bogiesmom

I love coffee and ONLY use the Carnation French Vanilla or Hazelnut liquid creamers in the single serving containers (which means they are not FF or SF). I use 2 single servings in my coffee every morning and guess what? I COUNT them in my WW points for the day. 1 point per serving or 45 calories for each 1 ounce. It is the one splurge I allow myself on a daily basis. That being said I only drink 1 cup per day just to get me going in the morning.

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Morning 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 2 tsp sugar substitute 0.5 1 cake(s) Carrot Cake 1 1 tall Beverages Brewed Coffee 0 Subtotal 3 Midday 1/8 cup(s) Low-Fat 2% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese 0.5 1 serving(s) Popchips 3 1 item(s) Soft baked oatmeal cookies 3 1 serving(s) Lean Pockets Multigrain Pizza 4 Subtotal 10.5 Evening No entries for this meal time. Subtotal 0 Anytime 1 serving(s) Kellogg's Cinnabon Bar 3 Subtotal 3 Food POINTS values total used 16.5 Food POINTS values remaining 6.5

After a 28 day plateau 8/10 of a pound never felt sooooo gooood! Went from 172.7 to 171.9 as of this morning

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Tuesday, February 02, 2010 Morning 1 packet(s) Instant oatmeal weight control - maple brown sugar 3 2/3 oz Raisins 1 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 1 Tbsp sugar 1 Subtotal 6.5 Midday 1 oz cooked chicken fillet 1 1/2 wedge(s) Light Creamy Garlic & Herb 0.5 1/2 serving(s) Popchips 1.5 1/4 cup(s) Low-Fat 2% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese 1 1/2 item(s) Select multigrain sandwich thins 0.5 Subtotal 4.5 Evening 1 oz cooked chicken breast 1 1/2 item(s) Select multigrain sandwich thins 0.5 1/2 serving(s) Popchips 1.5 1/2 wedge(s) Light Creamy Garlic & Herb 0.5 1/4 cup(s) Low-Fat 2% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese 1 1 serving(s) Lean Pockets Chicken Spinach Artichock 5 Subtotal 9.5 Anytime No entries for this meal time. Subtotal 0 Food POINTS values total used 20.5 Food POINTS values remaining 2.5

You are very welcome. I placed an order for all 3 varieties. Being that I am really depressed about not being able to deduct medical expenses including my band procedure this year from my taxes I thought I would go all out and try them all at once. Life just seems a bit more bareable while under the influence and the fact that it is low in calories is the icing on the cake.

Okay, I need help guys and I want to know if you think I should get a second opinion and ride this thing to the wheels fall off or take what H&R Block told me at face value? I am head of household with one dependent and I was told that in order to claim the medical from the lap band that I would need the following 1. The expenses have to total over 7.5% of my gross earning AND I could only claim the portion that was actually over the 7.5% AND NOT THE FULL AMOUNT, which in my case is only about $3500.00 roughly. 2. The expenses could only be claimed on a "schedule A" which is also used to itemize property expenses and charitable donations. BUT in order to use a schedule A my total deductions would have to exceed $8350.00 (head of household with 1 dependent) otherwise the form cannot be completed and I cannot claim out of pocket medical expenses for the band. So I need $5000 - 5500.00 more in deductions to complete schedule A! But I rent an apartment and I cannot think of any major charitable donations that would equal $5000.00. According to H&R Block this is the way it works, take it or leave it. I have never used them before but I do not want to use the tax people I have been using for the last 6 years since I had a really bad customer service issue with them today that is basically unforgivable. Does this sound kosher? Am I interpreting this correctly? I am really depressed right now over this. I thought for sure I could deduct the procedure and I was actually depending on being able to deduct it, but it sounds like since I am not a home owner and cant afford to be (not in southern California anyway) I am screwed royally. Please, please, please advise or share your opinion... earning aside, I am especially eager to hear from ANYONE who was able to deduct this and also filing head of household while renting as oppossed to owning property. Please share if you fall into this catagory

Half FF ricotta and half FF sour cream sound devine!! Great idea!

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Monday, February 01, 2010 Morning 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 1 Tbsp sugar 1 1 serving(s) Snickers Minis 1 10 nut(s) almonds 1.5 Subtotal 5 Midday 1 wedge(s) Light Creamy Garlic & Herb 1 3/4 serving(s) Smoked Turkey Lunch Meat 1.5 1 item(s) Select multigrain sandwich thins 1 1 serving(s) Lean Pocket Multigrain Pizza 5 Subtotal 8.5 Evening 1 item(s) Smart Ones Salisbury Steak (9 oz) 4 1 cheese(s) Mini Babybel Light 1 1 Tomato Pie 4 Subtotal 9 Food POINTS values total used 22.5 Food POINTS values remaining 0.5

If you are paying out of pocket and not going through insurance you can pretty much schedule it for when ever you want it.

Jordan's Skinny Mixers! Here is the link to the on-line site: http://www.skinnymixes.com/index-2.html We're big fans of Jordan's Skinny Mixes, new-ish and totally tasty cocktail mixes with 0 - 5 calories per serving! They're 100% party-ready (just add alcohol), available in select stores and online, and come in flavors like Cosmopolitan and Margarita. And don't let the scantily clad cartoon hoochies on the labels scare you away -- the stuff tastes GOOOOD.

Hi Janice, This is what I got when I plugged the data of my version of the pie in thedailyplate.com: Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1/8 pie Amount per Serving Calories 193 Calories from Fat 90 Total Fat 9.9g 15% Saturated Fat 4.9g 24% Cholesterol 15.0mg 5% Sodium 9% Total Carbohydrate 17.4g 5% Dietary Fiber 0.7g 2% Sugars 2.7g Protein 7.3g 14% Est. Percent of Calories from: Fat 46% Carbs 36% Protein 14% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. Ingredients 2 large tomato Tomato, Large 1 medium onion Onion, Medium - Cooked 3/4 cup Fat Free Cottage Cheese 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese 2% Milk Reduced Fat 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese 1 crust Pillsbury Pie Crusts All Ready Rolled Directions Unroll & place pie crust in an ungreased 9 inch pie pan. Bake pie crust at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Add thinly sliced onions to bottom of pie crust. Slice tomatoes thinly and drain dry on paper towels or coffee filters, salt to taste. Layer sliced tomatoes over onions. Mix cheeses together with basil, parsley flakes, & pepper to taste. Spread cheese mixture over tomatoes. Bake pie in the over at 375 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes, until cheese mixture is melted and browned. Categories Course:Side Dishes Cuisine Type:Italian Main Ingredient:Vegetables All other ingrediants remaining the same with light mayo instead would = 231 calories per slice, with regular mayo = 313 calories per slice and with Fat Free Mayo = 192 calories per slice. By subing out the regular mozzarella with 2% reduced fat mozzarella thedailyplate indicated that I saved an additional 5 calories per slice or 40 calories for the whole pie.

The onions can be a problem if you do not cut them thin enough and adjust the oven temp up to at least 375 degrees. I cut mine paper thin and crank up the oven and they are firm but not raw tasting. It occured to me as I pulled mine out of the oven tonight that this recipe might me good for zuchini as well instead of tomatoes. I know shelby mentioned she did not like tomatoes so I thought a zuchini pie might work. I think I am going to try a zuchini pie sometime this week and let you know. I am so in love with the fat free cottage cheese but I was also thinking that for anyone who does not find the cottage, ricota appealing another way around the mayo (the thought of all that mayo makes me want to gag) would be fat free sour cream. It is a little higher in calories then fat free cottage cheese, but it might be a worthy substitute for anyone who wants to give it a shot. I might try the FF sour cream version next weekend.

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Sunday, January 31, 2010 Morning 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 1 Tbsp sugar 1 1 bar(s) Special K Bars Vanilla crisp 2 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 Subtotal 4.5 Midday 1 cheese(s) Mini Babybel Light 1 1 item(s) Select multigrain sandwich thins 1 1 wedge(s) Light Creamy Garlic & Herb 1 2/3 serving(s) Smoked Turkey Lunch Meat 1.5 1 Tomato Pie 4 Subtotal 8.5 Evening 1 serving(s) Rising Crust Pepperoni 12-Inch Pizza 7 Subtotal 7 Anytime 1 item(s) Soft baked Santa Cruz oatmeal raisin cookies 3 1 Tomato Pie 4 Subtotal 7 Food POINTS values total used 27 Food POINTS values remaining 0 Activity 30 min elliptical trainer, moderate intensity 2 Activity POINTS values earned 2

What a way to bounce back Sabrina! That is quite a turn around in such a short period of time! One day you are on vacation gaining weight and the next day you have lost it! You are a TV producer's dream come true!!

One of the ways you know you have restriction is with soft stops. Soft Stops are signals that tell you it is time to stop eating. They are warnings the band gives you. They can be any of these or a combination of these: Tightness in your chest Runny Nose Coughing Hiccups Burping Gurgling Shoulder Pain Back Pain I have only had 4 restiction episods and they were a mixture of tightness in the chest, back pain, gurgling and burping. Dr. Acosta (fill Dr. at OCC) says you will know when you have restriction if you can only consume 1/2 - 1/3 of what you used to eat before being banded and you are completely full. The example he used is if you could eat 3 enchiladas before being banded then you should now only be able to eat 1 or 1.5 and be full for the next 3 to 4 hours.

Hey Zoey, if it is purely a caffeine/taste thing then you can try drinking it flat just to get you going in the morning. Or try a Starbucks bottled Frappacchino? Or caffeinated hot/cold tea? If you opt to choose a caffeinated hot tea I highly recommend the Bigelow Vanilla Chai tea bags. I discovered these babies at work before they stopped stocking them and have bought them from the market ever since. I too was a diet coke whore before being banded. I replaced my addiction with water flavored with crystal light on the go (this too has the artificial sweeteners so I guess Im screwed as far as the appitite thing is concerned). But I noticed that I am a carbonation whore period. I noticed myself eye balling the Perrier, Sugar Free Red Bull, Diet Coke, and Hansen's Natural Sodas they keep stocked in the fridge at work as I grudgingly grab a bottle of Arrowhead water and a pack of crystal light. It so sucks! But since I have yet to have band restriction I am very proud of myself for cutting carbonated beverages and fast food out of my diet. If nothing else, that is what has helped me with the intitial weight lose. Small changes like that (they can seem big) go a long way.