Theresa, so glad to hear from you! Hope you feel better soon!!

I am having fun with food right now. I found out we can have imitation crab so I am quite happy about that. For me I am really trying hard to not eat to much high cholesterol types of foods and imi crab is a good substitute for me.

I found another woman who has been on Julie's program since June and she has gone from a size 20 to a size 6/8. I have been messaging her on face book. It really helps to be in contact with people who are living like this also! VERY encouraging to me!!

Chopped ham and pickle with some mayo and pickle juice has been a great standby for me. Deviled eggs a great snack or even a meal. I find I am not having really meals anymore, when I am hungry I eat, and it usually doesn't take to much to fill me anymore. Though I think I may be at a plateau right now. I do not feel like I am loosing weight at this moment. I don't like this feeling. I hope this passes soon. Theresa have you hit those plateaus? How long do they last on average?

January 04, 2012

While in DC, I didn't have much time to write. Now that I'm home, I'm sick with a wicked cold and I've been in bed the past two days.

I will blog once I am better. Meanwhile, I would love to hear from you folks.

Congrats Linda on your great success! Sorry I wasn't able to write to you before you left, but it sounds like you were able to find foods to travel with.

Theresa

January 03, 2012

Where is everyone???

January 03, 2012

Back home from Amish country Ohio and am thrilled with how I did on vacation and the holidays! For once I do not have to repair damage done with trying to stick to a weight loss program or a total binge for the holidays!

Does anyone else feel this free? It is amazing to me. I also discovered wasabi peas. They are dried green peas with wasabi on them. VERY hot but crunchy. No way you can over eat with them. I had them in the car with some beef jerky and was quite happy! <We are not allowed dried foods on this program. Wasabi peas are not on program. I learned this the hard way. - Theresa>

Now that the new year is here, and by the way, Happy New Year everyone, it's time to start getting in some exercise. I have Richard Simmons tapes, so I will be dragging them out of their hibernation and starting Tuesday I will do them. Yes, I have to start Tuesday when life gets back into its normal routine.

Don't laugh, I LOVE Richard, and believe it or not, he is a friend of mine. He has been very supportive but very frustrated with me and my weight loss efforts. Have not told him about this program because I don't want him to think it is another crazy thing I am doing. Cant wait to hit him with some pictures as I really get going with this. I have gone from a size 22/24 to a size 20 at this point after 9 weeks. Is this possible?

How are you all doing? I am hoping people really start posting on here, as I need the support of others doing this and hopefully ideas and recipes as Theresa has put in her blog description. IS ANYONE OUT THERE. Where are all of you!!

Have a good day!!

Hope to read some posts soon,
Linda

January 01, 2012

I am loving this new way to eat! I am in control and am actually loosing weight. I have no problem not weighing myself as that had become quite an obsession with me. One thing I can not remember is why do vegetables turn to fat if you do not eat equal amounts of meat or more meat than veggies? And I am looking for some portable protein ideas. We are leaving in a few hours for a 10 hour drive to Ohio and am trying to come up with meat to have with me for when I actually get hungry. It will be interesting to be in a car that long and not be constantly munching. I am a little worried about meals as we will be with relatives who have no weight problems, but I am planning ahead the best I can. Any ideas or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciate!!! Thanks! Linda

December 27, 2011

OH MY WORD, it worked!!!!

When you sign into the google blog sign in, go to this blog, then up in the right hand corner of page it says new post.

That is what worked for me!!!!

December 27, 2011

My Florida vacation is behind me and I thought I'd take a few minutes to reflect back on my food choices. As I mentioned, parties were difficult, and the holidays are not yet over. The Christmas dinner menu hasn't been set yet, but I will make sure I have my protein needs met ahead of time by asking more details about dinner.

Since I've been home, I've continued to eat dried carrots and dried veggies; a whole container at a time. I do not recommend eating the dried veggies I wrote about recently. I end up eating a whole container, which add up to a lot of calories and feels like eating out of control. Anything that makes me feel out of control is not good.

I'm hesitant about ingredient dexitrin, which is used to make things crisp. I did some research and I found that dexitrin products made in the US are made with corn and not wheat like other countries. This is good, but unless you contact the supplier, it's impossible to know where the product was made. I couldn't find enough details about the corn to satisfy me - are we talking about real corn or corn products, such as corn syrup? My guess is the later. In any case, I'm going to drop them from my food options.

I'm also eating too much cheese. Cheese is to be treated like a condiment.

I'm eating a lot of meat and drinking lots of water, but I feel slightly off-balance and I don't want to end up way off track. To keep me on track, I have an appointment to see Julie early in January. After my last session with Julie, I decided I would go back in a year, unless I felt I was headed for trouble. I am confident I can pull myself back on course, but asking for help is a good idea too.

Making the decision to see Julie in January, does not give me license to do as I please between now and then. I've heard others in group "confess" they ate this and that because they knew they were going back in for a session. I want to work out this grey area that I'm in on my own, so that I will learn how to do this, but having a backup plan for reinforcement works for me too.

BTW, I added a few photos to my postings from Florida, so go back and take a look.

December 19, 2011

At my last group session with Julie, there were a number of people who had been on vacation and couldn't get back "on program". Julie suggested ways to be on vacation and explore the foods of the area you're visiting: start with starches, such as a potato, skip a day, then have another starch; don't start with sugars and don't have sugar every day. Then, get back "on program" as soon as you are on your way home. She gave more details, but I immediately decided that advise was for people who are at their goal weight and not for me. I have a long way to go to reach my goal weight and I don't want to start messing with sugars until I'm there. Julie agreed.

Those in the group who who home from their vacation and had been struggling getting back on program, she prescribed 3-days of meats, and after that go back to the full program.

On my way home from the airport last night, I stopped at the grocery store and bought a few staples: meatloaf, chicken, coleslaw, and milk. Breakfast this morning consisted of meatloaf and a nice cup of coffee topped with foamy milk. I make a better meatloaf, but I wanted to have a good amount of ready-to-eat meats available and I knew I wasn't going to cook last night or this morning.

Thanks for your supportive feedback Linda; I do feel good about the choices I made during my vacation. And you are right - the week ahead will continue to challenge us, at the office and at gatherings with friends and family.

I was so focused on the bird in the
background, I didn't see the one in the foreground.

This was my birthday breakfast: blue crab omelet.

December 17, 2011