[SyracuseNY]

Chrisy: I was told by the COD not to use lemon from a bottle, it's gotta be the 'real deal'? I would think that if your drinking water - it can't hurt!

MetalChic: Very happy you replied to Andi and you did a great job with your advice. No wonder your at goal and I'm still struggling.

Michelle: Good luck on your move and hope your back online soon.

Thanks all for the info on TMJ. Julie, my jaw seems to line up fine when performing the steps you provided. Funny thing is my face/ear area still hurts, but it's nothing that I can put my hand on to feel. I'm still monitioring it, and the pain is not that bad and doesn't last long. The truth is, I'm afraid that I will have a cycst on a nerve and have to have it removed, and will get the Bell's Pulsey and the side of the face will droop. It happened to a woman I use to work with, but the drooping was only temporary - it scared the daylights out of me - that someone so pretty as she was/is, could have something removed and have to experience looking that way. I guess I'm more vein than I put out to be?

Andi: I'm so glad that you ran into that friend! Sometimes, when things are hard - we make every excuse in the book to avoid the issue. You will be so happy that you decided to stick with it. I've dieted all my life, and the first couple weeks on LA I was so confused. But after a while it will become second nature. Good Luck!

[MetalChic]

Originally Posted by marbear

thanks for the info, jenn.

Karen, can you give me an example of what your day was like when you were losing weight? I am wondering how much you ate for each meal. I want to eat less at dinner and more at breakfast like you said, but I am cooking for hubby at night so I do not know how to handle that...I am sure I would be tempted by his food.

It would depend on how many protiens you have to give you a good example, but I will try.

If you have 2 protiens a day, eat a full protien for breakfast and split your second protien between lunch and dinner. For example: on purple chicken is 8oz so you could eat 4oz for lunch and 4oz for dinner, on other plans I think chicken is 6oz so you would eat 3oz for lunch and 3oz for dinner.

If you have 2 1/2 protiens a day, eat a full protien for breakfast and lunch and have a 1/2 protien for dinner. When I did it, I had 2 1/2 protiens, I would have a full protien like 2-3 eggs for breakfast and a starch, fruit for morning snack, either a CarbCraver meal, full regular protien, or a frozen meal and veggies for lunch, then fruit, cheese, melba toast, something like that for evening snack, and then 4oz (1/2 protien) of chicken with a starch if I had one left and veggies.

If you tell me how many protiens, your protien size portions, how many starches, etc. that you have, your favorite OP foods, I could come up with a sample menu for you.

I really don't like eating that much in the morning so I would only do this like on weekends when I got up later in the morning and could handle all the food.

I've also been told more than once, but I'm not sure if it matters or not, not to have starches or fruit after 5pm.

[MetalChic]

My plan: Example of a normal day

Modified Purple without LA Lites
1/2PP SS VVVVV F, 3oz Dairy

Breakfast:
1 egg (1/2P)
½ lite bun or 1 slice of diet bread (S)

Morning Snack
½ Banana (F)

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine (PS)
1 cup cooked broccoli (VV)
½ oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

Evening Snack:
1 oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

Dinner:
8oz Grilled Chicken Breast (P)
2 cups lettuce (VV)
¼ cucumber (V)
1 ½ oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

My plan: Example of switching protiens around
Modified Purple without LA Lites
1/2PP SS VVVVV F, 3oz Dairy

Breakfast:
2-3 egg (P)
½ lite bun or 1 slice of diet bread (S)
½ oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

Morning Snack
½ Banana (F)

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine (PS)
1 cup cooked broccoli (VV)
½ oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

Evening Snack:
1 oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

Dinner:
4oz Grilled Chicken Breast (P)
2 cups lettuce (VV)
¼ cucumber (V)
1 oz reduced-fat cheese (D)

I would sometimes also use a CarbCraver for my breakfast, such as Pancakes for a full protien. Mind you I wouldn't have a Lean Cuisine and a CarbCraver in the same day.

[textjewel]

Morning, chicks!

I was at 186 this AM - only 1 pound away from my next goal of 185 -- I would dearly love to be that by Friday - esp as I'm going to be eating hotel food this weekend, and will have to be careful to make the best choices!

About the lemon - truthfully, I have even used LIMES. I also found these packets of dried lemon juice that I use sometimes. (I don't like the lemon juice from the bottle.) Mary, I'm sure that sweetner is fine.

Michele - looking forward to hearing from you when you arrive in CA.

Andi - how great to get that kind of support when stuff seemed so tough. I agree that the starches are the things I missed most, but now I just plan around them, and don't count on them so much. It's almost like being on a low carb diet, but it is better.

Sy - I know what you mean about Bells Palsy - my father had it when he was living in CA - so I didn't see him - but they seem to recover over time. If the pain continues, I'd really check with a dentist or a doctor.

Leah - the carb craver meals count as one protein. The ones in the new booklet are the same that were on the handout sheet I got when I first started, so what you have is probably still the same. I think Karen found that her kids actually prefer more healthy eating now, so make it easy for yourself.

Karen, did your modified purple have 2 1/2 proteins?

Dog update - both episodes last night were repeats, but know I know what you mean about the new brother - he's quite a looker, ain't he? Must be Leland's older brother?

Julie

[MetalChic]

Julie, I did have 2 1/2 protiens. I got to around 160 and stopped losing so they actually added the 1/2 protien back and I started losing again.

[kcreary]

Help!! We are having chinese food at lunch today at work....i dont know what they are ordering..and I cant exactly get out of it. Its one of the guys 65th birthday today. Any suggestions?! I'll make sure to get to the gym tonight though...

[Repo girl]

Hi all,
I had not seen the first episode of Dog before, so it was new to me. I felt so sorry for that lady with no feet. Reason 101 million to lose weight now. Dog, as usual, did not disappoint with the whole "Brothers Keeper" stuff. I used to work in Domestice Violence, responding with the local police on dv and sexual assaults. I had a hard time not wanting that dude to stay in jail. The stuff he was doing to the girlfriend is so typical of violent men, and brothers or not, they usually don't stop without major intervention. Who knows though. I would love to think that the kindness Dog showed him, the prayer, and the overall faith will be a turning point for him.

I am proud to announce that I dragged my Gazelle in to the house yesterday, and walked on it for 30 minutes. My daycare kids were pretty amazed by the whole thing. I think that it was almost as interesting as the time that I did tricks for them on the trampoline LOL.

Hope everyone has a great POP day! Katie

[textjewel]

Kate - the big thing is to avoid deep fried things, and if you can, order low sodium. Will you be able to choose for yourself? The rice is okay, if you have have a few spoonfuls, and the veg is okay, too.

Julie

[Repo girl]

Kate, I can't stay out of chinese food, and very little of it is OP anyway. If I were you I would bring a lunch from home, or if it is too late for that grab a salad or something from some where else. Good luck!

[kcreary]

well its a work thing...so i have to have it...i didnt take a lunch. i think we are getting chicken fried rice, chicken balls, shrimp (i dont do seafood), beef chow mein, egg rolls (i dont like them) and a few other things. I doubt it will be low sodium. I'll just take small portions (i rarely eat chinese anyway) and workout alot tonight.

[Star]

kate.....chicken balls

[Chklithunder]

Good Morning Everyone.

That is too funny! Okay, yesterday I was POP EXCEPT I missed half my water. Today is another day, and I'm not going to make that mistake again. Its always SOMEthing.

Today is mine and DHs wedding anniversary. I (as usual) have put off getting his gift, so I need to find it in the mall during lunch today. Any suggestions? DH is a simple guy (really ) and he likes simple things. A couple of his favorites are: football, beer, beer, beer, cars, Patricia Cornwall books, beer, and football. Oh yeah, and beer. I'm going to see if there is anything he might like at the bookstore, but other than that I'm lost.

[MetalChic]

Carmen, What about his favorite team on a beer stien or beer mug?

[wtxchick]

Hi all,

I'm feeling a little better about this today, but not by much. I never thought I would be so depressed over food!

I know that I ate well yesterday and I have a good plan in place for today. I even planned a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast so I could have that "fix" and get it over with. (1/2 bagel toasted with 1 T. cream cheese - S,D)

The counselor who signed me up called me this morning to check on me and DD. I had just returned from my walk , was starving and miserable (and wanting one of the WW Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins in my freezer) and I told her so. I told her that I didn't know if I could sustain this way of eating. I want to enjoy my eating plan while I'm losing weight. We went over my diary for yesterday and she told me that she wouldn't be there for our Thursday appointment (when we get the Free to Live binder) but would talk with another counselor so they could go over my concerns. I also told her that I found the LA Lite bars obnoxious and I just can't gag them down. DD feels the same way. So, I imagine we'll both get a different program, too.

I'm sorry - I realize this is a downer of a post. I was so excited about this and I'm sure it will all smooth out. I suppose I wanted that "this is fun" feeling!

Andi

[textjewel]

Andi - I have to say anytime eating is restricted it is really tough. And if you don't need those WW muffins for anyone else in your family, you may want to get rid of them, or ask your counselor if there is anyway you can fit them in.

BUT - I will say this - you decide what you eat, whether its POP (perfect on plan) or not. And truthfully, the plan as written may not work for you, and they can tweak it. Karen's plan was changed to include more veg and less fruit.

There are certain things that are not listed in the guide that I asked about - for example, why no dark meat chicken? esp if we can have beef and pork? They did check with the nutrionist, and found that we can have them if we count them like beef. So I guess I'm saying that the guides can be expanded.

Also, I was wondering - did you tell them how much you exercise?

Julie