Lisa- this is one of my favorites, and look through the rest of her blog for more great recipes:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.co.....ckpot.html

I often toss meat into the crock pot for dinner- chicken drumsticks or quarters with skin removed, coated in cornmeal with a sauce on top (honey BBQ, chinese style orange sticky sauce, etc), or another one of our faves is London Broil. Put some baby carrots and new potatos on the bottom of the crock pot, toss with olive oil and sprinkle with half a packet of onion soup mix, tenderize a big London broil, rub with olive oil and coat with the rest of the onion soup mix. Lay it on top of the veggies and let it cook all day on low. You can do a pork roast- just pour a can of regular (not diet) soda over it and let it cook all day, or a pot roast with just some seasoning. I also use my crock pot for beans and soups.

I'm so excited to see all the camaraderie here already. Yay us! We can do it.

Sarah and Khris, thanks so much for the quinoa recipes/ideas--I look forward to trying them out in the next week or two.

I weighed in today again and got 171.6. 2.6 pounds higher than yesterday? WTH? Can weight really fluctuate that much from day to day or is my scale on crack?

My weight fluctuates a great amount from day to day. It's not uncommon for me to gain/lose up to 4 pounds overnight, so don't freak out. Weighing every day will help you to see these normal fluctuations, and also to see the general trending.

Oh- I forgot my favorite thing in the crock pot- a whole chicken!
I take the innards out, wash and pat dry, rub some olive oil into it, and some spices, then I put it in the crock pot on top of some crumpled up balls of aluminum foil (just to keep it out of the juices). Cook on low all day, and the leftovers are great in salads, sandwiches and soups!

Weight does fluctuate - it can up to 5lbs. It all depends on what time you weigh, how much water or salt you had the day before, etc.
For that reason I've switched daily weighing to once weekly. If you're just starting out I would weigh daily. Get up, use the loo, and weigh in your birthday suit.
My loss isn't significant by day anymore, so that was actually more discouraging than encouraging so I had to stop.
The crock pot is such a time saver - I love it. I make beef stew, pulled chicken for tacos, and turkey chili frequently.
If you like chili, try it with 1lb lean ground turkey, 2 cans kidney beans, 2 cans black beans, 1 whole onion (or more if you love onion like we do), chili spices. Add celery if you like. I make a big pot and we feed off of it for a few days, or I freeze some for later.

Tonight I'm making a lucious Coconut Curry Chicken if you're interested.

OMG yes, Curry Chicken recipe please! I love coconut curries. Also how do you do pulled chicken? I mostly eat veg but I think I'm going to have to add in some more meat to pull off this weight loss thing :/

I put the chicken tenders in the crockpot and bury them in a verde salsa, cook on low for six hours. Take the chicken out of the crock pot and use two forks to shred it. It will fall apart very easily. I add lime, cilantro, and monterey jack cheese for a baja style taco.

Coconut Curry Chicken

heat heavy skillet w/ 1 T EVOO

throw in 4 chicken breasts, cubed
with a bunch of garlic (we used like 6-7 cloves)
salt & pepper
sear for 5 minutes until browned, flip, keeping pan free of moisture

when the bottom of the pan is dry, hot, and layered with some crispy browned-ness, pour in

about 1 cup water mixed with a glob of chicken base (about 1 T) *I just use a few splashes of chicken stock

cook for a few minutes for liquid to condense slightly, then add:

1 biiig glob of patak's mild curry paste (cilantro + curry)
a few liberal glugs of fish sauce

squirts of hot srirachi sauce to taste (depending on how hot you want it - it's fairly hot so start lite and add, I probably did about 2 tsp total?)

1 heaping tsp ginger
1 heaping tsp curry powder
stir to incorporate, cook for a few minutes until hot & steaming again
then pour in one whole can of lite coconut milk, stir, heat through for 3 minutes
serve over rice, top with cilantro
---
sorry this is so disjointed! It's my younger sister's recipe and it's kind of a make it up as you go along deal.

Great thread, Brianna! I'm happy to see the return of a WLS thread.

The maddening scale fluctuations are why I only weigh myself once a month.

I think I might be hitting a plateau, and I definitely need change a few things up after this semester is over. Specifically, I need to return to a regular exercise regime and eat more veggies.

Also, I think we might have to invent a new body type for me as my weight loss progresses. People, I think I am turning into a drumstick! I was always pear-shaped, but somehow as my weight goes down, the disparity between my thighs and everywhere else is getting much larger. If things go on this way, the circumference of just one of my thighs will soon exceed my waist measurement. This is horrifying.

Off to eat lunch (maaaybe with veggies).

Love those recipes. Mmmmmmmm, delicious. Only problem is that they are making me hungry!

Go you Sarah on an all time low! Itari, depending on how my tummy trimming campaign goes, I could be interested....

Feeling very noble this morning as I walked my boys to school, would have been a total of approximately 5km (is approx 3.1 miles). I was so proud of my little 3 year old who walked there and back (hilly terrain) without a single complaint. What a little trooper!

I also had to thank my husband for helping me last night not slip up on my diet. I really felt like a glass of red wine, but told him to talk me out of it. He talked me into a cup of herbal tea instead.

No changes in the scales today, but wasn't expecting any, so that's fine!

I looked up this old thread:
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....oksrecipes
and I really enjoyed reading the cookbook recommendations.

I'm new to the forum...can I join in on this? I love the Eat Clean and Oxygen magazine cookbooks, as well as LoseIt app on the iphone; it has all sorts of reminders to help you track calories. Are there good crockpot recipes for vegetarians?

I'm a huge fan of Eat Clean as well.
And yes, some vegetarian options are available. Bryan and I love Moroccan foods, and here's a goody:
http://find.myrecipes.com/reci.....id=1140618

You can also make fab vegetarian chili like the one I posted above-just take out the meat or use a MorningStar Farms meat substitute.
We were vegetarian for awhile and I lived off of MS Farms products.

The crock pot recipe that I posted earlier in this thread is a vegetarian one, and that website has a tag for all of her vegetarian recipes, so check it out.

Thank you everybody for posting recipes and website links. I need it.

Here's a silly twist on the topic of overeating, courtesy of The Onion. (As the link suggests, this article does contain cursing, so avoid if you don't want to be exposed.)
http://www.theonion.com/articl.....oid,17725/

How is everyone doing? I forgot to weigh myself today. Oops. I've been having eggs for breakfast for the past couple of days after realizing that a smoothie really wasn't cutting it. That's now a mid-morning snack. The Chickadee seems to like dipping toast strips in her soft boiled egg, which is great, because she's currently in a super picky toddler phase...

Ha, too funny Medusa and just a little bit too true!!

Today is my official start day. We've just come home from a few days away. I've just weighed in at 66.6kg. This morning I'm having (as I type ) porridge with apple, cinnamon and walnuts, from the Eat Clean Diet - (thanks Sarah). I'm planning to buy the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook for some recipe inspiration. My exercise plan for the week is: TreadMill tonight, Zumba tomorrow, Pilates Thursday & TreadMill Friday. WooHoo. I'll check in next week and let you know how I'm going. I think the hardest part for me will be cutting down on my late afternoon and evening snacks. And also getting into a routine with my exercise.

Brianna, my little fellow loves 'dippy' eggs also

I am officially on board as of today. Both hubby and I are trying to lose some weight.

I am up a bit today, presumably courtesy of entertaining on the weekend and of taking a 3 day break from exercise (but I think I needed it as was getting way too tired)

Excited to announce I am down another teeny-tiny amount on my waist measurement - I'm now nudging 27 1/2"!

Oh, and I must jump up and down with excitement (well, ok, relief!) for a moment here, because I tried on the size 8 bridesmaid dress in a shop this past weekend and I could get it on. YAY!!!!!!! I could hardly breathe, it would hardly zip, but it's on and it does up, so now I know my worst nightmare won't materialise at least! Will wait for a low weight day (at the moment I oscillate between 61.2kg and 60.8kg) to post weightloss. Yes, I know, that is probably cheating, but I'm going more by measurements for this little experiment, so that's ok, right?!

Sorry that this salad contains lettuce, I prefer salads without lettuce too, but this is by far the best salad I've ever tried and it's pretty unique too.

Walnut, blue cheese, apple crisp salad:
1/4 cup low fat blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken (add some brown sugar to the spices if you want)
1/4 cup glazed walnuts (available pre-packaged in most supermarkets)
1/4 cup Seneca brand apple chips (no other brand will work, trust me)
T. Marzetti brand light raspberry cabernet dressing or the Ken's Steakhouse version if you have no other choice
As much romaine as you want.

Just be sure to eat it right after adding the dressing or the apple crisps will get soggy and inedible. Onions and tomatoes are not such good additions to this salad unfortunately. If you can't find or don't want the apple chips, blackberries or raspberries tossed with a good coating of honey and lemon juice is delicious. Just don't be tempted to use bottled lemon juice.

Oh and I forgot to say that I just started a slightly strange diet where I eat a complicated bean and vegetable soup for most meals. It has a very good balance of food groups and its pretty tasty even if it is a little boring. It only cost me about $125 for I what think will be a month's worth of ingredients. Even if that's a little boring for most people, it really does help to have a big pot of soup divided up and frozen for quick meals. If it's nutritionally balanced but still simple, you can add different meats and flavor it how every you want. This is not the diet I'm on but it's a really good example of what I mean: http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.....-plan-1007

I tried Sarah's lemony quinoa recipe last night. Yum. Just a dumb Q. Sarah ... what do you serve it with? I pan fried some fish and made a big green salad. Or is the quinoa your protein serve? so no need for the fish? Sorry I've never used quinoa before!

What are you eating for dinner's girls? Keep the ideas coming!!

Bumping this up! Great to hear some of you are having success already. Mochachino, that salad sounds delicious. I love lettuce salads--I meant that sometimes I eat salads with a lettuce base and sometimes not, not that I don't like lettuce! We have two gardens of greens growing at the moment, in fact.

I started reading a really interesting book this week that was recommended to me on another forum. It's called Intuitive Eating and it's really, really resonating for me (not really a surprise, since according to Meyers-Briggs I'm an INFJ with the Intuitive score at around 91%) and changing the way I think about food and eating. As a result, I'm not sticking to the plan I wrote out at all. At this stage the goal is not to lose weight but to focus on learning to respect your body and its cues, and to get out of the "diet" mentality. Does anyone else want to read it along with me? It's quite amazing.

Hello!

Well, the waist line is now measuring 27 1/3", so I am starting to get excited that I can reach my goal in time! My weight is also down to 60.7kg, but has stalled given I've been sick in bed the past few days. I keep hoping, hoping, hoping to get into the 50's, I guess this is just one of those little "sticking points" that I hear about. I'm off to eat buckwheat pancakes that my gorgeous hubby is preparing me for breakfast!

Hello there. Well I weighed in yesterday and I have lost a big fat NOTHING! Right down to the point (66.6). Grrr. How can that be??!! I'm very discouraged because I thought I had a pretty good week (apart from some meals out) and I also met my excercise goals. It is also TOM so I'm wondering if that may have influenced no weight loss?? This week is not off to a great start, very sick bubba, so lots of cuddles, nursing, waiting at the Emergency Dept and staying home so no exercise time for me. And I'm also feeling hungry with all the extra nursing (not sure if that is psychological!!). Anyway I'll keep eating healthy and start the exercise again when I can and see what next week brings.

Sounds like an interesting book Brianna.

WooHoo, go Katiepea. You are an inspiration!!

An, you poor thing - you've had a horror week. I hope your poor bubba is feeling better very soon! I think you have done outstanding to NOT put weight on considering the stress you've been under, the meals out AND TTM!

I remember going to a dietitian after baby 2 and she pointed out to me that that one slice of extra cake I was having each week was the "tipping point" that stopped me from losing weight. She told me I was allowed 1/2 a slice a week! You know what? She was right!

Hi, All,

Katie Pea, congrats! I often wonder how you got on with your bridesmaids dress dilemma, pls do post a piccy after the day!

I inadvertantly started a new thread; thanks Louise for pointing me here. I would like to lose 5 kg ( I'm another metric girl): I weighted in at 69.5 when i got back from summer hols. 1kg of that was holiday gain, 4kg was the previous winter gain that somehow didn't melt away when the sun and my bathers came out to play

i've rejoined WW online, and have been trying to helicopter back and keep big picture view of health and well-being and a healthy lifestyle for my family. I find if I focus too much on counting the food, guess what? all I think about is FOOD, and we know where that leads!

My healthy choices today include
BF: oats, blueberries, cinnamon, and skim milk
MT: almonds and cappucino
L: salad sandwich on wholemeal (as per the Moosewood cookbook, I filled the bread with leftover salad after dinner last night and popped it in the fridge), watermelon (yum)
and I plan
AT: yoghurt
D: grilled steak and veges, strawberries.
AND I need to fit in a 30 min walk.

Thanks for your comaraderie, and good luck, All!

Sorry An, I just saw this. Quinoa *is* my protein source for that meal. However, if it's not enough for you, I'd grill a lean piece of meat like chicken or fish.

I'm doing well! I just got over a five day sweets craving marathon. Ugh. I survived okay, but I did have a few things to get me by. Otherwise I'd have made a whole cake and eaten it all in one day. Yikes.
Workouts are going well. My husband and I are following Crossfit for the most part, and are doing well. I love working out, so that is never my problem. It's the food that I still have to be careful with.

Congratulations to all those doing well. I have fallen off the wagon.

I was going well for the first week or so of the eating plan I was following, but looking back on it the reason was that I was doing heaps of excercise. However I was also running myself down and was so exhausted I took a couple of days off and, in combination with having guests for lunch threw me off.

I have come to the conclusion that a plan which works on about 1600 cals a days is just too high for someone at my weight.(the book I am working on did effectively say that for someone with a small amount of weight to lose exercise will be necessary) While I like my running the early starts necessary do take a toll on my overall ability to function with the rest of my life. I have been really working on getting enough sleep.

But I did go off the diet this week, which coincided with our getting our free bakery leftovers (cue - 1 meal mostly of bread and 2 chocolate croissants),going out for my date lunch with DH, worrying about food spending (see other thread of mine) and so spending most of the week eating chickpea pasta soup and fried rice.
And now I am well and truly beyond my normal range and into the (for me) unacceptably high area.

Need to work out how to go forward with this.

(ps sarah I have bought some quinoa to try your recipe!)