I didn't make it to lunch. I had almonds. I've never had greek yogurt. Yogurt is one of those things I really haven't eaten since surgery. I used to love it. For some reason, it tastes so sweet to me these days. Today is a new day. Since I didn't work out this morning, I saved my hard boiled egg for a mid-morning snack. So this way I'm not adding extra calories to my day if I find I can't wait until lunch. Thanks for your good thoughts! Hugs, Stephanie

WOW! I had no idea that Huckabee had WLS. That's so interesting. I wonder how he feels about his experience. I know how difficult it can be to eat well on the road and he is on the road constantly! I bet he carries quite the stash of protein bars! I love it that we had so many votes for different people. I think diversity is what makes a group interesting. Different points of view allow us to offer great support to each other! Hugs, Stephanie

Morning snack: hard boiled egg Breakfast: great grains bagel with peanut butter and sliced banana Mid-morning snack: I gave in yesterday and had about 1/3 cup of almonds Lunch: chef salad with Newman's Light Raspberry walnut dressing Snack: lite applesauce cup and NSA tapioca pudding Dinner: didn't feel well and ate about six saltines and half of an orange Water: 80 ounces Exercise: 30 minutes on the eliptical and 20 minutes light weights for upper body Vitamins: all in My goal is to lose 15 pounds by November. Not sure it will happen. But I'm going to try. Hugs, Stephanie

I was so NOT hungry yesterday - I hate having a cold, but I sure am enjoying the no appetite! Yesterday was not a good food day choice wise for dinner, but very few calories: B - Special K with protein cereal, blueberries and skim milk L - about 1 cup of grilled chicken with cheddar cheese on top D - about 15 Cheeze-Its - just no appetite for food S - handful of cashews 4 bottles of water, 2 medium Dunkin Donut's iced tea, no snacks, no exercise - cold still has me down.

Disclaimer notice - this was written prior to Barbara's unfortunate fall yesterday morning. Many of us our experiencing cold snowy weather. I was deep in thought the other day while I walked along in my tennis shoes. I love walking through the woods. It is beautiful and quiet. All of the sudden I slipped on the ice. I didn't fall, but I easily could have. I wasn't prepared for the conditions. I knew better, but I didn't use common sense. I think that sometime we are the same way with the habits we have formed in our eating patterns. We know the right thing to do, but we find ourselves unprepared. We have not planned our meals and we make poor food choices. I have thought about Ruth Ann's saying a lot lately. "Failing to plan is planning to fail". She is so right. We need to put thought into how we are choosing to feed our bodies. We sometime make a choice that seems the easiest at the time but may not be in our best interests for our long term goals. How do we avoid falling into these traps that do not serve us well? I think it start at the grocery store or even perhaps before we get there. We should make a list of foods that are high in protein and low in sugar and carbohydrates. Many times these foods take more preparation and planning, but it is worth it in the long run. Try to put things on your list that you can quickly grab if you are short of time. There are many good choices out there. I don't advocate never having a planned treat. Just remember that this is a treat and not a way of life. Just like we can plan on slipping on the ice while ice skating and enjoying the exercise and thrill of it we can enjoy a well planned snack if we realize it is for a special occasion. Life is great, Rick