We start early voting tomorrow.

Another too-warm day in the mid-south today. bleah!

I'm ready for fall -- so are the trees, who can't decide whether to drop their leaves or not. The color has turned (sort of) and the trees are still holding their leaves, waiting on cooler weather, I guess.

I cooked a lot over the weekend, so have no excuse not to do what I need to!

Cheers!

Hi Claire- Where do you get that kombu? A health food store or an Asian one? Why did you quit being a vegetarian?

Beautiful weather here- the leaves are turning... I love fall!

Hi, Liz!

I get kombu at natural food stores like Whole Foods or Wild Oats.

I've also seen it in the Asian section at regular grocery stores, too.

Inexpensive and a little goes a long way!

I stopped being a vegetarian for health reasons. My hair fell out, my skin looked dreadful and I just didn't feel well. This went on for three years, so I wasn't detoxing or anything like that. I was really a vegan -- didn't eat meat, no dairy or animal products at all.

I still don't eat red meat very often - I prefer fish or turkey. Not much of a chicken eater, either. I do enjoy eggs and some cheeses; also tofu, but not too much in a day or I feel slow and sluggish.

Hope this helps! I found a great recipe for pumpkin soup in one of my ladies' magazines and will share it.

Cheers!

SSDD around here.

It's that way here, too -- "SSDD."

It's supposed to be cooler here in Nashville today -- 67 degrees.

I would love to have fall weather for a change, and secretly envy you Northerners your weather.

On a food note, I've been experimenting with barley (grew up eating Scotch broth, and love the taste) and find that it not only fills me up with just a small quantity, my digestion seems to like it rather better than some other grains. I've been making it as a solo item and then adding it to soup so I can watch the quantity!

Anyone else using interesting grains or other ingredients? I'm ready for a little more variety in my eats...

. . . we'll see how much you envy us come February . . .

I like barley a lot, and some of the newer 'black rice' (not wild rice) combinations are good too.

Hm. Envy? Maybe, maybe not. I spent 10 years in Montana (West Yellowstone). We had three months of summer, and nine months of very poor skiing

I'll look for the black rice. It sounds interesting and I'm always looking for new items to try. Thanks!

Have you tried Quinoa? It's a tiny grain-type thing with very high protein, wheat and gluten free. I'm guessing you're reacting to wheat, Claire. It's pretty common. You cook quinoa like couscous, and can use it alone, in soup, as a hot cereal, lots of stuff. It's of South American origin. The trick is to find it alone, not in a premixed pack with spices and other additives.

Quinoa is one of my faves! I use it like oatmeal. It's also tasty when seasoned with savory herbs.

Thanks for the idea. I don't have any allergies to wheat according to the tests I've had done, and I appreciate you asking!

Teff doesn't agree with me; I like amaranth, too.

Hello everyone. I'm new here -- and pretty new to chat boards as well. I have lost about 50 pounds on LA Weight Loss, but am really tired of the restrictions. Even vegetables have a pretty severe limit. This volumetrics sounds pretty good. What kind of results are people having?

Hi, purplefingers!

This is a great group.

How did you find out about Voumetrics? Have you read either of her books?

I tried LA Weight Loss several years ago and it was too restrictive and they kept upselling me on their products. I got tired of it in a hurry and stopped going to them.

Congrats on your 50 pounds off!!

Cheers!

Welcome purplefingers! As far as the weight loss goes, I've found it to be slow for me, personally, but it's been staying off which is the big deal for me. I'm sure it can go faster, but I'm somewhat lax about measuring and writing down what I eat. Lately I've stepped up my exercise, but that's an important component, too. None of it's magic- it's mostly just common sense. Congratulations on making it into Onederland!

Hi. Thanks for the welcome.

Yes, I agree. LA turned out to be much more interested in selling me stuff -- which I have not been buying. I really don't mind the slow loss. I am at an age where I am concerned about losing weight too fast -- resulting in a lot of sagging skin.

I found about about volumetrics from a newsletter that I get online -- it is a general health and wellness newsletter. Then I did a bit of research, and it just seems like a lot of common sense.

Success! Someone at work -who I don't even know or work in the same building with- just asked if I was trying to lose weight because it looks like I've dropped some. That really brightened my whole day!

Waterbaby - Wow, I was raised in Columbia, TN. Small world. For those who are unfamiliar, Columbia is the Mule Capital of the World.
I'll definitely have to try the kombu seaweed trick.

So far, I've really been doing well in following the volumetrics plan. I'm still surprised at how easy it is. I am relying a lot on frozen lean meals though (checking labels to pick the ones with low ED). I wish I had more time to cook, the recipes in the book look so good.

Congrats, Lauren. When someone mentions your weight loss, then you really feel you are on the right track!