Group Goal = 30 lbs.
Losses as of 12/27

Lynn - +2
Zoe - -3
Isabella - 3
Jess - +2
Karen - +3

Uh-oh -- looks like the gains are "outweighing" the losses.


Anyone else have a December weight loss or gain to report?

Good Morning all,

We finally had our Christmas Dinner yesterday, and the kids were over to open their gifts. Like Bobbi, our Christmas was delayed. It was wonderful all the same. Everyone was here untill midnight, playing games and eating entirely too much. But most of the things I made were lower calorie. I try to cook like that all the time, and will work with favorite recipes to try to lower the fat and sugar. and most things work out very well. Still getting used to not walking with a cast. My foot is stiff and doesn't want to move the way I want it too, but it feels so LIGHT! And, woo-hoo, I can now drive myself! No more waiting for DH to drive me!

Denna, So sorry to hear about your loss. Prayers for you and your family.

Z, Beautiful Babies!!! Thanks for sharing.

TTYL, Freda

Denna-So Sorry for your loss, thinking of you and your family at this very sad time.

Ellabella-They are so beautiful, enjoy!!

Lynn-Sorry Christmas had to be delayed for a bit, and good for you, trying to eat that way all the time. I must say I did indulge a bit, and my body doesn't like it. Also my very favorite cookie, just didn't seem the same as I remember, they were okay, but not as good as I remember them to be :p {and all that "real butter, flour and sugar" did not sit well, if you know what I mean :o }

Well my Christmas was wonderful, all the kids were here, and for some reason the kids had me open my presents last :?:, well...they had to save the best gift for last-can you guess who will be a Grandma for the first time :D, my DD and SIL announced the wonderful news, August of 2010, so very happy, now I need to get busy on sweaters and blankets!

Today is take down the tree day, always sad, but has to be done. Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Lynn, I've lost 3 pounds so far this month.

Deena, sorry for your loss. It must be very hard to lose a dear brother. We'll be here for you when you get back.

Zoe, those babies are adorable. I'm looking at pics of my baby now as I type. They are the same ages (9 mo.). My boy will be here for New Years and I can't wait to get my hands on him.

Sue, congratulations!!! You, too will join the ranks of the Bragging Grandmas. :D

Freda, so glad you are able to get around again. Sounds like you had a good Christmas as well.

Glynne, glad you had a wonderful Christmas with your family.

Jess, it doesn't matter if you SIL couldn't see beyond her own nose. You know how much weight you've lost and how you feel. I always lose weight in the face the first thing and that's what people always notice on me.

Karen, hi to you. :wave:

Bobbi, you're sounding a little more cheery this morning. Glad to see you're bouncing back.

Well, I've overeaten on just about everything but it was all good, except last night at DH's family gathering. I'll be all week flushing the salt and fat from my body. Who the heck invented party mix and corn puffs, anyway? And besides that there was a 16 foot table full of party food and another table with drinks (soft and hard). I broke down and had root beer with the salty snacks. This morning I woke up with a hangover from eating too much food. That's when your stomach feels as if a brick were sitting inside. (I do believe other family members are nursing real hangovers this morning as we left at midnight and the party was just starting to get in full gear.) I went for an hour and a half walk this morning (used my new Yaktrax and they work wonderfully) and didn't eat today until 2:30 pm. I'm getting on my bike later on also. The whole family will be here for New Year's Day and we'll be having another feast so I have 5 days to recover.

I'm gone to get on my bike. Here's to a good week and a happy ending to this year.

Well, you can count me as a 3 pound gain also! I'm not changing my ticker though..... I plan to get this off and then some with in the first couple weeks of the new year!

It has been a pretty tough Christmas season but probably not as tough as others or more than others. First Christmas without my Dad...I made a nice ornament with his picture and placed it on tree with my Mom, Tims Mom, My Uncle,and my sister in law.

My son is here and has talked to his wife a few times in Colorado. Thank goodness we have a flat rate for long distance!! Not sure what is going on there--- I figure he will talk when he is ready. I just hope he can think straight and do what is right for him.

I have a ham in the oven and we will have a "sort of" Christmas dinner now with him. Took the tree down this afternoon and now it looks like just another day around here.

Take care everyone.

Good Morning Girls!
Last night I made a huge batch of squash fries and the scale grabbed all the salt in them and hung on for dear life. Scale listed me as 131 pounds this morning!:( I have started anew today, I mean for real this time. Yesterday I had more treats at my dad's place and blew my diet. I also took my stepper back yesterday so hubby suggested we walk across the snow over to a wooded area with the dog this morning for my exercise. That will work up a sweat, the snow is covered with ice too! I wanted to get the cross country ski's out but you can't ski on ice.
I need to start drinking a teaspoon of oil or using it on salads, my thumb has developed a crack by my fingernail and won't heal up, ouch! Does anyone do the Mediteranian diet? Rule #6 never works for me, if it's on my plate, I eat it.


For years, scientists on both sides of the Atlantic have been trying to unravel the "French paradox" - the finding that despite a high-fat diet, the French appear to have a lower rate of heart attacks (as well as a lower rate of obesity) than other Western countries, particularly the United States. While no definite explanations are available, it may have a great deal to do with how the French approach eating. Try these seven steps that are the norm in the typical French diet:

1. Eat smaller portions.
2. Eat only at mealtimes, and avoid snacking.
3. Eat a wide variety of food.
4. Don't skip meals.
5. Enjoy your food, and focus on dishes made from quality ingredients that are fresh and locally grown.
6. Stick to your internal cues. When you no longer feeling hungry, stop eating.
7. Eat meals with family and friends so eating becomes a pleasurable experience and not something to "fit into" a schedule or feel guilty about.

Consider changing your approach and attitude toward eating and see if it makes a difference in your life.

#6 doesn't work for me either, Bobbi. I'm like you. I've been known to scrap the pattern off the plate thinking it was food. :D

Jess, I haven't thought of any resolutions this year except to finally get to my goal weight.

Karen, we'll have a sort of Christmas dinner too when the whole family gets here for New Year's Day. But I still have my tree up. Don't take it down until January 6.

Lynn has posted an Exercise across the country 2010 challenge. I'm going to see how far across Canada I can go. Anyone else interested in logging the miles to see how far they'll walk in the new year? I'm going to see how far I've biked as well. I just got back from a walk. Too bad I can't use those kilometers for the challenge because we're not starting until January 1 on Friday. Here's a link to the sign-up thread. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/age-...ry-2010-a.html

It's so quiet here in the house. DH is out and about and I don't have any cooking to do. We have enough left-overs to last most of the week so my cooking will be limited to oatmeal most days. I'm planning a feast for New Year's Day and probably something for New Year's Eve. We usually have a house party on NYE but not sure what's happening this year. I'll let DIL's parents know they can drop in if they wish. They live across the street from us so we may just move the party back and forth from house to house, hahaha. We'll have Baby GS at our house and they have their 3 year old GS at there's so we may be limited on how long we stay at each other's houses as full families. We'll see anyway. I have enough food in the frig and freezer to pull together quite a spread in about an hour's notice so there's no stress in that area.

Must go put some food out for the microwave as it's almost lunch time. Have a great day everyone.

Omigawd, Donna! I LOVE your new pic!!!!! Nice hairdo, Cleo! :D
Yep. Me too. Nose back to the grindstone here, too. A little more difficult, what with being home with free, 24-hour access to the refrigerator, but it just makes me feel that much nobler when I DON'T indulge myself. No sweets around, anyway. It was pure **** :devil: at my daughters with the cookies, the pans of Apples Isabella, the pecan pie, the brownies, the sweet potato pies....omigawd. That place was like an obstacle course, trying to get past all the sweets and starches. My daughter made a sausage cornbread stuffing for the turkey that was absolutely amazing. Here, about the worst I can do is eat too many dates, which don't tempt me much, anyway. :p
I'm actually sitting here nibbling on a little bowlful of seedles green grapes. Around a hundred calories worth. So far, I'm well within my calorie limits for the day, and I have some of my super-duper veggie-intensive pasta sauce simmering on the stove and plan to have that for supper over my Miracle Noodles. I just hope I don't come back here tomorrow with my tail between my legs confessing to some horrible spree of overeating again.
I've been sewing - made myself a pair of charcoal gray woolen tweed gauchos. All I have to do now is hem them. I couldn't find what I wanted out there anywhere, so I decided to make them myself. I haven't done any sewing for awhile, so I was a little frustrated - had to rip one seam out and do it over, but I managed to NOT throw them in the trash when that happened (I'm not exactly patience personified) and they came out pretty well. They're a pretty heavy weight wool, so they'll be great for the coldest days with a pair of high leather boots.
My daughter got the Wii Fit for Christmas, and my DH tried it out and fell in love with it. Now he's like a madman trying to find a store that isn't sold out so he can get one for us/him. He finally gave up and went out to walk around the park. It's a good thing he did. I was getting close to killing him. :mad:
Glad to hear that you're ambulatory, again, Freda...I know how tired you were getting of being stuck in that cast...
Congrats on the three pounds, Isabella! I think the three pounds that I losy have found their way home again. I of course will NOT weigh myself to make it legal. I'm waiting now until the end of January. I'll pledge another three, Lynn. I just hope I don't end up juggling those same three pounds for the rest of my life...:o
Congrats on impending grandmama-hood, Sue. You're going to love it!
Squash fries, Bobbi? But they sound so healthy! (And yummy, I might add). Couldn't you make them using some sort of salt substitute? If so, please let me know how you make them, because they sound right up my alley!
Karen, there's just no predicting what our kids are going to do. And, they are seldom interested in any advice from us, are they? You're right; he'll talk when he's ready - and not a moment before.
Glad you enjoyed your Christmas, Gayle.
Where is everybody else? <looking around> I must need new glasses... Hello to the two Lindas....and Toby?
Anybody else? (Show yourself!):lol:
:grouphug:
Z

Hi everyone. I just noticed that Sue (Institches) has reached Onederland!!! Yeah, Sue!!! Well done my lady.

I weighed in this morning just to check things out and I'm up a pound. Not bad for all the salt I consumed on Saturday night along with all the food. I know it's only temporary and it's not my official weigh in day. Actually, I weighed in early before Christmas Day and I'm doing the same thing before New Year's Day. I'll be eating more food than usual on that day and it's the day before my official weigh in day. If I only gain a pound over the holiday season I'll be happy enough.

Hello, I'm here,
Trying to get some work done in my craft room. Been busy with the wash.

I lost 1 pound today, :cheer: but this is where I get stuck. The scale always seems to go back up after I hit this number. I'm hoping it will go down this time being on this woe. Where's my glass of water? It's been so cold, I've been drinking hot water the past couple days.

It's a nice crisp 50 degrees outside, but the sun is shining.

Slowing down the pace after the busy Christmas week.

Hope all are having a great Monday!!

Carol

I put the January Golden Girls up early, I tend to forget.
Zoe...we usually sprinkle ours with a little cajun spices, puts a little kick in them.

French Fries
1/2 butternut squash
kosher salt
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and de-seed your butternut squash. If you're unfamiliar with handling them, you may have a little trouble at first. They're fairly easy to peel, but you'll need a sharp knife to cut them. Once your orange friend is peeled and seed-free, slice it in half. Then cut it up into french fry shapes. We like to use a crinkle cutter to make authentic looking crinkle cut fries, but they'll work any way you slice 'em. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover lightly with kosher salt (regular salt works, too, but we prefer kosher). Place tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, flipping halfway through baking process. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.

Bobbi, the fries sound really good!! AND I just noticed you have changed your avatar!!! Really nice picture!! I'll try to be back later---need to get something cokking for supper.

Vegetarian recipe - Barley Pilaf with Toasted Almonds and Raisins Recipe

Posted in our recipe thread in the Sticky area.

Lynn