[Still Karen]

Good Sunday afternoon!! WOW, two new friends. Thanks for welcoming me Judy!! I'm excited to be here.

Awwww, Judy, Don't you hate that when life is rolling around smoothly then all the sudden 7 extra pounds land on your thighs (or in my case, my middle)? It happens to the best of us. At least you are knuckling down and getting it off again even if it is taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R. I tend to do that in the winter months then I get so mad a myself when the scale is up 6 pounds. I live in Minnesota where I tend to hibernate like a bear when it snows and is freezing cold. I wish I lived somewhere warmer where lite veggies and fruits called to me instead of stews and pancakes. Ha.

Thankfully I have never battled binge eating. Oh don't get me wrong, there have been occasional times when I will overeat something but I usually feel miserable when I am overly full so I tend to not do that very often. My calories have crept on mainly because I have a back injury and can't exercise and work like I used to do. I was always a walker, 45 minutes a day rain or shine for 30 years and I did fat burning activities like pushing a lawn mower (and liked it . But a car accident has left me with chronic back pain that is actually made worse with activity. I've had the nerves in my back burned off (Radiofrequency) which helped but I still live with high levels of pain daily sooooooooo as my activity level decreased over the last decade I was not careful to always decrease my caloric intake. So 10 years later I'm every bit of 30 pounds over weight and to get back to the weight I was before the back pain I need to lose 40 pounds. I should have gotten a handle on this before now but honestly in my head I still feel thin. It's when I look in a full length mirror that I say "who is that person"? I just need to quit lying to myself and get my weight back to where I used to be. That is the real Karen!

So Gail...I am sooooooooo jealous of your ability to go for your walks. I miss walking so very much. That was my total happy time of the day and after a decade I still miss it everyday. And when I walked 45 minutes a day I could eat anything and my weight stayed consistently the same except for a 3-5 pound gain in the winter that I would work off in three weeks of mowing grass in the spring. My husband built me a beautiful brick sidewalk that circles our back yard two summers ago. In the spring, summer, and fall I walk about 10 minutes 4 times a week. Anything more than that and I get so inflamed that I usually can't walk it for days. So I pace myself, can't walk it fast but can actually get a little bit of a workout.....bummer. You just never know what will happen in your life and where it will take you. But I keep a smile on my face and endure and am sooooooooooo happy for those who are able to move their bodies without pain.

On track with the points for today and even had a small chocolate cupcake (5 points....ouch). It will be a veggie plate for supper to account for that lip licking treat.

[Still Karen]

oh and.... I plan to do weigh-ins on Wednesdays.

[Still Karen]

Finishing the day at 26 points. My 5 point cupcake put me a couple points higher than I would like but it was a nice treat. I'm still within my 20-27 point range so hopefully all will be well.

Evolv shake (2), Musili (6), chocolate cupcake (5), cocoa (2), banana (2) Candy Cane (1), Veggie plate (6), cocoa (2)..... = 26

I hit the chocolate hard today and enjoyed every bite and swallow.

And I picked up sticks in the yard and took a little walk, total of 25 minutes.

See you tomorrow!

[bandit2]

Good morning, everyone

Extra long weekend for me since I don't work Fridays and today is our Family Day Holiday, so nice to have 4 day weekend. Making quiche today & 1 will be crustless for my breakfasts during the week.

Weather is great this weekend, so sunny and warm which has been a nice change from bitter cold last week, but we know more snow will come. I don't mind the cold & snow but don't like driving in it.

Got in a walk yesterday and had nice dinner with the ladies, today has to be lighter meals and big walk. Dog is home and is a real motivator for going. Would be nice if we all got that excited about our exercise.

Karen - sorry to hear you are always in pain, that is awful but congrats on doing what you can. Are you able to do chair exercises? I know we had a programme at Tops about that and basically we could do everything from the chair - even walking in place. Just a thought.

My knees bother me at times but I find the more I move the better they feel - so that in itself should be enough to get moving.

Judy - hope you are having good weekend.

All - enjoy your day!

[Still Karen]

Gail...what is Family Day Holiday? I love the sound of it even before you explain it? Is it a paid holiday? I love hearing about Canadian stuff.

Thanks for your idea about chair exercises. Actually I do stretches and various slow exercises and I move about the house well, can do the shopping (paced), and things like that but its the extra walking that gets me in trouble. The nerves that run through my spine float in and out of the disc spaces and get pinched with movement. Gentle movement seems to keep them in place better. When I go out and walk consistently for 5-15 or more minutes the nerves float into the disc space, get trapped and have difficulty floating back to where they should be. We don't think of walking as a "pounding" exercise until you have an injury then it can be quite painful. So that is why I avoid vigorous activity such as going for a 20, 30, 40 minute walk. Regarding weight gain - my "go to" for burning off calories was always my 45 minute walk. Can't do that anymore....bummer!!!

I'm trying to decide if I want to spend the money on a digital scale or just use the cheap one that I already have. It floats between 1-2 pounds. You know how you can step on and get one weight, step off and back on and get another, then step on again and get another. All the weights will be within 1-2 pounds of each other but never the same. The digital is about $70....ouch, is it worth it?

And Gail....our snow is almost gone. We are having 50 degree weather in Minnesota. It's usually about zero this time of year and 2-3 feet of snow in the yard. Very strange weather. I like it being warmer but worry about our trees budding then getting frozen, bad for the fruit crops.

[Itryharder]

You Turtles are the best. I'll try and get in here every day but it may not be realistic for me right now. Today food is good..........
glad to hear from both of you.
I have WW version of Chicken marsala for dinner with lots of mushrooms. Want to make time to get on the soon.
Good luck with the WI's this week!
Judy

[Still Karen]

yummmmm, Judy.....Chicken and mushrooms.....yah baby!! Not too fond of the Marsala but glad you like it. How many WW points is that? Do you serve it over rice, pasta or plain? Good for you for getting on that treadmill...burn baby burn

I'm ending on the high end of my scale but still legal. I had a meet up with a friend and we had pizza, not at all on my plan but seeing the friend was great. I was able to find the nutritional info so I'm pretty sure my points are correct.

Evolv Shake (2), Carrot muffin (3), tomato soup and crackers (5), banana (2), tomato soup and less crackers (4), veggies (0),1 slice pizza (7), three bites of butternut squash pie (4).....(we ordered one slice, then we cut it into thirds. I got one third and she got two thirds) = 27

I'm going to try to remember to post my carrot muffin recipe tomorrow. So yummy, filling and they keep well in the refrigerator.

[Itryharder]

Hi Turtles,
Oh I'd love to see the carrot muffin recipe. Always looking for new things.
Have you tried the "oatmeal pancake" ? It's 1/2 cup of rolled oats (not cooked), 1-2 eggwhites, and some cinnamon. Mix together and cook in a Pam-sprayed fry pan. I think the egg whites in that amt. don't have points and then whatever points plus is for the oatmeal. it's a nice change of pace. I don't have my points plus materials anymore, but it should be easy to look up what the oatmeal is.

have a great day. i'm starting out with eggwhites and cheddar cheese, then salad topped with a bean burger, then Gator Egg (tiny avocado) and an orange, then chicken for dinner. last night I changed over to a pork chop and it was delish. Had it with boiled onions and broccoli...........nice change up.

This is fun getting in touch often. We can do this.
Judy

[Still Karen]

Yes, this is fun and when I'm tempted to eat I come to these boards which saves me rummaging through the pantry. Stronger Together can be our motto!!!

back in a while with that recipe.

[Still Karen]

I mix up this Splendid Bake Mix and keep it in a container in my refrigerator so it is ready to use in various recipes. It is a flour mix that is lower in carbohydrates so it lowers the points in flour type foods and doesn't spike blood sugar levels. Keep extra original flours in refrigerator to insure freshness when mixing the next batch.

Jennifer's Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix
1 2/3 cups almond flour
3/4 cup oat flour
2 TBSP coconut flour

Carrot Muffins 3 WW Points Plus Points per muffin

3/4 c. Spendid Gluten Free Bake Mix
1/4 c. + 1/8 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. + 1/8 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. Truvia (Stevia type sweetener)
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 c. raisins
1/4/c. pecans, chopped fine

1 whole egg, beaten
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP melted butter
1/2 c. (60 calorie) Almond milk
4 oz (little motts or lunch pack type cup) applesauce
4 oz cup of very ripe banana, smashed with a fork (I fill the motts brand apple sauce container as a 4 oz measure)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots


1. combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to blend.
2. Divide into 13 paper/foil cupcake liners, filling half to 2/3 full.
3. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes (mine usually take only 20 minutes)
4. When cool, store in plastic baggies and place in refrigerator. Will easily keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator. A dense, moist muffin, used as a breakfast bread or any anytime portable snack, easy to throw in your purse for a quick energy treat instead of an expensive protein bar.

[bandit2]

Hi turtles

Glad to see you posting!

Karen - Family Day holiday is a statutory holiday the 3rd Monday of February (and yes, it is a paid holiday) meant to celebrate family time, which is nice to have a break around now.

I overate over the weekend but got in my walks which was a good thing. So really staying on track this week & have my weigh in on Thurs.

For breakfast had quiche, lunch was leftover steak & 4 shrimps and tonight for dinner planning on having rest of my carrot ginger soup which I made last week. Jello for dessert.

All - lets have a good week.

[Itryharder]

Karen, thanks for the muffin recipe. Looks great. I haven't worked with almond flour, but I think it's a good idea.
Food good today, so I am happy about that.
Had a pita topped with a smidge of hummus and a Greek style salad on top for my lunch. Do you both know of St. Joseph's omega 3 pitas? They are 60 calories and in Smart Points they are 1 SP. Very flat pita that can't be separated, but it toasts up nicely. Anyway, since I like it, I thought I'd mention it. I buy it online where they have flatbreads, etc. I buy a batch of them and keep them in my freezer.

Have another good day, . We are doing this!
Judy

[Still Karen]

I have good news and bad news to share today....

But first - WOWzers to the paid Family Day Holiday, Gail. Like I said in an earlier post; I LOVE CANADIANS!!! In my opinion you just have a better philosophy about sharing and caring for one another as opposed to our extreme capitalistic philosophy here in the states. If I could legally jump the border I would. I applaud all of you!! (Don't mean to get political...just sayin')

And to both of you - thanks for sharing your food choices. It helps to think about other available choices. Yes, I'm familiar with some Joseph's products and like them but have not tried the pita's; will look for them, thanks! I love, love, love Joseph's Sugar Free Maple Syrup on pancakes. Zero points and oh so good, doesn't taste like diet food at all. Spendy but worth it and I also get it online. Good sharing

Ok, now for my bad news. I had such a good WW points week then last night my husband needed cookies baked to take to work for an office party. I ate cookie batter and 4 baked cookies. I don't even know how to count those points so I estimated how many actual cookies and gave them 4 points each. Girls....its 50 points or something close to that for yesterdays tally............. Cookies are my all time weakness as you can probably tell.

As I was eating those cookies my brain kept saying "You have a weigh-in in the morning" and I still kept shoving those things in my mouth. I estimate a total of 7 cookies (28+ points)!!! I finally stopped eating them but I have to admit that it was a very pleasant food vacation. Cookies are out the door now so I'm safe again.

So this morning I had my WI and I am down 5-6 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is my good news!!! Now, I absolutely know that the drop is because of being good all week and that the cookie binge might catch up with me but I have not seen 167 or 168 on my scale for well over 4 years. I did not weigh last Wednesday so it is possible that I was already down a couple pounds because I've been trying since the new year started but was not being very committed. When I started last week I really got committed but did not weigh for fear of seeing a number that would totally put me into a depression that would send me running to the pantry. Honestly I was scared to step on that scale this morning for the same reason but I decided I had to face the raw hard facts.

Whew......I feel so much better. I'm going to use 168 as my new weight. I saw 167 and 168. I don't have a digital scale so I do that whole thing of getting on and off the scale several times. It kept coming up 167 and 168, never above 168 so I'll use 168 for this weeks number. Honestly I don't feel lighter. My clothes still feel tight (actually a top I wore yesterday felt better) so I have to trust the number on the scale.

And my big fat lesson is that sticking to the plan really does pay off so my plan for this next week is to try to follow last weeks menu again. I know having this group/board is helping me be more accountable and encouraged. I thank you for that!!

[bandit2]

Karen - congrats on your weight loss! I know what you mean about seeing the scale go up and then overeating, that happens to me. Even if the scale just goes down .25# that motivates
me to stay on track - even a slight gain sometimes throws me off the rails. Something I need to work on. Also "moderation" is a problem for me - seems to be all or nothing, which is
not good at times.

Things I have most trouble with are the chips, cracker, salty type of snacking. I can pass on the cakes & chocolate things.

Today at work someone brought in samosas & I did not even have one. They are high points/calories. So trying to behave myself.

Judy - hope you are hanging in there.

Gail

[Itryharder]

Oh, I love samosas AND cookies and cookie dough................lol..................Well Karen you had an amazing WI. WEigh to go!
: I love that you are looking at a new number.
Gail, congrats on avoiding the samosas. Weigh to go for you!
I had a good food day, but have had the "calling" all day long. Started eating some Cheez-its and my dh mentioned that they weren't good and did I want to throw them out. Yes, big time yes.........since I had better healthier things to eat.
Now I am done for the night and got on the again today. I aim for 4X weekly.

Waiting for our grandson to come over for his sleepover during his winter school break. He's a lot of fun

Have a great day and keep on keepin' on. Honestly, posting daily is helping me stay on track, so many thanks Karen and Gail and of course a to anyone who'd like to join us on this amazing weight loss journey.
Judy