PartyLite is like a Pampered Chef or Tupperware party where a consultant comes to your home and displays the products, but instead of kitchen stuff, PartyLite sells candles and candle holders and stuff. The difference between normal candles and PartyLite candles is that PartyLite candles liquify and evaporate, whereas normal candles just melt. That means when you burn a normal candle, it melts into the candle holder, and when it gets low, there's all this melted, deformed wax at the bottom of your candle holder, and there is the mystery of trying to figure out how to remove it or else buy a new candle holder. PartyLite candles turn to liquid and evaporate as you burn them, so when it's done burning, there's nothing left in your candle holder but the little metal disc from the bottom of the wick, which you just throw out See, I am becoming an expert because I am thinking of becoming a consultant and selling these

mmmLatte--yeah, I have cheat days. The plan I am on is 11 days on, then 3 days off. On the off days, I can eat whatever I want, but I still try to keep it within reason and not go completely crazy. Then, it's immediately back on-plan after those 3 days for another 11 days. The week of my first "cheat" period, I still lost a quarter of a pound, so it didn't do much damage (plus I had lost 10.5 pounds total in the 2 weeks prior) The thing is, if you weigh yourself the morning right after a cheat day, yes, you will be much higher. That is mostly because of water, though--you eat more salt and sodium and stuff on your cheat days than normal (at least I know I do!), which causes water retention. Within a few days, those extra pounds (and then some) should be gone--just increase your water intake and get right back on-plan. You CANNOT gain 5 pounds of FAT in a day--in order to do so, you would have to eat 17,500 calories MORE than you burn, which is darn near impossible (no, that's not a challenge! ). Heck, I think it would be tough to exceed 5,000 calories in one day, whch would still only be about 2,000 more than my body burns, and since there's 3,500 calories to a pound, I would still not even gain one real pound!

jillybean- I am the same way about just giving up on a day after eating a little too much. That is part of my motivation not to over indulge at all because I'm so likely to just say 'Screw it, I'll start again tomorrow..' After doing that about 5billion times I finally saw my pattern. ...and Happy belated Birthday!!

papperclippy- I am usually home for lunch, but even when I have to pack it for work/school it is basically the same, just colder. I love veggie-burgers on whole grain bread along with some carrots. I also like making low-fat chicken/tuna salad with fat free mayo, celery and cranberries. Egg whites are also a huge part of my diet so I eat egg white and spinach omelets for a lot of meals. They are low-cal, pretty simple and they fill me up. I also like to make grilled chicken salads but I'm too poor right now to buy too many foods that could possibly go bad.

LC are so easy and I actually like how a lot of them taste but I never seem to be satisfied after I eat one. If I have a LC I try to add some extra veggies.

wow, can you tell I'm excited about food..?




I'm not very good with challenges, but is there anyone who would be willing to do a weekend one with me?

I am willing to. How do we "do a challenge?" I am kind of new to this site...

a weekend food challenge huh?? what did you hvae in mind...
For lunches, I bring LC also.. or a Lean pocket.. or salads..but Im a HUGE fan of LC's!! sorry no help here...

I don't eat prepared meals anymore. I used to eat LCs and Lean Pockets ALL the time, but then I became aware of my SODIUM intake, and those prepared foods are killers! Instead, I eat some ham and pineapple, chicken (which I just cook in the microwave to save time) with veggies, egg salad and fruit, or something easy like that. I don't tend to eat carbs (besides what's in fruits/veggies) with my lunch--I just feel better with mostly protein and stay full longer.

I'm usually good about getting right back on-plan the same day as I have a splurge. Sunday was not the norm for me (the Wendy's splurge AFTER pigging out all day!). But in any case, I am back on a more sensible track now, so no (or at least little) harm done

Hey ladies, glad to see that we are learning to get back on track, and not let a little misjudgement or "cheat" mess us up for weeks! Argh! Remember when we used to do that? Look how far we have come baby!!!

Does anyone have some suggestions on how we can better combat the weekends when we tend to get off track.

think it's good to have a nice treat here and there,like a splurge high calorie dinner with drinks, but should be rare, maybe not every weekend. What do you ladies think?

Have a great rest of the day!

Here are my goals for the weekend:
1) On Friday night I know that I am going to my friend's 21st birthday party. At her house (the meal is a "surprise" grr) I will eat and not be "that girl that is not eating because the food is too fattening," but a reasonable portion.
2) Later that night I will restrict myself to 1 or 2 drinks at the most (either diet coke and vodka or white wine)
3) WORK OUT!!!

I think weekends are tough for me mainly because of restaurants. When I go to Jeff's house, I can't cook anything for us because it's his cousins' house, so they are usually in the kitchen, and I feel like I am intruding kind of since I don't live there. So, we end up eating just about EVERY meal at a restaurant. Now, I could order some really great, big salads at most places. Howeve,r I feel cheated because they cost just as much as a regular meal, yet they're mostly lettuce! Plus, I don't like vinegarette or Italian dressings (flavored oil on a salad just really doesn't do it for me), so the dressings I like are totally loaded with fat and calories. I have tried eating salads without dressing before and can't even choke down the lettuce without some flavor to it. However, I have recently discovered that Burger Kings sells a veggie burger (kinda tastes more like chicken to me), so I can get that and a side salad if we go for fast food. Even if I can't cut all the bad stuff out of a meal, I can usually replace the french fries with broccoli or a baked potato (which is still carbs, but at least not fried!). When Jeff comes to my place (which is much more often), we only eat out one time and then I cook for the rest of the weekend, so it's not so bad, especially since I don't keep any junk food in my house at all. He even eats fruit as a snack when he comes over (and the freak loves to eat whole lemons--just peels them and eats it like an orange ).

So, my feet are still killing me from waitressing last night. I made more money than usual, but still not a lot compared to what people make at other restaurants (I made $60 last night from 4pm-about 9:30pm).

Thanks to the lack of $$ and painful feet, I think I really AM going to become a PartyLite consultant. So, anyone in the NOVA/DC/MD area wanna have a candle party? I guess I have to hold a show with a consultant who will "sponsor" (train and help) me, then I have to do 6 shows within 2 weeks to get started. After that, I can do as many or as few as I want, from what I understand. As long as I generate $350 in sales from MY show, I get the kit of samples and display items and stuff for free, so no $$ down the drain if it doesn't work out (always a plus!). Heck, it's worth a shot, right?

Happy hump day all,

Jill, have you thought about bringing your own dressings to restaurants? I did it for about a year and once I got over the self-consciousness it was extremely helpful. A bottle can be a bit awkward, but if you get some really good tupperwares that seal completely (test the seal!) or can get extra single serving packs when you go somewhere that does offer options you like they fit right in your bag. Could you prepare some meals ahead of time, before you go to Jeff's, and just reheat them over the weekend?

Lunch for me is usually a sandwich or wrap w/ lean meat, whole wheat bread/wrap, yogurt or string cheese, and veggies and fruit to be my mid-am and pm snacks. I don't get tired of it, and I've noticed when I change it up too much I start slipping calorie-wise the rest of the day. I have a mental list of meals that I stick to most of the time, where I know the calories and how much P/F/C, calcium, f/v etc. I'll be getting.

JustForUs, someone asked for DETAILS about my DATE and I failed to respond for 24 hours?!? I can't believe it! Hehe - you ladies have to understand, I never date (never do any non-"dating" er, romantic activities either), because I have no confidence when it comes to guys. This is really big for me! We went out Saturday, Saturday night, then we spent all of Sunday together. We went canoing, snorkeling, swimming, to a friend's birthday party, then boating around all day Sunday. He's really nice and genuine, a gentleman, we have a lot in common, and mutual friends speak very highly of him. In short, he seems like the real deal, though I am trying to be a bit cautious just b/c I haven't known him long. He called last night and we went out with a group of people - diving club meeting (he's SCUBA certified and I'm about to be), and to dinner w/ friends. Am I gushing enough?

mmmLatte, your plan for the weekend sounds very reasonable and do-able. I'm going to work one up when it gets closer to the weekend. I'm going to post it here so I'll be accountable. In the meantime Monday & Tuesday I have gotten back on track, and I'm going to keep it up. I think I have to suck it up and start waking up at 5:45 to go running in the morning, at least until September. With my evenings getting busier I can't wait until 7/7:30 every night to work out (it's just too hot to go outside before then, and in this small town, there's no AC-ed gym).

spillthebeans, you're totally right - a splurge every once in a while is fine. For me it's such a slippery slope when I get going, though, which is what I need to stop.

~Megan

Morning!! HUmp day... is it over yet?? Rough night last night, we went on a resturant rally, in a limo you go form place to place for free food, and of course WAY too much drinking went on... I had a blast though.. LOL I needed not to look at that yummy food as the devil and just enjoy, so I did..
Megan, HE SOUNDS AWESOME!! I never really dated, just here and there, and then I meet Mike, whom... well we all know where that is goin. ANYHOW, those dates seem lioke so much fun. I dont tihnk I have ever been on a date. I hope it keeps goin good. sounds like you hvae a keeper.
jilly~i have done partylite, and LOVE IT!! I was going to do it after makayla, but my friends were doing it so I helped them out. You can MAKE SOME AWESOME $$$. Let me know, maybe I can buy something over phone with ya. Its fun to! you meet so many people. I would suggest making flyers and putting tehm up at super markets and what not. EVERYONE loves candles.. or at least I do!! hahah

My problem is that I haven't found a low-cal dressing I like yet. I actually try to steer clear of salads for this reason. I LOVE honey mustard dressing, but the ones that are fat-free or low-cal or whatever aren't the same--they are more like a vinegarette instead of the creamy goodness I love so much One thing I do want to try, though, is using salsa on a salad--that would be super-healthy, adding veggies to my veggies I could also try bbq sauce, since a lot of bbq sauces have fewer calories. How yummy with chicken on a salad! Wow, I need to put some of these good ideas to use!

JustForUs--I have definitely heard lots of PartyLite success stories, which is so encouraging! My only trouble is that after I hold a party to earn my kit, I have to do 6 shows in 2 weeks, and I only know of 2 people so far who will host a show for me. After that, I can do as many or as few as I want, but it's getting those initial 6 that might be tricky. Flyers are a great idea, though--thanks!

Thanks for the lunch ideas, everyone!!

Jill -- you can make a pretty creamy honey mustard sauce by combining honey, mustard, and yogurt! Most honey mustards use mayo I think, but yogurt is a pretty darn good substitute. Anyway, I've never put it on salad, but I mix up a mixture like that to cook chicken in sometimes and it's very tasty.

Megan -- it sounds like this guy is great! You must be having so much fun!

JustForUs -- I know what you mean about never dating, I had never dated anyone in high school, and I met my bf during my first semester at college. We didn't really "date" since that's not really the way it works when you live in a dorm together! Anyway, he graduated two years before me, so we only saw each other on the weekends for two years, and during that time I got him to take me out on a lot of dates. Now we live together, but we always have some kind of "date" on the weekend!

I try to talk mike into "date night" once a week or weekend. es not a huge fan of it. He would rather eat in, he doesnt like the movies,he might go to the park. But hes just not like that. And we live together so you know its harder I tihnk at least.. Oh well... One day I'll go on a date!! :/

Happy Hump Day Ladies,

Megan, you & your new guy have awesome dates. My bf and I also do dates that include being active. Like tomm we have off and are going to a cool park that has a run/walk trail, we are also going to take a little picnic. I wish I could scuba though, that would be a lot cooler! Keep us posted on things...sounds like you both are having a blast.

Geez, I really missed a lot being gone only 3 days! I was off taking my Bar Exam! I need everyone's collecting wishes for me passing!
I am so glad it is over so that I can get back to my exercise routine. I was lucky if I got my Tae Bo in once a week for the past month. I only have 8 weeks until the big "30" bday and I still have half of my target goal to get to! Any "crunchtime" tips for dieting? I am not a good candidate for Adkins because the only meat I eat is chicken. Any suggestions? Is 25 pounds in 8 weeks unreasonable? It took me 10 months to lose the first 25, but then again I was still in school, and on a crazy schedule. Anyway, thanks for any help!