Great job Lil ... always hard when dining at favorite places to keep it under some kind of control .... way to go!!

WI ... we love having you in the thread (as well as at Pixies) and thanks for the support .... it means a lot!

Steph ... every step forward is a good thing... great job in working toward your goals.

Maddy, way to be strong, like you, almost every night on my way home from work I battle the urge to stop for fast food .... just because I'm such a fast food junkey. Congrats on being strong in a rough week!

Stolen Kisses ... hope you had a great time at the party!

As for me, I had another good day, mainly because I'm just staying as far away from tempting things as possible. I had planned to go to the farm-to-market grocery store tonight after work, knew what I was going to buy and had it all planned out, but when it came time, decided to go a different time, just feeling too much of a longing for treats to put myself at a place that has so many of my favorite treats ... has lots of healthy things as well, which is why I had planned to stop there. Instead I stopped and got a large garden salad and a couple of chicken breasts, used one of them with my salad and put the rest of the chicken in the fridge for use in meals over the weekend.

Great idea fzzy. One the weekends I've been grilling chicken to use during the week too.

fzzy great job... and thanks for always being supportive in this thread - you acknowledge every single person with a thoughtful comment, that's amazing.

I've been craving Souper Salad lately. We don't have them in this area (all you can eat salad buffet), even though they have some unhealthy things it would be nice to stop there and build a salad.

I would love a place like that maddy. We don't have them here either. I am going to meet someone for breakfast this morning for coffee and bagels. Bagels are my idea of carb heaven. I'm trying to figure out how to best navigate this challenge. I eat carbs so I guess I'll just have to go protein and veggies the rest of the day if I eat one :D

Lil, bagels are one of the few carbs I'm still eating. It's my treat to myself, really, since between Weight Watchers and my diabetes it's sometimes overwhelming to think about all I *can't* eat. It's all in balance, of course. I hope you enjoyed!

Mmmmm....bagels. :slurp:

You all are amking me feel guilty...I've had an 80 hour workweek in the last 6 days (thanks to a BIG work deadline) and I've been eating everything coming to hand...lots of it from the vending machine.

You've all inspired me to be better this weekend.

I did. A fresh poppy seed bagel is something I love. I went and got veggies for stir fry tonight to make up for my carb load this morning. IAK remember to always eat cream cheese or pnut butter with that bagel not jam or jelly. I was told by my nutritionist diabetics should never eat big carb loads without fat or protein attached.

Yep, I use light cream cheese on my whole wheat bagel every morning. :) Because it's been about 3-1/2 years since I was diagnosed, I go in on the 24th to see a nutritionist for a refresher on my diabetes education, so I'm pretty pumped about that. If I gleam any other pearls of wisdom, I'll pass them along!

thank you maddy ... hope you've found something to get you through the salad bar craving ... one thing nice about California, salad bar places abound!

Lil ... at least your carb fix was controlled .... great job! Hope you enjoyed the stir fry in the evening as well.

IAKG ... sounds like you are doing great ... and it's great that you get the opportunity to go back to the nutritionist for a refresher course.

Osuche .... glad you are here with us for and feel the urge toward healthier choices ... hope you get some good rest as well, from past experience, I know that working weeks like that can really take their tole!

For me, I made it through my Saturday quite well .... snacked on and off through out the day, but in a controlled way and on acceptable foods, so I managed to stay well within my daily calorie goal range, maybe a few more carbs then I should have, but most of them had a decent amount of fiber attached to them as well. I think I've said this before, Saturdays tend to be my most challenging days because of past bad habits. Today is much easier, my routine takes me away from just hanging around the house a bit more and fills up enough time that it's easier to stick to things and not be bouncing off the walls with a combination of nervous energy and desire to munch out. :)

I made something new this weekend... and it was incredibly easy ... and good! It might be something you've already made, but I wanted to share the recipe:

Beef Tips

1 lb round steak, cut into pieces (I bought pre-cut "stew" meat)
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Put the steak in the bottom of a crock pot, mix the remaining three items and then pour over the top of the steak. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

The only seasoning I added to this was ground black pepper. It seemed slightly salty to me, if you could find a low sodium onion soup mix that might help.

I cooked it even longer, closer to 12 hours and actually didn't eat it until I re-heated it for dinner tonight. The meat was so tender and the sauce delicious.

The recipe alleged that this was 4 servings but I would say those are huge servings. Likely to be more like 6 servings. And if you are following WW, it's about 4-5 points per serving.

OMG, maddy--that sounds wonderful! I'm thinking it could easily fit into my diabetic stuff, too...cutting out the carbs is vital for that, and in doing so allows me to eat maybe more on WW that I normally would. :)

<---is now going to have to go to the grocery tomorrow!

I am doing a true dance of joy!!! I just took my blood sugar for the first time (shh I know shame on me) since i've been making better choices and it was 110. I have not had a normal reading like that in 3 years. (_/_) (_\_) (_/_) (_\_) :D

Maddy the recipe sounds delish.... but I'll have to wait until the day I get a slowcooker.

Lil .... YEAH!!!!! I know that is a great number to get .... so wonderful, doing a little happy dance with you!

WOOT!!!! Congrats, Lil!!!!!!

Great job Lilith... what a sweet reward to your efforts.

I stepped on the scale for my official weekly - down 3 lbs... another week of progress.

Within the next couple of weeks I need to find a way to add exercise as food alone isn't going to go the distance I need to go. Since the weather has been crappy and I can't exactly work in a good time to go walking, I'm considering purchasing a treadmill. Does anyone have any suggestions in purchasing one?

This week I'm only down a 1/2 a pound. I'm in the hut so I'm hoping next week I see better evidence of my hard work at the scales. However the lower glucose readings are making me feel successful.

That ^^^ is precisely the attitude I'm taking. My sugars have been WAY lower, even though the scales haven't been as friendly.

I'm so proud of maddy, though, and especially thrilled about Lil's reading!

thanks IAKG ... I'm not a patient person and need to remind myself on a daily basis that it took me about 31 years to get to this weight it's likely not going to come off overnight.

I bought a new water bottle for my desk yesterday and it does the trick for me. I was using just a plain old Dasani bottle and refilling it all the time, but my new container has a big straw and I seem to drink more water this way. Don't ask me why, I just know I had no problem getting down 3 - 16 oz servings today.

maddy, someone else used almost those exact words with me the other day. While they may be true, sometimes it would be nice to get a little extra positive reinforcement on the scale, too. :) We'll get there!

Wonderful Maddy, 3 pounds is a great job for a week!

This is one of my favorite threads on this site, just want to say thanks to everyone, really appreciate the positive thoughts and words that have been expressed.

I had another good day and am glad to be going to bed now .... it was a holiday from work for me, and after three days of not having a regular type work schedule to follow, I'm glad (as far as my eating, etc. goals go) to be getting back to work tomorrow for next 4 days, not as easy to be good when there is so much free time on my hands! But I managed to make it through anyway ... at least for this weekend ... I'm still very much in the one day (sometimes one hour) at a time zone.

good job fzzy!

i have decided that i am going to take up a new habit, disgusting as it is, i think that it will help my oral fixation. I used to be a nail-biter, for about 22 years i was a nail-biter, i kicked that habit about a year and a half ago. I used to smoke, i smoke one everynow and again, but the pack that i bought the day that mayhem flew home (nov 5th) has lasted until now and i have only had half a pack (i feel better that i know they are there just incase i choose to smoke one) so smoking and nail-biting are out, and food WAS being a substitute, and chewing gum makes me feel hungry right away. my solution and new habit??

Sunflower seeds in the shell, and yes i crack them with my teeth *hears the collective audible gasp from dentists everywhere* and spit them out. I told you it was disgusting. BUT it keeps my mouth busy and not with eating usually calorie dense foods. I know that the sodium isn't the best for me either, but neither is my extra "me" plus the salt is helping me to drink more fluids...i expect some water weight gain, but then when my body gets used to it, i should happily pee it right out. C'Mon kidneys!!!

Ladies you are all doing so well. I do think that making modifications to avoid making bad choices helps and like fzzy said, staying busy. Thank you all for helping me.

lizzardbits - something else to consider: sugar free hard candies. I picked up some of the cream savers sugar free for an occassional sweet treat or something to pop in my mouth when no other forms of resistence are working. Or sugar-free jello, I've been eating it for so many years it tastes "normal" to me. Or carrots... or apples... there are a lot of good for you, crunchy or sweet snacks you just need to seek them out.

But... at least you have identified a solution to your problem... good luck!

great idea lizz .. you might also like pumpkin seeds, you can get those in packages with the shells still on as well. Or if you like, you can actually make your own with any seasoning you like, of course you have to be able to buy a pumpkin, take the seeds out, clean them and let them dry for a day or two, or to speed things up, put them in the oven at a very low heat until they get hard ... I don't know the amount of time, but I'm sure you could google it. They are one of my mom's favorite treats.

bad day = bad choices for me

new day= new opportunities

My day went pretty good, I stayed well within my calorie count goals, but my carbs may have been a little high for the day.

a new day, new possibilities!

Lil and fzzy, no one is perfect, and it's great that you realize that these things should be taken a day at a time. As someone recently said to me, sometimes you *don't* want to see the forest--you just want to see the trees. The forest can be overwhelming at times.

Best of luck to everyone today!

It's going to be a good day! I just know it. I went shopping again last night and walked out thinking that these groceries are really starting to add up - but most likely it pales in comparison to what I was eating out previously.

I'm trying lean cuisine of lunch today. They were on sale at the store and looked more appealling than the smart ones I've been eating. And I'm most definitely looking forward to a chicken enchilada and rice, even if it isn't authentic.

I also went through all the items I brought home last night and stood in the kitchen with my laptop calculating the points for each item and writing it on the package with a sharpie. It didn't take much time but I think will benefit me in the future.

So far so good today! Busy days work for me!

Thanks for the positive encouragement IAKG, it is really appreciated!

Great positive attitude Maddy ... hope you enjoyed the Lean Cuisine lunch!

Yeah Lil! Glad you have been having a good day today.

Mine also has gone well, I was so busy and lots going on, I ended up HAVING to add a fat free jello pudding to made sure I had enough calories for the day .. don't want to turn my metabolism off! :)

I just wanted to say today was a darn good day... even if the scale is being incredibly cruel to me tonight... hopefully it will be more kind in the morning.

Grats maddy! Don't worry about the scale today. Good choices will pay off eventually.

Thanks Lil, turns out I'm the department chatter... everyone's asking each other (but not talking to me!) why I'm suddenly eating in ... and smart ones and lean cuisine no less. And head's really turned when I only had one drink tonight, skipped the appetizers, had a salad sans dressing and a single scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. And I didn't feel neglected... I had told myself that's what I was having and I stuck to my plan.

Superb! I had a day where I could not eat at all until 4:30. I could have gnawed my arm off by then. It is so hard not to munch all night on days like these. I'm drinking water to try to curb it.

That's terrific, maddy. I find, too, that I'm the talk of my workplace, although they *do* talk to me about it. In fact, I'll be going two nights a week with one of my friends, right after work, to the gym. It's amazing, finding support where you least expect it.

Yikes, though, Lil...that can't be good, diabetic wise, can it? Is there any way at all to at least get *something* between times?

Not on days like today. No time to eat, breathe or even pee. I'm thinking maybe I should go back to school :D

Way to stand tough Maddy ... and great job at resisting both Maddy and Lil!!!

There were a few unexpected challenges for me today in what I had planned as far as my food goes, ended up having a dinner of scrambled eggs and mushrooms with a small amount of mozzarella cheese (totally comfort food) that and a serving of the Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal .... (also a bit of comfort food) ... could have been soo much worse even with that same meal plan, I kept my portions in control and ate a lot of mushrooms to make it all more filling, then for my little snack/treat just now, I had 2 of the jello snack cups (orange and raspberry) with 2 tablespoons of fatfree cool whip ... a whopping 50 calories for a fun treat. Anyway, stayed well within my calorie range, so even though it's not the type of meal I will be eating most of the time it tasted good and got me through.

It's interesting the different approaches we all are taking. I'm not sure I could do what you're doing, fzzy...counting calories is tough. I tried it once and was moderately successful...but I couldn't maintain that lifestyle. Kudos to you, though, for finding a method that seems to work for you!

Lil, if they ever have to put you on insulin, you know you're dead, right? :D

The scale gods were very kind to me this week. Fridays are my "official" weigh-ins, and I've lost 5 lbs. since this time last week, 7.5 since 12-30 and 15 since October. (I wasn't really doing anything Oct-Dec, and only discovered the loss at my physical last Thursday.) In the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the bucket, but it's a start, and it motivates me to try even harder.

Hope everyone has a terrific day!

It's amazing what us woman-folk can accomplish when we set our minds to it!

Excellent losses at the scale, IAKG!
Great choices in finding healthy comforts, fzzy.
And, Lil, we need to find you a way to eat during the day - but good for you for staving off urge to indulge with water - just be careful not to throw your body into starvation mode.

Anyone else that's lurking around the corner and not letting pixies know how you are doing ... c'mon - speak up :)

Ummm I ate today, and ate, and ate :(