Alternachick November chat!
 

Hello everyone!

A bit of a late start today on the new thread but better late than never!

How did everyone's Halloween go? We got about 30 trick or treaters this year which was great cause we only had about 8 last year. Unfortunately we still had some leftover candy but I have tucked it away into a container marked "Movie Treats" which we will take to the theater whenever we go see a movie. That way DH and I will have a small treat and not spend big $. :)

I am doing my meal planning tonight which I have now made part of my regular weekly routine. Then we are going grocery shopping tomorrow night.

I feel so virtuous today, I had a salad for lunch with leftover turkey breast from Sunday's dinner and, even though there is a giant bag of candy in the office, I ate a Fruit To Go Bar as my afternoon snack. :angel:

Hi all!

No candy mongers at my place - must be the pitch blackness of our place - LOL

Anyway - I ate a lot of chocolate last week but I still lost weight so my overall calories were low - just proves you can live on chocolate! Not that I will do that (all gone now anyway).

I really need to plan my meals again - but I seem to be doing ok on calories - just not getting the necessary nutrients. Must be healthy (within reason of course).

So I hope everyone else is ready for the upcoming food season - I like the idea of a food thread - a bit of a confessional - let's call it "Did I eat that?" or something along those lines to confess our treats - not every bite but just the stuff we shouldnt have eaten or that we regret eating or that we ate for the sheer spite of doing so - if you find yourself posting to that thread regularly - you might just see a pattern.

Just my nickle.

Later ladies.

Happy November!

Halloween was very quiet - we've never had trick-or-treaters here, the houses are too far apart (on 5 acre parcels). Poor kids would hit 3 houses in 20 minutes and be pooped! I wish that would mean that I didn't buy candy - but I did. Bad me.... At least one bag was Jr. Mints and I won't inhale those. But the candy really DOES need to go!

I think I'm ready for food season. I hope I'm prepared for it emotionally, with it being the first without my stepdad. My mom wants to eat at a restaurant for Thanksgiving, which I think would be fine. The rest of the holidays though? I donno'...

Took a big breath and got on the scale for the first time in months. Not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm up about 4 pounds. So, now that I've faced the demon scale it's time to get my head screwed back on and get moving. I won't be bikini clad in Fiji next September if I don't get my butt movin' now!

ajandpj - love the confessional thread idea!

Mauvaisroux, planning, I really think planning is a big part of success. Time to break out the Tupperware and get cookin'! Meal time for the single girl can be dangerous - so much easier to have a bowl of mashed potatoes than to fix an actual meal. But if it's planned out? Ooooh, I need to do that!

Til later!

Terri

We never get trick or treaters either. We live one block up the hill from lots of houses... poor darlings don't seem to like to expend the energy on the hill though :P

I need to start planning our dinners again. We've gotten into a rut of having the same 3 or 4 things *all* the time. Time to get out the recipe books and cooking lights and make some new stuff :)

How about a pigs anonymous thread? We used to have one ages ago and it was a good confessional and funny at the same time :)

I found some great meal planning tools on-line at organizedhome.com. If you go into the menu and scroll down to the printable planners there are free printable forms for pantry & freezer inventories, weekly meal planning and shopping lists. There is also a make ahead freezer meal planner so that you can batch cook and freeze meals. :)

P.I.G.s = Pretty (as in very) Intelligent Girls?

Certainly not annonymous - unless I change my user Id LOL

"I cant believe I ate the whole thing"

or

"Are you sure that Chocolate isnt non-caloric?"

or just plain old "Alternacheaters post your guilt trips here"

Thanks for the tip, i so need this! It's sometimes hard to keep up a healthier diet when hubby is a penny pincher. He wants to only go to costco once a month. period. and i need some fresh food once in a while darn it! I am so going to try out those tools, Mauv thanks! I am so sick of frozen foods... but with my new work schedule I can't exactly make dinner every day - i work til 9pm! i need to find some crock pot meals i think.
we had only 2 trick or treaters, it was sad They were so adorable though. Guess that's what happens when you live in an upstairs apt and most of the people in your apt complex have a different culture than the standard candy grubbers of america. *LOL* i was kind sad not very many kids, but it was a quiet night. I carved the coolest pumpkin, it was a kitty face and the top i did a paw for the vent for the candle. it was so dang cool... too bad not too many people got to see it. :(
Take care!

Mmmmm I pulled out the crock pot last night and made a big batch of stew. I cooked it over night because we're gone for too long on weekdays to cook while we're at work. It works out well for us to throw the pot in the frig in the morning and then reheat for dinner.

Oh yeah - I love my crockpot! There are some great crockpot recipes in the WW forum here at 3fc http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/foru...c&daysprune=-1
-you'll have to go into the archive files to find them but there are quit a few :)

I am hoping to make some small (2 person servings) lasagnas, casseroles ect. before for December so we have some easy meals for the holiday rush.

I'd like the confessional thread to be kind of funny - sometimes these things can turn into a moan fest or people beat themselves up too much over stuff - keeping a sense of humour about it better :)

I like the suggested titles so far :D

November Chat
 

Well, even though I just dropped in I noticed no one has chimed in with a November chat yet. Isn't the weather gorgeous!??? :carrot:
It is here in Virginia at any rate. It's been in the 70's for days!

It's been in the high 40's and raining cats and dogs here for the last 5 days. Although we're having a break this morning (from the rain anyway) :D

here is it ok. 54 here today sunny and beautiful!!!

I had a big fight with the Cute boyfriend. I hate boys sometimes. They make me so mad. Long story short - he was wrong, he recognizes it and apologized but it still hurt my feelings. Sigh.

there already is a November chat thread so I will merge the two of them :)

Wow, this weekend was so nice out (Maryland)! Yesterday my sister, her daughter, and I went to SugarLoaf Mountain and hiked all morning. Of course, we were so tired by the time we were done that nothing else constructive was done all day!

The weather here in Albuquerque has been nice, as usual. It's getting a little chilly, but nothing to interrupt my routines.

My NIA class today was great. The teacher had us do a routine to Dead Can Dance. It was excellent and just the kind of thing I needed. I was a little apprehensive about NIA at first, but I'm totally hooked now. I can totally recommend it to anyone who's looking for something different to try.

ooooooooh I love Dead can Dance! That sounds really fun. I wish I had room in my schedule for a dance class.

Here I am....
 

Hey Chickettes,
Here I am, like I am.
ie, chunka bunka...bigger than evah...needin' y'all bad like.
So many changes in my life and I gotta get some sleep so won't go into all of that now...but, on the food front, my food isn't too awful but I haven't moved this azz in so long...last night I dreamed that I was doing push-ups, sit-ups, and then I stood in front of the mirror, just in my dream, and started doing jumping jacks...and hey, I still have these fairly new boobies and they're holding up pretty well even though I'm stretching them out a bit, but ,still, I don't think I'm up for jumping jacks in the buff.
okay, see, I'm still odd, still a certified alternachick...and still a lesbian...but, ah, I digress.
tell me what you've been up to girlfriends, i've missed you...and let's see if i get inspired to move and lose, i hope so. i'm still loving this body even though it's bigger...that's the best thing that happened to me in my forties, loving my body all over again...and not feeling betrayed by it.

talk to you soon I hope...
Soozie

Welcome back soozie! :wave:

I saw your name and I thought - "is that who I think it is? No freakin' way!" How is your partner and your daughter? You must post later and catch up with us old school girls and meet the terrific newer chicks on this forum :D

Welcome Back Soozie!!! :carrot:

Just a quick fly by - i am still here - I am still losing & gaining the same 2 pounds. Off to NYC area for a wedding this weekend - 16 hours in someone else's car in 3 days. :p oh well. Be back Sunday night...

freakin' yeah mauvais, it's me. my name was still in there, no one tried to boot me out for not posting for a year or so! Looking forward to meeting the new chickies. my how you have grown...! Is Ellis still here??? And Squeaker...any news of the boy? you're still doing those pounds so I wondered if you were still in the dance with him? Or has it evolved into, really just friends, or really something else???
My partner and I have separated. ugh. That's some of my news. I bought a house and am STRUGGLING to get the monthly mortgage paid on my own. But, still. I love it. And my DD is wonderful...thankfullly...she's eight years old and in third grade...and almost taller than I am...but, not quite yet. Okay, off to go pick her up from a play date. Glad to be back!
talk to you again,
Soozie

SOOOOOZZZZIE!
Hey how are you? It's great that your back. Sorry to hear about you and your partner spliting. I have not seen Ellis around in a long while. I hope she jumps in to say hi sometime soon. So your DD is eight now, WOW! Time sure flies, doesn't it.
It is reaqlly great hearing from you, please fill us in later on whats been happening in your life.
Hugs
Virginia

Soozie - sorry to hear that you and your DP broke up :grouphug: Glad that your DD is doing well - hang in there girl! :)

Sorry to hear about DP Soozie. :(

And yes, the boy and I are still "in the dance". I don't think we ever won't be at it sometimes. :lol: I don't mind. It is fun. And living on opposite coasts, it won't ever be much more. Niether of us wants to move.

Some days I think if he wasn't around, I might be more motivated to drop the weight. But lets face it, I just don't have any will power, food or otherwise. ;)

I am back at work. :p The wedding this weekend was wonderful. The car ride, not so much. But I expected it to not be fun. I just don't think I was meant to spend a "vacation" with people other then my family or the boy. I am moody and like alone time, but I am ok with that. :D

How is everone else doing???

Den come back...

Things a bit poopie here when it comes to my new job. Not really diggin on it so far - but maybe my mind will change. It has only been two months, one of which was spent in training. Just so boring.
My aunt, uncle, and cousin are spending TG with me, which will be nice. My folks being over seas and all... and my in-laws being insane and a little bit evil. Plus, I get to do Christmas with them anyway. I am hosting, and will be cooking turkey for the first time EVER. I hope Alton Brown knows what he's talking about, because I'm going to just do what he tells me to. *LOL*
I have totally been in a domestic mood, cleaning, rearranging my apt, sewing and crafting. I don't know what's up, it's like I'm nesting or something. Maybe it's the weather change... I like it whatever it is. Wish I felt this creative all the time...
Got the Winning by Losing book by Jillian Michaels from Biggest Loser. Not going to pressure myself, going to read it now and start it after the holidays. Will at least give me some direction to start with.
Hope everyone else is doing well... any pointers on food at the office. They feed us all like at least once a week - and then joke about gaining the 30 lbs that almost everyone gains when they start working there. Oy! I can't afford to gain anymore!

lizziness: I think Alton Brown knows what he's talking about. I plan on brining our turkey using his directions. Sorry to hear the new job is poopie, I hate the first few months at any job. When they feed you do you get to pick, or do they just buy stuff? If you don't get to pick, then try to find out ahead of time what will be there and plan accordingly. If that won't work, then maybe you can just be the "oddball" that brings her lunch and eats it with everyone while they're eating whatever it is. :rofl: I've done that, it's not so bad. :)

Things are good here. I'm plugging along on my papers. I've decided to write three pages a day, everyday, until the end of the semester on December 11. I've been doing pretty well with eating and okay with exercising as long as I am counting cleaning. It's going to start getting cold here tomorrow, so I'm thinking of trying out the cardio machines at the school gym, anyone have a favorite?

Alton Brown is awesome! I would listen to him. ;) :lol:

Just checking in...I've been away since earlier this year. Now I am back with 11 more pounds and high B/P -- why do we do this to ourselves?

Good to see some familiar Alternachicks...Mauvais, squeaker, lizziness, Goddess Jessica . . .and funny that you just jumped back in sooze because I remember you too!

Lizziness: I watched that Alton Brown show and we are probably going to do that too. It takes some planning ahead! If you don't have the time/refrigerator space to do the brining those roasting bags do very well for the cooking process.

We are hosting the big Thanksgiving family dinner this year. I have a very hard time resisting stuffing so I will just limit my portion. I do NOT want to feel miserable afterward! I really need to remember that -- I have been feeling so much better since I have been back OP. The day is supposed to be about family and football too, right? At least I like the family. :)

Lizziness: I just ignore our office food, nobody seems to mind. If we have a potluck I bring something healthy, plus extra stuff for me. If they're buying pizza or whatever I just eat my own lunch.

I've been in domestic mode too. I think my cleaning routines are finally starting to stick. Maybe I can make it through the holidays with a minimum of crisis cleaning this year ;)

Also, brined turkeys are the best! We started doing that a couple of years ago and now everybody in my family does it. Yummers.

hehe. i'm totally brining the turkey. i tivoed the alton brown special, watched it and then saved it so i can watch it again. i bought myself a roasting pan... so i should be all set. *LOL* i hope so. the only thing that scares me a little is - if i do get a frozen turkey, how long will it take to thaw out? cause i have to thaw it, then brine it, then cook it - time consuming!!

Thanks for the suggestions. I bring my food every day with me. Granted it's not always be best food i could be eating - but at least i'm not going out. I swear about 70% of the people i work with just go out to eat every single day! between that and the potlucks every week - it's no wonder they joke about gaining 30 lbs when you start working there. sick!
i'm hoping i'll get adjusted to this job in the next month or so. if not - classifieds here i come. there are no jobs in this area and i'm lucky i have one at all, i know... but man the ones that are available kinda suck. retail, call center, or food services. none of those appeal to me. and two of them i refuse to do. *LOL*

SOOZIE!!!! HI!!! Glad to see you here!! I dropped out for a while too, and am kinda back (not posting enough) also with extra pounds...

MY HORRIBLE WEEK: Our in-door cat SOMEHOW got fleas, and we didn't really realize it until it was out of control. Tried the natural way, it was taking too long. Fogged the house last Friday, discovered standing water in the basement while setting up a fogger. Plumber says we need to get the back yard dug up, but has temporarily fixed the problem ($$$ that we don't really have!!) AND DS15 THINKS HE JUST SAW A FLEA>>>AAARRGGHH!!!!

:tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum:

Well, maybe he is wrong.....

SOOO, how are all of you?

Yuck Den! That sucks! :(

Lizziness - I think it will tell you how long to thaw the turkey on the package. It is normally a few days in the fridge.

Tani - would you like to come clean my house too? :D :lol: Ok. I guess not. ;)

SoCal - nice to see you popping back in.

Everything here is ok. Went to see the musical Hairspray last night. It was a lot of fun. Work is going ok - quiet for once! I am heading to Ohio for the weekend to see the boy. :D I can't wait. Got a jump start on my Christmas shopping, and am feeling good about myself this week. :) I am feeling on top of things (except the mess that is my apartment, but I am ignoring that bit for now).

Ugh Den, how awful. :( I hope your son is wrong about seeing a flea.

I had this total duh/realization moment today. Last night DBF and I got home really late from a club meeting. We were both starving and tired, so dinner was brown rice and steamed veggies. Well, just now I was stressing out over what to have for lunch, like I do every day, when I realized that is the perfect lunch! My rice cooker steams veggies while the rice is cooking and I don't have to pay any attention to it. I can come home from school, cut up veggies, get the rice ready to go, turn it on and take a 1/2 hour nap or walk. I'm so happy because it means I can stop worrying about how to get all my fiber and eat more veggies. :D

oh, what a great idea hannah. i thought it might be cool to get a rice cooker. i can't even make minute rice without screwing it up somehow... i love rice but it seems to be my cooking bane. *L* if it multi-tasks.. .thats all the more reason to get one!

i can not believe it is almost thanksgiving. and then christmas. time just goes by fast no matter if you're having fun or not. :)

Hey Chicks! Been lurking about but too busy to post. Hope you are all doing great!

Den - sorry about the fleas - I can relate - the trouble with fleas is they and there eggs can survive a nuclear winter (no joke) so you usually have to flea bomb with a bomb designed for fleas, bathe all animals, wash all bedding and vacuum. Then in 2 weeks do it all again. It is getting cold outside so the fleas hitch a ride on your pets to the liv rm carpet where they can be warm and lay eggs. Ick. A fleas egg will go dormant if no food supply like in the winter - then up to 6 mos later when they feel warmth like your cat - they hatch instantly.

I love steamed veggies and rice.

Good to see you all again! :D

I am new. How do I jump into this conversation? LOL

You just did! Welcome.

Welcome hathor6! You may also want to post a bio in that section, so we can read all about you. :)

lizziness: I love my rice cooker. You can also cook other grains in it too. It's really a wonderful invention. One suggestion, if you decide to get one, get a non-stick one. I had an aluminum one and it was so hard to clean.

Thanks for the sympathies everyone!!

Squeak-Hope you have fun this weekend!!

Hannah-Good Idea! Sounds extremely easy, wonder if DS15 would eat that...

Lizziness-Usually they say a few days in the fridge. ALWAYS takes longer for me, but my fridge runs cold. By the way, brined turkeys are DELICIOUS!!

ajandpj99-We had that happen in our old house. Dormant fleas that woke up when we moved in. YUCK!! Luckily THAT time we got them before they laid eggs. The stuff we used this time is SUPPOSED to kill eggs, but I have my doubts!!!

Hathor-Just jump right in. WELCOME, by the way!!

I posted in the bio section and a mod moved it to another thread I think.

Seems like you guys known each other for a long time. I checked out other threads with chats in them. Some section of the board has had people chatting with each other since 2003! I didn't want to join in their chats because their convos was way too familiar. It felt like I would slow down their conversations as a newbie.