Hi all!

It was a nice sunny day, but only in the 30's. I'm wondering when spring is really gonna be here. Wanted to walk, but didn't feel like freezing. I rode the bike 20min. then went to the farmer's market & 2 stores to get food because each one had sales on the items I buy. So I got alot of walking in today anyway. I started getting stomach & back cramps after the farmer's market, it felt like someone was twisting my muscles, then it started going up to my chest. I hate the feeling, I knew just what it was from. I ate loads of fruit w/ greek yogurt for lunch, only ate 75g of sodium & no fat with my meal. I was active & walking alot so I was low on sodium again. This is the first time it happened since I was in the hospital. I drove home as fast as I could & ate some dry cheerios for sodium & almonds for fat. In 20min. the cramps were gone. I waited an hour, then went to the 2 markets. I'm over my calories, but I had to do something. I think that was far more urgent than worrying about going over my calories. I lost 3 lbs. so far and I updated my weight on 3fc.

I need a nutritionist!

I agree!

It was cold and gray here today. Ugh. If it's going to be cold, I wish we would at least get some rain. I am so worried about this drought.

I made a light version of fettuccine alfredo tonight w/ chicken and it turned out really good. I am really concerned what the predinisone I am taking will do to my weight these next few weeks. I've also been allowing in foods that I shouldn't be eating right now. Well, just trying to get through the weekend. Still not sure if the meds are going to completely cure all of my ailments. I may have to make some decisions on what is more important to spend money on....hearing or spine issues. I can't do both.

I'm still in a funk from that movie I watched last night....

Good luck, Annie - sounds like you have a lot that you're facing now. Well, for the past few months, really! Hang in there - Can you find something silly and mindless to enjoy one evening this week - getting together with some friends to bowl (well, not if you're back is hurting), hm ... card game and stupid movie or the like?

Heading out for a trail walk, hope we can stretch it out longer but with stepdaughter, I don't think she'll be open to going farther. I wanted to get up to the gym today, too ... we'll see. Games start at 2, and we're redoing the front room - taking everything out and making it more treadmill and exercise friendly, i hope! ha ha.

Sunny but cold here - low 30s and feels like upper 20s. Back into long underwear. I'm a weenie. A weenie who's waiting for SUMMER!

Prepping some meals for this week - homemade pasta sauce and turkey meatballs (trying that for the first time - I'm not a meatball person so trying it for hubby) ... chicken fried rice and veggies though we only sautee the onions , and baked chicken. Then we'll have good go-to meals after work. Got all the fixings for a great tropical fruit salad - mango, starfruit, pineapple, etc. Should be yummy.

Hi y'all. I'm back after a little more than a year away. I'm grumpy about needing to be back, but very happy to be among a really supportive group again. It's so hard trying to do it on your own! (she says, having gained 40 lbs back against the original 30 lost. oh poo.) I need the accountability and can-do attitude everyone has here. Goal 1 - check in here every day and get my daily reality check.

I found a great saying over on the faith-based support group. It paraphrased Joyce Meyer and goes something like this.... You're a child of the most high God, filled with the Holy Spirit, created by the God that made the whole universe... and you're going to tell me you're being bossed around by a cookie?!?! Yep. what a hoot!

Chat w/ y'all soon. Have a great Sunday!

Hey, Losing80! Glad you are here with us. I love that quote from Joyce Meyer. Kind of hits the nail on the head.

Good job on prepping food for the week, NP. It got real cold again here this weekend, too. Glad I waited to plant some annuals. May be a couple of weeks before I feel safe doing that.

I've spent the day cooking. I baked a light-version of the Lemon Cake we love....although I doubled the glaze. Can't wait to have some later. Made my oatmeal for the week. Now I'm going to put on a pot of green beans and potatoes to have w/ a light oven-fried chicken recipe I found for supper later. After I get the beans going, I am going to sit for a while. My neck/upper back feels pretty good today and I don't want to overdo it and get it hurting again. I've done well on eating today. Keeping in mind that I'm going to have that lemon cake later.

Annie- the food you make sounds so good!

It was a bright sunny day here, but still cold. I rode the bike for 20min then went for a 25min walk. I'm watching my sodium & fat very carefully today, I don't want to go through what i felt last night. I know what the problem is now, when I eat alot of fruit( like I did yesterday), I'm taking in a high volume of water. Fruit is made up of mostly water. Then I drink diet soda all day, which is a duretic cause of the caffeine. I go to the bathroom often after I eat alot of fruit, so I'm actually diluting or flushing the sodium right out of my body, plus I'm very active. So today w/ greek yogurt, i only had 1 clementine & 20 grapes with my lunch. I went nuts on fruit yesterday at lunch & sure enough about 2hrs. later the cramping started. Today I'm fine, so i think I have it figured out. My weight is coming down, I'd like to lose 2 more pounds, but can't seem to stay within my calorie range anymore. I'm at the end of my rope!

Hey folks, does anyone know of a support group like 3FC for women trying to start their own businesses?

Hi back, AnnieDrews! Speaking of glazes, I made one for fish. Ick - I'm trying hard to get any fish besides canned tuna in my diet but even this tasty recipe didn't do it for me. The glaze, however... mm mmm mmmmm. It'd be good on chicken, but I think it might be perfection on pork tenderloin. It's about 5 oz of sugar-free apricot jam, 1/4 t low-salt soy, and 1/4 of 1 ancho chile in adobo sauce, chopped super fine. Sweet and kicky. ooh. Dang, I wish I hasn't wasted it on the baked cod!

Fruitlady, interesting idea about accidentally flushing sodium out of your system. I'm a greek yogurt fan too. On cereal, in a fruit smoothie, as a substitute for sour cream in dips. yep. very tasty.

I made melba toast today! 'kay, so I was actually just toasting a whole wheat english muffin and forgot it was still toasting. So, whole wheat melba toast without the shopping. Topped with roasted garlic and honey, and you've got an unexpected smelly, tasty, sweet, crunchy treat. And I won't get mugged for a while. Where's the toothpaste?

Cool and overcast today but little rain. Hubby and I went to chuch, lunch, shopping, dinner and now are home again. I bought a crochet book and a pair of shoes. Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer, with more sun so we have plans to take April to the dogpark. Rain again for the rest of the week. sigh.

Losing, great quote. Glad to have you join us.

Losing80- thanks, I stopped eating lunch for about a month cause I was eating a big breakfast & I wasn't getting hungry for lunch. Yesterday I started again, greek yogurt everyday w/ fruit. Just from doing that again I am losing weight, I'm even eating more calories than ever. I guess that lean protein keeps the metabolism going.

Well, a little closer to normal here today....my scanner is working!! Glad to have something to do, except they cancelled my patients for the day thinking it would still be down. I'm sure I'll find something to do...

Ended up eating 2 pieces of lemon cake last night....that and the McD's Ben talked me into yesterday took me way off the good course I was on for a Sunday. Oh well....right back to it today. Got my big salad packed for lunch and ready to go. I did 2 miles of exercise this morning. Still not sure I want to use weights yet. My neck/upper back is much better, but there is still one spot that is giving me pain when I sleep. Very odd and hoping another week of prednisone helps that go away for good. Ears are still giving me some issues, so I will probably go ahead and keep my appt. with the ear doctor next Monday. I am a little worried I might lose some hearing over all of this.

Going out for supper tonight, unless something comes up. Will be able to eat my usual light entree and take it easy on the chips, etc.

Losing80-I need to experiment with fish, too. My fav way to eat tilapia is to grill it on my stove top grill. I use the McCormick Salmon herb blend on it. I don't use sauces for it. I don't think I would like a sweet sauce, either. Not really big on sweet and savory together. LOL @ the melba toast....when life gives you lemons....

PP-At least be thankful for the rain you are getting. Just think how green everything is going to be. I am real worried about our drought here. Fiance has a pond that needs to fill up quick.

Have a great day everyone!

Hi All,
Wecome back Losing, I love JM and tape her show everyday, she has some awesome sayings!
Annie – hope your work day goes well and that you are feeling better, I certainly could not watch the movie you mentioned, Schindlers’ list did me in enough and my father has his own stories from the war although he is not a jew, they were often thought to be and he had 3 siblings die of starvation and his father was sent to a Siberia work camp for being a Christian and then he never saw him again, my dad and his mom and sis moved to Canada when he was 12. Terrible time in the world. And because of this he cannot waste food, I have often over the years watched him eat all on his plate and make sure to eat the leftovers because of this.
NP way to go on the loss, slow is better then none right!!!!! The turkey meatballs sound very good!
I did quite well last week but ended up eating too much late yesterday, emotionally I am okay with this as I am back on track to day yay! I did go back for the pants and decided against them as they cost more than I like to pay and I want to see what the U.S. has when we go at easter!
There is some freedom in not allowing how I look or what I weigh affect my joy for today!

Wow, Ashley, what a sobering story about your Dad's life during WW2....I'm so sorry he and his family had to endure all of that. Makes me thankful for what I have.

Good morning. Good afternoon, I mean. Wait. How'd it get to be past noon already? AH HA - IT'S MONDAY! Faked me out!
Got in 1.9 miles this morning plus did the 1st day of the 100 pushup challenge. As if I couldn't check my pedometer and crank out an even 2 miles before calling it quits?!
Nice to meet you, Ashley777. JM's the bomb, isn't she? Sets me straight every time. Joel Osteen too just lifts me up.
AnnieD, the tilapia sounds good. Is the herb mix salt-free? I had cod success last night! Shocked me so much I forgot to whip up the veggies and brown rice I mean to eat. I marinated the fish in soy, lime juice, ginger, garlic and I think a hit of honey. I forgot it for two days and nearly threw it out, but man! I'm glad I baked it. The fist was a nice thick slice, almost meaty. It's almost sandwichy burger-y, really hearty. Leaves you wanting something else, like you're not done chewing... what to do, what do do? Next is figuring out how to batter fry it for fish tacos. Love the crunch! Could I bake it and still get a good crunch? Fish - the bane of my sad sack diet. I'd rather have a McD combo #3! Little bit o' heaven in a box!
FL, yeah, that little bit of lean protein might be helping you out. Great you can eat more (if you like to - I sure do!) and keep the weight under control. Protein smoothie. Yum! Skim milk, a couple healthy plops of plain greek yogurt, a dollop of frozen apple juice concentrate, whey protein, and a bunch of grapes. The whey and grape skins give it a little chewy/crunchy coconut fake-out.
Hiya, PP. I think your rain is on the way to us. We're overcast, sprinkly, and due for showers Wed/Thurs. At least the fresh rain will wash away the stinky asphalt paving smells in my n'hood. Yay, tax dollars at work.
So, it's 12:48, I need food and a shower. I'm a bit intimidated by the rest of the day. Facing the "what is" can be a kick in the teeth sometimes. onward and upward, yes?

I am so mad I am shaking right now. Someone threw my lunch in the trash AGAIN in our kitchen at work.

Losing80-No, the spice mix I use is not salt free. I do try to watch sodium, but don't cut it out completely. I tried making oven-fried chicken last night and it was just okay. It was good and crunchy, but I think the egg/water mixture I dipped it in before the panko left a gummy layer that I didn't like. If I make it again, I may just leave the egg/water mixture out altogether. The chicken is soaked in buttermilk beforehand so is probably wet enough to help the panko adhere. It might work for fish, too. But the coating does come off as you eat it, so not sure it would work for fish tacos.

WHAT?? Annie - what's up with the lunch? Was it from last week and they thought it was old or WHAT??? Fill us in. I'm aggravated for you!

Welcome Losing80! I was looking into that pushup challenge and them forgot about it - that was about 6 weeks ago. Hm - i don't know that I can DO It but i need to pull those printouts out and at least try> Anything is better than nothing.

Finally did our taxes last night, finished at midnight, but started late anyway. Funny - we were single last year so each just DID ours and no biggie, now it's learning what the other's stuff is. I was wiped out. I need ONE more night of good sleep, I think.

We had three different plans for tonight without thinking about it. We'd planned a date night for tonight to go out to Bravo for dinner - my fav spot and we had a $15 off coupon (one free entree) ... other plan was to get on the trail and hike 6-7 miles ... third plan was to finish the painting in that front room and get things set back up in there. Living room is about 15 stacks of books all over. I will go through them and release some

Annie - do you like coconut? I have a good chicken recipe (baked) that's where you just dip smaller pieces of chicken into milk and then flour/ground red pepper and coconut and then bake. It doesn't get THAT brown, but doesn't stay white. VERY spicy and tasty

Ashley that is some story about your father's life. It's unfathomable to me how humans can treat other humans (or animals) so horrifically. On a side note, don't worry about a high day - i keep finding that 1-2 higher calorie days help me stay on track the others and seem to kick my metabolism up a bit.

FL and PP - hope you're off to good days and that it warms up nicely before long for you! PP - start anything from your new crochet book?