QuilterInVA

It is better not to snack.

I made a Briam yesterday. It is a Mediterranean dish of potatoes, zucchini (or sometimes eggplant), red bell pepper, onion, garlic and olive oil baked in the oven. Thursday I made green beans, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, garlic and olive oil. So good and even better the next day. I had some for breakfast topped with fried eggs. I still go to the YMCA 5 days a week. I love Yoga and a new water yoga class started this week.

That is great. This isn't much different than I have been eating. I just needed to eliminate grains and dairy.

Sounds good to me.

I am still here. I'm sorry about your health problems. I have been following the Mediterranean which and doing well. I would love to plug along with you. Let me know when you want to start.

Good morning, ladies! I've had a rough 2 months. I started with strep throat, then a bad asthma attack and before I was over that I got the Individual and ended up in the hospital for a week followed by 3 weeks in rehab. I came home in time for Thanksgiving. I'm definitely in for the Christmas party and January W30.

Today was the first time I've received notification of a post in a month! I should have checked sooner. I've been reading "Food Freedom Forever" and it's like Melissa was talking to me personally. If you haven't read it, its worth your time. If some of you are reading it, maybe we could discuss it. I have been doing pretty well. Kelly over at The Nourishing Home (Paleo website - she sends out email with dinner menus every week) started a Whole30 yesterday so I joined. She has a month of menus and recipes for the Whole 30. I plan to read the book then go back and make notes and highlight during this time so I'll be prepared for the "eating season."

Good morning, ladies! Off and running on the W30 Challenge. In looking in the freezer to see what I needed I found Chocolate Chili and Cauliflower Soup so I'll use those this week along with some Kalua Pork that was lurking there. Like many of you, I just don't have brakes for some foods and it's all downhill after the first bite. Then there is no use not eating everything in sight until next Monday because you can only start a W30 on Monday (LOL). I think this first week is going to be pretty hard for I have really strayed. I had to redo my gym schedule because they changed the time on my Yoga class and added a new Silver Sneakers that will fit my schedule better. I was thinking about going for a walk this afternoon but the walking trail will be a mess since Hermiane came on the weekend. My flower sure loved the rain after 4 weeks of not one drop. Have a wonderful day.

You can go to the Blog tab and then go down to the August 18 post to get all the info and sign up.

Good morning, ladies! Hot and humid in VA. We have had no rain for 3 weeks. The trees are starting to loose their leaves. Being the "Granny" of the group at 75, I can tell you it does get easier to make wise food choices but the Sugar Dragon is always just around the corner waiting to bounce. In 1971 I weighed 356 pounds. Slowly I got down to 140 by eating a lower carb diet. Over the years I've gained as much as 25 pounds and then lost it again. For the last 20 I've managed to stop at a 5 pound gain and get back under control. What sets me off on a binge is denying myself the salty treats I love. Sweets not so much. I'm much better off if I can plan to have some chips once a week. My grocery store has 1/2 oz. bags of corn or potato chips for $.30 and if I decide to have them, I can get through another week. The problem is that sometimes I feel like my week has not been good foodwise so no chips are allowed. Next thing I know I've the big bag half gone. I also find I get into a rut sometimes and have the same thing over and over. I need to try new recipes or new foods but sometimes it seems too much for just one person. I'm hoping Melissa's new book that comes out October 4 will help me set up a better plan for the rest of my life. I've also signed on for the special W30 Challenge that starts September 5. There will be extras for those who have signed up, including tips on setting the plan up for the rest of your life; there are recipes for Labor Day so we get off to a good start; and there will be tips for reintroduction. We'll all be doing the 10 day version. It's times so the book comes out at the end of the 30 days, then we have 10 days to read the book and make a plan while doing reintroduction. Anyway, I'm giving it a shot. Melissa also has a new W30 cookbook coming out December 6. I just pre-ordered it on Amazon. Have a wonderful day!

Nancy, what hospitals and doctors bill the insurance company and what they pay is far apart. They probably have to bill $6k to get $500. Sorry you are having problems with your W30 attempts. I'm doing the biggie that starts September 5. I like Melissa Joulwan's batch cooking and plan on following it for the W30. That way there is always food ready to be put on the table in 10-15 minutes. Crimsann, love your ideas for the gift bags. How about adding some dark chocolate? We still need rain. We're nearly 3 inches down for the month. I just don't want any hurricanes coming to provide it. September is the big hurricane month for us. Have a wonderful evening.

Good morning, ladies! Another hot (95 degrees) and humid day in VA. We need rain! Having an off-road month and it isn't good. I'm sure you have all heard about the big W30 starting September 5 and leading up to the publication of Melissa's new book. There are going to be some extras for those who sign up on Facebook. The book will be delivered October 4 and the W30 will be over October 5 and then she'll give us hints for the slow reintroduction and that will give us 10 days to read and digest the book and come up with out daily plan. It sounds like what I need at this point. Since I live alone you would think I'd not have a problem with junk creeping into the house but it happens. I'm just not good with having one serving of ice cream or chips. I end up eating the whole thing at once and buying single servings seems so wasteful of money. A small bag of chips is $1.59 and the store brand for a 10 ounce bag is $1.49. I'm a mess. I'm spending the next 10 days making out menus and cooking some recipes ahead and freezing them. I'll also grill up a bunch of chicken breasts and thighs and cook up some ground beef and make single servings packets for the freezer. Where I run into problems is with dinner. I have it planned, I want it, but I'm too tired to cook it. COPD brings fatigue with it. Some days I'm fine and some not. I upped my exercise at the Y and it seems I have more energy. Those endorphins are great mood boasters, too. I am now doing water aerobics and yoga M-W-F and T-TH I do strength training and SilverSneakers (circuit training for seniors). Once a year we have to go around with a trainer and be accessed on the machines so our levels can be adjusted. The girl who did mine started out "Well, you're 75 so lets go to the other room and see how you do." That room has machines for beginners. I passed it a long time ago. I told her I wanted to regular weight room and then she actually looked at me and saw I had a lot of muscle definition. Then she let me show her how much I could do and was pretty surprised. She added some different machines and weights to my workout so I'm glad for that. Have a wonderful day!

I'm sorry! I didn't realize I hadn't posted n so long. Its so hot and humid that I go to the gym in the morning then come home and think about what I should be doing while sitting and doing nothing. With my COPD this weather makes is so hard for me to breath outside. A young couple live next door to me and he came over and offered to water my stuff after they saw me so short of breath trying to do it. I have lovely neighbors. I lost 8 pounds since June. Weighed this morning since it was the end of another 30 days. I'm taking August for reintros and then I'll go back to a full W30 September 1. I'm hoping the new book will help me get a handle on this for the long haul. I know grains are out due to celiac and sugar/sweeteners make me bloated so they are also out. I don't want to back into the snacking I did before. Weight Watchers called me and offered a receptionist position for 4 meetings a week. I used to be a leader. I still weigh in once a month to keep my lifetime status which I have had for 40 years. Even though I'm not doing Smart Points, I know the program well (and all the other ones back to the first one) so I decided to take it. They pay good and I'd like to get my car paid off as fast as I can. I hate having any debt at my age. The Y is having an ActivTrax challenge that ends Labor Day. ActivTrax generates workouts based on what you have done and encourages you to do more. The 3 who earn the most points get really nice prizes. I know I won't do a prize, but it still motivates me to do better in my age group. When I went to get re-evaluated earlier this month, the trainer looked at my arms and said "Wow, you have guns!" I've been lifting heavy for several years so I'd be surprised if I didn't have a little muscle. Getting older doesn't mean you have to fall apart. Cynthia, I sympathize with you dealing with the heat in Texas. We've been in this high 90s with a heat index between 105 and 110 for weeks. We need rain. I just don't want any hurricanes! I don't know how you work so many hours. Crimsann, oh no! Not more car problems! Have a wonderful day - and keep cool! weather

Bread machines sailing through the windows and pie crust sliding down the wall - my laugh for today. It raining and gloomy and I need one.

Nancy, so good to see your post. I was wondering about you. I put a 2# flank steak in the Instant Pot last night and 20 minutes later I had a wonderfully tender steak with some lovely broth. I threw some potatoes and carrots in the broth and 4 minutes cooking and dinner was on the table. Love my IP! Today is the half-way mark for this W30. Doing okay so far. It wasn't hard to get back to it so perhaps I hadn't strayed as far as I thought. I really have to work on this all or nothing mentality and let myself enjoy a little offroading when not on a W30 without feeling guilty. Maybe Melissa's new book will help with that. I've been reading the blog and she's been addressing some after W30 issues there.