I have been looking for one of the original LA Weightloss Portion booklet that lists all the foods categorically and the amounts were beside them. Does anyone have one that they could scan and send me? I lost 72lbs on this plan and I want to restart it. I don't use any of their product because of allergies and mostly because of sugar content (insulin dependant diabetic) but the rest of the plan worked for me greatly!!

I'm afraid I haven't heard of it, Lawlwrks. You might want to sart a new thread with the name of the booklet in the title in the "diets" section. Probably not too many people will see your request here.

Good luck!

Wow. Sorry about your health stresses, Guac. That's a total drag. I'm also the type that would just like to have it done with.

I'm okay. I mean, personally, I'm very well. But my kids are all at difficult stages and I'm trying to encourage and support and sympathise without getting caught up in the drama and stress :\

I made a big bowl of qinoa salad on Sunday that I've been eating all week for lunch. For dinner I try to cook sort of modular meals, if you will, that can be personalized. 3 minute meals, Snarkles! Move over Jamie Oliver!

I was so pissed about misreading the scale that I've decided to get a digital one. Bamboo or glass... Hmmm...

This isn't the booklet, but it summarizes the plan...http://www.livestrong.com/article/54...thout-joining/

Thanks Mrs. Snark and magicsusan. What I thought would happen happened, and now I have to have the painful procedure on Monday, so the next few days are going to be awful in anticipation. Also, I have to schedule a rather involved CT scan where I have to drink yucky stuff and have dye inserted in my vein through a needle. Fun stuff. I am so down right now. My life is nothing but medical nerve wracking things to anticipate. I just hope this latest round of tests come back clear. On the bright side, I am down a pound today.

<<<<hugs>>>> Guac. Hang in there, chickie, you'll get through this, you will. I've had cancer (melanoma, and I'm currently NED), but I go through fairly regular intensive testing -- like MRIs with contrast and CTs with contrast and ultrasounds and upper GI series and all sorts of really not-so-fun crap. It is definitely crazy-making. I'm right there with ya. Deep breaths, make jokes, celebrate the little victories, always look at the bright side of life, and hang tough. Before you know it you'll be on the other side of Monday.

Sending you STRENGTH and healing thoughts!

Hi Michelle, Susan and guacamole Nice to see you all, it's been a while.

guacamole

Mrs. Snark - OMG! You truly are a survivor in more ways than one (I'm in awe of your weight loss, and I consider that a life saving achievement). I feel like a wimp next to you, who have beaten cancer. It's funny, but I don't know if you know who Big Ang is - the larger than life reality tv personality who passed away from cancer early today? She was on her show taped a few months ago saying how she didn't think she could go through any more tests and surgeries, and I was just saying the same thing - but her issues were so much more severe I feel foolish to be so downhearted. I need a reality check, and her death and the seriousness of her condition gives me some perspective. You too.

love2b150 - thanks for the hugs! Nice to see you too.

Have two tests scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday - so hopefully by next Tuesday night I will be feeling more relaxed. In the meantime, one benefit of being anxious and terrified is that my appetite is gone and I lost another pound to get to 170!

guacamole, I saw your post about your gym experience yesterday--how annoying!
I'm definitely not a gym person, but my DH's friend lost a lot of weight and has become a personal trainer. I feel so dumpy when I see him now. I hate being judged (even if it's just in my own mind)

Any how, last week I was at my kids school and one of my daughters said she saw me and 'my butt' down the hall. Ouch! So, that was the final straw to getting back on track. Plus, I need to fit back into my jeans--which aren't even skinny women jeans. (14W)

Looking forward to getting to know you all & checking in regularly...

Hi Rennie! Nice to see you too!

Guac, I guess the loss of appetite is a silver lining, but ouch! (((hug)))

Veggiedawg, my daughter said something similar, once. "I knew it was you bacause you're big and blue!" (I was wearing a blue shirt that day.) *sigh* out of the mouths of babes...

Snarkles, I always tell my DH that as long as I'm still cracking jokes, he doesn't really need to worry...

Hey Rennie! Good to see you, too!

Guac-- you're allowed to be stressed, and get pissed, and even wallow. Some days really do suck! Just also know you are strong enough to come out the other side of all of it!

Veggiedawg -- if DH's personal trainer friend has lost alot of weight himself, well, you know he can definitely relate to the struggle and is unlikely to be judging you! Because he knows. And if he is judging inside his head, eff him, that kind of hypocrisy wouldn't deserve any respect. But let's go with he's NOT judging at all -- we'll give him the benefit of the doubt because we are super nice, non-judgy people ourselves. Mostly. So no judging yourself, either!

MagicalS -- Yeah, same here. I'm sure the last thing I ever say, EVER, will be sarcastic. You can put money on it.

Anyone watch Fit to Fat to Fit? Trainers gain a huge amount of weight to relate to their clients and then they lose the weight together? Interesting show...

guac- Yes, I watched 2 episodes today! I'd never seen it before. Pretty horrible, having those trainers gain--definitely not healthy. Watching them eat the junk though...some of it looked yummy! LOL In the one episode, I hated the trainer being so hard on the guy during his first workout. And, they still didn't seem to get it, that the dieters needed constant motivation, not just "ya, now you can do it on your own and stick with it". Makes me realize that I need to find people to workout with if I'm going to do it.

Mrs. Snark- I know, you are right. It's so hard to get out of the "what do people think of me?" mindset. I'll have to work on that--it stops me from doing a lot of things. (and I know he spends hours a day at the gym, so it's not easy for him to keep fit)

MagicSusan- what are we to do with these girls!

Thinking of you today, Guac! HANG IN THERE!

Veggiedawg, I think tv shows (and our general culture today, with instragam photos etc.) way over-emphasize the role of exercise and under-emphasize the role of food management for weight loss and weight maintenance. I understand that's for the drama, because it is more exciting to film/photograph people pushing weights and sweating and grunting and being screamed at to do "JUST ONE MORE!!!!" than it is to film people quietly making a large salad with tons of vegetables and chickpeas for lunch (*yawn*).

But I find weight management it is almost ENTIRELY about food management -- and if you can exercise, too, well hey, that's GREAT for overall health and the mental/emotional bonuses you get from those cute little endorphins.

I used to exercise like a beast (or my version of a beast, at least, which was frequent double-digit runs plus gym time), and would be gaining weight. Easily gaining weight SO FAST. Truth: I worked out harder when I was heavier than I ever do now. It wasn't until I learned that all my hard work and effort needed to go into making good food choices over and over and over and over again, and then over again, every day, that I was able to get my act together.

It was so tedious at first, and so uncelebrated, all those daily little choices that added up to a day in a calorie deficit. Nobody cheers when you choose a reasonable lunch, so it isn't immediately as rewarding as coming home and bragging about how much time I'd spent running incline sprints. Plus you also have to choose a good breakfast, and will have to choose a decent dinner, too. I wanted a MEDAL and an award ceremony every time I made a good meal choice. I still do, lol. There is that need for constant motivation you mentioned, Veggiedawg, lol!

But I tell you, those minute-by-minute meal choices are what works for me. My favorite recommendation (not that anyone asked me) is to focus all the intensity that usually goes into exercising on food management, and then exercise just for fun. Particularly right at the beginning when a person is just starting to make the changes that will become a long-term lifestyle. And make your exercise more of an enjoyable hobby than a torture session with angry Mistress SweatSock. Choose something you like. It doesn't have to be extreme to be effective at making you feel good.

Sorry I just wrote a book on this topic. I have feels about it, so many feels.