(Going to do personals a wee bit later - Sister is in the hospital and has me more or less preoccupied, but had to say hi to our newest member )

allthingsbright, I don't have a starch every day for my L&G but sometimes I do. I eat grilled cheese sandwiches for L&G using a "diet" bun. Occasionally I'll have rice. I have stayed away from potatoes and pasta, but I have WS mac n cheese enough to be satisfied.

I have kept right to the book, pretty much. I have WS cereal in my nonfat yogurt every morning for breakfast with a shake. So there's a carb already. I have a fruit every day too, usually a banana, but I have it with my afternoon snack because that's when I get hungry, not morning. I'm not big on cutting out whole food groups altogether for myself, as I don't have any allergies or stomach issues, and I want to be able to eat all food groups again realistically without immediately gaining weight back. So this works for me.

I have a friend on Medifast who lost tons of weight immediately being super strict and we were all so excited. Now she is putting it all back on as soon as she started eating more "real" food and is very discouraged. And having a hard time getting back on strict program having had a taste of fruit and carbs and dairy.

So I remind myself it's much easier to stay on plan than to start all over again. The beginning is the hardest; after three months, for me, it's habit now and I'm proud of my portion control and staying the course through plateaus and disappointments. I'm in it for the long haul!

Zoesmom- no I hadn't thought to freeze it. I'll have to try that tomorrow. I did mix my pudding with diet root beer today, and it was really good. It tasted almost like a root beer float. I hope your sister is okay.

Nimblegranny- hooray for getting to 25. That's an awesome accomplishment! Good luck on the next 5 and on your house.

Goddessmeg- sounds like you're doing really well and making smart choices. The encouragement is what I love most about 3fc. These ladies are wonderful and I'm glad to have their advice. Have fun at your game!

Irish - I'm hoping for a whoosh for you! 3 1/2 months is long enough.

Larkhaven- congrats on the self-control with the casserole. I'm not sure I trust myself yet to be portion-controlled around my favorite foods. Being prepared is definitely what's helped me so far. I package my days into baggies at the beginning of the week, so then all I have to do is grab one.

Punmama- I'm glad to hear your aunt is doing better and you're back on plan.

Allthingsbright- I do not do the fruit, dairy, or starchy veggies. Occasionally I'll have a wedge of laughing cow cheese, but no more than 1-2x per week. It seems to have been working for me so far. I do have a lean and green meal for dinner. And I will add an alternate like a quest bar or eas shake if I exercised that day.

As for me, I'm still pushing on. I had to cut back on the exercise due to school and now that I've got a week off, I'm going to start again. I stole another recipe off a medifast board. I really wanted some of my Gram's chicken and dumplings, so I made the next best thing for lunch tomorrow.

I'm not sure if chicken stock is okay, but I used low sodium, fat free, 1 carb per cup.

1 package chicken and vegetable cream soup.
1 TBSP egg white eggbeaters.
1/2 tsp baking powder.
2 TBSP water. (Or enough to make it into a thick paste.)
3 cups broth. (I added a bit of salt free mrs dash for flavor)

Mix the first 4 ingredients into a paste and bring the stock to a boil and drop small 1/2 tsp fulls into the broth, (they poof up). Then turn it down to simmer for 6-7 minutes. I used a slotted spoon to scoop out the dumplings and measured 3/4 cup broth into the bowl. I had 1 1/4 cup broth left that I dumped. So I logged 1 3/4 cups broth into my counter for tomorrow.

Hi gang,

I'm tired tonight so this will be short and to the point.

day 5

SW 198.5
CW 194
Total lost 4.5
Day w/out bingeing 5

Today I had 2 shakes, 2 bars , and for my L&G - 2 eggs, 1 strip of bacon, salsa, and 1/2 an avocado. I did not meet my goal of 1 bar per day but I am working on a food plan so I won't be so hungry that I feel I need the extra calories/ carbs that are in the bar. BTW, you guys are right those bars are loaded with carbs according to the label anywhere from 15-21 carbs per bar.

Good night!

Tifftastic: how did the chicken and dumplings taste? I wasn't wild about the soup when I first made it, so anything to change it up would be nice.

Lark: You're losing, whatever you're doing!!!

I survived the game last night. (I had a .2 gain, but I figure that was due to salt!). The "tailgate buffet" consisted of burgers, brats and pulled pork, potato chips and cole slaw. I took the pulled pork, without the bun and chips (I know! But the pork looked so lonely on my plate). Then at the game, I was hungry! So I got a diet soda (which I haven't had in a week!) and popcorn. That was soooo salty, so I'm really trying to drink water today to flush out my system.

Hi!!! I'm new to the group. My name is Angela and I should be receiving my first wonderslim shipment on Thursday. Not sure yet if I will start that day or next Monday yet. Just wanted to introduce myself to the group and say that I look forward to going on this journey with y'all (yes I'm Texan ). Can anyone let me know how I can get the weight loss ticker on my page/post??

Hope y'all are having a wonderful day!!!

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. I am on day three--already down 4 lbs of what I am sure is water weight. I work tonight and tomorrow night so am trying to plan well for that challenge! Trying to get in my water as well. Ok, off to work! See you all on the flipside

Hi angel! WOW we are starting to get busy You can't get a ticker until you have made 20 posts AND been here 20 days. It goes by quick, don't worry...but welcome...looking forward to your updates!

Okay...time for personals. And then you will likely not see much of me until the 10th or 11th (VACATION!!! WOOT!!!)

Nimble - good luck getting your house sold. I know the market has picked up, so hopefully it will not take too long. 25 pounds in 12 weeks is really good. Especially considering you are over 40. Don't knock it. Besides, you fit perfectly in the WS "average" so it isn't "just 25 pounds", it is "25 POUNDS BABY! YEAH!!!"

I know carbs are a weird thing for many people. Some people can't eat more than 20g without gaining weight, and some can go as high at 400g a day. 70g is my sweet zone. diabetics tend to need more than those who are not diabetic. And it depends on your ability to not want carbs. I hate breads, corn, and potatoes. some people can get over not eating carbs...others need them. I am a mix. I have my days. but normally, I don't want them at all...they make me feel sick, so I have learned.

goddess - yeah for surviving game night! Don't sweat the .2 pound gain. It is bound to happen. Just remember, we go up and down regularly due to water retention.

allthings - glad to have you! Kudos on the 4#s! I've found, a trick to getting all that water in is having mint leaves, lemon and lime slices, and lavander readily available. Gives the water a nice twist and keeps it from being so bland. Club soda is another great way....throw in a few splashes of Mio and you have a "soda" Although...I throw in sugarfree flavored syrups instead and make an Irish soda. But...it is still water.

Lark - looks like you are doing good so far...keep at it

irish - get out of that plateau yet?

Tiff - throw your recipe with measurements in the recipe maker on MyFitnessPall to get the values. It sounds good...and it doesn't sound too bad all things considered. I may have to try it out.

Me...no gain. no lose. Still on predisone. Sister is out of hospital currently. Leaving for vacation tomorrow. And probably going to be MIA. You ladies have a grand time!

Day 6

SW 198.5
CW 193
Total lost 5.5 lbs

Days w/out bingeing 6

Today I had 1 bar and 3 shakes. I made Asian lettuce wraps for dinner. I got the recipe from a medifast recipe website called Sandy's kitchen. I have got to find my food scale. I know I have one but right now it is MIA. I am trying to guess but I really need to be able to weigh the food to get an accurate amount.
I did okay with my water but not great. I found a WS product I really don't like- the Cappuccino hot drink. I am just not digging the taste of this one. However, I made a double shake using a creamy chocolate and the cappuccino and split in 1/2 for 2 meals. It came out pretty good. On the other hand, I tried the cheesecake today and it's fantastic.

Amy- welcome to the board. I just started last Friday.

Zoesmom- enjoy your vacay.

I can't believe tomorrow will be day 7. I am pleased with my progress so far.

For what it is worth, I have NOT added everything I make to this....but it is a start. Maybe while I am on vacation I can get it better up to date. But...here's a few ideas for getting in your veggies or other lean and greens and for making "treats" with the packets...

MY WONDERSLIM APPROPRIATE RECIPES

goddessmeg- It was really good. I ended up eating it before I went to work, and even though I didn't finish all of it, it was really filling. I wasn't even hungry when I had my break 3 hours later. I will definitely make it again, but next time I would let it simmer a few more minutes to give the dumplings a little firmer texture. And maybe add a little hot sauce.

zoesmom - Thanks for the recipes! I will be trying out some of them this coming week. I'm especially excited about the muffins. Have fun on vacation!

angela - Welcome! This is a great group, and it's exciting to have more people join!

allthingsbright- Congrats on the 4lbs! Water weight or not, it's still awesome.

Today was my week 3 weigh in! Down to 183.2. That's 2.6 down from last week, for a total of 11.2lbs. So far I've found everything to either be really good, or at least palateable (Looking at you chili), EXCEPT for the berry yogurt shakes. OMG. Yuck! They are disgusting. I won a lot off ebay that included 5 boxes of these! Anyone have any suggestions for these? Otherwise these are going back on ebay.

Good luck the rest of this week and this weekend, everyone! My best friends are coming into town tomorrow, and we are going to see the Back street Boys on Saturday. It'll be interesting sticking to plan this weekend, wish me luck.

Day 7
SW 198.5
CW 192.5
Total lost 6.0 lbs

Day w/out bingeing 7

Today I ate 1 bar, 2 shakes, 1 cheesecake, I had leftover Asian lettuce wraps. I still can't find my scale so I measured 1 cup of the meat and cabbage mixture. I also had 2 pork pot stickers leftover from last night's dinner. I should not have eaten these but I totally gave in to the temptation.

Zoesmom- thanks for the recipe collection. They look great. That's really thoughtful.

Tiff- There's no accounting for taste I love those berry yogurts . I blend them with frozen fruit usually blueberries and make a smoothie. I like the texture and the slightly sweet taste.

Welcome new peeps!

I'm finding that my obsession with food is lessening. Maybe it's that I know what I'll be eating, but I used to start each day thinking about where I'd go for lunch. One thing I seem to "crave" is chewing. I'm not a potato chips kind of gal, but when I do WS, I feel like I need to crunch on something. If only I could make it my stomach!!!

Hubby and I are celebrating our 6th anniversary (2 weeks early) this weekend. Theater tickets tonight, a mini vacation tomorrow.