Ugh. I just wrote a whole post and my phone ate it.

Yesterday I cooked and froze some recipes from the website. Yay food! one included a side of penne with sautéed zucchini that's amazing, I just hope it thaws and reheats well!

Today DH and I went to the gym for the first time in a while, thanks to bad weather. I can't wait until it is warm enough to jog outside! (On another note, anyone here ever play Zombies, Run! ?)

Elaine- your period can effect, I know mine does sometimes. Also, remember your weight does fluctuate daily. Don't get yourself down!

Archychick- before this my mom and I would order pizza fairly regularly. I think we've only gotten it twice since october, so I know where you are coming from!

FaeReverie - Yay for being able to get treatment! Other yays for sticking up for yourself and freezing meals. I have heard of Zombie Run and sorta seen reviews of it and all, but I've never used it. I'm not a big runner. Don't like exercising around other people (which includes all the people driving past while running) and my knees can be a bit bad because of old sports injury stuff. It does look fun though!

elainedc - I've seen girls drop as much at 7-8lbs after their period ends. Some only drop a little bit of that. Periods definitely have a tendency to make us retain lots of water and bloat up, especially right before the period part hits. So it's entirely possible, and likely, that you just have a bit of extra water your body is holding onto. Hopefully it drops off after! I also agree with archychick. Be proud that you stuck to plan and are creating a new lifestyle. The scale doesn't constantly need to be moving to give yourself a pat on the back and celebrate what you're doing well!

archychick - Pizza isn't inherently bad as long as delivery type stuff is a rare occurrence and we don't like.. eat the whole pizza. So don't worry too much about just the fact it was ordered Great to hear you're feeling lighter! Thank you for the good vibes too!

So it's not official weigh-in day yet, but I've been weighing myself daily. Yesterday I dropped to a new low. 224.2! I have not seen 224 in I don't know how long. That also means .2 more lbs and I get to add another smiley, so yay

Wedding is still 5 years away, but I'm all excited and have been trying to settle on a location. Originally we were looking at Disney World but then the cost really started to climb up there. If I could do just 18 people or something then it would be fine.. but after listing out the "need to attend" of just immediate family and very close friends (people I've known since I was 12 or so).. my side crept into the around 30 people range. For 50 people Disney gets really, really expensive. So now I've been looking at beach locations around the SC area. Not on the beach itself, but indoors with a backdrop of the beach through large windows... and I think I found the place I want. Hopefully since it's 5 years in advance that means I can get it!

We're also trying to figure out color themes at the moment. I've never really been the type to dream up my perfect wedding, so I have no idea what I want. I know I want orchids in some form as they're my favorite flower. Not necessarily at everyone's table, but as part of my bouquet, and maybe as a centerpiece for the bride/groom table. For colors we've got a few to pick from.. but we do know we want mostly white, with whatever color we end up picking to me more accents and all. I feel a bit crazy doing so much planning stuff so far in advance, but I'm excited and I like feeling like some things are taken care of at least. I'm not crazy enough to actually try and start booking things.

Disappointing weigh in this week. Only dropped 0.2kg (0.4lbs), despite only using five or six of my weeklies this week. Think I'm entering another plateau- my body seems to realllllly like being at 78kg- this is the third week I've weighed in at that weight. Was hoping for a good loss before Thailand, annoying! I did eat quite a lot of carbs this week though, will focus on cutting those this week.

elainedc- My period makes a huge difference to my weight, particularly if weigh-in day is right before I'm expecting it. Last cycle, WI day was two days before I got it, and I gained even though I'd had a really good week. Sure enough, following WI I'd dropped 1.7kg (3.7lbs) so it wasn't real weight.

sunarie- I've found the wedding planning stuff really stressful so it's awesome that you have such a great idea of what you want! We've finally decided on a venue- a winery- and we're getting married on Easter weekend next year (March 26th). I think I've decided on bridesmaid dresses too and am going back to try on the wedding dress I liked and some other options as well.

I think it might be time to step up my exercise. Even though I exercise most days, it's mostly 45 minute walks around the local reserve near our house or on my treadmill and I probably burn 250-300 calories on average. My body just plain uses less energy to move around now I'm 12kg (27lbs) lighter so I think I need to do something a bit more hardcore to get things going. Am thinking about starting a weights regime- I used to do Les Mills Body Pump classes quite regularly if anyone's familiar with that? The other reason I want to start doing weights is that even though I've lost a lot of weight and look better in my clothes, to my eye I look worse naked. It's like my fat is less dense and is just rattling around and I just look...squishy. Need to build up some muscle tone I think.

It's funny. I was just about to post that I was happy with my weigh in this week and was in a great mood...and then I saw your post. See, I lost .4 this week and was really super happy with it (I am a slow loser).

Plateaus are tough. I was recently on one for months. Increased activity was what finally got me out of it about 6 weeks or so ago.

Koshka- just goes to show, weight loss is all relative! My average loss is 0.8kg (1.7lbs) per week so 0.2 is pretty disappointing for me, especially on a good week. Congrats on the loss!

This had been a rough week. I am always hungry, probadly had to do with my cycle and race training. I have not been able to stay within my dailies for any of the days. I have used weeklies each day and used them all, today I used some activity points. Which is all within plan but not really the way I lose weight. I usually use my extra points all in a few days, then most days I stay within my dailies. I have just stayed the same, no gaining but no losing. I am so close to getting free lifetime again. (.6). But not sure it is going to happen this week.

Need to get back on plan the way it works for me.

I lost 0.8lbs this week. It's not much, but I'm glad it wasn't a gain. I just keep telling myself that even if I only lost .8lbs a week I'd still lose almost 50lbs in a year. It doesnt seem so terrible that way. lol

My office is moving soon, which means I'll cut my commute in half, so I rejoined LA Fitness last week. I'm actually super excited because I'll be able to take a spin class with an instructor I love twice a week. I went this morning (with my long commute) despite having to get up at 4am to go! Legs and cardio today. It's crazy to think that I'm running and half marathon next week.

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MRSD - I actually bulk made 10 yesterday and am having one as I type for breakfast. So, mine are 8pp. I use one carton of SW Egg beaters, 1 block of reduced fat cabot pepper jack cheese, 15oz/1 package of lean jenny-o spicy turkey sausage, peppers and onions. I cook the eggs, peppers, onion and sausage together. While it cooks, I shred the cheese and portion that into tortillas. I use the large Verole flour tortillas. After the eggs/meat/veg cook I portion it all out into the tortillas. I roll them into burritos and then wrap them in foil before putting them into a large freezer ziplock. Microwave for 90 seconds! I'd put salsa/sour cream on after they're hot, definitely not inside of them.

Sun - Boo on your ex. You've said he's done petty stuff before from jealousy, right?

Munchy - Glad you're on the mend and taking healthy steps.

Elaine - I actually asked one of the ladies doing Weigh Ins the last time I was on my period. She said she'd seen it cause some women to gain up to 5lbs. I know personally, it's typically 2-3lbs. My bff says it's 2-3lbs for her, too.

Flickety - think about like I did! If you lost .4lbs a week you'd lose 20lbs in a year. Imagine it the other way. If .4lbs doesn't seem like a lot to lose, think about gaining .4lbs a week for a year. It'd pack on 20lbs!

Archy - hope your weigh in went well!

Dixie - SO close! You can do it!

Had a good weekend. Friends came over for dinner and I created a WW-style lasagne on the side for myself. They brought tiramisu and I weighed mine (had the pt value already in my head prior), so I was able to totally stay on track. I saw my friends (a couple) give each other a 'look', but I didn't care as I lost 2lbs. last week.

Nobody I know bats an eye when someone is following a wicked restrictive and unhealthy diet or other quick weight loss method, but you mention weighing food for portion control or the nutritional point values of food and they have so much counter-advice to give me. I guess the US culture is so ingrained in quick-fixes that they can't accept something sensible. My stars, one of my already very thin friends that is struggling to follow the PX90 program advised me that I shouldn't be 'dieting' because diets don't work. Geesh! lol

Does anyone else get grief for following WW? I find myself constantly explaining that it is just training in portion control and nutritional food values.

SoMuch - that is great advice! I will think about it that way from now on!

Sunarie - with five years to plan your wedding, you are going to be able to be careful and not rushed in any way - that's such a good thing!

So I have a question for the group. Last night we went to a friend's house for dinner and she made Indian food. I kept all my portions small, but there was no chance of getting the recipe exactly figured out, nor could I really measure how much I was taking beyond the palm of the hand thing, etc. How do people allocate points for that kind of event? I just assumed I'd maxed out my day - I was excellent with veggies all day and headed into dinner with 25 points to spend. We eat out at least once a week and I am going to run into this kind of issue - all advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

elaine: WW makes several apps for tracking food. https://www.weightwatchers.com/templ...pageid=1191351

I think that there is an app or chart for popular restaraunts, but don't know where to find it - or if they still make it.

Since my business is at home and I rarely need a phone, I share one with my teen son. Therefore I never have my phone. lol So I work with what I know and then do my best with the rest. If the food looks oily, I usually allocate about a couple of Tsp as a serving just to be sure that I give it enough point values. If I do have control, I will ask for the meal to be prepared with little or no oil.

Elaine- track the things you do know. Drinks etc. then see if you can find something similar in the etools. And use your best guess. That is about all you can do. It was homemade so that is already better then restaurant. Sounds like you had a fair number of points left so you probably did ok. As for restaurants, try to plan ahead. Either find the menu or pts online and pre plan what you will order.

Archychick- it is funny how people who think everything else is the answer except the logical portion control and healthy choices. My reality is that I have to make WW a lifestyle that I keep following even at goal. I think the key will be keep going to meetings, that is where I am motivated to stick with it.

Archy - I also made lasagna yesterday from a WW cookbook I just got. =]

Dixie - I agree about making it a lifestyle. I've only just started the program, but already I'm way more mindful of what I'm eating, choosing healthier options, and finding more appropriate portion sizes. All positive lifestyle changes that are common sense, yet it took me counting points to finally "get" it.

Somuch - That's an excellent way of looking at things! I didn't get as large of a number this week as I would've liked, and I did get bummed, until I looked at it the way that you suggested! Thanks!

Elaine - honestly, I just call it my "weeklies". Typically my Saturdays are wonky so at the end of the day, even if I have weeklies left, I don't touch them once the week starts. If I knew I was having a special event on a Monday/weekday, I'd try to keep my life together over the weekend and use them on that event.

Somuchfattitude I'm definitely stepping slowly, but surely!

Sunarie Congratulations!!! 5 years is plenty of time to save up some funds and really do what you want. I planned my first wedding in 2 months at a golf course/country club, and this one I started in November (getting married in June) and it's SO MUCH more hectic! Since we rented an island, there is nobody that's really going to take care of any decorating. We have to do everything ourselves, but we visited the other day and decided that minimal is best because the mountain and lake view is too pretty to distract from.

The mom/mother in law/aunt are much happier once they saw the "mansions" where we're housing people. They're just historic and gigantic, so we can sleep about 30 in one, and 15 in another, then anyone who wants to camp out, or stay in a cabin is more than welcome.

Archychick I hate when people assume that it's super easy for everyone. Some of us really do need to track/weigh/measure to make sure that we're staying on plan. Secret looks and eyerolls are never nice. My fiance decided last minute that my daughter should have a dinner out in celebration of her awesome report card last night. She chose an Asian buffet spot. I grabbed my plate and when I sat down I entered each item into MFP. My fiance smiled at me and said what a great job I'm doing - I've never had support like that in my life! In the end, I had about 500 calories and most of them were volumetric. A few pieces of sushi, a small steamed fish filet, a bit of broccoli in sauce, a bit of stir fried green beans, and 1/2 cup of two different soups. I was stuffed and it balanced out my very low calorie day.

flickety my weight loss is really slow too. I don't really seem to lose or gain much at all and then I'll weigh in after 6 months and realize I lost (or gained) 5lbs. Right now I've buckled down and cut out all snacks and almost all refined carbs, so I'm hoping to see or at least FEEL some changes over the next few months.

Dixiemom I reached goal about 7 years ago and slowly gained 5lbs and haven't lost it - In fact, I gained another 5! If I had continued going to meetings and weighing in, I'd probably not have this issue.

ispoons I really like the zucchini lasagna from www.skinnytaste.com (along with ALL of her other recipes, haha).

Fae I cook and freeze just about everything. Every weekend I make at least 2-6 dishes depending on how much I feel like cooking. Then I either flash freeze or freeze into portion sizes depending on what the food is. It's the only way I've been able to feed my family healthy homemade foods in appropriate portions for the past 8 years. Weekdays are too busy to spend time in the kitchen!

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I'm doing pretty well, and feeling much more calm about everything. Yes, I'm stressed with work, child, and wedding, but it's not terrible. I finally told my fiance about two weeks ago that we had so much to do and I was terrified that we wouldn't finish. He asked me to make a list and has been gung-ho about completing everything ever since. I should have done this in the beginning!!

Dresses #2 and #3 should arrive within the next few days. I hope one of them looks good. A few weeks ago I tried on a similar style in the same brand and I left the dressing room beaming because it looked HOT! That's with no weight loss, so with maybe 5-10lbs lost it would be phenomenal.

My MIL seems to think I'm relapsing on an eating disorder (actually she wrote me a letter) because I declined nuts and pizza on our day together. It upset me much more than I let on. It's not like I didn't eat! I had breakfast in front of her (an egg and an oz of turkey), then I had a salad with chicken on it for a late lunch. She expressed concern that my dresses are fitted. They're fitted, but my problem areas are my arms, not my body, so the long sleeve fitted dress is so much better than the sleeveless "traditional" dress to me. I'm putting less pressure on myself by picking something that already looks great, but her words have me second guessing my own body. What bothers me most is that I don't think it's abnormal for a bride to "diet" close to her wedding day, and I was made to feel abnormal just because of the disordered eating that I suffered from as a child. I wish I never shared that, and I'll be sure not to say jokingly, "I have to fit into a wedding dress soon," which is exactly how it happened.

Therapy is going well. She's suggested that I begin more formal exercise including a yoga class for my anxiety. I really like this therapist. She's knowledgeable and seems to have a lot of experience in this. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting things done. Since I started therapy again, I've been 100% on track. Sometimes just sorting it out in my head with someone else makes everything a bit easier.