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

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It was! I'm glad you enjoyed the botanical gardens. That's good the recipe made more than you thought.

Hi all. I did make it to the lake to walk around with Violet. We walked twice as far as the last time, we walked two times around. Maybe next time, we can do it 3 times. It's a bit stressful when I take Violet because she's pulling trying to get to people. I should have distracted her with treats but I didn't. It wasn't too busy, which was nice. Food was pretty good until my husband broke out ice cream bars and I didn't say no. I made turkey meatloaf for dinner with lightened-up mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Water yesterday: 48 oz

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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld The lake looks so peaceful. Too bad you had trouble with Violet. Dogs do get excited to see people. The turkey meatloaf sounds good. I have several servings in the freezer. I totally get the ice cream bars. That’s hard to resist! My Achilles Heel is when my son bakes something from ATK. Hi, all. We went swimming after breakfast and now are on the patio. It’s a bit cooler and peaceful. Lunch was last night’s chicken with coleslaw and fruit. I’ve been eating more fruit lately as everything is in season. Tonight’s dinner will be leftover pasta from Saturday.

theslightedgeforever

@trooworld I like your new challenge. It's good you have it all planned out. Yaay on your steps. Ice cream bars: for next time, could you bring a lower calorie substitute although I'm wondering was he carrying a cooler or something? lol Maybe reduce the calories earlier in the day and just enjoy the ice cream with him? Lifestyle changes. In the future there will be more walks and more snacks. How can you fit it into your plan? The lake is gorgeous. So peaceful.

@fabgeekmom I love hydrangeas. What's your favorite color? Pulled chicken sounds nice. Baked goods are hard to resist. I did well the other day. Dh and I went out for coffee and he got the banana bread to share. I kept looking at it saying it's probably dry. I took one bite and nope wasn't dry. lol But it also wasn't WOW so I said that's enough. There are so many things I would like to bake but keep telling myself I don't need it. I do miss baking though.

I went and got my roots done so now I feel much better. I'm sure look better too. lol Today's exercise was 30 min of a hill/sprint program and my usual 20 min sunshine stroll when I wake up. I got a compliment from hubby today. He had come up behind me and said my rear was smaller. So while the scale is not moving at all, I guess some progress is being made. I've made a broccoli cauliflower apple salad for dinner. I added some walnuts for the brain. I have finished up the Build Healthy Habits meal plan and will begin the Macros plan. I have planned out my 3 veggies and my 3 fruits for the day.

fabgeekmom

@theslightedgeforever I love all the colors of the hydrangeas but I think pink is my favorite one. Good job on only eating one bite of the banana bread. That’s hard but worth it. That’s cool that your DH noticed you’re getting smaller. The salad sounds good. The meal plans are a good idea. I think you like the structure.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom It really is. I love it there. The turkey meatloaf was really good, it's a Skinnytaste recipe: https://www.skinnytaste.com/turkey-meatloaf-45/ Ice cream is hard to resist! Anything ATK is hard to resist! Sitting on the patio sounds nice. I have also been eating more fruit. We have a nice watermelon right now.

@theslightedgeforever Thanks. The ice cream bars: he went into the store and came out with them, it was a total surprise. We ate them at home. I could have said, "No thank you, I'll take some watermelon instead" but that's hard to do when faced with ice cream lol. I will have to practice that though. Exactly, the future holds these pitfalls and I need to learn to navigate them. One example how I am doing this is: my husband usually asks me if I want something to drink. I'll usually say sure, and he'll make me a wine spritzer (3 oz wine, 3 oz diet 7up). Since Sunday, when he asks if I want something to drink, I say, "sure, I'll take some water with lemon" instead of letting him have free reign. I will keep practicing with the ice cream. I always feel so much better after going to the salon. I can see why some ladies get their hair done weekly. Good job with the exercises! And what a nice compliment from your hubby. Your salad sounds good. Good job with the healthy habits plan. I signed up for it but have not been doing it. I need to look at it today.

Good morning ladies. I did well yesterday, no ice cream, and no snacks besides some watermelon. Yesterday we had a professional development day at work. They provided lunch. I had half a sandwich, chips, and a little salad. On the way home, I thought to myself, since my husband is cooking tonight, I will take one of the dogs for a longer walk. But when I set out, my dog wanted to turn around after she went to the bathroom. I told myself, I will walk on my walking pad. But when I got back to the house and changed my clothes, the moment of inspiration was over and I sat in my chair. I will work on this. We had Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl last night. It was really good. My husband added roasted cauliflower. It was a restaurant-quality meal. Below is a pic. I have a recipe to share with you, I got it from the BariNation group I belong to now. It's a ranch dressing made with cottage cheese so there is a lot of protein in it. It makes a good dip and dressing:

Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing
1 cup cottage cheese
1 oz Ranch seasoning

NOTES: This can be used as a dip or a dressing. • I like full fat cottage cheese for this recipe. • The moisture content of cottage cheese varies greatly. If yours is too thick, add a splash of milk or water. I suggest Fairlife milk to keep it creamy and add extra protein. • If the dressing thickens as it sits a few days in the fridge, add a splash of water or milk. • Shake the jar before each use, as just like regular cottage cheese separates in the container, you may see separation here too.

Add the cottage cheese and Ranch seasoning into a blender or food processor. Blend on high until the cottage cheese is completely smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the blender container and blend 30 seconds more to make sure it is completely smooth.

Pour the dressing into a mason jar with a lid and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. This allows time for the dressing to chill and the flavors to develop.

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld Those are good strategies you mentioned. The meal looked good. Hi, all. It’s a little cooler today so my walk won’t be as uncomfortable as Sunday’s walk. I’m cooking for my SIL and granddaughter tonight. I’m following an ATK recipe for air fried butternut squash and pork loin. I cut up the pork yesterday so all I have to do is add the other ingredients. I couldn’t find pre cut butternut squash so I have to peel and chop one up. I’ll put it in the microwave to make peeling easier.

trooworld

@fabgeekmom Thank you. That's good it's cooler. Oh that's kind of a pain to prep the butternut squash but good idea to microwave it a bit first.

Hi all. Not much going on here. I did well yesterday. It's been a bit easier since our director retired in March: he used to bring in goodies all the time and it was extremely hard to resist them. It's easier now that those things aren't around as much.

Water yesterday: 64 oz

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

fabgeekmom

@trooworld That’s good that there aren’t temptations at work. Hi, all. My meal was good last night and we have leftovers for tonight. My DH picked some yellow squash from the garden that I will prepare tonight. Today is a swim day.

cbabie

Morning all, I haven't done really anything this week. Somehow I tweaked the knee I broke years ago and it triggered my RSD in that leg/foot. Living off of Tylenol...UGH. The scale is tweaking up..so time to stop eating and move regardless. I can't get in the pool during the day as I can't use sunscreen. Mary Kay just came out with one and I need to try it on my chest to see if I break out..just waiting on the leg to subside. LOL.

@trooworld great job on your walks, food, you are doing great at rephrasing things in a positive manner.

@fabgeekmom Don't make too many good meals your family will think they don't need to cook anymore..LOL. Sounds like you are doing well and making good choices. Yea for you!

@theslightedgeforever Thats great DH noticed and said something to you. Also that he didn't add a comment like you could lose more if you did..>LOL. That would be my DH. So proud of you.. as far as the soft foods, I don't know maybe because mom didn't have any crisp food when we grew up? (except uncooked pasta) LOL

Cbabie

theslightedgeforever

@fabgeekmom Yes I love structure. If I didn't have it I wouldn't do anything but what I wanted. Interesting on the microwaving of the squash. I was just going to halve mine and then cut after roasting. Then leave the other half for a later time.

@trooworld Funny thing about ice cream. Yesterday we were out and about and dh stopped for ice cream. I didn't let my eyes rove over all the flavors. I didn't want to see my favorite. I headed straight for the No sugar flavor and got a kids size scoop. Meanwhile dh got 2 baseball sized scoops. Then kept saying want some? want some? Food pusher. lol Could you teach hubby to get you some kind of ice cream that is just a bit healthier somehow? So you get to enjoy the ice cream too. Better yet, you go in with him and choose. It adds some steps to your day. Your bowl looked good. Also the dressing recipe. That's great that tempting snacks aren't always around.

@cbabie Although she always liked her pie crust burnt in my opinion and she would say mine wasn't done. lol Sorry about your knee. It's hard to exercise if your legs hurt. Did you try your sunscreen yet? Oh hubby has plenty of comments. Good thing I get to comment right back at him. I'm doing more now.

I'm getting a little better at adding in some f&V. I got in my 6 today.

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.