Marlene

I think I would quietly set the skin aside. If my host noticed and asked if everything was alright, I might say something like "oh yes" just saving the best for last" and possibly claim fullness at the end, as in "oh I want to eat this, but everything else was so delicious, I just can't eat another bite". At no point would I make any mention of how I disliked it.

Here is a-nomad's recipe for Chilled Tomato Soup.

Exactly. We also do a lot of entertaining, for business and pleasure. Entertaining for business is a very different prospect than entertaining friends. We love to have people over for dinner, and I love to cook so I'd always rather have people over to our place.

I generally agree with this, but we have a couple of guests who truly, truly want to do this and enjoy the clean-up. They're very good friends who are always on our "A" list for invitees. I think they enjoy the socialization involved with the clean-up. As hard as I've tried, I can't convince them not to help out. I've stopped trying. That's true. I have a very good friend who just does it. If they are really close friends, I don't object. And sometimes it's fun to let friends participate in the cooking process. One of my friends doesn't cook. So they are over here for dinner quite often on a Saturday. Sometimes I'll let them bring the meat so they don't feel guilty about eating at our house all the time. Mostly though, my rule of thumb is I invited you, I'll provide everything, do the work. Your job is to enjoy yourself.

As a guest, I will always offer to help setting or clearing or whatever, but I'll let the host decide whether he or she wants help. As a host, I've very occassionally accepted offers to help carry things into the dining room, but only if they are close friends. I never let my guests help me clean up. I've invited them, they are my guests, and I don't want them to work I want them to relax and enjoy the company. Other than removing the dishes, from the table so everyone can relax and enjoy coffee, I don't usually clean up until my guests have left, so I don't make them uncomfortable that I'm "working" and they aren't.

I have never had a problem using the handles with oven mitts on either of my all clad roasting pans.

I love this. Although Miss Piggy needs to be replaced with Gully

The Pistachio-Cardamom Cake has been added to the archive

I got the Williams Sonoma remote thermometer last week, and I'm in the process of ordering the Maverick one. I did a roast pork on the weekend, and the thermometer worked beautifully.

In Canada, A&P/Dominion's private label is called Masterchoice. Some of their stuff is good, in particular their salsa. I love certain President's choice products. Their plum sauce, their horseradish/mayo spread and for the few times I'm way too lazy to make my own burgers, thier sirloin burgers rock. They actually have taste, unlike most frozen burgers.

First of all, you're not allowed to beat yourself up for putting back on some of the weight. This is a lifetime journey remember, so some weeks you'll go up the hill, and some weeks you'll slide down the hill. It's all about balance. And you need to enjoy life, and food. Take confidence from the fact that you recognize you need to get back in the groove. That's a most important step. Use that motivation to take a few more steps. Start walking. After dinner, 45 minutes at a reasonably brisk pace. No marathons (yet) It's summer and perfect weather for walking. Don't use the scale as your only benchmark of success. Take your measurements, arms, chest, waist, thighs. Write them down. As you weigh in once a week, take your measurements too. As you replace fat with muscle, you may not see a loss on the scale, but you sure will in how your clothes fit. For example, since I starting lifting weights a year ago, I'm probably only 4 lbs lighter, but I'm two dress sizes smaller. My resting heart rate is way down, doctors drool over my blood pressure, and I've increased my bone density (very important for women over 40). So weight is not the only measure of success. We're here with you, cheering your successes, and working through the low spots (there's no such thing as a failure) with you. I've been formulating some ideas in my head over the weekend for our group to start researching, so look for an email from me tomorrow.

We'll take a couple of t-shirts two. 1L 1XL

Ok, pm me your email. That's probably enough people to start with. As we progress, we may need to open it up more! Thanks everyone.

Ok: here is a brief summary: Some of us use WW Varmint has his own system Some use Atkins There are systems that work for each of us. To develop a specific eating plan? Diffent systems for differnt people. What we can provide is accountability, support, rules and nutritional information. Record them and compensate for them? Absolutely. Hmmm. heck, I've got the makings of a committee here. I can develop an exercise plan. Here's my committee: Bilrus Ledlund Knorthrup Varmint (as special consultant ) I'd like to take this offline, so if my committee will pm me their email addresses, I'll set up an email group for us to start working on some stuff.

Ick!!!!!!!I pretty much took their theorys and converted it to my own use

Are you kidding? We dine out at least twice a week, sometimes more. I can stay at my weight, so you can lose a few pounds. Really.

No kidding. I have the cookbook and it gathers dust on my shelf. I love sauces, and fatty stuff and salty stuff. I manage to have all that and still stay at or below my goal weight. We could have a tracking system though. Points aside, the value of writing down everything (I mean everything foodwise) that goes into your mouth makes you realize what you're really eating and why you're eating it. Edit to add, it took a while for me to get used to the points system. The old WW system the "freedom plan" had the different food groups in it and the amounts you were allowed to have from it : i.e. 3 breads a day, 2 proteins etc. That way you covered all the food groups. I could design a system like that

Well that's stealing a bunch of work that WW took the trouble to assemble. But you should be able to go to one of the government sources or a nutrition department of a university and get a public-domain list of point values that isn't copyrighted and is totally usable as a starting point. Is anybody on eGullet an actual nutritionist? Do we have to use an actual point value? What Varmint is doing is certainly in the right direction, we just need to structure it a bit more.

Well I know that! BUt WW did have a golden opportunity to make money here and they didn't have to do the development. I still think they were a little short sighted in turning the guy down.

First rule. The word diet is not allowed. Think lifestyle choice people

Varmint, we can co chair it! I'm there already, and you're well on your way!

We don't care about the branding so much, but the system they have works. I was being careful because they are very touchy about their branded items. The points system, the food journal (although I can design one of those) and the books are of course all copywrighted. A few years ago, someone put all the point values for foods into a downloadable format for palm pilots and the journal as well. He had offered to work with WW (he was a member) to sell it/ get it to the membership. You could download it on his site for free. For some weird reason, WW decided to play hardball, and threatened to sue him if he didn't cease and desist immediately. So I was just being careful. I don't believe in diets so I can draft something as a guideline to follow and we can certainly use the point system. A closed forum password protected place would help.

I can do much of that. Let me work on it.

I think it's a requirement to not have a sense of humour at WW meetings or their leaders. Which is why I chose to decline being one You go Bill. We're all going to have wonderful meals, and still lose weight. It's all about choices

A number of members are current WW watcher members or want to try it or know more about it. Consider this thread a WW support thread. Use this thread to post your questions, successes and setbacks (no failures here). If anyone wants me to, I'll track weight on a spreadsheet . Please note, that since I am not an official WW Leader, I'll add the disclaimer that we are not running an official WW program here. (If you are not a member of WW, perhaps this thread will encourage you to join. They have some great tools that I don't have access to.) We are simply supporting each other and discovering great healthy food at the same time. If Vengroff will do it, I will get him to add a Low Cal or some such other name category to the archive so that special recipes can be posted there. I have a couple of websites that I can post later that will allow you to download a list of a great variety of restaurants and the points for the various menu items to your palm pilot. I also have the older points catalogue and the food journal in my palm pilot, but as these items are copywrighted WW threatened the person with legal action so they had to stop doing that. Come on in and share your journey!