Hey girls it's been a while. I had a bad week, especially today--i just could not get enough food grrrr. As for the serial dieter...I have been dieting (as in crash, pills both legal and umn not to much) since I was 13. I even have a book still from back in the day called "4 day wonder diet" lol. I wont part with it even though it worked at 15 just not 27 humph.

On a personal note, I have been slaving away at writing my 1st novel since April 2008(between work and dealing with my 2 lil ones) and am starting to look for agents since I finally finished polishing it in April and the great computer crash of July). I got my 1st rejection letter! I sent out 3 emails thus far by way of Query Letter (which I have beefed up) without a writing sample. I was just happy someone wrote me back. Most writers said to expect between 50-75 rejections before the ONE. I am all set to finish my summaries, print, and cross my fingers for the 1st 50 agents. LOL. Wish me luck.

BTW: I hung the rejection letter on my fridge. Stephan King papered his walls with them. Tells you something there.

Good luck to all this weekend. My baby brother is graduating HS tomorrow so we will see where that leaves me food wise (GULP).

Hotcubanmama--wow you finished a book! what an acomplishment! That is a huge goal and rasing two small children. You must be super mom how do you keep yourself sane? :hug:

I just wanted to throw in here today I am tryng a new cockpot recipe..curry chicken and veg from a ww mag. I did not have any chicken thawed out so I am using a pork loin but I think it will still me good. I will let you all know tomorrow.

I want to pat myself on the back for my exercise I have worked out now 21 out of 25 days...world record here :carrot:

TTFN

oh my gosh I just have to share..that curry recipe I got out of the current ww mag was awesome!
1lb turkey breast cubed (I sub pork loin-it was thawed out lol)
1lb potato cubed
1.5C chicken broth
2T red curry paste
1 Onion chopped
put in crock pot low 8 hrs
30 min before serv add
1/2 C light coconut milk
1 pk veggie...broccoli, carrot, calu....I used a stir fry one
5pts per ser

put over rice wow it was sooo good worth every bite!

Well today has been a good day but I am tired..Ever have those days when you just feel really really tired?

I made my usual english muffin, egg beater, canadian bacon breakfast, then for lunch it was some fresh crab with a salad and homemade ceaser 1 pt dressing, dinner some 0 pt soup but I am indulging in a few glasses of wine. I did my walk away the pounds dvd--5 miles so racked up some ap points that will cover the wine

Hope you all had a good weekend...looking forward to wi this wednesday since I was at a 0 loss last week

Hi everyone!

Busy weekend! I meant to get on the computer and check in here, but never got the chance. Today was my weigh in and I am down 2 pounds from last week which is good, except I took a peek on the scale on Saturday and I was down 5 pounds then. LOL. I guess that's what happens when I'm a little too loose over the weekends with my journaling.

nancy- my fingers are crossed for you on your Wed. weigh-in. Also, thanks for sharing your recipe! Sounds delish! Congrats on all your exercise, too. That's AWESOME!! I...um...got exactly 1 day in last week :rolleyes:

hotcubanmama- Congrats on your 1st novel, that's a wonderful accomplishment!

kiki- I agree about summer being difficult! I tend to eat more ice cream and have more cocktails and move less, because I hate the heat and humidity. Congrats on your 75lbs lost! I used to do a 1200 calorie diet years ago. Boy, it came off fast! I've often thougth about doing it again, but I'm hanging with WW for now.

Over the weekend we had a cookout for Father's Day and I had a few too many drinks. I wasn't full out terrible, but I didn't watch it as much as I need to either. I'm trying to set up a menu of healthy, easy, inexpensive meals for the next week. My husband really needs to lose some weight too. I think he's at his biggest right now, close to 300, and I worry about his diabetes. He wants to walk, but it's almost 100 here and he works in a hot factory all day, so it zaps his energy and will to move. I can totally relate, which is sad b/c I'm at home in the a/c and can't seem to manage to get on my stupid bike!:dizzy:

Have a great day!

Good Morning, Everyone!

I've been reading all the posts I've missed over the past few days and I must give you all a :carrot:.

hotcubanmama congrats on finishing your novel. That's a really big deal in and of itself even though you haven't published it yet, and I stress YET!! I have to admit though, a bit of jealousy....in a good way.... I've been working on my book for a while now and can't seem to finish. Maybe some of your good writin' vibes will rub off onto me. :)

kiki100 - 75 lbs!! wow!! That's a wonderful accomplishment. Can I be rude and ask how much of that you lost on the 1200 cal diet before coming to WW? I've been thinking about trying it for a while but can't seem to convince myself it'll work. Well that and I'm too lazy to count the 1200 cal. :) I had the same experience you did when I first started WW. I was told to eat more food then I was eating. I just keep thinking how am I going to lose weight if I eat more. :)

Andi and Nancy thanks so much for the ideas and encouragement. I think the idea of a calendar and stickers is a good one. I'm going to try it. When I first started WW in 2006 I used a spreadsheet to keep track of my journey and would print out a line-graph to put on my frig each week. I don't know why I stopped or why I didn't remember that, but I'm thinking I'm gonna do that too. Thanks again.

I love that I can come here and get motivation from people who are going through what I'm going through. It's great.

I'm back from my pity party and a weekend with my mom and sisters so I'm full of energy. I cheated this morning and looked at the scale. I don't usually wi until Wednesday but I just had to see how I was doing for the week. I've lost 3.8 lbs as of this morning.:carrot:

I hope you all have a good day!

One more thing.... Nancy you mentioned posting a 'new' favorite recipe each week. I love that idea. I feel like I eat the same 5 things every week. I am always looking for something new to try. This is better than just looking at cookbooks because one of us tried it first. I like to try things that others have tried first. :)

I printed off the curry chicken recipe. I have never made anything with curry in it, and I can't say I've even tried anything with curry in it. BUT i'm up to the challenge. It sounds good so it must be good right? lol

I found a recipe for lasagna roll-ups that I'm going to try tonight. It's from the cooking for 2 section of the Pillbury website so it doesn't have points listed. I'll figure it out and let you know if it's any good tomorrow.

chrissy -- lol no more peeking :hug: I must admit I peeked friday morning and was down 1.0 but I am afraid it will not hold until my weigh in tomorrow morning even though I have stayed in my pts- even with the wine

Just to recap my week on pts I am midway through day 7 and I have 16 reg pts left out of 22, only used 10 flex pts, had two pts left over yesterday and have 32 apt earned. So that means I will earn ap points tonight and still up in the air for dinner....I had better drop some weight :o Does that sound like I am mad?

andi hang in there I use to live in a very warm temp/high humity area for 16 years and it was so hard to exercise when you just feel wiped out from the heat. maybe go to a lake and do some swiming?

well I will check in later wish me luck for the morning weigh in

Thanks guys! I needed that extra support! I am up to 7 out of 25 rejections, all general email queries.

Chrissy: take a deep breath and do a little here and there. It took me 9 months but I did it. I just couldnt get the story out of my head. (Plus it helped that my grandmother said" So when are you gonna start that book already?" I started that very day.)

Nancy: And no, I am not supermom, though with the hrs I write I might lean more toward insomniac!

Andi:Thanks!

It's off to printing, I have a ton of copies to make at work...need to save $ somehow :)

Everyone have a great day tomorrow!

OK Chickies I am going to really really whine! :mad:

I have worked out so hard -- an hour of mid to high level aerobics all but two days, watched my pts, did not use all my flex and for the second week in a row lost nada/zip/zilch/zero.

Is is menopause? Over 50? medication I have been taking for 6 years just decided to kick in some more road blocks?

I just want to cry then eat everything that is not nailed down...I need some motivation to keep going

Nancy I feel for you. I wish I had something more encouraging to say to you. :( I can only say I've been there, and tell you what I was told.

When I first went to WW I went almost 4 months losing like a mad woman. Lost almost 30lbs. Then for 4 weeks I couldn't get the scale to move, up or down. I took my journals to my leader and she noticed I was eating almost the same thing every week and had been doing the same exercise since week 3 with only increaing the amount of time I walked. She recommended that I start varying my menu and try new exercises. She also recommended the Wendie Plan to me. I didn't try the Wendie Plan then but I did change what I ate and my exercises. I lost 5 lbs the next week and then continued to lose 1 or more a week until I stopped working the program a few months later.

So maybe that's it. I know that not every situation is the same but maybe you've gotten into a rut. If you'd like I would be willing to go over your journals for you to see if I notice a pattern.

Just remember that we're here for you just like you've been here for us. :hug:

I always think of something else once I've already posted. :)

I told you all a few days ago that I was going to be trying a beef and spinach lasagna roll-up recipe. I ended up not trying it because it was 11.5 pts for each serving. It might be good on a day I have more points but it wasn't worth trying on my normal days.

But if ya'll want it I can still post it or you can find it on the Pillsbury website, the Cooking for 2 section. I came up with the 11.5 pts by changing all the cheeses to fat-free except for the Parmesan which I couldn't find. Let me know if you want it. :D

Chrissy thank you for your support! I did go back and look at my food journal and yes it is pretty much the same stuff everyday except for weekends. So I will plan this next week with more variety. I also noticed I am probally having to many glasses of wine even though I count all those points so I am going to cut back a bit..that is hard for me, I have always had wine with my evening meal and some in the evening before bed.

But on the bright side I did do WATP 4 miles last night and then I did the pity party thing and ate my sensible dinner, then ate 2 slices of leftover veggie-lite pizza and cheetos along with my wine...boy talk about using up flex points. :carrot: So now I am back with the right mindset to keep going and shake things up a bit (oh and whined to anyone who would listen whew!)

Nancy: Don't get upset! Try to increase your water and protein while decreasing your carbs a bit. See if that works. You can do it!!!!!!!!

ok tonight I did the 5 mile adv walk using weights and tonning band for the first time...Pretty good workout but not as intense as the 5 mile burn.

Dinner I tried a new recipe spicey shrimp and lobster fettecine from the simply delicous cookbook...I did not have lobster (out of my budget) but did use a can of crab meat. It was really good and it said it served 6 I think it served more like 10! I put the leftovers in the frig for me to eat the next few days even without the noodles it will be good the 'sauce' is so chucky it is almost like a stew. If you want to try it let me know I will pass it on but I found it on the web, even though I have that cookbook

I am still having my wine tonight

hotcubanmama I drink a ton of water (two full glasses before I leave in the am (16oz eact), 4-5 full glasses while I am at work, a min of 24oz when I work out) not to mention the unsweetened brewed loose tea. as for protein I have a 2oz for breakfast, and 4-6 oz for dinner, should I bump it up more? I am not a soda drinker or coffee.

all advice is welcome at this point

Well all you June chickies the month is almost done only 5 more days. I feel pretty good even though my weight has not really gone down.

Tonight was the first night I did not workout this week, I feel really drained of energy for some reason.

Hey if any of you have some suggestions of something to do on the 4th of july I would love it. DH and I will have the weekend to ourselves butI really don't want to drive 4 hours to another city, stay in a hotel and go hmm now what? I am going to look on line tonight and see what there is to do in vancouver bc maybe go there? we are not much to go to crowded fireworks displays or crowded events to that really limits us. All suggestions welcome

thanks
nancy

nancy, I so want to try that spicey shrimp and lobster fettecine!! Can you post it or send it too me by PM? I looked online for it but I must be doing something wrong because I can't find it. :)

I tried a new recipe today too. It's chicken-apple salad with raspberry vinaigrette. It's from an old WW book that I found and adjusted to fit my needs of trying to get rid of leftover chicken. It's really simple which is something I want when I get home. It's gotta be simple or I'm going out. :D

I guess I'd better go for now... I just realized it's 10:33pm here. Have a good weekend everyone!!!

Nancy--I've wondered about wine too. It's pretty much a staple in my evening but I wonder if I cut it out or substitute something else for the points if it would help. But at the same time I also have some belief in enjoying life and I hate depriving myself of the glass or two I so love.

Chrissy your recipe sounds good too! I sent you the shrimp one to you I hope you enjoy

Katier I am with you about not wanting to give up one of the few things I really enjoy it just makes the end of my day to have a few glasses of wine.

I am noticing though that even with the scale not moving the exercise is paying off I am see a difference in the way my clothes are fitting. In particular I have had this business outfit I have kept in my closet for almost a year waiting to lose enough to get back into it. I tried it on last fall when I was 8 pounds lighter the skirt was way to tight on my hips. Well today I was in moving things around and I broke the hanger so while it was out I tried the skirt - It fit :carrot: not real well yet but I could zip it up and it did not look like I was poured into it. So I guess the number on the scale is just that a number!

I'm not a wine drinker so it wouldn't be a big deal to me not to have it. However, I dont' know what I would do if I had to give up chocolate completely. My Vote.. don't give up the wine unless you have no choice.

And it seems like it might not be the wine anyway. Way to go into fitting into the smaller skirt, Nancy. :carrot: I have a skirt like that in my closet.... maybe I should exercise more and then I might fit into soon too. :) And I've gone through the last few posts and can't tell exactly what exercise you are doing. What is WATP?

It is walk away the pounds with leslie sansone. when I first tried it I bought the 1,2,3 mile walk you could chose how much you wanted to do (actually you can do that on all of her dvd's) but I found it did not make me feel I really had a good workout so I bought some used 4 and 5 mile walks on amazon and am enjoying them. The pace is brisk (3.5-4mil an hour) she also will do what she calls boosted walk (light jogging) just to do some interval training. You can really do small movements or really exagerate them for more intensitiy and burn more calories. The way I calculated it based on ww activity formula. when I do the 5 mile fat burn and really pump my arms and lift my legs for the entire 65 min I get between 7 and 8 activity pts

Wow can you beleive it is almost the end of the month?
I was looking at the june weigh in and everyone seems to be right on target

Today I am just going to do some small errands then workout later this evening. Right now my energy level is real low and I am not sure why.

Have a great day everyone

I really slacked in June, i am dreading the scale tomorrow! But, I am starting to plan my meals out so there is less, "well i want it, why not?" we had a girl's night last night and I dont even want to how many points I used!

Nancy, I would up the protein just a little, make sure it lean though. See if that works. Also, how is your sodium intake? I noticed a big difference in water weight when I lowered mine.

Book update: I am up tp 10 rejections which is okay, and 1 agent wanted to read more :) At least I have 1 person's interest! (Even if she rejects me tomorrow, it's still one more tiny step ahead!) Now, it's back to writing this synopsis and taking a shower...

Have a great, healthy weeks gals!

Hotcubanmama, I like your attitude about your rejections. Afterall, rejections just put you one step closer to publishing. :)

Nancy, thanks for the info about WATP. The sad thing is I have one of those videos in my workout drawer and it never occured to me that's what it was. :) I think I'm gonna try it tomorrow. I've also decided to join a bellydancing class at our local community center. It's only $20 a month for once a week class. It's something I've wanted to try for many years so I've just decided that I'm gonna do it.

It's just after 11pm my time and I have a problem. I've still got 12 points left over for the day. So what do I do? I ate breakfast this morning and lunch this afternoon, but I was meeting with a friend of mine this evening and I was nervous so I didn't think I should try the big dinner I had planned. Instead I just ate some crackers and cheese. I also forgot to eat my afternoon orange and almonds. This happened to me on Friday too. I know this is a messed up problem but I'm afraid that if I don't eat all my points I'll not lose. So what do you think I should do? Should I eat something now even though I'll be going to bed soon or so I just eat my nightly yogurt and go to bed? Tonight I think I'm just gonna eat my yogurt and go to bed. But what should I do if this happens again? Like I said this happend to me on Friday too.

Thanks for your help!

hotcubanmama, I will try uping my protien and I truly only eat lean meats. My sodium I have to always watch because of hypertention. I am so curious about your book, can you tell me what kind it is, what is it about??? You have a such a postive attitude about your rejections how can it not get published?

Chrissy oh you are going to have so much fun doing belly dancing classes. I remembr doing it ages ago and had a blast!

Just want to pass on a non-scale victory. You all know that the scales have not been moving for me for several weeks. But..I have not given up on that nor did I stop my exercising. Starting week 6 now and my clothes are fitting better. I even got into a skirt that a year ago when I was 8 pounds lighter I could not wear.

Sorry I missed your question Chrissy...I lost 60lbs on the 1200 cal diet...it was Nutrisystem so I didn't actually count the cals I just asked them approx. how many daily cals there were in the women's plan.

I'm actually up 3lbs from what my ticker says...apparently you can't eat whatever you want and expect it to NOT show up on the scale. Hmmmpf! Time to get serious again...I have to admit...I havnen't even been logging my food. Bad me!!

I seem to have lost a little motivation...perhaps if I start back at the gym (I'm off for the summer and the kids can go to the daycare so there's NO excuse!) than I'll find that strong commitment I had before.

Okay guys here is a quick bit from my query letter (especially for you nancy!)

is an intricate web of good and evil, love and loss. My book has the supernatural intensity of “The Crow” with a hint of mafia styling from “The Sopranos”.

College girl spirals downward into addiction after surviving her parents and fiancé in a tragic accident. A Guardian must save her from both self-destruction and the Fallen angel determined to claim her soul—promised to him by its first incarnation—to gain absolute power. Torn by love for both immortal men, college girl connects their identities with an ancient diary and stumbles on an unimaginable truth that forces her to choose between damnation and salvation before time runs out.

So that's it in a nutshell. Chrissy, I hope it does get me a step closer to publishing!

I am almost done with my synopsis which has been a pain in my *&$ for a while. And I also ate pretty well today and my boss told me she noticed I'm losing again which is awesome :)

Chrissy: good luck with the belly dancing class! You'll have a blast!
Kiki: You can do it!
Nancy: maybe add some more fish and soy products for protein? Or there is always avacodos (SP?) You'll find it!

Ever have one of those days where you really want to slap someone? Not really anyone specific but just feel the urge.... like you just dare some man to some into your office and say the wrong thing. :devil: I've never actually slapped someone when I've felt this way but you never know... maybe I should put a warning sign on my office door. "ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!"

I know what it is... TOM is here and I always get a little moody. That and HUNGRY... Any ideas for low point treats to combat TOM? I was thinking no pudge brownies but I need something salty too... I wonder if I put salty nuts in the batter if they'd still be salty... I foresee a pan of brownies for dinner tonight... :)

hotcubanmama... you've got my curiosity... now I want to read your book to find out what happens.... the only thing is from your description I can't figure out what genre it fits into.... not that it matters because it sounds interesting but i was just wondering..... I tend to write more romance type stuff (think those cheesy paperbacks) but the story I'm working on now that I hope to turn into a full novel is more of a christian romance with a kinda internal struggle with faith to it.... I have to say that you're encouraging me to write...

hotcuban! I can't wait for you to be published so I can go out and buy it!
chrissy: try popcorn that gets my salty and have you ever tried walden farm products? 0 cal, 0 fat, 0 everthing..The PB is not bad it has the right flavor but the consistency is not quite right but put that on cerlery and wall la!

Well last night I did good with my points but today has not been as healthful, Had to atend an all day meeting and they catored lunch. Even though I chose the veggies sandwitch it had a slice of jack cheese on it, then I ate a few chips and a cookie...not my usual healthy lunch. I hope to work it off tonight with exercise

check in with you all later
nancy