I'm here to cheer you ladies on, but I won't be taking part in the WIs this round. I had the rug pulled out from under me at work and I need to focus more on work and stop obsessing about food. I took a week to clear my head and I'm feeling better about things. Hoping in a couple of weeks I'm back in the game.

Keep up the great work! You know that you can do it!!!

We used to do that too. I planned out the entire month of April. We've strayed only two or three times. it's so much easier to just be like: "Okay, it's Tuesday, we're having chicken, brown rice, steamed veggies" or whatever, ya' know. I got on eatbetteramerica.com and pick out stuff from there.

i've been so out of the loop ladies. Rach - if possible could i rejoin? Finally seem to be back on the wagon - and relearning what it's like to have self control!

On meal planning:

Every week or two I sit down and plan about 5-6 meals. I go through my Vegetarian Times and a favorite cookbook or two (Williams Sonomas Eat Well is a wonderful one), maybe some websites (Oh She Glows, Post Punk Kitchen), and look at a spreadsheet I have of favorite meals and notes. I pick out a series of meals I think will be exciting, usually focusing on a main dish and then dreaming up a side or a soup to go with it. Armed with a thorough grocery list I hit the store. I find the list is the most invaluable tool I've had in weight loss, as I'll still grab an impulse item or two (a tasty and healthy snack or something on sale I know I'll use in the future), but it is NOWHERE near what I used to do. I'm usually out of the grocery store in about 45 minutes. I use a list app on my phone to track everything and have a couple items I never delete, cans of beans and frozen fruit. I drink a lot of smoothies for breakfast and always check for sales on frozen fruit. I'm a vegan and use canned beans frequently as a time saver or for a protein add in at lunch time. I stock up when I find a sale. I then cook whatever meal excites me most or the one that I feel will use up the smartest veggies first (ones that are starting to look a little soft or I know will need to be used first). While picking out recipes and making the list takes a little time up front, it keeps me going with a huge variety of food, helps build up my database of recipes my family and I love, and saves time in the long run, as I don't need to hit the store for another week or two (depending on the leftovers, how many nights I end up busy instead of being able to cook, and how much I want to just work on pantry clearing). Oh, I also always pick up ingredients for a few stand-by meals. I have bags of frozen mixed veggies in my freezer, and frozen tofu (it changes the texture when you freeze it) and some homemade seitan, my cans of beans, and I always have onions, carrots, and celery in the house. With this I can always avoid hitting the store for another night by either making a stir-fry, a hearty soup, or some interesting bean salads. Meat-eaters could always do the same with a bag of frozen chicken or what have you. Having a list and plan has also helped me cut down on the grocery budget. My family has less wasted food as well. If I know I won't be using a veggie again in my planned meals, I toss it into a salad most of the time.

Having meals planned has also helped me with food planning on a daily basis. I eat my breakfast, and while I'm entering and tracking that, I enter my dinner. If I see breakfast was 300 calories, and dinner will be 500, I know what I have to play with between lunch and snacks, rather than trying to figure out a dinner I can feed my family that will fill them up while keeping my calorie count down.


To the ladies who need a break, I hope life calms down for you shortly, MFP will be right here when you can get back in the swing of things. Don't add beating yourself up to the list of things you need to do! Just try to think about making healthier choices still, like limiting excess fats and sugars, even if you aren't perfect you're still trying your best. To the ladies coming back, welcome back to working on you!

My goals for this week are to continue on c25k, last week was wonderful and exhilarating, but I woke up to rain for two days straight now. I know I'll be walking a lot on Friday and Saturday, so I'm not toooooo worried about it, but I'd like to try and get week 2 in this week to be ready for week 3 next week! If I end up doing week 2 twice, it isn't the end of the world, but I'm not going to let myself slip! Outside of that I'll keep on eating healthy, watching my calories and I'll be starting on some upper body work, with a focus on core and arms.

Keeping my goals simple this week. I need to get back on track last week was school vacation and I didn't make the best food choices. I did stay under on most days but I didnt eat the best foods! I prepped fruits and veggies for the next few days and bought a 56oz waterbolttle(I've been drinking two a day) . I'm ready and fully focused this time around!! Hopefully I lose at least 10lbs this round!! Stay strong and focused ladies we can do this!!

It's cold and rainy today, so it's been a lazy day. The same excuse I used yesterday.

Tomorrow it's time to regroup. I need to plan/cook my meals in advance and be consistent with my exercise. At least I'm doing more this past week overall.

i've been so out of the loop ladies. Rach - if possible could i rejoin? Finally seem to be back on the wagon - and relearning what it's like to have self control!

Of course!

did you restart a chart? I was 219.2 on Sunday

Hello Ladies

One thing I've really been struggling with is mind over matter. I look at foods and think "oh well I'll just have it" even though i know it's terrible for me.

So to combat these lazy and flesh oriented thoughts I've put myself on a "Sexy Diet" I simply look at food and think "Is it going to make me Sexy?" and if so i eat it.

I'll still continue to log on MFP to track my progress but I'm actually starting to incorperate a healthier life style with each of my meals. Also I'm not terribly worried about fat content, sugar content sodium etc, i know all that is important but not as important as training my body to like "Sexy" foods rather than crap.

don't get me wrong, I know measuring exact quantaties and daily intake is really important I'll still keep a track of my calories I'm just trying to get healthy by making good decisions a part of my lifestyle rather than being lazy and eating junk food and 'cheating' as often as I have been.

Any one else want to forget the exact figures and join me on a Sexy Diet?

Erin.