it can be to ingest more carbs that you realize? Now this isn’t meant to make you paranoid about everything you eat. It’s just a little tool you can use to help with those items you just aren’t so sure about.

Measuring Tape

Any measuring tape will do.. but sometimes it’s tough to get accurate measurements when you are doing it by yourself. Here’s where I can help. Go to your local department store and look around in the sewing department. For around $1.95 you can find this little dandy:

The plastic slide moves around easily to help you find the right measurement. The red line helps you easily see the marks.

The slide on the back snaps to the end of the tape. Once you have the tape in place, simply unsnap and look at the slide! No more trying to bend over to see and worrying that you’ll move the tape.

Muscle Vs. Fat

Another thing that can help you understand the importance of measurements is the following picture:

As you can see, fat takes up much more space than muscle. So the next time you feel like nothing is happening because the scale hasn’t budged, remember this picture. You very well could be replacing fat with muscle.

Speaking of.. I measured today and compared to my last measurements, when I weighed around 196, I have lost a total of 4.5 inches!

I’m out of time for today.. but there are a couple of other tools I’d love to share with you tomorrow.. so check back soon!

I don’t know why, but this week has seems to have stretched on forever. Maybe it’s because I haven’t felt so great. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to the dentist 3 times. Maybe it’s because of all the nasty, icy weather. Who knows. Whatever the reason, I’m glad to see it come to an end.

Tonight is a special night for my hubby and I. We are going out to celebrate Valentine’s Day, since he was out of town on the actual holiday. The kids are going to the babysitter and we are going to have dinner at my favorite restaurant – P.F. Changs! They have some great items on the menu, such as lettuce wraps and Spare Ribs, that can be made low-carb if you just make some adjustments. Below you can see the screen shot of the lettuce wrap info. The carbs are unreal, but removing the rice sticks makes a huge difference!

The Northern Style Spare Ribs are the lowest carb item on the menu.. weighing in at just 6 carbs. They are served with and amazing Chinese 5 spice. There is some sugar in the 5 spice, but if you use it conservatively, you should be fine.

They have lots of high carb goodies as well. The great thing about P.F. Changs is that they will accommodate your needs, and they treat you like you are the only customers in the building! I haven’t decided if I’m going to allow myself an indulgence tonight. As with most Chinese food, the carbs are astronomical, as you can see if you go to the menu, and click on the info. Even the lettuce wraps are something I would normally save for maintenance, but tonight is special..so we’ll see what I decide on. They do have a special gluten free menu for those of you who may need it. Just look for the link on the menu page.

As of yesterday I’ve lost 1 of the 1.5 lbs I’d gained due to being female. I expect the other 1/2 lb to be gone soon, and take some friends with it!

On Saturday I’m thinking of starting boot camp again. We had cancelled our plans to go to Las Vegas, but hubby’s boss called yesterday and wants him to go. So we reserved our tickets and hotel. I have until April 11 to get off as much weight as I can. Boot camp is the only speedy way to do that. Since we don’t gamble, drink, or go to most of the shows, Vegas has very little appeal to either of us. We go because that’s where his trade show is. But we do manage to have fun every time we visit. It’s nice to get away and I enjoy the scenery, lights, etc. I especially love the Bellagio water show. It’s simply amazing what can be done with water jets, lights and music. The shopping is fun too! :0)

Have a great low-carb day!