Hi Ladies!

Welcome KitKat! It's good to see you here. I've only done the SS a bit. I'm on a modified low carb with WW, so I'm doing some of one thing and some of another! I get a lot of hints from the SS cookbooks however. She got me to cooking omlets all the time, and I have to say I eat better with the variety.

I'm back on track today, after dealing with digestive issues all last week. It is so hard to start eating again, but if I give in to not eating, then I snack later on. So, I'm back to big breakfasts, and I feel better for it. (whoops! Forgot the vitamins!)

Mauvisroux, the dinners sound delicious. You must really like to cook. I do sometimes, and have my favorites, but being single I get to be lazy a lot too Shredded brussels sprouts sound interesting!

Nikkic, I know it is hard to not exercise, particularly when you got in your new present! Take care of yourself.


Aleka, I'm thinking about a trip to NYC when I get closer to goal. Some folks from work are talking about a joint trip with one co-worker who is from that area. I just can't imagine Never going to NYC, although if I have a bad experience, I might wish I had.

Hi Jennifer! I hope you are feeling OK still.

HI everyone,
Hey, check out the thread by MamaJ, it is really cool.
I went to the chiropractor this morning. He thinks I'll be better by friday, I sure hope so. This is miserable.

Aleka, I haven't done much but lay around. I went to Walmart last night and shopped a little. Saw my old head nurse and she kept going on and on about how good I was getting around. I'm literally hobbling. I don't get some people. The total gym comes completely assembled, just pull it out of the box and unfold it. It is leaning against the wall right now. My chiropractor says they have one and use it to hang clothes on. His wife sounds like me, she has practically every piece of exercise equipment made too.

The weather here has been very warm. Highs in the 50's and low's in the 20's at night. Doesn't seem very Christmasy, but I've enjoyed it. Hope you all are staying warm and not getting plastered by big snow storms. I know we will get some winter weather before you know it. Iowa is not a place people move to because we have good weather. In fact, I'm not sure why people move here, I do know why they move out though.

Well, take care and talk to you all soon, Nikki

Hi Everyone!

I was looking on the web at shopping channel here in Toronto and they have some great deals jewellery and other wise!

My pearls and watch arrived yesterday and they are just lovely. I
still have last minute shopping to do and I am trying to keep busy
and keep my spirits up for my kids and husband.

We have lived with my parents for over 20 years so in a sense
I never really left home. We have our own kitchens, bathroom
etc. but the tie is there to be sure. I am glad I will be there to
support my mother throughout this ordeal and what ever is
coming our way. When my dad was diagnosed all those years
ago CT scans of the brain, liver etc. were done. In all these years
that have passed they were never repeated. I am sure he will
have to have all those done to see if there has been any
spreadage.

Diet is going well, I am eating this huge breakfast every morning
now to get in my 6 oz of protein. That is the only part that is a
little hard.

Weather is great in Toronto, no wind chill or anything like that.

Talk to you all later.
Anne.

Anne,
Your jewelry sounds great. That is very interesting that you have lived with your folks all this time, even though it sounds like you are in your own areas. Must be great support and a closeness with them that most people never know. A real comfort for all of you.

Do you use whey protein powder or soy? I make smoothies with whey sometimes, it helps to get more protein in my diet and it's great for when I don't want to mess with cooking.

Oh, I got my copy of Suzannes new book today. That was so fast! I ordered it from Amazon just a few days ago. HSN takes so long to ship something to you, I can't believe how much faster Amazon is and since I spent over $25 it was free s&h and the book was cheaper. I'm going to spend the rest of the day reading and making up new menu's with my new recipes.

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm so eager to do SS officially, I have to wait till I go food shopping this weekend to get everything I need. My kitchen is just full of sugar! Everything is too floury or just plain wrong! lol

Aleka- I've been reading a whole bunch and also posting at SS website and I found a few links to other members doing SS, but it's not as active as this one.

Have a great day all!

Kathy
192/167.4/130

We got about 5" of snow overnight. DH has been out plowing and snowblowing. It looks like a winter wonderland outside, very Christmas-y. This has given me the incentive to write out my Christmas cards, which I keep putting off.

Kathy, good luck with your grocery shopping this week. Living in the city you should find a lot of neat stuff. I live in the boonies, and I have to drive 10 miles to the nearst grocery store.

nikki, aren't the recipes fabulous in Suzanne's new book? I am going to make the shake & bake fry mix and have fried shrimp, and also the "french-fries" for Christmas Eve. I don't have a deep fryer, so I hope they come out as well in the frying pan. What do you plan to make out of the book? What did you say to your old head nurse when she told you how well you were getting along? Your Dr's wife sounds like a lot of us, I think.

ANNE, that's great your pearls & watch arrived before Christmas. They sound very lovely. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of them. That's nice you share living space with your parents, and you are able to support one another. Do you live in a duplex?

Su, you will have a great time in NYC. I really haven't had any bad experiences there. The few times I've been there in the last 5 yrs. or so, there seemed to be more police on the streets.

Hi Jennifer, hope you're feeling ok.

Have a great day.
Aleka

Hi Everyone:
Aleka: Sounds like you are going to have a lovely white Christmas! Our weather has taken a turn for the mild!
We live in a bungalow, it is big and the downstairs is completely
finished. I am delighted I will be able to support my parents for
the fight that lies ahead. At least my mother knows she will
not be alone through this ordeal.

Nikkic: I have not tryed whey powder, is it good? I find these
giant omellets hard to get back each morning!!!
Where would I get whey powder?

Friday is my last day at work until January 2003! I can't beleive
I won't be seeing

until 2003!!

Anne.

Hi everyone,
I am doing better everyday, will be able to start to exercise tomorrow. I previewed one of the new yoga tapes I got today and almost laughed. It is the most laid back yoga I've ever seen. The girl is barely moving, almost looks like she is asleep most of the time. Several minutes of it are her sitting cross legged breathing. It is suppose to be for relaxation, so I guess that's it. At least I know it will be an easy way to start to exercise again. If that's what you call it.
I also skimmed through Suzannes new book. I was surprised at a lot of what she is now saying. She was gaining weight and called Dr. Swarzbein, who told her to eat a potato a few times a week. She then started to lose weight. I thought-hmmm, we'd already talked about that and figured that one out. She also has a section on vitamins and supplements. The manufacterer will be New Chapter, I've heard a lot of good stuff about them, you can buy their vitamins on line, but they are really expensive. I am not surprised she is getting into this, it is a very lucrative business. I saw a lot of recipes from former books, kind of disappointed about that, but I was glad to get the recipe for the ketchup, I really like it, but not the high price. I'm going to try the shake and bake too, Aleka. Also, the lasagna looks really good. There are several really good looking recipes in there. Like Mauvaisroux, I'll be setting a ss table for Christmas, using this new book. Also, I bought a Bravettie deep fryer last summer, when the s&h was .25. I've always wanted one. Wish I'd never bought it. You have to use a lot of oil, I mean a lot. It can be reused, but it doesn't keep for very long. Also, the instructions say you can't put stuff in there that is wet, or the coating can't be wet. That was the main reason I got the thing. Wish I'd sent it back, but I thought I'd use it more. The women on the HSN bulletin board say that the digital one, like mine, goes bad after you use it a few times. I think using oil in a pan is a lot better and less expensive. Plus, the results are the same, if you have your oil hot enough.
Anne, whey protein powder is either natural, vanilla or chocolate, there may be a strawberry too. I use the natural and it has very little taste. You can buy it at GNC, which is probably cheaper than on line. I have also seen it at Walmart. I use Designer Whey Protein Powder. You get 18.5 g of protein per scoop and a scoop is about 1/4 cup. I put a scoop of whey, 8 oz. water, some ice, 3/4 cup frozen strawberries (or any fruit), splenda to taste in a blender and mix it up. It comes out like a dairy queen soft serve. It is very good. If you want it more liquid, use more water/less ice. You could add cream and it would be extra good, but I'm non dairy right now. I've been reading a lot about the differences between soy and whey. It looks like soy protein isolate powder is better than whey. But I have a large jar of whey, so that's what I'm using right now.
Kathy, I've never been to NYC. I've been to Chicago several times and was never so glad to get out of a place. But, then, we only went to my exhusbands family to visit and it was always a
miserable trip. I live vicariously through Sex and the City. On tv, it looks like a great place.
Talk to you all later, Nikki

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, I miss the LC threads so bad I can't stand it! I had to pop in here and on the dailies. I have been so BUSY lately, and I can't seem to get caught up. Working OT, Christmas shopping, family obligations, working on the site, trying to get my house ready for a big family get together, being sick, etc etc! I hope to be in a groove when Christmas has passed. Still no word on surgery, etc. I have a CT scan scheduled for Monday. We'll see how it goes. I have so many questions and conversations that I'd like to jump in to, but I can't right now. I need to read my mail, visit with my family, take Cody to Karate, eat dinner, wrap presents and plan appetizers for Saturday! I'll be back though. Miss ya!!

Good Morning all!

I'm just back from the LAWL center, I told them earlier this week that I wanted to leave and wanted a refund of the weeks and supplements I had left. So they made me wait 4days till today to speak to the reginal manager who hasn't shown up yet. I hope they are not giving me the run around!

Well, I haven't really started SSing yet, really need to go shopping but i'm just trying to watch what I eat in the meantime. Can't wait till the book arrives.

Nikki- so Suzanne says in her new book that we can now eat potato's a few times a week? Do we need to buy her book everytime she releases one to find out updates? Seems to me that she should update us on her site since most of us would've had one of her books. Does that mean I need to buy past books?

Is Designer protein sugar free? I ordered Naturade a few days ago, should be shipped soon. I do like Designer protein though.

Aleka- 10ml drive to the grocery store? Man i can't even imagine that! I walk outside my door and I am bombarded w/ stores. lol Shopping is frustrating cause it's always crowded everywhere!

Have a nice day all!

Kathy

Kathy,
I'm sorry, I think I've given the wrong impression or information. Suzanne says that on level 2 you can incorporate a few potatoes a few times a week in your diet if you need too. I guess she was gaining weight and that's what Dr. S told her. Every book she puts out has new updated information in it. I don't think you need to buy all of her past books, everything you need to know is in the new book. The only reason I would get the past books would be for the recipes. If I didn't already have all of them, I'd go to the library and just copy the recipes at home. From what I've read in Dr. Swarzbeins book, she says 1/2 a potato is ok a couple of times a week. But, compared to SS or Atkins, her woe is more for health benefits rather than weight loss. Weight lose is a by product of her woe, and it doesn't seem to be as rapid as the others. SS was great, but I stalled for awhile, so I went to Atkins. Atkins helped but, I wasn't losing as fast as I wanted, so I cut out some things for awhile (like drinking a 1/2 glass of cream every night, man that was good. That is not part of his plan, just my own out of control eating habits.) and my weight loss was then kick started. Eventually, I'll return to SS, I love the food on that plan. I think your body gets use to what your doing and that's why you stall. JMO. If you stay on the woe your doing, eventually, the weight loss will continue. I am just impatient. I really do believe SS is a very good woe and very healthy. I am a little disenchanted with her commercialization of everything anymore, but I suppose that's what capitalization is all about. Which is why she will continue to write books about new information rather than share it on the website. I'll probably keep on buying them, just for the recipes.
When you go shopping for food, make sure you read all the labels very closely. I will always be thankful that SS taught me this. There is so much sugar added to everything, I had no idea. Even stuff you would never expect it to be in. I have a lot of information that I printed off the old SS website before it went down. So if you need anything, like what brands are sugarfree or a recipe for something, I might be able to help you. Even though the ss boards are a great resource and wonderful support, always remember that the book is the place for the best, most accurate information. Including anything I might say. Sorry about that.
I don't know if all whey products are SF. The one I have is.
Hope I've cleared this up. Nikki

Happy Friday everyone!

Things are quiet today, so I'm getting my breath back. How about all of you? There is so much to do for the holidays, but we live through them every year

I agree about the SS recipes... they are usually very good. I use a lot of her ideas in my meals even though I'm not doing the plan right now. I find she has an honesty about her approach that makes me willing to try her ideas. I'm interested in the vitamins. I'll have to read that further.

Jennifer, it is so good to see you again! I'm glad you seem to feel better. Don't run yourself too hard!

Nikki- I'm glad you're back to being well enough to exercise. I'm trying to stay with the very low intensity exercises right now too. I've decided I kept overdoing and then re-injuring or getting sick. A bit like that burnt- out adrenal gland syndrome Schwarzbein discusses. So, this time it is very slow. But, it is hard to be this slow!

Anne, the house sounds great! I tried living with my parents for a while, but we didn't have separate areas. Two adult women need separate kitchens, LOL! Anyway, it is so great that you have each other and no stress in staying with them during an illness. I hope all is going well with your dad.

Aleka, how are the cards going? I've been so bad for years that I just don't do them anymore. I kept ending up not mailing until later, so I've really cut back. I hate to be so antisocial, but it is hard to get everything done.

KitKat, I hope you are enjoying getting started. It really is fun to try out all the new food ideas and see yourself start to feel better. I love how I feel so much more in control.

Have a great day everyone! Su

Nikki- Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that adding a 1/2 potato was on level 2 only,lol I'm going to be staying clear of these thing for a while anyway. I have about 30# to go. One thing unclear though, you said that when your weight stalled you went on Atkins and that jump started it? On SSing do you just stick to the more pro/fat meals and not eat too many carbs? Were you cutting out desserts completely when on Atkins? What was the difference, if you don't mind. Thanks.

Su- I'm having the best time, can't wait to get officially started! This is so much better than LAWL, I can eat till i'm contented and not feel like i'm starving.

Kathy

Kathy,
It wasn't really SS, it was me. I have some food issues I guess. I was eating no carb meals at all. Not that your suppose to do this. I didn't like them. You can eat desserts, but she says basically, to be moderate about it. Such as, have a bite or a piece, I was eating dessert several times a day, big bowls of it. I wasn't eating enough vegetables. There should be a balance, you know? I would sit down and eat a big plate of meat and cheese and dip it all in a bowl of sour cream and cream cheese. But, despite the fact that I wasn't really doing it right, I was losing weight. I think cutting out sugar is a major reason. After awhile, I started to stall or my weight loss slowed down. I figured I needed to be stricter, so that's when I went to Atkins. I'm learning or relearning, how to eat again. I've since gone beyond Atkins, but it is only temporary and just what I'm doing now. I cut out dairy and added fat. The reason I cut out dairy and fat is because I couldn't seem to stop eating it. I was just replacing my sugar cravings with dairy cravings. So now, I've replaced them with vegetables, more uncooked than cooked, or at least that's what I'm trying to do. I still eat fat, like fat that is present in the food, such as I don't eat low fat meats or worry about white or dark meat. I sometimes eat some butter with my vegetables, just not like I was. I've replaced my dairy with soy. I am now eating oatmeal every morning with soy milk. Which apparently is ok with ss, according to the new book.
I think I need to get myself better under control before I will ss again. I'm trying to learn when I'm hungery and when I'm full. Sounds like it's just something any idiot would know, but I have to actually have my brain tell my body what is going on. I'm getting better at this. I've lost 38 lbs. and I have 86 lbs. to go.

Nikki- congrats on the weightloss! I understand now why you switched Atkins. I myself am a sugar/carb freak! But what drew me to SS was knowing that I could have my pro/fat desserts while having chicken and salad for lunch. As long as I can have some kind of sweet I can stick to anything. lol I'm glad you saw that you were overdoing it (for weightloss) and cut down on the things that were holding you back. I'm also trying to stay as low of a carb as I can probably just grapenut cereal & skim milk for breakfast w/ veggies and protein for lunch and dinner w/ a pro/fat dessert for dinner. This I can handle. lol

Thanks for the response!

Kathy