G'day all,

Slavika it sounds like your tax system and ours is fairly similar. If you earn over a certain amount we pay $0.47 in the dollar in tax
Our gross income looks fantastic but our net is not quite so great!

I have received the photos for my next collage and I have started working on that. The photos are shockers, a rather unattractive old bloke covered in tats! In two of the photos he is wearing ladies lacey underwear
Others are OK. Hopefully I can hide the ones with the lacey underwear a bit!
I am amazed why you want to include them.

DH rang from Japan this morning, he is exhausted. He has been working very long hours, he was expected to fly back to Australia tomorrow but he is required at a meeting in Singapore on Friday. He will now fly all during the night Fridaynight and arrive back in Adelaide at 7am on Saturday.
He has found it all very interesting and the thing that he did not expect was the many rice paddies, any vacant land has been made into a rice paddy.
He also thought everything was very clean, people are well mannered but little English is spoken.

Back to my collage......
Cheers
Maria

Hi all,

Lacy underwear?? I wonder too.

Slavika I can identify with you shopping and finding things that are advertized. This area is much larger than I'm used to so there is lots more to find.

Did a large food shipping yesterday and took quite a while to find a place for everything. Now I will be making a list of what is where so I can find it again. We filled the freezer with meat. I just wonder if that was a mistake. With all the storms at this time of the year. OH Well what is done is done we'll just have to hope no more Charley's decide to come through.

Turns out SIL will be back next Monday instead of the 11 of Sept as planned. The surgery for her daughter won't be done now until Sept 30th. So she will be going back them.

I'm off to a weight watcher meeting today. I want to see how this leader presents the new addition to the program. And how receptive to the idea people are. Should be a very interesting meeting as people don't like change.

Be back later.

Karen

G'day all,

Karen yes the lacey underwear on an old bloke is very different and something I don't particularly like but I guess he is special to my customer!
That would have been a huge shop that very first grocery shop.
I am surprised you fill your freezer with meat. When I was first married EVERYONE bought a full lamb, a forequarter of beef etc. etc. and stored it in the freezer. That trend has definitly changed here and very few people now buy meat in bulk like that. I always have a bit of a stock, in case of visitors, but probably now have about 1/4 of the amount of meat I used to stock.
I will be interested to hear what you found out about the new WW changes.
I am not aware of any changes planned here in Australia.
I am continueing to loose at a very slow rate but the important part is that I am loosing. I follow the points system and picked up a few more ideas from my recent few visits to WW. I stick to around 18 - 19 points a day, I am supposedly allowed 22 points. I have found that I do not loose at all if I have my 22 points, I have also found that cutting down on the processed carbs (white bread, white rice etc.) has also made a difference.
I now excercise every day, twice a week to the gym and the other days I walk or go for a ride on my bike. I don't 'use' my excercise points other than on days like last Sunday when dh and I went for a huge bike ride.
Something that is always espoused is to change your whole lifestyle and that idea has now finally clicked and I am finding it really quite easy.
I would be interested in hearing what you think of my little regime.

Back to my collages.....

Cheers
Maria

Maria,

The best thing about the new addition to the WW program is that it forces you to eat what i call virgin foods. Nothing processed and no sugar. You have a list of Core foods and if you stick to it you lose nicely. You can still have some of the things we all love like bread but things like that have to be counted on your weekly points allowance. It's really great you feel so healthy it's scary. It's not something everyone can do and for those there is still the Flex Plan. Nothing changed there. If you ever go to weight-watchers.com you'll hear lots of talk both for and against. but then you can read some of here on 3FC on the WW General or the Core Board.

So you can see what you are doing is a good thing.

Today dh bought a golf cart. We now have the same means of transportation and the other residents of our park. Kind of fun.

SIL is coming home Monday and will be going back to her daughters Sept 28 or 29. Depends on when we find a ticket for. Bought some new prints to hang in out bedroom they are of country city scenes (if that makes any sense). Very colorful and that is what I was looking for. Our bedroom needs some color.

I'm looking for kitchen curtains now too. Haven't seen any that i like so far. Think i will look in the JC Penny's catolog.

Well I'm off to see what is going on in the WW world around me. See you later.

Karen

That is very interesting information Karen, exactly what I have experienced that by choosing 'virgin' foods of the same point value instead of bread/pasta/rice etc. I have a reasonable loss.
I have difficulty accessing the WW American site, if I request WW I only seem to get the Australian site.
It seems if you are in a different countries you get only the site for that country.
I tried to be very smart and go to the Dr. Phil site to find out what is happening with some of the people he has had on. I know we are about 6 months behind yet I can only access the Dr Phil site up to the episodes we have seen. Very tricky!

It is another glorious day here and very soon I will be able to dazzle you all by posting a photo of my flowering sweet peas

Cheers
Maria

Lovely to 'see' you Trudy, sorry you have had so many problems with allergies.
My dh regularly has the cysts you speak of, he is bald so those sort of lumps are not a good look and he has them removed regularly
Have fun with your camera, you will love it!

Cheers
Maria

Morning,

Hi Margot-don't think I "know" you but welcome back.

Maria that sure is a strange picture to include in that collage but who knows what people are thinking. You are doing so well with the weight loss-keep up the good work girlfriend!!! In a WW group that I belong to they listed the core foods - I will see if I can find it.

Karon you sound like you are settling nicely in Florida after the big welcome you got from Charlie. I can't remember but did you sil move there with you and is she living with you?

Trudy glad you got the cyst taken care of. I had my neck stitches removed yesterday and it feels to nice not to have to wear that bandage on my neck anymore.

Slavika so you went shopping. What stores do you like here in the states that you don't have where you live? We just a had a new mall reopen this past week. It is huge and under new management. They have brought in a lot of new and different stores. They are already in trouble for throwing out teenagers who wear the hip hop clothing. They have a dress code-no caps worn sideways and baggy pants and stuff like that. Say it is gang related. I haven't been there yet but one of these days I will check it out.

We had a shooting in our local KMart last week. A 22 yr old who worked there was killed in the paint dept and a customer was critically wounded by the gunman who later committed suicide. No connection between the shooter and the others. Way too weird and scary for me. We know the parents of the kid who was killed.

Have to go get ready for a funeral this morning. My dil's grandma died.

Here's what I found.


The foods in the Core Program are:

Whole wheat pasta
brown rice
no sugar added cereals
soups (non creamy)
You also have 35 flex points if you want to use them for foods that
are NOT on
the Core Program list.
The following items are No Count Foods. If you don't see a specific
food on the
No Count Food List, it's not allowed as a No Count Food. If in doubt,
leave it
out. NO EXCEPTIONS!

This works by limiting food choices. Whenever you want to step
outside the
No Count Foods, you must make a choice - use your Flex Points
Allowance (at its
full POINTS value) or don't eat it. For example, fat-free Cheddar
cheese is a
No Count Food. Opt for an ounce of regular Cheddar and it carries a
POINTS value
of 3. The same goes for any food combinations or recipes you make. A
cup of
chili from your favorite eatery has a POINTS value of 8.

When combining foods, to consider the finished product a No Count
Food, all foods
on the No Count Food List must be combined only with other foods on
the List. If
any other food is used, the entire product should be counted within
your
Flex Points Allowance.

Meats - Beef, Lamb, Pork, and Veal
Choose visibly lean cuts and trim any excess fat.

Beef
Bottom and top round roast
Bottom and top sirloin steak
Eye round roast
Flank steak
Organ meats
Round steak
Round tip steak and roast
Sirloin steak
T-bone steak
Tenderloin roast and steak
Top loin steak
Top sirloin roast
Ground Meat
Any type, 7% fat or less
Lamb
Leg roast
Loin chop or roast
Organ meats
Sirloin chop
Pork
Canadian-style bacon
Ham
Loin chop or roast
Organ meats
Sirloin chop
Sirloin cutlet
Tenderloin roast
Veal
Cutlet
Loin chop or roast
Organ meats
Round steak
Sirloin steak
Poultry - Limited to Chicken and Turkey
Trim any visible fat before preparing and remove the skin before
eating.
Chicken
Fresh, frozen, or canned
Ground poultry
Chicken or turkey only, lean or extra-lean
Turkey
Fresh, frozen, or canned

Fish and Shellfish
Canned varieties must be packed in water, broth, or tomato juice (not
oil).

Fresh, frozen, or canned, any variety
Meat Substitutes
Dried beans and lentils
Tofu, any type
Vegetarian burger, fat-free, frozen
Eggs and Dairy Products

Egg and Egg Substitutes
Egg, whole
Egg substitutes
Egg whites

Dairy Products
For items marked with an asterisk (*), 1 cup counts as 1 serving milk
product.

Cheese, fat-free
Coffee creamers, fat-free
Cottage cheese, fat-free or 1% fat
Cream cheese, fat-free
Dairy shake, reduced calorie*
Milk, fat-free or 1%
Pudding, fat-and sugar free*
Sour cream, fat-free
Yogurt, fat-free or 1% fat, plain or artificially sweetened flavored*
Weight Watchers Smoothies
Diary Substitutes
Soy cheese, fat-free
Soy milk, fat-free
Soy yogurt, plain

Grains, Cereals, and Starches
Refer to other page for an explanation of what qualifies as a
wholegrain food.

Grains
Barley
Buckwheat
Bulgur
Cornmeal (polenta)
Couscous (semolina)
Kasha
Popcorn, air-popped or 94% fat-free microwave-popcorn
Quinoa
Rolled oats
Rye

Cereals
Ready-to-eat cereals cannot be frosted or sugar-coated, must be eaten
with milk
or yogurt, and are limited to one meal a day.

Cooked (hot), any whole-grain variety
Ready-to-eat (cold), any whole-grain variety

Starches
Macaroni, any type
Noodles, egg
Pasta, any type
Rice, any type
Spaghetti, any type
Starchy vegetables (e.g., all potatoes, peas, corn)

Fruits, Vegetables, and Soups




Fruit
Canned fruit must be packed in water or juice (not syrup) and drained
before
eating (e.g., unsweetened apple-sauce is allowed but sweetened
applesauce is
not).

Fresh, frozen, or canned, any variety (Note: fruit juices are not
allowed)

Vegetables
Vegetables cannot contain ingredients that are not on the No Count
Food List
(e.g., regular refried beans, pork & beans, corn in butter sauce,
dried tomatoes
packed in oil, French fries, and sweet pickles are not allowed).

Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, any variety including white and
sweet potatoes;
dried beans and lentils; and tomato paste, puree, and sauce (Note:
Vegetable
juices are not allowed)

Soups
Choose fresh, canned, frozen, or homemade soups made only with
NoCount Foods.

Bean soup
Bouillon
Broth-based soup
Tomato soup

Beverages, Fats, and Condiments

Beverages
Beverages containing alcohol are not allowed.

Club soda
Coffee, black, without sugar
Hot cocoa, instant, sugar-and fat-free
Seltzer, plain or flavored, unsweetened
Soft drink, diet
Tea, without sugar
Water or mineral water

Fats
Margarine, fat-free
Mayonnaise, fat-free
Salad dressings, fat-free

Condiments
Baking powder
Baking soda
Capers
Cocktail sauce
Extracts
Flavorings
Gelatin (unflavored and sugar-free flavored)
Herbs
Hot sauce (pepper sauce)
Ketchup
Lemon juice
Mustard
Nonstick cooking or baking spray
Soy sauce (shoyu)
Spices
Steak sauce
Sugar substitutes
Taco sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Vinegar
Worcestershire sauce

Trudy: Good to see you! Sorry you are having trouble with the allergies.

KAren: the program has been very well received here. Ony one person blaked about the oil. But as soon as the Leader said put in 1/2 Teaspoon to cook eggs. I/2 Teaspoon in your salad 1 tsp over veggies when you cook tem. SHe was a happy camper.

I have been doing the Core program for quite sometime and Im quite happy with it. I still count my Points tho. Its habit for me. I have the New Cookbook (Turnaround) and it is awesome!. Everything I ate last week came out of that book. And it was all good. Gave me lots of Ideas to. I did find tho that some of the recipes were so low in points and had to make the points up somehow and it was hard as I was very full all week I lost 3 pounds this week and was quite shocked I did have a day in the middle that I used alot of my Flex points to. Yesterday I had only had 15 points figured and that included dinner. I was going to make Veggie Stuffed peppers but added Hamburger to it to add points to it. Was very good

Well we are off to play today.

Hi to everyone else!

Hi everyone: Have been catching up. Reading all the posts.

We have had to have our puter off a lot, as we have had thunderstorms almost every day. Dduring the day I don't often make it on line, and by the time I have time, I have to shut down,

Margot: I barley remember when you were here, I think I had just joined the group. Glad you are back.

Karen: Sound like you are getting aclimated well to the area. Have you gone to Sam's club in Lakeland yet? Is your DH on medicare? That should make a big difference with your medical charges. We are going through some tests for DH now as he is having hip problems. He had x-rays and an MRI and then meets with the Dr. tomorrow. I know there will be something that Medicare and the supplemental insurance won't pick up, but it is usually not too bad. We have our supplemental insurance with AARP.

We have been waiting around for the insurance adjuster to come and check our roof. A roofing guy has been here and given us an estimate, but the adjuster called and is taking the people who are in much worse straits than we are. Everytime it rains and the wind blows we hope it won't start leaking.

Went to a baby shower today for one of my friends at church who sings in the Praise Team with me. She is having a little girl, after having 2 boys. Of course they are very happy. It was a nice afternoon.

Trudy: Nice to hear from you. I surely hope you get some satisfaction from your Dr. about your allergy problems.

Lily: Hope you don't work too hard out in the yard. I haven't started back to WW yet, but know that I do have to 'bite the bullet' so to speak and get myself started again. The core program sounds like something I could handle.

Maria: Lacy undies! I was reading about cross dressers the other day. I guess it takes all kinds. Hopefully, that was just a joke photo. I'm sure y ou will do a wonderful job. Congrats on your downward loss.

Glenda: I guess you have had experiences with tornados out there in Okie land. and you know the terrible devastation. It will take a long time for many people to recover. You sound happily busy.

Peggy: Thanks for all the research. I think that list sounds a bit like Dr. Phil's program and also similar to Phase 2 of the South Beach program. It is cutting out all the processed foods, I think. I get to where I crave good white bread now and again. : No fiber, just that special taste when it is toasted.

Slavika: I guess you like to take some shopping trips to the states, just like I enjoyed my trips over the river to Canada. We like the different products that are available. I really like Crumpets, and those are not an item that our
stores stock. When toasted, all those neat holes that absorb the butter and jelly. MMMMM A treat just to remember now.

I am going to try to make it a point to get here earlier in the day so I don't get so far behind. Hope you all have a great 'rest of the weekend'. Ann

Ann, To answer your question about medicare DH is 62 and not eligible for 3 years But we will manage. We do have a cap but not sure what it is. We'll muddle through this just like we always do. Just thankful he is alright now. Plan to keep him that way. Sorry to hear you hubby is having hip problems. Hope that gets fixed soon. Also hope you get a roof. Do you have something covering it, like a tarp or something? Isn't all this rain we are having awful . Sure hope this rainy season passes soon. But not until Oct. Is that right?? We have been to Sams in Lakeland that is where I got my new computer chair.

Trudy it was good to see you again. When talking to my family they told me that it has been very cool in Minnesota so I sure where you are it is much worse. When do you see the new doctor? Allergies are the pits.

I had my first migraine headache in a month today. and the Imitrex made me very tired. For a while I was getting them so often I was popping pills left and right. So now it has been a month and my body doesn't know what hit it. I sure hope they don't start in again.

Peggy you have the right information on core. It's nice to follow you feel so healthy when you are doing it right.

Well it's off to bed for me.

Karen

G'day all,

Thank you Peggy for posting the list of core food items.

I was still a little confused and had a look on the WW site, thank you Karen by entering your zipcode I was able to get to the American site.
Still confused so did a bit more hunting around and found the following on the Health Discovery site.

Weight Watchers eTools article of the week: Introducing TurnAround™!


~ Core Plan or Flex Plan?


Would you rather eat as much as you want of a number of healthy foods? Or a limited amount of whatever you want?
Now, with Weight Watchers TurnAround™, you have the choice. Decide which of two plans — the Core Plan or the Flex Plan — makes the most sense for you. Then go for it. If you find that the plan you're using isn't working as well for you as you'd like, try the other one. The choice is yours!

Meet Your Weight-Loss Match


You've probably heard your leader or other Meetings Members talking about TurnAround and the differences between its two plans. Weight Watchers wants to help you find a way to fit weight loss into your life. With your choice of two plans, you're sure to find a match that makes it easy.

CORE

You get a list of Core Foods, from which you can eat as much as you want without keeping track.

You choose foods from the Core Food List, which is made up of healthy items from all the food groups: veggies and fruits; grains and starches; lean meats, poultry, fish and eggs; and milk products.

You get a chance to splurge every once in a while by using a weekly POINTS Allowance to spend on foods that aren't on the list.You can eat whatever you want.

The Core Plan is a good choice if you need to be able to eat as much as you want in order to feel full.

~~

FLEX

You stay within your POINTS® budget, which is made up of a daily POINTS Target, plus an extra weekly POINTS Allowance.

You keep track of the POINTS values of the foods you eat – just like with the FlexPoints plan. To lose weight, just stay within your POINTS budget.

The Flex Plan is a good choice if you need to be able to eat whichever foods you want in order to stay satisfied.


Whichever plan you choose, Weight Watchers eTools will give you the tools you need to stay on track. For the Core Plan you'll get Core Recipes, Meal Ideas, a Restaurant Guide and more. For the Flex Plan, you'll have access to the POINTS Tracker, Recipe Search, Meal Plans and more. And with either plan, you'll have access to your Weight Tracker and Progress Charts, so that viewing your progress is always a click away.

~~~

~ Fans of the Flex Plan Talk!


With Weight Watchers new TurnAround™ program, the choice is all yours; so is choosing the Flex Plan right for you? We've asked some faithful Flex Plan followers for their take on the plan that allows you to eat the foods you love within your daily POINTS® Target. See what early in-house testers had to say!

"I have dessert – a small bowl of ice cream or a piece of chocolate – every single night on the Flex Plan. I love that I can do that!"

"I like being able to decide what I am going to eat rather than being told what I am allowed to eat. That flexibility definitely helps me stay on plan."

"Variety is a crucial part of my weight-loss success. If I get bored eating the same old types of food, I can eat and eat and eat them and never feel satisfied. That's why I depend on the online Meal Ideas and Recipe Search. It's like having a personal chef to help keep me on plan."

"I try not to use all my weekly POINTS Allowance, but I'm not always successful. So it's nice to know that they are there for those weeks that I've just partied too hard and need that safety net!"

"I love to eat, but the Flex Plan showed me how to do it right and still enjoy myself. I went to a barbecue last week, and nobody even knew I was watching what I ate."

"I've become much more creative in the kitchen using the Flex Plan. By renovating some favorite recipes with the Recipe Builder, I don't feel like I'm being cheated. I can still enjoy the meals that I cook for my family, even if mine are slightly different."

"Once I started to track what and how much I was eating with the Flex Plan, I realized that small changes in my diet could make a big difference."

"I love the weekly POINTS Allowance because you can never predict what might come up in a week. I save them for those unexpected dinners out or for drinks with friends."

"Every time I reach a weight-loss milestone I get a little star in my Weight Tracker. That always makes my day – actually, my week."

"Tracking POINTS on the Flex Plan gives me a sort of road map for my day. I know where I started from, the direction in which I am headed, and where I want to end up."

~~~

~ The Word is Out: The Core Plan is Great!


Pssst. The word is out about the newest way to lose weight with Weight Watchers TurnAround™: the Core Plan. And boy, are people buzzing! You know that following the plan is a snap thanks to the Core Food List, an extensive listing of healthy, delicious, and wholesome foods that includes all the food groups and allows you to eat as much and as often as you need from it to feel satisfied. With the Core Plan, you are offered a wide variety of all the food choices you want — pasta, fruit, veggies, meat, eggs – they're all there. Plus, you get a weekly POINTS® Allowance of 35 POINTS for the occasional indulgence that's not on the list!
Now that people have had a chance to try out the Core Plan, they can't stop talking about it. But just what are these early in-house testers saying? See for yourself:

"I find myself getting full quickly when I am eating Core Foods, which means I end up eating many small meals throughout the day. But I love to eat, so the fact that I can eat as much off the Core Food list as I need to fill up keeps me incredibly satisfied."

"The longer I am on the Core Plan, the easier it gets. Now that I have stocked up on Core Food List items – my staples are plain yogurt with lots of fruit, popcorn, fresh veggies, beans, and eggs – eating from the list has become second nature."

"I had been stuck in a plateau for 4 months, but the Core Plan finally broke it. I lost 3 pounds in the first week*, even using my entire weekly POINTS Allowance. Now I am definitely hooked."

I love that if I want to treat myself to chocolate during the week or include ingredients not found on the Core Food List in my meals, I can use my weekly POINTS Allowance. I can now maintain a healthier lifestyle and control my weight without feeling deprived!

"I was a little nervous to begin the Core Plan, questioning whether I would be satisfied from the Core Food List. But seeing the huge variety of food that I can eat has definitely changed my mind. Now I love that the Core Plan is very black and white. It means there are no gray areas which could lead to falling down a slippery slope."

"The weekly POINTS Allowance makes it really easy to follow Core. When I go out to eat it is great to have the freedom to enjoy a roll or a glass of wine and know I'm still on track."

"Combining different veggies to make tasty, satisfying meals is so easy with the Core Food List. I have become really creative with lunch ideas to bring to work since I started the Core Plan. I use a lot of legumes – like black beans, edamame, and chick peas – and veggies like corn and tomatoes, to make light, yummy, portable salads."

"Even in restaurants, the Core Plan is so easy to follow. I have not been in a situation yet where I couldn't stick with it: Mexican, Italian, Chinese, American, you name it!"

"The Core Plan changed my thinking about the structure of meals. I now feel completely satisfied eating small, healthy meals – plus, I can eat much more often!"

"It's so easy to track my weekly POINTS Allowance and Activity POINTS because most meals are all made up of foods from the Core Food List, so there's not that much to keep track of. I can just jot down my weekly POINTS Allowance in my POINTS Pad, and then forget about it for most of the day."

"I don't really cook that often, but I have really been enjoying all the great new ideas for quick and easy meals in the Meal Browse. It makes following the Core Plan so simple. I was so inspired that I think I'll try some of the more gourmet recipes!"
__________________


Lots of food for thought (no pun intended )

Cheers
Maria

Maria thanks for posting the other information. Now Lily is doing so well on the core program I might have to give it a try.

Ann I find Crumpets at Krogers by the English Muffins.

We don't have a Krogers. Only winn Dixie, Publix, Albertsons, & Kash and Karry. But I won't give up.
Maria: thanks for all the other info.
Karen: the rainy season is sometimes rather fickle. I can remember a summer or two when we didn't really have a rainy season. Then we were very dry. We haven't had to have a tarp as yet. We had another windy and heavy rainstorm on Fri. and we lost a couple more shingles. Hope the adjuster comes soon.
Hi everyone. Ann