I slipped back so easily into an old habit... while traveling and stopped at a gas station, I went in and grabbed a bag of chocolate covered raisins & choc. covered peanuts. Eating in the car on road trips was always a ritual. I've done so well and been so diligent, it was a real eyeopener how little thought I gave to not buying that candy. We leave again tomorrow for another trip -- forewarned is forearmed!! Lesson learned -- constant vigilance if I want to maintain and not slip back.

I am in! I'm TLVANCOUVER over there :)

Wow...so sorry I missed out on the holiday challenge. I was closed out when I tried to join yesterday. I was away most of last week and just missed the message both in my inbox (which I couldn't find cause I'm a dodo) and just missed the announcement on the thread) Rats!
If there's anyway you could open it up on fat secret that would be awesome, otherwise I'll cheer and stay connected on the sidelines. I really need the group atmosphere to stay on track. It's better with you guys...you have no idea!!!! Keeps the :devil: at bay. Have a great day everyone!

I have a snack question. A friend who finished the program a few weeks ago has a 5 calorie jello with low fat cool whip every day, other than the chemical issue in cool whip (yuck) and logs everything into MFP Is there any issue with a low cal low fat snack mid day? I've been using up packets that I have but wondering what snacks I might get that are more convenient (I travel at least 50% of the time for work).

Binging in the car is an old favorite of mine too! I fell prey to this a few days ago and ate 3+ servings of sugar free cookies (which were most certainly NOT fat or calorie free) before I could stop myself. I had purchased them to have one small serving as a treat in the evening and then gobbled up nearly the whole package in the car leaving the store. What is wrong with me???

I'm so glad we are talking snacks :). Meals I seem to have all figured out... NSV for me - 25 consecutive days of logging my diet and exercise in Myfitnesspal. With the challenge I was thinking of moving my log to fatsecret but all my meals are set up already :)

Gotcha, okay i am jumping the gun a little. I will have to phase off first then join in. :)

I can't open it up... And when I opened the new challenge, it wouldn't let me copy in things from teh old one, so I had to enter all the questions over again. It took quote some time. I will migrate the whole thing to a spreadsheet on google at some point to make it more user friendly. Stay tuned.

Good afternoon, the days lately are just getting away from me. Could be I am the only one in my office now and we should have 3 people so I am basically running around trying to do all. Makes the days go by fast.
This is day 2 of phase 3, and I really like breakfasts, haven't tried anything too complicated yet, just doing toast and yogurt and fruit. Tomorrow may have to change it up. My stomach has been girggling and doing sommersaults for the last two days so I am not sure my stomach likes phase 3 yet. I also find I am real gassy... TMI I know... but wow... am going to go back and see what others are having for breakfasts again. I do miss the grab 2 packets for breakfast and lunch and run out the door days... I now have a roommate that I don't want to wake as I am up at 4:45 to walk the dogs and am out of the house by 6 so will have to start preparing my dogs treats and my breakfast and lunch the night before so I am not too noisy. Apparently I can be real quiet and then when I leave my old girl starts a barking and woke her up anyway... Jewel gets lonely and thinks everyone should be awake and downstairs with her... got to love the old girl, but would like to sleep in my bed once and a while...
Have a great evening all, I am off to buy produce and breakfast items...

Oh Sorry forgot to mention....

Thanks Pxlkitty for keeping us all on track, you are wonderful...


Its about time - that scale is evil, quit weighing yourself... :nono::nono::nono: I am one to talk, I also stepped on the scale this am... YIKES, 155.8 as well...:rollpin::rollpin::rollpin: what the heck happened to my 148 of 2 weeks ago? man bummer.... so NOW I swear I will not step on a scale (or if you have a wii) until Nov 21 at 3:00pm at my clinic... that is if my coach remembered to schedule me...:dancer::dancer:

Aw, you are welcome. I'm so glad that you are enjoying your breakfasts. Look for bread that is high in protein (sprouted grains, e.g.) so that you are stocking up on protein in the morning.

As for the scale, bad, bad scale. Stay off it! It's just your body adjusting and it will come back down, I promise.

First time on in a few weeks...the few weeks that I have let my free days spill into one after another. Wow...the longer on maintenance (technically almost 6 months ....end of May)....the harder and harder this gets. I am having a very very stressful work year (no contract, school budget didn't pass, self-contained kids now in my Regents science class because of new State laws)....my diet is no longer my focus....my job is. So I have redirected myself this week. I am up over 5 pounds...yuck! I will do what I can within reason to get them off...until January...then I want a 5-week restructure time.

Why did I highlight your post? Because these were rules I had been living by and I forgot them. Time to refocus some.

Keep up the good work ladies...glad everyone is well;)

Great to see you DARBS. At least you are only up 5lbs, and you know exactly what to do to deal with those pounds before they become 10. I wish you well. We are here for you.

Pauley. Just tell yourself you are learning that you cannot have a bag of cookies in the car for a snack. Then jump on Phase 1 and get rid of any effects.
Don't be hard on yourself...You have done so well losing 51 pounds.
I still fight carb cravings to this day! We can retrain ourselves!!!!!!!!

It is amazing how those old habits creep in without you realizing them..I think it is good that you recognize them!
I find that the holidays cause old habits to resurface..or old memories of what one must eat to celebrate..Time for change.

Hi Darbs..I totally sympathize with your stressful school situation. The stress level of no contract, no budget, and adding self contained kids to your classes is huge. You are doing very well to maintain with only a five pound gain. Hope there is some improvement in your job situation.

PixleKitty..Sounds like the interviews went well. I figured you were exhausted with the constant interviews. Hope your leg is better.. I am heading into 15 min conferences next week.

BCGirl..I have a snack mid afternoon. So far I am just using a packet..but I am thinking about investigating emerald 100 package chocolate almonds.
I was inspired by one of your comments and saved it to remind myself during the holidays:
I know that separating my enjoyment of family/events from food is (for me) actually an important lesson to learn - ie. politely declining the dessert my mother in law puts in front of me isn't about "hurting feelings", it's about my accountability for my own health.



2ride: Hang in there.. Your body is getting used to that Phase 3!!!

Hi Darbs, what rotten luck to have even more stress thrown on top of what (JohnQPublic doesn't fully understand) is a really stressful job. But if anyone can get rid of 5 pounds, you can.

And I'm sorry, I've tried every which way to figure out what "self-contained kids" are and can't. I'm sure it's a euphonism, but for what? And if that's a tactless question, please ignore it, OK?

Thanks for the guidelines PXLKITTY! Sorry I can't join you on the site, but I will log my food on there and stay in touch here. Thanks also for adding the water challenge...that's the hardest one for me to keep up with, so it's a good goal. Last 2 days I've been keeping up though, so that's good.
Thanks Ladies!

So true! It's kind of like when I quit smoking... some of the 'familiar' situations when I always had a cigarette. We're off on another adventure and there will be NO food in the car.

stress is just terrible in all jobs right now, remember you can only do so much and things that you can't control, you have to find a way to let go of. it took my husband having a heart attack & 3 stents to realize this. his position at work has finally been given to 2 people. since the telecom crash in 2001, he has been doing 2 peoples jobs and for 6 months, 3 peoples jobs. he had an employee whose daughter had cancer (14 yrs old) and the company policy is a leave of absence, but without pay and she was a single mother. sooooo my sweet husband said he would do her job for her and she got paid......his reward, a heart attack at age 55, so you are not alone with the stress. he is taking everything a little less serious these days and changes the things he can and doesn't worry about the rest. You have to take care of you in order to be effective for others. :)

So good to hear from you. Some of us have been talking about doing a "re-boot" in January. Hope you check in and join us.

I also don't know what "self contained" kids are. Please educate me.

I will let Darby give you the official word on self contained. In my school, self contained kids are special ed students who are unable to function in a normal classroom. Often they cannot handle the stimulus of all the other students. Thus, they spend a good portion of their day in the Special Ed room learning skills at their level. There are often emotional outbursts or behavior problems when you add them to a regular class...which could be part of Darby's stress.

Bellamack..My thoughts are with you and your husband.Isn't that amazing that your husband was doing the job of two or three people? That is what is happening. No one is replacing the people that leave, and everyone is covering more and more duties in their jobs. I am glad your husband is doing better. I so agree with you about taking care of yourself to be there for others. You two are doing very well with all of this stress.

Sunnymae: Welcome to the challenge. You can just post here and be right on it. Good luck on keeping up with the water. I feel like I am drinking water all day...and I am. Have you tried keeping a water bottle in your car or at work?

Sammyswan. Good for you..with the no food in the car rule...a good new habit. I will be trying to change my husband's habit on my trip. He has the idea that since we are on a trip, we should indulge..because we do not get to eat these foods in our small town. I just have to keep reminding him that I am not going to indulge for my health reasons!

Woolberger. I am glad you are back!

We are heading out to the coast for the weekend and also doing the trip with no food in the car! We are working on an attitude shift for hubby and daughter on this trip too. We used to use a weekend away as an excuse for 3 days of free range eating. In a way, that was easier to deal with on phase 1 when I simply brought packets and couldn't eat with them anyway. Now that I'm on maintenance, I am simply not going to be able to watch them eat pizza and fudge (which neither of them should be eater either). I know I would indulge, so have let them know we'll be having only 1 meal out. It will be easier on finances that way too. Wish me luck!

So after 2 weeks on maintenance I bought a new pair of pants - size 12 when I started, bought size 4 gap pants (actually more a size 6 or even 8 in other brands). I hesitated because what if I don't stay this size? Has anyone else felt that way?

I decided I was more likely to stay here if I had a clear measure of putting weight on, and clothes that fit me now seem like a good way to stay on track. I also bought a few shirts that are more fitted than I used to wear, which was outside my comfort zone :)

Thank you...I plan on at least 5 days in a row that look like a combo of phase 1/2/3...weird I know....but doable. I will let you all know how I faired next Friday morning when I weigh-in again.

What do you teach? I teach high school Earth science (NYS Regents course...must pass the exam to graduate)



How have you been? No activity on the Sisterhood...wonder how everyone is doing?



Maile is right...I have a class of 17 kids...15 are special education students. Of those 15...6 of them have spent every year in a self-contained classroom....meaning they have never been in a regular class with other students. The have only taken classes for fun and life-skills. Now NYS says they must enter the regular classroom. I teach Regents level Earth science. I literally spent a week on....the top half of a map is north. I feel so bad for these kids...I am shoving square pegs into round holes and it is so unfair to them and sends me home feeling a bit defeated each day. If I was not held accountable for them to pass a Regents exam...I would just relax and let it go and have fun with whatever they can pick up, but......

My thoughts are with you and your husband too

I commend you, and all teachers in reg ed. schools with Special Ed and demands that must be met and now determine your effectiveness! ugh.
I work for a school here that is only for special needs students, it's a charter school that's public and was started by a group of parents frustrated that the education system was just going to let their kids fall through the cracks...and so our school was born.

Your patience with this students is admirable. Just know you are truly making a difference. Hang in there. A change in Legislation is extremely necessary for all you teachers and these children. You and these children need different measures of accountability!!!!!!!

Maile,

I am still in Kona but flying to Las Vegas tomorrow for a conference. Will return to Colorado on Wednesday. It's been a great trip but I am going to have some work to do when I get home...if you know what I mean;).

Lynn

[QUOTE=darbs7;4104527 I teach high school Earth science (NYS Regents course...must pass the exam to graduate).[/QUOTE]

Good lord. Inclusion is one thing. This seems like sheer madness. And cruel to boot. Both to the children and you.

Best of everything, in everything. :hug:

Good luck with the family and your trip. Are you heading to the east or west coast? I am heading to San Francisco today. We will be facing many of the same issues. However, traveling is fun and I am very excited about seeing my daughter. Travel does me good in forcing me to be more flexible. Already I will be facing eating lunch 2 hrs later than I normally do!
Have a great trip. We can think of ourselves as trainers!

Darby, That sounds like a difficult class. Plus the hardest thing is that they expect them to pass the state exams at grade level. I am in Washington where they still allow self contained classrooms but are counted in test scores. I teach K-5 ELL and have many SPED students..but not self contained. Good luck with your maintenance this week.

I will be traveling through San Francisco today as well. We land around 9 pm local time and take off again at 10:45 pm. We will land in terminal 3 and take off again from terminal 1. All United gates. Maybe we will pass each other. Have a safe trip.

Lynn

Pxylkitty, would you please add me as a buddy? I'm lindenjane -- linden was taken. I'd really appreciate it.

I've had a rather unexpected reason to move on to 2 and 3 that I mentioned in Hard to Start. I'm really anxious to see what you all have for breakfast even though I know the products per se won't be available here. I have to confess I've created several, more than several, breakfasts and I cannot get the numbers to jive. :o

Sure!

Hi Lauren..I agree with you..different measures of accountability are needed. I think your Charter School is a great idea..and actually helps the kids more ..catering to their learning needs and styles.

Hi Woolberger..I hope you returned safely. SF airport was crowded..but the weather has been warm and sunny. Hope you are having a good maintenance return. I feel like I am experiencing similar situations to you in HI. I am trying to eat as low carb as possible while going to Burmese, Chinese, Indian, and Peruvian restaurants.

BCgirl..I would go with what size makes you feel the most comfortable. I can remember buying a low size and then being stressed as to whether or not I could keep fitting it. You are wearing very thin sizes: 4..6 Great.

Linden. I have been eating greek yogurt, berries, peanut butter and high protein cereal..low carb.

I have just discovered that Special K has a high protein cereal. 10 gs of protein. I have not seen it in the stores..but you can order it on Amazon.

Thanks, that sounds really good. I love greek, and russian, yogurts. Unfortunately, I can't find them here so will probably up making it. N.b. It's very interesting to buy food in an area that prides itself on eating locally (and hasn't taken much to the idea of frozen food). The only drawback is that foods are seasonal and this is the season for, well, winter vegetables and the perennial fruits -- apples, oranges, and bananas. Non fat is extremely rare; low carb nonexistent. Interesting.

It's the day to WI on fatsecret (or here) and let everyone know how you did on the first challenge week. I am below my goal weight!! Ha ha!!

The only one I failed was the hydration one. I will focus on that more this week...

Oh, I added a new photo to my mini photo album. We went to a retro costume party over the weekend. I dressed as Audrey Hepburn and my hubby went as James Bond. It felt so nice to dress up, and so nice to FEEL NICE dressed up. It's the third post in the album that has photos.

Darn I forgot to wi this morning, was running around and totally forgot. Have to remember tonight.

How'd you do??