I tried the zuccini recipe from the Thanksgiving idea thread where you toss it with lemon juice aand bake it with WF apple butter. It was excellent. Also Finn Steve has a good looking meatloaf recipe.

Pixlekitty..Good luck with interviews and good news on the scale going down.Your interviews remind me of our parent conferences coming up. We see parents every 20 minutes.

2ridea rollercoaster: I am drinking tea like crazy also. I like the heat and figure it is the one thing I can drink freely. I am hooked on Bengal Spice.

BCgirl..good idea on tracking on your phone. I am going to try to figure that out. We are taking a laptop which should help.

Bellamack: That is cold! Congratulations on entering Phase 3. Isn't it nice to eat fruit and yogurt?..plus PB? Hope you stay warm.

Well, I have to confess: I ate a lot of Halloween candy last week, and not on my "free" day, either. I also did not get my water or vegetables in sufficient quantities. So, I was worried about weighing in this morning. (Saturday is my designated weigh in day.) Imagine my shock and and excitement that I lost 3.4 lbs and .9% body fat from last week's weigh in! I continue to be amazed at the results that I've gotten from this program. I haven't weighed this little in over 10 years. I was really nervous when I first started phase 4 but every week that I am successful at not regaining, I'm more and more confident that this time, I'll be able to keep the weight off for good.

Congrats on phase 4. The no treat day unless at a certain weight keeps me honest.

I love going to the gym now. It is amazing how much of a "spring in my step" I have now that I am thin and working out.

I hope you have a great time in Hawaii.

I am starting to feel much better. It's amazing how much difference the antibiotics have made. Day two yesterday and I finally felt like I was winning. Day three today and I feel quite rested. I'm off to pilates at 11am today. It ws really nice to get that extra hour this morning with "fall back"

Yes, I use the fatsecret blackberry/ipad app and I can search for food while I am on the road. It's really helpful.

Thanks! Enjoy phase 3. You have earned your great breakfasts.

Yes, fatsecret does this too...

Happy belated birthday. Glad you had a good trip. I often think that my expense people think that I am starving...

Thanks. I see the light at the end of the tunnel now. We have a bunch more interviews Monday and Tuesday, and we've got a lot of great candidates so I am excited for next year.

Just don't expect that if you keep this behavior going that you will continue to lose... :o

Very interesting to read all your experiences of life after the set phases. Kitty, I think your tip of not having "extras" unless at a certain weight is a big key to success.

Re the apps for ipad and iphone, sometimes these devices scare me in how smart they are. I had forgotten I'd signed up for fatsecret till my ipad prompted me for an update yesterday. I will have to start using that site more.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, I find November always seems to go by in a flash with so much that has to get done.
Pat

So second "free" day yesterday - a costco hot dog and movie theatre popcorn (again) - I think I need to think of something better for next time :). I have a rule that none of the "free" foods come in the house, eat out only! I also uploaded some before/after - it was stupid to do it in a swimsuit but it does show how much change can be achieved (even without working out). I couldn't have done it without this group.

that is a great idea. I am not on phase 4 yet, but I have been thinking about that free day a lot (gets me through) and I was wondering what I would do if I really wanted something like... ice cream and that gallon is sitting in my freezer and everyone week something else for my free day is in my house and soon it's just a temptation that isn't worth all the hard work. So I will follow your lead, single portions in house, and everything else eat out!

Your photos are awesome!

Lauren, you look fabulous in your profile shot - you're going to LOVE stage 4, it's so nice not to feel like I'm on a diet anymore :).

Thanks about the shots - I'm sure not ready for sports illustrated, and I can see that I have lots to do to get in shape, but like lots of people I was able to hide in my clothes so the swimsuit shots tell the real story...

Your photos are amazing. You look wonderful! What a change 30 pounds makes.
My family love Costco hot dogs also. You can't be the price for a cheat. Keeping the food out of the house is good planning.

PixleKitty..I need tech help again. I am not sure where I am supposed to post for the Fat secret Challenge. Also it says starting in 17 hrs. I thought it was starting today.
Glad your interviews are going well and you have good candidates. Hope today and tomorrow's go well.

Today I dragged my expresso maker up from the basement. I am making a soy hot butter rum latte for breakfast. This will be my first latte in 11 months!

BC Girl, thanks for sharing your before/after shots. I wish I'd taken swimsuit shots before the weight loss. You look great!

Maile - I'm loving the lattes too! I've had 3 in the last week, what a treat. I especially like the sugar free/fat free peppermint mocha. I can't believe I was drinking them with full sugar and fat last year at this time.

Aloha Ladies,

Half way through my Hawaii trip already. Linden, you are right. It has rained everyday here. We did get some sun yesterday but the grey skies have kept the temp comfortable. Kona Coffee festival is this week so that has been fun. Going out on a boat this AM to fish, snorkle and just enjoy the water.
The food has been tough. I brought my WF dressing but decided I couldn't carry around 2 weeks of packets. I felt like I should be able to eat well without the IP stuff. I feel like I have fallen off the wagon for the first time in a year. Weird. I know what to eat but I just don't have the energy to make it happen. I want to not obsess over food. I want to eat what everyone else is eating. I'm sure I will regret it when I get home. Oh well. I have the stuff to hop back on phase I when I get home but it's hard not to freak out a little. Next time I will bring my packets.

I'm awfully sorry about the rain. Usually it just sprinkles around 4:00 on the windward side then rains at night. But you're right at the beginning of the rainy season. If you tell me what town you're close to, I might be able to suggest a healthy something or other. Island food isn't really conducive. Have you seen a loco moco? Here's one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Loco_Moco.jpg Notice the two scoops of rice and two scoops of macaroni salad. Scary.

Just don't expect that if you keep this behavior going that you will continue to lose... :o[/QUOTE]

Pxlkitty

You're right. Thanks for your insight. I don't intend to keep doing that. I know how easy it is for a "slip" to turn in to a full on "slide". I'm actually fine with my weight where it is. If I lose a little more, that's fine. If I don't, that's fine, too. I was just expressing relief that I didn't gain.

Karen

That's exactly what I thought... wink, wink.

It's hard for me to see what everything looks like for others, since I'm signed up for it. I think we have until tonight to sign up. I invited everyone who was part of the last challenge. Check "myfatsecret" and look under "inbox" to see if you have an invitation. If it comes up under "my challenges," chances are you are already signed up.

What is your screen name over there?
We only have 5 participants right now. If everyone who did the last challenge can check their inbox ("myfatsecret" --> "in box") and look for an email from me. Then you can click the link at the bottom of the message and sign up for the new challenge.