March Chat
 

Thought I'd kick off a new chat for a new month!

I am going to Thailand for 12 days this month so my aim is to finish the month with a 1.5kg (3.3lbs) loss- anything more would be unrealistic I think!

February was a good month- I lost 3.5kg (7.7lbs) which was a welcome relief after a fairly slow January!

What are your goals this month?

Goals this month:
1.) Drink more water, less diet ginger ale (I'd like to make a 12 pack of cans last 2 weeks).
2.) Lose at least 6 lbs. (average 1.5 lbs per WI).
3.) Track everything (which I've been very good at, even the girl scout cookies today!).
4.) Stick with it.

I think the last one is most important to me. I'm starting to get a bit bored with the same foods...I'd rather skip breakfast because it's easy to do, but I know I shouldn't. I've been trying to pin new recipes and ideas/foods/products to try, but I'm not finding a whole lot that's appealing to me... It's getting harder and harder to meal plan. Although, I did finally find the Carb Balance Mission tortillas, so I see breakfast burritos in my future (maybe a big batch to freeze and reheat?).

I did see one interesting snack/dessert idea on pinterest tonight, I need to check product ingredients to be sure, but I might try it. You take 16 oz of plain fat free greek yogurt, 1 package of FF, SF Jello Cheesecake flavored pudding mix, 1-2 Tbsp skim milk and frozen berries (no sugar or juice added). Mix yogurt, jello pudding mix, add milk if desired until you reach your desired consistency. Add frozen or thawed berries and eat. I was thinking of adding some graham cracker crumbs as well.

I'm also having a bit of trouble with IBS (I know, TMI) since I'm eating more greens, more fibrous foods, more dairy, etc. I know it will all cycle out, it's just embarrassing at times.

I'm rambling... it's 2:42am here in Maine and my mind won't slow down long enough for me to sleep!

Congrats sunarie!

My monthly goal is to change my eating times... I am in night school, so I usually eat dinner when I get home, which is late. So I'm going to try bringing most of my dinner with me and eating a small something when I get home.

Other than that, Tues (technically tomorrow for me) is my dr appointment. I am hoping that I lost enough to actually get seen. My scale says I have, but i am still scared.

Hi everyone,

Tonight is my second meeting, so I'll weigh in then, and find out how I did my first week. (My home scale says I lost five lbs, but I forgot to compare starting weight on at home scale to WW scale!) My goal for this month is to lose 5% of my starting weight. That'll be 13.5 lbs. That sounds ambitious, but if my home scale is right, I have a pretty good head start! I'll update later with the results!

-Fae, I know how hard that is. I had night classes last semester, and wasn't eating dinner until 11pm. I definitely think that contributed to my weight gain.

-MrsD - that dessert sounds yummy!

-Flick - Thailand?! That sounds like an incredible adventure!!

Flickety_switch - Thank you for all your kind words! Hopefully your babysitting went well. As far as Thailand stuff I'd probably do my best to track points, and eat healthy when tracking isn't possible. Congrats on your losses over February! My goals for March are pretty much just a lb a week and really getting back on track with exercising. I've been missing it too much lately.

archychick - Welcome! Bellydancing is something that's always looked so fun to me. Unfortunately I'm really uncoordinated when it comes to dancing. I'd still like to learn at some point, but not while I'm so heavy.

Shelsar - Welcome to you as well. Yay for tracking everything!

Elainedc - Thank you! The ring is really pretty. I can't stop looking at it. So sparkly! Weekly points resetting is pretty awesome too :)

iSpoons - Good luck with your weigh in tonight! Hopefully the week went well! 13.5lbs is ambitious, but you can do it. Don't be too let down if you don't, however. Setting ambitious goals is fun, and meeting them is great.. but I know personally I've had to adjust because if I do that and don't meet them it's easy to focus on what I didn't do instead of what I did accomplish. So keep positive and make sure you focus on what you did good either way!

MrsD - Breakfast burritos can be awesome, and they're super easy to bulk make and freeze to reheat. I don't really do breakfast either, so I had to find something that works, as breakfast is still important. For me that's the carnation instant breakfast drinks. Definitely find what works for you.

FaeReverie - Good luck with your doctor's appointment! Changing eating times is tough, but can make a huge difference. That's a wonderful goal for the month :D

I had a fun weekend. We went out and celebrated. I probably lost a bit less than I could have as a result, but it was happy celebration time so oh well.. and I didn't go completely and utterly off plan or anything, outside of a few mixed drinks. Wedding won't be for five years, long way off. We want it on Feb 29th (that's the day we started dating), and that only comes around every four. Next year is the next time it does, but we've got the big expensive trip to Disneyworld, so it's not financially feasible to have a wedding then too. Which means waiting until 2020. Which we knew ahead of the engagement.. but I have a ring now anyway. My brother is all sad cause he was the one looking to start a family straight off but he's now the last to get engaged/married.

Missed exercise on Friday.. really need to make sure I'm doing that stuff daily on weekdays like I'm suppose to. Got it done today though, so that's good! .8lb loss for last week.

So jealous of the Thailand trip! We are on yet another 2-hour delay day because of an ice storm. I am counting the seconds until summer - honestly that is helping me stay motivated. I'm only two weeks into WW and am still really liking the app and tracking - sure that will wear off at some point. My plan this week is to stay at my daily points, exercise at least three times, and see if that leads to a loss on Friday despite using up a lot of weeklies at a Saturday night dinner party. No one in my family knows I'm doing this yet - just trying to be subtle - trying to stay away from snacks while working from home today.

Good luck to all!

-Sunarie - Thank you so much! My weigh-in said I lost 4.2 lbs, so not too far off from what I thought! So now for the month of March, my remaining goal is to lose 9.3 lbs. I think I'll be able to do this since I'm just starting out. I hear you lose more in the beginning. Also, I didn't get any exercise last week since I'm on spring break from school, but tonight I walked the 3 miles home from the meeting, so I'm off to a good start for the week! I'm totally going to take your advice, and remain positive, even if I don't make it!

That brings me to another goal for this month --- start exercising more!

-elaine - good luck! I also am new to WW, just had my second meeting tonight. Are you going to tell your loved ones? Do you think they'll be supportive? My family and my boyfriend know, and when I found out I lost four lbs this week, I thought they'd be more enthused, but meh. I just had to remind myself that it's the first step of my journey, and I'll continue it even without getting a big reaction. I know they support me, and for that I consider myself really lucky. I hope you can surround yourself with support as well! I know some people do better when they just do it on their own, but if you need support, we're here for you!

Sun - EEEEEEEEEEEE!!! CONGRATS!!!

MRSD - I do bulk breakfasts 99% of the time. I cycle between egg bakes and breakfast burritos.

Fae - GL at the Docs!

Spoons - a good support system is key! Numerous studies have shown that people with good support systems are more likely to lose the weight and keep it off.

________

Sorry I've been MIA! Things have been crazy. We had a "Winter storm" last week that left me working from home and DH is in Hollywood this week for work so I'm working from home again.

I'm really struggling with losing while training for a half marathon. I know that sounds crazy, but figuring out the perfect combo of eating while training is really tough for me. So, two weeks ago I lost 3.6lbs and I earned 49 APs and ate 49APs and did NOT touch my weeklies. LAST week I earned 75APs, ate 75APs, did NOT touch my weeklies and gained 0.2lbs. This week I'm on course to earn another 75APs and I'm gaining. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Thankfully the 1/2 is in 3 weeks which means that after that I'll still be active, but not insane active. lol

Just checking in with everyone - I feel like I disappeared! I had a rough few weeks, then went to FL for a work conference, and got back just in time for my first therapy appointment. I feel a little better now, but definitely know there is a lot of work ahead of me.

I have some tangible goals to work on with her, and I've started already. She has suggested that I may want to look a low dose anti-anxiety medication, but I think that I should stop self-medicating with champagne before I look at that as an option, so that's what I've been up to.

On the wedding front, I've found two dresses that are perfect for me and are sold off the rack at Macy's. They're definitely more my style and flatter my body MUCH more. Now to decide which one.

I'm an online-only WW'r and this forum is my WW meeting. lol I lost 42lbs last year on this plan, but put it all back on quickly in only a matter of a few months due to stress. Dangerous, I know, but I learned some things and am managing my life and eating better now. :)

Onward!

March Goals:

Weight: 10-15lb loss
Consistent tracking
Consistently staying on plan
Consistent water intake
Increase fiber / decrease carbs
Rehearse dance several days a week - increase stamina

Basically my goal is to maintain consistency to make this healthier way of living ease naturally into a normal lifestyle. I am heading off to France for a month, returning to where we were last year in an apartment where I had absolutely no trouble staying on track there last year as I was able to cook (which I love to do and peruse the grocery stores and markets).

Munchy: :hug: I have disappeared too. I quit the sauce for a while myself for the same reason and my anxiety has noticeably decreased (and it's Tax Season!). Valarian Root has also helped me. I am also taking Rhodiola which helps the body adapt to stress and I think it is helping with my weight loss. Congratulations on your wedding! I am sure you will pick the perfect dress. :)

Flick: Oh, I love Thailand - been there twice. Where are you going? Really, there is an abundance of fruit and vegetables there, so you should be able to happily stay pretty much on track. Lots of protein-rich salads and the Tum Yum soup (a seafood soup) is really healthy and very filling. Not to mention that you'll sweat a lot and get a lot of exercise. Enjoy every minute! :)

Sunarie: Listen, girl. The bellydance community is full of us full-figured gals like us who can dance! It gently works & strengthens your core and helps you become more in tune with your body (was created to ready the body for childbirth). If you have an interest and a class near by, I say do it now. Use it as your exercise in class and at home. Believe me, nobody is going to bat an eyelash at your size. The community is one that is generally very compassionate, welcoming and kind. Don't believe what you see on TV as it doesn't reflect the general bellydance communities. ;) Oh, your ring is lovely!

MrsD: Great goal list and I based mine off of yours. I love Maine - I'm originally from MA. Really, I don't believe in TMI in a forum such as this. The more info. we share, the more we and others can learn how to deal with different issues.

Fae: Ugh, I totally get you. ((HUGS)) and good luck at the doctor.

iSpoons: Go you! Sending vibes for your success! --------------->

elaineindc: Think positively. It is working now and will keep working. Also sending you successful vibes ---------------> ;)

I did well today, I feel really good about my choices. We got Girl Scout cookies this past weekend and in the past the 3 boxes would have been gone by now, but we still have 2.5 boxes left! My scale is fluctuating a bit, it's making me nervous. I've been under some considerable stress the past several days, so maybe that's contributing...The good news is I haven't been stress eating! My sleep schedule is a little off, but I am hoping tonight I can get back on track.

iSpoons: The "cheesecake" yogurt dessert was really good! I think next time I'll add some lemon Sweet Leaf drops. It comes out to 2PP for 1/4 of a cup. I didn't mention that in the first post, but don't eat all 16 oz at once! I can't handle a whole cup at a time, but a whole cup is still only 4PP if you want to eat that much. I had it with frozen raspberries, very good!

Sunarie: I had a breakfast burrito this morning, but I only made one. I wasn't sure if I needed 2 eggs or one and we're running out of salsa. This mornings was pretty huge. I used my Pampered Chef Microwave Egg Cooker to make 2 scrambled eggs, I topped them with 4 Tbsp of cheese and salsa. It was good and kept me full pretty long. I hate buying egg beaters because they're really expensive, but I might splurge so I can get the same amount of egg for less points. The tortillas are 4PP each, more than I expected, but they're large. I like carnation instant breakfast, but I cannot have it because of the Vit. K in it. I did find some Special K Protein breakfast drinks in coffee flavors today. They are premixed ready to drink bottles, 5PP for 10oz. I'm going to try one tomorrow morning. They have Sucralose in them, but it's at the bottom of the ingredient list. I think if I drink slow I might be okay. I also think it was you who mentioned the little squirt bottles to add flavor to water. I decided to get some lemon juice in a squirt bottle, which has no added sugar and it's been helpful so far!

SoMuchFattitude: Do you freeze your burritos with salsa/sour cream on them or add it after? What do you put in your burritos? I've been doing whole eggs, cheese, salsa and sometimes sour cream. But I was using smaller taco shells that are 2PP versus these larger ones for 4PP. I thought the carb balance tortillas would be low in points, 4PP seems high for me, but I'll eat what I bought.

ArchyChick: Small world! I love Boston, but only in small doses. We ride the AmTrack down from Brunswick, Maine. We haven't been in several years...I had some DVTs and PEs in 2012 and I'm still recovering as far as physical activity goes. My husband has offered to rent/buy a wheelchair, but I feel like I'd be holding him up and it'd just be tedious.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

elainedc - I work from home too, keeping away from snacking is difficult! We had to get rid of basically all snack foods for around 2 months before re-introducing them. The break seemed to help with self control. There are still some things I keep away though. Certain types of chips being one of them.

iSpoons - Congrats! That's an awesome start towards your goal. I'm with ya in trying to exercise more. So far I've been doing well.

SoMuchFattitude - Welcome back from being MIA! Yay for the marathon getting closer. Boo for weight being all wacky during training. Hopefully working from home is treating you well.

Munchy - Glad to see you posting. I am so, so happy that you saw someone, and happy to hear you've got a plan of action! I wanna see whichever dress you decide on :D

Archychick - The bellydancing is a self-confidence issue. Right now I have a tremendously hard time even exercising in front of other people. Your goals for March are awesome! I love non-scale related goals!

MrsD - Glad to hear you found a drink that worked. Getting in that liquid does help a bunch, or at least it has for me. In more ways than just weight loss too. My lips use to be chapped often, and now they're not. I am attributing the change to getting more fluids. Girl scout cookies are amazing. I rarely get them though. Thin mints are just yummy. I can down a whole box in one sitting. Which is why I rarely get them, lol! Yay for not stress eating!

So my ex is being kind of a jerk. I was suppose to get my son this weekend, and he was suppose to meet me Friday night cause usually we drive halfway to meet each other in the middle. Otherwise the drive is about an hour and 45 minutes from my house to his. So this way we each only drive around 50 or whatever minutes each way. Anyway, engagement announcement was posted on Facebook on Friday, so he saw it and has to know.. and today I was re-confirming the time to pick up kiddo. Suddenly "something came up" and he can't meet me anymore. Really hoping it's just astounding coincidence and he's not being passive aggressive and making me drive a bunch of extra time because he isn't happy about the engagement.

Hey everyone!

Well the good news is that my weight at the Dr office was 242! Which means I am under their weight limit, and can now get treatment. So hopefully good things will happen 8n the coming months! I also told them it wasn't right thar I was told about the weight limit after getting there, so yay me sticking up for myself.

Bringing meals to school is working out well so far. I forsee myself doing a lot of cooking and freezing, to keep from eating nothing but box meals all day.

Elaine - I totally agree with being ready for summer. All the snow and ice is throwing me off!

Muncy - Yay wedding dresses! And I hope you had fun in florida.

Archy- I'm also online only. :D

Sunarie- *hugs* I'm sorry your ex is being a jerk! I have a friend in a similar situation... hopefully it is just a coincidence

Ok, team, kind of disappointing weigh in today - no change. My period started yesterday, however, and I am trying to guess how much of an impact that might have had. I've been really good this week. I had one splurge night last Saturday, but still had 22 weeklies left by my weigh in. Anyone have any words of wisdom about how much your period can influence a weigh in? I'm trying to stay optimistic :)

I ordered pizza for the fam from our fave local pizza joint as I worked late and my son is having a friend over. However, I am looking forward to my chicken topped pasta salad. I did order myself a bottle of Diet Pepsi though (these rare times are the only times I bring pop into the apartment). I just received my order of VitaTops and I have to say that they may be the very thing I need for my "nightcap". I do like that they are not overly sweet so they don't trigger the desire for sugar.

I am feeling so much lighter in my stomach and can't wait to weigh myself tomorrow. I also can't wait for dance practice because it has been a heavy work week and I didn't practice at all. I am looking forward to moving my bum!

MrsD: Nice job with the cookie situation! These are the victories that will build up our success. ;) I too stress eat and that can be such a tough thing to overcome. I'm right there with you on that.

Fae: So happy for you! Sounds like you have a good plan. I have always meal planned and it has been crucial for me now.

Sun: Sending good vibes your way. ------------->

elaine: I have no words of wisdom today about periods. lol However, it sounds like you are creating a lifestyle you can live with and are mindful of what you are doing. That's a victory. :)

Ugh. I just wrote a whole post and my phone ate it.

Yesterday I cooked and froze some recipes from the website. Yay food! one included a side of penne with sautéed zucchini that's amazing, I just hope it thaws and reheats well!

Today DH and I went to the gym for the first time in a while, thanks to bad weather. I can't wait until it is warm enough to jog outside! (On another note, anyone here ever play Zombies, Run! ?)

Elaine- your period can effect, I know mine does sometimes. Also, remember your weight does fluctuate daily. Don't get yourself down!

Archychick- before this my mom and I would order pizza fairly regularly. I think we've only gotten it twice since october, so I know where you are coming from!

FaeReverie - Yay for being able to get treatment! Other yays for sticking up for yourself and freezing meals. I have heard of Zombie Run and sorta seen reviews of it and all, but I've never used it. I'm not a big runner. Don't like exercising around other people (which includes all the people driving past while running) and my knees can be a bit bad because of old sports injury stuff. It does look fun though!

elainedc - I've seen girls drop as much at 7-8lbs after their period ends. Some only drop a little bit of that. Periods definitely have a tendency to make us retain lots of water and bloat up, especially right before the period part hits. So it's entirely possible, and likely, that you just have a bit of extra water your body is holding onto. Hopefully it drops off after! I also agree with archychick. Be proud that you stuck to plan and are creating a new lifestyle. The scale doesn't constantly need to be moving to give yourself a pat on the back and celebrate what you're doing well!

archychick - Pizza isn't inherently bad as long as delivery type stuff is a rare occurrence and we don't like.. eat the whole pizza. So don't worry too much about just the fact it was ordered :) Great to hear you're feeling lighter! Thank you for the good vibes too!

So it's not official weigh-in day yet, but I've been weighing myself daily. Yesterday I dropped to a new low. 224.2! I have not seen 224 in I don't know how long. That also means .2 more lbs and I get to add another smiley, so yay :D

Wedding is still 5 years away, but I'm all excited and have been trying to settle on a location. Originally we were looking at Disney World but then the cost really started to climb up there. If I could do just 18 people or something then it would be fine.. but after listing out the "need to attend" of just immediate family and very close friends (people I've known since I was 12 or so).. my side crept into the around 30 people range. For 50 people Disney gets really, really expensive. So now I've been looking at beach locations around the SC area. Not on the beach itself, but indoors with a backdrop of the beach through large windows... and I think I found the place I want. Hopefully since it's 5 years in advance that means I can get it!

We're also trying to figure out color themes at the moment. I've never really been the type to dream up my perfect wedding, so I have no idea what I want. I know I want orchids in some form as they're my favorite flower. Not necessarily at everyone's table, but as part of my bouquet, and maybe as a centerpiece for the bride/groom table. For colors we've got a few to pick from.. but we do know we want mostly white, with whatever color we end up picking to me more accents and all. I feel a bit crazy doing so much planning stuff so far in advance, but I'm excited and I like feeling like some things are taken care of at least. I'm not crazy enough to actually try and start booking things.

Disappointing weigh in this week. Only dropped 0.2kg (0.4lbs), despite only using five or six of my weeklies this week. Think I'm entering another plateau- my body seems to realllllly like being at 78kg- this is the third week I've weighed in at that weight. Was hoping for a good loss before Thailand, annoying! I did eat quite a lot of carbs this week though, will focus on cutting those this week.

elainedc- My period makes a huge difference to my weight, particularly if weigh-in day is right before I'm expecting it. Last cycle, WI day was two days before I got it, and I gained even though I'd had a really good week. Sure enough, following WI I'd dropped 1.7kg (3.7lbs) so it wasn't real weight.

sunarie- I've found the wedding planning stuff really stressful so it's awesome that you have such a great idea of what you want! We've finally decided on a venue- a winery- and we're getting married on Easter weekend next year (March 26th). I think I've decided on bridesmaid dresses too and am going back to try on the wedding dress I liked and some other options as well.

I think it might be time to step up my exercise. Even though I exercise most days, it's mostly 45 minute walks around the local reserve near our house or on my treadmill and I probably burn 250-300 calories on average. My body just plain uses less energy to move around now I'm 12kg (27lbs) lighter so I think I need to do something a bit more hardcore to get things going. Am thinking about starting a weights regime- I used to do Les Mills Body Pump classes quite regularly if anyone's familiar with that? The other reason I want to start doing weights is that even though I've lost a lot of weight and look better in my clothes, to my eye I look worse naked. It's like my fat is less dense and is just rattling around and I just look...squishy. Need to build up some muscle tone I think.

It's funny. I was just about to post that I was happy with my weigh in this week and was in a great mood...and then I saw your post. See, I lost .4 this week and was really super happy with it (I am a slow loser).

Plateaus are tough. I was recently on one for months. Increased activity was what finally got me out of it about 6 weeks or so ago.

Koshka- just goes to show, weight loss is all relative! My average loss is 0.8kg (1.7lbs) per week so 0.2 is pretty disappointing for me, especially on a good week. Congrats on the loss!

This had been a rough week. I am always hungry, probadly had to do with my cycle and race training. I have not been able to stay within my dailies for any of the days. I have used weeklies each day and used them all, today I used some activity points. Which is all within plan but not really the way I lose weight. I usually use my extra points all in a few days, then most days I stay within my dailies. I have just stayed the same, no gaining but no losing. I am so close to getting free lifetime again. (.6). But not sure it is going to happen this week.

Need to get back on plan the way it works for me.

I lost 0.8lbs this week. It's not much, but I'm glad it wasn't a gain. I just keep telling myself that even if I only lost .8lbs a week I'd still lose almost 50lbs in a year. It doesnt seem so terrible that way. lol

My office is moving soon, which means I'll cut my commute in half, so I rejoined LA Fitness last week. I'm actually super excited because I'll be able to take a spin class with an instructor I love twice a week. I went this morning (with my long commute) despite having to get up at 4am to go! Legs and cardio today. It's crazy to think that I'm running and half marathon next week.

________________________________

MRSD - I actually bulk made 10 yesterday and am having one as I type for breakfast. So, mine are 8pp. I use one carton of SW Egg beaters, 1 block of reduced fat cabot pepper jack cheese, 15oz/1 package of lean jenny-o spicy turkey sausage, peppers and onions. I cook the eggs, peppers, onion and sausage together. While it cooks, I shred the cheese and portion that into tortillas. I use the large Verole flour tortillas. After the eggs/meat/veg cook I portion it all out into the tortillas. I roll them into burritos and then wrap them in foil before putting them into a large freezer ziplock. Microwave for 90 seconds! I'd put salsa/sour cream on after they're hot, definitely not inside of them.

Sun - Boo on your ex. You've said he's done petty stuff before from jealousy, right?

Munchy - Glad you're on the mend and taking healthy steps.

Elaine - I actually asked one of the ladies doing Weigh Ins the last time I was on my period. She said she'd seen it cause some women to gain up to 5lbs. I know personally, it's typically 2-3lbs. My bff says it's 2-3lbs for her, too.

Flickety - think about like I did! If you lost .4lbs a week you'd lose 20lbs in a year. Imagine it the other way. If .4lbs doesn't seem like a lot to lose, think about gaining .4lbs a week for a year. It'd pack on 20lbs!

Archy - hope your weigh in went well!

Dixie - SO close! You can do it!

Had a good weekend. Friends came over for dinner and I created a WW-style lasagne on the side for myself. They brought tiramisu and I weighed mine (had the pt value already in my head prior), so I was able to totally stay on track. I saw my friends (a couple) give each other a 'look', but I didn't care as I lost 2lbs. last week.

Nobody I know bats an eye when someone is following a wicked restrictive and unhealthy diet or other quick weight loss method, but you mention weighing food for portion control or the nutritional point values of food and they have so much counter-advice to give me. I guess the US culture is so ingrained in quick-fixes that they can't accept something sensible. My stars, one of my already very thin friends that is struggling to follow the PX90 program advised me that I shouldn't be 'dieting' because diets don't work. Geesh! lol

Does anyone else get grief for following WW? I find myself constantly explaining that it is just training in portion control and nutritional food values.

SoMuch - that is great advice! I will think about it that way from now on!

Sunarie - with five years to plan your wedding, you are going to be able to be careful and not rushed in any way - that's such a good thing!

So I have a question for the group. Last night we went to a friend's house for dinner and she made Indian food. I kept all my portions small, but there was no chance of getting the recipe exactly figured out, nor could I really measure how much I was taking beyond the palm of the hand thing, etc. How do people allocate points for that kind of event? I just assumed I'd maxed out my day - I was excellent with veggies all day and headed into dinner with 25 points to spend. We eat out at least once a week and I am going to run into this kind of issue - all advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

elaine: WW makes several apps for tracking food. https://www.weightwatchers.com/templ...pageid=1191351

I think that there is an app or chart for popular restaraunts, but don't know where to find it - or if they still make it.

Since my business is at home and I rarely need a phone, I share one with my teen son. Therefore I never have my phone. lol So I work with what I know and then do my best with the rest. If the food looks oily, I usually allocate about a couple of Tsp as a serving just to be sure that I give it enough point values. If I do have control, I will ask for the meal to be prepared with little or no oil.

Elaine- track the things you do know. Drinks etc. then see if you can find something similar in the etools. And use your best guess. That is about all you can do. It was homemade so that is already better then restaurant. Sounds like you had a fair number of points left so you probably did ok. As for restaurants, try to plan ahead. Either find the menu or pts online and pre plan what you will order.

Archychick- it is funny how people who think everything else is the answer except the logical portion control and healthy choices. My reality is that I have to make WW a lifestyle that I keep following even at goal. I think the key will be keep going to meetings, that is where I am motivated to stick with it.

Archy - I also made lasagna yesterday from a WW cookbook I just got. =]

Dixie - I agree about making it a lifestyle. I've only just started the program, but already I'm way more mindful of what I'm eating, choosing healthier options, and finding more appropriate portion sizes. All positive lifestyle changes that are common sense, yet it took me counting points to finally "get" it.

Somuch - That's an excellent way of looking at things! I didn't get as large of a number this week as I would've liked, and I did get bummed, until I looked at it the way that you suggested! Thanks!

Elaine - honestly, I just call it my "weeklies". Typically my Saturdays are wonky so at the end of the day, even if I have weeklies left, I don't touch them once the week starts. If I knew I was having a special event on a Monday/weekday, I'd try to keep my life together over the weekend and use them on that event.

Somuchfattitude I'm definitely stepping slowly, but surely!

Sunarie Congratulations!!! 5 years is plenty of time to save up some funds and really do what you want. I planned my first wedding in 2 months at a golf course/country club, and this one I started in November (getting married in June) and it's SO MUCH more hectic! Since we rented an island, there is nobody that's really going to take care of any decorating. We have to do everything ourselves, but we visited the other day and decided that minimal is best because the mountain and lake view is too pretty to distract from.

The mom/mother in law/aunt are much happier once they saw the "mansions" where we're housing people. They're just historic and gigantic, so we can sleep about 30 in one, and 15 in another, then anyone who wants to camp out, or stay in a cabin is more than welcome.

Archychick I hate when people assume that it's super easy for everyone. Some of us really do need to track/weigh/measure to make sure that we're staying on plan. Secret looks and eyerolls are never nice. My fiance decided last minute that my daughter should have a dinner out in celebration of her awesome report card last night. She chose an Asian buffet spot. I grabbed my plate and when I sat down I entered each item into MFP. My fiance smiled at me and said what a great job I'm doing - I've never had support like that in my life! In the end, I had about 500 calories and most of them were volumetric. A few pieces of sushi, a small steamed fish filet, a bit of broccoli in sauce, a bit of stir fried green beans, and 1/2 cup of two different soups. I was stuffed and it balanced out my very low calorie day.

flickety my weight loss is really slow too. I don't really seem to lose or gain much at all and then I'll weigh in after 6 months and realize I lost (or gained) 5lbs. Right now I've buckled down and cut out all snacks and almost all refined carbs, so I'm hoping to see or at least FEEL some changes over the next few months.

Dixiemom I reached goal about 7 years ago and slowly gained 5lbs and haven't lost it - In fact, I gained another 5! If I had continued going to meetings and weighing in, I'd probably not have this issue.

ispoons I really like the zucchini lasagna from www.skinnytaste.com (along with ALL of her other recipes, haha).

Fae I cook and freeze just about everything. Every weekend I make at least 2-6 dishes depending on how much I feel like cooking. Then I either flash freeze or freeze into portion sizes depending on what the food is. It's the only way I've been able to feed my family healthy homemade foods in appropriate portions for the past 8 years. Weekdays are too busy to spend time in the kitchen!

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I'm doing pretty well, and feeling much more calm about everything. Yes, I'm stressed with work, child, and wedding, but it's not terrible. I finally told my fiance about two weeks ago that we had so much to do and I was terrified that we wouldn't finish. He asked me to make a list and has been gung-ho about completing everything ever since. I should have done this in the beginning!!

Dresses #2 and #3 should arrive within the next few days. I hope one of them looks good. A few weeks ago I tried on a similar style in the same brand and I left the dressing room beaming because it looked HOT! That's with no weight loss, so with maybe 5-10lbs lost it would be phenomenal.

My MIL seems to think I'm relapsing on an eating disorder (actually she wrote me a letter) because I declined nuts and pizza on our day together. It upset me much more than I let on. It's not like I didn't eat! I had breakfast in front of her (an egg and an oz of turkey), then I had a salad with chicken on it for a late lunch. She expressed concern that my dresses are fitted. They're fitted, but my problem areas are my arms, not my body, so the long sleeve fitted dress is so much better than the sleeveless "traditional" dress to me. I'm putting less pressure on myself by picking something that already looks great, but her words have me second guessing my own body. What bothers me most is that I don't think it's abnormal for a bride to "diet" close to her wedding day, and I was made to feel abnormal just because of the disordered eating that I suffered from as a child. I wish I never shared that, and I'll be sure not to say jokingly, "I have to fit into a wedding dress soon," which is exactly how it happened.

Therapy is going well. She's suggested that I begin more formal exercise including a yoga class for my anxiety. I really like this therapist. She's knowledgeable and seems to have a lot of experience in this. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting things done. Since I started therapy again, I've been 100% on track. Sometimes just sorting it out in my head with someone else makes everything a bit easier.

Munchy- the island sounds awesome, with all the natural beauty who needs to decorate. That is great news about finding a great Therapist. Do not let your MIL bother you, just stick to the program, eat your points and you will be great.


As for me, I lost my .6. After a not so great week I will take it. I finally saw a bit of a drop this morning before weighin. Then I went for a run just before weighin, so I helped it along a bit. I really wanted to get back to free lifetime (who wants to pay when they do not have to) but I am still 2 lbs from goal. So now to stay motivated to lose those two lbs. hopefully this week is better then last and I will lose them quickly.

flickety_switch - I like what SoMuchFattitude said, think of how you'd feel if it was a .4 lb gain! You'd probably feel like it was a lot, so it makes sense that the loss was also a lot :) Additionally, keep in mind that weight loss tends to slow after you've been on a diet for a while, and especially as you get closer to goal. Little losses are still losses! celebrate them, you did good :D

Koshka - Still be happy with your loss! You're doing awesome too.

Dixiemom - Congrats on losing that .6! Sending you good thoughts for that last 2 lbs.

SoMuchFattitude - Ex has done crappy stuff before. I've been avoiding going to court for child custody stuff, but if it keeps up then I may be forced to if I want to play an active role in my son's life (and I do). Fingers crossed it doesn't come to that. Congrats on the .8lb loss. You're right in that it adds up. I hang around 1lb constantly and I'm at 20lbs lost total since the end of September, even with some bumps in the road! Hope you keep on loving the spin class!

archychick - Good job for staying on plan while being social. I know that's where I struggle a lot. I've been given criticism for all types of diets. It always feels strange because my family is very supportive of me wanting to lose weight, but at the same time they can be very critical of methods. Some of the criticisms have been valid, some not so much. So far they've been less critical of WW than of the more restrictive types.. that being said my sister was anorexic in high school, so restrictive stuff tends to send red flags. I don't hang around friends enough for them to really see me weighing foods, but could easily see that happening for work places. It's always strange when people want you to change an aspect of yourself, without changing actions.

Elaine - I will record what I know, and guess based on available recipes or known nutritional information for what I don't. I usually will over-estimate calories and points. If you're eating out regularly, it may be a good idea to e-mail frequently visited places to request the nutritional information for your dishes, or to plan ahead to go to places that have nutritional information on the menu.

Munchy - Yeah, 5 years is great for savings.. and really I'm happy to start planning some stuff now. Our plan would be to not have to decorate at all. Your venue sounds lovely, and a lot like some of the ones I've scouted out as back-ups. I'm in South Carolina and there are a ton of big plantation type things in the area, which are basically huge mansions. My heart is set on this resort in Myrtle Beach right now. It's on the beach and has these huge windows in the reception area that look out over the ocean, plus a balcony we can go out on if the weather is nice! Anyway, I'm glad you're doing better! It's also awesome that your fiance stepped up to help you with planning everything! Boo on your MIL for bringing you down like that. Surely she should know adding to the stress of planning a wedding isn't a good thing, and you are seeing a therapist now to make sure you don't relapse so you already have it handled.. You're right, it's not abnormal at all for a bride to diet before a wedding. In fact I'd say it's probably abnormal for the bride not to diet based on the women I know who've gotten married. You are doing awesome, don't let her comments get you down.

My week went pretty well. Down 1.2lbs since last weigh in. That puts me at 224 even (though I was up today, but we'll focus on Monday!). 5lbs into my next mini-goal, 10 lbs to go. Always exciting because it's been years and years since I've been at this weight, or lower, and when I was it certainly wasn't for any extended period of time. I'm still a bit amazed that I've been able to stick to this plan without any real issues, which makes me happy because I know it needs to be a lifestyle change.

Ex is still being a bit of a turd. Didn't get my son last weekend, now suppose to get him this coming weekend. On the happier side of things, an old middle/high school buddy is in town, so I visited with her yesterday. We went to the Charleston Aquarium, saw the Sea Turtle Hospital, and just sorta walked around. We're going out for dinner tonight too.

Thanks for all the advice - I was just wondering if there was a magic formula for dining out and I think I am just going to need to experiment, like you all said. Hoping everyone is having a good Wednesday so far!

I had a couple off days on Monday and Tuesday. I'm having trouble with my sleep cycle, I am having TOM for the first time in 14 months since having an implanon put in (UGH, WHY?!) and I'm still under a lot of stress. I think (cross fingers) my truck is FINALLY fixed, after being in and out of the mechanics for 3 weeks (and $935 later!).

I got back on track for the most part today, but I didn't eat lunch because I woke up soooo late. I had a protein smoothie for "breakfast". I had a small snack, lots of water and we're having turkey meatloaf, baked sweet potatoes, and roasted green beans for dinner. I think I'll have some FF frozen yogurt with raspberries for dessert.

SoMuchFattitude: I am familiar with Egg Beaters, are "SW" egg beaters: Southwest Eggbeaters? I know a local grocery chain carries large tortilla wraps that are 2PP if I remember correctly (I think they're Ole XTreme, LC High Fiber), I might get those next time instead of these Mission "low carb" ones, I still can't get over that they're 4PP each!

Elaine: Before even stepping foot in a restuarant, I look up their nutritional info and calculate points for about 4-5 different meals, sides, drinks, so I am prepared when we go out. I write it all down. If the restaurant doesn't have their nutritional values on-line, my next go to is My Fitness Pal to see what they have for that restaurant. Sometimes I add 5-6 points to the meal so I can account for the cooks different cooking style. And I'm not afraid to ask for "no butter, light oil", etc. One of our favorite places is Red Robin and I can get a Turkey Burger with mushrooms and lettuce wrap for 9PP, fries (no refills) for 9PP and an unsweetened iced tea for 0PP. I usually count it as 22PP, which in the end usually only uses about 10-12 of my weekly points. We only go out to eat once a week. I also have a Dining Out Guide that I use, I'm not sure if they still sell these, I got mine a while ago. It has a nice regional section to base your PP values off of.

sunarie: I LOVED planning my wedding! I planned for about 8 months, but I got very ill and was hospitalized for about 3 weeks a month away from our wedding. Many of the things we planned for didn't happen. I'm now planning our vow renewal for 2018, which will be our 10 year anniversary. I'm very excited. I wish Pinterest had been around when I was planning the wedding!

MRSD - Yes! southwestern eggbeaters. Sorry! The tortilla is my favorite part, so I'm willing to spend 4pp on it. I have TONS of different kinds of tortillas. high carb, low carb, high fiber, low fat, fat free, etc. lol. I keep the Ole Xtreme in my pantry, and prefer them with peanut butter and banana on them. They have a bit more of a gummy texture than you're traditional tortilla. Try'em! I'd love to know what you think of them!

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I'm exhausted!!! I just don't feel like I can catch up on enough sleep, but that might be because I'm only getting 6.5 hours a day according to my fitbit. I slept through my alarm this morning, like the real slept through. It was still going off an hour later when I did wake up. HA! It didn't wake me, the husband, or the dog up. Guess we were all tired!

Since I slept through my alarm, no gym, but my plan is to go 4 days a week and I've already gone three. This means I think I'm going to try a Zumba class tomorrow. I've never done Zumba before and for some reason this scares the crap out of me. LOL I took dance til I was 18. Not sure why I'm nervous.

ANY ZUMBA TIPS?

LA fitness says to bring water, a towel and an optional hip scarf. Okay, my dumb moment of the year, I thought they meant like a trendy hip scarf. DH showed me pics of an actual hip scarf. :rofl: Oh god, so glad I can laugh at myself. I straight up thought they meant like a trendy infinity scarf. AHAHAHA

MrsD - Good that you got back on track today. We all have slip ups and times of stress where we eat more than we should.. the important part is keeping on plan the majority of the time. Hopefully eating healthy and cooking will become completely second nature at some point. I know I'm not there yet.. I still have to plan out and schedule or I end up eating out. Yay for not letting a few days destroy your week though. That's a victory!

SoMuchFattitude - I've never done classes, so I don't have real input there. I do have a set of Zumba DVDs though. Don't get too stressed and have fun, and be prepared for it to be a real good workout! The hip scarf thing.. well I had to look it up. I didn't have any idea what it was and the trainers in the videos I own don't have them. Probably just to make it more fun! If you can get through the whole routine without doing modified versions of the moves, yay! I still do less intense movements for my DVDs. Sometimes my legs just don't move as fast as the moves require.

More house leaks for my this week. Kitchen sink sprung a leak and that was fun. Apartment was super slow to respond to it and so I spent the majority of yesterday trying to keep water from flooding the kitchen area. Went through all my towels and two rolls of paper towels before they finally got here. Sink isn't leaking anymore, but it's also not fixed. They had to order a part and that won't be in until tomorrow. Cold water was supposedly shut off but I can still run cold water so I'm not really sure how that works. It did sort of push us into the final decision to buy a home though. So one more thing to add to planning!

We had been talking about getting a home for a while, this was just sorta the final nudge in the decision. Our lease is up in 2 months so we're just going to go month to month after that and invest in a house instead. It does mean a lot of stress within the next few months.. especially since I'm doing the majority of the planning and all for it since I'm at home.. but fiance has to be the point of contact as he'll be the primary on the loan itself. I screwed up my credit by defaulting on student loans, and I wouldn't qualify. His credit is pristine though. It's a bit of a headache already, but we should be able to sit down with people next weekend, and we have 15 houses picked out that we want to tour based on pictures online.. so hopefully finding one will be quick.

SoMuchFattitude: I have tried the Ole EXtreme from my past tries with WW. Do I remember correctly that they're 2PP each? I didn't mind the texture, but I do like how soft the Mission Carb Balance Tortillas are. I swear, I have looked for them in my local store every time I went shopping since last October and they didn't have them. I found them at BJs on a trip with my sister (I generally don't go to BJs), so I got them there. Yesterday I was at my regular grocery store and they had them in THREE different sizes!! What the what?! I snatched up the taco size and threw them in the freezer, I didn't check points yet. I hope they keep them in stock if they're low in points. As for Zumba, don't blow off the warm up and cool down, it does help! Wear good sneakers and bring water. Don't be afraid of what others think when they see you dancing--they probably won't even notice you! I strictly pay attention to the instructor and I don't notice the other ladies dancing! Good luck!

Sunarie: My husband is a master plumber. It seems odd that they'd "shut off cold water", usually that doesn't happen unless they shut off water completely!

I weighed in this morning for official WI. I actually lost this week! I'm amazed, but so happy! I am down 3.2 lbs! Since starting WW in Feb, I am down a total of 12.8! I'm not quite sure why it's a larger loss except that I really pounded the water all week. And I guess I have to factor in last weeks WI was with TOM, so that was just higher, but not because I didn't work the program.

Question: I bought Del Monte Red Grapefruit slices in fruit juice. They're fresh fruit in little cups that need refrigeration. I thought as long as I drained the juice and only ate the fruit, it was 0PP? I was looking at an extensive list of snacks low in WW points I found on Pinterest and they listed them as 1PP per little cup. Maybe they list the point for the people who like to drink the juice? I know my sister does. Let me know what you think of this.

Tomorrow we have a benefit dinner to go to. I'm nervous about what kinds of foods will be there. I'm going to stay away from desserts for sure, unless they have strawberry shortcake--that's my downfall. I'm hoping there is a tossed salad of lettuce and veggies. I know I'm personally making coleslaw and baked ziti with sausage, neither of which I should be eating! (Gallbladder.) I see the surgeon on Tuesday, I'm excited to tell him my weight loss!

Well, if I'm not back on before the weekend, I hope you all have a great one!

MrsD2008- congrats on the loss. Way to up the water. As for the grapefruit in juice. On etools it is 1pt but some of the juiced pack fruit is 0pts if you drain the juice. (Orange slices and pineapple). I find it funny that it would apply for some but not others. So I would go with what you think is best (I would probably track it as 0pts if I had 1 small cup but if I had more I would track as 1pt).

Somuch: Excited to hear about your Zumba experience! I am not allowed to run for a while as I nurse a back injury from last year, but Zumba always has appealed to me.

Sunarie: I hope you have fun touring the houses! That's always been my favorite part - getting ideas from what people have (or haven't) done in their spaces, imagining living there, etc.

MrsD2008: Are you having gallbladder surgery? I have been sorting out a GB issue myself, but surgery may not be indicated. I am really confused by the doctors at this point.

I had my weigh in this morning - down 4.4, so it looks like TOM last week must have masked a loss (remind me of that next month :) I'm really excited and hoping that in a few more weeks any losses will actually translate to me being able to wear clothes I haven't worn in a while :)

Just checking in as today as my usual WI day but I'm in Thailand with no access to scales.

I've been doing OK...trying to eat smaller portions but definitely not on plan. Weird thing though...I ended up eating fried fish (by accident...I thought I was ordering grilled) and then the following day splitting a chicken schnitzel panini with a few fries with my mum (my parents by chance just happened to be here at the same time for a few days crossover).

It was obviously far more fried food than my body had had in months and it did not like it. Had several trips to the toilet and have sworn off fried food for the rest of the trip!

Good luck this week everyone- my goal is to come back with no more than a 0.5kg gain.