We are the Turtle Group here at www.3fatchicks.com. We welcome you to join us as we work toward good health and fitness in a persistent manner. As our inspiration, we use the race between the turtle and the hare where the turtle was the victor because he didn't give up. We believe in keepin' on even when the odds are against us. We believe in giving each other support. Good luck to us all!
Judy
Itryharder
(for Lin and Lauren)

Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 4 oz reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers
- 2 Tbsp light butter, melted (I suggest Brummel and Brown)
- 2 large egg white
- 1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp light Pancake Syrup (I used Aunt Jemima Butter Light Syrup)

For the pie filling:
- 1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp light Pancake Syrup (I used Aunt Jemima Butter Light Syrup)
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp table salt
- 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
- Top with a dollop of Fat-Free Reddi-Whip whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, combine graham crackers and light brown sugar, and process into fine crumbs. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and the melted butter, and pancake syrup, and mix with hands. Then transfer to an ungreased 9” pie pan, and distribute crust mixture evenly, pressing it against the pan with your hands. Put in the fridge and chill for 40 minutes. Then, bake about 8-10 minutes, or until the pie crust starts to turn that yummy golden brown.

In a large bowl, whip egg whites into a soft peak, using an electric mixer. Fold in remaining ingredients (except the whipped cream). Beat the mixture until smooth, creamy and lump free, and pour into your pie shell. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 8 even slices and top with a nice dollop of the Fat Free Whipped Cream. Enjoy!

Total servings per recipe: 8
Serving size = 1 slice
Each serving = 3 Point Value

MsMeri,
looks good!
Judy

I am still here ladies. Not doing well at all on the weightloss front but i am still here.

Hi turtles - I am still here as well. Been sick with cold/flu but still hanging in there. Feel better the last 2 days - going to movies tonight with the ladies.

Hope you are all doing well on your journey!

Hi All,
Had trouble getting on the site the last few days. Stress continues, but I'm holding my own. Good luck to us all.
and : to all of us. I sure wish this journey were easier, but if we all keep on doing the right thing most of the time, we'll get the fitness and health and weight loss we're dreaming of.

Judy
234.6/193.4/190 and deeper into onederland
new goal for me: 190 by Christmas Day. Wish me luck!!!!

Hello all
I am new to this site. I have been wanting to start WW for a long time, however I can not buy the books and pay for meetings. So with that said I am turning to the old internet.

I will start tomorrow morning! I found a point calculator and if what I have read is true I need 31pts a day.
Best of luck to you today!

Hi!

I've been so swamped this past week I've barely had time to pop in and read your posts. It looks like you all may be in the same boat, since you haven't posted a lot.

Thanks for the recipe, Ms. Meri. How are you doing these days? You haven't posted an update lately and I've been wondering...

Cherry. It's nice that you're still popping in. By popping in, you keep your goals in your mind, and that will help you do the baby steps that will bring eventual success.

More , Bandit. I'm sorry you're sick. I hope you get well soon.
Please keep us posted.

mommyofsingers Let us know what we can do to help and good luck.

I'm doing OK this week. I have no idea what my weight is like, but my clothes are getting way too big. We put a new battery in the scale, but I'm not weighing until Friday, my regular weigh in day, when I'll post an update.

NaNo is a total wash. I knew that if I didn't get ahead during the first part of the month, I'd not have time to catch up. So, I did pretty well and learned some important things about myself as a writer. I consider that an accomplishment. Good luck to you all who are doing this crazy writing thing.

Have a great day and keep on turtlin'

Hi Lin,
You sound super busy. Thanks for posting. Hey, there's always next year for NaNoWriMo. I know what you mean about keeping ahead to be able to finish. I'll have my family here for four days around Thanksgiving and I don't know that I'll be able to do any writing at all during that time, yet to get that far ahead is tricky. That's what I'm trying to do right now.

Bandit, feel better soon.
Cherry you're great to chime in. Maybe you'll get that "click"
that gets us started losing weight soon. I know staying with this group whether I'm doing well or not, is a blessing and all of a sudden someone does very well and it's an inspiration and we all do well.
Princess, I'm still thinking about you. If you're reading, chime in.
Lauren, how are you doing with the novel? Wow, you're going to look great for Christmas this year. What fun.

to mommyofsingers, and good luck to you. This site is a great place to get encouragement and advice. We're happy to have you join us.

Okay, gotta run. Just wanted to let you know that I buckled down big time today and I'm throwing the stress away from my brain. Have had a great day today with all sorts of veggies to fill me in. I've eaten a very early dinner, but I've got a zero point veggie soup to have as a late snack if I need it and I've got popcorn in the house, too. So I won't go to bed hungry and I should weigh less tomorrow.

Have a great day and keep on keepin' on!
Judy
234.6/193.4/190 and deeper into onederland

Hi!

Judy, nice going with the veggies. Either we're both cold or we're channeling the same brain waves. I'm making soup, too. It's a 2-point curried celery soup, but it's really filling and I love having it leftover for lunch.

I weighed the same this week, which is good. I'm at the point where a lot of people hit plateaus, even though I've stayed the same for only two weeks, not at least three. I recalculated my points and went down one point. That's fine with me. That's pretty much what I've been eating this past week or so. I want to use more of my weekly points, actually, and spread them out over the week, unless I'm saving for a special occasion.

My big not weight loss news is that I got a second job. It's with the Steinway Society of the Bay Area, doing similar things to what I'm doing for the Chamber Orchestra. So, I'll be working almost full-time between the two jobs. I start being trained by the woman who has the job now on Monday. The thing is, I found out the job was available when they called and asked if I wanted it. I said yes. I've been hoping to find a part-time job to augment my orchestra job and this is perfect.

I hope everyone is doing well. I hope more of you pop in because it's a lot easier to stay on track if you take a few minutes to read and post a quick hello. It helps keep us all focused and makes sure someone's here when someone else needs support, since holiday time is often difficult.

Keep on turtlin'!

Hi Turtles,
Lin,
How great to be offered a job that you didn't even know was available! That's wonderful news. That had to make you feel great, acknowledging that you're doing a grand job where you are. Having the extra moolah will be just the ticket.
Smart to reanalyze your points and drop down one. A little while ago you said you might be adjusting your points, and now you did.
I've only lost one real pound in the last thirty days. I want to do better than that. Sure, I know I could have gone right back up to 200# or over and I don't want to do that. On the other hand, I do want to lose better than I am right now. My newest goal is 190# by Christmas. I know I can do that.
We've got a spectacular wedding to go to tomorrow, and I know the food will be great. Tonight we took our dd and grandson out to Appelbee's. My WW dinner was not good tonight, but it often is tasty. Just a bad night, I guess. But I didn't go over points and with looking at a lot of food tomorrow that I'll have to choose wisely, it made sense not to overdo today.
Lin, I love having people chime in even if it's only for a moment. I agree.
Here's a to us all. keep on drinking that water and keep on keepin' on. Have a great weekend.
Judy
234.6/193.4/190 and deeper into onederland

Judy, I know you know this, but there's no "only" about that one pound! Not at your current weight, especially. You're getting to a point where every pound starts to really count. I now change an entire size when I go up or down about 7 pounds -- it's amazing. So CONGRATULATIONS -- not only did you lose a pound, you lost a pound during the *holiday season*, which now starts around Halloween! That is AWESOME!!! WTG on your NaNo stick-to-it-iveness, too!

Lin, congrats on the second job! It sounds right up your alley, too. I would love to know your recipe for curried celery soup! I hear you about NaNo. I have just today gotten re-inspired to work on my story -- only 40K more words to go by the end of the month! It's not going to happen, but that's fine -- I plan to keep working on the story anyway, and not just this month. I realized I really needed to go a different direction, and now I have all kinds of questions about the characters and the story, which is a good thing.

Sounds like you're in a good place wrt the weight loss. You were losing quite rapidly there, so it makes sense that your body would say "hold the phone here!" That sounds healthy.

I lost another pound of vacation fluff this week, putting me one pound away from my Thanksgiving goal of losing all 9.5 pounds of it. I still marvel that I packed on that much weight in such a short time. Very sobering.

And of course we're leaving on Monday to go to my dad's in North Carolina for 6 days! This time I'm taking some preemptive action -- I'm bringing my tighter jeans! That will help, I think. I plan to wear them on most days, especially Thanksgiving. And I'm going to remind myself how hard I just had to work to scrape off the *last* vacation gain. I expect to put on a couple of pounds, but NOT 9.5!!!

After that, we'll be home for a good long while, and I'm excited about really focusing on losing weight to the next "decade" and beyond. Lately I've really found it tough, lots of temptations on an almost hourly basis, but I've found it very, very helpful to remind myself of how much I *love* being thinner. I really do. I love having all this energy, love looking good in my clothes, love fitting into chairs and booths and small spaces, love being so much healthier and happier. That makes it so much easier to say no to snacks and food I don't need.

How will you all deal with Thanksgiving? What are your plans? I plan to wear the tight jeans and to have one small serving of whatever I want. No seconds. And to eat a light breakfast and lunch. And to WALK!

Welcome to Mommyofsingers! Hello to Bandit and Msmeri and Cherry and Princess and everyone else who stops by.

Hi Turtles, and

Lauren, yes, you're right. One pound a month during this season is good! I felt like I was pulling teeth just to keep that one pound off. Wow, changing sizes at 7# is very interesting. For me, at my weight now, it's about 12# and maybe even 15#. I am so happy you wrote about how enthusiastic you are having lost as much weight as you have. You have done so great and are inspiring to me, that's for sure. It's good to hear how being thin feels better than a snack or extra food and I need to keep that in mind. It's great that you've almost got your vacation weight gone and that you have good plans to ensure that doesn't happen during the Thanksgiving break.

For Thanksgiving, I'm having small portions of everything, but only a sliver of the two pies I make. I have trained myself to only eat slivers of dessert and I think I can do it, especially since there's fruit also. Plus, if I have a nice mug of tea at the end of our Thanksgiving meal, I think I can pull that off because I'll be full.

I'm the cook and I'm baking a sweet potato for myself along with the turkey since I love a simple baked sweet potato and I don't need the marshmallows and I'll save some points there, too.

Everybody: Have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. and and know that I'm very thankful to have met you all on line.

Judy
234.6/193.4/190 and deeper into onederland

Hi turtles - nice to see everyone making plans to stay on track during your holiday. That is very inspiring, for sure.

I am finally feeling better - was pretty sick for about 12 days, not fun.

Didn't lose at the scales last week, but didn't gain either. So, I was thankful for that since I had lots of soup & toast when I was sick.

The weather has been really nice up here but is suppose to change by end of this week. But nice not to see the snow yet.

I have been busy raking lots of leaves - no shortage of those but nice to be outdoors & get in some exercise. Got out for 2 walks last week & planning on getting in 3 this week since I feel better.

Hope everyone is on track & has great holiday!

Hi to all those missing in action - hope you are all doing well.

Hi,

Judy, nice going. One pound down is terrific!! You're really doing well and should give yourself a huge pat on the back.

Lauren, I think I'll have time to post the recipe in my blog this weekend. I'll post a link when I've got it up.

I'm so glad that you're going to keep writing after NaNo because you love doing it so much.

Congrats on the vacation fluff. Good luck on your trip and, more importantly, have a great time.

Bandit, I'm so sorry you've been ill. And I'm glad you're better. I hope next week is better at the scales, but not gaining is really important.

I've been super busy since the maestra is out-of-town last week and this week, which means I have to add trips to her house to take care of orchestra mail and any bank deposits plus starting training on my new job. I'm going to really like the new job, but the timing for it stinks. I'm not cooking for my family for Thanksgiving, which was OK. But I'm not cooking for my dh and me, either. I have to let that go this year because I haven't had time to plan a menu or do the extra shopping. So, we're eating at a really nice restaurant, then at the Mexican place with the family on Friday.
Saturday's my birthday and right now I'm thinking "sleep all day".

This week has been, and is going to continue to be, a super challenging one because my schedule includes so many restaurant meals. I wish I could be home to cook more, but this week, it's not happening. The good thing about it is I learn from the challenging times. But this post is long enough, so I'm going to write a blog entry about it. You can go read it, if you want to know what I learned in restaurants and in thinking about the holidays and food and weight loss this week.

Keep on turtlin'!