Calorie Switching and Saving

Let me tell you, as I fell off the wagon the last few weeks with dieting I'm back on and stronger than ever.

Let me tell you a little something about calorie SWITCHING and SAVING while calorie counting.

Now I think for me the best part about calorie counting is the fact that I get to have pretty much anything I want...including carbs...yep.

Super awesome fantastic.

Calorie Switching:

Anytime you can switch for a better option, and that option doesn't suck, DO IT.

For example, with a bread you can get a more whole grain or higher fiber bread. But I have this little secret for white bread. Ok you aren't a wheat fan, I like wheat but I know boyfriend doesn't.

Well the NORMAL white bread we buy has 100 calories per slice...BUT you know those obscenely large loafs of bread where the bread slices are kinda small and there's like 3692 in a bag? It's the one that's usually store brand. Well, that bread is 120 calories....for TWO slices. So assuming you're having a sandwich you're saving 80 calories right there. That's an OBSCENE amount of calories. And you're still eating bread, having carbs, and being conscious of your calories.

Calorie Saving:

While we're on the subject of sandwiches let me give you another example. My standard sandwich is a *AHEM* Turkey, american cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo. DELICIOUS and fairly nutritious.

Well this sandwich isn't so bad for you but there is a way to save calories without losing everything. Now with my sandwich the two worst (for you) ingredients are the mayo and the cheese. So in order to save a few calories I will get rid of one of them.

For me, as much as I'm obsessed with cheese, for a sandwich mayo is far more important, it adds a little moisture and acts as a mortar. Sweet. No brainer. And just by 86-ing the cheese I save about 100 calories.

And as a side note if I use the mayo made with olive oil I would save 40 calories per serving. Huh? Huh? Can I get some love?!

So let me show you my breakfast this morning and how I used these methods to save a shit ton of calories:



This was my breakfast this morning, my friends. Let me break it down for you.

My english muffin is a LIGHT english muffin. And normal english muffin is 130 calories, these are 90. Calories saved: 40

I topped it with cream cheese, totally weird I know but I had read before that it is an excellent switch to butter and oh my lanta were they right. It is around 70 calories for 2 tablespoons while butter or margarine is about 100 calories for 1 tablespoon. Crazy right? And let me tell you, at least for me, it doesn't taste weird at all...it actually makes it taste like a bagel...and ain't nothin wrong with bagels. And the calories saved for 2 tablespoons, my friends: a whopping 130 calories.

I also had a light and fit greek yogurt. My normal chobani yogurt is 140 calories...this one on the other hand is 80. Woop Woop! And if you're doing the math, I'll save you some time...calories saved: 60.

That's just in the food I'm consuming people....not the switches I made in my coffee. Add that up, I saved myself 230 calories by switching to other alternatives. That also makes my meal only 240 calories. Hot damn. I saved almost as many calories as I consumed! Does mama know what she's doing...or does mama know what she's doing? Want more ideas? This website has some great ideas for some swaps.



I know I've been an awful blogger lately but this new job has been taking up allllllll my free time, and then what little free time we have I now make sure is spend with bug and boyfriend. I'm now blogging with the only time I have left, my mornings. I'll definitely be trying to figure out how to make this work. But for now this is it. Let me know of any swaps you make that have made a difference! Comment and subscribe!

Color Me Frugal

I'm a pinterest whore. And it's ok...I'm totally fine with admitting it. Any place I can find recipes (both healthy and those that would make even the smallest of people morbidly obese), outfits, design ideas, hair dos and shit...count my ass in.

Recently I came across a pin that I found EXTREMELY interesting. But to preface:

I'm always looking for ways to make money or save money. Because, it's said that money can't buy happiness, but let's be honest, it does. And not only does it buy happiness it buys practicality...like...a house, diapers, gas, etc. So any ways I can find to save the little money that I do make I will do it...or at least try.

One of the primary ways I like to do this is by carrying cash. Ya ya...I know...it makes me a prime target for thieves. Whatever. But this method has worked for me my whole life. Being able to PHYSICALLY see the money leaving...that for me was the discerning factor and what's better, I have my own "keep the change" policy. I honestly don't understand what people have against change. I save all the change I get from using cash and collect it. Once I have a relatively decent amount...I roll it. Coin rolls are FREE people. There's not a single word in the english language I enjoy more than "free". You can get them at any bank, regardless of whether or not you belong to said bank. DO NOT...I repeat DO NOT, go to coinstar. Coinstar is for lazy SOBs. Last I checked those con artists were taking 9 cents off the dollar. 9 fucking cents. You may not realize how much that is but let me put it into perspective for you. 9 cents from a dollar...hey not so bad....but most people don't have a fucking dollars worth of change they're looking to change in...so let's say you had 10 dollars that's 90 cents, which is almost a damn dollar. Still not sound so bad? ok..say you have 50 dollars in change that's $4.50 you are never going to see. 100 dollars? 9 fucking dollar out the window.

Ya ya... I get they need to make money somehow but rolling change is FREE, there is ZERO cost to you. And if you ask me, it not only leaves you with an extremely rewarding and gratifying feeling but it's also very soothing...like how i'd imagine knitting is. I know I can see you rolling your eyes at me (Cut the shit) but you know what? In a span of 5 months one summer I had managed to save up 140 dollars in change, which I ended up using to help pay for a vacation. AND if you manage to not wait until you have a mountain of coins, and roll as you go, it allows you to see how much you're collecting and prevent you from rolling 329698236912739 coins all at once. In fact, I have over $100 in change rolled, in one of my drawers as we speak.

But I digress, this pin that I came across that was so fantastically interesting was one called the "52 week challenge". Simply put, the challenge is to put away a certain amount of money, each week, for 52 weeks. Week 1...1 dollar, week 2...2 dollar, week 3...3 dollars, and so on and so forth until you get to 52 weeks. And just to give you an idea:



This shit is genius. And you end up with $1,378 bucks at the end. That's a vacation! Or maybe a new TV! Or a whole months rent! However you look at it, that's a good amount of money. It's idiot proof, theres no crunching numbers, nothing! Simple stupid. So I have decided that once I return to work a week from today (from my maternity leave) I will be attempting this challenge. Join me, will you? And let me know your progress, comment and subscribe!