Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Songs and Subs

Hello, friends! I hope y’all had a fab holiday weekend. That is unless you don’t live in the United States … then I hope you had a fab normal weekend! I spent some QT with fam and friends, but the time breezed by and I didn’t even get to do all the stuff and see all the peeps I intended. Christmas vacay isn’t too far away, so I’m hoping to make up for what I missed then.

Something that DID happen was that I found out that a bunch of my hometown friends (Holla, Onalaskans!!!) read my blog! Many a convo downtown began like this: “I know this is kinda weird ... but I totally read your blog!” Some of these folks are better friends than others. Some I might see once a year or less. No matter the relation, I’m glad that I can amuse/inspire/interest you :) You make me smile, too.

Pictures and recipes from Thanksgiving weekend will come later this week. Stay tuned!

I bought Adam Lambert’s CD last week and you know what I thought right after I popped it in? These will be great workout songs! That was new concept for me. Usually I would think something more like, “Hey, this is great happy-fun music!” Which it very much is.

This event surprised me, but it makes sense that my brain’s way of relating things have changed along with my healthier lifestyle. I don’t think about food just as stuff to shove in my mouth, but as fuel and nutrition. I don’t think about exercise as a nuisance, but as something that makes me feel good during and after. And apparently I think of upbeat songs as potential workout jams!

But anyway, back to Adam. You should really check out this album. This guy can sing!!!! I’ve loved him from the time I watched his American Idol audition aaaaaall the way through the season.

My absolute favorite song on the album is Music Again. My second favorite: For Your Entertainment. Third fav: Whataya Want From Me. (I could do without the stupid spelling of the third one, however.) But who am I kidding? I love the whole thing. You NEED to check him out if you want some superb workout or funtimes songs.

(Ummm, I didn’t even realize what’s happening right now. I’m watching this morning’s episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show … and watching Adam Lambert’s performance. I was totally writing about his wonderfulness before he came on. Weird.)


Now onto something else I love: SANDWICHES! More precisely, subs. I’ve written before about how I get a footlong Subway sandy after pretty much every Monday evening WW meeting. Today, I’m gonna compare Jimmy John’s sub options based on the Nutritional Information on their website. The lessons learned should work across the board, though, as far as sandwich ingredients go.

I order the Vegetarian. #6, baby.


Here are the facts for the Veg sub as it’s prepared per the menu:


And after you subtract the cheese and mayo:


The Jimmy John’s Vegetarian sub just went from 14 POINTS to 5 POINTS in a hurry! Wanna keep the cheese? 8 POINTS. I prefer mine sans cheese and mayo, but I add onions and extra alfalfa sprouts.

When I used to eat meat, I ordered the Turkey Tom.

Here are the facts if you order it straight up:


Minus the mayo:

Soooo you can have your 14-POINT Turkey Tom for 6 POINTS just by taking off the mayo! Worth it.

The only other thing I ordered at JJ’s back in the day was the Totally Tuna. The mayo’s already in the tuna mix, and cheese isn’t included with this sub, so I couldn’t take it off.

Here’s the bad news:



That’s 15 POINTS! I only get 22 (aaaalmost 21) POINTS per day, so using 15 all at once — when I probably would get a high-POINTS bag of chips on the side — is just not gonna happen.

Moral of the story: Ditch the mayo. If you really want the cheese, keep it, but I suggest nixing that, too. It doesn’t really add THAT much flavor. If it’s flavor you’re looking for, add onions (like I do) or any of your favorite veggies. Yay veggies!!! Also, opt for a yummy huge pickle (a mere 22 cals) rather than the BBQ chips (320 cals/bag — yikes!) or cookie (420 cals — double yikes!).

Hope some of my tips helped! Peace and love, lovelies :)

(My apologies for the abrupt signoff; True Lies is on and I forgot how great it is!)

27 comments:

  1. Amanda, your blog is so inspiring to read. I put on 10-15 pounds my last year of college and I sooo want to take it off. My problem is I used to be addicted to reading the latest fad diet book, or overeat all the time then over do it at the gym...never doing it the healthy way. Since you are such a pro at this, do you have any advice for someone who just needs to get on track and make it a lifestyle, not just something that will stick for a few months? Thanks!
    -Justina

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  2. (LOVELOVELOVE TRUE LIES!)

    Ive been mulling bringing my daughter to subway :) havent been there yet with her and for some reason have been avoiding it.

    oh

    and this is mildly gossipy but have you seen pics of JARED lately?!

    :)

    Miz.

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  3. Isn't it crazy how a sandwich can add up to so many calories?!!?!? I used to think if I got a sub then I was good and eating healthy. Once I looked into the nutrition info I was shocked!

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  4. I don't even like mayo and sub-shop cheese that much. Can't believe how many useless cals they add. G-ross.

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  5. There's two things I've never given a fair shot: mayo and ranch dressing. Just never really tried them and now that I'm older I'm so glad I NEVER crave these two unhealthy things! Of course, I crave other unhealthy things, but at least these two are easy for me to skip :-)

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  6. You're so right Amanda - mayo and cheese, easy to ditch! The little things add up! :)

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  7. I need sauce on my sandwiches so at JJ's I nix the mayo and add the avocado spread. SO good and hardly any calories!

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  8. LOVE the new Adam Lambert CD, and yes, it's is Awesome to walk/workout to!! Great beats, great tunes, great fun!
    The thing I love about the sub sandwiches is, that if you want a little variety, you can just add different combos of veggies, for a totally different taste! I love me some jalapeños on my subs..and I always skip the cheese, cause you are right...not much flavor for the calories!
    Hope you have a great week!

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  9. Yay! I'm not the only Onalaska creeper!! :)

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  10. This is great info. I love LOVE JJ's, but always thought it was so much unhealthier than Subway so I never got it. Now I know I can have a Turkey Tom (hold the mayo) and not feel guilty about it!

    I just joined WW last month. On my own in the past two years I have lost 34 lbs, but am just not getting over that plateau. The first two weeks on WW, I lost 6 lbs. It works. Good luck to you.

    Thank you so much. :)

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  11. Why wouldn't they read your blog? It rocks! Glad you had a good holiday weekend!

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  12. Hi friend - I love that you love the new Adam Lambert CD. I was also a fan all through last season. Okay, well maybe not through the entire season, but when he had me after he sang Tracks of my Tears. Next time we enjoy some homemade guac together we will have to rock out.

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  13. Oh, I also love that you love sandwiches. I also love sandwiches. And I love the cartoon that you found. Pretty much, I think I just love everything about you.

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  14. I have never been to JJ's but I am a subway addict! I stopped getting cheese on mine a while ago too to save the calories and fat and now I don't even miss it. I just load it up with all of the veggies and enjoy :)

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  15. Great sandwich tips! Yes, cheese & mayo really add up quickly!

    Sounds like a great CD! :)

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  16. Most sub shops I do the turkey no cheese no mayo too (and load on the veggies), but I LOVE the vito from Jimmy Johns. I don't get it very often and make sure the rest of my day is super healthy but it is soooooo good.

    I don't even like mayo any more (it grosses me out on a sandwich), and I try to go for just a little cheese as I'm pretty bad at keeping my calcium up.

    Great tips!

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  17. Never been to JJs.. When I go to subways, I always leave out the majo and cheese and opt for the avacado. It's way better for you and tasts better than the cheese.

    I'll have to listen to Adam Lambert. He's very talented. I rooted for him during AI. I liked the cute little graphic of tuna and bread. Very cute.

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  18. LOVED Adam! Was crazy about him on Idol. Read Michael Slesak's "Idolatry" blog everyday throughout the season. The Orange Kitteh was reluctant to get sucked in, but I was unrelenting in my recaps and in the end, she was sucked into Adam-ness! The first time I listened to the CD I immediately felt the exercise beat in the music. There are at least 4 songs on the CD that are must haves on your workout playlist! Music Again is my fave too!

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  19. Thanks for this info! I just found out that I have a Subway going in right below my college apartment, so I'm going to be fighting some serious Subway temptation, 24/7. I do love some Subway, but I usually get mayo. I'll be sampling something new based on this!

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  20. Hey Amanda...I agree with you about minus-ing the mayo. I actually hate mayo on sandwichs/subs, so I get the mustard instead. The only time I splurge on mayo is when it's in potato salad! You can't really have potato salad without mayo anyways :-) When I go to Subway, I usually get the 6 inch turkey on whole wheat (w/ mustard), and I think it is only 5 points on Weight Watchers. Baked chips are another 2-3 points, depending on the flavor. Anyways, Happy Saturday!!

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