Ok--here's what I ate yesterday. I tend to round things to the nearest 50 or 100 calories.
Bfast--Kashi cereal 200
Lunch--2 pcs diet rye with 2 slices ff cheese 200
apple and baby carrots 100
3 merigue cookies 50
Snack a couple handfuls of popcorn from Wal-mart (weak moment) 150
dried apples 50
Dinner chicken sausage 250
sauteed peppers and onions 50
salad w/ walnuts and bleu cheese 200
2 pcs diet bread 100
Dessert Corn pops 200
Grand total: 1550

I ate a LOT over the weekend (I don't even want to SEE pizza for a while!), so I'm trying to eat a little lower this week.

What a great group of people here and we all have alot in common! I have to tell you about my April fools day...while I was at lunch, my cell phone rang and it was my daughter (16 yrs.) and she said she had been in a car crash, I said "ya right" and she goes, "No mom, I'm serious" and started to cry. Anyway, I realized she wasn't April fooling me, so I went to the scene of the accident, her new car was smashed, they were all shaken up, but no one was injured. So we talked to the police and no one was issued a ticket because it was at an uncontrolled intersection, so no one was at fault, (Just not paying attention)! Any way, when she came home after school, I was making liver and onions...I saw her coming up the sidewalk, so I grabbed a piece of raw liver and put it in my hand. I said "Get your dad, I've cut my hand!" She grabs the door knob and faints! So I guess the joke was on me-she had had all she could take for one day! Anyway, all is well and I hope back to normal today!

My menu yesterday:
Breakfast: lite yogurt=2 pts.

Lunch: tortilla=2 pts
chicken breast=3pts.
1 piece bacon=1 pt.
lettuce, tomato, onion=0
lite mayo

Dinner: Liver=3 pts.
1 pice bacon=1 pt.
large salad=1 pt.

Snack: Pudding cup=2 pts.
Choc. Graham Cracker=1 pt.
Cool whip free= 0

Have a great day...

Here is what I ate yesterday….

Breakfast – 5:45 am before the gym
½ cup oatmeal with ½ cup water and 10 grams Protein Powder
I sneak in some sugar free raspberry jam for flavour
2 pts

Snack – 9:00 am when I get to work
My favourite ‘treat’!!
I make yogurt/cottage cheese/jello mixes and these are 2.5 pts each. The only way I can get hubby to eat cottage cheese!!

Snack – 10:30 am or so
1 cup strawberries & 1 cup green grapes
1.0 pts

Lunch – mid-day!!
WW Lasagne – frozen meal
4.5 pts

Snack – 2:00 or so
Yogurt/cottage cheese/jello
2.5 pts
WW Chocolate Crisp Bar ( I buy these at the meetings!! NOT a sugar point!!)
1.5 pts

Lunch #2 – 4:00
Tuna and veggie salad
1 pt

Dinner – 6:30
Basil & Tomato Pasta
3.5 pts

Snack – 8:00
Yogurt/cottage cheese/jello
2.5 pts

Total 22 points.

For those who do WW, I do believe the Australian vrs North American system of point counting is VERY different!! So if it looks like I am not eating much or your point values are different than mine…. Don’t worry… I am not a wacko over here!!

I have a copy of the WW software and found an interesting point to bring up. When I was working out the points for the Yogurt/cottage cheese/jello snacks I was using a No Fat brand of yogurt. Being the geek that I am, I wrote down the data for about 4 other brands of yogurt and had some interesting results when I entered the details as a recipe to work out the points. The No Fat yogurt has the same point value as a brand over here called Danone Light (advertised as 97% Fat Free) BUT… when you take into consideration that the No Fat yogurt is (are you ready for this??) over 25% sugar I would have to count those treats as SUGAR points!!! Hubby ate the ones I had made just before I was being all geeky and made this discovery.

There is only ‘low fat’ cottage cheese here - No Fat Free, so I have found a brand we like to use. There was a huge difference in the fat levels between the ‘regular’ and ‘low fat’, but very little difference in the sugar content.

Usually I have a much larger point dinner, but I tried a new recipe and needed to add in a couple of points!! I had also done an hour long circuit class at 6 am yesterday, so I was STARVING when I got to work!! According to the software I have, the class would have earned 8 exercise points…. I usually count the classes as 2 pts hehehehe.

I am really conscious of the ‘sugar points’ and try to avoid anything that has more than 10% sugar (reading the label for the stats per 100g). It is truly amazing what is out there that is advertised as ‘Fat Free’ but is often 25%+ sugar!! Yikes!!

Bring on the FAT!!! Or at least a balance between fat and sugar!!

Does anyone else watch the level of sugar in their food?? Or only fat?

Have a great day everyone!!
Nola.

Also...

I drink between 3 -4 litres of water a day.....

12-16 cups!! This includes water, mineral water (I like the fizzy ones with almost 0% sugar) and herbal tea!! I have one can of diet coke in the afternoon... I can't seem to get rid of that yet!! I love the diet coke!!

Nola.

This sounds like a great thread and I'd love to join. I'm sick and tired of dieting and failing, dieting and failing, etc, etc.

My name is Brenda. I am married to a great guy and we have 3 boys, ages 12, 10, and almost 8. My husband is a building contractor and I'm a stay at home mom. I do the bookkeeping for dh as well as manage the rentals on some property in Whistler, BC. That's a lot of fun. Oh, we also have a dog and he's great fun. Dh is 6'5" and can lose weight by just thinking about it. My kids are all slim (didn't get it from me) and my oldest son is suddenly towering over me. He's now about 5'9" and I'm just 5'4". (Don't they just grow up too fast?)

The first time a doctor told me I was overweight was when I was 10 years old. I weighed 75 lbs and according to his charts I should have only been 70. If only they knew what kind of psychological damage they can do... Anyway, I always felt I was fat when in fact I wasn't, at least not until I had my first child. I also had gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy, but fortunately it was caught early and I only gained 25 lbs. I lost it right away, but then thinking I was doing so great, I started pigging out and gained it all back. With my other 2 pregnancies I also just gained a little weight, but kept it afterwards. In fact, just before my last child I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I only gained 10 lbs during the pregnancy since I was put on thyroid meds. Imagine if I hadn't gotten pregnant, maybe I would have lost some weight.

I am currently at 201 and would love to lose 70 lbs. I joined Curves 2 weeks ago and have been going about 3 times a week. My goal is to go 4 times/week, but that's hard to do sometimes, and walk the dog on off days. We're in the midst of building ourselves a new house and I'm amazed at how many decisions there are to make. I'm sometimes overwhelmed and can't seem to find time to get to anything else.

I'm currently not feeling too motivated to diet, but I need to have a better attitude in that department. I don't want to follow a formal diet, it's not for me. I get tired of counting whatever it is I'm counting and end up quitting. The stories from those of you who have lost weight are very inspiring. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.

I watched Oprah today and she had a great program about losing weight and eating healthy. I picked up some ideas there and know now that there are different strokes for different folks. I need to find what works for me. I guess I'll have to do some real serious thinking to figure it out and then take action. I am going to take all my measurements though and see if my exercise routine at Curves does anything for the bod (I'm sure it will).

Anyway, enough about me. I look forward to continuing on this journey to health with all of you.

Welcome Willbe! Like you, I had "tried them all", usually making it through Monday, maybe Tuesday, before chucking it all in and going back to eating unhealthily.
In your post, you said you have to find out what will work for you. I suggest you plan that time and have an HONEST talk with yourself about the foods your body needs to work (for me, it's protein at lunch and complex carbs for b'fast) and decide what you need to do to be successful. (I make weekly menus and shop to them.)
Remember, success comes in cans, not in cannots.

Hi Everyone!
Nola-I also religiously watch my sugar intake-even more so than my fat intake. I do not shy away from foods that have fat in them, if they are wonderful sources of nutrients or protein-like nuts and eggs. I totally agree with not eating something just because it is low fat. Sugar is fat free-it doesn't mean I am going to get a straw and suck up a whole bag of it! When I choose foods, rather than the fat count, I am looking more for good protein sources, or high nutrients and antioxidants-such as in fruits, veggies, legumes, and lean proteins. When I balance all of this out and eat higher quality foods-then it usually comes out in teh end as low fat for the day anyway...I truly loathe to see a dieter eat most of their calories for the day in Snackwell's cookies and the like...they may be eating 1500 calories a day, but they are starving their body of nutrition-and you can see it in their skin and hair...or lack of hair, if they keep doing it.
willbe-welcome! Feel free to join in anytime. If you are not yet motivated to start changing your eating habits, then just start when you are ready. Take your measurements-it is best to measure your bust at the fullest point, natural waist, fullest part of each hip-and if you want to, you can measure one thigh at teh fullest point, and your upper arm around the bicep area. Use a soft sewing measure tape rather than a stiff "workshop" style for more accuracy-and do this once a month, about the same time-say the 5th or 10th of every month, and record them. One month you may lose in your hips and thighs, the next all over, and maybe the nest in your bust...it is different each time.
As far as diet, I really meant what I said in the first post-that we are all "lifers" here. I know I refuse to go up and down the fat roller coaster one more time...and I know the girls here agree. It is not easy to start out, but as you go along each day, it gets easier and easier. I think the most important tool that you can do is write a daily food journal-writing down what you at each day-whether you are counting calories, points, etc. I know that you said that you got tired of counting whatever you were counting, but it really makes all the difference. Buy a little mini spiral bound notebook, and make it yours. After a while it becomes second nature to write in it when you eat. Foods that you eat often-for me foods like apples, yogurt, etc.-you soon memorize their calories and do not have to look anything up anymore! When you make yourself accountable for your eating-it makes you much more aware of what you are putting in your mouth. No more mindless shoving in of food in front of the television-because when you are done, do you REALLY know exactly how much crackers or chips you just ate? Getting a hold on your eating, and doing it for the rest of your life is the key to lifelong weight control.
Let me tell you girls-it has been beautiful here all week...around 70*F, sunny...and with all of this spring-I have come down with a major allergy attack-me and the kids! Itchy red eyes, sneezing, runny nose, itchy sore throat...something is high out there-don't know if it is trees, pollen, grasses, or what...but it is awful!
Jason marked off the area for our little "mini-garden in the back yard...it is small, probably 10'x10', but enough to grow a few melons and a small strip of corn...he and the kids will have fun doing that, and we will have fresh veggies for cheaper than in the store in a couple of months!
Here was my intake for yesterday:
breakfast:
royal jelly supplement in honey-25
grapefruit sections-120
grain shop cereal and 1/2c. skim milk-130
lunch:
beef vegetable soup-220
yogurt-100
dinner:
ravioli and sauce-380
2 servings mixed vegetables-150
1/2 a cookie-55 (I split it with my daughter)
snack:
apple-80
orange juice-110
total calories-1370
Kanola-your diet looks very good, plenty of fruit, veggies, dairy, and protein sources...you get 2 thumbs up!
Idealperson-things look pretty good, you are getting your veggies in and all, but I am going to suggest that you add a couple of fruit servings to your diet, and that you make sure to eat the minimum of your daily allowed WW points per day-you can bank points if you do not eat your total allowed, but you should ALWAYS eat the minimum...I am pretty sure that the lowest is 19 per day-at least in the manual that I have. (If I am incorrect, please let me know) I would add one of those fruit servings to your breakfast, since you only had a yogurt, and the other either with a meal or as a snack in the afternoon...you want to make sure that you are eating enough-I know it sounds wierd, but you can actually hinder your weight loss by eating too LITTLE.
Everyone, keep up the good work-oh, and Holly-I forgot to say something about the Collage success story thing-you go for it! I have actually thought of doing that myself when I reach my goal fitness level.
Well, its off to get my workout in...have a wonderful day everyone!
Aphil

Good morning everyone!

Welcome Willbe , glad to have you join our fine group of ladies.

Well things are going well for me, I have been out for a walk everyday except one since I have been here in Calgary. I found a nice little tanning salon and have been tanning since last friday. I leave for vacation in 9 days and I dont want to go back to the states with fish belly white skin And for those who know that I am a Subway addict, I have already gotten to know the owner of the Subway that I walk to and she is from Kitimat and went to high school with my hubby, a small world eh?

TOM is fast approaching and am starting to feel the dreaded cravings. I am going to try real hard not to give in to any of them. Why oh why cant we crave things like green beans and cottage cheese instead of chocalate, chocalate and more chocalate?????

Well I hope everyone has a great day, I am off for my daily walk!

See you all later

Nancy
highest weight - 304
current weight - 183.5

Thanks for the advice Aphil...I was very low on points that day. I did try eating below my allowed points and my weight loss stopped, now I try to eat at a mid-range and I'm averaging about 2 pounds lost a week-I am also working out 5x a week at curves and doing some sit-ups at home. Here's my menu for yesterday:

Breakfast: English Muffin 2 pts.
Canadian Bacon 1 pt.
FF cheese slice 1 pt.
1 orange 1 pt.

Lunch: Large salad w/ FF dressing & 1/2 can of tuna 7 pts.

Dinner: 1 chicken breast 3 pts.
1 cup of corn 2 pts.
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese 2 pt.

Snack: celery & cherry tomatoes w/ lite ranch dressing 2 pts.

One more thing... has anyone tried drinking water with lemon in it? I've been reading about it in a magazine and wondered if anyone showed results or benefits from lemon...it is supposed to be a diuretic and flushes the system (purifies)??!!..

Hi all,

Thanks for the words of advice Aphil and Tryin'hard. That's very helpful. I have decided to record everything I eat (I went and bought a little spiral bound notebook, Aphil), but I'm not trying to cut down too much yet. I want to get a feel for what really goes into my mouth each day. I am also going to record my feelings when I feel like eating and am not hungry. I need to figure out why I overeat and I don't think it will be too easy.

I did my curves workout this afternoon and just got home from buying a portable CD player. I need to walk my dog more often, for him and for me, but I get so bored with just my own thoughts. I also prefer to walk alone than with a friend (really I'm not a loner, I just like to walk alone), but with music I should be hoppin'. I'll get out for a walk after the kiddies get home from school (which should be any minute now). It's a beautiful day here in southern BC and I have to take advantage of it before the usual rain sets in again. You know...in BC we don't tan, we rust .

Ideal: I have had lemon with my water. I have heard it's good for the complexion, but I just like a little taste sometimes.

Snowey: If all we ever craved was beans and cottage cheese, we wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have met you all . It's nice to have nice e-friends to talk to, don't ya think? Actually I might just trade you all in for a thin body if given the chance .

I will post my food intake later or tomorrow. Have a great rest of the day everyone.

Hi all! I woke up today with absolutely no pain in my knees or legs. Yipee. But I woke up with a pounding headache that has not went away (and its 10 hours later). I tried nuprine, fresh air, exercise, cold compress, a little nap..nothing is helping).

But, I went to the library and checked out books on pilates and stretching. So hopefully, I can incorporate that into my workout. I know I don't stretch enough.

Here's what I had yesterday:

Breakfast:
Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnimmon Roll 160cal

Mid Morning Snack:
Salad w/ Just 2 Good Spicy French 130cal

Lunch
Michelina's Lean Gourmet Glazed Chicken 260 cal
Sugar Free Jello Chocolate Pudding 80 cal

Mid-Afternoon Snack
Club reduced fat crackers (10) 140 cal

Dinner
Broiled Lean Top Rond Steak 3oz 160cal
Homemade vegetable soup 1 cup 83 cal

Late night snack
Air popped popcorn( 6 cups) 204 cal

Total cal 1213

Today, I made vegetable egg rolls and baked them with pam sprayed on the top instead of deep frying and it worked! 92-100 cal per egg roll...I'm never sure how much to add on for pam spray. The egg roll wrapper was 75 calories and my filling (steamed cabbage, carrots, onions with some soy sauce, dry mustard and garlic powder) was about 15cal per 1/4 cup. Anybody have any idea how many calories deep frying adds?

Hope everyone is doing well and staying strong.

Missy

OK, it's the end of the day and I'm going to post what I ate today. I've kept a good record and amazingly, having to write it down kept me from porking out.

Breakfast: 2 slices 60% whole wheat toast with butter and jam
cup of herbal tea (my fav. is licorice spice mmmmm)
Snack: 1 donut hole
1/2 c coke
Lunch: 1 bowl vegetable beef soup (homemade & nice & thick)
1 dinner roll with butter
Snack: banana
4 ritz crackers
Dinner: Salmon fillet
rice
brocolli, cauliflower & carrots
juice
Snack: strawberries

Now I didn't weigh or measure anything because I'm not keeping really close track yet. I've cut myself off from eating anything more since it's now 7:30 pm.

I also did my curves workout and took the dog for a brisk 30 minute walk. I feel great!!!!!!

Ciao for now all

P.S. Missymont: Those egg rolls sound delish - sorry though, can't tell you how much calories deep frying adds, but I'm sure you're saving a bundle of cals by not deep frying.

The deep frying sort of depends on how high the oil is, if the oil is at too low a temperature slightly, more of it soaks into the food...oils averages 100 calories a tablespoon...so in an average egg roll I would guess it would add 150 calories to each one...
willbe-you are making a good start with the journal. Wrting your feelings down will help you as well...I have found that I am more of a "boredome" and "stress" eater...so I try to keep busy with my hands, and take proper relaxation when things get hectic-baths, yoga, etc.
My husband gave me the funniest compliment last night...I had on a denim dress-the kind that button up the front-and I was bending over and putting groceries away in the fridge-well, first he pulled up my dress while I had my head in the back of the fridge-because my hands were full and I couldn't pull it down right away...and then he told me that he noticed "I had a waist again." He then said that he likes me better heavier...I asked him why, and he said that now that my waist is back, and my hourglass shape is more apparent, that he is "turned on" a lot more, to no avail! (I think he was hinting that he wants more "attention". He is the type that can't just come out and tell you you look good, he has to do it jokingly or perverted like...
I am down another pound to 178 now...yippee! The other day I was walking around the house, and I realized that when I walk that my arms no longer rest against my sides...I have no idea when they stopped having "sides" to rest upon, but I just noticed it...I also noticed last week that when I type at the keyboard, that my biceps are hitting my forearms...(oh yeah)
Well, I better go-I need to workout, and eat breakfast...today is weight training day...(does Incredible Hulk pose) ggrrrrrr....
Aphil

Happy Friday everyone, let's all drink alot of water, exercise and make good food choices this weekend. Here's what I ate yesterday:

pumpkin bar w/ FF cool whip 3 pts. (& very filling!)

large salad w/ ham & FF dressing 8 pts.

Salad from Mc Donald's w/ FF dressing 8 pts.
(their new salads a great)

Yogurt w/ strawberries 4 pts.

Any more thoughts on the lemon juice...? I am in my third day of drinking lemon in my water...have a great weekend!