Top it off: Vita review (+giveaway)

I was in a Weight Watchers meeting the first time I heard about them .

Them, the magic treat that promised to keep on my plan and within my points. Them, a 1-point wonder full of chocolate. Them, tasty enough to be a treat but healthy enough to call a pre-run breakfast.

Them being the VitaTop.

About VitaTops:

VitaTop muffin tops have all of the healthy benefits of our delicious VitaMuffin – now even more convenient to carry and eat on-the-run. The VitaTop, a "one-hand" satisfying snack food with the portability of a bar, is easy to eat anywhere, anytime. At your desk or on the road, these handy muffin tops fit conveniently into a purse, briefcase, work out bag, backpack and lunchbox.

During my Weight Watchers' days, I would finish lunch (sandwich thin or taco soup, anyone?) and pop the VitaTop in the microwave for 30 seconds and refresh my coffee. I would sit at my desk and for 5 minutes, I would slowly enjoy the VitaTop and my coffee as if I was eating a sundae. Not in a "let me pretend this banana puree is ice cream" way but it in a "ohmygod I love chocolate" way. I was able to do it all without the guilt.

I have since left Weight Watchers but my VitaTop love remains. So much so that I found myself "virtually" stocking up on my favorite flavors - Chocolate Mint, Fudgy PB Chip and Apple Crumb. When my cart hit $100, I thought I'd reach out to VitaTop and see if I could share the love.

The company was generous enough to send me a sampler pack. It included

• Deep & Velvety VitaBrownies
• Banana Nut VitaTops 
• Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTops
• Deep Chocolate VitaTops
• Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTops
• Golden Corn VitaTops
• CranBran VitaTops
• Apple Crumb VitaTops 
• Banana Nut VitaTops

In the couple weeks since I received the samples, I've enjoyed them as an evening snack, an afternoon treat and slathered in peanut butter before a run.

I have to (try to) limit myself to one a day even though there's no reason to. The VitaTop won't break the calorie bank (100 calories per top) and has enough protein (5 grams) and fiber (9 grams) to take it out of true dessert range.

Dessert for breakfast? Try an Apple Crumb VitaTop with cooked apples and stevia-sweetened yogurt

I honestly don't think there's a flavor I don't like but I am partial to the brownies and Apple Crumb. Seriously, the apple can be for breakfast or add a drizzle of honey and whipped topping for some strudel-like action. As for the savory, corn muffin variety is great with taco soup or chili and is far lower in calories than traditional corn bread.

If you are feeling incredibly sassy, you could also cut one in half and cook it French toast style. It would work with the corn muffin, too. With an egg and salsa on top. Just saying.

And you can try it. On me.

The folks at Vitalicious are giving me a Super Sampler pack to give away. In it, you'll find:

• 4 Deep & Velvety VitaBrownies
• 2 Chocolate Mint VitaTops
• 2 Banana Nut VitaTops
• 2 Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTops
• 2 Deep Chocolate VitaTops
• 2 Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTops
• 2 Golden Corn VitaTops
• 2 CranBran VitaTops
• 2 Apple Crumb VitaTops
• 2 Banana Choco Chip VitaTops
• 6 Fudgy Chocolate mini VitaCakes 

To enter, leave a comment telling me which Vitalicious product you would most like to try.

Fine print: This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. It begins on 6/29/12 and ends on 7/6/12; the winner will be announced on 7/8/12. One entry per person. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.

Powder-coated truth

I am not sure who thought of powdered peanut butter.

Actually, I'm not sure who thought of powdered peanut butter as a profitable enterprise.

Wait. Yes, I do.

It's the person - company, really - who knew there would be loads of calorie-conscious women salivating for a way to enjoy their favorite nut butter without the guilt. Women who, apparently, include me.

Yes, folks. I am guilty of procuring a jar of PB2. And guilty I should be. Why? Because I used $7 of an Amazon gift card on a plastic jar of powdered peanuts that will never ever be peanut butter. Not in a million years.

I'll admit that I've been interested in trying PB2 for years - years, I tell you - when I first joined Weight Watchers. PB2 is WW friendly and it would have been great for this gal, who ate PB every morning pre-workout. However, it wasn't easily accessible and I had no interest in spending Internet dollars on PB2. Those were, after all, devoted to VitaTops.

I had almost forgotten about the stuff until a co-worker, who is participating in a weight loss competition, mentioned that the product was suggested by his nutritionist. I had just happened to have a $35 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap that was burning a hole in my email so I decided to take the plunge and try it.

I thought I'd ease into the waters a bit by adding it to a packet of oatmeal. In a time crunch, I bought over-sugared packets at Aldi and, I will say, the PB2 helped mellow the sweetness by adding a slight - and I mean slight - peanut flavor.

Next up, subbing the PB2 for PB in my favorite "let's pretend it's healthy" sandwich, the Adult PB&J. Peanut butter, berry all-fruit spread and ... wait for it ... NUTELLA! Yeah, my once favorite sandwich was a favorite no more. The PB2 has to be mixed to just the right consistency to make it spreadable but not watery, which, despite the instructions, I failed to do. Let's just say there was a bit extra as I fine-tuned the consistency. As with the oatmeal, it did balance the sweetness of the sandwich but failed to complement the flavors (if that makes any sense).

Other experiments:

• Spread on homemade oatmeal jam bars. This was meh. The bars already tasted too healthy (if you know what I mean) and the PB2 enhanced that feeling.
• In pancake batter. I had high hopes for this one but the flavor was so mild that Mark didn't even know he was eating peanut butter and banana pancakes. He thought they were just banana.
• With cinnamon. Now this was a winner. For all my failed sandwiches, the cinnamon gave the PB2 a bit more depth without adding to the calorie content.
• Cold water vs. warm water. Cold wins. While I like a warm, drizzly peanut butter, the PB2 made with warm water is just gross.

While I've started to find more winners, I am not sure that I'd buy PB2 again. It's expensive and, after a week, I'm finding that a jar doesn't go very far. Like, I'm almost out. After a week. Boo!

Have you tried PB2? What are your thoughts?

W.O.W.: Getting started

Time.

It's amazing how it just slips away.

One minute, you're looking at a day (off) full of possibilities and the next minute you realize it's time to pick up the behb from day care. You aren't any more rested, the house isn't any cleaner and dinner isn't made. In fact, it seems that the only thing you have to show for yourself is a stack of homemade baby invitations.

Apparently invitations take 55 hours to do, and they are the precise reason I didn't write my W.O.W. post on my motivation at the start of my weight loss journey. I hope you don't mind if I give it to you now. (#twss)

If you have read my weight loss story, you know that I didn't just decide to lose weight and - BAM! - x amount of time later, I weighed 122 pounds. No. It took a long time, with a lot of up and downs. Along the way, there were a lot of things that motivated me to start, restart and to get serious. I'm going to talk about the moment (moments, really) that helped me get to the track in August 2009 and stay there.

My mom's death. As I've shared in the Woman's Day/Yahoo! story, watching my mom die - not just the moment she took her last breath - but the years of seeing her destroy herself, made me look at the way I was treating my body and myself. I was so mad at her for not caring enough about herself (and me to be honest) to do something. As I worked through those feelings, I realized that I had no right to them if I wasn't willing to do something.

However, as a commenter pointed out, having someone in your life to be an example of what NOT to do is not enough. If it was, I probably would have never let myself get to 245 pounds. There were other things - almost a perfect storm, if you will - to get me going.

Getting the picture. In my weight loss journey, I lost 50 pounds then another 25. Those 25 pounds were lost and regained through three cycles, the last loss cycle just before my wedding in December 2008.

When my mom died, I was under the delusion that I was looking good and far better off than she ever was.

And then I saw photos from a girls' weekend in Chicago. Not only did I not look good, I looked big. I tried to blame it on camera angles and unflattering clothes but there's no denying that my weight had crept up. I had to ask myself whether the person in those photos was who I wanted to be.

Buddy system. I mentioned it in my previous post by my BFF joined Weight Watchers just before I did. The program really clicked for her, and she was able to give me an example of what to do and what I could be.

Support system. Also, in that vein, it's important to surround yourself with people who will encourage the changes you make. I mean no offense by the following but you tend to surround yourself with people most like you. If you are fit and active, your friends are fit and active. If you are sedentary and unhealthy, your friends are more than likely the same. It's important to reach out to those - without alienating your friends - who will encourage you. Mark, a lifelong runner, joined me for my Couch to 5K runs and never grumbled about going slow with me.

Again, with the dog. Mark and I inherited Denali so to speak from my mom, and we brought him home in late July. I wanted so desperately to be a good dog owner, and I knew a key to that was exercising our Siberian husky. I also knew that it couldn't be just something I did when it was nice. Come rain, come sun, come snow - Denali would want to go out. I made it my goal to be able to run a 5K by winter as I knew running 3 miles would be less painful than walking 3.

Breaking it down. I never looked at the big picture when I started. With Weight Watchers, it was about losing 5 percent, then 10 percent. I then looked to getting in the 160s, where I had never been, and down "decade" by "decade." It would have been hard for me to be successful otherwise because I would have felt overwhelmed.

Exploring. It can feel limiting to take on a new lifestyle/diet. The things you like to eat might not fit into your program. I really went outside my comfort zone and tried things like vegetarian patties, faux sausage and low-carb tortillas. I searched for WW friendly recipes and heeded suggestions from members. Slowly, I began to find new tastes and textures that appealed to me and helped to bring excitement to planning my menu.

Splurge. Living healthfully can be expensive, and it was easy for me not to buy the things I needed to be successful. However, if you want to order a crap ton of VitaTops to help you stay on track, do it. If you need Laughing Cow wedges for a wrap but they aren't on sale, buy them anyway. You'll be motivated to eat better if you have not only what you need but what you want.

In it to win it. I am not sure how or why but so much of my success is because I decided that I was worth it and made the changes. I would no longer accept that I was just meant to be overweight. I would no longer sell myself short. I would treat myself how I wanted to be treated - with love and respect - and take action to do so.

Are you a weight loss success? What can you share with others?

Standing at the edge of the Earth

Alert the troops. Put the National Guard on stand-by. Call for back-up.

I am teetering on the edge of binge cliff. I am not just walking close to it, indulging an innocent craving or two along the way. No. No, today I found myself wanting to put my hand into a 5-gallon bucket of Pretzel M&Ms, shoveling the tasty bits into my mouth until there were no more. And when I say shovel, I mean SHOVEL.

It all started this morning, about 11:15, when I had the urge to eat my lunch. I am not sure if it was actual hunger prompting my desire or the fact that I was freezing in the office and the thought of hot soup was as appealing as Curtis Stone making me dinner. I tried to gauge the feeling but ended up warming my soup and healthified Tuna Melt Pie at 11:30. On one condition: I couldn't eat my Triple Chocolate Chunk Vitatop until at least 12:30 p.m.

I ate it at 11:50 a.m.

At 12:30 p.m., when I was supposed to eat my Vitatop, I ate a fruit leather that I found in my emergency snack stash and a mini Twix someone left on my desk. Just because. Afraid that the mini Larabars and almonds would be next out of sure mania, I headed out for a break. An hour out of the office = no chance to eat. Plus, I needed a fall coat.

As I drove to Kohl's, my mind went from lattes to McDonald's ice cream cones to those dang Pretzel M&Ms. What. The. Heck. Was. Up?!? Thankfully, I was distracted by the racks filled with cute sweaters, tunics and other items that would look so cute hanging in my closet. I found a jacket and headed to checkout. I looked at my phone - I still had a good 20 minutes before I needed to go back to work. I could head to Walmart for some facial cleansing wipes.

Big mistake. Big. Huge.

Sure, I got my wipes but on my way to find them, I also found the candy aisle. White chocolate Reese Cups and Twix bars and Whoppers. Oh, and the devil in a candy coating: Pretzel M&Ms. I seriously thought about saying, "Eff it. I am going to go ballistic today and will worry about it all tomorrow."

I stood there for a minute, letting the idea weigh on me (literally) when I decided that it was not, in fact, something worth pursuing. I would need a fix, though, and I opted for Baskin Robbins sugar-free hard candy in Pralines 'n' Cream.


Each candy has 10 calories. Just 10. And one would certainly be enough, especially if I paired it with a zero-calorie SoBe Lifewater (Blackcherry Dragonfruit, if you were curious). Flavor on top of flavor ... without busting a gut.

Of course, my little solution had to come with a $1 off coupon for a Baskin Robbins cone. Thanks, Universe.