Hey everyone going through Kaiser Richmond!!

Where are you in the process?

Jes - I'm so sorry about your foot. You could still come for lunch. I miss you - you always make me laugh.

I have had crumbled ground beef with a dab of ketchup and about 1 tsb of cheddar cheese on it -the whole thing fits in a 1/2 c container. I take half a crunchy corn taco shell with me and eat that too and I can trick myself into thinking I ate a taco. :frown: I tend to eat the same thing every day for breakfast and lunch at work - easier to prepare the containers at the beginning of the week and I won't make bad choices for those two meals. Now if only I could do better at home - most nights I do ok but then I slip up and have a snack after work or after dinner. With the weather being nicer and daylight lasting longer I need to go outside after dinner and walk or pull weeds to keep myself busy.

Pam I am kinda confused with the measuring and weighing. When I am eating meat I am doing 3 oz. Should 3 oz equal 1/2 cup? (I am soooo bad at math lol), or am I eating to little / to much?

So I made a meatloaf (kinda). I had a pack of "Taco Bell Taco Season" in my shelfs, so I put it in 1 lb of meat, shapped in and am baking away. I am going to add some refried beans on the side....how much of that should I do, anyone know?

Hi Tamra,

Do you have a measuring cup? Use that. It's impossible to tell by weight because meats weigh differently and take up more/less room in the measuring cup. Are you at 1/4 or 1/2 cup at this stage? Fill that with your meatloaf and that is your portion. I'm finding that 1/4 cup of meatloaf is perfect. I just ate 1/4 cup with a sprinkling of cheese melted on it and I'm stuffed. I hope you get filled enough to feel satisfied.

If you're interested, Robin cautioned that refried beans are a slider food and aren't on our program. Whole beans are ok.

I'm off to the pool. This is my first time of the season. Wish me luck! I hope I'm warm enough to get in. I'm still a little nervous about my incisions but Dr. Baggs said I can go for it, sauna, hot tub and all!

Last night I did Kim Kardashian 20 min arms/abs workout. I really felt it in my shoulders and arms and realized I havent worked them in sooo longggg it effected me!

OHHHH Lee thanks, I didnt realize they are a slider! sheesh!

I do have measuring cups, but I have always used my scale. In the stage I am in, I look and on meals it says 3 oz meat, so I dont know cup wise what that is :frown:

Great job with the exercise Tamra!!

Get your swim on with your sexy self hehe! :thumbup: I have a pool also (Well, in my now condo, but I still have access), we should all go swimming this summer together and have lunch here in Concord, where it reaches 100! Just a thought :frown:

Tamra honey, we are on different plans. If yours calls for 3 oz of meat, then that's what you should be having. I go by measuring cup, not scale weight. I really like weighing on my food scale better, just because it's easier. I'm getting where I can eyeball that meatloaf. Let us know how your meatloaf turns out. It seems to be very dense when it's done so remember to only eat until you're full. I get the hiccups when I've had one tiny bite too many. :frown:

Tam and Pam - we are all on the same wavelength - lol. One of the things I am making for our lunch tomorrow is a make your own taco or taco salad with ground beef/turkey and having the small crunchy taco shells!

Tam and Lee- I think what is confusing everyone is that the binder has sample menus in it for Stage IV and V that show things measured both ways - sometimes it says 1/4 or 1/2 c and sometimes it says 3 oz.

What I did with some of the things I eat over and over, like grilled chicken, is I weighed out what would fit in a 1/3 of a cup. For Stage IV and V it says we are suppose to have 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of protein. For me 2.5 oz of grilled chicken is 1/3 of a cup. Since I have the scale on my counter, it is easier for me to just throw the chicken on it and make sure it doesn't go over 2.5 oz. I agree that each different type of protein has to be checked as they don't all weigh the same.

I use the tablespoons to measure the veggies, although I heap them since you are right it is hard to really measure a piece of brocolli.

Regarding beans, Robin cautioned me during Stage III and said sometimes the hulls get stuck. I was pureeing them on Stage III but have stayed away from them in Stage IV. In my binder it says no Beans for Stage IV but you can have them for Stage V - not sure Tam, since you got a fill if you have moved to Stage V or not.

I am supposed to have 1/3 c of protein at each meal and I almost fill the little Hefty 1/2 cup containers - I rarely eat any vegetables or fruit. I don't weigh anything - I go by the little containers - I have about 20 of them. I have mixed ground beef with some refried beans before and it is thick so I don't consider it to be a slider.

My daughter and I were at Walmart today while I had 6 new tires put on my rv and I got one of their bacon ranch salads with grilled chicken. I took the chicken off and my daughter ate on the salad. I couldn't finish the piece of chicken probably because I ate a bite of salad and one of those little grape tomatoes before I ate the chicken. I really miss salad - I can only eat a couple of little bites otherwise I have problems. We walked back to Les Schwaab - not bad a walk to and from the car place, a walk around Walmart and grilled chicken for lunch. I am getting ready to take my van to get an oil change - turning into being an expensive day off - and nothing fun. Thanks goodness I have room on my Visa.

I am having my parents over for dinner for their anniversary - 54 yrs - having frozen 5 cheese lasagna, bread, and salad - well that's what everyone else is having. I will probably just have a tiny piece of lasagna.

AHH okay! Gotcha! So confusing!

Pat I did not advance yet, I believe it's my next appt. in May?

So here is what I am working with today:

Breakfast: Grande Skinny Decaf Latte

Lunch: 3 oz Meatloaf, 1/4 cup refried beans, and a lil of my home made salsa on top

Dinner: Will be same as above!

Hi Ladies!!

Work was great today! Not tired and no PB’ing so it’s a great day! I cut back a little on the thin sliced turkey deli meat and all went down well. The one egg I had for breakfast produced a little pressure down under but not bad. Yes Lee I do measure each meal. I’m finding that some food I can eat about a 1/2 cup while other food I can only handle 1/3 cup. Still not that hungry so all is good!

I hope you all have a great weekend and have fun on Pat’s walk!

Well today was a day!!

No fill for me. :frown: but I am ok with it. I was not down enough since my 2 week pcp check up. Although I am 12 lbs down from surgery that wasnt enough. This really was a wake up call for me that even a little cheat means something so STOP. Although im glad I was able to enjoy my wedding and honeymoon Im a little bummed I wasnt able to get one. Oh well gotta move on. So the Doc said he wants to see me again in 12 weeks However .....here is some news.... I am moving to WA on May 1st. Yup so no more Kaiser. So I called Richmond and told them and asked if I bust my butt if I can see Doc and get a fill in 6 weeks before I leave. They sch me an appointment for april 30th, so I will do what I need to get a fill... I will still be on this board when I move and come visit. Its just things are going good with my Hubby in WA and he wants to stay so I do what I have to, to be with him.

JOhn you didnt warm him up enough for me lol Kidding.

Pat, still on for tomorrow do you mind if I bring a newbie friend of mine. SHe goes to orientation on the 6th?

Jes, if you arent going to be there can you PM me your address I have something for you....

Hope everyone is having a good day see ya'll tomorrow

CoCo - no problem - the more the merrier. I will PM phone numbers just in case you get lost. Sorry about the fill, but I didn't expect one at my 6 wk check up and guess what - I go back for my 12 wk on 4/29 and she said that would be my first fill - so we may do this together! Don't want to talk about your moving - completely understand but completely sad too! I want to drop 8 lbs by then - I think that is doable in 6 weeks. Especially if I don't snack - which I didn't do yesterday or today. Although I did have too many ribs at dinner - boy they are my weakness!