I have completley lost control and gained back 7 pounds in the last month or so. I need something drastic and differentf rom the WW/Dr Phil combo I've been doing on my own. I am tired of counting points. So I heard that Oprah is doing a 12 week bootcamp. I have read her website and think that perhaps this is what I need. Not so sure if I am up to working out 8 times a week LOL. I have also downloaded 4 weeks of sample menus from Dr. Phil's website.

Many of these recipes look so yummy. However there is no way in you know where my DH will eat even half this stuff. But most of these recipes serve 4. So my question is do you think these foods will freeze well after cooking? I am sure they are the same or similar recipes that are given in the rapid start plan or the cook book. I don't have eitehr so I don't know for sure. I am terrible about knowing what will freeze and what won't freeze well. I was wondering if anyone has tried it.

Is there anyone else out there who might be interested in trying the 12 week Oprah challenge with me? I am really nerveous about committing adn failing yet again, but I am at a breaking point. I had finailly made it under 200 and now i am back up there. Perhaps my life needs a shake up and I need to put my foot down and claim something for myself. I think the challenge starts Monday. At least that's what the show advertised. Many of the Dr. Phil recipes fit niceley into Oprah's boot camp eating rules.

Thanks for any advice on the freezing thing and let me know if anyone else is nuts enough to commit to the boot camp thing
~Misty

What is Oprah's bootcamp and what does it involve? I'm usually up for a challenge!

As for freezing, I dont have the cookbook yet, but I would assume if it was a casserole type dish, it should freeze okay.

http://www.oprah.com/presents/2005/b...amp_main.jhtml

That is the link to the site. Basically what I get from it is this...
1) Exercise is key. 6 days a week you do 20 minutes of resistence training with dumbells, and 5 days a week 30 minutes of cardio on the 6th day you double that (these will increase through the 12 weeks). Everyday you take it up a notch with intesity and incline. THEN you do a second 30 minute work out two days a week. SO you end up with 8 workouts a week. This is the part that scares me!

2) There are food rules too. Nothing "white", keep it low fat, and for the first month avoid even whole grains. No alchol, and youmust stop eating three hours before bed time. All the green veggies you want.

There is more detail on the website and more information to come. It seems rather restrictive to me, I guess that's why they call it boot camp.

But I have been doing WW on my own and reading and rereading Dr. Phil's book. My plan was to try to limit portions of my normal diet so I could keep DH happy and it's just not working. It was working I went from 224 to 197. Then I had gallbaldder surgery and completley lost control after I got my appetite back. Looking through some recipes I have in the book "The Formula" and the ones I found on Dr. Phil's website I think I can come up with lots of choices that will not include the breads and sugars. My daughter loves veggies so these recipes will please her and at this point DH can eat it or leave it in my opinion LOL! But in reality it's going to come down to I have to cook two meals and I wanted avoid that but that's just going have to be.

I'm still trying to decide if I can commit to the Oprah plan. I am hesitant b/c it is not a lifestyle change, though it could turn into one. I am also hesitant b/c I have had difficulty getting in 30 minutes of exercise, but maybe what I need to is something like this. One minute I'm all gung ho about it and the next I am really skeptical.

As for the freezing these dishes are soups, and things like pesto chicken breast, spinach and mushroom stuffed chicken, herb roatsed veggies and marinated prok tenderloin.

~Misty

This sounds like a good idea but what the heck would you eat for breakfast?? I'm pretty used to having some kind of cereal and milk for breakfast and if for the first month no whole grains what would I eat for breakfast? I'm not seeing veggies and lean protein for breakfast. What about dairy? She has mentioned protein, veggies, fruits and carbs but what about dairy? We can't afford not to have some kind of dairy for 12 weeks. Also I think the exercise program sounds good but I can't do 6 workouts a week, right now I could do 5.

good day to start it though, Valentine's Day, biggest chocolate day of the year!!

Misty, can you still just make the same meals for the whole family and just give your husband a carb serving like potatoes, pasta or rice? I should think he could eat the same protein that you are having and veggies. I hate the thought of making 2 meals because it will burn you out really fast and be more expensive in the long run I would think.

I'd be willing to give Oprah's bootcamp a try but I'll only do 5 workouts a week, not 6. Also I'm hoping she's got some dairy in their somewhere otherwise I"ll have to take a calcium supplement. My mom's got osteoporosis and I"m not taking any chances!

I've just started reading Dr Phil's book. I live in England, and we don't get Oprah here, though we did when I lived in Australia.

On the freezing thing, the only foods that don't freeze well are fresh fruit, particularly those with a high water content (melon, kiwi fruit, grapes) but berries are fine. And whole fat dairy, so all the Dr Phil meals should be ok to freeze.

I wouldn't be cooking two meals, and in fact I don't. If your DH doesn't like what's put in front of him, he can get something out of the freezer, or make himself something. If he supports what you are doing, then that is something practical he can do to help. Your health and wellbeing should come first.

Hey ladies!

I too agree on the dairy thing. I try really ahr dto drink 3 cups of skim milk a day. I wasn't allowed by my parenst to drink much milk as a kid and teen, so I am very scared of osteoporosis!

The Oprah plan actually has 8 workouts, b/c two of the 6 days you work out twice. I'm at a stay at home mom. For me the only excuse I have is laziness, time is of some concern but If I stop kidding myself I really could find time.

I'm going to do it. Breakfast I am thinking eggs (can't eat those everyday though), I have a few smoothie recipes I think will work. So I am going to create a new thread for the boot camp. But I think committing to 5 days is plenty! I'm aiming for the 8, but I understand that people just may not have the time for that. I am pretty sure the boot camp will start tomarrow on Oprah, so I'll post a few of my breakfast recipes and maybe you guys can tell me if they fit in the plan. I will continue to have me 3 cups of milk. I am sure once the show airs there will be more information.

I agree on the two meals thing, it's just my DH is worse than a child. NO tomatoes, melon, very little onion (I can often sneak a few in and he won't notice), no mushrooms. The only veggies he eats are corn, carrots, green beans and peas. He consideres potatoes as his main veggie. If it's new he won't eat it LOL. But my DD is 21 months and a veggieholic. These foods will be great for her and as DS (5 months) gets a bit bigger they are things I can purree for him as they are low sodium and loaded with good stuff. SO that leaves DH on his own. I will try to incorporate some of our regular meals. On nights he won't eat the entre I can freeze it for me to eat on a night when I can cook him something he likes. I swear the man would live on hamburger helper, spam and hotdogs. Maybe and occasional grilled cheese sandwhich. But you are right, if he supports me, which he does, he will make some changes.

Well see you in the boot camp thread, I guess we can still put it in this forum since we are using alot of Dr. Phil's principles and recipes.
~Misty

Misty, I fear we may be married to the same man. How often is yours home?

Kelly

LOL!!! Too often sometimes GREAT JOB on your loss Kelly!

I have ordered a cookbook,It is called The Easy Does it Diet by Jonni Good. I have not got it as yet,am looking forward to getting it.Anyway she has done the work for us in order for us to prepare the frozen meals that we would buy like Weight Watchers and the other brands.I understand that I will prepare 1 or 2 weeks of meals all at once and they will go in the freezer ready for me to pop one in the microwave and I will be able to (hopfully)stay on my WW diet. Ojibway

wow that is exactly what I have been looking for! Thanks I'll have to check it out. Let me know how you like it. Do you think the meals will be cost effective. I can get WW meals for less than $3 a peice DH told me I can't make them cheaper. I disagree.
thanks! ~misty

I disagree also. There is a yahoo list called "Friendly Freezer" I've been a member of for years and it has a lot of good info at the list page to just go dredge around in. There's a large file of WW recipes (Jane Starr I think) with recipes that may or may not be freezable, but there are also lists of what is freezable and what isn't for those that are creative. (Wow, I think that was the world's longest sentence.)

Kelly

wow there are alot of great recipes there THANKS!

Misty September. Hi! I have a new business that does exactly what you are looking for! What I do is prepare the meal and package it, freeze it then thaw and cook when I want it. You can use those foil containers and zip lock bags in the store. Most things do well this way. It eliminates the microwave oven though, so you can also use those bake and serve plastic containers. They come small enough to measure out the portions.

I'm using this technique on my family and it is helping to control portions better, especially for me! I add extra veggies and a salad and I'm eating a lot healthier than buying frozen meals like WW. I have a hard time with those because of allergies.

Good luck and let me know what great recipes you've discovered...

Amy
Charlotte, NC

I'd say you are right and hubby is wrong, lol. I make and freeze my own dinners all the time, and it's always cheaper or about the same as prepackaged meals. The biggest difference is that mine are better quality, use better ingredients, and taste better. They are just better I love the automatic portion control, too.

Sometimes it takes a little trial and error, though. If I include pasta, I undercook it first, because it will continue to swell before it's frozen, or when I cook it the second time. Most foods freeze well. I make vegetarian chili, mini pizzas, cheese lasagna, seafood lasagna, side dishes, grilled salmon, bran muffins, and much more. I use Gladware or Foodsaver vacuum sealed bags. Some foods reheat better if I thaw them in the fridge the night before, so my choices aren't always made spur of the monent.

KellyQ, thanks for the Yahoo suggestion, I'm going to check that out