Thanks for all of the welcomes!!!!

Today has been pretty good too.

Question- what brand of bread do you use? I can only find 1 g of fiber/slice bread....and I'm sure there's some more out there.

Ooh! I did it! I resisted the M&Ms!!!!! LOL!!!!!!

If I had them, I would have had almost nothing for dinner....but I resisted!! Whoo hoo!!!!

Yea me!

Just a short note -- Friday is the day I have an 8:30 class to cover -- instead of my normal 10:00 -- so I have less time for the 'puter than usual.

First off, Freedom & Light, GREAT JOB on resisting those M&M's! They remind me of the old ad slogan about "nobody can eat just one!" They're one of those foods I absolutely must stay away from -- once I start eating them I keep eating them until they are ALL gone.

Before I forget, Terri, you asked how I got into this business. Well, first I was a court reporter for 25+ years working mostly in a courtroom setting. I've done somewhere around 100 c apital murder trials and was really burning out (can't imagine why! I was living in NC at the time and met another court reporter in an online quilt guild who lived in Ohio. We became friends over the phone and, since my kids were in CA and she knew I was lonely over the holidays, invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her and her family. I flew up, spent about 10 days with them, saw the sights, kinda got a feel for the town, and told her if she could find me a new husband or a new job, I'd move! She called me about 9 months later and put me in touch with one of the people I work for now. We talked and she hired me over the phone!

Got a phone call last night from my ex-husband to tell me my youngest son has totalled his car. He fell asleep at the wheel and hit one of those railroad signals -- ya know, the things with the arms? He was wearing his seat belt and as a result only has 9 staples in his head (scar will eventually be hidden by his hair), a broken bone on the back of one hand, and a few cuts on his forehead that didn't require stitches. No drugs or alcohol involved, thank God -- and with this child that could have been a definite possibility a couple of years ago. He seems to have straightened out now, though, for which I am VERY grateful.

I'm feeling very grateful but not upset; this attitude is easier to maintain because of the distance. It would be harder if I could actually see him cut/bruised, bloody clothing, etc. He seemed to be a very safe driver when he visited me at Xmas; much more so than his father was at that age, who totalled three cars of his dad's until owning an old clunker of a pick-up finally broke him of the habit of driving too fast ... So my "baby" was not seriously hurt, no one else was hurt, and maybe the hassle of dealing with insurance and trying to get to college w/ no car will make him think seriously about the wisdom of driving when you're sleepy ...

Eeek! Gotta run!
Donna

Caught a cold yesterday - feeling crapola today - so is dd... which means dh is around the corner.. he is the worst! hehe

Some one asked about bread. I highly recommend Natural Ovens. They have a web site with all their calories and such. www.naturalovens.com They are high in fiber.. very filling. 1/2 pt per slice. They also sell cookies - to die for, bagels, rolls and more. They are local here in Wisconsin (about an hour from here) so all the groceries stores carry it. You can buy their stuff online. Pricey - but well worth it!

Since I am under the weather I have decided to take a day off from counting points. I know, I know, it's only my 4 th day. Infact - I've just had a 3 point breakfast this morning. I am just going to drink lots of water and eat lots of fruit.

Here is what I had yesterday.. don't have a clue about today yet

hot chocolate 1 pt
fried egg sandwich 3
apple 1

ww meal
half of dd's drumstick 2 pts - must stop eating her food!!!

2 skinny cows! 4 pts

14 points worth of dominos thin crust pizza!

31 points total

I think I need to make some WW soup - I don't like veggies that much - I will adapt to my liking.

Have a great weekend all!!

Dana
btw.. here is my dd's web site
www.digitalsara.com

Good morning, friends!

Good news to report! I had my week 2 WI and lost 5 pounds! That makes a 2 week total of 11 I must say, the struggle to say OP last week was well worth it! Now, I can start all over again with 14 personal choices and 700 optional calories (my life savers!) Not much exercise though I did go out and walk the dogs once this week, also worked a little in the garden. We've been hot and just a couple of days with no rain wilts the seedlings and transplants.

Joyce, What veggies do you grow in your garden? We have a very small fenced yard, so not enough sun for veggies. I do love gardening, though, and am always trying new shade plants.

WELCOME, Freedom and Light! Can I call you F&L? Congratulations! This group is a wonderful place for encouragement, ideas and support. I always eat ALL my program food and it still works! You can do it!

LindaBC, I agree with you about adding veggies to every meal. It helps so much -- filling you up and relieving the need to "eat" (whether you are hungry or not!).

Donna, I'll keep your son in my prayers. What a terrible accident, but thank goodness it wasn't worse than it is.

Slimdown, Welcome, welcome! This is a wonderful place to come for support to stay OP.

Bunny, Have a good trip to Deleware!

J-Ann, Good to hear from you. I dogs! Do you just have one show dog? I have a corgi mix and a terrier mix. I'd love to get Charlie (corgi) in some sort of agility trials.

Hope I didn't miss anybody. Have a lovely spring OP weekend!

Mel

264/252/237.6 (10% mini-goal)
(-11)

Meanerney:What does that mean? I neeeeeeeed them too!

Congrats on your weight lose.. that is AMAZING!!!! You go girl!
What does 14 personal choices mean?

btw.. I did end up counting points yesterday.. turned out to be a good day I now have 10 banked points this week so far)

Dana

when is spring coming they are calling for SNOOOOOOW!

Hi Dana,

Snow in April? Wow! It's already in the high 80's here!

I'm on the old "Personal Choice" plan that gives you daily: 4 proteins, 5 breads, 2 fats, 3 fruits, 2 milks, and 3+ veggies. In addition you get 14 personal choices (any daily catagory) plus 700 optional calories (anything) during the week. I my optional calories and use it for cravings like WOW potatoe chips, chocolate, etc. I'm not going to meetings, just got the (older) plan from a book at the library.

The points system lets you eat whatever you want, but somehow I don't think you get as much food! My motto is "I'm not greedy, I just like a lot"

Stay OP, you can do it!

Mel

hehe.. here I was thinking I got 700 extra calories if I made it to my second week.... in my dreams!

Hi Ladies,

Car's all packed and I'm ready to hit the road first thing tomorrow. I'm taking turkey and Tuna and pickles for lunches and some yogurt andd WW allowable snacks. I AM going to stay OP all the while I'm away.

Driving alone will be the pits but I've got several books on tape to keep me company.

DANA: I don't remember if I've met you so here's my "Hello" We got 2" of the white stuff yesterday AM but it's gone now.

FREEDOM & LIGHT: WELCOME to you too. You'll enjoy it here. Hope you're feeling better.

MEANERNEY ...MEL: Remind me when I get back and I'll find the websites for groups that offer agility to all breeds (pure and mixed). It's a ball and good exercise for you as well as the dog.

Well, just remembered I have to water plants before it get's dark.

SEE YOU ALL IN ABOUT A WEEK!

Well, I really blew it tonight. I am having a stressful night from heck, and I respond by going to a Chinese place for dinner and having- approximately- a 31 point dinner. I can't believe I did this. I'm not coping well with stress, and I shouldn't have had so much to eat...but I did it anyway!!!!

*sob*

I feel terrible!!!! My total for today- if I don't eat anything else tonight- is around 48-50 points. I'm not sure, to tell the truth.



Should I just count this as a free meal, not worry about it, and eat 0 point foods for the rest of the night? And then just start back over tomorrow? Or should I try to bank extra points to cover the food?

What would y'all do?

hey. .what you did tonight is called life! It will happen again.. next time try something a little different. Eat half.. take the rest home. If you are still hungry.. then eat it. Odds are you won't be
Eat lots of water.. then move on!

This is only my first week. (I have had many first weeks at WW ) But compare yourself to how you ate BEFORE you started WW. If you are anything like me your 50 point day today is NOTHING compared to what your typical day used to be. I swear I bet there were 100 pt days in my past! If you look at the big picture you are doing amazing.

You did the right thing by trying to figure out the points... even if it wasn't perfect.. you knew you were accountable for what you are eating. And isn't that a big step!

Dana
235/first week/ 212 10% mini goal

Hello, Friends

Freedom&Light, It's ok, don't panic and don't beat yourself up. Take one meal at a time, and when you choose to go "off program", just get right back on the next meal.

I agree with Dana that you did the right thing counting your points. When I blow it, I go ahead and write it all down and then eat whatever I can for the rest of the day. If all my other choices are gone, I can always have veggies. It really, really helps if you have some "free" veggie dishes that you to eat so you don't feel deprived. Then tomorrow is a new full points day!

J-Ann, I'll see if I can find some agility sites on-line while you're gone. I applaud you for planning ahead to stay OP during your trip.

Dana, Hope you are having a good OP week. My mini goal is 10% loss by the first day of summer too (challenge from another thread or forum). I'm a veteran WW too, but this is just the beginning of week three for me this time and I'm not going to meetings. Frankly, I've found more personal support on this site that I ever did at meetings!

My yesterday's menu:

2 lite bread + 2 diet cheese toasts = 2 breads, 1 protein

veggie, tofu stirfry with curried raisin yogurt sauce = 2 veg, 1 protein, 1 milk, 20 optional cals, 1 fruit

3 whole wheat tortillas with 2 turkey dogs and 4 cheese sticks burritoes = 3 bread, 2 protein, 3 personal choice

WOW chips = 100 optional cals
strawberries & yogurt = 1 fruit, 1 milk

Where are the rest of you? Hope everyone has a lovely OP week!

I'm here. It was a gorgeous weekend and I took full advantage of it to get our front yard in shape. Three sides of our front lawn have wide borders of shrubs and the weeds were really taking over. Yesterday I spent 5 hours out there bending to pull weeds. Finally got it all finished this morning. Whew. I really notice the difference in my flexibility and stamina with just 21 pounds gone since last summer.
This morning I went to the gym before my pool workout planning to spend 10 or more minutes on the recumbant bike but I only lasted 8-1/2 minutes. I guess I was just too darned tired from all the gardening. I did spend a full hour in the pool though and did a pretty good workout. None of my pals showed up so I didn't waste any time yacking.
Freedom&Light, we all blow it from time to time. For me, it's usually when I'm feeling anxious about something....or bored. It's best to keep busy. When you know you've gone waaaaay over your allowed points, it helps to drink extra water to flush it away faster, and try to do more exercise to work it off. Then, for the next couple of days, try to eat at the lower end of your points range and fill up with low carb veggies.
The main thing is you were accountable and I think that's one of the most important things we can learn from WW. In our old way of eating, once it was down the hatch, we would forget about it and then wonder why we'd packed on another 5 pounds. Writing down every bite makes you realise just how much you're scarffing down and you know the consequences.
Here's my menu for today.

Pre-Swim
1 pc fiber toast
3/4 oz light cheddar cheese

After Swim
2 pc fiber toast
3 slices crisp bacon
1 tsp light margarine
1 small orange

Lunch
2 pc fiber toast
2 tbsp light cream cheese
1 oz smoked salmon
raw veggies and low fat dip

Snack
Apple
Yogurt
Pretzels

Dinner (planned)
Beef Strogonoff made with light sour cream & mushrooms
Fettucini
Brocolli

Snack
2 point brownie
Light Cool Whip

whoohoo! My first week is done I got weighed in last night and lost 3.6 lbs!:sheep:

very happy and excited about going back next week!

Dana
235.2/231.6/212 mini goal - only 19.6 lbs to mini goal - I CAN DO IT!

YAHOO, Dana! You go girl! -3.6 is FANTASTIC! This is your fat free, points free, celebratory cake: Isn't it AMAZING and WONDERFUL to see the pounds disappear after a week's committment to program? I'm so happy for you! Can't weight (get it? ) to hear again next week.

Linda BC, I love to work in the garden too and hubbie just bought me a little garden bench on wheels that really helps me get around and get up after sitting ( )! I hope to spend more time working outside now. You are really doing great with all the exercising and sticking it out with the recumbent bike. You are really maximizing the success of your 21 pound loss!

We had a county wide power outage for about six hours yesterday! Hope everyone was ok without tornado or hail problems.

Happy week, ladies!

Mel