Has anyone noticed their portions naturally changing? I made ginger cookies yesterday for the staff at the kids school, and the recipe said it made 50 - 60 cookies. I had written in there that it really made 30 cookies.

Well, yesterday when I made the cookies, I naturally made them just a little bit smaller than it seemed like they should be (since that's where my mindset is these days) and lo and behold -- I got 68 cookies out of the batch! Weird, but satisfying...

Yay - it happened! I bumped into a neighbor that I haven't seen since the Fall. She said, and I quote, "Well don't you look like a Skinny Mini!"

I have to say, I've been feeling good the last few days. I've decided to finally ditch my old jeans that have gotten way too big on me, and when I wear clothes that actually fit, the weight loss is a lot more noticeable.

newleaf - I've had the same encounter with neighbours several times! It's so nice to get some feedback that all your hard work is having a noticable effect.

Oh yeah - portion sizes! They were my main reason for weight gain in the first place. I'm not an emotional eater and I have always eaten a healthy diet, I just ate way too much of it. I used to eat a 500ml container of yogourt in one sitting, and now that same container does me for four servings.

I am so sore today . I had a cold last week, and colds make my asthma quite bad. Right now, my back is killing me from all the coughing I have been doing. I'm going to do some stretches in a bit to try to loosen the muscles up a bit. I have a three hour dance class this afternoon, so that will help get things moving as well.

Three things I couldn't live without:

Sushi - I can't afford to buy it as often as I like, so I frequently make it.
Melons - any/all kinds. They are hands down, my favourite fruit!
Tea - I've been a hard core tea drinker since I was about 5 years old!

BP

Newleaf, I agree about portions. I am satisfied with a lot less than I used to be. Eating out at lunch, a half sandwich is plenty. In the past I would have eaten the whole, whether I really wanted it or not! Great news on the compliment. It is nice when people notice. Keep up the good work!

Bopeep, Hope you are feeling better!

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

I have definitely changed my portions AND I am so much more satisfied eating less.

BoPeep - I hope you're feeling a little better; sounds like a nice, long bath is in order.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Welcome to the group BoPeep! I love your Conure. That is a pet that is next on my list if I ever get around to getting one. I like the Sun COnures and the Cheeky ones.. can't remember their name but it has Cheek in it. Love Conures. I had a Yellowheaded Amazon Parrot for about 20 years named Poco. He was about 20 or so when I got him.

Congrats to everyone who have been getting compliments from their neighbors!

Jacque, I think once you get into that mindset, it becomes a natural addition to your life's habits.

3 favorite foods I cannot live without:

Rice, prefferably brown, or wild/basmati.

Chicken, I can eat it every day!

Tea... I am not a coffee drinker... but I love my green tea!! And Chai Tea, and White tea....

Boy, I am definitely out of it! I didn't even notice your pic beemer! Your Rafiki looks like quite the character! So cute! Our conure is named Circe, and we have guessed that it's a female based on behaviour, but she/he's never been sexed. We've been known to be wrong before - we used to have an Orange Fronted Conure that we thought was male, then 'he' laid 3 eggs...

hotsplashes - thanks for the conure compliments! Got any Poco pics? I would so loooove to have a sun conure! They are beautiful, but I think that after Circe has crossed that rainbow bridge, we won't get another conure - they are loud! As in capital letters L.O.U.D.! I know all parrots are noisy, but after 20+ years of living with a conure, I think I want something quiet like an African Grey! BTW - 'cheeked conure' - do you mean Green Cheeked Conure? They are so cute!

I think I can now refer to my cold as history. My asthma has flared up big time, but I'm in the process of beating it back into submission with tons of steroids. So much for any weight loss this week. Oh well - breathing is much better than losing weight! I'm kind of irritated at my lungs though - I'm supposed to be practicing a dance choreography for a show this comming Saturday, and I can barely make tea without getting out of breath... I should be mostly better by Tuesday, so I still have lots of time to practice, but, I *want* to practice NOW, dagnabit!

I was feeling that sort of under the weather/need comfort food feeling today, so I made one of my favourite lamb dishes (mechoui). It's not exactly 'diet food' (*lots* of butter), but I needed something like that. I was good about portion sizes though - I really didn't want more than the reasonable/small portion I gave myself. I guess I really have rethought how I view portion sizes!

BP

PS - if anyone has seen a big round yellow thing in the sky, could they please send it back my way? I'm getting a little bit soggy from all the rain.

Yeah I think I have sort of gotten there HOWEVER, yesterday was a bad day!!! Hope I didn't blow it. I had such a busy day that I ate breakfast, drank plenty of water all day, but then ate nothing else except a piece of sushi. I just wasn't hungry at all and since I was busy, I didn't think about it.

I bet you woke up hungry today!

Howdy on the Monday side! I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day (either on the giving or receiving end)!

Spent the weekend climbing some very steep forested hills in pursuit of the mighty Morel - something like 5 hours on Saturday and another 2 yesterday. I was really shocked to wake up on Saturday without a single sore muscle. Was also shocked to discover what that kind of labor did to my appetite. I will not regale anyone with the dirty details, but will instead just say "back to plan". I'm paying the price and will rehabilitate.

I just received my current issue of Life Extension magazine, and they've devoted almost the entire issue to biological imbalances that impede weight loss in the "maturing" person. The articles are heavy-duty science reading, but they explore everything from serotonin levels to leptin response, insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, and more. If anybody's read Meg's post where she's coined the term, "We're all laboratories of one" - this issue completely supports it!

ICUWishing - so... did you find the mighty mushroom, or did it elude you?? I've read articles on how elusive they can be; pretty neat. Interesting re: Life Extension mag. Sad to think we're in the "maturing" category! Let us know of any revelations you glean...

actually I really wasn't and I got right OP today...so I am back on!!!

Hi everyone!
I had a wonderful Mother's Day! My family got me a bike! I spent the better part of the day riding with my 10 year old DD. My butt and legs are sure sore today! Riding the exer bike and riding a real bike are obviously not working the same muscles! I think I may also need to look into a more comfy seat.

I cannot accept that I am "maturing". I just don't think of myself as older although I know I am!

Keep going girls!

That's great onmyway- enjoy the biking!
Back to walking and running for me and my next adventure is to try and build up to a 1h run & possibly a 10K (I must be nuts) LOL

Welcome bopeep!

3 favorite foods I can't live without:

1) chocolate- my current favorite is 70% coco with chili flavor in it (made by Lindt). I also made a flourless chocolate ancho chili powder cake for cinquo de mayo that was out of this world.

2) tea/coffee- either one but I'm always looking for a good hot drink and when it finally warms up then I like both iced tea & coffee.

3) pork- even with all this swine flu business going around- I still like my pork chops- what can I say...not sure I'd make it as a vegetarian