well... the pricetag of the one in the video is about 300 dollars LOL. So its going on my christmas wish list (crosses fingers) :( I simply cannot get away with buying it just because I want it. But my husband already said you will have it one day!!! I love his expensive tastes :D He's totally the posh one out of the two of us! So for now I will look for an inexpensive alternative to this dream mandolin of my future! I checked out the starfrit brand one because it was the only one on the shelves at wal-mart or any other store I tried. It looks like a totally cheap piece of crap. Not even worth opening the box. So i'll have to check a homewares store like homesense or somewhere. I'll keep you all posted ;)

I'm willing to spend good money on something that will save me a couple of hours a week! Money is not an object with this purchase lol. I just find on shopping day, if I want to come home and get everything ready for the week, I usually end up spending an hour standing there washing and chopping. It's super annoying. I know that during the work-week I will not have the time or even the desire to stand there after a day of work. So I try to do most of it on the weekend. But even still I cannot avoid having to do it a couple of times throughout the week also just because not everything can be chopped up and sit for a few days. So if life is easier with a $130 mandolin then i'm in! I did see one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... It seems like an awesome tool but i'm not sure if they sell it anywhere in my town. I'll be out looking for it today. I love how it will actually DICE the veggies as well :D

I need to know if there is a good slicer-dicer out there on the market because I like my vegetables in tiny little diced up squares and it seems to take me forever standing there chop chop chop with my knife... Does anybody use a slicer that actually WORKS?? I know there's alot of bulls##t products out there like the slap-chop. Tried once and it is ONLY good for cutting up onions. It wont get straight through the skins of anything like bell peppers etc. Does anybody have a suggestion?

hmm I dont really have room for that in my kitchen, but I have made a chart in microsoft word then I just print it off and stick it to the fridge. I am more concerned with the other features like the shopping lists and recipes etc... I once used an ancient version of mastercook and I loved the fact that I could enter my own recipes and it would calculate all of the nutrition data based on my ingredients and quantities etc.

I would like some input from the fatsecret community in regards to software for meal planning. I recently came to the conclusion that the only way I will ever have a successful change in my lifestyle is if I take the bull by the horns and plan my meals ahead of time. So i've been looking into some of these programs that help you do just that! I am torn between wanting to buy mastercook and living cook book. Has anybody out here used either of them?? What do you think of them?

I personally find the portion sizes they are showing to be giant size compared to what I would even be able to fit into my stomach. I think Italian food is slightly missunderstood in that sense. Western society has such an outrageous expectation when it comes to proportions. I would like to break off about as much of that plate as I would be able to eat myself, THEN calculate how much calories and fat are in that portion rather than an amount I would NEVER be able to fit into my stomach!

well thats what I thought for years. But in the past few months my cycle has been off by about a week and a half and it seems that the same symptoms remained in place according to the moon and not my cycle.

Here is a link to the actual moon diet website http://www.moonconnection.com/... I'm going to give it a loose try this month and see what its like. I may not do the actual 24 hour fast altho my curiousity is peaked enough to actually consider it. Hehe it would be interesting to create a challenge on this and get people all doing it for one moon cycle or even three in a row. Just to see how the results look on a group level.

I dont know if any of you have noticed this but I have always had one week in every month where it seems like no matter what I eat or drink it just clings onto me like a magnet. So I started researching on good ol google! Turns out there is such a thing as a "moon diet" and it actually hits home. In north america our full moon happened on August 1st. I noticed that most people who were recording their weight this week were recording gains or extremely small losses. According to this school of thought our bodies absorb during the "full moon" phase... meaning a couple of days before and a couple of days after but primarily during the 24 hour period of the full moon. Then at the opposite end of the scale our bodies supposedly release and cleanse during the "new moon" phase. I am curious as to whether or not anybody else has ever heard of this or thought anything about it. Apparently farmers for centuries have known about the moon controlling the water on earth. They harvest on a full moon (harvest moon) in order to pick the crops at their most plump and moist state. Also the ocean rises and falls according to the moon cycles. The moon definately affects water and we are what ? 70% water? Anyways I welcome your comments and constructive criticisms :) if you google "moon diet" you can find out all sorts of interesting information about this topic.

I like your post olala53. Sometimes our partners dont want us to do our own thing because then we wont be by their side doing the things THEY enjoy doing. They will then have to eat pizza and fast food all by themselves. Sometimes its hard to say no to your lover, but at times my husband is feeling lazy and I want to go on a bike ride because I know I need to. He will say "oh i'm too tired today" then I will promptly reply "okay see ya" and get on my bike and take off on him. He will usually follow me on the bike ride anyways because he doesnt like the feeling of being left behind lol. Once he even showed up 5 minutes later peddaling his ass off to catch me. Men cannot stand the feeling of being left behind by a woman. Maybe its time to do some fun experimentation in your relationship and just start doing what YOU want to do :)

thank you for sharing your little kitchen adventure story! I have never been a natural cook so to hear the flow of thoughts that preceed this type of creative explosion is very good for me. I have a tendancy to over-complicate the things which can only be achieved by keeping it simple. So, you taught me something. Take a quick inventory and work within the lines of that inventory. It's more like a challenge.... like, lets see what you can do with THIS ???????? I'll just pretend i'm on a reality tv show next time :D

I have a confession to make. I used to be one of those people who made the odd remark about my husbands weight-loss. I didnt mind him doing it, but I got annoyed and frustrated with how he wouldn't sit down and eat a meal with guests etc. He would make what seemed like silly choices like eating low fat everything then grabbing a bag of chips cause he was hungry etc. It was not my place but I thought his chest area was looking very skinny and it scared me. So I tried to get him to eat more protein. But now I am on my own weight loss mission and I have been able to help him balance out his own diet issues while being sensitive to the foods that make him gain weight and together we are both finding a balance. Dieting inevitably causes a certain amount of alienation because you get invited out to barbeque's and different things and when you have company over you have to cook for their needs to a certain degree. People dont want to hear "no I cant meet you at boston pizza I have to go for a run" and your not readily available to just do whatever they want when they ask you to. But I guess that is true with ANY major change in your lifestyle. People hate change, its out of their control. Pick your common ground with the people you consider your friends, and limit your contact with them to fit into that context... if you find that means you hardly spend any time with them then maybe thats how it has to be... people change and move on. Part of being strong enough to loose the weight is being strong enough to stand up to the adversity and create a new life that fits you. If that means letting go of people who no longer contribute to your overall wellbeing then so be it. Also, if those co-workers had met you when you were at your goal weight... what would they say about you? They would probably just find something else to talk about behind your back. Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter dont mind, and those who mind dont matter! Dr. Seuss

Alright we have a grand total of 3 of us who are ready to take this journey. If anyone would like to brows around the groups forums its set for public viewing. You only have to become a member if you want to post on the forum. Just go to groups and search "a course in weight loss" and it should come right up. Have a great night everyone

Okay, I posted my letters from not-thin me to Thin me and visa versa :| Scary! But its out there now! Hopefully it helps someone out there.

I am getting ALOT out of the book personally. I am considering posting my letters from my not-thin self to my thin self and visa versa. That was a very powerful exercise, I have a feeling it would be helpful to others. I welcome anyone to come join the group once you start reading the book or even if you are not reading the book. There are two of us in there and already some good sharing is going on.

The biggest thing i'm finding is to go to the produce market about every day or two and buy fresh. Whatever I bring into the house, I wash it and cut it up right away and put it in clear, see-through containers. Then when I need to throw together a salad, or make a stir-fry(with olive oil of course) I have a very convenient array of choices in front of me and they are all ready to go. It helps a bit with the creative part ;)

Thank you so much, one person already joined the group and she intends to buy the book. I'm excited about discussing and sharing some things and working it all out together. I will for sure add you achieve130.

I agree wkirby1 I have not started this forum thread for the purpose of excluding any aspect of weight loss. I am simply proposing a shoulder to lean on for those who want to dig deep at the same time as following their own personal diet and exercise routines. :)

Thank you to both of you. I'll add you both :)

Hmmmm no replies if anyone is interested in just talking about some of their emotional baggage or working through it in whatever way they are able then feel free to join the group I created regardless of whether or not your reading the book. It might help you and you could certainly help others.