Discussion Board

Thanks for all the support, you guys! It is such a good feeling to know that there are folks who understand and can encourage me to keep trying! lfwfv, that is wonderful advice, and I will definitely keep it in mind. I talked about it with DH and he agrees with me--and he used to be embarrassed if people made any sort of strange requests at restaurants--but he is so supportive of me this time! Lisa--thanks for your encouragement. Sksamboots, I probably should have said I wasn't hungry--but I was! After waiting through two rounds of bread basket--I had bread the second round--and the appetizers, which came one after the other, and everyone else's salad, which I didn't get 'coz why pay $8 for a bowl of greens, I WAS hungry! Fine dining is a pain in the patoot!

OK. I'm down to 170.2 this morning, so I'm going to stop grumping about the restaurant. I need to get back to exercising--I overslept 45 minutes yesterday, and today I just didn't do it--I'm journalling instead. I may go for a walk at lunchtime. The problem with exercise after 4:30 am is--there's always something I'd rather do, even if it's washing the dishes. I've got to catch it before my day actually starts.

I have to make some dishes this weekend for the week. The audit starts Tuesday, and I want to be on top of it. I've been struggling this week and have used up most of the rice bowls from Costco--I sure hope they still have them! I knew when I found them in February that they would eventually come in handy--I'm so proud it took 6 months for me to get to the point that I needed them! I still have McDougall soups, but they are so high in sodium that I'd need to be more desperate than I have been so far, to have them.

We will be getting the bath remodeled in a couple weeks, too, so we have LOTS of junk moving to do. Have to work the cooking in somewhere. Where did all the energy of my youth go?

Food yesterday: oatmeal and cherries, fresh veggies (cukes, tomatoes, snap peas), frozen stir-fry veggies and a rice bowl, 3 small red potatoes and more freshies. Went to a reception to meet Joe McGinniss, and they had fruit, so that was my 2nd fruit for the day.

It has been getting harder, suddenly, to be near other foods. Weds. night at the lounge after work, DH's fried calamari arrived at the table while he was away, and I had to stand up to get away from it--and I don't even LIKE calamari! It was the fried breading that was screaming at me. Maybe my sense of smell is getting more acute...then yesterday at the reception, the cheeses smelled so lovely. I wasn't even particularly near them, but that ripe smell was so appealing. I read other folks on the site talk about how disgusting all the meat, cheese, etc. has become to them, and I don't feel that way at all. I mean, I can smell rancid fat and that IS disgusting, but properly prepared food is still not repellent to me.

However, until this week, it also wasn't tempting. Interesting. I still have no intention of having any, and more than I would eat a scented candle--they smell good too, after all--but I am observing the phenomenon.

Often, cravings for me indicate I am actually not quite eating enough calories. I find if I am filled and satisfied with the fruits,veggies, and starches, I don't crave other foods nearly as much. Once I've eaten a little less for a few days, I start having more cravings for richer foods (whether they're plant-based or not). Could that be an issue?
It's a whole lot better to stuff ourselves with 4 potatoes than to 'accidentally' eat fried food or anything that lands us back in the pleasure trap.

Take care, you are doing great Frozenveg!!
lfwfv

Well, the audit and remodel prep has been keeping away even from my own journal! Wow--it's been 10 days.

Oh well, I wanted to record my wonderful experience at the restaurant we went to on the spur of the moment (for us) for my birthday and our anniversary. We've been to Jen's before, but not since I started McDougalling, and I kind of decided this would be a feast for me if we had to, so we could do something to celebrate 42 years of marriage, and it had to be cheaper than the river rafting trip he originally proposed!

Unlike Kinley's a couple of weeks ago, Jen's actually had on the menu, under the entrees section (all fish and beef offerings, and all very delicious!), the quote, "Vegan offering available--ask your server."

So I did. When I asked the server about the vegan offering, he became instantly, politely, alert, and I had his full attention. I said I need to have no animal products, but also no oils in the making of the meal.
He told us the regular woman who dd the vegan meals was off that night, but he'd check. Well! I can't imagine how delicious the meals the regular woman offers, but the offering that evening was delicious!!--a charred, roasted red pepper stuffed with wild rice, roasted veggies (green beans, mushrooms, onions, etc.), with a balsamic reduction over. It was incredible, and half the price of DH's pepper steak. (It is a $$$ restaurant, so it was my $20 to his $38).

The salad choice was a no-brainer, and better than any restaurant salad I've had to date: Asparagus, artichoke hearts, broccoli, cauliflower and sun-dried tomatoes with vinaigrette. I just asked for the vinegar only. Most of the time, when I get salads that say they have other items like tomatoes, etc. what that means is you get a bowl of sad lettuce, and three slices of tomato, five shreds of a carrot, etc. This salad was the items described with a few leaves of lettuce! It was fabulous!

The dessert server guided me to the Rødgrød med fløde, a
Classic Danish dessert, berry pudding served with cream. The cream is served in a little pitcher, so I left it off. It is a gelled berry assortment, so maybe a bit too much sugar, but it was a huge celebration--so it was my feast.

Yesterday my little teeny tiny baby granddaughter was born!!! 7 lbs. 8 oz (I think ! Eleanor Margaret! At home! No problems! Nursing like a champ! And we had a video conference already and I saw my pretty, pink, perfect, darling, granddaughter! She is so cute! I will never be able to write without exclamation points again!

We celebrated with sparkling wine form Washington last night. Now I am back off the wine--I'll have to tell Ted no more celebrating for a while!

However, other than wine I've been just fine, food-wise! We are working so hard clearing the TV room that no exercising is needed. We are getting rid of so many books and junky old furniture, I'm feeling very good about it, even if we will be once again broke--we have to buy something to sit on if we get rid of the love seat, after all.

I've cooked kale, bok choy, and eaten my leaf lettuce from Full Circle Farms. I'm feeling very green-virtuous! (I'm kind of scared of greens, and I hate washing leaf lettuce because of the little bugs it has.)

Well, off to another lovely day of clearing out the TV room.

Wow and woo hoo! 165.6!!! I am hoping that this week will be the last week in this hump-day journal, as I will leave it at 165.2, and start another to track my journey on the downward slide!

On the scale upstairs, I am the above weight, which makes my BMI 29.3, which is NOT OBESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am wondering if I am going to miss the moment on the Wii Fit, which weighs me 4 to 5 pounds heavier. We are remodeling, so the TV is in the bedroom, and I decided not to have Ted hook up the Fit. I may change my mind, just so I don't miss my moment when it no longer smart-assedly says, "That's OBESE!," but has some new and snarky comment about being OVERWEIGHT! I am really looking forward to it. However, since we are also tearing out the carpet in the family room, I wonder how much that will affect the weight. It will be interesting anyway no matter what.

OK, I am so psyched about not being obese, I don't quite know what to do, who to tell, etc.

Well, better go to work--maybe there will be SOMEONE I can tell there...who would understand. I know if any of y'all see this post, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!!

Well, just a quick entry today. Told T and K at work about not being obese anymore. I am still so psyched!

Have to clean a LOT today, as the constuction caused mounds of dust on everything in the kitchen/dining/living room. Disgusting! Waste of my time! Grr!

I think I have finally figured out how to upload a before picture. This is a test to see if it looks at all clear.

Bigger?

Looks good to me!!!!!!!!!

Jan

Thanks, Jan and Debbie! I wonder how to copy the pic from where it is--it doesn't seem to be copy-able, so I guess I'll just have to go through the process all over again. I was looking at the "during" photos DH took a couple of weeks ago, but I still look so short and dumpy that we are going to try again in lighter-colored clothes in while.

I am feeling very excited because I weigh more than a pound less than last Friday's weigh-in! And I am really looking forward to visiting the new grandbaby, and my DD from Chicago is coming too, and I have the possibility of meeting a McDougaller who will be in the area at the same time! I have a shopping list all ready, and we will check out the condo we're staying in, and I hope I will be able to be really MWL compliant. I can't wait to see what my DS and DIL will say!! (And DD too--she has been doing Weight Watchers for several weeks and has lost about 30, so I'm hoping we will be able to boost each other--I don't want her to feel bad and guilty, which I know I would have felt if she lost weight & I didn't...)

I hope to get some clothes shopping done at Woodburn Outlet Mall. Even though I have 40 more pounds to go, I really need some jeans. When I saw those "during" pictures, I couldn't believe how awful those baggy pants looked on me--I just bought them in April...or something like that.

Exercising has been a bit harder with the Wii sidelined in the bedroom. I have been trying to get biking on the stationery bike, but Friday was that last day I did that. I have transitioned to using the routines, and that works really well--20 minutes of uphill and downhill. I can now stick it out, whereas before I could not do that.

I was proud of myself last night--we went to our friends' house to pick up the keys to their condo, and had bratwurst--I brought a salad, including my No-Fat dressing, which they had and loved. I was frickin' freezin', but I just ate my salad, ignoring the things that I could have rationalized myself into eating, like crackers and bread, but I didn't. I ate something warm when I got home. That is one reason I absolutely LOVE McDougall food--there are LOTS of warm foods to eat. Even South Beach was a cold diet, compared to the nice, warm, potato and rice dishes we can have, and it still helps us lose weight. I'm always cold--and now I can have food that is comfort food, that warms and comforts me, and I can live a vibrant life and lose weight.

I probably will, Deb, but maybe after this trip. Or during--my son is quite a techie, so maybe he'll help me. I'm disgusted at my "during" pictures that DH took--I'm still so dumpy!!! I have to pick the top and pants to wear!

I don't know how to get the picture from where it is to anywhere else!

Oh, Deb! Duh! I am so dense! I couldn't click on the photo, because I had to edit to do that! That's like when I said I couldn't vote in a poll--it's cause I wasn't logged in at the time! Man, I kill me!!!!

I've renamed the journal and I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out! DH has decided, finally, to join me, and at least for now we are doing OK together on this. The coolest thing I just did--today is his first full McD day (not MWL), and he has been hungry in between meals, and of course he had a peach and a plum, and dinner was going to be ready in about 45 minutes, and I said, "just try this experiment with me," and gave him a piece of warm sweet potato. He tried it and of course loved it plain, but I said, "I just read on a forum that some folks like this with horseradish mustard," so we both tried it, and he said, "this is almost like having a hot dog or hamburger!" And he has not come back to tell me he's hungry, and the roasted veggies are ready (Sacto Bob's Cabernet Roasted Vegetables). Dinner is that and the Costco 4-bean salad with Corn in it.

Breakfast was oatmeal--he had raisins and I had cherries. Lunch was Yam and Corn Soup--he loved it. He has also had V-8, the low-sodium version. Let's see what happens after dinner.

I thought I'd pop over to YOUR journal and say - RIGHT back at ya! I see you need new clothes, too, how fun is that? I wore the outfit yesterday to church that I bought for my father's memorial service last summer. It fit then but was a tad snug. Now it's actually LOOSE and I couldn't believe it.

That is so wonderful that your hubby is joining you. It makes things so much easier!

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