LA Weight Loss - "Volumetrics" - March/April 2008

Welcome . . . :yes: . . . Thought we should have a new start once again . . . Hope this will become one of your favourite places at 3FC . . .

VOLUMETRICS is not new, it just hasn't been making as big a splash in the weight loss community as some of the better known plans. I first discovered Volumetrics about a year or two ago thanks to the review on 3FC. After reading the review I went and bought both of the books and decided the Principles of Volumetrics was something I could live with . . . forever.

VOLUMETRICS explains how to FEEL FULL ON FEWER CALORIES . . . and let's face it, most of us don't stick with something very long, if we feel totally deprived all the time. The guiding principle is to get the 'highest volume of food at the lowest cost in calories' by choosing foods with a lower ED (Energy Density). BTW, 3FC has a data-base of over 7000 foods and is one of the few that includes the ED for all the items.

What foods have a lower ED? Basically, those that contain the highest water and fibre contents . . . for example; we all know that grapes and raisins start out as the same fruit, right? Raisins simply have had the water content removed. Did you know that 1/4 cup of raisins contains about 100 calories? More importantly . . . did you know that you can eat almost 2 full cups of grapes for the same 100 calories! I know which would make me feel fuller and stay fuller for longer . . . how about you?

Anyway, enough of my blathering for now . . . Please come and join our little discussion group as we help each other make our way along the long and winding road to better health and fitness the VOLUMETRICS way . . . hope to see you all soon . . . :wave:

Hey there!

I hope you're well...
I'm just wondering what books you bought? I think this way of eating is imperitive to dieting and would like to know more about it!

thanks a bunch!
:hug:

Hi everyone!!!!! Have a great weekend.

Hi SERENAB . . . here are the names of the two books . . . both are available from AMAZON.UK

. . . Please use the "Store" tab at the right-hand end of the purple navigation bar at the top of the page and then click on the Amazon.UK tab at the top pf the Store page. The prices are exactly the same for you (as using your regular link to Amazon) but everytime one of our chickies buys from Amazon by using this link, 3FC gets a teeny little bit of commision. ;) Little things like this are what help to keep our wonderful site FREE to the users. :yes:


The Volumetrics Weight-control Plan by Barbara Rolls and Robert A. Barnett

The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories by Barbara J. Rolls

The first book is very inexpensive (at 3.35 L - sorry my keyboard doesn't have a pound symbol) and contains a lot of good information on the testing that went on behind the theories of Volumetrics. The second book (at 9.95 L) also contains the basic information as well as more recipes. I have both (since I'm a cookbook collector anyway), but if you feel you only want one, I'd recommend the first one.

And . . . HI to you too, TEACHER . . . :wave: Hope you have a great weekend, too.

Hey!
Thanks meowee - you're a star.

I'll definately check them out, they look quite interesting and will defiantely help me (i'm sure) feel more full after meals!

Hi gang . . . :grouphug . . . where is everybody hiding?

Know exactly what you mean SERANAB -- I have to be full or I'm nibbling at junk all day long.

We have :sunny: today -- so I must get out and play in the new snow and run some errands before our next storm comes along tomorrow.

Have a good day.

I thought I posted on here this morning, but I'll bet I posted in the old thread. Anyway, I need to get back on track. Maybe a little inspirational reading out of the Volumetrics book.

I forgot to mention: This cold that I have had for the last couple of weeks has really knocked out my sense of smell and taste. Unfortunately, I seem to want to keep tasting things until I find something that I can taste.:lol: Don't think that's going to happen until after the cold is gone.

Gail- Feel better :)

Have a great night everyone.

I had a gigantic stir-fry tonight. Asparagus, red bell pepper, bean sprouts, onions, tofu - no meat, but a ton of veggies. We shall see how long it sticks with me. I used quite a bit of soy sauce, so all that salt may show up as a gain, but it was good!

I had about 1/8th of a macadamia nut cookie (big cookies - 190 cal each!). I had the fraction of cookie that was in the box with the rest of the whole cookies, and it wasn't really that good, so I was able to resist, for now anyway. Someone gave the cookies to DH.

Aside from the aforementioned cookie shard, I have eaten no junk today.

I can't tell you how happy I am to report that I weigh what my ticker says today!!!!!!! If I only loose ONE more pound, I will have lost 40 lbs. The 40lb mark seems to be a big step for me.

Gail . . . :crossed:

Everybody . . . :wave:

Good work Gail!!!

Hi all, a great day with food. I'm loving fruit salads lately. I can't wait for the farmers market to start in May. Yum- fresh fruits and veggies

I'm yearning for tree-ripened peaches. Got a bit of a wait!

Congratulations, Gail! Hopefully with spring looming ahead, we'll all get a renewed sense of goal, and be able to stay on track better. It just seems harder in the winter months, especially where there's cold and snow. I'm feeling pretty good that I got through without gaining, and with even losing a little. For me, that's a goal met already!

Exercise seems to be the problem for me, although this winter did provide plenty of snow-shoveling opportunities. (I think I'll have more tomorrow.) It'll be great to be able to walk outside again, but what I think I really need is a weight-lifting program of sorts, to get my metabolism running higher. If I was consistent, I think I'd see huge benefits. Any hints, anybody?

Well . . . we got an inch of fresh snow overnight . . . but I definitely will not be shoveling it because it is going to be buried under a lot of ice very soon. :mad: There are probably no two more feared words in the northern winter vocabulary than ICE STORM . :yikes: I just hope the storm doesn't knock out the power lines. :crossed:

It will definitely be a stay-at-home day for me. Probably a good thing too. Found out yesterday that I'll be spending a fair bit of time at the dentist this month because I need a root canal. Started taking a round of penicillin yesterday afternoon to try to knock down the current infection so they can start the RC and (as often happens with antibiotics) my tummy is 'complaining'. :o

:lol: I bought some Chilean Peaches yesterday and had one for breakfast this morning -- well, all I can say is that it 'looked' like a peach, anyway. But no flavour and no juice. Oh boy, I can hardly wait to get my mouth on some 'real' fruit. We've got an even longer wait up here. :mad:

Have a good day, gang . . . hope you have better weather than we do. :yes:

My opinion is that the problem is not that the peach came from Chile, but that they picked it too soon.

Wow, I hope your power doesn't go out. The worst thing that happens to us is that the power goes out when our water tank is almost empty. That means we run out of water, which is way more inconvenient than not having lights. We keep talking about getting a generator, but haven't done it yet.

All of a sudden, I really notice the price of groceries has increased. I spent around $100 this week and it was mostly produce. I got some chicken and some canned beans, too. I am going to make that Good Houskeeping diet soup and it requires cauliflower. I didn't even look at the price until later. It was over $3 for a medium-small head. Seems like a lot. In fact, all those winter veggies seem expensive. The Butternut squash comes from some gourmet outfit and is small.

Anyway, on my days off this week, I am going to be making soups/stews for my freezer. I manage to munch my way through lots of that stuff. Oh, and I am going to try to make broccoli soup using the pureed stems. We'll see how that comes out.

My opinion is that the problem is not that the peach came from Chile, but that they picked it too soon.

Oh I absolutely agree . . . I'm sure it would have been delicious if I had managed to eat it in Chile. ;)

:wave:

Hi all,
It was a busy day. I'm glad the weekend is around the corner.

I wouldn't mind a trip to Chile. I've been there. The Chilean country side is a great deal like California. Even some of the weeds along the side of the road are the same. So, I'm not surprised to see grapes and peaches from Chile.

This morning I made Broccoli soup, curried carrot soup and the Good Houskeeping Diet soup. That should keep me eating for a while. I think I will make black bean chili tomorrow. I am not sure if the broccoli soup is good or not because I still can't taste anything. I feel so virtuous, getting all that done.

Hi . . . :wave:

Gail- were the broccoli or carrot soup cream-style at all? When I run into that in a recipe lately, I substitute some non-fat evaporated milk, but I was wondering if there's a better solution? The one broccoli soup I tried used pureed potatoes as the cream factor, but it didn't seem to work too well. Maybe my expectations were too high?

Happy Weekend everyone!:carrot:

All recipes from Everyday Food from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living.

I found the same recipe, twice, using oatmeal as a thickener. Both the carrot and the broccoli soup seem like purees rather than "cream" soups, but they are very tasty.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/3 c rolled oats
1 1/2 lbs broccoli, florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
Salt and Pepper

1. Soften onion in oil, 5 min. Add nutmeg; cook until fragrant, 30 sec.

2. Stir in ckn broth, 1 1/2 c water, the oats and broccoli. Season w/s and p. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat. Simmer until the broccoli is tender, 5 - 10 min

3. Puree soup in batches in blender or use immerson blender. return to pot, correct seasoning, serve immediatedly.

When I did this recipe, I cooked the stems longer than the florets, and I saved out a few florets from the puree process and added them back when I was done. I wanted a few whole ones.

I probably would never mess with any of these soup recipes if I didn't have an immersion blender. They are inexpensive, and make fast work of pureeing in the pan.

Curried Carrot Soup

2 T butter
1C choppped onion
1 tsp curry powder
salt and Pepper
2 cans red. sodium ckn broth (14.5 oz each)
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1-2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T coarsley chopped frish cilantro for garnish (optional)

Sweat the onions, add the curry powder, salt and pepper - about 5 mins
Add the broth, carrots, and 3 cups of water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until carrots are tender - 20 mins

Puree the soup, add more water to thin, if desired. Reheat, stir in lemon ju. Garnish with cilantro.

I cut both of the following recipes down to one serving which sometimes messes up the recipe, but these were "yummo". For both I measured out 2 oz of dry pasta. The goat cheese was 1 oz of the Trader Joe's "lite" stuff. Where the recipe calls for butter, I used one tsp of really nice boutique olive oil. For the salmon, I wrapped a salmon steak up in a foil packet with lemon slices, s & p. I put it on the grill. Halfway through cooking I added the frozen peas to the packet. The lemony-salmony-grilly peas were really good. The reason for the reducing to one serving and grilling the salmon is that my DH wouldn't dream of eating any of this stuff, can't stand the smell of fish cooking etc. etc. He's a good guy with terrible eating preferences.

FARFALLE WITH SALMON, MINT AND PEAS

1 pound farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus more for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the farfalle until al dente according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water; return the pasta to the pot.

Meanwhile, season the salmon with coarse salt and ground pepper; place in a large skillet. Add 1/4 cup water and the lemon zest and juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover; steam for 10 minutes.

Add the frozen peas; steam, covered, until the peas are tender and the salmon is opaque, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer to the pot with the pasta. Add the butter and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, gently flaking the fish and adding reserved pasta water as desired. Serve immediately, sprinkled with more mint.

Makes 6 servings

Goat Cheese with Rigatone

Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6.
1 pound rigatoni
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
TOPPING VARIATIONS
1/4 cup slivered sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, chopped or torn herbs, or pitted, sliced black olives(I used the black olives and fresh parsley for topping)
Directions
Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
Return pasta to pot, and toss with goat cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and add some of the reserved pasta water as desired. Sprinkle with preferred topping, and serve.

Thanks for the recipes. Maybe I should look into that Martha Stewart cookbook, too. I watch her on TV, but she's so bossy that it kind of turns me off. I can't stand it when she tells famous chefs how to do their own recipes. But that's just a personal thing- lots of times I get good ideas from her recipes.

I would have never thought of using oatmeal as a thickener- I'm going to try that one first!

I just got new glasses with bifocals. They suggested the progressive lenses, so I took those, but they're driving me crazy. My folks prefer the plain ones, with the line. For those of you old enough to know what I'm talking about, what's your preference? I'm wondering if I should have them redo them as the lined bifocals. The only time you can see clearly with the pregressives is when you look straight ahead or straight down to read. Everything off to the side is blurry, and makes me kind of dizzy.

Hey everyone,
No change for my ticker this week.

Hi Gang . . . :wave:

Nothing too exciting around here . . . We are having a very warm (well 60'ish) day of pouring rain and fogggggggg. At least it doesn't require shovelling. :lol:

Stick with the progressive lenses LIZ that's what I have. Any bifocals take a while to get used to and I don't think the lined kind are any easier, although they are usually considerably less expensive. In a few weeks, you'll probably feel fine about them. Only lasting problem is getting used to tilting your head to read signs and labels on things in stores because you need to look at them through the bottom part of your glasses. :lol:. Dead give-away that the person is wearing bifocals even if they have no visible lines. :yes:

See you later . . . :carrot: which reminds me, GAIL, I'm definitly going to try that carrot soup recipe . . . thanks.

I have the lined tri-focals. I just love them. My eye doctor commented that I must have been really "ready" for them. When I started with the first bifocals, it took me about ten minutes to get used to them. The tri-focals took even less.

I think Linda is correct. You will get used to them. I thought the blended or progressive bifocals were pretty much just for vanity - I don't think you can see any better with them. Linda is also right about the tipping your head back thing - I do that even when I don't have my glasses on. :lol:

I liked the idea of using oatmeal as a thickener for the soup because oatmeal is one of those things we are supposed to eat, and here's a little additional hit of it. For some reason the idea of using potato as a thickener doesn't appeal to me. Potato starch might be ok. I was going to try a little flour, but then I saw the oatmeal recipes.

I had a good dinner tonight. Pan Seared Scallops (again)with Citrus Tarragon Sauce. Also, Fennel, orange and parsley salad. Steamed zuchinni with snipped fresh dill and a few oven-baked "french fries". Topped it off with a square of chocolate.

I did well with my eating today. Now if I can just quit for the day.....

Hi everyone. I'm a dog lover - just had to get that out there right away.

I am new to the Volumetrics plan but not to the concept. I'm pretty confused right now. I can't figure out if I am supposed to count calories or count ED. Is there a total ED number for the day or do you go by total caloric intake based on the worksheet in the book?

I'm not big on journaling because I find it tedious and frustrating. It has always been really hard for me to lose weight. I sort of gave up for the past few years because I gained a lot while pregnant and it just stayed with me. I was on antidepressants for ppd and weaned recently. I think being on the drugs made it even harder to lose weight. I'm hoping now that they are out of my system and I'm making better choices, I'll see a result. I've been exercising and watching what I eat for 6 weeks and lost 2.5 pounds. It wasn't quite the loss I was looking for but I've made so many positive changes that I consider it all progress.

I am so happy to have found this thread. I certainly need the support!

Blessings,
ppturner
:wave:

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

Wow . . . I hate time changes . . . all I wanted to do yesterday was sleep; although I did play with my new Wii enough to make my right wrist sore. :lol: I really need to practice because so far I've got a Wii fitness age of 76. :yikes:

Luckily, we did not get hit too badly by our latest storm yesterday and today . . . cold and :sunny: . . . certainly hope this weather pattern continues for a while. :yes:

:welcome: to the group PPTURNER . . . and :wel3fc: also . . . so glad to have you with us. The beauty of Volumetrics is you really don't have to count everything or anything, for that matter if you just keep all most everything you eat in the ED range of 1.5/1.7 or lower, you can't go too far wrong. Now, having said that, I guess I'd better 'fess-up' to the fact that I actually count everything -- calories, carbs, fat, and protein grams -- but that is because I'm diabetic and must keep solid control over my eating so as to space things (especially carbs) evenly across the day. You are doing well so far and please remember that the principles of Volumetrics are meant to be a lifestyle change rather than just an aid to weight loss.

Always remember, everybody, that it was the tortoise that finally won that famous race. :yes:

I was hoping for an opinion from those of you who have read both books on Volumetrics. I have the second book out from the library right now. I was planning on reading it to see if I want to buy it but I think I've gleaned all I can from it already. I can't locate the first book. Is it worth buying or does the second book sum it up again. Thanks!

Hi ppturner. Dog loving is just fine around here :lol:. We have two dogs and two cats.

I am at work, so I can't look at my book, but I think I have the first one. The one I have is paper back and not the one that is mostly recipes. I got the one with all the recipes out of the library. It was fine, but the one I have tells more about the program. I didn't think I needed the recipe book.

I have been on lots of diets. While I recognize the great value in logging, counting and journaling, I just couldn't face doing all that one more time. My concentration has been on getting the biggest amount of food, for the least ammount of calories. Volumetric principles really help with this. I try to choose foods with as few additives and as unprocessed as possible.

Having said that, I have to confess that I have been really stalled lately. I just haven't had the mental energy to get back on track and loose my last 15lbs. I have also been eating things that aren't really healthy. I have been working on my eating habits for over a year, but it is still way too easy for me to slip back into my old ways.

I have both books, PPTURNER, and just gave my SIL a copy of the second one this Christmas because I thought it was more appealing, aesthetically, for her since I know she is never interested in the scientific facts behind the plans she wants to try. I keep this one with my cookbooks.

The first book is my 'bible' on the topic of Volumetrics and it is so inexpensive (US$6.99 at Amazon.com) that it is well worth the money as a reference piece for anyone not just for those of us that like to read the detail behind the assumptions. I keep this one up here beside my computer since I often get asked detailed questions.

If you decide to purchase the first book from Amazon, please click on the "Store" button on the main navigation bar at the top of every forum to connect to their site . . . 3FC gets a tiny little commission on every sale through the site (although it doesn't cost the buyer anything extra). Every little bit helps to keep 3FC free to us, the users. ;)

Hang in there GAIL . . . those last few pounds will eventually give in and leave . . . don't forget, you are facing a lifetime of maintenance and will make wonderful use of all the things you've learned. I've been having a dreadful time so far this year, too -- and, let's face it, last year wasn't one of my most shining moments either. I just keep reminding myself that it was the tortoise that eventually won that famous race. :D

Welcome ppturner!!!!

I didn't get a job I was wanting so it looks like next year I'll be back to the same school. I'm really depressed now but I know I'll get over it.

Aww, sorry to hear that Teacher. Sometimes life sucks. :yes:

Good Morning everybody . . . :grouphug:

Another :sunny: but :brr: day is shaping up for northern Nova Scotia and, although I hve no plans for going out to play in the day at the moment, I'm sure I can dream up something in the near future. :lol:

Hope everybody else has a great day in the making, too . . . see you later. :wave:

Another welcome to ppturner! I was on anti-depressants for an extended time, too, and in retrospect, after also weaning myself off of them, believe they added to my weight gain. I felt numb all the time, and didn't care about stuff, so it's hard to care about taking care of yourself when you feel like that.

The Volumetrics weight loss progress will be slow, but that's good because studies show that a slow, steady weight loss is easier to maintain for the rest of your life, which is really what we're all after here. I've lost lots of weight many times over. What I need is to lose it one last time, and maintain! By following the Volumetrics concept, you establish better eating habits that you can depend on for the rest of your life.

And on that note, I'm proud to announce a 1 pound weight loss! I seem to be staying in Onederland. I was worried that my mind might fight me since getting under 200 was such a monumental thing for me, but after a brief stall, I seem to be making slow progress again.

We're looking at sun and warmer temps here (40's!), so I'm hoping I get a chance to get outside and walk for a change!

Good for you, ArtCat! I wish I could say the same.

Too bad you didn't get the job, Teacher. Maybe this means that something better is out there for you.

Hi, I just want to introduce myself and join in the discussion. I want to learn more about volumetrics and try it for myself. I just spent two months on low-carb and while I did not get hungry, I also did not lose the gobs of weight (and got very bored!). I have a book on volumetrics I've been reading. I enjoy cooking, so I look forward to making some delicious homemade soups for meal starters.

Hi ANNE . . . :welcome: to the Volumetrics World . . . and :wel3fc:, too. Very glad to have you joining us.

Personally I :love: the principles of Volumetrics and find the guidelines pretty easy to follow . . . but it is certainly NOT noted for being a quick weight loss solution. It is, hopefully, something you can live with forever, though.

You don't happen to be from PEI, do you? I just had to ask. :lol:

Welcome Anne!!!

Liz- CONGRATS on onederland!!!!

It was a much better day. The sun is shining and it's warming up outside :)

I was thinking it was Nova Scotia and that maybe she was an acquaintance of yours. I got the Maritime part right, anyway.

I have been listenting to this book on tape. The reader has a slightly British sound and I have myself convinced that it is Linda talking. Not that I have ever heard Linda speak :lol:. Funny how something will get into my mind.....

Welcome, Anne, wherever you are. I don't think Volumetrics is particularly speedy, but it is tolerable which is what I like about it. I really enjoy all the soup. It is fun to make and I feel so elegant having soup with my meals.

Prince Edward Island was the setting for Anne of Green Gables. The author, Lucy Maud Montgomery was from the Cavendish area and that's where the Green Gables house is . . . "Anne" is really big business on PEI.

You don't happen to be from PEI, do you? I just had to ask. :lol:

Um, nope! I live in the desert. My daffodils, lilies of the valley and pansies look splendid. :smug:

We did get a little snow here two weeks ago. My daughter made a two-hour snowman (not that it took her two hours to make--that's how long it lasted!). I love the snow, though, because I grew up in the northern part of the country.

I appreciate the warm welcome from those of you in snowy climates!

Which desert? I live in the Mojave.

My dinner was from the Martha book again. Almond-Apricot chicken with mint pesto. It is a boneless, skinless chicken breast stuffed with a bit of goat cheese, chopped dried apricot and chopped almonds. Dipped in egg, rolled in a bit of Panko and grilled (by me - the recipe wants you to saute it first and finish in the oven.) The pesto is mint and almonds and olive oil. You are supposed to do it in the food processor, but i just chopped it very finely and added a tsp oil. You can't make one serving in the food pro. Anyway, it was very good and not too much trouble, especially when you skip the pan/oven process and grill it. I had bulgur and broccoli with it. The bulgur was perfect with it. I think something else than broccoli would have been better. Maybe sugar snap peas or something like that. I realize that this is not particularly "volumetric", but it is certainly a reasonable meal. I am ever on a quest for things that taste wonderful, but aren't calorie and grease laden.

Gail, you put us to shame. Last night I had leftover leftovers because my DH was at a work dinner/meeting, and I ate some Sun Chips because I was still hungry. I seem to do fairly well for a while, and then just fall apart. I guess as long as you keep getting back on the wagon, it all works out.

Another welcome to Anne!

I was wondering, teacher- do you work another job in the summer, or can you look forward to some time off? Most teachers I know need to keep on working. I would definitely believe that the job you didn't get was the wrong job at the wrong time, and that something else will work out for you eventually. Keeping a positive outlook has a lot to do with being happy in life! Or so they tell me...

I eat lots of left-overs and wierd combinations of things I have in the freezer. I only tell about the yummy things I make.:lol:

[QUOTE=gailr42;2095810]Which desert? I live in the Mojave.
QUOTE]

I'm in the Chihuahuan desert.

I'm down three pounds from earlier this week--yay!:carrot:

I wonder if hummus is a good dip. It sounds nutritious with the beans and garlic. Does anyone know if it is?

Thanks!


CONGRATS - AnneofGreenGables on your loss this week! I'm up a pound. Grr.

Pam

The first recipe is for a Roasted Red Pepper Dip, which I really like. The second recipe is the one I use for hummus. I really like it, too. For the hummus, I sometimes use a tsp or so of sesame oil rather than tahini because I don't usually have tahini on hand, but do have the oil. I measure both dips out in 1/4 cup servings and freeze. If I take it in my lunch, it is defrosted by the time I want it. I dip carrots, celery, bell pepper strips, toasted pita bread and today I am going to try cauliflower in my roasted red pepper dip.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1571422

http://www.recipezaar.com/67692

Hi gang . . . :wave:

First chance I've had to be on-line all day . . . it's been 'one of those days' and happenstance made it one of those 'two restaurant meals' days as well. Total calories not too bad, but way too much fat.

Tomorrow will be better . . . see you all then . . . :carrot:

Ay, Chihuahua! I just looked on the Desert USA site, and it sounds pretty much the same as the Mojave, except we have Joshua trees. We happen to live at about 3500ft. We have many, many 105 - 110° days in the summer. Makes gardening difficult because everything fries in the sun. Until a couple of months ago, we had had no rain for about 18 months. We planted our garden a couple of weeks ago, and now it is supposed to get down to 25° Sat night. I brought my Ficus tree back in the house!

Hi all
Liz- I had been taking classes in the summer and last summer I worked summer school in the mornings. This is my first summer to just relax with some working out on the side.

My DH made a few hardboiled eggs this afternoon. So.....I had two boiled eggs and a bowl of soup for dinner. Pretty darned gourmet meal.

Actually sounds good . . . I haven't had a hard-boiled egg in ages; tend to use just egg whites or egg beaters instead of whole eggs.

Anyway . . . Good Morning . . . :wave:

We are in the midst of another storm in Atlantic Canada. So far (at least right around here) we are getting only a little bit of snow coupled with a great big bit of wind.

Hope the rest of you are having a better weather kind of day. :yes:

I made a great egg salad from a Martha Stewart recipe- take a hard-boiled egg, 1/2 avocado and 1 large apple, chop everything up and mix. I think she had some sort of dressing with it, but if you mix it, the avocado kind of smushes and holds everything together. Then either use as sandwich filling with whole wheat bread and greens, or use as a salad with greens. It was very good!

I love hummus, too, and I dip zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, snap peas- any veggie that's strong enough to dip in it. I also add a Wasa crispbread cracker to make sure I'm filled up enough. It makes a great lunch!

Pam- don't worry about the pound. Sometimes it's just because you ate beef or something salty the day before. Stick to the program and it will reward you. Sometimes I delay my weighing in a day if I know I had beef or something salty the day before, just to let my body process it.

Liz- That's a great idea to mix hard boiled eggs and avocado.

I'll have to check if that recipe is in my book. I don't think so. Anyway, I love avocado.

I have a denim skirt that I am fond of, but haven't been able to wear for some time. I tried it on and it zips. W00t!

I had a turkey burger on a bagette slice with balsamic roasted onions, an artichoke with nothing on it and a gigantic salad for dinner. I had my herbal tea and a segment of my dark chocolate bar for desert. The chocolate is part of a bar of 72% that I got quite a while ago at Trader Joe's. I am making that baby last!

Hi there . . . :wave:

Yep . . . I try to make my chocolate last too . . . think I'm up to about 50 minutes so far . . . :mad:

I'll be going to Ann Arbor on Sunday, and they have the closest Trader Joe's to us. I just love that store! They have good, healthy food for a good price. I always pick up a large dark chocolate with almonds bar from Belgium- I think it's a whole pound for only about $3! And it's good chocolate, too, not waxy.

You can find that egg, avocado and apple recipe online under the Martha Stewart TV show. I have no idea which day anymore, but you can do a recipe search. I also added some lemon juice, which I forgot to say earlier.

Congratulations on fitting into your skirt, Gail! I've had to throw out or donate a whole size of clothes so far. I picked some stuff up at the thrift store, but I don't have much to wear anymore. Just 3 pairs of pants and maybe 5 shirts? I don't want to buy more, because I'm still in the process of losing. At least if I'm shopping at the thrift stores, it doesn't cost much to add a piece here or there. And they're kind of fun, too. I think most of the target clothes I saved are still too small for me, but I should check on that.

Great job on the skirt Gail.

I'm on Spring Break!!!!!!! :) Yeah, I'm so happy.

ArtCat, I have been to Trader Joe's in Ann Arbor! I think there are two of them. The one I went to is the older one on South Stadium (if I remember right!).

Good Morning Everybody . . . :grouphug:

Well I had a nasty, nasty carb-binge yesterday and my weight is up two pounds because of it. Hey, I know it's just water, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Too bad this morning was my official weekly weigh-in. :shrug: Hopefully my ticker will be correct again by tomorrow. Don't know about the rest of you, but for me, an overdose of carbs is as bad as an overdose of sodium for holding on to the water. Think about throwing a slice of bread into a saucer of water -- that's what my cells do. :lol:

Nothing exciting for me today -- just sitting around waiting for the latest snow storm to start. Oh such fun . . . :mad:

Hope everybody else has good weather and an exciting day . . . see you later. :yes:

Hi all,
Well no change for my ticker. However, with the week off school I have a fun week planned. I'm going to try some new Y classes so hopefully I'll be able to change my ticker next week. I need to use my membership otherwise cancel it because it's just a waste of money.

Enjoy your days off, Teacher!

I hear you, Linda. I have been making all these wonderful, healthy meals and still feel the need to binge on junk. Last night, I ate a bunch of Froot Loops dry out of the package. I don't know what's the matter with me. I agree that carbs make me hold water, too. I didn't show any gain this morning, but I know it is only a matter of time until this cheating catches up with me. The reason the Froot Loops are in the house is that I got them for DGS when they were up. We didn't even eat any then. My DH likes them and opened the package. Once the package is open, then I feel free to eat them.:lol: I gotta laugh or I would cry.

Tonight, I had roasted salmon with lemon relish on a bed of baby spinach, a steamed artichoke and potato salad, coffee and my piece of dark chocolate. The lemon relish has pine nuts, raisins, parsley, lemon zest and juice. It was good and different. This is another recipe from the Everyday Food from the kitchens of Martha Stewart, as is the potato salad. The salad calls for reduced fat sour cream and light mayonnaise. I make one serving using one small potato. It only needs a scant tbs. of dressing. The pine nuts and raisins are used very sparingly - more like a garnish than a "serving".

Good Morning . . . :wave:

We are having another of those beautiful and :sunny: "lull between" days again today . . . so I feel compelled to get outside to play. Actually, yesterday's storm really was full of lots of bluster but very little substance. We only got about an inch of snow out of it. The last few have been pretty kind to us and I really, really hope that is true of the one being predicted for tomorrow as well. :crossed:

TEACHER . . . your week sounds like loads of fun and loads of good exercise, too.

GAIL . . . your dinner sounds really great . . . but get away from those fruit loops, girl, although it's good to know that somebody else experiences the same results from a 'carb-coma' as I do. :lol:

My good news for this morning (as well as the sunshine) . . . my carb-induced water-weight has gone away again as of this morning. :yay: No place to go, but down, chickies. :yes: Wow, hope I can hold it together this week and get a drop on next Saturday's official scale meeting.

Have a great moving and shaking day, everybody . . . see you all soon . . . :grouphug:

I'm in a bad mood and have been all day. I still haven't lost anything in spite of watching my diet and exercising either every other day or sometimes every day. Why isn't the scale moving?! It is so discouraging. I also felt so big today at church. I was still wearing the same size skirt as always so it isn't that my body is tightening and I'm replacing fat with muscle. I'm really stuck. What am I doing wrong? I've been at a complete standstill for 6 weeks! :?:

Sorry to be such a downer!

Pam

How frustrating, ppturner! Just don't give up!

Today we visited friends who are doing the induction week of Atkins. Seemed like a lot of fat to me. Cheese balls for appetizers, chicken salad with Mayo and mousse with whipped cream for dessert. It was all very good, of course. Then we went to Kentucky Fried later. I took the skin off and wiped the chicken on a napkin, but I think, all in all, a very high fat day.

I still haven't lost anything in spite of watching my diet and exercising either every other day or sometimes every day. Why isn't the scale moving?! It is so discouraging. I also felt so big today at church. I was still wearing the same size skirt as always so it isn't that my body is tightening and I'm replacing fat with muscle. I'm really stuck. What am I doing wrong? I've been at a complete standstill for 6 weeks! :?:

Sorry to be such a downer!

Pam

I know how that feels. My dh has lost about twenty pounds since January. He and I have both been dieting. I have been trying just as hard as he has. I lost a few pounds doing low carb but have gained them back after changing my medication. And I didn't particularly ENJOY the strict dieting. It makes me sad, too. I thought I would try volumetrics--low carb is expensive and it gets very boring after awhile.

(((Pam))) When I find the Magic Weight Loss Fairy, after I get my wish I'll send her over to see you. ;)

Pam and Anne- please don't get discouraged- I know, it's easy to say, but hard to do. You don't want to undo the progress you've made so far. If you think you're doing everything pretty close to right, you might have to step up and do the harder work, like writing down everything you eat and counting calories. With Volumetrics you don't need to write and count as much, but if you're stuck or close to goal, you sometimes have to add that step.

For me, re-reading the book helps, too. Sometimes you see some info that you didn't pay much attention to the first time through, and it ends up being helpful the second time through.

Definitely keep posting and let us know how the battle is going. Maybe some other members have some good ideas for you? I'd like to know how you stay motivated to exercise so regularly, and what you do? That seems to be my weakest link right now!

Hi gang . . . :wave:

The weather fairies (or the various forecasters around here) don't seem too sure what is going on today -- right now the sun is shining, but one station says it's snowing and another says it will be later on. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. :dunno: It is definitely cold and windy. :(

Aww PAM . . . :hug: . . . If you'd like to share more details of an average day in your eating regimen, maybe I can help to shed some light for you? Also, don't forget that when you are stressing your muscle tissues with exercise, they will tend to retain water in order to heal themselves and become stronger. Just hang in there, kiddo and keep doing the best you can as much as you can.

Good to see you here ANNE . . . :hug: . . . Hope you like Volumetrics. Very different from low-carb because it does want you to consider lower fat options and it's certainly not a quick-weight-loss routine, but you definitely don't have to ever feel hungry.

Oh wow, GAIL . . . :hug: . . . I think you definitely had a high-fat day. :lol: No problem -- if we were perfect we wouldn't be here in the first place. At least you did de-skin your chicken :yes: and that's not easy when faced with KFC chicken.

Nothing too new around here . . . just putting one foot in front of the other. See you all soon . . . :carrot:

I definitely like my huge piles of veggies and measured amount of low fat protein, as opposed to what my friends are eating on Atkins. I was, like, where's my food??????

My "Volumetric" meals are very, very satisfying. When I get off track, it is something mental/emotional and not hunger that drives me. As long as I am not feeling like I am "starving to death", I can control the emotional eating to some degree, although not as much as I would like.

It sure is easy to get discouraged. I seem to be in kind of a slump right now, too. I agree that rereading the book helps. I also read the two "Thin for Life" books by Anne Fletcher. I read a bit out of all of them before I go to sleep at night. Like I am saying my prayers! I think counting and journalling help, too. I know what I am doing wrong - eating too much of the wrong stuff, but I can't seem to stop myself.

Hi all-
feel better pam and anne

i went to the y today for a pump class. it's a class with free weights. i'm a little sore but plan on going to a different class tomorrow.

Hi . . . :wave:

Wow -- I am so sick and tired of this crappy weather -- I know, I know, SPRING is just around the corner -- but it seems to be one heck of a long block right now. :lol:

See you later.

Staying motivated to exercise is especially difficult this time of year. Some days, I go out for a walk while my hubby and kids are still sleeping. I need to get up very early and the sun isn't up yet but I enjoy the quiet and peace of being outdoors. Other days, I hide in my spare bedroom and run/walk on our elliptical trainer. Both workouts are about 40 minutes.

I just bought a pedometer to try to see how many steps I take in a day with and without exercise. I know we are shooting for 10,000. I don't think it works very well because I didn't even hit 2000 yesterday and I was all over the place.

Thanks for everyone's positive encouragement. I think I'm pretty much back to my old self. Plus, I don't need to step on the scale until Friday so maybe it will go down this time!

PPT, that's great that you are managing to get the exercise in. What do you think about the elliptical trainer? Is it easy on you knees?

My pedometer is so wierd. It says I only walk about 500 steps a day, unless I take a three mile walk. Well, maybe it's me that's wierd, but I can't believe that I am so inactive. It's not like I never do anything!

i second the elliptical, i love my machine.

today i did a hip hop hustle class at the y. it was so much fun!!! i'm not sure if i'll be able to walk after this week but i'm on track with my spring break goal-
1 y class mon-fri during spring break :)

I really like the elliptical. I have trouble with my knees and back so it makes a lot of machines uncomfortable. I had a recumbent bike but sold it to buy the elliptical. I think it is easy on my knees but I still feel like it is a challenging exercise. I think it gives me a better workout than walking outside because it has arm poles that also help work the upper body. After 30 minutes, I'm ready to get off but I push the next 10 because I thought I needed to step it up a bit. I also vary between a cardio and fatburn program so it is different each time.

I also have an ablounger and like it very much.

Hah! My DH is always wanting an ablounger. I told him I'm not buying anything that advertizes that much, but maybe I should change my tune, so to speak.

I read one review about the ablounger that someone kept it in their living room and used it as a chair when not using it for ab crunches. Funny thing is, the first time I used it I rested for a few minutes and could see how someone could be quite comfortable hanging out in it. Still, we keep it in the basement.

Exercise balls are great for abwork too.

I use my exercise ball as my computer chair -- a little extra ab work because you hve to use them to keep your balance.

Wow, lots of good exercise tips! Now I just have to go to it. Using the ball for a chair sounds like a really easy addition. Do you have to add air to it a lot, or isn't it like an air mattress? Those always seem to leak a little over time.

I did another cheater meal last night by taking a low ED pre-made frozen casserole (1.5 ED) and throwing it into a larger casserole pan filled with veggies- grated carrots, fresh spinach leaves and cut up tomatoes. Then I baked the whole thing like it was just the original casserole, only stirred it half way through to distribute the veggies. It tasted good enough, was easy and was low enough on the ED scale to make me feel good. Plus we have leftovers, so I can do it again with even more veggies.:carrot:

God Morning . . . :wave:

Wow LIZ that sounds like a great idea . . . did you thaw the frozen casserole first or just wait until it was warm enough to stir together?

Nothing new around here . . . another sunny and cold one . . . with another storm (freezing rain changing to rain-- at least it will be warmer than today) in the forecast for tomorrow . . . in other words, same old; same old. :lol: At some point we will get more than one decent day in a row and everybody will be afraid to go outside. :yes:

Hope the rest of you get better weather really soon and that it stays around for a really long time. In the meantime, try to keep things moving and shaking

Love those veggie additions! I also love having good left-overs.

hi all- day 3 of spring break and day 3 of my y class- today it was turbokick- lots of fun. my legs are sore so not sure which class i'll take tomorrow.

I am just about to leave work, travel to another small town about ten miles down the road and buy baby chickens! We are going to get six more. I don't know what kind they have, but I'll get a variety. I just don't want any mean roosters like the ones we have now.

On a completely different subject, I keep reading that folks think that eating well or healthfully is expensive. I can't figure out how to compare foods. Like how do you compare apples to potato chips? Maybe you compare potato chips to baked potatoes. But do you figure by calories? By wieght? By cost per pound? By how much you like a particular food?:lol: I think that it is probably true that eating healthy is not more expensive. It requires a bit more planning and cooking ability, but not really more money. I just don't know how to prove it. Have any of you given this any thought?

We had a potluck lunch at work today. I ate too much, but I did much better than last time. I had a little of a few different things, and a small piece of pie. Last time someone brought a cheese plate which sort of did me in.

Well . . . I think you can compare apples to potato chips . . . let's look at a family who always snack on apples vs a family that always snacks on junk food. Now pretend everything else is equal (which, of course, it would not be) and I bet the junk food costs more than the apples.

I guess you'd really need to get two comparable families and literally compare their total food costs over a set period of time. I'd bet that the junk food and fast food eaters are spending more when it comes right down to it.

When people talk about not being able to afford to eat better they are usually mentally thinking of a comparison between a box of Kraft Dinner and a giant salad with chicken in it and, indeed, the KD is cheaper -- but you can't isolate a single item (or meal, or even a day) like that. You have to look at the totals over a period of a month or so.

I agree about the KD. An acquaintence said to me that she and her family can't afford apples, so they snack on chips. Now, there happens to be a 13oz bag of potato chips in my pantry. It is marked $3.49. That seems pretty expensive to me. Apples are usually on sale at one of the stores for $1/lb, but I don't know how many apples are in a pound.

You have the same "gut" feeling that I have that it is not more expensive to eat well. For sure, fast food costs more than healthy cooking at home.

I buy a lot of nice things to cook and eat because I almost never eat out and I almost never buy prepared food. I figure the money I save justifies buying scallops at Trader Joe's.:cool:

Now, having said I almost never buy prepared food...I found a package of squid salad in the deli case. It was $3.49. I got it anyway, partly because it only has 170 calories and I like squid. Tomorrow I am going to make a stir-fry and have the salad with it. The squid salad is Japanese, but I think it will go just fine with stir-fry.

Wow, lots of good exercise tips! Now I just have to go to it. Using the ball for a chair sounds like a really easy addition. Do you have to add air to it a lot, or isn't it like an air mattress? Those always seem to leak a little over time.

I did another cheater meal last night by taking a low ED pre-made frozen casserole (1.5 ED) and throwing it into a larger casserole pan filled with veggies- grated carrots, fresh spinach leaves and cut up tomatoes. Then I baked the whole thing like it was just the original casserole, only stirred it half way through to distribute the veggies. It tasted good enough, was easy and was low enough on the ED scale to make me feel good. Plus we have leftovers, so I can do it again with even more veggies.:carrot:
My exercise ball seems to hold it's air. It has a little plug. I have to admit though, I am always wondering if it is going to pop but that is just in my head.

I've really had it with my scale. I can step on it 5 times and get a different weight each time. This happens every time I use it so I think we need to invest in a really good one. Does anyone love their scale? Trick question, right!?:D

Morning Gang . . .

PPT . . . My scale does the same thing -- I just keep getting on and off until I get two the same and decide that's it for today. :lol: My typing chair/ball tends to lose a little over the course of a month or so and I just keep topping it up. :shrug:

GAIL . . . depends on the size of the apple . . . somewhere between 2 to 4, so call it three.

Well . . . what says SPRING more clearly than freezing rain. That's what we've got and it's supposed to alternate between ice, snow, rain all of Easter weekend -- that bunny had better where his raincoat and his Yaktrax. Sun is supposed to pop in about mid-day on Monday. Such fun.

Hope everybody else gets a decent day and has fun things to do . . . see you later . . . :wave:

I have exactly the same thing with my scale! If I stand in a slightly different place, I get a different reading, so now I just make sure I stand in the same place. Mine is a dial kind, so I was thinking that maybe a digital would do better? At least then I could count 1/2 lbs, too. And I know what you mean about the exercise ball. I always feel very sure that they weren't thinking of heavy people when they made them!

Keep up the good work, teacher! At the end of all this you'll get to compare which exercises you liked better and feel you can stick with. A long time ago, that's how I found racquetball, and I played that for many years. I don't ever hear about it anymore.

And with that cheater casserole, it said to bake it from the frozen state, so I put it in frozen on top of the fresh veggies. It had to bake about an hour, so stirring it halfway through moved the veggies around enough to get them all the way cooked. I also greased the casserole first so the veggies didn't stick to the sides.

I also think eating well can be expensive if you buy too much fresh produce a lot and have to throw it out. That's what my compost worms are for downstairs, when I miscalculate. But I think what they really mean is that it takes too much time, and that eating lousy is easier.

My scale is digital . . . I think they are worse than the analog ones. :lol: . . . it does measure in .2 increments so when you finally do get to a confirmed reading, it's nice to see it moving a little bit.

I also thing the people who say it's too expensive to eat well are looking at it from the point of view of adding things to their normal stuff in the shopping cart rather than replacing. So . . . adding a head of lettuce to a package of KD . . . it is definitely more expensive. :yes:

On a completely different subject, I keep reading that folks think that eating well or healthfully is expensive. I It requires a bit more planning and cooking ability, but not really more money. I just don't know how to prove it. Have any of you given this any thought?


Here is what I think.

First, you save money by eating well in that you don't have health problems associated with being overweight or undernourished.

Second, you can recreate a restaurant meal (for example) for a much lower cost than you would pay to eat out or eat fast food. If you compare eating in to going out for a shrimp dinner, you can have a LOT more shrimp (and skip the breading) if you prepare it at home.

Third, the cheapest foods often contain the most overprocessed ingredients, especially high fructose corn syrup, which makes you hungrier for more of the same--so you eat more of it. If you "shop the edges" of your grocery store, buying fresh meat, dairy, vegetables and fruits, your bags are SO much heavier (have more water content) than if you shop the middle aisles and fill up your bags with cereal, bread, crackers, and cookies. It just feels like you are bringing home more food. A can of tuna might cost more than a box of macaroni and cheese, but a can of tuna will stick with you a lot longer.

hi everyone-
day 4 of spring break and day 4 of the y. today i did a bosu class- it wasn't my favorite but i might try it again.

But I think what they really mean is that it takes too much time, and that eating lousy is easier. I think you are probably correct, ArtCat.

Teacher, you are going to be totally buff by the time you go back to work! Good job.

We had mystery meat for supper tonight. It was all neatly wrapped and frozen. I thought it was pork loin, but when it thawed, I realized it wasn't pork. It was beef, but I have no idea what cut. Somebody needs to pay attention to making labels. I grilled it and we ate it. Just a bit chewy.:lol:

That squid salad was yummy, but very salty.

Freezing rain is a sign of spring??? Maybe if you have been having freezing snow for the last few months. It was beautiful here today. DH planted the tomatoes. From now on there is almost no chance of frost, but it won't really warm up until May.

Planted tomatoes! sigh. I planted seeds indoors. It'll be mid may before we can plant anything outside.

And I don't even know what bosu is, teacher!

I was looking at the icons, and found this for everyone for the upcoming holiday- :dust:

Good Morning . . . :wave:

No more freezing rain . . . just a little snow in the forecast for today . . . :lol: . . . and the forecast has been revised to include a little sun on Sunday. :yay: (if they're right).

Later . . . :grouphug:

i did it!!!!!! day 5 of my ymca class and day 5 of my spring break. i did yoga to help my sore body. overall, it's been a wonderful break and i'll be ready monday to finish up the last 2 months of school. everyone have a great weekend :)

Congratulations TEACHER . . . :yay:

Located the pork loin, and we ate it tonight. Also had sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and a gigantic orange and baby spinach salad.

Good Morning . . . :wave:

Big lot of nothing going on around here today -- from the weather point of view; that's a good thing -- from the personal activity point of view; boring. No big plans for me for tomorrow either (my family is all so far away :().

I had a wonderful stir fry (actually more of a stir-simmer) with some gorgeous marshmallow-sized scallops and lots of oniion, garlic, gabbage and other veggies for dinner last night. Really Yummy.

Have a great Easter Saturday, gang . . . try to stay away from those :bunny:-droppings.

Hi all-
No workout today, I'm still so sore. Have a great Saturday :)

after moving around I felt up to the ymca- hip hop hustle class- so much fun!

Dang, teacher, you are a hard act to follow!

Linda, the scallop/simmer/fry sounds great. Love scallops.

I got up my nerve to weigh myself this morning. I haven't gained. Yay! I always think I will gain 20 lbs in two days when I don't weigh every day.

Easter wishes to all. We have a ham. I can count on water weight from that.

:bunny2: . . . HOPPY BUNNY DAY . . . :bunny2:

We have a lovely :sunny: morning on the go -- and I find that very comforting for Easter Sunday -- unfortunately it's also very windy and cold; but one out of three ain't too bad. :lol:

I thought about going out to buy a little leg of lamb (my favourite :drool: for Easter or any other time for that matter) yesterday so I could have that for dinner tonight . . . but . . . knew that those rabbit eggs would be calling my name too loudly, so I passed on the idea and will be having some salty ham for dinner today, too. :yes:

Hope everybody has a really great day . . . :bunny2:

happy easter!!!! yikes, so much candy. i have such a sweet tooth. fun today and back on my plan tomorrow.

Good Morning . . . :wave:

Two out of three good weather factors for today -- it's absolutely beautifully sunny and the wind is almost calm -- now, if it would just warm up a little.

No leftovers to face around here but I did manage to overindulge yesterday in (of all things) Kashi Go Lean cereal after dinner. My story (and I'm sticking to it :lol:) is that I needed the starch to soak up the excess salt from the ham. :shrug: Sounds good if I say it quick enough and often enough.

Must go out and get a few groceries and other stuff today so hopefully I won't bump into any half-price bunnies that I can't resist.

Have a great day . . . see you all later . . . try to keep things moving and shaking . . . :carrot:

Hi everyone.

I have been off this board for quite some time, and I wasn't here for long the last time I was here.

I am starting over. After spending many months eating whenever, whatever, however much I wanted, I am going to give this another shot.

Spring always seems like a good time to start something new, so here goes.

Welcome back, Zest!

hi zest!!!!

back to the school today. the kiddos were so sleepy from the long break and tons of candy. i didn't workout this morning, the bed felt so good.

Hi everyone! I have decided to do Volumetrics too. I have done WW, South Beach, Atkins, etc. i do well on them for months, but fall off the wagon then gain back all the weight I lost :( This seems more like something I can stick with. I HAVE to feel full, i cant stand tiny portions. I'm gonna go pick up the book tomorrow at barnes and nobles book store. YAY!

Welcome rupeysgroupie, and welcome back Zest!

Well, I had a fun but naughty weekend, so now I'm working on getting my head back in the game. Unfortunately there's bits and pieces of chocolate, candy and cookies scattered about, so I hope my DH gets to it and eats them up. Otherwise I'll have to dump them, and I just hate doing that!

So far my scale isn't showing anything bad, but I'm guessing it'll show up in a couple of days. It always tricks you like that. You think you're OK, but then after processing all the junk, it makes you pay.

Our weather here is lousy- cold, windy and snowing. I know it's still March, but I'm getting a little tired of it. I'd just like to have warm enough air so I can open the windows and let the stale air out!

I am waiting on my Volumetrics book from Amazon! I got notification yesterday that it has been shipped. I can't wait to actually start although I have begun the basics already since meeting a nutritionist. I hope I can continue to find the support that I need!

Hey, greek12see and rupeysgroupie, welcome! There is lots of support and great information available for you here.

Oh wow . . . life is getting busier around here . . . :love: it.

:welcome: back ZEST4LIFE . . .
:welcome: RUPEYSGROUPIE . . .
:welcome: GREEK12SEE . . .

You've all taken a very important step on the long and bumpy road to better health and fitness Chickies by joining us here. It's amazing what a help it can be to belong to an on-line support group like this one.

Hopefully we will all become great friends as we cheer each other along on this journey.

And . . . HI There to all the regulars, too.

Hope everybody has an absolutely great and Volumentrics-Friendly day ahead of them . . . keep things moving and shaking just as much as you can, gang . . . see you all later . . . :carrot:

hi all-
today the weather was perfect. ah, i can't wait for summer. it was a crappy day at work but tomorrow is another day.

A :hug: for you Teacher . . . tomorrow will be better. :yes:

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

I didn't have such a great day today, but usually find myself getting off to a slow start. I came back to my apartment after the long weekend for Easter and had no food. Ended up eating out all three meals.

I had Subway for lunch, which ended up being pretty good because I got a
6" turkey sub loaded with veggies.

The other two meals were not so great. Do any of you have good suggestions for eating out? Today breakfast was fast food and dinner was Italian. Not many veggies to be found...then again, maybe I didn't look hard enough.

It's midterms this week at school so I am SWAMPED with papers, tests, and a big group project. Otherwise, the weather if finally warming up and that is fabulous as far as I'm concerned.


Hope everyone had a great day!

Well, I have done badly this evening. For supper I had 360 calories worth of cookies and a small serving of mashed potatoes - really just licked the bowl, but I know it adds up. And a small piece of ham - about 2 oz. I bought the cookies (less than half price the day after Easter) for my DH. I was so hungry I had to eat one on the way home, and it was downhill from there. I have got to figure out just the right thing to eat on the way home so that I don't get too hungry. The rest of my day was perfect:lol:.

So, do all of you count calories as well as trying to eat "volumetric foods?

Good Morning . . . :wave:

ZEST . . . I have found that most of the fast food joints are now offering some lighter fare . . . MacDonald's even has salads and grilled chicken wraps now . . . Wendy's has some great meal-sized salads (but try to choose a lighter dressing). Still not as healthy as you could get at home, but better. Naturally, the french fries call your name when you go in -- but, I can resist those by reminding myself that they always seem to smell better than they taste. ;)

GAIL . . . I went on a couple of cookie binges between the beginning of December and the end of February. The really stupid part of it -- I really don't even like cookies -- but once I'd get started by having one -- game over until the whole package was gone. :dizzy:

ANNE . . . Just so happens that I count everything -- calories, fat grams, grams, fibre grams, net carbs, and protein grams -- but that's because I'm diabetic and need to know the composition of what I'm eating and how it impacts my blood sugar levels. As far as Volumetrics is concerned . . . you could do fairly well with the plan without tracking anything -- just keep the ED in mind . . . but . . . I would recommend keeping an approximate calorie count simply because they do count in the overall scheme of things. :) For me, if I don't journal something, it's like I never ate it. Keeping track, keeps me aware of what I'm stuffing into my mouth.

Now, for ME . . .

Heavily overcast this morning . . . but no snow . . . yet.

I had a great volumetric salad for dinner last night -- lots and lots of spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion topped with a grilled chicken breast. For dessert/bedtime snack, I had sliced plums with a dollop of reddiwhip light. In all honesty I prefer the taste of cool whip, but the calories are basically the same and I'm trying to stay clear of all the HFCS and Hydrogenated Palm Oil; at least the real whipped cream is a lot more natural.

I was up a little too early this morning (may become a nap day). Woke up to go to the bathroom about 4:30 and 'discovered' (because I stepped in it) that Mouse (my big grey cat) had thrown up right in front of my bedroom door. As you can imagine, by the time I cleaned up my foot and the carpet; going back to sleep was not in the cards.

Guess I'd better get moving and shaking . . . see you all later . . . :carrot:

hi all-
not that exactly an exciting day. i'm ready for the weekend.

Hate it when I step in cat "yak". I didn't sleep well last night and tomorrow I have to get up very early - 5am - because I am working the early shift for two weeks.

It is 8:30 pm right now. I have eaten absolutely perfectly today. Let's hope I don't go foraging for anything else tonight. My lunch and breakfast are packed for tomorrow, my clothes are ready. All I have to do is shower and go to bed. And sleep, I hope.

Anne, I don't count anything. Of course, right at the moment, I am not loosing any weight. Whenever I get back to business, I will probably count or journal for a while. Part of my aim with this diet or Lifestyle change, if you prefer, is to learn how to eat without too much obsessing on everything.

Thanks for the tips, Meowee. I hope your day got better after your unusual awakening. (At least it would be unusual in my world).

This group project out of town is not working to my advantage, but thankfully, today should have been the last day we were out ther for too long. Ended up eating at bar and of course, there were no steamed veggies or fruit options for dessert.

I did go grocery shopping, finally. Picked up lots of good stuff, so I'm planning to be on track tomorrow.

Gail, I completely understand about the cookies. Trying to eat just one cookie or other baked, refined carb feels almost impossible.

Teacher, I am also looking forward to the weekend. I'm hoping to get a lot done over the next few days.

Hope everyone has a great night/day!

Zest- I think some of the fast food places even have yogurt with fruit and granola- that would be a great breakfast! Otherwise, just aim for lower fat meat, not fried, whole grain sides and try to stay away from the simple carbs, like white breads and sugars. Anything helps, even just taking the bun off of a hamburger. The less of the "evil" food you put into your body, the better.

Gail- I've found that it helps to have some sort of granola-type bar around. I leave one in my car just in case I have a super hunger emergency. They're not real great for you, but if you get the whole grain ones, at least they're better than cookies. I think last time I bought the South Beach ones- they're good for an emergency breakfast in the car, too.

Have any of you ever tried Overeaters Anonymous? I've been toying with the idea, since I know I have emotional eating issues.

The goldfinches are just starting to turn yellow, so I know there's hope for spring!

I need to find a granola bar that doesn't taste too good! I seem to be able to over eat on just about anything.

Oh wow . . . have I ever had a strange morning . . . :yes:

This was my morning for a root canal dentist appointment. Got up (after a fretful night) and my blood glucose level was a little high (stress related, most likely). So, in my own stupidity, I delayed eating breakfast and then I totally forgot until it was too late and I'm rushing out the door to get to the dentist appointment. Just as I get to his building, I get those crazy symptoms of low blood sugar and although I immediately took some glucose tablets, I guess I freaked out the dentist as I came staggering into his office. :lol: He decided it would be better to reschedule . . . Hey, who needs a nervous dentist playing around in your mouth with sharp instruments. Only bad thing, now I have to fret about my upcoming root canal procedure until April 8. At least it's good to find out that having Diabetes is good for something. It can definitely get you out of things you don't want to do. :lol3:

So . . . now I can go out with my friend for our normal Thursday shopping tour. BTW, it is a beautiful and sunny day, as well . . . but still :brr:

See you later . . . :grouphug:

Wow, Meowee, I'm glad you're OK and that you still had the sense to take care of yourself during your "attack". That's just a good reminder to all of us how serious diabetes is, and it's one of the reasons I'm here, trying to get healthier. The last thing I need is diabetes!

I'm having to drive around town a lot lately, and I'm really sick of these high gas prices. We're up to $3.39/gal now.

I can make you feel a little better LIZ . . . our gas is currently $1.17 per litre -- that's about a QUART -- so that's over $4.00 a GALLON. May be looking for a horse and buggy soon. :D Anybody know what a bushel of hay goes for these days. :lol:

It's a cloudy and overcast day in northern Nova Scotia -- and, what is that white fluffly stuff that's falling out of the sky, I wonder. :s: :mad: Will this Winter never end??????

Oh well, guess I'd better get myself moving and shaking -- all I've accomplished so far is scrubbing a little cat hair of the furniture for what seems like hours. You know, I think I could do that same task for about 10 hours a day, every day, and never get to the end of it -- wonder why my cats aren't bald yet. :dunno:

Hey . . . hope everybody has a great POP day . . . see you all later . . . :grouphug:

Hi all- TGIF:)

I have found cat and dog hair in the computer keyboard at work. Others have cats, but my dog's hair is pretty distinctive. No claiming it's not my dog :lol:. It's a wonder I don't have hairballs.

My car takes premium gasoline which is just pennies under $4/gal. $3.97, I think.

I have really noticed the price of groceries the last couple of times I shopped. I continue to believe that cooking from scratch is the best way to go. I always did that, even before I started eating healthier. It seems to me that I used to buy a huge pile of produce for almost nothing. Now I pay real money for the pile of produce.

I have done better today and yesterday with my eating. Thank goodness.

Gas prices are ridiculous! I am living in a commuter marriage (about 4 hours away from my husband) and I personally think they should put chairs by the gas pump so you can be sitting down when you see what they are going to charge you to drive away. :eek: My grandpa also says we should all buy horses. I'm not sure what the other people in my apartment would think, but I'm sure we'd work something out.

I have been OP for the past two days and I feel great. I tried low fat cottage cheese and peaches and actually enjoyed it. (I had to take back some of the nasty things I said about mixing foods, at least in this case) I even worked out for 30 minutes.

I forgot how full I feel on this plan. I am not complaining by any means. I love the feeling that I don't have to starve to be eating healthy. I tried the Oceanside Pasta last night. I am a carb junkie and thought I would be disappointed by the amount of pasta in a serving, but was pleasantly surprised; I didn't notice a difference and it was delicious!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. It's supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow, so it's beginning to feel more like spring everyday!

I am always surprised by how much pasta I get from 2 oz uncooked. I keep thinking I am making a mistake in measuring!

I have been reading the book again.

Good Morning . . . :grouphug: . . . oops, make that Good Afternoon (my time)

Boy, did I sleep in . . . almost 9 am when I finally got up . . . and my blood sugar was awful (must have been the timing -- the almost 2 quarts of ice cream I ate yesterday couldn't have had anything to do with it -- :o ).

Anyway, after two bad, bad (and uncounted) days in a row -- just to make up for your 2 good ones ZEST -- I am determined to make the last 3 days of March POP days. :yes: No treats or triggers for me and I'm going to make that my major theme for the entire month of April -- NOTT -- Treats are pretty obvious; things like candy, cookies, cakes and other high calorie, high carb desserts; Triggers includes certain kinds of high GI carbs (white flour, and/or highly processed) and, of course, anything with an excess of HFCS and/or a lot of artificial sweeteners, particularly the sugar alcohols. Now, there is nothing wrong with a lot of these things if you can control the portions. Unfortunately, I cannot.

Okay . . . having got that off my chest . . . the sun is trying to poke out off and on today and it looks so pretty shining on the almost 4 inches of fresh snow. :dizzy: I am not going anywhere today and that's a good thing because the radio has been talking about some pretty nasty accidents on local roads over last night and early this morning.

While I was out yesterday (as well as the Ice cream :mad:), I bought a couple of new Health/Weight related books . . . both of which fit nicely into our way of eating -- not counting my past couple of days. :lol:

Eat This - Not that, by David Zinczenko (the Abs Diet guy) So far, I'm a little disappointed with this one -- mainly because it is very US oriented. It compares a lot of restaurant meals and different brand-name products that we, unfortunately, do not have here in the frozen north called Canada. :lol: There are some real eye-openers though; but you do have to read the fine print because sometimes the main differences that they are quoting are not instantly clear in the pictures (it's very visually driven).

Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar, by Robert A. Barnett (one of the authors of TheVolumetrics Weight control Plan ). At first perusal, I like this one a lot. It is aimed at the current epidemic of Metabolic Syndrome sufferers rather than those of us who already have full blown diabetes. It's based on the GI (Glycemic Index) -- actually the more recent GL (Glycemic Load) which improves on the GI shortcoming by taking into consideration the actual impact of a 'serving' of food rather than a predetermined amount of net carbohydrate -- and I am a firm believer in the GI/GL theory of Good Carbs/Bad Carbs.

Anyway . . . enough of my babbling for now . . . I've got other places to visit around 3FC . . . so I'd better get myself moving and shaking . . . Hope you all have a great day, doing lots of good stuff . . . see you later. :wave:

hi all-
Today I plan on doing laundry and cleaning. It's nice to be home to get some stuff done.

Gail- Did I read that you have your dog at work and cats? What kind of fun job is that? At our school the speech teacher has a therapy dog. My DB and I are getting a puppy in May. I'm hoping he'll be able to be a therapy dog eventually.

Today was another good day for me. I went to Leann Chin's after dinner because I LOVE their frozen yogurt. I really hope the calories and ED isn't outrageous for it. The nice thing there is they have a good selection of fresh fruit for toppings. I am very excited. (By the way, if anyone knows the nutritional facts on it, that would be great-I went to their website, but couldn't find it).

Otherwise I spent the day very stressed out over homework, so that was not great, but I managed to stay OP.

I am going to finish up some more work and then kick back and watch a movie I think.

:lol: :lol: No, the actual dog and cat are not at work! I found hair from them in my keyboard. It must have fallen off of me or my clothing.

Have you selected a breed of dog, or are you just going to go with generic "dog"? One of ours is a German Shepherd and the other is her offspring with the neighbor's semi-australian shepherd. They are both really nice dogs. I always thought German Shepherds were sort of mean, but this one is the gentlest, most loving dog I have ever met. We inherited her from a previous resident around here.

I have been pretty much on plan today. Probably not for loosing, but at least for clean eating. Salmon and asparagus, grilled, and a nice big veggie salad with 1/4 avocado comprised dinner.

:wave:

It's snowing, again -- March is trying to do the unthinkable around here and go OUT the same way it came IN -- Lion-mode -- things will have to improve a lot by tomorrow if it's going to get to Lamb-like. On a better note . . . yesterday was POP . . . hopefully I can make it two in a row today.

Sounds great GAIL . . . I absolutely :love: both salmon and asparagus. I made meat loaf for yesterday . . . with lots of extra veggies in it and using the leanest ground beef I could find and had it, of course, with the obligatory giant salad.

Later . . . :carrot:

Teacher- how fun to be looking forward to a new dog! We lost ours a years ago May, and it still hurts, especially now when we're coming up on weather that's great for walking. Walking with a dog just feels so right! Ours was a lab mix, and they're incredibly nice, even tempered dogs. Something else to consider if you're wanting it to be a therapy dog is the allergy factor. I know some are less offensive than others, but I'm not sure which. Puppies sure are a lot of work, though! You have a schnauzer, right? Is he a therapy dog, too?

You win, Meowee- I won't complain about gas anymore! That's ridiculous!:stress:

We're finally getting around to doing our taxes here- this is the first year in many that we didn't have to do it early for FAFSA, so we rebelled and waited. Now we're running out of time.

Hope everyone finishes up the weekend well!

Okay . . . what's FAFSA? We don't have to do our taxes until the 30th of April and I haven't even started seriously thinking about them yet.

hi all-
my bad Gail- I for some reasons envisioned a fun office with dogs and cats roaming around. My DB really wanted to get a German Shepherd but I have asthma and allergies. I really wanted a Min Schnauzer. Liz- my family has a Schnauzer but she doesn't live with me. Also, she's not a therapy dog actually she's blind and anti-social. So after months of talks my DB and I decided on a boxer. My sister has a boxer so I've had some experience with this breed. We're waiting to get a puppy around mid May so I'll be home with the puppy during June and July. I'm so excited. I've already started ordering toys, a dog bed, and ID tag. Making the dog a therapy dog would be a long term goal. A dog can't even take the test until he's a year old.

I don't know any boxers, but they seem like good dogs. I never had a puppy or dog until we inherited the German Shep and she had puppies. She had twelve, but only eleven survived. You just can't imagine the sound of 44 little feet running to meet you. They were so darned cute. DH, who is sort of a Pied Piper of animals, always had a trail of little dogs running behind him, and probably a cat, too.

On a less interesting note: I have got to get back with the program. I was up two pounds this morning. I was already up one. I really, really, really want to maintain now, so I can loose some more when the spirit moves me. Like I mentioned, I am re-reading the book. I am going to try to get to around 1500 calories. I may not loose at that ammount because I am such a munchkin. What a struggle it is sometimes. It does help to follow the volumetric principles, because it helps to feel satisfied after a meal.

Gail, I laughed out loud when I thought of 44 feet running to meet you and your Pied Piper for a husband.

Sorry to hear about the scale going up two pounds, but it sounds like you are already starting to get back on track.

Teacher, I have never actually been around a boxer, but I think they are beautiful dogs. How exciting.

ArtCat, we had to do a FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid or something like that) and I hate the extra pressure of getting it done early and then filling out more paperwork. Yuck.

Anyway, it is a beautiful day here, I have lots to get done. We are supposed to be getting a big snow storm tomorrow (spring can come and stay anyday now-this is getting old), so here's hoping the weatherman is wrong!

I made the following recipe exactly as writen, except, and I hope this is a significant "except", I used light coconut milk. The ED is less than 1 (45cal/60ml), and the ingredients are: water, coconut milk, and guar gum(a natural emulsifier). I have never had coconut milk, lite or otherwise, before as far as I know. You can see from the nutritional analysis that the original with regular coconut milk is very heavy on the calories. I also cut the recipe down to one serving, since there is no way DH would touch this stuff :lol:

Anyway, I just loved this soup. It was ethnic enough (supposed to be Thai), yet comforting. Just really good and very easy to make. It does not taste like coconut. In fact, the coconut milk doesn't really have a whole lot of taste, but together with the other stuff - yummo!

Coconut Shrimp Soup - Everyday Food from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

1. Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces angel hair pasta
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Coarse salt
4 scallions, thinly sliced

2. Cooking Directions

Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.
Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions.
Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition Info
Per Serving
Calories: 499 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Fat: 26 g
Protein: 34 g
Sugars: 10 g

Just a quick question--does anybody know how to figure out the energy density of V-8 juice? Is it a good choice for a volumetric food?

Hmmm, okay--I think I can answer my own question! I found a link discussing energy density at the Campbell's foods website, which even cites a study by Barbara Rolls using V-8 juice.

I can't post the link, because this site won't let me--it gives me an error message because I have posted fewer than 25 messages. However, if you search Google for "energy density v-8 juice", the webpage should come up.

An 8 oz glass of V-8 has an ED of 0.2 and that makes it a very good choice indeed. :yes:

Do you have the original book? Beverages are listed on pages 152, 153, 154 of the mass-market paperback edition.

I just learned about Volumetrics last week, ordered the most recently published book, and am reading it every spare minute I have. I can't understand why the book and the eating plan aren't more widely know. I learned about it via a re-broadcast of the Fox Channel's Morning Show with Mike and Juliet where they were discussing the four best diet plans. Volumetrics was no. 1 yet no one on the program seemed to know about it. I sure didn't. The program makes perfect sense. Are any of you following the plan? How do you like it? I think I have been following some aspects of the concept without realizing what it was called. I have been eating a salad before my evening meal to fill the void. Tomorrow I intend to make some cabbage soup so that I can eat some before lunch. I'm also going to devise some desserts that are high volume, low calorie because I like to have some kind of dessert following my evening meal - just habit, I guess.

Hi there CONSTANCE . . . :hug: . . . :welcome: to the group. Glad to have you joining us.

I honestly think volumetrics isn't more popular because it is too logical and too simple -- no gimmicks and no taboo lists or periodic phases to follow -- and, of course, because it doesn't promise miracles.

Fruit is your best dessert and, of course, the good old standby . . . FF/SF jello. :lol:

I agree with Linda about why it isn't more popular. As I mentioned, I have been re-reading the book and I noticed that they really stress that they are not pushing a quick weight loss plan, rather a sustainable, health improving plan. I read about it in Consumer Reports magazine.

I have come to enjoy a bowl of soup at lunch time. In fact, the basic plan for my lunches is soup, salad and sandwich. Sometimes I don't actually have a sandwich with bread, but I include a whole grain item. I like the recipe for Good Housekeeping Magazine's diet soup. They published it a few years ago, but it is still around on the internet. I eat it by itself, or I add something to it, for instance, a can of clams and call it a main dish. I make up a bunch of soup and freeze it in serving size amounts.

Good Morning . . . Actually I'm up too early this morning to know if it will be a "good" one or not. Now working on my third :coffee: and waiting for daylight. The radio is saying sun for the last day of March here in Atlanticca; but back to the "S" word again for tomorrow -- enough already. :mad:

See you later, gang . . . :wave:

Good Morning Meowee! To answer your FAFSA question, it's a federal financial aid form you have to send in if your dependent kids want to get any sort of college loans or grants. It's usually due at the end of Jan/early Feb, and you need your taxes done first before you can fill in the FAFSA stuff. It puts the pressure on, because if you don't get it done, your kids don't get the college money they earned. Anyways, it was a relief this year to finally not have to worry about it!

Teacher- when I was young- maybe 9? a good friend of mine had a boxer, and that was such a nice dog! We would play with him all the time, and he never lost patience or avoided us. And I'm sure we were annoying! He was large, and I remember we'd make him stand still, and we'd crawl underneath him and through. who knows why! But he just stood there and wagged his tail.

I, too, have lost diet focus and need to get with the program again. I'm afraid I've gained a pound back, but it's so hard to tell with my stupid scale! I'm very afraid of leaving Onederland, so I need to get on this right away!

An 8 oz glass of V-8 has an ED of 0.2 and that makes it a very good choice indeed. :yes:

Do you have the original book? Beverages are listed on pages 152, 153, 154 of the mass-market paperback edition.

Okay, thanks for that confirmation. I enjoy V-8 and tomato juice, and they make a great pick-me-up at work. Our work fridge chills things extra COLD so it is just that much better.

I was visiting my college-age daughter at her school this weekend and purchased a colorful edition of Rolls' book with photos of recipes. I'm going to make the mexican chicken stew for supper tonight, and the chicken merlot tomorrow night. I had a very satisfying volumetric breakfast for 200 calories--a serving of oatmeal (1/2 cup dry), with 3 oz. of skim added after cooking, topped with 1/4 cup frozen blueberries and a packet of my favorite no-calorie sweetener. Very filling and delicious! :woohoo:

As Linda says, I need to do more "movin' and shakin'" and less chowing down.

I made up a batch of the cabbage soup diet soup so that I can begin eating soup before my regular meals Volumetrics-style. I really like the taste of this soup. I'm anxious to see how Volumetrics works using the soup. It's certainly logical. I was actually full tonight after eating a 1-1/4 cup serving (65 calories) but I knew I'd be hungry very soon if I didn't eat something more. I had scrambled eggs and 3 slices of Jones Canadian Bacon (60 calories) with a little cheese wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. It was filling and good. It could have used some salsa but there was none in the refrigerator.

Last night I saw a program called "I Can Make You Thin" on The Learning Channel. The only reason I decided to watch it is because I'd recently seen the presenter's name on one of the diet websites: Paul McKenna. He is a weight loss expert and hypnotist from the UK. He offered some interesting techniques to stop emotional eating, rev up your metabolism rate, and stop cravings. His website offers videos of the techniques. I've been spending time this afternoon reading the material he offers online. He'll be on TV again this coming late Sunday evening with more information about his techniques - in case anyone is interested in taking a look at it. Anything to help me lose weight.

hi ladies,
Work was wild like all my Mondays. On a side note, I found a new food find- True Lemon. It's a packet by the splenda in the store. If you put a packet in a glass of water, it makes it lemon water. It's so much easier than real lemon. *Bonus, no calories!!!

Gail, I was just reading through this thread and saw something yummy you said. Lemon Relish! How do you make it?

And for those looking for the Martha Stewart egg salad/avocado recipe, here it is.

Ingredients

Serves 4.

* 6 hard-boiled eggs, whites only, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 rib celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* Pinch of cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* Butter lettuce, for serving

Mix all ingredients except lettuce. When mixed, serve on lettuce leaves.

Constance, thanks for the information - I'll look for that show this weekend!

Thanks teacher for the lemon hint- I put drops of lemon or lime concentrate in my water a lot, so I'll have to check it out. When it's cold outside, I put lemon/lime in a mug with water, heat it up, and drink it that way. It's really good, although I really like lemon and lime.

Talking about the V-8 or tomato juice again- if I want a quick soup before dinner, I put equal amounts of tomato juice and chicken broth (or bouillon) in a mug, heat it up, and you've got a quick and easy low ED soup.

Our weather is so crazy- yesterday it was in the 30's with rain, then last night a warm front went through and they said at midnight it would be almost 60, and then by 7am it'll be back at 40 and drop the rest of the day. How crazy is that? So the best time to walk was last night at midnight! Needless to say, I slept instead.

Jennifer- did you try that egg salad recipe? It was really good, although I made it with more apple than she said and the whole egg, not just egg white.

Me too . . . I do the lemon water (both hot and cold, but mostly hot right now) all the time. :lol:

I watched one of the "I can Make You Thin" episodes . . . it seems a fair bit like 'Intuitive Eating" to me. A great philosophy but it scares me . . . listening to my body and what it thinks it wants, is what got me here in the first place. :(

Okay everybody, since it is the :joker: day . . . What was your best ever April Fool's prank? Either one that you pulled or one that was pulled on you?

Brace yourselves because mine is a fairly long story . . . the conversion to the metric system in Canada was a very long (and tedious) ten year event, but nobody got too excited about it until things started being converted in the stores in the early 1980's -- pounds to kilograms; inches to centimetres; yards to metres, etc. Talk about confusion. :dizzy: Wow. :dizzy: Anyway . . . as I was driving to a business meeting one morning (about a 45 minute trip), the radio started broadcasting the latest news in the great (and unpopular) changeover to metric. Effective the beginning of next month (May 1) we would be changing to a metric time system -- 100 seconds = 1 minute; 100 minutes = 1 hour; we would, therefore. be converting to 14 hour days, and to top it off; the year would be divided into 10 months of approximately 62 days each. Pretty far-fetched you say -- :yes: -- but by the time I got to my destination, they actually had me believing it. It was very well done. I walked into my meeting and reported this latest happening and almost got laughed out of the room. :o:o:o

This morning both Mom Nature and the Scale-:devil: are playing tricks on me. We have about 4 inches (10 centimetres, in case you care :D) of heavy,wet, fresh snow on the ground but it is supposed to get washed away by rain later on today (high temp of +9C/48F predicted). The really nasty thing for this morning, however, is that the weight is 1.6 pounds over my ticker number (just to complete the translation process, that's about 3/4 of a kilo :lol:). Oh well . . . both the nasty weather and the nasty weight blip will soon be gone again. :crossed:

Have a great moving and shaking day everybody . . . :carrot:

Last year, my DH sat down at the table for breakfast, and so seriously and realistically said he wanted a divorce. I almost passed out! Then he started laughing and I "got it". I told him not to bother asking for a divorce this year.

What a good idea to combine V-8 with chicken broth! I am going to try that.

Here is the salmon and lemon relish recipe:

http://www.marthastewart.com/roasted-salmon-with-lemon-relish

I made the southwest chicken stew from the Volumetrics cookbook--and I substituted diced tomatoes with chilis for the plain diced tomatoes called for. WOW--was that spicy! My hubby loved it. Me, not so much!

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

We are having a mostly sunny and relatively mild day; but it is windy; and I don't want to even think that we've finally seen the last snowfall -- unfortunately I'm pretty sure there will be more to come.

Speaking of more to come (bad stuff, that is); just when you think we are definitely making headway (and we are, we are) along comes an article like this one . . . http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/ShowArticle.aspx?IsP=news/614/news614054.xml&dp=2008/04/01&q1=&cen=&xid=nl_EverydayHealthManagingDiabetes_20080402 . . . and a new catch-phrase that we can learn to hate -- "Normal Weight Obesity".

Oh well . . . just means we have to keep things moving and shaking all the harder, gang . . . see you later. :carrotL

They aren't even calling it "normal weight overweight". Sigh.....

hi all,
i need to get back on track. it's so easy to exercise when i'm not working than bam back to work and i slack off. oh, i have to get a routine.

Hi there . . . :wave:

Another day, another ray of sunshine. It is very windy and pretty cold; but, the long term forecast is calling for above-freezing highs everyday for the next couple of weeks -- maybe, just maybe, Spring is actually going to appear soon.

Nothing too new on my horizon -- I had a cooking disaster yesterday and had to throw out a whole pot of soup -- hopefully today will be better.

Have a great one, gang . . . see you later . . . :carrot:

nothing much going on just wanted to say hi :)

Hi Everyone! I think this has been the most stressful week of school to date. Midterms are finally a thing of the past and now I just need to catch up on an assignment or two that got left behind in the testing mayhem. :dizzy:

I am planning on spending a weekend as homework free as possible. This may not be feasible, but I thought it was a nice little goal. :)

As far as being OP, I have not been on everyday, but I don't think I've done terribly. Now that things are slowing down a little, I hope to be able to get back to cooking regularly again.

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well!

Hi Gang . . . :wave:

Just a quick "HI" this morning . . . doctor's appointment . . . then just might take my first stroll on the boardwalk -- it's sunny, relatively windless, and temp is supposed to hit 12C/54F today . . . :yay: . . . but guess what is in the forecst for tomorrow -- yep, the "S" word again. :shrug:

See you later . . . :carrot:

I've been really busy helping out a sick friend, and have been not paying much attention to what I've been eating. I'm hoping for the weekend off so I can get OP again. At this point I'm just mentally exhausted, and it's so easy to eat to make yourself feel better. I think I need to write stuff down so I pay more attention to it.

At least we have a good weather weekend coming up, so I'll plan on getting outside and enjoying some of it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

We went to Costco, Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart and Lowe's. I bought eight bottles of salad dressing at TJ's. I also got some greek yogurt, fire roasted peppers and a giant belgian chocolate bar (72%). Over all, we spent a fortune. I won't have to go to the store for anything except milk and produce for a long time. Can-not-believe-how-high-prices-are! $17 for a case of cat food!

I had two gorditas at Taco Bell. I should probably be excommunicated from the group for that little indescretion. There was a little lettuce and tomatoes to make them a bit more volumetric. Hah.

Good Morning . . . :wave:

We do not require perfection GAIL . . . lucky thing, or I wouldn't be kept around here for very long; that's for sure. :lol:

Well . . . it's not quite 7:30 in my morning and so far we've had a little dusting of snow and are now working on a covering of ice to preserve the snow; supposed to turn to plain rain shortly, though. How can you tell it's the weekend? :s:

See you later gang . . . keep things moving and shaking in the great downward direction . . . :carrot:

Boy, I wish there are a Trader's Joe around here :( Everyone have a wonderful weekend :)

The sun is shining, the birdies are singing, and my DH is out planting stuff in the yard.

I just defrosted a serving of my broth-based veggie soup. I added some cooked chicken and an ounce of cooked fideo. Pretty good for a no effort meal. Should have had a salad, too, but I am still trying to get the mess cleaned up from the shopping trip.

What's fideo . . . cooked or otherwise

Fideo is like the noodles in Lipton's chicken noodle soup. Sort of like broken up angel hair only finer.

Good Morning . . . I've got a :sunny: and realtively mild day, here . . . :yay:

Thanks, Gail42... I went to the Good Housekeeping website and found their vegetable soup recipe. It is much the same as the cabbage soup recipe I use. I bookmarked the Good Housekeeping website and am going to go back to it to read their diet health information section. I don't take the magazine and hadn't thought about them as a resource. Thank you Gail.

:wave: goodness it's gotten quiet around here . . . where is everyone?

You are welcome, Constance. I know it is pretty similar. I don't always like cooked cabbage is why I make this one more often.

Linda, it took me three days to get everything put away, processed etc from the shopping trip. That's where I've been.

Hello and good morning! I have been lurking in the fringes for a bit now…coming to this forum has been a great boost for my eating/guilt/etc.-issues – I ‘see’ myself in quite a few of the posts, and it is reassuring to know I “ain’t the only one out there”…

A quick rundown – have done W/W, another program (can’t recall the name) which involved fasting and much prayer and scripture reading – but the further I got into that one, the more uncomfortable I got. Tried this-n-that, lost some, gained more…

I picked up the Volumetrics books, several weeks ago, and have been trying some of the suggestions. I have done some of the ideas in the past, and like the idea (and reality) of being able (finally) to eat until I am satisfied. I am a salt/crunch addict, and own my own sweet tooth (actually, an entire set at certain times of the month), so have those issues to contend with.

My M.O. is to throw myself whole-heartedly into a program, to the exclusion of much else, lose some weight, get cocky, start slipping, get aggravated and spend the next several months undoing what’s been done. Then the next several months beating myself up ( and not helping )…. Whee, I am once again a passenger on the roller-coaster of the waistline.

I am on the ‘puter everyday, so touching base here periodically could be a way to stay on top of things – are there many who do this program? I kinda flitted through the rest of 3FC, and found some interesting posts and forums. I like the friendliness of this group, and will stop in often. Thanks for a chance to share.

Judi

:welcome: JUDI . . . :hug: . . . and :wel3fc: also . . . Glad to have you with us, Chickie.

This not one of the more popular plans :shrug: . . . basically, at least IMHO, because it is too simple and straight forward and has no phases or long lists of permitted pr forbidden foods . . . just a bunch of logic.

Have a great day . . . hope to be seeing you again soon. :wave:

welcome Judi :)

Back to work today. nothing real exciting, I just need a kick in the pants to get out of bed and workout in the morning.

Welcome Judi!

Well, today I'm on my way to Ann Arbor to see a doctor for my migraines, then I get to see my daughter and go to Trader Joe's! Sounds like a good day to me! I'm still not completely OP, so I'm scared to death of leaving Onederland, after taking so long to finally get there. Hopefully I'm scared enough to stay. sometimes you just get tired of fighting.

Thanks to you all for the kind words - I am still working my way around the ins and outs of the program...and the very cool additions here on 3FC. I am trying out Fitday --:yikes:--what a reality check on that one! I have been writing in a food journal, and (I'll admit) occasionally "fudging" the numbers...Can't do that with Fitday! Also, never saw the fat and carbs percents b-4...gulp! And when I calculated my bits of walking here and there - <<deep sigh>> - jeez, I thought I was doing well!! But, in spite of myself, I have lost about 4 pounds in the last couple weeks. Just gotta keep plodding along...[/I]:kickcan:

Hi Everybody . . . :grouphug:

Just got back from the dentist and I'm very hapy to report that Phase I of my Root Canal procedure was absolutely painless. :yay: Now, we wait and see what it feels like when the freezing comes out. :crossed:

I have a recipe from the volumetrics books for strawberry smoothies; however, I don't really want to use the strawberry yogurt I found at the store, because while it *is* low fat, it is high in added sugar; does anybody use plain yogurt and then add no-cal sweetener? I'm going to try that and hope it tastes good!

Hi Everybody . . . :grouphug:

Just got back from the dentist and I'm very hapy to report that Phase I of my Root Canal procedure was absolutely painless. :yay: Now, we wait and see what it feels like when the freezing comes out. :crossed:

Meowee, I really hope you are feeling well!

Hey, Linda, hope you are feeling as well as can be expected!

Anne, I don't see why that wouldn't work. All you can do is try it!

Just checking in quick. I spent the weekend away from my apartment and did no cooking. This is definitely my weakest area. When I cook, I do a pretty good job of controlling what goes in my mouth, it also helps that I don't keep stuff around that will throw me off track. Overall, I don't think I did too terribly. And I am down 2.5 pounds!! So, I feel pretty good about that.

In general, I am still trying to regroup after the week of midterm insanity. I need to clean my apartment pretty badly and I have some homework that needs to be attended to.

Anne, when I made the smoothies, I used frozen yogurt. I don't think I paid attention to the sugar content, but it I remember the numbers worked out pretty much the same. And the bonus was, I felt like I got a milkshake every morning for breakfast.

Welcome Judi!!

I hope every one is having a great week!

hi all- nothing exciting happening today. just checking in to say hi :)

Hi Anne!

Yes, the nonfat plain yogurt & art.sweetener/stevia works very well. I get nonfat greek yogurt from a greengrocer nearby (who specializes in "foreign" foods, i.e., south amer, euro, asian, etc), and I find it is much less tart and much creamier than the amer brands. Dee-lish even just mixed with chopped fruit.

Judi

I tried the smoothies this evening with the nonfat, nonsweetened yogurt, added three packets of sweetener to the batch, and it tasted great! All four of us enjoyed it. With the smoothies, we had a lot of fruit at dinner, because I bought too much and we needed to eat it up before it spoiled! I had a half-flat of strawberries, so I cleaned them, added them to watermelon cubes and halved grapes for a fruit salad, and then the rest of the berries went into the freezer for another day. We also had broiled fish, and leftover pasta salad from the previous night. Everybody was full, and it was a very volumetric dinner! :carrot:

Good Morning Chickies . . . :hug:

Another :sunny: day with double digit temperatures -- getting spoiled. :yes: Rain in the forecast for tomorrow, though.

Better get moving and shaking :carrot: We are going to do the great mall-crawl today instead of tomorrow because of the weather. See you later, gang. :wave:

more and more rain :( on the bright side I got up early and hopped on the elliptical

Good Eve to all and sundry...

And here's to seeing "less" of us all as the spring progresses!

<(clinking glasses filled with spirit/beverage of choice!)>:cheers::carrot:

Well, continuing with the Volumetrics and pushing myself to be more aware of the need to MOVE (imagine little voom-voom lines and dust bunnies around the word).

I showed my 17 y.o. son the FitDay site, and after we set him up with his own profile, we entered the foods he would normally eat for the day - including his numerous "snacks" consumed when I am elsewhere (had to push for honesty) - BIG reality check for the kid, I'll tell you! :?: He goes to the gym 3 times a week for an hour, so we also did an activities profile for the day. Now he wants to increase the frequency of the gym days. Told him that cleaning his room, raking the lawn and walking the dog are all viable options towards the activites which burn calories. ;)

Me? Well, the increase of moving the legs, et al, has been keeping the movement of hand to mouth at a more reasonable rate. I weigh-in on Tuesday a.m., but it will be close to TOM, so, we shall see if Mother Nature will be cooperating or frustrating. I love an excuse to get creative with my cooking, so this program is a good one for me. I enjoy coming up with new ways to "pad" the volume of various dishes. I am lucky, too, in that my kids and dh will eat just about anything - including most veggies. Made pasta the other night with sausage, lots of kale, carrots, onions & garlic, and the only thing left in the bowls was bits of onion and garlic. I try to keep the overall amount of meat smaller than previous, and pack in the veggies and whole grain carbs.

I have a question/issue: What happens when the "honeymoon" is over and I really don't want to come up with one more way to cook a meal that is "acceptable" to my style of eating? I hope to develop dishes that will become everyday meals, easy to prepare, that my dh or kids can cook. But do any of you get to the point I mentioned: "I have had enough!" ?

Well, when (and if?) I get to that intersection, I will be on the 'puter, hollering for help! Meanwhile, thanks to all :grouphug:, and I'll be popping in again!

Judi :book2:

I got some fat free cream cheese to put on my whole wheat bagel, and boy is it nasty! It's only costing me 15 calories, but it's wrecking my bagel!

:wave:

Why is it 'wrecking your bagel'?????

IMHO, some of those fatfree cream cheeses are like something sold in the brick-laying section of home depot - in both taste and texture! And if the knife used to spread it isn't immediately washed, it dries harder than rock! I pick up the lowfat or 1/3-less-fat (Neufchatel??sp??), and enjoy it much more - just don't put quite as much on the bagel. Then again, in my house, cream cheese vanishes in minutes once it's opened... my two teenage boys feel it's made for applying on anything that is edible, LOL.

I'm with you, judi, that stuff is nasty right down to the hardening on the knife you mention. Same with FF sour cream, although I don't remember if it hardens on the spoon. I much prefer to have less of the light version you mention. The light sour cream is one of those things that makes life worth while to me. Plus, the FF versions have all kinds of wierd stuff in them.

Tonight, I am grilling myself a very tiny lamb chop with a rosemary mint glaze. I am also having roasted beet salad with fennel, orange and goat cheese. Some steamed zuchinni and bulgur will be the side dishes.

Soprry I've been missing -- change in the weather = migraine + upset tummy + overly tired. Hopefully back to normal soon.

ah, i'm such an emotional eater. school gets crazy and i grab the goodies. but on the upside day 2 of working out.

Hi . . . :grouphug:

Weather is still yucky, but I'm feeling a bunch better. :yes: Managed to overdose on homemade multi-bean with barley and vegetables soup yesterday to the tune of 2100 calories. Strange, but it was the only thing I wanted to eat all day and I ate too much of it.

Well, better get myself into gear -- hve to hit a couple of grocery stores and set some more beans to soak (seeing as I ate all the current batch of soup :lol:).

Hope everybody has a great and fun day planned . . . :carrot:

Happy Friday everyone!

I think I'll get the low fat cream cheese the next time I'm at the store and just dump this fat free. I don't use much anyway, so the calorie difference shouldn't be too great. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't like it!

Another rainy day here, but on the upside, the bulbs are springing out everywhere!

Sorry about your migraine, Meowee- I can relate! Hope it passes and you feel better soon. What do you use to get rid of them? I use Relpax, from the Imitrex family, and it works pretty well for me.

Nothing (and my doctor has tried me on a lot of things) seems to work for me except time -- a couple of times (when I've been working on four days with a migraine); he has stuck me in emergency and given me a shot of demerol. That helped. :lol:

MMMMMmmmmm - Gailr, your planned dinner the other night sounds scrumptuous - lots of flavor!!

Meowee - glad to hear your brain pain is improved - I don't miss those migraines one little bit! Bean soup is one of my favorite dishes to make - so much can go in, and it all tastes so good! Again, that flavor thang gets me every time!

Just got done raking out the front garden with the kids - so many leaves, so little time...but my perennials are peeking through with happy faces. **sore shoulders** It's gonna rain here most of the weekend, so I'm glad it got finished. P'haps by next week, the bulbs will be in bloom and my wee violets will scent the air (tasty, too). The johnny-jump-ups don't last long, but I know spring is here when I can smell them through my window next to the 'puter. (Of course, the fact that the window is actually open is a pretty good indication as well ! :)

See you all later!

Judi:book2:

wow, it was such a long week. it's time to have a relaxing weekend.

Good Morning, gang . . . :wave:

Well it is Saturday. It is also very overcast and there's rain in the forecast for this afternoon. Guess I'll get myself out and about fairly soon -- somehow I never feel like walking even 1K in the rain which is supposed to continue all weekend.

See you soon, everybody . . . keep things moving and shaking today . . . :carrot:

We have an orange tree in a pot on our patio. It covered with blossoms and smells heavenly!

I bought a bag of frozen tilapia at Costco the other day. Last night, I wrapped a piece in foil with lemon juice and salt and pepper. I cooked it on the grill. Tilapia is very mild flavored, but I liked it. I think next time I fix it, I will try to think of some more interesting seasonings. One serving has 110 calories/15calories from fat. Can't beat those statistics.

Teacher, I hear you on the emotional eating. I wish we could be vaccinated for it. Sometimes, I control it, sometimes not.

I haven't had a migraine in a long time. My doctor told me that he never treats people in an old folks home for migraine. That is, the older you get, the less likely you are to have them. Imitrex didn't do anything for me, and man, was it expensive.

We are trying to build a low wall in front of our house. I saw something like it in a book. I worked on the forms for it yesterday. Today, I can hardly move. Too much getting down, getting up, wielding a hammer etc.

If the wind doesn't blow today, it should be really nice out.

The sun is back :) It was sure windy but still a nice day. I took my sister's dog on a 45 min walk. The DB is mowing the grass now. Off to cook dinner.

Good Morning . . . :grouphug:

Wow, I think your doctor is right GAIL . . . at least I get far fewer migraines since I retired . . . might not be the age thing. Stress and tension may have been triggering me.

Glad you got sun, TEACHER . . . we certainly do not.

But the overcast is okay . . . I decided this is the day that I will do my taxes -- they are not due until the end of the month -- but the next couple of weeks are busy for me and I'd better not leave them right until the last minute. :lol: OMG, how I hate writing that cheque every year. :shrug: But, I don't like paying in advance either.

Question for you ladies . . . the Canadian Home Shopping Channel has finally gotten the Sleep Number Bed. I'm about due for a new bed and am seriously thinking about one of these. Does anyone have one? or does anyone have strong feelings about them (either pro or con)?

Well . . . better go check out a few more 3FC places before I settle into 'tax-mode'. Have a great day, gang and I'll see you later. :carrot:

hi all- just enjoying my lazy Sunday :) Have a great day!

I am very opinionated and suspicious about anything that is as heavily advertised as the sleep number bed. I think it might be useful for two people that require vastly different degrees of firmness. Otherwise, I think you are better off finding just the right conventional mattress.

We are currently sleeping on a Serta Pillow top. It seems fine to me. Before we got married, I had a Sealy Posturepedic, which has now been relegated to the guest room. I would say that it was my personal favorite. It was firm, but had quite a bit of padding on the top so that it didn't feel like sleeping on the floor.

I think loosing a few pounds has helped my sleeping more than any mattress could. I can turn over easier and parts of me don't get numb so much now that I weigh less.

So how come I don't get with the program and loose some more? Actually, I have done pretty well the last couple of days. My ticker says 147, but I think I am actually hovering around 145 most of the time. This means that I have maintained since the first week in December. Last time I dieted, I gained it all back, and more, within six months.

The pears I got at the grocery are very good. Last night, I cut up a bunch of romaine, added chopped red onion, and sliced a pear over all. I sprinkled gorgonzola on top and dressed with Trader Joe's low fat raspberry vinaigrette. The cheese is definitely a very small amount - maybe two tsp. Just enough to taste. It was very yummy. We had filet mignon which I bought at Costco. My piece was about 3oz cooked. For a veggie, I had sugar snap peas.

I have had another good eating day. I am proud of myself!

I am very opinionated and suspicious about anything that is as heavily advertised as the sleep number bed. I think it might be useful for two people that require vastly different degrees of firmness. Otherwise, I think you are better off finding just the right conventional mattress.

I think loosing a few pounds has helped my sleeping more than any mattress could. I can turn over easier and parts of me don't get numb so much now that I weigh less.



I think that is just about how I feel too -- so much advertising scares me off a bit and maybe I'll just hang in there with the current mattress until I get rid of some more of this weight.

Speaking of which . . . the weight blipped back up a pound this morning. :( Really doesn't bother me too much, I know this is a bumpy, bumpy road. As long as I do the right stuff as much as I can, the scale-:devil: will eventually cooperate. :yes: Another 'downer' for this morning . . . think of my utter delight :s: to wake up to SNOW covering the ground. Oh well, we are supposed to have sun tomorrow. :D

Have a good Monday, Chickies. Keep things moving and shaking . . . :carrot:

Congrats, Gail on moving your scale numbers down! Now you need to give yourself the gift of making it official on your ticker.

I seem to have regained control again, too, and feel like I'm back OP. If it weren't for the stupid emotional eating, life would be easy! Or so I tell myself...

I put out my hummingbird feeders yesterday. A little early, maybe, but it's a great sign of spring.

It feels like every time I adjust my ticker down, the very next day I am up two pounds.

This time of year is really nice here. We had hummingbirds all winter. Now they are after my little orange tree and the Aloe Vera. So cute and drive the cats nuts.

Linda, my goodness, is this normal for your area of the country? It seems like you should start having rain pretty soon. Not that rain is all that nice, either.

We usually get something at the beginning of April -- this is a little later than usual; but it has all melted away again this afternoon -- it has just been such a long and nasty winter.

wow everyone is doing great :0
I did get up this morning and workout but I was a little bad in the food area.

If I don't mess up tonight, I will have had another good eating day! It is only 8pm:lol:.

Morning . . . Just sitting here waiting for my hot water to kick in. :mad: Think I'll be waiting a long time. :lol: Finally going to get to the labe for the bloodwork so, the one day I'd really like to sleep in until the last minute, I'm up bright and early.

Well . . . it does look like it's going to be a nice sunny and mild day and I'm sure it will get a lot better after I get back from the hospital and can finally have :coffee2:

See you later . . . :grouphug:

Well, finally got to "weigh-in" day - and happy to report I'm down 2 pounds. :cloud9: Since I started Volumetrics/counting calories, I'm down a total of 6 pounds. A good start, IMHO!:sunny:

However, after rushing out the door early this a.m. to bring my eldest to motor vehicle department, spending 2 hours there, then having #1 son "generously" surprise me with a snickers bar, the day didn't start out very healthily.:shrug: S'okay, but gotta get back up on the wagon! Good news, tho, he got his driver's license (hmmmm - some might question the "good news" part of that one!):yikes:


Well, gotta get some cooking done - I usually make a monster pot of veggie soup and have it over several weeks as a "cheap" (calorie-wise) lunch. Have a good week all!

Good job, judi. I really enjoy that veggie soup. Sometimes I eat it straight, sometimes I add chicken or clams (a bit like Manhattan clam chowder if you sort of squint your eyes:lol:). I freeze the basic soup in muffin tins, dump them in a container and use as needed.

Tell your DS to bring you a bowl of lettuce next time. Like you could ever get that in a vending machine.

Thanks Gail! Yeah, I've been doing the veggie soup thing since the "ye olde days" of WW. But I like to get creative with the ingredients - chinese cabbage, kale, celery root, fennel bulb, savoy cabbage(milder, sweeter than reg. cabbage), parsnips, leeks, roasted red peppers (found a canned version packed in water and not too much salt - the smoky flavor is divine!) - but, not all at the same time :chin:, just whatever I find that looks good and is on sale. I sometimes add chicken, but my favorite way to eat the soup is with a smidge of good romano or parmesan cheese, melting on the top.

I guess I just feel that if I am going to cut back on calories, I will not suffer with blah tasting food - we go through a LOT of garlic, onions and the above mentioned red peppers in this house. I want to savor the flavors, and it helps if there's some there to begin with.;)

Judi

I love those roasted red peppers. I get them in a jar from Trader Joe's. I make a roasted red pepper dip from Cooking light - http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1571422

I don't put any olive oil in it sometimes. Of course, it is better with OO.

I have had a lot of fun finding new things with less fat and heathier ingredients over the last year. I agree, I don't want "blah", either.

judi- great job

The soups sound yummy but now that spring is here I'm craving salads.

Between my lunch salad and my dinner salad, I ate a whole head of romaine lettuce - not craving salad at the moment.:lol: I was really hungry tonight, but so far I am POP. Yay!

From the Michigan relatives - my DIL sent pics of the grandson hunting easter eggs in about a foot of snow. Yikes!

Congrats Judi! 2 lbs is great!

And I can verify that snow on Easter in Michigan. It sounds bad, but you need to remember that Easter was so early this year. Today, though, we're going to have a high of 65 and sun, and all my bulbs are out in the front yard, so spring is here!

Do any of you watch the Biggest Loser on TV? I'm always amazed at the transformations. And probably a little jealous, even though my brain knows how hard they had to work to get there.

Morning All . . . :grouphug:

My friends call me a one woman salad-eating machine. :lol: Great dinner last night . . . huge salad, topped with half a small avocado and 1 cup of very veggie-filled chili . . . quite yummy. Actually, I seldom lose my desire for either soup or salad, regardless of the weather. Guess that's a good thing. Of course, I never lose my desire for ice cream either and that is not a good thing . . . so just have to stay away from that one.

We are having another beautiful and :sunny: day with a predicted high of 16C/61F. --yippee-- I don't have any great plans for the day, but will have to get myself out and about just because, I suppose. :yes:

This morning I slept in a little. Who knows why? Seemed to have a good effect on the weight which took a blip down to 222.4 (3 out of 5 times on the scale). Probably won't last, but it's nice to know that number is out there. :lol: Unfortunately there was a biot of an upward 'blip' in the BGL number; but I'm sure that will go down as the day progresses.

Anyway, gang . . . hope you all have a very good day . . . keep things moving and shaking and I will see you all soon. :carrot:

Hi again . . .

Just wanted you to know that I recently read a new book that really impressed me. One of the authors is Robert A. Barnet who co-authored the first Volumetrics book. It's called Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar

It's not only for those of us battling blood sugar disorders (Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, PCOS) but for many others as well . . . so I've started a thread in the main "Dieting with Obstacles" forum.

Hope you will all have a look . . . everything in it is, of course, Volumetrics friendly :yes:. . . http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139983 . . . see you over there. :wave:

I am on a binge! I just ate about half of a one pound package of strawberries. We are talking good strawberries. No sugar/sweetner needed. According to Fitday, they have about 45 calories per cup, so I guess if I gotta binge, this is the way to do it:lol:.

I had another good eating day yesterday. I think I have lost one pound since I started this little mini-diet. I want it to be more!!!! I really, really want to get to 142 which will mean 40 lbs lost.

Oh, Gail - :drool:strawberries:drool:

All I could think of is picking those jewels with my kids some years back - eating them sweet and warm in the bright sunshine...I am a true food snob when it comes to S-berries - I cannot stand :bomb:artificial s-berry flavoring:tape: !!! But, fresh, yummy strawberries - staining the fingers pink, ... sorry - got just a wee bit nutso there:twirly:

Good walking day today - low 70's, sunny- took the kids and the dog to a closed-down section of highway near here - we managed to get a good 2.5-3 miles in, within about 90 minutes...to some that may be slow, but my legs were wobbly for a while afterwards! I don't feel bad - the dog was sucking wind afterwards, too!:running:

Enjoying this spring weather - finally!!!

hi all- yum strawberries. I can't wait for the farmers market to open in May.

Judipurple, I am absolutely the same as you. Cannot stand artificial strawberry flavoring. I also hate it when the store sells the berries that are mostly white and unripe. A rip off!!

teacher1, I can't wait until we get a farmer's market. Probably never.

I did go buy more strawberries after work. I was pretty full after eating so many this afternoon, but I managed to force myself to eat supper. I had pear and romaine salad, small bowl of veggie soup, sauteed scallops, and chard wilted in the same pan I cooked the scallops in. Lemon juice over all. I managed to put away another whole head of romaine today.:lol:

I think I probably ate too much today. I'm really not sure how many calories I didn't keep very good track. I will say I didn't eat anything unhealthy.

Well . . . some romaine did in my tooth that recently had the root canal procedure . . . last night while chewing on some salad, it BROKE . . . :yikes: . . . hope I can get in to see the dentist fairly quickly; although I doubt that there's anything they can do to save it now. :mad:

Just for a second little :yikes: . . . the scale 'blipped' back up this morning. :mad: . . . not really a surprise, though.

Hey . . . maybe the first event will be good for the second event. :lol: Since I'm already missing molars on the other side, maybe I'll have to try a liquid meal replacement (translate to semi-starvation-like) plan for a little while.

You've always got to try to find the funny side, right. :lol3:

I HATE tooth stuff!! I've got some major dental stuff coming up in May, and I'm not looking forward to it. Meowee- at least with a root canal tooth, there's no pain involved with it afterwards.

Gail- I'm so sorry you don't have a farmer's market! Those are the best places in the world! Although if I remember right, you did OK with getting in your car and finding peaches.

I had to eat out twice yesterday, and I kind of tried to be good. Let's say I could have been worse.

Hi all- a fun day at school and it's great the weekend is right around the corner.

This morning I made a huge batch of my veggie soup. I also made black bean chili, and lentil and barley soup. And, I made more roasted red pepper dip and hummus. So....I have no excuse for not eating right for the forseable future.

I don't know how to figure my input for today because I did a lot of tasting of my soups this morning. But then I didn't eat lunch. I also ate lots of strawberries :lol:. All in all, a good eating day as far as quality goes. Probably too much quantity again.

Hi gang . . . this may be a weekend from H--- around my house . . . hopefully not, though. Why ? . . .

Yesterday, the dentist just sort of squeezed me in between other patients. All he did was yank off the broken half of the tooth; stick on some 'silly putty' and send me on my way, saying that should hold me until my appointment to finish the RC at the end of the month :dunno: -- at least it felt a lot better but it definitely hampered my ability to eat the good, healthy stuff.

So . . . what happens last night as I'm eating yogurt . . . that's right, the 'silly putty patch' falls out. Just did my usual early morning emergency call to the dentist and go a recording telling me they are closed until Monday. :yikes: Hey, the tooth looks and feels a little strange, but no pain. But I will worry all weekend, I'm sure.

Enough of my whining . . . hope everybody else has a great day and a great weekend shaping up. :wave:

oh, meowee, what luck! :hug: At least you are not in pain (whew!). Is the tooth drilled out for the post? If so, be cautious chewing on that side - you don't want to pack the hole with food. I know what THAT's all about. And bug that dentist/OS :club:- for the money he's getting paid, he oughta get you in there ASAP!

I have had several root canals in the past, and last summer lost a cap - couldn't get it back 'cause I swallowed it! :halfempty The metal post that holds the cap to the tooth came loose (lucky, since it pinched and poked!) - leaving me with a deep hole in the tooth. I've been lucky so far (in spite of no insurance) -I use a water pick to flush it out daily. It won't last forever, but at the rate I'm losing teeth, any I can keep in my head is a good thing, LOL! But, I am learning through pain and suffering that those salty, crunchy chips and such are NOT easy to eat with missing toofies:stars: - so there is a silver lining to that particular dark cloud - harder to cheat!

Well, keep on keeping on, and good luck with the dentistry.

BTW, sorry - I'm a talker - I tend to ramble:blah: ! Gotta get the kids up, we're goin' for another long walk - gotta strike when the iron's hot! (or, at least while the sun's shining!)

Luckily the little patchy thing over the channel down the root is still there, so if that holds nothing will get into the deeper part of the thing. I'm just worried about the other half of the tooth breaking off too and leaving a gigantic gap that will let stuff get down into the root. :mad:

Darn! How annoying!

I bought some dried mushrooms at Trader Joe's. I soaked them in water to reconstitute. After that they pretty much tasted like dirt, as opposed to "earthy".:lol: I chopped them up and added them to my serving of bulgur. It all tasted quite good that way. I was really amazed by how much volume the mushrooms added to the bulgur. The mushroom package says that a serving of mushrooms has no calories. Can that be true?

So, I had the bulgur/mushroom pilaf with kebabs (3.5 oz tri-tip, cubed. Zuchinni, bell pepper and shallots all marinated in Trader Joe's ff balsamic vinaigrette.) on top of it and a gigantic spinach salad. I was really stuffed after all that.

No GAIL not possible . . . but if the serving is small enough they could print that on the nutrition panel. :lol: They are very, very low calorie.

Good Morning, Chickes . . . :wave:

The sun is shining and I've got a nice big pot of beans already simmering on the stove.

Have a great day . . . :carrot:

No GAIL, not possible . . . but if the serving size is small enough they could print that on the nutrition panel. :lol: They are very, very low calorie.

Actually, Celery is the closest we get to a "no calorie food" because you burn as much energy chewing and digesting it as you get from it. Two large stalks has about 2 grams of carb; 2 grams of fibre; 1 gram of protein. Of course, if you stuff it with full fat cheese or peanut butter all bets are off. :lol:

Good Morning, Chickes . . . :wave:

The sun is shining and I've got a nice big pot of beans already simmering on the stove.

Have a great day . . . :carrot:

Who me? :lol:

hi all- it's a beautiful day. I'm going to my brother's soccer game. Everyone have a great day.

We finally had a combination of good weather and time, so we were able to work outside in the yard and garden. We need to get the veggie garden ready, because we can plant outside in mid-May. I already have some brussels sprouts plants to put in because they're cold hardy. I can't wait for fresh veggie season again!

I haven't posted in awhile. Unfortunately, I haven't lost any weight following the plan. I'm sure I need to count calories and measure out servings. I just haven't wanted to get that particular up until now. I'm certain my portions are either too big or I'm not realizing how much I'm eating during the day. *SIGH*

I just joined Weight Watchers online and started counting points. The Volumetrics plan fits right into the WW plan. They even discuss energy density of foods. Hope you don't mind me sticking around even though I'm now an official "point counter"!

Onto a different topic - does anyone use a sweetener besides Equal or Splenda? I don't care for the taste of those. I really enjoy a cup of morning coffee but haven't found a decent substitute for my 2 tablespoons of sugar in each cup!

Thanks!

Pam

Hey, ppturner, I am sure we don't mind if you hang around here!

Yikes, you use a lot of sugar in your coffee. I drink quite a bit of coffee, but I put milk in it. I use 1%. Just can't get down to skim in my morning Joe, so I know how it is when you can't have it just the way you like it. I am not going to tell you to drink your coffee black. I would have to hurt anyone who told me I had to use skim milk in mine :lol:

:wave:

Sorry I've been missing today, gang . . . been pretty busy . . . hopefully things will get back to mormal tomorrow.

Of course you are wlecome to hang around PPTURNER. Volumetrics can fit right in with any plan you decide to follow. :hug: So don't be a stranger.

Can't help with the sweetener issue -- I'm a devotee of Splenda -- I take my coffee without sweetener, but I do use half/half in it. One of those things that I will not give up. If that keeps me from ever losing another ounce -- :shrug:

Later . . . :carrot: