The fun's over! It's time for an Easter (Sunday, March 31) Challenge!

Down 4.3lbs for the week. Not as great a start as I expected, but we went out to dinner on Thursday and yesterday I wasn't completely 'on plan' either, so that shouldn't be a surprise. Thank goodness for the loss, though!! :) Even that small amount feels better re my clothes.
To quote Ben Franklin: "If you don't have a PLAN, you plan to fail."

Our DD and several other co-workers have been on their diets for their trip (they reached the villa this morning at 5am,lol...hope they got some sleep on that flight!)....all of them are on "a plan", and have been losing weight. The one gal who said she was just going to cut this out, eat that, etc, hasn't lost a pound. It's just not the way to go when losing weight.....and the WW plan is free if you know where to look, is easy, I still have my cookies and tea in the evening...some ice-cream when I feel like it, a glass of wine here and there...and that's how I lost 50 lbs last year. If I didn't have this silly fall last May, I'd still be svelte today! :-~

Regarding sweeteners, I've always used my Sweet 'n Low, my Mom used her saccharine (and lived to 92!), and I don't know what I'd do without it. I also sweeten water with those little squeeze bottle thingies that do NOT contain aspartame. Plain water nauseates me (weird, I know), so some of that in a glass or bottle is perfect for me.

Lecale, if you have a bulk barn near you, we buy the stuff by the bag, but you could pick up a few and give it a few days of using it, perhaps that would solve your dilemma?

This is a war, not a skirmish...it takes time, but boy is is worth it!!! :)

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Originally Posted by Lynn49

This may continue to encourage you to stay off the colas, Granger..:tongue:

http://cdn.images.diyselfies.com/ima.../2891/main.jpg

http://www.reshareable.tv/25-practic...coca-cola.html

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Oh yeah, doesn't phase me! I am too sciencey. I just think about how strong the acid is on our tummy. :P

Haven't had one in 6 days. Will treat myself tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by lecale

Well the thing I am learning about stevia is that it's pretty tasteless and its sweetening power may be overstated and it is ALWAYS blended with a second sweetener for flavour. E.g., PureVia tastes pretty good, but that's because the #1 ingredient is dextrose. Lantic stevia uses sugar alcohols for flavour so it has a cooling effect like sugarfree gum.

The packets of Lantic are supposed to equal 5/6 tsp (? lol) of sugar but they do not seem as sweet as the 2/3 tsp real sugar I use. The cooling effect is pretty unpleasant once your tea gets cold.

Sweet tea is my crutch, maybe I will just have to walk more to earn the pleasure.

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I can see now why you are more inclined to abandon the use of Stevia. Just know that NOT all Stevia is blended with something else, as I said earlier there are many products claiming to be Stevia and they are crap!
The brand I use is called NOW BETTER STEVIA ( and yes that one does cost more, see website link below ) BUT there is no dextrose or alcohols in it.

http://www.nowfoods.com/Foods/Better-Stevia/

The Ingredients label on the side of my large ( 454 gram ) container states : Certified Organic Stevia Extract Powder ( Stevia Rebaudiana leaf)
That is it. Nothing else in there.
Further down it states:
No sugar, salt, yeast, wheat, gluten, corn, soy, milk, egg, shellfish, preservatives, artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.

I have never had any problem detecting an aftertaste when I have baked with it UNLESS I use too much.
Here is perspective for you, on the other side of the label of my canister it says this: Use to naturally sweeten your beverages and foods.
Use 1/4 of an 1/8 of a tsp, ( yes I typed that correctly ) and after that in brackets it says ( 1/32 ).
So can you see what I mean by how little is needed? If other products are telling you to use more that means they are inferior imho.

To each their own, if you will not enjoy your cups of tea without using sugar than just carry on, but I do not feel Stevia is the problem, it is the kind of Stevia you have tried.

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Way to go Lynn, that is a lot to lose in one week, you must be so happy!!
Myself I am sticking to more vegetables and less refined carb and have a pretty good eating week and have my menu planned for the week so I am optimistic!!

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Originally Posted by lecale

That one says


http://www.nowfoods.com/Better-Stevia-45-PacketsBox.htm

:shrug:

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well lecale, MY container does not say " other ingredients " anywhere on the container so I am confident that it is pure. It would have to be listed there if they put maltodextrin in it.

Wondering now if it is possible that there is a difference in the way they manufacture the extract powder that they sell in the large bulk canisters ( like I have ) and the boxed packets that they think most people will buy to sweeten their beverages with?

Honestly, I am at a loss here why they are showing differently.

Stop by and wish Curt81 a Happy Birthday!!

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/408954-...a/#post6476728

http://i3.cpcache.com/product/235073...=225&width=225

Oh normally I like it tasting pretty green, my issue with this batch was how bitter it wound up being! Do you have a trick to cut the bitterness out? I think it was the combination of kale and swiss chard, was just too much. I'll figure it out eventually!

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Originally Posted by walkonby

hey, isn't that weird that I love my juice to taste like that! ( lawn clippings ) The greener the better, ha ha Lots of fresh Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, basil, and then just enough apple to take the edge off. Oh yeah and also a fresh peeled lemon in there. My DD is like you vw and loveliewinter3, she wants lots of fruits in hers.

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Nice work Lynn!! How are you feeling? I think you're right, I need some sort of a plan. I tried to do a meal plan for last week, but I did it after the groceries were already done so it fell through on the first day... I'm going to take your advice though and think about what sort of plan will work best with my brain and my schedule. Especially with such an inspirational result in you!

Good Luck everyone, I am still all over the place. My eating was going well but now think I have yet another infection which is causing my stomach to go off and when this happens I am all about the carbs as the starch really helps to calm things.

Doc is no help says the infections will keep coming until I lose weight only issue is with the infection it is almost impossible to lose weight and at times they will last weeks and will only feel infection few for days or maybe weeks before I can feel it coming back on.

Feels like I fighting a losing battle but I will see what I can do given the current circumstances. Will start another treatment and see where it goes but feeling very discouraged as the infection has me retaining water and bloated and leaving my clothes feeling tight.

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Originally Posted by walkonby

hey, isn't that weird that I love my juice to taste like that! ( lawn clippings ) The greener the better, ha ha Lots of fresh Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, basil, and then just enough apple to take the edge off. Oh yeah and also a fresh peeled lemon in there. My DD is like you vw and loveliewinter3, she wants lots of fruits in hers.

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I don't like much fruit either....I can't handle any apple or pear at all. Its just too sweet. I stick to 20% or less fruit and that's usually some berries, watermelon or pineapple. And of course lemon and lime to brighten up the greens (I don't peel - skins supposed to be good for you) I like savory ones like what you would put in salsa or greens with an Asian twist with some bok choy and 5 spice. I use ginger and jalapeno a lot too....oh an beet if you get it right is delish too.

MMMM, getting excited to get started. Was too sick this weekend to follow through with my plan but my mind set is getting there now.

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Originally Posted by lovelikewinter3

Oh normally I like it tasting pretty green, my issue with this batch was how bitter it wound up being! Do you have a trick to cut the bitterness out? I think it was the combination of kale and swiss chard, was just too much. I'll figure it out eventually!

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I'm still learning to love kale, its not a favorite and my juicer is stubborn with it too. Have to feed it in a few leaves at a time followed by something juicy. Have you tried ginger to cut the bitter?

I have not! I will try that, thank you! :)

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Originally Posted by vw_girl

I'm still learning to love kale, its not a favorite and my juicer is stubborn with it too. Have to feed it in a few leaves at a time followed by something juicy. Have you tried ginger to cut the bitter?

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Originally Posted by SassyAshley

Good Luck everyone, I am still all over the place. My eating was going well but now think I have yet another infection which is causing my stomach to go off and when this happens I am all about the carbs as the starch really helps to calm things.

Doc is no help says the infections will keep coming until I lose weight only issue is with the infection it is almost impossible to lose weight and at times they will last weeks and will only feel infection few for days or maybe weeks before I can feel it coming back on.

Feels like I fighting a losing battle but I will see what I can do given the current circumstances. Will start another treatment and see where it goes but feeling very discouraged as the infection has me retaining water and bloated and leaving my clothes feeling tight.

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That does sounds like a no win situation :( Sorry about your struggles. Have you tried any holistic remedies for either infection or the upset tummy? Banana and papaya are good for stomach upset and digestion issues. Switching to brown rice, bread etc or try a protein bar to level out the carb intake? There are some really delicious ones out there now. Little steps that you can change/make will get you headed in the right direction.

Its a shame your doctor isn't more helpful. :thumbs_down:

Maintaining, but off this week.

Packed a full and healthy lunch today, including some cashews and some kale salad! I'm feeling good about it.

Making more conscious choices about what I put in my body yesterday and (so far) today have given me a slight boost in energy. I was feeling some sugar/bready cravings yesterday but they went away after I ate my salad (weird). The water intake is staying high, and I'm trying to remember to drink some tea at least every few days. :)

Well i weighed today and all I can say is better luck next week. I gained after a well planned sensible week, the doctor changed my meds, the old ones had a diuretic and new ones don't...I'm puffy now.back to the doctor next week. damn...not giving up next week will be better.

I am having an eat what I want weekend...back on track Mon. I am back to prepregnancy weight of 157. I am not worrying about the dream, losing the final 10 lbs, any more. I want my girls to love health, not a number. I will work on the number when I don't have young kids. Oh and I am trying to love health and not a number myself...I seem to lose wo trying that way!

Not just any tea though...Green tea and mint both caffeine free varieties, have the fat burning properties. Some people drink tea and add load of milk to it, defeats the whole purpose.

Cashew and other nuts...watch out for the intake amount as it can be fattening if consumed in large amounts.

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Originally Posted by lovelikewinter3

Making more conscious choices about what I put in my body yesterday and (so far) today have given me a slight boost in energy. I was feeling some sugar/bready cravings yesterday but they went away after I ate my salad (weird). The water intake is staying high, and I'm trying to remember to drink some tea at least every few days. :)

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Happy good morning, everyone!!

A waste of a diet weekend, what with preparing appys, mixing Cosmos then going out for dinner with 'the kids', then left-over appys on Sunday...:)
But back on track today!!!

Have a successful week, everyone!!!!

What a busy weekend! Went out for dinner for my dad's birthday yesterday, had some delicious pizza! I got a full sized medium pizza (they were half price, winner!) and I brought 6 slices home. Lunch for the next few days, nice! Groceries yesterday involved picking up a lot of fresh produce, and this morning I made myself 3 500mL jars of fresh juice! I'm in the middle of drinking one right now, it's so good.

Energy levels still up, and I'm feeling less stiffness in my hips/lower back, so I'm taking it as a good sign. Keep on trucking and good luck everyone!! :)

Oh way to go! You dusted off the juicer! You are doing better than I am :tongue: Anyone have any strategies for this coming turkey day? Are you invited to or doing the cooking for a large meal with all the trimmings and desserts and nibblies etc?

I am going to be staying at a cabin Friday to Monday for a fishing derby with 2 other couples. I have never met them and no one has discussed whether we are doing meals together or anything traditional for Thanksgiving. So I don't know what to expect at all. I will miss the big sit down turkey meal if we don't put something together. But I think we will likely just pack our usual camping menu and roll with it. If we do well fishing we will have some good, low fat and healthy protein.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...b89e07b2dd.jpg

Ha ha, I like your strategy

Well got on the scale and I am down two pounds for the week.I'll take it and will just use some restraint this weekend!!! Just did my pie crusts and I have a beautiful cheesecake in the oven....I will fatten up my house guests and live vicariously through their plates!!

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That's so smart, lol

Down one more pound this week!!! Pretty good considering Thanksgiving was included in this!!
Might be a tough weekend, husband requested nachos and wings for tonight for when we watch the game....I cut up veggies and will just have a couple of wings.

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