I started a "club" which is closed but not private (which means anyone can request to join, but only members can view & post). I sent invitations to everyone who has participated in this thread so far. If anyone else would like to join, the club can be found here: After you've joined, you'll find the discussion here: https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/forum/703-discussion/

Is there interest in making this a social group (or whatever it's called)? It would be nice to have a thread for meal ideas, fitness ideas, product reviews & suggestions, recipes, weekly weigh-in reports ....

I'm up a pound from last week, but oh well, I trust that I am eating well enough and getting great activity, and the scale will eventually reflect it. I had that one high day but I more than made up with it the other days. I definitely didn't eat 3500 cal over maintenance this week. I've been working on the "Up to the BEat Fit" videos this week and love them! I'm tempted to buy one to try. I did the Christmas one yesterday (along with a couple short ones) and even though it felt slow, it still kept my heart rate up. I'm feeling a little blah about food. Kinda feels like I am repeating foods a lot (which really isn't bad, so maybe I should embrace it). I'm going to post the last couple days' food to give you guys ideas. I've been making lunches bigger than dinners, and both days I ate after dinner, which isn't usual for me, but I was hungry. Breakfast: steel-cut oats with some sugar-free maple syrup and a small container of fruity skyr yogurt, plus coffee (290 cal) Lunch: grilled turkey & cheese sandwich on Nature's Own bread with a little light butter, soup made from a Lipton packet & a bunch of frozen soup veggies, and a green salad (400 cal) Snacks: almonds, grapes, Protein One bar, and a few fun-size candy bars (540 cal) Dinner: a little pasta mixed with Italian sausage and lots of veggies. (260) Unintended snack: Then I made banana bread muffins for the kids' breakfasts, licked the bowl, and ate one, and then I had a tiny taste of ice cream. (250, bringing me to 1740 for the day - but my Fitbit said I burned over 2100 so I'm ok with it even though it's higher than I had planned). Breakfast: banana bread muffin, egg sandwich with an English muffin, a slice of Canadian bacon, and a Laughing Cow wedge (412) Lunch: Two big chicken fajitas using roasted peppers I made in my air fryer. I'm going to make roasted peppers indefinitely. SO GOOD! (465) Snack: Celery, 2% Greek yogurt with a bit of sugar-free jam, some grapes (165) Dinner: leftover soup, small green salad, and a Boca Burger with a laughing cow (pepper jack) wedge smeared on top. (200) Planned snack: light popcorn and a half-serving of Ben & Jerry's strawberry cheesecake. (223 total) I was smart and weighed out my portion earlier in the day when I was full, and I stuck my little bowl in the freezer so it would be ready to go. I ended the day around 1460 and Fitbit says I burned 2100+. Today's plan: Breakfast: steel-cut oats with peanut butter, Skyr yogurt Lunch: chicken fajita bowl with riced cauliflower instead of tortillas Snack: almond milk/frozen banana/spinach/PB2/yogurt/flaxseed meal smoothie and veggies + hummus Dinner: Wasa crackers with egg salad, green salad, and a blueberry cheesecake Greek yogurt for dessert That brings me to a bit under 1400 so I have room for more if I want it.

Consider the "thanks" icon a trophy for your success! I am trying to dip a few pounds to be a bit lower than my "maximum" but progress here is slow and unsteady. Great job!!

I understand what you mean. I told dh that I have become a picky eater - nothing sounds good because everything has so much baggage. It's not just good-tasting food, it's calories, and it means either gaining weight or restricting somewhere else to offset the calories, and I don't want to do either. I just want to stay on my plan and be left alone. I bought this mustard-seed cheese that is amazing, but I still haven't opened it, because while it's good, it's not GOOD ENOUGH for 130 cal a slice. This sounds kind of macabre, but Feb. 16th is the day that I will have outlived my mother (she died at 41; my father later remarried so I have a mom but it's a different mom ... long story). My mother's favorite city was London and she LOVED high tea so I toyed around with the idea of going there for the day, but the train is too expensive at the last minute. So then I thought about getting high tea somewhere around here, but who knows if it's any good, and it will just be disappointing if it's expensive and not worth it. Then I thought I could just make some scones and sandwiches at home. But why spend a million calories on food here just because my mom liked it? Do I even like scones more than chocolate (no)? So we probably won't do a food thing after all because I took all the fun out of it. I miss not over-thinking food, but I don't miss being obese. Sigh. I'm making treats for a fundraiser. I decided to make mini tiramisus because I won't be tempted to eat them all myself like I would with brownies or cookies. Tiramisu is okay but it doesn't call to me.

There wasn’t hot milk - he was given small packs of cream. I have never seen coffee in a bowl here, only in mugs; however, I don’t see what local people do in their homes. I talked with hubby and decided to keep making the interesting meals for supper, as that is when I have time to do it. I will just try to make my lunches more satisfying. I’m not sure I could eat a huge lunch to tide me over until dinner, but it would be nice to not clock-watch to snack time. I think tomorrow's lunch will be soup, salad, and a sandwich with yogurt for dessert. Then dinner will be a little pasta with veggies and sausage.

So when my son was in the hospital, he got like 12 days of hospital food. It followed the European custom of a big lunch and tiny breakfast & supper. I took photos of as many meals as I could because I found it so interesting. For breakfast he got coffee, 3 slices of wheat bread, and either spreadable cheese, Nutella, jam, or cookie butter. So basically caffeine and carbs. Then noon lunch was a huge, gorgeous, restaurant-quality full meal with soup and dessert. Then six hours later, more coffee and bread and a wee bit of protein - like a bit of pâté, prosciutto, egg salad, or sliced cheese. Then nothing until coffee & carbs 15 hours later. I couldn’t start my day like that, but the lunch & supper made sense. So for those of you who have a bigger lunch than dinner, does your family do the same? Hubby starved himself at work and wants a big family dinner. Honestly though, he is super flexible and understanding, so he would probably be ok with adjusting. Maybe I could make yummy lunches and send him to work with leftovers. As long as we sit together, it doesn’t matter if we eat simple food at 6 (right?). Half the time I don’t eat what they eat, so I guess I could keep doing that. It is easiest to find time to cook in the evening. Hmm.

I did the 90s dance walk this morning and re-did the 2019 dance tonight. My arms got tired! I don’t think she always uses 8 beat sets in her routines so that throws me a bit, but it’s still such fun. She has professional ones for sale on her website and I might give one a try. I’ve spent so much $$ on videos lately but as long as I use them, it’s all good - right?

I had a terrible stomachache this afternoon, and the only reason I can think of is that I tried some chia seed pudding. I ended up eating some white bread to soothe my stomach and it seemed to work. So odd. Luckily I feel much better now, but I don’t think I will try it again. Dh and I were supposed to start Scottish Country dancing tonight but he has to do a conference call. Thinking of doing a dance workout since my steps are low. Food today was ok. Breakfast & lunch were the same as yesterday, plus that blasted chia pudding and a big bowl of steamed broccoli. So for snack I had white bread, and then I had my dose of chocolate ;). Dinner was teriyaki chicken and riced cauliflower. Finished up under 1600 and I’m happy with that. I still need to plan tomorrow’s food. Maybe stuffed pepper casserole for dinner. I actually prefer to have the heaviest meal at lunch, so I might plan on having just a little for dinner. But I’m not sure what to make for lunch. Choices, choices!

I hope the stitches removal goes well. Would it make sense to put a wrist splint on to protect the area? 8 days does seem fast. My son has stitches and they told us 3 weeks. I tel people I am like a toddler with my food. If a meal is late I get cranky. My husband and I have had many an argument when we are looking for a place to have lunch and he wants to walk for miles to find the perfect place. Now I keep a protein bar in my purse. And a meal scheduled at an odd time throws me off too. Can you eat half your lunch before the appt and half after? We usually eat dinner at 6, and the past two days I have finished mine before dh sat down. Sorry, I’m not waiting a minute longer 😉 luckily he doesn’t mind.

@soror YES! Progress, not perfection! I would have quit a long time ago if I held myself up to perfect standards. Instead I fully believe in "good enough." I started off my day with steel-cut oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tbsp sugar-free jam (180). That kept me full until lunch, like it usually does - I should just commit to having that for breakfast most days. I cook 4 servings at once so it's easy to do. For lunch I had half a frozen spinach pizza (350 cal) and some celery root soup (50), but then I nibbled on my kid's pizza crusts so I counted another 150 for that. Snack was a couple Wasa crackers with a laughing cow cheese and some smoked turkey (180). I might still eat a bell pepper (30). Dinner tonight will be a crispy chicken salad (total of 350) made with six! frozen nuggets I cook in the air fryer. I like the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing that is only 30 cal per tbsp. I plan to add some bacon bits and reduced-fat shredded cheese. I should end the day under 1400, but it feels like a lot of food. Since yesterday was a "rest day" with only a bit of walking, I cut out my sweet treat today and did two gentle workouts. I did an easy Jessica Smith 30-min walking video this morning, and then my Australian SIL introduced me to Gina B and I love her! I feel a bit like Napoleon Dynamite but that's cool. I will definitely keep rotating in these videos. I like that she uses the arms quite a bit so you feel like you're doing more than walking, but the intensity is still low enough that it shouldn't trigger the hunger beast inside.

Well, for me it comes down to believing that healthy food nourishes my body in a way that I need, and believing that that is more important than the taste of the food. I get used to choosing foods that give me slow carbs, protein, healthy fats, micro-nutrients, etc. and then it feels like a waste of calories to choose something that is too junky. Not that I eschew all junk! But I balance it out both nutritionally and calorie-wise so that it doesn't replace the foods my body needs. I am also not scared of eating artificial sweeteners. I keep the calorie content in mind even if the ingredients are clean. So many "healthy" recipes out on the web are full of honey and nuts - like the time I tried to make homemade "Kind" bars and ended up with nut brittle that was like 300+ calories for a tiny serving. I've seen so many "healthy" oatmeal recipes that are like 600 calories a bowl. Cookie dough hummus that might as well be cookie dough. You get the idea. I track everything I eat (even if I have to estimate calories) and this helps me make wise choices because I can look up nutrition info before I eat something new. I usually pre-track a day at a time, and I keep a list of go-to meal & snack ideas so I never have to struggle to come up with something. Like I keep Wasa crackers, Laughing Cow cheese wedges, and lunchmeat on hand and those make a perfect meal/snack. I always have veggies (either cut up or ready to cut), instant low-sugar oatmeal, fat-free yogurts, turkey sausage sticks, string cheese, almonds, low-carb tortillas, hummus, Boca burgers, tuna, PB2 .... you get the idea. I have so many foods that I love and are easy to prepare. I often pack my own lunch & snacks when we do day trips and we very rarely eat out. If we do, I eat light for my other meals. I use a recipe builder to calculate the nutrition for my homemade dinners, and I cook every night unless we are having leftovers. I serve lots of veggies and have learned to like a lot of new ones. I've built up a large database of dinners that fit my calorie budget so it's not a struggle to plan meals anymore. There are so many times when I have to ask myself whether I am being too restrictive by turning down a "treat" or if I'm honoring my new palate. Like with the pizza - I will look at the menu online and agonize about whether I actually want the greasy pizza or just think I'm supposed to want it. Turns out I don't feel like I'm missing anything when I turn it down, so that kind of confirms that I didn't really want it after all. And it's weird to look at a menu and see a giant plate of pasta being called a dinner - with no protein source & no veggies! That's not a proper dinner ;). When we eat out, I plan on taking half the dinner home. I've also learned my weaknesses - baked goods are really hard for me to turn down and stop at one serving. So if I bake something, I freeze most of it. I can't keep homemade chocolate chip cookies in the house. Last time I made them, I balled up the extra dough and froze it. Then last week my husband tried to be sweet and bake some up, and made a million cookies instead of like 8. Bless his heart ... Hope some of that helped.

Super!! Yes, it is a mindset shift when healthy eating becomes the default and junky eating becomes the anomaly. You will get there. And it is wonderful when you realize that things you used to love and look forward to don’t seem appetizing anymore. I feel that way about greasy pizza and it was a shock! Woohoo! What a fantastic start! 1450 calories is a good amount and leaves some room for flexibility. That was my average for a long time.

Feelings much better today. I’m meal-prepping some filling breakfasts & lunches and thought maybe we could share some of our favorites. Breakfast: 1/4 cup Steel cut oats (cooked) (170) + 1 tbsp peanut butter stirred in (95) for 265 total 1/4 cup Steel cut oats (cooked) (170) + 3 oz banana (75) for 245 total 1 slice toast (50) + 1 egg (72) + Vegemite (8) and 1 Morningstar veggie sausage (70) for 200 total 1 English muffin (130) + 1 egg (72) + 1 Jones Canadian bacon (20) for 222 total 1 Mission carb balance flour tortilla (70) + 2 eggs (144) + salsa (10) for 224 total 1/2 cup Kodiak protein pancake mix (mixed with water) (190) + 1/2 cup blueberries (42) + sugar-free syrup (8) for 240 total

Jessica Smith has tons of strength training, tons of cardio, tons of everything! I buy digital videos through her website. The quality is professional and she has two ladies working out with her to show modifications for lower & higher impact versions. Sometimes I jump around with Beth and sometimes I keep it easy with her mom Debbie, but usually I follow Jessica in the middle. I just do the Walk On videos because I detest floor work. I use weighted gloves when I want to punch it up, but she had plenty of HIIT walks, turbo walks, and pyramid walks to get me into the cardio heart range. It’s much more whole-body than Leslie Sansone.

This was me yesterday! I started a workout video and felt weak with an emptiness in my stomach. So I had a snack (half a protein bar and a spoonful of peanut butter) and started the workout over, but had a bigger lunch than I expected. Then I did another workout in the afternoon and the bottomless pit opened up. I kept trying different snacks (and tons of water) to fill up - celery & cucumbers didn't do the trick, so I tried a small package of cookies and that didn't help. Finally after more cookies and some Halloween candy (yes, still have that stored in the garage) the hole closed, but that was not what I had planned. This has happened before - I get a "hunger" that only sugar shuts up. It doesn't feel like any kind of normal craving that I can usually distract myself from - it's more like a primal urge. I am starting to think it is a hormonal thing - maybe leptin, maybe low blood sugar, tied to the workouts and/or sleep & (which could explain the dizziness too). After my sugar binge I had no appetite for dinner, so I guess that kind of worked ... I skipped dinner and started over today with a normal breakfast. I am taking a "rest day" today from workouts and will try to figure this out. It is not sustainable to work off 300 calories and then eat 600. I'm going to get my 10k steps in with normal walking but skip the cardio. Maybe there's a reason most people alternate cardio & strength training. I might try alternating mild cardio days with yoga days. When I was hanging out in the hospital, I had no problem with hunger & cravings, and I got my 10k mostly through walking (and I lost weight!). So maybe that's what I need to focus on.

I'm so sorry about the urticaria! There is a very sweet homeschooling mama blogger who deals with this too. She has some advice about what has & hasn't helped her. http://verymom.com/2018/09/01/an-update-on-chronic-idiopathic-urticaria-aka-a-condition-from-the-devils-own-butthole/ (she has a very good sense of humor about it!). The only time I've gotten hives was when we got a hot tub. It took a ridiculously long time to figure out that the heat was triggering my hives. Would swimming possibly work? That has to make exercise such a challenge.

I used to eat so little veg. It never sounded good and I would put off eating it until it rotted in the fridge 😉 (I know I'm not the only one!). I have gradually made veg a regularly part of my diet. Some things that helped - I pre-track veggies into my day; like I know for my afternoon snack I'm going to have celery and cucumber. It's already planned for. Instead of sandwiches, I make wraps and I fill them with peppers, cucumber, arugula, tomatoes, etc. I put sauteed zucchini in tons of stuff: omelettes, pasta sauce, soup, etc. I have an air fryer and it is GREAT for roasting cauliflower and pumpkin (which is way less starchy than sweet potato but tastes about the same). Celery root is one of my favorite veggies and it is very low-starch - it can be oven roasted or boiled & pureed (to make a soup or a mashed potato sub). And of course steamed broccoli always works in a pinch when I need veggies to round out a small, heavy meal. I also have looked for different spreads. I keep hearing that Aldi & Trader Joes in the states have deicious low-cal dips. I made a "brownie batter" hummus by blending chickpeas, cocoa powder, sweetener & I think almond milk into a paste. That was really good. You can get the packets of veggie dip powder and mix it into nonfat yogurt or cottage cheese.

Does it work for you to make plans to be out of the house when you'd otherwise be alone? Maybe you could walk around a mall that is open late while listening to a podcast? I have been known to slam down a series of Pepsi Max cans - they are super sweet and filling. Not sure what flavors are available in the states, but I can rotate between lemon, cherry, and ginger. I feel like I'm totally indulging, and while diet soda isn't the healthiest thing, it's better than the alternative. I hate those days when I'm more hungry than usual - I try to eat bell peppers, steamed broccoli, etc. if I think I just need more bulk to fill my stomach. Sometimes I have a tbsp of peanut butter if I think my body wants some fat to digest. It's kind of a guessing game. I have a theory that I am hungrier and/or craving more food when I ate less the previous day, so I am trying to be consistent about eating enough calories every day even if I could comfortably eat less. It's the same reason I moved my dessert to mid-day. If I eat a light breakfast and light lunch, the afternoon munchies hit me HARD. So now I plan for a bigger lunch and a full snack, and then I'm satisfied with a smaller dinner. If I can keep myself from getting too hungry, I can stay a lot more mindful - but once I get that starving/deprived feeling, it is sooooo much harder. Hopefully your night goes well.

Thank you! I love the thrill of a good deal. I used to go to thrift stores regularly, but in Belgium they are not common. The one I went to yesterday is kind of far away and only open 2/3 times a week so I don't get there often, and I usually don't find anything great. I also got a few tee shirts and some pajama pants. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but having candy around makes me feel much less restricted, which makes it easier on me. And sometimes it feels really good/strong to intentionally choose not to eat it. Homemade cookies (or really any baked goods) are a different story - maybe because they are a lot more perishable or harder to replace. But I can buy a bag of candy any time so it's not "special," if that makes sense.

We went to a thrift store today and I got a couple of $3 dresses! They are sizes 10 & 12 (A year ago I was an 18/20). I also bought a giant pill dispenser for rationing our candy. I had divided up Christmas candy into 100-cal packs and this gives me place to put them. I actually won’t eat them everyday but it’s comforting (to me) to know I can. I was so hungry by the time we got lunch that I bought a full-size Whopper w/o mayo (500), but it kept me full so I had only a tiny afternoon snack. It all worked out. Last night I queued up a 90s dance playlist on Spotify, and hubby and I danced and jogged around our living room for half an hour. It ended up being a nice fun workout. I hope me neighbors enjoyed the show!

I made a 230 cal smoothie with almost the same ingredients and it was much more filling and tastier (no concentrated protein powder flavor). I might start making these every morning! 1 cup water 1/2 cup cold brew coffee 1 scoop Quest vanilla protein powder (110) 12 g chocolate PB2 (45) 3 oz frozen banana (75) I blended that all up and it was GOOD! I made my meal plan for the week, including these appetizers: https://peasandcrayons.com/2013/03/shortcut-spanakopita.html. For dinners I am making beef enchiladas, stuffed pepper casserole, lentil & sausage soup, coconut curry chicken w/ rice, and a cheesy chicken pasta dish. Each dinner is around 400-500 cal.

I tried the first video for the January challenge and bailed on it. I love the Walk In videos but for some reason hate hardcore strength training. They feel like punishment to my body. Do I switched to a HIIT mile workout I have been super dizzy lately (when I stand up). It has happened before and is probably related to electrolytes. So I did another 15 min workout in the afternoon but lounged around most of the evening. I drank a couple sports drinks and maybe that helped. Hopefully I feel perkier today. I made a super yummy veggie lasagna last night and made zucchini soup as a starter. We all loved it. I need to make starter soups more often. We’re not big salad fans, but soups are filling and tasty! I just cooked up zucchini, onions, and garlic in chicken broth, puréed it, and stirred in some fat-free yogurt and salt. Tonight I’m doing the same but with celery root. Tomorrow can be carrot. Yesterday I stuck to my calorie budget but felt like I snacked all day. I’ve pre-tracked today’s food, including a Whooper Jr. (310) if we go on base for lunch. I plan to bring Popchips (100) and skip the fries.

I made these https://hungryhobby.net/peanutbutter-protein-balls/ but I won’t make them again. For the calories (65) it wasn’t filling enough at all. I can get a protein One bar for 90 cal that tastes better and is more filling.

You probably lost a good bit of water weight, so as soon as you start eating normally, you should put on a few pounds as your body replenishes its stores. Don’t freak out about that! Your appetite may be a little lower than it used to be, so I would just use that opportunity to eat a bit less than before.