Well we had beautiful weather this weekend, even if I didn't get to enjoy it . Didn't get as much done as I wanted to this weekend, but I did get 4.5 pints of tomatillo salsa and 8 pints of tomato sauce canned (took all day Sat). Then yesterday I made regular tomato salsa which I'll put in jars and can as soon as I finish posting, it's supposed to make 6-7 pints. As much work as it was this weekend I'll be happy come Feb. And cost whys it's cheaper (if you don't count labor), last year I used all my own and my parents tomatoes but this year my garden stunk so I actually bought tomatoes, but still it was only $8 for a 25 lb box, so not too bad.
Saturday we ended up eating out because we were just to tired of cooking after making the sauce all day, and we were out buying pajama/sweats for dh to lay around in at the hospital and home since he doesn't usually wear them. Yesterday we went to dinner with my parents, we went to a really nice seafood place we hadn't been to before, I had grilled scallops and man were they good.....
Today is our anniversary so we're going to go for a bike ride and then grill a steak and break open a nicer bottle of wine, should be a nice relaxing evening. I'm going to go to yoga on Thursday instead of my usual Monday practice.
Sloan - Belated Happy Birthday . Haven't seen any gas issues here, that must be really frustrating.
Sandra - on the planning and avoiding temptations.
Paula - Ditto. How was your alone time?
Rhonda - Sounds like you had a great time.
Maryanne - Did you get on the bike?
Vicki - Sounds like you had a relaxing weekend.
Coco - Ouch!
Well I should get moving. Have a great day everyone.
Nothing new, Looks like we're going to have cloudy day,Hoping to get down to the beach and get some walking done before the rain come in.
Had a bad core day last night I went wild,eating everything in sight while watching tv,but I'm back OP this morning. Why does that happen from time to time.
I don't know if the Core is working for me anymore,I tried going HARD Core by not having that any WPA's as of now I only used 13 this week and my week started on Friday. Any input,other than Vickie thinking I'm not eating enough.Just curious of what other are doing to get the scale numbers down.
Donna-Thanks for starting us up this week and Happy Anniversary Sorry you have to spend it in the hospital. You menu look good.Sending prayers out your way,that everything comes our fine.
Good Morning Chicks! I didn't catch up on the other page yet. It was a quiet weekend here so I'm happy. I still have the weird smokey smell in my nose. It's getting pretty constant now so I'll be making an appointment with the regular Doctor. I sure have had weird things going on with me since I hit 50.
Donna, hang in there. You sound like you have such a great and positive attitude.
Maryann, you too. You and Donna are doing so well despite what you are dealing with. I hope you get some answers soon. I'm finding that it is nearly impossible to lose weight during perimenopause but I'm not giving up. Did you ever say if you are exercising? I know I won't lose anything substantial until I get back on the treadmill regularly.
Vickie- Prevention magazine has a couple of good articles on jump starting your weight loss. I'm trying a couple of things that they suggest. They also have a good article on walking for exercise. I'm pretty sure I'm in that "peri-menopause" thing, too. Maybe that's one reason I'm not losing right now. Lack of exercise is certainly playing a part also. Hang in there, and don't give up. Any effort is better than no effort at all. We can go through this "peri" thing together. TTFN Sloan
Maryann-I was looking at your menu, and I remembered one of the suggestions in Prevention mag that you might try. It said to try to have a vegetarian day at least three times a week. Maybe that is something new you could do! BBL
Cool! Doc got me in at 2:45 tomorrow. Hope I find some answers. I'm guessing there will be a head scan, and maybe an Allergist/Dentist/Gynie. I had the road but it must be taken.
Thanks, Sloan. I have weigh in tonight. I hope to have a loss. I'm such a baby. I know I need to exercise but just can't seem to make myself do it when I feel like this.
Hey Vickie ... I forgot to tell you this ... last week - smelt smoke for 2 days (the day before my period started (which came 4 days early!) it was really bad - I had to lie down with a wet cold cloth over my face) - lots of stress at home last week w. hubby - 3 arguments in a row!
oh well, now they're gone & it's life back to normal - whatever that means! LOL
Donna, it sounds like you're having a busy busy week. Please keep us posted on DH. I hope all goes well for him. Remember to give yourself a hug.
Maryann, maybe you should consider the Wendie Plan. I think someone else suggested it for you. It might shake things up and give you a jumpstart. I totally understand your "taking off" yesterday. You've been under stress; plus, you've been frustrated by being on the plateau. Just don't give up.
Vickie, for wi tonight.
My wi is in the AM. I'm anxious to see how it goes.
Mary Ann, I'll join you in hard core for the rest of the week. And, I think I'll try the vegetarian thing for three days between now and next Monday. I've done that before and like it.
I've only had fish, fruit, eggs and salad today..and having fish and salad tonight.
Hi Girls! I just wanted to let you know that when I was on my cruise, I had some cold strawberry soup and it was awesome, so I noticed that there was a recipe submitted by Michelle B for cold strawberry soup shooters in the dessert section of the recipes. I tried it and it was so good. It actually reminds me of a strawberry margherita(sp?) or daquiri and you can drink it rather than eat it like soup. It was really good. Just to let you know, if people are having cocktails, you can have one of these, or you can use it to make margheritas or daquiris.
Donna, sounds like you are set for winter with all your canning. I made salsa sunday, but just a little bit. I didn't do any canning, although, that's an idea. I just use tomatos, green peppers, onions and some tastefully simple "simply salsa" spices and add a little splenda because I like my salsa a little sweet. It's so good and so easy. I should make up a bunch and can it so I don't have to wait for the flavors to meld together.
Sloan, I think I had my first hot flash when I was on vacation a few weeks ago. It was cold and rainy, and I had put on a sweatshirt and jeans and had a coat on, and I started getting really hot. I took off my coat and was still really hot. I pushed up my sleeves and finally had to put on a short sleeve shirt. My dbf thought I was crazy because it was cold, but I was sooo hot!
Vickie, I hope the doc figure out what's going on!
Cher, men can be such a pain at times, but at other times, they can be absolutely wonderful.
Sandra, what is the Wendie plan? Also, the movie I watched was called "Sydney White". Cute movie, kind of a modern day Snow White. Chick flick all the way!
Mary Ann, I know what you mean about eating everything in site. I have been pretty good this last week, so hopefully I will see a loss. But I have had my moments, beleive me. I don't know why that happens.
Tracie, thank you for the info on the strawberry soup. I think I'll try it. I'll bet the movie was cute.
Wendie Plan? Here's what I found on the net:
"The Wendie Plan" in a nutshell...
"What is the 'Wendie Plan'?
First of all, let it be known that the Wendie Plan is NOT something different than good old Weight Watchers. Most of the people who regularly visit here are following the WW plan. However, this does not mean that the Wendie Plan can not be easily adapted for people who are using Richard Simmons, and/or counting calories. I suppose even people following a plan such as Atkins could adapt this to their program, however I do not recommend it. The reason is simple. I do not recommend the Atkins program or any other low/no-carb program like that. Why? Because it is not (or SHOULD not) be a lifestyle change, and because it is very dangerous to your health. I cannot advocate any program that would put your health at risk.
The Wendie Plan is very simple. You follow a simple plan of eating. You eat your regular foods that you have on WW. You work within your point range. You drink the water, get some exercise, etc., etc., etc. What is different? You alternate the amount of points you use each day. What could be more simple?
Let us assume for a moment that your point range falls between 22-29 points per day. (This is based on the original 123 plan, not the "Winning Points" plan) WW says that you can eat up to 29 points every day, and still lose weight. Do you? Maybe. Maybe not. Ever notice that on some days you aren't very hungry and on other days you feel you could eat all the points in the universe? After doing extensive research, I have discovered several things that don't always ring true.
At this point, if you are someone who has been doing the program and losing a steady 2+ pounds per week, you don't have to read on any further. Your body is doing what it needs to for you to lose weight. If you are struggling to drop a pound, and no matter how hard you have tried the pounds won't shake loose? Read on...this is for you.
First of all, just because you eat within the points you have been assigned, drink all of your water, exercise at least 20 minutes every day, journal till the cows come home... does not mean that you will lose weight. I don't mean to depress you, but it is the truth. We have countless people here, myself included, who can attest to this. They try really hard, but week after week they are struggling to even lose part of a pound. I see it all the time. So... what are they doing wrong?
Oddly enough, they are doing one tiny little thing wrong. It is one tiny, insignificant thing, but it is keeping them from losing weight faster and at a steady rate. The secret to The Wendie Plan is simple. Alternate your points daily. At the start of your week, alternate the number of points you eat daily. Your rhythm of your week should look like this: low/high/low/very high/very low/high/med. high.
For example. If your range allows you to eat between 22-29 points per day:
* Day 1 - 22 points
* Day 2 - 28 points
* Day 3 - 23 points
* Day 4 - 36-39 points
* Day 5 - 22 points
* Day 6 - 29 points
* Day 7 - 27 points
On the WW plan, 22-29 points per day, you will eat between 154 points (low end) 203 points (high end) during the course of the week. On the Wendie Plan, you will eat 190 points during the course of the week. Which falls towards the high end of the range, but not the highest. (Adjust the points to fit your current range).
We have already seen some amazing results using the Wendie Plan. I developed this plan out of sheer frustration. After being on WW for 17 months, and having lost no weight in the last 9 months of program, but being too stubborn to actually quit, I found myself pouring over 17 months of anally kept journals, trying to find the one key which would unlock my door to success. In the first 8 months I was successful. I lost 40 pounds. What happened then to impede my progress? I was still following the program in every way. I was doing everything right, but experiencing no weight loss. Why?
Why, indeed? The most interesting aspect of my journey came at the end of May, 2000. I weighed in on WW and had reached a 40 pound loss. I decided I was close enough to a 50 pound loss and I wanted to reach it by the 4th of July. That was a reachable goal. So I worked even harder. I dropped my points down to 25 per day, and began exercising more. Everyday I was outside walking through parks or in the fitness center hitting the treadmill. At the end of 5 weeks, I had a net gain of 1.2 pounds! Muscle? To some degree, yes. But, as I never began to look like Arnold Schwarztenager, I realized that something had gone terribly wrong. I had "shrunk" a bit, which was to be expected, but still, at the end of 5 weeks, I was heavier. I continued. I worked out everyday, and kept my points down. This has got to work, right? Not necessarily. At the end of the next 5 weeks, I was down exactly 1.2 pounds. So my net loss for the 10 weeks after Memorial Day was zero!
I continued to work very hard, and by September, I had played around with the same 3 pounds all summer. Up, down, up, down but never gone for good. In October, I celebrated 1 year of WW, by maintaining my 40 pound loss for four months! What was up with this?
I stopped attending WW meetings in October, because first, I was making no headway, and I became so depressed at Monday's weigh-ins that it took until Tuesday afternoon to snap back out of it; and second, I did not get the support I needed through WW. They simply had no answers as to why I was not losing weight even though I was working the program very conscientiously. At the last couple of weigh-ins, when I was going up a pound each week, I got the general impression that my leader felt that I was not really working the program. At that point, I walked out for good.
I tried several things between Halloween and Christmas to shake some pounds loose, but to no avail. I then went back to WW the day after Christmas. It is interesting to note what happened. First, I didn't start the program that first week. I weighed in on Tuesday, and then rather half-heartedly began the program on Friday. When I weighed in on Tuesday, I was down 3.5 pounds! I buckled down and worked very hard on program the next week. I measured everything, exercised, drank my water, and journaled every bite. The following Monday I weighed in and I had GAINED 2 pounds! What is up with that?
It didn't take very long for me to see that going to WW was not going to help me. My body was being incredibly stubborn and was not going to let me lose this weight. Do you see a pattern forming here?
In addition to having 17 months of journals, I also have kept a spreadsheet of my weight losses. I began pouring over my journals and comparing what I did on certain weeks to the amount of weight I lost at the end of that particular week. I made an astonishing discovery.
I have always been a moderate loser. Meaning, I usually lost about a pound a week. Other people may lose 3 pounds a week, but I usually lost a pound, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. But I was very consistent in losing. There were some weeks, however, when I did lose more than a pound per week. Interestingly, the weeks I had my biggest losses were weeks when I overate! The weeks were Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years! Christmas Day I ate 43 points! I lost 4.75 pounds that week! Upon further studies, I discovered something else. Every week that I overate one day, I had larger than average losses! How can that be?
It has long been thought that you have use 3500 calories less than you need in order to lose one pound. I simply don't believe it. I know it is mathematical, and mathematics was never my strongest subject, but science has always been an area in which I have excelled. I believe that our bodies are far more complicated than a simple mathematical formula can describe. The body is like a fireplace. If you build a fire, at first it takes awhile to warm up. You add more fuel and it burns more efficiently. The more fuel you add to it, the hotter it burns. Add less fuel, and it begins to cool down.
Our bodies were built for survival. If you go on a "diet" the body can become uncomfortable. This is especially true if you take so much food away from it that it feels as if it is going to starve. There is a lot of talk about not eating too little. Your body will go into "starvation mode" and you won't lose any weight. Well, to a point, this is true. Your body will lose weight if you starve it, but it won't want to, and it will take the weight from places you don't necessarily want to lose it from. That is why some people who lose a lot of weight look "gaunt", and is far more likely to hear comments like "have you been sick"? as opposed to "You look good!"
Why does "The Wendie Plan" work?
Your body has this wonderful little thermostat inside of it. It regulates everything you do. If you feed it lots of food, it turns the thermostat up and burns it as efficiently as possible. This is why you have been able to eat as much fast food before WW and didn't gain the amount of weight that you should have. Your body became more efficient and was able to burn off much of the excess amount of calories. Otherwise, with the amount of food we porked in pre-WW, we should have been gaining 2-3 pounds per day!
When you go on a "diet" where you dramatically decrease the amount of calories that you consume, your body thinks "Oh-oh, we're going to starve to death here" and immediately turns the thermostat down to conserve energy. After all, your body will do whatever it has to do to ensure that you stay alive. It doesn't know that you don't want to carry those extra pounds around. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to convince my body that I really do want to shed those extra pounds through talking to it.
That is where The Wendie Plan comes in. If I can't get my body to shed the extra pounds by talking to it, then I have to trick it in to letting them go! The Wendie Plan is the trick.
If you are on WW, or even just counting calories, and you stick with a set amount of calories per day, such as 1400 or say, 27 points per day, your body will adjust to that. It will become extremely efficient at using just the amount of calories (energy) that you are giving it. You may lose fairly well at first, but after the first week or so, you will find that your losses may slow ... way... down, and even stop. Isn't it nice to have such an energy efficient body? However, the body isn't extremely fast. If you give it the same amount of food every day, it will adjust itself. But if you change the amount of food it gets every day, it doesn't have time to adjust itself! Which means on that day that you eat 10 points over your highest, it tries to adjust by turning up your thermostat, but it is unable to turn it down for the low points the next day. What you are doing, in essence, is keeping your body guessing. It doesn't have time to adjust the thermostat down, before it needs to turn it back up. What eventually happens is your body will never again feel as though it is going to starve to death, and it will never again try to shut down the thermostat, so you will continue to lose at a more rapid loss. This also means fewer plateaus.
Some people are aghast at the thought of actually eating 10 points over their maximum. I know, its the hardest part for me, too. Again, I just have to plan higher point meals for those days and make sure I actually follow through. If the huge point day isn't done, then the body will not turn the thermostat up high enough. It is all a formula which has to be adhered to high points, as well as low point days.
What about exercise points? What about them? I never use them. I just know that I don't plan any big exercise on my low points days. If I am going on an 8 mile hike, I will probably do it on my high or super-high day, so that I can take advantage of the extra fuel to get me through the exercise. I think WW was using the activity points as a carrot to get people to exercise. More activity, more food. I don't believe in that. Eat what your body needs. Exercise plays a good role in this plan, because exercising increases your metabolic rate. (Which turns up the thermostat even more!) So does increased muscle. Arrange your high point days on the days that you exercise. Or better yet, arrange your exercise around your high point days. My high point days usually fall mid-week. But why? It makes more sense to me to have my highest point day fall on Saturday. That is the most likely day that I will be doing an 8 mile hike. Fit this plan into your lifestyle.
My WW leader told us that it isn't what you do for one meal that causes you to gain or lose, it's what you do for 21 meals that makes a difference. What this is telling me is that I have 7 days, 21 meals, and 217 points to use. How I choose to use them over the course of a week is totally up to me. If I choose to have 42 points on Sunday and 24 points on Monday... I am still on program. Even better, I will probably lose some weight. Do not be afraid to have that one high point day. Just as you shouldn't be afraid to have the low point ones. At the end of the week, you will have lost weight.
CheerS!
Wendie
Edited by: lovetwin at: 8/1/01 8:23:11 am
From: Pointing My Way To A New Life"
Thanks for you help,your one terrific bunch of ladies. I'm really lucky coming to this core board 12 weeks ago.
DONNA-In answer to your early question,Yes I did have a chance to ride my stationery bike.
VICKIE-Thanks,I hope that this stress that hanging over me, will cease and than I can get back to getting down on the scale. Thanks for being there for me.
SLOAN-I'll have to go over to that prevention site and see the vegetarian diet you were talking about. Thats a possibility,and something new.
SANDRA-Maybe the Wendie Plan is something to consider also. That means I have to start counting points ago UGHHH!!Thanks for posting the plan to me,going to read what has to be done and if I like it I will try to incorporate it into the core plan.
RHONDA-I'm tried the hard core 2 weeks ago and it did work I now on a semi core as I only used 13 pts so far.I had 2 turkey meatballs with mozz cheese and tomato paste in a green pepper for tonights supper.I ready snacking on veggies,except for last evening like I posted earlier.
TRACIE-Tonight I'm going to be good as the snacks are gone, I threw out what I didn't munch on and hear I going for a clean sweep. Wish me luck for Thursdays W-I.
Hi Everyone
Just getting on here.
Hubby is soaking his toe right now. Seems some better. At least not black anymore. But they had cut most of that off. But still kinda red looking.
So thought I would get on here for a few.
The car show was a great success. Had more cars in the show than last year.
Sold out of all food. I really wanted some of the chicken they were roasting. But they didnt have any left. They had french fries with or without cheese. Had a lady fix her a big serving of them. Then she wanted to share with everyone. Told me to eat some. Said no. I have to weigh in tomorrow. Said oh a few wont hurt. Then said what cant you eat them on your diet. I told her. Yes I could eat them if I wanted. And believe me I wanted too. But said No I chose not to eat them.
So after we got done. Son took us to Bob Evens to eat. Got the grilled chicken dinner there.
Went and weighed in the afternoon instead of tonight. I lost 3 1/2 lbs. I was really surprised. My scales said I had a gain of a pound. So guess I will go with WW scale.
VICKIE Hope you feel better.
Well I am going to get off here.
Go check on hubby.
Hope everyone had a great day.
Thinking of each of you.
coco
Core Chat - Sept 22 to Sept 28
. Didn't get as much done as I wanted to this weekend, but I did get 4.5 pints of tomatillo salsa and 8 pints of tomato sauce canned (took all day Sat). Then yesterday I made regular tomato salsa which I'll put in jars and can as soon as I finish posting, it's supposed to make 6-7 pints. As much work as it was this weekend I'll be happy come Feb. And cost whys it's cheaper (if you don't count labor), last year I used all my own and my parents tomatoes but this year my garden stunk so I actually bought tomatoes, but still it was only $8 for a 25 lb box, so not too bad.
. Haven't seen any gas issues here, that must be really frustrating.
on the planning and avoiding temptations.
