Welcome Lee! Glad to have you join us in our not always smooth journey! You're not the only one who's started a thousand times...the difference is this time we're succeeding!
Michele - nice to have company on the Friday night way off program divergence! My weigh in yesterday stunk too, but I fully deserved it. The restaurant sounds fabulous; I love Italian too. Enjoy the pizza, but don't have a slice for me!! I think I remember you saying you make egg drop soup too - do you have a recipe for that? Enjoy your romantic dinner; even better that you won't have to cook! Re the boss & ex-girlfriend: we will look forward to the next chapter of "As the Stomach Turns!!)
Judy - hope PMS isn't wreaking havoc with you!
Carla - fasting today will steer you clear of temptation!
Jan - pardon my lack of geographical knowledge, but where is Spruce Grove?
Karen C - rest up and feel better soon!
Pat - we miss you!
Jennifa - how's it going?
I forgot to post my progress y'day. Maintained. Oh well.
Jan - Welcome! I think you'll find that this group is very supportive.
Michelle - Congratulations on the loss -even though it is small, it is better than a gain!
Carla - Good for you for not having Chinese for lunch. "I had to remind myself that eating Chinese food was not going to mysteriously allow me to install the program I need without my PC crashing". LOL but how true! Good for you, girlfriend - that was big!
Karen C - I'm sorry your cold is worse. It seems as if everyone is coming down with something. I hope you've gotten some rest.
Karen B - Yes, it was highway robbery! Congrats on the maintain - it's better than a gain.
Lee - Welcome! Way to go on getting in all that water.
Michele - That recipe sounds great. I can't find WOW tortilla chips anywhere anymore. What a great idea - using a WOW potato chip as a spoon - I'll have to try that next time the sweet and salty cravings come pounding on my door. Great strategy for the next couple of days - enjoy that pizza.
I had a pretty good day yesterday - 97% ff hotdogs are a great low point dinner. I managed to do OK with the snacking and the sneak peek was good today even with having eaten the hotdogs. I walked from the train station this morning so that's another day with exercise.
Karen B - Congratulations on the maintain. Not what you wanted, I know, but better than a gain. Yes, indeed, fasting will steer me clear of temptation. And, I'm already looking forward to that bowl of Cream of Wheat for lunch like its a gourmet meal prepared by the best chef in Chicago.
Lee - Welcome. Keep chugging that water!
Michele - That recipe looks great. Thanks for posting it. Thanks for the Chinese food suggestions as well. Unfortunately, when I crave Chinese food, especially for lunch from the restaurant by my office, its really a craving for one specific thing: the Kung Pao/Spicy Chicken combo. If I have that craving going on, no amount of anything else will cure it. Enjoy your pizza today and good plan for your V-Day dinner.
Judy - Hmm, I haven't made the 98% fat free hot dogs in a long time. Must get some more. I really do need to go through my old journals and get re-acquainted with the foods that helped me stay on program when I first started doing this. A pat on the back to you for having a good day yesterday.
Karen C - Hope you're feeling better today.
Pat - Where are you?
Jennifa - Hi.
I'm pleased to report a 1.2 pound loss today. It's good to see the scale go in the right direction. I also am pleased to report that I walked to church this morning and so got in 20 minutes of exercise.
Hi everyone, thanks for all the get well thoughts. I did get some sleep last night and felt better this morning. Unfortunately, it didn't last. Oh well, at least I'm still able to exercise, and EAT!
Karen B, congrats on the maintain. Remember how well you have done this year and don't get discouraged. I read an article in a magazine about a Duke University study. They found the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to lose 10%, then maintain a month, then lose 10%, then maintain a month, etc. I try to tell myself that this is what I am doing when I have those weeks of maintain. Hope it helps you.
Carla, Yea for you! Good going with the loss and the exercise. You get extra credit for walking to church!
Lee, HI! Glad you joined us, we can use the support too.
Michele, Lucky you! Enjoy your day trip, and the pizza. The soup sounds wonderful, and so does the lasagna. Good planning for Valentine's Day dinner. Tell me, why does your boss have a lifeboat? Sounds like an interesting story.
Judy, sounds like you are doing great. Glad to hear it. How's the weather up there for walking?
Jan, how are you doing today with the program?
Weigh in today, minus one pound. Finally! Since I'm at 178.5, I've started eating at the bottom of my points range because soon I'll be moving down the points scale to a smaller range. I have also doubled my exercise, to two 20-25 minute sessions daily on the healthrider. I hope these changes will show a bigger loss next week.
Karen C - Congrats on the loss! Hope you're permanently feeling better soon. It's a nasty bug that's got ahold of you, that's for sure. I'm going to keep that Duke University study in mind for when I hit my first 10%.
Karen B - Ah yes, Charlie. I've never been to his restaurant. I've seen his show on public TV. He certainly gets a bit metaphysical at times. The Cream of Wheat was lovely, but I'm sure he would have dished up something better! Now start chugging your water.
Carla - Way to go on that great loss! It *is* good to see the scale going in the right direction. Another "way to go" for walking to church this morning. You know the other thing I need to make that I haven't made in a while - the veggie pie. It's been ages since I made it. I might have given Tony an overdose of it last year but I think I'm going to make it next week.
Karen C - Congratulations on that pound gone forever! I hope you are feeling better soon and this time it lasts! That Duke University study makes sense - it's a good way to look at a plateau (although I have a bit to go before I make my 10%). Good planning on starting to eat at the lower end of your range. I know it's not going to be easy when I have to. I'm sure the extra exercise will help - just be sure you don't overdo one activity since that can lead to overuse injuries (like my ankle). It's also a good idea to "mix it up" because then you work different muscles as well as keeping it interesting. The weather here is OK from the sunny standpoint but supposed to get colder through the day - 30's they say. At least it wasn't too windy this morning.
Karen B - I have another idea for a low point meal - do you remember the veggie pie? Glad to hear you are staying on track. I watch the food channel a lot too (or at least I used to) - but who is Charlie Trotter?
So far so good today. Dinner tonight should be OK - we found these great frozen raviolis at Costo that are 3-4 points a cup (The calories, fat and fiber they give include this herb butter they have in a separate pouch that we don't use - that's 4 points, so I think I count 'em as 3.5). They are spinach & l.f. mozzarella and just yummy (we tasted a few after we bought them) and as I told Tony, they include protein (cheese), veggies and carbohydrates in one delicious little package. I'm off to make myself a Swiss Miss Lite hot chocolate. Have a great evening!
Wondering if I can join this thread? I am doing WW at home but find that I need to face someone each week with my weight to keep me from cheating. Is is okay if I join all of you.
mysterygirl74
247/dropped to 242 but gained 3 lbs./want to be 140-150
Mysterygirl, yes, please join us, the more the merrier. Just chime in anytime, we're here for you.
Carla, thanks for the well wishes. I never get sick, so I really have nothing to compare it to. I'm lucky in that respect. Enjoy the Cream of Wheat!
Judy, you're right about mixing up the exercise, and I hope to get a treadmill sooner or later. It's so much easier to jump on a machine than to have to get dressed for "public viewing"!
Yest. went well, I had 2 pieces of pizza with a diet coke (which I never have). It was delicious!! Our dinner went well, he was surprised a little but went well. I had a lean cuisine which I did not even finish as I was still stuffed from lunch. He enjoyed his dinner and we even split a beer in wine glasses as our replacement champaigne.
Karen-I hope that cold is going away for good. My boss has a lifeboat because he has a 36' fishing boat. Law requires he has a lifeboat on board and it be inspected annually. Moving down in the point range was not as hard as I thought it was going to be, but good idea preparing yourself for it.
Carla-What a good idea walking to church. I hope you enjoy the soup, I really love it. I think it was 4 points with chicken and like 1-2 without. Of course without the chips and cheese. WOW tortillas are 2 for 1 oz. which is a lot in the soup. I LOVE kung pao chicken!! Great job on the loss!
Judy-Those ravs sound yummy, I will have to check Sams and see if they have anything like it. I have bought portabello mushroom ravs for Steve there, he loves them. Veggie Pie? sounds interesting.
Karen-"As the stomach turns" too funny!! Long story short, they are getting back together and my life is going to s*ck again, work wise anyway. I am going to have to lay down some ground rules about what my responsibilities are as far as she goes or I am going to be right back in the hot spot so to speak.
Egg Drop Soup is easy
LF chicken broth (2cans)
bring to boil and drip in egg whites
That is lazy version and the least fat way. There are other ways with corn starch and others but I like that way best.
Also cut up scallions and float on top.
Pat-Please post soon and let us know how you are.
Mystergirl-Welcome!
Lee-Hope you make your way back here.
This morning was kind of yucky, I have a dog Kemo that should have been named Houdini (?). He has escaped our kennel in so many ways it is incredible. I should mention that it is 10'x40' with a heated dog house and lounge chairs in it. It is in no way a bad place to be as far as dogs are concerned. The floor is cement blocks to keep him from digging his way out. The fence is a 6 foot chain link fence all around. THe roof is all closed in with wire to keep from jumping out. Well this morning he rushed out the door and hid under the pool cabana so we could no get him. Long story short, I had to leave the dog in the yard running free only to hope he does not hop the fence yard and run free in the neighborhood. The neighbors all know him and that is ok, just the cars etc. Or to have to dog catcher get him. Not that that works, he has escaped their kennels too. They actually did not charge us that time because they saw how hard it is to keep him penned in.
I know boring story.......
Have a great day and Valentines day. I hope you all have some kind of wonderful romantic something happen to you today and stay away from those chocolates.
Mysterygirl74 - welcome to our group! You will find tons of support here and be able to lend us some too! My numbers are pretty similar to yours. I recomitted to getting healthier and eating better toward the end of last year, and it's coming off, thanks to all the support here.
Karen C - interesting study about lose/maintain/lose/maintain. Must be destined to succeed. Don't know how I missed your loss yesterday, but CONGRATULATIONS on another pound gone forever!! You're doing so great! Happy to hear you're on the mend.
Judy - we had those raviolis from Costco on Monday night!! Aren't they awesome? After that and a humungus salad (mixed organic baby greens from Costco too) I was stuffed! YES, I do remember the veggie pie - could you repost the recipe when you have time. It was great, but the piece of paper I scribbled it on has evaporated. Charlie Trotter is Chicago's priemier resterauter, I believe.
Carla - how did I miss congratulating you for your loss?! WOOHOO on getting rid of that 1.2 lbs from your life! I must have been so hung up on that gourmet cream of wheat... I did find my water bottle and ended up with 11 glasses for the day.
Hi to everyone else...have a happy valentine's day!
Stayed right on track yesterday. Ate well, drank gallons, exercised. All in all have nothing to gripe about. Mike is in charge of dinner preparations tonight, all I have to do is supply the candles.
Michele - we wre posting at the same time. Thanks for the egg drop soup recipe; I think I can cope with that!! Happy to hear that your lunch out went so well, and dinner too! Kemo sounds like a major handful; hope you find him safe and sound in the yard when you get home tonight!!
Michele, another great recipe! You must be quite the cook. I don't do too much cooking, but have had soup cravings lately so really appreciate the recipes. Yes, I think decreasing points is going to be a struggle for me this time, but I'm determined to get this weight off so I WILL SUCCEED! Sorry KEMO is giving you such a hard time, I know how you
feel. Hope it turns out well.
Karen B, thanks! I've only been able to do so well because I have such a great support group here!
COSTCO! I want one! The closest one to me is in Orlando, 125 miles, so I never get there. They have these cookies, merangues (sp?), that I had at a friend's house and just love. 20 calories each! I can't find them at any of the grocery stores and when I tried to make them I ended up with a chewy mess!
Garrott is taking me out for an early dinner at the local seafood restaurant tonight. I'm going to save a few points for a sinful dessert and only eat half of it, and have a salad and shrimp cocktail, so shouldn't be too too bad.
Happy Valentines Day to the sweetest buddies around!
Judy - I'm going to definitely look for those raviolis at Costco. I'm planning a trip there this weekend. And yes, it's time to bring back the veggie pie. I've been contemplating doing it with zucchini and broccoli and some other green veggie, mixing a tablespoon or so of tomato paste with the veggies, using mozzarella cheese, and putting some Italian spice mix in the flour mixture. Karen is right, Charlie Trotter has one of the few 4 star restaurants in Chicago. While I've not been, I know that the restaurant is in a brownstone house in one of the upscale neighborhoods. He has a set menu every night and about a gazillion courses. It's very, very expensive - about $100/person, and that might be before wine. It's rumored that he'll be closing the restaurant soon to try other things. Part of me wants to experience, part of me can't see spending that kind of money.
MysteryGirl - Welcome! We're happy to share support with you.
Michele - What a handful your dog is! I hope he keeps out of trouble for you today. As for the boss and his girlfriend - yikes. I hope that she doesn't make your work life as miserable this time around.
Karen B - Yay for being back on track. I bet you have a fabulous dinner tonight. You must tell us what Mike makes for you.
Karen C - I love Costco. You know, they have a website and I think that they sell their stuff on-line. You may want to check that out. If not, I'd be happy to ship some of those cookies to you. Enjoy your dinner tonight, especially the dessert. The sinful kinds are the best!
What I learned yesterday: going to the grocery store after fasting all day is not a smart thing to do; buying chips, albeit it reduced fat chips is even less smart. Having your husband make M&M cookies for your daughter's day care isn't so great either. Yep, got into some snacks last night. Shame on me all the way around. On the positive side, I am re-stocked with fruits and frozen dinners and I did make a nice discovery: Tombstones Light veggie pizza is only 5 points for a quarter of the pizza and its good. We don't have anything special planned tonight and will probably finish up the chicken soup that John made last week.
Mysterygirl - Welcome! I think you'll find that this is a good group to "face", get support, advice, suggestions from.
Karen C - I hope you enjoy that dinner - it sounds lovely and I think you've got a good plan!
Michelle - I'm glad your plan worked out so well. Too bad about your boss and that girlfriend of us - LOL about "As the Stomach Turns"! Sorry to hear about Houdini, um, I mean Kemo!
Karen B - yes, those raviolis were yummy. I wish we had a deep freeze - there are so many great buys, etc. at Costco but we can only buy so much - not enough freezer space.
Carla - I love those veggie pie variations - you'll have to let me know how they come out. Yup, I don't suppose going to the grocery store after fasting is a great idea - M&M cookies are sort of in the same category. Never mind the "shame on me" - none of that beating ourselves up here! Sounds like with the veggies you are right back on track.
I had an OK day yesterday - the PMS monster got me in the evening but I didn't go over points although I did by a couple after lunch today. I walked to work yesterday, did PT and 30 minutes walking/running on the treadmill today and I have some banked food points as well, so overall I'm still in good shape. I've got to fly - it's almost 6 and I still have some things to do before work is finished for the day.
Here's the veggie pie recipe:
2-3 c. fresh or frozen vegies
2 T chopped onions
1/2 jar pimentos, chopped
4 oz mushrooms
3 oz grated cheese
Mix above ingredients (except for cheese) and cook briefly in the microwave. Spoon
into 9" sprayed pie plate. Sprinkle the cheese over the veggies.
In a blender mix:
1 egg or 1/4 c. egg beaters
2 tsp. diet margarine, optional
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
6 T flour
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Blend on high for 15 seconds. Pour over veggies and bake for 30 mins at 400 degrees.
in wine glasses as our replacement champaigne. 
