What in the world do you eat?

I've been following the Weight Watchers program for what seems like forever (but in reality is only about 5 years). I joined when I first dispelled the myth that nursing evaporates baby fat and found myself several months postpartum with an extra twenty pounds on top of the extra twenty pounds I'd been hosting since the early days of my courtship with my darling husband.

When I say that I've followed WW, what I mean is that from the day I joined until I reached my goal weight, with the exception of a few vacations, I was unstoppable. I journaled every bite. I always kept within my point range (at the time, it was Winning Points, which is a lot like Flex and I'm sure many other future and former versions) and I lost every week. I became a Lifetime member, and have continued to weigh in monthly, maintaining at or below my WW goal weight since 2003, putting my program on hold during my second pregnancy and returning to my goal weight soon after.

The big secret here - my Weight Watchers goal is not my personal goal. It's a number I picked where I thought I could maintain even on the worst days. Since having my second child, my weight has been closer to that pretend goal weight and not my actual goal weight and I've decided to do something about it.

It is hard to make losing weight/staying fit/making lifestyle changes the biggest priority when you've got a lot going on in your life. I'm not saying it can't be done, but at least for me, the busier I am, the more likely I am to eat what my kids are eating, rely on takeout food, or (gasp!) stop trying altogether.

Now that I've joined Jen and Kristi in this blog, I'm going to write a lot about the foods I eat that make this kind of lifestyle realistic for me. You're going to see my food journals and recipes - I happen to find it fascinating to learn their how people allot their daily point budget, always hoping to find delicious and filling meals, snacks and treats that will help me to eat and live well. Maybe you'll share yours, too.

Now, my dietary caveats: I don't eat pork or shellfish for religious reasons. I avoid red meat, processed/refined sugars and dairy because they don't agree with me. I don't use artificial sweeteners or heavily processed products if I can help it.

With all that introduction, please enjoy my impossibly low point Turkey Meatloaf.

This my variation of the Old Fashioned Meatloaf recipe off of the Quaker Oats box, adapted from a posting off the Weight Watchers online message boards.

1 1/4 pound lean (99% fat free) ground turkey
3/4 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup chopped onion*
1/2 teaspoon salt*
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. In a small skillet, cook the onions over medium heat until just translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Squish the ingredients together in a medium size bowl with your hands (a great way to involve children with freshly washed hands). Transfer mix to a loaf pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Makes 8 servings, 2 points per serving.

* The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, but given the salt in the tomato sauce, it is overwhelming, so I've dropped it to 1/2 tsp.

Before baking, I top my meatloaf with ketchup or a combination of ketchup and barbeque sauce, depending on what I have in the refrigerator. I'm sure this changes the points value slightly.

Now I'm going to scour this thread on chowhound.com for some more ideas.