jody

What's this? I want this! Is this expensive?

Flex, ya fell off the face of the planet! Where ya at, man? Give us your tots! Us tubby cheerleaders are in the sidelines wonderin' what happened!

You are NOT behind, you are NOT failing. Wherever you are, you are right on track! We are rooting for you!

I have not tried it yet, but It's a Love/Love Thing has a recipe for homemade coconut flour. It might save ya a bit. There are other recipes that use almond flour, and still others that use wheat flour. But I'm wheat free.

Thank you so much. So much. You have no idea. **hugs**

Nope, I don't have a step tracker. I'm trying to not spend any money if I don't have to, I'm kinda broke. (Loads of debt, lots of expenses, and limited income and a single mom of four.) I cut corners where I can! But I'm doing extra walking in many ways, from parking on the other end of the parking lot to walking the long way around for bathroom breaks (and taking extra bathroom breaks since I drink way more water these days). And stuff.

I would probably keep on going, just to see how far I could make it! 100 days, wow! I'll bet you can do another 100 at this point! Good job, keep it up! :-)

What I do: I take 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I season them (salt-free seasonings) and bake them for 40 minutes at 375 (until 160 by meat thermometer). I slice those babies up into bite sized morsels of deliciousness, and bag them in freezer zip lock bags, 4 ounces per bag. I add 2 cups of frozen vegetables, and seal and freeze. They nuke in about 2 minutes, and I'm always full. Lately I can't even finish the whole two cups of veggies. Last time I did this, I made 12 pounds of chicken, and stocked my entire freezer. Enough lunches (and dinners) for one person for three weeks. And I vary the spices, so sometimes its lemon pepper, sometimes its bbq, sometimes southwest chipotle. It's always good. This is what it looks like in my freezer (and yes, that's icecream): And this is what it looks like cooked up (each bag is different, I use a variety of frozen veggies, from peas and brussel sprounts to carrots and brocoli): And voila! There ya go! That's my 2 bits. ;-) Good luck!

Mmmm! I'm loving these recipes! I'm going to be trying a couple of them out in the coming week . . . I just gotta get my hands on some pumpkin! There is a sale going on right now at the farmers market . . . . looks like I've got a perfect excuse to try it out! :-)

What I've learned so far: Absolutely do not run out of your anti-depressant medications! Always have a refill in the wings, and if not, contact Community Bridges for help!! Quest Updates: Mission 1: I need to see my doctor about managing my asthma symptoms better, so that I can breathe when I attempt to walk. This requires me to make an appointment, fill out lots of fun paperwork, and actually go to the appointment. All three things are on my least-favorite-things-to-do-list. But this mission is essential to my success. Update: Done! Mission 2: Core strengthening exercises. I need to do these exercises daily in order to strengthen the muscles that help support my spine, so that walking isn't as painful for me as it is currently. I want to accomplish three sets of 10 of each of the exercises prescribed my the physical therapist. Update: I've been a bit of a slacker at this, this past week. I've really struggled with my depression, and while I know it sounds like a cop-out, it's a definite struggle for me to stay on track when I am barely able to get out of bed and face the world every day. I went a full week without my medications, and after a couple days like that I crashed hard. So I've done these sporaticly, if at all, since my last check in. I've been picking up the pace since yesterday, though, and I anticipate finishing well. Mission 3: Walking 3 times a week. At first I will have to walk in small increments, using my walker. But I'd like to be able to increase the time I am walking, and eventually the distance, without the walker. I will eventually increase my walking to 5 times a week. But for now, I have to start small, and go slow. Update: Still no distance walking, but lots of increased steps here and there. I'm pretty tired, with the depression, so I've spent way too much time sleeping this week. And not enough time getting out and doing stuff. Next week will be better. Other Cool Facts: Since my last check in I've lost just about 1.2 pounds. That's surprising, since I've been so inactive. But I think that eating better alone was enough for this smidgen of weight loss. That is encouraging, and I feel more motivated to do better next week to see what happens. One more week! I came into the challenge late, but still . . . I'm not knocking progress, no matter how small!

Elastigirl - maybe volunteer someplace for a few hours? That's what I'm gonna do if I fail to make my goals. I've done pretty well overall so far, since my last slip. I plan my slips now, allowing myself a small donut instead of none, when the guy at the office brings in the box. Allowing myself one cookie when my kids bake some, instead of eating none and hurting there little feelings (and making myself feel tots deprived.) That way I'm not tempted to eat a whole gallon of icecream in one sitting, or some other binge that I used to do. That's the one part of my own rules that I struggled with most, the non-binge rule.

First challenge, I think I bit off a bit more than I can chew. I know mine doesn't seem too difficult, but as someone with multiple health issues (physical and mental), I think I made my challenge stricter than what I am capable of just yet. But I've done my best. I struggle with finding time to do things sometimes, especially when my depression kicked in and I couldnt' barely function for the past week. So finding time to do anything was hard, let alone extra things. Next challenge, I hope that I don't slip up and fall flat on my face just before the finish line.

Nice avatar, Lys! :-) My daughter keeps saying she's gonna dress up for Halloween as R, but never does! If I ever get skinny enough to pull it off, I'm totally doing it! LoL

Mmmm, this one looks especially good! I plan to make this for sure!

I spent a whole evening baking, loads and loads of chicken. I used those pre-mixed seasonings, the low or no salt ones, Mrs. Dash mostly, for flavors, and make different flavored batches. I bake them at 375 F for 40 minutes (ish) until 160 internal temp, then let them rest for 10 minutes before measuring and slicing. That way they are nice and moist! If you have a less-than-high quality meat, I recommend using a meat tenderizing hammer to whack the crap outta them so that they aren't tough and chewy. I hate tough chewy dry and icky chicken! I love it moist and beautiful. ;-) I'm disappointed in myself at the moment, as I slept in and didn't make it to my weigh in this morning. And then I slipped up and had a half of a soda. 120 calories of sugar water. Bleh. It didn't even taste good! But I'm gonna shake it off. It's a new moment already!

I mindlessly drank a soda, without even thinking. Not the whole thing, only half of it. I stopped as soon as I remembered. I was all "This coke tastes weird, I don't like how it tastes", and then BOOM I realized that I wasn't drinking it anymore. Bleh. Knocked back down to day one again. Pooh.

Love that kid!

I had to show ya my freezer full of lunches and dinners. Yes, that's ice-cream hidden behind it all. LoL And there are even popscicles in the very bottom. Haha! But it's all sorts of good veggies and cooked chicken and all ready to be nuked (1.5 minutes when thawed, 3 minutes when frozen). And tastes pretty great. Anyways. It may not look too appealing in the bag, but check THIS out . . . . Doesn't look half bad once cooked, does it? LoL And it tastes great, and the protein helps me feel full. (I took this picture after eating all the cauliflower off of the plate! Doh!)

thanks for your pumpkin recipe! very different! i have to find some cranberries and give it a try! sorry you ran into pot of gold chocolate boxes for only 2 bucks. man, that's a mad boss to try to defeat! it would kick my trash, too!

Hey guys! I've made a topic for our favorite pumpkin flavored recipes (healthy alternatives to the pumpkin lattes and usual pies). It's in need of some good recipes, so please add your favorites! :-) THIS IS THE LINK TO THE TOPIC THAT NEEDS RECIPES - PASSION FOR PUMPKIN Thanks!

I dunno about you guys, but I love this time of year. I especially love the pumpkin flavored everything you get this time of year! But, sadly, eating healthier means that most of those delicious pumpkin treats are great big no-nos! So I thought I'd start a new topic for all of us pumpkin nuts to share our favorite healthy pumpkin recipes! Healthy alternatives to the sugar-loaded pumpkin lattes, donuts, and pies. And of course, my favorite, the IHOP pumpkin pancakes! Whoa! I need some ideas for replacing that badboy! So please share your pumpkin recipes with the rest of us pumpkin lovers! Let me start it off with something I found online: Pumpkin Pie Bars Ingredients: 15 oz. pumpkin puree (1.5 cups) 3/4 cup coconut flour 3/4 cup real maple syrup (may use honey instead) 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt replacement) 2 large eggs Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 pan with coconut oil, or butter if you are okay with dairy. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Pour into the pan, smooth it out with the spatula until even. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until firm. Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares. Store in refrigerator for up to a week! (Of course, if you want to use a different flour than coconut flour, this recipe is not going to work for you. Very unfortunate results with almond flour! Ew!)

I did the IUD for a while. Got pregnant with my son while using it, believe it or not. LoL

I've decided that tonight, when I have a moment to sit down, I'm gonna start a topic in the food area of the boards all about pumpkin! :-) This time of year, there are so many unhealthy pumpkin options, and they are pretty hard to resist! Pumpkin pancakes . . . IHOP used to be my once-a-week stop during the fall for the pumpkin pancakes! Then there's the pumpkin lattes and pumpkin cakes and pumpkin cookies . . . all full of things that aren't so good for ya. I need some alternatives! LoL I like the idea of pumpkin soups, and also just cooking it like squash. I'll have to research some recipes and get a board started. (I'll add the board link to my siggy once I've made it.)

Feel beter soon! You can do this! Get someone to run to the store to buy you a seltzer water for the fizzy . . . or make up some crystal light for the sweet :-) That's what I do when I am desperate! lol Stinks to have to push fluids and not be able to drink that tempting soda.

I had endo. I had to have a hysterectomy last year, and it was the best thing I've ever done for myself medically speaking!