NON WW & WW NEWBIES, OUR NEW LIFE, THE START OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL

fabgeekmom

@theslightedgeforever Good job on making lifestyle changes. Too bad about the iced coffee causing insomnia. Hope you sleep better tonight.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes. Interesting to know about the strawberries. 80 is a nice temperature. I hope you enjoyed your swim and dinner.

@cbabie That's good you got a walk in. The year is going by fast, huh? In the fridge, I had Babybel cheeses, I had baby carrots, I had single-serve bags of chips on the counter but I wanted to TRY the cheese popcorn. I shouldn't have brought it home.

@theslightedgeforever That's good you are doing better with your food. Good job with your choice to skip the cake. Sounds like you ARE doing better.

Hi all. I got into the cheese popcorn again last night but I purposefully put it in a bowl instead of mindlessly eating out of the bag. So, progress. Today, we have a "world heritage potluck" at work. I am bringing Hungarian goulash. It is more of a soup than a stew (the stewy type is a different style I guess? This one is supposed to be more authentic). Since it will be hard to track, I pretracked 500 cals for the potluck.

Water yesterday: 72 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The goulash sounds good. Tracking 500 calories is a good idea. Hi, all. I went for a short walk this morning before going to Target with my son. We bought protein bars, protein chips, seltzer water, and some TSA approved containers for lotion for my trip to Yosemite next week. Lunch was leftover burgers and protein chips. Dinner is going to be tacos with lean ground turkey.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It was really good. How fun that you are going to Yosemite. I've never been there but want to go someday. Hope you enjoyed your dinner.

Hi all. I did so-so yesterday at the potluck. I wouldn't say I did well. The good news is that I didn't get into the cheese popcorn when I got home. I'm getting close to finishing a big project at work so that feels good. Today, I work from home and then have a Spanish lesson. I lost 1.6 lbs this week.

Water yesterday: 72 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

cbabie

Morning, I didn't do ANYTHING yesterday...I just didn't want to..sat on the couch most of the day (if I wasn't chasing the baby). LOL. In May I start another challenge, it's sole purpose is for you to lose weight...I ALWAYS gain..it's almost like I am in rebellion..LOL. We shall see.

@fabgeekmom I have never been to Yosemite..enjoy your trip! My DH would love it if we could just travel, should have bought an RV and not a house..LOL

@trooworld YEA on the weight loss...see you got this. Yes I try to put my snacks even ice cream in a "small" container, so I don't mindlessly eat. My DH does a BOWL and I mean BOWL of ice cream..I think I would be sick. LOL. Enjoy working from home today!!

Cbabie

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Pot lucks happen! But you’re over it. Good job on limiting the popcorn. It’s a good feeling to be almost finished with a project, especially on the weekend. Congrats on the weight loss. @cbabie Chasing the baby is activity!Good luck on the challenge. Personally I don’t like group challenges as there is too much pressure. Hi, all. I had a busy day. We got up early to go swimming as I had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. Tonight is steak night. I’m hungry because I ate my meals earlier than usual. But I will wait until dinner.

trooworld

@cbabie That sounds relaxing. Thank you! That's good you put things in smaller containers. Most of the time, I do not lol.

@fabgeekmom Yes! Thanks! Oh yes, I've been working on this project for weeks so it will be good to finalize it. I hope you enjoyed steak night.

Hi all. Work went by slowly yesterday waiting for the weekend. After work was my Spanish lesson and then I made dinner: air-fried pork loin, roasted sweet potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. We went out for a beer after that, just one. We went to this beer bar that I wanted to go to: they have this vending machine there with eclectic things in it: mini pieces of art, jewelry, fake mustaches, mini hands to put on your fingertips lol, candy cigarettes...etc. I was thinking of putting stuff in it. But I don't know, they don't pay much (I coincidentally started talking to the owner of the vending machine because she had a pug with her).

Water yesterday: 25 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

theslightedgeforever

@cbabie So what else can you do to lose with with this other challenge? You aren't dead yet. Sell the house, buy an RV and travel.

@trooworld Yaaay on your weight loss and not getting into the cheese popcorn. I can't keep that in my house.

@fabgeekmom Yaay on your walk. How was the dr appt? Yosemite sounds fun. I've never been there. My daughter loved it.

I've tracked everyday so far this week. Closed my rings 3 times. Exercised 3 times.

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Your dinner sounded good. That was a good combination of foods. The vending machine at the beer bar is neat. Hi, all. It’s chilly here so I worked out on my bike. We had leftover steak for lunch. I ate mine on a salad. We are eating salad and some grilled chicken my son made last Tuesday and put in there freezer. We also have rice. So it’s an easy meal. We are going to see our granddaughter in a regional concert for the school system. I mentioned in an earlier post that she is a drummer. This was something that she tried out for and was accepted.

trooworld

@theslightedgeforever Yeah I had to throw it out lol. Sounds like you are doing well.

@fabgeekmom Yes! and Yes! That's good you have an easy meal. Congrats to your granddaughter!

Hi all. I went to a fabulous musical yesterday with a coworker that was based on a segment of War and Peace by Tolstoy. I really enjoyed myself. I didn't eat much until we met up: I knew we were going to a coffee shop and I wanted this almond croissant at the coffee shop so I balanced out my day.

Water yesterday: 25 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

fabgeekmom

@theslightedgeforever Good job on tracking and closing your rings. It’s good to get into a routine. The doctor’s appointment was good. It was my routine appointment to get my Prolia injection to prevent osteoporosis. @trooworld That was a good idea to throw out the popcorn and plan for a treat. I’m glad you enjoyed the play. Hi, all. The concert was good last night. There were 2 groups: the sixth and seventh graders. Also a performance of a group playing the steel drums. The director of music spoke a bit about the importance of the arts in school. As in many schools there is talk about reducing the money spent on the arts. The guest conductor was a high school band instructor. He told us that he had dropped out of college, was homeless and then went back to school. Now he had a master’s degree and is not homeless. It was touching to see what music and the arts can do for a person.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the concert. Yes, I agree, the arts are very important. Humans have been expressing themselves through the arts since the beginning of time. The arts were certainly very important to me!

Hi all. I had a good day yesterday, a Spanish lesson, worked on these pins I'm making, and then made a good healthy dinner: Spicy Gochujang Tofu Bowls on Skinnytaste's website (https://www.skinnytaste.com/spicy-gochujang-tofu-bowl). We really enjoyed them. Off to work today.

Water yesterday: 25 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

theslightedgeforever

@fabgeekmom Steak and salad sounds good. Did you enjoy your bike ride? I love drum lines in a band. Yes arts are so important in school.

@trooworld Yaaay on balancing out your day. I would have enjoyed your concert. I enjoy the arts.

I'm headed to the gym when I finish this. I made one of the MFP recipes today. Ground turkey ? on cauliflower rice. I forgot the word they used. Basically ground turkey with indian spices and peas in it. Dh and I were going to go to a cafe for coffee and errands and I prepared it early so he wouldn't say let's just eat out. My calories have been running about 100 over each day. So I'm trying to work on that this week.

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I’m glad you had a good day and enjoyed the meal you made. @theslightedgeforever Yes, I enjoyed my bike ride. I’m so happy that my daughter shares her Peloton app with me. The workouts are always fun and I can do a new one every time I workout. That was a great idea to prepare a meal instead of eating at the cafe. Eating out is hard and usually more calories than we actually track. Of course, we are not going to stop eating out, maybe just limit it. Hi, all. Today was a swim day and the water felt good. I am always tired after swimming and now am sitting in my chair wrapped up. Tonight we are having burgers, salad and fries. Easy meal.

cbabie

Afternoon, I went for a walk today, but my GD and Adult daughter went with me and the baby....the GD said why are you walking so fast...I said what's the purpose if you don't get your heart rate up? LOL. We are having subs tonight for dinner. I went to a Bodi training on Saturday..LOL I had to be the old lady in the back marching to part of his routines..But you know I moved..that's what I say.

@theslightedgeforever I am not sure what I will do with the cravings...I need to really change my mindset and I am working on that. I saw myself on video..not pretty. glad you have closed your circles 3 times...now I need to try 1..LOL. I get those messages at night...you can still do it.. I say say NO

@trooworld You are doing great..I love your creativity..LOL I saw the title of your recipe and said nope not for me.."spicy" is the first word I saw...

@fabgeekmom If I had room I would have a bike..I like to bike ride, it just seems to get hotter and hotter here and longer..I love that you meal plan. I was, fell off the wagon and going to start again this week. It makes my life so much less stressful.

Cbabie

trooworld

@theslightedgeforever Thanks! Concert? You mean the musical? I think you would have enjoyed it, the music was from many different genres and it was great! Have you made many of the MFP recipes? I never think to go to those, how are they? How was the ground turkey Indian one? How are you working on the 100 cals, pretracking things?

@fabgeekmom Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed your swim.

@cbabie Yay for your walk! It's good you had company even if they weren't necessarily walking for health lol. What is a Bodi training? Thanks, yeah not everyone can do spicy lol.

Hi all. My husband didn't feel like cooking last night, so he made an easy meal: Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Strips, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun plus some seasoned fries in the air fryer. It was really good. We don't normally get frozen chicken strips but I had heard good things about these and I really liked them. They had simple ingredients. I recommend them.

Water yesterday: 50 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

theslightedgeforever

@fabgeekmom I think swimming would be a good workout. I really just like to play in the pool. I get extremely hungry though after the pool.

@trooworld I have made two of the MFP recipes. I loved the basil tomato soup. The Indian ground turkey was good but next time I will make it a bit more soupy to go over my cauliflower rice. I am pretracking for the next day. Right now in the plan for week 2 they are just concentrating on the 2 snacks and lunch. Basically prepare your lunch for 4 days in advance so it's ready to go if you have to pack a lunch. I only eat one planned snack a day so I can combine my other snack with my dinner. We used to have a light lunch and heavy dinner and now we are switching that around. You and @fabgeekmom both were talking about music and I got the words messed up.

@cbabie Good for you and your walk. What is Bodi training? What if you were to try @trooworld's recipes but cut down on the amount of "hot" spices that she uses.

So I did get on treadmill yesterday and also did some weights and stretching. I was under 250 calories and under my carb goal too. 65 oz of water. A good day with everything.

I'm going to go hit a tennis ball on one of my walls for a bit. That will burn some calories. It works in my head. Let's see if it works in reality.

fabgeekmom

@trooworld It’s good that you and your husband take turns cooking. That meal sounds really good. @theslightedgeforever You're doing really well on your challenge. Being prepared is really important. Good job the exercise and being under calories. I’m hungry, too after swimming. It’s because I burn a lot of calories and it’s time for lunch. Food always tastes good after swimming! Hi, all. I did a few Peloton workouts on my bike. I have started packing for my trip. I’m looking forward to it. Tonight my son is making chicken soup with matzo balls for dinner.

trooworld

@theslightedgeforever Who is "they" when you say "they are just concentrating on..."? Are you following some plan? Good job with the pretracking, exercise, being under, and good water. You are smashing it! Did the tennis ball on the wall thing work out?

@fabgeekmom OH yeah, it would be really hard to cook every day by myself while working full-time. Good job with the workouts. Yum I love matzo ball soup! Where are you going to go?

Hi all. I have a chiropractor appt today, my first. I am going because of neck and back pain. I'm also going to see if there is anything they can do for the plantar fasciitis. I'm kind of not looking forward to this appt as I feel really self-conscious about them touching my body since I am overweight. Last night, I made an Eating Well recipe, Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms and I made mashed potatoes to go with it. It was pretty good and was super easy to make: https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/259645/creamy-chicken-mushrooms/

Water yesterday: 72 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Your recipe looked good and easy. Good luck with the chiropractor. I hope it gives you some relief. Still awesome that your husband cooks. My daughter’s husband doesn’t cook but she prepares easy meals and he’s not picky. When I was working we ate out a lot. My son and I are going to Yosemite. Hi, all. I made waffles this morning. I used the Kodiak mix that has a lot of protein. I made extra to freeze for later. Today is a swim day. My son is making more matzo balls to add to the soup from last night. We bought macaroons and chocolate almond candies for dessert. We all decided that the calories weren’t worth it so after we ate a few, we tossed them.

theslightedgeforever

@fabgeekmom Your chicken soups sounds good. Makes me crave chicken noodle with wide flat noodles in it. Is this something that is eaten just during Passover or can be eaten any time? It reminds me of drop dumpling soup. I guess the difference is the unleavened grain. I was just thinking is that lighter in carbs? lol One of my "to do" tasks on my someday list is make Homemade Kodiac mix.

@trooworld The "they" is MFP. I'm following their low carb meal plan. 28 day plan and they have daily tasks and a meal plan each week to follow. At the same time teaching you how to make up your own meal plans when this is finished. I'm going to check out your chicken recipe. I'm having smashed potatoes tomorrow. So this might be a good compliment. Just bought some mushrooms this morning. I was planning on airfrying those for a snack but I'll use half in this recipe. I don't like chiropractors because "crack". Hubby swears by them though. Each to his own I say.

Yes the tennis ball thing worked out okay. I only did 15 min but got my heartrate up higher than when I'm on the treadmill. I just moved the area rug out of the way and started playing. I did an extra 15 min walk.
Food was within boundaries. Water 40 oz

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It was! Thanks. I think it will. That's good your daughter's husband isn't picky...mine is kind of in some ways. Oh that's right, I forgot you were going to Yosemite! Good idea to make extra of the waffles. That's good that you didn't force yourself to eat something you didn't think was worth it. I mostly throw things out but sometimes I do force myself to eat it.

@theslightedgeforever Oh haha. That sounds interesting. Yes, I think it would be a good compliment to smashed potatoes. It definitely would be "plain" by itself but with potatoes, it was good. Ah, yeah there are definitely the "cracks" lol. That's good the tennis ball thing got your heartrate up. Sounds like you are doing awesome.

Hello all. The chiropractor appt went well. I think he will really be able to help me in many ways. He explained things well and took my concerns seriously. He said I actually have two things going on with my heel: plantar fasciitis and something called fat pad syndrome (which makes it feel like I have a big bruise on my heel): https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-to-know-heel-fat-pad-syndrome . No wonder it hurts so much at times. He gave me some exercises to do for my back and neck area and I will see him twice a week at first (this is how he treats people with plantar fasciitis) and then taper down. Tonight, we are going out to eat with my sister-in-law to a good steak house. I will most likely get the filet mignon.

Water yesterday: 72 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

fabgeekmom

@theslightedgeforever That’s a good idea about the mushrooms. I need some for a recipe tonight so I’m going to air fry some to go with my lunch. The matzo balls are for Passover, which lasts a week, but can be eaten any time. They are not low in carbs. Plus my son used schmaltz (chicken fat). You’re on a roll with diet and exercise! @trooworld I’m glad you had a good experience with the chiropractor. I think the exercises should help. I do exercises for my hip in the morning before I get out of bed. The filet mignon is a good choice. Enjoy! Hi, all. I’ve got to finish packing today. I need to go to the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner. I’m making instant pot beef stew with bacon and mushrooms from one of the ATK cookbooks my son bought. I’ll also do the bike. I have to get up at 4 tomorrow morning as our flight leaves at about 6.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes I agree. I hope you have a good trip!

HI all. I had a fabulous dinner last night, truly an experience. I did not order the filet, we decided to split the dishes between the three of us. We had:
Cattleman's Cut Bone-In Dry Aged Ribeye
Hokkaido Wagyu New York (flown in from Japan!)
Seared Scallops
Sides: Wedge salad, woodfired carrots, asparagus, mashed potatoes, housemade Parkerhouse rolls

I had never had real Wagyu beef before. I had never had caviar before (it came with the Wagyu). Both were naturally buttery and delicious. I will be forever spoiled from getting a supermarket steak lol. Unfortunately, today, I had a 3.2 lb gain likely from last night's dinner.

Water yesterday: 72 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

theslightedgeforever

@trooworld Interesting on the fat pad on the heel I have something similar on the ball of my foot in the middle. I went to a Chinese restaurant last night for Bookclub and I ordered the steamed chicken dumplings and had two spring rolls and I knew better not to weigh this morning ha ha

@fabgeekmom I have arthritis in my left hip and so I’ve been doing hip exercises about a year now and that’s really helped. Enjoy your trip

Our book for bookclub was Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Zhang. I didn’t realize there were Chinese immigrants that came to the West in US in the 1800s. Some were forced migration

I have closed my circles 4 times this week. Today will be an off day. I came home from bookclub and walked on the treadmill to close my circle.

Don’t remember if I told you I lost 2.1 lbs since I started the MFP meal plan

theslightedgeforever

I tried @trooworld recipe for the creamy chicken. It was very good.



The smashed potatoes reminded me of my mom‘s fried potatoes. This was good because I didn’t use any oil in them

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Your meal out sounded really good. @theslightedgeforever The book you mentioned sounds interesting. Good job on the weight loss. Hi, all. I’m in California now. We’re staying in a town near the park. I have been up since 4 this morning as we had an early flight. We ate dinner at restaurant near the hotel. We both had New York Strip steaks (rare), mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and string beans. We were so hungry and felt like it was the bed meal we’re had in a while! I tracked what I ate today even though it may not have been accurate. I plan to go to bed early. In the past, when I’m on the West coast, I wake up on Eastern time. I’m hoping I can trick my body to get my usual hours’ sleep.

trooworld

@theslightedgeforever Yes, I hope it can go away soon. Yeah, unfortunately, I'm in a group here on MFP (Fat2Fit) and I HAVE to weigh in on Fridays. That sounds like an interesting book. I put it on my Goodreads list. Wow, great job with the walking (and eating). Congrats on your loss! That's fabulous! Your chicken looks good. Did you add spinach? I love fried potatoes, especially with onions.

@fabgeekmom It was soooo good! Your dinner also sounds like it was good. I hope you were able to sleep.

Hi all. This weekend is an unusually busy weekend, it started on Thursday with that dinner, then last night we went to see the opera "Madama Butterfly", today we are going to Little Italy for an art festival and lunch, and tomorrow I am meeting a friend for coffee. We left the opera at intermission: I was just too tired from only sleeping 4 hours the night before. We came home and I went straight to bed. I feel better today. Before the opera, we ate at a restaurant. I ordered a shrimp Caesar salad. It was really good.

Water yesterday: 12 oz

My phrase for the year: "New year, new me!"

cbabie

Morning all, Just wanted to stop in and let you know I am still here. LOL. All is well, I think I got distracted and never got on here. Sorry about that.

@trooworld Glad you got some answers to your foot pain. I have always believed answers are half the healing. LOL. Sorry about your weight gain and your busy week. This week will be better I am sure.

@theslightedgeforever Good for you for closing your circles. Glad you enjoyed the book club.

@fabgeekmom I hope you have a great time on your trip. You have planned ahead and that is great.

Cbabie

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Your weekend sounds exciting. Too bad you were too tired to enjoy the opera. But good that you took care of yourself. The shrimp Caesar salad sounds good. @cbabie I’m glad all is good with you. Hi, all. I had a hard night last night as I woke up every 2 hours with ankle and leg pains. I think it was from sitting on the plane and not drinking enough water. So today I drank more water and also did some stretches. I hope that helps. We had a great time driving through the park and looking at the beautiful mountains. We stopped occasionally and walked. I got over 11, 000 steps today. We ate some good food, too. Lunch was a salmon and avocado sub and lentil vegetable soup. It was so filling I ate only a few bites of the sub roll. Dinner was a mushroom ravioli with ciabatta bread. I only ate half as it was so filling.