Hi Ladies, Sorry I have been away, but my both my phone/internet service went down 3 days ago. Checked today and my phone is still dead, and internet service now has a connection somehow, but is extremely slow. Still not really useable. Maintenance service headed my way on 2 February, so don't know how much I will be on line until then.
Diana-welcome back! You were missed.
Hawaii is wonderful. My favorite store/restuarant is Down To Earth. There are 2 on Oahu, and I believe one on Maui. They have plenty of health foods there and a buffet. It is definitely a mandatory stop for us whenever we go. You did terrific to not gain any weight while on vacation.
Hope you enjoy your juicer. Sounds like you are already putting it to good use with the cleansing.
Glad you got your hula hoop! Now we can challenge each other. Your next goal is to reach 25. That is where I am now. Cmon' you can do it. Get that body moving.
Love2garden-I plan on hanging around for awhile. As long as I can get my phone/internet service back up.
Today I went to Subway for breakfast. I got my usual egg/cheese sub after my big walk. Then I saw all the cookies and brownies. They looked good. They smelled good. I thought maybe just a few. No, .....maybe, no, .....perhaps one, .......no, no, no. I walked out of there with none. I thought I will be glad later. Another thought was yeah, you will be wanting them later. Well it is later now, and I am not wanting them. I am very happy I didn't get any. Another day when when my good will power wins.
Weigh-in today shows..... down 1 1/2 lbs. Yeah! Good luck to the rest of you.
love2, We went to Kauai. We stayed in the middle on the east side at kapa'a & explored the whole island. I loved the north beaches and dh loved the west most beach, but I think staying where we did was a great way to go. I enjoyed everything we did, lovely people and beautiful island.
Corrina, Didn't happen upon a Down to Earth store/resturant, but we had several nice meals and great food overall. The local oranges were divine. I am enjoying juicing. We'll have to see if I can handle total juicing, but I will keep it up on some level. Had a giggle trying hula hoop after morning exercise, managed to get 20 before the downward fall. Hard to find that sweet spot, guess I need to practice - practice - practice. FUN!
Renee, Congrats on the 1 pound loss! Keep up the good work.
Hugs to All this weekend.
Last edited by workinglikeadog; 01-24-2015 at 03:10 PM.
Reason: sp
Diana our "almost son" and his wife were at Kauai for their anniversary near the end of 2014 and it really revived them. I'd love to see the vegetation which is so different from ours, and volcano, and I understand no mosquitoes?
Renee Hope the weather doesn't last very long. Thank goodness we are south of you but still got some ice and snow.
Back on plan after seriously falling off last night. I know better than to read and have favorite crackers, the box, not a serving near by. At 1:30 am I finished the book and almost finished the box.
Starting over after the scale showed I've regained all I lost this month. I'm sure it is more salt gain than pounds, but lesson learned, surely.
Yeah Renee! That is great! You are doing it. Good job.
Six inches of cold winter snow! Your winter outfits are surely being put to good use this year. Just think how loose they are getting too while you are getting thin. Better loose than tight. Stay warm and be careful in that weather.
Diana-good job with the hula hoop. You are moving right along to hit 20. You are going to pass me very soon if I don't stay on top of it. Yes, for me it takes practice, practice, practice to keep it up. But it is fun when I keep it going.
Love2garden-oh nooooo! You put the whole box of crackers by your bed?!?!?! Well, I must say I have done something similar before too. So I am just as guilty, yes, it only takes once though to see the impact. It must have been a really good book. Glad to hear you have learned from it and will be getting back on track again. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it is only a temporary salt gain and not pounds really gained. It was nice of you to be honest with us and share your situation. We have all done it from time to time. It takes guts to own up to it, and even more will power and preparation to not let it happen again. Thanks for sharing. Just a dose to keep you strong and focused during this week.
You can lose weight if you set your mind to it! Are you ready to take action to achieve the body of your dreams?
The biggest barrier you face is actually your self-discipline and willpower.
You may have fallen into a vicious cycle. The cycle starts with eating a poor diet full of fats, carbs, and processed foods. These are the kinds of foods that make you feel tired and lethargic all the time.
Then, because your body lacks proper energy, you don’t feel much like exercising.
What’s the end result? You end up with a huge loss of willpower and you feel miserable and hopeless.
But there is hope! You can make the change! If you truly want to lose weight, you first have to build the willpower to make it happen.
Here’s a list of things to consider when boosting your willpower:
1. Don’t Wait For Something Bad To Happen. Your willpower is within you and you don’t want something bad to happen in order to find it. We’ve all heard the stories about someone suffering a severe trauma, like a heart attack, and how that life event leads to a permanent change in their habits. You don’t need this to happen to you in order to get motivated!
2. Watch Your Portion Size. This is one tip that can allow you to start small. It’s hard to muster up the willpower if you’re trying to go from one extreme to another. Decide that you’re going to have the same meal tonight that you would normally eat - but give yourself a smaller portion size. The trick is to use smaller plates so the plate visually appears full.
3. Give Yourself A Cheat Day. It’ll be an easier transition for you if you allow yourself some fun once in awhile. Tell yourself that next Saturday you can enjoy that pizza for dinner or that chocolate cake for dessert. You’ll be less likely to give up knowing that you can eat some pizza next Saturday instead of “never.” Your “cheat” day doesn’t mean “over-eat” day. Savor the flavors of your food, even if it means having a smaller piece than you’re used to. Once you’ve finished your piece, your willpower should kick in and say “no more!”
4. Take Photographs. You can motivate yourself to lose weight by taking some self-portraits. We usually don’t have the best idea about how we truly look until we see ourselves in a photograph. Keep a picture with you and look at it when you feel like giving up. Update your photo often and compare them as you start to lose weight.
5. Make A Food List. Write down all the foods you enjoy eating, then evaluate whether or not these items are healthy. Chances are there are at least some healthy foods that you actually enjoy eating - such as fruits and vegetables. Make sure you start buying these foods for your home.
6. Exercise In Moderation. Adding exercise to your routine can also be a daunting task if you try to jump in too fast. Nobody is telling you that you need to join a gym and engage in rigorous workouts if that’s not your style. You’ll actually be surprised at how energized you can feel just by taking a 30 minute walk, three times a week.
7. Set Small Goals. No matter how you choose to approach your weight loss, it’s important to take small steps and remain in good spirits. Doing too much, too fast will only set you up for failure. Instead, set small, manageable goals like one pound per week. By focusing on the smaller, more attainable goal, you’ll actually see results far more quickly.
In the end, remember to reward yourself for a job well done. After all, you deserve it! Once you have mustered the willpower to succeed at weight loss, you can succeed at anything in your life!
Good advice listed above. I certainly am finding that knowing I can eat all food in moderation is taking the usual dread out of this dieting experience.
Simply writing in the favored (but not necessarily healthy food) into my diet for next day or so, the cutting back in other areas, gives me something to anticipate. Surprised that in some cases the long awaited treat isn't as tasty as I expected and I'm able to let it go more easily.
I read labels on foods carefully. That Nutrition 101 in college really opened my eyes to value of healthy food. Even the "Cheese-it crackers" have a version with some whole grain in it. only 5% but better than none.
From EatingWell: January/February 2011 http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_black_bean_chili.html
Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. Use the ground chipotle if your like the smoky heat, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Can be served with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.
4 servings, about 2 cups each | Active Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see Note)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Add water and bring to a simmer.
Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often.
Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Nutrition
Per serving : 307 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 51 g Carbohydrates; 12 g Protein; 14 g Fiber; 494 mg Sodium; 947 mg Potassium
Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months:
Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com
Excuse #1: "I Feel Deprived Because I Can't Eat the Foods I Love"
Below information found at https://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss-excuse-buster/i-cant-eat-the-foods-i-love
When it comes to weight loss excuses and bad attitudes, I've heard them all! But the only difference between FIT and FAT is one single letter: I
I Can't Stop Overeating...
I Can't Lose Weight Because...
I Feel Like I'm Being Punished...
I Can't Resist Food...
Bust those excuses and change your attitude with 31 "motivate me to lose it all" strategies. Here with
Your Excuse #1: "I Feel Deprived Because I Can't Eat the Foods I Love"
The Excuse Buster: Starting a weight loss program often results in an "all or nothing" mind-set. You vow to never eat junk food again, follow your diet plan to the letter, drink gallons of water, push yourself to work out religiously, and lose those pesky pounds once and for all. This attitude usually stems from a strong sense of dissatisfaction about your current state (i.e. fat), and a strong determination to reach a "better" state (i.e. thin).
But entering into any plan with such a rigid focus can only set you up for failure. How many times have you gone on a binge before a diet, eating every "bad" food you could think of - just because you didn't know when you might be "allowed" to eat it again? How many times have you slipped and eaten something that wasn't on your food plan, and then despaired that you had blown your whole diet? The problem with rigid ideas about what is "allowed" and "forbidden" is that they only make you crave the forbidden foods and mire you in constant cycles of deprivation and frustration.
Your chances of success are much greater if you instead strive for a sense of balance in everything you do. Certainly making positive changes is beneficial, but it is possible to do this in a much more balanced way, rather than binding yourself with chains and taping your mouth shut.
How? Simply stay AWARE and make wise decisions. Each moment of your day before you eat, drink or do anything, ask yourself if the action you are about to take will support your goal.Will eating a cookie support your weight loss goal? Not necessarily, but will it destroy your diet altogether? Probably not. There are no "rights or wrongs" with this process. Sometimes you may indeed decide to eat the cookie. Sometimes you'll decide that you really don't need it. The difference will be that YOU are the one making the choices for yourself, not some preconceived notion about what is acceptable or not.
Last week I was down 1.5 pounds, but I think I'm making up for it this week. I get ravenous in the last afternoon between 4:30 and 6, and have a hard time staying in control :-(. Knowing this, I'll plan a healthy option today and see it that works.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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We got 3.5 inches of snow yesteday morning and then another inch or so throughout the day and overnight last night. Not a big snow event for us. We have not been getting much snow the past several years, but we still get cold weather. I think when you grow up with it, it's just normal to you. I am more bothered by the heat and humidity in the summer.
I have not been doing well with my weight issues. That's all I'll say. Not spilling my guts like Love2garden did. LOL I am trying to find that spark that will get me moving in a steady downward trend. It's out there, somewhere.
Last edited by Wannabehealthy; 01-27-2015 at 01:37 PM.
Carol Sue, Getting your head into eating properly and exercising can be challenging (maybe Corinna will have some suggestions). I try to visualize and feel how good I'll feel and look, set up food and exercise routines and take a step forward. I am persistant and this does tend to pay off at some point.
love 2, Yes, you'll have to plan a trip to Kauai or Hawaii. I was most impressed with the steepness of all the mountains, which are geologically new compared with Northwest mountains. The only bugs we had were flies in the condo and when we opened the screen door, they would all fly out. The all pervasive feeling of aloha from the land and people is totally reviving. When my girlfriend called while I was on the island she thought I'ld had a few mai tai, but I was just mellow with all the great vibes.
Corinna, I'm liking the hula hoop(170 this a.m. after several tries) & now have to figure out how to intentionally move it up and down. I'm pretty sure this might be just the exercise I need to help trim the extra inches off my waistline(so I measured my waist this a.m.). It reminds me of belly dancing, which I did way too long ago.
Keep warm ladies. We are just cold (freezing) at night with a bit of fog, so feeling lucky.
Last edited by workinglikeadog; 01-27-2015 at 11:07 PM.
Reason: edit
Checked today and my phone is still dead, and internet service now has a connection somehow, but is extremely slow. Still not really useable. Maintenance service headed my way on 2 February, so don't know how much I will be on line until then.
As long as I can get my phone/internet service back up. 
down 1 1/2 lbs. Yeah! Good luck to the rest of you.
How Emotions Harm Your Body
Good job. 
But it is fun when I keep it going.
Well, I must say I have done something similar before too. So I am just as guilty, yes, it only takes once though to see the impact. It must have been a really good book. Glad to hear you have learned from it and will be getting back on track again. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it is only a temporary salt gain and not pounds really gained. 
It was nice of you to be honest with us and share your situation. We have all done it from time to time. It takes guts to own up to it, and even more will power and preparation to not let it happen again. 
Just a dose to keep you strong and focused during this week.
You can make the change! If you truly want to lose weight, you first have to build the willpower to make it happen.
