Dropping pounds with inspiring pals [CLOSED GROUP]

I am happy to report that I have made it out of the 3's.
I also want to whine for a second. I am going on a cruise with my Mom for one week starting Sunday, and while i do great with food and exercise during the week I am not nearly as good as I should be during the weekends at all meals.. Especially like last night for instance! TERRIBLE! I ate 2 rolls at Logans! GRR...

Anyways, I am open to any tips you all may have. If you've never been on a cruise they can be a MAJOR food fest! Also, I won't have internet access for a week! So no MFP either I am worried that I am going to gain TONS of weight on my cruise. I am planning to jog/walk the upper decks each morning, and watch what I eat!

I've never been on a cruise before, so I don't have any advice for you. Good luck trying to stay on track! I am going on a 5 day cruise in August and I'm really curious to see how everything turns out for you... Maybe that can help me plan a little for mine. I hope you have a WONDERFUL time!!

This is a protein shake that I really love:

1 Medium banana
2 Tbsp Peaunut Butter
1 Scoop Protein Powder (mine is vanilla cream flavored)
1 Cup Low Fat Chocolate Milk or Chocolate Soy Milk ( I just use skim milk with 1 Tbsp Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa)
Ice as desired

Just add all ingredients into your blender and blend!

@mrssavvysteve - that recipe sounds amazing. If I had the money to go grocery shopping, I would totally make that!

So, instead of putting up a recipe I am going to ask for advice for eating out with my friends. We are college kids, living in a college town that has every fastfood place you can think of, all of the pizza joints, and half a dozen Chinese and Mexican places each. Through in Pancake City and there seems to be nothing but temptation. Chinese I handle best (mostly veggies, no thick sauces, nothing fried) but I am just wondering how you guys deal with being tempted while with family and friends (especially when you just want to have a good time).

Also, I upped my water intake, watched my sodium, and lost 3lbs. Now I just need to get out of the 270s.

The great thing about this soup recipe is that it is incredibly versatile. You can add in any number of ingredients you want. I am giving you the asparagus recipe because that is what I made last night and my family raved that it was delicious. However you could substitute the asparagus with any veggie you want. I am trying squash next. You could also add in other veggies. My dad want me to throw in a roasted pepper or two next time to see what that would be like. You could also add garlic or fresh herbs right to mix. Its a fun way to experiment and now you have the recipe to make a thousand veggie soups! Just make sure you cover it with enough chicken stock every time. Read on to see what I mean...

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:
2 Bundles of asparagus
1 large Onion
One box or two cans of low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1-2 Tbsp of EVOO

Preparation:
Roughly chop the onion
Slice the asparagus stalks into one inch sections but set aside the asparagus tips for later (make sure you remove the tough ends at the bottom of the stalks and throw them out)
Pour 2 Tbsp of EVOO in a large pot

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium high heat until it starts to lightly smoke

Add in chopped onion and stir until the onions begin to soften and change color. (If you run out of moisture or the onion starts to burn add in a small amount of chicken stock.)

Add in chopped asparagus stalks and cover everything with chicken stock (You may not need to use the whole box, you merely want to cover everything over with liquid)

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15-25 minutes. (you can check to see if it is done by pulling out a piece of asparagus and pressing down on it. If it falls apart the soup is ready for the next step.)

Pour mixture into a blender and puree it until smooth. (If you have a small blender, like me, you will need to do this in increments, you can pour the blended soup into a mixing bowl until you blend everything that was in the pot. Also remember to start out slowly with hot liquid. Use pulse setting open the lid and let some heat out then blend it real good! If you just turn your blender on high everything will burst out because the heat builds up pressure. Just take your time and do this part slowly.)

Rinse any remaining debris from your large pot and then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. Add in your asparagus tips that you set aside earlier and bring the soup to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Then it is ready to serve!

Garnish
You can serve the soup as is or you can drizzle on some creme fresh.
I like to put a spoonful of low fat cottage cheese right in the middle of the bowl and garnish it with some fresh herbs from my garden. Really though the possibilities are endless.
Season to taste.

Serving size is one cup and is about 160 calories. I am not sure about the rest of the stats but I know it is low sodium too

@mrssavvysteve - that recipe sounds amazing. If I had the money to go grocery shopping, I would totally make that!

So, instead of putting up a recipe I am going to ask for advice for eating out with my friends. We are college kids, living in a college town that has every fastfood place you can think of, all of the pizza joints, and half a dozen Chinese and Mexican places each. Through in Pancake City and there seems to be nothing but temptation. Chinese I handle best (mostly veggies, no thick sauces, nothing fried) but I am just wondering how you guys deal with being tempted while with family and friends (especially when you just want to have a good time).

Also, I upped my water intake, watched my sodium, and lost 3lbs. Now I just need to get out of the 270s.

YIKES! that is so HARD!!! The only advice I have is to maybe always order a salad (lite dressing, and on the side) then if you are still tempted with pizza, you will be full from your salad and maybe only have 1 slice instead of 3. Also, Mexican joints can be ok if you're careful. 1- stay away from the flour tortillas. 2- no sour cream, chesse, etc. 3- no refried beans. try them 'whole'. soft chicken tacos are a good idea with lettuce and salsa. Also, chicken fajitas are ok if you stay away from the flour tortillas (get corn instead). Some fast food place can be ok. Do you have a Chipotle there? or a flame broiler? both of those have healthy options. GOOD LUCK ! :drinker:

Anyone doing a no or low carb diet? I was thinking about starting one... since what I'm doing isn't working for me. I'm hungry all the time and splurge at night often.

Recipe of the day : French Onion Pork Chop Skillet

What You Need

6 boneless pork chops (1-1/2 lb.), 1/2 inch thick
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 pkg. (6 oz. ) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/2 cups hot water
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Make It
HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chops and onions; cook 10 min. or until chops are done (160°F), turning chops and stirring onions after 5 min. Remove chops from skillet. Cook and stir onions 5 min. or until golden brown.

STIR in Worcestershire sauce. Return chops to skillet; top with onion mixture.

MIX stuffing mix and water; spoon around edge of skillet. Top with cheese; cover. Cook 5 min. or until cheese is melted.
Kraft Kitchens TipsServing SuggestionServe with hot steamed broccoli or green beans.

I make this recipe all the time, but you have to make sure you drink lots of water that day because of the sodium! Enjoy!

This sounds SO amazing! it sounded so good I figured it would be WAY out of my calorie range! But it's only 310 cals a serving! YAY! the sodium is 770mg so becareful if you are on a low-sodium diet.

Thank you for posting!!

Where did you find the caramel, is it in like a squeeze bottle?

It is made by Smuckers, in a brown bottle (little green flag on the bottle that says fat free)
I can tell you it is not in the Jelly isle -

*************************OMG - I forgot to tell you the best part.....******************************************
B/4 you take out the ice cream - I take a microwavable bowl spray Pam add handfull of small marshmellows or couple 4-5 lg marshmellows microwave ( WATCH IT) once it get big over the rim open the door and take a spoon (sprayed with pam or not) and mix it then I drop the ice cream in the middle add whip cream/syrup/cherry if wanted.

I love the texture the marshmellow turns when hot meets cold ~ OMGosh! Mmmmmmm Like a mini sundae just for me!

Crap - I dont have the calories left for tonight

I guess my whining is the same... I am so mentaly tired. I an tired of taking care of my mother and dealing with my grandmother. Me and my husband have been married for over 3 years now and have never lived on our own. We don't get to be like normal couples. We have been taking care of my mother because she can not live alone. I mean it is a huge deal for us to even go over and visit my in-laws. I love going over there because I get along with them so well. They accept me for me and don't have these expectations for me that my family has. They have loved me and treated me as a daughter since I met them.

I am trying to worry about me and take care of me and my mother makes it so hard. I just feel like I can't do it anymore. But I guess when she is in the hospital it gives me the well needed rest I need. I get to relax with my husband and feel like a normal couple. I love it. Which makes me feel bad because I feel like I shouldn't feel like this about my mother. But I do and there is nothing that will change my feelings.

Ok I guess thats it... It is 2am here and I have a long day today... Love you all and I better go.

Anywho - I lost 3.5 lbs as of my last weigh-in (friday). Woo hoo! I'm at 213.. if I can hold close to that (or less preferably) for the next week until school is out then I should be pretty set to hit ONEderland in no time this summer :bigsmile:
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That is awesome news!

Monday check in
My diet has been ok but it is the end of the month and we are out of veggies and fruits. And so I eat alot of carbs at the end of the month. But I get food stamps in 2 days so I am going to load up on food. yeah

Do you have community gardens available in your area? Also, I buy the best and CHEAPEST vegetables right from my local farmers at the farmers market. Many farmer's markets now take food stamps but even outside of that vegetables are so cheap when you buy them direct. I can spen $5-10 dollars on a ton of food. Also, many farms have CSA's which allow you to have a guaranteed bounty of whatever a certain farm produces for a very low price. Some of my friends get together and purchase a huge box of fresh organic local in season vegetables and split the cost. Literally dollars after the cost is shared.

Another thing I do is to volunteer at my local Natural Foods Cooperative. There is one in every city. Not only do I get a member discount, I also get another discount for volunteering. In addition, the produce is local and organic and after a few days its put on a super huge sale to make room for the new farm deliveries.

Just some idea so that you are not stuck eating all carbs at the end of the month. Im a super veggie freak and would go insane if I could not have my broccoli, kale, or spinach.

We are college kids, living in a college town that has every fastfood place you can think of, all of the pizza joints, and half a dozen Chinese and Mexican places each. Through in Pancake City and there seems to be nothing but temptation. Chinese I handle best (mostly veggies, no thick sauces, nothing fried) but I am just wondering how you guys deal with being tempted while with family and friends (especially when you just want to have a good time).

I have a similiar situation. Me and my friends are all single and we tend to eat out a lot. For instance, last night I had a black and blue burger. I got mixed veggies instead of fries. I had a whole wheat bun and then I only ate half of the burger. It already had blue cheese so I did not add may or mustard. It was very yummy. When I go out to eat mexican (MY FAVE!) I just order two tacos by themselves with no beans and no rice. It is usually just enough and I still have fun eating out with my friends.