New and would like a buddy

[Teresa3]

Hey, Everyone--
Man am I beat--had a big day, stressed out. Some good, some not good, but I survived. Had my granddaughters ages 4 and 7 here, took them to the marine lab and out to lunch. Did OK, only had 1/2 chicken breast and a salad. But I get so worn out, and they got out the ice cream of course. But I only had 2 bites. Rican--good for you for only having one bite of mashed potatoes! We can get by on a taste!

Anyway, then we heard that our grandson had a skateboard accident and broke all the bones in his ankle! He's in surgery, and hopefully will have a good recovery. But what a day..

I told mh I wanted steak last night instead of fish and went to the store and brought home a juicy rib eye and cooked it. Really hit the spot. Tonight I had lamb loin. Yum! I do like meat, and am so glad this diet works--thanks for all your support!

I can't remember what my grandmothers ate except pie! There was no junk food around, that was it; and portions were smaller.

Glad everyone is doing so well. May tomorrow be a good day for us all. T.

[catwings]

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandson Teresa...that sounds like a rough accident. Keep us posted as to how he is doing. Good deal on getting some meat! I know you loved it, the lamb sounds good too. I may get some for this weekend for a change.

Rican...I think it was instinct for my grandmother to eat like that, but I also think that she savored things that came from her yard, garden, the surrounding woods and friends. Grocery store items were mainly carb foods. They raised cattle and killed one every couple of months. Pork and ham came from a little market here in town that closed down in the 80s, the pigs were raised locally. They even had a smoke house until I was in my teens. BUT...she worked at raising and preparing food full time. If I were to depend on the food we raised or gathered, I'd be very, very skinny! ;-)

Chick...tripled grocery bill on whole foods? Oh yeah, I know what you mean. My grocery bill went way up at first and I've had to modify. But I have noticed that after two months I'm back to spending what I regularly did. I finally got "stocked up" on stuff such as soy flour, splenda and stuff like that. And when steak or chicken breast is on sale I buy a lot of it. We have also cut back on eating out so I've added that expeniture to the grocery fund and it's evening out. We're also eating more of our eggs and have just about scalped the garden this year. Last year we gave away most of it.

Confession to follow....

[catwings]

Went to a friend's father's funeral viewing last night. It was sad but I did get to visit with a group of old friends. On a whim, we went out to dinner afterward to a Mexican resturant. I had unsweet tea, 3 chips w/ salsa, 2 tacos and a salad. I coulda left out the shells but I didn't. I wanted some crunch. But it was late when I got home so I had no snacks.

This morning, I weighed 204.....WoooHoooooo! Could be an anomaly, but the scales spoke and I'm happy.

Got a hair cut yesterday and a new bra. Dressed up last night and you could really tell a difference. I'm still fat and very thick on the side view...but my face is slimming up and my boobs are shrinking. Inspiration to exercise!

Happy Thursday!

Polly

[rican3]

Hi Ladies,

So so sorry to hear of your grandsons accident Teresa. I hope and pray all goes well for him. Those ankle injurys can be so touchy in the long haul, but he's young and hopefully the bones can heal properly and fast for him. I too am glad you got your meat fix. Lamb does sound like a nice change, however I rarley see it here. Sometimes I can get veal and I love that when I splurge on it. Wallyworld carries it once in a while but have to catch it soon as it goes on the shelf since it goes fast.

I also weighed myself this morning and was not real happy. 267. I guess the lodge set back has caught up. But I have been really good since then and am drinking lots of water. We are scheduled to cook steaks there on Friday night and I have already decided I will be drinking water!! This is too important for me to throw away on a couple of drinks!!

The "fried " ranch chicken came out great!! It wasn't so much the fried like I was thinking but came out like a shake n bake. Really nice flavor and kinda crispy. And I do believe it is induction friendly since it is made with pork rinds, dry ranch dressing and some other dry seasonings and egg to help the coating stay on. Even my husband liked it!! He says now he has to be a guinnee pig for all my recipe creations.

Chick, I too am missing some fruit. They have the best looking strawberries out right now here in town and I have been passing them by.

Todays menu
B-Chicken/roasted
S-roast beef lettuce wrap w/mayo
L- leftover fried chicken with green beans
D-Something Italian w/salad

My husband wants some type of spagetti and I think I can have the sauce ok( it says 11 carbs per 1/2 cup) but I am waiting untill next week to use the dreamfield pasta. I have used it before when I did low carb and it really hit the spot and did not make me stall at all. So I am going to put a lasagne type dish together for me and leave out the noodles. I once made it with eggplant slices and it was delish!! So I may try that for tonight I just need to ckeck the count.
I must say the more water you drink the more you want!! And the more you go!
till later.............

[rican3]

I left out the coffee w/cream for breakfast on my menu

Do y'all think I need to cut this out???? I do drink about three large cups everyday with cream. Please let me know how it works for you.

[rican3]

Polly ,
I think that is the best time for the feel good feeling! When you take weight off and you dress up and fix yourself up and you know you look good!! I have boobs like yours (from picture) and can't wait untill they get a little lighter!! You have lost a considerable amount of weight (3 thanksgiving turkeys-lol) and I bet you don't have too much that fits you anymore! I am glad it made you feel that good !
Kathleen (Rican)
My real name by the way.........

[Teresa3]

Mornin' Everyone--
Thanks for all your good wishes; haven't heard how our grandson's surgery turned out yet, but they had confidence in the surgeon so hopefull all went well.

Isn't it a great feeling when you get to go down a size in clothing! Excellent, Polly! I haven't gotten to do that yet; am still in the fat pants, but at least now the fat pants are fitting looser. I have just the opposite problem from you ladies--I am 3 sizes bigger on the bottom! (Bummer)

Polly, I'm happy for you that you got to eat a fun meal without any weight gain. I could get away w/that once in a while, but that usually sets me on a binge. Probably all the exercise you're doing is a big help.

Kathleen, have you tried ordering sparkling water w/lime or lemon as a cocktail? We eat out a lot and mh gets wine so I started getting sparkling water and it fills me up and helps me feel more social at dinner and parties. Also, I always have half & half w/my tea, and I don't think it holds me back. I think it actually helps me feel more satisfied and less hungry.

I have not lost any weight yet this week. If I don't drop by tomorrow, it's going to be the meat fast! Y'all have a good day. T.

B - lox, cr ch, egg yolk, spinach
L - salad w/ r. beef, pastrami
D - rib steak, ratatouille
S - almonds

[MI CHICK]

We had a nasty storm in our area on Wed that blew our network card so no computer time till dh could buy one & install it. Boy did I miss my 2 daily email checks!!

Sorry to hear about your grandson Teresa!! How old is he? He will do fine, it's his parents that will loose 5yrs off their lives from the fright of it all!!! Kids---lordy can they be hard on us....lol!!

Ate fine on Wed. Today went out for lunch with my folks & that was going to be a hard one....so I wgt'ed this a.m. & was at 239!! So that gave me the courage to be good. Then it happened just like I said, no one questioned what I ordered or ate. Passed on the bread basket (which is a miracle cause I am a breadaholic) & ordered the daily special luncheon plate which was a cup of cottage cheese & one small piece of broiled fish & some tomato slices. Perfect! Gave the dish of pineapple to my mom. Couldn't believe how easily I got past it all. Without having to give explanation--vowed this time around I was not going to get into the I am dieting again spiel with anyone. But later on I was starving so I have to remember to keep a small bag of nuts in my purse to keep me from coming home or stopping along the way home & doing damage to myself!! I so hope that this 239 sticks till Mon.!!!!!

Kathleen I have 4tbsp of half&half every morning in my coffee. They are .5carbs each so I do count the 2carbs as part of my breakfast count. I can't/won't give up my coffee & hate it black. It sure didn't hold me back when I lost my wgt doing lc before.

Congrats on the 204 Polly and the new clothes!!! Always sure a reward for all our hard work! I don't have to buy as I go down cause I have sizes 14/16/18 already in my closet.....lol!!!

Well dh is also anxious to check his email so I must be fair & share

Todays menu:
B=coffee & cream roast chicken
L=cottage cheese fish tomato
S=1/4C sunflower seeds & cheese stick
D=hamburger patty with cheese & lettuce & something else but I'm not sure what

corrisann (my real name)

[Teresa3]

Good Evening--
Well, our grandson's surgery went very well; they didn't have to put in any plates, just screws, and they feel he will have a good recovery. He's 17, and was looking forward to playing soccer on a special team this summer. It was his kicking foot, too. So now he can get his summer reading done for his English class! He's keeping a good attitude, bless his heart! Thanks for all your concern.

Corrisann, congratulations on your 10 lb. loss! And way to go on the lunch w/ your folks! I'm with you on not telling anybody anymore that I'm "dieting." I've had too many relapses for that. Besides, this time it has to be a permanent change for me--no going back to eating bread and stuff like that. Now I do like you and just order, and nobody even notices or says anything; it's less pressure. I keep a can of mixed nuts in my glove compartment, and a small bag in my purse for emergencies, and they have both saved me from going to the bakery!

Have a good nite! T.

[catwings]

Kathleen, I drink cream in my coffee every morning, just a dollop but it is sooooo satisifying. We also have coffee after dinner in the evenings and I put spray whipped cream on it instead of liquid. It makes it like a dessert. it's in a can like redi whip but it's made by land-o-lakes and is pure cream w/ splenda put under preasure. 0 carbs for 2 T. I generally use about 4 T and I figure I'm getting a carb or two and count it as such. My husband calls it heaven in a can! I've never eaten it straight and hope I never do.

Teresa, you are looking at the bright side of the skateboard accident....that's a good thing! I'm a true "Pollyanna" in that I can always find a bright side to every situation. sometimes to the point to where it annoys my friends, but I do it anyway ;-) Summer reading is something I look forward to every year, I get lots of kids in wanting the "thinnest" book on their list. They are funny. But some of them come back later for non-required reading and that is satisfying.

My weight was up to 207 this morning but I knew I had a fluctuation coming. Just call me yo-yo girl. I cannot lose and expect the scales to say the same thing the next day.

Corrisan is a beautiful name!

Menu -
B coffee w/ cream, bacon, handful of cereal
L- leftover chicken casserole, spinach salad
S- boiled peanuts
D - burgers on double fiber bread and pork skins...it's Friday night!

Polly

[rican3]

Teresa , Great news on your grandsons surgury!! Glad it looks like a success.

I am so glad everyone drinks coffee. Sounds like such a little thing but I love my coffee. I actually like it better on Adkins 'cause I get the cream! And it can fill a void at night especially during the cooler months. Congrats to you Corrisann on your 10 lbs dropped (I always relate things to food and that would be (2) bags of sugar!)LOL
Well today will be a hoot! I am going to the lodge to get things ready for steak night" We usually have one once a month and someone renegged an we got roped in to cook. I need to make salad, wrap potatos and make the mushrooms and onions for the topping. We only charge 10.00 for our members and guest and thats for a nice ribeye and all the trimmings. Good thing about it is I can eat there !!

todays menu is going to be
B-ham roll ups w/cream cheese and jalapeno
2 fried eggs (I seem hungry)
coffee w/cream
L-smoked turkey leg
D-steak, salad, mushrooms and onions
s-not really sure-I have one of those home grown tomatos I've been looking at!
Buy the way, my lasagne ctreation came out great and only 8-9 carbs for 1/2 serving
I got a square corningware dish, put provalone cheese on the bottom,put 1/2 of the meat sauce then ricotta cheese and then more sauce and finally mozzarella cheese on top. Cooked for about 25 min at 350 and enjoyed. MMMMM! Was it ever good. I left out the eggplant cause the sauce was 6-7 carbs by its self and I wanted to be sure I did not go over my limit.

Polly- Is it too early for me to go on boot camp?? I am ready to be rid of this weight but I have to remember I did not gain it all in one night and it's better to come off a little at a time.
Till later..........Y'all have a wonderful Friday. I will keep you guys in my thoughts when I am at the lodge tonight !!
thanks for all the support,
Kathleen

[rican3]

Polly
What kind of Chicken Casserole?? I'm gonna get me some whipped cream! I just need to keep my husband out of it if you know what I mean!

[Teresa3]

Hi, All--
Whipped cream w/splenda under pressure sounds dreamy to me, too! I didn''t know that existed. Hope I can find some.

My weight hasn't dropped at all this week, so I am cutting back on carbs and quantities today. Am only going to have greens and smaller amounts of protein today. Hope this helps.

Kathleen, it sounds like you'll have a great time tonight cooking for all your friends at the lodge. Good thing it's steak and not spaghetti!

I like to try to maintain a positive attitude, too, Polly--otherwise, what is there? I'm glad you're not bummed about that little fluctuation ;-)

Everybody have a fun Friday night! T.

B - lox, cr ch, spinach
L - shrimp salad
D - rib steak, sm salad
S - pecans, cr ch

[catwings]

Kathleen, your lodge sounds like great fun...and steak night is right up your alley.

My chicken casserole is one of our staples and we have it once a week and never get tired of it...so far anyway. When I come in from work, first thing I do is put a pack of boneless chicken breasts (3) on to boil and while that's coming to a boil I chop onions, celery and peppers or whatever crunch stuff like that I have. Then I turn the burner down to 2 and go upstairs and change my clothes, freshen up and chill out. 10-15 minutes I return to the kitchen and take the chicken from the pot to the fridge to cool it off. Meanwhile, put the veggies in a frying pan with butter and let them sweat and then gather -mayo, sour cream, wochesershire sauce, lime/lemon juice, dry mustard, paprika and grated cheddar and/or parm. Take the chicken out the fridge and shred or chop. Don't make little cubes, shredding is best. then add a tablespoon or two of mayo and sour cream, 1 T of lemon juice, 1T of wochestshire and a teaspoon of mustard and some of the cheese. If I'm feeling froggy I add some nuts to give it more crunch. Add the sweated veggies, mix and put in casserole dish, mixture will be stiff. Top with cheese and bake for 30-45 minutes on 350-400.

Most of these measurements are eye-balled and sometimes I leave stuff out if I don't have it. The good thing about this is, the same casserole tastes different from week to week! Last week I went real heavy on the peppers where there were almost as much as chicken. And every now and then I'll top it with a few of those canned onion rings, which aren't all that high in carbs. I also try to go easy on the cheese so it's mainly a chicken dish, not a cheese one.

I could talk about cooking all night!

Polly

[catwings]

Teresa, stick with it, when your weight loss comes it'll probably be a big drop at one time. Don't get discouraged or bored with it. How are you doing with your water drinking?

Kathleen - I don't think it's too early to do a boot camp as long as it doesn't make you feel so deprived you fall off the wagon. Maybe we should all do like Teresa and have only green salads and protein over the weekend. Green salads, protein and...coffee/tea w/ cream, of course!

Polly

[Teresa3]

That's all I've had today--I'll let you know if it did any good in the morning. Nite, T.

[MI CHICK]

A quick hello before we head off for the big BBQ.
Your casserole sounds real good Polly--I am certainly going to have to make it. Am going to try & get thru this BBQ with just the salad & protein....don't feel as strong about this as I did the couple other outings I've had. Doesn't work for me to wgt everyday cause when I wgt'ed yesterday I was at 241 even though I had been very good & this a.m. same wgt. I know it has to burn away & we always go up & down a certain amount, even if we aren't overweight....but it still throws me when that happens.....

Everyone have a wonderful Sat!!! The weather here is just perfect! Great day for a BBQ on the lake
corrisann

[Teresa3]

Hi, Everyone--
Well, just eating protein and greens yesterday did get 1/2 lb. off, and I wasn't too terribly hungry. So I basically need to do the same today. Polly, I don't pay much attention to how much water I drink; I drink lots of tea. I wonder if that could be holding me back? I'll try more water today. The casserole recipe sounds wonderful!

Corrisann, I'm glad you're going to have a great day for your BBQ; I heard there were storms in the midwest a couple days ago. Talked to my folks in IN and they said they finally had some badly needed rain. But Kathleen, I hear Texas has been getting a deluge--hope you and Polly are not getting flooded in the south!

Anyway, it looks like a beautiful Saturday to do all kinds of wonderful things. Mh is going to our local farmer's market to pick up fresh vegetables, local caught fish, and fresh cut flowers. I hope they have halibut again today so we can have it for dinner. I like to saute onions, tomatoes, & basil in olive oil, then add the fish w/lemon juice, white wine, and a little soy sauce. Simple, but good.

Going to the gym at noon, and maybe a little walk later. Happy Saturday! Teresa

B - scr eggs w/cr ch, spinach, tea w/cr
L - salad greens w/beef brisket
D - halibut, salad greens
S - few bites chicken w/almonds

[rican3]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I have been out to the garage sales this morning. Bought my daughter a really nice microwave for 20 bucks . She just got her first place and had made a comment that she can't "cook" since she has been without a microwave!! She does have a stove but that's too hard for her...........So I thought I would give this to her for an early housewarming gift. She's just 18 so I'm not gonna go all out!

Polly that casserole does sound good and anytime you want to go on about cooking, be my guest. It does help to know what others are making . It gives me new ideas so I won't have to fall back to old bad habits.
I think I am going to do the proteins and greens thing too this weekend.

Do y'all think maybe we should just weight on Monday?? Maybe we would not get as upset about the fluctuations as much. And if we are being good then think how great we will feel on Monday morning. I am just as obsessed with the daily weighing too, but I am not so sure it is good for us....I did get back to my 265 by the way!

I was pretty good last night. I did have a cocktail though. After all the cooking it just seemed the right thing at the time plus some coaching from friends. (I have no willpower) we served 29 which is slow, but a lot of our group was off camping. Everyone raved about the onions and mushrooms. I sauted them in butter with salt and pepper and then added merlot and let them cook down. I brought the leftovers home. Hmmmmm they are not green so I might have to wait till Monday for them. We are very active in our lodge. The kids are all out of the house and I feel like I can give back to the community by doing this. We raise money for all types of things. Last year alone we donated to the Womens Shelter (1000.00), Head Start (750), the Perscription Assistance Program (2,500), two different high school scholarships programs (10,000), an on going education scholarship (650), Fire Department (1,200) and various benifits for familys for fire, medical, and burial costs. I am a huge fan of our organization for these reasons. Our charter say's we are here to support childen and seniors and our community. And I must say I feel we really do help! Enough about that.

Todays menu
B-Bacon and eggs
coffee w/cream of course!
L-Smoked turkey legg (leftover)
D-Steak and salad probably spinach
s-meat rollups with lettuce and mayo
and water, water, water!!

The weather here is beautiful although hot. I'm going to try to get my dh to take me fishing this evening when it cools down, cause I am dying for fresh fish!! Have a good one!

[rican3]

Teresa, we are outside the Corpus Christi area way south, so we are getting occasional showers but not that hard continueous rain.
Congrats on the 1/2 pound!!!Yea!! See just sticking with things works.

The fresh halibut sounds wonderful ,(funny how we are both thinking fresh fish!)
till later.................

[Teresa3]

Way to go Kathleen for sticking to your eating plan at the lodge! I wouldn't think a cocktail here and there would do much harm. We have to have fun while doing this! Glad you got back down, too. All the authorities say to only weigh once a week, but if I did that, I could be going up a lot without realizing it, and since I have such a hard time just losing 1lb. I feel I really have to keep a close watch!

I think I did well today; did my exercise and ate according to plan, except we switched out the salad greens for fresh chard and asparagus. The halibut was pulled out of the Monterey Bay and was quite a tasty piece of fish. Did you get to go fishing this evening? What kind of fish do you catch? That sounds like so much fun! T.

[MI CHICK]

Just a fast good morning as I walk out the door.
BBQ equaled I could have done better, but I could have done much worse. But this a.m. I was right back on track w/o beating myself up or using it as an excuse to eat stupid for the next 8 days....LOL!! Keep telling myself this is a lifestyle change not a diet just get on with it, & it seems to be helping. Am going to try & make today all protein if possible to help toward weighing tomorrow.
Enjoy your Sun & I'll check back in tonight.
corrisann

[catwings]

Hey ladies...I"ve been busy and out of pocket most of the weekend but have been staying on plan!

Teresa, the more water I drink, the more consistantly my weight comes off. Atkins stresses drinking lots of water and so do the other low carb diet gurus. I read somewhere drinking a quart of water in an hour will increase your metabolism 30%. Plus it flushes our your system, keeps you hydrated and keeps you feeling full. I have drank so much it made me feel queasy so I've backed off a bit from that, but I do drink 2-3 quarts of water a day plus tea, kool aid and coffee.

Polly

[catwings]

Yesterday's Menu -
B - breakfast bowl from Hardee's (too big!)
L - rest of breakfast, spinach salad
D - taco salad...browned some ground beef, onions and jalapeno peppers and then added a mix of chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and oregano and 1/4 cup water...didn't have any package mix so this was a plan B...turned out excellent. Served it on a bed of mixed lettuces, tomatoes and peppers. Was very spicy and satisfying.
S- coffee w/ cream and a popsicle sf.

Today -
B- spinach fritatta,, coffee w/ cream
L/D - I'm gonna cook some pork chops around 3:00, probably on the grill, depending on the weather. Will have probably have another for a light dinner around 7:00.

Sounds like everyone is having a great weekend!

Polly