Katie!! You rock!!! Thanks for letting me know.. I don't normally watch the Colbert Report so I'm really glad you posted that.. Wish they were playing one of their new songs rather than an old one, but I'll take what I can get...
I encourage all of you to tune in for some musical mastery!!!
On another subject.. I found an AWESOME peanut butter cookie recipe yesterday and tried it out last night.. I'll post this in the recipe thread, but thought I'd share it here too...
Protein Power PB cookies...
1 cup of creamy PB (can be reduced fat)
1 cup of sugar (or Splenda)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
mix ingredients in a medium bowl. using a teaspoon, drop portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I covered my in Reynolds Release Foil) or roll into teaspoon portioned balls. use a fork to create crisscross patterns, pressing lightly.
Bake in an oven preheated to 325 for 10-12 minutes or until golden... Let cool...
Ok.. A couple of suggestions... All we had in the house was regular PB, so expect the reduced fat PB to be a little tougher to mix due to its thickness. ALSO (and this is important).. I recommend using the Baking Splenda rather than normal Splenda. I used regular and the cookies came out tasty, but crumbly.. Not dunk-worthy, or they would have fallen apart...
Since there's no flour, there are fewer than 5 carbs per cookie and they are PACKED with protein from the egg and PB... I got about a dozen and a half cookies with one batch..
At the risk of going against what the COD would tell you, I'd use a couple of these cookies with a small glass of milk in place of a Lite Bar snack...
I just realized that someone had already posted a recipe very similar to this one, so I won't bother doing a new thread... In the dessert file, look for "A Protein cupboard cookie"... Basically the same thing..
Morning everyone! It is only 8:22 and I am already thinking about beating my kids. Ugggghhh! On a crappier note, I am waiting for the septic tank guy to come out and pump out our septic tank. Our back yard started getting yucky. They were nice enough to come right out this morning, so that is nice. And crappy.
Oh no, Repo! That IS crappy...and not a good thing to deal with 1st thing in the a.m.
Dan, the cookies look awesome. I didn't know there was a baking splenda, but I'll look for it, as I have noticed that the regular splenda does change texture a bit. I wonder what they'd taste like with the brown sugar splenda? Hmmm.
We're more smoke-free than we have been in weeks (from the CA fires) and it's finally nice to see a blue sky! If it stays this way, and cools this evening, it'll be time for a nice walk.
Oh, something I've been meaning to ask you all. Have you noticed that everything seems saltier? I've stopped with the frozen meals, commercial soups, etc., because they all seem to be WAY too salty. Is this normal?
Yep! That's one of the biggest perks this plan gives us.. The ability to taste the salt already in things, rather than have to pour on extra.. I remember the first time I ate a McDonald's burger after being on teh plan for about a month... Being mindful of salt, I didn't add any, but when I took my first bite, I almost choked on it.. It was SO salty...
Because real salt is so fobidden in this plan, we become really sensitive to it. I remember almost getting sick to my stomach last year while attending a luncheon meeting... A lady sitting across from me had a sandwich and fries.. After her sandwich was gone, she proceeded to dump salt all over the fries until there was literally a layer of it on the bottom of her plate... Salt addiction is a very real problem with some people...
This is why frozen meals and commercial soups are REALLY not a part of the plan.. Sure, a frozen meal is ok once in a while as a convenience (or at least it used to be on our colored plans), but if you want soup, it's best to make it yourself.. Even the "low sodium" brands have a TON of salt in them.. Become religeous about reading labels at the store.. It's a must...Same thing goes for lunchmeat..
If you really want it, seek out Boar's Head Brand.. They have a roast beef that has something like only 50mg of sodium per serving and it tastes GREAT! They have lower sodium turkey and ham, both of which are better than the stuff you find in the lunchmeat aisle. Plus, Boar's head isn't full of additives like the other deli meats are.
Morning everyone! It is only 8:22 and I am already thinking about beating my kids. Ugggghhh! On a crappier note, I am waiting for the septic tank guy to come out and pump out our septic tank. Our back yard started getting yucky. They were nice enough to come right out this morning, so that is nice. And crappy.
OMG , Katie..........you are killing me!!!! . I hope your day gets a little bit better.....
And Dan.......I could just kiss you...........I spent the morning figuring out how I could possibly do this plan with some sort of lites, but I can't tolerate soy products........and I want a lite that tastes good...........and it is almost as if you read my mind!!!! I am going to plug your recipe into fitday and see how it should be done to sub as a lite. Also, how do you think brown sugar splenda might be? I am getting sooo excited! I have been longing to bake......so this will help me out in two ways.
Ok, so..........truth time. Barbara.....maybe it is the time of year too that makes us relax a bit with our food........I don't really know..........but......I am at my all time high this a.m. DH has been on atkins since Easter, and for whatever reason, I have just refused to join him. Don't tell him, but I weigh more than him now. When we met........yeah........he weighed 80 pounds more than me. WTF?????
I have been thinking of all of the different things in life that have worked for me as far as WL over the years.......and I discovered that I truly am a professional dieter. I have had success with any plan I worked at. So, there are no excuses for me. It is time to kick it back into gear. After reviewing all of my options, I do feel LAWL is one of the most nutritionally sound plans.......so..........I am going to give it my all. I am going to forgive myself for all of my mistakes lately and start fresh today and every day for the rest of my life. I want to feel good.......energized...........hopeful..........cu te......etc. Now is the time. So, for me.......I am starting FF for two days. I WI this am at 224.2. My goal used to be 140, but I am fine with 155. That means I need to lose 69.2 lbs. At roughly 1.5 pounds a week, I should be to goal in 47 weeks, which is right around June 10, 2009. I ought to be down to 189 by christmas......and that will feel pretty darn good I am already starting to get excited!!!
Ok, time to get DS his coffee......yeah that is waht I said..... I will be back
XOXO
Nicole.. Not sure how the brown sugar would work, but it's worth a shot.. Try one with and one without..
As for being lost, Katie.. I'm sure we can all relate.. I've always said that for this to work you have to be mentally "there" to get it to work.. All the best intentions in the world are useless unless your concious and subconcious work together...
That said, not "being there" mentally is no excuse to go back to bad eating habits.. Remember kids, this is a lifestyle change.. Can you honestly tell me that you can just go back to buying packages of cookies and bags of chips? I can see not caring about portion sizes and not ordering the best choices when you eat out, but at the same time, even if you're not "on plan" you can still make small decisions in the right direction..
If I were to weigh today, I would probably be right about where you are Nicole. I am so lost right now.
I feel you! It is going to be ok. I know you are constantly caring for those around you.....and that those demands have been quite high lately....but it really doesn't take that much time to care for you too. I know it is hard. Even if you are not ready to jump in full force today, do yourself a small little favor. Take 15 minutes today.......whether it be in one chunk, or three fivers.......and take care of you. Make yourself one healthy something to eat.......take a short walk..........do your nails.......even just meditate. Take a few minutes to feel your life this day........even if that means you have to cry. Not taking enough time to care for yourself can make you sad, and you don't even know it cuz you dont' take enough time to feel it. Just 15 minutes. You and I both know you can find those minutes, you just have to make yourself important enough. And.........here is the best part..........you don't have to feel quilty about it! All of those people who depend on you need the best you.........so not only do you owe it to yourself.........you owe it to them. I screw up all the time.......but I never quit al ltogether........and I know that about you too..........not the screwing up part necessarily......but you never quit trying..........so don't lose faith........you will get through this I believe in you!!!!
XOXO
hey everyone. just thought i'd check in for the day. seems like a lot of good things--advice, thoughts, recipes being thrown around here lately!
i wish i had something great to add, but i don't.
not much going on with me..just becoming bored outta my mind and stressing myself out about DH's homecoming..since i have no exact dates, etc. it's really starting to wear on me.
anyways..that's about it for me..for right now.
i'll check back in later.
As for the rest of you, I have not been myself lately, and there is a reason. I have hesistated to share this here, because I hate bringing negative stuff in, but this is seriously affecting my weight. A few months ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had to had a single mastectomy, then another surgery a week later to remove more lymph nodes. Then a major infection, and now, chemo (just for preventative measures. The Dr is confident that they got all of the cancer with the surgery). Last Thursday she had to shave what was left of her hair off. I have been so miserable during all of this, trying to help her all that I can, and be strong. I am just not feeling all that strong right now. My dad also has stage 3 prostate cancer. He has been in remission for a year or so, but I really worry about him and all of this stress with my mom. Also, my grandmas have both slid much further down the hill the last little bit, and are requiring a lot more. There is a lot of stress in my life. That being said, I also have really good things in my life. We are financially stable. I have a job I like, and a good husband who I love. My kids are healthy and are overall great kids. My reiki business is going great, and I get a lot out of helping peole. We have a lot of fun with my family and our friends. My mom is very positive, and is dealing with the whole thing very well. So, I don't want to sound like a whiner. It is just finally occurring to me how much I have been self medicating with food. And how much I am hurting and covering it up with food and drink. I need to find a way to get in control of this now, before it gets any more out of control.
Thanks Dan and Nicole, for your words of wisdom, and everyone else for all of your support and friendship.
Aw crap, Katie.. That really sucks.. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster... I know some of what you're going through as my mom had to deal with lung cancer several years ago.. She's been in remission for the better part of a decade now (knock on wood and say a prayer), but it's one of those things that always looms...
Realization is a big part of coming out of your funk and I think that now you've been able to come to terms with your self-medication, so to speak, that you'll be back in the saddle in no time...
Katie – I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. I can totally relate to what you are going through in terms of supporting a mother diagnosed with cancer (I always hated when people would say that to me, but honestly I know what you are going through). I lost my mother to cancer 4 years ago and watching her fight was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through, losing her was the hardest. It is so emotionally draining to put on a strong front and try to lift up everyone else’s spirit when all you want to do is crumble to the ground and cry. I remember vividly the day my mother lost her hair. She was a beautician, so losing all her hair was tough and quite disappointing to her and it was such an unbecoming moment for the rest of us. I think that’s when it really sunk in that this was for real and that she was fighting to live, something we took for granted everyday.
It’s good that your mom is upbeat and I hope and pray they got all the cancer. Through all of this you need to remember to still take care of yourself. There is still a long road ahead and you’ll need to be healthy and strong, physically, emotionally and mentally to get yourself and your family through this. You have a lot on your plate right now but it sounds like you also have a lot of positives. Try to focus on those instead of the negative, it’s hard, but I know my DH and DS where the only reason I could pick myself up everyday. I’ll be thinking of you through all of this. Take care.
, Katie..........you are killing me!!!! 
I am already starting to get excited!!! 
I feel you! It is going to be ok. I know you are constantly caring for those around you.....and that those demands have been quite high lately....but it really doesn't take that much time to care for you too. I know it is hard. Even if you are not ready to jump in full force today, do yourself a small little favor. Take 15 minutes today.......whether it be in one chunk, or three fivers.......and take care of you. Make yourself one healthy something to eat.......take a short walk..........do your nails.......even just meditate. Take a few minutes to feel your life this day........even if that means you have to cry. Not taking enough time to care for yourself can make you sad, and you don't even know it cuz you dont' take enough time to feel it. Just 15 minutes. You and I both know you can find those minutes, you just have to make yourself important enough. And.........here is the best part..........you don't have to feel quilty about it! All of those people who depend on you need the best you.........so not only do you owe it to yourself.........you owe it to them. I screw up all the time.......but I never quit al ltogether........and I know that about you too..........not the screwing up part necessarily......but you never quit trying..........so don't lose faith........you will get through this 
