Good morning. The sun is actually out and it's almost 60 degrees this morning...hip hip hooray. We are suppose to be near 70 all this week. I can't wait. Right this minute I am starvin' like Marvin. The guys had pancakes so I need to find something legal to eat. It's almost lunch time so I may just wait. I did take one taste of the Greek yogurt and it is amazing. I can't wait to make smething with it. It is thick like sour cream with just the right amount of twang. I have a couple of dip recipes I am thinking of trying and using cucumbers as the "chips".

Today's email tip:

EZ Ways To Reuse Food
Learn to just say no. Regardless of their motives, people love to push food onto others. Overcoming this obstacle can be difficult. When Aunt Ida or Cousin Betty plead with you to try their creamy, dreamy potato casserole, you don't have the heart to refuse their offerings, especially at the risk of offending them. There are a couple of ways to approach the situation. You can gently turn your loved one down by explaining you just had a big meal and couldn't eat another bite. Or you can sample a small bite and discreetly push the plate aside when somebody else comes along. The most important rule of thumb is to be tactful so that you can walk away from the situation with your dignity and your waistline still intact.

((Everybody))

Toni...((hugzz)) Pizza sounds wonderful. I looked and looked for a prepared whole wheat pizza at two different stores and they didn't have any. Told hubby I was gonna just have to make my own. I'm just too lazy..LOL

Tech...yum on the oatmeal. I saw a recipe yesterday where they used half sugar and half artificial sugar and they said it was till tasty.

Don't think I'm going to wait until lunch gonna grab a bite.

God bless,
Crystle

I feel like a stuffed turkey. Mostly legal, the steak is just very heavy. We rarely have steak but the guys and I had a treat. The youngest and I shared one. Jess and Robert both ate over a pound a piece. I couldn't imagine. I just ate the tender loin and was so full.

Today was salsa day. I ended up with 5 quarts. That ought to last a while. I also indulged in some sugar free cookies. Luckily for me my hubby ate the rest of them so I'm safe.

Hope ya'll are having a nice evening.

Love and hugs,
Crystle

Hi, everybody!!

Yep, it's about that time of the year - 3rd week into the New Year where we all have a tendency to start faltering...little smidgen here, big crash there...it happens to all of us because we're human.

What will separate the men from the boys is this:

ARE WE GOING TO PICK OURSELVES UP AND GET BACK ON THE HORSE, OR ARE WE GOING TO REPEAT OUR PAST BEHAVIORS AND GIVE UP AGAIN?

Well, I'm not ready to give up again. Not this year. Not this time. I have too much at stake. We all do. We're all tired of carrying this weight around, of having health problems, clothes problems, social embarrassments, you name it. There is NO reason why we can't beat this except for one: that we CHOOSE NOT TO. This is up to each one of us, ladies. WE have to do it for ourselves. A very wise person once said: "It doesn't matter how many times I fall down. I just have to get up one extra time..." and it's so true. This is a life process. If I don't keep my commitment, for me, it will one day become a death process. I don't want to be in this condition any more. I want it enough to continue trying. So do you all or you wouldn't be here. Why, then, don't we take a moment and forgive ourselves our OWN trespasses, look to the sky, and start over again. WE CAN DO THIS.

By the way, I've been completely OP for the past week, my fasting blood sugars are in the amazing one-teens, my diabetes is under control, and I'm just beginning in a teeny weeny little way to start feeling better. It will take years to undo or at least mitigate the effects of the damage I've done to myself, but when you realize deep down inside that there's NO REASON not to try to win this battle. In reality, it's only food. It'll be there tomorrow and tomorrow and the next day. I don't have to have it right now. I know that this motivation won't last till the finish line, but I'm writing it now so that you can lead me to it when I'm feeling discouraged and hopeless.

Right now, the light is on for me. Go find your switch and flip yours on, too!

I love y'all for your strength, beauty, kindness, honesty, efforts and support! I'm glad I found you.

<<end of sermon>>

Love,
Dee

Hi ladies,

Guess I need to join the confessions here. I had all my dinners planned for the weekend and my Dh made me blow it. Have t blame someone other than myself right???? Friday I had planned my 2 beers (whichI had) and taco bell's fresco tacos for dinner. DH was craving fish. So instead of getting the baked fish, green beans, sald, I get fried fish, onion rings and green beans. I was so mad at myself that I was in a fog all Saturday. Saturday night I planned on going to our Roadhouse steak place and getting the small steak, salad, and veggies. We didn't have much time before the next football game and there was a long wait at the steakhouse so we went Mexican. Well, there's not much I like there other than a beef burrito covered with cheese. So guess what I got and had some chips too. Ugh! The rest of my meals were fine, I was so mad. I have to learn to make good choices in those situations. The scale is way up this morning so I hope with lots of water it will be back down my WIW. I think Nursedee's post is so great and an inspiration to all of us. We are only human, they key is to get back on plan. Let's hold hands in the wagon and maybe we won't fall off this week.

TEch, is the Shred a DVD you bought or something you downloaded on TV? Hide those cookies.

Toni, we are in the confessional together. Let's forge ahead on track.

Mercee, hope you did better at dinner than most of us.

Crystle, I having tuna for lunch, yours sounds soo much better than mine. I should have added more stuff. Sometimes the crackers win. Move ahead. Good job on passing up that country fried steak. I would not have been able to do that. We use brown sugar splenda (whichis half & Half) in our oatmeal. Only takes a tsp.

Scrappinhut, Hope you and Dh are feeling much better.

Happy, see you are in need of help in getting back on the wagon. Really, a happy meal is not that bad, calorie wise. You could have done a lot worse.

Nursedee, WOW! What a grat motivational speach. You are just what we faltering sheep needed. I'm feeling so much better after your post. Thanks so much and keep up the great work.

Have a great OP day. Off to eat my cottage cheese and berries and yogurt. Lunch will be tuna and a tangerine. Dinner is rigatoni (homemade so it is not too bad with ww penne pasta, lean beef and lowfat cheese) and a salad. I am under my calories so it is fine.

Oh I forgot, I did take a 1 mile walk Saturday since it was in the high 50's and I am going to the gym tonight. It is supposed to be warm here all week so I amhoping to get in a walk some nights.

Morning Ladies:

Crystle- Wow you are having amazing weather . The weather here is in the high 30's but I'll take it.

NureseDee- Great motivation thanks. My hubby always says the only fights we lose are the ones we refuse to keep fighting.

Solly- I hope you have a great Op day today. The weekend is over just forget it and keep going. Sometimes we can have have everything planned and still miss it. The important thing is to keep going.

Remember one or two days of bad eating will not undo all the work we have accomplished. Lets just keep going.

I had a great time on Friday. I managed to stay OP in eating. I didn't make time to workout Friday or Saturday. I felt bad but yesterday I worked out and today I will. I just have to keep going and not beat myself up. Think about it how many times we have beat ourselves up and just gave up. Ladies lets all keep going we will win. Have a great day all.

Tech - Put those cookies up and keep goiing. LOL

Howdy. My chickens are really liking this warmer weather. Yesterday they rewarded me with extra eggs. The extra eggs came in handy for breakfast. We had fried egg sandwiches. Mine was on whole wheat with fat free cheese and dill pickles. I don't like it as good as white bread but I'm adjusting. There are certain childhood foods that just don't taste as good on wheat...fried eggs, tomato or tuna. My friend grew up on wheat bread so she feels just the opposite. She says white bread has no flavor. I wish.

Today's tip:

Spare Change Equals Spare Tire
Don't carry around spare change. Leave those quarters, dimes and nickels in your coin jar. When hunger strikes, it's far too easy to reach into your pocket and pull out that loose change for a quick fix. However, those chips and candy bars come at a high price. They're loaded with empty calories that are certain to derail your diet.

NurseDee...your enthusiasm is contagious. That is the beauty of a group. We can take turns holding each other up. And you are definitely an encourager. Thanks.

Solly...hang in there. You know that it is just water weight. And you have stayed the course of this way of eating for a long time. You'll be back on track before you know it.

Mercee..yes. Texas usually has mild days so the week it was really cold was almost unbearable. My little house is from the 1930's and they didn't know anything about insulation or proper heating. As tiny as it is you'd think I could keep it warm but only the front room will get really warm.

Every one on this board is a winner. So when that little voice tells you otherwise, call it a LIAR. ((hugzz))

God bless,
Crystle

Oh boy I'll be glad when weigh in Wed. is over so I can feel like the bad eating weekend has really ended. But Monday is a new day. Getting ready to have my oatmeal and OJ.

NurseDee- Loved your post it was such an inspiration. Its just what we needed right now to keep us going. And its wonderful about your blood sugars. Sugar Busters does work....

Solly- Bad week end for you too! This is so hard even when you plan. I hope I get on the treadmill this week. At least you walked which was so good. Its hard sometime not to just give up. We can do this....

Mercee- Good going on the eating. Keep up the good work.....

Crystle- How nice to get the extra eggs. I need to boil some to have on hand. Think its warm enough to throw something on the grill outside. So think I'll thaw out a pork tenderloin.

Okay ladies we can do this. Hope you all have a good OP day.

Crystle, Can you find the white, ww bread? I don't think you can tell a difference from regular white.

Toni, I'm counting on you to get walking on the this week. You can do it. At least it counteracts any bad things we do. We grilled steaks last night. It wasn't really warm since it rained all day, but it was something different.

Mercee, good job staying OP eating out. You are an inspiration. Any work out at all is better than none. I only got there 1 day last week. Better than none. I hope to make it 3 or 4 this week.

Just popping in. Still OP. One hour at a time.

Back on the wagon. Still feeling remnants of the cold but better. Had a small bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, then 3 hours later a yogurt. Had to get the Weight Watchers one b/c they were out of the Lite and Fit. For lunch I had a grilled cheese sandwich on Double Fiber Whole Wheat Bread.

I finally worked out again. DH helped me with my form this weekend. I was not doing some of the exercises correctly. So today I did 3 sets of 8 walking lunges with a 6 lbs weight, 24 lat lifts, 3 sets of 10 squats.

Dinner is supposed to be Salad w/ Free Italian dressing and Pan Sauted Trout battered in whole wheat flour.

I hope everyone else is doing better. I fell pretty hard but I am back up and hoping the same for everyone else!!

Well, this weekend's eating was a disaster. I didn't eat enough and what I did eat wasn't great for me. Ah, well...brush off and start over again.

I did the Shred on Saturday, but took the day off on Sunday. Then yesterday I had the kids home and Kyle came home from a sleepover with the boy that he had the sleepover with and they were both tired and cranky. I had two haircuts and at the end of the day,I just ran out of steam, so no shred yesterday, either. I'm on my way out to make some eggs and half a cantaloupe for breakfast and some oj and get the video rolling again.

Okay...TTFN!!

Techwife: that seemed to be the theme this weekend! LOL Everyone was out of it. Good job dusting yourself off and getting back up.

Ate great yesterday. And this am I am eating my yogart for breakfast.

My a$$ is hurting this morning from the lunges etc. yesterday.

Good morning,

I'm surprised I got here so early. We hae yet another bid today so it will be crazy.

Made it to the gym last night, Got a good workout, I was actually sweating. That makes me feel like I did something.

Eating is still on track. I do great during the week, it's those weekends. We have our bunco dinner tomorrow night, but I should be fine. This place has ww pizza and I will do veggie or just get a grilled chicken salad

This morning I had 2 fried eggs (used Pam), raisen toast, oj. Going to have berries and yogurt in a minute. Lunch will be 1/2 c tomato soup, grilled cheese (no butter) on 35 calories ww bread and a tangerine. Dinner is Crystle's unrolled cabbage rolls. Don't know what to put with them though.

Crystle, I made the cabbage rolls. What do I put with them? Do you serve it over rice? I put almost a whole big bag or slaw mix in there. I hope we like it b/c it was so easy to make.

Toni, made it on the yet?

Scrappinhut, no wonder your bottom hurts with all those lunges. I was good at them before I broke my foot, now I have to start over. Mine is sore today from using the leg press. If you have one where you go, try it with your toes pointed out at the top of the plate and then at the bottom of the plate. It is a killer workout for your inner thighs.

Tech, brush yourself off and jump back in the wagon. We are holding on tight this week. It those weekends that sabatoge us. I read that yesterday is the gloomiest day of the year b/c people are tired of the cold weather and most people have blown their NY's resolutions by now. So we are ahead of the game, b/c we have not blown ours.

Better go check the fax machine. I'll be back after the bid hopefully.

Anyone have a low calories recipe for a good granola?