Sunday, March 6th

The first time I used Nostimo (my fav. plain yogurt) and the second time I used Fage. Are you all adding a little dry milk powder to the mix? I used Shel's recipe last time and it wasn't much different from my first recipe.

Nope! No dry milk.

I use a heaping soup spoon of Fage 0% in a gallon of 2% milk. I started out using a cup of yogurt starter for the gallon of milk. It was a little grainy. Research led me to testimonials citing how much creamier yogurt turned out using between a tsp and a couple of TBS of fresh yogurt starter. I also found that using 2% milk rather than 0% made the yogurt even that much creamier. 

I will admit that I have not yet gotten the same strong tang the Fage has, but I actually like that. I found the perfect tang for me is 8.5 hours in my IP. 

Straining with cheese cloth or with the Greek Yogurt Maker I bought on Amazon works a lot better than using a fine mesh sieve, too. Not sure what you've been using for straining off the whey. 

Hello friends! I've enjoyed the yoga stories..... thinking that  may be what I need to do. My exercise room has been a storage room for the last few months. It is our extra room since our daughter moved out. I had it set up with a treadmill, elliptical and area for floor exercise. The motor burned up in the treadmill so it is folded up in back corner. I had Sears come out to look at it. I was told it would cost more to fix it than to get a new one. Now, I don't know what to do with it. ?? Can't get to it now anyway due to tubs and boxes packed to the ceiling all over the room! I only have a path to get to my closet. We have no storage building but in the process of getting one. CAN'T WAIT to get that room emptied!! I have to turn sideways to get to my elliptical. The environment is not pleasant as you can imagine!. I do have some beginners yoga dvds if I can find them to use. I can not wait to get my exercise room back!! I do get on the elliptical but not very much sad to say. :(  The road is too dangerous to walk on here. I can't drive to go to the park. My husband is working hard to get the storage building area ready. So, the elliptical is my best friend now. 

I saw 139.8 one day this week but I am back up to 141.2 this morning. I had a bad day yesterday. I didn't track my food and craved carbs. Got an egg roll , oatmeal, and hand fouls of "froot loops",, I know.... crazy!!  It was like my body was craving for something to chew on all day! Trying to get back on track today. Feeling a little depressed today but I will snap out of this! I am so proud of you all for all the exercise you do!! And the low # you are weighing in at! That is SO amazing!! You are AWESOME!! 

Have a great day!

If it helps to know this, when I over do on the processed carbs the next day my mood generally suffers. I know that if I eat high carbs in the form of highly processed wheat with added sugar that is a recipe for a glum mood the next day. Something to watch for anyway after a day like you had yesterday. 

I've noticed that myself.  Moody and anxious.  

121.7 today, no wrap. 

I have been deliberately avoiding yoga while I watch to see how my arm does un-wrapped.  I have a compression stocking coming in the mail on Monday and then a custom stocking in a couple of weeks.  As the lymphedema physical therapist says, these are just tools to have available when needed.  My arm looks fine today (and it looked ok (but not great) for YEARS without being coddled) but I just don't want to have it blow up again before I have all the tools available in my house.  Also, I don't want to disappoint my physical therapist :)

So, with no yoga, I did a walk yesterday and ended up with 13K+ steps, so that was good.  

I have been trying to take some of the time I put into yoga to take care of neglected home tasks.  The more I tidy, the more I see that needs work. 

I have been enjoying the chit chat about how to organize calories in maintenance.  I think I will go to about 1100 cals per day and see where I end up in a few weeks.   I like structure and Linda, your comment about flex-snacks/meals that can be added and dropped depending on whether I am maintaining or need to drop a few resonated with me.  Just another way to organize my thinking.  

Speaking of food, I finally started using kobacha squash.  (I used to buy it, never know what to do with it, and then eventually throw it out.)  It is a pain to hack up.  You don't have to peel it because the skin is tender enough when roasted.  I bru**** with a butter flavored olive oil and liberally sprinkle on cinnamon.  I am sure there are more sophisticated methods but LOVE what I am doing.  And that skin is provides enough resistance to the tooth that it provides more satiety/pyloric valve value than I would have expected.  

Have a peaceful Sunday.  

Shel

Good morning skinny family!  I'm back down to my coveted Goldilocks number 112, which is my reward for getting more fluids in these past few days. Still not doing as much as I should with fluid intake, but better.  It's interesting how difficult it has become to make that number stick but I'm still motivated by it. 

And all this yoga talk has motivated me to schedule a beginners class on Tuesday morning. As most of you know, there is no one more slothful than me and I need to do something about it. Not for weight control, but for a sound mind and flexible body. 

Changed my nail polish to mint green yesterday. Our weather continues to be warm (17C yesterday) but it's too early to break out the spring wardrobe. The springy nail colors help break the monotony of the darker clothing palette. 

Cleaning house today!  

For those of you who are worried about starting two daily posts, I think you can delete a post as long as you do it before someone replies to it  

196.1

So close.... Great food day and exercise day yesterday. No exercise planned for today because I have two big dogs to groom - one at 10:00 and the other at 2:00. Will pretty much take up the day. If I can get done by 4:00 I can get a cardio in, but I'm not committed. 

After my post about weighing and considering the tenths, I have decided that for now, I shall continue posting tenths. When I achieve my target weight and begin maintenance, I will be more generous and measure my weight in 1 pound increments. Perhaps it is the elementary school math teacher in me - Rounding you know.... above .5 round up.... And while I'm still in WL mode, I don't want to round up to the next pound. Silly, I know. All a mental game. But, hey, I'm honest about it.

Yoga is a bucket list exercise. I evidently have a body dysmorphia issue when it comes to yoga. First I don't think I'm quite lean enough and second I have short, thick legs with very little flexibility. My IT band on my left leg is so tight it pops when I do lunges (thus the quad injury) and super deep squats. Without flexibility I don't see how I would really be successful. BUT, at the same time, that downward dog pose is a pleasant position for me. I find it to be a wonderful stretch for my back.  There is a yoga studio across the parking lot from my gym and they are offering a special. Hmmmm..... but maybe that could be a summertime endeavor. 

Starting to rain again. Yesterday I noticed my climbing rose had two open blossoms. First roses of spring! 

Hurray for roses!

That IT band is why you should do yoga :)  You never need to worry about doing a pose fully, everyone is modifying to some extent or another.  My baseline flexibility was terrible.  I wasn't born flexible and during my many active years, I did activities that just tightened up leg connective tissues. My flexibility is massively improved and now LOVE the hip openers and IT stretches.  Still working on my shoulders but that will come. 

We have a lot of people come in during the rainy winter months to loosen up after a long season  of biking/running.  I think you will find it compliments your other physical training.  

Not lean enough to do well at yoga or not lean enough to show up at a class?  If the former, I have seen pictures of you and you are lean enough. (Also, there are people in my classes that clearly qualify for WLS that have no trouble!)  If the latter, you are wrong about that, too!  Just like the gym, people come to class to think about themselves and aren't looking at much beyond their own mat.  

Even if there isn't a special posted, look for groupons.  Many, MANY groupons out there!  

Not lean enough for yoga! I always think of yoga for the ultra skinny. I'm actually very comfortable with my appearance at this weight, so it's not that at all. Heck, I'm in better shape than most guys my age that I know! 

So how about this? I PROMISE to try it by the end of June when I have a lot more time flexibility. If I try sooner, all the better. Hold me to it!