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Pookie, our favorite gym hamster ... ... it is wonderful to have you back again. And hey, who's knocking pink dumbells? Not me! I've been struggling mightily with the complete rainbow of pastel dumbbells since my shoulder surgery in January.

Post whenever you can - it's just so great to hear from you.

Great to have you back, Pookie!

A resounding YES to your question. In fact, one time I was actually planning on eating some things that weren't the best choices, but I really wanted them. After listening to the leader's talk, and hearing what other people had to say, I decided to make some better choices. I didn't plan on that happening, and I wasn't staying for the meeting because I wanted someone to change my mind--it just happened to turn out that way.

Hey, I've recently worked up to powder blue on one of the exercises I do. I was quite pleased. Those pastel dumbells are there for a reason. I applaud anyone who picks up a weight, no matter what the color.

When I first started Core, I weighed and measured to make sure I was doing portions correctly because portion size has always been a problem. I no longer have to do that, but it took a while. I still journal what I eat, although not the size. I've gotten away from eating SF FF pudding, Laughing Cow Light, and WW fudge bars every day (counting the WPA for that), and now snack on fruit and hard boiled egg whites because I prefer that. I don't see anything wrong with eating Core (with modifications) and counting points. I guess I'm for whatever works!

to you Pookie. I've lost my stepdad, my mom and my MIL in the last year. While I was not taking care of/living with them, it still is hard having them gone - and very hard not to turn to food when you're sad. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, Pookie. Most days are fine. My mom had Alzheimers, so I haven't had the real person there for awhile. I do think of all of them often, and have to remember that they're gone, though.

And, you've probably heard this from others - but in my book there's no problem with combining Flex and Core. What I would do is eat core foods, but count the points.... Straight Core requires being aware - and vigilent - of your hunger and satisfaction levels, something that many of us have a problem with because frankly much of our hunger is not physical but "head" hunger. I lost ~70 pounds on Flex but I find it hard to get back into that place. Right now I'm focusing on eating whole foods (very similar to Core), watching portion size, and counting calories (though not every day).