luvmyfarm - Wow.. birds? I had often thought a bird would be a neat pet, but DH often reminds me that they are really messy.. yuk! They must have really worked to get into the house! I know sometimes if the wood is rotten in the eves, they can get into areas, but never have known any pecking their way through a ceiling! There is nothing worse than having a plan for a weekend and then having that changed to having to clean up a mess you didn't make!

Manick - I am in awe at the amount of exercise you accomplish! I used to be such a tomboy when I was in school. I was in pretty much every sport up until college. Then I became studious.. lol. But, I didn't change my eating habits. and that started me on the road of being overweight. I am doing a little more exercise than what I had been, but I am leary of doing a lot until I start to slow down on my loss. I am so afraid of losing my weight too fast I guess. Although it would be nice, I want to do this slowly so I learn along the way how to not gain it back.

Vday - I know this is because you remind me so much of my daughter.. but I feel very protective of you. Your not having running water downstairs to take care of basic domestic stuff is a violation and you have every right to complain to your landlord. If you decide to do that, please do it in writing and document EVERYTHING! I remember remodeling a kitchen and not having running water in there. I ended up doing my dishes in the bathtub. It wasn't fun, but they were clean. (After doing that I bleached out the tub too.. so I had the cleanest tub ever!)

Shrink.. shopping in NY! Sounds like a lot of fun. Being from the 'sticks' I would love to do that just once. Just the one time to say that I did.. Even though you aren't sure the points of the food you ate, I would hazard to guess that all that shopping & activity equaled everything out.

BB - Yesterday was the high temp scorcher for us too. For the past week, we have had tornadoes all around us! Since June 1, we have had a total of 9 inches of rain! The farm fields around us look like ponds. The ducks are loving it, but the farmers all have their panties in a bunch. Last night we were up until 3 a.m. because the NOAA weather radio kept going off for all the warnings. I sure hope the Wendie plan jump starts you!

Suite - What is the title of your WW cookbook? I know you mentioned it somewhere else, but I am sure that post is gone. I have one too and really like the recipes in that one. There aren't many times that I follow a recipe totally - I always seem to include variations. I have a lot of cookbooks and many of those have nutrition info on the recipe.. I have thought of going through a few of them and marking on the page the total points.. LOL
____________________________

Well, last week I was very stressed and nervous and the week lasted too long. I swear I had a week of Mondays! I am so relieved to be on vacation for the next two weeks! But, I am already having to go in to work for 2 afternoons this next week for unavoidable meetings with technology vendors. We are implementing a lot of new technology for students next year, which I am excited about but also stressed out about. Wth all of that, I did manage to stay on OP and didn't go through any nervous or stress eating binges like I had in the past. What I did do, was drink a heck of a lot more water!

Not only has work been stressful, we have had really bad weather this past week. Severe storms, flooding, tornadoes, high winds, hail, lightening. We have had to clean out the shed to park vehicles in them so we avoid any hail damage. Last night we had tornadoes all around us. I was agitated through out the evening and had to fight with myself to not eat everything in sight! I did give in and made a spinach salad just so I wouldn't grab something bad for me. All day today and tonight the weatherman is telling us we have the same predicted for us.

This is scary for us. The EF5 Tornado that went through Parkersburg Iowa developed out of the storm that had just gone through us. Seeing the pictures of that damage has me looking around our place to see what I would have to do to save anything. I told hubby that I am just going to take all pictures and those types of personal items and store them in the basement during tornado season. He told me that if I did that there wouldn't be room for people. So, on my second week of vacation I am going to scan all of my pictures and put them on a 500 gig removable hard drive. That way all I would have to do is grab and go with that.

Manick - The book is called "My Turnaround Plan." Creative title, huh? They coulda done better with that one in the marketing dept, imho. But so far everything I've made from it has been awesome. It's definitely helping me be OP to have new things to make! My DH can throw me off track too, I know how you feel - he can eat as much as he wants and not gain an ounce, I have to remember we are VERY different people in this regard. So, how was your day yesterday? Did you get four points or just two? Hmm?

vday - man, no running water?? Like BB said, isn't that some kind of building violation? I think all inhabited spaces are required to have running water... I'm sorry your housing situation is so screwy, I hope you get that sorted out ASAP.

sonja - Wow, I am really, truly impressed by your report of your last few days. It sounds like you had PLENTY of opportunities to throw in the towel - homemade Mediterranean food? parties? brownies? WINE?? - and you sound like you did awesome! It's so good to hear that.

BB - unfortunately I can't blame my lack of progress right now on my body being tired of the plan. I am totally to blame, I haven't been OP enough to warrant a good loss. No complaining from me, I know what's going on, no big mystery here. Humidity is super-high here too, has been the past couple days. Stand outside and you feel like you're neck-deep in a swimming pool. The heat index here is supposed to get around 110 - in central Virginia... UGH. Hope you stay cool today

Chey - Wow, your tornado situation sounds scary as heck - I have no idea what I'd do if there were tornados all around me. That is such a smart idea about scanning in your photographs, though if I were you I'd make a backup of your hard drive, so you can have them in 2 seperate places just in case. Maybe send one to a family member living elsewhere for safe keeping. Photos are really invaluable. WTG on the loss you posted in the WI thread, I admire your ability to keep it together with all that stress!!

And oh, I totally write in my cookbooks the number of points they add up to! I have a cooking light one that I love and it's riddled with points notations and comments on what I thought of the recipe (whether I would make it again, tick marks for how many times I've made it). The one I bought from WW is called "My Turnaround Plan." Not very creative but it's got great recipes.

Speaking of cookbooks - has anyone ever picked up "The New American Plate"? I bought it for my sister a couple years ago and whenever I go to her house she cooks from it. I need to get a copy for myself. It has a TON of really neat, creative vegetable recipes. The premise behind the cookbook is basically that our plates need to be reorganized - instead of having 1/2 the plate be protein, 1/4 carb (plus dinner roll on the side), and 1/4 veg, the veg needs to take center stage and occupy most of the plate, then think of the protein as more of a "side dish." And de-emphasize the carb too. It's a pretty common idea for making our meals healthier, but it's nice to see it followed by lots of new, interesting ways to prepare those veggies so you don't get tired of them. It also has a ton of awesome photos - one thing I have to have in cookbooks. Anyway. I love cookbooks and spend lots of time in the cookbook aisle of bookstores, even if I don't buy anything... They're just fun to look at



Nothing exciting here. I need to sit down and do some work this afternoon, as much as I don't want to... After I write this I think I'll make myself some tea and sit down with my work computer. I've just been on this darn project for so long (rewarding effective teaching in higher ed - ooh, exciting), I can't bear to face it Monday. I'd love to get it wrapped up today, or at least close to wrapped up. I'm also feeling the need to do some baking, and you know me and baking... I end up consuming entire batches of what I make, me and baked goods do NOT mix. So I'm going to make some scones tonight after dinner to satisfy the itch, then pack them up and take them to the ravenous 25 year old guys I work with in the morning. They'll appreciate the little 7-point buggers more than me

So I've planned out my dinners for the week in an effort to avoid the need for eating out. This is what I plan on making:
-Chicken roasted over squash
-Turkey shepherd's pie
-meatloaf
-lentil tofu burgers
-curried cauliflower and chikpeas
-turkey and hominy chili

That takes me through Friday, and there will be leftovers from each night to serve as lunches the next day. Sounds good to me

Well that's it - hope everyone has a good, tornado-free day

Well, I'm back again and OP today. Joined the June Challenge today to keep accountable. I've had a lot going on lately not an excuse as everybody has things. I just didn't do as well as I would have liked to have. In August of last year DH was told he had prostate cancer and it has been something deciding what to do as there are so many options out there. He finally decided to have the gland removed while his numbers were in the 1st stage. That was done this past Thursday and it was successful. The good news is it had not spread outside of the gland and other than pain he is doing fine. We are going through 6 - 8 weeks of recovery now. So no trips planned for the summer. Up to now my eating has been on and off plan more bad than good. I am glad to say that while I haven't lost, I haven't gained at least not up to my starting weight. That in itself is something. But today is a new day and I have decided to settle down and get serious with my WW Flex Plan and do it eating healthy foods... fruits, veggies and good carbs and fats with a limited amount of protein. I haven't been to the doctor in years because I don't have insurance. I turn 65 in August and will finally have insurance and I plan to go to the doctor and get a good check up and I would love to be able to say I've lost some weight and get a good report from tests. My new insurance pays for me to have yearly a membership to the local YMCA for fitness too, so I'm looking forward to that. So here I am again as I feel like there are so many "new" things going on in my life right now that I should make WW Flex Plan a part of it.

Trish

Suite - I am coming over to dinner at your house this next week.. Thanks for the title of the cookbook.. I am going to check it out along with that other one you mentioned. That one makes sense with the new food guidelines now in place.

That is a good idea about the multiple backups too. My office at work is actually one of the rooms a few people can go to during a tornado so I can use one of my external hard drives and store it there off-site.

We just got back from hubby's dad's house. there was 4 ft of water in the basement!!! 4 ft!!!! There was also had a HUGE tree branch that broke off last night and demolished the railing on the deck and knocked down a power line from the main light pole going into the house. DH and I got all of that dealt with and then checked out the basement. What a mess!!! The only good thing about that was the basement isn't finished. figured with all the branches I moved/lifted/heaved/threw into the pile, I got my 30 minutes plus of exercise done for the day.

To top it all off we have more severe weather headed our way with an additional 3 or more inches forecasted! Our small hamlet is considering shutting down the water plant due to flooding! I think I am going to have to replant some of my garden as well.. oh well, Mother Nature has showed up this spring with a vengeance.

pattygirl - Wow.. that is a lot of stuff going on. Good news on your DH though - that must be a huge relief!!! You got me thinking about checking out our insurance to see if they would pay for the WW plan and perhaps a YMCA membership. I have been wanting to get some equipment around here, but am afraid that they will turn into clothes racks.. Equipment to exercise on is pretty expensive.

Just stopping by very quickly! to everyone! I'll catch up shortly.

---

BB - You can use the plan for whatever time frame you feel comfortable. You can use it as long as you'd like, or as long as your body responds to it positively. It's not really different from the WW plan on a whole, it's just one way to plan out your FP effectively.

Good Morning Ladies

Going to Leo's doctor this afternoon,Going to use the A/C in the car as today & tomorrow we're having a heat alert on the Cape.Hope the winds come back like it did yesterday and blew the stagnant air out to sea.

Going to make a recipe from Betty Crocker's Web site called Deluxe Cheeseburger Melt,with the Bisquick Heart Smart mix.Using the toaster oven,as it too hot to turn the oven on. WW used to recommend some of the recipes years ago,and I found a few inserts from Womans Magazines,so I going to try them.

CHEY-OMG that must be scary with those tornadoes hanging around. Never saw so many this year on the tv news. How do you deal with such stress. ??? Waking up all time though the night,hope this terrible storms stop soon so you can get some rest.So Sorry about the tree falling and the flood in your basement. TG you were hurt in this violent storm. So far so good,I'm feeling a lot satisfied than what my leader told me to do.No need for cheating when you full. 20pts[1000c] was to low for me every day.


SUITE-As long as you know that it was you not being OP. I wish I knew my question why I'm not losing.My the Wendie Plan will give me the answer. DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS DURING THESE HOT SPELLS.I remember my old dear WW leader used to say flush water out withwater.my DD has a WOE plan that emphasizes that veggies are the important part of the diet & protein & carbs come in second & third. She lost about5-10 pounds on this diet. If Wendie does work for me I will switch to her woe.

TRISH-First of all I'm sorry to hear about your DH,but happy that the cancer didn't spread. I can relater to you,as my dh had lung cancer two years ago and now he's in remission,but his coughing is getting worse so we're heading to the lung doctor this afternoon. What ever don't forget about yourself & your health,its important that you maintain your good health in order to take care of him.

You've seem like you have a plan and your going to stick to it good for you.Some how flex doesn't work for me,so I decided to go up a notch and try the Wendie plan,and if that doesn't work switch to the core plan.Best wishes & good luck on this WOE.


FAERIE-Thanks for your input about the Wendie plan. I have to break that 8 week plateau.


Hugs BB

Good Morning Ladies,

My first day back OP was terrific. Making FP for the day in advance is really a big help. It may change a little during the day, but it sure helps keep within the pts. I am also trying to cook more healthy so as to help DH post surgery healing. I think when you eat right it helps you heal better.

Have a nice day.

Hugs,
Trish

BB - You were writing as I was. Thanks for the words of encouragment. I will keep you and your DH in my prayers. I hope his cough will turn out to be something curable and that he is still in remission. It is good to check it out. You know I didn't lose well on WW Flex at one time, but I think I was eating too many junk foods. I am doing it different this time. I am eating more healthy foods such as lots of fruits and veggies and a reasonable amount of good carbs such as whole wheat and grains and then a moderate, but healthy amount of protein. I'm limiting the sweets etc to special occasions. I am beginning to think that our pts must be spent wisely. Just eating something because it fits into the number of pts doesn't cut it for me and I am sorry to say that is what I did. I think "fiber" is the key which sounds like what your DD WOE plan is saying. Don't forget that stress is factor too. You probably are more stressed than you realize since you probably are worried about your DH. I realized that Tony's illness put more stress on me than I knew. When that doctor came out and gave me the good news about Tony and then when I first saw Tony and he looked so good and happy, it was like a ton had been taken off my shoulders. I have been a widow twice before and I think I was really afraid of losing him more than I thought. BTW if you need to talk please feel free to PM me and we will work that out since I've been there done that.

Let me share what we learned through Tony's ordeal. When we first went to urologist, his PSA reading was 4.8. They did a biopsy and found it was malignant. (Tony's Daddy died from this.) We talked to doc about some of the things I had read would shrink tumors and he told us they knew that lycopene and Vitamin E would prevent cancer and that they were doing research to see if it would heal it. So since Tony and I had plans that couldn't be changed and the doc said we had time we decided to do some research. We didn't have time to wait for Research test results which will be out I think it is 2012. So Tony started drinking 16 oz of tomato juice which has the highest amount of lycopene and taking 3 lycopene pills (got them at Wal-Mart). Tony did this for about 3 or 4 months and took another PSA test and it went down to 2.04 from 4.8. Dr. said it didn't mean the cancer was gone, just shrunk. Three months later Tony had another test and it was 2.4 so Tony decided to go ahead and have the gland removed. He didn't know if it had bottomed out and was going to start growing again or what. His regular dr kept pushing for him to get it out while we knew it was confined to the glad and then keep up the lycopene/Vitamin E to keep from ever having cancer again. I'm glad we did. We both take it (my Mother died from lung cancer which broke off and went to the brain), but we don't take as much as he did. Lycopene is in any tomatoes, but is higher in tomato based foods that are cooked like tomato juice (has the most), V-8 juice, ketchup etc. Who would have thought that spaghetti & pizza sauces could be so healthy? (They believe this is going to be a prevention of several cancers including breast, lung, and prostate are the ones I can think of right now. He already took Vitamin E for his heart. Of course I'm not telling you to do this, but I thought I would share our story with you.

Hugs,
Trish

Hello all,
What a shame to lose all of that but I'm glad I was able to find you.

I don't remember what I last posted... but Friday I had a talk with my boss about my frustration and upset and he was open to hearing me, but after talking to his wife, my other boss, I'm not sure what will happen or how it'll be at work today.

hey girls,
i have been so lazy about coming on here lately -- not sure why. Maybe it's the heat.

Mitch -- maybe i missed this, but what is going on with your job? i hope everything is OK.

Beach -- good luck with all that is going on for your hubby. Let us know how those recipes go!

Faerie --

Chey -- wow scary weather! sounds like you're dealing with this in a very level-headed way.

Trish -- thank you for sharing your story. it sounds like you have had a pretty tough run (widowed twice already?? that seems unfair). That is fascinating about the lycopene. So true how important diet is in our overall health, huh? Please keep posting here -- I would love to be part of your support as you work towards your own healthy lifestyle!

Jaime --

Everyone else -- hi all sorry if i've missed you!

I got home from Jersey yesterday. It is just sooooooo hot! I had a GREAT NSV on the road: I was hungry and had a long debate in my head about what food I could get. Would I cave in and get McDs? Stay healthier and find a Subway? Finally I decided, "screw it, i'll just get fast food." So I pulled off at a McDonald's sign, but then saw that there was a Super Stop & Shop, so reluctantly but proudly pulled into the grocery store, bought a banana and some sushi, and that was that. Pretty good, huh?? Then didn't eat much else till nighttime, when I had some veggie pizza and a couple of beers. I'm pretty sure I was within points, though I haven't counted yet.
Also, today will be my first smoke-free day. I only had one yesterday, then tossed the pack. Deep breath.
ALSO, I dug out my juicer! This hot weather has me wishing to be 10 lbs less, and juicing feels like a good tool on the WL journey. Breakfast today was fresh apple/carrot juice, and a piece of toast with light cream cheese and some jelly. The juice was really quite filling!
Hope everyone has good, OP days!

S

Hey gals, I've been so busy lately! I worked every single day last week. Yesterday we had some friends over for a BBQ and of course I was washing dishes for half the day (literally because they needed to be washed before the BBQ too!). Back to the grind today but at least when I get home I will have a brand new driveway (yay!). I'll write more later if I can!

Hey Flex Chicks!

Wow...serious weather and scary stuff...and you are all marching on!

Just a quick fly by from me to say HI

I will try to catch up personally with you later...might be tomorrow tho........

Busy OP weekend for me. HOORAY for total OP...the only part I am having trouble counting is dinner last night-Ethiopian food-the traditional kind served on the giant sponge bread as the "plate"...and then all the stews are layered on that. I just tried to be moderate...and only ate 1 strip of extra bread. I was somewhat gauche and asked for a spoon (not done in that style of eating, but I was NOT going to eat all that bread that is required to be your "spoon" when eating Ethiopian food!) I put small amounts on a little plate and ate from that so I could see what I was eating. I figure I ate about 2 cups of food with unknown calorie count...I am going to look up some examples and see if I can get a good estimate today.

This week, I am going to do my best to be totally OP and get exercise.

I am helping my brother's family move tonight...so that will be some more activity at least...I volunteered to do the pantry and food...bags and bags up the stairs from the basement should burn a few extra calories!

Hope everyone has a safer and smoother day today!

Hi Ladies

Went to the new doctor,and he checked Leos lungs and had him breath though a tube and it looks like with all his coughing the bronchial tubes have closed a little. The doctor put him on an Advair inhaler twice a day for two weeks and then we have to go back to him.If it works[stop cough and easier to do everyday things] Leo will get a prescription for the inhaler,but if it doesn't its back to square one.

He was very informative,answered all our questions. One of them were does drinking milk makes white Flem [OLD WIFES TALE] he can go back to dairy products again.Does the cough come from the lung or bronchial,answer the latter.So it doesn't come from the scar tissue in the lung???? NO.


The Deluxe Cheeseburger Melt was delicious,and easy to make I can post the recipe if you like.The recipe serves 2 & It was only 5 pts.

Have a great day,

Hugs BB

BB- Sorry that your DH is having so many issues, healthwise, I do hope this new treatment gives him some relief, I sure would help you out too, it sometimes just as hard, maybe harder at times for the caregiver, take care of yourself too. yes would love you to post that recipe, sounds great.

Manick: WTG on staying OP, have fun with the move, stair climbing is a great workout.

Suite: I'm with Chey, that will be two extra at the dinner table. If you get the chance how do you make your lentil burgers, would love to see the recipe. How did that meeting go, for your husband's citizenship, sorry if you did post about it already, and I just missed it. Love all the talk about your recipe books, I just might need to check out some of those titles, those recipes sound yummy.

Chey: hope the weather is a bit calmer for you, sounded very scary for a bit.
WTG on your loss there past two weeks, you are doing wonderful. Boy, I hear ya, on having a tough week, hope you have a fun vacation, and get to do some things you want to do, and not so much the have to.

pattygirl: So sorry to hear of your health issues, and your husband's recent surgrey, Best Wishes for his speedy recovery. I'm glad you are getting back into the swing of it, with Flex and do let us know how things are going for you.

Faerie: Hi hope things are good, I'm sure you are very busy, you leave this weekend for India? If so, have a Great Time, and I do hope you update us as often as you can. So exciting!!!

vday: glad to see you, hope things settle down for you, makes it very hard to stay on plan with so many other things bringing you down. I do hope things get back to some sort of normal for you soon.

lizzy-you are quite the busy girl, always traveling, Super Great on that OP decision, been there, and it's so hard to make the right choice at times, so proud of you, and even better on the smoke free day, you keep up Girl!

modkitten: I was thinking of you yesterday, how you said that your patio was a bit more than you plan it would be, well I decided to finish my vegtable garden yesterday, well that 98% dead tree, still have 100% live roots, that I had to first unearth and then remove, boy talk about it I only knew what I was in for I would of never started it, but I did at least clear enough space to plant my garden, which I did, and now I can little by little clear away the rest of the roots and then my son volunteered to remove the stump, so next year, will double my space for my garden. So, after it's said and done, I'm glad that part is done. Did you ever post pictures of your beautiful patio? would love to see it.

Mitchpoo: I'm sorry I've been not keeping up with posts lately, but I do wish you good luck, on your meeting. I do hope it goes well for you.

To anyone I did not mention Hi and hope all is well

**********
another super busy week, don't know if I will get the chance to post much, but I do hope to at least read some daily posts. Will be thinking of all of you, hope you all have a Great OP Week!

Having a great week so far, finding that most of my clothes are getting way too big, that either I need to wear a belt or supenders.

Let me know if this is happening to any of you? Are you losing more in some areas than others, like for me, I was never, as some might say, "top heavy" but I noticed, lately that some shirts do not stay on my shoulders, I need more of a tee-shirt type shirt, and not scoop necks. I was wondering, if anyone had some exercises that help with the flabby wings, {upper arms} and not so much the chest area :~)

Well need to get some sleep, which really is going to be tough not tired, right now, but will be sorry if I don't try.

Chey: aww thanks...they installed the sinks today, they just have to hook them up, which won't happen until tomorrow! I have just been eating microwaveable stuff and eating out...so it's been super hard to stay OP! Hopefully that will all change tomorrow..

Suite: Good choice on taking the scones to work! I'm sure everyone loved them...that is what I have done while being on flex as well. And awesome job on planning your week..all of your meals always sound so good and well rounded! I definitely need to get back on the home-made train as well! My sink will hopefully be working tomorrow so I can start doing that...

Shrinking: Awesome job on avoiding the McD's...especially on an impulse like that, that's awesome! It sounds like you are becoming pretty motivated..so that's really good! Your breakfast sounds yummy..

InStitches: I have the exact same problem! I have major flab on my upper arms and I hate it! I am too self conscious to even wear shirts without sleeves...unfortunately I don't know too many flab bursting workouts!

~~Well as for me, I am still not getting any workouts in! I went to the local Target and WalMart to try to find a bike...and no luck! It's also too hard on my knees and way too hot outside for me to go for jogs...

I was thinking about getting a membership to the YMCA..does anyone go there? And if so, do you like it? I had one in high school that I liked, and it is only 8 blocks from my house, so I was thinking of doing that. I will probably go in and ask for a tour.