Weekly Chatting Thread: 4/25 to 5/1
 

Thought I'd crank this up for us! I hope you ladies have all had a great weekend--ours has been so relaxing. I actually feel ready to get back to work tomorrow, because I've had so much nice time at home.
I've been really enjoying cooking this weekend--been using recipes & ideas from "The Fat Fallacy." It's been so fun to feel "allowed" to cook with olive oil, butter, cheese, etc. I guess the proof will be in, whether or not I lose weight consistently over the next few weeks/months! It will be interesting to see how it goes. I sure am enjoying this great food, in the meantime!
:D

Jen, I've always thought that was so interesting the way the europeans eat. I've started to add heart healthy fats back as well olive oil, nuts, etc. Does the book have some good recipes? I am totally getting bored with my usuals so I think I will be hunting for some more. Well, I'm off to class. Check back in with y'all later!

Good morning everyone! I did my 40 hour class last week on South Dakota real estate license law. Now I'm done with all 100 hours and I have to go out of town again tomorrow to take the test. I'm a little nervous. I've always been a good test taker, and I feel pretty confident, but only 60% of people that take it pass it on the first try. On top of that, I have the busiest week I've had in a long time coming up.

Today I have a meeting at a liquor store (seriously). I have to buy $400 of wine using other people's money. It's for my mom's big fundraiser that is on Thursday. The catch being that it all has to be from one distributor. I think it will end up being around 20 bottles. Saturday night I had to tear down the parent senior party at the high school to get the decorations since the fundraiser is a "beach ball". Only 3 other people showed up to help so my boyfriend and I worked our butts off dismantling palm trees and tiki huts from 11:30 pm to 2am.

I just finished my big religion paper. 8 pages about Jodo Mahayana Buddhism. I have to turn that it tonight. My final in that class is next week.

Tomorrow is a 3 hour drive to take my 3.5 hour test then the 3 hours home. Then Wednesday I have to set up the fundraiser and Thursday finish with that and the event runs from 5-10 then teardown. Friday I substitute teach all day. So if I do crappy on the test, I know I'll be stressed out the whole week.

Hopefully sometime in between all of the work and my whining, I'll find time to exercise. :p

I ate so bad last week and didn't exercise at all. I haven't weighed myself to find out the damage, but there is no way I will make my goal of 149 by may 1st. I'll be happy if I can get back down to where I started the month at.

I hope everyone has a good day and is off to a better start than I am!

Meredith,
Good luck on your exam tomorrow!! I'm going to try to get into real estate when we move back to the states. Who knows when that will be!

Sorry to hear about your hectic week Meredith, but it'll be over before you know it. Good luck on your exam!

I'm really feeling stressed out today... so I can relate to you Meredith.

I wish I had more hours in the day.

Meredith: Wow! You tire me out just reading what you do! I hope your exam goes well.

Well, this weekend wasn't the best in terms of eating or anything else. But, I'm making sure things go better from here on out. Only 32 pounds left to lose. Surely, I can get that off sometime soon!

I have some new cookbooks, so I am actually enjoying cooking and trying out some new stuff. I used to look at cooking as a necessary evil, but I am really beginning to like it. It's fun to actually make something that tastes good and other people enjoy.

Well, I hope everyone has a great week!

Take care,
Jina

I'm with you on the cooking thing, Jina. I'm finding out it's actually fun, instead of just another "chore" to do as quickly as possible. I love making new things, and finding out the tastes I actually like!
I hope your week goes well, Meredith. It sounds like you have a ton on your plate; no doubt you'll be really relieved when this busy week is over.
I'm going to the mall tonight to pick up our newly re-sized engagement & wedding bands--yay! I have MISSED my rings this past week. Maybe I'll browse around at the mall for clothes, too....you never know. (-;
Have a great Monday night all!

Jen, you've inspired me to read the "The Fat Fallacy". It is so interesting and it makes so much sense. I think my brain was on the verge of his basic philiosophy, but it wasn't really congealing, but what William Clower has written puts my thoughts into words. I'm so excited about it. Today I've already started changing how I eat my food--at a table, slowly and I can't believe how much my sandwich has filled me, when it's usually a sandwich and a few fruits and veggies with some Ranch dip on the side (for the veggies that is ;))

I definitely recommend that people check out this book! It's not a specific, follow-it-to-the-letter-of-the-law, plan exactly, but it gives guidelines on what and how to eat healthy.

Bad news, I only passed the state part of the test. I missed the national part by 6 questions. At least I only have to retake that part. I screwed up mostly on the mortgage part. It was irritating that I spent all that time and money on the software, textbook, and class and there were things on the test that I had never seen before. My broker is going to meet with me tomorrow and Monday to go over some of my questions and I'm going to reschedule the test for next Tuesday I think. I might wait until Wednesday since my religion final is on Monday. Uggh. I'm just really mad at myself. Now I have to pay another $125 and spend another day on the road. Not to mention another week of studying.

OK, done *****ing. Not much I can do about it now. On the plus side, I don't have to retake the entire thing and now I'll be better prepared for the next test. Has anyone seen the movie "Big Fish"? I think I'll rent that tonight and just unwind. Its nice out today, maybe I'll take a long walk tonight.

Jina-I just need to lose 30 more pounds too. We can do this, right?

Hope everyone else that is stressed out is starting to do better, have a great day!

Meredith: Congrats on passing part of the test - like you said, much better than failing the entire thing. And now you have a better idea of what to study for on the other portion. I'm positive you'll pass this time around. Oh, and Big Fish is sooooo good!

Ugh. It's HOT here. It's never hot in April in Oregon - it's supposed to be raining! It's about 83 right now - the average is 62. I like it, kind of, but it's just WEIRD. And it's humid too. But I'm getting on the treadmill soon anyways. A long, challenging run is in my plans today. I'll check back in a while to confirm that such a run took place! :)

Whew! Okay, I completed a long, challenging run. Well, long and challenging for me, at least! :) Totals: 50 minutes and 4 miles! I always have a great workout when I promise you guys I'll be back with the results... hmmm... maybe I'm on to something here... :) Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

Dee--I'm glad I inspired you to read Fat Fallacy, and glad that you liked it! It just made so much good sense to me, I couldn't ignore it, or try to explain it away. my DH & I are enjoying the good, REAL food so much, it's hard to believe what we used to eat routinely. I've already noticed that I just plain feel better, overall physically. Could it be that my body was made to process real food, and not chemical lab creations? Hmmm.... (-; Keep me posted on your findings, recipes you try, etc.

Jen: I'd love to hear a little bit about what you changed in your diet - what do you eat now that you wouldn't have touched before? :)

Meredith: Congrats on passing part of the test. You can pass the other part when you retake it. That's always frustrating when questions show up that you didn't expect. I hope you're able to enjoy unwinding tonight. And, surely, we can lose these last 30 pounds... hopefully. I've been having a hard time of it lately. I'm not sure what's wrong... just unmotivated and lazy lately. UGH! Time to kick it into gear again!

Jenicra: Congrats on the great run! That's very impressive!

Jen: I'm not following the book that you are, but I really haven't eaten anything pre-packaged/pre-made (?) in a very long time. Everything I eat is something natural -- like protein and vegetables (if that makes any sense). I've felt incredible since doing this. I think it's great for anyone!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Take care,
Jina

Happy Day Everyone!

I am back to eating Healthy Choice frozen meals...they are easy, and most taste pretty good. I was eating these when I lost my thirty lbs....so now I'm back to what worked for me and my busy schedule.

jenicra, to answer your question: things I've been eating lately that I wouldn't have eaten before include olive oil (for dipping good bread, or for liberal use in cooking!), real butter, and full-fat or higher-fat dairy products. I had real, actual yogurt (whole-milk) for the first time the other day, and it is so incredibly much better. Fat-free, reduced-sugar yogurt doesn't even taste like the same type of food, in comparison! And using a bit of butter to flavor cooked vegetables is really good, too. Apparently olive oil is extremely good for you--good thing it's tasty, too.
I made brownies the other day from scratch--used real butter, eggs, and baking chocolate. Holy CRAP those suckers are good! They are so delicious, and satisfying, (and smell so good!) that you honestly don't WANT more than one at a time. I am learning to truly enjoy & savor good food--all things in moderation. It's a good lesson to be learning....we'll see if the proof is in the pudding! ( will I lose? I hope so!)
I'll keep ya'll posted.

Jen, can I have your brownie recipie? Where are you getting your recipies from?

Good morning ladies. How is everyone doing?

I am in a much better mood then I was at the start of the week. I'm still stressed, but not nearly as grumpy.

I'm hoping we get our car back today so I can finally start working out again. I could have ran outside, but I hate running without water and my allergies would probably kill me. I really want to start hitting the weights pretty hard. I have less then 4 months til my wedding and I want to look great.

Have a good day!

Jen: thanks for the info, I was just wondering - sounds delicious! :)
Tonic: I'm sure you already look great - plus 40+ lbs. lighter!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!! :D

Well, it's hard to believe but it is the last day of April today...man, time just flies!

My back is trying to go out on me, so I'll be chilling at home tonight. The guy I have been dating is going to come over and cook me dinner! How cool is that?

Oooh, enjoy your dinner stb! Sounds fun!

I'm with ya, April FLEW by! It was over before I knew it! I guess being gone about the first 10 days of the month made a difference for me.
I've gotten some of my recipes/ideas from the back of "The Fat Fallacy" book itself--there's a short recipe section there. My brownie recipe is from a cookbook I have called "The Perfect Recipe." I'll post it soon! But really, you can look anywhere--as long as the recipes call for "real" food ingredients, and emphasize heart-healthy fat, such as olive oil, I think they'd work!
Have a fabulous weekend, all! I'm off to find some supper & get in a quick workout.