~ June Weight Watchers ~

[Couperine]

Hi everyone - a new month, and a new thread! I've missed seeing updates from quite a few who have popped in to post - I'd love to hear how you are doing, no matter how the scale is behaving!

Jackie - I hope your head cold is feeling better - it sounds like you are having good success with your goal weight; that's still such an exciting achievement for you, I'm certain!

Lisa - 3.2 lbs over 2 weeks is a great loss - I hope you had a successful journaling week.

Susan - You had such a detailed meal plan; any winners for you out of those? 10 lbs by June 25th is probably doable, but with all the stress in your life currently, I might aim for a different weight goal of 5 lbs or so. I know for me that 10lbs in a month would require some strict daily tracking that I don't think I could keep up while stressed. I think the trip to Australia sounds like a nice change of scenery!

Kelly - Sounds like you had a great time in Hawaii! Maybe the scale will surprise you this next time; hopefully those Oreos at your hotel fit into your points or vanish mysteriously! :)

Cooking4Love - Congratulations on your success thus far!! I know that fitting in good nutritious and filling meals can be so tiring after a long day - if you have any quick recipe winners you'd like to share, please do!

As for me, I had a bit of a gain last week, 1.6 lbs. Looks worse to me in print than it did on the scale; it's completely expected though, since we've had cookies, cobbler, sausage, waffles, muffins, and two meals out since Friday. It's bizarre, but using up fresh blueberries has really put me off my game. I have to find some recipes other than baked goods to use them in. I saw a couple of chicken and blueberry recipes in an old thread, so I may pick out one of these for meals this week.

Does anyone have any quick, filling, WW-friendly recipes to point out or share? I've only got a couple of pantry meals that work when I don't have anything planned, and I used one of them 4 times last month so we need some other choices. :) I fall back on the CL Hominy Chili with Beans far too often since it really is little more than opening a bunch of cans, but it is so filling. I'd love to have some good main dish salads, but that's an area where I've never had much luck.

Enough of my epic - next!

[Terri_A]

After an almost year-long hiatus from WW...I'm back. Interestingly enough, when I weighed in to rejoin last week I weighed more than 10# less than my last weigh in, so I must have learned something the first time around! Anyway, just popping in to say hi, that I'm back on WW, doing it with a friend this time which I think will help and will check in here periodically and see how everyone else is doing.

[Kelly23]

Hi Terri- welcome back to WW and good luck!

Nancy- I don't have any good recipes to share with you that I can think of right now. As for main dish salads, that is something I am always looking for also. I will be making the barley and roasted vegetable salad in this month's CL tonight for lunches this week. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Well, after several weeks of not weighing or journaling, I finally got back on schedule this weekend and went to the gym for my first WI. I was at 137.5, which is only up 1 lb from previous. Not too bad after a vacation! I am now back on track with the journaling and with working out, so hopefully I'll start losing again this week. I also have a couple new meals planned from this month's CL- orange glazed tofu with sesame rice, grilled salmon with apricot glaze and the salad above.

Have a great week!

[scout1222]

Couperine - refresh my memory: do you attend WW meetings or are you doing it electronically?

We are selling a cookbook called From Pantry to Plate in the meeting rooms right now that is full of recipes that use stuff people commonly stock. It might have good quick recipes that you might be able to make with what you have on hand. (You can always go to a meeting just to buy the book if you aren't a regular in meetings - they sell to anyone, and I'm assuming they'd have that book in your area.)

I made a Mexican polenta pie from it last night. Of course I'm sitting here at work and I don't have the recipe, but it was pretty tasty.

[susan_foster]

Hey all. I'm in an out of these threads (but always wave hi to my evil twin Scout). Couple things:

1. I changed to Core two months ago (after maintaining for 5 years on Flex). It is so working for me. I only had to knock off a couple pounds, and they came off so easily~. Plus - I am doing so much more cooking, which I love (which you could probably guess from the fact that I hang out on this BB).

2. I have been cooking a lot from WW's Simply Delicious cookbook. A lot of people rave about Take Out Tonight (and believe me, I agree it's great - my copy is literally falling apart!), but personally, I've cooked more out of Simply Delicious. Just off the top of my head, I love their Ratatouille and their Pineapple Pork Fried Rice (which is tonight's dinner).

Susan

[Bawstinn]

Does anyone have any quick, filling, WW-friendly recipes to point out or share?

I have a couple of summertime dishes that I like:

Barley "Pasta" Salad
The flavor and texture of barley are similar to that of pasta, so we combined it with the typical pasta salad ingredients.

2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely chopped seeded tomato
1 cup thinly sliced spinach
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup (2 ounces) diced part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped pepperoncini peppers
2 teaspoons dry oregano

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add barley; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.
Combine the juice, oil, and salt in large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add barley, tomato, and remaining ingredients; toss gently to coat.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

CALORIES 153 (31% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 1.6g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 6g; CHOLESTEROL 7mg; CALCIUM 107mg; SODIUM 436mg; FIBER 5g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22.4g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2001


White Bean and Roasted Chicken Salad

Cannellini beans, or white kidney beans, are smaller than Great Northern beans and add just the right texture. Great for picnics or lazy-day suppers, this salad stirs together in a flash.


Salad:
2 cups coarsely chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup sliced fresh basil
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

To prepare salad, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently to combine.
To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, tossing gently to coat.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

CALORIES 369 (25% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 2g,mono 5.7g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 29.2g; CHOLESTEROL 45mg; CALCIUM 117mg; SODIUM 342mg; FIBER 9.6g; IRON 4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.5g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2004

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

The creamy dressing mellows the heat from the chiles. Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish. Total time: 34 minutes.

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.
To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

CALORIES 249 (30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 23.3g; CHOLESTEROL 50mg; CALCIUM 106mg; SODIUM 650mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies---well, only down 0.8 for the week. It was more but like always, the weekend was destructive. I agree with you though, Nancy, I have so much stress I am not going to focus on a number...as long as I trend in the right direction.

Susan-Is there anywhere that would tell what recipes are in the Simply Delicious Cookbook? I am always up for a new cookbook!

Kelly-Congrats on holding it together on vacation! That's awesome.

Cooking4Love--Wow, you are on a roll, awesome!!!!

Terri--Hi there! I just rejoined as well.

Re the recipes I prepared last week, nothing was really out of a book except the salads and the bread. The bread (banana/cranberry) which was 4pts for 2 slices was really good. Very dense (made with whole wheat flour and oat bran) but very filling and got me through to lunch ok--I ate it with 1/2 and apple. I will post it later if anyone is interested.

I need to figure out what to cook tonight so I can stop at the store on the way home....otherwise, I know it will just end up being a take out night as usual....very bad but DH and I have been working a lot and cooking is the first thing to go if we don't plan.

Have a nice day to all.

[librarygirl]

Hi ladies!
I did pretty well posting in May, but have been feeling so stressed/grumy this week and I've avoided posting.
My WI on Saturday was good--I lost another 3 pounds (only 15 to go before I meet my goal). I've had a couple of crazy eating days (well, okay it's actually every day since I had my WI) so I better get my rear in gear and have a good rest of the week.
This week I SO don't want to cook (I am a vegetarian and my DH is not), and I made some stinkers over the weekend (well, not stinkers but DH did not really love them). However, last night I made him Unbelievable chicken (found from the cooking part of the BBs here) and potato salad. He liked both pretty well. I am stuck on still eating the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week. (Although for dinner, I found some lavash bread at BJs that is just so versatile and low point.) The same food choices during the week might be triggering my weekend choices of food. I think I'll force some variety on myself and see what happens.
Wow, I've blabbed a whole lot. Thanks for listening! It's nice to be able to vent here and just spill out my guts, so to speak.
I hope everyone has a really great day!

Carol

[Couperine]

Thanks for the recipe suggestions - it's nice to get some additional inspiration for new recipes. All I've been in the mood to try are baked goods, and that certainly doesn't get me too far with WW. :)

Terri - I bet it was nice to rejoin WW and weigh less than your last WI - nice to see you posting here!

Kelly - Your WI post-vacation was great! Hopefully your lunches have been tasty this week with the new recipe.

Scout - I do WW online, and I have to admit I've had rotten luck with their published online recipes. I have had some luck with WW ToT, though, so I think I'd like to pick up the pantry book you mentioned. I can't say no to a cookbook. :) I checked meeting places, and it looks like there's a WW location near enough - thanks for the suggestion!

Susan_foster - Thanks for the additional cookbook recommendation - I have cooked most of the Chinese section of ToT, but I'm only interested in the cuisine in about half the book. I'll have to pick up a copy of Simply Delicious - my family would groan if they knew I was buying more cookbooks less than two weeks before my birthday! :)

Bawstinn - Hmm, great minds think alike! I like that Chicken Chipotle Salad as well; I'd completely forgotten about it since I wasn't doing my recipes in Mastercook at that point. I adore cooked barley, so that salad sounds perfect, and the bean salad recipe will be a nice change from my usual salad recipes that I tend to pick. Thanks!

SusanPC - I'd love your banana-cranberry bread recipe; any banana bread that is 4 pts for 2 pieces is worth a shot in my book! I checked out Simply Delicious on Amazon; there are tons of reviews on it - I may just hit the order button or try to be more virtuous and check it out from the library first. :) Amazon Prime is an evil enabler though, so it might just come to my house on Friday.

Carol - 15 lbs from goal - how exciting! I did a quick search at Amazon for WW vegetarian cookbooks, and it popped up WW Versatile Vegetarian. I have absolutely no idea how good the recipes are, but perhaps it will appeal to you so you can get more variety in your meals.

As for me, I have got to reign in my meals before dinner. I had 7 pt breakfasts on Monday and Tuesday, and it left me using flexpoints over my activity points both days. I'd really like to hit my 50lb goal before my birthday in two weeks, and I know I can do it if I watch myself better during the day. There's an amazing-looking birthday Chocolate Honey Bee cake from Nigella Lawson that I want for my birthday cake, and it would be nice if that were my next big splurge. Things are looking good today - I just have to avoid Chick-fil-a after taking my toddler to the library for storytime.

Have a good day!

[Kelly23]

I made the Barley, Roasted Vegetable and Feta Salad (CL 6/07) for lunches this week. I think it is a pretty good salad. It is 6 pts per serving (1 1/2cups). I found it very filling and it has a nice bite from the barley, but it is a little time consuming to make. I will probably make it again though.

I am trying to vary my workout routine so I did 10 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes on the treadmill today. I usually only do treadmill. Man, that elliptical kicked my butt! I really feel that I haven't been pushing myself enough so I hope this variation will get me going.

Have a good day everyone!

[Terri_A]

I just had to report in that I weighed in this evening and lost 4 pounds! I'm quite excited. Hopefully, the fact that I'm headed out on vacation on Friday won't derail me too much. The toughest part will be eating at Disney World for a few days!

[Cookin4Love]

I just had to report in that I weighed in this evening and lost 4 pounds! I'm quite excited. Hopefully, the fact that I'm headed out on vacation on Friday won't derail me too much. The toughest part will be eating at Disney World for a few days!


Well, I found your four pounds...and since Friday. I don't know what happened this week. Last week, I had so much control, and was enjoying the control so much, I actually began to understand how eating disorders can develop. Suddenly, around Monday, I was so hungry that it all went to he!! and I've eaten pretty much everything I shouldn't. I've been in meetings all week where people have been bringing food...which I haven't turned down. Then groups of us have gone out to lunch, where I've literally mindlessly eaten everything. I've been working late trying to wrap things up, and so I've been grabbing fast food on the way home. I am really, really angry with myself. I know I just have to start over and get back on track, but I need to figure out how to break this habit I seem to have of seesawing between over-control and no control. If someone wants to e-spank me, it would probably make me feel better. :o

[nanco]

Can someone answer this question for me? I always play with the items in a recipe to figure out which would be lower points. I am into salads and dressings. Which reduces the points in a recipe? Extra Virgin Oil or Olive oil ?

[SusanPC]

Terri_A: Awesome results!!! Did you do anything special this past week to get these results?

Cooking4love:you have summed up how I am. It is all or nothing for me...there is no in between. Hang in there!

[Couperine]

Kelly - Thanks for your review on the salad size - that portion size is wonderful for 6 pts. I'll have to give it a try soon! WTG on adding the elliptical - hope it works well for you this week.

TerriA - A great loss plus a trip to Disney World - you must be on top of the world! :)

Cooking4Love - It's so darn hard to get yourself back into gear when you've jumped off the wagon and are rolling in the mud. I certainly don't want to send you an e-spanking - you are beating yourself up enough. :) It's definitely not a race to lose your weight - try to let go of all these bad days you've had, and just work on your today. Hopefully soon enough you find a balance of what works for you. As a different thought, have you considered trying Core for a while? I know some people who read this thread do Core - maybe they can advise you on how Core and vegetarianism work together. I was just thinking that since Core limits your food intake in a different way that it might be worth looking into for you.

Nanco - Olive oil and extra virgin olive oil are the same calorically. EVOO comes from the first pressing of the olives, and olive oil is made from a blend of refined oil (modified to take out harsh tastes) and virgin olive oil (according to Wikipedia). EVOO has more taste to it since nothing has been done to it. You have no savings either way I'm afraid. I know that alot of dressings use more vinegar and water as well as fruit juice to reduce overall oil content, and many seem to use a bit of dijon mustard to help emulsify the dressing.

I picked up the From Pantry to Table book yesterday, and I avoided Chick-fil-a. I didn't exercise yesterday morning when it was a gorgeous 70 degrees at 8am, and boy did I miss it this morning when it was 80 degrees at 7:30 - I sucked it up and went walking anyway though. It's nice having a tiny goal to hit - I needed that little bit of motivation.

[JackieO]

Suddenly, around Monday, I was so hungry that it all went to he!! and I've eaten pretty much everything I shouldn't. I've been in meetings all week where people have been bringing food...which I haven't turned down. Then groups of us have gone out to lunch, where I've literally mindlessly eaten everything. I've been working late trying to wrap things up, and so I've been grabbing fast food on the way home. I am really, really angry with myself. I know I just have to start over and get back on track, :o
How timely! The topic for today's meeting was how to stay on track to KNOW you are losing weight as to THINKING you should be losing weight because you've cut back on what you eat. (Ok, maybe not exactly correlated here, but close.) Do you keep your tracker with you? Or if you do e-tools, do you journal your food consumption soon after the fact? Keep some visual tool or an anchor with you that makes you MINDFUL of what you are eating. One woman at our meeting today (who is a McD's fan of the first order), was able to pat herself on the back today because she drove past McD's during a moment of hunger last week when she REALLY REALLY wanted to stop for one of those "little" chicken wrap/snack things. She asked herself, "Am I really hungry?" (answer was yes), and then "Is this the best choice?" and she truthfully said, "no -- I can go home and either have a WW frozen dinner (more satisfying and she knew the points) or make a low-point sandwich." She went home and had a turkey sandwich. Our leader then asked if she knew the pts value of the McD's wrap -- she said, "Oh, about 3." The leader then asked, what's in it? By the time the group added up the tortilla, the chicken,the sprinkling of cheese, and the dressing, we're guessing it's 6 pts. End of story. Don't mean to preach. Just wanted to share an example.

Bottom line: If you indulge at lunch, cut back at dinner. Journal it, admit it, move on.

Easy for me to say, I gained a pound this week. :o Had WI today and was motivated after the meeting, then had lunch with my mom, who ordered extra bread, etc. But I journaled it. She's going home in 10 days, and I told her I'm putting together a meal plan for the next week and I'm sticking with it! There's "extra" stuff for the family, but I'm actually craving fruits & veggies after the last week of excess!

Sorry to ramble. Tennis, graduation and rich food have gotten to me.:(

[SusanPC]

Cranberry-Applesauce Bread

For variety, substitute mashed very ripe bananas for the applesauce.

Yield: 16 slices

1-1/4 Cup Whole-wheat pastry flour
1 Cup Oat bran; or 1/2 C oat bran plus 1/2 C flax meal
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 Tsp ground nutmed
1/8 Tsp Salt
1-1/4 Cup applesauce (or mashed ripe banana)
1/2 Cup fat-free egg substitute; or 2 eggs plus 1 egg while, lightly beaten
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1-1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup dried sweetened cranberries, cherries, or blueberries
1/2 cup Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1) Pour the flour, oat bran, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and stir to mix well. Put the applesauce, egg substitutes or eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Add the applesauce/banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir to mix well. Fold in the berries and, if desired, the nuts.

2) Coat an 8-by-4 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake at 350-F for about 50 minutes or just until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake.

3) Remove the bread from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack, turn right side up, and cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Refridgerate or freeze any leftovers not eaten within 24 hours.

Nutritional Facts (per slice) Calories-122, Carbs- 21G, Cholesterol- 0mg, Fat- 3.9g, Fiber- 2.8G, Protein- 3.3G, Sodium 78MG, Calcium- 9mg, GI Rating- Moderate

Source- The Good Carb Cookbook, Sandra Woodruff

------------------
FYI, I used bananas instead of apple sauce, I used the real egg option and I did not use the nuts.

[Kelly23]

Hello to all and I hope you are having a good weekend. My WI today shows me down 0.5 lb for the week to 137lb. Not bad considering my food and drink choices were not very good towards the end of the week. I did manage to get to the gym 3 days this week, so I am starting to get back into the swing of things after my vacation.
Thanks Susan for that bread recipe- it looks great! I will have to try that.

[SusanPC]

Kelly--no problem. Hope you enjoy. Last week I made with Cranberries/Banana. Tonight I plan to make a batch with the applesauce and dried blueberries.

Well, weigh in is tomorrow but I am not anticipating a loss this week. I didn't even count points after mid last week. This weekend was an awakening. I was dress shopping for this wedding I am going to in two weeks. I had to buy a size 14 petite. What the heck...I don't look in the mirror and see a size 14 looking back at me.

In 2002, I weighed 132 and wore a 6/8. I always think to myself...that wasn't that long ago...I can get back there. Hello?? 2002...that was 5 years ago! At this rate, I will never reach my goals.

So, anyways, I have until mid August until my next IVF cycle (at least I think...I meet with my RE on Thursday). I am determined to use this 2 month period to really focus on dropping some weight. It is not healthy for a 5'2 year old to weigh in the 160s. My perception of myself needs to match up with what I actually look like :( I am 32 and want to look as cute as I feel! (Well, cuter than I felt in the 3 way illuminated mirrors at Nordstroms over the weekend :eek: )

So, meals are planned once again this week and I am going to stick to it. I have just been too lazy recently. I started posting to these WW threads last summer....and I am probably only down about 5 lbs from that time....there is just no excuse for that!

Sorry, my rant is over but I seriously need a kick in the rear! I hope everyone is motivated and doing well. And, I hope to post some more inspiring posts in the weeks to come!

[JackieO]

Susan -- quit beating yourself up!! You've been through a lot lately, so cut yourself some slack, take a deep breath and tell yourself you are in control.

Take one day at a time and celebrate the "little successes" -- and I know you have them -- refocus, go for a walk, or shut your eyes and take yourself to a special place when you are tempted to do something off-plan. (Easy for me to say....two weeks of celebrating the end of my son's HS career has me TOTALLY off plan, but I'm back on today -- sort of! :rolleyes: )

Our WW leader sends us off at the end of every meeting by saying, "Have a great week everyone. And why is that?" and our response is "Because I am physically fit and awesome." Silly as it sounds, I do my own self-talk when I don't want to exercise -- I force myself out for at least a walk, if not a run or bike ride and say, "This is great for the weight loss/maintenance program, and for my health. I do this for ME."

And FWIW, don't get hung up on clothing size, of all things. Any woman who shops knows what disparity/inconsistency there is in sizing. I'm willing to bet that you ARE cute and I know you are YOUNG, so feel good about that! Did you buy a dress for the wedding? Tell us about it....I'm sure it's lovely, or maybe you didn't buy one and there's something special you are looking for?

I don't mean to be preachy, it's just my long-winded way of giving you a pat on the back for coming here and checking in. Take care.

[SusanPC]

JackieO--Thanks for the pep talk. I was on a rant when I posted that!!!! Ugh...was so frustrated when dress shopping this weekend. I am an apple shape so usually it is my tummy that is the problem....but seems with all of the dresses I tried on it was the chest area. I think I will go look for one of those "Sassy Back" Bras that are suppose to hold in the bulge in the back:o

I did find a lovey dress though. It is a Kay Unger black dress. The under layer is like a black dress with spaghetti straps and then there is a chiffon overlay that buttons all the way up the front, cap sleeves and a pink sash/ribbon tie at the waist. It does look nice. Of course, we just heard it is 40 degrees in Brisbane and the wedding ceremony is outside so I may have to rethink or pull out a pashmina! (edited to add I found a picture similar to the dress. It is this style with a pink ribbon tie... http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446160 067&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=282574492145791&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395222441&bmUID=1181661275500&ev19=1:8)

So, I made the applesauce/blueberry bread last night. It is tasty but I much prefer the banana version. Just FYI in case anyone makes it. And, it is really dense. I find it is best popped in the toaster for a couple of minutes.

Last night for dinner I made the Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts which I believe was from the CL June 07 magazine. It came out at 8 pts a serving and my DH called it a repeater.

Really putting stuff into the tracker makes me realize my idea of portion control is so out of whack. So, I think to be successful I MUST write down everything that passes my lips. Yesterday I had a terrible headache and needed to eat something with my painkiller (prescription strength Aleve) so I had 4 graham crackers...(you know the sheets). Geez, that was 6 pts. Mindless eating at the desk while working....makes me realize places where I need to be careful. I did journal it though and adjusted at lunch/dinner.

Thanks for the support and sorry for the long rants and post. I will try to keep my freaks outs to a minimum :o

Have a great day to all....hope everyone is well and doing well on plan!

[Couperine]

On-plan...hmm what plan? :o

My computer fell prey to the same bizarre Norton 360 thing that wiped out my DH's computer a few weeks ago. It's in the process of being revived, but thank goodness for laptops.

My WI was fine considering the total lack of plan the week prior - down 0.4 lbs, but I know it was not a stellar week of eating. This week the allure of Chick-fil-a has gotten me twice, and it's only Tuesday. The normal chicken sandwich just really works for my tastebuds. I have no meal plan for the week, and DH has another meeting this evening, so it's up to me alone to be the voice of reason. My toddler needs vegetation though, so perhaps I'll make us dinner tonight for us, rather than giving him something quick. I don't want him to be one of the many kids whose main vegetable is potato in the form of french fries.

In hallelujah, choirs of angels singing news, our land dried out enough to take heavy machinery, so on Friday morning, a huge trackhoe started clearing our pad and brush/unwanted trees off our property. We signed a contract in February to build, but it's taken this long for it all to dry out enough for machines. I'm so excited - the land is diagonally connected to my in-laws, which means the building process will be heavily supervised by them as well. It's a 2 acre lot, so we'll be close-ish to neighbors but not absurdly so like we are in our current house. Things are ramping up for us in that department, so I'm definitely going to have to plan lunches since I'm definitely a stress/comfort eater.

I hope you are feeling more the thing today, Susan. Clothing size is sure a big downer at times - I finally donated most of my larger clothes, but even now, I still get a blah feeling when I put on a shirt and it doesn't compare to where I feel mentally. I'm finally fitting into XL clothes in regular sized clothing stores, but I also have a few 3X shirts in my closet that fit fine. I avoid the 3X ones because they make me feel heavier just because of the size.

Jackie, your meetings sound great. I'm glad you post here and share the bst things from your meetings! :)

I vowed to ride my stationary bike today while my toddler napped, so off I go!

[Cookin4Love]

Just doing a mid-week check in to keep myself at least a tiny bit honest. About the only thing I've done this week that was productive weight-wise was to move all of the full-sized plates out of the kitchen and replace them with several pairs of very fun plates that I shopped around for yesterday. I have leaf-shaped plates, seashell-shaped plates, starfish-shaped plates, Asian-inspired plates--all in salad size rather than dinner size. Of course, it would probably be helpful if I cooked something to put on them rather than just saying, "Not tonight, dear, I have a headache," or at least the culinary equivalent.

I have been working like crazy (except for yesterday's shopping extravaganza, which included a do-or-die swimsuit hunt for the upcoming trip--who knew I'd shrunk out of the old one?) taking apart closets, cabinets, etc. to reorganize everything now that DD has moved out. Hopefully, I'm moving enough to offset the less than mindful eating I've been doing. :rolleyes:

[Terri_A]

I'm still on vacation in FL, but wanted to check in with you guys! I survived a few days at Disney World. As it turns out - they had plenty of options that I could stay within my points allotment - veggie burgers with apple slices, vegetarian wraps, etc. I'm going to weigh in tomorrow here in FL, so we'll see how it went. As for last week - thanks for the kudos. It was my first week so I think that accounts for the large number for the most part. I ate my points exactly every day - not one under, not one over. I also drank water like crazy.

Anyway, here's a recipe I got from my mom, who is a lifetime member of WW. It's really filling and tasty.

Taco Soup ( it’s more like a chili )

Brown 1.5 pouinds ground beef with a diced onion
Drain, rinse in hot woater
Add: ( with their liquids)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 can Pinto Beans
I can Red Beans
1 can Black Beans
1 can Corn
1 package Old El Paso taco seasoning
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Original Ranch dressing (dry)

Simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Take 2 Beano with it!
2 points / cup

I'll try to check in after my WI tomorrow. For those who are struggling - pretend it's you first week again - measure, weigh, etc all your food. Good luck and have a great couple of days!

[JackieO]

Jackie, your meetings sound great. I'm glad you post here and share the bst things from your meetings! :)

I have a feeling my WI tomorrow is going to be a DISASTER of major proportions. While I stuck with the meal plan, there were way too many snacks and "BLTs" (bites, licks and tastes) sneaked into the making of those meals. It's been hot, and exercise (good, intense cardio) has been lacking. Mom goes home on Monday, however, so I think I'll be able to get back into my own routine next week.

But I am really looking forward to the meeting tomorrow, despite my trepidation about the WI. A colleague from our Milwaukee office is spending the day up here and coming to my meeting for her weekly WI. They have a really uninspirational leader for the WW@work program there. I told her she needs to mix that up as well and attend a different meeting. Our group in this little town is a hoot -- it's a real mix of retirees, SAHMs, a few shift workers, a few college students, and at least one office worker who can sneak out in the middle of the day (me!). Add in a couple of married couples, a few mother/daughter combos....and a bunch of lively personalities. It's truly the best WW group I've been in (and I've experienced a number of them).

Anyway....good, bad, ugleee....I'll report back tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Bottom line: I'm 17 lbs down since January 2, and I know I didn't gain back five in the last week (although it sorta feels like it!) :mad:

[JackieO]

Only up 0.6 for the week, and I am quite proud of myself for eating healthfully the last two days while taking my son to college orientation. LOTS of temptation tossed my way, but I was able to distract myself pretty easily with all the info about next fall that was coming my way!

Good meeting this week, and I think it helped my colleague to get re-focused and back OP.

Next?

[Terri_A]

Jackie - glad to hear you're doing well! I weighed in on Thursday while still in FL - I was down another 3 pounds! I was SHOCKED after going to Disney, but I think that the walking helped. However, now that I'm home, the scale at my house is showing me heavier than Florida - could yesterday's flight be messing with me? Anyone have experience with a flight affecting your weight? Maybe I'm retaining water or something? It's a bit discouraging to see.

[Kelly23]

Hi Terri- Congrats on the loss! I never weigh myself while I'm traveling, but I do tend to feel bloated during my trips. Maybe that is what is affecting you now.
I stayed the same this week. I was traveling and only got one day on the treadmill and I was bad about journalling, so I'm glad I didn't gain. I will be traveling next week also, but I am going to try and be better with writing everything down and getting some workouts in. Hope everyone has a good week!

[JenniferJJ]

Hi All

Kelly - Best of luck on your trips.

Terri - Don't know how flights affect things. But hey, that's so great that you were mindful of your eating on your trip.

Jackie - That .6 gain sounds great with all the extra things going on.

Cookin4Love -I did that, too. All the full-size plates are upstairs.

Well, my only "progress" is that I've been able to maintain my "WW goal" by sucessfully WI and not paying. Unfortunately, I am one of those that had a personal goal 4 pounds lower than that and have not been able to reach that. I think that for me (at least in sundress and swimsuit season), my "WW goal is a little too high. Last week was a disaster: I didn't eat ice cream (my addiction) all last summer due to WW. So I decided that I was not going to deprive myself this summer and just ate and ate ice cream. Then I was at my parents for three days - really have no sucess there.

The good news is that I started a new job Tuesday. (That's why I was at my parents' for a few days - training in the office an hour away, close to them.) They are VERY casual there and my cotton "khaki" pants would be the most appropriate. So there is incentive for me: I tried them on and I need to lose a few for them to fit comfortably.

So I weighed (at my home) yesterday morning - 110. (104 is my WW goal and 100 is mine - I'm 4'11") Yesterday at least I tracked - 21 points. I was concerned about that, but I did a lot of work yesterday and I obviously needed all those since I WI this morning at 106. Yesterday a friend organized a work day at an urban mission org and I was doing a house demo for one that is being rehabbed.

But it totally wore me out! Today I have no energy. I have been up for three hours now and have just been surfing the web. I don't even feel like I have enough energy to eat! But I ate a WW frozen meal (don't like them very much anymore, but I still have some in the freezer to use up), 1 C of frozen corn and....1 C of ice cream. I honestly wasn't going to have any today, but since I dont' feel like eating, I figured I had the points to spare. At least it's better than the previous days of ice cream.

I've got chicken thawing in the fridge to make for dinner tomorrow - I'm such a lucky girl - my commute is only 20 minutes. I'll make Chicken w/ Apricots from Cook It Quick. If I have the energy, I'll go grocery shopping and get stuff to make Mushroom and Peas w/ Garam Marsala from Best of WW Magazine. I've made it before and last week I worked with an Indian man for a few days so I thought about this recipe. I really should make myself go because I do need to buy fruit and buying the few other ingredients for this recipe won't be a big deal.

This afternoon, I'm going to see if Border's has the Smoothies cookbook I've been eying - will try to replace my ice cream addiction with a smoothie addiction and the price of the book is about the same as 5 half gallons of ice cream.

Goals for the day:
eat within points
grocery shop
bike ride

Goals for the week:
attend a meeting
post here
eat within points (except for special dinner on Wed)
excercise 45 - 60 minutes each day

[SusanPC]

Well, it would have been better had I not eaten all of my flex points and then some this weekend....but I did manage to semi watch portions and skipped a meal if I knew dinner would be bad (e.g. Father's day BBQ last night). Back on plan today, just chugging the water and getting back to it.

We head to NH for a party this weekend and then to Australia on Monday....can't wait for the vacation!!!!!! I so desperately need it!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

[Couperine]

Susan - I'm excited that your trip is getting closer, and thanks for asking about me on the other thread. :) Congrats on your WI - I know you were hoping to lose a little more before you travel!

Jennifer - It sounds like you have a good plan this week for avoiding ice cream - I hope you enjoy your smoothie book. I've never had much luck with the ones I've made, so if you have any winners you enojy, please share!

Kelly - At least you are maintaining with your busy travel schedule - I hope this week goes even better for you!

Terri - What a nice surprise to lose weight while at Disney - I know that when I weigh on different scales, I weigh differently - perhaps that is what happened to you as well. I know that you can get a little dehydrated while flying, so perhaps your body is retaining water a little until it feels rehydrated. Your update from Florida was a nice wake-up for me this week - DH and I are committing to staying OP like week 1 to try and get things back on track.

Jackie - I'm glad you managed to get things together a few days before your WI - I'm sure that's why you had a minimal gain.

Cooking4Love- The smaller plates are a great idea - I'll have to try that some more.

As for me, I celebrated my birthday on Friday with a lovely day at the beach - my eating week was abyssmal. Fast food 5 times, eating out 4 times, ordering in twice. :o Needless to say, I was up 1.6 lbs - I know a lot of it was emotional eating; I got a nasty e-mail from my parents that has put me into a tizzy. Until I figure out what response I want to make, it's going to be a struggle; tonight DH and I will talk about it and figure out how to deal with it. Eating my way through my feelings is not going to make me feel any better in the long run.

I have a meal plan this week, and I tossed the birthday candy I was given after I tried a piece of each. I've already exercised today, so hopefully things go better this week.

[SusanPC]

Nancy---Sigh, I was hoping to lose more before we headed out on vacation but I am happy that I was able to lose a couple this past week and hopefully a couple more this week. I want to maintain or lose while away so I can keep up the momentum leading up to my next IVF/FET in July/Aug.

Hang in there with the parent issues. I had a HUGE blow up with my mom and sister yesterday. All is resolved (sortof) but I was an emotional wreck yesterday AM. DH is hoping that my waterworks at anything these days are a sign that the AF will be rearing her ugly head soon (D&C was 4 weeks ago). Family strife is no fun....good for you for exercising, though, hopefully it helped with the stress!

I am glad I don't have a Chick-fil-A near me or I may succomb to tempation too.

BTW, I made a broccoli salad that I found on the WW boards yesterday. It was delish. If anyone is interested let me know and I will post.

[Couperine]

I'd love to try your broccoli salad recipe, Susan. I'm still looking for good things to bring variety to lunch.

[SusanPC]

Here you go. The only deviation I made was I used just under 1 TBS of splenda. It was plenty sweet....I have to think the 3 TBS was a typo by the person who posted this but not positive.

Broccoli Salad
6 servings 2 points per serving

4 cups broccoli florettes
1 red onion, finely diced
3 tbsp Splenda
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
3 tbsp raisins

[JackieO]

Here you go. The only deviation I made was I used just under 1 TBS of splenda. It was plenty sweet....I have to think the 3 TBS was a typo by the person who posted this but not positive.

Broccoli Salad
6 servings 2 points per serving

4 cups broccoli florettes
1 red onion, finely diced
3 tbsp Splenda
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
3 tbsp raisins

Hmm..this looks to be a modified version of an old recipe I rec'd from a friend of my sister's, only hers called for BACON crumbles. I definitely think the 3 T. of Splenda is a typo...

For folks who like raw/al dente broccoli salads, we have been making a pretty low-fat version for years in my family. Haven't run it through the WW calculator, but you essentially chop broccoli & cauliflower, then light steam (or not, to your preference), and marinate with no-fat or low-fat Italian dressing and oregano. Chill, if you've steamed the veggies. Before serving, stir in some chopped, fresh mushrooms. I haven't made this in a while, but I'm thinking some halved grape tomatoes would be good with this, too. And for a few extra points, toss in some feta cheese/kalamata olives.

Back to WI issues -- since I made my artificial WW "goal" a few weeks ago, I have been weighing myself at home each day. My digitial scale (a cheapo) is about 3 lbs. under what the WW scale reads, so I just sort of monitor my weight. Well, today I weighed TWO POUNDS more than I did yesterday morning! Honestly, I never trip up more than one (and my cheapo scale only does 0.5 lbs increments). It has been incredibly humid here lately, and I ran 4 miles yesterday, but thought I maintained good hydration during the day and in terms of bulk, ate very little food. Must make myself go back and read that article about "why the scale lies."

I realized that I have weighed in for 24 consecutive weeks (need a new little tracker to hand to my leader next week!). This Thursday will mark 25, but I have an out-of-town long weekend coming up the following week. I really, really do not want to record a gain this week (third week in a row if it happens) before having to skip a WI, which I can because I'm lifetime. SOMEONE: give me encouragement!!!

[Couperine]

Thanks for sharing your recipes Susan and Jackie.

As for you Jackie....

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[SusanPC]

Jackie--sorry I didn't have any words of wisdom but I wish you luck at your meeting today! Soon things will settle down and you'll get back to your routine!!!!

Me--Well, I head to NH tomorrow for a wedding anniversary party and Australia on Monday for the wedding and the beach. I am so ready for a vacation. If only my blackberry didn't work in Oz :rolleyes:

I ended up finding another dress than looks great on me (not as great as on the model)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2929645?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=eliza+j+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

and I am feeling good, probably down another LB this week. My goal on the trip is to exercise everyday--even if it is just a power walk down the beach. At least then I can hopefully maintain the little progress I have made.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

[JackieO]

Up 1.4 lbs this week, but no surprise. Crappy eating w/out much discipline combined with humid weather. I made the "deadline goal" for DS's graduation a month ago and then some, so there was a natural tendency to slack. But three weeks of gains (for a total of 3 lbs.) is really unacceptable. My secondary goal of maintaining for DSD's wedding July 20 is still looming, and I have told myself I will WI each week for the rest of the summer, but I am finding the temptations of outdoors, parties and social activities to be overwhelming.

On the other hand, I have a TON of new clothes that I am so enjoying wearing......and I am spending the weekend home alone. I went out for a bike ride after work tonight and spent nearly 1.5 hrs exercising. I truly thought I only put in 45 mins. So...there's hope? :o

Motivation, motivation, motivation.

[marteka]

Hey Everybody!
I'm new to this thread, but I read often. Thanks for all the info. I started WW in Jan06. I've been very pleased w/ the results. I plateaued at 172. Then in April there was spring break and about 7lbs that I can't shake. I weigh on sat morning. This morning 178, but that was the bbq and hushpuppies in NC this week =). I'm still journaling and staying within my pts. I feel like I'm in the best physical shape in years. I go to spin class 4x wk, doing some light weight training and floor work and my question is WHY I"M I NOT LOSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tell myself weight lose is a fringe benefit to exercise the real benefit comes in a healthier body and just plain feeling better, but it sure would be nice to see some smaller #'s. Any suggestions?

[Kelly23]

Welcome marteka and thanks for joining us! I wish I had some words of wisdom for you on why the scales aren't showing loss for you, but I don't. All I can say is, keep doing what you are doing, and you should start to see the difference!

As for me, I am up 1lb this week and not surprised. I have not journaled in awhile and need to get back on track. I have been traveling 7 weeks out of the last 9 and I won't be home for a week until the middle of July! So, my exercise and healthy eating have definitely suffered. I am just trying to make it through these next couple weeks maintaining.

Have a good week everyone!

[Couperine]

Jackie - I know you've made Lifetime before - it seems to me like it would take quite a few months to find your maintenance balance; I hope you find some new inspiration in your good meetings - I lost weight in college and never figured out the maintenance part so I can only send good thoughts your way.

Susan - I hope you are having a fabulous time, Blackberry or not. You sound much happier with the second dress, and it looks nice!

Marteka - Glad to see you posting - I wish I had an easy answer for you. All I can think of is changing your exercise routine a bit; I've read the body gets used to whatever it is you are doing after while. Perhaps a personal trainer treat for yourself can change things up for you with some positive results.

Kelly - I'm glad you're hanging in there with all your travel - you've lost weight overall with all these travel meals that you don't prepare yourself, and I think that's something to be proud of.

As for me, I worked my bum off last week because I maintained and gained the prior two WI's. I wound up losing 3 lbs, which makes me really happy. I had 35 AP's, which is the most I've ever done. Since my walks with DH are not a guarantee, I've been doing 40 min on the exercise bike while DS naps. We've been upping our distance on our walks, so it's been working well. The time on the bike passes fast because I play the XBox. :D

All in all, a very nice week last week, basically because we took Terri's advice and treated last week like it was our first week again.

[JackieO]

Marteka - Glad to see you posting - I wish I had an easy answer for you. All I can think of is changing your exercise routine a bit; I've read the body gets used to whatever it is you are doing after while. Perhaps a personal trainer treat for yourself can change things up for you with some positive results.


WELCOME Marteka! We need more energy on this thread! As someone who either gains or loses, I don't have any personal advice on plateaus, other than to steer you to the "wendie plan" -- Google it to learn more, but essentially, it's a way to plan your points to mix up your metabolism, similar to what Nancy suggested with exercise. It's not sanctioned by WW, but it may give you another avenue to explore.

It's hot and humid here, and I am so losing my motivation for exercise and healthful eating. Well, that's not quite true. I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, it's just that I really want to eat comfort food and have indulgent snacks, wine and beer, too! I really, really don't want to lose ground this summer, and I hate being obsessed with what the scale says every morning. ARGH.

[Terri_A]

Well...no posts for a few days, so I'll bump us up!

I weighed in today. I'm down another 2 pounds! I'm quite excited about it! That's a total of a bit over 8 pounds so far. I have a long way to go...but it's a good start in 4 short weeks. I really think that having a friend doing it with me is helping a lot.

I was wondering if we could share some recipes...things that are really low in points. My mom gave me a taco soup recipe that has tons of beans and is only 2 points a cup and I've been eating it quite a bit and need to come up with some new goodies. So...anyone have recipes like that? Filling and low point?

Thanks in advance!!!

[JackieO]

Terri -- thanks for bumping us up and congrats on your progress! Eight lbs in 4 weeks is awesome. Pat yourself on the back. You're on your way!

Recipe sharing is a terrific idea. I am off next week and need to spend some time combing through my electronic recipe file to put together a cookbook for my DSD who is getting married in three weeks. I'll try to get us started with a WW recipe thread -- maybe we should make it a separate thread and post it on the good food board? Anyone have thoughts about that?

I am out of town on business today & tomorrow, so missed my regular meeting/WI. I am planning to go to a different center on Saturday am, though, to at least WI on my way to the farmers' market. I am hoping to have reversed the trend of the last few weeks; I survived my b-day dinner at Olive Garden last night (did you know that the "low fat" shrimp/pasta primavera option has 700+ calories in the dinner sized portion and 20g of fat? :eek: ) Glad I researched it before dinner -- when the meal arrived, I kicked out 1/3 of the penne, ate 1/2 of the rest of it and saved the other half for lunch today. Tonight, instead of indulging on my expense account, I went to Applebee's and had the cajun lime tilapia. Pretty good, very satisfying, and I have the smug pleasure of making a good choice. :p

Who's next???

[marteka]

Hey All!
Thanks for the warm welcome. I weighed in today. Down 1.8 thank goodness, which made the margarita from last night taste even better =). I was gonna lose it if there wasn't some reduction. I have to remember my mantra: Slow & steady wins the race. I altered my morning coffee from 2 to 1 point. I've only had white sugar 2x this week. I was becoming a fiend. I also realized my water intake had dropped so I upped it. Next week I'm gonna change my workout a bit. Maybe spin 2 days & sculpt 2 days.

REcipes. This isn't a formal recipe per se, but it's one of our favs. ShadyBrook farms Italian turkey sausage links are 3 pts each. I cook it with canned diced toamatoes & peppers & onions with 1/2c of white rice (2pts). You can add whatever seasoning you'd like. It's very filling esp w/ a salad or cali mix on the side.

Let's all make good food choices on Wednesday!

[JackieO]

Just checking in -- I managed to make it to the 8 am WW mtg this morning! I am down 1.8 from last week, which puts me at 4 lbs under my WW goal (but right at where I want to be!) Then went to the farmers' market (the strawberries and cherries are awesome right now! Came home and went for a four-mile run; now I just need to clean up (me AND the house) because the neighbors are coming over for dinner tonight. Penzey's turkish kebobs w/yogurt dipping sauce and peanutty brown rice.

Tomorrow's a new month, so this may be the last post on this thread.