Counting down from 250 and beyond - May 17 to ?
 

Welcome anyone who is trying to get their weight below 250 lb. We hope you will find inspiration and assistance here as we travel this difficult road together.

I GOT MY 25 LB STAR TODAY!!!
 

YIPPEEEE SKIPPY! I was almost scared to go to WI because I haven't had the greatest week. But, today I registered 1.6 lb loss making it a total of 25.3 lb. So I got a 5 lb star and a 25 lb star on the same day. Yahoooo! Just 100+ to go. It has been a long, difficult struggle beginning last June with many plateaus along the way, not to mention a terrible gain at Christmas that took me three months to recover from. Yikes! I never want that to happen again.
I'm not even going to think about how many $$$ per pound it has cost me so far. :?:

Hiya, ladies!

Linda - Congratulations on your great success this past week! You must be terribly thrilled. :)

We had a water heater break down (resulting in puddles in the living room, closet, and my den) yesterday. Today it gets replaced. On Tuesday we leave for LA (yippee!) and the Electronic Entertainment Expo. We're planning to add new gaming stuff to our virtual store's line up this year -- so that gave us an excuse to attend this extremely cool gaming event! Yahoo!!

Still busy, still withdrawn, more later (I hope).

J.

CONGRATULATIONS!
 

What wonderful news, Linda. I am so proud of you!:D I think when a goal is difficult to reach it means even more when you finally get there. Thanks for continuing to soldier on instead of taking the easy way out and just giving up. You inspire us all!
Donna

OKAY I couldn't stay away ... so I'm
BACK!

WOO HOO LINDA!!!! You're on track and doing just fine. I've watched you struggle so often but you stuck with it and just :dizzy: look at you ;) 25 lbs thinner and soon to be looking at only double digits to successfully reaching your goal. You deserve some hugs ((((Linda)))) for your perseverence.


Well, I went to a different meeting last Monday and am definately switching to this other group. The WW leader seems concerned with the members and not just saying the words so she can get paid. What a difference this woman is compared to where I'd been going for 11 months! Maybe it's just that my orig. leader has to repeat sooo much for new members that she foregets that some of us are plugging along for the very long haul and that we need support too. The people in the new group seem very motivated and it's ONLY TWO miles from home. I asked not to be told my weight since the previous week was a binge (right until I got on the scale :eek: ). I'll probably face the numbers tomorrow. If not, I'll have to wait two weeks since there's no meeting on Memorial Day. Of course, I could find another meeting to attend during the holiday week. I'll have to wait and see. :)

So far this week has been about 90% good. I screwed up a little but I exercised a lot and am journaling. I've got to get back to drinking A LOT MORE water tho. (Sipping as I type.)


Everone wish BUNNY a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :hb: on Tuesday. We'll all be celebrating for you, Bunny, even if you are away. :) I hate hot water heaters. No matter where you put them they always make a mess when they decide to die. :cry: Have a good time in LA. You need to get out of that slump and jump right back OP. You know you'll feel and look better! (As I always say this to myself I'm sharing a "push" with you.)

Hi to EVERYONE. I'll try to get back on Tues. and let you know about WI. Until then I'm gonna' hold hands with myself to keep out of the snacks.

Happy Sunday!

new to your group, but not new to 3fc.......
 

I am 46 years old, married 22 years, 3 daughters. I weigh 275 right now.... I am desperate to lose this extra baggage... MY hubby is doing great, following the WW plan, (lost 20 lbs in one month so far)... gosh, why is it so easy for men? I know he is following the plan well, and the more he does well, the worse I seem to be doing? Don't get it at all, really. I thought with both of us doing this for health reasons, I could do it! HMMM.... I can't figure me out. I need to lose weight for health reasons, as most of us do at this kind of weight, right? Hubby isn't nearly as over weight, either, as he is down to 230 and is 6' tall... I am a shorty at 5'4". GOSH, I do have my work cut out for me, huh? I do great one week, then fall off my program... only to feel more depressed because of it. Which gives me the desire to eat more, causing more depression, etc. A vicious cycle I would love to break. CAN anyone help me get through this????? kurly

HI Kurly :wave: WELCOME !!!


I have battled for the last 5 months with the On Program/Off Program Devil. I can honestly say that if I keep my journal within arms reach at ALL times, I lose weight. It's like my conscience. If I have it at hand, and use it, I don't go Off Program. If I put it away, leave it home, or say to myself "I'll journal later", it's like all food is free. (Maybe when it's going into my tummy, it's free .... after that it's FAT!) My journal goes in my purse to work, then right out on my desk where I can see it, then in my jeans pocket when I'm at home. If it's a really tough day I'll lay it on the passenger seat, next to me, to keep me from making a fast food stop on the way home.

The other thing I've found out about myself is that I eat when I'm alone. At home, at work and with friends I'm good. After all this time, everyone knows I'm on WW and most are very supportive. When I'm alone, that's when I go Off Program so If I can, and I want to eat more pts. than I'm allotted, I call a friend and either meet them or just chat.

This all sounds sooo easy. :dizzy: If it was I'd be dropping weight like mad. But it isn't and everyone here has to work every minute of every day to stay OP and go forward to our goals. I hope my suggestions, combined with others I'm sure will follow, will help you stay OP more days than not.

Good luck to you and your Hubby too.

A big warm welcome to Kurly.
Kurly, we are the same weight although I have a few years on you. It has taken me a long time to lose 25 pounds. I have Type II Diabetes and Hypo-thyroid plus arthritis which slows me down a little. But, I've noticed a big improvement in my energy levels and flexibility with just 25 lb gone. Lots of other benefits too. So, you are starting at the weight I've just gotten down to. If you don't want to gain MORE and get to 300 lb, and possibly some of the same medical problems, I hope you will have a good talk to yourself and get serious. I never had diabetes or hyptothyroid before I got over 275 lb. WW and sticking with it is not easy but it gets easier the longer you do it. The more success you have, the easier it gets too. Don't expect miracles. When we're young (or if we're a man), the weight comes off much quicker and easier. As women, our metabolism slows down as we near menopause and those darned fatty deposits get more stubborn. Men just naturally have higher metabolisms. Makes them easy to hate. :lol:
Bunny, sorry about your water heater disaster. Been there and done that. No fun at all!! Hope you enjoy your trip to L.A. Make sure you tell us all about it when you get back. I hope things are improving for you on a personal level. Maybe this trip will be just the lift you need.
J-ann it's always easier to binge when we're alone and I'm alone a LOT. My hubby is a workaholic so he's gone from 7 am until anwhere between 7 and 10 pm. If I wait to eat dinner with him I wind up snacking from 4 pm until he gets home and then eating a big dinner which I don't need so late. I'm making myself have a snack about 4 and then dinner alone around 6. I then save my evening snack for when he's having his late dinner. Not that he's much company at that hour. SOmetimes he nearly falls asleep into his plate. :lol: I also have to keep my journal close at hand. Today I've snuck in some no-no food because I was helping out at a memorial service for a friend's late hubby and I didn't plan too well. Had an early breakfast and then helped myself to a half bun with egg salad and a (very YUMMY) caramel square while waiting for the service to start at 1:30. However, I left when the buffet line-up began, came home and had a healthy, although rather late lunch.
I have a tendency to celebrate my little victories with a food reward which, as we all learn at WW, is NOT a good thing. Before we know it our bad habits have returned and the scale is moving in the other direction. No more celebrating.
Donna thanks for your kind words. I'm an awfully slow loser and I've had some terrible slumps in this battle. I will continue to soldier on though, because to do otherwise would be to gain back all I've lost and become very, very ill. I never want to feel the way I felt last summer at just over 300 lb. I could hardly breath, bend, get out of a chair, walk, climb. Everything was a major effort and I had disgusting rashes from prickly heat in all my sweaty folds. I keep reminding myself of these things because it's too easy to forget. As far as we know, we only get one life. I sure don't want mine either cut short or made miserable from obesity. Some people can be heavy and still get pleasure from various activities but I'm not one of them. The heavier I got, the more I just wanted to sit around. Movement was such a struggle. Now I'm trying to get a bit more exercise every week and it's becoming more of a pleasure than a duty.
It really means a lot to me to have you folks on my side. WW meetings are ok but it takes a while to get to know and interact with the other members enough to derive much benefit from their input. So glad you are here for me.

Hi Linda and all who enter here;
 

I too was over 300 lbs at one time, 320 was my highest weight registered! WHEW... that is a lot, hey? I hated it then, hate saying it now, and hate that I have gained so much back. I actually got down to 199 a couple of years ago, and now, back to the 275. I guess they say if you keep it off for a year, your body learns to regroup, retrain itself, etc. and I just didn't keep it off for more than a blink of an eye. SO, depression about gaining so much back is a real problem for me. I also had many deaths in my family over 2 years, which is troubling my soul. The last of whom was my sister, 42 years young, and she died of brain anuerysms. I have had enough scares with this, (3rd family member) to be stricken with this malidy, so I went to Mayos in March. I don't have any, and I thought that would relieve my mind, and give me new hope of living well. ALL I have to do is lose weight, keep my blood pressure under control and I can expect to live a normal life without suffering with the anuerysms! WELL, easier said than done. I am glad to hear you feel better losing the 25 lbs. I can't wait to get there, too. I too believe in journalling. I have a food journal, a mood journal and a workout journal. Guess which one doesn't have any info in it? I used to work out all the time, and since I re-gained this weight, I don't. I know how overwhelmed I feel about the challenge ahead, as I did it once already. I have to get my mind set to the one day at a time thing, and not look down the road too far, as it is sooooo overwhelming for me. Especially AGAIN! Thanks for your kind words, your inspiration and your thoughtfulness. I am going to try to do well today. I have to leave for work shortly, as I open for a childcare center, and we have an earlybird arriving when I do. ciao for now... kurly

Kurly my hubby had an aneurysm burst in his brain in 1991 just before he turned 50. He wasn't even overweight but he has a history of weak veins and has had open leg ulcers for 30 years due to phlebitis. He was in his vehicle at the time but luckily he was parked talking to a guy who worked for him. When he collapsed, the fellow called 911 and they rushed him to hospital. He regained consciousness but had no feeling in his legs for quite a while. Still, the idiots in ER thought he had pneumonia for some reason. It was four days of excrutiating headaches for the poor fellow before they finally did a spinal tap and then a whatchamacallit test that scans the brain. That showed he had an aneurysm that had burst on the left side and another that could go at any time on the right side. They cut open his head and fixed the burst one and a week later they cut open the other side and eliminated the aneurysm on the other side. The poor guy. His head looked like a watermelon and he had a long recovery but suffered no lasting damage. I'm so sorry about your sister and your other losses. Some stages of our lives are like that. I lost an aunt, an uncle and my dear Mom all within a few months of each other and then my sister's daughter and her baby boy were killed together in a car crash. It was a bad couple of years. My heart goes out to you because I have an idea what you've been through.
Having to lose so much weight IS overwhelming. Try not to think about the total amount you need to lose. Try to break it up into 5 or 10 pound chunks and only think ahead to the next mini-goal. They will gradually add up. Reward yourself for every day you stay on program but NOT WITH FOOD! It could be just a promise to yourself to treat yourself to a new house plant, a pocket novel, a professional manicure or even just 20 minutes being lazy. Celebrate the little victories, like passing up that slice of cheesecake. Brag to yourself. Continue to pat yourself on the back when you do anything that is a step in the right direction, whether it's climbing a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator, parking at the far end of the super market parking lot instead of circling 20 times to find a spot close to the door. Any time you move that body instead of doing what comes naturally (lounging), give yourself an imaginary medal. You have to be your own biggest fan and booster club.
WHen you falter or fail, try very hard not to let it seem like the end of the world or the end of your weight loss. It's just a little blip in the screen of your life. One chocolate bar or one super sized bowl of ice cream and even a slab of cheesecake (while not the wisest choice) isn't going to make that much difference. It's the choices you make over the long haul that add up and determine whether or not you lose weight.
I'm certainly not a role model for anyone wanting to lose weight quickly. It's been a long, slow battle for me and will probably continue to be slow. I hope you'll continue to keep trying, and journalling and posting here. If you'd like to post your daily menus, that seems to help some people stay OP. I'd be happy to post my menus every day if it would help.
Here's today's Menu. (so far. I just had lunch)
Points Range 28 - 33
Breakfast
2 slices hi fiber toast (2)
1 tsp Light Becel Margarine
1 tsp jam (combined about 1 point)
1 tbsp Light Philly Cream Cheese (1)
3/4 oz light cheddar cheese (2)
Total 6 points

Lunch
2 slices hi fiber bread (2)
1/2 cup egg salad made with non-fat mayo (4)
1 small Mango (1)
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt (1)
Total 8 points

Dinner (planned)
2 oz lean pork tenderloin (3)
Stir fry veggies
1/2 cup rice (2.5)?
Total 5.5 points

Snack:
Non-fat, sugar free chocolate pudding
1/4 cup Light Cool Whip
Total 2 points

That leaves me some points to play with in case I want another piece of fruit or some Wasa Crackers with light cream cheese for a late snack.

Happy Monday!
 

Hello, Friends!

After my last post, I lost my will power and ate three BIG pieces of birthday cake! OY!:o Then we went on vacation to Chicago and I tryed to be sensible, but still splurged. Fortunately, we walked and walked and so miracle of miracles :angel: when I had WI yesterday I had lost 1.5 lbs!:jig:

Welcome, Vicki! You have lost sooooo much weight since you started, don't stop now! Each meal OP is a victory! Everytime I go off, I record it in my journal and start over at the next meal! Mini-goals can really help as you lose, especially when you have a lot to lose (like we all do!:D ) This group is great, you'll get all the support you need!

Welcome, Kurleytop! (Are you a red-head?:) ) You are in the right place to get help and encouragement! WW works! And YOU can work the program!:D I agree that a journal entry for everything you eat is very important for success, mini goals and self rewards are great too.

J-Ann, A good leader really does make all the difference. I've been in several WW classes that didn't do anything for me (except take my money and keep track of my weight!:lol: )

Donna, You can get back into it! Don't know about the weightloss challenge though, that sounds expensive, but if it will motivate you...GO FOR IT!

All for now,

Mel

P.S.
 

Ok, hi, I'm back.

Joyce, -2 lbs. is GREAT! Congratulations!

Happy Birthday, Bunny!!!! :hb:

Now, I'll say good-bye until Wednesday. Y'all have a great start to a new OP week!

Love,
Mel

264/247.5/237.6 (10% mini goal by summer!):cool:

:wave: Hi Everyone,

Well, I bit the bullet and looked at the weight that was recorded at last weeks meeting. NOT GOOD. I was up 13.5 from the 255.5 I'd gotten down to a few weeks ago. :ink: But now the GOOD NEWS: I lost 4 of those lbs. as of tonights WI. :cool:

One of the things we discussed at tonight's meeting was Green, Yellow and RED LIGHT foods. You know Green = Veggies/Fruits, Yellow = Stuff you have to be careful you don't overdo (for me it's low fat snacks that ADD UP when you keep eating them!), and RED are the foods that either you can't stop eating or that set you off on a binge. We are supposed to note our redlight foods in our journal this week to make us more aware of stuff we know are basically taboo unless we have planned them AND can be strong enough to stop at our preset limit.

My REDLIGHTS are:

french fries
greasy (gotta love 'em) potato chips
peanut butter cups
peanut butter Twix bars
cheese-it's
real butter!
fried chicken
I'm sure there are more, I have to think a little harder.

My Yellows:

some ice creams
milkshakes
peanuts
chocolate bars
Whipped cream
cakes
cookies
cheese sauces
pasta (sometimes)
most other fast foods
and on and on and on

Our leader reminded us that if we eat out and it looks "shiney, slippery or slimey" we probably shouldn't eat it without being very careful. It was part of her reference to potato and macaroni salads but fit's a lot of high fat foods.

Hope this didn't sound preachy but the advice was too good not to share.

I'll catch up individually later.

I've updated (or is it downgraded?) my sig. and am psyched to begin another OP week.

J-ann thanks for the preview of the lecture I'll be getting at WW this Friday. LOL Now I can be prepared and really contribute to the discussion. (I'm sure our leader wishes I'd shut the heck up sometimes) :lol:

After all my blabbering on in my last post, I've really lost it today. For some stoopit reason, tonight I got into the FROZEN almonds I keep for special baking and, GEE WHIZ, didn't they just go great with the semi-sweet Baker's chocolate up in the cupboard? I had two whole one ounce squares and two handfuls of almonds. Well, I have written it down and it has put me over my allowed points so tomorrow I will have to be extra vigilant. Why do I do these things to myself, especially after getting my 25 lb star just last Friday? Do I somehow think that now I can relax? NO WAY! I have to be even more careful and I know it. :?:

Well, we're all only human and we can only pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again.
Congratulations to Joyce and Mel on your losses.
Happy Birthday, Bunny!

Hmmm, Red Light Foods.
chocolate
chocolate with nuts
chocolate with peanut butter
chocolate with caramel
chocolate on ice cream
nuts of any kind but especially cashews
butter on popcorn

Yellow Light Foods
Pasta (hard to stop at one cupful)
Cheese (3/4 oz just isn't enough)
Crispy skin of chicken and turkey (how can something so yummy be so bad for me?)
Peanut Butter (I don't even keep a jar in the house anymore)
Whipped Cream (thank heaven for Light Cool Whip)
Apple Pie, Apple Crisp, especially warm (I've been known to nibble a pie to death :o )
Warm homemade rolls (who can stop with one?)

I'm sure I have more of both red and yellow foods, but that gives you some idea what I'm up against.

Let's all try to have a totally OP Wednesday. ok?
LindaBC

OP Wednesday - RED LIGHT!
 

Hi Friends,

So far I'm OP for the day - 5 breads, 4 pro, 1 veg, 2 milks, 2 personal choices. I was thinking about going off tonight because 1) I've eaten all my good food today and 2) DH will not be home so I can "sneak eat":dizzy: I'll just say NO! :)

J-Ann, Good work on your weight loss this week! It's one day, one meal at a time! Your leader has a good point but don't forget the my favorite green light slimey veg - boiled okra! Yummmmm! My red light foods are: pizza, chocolate, any dessert, butter, and fast food. My yellow light foods are cheese, pasta and potatoes. I'll think about the effect these have on my eating this week. Thanks for sharing!


LindaBC, Starting over again is the only way to go. You can do it! Isn't it funny how a success gives the :devil: in ones brain permission to undermine oneself? Well, not ha-ha funny, more like "turned funny":dizzy: !

Hi to everybody else. The gauntlet is down, let's all have an OP Wednesday and great OP week!

Love,

Mel
264/247.5/237.5 (10% mini goal)

OHMYGOSH! Did I ever blow it this week! This morning was my WI and I gained 1.8 lb. GAAAAH! I know that what I ate yesterday probably hasn't had time to affect today's weight, but I'm sure the two pieces of cake I had before bed last night can't have helped.
Anyhow, I took this morning's lecture to heart about Red Light foods and I'm not going to allow any more of them in my house. I also listened to another member who has had fantastic weight loss (75 pounds since last September) and on my way home I stopped at a greengrocer and bought a lot of low point veggies. Washed and cleaned them all and they are sitting in my fridge to be noshed on when the snacking urge hits me. I'm not really crazy about the dip I threw together with non fat yogurt and salsa. The salsa made the yogurt curdle so it doesn't look very pretty. This same person walks every day, rain, snow or sun. This is something I KNOW I should be doing too but I just can't seem to get my rear in gear. :?: How do people get motivated. I might do it once or twice and then lose momentum. Same with weight lifting and riding the bike at the gym. I need somebody to boot me in the caboose every day. Any volunteers? :lol:

Where is everybody? I'm rattling around all alone in here.

Hey Linda,

I'm here but the weather's been really nice so I'm trying to
garden, and do some birding, and spend some time outside with the dog, etc.

Doing my best to stay OP over the US holiday weekend.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

5:30 AM: time to go birding with some friends, then off to a parade!

I've been having computer problems so haven't been online nearly as much. My weightloss challenge material arrived, as did my Firm tapes (finally!) the challenge starts a week from today so I'm trying to gear up mentally. Have started easing into drinking water again and have noticed that I'm starting to crave healthier food like fruit and vegies again.

I've also posted some of my old exercise tapes for sale on eBay -- still working on eliminating clutter from my life. I've got Leslie Sansone's Walk Off Weight at Home, a set of beginning tapes from the Yoga Zone, and Groovin' in the House by Richard Simmons for sale under the seller name of MamaDobbs, if anyone wants to check them out. There have been a couple bids but the price is still under $5 so they'd be a real good bargain for somebody!

Working today transcribing tapes of a meeting -- yuck! boring! But it's one of my favorite clients so I felt obligated ...
Donna

Nice to know I'm not alone after all.
It's been very humid around here today. I did a couple of hours weeding my veggie garden. (Still haven't planted anything in it) I was red as a beet and sweating like an old plow horse. It's raining now but it still feels very muggy.
I went to a Weekender fashion party tonight and was able to buy a few things in a smaller size so that felt good. Too bad the price wasn't smaller as well. ;) Happily I managed to avoid the goodies the hostess had set out except for a piece of melon and a cracker. No big deal. So far I'm still on track this week and getting lots of water.
I know how easily I can lead myself astray and realize that I must be ever vigilant against my natural instinct (which is to pig out).
This morning I went to the pool and put in a good hour of fairly vigorous exercise. That plus two+ hours in the garden sweatin' should be worth a few points in my favor.

Today's menu (for anyone who's interested)
Breakfast
5 point breakfast cookie (a new purchase for me and very yummy)

Lunch
2 hi fiber bread
1 oz turkey
1 slice f.f. proc. cheese
a dab of light mayo
lettuce and tomato
raw veggies
4 points

Snack
Angel Food Cake
Strawberries
Light Cool Whip
4 points

Dinner
3 oz chicken breast
1/2 cup rice
zucchini, mushroom & tomato sauce
6 points

Snack
2 Wasa crackers
1 tbsp light Philly
2 pt

Total for day - 21 points
Forgot to add in for small piece of melon but I dont think it's very much.

I'm low on points today but no doubt I'll make up for it tomorrow. LOL

I'm back! I've been in a slump with WW and so busy otherwise that I haven't gotten downstairs to the computer in what seems a long time.

Work has been so crazy with the promotion and finishing old tasks and taking on new ones. Plus its been rather draining due to my boss for most of the last 14 years had decided to go part time and telecommute from Colorado. Last Thursday was his last day. A lot of feel like we lost our mentor but we're so happy for him to be stepping back and going home to where his heart is. I'm on vacation this week trying to relax.

I've finished phase 1 of the landscape project. I've got almost all the stones in place. I only have to cut a few to finish off that part. Now just have to figure out how to do that. Then its filling in the dirt and topping off with bark or stones. I have a futon frame about 1/3 of the way into a staining project and one of the bedrooms almost half painted. No rest for the wicked I guess!!

Our horse had her baby a couple of weekends ago. Mom's horse had hers at the same time. So there are two baby fillies that are so cute. Ours is named Glory. She's kind of a sorrel/orange with a white stripe down her face and a huge white blanket and white spots on her butt. She is most definitely an appaloosa. Mom's is a beautiful smokey gray. We've gone down to the farm the last three Saturdays to see the babies and help Mom & dad with the work.

Otherwise, I'm just trying to get caught up with everything around the house so that I can sit down at the computer and keep up with my online journal and here.

Starting today, I'm trying to get refocused on WW and hopefully start losing again.

I better get onto my next project or two. Have a great OP day!

Morning, all!

Today I'm back to my regularly scheduled life. California was very fun - I did some shopping in La Jolla on Saturday which included buying the absolutely coolest sock yarn! Its a German wool which knits up in a pattern when you make a sock that requires casting on with 60 - 70 stitches. I can't even explain how neato this is! Wow!

Today I'm skipping breakfast (bad me) because I anticipate a long, fun lunch with a friend and want the points for that. We'll probably have sandwiches and soup and frozen yogurt for dessert. Dinner tonight is likely to be Taco Bell - which will keep me under points if I don't snack too much. I need to get on the ball with my "watch what you eat" stuff because I know my weight will creep up otherwise.

Lots to ship today (our first shipping day in over a week) and more to prepare to list on Amazon and our website. Busy, busy, busy.

It looks like we won't get the kids back until next week (at the earliest) as my folks are enjoying them too much. My teen is going in to get her back checked (which has needed to be done for ages but we can't afford it - so my mom has decided to do it while she's there). She has a definite curve in the upper back - but its a forward curve (so she's always hunched over by a bit). I had a friend in high school who spent 6 months in a children's hospital with surgeries for a very similar looking condition (keeping in mind that I was a teen and so my perception of her illness may not match what was really happening). I'm worried - and have been for quite some time - but I'm even more scared of what happens if she needs significant (read: EXPENSIVE) care. Yikes.

I know some of us are struggling now, some are succeeding beyond all expectation. Thank you all for sharing that. :)

recipes!
 

Here are two recipes I tried this weekend.

Rigatoni Al Forno (a twist on mac and cheese and its a WW recipe)
12 oz rigatoni
3/4 cup reduced-sodium tomato sauce
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/4 cup shredded part-skimm mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP part-skim ricotta
2 TBSP crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Spray 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray.
2. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
3. Combine the tomato sauce, half-and-half, mozzarella, ricotta, and gorgonzola cheeses in a medium bowl. Add the hot pasta and toss to coat. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake until bubbly and browned on top, about 7 minutes. Serve at once.

WW points = 5

Serves 6


This one I got from the new issue Taste of Home's Light & Tasty and its very good!

Strawberry Chiffon Pie

1 pkg sugar free strawberry gelatin (.3 oz)
3/4 cup boiling water
1-1/4 cup cold water
1 cup reduced-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed
2-1/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust

In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate until slightly thickened. Fold in the whipped topping and 2 cups of strawberries. Pour into the crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Garnish with the remaining berries.

Makes 8 servies
1 piece = 138 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g fiber (adjust for your ingredients)

Hello all;
 

Hey Terri, I too am a horse person. CONGRATS on the new babies. This is such a fun time, isn't it? Mine is 2 now, so no longer a baby, although he sure is a youngster still. I have a Freisian/Morgan cross, so he is a registered Freisian Sport Horse. OUT of LENA WI. All black in color. And very Freisian in appearance. He goes for training in the fall for a 6 week stay, then a follow up in the spring as a 3 year old, and then I get him.... LOL. I am doing the ground work with him, but I want him finished with a real trainer. HE is gentle, loving and real intelligent. HE learned how to play fetch with me last week. What fun! HE takes a bit, saddle and ties well. I don't ride him yet, as he is still a baby! One reason I am setting a WW goal now is to ride him and be more forgiving on his back come spring. And for my health of coarse. I did well my first week on program. I lost, but no official weigh in til later this morning. I am not at work today, as my daughter and I are going to Fox River Mall in Appleton to shop for her Florida trip. She can't find what she likes around here. She is leaving for 2 whole months, and she is the last fledgling to leave my nest. SO today is special for me. I do have to run now, but wanted to check in and say HI.... kurly:)

My goodness, what interesting, busy lives you all have. I feel positively boring in comparison.
Horses yet!!! I've always loved the look of them....from a distance. The few times I've ever ridden one, we more or less went where the horse wanted to go, which was back to its nice warm stall and his oats. :lol: We did own a shetland pony mare when our kids were little and we had a couple of acres. She was a mean tempered thing though and the kids were scared of her. We had her bred twice to a purebred Arab stud and her foals were just gorgeous with that lovely Arab dished nose and fine conformation. They were bigger than their dam but smaller than their sire. Lovely sorrel with light manes and tails. We also had a quarter horse gelding who was very gentle but we didn't keep him long as he wasn't saddle broke and my hubby didn't have time to train him. Gee, that was a long time ago. How I used to love watching them racing up and down our field.

Hey, Determined, where do you get fat free half & half? I've checked all over our area and it's nowhere to be found. Of course, in Canada we often don't have the low fat products you get in the U.S. Just wondering if I could substitute fat free evaporated milk in that pasta recipe. BTW, I also get the Light & Tasty magazine and I saw that Strawberry Pie recipe but I've found that by tweaking the Key Lime Pie recipe we got from WW at the beginning of the year (in that menu pamphlet), I get a very nice strawberry (or any flavour) pie filling. Sometimes I make it with a crust for company and sometimes I just make it in a bowl for myself. Yummy stuff.

Bunny, good to see you back. Glad you had a good time. Too bad about your daughter's back. I don't know what to suggest except that you try to do whatever you can for her. Sometimes these things are best fixed while the bones are young. It is probably affecting her confidence too and we want our girls to grow up strong and sure of themselves. I realize expense is an issue but there really isn't anything more important than our health, is there? Not trying to make you feel guilty. We're so lucky in Canada that this kind of thing would be covered by our medical insurance (not sure how much longer though what with cutbacks, etc). Good luck.

Howdy!
 

Hello, Friends,:wave:

I'm here too and miss all you! Had a nice holiday weekend and birthday on Monday. Managed to lose another 3.5 pounds this week and am grateful for that. Love getting the recipes from y'all, especially desserts. More later.

Love,
Mel

264/244/237.5
mini-goal by summer
;)

Today SUCKED. Royally, totally, utterly.

*sigh*

Okay, so my mom sees her orthopedic specialist for a regular visit today and brings my teen along just to ask and see what we might be looking at. The doctor looks at her and orders x-rays immediately. "Thoracic kyphosis" - which appears to basically mean curvature of the back - is the obvious diagnosis (or symptom, depending on your point of view). The x-ray which shoes her spine from a dead-on back view is perfectly straight, aligned, looks great. From the side view, it looks like a giant spinal question mark. The "thoracic kyphosis" (HA! I'll call it a curve from now on) is serious enough to require (he suspects but didn't commit to it - he won't consider this an initial visit, recommends we find a juvenile or pediatric orthopedic surgeon in NC to see her next) both bracing and surgery. We're looking at tens of thousands of dollars (which is what I meant by expensive) with the potential of topping $100,000 by the time we're done if she requires PT post surgery. I'm headed down tomorrow to get insurance (sure, we can't spare the $100 a month, but we sure as heck don't have a spare $100,000 lying around). If worse comes to worse, we still have $20,000 coming to us from the sale of our house in Florida (we'd planned to use it as a down payment on another house but her back is infinitely more important).

I think I need a good cry. Then I'll be all better and ready to stay steady and helpful as my beautiful, wonderful, amazing daughter begins to face some of the short (not to mention long) term implications of this most recent turn of events. I mean, we're talking about putting a teen who is only just realizing how beautiful and special she is into a full pelvic-to-neck brace for *years*. Dammit.

All that and we don't know the "why" for the curve. That's for later, probably several doctor's visits, down the road.

Wow, I can't believe its Thursday already. My vacation is slipping away so quickly.

But first, Bunny you need a hug. I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter and how hard its going to be on her until this gets fixed. Yes, definitely get the insurance. Its amazing the small payments doctors will accept from insurance companies compared to what they bill if you don't. You must take care of your baby girl and be strong for her. We're here to be strong for you if you need us. You'll be in our prayers.

Linda - My grocery had Land O'Lakes fat-free half and half. I wouldn't see why you couldn't use the evaporated or even plain milk. The recipe is on the rich side (which is satisfying if you're craving that) with all the cheeses. Thanks for reminding me about the key lime pie recipe. I think I have that. I love those kinds of pie at this time of year because they are so cool and refreshing on a hot day.

Kurly - Your horse sounds like so much fun. I can't wait until we can get our two moved closer to home. Better yet, I can't wait until we can get our 5 to 10 acres. But alas, that's a few years off. After a difficult trail ride last year, I promised Ginger I'd lose 40 pounds before I did that to her again!!! That's why I have a very solid quarter horse. :lol:

Our garden is growing nicely. And the dogs have managed to leave it alone. I think Bear understands it when I tell him "do it and die" while Sadie just looks at me and walks away. She is definitely one bullheaded, bull in a china closet, bulldog. Bear prefers it when I leave her at the house when we walk!! :lol:

I haven't done as good with food as I had planned. But I have kept busy almost all day long. I have one bedroom painted with just a few touchups and the border left to do. The futon frame is about to kill me as its lots of crawling around on the floor. But I'm determined to get it whipped this week so I can move it upstairs when I get that bedroom finished. Plus I've been walking the dogs. I hope to get on the bike today. All that has to burn off points. At least with all this physical work I've been doing for the last month has helped me maintain and not gaining but I better get it back together soon. :o

Laundry is calling and I should get the dogs up and outside. Have a great OP day!!

Okay, I'm feeling better this morning. More I-am-woman-hear-me-roar, if you know what I mean. I had a good long cry (when I feel like I just need a cry to recover my equilibrium, I always have the cry in the shower under hot water so there's a time limit - I can't just cry all day, I'm done when the water's gone) and having vented that bit of out-of-control emotion I feel more in control. I'll get insured today, research the possibilities for pediatric and/or juvenile orthopedic surgeons (we're located only 45 minutes or so from the Billy Graham funded, internationally reknowned center for pediatric medicine) and get going on that.

I've finally lost (per my own scale, I'm pretty darn sure rejoining WW and paying weekly to be weighed isn't in the books right now) below the same 5 pounds I've yo-yo'd for months.

Today is all healthy food (as have been the days since we returned from LA). No exercise 'cause there's work to be done but I'll at least make time to walk a bit (park far from the buildings I visit today).

*whew*

Hello, Friends!:wave:

Bunny, I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. I'll keep you both in my prayers and know you'll find the strength you need to get through this. Your daughter will need a lot of support; my brother broke his back in senior high school and had to start college and go through rush with a back brace and it was very hard for his self esteem. (Young people can be so cruel when anyone is "different"!)

Determined, What's you secret for keeping the dogs out of your garden? My dogs EAT my plants -- split leaf philodendrum, sweet olive, impatiens -- and DIG up any and all large plants -- sago palm, roses -- OY VEY! :s:

LindaBC, I'm with you -- boring:lol:! At camp the horses used to turn around and try to bite my feet :devil: or run full tilt back to the barn through bushes and branches :mad: ! I'll take a bicycle anyday!:lol:

Kurlytop, I do LOVE all animals though and horses too. (I just don't want to ride them!)

Hope everyone is fine and having a great day!

Mel

Aw, Bunny, I'm so sorry the news was bad. Sending hug-type thoughts your way. Good that you're getting insurance. Don't they have a waiting period there before it covers pre-existing conditions or would she be covered right away? I'm thinking that from the insurance company's point of view, they might only get a year's worth of payments out of you, your daughter will be all fixed up to the tune of thousands of dollars from the insurance company and then you could cancel. I'm not very educated about these matters though and it's not my business anyhow. I hope it works out for you and her. Don't worry about her self esteem suffering. When she sees the pictures of how she could end up without the treatment, she will be glad to do it. She's stronger than you think.

The garden is beginning to really fill in and the irises and peonies are just about to bloom. I have another huge crop of stubborn weeds in the borders to contend with so that will keep me busy this weekend. It's been so rainy that I couldn't get out there but it's supposed to be nice this weekend. Today I bought some plants for my hanging baskets and the window boxes. I seem to be doing all this several weeks later than usual. I'm hoping that Peter will stay home for most of the weekend and give me a hand finishing the patio area beside our pond/waterfall which I began to renovate by myself but I really need his muscles to finish the job. :D

Tomorrow morning is my WI and I've been totally OP all week. I sure hope I've lost what I gained last week. It would be nice to lose a little extra as well but I'd be happy just to get back where I was when I got my 25 lb magnet.

Today I wore a top tucked in. Mind you, I wore a cotton shirt open over it but it's a step in the right direction. All my tops are hanging quite loosely off my shoulders these days and my pants feel baggy in the seat and legs. Unfortunately I still haven't lost even a 1/4 inch off my waist. Why is that? All my weight is carried in my big belly. YUCK!! Well, other places too but that's the worst spot. Oh well, I keep telling myself one step at a time. Eventually, when my shoulders are like coat hangers and my boobs are as flat as an ironing board and my legs are just bones with folds of empty skin hanging down to my ankles....maybe THEN I will finally begin to lose a few inches off my gut. :?: :?:

Menu for Thursday, May 30

Breakfast
2 slices hi fiber toast
2 tbsp light Philly cream cheese
1 tsp light Becel margarine
1 tsp grape jelly
5 points

Lunch
Chicken/Cheese Quesadillas made with
2 whole wheat tortillas
1 oz diced cooked chicken breast
2 tbsp grated light cheddar cheese
chopped cooked red peppers and mushrooms
minced chives
Served with non-fat sour cream and Salsa
8 points

Snack
1/2 canned peach
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
2 points

Dinner (planned)

Turkey Cutlets
(chopped up in a stir fry with veggies)
Served on 1/2 cup rice
6 points

Snack
nonfat sugar free chocolate pudding
light Cool Whip
2 points

Total for Day - 23 points

My points range is 28-33. I will possibly have a bit of butter on my rice, an orange and maybe even a slice of bread with dinner. I always like to have a few points left at the end of the day just in case.

Linda, I'm with you on the "I'll be a skeletal mess everywhere before my tummy loses a darn inch" thing. I met up with a friend in LA whom I had seen in 45 pounds and first thing he noticed was that my breasts are much smaller and my hips are just the same. *sigh*

<rant> We're sadly low income enough not to be able to afford insurance, but high income enough not to qualify for medicaid. In my state that means I'm at the "sorta kinda state assisted sliding insurance" level. Per the information my local health department gives me, she'll be covered as long as she's not be diagnosed by a physician officially. She hasn't - the "diagnosis" we have right now comes from my mother's orthopedic surgeon who saw my daughter as part of my mom's (for now) weekly visit. I was up front with the gal when I applied for it. She said only things reflected in my daughter's medical records would "count" as pre-existing. We'll see. If they turn us down, we'll figure something else out somehow. What frustrates the **** out of me is how impossibly expensive insurance has always been for us -- $450 to cover my family of 4 *per month* -- more than my mortgage cost. And that assumes we get catastrophic insurance - so we've done without and paid our medical expenses as they come up (or not, as you may recall regarding the lump I still haven't had looked at). So we're uninsured now, when it matters. </rant>

Today was a good food day - plus my folks called and we got to talk to them and our girls for almost an hour which was lovely. Looks like the girls won't be headed back to be with us for another week or so (possibly longer). We miss 'em - but they're loving the time with their grandparents and uncle (and the big ol' dog).

Bunny, thanks for clearing that up for me. I'd forgotten that your daughter didn't have her own doc's appointment. That certainly would make a difference. I can't believe the cost of your medical insurance. Of course, you're a family of four and we are down to just the two of us now. Still, for our gov't funded medical plan we pay about $200 every three months. It covers just about everything except cosmetic surgery. Of course, right now all our doctors are on strike so even emergency procedures are being postponed. Who knows where all this will end.

Today I had my WI and managed to lose the weight I'd gained last week plus a bit more so I now stand at 26 lb. lost. I'll take it. On my e-mail support group there's a gal who just joined us and she has lost 17 pounds in her first month. It's taken me almost a year to lose 26. Sheesh! Slow metabolism or what!!

Not much else new or exciting. I planted up four hanging baskets and some containers this afternoon. Hopefully our weather will stay nice so they fill out a bit.

LindaBC

Yesterday was quiet. I finished knitting a pair of socks - I'm all proud!

http://www.jenanne.com/firstopalsocks.jpg

I'm working on a shawl as well right now for my godmom. Her birthday was this month and I sent down a sweater I'd made for her - a cotton sweater vest, really.

Howzabout a question for everyone: if you're in a hurry but have to eat lunch, what's your favorite "on the go" lunch? My answer? Cereal with milk and fruit. Usually I'll go with corn flakes or Cheerios with skim (always skim, other milks just feel thick - like oil - when I eat/drink them) and either a banana in it, or an apple afterwards.

Hi gang,

Lunch on the go huh? I have to have protein so if I'm in that big of a hurry at home, I'll make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on light bread. Otherwise, I do routine things for lunch - frozen dinners, turkey sandwiches, chicken salads. If I'm out and about, its a grilled chicken sandwich.

Well, its back to work for me tomorrow. DH has been sick with a bad cold all week. I've been cheated out of boating three times now this week. So this vacation just wasn't a fun one. I worked everyday on painting, furniture finishing or house chores. I did get quite a few things done off my list. I'm sitting here now staring at the futon trying to make myself get up and just finish it. But its a backbreaker job. Oh well, maybe later. I did get DH to buy me a new chisel and I finally figured out how to split my landscape stones without spending $60 to rent a special saw. Lots of pounding with a 3 lb sledgehammer and there you have it. Maybe I'll pound out a few frustrations today.

I think I'll go find some breakfast and work out a menu plan for the week.

Have a great Sunday!

Linda - Congrat for having that loss. 26 pounds gone is nothing to sneeze at. Stack up 26 packages of butter just to visualize what you've done for your body.

DON'T POST HERE !

Donna has begun a new thread JUNE 3 And Beyond.