Hey, Kath! I just popped in for a minute on my way out. You are doing amazing! It's really hard at restaurants but it can be done and you are living proof of that. Congratulations on resisting all those temptations. Mexican is my favorite too but I haven't gone because I know I just can't be good. What do you think of grilled carne asada. Is skirt steak lean enough? Or is it marinated in bad oil. That's my favorite but I know I could force myself to eat fajitas if I had too. But I LOVE the rice and beans and chips and salsa. Sigh.....maybe I should just avoid it for now. Chipotle has been helping me alot in the meantime.

Talk to you all tomorrow night!

hi girls!

welcome to all the newbies! cool to have you here.

i have been on a hiatus so to say! the snow is gone and the calendar is busy. but here i am. i missed weigh in on thursday so not sure what will happen this week. dh had a going away party thrown for him.....he went from a day job to shift again...so i was his designated driver. he had a good time and they spoiled him rotten. week before that i was in toronto for the week being wined and dined by the hotels who are trying to get the conference i am organizing........lots of fun there

i have an eye infection or really bad allergies.....been dropping in polysporin drops and taking reactine.......may have to go to the dr. if it doesn't heal up. really makes ya tired.....or maybe that is the never ending calendar we have right now

i joined curves on saturday...yippee!! can't wait for tomorrow night for my first workout, i was a member 3 years ago so it is nice to start up again. i am also joining a softball team....if i can get my throwing arm in shape.....hahaha! should be fun. and tomorrow night i am going to a fortune teller.....never ever done that before so it should be interesting.

i better go and catch up on the weekend reading. i have been checking in just not posting

cheers

Hey Frannie - welcome back - dying to hear about all the hotels you visited and the wining and dining - sounds like lots of fun! congrats on joining Curves - I bet you will love it!...and hope the eye gets better!

Kathy - I am extremely impressed w/your most recent efforts in avoiding those things which might be your "nemesis". Good for you....sounds like you are learning how to deal with some of your previous downfalls! Way to go!

Vickie - are you actually going to babysit at 5:30 am??? which obviously means getting up earlier than that, getting ready and getting there? This would be EXTREMELY PAINFUL for me! Have fun (and a nap when you get a chance!).

I am not doing that well today - feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster and dh spends his time either barely speaking to me or angry at me or ignoring me.....this is really affecting my mood as I try to be as "functional" as possible, given the turmoil of the last few days.

This morning I had a lovely birthday breakfast w/my gf who knitted me this wild/furry raspberry pink scarf - it is GORGEOUS - of course I probably can't wear it till the fall - but both my fall and winter coats are black and this will look great (need to find a pair of raspberry leather gloves to complete the look). Ate okay (skillet egg - over sauteed veggies w/ham - told them light on the cheese and hold the toast)...came w/a fresh fruit cup.

Then off to dh's mom's 75th birthday party at his sister's place. They have this huge garage (think rv size) about 25 foot high ceiling...and they put in a dance floor, crystal ball, strobe lights and all decorated w/flowers, balloons for the party. Quite pretty.

Weather was fabulous today so we sat out in the back by the pool (no, not open yet!), but I actually felt like I was burning so went in for a bit. Tables of food around: veggies, dip, chips, crackers, cheese, and around 2 pm they served burgers and hot dogs. I actually was NOT hungry so did not have any at that time...had mainly veggies and dip (lf ranch).....but did do some grazing thru the afternoon, had a few oz of cheese, maybe a handful of chips, and lots more veggies and dip....2 diet pepsi and 2 bottles of water helped fill me up. I did not have any cake or ice cream.

My other sil did come up to me and said that it looked like dh and I had lost some weight (have not seen her in a while!). Of course this was a sign for me to extoll the virtures of WW Core plan and how great I felt not eating sugar, etc..yadayadayada.... she is quite slim but was interested in the "feeling better/eating healthy" scenario".

Of course I was starving when we got home, around 7 pm...broiled a burger and had it w/some peas and ww pasta - that was not the problem..it was the leftover slice of my birthday cake in the fridge which I had for dessert! i certainly did not need it, was not hungry, but this was definitely stress/emotional eating. I am feeling quite overwhelmed with emotions and I feel I just can no longer cope. I don't know how I will got in to work tomorrow, when I feel so unsettled inside? It's probably better for me to go and be distracted.

I feel like such a faker - on the outside I seem happy and smiling and functional - but on the inside I am sad, and crying and wishing I were dead. I have no optimism left yet I keep on going...eventually I know something's gotta give. Had a couple of stomach aches this week which I think are due to anxiety - would hate to think I was developing an ulcer or something like that??? ..and this past week I have been so missing my mom and wishing she were still alive - I know she would be so upset to hear what was going on in my life - but at least she would make me feel better!

Frouf

Hi Lisa, Hi Vicky!
Lisa-thanks for the advice on eating out, I definately have to master it, because I WONT deprive myself of eating out! =)
Vickie-WOW you sound like one busy lady!
Thanks for that website, lots of awesome recipes!!
Silly question, when the recipe says "CORE" and then in the recipe it says how many servings it is, does this mean that we should only have one "serving" or can we have more than one for a meal?
and Vickie thanks for the TONS of ideas on eating out! WOW, you make my packing a diaper bag sound SO EASY, it sounds like you pack so much with you, but Im sure you feel great in the long run when you had your healthy options! GOOD FOR YOU!

Another silly question, does anyone carry evaporated skim milk for coffee with them?

At the bday party today, I had:
Broiled salmon steak in a lemon sauce (They said it wasnt a creamy sauce, and it really wasnt, very liquidy, if thats a word )
and I also had broccoli (Steamed with just a touch of flavor)
a baked/roasted potato (It tasted too darn good to be totally core )
THEN everyone had pasta with brocc rabe and sundried tomatoe, and I just took the brocc and tomato from my hubbys dish, is this ok???
I skipped the cake! VERYYY proud of myself!
and I had some coffee with whole milk twice today, very mad at myself but there was no option of skim milk....
So how would I count my "points used" for a day like today?
The party was from noon-5pm, and then we went to my parents house.
Everyone "nibbled" on food later on, I had nothing (but my 2nd cup of coffee for the day). So I do feel better incase I had too many extra points today...
How did I do? what should I be more careful on ?

Thanks ladies!!

Welcome Anna, 2Boysforme, Julia, and Melissa! It's good to see more and more folks joining the Core bandwagon! Anna, I'm a strictly at home Core person but don't use me as an example since I can't seem to make myself eat right. I am constantly straying ... mainly because I don't like to cook! It's good to see your enthusiasm! I need to catch some of it!

Dear Froufy, no need to feel like a faker because you put on a "happy face" for the world but I do think it makes it harder for you when you internalize all your painful and hurt feelings. I'm very worried about you ... maybe you could work in some extra sessions with the therapist if you feel like talking it out is helping you cope? I hope you are proud of just how strong and focused you are being with your eating, despite all the turmoil you are going through. I hope today is a good day for you!

Vickie, I hope the orthopedic appointment goes well. What a sweetie you are to babysit so early in the morning!

Kathy, enjoy your opening day fun at the ballpark! You should be so proud of yourself for your great eating/drinking choices for the past several days. I think your plan to have just a taste here and there of the things you enjoy seems to be working great for you! Way to go!

Linda, sounds like you are doing well also ... way to go on another loss! Two in a row! You go, girl! And yes, we have the little lizards up here too! It took me a while to figure out what P.I.T.A stood for ... The lizards don't bother me too much but they drive the cats crazy! My cats are indoor only cats and the lizards seem to scamper all around the windows to torment them!

Frannie, it's great to hear from you! Check in as often as you can to keep us posted on your happenings!

Angela, I'm sorry you had a hectic Sunday. Hopefully, it settled down!

I had my usual bad eating weekend. I was busy all weekend, with my various and sundry spring cleaning activities. I got my steam cleaner thing in on Friday but was somewhat disappointed in its performance. Seems like for some things (think soap scum) steam alone just won't do the trick. I blasted all my baseboards too but couldn't tell a significant difference. Maybe this is a good thing ... maybe I'm a much cleaner housekeeper than I thought I was! My tile floors are shining though! Got my pantry organized ... FINALLY ... so I'm starting anew. I've eaten well thus far today and am trying very hard not to let any self-defeating thoughts or behaviors creep in!

Have a great Monday everyone!

GOOD MORNING ALL

Well I did get to bed by 11:20 pm but I do still feel pretty exhausted, I really think I need to sleep more as I believe this might be affecting my emotional well being - everything seems worse when you're tired!

Thanks for the big hug Deborah - I could really use it. Sounds like you are a housekeeping Diva - I am especially impressed w/your pantry reorganization. Boy do I have to do that too! (I even have a dry goods pantry downstairs with some boxes of cheerios that I'm sure even the food bank does not want!!)

Still feeling lousy - dh is now talking to me it seems - I am not that interested, esp as I know that within minutes/hours there would be some blowout on account of 1 child or another pushing one of his buttons, and then again there would be anger/non communication so I am not hopeful of calm environment (which is what I really feel I need right now!).

At work tho - very busy, but feeling quite emotional and unstable, so I am afraid of just breaking down should things not go my way - not a good way to function!

Have a dentist appt at 3:30 pm so leaving early - I am actually looking forward to this - there is a nice consignment shop in the plaza where the dentist is located and I usually go in there and do some browsing. There is also a fruit and veggie store there as well, so will see what's on "sale" this week and maybe pick up a few items if so inclined???

Anna - sounds to me like you did a great job at the party. Congrats on staying away from the cake. As for the whole milk in coffee thing - I wouldn't sweat it - that's what the extra points are for! I personally only like cream in my coffee! At work I keep a container of light cream (5% fat) formy coffee but sometimes when eating out I will have real cream or a combo of 2% milk/cream in my coffee....I do use my extra points for this (probably 2 pts per day).

Okay I just figured out what P.I.T.A. stands for as well - - no wonder i never heard of those kinds of lizards - guess pita bread is not qute the same thing?

Feeling very VULNERABLE with my eating today - probably due to emotional stresses? Anyone have any ideas/suggestions? I just feel like right now I don't care - not very motivated, and feel like I'm treading in dangerous waters. Have brought "appropriate" stuff to work today - but one wrong move could spell disaster given my attitude. Need to be extra vigilant and careful until I can feel I am in more control of my attitude and eating!

At least it's bright and sunny out today which does help!

Frouf

Hi all!

Wow I sure miss alot since I don't visit here on the weekends.

Welcome Anna. I'm on my fourth week of core, so I'm pretty new myself. Love it so far.

Froufy when I'm feeling vulnerable I do something special. Maybe a manicure or a new hairstyle or color? Having good foods around is helpful, but I know what you mean about feeling just this side of out of control. It's good to pamper yourself when you feel this way.

Frannie, enjoy Curves. I have a friend who loves it there.

Vickie, I hope the orthopede fixes everything so you are pain-free.

Linda, congrats on the loss!

Kathy, you're an inspiration. I love outdoor festivals and hopefully I can learn to nibble and enjoy them without going crazy.

I had a good weekend. Did some outdoor cleanup and planted my flowers. There's always more to do, but it looks so much better already. My dh wanted to go out to breakfast, so I had his side order of pancakes and two scrambled eggs. I figured about 15 pts on the pancakes (and sooo worth it). Since I do strict core every day, I had lots of points to spare.

I'm at two miles for my marathon training and I talked my neighbor into going walking with me. We just moved into this area in December, so I was thrilled to have an opportunity to get to know some of the new people. She may stick with the program and do the marathon with me too, which would be very cool.

I made the Lebanese moussaka (I forgot who mentioned buying some a week or so ago). It was absolutely fabulous (and a little dangerous, since I had two big bowls of it). I'm trying to eat very light today and tomorrow for W/I on Tuesday. I will be very disappointed if I go another week without at least a pound or two lost.

Happy Monday - enjoy the springtime.

Deborah, too bad about the steamer. On the infomercial it looked like this miraculous thing. I've been seriously considering one for awhile, but may hold off based on your experience.

Frouf: I hope that your day has taken a turn for the better. I think Terry is on to something--you should pamper yourself, do something extra special. You deserve some stress relief.

I had a very non-Core weekend, despite the fact that it was my first. Friday night dh and I decided to blow my points with fast food (bad idea!!). Then we ate with the in-laws on Saturday which consisted of pizza. It was thin veggie pizza, but didn't help with w/i this morning. On saturday morning I weighed and had lost 3 pounds. This morning (actual w/i) showed I gained one back, but I think it might be due to the time of the month. Hopefully I can control myself this week. I am trying to incorporate points into daily eating instead of blowing them all at once.

Hope everyone has a great Monday night!

Well, I had a no lose/no gain weigh-in. Not a lot of fun, but I kind of had the feeling I was due for one. I'd really like to make 15 pounds before 16 weeks, though. I was good and went for my walk this morning, though, even though I was sore an tired from a marathon of housework yesterday. I've just discovered a wonderful housekeeping tool: A bored 5-year-old and a box of diaper wipes. My son is fascinated by cooking and cleaning for some reason. He's too little to do much, but boy is he thorough if you set him to work on some out-of-the way corner.

Sorry things have continued to be so tough, Froufy. I hate that passive/aggresssive stuff and it's hard having to put on a happy face. I've admired the way you do seem to be able to take some pleasure in little things, like lunch with your gf.

Hi to everyone else and another welcome to the new folks. I'm going to make spaghetti tonight. Not my personal fave, but it's Core and the kid's like it.

Cher, I've noticed that phenomenon too - a kid and a box of baby wipes can go a long way! My 4 year old LOVES to help me clean. The other day when I was doing the master bath, she cleaned the WHOLE floor by herself with a half a sponge. I kind of feel like I'm supporting child labor! Actually though, I really believe it's important for kids to get a good work ethic, so I'm just practicing good parenting, right?

Today I ate fairly well. Family had homemade chocolate shakes for a treat, and I did the dishes instead. Yay! I have a physical tomorrow (my first in over 10 years) so I have to fast this evening.

I have a bad feeling that my w/i won't be good this week. I've been off on my exercise since my knee started hurting. Oh well, I'll try as hard as I can, and hope for the best!

Angela

Good luck w/the physical tomorrow Angela - I'm sure dr will notice you are in great shape!...and good for you for resisting the chocolate shakes. As for child labor - enjoy it while you can! They do like to help when they're younger, but somewhere around 8 or so they realize it's "work" and can be come quite scarce when there is housework to be done (let alone try and get them to clean their rooms!).

Cher - you're still doing great. Remember that weight loss is not linear and there will be times when you do not lose - this does not mean you have done something wrong - just need to wait for your body to readjust! Thanks for the kind thoughts - and yes I have to take pleasure in the little things or wherever I can find it!

Vickie - did you survive your day? Hope you got a nap in there somewhere!

Terry - thanks for the idea to pamper myself! Dropped dd off at dance class with a plan to go to Starbucks for my favorite decaf cappucino, but she seemed a bit sad this evening, so I went shopping and got her some new undies, socks and a little black blazer - store was closing so no time to get myself something!!!

Congrats on your marathon training start! Good for you. ..and boy do I love pancakes - and just realized I have not had any in......well since I've been on WW (Jan 2005)....my favorite are the homemade ones that I have been making for years. Eldest ds will sometimes beg me to make some (even tho it's an easy recipe that he can make himself)...and if I'm not busy I do it for him (and then snitch a few). hmmmm...realize he probably has not asked for some in a while (or I was so careful I did not have any? is that possible? )

Can you also post the recipe for the lebanese moussaka if you have not yet done so? I was the found who found it in the store (chickpeas in an eggplant & tomato/onion sauce)...they were great - of course I can no longer find them there!!! Will have to put up a fuss next time I go to that store!!! Figures you find something all core that tastes great - and then it's gone!

I am still feeling quite sad this evening - I can always find something to be depressed about if I choose to (like dd coming down to dinner and saying "hi" to dh and him completely ignoring her!).... dh is now into this big hugging thing - like that's going to make things better. Was quite helpful at dinner time and I guess is trying to "make nice", but frankly I so "do not care", at least that's how I feel now - like he's just broken my spirit and I have no more strength to try again....hopefully this will change?

As for my eating - it's not too bad, but not great either. Just realized that maybe some of my eating is due to TOM? Yes....remember that 2 week long period I'm having? Well it's now actually the REAL time that I'm suppoosed to be having TOM (and I still am...ugh!)....so this might explain the cake last night and the munchies today. Was still hungry after lunch so ate a mini-bag of popcorn for dessert. Hungry before dinner, had some couscous salad I got at the store, and yes a FRESH slice of bread w/margarine.....was not that hungry when dinner was finally ready so only had a small portion (brown rice, beef teriyaki stir-fry). Still had the munchies so I found my bag of bbq rice chips and nibbled on those for a while.

Probably ate too much, but I know it could have been worse? Tomorrow is an all day training/team building session. Thank goodness a few people decided we should "brown bag" it as the other suggestion was to either order in pizza or chinese food - neither of which would have done me any good (yes I have rice and beef stir fry leftovers for tomorrow!!!). Also packed up a bowl of fresh strawberries and some cut up veggies w/lf dip, sf/ff yogurts and I hope this will keep my mouth busy and tummy full throughout the day (dh laughs when he sees me leave for work with my shopping bag of food!).

Also trying to get to bed earlier as I hope this will help improve my mood and/or help me cope better right now!

So off to bed I go - nitey nite!

Frouf

Good Morning All! I was so scared that there would be 20 pages of messages that I missed while I was gone. Had to get up at 4:00 am yesterday to shower and get ready to babysit for Great Niece and Great Nephew since I had to go straight from there to lunch and Doctor. Kids were adorable as always but it's stressful because I have to make sure that nothing happens on MY watch! Jim helps but had to go back and forth twice to our house to take care of our Scottie. When he's there he's a big help because he adores the kids as much as I do!

Doctor visit was fine. He did an xray and nothing is broken. I didn't think there was! Have order for PT but don't know how much yet. Orders not to pick up anything heavy, including my purse! I wonder what Ortho would say about my computer mouse and typing?! I'm supposed to ice...I'd been using heat at advice of Internist. If PT doesn't work then cortisone shot and if that doesn't work MRI and maybe surgery. Ortho called it "classic tennis elbow/tendonitis" and didn't seem surprised that it happend from the accident. So I'll be scheduling that PT. In the meantime it hurts from picking up Great Nephew and from Ortho twisting it all around. Ice for me when I'm done here.

Came home from Doctor appointment and stayed up even though we were both very tired. Order pay per view "Shall We Dance" movie and had some popcorn and went to bed at 10:00 pm. Slept through until 8:00 this morning! We were TIRED! I would have been tired just from babysitting but I also get really tired from stress whenever I go to the Doctor. The rest of my week should be easy.

I didn't have time or the energy to exercise yesterday so I'll have to be sure to do it today. I'm going to go read all of the messages from yesterday!

Happy day to all! Vickie, I hope the PT works for you -- surgery would stink! But now would your auto insurance pay for it, or maybe the other person's? I wonder how that works if it's the result of an accident.

I got up with the determination to commit to a full week of watching my Ps and Qs ... except for the daily coke which you know I'm not giving up. I figure I can have it and use either the WPAs or APs for it and still won't feel deprived. But for the other stuff, my lunches are all lined up for the week, and dinner should be a breeze because we have so much good food to choose from after my big weekend shopping trips with the coupons.

The game was SO much fun even though we lost. Still though ... fun is fun is fun. DH bought me a new cap at the ballpark -- it is pink and white with the "T" embroidered in pink. Not exactly Rangers colors (but hey, neither is my favorite Rangers t-shirt -- also pink) but it is VERY girlie and noticeable. I feel like a widdle girl in all that pink!

The new furniture is supposed to arrive today so I stayed home and oh get this -- we got home from the game yesterday to 10 calls on the answering machine. Seems as though sometime during the day, the dogs dug under the chain link fence that separates the back yard in half (we did that so we could put them on one side while fertilizing, mowing, partying, etc. in the other side and then switch) and THEN they knocked out some fence boards and were frolicking in the street! At least we live on a cul-de-sac and all the neighbors know us and the dogs, and they knew the dogs shouldn't be out. So anyway DH had to stay home today too because after the furniture guys leave, he has to go to Home Depot and buy new fence sections. I swear, if it's not one thing it's 400 others!

I'm going to cook some breakfast now, have my chicken salad for lunch already made along with a big bowl of fruit, and we will probably grill tonight. I *LOVE* summer!

Kathy, sorry about the Rangers but hope you had a great fun day anyway! The White Sox hardly ever win their Home Opener. This year was a real fun exception!

Frannie, good to see you back! We'll take whatever time you can give us. Deborah has a great memory. She remembered you were in Toronto. It's good that you had fun but I hope your eyes get better quickly! I'll be real interested to hear how you like Curves. I've never gone but they are all over the place here. I was always afraid that I'd be too big for the machines or that I wouldn't be able to do them. Softball, huh? So your Son isn't the only athelete in the family! This sounds like it would be great exercise.

Frouf, I'm worried about you too. You are so good at taking care of and worrying about everyone else but you don't take care of you. You really do need to talk to someone who only cares about your best interests. You do need to get some more sleep. Yesterday (my kiddie/Dr. marathon) reminded me that everything is harder when you are tired/exhausted. Even I didn't care about my program at lunch yesterday. They didn't have much Core stuff to eat and I didn't care! I understand how you feel about missing your Mom. I still miss mine. She's been gone since 1999 but really she was gone much earlier since she suffered with Alzheimer's disease for 7 years before she died. I really admire you for hanging in there and not throwing DH out with the bath water. But.....make sure you get some help for you too. You cannot live your life hiding all your pain inside. Most companies (don't you work for health care?) have Employee Assistance Programs where you could get counseling for free or very nominal charge. Couldn't you take advantage of this? Ok, I know I sound like the HR person/Manager that I was for 30 years but I can't help it! These programs can be life savers. Many companies will even let you attend during working hours. Check it out sweet Frouf. YOU ARE WORTH IT! My eating advice for you is the same thing I tell myself when times are tough. Do the best you can from meal to meal. If you slip, get right back on program the next meal, have a little extra water, and a little extra exercise, and give yourself a break. You're human. Don't throw the whole program out the window. Look how far you have come!

Terry, I'm really glad that you are still enjoying Core and that you found someone to exercise with. Companionship can be so important to the success of these programs! Two miles is a lot to me! I'm still only doing 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 miles per day. Good Luck on your weigh in today!

Melissa, cheese and fast food are salty so you are probably experiencing some temporary water gain. Drink lots of water to flush out those non-Core foods!

Try not to sweat it, Cher. Believe me, I understand because my weight loss has been like a roller coaster. I lose little bits for a couple of weeks then a good loss! As long as my average is still 1 pound or higher a week, then I'm happy. Steady and slow wins the race!

Deborah, it sounds like Sunday was a very productive day for you. It's good to organize (I'm an organizing freak!) and I'm sure it will help you with your program. Sorry to hear that the steamer didn't meet your expectations but perhaps you are too hard on yourself. Maybe you are a better Housekeeper then you give yourself credit for! Hope your program is going well now that you've got a stocked Core pantry!

Angela, I'm holding good thoughts for you for your physical. I'm guessing your Doctor is going to say you are in great shape!