Thanks

Wendy and Everyone,

I have loved this journey. I wasn't perfect either, but I did learn what to eat, how much to eat, how often to eat, and even a little about exercise. I have lost about 10 pounds, and I feel awesome. I want to lose 10 more, but I will have to re-commit to being strict again for that. I think I will be ready in the next few days. In the meantime I still eat mostly meals from the book, 7 times a day. I love how much better I look and feel. Thanks for sharing Wendy. I hope your continued journey goes as well as it has been :-) And thanks to everyone who participated with me, it was nice to know so many of us were in this together.

Love,
Tara

Week 12 Already?

Well, we're on week 12. I thought we'd never get here. I have really learned a lot about nutrition and exercise. I think this 12 weeks has been a long learning phase for me. I have not been perfect, in fact I've been a real cheater, but I'm still healthier and I've lost weight. I didn't hit my goal, but it's my own fault for not sticking to everything perfectly. I feel like I'm just starting to figure it all out--what exactly works for me.

I'd really be interested to see what other people have to say about their experience.

Thanks,

Wendy

Where is everyone?

I haven't looked on the blog for a while and noticed that no one else is posting. Where are you??

Well, I'm really liking week 6 (as long as I use chicken instead of tuna and shrimp--seafood and I don't get along).

The other night I was watching the Food Network show, "Throw Down with Bobby Flay" and saw an excellent idea for making pancakes. They beat the egg whites like you would for a merengue and then fold them into the rest of the batter. Well, I decided to try it and my pancakes from meal 3 are so much fluffier! It is a little work, though, so if you do it, do more than one batch at a time.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm not following this thing perfectly--I cannot resist temptation very well--but I'm still progressing slowly but surely. How is everyone else doing?

Wendy

Cooking Eggs

Hello,

So I've figured out a trick with eggs that makes them so much easier. I'm really weird about making sure they're super scrambled so I can't see any white, I'm also a freak about cleaning up after eggs since they can carry salmonella. Anyways, here's what I do.

1. First of all I bought a carton of only egg whites made by egg beaters. I've only had to use 2 so far because they last so long.
2. When I'm actually cooking, I first start the pan warming and spray the cooking spray.
3. Before the pan gets too hot that it cooks the eggs before I can scramble them, Icrack the whole egg into the pan.
4. I wash my hands quickly and start scrambling with all my might, while I pour in the right amount of egg whites (3 Tbsp=1 egg white).

They're usually scrambled enough for my picky tastes. That saves me washing more dishes since I don't use a bowl and I don't contaminate my blender or mixer with raw eggs. I also started making 2 servings of eggs at once and saving half for later (it's not as good re-heated, but worth the saved cooking time).

Anyone have any tricks they've used?

Wendy

Just Beginning

I am Julie Burnside and I am in your group but got a late start. So this is actually my first week only the 2nd day. I am excited to start a new program and see the results. It is so helpful to have others who are in the same boat as me. I look forward to all the changes that will happen. Thanks for letting me be part of your group and for the encouragement. This is going to be great and we are going to have awesome bodies when we are all done.

How I Did

In answer to Kristen's post, I did pretty well. I ate when I was supposed to, and what I was supposed to with one exception... I had a low carb bar between meals once when I was starving! Trish helped me fix the hunger, and as you remember we are not supposed to eat between meals, so I won't be doing that again. I was unable to check the inches this week (I don't have a tape measure, I used someone else's last week), but I will get one by next Sunday. I was down a pound Sunday morning, but this morning I am down 2 whole pounds! I am excited for the upcoming weeks for sure. I hope everyone is doing well :-)

Some Corrections to Our Books

Meal Plan Week 6 GROCERY LIST
1. Multigrain Waffles (71 cals/14 carbs PER ONE WAFFLE)
2. Bananas
3. Sugar free syrup
4. Eggs
5. Deli Turkey
6. Whole Wheat English muffins (130cals/26 carbs)
7. Apples/orange/etc.
8. Oats
9. Baking powder
10. Pam
11. Cinnamon
12. Nutmeg
13. Vanill extract
14. Granny Delight Fiber added bread
15. Canned tuna/canned chicken/deli turkey
16. Relish
17. Light/fat free mayo OR miracle whip
18. Lettuce
19. Mustard
20. Cucumber
21. Celery
22. Salsa
23. Low Fat Cottage Cheese
24. Strawberries
25. Multi-grain Cheerios
26. Shrimp
27. Sweet Potato
28. Cocktail Sauce (15cals/4 carbs PER TB)
29. Fat Free Sour Cream
30. Mushrooms
31. Onion
32. Truvia
33. Fresh lemon
34. Ranch DIPS packet
35. ziplock bags/containers

GOOD EARTH

COSTCO/SAMS CLUB:
1. Eggs
2. Fruit of choice
3. Veggies of choice
4. Salsa
5. Shrimp (fresh or frozen)

Salad Recipe From Kristi

Our favorite Salad to bring to Parties!!!

1. CHOP A BUNCH OF: spinach and romaine lettuce
2. VEGGIES: cherry tomatoes (slice in half)/ small amnt of olives/cucumbers (we like the English ones from Costco-dice them small)/purple or green onions/moz cheese (1/2 cup for a LARGE salad)/shredded carrots/sprouts if wanted/red and yellow bell peppers/mushrooms/
3. 1-2 cups garbanzo OR white kidney beans
4. 1.5 large apple diced SMALL
5. 1 cup grapes diced small
6. 4 boiled eggs/4 boiled eggs whites chopped small
7. 4- 4oz cooked chicken breasts cut up in small slices/chunks
8. Cottage cheese to the side (you can add it to your salad for a little more protein)
9. Balsalmic vinegar to the side
10. Light Newmans Honey Mustard Dressing to the side (dilute the bottle—take out about 1/3 of the dressing and then pour water to the top. Keep the other 1/3 portion in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator and use for later. The dressing drizzles much better when diluted)
11. TOSS All together! YUM! People LOVE THIS SALAD!
12. You can add 1/4th cup slivered almonds to the top if wanted!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Sweet Ginger Grilled Chicken salad

*sautee mushrooms, onions, fresh ginger (just use a carrot peeler and slice off a little bit), salt, pepper.
*take 4 oz. chicken and cut w/ kitchen scissors to make small pieces. Rub on dijion mustard and worechester sauce on to chicken. Add to mushrooms and sautee until cooked.

DRESSING:

½ tsp ginger OR ½ dime sized fresh ginger
1 c. fat free Plain yog
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1-2 full droppers of vanilla stevia
1 tbsp. dijion mustard
½ tsp. garlic powder OR ½ small garlic clove
1 tbsp. olive oil
*you can have 3 tbsp. of this dressing!
*blend w/ flat blade or in good blender

**tip-the fresh ginger and fresh garlic make it way better.

Dressing Macros:
3 tbsp serving equals:
50 cals/3 carbs/2 fat

Salad: tomatoes, bell peppers, 1 tbsp. slivered almonds, romaine lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers, etc.
Add chicken on top!! Yummy-If you like ginger stuff.

Hope this helps!
Trish and Kristi

One Week Down, YEA!!

We did it! We made it through Week One!! How does everyone feel? How did you do? I bet everyone is wondering how each other did. I know I am. My biggest struggle this week was eating the same thing everyday. By Thursday, I was SOO sick of chicken. Thursday and Friday were my hardest days. But Saturday, I was giddy that I got new food for the next week. :) I am already see a change in my body. I feel better and have more energy. It's great! I hope everyone had a great week and is looking forward to this week. Tell us how you did and what works for you.

Jenni Bagley

Dates for our Next Meetings

I forgot I'm supposed to post the dates for our next meetings:

June 30 @ 7 pm
July 28 @ 7 pm
Aug 29 time TBA

Have fun starting a whole new week!

Deals for Next Week's Meals

Here is what I've found for next week's meals:

Macey's:
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
GM Cereal is on sale (not sure if it includes Fiber One)
Eggs (18 ct)
Wheat Thins

Smith's
Apples
Chicken
Berries (fresh, not frozen)

Albertson's
Apples
GM Cereal (doesn't include Fiber One, Cheerios are included which are a substitute)
Mushrooms
Cherries are on sale if you want to use them for a fruit
Frozen Chicken

Harmons
Post cereal is on sale (Grapenuts may be included???)
Mangoes
Mushrooms
Gorton's fish is on sale--not sure if it's the right fish we need

Reams
Tilapia
GM Cereal
Chicken
There were a few other things there but I forgot--they're ususally pretty inexpensive overall.

Here's a link for a printable coupon for the south beach diet bars. Some stores won't take printable coupons though.
http://www.southbeachdiet.com/sbd/publicsite/how-it-works/convenience-foods2.aspx

If anyone finds a good deal on the fish we need, pleae post it. I think I'm going to do chicken most nights since fish can be pretty pricey.



Also on another note--if anyone has been having stomach pains like me, re-evaluate your veggies. Trish told me to drop the veggies until I figure out which ones are the culprits.

Anyone Hungry?

I felt hungry for the first 3 days, but yesterday and today it has been better since Trish helped me realize it was okay to add to my pre and post workout meals if I was always so hungry. We didn't add much, but just a little has seemed to do the trick! Just thought I'd let ya know. How is everyone else?

Where are You?

Where are you, I haven't heard from many of you? I bet you are boiling rice, shopping for La Tortilla's, refilling your water bottle, or using the powder room. Anyway, I hope it is going well for you. I find most of the food to be pretty tasty, the workouts to be challenging and leaving me SUPER SORE - but it feels GOOD! I have actually not had a single treat, which has been the hardest part. I have learned that I deal with a lot of family drama with aging parents - which makes me want to drink (but since I don't do that) I realized I eat! So I guess I can say my family makes me fat - haha! Anyway, I am feeling differences, you probably can't tell yet, but I can feel it! I hope it is going well for you, and that you are finding your motivation and sticking with the plan. I am loving myself more each day from being true to myself.

Jenni Bagley-Introduction

Hi, I'm Jenni Bagley, one of the many Jen's in the group. I am 28 years old. I have been married for 7 crazy but wonderful years. We have 4 kids- Lydia will be 6 in August, Lukas just turned 4 on June 3, Nellie is two and Eli is 16 months. Todd and I have crossed the country a few times. After three years of marriage, we moved to Portland, ME then to Orange County, CA. We have just recently moved back to Utah. Between moving and have kids, I lost myself. So, since we are done having kids, I wanted to do something for me. I was so excited that Kristen called me and asked me to be a part of this. THANKS KRISTEN!!

I am really excited to have the opportunity to go on this journey with everyone one of you. The accountability will be so helpful. My biggest challenge will be Baking. I love to Bake. It is where I find my sanity. But with your help, I will be able to do it. I'm excited to get more energy and to feel good about myself.

The last day and a half have been pretty good. I actually like the food and think it tastes good. It has even struck some interest in my husband, which says A LOT! I am sure together we will reach our goals!!

I look forward to getting to know everyone and supporting each other.

Jenni Bagley

Christina's Introduction

My name is Christina Ahlstrom. I am 35 years old. I have been married to my husband, Todd, for almost 11 years. We have two children ages 8 and 5. I am a stay at home mom. My weight started to climb after I had my second child. She was born in the winter. By the time spring came around, I was too embarrassed to go out and walk with the other neighborhood girls. I am hoping to go back to teaching in the next couple of years. However, as I look in the mirror, I know there is no way I could go to a job interview and feel confident about myself. There is also no way that I would be able to get up in front of a classroom full of students every day. I am looking forward to feeling better about myself and having the energy that I need to be the wife and mom that I want to be. I am excited to be a part of this program. I've tried to lose weight in the past but I've always done it by myself. The lack of accountability kills me. Having other people working towards the same goals to talk with is going to be a big help to me. I've been sugar free since Thursday and I'm loving it. I made cookies and didn't eat half a dozen just to make sure they were okay to share with other people :). I had a family thing today and I took my food with me. It worked out great.

My Introduction - Kristen Bagley

I'm Kristen Bagley (don't have a pic to post - I try to stay away from the camera), I am 34 years old, married, and have three daughters - 11, 7.5, and 4. We have a lot of fun together. However, while pregnant with them, I packed on the pounds. I was usually able to lose most of it - but with the last one, I haven't. Honestly, I despise the way I look and feel. I didn't grow up overweight and so I know how it feels to wear smaller clothes and look good, feel sexy and energetic. That being said, I have ALWAYS eaten crap. Cinnamon bears and chocolate are my beer and cigarettes - we all have a vice.:)

I have decided that I MUST change my ways and it is imperative that I lose weight so that I do not die prematurely - I am not kidding here. Type II diabetes runs strong in my family, and I am borderline. I have recently decided that losing the weight and changing my bad habits is not going to be easy - but anything I do is going to be a sacrifice. I am so thrilled to have a support network of great women I can call friends to help get me through.

Also, I drank 3/4 of a gallon of water today - I know it is good for me - but it is going to be challenging, since I will be forced to use every public restroom I pass - it will be like potty training my kids; see a potty = must use it. If it makes me healthy, I can deal with it - much better than a cleanse when you can't leave the house.

Good luck everyone let's be the winning team!
Kristen

Good Deals on Our Food

Hello, I have recently joined a website called dealstomeals.com and I also follow http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com to find good deals on groceries. Each week they list the items that are on sale and categorize them according to how good of a deal they are. I spent a lot of time last night researching our menu for the upcoming week and found a few pretty good deals. My mom and I are splitting up the shopping list according to stores so I'm going to 2 and she's going to 1. Here's what I found:

String Cheese: Albertsons or Harmons
Brown Rice: Macey's (by the 20 lb bag--it will last you all summer)
Sour Cream: Reams or Harmons
Chicken: Smiths or Maceys
Canned Chicken: Maceys (Although I've done the math and it would be cheaper to use the regular chicken than the canned--just more prep work)
Mayo/Miracle Whip: Albertsons
Cole Slaw Mix: Smiths or Harmons
Broccoli/cauliflower: Smiths
Stubbs BBQ: I think Smiths or Dans is the only place to carry it.
Hefty Baggies: Maceys

Maceys is having a caselot sale, so a lot of canned things are on sale

Here are some produce that's on sale:
Grapes: Albertsons
Bananas: Reams
Strawberries: Maceys
Cantelope: Maceys
Peaches: Smiths

Well I hope this is useful. If I'm ambitious enough next week I'll post it again.

Wendy

Jessica and Tara

It was so fun to read a bit about Wendy and LouAnne, so I will follow suit and write a little about me and Jessica.

My name is Tara Hoppie, and I just turned 29. I have 2 awesome kids, Zane who is 5 and Nyah who will be 3 on June 29th. I have been married for 9 years to my hubby Jeff who is supportive in whatever I want to do. I have been working out at the Lehi Legacy center for a year and a half now, but I definitely need a change in the way I feed my body. I am looking forward to learning new things to cook and a better way to eat. I can't wait to have washboard abs and sexy thighs! I also want to run an entire 10k without walking by the time we re done with the 12 week program. I figure the better I eat and the less I weigh, the better I will be able to run!

Jessica Powell is one of my coolest and funniest friends. I met her at the women on weights class at the Legacy Center over a year ago, and we have been weightlifting buddies ever since. She is married to a firefighter named Mark who loves and adores her, and they have 2 kids, Elizabeth who is 4 and Jack who is 2. Jessica is an outdoors woman who loves camping and hunting (I hear she is a good shot!) She loves to dance and play basketball, and she is incredibly strong. I think she is looking forward to learning how to cook healthy meals just like I am. I am so glad to be doing this with her, she is such a great person to be around!

Thanks for putting this blog together Wendy, and thanks Kristen for inviting us to join your group! We are pumped to learn how to look and feel like Trish and Kristi!

P.S. Sorry There is no photo, I am not on my computer at the moment :-)

Welcome to the Blog!

Well, I hope you all enjoy this new blog! Since I didn't know anyone at the party except my mother, I thought it might be nice to have everyone introduce themselves first. I'll introduce my mom & I to start:

Me (Wendy Berrett):
I am almost 30! I'm married to Nate Berrett, who is the son of Todd & Lisa Berrett who I think some of you know. I have nearly 3-year-old twin boys who keep me on my toes. I also work part-time as a speech therapist for IHC in the Salt Lake area. Working occasionally is as much for my sanity as it is for money! I'm really trying hard to lose that tummy from the twins. I wonder how much is extra skin and how much is fat... Also I'd love to benefit from the added energy I'm hearing about this program. I feel very apprehensive about my ability to do this, but I'm gonna give it my best.

My Mom (LouAnne Charlesworth):
She's a very hard working, fun-loving, and giving woman. She's mother to me and my 3 younger sisters, and Grandma Lulu to 3 grandchildren. She works for early HeadStart as a teacher and is wonderful with children. She recently retired from her second job at JC Penney's so now she only works 5 days a week!

Here's the most recent picture I could find...it's 4 years ago.



Well, now you know us... I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone else.