That would do the trick!! Gotta do what's interesting and works for you!

Hello my team! I've peeked at a couple of posts since getting home last night but I'm way too swamped and tired to wade through everything I've missed so I'll skip out on the personals for now.

I had an absolutely amazing week of camping in the mountains of B.C. and I'm kind of sad to have come back home (though I did miss my bed and my bathroom!). It was tons of fun hanging out with my family, my brother's family, and my parents and we had a good mix of doing stuff and just sitting around the campsite. I had the chance to do lots of physically active stuff like swimming in the lake, climbing 3000 flights of stairs at the waterpark, and hiking, biking, and running in the mountains which was really great to experience in the good shape I'm in right now. I did make a lot of treat-filled eating and drinking choices so I didn't drop any weight but with what a stress-reliever the trip was I'm not worrying about it.

The highlight for me was my 14K run I did on Tuesday. I headed out first thing in the morning (which is really early when you're tenting and your toddler wakes up at 6:30 am each day!) so the temperature was perfect and the sun was just starting to peek out from the clouds. DH biked along with me since running alone in the mountains on a narrow road didn't sound like the safest thing to do and it was really great having him along. The road followed the lake and it was without a doubt the most beauty filled run I've ever had. My achy leg was annoying as I was in pain until the 12K mark but somehow the pain disappeared then. It just goes to prove my theory that if you run long enough everything stops hurting.

I also had another really nice short run with DH where we killed ourselves running up and down all the hills. This prairie girl isn't used to anything but flat roads! We also found a flight of stairs leading up to a mountain trail so we incorporated in some stair training in with the hill training.

So anyhow, I'm back now and I'll try to be on here to support my team more but the next few days will likely be sketchy as I recover from our trip. So much laundry!

Oh, and in other news my Garmin Forerunner 305 finally showed up and I'm taking it out for a spin this afternoon once it's charged. DH thinks I'm silly because I randomly jump up and down and squeal I'm so excited.

Hi everyone! I am so glad it's friday and that we do not have any plans tonight. Dh and I have both had really busy weeks and we just want to relax tonight.

Jennifer--LOVE the new do! Like I said, I need to call and get myself an appt!

Rhonda--If you do not feel strong enough to go out and order something on plan, don't go out. Stay home and make something special tha tis on plan (or have hubby make it). Do something else together. It does not have to be food related. You CAN do this, I know you can!

Jill--Great job!!!

pintobean--I think it is awesome that you and dh are finding activities to do together!

Kim--Your trip sounds wonderful!

Last night I tried on the dresses I ordered for the fancy wedding dh is in--it's the same dress, in two different sizes. Both dh and my mom agreed that I should wear the smaller one and take the larger one back. So, that's what I am going to do! I think the smaller one clings to my butt a little bit, but then again I'm not used to wearing dresses. Both of them kept telling me how awesome it looked. So, I may run over to Old Navy this weekend to return the bigger one. Now I really only need to buy a necklace and I am all set! I plan to wear this same dress to my class reunion and another wedding (if we decide to go to it). The best part is, the dress only cost $35!!!!

Have a great on plan day!

Well, between my diabetes and high blood pressure, I have to watch my sugar and my sodium intakes. This SEVERELY limits the variety of marinades to choose from. My favorite was always teriyaki, which, of course, is loaded with BOTH sugar and sodium

I've started making a cheese sauce by melting some 1% no salt added cottage cheese in a pot on the stove (instead of starting with a milk and flour base) and then adding shredded cheddar. This is great on veggies and chicken.

I did buy a teriyaki marinade my Mrs. Dash, so it has no salt, but it does have HFCS. I haven't tried it yet. I'm a little afraid of purposely adding a sweet flavor, as I fear it will kick off a domino effect of cravings.

I've also done chicken breasts with some olive oil, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parm/romano cheese, and shredded mozzarella. This is good over steamed broccoli.

I kinda use a lot of cheese--too much, probably. I use reduced fat versions, but it's still probably too much saturated fat. Limiting sodium, sugar, AND saturated fat = MAJOR challenge.

OH, I read a recpie today for using turnips instead of potatoes to bake some french fries. I'm definitely going ot have to try that. From my 2 minutes of Googling, turnips are great nutritionally, and less than 10g carbs per serving versus 20-something for potatoes.

Nori - Have you ordered from Zenni? Super cheap so you can have lots of options.

That is so awesome. You lost more than my hips! Those 12's will be lose before you know it!

Listen to the wise folks here. And yourself. You would be telling us not to go.

Good girl! I'm pretty lucky in that respect because DH isn't here during the week so pressure me about takeout. Well, that and the fact that the nearest restaurant is 50 miles round trip helps.

DH took the kids to ILs today so I as able to stay at the gym a little longer than normal. I'm still waiting on my mom to get the money for the personal training sessions. If she doesn't hurry though I might pull it out of savings and replace it later. In the meantime, I am trying to add one new strength training move each visit to my list.

I did W2D1 of C25K today. I think it would have been pretty easy but my allergies are suddenly flaring up and I feel like crap. I finished it though. Hoping Monday I can jump back up to W3 where I left off.

I remember trying the Stairmaster when I was a member a few years back. I am determined to master that thing just so I can say I can. I did 15 flights today. I'm thinking about trying something along Selina's challenge of adding a few flights every few days. When I can do 100 flights then I'll attempt the elliptical.

I am going to have to post a gain for this week probably. Unless I cut off a foot or something. I don't have any freebies left to use. I am back on track food wise though so hopefully next week will be a nice loss.

Nori, here is the "Overnight Bean Salad" I'm infatuated with. My modifications to the recipe (given to me by my mom) have asterisks next to them.

1 package frozen green peas (run 'em under water to thaw a bit)
1 can green beans (regular, not french cut, drained)
1 can red kidney bean (drained and rinsed)
1 can cannellini beans [white kidney beans] (drained and rinsed)
1 can white whole kernel corn (drained)
1 cup diced celery
1 medium to large onion, diced (I went with large, I love onion)
1/2 cup diced green peppers
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbs "salad oil" *I used just 1 TBS EVOO
1/2 cup sugar *I used just two packets of stevia for zero calories!
2 tsp water *I didn't add any extra water, it didn't seem needed
1 1/2 tsp salt *I used just 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika

In a large bowl, combine all vegetables.

In a small, separate bowl combine the vinegar, oil, stevia (or sugar or whatever), salt, and paprika and combine thoroughly. Pour over veggies and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally. I can tell you it didn't take 24 hours for this to taste like bean bliss. And so simple.

Thank you! That's sort of what I was imagining. Sounds wonderful for hot weather!

im am crying .. im so happy i cant believe it ........ im 267 pounds .. thats a loss of 4.3 pounds this week ... finally i have broken my stupid plateau... ... OMG .. YES YES YES .. i have been stcuk from between 270-275 since february i just kept gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over and over.. again.. and now im under that ...

I have read the other thread yet i was just so excited,, i have just come on to blab lol.. ok ill go read

pinto-I'm doing fine. Leo's been working nights and I've been at the gym or doctors appointments in the mornings so I've stayed away from stress. Life's been ok. I'm bloated like ****. I can't stand it but it'll be over in about a week then I can get back on track. I have a goal of losing about 10 pounds in 3 weeks. Do you think it's possible?

Rhonda im glad you decdied to stay op

Jill congrats on your loss this week its great you made your weight go back down so quickly.

Kim sounds like you had a great holiday.

as for chicken i love chicken . and can eat it till the cows come home lol.. ill eat it every which way you can think of .. I have a really like using the sundried tomato powder and then baking it in the oven .. that is the best.. yum .. I cut all the crap off it then put it in a dich with 1/2 inch of water and the sundreid powder on top and cook it for 30-40 minutes .. its really nice like that .. and the water becomes like a sauce for it..

Mj congrats on the smaller dress i bet you will look fantastic in it

Zinke im sorry about the allergies i know how that is it really sucks

Just stopping in to say Hello and that I lost a pound this week. I was really hoping for more of a loss.Its ok though.!! I cut my calories a little low all week and I know better than doing that. I have been eating so many fresh veggies out of my garden and they just dont have many calories. Will try to add in a serving of nuts daily to bump my calories back up to where they belong. I also should be able to exercise more next week.
debi

YAY AMY!!!! You must be so excited and proud, whoo hoo!

Im a bad blue member. I have not checked in all week to see how people are doing. I have updated my weight, and exercise but that is about all the time I have had. Please dont kick me off your team.

This challenge seems to be flying by, I cant believe we are half way there! How is everyone doing?