Starting the topic - be right back

Good morning all - I'm posting a 0.8 gain - and that puts me below the 10 pound lost mark. I had a so-so weekend - I did OK on Saturday but last night had a medium size binge - just went from salty to sweet. When I looked at the calendar, you guessed it - PMS time. This morning I've put it behind me - I will *NOT* stay below the 10 pound mark and am determined to lose this week. It's starting off as a challenge - we had agreed to go out with my parents this evening to Whitey Ford's restaurant - which has fantastic ribs - so I have calculated what I think dinner will be and am eating really low point today.

I did a 40 minute upper body strength workout this morning - I have a 3 hour session for new TA's this afternoon so I'm glad I'm "done" for the day exercise-wise. Back to the basics for me program-wise this week. Aside from wanting to see a good loss on Saturday, I'm also going to the doctor's on Friday for my cholesterol test results.

BTW, there is an adjustment to the program that WW is introducing this week - I'll find out about it on Saturday and let you all know next week.

Have a great one!
Judy
163.6/154.4/135 and 161/240 workouts

Hi all.

Judy - Sorry to hear about the small gain, but I know you'll get it right back off. Sounds like you had an interesting development session last week, what with getting to question the current TAs and all. You'll do fine with "learning on the job". As for the ribs tonight - yum. Enjoy them. Sounds like you'll be learning about the flex points system on Saturday. There's been so much discussion of it on the WW board, that I think I have a pretty good handle on it. I plan on starting flex points this Wednesday. I also think I might do the on-line program, at least for a few months.

My weekend was pretty good - more snacky than regular meals. We didn't go to the music park last night, but will probably go tonight, although that depends on what the dr. says about Ana's cold when I bring her in this afternoon. She's had a really loose cough for about a week now. She especially coughs when she's laying down to go to sleep - sometimes it sounds like she's choking. So I'm bringing her in so the doc can check it out. Never a dull moment.

Have a great day.

Carla

170 8/25

Jennie - congratulations - looks like you've had a good loss.

Carla - I hope Ana's cold/cough is better soon. Snacky is OK as long as you stay within points. I've even heard that some people do really well with mini-meals - small meals all throughout the day. It sounds like a snack lovers (read: me) dream but we're in the habit of having a large-ish dinner so it never seems to work. I have to check out the boards - have they listed the "target" number? I would use it this week if I knew what the number was because I went over yesterday.

Last night was so-so. It could have been better and it could have been worse. I had everything figured out but when we got there my father said he wanted to share a fried calamari (one of my favorites) appetizer - well, I didn't say no although three of us shared it. I had just one light beer and about 2 bites of Tony's dessert so all in all not too bad. I was doing OK until later in the evening when I had a few too many pretzel sticks. I think those have to go on the "not buy for a while" list.

I just did a good 40 minute spinning workout which should help whittle down my deficit a bit. Tonight is definitely going to be a challenge - we're going to the Yankee game (they're playing the White Sox). In the past, we've made big ol' Italian hero sandwiches. I'm going to try to make one of those fit in points - I'm going to weigh the bread, use some turkey and just a tiny bit of salami instead of all salami. Between that and bringing some light popcorn, I hope to stay within points tonight.

Have a great one!
Judy

Hi all -

Jennie - Congrats on a great loss!

Sorry to hear that the fried calamari and the pretzels got to you. I agree - snacky can be a good thing. It seems to work out for us on weekends. As for the flex plan - from what I gather, the target number is 2 points above the minimum for your current range. There are no more ranges - instead you get 35 flex points to use each week when and how you choose. Sounds a bit like a reaction to the Wendy plan and some of the other point manipulations that have been going on. I do think the flex plan can help the "well I've really gone over so I might as well just blow it" syndrome. Have fun at the game tonight. You know, if you get the salami sliced thin, you can really have quite a few slices for not a lot of points. I love salami. I'd rib you and say "Go White Sox", but being a Cubs fan, I can't muster the energy to care about the Sox.

Had a pretty good day yesterday. Ana has an upper respitory infection that's viral - pretty much just a summer cold and all we can do is let it run it's course. She doesn't have a fever or anything - just these coughing jags that sound like she's going to cough up a lung. We went to the music park and I did fine there. The rest of the week will be dicey. John is taking Thursday and Friday off and we'll be doing things around the city. Then over the weekend we might go away for a couple of days. On Monday, we're going to the annual labor day picnic that one of our college friends throws. So I think I'll actually start the on-line program next week and just try really hard this week to do my best.

Talk to you all later.

Carla

Carla - "I'd rib you and say "Go White Sox", but being a Cubs fan, I can't muster the energy to care about the Sox. " LOL! You know, Tony got the salami at an Italian deli near us that sliced it really, really thin so I've got quite a nice sandwich (all weighed out) to look forward to. Know to see what it will be like to get all my snacks into the park - we used to take a gym bag and load it up with stuff but since 9/11, they have really tightened up what you can bring - they say no bags on the website - we'll see. In the worst case, we can eat our sandwiches outside the stadium.

Yup, 22 points is my target - after I posted I went to the forum on the original WW site (where you and I first met...) and read a lot about it. There are differences with how we use activity points too. I'm in the process of trying to get the newest version of "WW Calc" (a palm pilot program that I use to journal) so I can adjust it to work with Flex Points. I'm willing to give it a shot. It would have made my 33 point day yesterday legal! I think it's a good idea to try the WW online for a few months. My cousin uses it, likes it and has done well.

Off to change for the game. Have a great one!
Judy

Hi all.

Judy - Hope you enjoyed the game and every morsel of that salami sandwich! I'll have to read up on how to use activity points. I've never used them, but will probably start. That is, of course, assuming I start some activity. Which I will. (By the way, we actually met here, but right after the exodus from the WW boards. I never went to the WW site back in the day because their boards were so hard to navigate. Can you believe it's been 5 years now?) I'm sure WW on-line will explain it all. While using the flex points is really just a different way of managing the points (and legalizing reverse banking and using more than 10 banked points in one day, something most of us have done, I dare say), for me it will be a bit of a change because I was still using the old 123 Success point ranges. So I'll be giving up 14 points a week. Somehow, this makes it seem less painful. But I'm still not maxing out the fiber calculation at 4. Not gonna do it.

Have you seen the new commericials for Flex points? I saw a couple last night. They were interesting in that they had a bit of attitude (they involved WWers being confronted by the "food police" and biting back) and one of them featured a man doing WW, which I don't think I've ever seen before. So it looks like they are really starting to target men. The program really is becoming ubiquitous though. John told me yesterday that his company's cafeteria lists the points for everything they serve. How cool is that?

And now to the bad news. While the scale has gone down from the horrific sneek peaks I was seeing, I'm back where I started from - again. So, since it's a new start with flex points, I'll consider this starting over. And I'm giving myself a bit of a challenge - 20 pounds by Thanksgiving.

Have a great day everyone.

Carla
279.6/279.6/145

Carla - Sorry to hear about your being back to where you started but this *is* a new beginning with Flex Points. I thought for sure we met at the old WW board! No, I can't believe it's 5 years but then again, Anthony is almost 5 1/2! The Italian hero was delicious as was the Cracker Jacks ;-) The game itself was the worst I've ever been to - we got really shlomped by Luiza - we left after the 7th inning stretch when the score was 9-0! Oh well, as I told Tony - come the spring, we can buy tickets for next August without worrying whether or not I can take off work.

I think I saw one of the new WW commercials - at the end, the woman ends up having a huge chocolate chip cookie! Wow, the cafeteria has points listed?? Very cool.

I've been reading about Flex Points and how things have changed and I've actually been following it - I know I may not know all the details (like the food pie - certain points from certain foods, I think) but I've been following the basics and so far, I like it. It means that days like Mon & Tues (when I used to go into a "deficit") is an OK kind of day - yeah, I may "pay the piper" later in the week having to be careful not to use all my Flex Points, but I"m more relaxed about it. I forgot that the old 123 Success program had higher ranges but actually, this sort of goes back to them. My target is now 22 - if I add Flex Points (dividing the 35 by 7) it brings me back to the old high end of the range, 27 instead of 25. I also think they have structured it to encourage people to exercise almost every day. It turns out that you can eat activity points you earn with exercise but *only the same day* - you can't bank activity points anymore.

I'm off to my mom's for a day at the pool with Tony and my sister. I think we'll be going out for dinner but I think we'll be going to a local Italian restaurant that has a lighter version of eggplant parmagiana - the eggplant is not breaded and fried but sauteed. I figure that has to take off a good 2 or 3 points from the what's on the WW food list.

Have a great one!
Judy

Hi all.

Judy - I read the score of the game in the paper yesterday. Ouch. Guess the Yankees folded yesterday too. Oh well. We in Chicago are very used to games like that. I think our Bears are going to stink up the joint this year. The commericials I've seen have involved pizza and burritos, or maybe it was a wrap. You're right about the Flex points going back to the old range. I hadn't thought of it that way. I've seen the pie, but haven't read about it yet. I've also read on the WW boards that pizza points have been reduced down to 6 from 9!!! and chocolate is now 3 points an ounce, not 4!!!. Now that's cause for rejoicing throughout the land, or at least for eating a slice of pizza and a piece of chocolate. Enjoy the eggplant parmigiana. I thiink you're reight about the 2-3 point reduction.

I did indeed sign up for WW on-line yesterday. The charts and tracker and all that stuff appeals to the side of me that is visually oriented. I think it's going to help me stay on track. And it sure does make tracking points and getting a good picture of the week easy enough. I had a good day yesterday, although I didn't reach my target. I fell short by 5 points. Not a bad place to be in though. I'm not sure yet what we're doing today, but I doubt it will involve eating out since I have a parent's meeting at Ana's school tonight. So my flex points should be safe for another day.

Have a great day.

Carla

Hi Guys...

Checking in...we had the funeral for Mike's mom this morning. The church was packed, which was quite a tribute to her. She passed away last Saturday at noon. I'm going to go back to WW on Tuesday and get back on track to reverse the gaining I know I've done over the past few weeks.

Don't know if I'll get here tomorrow as I'm back to work for one day only and then it's the long weekend, but if not, I'll see you Tuesday.

Carla - I agree with you that NOT being able to reach your target is a good place to be - of course, not a good place all the time. Then again, for me, it's an unusual place to be ;-) ! Way to go on signing up for the WW online. Pizza down to 6 from 9 and chocolate down to 3 from 4???? One huge Hallelujah for that. I have to check the portion size for the chocolate - I've decided that I want to give myself some everyday - within points of course - I've heard people be successful with that. Of course, I have to find some kind of packaged chocolate that is individually portioned! Yeah, the Yanks blew it big time for two games - at least they won yesterday. This weekend is the series with Boston - big game watching!

Karen - I'm so very sorry to hear about Mike's mom but that was indeed quite a tribute to her. I hope Mike and his dad found soem small comfort in that. Don't worry about what you've eaten in the past few weeks - we are all human and it's been a very sad and stresful time. If you don't get back here today, have a great long weekend. Again, my condolences.

I had a fun day yesterday - my sister brought all these letters we had written to my parents when we were at camp and we were howling reading them. I did a 30 minute walk in the pool and relaxed. The not-breaded-and-fried eggplant parm was delicious. I did pretty well otherwise - one piece of bread, etc. Afterwards we all went for Italian ices - I had the ices instead of the gelato so I patted myself on the back. I did a bit of snacking late last night (some of it salt laden) but I tracked everything and still have 4 FPs left. After the doctor's appt today Tony and I plan to get in a little tennis so I should be able to earn a few APs to help me. The real challenge will be tomorrow at my sil's but I'm planning on bringing some lf andouille sausage to have instead of the regular kind and I'll get in some kind of exercise too. We're having a little bar-b-que on Sunday but I'm going to have plenty of point friendly foods.

If I don't get back here, have a great weekend.
Judy

Hi all.

Karen - My condolences to you, Mike and your FIL. What a comfort seeing a packed church must have been. While it's sad that she's gone, it's a blessing, I suppose, that once dealth was inevitable she didn't linger on and on. Judy's right, don't worry about what you've eaten and what you might have gained. Times like this are so difficult.

Judy - What fun to read those old letters! A huge pat on the back to you for doing well at the restaurant and for getting the Italian ice instead of the gelato. I'm sending you positive vibes for dinner at your SIL's. Enjoy your BBQ on Sunday, and since they are playing a Sox of a different color, I can safely say "Go Yankees". Enjoy your baseball this weekend.

Day 2 down and all is well. I was one below my target yesterday. Since that is above the old minimum, I'm not feeling worried about that. I'll be needing those flex points as we're going away from a couple of days this weekend. We decided on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan. I plan on being careful food-wise, but still it's hard when you're dependent upon restaurant meals, so those flex points will come in handy. One nice thing is that we're staying at a Fairfield Inn hotel, which offers a complimentary continental breakfast, which will make it easier to stick to cereal or a bagel for breakfast. Plus we'll be doing a lot of walking around, I think. Monday we have a BBQ with friends. I will be sane and eat little bits of that what appeals to me. And I will track it all. Today we're headed off to either the zoo or the acquarium, which means probably a meal out, but also a lot of walking around, so I'm good to go.

Have a terrific long weekend.

Carla