RachieLnnn

Thank you so much!  The pictures are really helpful. We boooked through Costco, and that was the person that said PNPs were limited to one per cabin. Maybe I'll try calling again...

Hi,

We will be on a 3 night Dream cruise, family of five.  We have a 5 year old daughter and twins that will be 13 months at the time of sailing. We have a deluxe family oceanview cabin with verandah, which sleeps 5.

Disney says they can provide 1 pack and play. I'd like 2, one for each twin, but I'm not sure if 2 will fit in the room (we can bring the additional one). Has anyone fit 2 PNPs before? Or have a cabin floor plan with dimensions? I'd hate to lug it if it doesn't fit.

I guess our other options are bed rails or co-sleeping with one of the twins.

Thanks for any insight!

Hey everyone,

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted everything. To be honest, I used to read everyday, and I just needed a break. My problem was that the first time I posted anything on here, it was 2010! And here I am, not making any progress... as has been brought up, that's almost 3 years, and I could have been at my goal weight ages ago if I had just focused. I couldn't believe it. I see that the same topic has been brought up lately by a few others, too.

So I caught up on reading your posts last night and bought some good food from the grocery today. I put in a new goal weight and my actual weight on Loseit and exercised today. I've just felt like SUCH a slug lately, and had lost the motivation/interest in keeping tabs on things. When I weighed in this morning, I was up 4 pounds from my previous starting weight... ugh. So I'm starting over AGAIN.

One thing that has got me excited is that we decided to purchase a CSA subscription again this year, and it starts in a few weeks. Looking forward to fresh farm veggies! I know we will start with a lot of kale, spinach, carrots, etc.

Today at the store I tried to get fruits and veggies in every color of the rainbow. Since others have posted their diet plans, I thought I would post mine too. Loseit tells me I can have about 1600 calories a day. I'm slightly under today, but I think that's OK since I am kicking this thing off and I've got the motivation!

Breakfast: 1 cup fresh mixed fruit (pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, and grapes), 2 squares of "breakfast pizza" (I made this for a brunch yesterday... consists of homemade pizza dough, spinach sauteed with olive oil, spicy red pepper, and garlic for "sauce", roasted red bell peppers, prosciutto, and gruyere/swiss/mozzarella, then I topped it with a few eggs for the last few minutes in the oven... they cook to be opaque white w/semi-solid yolk... yum)

Lunch: Trader Joe's super spinach salad (spinach, carrots, quinoa, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, I think that's it - with a carrot/ginger/miso dressing - I used half the dressing provided)

Snack: Trader Joe's Lentil chips w/ hummus

Dinner: 1 cup of 1% milk, Trader Joe's turkey meatballs (3), 2 oz of whole wheat pasta, and homemade marinara sauce (olive oil, onion, crushed tomatoes, garlic)

Workout: 35 minutes on the elliptical

Brooke, I hope you continue to keep posting because I enjoy your posts, but I totally understand the need to cut back and focus on yourself. Best of luck to you!! And everyone else on here as well...:)

Brooke, I have to say, I'm extremely impressed by the fact that you did yoga! Good work! To an outsider, it seems like you have the working out part of the equation in place. The food portion counts just a much, if not more, in my opinion. Unfortunately that is what many of us struggle with. If you can apply your dedication to the food piece, you will be in a good place. And by dedication, I mean meal planning, bringing lunches, etc. If you can consistently do that, I think things will fall into place for you.

Something I'm focusing on is just to work really hard this month (but pick any short term goal) and am saying. OK, follow all the rules for just this short period of time, and see what happens. I'm supposed to lose 10 pounds by Feb 9th, and I'm down 3.5. I'm going to let those results inspire me to keep going. Ultimately, my goal is 40 pounds. I know you like to use "mind tricks" so hopefully this may help you too. You know you're good at maintaining, just need to kick things into high gear to get started! Even pick one day of following the rules, and see what happens on the scale. I like your goal of 50 pounds this year. Definitely achievable too!

I also wanted to thank you for starting this thread... For some reason it pulls me in to keep reading like no others do. I think it's due to your honesty! And you show the struggles, and not just success all the time.

Good luck!

P.s. mobile typing so forgive any errors!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been forever since I posted. But I have been reading posts. We've had a busy year, went on a few big trips, etc. but I've decided that this is my year for losing weight! Our office building just opened a gym for free. Nice elliptical machines and treadmills. So my plan is to go every night after work. If I do that, and don't even go home, then there's nothing else to distract me (doing laundry, starting dinner, etc.). It will just add a half hour or so to my work day.

Next, I've rediscovered whole grains... Barley. Bulgur. Quinoa. Etc. I'm making lots of soups and salads (with grains, beans, and veg) for lunches. I also restarted my fitness pal. It says I should be down 10 pounds by feb. 9th. So I'm going to really follow this plan for the next month, see it work, and let that motivate me!

Good luck everyone in the new year!

P.S. sorry for any typos, I'm typing on a phone!

P.p.s anyone going to watch the biggest loser?? Jillian's back, and there are young kids too. It looks good!

Hey everyone,

Sorry, it's been awhile since I've checked in! Brooke, I am so sorry to hear of your loss of your grandma. I lost mine several years ago, and it gets easier with time. Now I'm able to look back and smile at fun times without getting teary. But it took awhile. Best wishes.

Sounds like everyone is on track or getting back on track. August was not a great month for me. I've basically stayed the same, although one success was that since signing up for Loseit, I've tracked every single day.

One thing I have been struggling with is weekends. We've had really fun, but full-calendar, social-type weekends almost every weekend lately. I have been typically gaining 1-2 pounds on the weekend. Lost of eating out and craft beer... Then over the next week, I lose those 1-2 pounds, and that is why I am staying the same. Grrr. I think I just need to realize that I don't need to "keep up" with the boys when it comes to beer. I'm going to a baseball game this weekend, and I will have a hot dog and a beer (the only time I ever eat hot dogs is 1-2 times a year at a baseball game). I just need to plan for it, and cut myself off after 1-2 beers. It is interesting since I have been logging everything, I can clearly see my deficit in calories going into the weekend, and then I end up eating/drinking them all back. But that is the learning lesson I suppose. For some reason, it's just taking me awhile to learn this lesson!

I've got this now though, and will report back on Monday to let you all know how the weekend went.

Got some fresh tomatos and made homemade cream of tomato soup with grilled cheese one night. Delicious! I use Ina Garten's recipe and I highly recommend it. I also have 2 eggplants from the farmer's market to use up, might make my eggplant parm by Mario Batali that uses roasted eggplant, not fried.

Hey everyone!

I'm back from my week away as well. Spent one week in another office of ours. Was very difficult since we ate out EVERY NIGHT. I did track everything though (as best I could - we didn't eat at any chains so it's difficult to estimate sometimes). I ended up being over my calorie goal ranging from like 100 calories over up to like 800 calories over each day! I'm not going to freak out though. Already back on track. I ended up "gaining" 2 pounds, but I'm hoping that some of it is retaining water from eating out/too much sodium. Meh. I was down 5 pounds before I left, and so excited, that it's disappointing to see a gain.

I did pick the best options when I had a choice, but we had some group dinners (pizza, etc.) where I didn't really have a choice. I did walk back and forth to the office everyday, for a total of about an hour walking everyday. So hopefully that helped a bit.

I made a lasagna last night w/home made marinara from all the lovely tomatoes right now. I used thinly sliced zucchini instead of lasagna noodles for every other layer. Still wanted a bit of noodle though. Entered everything in my calorie counter, and it's about 260 calories for 1/8 of the pan, which seems to be a generous portion. Will have that for some dinners this week, but still need to think of something else to make (we don't like eating the same thing every night).

Brooke, sounds like you had a fun time, just know that others are in the same boat of coming back from a trip and seeing a gain.. the best thing we can do is exactly what we are doing and that is to just keep going. Not a complete start over, but just getting right back into the good habits. Good luck!

Hey everyone, hope you had a nice weekend! I'm travelling this week so am anticipating some annoyance while tracking. But I'm going to estimate and track the best I can. It's easy at chain restaurants, but I don't know what to come expexct. I've been tracking everyday for 2.5 weeks very consistently, even when I had a business dinner out and I'm pretty sure I was like 1000 over my calories for the day! But I ate lighter the next few days and upped my workout, instead of giving up on the week like usual. End result, I am down 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks, yeah!

I tend to lose about 5lbs when I go on vacation, if not, I break even. Why? Because we are walking from the minute we get up until the minute we go to bed at night (we cruise in Europe). A ton of walking at port. On sea days, we lap the track around the pool deck. Even on some port days we'll do the track if we feel we didn't get enough walking in. I eat like I'm on vacation, i certainly don't count things. It really is about activity for me. My day job is sedentary. I drive 45-60 minutes to work. Sit in a cubicle testing software for 8-9 hours a day. Then i drive home 45-60 minutes. So that's 11 hours or more of my day taken up by sitting around doing nothing.

 

I have NO doubts as to why I gained weight. I became a bump on a log. And I'm always tired because I get little sleep because well, when your work day is already taking 11 of your waking hours...and you want to have some waking hours for exercise/relaxation/enjoyment - then well sleep has to give.

 

Truly a sad existence that is common for many here in the US. I wish we had a more European attitude. FOcus on downtime and vacation and whatnot. I think we'd all be a lot healthier if we as a nation could change focus from the slave drivers we have become...

I totally agree. We as a nation need to move more. I think Americans tend to really push for success in our careers, so it's not that we're lazy at all. It's a lifestyle issue. Many people live in suburbs or more rural areas and have to drive. We need our cities to be more walkable and/or bike friendly.

I was reading about the loseit program, and how it adjusts for your activity level. For everyone who starts it assumes you do the following everyday. If you are more active, you can manually change your calories to reflect that:

Sleeping - 8 hours

Personal care (dressing, showering) - 1 hour

Eating - 1 hour

Cooking - 1 hour

Sitting (office work, selling produce, tending shop) - 8 hours

Driving car to/from work - 1 hour

General household work - 1 hour

Light leisure activities (watching TV, chatting) - 3 hours

How sad is it that it just assumes that the average person just basically sits all day? I left my calories alone, even though I do walk to work and to get groceries (I live in the city and don't have a car). I think if I had to drive everyday, I probably would have gained more weight by now. Just incorporating exercise into our everyday life is important... walking instead of driving everywhere, etc. I know that's hard when it's 100 degrees out, but it isn't impossible and worth thinking about. I do enjoy riding my bike so that is an option, too (for transit, not necessarily just for fun). I do not a lot of people that bike to work and it's a built in 30-60 minute bike ride everyday, that you don't even have to think about or convince yourself to do. You just DO it.

On a totally different note, Brooke I hope you have a great vacation. We will all be waiting to hear how the diet went while you were gone! Just think of how great it would feel to type to us all and say that you totally stayed on plan and are proud of that. We know you can do it.

Hi everyone, hope that you had a nice weekend!

So I've been tracking on loseit for almost a week (5 days now), and I'm down 2.5 pounds so far! I usually weigh in everyday, first thing in the morning. Yay. You know what, it hasn't even really been that "hard," and I don't feel terribly restricted. I just have to be a lot more mindful than I normally am. I'm finding that it is actually really encouraging me to workout, because that extra 300-400 calories comes in handy if I want a treat. If I didn't workout, I don't get that glass of wine or whatever. Also, I'm not doing any mindless snacking, because if I do, I have to log it, and not only is it a minor inconvenience, but I also see how quickly it eats into the amount I have budgeted for meals! I have to say my favorite thing about the app is how you can scan the UPC of pretty much any food and it will find it immediately. On the way back from the bike ride, we stopped near the lake and had a beer. I chose a Corona Light and I scanned it and found it for something like 96 calories. Really cool since most alcoholic beverages DON'T have calories printed on them (why is that, anyway? Super annoying!). Also, anything I buy from Trader Joe's has been found using the UPC scan method really easily. It's nice, so I don't have to enter in all the nutrition info manually, what a pain that was!

So get this - DH joined with me, and he set it so that he stays the same weight. He found out that he is "allowed" 900 more calories than me everyday!! How annoying is that! JK, haha. It's actually a little shocking since we usually eat very similar meals, although I think he snacks more than me. No wonder I need to lose weight, if I have been eating the same things as him. I know that no matter how "unfair" it is, women need less calories than men, it seems. Anyway, 900 calories is just slightly over half my daily budget, which is a lot extra!

Anyway, I will be sure to check in on Thursday and let you know how the first week went - but so far it is looking OK. I'm going away ALL next week for work, so it's going to be hard tracking/estimating unless we are at chain-type restaurants, I think. I see lots of salads in my future... Also, I won't be able to weigh in for like 5 days, which will be an adjustment for me! The good thing is that I will have a built-in 15 minute walk (each way) to work, so I'll at least be getting 30 minutes of exercise in.

Hey everyone,

Brooke, I think it's wonderful that you post so much, this is your thread that you started after all! I have to say that I think you get so many comments and suggestions because people really resonate with what you are saying. We've all had difficult days or days that we couldn't stop ourselves from eating too much of the wrong thing.

I think all of the reflection lately is great. It really shows that you are starting to examine your actions and how you can fix this food thing. We can give all the advice in the world, but until you are ready to tackle it, you won't be as successful as possible. So keep posting, keep trying to work out these issues. Maybe take 10 minutes at the end of the day or when you get home from work just to reflect on yourself and your day. Just taking a moment to step away from all distractions and think can be really helpful.

As for myself, I've tracked for two days now. It's so much easier when I'm not the only one doing it! I can openly log on and figure out how many calories a recipe was without trying to do it quick/on the sly. The website is telling me that I need 1440 calories a day in order to lose 2 pounds a week. That's before working out, though. So if I hit that goal, but workout and burn 400 calories one night, I can add say, a glass of 1% milk and a banana after working out and maybe some wine with dinner and still keep my deficit. (That's probably not the best way to use up the calories, but I do love my wine and need to budget for it!). When I was on sparkpeople, I think it was telling me a range of between 1300 and 1500 calories a day, so that seems about right. With loseit, you can see your weekly deficit too, so even if you go over one day, but are under on the others, you can see if you are averaging close to your goals. So far, I really like it!

Let's see, pcrum (what is your real name? Sorry!), I made mexican-style stuffed peppers last night and they were tasty! And the recipe tracker came out to about 200-something calories for one. Amazing. They had 3/4 pound of ground turkey breast cooked with chopped bell pepper, 2 jalepenos chopped, onion, tomato, and garlic, then I added a can of black beans and some sweet corn. And taco seasonings. I topped each with a bit of mexican blended cheese. I was going to add brown rice, but then I had so much filling that it wasn't going to fit in the peppers! I still had a bowl of extra filling to the side. We topped with avocado (DH and I split one small) for about 160 calories, and some tortilla chips (I counted out the portion) for about 140 calories. I even had a light beer w/a lime for around 100 calories... so all in all, a really tasty dinner, and I definitely didn't feel deprived at all. Especially with getting avocado and tortilla chips, which is a total treat! Dinner was about 600 something calories total, in case anyone's curious. My breakfasts are usually less than 300, and lunches and snacks tend to vary with the day. (Depending on if I go out for lunch or eat at home, etc.).

I think that for me, it's just being mindful about not having MULTIPLE beers, limiting the number of chips, etc. Just a few days ago I would have had multiple beers and then had the bag of tortilla chips in front of me, being mindless about it. But when I know I only have 25 calories left for the day, I'm not going to go get more chips. I told myself if I was really hungry later on, I could have 3-4 strawberries. But I wasn't, so I didn't.

Brooke, did you re-read your WW literature? Any revelations? Just curious. The program has changed a lot since I did it. Also wanted to say that before I got married, I was living at home and did WW and lost like 25 pounds. It was hard because I ate with my family and didn't have a lot of control, so I totally understand. I would basically eat a Special K granola bar for breakfast for like 100 calories, and keep lunch to around 300-400 if possible (like a subway sandwich w/out cheese, no sides, or a grilled chicken salad without cheese and dressing, etc.). It was hard, but I really wanted to lose weight for my wedding and that was the only way that I could allow room for dinner when I didn't know what it was going to be.

Hey all,

Just wanted to know that while I have not posed in forever, I have been keeping up and reading your posts, which I greatly enjoy! Thanks everyone for the movitating tips. I just joined loseit today due to your advice. I did have an app that I was using that linked up with Sparkpeople, but it wasn't the easiest to navigate. Right now, I like what I see with loseit! I just briefly looked at it, and it looks like if you want to do recipes, you need to do it online, and cannot do it from your phone. That's the only drawback for me so far, since I cook a lot.

Brooke, congrats on keeping going and staying motivated. I know it's hard. I've wanted to lose at least 25 pounds for like 2 years now. Ugh. At some point last year, I was down ten, but they've creeped back on. I am back and newly motivated, and just tired of having tight pants or being unable to wear my favorite summer clothes. Another item is that for the first time, I think my husband is going to start tracking too. That's big for me, as in the past, I used to try to track everything secretly without making a big deal about it, and wasn't telling him my goals. Now once I enter in a recipe that I've made for us, we will both need to track it. So fresh start.

Brooke, I'm wondering if you need to switch it up and maybe start attending WW meetings instead of just receiving online support? When I did it in the past, that was a big motivator for me (having to go weigh in person at meetings). Otherwise, if you are not using that aspect of WW (the in person support part, I mean), I wonder if it would be cheaper and easier for you just to track calories with an app like Loseit. No points to figure out, just calories. It will tell you your exact calorie goal. There is a huge database of supermarket foods (even Trader Joe's foods, yay), and restaurant foods, which might make it easy for you. I just know I would be frustrated if I was paying a fee for something every month, and it didn't seem like it was "working." I like seeing the exact calories in versus calories out, especially because you subtract your exercise calories burned too. I don't know, I just think it's less confusing than all those "flex points" vs "activity points" and whether or not they should be used, but that's just me.

Anyway, I've been making some great things from the farmer's market. One you all might enjoy is stuffed eggplant. It might be good for those doing low-carb. Basically, you roast the eggplant first in order to start the cooking process, then scoop everything out and puree with garlic and some goat cheese. I added ground turkey (already cooked), onions, bell peppers chopped, etc. but you could put brown rice, quinoa, etc. if you wanted. Stuff back in the shell and top with parmesean and panko (could leave off breadcrumbs if you wanted). It was delicious and so flavorful with the garlic and goat cheese! I can post a more exact recipe if anyone is interested. It was great to have a few of these in the fridge, portion sized (I used baby eggplants), ready to go on a busy night.

I've also discoved vegetable tians as a good way to use up veggies (especially zucchini). Here is an example: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/vegetable-tian-recipe/index.html

This was good, but I made another one that had eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes instead. You can switch it up for whatever you have, leave out the potato, double up on zucchini, etc. Whatever you've got.

I got a bunch of beautiful bell peppers from the farmer's market, too. Looking for a new stuffed pepper recipe. Maybe a greek or mexican theme? I'm not sure. But I like that I can make say, 6 of these, then we have them ready to go for 3 nights of dinners or lunches.

I also made a chopped salad the other day with lettuce, chicken tomatoes, black beans, bell peppers, and corn. Kept everything in one container in the fridge and then when I wanted, I could add an avocado (split a small diced w/DH) and dressing. It only kept nice for a few days, though. But it was quick and easy when I wanted something fast - had it all ready to go.

Another recipe I love lately is roasting beets (not sure of the sugar content for those counting, but they are super nutritious). Then I chop them and pair with baby spinach, goat cheese, walnuts, and make a quick basalmic vinaigrette. Beets turn everything pink though. :)

On an exercise note, I'm still doing the elliptical but you've all convinced me that I need to add in some hand weights again. I've started taking the stairs when I get home from work on the days that I DON'T exercise. Just to keep in an exercise mindset and move a little more each day. It's 15 floors, so about 190 steps I think. It just takes a few minutes and yes I'm out of breath, but it only takes a few minutes. I think it's good to force myself to do that when 1) I know that I CAN do it and 2) every little bit of exercise helps. Just maybe not when I have all my groceries, too.

Anyway, I'll try posting more often, just know that I do enjoy everyone's posts and I am sending postive, healthy vibes everyone's way!

Brooke, have you tried roasting veggies? It's my favorite way to eat them. All I do iis take a sheet pan, cover in foil, add veg , olive oil, and salt and pepper. Maybe 375 degrees or so for 20 minutes. Asparagus is good. Cauliflower and broccoli excellent. Sometimes i'll do peppers, zucchini chunks, etc. Whatever you like!

One thing that has helped me to not be bored while working out is the investing in my nook (a kindle would work too). I read while on the bike and elliptical and it goes by so fast. They have come down a lot in price. The nook is nice because I don't have to hold the pages open! Silly, I know. But it makes it so easy. Sometimes I read magazines too. Self is a good one for me, because it's really positive and talks about being healthy. The nook is also great because I can even get library books on it for free. If I don't feel like working out, I tell myself I wil l just do an easy 30 minutes on the bike, and before I know it, I'm done.

We went away last weekend and I feel like all I did was eat and drink. :(I So this week is a fresh start, I'm tracking food again. Got a lot of fresh veg at the grocery store last night.

Hey everyone, thanks for the WW advice. I think I'm going to stick with Sparkpeople for now, since it is free, and they DO have alot of Trader Joe's stuff (user-entered). I just need to set aside time everyday to add in recipes that I've created if needed. I think it's basically the same system, especially since I try to hit my calorie/protein/fiber targets. WHEN I track, that is. :rolleyes:

Just for fun I entered in my lunch today. McDouble (390 cals), small fry (230 cal), and a chocolate shake (440 cal!!!). OMG. I didn't know the shakes were quite THAT bad for you. Well, lesson learned, I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Total was 1060. I'm supposed to take in 1200-1500 a day to lose weight. Sheesh. Planning on doing the elliptical after work for 45 minutes or so to subtract that shake.

It's weird, I wasn't hungry at all this afternoon after that meal, whereas usually by dinner I'm starving. Maybe that is my body telling me to eat a slightly larger lunch or add in a snack to hold me over.

Going to the grocery store after work, and I'm going to get lots of veg, chicken, shrimp, greek yogurt, etc. Maybe I needed this wake up call after all...

Oh, I also learned that I just can't buy any junk food (Easter Candy, chips, etc.) because I will eat it if it is there. If I have to go out and obtain it, it's much less likely.

Hi everyone! I'm new to this board, but not to CC. Have joined WW in the past with some success. Currently, I am trying to track calories on Sparkpeople, and I'm debating re-joining WW. I have a few questions for you all and also wanted to congratulate you on all your success!!

Do any of you track points online or on your phones? I like spark people, but I do have issues in that I think it would be easier to track things if I ate a lot of pre-packaged foods, but I don't (usually cook from scratch-ish). I end up having to create a recipe and estimate the servings. Is it similarly difficult to add recipes on WW? Can you do it from a phone app (I have an Android), or do you have to log on to a computer?

Also, I do most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, not a traditional grocery store. Do any of you know if WW has a lot of Trader Joe's foods programmed? Or would I have to add these in myself?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hey everyone,

Well after a difficult day today, and a trip to McD for lunch (I had a Happy Meal - and with a chocolate shake for the drink :(), I think I am going to go on WW online. To those of you who have tracked on WW vs. an app like Sparkpeople - is it easier with WW? I cook w/ a lot of fresh foods - is it a pain to enter in a recipe?

Bascially, I've found it would be super easy to track on Spark if I ate a lot of prepackaged foods that I can search for - but I don't really eat that way. I'm always making something like homemade tomato sauce w/eggplant parm, which is just a pain in the you know what to enter in because I have to create a recipe. I guess I need something to be easy, if it is too difficult I just stop doing it after awhile. Any thoughts? Also, if anyone has WW online - are there a lot of Trader Joe's brand foods entered in? I mostly shop there so if not I won't bother. Spark does have a lot of user-entered foods from Trader Joe's.

Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that I am going to tell people that I'm trying to lose 15 pounds for an upcoming trip. I really want to lose 30 pounds, but I'm going to start with a small goal first then bump it up. The difference is that I usually don't say anything to people about being on a diet, I just suffer through it alone and on message boards where I don't personally know anyone. But this time I'm going to be more open about what I am trying to do.

I have a trip coming up in June, and I really want to be at least 10-15 pounds lighter. It makes a difference in the clothes I wil bring with me and the way I look in pictures (at least, it makes a difference to me).

Maybe I will go visit the WW board on this site. Hope everyone is doing well.

I have not been doing so well lately, either... this weekend included a lot of sugar (desserts) and alcohol. Although my weight hasn't changed significantly. We'll see if it shows up later.

I am going shopping for groceries tonight or tomorrow, so I need to make a list of healthy, good dinners. Breakfasts and lunches are always pretty similar so no worries there. Have you looked at eatingwell.com? Lots of good recipes. For dinners, I'm going to try to stick with protein + vegetables, and skip the carbs for a bit. I don't usually do low carb, but I'm just going to try to cut back for a week at dinners and see how it goes. For example, if I make a stirfry I'll just make an extra portion of veggies and skip the rice.

I did make a nice eggplant parmesean dish last weekend, so I'm going to have leftovers tonight. Eggplant is baked, not fried. It's a Mario Batali recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/eggplant-parmigiana-recipe/index.html

I need to get back into reading my book on the bike/elliptical, but now that I've finished the Hunger Games, I need a new book!

Hey, lots of activity on this thread, I love it!

I've been doing pretty good lately. I have been working out more regularly, even if I just go downstairs and sit on a bike for a 1/2 hour while I read, I'm trying to do something everyday. On days that I don't get downstairs, I've been doing weights/crunches/etc. I'm loving my Nook for reading while I workout, since you don't have to hold the pages open like a book. :p

Food-wise, I think I had a revelation on Sunday. I just realized how much better I feel (energy, tummy-wise, etc.) when I eat lots of veggies and fruit instead of something like chips as a side. So I went crazy at the store and got grapes, pears, and bananas for fruit (DH and I share a banana every morning w/cereal). I also got asparagus, baby spinach, broccoli, beets, snap peas, bell peppers, cucumbers, and carrots from the store. The asparagus and beets were cooked and are ready to go in the fridge. Been having everything either tossed into a salad or with a dip (I like edamame hummus, ranch, or kale and greek yogurt dip - it's like spinach dip). The hummus and the kale dip are from Trader Joe's - love that store!!! I'm just making sure I'm having like at LEAST 2-3 servings of fruit or veg at lunch and dinner. So I'm just going to focus on eating good food, instead of fretting over bad food. And if I do eat something that is not as healthy (like a slice of pizza), I will still have veg to the side - it also helps me stay fuller longer. Since I have a variety of salad dressings and dips, I am not getting bored.

For example, yesterday for a side dish I took some of the cooked asparagus and had it cold with a drizzle of olive oil, some cracked pepper, and some parmesean on it. It was so good!!

Brooke, just wanted to say that you are doing AWESOME! It must have felt great to see the scale on 312! Since you mentioned being sick of beef and chicken, thought I would pipe up. What about cooking a pork tenderloin (maybe in a crock pot) to have shredded? You can then toss it in salads, stirfrys, pasta, tacos, BBQ pork sandwiches, etc.

Also what about some non-meat sources of protein? I'm not sure where these fall on your carb scale, but I love lentils. They are big on protein. You can get a big bag for CHEAP, too (like a dollar for a bag in a big city like mine) and add cooked ones to salads, soups, taco meat, etc. I'm not sure if you like beans, but I use them a lot. White beans are good in pasta, edamame in stir-fries, black beans in burritos, tacos or quesadillas, and lentils like I described earlier. Anyway, if you hate beans, lentils have a bit of a different texture (chewier & meatier, I think), and you might like them.

Also, do you like hard-cooked eggs? Another good snack - you can have them ready in the fridge, or to throw into a salad for lunch. What about peanut butter and an apple or celery as a snack? I buy all-natural peanut butter, so the only ingredient is literally peanuts. It's probably better for your situation then other peanut butter with added sugars since you are shooting for low-carb. Also another good snack would be a handful of almonds or a cheese stick. Or if you like cottage cheese or greek yogurt, I like those too.

Hey all,

Brooke I hope you are feeling better! Sounds like quite the bug. Hope everyone else is well, too.

Well I have not been very focused lately... no excuses, I just don't think I've had motivation to go for it. But I'm tired of that so I have decided to give myself a few firm dates/goals.

First goal is 10 pounds by April 14th. I will see a bunch of extended family that day, and I was thinking how nice it would be to be a bit slimmer by then. That's 7 weeks away, so I think it's doable.

Next goal is an additional 15 pounds by June. I will be taking a trip to Paris and London and would love to be able to wear some of my cuter summer clothes then. At that point, I would be about 5-10 pounds away from my goal (honestly I would be happy with 25 total lost).

I guess I'm just tired of this weight loss dragging out. I want to get my butt in gear and change my habits for good. In order to do this, I think I'm going to have to start tracking calories again (it really works for me) AND waking up in the mornings to work out. I have never been good at waking up early, but now that it is getting light out earlier I'm going to go for it. If I can workout in the mornings, then I don't have to worry about it later that day. I can just go get a half hour of ellliptical in and then shower and go about my day. I did that in college and loved my shape. So it's really just getting up maybe 45 minutes early, not too bad.

I know what I'm supposed to do (move more and eat nutritious whole foods), so why is it so hard? No excuses this time.

Oh, one other thing I need to start doing is limiting my alcoholic beverages to 1-2 drinks (maybe a glass of wine if we are having a nice dinner). I think the way to do that is just to track it along with my food. Those wine calories add up!!!

Hey everyone,

So after losing 2.5 pounds the first week, I am not posting any loss for the second week. That weekend away set me back, I think. Why is it always two steps forward, one step back for me? Meh.

I'm hoping to get back to my pre-holiday weight and then some this upcoming week. 1.5 pounds (plus) required for that. I will keep you posted.

I did discover a new snack to share with you all that is about 85 calories. It's 1/2 cup of Fage 0% yogurt with about 1/4 cup of berries. I thaw frozen unsweetened berries in the fridge in a plastic container, then add some of the thawed berries and their juices to the yogurt right before I eat it, and mix it in so it turns nice and pink. I've used strawberries, rasperries, or blueberries. It's nice because there is no added sugar (except for natural sugar in the berries), along with the 11.5 grams of protein from the yogurt. WAY better than those pre-packaged yogurts with fruit mixed in (AKA also added sugars/corn syrup!). Also, I think by the time you buy a large container of greek yogurt (about 2 cups) and a bag of frozen berries, it's about the same cost as 4 single serving yogurts. Could also top with a tablespoon of slivered almonds for some crunch or to make it like a parfait.

I also bought some almond butter to put on apples as a snack. I haven't tried it yet, but will let you know how it is.

Almonds are supposed to be great for inflammation, so I'm trying to sneak in a few servings a week. My other goal is to eat more fish!

Brooke, to me is sounds like that guy is wanting to impress you, and will say what he thinks you want to hear (positive about women's lib, etc.). However, if contradictory things are sneaking out, I would wonder if he was being totally honest with you or himself. There is nothing wrong with him wanting a women to come to him, as long as he is upfront about it. Also, he may not know exactly what he wants, either. Maybe he can see benefits to both sides (the woman breadwinner vs. the man breadwinner), but was brought up to think a different way and is struggling with that. Either way, I wouldn't automatically stop seeing him over it, but would keep an eye on the situation to make sure he isn't misrepresenting himself on purpose. Good luck!

Hey all,

Well, I had a very fun weekend, but did not eat so well. We just ate out a LOT. Mexican (quesadilla), Wendy's (hald salad + grilled chicken wrap), pub food (turkey burger + split a order of fries). I tried to make better choices (except for the quesadilla), but I'm up 3 pounds! I'm thinking it's got to be some water weight from all the sodium... Blech. So today I am back on track, drinking lots of water, fruits and vegetables. I was on track to lose 0.5 pounds this week, but we'll see where I'm at tomorrow. :cool: I'm planning on working out tonight (elliptical).

Kim, so sorry to hear about your loss. Sometimes life gets in the way of all our diet plans. Our thoughts are with you.

Brooke, even though you had a lot of temptations yesterday, good job on just finishing up the day with cereal for dinner! That's a good trick for the times we have heavy lunches, etc.

This morning I got up early and put some mini potatoes, carrots, and onions in the crock pot along with a pork loin that I marinaded with garlic, dijon, olive oil, a splash of apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. It will cook on low for about 9 hours. Yum! I hope it is tasty. It's a little bit of work prepping everything, but at least dinner will be done when I get home. Amd we'll have lots of leftovers.

We still haven't booked a spring getaway trip. For some reason I'm having a hard time committing. Not sure why since I usually get so excited to book things. I think the problem is that we just can't decide where we want to go. This fall is our 5th wedding anniversary so I really want to go on a neat trip for that... so we're debating on just saving up for that, so we can have a big trip before we start thinking about (gulp) having kids soon.

Have a great day everyone!

Hey everyone,

Well it's been a week since I started tracking food again, and I'm down 2.5 pounds!!! Woo! I've made sure that I am exercising every day, no matter what. If I don't get to the gym, I am doing situps/handweights at night while I watch TV. Besides that I've done a mixture of the elliptical or biking at the gym or walking (like 2-3 miles) while out and about.

Today we are getting lunch provided at work. I think we are getting Burrito Beach (similar to Chipotle). They usually cut the burritos in half and provide chips and salsa. People usually take two halves, but I think I might do a half burrito (vegetarian if they have it), and a small number of chips (5 to 6) and maybe 2 tablespoons fo guacamole. And lots of water because their chips are very salty! For dinner tonight, I might just make a sandwich since I'm not having that for lunch. I've been doing 2 slices of sprouted whole grain bread, toasted (60 calories each), spreading with one triangle of Laughing Cow cheese (35 cals), and 2 oz of turkey breast. Of course lettuce and tomato too. That whole sandwich is very filling yet still pretty low cal. With grapes or an apple w/peanut butter, it's been a good lunch.

Brooke, sounds like you are on a roll, too! How is everyone else doing? It's really funny, no matter what else I do, if I go back to counting every calorie and exercising, I do end up losing weight... although counting calories is such a pain!

P.S. Wanted to add... this is 2.5 pounds from my post-holiday weight, during which I gained 3 pounds. :( So I'm still 0.5 pounds away from "really" losing)

Brooke, if the Ranch at DQ isn't up to your par, maybe you could buy a bottle of salad dressing at the grocery store (whatever kind you like) and bring it with you to different places? I don't know, just an idea that popped into my head. That way, you know you will like the salad.