We're actually eating in Times Square for Thanksgiving, so who knows what they will be serving...actually, maybe I'll go online to the restaurant and see if I can find a menu.

I'm kind of wondering if me feeling like this has anything to do with pmsing...it's like the week before, and I remember last month I had a really hard time with it. Maybe? Stinkin hormones...before my last dd I never had a problem with pms. Now, look out!

Paige, I think you are very brave going in to NYC with two young girls (right?) and not having an official plan. But, I guess in NYC there would be lots of places open knowing they have a captive audience?
Will you be doing a traditional Thanksgiving meal later in the weekend?
Also, Paige, don't get down on yourself. You've been very good for very long, we all have very week times. Rose had some good suggestions for you.
I think what I would do is start over, I've given myself the gift of starting a new journal mid-week, when I totally lost control and blew it more than once. It's technically cheating WW, but I don't care when it comes to my "head games". By throwing away my "tarnished" journal and starting a brand new day/week with 35 new flex points and a new outlook, I can begin anew and forgive myself. Think about it. It's only for extreme emergency weeks, but it helps me to get back in my "groove".
As for me, my thread notifications aren't working again... sure wish they would fix that kind of thing on this site. It works about half the time, so I'm not always getting notices when there are postings on threads I subscribe to. I am still staying on CORE since Wednesday, it's a refreshing change for me and it's allowing me to eat a few items that I would dare eat before, like a whole banana instead of a half one, sugars free calcium added hot cocoa, and eggs.... I love eggs and having a whole egg once in awhile for 2 points is such a luxury, it's a small thing and not awfully filling for 2 points in my opinion. I had one egg mixed with 2 egg whites and had sauteed peppers and onions in my 2 tsp of healthy olive oil ahead of adding the eggs. I ate that with a bit of salsa on the side and dipped eggs into the salsa and it was good. I had a half grapefruit with that for breakfast.
On core, though, I am having a hard time dealing with lunch choices, I like my bread servings with lunch. However, I am getting by so far. I don't want to use my flex points up for bread, as I am saving those for special things.
We had take out food for dinner last night and I ordered from a mom and pop (single, one owner) place near here. I had minestrone (core) and a salad with grilled shrimp on top. They make their foods fresh, the salad had no croutons or cheeses on it, so it was all core. I spent 8 flex points on Italian bread, real butter (oh so good and it's been ages) and a glass of wine with it. I was in heaven with this meal as I could have the bread and butter and wine without worry as I've been so good on not using flex points throughout the week.
By the way, Progresso Lentil Soup is CORE and that was a good lunch with sliced turkey on the side. I didn't crave anything after lunch, as I often do. I did have one s.f./f.f. hot cocoa mid-afternoon, but didn't want anything else with it. Usually, I finish my lunch and I am just starving still and spend the entire afternoon trying to calculate what snacks I might be able to have without blowing my entire program for the day. I didn't snack all afternoon yesterday.
Dare I say this, on my home scale (not an official WW weigh in) the scale did go down another pound. However, nothing official until weigh in on Tuesday!
One other thing to, my daughter is sick with a nasty sore throat, headache and a fever. I'm hoping we can get her well before Thanksgiving and that no one else in our house gets it!
Linda

Linda-My mil made reservations at the Mariott Marquis for their Thanksgiving meal...I think it's a buffet, but I'm not too sure. I am really going to try to be good. At least if it's a buffet there will be a variety, so hopefully it will be more likely that there will be healthier choices. I am really nervous about taking my girls down there...yeah, they are only 20 months and 4yrs. At first I thought I was so aggravated because it was going to be a lot of work (we're going down on Wednesday so they can see the balloons being blown up) but then I realized it wasn't that, it is because I'm nervous about there being SO MANY PEOPLE. I told my 4yr old that I'm taking a Sharpie and writing our cell phone numbers on her and her sister's legs just in case (I'm being serious, too.) The good thing is that besides dh and me, there will also be my mil, bil and his gf there, so a few extra eyes.

Linda, your "menu" gave me some good ideas...I think I'm going to have dh grab some peppers and fresh mushrooms when he goes to Walmart today (he's taking dds xmas shopping)...and maybe some bananas and apples. I think I need to have other foods in the house to snack on other than snacky-type foods. I like to get the 100cal packs, but lately during my binges I end up eating more than one, so it kind of defeates the purpose.

Anyway...I must be going. I'm meeting up with a good friend today and we're going to a big craft fair that they are having at the college. She has also been trying to lose weight, so we should be able to keep each other on track. Should be a fun day!

Hope everyone is doing well!
Paige

Good Luck today Paige. It sounds like you are figuring out a good plan for Wednesday/Thursday and that is a good thing! I know some people can only concentrate on maintaining through the holidays. Myself, I'd really like to lose some weight but these next six weeks are going to be really really tough.
Keep coming back here for support. We'll try to help you and anyone else who needs it. I'm counting on you guys to help me through too.

As for me, I am off to work this morning in a bit. I work part-time at a funeral home as a receptionist and door greeter along with my full time job. It helps get my kids extra stuff and their band trips. I'm working a 6 hour shift so I need to take my breakfast and lunch with me and that can sometimes be pretty dicey as I am not a big fan of sandwiches and they get old very fast. I did make up some Pasta Fagiola yesterday and have a serving of that ready to go and not sure what breakfast will entail (I can't eat when I first get up - I have to wait a couple hours). Maybe a packet of instant oatmeal and fruit. Anyway, I ramble. I plan to take a notebook with me today to finish my planning for the week and to get my Thanksgiving meal grocery list going.

HOpe everyone has an OP day!

Rose- hope your busy day goes well for you. Of course we are all here to help you get thru this holiday season. It can be tough......Laura, my WW leader usually mentions 3 possible strategies for getting thru holidays- either a controlled gain (perhaps 5 #.....but she does not really like this option), maintaining, which considering all the possible obstacles is a good choice- or losing. I think to avoid total burnout of the members she finds all options good......just have to figure out which one is best for you. I am going to try to lose over this time period. Perhaps if we all turn it into almost a game- a holiday survival game- we can lose together. :hug: Got any great recipes (of course WW friendly ones) to share that might help? Or do you need any? Good luck planning the Thanksgiving meal. BTW, did you ever try that pumpkin mousse? (one point per serving). Great stuff.

Paige- enjoy the craft fair! And I hope it is a huge one, so there will be lots of walking......;) Love your game plan with the sharpie and your girls. And I can't say that I would do any different. My kids could always tell when we had left home and were going somewhere I considered less than safe.....they swear I would hold their hands super tight. Enjoy the buffet and the city.
Scan the buffet first- pick your battles and the foods you REALLY want.....leave the rest. You'll do fine.

Linda- you have hit on the one snag I have with core, I don't want to give up my 35 points on bread (and I like a sandwich on WW bread for lunch). I too love the Progresso Lentil soup.......love bean soup even more and it is great that both are core. Minestrone is great- I get that lots of places because it is usually safe and WW friendly. Congrats on your home scale going down. (hope the official scale fairy is kind to you on Tuesday). How is your daughter feeling?

Vanessa and Ipa- are you having a good weekend?

Last nite was my youngest's bday party. (her real birthday is 12/18- we usually have the party early to avoid a collision with Christmas). We went to see Happy Feet (it was cute, but too loaded with social statements for my taste). I blew it with some stress eating......but Friday I did very well.
Thursday I finally got to a meeting- up 1.2# but, then 12 hours later my period showed up. So perhaps it was water. This week I am going on Tuesday- just too darned much to do Wednesday. This morning I got a nice 45 min walk in and have been really good staying OP and journalling.
Oh, BTW, I LOVE the idea of throwing out a bad journal-(great idea Linda!).
WHat a good way to refocus and gain some momentum.:carrot:
Gotta go do some online shopping. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Ginny

Hi guys!
I hope to continue losing throughout the holiday "season" as well, however, will be content with maintaining or even a teeny tiny gain over the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas. But, those other weeks in between are what to watch out for. It's hard to resist all the cookies, pies, and the wonderful "special" foods that we have every year.
One lifetime member (who is at her goal and staying there quite well) recently spoke at a meeting I was at. I truly like her perspective on things. She had gone to a baby shower and eaten lots of stuff that she knew was the wrong choice. She is a CORE lifetime member and said that was how she finally got to her goal, hmmm..... perhaps I should take note of that? At any rate, she said that it's the "long run" that we have to be concerned with vs. just one day. I think she is right. You can't persecute yourself over one day's indiscretions. At that meeting it spurred a long conversation about not allowing a birthday to become a "birthday WEEK" and Christmas, New Year's or Thanksgiving to become a "season" of indulgence.
I don't know all of your religions and am not even thinking about making any kind of religious statement here about God, so please don't take it that way, but think about WHY we celebrate Christmas. I sure don't think that God or Jesus intended any of the indulgences our society allows itself in the name of Christmas. I get angry with it all at times and am trying to bring that fourth to my daughter, in particular, who gets caught up in the Santa, snowmen, Grinches and all sorts of huge blow up displays on people's front yards. I'm trying to get away from the figurines of those images in my home, but allow in angels, nativity and holiday greens and such. I won't throw out the older things that have memories, but won't buy new stuff that is not what I personally approve of. Our society gets very carried away and commercial, from the foods to the lights and glorification of it all. It's getting worse with Halloween as well, people are really making that part of the "holiday season" so giving them permission to really add foods all the way from October through Jan 1st in a way.
Is this religious event, or a day Abraham Lincoln declared as a day to set aside for giving thanks as our first National Holiday an excuse to eat thousand of extra calories and overspend ourselves into debt? I'm just not in that mindset, yet I go along with it all for the sake of family unity - especially my husband's family who goes totally overboard with gift giving.
At any rate, I want to focus on the beauty, the thankfulness, the togetherness and our lives. I think losing both my parents this past year is also putting things in a different perspective. I'd trade every single mouthful of any of my holiday favorite treats for just 5 minutes with either of them. I'd trade all the nice gifts anyone has ever given me as well. So, I guess, (said with a tear in my eye) I have learned the hard way what is important and what isn't here. Food is not going to make or break any of our holiday happiness for sure.
I have two less people giving me gifts this year and to buy gifts for. I have one less family social event to attend where there would have been food. Hmm... maybe that will keep off just one pound or so? I'd rather put on that pound, of course, if mom and dad were here to enjoy the holiday.
At any rate, just ONE day of a certain week of abandon is not going to make or break any of our successes with our weight loss plan. What will totally change things for us if if we allow it to span into an entire 6 week binge, ending in one massive New Year's Eve "blow out" with remorse as we drag our heavier bodies back to a post Jan. 1 WW meeting. I've sat there the first two weeks in January and seen the same faces come in again and again. They drop out each year around May, having "lost" what they wanted to lose, but never seeming to be at goal or really looking as sharp as they could look and being as healthy as they could look. I've seen them smile as they lose their 2 pounds a week when I struggle time after time to lose my .2 or .4 all through the year. I don't think I want to go back "there" again. I want to continue, kind of like the tortoise and the hair, "slow and steady wins the race".
Sure started off my day with some interesting "musings", I guess... I'll be more than motivated to be back on my treadmill today and to stay on my core plan. By the way, I was totally 100% ib CORE yesterday and didn't have a single bite of anything non-core to record in my flex points. Since last Wednesday, when I started back on CORE, I have only used 10 flex points in total. I have through Wed. on this journal and still have 25 flex points left to use by then... don't think I'll blow them all, but maybe I can allow myself a grilled cheese made with two slices of lite bread and 2% cheese???? I use non-stick spray and make this lovely sandwich. It's not totally like the old gooey grilled cheese (with buttered non lite bread and full fat cheeses) that I've enjoyed in the past, but it will do. That, with some cream (made of ff milk and CORE) of tomato soup at lunch might be a nice treat? I'd have to use three flex points to have this sandwich, but I'm OK with that, I think.
Linda, with many musings for the day

Linda and Ginny - THANK YOU FOR POSTS!!!!!! I'm trying to get some work done here at work before I'm off for 10 days and I'll try to chime in more in a bit - I just want to acknowledge that I read what you posted and it is FABULOUS!

Hi all...

So I had a pretty good day yesterday. We did end up going out to an Italian restaurant for a late lunch (so much for my friend helping keep me on track!) but it's a small town (Ginny...outside of Loch Sheldrake, by the college, NO WHERE to eat!) I did fill myself up on a non-cream based split pea soup (my FAVORITE, I was so excited that they had it!) and then we split a few dishes, and I had just small portions, and my friend took the rest home. I actually felt pretty good about it. DH had made my pizza recipe for dinner, so I had a piece of that, and that actually was all I had to eat yesterday. I did probably use up all of my pts, though. DH got me some peppers and fresh mushrooms yesterday, so I think I'm going to make an egg white omlette here in a minute for breakfast. I'm also going to plan out my lunch so when I get home from dropping dd off at preschool I'm good to go.

Not much else happening today...I have to finish up a project for school that is due tomorrow, and then dd and I are going to start on my xmas cookie orders this afternoon. I finally decided to order an upright freezer; I have really gotten A LOT of orders this year, so I need to start making the ones that can freeze now or else the week before xmas I'm going to be bustin butt to get everything done. I did that last year and was stressed about getting it all done. DH isn't happy about me ordering the freezer, but I think he will be later when I'm not going crazy! LOL! I have about 20 different varieties of cookies and candies that I'm offering this year. I'm thinking that I need to "hire" an official taste tester.

Hope everyone has a great day!
Paige

Paige, you will love having a freezer. It will help you during times when you are preparing things to be be sold (really cool that you do that) but it will be wonderful, you wait and see, at times when you want to make bigger batches of soups, stews, casseroles and take advantage of things on sale.
What a fiasco grocery shopping was today for me... a mob scene in the store and lots of the things that I normally buy were out of stock - people grabbing at stuff for Thanksgiving.
I spent nearly $300.00. But, I am so proud of myself. It was a very healthy shopping trip. People were buying junk like crazy, but my order was full of healthy choices. I sampled several veggie/soy cheese to see if I could find a few new things that are CORE and ok to eat. I really liked the soy veggie provolone cheese slices I tried with my lunch. Really tasted like Provolone in a way, but with a creamy texture. I went off my CORE a tiny bit (one point) for lunch and had roast beef, a slice of the soy provolone and I bought these soy blended pita breads that are one point each. I ate it and had a banana afterwards and feel nicely full and not starving and looking for something else.
I had cream of wheat cereal with skim milk drizzled over top of it with Splenda and 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast and I am not feeling shaky and starving. I really like that!
I'm kind of worried that I might not be getting enough protein in my diet, though. I also have to work in those _____ healthy oils by the end of the day.
What are you all eating today? : ) Paige, the egg white omelet sounds yummy - I really like those.
Also, I bought huge portabella mushrooms. I am going to make mini pizzas using them as well as make a pizza with polenta crust.
Linda

Linda- you have had a tough year........and I understand how that impacts feelings about the holidays(I am a Christian, my father passed away many years ago on 12/16......sort of puts things into perspective, doesn't it?).And this year will be the first for my husband w/o his dad, no biggie for me but I know it will be tough for my husband. I also become irritated by the running around, commericalism.......nonsense......when I know that is NOT what this is about. Not even close. Hugs to you at this difficult time:hug: . Congrats on doing so well on Core. (it sure does seem like an answer to plateauing, doesn't it?)

Paige-wow, good luck baking all those cookies!!!!!!! I have only seen Loch Sheldake as a sign on the quickway- been to Liberty, Manor, Roscoe, Fallsburg ,Monticello.......just not there. You made a great choice with the pea soup! Great!!!!! (I love soup for that reason, the ultimate comfort food too!)

Rose- glad you could read the posts............at least we know you are ok!

Step class tonite.......such a busy day. Going to just WI tomorrow, so that I can spend my mid day at home cleaning and baking. (I really wanted to attend the meeting but it just takes too much time).
Better go finish dinner preparations. Have a great nite!
Ginny

Ginny, thanks for your kind words. I can sympathize greatly with your 12/16 loss several years ago, that must have been an awful Christmas, with it all so fresh.
You're right, I think CORE is the answer to plateauing too. I'm not dropping off weight in terms of dozens of pounds at a time here, but after the long time just "sitting" here at the same weight, even a pound is very welcome. I'll find out tomorrow how well I've done. I usually go to a later afternoon meeting, but I usually wait for my daughter to get home from school and go with her, but she's been really sick since Saturday and I don't think she'll end up going. So, going to a morning meeting instead of an afternoon one might also help the scales?
I have to bake a pumpkin pie for Thursday tomorrow as well. I will eat pie as well as my entire meal without remorse. One of the reasons why I am being extra good this week is because of Thursday. I really want to be able to eat what I want to for just ONE day and one day only.
Linda

Hi Linda-
I usually find that WI better at the am meetings.......as I really control what I eat for breakfast so that is not a variable. I hope the am meeting works for you too and that you are a loser! I hope your daughter is feeling better too- perhaps in time for Thanksgiving. Have you had to take her to the Dr?
BTW, the first Christmas without my dad was best described as one on auto pilot. We went thru the motions, but nothing felt right. It was too close to really feel the loss, we were numb. I know that for my husband that will not be the case, as he lost his dad in February.

Enjoy making and eating your pie. Enjoy Thanksgiving. We are not living to lose weight, we are losing to live. I don't think anyone should be a slave to staying OP and being as you have done so well all week, well one day will not hurt. Just get back on core Friday.

Step class was great. Off to the shower.
G'nite
Ginny

Up .2 from last week.......but this was an evening WI and I was wearing more clothes than last week......no biggie.........gotta go nite!
Ginny

Ginny up .2 isn't bad at all, and even if you had on different socks and underwear, that could do it. I try to remember which underwear I had on and wear that on weigh in days if I can. I wear jeans, but try to also wear the same pair each week, this way I know it's my loss or gain vs. the clothing's loss or gain. Sometimes it is hard to remember which shirt I've worn and there will come a time very soon (it's 24 degrees here today) that I will just have to give in a wear a warmer shirt, but for now I am putting a sweater on over top and taking that off to weigh in. I also take off my watch and belt, do you all do that?
Well, I had a very good weigh in this week, but it was the AM vs. PM meeting, so that might have had something to do with it. But, I lost 2.8 pounds. From when I started back with WW last June, that is now 8.2 pounds, my tracker here says it's more than 8.2, and that is true based on what I weighed when I started back on a weight loss effort last Spring. I was at an all time high a few months after my mom died (and dad 4 months earlier) I was self medicating myself with food.
My daughter is still sick and I did bring her to the doctor's office yesterday afternoon. We are keeping her on the same antibiotic she's been on since Sunday and hope for more improvement by today when she wakes up? At least there is no school from today through Monday due to Thanksgiving, she'll be resting and sleeping and maybe back to her old self?
I plan on being on CORE today and am hoping to be on my treadmill as well. Lately, I like to watch part of a movie while I am on the treadmill and don't allow myself to sit there and watch the rest of the movie at any other time than when I'm walking! I have a TV with a DVD player right beside the treadmill in my bedroom. I have been watching the movie of the Broadway show RENT this week and I'm looking forward to getting back to the next segment of it this morning. What a good show and it's a great way to pass the time vs. being bored. My treadmill has a reading rack, but I've found it too far way from my eyes to read and really use that thing.
I looked through my recipes and found the polenta pizza crust recipe the other day. I'm going to make polenta pizza with diced tomatoes and ff mozzarella. I also bought these big portabella mushrooms and will be making mini pizzas out of those caps as well. The rest of the family will be eating Papa Ginos, delivered, but I will have my CORE foods instead.
I can freeze what is leftover for another day, I love my freezer!
Where are some of our other people? I guess everyone is caught up in getting ready for Thanksgiving?
Linda

Hi all...

Do any of you have issues with the dr's scales? Yesterday I had an appt with my neurologist, and their scales are so far off from mine. It always seems like the dr's scales are about 10lbs higher than mine, but yet when anyone comes to my house and steps on my scale, they tell me that MY scales are 10lbs too HIGH (I've had several people tell me this!) Plus yesterday I was a little annoyed because I was in a different room, and had a different nurse weigh me. The last time I was there, the nurse took off 2lb for clothes, and actually waited till the scale balanced out...this time the nurse didn't even wait and didn't take off the 2lbs. LOL...I guess they can't read my mind to see how anal I am. My dr had put me on meds a few months ago for preventing migraines, and one of the side effects is weight loss, so she was looking at my chart to see how much I had lost...she said only 6lbs. Ummm, yeah I KNOW it is more than that. I think the meds might have contributed a little bit in the beginning to weight loss, but not anymore. Anyway...don't know what the point of my story was...

So we are heading out for the "big city" (as dd calls it) after lunch. I guess I'm getting a little more excited about it. I still have to pack and stuff since we're staying overnight. I can't wait to take TONS of pictures. I'll post one or two maybe if you guys don't mind?

For some reason I'm starting to really miss cooking my usual Thanksgiving dinner. I have to laugh at myself sometimes; I think I must live on stress. I had told dh that I DID NOT want to cook for either Thanksgiving or Christmas this year, but now I'm really missing the preparation. We're going to dh's dad's on Saturday for their Thanksgiving, so I even called them yesterday and offered to bring a pumpkin pie or something else, but they said no. I had wanted to alter my pumpkin pie recipe to a low fat. I just need to find a low fat crust.

Linda- When I went to meetings, our leader would tell us to have a "WW uniform" and wear the same exact outfit every week. It was actually kind of interesting to do that because you could see in other people how much weight they were losing because you could see the change in their "uniform!"

Anyway...I still have so much stuff to do before we go, and I'm really procrastinating. I guess I should get a move on. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Paige