I use allrecipes and if you're really looking for a cookbook, any of the Cooking Light Annual Recipes would be good. They have full nutritional info for every recipe.

I use www.calorieking.com (it's a paid site, though) - similar to sparkrecipes, you enter total ingredients and # of servings, and then you can save a custom food.

Nice job, Tom!

I'm working my plan daily, and have been using my new FitBit, which is pretty cool. It's one of the advanced HRM doohickies that Russ and Jeff talked about way back in the fall of '09. It's amazing how motivating it is, having the pedometer, calories burned, and activity level available to me all day. Last night I had 30 minutes after a school meeting before my book club, so instead of hitting Barnes & Noble for a chai tea, I parked at the mall and walked another mile and a half indoors, just to get to 8000 steps for the day!

At least no one has said Elmo

I will:

1) consistently eat between 1800-1950 calories daily
2) eat at least 2 servings of fruit and 2 of veggies daily
3) work out at the gym 3 times per week
4) walk for at least 30 minutes (outside or with a video) on non-gym days
5) lose 20 pounds by my 25th reunion in April (15 weeks away)

5 stars from me!

Welcome, everyone! 2010 will be a healthy year for all of us - I've just listened to the F2F "Setting Purposeful Objectives" show (for the *first* time - there will be more listenings, I'm sure.)

Welcome, Charity! Congratulations on your success so far - that's great!

What do you like/what do you use most from livestrong.com?

Knock, knock....anybody home?

Survived the holiday and didn't stuff myself as badly as I would have normally. Up 1.5 pounds, but today I'm back at work (very lonely in the office!) and back in the saddle.

I hope everyone enjoyed their celebrations, no matter how big/small, crowded/intimate, etc.

Me? I'll be at Curves later today, back into my routine.

Leo, are you living my life?!?!? 3 parties this weekend for me, and oh yeah, not so much in the way of green things or low-calorie choices. I'm feeling it in my stomach this morning, too

Today I've had my oatmeal for breakfast, I packed my rice/chicken/spinach for lunch, and have apples and clementines for my snacks. I'll be doing Curves after work.

Back on track!

So, everyone's off doing the holiday boogie, eh?

Me too. Hoo boy. I've maintained this week and given my intake, that's a win.

Hope all is well in your worlds!

Leo, that's wonderful! Now, go pick up 2 1/2 gallons of water or milk. *That's* how much weight you are no longer carrying around -- great job!!

Going to a friend's holiday wine party tonight, but my hubby's coming with me and we're going to support each other. I have plans for a few treats and 2 glasses of wine and have worked it into my plan for the whole day.

Keep up the good work!

Way to go, Leo!!

Robin, listen to Leo. He speaks truth!

I just rocked the office holiday party - full-blown brunch, with potato struedel (carb coma!), biscuits and gravy, etc etc. I drank my tea and socialized, then returned to my office for my pre-packed lunch. I'm going to be proud of myself now

Now, if I can just make it to the gym this week....

We're halfway to Friday, Leo - hope your cardio is done for today!

I'm doing okay - down .5 from the weekend weight. I have a Tanita scale that only weighs in .5lb increments, so there are days when I fluctuate between the .0 and the .5 number and I grumble. But it's been consistently down .5 from Sunday, so that's good.

How's everyone doing? And when is the next episode due?? I'm still listening to the older podcasts to catch up on all of the great ideas, but seeing a new post on F2F is like getting an present from Russ and Jeff

Boy am I glad to see this thread! I've been offline for the weekend and it sounds like we were all in the same boat (you know, the sinking one!)

I'm Italian, so my holiday season is also quite challenging. Along with the general holiday treats, I bake my nonna's biscotti for the entire month of December -last year it was 70 dozen, (sent to extended family, too - I'm not that crazy!)

I've started doing the 10-Minute workout videos in the morning. "I can do 10 minutes" is what I tell myself to get the body out of the nice warm bed. Still walking and doing Curves, too. If you remember a few F2F shows ago, Jeff and Russ talked about a listener's google spreadsheet that she kept to show her daily progress. I've started one of them, too - just to keep a close eye on those daily trends.

Leo - what is your new program? How did it go today?

Way to go on the party, Robin!

Let's make it a good week!

Nice blog, Chance - looking forward to following your progress and cheering you on!

Leo, if muscle is made during rest, well then, heck, I should be Mrs. America by now!

"rest after exercise" - I know, I know

After my Curves workout on Monday, I felt great, too. So good, in fact, that I'm doing it again today....

Leo, is squatting 185 weightlifting, or are you doing 185 squats??? Either way, WOW!

Leo's right - get back on that scale, Robin! I did today, and ACK!! I have to stop myself before it goes even higher after our weekly neighborhood football party (stupid Steelers...grumble grumble....)

My fruit treat is clementines this time of year - little bursts of sunshine on these gray, cold days.

Just got back from Curves and plan on a nice museum visit with my daughter later today. We're down to one drumstick, a few sweet potatoes, and some stuffing leftovers, so I figure I'll pick up a rotisserie chicken, make some salad, and that'll be dinner tonight. It will be nice to get back to normal - just in time for Sunday night football! (rabid steeler fan here. Shut.Up.)

Leo, good for you for at least maintaining through the holiday and sticking with the workouts!

Fifth!

Russ and Jeff, thank you!

Robin - good for you! I've found, over the years, that no one really cares if you skip that extra piece of pie or whatever - it may register as a small blip in their consciousness, if that, then they move on. Glad to hear that no one gave you any flak.

I managed to have one plate of food - loaded up on the roasted green beans that I had prepared, skipped the mashed potatoes altogether, had the yams and dressing, and even a small slice of pie. I was full, didn't feel the need to keep going, and even my mother didn't comment.

Did a 30 minute workout tape this morning and will be on my plan again. No shopping for me today, unless it's online!

Thanks, Leo! I agree about listening and reading only providing the information. I used to work as a nurse, and could probably recite for you every nutritional requirement, exercise tip, etc - I know it all in my head, it's the *acting on it* in a long-term way that is my challenge.

Right now I'm listening to some older podcasts and taking things a day at a time. So far, so good!

Hi everyone. I'm bookowl, but you can call me Chris if you like. I found F2F radio on iTunes about a month ago and have been a bit shy about posting here - I've been through so many diets and various support sites, I guess I'm just wary of jumping in and then fading away....again.

The podcasts have been so wonderful to listen to on my daily commute, though - they really help me focus my day and I find myself running through my meal plan in my head, checking things off and adjusting ratios as needed. I really enjoy the down-to-earth tone of the show, and knowing that Jeff and Russ are real people out there, following their own plans, being honest about the struggles and successes, helps my motivation a lot.

I track my intake on a site called calorieking.com, which shows me the percentages of protein, fat, and carbohydrates I'm eating daily. It also lets me track my activity (not much lately due to the flu, ugh) - I go to Curves 2-3 times a week and try to walk at least 30 minutes on my lunch hours. If I'm honest with myself, I probably only get 2 lunch walks in per week, so I know that upping the activity is one of my immediate goals.

I'm 5'6", weighed in this morning at 235.5 lbs, and after watching the Jamie Oliver youtube video, feel like it's now or never to get control over my weight. What a powerful show - thanks for sharing it! My initial goal is to get below 220 by the end of January 2010 (15 lbs in 10 weeks.) Maybe I can catch up to Russ!