Thanks mamabanana! My little sweetie is now 9 months old. What a joy she is! How about yours?

Bobbo, I could never eat a chicken I knew, but those hens seem to be living quite a good life and I'm glad. I know the reality is that we (I) eat meat, but it doesn't mean I don't wish the animal could live..LOL..us "city slickers".

Ladies, please pray that I dont overeat today. I had gone down to 142, but now I'm back up to 143.5 and staying there. Aaaaaaaaaaargh. I REALLY need to get it in gear! I'm working from home today so I'll definitely get on the elliptical for at least an hour (burns about 500 calories).

Welcome to the new folks.

Claudia ... I had a bit of a blow out yesterday. Let's keep tabs today and keep that over eating in check.

Well over 2600 cals yesterday gals. Ick.

"Theresa...Wow, I'm impressed with your 75 grams of fiber. What did you eat? Tell all!"

Bobbi, glad you noticed that. I had not changed the amount of my pea pods to 1 cup! :)

Still 50 grams was a good day too.

I am glad to hear you did well on your test.
I have been watching your other link with the fiber, interesting to watch.




Zenor.

No biceps, It was an electric wringer washer :D Thank God!

SusanB, where do you put it?! you are sooo teeny. Do you have a hollow leg ? ;)

Theresa

Yes, ma'am, I can put away the food. I can eat more than almost anyone I know ... and that'd be how all this trouble started ;)

hey all
I've been gone for a few weeks...so hello to everyone who has joined since I last posted. I have not lost anything, and have been in one of my 'whatever, I'll just be chubby all my life because this ice cream is way too good' phases. That is definately my biggest obstacle...I'll eat great for a week, and then eat terrible for a week, etc etc.. I'm REALLY hoping to stop the cycle soon, and actually say that I ate well for a whole month or more. I dont mind the occasional minor slip up, it's the one week long major slip ups that really show on the scale and in the jeans!!

Ok, just wanted to say hello to everyone...I've still been reading over the past few weeks, man is this thread addicting, I love it ;)

calories for mon: 1450
calories for tues: 1460

Good morning EVERYONE!!! (I know I'll forget someone!)

stephyk~welcome!

cablgurl~stay away from the girl scout cookies! You can do it!

mami~don't fret. We all have slow downs from time to time. My time was during January....aarrrgh! I did manage to go the whole month (and then some) without gaining (I kind of fluctuated between 143.5 and 141). My appetite was definitely the culprit. What I found to be helpful was to visit Cooking Light and print a few new recipes (low cal!!!) and fix those for the family. Boy was my family happy with that! February was much better and March is going strong although I did weigh 141 this morning, but I'm sure that was due to dinner out last night with a margarita and too many chips and salsa.

zenor~those merangue cookies sound great. I'll have to look for them. I know what you mean by gloomy~it was cloudy all day yesterday but we weren't fortunate to get any rain. We sure need it. I almost prefer our wet winters where we have to deal with flooding around here.

CoolMom~don't worry, your kid carrier will fit soon! You're too close post partum to expect perfection!!! I remember after DS was born, my sister had sent me a great sweat suit (more dressy kind) and I wanted to wear it to drop DD off at preschool. Wow, it didn't fit. I was so discouraged! I think it took a month before I could get the pants on!

Bobbi~your chicken story reminded me of a turkey story from my DH's family. His cousins got a few turkeys and raised them and one by one had the butcher kill them and they ate them. But one turkey followed his cousin everywhere. When it was his time, he got in the car willingly, followed her right into the butcher shop.....well, when dinner time came, she just started crying and couldn't eat it. Everyone in the family said it was because she named him. But she said he was such a cool turkey!

Everyone, have a wonderful day!!

I have a 8 year old girl, a 5yr old daughter (almost 6), a 3 year old son and an 11m old daughter (almost a year!).

I was looking for a recipe that calls for Splenda or Stevia instead of the aspartame in the Jell-0 brand SF pudding. The following was on the Splenda site. I'm going to try it today, use skim milk instead of the reduced fat and egg whites instead of the egg beaters. If it turns out, it can easily be modified to make Vanilla, Chocolate, Coconut cream, etc. Anybody tried making it from scratch using these sweetners before? If so, let me know. We're off to the Fitness center now!


SPLENDA® Banana PuddingServes: 6
Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
What you need:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie
Sweetener, Granular
2 cups reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light butter
1 teaspoon banana extract

1 1/2 cups sliced bananas

What you do:
1.Blend SPLENDA® Granulated, and cornstarch together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.©2007 Splenda1
2.Place milk, egg substitute, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir well. Add SPLENDA® Granulated mixture and stir well. Add butter. Cook over medium-low heat 4-5 minutes while stirring constantly. Cook until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Remove from heat. Add banana extract. Stir well.3.Pour pudding into a small bowl. Spray surface lightly with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap by laying plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding surface. This will prevent any 'skin' from forming on the surface. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.4.To serve, divide pudding equally into 6 individual serving bowls and top with sliced bananas.
Submitted by: Makers of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories 130 | Calories from Fat 25 | Protein 4g | Fat 3g (sat 2g) | Carbohydrate 21g | Fiber 1g | Cholesterol 10mg | Sodium 160mg | Sugar 14g

The custard for this pie cooks on the stovetop and needs no further baking. You have your choice of crusts: a regular pie crust, pre-baked, or a graham cracker crust. Either kind will go beautifully with the banana-custard filling.
NOTE: The custard calls for three large egg yolks, beaten. Separate the eggs ahead of time, placing the yolks in a small bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, and let the yolks come to room temperature. Beat the yolks with a fork shortly before using. You can use the egg whites for some other purpose.
1 prepared (baked) 9-inch pie crust or graham cracker crust
3 medium-sized ripe bananas
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
50 drops SweetLeaf SteviaClear
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon dried lemon peel
3 large egg yolks, beaten
Whipped cream or whipped topping
Slice the bananas, and distribute the slices in the baked/prepared pie crust. Set aside
Place the cornstarch and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, and add a little of the milk, whisking until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Pour in the remaining milk, and place the saucepan over medium heat. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture becomes visibly hot. Add SteviaClear, extracts, and lemon peel, then drizzle in the beaten egg yolks, still whisking. Cook over medium heat until thick – about 5 to 8 minutes longer.
Pour the hot custard over the banana slices in the crust, and let cool to room temperature. Let it sit for at least 2 hours. The custard will thicken further as it cools. Top with a generous amount of whipped cream or whipped topping just before serving. Yield: About 6 servings

Bobbi~ I love hearing about the chickens! I would love to live on a little bit of land in the country some day and have chickens and goats. But for now we buy our eggs from an apple farmer at the farmer's market. He let's the chickens run free in the apple orchard. They are the best eggs! I could never go back to buying "regular" grocery store eggs.

The recipe using Stevia looks interesting and I agree about leaving out the crust. Do you use stevia often? I've never tried it, but I've heard it can be bitter.

Littlered~ :rofl: An electric one? Like they used to have on those old comedy shows where the husband would get his tie stuck in it? That's great!

Susan and Claudia~ I'm sending you :dust: You can do it! :cheer:

I think I have a smiley addiction. :D

Nice lot! Man, I can't believe you got so many roosters in the 25. I also bought 25 (from MM hatchery) and only kept 5 for myself. A bunch of people shared my order. So, far only one is looking roo'ish, but I'm even doubting that now. I too enjoy how they all come running when I step out the back door. My own little fan club, hahah!

Yesterday's calories (including cheesecake) came to 1576 with 45% coming from fat (because of cheesecake).

Someone asked what the ideal body weight is and I'm sorry your name escapes me but you are a few pages back (this thread gets longer and longer). All I did was figure out how many pounds of body fat I was carrying, how many pounds of body fat I needed to carry, and subtracted the difference.

At my height and age, I need approximately 12 pounds of body fat to protect my organs and keep my body insulated. If I were to get myself to 10% body fat, and 12 pounds of fat were the target, then I'd be striving for 120. I choose 119 because all the literature I read by Chinese doctors consistently used the 119 number, and I kind of like it.

What none of this accounts for is muscle mass. And as I get more and more fit with weight training and running, I know that I am adding "pounds" to my frame. So what I really rely on is the body fat count. The ticker still reflects a goal weight of 119, but you can be sure that as soon as that little computer beeps TEN PERCENT, I will stick with that.

Miz Claudia, I was a "participating" mom, too. Took those kids everywhere, did everything you could imagine with them. I'm glad I didn't lose myself in the role completely, because now that they're older, I have to figure out a life for myself. My kids always knew how to behave in public because they spent so much time in public (and because I could raise ONE eyebrow and scare the bejeezus out of them). My daughter and her hubby take Elias everywhere, too. That baby is almost six months old and he has hung out in cafe bookstores, gone hiking, run races (in his stroller with his mom pushing him), you name it. I'm glad I was a good example for my kids in this sense. I have loved aging, though. I never thought I would, but I love the wisdom that comes with it.

I can't wait to see what I'm like at 50 or at 60!

I thought I was down to my last four cigarettes but I found an unopened pack in my car when I left last night. Forgot I had it there.

I got another race registration form in the mail today (running has become as addicting as calorie counting and this thread). Heading out to clean and wash my car. Spring is almost here, and time to drive with the top down!

Bobbi,
I remember seeing my mom back In the 60's chopping off the head. then it ran around the yard, making a real MESS.

Our chickens were mean. I did not like them. They chased me all over the yard :eek:
Maybe we should have feed them some grapes too!

"Littlered~ :rofl: An electric one? Like they used to have on those old comedy shows where the husband would get his tie stuck in it? That's great!"

yes Zenor, just like the movies! ;)
My mom even had one when I was little,I got my arm in it!
to little for it to hurt .
Just scared the devil out of me.

I wanted to inform everyone, that 10% body fat for women, is the lowest end of ESSENTIAL body fat by most standard body fat percentage charts.

(In laymans terms for those who don't monitor it, basically, it means that 10% body fat is the lowest you should ever try to get to/be-basically, it is JUST enough fat to protect your organs, etc.)

Most body fat percentages for women read like so:

Essential (necessary) body fat for women: 10-14%
Female athletes: 14-20%
"Fit" females: 21-24%
Acceptable female body fat: 25-31%
Obese/too high body fat: 32% and over

I am curious, why you are aiming for 10%, when the female athlete range (extremely fit) is 14-20%? 10% body fat is basically, just enough to survive with, not what is recommended to strive for.

I am only asking this, out of concern, btw, and also-because I want everyone to know what percentages are considered healthy, athletic, obese, etc. when or if they decide to calculate their own goals.

(I am editing this as well, to let Jman know that the figures are different/lower for males than they are for females.)

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tanji5.htm

Second paragraph is where the information lies. I was at 9% body fat five years ago when I was a fitness competitor (fitness... not bodybuilding). I do not menstruate (cancer) so amenorrhea is not an issue. I work closely with my MD (oncology) to be sure I'm not screwing myself up in other ways. While it may not be for the masses, it works for me and quite a few others like me. Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, liver, kidneys, heart are healthy and in fine working order.

I didn't arbitrarily choose that figure, and I most definitely do not have an eating disorder nor a poor self-image.

I would consider 20% for myself if it weren't that the full 20% insists on settling on my thighs and nowhere else.

;-)

Speaking of body fat....how accurate are those bathroom scales?? I got a Tanita scale last month (begin of feb) and the fat and water % just amazes me...When I first for the scale I weighed I think 184 and the fat % said 41 water 40......now I'm down to 168.6 in the morning fat is 40% water is 40%...If I weighed right now it may say 170 fat 36.5% water 44.5%...Also yesterday I was SOOO high in my calories (very bad day out and about...dinner and lunch was out..) and the scale had me at my lowest fat % as 35% water...??....this was when I got home last night... I dont think its right...LOL

ALL I know is I started in a sz 18 and today I'm wearing a very loose 12, and really need to go buy some sz 10s!! I'm just about where I was before I quit smoking!! YEAH!!!

This was my 5th day on the 1700 cal plan, and I felt very weak and fatigued this afternoon. I had a bowl of Cracklin Oat Bran for breakfast and a two patty garden burger for lunch. I was craving some kind of fat and protein, and we walked to 7-11 for our walk today, and I got a Snickers bar and a stick of jerky. (shameful!)

Whew, I felt better! And still keeping in my calories. My body is still trying to adjust from the 9 month food fest I was on just a short time ago.

Cals: 1664
one mile walk.

Hi, everyone. wonderful day today.
sun was out, :cool: :sunny: so warm.
and I Turned off the furnace. :carrot:

Hope all are well today.

Total for today.

Cal: 1499
Fat: 23%
Carbs: 55%
Fiber: 63
Protein: 21%

Curves 30 min.
treadmill 15 min.
1 hr. cleaning up a garage, again!
seems like that is where the overflow seems to end up.
Oh well, I got a very good work out there.

Good night. :wave:


Theresa

Robin,

Those scales are a trip! LOL I don't bother. A trainer does the electronic calipers thingamajig on me once a month and her numbers are heck of a lot nicer than the scale's.

:-)

Total calories for today were 300 with 12% coming from fat. Four mile-run and back and biceps workout.

Good night, kids. Gonna curl in bed with a good book and SLEEP!

Well i was very close to my target for today:

Total Calories: 1190
Total Burnt: only 288

i ate way too many carbs today!

Todays calories were 1345, still a little higher than i would like to be but its still ok. No time was spent on the eliptical today, but i did some power cleaning today. When i got home from work, had the house to myself so turned the tunes up and started to clean. I was able to get my heart pumping and i made the house sparkle.

Calories for today: 1333
Considering I was a little high yesterday, I'm okay with the lower number.

No exercise again today, but I did get antibiotics and cough syrup from the doctor. So, I'm on the way to recovery. :) I hope the meds kick in quickly, I'm really looking forward to feeling well enough to go on my walks again. It's funny how you begin to miss them after awhile.

You know it actually occurred to me when I was at the pharmacy that medicine must have some caloric value (I'm silly aren't I?) Not that I wouldn't take them, but I'm just curious. I wonder how many calories lemon-mint flavored cough syrup has in it? Yes, I said lemon-mint and yes, it is as gross as it sounds. :barf:

I had a REALLY stressful day at work today. To the point where I think perhaps it's time for a new job. I'm not 100% on that, but I was almost stressed to the point of breaking down and going to Cold Stone Creamery. I should mention I'm lactose intolerant, so that is some hard core stress. Thankfully my will power stayed with me and I had 2 meringue cookies instead when I got home. Don't ask me how I held out... I have no idea...

How do I say this without being rude? Almost everyday your calories are well below 1200 calories. Is this something new for you or why are you going to this extreme?

Developing muscles requires a lot of calories and protein, none of which you're getting. You said you're building muscle and I believe you, but think how much more they would develop if they received the needed calories and protein. There's often little point in lifting if you don't eat a bunch of protein within a few hours of your workout.

Personally I think women look more sexy with some meat on their curves (both muscle and that in-shape type of hard fat you get when you eat but also workout).

Diva, very sorry in advance if I should be minding my own business :o

Good morning ladies.

Yes, walkingtolose, I think my scale is at least SEMI-accurate. And that's good enough for me. I'm not looking for perfection. I just want to have an idea of where I stand.

Justme, it sounds like we have the same scale.

zenor, sorry your work is so stressful. Good job on resisting food when stress hits. Not an easy thing to do. Don't we all know that? A smiley addiction? I can think of a lot worse things to be addicted to.

calbgurl, I need to take a cue from you and do some heavy duty house cleaning as well.

Wednesday's calories - about 1200, with lots and lots of exercise. I conked out last night at about 9:00.

Have a great day everyone, healthy and safe.

I agree that many bodybuilders and fitness competitors do often carry a body fat percentage of around 10%. On this same note-it is only their "contest" weight and body fat-not what they carry on a day to day, or monthly/yearly basis. If you look at any Muscle & Fitness, or other bodybuilding magazine-the women's stats usually say something like:

Weight: 129 Contest: 117

Basically saying that their average maintenance weight and body fat% is much, much different than what they carry every single day. My stepfather, as many know here, is a former competitive bodybuilder (I have pics of him shaved, tanned, and Speedo-ed! :) ) and his contest weight/body fat was not what he carried every day. It is only "short term" for a competition. They might only carry that weight and extremely low percentage for a couple of weeks, and then go back to a better (healthier) weight and percentage.

I work at an Athletic Club-my coworkers are personal trainers. My mother is a nurse. My stepfather a former competing bodybuilder. I am a professional dancer/instructor. I am around fitness every single day...and I honestly do not believe that what you are striving for, and what you are doing, is healthy.

Your oncologist may be saying that your functioning is fine right now, but does he know that you ran 4 miles, and strength trained on 300 calories? Does he know that you consistently eat an average of only 900 calories a day? Your functioning may be okay now-but I am sorry, it is going to affect you sooner or later-and it would be irresponsible of me, as a moderator here, not to tell you so.

Whether or not you menstruate due to cancer treatment does not make 10% body fat okay. It just means that you no longer have that "warning signal" to let you know that you are overdoing it.

I have been worried for a while-and I am finally being vocal about it. If not for helping you, than at least helping everyone else here, including the newbies-know that 300-900 calories a day and overexercising on that little food are not healthy. There are young people (teens) who come here to 3FC, and recovering anorexics/bulimics here as well, and I don't want them thinking that this type of regime is healthy-because it isn't.

Whoa, guys!

I understand the concern about eating disorders and young women, the pressure they're under to look a certain way, and the crazy things they may do to get there.

But I am not one of those. If you look at my calories over the past week or so, you'll see I've had days of 1400 and more. I zig zag a lot and it isn't planned that way. When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm not, I don't. I've never been an emotional eater. I don't use food for comfort. I only gained the 20 or 25 pounds over the past five years because I stopped working out COMPLETELY. Unless you count getting the mail as a workout.

If you look at the patterns, I always eat very little when I work out. Studies have shown that exercise curbs appetite. It's true. It does for me every time.

March 16 - 929 calories (worked out)
March 17 - 1093
March 18 - 1913 (race day)
March 19 - 1473
March 20 - 1767
March 21 - 300 (worked out)

Clearly, on the days I work out, I eat way less (with the exception of Race Day which just knocked me out after climbing those hills that I swore were mountains). It seems to me that the wise thing to do is to look at a total picture before honing in on brush strokes.

As for the ten percent count, I won't debate that any further. Healthy women in other parts of the world are not nearly as hung up with the numbers as we are. Think Kenya.

Miz Claudia, I assure you there will be plenty of curves on this frame when all is said and done! LOL

But if my posting is deemed as a threat to the well-being of the masses, then I will refrain from doing so. As wonderful as this forum has been for me, and as lovely as you ladies have been, the last thing I want is to be the contributing factor in someone's downward spiral into anorexia or bulimia.

Miz Claudia, I will PM you when I head to NYC. It would still be great to see you and have lunch with you!

Be well, ladies, and press on!

Wendy

RockinRobin~ Thanks for the support! I really don't want to be at work today, but I'm determinded to have a better day today. Regardless of everyone else at work! :flow2:

I was so OP yesterday except I fell for that 2nd glass of wine and therefore gained a pound. Yuck. Will be better today. Started out great with a ww tortilla, 1T PB and a small banana wrapped in it. (Thanks to Glory for that recipe!)

I mentioned that to my mom as a breakfast option (remembered reading it somewhere here)..SHE is HOOKED!! She either has that or oatmeal now for breakfast!!

My kids are in a "peanut free" school, due to a child there with a severe allergy...has anyone ever tried the banana wrap recipe with soy nut butter???

Actually thats what my mom uses soy nut butter, the brand she bought tastes just like peanut butter (I think it was the walmart brand). My 12 yr old nephew who doesn't normally like "healthy" foods LOVES the soy nut butter!!

Is soy nut butter any lower in fat or calories? Where do you find it? I'm willing to try anything new!!!

I am new here. I have never had a WW tortillla. Are they bought frozen? The rest of the breakfast recipe sounds pretty self explanatory... perhaps adding a little splenda mixed with cinnamon would add a little more life to it :)

You can buy whole wheat tortillas in the same place as the regular ones (but my store kind of hides them in the corner). I like the LA Tortilla ones because they are a bit smaller and only 50 calories each (and 5 grams of fiber). There are other brands that are more like 100 calories, but they're bigger.

THATS what I usually get...BUT last time I was at Walmart they didn't have them, instead they had 80 calorie ones....Same package as the 50 cal. ones, a little bigger though....I couldn't find the 50 cal. ones anywhere!! I was thinking maybe they stopped making them...I loved the 50 calorie ones with a little spray of I can't believe its not butter, splenda and cinnamon...