AZLisaLou

ohelp, to make my oatmeal packets I get out my ingredients all on the table along with some snack size baggies. I like craisins (1 Tbsp) raisins (1 Tbsp) brown sugar (2 tsp) Stevia (2 tsp), 1/2 c quick oats, dash of cinnamon. I set it up like an assembly line and do 12-15 packets at once. Then, when I want some oatmeal I just grab a snack pack, add 1 c of milk, stir it up and put it in the microwave. You could use water, but I much prefer milk. But you have to be careful to watch it in the microwave. I can put mine in for 2min4sec and not a second longer or it will boil over and make a big mess. Keep an eye on it until you know how long to cook it in your microwave. It makes it so much easier to eat something healthy since I don't have to take out all the ingredients every time. Of course, you could add whatever fruits, nuts or seasonings you would like to suit your tastes.

Mike, I get logged out constantly. So irritating! I wasn't aware that people start losing muscle that quickly after 30. Scary! I really need to get my act together and get over my back strain phobia!

Roxy, I'm so sorry to hear your kitty is sick. I hope she pulls through with a full recovery.

Libby, I hope you felt better after going back to bed for a while!

Debbie, you are so right that the weight loss industry is just out there to make a buck (or billion). There is no magic pill or one answer for every person.

Well, today didn't go as planned. It started of mediocre this morning. I had the last scoop of leftover dinner from last night (rice, chicken, some cheese, black beans, tomatoes, seasonings...chicken burrito bowl), but I didn't calculate the recipe so I don't know how many calories were in it. It wasn't that much, and after I was still feeling soooo hungry. I had some plain rice with a pat of butter. Then, in the afternoon I intended to have an atkins shake, but my daughter had a softball game right after school that lasts a couple hours and my atkins shakes make me pee something fierce. I know I wouldn't have been able to make it through the game. I had no backup plan and so I got a pkg of poptarts.

Then I was planning on having pork roast with some potatoes for dinner, but stupid me forgot to put it in the crock pot this morning. After Sara's game it would have been about 7:30 before I would have had dinner done so we went through the burger king drive thru. 2 whopper jr.s and a value fry later, I was still hungry (! ) and resorted to the last pkg of poptarts.

I'm so far over my calories goal. I know I said I wasn't going to focus on the numbers right now, but I did a terrible job of making any wise decisions today and there was nothing redeeming about my day. i know I'll get hungry around bedtime too and will find something else to eat then. *heavy sigh*

The only thing I did do right is that I logged what I intended for the day ahead of time, but I just didn't make wise substitutions.

Tomorrow is a new day. And, ugh, it's weigh in day. I'm not looking forward to that! Have a good night, all!

Mern

Debbie, I'm just giving you the credit you deserve. I hope we can do something to keep you motivated should you stumble. So sorry about your sore butt bones, too! Ouchie!!! But you are so right to keep in mind that no matter what the scale reads tomorrow, you'll know you're doing what you need to do. As a pro in exercise, you remember that sometimes when we push ourselves hard, we sometimes gain water weight because our muscles temporarily retain water as a measure of self-protection and when they get used to the increased intensity of exercise, they'll let it go. I promise not to snatch your blackberries. I'm looking forward to our first Easter Challenge weigh-in tomorrow.

Lisa, wow, that chicken burrito bowl sounds great--I could low carb that by using black soybeans in place of the black beans, and rehydrated textured veggie protein for the rice. I wonder what's in the Atkins shakes that make you have to pee? Aw, so sorry about your dinner plans going awry! BK does have a good grilled chicken. But in your defense, it certainly doesn't taste like a Whopper. Put it behind you-- as you already stated, tomorrow is another day--another clean slate. OK, you are so WISE. In this quest for better health we NEED to give ourselves credit for each accomplishment--and pre-logging your food was a WONDERFUL accomplishment, even if you were unable to stick to your plan. So kudos on that!

rainbow24

I realized that I didn't set my goals this week. I'm not doing well.

At least that is my excuse.

So for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, drink my water, eat my veggies, and walk.

The grandchildren were only partly mine, the other three belonged to someone else. When it comes to my grandkids, there are allergies involved. Cookies are usually a no-go because of eggs, dairy, and gluten. These cookies were safe oat cookies. They still have the sugar though.

bdukes2962

The holidays have been brutal to a lot of people including myself - diet, eating and health-wise - mostly because of the drinking. Now that things are back to normal-mode, meaning no drinking - then, it is easier to go back to water, water, water! We can do this guys!

AZLisaLou

I'm off to a much better start today. I woke up cold and hungry, and I grabbed the right thing...oatmeal packet! It tasted super good, warmed me up, but I'm still a little hungry. I'll stick it out. I also remembered to put the roast in the crock pot this morning so we'll have a high protein, healthy dinner tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to make good choices today and don't get any monkey wrenches thrown in.

Have a good day all!

rainbow24

One of my biggest problems is that the oatmeal doesn't satisfy me. I had oatmeal yesterday. A double serving! By mid morning my stomach was growling like I had skipped breakfast altogether.
I mixed up my flour mix last night so today I am having a waffle for breakfast. Same calories, longer burn.

lildebbieg

TGIF!!!

This has been a tough week getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, so I'm so thankful it's finally Friday! I was up before work again today for a 30 minute cardio interval workout. I'm so porud of myself for setting myintentions and sticking to them this week...now the weekend where I (and most others) struggle. I'm trying a new recipe tonight from skinnytaste.com It's her salisbury steak recipe and I'll serve it up with some homemade russet potato fries. Feels indulgent, but still comes in a healthy in my books. I love trying new recipes and I'm happy I feel inspired again to try new ones! I was in a real cooking/food slump for a long while which I know contributes to me gaining weight.

Lisa - It's tough getting back on track (I completely get this...I've been trying to get back on track for months!), so give yourself a break. Like Mern said, the fact that you had a plan yesterday is a great step! My suggestion would be make a plan for those days when monkey wrenches are flying! Look ahead at the nutritional value on the menus of the fast food restaurants you go to so you know what the best choices are. Think about what is quick to pick up at the grocery store that requires no prepping like a banana (me with the bananas again! ), some presliced cheese and deli meat, boiled and peeled eggs. Or find a good healthy granola bar (Kashi is usually a good choice) and keep them stashed in your purse or car so you have something quick to eat to tide you over. Just like your oatmeal packets...it's planning ahead to make things easier. So glad to hear your day is starting out better today! You'll build up that momentum again that use to propel you in the right direction. I think it just takes small steps and before you know it, your off to the races again!

Annette - I've never actually tried cooking waffles from scratch. I've looked at the waffle iron at the store and it just looks like it has so much potential to stick and become a real mess! LOL! Am I wrong...it's not difficult or a sticky mess? Maybe I'll consider it again

bdukes2962 - Welcome! Yes the holidays are tough for sure! Good thing there isn't another one for a while! LOL!

Mern - Yes, I know the muscles can store water when getting back into a regualr exercise program...I think I was bracing myself for that! Lucky for me the scale actually moved in the right direction this morning, so I guess I'm not retaining too much water. I'm bound and determined to get back to where I was though, soI won't let the scale discourage me. I remember telling myself last year to trust the process. If I'm being honest with myself and eating well, tracking portion sizes, exercising regularly, the weight will come off. Some weeks more, some weeks less...some weeks there's even a gain....but I know if I'm being honest then the results will follow. Just have to trust the process

Later peeps

quinnesec

Good Morning All!

Just dropping in quickly to say "hi"! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and New Year's Eve. It's still "Christmas" here, unfortunately, as daughter and her friends won't be going back to university until this weekend. Yes, a one month long Christmas break. Ugh. I shouldn't complain. It was wonderful to have all of "my ducklings" (as I call all of her high school friends who grew up at our home) back for hugs, dinners and laughs. And, for the first time, she will not be home this summer but away in Africa, so I really do enjoy our time together.

Food and weight... Well, I lost 12 lbs. between Halloween and Christmas getting me back to maintenance weight. I gave myself permission to eat what I wanted over the holidays (within moderation) and gained 4-5 lbs. back, but not a big deal. I think the thing that saved me was a wisdom tooth that became a problem that I had corrected 2 days ago. Now, with a sore mouth after the dental procedure, I'm still limited to soft foods but trying to keep them healthy.

Will be sending the last of the unhealthy foods back to college tomorrow with my daughter. =)

Glad to see so many back and ready to get to work!

Mike, Packer game this weekend! With my sore mouth, I will probably be omitting the snacks and replacing them with a fine bottle of red. Haha! I almost forgot that it's King's Cake time! It wouldn't be safe in my house either!

Have a wonderful day, all!

rainbow24

Debbie,

The first time I tried gluten free waffles it stuck like crazy. But then it didn't help that my granddaughter is also allergic to dairy (butter and margarine) and couldn't have many oils at the time. I now have a Pam like spray made with olive oil. I just give it a little spray before each waffle. No problem since most mornings it's just for me anyway.

This morning we are out of milk, so I am using yogurt. I have leftover cranberry sauce, so I will use that as well.
The other day I made a garlic waffle for lunch, so I need to wipe it out good before I cook a breakfast one.

lildebbieg

I'll have to give it a try then! My kids love waffles so I would love to find a way to make a healthier version for them from scratch instead of store bought. My aunt has a sugar bush so we usually have good quality pure maple syrup, so that's a plus. I would have never thought to make savory garlic waffles! How did you eat them...or what did you serve with them?