This group is for those dealing with the challenges of having a significant amount of weight to lose and being fit which becomes harder after age 40. If you're an old or new friend and not over 40 and feel this is the place to post, jump right in.
Last edited by Vortex_VVV; 11-23-2006 at 07:17 PM.
I'm grateful to still be here, even though my weight loss efforts haven't been very good for a while.
I'm grateful for all you ladies!!!
I'm grateful for my family and friends.
And I'm very grateful that November will soon be over, and I won't be quite so broke any more!!! It'll be nice to be able to pay back those who've made loans and give some holiday gifts. It'll also be g.ood to feel I can buy groceries without buying the very cheapest thing possible... which I hope will be a help in kick-starting.
Everyone out shopping for bargains? I've browsed the ads but didn't see much that I needed. I did want to get a George Foreman grill and a set of towels at Linen's and Things but didn't want to get out of bed to drive to the city to buy it. I looked online and it was in store only. I did get a couple of good buys at Fashionbug.com yesterday. And I shopped at Coldwater Creek.com for the first time too. Got some great buys for work clothes there. That's a place where you shop the outlet part only otherwise its $$$.
Did everyone have a good day yesterday? We had a very pleasant day. DH's family shows up in time for dinner and leaves right after dessert. So I lounged around in my pajamas alternating between picking up around the house and watching TV until 10:30. DH was out looking for a city paper for the ads. He came home and finished the cooking around 11:30. They showed up a little after noon. I bought the cutest table for the grandkids. Finding Nemo activity table with its own chairs. After dinner I reminded Grandpa that he had the perfect thing for grandsons. His lawn tractor and the utility cart. Perfect place to corral them all and entertain them for a while. They loved riding in the cart while Grandpa drove them around the place. I did have to get Ginger out so that the two oldest could have a horse back ride. Spice loved being on "the other side of the fence" with mom and she ran and ran. Which scared DH's mom because she didn't want to be run over. I was trying to give horseback rides and MIL and BIL decided they had to leave right then. DH did a snow job on them about getting home before dark. Geez, couldn't they have let me have five more minutes? DH becomes a dufus when family gets around. I was outside getting horses ready and DH took them inside and did the birthday thing for all the grandsons without me. Like I don't exist when his family is there. He loses his mind. They were all gone by 3:30. There was one moment where I thought DH was going to go haywire with his brother. Remember, this is the brother that charged $20K on his mother's credit card in four months and DH has not seen this brother in a year nor talked to him because of that. DH asked him his address because he had wanted to send him a birthday card. BIL only answered with the general area that he lived and DH asked again what address. BIL said "I don't know". How can you not know what your address is? Even the 7 year old knows his address. BIL has done that for years. Never admit where he's living which drives DH insane. Fortunately, DH didn't say a word and someone changed the subject.
And I didn't overdo on the food. I had one plate of food. I did have pumpkin pie and chocolate birthday cake but not massive slices. I wasn't over stuffed and miserable like usual.
We do it again on Sunday for my side of the family. That will be a longer day and will have more foods.
Laundry and organizing in the office room is on the agenda for today. Probably go out and scoop some horse poop for composting later on. I may even saddle Ginger for me to ride. She hasn't been ridden in almost a year. She needs the exercise and I need to get back to riding.
Well I've browsed all the ads while sitting here and didn't see anything that really excited me. Later on, DH and I need to get online to Toys R Us and pick out stuff for the grandkids. That will be the extent of our shopping as we don't buy anything for his kids. We'll probably do a gift card for dinner or something. Shopping will be easy. I did say that I wanted the grandkids here for Christmas to have gifts because last year we sent the gifts to have for their big gathering with DH's first wife (the mom). We just won't have the two sons at a gathering anymore since they don't get along that well. Thanksgiving with them traumatized us last year.
I do have to say that DH's grandson is the cutest darn thing. There are three grandsons and the oldest is a step. The middle one is DH's first blood grandson. He had the pretties red hair and blue eyes. He wants to be a rock star so he has this long mop of hair. He looks exactly like pictures of DH at that age. And he is so sweet. He will be four in a couple of weeks. The youngest grandson is 2 and he doesn't look like anyone in the family. Wonder what the mailman in Ohio looks like - that is where they lived when he was born?
Time to get up and get moving around.
Have a great Friday! And Remember Thanksgiving isn't non-stop eating for four days!!!!
I had a great day yesterday. oleAlvin and I opted for a quiet, private holiday. Son #1 goes to his in-laws so it was just the two of us and son#2 for dinner. oleAlvin did all the cooking and it was wonderful. I just sort lounged around and took it easy all day.
Today I will start my decorating for Christmas. Much more productive use of my time than to fight the crowds at the malls. Oh yeah, there is laundry too.
I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a great holiday season. I love this time of the year!!!
Ruth I will keep you and your mom in my prayers.
Yes Valerie, you are missed!!!
Terri, I love Coldwater Creek, but you are right, the outlet only. Have you ever been to one of their outlet stores? Simply wonderful!!!
Anyone have a great suop recipie? I think that's what I want to do for dinner tonight. Besides I have to practice and find a good one. I am signed up to do soup for our teenager's (at Church) progressive dinner on the 16th,
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! There is something that I love to do for holidays and that is mulled cider.
Yesterday I used 100% natural cranberry juice thinned with a bit of water and a mix of mulling spices from The Spice Hunter and sweetened with stevia. This morning, I had a great idea to use this mix to make my Kashi 7 grain pilaf. I mix that with chopped almonds, dried Cape gooseberries, dried apples and natural dried coconut. Warmed with soy milk, it makes a great cereal for any time of day. I can even preportion and freeze it. YUM!!
Anyone get any good shopping in today? I'm such a whimp these days with shopping. I used to love it, but now, would much rather stay home and do it online.
Here, but miserable. The stress (new house and other wise) is really getting to me. I didn't over eat on the food part, but Jay's parents knew I didn't like pumpkin pie so they saw to it that I had my own special dessert ..... sigh..... Hershey's chocolate cheese cake.
It's a long story, I'll save my whining for my blog (if I can find time). But this is the first time I've been back to work since last Saturday. I'll have to do some research, find the newbie's names, add them to my list, get to know them and get myself back together and start doing personals again (as well as climbing back on the wagon).
The week's been pretty good for me. I've been able to subtract a couple oopses from my flex points so I'm still OP. Need more water today.
Sounds like just about everyone conquered the challenges of Thanksgiving w/o too many problems.
JAVA: Hershey's Chocolate Cheesecake?????? At least the family tried. I hope you shared it!!!! Hope your stresses ebb this week. Try to give yourself some time for you. Even a book while you soak in a hot tub can make you feel better.
KAREN: The mulled cranberry juice sounds super as does the cereal.mmmm! I avoided shopping today too. I took one of the Pointers to the self serve dog wash instead.
BARBG: How great was that, that Alvin did dinner? What a treat for you.
I don't want to think about decorating. (Procrastinator is my middle name.) I got my cards started though.
TERRI: I love Cold Water Creek's jewelry. Don't have much of it ... but I love it.
ANGELA: Glad to hear things will be getting better soon. It will take some off the load "off".
I got up early to work on the Christmas decorations, but to my suprise oleAlivn was still here. I thought he had to be at workat 7:00 but seems he doesn't go until 9:00. so I have time on my hands, He did a great job on Thanksgiving, but he "doesn't do Christmas" I've always gone overboard on Christmas decorating and it drives him crazy. Of couse with the SjS and the weight, it gets harder every year and I find myself doing less and less.
Do we need to send out a search party for Valerie? Did I miss something and she said she wouldn't be around?
I am pretty much a happy camper this morning. My stuff I had up on ebay sold for pretty good prices and now I can get a new laptop and quit fighting finding a comfortable way to use this desktop.
I've been up since about 6:30. I have been working on getting my office to where I can walk around it. I have a huge pile of books that I brought home from mom's to try to sell on half.com. Plus a huge pile of magazine that she had too - craft magazine mostly. So all that has made my office a disaster. Well, that plus my own disaster. But have made huge progress into making it a room that I want to be in.
Yesterday's exercise was moving the compost bins that DH built. Not an easy task since it is extremely heavy. But they set it up to face the north and not the south (like I told him) so we had to turn it. Then we scooped two cart fulls of horse poop from the pasture for future (hopefully) garden use.
Food hasn't been too bad this weekend. I do admit to have pumpkin pie yesterday. However, I am just about over the pumpkin pie so won't be eating any more of that. A whole pie will hit the garbage disposal this afternoon. And I will not have any remorse over it either.
Barb.G - Congrats on your sales and being able to buy a new laptop. Once you've done the laptop, its hard to go back to using a desktop. I don't think you missed anything about Valerie being gone.
Judy - on your loss. And how cool that you went back to bed. We need those indulgences. Yesterday I spent most of the day in my pajamas.
Java - Stress of moving of any kind is just about backbreaking. No matter how much you want the move and how exciting to be going to a new place. Just hang in there. Fretting doesn't really make it go any easier. That cheesecake sounded killer.
Karen - Great ideas about the mulled cider. Not only healthier because of calories but because of all the other healthy nutrients its packed with. You have great ideas for food.
I better go check on DH to see what he's up to outside. He's been burning trash.
Hi Ladies
Just stopping by to say Hi! and let you know I am doing ok.
Also just so you know, GOD has turned some of my grief into joy, as I now have a new grandbaby, who is just so precious. I'll try to stop in again soon to update you on my weightloss efforts
You all have a Blessed weekend
Grams, Joanne
Mom to Angel RILEY
Last edited by joe anne; 11-25-2006 at 12:39 PM.
Reason: add
Joanne! Welcome back! Great news about your new grandbaby!!! Since we're too far away for kisses, WE WANT PICTURES! In the meantime, kiss that baby for me, OK?
THANKS FOR MISSING ME LADIES! Every time I've tried to get on-line lately, something "urgent" drags me away. My eating is way off track, as is my exercise, but things have been going remarkable well otherwise, and starting tomorrow - Monday - I'll be climbing officially back on the wagon. I have to go do some serious grocery shopping just to get started back on track, and I just haven't been in the right mind set to have gotten myself back together over the last few days... or today. Between the stress of job changes, holiday feasting and traveling, and other personal stuff, I've gone pretty hey-wire. But I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to set up the plan to buy the foods I need and start again tomorrow.
The new job is going WONDERFULLY... outside of the hours, and therefore the $$$, being so short. I like the job, like my boss, and feel really comfortable there... ok, except for my shoes - OUCH! But that little thing can be fixed, I'm sure.
You've all heard me whine a huge amount over the last year about my husband. Well, a few days before Thanksgiving it finally dawned on him that I was heading fast towards a divorce. We had what started as a confrontation, and developed into the first productive conversation that we've had in a really long time - perhaps the first ever. We spent hours that first night just going thru hundreds of things that bothered each of us. The last year or two I've just shut down and not even tried to get through to him. We had both been making SO many assumptions about the other - what we'd done, what we thought, what we wanted, what we meant by something.... It was a pretty amazing talk because after the first bit of anger and hurt, we were both just trying to move forward. That required covering a whole lot of things in the past, but it wasn't angry or accusing or defensive. We weren't trying to hurt eachother or just protect ourselves, we were trying to understand eachother and make ourselves understood. There are still a lot of things that will need to be talked about, but a door that's been shut tight and locked, is now open. We are both fully aware of how close we were to flushing our marraige totally away. He's gone out of his way to discuss and work out the financial problems, and we're even working on some of the really personal stuff that upset me (read: even the nookie is better.) I had really given up 99% of my hope that we could work things out. Who knows where it will end up? But at least I know he's trying really hard, and I know what I have to do to make sure the communication doesn't stop again.
As far as the horses are concerned, the women who had leased my Morab horse returned him. Cody absolutely hates her, which is SO weird because this is a really sweet, love-everybody, easy going horse. I feel bad for her because she really means well and loves him, but she's like the Grandma that hugs too tight, kisses too wet, gives too rough noogies, and makes a little boy wear bunny jammies. That little boy just wasn't "Feelin' the Loooove!" She was telling me horror stories about him and I was worried about what he'd be like when I got him back. But lemme tell you, there ain't NUTHIN' wrong with that horse! He needs a little work to get him carrying his head correctly again. She had first tightened the bit too much in his mouth, then used a more severe bit, then used a tie-down to force his head into the position that her rough, unskilled hands had ruined. All the while I'm sure she was bouncing on his poor back like a sack of rocks. I feel so bad for the poor boy! But I rode him, had an 8-year-old and another girl on him yesterday, and he was just FINE! He only needed gentle hands again to be his sweet old self, and I'm greatly relieved! Hopefully today I have someone coming to check him out for a lease for his daughter. Only THIS time the horse won't leave the place. The lease will include lessons and tack, and I'll be available to supervise and protect him.
Spent the day at the barn yesterday and I actually rode 2 horses myself - both Cody and Steega. I got Miss Kayla up on Gabe, too, and hope to do it again today. Kayla's dad wants me to put a driving harness on one of their horses, so I hope I get to that at some point also. I love driving.
I went up to my Dad & step-mom's for Thanksgiving. I'm only down another 20-25 pounds since I was there for Christmas last year, but folks were very complimentary about my progress. The new pair of nicely fitted black jeans didn't hurt. I'll be even happier NEXT year when I'm down a bunch more weight. My step-mom especially is a great cheerleader, sometimes to the point of being annoying, but she never says a negative word and is always encouraging.
So. That's my long-winded catch up post. Sorry I'm not catching up on replies again. I'll try to be better. I can pop in at work on my luch hour with the companies blessing... much to my surprise. My boss even gets after me if she thinks I'm not taking lunch.
Well, the leftover turkey is gone. So are the leftover bean casserole and sweet potatoes. And yes, even the Ruffles and chip dip are fianlly gone. It must be time to go shopping, work horses and maybe come back later and tell you what I did with my girlfriend's bunny. Don't worry - it's still alive, and I even got it back in the cage.
Valerie! I'm so glad things are getting better! You deserve it.
Joanne
Terri, Don't feel bad, my whole house looks like your office right now! I'm going to have to clean it up just so I can mess it up again with Christmas stuff.
J-ann On the 4.5 pounds!
Barb, Way to go on getting that laptop! Hmmm eBay, I think I need to do that.
Java, Hope things get a bit better for you. I'm with you there on the chocolate cheesecake.
Last night I happened to get into my storage stuff to check my smaller clothes. I have a few "new" pieces I can wear now! Most of it I just blew right past though. Oh well...another load for Goodwill.
Another Thanksgiving over and done. We had my family today. Seventeen people. We had a pretty good day. The weather was nice enough to be outside.
I have to share horse stories. First, niece Jeannie got on Spanky. She laid on his back and then laid lengthwise. He didn't react much so she sat up and rode him bareback while someone led him in the round pen. This was his first time for being ridden (other than Marissa sitting on him a year ago). He did quite well. Then I put Jeannie on Ginger with a bareback pad and reirns on her halter. She did okay so we saddled her up and let people ride her in the round pen. I finally got to ride my old girl and I rode her out into our pasture area. It was wonderful. Now that I've done it, I will be back in the saddle again. The really big news is still to come. I left Ginger with my DB to go say goodbye to an aunt and uncle and the next thing I know, DB is walking towards me with Spanky with the saddle that had been on Ginger now on him. He said it was my turn to try Spanky. I swallowed really hard and put on a helmet. We went back to the round pen and I tried to get on Spanky. Problem was that I was already on the top step of the mounting block and had trouble getting high enough to throw a leg over. It took four tries before I got on. Partially because I was half afraid he'd become a bucking bronc as soon as my lard butt hit the saddle and the other part being my lard butt. He didn't and DB walked him around the round pen and I rode my big boy for the first time ever. My goodness, he is tall and it is such a long way to the ground and when he got antsy, I was more than happy to dismount. BUT I RODE SPANKY! I have to get my lard butt moving now so that the next time I try that, I can get on him easier.
Valerie - It is so good to hear from you. I am so thrilled that your new job is going good. Its a foot in the door. I am also glad that DH and you have had such a good heart to heart talk because as much as you might have been headed for divorce, it didn't seem something that you really wanted. I hope, and will say a prayer, that your marriage is headed in a happy direction. I wish I could give you a big hug of encouragement. Sounds like you have found a better arrangement for Cody.
Joe Anne - How fun, a new baby! Congrats, Grandma! It is good to hear from you again.
It's Monday and today I am BACK OP! To be perfectly honest, I've been off for two weeks now. Getting ready for the TFT Tournament and then getting ready for Thanksgiving and thru Thanksgiving and the weekend after...I've been really, REALLY bad with the food. I haven't journaled, I haven't drank water, I haven't exercised and I've eaten stuff I KNEW was not OP. I no longer have lost 95 lbs. Well, I lost it, but found some of it again. I think I'll just ignore The Count until I'm back there again.
So today, I'm back OP. I had oatmeal - 3 pts - for breakfast and have lowfat fettucinni and chicken for lunch - not sure of the pts there, so I'm counting 10. Dinner - I don't know, but I'll make sure it's really low to make up for the lunch. I will start journalling again and I'm going to try to get some exercise in - always my worst part!
The weekend was CRAZED! Thursday I took DS to see Dead Man's Chest which was playing at the cheap show and then out to dinner. Got to bed about 11:30 and the alarm went off at 2 a.m. Met DH (who'd just gotten off work) and my friend at Country Kitchen at 3 a.m. for coffee and - yes - huge cinnamon rolls. After planning our shopping strategy we proceeded on our "Big Game Hunt". Was at Wal-Mart at 4:45 and first in line at electronics. This was DH's first time in the rampaging horde. I was proud of him...he wasn't even too tempted to punch anyone! From there we went to Target, but the line to get in was insane! So we hit the mall and Sears. Then got rid of DH so I could shop for him. Went to Lowe's then back to Sears then back to Lowe's comparison shopping! Then did Target - again! Got home at 11 and crawled in with DH until his alarm went off at 2 p.m. To make a very long story less long although by no means short, I still had to do more shopping and return things and cook for the family dinner on Saturday! At least I did get most of my shopping done. Got to bed about midnight and up at 9:30 on Saturday. Did the family thing on Saturday - read that: ATE LOTS OF FATTENING STUFF! Sunday I had planned a nice day of putting up the Christmas tree, making Turkey soup and doing some office work. Instead a friend I've known for 38 years called me and asked me to help her move. So practically the whole day I helped her move to her new second-floor apartment...at least I got exercise! But I got no decorating or office work done.
My friend I helped move just became a Weight Watcher leader. She's lost 45 lbs and hit her goal weight. -45 lbs. Amateur! No, seriously, she's 5'5" and went from a 16 or so to a 8. She's been very, very thin when we were in our 20's, about a size 4, so I'm sure to her buying 1x shirts just killed her. Wonder if she'll let me use her discounts?
Valerie: I'm so glad you had a good talk with your husband and that things are looking up. You certainly deserve more happiness than you have had over the time we've known you! I'll have to find out what a Morab horse is. That just goes to show you that amateurs probably shouldn't own horses I guess. I had no idea that you could cause a problem with a horse like you described. I always think - "Oh, it's a horse, you sit on it and it goes." I know you have to know how to ride, how to make the horse go where you want it to go, but I never thought that riding improperly was a problem for the horse, just for the rider. You learn something new every day.
Terri: That's great that you rode your big boy! The mounting block made me think of my month or so of lessons I took back in Law School. I was the only fat butt in the class that couldn't mount without a block. Glad you had a nice holiday. Wasn't the weather this weekend amazing! We played and even ate outside at the in-laws. Just wonderful!
JoeAnne: So glad to see you posting! Congrats on that grandbaby! PHOTOS????
Karen: Don't you love closet shopping! Like you, I donated a bunch of stuff I never got to wear on the way back down. Ticks me off! That cereal sounds different and pretty yummy. I need to find some new foods!
Barbara: You take oleAlvin by the ear and make him carry the boxes at least! My DH does Christmas, but won't help picky me because I keep telling him how to do it!
Judy:
Mary: Come on now! There's no way you've been less off plan than me! So if I can start again, so can you!!! Back on that horse! Time to work!
Angela: Hope your holiday was nice. We're grateful for you!
Thin, Ruth, and whoever I missed: Hope you had a good weekend. You are in my thoughts.
Okay, better wrap this up. Time to do office work, while I still have an office to work! Take care everyone!
Old Hens - 40+ and Ready to Lose!!! #105
I did get a couple of good buys at Fashionbug.com yesterday. And I shopped at Coldwater Creek.com for the first time too. Got some great buys for work clothes there. That's a place where you shop the outlet part only otherwise its $$$.
I was trying to give horseback rides and MIL and BIL decided they had to leave right then. DH did a snow job on them about getting home before dark. Geez, couldn't they have let me have five more minutes? DH becomes a dufus when family gets around. I was outside getting horses ready and DH took them inside and did the birthday thing for all the grandsons without me. Like I don't exist when his family is there. He loses his mind. They were all gone by 3:30. There was one moment where I thought DH was going to go haywire with his brother. Remember, this is the brother that charged $20K on his mother's credit card in four months and DH has not seen this brother in a year nor talked to him because of that. DH asked him his address because he had wanted to send him a birthday card. BIL only answered with the general area that he lived and DH asked again what address. BIL said "I don't know". How can you not know what your address is? Even the 7 year old knows his address. BIL has done that for years. Never admit where he's living which drives DH insane. Fortunately, DH didn't say a word and someone changed the subject.
Here
At least the family tried. I hope you shared it!!!! Hope your stresses ebb this week. Try to give yourself some time for you. Even a book while you soak in a hot tub can make you feel better.
on your loss. And how cool that you went back to bed. We need those indulgences. Yesterday I spent most of the day in my pajamas. 
even the nookie is better.) I had really given up 99% of my hope that we could work things out. Who knows where it will end up? But at least I know he's trying really hard, and I know what I have to do to make sure the communication doesn't stop again.
I'm going to have to clean it up just so I can mess it up again with Christmas stuff. 
eBay, I think I need to do that. 
Time to start again!
No, seriously, she's 5'5" and went from a 16 or so to a 8. She's been very, very thin when we were in our 20's, about a size 4, so I'm sure to her buying 1x shirts just killed her. Wonder if she'll let me use her discounts? 
Glad you had a nice holiday. Wasn't the weather this weekend amazing! We played and even ate outside at the in-laws. Just wonderful!
