Diva: You're so funny. I'm doing my roots today, too.

A New Earth Class on Oprah.com: It revolves around a book by Eckhart Tolle. It's basically a positive spirituality thing. Your world mirrors the thoughts you have. Negative thoughts = negative world. Positive thoughts into the world and positive things will happen to you. I need all the positive stuff I can get!!

WW Recipes: I am part of WW on-line, don't do meetings. You guys are my support system. I hope I'm not in trouble for doing this, but here's the WW recipe for black bean soup:

Spicy Black Bean Soup
cooking spray
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 medium garlic coves, minced
45 oz. canned black beans undrained & divided, (or 3 - 15 oz. cans) undrained.
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I used about twice this amount.)
1 tsp ground cumin (again . . . I probably doubled this.)
14 1/2 oz. fat free chicken or vegetable broth
10 oz. canned tomatoes with green chilies. (I used Rotel)
11 oz. canned yellow corn, drained.

Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic stirring frequently until onions are soft, but not brown. About 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in a blender, add the sauteed onion mixture, red pepper flakes and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

Place 2nd can of beans and broth into the blender and puree until smooth and add this to the stockpot.

(I used an immersion blender and did it all in the stockpot.)

Stir the third can of beans (do not puree this can), tomatoes and green chilies and corn into the stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Yields about 8 - 1 1/2 cup servings. Each serving is 3 points.

It's AWESOME with a little dollop of lite sour cream on top!

Can't stay long...

I still need to go to Oprah.com and check out the class. I SERIOUSLY need some positive thinking in my life.

Thinking of you all today. I'm going to a movie and then I play in a pool (billiards) tournament tonight. Hope to be back later.

Have a great day Black Team!!

Hey everyone.

Feeling run down the last few days. My dd (4) has had some kind of stomach bug. My ds (9) has decided that he doesn't have to do school work anymore. This move has been really hard on us. Got my fingers crossed that we get back into the swing of things soon.

Eating wise we are doing ok. Not exercising enough. We got a 100lb New Foundland dog the other day. I am thinking that I will be getting a lot of exercise walking him. More like he walks me. He is huge.

Still wishing everyone good luck. Have a great weekend.

V-day Challenge, 5th Day:

on plan, walked an hour, fruit after 8pm...doing good.

Hope everyone is doing well too. Five days of V-day challenge down, 5 more to go.


breakfast:
wheatabix & .5% milk

lunch:
1 ww toritlla,ff cheese, ff refried beans, yellow bell pepper
1 kiwi

s:
1 skinney cow ice cream bar (2 pnts)

d:
1 c brown rice
1 salmon
tons of broccoli
1/2 cuce
1/4 cup yogurt
strawberries
grapes

snack:
strawberries
grapes
1 ff/sf chai

Well, I am sorry to say that I am dropping out of the v-day challenge. TOM is knocking on my door and he brought lots of carbs and salt I caved in and ate like crap for almost 3 days and I am not rebounding from it. I am back to square one with the binging, though I am trying not to eat after 8 today-though we are baking cake grrr.

I do hope to lose something this week, though I dont know how it will be with the bloat. *sigh*

Hot, I am right there with ya little Mama! LOL! I'm not dropping out but I have been bad. Not too bad. I am at least trying to keep it down to a serving size, lol! it's about moderation not deprivation right? I've kept the calories pretty much in check, but I am definatley feeling a sodium overload. O'well... Don't beat yourself up girly, chit happens.

ahill, I am sorry your littles ones are sick. I saw on the news theres a Flu bug and stomach things all over the US. I know here in East TN, schools are closing due to illnesses left and right. It's crazy! Not surprising though with themps in the 70's one day and the freaking 30's the next! LOL!

chicki, you are doing so well! Keep it up!!!

Hope, I hope you have fun at the movies and shooting pool! I'd love to do that but I feel self conscious in bars and places like that.

NotTheCheat, Julz, Caitbeans, ggmugsy, ceegee, sxulcmnky, Dream, everybody! I hope you are all doing well and have a wonderful weekend!

menu

B-Cheerios & Milk

L- Special-k protein bar & grapes

S- potato Chips

D- Lemon pepper Fish
Baked potato w/light butter & sour cream and a dab of cheese and bacon bits
1 cup of summer squash

Calories= 1414
Carbs = 186

I am about to die for some chocolate!

Diva- so not crazy, lol! I have noticed a definite correlation between losing weight and DH's (and mine!) sex drive.

Hi everyone! I feel so guilty cuz I haven't been here in about a week! I know I probably missed a lot! I don't think I have time to go back and read everything, but I'll try to keep up from from here on out!

Glad to see others are watching Oprah! I recently got my DVR, so I've been recording them every day and watching the ones that interest me. The past couple of weeks have been great! I usually don't like a lot of her shows, but lately I've enjoyed all of them. I saw the one with Dr. Oz and the vitamins. Never thought to cut them in half, but it sounds like a great idea. And thrilled about the glass of wine each day!

As for the New Earth class, who all is doing that? I haven't read the book, but I read an interview on Maria Shriver and she highly recommended it, so it is on my list of books to read. I guess now would be a good time to do it so I can join the class. You can never have too much positive thinking, especially when you're trying to lose weight!

I don't know if I'll lose much for the team this week. I just finished TOM, which is one reason I haven't been here. I get completely anti-social and pretty much anti-everything during TOM! It doesn't mean I don't love you guys. I do it to my family and friends, too! I'm not mean, just want to crawl in a hole and be alone for a few days a month.

I think I am going to be maintaining this week, but I plan on working my butt of these next couple of days to try to at least get down a pound. Normally, I wouldn't stress over the actual number on the scale, but I just want to make sure I help out the black team!

Ooooohhhh, one more thing before I hit the sack. I heard something on Oprah that I think all of us should keep in mind. Dr. Oz said to remember, "It's waist not weight!" It's more important for us to measure our waists as we lose and consistently be losing inches than it is to be losing pounds, because as we gain muscle, we might maintain or gain on the scale, but if the inches keep melting away, we know we're doing something right. I've lost almost 2 inches since we started this challenge. How about you guys???

Ok, off to bed!!!

OK, just signed up for the Oprah class. Now I guess I need to get the book. I have to have something positive in my life after the day/year that I've had. Well, the first part of today really sucked anyway.

TOM has definitely reared it's ugly head around here this week, huh?

Eating was within point range today but I had A LOT of sodium. I'll be retaining H20 for sure tomorrow!

Breakfast:
Smart Start Cereal w/ banana & strawberries 5pts
coffee 0pts

Lunch:
8 cups movie popcorn, no butter 8pts

Snack:
leftover bites of WW mac/chz, stuffing, sugar snap peas 3pts

Dinner:
Sushi, 7 large pieces 7pts
Free appetizer made by sushi chef 3pts
hot tea

26 pts total... feels like a lot more...guess that's good!



Gotta question for everybody: I think we should make a pledge that nobody else will drop out of this challenge, even if we are all posting gains weekly. I hate to see anybody else go b/c I know if they do they'll just spend the rest of the time beating themselves up, feeling like even more of a failure, not joining in the next challenge, and probably eating themselves to death. I don't want that for anybody. Goodness knows that's how I've spent most of my 20's and 30's and I'm kind of sick of it. What do y'all think?

Hope4 Me!
I think that everyone recommitting to the challenge is a great idea. I don't want us to lose anyone else either. I think posting when you have gained is actually more important than when you have lost. I think that doing so keeps you honest and supports the idea that this is a process that we are all working on and incorporating into our lives. When I gained 7 lbs last week, I just thought MotherofG**!!!! How did I do that!!!! AHHHH!!!! And I was really tempted to just either skip last week, or even (I know this is silly) to post a different number... but seriously, what is the point of doing this except that we are all interested in changing our realities. And the only way to change your reality is to acknowledge what it currently is. There has been some discussion on our thread about when to take a freebie or not, but for me, the only reason to take a freebie is because you can't get to a computer or weigh yourself that week. I think that one of the most important moments during my active weight watchers period was when I decided to NOT use that little "come to the meeting, but don't weigh in" card. I mean, heck, I was already there! And my weight wasn't going to be different just cause I didn't look at the number.

Being part of this team doesn't mean being "perfect." It means making a consistent effort and practicing and practicing so that we can achieve our goals.

Go Black Team!!!!! All of us!

I'll take the pledge. Stickin' with it. I was way way up last week, so took a freebie. But, I've shed the sodium and should see another pound off this week. It's not a much as I'd like but a pound a week is 50 a year

chickichicki- i have to agree with you. weight-loss is a journey, and it is not always going one of losses each week, people tend to get discouraged when the scale is not going down (me included) and end their weightloss. so whatever the weight is, gain, loss, stayed the same- post it so you can "own up to it". I know if I don't weigh in and WW becuase I had a bad week, the bad week turns into two back weeks and so on..

tatiana- thanks for reminding me to take my measurements!

Hello!!! I am so sorry that I havent been around the last couple days. I have been working different shifts,(nights to day) and my sister is due to have a baby so I have been at the hospital thinking is is in labor .I dont know if I am comeing or going!@!!!
I have not been doing so well these last couple days. I forget to eat then I realize that I am starving then well..... we all know whats next. I have been so busy at work running up and down the halls that I havent even walk on the treadmill.....I am dont doing well. I just hope that I dont have to post a gain. As far the v day I dont think I am going to lose what I want. If I lose any....

I am trying to watch what I eat when I eat.
Ok I will stop complaining. Thanks for listening....It does mean a lot. Everyone is doing so great!!! All of you are great people! I love being part of this team. I have to go and make a b day cake for my son. I will only have one! I will try to get back on later to do personals.