Here's the Snoqualmie Falls granola cookie recipe. DH is not a big baker but he's health conscious so when he made these the first time he couldn't bring himself to put butter in so he used the light, watered down Promise margarine. I said OMG that will never work - he said it says for baking - it worked fine. I'm not sure how much whole wheat flour he uses - the majority is whole wheat and some regular. He's into this Snoqualmie oatmeal and orders it online. They sent him this recipe one time but it didn't come with any nutritional info unfortunately. When I log them in my tracker I just use an oatmeal raisin cookie. The cookies are kind of heavy and chewy - not sure if that's how they're supposed to be since he's never made them according to the original recipe. They're tasty though - toasting the almonds is critical to the flavor - don't skip that step. FAMOUS BREAKFAST COOKIES First make the Healthy Delicious Granola Stir together in a large bowl: � 3 cups Snoqualmie Falls oatmeal � 1 cup freshly roasted sliced almonds � 2 tsp cinnamon Heat in microwave for one minute and add to the oatmeal mix: � 1/3 cup salad oil � 1/3 cup honey (we use agave nectar instead of honey because it never solidifies like honey) � 2 tsp vanilla Spread on 2 greased pans and bake in preheated 325 oven for 8-10 minutes Stir and don't over bake; mix should be honey colored. Add: � 1 cup raisins or craisins Store in an airtight container for up to one month. Famous Breakfast Cookies Beat until fluffy: � 1 cup butter (substitute light Promise margarine in blue tub) � 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar Add: � 1 egg (substitute egg beaters) � 2 tsp vanilla Add and beat well: � 1 2/3 cups flour (substitute some whole wheat flour) � 1/2 tsp baking soda Add and mix thoroughly � 3 cups granola � Dash of salt Chill dough a few hours or overnight. Dough can also be frozen and thawed in refrigerator. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and dry. Do not over bake.

gibby3000 - I lost weight because I was basically scared into it. I do run 3 times a week and go to the gym 2 times a week but I was doing that while I was carrying the extra weight. My DH and I were renewing our life insurance in Jan of 2009 and because of our ages at the time (56) we had to have a little check-up by the public health nurse. She dropped by the house and was doing our weight, blood pressure, blood tests and heart monitor. I knew I was carrying extra weight but I didn't know how much. Anyway, she weighed me (I didn't look at the number) and then took my blood pressure and she noted that it was quite high. I didn't know why. I thought to myself - I exercise, and I think I eat properly. But whatever. She took again at the end and it was still high and she commented that it shouldn't be that high. So then I looked at my weight and just about fell out of my chair. I was shocked at what I weighed which was about as much as a man. So I got on the internet and just started researching healthy eating, checked my BMI, looked at calorie counting, looked at what fat is and how many calories are in a pound, etc. What I realized is that I can't and wasn't prepared to exercise anymore so I had to look at my food intake. I don't eat chips, cheezies or any type of junk food (dark chocolate is definitely an issue and continues to be so) but what I was doing was just eating too much food during the day. I was exercising and so used that as an excuse to eat but that attitude does catch up with you eventually. I found out through research that 1 pound has 3500 calories in it and so if I want to lose a pound a week I have to drop 500 calories a day. So, no more mid-morning snack, no more eating dinner leftovers for lunch and no more cheese and crackers in the afternoon. I started eating a sensible, prepared for me by me lunch. Some fruit, some protein and a carbohydrate. I do get hungry mid-afternoon and so I have applesauce with cinnamon. I do prepare sensible dinners but now I don't have seconds. And nothing after dinner and that was the hardest thing to let go of. It took 9 months to lose 42 pounds and I feel so much better and that is what keeps me motivated to keep it off. My running is better, my walking is easier, bending to get things is easier - I just feel so much better and that is the incentive to keep it off. The changes that I made were ones that I knew I could maintain over the long haul. I didn't give up the cream for my coffee because I knew I couldn't give it up for the long term. \\ I think that it's important to only make those changes that you can maintain for the rest of your life and not miss. If you can't give up that cookie at night - cut back someplace else but still count it in your calories, if you can't cut back sugar in your coffee for ever then cut back where you can and not miss it. Eating healthy and maintaining a healthy weight shouldn't be or feel like punishment for life. A couple of people have commented about how they blew it one week or were "bad" over the weekend. During this process I gave myself permission for the occasional lapse. I knew it was going to happen because I'm not perfect, I'm not a robot and I'm trying to break a 25 year eating habit. You don't do that without a misstep along the way. Now, I have given myself a 5 pound leeway for those times when I'm away or we have a busy couple of weeks of entertaining. I do weigh myself everyday and do start to regroup if I put on 3 pounds. I don;t beat myself up if that happens because now I have the tools to deal with it. This is just my opinion but I don't believe in these fad diets because they are too hard to maintain as a long-term lifestyle. (I'm not talking about diets relating to gluten allergies or diabetes, etc) Like I said - my opinion.

Tina and Beth thank you for the nice comments ! I only do something one minute at a time...can't think too far ahead or I become a victim of "stinkin' thinkin' " ! I have had to work very hard to not run all the miles at the beginning of the race...YKWIM ? When I am riding up a mountain, as I was in Texas 2 yrs ago , I looked down at the speedometer and I was going 3-4 mph...hmm..well d%^m ! I had 10 miles to go ! So I disconnected my mind and just pedaled and sang...I have the "worm " song to keep me company :) You know the one...nobody loves me....haha. It is so true that you feel better no matter what YOU do. I can't measure me against any of you and the other way too. We are each doing what we can when we can and that is ALL that counts. I never get on the scales. Only when I get home from a bike trip...one time a year. I know how my clothes fit and I go from there. I am lucky that I can stay active all year in this climate in AL. I also am retired and have support from DH. Everyone is different. All that matters is getting out. A 30 min walk around the neighborhood is better than a lot of folks ever get. It is less than some of us get...who cares. It is what it is for YOU. The moral support on this forum is wonderful . You can't always have partners to work out with. I have had some great ones over the years and currently have no one...DH only gets out when the sun isn't too bright due to his eyes and skin. So I am on my own. It takes a LOT of motivation to keep it going. I ADMIRE all of YOU for keeping it going. What an achievement. You won't take your last breath thinking ...I wish I had lost that last 2 # ! You might wish you had walked in the woods alone or with someone you love. Go for a walk....c

hhireno, the weather is the big gamble. Plan & train for heat. Last year the midwest was suffering from a terrible prolonged heat wave. My riding buddy, who went ahead with our RAGBRAI plans after I bailed out sick, texted me, "It's 7pm & upper 90s. I'm sitting in a treeless camp site, praying for a breeze along with 250 other campers." So figure that's the worst. Sometimes it's only pleasantly hot (upper 80's, low 90's), sometimes perfect (mid 80's), & sometimes it rains. We woke up one day to a downpour and rode 55 miles in it. Another night a thunderstorm erupted around 3 a.m. The way the ride works is, there's a start town & a destination town each day, with about 8 stopping points along the way, small towns that throw a party for the riders. Plenty of food, drink, dancing, sidewalk sales, & socializing. In between the stopping points, Iowans are out selling food & cold drinks. Every church group, boy scout den, fire department, high school band, little league team, et al. is out to raise money by selling stuff to the riders. Believe or not, you can ride RAGBRAI & gain weight! It's truly a rolling food fest. Or Woodstock On Wheels, as one rider put it, except the drugs are tylenol & Aleve :) We hire a "sherpa" service. The service we use sets up a small tent city on school grounds or parks or farms at each stopover town. They provide the tent, set it up, take it down, transport our stuff to the next site, provide a light breakfast, some dinners, post-ride drinks & snacks, portable showers & toilets, mid-week laundry service, bike mechanics and even host entertainment in the campsite. If you don't think you can do the day's ride, they have a bus to shuttle you to the next campsite. Well, gotta get another ride in before the rain comes today. Training for it is a huge time commitment. But I had so much fun in 2010, I just have to do it at least one more time in my life!