Vickie and Kathy thanks.....its' early 4:40AM - can't sleep...first off thinking of all the work that awaits me at 7 and the fact that I blew it yesterday again. Vickie perhaps the 123 is unrealistic, but I was at 121 my last go round. I just don't feel comfortable at this weight. If you all weren't here for me to say all this, I probably would have regained what I lost these past few months, so I THANK you both and all.
I will try yet again today...
Kathy you have a good point, try maintaining where we're (I'm) at. Maybe I won't feel so pressured!! Good thought for this stress eater!! Lately I come home from work and I just can't even think about making a proper meal. Instant gradification is what I want but BOY oh BOY am I sorry after..........Well I give it another try.....
Talk with you all later......my coffee is calling me :-) Linda

Yes you can have oatmeal more than once a day. The dry cereals like puffed rice etc. are limited to once a day.

Kathy

Yes Linda, try to take it one day at a time and don't get so down on yourself if you give in and have a treat once in a while. After all it is reality that we are all going to give in occasionally and have chocolate, cookies etc. It's learning to control portions that will save you in the end. I remember when I've been close to goal before that the loss seemed to slow down. Try to maintain thru the holidays (good practice for maintenance!) and then go for it after!

Yeah!!! We finally have snow.
Kathy

Kathy, 55 hours a week! Boy, do I feel honored that you stop in to chat with us. You're gonna make it too. Then, I'm going to have both you and Linda to help me get there!

J, you can oatmeal more than once a day. I couldn't do it though. LOL! I have eaten Farina for breakfast and oatmeal for lunch.

Hi, I'm chiming in. Glad to see such an active board. You are really successful, and I want to be successful too. I'm taking this one day at a time. Today is OP on Core and I'm holding my own through the holidays. I'd love to lose weight, so I'll step up my exercise.
Linda, hang in there. Don't beat yourself up. Lots of us eat out of stress and then are sad when we do that. Just keep on going and you'll get there. You've done so well so far.
Happy Holidays to all of us.
Judy

Judy, chime in any time! This is the best board I have seen anywhere.

Hi everyone. Thought I'd let you know I started moving recipes from the Core recipes thread to the categorized Core recipes sub-board thingy (whatever it's called.) I've only done two pages of main dishes so far, but I'll do more later. This way, we can search through all the great recipes more easily. I hope nobody minds. I love getting recipe ideas from other people.

This board really is great, to echo the previous poster. I come check it at least once a day.

Later!
Angela

Amen to that Vickie ithis is absoulutely is the best board....what I love about it here is we talk about what is at hand.....our issues and struggles, and hhmmhhmmm...our shortcomings' that would be for me!! Thank all of you for being so supportive. I do manage to get down on myself yet I am one of the first ones to come to the aid of the other person, when they do exactly what I did...I think most of us are like that.
So here I go again,,,,gee haven't I said that before (hahaha) You all are keeping me in check. I hope we all do well during these next two weeks. I'll be hard but we can do this, right??? That's what Ithought :-) Dare I get on the scale this Saturday?????? Yee gads!!
Judy thanks for stopping by and wishing me well on my weight loss journey, as well as for the encourging words. I got to thinking the other day, gosh I am sooo tired of dieting, but when I realize the alternative......well....been there, done that. Can't go back and I'm soooo close.
My fear is the next few weeks, how 'bout the rest of us...you all feeling that way?
What can we do to keep each other strong and focused?? I for one will have to make sure I check here at least twice a day, once before I leave for work and as soon as I get in. At the end of the day there is always someone who has posted something meaningful.....You all really are the best.....have a great evening, and or day, depending. Talk with you all later..........Linda

Vickie I did learn that Cous Cous is a definet trigger food for me. I can overdose on it before I realize it, matter of fact I did the other day. For me that is better than a cookie. So the Cous Cous is OUT of the house, gone, no can do. I guess I was feeling, well if I eat that midday before dinner it'll be good for me, but with cous cous I dont' know how to stop. I must have had 3 cups the other day....that is not a good thing.
Does anyone know really the science behind Core?? It doesn't come up much in our meeting? Has it at anyone's. We know it works, but how?? it's weird isn't it :-)
I'd love to hear about any one else's particular kind of Core day? or Week??
Well I forgot to add this PS to my previous post....talk with you later..Linda

And Thank you Kathy in Vt for your encouraging words too. It all means so much and keeps me grounded. I did mess up big time and can't stand myself when I do that and usually I just continue the mess up, figuring, what the heck.
All of you have made me see I that I can 'move on' the very next day.
Your suggestion as well as Kathy in TX, suggestion to try maintaining during the holiday is a great suggestion. It beats gaining.
Thanks!!!! I work with someone from VT and the one thing he does not miss is the snow (what does he know:-) .....I am from NY (now in Florida) and there is nothing like snow for the holidays!! Not the heat!!!! Have a great evening!!!

We had a meeting 2 weeks ago that talked about maintaining through the holidays. It was the best meeting to find out that everyone has temptations during this time. And that it is ok to maintain. So we were to set a goal for Jan 5 but no one chose maintain.....guess we are eager beavers. But if I can stay the same I should be happy, right..........

I had an ok day today. Not too hungry with this darn cold. But I know you have to eat to loose right.........I managed a shepherd's pie for supper. It was good. Gives you a comfort food feeling!

better get moving on the walk...........not sure if I want to go but know I will feel better for doing so.

Cheers

Linda, I think you gotta keep getting on the scale no matter what. Once I start to miss weigh ins and meetings, it's all over. Maybe you won't get to goal until after the holidays. Disappointing....yes....but it's ok. Keep shooting to lose. Be as good as you can and move on, just like you have been doing. Try to not let one or two bad meals ruin a whole day. If you blow it at breakfast and lunch, get back on program at dinner. Don't blow dinner too.

Having said that, I understand. I'm stressed too. It's that time of year. All we can do is hang in there together and do our best to stay as good as we can be. I'm trying not to be panicked now that I realized that I'll have my TOM on Christmas. Look out! All I ever want then is sugar, fat and salt. Good Lord.....

Frannie, hope you feel better soon. I didn't exercise today and I ate one piece of (free) Fannie May candy while I was buying stocking stuffer candy for my hubby. Surprisingly, it wasn't as good as I remembered and it was too sweet! HA! I haven't really had any sugar since the middle of September. What a shock. I have to be careful though. It could be a slippery slope for me.

Linda, I forgot to say good for you for figuring out that couscous was a red light trigger food for you. Better yet, good for banishing it. That is exactly what I was talking about the other day. It is legal on the program. Most people wouldn't overeat it but you love it. So you should banish it. What a huge success for you! That was a real NSV (non-scale victory).

I read the science of Core somewhere. I'll try to find it tomorrow.

OK here's a typical core day for me. I get up at 5:00am Mon - Thurs. and get to Curves at around 5:30am. It doesn't actually open until 6:00am but the women who opens is always there early. I am back home by 6:15am and shower then eat breakfast. Breakfast is usually ff milk with ff/sf pudding mix and strawberries and either an english muffin (pts) or oatmeal. For lunch at work I bring a ff plain yogurt with sf maple syrup (my hubbie laughs at me for buying this fake stuff in VT!) and walnuts (pts). I also have several pieces of fruit for lunch and usually have a small back of popcorn (94% FF) for an afternoon snack. For dinner it's usually some type of meat, veggies and cous cous. I make 1/2 the serving of cous cous on the container and that is my starch. Once in a while I'll have a baked potato or brown rice instead but I love my cous cous. Strangely enough though I never eat it except at dinner. Most evenings I will have a cup of ff milk with the ff/sf choc. fudge pudding mix for an evening snack. I have done my share of cheating with occasional cookies, a piece of fudge and several small candies. At Thanksgiving I had a couple of cookies then 2 pieces of crustless pumpkin pie made with a lf grahamn crust which I counted as 2 points each. I can honestly say that most of my cravings are gone and as for TOM I am peri-menapausal so don't always get it which makes it a lot easier. I started the 2nd week of September at 221 pounds and just hit my 10% last week (Thurs). and am down below 200 for the first time in quite a while. I have been heavy all my life but back in the 1980's lost 100 pounds on my own following no particular program but did put 10,000 miles on my exercise bike. I weighed 105 pounds when I got married and slowly gained all the weight back prior to and after my 12 year old son was born. I know it will be a life long struggle for me to lose and maintain my weight loss but feel that core is making a huge difference in my success this time around. It is a program that I feel that I can stick to forever. Once I get sick of what I am having for a particular meal I switch things around. Luckily I am a creature of habit and love most of the core foods.

Kathy

My typical Core day. Up between 7-8:30 (ahhhh retirement!). Check my email and this board and then on to the treadmill for 30 minutes. Then I eat breakfast. Either oatmeal or Farina made with FF milk. To the Farina I add Splenda and Smart Balance light (points). To the oatmeal I add homemade chunky applesauce or a whole cut up banana. Then I shower and get dressed. Lunch is an eggbeater omelet with veggies and FF american cheese or Progresso or Healthy Choice Soup. Dinner is salad with mushrooms and tomatoes and FF dressing. I always have meat/chicken and potato/rice with dinner along with a fresh vegetable. I always have dessert (one of my recipes) or some Natural Ovens or Snackwell cookies (points).