Hi everyone. I am LIZ - Julie (i'm living) invited me here from the Buddie up forum.

Hope to post here often

Welcome Liz! This is a great site. I hope you enjoy it. I started out at 210 and am now down around 180 or so. I haven't weighed myself in a month but I've pretty much stuck to my 1500 cals. a day plan - I feel really good. My success is due in a large part to all the wonderful woman on the site and one other that I write on. What fabulous support! I check in every day to stay on track, get lots of great encouragement and share.

I hope everyone is doing well. I had a tough work day and parenting day - nothing out of the ordinary just some old trouble spots that I haven't cleaned up yet. Now that the course is almost over I'm noticing all the things left undone and I got a bit rattled by it all. Transition!

breakfast - skip
lunch - salad with turkey, grated cheese
dinner - quiche
about 1500 in all. That's it for eating today. Tomorrow will be a better day!

Liz hello and welcome to this wonderful site. Hope you will become a regular its a great support system.
Tiredoffat sounds like your still doing well with your intake. I did pretty good yesterday until those slim jims were calling my name. They were little and I figured what the heck one won't hurt! Wrong I read the calories this morning woooo! 210 the little thing was not bigger that a small pencil. That was my only real down fall yesterday. I did decide to eat dinner home after calling hours rather than to stop and pick something up. I grilled a burger with some feta garlic cheese inside of it on the george forman. I also had it on dark rye bread and added an onion. My calories for the day were about 1500 calories. Thank goodness the rest of my day wasn't too high. I think it saved my butt!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways counting my intake sure does make a difference even when I add a bit of something in which is high as you can adjust the day. I read never to go with out what you want just fit it into the calories of the day. I feel good things seem to be fitting better and the rings are getting lose. So I haven't tried the scale but maybe next week. Keeping off it and using my eyes I think have been a better measurement way for me. Have a great day and hope everyone is fitting in some physical activities even if its shopping! I will go to the gym after my day with my family and the funeral is over. Well have a good one. I started my day with raisin bran. Not sure what else may fit in later so thought I'd better stay low cal.
Julie hope your trip is going well.
Rollmdl are you out there??????????????????
cc

I'm here, but barely. I haven't been tracking my food. I've been letting my emotional state take over and it really doesn't feel good. Holidays have been hard for me for the past few years (since my husband died) but it's important for me to celebrate because of my daughter. I have traditionally loved Christmas and for the past couple of years I get really high and really low. No I'm not manic depressive, I asked A good cry would help, I think, but I don't make time for that.

Thanks for listening to this. It is helpful. When I get like this I stop taking care of myself and it's a downward spiral.

I went to Trader Joe's last night and stocked up on healthy food. Sometimes it's hard for me to stick to a healthy eating plan when my food options are slim.
My plan today:

breakfast: oatmeal with raisins

lunch: chicken and broccoli salad
snack: vegetable soup
dinner: salmon and lots of vegetables

It's a stay at home day so I'm hoping things will be less stressful.

Welcome to this thread, Liz. I'm not usually such a sad sack. Having the support of these ladies has been really helpful--- No judgment--just love and encouragement.

Love to all,
Roll

Hi Roll, Carol, Julie and Liz. Roll, it's natural to feel the way you do around the holidays when you've lost someone you love. I know it can't be easy though. Have you and your daughter started any new traditions - like a ladies night out at a special show, or time to get your nails done together or something that fits your mood and your new life as two girls/women in one house. Have you chosen a special holiday surprise for yourself. My gift to myself will be a day for me and only me - I'm planning to work out, see some old friends and do whatever I feel like that day. Please know that we're here for you. The Trader Joe's shop sounds like a step in the right direction. We microwaved their salmon burgers the other day and they were great! We had their swordfish this week too and it was terrific. Good luck and stay in touch. I miss you when you're not around.

Carol, you did great on your eating despite the fact that you were at a funeral - sad times are real triggers for me. Good for you! I thought of you today as I made cookies with my four year old. He had a new little baking set of tools. He loved it. I got that idea from all you do with and for your grandchildren.

Julie and Liz, I hope you're both doing well.

Good eating day today.

breakfast - new soy/oat cereal and milk (300)
lunch - salad with turkey and grated cheese, orange (450)
dinner - salmon with peas on toast, 1/2 cookie, 2 clementimes - I had a lot of the salmon dish so I'm sure it brought me up to 1500.

Hopefully I won't eat anymore tonight. Last night I had a glass of wine and a grapefruit - not bad, but more than my limit.

Take care all. Keep in touch. Thanks for being here.

Hi All,

So far so good. I've stuck with my eating plan so far. Thanks for your encouraging words, Tired. There is a book I've read to my daughter every year for the past 7 years."The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus".It's a 150 page chapter book, very old fashioned and soothing. We'll be starting that tonight. Sometimes we do go out and make it a point to label our time as "girls night out". I just get tired of being mom and dad and I wish he were here to share in the watching of her growth. When I get too busy and out of balance, I squash my sad feelings and they appear as irritablility and anxiety.

I don't think this is the last check in for the day, for me. I do miss making contact when I don't.

Soy/oat cereal? Is it from Trader Joe's? Is it any good? Quick, healthy AND good? What could be wrong with that?

Carol, I have a George Forman grill in my garage that my in-laws gave me a few years ago. Want to do an infomercial for me? I've never used it and, lazy as I am, worry that it would be more mess than it's worth. Maybe I need to bring it out and give it a try. Congrats on the loose fitting clothes!

I'd better quit or I'll have to change my heading.


Thanks again.

Roll

One last check in. The book sounds great Roll. I may order it. My children would enjoy it.

Soy/oat cereal is quite good - I got it a whole foods store nearby.

Finally made it back to the gym after a month. I'm starting back with the exercise as of tonight now that the course is winding down. I'm down another 4lbs. I really want to make my goal by spring! Thanks for being here.

sw210 cw 176 gw 150

Tired, that is so great about your weight loss! Such a miracle during this season. Good for you, getting to the gym, too. It's so good for stress relief. I've kept on track today and I'm feeling a little better. I am going to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.

I really appreciate your support. It makes all the difference.

Talk with you tomorrow.

Roll

Rollmdl know that we are all here if you need us at any point in time. Sometimes just to get on a write a little something helps to get things off your chest. It must be hard around the holidays for you. Your doing a good job with your daughter and I know what you mean about playing two roles. Its not always easy to do! With my hubby having troubles with his walking and doing things its not always easy. Sometimes for me its like I am learning to cope right along with him and his losses. But I like you try to keep my spirits up for others. You are doing some wonderful things for your daughter to still have a good holiday. Those things she will reflect back to down the road and be grateful for having in her childhood. Go shopping together to plan on cooking a wonderful meal together. Put some candles out play some christmas music and then read together with a nice blanket and curl up on the couch. Enjoy a nice evening together! George and I have been cooking together for awhile. I like to spray him before heating him up. ohhh! Anyways, I like to cook chicken breast cut them into strips about 1 1/2" wide sprinkle with some ground pepper, garlic powder, salt. I turn them every little bit, I guess some people don't but I do. Then I make a hot sauce with Red Hot and a little marg. caniloa, 1tsp. white vinegar. Its kind of like having chicken wings for us. Dip and eat oh so good! Make a salad and you have dinner served. Try to wipe off geoge while he is still warm it makes for an easier clean up. Try burgers on it, I used burger 95% fat free, with ground pepper and dash salt, feta garlic cheese in the middle. Its quick and easy! You can even do raw veg. but I marinate them first in a ziploc bag for the day. Well hope this helps if you like steak or pork chops those work out nicely too! You can add sauce while cooking them. I really like mine and when I do chicken do extra for your salads. Good luck and give yourself a hug of support from me. Your feelings are very normal and you have every right to express yourself here or in a journal you keep could also be helpful.
Tiredoffat hello there boy your doing great. I have also noticed that making better choices aren't as tough as before. Not that I don't indulge once in awhile but I have noticed the difference in choice making. Yesterday was a hard day but we all supported each other and our aunt. My uncle was a very special person with out a doubt. I did well at the reception and had veg. chicken, salad no roll I passed on it! I choose the smallest piece of dessert just a little brownie 1" with a dab of choc. on it and strawberries on the side. I never made it to work out I had left the house at 7:30 to go to services in the city and it lasted until 1. Then I just spent some me time and went shopping and out to dinner with my sister in law.
Julie are you out there???????????
Intake: raisin br. 220
Lunch: salad, roasted veg, chicken, 1 little brownie? 400 cal?
Dinner: 2 meatballs, pasta and sauce 2 slices italian bread plain 600 cal.?
No snacks yesterday! One glass of red wine in honor of Uncle Louie! Had to get him through the gates my brother said!
My family seemed very supportive yesterday and the night before at services. Bill was unable to attend and people asked how he was and said to send their love etc. That means alot to me. Bill and I will go to visit my aunt he felt bad he wasn't able to attend services. It would of been to hard on him. Well off to work and see how much piled up while I was off yesterday. The kids come home from Seattle on the 20th we can't wait to see them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cc

Hi all, good to hear from you. Carol, great ideas for the grill - delicious. Isn't it interesting how passing up a food helps you to be stronger when the next choice comes along. For some reason I feel like eating a house today. I'm generally agitated and just want alone time. It must be TOM! I find that every other month my period is much more frustrating. I'm going to a family party this weekend - good reason to stick to it. Everyone will be surprised to see me slimmer since it has been years since I weighed in the 170's. People at work have never known me at this weight.

The vision that's leading my weight loss efforts now is summer clothes. How I hate to shop for summer clothes and this year I hope it will be fun. Thanks for listening everyone. Today I really, really needed you. Have a good night.

I'm still on track. I had a chicken salad for breakfast and oatmeal for lunch. It's a low energy time of day for me. I start thinking about what I have or haven't accomplished and it drives me to the kitchen or out to get take-out.

I get upset when I look in my closet and think "I won't be wearing that this year" Maybe I ought to take your lead, Tired, and think about my spring
wardrobe.

Well, back to "work".

Thanks for "listening".

Don't you "love" people who decorate their writing with quotation marks?

Good Morning! I love people who question, strive, think, and share like you! I thought of you this morning because I had such a tough day yesterday. I believe now that the main cause was exhaustion. Tiredness leads me to the depths of being. I have to concentrate on getting enough sleep everyday. It's imperative for me.

I'm back on track today and starting my next focus - exercise. I'm going to try to include any kind of exercise each day for thirty minutes! That's the goal 30 a day. Everything else will be secondary to that goal. Of course, I'm going to strive to stick to the 1500 cals a day too as I've been doing for the most part.

Another thought - I'm going to rethink holiday traditions and try to weed out the unhealthy ones and replace them with healthy ones. I'll keep one or two cookie baking times, but I'll try to include more shared activity and other positive events. Our traditions should change a bit to reflect new knowledge about life. . .

Although hard, I want to meet my weight goal and follow up with a maintenance goal. I already feel better and want to make this a lifestyle change.

Thanks for listening all. I appreciate your time and energy. I wish you all a great day. I read the great little "The Doctor's Pocekt Calorie, Fat and Carbo Counter" book this am - simple and to the point.

Bye.

I had to run out of the house this morning and didn't have time to post.
Yesterday I had
2 cups of coffee with half and half (80)
chicken salad for breakfast (300)
oatmeal with unsweetened coconut and walnuts for lunch (400)
salmon and vegetables for dinner (250)
and sugar free non fat ice cream with cocoanut and almonds at Stone Cold.
(330)
1390 total

I like the results when I track my food. The clarity of what I'm actually taking in is such an eye-opener. It never adds up to what I think it will.
I'm going to concentrate on cleaning for the rest of the day. One of our cats just threw up on the carpet and I'm thinking that he's trying to get me to get the carpet cleaner out. He's pretty manipulative (helpful) for a cat.

This morning I had a small piece of salmon as I was running out the door and it sustained me till lunch:

salmon and raw vegetables------I didn't feel like cooking.

For dinner I'm planning on making a vegetable fritata and salad.

I did break the George Forman in --- I made marinated vegetables and Salmon with ginger, soy and garlic olive oil. I think I overcooked it a little but it was sooooooo good and as you can see, I'm having some handy leftovers today. Thanks for the inspiration, Carol.

I'll check in later.

Good Morning everyone. I had a really tough day yesterday. I was ravenous all day - could it be that exercise is making me really hungry or was it TOM. I'm not sure, but I just couldn't fill up. It wasn't emotional need either. I craved chocolate which makes me think it was TOM. I was over the top, but today's a new day.

Roll, the salmon and veggies sounds wonderful!

breakfast - smoothie (400)
lunch - sushi (400), apple (150), banana (100)
snack - almonds (300)
dinner - lots of cottage cheese (200), beef, a bit of cheese, corn (400), 2 cookies (200), 1 c. reg. hot chocolate (160)
Around 2000 total! Mainly healthy except the chocolate fix.
exercise - 1/2 hour on the eliptical machine - good work out.

Hi All,

I posted last night and I think I was so tired, I forgot to send the
post . Well, at least I wasn't operating heavy machinery.
I was crowing about my calorie intake and what a great day I had.
My intake was 1390 and my day felt pretty balanced. I spent some
time with a friend who makes me laugh a lot.

Well, a strange thing happened to me yesterday. I haven't had a period
in 2 years. I had one yesterday. You know, they say that if you spend
lots of time with women, your cycles tend to link up. .

I hope you are all having a great day.

plan:

breakfast: salmon and vegetables

lunch: smoothie

dinner: big vegetable salad and forman burger patties

I think I'll play with your recipe idea, Carol, and stuff the hamburger with
something, I'm not quite sure what, yet. Something to think about today.
Talk with you all soon.