WAHOO! I just joined Weight Watchers...I am going to use the Flex program...Anyone ever use Weight Watchers? How was the program? I am looking to lose about 15-20lbs and then I will work out in my sisters apt downstairs...Since they have a BoFlex and a treadmill :)

LOOK OUT SUMMER TIME!!! :)

Good Luck to you all!!

XoXoXo
Fran

Good for you, Fran!
 

Weight Watchers is an excellent diet program, but that's what it is; a program. If you can USE what you learn in WW to influence how you eat every day for the rest of your life, then you have changed your eating LIFESTYLE.

That is what we are doing here! Changing our lives because we are changing our eating habits. Not just temporarily. Not as a fad. Not because we are paying someone money for prepacked foods or dues for programs to have them help us to lose weight. I am not saying paying for a program is a bad thing...Some people do need to enroll in programs because they need more motivation in the group session and counselors and professionals to guide them along.

We are changing our eating habits independently because we know we should to stay healthy, have great energy, and stay strong. That is exactly what we are doing here! We have our own little group where we are supporting one another. And it's FREE! :D And hopefully we will learn to be healthy eaters forever.

Good luck to you, Fran! Hope WW works for you!

Club Members: please PM me your email address
 

Reminder To Official Club Members Only: (Those who have provided their beginning statistics)

Everyone who would like to privately be part of the Club Progress Report weekly email update, please PM me your email address.

As stated previously, I would like to give everyone the opportunity to either report in public to celebrate your successes or report via PM and only the club members will be emailed the results. (Public reports will also become a part of the Club Progess Report chart)

It will be fun to see how each of us are doing, and to keep track of our Club overall loss! That's the number I think will be the most fun! :D

Hope everyone is doing well with this!! Remember if you have questions or challenges, I am here for you!! We all are!

And it's NEVER too late!!
 

Just because you did not start with us, doesn't mean you can't climb aboard!! If you want to come into the Club, please either pm me or post your beginning stats:

Age
Current weight
Height
Goal weight
email address (you should probably PM me this so it doesn't go out to the world)

You will be added to the Club Progress Report.

If there are folks out there who are interested and want to just anonomously follow along, that's just fine! You don't have to post, just think about your eating habits and maybe make some small changes for the better!

WELCOME to everyone who has JOINED THE CLUB! Remember, READ YOUR LABELS! :D

Does anyone have any tips for when we eat out? I tend to eat out a lot and want to be able to stay on track. My birthday is Friday and have several friends that want to take me to dinner. Any suggestions? I already know that the birthday cake is out ;)

Eating out can be HEALTHY and FUN!
 

Jen, you can always find healthy choices when you eat out in a restaurant.

1.Go with baked or broiled food, not fried.
2. Try to stay away from foods containing high amounts of saturated fats. (cheese sauces, red meats, butter, sour cream)
3. Get a veggie salad with low fat or fat free dressing and eat the whole thing. Try to avoid high fat toppings such as cheese, eggs, bacon bits.
4. Drink lots of water, no sugar soft drinks, lemonade, or sweet tea. Diet drinks are OK.
5. Ask for a to go container to be brought to you with your entree. Cut your entree in half, put one half of it in the container and close it. VOILA! You have lunch for tomorrow!
6. Don't be afraid to ask how something is prepared and request if they can do it differently for you. You would be amazed how many people are making healthy requests now. Restaurants are becoming acustomed to this and are good about making healthy substitutions.
7. BIRTHDAY CAKE IS FINE!! Girl, it's your BIRTHDAY! Do not deprive yourself of the most important part of the celebration! DON'T eat half the cake though, lol, a small piece is fine. Chew it slowly and relish it deeply!

Happy BIRTHDAY in advance, Jen!! :birthday2 ENJOY!

If anyone else has any more to add, go for it!

That's good advice for eating out. That's always my big problem!

im in
140
5/6
i have two kids whane to get back to my original wieght 117-120

ok how much is to much sodium?what is to high please let me know

Recipes for CAKE!! This is for you, Villette!
 

Hope everyone is doing really well in your committment to change your eating habits! I am so excited by all the PMs I have gotten, and the excitement people are showing about changing their lives by changing how they eat! You guys give me GOOSEBUMPS!

Jen's having a birthday this week, and actually so am I! I thought it would be appropriate to give you a couple healthier cake options. Keep in mind that although these confections are "healthy", they will still provide calories, so make sure you SHARE your cake and try to limit your own portion(s) :D .

Fruity Angel Food
Ingredients:
1 Angel Food Cake
2 cups fresh or frozen berries of your choice (I use a bag of frozen mixed fruit: peaches, strawberries, and blueberries)
1 container Fat Free Cool Whip
***********************************
Prepare ahead so berry juice has time to soak in!

Either make your own Angel Food cake, or purchase one at your local grocery store. Although I am sure you will find this correct, read your label and find a fat free cake. (egg whites only)

Clean or thaw and slice berries. If using fresh tart berries, stir in 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons Splenda

Cut a 1 inch deep channel in the top of the cake with a sharp knife. Cut the cake that came from the channel into small pieces and mix with the fruit. Fill the channel with the fruit and cake mixture, and use the remainder to fill the hole in the center of the cake, retaining a few berries for decoration. Using Fat Free Cool Whip, frost the cake and put the retained berries on top. YUMMY!
************************************************** **
And here you go Villette!!
Carrot Cake. (adjusted recipe from the American Heart Association cookbook)
Ingredients:
Fat Free cooking spray
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon applesauce
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (2 medium)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dry roasted walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square cake pan with fat free cooking spray.

In large bowl whisk together egg beaters, sugars, applesauce, and yogurt. In another large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add to liquid ingredients and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix! Pour batter into cake pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, and use the toothpick test to determine if done. Serve topped with fat free cool whip.
:Birthday3 :congrats:

Let me first let it be known that we don't use salt at home PERIOD! We don't use any salt alternatives either but then again I'm a heart patient and have PVD so I have to be very careful. Try other herbs instead.

So what we have to check the labels on the prepared foods.

I try to not go over 300 mgs sodium on any one thing that is already prepared (in a box mix)

Like Glad said, start reading the labels. For myself, I eat very little canned goods mainly because of the higher sodium in them. I eat mainly fresh or frozen vegetables and steam them.

Wow Glad - between you and Muffies mom ....I'm getting so pumped .... :D

I'd love to see is a Main Recipe Thread....then a Thread for people to post their progress - wonder if we can do this ?

That way all your yummy recipies will be together and not get lost in this Very MOTIVATED Thread ....

Per the American Heart Association
 

Sodium AHA Recommendation
Healthy American adults should eat no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium a day. This is about 1 teaspoon of sodium chloride (salt).
http://www.americanheart.org/present...dentifier=4708

********************************************

BUT keep in mind this is including ALL the extra salt you get from any canned or prepacked food, and SOME frozen foods, (read the labels). With this in mind, think about putting your table salt shaker AWAY. You are probably getting way too much from all the other foods you eat, unless you only prepare all of your food fresh. And make sure you look at how much the label says a SERVING size is...loads of times it's a LOT smaller than what we eat!

If you go to the grocer's herb/spice rack, you will find some sodium substitutes that are awesome. I have begun to use some of the Mrs. Dash's mixed shakers. YUM!! They are awesome!

I do not use any salt in preparing any of my meals. I leave out the salt in all recipes I make. My husband and I quit shaking salt on our food in 2003. Like you will hear me say many times over, once you get used to it, you won't miss what you don't have! (OK, I admit it, we quit drinking too, and I STILL miss tequilla!!LOLOL)

Read your labels!! HAVE FUN!! :D

got it thankyou guys :)

Very true! Your arteries don't like the salt! Couldn't have been said better.

Ok so yesterday wasn't bad!! On Sundays we have the whole family over and my Mom cooks and makes tons of food, But there was enough that I didn't have to eat anything bad.. So far today, I had a salad with slices of ham, and I can't wait for dinner, which is leftovers from yesterday.. I'm hungry!! but doing well!! (oh, I'm only hungry becasue dinner is late, not that I'm starving myself) :p

Don't forget that ham is high in sodium. If you can't wait, snack on something healthy - like an apple or a piece of fruit.

True. ham is high in sodium
 

But in moderation, ham is an OK food. Just don't put table salt on it, lol, and make sure you remove any evident fat. (yuck like anyone would eat that, silly me). :D

Enjoy your dinner, and congrats on EVERYONE'S accomplishments so far! I can see that you are all thinking about what you are eating, and your excitement is palpable!! I am so pleased that everyone is so committed, and am looking forward to our first weigh-in on Sunday!

Keep up the good work!! (and read your labels :p )

I went to the grocery store today & bought lots of healthy food for myself! My husband isn't to happy w/ this because he says he doesn't need to lose weight, so he doesn't want to eat healthy! That makes it so much harder for me because he won't eat any healthy meals I make, so I have to cook 2 different things if I want to eat good! :rolleyes: Plus he likes to eat out at fast food places only & none of that is good for you. He makes this so hard! :rolleyes: But I'm determined! :)

I want to join. My big problem is that hubby is the one that cooks. I need to loose weight so bad cause my health is getting worse and my excess weight is not helping. Like others here, I also have health problems. I need motivation and hopefully I will get it here. I will pm my stats later. I will be seeing a nutrionist this month.
I want to say that you ladies that have done the lifestyle change "rock". Thank you for all your input. I was thinking in doing the gastric bypass, but im not so sure now.
Thank you so much for this thread. :)

Marie, I am so happy to see you here!
 

Gastric bypass is such a radical step. I know for some people it's the only way, but if we can all learn to eat healthier, even in small ways, we are usually better off.

I do understand the problem with spouses that don't feel they have to diet. The key is THIS IS NOT A DIET. It is a committment to eating healthy foods. Just because something is healthy, does not mean it TASTES BAD! Marie, one of my favorite cookbooks is "The Everything Low Fat-High Flavor Cookbook" by Lisa Shaw. And you can take any recipe written anywhere and do a few healthy substitutes in the ingredients. It's really just a matter of choices. Get your hubby to TRY to cook a bit healthier by using fresh foods and low fat, low sodium ingredients.

Same way with you ladies who have to cook for "diet resistant" men. Make your substitutes in the ingredients, and don't TELL him until after he eats it! I am betting he will be surprised at how good the food is!

Really, it's a matter of small changes. Just make the first few steps. Try it slowly, and as you get into making your choices you will see how easy it is to make healthy eating a part of your life. And of the lives of the people you love! Want to see something cool? You should see my 4 year old grandson telling his other gramma that Pop Tarts are bad because they have bad fats in them and he doesn't like that! Oh MY goodness!!!

We can do this!! And the people we love can do it too. Don't tell them it's GOOD for them! Just ask them, "Isn't this GOOD?"

HUGS to all of you determined people!! :D

Villette, Excellent idea!
 

Thanks for the idea, Queen V, and I will try to get a Healthy Recipe thread started and see how long we can keep it up. It may be a good idea as recipes go into the New Posts, anyone interested should probably print it. I would love to see others contribute as well!

And HOW MANY POSTS do you have left before you get to 10,000??? SUPERSTAR VILLETTE! :p

This thread is a great idea, but could there be a seperate FORUM for OFF TOPIC for MEMBERS ONLY ? That would be set aside from the YorkieTalk forums ? Also a seperate FORUM for LIFE CHANGES RECIPES ?

I am doing all that Pat has been doing, keeping away from salt,fats,red meats,snacks. Eating healthier by reading all the labels, it actually takes me hours to go shopping as I have to look for fat free this, low or no sodium that products. I don't buy canned goods, those are loaded with sodium also boxed prepared foods are also. I prepare only my own ingredients then I know how much of what that we're actually eating. I'm on meds for high cholesterol and hypothyroidism. I have a recumbent bike and a treadmill of which I try to use every day. We have walking tapes and the tv is right in front of the machines. I work the night shift so its very difficult to follow thru with the exercises when I have to sleep during the day, just don't have the energy sometimes but I push myself. My husband and I eat mostly fresh veggies, fresh fruits, baked fish, baked chicken with that Corn Flake topping, yum. We have been eating healthy and trying to maintain our weight but those extra pounds creep up sometimes. Try Cauliflower mashed instead of potatoes, its delicious ! We eat oatbran to keep the cholesterol down and I stopped making or having any sweets a long time ago.

We have stopped eating out, take vitamins, E, BeePollen, and FlaxSeed supplements.Drink lots of water, no soda or diet soda. Keep away from breads,pastas,sugar or anything thats bad for the health. Im just getting to read this longest thread ever, its great ! but I've been down with a sore throat since last thursday and chest congestion with a cough so I haven't felt like getting on the pc.

Its a wonderful thread, and a lot of advice for everyone. I wish all the members ' SLIM in 2006 ". I'll be checking in here also.
MY dr. has given me unlimited us of our health facility at my work, and she suggests that I follow the "Glycemic Index" food list. We drink a lot of white, green, black teas also

Ever so true! Are you kidding? My husband is THE one doing the cooking & he's doing it to better BOTH our lifes not just mine!

Good job! Keep up the good work. The secret with exercising is that it actually subtracts calories that you've eaten. Man, I walk a mile THREE times a day after each meal!

Good luck - you'll find the time to exercise if you've gone this far already.

:D :D :D :D :D You're really doing a great job getting everyone pumped and I can honestly say I ate the first really healthy meal last night for the first time in a few weeks - and did shop for a bunch of veggies yesterday - I used to eat so healthy and lately had been really bad...but with your help I know we can do this !

and on my WAY too many posts :eek: I don't have to track them - YOU ARE ! lol :D :D You sure had me laughing last night :)

OK Villete! Where's the big one????? Come on, girl! Let's get it!!!

Hi, Yorkie24U
 

Wow, it's great to see you here, Yorkie24U! Like Pat and I, you know what changing your eating habits can do to help maintain good health!

Most of the folks here are changing to healthy eating because they want to experience some weight loss, which is a natural part of eating right. Do you mind telling us if you have lost some weight since you began to eat in a healthy manner? :p

Thanks for being here, and please give any input you wish as this thread evolves!

Welcome to the group! Good luck with healthy eating everyone.