Mother May I? Challenge, EFGT, 5/2-6/1

[TuscanGirl]

Morning!
I fell asleep at 8:45 last night!

No word from DS15 so I have to assume all went well - so much for the phone tree!

Today they're in London visiting The Strand, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and Covent Garden.

Carolyn - I'm definitely getting a WiiFit!
That was part of my reason for getting the Wii!
I told DH last night - he just rolled his eyes!
I'm not sure when the parents get to go to Europe!

Shon - beautiful day here! I made coffee with cinnamon! Yum!

Zilla - I was amazed I couldn't get a Wii in a tore yet! Did they not make very many at all??

Sandy - Love you sweetie!!

[CarolynF]

Prayers for Sandy today and her mom's funeral. Hoping things go well..I know her mom would be proud of her as I am sure she is a integral part of all the planning..

Those Wii's are like "hen's teeth"..If you see one, grab it, cuz it won't be there when you turn around. Hoping mine comes today in the mail..I'm not sure I can hitch it up without
ds..I don't understand that stuff.

Well, I was up and down this month..but I am still in 143 land, so that is good. However, for our weighin on June 1, I'd like to be down at least a pound..

MaryKay: I love London..expensive, but really fun and easy to get around. Are they seeing any plays?

Off to Curves. I had a piece of the pineapple sour cream pie for breakie..........nommie..

[TuscanGirl]

Carolyn - I don't think they have a play on the agenda. Our family is going to Wicked in Chicago in August though!

Enjoy Curves!

[3bees~1flower]

hello! may i jump in on this thread? i am new to low carb...been doing it for not quite two weeks...after doing a lot of reading, i have decided that EFGT is the program for me. i started my weight loss journey in the middle sept last year...i am down 38.6lbs as of wed...i am only weighing once a week. i was stuck at 36-37lbs for WEEKS and was tired of it. i lost my weight simply through protion control...no restricting of anything, simply not eating as much or as often...(and no exercise, i just don't like it and moy body loses without it). i ran across a thread on another board talking about LC'ing...someone mentioned she did low carb/mod protein/high fat...i thought hmmmm....that's intriguing and began reasearching it and decided that that was soemthing i could do as a WOL. soooo, i jumped on board. i started losing agian, which i was very happy about...allbeit, not huge amounts, but some nonetheless...i'm hoping once i get the woe figured out more, it will keep coming off...i would like to lose 25-30 more. i'm 5'4" and 155.4lbs (started at 194 last sept). i am excited to get my carbquick today!! i think i have finally found a way to get VCO down...the overwhelming coconut flavor was too much for me in cooking with it...i just couldn't get used to it...so i cook with butter and olive oil. i made coconut bark/PB fudge yesterday...YUMMMOO!! today i did the bark with cocoa powder. my splenda didn't incorproate very good...still working on that...i ordered the other sweeeners E (can't spell it) and xylitol. sooo, that's a little about me...i haven't had time to read the whole thread, so just thought i'd jump in.

[lene]

Hi Carrie! Welcome! And hi to all the rest of you gals. I'm still fuzzy-brained right now, slept late due to tummy upset last night, so I'm not mentally sharp quite yet.

Thinking of Sandy... Hope you're doing ok, girl. Get lots of hugs from your family.

I'm envious of the lucky son off on his wonderful trip! Didn't you feel the slightest temptation to stow away somehow?

I promised lowcarb pizza tonight, so I'm faced with either having to try to figure the carbs and calories for the recipe now, or just eating a sensible portion and *already* abandoning the use of fitday, for today. That bugs me... guess I'll spend however long this afternoon trying to figure out the info for all the ingredients.

Ok, I've *got* to grab a mug of coffee. Brain needs caffeine... did I see someone mentioned coffee with cinnamon? <drool> That's the ticket, will come back later after a shower and cinnamon coffee.

[wifezilla]

Tonight is pizza night for us too. I am making the cheesy egg crust version. I may try to add zucchini to it to stretch things a bit. I tried it cauliflower, but son did NOT like that one.

My son is adjusting to low carb, but he has been VERRYYY sleepy lately. I also found out dad and son have been cheating. The idiots left an empty Funyon bag on the kitchen table yesterday.

Hubby said because it was a small bag and they split it, the carbs were not that bad. After I lovingly called him an idiot, I explained it was going to be hard enough for poor Max to switch over to low carb and he was just prolonging his adjustment period. I think he finally gets the point. Sheesh! BOYS!

[3bees~1flower]

hi, lene...i just have to say...when i first saw one of your posts and your avatar, i had to do a double and triple take...especially when i saw where you're from...i am in iowa as well...i have a friend who HAS GOT TO BE your long lost twin...it is eerie how much you look like her!! mind if i ask where abouts in iowa you are? i am in SW iowa about 40 min ast of CB/O.

[CarolynF]

Carrie: Welcome to Barry's World..We love to have new peeps. It sounds like you are doing great! Some helpful hints: The cold-expeller pressed coconut oil has no flavor in it..As well as the Lou Ana brand at Wallie world..(cheap and great to cook with)..However, CO is not a must..And watch the "bark"..It's way too easy to overeat this stuff. (I wonder how I know this?)..Also watch the CQuik, too. Barry mentions how easy it is to overeat fat when it is combined with a sweetener..So, just a head's up from me.

I used to live in Iowa, too..West Des Moines..Where are you located, Carrrie?

I think you would really benefit from buying Barry's newest book Natural Health and Weight Loss.. You can get it on-line from Canada..and it is wonderful!!!

MKay: My friend loved Wicked..She said the costumes were fabulous.

Lene: Honestly, I just eat 2 pieces of the LC pizza and call it "good"..There aren't many carbs in this stuff at all..but portion control is still important.

Zilla: Hmmm..those boys think us women don't know when they are cheating..Brett eats normally all day until dinner..When we LC it. I made him some of those peanut butter chocolate ice cream
things and he loves them..

Hugs all around...........

[3bees~1flower]

hey, carolyn...i am about an hour west of WDM. so it doesn't have to be VCO to be effective? i was under the impression that it had to be VCO for maximum results.

[lene]

Ok, gang. I'm feeling more human now -- coffee in hand (but I forgot to do cinnamon in it -- d'oh!) And I'm all showered -- hey, I even shaved my legs! hubba hubba, maybe Jeff'll get lucky tonight, eh?

I used to live in DM, too, although not WDM. this was way back when Danny was just a little spud, before Jeff went back into the AF and we moved to New Mexico, and then the Azores. Haven't been to DM for years...

I live over in the Cedar Rapids area, Carrie. And I pity your friend, poor thing! If you really love her, pray she'll be granted a miracle and start looking more like Carolyn than like me, please. She'll thank you, I promise.

Zilla, your story cracked me up. The male of the species is one of my favorite sources of amusement, bless the lot of them. And of all the things to cheat with, *Funyons*? Ugh! If they're going to indulge in forbidden fruit, they ought at least to go for the really good stuff. I'd feel ripped off if I cheated for something so lousy -- when I sin, let it be a really juicy one.

Carolyn, I hear ya on the portion control as far as pizza -- I actually sat down after my shower and figured out all the nutritional info on the crust ingredients, the cheese and pepperoni, etc, and then decided just what I can do as far as my portion of the pizza. It means supper is gonna be where the bulk of my calories come in today, since it is calorically dense, but it's still low carb and my calories for the day will be fine, as I'm planning out the rest of the day to fit around the pizza.

Jeff got a good deal on a couple meats yesterday when he stopped at the store on his way home from work -- bacon for some price I can't recall, but Jeff bought about 6-8 pkgs and we shoved some in the freezer and some in the fridge. And he found old-fashioned ring style bologna that usually sells for $4 a pound for only 99 cents a pound, and bought all they had left (5 pounds, I think it was.) The freezer and fridge are stuffed right now, since he also got a good deal on ground chicken and on hams recently. Oh, and on some Angus beef, hamburger meat. I love when he stops on the way home and finds a bargain, especially since I have a terrible memory for prices, but he always knows if something is a lot cheaper than normal.

We're having a break in the endless rain, so I'll stop for now and grab a chance to go sit outside for a little while. I'm sure I'll have to run inside soon enough, to avoid another bout of drizzle.

[lil miss]

hey all!

Carrie, you are gonna LOVE LC!

Thanks to all for encouraging me to stay here even tho I am bucking Barry's system. I am truly, really struggling with some food issues here but I needed to change things up...and see what happened.

Wow...London....Always wanted to go there! Wicked? Oh man, I have been dying to see that show! It's coming here in 2009...

Thinking of Sandy. I know today is a tough one for her. {HUGS}

Have to run...

[lene]

Pizza's coming out of the oven, and we're all gonna watch a movie followed by Battlestar tonight, so I probably won't be back on here til sometime tomorrow. Just wanted to tell all my pals 'night, hope you're feeling good here at the waning of the day.

[CarolynF]

Lene: Have a fun night..

I cooked my 5 year old brisket and it smells really good. I think it is fine..

[3bees~1flower]

ughhh...i don't know what i ate, but something gave me a wicked gut ache...don't if it was too much CO...total of 4T so far today...i was gonna try and get 6T in today, but think i'll hold off. all i had for lunch was cabbage fried in olive oil and butter and a wimmer hot dog...so nothing too strange. dh is taking me out tonight (woooo!) i was getting a little concerned as 15min ago i felt AWEFUL...vomitting would have been welcome. but i brushed my teeth and am chewing a piece of peppermint gum (peppermint is good for nausea)...that has helped A LOT...i think i'll be ok, just glad it seems to be passing.

[CarolynF]

Carrie: To be perfectly honest with you, 6 Tbs. of CO is a lot of CO..600 calories, too..
I'm sure that was what made you sick. Many people have that reaction. The standard
amount is 3 Tbs. a day.

[lil miss]

Oh Carrie, your poor dear! 4 T of CO? I hope you feel better soon!!!! I agree with Caroyln, 3T is the max, when I experimented with CO I only took in about 1 T per day...

[3bees~1flower]

yeah, i think i'll just stick with 3 and see how that goes. i had read another thread that someone was having luck with 6T and weight loss...but i spose i should work up to it *IF* i decide to go that route....also, she said she didn't count her CO toward her total cal for the day.

tomorrow...not so much CO...

you mentioned using the louanna brand EPCO, i was under the impression that for wt loss VCO was needed...is that not the case?

[lil miss]

oh, Caroyn, a 5 yr old brisket? ha-ha Are you serious? I missed something! Did you find it in your freezer or something?

Also, I dont think I even want to know about this pineapple cake... <drool>

Lene-enjoy that pizza girl!

[Shonmarie]

Welcome Carrie, nice to meet you!

Hi to Sandy and Carolyn - it's been a rugged week for you both and I hope you are doing ok, considering the circumstances.

Lene, your pizza sounded great - I think I will do the cheese/egg crust for tonight. We'll see.

Well, I am down 6lb for the month and considering the fact that I wasn't going anywhere but up the last several months, I'll take it with a big smile!

Today is finally nice, weather-wise. Had some storms last night, but the sun looks like it wants to come out. Will have some coffee on the deck and maybe go to the nursery for some basil, parsley, rosemary and mint. Getting my big pots ready to do some container gardening, but the herbs will be the most I will do.

Hi MK, Lil, WifeZ, Prozak & Poot & anyone I missed - hope everyone has a nice day. I'll be around today, so I'll see you all later!

[sjl330]

Hi everybody and thanks again for all the support. It's been a very rough last few days and I'm terribly worried about my dad but hopefully every day will get a little easier for alll of us. The visitation went almost 2 hours over because of how many people came to pay their respects to my mom. I can't even begin to know how many people were there. I know that some people stood in line for over an hour though. My brother did a wonderful job on the funeral. He did break down a couple of times of course, but it was a wonderful tribute to our mom and exactly what she would've wanted. There's been a little bit of family drama but I'm just ignoring it and focusing on my dad and helping him get through this.

Today we turn our hearts to celebrating. My oldest granddaughter graduated high school this year and her party is today. My mom wanted to be there so badly and I know she wants us to enjoy today and celebrate and have a good time. So I'll put on a smile and do my best to make her proud.

I'll try to catch up more later. And I'm sure I flunked this whole challenge this month. So next month maybe I'll do better.

[pooticus]

Wow girls a busy and talkative day yesterday!

First off to Sandy on such a difficult day. I hope and pray you find closure and peace today for yourself and your family.

Second - welcome Carrie! we LOVE new peeps!

Lene the pizza sounds yummy but I gotta ask? Did Jeff get lucky last nite? What is ring bologna? It sure sounds like Jeff is the mighty "hunter gatherer" of sale merchandise!

Zilla you cracked me up with the Funyun story! Hope DH and DS lose the cravings and sleepiness soon!

MK you will adore Wicked! Go order the cd now and start listening to it! It's fantastic!!!!

lil miss - hang in there hon and consider yourself at home here!!

Carolyn are you and Gary doing better? Still saying prayers of peace for you all. But honey...a FIVE year old brisket??? Do tell!!!! Inquiring minds and all! Your pineapple cake sounds fabo but I will give it a skip till goal looms near !!!

Shon sweetie! Hope you get sun today and get to garden! My container gardens aren't lookin so great here. The sun is soooo hot already and I am gonna have to feed them but have to figure out what to feed with first. Had wanted to do organic...

[Shonmarie]

Originally Posted by sjl330

Hi everybody and thanks again for all the support. It's been a very rough last few days and I'm terribly worried about my dad but hopefully every day will get a little easier for alll of us. The visitation went almost 2 hours over because of how many people came to pay their respects to my mom. I can't even begin to know how many people were there. I know that some people stood in line for over an hour though. My brother did a wonderful job on the funeral. He did break down a couple of times of course, but it was a wonderful tribute to our mom and exactly what she would've wanted. There's been a little bit of family drama but I'm just ignoring it and focusing on my dad and helping him get through this.

Today we turn our hearts to celebrating. My oldest granddaughter graduated high school this year and her party is today. My mom wanted to be there so badly and I know she wants us to enjoy today and celebrate and have a good time. So I'll put on a smile and do my best to make her proud.

I'll try to catch up more later. And I'm sure I flunked this whole challenge this month. So next month maybe I'll do better.

Sandy, what a tribute to your mom! It's obvious people cared very deeply for her and your family.

Congratulations to your granddaughter - I'm sure she'll be feeling some opposing emotions today, but, like you said, your mom would have wanted the celebration. Sending smiles your way for a great day.

[CarolynF]

Sandy, dear Sandy. So glad that things went so well..It is so hard when you have a parent left to grieve. Your heart is broken for that lonely husband or wife almost as much as your heart is broken. Your mom is sure at the graduation in spirit for sure. My mom died a couple of weeks before Beth's wedding, but she could have never come because of her AD. Will send continued prayers for your family. Hugs to you and your family today. Enjoy your day!

I'm still alive after eating the 5 year old brisket. It was a farm raised cow..but honestly, it did taste pretty good..

Carrie: You know...I have used both..the virgin stuff and the LouAna brand. Some people are more "organic" than others. Either one will work fine...Everyone is different on the amount, too and how many calories your body needs..Just experiment..

Shon: 6 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woweee..That is fabulous.

Gary is doing okay..We are getting lots of cards and that makes him feel "special"..He saved all the cards from his dad's funeral. I went through Betty's clothes today. I saved a few tops for myself, but packed up the rest for the Clothes Closet. She has some jewelry that Brenda/Beth and I will go through. Her "rings" are in the safety deposit box..

Big weigh-in tomorrow..I'll have to be really good today. I already went to Curves, but I was hoping that my WiiFit would come...grrr..It was mailed the 24th, but I am betting it went parcel post..

Hugs all around.......................Going to try to make an Flourless Almond Cake with SF Apricot Jam..

[lene]

Sandy, I'm glad you posted. I was wondering how you're doing. I know how worried you're feeling about your dad -- we were in the same boat when Jeff's mom died. Nick (FIL) really didn't do so well for quite a while. It was hard, because not only were we all grieving for Fran, but we were grieving for him. But it did grow a bit easier to handle, over time. It'll make a big difference to your dad to have you there for support.

And I hope you all have a joyous celebration today for your grand-daughter! A graduation is a big accomplishment, and an important milestone, and I'm sure there will be much happiness mixed in with the sadness today. Your mom will certainly be there in all your hearts, celebrating right along with you.

Carolyn, I'm so glad your hubby is feeling the love and support, and you know, those cards really do make a difference, don't they? I don't know if people realize how much a simple card with a brief handwritten sentiment can make the grieving easier to bear.

Please please please report your results when you try the almond cake with apricot jam. I love cake with apricot jam! (My fave jam...) I need to have the recipe, if it is a success. That will be my birthday cake, if it works. <g>

Heh, Poot, he ended up not gettin' lucky til this morning. Well, I don't know if he felt lucky, but I figure he ought to! LOL

I was a klutz last night and smashed my wedding ring finger (a pkg. of frozen meat slid out of place while I was rooting in the freezer, and landed hard on my finger as that hand was resting on the lower shelf.) It doesn't sound like much of a much, but the finger still hurts like heck, and the first joint is swollen and dark blue. The second joint is light blue. Dunno if it is just smashed, or if I possibly cracked or broke the bone in the tip. Either way, a doctor wouldn't do anything other than splint it and tell me to take Tylenol, so I just had Jeff splint it for me, and I'm bypassing the Tylenol. I don't know how I manage to do these silly things. But hey, a silver lining -- no changing the kitty litter or doing the dishes for a while for me! (Of course, the downside is that it's a hassle to shower and knit, but nothing is perfect in life, eh?)

The pizza was fine, but the crust was actually not as good as we'd thought it would be. Those coconut cheddar rolls are great as rolls, but as a pizza crust, they make for a slightly soggy crust. I'm going to try Kevin's pizza crust next time...