Let’s share our journey for those of us that want to pursue a healthier lifestyle to lose weight.

[Luanne]

This was always me. Just grabbing my fuelings every couple of hours is easy enough to keep me going until goal. The ease of the program made me stick with it.

I am at goal, actually, and I am thinking of going down another 10 pounds to get to that lower body fat. I am unsure, however, because I feel so good where I am. I am definitely hesitant to move to different foods for my fuelings. I put off my next order and will hopefully not even follow through with that one. I really am not wanting to continue with the precribed foods. I am tired of the bars, especially after trying the Built Bars, and I am disappointed that the pancake is no longer an option. I bought Birch Benders pancake mix to use after my three boxes are gone.

I do worry that I am going to be unprepared with foods on the list in the book. I am so used to grabbing something from the cupboard.

Congratulations on reaching goal. I think I've related this story before, but just in case I haven't, here it goes (again). When I lost weight in 1991 I got to goal, and then kept losing. I really never learned how to maintain and once "stuff" happened I gained all the weight back, plus more. I think the weight I got to was just unrealistic for me. When I lost weight (again) in 2002 I stopped at a more manageable goal, and I've kept that weigh off for 18 years.

 

[Quilter]

.......

The sour cream beef recipe I recently bought in packet B, OMG! Rick and my stepdad really enjoyed that one, too, so I will make it next week again. It was really good. Lots of recipes have things I wouldn't have on hand, but that one was just perfect for what I always have available to cook.

Tonight, I will be having a stuffed pepper skillet made with canned tomatoes, cauliflower rice, lean ground beef, and bell peppers. I love that one and will have leftovers a couple of times this week. Cauliflower rice is sold in packets in boxes at Costco, so not even frozen, so I love that option.

My favorite meal is cauliflower crust pizza. It's my go-to meal. It would work great for Keto. I use 2 C of riced cauliflower, an egg, and about 1 C of mozzarella cheese. Press half of that mixture into a pan on parchment paper and bake the crust for about 8 minutes. Then I turn the crust and bake another 5-6 minutes. I actually use my air fryer. I eat one right away and freeze the other crust.

.......

You may like this chicken recipe. It sounds similar to the sour cream beef.

I love cauliflower crust too. My recipe is very similar to yours. Few more herbs and Parmesan. I use 4 egg whites, not the suggested 1/2 cup.

Tonight I wanna make cabbage roll in a bowl but will use kale, kohlrabi and cauliflower leaves instead of cabbage. We have so much of those from garden.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Last night I made stuffed pepper skillet for my dinner. Rick and my stepdad had enchilada casserole, something I cannot eat. I cooked two meals last night, so they could eat something different for a change. I was okay with it because leftovers tonight for all of us. I have enough stuffed pepper skillet for a few more meals. I do love it.

18 oz of extra lean ground beef
2 green peppers, chopped
3 C of cauliflower rice, drained (easy with the packages at Costco)
2 cans rotel with chiles (or regular cans of tomatoes) drained
1 T of worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 C of lowfat Monterey Jack cheese

Fry ground beef with green peppers, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, add cauliflower rice and tomatoes, cook about 5 minutes. Add cheese on top and let it melt for serving. The above recipe makes five servings and are a full lean and green.

But I am adding salad with cucumber and tomato + lowfat ranch dressing to my meals lately (I am at goal).

 

[rickandcindy23]

You may like this chicken recipe. It sounds similar to the sour cream beef.

I love cauliflower crust too. My recipe is very similar to yours. Few more herbs and Parmesan. I use 4 egg whites, not the suggested 1/2 cup.

Tonight I wanna make cabbage roll in a bowl but will use kale, kohlrabi and cauliflower leaves instead of cabbage. We have so much of those from garden.

I couldn't really see the recipe. I am going to try copying it to a document and make it bigger. My stepdad won't eat chicken or fish. He is a picky eater, so I don't usually cook chicken. I make chicken taco soup sometimes, and he will eat it, but if I have leftover anything else, he will take that option. He cleans up all of our leftovers, so I am okay with heating something from the refrigerator.

I also add italian seasoning to my crust and I will add the parmesan, when I have it. I forgot to mention the italian seasoning. The thing is, with this program, we are supposed to keep track of our spices added. I am not good at it. They are counted as condiments. I add a lot of pepper to my salad (fresh ground) and never measure it. I decided that flavor is the spice of life, so I didn't count it, nor do I count my Jordan's Skinny Syrup added to my coffee each morning. It's 0 calories. But you are supposed to count everything.

I saw a recipe for a crust made with yogurt and was going to try that. We will see how that goes. I know egg whites are preferable for the crust, but I don't like wasting the yolks. It's weird to waste those things. I could make a custard for Rick and Lowell with the yolks, I guess. They both love custard.

 

[b2bailey]

Yay! Success! This is going to be me. I have yo-yo dieted for years. At 65, this is my last "diet."

I know what I have to do. Eating six small meals a day is very easy for me. I don't think I can ever eat ice cream or sugary snacks again, but I feel SO GOOD that I do not care. I love the way I feel. I haven't loved the way I feel for 30 years. This is a game changer for me. I love Optavia and the reading I am doing. I know my prayers have been answered with this program. God delivered me a miracle, and I am so grateful.

Amen. I am so happy for you!

 

[rickandcindy23]

Amen. I am so happy for you!

Oh, thank you so much. I am so grateful. I know you understand why I call it God's miracle just for me. I prayed for this a long time.

 

[VacationForever]

I find that peanut butter helps curb hunger cravings. When I am strict on my diet and I am hungry before my next meal, I just slowly eat a teaspoon of peanut butter. I am finally back down to before start of COVID-19. From this point, I want to lose 10 lbs. My approach is alot of golf - moderate activity, but golf makes me very hungry all day. I allow myself 2 carb snacks in a day outside of meals on golf days.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I find that peanut butter helps curb hunger cravings. When I am strict on my diet and I am hungry before my next meal, I just slowly eat a teaspoon of peanut butter. I am finally back down to before start of COVID-19. From this point, I want to lose 10 lbs. My approach is alot of golf - moderate activity, but golf makes me very hungry all day. I allow myself 2 carb snacks in a day outside of meals on golf days.

Too bad I don't like peanut butter. I used to like it, but now I cannot stand even the smell of it. It started when I was five years old (60 years ago!). When my mom had my baby sister, I stayed with an aunt, uncle and two cousins (both nasty mean boys who were older), and the only thing the boys ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, was PBJ sandwiches. After I got back from those few days with their family, I refused to eat peanut butter. My mom said it was just strange. I remember being sick of being in their house. But it could also be because my mom used to trap mice with peanut butter. That was about the same time. Maybe psycosomatic.

 

[rickandcindy23]

So I said I wouldn't get on the scale until 10/12, and then I did get on the scale. I am now a little bit under my original goal. Now I am thinking another 10 pounds might be easy. That would take me to the top range of healthy BMI. My husband told me to not worry about the extra ten pounds, that I look good and healthy already. He believes that if I get much lower, I will struggle to maintain the weight. He has every right to worry because we have been down this road before, but I never got this healthy before. I never felt so "in charge" of my life as I do now.

I was stuck on a plateau for a good long time. I would weigh myself and see the same weight for weeks and weeks at a time. It was frustrating me to no end. That was 8 pounds ago. Leaving the scale at the townhouse was not a bad plan because it kept me from agonizing over the same number on the scale for weeks at a time. According to my weight loss chart, I was at the same weight for about 3 months. Really, within two pounds either way. I know that water weight can show on the scale, so I dismissed the 2 pounds up, when I saw that.

Then all of a sudden, I am 8 pounds down, but not really all of a sudden, it just seems all of a sudden. And then today, I saw an additional loss of 1.5 pounds. That was surprising. Really surprised me. So maybe the scale is going to move down for a bit? Wouldn't that be amazing.

 

[Luanne]

@rickandcindy23 Great job!

 

[rickandcindy23]

Loose skin.

My granddaughter is 3 and is somewhere on the autism spectrum. She is fascinated by my loose skin on my arms. We were sitting at dinner the other night, and she started jiggling my skin and laughing hysterically.

I don't necessarily mind the loose skin on my arms, I mostly wear 3/4 sleeve shirts, except when it's very warm and uncomfortable. But my tummy is a problem because I have a waist size that is significantly bigger than "healthy" in the book. I talked to my doc, and he said no way would Kaiser allow me to get a "tuck," even if I get down another ten pounds and move into the healthy BMI range.

My question is, would a tummy tuck be crazy expensive?

My coach told me that my skin will catch up with the weight loss in about a year. I don't see it happening for a 65-year-old. It's not even logical that my skin could go back to normal. How could it? It's been stretched for 30 years.

 

[Panina]

Loose skin.

My granddaughter is 3 and is somewhere on the autism spectrum. She is fascinated by my loose skin on my arms. We were sitting at dinner the other night, and she started jiggling my skin and laughing hysterically.

I don't necessarily mind the loose skin on my arms, I mostly wear 3/4 sleeve shirts, except when it's very warm and uncomfortable. But my tummy is a problem because I have a waist size that is significantly bigger than "healthy" in the book. I talked to my doc, and he said no way would Kaiser allow me to get a "tuck," even if I get down another ten pounds and move into the healthy BMI range.

My question is, would a tummy tuck be crazy expensive?

My coach told me that my skin will catch up with the weight loss in about a year. I don't see it happening for a 65-year-old. It's not even logical that my skin could go back to normal. How could it? It's been stretched for 30 years.

I slowed my weight loss to maintain my weight the last few weeks and the jiggly got a bit better. I suggest, as I will do, an exercise program to firm up as much as possible before deciding on surgery.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I slowed my weight loss to maintain my weight the last few weeks and the jiggly got a bit better. I suggest, as I will do, an exercise program to firm up as much as possible before deciding on surgery.

Exercise is something I would need to add calories. I am so afraid of that. When did I become a person who was okay doing 1,000-1,200 calories a day forever? I am at that point now.

My hair has become brittle, and I am experiencing a little hair loss, but no bald spots, just thinning of my hair. It's also kind of dry, and I know it's lack of fat and calories because I looked it up on the net. I think it's time to add calories and start exercising. It just seems so foreign.

 

[bjones9942]

I treat my weight loss in three steps. First, making sure I'm eating 500 calories a day less than I burn. When I get to my goal weight, I add exercise. I like walking so I do that or a treadmill when I have the option, making sure I do something at least 3 times a week. Third step is making sure I'm following good nutritional guidelines.

I'm 6 lbs away from my current goal, and have lost 13 lbs in the couple of months since I started this round (total of about 65 lbs from my heaviest). I'm also experiencing the saggy skin, which didn't affect me when I dropped the first 50 lbs. Hopefully when I add the exercise into the picture the flabby skin will resolve itself.

 

[Panina]

Exercise is something I would need to add calories. I am so afraid of that. When did I become a person who was okay doing 1,000-1,200 calories a day forever? I am at that point now.

My hair has become brittle, and I am experiencing a little hair loss, but no bald spots, just thinning of my hair. It's also kind of dry, and I know it's lack of fat and calories because I looked it up on the net. I think it's time to add calories and start exercising. It just seems so foreign.

Don’t be afraid to add calories. What I added was protein usually cheese, about 300-400 calories and an extra fuel. I have stood the same weight. With all the added stress of the move I felt the last few weeks was the time to try to maintain. Once settled I will aim to loose 20 more pounds for health, plus I will go back to exercising. I realize I will have to up my calories with the exercise. So far no hair loss and skin just a little dry.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Don’t be afraid to add calories. What I added was protein usually cheese, about 300-400 calories and an extra fuel. I have stood the same weight. With all the added stress of the move I felt the last few weeks was the time to try to maintain. Once settled I will aim to loose 20 more pounds for health, plus I will go back to exercising. I realize I will have to up my calories with the exercise. So far no hair loss and skin just a little dry.

I am surprised by the hair loss. The lady that cuts my hair commented on my thinning hair. She said my hair used to be really thick. It's never been an issue for me. My brush usually has very few lost hairs in it, and now I am cleaning it every few days of my white hair.

My understanding is that lower calories cause this hair loss and a lack of fat. I have done keto several times, no hair loss, but I never did stick with that program because of all of the planning I had to do. I wanted low-carb diets to work because I liked the food.

Have you tried Built Bars? OH MY GOODNESS. Those are the best. I love coconut, and the coconut one is so good. Not allowed to mention those on the FB group. They are 130 calories and so similar to sugary bars. I treat myself once a day to one of those things. I love the salted caramel and the cherry barcia, too. I have some pumpkin spice ones in the box that was just delivered but remains unopened for now.

I found some wonderful spinach and egg fritatas at Costco. A box of 20, and I eat two of those for lunch. That's 140 calories for my lunch. I may have 3 starting tomorrow. I also occasionally replace a fueling with cottage cheese and tomato, and of course my Light and Fit yogurt with blueberries. I love those yogurts before bedtime. Yum.

For breakfast, I am having a Birch Benders pancake. I got the mix at Costco. It's fine, as long as I add a little sweetener. I use Skinny Syrup (salted caramel) to sweeten the pancake.

The only things I am continuing to order are brownies and the cinnamon cheerios. I like those a lot.

Rick eats a lot of goodies, and I am not jealous one bit. I had an Optavia brownie last night at bedtime, in lieu of my yogurt because I am out, and Rick had a handful of M&M's.

 

[Panina]

I am surprised by the hair loss. The lady that cuts my hair commented on my thinning hair. She said my hair used to be really thick. It's never been an issue for me. My brush usually has very few lost hairs in it, and now I am cleaning it every few days of my white hair.

My understanding is that lower calories cause this hair loss and a lack of fat. I have done keto several times, no hair loss, but I never did stick with that program because of all of the planning I had to do. I wanted low-carb diets to work because I liked the food.

Have you tried Built Bars? OH MY GOODNESS. Those are the best. I love coconut, and the coconut one is so good. Not allowed to mention those on the FB group. They are 130 calories and so similar to sugary bars. I treat myself once a day to one of those things. I love the salted caramel and the cherry barcia, too. I have some pumpkin spice ones in the box that was just delivered but remains unopened for now.

I found some wonderful spinach and egg fritatas at Costco. A box of 20, and I eat two of those for lunch. That's 140 calories for my lunch. I may have 3 starting tomorrow. I also occasionally replace a fueling with cottage cheese and tomato, and of course my Light and Fit yogurt with blueberries. I love those yogurts before bedtime. Yum.

For breakfast, I am having a Birch Benders pancake. I got the mix at Costco. It's fine, as long as I add a little sweetener. I use Skinny Syrup (salted caramel) to sweeten the pancake.

The only things I am continuing to order

Rick eats a lot of goodies, and I am not jealous one bit. I had an Optavia brownie last night at bedtime, in lieu of my yogurt because I am out, and Rick had a handful of M&M's.

Add fat to your diet, cheese will do that and eat the calories you can to maintain the weight. I am suggesting eating more fresh foods. You have done so well, Pause, stop losing weight and maintain. Your body is lacking something. Hair loss is telling you that. A varied diet should help.

 

[elaine]

You should add fat. Also good for brain and organs. I’d add avocado and olive oil.

 

[VacationForever]

I am surprised by the hair loss. The lady that cuts my hair commented on my thinning hair. She said my hair used to be really thick. It's never been an issue for me. My brush usually has very few lost hairs in it, and now I am cleaning it every few days of my white hair.

My understanding is that lower calories cause this hair loss and a lack of fat. I have done keto several times, no hair loss, but I never did stick with that program because of all of the planning I had to do. I wanted low-carb diets to work because I liked the food.

Have you tried Built Bars? OH MY GOODNESS. Those are the best. I love coconut, and the coconut one is so good. Not allowed to mention those on the FB group. They are 130 calories and so similar to sugary bars. I treat myself once a day to one of those things. I love the salted caramel and the cherry barcia, too. I have some pumpkin spice ones in the box that was just delivered but remains unopened for now.

I found some wonderful spinach and egg fritatas at Costco. A box of 20, and I eat two of those for lunch. That's 140 calories for my lunch. I may have 3 starting tomorrow. I also occasionally replace a fueling with cottage cheese and tomato, and of course my Light and Fit yogurt with blueberries. I love those yogurts before bedtime. Yum.

For breakfast, I am having a Birch Benders pancake. I got the mix at Costco. It's fine, as long as I add a little sweetener. I use Skinny Syrup (salted caramel) to sweeten the pancake.

The only things I am continuing to order

Rick eats a lot of goodies, and I am not jealous one bit. I had an Optavia brownie last night at bedtime, in lieu of my yogurt because I am out, and Rick had a handful of M&M's.

The hair loss is caused by not getting enough nutrition, i.e. vitamins. My cousin-in-law who lost 150 lbs through a weight loss program about 35 years ago, was given a vitamin loaded shake down each day so that he got the nutrition while limiting calorie intake. He was told that if he did not do so he would lose hair on his head.

 

[rickandcindy23]

The hair loss is caused by not getting enough nutrition, i.e. vitamins. My cousin-in-law who lost 150 lbs through a weight loss program about 35 years ago, was given a vitamin loaded shake down each day so that he got the nutrition while limiting calorie intake. He was told that if he did not do so he would lose hair on his head.

The food is supposed to have the nutrition to it. I am adding fat for sure. Panina's suggestion of cheese is a great one. I should have an egg in the afternoon, maybe that would help. I do love deviled eggs.

I eat salad every night. I have noticed that the salad doesn't do much to help the hair thinning, even though I use a full tablespoon of full-fat ranch dressing. No teaspoon of dressing for me anymore.

I read on a couple of websites that biotin helps with hair loss. I have biotin shampoo but maybe you should take it internally? What is that? Rick uses a biotin shampoo every day. He is still mostly bald.

 

[TTSDavid]

Tonight I had this wonderful idea let’s share our journey for those of us that want to pursue a healthier lifestyle to lose weight. Tuggers are so supportive in so many aspects that I hope others will think this is a good idea and participate. After all, the healthier we are the better shape we are to enjoy all aspects of timeshare vacationing.

This isn’t about perfection, this is about the bumps, falls and successes we encounter. An experience whether good or bad from one can help someone else. We can share recipes, good books, the weight loss plan we choose, exercises, meditation, etc anything that has helped.

So much has happened in the last year that once again I put everyone ahead of me. I did not take care of myself the way I should have, physically, mentally and nutritionally. I am mad of myself that once again I am in the position that I have gained too much weight. It affects me physically and mentally. I don’t like how I feel or look. I don’t move as well as I did. Who is that girl in the mirror?

Last Tuesday I decided to join Weight Watchers, not that it ever worked before. My community offers it and I thought it would be a good way to meet others which it was. To my surprise the program is much different, for me in a good way. Time will tell if it will work for me. I am hopeful.

Today I am on day five of taking care of me. Being off the sugars was difficult the first few days but today the cloud has disappeared and I have clarity. One thing that I am doing differently then ever before is I am preparing all my food, no frozen or ready made quick meals. I am taking this as an opportunity to learn new cooking skills. I have made this week a hummus, mushroom egg pie and oatmeal banana blueberries cookies with nothing else added.

Does anyone else want to join the journey?

How is your new healthy lifestyle going? I think this has been the year of changes... And I agree, sometimes it is better to prepare one's own food than frozen meals. It's just that sometimes there's not enough time. Making fruit smoothies is also a good idea, healthy and fast!

 

[Sandi Bo]

Just want to thank you for this thread. I've been trying to follow along and sure appreciate all the information. Coincidentally, I just had my annual physical and I was trying to remember why my doctor recommended biotin. For hair loss makes sense (as I have low thyroid and I thought I might need my prescription adjusted (I do not)). But in the course of the conversations she suggested biotin but cautioned me not to take over the daily recommended amount. Reading I see the recommended daily amount is 30mcg. BTW one-a-day for over 50 has 30mcg.

In February I decided if I was going to be locked down, I would come out of this better. I lost about 50 pounds (eliminating one of my two comorbidities - can't control the other one, my age). My bloodwork was awesome (chol 188 - HDL 105), physician daughter said that's the highest HDL she has ever seen.

I've managed to find 10 of those pounds, so need to get back on track. Thanks so much for the motivation/inspiration here

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am so happy for this program. I have never felt so energetic in Disney World before. I am able to walk more than I usually do. I think this program has changed every aspect of my life. I am so grateful and thankful that I asked my coach how she lost her weight. It is a miracle for me. Hair is still thinning.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am now moving away from the prescribed fuelings. I eat Built Bars, about $1.80 each, Kodiak Power Cakes or Birch Bender pancakes in the morning. Just 1/3 of a cup + water to make it a nice batter. Rick adds in a little sweetener to the pancake in the form of Jordan's Skinny Girl caramel syrup. My yogurt every day is still one of my favorite treats.

I still have a lot of bags of the cinnamon crunchy o's cereal and lots of brownies left of the Optavia fuelings, plus a few other boxes, various items still left. I need to eat all of those. I have shakes left, and now we are in the cold time of year, so those are something I may save for our next trip to Orlando, just 33 days from now. I have hot chocolate left, too, and I did buy a box of the pudding to try.

 

[Panina]

How is your new healthy lifestyle going? I think this has been the year of changes... And I agree, sometimes it is better to prepare one's own food than frozen meals. It's just that sometimes there's not enough time. Making fruit smoothies is also a good idea, healthy and fast!

It has gone well. Since February between WW and Optavia I have lost over 50 pounds.

Today I saw myself on the feed from the alarm system. At first I thought who is that. It was me. I remember just a Few months ago i was the stocky girl when I saw the alarm system feed.