Recipe #3
Alfredo Sauce(Lowfat)
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated skim milk
2 tablespoons grated nonfat parmesan cheese
3 tsp butter-flavored sprinkles
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
6 tablespoons grated nonfat parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced scallions (garnish) (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (garnish) (optional)
1. In a bowl, combine the evaporated skimmed milk, 2 tablespoons grated nonfat Parmesan cheese, 3 teaspoons butter-flavored sprinkles and 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper.
2. Stir well.
3. Pour sauce over 10 oz of cooked, drained fettuccine pasta.
4. Toss gently for 2 minutes or until sauce is heated through and just begins to boil.
5. (Add a little more milk if it seems too dry.) Remove pot from heat and add the remaining 6 tablespoons grated nonfat Parmesan and toss.
6. Garnish with scallions and parsley. (optional)
7. Serve immediately.
Calories 201 Calories from Fat 4 Total Fat 0.4g Saturated Fat 0.2g Polyunsat. Fat 0g
Monounsat. Fat 0.1g
Cholesterol 21mg Sodium 349mg Potassium 835mg Total Carbohydrate 28.8g Dietary Fiber 0.3g
Protein 21.2g

Recipe #4 & #5. I'm posting these together since I use them together.

Buttermilk Pancakes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.

YIELD: 9 (4-inch) pancakes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories: 99 carbohydrates: 14.9 g cholesterol: 0 fat: 2.9 g sodium: 211 mg protein: 3.2 g calcium: 69 mg iron: 0.8 mg fiber: 0.4 g


Blackberry Raspberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Combine the sugar syrup, blackberries, raspberries, and lemon juice in a blender. Pulse 3 times or until the berries are chopped. Cover and chill.

YIELD: 1-3/4 cups (serving size: 2 tablespoons)
I store remaining sauce in an airtight container for later use. This is also good as an icecream(fat free icecream of course) topping. But I mainly use it on pancakes. I also decrease the amount of sugar alittle, but not much.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories: 33 carbohydrates: 9.6 g cholesterol: 0 mg fat: 0.1 g sodium: 0 mg protein: 0.2 g calcium: 5 mg iron: 0.1 mg
fiber: 1.1 g

Annie- you are awesome
 

Annie - Reading your post made me want to cry...I am such an emotional blubber.

My little 3 year old, knows I can't eat the junk anymore either, and he came to me with a mini kit-kat and told me it's ok, it is small. When i read your story, I just thought of my son, and how what we do really does impact others in our household.

I applaud you for not allowing the urge of a bag of chips to take you on.:bravo:

Love the recipes, I hope to use them soon.

Precious_one - Good work with the water, I haven't been as diligent with it myself, but I think I am heading to the store to pickup those 32 oz bottles for myself....

Have a great evening, I am about to head home to work out on my glider while watching Surviror and Friends.....l

:high: :high:

Recipe to add today
 

Lime Salsa Chicken(serves 4)
4 (4-6 oz.) fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lime, juiced
3/4 cup Apple Flavor LIBBY'S® JUICY JUICE® 100% Juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon Cubes

Spray a large skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Heat over medium heat before adding chicken breasts. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender,* turning to brown evenly. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.

In a mixing bowl combine lime juice, apple juice, cornstarch and bouillon cube. Add to skillet and cook, stirring, until thick. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve.

190 cal, 2grams of fat;

Hope you enjoy this.

Good evening to All. Hope everyone is having a great evening. I just finished my bike riding for the night. I was only able to get in 2 sessions today. But atleast I am staying somewhat on track.

reina_mia, you and Precious One are doing great with the water consumption. When I started out I barely was able to get a 12oz. bottle drank a day. I applaud you both, great work.
reina_mia, you are so right about that. We don't realize how much an affect we have on the rest of our family when we change things that have been routine for so long. My family is adapting well to my new recipes. Most of the time they can't tell the difference in them. It has taken me a while to convert most of my recipes to healthy ones. Some of them were disasters at first. Been mostly a trial and error until I got them right. But along the way I have found a lot of new healthy recipes that are delicious. Some of my old ones just don't turn out right when I convert them. So that's when I go looking for a recipe that is close to what I used to fix that is healthy. Your lime salsa chicken sounds delicious. I'm always looking for new chicken recipes. I get stuck in ruts using the same ones over and over again. I'm going to try Cyan's chicken recipe also. Cjunk has a great idea with the pizza recipe. I love pizza but have avoided it. This sounds like a recipe that I could get my pizza fix with. Thanks to everyone for posting a recipe. Great idea Lady. Hopefully everyone will continue to post some so we can swap, I'm always looking for good healthy recipes, especially ones that someone has tried and gives it a thumbs up.

Thought I would post some substitutions that can be used to lower the fat content in recipes. I use these a lot.

When your recipe says... . . . Try this instead
Whole milk (1 cup) Use: 1 cup skim or nonfat milk plus one tablespoon of unsaturated oil

Heavy cream (1 cup) Use: 1 cup evaporated skim milk or 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt and 1/2 cup plain low-fat cottage cheese

Sour cream Use: Low-fat cottage cheese plus low-fat or nonfat yogurt (fat-free sour cream is also available)

Cream cheese Use:4 tablespoons margarine blended with 1 cup dry low-fat cottage cheese; add a small amount of skim milk if needed (fat free cream cheese is also available)

Butter (1 tablespoon) Use: 1 tablespoon polyunsaturated margarine or 3/4 tablespoon polyunsaturated oil

Shortening (1 cup) Use: 2 sticks polyunsaturated margarine(applesauce can also be used instead of shortening)

Egg (1) Use:1 egg white plus 2 teaspoons of unsaturated oil or commercially made, cholesterol-free egg substitute

Unsweetened baking chocolate (1 ounce) Use:3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder plus 1 tablespoon polyunsaturated oil or margarine. Carob is sweeter than cocoa, so reduce sugar in recipe by 1/4

Does anyone else have any substitutions they would like to add?
Hope you ladies have a nice evening and a great day tomorrow.
Stay Confident. Keep up the great work.
:grouphug:

Arrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh!! Did pretty well all day then just few minutes ago, I happened up on a box of Malted Milk Ball chocolate candy that I didnt even realize we had. Just ate 3 of them but it added 95 calories to today's intake!! :( Sad thing is I REALLY wanted MORE!!!

Oh well, getting ready to go exercise some of it off. Hopefully the kids will eat the rest of them soon..lol I just added up all my calories since Sunday, and my average is 1425 a day. A little higher than I was hoping but MUCH better than I used to do so I'm not going to let it depress me.

So great finding all the new recipes in here tonite. When I have time, I'll add to the list. As usual, I only have a few minutes so cant type much. Just have to at least check in with the "chicks" and see how you're all progressing.

I'm determined to get in this weekend long enough to stay and write all I want. As I'm reading posts, I always think of things to add to each one then I end up having to rush to get everything else done around here and cant type all I'd like to. So you all just watch out when I do..it might be a book..LOL

Hope everyone has a GREAT Friday!!! Oh, just remembered...another out of town ballgame Fri nite so might not make it in here.:( I'll enjoy the game tho..I love watching my kids play!:D

Bye for now!:)

Just weighed in!
 

I LOST 4.5 lbs...................:dance: :dance: :dancer: :cb: :cb:
I was too excited, I had to tell someone.
Will talk to you all tomorrow, I am going to go suck on some ice!
Talk to you all tomorrow.

:wave: Hi All!
Wow, some great posts tonight! I love all the recipies! I'm printing them out so I can try each of them. By the way, did I mention I don't cook? :lol: Actually, I do have a lentil soup recipi I will share when I have time to write more.
Prescious, I really identify with exercising giving you energy. I rode my bike last night then went to bed. BAD Mistake! 2:30 in the morning and I'm still awake. lol Next time I ride it will be much earlier in the day!
Reina_mia, Bravo onyour no junk food day! :cb: You are on your way, girl!
Cyan, You must have been riding hard and long to burn all those calories! Good for you! You had me laughing out lound at your description of resisting your tuna sandwich. Your body screaming to throw it down your neck. :lol: Good for you for wining that battle. You're right, it does make you stronger each time you overcome those urges. By the way, I keep hearing this faint sound. It seems to be coming from the corner of your kitchen. If I listen very carefully I can just make it out. "Cyaaaannnnn, I'm lonely! Come and ride me!" ;)
Cjunk, What a nice thing to say, Thank you! I love this list and the people on it are awesome!
Miki, now, what do you mean the sad thing is you wanted more malt balls? I'll bet what you ment to say was, Good for me! I resisted eating more malt balls! Right? :cp:
Congrats on getting back on track with your calories. Have you considered jotting them down as your eat, then you can keep an eye on how many you've eaten and avoid that rude surprise when you enter them onto the web site.
Annie, that was a tough decision. Refuse the chips and risk hurting your son's feelings or eat chips and feel guilty. I think you made the perfect choice - eat just a few chips. ..and you were careful to count them. Excellent! By the way, I love your comment to"Get used to the new me." Oh, and thanks for the substitution list!
Well, I had a great day. I met my best friend for lunch. Now this is the kind of friend who is truly there for you, so when we talk anything goes and it's happy, sad, and silly, all rolled into one. We can only get together once a month, so when we do lunch we don't mess around, we really make a production out of it. First we met at 12:30, did some catching up talk and ate veggie wraps at this great little resteraunt, then went shopping for a new recliner for her husband. We had fun trying every piece of furniture in the store while we talked some more. We even resisted the cookies the store had set out for the customers. Then we went to Borders Book Store and perused though the exercise books. My friend bought one on walking, I looked at the running books. We finished with more talking while we enjoyed our tea and low fat biscotti. We said our good byes at 5pm. What a great afternoon. :flow2:

Everyone have a great Friday!

Lady

I have been reading through the posts this morning and I've got to say that I am really starting to get hooked on this group! What emotions we all share with each other.

Reina-mia, great work on the no junk food day! 4.5 pounds--wow! That is great. Congratulations! :bravo:

MikiG--not to worry about the chocolate. You didn't do badly with a few treats and 98 cals is not all that bad. Sometimes it can be counterproductive to totally deny ourselves a few here and there because it just makes us give up all together. You can compensate on another day when you don't feel like treats at all.

PreciousOne-exercise is giving you energy--and lots of water--you are an inspiration to plug on!...I start noticing increased energy but not until a bit later in the game.

I was at a funeral yesterday for a close friend's mother whom I knew quite well. It was a challenging day and I am an emotional eater but I guess I did pretty well with that. I ended up eating as many calories as I would have to in order to maintain my current weight as opposed to losing. However, I did swim for almost an hour of lengths yesterday before the funeral and it helped me to destress a lot. It also compensated for the extra calories eaten because it helped to burn them. My shoulder was only a bit tender which was an excellent sign and I had to use the flutter board for a while to give it a rest and not overdo it. I forgot how relaxing swimming is for me. I get so focussed on breathing that I forget everything else. It is very peaceful.

The recipes all look fantastic. I would love to be adventurous enough to cook curry Cyan, so I think I may try it. I always go out to dinner for Curry (it is very yummy)--vietnamese curry is my favorite! Great work with your bike riding! Alas mine is still collecting dust in the kitchen. I can hear it whispering though! It is an outdoor bike so I will have to look into buying a trainer for it.

The substitutes are great also Annie! I follow a trick if I am ever baking anything that requires oil to keep the baked good's moisture. I will substitute 1/2 applesauce (unsweetened) or 1/2 plain yoghurt (sometimes the yoghurt adds bitterness) for part of the oil to reduce the fat. I also use herbs a lot in my cooking and fat free salad dressing for marinades--for grilled veggies and meats. I think you did very well with only having a few chips--it was a fantastic start to adapting to your new you! Next to french fries, that is by far my favorite thing to eat. I haven't had any in so long it even made my mouth water reading the story! So, we can work on chip cravings together.

LadyRider, I have some questions about running. You have sort of inspired me to try it. There is a track right behind the rec centre where I swim so I thought I might start with a few laps of the track and then build up to it. Unfortunately, each time I try and run my knees hurt afterwards a bit and also my lungs end up coughing up a lot of gunk (I also feel a little pukey). I definitely don't smoke and my lungs are usually clear. Any tips on what I might be doing wrong?? The experience for me is usually unpleasant which is why I have never gotten into running. Any suggestions for beginners? I also think I have crappy shoes. I haven't tried it long enough to see if it will get better.


Talk to you all soon--I love this group--keep up the great posts--and the fantastic work!!!

Cjunk

Good Morning my favorite buddies
 

You girls rock! I so enjoy reading your posts and I love the fact that everybody is keeping on track and doing their ultimate best. Everyone here should be proud of their success and what valiant efforts to resist or cut down on tempting foods.

Annie I agree with LadyRider...kudos on you for finding a diplomatic way of dealing with the chips and your son...and I admire your courage to say "this is the new me" Those recipes had my mouth watering :lol:

LadyRider....aren't friends the best! I makes a whole difference when you have a close friend to hang out with and really connect. And I must say, you made wise food choices young lady...you kept on track....kudos to you. Oh the tuna sandwhich tastes just as good the next day!;) Does anybody have any stories to share about food battles ...I've got plenty....will post to amuse you ladies.

MikkiG...those malt balls spoke your name girl...but you did so well, honestly, if it were me, I would of sucked back that whole box...then would have felt miserable over it....so 3 malt balls is not the end of the world....movin on....you can burn 98 calories with a heary laugh:lol:

Hi Reina_Mia WOW WOOHOO 4.5 pounds!!! Oh my! that is fantastic! How many calories are you consuming and what is your exercise regime? And did you buy your water bottle? At work, since I have been drinking all this water, toilet trips are way up, I think I may have to wear a diaper or get a catheter put in:yikes:
Since my water increase, I feel better...just healthier...and myskin is so soft and less dry thus far this winter.

PreciousOne How are you doing? Let me know how things have been going for you...details please:)

Well as for me, last night, another 30 minutes of the bike for a distance of 8.4km and 305 or so cals burned....this weekend I will be doing power yoga...and brisk walking...during the weekdays cause of my work and mom, I do the bike cause it fits into my schedule but on the weekends, I can vary up my exercise a little more. So I send everyone a big hug and good energy...have a good weekend. Stay strong, motivated and make wise choices

Cyan

Cjunk
 

I have not forgotten you....I am always amazed at how much exercise you get in...so motivated and I felt your struggles earlier this week and last when you were feeling bloated and had to push harder to keep exercising....that alone gives me strength cause last night, I didn't really feel like exercising but I remembered your post about your bloatedness...and how you had to push harder...and how you felt better afterward for doing it...well that encouraged me to exercise last night and you were right, I felt better...so thank you for your inspiration and wisdom.

I am sorry to hear about your friend's mom's funeral...I will send a prayer to your friend. And you handled your emotional eating very well, it makes you a stronger person when you dont jeapardize your health journey...this means that you are changing your coping mechanisms to better handle life crisis...the fact that you did not cave and emotional eat is a profound accomplishment for you.

So pat yourself on the back and celebrate this accomplishment.

Cyan

Happy Friday
 

I hope everyone is doing good today.
Cjunk, you are so right, it is a blessing to be part of such a great group. With everyone sharing their emotions the way they do. It has opened me up to be a better person.
And I want you all to know that because of this Group....
I am still here fighting to be the perfect me... I now realize that because I lacked the support of other in the past, that is exactly why I never succeeded at any of my diets. But now I don't consider this a diet. I consider it as a life altering change for the betterment of my future...
I would never talk about my weight and flab with anyone, and I am here opening up myself to you all, because you all remind me that I am not alone at this. And for all that I thank you!:balloons:

LadyRider --Don't you just love the feeling of having a friend that you can unravel right in front of and they just pick right up and tell you "Get it together woman!"
I have a dear friend who I know will be there for anything.
Great choices for lunch and snacks, I am still having a hard time when we go out to eat. I just can't seem to order that all too healthy stuff yet:burger: But I do cut down on my intake of whatever I do order.
Cjunk- Sorry to hear about your friend's mother. I will say a special prayer today. Losing family is tough, Losing a Mom is undescribeable. Great that you didn't allow the emotional eating to take over. I am a huge Emotional Eater, and I usually always give in. Keep up the good work!
Cyan- You motivate me so much with your exercise regimine:strong:. I wish I could get to your level one day.
Right now, I don't actually have a regimine. I do Taebo in the mornings 3 times a week if I can, I do my glider for about 30 minutes, but I break that down within an hour. I can only do so much with my asthma. I did fall off the water wagon but I will be back on today. I just went and bought my 32oz bottle of water. Keep up the good work, and strong energy
Yesterday was the first time I weighed myself in almost a month. So I feel really good about this. I even walk lighter.:joker:
I wish you all a great weekend and I send you a a big hug.
:grouphug: :grouphug:

reina_mia
 

Hi reina_mia....ummm you do have an exercise regimen...if a duck quacks and acts like a duck...its a duck. Doing taebo in the mornings 3 times a week...is an exercise regimen....doing your glider for 30 minutes ...howerver you break it down...it is an exercise regimen.... please give yourself credit...validate your efforts ...we are always so quick to point out our failures and overeating and all that but we always minimize our accomplishements...so the challenge for you and everyone else is to validate your accomplishements....victories....everything that is positive...give it the credit and value it deserves....ok?...okay!!!:D

you wrote:

"I don't actually have a regimine. I do Taebo in the mornings 3 times a week if I can, I do my glider for about 30 minutes, but I break that down within an hour...."

cyan

Wow
 

I guess I do have a regimen!! :o
Thank Cyan for pointing that out. I am so fixed on catching all my faults that I really don't realize that i am doing something good finally...

How I wish you can talk to my mother for me..... :lol: I was raised with always catching my faults, I don't really realize when I do good.

Thanks again.

Hooray! I have a regimen:strong:

reina_mia :bravo: on the weight loss! You go girl! You are doing great with your plans.
How was the new egg beaters? I saw those in the grocery store the other day. Let me know if I should give them a try. I'm always looking for something new to try.

Miki, I congratulate you for your will power on the candy. I still have cravings for candy. I think you did great. Proud of you.

Here's a story about a food battle, or should I say candy battle. I think Cyan is the one that asked about that question. It's not much of a story but it's still fresh in my mind. When I first started I had a rough time of not wanting to eat candy. Well I was shopping and I had finished, started going towards the check out. I looked at the cart and said to myself, I did great, there is no junkfood in this cart. Well I was standing there waiting for my turn to get checked out. And we all know what is right next to the check out. CANDY! I stood there and all of a sudden the thought occured to me, don't I remember hearing that 3 Musketeers only has 1 gram of fat. I grabbed a bar with such enthusiasm, thinking oh I have found a way to be able to eat a candy bar. So I picked it up, felt like I had found a gold mine. I turned it over to read the label on the back. My heart sank standing there clutching my 3 Musketeers bar. Why did it have to have so many calories, maybe I could just eat around the calorie part and just eat the 1 gram of fat!:D Just doesn't seem fair. :(
Cyan, sounds like you are doing great. Willpower is hard to come by. You have developed some very healthy plans that will take you to your goals.
Lady, what do you mean you don't cook? Does this mean you have a chef? Can I borrow him someday? :^: It would be really nice of you to share with the rest of the group. I would like him to be here on weekends. So mark that down, Annie will have the chef on weekends to cook for her. And if he happens to have a cheesecake recipe that has no fat and no calories tell him to bring it with him when he comes.
Precious One and Lady, I know exactly what you mean about that energy force that comes after exercising. I will feel tired sometimes and say maybe I should just rest tonight instead of doing my last exercise session. But I will climb up on the bike and do my 30 minutes. Don't know what happened to the tiredness but when I finish I feel like I could run a mile. I try not to do any of my sessions past 9:30 at night. Except for tonight, I haven't done my last one yet. Looks like I will be running that mile way past midnight!:lol:
Cjunk, glad to hear you are feeling some better. You give me such motivation. Sounds like you have such a busy schedule but yet you continue to stay on track.
I agree, I think this is the best group around. All you ladies rock:strong:
I just had a challenge for myself earlier. Had a craving for something sweet :nono:( like candy or cake), I got a cup of yogurt, craving gone. :dance:
Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow. Might go hiking. Wish me luck.
Stay Confident, Stay Motivated :grouphug:

New and need all the support I can get !!
 

Hi all, Hi Cyan !! I took your advice and here I am tonight. It was not what you would call a great day for anything, especially dieting but tomorrow I will try to have a better resolve. As a matter of fact, I'm going to go to bed now and get this day over with. They say you shouldn't wish time away but I can live with that tonight !! haha Looking very much forward to getting to know you all. :dizzy:

Hello:wave:

Hope everyone's weekend has gotten off to a good start.

Went out with the family for lunch. didn't do too bad. Green beans, barbecue pork, macoroni and cheese, and small strawberry shortcake. Then 2pc of fish and tarter suace for dinner at work. Sounds horrible BUT still under 1500 calories!!!!! Two bottles of water plus a Dr Soy Bar. I know, I was greedy today!!! I kind of feel bad because I didn' get any exercise in.

Ok I'm going to bed now, be back at a decent hour:D Hopefully I'll have time to add a few recipes.

Remember one day at a time.

Good Morning All and welcome PattyF :wave:

I went to the Doctor's yesterday for my yearly physical and all was well--I lost a few more pounds and am now back to the weight I was at before my injury---yaay!!! That was my goal!!!. I would like to lose a few pounds more because it would be excellent to be in the best physical shape and I discussed with my doctor what would be healthy for me and we both decided I could lose up to 10 more pounds and be in a healthy range. I am on a roll and want to keep it up!! I know it was an accurate weight too because it was one of those real scales...yikes!

Annie, great work on the cravings!! Keep it up and you will definitely be at your goal and then some!!

Cyan--here is my food craving. I constantly crave McDonalds!! I think that everyone already knows this one. I go past it everyday on my way to work and the smell just gets to me...so I took LadyRider's advice and on my weaker days I take a much longer route home. My second next food craving constant is a tie between pizza and potato chips--but I won't talk much more about those because my mouth is watering just thinking about them!!!

PreciousOne---your lunch sounded very good...and it sounds like you were able to meet a 1500 cal day which is impressive...try and plan a longer exercise session this weekend and you should be okay!

Has anyone ever had eating dreams???I find when I have food cravings at night and I go to bed I dream I am at the most fantastic buffet--and guess what Annie? I am eating all the cheesecake I want!! (which is weird because with my lactose intolerance my tummy would hate me)!! My dream is in technicolour and I wake up full the next day!!!! Can I gain weight that way?????

I wish that you all lived in my area because even though I can't eat it the girls at work found a low fat low cal cheesecake called Lil'Cravings. It is a diabetic dessert at a store called zarky's about the size of a yoghurt and is 55cals, no sugar added and .5 grams of fat. The girls at work say it is a fluffier version of cheesecake but yummy!!

Looking forward to hearing from the group this weekend. This is my most challenging time of the week...so I am going out to my parents to see if I can convince my mom to do a workout with me. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cjunk

Welcome Patty
 

Hey Patty glad you made it over to our little corner...we are a great group of ladies, amazingly motivated, positive and on different stages of our weight loss journey/health journey. So jump on in and start sharing!

Yesterday...afterwork, I had to do some errands and then as per usual....myself, and my two best buddies....Ivano and Lisa usually hang out at Lisa's place to have dinner and chill...dinner was good...had seafood salad with side salad, a little wine...like 3oz
and yes apple crumble pie...but I was still under 1500 cals....not bad at all. By the time I got home, it was 10.30pm...very tired but believe it or not....I still exercised:D yep, I did 25 minutes for a distance of 7km and burned 250 cals....and for this I thank your collective support and good energy....thank you thank you thank you...truly!:cb:

Cjunk, omg....wow! I am so happy for you...you are doing so well..how much do you weigh now? I'm gonna remeasure myself after I get and finish my period and I will post here for updates...its later on this month towards the end.

Hi PreciousOne...good going on the cal consumption...you could eat almost anything in moderation and still stick to your cal range...isnt that so much better knowing that there is not a life of diet restrictions and denial of food...I couldn't do this if I knew I could never have regular food.

Annie that candy bar story cracked me up...sometimes when I want to eat something that is calorie and fat laden...I eat it as quickly as possible before I can reason myself out of eating it...pretty pathetic..I know...but its true. This morning for breakfast...I found this custard tart...inhaled it....it cost me 267 cals and 7 grams of fat.:o But thats ok....I will exercise it off.

Well girls...hope you have a great weekend...looking forward to reading your posts...they always put a smile on my face

Cyan

Hi All!
Patty! Nice to meet you! :wave: Boy I know what you mean – some days you're just better off packing it in and going to be early. As as matter of fact I did just that the other day. Nothing seemed to go right, so I hit the sack at 7pm and slept straight through till 7 the next morning, when I woke refreshed and ready to tackle the world again.
We went to see Harry Potter with friends last night, then out to dinner. We ate at a new Italian place and I was so discouraged to see there wasn’t a healthy item on the menue. I ended up getting vegetarian lasagna, thinking it wouldn’t be so bad, but it was swimming in a cream sauce and had a 2” thick layer of cheese poured on top. :mad: I pulled back most of the chese, ate half the lasagna and 3 garlic rolls that literally came swimming in a bath of butter. Oh well, won’t be going back there again. Thank goodness the scale didn’t show a gain this morning, and today was a healthy food day. I haven’t been able to exercise for two days, but tomorrow I will run again – even if it rains! :jig:
Cjunk, Congratulations on meeting your goal! Wow, what a wonderful feeling! You must be so proud. :bravo: You had some questions about running. First let me tell you I am a raw beginner, only been doing this since September, so I’m sure no expert. Also, I really jog more than run. I don’t know what condition you’re in, but if you are coughing that hard, I’m guessing you are over extending yourself. Start out slowly and don’t go so far. There will be time to increase your speed and endurance as you go. There is an excellent running list you can check out for good advice on how to start, what to do about knee pain, etc.
http://forums.about.com/ab-running/m...Reading+%3E%3E
Also, there is a great book called "The courage to start" by John "The Penguin" Bingham. He tells you everything you need to know to get started in an easy to read fun little book. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t like running (or jogging). You might like walking or there are lots of other exercises to try. Just keep trying them until you find the one that works for you.
Reina_mia I only wish I had a chef! :lol: I have never enjoyed cooking, and when I went back to school to become a nurse I told my family it was time they became more independent…washed their own clothes, cooked their own meals…you get the picture. So “mom doesn’t cook” has long been a family joke. Now our kids are all grown and moved out, except our oldest son who has moved in with us temporarily while he saves up to buy a house…and he cooks his own meals. My husband isn’t a food person, he eats to live, doesn’t live to eat. He’s a bit picky and doesn’t like most of the foods I do, consequently, he often fixes his own dinner and I throw together something for myself. If it’s easy and doesn’t take a lot of work, I’ll cook it. Rice is nice. Throw in some frozen veggies (they don’t have to be cleaned or trimmed) and put on some soy sauce or butter and parmesan and I’m happy. I did make some lentil soup the other day. I threw the lentils, some onions, garlic, sliced carrots, a hambone and chunks of ham into a pot, cooked it until the lentils were soft, threw in some salt and pepper and Voila! Soup! ‘Course it didn’t taste all that great – but it was really filling! :lol: Now baking – that I love. It’s a great source of relaxation for me, but I almost never do it anymore ‘cause I eat what I bake.
Annie, thanks for the note. I’m doing fine, just been a bit busy. I sure identified with your candy bar story. Used to be I couldn’t go grocery shopping without buying a 3musketeers. I love chocolate and when we were little my sister and I got 25cents each for our weekly allowance. (well … so this was a few years ago, ok?) Anyway, we would pool our money and go to the corner store to buy candy and pop (soda).
We always bought a 3Muskateer and shared it, so that candy bar brings back some wonderful memories and is a real comfort food for me. It's still Very hard to resist at the check out counter.
Looks like all you ladies are doing great in keeping to your goals. I'm so proud of you! :smug: You’re balancing your eating with exercise and I believe that’s the only way we will succeed. I totally agree with you, Cyan. We all have our Trigger Foods that we have to stay away from, but otherwise we could eat almost anything in moderation and still stick to our calorie range.
Doesn’t it feel great to know we are succeeding and weare in control – notour cravings!

Talk to you all tomorrow,
Stay well,
Lady:grouphug:

:balloons:
Hello Again!
I really like this little poem and want to share it with you all.

I wish for you comfort on difficult days,
Rainbows to follow the clouds
Laughter to kiss your lips Sunsets to warm your heart
Gentle hugs when spirits sag
Friendships to brighten your being,
Beauty for your eyes to see,
Confidence for when you doubt,
Faith so that you can believe,
Courage to know yourself,
Patience to accept the truth,
And love to complete your life.

Have a great weekend,
:grouphug:

:balloons: Welcome, Pat! You've chosen a great group to join. I promise you'll love it here!

I'm in a really good mood tonite!!:cb: Except for that one bad nite when I had wayyy too much spaghetti and went a little over 2000 calories, this is the BEST week I've had as far as my eating in a lonnnngggg time. ( like in a year ) I have found out that "healthy" is definitely the way to go. For the past year, I have pretty much eaten one meal a day, two at the most because I work thru my lunch hour alot and I've never liked breakfast. I only ate at nite with my family. I decided to try eating 3 small healthy meals a day instead of the one big one at night. It was very hard for me because I have this mental block about eating 3 meals. In the back of my mind I always feeling like I'm eating too much if I eat 3 times. At first it was almost like I couldnt enjoy it because I felt like I was blowing it. And I sure never thought I could afford adding a snack on top of the 3 meals. But since last Sunday, I have stuck with it, and it has paid off!:cp:

I did blow the challenge I gave myself about waiting 2 weeks to weigh myself. I just couldnt stand it anymore and had to find out before I kept eating 3 whole meals. I was too scared not to just in case I was gaining instead of losing. Sooo...I did it. I got the scales out (which I had hid from myself to keep from using them so much..lol) and weighed today. I was 5 lbs lighter and lost an inch in my waist and an inch in each thigh! :D I could not believe it!!! ( of course this is one time that I WILL let the scale judge me LOL ) Oh almost forgot about the exercise...Still using my AirWalker and I wasnt joking last Sunday about only being able to make it 5 minutes or so. I was ashamed at how out of breath I got from just that little bit. But I'm now doing 15 minutes at a time now. (Still out of breath but I can make it at least )

Cyan, you are right. It IS possible to eat GOOD things ( even those not necessarily considered healthy) and stay within a lower calorie range. We had that out of town ballgame last nite and it was late when we stopped to eat. I almost didnt eat because nothing on the fast food menu seems to be something I should have but I had a small cheeseburger and 10 of my son's french fries and still barely had over 1000 calories when I logged everything I'd had all day. I had dreaded adding it all up. Just wish I had known WHILE I ate the cheeseburger because it would have tasted a whole lot better knowing I didnt have to feel guilty.

Cjunk, :bravo: I'm so envious of you reaching your goal! More happy for you than envious tho...I'll get there someday too :) You're an inspiration to the rest of us to stick with it! That 5 lbs I lost is a start. If I do as well for 14 more weeks, I'll reach MY goal...or if I do only half as well for 28 weeks..LOL

Anyone else noticed that we all seem to be a little more cheery than we were this time last week?? I think the weather had to do with some of that. At least here. Rained all weekend last week but it was a beautiful day out today.

Lady, that lasagna is making my mouth water! I could just picture the cheese as you pulled it back. All melted and gooey and YUMMMM!! Cheese makes anything good! There is no way I could have been as strong as you and turned that down. Good job on the will power!

Precious One, your lunch sounds delicious too! See?? Thats my problem, I love it all!!

Reina_Mia, I agree with you. This group is a big part of the reason I'm on track now. My weight isnt something I like discussing with most people but here I seem perfectly comfortable doing just that. Feels good to know others struggle just as much as I do. Feels even better to know they struggle but still overcome!!

Annie, thanks for the candy bar story! It is the reason I'm sitting here glued to this chair rather than going to get a handful of those malted milk balls that I am DYING for right now. I'm telling myself " Noooo..just think of those calories you'll be wasting when you're not even hungry. "

My husband told me today that he thinks he can already see a difference in my size. I think he is just trying to be nice and helpful but it gave me incentive to keep on. Not only do I want to be healthier, I want to look good for him. He is great...never once has he made a negative comment about my weight even tho during our 18 years of marriage, I have gained 80 lbs or more. He constantly tells me how pretty I look no matter what weight I'm at and I know he really means it. But I want to do this for him as much as for me. I've always kinda felt like people see us and think, "Wow, how did SHE get HIM?" lol or even worse, "Poor thing, how did HE get stuck with HER?" LOL The answer is easy tho...I was just lucky!:lucky: :)

Well, both kids are arguing who gets the computer next and it's already getting kinda late so I guess I better go for now. Hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the weekend!! :cloud9:

MIKI :flow2:

PS...anyone heard from WI_Wide lately??? I miss her!:(

Miki and Annie - I FOUND YOU! Thanks Annie for the update as to where you had moved. I have not had time to get on the computer. I was stuck out of town three days last week. Living out of a suitcase and eating out every meal, I was so stressed out because of a bad snow storm I couldn't get home, so I ate.

Have decided not to even get on a scale, I know I was bad. I am such a stressful eater, and driving in an unfamiliar town, in a bad storm just created havoc in my life, it took me a few days just to settle my nerves. I think the wedding was a breeze, compared to last week.

Now that I found you all again, I will try to be faithful to check in. If nothing else, it is a daily reminder for me to be better at portion control and water.

Well today I am planning a big birthday for my daughter who just got married. First she gets 3 wedding showers all with presents, then she gets wedding presents, today she gets birthday presents, next month Christmas presents, then baby shower presents, she is going to be so depressed in a few months when eventually she won't get presents!

Keep in touch everyone, gald to "see" you all again! WI-wide
Go Pack Go!:p

Hello WI-Wide, so glad to meet you--it sounds like you have a busy next few months of celebration with your daughter--congratulations! I would love to be in her shoes someday.

MikiG Congratulations!!! :spin: You deserve a big victory dance!! I think changing meal patterns is one of the hardest things to do and you have proven that it can be done! And weight loss as well--great work! I will use you as my inspiration for eating breakfast on those days where I don't feel like any!!!

LadyRider, thanks for the information! To answer some of your questions, I would say that I am normally capable of moderate to high cardio where I can usually sustain it for up to 1hr or so without feeling too bad. I would consider myself to be in good shape--which is why I can't understand why I feel crappy when I run. I think you are right that perhaps I am starting too fast. Maybe I will try a walk to run method. Thanks for the website info too! I will read on about the knees!

Cyan, thanks for the support! I am going to hold off on announcing weight for now, because I am superstitious that I will re-gain. Until I can sustain this loss I will wait for a bit....I have lost an inch overall pretty much everywhere and am back into my old pants. I think that even though I weigh the same I am not as toned as my pants still aren't as comfortable as they used to be..I will get there soon!

My boyfriend is making breakfast this morning and I am impressed! He's grilling veggies and then scrambling them in the Break Free egg substitute for us. I really like that stuff. I find I can feel full with very few calories and little fat and still feel like I've had my eggs!

Yesterday wasn't the greatest eating day for me. I really didn't have any fruits or veggies which is unusual for me---gotta get those today! I visited my parents in the morning and had a single poached egg on dry toast and then a small serving of pasta later in the evening with my boyfriend's parents---I was very undernourished yesterday and not to mention starving all afternoon but we were stuck in a training where they didn't feed us!! (they had pops and a bunch of different potato chips--1 had 10 chips which cost me a lot in calories! and a diet soda).

I hiked with my mom in the morning. They have a beautiful hiking trail near their house and we hiked for 11/2 hours--with lots of hills!! It was cold and snowing here but we were too warm to notice the temperature from the hill climbing!! I guess I burned off those chips!

Although I did reach my goal I think there are two challenges for me:

1. Maintaining my goal
2.Reaching my new goal that I developed with the help of my doctor!

So I guess you can say that I am happy with the success but am going to build on it! Thanks for all of your support!!! I don't think it would have come this quickly without all of you!

I had a few discouraging things happen yesterday:

My mom said, "wow you look good but remember your genes...your aunts all have the same build as you and look where they got for not keeping it up. You are going to have to be diligent for the rest of your life or you will be overweight and have health issues"---and..."you were really getting chubby there for a while" not exactly what I needed to hear right then and there---needless to say I felt that "forever" is too big and not attainable.

She did her best to support me in her own way but I think it was challenging because I was a little sensitive yesterday!! It was excellent for her to come hiking and encourage my fitness as well. I know that she had best intentions in mind.


Looking forward to reading all your posts! Gotta go plan the day for eating and exercise or else I will crash and burn--I usually have trouble on weekends! I think I will pick up sushi from the grocery store for a nice light dinner. We had a gorgeous snowfall that stayed on the ground last night---Cyan did you get this in Montreal too? I should go out and play in it!

Cjunk

Good Morning My favorite Health Girls
 

Yesterday was a not so good eating day...ok Girls sit back and get a load of this...drum role please: I started breakfast with a custard tart....I had prepared a eggwhite and ham breakfast but just couldnt eat it...wouldnt go down the throat...So I had cream cheese and bread to go along with that custard tart....then for lunch,I had a horrible frozen dinner ...just gross...so I felt sorry for myself....I met up with my friend to go see Harry Potter but it was all sold out...the time slot we wanted to go see it in...so we went for dessert instead...had an orange juice and a large oatmeal cookie.....so we went back to her place and the three of us rented a movie and I had tortilla chips...salsa...baby carrots and dip...made with mayonaise...and lots and lots of fat pepsi.....needless to say...at the end of my soiree....I had ingested 1988 calories and 74 grams of fat!:eek: And...I did not exercise....On the good side, I cleaned my house for two hours...heavy duty cleaning and according to fitday...I spent 320 cals doing that...I also walked around downtown for about an hour although not at a quick pace.

Today, is a new day, I will eat healthily...my body deserves and needs good nutrition....that is my plan of action.

welcome back WI-Wide....we are a great bunch of ladies. Oh Mikki...how wonderful for you....you see, my eating regularly and exercising...you have increased your metabolism...thats the key to weightloss...if you dont eat regularly...your metabolism slows down cause your body is in starvation mode....you are on your way to a healthier thinner you....I send you a big hug of congratulations....Oh ...can I clone your husband...he's seems amazingly supportive....its nice to have support especially from your significant other.

LadyRider...that poem is exactly what I needed to start the day right...thank you.

Cjunk...yes we have tons of snow outside...woke up this morning to it...I think it started snowing late last night and boy has it pilled up outside...kinda fun...it puts me in a christmas mode:)
I know your Mom meant well, but you have to believe that you will be a healthy weight because you have the control and power to do this....you have chosen a lifestyle that you enjoy....yes maintenance has its challenges but you will do it....you will remember how healthy and energetic you feel...how your clothes fit...how comfortable you feel in your clothes....how good you look...And, you will be the person you want to be because you want that for yourself...it is important to you and you are a smart, pro-active gal....Lots of reasons for you to stay inshape...and as you age, your body will thank you.

Good morning ladies:wave:

Got up and went for my morning walk thinking it would make me feel better. Not today, I feel even worse than I did before I went but at least I gave it a try. Had eggwhites for breakfast don't feel like cooking so who knows what I will eat for dinner!

Cjunk, congratulations :cp: :bravo: :cp: on reaching your goal! I've never had eating dreams. I have had times when I would be craving something and could taste it! That cheese cake sounds wonderful. I'm going to keep an eye open for it. Hiking seems like so much fun. I wish we had trails here. Your mom meant well. Mine is the same way, saying whatever's on her mind but not meaning any harm.

Cyan, I agree I couldn't do it either if I had to only eat certain foods.

Ladyrider, Thanks for the poem. I too get so determined at times that I don't care if it's raining, cold, or whatever I have to get out an exercise.

MikiG, great going on your airwalker :cp:! Don't worry before long you'll be on it and wondering where the time went.

Welcome and nice to meet you Pat and WI-wide.

Reina and Annie how are you doing?

Big:grouphug:
One day at a time

Hello everyone :) Another good day today, thank goodness.

PreciousOne, you're right....I actually stayed on my Air Walker for 40 minutes today!!! That's a major accomplishment for me. Normally I do 3 separate 5 minute sessions. This time I did 20 minutes, took a 2 minute break to stretch out my foot (which I have problems with at times) and got back on for 20 minutes more. I think it was easier because I'm so pumped up with excitement from losing lbs and inches this week which I havent done in ages. I put on some mushy, romantic stuff ( AirSupply, Barry Manilow, and Lionel Richie..ya'll dont laugh:p lol) kept my eyes closed and dreamed away. Seemed like no time before I was finished.

Cyan, I'm using Fitday.com to log everything as you know. But what do you do when you eat out or have something you have no idea what all the ingredients are? For example, today at lunch, I had a big bowl of my sister's homemade soup. I doubt even SHE could tell me what all was in it. So I dont know how to log it. There have been a few times I've had something that I know the total calories per serving but maybe not the breakdown and it wont let me customize without all those details. Also, sometimes the food I"m looking for in there will have "NFS" out beside it. What does that mean??? So far, anything I dont know for sure, I"m just "guestimating" lol I dont like doing that tho.

How is everyone else doing today?? Great I hope. The weekend is quickly passing unfortunately but today was another beautiful day out. :flow1:

Working late tomorrow plus son's basketball game so not sure I'll be able to check in, but I wish you all an unusually productive and cheery Monday. ( personally I hate them:lol: )

Cant wait to get back here. (((((((((Hugs to everyone)))))))))))))

MIKI

PS...WIDE!!! So glad you're back!!! I emailed you a few days ago to say I missed you but it came back:( I later realized I had typed in the addy wrong. Sorry. Dont worry about having a bad week or two...I had 100s of those so I know you can get back in there and get on track!! Just dont give up!!:nono: I'm here for you anytime. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel. Together we can accomplish anything tho. Remember that ok?? :cp:

Hello All,

So great to read your everyone's postings today. Annie and Reina-Mia are you there??? :sp:

Cyan, you are the best at kicking us all in the butt when we need it, but I think that one bad day is not the end of the world. It sounds like you also incorporated exercise into your day naturally. You said that you planned to get right back on track and we will hold you to it!! If not there will be a lot of :nono: from us! :soap: :D

MikiG--40 minutes of exercise is fantastic!!:strong: Keep up the great work :cp:

Next to Fitday, I have also found a great website called: www.foodcount.com --the find a food section is free and maps out averages in calories etc. for foods entered. Not everything is there but it is pretty good.

I didn't really exercise today other than a brisk housecleaning and laundry session--but I had a good eating day with a tray of veggie sushi for dinner and lots of water. Yesterday was a vigorous exercise day and I managed 6 days last week without counting today so I think I'll be okay without the one day. Feel a little more sluggish though.

My boyfriend and I are making a lot of our Christmas gifts this year. We are sewing quite a few things--he can sew!! I help plan out and cut patterns etc. and buy fabric and supplies and he is sewing it. We make a great team and are making some really neat gifts. The fabric for all of our gifts cost only 30.00 and the patterns are designed by us (nothing complicated), so I think it will be a fun Christmas. That and cleaning has been keeping me busy all day today. I also wrapped the stuff that we made so far because I hate rushing in December--I guess the snow got me in the mood!!

I am going out with some friends tomorrow night for dinner after work and am determined to order a chicken salad with lowfat dressing. Restaraunts can be challenging and this one is a roadhouse type place which is even harder but I will do my best.

I have to incorporate a long walk into my lunch hour tomorrow because I may get home too late to get to the pool. But I will head there if I get time! Looking forward to the girls night out!!!

Talk to you all soon!!

Cjunk

Cjunk, thanks for the new site info! I"ll definitely check it out. Sounds like you had a really fun day working on Christmas stuff. I have got to get myself in the mood soon too. Too bad I am not creative like you. I cant even sew on a button. lol I have a friend who hems pants for me when needed. And I ALWAYS wait til the last minute to wrap.
Well, hope you have a great upcoming week! Bye for now...MIKI

Hi again :wave:
Just got in from work and decided to pop in before bed.

Congrats again Miki. Keep it up. Fitday is great I've been using it for the past two months. Whenever I don't know exactly how many calories something has I try to find the closest thing to it and then add an extra amount to be on the safe side or if I know what's in it I find each individual thing.

Cjunk seems like you and your boyfriend had a great time. I was going to make bath baskets but got lazy and decided not to. I'm going to give the site you mentioned a try.

Talk to you all later this morning.

Morning Ladies
 

This weekend calorie wise was not so hot...I chose better foods on Sunday but I was still over my usual 1500 cals and acutally ate 2000 cals....:o On the up side....I exercised like a mad woman...I burned off 500 cals for a distance of 10.5km ...took me 40 minutes of intense pedalling...so I guess when you average out...its back down to 1500 cals.

Today is monday, back to the usual food intake...weekends for me are a little harder...but I'll get the hang of it. This morning, it took be for ever to get to work...had to thrudge through so much snow...when I finally made it to my office, I was in a full sweat...30 minute uphill, snow laden walk....you just gotta love winter storms.

Cjunk thanks for that info about that new site...will take a look
Mikki...that fantasy music exercising is amazing...I'm right there with you on that one...You just dream away...I'm usually this very famous singer...on stage...belting out tunes to a huge adoring audience....its amazing how fast the time flies and how fast you peddle:lol:

So whats on tap for everyone today....does anyone want to come up with a holiday challenge that starts now and finishes in the new year...kinda like a pre-new year resolution? Lets get some ideas on the table.....Should it be a goal oriented challenge, exercise, food? Please lets get a challenge going....I think it may be beneficial to us...keep us accountable so that we dont go willy nilly over the holidays...ok let me know.

Hey Annie, reina_mia, PreciousOne...and all....hope your weekends were good...looking forward to reading your posts. Patty lets us know how your weekend went.

Cyan

Hello, My name is Lisa. I'm new. I've been posting at the 20 Somethings thing and didn't understand that starting a new thread everytime you wanted to say something was wrong, instead of joining a thread....and so anyway, someone kind of griped at me.
Cyan, sent me a message about this thread and it sounded perfect! I've been reading all of the entries and you all sound so motivated. That is exciting. I would love to join you and will definitely be up to a pre-new year resolution.
Let me tell you all a little bit about me. I am 27. I've been married for 6 years and we have a 5 year old daughter and a 3 year old son. I'm going to school now and will begin the nursing program in January. I need to loose about 45 to 50 pounds. I've been going to the gym 4 to 5 times a week to do 20 minute cardio and upper/lower body weights every other day. I always finish up my gym time with a sit in the sauna. That's my reward. I'm trying to stay within my WW points even though I'm not going anymore to the meetings. I started WW in August at 199.5 pounds and now I'm at 186, so I feel I've gotten off to a good start.
I was just telling my hubby at lunch that I would like to lose 10 pounds by Dec 19 and then maintain that weight until New Years.
I can't wait to hear everyone's pre-new year resolution ideas and I definitely can't wait to get some weight loss buddies. Looking forward to getting to know all of you better and I hope we can all be "losers" together!

Lisa

Happy Monday All!

Annie-The eggbeaters are unbelieveable. The southwestern brand is great, I highly recommend them with mini Sara-Lee bagels(2).. That candy bar story was something else!!!

MikiG-I am glad you feel the same way. I just can't believe how supportive this group has been. I love the fact that I can come here and stress out right in front of everyone, and it is ok! Where if I would do that with any member of my family. They would be ready to put me in the funny farm!

LadyRider- I know how hard a restaurant can be on my self esteem. My husband, son and I went to an italian restaurant this weekend,and I just couldn't believe how big the portions are. But guess what,
I told him, that I heard somewhere that places like this is the reason for so much of the population being overweight. The portions that these restaurants give you is unbelieveable..
So what I do now, is ask for a small plate. I then only put on the plate what I need to eat, and ask them to bag the rest. I don't remember who told me this, but it is a fabulous idea. And I didn't go over my calorie intake then, and I don't feel bad when I leave the restaurant.
:flow1: *****This is my way of going out on the weekends and not feeling as if I am depriving myself of the good foods********:flow1:

Cjunk & Cyan, you two are truly an inspiration! keep up the good work! Sorry I got lost for the weekend. I didn't have anytime to think or post. I went back to the dentist, yes, I am crazy for more dental work on Saturday, and I have been in pain since.

Welcome Lisa, WI_wide & Pat. I am sure you are going to love this loop. Everyone here is so supportive and friendly.

Have a great week everyone, and I hope to talk to you again soon.

PRE-NEW YEARS RESOLUTION
 

Hey Ladies...please read this post and give it some thought...I would like to challenge everyone to a pre-new years resolution...the holiday season is upon us and I suspect that we might need an extra incentive to keep us on track.

Lets get some ideas on the table quickly....

I'm suggesting a weigh in or a measure chart...you dont have to post it if you dont feel uncomfortable...this is not the aim here to make you feel uncomfortable but to keep you accountable. The aim of the pre new years resolution would be to either maintain your weight or measurements and loose...If you loose....all the better, but if you maintain...thats good too...what we dont want to do...is ruin our success thus far. So, how does everybody feel about doing this challenge...or if somebody had a better one or something to add, please do...so get back to me with your ideas!

I look forward to hearing your challenge ideas

Cyan

I'm in! When and how do we start?

Hello Everyone!
Welcome WI-wide! :wave: Your three days out of town sound like a nightmare! But it’s over now and I’ll bet you will do much better with this group of winners behind you!
Cjunk. I could just picture the beautiful scenery you went hiking through. Glad to see you have set new goals, that’s the way to keep on track. Mom’s mean well, but they sure can say the right things the wrong way sometimes. Please don’t take it to heart, and don’t think “Forever” you know all you have to do is take it one day at a time. Your boyfriend sounds awesome! He can sew – amazing. :dizzy: It sounds like you’re having a wonderful time and making some great memories as well as Christmas gifts.
Cyan – I smile everytime I write your name because it’s my granddaughter’s name too. She spells hers Cyanne. Glad you liked the poem. Don’t feel bad about falling off the wagon, I did the same thing yesterday. On the other had, it sure sounds like you made up for it in your exercise session! Way to Go! I agree we need a challenge to get us through the holidays. I do a lot of baking during this time and it’s going to be very tempting to over do the eating.
Hey Prescious! Glad you did your morning walk, even if it didn’t make you feel better. How are you doing today? Better, I hope.
MikiG! Congratulations on losing those inches and pounds! And on building your endurance! :bravo: Keep up the good work! Isn’t it exciting! And isn’t it great that we’ve all found our individual way to exercise and eat right and yet we’re all succeeding?
Lisathemommy! Howdy and Welcome! We promise not to gripe at you. :D Sounds like you gotten off to a very good start! And you’re definitely on the right track with going to the gym, plus WW point system is a great way to lose weight. It sounds like you’re going to fit in here just fine!:flow2:
:( My sweet brother-in-law of the past 40 years passed away from cancer yesterday, so I had a rough day and ate junk food all day long. Not good coping skills, but at least I was fully aware and clearly made the decision to eat junk. Now, on the good side, I also made the decision to exercise, so I ran in the morning and rode the bike in the evening. You know, girls, I never would have gotten back on that bike if we didn’t have that first exercise challenge. So I gotta say Thank you! I now ride twice a week in addition to running 5 times a week. More good news! I weighed in to day and I have lost 2lbs and 3 inches! Yea!!! That makes a total of 16 pounds and 15 inches since I started this new life style September 18th. If you remember, I started with 50 lbs to lose and now only have – drum roll please –tada- 34lbs to go!
I really look forward to reading this thread every day, even if I don’t have time to post, and I want to thank you all for being such a supportive and successful group. I feed off your determination and it’s making me strong. :dancer:
reina_mia - thanks for the excellent idea. Very clever and I will try it next time we eat out.
I'm like the Weigh in or Measure Chart Challenge, but because I do this already, I am also open to an additional challenge.

Hello,
No exercise today still feel awful. On a good note I'm so proud of myself went out of town late last night and car broke down on the way back. After 45 mins we finally made it to a service station. I was straved but instead of making a pig of myself with all the tempting junk food I chose a banana.

Count me in on the challenge. Cyan your idea sounds great.

LadyRider, sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

:grouphug:

Hello to everyone. Welcome to Pat, WI-Wide, and Lisa :) Glad you've joined us.
Sorry I haven't posted over the weekend. Tried to Sat. evening but for some reason I kept losing my reply when I tried to post it.

Glad to hear everyone is doing great. A big Congrats to Cjunk on your weight loss and those inches. Glad to hear that you got a good report from your doctor pertaining to your health. You're a great inspiration to me, I keep thinking about the measurements of your waist and I am determined to get mine there. I have about 3 to go now. Today was weigh in day, 3 more pounds gone and 1 inch from the waist. I have been steadily losing 3 pounds a week, I hope it keeps up. I want to thank you for all the motivation. You are so focused on exercise, even when you're not feeling up to it. Keep up the good work. Those ten extra pounds you want to lose will be a breeze. You've got the right outlook to make your additional goal. Congrats on reaching your first one.

Cyan, thanks for all the inspiration that keeps me getting on that bike. I no longer have any burning in my legs or arms so I guess it might be time to increase the resistance. I might need another kick in the behind to get me started.

Congrats to Miki and your weight loss. You are going about things in a good way. Moderation is the key to it all.

reina_mia, glad to hear from you. Thanks for the thumbs up on the egg beaters. I thought about buying some when I saw them but I'm a skeptic sometimes. I've been trying to find some other ideas for breakfast menus, I'll give the egg beaters a try. Thanks for your opionion of them. And by all means anytime you feel you need to vent feel free to let it all out to us. We are a very understanding bunch, in fact all of us go through some pretty strange things. If you need support you will find a lot of it here. Keep your chin up, you're doing great.

Precious One, sorry to hear you're not feeling well. You're in my prayers for brighter days ahead. That's awful that you were broke down for all that time. Sometimes life hands us a challenge in ways that we aren't expecting. You did great with your challenge. That banana was good for you, proud of you.

Pat, WI-Wide and Lisa, please feel free to jump in any place. We welcome you with open arms. :grouphug:
WI-wide, glad you followed the trail. :)

Cyan, great idea with the help during the holidays. I'm up for anything pertaining to that. I'm going to need all the help I can get. I feel comfortable posting weights, measurements, exercise sessions, etc. whatever everyone would like is fine with me. I think with all of us helping each other through the holidays we can stay with our goals a lot better. Seems like we have done a great job helping each other so far to stay on track. The holidays will be rough for a lot of us. So count me in on the holiday support. I'm getting pretty close to my goal, and with the holidays coming I feel like I might be hanging on to the edge of a cliff.

Lady Rider, thank you so much for the poem. It was very nice of you to share that with us. We all need to read things like that, sometimes the spirit needs some support as well.
I send my condolences to you and your family in the loss of your brother-in-law. May God Bless all of you and give you comfort during this time. Let us know if we can do anything. We're here for you.

I hope I didn't leave anyone out, there's been a lot of posts. Hard catching up after the weekend. I send a big hug to all of you, keep up the good work. We're going to make it together. :grouphug:
Stay Confident, Stay Motivated.

Good Evening Health nut ladies
 

LadyRider my heart felt sympathy for you and your family...I will say a prayer for you. My Kitty's name is Cyan...he's a male abyssinian and he is the love of my life...so affectionate he is...always full of kisses and hugs.

PreciousOne...yikes on the car breaking down...but super wow for picking a banana...what a wise choice...be proud in your accomplishments and for not stuffing your face.

Annie Annie Annie...how great you must feel to see your body changing before your very eyes....I am so inspired by you...you just get it...like Oprah would say...you have found your way to a healthier new you.

Reina_Mia...you are on the right track...finding ways to still enjoy your food is key to a life change...kudos on you.

Ok girls....and that means you too, Lisa, WI_Wide :lol:
Lets take our measurements or weight..whatever works for you...if you feel comfortable...post them..if not..thats ok too...we work my the honor system and the only person you cheat is yourself in the end...ok ...here it is....all measurements should be up by this saturday nov 23....a week before thanksgiving for our american friends....us canucks already had ours....and we will check back on jan 2, the day after the new years day. The challenge is not to gain weight....to maintain is very good and to lose weight is the top honors. How about exchanging pictures of us taken during the holidays....I would like very much to put faces to all you lovely ladies.

So by nov 23, the pre-new years resolutions specs should be noted. If you are measuring...chest, waist, upper thigh, calf and upper arm...if You weigh yourself ...I think you can handle this one :lol:

Hey Cjunk looking forward to hearing how your night went tonight.

Until then

Cyan