Welcome to everyone! This is a supportive and friendly thread and you are welcome to join in! We are all people who have a lot of weight to lose, and are Marching (ohhhh bad pun I know....) together towards a healthier lifestyle.

Welcome.

Good morning everyone
I am making beetroot soup this morning. What you do is get some beetroots and boil them for about 2.5 hours, then whizz them up in the food processor with a couple of ladles full (however much it needs for the consistancy you like) of the cooking juice, and also with a spoon of mustard and some salt and pepper. Zero point. Yum.

You then spend a few hours trying to get beetroot juice off your clothes....

Today the new gym opens! I am very excited. I will report back to you when I have been. I suppose I should look out some gym clothes - I dont really know what to wear. Hmmm.

Have a good day everyone
Lilac

Good morning!


Beetroot soup. Ummm........I think I'll have to find some something else as my zero point food. That sounds like a very much aquired taste. Ya know............I've always wondered why I'm so fat since I'm sooooooooooo picky about the food I eat. - lol.........if only I hated chocolate, cake, icecream, etc as much as I do beets. <sigh>

I'm looking foward to a great OP day. Hope you all have one too!

Hizzie

No meat today -- so we're having the seafood fettucini Alfredo again for dinner tonight. I love "Fish on Fridays" Fridays!

Actually I have no time and all but wanted to check in.

More later this weekend!

WELCOME TO THE NEW FACES! Glad you've joined us.

It's been a busy week but at least I was able to get to bed at a decent hour now that the Olympics are over. Didn't get to WI but suspect I'm down a lb.

Jen, Fish On Fridays ....YuMMMy. Especially fried haddock. Everyone here is getting some from church (Lenten Fried Fish dinners are a Friday event at our church.)
I had some last week but today it's tuna for me. Fried fish is a trigger food so I try to stay away from it when I can. Besides the points OHHHH how they add up for fish and fries. It's awful.

Planning a quiet weekend at home. Ma do some on line shopping but then again, the car insurance is due soon. Probably should try to keep my wallet closed.

Lilac if beetroot soup is like borscht you can keep it on your side of the Atlantic. My Mom used to make it and I could never get it down. Pretty color tho.

Congrat's to all who have lost or managed not to gain this week. A good restart to those who strayed off program.

I had my weigh-in this morning and, just as I suspected, I'd gained back the 1.8 lb I lost last week. This is the fourth week in a row yo-yoing with the same amount of weight and I'm sick of it. Of course, it didn't help that I wasn't totally OP all week. When I found myself scraping whipped cream and chocolate shavings off my Black Forest birthday cake, I realised just how far gone I was and flushed the rest of the cake down the garburetor. Of course, by that time the damage was done.
Well, as Scarlett O'Hara was fond of saying "Fiddle-dee-dee! I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow IS another day."

My meeting lecture (Yes, I did actually stay for it) was about exercise and how to incorporate it into your life. (sigh) I'm afraid it's never been my favourite thing. There were all these women at the meeting who didn't look as though they should even be there extolling the virtues of one gym or the other. I think before I do anything physical on land (like walking which is the cheapest exercise) I simply MUST go and get some orthotics made for my shoes. From what I hear, properly fitting orthotics can make all the difference between a pleasant, beneficial walk and one that causes untold agony. I'm pretty sure that I'm suffering from plantar fasciatis in one or both feet. Even when I'm just sitting around, it feels like a cramp in the arch of my foot and it doesn't loosen up with walking. God! I never thought I'd need orthotics. It sounds so.....OLD!!!

Oh well, tomorrow, I am truly going to get back on track. Make lots of veggie soup and plan my meals and, hopefully, get this show on the road again. I'm so fed up with trying to lose the same five pounds over and over again.

Welcome to newcomers. Glad to meet you.
LindaBC

Good afternoon everyone. Hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.

I was missing for a couple of days. We raise fancy guppies (about 6 different strains) and sell them to pet stores. Thursday afternoon and Friday were my delivery days. By the time I got home I was tired.

I stayed OP for two days then went wayyyyyyy over yesterday while on the road. I did not make good choices for fast food. Had a Wendy's Jr Bacon Cheeseburger & Fries for lunch and Chinese for supper. My fault just didn't stay in control.

I plan on having soups & veggies today and see if I can do a little damage control before I weigh in next Wednesday. Besides the 0 point veggie soup, I love spicy, Tex-Mex food and make a soup using Ranch beans, tomato sauce, 2 cans stewed tomatoes (you can experiment and use the ones with seasoning), 1 zuchini, 1 yellow crookneck squash, 1 carrot, 1/4-1/2 onioin (to taste), 1/2 pkg of HOT chili seasoning mix (this is to taste too as mild or hot as you like). Serves 8. The calculations on Master Cook show1-1/2 cups to be only 1 pt. I like to eat it with a few crumbled tortilla chips and reduced fat cheese. 1/2 srv chips, 1 oz cheese and soup only come to 5 points. Very filling and you get those veggies in.

I love the sound of most of your recipes Lilac, you usually have my mouth watering. But I think I'll have to pass on the beet soup too. I love to cook and try new recipes all the time. I have a husband that is not picky so I can try just about anything at least once. Thank you for sharing with us.

LindaBC thank you for the warm welcome. I remember you from one of the boards a while back, was it low carb???? My memory is just not what it used to be. I too have been playing with the same 5 pounds for months up/down, up/down. It IS TIME to get SERIOUS!!!! ....this is coming from me who cheated yesterday. Hang in there & the pounds will eventually go in the right direction.

J-Ann, Hizzie & Jen hope you have a great weekend. I look forward to getting to know everyone better.

I have to go shopping later this afternoon. So I've got to run.

Joyce

Hello ladies!!

Well the weather purely is miserable. Last weekend it was 65+ degrees and this weekend we have six inches of snow and its 18 degrees. Certainly not motivating. I've been fighting the blues this weekend. I took yesterday as a day off and had such great plans of working around the house. Too cold to start the landscaping prep and I was too much interference to DH's and the dawg's normal inside routine yesterday. Apparently I was making it difficult to nap. I got paint for the main bathroom plus new border. Now I can't get the old border to come off and that's frustrating me. The builder must have used superglue. I did get some closet rearranging done.

I rented several movies for the weekend. Last night we watched "Don't Say a Word". Not bad. Good plot twists. Today I watched "Bridget Jones Diary". I loved it!! One I might have to buy for those rainy day weekends that will be coming.

No exercise yesterday and I'm certainly not walking this afternoon. I should make myself get on the spinner but am fighting that too. With the weather front, my allergies are acting up. Good excuse to go paint on ceramics.

Don't you just hate those whiney, bluesy, depressing days? When you have to force yourself to do the right things whether its eat right or just get off the butt and do something rights.

DH learned how to make sweet and sour shrimp the other evening. I had him get pineapple, yellow and red peppers, onion, S&S sauce. and a half pound shrimp. We had brown rice to serve with it as well. It was very good and took care of the Chinese food craving we both had. We didnt' have the crab rangoons or eggrolls that we normally eat but that's the good thing. I can't remember how many points I calculated but the highest points were in the rice. A very easy and low point entree.

Welcome to all the new faces!!

Lilac - Beetroot soup huh?! Is that like just plain beets to us in the states? Sounds intriguing. Your redecorating sounds lovely and more successful than mine!!

Linda - I feel your frustration with the scale so well. I drop down to 257 for two days and then it jumps right back up to 260 and I can't get beyond this point. I'm about ready to thrown the darn blasted thing out the window. Hang in there because all the good things we're doing for ourselves has to pay off in the long haul.

J-Ann - Good luck on your weigh-in. I hope you're down the pound. I need someone to take my wallet away for awhile! I've been doing too much shopping between a few new clothes and house redcorating things.

Bunny - We miss you but its good too that your online business is keeping you hopping! How's the exercise front? Soon it will be time for hiking.

I just about have myself talked into getting on the spinner. So I better just go do it before I change my mind.

Have a great OP day and rest of weekend.

Take care!

My parents are coming to visit Monday so everything has been topsy-turvy as we plan for their arrival. I think they're staying all week -- but I may be wrong. We've got some light hiking planned (one thing we've learned is that none of the "flatlanders" are really up to for-real hiking, ya know?) and some lunches at my favourite low-cal eateries. I'm also gonna wow them with WW dinners (and stuff from Cooking Light Magazine, I'm sure).

Today was spent in large measure working with my younger daughter who is learning to sew so that she can create new outfits for her doll, Heather. She learned to knit well enough to make a nighty, a skirt, a top and a jacket ... oh! and slippers ... for her doll. Today we made a sundress (complete with snap closures) together.

I also took my older daughter off to her archery shop for a practice session. She practiced and I went off to *ugh* exercise. It would have gone better had I not had a headache when I started. Tomorrow should be less painful I imagine.

Lilac -- I gotta join the "I hate beets" crowd -- but I'll admit I haven't really given them a fair shot since my mum fed 'em to me when I was younger. Maybe I'll add 'em to my garden plans this spring and try homegrown beets in some form or another.

Hizzie -- I think figuring out your downfall foods is a good use of time; I'm not a sweets babe but more of a salt addict (which is in and of itself bad of course). It helps me to stay more in control to realize what textures and flavours I'm looking for when I wanna binge. Er -- of course it doesn't always work.

J-Ann -- I can't abide fried foods any longer. My tummy just won't take 'em with any measure of grace. Sooooo I'm limited to taking my seafood broiled or baked but without any added fat. Its healthier I guess but I sure do miss a good fried anything. We live in a decidedly non-Catholic area; our local church isn't large enough to support a regular Fish-on-Friday get together sadly. Yours sounds lovely.

Linda -- I felt the same way about my bifocals when I got 'em at the ripe old age of 17. Sometimes our bodies just need things we usually associate with aging -- even if it isn't really an aging thing. On a related note, I spent sometime at the cosmetics counter today discussing the ever-changing needs of my skin. Seems that I've hit another aging milestone as all the clerks seemed determined that "anti-aging" serums were my next step in caring for my skin. *horrors*

Joyce -- Damage control is what thin folks just "do" near as I can tell -- bravo for gettin' it back in control right away. That's how you succeed long-term, I figure.

Terri -- I wanna come to your house for dinner (I'll even brave the snow and ice) if you're havin' sweet and sour shrimp. Slurp!!! We're gonna hike some this week but the weather has been very uncooperative -- either very cold and windy or raining steadily. Wah!

This is a quick check in as I am at work and really ought to be...err...working. I have been a couple of points over each day at the weekend, so today I am having zero point soup for lunch, and I have a new spicy suffed aubergine recipe for 1 point for dinner tonight - I will probably have some rice and yoghurt too, and some fruit, but it will pull back the weekend points.

I will email more when I have more time, but now I must do some work
Katy

I like beets. I don't serve them very often because DH doesn't like them but I enjoy them when I do. I've had Beet Borscht and enjoyed it very much. However, I prefer a different Borscht that I got from some Doukhabour (Russian) neighbours we had in the 60's. It's mainly cabbage, tomatoes and potatoes with just a couple of beets for colour and flavour but they get removed before serving. Too bad I can't make a low points version of this soup. Well, I can but it's just not the same. The original has great swathes of butter and cream in it. YUMMMMY!!

It was a lovely weekend here. I spent several hours on Saturday and Sunday doing garden cleanup. Cut back lots of perennials I didn't get around to in the fall. Counted my crocuses, miniature irises, snowdrops, etc. Checked where other bulbs are popping through the mulch. Spring has sprung here but it was frosty this morning and quite chilly today so I guess I shouldn't count my chickens just yet.

Bunny, I think it's great that your younger daughter wants to learn to sew. Neither of my girls has much interest in it at all but I used to sew a lot of their clothes and things for their dolls. I think I had more fun making Barbie garments than they did playing with them. I remember designing and making a very elaborate wedding gown I was especially proud of.

Joyce, I did used to post regularly on the Low Carb board so that's where you probably remember me from. I still stop by there from time to time. Nice folks and low carb really does work for some people...just not me anymore. Darn. I sure did enjoy those bacon and egg breakfasts. I still do have bacon and eggs once or twice a week but a lower fat version.

Lilac, aubergine is what we call eggplant, isn't it? What are you going to stuff it with to keep it at just 1 point? I like stuffed anything actually. Peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes. Lovely filling stuff.

Hizzie, I'm a bit of a salt addict myself. I'm trying to learn to make do with less. You know you've got it bad when you buy low salt soups and then proceed to apply the salt shaker. Well...they just don't taste right!!! What can I say?

As for fried foods (as in batter fried), I find them just too greasy for my changing tastes. Last night I made weiner schnitzel (lean pork cutlets pounded thin, breaded and fried). They turned out lovely and crispy and I enjoyed every bite but we ate quite late and I had a problem getting to sleep. The last time I ate Kentucky Fried Chicken I couldn't believe that I used to adore it. Now I find it way too salty and greasy. Must be getting old.

So far this week I have not done well at all. I made this Chocolate/Tofu Mousse out of the Cooking Light magazine. It was supposed to be one of the top rated recipes of 2001. Well, I don't think it's all that terrific. As far as I'm concerned tofu is tofu, no matter how you slice it, chop it, puree it or flavour it. Texture and flavour of grout. But, it IS mixed with chocolate, hence it can't be all that bad and I've managed to polish off all 8 servings in just three days. Hmmmm, did somebody say the words "Trigger food?"

I'm also not getting in enough veggies which is something I'm going to start working on tomorrow. First thing on my to-do list is make a pot of WW Veggie Soup. That will help me get through my days without cheating. I also plan to start having my mid-day hot oatmeal snack. I'd gotten away from it lately and I do find it very satisfying and comforting, especially with some chopped apples and raisins or dates mixed in. As a snack it has to beat dipping into the peanut butter jar with a large spoon and a squirt bottle of low fat chocolate sauce on the side.

So, that's how my week has begun. How are things with everyone else?
LindaBC

Hello ladies,

And the frustration continues. I came home full of great intentions to get my walk and spinning done plus lots of other productive things.

It was a beautiful, sunshiney and MUCH warmer day. The walk was cut short by two big black dogs stalking us. I walkie-talkied DH to come pick us up. One dog was a rott mix and one was a big lab. I have seen these dogs running the neighborhood many times and tonight I did not like them following us. Which seems stupid since my dog is 135 lbs; I just did not want to be in the middle of a rott dog fight. Then I went on an errand with DH which took forever so that cut out the spinning. I tried to do some work from work and my laptop would not boot up. So, I do believe that I'm going to get a book and go read. How much trouble can I get into reading?

Foodwise, I am doing good for my first day of a new week. Got a bit of the hormonal thing brewing so the scale isn't budging no matter what I do. That's been part of my mopey-whiney behavior I've had going for a couple of days.

DH is planning on making fish one night this week. We bought something we've never tried but you fish gourmets are probably familiar with it. I can't remember the name or even how to spell it but the counter guy said its a Vietnamese catfish. Very mild. We'll probably have that with broccoli and brown rice. Plus I want DH to do smothered steak (round steak with sauteed peppers and onions). We're going out on Saturday so I have to start banking points.

Bunny - I do admire your daughter for making doll clothes. I could never sew things that small!! I used to sew a lot but now it seems that has gone out of style. Good for you for encouraging her. Have a good visit with your family! Don't kill them on a hike!

Linda - I have a chocolate tofu recipe I got from a WW leader once. I can't tell its got tofu at all. Her recipe calls for adding a couple spoons of peanut butter. I love it but it gives me indigestion. I have found the same thing about greasy foods myself. Food I used to think I couldn't live without; now give me indigestion. What a bummer! But on the other hand, GREAT@!

Lilac - There you go, cooking those great (and exotic to me) sounding recipes! I used to love to watch the Two Fat Chicks (?) cooking show although most of the time I had no idea what they were cooking!!! Loved them!

Well, I'm off to read and relax some before bed. I'll have to get up early so I can get to work early and finish what I tried to do tonight.

Oh no way
I just typed for forty five minutes (worrying my post was too long) and included two recipes and personal repsonses, and I lost it!!!! too many smilies and when I tried to go back I got 'page expired'. AGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
I know, I should have saved. In fact while typing I was thinking 'I must do what Bunny said to do and copy before I send just in case' and then I did not do it.
OK, I am not going to retype now, cos of time, but I am here, happy (well.....I was until three minutes ago) and all is ok.

grrr.

I will type a proper post when I regain my equinimity....

love to all
lilac

Has everybody joined a different thread or something?
I'm having a terrible week and I'm even considering doing the unthinkable....skipping tomorrow's WI. I've eaten so much of all the wrong foods I just know I've gained even more than last week. I really don't need the extra guilt trip of having it confirmed on a scale.
It's like I'm deliberately setting out to sabotage myself. I will do fine OP for morning and noon, but by mid-afternoon I'm scrounging around the house looking for goodies and eating everything I find. I know, I know...I shouldn't have any in the house to find but there you go. I'm human. Anyhow, when I'm truly OP and totally committed, you could wave chocolate nut clusters under my nose and I wouldn't yield. I have no excuse for this slump I'm in. Life is pretty good and, up until recently, I've felt fairly positive about WW. I guess I've just lost such a small amount of weight in such a very long time that it's getting me down. Why I turn to food instead of exercise is beyond me though.
Anyhow, just thought I'd dump on your shoulders cos I know you all understand. Give me a swift kick in the caboose and get me going again, ok?
LindaBC

Linda -- you strong, amazing woman, you! Just tomorrow look to exercise instead o' food when you're restless in the afternoon. Tomorrow only. One day. You can do that, right? Heck, I've been feeling very binge-y lately and tomorrow I'll promise to exercise (even if its just walking down the driveway) instead of eating when I feel that at-loose-ends feeling. Deal?

My folks leave tomorrow morning; its been a week of shopping and good food and I'm on track so that's cool. I'll miss my folks when they go - but I'll be glad to have my own bed back.

More then -- I'm still entertaining tonight.