[Determined Annie]

Lady Rider, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Looking forward to your return to the board. Stay Strong.

Cyan and Cjunk, sending thoughts your way, hope you both feel better soon. Get Well Wishes to you both.

Precious One, hope you're doing ok, come back and post soon. WI-wide, hope to see you posting soon.

Miki, sounds like you have a full load going, I applaud you for being able to keep things running smoothly. You seem to stay very active, you are probably burning a lot more calories than you think you are with all the things you do in a day. Sometimes there's not enough time in a day to get in "scheduled" exercise. Being active burns calories also, housework, shopping, walking back and forth through the house, or keeping up with children. Sounds like you are burning calories more so than I am. Try to take some time for yourself. I know that seems impossible sometimes, but you deserve a little time for yourself.
It appears that you and I both have that same problem area. I've been reading up on exercises and things to do for that area. But I'm going to get rid of alittle more of this fat before I start on that. Some of those exercises I've read about make me want to bury my head in the sand. I'm not looking forward to doing those, but it's all part of it.

reina_mia, you and I must have been having the same thoughts lately. I was in the grocery store late this afternoon, for some reason I was looking through the hot chocolate section. Every box I picked up seemed to come in around 170 calories a serving. But then I spotted one that was Fat Free with Calcium, it is 25 calories a serving. I struck gold! It doesn't have the mini marshmellows in it but they melt right away anyway. So atleast I found something for a beverage that is nice and warm during the cold months. It will be a treat, not an all day type drink. I've been only drinking water all day, so atleast now that I've found this I can treat myself once a day with a nice hot cup of cocoa when it's cold outside. I tried it when I got home, it's really good. Very chocolatey tasting. Oh yea I guess the name of it would be helpful to those of you who would like to try it. It's made by Nestle, Fat Free Hot Cocoa Mix With Calcium. It's delicious.
Thanks for the tips about the candy. Where do you find that at? Candy aisle, or where the sugar free items are sold? I know that Equal is a sugar substitute. Just curious where you found it at.

Lisa, great going on the food choices. It takes a while to change eating habits. You're on the right track. You're welcome, anytime you need help or support any of us will be glad to offer to help. Great group of Ladies here.

Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow. Hope Lady and WI-wide and Precious One joins us soon. Get well Cjunk and Cyan, miss you Ladies.

Stay Confident, Stay Strong.

[MikiG]

Bad as I hate it, I only have about 2 minutes to post tonite. I ate too much today but did extra on my Air Walker. ( 60 minutes) Burned around 500 calories I think. ( Calories by the way were like 2100 )

Cant address individual posts because short on time but all of you who havent been feeling well, I really hope you're lots better SOON!!

Everyone keep up the good work! And remember when you mess up ( like I did today) dont do the way I used to do and say"Ohwell, messed up..may as well forget it and eat" I did that sooo many times in the past. Just forgive yourself and get back on track

Ya'll have a great Thursday!!

MIKI

[cyan]

Thanks for all the well wishes Annie. I am on the mend and my tummy is starting to feel normal again...I will head back to work this afternoon. I got a stomach virus...Tuesday evening after eating, I started to get stomach cramps and I thought I had eaten to much steak...although I had 4oz...which is not alot but I am not a big meat eater...So I chalked it up to that. Well during the night, my cramps continued and by morning I wasnt feeling any better. I had a low grade fever and slept most of yesterday away. I consumed about 300 cals coming from one meal which was bread with peanut butter and water. And no I did not exercise

So today, I will eat more bread and peanut butter and perhaps a banana so as not to irritate my stomach any further.

Mikki 60 minutes on the glider WOWOWOWOWOWOOHOO so 2100 minus 500 is 1600 calories..I'd say you did pretty good!

Annie how have you been doing with cal consumption and exercising?

Hey Cjunk, how are you feeling?

Well girls dont forget to post your measurements or weight this coming nov 23 rd here on this thread....Together we will make it through the holidays and not sabotage our efforts and successes thus far.

Cyan

[LadyRider]

Hi All, Happy Thursday!
I just got back from my run and wanted to post before I head out to meet a friend for a lite lunch. I’m telling ya, being semi – retired is tough.
Lisa– I am also a nurse, and hearing about your studies brings back lots of memories. A&P is tough, but I found it fascinating. On the other hand, we didn’t get to practice on dead cats or a plastic Penis! Seriously, a big congrats on getting a B on lecture exam, that’s no easy feat. You had asked for suggestions on something to eat during class. Have you tried the soy energy bars? Cliff and Luna make some that are really healthy and filling. That with a personal sized bottle of chocolate soy milk (or regular milk) is my choice when I’m running around and don’t have time to eat. You can buy them in any grocery store. Just don’t get regular granola bars, they’re high in calories and fat and have no nutritional value. BTW, that peanut butter and jelly sandwich wasn’t a bad choice. Just go easy on the jelly, or like Annie suggested, try substituting a banana for the jelly.

Cyan – So glad you're feeling better. I was afraid you had gotten a hold of a bad piece of meat. You take care of yourself and don't over do it.

Miki, you’re doing great! 60 minutes! WOW! Exercising ia a great way to balance when you over eat. Keep up the good work!

I really like the idea of pictures to go with the names. We could do "before and after", or we could just post face shots. What do you all think?
Another good hot drink for those cold evenings: Alpine sugar free Spiced Cider. Or Alpine Original Spiced Cider (80cal per cup) It comes in a box like the hot chocolate. It’s usually found with the hot chocolate, but one of my stores keeps it in the health food section. Also, Lipton makes a Diet Raspberry Ice Tea Mix for cold tea, but it’s excellent hot – and only 5 calories per serving.
Gotta Run – You all have a great day!


Lady

[reina_mia]

Annie,
Thanks for the hot cocoa idea. I can't wait to go buy it. I am having a very hard time giving up coffee in the morning.
Hear this though, I used to put in 6-7 sugars and 1/4 of milk to it. Now I use 2 packets of extra and I am looking for a creamer substitute that is tastie. I tried silk, and YUK!

The Extra candies, I first tried at my dentist this weekend, and I like them so much I checked it out on the web and on the web, it says you can purchase them at any Walmart. I would think it would be by the candie section still. They come in a box.

MikiG - I hope you are having a better day today . You have a great mindset, keep up the good work, and burning 500 calories was great. Don't forget that brings your total calorie intake down to around 1600. That is awesome. Can't wait to get there.

Cyan - I really hope you are felling better. Take it easy the next couple of days, I am sure you are very weak from the low calorie intake. Take care of yourself...

Cjunk, hope to see you posting soon.

I am counting down the days to posting my measurements on the site...
I hope everyone has a blessed day.

[Lisathemommy]

Hey there girls. I don't have alot of time because I have to run have lunch with hubby and then go grocery shopping. I just wanted to say a couple of things. I tried on a pair of jeans today that are usually pretty tight and they came on loose!!!! And then, when I put on my shirt, which has also been a little tight...I noticed I didn't have to pull it over my big tummy. It just slid down! That feels so great!! So even though my weight has stayed at the exact same spot for 2 weeks, I am seeing a difference and that is AWESOME!!!

Also, I'm all for putting my picture on here to match my face, but how would I go about doing that? I have a dig cam and a scanner...but how would I put it at this sight??? Just wondering!

You all are so encouraging! Thank you so much. I'm so glad I found this website! I'm going grocery shopping today for HEALTHY food! BYE

Lisa

[reina_mia]

Lisa,
Way to go! I can 't wait for my clothes to show that I am really losing the inches. Keep up the good work and have a great day.

[Determined Annie]

Hi Cyan glad to hear that you are feeling some better. I thought maybe you had some food posioning, I know you must have felt horrible. Those stomach viruses are awful. Have you tried the BRAT foods? Banana, rice, applesauce, toast(dry). The last time anyone in my family had a stomach virus that's what we started off with. Very easy on the stomach and digestive track. I hope you start feeling lots better very soon. Nope, we didn't expect you to continue excercising, I'm surprised that you didn't though. You are a tough one to keep up with the exercising with. I was in hopes you wouldn't ask me that, get that foot ready
But my cal intake is holding steady at 1200, but um...um...I have slacked off alittle in the exercise department. Yesterday I only did about a 31 minute session. I'm having a hard time getting used to the new resistance level, it's kicking my behind. I'm not going to give up though, the burning in my legs and arms will once again go away. I'm glad to see you posting again, hang in there, you'll be feeling better before you know it. Get plenty of rest.
Worried about you Cjunk, hope you are feeling better. Get well soon.
Miki, so proud of you. You're doing great. Whenever you're ready to start on those tummy exercises let me know. I'll let you go first and then you can tell me how rough they are!
Lady Rider, glad to see you posting. Thanks for the tip about the cider, I forgot about trying that. I'll have to go back to the store and check on that. Glad to hear that you are still going for your runs, you keep up the good work. Hang in there.

reina_mia, a big applause for giving up all that sugar in your coffee. I almost fell off my chair when I read how much sugar you used to put in your coffee. I wish I had a tip for you about the creamer, my husband uses a Lite version. I gave up coffee years ago, also caffeine. If I do drink coffee I drink the decaffienated type. Every now and then I might have a cup. I drink hot tea sometimes, decaffienated also. I was thrilled when I found the hot cocoa, now atleast I have a special treat for myself with a hot beverage. The cocoa is 99.9% caffeine free. I'm also going to try the cider that Lady suggested. Especially around the holidays.
Thanks again about the candy tip, I will check at Walmart. I've been wanting to find some different little treats for stocking stuffers. I hope the candy is individually wrapped.
Keep up the good work reina_mia, sounds like you are doing great. I think letting go of the sugar definitely shows you are serious about getting on track with healthy eating.

Lisa, You Go Girl! Cyan was talking about this not too long ago. How sometimes looking at the scale doesn't really show what you've lost. But putting clothes on and noticing a change says everything. The other day I got out some clothes that I haven't worn because of my weight gain. I was very pleased that I can now button my jacket and also not have to lay down on the bed when I try to zip my jeans!
I'm very happy for you, I know the feeling you felt. To some it might be minor, but to those of us who have struggled to get into our clothes it's a great feeling. I've still got lots of work to do on my tummy area, but so far so good. You are reaching accomplishments every time you put on something and you don't have to wrestle it on. I'm finding as time goes by, I'm a lot happier when I'm able to wear something that I haven't been able to than to see that I've lost more weight on the scale. But don't get me wrong, I'm not parting with my scale. I practically sleep with that scale.
About your question about putting your pic on this thread. When you reply to a message you will see at the bottom of that page some advice about that. If you have webspace it's a lot better to use that instead of attaching an image. You can use the img tags when you have you pic stored on your webspace. I think the other way you would hit the browse button and find your file on disk or on your computer. I've never put an image on a forum thread before either, so I will have a trial and error deal with it also. I'm not sure if this forum has a test thread or not, I will check and see. If so, I will practice there.
Cyan,thanks for the heads up about our weight, measurements on Nov. 23rd. on this thread.
Precious One, WI-Wide, hope you two are doing ok. Check in and let us know how you're doing.
Hope everyone has a great evening.
Stay Motivated, Stay Confident.

[cyan]

Just a quick update...I went to work this afternoon but I am not feeling 100 percent. I dont have stomach cramps anymore but now I have intestinal cramps..they come and go in waves.

Thanks Annie for the food info...I will be have toast tonight ...my appetite is not back yet...have consumed thus far 600 cals...yeesh, all I had was a peanut butter sandwich with a banana! I dont think I will be exercising again tonight..I will take it easy and rest.

Cjunk where are you I sure hope you are well..I send you good energy.

Over the weekend, I will replace my avatar with a face shot of me and once the holidays are over, sometime in january I will post my holiday pics of me and my friends. I am so looking forward to you girls doing the same.

Lisa, in the initial stages of weight loss, measuring yourself is actually more accurate than the scale, expecially if you are exercising thus building muscle which weighs 4 times more than fat! So kudos on you for your accomplishments.

LadyRider how was your run...and your lunch meet with your friend?

Reina_mia thanks for the candy info...we have walmart here in montreal..will take a look for those treats.

So, girls, hopefully by tomorrow, I will be exercising again, the funny thing is I weighed myself for fun ok curiosity and I lost 3 pounds in a day...whoaaa ..to bad its water weight loss...oh well, I wont give up...

Stay strong and motivated

Cyan

[MikiG]

No time to post individually again today but saw this little poem at work today and had to bring it to share with you "chicks."


Twas the nite of Thanksgiving, but I just couldnt sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned, the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey, and buttered potatoes
cornbread and carrots, beans and tomatoes
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed thru the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees
"Happy eating to all, Pass the cranberries, Please"

May your stuffing be tasty, May your turkey be plump
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, May your pies take the prize
May your Thanksgiving Dinner stay OFF OF YOUR THIGHS

I thought it was PERFECT for all of us. Dont ya agree??

[cjunk]

Hello Everyone!! Sorry I haven't posted in so long. It was great to hear all of your postings and I felt bad for not being able to reply sooner. I have been suffering from funeral overload and also grieving with friends and connecting with them to support them through this challenging time.

I have been doing moderately well this week otherwise. I had a cold at the start of the week which my body seemed to fight faster than usual. Cyan, I am sorry to hear that you also were not feeling well. There was a bug going around in Ontario, perhaps it made its way to Montreal.

Near the end of the week with the funerals we went out for meals a lot as a way of meeting up. I didn't eat badly (mostly vietnamese and sushi which is all pretty healthy) but consequently did not really exercise either. I am going to have to spend the tail end of the week making up for it. I also have been having some evening mini-binges which is kind of like a little pattern of mine trying to sneak in and return. It is often a pattern when I am a bit blue and I definitely have had reason to be a bit down. I never had time for these before because I was usually at the pool, so I guess that means that this is a sign to get my butt back there!!!

I am worried that my jeans will stop fitting me again and I have been feeling so proud of my accomplishments so far that I would hate to screw it all up over an accumulation of mini-binges and inactivity (that would do it!).

So, here is the plan:

My boyfriend and I have plans for this evening, so before we go out I have to exercise at least 40 mins--probably my pilates tape because it is damn hard!!

Saturday---1 hour swim from 12-1pm
Sunday---1 hour swim from 12-1pm

And if I can make it to the climbing gym for a few hours that would be great too!! I have a lot of exercise catching up to do!! By this time this week I have usually put in about 3-4 hours of exercise and also eaten less than I have this week (argh!).

I will also go light on the eating. Weekends are usually the hardest but frankly I have had enough of restaurants lately and they are usually what brings my eating up higher---otherwise I am pretty good.

I will remove the snacky--bingey foods from my cupboard this weekend and restock my fruits and veggies.

It's back to boot camp!!!

Talk to you all soon when I have time to post more individual replies

Cjunk

[Lisathemommy]

Hello ladies! TGIF!!!! I'm so glad it's the weekend...if only I didn't have anything to do! I have a lifetime fitness class tomorrow morning and a wedding tomorrow afternoon in which I'm singing and I'm in charge of the flower girls since my daughter is one of them. Will I ever get a break?

Thanks all for the congrats on my clothes fitting better! I felt so good all day yesterday and was motivated not to overeat! Wow, it's amazing how success motivates us to do even better!

Annie, thanks for the info on putting pic up. I will try to do that this weekend.....probably with hubby's help.

Miki...I LOVED that Poem! I think I'll show that to my mother in law. She would love it.

CJunk..glad to hear your ready to get back into the swing of things. Sounds like you have a good plan. You've had an emotional time lately and it sounds like you've been pretty good about your evening. When an event like that happens in my life, I tend to just curl up in a ball and eat eat eat. I'm definitely an emotional eater.

Well, I wanted to share a couple of things. I bought some of the Campbells Soup at Hand. I took one with me and ate (drank) in on my way to class last night. It was Cream of Broccoli. YUMMY! It was so filling! And, it's 160 calories and 9 grams of fat and 3 grams of dietary fiber. It's only 3 weight watcher points if any of you do points.
Also, I bought some Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Kettle Korn. I was looking for the butter flavor Smart Pop, but they were out, but the Kettle Korn is such a good snack when you're craving something a little sweet. It is 0 points! It has 20 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 6 grams of fiber!!! WOW!

Well, I'm off to the gym. I hope everyone has a GREAT day!!!

Lisa

[cyan]

Morning Girls....My stomach is still bothering me so I went to go see my family doctor who told be that if might be a few more days before I get any relief...my stomach lining has been inflamed so now I will take antacids and Milk Of Magnesium to help...and so far it has been helping with the horrible pain I have been experiencing. So needless to say, I have not been exercising and I have not been eating either excpet for water, gatoraid and some noodles...so my cal consumption is at about 800 cals. I have been keeping hydrated so that is good and I have been sleeping lots too.

Cjunk sorry to hear about your blues...and I know you will get back on the exercise wagon...and those jeans will continue to fit.

Hey Lisa...your exercising in inspiring and taking care of your family and going to school and being on this health journey...I am glad you have come this thread to keep us all motivated. I also admire your willingness to try new things and solve your dilemas...ie: the soup for when you have classes and cant eat a normal meal

Mikki thank you for your poem...it put a smile on my face

Reina_mia, LadyRider, Annie and PreciousOne keep at it, you all inspire me so much and I so enjoy knowing that we are all in it for the betterment of ourselves.

Have a great day
Cyan

[reina_mia]

Good day everyone!

Annie, Thanks to you and everyone in this thread for making me see how really dedicated I am to make this work finally.

To answer your question about the candies, they are individually wrapped. I also went out and bought the cocoa last night. I bought the diet with calcium which is only 25 calories. I really like that part.

Cyan I hope you feel better fast. Try some crackers too. They will help the stomach cramps.

MikiG - I am going to post that poem on my fridge until Christmas!


Cjunk- I am sorry to hear how hard your week was. From reading your post, you will be able to fall right back into your good pattern in no time.
I have to confess, I had a bowl a cereal last night, and not the good cereal. I had sugar cereal(Lucky Charms). I still have my nights of craving snacks. I guess that really does take some time to break huh?
I can't wait to get into those 15 pairs of jeans at the bottom of my drawers that I haven't been able to feel comfortable in. Have a great swim this weekend. How is the Pilates. I want to start that?

Lisa, I also bought the campbells soup yesterday. I bought the Veggie Medley. It is only 110 cal and 2grams of fat. I have to get that popcorn too. I haven't seen a break yet, since I had my son. Is there such a word in our vocabulary anymore?

Well all, I was awakened about 4:30 this morning by my mother, who called to tell me that my niece went into labor. So I am waiting to hear when I become a Great-Aunt......
I plan on keeping with my food this weekend, and no eating out. Ok, not eating out as much!...
have a great weekend, and I will check in. It is too hard to try to catch up on Monday's

[cyan]

Hi I was surfing the net for food ideas...since I cant eat much, the next best thing is to look at food...oh those colorful pictures...yum
Anyway, I found a healthy appetizer which is low in cals, it looks like it might be very tasty....so here it is:

Diet for brain repairs
As part of a NASA study on nutrition needs in space, older rats in his laboratory were fed blueberry, strawberry and spinach diets.

Only the blueberry diet was effective in restoring short-term memory, and the rats showed marked improvement in balance, co-ordination and speed in finding their way through mazes.

The good news, said Joseph, is that there is hope for people 60, 70 and 80.

"We may have a tool for going back into the brain (to effect repairs)."

Cheese and Vegetable Quesadillas with Avocado and Tomato Salsa
The combos of beneficial compounds in this dish can't be beat. Carotenoids, the pigments which provide colour to fruit and vegetables, are plentiful as are nutrients such as folic acid and vitamin E. And it's delicious to boot!

Vegetable oil cooking spray
3 large flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat
1 cup (250 ml) shredded light cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
1 small red pepper, diced
1/3 cup (75 ml) chopped green onions, green parts only

Avocado and Tomato Salsa

1 avocado (preferably California), peeled and diced
1 tomato (about 6 oz/150 g), diced
3 tbsp (45 ml) finely chopped red onion
1 tsp (5ml) finely chopped jalapeño pepper
5 tsp (25 ml) fresh lime juice
2 tsp (10 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (25 ml) chopped fresh coriander, or cilantro
Salt

Avocado and Tomato Salsa:
In a medium bowl, toss together avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, olive oil and coriander; season with salt to taste. Set aside. (Salsa may be made a few hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

To make quesadillas:

Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray.
Spray one flour tortilla with cooking spray and place sprayed side down on baking sheet.
Divide cheese into 1/3-cup (75 ml) portions.
Spread half of one portion on half of the tortilla, leaving a half-inch (1 cm) border at edge.
Top with one-third of the red pepper and green onion
Top with remaining half of the cheese.
Fold uncovered side of tortilla over filling and press down so that tortilla will remain folded.
Repeat with remaining two tortillas.
Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Cut each quesadilla into quarters and serve with Avocado and Tomato Salsa.

Makes 4 appetizer servings or 2 main course servings.

Main-course serving nutritional information:
Calories: 416, Protein: 25 grams, Fat: 15 grams, Carbohydrates: 59 grams, Dietary fibre: 10 grams, Sodium: 760 mg.

Appetizer-serving nutritional information:
Calories: 258, Protein: 14 grams, Fat: 11 grams, Carbohydrates: 32 grams, Dietary fibre: 7 grams, Sodium: 450 mg.

-Recipe by Rosie Schwartz.


Ok, gotta suck back for pepsid ac....ack

Cyan