#194 Bale of Turtles Doing It!!!!!
 

:carrot: :welcome3: We are the Turtle Group here at www.3fatchicks.com.
We welcome you to join us as we work toward good health and fitness in a persistent manner. As our inspiration we use the race between the turtle and the hare where the turtle was the victor because he didn't give up. We believe in keepin' on even when the odds are against us. We believe in giving each other support. Good luck to us all!
Judy
Itryharder
(for Lin and Lauren)

Turtles,
I love that you're posting so often. It's good for all of us!
Judy

Oh, I want to be a turtle! I don't want to quit but I'd like to keep on losing if only a lb. :carrot::carrot: I need more exercise from this point on! I sure do appreciate the encouragement everyone has! Thanks. No weight loss this week. Stayed the same but that in itself is amazing considering the amount of stress this week (and family) has produced. :tantrum::tantrum::stars: I'm having such fun with these emoticons.

Morning all and Happy Wednesday! Snowy and cold here again today... Ugh! Come on Summer! Well I had just gotten so sick of oatmeal for breakfast that I started to switch it up a bit... today I am having a WW yogurt with a cup of fruit mixed in and a bagel with a very little bit of reduced fat cream cheese on it and a cup of coffee... I really did not realize what a rut I had fallen into with eating the same things day after day, week after week... it makes a huge difference in how I feel and my satisfaction level when I try new things. The roads were bad when I left work yesterday so I went home instead of to the gym but I did my walk away the pounds 2 mile tape and it was great!

Anyone have plans for Valentines day?

Lizabeth2: Welcome, very glad to have you with us! Most of us are really trying to get back on track so you picked a great time to join us! Tell us a bit about yourself when you get a chance. :carrot:

Judy: Best wishes for an awesome WI!

All: What is new with everyone? Did anyone watch the biggest loser last night? I thought it was very interesting how Jillian brought in her mom who is a therapist to talk to her group and I was amazed at how many had emotional problem... actually I think that all of them did... made me start to think really hard about my own situation and what I can do to get around the negative stuff.

I will be back again soon!
Princess

Hi Turtles,
:welcome3: to Liz! Sure you can lose weight by following WW's guidelines.
We all struggle from time to time and right now lots of us are struggling. Join in, let us know a little about you and we'll do the same. Send us your ideas and let's all get and stay on track.

Princess, how interesting that changing up breakfast made you feel like you were out of a rut. That's great. As far as The Biggest Loser and the therapist, I also think honing in on emotional stresses has helped me see where I need to go--however, it's not always easy to do the right thing even when I know what the right thing is.

Heading out to WW's WI and I hope I do well.
Take care and be well.
Judy

Lizabeth - WELCOME! It is always great to have someone new join. We will help each other with encouragement and support.

Judy - hope he weigh in goes well. Let us know

Princess - I think it is true when you eat the same things over and over you just aren't as satisfied as when you find new things that hit those taste buds just right.

Howdy all!

Just my mid-day check in to see what is going on. Has anyone tried the Diet Pepsi Max yet? I have tried it a couple of times now and it is great. Tastes good and the extra caffeine and ginseng, not too strong, just enough to help you over the hump and to the next meal or snack time. I have started bringing a can with me to work a few times a week. I am not a big soda pop drinker but it is good.

Cherry: you know it really is easy to get into a rut, at least for me it is. Then I get tired of something because I have eaten it for months on end and am much more likely to fall of the wagon. So trying new things and such is in my game plan :D

I have about a half hour before it is my official lunch time so I am going to get off of here for now but will check back later on.

Ariana: Are you still out there?

Bandit: How are you doing?

All: Chime in when you can!

Recipes for Chris???
 

Hey there Chris, I was looking around in the recipe forum on this site for breakfast ideas and found one that I thought looked good and then I realized that it may also work for you. I know you said no eggs, you were sick of them but I think that in this recipe you may not even know that they are there so much.

6 Crepes for only 3.5 pts!! Very high protein, low carb too!

If some of you guys like to stay low carb/high protein, but miss pancakes and waffles, then i have discovered the best recipe!! it's a crepe recipe, and the recipe is for ONE serving... it makes 6 crepes for only 3.5 pts!! I have made them the past two days and have topped them with fat free strawberry yogurt and with ff cool whip mixed with vanilla yogurt and 'vanilla butter nut' extract. delicious!! i also added banana extract to the batter and it was just like banana nut. top with a little sugar free syrup and you have an awesome breakfast. okay anyways, here's the recipe:

Fresh and Lean Crepes

1/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese
2 Tbls. plain oatmeal
6 egg whites
vanilla to taste
packet of splenda
cinnamon if you want

-Blend in a blender for 30 secs. This makes two cups of batter. spray small skillet or pan with pam. To make six crepes, put 1/3 c. in pan at a time. when you add the crepe swirl it around in the pan to coat evenly. very carefully, flip and cook on other side. since it takes a while to cook them all, keep a plate in a 250 degree oven and keep the cooked crepes in there with a pot lid covering them. If you want to make a yummy topping to make it a 4.5/5 pt. breakfast, make this:

2 Tbls. cottage cheese
3 Tbls. ff cool whip
1 Tbls. any flavor ff yogurt you want(i used vanilla)
any extract you want ( i used vanilla butter nut)

Blend in blender and refrigerate while making crepes. spoon into cooked crepes and roll up.

3.5 pts for all 6 crepes
1/1.5 pts for topping

Hi Turtles,
Princess, that crepes recipe sounds great. I've printed it up and I'll have to get the ingredients, but I'm going to do it.

In the same idea, here's a recipe for an oatmeal pancake:

Using any instant oatmeal packet (flavored or plain--just count the points on the pkg)
Mix the contents of the instant oatmeal package with 2 egg whites.
Pour into a Pam-sprayed pan
Cook and flip
I make one large pancake, but you could also make 3 small ones.
Top with sf maple syrup or any low cal topping you'd like.
The points on this recipe are variable--just count the oatmeal because 2 whites aren't even one point. Enjoy! I know this sounds disconnected, but it's tasty, easy and fast!

I wasn't able to get to my WW's mtg. because our area (Long Island, NY) lost its electricity. We were without for 3 hours, but my dd is coming to visit and she and I can catch an evening mtg.

Take care and be well and keep on drinking that water!
Judy

Judy: thanks for the recipe, I will have to try that one!

I am getting ready to go and get changed into my work out clothing, almost time to leave but I wanted to check in and see what was going on with everyone.

Have a great day all and I will talk to everyone tomorrow!
Princess

Hi turtles:

I am off this week and have been pretty busy with shovelling, shopping & spending time with dd who was home for a few days since she is on reading week. It has been soooo cold up here & tons of snow - they said on news this is most snow we have had in past 10 years & I can believe it. The city is actually taking snow away from side streets instead of just ploughing since it is too high to leave on the sides of streets. But today is nice & sunny so that is nice for a change.

I stayed same this week at the scale. Little disappointed, but still having a few too many treats.

I went through my journals & pulled out some where I had really good weeks and am going to sit down & make up menu for next week using past journals for meals & snacks. Easy to forget what has worked in the past & somethings I haven't had in ages so looking forward to that.

I also watched Biggest Loser and was surprised the black team didn't pick Dan for immunity instead of Jay. At one point they said they wanted Dan to be with them & then they picked someone else not to get kicked off. So am confused about that.

Am having a bingo night tonight with gf I haven't seen for awhile since she was in Australia for 6 weeks - so hope we have some good luck. Will be fun to catch up with her & we both love bingo. So should be fun evening.

Hope everyone is doing well & a big welcome to Liz!

Just got back from my WI. Couldn't stay for the mtg., but the news was good. I lost the pound I gained last week. Now!!!!!! I've got to keep this going. No more yo=yo-ing.

Bandit, enjoy your company and your dd. Have fun. It's really smart to check out the menus and foods you ate and lost weight. I've got a couple of trackers like that and it's a good reminder of foods you like and still do well with.
I'm off to have my dinner, but I'll be back here tomorrow.
Judy
234.6/217.6/thinner into onederland :cool:

Princess, is that you in your avatar pic? If it is, you look amazing. :)

Sorry I've been busy with school yet again and all the Valentine's Day prep for the kids tomorrow. Cute little craft foam lady bug valentines for Nicole, and foam hearts with flowers for Kayla's class, and a ton of cookies. Thank God I don't crave too many sweets. I'm a carb, starch, salt junkie.

Good job to all of you this past week. Looks like you have done awesome. Love the list of things to do to avoid emotional eating-Cherry! And the stages of weight loss was a neat post.

Well gotta go. Dinnertime is here and then its off to homework land (psstt...and American Idol!) Check back later.

Christina

Morning all and a very happy Valentines day to everyone! DH asked me last night what I wanted for Valentines day, I said, "I don't care, just not candy!" His response was "well, I guess I will have to take back that box of Godiva chocolates that I got for you" Groan! We are not doing much for each other this year so what ever it is I am sure it will be lovely, even if it is Godiva!

I am leaving work early today to get home to do preparations before DH gets home. Should be a very nice evening.

Bandit: Enjoy your time off from work, I know that it goes all too quickly! Blah to shoveling snow! I know how you feel though and am super ready for spring. I went a bought a couple small potted spring flowers not long ago to have around the house... anything to brighten things up and give myself some hope that warmer weather will come!

Christina: Yup, that is me, that was taken last spring while DH and I were in Hawaii. Sad to say I have not lost much weight since then, the constant YoYo effect. But it will get better I have faith! Thanks for your kind words, I will be thrilled to someday post my "after" pictures, it will happen someday!

Judy: Good for you! I am so happy for you... I sure understand the whole YoYo thing, good grief I feel like I have had a string attached to me for a very long time now... but no more!

All: Have a great and positive day ladies! Stay on plan, drink your water, take a stroll if you have time, and relax... after all, this is our day!

Princess

It looks like i have gotten behind already. It is nice to have so many new posts though. It is hard to stay encouraged when it slows way down. I am feeling to worn out to do personals but i read everyones posts. It looks like everyone is doing well and the recipes look good to. So far two OP days. I did use 2 flex points yesterday but i felt that was good considering all i wanted to do last night was eat a whole pizza. (That Darn Emotional Eating)

Cherry: You are doing great! 2 OP days is awesome! Keep going and before you know it you are back in full swing! I know what you mean about a whole pizza... LOL. I actually was in the mood for pizza yesterday so I made pita pizza's last night for supper. Very low points ones, two kinds, a 1 pt whole wheat pita with just a dab or two of trader joes pizza sauce or salsa and topped it with some mushrooms and then FF cheese. Put them in the oven for a bit and they came out very nicely... I figured 3 pts per pizza, and we had a salad along with it.

Have a happy day!

Turtles,
I love that this site is hopping! (Or is that the rabbit analogy?) In any case it's a lot to respond to.
I think Bandit deserves a :bravo: for all her shoveling of all that snow! Also, let us know if there are any really good recipes or menus you come across when you check your past trackers.

Also, I must chime in for you, Princess. You have lost so much weight and you look great in your Hawaiian Paradise photo. Now you're ready to knock off the next part of your weight. You go girl!!!!! :cheer: Loved the pizza recipe. I also make a version of that on the Lite Thomas' Multigrain Eng. Muffins that are good.

Cherry, two OP days is phenomenal. Remember, it's hour by hour if need be.
All we can do is give this our best effort, be prepared for emotional eating by having at least three things to do to prevent us from eating (drink lots of water, read a book, work a puzzle--whatever it is for you). You're doing it and as far as those 2 points, that's what the weekly 35 points are for! Use them, count them in, and keep on keepin' on!

Chrily, it's so sweet that you did little crafts for your little guys! That sounds so nice and homey. Keep going--you're doing great!

For anyone who's struggling right now, chime in. Remember--we were all struggling just a few days ago, but by posting and reminding ourselves that we can do this, we're all doing better. :dance: :carrot:

As far as me, for Valentine's Day dh and I agreed, no chocolate. I did bake him 12 sugar cookies heart-shaped with red sprinkles this morning for a surprise. However, I really think that they'll get thrown out because we really are both trying very hard!!!!! They looked darling in this little red paper heart box. Then I got him a Quiznos salad (his favorite--he doesn't like home made salads) and served him a Diet Snapple in a heart-shaped coffee mug. That's about as close to a regular Valentine's Day that we have. Sure beats eating a whole box of chocolates. I Prefer flowers, any day! Chocolates just make me hungry and guilty--a temptation I'd rather not deal with.

I'm going to post a Shrimp Stir-fry that is low in points (a WW recipe) and easy and delicious. I'll type the recipe the way it is in the book , and then I'll add what I did to make it easier and bulkier. :chef:

Ginger-Shrimp and Green-Bean Stir-Fry
Makes 4 Servings
5 points/serving

4 t canola oil
1 1/2# peeled and deveined large shrimp
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2T. minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 (8oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1/3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
2T. reduced sodium teriyaki sauce
1/4t. salt
3 scallions, chopped

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Pour in 2t oil, add the shrimp. Heat about 3minutes. Transfer shrimp to plate.
2. Add 2t. oil to skillet. Add the garlic and ginger; stir-fry about 30sec. Add the greens beans and stir-fry about 3 minutes. Add pineapple and stir-fry about 1 minute. Add back the shrimp, broth, teriyaki sauce and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are heated through and the green beans are crisp-tender--about 2minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in scallions.
Serving=1cup=5 points
Tip: Serve over whole wheat linguine 2/3c.for two more points.
Could also be served over brown or white rice.

Now--what I did and it was yummy:
Since it's just my dh and me for dinner, I cut the amt. of shrimp in half, but kept the amount of veggies full recipe size.
I used frozen, peeled and cooked shrimp that I had in my freezer. I defrosted them as suggested on the package. Then when it came time to work with them, I just warmed them up in the pan and followed the rest of the recipe as it is written. I'm a volume eater and loved getting that many green beans==absolutely yummy. I also think that canned sliced water chestnuts could be added to stretch the flavor and volume. Just a thought.

I like the frozen peeled cooked shrimp. I buy them when they go on sale and defrost only the amount I need at the time. They are great defrosted with a cocktail sauce--mix horseradish in a jar with ketchup or chili sauce. Serve in a fancy glass or on a plate of lettuce. :chef: Hardly any points.

They are also great tossed in a little olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic for a topping for WW pasta. Yum.

Okay, I've got the cottage cheese on my list from Princess' idea for a new breakfast crepe. Also the Cool Whip. Onward and Downward we go!!!!!

Judy
234.6/217.6/thinner into onederland :cool:

Hi all. Not going to try to do individual posts just yet. Valentine's Day was good so far. I'm not really a candy fan (I work with the stuff all day long) so I'm kind of sick of the stuff, but my honey got me a cute little card and the Jordin Sparks CD. She was the American Idol winner from last year. There is this awesome song on there called God love ugly. It talks about God thinking your beautiful no matter what the outside package looks like. Neat song.

Anyhow, I made up a CD of my husband's favorite songs and some of mine and gave that to him with a box of chocolates. He can indulge in those when not in my presence...;)

The girls enjoyed their day. Kids get such a kick out of Valentine's Day. It's almost as exciting for them as Christmas.

Well better go and find out where my husband is and what he wants for dinner. This having our own business stuff stinks. No one is paying and we are now getting behind on our bills. Thousands of dollars out in accounts receivable....stinks!

Christina

Morning all and a very happy Friday to everyone! Well, Valentines day was nice... I made DH home made Choc. chip cookies and packaged them up and got him a small present to go with that. He got me a nice bunch of flowers, a beautiful candle and a very large box of GODIVA CHOCOLATE. Ugh! My favorite and it was not like I did not know it was coming... soooooo, I will try and save them for times when I am really craving something sweet and then it will be a wonderful treat, they are so rich that really just a piece is enough to curb the cravings. It was a very expensive and wonderful treat!

Judy: I love the shrimp recipe and I will be trying that soon! Your valentines day sounded perfect!

Chris: Your valentines day sounded wonderful also... Sorry to hear about your AR troubles... that is ones of the biggest reasons that small business's are struggling so hard these days... I hope it gets better real soon!

Cherry: How are you doing?

Bandit: What is new with you? Bet you are earning lots of AP with all the shoveling.... ugh!

I will check back later on, have a wonderful day!

Hey ladies thanks for the support and the motivation to keep going. I had another OP day with only 1 flex point used. I have gone from 219 to 216 in the time i restarted on Tuesday it is not official cause not my weigh in and probably water weight but i am so excited.:carrot::carrot:

Judy, Bandit, Princess, and Chrily - I enjoyed everyones posts and hope that we can all keep on keeping on.:hug:

Princess the pita pizzas sound food i will have to give that a try. Thanks.:D

Cherry: Weight to go! I am so happy for you!

Once the scale starts going down it is worth a million bucks!

Great Job!

I have a little scenario for you all...then can I please get some advice on it. Back when I first started 3fc, I was roughly 216 lbs. I was gung ho and excited. I tried so hard and the weight came off. I got down to 197. I don't know what happened between that time and now but my weight has ballooned up to 234 (this a.m. scale number). I can't seem to get a grip on my life and focus. I don't know what worked before or what will work now. I seriously don't get it. I really really hate the way my body looks and I hate that I am getting more limited everyday on what I can do. My question is two-fold....

1. What am I missing that you gals seem to possess that is getting you closer to you goals?

2. Why can't things just click for me and fall into place so the weight will come off? Heck, I don't mind working hard for it...I just need to know what to do.

I guess I need a fresh perspective on this weight loss journey. I know what I want for an end result but connecting the dots is killing me.

That said. Today is just a quiet little day. I've been working on my homework and listening to my little dog bark. Neither one of them are happy to be outside but it's nice and they could use some fresh air. I suppose...back the grind.

Hey Cherry! Congrats on the weight loss. That is totally awesome. I am longing for the day when the scale will go down for me, not up.

Christina

Hey Chris, I don't have a quick or magic answer for you but I feel your pain, I truly do.

I would have to say this:

Tomorrow is day one - get on the scale, write your weight down, day one period, does not matter what happened yesterday, last week or last year... day one!

Pick your plan today, core or flex, for me it almost has to be flex because I think that I may use core as a license to eat instead of how it actually supposed to be used, but that is just me.

Get organized, you sound really busy, map out your days, meals, W/I days, class, kids, homework, exercise time, and some quality time to sleep, etc.

Review the 8 healthy guidelines because no matter what plan you pick they pertain to both.

Write down everything that you put into your mouth no matter what plan you pick, I think that is very important.

Look at your fridge and pantry, if money is tight then work with what you have and start making a list for when you can go to the grocery.

Get it into your mind, you can do this, you really do need to start putting yourself first a bit though.

Look at any med's that you are on, what are the side effects? If weight gain is one then call your doctor or pharmacist and see if they can either be changed or what suggestions they have to counter act the med's.

None of us are any different then the rest, we all want it, you have been having a rough patch for a while now and I would bet that the stress alone is crushing you... school, kids, home, bills, etc. You can only do so much, I know that is easier said then done but it is something that I really had to learn the hard way... if we don't start to take care of ourselves now then we may hit a brick wall later on and then were would we be?

Make menus, work on a list of things to do instead of eat, get yourself organized and it will start to happen before you know it!

Hope this helps and please know that we are all with you every step of the way.

Princess

Princess, you are so right. I already feel like I hit that brick wall. Just basic things seems so overwhelming. I do have one question...you mentioned 8 healthy guidelines???? What are those? I bought the at-home weight watchers kit a couple years ago and I bet it's probably in here (if it is a WW thing).

I know planning is essential. For me, it is a pain though. I am pulled so many directions, to write out my plan takes planning...planning for time. There are so many hurdles and hoops to clear. The last person I think about is me. If there is clothes to be bought, I buy them for the kids. Nothing new for me. I haven't had my hair cut since July. Everything I do, I do for someone else. I went to a counselor at church for awhile earlier in 2007. Her one question for me was "why don't you think you deserve to have nice clothes? A new haircut? Things for yourself? Why do you put everyone else first?" I had no answer...at least not out loud. In my mind, I kept thinking...cuz I'm not worth it. Maybe when I'm thin I'll be worth it and pretty enough, but not now. She told me, no matter what size I am, that I am worth it and beautiful. Those are such hard concepts for me to wrap my mind around and believe.

Thanks for all you suggestions. I am printing out your post for reference. I am going to look at all your advice and check them off as I do them. I love your advice about DAY 1! Okay...tomorrow is just that...day 1.

Christina

Princess - great advice. I think we all need a Day 1

Chrily - you really sound down. I also find weight loss really hard.
I do the up/down thing often. As you all know when I am OP I do really well, but when I get side-tracked it usually is really bad.

I find negative comments from family/friends really bothers me. I know sometimes people don't mean for it to come across like it does, but still it hurts. An example - the other day my dd was home & my mom came to visit & dd got my mom to take photo of dd & myself with her new digital camera.
So mom took photo & ended up cutting me in half & her comment was "that I would slimmer that way" and laughed. I know it isn't a big deal, but still you would think you own mother would know it would bother me.

So, I think for me other peoples thoughts on myself really influence my behaviour. That is something I need to work on for myself - have the confidence to make choices that will get me to goal.

Chrily - I hope you can get back on track & remember everyone here is struggling with their weight loss as well.

Take care.

Morning all, just a quick check in on my way to weigh in...

Chris: I will post the guide lines when I get back in later on.

Bandit: boy oh boy do I know what you mean about negative comments! They are so cutting and hurtful!

More later!
princess

Good morning all and happy Saturday... one of my favorite days!

Went to W/I and stayed for the meeting.... great news! I was down 2.8 lbs! I was pretty happy about that! The leader did an interesting meeting today, it was about having fun in life... as we get older she thought that most of us forgot to have fun, expecially when it comes to exercise and activity... she had a great point and one that I will remember... make it fun and you will keep at it... when we were kids no one had to tell us to get outside and go play, we were out the door in a shot as soon as our parents gave us the all clear sign...

Chris: I always thought that I was not worth it... not worth anything really... but then I realized that not only was I worth as much as everyone else, I was passing those negative thoughts on to my kids and family... almost giving them a pass to walk all over me... The minute you say, "Heck NO, I am in line with the rest of you for clothing, haircuts and the good things in life" is the day that you reclaim you! It may feel funny at first but once you do it you will feel great. Not saying that any of us deserve more then the other but most certainly deserve as much as the next person!!!

Ok, about the planning, I don't mean a huge meeting of the minds here, I just mean, keep a large note pad around with a pen on top of it, when you think about what you need to accomplish today you jot it down, when you think about, "oh my gosh, I need to take the dog to the vet on Saturday" Start a page for "Saturday" and put down "dog to vet". Just make sure that you put on there daily "30 minutes for me - exercise or whatever!"

I make a list for almost every weekend day so that I remember to get my meals made, get the laundry done, run to the store, 30 minutes of exercise, get ready for Monday - that is a big one for me!.

Our money is very tight here also so I know what it is like, I have been making a lot of SF FF jello and then portioning it out, I buy a lot bagged fruit from Sams club or the grocery store because it is cheaper. I make reduced fat peanut butter and SF jelly sandwiches for our lunches... they are cheap =) and we like them =)

I will post the guide lines on another post as I have rambled on this one. :D

Healthy Guidelines
 

I think that it is ok to post these... hopefully I am right :D

1 - eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day

2 - Choose whole-grain foods whenever possible

3 - 2 servings of milk products each day

4 - Ding at least 6 glasses of water each day

5 - Have healthy oils each day - I think it is two tsp per day - olive, canola, sunflower oils, fish, nuts etc.

6 - Get in your protein, at least two servings per day

7 - Limit sugar and alcohol

8 - Take a multi vitamin-mineral supplement each day

Remember - portion control and write down everything that you eat and like Bandit said - keep them from week to week and see what works best for you!

Hi Turtles,
What is happening here is astounding and I am so glad to be a part of it.
Go Turtles. We rock! :cheer:

To help Chrily out, the 8 good health guidelines are found in every WW's Week One book. Simply, they are: Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Choose whole-grain foods whenever possible. Include 2 servings of milk products daily. Drink at least 6 glasses of water daily. Have 2t.healthy oil each day. Make sure you get enough protein. Limit added sugar and alcohol. And take a multi-vitamin mineral pill each day. That's it! Simple and sure-fire.
Now--where to start?

Cherry, Your :goodscale: has me jumping up and down for joy for you. :carrot: You proved to yourself that you can do this! Weigh to go!! I love to see effort rewarded like you have done. It makes me so happy. :smile:.

Chrily, I read your post so carefully and was trying to figure out how to respond, and sure enough--there was Princess right on the ball with so many wonderful suggestions. :idea: I'm also going to print out her response for myself because although things are going well for me right now, that can change in an instant (because of the emotional thingy and a host of other reasons). We all can use a reminder that today is Day One and we can do anything we put our mind to.

Chrily, Look at your accomplishments! You go girl! Having a family business with slow and no payers stinks--plus you're in school and doing really well--plus watching the children, etc. and all you do. You know what that is. I have to echo what your church counselor tried to tell you and I'll relate it to myself as well. If you're not considering yourself deserving, then who will? You're a religious gal (I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes--but I've got to say this--)God don't make junk! He loves you and you are soooooo worth it!! As far as me, I would put myself on my "list" for what I wanted to get done in a day. But I'd always drop myself off the list as other family members needed me and I'd drop whatever I had planned for myself and do what they needed.

Now--after awhile that became a "reason" for me not to lose weight. After all, if I ran to baby sit, how could I have veggies and fruit in the house. If I was planning a wedding, how could I fit in time to exercise? Get it???? Now I'm giving myself permission to be first in line. It is truly not selfish--it's sensible. I take care of myself and my face gets prettier and I'm happier with myself and everyone benefits from that!! Trust me, it works.

How can you do this? Take a minute and do the very basic. Plan and prepare. Get groceries in that will work for you. WW cooking is really simple.
Grilled chicken, ff hot dogs, bean dishes, soups--all cheap and easy to prepare. If you know some particular food won't work for you on your eating plan, don't eat it! Treat yourself nice--put those little guys in a stroller and walk in a mall if it's too cold outside. Window shopping is a lovely activity--you don't have to buy a thing!!! You are the expert of yourself and you'll figure out what works for you. (One thing I might suggest is to get back to your doc. As Princess says some meds do pack on weight. Tell your doc what you've been doing and suggest your thyroid might need checking.)

What I have confidence in is that you will discover what is happening with you and by following simple steps, you'll fix it! I might also suggest getting out your WW's books and reading them. There is a wealth of material in them and something else might click for you. :grouphug: :hug: We're all pulling for you. Let us know how you're doing.

LIvvy, If you're reading this, hop right in. We are really on a roll here and helping each other tremendously. Let us know about you and what you'd like to know.

Negative comments: Oh Bandit and Chrily and Princess, my heart broke when I heard the pain about these reckless comments. People have some nerve! Especially when a mom jumps into the act--ugh--how ridiculous!!! No one purposely chooses to be overweight. We are all working on getting that under control--a little support might be nice. I try to ignore the negative stuff and look for support only from people who can provide it. Not easy to erase the negative, but I work on it.

Princess, ohmigod!!! How sweet of your dh to buy you a huge box of Godiva chocolates. Well, it is true that one piece can be ultimately satisfying and glorious--handy to have when you'd love a chocolate sweet. I know you can handle it. :strong: Also, big congratulations :bravo: :cheer: on your weight loss. That if a fabulous amount of weight to lose and shows how on target you were this week. Weigh to go! :goodscale:

As for me--I'm sorry this is so long, but there's a lot to respond to and we are burning up the Cyber Space Wires!!! I have gotten in the habit of planning dinner ahead. I looked through my WW recipes and also my cookbooks. Then I wrote a grocery list to have the ingredients on hand. Then I wrote down on my calendar what I'd have for dinner each night. I change them up all the time, but in general I fix the planned meals some night during the week. Cuts way back on take out and that works for me. I do slow cooker, easy soups, fast protein, etc. I also make a big batch and freeze the leftovers. That has saved me many times for either lunch or dinner. I've stepped up my exercise to 40 minutes on the :tread: but if I'm too tired, I've got permission to do as little as I can.

:goodvibes: to all of us. Take care and be well. Let's do this!
Judy :cool:

I'll post more later but I just had to tell you gals about something in our local paper this morning. We had a customer my husbnad was trying very hard to collect from for the past 2 months and she just kept avoiding him. Well he drove to her house Thursday and collected IN PERSON. Now we read in the paper today that late Thurs. night she was drunk driving and hit 3 cows, killing 2 of them and is now in jail. The accident is still under investigation and further charges are pending. How is that for timing? If he woudln't have gone there that day, we would have been missing even more money. Not saying that what happened to her is a good thing, it's just funny how things work.

ANyhow, I have to hurry. I only had time to read through your posts. The girls have a Girl Scout fair today so I need to get ready and get them over there. Thank goodness its only 3 blocks to the mall where it's being held. Check back later.

Christina

Princess - congratulations on your loss this week! That is terrific - all your planning is paying off.

I have been feeling alittle lazy the last few days. We being on holidays this past week it has just made me put off things I wanted to get done. You would think with having more time I would accomplish more, but I keep thinking I will get at whatever soon, then before you know it hours have passed. But, I have enjoyed not being on a schedule and basically relaxing (unless shovelling) and spending some time with dd. She is heading back to school later today since she works tonight.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Princess - jello sounds yummy. Think I will make some!

Morning all and happy Sunday! It is rainy and dreary here today... that is ok though, we don't have too much to do today. Went and played cards with a co-worker of my DH last night, it was fun and we took a fruit tray and a bag of pretzels, they are all WW also so it worked out really well... I did not win but I had a good time :D. DH is much better at Texas Holdem then I am... LOL.

I went to the gym yesterday afternoon and got in about 4 miles between the treadmill, eliptical and bike. It felt wonderful! I went and got my hair cut after that, she cut it pretty short but that is fine, it will grow before I know it.

Judy: You have such a positive attitude and wonderful words... You rock!

Bandit: Enjoy your holiday, before you know it you will be back to the daily grind and all of that so for right now lazy is a good thing! Glad you got to spend time with your DD, I know that you treasure your time with her.

Chris: How are you doing this weekend... have you had a chance to take some time for yourself?

Cherry: How are you doing? Did you have your official W/I yet this week?

I did manage to find a low point curry sauce recipe and I made that dish that I had seen on the biggest loser a while back. I think that chef on the show made it much better then I did...LOL. DS has my George Forman grill at school so the steak was kind of pan grilled, the lentils came out mushy (FYI on lentils - they need to put an excess gas warning on that package! LOL) but the curry sauce came out pretty good. I would not make it all the time but once in a while it would be nice with a number of dishes.

Hi Turtles,
Princess, I looked all over for a curry sauce and lentils and came up empty. Glad you found one. And yes, those lentils (and all beans) are gassy. Too bad we couldn't run our cars on that. Ugh--that was ridiculous. I think it's great to bring fruit and pretzels. You can snack and still stay within alloted point allowance for the day. Weigh to go! Also, it is amazing to me that you were able to do so much exercise! That is fabulous. :ebike: :tread: :strong:

Having a nice weekend here. Did a million things yesterday and then dh and I went to friends for dinner. :chef: Luckily she likes us to bring dessert, so I brought an angelfood cake that I made from a mix. Super easy and very pretty. With it I brought that 1-2point lemon mousse made from yogurt and Jello and Cool Whip. They thought it was delicious and asked for the recipe, so that was a huge point saver for me. I had saved a lot of points during the day by having the 0point Progresso Soup with 1/2 Lite Eng. Muffin for lunch. Then later in the day I had some fruit and a slice of Lite toast. So I had 16 points available for dinner and I think it worked out fine.

Bandit, have fun with your dd. I agree with Princess that it's fine to relax while on vacation. Honestly, doing all the closets in your house or whatever it was you were thinking of isn't as important as cozying up and enjoying yourself. :wave:

Chrily, I hope you've got yourself on that list. :balloons:

Cherry, keep up the good work. :high:

Okay, I've gotta run and relax. Take care and be well.
Judy :cool:

Curry sauce? Isn't that supposed to be a little "warm" on the taste buds. I don't know if I could eat that. I'm not a spicy type food person.

Not too bad here. Haven't gotten much done. I have homework coming out my ears but tonight I am abandoning my family around 8:30 and taking a nice long hot bath with my book. :D My sister in law, Brandi, who lives in Washington is going to help me out a little. She used to be really overweight and had gastric by pass surgery done as a last resort for her diabetes. So she has noticed she is gaining some weight back and that she is doing more for her kids than herself as of late too, so we are going to log into our myspace.com accts ones a day and report our exercise and food. I'm working on my plan I guess...baby steps first.

The first thing I've done to work toward the positive me today is drink more water. I feel like I'm floating and I'm going to have to take stock in the toilet paper company, but it's all for my own good. Well I'll check back after I do my homework and see what's up with everyone. Have a good day and see you in a bit....

Love ya,

Chris

Chrily,
Drinking more water is an excellent first step! Weigh to go--you're floating those pounds away. Glad you and your sister-in-law will be working together to get to your goal. You've got us and her! A surefire combination. Good luck and :goodvibes:
Judy

Well ladies i had a couple good days and then a bout of depression that kind of goofed up my efforts but i think that i will still have a loss this week. I plan to weigh in on Tuesday morning.

Hi Cherry,
You're doing fine!!!!! Just posting here will help you out. Goofing up is something all of us turtles (and humans) do from time to time. Depression is not fun to deal with, but we're all pulling for you. Here's a :grouphug: and :goodvibes: to cheer you up. Glad to hear you have a positive outlook.
Judy

Happy Monday all!

Snowy and cold here today... the weather person says that spring is still at least a month away... Ugh!

Sounds like everyone had a busy but good weekend. I stayed in my PJ's all day yesterday which is not like me... did not feel well in the afternoon so I layed down to take a nap and woke up in a pool of sweat and had a fever, not sure what that was about but I feel better today.

Judy: It was not very much exercise and I split is up between the machines to kind of ease back into it... I love your idea about the cake... would you share the recipe with us here?

Cherry: Just keep on going, no harm done, the main thing is to keep going.

Chris: Sounds like you have a plan in place, good job! Yes, curry sauce can be spicy but I did not use a lot of curry powder in mine... it was ok, but like I said I would most likely not make it often. I do like hot and spicy food though but DH does not at all so I have to watch what I make.

Bandit: How are you doing?

Well I need to get back to work. I will check back later on.

Sure--my angelfood cake recipe is a snap. I buy a one-step angelfood cake mix. That is important (major brand like Betty Crocker or Dunkin Hines).
1. Just follow the instructions on the back of the pkg. for a plain cake that can be topped with strawberries or peaches or pears or low fat ice cream.
2. Or: Put the cake mix in a bowl. Add a small can 15oz. of pineapple with juice. Mix the two together with a spoon and pour into a Pam or Baker's Joy sprayed pan and bake following instructions on box. I make mine in a bundt pan and it's darling.
3. Or: Put the cake mix in a bowl. Add a can of lite cherry pie filling and about 1/2 cup water. Again, mix by spoon, and pour into a Baker's Joy sprayed pan and bake.

I find that everyone likes this dessert and on a dessert table loaded with all sorts of gloppy and calorie dense dishes, this always goes because most people are watching what they eat.

Now--for the lemon mousse. It couldn't be easier:
1 small size sf lemon Jell-O
2 WW lemon cream pie yogurts
1 8oz. container Cool Whip Free
1/4 cup boiling water.

1. Add boiling water to jello and mix thoroughly.
2. Mix in both yogurts
3. Fold in Cool Whip and chill
That's it! If you make it with WW yogurt (because they are only 1 point each) and you make the dish into 8 portions, it comes out to 1-2 points a serving. Check the points on your point finder, but it is very low points and absolutely wonderful. I've also made it with black cherry and you can do any variety of yogurt/Jell-O that you like. We just love the lemon.

Then I cut a small slice of angelfood cake and top it with a serving of lemon mousse. Trust me, it's yummy.

Hope this helps. I recently learned how to make the mousse and it's my go to dessert right now. Cheap and yummy and very low points. How can you beat that?

Princess, glad you're feeling better. Our weather here is miserable and I checked the calendar for the time switch. I can't wait! Our winter has been cold and rainy, but we have been blessed not to have too much snow.

You all take care and be well and drink that water.
Love,
Judy :cool:

Afternoon everyone, not much is new here, just chugging my way through the work day.

Judy: Thanks a million for the recipe, that would be great to take the next time we go to play cards or something! Wonderful!

I am going to go and work out after work today, not sure I will do a lot but I will go and at least walk on the treadmill... I really wish that I had one at home, it would be so nice to just be able to hop on it when ever I wanted to.

Have a great day all.

Princess