Dec 15th Weigh In

Korene lost 1 1/2 lbs!!!
SHE ROCKS!

Everyone else did.....?
leave a comment and tell us!

Dec 8th Weigh In

Boy, once again I prove to be a slacker! Sorry all!!

This week, Tonya lost 1/2 lb, Korene lost 1.8 lbs and Chantelle lost 1.2 lbs.
Yippeeeee!!!!

Here are Dr Oz's 10 Commandments to lose 10 lbs and his 4 rules to survive the holidays. Check the link to get all the details.

1 - Cut out soda. Period.
2 - stop eating at least 3 hours before bed
3 - Move for 10 minutes each day
4 - Exercise portion control
5 - Weigh yourself every day
6 - Take a vitamin B complex everyday
7 - take African Mango twice daily
8 - Take your vitamins
9 - Recipe reinvention
10 - Conquer your cravings

(Click here for all the details for each step)

How to survive the holidays... tips to NOT gain weight.

1 - Party smart
Don't go to a party starving
Avoid the food pile-up at the holiday buffet
Skip the eggnog

2 - Defeat the sweets
Buy your sweets on the way to the party instead of baking them
Choose only 1 dessert

3 - Eat then shop
Pack a snack

4 - Weigh yourself twice weekly

More info on the holiday tips are on Dr Oz's site after the 10 commandments.

Good luck ladies - Happy Holidays!!!

Dec 1st Weigh In

Well, this week the few who came over either stayed the same or gained a few pounds.

I think everyone's having a few hard weeks...
with Thanksgiving and Christmas comes busy-ness.

I did share a few tips, but will save them for a month or so and share 'em again.

Be sure to either come next Wednesday or check the blog for the tips for that day.

THEY'LL BE GOOD ONES!

I've recently become a "fan" of Doctor Oz. He's shared some great "commandments" for losing weight and a few others for not gaining during the Holidays. Hope you all can make it to hear them :)

Nov 24th Weigh In

Thanks to Korene and Tonya for coming over!!!

Korene lost 1 1/2 lbs this week. (She's lost 15 so far!!!)
Tonya & I both stayed the same.

Today we talked about how to curb those cravings... or a sweet tooth.

Here are a few of my favorite tips...

-Brush your teeth!
-Make a meal plan that includes sweets
-don't skip meals... you don't want your blood sugar to plummet - that leads to cravings & binging.
-don't keep them in your house.
-stay away from sugar substitutes. You'll burn through those calories faster which can cause your blood sugar to drop and create a craving.


Click here for the rest of the list and greater explanation.
(on the left side there are links to more tips on the same subject.)

Have a great Turkey Day everyone... enjoy the yummy food... just don't binge!

Friday's Food Log

I'm back. I know you've missed me...

Breakfast
Strawberry smoothie - 1pt
1/2 bagel - 2 pts
1 T whipped cream cheese - 1pt

Snack
2 cookies - 4pts

Lunch
Sandwich round - 1pt
3 slices deli turkey - 1/2 pt
1 oz colby jack cheese - 3pts
1 1/2 cups skim milk - 2pts

Snack
2 low fat cheese sticks - 2pts

Dinner
3/4 cup white rice - 4pts
3 oz chicken - 3pts
1/2 cup steamed carrots - 1/2 pt
1/2 cup applesauce - 1pt
cookie for dessert :) - 2pts

Total - 27 pts

Nov 17th Weigh In

Well Stacey, Korene & I had a nice visit this morning... we clapped for everyone and missed the rest of you. Here's the losses that I know of:

Korene - 2.5 lbs
Sharla - 1 lb
Tonya - .5 lb
Dawn - 7 lbs since the beginning
Chantelle - .8 lb

We talked about WebMD's 10 painless ways to lose weight list. Click here to read all about them.

We also talked a little about the benefits of protein. Try to eat a little good protein at each meal. It will help you feel full. (This is why crazy diets like Atkins worked... people ate/eat way more protein than their bodies need. They feel more full so eat less food.) Click here to read a little article about that.

Hope you're all doing well! I'll be posting a few days of my food log this week - unless ya'll tell me not to. But I just KNOW that you're dying to hear...

Take care!

Nov 10th Weigh In

As a group we lost 14.2 lbs!
Here's today's numbers -

Angela - 1/2 lb
Chantelle - .6lb
Erin - 4 lbs
Korene - 3 lbs
Michelle - 1 lb
Sharla - 2 1/2 lbs
Sheri - 2.6 lbs

Way to go ladies!!

We missed a few of you this morning - if you want your weight loss posted, let me know.


Today we talked about what's been the hardest for us and what has helped us get through those things - or what others found helpful. Here's a few of those things...

Problem: having enough points left for dinner.
Suggestion: Sharla plans what she's going to do for dinner and how many points it will be, then she knows what she has to use the rest of the day.
If you run out of points at dinner time - or only have a few left - you can always load up on veggies. Skinny Taste has a yummy ratatouille recipe :)
If we want to lose weight, we have to make changes. There's no way around that. Use less points during the day - egg whites instead of eggs. Fiber One yogurt is 0 points. Lower point bread or those Oroweat Sandwich Thins instead of regular bread. Forget the mayo on your sandwich. Switch to skim milk. There's a lot of swapping you can do. Hungry Girl website has some great suggestions for that too.

Problem: always feeling SO hungry.
Suggestion: eat more fiber, it'll fill ya up. If you're exercising be sure to give yourself extra points for it!! You have to feed the fire (your metabolism). Listen to your body. If you're starving... you need to eat something!

Problem: being so busy - gone from home - that it's hard to not go over points.
Suggestion: just keep doing your best lady! Life will calm down soon and you can plan your meals at home. Take plenty of healthy snacks with you.

Problem: eating a whole box of WW Chocolate Cakes or a bunch of mini-candy bars. Or in other words... sabotaging yourself.
Suggestion: .....

In general - I do much better on the program when I exercise. I just feel better so I make better choices. Because I'm having some back issues, I can't do anything high impact (no Jillian Michaels for me) for a while, but I can do a brisk walk on the treadmill or 15 minutes with my hula hoop. Anything helps me feel better. It does take a few days in a row for that "feel good" stuff to kick in for me... but it kicks in :)

If you have any tips/suggestions or concerns, please leave a comment!

My Thursday's Menu

Daily Point Target 32

Breakfast
Bagel = 4pts
2 T reduced fat cream cheese = 2 pts

Snack
Low fat cheese stick = 1 pt

Lunch
Smoothie = 2 pts
green salad w/tomatoes = 0 pts
10 sprays Salad Spritzers, Italian = 0 pts

Snack
Fiber One Oats & Peanut Butter granola bar = 3 pts

Chocolate in one form or another :) 8 pts

Dinner
Lord of the Onion Rings = 1 pt
celery & salad = 0 pt
Fiber 1 Apple Cinnamon muffin = 4pts

Bedtime Snack
Fiber 1 Apple Cinnamon muffin = 4pts

Daily Point total = 29 pts

"Lord of the Onion Rings"

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 155 calories, 1g fat, 515mg sodium, 41g carbs, 16g fiber, 7g sugars, 9g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

Originally, we were pretty laid back about the amount of spices in this recipe. These days, we're not taking any chances. No one likes under-seasoned onion rings...


Ingredients:
1 large onion
1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. onion powder, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. salt, or more to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the ends off the onion and remove its outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2-inch-wide slices, and separate into rings. Set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Season the crumbs with spices and transfer to a plate.

Fill a small bowl with egg substitute. Prepare a baking sheet (or two, if you have a lot of rings) by spraying with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Pop-Up Tip! For this next step, try using tongs or a fork to dip the rings into the egg substitute and cereal crumbs -- it'll keep your fingers from getting eggy & crumb-covered. (Don't pierce the rings with the fork; just balance them on it.)

One at a time, dunk each ring in egg substitute, give it a shake to remove any excess, and then coat it in the seasoned crumbs. Evenly place rings on the baking sheet(s).

Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, carefully flipping rings over about halfway through. Enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING

HG FYI! You'll only need about 1/4 cup egg substitute to coat your rings, but using 1/2 cup makes it soooo much easier.

*recipe taken from Hungry-Girl website

A New Link

I've just been looking over the Hungry Girl website (Michelle mentioned her yummy onion ring recipe... SHARE PLEASE!). It's a pretty great site!!

Click here to look yourself. It's also added to the link list on the left.

1 Point Fruit Salad

1 small pkg sugar free vanilla pudding mix
1 lg can crushed pineapple
1 small tub (8oz) fat free cool whip, defrosted
Any fruits you'd like
1/2 bag mini-marshmallows

Mix the pudding and pineapple together.
Fold in the cool whip.
Add your fruit and marshmallows.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

1 cup = 1 point

I usually forget the marshmallows... :)
My fave fruits to add are: bananas & strawberries (every time)
Then I've used either mandarin oranges or raspberries & blackberries. You can do grapes, apples, kiwi etc.... whatever makes you smile.

Glorious Water

There are many reasons why it is important to drink water, especially if you are dieting:

• Initial weight loss is largely due to loss of water, and you need to drink an adequate amount of water in order to avoid dehydration.
• The process of burning calories requires an adequate supply of water in order to function efficiently; dehydration slows down the fat-burning process.
• Burning calories creates toxins (think of the exhaust coming out of your car), and water plays a vital role in flushing them out of your body.
• Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume; a reduction in blood volume causes a reduction in the supply of oxygen to your muscles; and a reduction in the supply of oxygen to your muscles can make you feel tired.
• Water helps maintain muscle tone by assisting muscles in their ability to contract, and it lubricates your joints. Proper hydration can help reduce muscle and joint soreness when exercising.
• A healthy (weight loss) diet includes a good amount of fiber. But while fiber is normally helpful to your digestive system, without adequate fluids it can cause constipation instead of helping to eliminate it.
• Drinking water with a meal may make you feel full sooner and therefore satisfied eating less. Note, however, that drinking water alone may not have this effect. In order to feel satiated (not hungry), our bodies need bulk, calories and nutrients.
• Water is a natural appetite suppressant . Do NOT underestimate the power of this statement. Lack of water can lead to over eating. You brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, when you think you are feeling hungry, your body may in fact be signaling to you that you are thirsty! If you are not consuming enough water each day and you feel hunger pains, chances are, your body really is crying out for water.

Health benefits of drinking water

· regulate appetite

· increase metabolism

· boost energy levels

· less water retention

· alleviate some headaches

· help reduce blood pressure

· help reduce high cholesterol

· ease joint pain

· decrease in risk of some cancers

· less chance developing kidney stones

· release toxic waste products

· improves skin

How do you know if you are not getting enough water each day? This is a really important question because so many of us have deprived ourselves of water for years that we have become accustomed to doing without the full amount of water our body requires and we don't recognize the symptoms of thirst.

• The most common symptom is headaches. A major function of water is to flush toxins from the body. Your brain is 75% water, so even being slightly dehydrated can cause headaches.
• Poor concentration/fatigue. If you body can't get rid of the toxins it will struggle and you will feel less energetic as your body diverts energy to deal with the toxins.
• Constipation. Your body will divert water to more essential functions and as a result your stools will be harder and more difficult to expel.
• Reduced urine output or dark urine. Did you know that up to 200 litres of water is passed through your kidneys daily? Without a fresh supply of water for the kidneys to filter waste products out of the blood, your urine will become darker.
• Furry tongue or bad breath. If you don't have enough water passing through the mouth to wash away food particles, bacteria can proliferate and result in that 'furry' feeling or bad breath.
• Skin. Your skin should feel elastic. When you pinch the skin on the back of your hand it should snap back instantly

Tips on Drinking Water

• Drinking other liquids also provides your body with a source of water, but note that diuretics cause your body to expel water. Diuretics include caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea and soda) and alcohol. When drinking diuretics, drink more water to compensate.

When drinking alcohol, drinking water along with it as well as before and afterward may eliminate a hangover headache and feeling of tiredness. The water is optional; driving is not.

When you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Try to avoid this situation by drinking in advance. Be especially careful when participating in activities where you won't be able to stop to get caught up.

Nov 3rd Weigh In

First, let me just say
GREAT JOB LADIES!!!!

As a group, we lost 25.7 lbs!
(in Alphabetical order, here's our individual numbers...)


Angela -1.5 lbs
Challene -3 lbs
Chantelle -2 lbs
Korene -8.6 lbs
Michelle -7 lbs
Sheri -2.6 lbs
Tonya -1 lb


WAHOO! We're on our way. Keep it up. Call or comment if you have questions. Check back later today for the tips from our meeting this morning.

My Monday's Menu

Sorry I didn't post anything all weekend... I'm sure you can all guess how my eating went :)

Daily Point Target 27
(Yes, it's different from previous days.. I'll explain why in a few weeks...)

Breakfast (5 pts)
scrambled eggs (1 whole egg + 2 egg whites) = 2 pts
salsa = 0 pts
1 slice Wonder soft 100% whole wheat toast, plain = 1 pt
1 cup 100% unsweetened grapefruit juice = 2 pts

Lunch (1 1/2 pts)
Yoplait smoothie

Snack (7 pts)
bagel 5 pts
2 T 1/3 fat cream cheese 2 pts

Dinner (8 pts)
3 oz Mexican Chicken (chicken + salsa + garlic = yummy!) 3 pts
1 0z colby jack cheese 3 pts
1/2 cup canned peaches 2 pts
... ("unsweetened" would be 1 pt, but these were canned by my mother-in-law and I'm sure she put sugar in with them. So, I guesstimated that it's an extra point.)

Total points used today = 21.5

HOWEVER... I did have more than 2 or 3 or 4 mini candy bars from the Halloween stash, so I figure I probably went over points. :( Darn Halloween candy!!! Why do I have no control?????

Hope you all did better than me. How's it going?

My Thursday's Menu

Target Points = 32

Breakfast
1 1/2 cups Honey Bunches of Oats w/ Almonds = 4 pts
3/4 cup skim milk = 1 pt

Snack
1 large apple = 2 pts
2 T peanut butter = 5 pts

Lunch
McDonald's plain kids' hamburger = 6 pts (can I just say... yuck!)

Dinner
1 cup Mac N Cheese... aka... Orange Death = 9 pts
1 cup grapes = 1 pt
(Pete was working late so I made the kids happy. No picture 'cuz I figure you all know what this creamy goodness that adds beauty to my butt looks like.)

Snack
2 mini candy bars = 4 pts
(darn Halloween candy!!!)

Total points for the day 32

My Wednesday's Menu

Okie Dokie Ladies... you asked for it :) Here's what I ate yesterday... please don't judge me! ;)

(remember, I have 10 extra points for nursing.)

Daily Point target: 32

Breakfast
Fiber One yogurt = 0 pts
Nature Valley Granola Thins = 2 pts

Snack
1/2 mini bagel =1 pt
1 T 1/3 fat cream cheese = 1 pt

Lunch
PB & Honey sandwich (6pts)
2 slices Wonder 100% Soft Whole Wheat Bread = 2 pts
1 T + a titch peanut butter = 3 pts
< 1 T honey = 1 pt
5 raw carrots = 0

Snack
PB & Honey sandwich.... again... (6pts)

Snack
3 of these yummy things... I have little control... 3pts

Chocolate Crème Cake 1 POINTS® value per cake Rich and satisfying, these snack cakes have a great new taste including a decadent cream filled center that delivers a cocoa flavor

Dinner
1/2 c white rice = 2pts
1 c chicken stir fry (chicken, red peppers, onion, a bit of BBQ sauce) 2 pts
1/4 fresh pear = < 1/2 point

So far my total for the day is 24 points. Since I have orchestra and a bunch of points left over (weird...), I have a yummy chocolaty treat for 6pts on the way home.

Wednesdays Point total = 30
Yesterday was kind of a weird day for me though... not sure how I ate so much chocolate and was still OK on my points. :)

At dinner, I first put one serving of rice on my plate (1 cup) then the stir fry. I took a picture. Then I removed half the rice. It was WAY too much!!! The lesson? Don't force yourself to eat everything on your plate! Eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied. If you were here yesterday, remember to "eat painstakingly slow!"


Please leave a comment and tell us all how you did yesterday!

Welcome Hot Ladies!

Changing our weights... changing our habits... changing how we feel about ourselves... can seem like a pretty big mountain to climb. But of course, if we break it down to one step at a time and keep going, we'll make it to the top of that thing. It's also easier to climb when we have company. The only time you'll be alone on this journey is when you close your eyes to the support offered you. We're all doing this together.

One thing on my To Do list for this week is to make a motivation list. Click here to read a fabulous article about such a list. I challenge you all to do this with me. :)

It's all about feeling good about ourselves and being healthy. Loving the way we look and the way we live. Loving who we are and knowing that we have a lot to give our families and this world. Getting my brain and heart to accept that and live it... that's harder to do than to say. But, it can be done. It will be done.

Enough sappy stuff already!!! Here's the tips shared at the first meeting.

Write EVERYTHING down!
Use a food scale
Measure your food - get the proper portion size
Drink your water
Exercise
Take your Point Slider to the grocery store with you.

Food tips:
1 cup skim milk = 2 points
3/4 cup skim milk= 1 point
use low calorie bread (45 calories a slice, higher in fiber) for 1 point instead of 2 points for regular bread