The days not over Lil... go for a walk to burn some calories and eat very light the rest of the day.

I'd rather sulk and eat ice cream :D

LOL at Lil ... unfortunately I know that mood VERY well! :) But, sometimes you just gotta take a day off and enjoy yourself.

Thanks Maddy ... I've loaded up on my acceptable type treats for the next week now and should be doing great through the weekend ... greatfully I'm fully past the physical cravings for sugar, though I suspect the rest of my life I'll have the psychological ones.

IAKG ... Woo Hoo on your ongoing success with the battle of the scale ... great job!! .... and thanks for the encouragement .... actually I've tried calorie counting in the past and found it impossible, this time is actually easy .. almost everything I eat comes in a package that tells me what the number of calories are, so I just have to keep track of it ... which is turning out to be a VERY good thing for me .... accountability for what and how much I'm eating .... something I haven't done for a long long time, so it's good to know each day how I've done. Also, because I have a huge amount of weight to lose, I work within about daily calorie range that is 500 calories difference between the top and the bottom, that allows for the days when I really need to have some extra treats for myself.

And I forgot to report yesterday, I tasted a tangerine for the first time in my life ... just ate a section of one, but I didn't mind it ... not sure that I'll ever crave it, but now I know that I can go with that if the need hits.

And finally, my boss told me how she does Salmon, something I don't mind eating, but have never had a clue about how to fix/cook it. She said to cut it up in individual serving sizes and then freeze, when you want it, just pull out a portion, put in a plastic bag with some lemon juice and any seasonings you want and put in the microwave for 3-4 minutes until flaky ... don't even have to thaw it before cooking. So, next shopping trip, I'm going to get some salmon and try it that way.

thanks everyone for your participation in this thread, I am finding it very helpful in this process!!!!

I didn't eat the ice cream :D

Way to resist Lil!!! :)

I just didn't eat today ... it was not at all the way I planned things... so at 2 am I am inhaling a pork chop because I am so incredibly hungry.

Just checking in for the weekend... I'm sticking with the plan for eating this weekend...which includes making some sort of casserole today to eat throughout the week for dinner. That will happen later this afternoon, but everything is in the house and just waiting for me to cook it up.

My goal for tomorrow's weigh in is to be down 2.5 lbs so I can switch to the next level of lower points. I've really been struggling this week to get all my points in and have found myself eating cookies (healthy ones!) to get there. I don't think that's the way it's supposed to work, but alas... it's what happened this week.

Being on the online program, I haven't checked to see when I get to "go down" on the point levels. I also didn't really eat up all of my points last week, which, as I know, too, is not the way you're supposed to do things, but sometimes I just wasn't hungry. Plus, I'm trying NOT to eat up the "extra" weekly points, just because I have a feeling my portion size vs. WW's portion size may not always be the same.

With the kids sick this weekend, I didn't get to go to the gym as I wanted to. I'm hoping to make it Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, minimum. I'm also thinking as much box-moving I'm doing up and down the stairs, to and from the parking lot, I should be burning up some points as well. :)

Good luck, maddy. What a wonderful planner you are, making the casserole in advance. I wish I could do that! :)

It's all a matter of calories eaten vs calories burned. I fined this site helpfull.
calorie-count.com Good luck to every one trying lose weight.

I never felt like I was very good at planning, and have realized that it's part of my problem. If I don't plan... when I get home from a 12 hour day the last thing I want to do is spend anything more than 5 minutes making my dinner. This led me into the fast-food trap. I would know I didn't have anything to heat up at home so I'd stop at Wendy's, Burger King, McD's, Taco Bell - they are all within 2-3 minutes from my house.

I've learned that I'm good at planning when I take the time to do it. Its also a bit of a psychological thing for me. I feel much more satisfied and at ease when I know what to expect. For example, I don't crave a greasy cheeseburger and fries because I know that it's not one of the options to eat - I know whats in the refrigerator to eat and I don't even let my mind wonder to other options. I was faced with the opportunity of eating out this week. I looked at the menu online during lunch and decided what I wanted. That's what I thought about the rest of the day and then I wasn't tempted by the big greasy cheeseburger when the menu was actually presented to me for dinner. I had a salad and actually really enjoyed it.

I'm hoping that while I'm taking the time to be very disciplined right now, that it will pay off when the opportunity presents itself that I haven't planned for - that I will still make good healthy choices.

I also will say that I am certain it is easier for me to plan because my choices don't involve anyone else - I don't have to try to satisfy anyone elses wants at my dinner table.

Keep it simple, buy foods that are quick and easy, fish, chicken, and meat. Grilling and broiling are quick and need little fat. Season well and you can steam veggies quickly as a side dish. A 4oz class of wine is less than 100 calories and has no fat. Stay a way from casseroles, you will eat more than you want because it's there and it probably contains too much fat.

maddy...the kids and I ate lunch at Applebee's today, and I was totally thrilled with the fact they have a whole menu section devoted to WW items, complete with points listings. It made it very, very easy for me to look only at that section of the menu, even though I knew there were lots and lots of other, good-to-eat items available.

I've eaten out several times since starting WW on 12-30, and if, as you said, you go in determined to stay within your point range, while other things might be tempting to a degree, it's not enough to sway you.

Thanks for the input Lion. But after I make the weekly casserole I put it into individual serving containers immediately so as to avoid having too large of a helping. And believe it or not many casseroles can be made with reduced fat if you try.

Yea for both of Maddy and IAKG .... great job, great choices, I'm so happy for you! I also stayed within my goals on Saturday, although, I pushed my caloric intake to the very maximum ... (it's the first time I've done that) ... but didn't exceed my range. Today should be easier for me, as I've said every weekend I think :) Saturdays are my most difficult day to get through.

I'm noticing that some things are changing for the better for me, movement is getting easier and less painful now that there's not as much stress on my arthritic knees, and my clothes are starting to drape a bit better on me... both of those things make me VERY happy!

Go fzzy! Those small signs aren't that small -- they're big quality of life improvers!

As for me...I fell off the bandwagon over the past two weeks, but I am back on it today. I went to the gym, have been eating OK, and I'm taking my vitamins again. I hope I feel better later this week when I (finally) start my period and I can get rid of some of this water weight....at least I HOPE that's what it is. :p