Allison, sounds like you're getting in some great workouts with your trainer. Sounds fun!

midwife, sounds like a wonderful victory to eat that chocolate tootsie and make an OP dinner. And NO, food will not solve that empty feeling. (Now I'm sure I'll need to hear that repeated back to me at some point...)

Jessica, I consider having something low-cal like sf cocoa instead of eating hundreds of calories in chocolate (this is what I want to do sometimes, I don't know about you ) a victory for sure!

Amanda, how did your delicious sounding dinner go?

Josephine, how goes the long weekend birthday gauntlet? Stay strong!

Hi Robin, Jessica, DGA!

Yesterday we had a widespread power outage and I tried to go to the gym after we got let out of work early, but they also had no power. I heard that town got power back and went back to the gym, but power was sketchy - gym guy said it had been flickering all afternoon, but I could come in and do what I could if I wanted. So I went in to lift weights. I was happy I got something in! I was also happy I'd made chicken salads etc. for lunch already, easy to pack them in my cooler when I cleared my fridge out b/c of the power outage.

Thursday's plan: (edited)
B - 1 c. Kashi To Good Friends cereal, 1 c. sk milk, coffee
S - small banana
L - Chinese Chicken Salad
S - 6 oz. lf yogurt, 1 1/2 c. whole strawberries, 1/2 oz. raw sunflower seeds
gym - shoulders (30 min), abs (10 min), cardio (20 min. elliptical)
D - the end of my leftovers - 4 oz. chicken breast, quinoa and black beans
Belly Dancing class! (1 1/2 hours)
Snack - carrots & celery, string cheese, 1/2 hamburger with ketchup on white bun, 3 oz. white wine
Goal: 1650 cals actual: 1700

3 AM snack - I was really hungry but shouldn't have added the pretzels:
med. apple + 3 Tbsp. pb, 1 serving pretzels, 1 cracker - cals 530
This upped the cals for the day to 2230. So this needs to be my high-cal day of the week.

My dog is jealous. We used to wog three times a week but due to the heat I gave it up for the summer. Now I come home to pick up DS for his Karate class and I change to go to the gym--and that means putting on my running shoes. Chico gets all happy thinking we're going for a walk or run and then I leave. I think he's mad at me. Poor dog. As soon as it cools off we'll start our morning runs again. Meanwhile I'm doing well at the gym!

I haven't finished logging my food from yesterday in fitday, and I need to get in the habit of logging it BEFORE I go home from work--that way I have a better idea of just how much I can eat for dinner. Last night I had planned on chicken and broccoli and instead caved in for the fish tacos. I'll see where I am later. Meanwhile, the chicken & broccoli awaits our dinner tonight.

B~cottage cheese & pineapple
S~clementine
L~egg salad (ff mayo) on ww bread, yogurt, carrots & peapods
S~? triscuits & cheese if needed
D~chicken & broccoli

ETA: Calories were under 1400 yesterday, looks like I'll be under 1300 today!

I was POP yesterday!!! Amazing. I walked instead of wogged, but that's okay, I don't want to push my knees too hard (they feel better today in any case).

Thursday:
B - muesli, milk
S - peach
L - borsch, half PB&J on wheat
S - peach, string cheese, oatmeal squares, hot cocoa
D - green chile enchiladas
S - 1/2 C greek yogurt, 1/4 C shredded spoonfuls
Exercise - none, what a bum.
Total - 1571 (27.3/19.8/44 fat/protein/carb)

Yesterday was good...not great, but good.

It's so great to cook FOR people - they liked it, and I knew it was on plan. Even if I did go over my wine allotment, I still wasn't off-the-charts on calories because I ate an OP dinner and dessert. And we had a great time.

Dinner #2 is tonight, with sugar free margaritas if I can find the mix.

I'm stressing out beause my parent's dog gets a little neurotic/itchy sometimes, and he basically bites himself until he is bleeding and raw. Normally there is a procedure for this (you put an Elizabethan collar on him so he can't make it worse, and we have anti-itch spray). I cannot find either of those things, and the 'rents are NOT returning calls, so I can't do anything but keep it clean and try to yell at him when he starts. I just wish they'd keep their phones nearby...they have two of them, after all.

E - Already did my cardio - 60 min on elliptical. Have a strength workout ahead of me, too.

B - Double fiber english muffin, egg white
S - 2 cups cantaloupe
L - Canned Tuna w/ Tzatziki on toasted english muffin
S - 2/3 cup greek yogurt w/ strawberries
D - Flank Steak Fajitas - WW, Low Carb Tortillas, flank steak marinated in lime, garlic, and chipotles in adobo, grilled summer squash, onion, and mixed color bell peppers, light sour cream, salsa, maybe some guacamole
S - Sugar free margaritas!

Amanda -- can you put a little tshirt on the doggie?

We have the collar! (who stores it in the cellar, under the house???)

It's basically a form of eczema and can get really nasty, so we want to get it under control now. Poor little baby. I'm taking care of him now.

Thursday was not POP. I went over by about 300 calories. No excuses. I wasn't hungry. Just overly stressed and turned to food. Which was kinda dopey because now I'm more stressed that I overate the food. Wouldn't have been a big deal the 300 calories, but considering I'll be away for the weekend......... Argh....

Note to self: time and time again it has been proven that tuning to food DOES not make me feel better. So, helllloooo - DON"T DO IT!!!! What DOES make me feel better? - STAYING on plan.

Note to self: time and time again it has been proven that tuning to food DOES not make me feel better.

Note to self: time and time again it has been proven that tuning to food DOES not make me feel better.

Note to self: time and time again it has been proven that tuning to food DOES not make me feel better.

I figured if I write it/say it enough times maybe, just maybe it will get through to me.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hi Just checking the board out, getting ideas for meals.

Amanda, Does giving him benadryl help? Our dog has allergies and we find that benadryl make such a difference for him.

Robin, I know exactally what you mean! I still try to medicated with food too! Think we'll ever get to the point that we don't? My husband (naturally thin thing that he is) stopps eating when he gets anxious. What makes them different from us?

Freda

Hey Robin, How about you and I each write that 50 times in our best penmanship?

So last night was a bit of a bust. I gave into chocolate cake when I got home....you know the one I have been resisting all week? And then I decided I was too tired to cook so after the gym I went to a local hamburger restaurant. The best that can be said is that I got a small hamburger, had a few of DD's fries rather than a serving of my own, and drank water instead of soda or a shake.

Alas....

I've just been a bit blue this week. Our pet mouse died. And lots of other bumps along the way. End of summer blues....And yes, food is still the easy coping mechanism for me too.

Today:

4 mile run---done

peanut butter and jam sandwich, protein shake
fruit and cottage cheese
turkey sandwich
more fruit
protein shake after work
dinner will be at my sil's---no idea what we are having but she is training for a triathalon so I am optimistic.

Okay, so my one snack-free day was just that. Last night I snacked again. At least I had the discipline to actually cook dinner. No exercise though (well, I was cooking for at least an hour, does that count?).

Today's lunch/snacks are so completely random it's ridiculous. We ran out of fresh fruit and the like (tomorrow is our shopping day) so I have the weirdest stuff in my lunchbox!

Friday's plan:
B - shredded spoonfuls, milk
S - 1C pineapple tidbits
L - green chile enchiladas
S - instant miso soup, string cheese, 90 cal pack popcorn
D - chicken piccata with summer vegetable pasta
Exercise - 30 min wog with dog, do I dare say I plan it? UBWO

Midwife, I'm so sorry to hear about your pet mouse passing. Hang in there, that kind of stuff really throws me for a loop too.


Robin -- Sometimes I think I should have that tattooed on my forehead.

Megan -- Thanks for asking, I'm surviving my husband's food fest so far, but there are moments I feel nutty. I even had to leave the house entirely yesterday to avoid a binge. Even though I repeatedly tell myself that it shouldn't be THAT hard to NOT EAT, sometimes it really IS just that hard. Makes me feel lame, you know?

Calories yesterday came in just around 1300 so that much is good. I got in a full hour at the gym, too.

B~egg whites, 2 T cheese, salsa and 50 cal ww tortilla
S~carrots & peapods
L~Italian...probably vegetable lasagna
D~orange chicken with rice and veggies--I promise to go easy on the chicken and rice part
(I'm on an international kick today!!)
An hour at the gym

Amanda that poor dog! I'm glad you found the collar! I agree, the cellar is a weird place to store it. My BF and I adopted a stray puppy for a few months and he had major skin problems - all kinds of mange and mites from being born and surviving in the woods the first few months of his life. BF had to sleep with him, holding him, so that he wouldn't scratch and cry all night when it was really bad. It was so heartbreaking!

Maybe writing "Note to self: time and time again it has been proven that turning to food DOES not make me feel better" over and over when I'm snacky/bingy is a good way to distract myself from food! I should have done that last night...

Last night I couldn't sleep when the power finally came back on and I ended up eating 530 cal in snacks. I was hungry but it spiraled. No excuses. Unfortunately I'm really tired today now, too. I'm trying to stay strong.

Today's plan:
B - 1 c. Kashi To Good Friends cereal, 1 c. sk milk, coffee
S - small banana
L - Chinese Chicken Salad
S - 6 oz. lf yogurt, 1 1/2 c. whole strawberries, 1/2 oz. raw sunflower seeds
gym - if I make it that long ! - legs light, cardio (maybe just long cardio and do legs tomorrow)
D - ?
Game night with the girls. I have to drive some, so resisting alcohol won't be a problem. I will eat something healthy and OP before I go!
Goal: 1500 cal

I completely understand how hard it can be to not eat! It's not usually about hunger, either. And I know it can be really hard to find the willpower to leave the house, or throw the food away, or whatever to remove yourself from it. Stay strong! You can do it!

Maybe we can all get matching tattoos..

Thanks for all the concern about the dog. The things are called "hot spots" - basically, it starts like eczema, but then it gets irritated and bacteria spread and soon enough, you've got a big sore on it. Yesterday I did research and apparently, lots of people recommend using Gold Bond powder on the spots to dry them out and stop the itching, so we've got that going, and now he has his cone, so it is MUCH better today. I just felt so terrible for him the night before last, KNOWING he was biting himself but not really able to do anything since I didnt have the right supplies.

Josephine - I think -all- of us understand the difficulties of just not eating sometimes! It can be really hard. Do whatever you have to do to stick to your guns, even if it means leaving the house.

Last night with the girls was -exactly- as planned...healthy, pretty darned delicious, and lots of fun. We grilled marinated flank steak and veggies outside so the house stayed cool, and spent some time catching up. And I counted every calorie and stayed right on my plan, so that's good. And Baja Bob's Sugar Free Margarita Mix? Pretty much the best thing ever.

Getting my plan going for today as much as I can considering I'm going out to dinner for a birthday...I'm pretty much done being social. It isn't that I don't love my friends, I just have had to do something EVERY day this week and I'm kind of exhausted.

B - Double fiber english muffin, egg whites
S - 2 cups cantaloupe
L - Tuna salad w/ tzatziki on whole wheat, low carb tortillas
S - Greek yogurt w/ strawberries
D - At a restaurant. The rules: 1 glass of wine, 3 bites of dessert, and don't clean the plate.

E - 55 min on the elliptical