Great discussion thread, Nanc. We have a wonderful group here and it is exciting to see everyone working at their goals and participating.

In August, I increased my activity levels, especially towards the end of the month, picking up the intensity and doing something every day. I lost 5.5 lbs, almost meeting my goal of 6 pounds. That makes for a loss so far of 41.5 pounds.

I am going to think on my September goals and post them later.

I was in an irritable mood this morning, especially when plans to walk in the park fell through. I jumped on the treadmill and worked out my mood with exercise, and then took the dogs for a walk around the property. Feeling pretty good now!

Plan:
smoothie w/ greens, blueberries
stir fry with baked tofu over quinoa. we have some nice mushrooms and broccoli plus whatever else looks good in the fridge

P.S. I had mentioned in the August thread but I am slightly less than 4 pounds away from a normal BMI. That is my BIG goal for September.

September is a fabulous month here in the PNW. This month I'm going to take advantage of any opportunities to walk or hike outside. When I don't go out, I'll use my treadmill but I plan to listen to music instead of reading to amp up the workout. I'm going to continue with the meal rotation because it is simple and keeps us from obsessing on one or two meals! (I'm looking at you, pasta!). And the usual goal of losing 6 lbs.

My parents are back from their summer place and so I'm going to see if my mom wants to get on board with the walking and join me once a week. They are back to maybe joining us for a while in Mexico. They have waffled so much that I don't think I updated yall and then went back and forth a few times without me mentioning it. You'd think I was trying to torture them with this trip! At this point, I think if they get their passports in time they are more likely to come than not.

If you are looking for awesome shorts just the right length, comfy etc, check out this short. I am linking to the brand's website to show all of the colors, but you can get them on sale other places like Amazon, maybe walmart, etc.
https://www.xcvi.com/collections/bottoms/products/clarissa-short-ione-pigment

Mihani, that is so awesome that you're 4 lbs away from a normal BMI. I remember what that feels like. I was on top of the world and felt strong. I'm so happy for you

Magic - this is a very positive post and thank you for encouragement in reaching goals. I have been adrift a bit since coming back from Japan and really just surviving. I like the idea of new goals, plan of attack and reaching them. I will have to think about it.

Spark - I am so sorry about the Coccyx fracture. OUCH! I agree about the strength training as we get older....maybe one of my goals.

Mihani - that is awesome about being close to a healthy BMI! What a great goal.

Carla - the less I need to bring the better. Brooks will look like he is moving in as Alaska Airlines allows 5 pieces of luggage for Active Duty Military. I agree about the meal rotation. I was going to make minestrone with pasta again as we just finished our last batch plus the last of the chickpea curry. I did find a recipe for chickpea and eggplant that I might make on Sunday.


Enjoying the air fryer. Favorite snack seems to be one small white corn tortilla and hummus. Do to the Celiac's disease I can't have Pita bread anymore but the corn tortillas were delicious just air fried. Next I am trying plantains.

Brooks' BD tomorrow. Having friends over for brunch. Making regular and gluten free waffles with peaches, pecans, and pumpkin seeds. I know it sounds weird the pumpkin seeds on the waffles but it adds a good crunch. Plus a salad...might be spinach & strawberries and walnuts with glazed balsamic vinegar. I was thinking I could either get little cupcakes or muffins instead of a birthday cake. Maybe little lemon poppy seed muffins with one candle. Plus mimosas but I will skip the champagne. UGH....need to get started on all this.

I know I just sent a link to shorts and here I am with another link, but this one is more important so I will post it anyway.

If you have trouble finding comfortable runners, the Ryka brand is my newest go-to. They come in M and W width and importantly, they have a comfortably wide toe box, but narrower heel to fit a woman's foot better. I picked up a pair of waterproof trail shoes and I really like them so far. Nice and light, with very grippy soles and good support. It's pretty dry around here at this time of year so I can't attest to how waterproof they are yet.

There's a labor day sale on now, and Zappos carries them too.
https://www.ryka.com/

The Chinese Baked Tofu (great in air fryer) variations are now posted in the chinese tofu discussion. I change the spices and amounts up each time I make it but I came up with a general a blueprint.

Hey ladies 🌺🌺 I just joined the group and figured I'd introduce myself.

I'm Sara. 31. Current weight 184 lbs. I've been vegan/vegetarian since age 16.

I was obese (200 lbs) before I became a vegan in high school, and my weight has bounced around quite a bit since then. Lowest was 140, highest was 200 a couple of years ago. I'm aiming to get back down to 140 again.

I've done MFP several times over the years, and it's always worked really well for me whenever I commit to it and count my calories. Then after I quit MFP I'll maintain for a year or so then fall into overeating habits again. I just started logging again 2 days ago, and I'm trying to get back into the MFP habit again, which is why I joined this group.

Looking at the other posts for this month... I'm a huge fan of my air fryer 💞 and tofu! I used to make tofu and veggie burgers to sell at the market (pre-covid) but now I buy my tofu in bulk homemade by a local woman. In fact I'm going to pick up 25 lbs on Wednesday 😊 4lbs at a time in my fridge, and the rest goes in my freezer.

My goal for this month is just to log every day and try to generally stay under my goal. I've got to get back in the habit of it. And I know if I log I'll eat less, even without making specific goals.

I hurt my leg a couple of weeks ago and doc says to take it easy a couple more weeks, so won't be doing any strenuous exercises, but I'd like to start a little stretching and some easy walks. Basically just baby steps to work my way back into the healthy mindset.

I took "before" pics last week and I plan on taking my next set once I lose 10 lbs. I found it really motivating for me in the past 🌈

Anyway if you've read this far it's great to get to know you guys. This group looks friendly and supportive, so I hope we can all help each other with accountability and motivation 🤓💫

Welcome Sara! I am so glad you found this group! It is very supportive and I have learned a lot from the ladies here. I just got an air fryer so always looking for recipes. That is so great you made tofu and veggie burgers to sell.

Brooks' bd brunch was a success with regular and gluten free waffles, fresh berries and maple syrup, a side salad of spinach, strawberries and walnuts plus a crustless quiche with mushrooms, onions, spinach and tofu. I didn't tell anyone that is was tofu and they didn't seem to notice. They probably thought I just went over board with veggies because it looked more like a veggie pie.

Mihani - I admire your dedication to working out. It seems like diet and exercise have really come together for success.

I am on a slippery slope with finding too many processed gluten free products loaded with sugar. Yikes.

@rayonrainbows Welcome, Sara! I think your goal of logging your food is perfect for getting back into the swing of things. Just a few days ago, I got curious about the calories in the meals I've been eating and I started logging again too. Plus my husband and I rotate through about 6 different meals for dinners, so once I enter the recipes it is super easy to add them to the food log. We buy our tofu 4 to 6 packages at a time and now that I know we could potentially get it in bulk, I'm going to be on the lookout!

bisky, Brooks' bday brunch sounds divine! I'm going to need to dig out my favorite quiche recipe again and I think I'll serve it with a strawberry spinach salad like you. Next shop. These are the poles I have. They have dodads for the tips in the snow too. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N46UYTL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mihani, I feel like I've been working on my closet sorting for months! I have been up and down in weight so many times and buying clothes over and over so it is hard for me to let go of the items that are too big. Hope you have good luck reorganizing your workload today.

Happy Friday, Nanc How has your sleep been the last few days?

Yesterday at the end of my trail walk, I fell again. Grrr! Always near the end too, so I end up absolutely coated in grime from head to toe. My ankle just gives out sometimes. No warning. If the weight is on that foot and I'm not prepared, I will just flail and fall. People look around like 'what did she trip on? there's nothing there!' (no one else around to see this fall, but I've always had this problem. might be more frequent now). Joe suggested, in all seriousness, that I start learning how to fall better. Tuck and roll! lol

I had a day this weekend with 13K plus steps, over 5 miles. I'm sure I've done more than that in the past, but not while it was being recorded with my fitbit. That day included another epic treadmill workout that started with me thinking I would just walk and take it easy, but then a good song comes on and another and 45 minutes later the sweat is flying with every bounce.

today:
fuhrman blueberry oatmeal
carrots and hummus or fruit snack
pinto bean chili w/ cashew queso
half 'caramel' apple

Just realized I was probably wrong in assuming this group is just women. Sorry about that.

Well… I was doing really great yesterday until my friend called me last night saying he was having relationship problems and in a bad place and needed some help. So my partner and I went over to his place and ended up talking and drinking and playing Scrabble until the wee hours of morning. So I woke up super late today feeling hungover. BUT. I did (try to) log everything I ate/drank yesterday and was only about 500 cals over maintenance. And I decided that today I would just jump right back on the healthy train, which I’m really proud of because my usual hangover “cure” is eating too much unhealthy food.



@Mihani – Thanks! And congrats to you!! I dropped a ton of weight when I became vegan in high school, without actually trying to lose weight. It was just a natural result of finally putting some limits on my consumption, instead of mindlessly eating whatever I wanted. I was vegan for several years, but then I moved away from the United States and starting eating vegetarian. I definitely became somewhat lactose intolerant after being vegan for years. I haven’t eaten eggs in several years and I think milk is gross, but I still have some cheese and the occasional ice cream even though it hurts my tummy (silly I know). If I was able to find vegan ice cream where I live I would be all over it. Probably a good thing we don’t have it here

Yes to tofu! I’ve lived in Nicaragua the past 9 years or so. There are a couple of local women I’ve met who make incredible tofu and sell it at super accessible prices. It’s great living here for eating whole foods and a simple diet, but I do wish there were some things I could buy here that you can’t find. I have people who come visit from the states stock up on certain food items to bring me (black salt, nutritional yeast, grits, etc).

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@bisky – Thanks for the welcome! That veggie quiche sounds great. I wish I had an oven. Sounds a bit like a Spanish omelette I make stovetop (with tofu instead of egg, and zucchini or chayote instead of potatoes). I haven’t made that in a while, thanks for the inspiration

I’ve definitely discovered that what has helped me lose so much weight in the past with MFP is just substituting veggies for as much as I can. I generally only eat 2 meals a day, but I like big ‘ol portions. So eating lots of veggies alongside a smaller amount of something more tasty/satisfying makes me finish my meal feeling full, and stay feeling full longer.

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@carla_wfpb – Hi If you live somewhere near a co-op in the US or Canada, you can probably buy tofu in bulk there. I’m not sure.

Congrats on your treadmill motivation! And sorry about your fall! I think being aware of it and learning to fall better is good advice. I broke my leg/ankle when I was 12, so it’s still weak sometimes too. A couple of years ago my partner and I got into this excellent habit of taking a 45+ minute walk every evening around sunset (trying to get back into that habit again). I rolled my ankles several times at the beginning, but as my body got more used to the walking (and I dropped some weight) my ankles and legs began to strengthen and I had a lot fewer accidents. Part of it sounds like weakness in your ankle for sure, but part of the problem may be alleviated by slowly strengthening other parts of your body (legs, core).

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@magic71755 – Nice to meet you too. Thanks for the welcome! Enjoy your day off.

Hi All, I've been reading but not doing much posting. Back is getting better but starts to stiffen up if I sit too long in one place. Will try to catch up tomorrow.
@rayonrainbows Welcome to this very friendly and supportive group!

Here he is. super zoomed in and pixelated

Really interested in air fryer tofu suggestions. I love my air fryer! But I haven't tried tofu yet. Magic, thanks for the burrito salad idea! I take burritos for work fairly often but this is different enough to give me a little variety.