Hi All! Happy New Year!!!! I hope y'all enjoyed your holidays and are ready for a new start. Good to "see" you guys again!! Thank you for starting us, Debbie.

1) No sugar or sweeteners
2) No dairy
3) Weigh myself one time this week max
4) one mindful meal a day minimum where I not only focus on what I eat but while I am eating (no tv, reading, talking)
5) acceptance of myself and others (sorta like Debbies's goal)

Annette, today I'm making what we call a "stoup", as American TV cook Rachel Ray calls it. It's a cross between a soup and a stew.

The ingredients for my chicken "stoup" today will be:
-- leftover boneless, skinless baked chicken and the little bit of meat juices
-- leftover asparagus, green beans and broccoli with the juices from cooking them.
--fresh cooked low digestible carb pasta (Dreamfields brand in the USA)
--jarred (store bought) low carb roasted red pepper Alfredo sauce used just as a thickener for the meat and veggie juices, not as a sauce itself.

Mike, hi and welcome back. Wow, wonderful goals! That should give your scale a big boost downward this week.!

Debbie, thanks for your candor. Not that misery loves company or anything like that, but it's comforting to know I'm not alone in regaining. But together, we can lick this regain and get healthier.

Bea, how fun that you're planning on entering the Scrabble Tournament in July. Best wishes on your goals. :)

Hope!!! Delighted to see you back! Best wishes on your goals. :)

Hi Hope!

I am a huge fan of "stoup" myself, though I didn't know there was a name for it.

Hi all. I nearly regained all my weight that I worked so hard to lose in 2013.
Last year was a hard one for a lot of us with medical issues making it tough to lose or even maintain weight. My problems have been resolved and I am ready to work at getting the weight off again and for good this year. I am glad that we can be supportive of each other here in this place. Lets make 2015 the best year ever.

Not exactly what I had in mind....but pick your poison! LOL! ;)

My posts are showing up all over the place too!?!

So nice to see many of the 'old crew' showing up today :) Hope others join in again too!

Hope - Hey there! Good to see you posting! How are you feeling lately with the fibro? Are the winter months harder on you than the warmer months?

Libby - Glad to hear you got health issues resolved/under control! Are you planning to add exercise back into your routine? I remember you were losing well when you were walking and doing weighted exercises....as was I! ;)

Mern - Great use of your leftovers! I'm sure I told you about my favourite sites for recipes...but in case I didn't or you forgot...here is a good low carb one and another goldmine for low calorie!

Bea - I remember your scrabble tournament trip to New Orleans! Sounded like a fun trip for you! Glad to hear you're still enjoying Scrabble and incorporating it into your goals!

Mern, Thanks for the welcome back!

Debbie, I'll try to be good.

Is anyone up for a challenge? No challenge in particular. I figured between us we could think up something to keep us all focused.

Hi Mike! We have an Easter Challenge started. Please feel free to join in! Libby just upped the ante to not only make it an individual challenge but also a group challenge. Should be fun!

I'll check it out.