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

theslightedgeforever

fabgeekmom

@cbabie Sorry about your knee. Can you do some upper body workouts? That’s what I did when I was recovering from my femur surgery. @theslightedgeforever I also love structure. Good job on the ice cream selection and getting the f&v.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom There are still occasionally things there but it's much easier to resist them when they aren't there nearly every day. That's good your meal was good. I hope you enjoyed your swim.

@cbabie What's RSD? I'm sorry about your knee. That's too bad you break out from sunscreen, that makes summers hard, huh? Thank you!

@theslightedgeforever That's good you didn't let your eye roam to your favorite flavor. I just emailed him this: "The next time you get ice cream from the store, instead of getting me a Haagen Daaz, can you get me some low-sugar bars like Enlightened? It will help me stay on track better." We'll see if that helps. I don't want to go into the store after work when he does this: it's too busy lol. But he should get me some bars like I asked. That bowl was really good. That's good you are getting better at f&v. 6 is great! Your food looks good. What is in the top right corner that has purple/red on it?

Hello all. I did okay yesterday except when I went to the cafe and got a single-size bag of chips and an RxBar. I will count that as my visit to the cafe this week. I am off early today for a dental appt: just a cleaning but I hate getting it done. Unfortunately, I have to go every 3 months.

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

Babytessie01

Hello, just quit WW as well. Looking for something that gave me a calorie count. With WW I saw my portion size, the MFP I see how much I'm actually eating! Yikes, I'm eating a lot! Just a lot of calories, in one day, I am already changing my way of eating, AGAIN!

cbabie

Morning all, I didn't do anything yesterday. I lived off tylenol, more than I like to take. I did however track. I was over in calories, but not by much. So that is a win for me...just to know I tracked..LOL

@trooworld That's good you can track it as your cafe visit. RSD is now called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), but it stands for Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. It's a nerve pain that goes from my knee all the way into my foot. I go to the Dentist on Friday..LOL

@fabgeekmom Yes I could do upper body..it's just the pain puts me in a cranky edge. I know I should, but it's the pain that keeps on giving until it settles down. LOL. I crocheted, does that count as upper body movement? LOL

@theslightedgeforever LOL food pusher...I am sure you comment back. Maybe he thought he was at Wrigley's field when he ordered the ice cream. My food never looks that pretty. LOL

@Babytessie01 Welcome to this group! Glad to see you found us. Yes its amazing what you see when you track! Good for you for tracking!

Cbabie

Babytessie01

@trooworld that salad looks so good! Thank you for sharing. I'm finding that my stomach is bloated. I'm trying to figure out why. This is before MFP. I've been trying to heal my gut, I suffer from diverticulitis and G.E.R.D. I'm gassy and bloated lately, so frustrating. I get hungry but then I feel so full. Has anyone had experience with before, any suggestions?

fabgeekmom

@trooworld I hope the dentist appointment went well. I don’t like going either. The snacks at the cafe sound good. I love RX bars. The ice cream solution is a good idea. Yasso bars are good, too. The chocolate fudge has 80 calories. @Babytessie01 Welcome to our group. I think counting calories is easier than points. Calories are universal and don’t change. @cbabie I understand that when you are in pain it’s hard to exercise. Do what you can. I hope you feel better. Hi, all. Today was a good day. I went for a walk, rode my recumbent bike and went grocery shopping. Dinner tonight is leftover pasta.

Babytessie01

So as I mentioned this is my 2nd day. Finding that counting calories is a lot harder than counting points! I’m doing miserable! Tomorrow is a new day, thank you Lord. I hope to do better. I did manage to connect my Fitbit today, that was a chore. Forgot my password 😜. But all is well, changed my password lol. Here’s to a new day and staying within my count!

trooworld

@Babytessie01 Hi and welcome! Yeah, it can be a surprise to see the calories. That WAS good! You are most welcome. I try to share good recipes when I can. I also have GERD and I was at one time diagnosed with a diverticulum. Hmmm...do you eat a lot of carbs? I am not sure what is causing the bloating and gas. re: doing miserably with calorie counting...it might take a minute to get your "footing" so to speak. Maybe you should just observe how you are eating this first week before you try to make changes. And then next week, you can make small tweaks to get some wins. Just a thought.

@cbabie That's good you were close in calories, I'm sorry you are still in pain. Good job tracking! The RSD/CRPS sounds like it would be really painful, I know my husband has sciatica which is a nerve pain, and it hurts him. Good luck at the dentist today!

@fabgeekmom Thank you. I like Yasso bars. Good to know about the chocolate fudge ones. Good job with the walk and bike!

Hi all. The dentist visit went okay, although they wanted to laser my gums for an uncovered $164. I asked why they wanted to do it and they said they did it years ago to my gums (I remember they did) but the machine broke, that's why they haven't been doing it. So, it is supposed to kill bacteria better. Every 8 months I'll have to have it done. It didn't hurt, but it's just an added expense. I thought I did okay this week but got on the scale this morning and gained 2 lbs. I hate the scale, I hate the process of losing weight, I am so sick of gaining gaining gaining losing one week and then gaining gaining gaining again. @Babytessie01, just some background on my journey, I am in the process of qualifying for bariatric surgery...I've tried to lose weight for nearly 30 years with no success so it's time to do something different.

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

gemwolf110

Hi all!
Got back from my trip to the cape yesterday. Was a fun few days walking around, shopping, pool time, sunbathing (with sunscreen), and eating really good food. Back to work today but WFH and only doing a half day. Also, back to healthy eating. System definitely was like all this food mostly fish but it’s still thrown off.

Will need some rest from vacation and doggies need some time to decompress from not having me home. Oh and dentist appointment went well. Extraction date for molar scheduled eek. Pray all goes well.

theslightedgeforever

@trooworld the little red things on the plate were flat peaches. At least that's what I call them. lol
That was good on sending your husband a message like that. Now in my household it would turn out "I couldn't find them". Which is why I have to go. I've trained him too well. Today I suggested what about you learning to cook. That can be a hobby for you. He replied, how about you take up the hobby of fixing the things around the house? (Like those have to be done 3 times a day EVERYDAY) Anyway..... I think your dentist is trying to make some extra money. LOL I keep hearing about dentists doing root canals and such when not really necessary to make money and then that is causing problems later for the patient. I hear you on the scale and losing weight. I'm trying to disassociate the scale and my good habits. My success is in my habits. I have been stuck at the same number give or take some ounces for more than a month. I'm looking for the NSV while continuing to be more consistent in my habits.

@Babytessie01 Welcome to the group! They always say awareness is the first step. I used to do WW then did carb cycling then did Healthi thinking it would help me eat more f&v (it didn't) then now I'm doing carb cycling while trying to stay within my calories and still working on the f&v. I have a perfection problem so a tendency to just quit if I'm not doing it right. I'm now working on learning to increase my f&v and other healthy foods and decrease my portions of unhealthy foods. It's the overall trend that I'm looking at. Have you tried tracking your symptoms and food at the same time to see which foods could be a problem? Maybe in the Notes section of your food diary you could keep track. Alternatively there's an ios app MySymptoms that I use that help narrow down possible suspect foods. The problem is I got tired of double tracking so it kind of went by the wayside until I have a problem again and then I'll start back up.

@cbabie Good for you for tracking. Your food can look pretty too. My chicken breasts are really just sauteed with some Everything but a Bagel seasoning sprinkled over it. That easy. The salad didn't take long either. You know me. I don't want to be spending too much time in a kitchen when I could be reading. So what is the treatment for your pain other than Tylenol and waiting it out?

@fabgeekmom I'm glad you are in our group with your normal day to day doing it right things. Your username is a good one. You are like a mom to us wild teenagers trying to figure out life. lol You give us hope.

@gemwolf110 Love the pics. Especially the sunset. I could taste your gravy. I've had two molar extractions.

fabgeekmom

@Babytessie01 I agree with @trooworld in that it takes a while to get used to calorie counting and the MFP app. @trooworld Too bad about the dentist expense. I have a lot of money in my mouth: 2 implants and a crown that had to be replaced. The weight gain really sucks when you think you are doing okay. I’ve been there and the only thing to do is to keep on trying. @gemw1010 Those were lovely pictures and it looks like you had a great time. Good luck with the dentist. @theslightedgeforever Thanks for the compliment. Hi, all. Today was a swim day. We spent a lot of time outside which was nice. Dinner was leftovers. I did cook some squash from the garden and some Israeli couscous. My DH loves the couscous but I don’t cook it often as my son doesn’t care for it. DH has enjoyed being the center of my attention this week!

trooworld

@gemwolf110 I'm glad you had a nice trip. Isn't it always we need a vacation from our vacation? lol Great pictures. The food looks yummy.

@theslightedgeforever Ah okay. lol...I understand why you have to go then. My husband is pretty good about finding that kind of stuff. He may forget though. Ugh, I'm sorry your suggestion didn't go well. Yeah that's what I thought about the dentist at first but when he said what it is for (I have gum disease with some deep pockets) and that they did it before, I agreed to do it. We'll see if it makes a difference. Oh gosh, you just never know with dentists. It's like getting your car fixed: you kind of just have to trust that they are being honest. That must be frustrating to be stuck around the same number. That's a good idea to look for NSVs. Did I ever tell you about the NSV book I used to keep? I still look back at it on occasion and read my NSVs.

@fabgeekmom Yes! I have a lot of money in my mouth as well. I have: 2 implants, 2 bridges, 2 crowns so I feel you! Crowns are expensive. Some people around here (including one of my friends) go down to Mexico to have dental work. Thank you for the encouragement. That's great you spent a lot of time outside. When are your kids getting back? I love Israeli couscous too!

Hi all. I picked up Sam's Club groceries last night but I still have to go to the Asian grocery store and the International/Mediterranean grocery store today. I made Moussaka Beef Rice last night for dinner. It was pretty easy to make but we found it a bit too tomatoey and it needed some parmesan cheese to balance out the tomato. Hopefully, tonight's recipe will be better: Skinnytaste's Caesar-Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Zucchini and Grilled Romaine. I bought us a guidebook to local coffee shops that you can fill out your ratings in. Maybe we'll explore a new coffee shop today.

Water yesterday: 32 oz

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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The chicken recipe looks good. I have all the ingredients for the chicken except the lemon so I’ll save the recipe for later. Hi, all. My children came home this morning at about 2 AM. They were supposed to fly home from JFK but their flight was postponed until 11 PM. They rented a car and drove home. I woke up before 2 and couldn’t go back to sleep until I heard my son come in the house. Today is a walk and bike day. I have chicken breast, green beans and red potatoes for dinner. I’m thinking of marinating the chicken in low-fat buttermilk and Ranch seasoning mix and roasting the potatoes and green beans with a little olive oil and Italian seasoning.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom I didn't end up making it last night, I was tired from my day, but I'll make it today. Your kids must have been exhausted! That sounds like a good way to do the food.

Hi all. I was away from home pretty much all day yesterday. I got in almost 12,000 steps! If I had worn my watch when we walked the dogs, I would have gotten 12,000 steps. We walked the dogs together in the morning and then I went for some groceries. Then I met my old boss at the photographic museum. We walked around in there and went to my favorite used bookstore and then for coffee. When I got back, my husband wanted to get out of the house so we went to a couple of bookstores and then for a beer. It was a nice day, about 78F, and sunny. I enjoyed my day.

Water yesterday: 32 oz

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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Wow, that’s a lot of steps! The museum, coffee shop, and bookstore were a great way to spend a day. I didn’t cook the chicken either. My daughter suggested we go out to eat so that’s what we did! We went to our favorite local Italian restaurant. My son is grilling the chicken for lunch. Hi, all. We are going to my cousin’s house for Father’s Day tonight. I have tracked what we will have. It’s a lot of food! Last night I ate some chocolate candy my son brought back from London. So good!

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Yes! I had a great time. Oh, it's always nice to go out to eat. I hope you had a nice Father's Day. Yum, I love chocolate from overseas.

Hi all. I ran around a lot yesterday, too: we went to two different coffee shops and we went to a bookstore. It was a beautiful day to be out and about. I messed up and didn't defrost the meat for dinner so we had frozen chicken strips and fries in the air fryer. I made a tonkatsu sauce for the chicken.

Water yesterday: 12 oz

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

theslightedgeforever

@fabgeekmom I made a couple of butternut squash last night and will be eating them this week. I figure if they are ready to grab, easier to eat. Glad your dh got some intention. Your dinner sounded good. Did you use the LF buttermilk and ranch seasoning or was it ranch dressing? Too bad about your kid's flight.

@trooworld That's a good idea about a NSV book. Great job on your steps. At your work, do you sell gems and rocks or do you just categorize, etc.? Yes, chocolate from overseas is much tastier I think. I had to go look up that tonkatsu sauce. That sounds good. I'll have to try it next time with the chicken strips instead of just ketchup.

I finally broke my plateau. Lost 0.7 lbs this week.

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Frozen chicken strips and fries sound good. Good to have a back up plan. @theslightestedgeforever I used low-fat buttermilk and Ranch seasoning. That’s great that you broke your plateau. Hi, all. DH and I went to Sam’s this morning. I got flank steak for tomorrow night and ribeyes for Friday plus some other stuff. Monday morning was a good time to go. I went for a walk and ride the bike. We didn’t cook the chicken yesterday. I air fried it as my son was too tired to grill it.

trooworld

@theslightedgeforever Thanks! Neither lol. We are a library filled with books about gems and jewelry (and rocks and related fields). If I gave more detail than that, I would definitely identify my employer (which I don't want to do here in public). But I'm happy to share it in a private message, if you are curious...just message me! Yeah, tonkatsu sauce is really yummy and easy to make. Congrats on breaking your plateau! WOO HOO!!!

@fabgeekmom Yes! I'm glad they were in the freezer, or we would have ordered food delivery. I bet it was a good time to go to Sam's. I try to go at non-busy times like when they first open on the weekends: we have the plus membership so we can go in on Saturday as early as 8 am, which is before the general public can go in. How was the chicken?

Hi all. I attended a Zoom support group for bariatric patients through my doctor's office. There were only 4 people including the therapist holding the session and me. But I got some good tips and it was worth going to. The biggest tip I got was also the simplest: follow your doctor's directions to the T. I plan on doing that for sure. Tonight, my SIL got us tickets to Taste of Little Italy. It's unfortunate that it is on a weeknight but it is what it is. I am getting off work early to go to it. I tracked 1,200 calories as I have no idea how else to track it as the event is just a bunch of restaurants giving out small plates/bites of food.

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The chicken was good! Little Italy sounds like fun and a lot of good food! Hi, all! I went for a walk this morning and went swimming afterwards. That was too much and I’m feeling it. I’m not in a lot of pain but I can tell I overdid it. I won’t do that again. Tonight my son is grilling flank steak. I made a soy sauce and olive oil sauce to pour over it when done. I’m also roasting potatoes and cooking squash from the garden. My daughter and her family are coming over.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Oh that's good to hear. Yes, Little Italy was very fun and the food was delicious. That's too bad you overdid it. That sounds like a nice family dinner.

Hi all. I had fun at the Taste of Little Italy last night. I didn't eat too much as you had to walk to each restaurant and get a very small portion of food at each restaurant. It was a good way to try different places though. We didn't go to each restaurant as I got tired and was getting full. We found some new places to try. I think the favorite place for both of us was this Argentinean restaurant that had grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce. We will definitely go back to that place. I am tired today even though I went to bed on time.

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

cbabie

Afternoon all, I just finished reading all the post. It's kind of like reading a good book. LOL. I haven't been doing the greatest and I got into a funk. BUT now is the day to start again. It's just so hot here. I did however buy a 15ft umbrella so maybe I will be outside more. We have 2 other umbrella's but they were 8 and 9 ft.

@fabgeekmom Glad your kids made it home and I agree, you are like the calm in our noisy lives. LOL

@theslightedgeforever congrats on breaking your plateau!

@trooworld It seems you are always on the go. LOL I think you need a staycation. LOL. Glad you liked the zoom call. Always is nice to be around people that give encouragement and hope.

@gemwolf110 great pictures. Glad you enjoyed it and are home safe.

@Babytessie01 It takes time and sometimes I am impatient. LOL. I still don't track consistently and I should. Glad you are here.

Cbabie

fabgeekmom

@trooworld That was a great idea to try out different restaurants. Now you have new places to go to. Also that was good restraint in stopping when you were full. @cbabie Welcome back! Umbrellas are a good way to have shade. I have one on my front porch. Hi,all. I exercised today but did not overdo it. I learned my lesson. My bad knee was acting up and I had to ice it. But I’m okay now. Dinner was leftovers from last night plus a salad I made.

trooworld

@cbabie lol...you are dedicated if you read all those posts! I'm sorry you've been in a funk. It must be hard not to be in a funk when it's that hot. Are you going to walk around with that 15 ft umbrella? LOL I am just picturing that. I do seem to always be on the go, at least on the weekends. I want a weekend where I don't have to go anywhere (and then, I'd probably be bored lol). I do need a staycation!

@fabgeekmom Yes! We had never been to any of the ones we tried. Thank you! I'm glad you didn't overdo it yesterday. That's good dinner was already made.

Hi all. We were supposed to have a Skinnytaste recipe called Foil Packet Cheesy Sausage and Peppers last night for dinner with some veggies. It was my husband's night to cook. The frustrating thing about him is that he sometimes will ignore a recipe entirely (despite me already tracking it) and make it up. That is exactly what he did with the foil packets. There was no marinara. There was no cheese. It was just a slightly greasy mess. He didn't make the veggies but made a salad with Caesar dressing. But I didn't say anything because he was home all day and cleaned some of the house for which I was grateful. Today is his birthday and so I am making a dish that is one he likes: Loco Moco. Not the healthiest thing but he likes it. It's a Hawaiian dish involving a ground beef patty, gravy, egg, and white rice. Other than that, I had a migraine in the middle of the night. I think I was grinding my teeth too hard or something because my head feels better since I got up. Oh, and I also got a "smart" water bottle called the Hidrate Spark PRO. It was expensive but I think it will help me drink more water and more accurately track my water: https://hidratespark.com/products/hidratespark-pro-21oz-smart-water-bottle

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

Babytessie01

@theslightedgeforever - thank you, I don't know a lot of those food journey's you were speaking of but I will look into them. What is F&V?

gemwolf110

Waiting for my Athenian pizza to arrive way too hot to turn oven on

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Too bad about the dinner but good that your DH cleaned the house. I hope you enjoyed the birthday dinner. Good luck with the smart water bottle. @gemw1010 Enjoy the pizza! Hi, all. Today was a swim day. We swam at a different center as the center we usually go to is extremely busy with summer programs. This pool was larger and had more lanes. My son made dinner tonight. Homemade marinara with some meatballs we froze some time ago. Plus crusty Italian bread. And a few pieces of European chocolate for dessert.

trooworld

@Babytessie01 She means "fruits & vegetables". How are you doing?

@gemwolf110 Happy Summer Solstice to you as well! It is that time of year to figure out what to make when it's too hot to cook. I always have trouble with that.

@fabgeekmom Yes! I did, it was good. Thank you. Did you like the other pool? Yummy dinner.

Hi all. As you can see from my water intake yesterday, I like my new smart water bottle. It "gamifies" water consumption for me. Unfortunately, I continue to gain weight. Did I track over the weekend so I could look back and see what went wrong? NOOOOO. Grrh. I don't even remember what we ate. I shoot myself in the foot when I don't track, so why don't I track the weekends?

Water yesterday: 149 oz

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

cbabie

Morning all, I am up to a weight I haven't been at in a few months. UGH...so I have to keep at it and not go any higher. I think it's the part about too hot to go anywhere. I try not to get out of the house unless it's night or early morning...even then it's just a breath of HOT air moving. LOL.

@trooworld I am trying to get back to tracking...it's really the only way to know what I am doing. Yea for you with your water. Hope you and DH have a great day and he has a good day with his birthday.

@fabgeekmom Yea for you for trying a new pool. Did you like it? I love you have food that you freeze and can use on those nights when cooking is a chore..LOL

@gemwolf110 Yeah, I ate heating up my kitchen..I used to have a great toaster oven that did most things I needed, but I got new Christmas presents that I use a lot, (every day) but they don't have the oven like I used to. I miss it. Pizza's fit in nicely...LOL

cbabie