Hey everyone!

Would you like a place to put your daily menu? Is planning helpful to you. Is accountability helpful? Or...maybe just a bit of extra support. If any or all of these sound like they'd fit your plan...please DO join us!

Hope nobody minds me starting the thread this week - if I've got the timezones worked out correctly, it's the wee small hours of Monday in the States in any case!

Another busy day at work today. Mondays are just absolutely crazy, then come the rest of the week there's nothing happening. I ended up having a newbie sitting with me for a while, which was interesting. I had to rate her on how interested she was in what was happening right down to how long she spent staring out the window! Seriously, if existing staff were rated on that, it could get very interesting! Not that I've been known to stare out the window, you realise!

I had a good night's sleep again and a good session at the gym. I went back after work and met with my new trainer - she's going to come up with a programme for me which will keep me on track and, more importantly, keep me interested. It ain't cheap, but I'm determined that this is going to be my year. And in a couple of months time I will have paid off my student loan and have that bit of extra money as well.

MJ, it's really interesting about hummus. I was reading an article in a local magazine, Healthy Food Guide, about changing food tastes and it raised the really interesting point that 15 years ago, hummus was virtually unknown and now there are whole sections of the supermarket chiller devoted to it! I take that with a bit of a grain of salt - I definitely remember buying hummus when I lived in Wellington, and I moved away from there in 1994, so, yeah. That doesn't quite work!

My city is pretty much surrounded by wineries - to the south, west and north, anyway. I'm about an hour away from Waipara, which is becoming a major wine making area, and for my birthday last year my friends took me to lunch at one of the wineries there. Awesome meal - one of the best ever. I've done a couple of wine trails, although nothing around here which is embarrasing. It tends to be something that I do when I'm away.

Rhonda, here's hoping for some shorter hours for you!

Julie, I'm pleased you're feeling better today!

Tammy, sorry to hear about your grandmother. My thoughts are with you and her for a peaceful end to her journey.

The menu for the day was:

B - English muffin, vegemite and cheese

S - blueberries and yoghurt

L - bread roll, leftover lamb, salad

S - plum, apricot

D - leftovers from last night - lamb, potato, asparagus, carrots.

Have a great start to the week, everyone!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Here's to a sucessful week for us all.

B - Bacon and eggs
L - Chicken salad, sugar free jello
S - 2 oz cheese
D - Grilled porkchops, salad

Hi Friends,

Tammy - I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandma.

Nicolen - Yes, this is your year!

Today is OP day #12 and weigh-in day. I lost 2.4 pounds!
As of now, it looks like my work week might be a bit calmer. My plan is to get on the treadmill for an hour each day.

Have a great on-plan day.

Good Morning! The sun is actually out today, which is SO nice to see. It is cold and only going to get colder (single digits and below zero in the next few days), but what can you do???

Rhonda--How was your chili? Ours was good...football and chili, a great combo! Congrats on finding some exercise time and on the loss!!! Great job!

Eiluj--Glad you are feeling better. Did you try eating something? Ooh, don't tell me that, then I'll NEVER get stuff put away!

cfmama--I am so sorry. You and your family are in my thoughts.

nicolen--Thanks for starting us off! Good for you for changing up your routine at the gym. It will keep you interested and should help you keep seeing results. I need to change mine up too, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I know what you mean about the wineries...I haven't been to many local ones, so don't feel bad!

seashell--Welcome!

I am down 2lbs this week. YIPPEE! And TOM is here. I had NO idea...(one of the benefits of my recent surgery...no cramps!).

I am going to the gym right after work today. Have a great OP day!

Hi chicks....happy Monday. Thanks, Nicolen, for getting us started. I've been struggling this weekend - but, not giving up. We got the xmas put away and I worked for hours on a fundraiser. Today will be a good day.

I need to leave for a job...so, I am off. I wanted to touch base.

Yay, MJ - go girl. 2 more pounds.

You too, Ronda...excellent.

Nicolen...hope you get thru your crazy Monday!

Hugs to you, CFMama.

Have a great day, chicks!

Happy Monday chicks!
I was on travel last week and between that and major work stress, food was not perfect, but at least a great improvement over the month of December. Baby steps, right? Anyway, looks like I will be in survival mode for the entire month of January and then I'm really hoping for some relief in February. Well that is what is keeping me going anyway.
So, here is my plan for today:
B: Asparagus frittata, coffee with milk
S: raw veggies, edamame, V8
L: Italian chick pea/tuna salad over lettuce, fudgesicle
S: skim latte, bean brownie
D: Something creative with ground turkey (Swedish meatballs?), sauteed cabbage
S: South Beach peanut butter cup

Sorry I can't take the time to visit longer, but I am squeezed in between two telecons. I promise I wll take the time to catch up with everyone as soon as I can. and sympathy to those that need it. to those that deserve a pat on the back. Hope all are well - I really miss you all when I can't take time to stop in here often. Plus I feel like I am not holding up my end of the bargain. I promise, that is temporary.

Happy Monday to all! Looks like everyone is off to a good start. I am still using my Fitday regularly, the only frustration being trying to figure out how to enter a "mixed food" i.e. veggie omelette. I have to enter everything separately and then it calculates. Oh Well, it keeps me on track. Fiber is one of my nutrition goals and I have met and exceeded the recommended 25g a day, so that is a non-scale victory.

Hummus from the supermarket -BLECH! I make my own in the food processor - can of drained chickpeas, couple of cloves of garlic, lemon juice, parsley, couple of tablespoons of tahini and of olive oil YES there is fat in it, but no preservatives, salt, etc. I do have to portion it out too because given a bag of mini WW pitas/mini carrots and my hummus, ...would be gone in one day.

B - steel cut oats with hemp hearts, walnuts, raisins, 1% milk, cinnamon and splenda
S- hard-boiled omega 3 egg
L- smart one fiber bread 1Tbsp peanut butter 2 Tsp honey, 1% milk, apple
s- turkey bite
D- salmon with dill, beets steamed cabbage, steamed broccoli with smidge of butter ( another goal is a three veggie dinner every day)
S- watermelon and home juiced vegetable juice (parsley, cucumber, carrot, apple and spinac - sounds and look revolting but is delicious.

Monday, Monday. Grr! So many annoyances, so little time!

Breakfast: Kashi GoLean Original. I didn't even know I was eating the honey flax version last week. That is good, but the original flavor is cinnamon-y and that's even better!

Snack: Was supposed to be turkey and swiss cheese, but I didn't have time!

Lunch: Chicken stew. Was supposed to have cottage cheese, too, but didn't have time! Grr. So I'm eating it now.

Snack: Carrots and hummus if I get a chance.

Dinner: I feel like making a zippy omelet with Egg Beaters and maybe some feta and some crumbled bacon. Plus a nice romaine salad and some steamed peas.

Snack: Puffins with milk, or carrots with hummus. I think my calories are going to need a boost today.


cfmama, so sorry to hear about your grandma. I hope you can find peace.

mollymom, I've found some good hummus at the supermarket and some... not so good. Maybe I'll make my own someday.

mj, I guess I shouldn't encourage you to keep the snowmen up, but I love snowmen! Mind you, I hate snow and winter, but snowmen? Love them. I'll even confess to having snowman sheets on my bed!

nicolen, I've never been to a trainer. Good for you to get a personalized program to help you out.

Ah, my phone is ringing AGAIN. I'm off!

Hi everyone. Sorry I missed last week. I just can't seem to get better. As for being OP..right now I am just eating what my body seems to need. My calorie count seems low but I'm just not up to eating all that extra food. I guess I am just going by what my body seems to need, making the healthiest choices when possible and going with the flow until I feel back up to par. No exercise yet, but soon I hope. I feel guilty losing weight without really trying..but I'll take it!

Nicole - new trainer sounds so exciting! Gives you something to look forward to at the gym. Have fun.

Rhonda - I am glad your work week seems to be slowing down. Kudos to you for using the extra time to get movin again.

Seashell - Welcome! Glad to see you posting again. You seemed to have disappeared there for a while.

Tammy - I am sorry for your loss. Your family is in our thoughts.

MJ- Congrats on the loss! We are getting snow all week so it's cold here too. I am glad you are feeling better and who doesn't like better TOMs?!

Bevjoy - Don't give up! I'll be sending you lot's of will power dust. Hang in there.

Schmoodle - a step foward is STILL a step forward, no matter how small it seems to be. Keep moving forward (says The robinsons )

Molly- I didnt care for fit day for just that reason. Too tedious for me, but I guess once you input all your regular foods, it wouldn't be so bad. Congrats on your fiber NSV!

Eiluj - You snuck in on me! Hi!

Have a great day chicks!

Hi again! I had a great workout tonight! Let's just hope I am not too sore tomorrow! LOL!

mollymom--Sounds like you are doing really well! Keep it up!

Eiluj--It was SUCH a Monday here too...just not enough work hours...I was kind of glad I had to leave for a meeting, otherwise I never would have left on time today! That's ok, I love snowmen too....we have snowmen flannel sheets on our bed too!!!

Randi--Do what you can do, when you are feeling up to it, you can push yourself.

Schmoodle--Hi! Pop in when you can. Don't ever feel bad about not being able to post personals. Everyone gets busy. If survival mode is all you can do right now, then survival mode it is!! You will get through this!!!

Have a great night everyone! I am off to snuggle w/ the dogs and watch some tv...gym bag is already packed, healthy lunch is all ready for tomorrow!

Hi everyone!

I don't know what it is, but I'm absolutely exhausted tonight. I had an earlyish night last night too. Well 10 is early for me at this time of year - it's still light at that time, so it seems strange going to bed when it's still light outside.

I had a good workout at the gym. The elliptical kept telling me to slow down to maintain my heart rate. I kept up the pace - I was pushing it, but it wasn't to stupid extreme levels. I also had my 6 monthly appraisal today. The boss and I agreed on all but one thing, so that's good that we're on the same wavelength. I've got a couple of areas that I'm working on and the boss agrees I'm making progress on them, so if I keep it up, my annual appraisal looks like being a good one come July.

And on the other side of things, it looks like the Australia trip at the end of the year will be put on hold. The friend I'm going with has decided she's getting married in October. Normally I'd be thrilled about this, but given that a week ago when we caught up for coffee she told me she was going to break up with her fiance and that this is not the first time they've set a wedding date, I'm getting a bit cynical about the whole thing. I'll believe it when I get the invitation, let's put it that way! Assuming the wedding goes ahead, we'll be looking at going to Australia in March next year, by which time I hope to be very close to goal.

Seashell, welcome aboard. I'm looking forward to getting to know you!

Rhonda, 2.4 pounds! Go you! That's fantastic stuff!

MJ, awesome stuff with the 2 lbs down and the workout!

Beverley, hope you had the fantastic day you were expecting!

Schmoodle, don't feel you have to respond to each and everyone. Just check in when it's convenient for you - we all get busy from time to time, and hopefully things will calm down for you soon.

Mollymom, I know I should make my own hummus. I have so many recipes for it that it's beyond a joke. Hmm - I might just make some once I've finished the container in the fridge.

Randi, I hope you start feeling better soon. You're having a bit of a rough time at the moment, aren't you. Sending lots of hugs and get well vibes.

Anyway, the menu for the day was:

B - English muffin, vegemite, cheese. (There's going to be a change tomorrow because I finished the English muffins today)

S - yoghurt, grapes

L - bread roll, lamb, salad, apricot

S - apricot, plums

D - rissoles, baked kumera, mushrooms, mixed vegies. I needed comfort food today, and this was as healthy as I could think of.

Have fun today, everyone!

Hi chicks...yesterday went well...except I ended up with a tummy ache. But - doing better today.

Since today I still have a bit of a tummy ache - I'll stay away from spicy food

breakfast - egg white omlette with ketchup, pnb toast, applesauce
lunch - cottage cheese , 1/2 banana, toast
snack - toast, applesauce
dinner - chicken noodle soup,
snack - oatmeal, milk, raisins

Nicolen...glad you got to the gym! Sorry about having to change your trip.

Hi MJ - hope you aren't sore from your workout!!

Justwanna....I hope you're feeling all better soon. Sometimes we do lose some weight when we're sick. (however, that doesn't happen to often for me.) You take care now.

eiluj - great plan - I like Kashi go lean too.

Mollymom - great job on the fiber - it's not always easy to get in. Sometimes, I'll take benefiber. But, I'd rather get fiber from food, if I can.

Schmoodle - it's great to see you . I am glad you could stop by to write down your food plan. Life sometimes gets so busy. Hang in there, friend.

WELCOME Seashell.

Hi Rhonda!

Hi to everyone who stops by!! Have a GREAT day.

Good morning, Friends!

Beverly, so sorry to hear that you're not feeling well. I hope you stomach heals quickly.

Schmoodle - Come by when you can. Life gets hectic sometimes. But, if I find out that you're avoiding us because you're off-plan, well.....I might have to come looking.

Nicolen - that is great news about your evaluation. I hope July brings great new.

Randi - Hope you're feeling much better today.

Julie, Molly, MJ - Sending big smiles your way.


I'm on OP day #13 and feeling good. Rhonda found her groove!

Have a great on-plan day.

Happy Tuesday! My scale is a liar who must be punished today. I've been on plan, PERFECT and gained 2 pounds over the weekend? Is that even possible?

B - Bacon and eggs
L - Chicken Salad
S - Cheese stick
D - steak, jello cup

4 carbs for the day. I gotta do something!