Weight Loss Help...with The Chunky Monkeys!
Lounge By TexasSugar Updated 28 Oct 2011 , 1:50pm by TexasSugar
Wow--I cannot believe I've been on CC since May and have not seen this thread before today!
A couple of weeks ago I went to put on a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn since the weather turned nice last Spring (all summer long I've been wearing my summer clothes which tend to have more stretch and elastic in them). Let's just say the jeans were a bit snug. I decided that very minute I was going to have to be more disciplined and watch what I eat as well as get my body moving more. It's been a struggle!!!!! I am happy to report that I have lost a little weight though! I find it's hard to stay motivated. I think this thread will really help me stay motivated and reach my short-term goal of fitting back into my jeans comfortably.
Two things that have helped the last couple of weeks:
My Plate on Live Stong . com. It helps me track what I've eaten as well as how much activity I've done for the day. It's basically a food diary.
Incorporating more exercise into my day. I've been walking, biking, and/or doing my Wii Fit 6 days a week.
My worries:
We are headed to Bozeman/Yellowstone this weekend to meet my family for a few days and we'll be doing a lot of eating out. And right after that I am having company for a week. I don't want to lose the progress I've made.
I'm glad I found this thread and look forward to participating in the discussions and tracking everyone's progress!
Welcome Tweeter! I can say that it is easy to get distracted with vacation and company and such. But you can do it.
While you are gone, what about going for a couple or walks. It may not be as much as you have done at home, but it could be enough to help balance what you eat. When eating out you just have to try to make better food choices. And just remember when you get home and the company has left you can always kick everything up a notch.
Tweeter, eating out can be a challenge, but I've found that if all they have are high fat salads (cheese, bacon, hard boiled eggs (those are 2 pts each on weight watchers), taco shells, ham, etc), I will ask them to build me a special salad with just the veggies I want. When I tell them "Weight Watchers, you know!" they are very agreeable to helping!!
Get a baked potato instead of fries. Bare minimum fixin's (I get butter only - no sour cream, no cheese, no bacon bits).
Steamed veggies as a side dish instead of mashed potatoes or cole slaw. Watch for green beans,, which are a healthy choice unless they slather them in bacon! (My personal favorite!! 
)
Long story short .... I can go to our favorite restaurant and have a small steak, a lobster tail, baked potato with butter, steamed vegetables, salad with zero-fat dressing and all the tea I can drink ......
Or ...... for the same points ......
I can have 2 hot dogs. 
Interestingly, we go to Cracker Barrel frequently. They have a Veggie Plate where you can get 4 veggie sides. The thing is, all of their veggie sides are "bad" for me when I have to point them out with weight watchers. Cole slaw is dripping with mayo; green beans have bacon fat; scalloped potatoes have that cream sauce; mashed potatoes are higher points than a baked potato. Dumplin's? Oh I don't even have to explain that one!
Small changes that are smart choices make the diff. But I also believe "you're on vacation. Enjoy yourself!" 
I may splurge a day .... or even two .... then I go back to my zero point Progresso Soups with salad for lunches!
Rmember .. it's not a do-or-die deal!
Tweeter,
I T A with the ladies on eating out! Just be smart about it and ask questions. If you KNOW what rest. you will be going to, google them online because you may be able to find their nutritional values online or something similar on the Dailyplate and you can be prepared. Even if you don't do that, ask your server questions about how things are prepared, etc. and watch your portions. Also, I find cutting off my meals by 7 REALLY helps me!
True Story: My mom, sister, and I decided to go to Longhorn on a whim(it happens
I decided to use my wisdom with ordering. I read the ingred. of a particular yummy looking salad. GRILLED chicken, strawberries, spinach, Romaine, Walnuts, feta and a rasberry vinegarette. Well I figured it sounded pretty healthy! The salad was not drenched in dressing(didn't order on the side this one time for some reason),It wasn't overloaded with the nuts or the cheese. I just really felt this salad was a good,healthy, moderately low point choice! I should have known that salad was too yummy. When I got home, I checked the nutritional value for that nice salad. 998 calories and 32 grams of fat. My whole days worth of points and then some. I coulda had a cheeseburger!
Texassugar, Hank?! Love it.
Thanks for all of the advice and insight, ladies!! I now feel more confident I can leave town and still be okay and not fall off the wagon, so to speak.
When I got home, I checked the nutritional value for that nice salad. 998 calories and 32 grams of fat. My whole days worth of points and then some. I coulda had a cheeseburger!
If I've already posted this, I apologize for the repeat, but I was devastated (!) to find out Olive Garden salad was 26 grams of fat PER SERVING! My weight watchers point guide doesnt' even go up that high! I would have been better off eating 6 of their breadsticks!
And there is NOTHING at O'Charlies that is a healthy choice. Nothing. I've never seen triple digit fat content before but they have a LOT of those!
When I got home, I checked the nutritional value for that nice salad. 998 calories and 32 grams of fat. My whole days worth of points and then some. I coulda had a cheeseburger!
If I've already posted this, I apologize for the repeat, but I was devastated (!) to find out Olive Garden salad was 26 grams of fat PER SERVING!
My weight watchers point guide doesnt' even go up that high! I would have been better off eating 6 of their breadsticks!And there is NOTHING at O'Charlies that is a healthy choice. Nothing. I've never seen triple digit fat content before but they have a LOT of those!
UH, I was only countig about 4 pts per serving for the Olive Garden salad! That is one of my fav's! Go figure. I wish you had not made me aware of this. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. LOL!
I wish you had not made me aware of this. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. LOL!
Yeah, my niece's husband said, "Thanks for RUINING olive garden salad for me!" 
For chain restaurants, there's a great book called "Eat this, not that" for restaurant eating. Very eye opening (and very sad)...
I wish you had not made me aware of this. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. LOL!
Yeah, my niece's husband said, "Thanks for RUINING olive garden salad for me!"
I ruined Carino's for my family because the salad we all like there has a huge calorie count! Not to mention their other food.
One of the few resturants we still eat at doesn't have calories listed anywhere, so we can go in there with the ignorance is bliss thing. But I've been know to pull up fast food menu's online trying to find healthier options.
What is sad is things you think are healthy like a chicken sandwich can be just as bad or worse than other things.
And my SIL named Hank for me. I was like I need a good name for him. My parents have a treadmill named Rhonda, but she came prenamed.
I wish you had not made me aware of this. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. LOL!
Yeah, my niece's husband said, "Thanks for RUINING olive garden salad for me!"
9 POINTS!!! ugh
without the dressing it is 2 points per serving. I wonder if they have a light option? hmmm. SUCH a disappointment.
I wish you had not made me aware of this. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. LOL!
Yeah, my niece's husband said, "Thanks for RUINING olive garden salad for me!"
9 POINTS!!! ugh
without the dressing it is 2 points per serving. I wonder if they have a light option? hmmm. SUCH a disappointment.
Pull out the olives and the croutons and it should end up a zero-point food. I'm going to order it with dressing-on-the-side next time.
Do you all know the dip-the-fork-method? When you get your dressing on the side, dip your fork in the dressing, THEN gt your salad on the fork. You get dressing flavor and will be so shocked at how much dressing you're NOT using!
Can I join Too?
Yes of course! Welcome!
Hey girls, & guys if there any 
, I'm not getting notification of new posts, so welcome to the newbies!!
Even tho my weight loss seems sooo s l o w , I have managed to lower my BMI from the "obese" category down to plain ol' everyday fat 
.
I've found two new foods that I'm crazy about...Progresso Soup and Wheat Thins Fiber Select, both the 5-Grain and Vegetable varieties. I'm on WW, and there are several 0 and 1 point soups, and the Wheat Thins are just 2 points for 13 crackers!
My sweet FIL passed away week before last, and we spent a week in Memphis - you know, the home of the BEST barbeque on the planet, plus, you know how people in the South bring food to the house whenever someone "passes"...casseroles and desserts galore. I somehow managed to lose that week, so over-all, I can't complain.
Tomorrow is weigh-in day for me.
Best of luck to everyone this week.
Kathy
I've found two new foods that I'm crazy about...Progresso Soup ....
Oh heck yeah baby on the Progresso's!! When I'm feeling a little hungrier, I'll cook less than a cup of high fiber pasta (comes in a purple box at walmart) and add that to the soup. The pasta only adds 3 points and makes a heartier soup.
So I do soup (0); salad (0); pasta (3); and I am STUFFED! Add a 1-pt WW Fudge Ice Cream Bar and I'm in hog heaven for only 4 pts!
I've found two new foods that I'm crazy about...Progresso Soup ....
Oh heck yeah baby on the Progresso's!! When I'm feeling a little hungrier, I'll cook less than a cup of high fiber pasta (comes in a purple box at walmart) and add that to the soup. The pasta only adds 3 points and makes a heartier soup.
So I do soup (0); salad (0); pasta (3); and I am STUFFED! Add a 1-pt WW Fudge Ice Cream Bar and I'm in hog heaven for only 4 pts!
Seriously!!
Oh, and I forgor to mention Laughing Cow (Lite) Cheese Wedges...don't let their size fool you.
Hello! I just stumbled across this thread. May I join? I have lost 25 lb since February 1 but have stalled and need to get back on the wagon. Still have serious lbs to lose.
mbasic,
Hello, welcome, and congrats on your success thus-far!!
When I lose 25# I'm rewarding myself by buying some new *professionally fitted* bras! Yep, that's right, going to get the Girls back where they belong! 
Hello all my chunky monkey buddies. First, let me say WELCOME to our new buddies. Great to have ya here!!! Hope everyone is doing great.
I'm back from the cruise. It was wonderful and I hope that I get to do it again some time. I don't think I've ever been so relaxed. BUT, I was BAD, BAD, BAD, when it came to eating. I'm ashamed to admit that I never even thought about how many calories I was eating. I just ate whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted it (which was pretty much all the time) 
I haven't even weighed myself since we got back. If I had to guess I'd say probably up about 8-9 pounds. I'm hoping 4-5 of those pounds is water retention. I figured I would wait a few days before I weigh in. Maybe do a weigh in on Monday. I did learn that I'm nowhere even close to where I need to be as far as self discipline and refraining from overeating when I'm on vacation. I just did what everyone else was doing and I completely sabatoged myself. Work so hard to get it off and then let myself go because it's "Vacation" time. Just shows that I haven't really accepted this as a "lifestyle change" where I always think of how many calories I'm consuming and looking for the healthiest alternative. Long ways to go, I think. But, today is another day and I'm counting the calories again. Actually, it feels good to get back on track. I ate so much a few nights that I felt miserable trying to go to sleep. But, not gonna beat myself up too much. Is what it is, just need to learn from it.
So how is everyone else doing?????? Are ya ready for fall?
Margie, I've been stuggling to get back on track myself. I know I need to, I just haven't made the changes I need to yet. I'm stuck in that mental part of it all. Ugh! I'm not giving up though.
I'm glad you had a great time on your cruise though. I know you needed the time away and the relaxation. And I know you, you'll take off what ever you may have gained and keep plugging along.
Thanks Tracy. Yep, you're right, I'm gonna get that weight off and keep on going and get to my target weight. (Still not sure if 120 or 125) I'll decide when I get to 125 and see how that looks and how I feel.
You are also going to get back into the right frame of mind and lose what you need to and reach your goal weight. We're gonna do it. YES WE ARE!!!
Thanks Margie for the faith in me.
I've been on the ellipitical twice this week, didn't make a full mile each time but came close, so atleast that is something. I just gotta break through this mental thing and just do it.
Okay WW girls I have some questions for ya.
What all do you get by paying the monthly fee?
My mom is talking about going back on those stupid diet pills so I'm trying to convince her to do something else instead. I suggested WW and told her I would even do it with her. One thing she liked with the pills was that she went once a week to the diet place and was weighed, so knowing she had to go weigh in front of someone helped keep her on track.
I do good counting calories when I do count them, so I'm guessing I can easily count the points once I learn how it works.
Can someone explain to me how it all works? The meetings and all that? Do you pay seperately for the meetings and the program?
No, you don't pay extra for the meetings. It's a monthly membership fee. Unlike diet pills that cause you to lose weight for the moment, WW teaches you a lifestyle that enables you to lose (and then maintain) weight while living in the real world, and you can do it for a lifetime.
I dont' want to take diet pills the rest of my life. I dont' want to have to buy special food (aka Jennie Craig type of places). I want to learn how to eat in a way that works for my lifestyle and my body requirements.
In the meetings, she will hear a lot of good ideas and success stories that are very motivating and helpful. We also share info like Olive Garden salad beign 26 grams of fat per serving.
but I'll give you a for-instance of a good tip that worked for me.
Before this semester of school started, I was worried about how I was going to deal with being at school for 14 hours with no microwave, no 'frig for my veggies and the only food choice is the high fat food court. When expressing this concern, one lady in my meeting told me where there were 2 microwaves at my school that I could use if I wanted to bring my own soup; another lady told me to freeze a bottle of drinking water and put that in my lunchbox to keep my foods cold (and then at the end of the day, I had an ice cold bottle of water to drink, too!)
This worked great and as simple as it sounds, I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
Don't think of it as "I'm paying someone to weigh me once a week." It's much more than that. It's a support group for those of us who need to learn a new lifestyle and how to be success in our day to day decisions.
WW is not a "diet". It's a lifestyle change for the better!
Hi everyone - I have been getting inspiration from all of you for a while now, but haven't posted before. I have been dieting since January - (Since January~this time) I am definitely a yo-yo!!! I had lost 40lbs, which was my goal, but last week was very difficult and being a stress eater, I have gain 4 lbs back. I don't want to go there again and I have to get a handle on this now. My "diet" was no unhealthy snacking and to eat 1/2 of what I would normally eat, this way I am not depriving myself of anything and portion control is an easy life style change. This diet has worked very well for me, and I must get back to this and not ice cream with ganache at midnight just to feel better.
Indy, is it easy to figure out points of foods you cook at home? I get that a lot of prepackaged foods now have WW points on them, but what about when you cook home made foods at home?
I've always said that of the programs out there, I liked how WW didn't give you a list of you can never eat this stuff again, and taught you how to deal with food.
I've done well with counting calories, and know exactly where I have gone wrong this last time to gain back. I know if I get back to doing all those things I know I should be doing I'd be okay. But if I can get my mom go to to WW over the other stuff, then I promised her I would do it with her.
Karen, welcome and congrats! 40lbs lost is awesome!
Losing weight is as much mental as it is about eating and exercise. I can so understand the stress eating and the mindless eating (I'm so guilty of that myself.) Have you tried things to occupy your mind or hands so that you are less likely to eat when you are stressed? You can always write down how you are feeling, exercise, or even do a hobby or craft.
WW has an online program where you can enter your recipe and it will figure the points. I've found some other similar programs online that do the same thing. (I prepay for 17 weeks, so I dont' get access to the WW program unless I pay an extra $12.95. BUT ..... someone who pays monthly via debit card has access? I hand them almost $200 upfront and *I* have to pay extra? Man, something is outta whack, here!)
Anyway ..... recipes you make from scratch can be figured in one of these programs. Other foods (Stove Top STuffing, Hamburger Helper, etc) can be figured from the nutritional panel .... you need fiber, fat and calories info. If I make boneless chicken breast, green beans, salad, and biscuits, WW has a booklet that I can look up the points.
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