Apples2

Janet...sounds like an action-packed couple of weeks. I, too, am a Christmas girl and try to decorate early. Will post photos when I am done. I display my santa collection in the kitchen, snowmen in the foyer and have three Christmas trees...one in foyer, one in livingroom and one in familyroom. Sorted through a lot of the Christmas decorations last year and donated quite a bit to Sal Army. DS's has a cute Cape Cod style house in town. His GF (who is my beautician) and I have a sneaky plan. He does not decorate for Christmas. We are planning a morning when he is farming to go in and "Christmas it up". Everybody needs that Christmas feeling. Got "mom's" nativity set that she made. Made me cry when the siblings gave it to me. Came home and set it up right away. It is such a great reminder of her...will hate to take it down after the season is over. OK...back at it!

I have a very easy chicken chilli I will share. I LOVE to cook and do so on a daily basis. Feed a lot of guys on the farm and they love it. I do get it if you don't like to cook or do not have the time, the processed would be a good source of protein and quick. I make and throw in the freezer. Ready to grab. When I make chicken and there are leftovers, I just dice and throw in a freezer bag. Always diced chicken in the freezer to use in this chilli. 6 stalks celery diced 6 large carrots diced 2 Tbls chilli powder Add a couple of cups of water, cover and cook till tender (a diced onion is optional) Do not drain. Use a larger pan so it accomodates all ingredients. Add a large can of V-8 juice. (1 quart 14 oz size) 3 cups diced chicken 1 can garbonzo beans 1 can butter beans 1 can navy beans 1 can chilli beans Heat on low, stirring often.

Janet...what fun things are you doing on your two week hiatis???? A trip? Down time? Yep, we have packed, packed packed. I am the pack and stack queen. Since everything is going three or four different directions, I have let the others decide WHERE it goes and I am the one that wraps and packs and tapes and marks names on all the boxes for travel. It has taken time but 89 yrs worth of a little bit of everything. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and are actually done with the sorting. I love that kind of work though. Heck, a fun day for me at home is to organize closets and drawers. A great destresser for me. Almost embarrassed to say that every closet is color coordinated and my soups in my pantry are alphabetized as are all my spices. OCD?????? Julie...so happy to hear you more upbeat than you were last week. We all have our meltdowns. Had one this morning. Are you guys ready for this???????? I caught one or your "dead battery viruses". Not sure which one of you gave it to me.....think Meredith was the last one with it. I will quarentine myself as to not pass it along to any of you. Anyway, got a new one installed and ready to rock. On the job front.....I was a few minutes away from meeting with owners of the new business when I got the call about mom's accident. Canceled and have not had the time to meet since. Friday I have an appt late afternoon and we'll see what's up. I am really back and forth on it. Being such a busy time of year with the farm and tiling makes me see why I just work from home. I really do have the best of both worlds but need some outside stimulation. DH is free with the checkbook so it's not like I don't have my "own" money. Just need to be out and about more. I do have the volunteer thing but it got to the point that they needed me for doing medical records and I was working back in a corner in a cubby and I see NO ONE. Don't get me wrong....volunteering is important to me but I need to change it up a bit. Better get my clothes changed and hit it. I have bins of things to go through and put away from the apt. Just need to find a place for it all. Tired of tripping over it and have a pickup (front and back) to unload also. I love my LB girls! (that includes each and every one of you).

Mornin' Gang, Didn't sleep....I usually sleep and make sure if I don't I am headed for bed early the next night. Well, I am just shot this morning. Ate something that kept me up. Extreme gas pains for about 4 hours. I ate cantalope right b/4 bed. Was nice and ripe but noticed that I must have cut some of the slices too close to the rind and they were a little "crunchy". Lesson learned. Meredith...don't beat yourself up. Be strong, get back on track today and don't let the chocolate (or anything else) "draw you in". I know what helped me during the weight loss stage was to set aside a certain treat every week and plan on when I could have it. Total deprivation is not a good thing either. Sets us up for having too tight of control and then feeling like failures if we eat a "naughty" food. I think the out of control thing is what bothers most of us. A fear that this will become habit. Don't let it get ya! Just put to bed that you put away a few candy bars and move onto kicking it in the butt and starting with a healthy plan today. And, Meredith, thanks for the comment on my posts. Don't think they are anything but just talking about my experience and life. I spent too many years swinging my feet over the bed in the morning feeling disgusted with my healthy and the way I looked. No room for negativity in my life any more. Ya just never know the time you have left and gotta live it! Off to get younger this morning. Color and a cut and maybe highlights (do them evey other time). I have way too much hair and hoping to come out of there with less of it. Then off to Sal Army with a few loads and hoping to get home here by 4pm to get some things done in my house. Sent all the guys off this morning with coolers and need to make sure they have a hot meal tonight. They are "playing" in the mud today (field drain tile installation) and will be cold and tired. I am going to fake my baking today and pick up a dessert at the deli. Julie...good to hear you had a nice weekend with bro. Fill us in on how you are doing. Better hit the shower. Talk to you all later. Hope everyone has a great Monday and to those who have had their little struggles lately....you can get do it...just put the little slips out of your mind and start anew.

Betty...just want to wish you luck and a successful band life. Just follow your doc's rules, exercise (when you cleared to do so by your doc), make good/healthy food choices and keep a food journal. I think if you would ask any of the ppl here what worked for them best it would be sticking to the above. Just think how you will feel six months from now....a year from now. Isn't it exciting? Keep us informed on how you are doing and come back often to visit and ask any questions that you might have. Take care of yourself.:biggrin:

Good Evening Girls, Just got home a bit ago from packing, sorting, etc. Had a full 12 hours. We have ALMOST everything in boxex and ready for travel. Just have some of "mom's" jewely to go through next weekend. All the siblings will be home TG weekend to get their stuff. 89 yrs worth of collections, photos, a little bit of everything. Lots of antiques. Her mother and MIL shower and wedding gifts, her shower and wedding gifts, her prom and wedding clothes, even her christening gown. Like I said...a little of everything. Heading back in tomorrow for a hair appt and then to get another few loads to Sal. Army. I figure about 4 loads in my truck. Janet...your closet looks like mine...I'd be the true definition of a clothes horse. I love clothes, coats and shoes. Melissa...sorry you are having troubles getting back on track. Hope you can switch things around for yourself. You know that we are all here for you. You took the first step in admitting things are not going the way you want them to and that you are not on track. Hope this week is a good one for you and you can hop back on the LB horse. Laura...that Nels is the cutest thing. Dh is pretty handsome and you look really good. I swear your face is thinner than the last time you posted photos. Anxious to hear what the results are on your dad. Have said an extra prayer each night for him and your family as you deal with his illness. Would be nice to talk this week about our FL meeting. Would like to narrow this down so that ppl get vacation days etc in place. Great, hard to believe that it's been so long since your surgery and that you are almost done with PT. Good job! Well, I'm off to bed. Was up b/4 5am the last couple of mornings. I believe that a good 8 hours of sleep is the best thing for the body and warding off the crud. You all take care and will talk tomorrow.

Great..good news with GM finances. A relief. Have a good one!

Good goin' on the shopping, girls. Cute purses and shoes. Also, nice photos of both of you. Janet...my doc recommended the weights and the size of the weight. I do eat some kind of form of protein every two to three hours throughout the day. I have at least six meals a day and each one includes protein. I only do my treadmill a couple times a week or when I want to relieve some stress. During weight loss stage I was doing 5-6 times a week and walking 3-4 miles at a 20% incline. Doc only wants me to do light workouts. My metabolism was pretty good till I hit menopause at the age of 38. Had tests done about a year ago and pretty much done and they think my metabolism kicked into the way it was b/4 menopause. I used to be fairly thin and could diet and lose on about 2500 cals a day (b/4 the age of 38) Spent most of the evening at the apt with "mom's" daughter. Sorted, etc. and will be back there early in the morning and most of the day tomorrow and Sunday. Most likely will not be checking in...just so you know. Have a great weekend.

I have a quick fix for you in a situation like that. It was taught to me years ago. Will never forget the time or place....I was so humiliated. A friend and I were eating in a restaurant that was having an "All you can eat" chicken dinner. There was a couple sitting next to us that kept staring. Finally, the women says in a very loud voice "Neither of them need to be eating fried chicken, let alone all you can eat". I know I turned ten shades of red. My friend told me to calm down and watch. First my freind spent about 15 seconds and just stared at the woman's shoes, then moved up to about her middle and then started back down again to the shoes. The women got so flustered that she got up and left. I have done this in situations where ppl have blurted rude comments. Try it, it works.

Good Morning All! Julie...have a safe trip and a nice time with your family. I know they will enjoy your baked goods. I think I will always miss certain things that were baked when I was growing up. Frosted cinnamon rolls, layer double fudge cake with homemade fudge frosting, Grandma's soft, cakelike molases cookies, etc. Brings back special memories from GM's house. She was such a sweet and kind lady. So gentle. My mom put her in a home (cuz she wanted GM's house for one of her daughters) and GM started swearing like a sailer and continued till the day she died. This was a lady in evey sense of the word and NEVER swore b/4 going in the home. GM could have lived her entire life independently but her daughter did not want to take the time for her. Her health was good, her mind was so sharp right up till the time she fell asleep and never woke up. She spent 10 yrs in a place she did not like and lived her last 10 yrs just begging us to help her get out of there. I wanted her to come live with us but we were newly married and did not have any extra space. I have a great admiration for ppl that make it work to have their loved ones live independently for as long as they can. There are certain things you can do for them so they can live their life the way they want to. Don't get me wrong...nursing homes, etc. are needed. Had our LB group meeting last night. Lasted longer than usual but OK cuz it was so interesting. We had a speaker who is a life coach and personal trainer. So inspirational. Have her card sitting here on my desk. I am going to make an appt with her. She focuses on our internal dialog. She gave us exercises to do when negative issues pop up. Meditation first thing in the morning and last thing at night b/4 going to sleep. She says our subconscious does not sleep and it continues to digest what is on our minds. If we go to sleep with a positive mind, we have more of a peaceful mindset. I am anxious to have her help me set up a good weight bearing program. I do weights for arms (3lbs) and legs (6lbs) but I'm not sure if I am doing what is right for me. My LB doc has told me not to do workouts that are terribly strenuous. I do my treadmill and if I overdo on the cardio, I tend to lose weight I do not want to lose. Anyway, going to give her a call to see if she can fit me in and teach me some techniques to build some body mass in arms and legs. Bottom and abs I don't have a problem with. I have stick legs and arms and want to work on them. On the go today. Have some shopping to do, errands to run this morning and this afternoon have eyelash extension touchup and going out for dinner with a friend. Looking forward to my day. Expecting rain again today. We are getting to the point where we think it just might be spring b/4 we get our corn crop out of the field. Ugh! This has never happened b/4. DH is the one that hold it all together. He is sooooooo calm and worries about not a thing. Me, on the other hand, could worry for hire. You all have a great day. Later.

I lost that 4lbs last week, Phyll, AND I WANT IT BACK!!!:thumbup:

Julie...you have me speechless (not and easy fete). I am so sorry to see that you feel the way you do. Do you have someone you can trust that you can sit down and talk with about how you are feeling? The way you describe how you are feeling, with waiting for the other shoe to drop, cannot be good for you. I know you have been through so much in the last 6 months or more and your pain has not been managable at times. Have you thought of just making an appt with your primary doc and just pouring out how you feel about all of this to him? He could maybe help calm your fears about having recurring health issues. Just a thought. I don't know what else to tell you

Phyll...my first thought while reading your post was dehydtration. Were there extremely salty food at your party with adult drinks. I will notice a 3-4 lbs weight gain for a few days after I have overdone it on ham or salty deli meats. You gotta get the Coach. You WERE in Onderland and by the time you get home with that purse, I bet you will be in Onderland again. You GF's have a great time shopping and lunching tomorrow.

Good to come across your post, Cathy! I had been wondering how you are doing. Thanks for the "doll" compliment but think you are way too kind. I feel wonderful and can run circles around anyone. Will be 54 in a few days and I can honestlly say that I feel younger than I have in 30 yrs. I do not frequent this thread very often but I do keep up on what is posted. Kind of feel like I have lost touch with the Junies of 2008. Sounds like your life is a busy one and that you are doing well. Pop in once in awhile. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that you are missed.:thumbup:

Each night I allot enough calories to still be able to eat some low fat popcorn each night. During the weightloss phase I popped the 100 cal bags. Something to look forward to and takes awhile to eat. If I was hungry a bit later I would eat a pickle, cocktail onions (a little bit of sweetness and only 10 cals for 5 onions). I always have a bag of melon cut and ready to grab. A few little chuncks do the trick. Also, I have bags of prepared veggies or open up a can of veggies to snack on. As others have said, get your trigger foods out of the house. Good luck!

Thanks for posting the Coach site, Lori. I could get into them. I LOVE the plaid ones. I doubt if our closest outlet has a Couch store but sure Mall of America has a store. Maybe my reward for 2 yrs bandiversary? I think I just answered my own question. Happy you are having an Indian Summer day, Julie. We're not. Cold and windy with big chance of rain. Sitting here with a Titanium double lined workout hoody, a Columbia vest and an Eddie Bauer zip fleece jacket. Burrr. Ditto what Great said on rewarding yourself. It's difficult sometimes to feel worthy of gifting yourself but even a day off from childcare and a nice lunch with a bunch of friends would do it for me. I like nothing better than the time I set aside for my "girls". Today it is coffee with a long time friend at a cool little coffee shop in our nearest town. Tomorrow getting my eyelash extensions touched up (every 2-3 weeks) and then going out for dinner and "girl talk" with my friend who is doing the extensions and owns the salon. I love my DH but gotta have my time with friends. Only so many nights can be done sitting watching him with his head in his lap sleeping behind his lap top. I just need that stimulation. How about when you reach your 115lb lose that we meet somewhere at the half way point? I think you have done very well for what you have been through. Don't let that fear of past failure rule! I did not list my rewards with my previous post. Wanted others to get started first. I did permenent eyeliner and eyelash extensions for my 1 yr bandiversary. Then, I figured I deserved a bit more and bought three Geiger boiled wool coats (choke). DH did something very special for my 1yr. He just SHOWED UP at the lake on a Wed night. Now, you would have to know DH to know this is a huge deal and meant so much to me. He has been and always will be a classic workaholic. Now way to change him so I go with the flow. (Hence why I need the GF stimulation and time with them). Well, I could not have been happier when he actually got off the tractor during ridging the crops and headed up to spend a couple of hours with me. He had planned on spending the night but DS had some machinery trouble and headed home. Just nice that he got his butt off the tractor and thought of it all on his own. That gesture was really all I needed. But, I continue to reward here and there. A consignment shop find makes me just as happy as a Nordstroms buy. (And sometimes happier cuz of the great deal I got). I guess my point is to just treat yourself with kindness and give yourself credit for your accomplishments big or small. Sometimes I think we get wrapped up in feeling like a failure cuz we compare ourselves to how others have done. We all move at our own pace. We have many hares on this thread and many tortoises. (Eva has the corner on the market in the totoise dept...not saying that you are extra slow, Eva...just in the number of little ones you are the momma to).

TGIF Janet...You are lucky the family picked up the room. I have had company (and not even family) that have left a terrible mess after being guests for a couple of weeks. Ok...throwing out a "subject for today". Janet and Phyll are going shopping. Phyll hit onderland and has a Coach purse in her sights. I remember on previous attempts to lose I would reward myself with food. Ten more pounds and I could introduce Cheetos back into my diet. Another pound away and I can have a peice of double fudge cake, etc. It just set me up for failure. I had yet to realize that turning to food in most every situation is what got me in trouble in the first place. So topic for today....What have you done for yourself when reaching goals whether big or small(and not saying a person "needs" rewards for weightloss...just nice to do something for yourself). I was one to feel soooooooooooooo selfish the first time I rewarded with something other than food. I think in the busy world we live in, we are forever on the run, doing for others and we get lost in it all. Meredith has the right idea with doing charms for every ten pounds. Phyll...diamond earrings and now a Coach purse. Cool...I just wish we could ALL be there to help her pick it out. By listing some things by some of us farther down the trail than others it might help new pple recognize they can pat themselves on the back and help to focus on little goals and help keep them on track.

I am thankful that Eva has surpassed her 30lb loss limitation of her past. As far as the baking goes, Eva. On most days all my recipes are "revamped" to low fat. On these days when the guys are burning more than they take in, they get the real thing. My DH and DS are and always have been very health conscious. If they would gain 5lbs, it's off by the next week. They both have the ability to push themselves away from the table. No lap band for them! As far as the other guys that work here on a seasonal basis...it's free meals a few times a day and they have to "watch their own bobber".

Laura...get some rest and keep us posted if you can. Poor Nels. Hope he is feeling better soon. Will say an extra prayer for your dad and in hopes that there are some very positive answers. Take care.

Hi Meredith! Nice to see you posting again. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we missed you! Your photos are beautiful. You look great. Wish I had your nice white smile. Great teeth. Your sister is a real beauty also. Ok...and the dog too. You did great not to gain while on your trip. Bet reality hit when you got home and had a semester to complete. Good luck with your finals and nice to see you again.

Hey Melissa..how are you doing? Better?:biggrin:

We all have our trigger foods and we are always telling each other here to GET THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE. For some it is Fritos, others ice cream, cookies scream out to some of us. If you are consuming that many protein bars in a day, I would say get rid of them and just start over with all "fresh" basic foods. Try to not add any processed foods to your diet and when you feel like you have a handle on things, introduce them as a snack...but only on special occassions or for a "planned treat". I just hate to lecture but if you are consuming that many bars, they would account for the total number of calories a person should eat in a day and still lose weight. I would dump them and replace with very low calorie snack. Try to eat your hard protein first at a meal and then a veggie. I know it's difficult to hold off eating anything for 4-5 hours, but, like Janet said, find an activity to try to get the hunger out of your mind. Go for a walk, take a bath, brush your teeth, rinse with mouth wash, pick up a puzzle, etc. I guess if I were you I would ask everyone here to give an example of the amount of calories they ate on a daily basis during their weight loss phase and examples of how they designed their meal menus. This would give you some guidelines. As far as breakfast ideas. Do some bake-ahead mini-quiches made in cupcake pans. You can make and freeze in individual baggies. I make a big pot of steel cut oats and when done I add raisins and Splenda. I freeze in 1 cup size and grab and microwave. Great with sugar free maple syrup. You need to eat adequate meals to stave off the hunger and prevent snacking. I hope this helps and was not too preachy. No, I take that back. Preachy is sometimes good to help someone get back or keep on track. If you have the time each evening, post exactly what you have eaten during the day, how it was prepared and the amount of cals you took in. Maybe we can look at it and help you tweek it.:biggrin:

Jeanie...to answer your question...I started keeping a food journal (doc's orders) about 8 months b/4 surgery and continue to do so today. I am in the maintenance stage but it becomes a habit and will probably always be part of my life. I have always kept a running total of calories throughout the day. Every doc is different in what he recommends for his band patients. I decided early on to have faith that his recommendations would work. He believes in cutting out anything "white" (white potatoes, white sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.) and keeping carbs around 35 (if I remember correctly). I was so tired of failing time after time that I just followed doc's rules to a tee to see if it would work for me. There were times that I would be very hungry but I would eat something very low in calories...steamed veggies, etc. I only allowed just so many calories per meal and learned to spread my calories throughout the day in six small meals. It must feel really good for you to know you are jumping back on the wagon and being proactive when it comes to your health. We are all here for you. When you feel weak or frustrated, come here and talk to someone. It really does help to know that we all struggle at times and we pull each other through the tough times. Sometimes there is a kick in the pants from Janet, but, listen to her advice. She is not sitting out here a couple of years later and still successful without reason. Phyll is another that is a couple of years out and continuously losing. Just know you have ppl here that care and we are all here to help.:biggrin:

Every morning I have a Pure Protein bar and pre-packaged Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal (either one or the other) when I am on the run. Aitkins and Myoplex Lite bars also work when I don't have time for a real sit down breakfast. I also cook up a pot of steel cut oatmeal and after cooked add raisins and Splenda. I put in individual freezer containers and freeze. Always ready and convenient to throw in the microwave.

Laura...thinking of you and anxiously waiting to hear how your dad handles his surgery and the rusults. Coconut...hang in there on the hunger issues. The first couple of months are the toughest b/4 you start your fills. Making the healthiest choices possible during this stage will help you in the long run. Laura K. Like Janet said, nothing wrong with raising kids that are independent. One of my biggest fears was having a 27 or older living in my basement. (Happens a lot around here and then married and the whole darned family lives together). Both mine left at 18. Sad, yes, but proud they could do it. Yeah, Julie, the pain is better. Bet you feel like a million bucks when it subsides. Knee deep in baking today, I see. Must be family recipes that they are craving? I made a light cream cheese pumpkin bread. (120 cals for a large slice), coconut/banana cream pie (way too many cals in those) and a caramel turtle cheese cake (embarrsing amount of cals) this morning. Set on desserts for my crowd until Friday. Oh yeah, made a double batch of crunchy cranberry cookies. Tonight's dinner is chicken enchilada cheese bake. Not band friendly food but chilly and like to have comfort food for the guys when they put in such a long day. Tiny...happy to see that you were excited to come back and "hang" with us. Hey Jazlady...how you doing? One thing that really helped during weightloss phase was weighing and measuring. Really helps to be sure of what you are eating. Also, keeping a daily food journal is one of the things that will hold a person accountable. Kind of like balancing the check book. When your calories are spent for the day, that's it. Janet...OK...what brought a tear to your eye? The spewing coffee and popcorn????