Welcome to all! We are a friendly and supportive group sharing our journey towards better health and happiness together!! You are welcome to post here, and join in.

Love to all

I have so much catching up to do with you all!!
Well, this weekend was a weekend at college. I feel as if I have not stopped. I have been OP all weekend though, so I am hoping that there will be a result this week, even if it is only to lose part of what I gained last week..... I totally refuse to be depressed about this! I mean, this is a long journey, isnt it? and a set back is fine. The number of times I get a few miles down the road just to recall that I have left stuff at home and have to go all the way back.... ....or is that just me losing my marbles???

Today I have had porridge with banana in for breakfast, with soy milk (total 4.5pts), and pumkin and ginger soup for lunch (no points) and a special K bar (1.5pts). Here is the soup recipe (I made it up as I went....you could miss out the tomatos as I only put them in because I had half a can in the fridge)

Pumpkin and Ginger soup
One small pumpkin
half a large onion
one inch cube of ginger, grated
half teaspoon cinnamon
half teaspoon of cumin
half teaspoon of ground cloves
pint of veg stock (I use boullion powder, or GOOD cube)
half a tin of chopped tomatos

chop up the pumpkin and onion. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the stock in to a pan and put in the onion. cook it (about 4 mins) until it is translucent. Add the spices and stir around until the aroma rises. Add the pumpkin and stir around. Cook for 2 mins, stirring. Then add the rest of the stock and the toms (if using) and bring to the boil. Cook until the pumpkin is soft (10-15 mins). Liquidise about two thirds of the soup, so there is a 'creamy' texture, but still some nice lumps of pumpkin to munch.

Nil points (although I have been told that some squash has points in american WW, but not in english WW!! How this can be I really dont know, but take it from me, pumpkin is zero points in the UK! If it has points on the system you are using, either switch to our system, or count the points..... )

Tonight is campfire casserole....a WW recipe. Do you want that one too??? Oh all right then..

Campfire Casserole
serves 4
points per recipe 19
per serving 4.5

1tablespoon cooking oil
1lb 95% fat free pork sausages cut in to thick slices
1 large onion, finely chopped
1lb potatos cut in to 1inch cubes
3 larg carrots cut in to thick slices
half pint chicken stock (I use veg stock)
small can chopped tomatos
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
large can reduced sugar baked beans
salt and ground black pepper

Heat the oil and cook the sausages for about 8-10 mins. Add the onion, potatos and carrots and cook for a further 5 mins. Stir in the stock, tomatos and worcester sauce. Boil, and reduce the heat to simmer for 10-15 mins until the potatos are just done. Stir in the baked beans, season, cook for 2 more minutes and serve. Freezes well.



Thank you for all your prayers for my friend. What a thing to have to deal with.

Now, I am so behind, I am not going to try and catch up with everyone, but I have been reading, and feel very connected to you all.
Love
Lilac

Hello, all!

I'm utterly exhausted now -- but darn proud of myself -- 'cause I just finished doing 40 whole minutes on the elliptical trainer thingy at the gym. Darn, I'm good!

Today's menu?

Breakfast: Slimfast bar: 2 pts
Lunch: 2 steak tacos, soda (Taco Bell): 9.5 pts
Snack: 2 Slimfast bars, toast with jam: 5 pts
Dinner: Ham/swiss calzones (I think I've given you all this recipe before), peas: 11 pts
And I'll fill in anything else with popcicles and apples.

We leave shortly for a few days in Florida visiting family and friends. I'm actually bringing my computer with me -- so I'll be relatively in touch. LOL! Lucky you, eh?

Off to finish up a few preps before leaving,
Jen

Thanks for the new thread. It's much easier with fewer posts.
Bunny, you asked about a Hot & Sour soup recipe. Sorry I don't have one but I'm sure a search on the Net would yield you several worth trying. I'm not that fond of that kind of soup so have never bothered to get a recipe for it.

I had a horrible gain at my Friday WI. Why would I lose one whole pound one week and then gain back most of it the next...staying totally OP!!! I'm afraid it put me into a tailspin and I'm still trying to climb out of it. It sure didn't help that DH returned from Germany yesterday with a suitcase full of divine German chocolates from all his family there. I had eaten six huge truffle-type chocolates before I was able to gather my will power around me and tell him to get the rest of them out of the house. Then I still went scrounging around looking for goodies! Can you tell I'm a carb addict?
This morning I went for my swim and felt better but I'm still running high on my points and low on my water. I sure need some moral support here, Chicks, to get me back on track. I sure don't want to ruin all my hard work just because the scale didn't move the way I wanted.

Hope you're all doing better than I am. Of course, you American gals have the Turkey Day challenge coming up this week. Good luck with that and have a very happy Thanksgiving.

LindaBC

Hi ladies!

Thanks Lilac for the new thread. Something must have changed because we went to a second page faster than normal.

I have been working on keeping my eating in control. That sure is hard when I'm here all day and wanting to snack more than usual. I have also been trying to be more active doing housework and projects. I'm trying to get the house all ready for the in-laws to come over on Thursday. I'm using that as my motivation to finish things I have been so good at ignoring or avoiding. I'm still taking the dog for walks so at least I'm doing that too. Thanksgiving will be a challenge since we're doing it on Thursday and Saturday. All that pie! And rolls! My strategy will be to try to avoid as much bread stuff and not eat the crust on the pie. Also take smaller portions of what I want. It won't be a OP day but surely that will help.

Linda - Sometimes, I'd like to shoot the scale. Maybe your gain was water related. Get some good apples or other fruit you enjoy and start snacking on that. We've all been there and its so hard to fight that defeating monster. But you can and and you will. But take a good look at what you had done for the week and see where you can make changes. Sometimes, its more water, or more fruits & veggies, or just more moving around during the day. We're here for you to vent your frustrations. Just don't let the carb devil take over!

Bunny - You are smokin' Have a great trip to Florida and enjoy your visit.

Lilac - Good for you for getting back on track mentally. Yes this is a long journey with lots of bumps and hills to climb. But if we strive to think of this as lifelong changes, we are doing so much good for our bodies. And that's hard to remember when the scale is showing us otherwise and causing us to feel those feelings of failure. Aren't you studying psychology? Why do we let that piece of inanimate material determine how we feel about ourselves? I know that sure happens to me. That is a question we all need to think about. But you're back on the right track and making great food it seems. Thanks for sharing the recipies.

I better go. Today I actually good go back to bed : but I will tackle a couple of projects (maybe even the airdyne). More housework!! Have a great day ladies and be strong.

Terri -- I like very much the idea of voicing our Thanksgiving Day strategies. My teen and I have talked about that quite a bit this week. She's much more concerned about it than am I -- probably in part because she's younger, more worried about those Tommy Jeans not fitting come Friday, and less aware of how weight ebbs and flows even while you're losing weight. Either that or 'cause I'm deluding myself about how hard holiday meals can be! Anyway...

My Thanksgiving Plan: I intend to eat a normal serving size of any dish on the table that I feel I'd enjoy. I intend to take a single spoonful of those I'm less certain I'll like. I plan to eat slowly, pausing to chat and enjoy my family and friends all the while. I plan to recognize when I'm full and say, "That's it for me" when I reach that stage. I will not neat until my stomach is distended and painful. I will not add salt or butter to anything -- because its all good without it. And I will forgive myself immediately if I don't do as I've planned.

I've also written ahead to find a local gym with daily out-of-towner rates so I'll be working out on Friday and Saturday with any luck. Finally, I located a WW meeting on Saturday morning in the town I'm visiting ('cause my regular meeting is Friday here). I'm going to go, sit in on the meeting, and weigh in.

Linda -- the least we can do is try to inspire you -- after all, how many times have you helped keep the rest of us on track??? Dang, gal, look at how much you have accomplished so far. Think about walking around the mall - is it easier now? Think about sitting at the movies -- more comfortable now? How about swimming -- can you go further now? Where the number on the scale falls has nothing to do with any of those things -- but those are all things that are happening with your body right now because you've begun to show it how much you care. I think that's very cool!

Later, ladies!!

Well, I have a couple of hours to go before I find out what the scales view of my week is......it has not been a bad op week so I am hopeful that some of last week's gain will be gone. Fingers crossed.

Linda...You know how committed you are to this journey. It has been hard for you in the last few weeks, especially with the extra chocolate around the house, and wasn't it raining so much your way that you could not get out and exercise? Nightmare. But you are swimming and having good sucess with that. I really do suspect that you are building up some muscle mass - stands to reason doesnt it? Have you looked at the WW Library thread? there is a thing there called Plateau hints and tips, and it has loads of info on about things which other people have found helpful. Also, why dont we all post up our Ten Tiny Changes which have made a difference to our quality of life?? Here are mine

Lilac's Ten Tiny Changes
1. I fit in to my pink 'White Stuff' sweatshirt
2. I can walk to town without my feet hurting
3. My star sapphire ring is no longer so tight it hurts
4. I fit in to the chairs at college without bruising my outside thighs.
5. I can twist to reach the seat belt in my car without much effort
6. I eat a lot of soup!
7. I know I can eat what I like, but I cant eat what I like without gaining weight, so I need discipline
8. I eat apples for snacks rather than pastries
9. My red flannel pyjamas fit me!
10. I conciously aim to nourish myself fully and healthily.




And here are three more changes I can make

umm...

1. I could stop putting things on the bottom stair to be taken up later, but instead take them upstairs at the time!
2. I could buy a smaller wine glass to drink from while I cook (my current one is a two pointer, and really I just like the ritual of a glass of wine as I stand at the stove, listening to some bluesey jazz and unwinding.....)
3. I could make it a rule to always save up a few (say 12ish) points during the week, for use at the weekend on 'going out', so I dont trip up each time I eat out.

Phew! All that mental effort must have been a point!!

Luckily we dont have thanksgiving here (in so many ways....the british are such an envious, thankless lot!). I have to say I have always wondered what a pumpkin pie tastes like...any recipes?? Or would it not be a good Tiny Change to incorporate in to my life at this point.....??? Do you get presents? I dont think I could cope with a gifty November as well as December. I am already in panic about Christmas. I do know that you have turkey to eat. Now turkey is an interesting food, because it is completely traditional (here it is Dec 25th de rigour food), but, well, its a disaster really isnt it? 9 times out of 10 it is served up by people who have no idea that meat is supposed to be....well....it is not supposed to stick to the roof of your mouth and require a pint of water just to swallow it.......(not that anyone on this list would ever dry out their poultry, but you know what I mean??), and the other one out of ten you end up with food poisoning because it was not thawed/cooked properly. Or what actually happens here on Christmas day is that everyone tries to cook their bird at once (about 11am onwards) and the national gas supply cant handle it and everyone's oven ends up about half its normal heat.....very typical crappy british national industry really.....
How did I get on to that splurge??!!

Love to everyone. Oh by the way J-ann....you were brill to put the walnut pastry out for the squirrells!! Well done! lucky squirrells!
Lilac

Guess who got her 10% keyring!!!!! Yes, I have made it!!! I lost 6lbs this week!!! and got my keyring!!!
yippee!!!

Ohh I seem to be a senior member here too!! My cup runneth over indeed...!!!

SUPER DUPER BRAVO for you, Lilac!!!

Way to go, babe! I know how proud you must be!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoopee Lilac!!!! I'm so thrilled for you. See you can do this!! You've definitely had it going good this week. A great six pound loss AND your keyring too. I bet your were flying high during the meeting.

You go girl!

CHEERS FOR LILAC!!! That is a big step. I'm still a few pounds away from my 10% and it's a toughie so I really appreciate your victory.

Today I'm trying to stay totally OP and so far I've been fairly successful. I'm still not getting in enough water though. I think when it's raining constantly outside, I just don't feel the need for yet MORE water.

Breakfast was a bowl of grainy porridge with a small apple chopped up in it and 1% milk.
Lunch was a chicken quesadilla (6 points) and just one teensy-weensy German chocolate. I had a friend here for lunch and she'd heard me raving about them so, of course, I had to keep her company while she ate one. Mine was very, very small though. I'm sure not even a full point for it although I did write down 1 point for it in my journal.

I just received my talking pedometer that I'd ordered from Avon. Now I have to take the time and trouble to measure my stride so I can enter it and then it will supposedly keep track of how many steps I take in a day. It will also play music while I walk in time with my step. Well, that will sound like a funeral dirge, I'm sure.

Well, isnt it interesting and frightening how those scales make so much differance, as Terri was saying the other day. I now feel full of energy, excited and happy, and yet look at the state I was in last week and the week before. It is all a bit mad. We feel good about ourselves when we 'accomplish' something (a loss in weight) and bad about ourselves when we dont. I think the trick to life is to feel good about ourselves in spite of whether we are going up or down on the scales......be detached as the buddhists would say. Non attachment. Easier said than done of course.

Well, today I had banana porridge for breakfast, with soy milk (4.5pts in total), a starbucks skinny blueberry muffin mid morning (dont know the points but have put it down for 7 in my journal - they dont give nutrition info in the uk, and seem to sell different stuff from the stuff on the fast food guide here....). Lunch I have just finished was a bowl of pointless soup not so pointless as I am nice and full , although I put one points worth of low fat creme fraiche in to make it a flatter texture. This evening I am going to make a chicken salad, and fill up the rest of the points with a choc. ww bar and maybe an apple or two.

Off to see clients now and then college tonight - last night of term. And I still have not finished that smelly essay.....i have one para left to write, and some editing to do, but have gone in to total resistance to it...! Dont know why. The para I have to write is about my experience with clients this year, and so I am obviously refusing to look at something connected with that....dont know what yet. I will finishe the essay before I go to australia and hope they dont mark me down.

Australia flight is next Wednesday night by the way....!!! I am getting very excited about that.

Thanks for all your congrats over my 10%! you are all so great. I really dont think I would have made it this far if it had not been for you all, and all your support. Thank you so much, with all my heart.

Linda....talking pedometer I could not handle that . I would have to give it counselling......

Terri....oh yes, I was flying at the meeting and still am!! Good luck with all your family coiming over - have a nice time.

Bunny.....I am AMAZED by all the preps you have been making to handle going away for thanks giving, even the local gym! amazing. You are so committed to yourself in this, and an inspiration!!

Everyone else......

Got to run, off to work
love, Lilac (who is trying not to be a completely smug cow..... )

10% 10% 10% HURRAY LILAC! Treasure that key ring, but be careful. Sometimes they pop open when you least expect it to happen. Keys everywhere! Doin' the 10% dance for YOU!!!

I had a great day too. I've been working hard to stay OP and drink all my water. It worked! Lost the 2.5 I put on last week PLUS another 1/2 lb. Grand total is now 55 lbs.

I have to share my on-going epic about my stretch jeans. I bought 4 prs of stretch jeans (no zipper) about 3 yrs ago, when I weighed about 280. Over the next two and one half years I put on about 45 lbs. but was still able to get them on. Now I'm 11 lbs. below the 280 and still wearing the suckers and they still fit! I'm betting they still fit when I get to -100. I'll keep you posted. I promise NEVER AGAIN to purchase stretch jeans or pants. If I'd stuck to zippered pants I would have realized a lot sooner that I was headed UP on the scales but I kept falling back on the stretchies and convincing myself "I can't be THAT big. These still fit."

Lilac: you're right. We all need to feel good about ourselves even when the scale doesn't show it. We are all doing our best to change our lifestyles and we are all succeeding. We have good scale weeks, bad scale weeks and so so scale weeks. I know that the weeks that I stay OP and don't show a loss are the weeks when my clothes feel looser. So even tho my weight stays the same I must be gaining muscle and shedding fat during that week.

I just read that every one lb. of muscle we gain burns an extra 50 calories a day, even when we are at rest. We have to add exercise into the mix to become healthy, fat burning machines!! Besides when we get home from the gym, pool or a good walk we DO feel good, don't we?

Linda: Maybe you should try drinking the rain as it falls from the sky. That way you'de get more water everytime you go outdoors.

ENOUGH .. Gotta get the critters in and fed. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Well, now I'm all embarassed (kinda sorta) to come in here and tell you all how yesterday -- the car ride to Florida -- went.

It was awful with a capital A! What should have been a boring 9 hour ride took over 11.5 hours -- with the two extra hours involving sitting still on interstate highways in heavy, irritating, very fume-y traffic!

I'd bought snacks for the trip that were high quantity, low point foods -- and screwed up royally. I ate an entire darn bag of pizza flavoured Sports crackers. 18 points!!! Which in combination with the steak tacos I had for lunch brought me to my 30 point max already - and it wasn't even 3 pm!!! So dinner was salad (1 pt) and snacks were 10 calorie (1/5 point) Jell-o snacks. I ended the day using 3 or 4 banked points. Wah. On the other hand -- I am pretty pleased with myself that I didn't let the stress eating ruin my day. I just figured out how I could get enough "fullness" food the rest of the day and moved on. I've already arranged to exercise with my best friend's husband on Friday and Saturday while I'm here. Now I just have to resist my all-time favourite food -- my mother's cheesecake -- and I'm good to go!

J-ann -- bravo on losin' last weeks gain! I love it when that happens -- if I'm gonna gain, I wanna lose it all the next week. The stretch pants thing is a great point -- I tend to dress entirely in knit dresses and skirts and tops and they sure are forgiving when you lose weight -- its why I'm still mostly wearing the clothing I wore 80 pounds ago (when you look at my top weight ever -- and i am still wearing quite a bit of that clothing!!). Yikes.

Lilac -- We're gonna miss you like heck while you're in Australia. You just gotta figure out how to stay in touch while vacationing! Bwahaha!

Signing off from Florida,
Jen