Need a buddy for weight loss

[bobandkelly]

Good Morning! I have been a lurker on this board and others. It is encouraging to read about people getting healthy and helps me to stay motivated.

 

Salsa dancer, are you going to post the yellow rice salad recipe here? I am always looking for something new to try, especially for potlucks. The ladies in our Sunday night small group are all trying to eat healthier. But eating is one thing we all do really well!

 

Hope you all have a nice 4th and weekend

Kelly

[junior 1]

Hello hello hello. Just checking in to list my stats for this week

SW: 260

CW: 249

thirteen pounds to go to my goal weight. Now is the time for the serious work. :)

[Salsa Dancer]

Good Morning! I have been a lurker on this board and others. It is encouraging to read about people getting healthy and helps me to stay motivated.

 

Salsa dancer, are you going to post the yellow rice salad recipe here? I am always looking for something new to try, especially for potlucks. The ladies in our Sunday night small group are all trying to eat healthier. But eating is one thing we all do really well!

 

Hope you all have a nice 4th and weekend

Kelly

 

 

Hi Kelly aka "lurker" :D ...always nice to have others join us.

 

Boy was your timing ever perfect....I just sat down to my computer, before heading off to a funeral....had looked up the recipe and printed it off to take with me to the grocery store, so it is handy...The original recipe came from a magazine but I added the "Margarita" with a splash of tequila (optional) and I also added a lot of other stuff because I felt like the original lacked color. This is such a good salad and so pretty. I am working on my own dressing instead of buying the lime/cilantro dressing, but didn't get to that yet. This is my contribution to our 4th of July potluck tomorrow.

 

Dar’s Margarita Shrimp and Rice Salad

2-8 oz. packages of Vigo Yellow Rice Mix (found it in the rice section at Meijer’s)...the packaging is shiny yellow and they are small packages.

1 lb. cleaned, cooked, tail-off shrimp (91-110 count)….use 2 lbs. for a summer main dish salad (I buy my shrimp from Sam's Club...this salad would also be good with some hard salami or other sausage added)

2 T. olive oil needed for the rice prep.

2 T. olive oil for browning garlic

1 T. chopped garlic from the jar

15 oz. Bush’s Black Beans—drained and rinsed

6 green onions, sliced thinly and up the stem

1 each, small red, yellow, orange sweet peppers—cored and diced

1 pt. grape tomatoes—quartered lengthwise

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1 t. ground red pepper

3 T. tequila (to marinate) (I used Jose Cuervo Gold)

1 ½ cups--Newman’s Own Light Lime Vinaigrette or other citrus-based dressing

(next time I’m trying Annie’s Mango/Cilantro dressing)

1-2 t. Kosher salt

Variation—I’m going to add some chopped mango to this salad next time, for kicks.

Cook the rice according to package directions, adding the oil to the rice mix. Cool.

Brown chopped garlic in 2 T. of olive oil and add to the cooked rice.

Combine shrimp, beans, green onions, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, cracked pepper, red pepper, and tequila in a bowl and allow to marinate while the rice is cooling. Add cooled rice to this mixture; then add dressing and Kosher salt to taste. Chill or serve at room temp.

This makes a pretty large salad—serves 6 as a main dish or 12 as a side.

I would like to see if I can come up with a home-made dressing for this salad and leave off Paul Newman’s name! Dressing for the salad was $3 a bottle…I think I can make my own for nickels. When I come up with a dressing recipe, I’ll let you know. I want to do a lime dressing recipe, and also a mango one for when I add mangoes as a variation.

I think it would be cool to serve this in a large clear bowl that has been rimmed with lime juice and Margarita salt. It would look cool for about 5 seconds, but still cool and cool is cool. J

Off I run....I'd hate to be flying in by the seat of my pants, for a funeral...:o again!

 

 

Oh...one more thing....this is also REALLY good with some chopped mango thrown in....that little bite of sweet with all of the "tang."

[mycruz]

Just came back from checking out the local Curve's and I think I'm going to start on Saturday.

 

Mommy4, I had a flashback to when you went to the Dr. and the scale was much different than your own:eek: . The scale at Curve's was 4 lbs more than what I weighed at home this morning. However, I had clothes on and had eaten breakfast by the time I got there. I'm not too concerned, I'm going to keep using my home scale for weigh in's. Spoke to a woman that doesn't do any of the cardio, Dr's orders, only does the weights and has lost 5 inches in her first month. She hasn't lost weight, but if I could start seeing a bigger difference in my measurements, I'll be one happy camper.

 

Have a wonder July 4th everyone!

[Kudos2Fly]

Well happy 4th for everyone. I everyone does well on the 4th.

 

So far I'm doing well. I haven't been above 130 in a few days. What I'm doing is just eating really "slowly". Also having smaller portions. Plus I don't drink beer anymore at night, but I do have 1 glass of wine. Also I haven't been having any cokes. But I do have a "bad" snack from time to time. But I have smaller portion. Plus I pay more attention to my stomach. That is I really make sure I'm not over eating. And I only eating when I NEED to.

 

So I have been eating my normal foods. I'm not doing any special diet of cutting out foods. So far its working. So I'll see what my weight is like on Monday.

 

But I do normally try to stay away from carbs, process foods of any type and keep my sugar down a lot. Well at least 80% of the time...

[psychochuckie]

Hi there. Good for you on trying to lose weight. It's always been a struggle for me. I've tried every fad diet with not much luck. I see that someone posted they lost a substantial amount on Nutrisystem. I tried that, only lost 10 lbs in 4 months. Every body is different. The food was horrendous.

 

I'm happy to say that I have lost 35 lbs in 16 weeks on the E-Diets meal delivery plan (with NO exercise!). You get "fresh" food delivered every week...AND IT'S VERY GOOD!

 

I tried to get my husband to go on it so I wouldn't have to cook for just one. Just looking at other food is hard to keep your guard up and not be tempted to eat it.

 

I was able to eat 5-6 times a day and never feel hungry. I just love E-Diets. It is a bit expensive, $131.00 per week + shipping. But if you consider only eating that and throw in a few fresh fruits and low fat dairy, it really doesn't cost anymore than you would pay cooking or eating fast food on a daily basis.

 

Check out their website and see if it might be for you. Good luck and keep focused on your goal! :)

 

Jami

[Salsa Dancer]

I'm still doing portion control, when the situation is such that I don't have as many food choices. We went to a cute little diner for dinner and I ordered a turkey reuben which came with fries (my addiction in the past)....I ate half of the reuben and boxed up the rest. It was SO good. Had a big Diet Coke with it, then ate 8 fries and the rest ended up in the trash.

 

Even with portion control, I'm usually making much better food choices....cottage cheese, baby carrots, green grapes for lunch--stuff like that. But there will be situations where there if food, like tomorrow. I'm not going to freak out about the potluck. I'm bringing the Margarita salad with me; so I know that I have one great option. If there are munchies, I'm just going to eat a few. Not several handfuls, like normal. 3 or 4 chips won't kill me. I feel like it is more of a "sneaky" way of dieting....no one will notice and I won't draw attention to myself by going without. I'm tired of doing that.

 

Today after the funeral, the luncheon was tiny ham or turkey sandwiches, potato chips, cookies, potato salad. That was it. I was starving as I had rushed off in too big of a hurry to have breakfast. But I ate a kid-sized plate of food with plenty of space on my plate between each thing. It's so much easier for me to do this than to show up at things like that and not eat because the "good" food isn't even there.

 

In the meantime, I want to work on recipes that would fool anybody. Stuff that will curb the cravings, taste delicious, and be guilt-free and even good-for-you. I bought canned pumpkin and want to try to create a chocolate brownie recipe. IF it isn't decadent, then I'll consider it a failure and keep on trying. If I do it, I'll post.

 

The next project to follow that one will be oven-roasted garlic potato salad. I already have a great recipe for that so a little tweaking with lite or low-fat mayo should do it. Mmmmm.:)

[Salsa Dancer]

I wondered how everyone is doing on this long holiday weekend. :confused:

 

I had a good day on the 4th but not-so-good on the 5th. :( Our family was invited to hang out by a pool and share a meal with another family. I misunderstood the dinner time and didn't eat lunch...thinking we'd eat in the mid-afternoon. Wrong! On the way there, sent my hubby into the store for the fat-free/light pringles for me to have something to munch. He grabbed the wrong ones so there were twice the calories (140 per serving versus 70). I blew it all afternoon eating tortilla chips, pita chips, and guacamole....a little wine....TOO much snacking! No veggies, no fruit. Ugh. Much later we ate grilled chicken, etc. but I know that this was an out-of-control day for me. I felt really crummy all the way home, then depressed about it all night, and woke up feeling more of the same. I don't like it that the weigh-in is so close....too close for me to recover from the munching marathon. Being hungry and in close proximity to fattening stuff with no other options is a bad, bad thing.

 

I know that I can't go back to where I was...at 188. I can't go back to the constant out-of-control eating habits. I don't want to. I keep thinking about what one of those ladies (Today show Joy Fit Club) said about blowing it on one or two meals and how you have 21 meals, total, in a week. So you have many more chances to get it right. I'm praying that I can regain the control and not repeat past failures. That was always my problem in the past...if I blew it on one meal, I would let myself think, "Why bother?" and continue in the same bad path. If I do that, where will I be in 5 years? More miserable than I am today. With arthritic joints, most likely...surely with high blood pressure, maybe diabetic, as there are many of those in my family.

 

What's that old song? "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again." :D (This is me, faking a smile until I feel a real one coming on.)

 

I don't expect a reward on weigh-in day; so I'll need some encouragment to get me through that next week. I do believe, that if I don't give up and instead regain the control, that calorie burst on the 5th will have told my body that I'm not starving myself and will allow me to lose another "chunk" of weight. I'm working today, on trying to see where I will be at the end of this month, and not just at the end of this week.

 

I decided to wait until I felt hungry (have that full feeling from yesterday, still) and it's already 2 p.m. and I haven't eaten yet. Time to get something good like yogurt and wheat germ!

 

I hope you all are having a good weekend.

[Mommy4lyfe]

I wondered how everyone is doing on this long holiday weekend.

 

I had a good day on the 4th but not-so-good on the 5th. Our family was invited to hang out by a pool and share a meal with another family. I misunderstood the dinner time and didn't eat lunch...thinking we'd eat in the mid-afternoon. Wrong! On the way there, sent my hubby into the store for the fat-free/light pringles for me to have something to munch. He grabbed the wrong ones so there were twice the calories (140 per serving versus 70). I blew it all afternoon eating tortilla chips, pita chips, and guacamole....a little wine....TOO much snacking! No veggies, no fruit. Ugh. Much later we ate grilled chicken, etc. but I know that this was an out-of-control day for me. I felt really crummy all the way home, then depressed about it all night, and woke up feeling more of the same. I don't like it that the weigh-in is so close....too close for me to recover from the munching marathon. Being hungry and in close proximity to fattening stuff with no other options is a bad, bad thing.

 

I know that I can't go back to where I was...at 188. I can't go back to the constant out-of-control eating habits. I don't want to. I keep thinking about what one of those ladies (Today show Joy Fit Club) said about blowing it on one or two meals and how you have 21 meals, total, in a week. So you have many more chances to get it right. I'm praying that I can regain the control and not repeat past failures. That was always my problem in the past...if I blew it on one meal, I would let myself think, "Why bother?" and continue in the same bad path. If I do that, where will I be in 5 years? More miserable than I am today. With arthritic joints, most likely...surely with high blood pressure, maybe diabetic, as there are many of those in my family.

 

What's that old song? "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again." :D (This is me, faking a smile until I feel a real one coming on.)

 

I don't expect a reward on weigh-in day; so I'll need some encouragment to get me through that next week. I do believe, that if I don't give up and instead regain the control, that calorie burst on the 5th will have told my body that I'm not starving myself and will allow me to lose another "chunk" of weight. I'm working today, on trying to see where I will be at the end of this month, and not just at the end of this week.

 

I decided to wait until I felt hungry (have that full feeling from yesterday, still) and it's already 2 p.m. and I haven't eaten yet. Time to get something good like yogurt and wheat germ!

 

I hope you all are having a good weekend.

 

 

Cheer up:). Last week I went to 2 cook outs in one day and pigged out on junk food, that was on a Saturday. On Sunday it was hard to get back on track. When I weighed in on Monday I had gain 1lb. So the scale said. :confused:

 

You did not gain any weight. It takes an additional 3500 cal to gain 1lb. I think it is impossible to gain a pound in a day. I remember a trainer telling me that if you watch what you eat 6 days a week, you can eat what you want on the 7th day and still loose weight. :)It is ok to splurge once in awhile, it puts a little spunk in our weight loss program. Splurging is like a very nice naughty . ;)

 

My DH told me to reach for the moon and even if I miss I am still among the stars. Keep reaching for your weight loss goal and you will always be a star.:)

[Mommy4lyfe]

Good Morning Everyone

 

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Today is weigh in day and I am :D.

 

SW; 178

LW: 173

CW:168.4

Loss: 4.6lbs

GW: 145

 

I am so very happy. After the overeating for two days last week I came back with a bang. Yahhhhhhh.

 

Salsa - Splurging a couple of days last week helped me a lot this week. I enjoyed myself without guilt and was ready and eager to get back on my WW plan. Pretty Lady you can do this. You are strong and I know you will stay focused. We are routing for you.!!!!!;)

 

 

 

[Kudos2Fly]

Well I did well this weekend. I had a nice 4th, but didn't over eat to much. I did have 2 peaces of cake, but small portion and some wine. Then on Sunday went down to Sebring to have lunch with some people. I only eat half my meal. :)

 

So hear is my weight

 

SW 131.5

CW 127.5

GW 120.0

 

I came down 1.7 this week. I'm doing well on this different way of eating. My husband has even lost 2 pounds eating this way.

[moonpie906]

I did very well this weekend.. I was afraid I would overeat, but I didn't!

 

SW: 162

LW: 152

CW: 152

GW: 145

 

I didn't lose, but hey I didn't gain either...I am maintaining!! I wasn't able to walk much this weekend, but I did get some swimming in which felt great!!

 

Talk to ya later

Pam

[Salsa Dancer]

As I said in the beginning, my water weight fluctuations can be crazy...and plateaus, too. I can go up a whole 4 lbs., then down in a day--just what happened from Sunday to Monday. So today's weigh-in was not so bad as I thought it might be since I weighed 184 on Sunday morning:( .

 

SW: 188

LW: 179.5

CW: 180

GW: 135

 

I want to be out of the 180s for good and FAR from that number. I noticed, today, that the black capris that I wore are loose! I have had to hike them up all day long. A good kind of annoying! :)

 

Looks like everyone is doing great...

 

Mommy....Whooooo-hooo! You had a big loss this week.

Moonpie....you don't have far to go and you're right...maintaining on a holiday week is just fine.

Kudos....That is a big drop for you! I know that the closer you are to goal, the losses can be teeny, so 1.7 is awesome!

 

I am going to ask myself this question every morning...."On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you want this?" I was honest and told myself I was at about an 8 or 9. Should be a ten, but 8 or 9 is pretty serious for me. If I'm not serious, it won't happen.

 

Today was a good day.

 

Hope everyone else is still with us....we need everyone. This forum has helped me so much.

[Salsa Dancer]

Good Morning Everyone

 

Salsa - Splurging a couple of days last week helped me a lot this week. I enjoyed myself without guilt and was ready and eager to get back on my WW plan. Pretty Lady you can do this. You are strong and I know you will stay focused. We are routing for you.!!!!!;)

 

This is new ground for me, Mommy...the occasional splurge. I'm really excited to see your results!! That encourages me. I always wondered something, in the past. I would go on a "diet" and lose 8 lbs. in 2 weeks, in my younger days. Then the loss would stop. So I could be at 160 and drop to 152 and be "stuck" for a long time, then quit. But I could start again a while later, I would again drop 8 lbs. in 2 weeks. Now I am wondering if those maintenance weeks just gave me calories/fuel, then when I cut back at a later date, I lost quickly for a little while, all over again.

 

My hubby would always tell me to let loose a little and have a "cheat day" but I'd cry and say, "No...I can't! If I do that, I'll not only NOT lose, I'll probably gain." I always saw things in the short term and not the long term. If I am going to lose steadily, with an occasional social event that involves things not ordinarily on my eating plan, that really could mean a change in my lifestyle--something that I could truly live with. Isn't that the way thin people eat anyway?

 

Seeing everyone's results....the good, the bad, the ugly....is a learning tool for all of us. I really believe that perseverence is the thing that will take us all the way home with this effort.

[deladela]

Hey~made it through the long weekend without too much overeating, but I guess if we go by the 3 day rule(I forget who posted that rule)I guess I won't know for sure what the damage was until Wed. Anyway, weigh-in time!

SW-188

LW-171

CW-169! I'm out of the 170's...YEA! And 1 lb away from 20 down. 3 lbs away from halfway.:D

GW-145

[Salsa Dancer]

Hey~made it through the long weekend without too much overeating, but I guess if we go by the 3 day rule(I forget who posted that rule)I guess I won't know for sure what the damage was until Wed. Anyway, weigh-in time!

SW-188

LW-171

CW-169! I'm out of the 170's...YEA! And 1 lb away from 20 down. 3 lbs away from halfway.:D

GW-145

 

LUCKY!!!:D Out of the 170's....I CAN'T WAIT for that to be MY post!!:)

 

Can you post more about how you are feeling physically, mentally, how clothes fit, etc. with 19 lbs. off? It will give me something to look forward to. My goal is to get 20 off by the end of August, for starters. I started at 188, too, and want to be at 168-166 by the end of August, if at all possible.

 

I guess this applies to anyone of you who have lost at least 10 lbs. What is the difference that you are noticing?

[deladela]

I have a lot more energy and when I tried on a pair of pants yesterday that haven't fit in a while, they fit. Not just fit, but I could actually wear them in public fit! It felt really good and I just keep picturing myself in the clothes I have in my closet that still don't fit, but that I really like so it motivates me. I know I need to find time for exercise, but the only thing I can do right now with a messed up knee is swim and with my work schedule and the limited pool schedule I haven't been able to make that happen. Anyway, don't get discouraged, just focus on your goal and your personal reason for that goal and take it one meal at a time. I also took starting measurements and took "before" pictures at the start. I'm going to do the same at the halfway and at the end. I think it will help to see how far I've come because when the weight comes off slow, I feel like I'm still so big, and lose sight of where I was.

[Kudos2Fly]

I think the way the then people do it is eat very slowly and eat "only" what you need!!! I know that seems simple but had for us to do. I'm just starting to realize that.

 

I'm still sometimes having a had time not eating fast and making sure I'm not over eating. It's not bad when I'm at home. Because my husband and I eat and think the same way about eating. I am getting better at eating out.. Like this weekend for the 4th. I did real well on the main meal. But did have two desserts, but small ones and had some wine.

 

I think thats why I lost the weight I did. I'm just making sure I only eat WHEN I"m hungry and eating slowly. The one thing I like is I'm not limiting what I eat. Which is good for the real world.. And I'm learning to eat smaller portions.

 

But I do eat when I need to. Which you don't want to starve your self.. Anyways that what I'm doing.. I'll see how this week goes.. Hopefully I'll have more loss this week.

[mycruz]

Wow! there have been some really great successes this week! Also some NSV's that are great motivators for me as well!

 

I didn't lose a thing this week, but I had such a big loss last week, I'm still averaging 1.5 lbs/week so I'm not too disappointed.

 

SW - 236

LW - 192

CW - 192

Goal - 145

 

Mommy4, you stayed with the program all week and had a huge loss, I guess you are feeling really good about your decision to stick with WW. Good for you!

 

Salsa. I too am looking foward to getting to the next step down, for me it's the 180's. My goal is to be there around Labor Day which will also be when I'm on my cruise. We leave in just over 7 weeks:eek: I need to get busy and lose.

[junior 1]

Good Morning, I hope that all survived the 4th. In reading thru the posts I see that many of us had struggles with the holiday. Please do not despair, it was only one day out of your life, one day that you ate more than you wanted to, one day that is now gone and will not return, BUT today, tomorrow and the next day are each THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!! Do not let regret put a damper on all that has been done up to that one day, each morning that you wake up you have a chance to accomplish great things. Keep that in mind and you will always be able to move past any"booboo" at any time.

As for me I am still at 249 so I am very very happy. Plan to be down 2 lbs by next Monday.

To all a great and wonderful day!!!!!!!;)

[Salsa Dancer]

I saw a relative of my husband's after not seeing her for a couple of years. She's lost a lot of weight, with some more left to lose. Looks great, though. She said something, though....that she can't wait to be done so that she can eat "normally" as in, "have whatever everyone else is having." That really made me think and I asked her about what she said. Basically, I asked her what her plan was to be able to eat "normal" food and still keep the weight off. She just shrugged like she didn't have a clue. We talked a little about moderation, portion control, planning out what you eat and compensating. Cut the grain group a bit, at some meals, if you are planning on indulging for a particular meal, etc.

 

That was my past mistake. Going on a "diet" and just feeling like I couldn't wait to be OFF THE DIET and back to "normal." But it was my "normal" that had made me fat in the first place. Normal was always too much.

 

If we think like that, won't we be right where we were before?

 

Stuff like butter is supposed to enhance the flavor of a dish, not BE the dish. Same with sugar. Nice to have a spoonful of real sugar on cereal, in coffee, in iced tea. But snacks that are loaded with fats, oils, sugars, etc. could be fine if eating in small amounts and really, truly savored. If I shovel a half dozen chocolate chip cookies into my face, how much am I really treasuring the treat.

 

She and I talked about this topic for a good while. My thought was that we should practice eating healthy, and not too much of even healthy food, so that the occasional social event, and other things like pie and cake and brownies (enter your own personal favorite here) wouldn't be the dominant part of our diet but a small part of it to be savored and enjoyed.

 

One principle that I've learned from reading the French Women Don't...book is that you should practice being VERY selective when you choose to indulge. Pick the very favorite stuff off the buffet and don't overindulge when you do it. Don't waste your time on not-so-great filler-food. I"m working on practicing this stuff but I've got many years of bad habits to revamp. It's one thing to read something and another to practice if faithfully.

 

This whole process, for me, is hopefully about figuring out what I've been doing wrong all these years and making some permanent changes--otherwise, what's the point? I'll lose the weight for the cruise after 9 tough months, then put it all back on again. Not going to go there this time. I hope I'm older and wiser.

 

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement this week. I've really needed it. I can be flying high for a while, then need my own pick-me-up when that needle on the scale sticks. I always seem to be stuck at a ZERO number....probably just my imagination....it seems like it is there forever, though.

[bobandkelly]

(Enter own personal favorite) For me I have learned that homemade (not from a box) cakes, brownies, cookies taste better. So I don't even bother to eat things like that when I am at parties... If I am going to splurge on the calories I want them to taste really good. My favorite cake is angel food. I love it plain, with berries or if we are having company and want something special I make espresso mascarpone cream. Truely yummy but not diet food. But even that in a small amount is more satisfying than a large amount of something that has that chemical taste that processed foods have.

Another thing to do is freeze cookie dough in balls. When you are absolutely craving cookies just bake a couple. Portion control and fresh cookies. It is better than baking a whole batch and having them calling your name till they are gone.

I agree with you Salsa that it is about learning how to eat in moderation. The relative will put on everything she lost and probably more when she goes back to "normal" eating. We have to make "normal" a healthy way of life.

Kelly

[Kudos2Fly]

Another comment on healthy eating. That is always the problem with diets. Going on a "diet" then going back to eating "normal" food.

 

I'm one of those people that eats organic foods at home. So we stay away from ALL process foods at home. Even the "DIET, LOW FAT and LOW SUGAR". We eat only natural foods. NO processed foods at all.. At least when at home. Of course when we eat out or at relatives it is impossible to do that.

 

But we do keep our sugar down and carbs to a small amount. Also I'm really learning portion control and not over eating.. Once I get that down I do believe you can eat "normal". But until you can do that then eating "normal" will not help if you are always eating to much food.

 

I'm also still learning to listen to my stomach. But I'm getting better at it.

[Growler]

Hello all - didya miss me?!!

 

Well - it's been an up and down couple of weeks in more ways than one...so here's an update. (I originally had the word 'short' in the last sentence, but since I got in the writing groove a couple of pages below, thought it best to come back and remove it in the interests of honesty! - if you just want this weeks figures, head to the bottom, but you'll miss all the exciting bits)

 

On the 27th June we travelled down to London, having arranged to meet with a couple of close friends to attend the 'Hard Rock Calling' festival in Hyde Park. I knew in advance that this was going to test my resolve to the limit, because once I start enjoying myself I really 'sieze the moment' as it were, so I'd decided that this was going to be a holiday from all the usuall dreary stuff, including diets. Bad decision.

 

We arrived at our hotel late afternoon, and decided to take a stroll around the Marble Arch area to find a suitable restaurant for dinner. I was hopeful of finding a 'non-fast-food' hostelry, because I was fairly certain that inside the festival corral on Saturday and Sunday there wouldn't be a great variety of offerings other than the usual chips and burgers. More of that later. One colleague of my DW's had mentioned an excellent Indian Cuisine restaurant 'just round the corner from your hotel', so we headed in that direction, ever hopeful that the directions he'd provided were sufficient. We shouldn't have worried, because once we'd rounded the first corner of the hotetl, we could see the sign for La Port des Indes less than 50 yards ahead. From the outside this place looked small and intimate, so we made a booking and headed back to the hotel.

 

At 7pm we returned to this small, bijou restaurant, and were welcomed warmly, and taken downstairs to a rather nice basement bar, where aperitifs were served. For some reason, this bar looked much bigger than the outside had, but I thought little of it, and just enjoyed the first ever drink I've had that had a chilli in it! Fantastic! We were then told that our table was ready, and proceeded up another staircase into the most fabulous oriental dining room I've ever seen. It's obvious now, but the building facade is merely the 'entrance', and the actual restaurant interior spreads over what must be half the block! (don't worry - city blocks in the UK are usually smaller than those you might be used to in the US!)

 

Well, my diet took a nosedive. To be honest, I don't regret it one bit. If you're ever in London, no......if you're ever in Europe, make a detour and visit this place. It was without doubt one of the top five meals I have ever eaten. No diet is worth giving up an experience like this for.

 

OK - you ready to shoot me yet?

 

Early on Saturday morning we looked for somewhere to have breakfast (the hotel charges £21.00 or $40 for breakfast :eek:) but there was little to choose from, and I didn't just want a croisssant, so we ended up in McDonalds. I know, I know, I'm sorry! we then walked off the breakfast by meandering our way down Oxford Street into Marks & Spencer's flagship store, then next door to Selfridges. I even managed to avoid their food halls! Our frinds were due to arrive at our hotel at 12, so we returned to the hotel to change in time for the concert. Once they'd arrived, (they were a little late), we had to find somewhere for lunch in relatively short order, ro we girded our loins and headed for the hotel's brasserie, managed by a great english chef, Gary Rhodes. The food was again excellent, but I couldn't resist finding out what the great man could do to 'Fish and Chips' that I hadn't experienced before, and he didn't disappoint. Washed down with a glass or two of wine, we signed the cheque, grabbed our bags, and made our way to the festival site.

 

Whilst we entered the site at around 3pm, just as the first bands were coming on stage, it was really the headline acts (Eric Clapton and Sheryl Crow on Saturday, KT Tunstall and The Police on Sunday) that we'd come to see, and they weren't due on stage until 8pm at the earliest, but as a bit of a music lover, and having many friends at home that wanted reports of any 'up and coming' talent that might appear on the underbill, we set off in the direction of the second stage tent to see what was on offer. Right outside the entrance to this second stage was an extremely inviting beer garden, with lots of nice outdoor tables and chairs placed in the shade below expansive chesnut trees, so we decided to grab one while the going was good, as it was a gloriously sunny day, and we just knew that the combination of shade and cool drinks was going to be at a premium before long. Unfortunately, the downside of having somewhere pleasant to sit at an event like this is the neccessity to avail oneself of several delightfully chilled alcoholic beverages......

 

By six pm we'd seen maybe four or five bands, and were ready for something light to eat before the main event, so we headed back towards the entrance, as we'd noticed an enticing 'restaurant' area off to one side when we'd passed previously. I should have guessed of course, but as the Hard Rock Cafe chain were sponsoring the event, they had the concession for the main food outlet on site, but to give them their due, they'd done a magnificent job, and built a huge marquee, decorated inside just as you might find any other Hard Rock Cafe anywhere in the world, complete with every type of music memorabilia imaginable adorning the walls! Well, I've never been able to find a really healthy eating option on a Hard Rock menu, so I'll put my hands up right now. I didn't even try. Mexican Chicken Burger with all the trimmings. Yum.

 

So - now that you all hate me, want to know the rest?

 

After the concert we returned, replete and exhausted, to our hotel. Next day for breakfast we found a delightful italian cafe, (we thought it was just a bakery, but were put right by the helpful concierge in the hotel), so I was able to get some healthier options inside of me. Well, only if you count the best eggs benedict in London healthy I suppose. For lunch though, we visited a restaurant in Selfridges, and I was able to restrain myself enough to only have an entree (pan-seared scallops) and a dessert. We even managed to avoid the fast food outlets in the festival site on Sunday, mainly because we were too busy switching between stages to watch all the bands we wanted to catch. As the show drew to a close, we made our way out of the park, and back to the hotel, ready to take the train back home early on monday morning.

 

It was about lunchtime on monday before I was able to climb onto the scales, and boy, do I not wish I hadn't. It was a real mixture of emotions when I realised just how much damage I'd done to my long term weight reduction goal in just one long weekend, simply by letting go and really enjoying myself. I will also admit that I couldn't face writing here at that time, because I often hide behind the facade of an extrovert personality, whereas in reality I suffer quite badly from depression, and to write what I was thinking back then wouldn't have helped me much at all. Nevertheless, I decided to knuckle down and stick with it, so here I am again. When last we met I think I was at 273, so here's the figures as at 7am this morning

 

SW 284

LW 273 (ok, it was two weeks ago, I know)

CW 269 !!

GW 238

 

All the best,

 

Tim

[Salsa Dancer]

Oh...oh....oh!!! I read the whole thing and laughed out loud several times. You "girded your loins" really got me....well that was almost downright Biblical! I love quality food and couldn't blame you for that city block of gourmet that you enjoyed.

 

First off, yes, we missed you. If anyone of us gives up, I am sure it is felt by all. I thought maybe you had given up and left us for good and didn't want to nag you to hang in there--that can be irritating, I know. Even though we have anonymity here, we can still feel embarrassed when we "blow it." Isn't that funny?

 

The foodfest sounded great but you robbed me of that "You shouldn't have done it" feeling with your weight loss! :) I am irate. :) Men! :)

My chips and guacamole feast on the weekend was nothing compared to all of the stuff that you got away with. I probably had a cup of guacamole and 3 cups of chips. And I gained a half pound. :(

 

Consider yourself very fortunate. Do you think the walking helped you out? Or are you dehydrated? Past experience from me....I got away with murder on occasion, thought it was okay to over-indulge because I maintained or even lost a little after a "food bender" then packed it on quickly. Careful! Grab those reins and get back in the saddle and we'll all be rooting for you!

 

I understand the depression thing....I bet everyone here who has been carrying around the unwanted pounds feels the same. Everyone knows that fat people are "jolly" but really, most, if not all, are carrying around some inner sadness that is a worse load than the weight. Sometimes we eat BECAUSE we are sad and sometimes we are sad because we overeat.

 

I don't know if you felt this, or not, but when I "pig out" or whatever we want to call it, I get this feeling of remorse. It's the same feeling that an alcoholic might have or a person who indulges in anything that they shouldn't or maybe just indulges in too much of a good thing (food). I just had that feeling this past Sunday and Monday. I grew up with alcoholic relatives who laughed their way through the weekend only to cry their eyes out when it was all over...they had remorse over fights that were started, insults that were made, events that were missed, upset stomachs & hangovers, and children who watched the whole process with innocent eyes. I'm realizing, lately, that in a way, I have done the same to myself and my family only my vice is food. I weighed 116 in high school, 126 when married, 152 when my last child was born, and put on an extra 26 lbs. in 20 years to get up to my all-time-high of 188. How many times did I laugh through the food fest, get grouchy because nothing in my closet fit me, make a big mess of clothes and make the whole family late for almost every event, feel unable to participate in activities, (biking, hiking, swimming, class reunions, etc.) and feel depressed and unhappy (which spills over into the family atmosphere).

 

Hi...My Name is Salsa...and I'm a foodaholic. :) I'm kidding...I don't believe in labelling myself in that way, though I can't help but see the similarities. I believe in calling myself what I believe I can or will be.

 

Hi...My Name is Salsa...I weigh 135 lbs. I have been humbled and I've fought my way toward being fit and healthy--with some help from friends. I feel great!! :)