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

@theslightedgeforever I don't know that I have a choice but to pre-figure out the recipe bites. It took me 5 minutes to build 1 recipe yesterday. I can't do it on my desktop computer, Healthi doesn't let you use their website to track or build recipes, so it takes even longer than it should. I made a meal plan for next week. I added a few recipes and used some that I had previously built. It still took a while. With all this, I may still go over but I have a better chance of not going over. Wow, that's a lot of exercise in one day! Great job. Keep working on the water.

Hi all. I gained 4.2 lbs this week. I am so sick of gaining weight. I know I only have myself to blame but it is frustrating. I am 10 lbs from my highest weight.

Water yesterday: 40 oz

My phrase for the year: "Every choice is another chance to change my health for the better."

@trooworld Does Healthi have a section to enter snacks? So you know how much you are currently spending on snacks. So you can start reducing the points on those. Even by 1 or 2. Everything adds up. Other options could be smaller portions. For instance on the Buddha bowl you had for lunch, could you eat 1/2 or 3/4 of that and then eat other 0 point foods to make up the balance of the meal. I had to do that a couple of times this week with some macaroni bechamel that I made. Once it was a 1/2 portion and then once 3/4 portion. I added some salad instead and it satisfied me and I wasn't hungry. While I wanted to eat a whole portion, I want to be thin and healthy even more. This is how I've been planning my meals everyday this week. I put in everything I want to eat that day. Putting in a yummy snack for me on some days. Then I look at my total and if I've gone over my carb count, I see how many over. Then I start reducing portion sizes to get it to down where I want. Sometimes I'm still over 10 or so but I think I can still lose weight with that.

@michieb125 I vote you get one or two at a good bakery. I agree with you on the whole foods/disease thing. I'll be 60 in February. Yummy Papa Murphy's. Yes on the high/low balance. I want to lose weight the way I'm going to maintain so nothing is off limits for me. Just either smaller portions or less often.

Today was gym day. 57 min. Cardio/strength training/stretching
Food: Under 12 carbs Over 100 calories
Water 5 bottles.

So excited: no exercise planned on the weekend. I'm tired.

This is what I came up with for a meal plan. the "Nut X PP" is the amount of points each recipe has. The Olive Garden Salad is homemade along with the dressing being homemade.

Good afternoon all -

@theslightedgeforever we’re close in age and the whole health thing is super important to me now. I also like your suggestions around portion control while still eating and enjoying what you want. I pretty much do the same thing. I don’t deprive myself but I am usually able to stop at the calorie or carb limits each day, or if over slightly, then average out my goals for the rest of the week. As you mentioned earlier, new lifestyle habits are what we want to maintain. I am so there for now! Good job on the exercise and reminders to us for more water!

@trooworld your honesty about food is appreciated and insightful. I believe small changes over a long time will turn into better habits for us. In other words consistency with good choices. Of course we need treats but I now read labels and will not eat processed products made with corn syrup or sodium that’s sky high. Once I researched these it became easier! I would rather bake something with organic ingredients or make a stir fry myself. I really like your meal plans! The one thing I might personally tweak is perhaps cutting the potato salad portion in half or two-thirds and add in fresh green beans for nutrients and they are also filling but zero pts. You could save 250-350 calories if you want.

@cbarbie you were moving with cleaning and staying active with the little one! At least you know you need to make time for yourself first so you can take care of those around you. Never easy especially for women of all ages.

I’ve always been fairly active and healthy compared to some others at my age. But…..always about 15-20 lbs. over a good BMI or the CDC suggested guidelines for weight/height. This year I am committed to get closer to my goal weight by my birthday day in October followed by my annual physical. Need to give my doctors a reason to smile lol.

@trooworld You said "I am a food addict and eat what I want most of the time. This has to stop. I don't know how but it has to." So the first thing is to change your thoughts. You can start saying I USED TO BE a food addict but now I am..............(fill in the blank) Research has shown the brain can't distinguish between what is reality and what is imagined. So you keep telling your brain that and it says, if you say you are. So instead of either/or with processed food, how about slight reduction. Start there. How about substitute one processed snack that you would normally eat and substitute something healthy. I've done the whole buy fruit and throw fruit away thing. I know how that is. So I started buying 7 oranges and would have an orange at night while I watched TV. Otherwise I was snacking on crackers, chips, or popcorn. It became a habit until I came up here to my dd's house. I've switched to having one fruit with my breakfast and then one fruit with my salad. So let us know what day you are ready to do this. One day this week. So you have time to buy the piece of fruit. Hide it in case your hubby eats it. That's what happened to me. So the next time I bought double the fruit and then he didn't eat any and had to throw away. Sigh. So I buy him a little and now have him trained to stay out of mine. You want more go to the store.
You know every little tweak we offer is said with love and support. Because we want you to succeed in your journey. That's great that you got started on figuring out your points with your main meals. Another thing you can add to your journal is coming up with options to reduce ordering out. I have the same problem when I'm at home with dh/ds. I have no good reason other than some days I just don't want to cook. They say let's order X I say okay and I stay fat. So I had decided that when I return I will cook more. I'll still allow myself to order out a couple days a week if I want to but that doesn't mean I have to order from same place that they do. I'm learning which restaurants have healthy options that I think taste good. I don't need to go with the flow anymore. Otherwise they will take me right over the waterfall to my death.

@cbabie Yaaay on walking 6 min on the treadmill. Is that the breakfast burrito recipe I sent you? I keep saying I'm going to make that. I should do that while I'm here with dd so I can fill her freezer a bit. So when you make it again reduce the spices or take out 1/4 of the mixture for you before adding the spices.

@Michieb125 You sound like you have a great attitude. Keep working towards your goal and you will have a great birthday present. I'm learning to just focus on today. Then next day I analyze my meal and see how I could have made little tweaks for next time. Always learning.

@gemwolf110 I noticed your weight loss on the newsfeed. Great job.

So my little exercise free weekend didn't really turn out that way but oh well. Yesterday went to Mall of America and I walked 11000 steps. My watch even registered a 20 min walk in all that. Today we went to one of the state parks and saw some bison and then went on a 30 minute hike. Very nice and peaceful.

Food: Yesterday we always go to the same place and I usually order same thing. Cowboy burger/fries. But I ordered the Black and Bleu salmon salad.

Today was a pizza buffet place and I threw in some green beans for health and still managed to stay under calories by 42 but I'm over my carbs by 1. I call it a win for the day.

Water was not good with all the traveling last two days. Needs work.

@theslightedgeforever you are very encouraging to each of us here and I like what you said, how you want success for ourselves and others. I have a good attitude most days and it is probably because I am seeing my weight and inches change by using MFP. Some days are more challenging if I don’t have good choices always ready to go at home. I agree you don’t have to order food from the same restaurant as others….I just realized this myself! Getting what we want is much better for us. Your state park with bison sound wonderful! I saw so many when we visited Wyoming and Montana two summers ago.

@trooworld great job on your dinner! You did add an excellent source of green vegetable to your plate. I think practicing by doing just that one thing consistently as possible will be a great way to improve where you can. Do you like trying new recipes each week? Tracking does takes time I understand but it is the only way I can see what nutrients I am eating and where I can tweak.

I made a delicious sheet pan dinner on Saturday and had that over the last two nights…..cubed seasoned chicken, peppers, carrots, brussel sprouts, and red onion. I made two large portions with 5 oz chicken each. I am going to try this each week which will guarantee I get my tasty vegetables and eat low calorie at night. The root vegetables made it very filling but I would have couscous or brown rice if my husband joined me. I wish I had done the complex carb with the meal because I reached for popcorn, wine, and Annie’s bunny grahams afterwards with a movie, yikes!

It confess it was too much, too late at night! Paid the price with indigestion which hasn’t happened in years. Gotta move on to today! I need to start my day and plan my meals out. I do like Fage yogurt and blueberries too. Or, eggs, or oatmeal. These are pretty much my breakfast staples. Occasionally I will have avocado toast. The protein keeps me full until mid-morning snack -Apple slices, lite Swiss cheese, hummus or cubed melon. Speaking of fruit, I have a hold of cantaloupe I need to cube today.

May you find good solutions to help you stay on track today!

@trooworld Ok how about something like I am becoming someone who is not addicted to food? How else could you phrase it? Sometimes we all feel that why bother thing. So WHY are you wanting to lose weight? There has to be a good reason that you are persistent in making this work. Keep those reasons visible to you when food demons make their appearance. Yes I was just as satisfied and I ate half of it and I'm eating the other half when I get back from the gym. I just need to heat up the chicken to go on top since I already ate all the salmon from it. Great choice on adding the asparagus. Yaaay on pretracking breakfast.

@Michieb125 Your sheet pan recipe sounds delicious. I do one with marinated sliced chicken strips, green, red, yellow peppers and onions. So easy and so good. Depending on my carbs for the day I either make a wrap out of it or just throw it over a salad. Seeing weight and inches change is so motivating.

@cbabie In a perfect world what would be a fix for you? So you would be at an ideal weight for you. You would have muscle tone and your bones strong. Your blood test results would be at normal levels. What would you have to do?

I'm currently eating the rest of my salad from Saturday. I added some chicken on it for some protein. Just got home from the gym and I'm tired. I added a second set to my weight routine today. I walked 37 minutes this morning. Walked to a coffee shop and sat and read my Kindle for 45 min then walked back home.

Food: I am under by 3 carbs Over by 75 calories. Another win for me.
Water: 68 oz

Hello everyone, I have browsed this thread and wow, you all are so supportive! I love that there is real conversation.
I also do WW but messed that interaction part of MFP so I now do both.
Keep up the good work!