[CruiseCAT]

OK... I was feeling very domestic today and decided to do a little baking, banana nut bread and pumpkin & chocolate chip. Most will be leaving the house but what doesn't will get put in the freezer.

We didn't get to bowl yesterday because apparently they don't open until 5pm. We are thinking about going on Sunday.

Becky - I talked to one of the ranger's at the park and although the butterflies are starting to arrive they are not there in full force. Seems they like to come after a rain. Interesting the reason they come to that area; they eat the milkweed that is in abundance and it's a poison to birds so after one or two of the nasty butterfly they learn not to eat them. Either way we are looking forward to our outing.

Hang in there.... you're almost to the weekend.

I really wish our pool was big enough to do laps; its great for the dogs and for doing water aerobics but there is no way to do laps. Our community pool is about a mile away so I'm thinking our spring walk will include a stop at the pool. They are open year-round but there is NO way I am going to swim during the winter, doesn't matter that they heat the pool to 84.

Patch - Yes, Hogan is the odd ball. He was one of the orphaned pups I fostered last year, all the others are from rescue (none related). We also have an orange tabby named Aruba.

Heidi - Your DS, from the profile, looks a lot like Mack's son when he was that age.

[patchworkpenguin]

We got the call from the eye doc that my glasses came in wrong again. They are sending them back, and it will be Tues. The eye doc gave the lab an earful about this, too!

I spent an hour on the treadmill while I was waiting.

[Marie]

Cruise, I have plastic surgery scheduled for the beginning of February. As I thought about the health and looks reason for losing the weight, I thought about what I had scheduled. I realized that it is for looks but not the normal reason for having plastic surgery. I’m 48 and don’t care if I look 48. My wrinkles, I’m ok with them. What I’m not ok with is the big sags from years of being overweight. They make clothes shopping difficult and it’s just plain ugly. I’m having a tummy tuck (removing all the skin mostly as the fat has diminished 90% on its own). That one I added for fun. But it’s my arm wing removal and neck waddle that really gets to me when I see myself. So I really do get the boob/empty pocket concept. There’s a great post on one of the threads (I can’t remember where the plastic surgery thread and sticky are but I can look this weekend if you want). Anyway, one of the 3 fat chicks chose to have the surgeries after her weight loss. She said it perfectly with preferring the scars instead of the rolls of skin. She had several surgeries and the sticky thread was excellent. And enjoy your banana bread. YUM!

Giv, sounds like you’re doing a great job with the walking videos. That is so great! I miss my angel huskies as well. I love, adore and treasure my pack but Teddybear was my first and I miss her. So I can imagine you miss your Rottie. And have fun this weekend!

Lamb, ahhhhhh, they are so cute. Thanks for sharing. Of course, I’m a little partial to Gracie. They are so cute and lucky to have you! And Kai – this morning, she ran off when I took out the leashes and I hung hers back on the rack. She looked at me and walk right over and sat down. She was a perfect angel on the walk. Unlike her sibs Kody and Sasha… they were in the mood to pull.

WLW, sounds like bra woes are rampant on this thread. Yours, penguins and I know of mine (try finding 32D anywhere). At least you got the ones you wanted for the right price. It seems like a sale price shouldn’t be higher than what they’d had them on clearance. And return the scale!!!! But first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Penguin, now revised on the wish that your glasses arrived – I’m so sorry they got it wrong again. Perhaps the labs’ people learned their skills from the Champion people.

Hydra, yeah on no surgery. That is EXCELLENT!!!!

Roisin, I’ve heard about people losing significant weight and their asthma going away. I tried not using my meds and ended up on prednisone. So I’m guessing mine is here to stay. I envy that woman!!!! I hope your border collie passes calmly and in her sleep. I sure want that to be the way I go.

Newleaf, your DS8 and kitty are adorable. But wow, I love the name Magic Milkshake. That is so cute and unique.

Muscle Memory??? Lambchop, you’re nuts. Oh it would be nice if it worked that way. Then my quads wouldn’t die the first couple times skiing this year.

ICU, ok you just called me a “mature” lap swimmer in a backwards way. I do love my snorkel because of my neck. Mature, eeks, I am getting old. Lucky for a pool, yes but it’s winter tarped… And Cindy has one too. I’m glad you moved your goal down a tad. Border weights are painful to handle – that second number flipping between the 4 & 5 can push at one’s happiness. Your post the other day about 150 gave me that clue that we have that in common. I can not handle a border weight. That’s how I picked 135. I’m think a little less than that might be better but 130 is a border weight so 125 is flitting through my mind. It is all a mind game after all and we’re in this to win. So are you competing in the West Bloomfield race in November (per your signature)??

So I had been feeling bad that I can't motivate myself to do weight training. I don't like it. It's boring like yoga. So I'm out walking the tugging Kody and Sasha and my arms are sore. Heck I'm weightlifting with my dogs. I called Liz and asked if we could try a non-pull harness with Sasha. I hope she gets the message and brings it on Sunday for our behavior training. Kody and Sasha are ruining the morning walking fun. And Kai doesn't pull with the halti collar but it's clear she hates it when she runs off instead of getting ready to go walking. Doggie dilemmas - I'll get them worked out. BTW I am on a chocolate craze that won't quit. It started last Saturday day of TOM, and hasn't eased. It's not normal for me. I haven't gone over cals at all so that means I'm substituting chocolate for veges and fruits. But hey, chocolate bean - bean is a vege. Right??? I must get that craze eradicated though!

[Hydra]

Thanks chickas! Yes, I am very happy and relieved I don't have to have surgery anytime soon.

cruisecat - nice pic of your dogs. I bet your house smells great from all your baking.

lambchop - yardwork is good exercise. I plan to do some raking this weekend as well.

penguin - sorry about the delay on your glasses, that is a bummer. An hour on the treadmill?! Wow, good job.

marie - hope you get over your chocolate cravings. I keep seeing so much of the Halloween candy everywhere that I broke down and bought one bag of treats. This might not have been a good choice since I have helped myself to several chocolate eyeballs this week.

This week seemed really long to me and I am so glad it's the weekend. I am off all weekend so I have time to get caught up on cleaning, do the grocery shopping and have plenty of free time. I plan to get a nice bottle of wine at the store and have a few glasses tomorrow. I think I would like to watch some funny movies and just relax this weekend.

[CruiseCAT]

Hydra - This week blew by for me. I can't believe it's Saturday already. I'm sure the weekend will go by just as fast Enjoy your wine and movies.

Marie - how tall are you? I'm beginning to think my goal weight might be a tad low but not sure yet. I know I still have plenty to lose but I'm feeling good and mostly happy with how I look with clothes on. I still have not decided if I will have PS; if I do it will be the L/A in addition to a TT and my neck. My fear is there will always be something I'm not happy with and I seriously don't want it to become an obsession.

Mack and I are off to Pt. Mugu this morning and won't be back till late. Hope you all have a GREAT weekend.

[newleaf123]

Good morning everyone. CruiseCAT I love your new siggie! You look great!

Marie Good luck with your pack. I can't imagine trying to work with that many dogs. You are a wonderful pack leader / alpha dog!

Penguin Sorry about the glasses. That's a drag. What's wrong with people??

Hydra Have a nice weekend. Wine and movies sounds great! I'm glad you don't need more surgery; that's great!

Roisin Dubh May your dog pass peacefully; this is such a hard time in our pet journeys... Been there...

LambChop Cute that you have a tuxedo cat, too. I had never heard that term recently until one of the boys came home from school telling me that that was Magic's "breed". As for the Milkshake part, he has 2 little drops of white at the end of his nose, like he had dipped his face into a glass of milkshake...

GiveTLC I hope you have a great weekend with your friends!

ICUWishing Yes, 8 is fun. Not quite big yet, still sweet and dear (most of the time). You are doing so well with your weight, it's great to see! I've dropped off the Halloween goal thread, just like the Labor Day thread. I guess they don't work for me... It's all a matter of figuring it out! I am sure I will reach my goal, I just am not on any timetable to do so at the moment. But hey, I weigh less than at the start of that goal period, so that's good.

As for me this weekend: DS8 soccer game, pumpkin carving, Penguins watching (NHL), Steelers watching (NFL), book reading. Nothing too exciting, especially since I'm not really a sports fan! Can you tell I'm the only female in the house???

[lambchop]

ICU - I like that you're planning ahead and finding a plan that will give you room to move

Penguin - oh no! More waiting on your glasses? oh YES! about the treadmill time

Cruise - the smell of all the baking would have killed me! Right now certain "smells" get to me, but i stay strong - by the way, love the picture!

Marie - I hope your surgery goes well. I'm nervous to see what my tummy will look like when the weight is gone. A friend had a tummy tuck and LOVED it. (she lost about 100 pounds - a few years back) -- woohoo on Kai coming back over.

Hydra - i hope you get to see those funny movies you were hoping for, and enjoy your wine

NewLeaf - have fun pumpkin carving! I'm the only female at any time in my house, so i count my dog Grace as the other female, ha

----

Scale didn't move, but the tape measure did! I'm so glad I keep track of both. I've lost an inch in my hips and an inch in my waist. That made me smile this morning.

We're going to a local art museum. It's a crappy, rainy day - so we decided to go see something we've not done before....10 mins away and haven't once stopped in there before. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, so we'll spend time outside somehow. I'll be doing the second day (Week 1) of my C25K this weekend also.

[Marie]

Hydra, ditto on the really long week. I’m really hoping all my co-workers that were home with H1N1 return next week. By the end of every day I had a headache and I rarely get one. The good thing, though, is the headaches went away as soon as I got home each night. I hope your relaxing weekend helps. Don’t clean too much and watch the movies instead.

Lambchop, enjoy your time at the museum. I love looking at art but on the fast thru version. Museums have a sedative effect on me. I hope you have fun and WAY TO GO on the lost inch. May it disappear into the universe and never return!

Cruise, have a great hike today. I hope the weather is perfect. I’m 5-7 but have a small frame (that no one but me and my drs. ever knew about ). Frame size is a big factor in weight goals. I agree about going overboard and it being an obsession. The TT, neck and arms really bother me and the rest doesn’t so I’m hopeful I can go with just that. Someday having a breast lift and reduction would be nice but they really don’t bug me – I just have to specialty shop at herroom.com for 32D. My bras end up being expensive but so would the surgery. BTW, I’m still jealous your Mack came home… I have another 2 weeks.


Newleaf, aw… I’m going to have to cheer against your Steelers. I’m a through and through Packer fan but I grew up in Minnesota so I still like the Vikings. Now the book reading – we’re on the same page on that. Hehehe pun intended. I stay away from goal threads as well since I don’t cheat on my diet (cal wise, not chocolate wise) and I exercise like a banshee. My body will lose it when it’s in the mood, no sooner. Since you weigh less than the start of the goal thread, you have SUCCEEDED big time!!!!

My big weekend plans are to be a bum. I’m going to try altering my size 12 black jean skirt since it does me no good falling off anyway. I Kohls online shopped last weekend and my treasure box arrived yesterday. I was so excited to have clothes that fit. Lo and behold, the size 10s jeans and skirts were too big and the medium sweaters too big. Back they go on Tuesday when I’ll be near a Kohls. It was depressing and exciting at the same time. So I decided I’ve been sewing all my life and the worst I could do to the skirt is destroy it. I plan to watch football on Sunday, two games at once (DH set up both TVs and DVRs in the living room for me before he left). We have Sunday Ticket so I can watch my Midwest teams on the west coast. Dog training on Sunday. That’s it for plans. The rest is my time to be a bum. I do like that.
Marie

[Onmyway]

Good Morning!
It's a beautiful fall day here. We have lots of trees so raking is definitely in my weekend plans!

I just can't seem to get back into the groove of losing. I have a good day and then a not so good day. I am holding steady at about 180 so I have not been gaining but I just can't get back to the zone! I am exercising at least 30 minutes each day. Walking, exer bike, Wii fit. I have been at this for over a year and I know I'm not ready to be done.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[dmc2009]

And its been a ruff row to hoe! but I a officially in the 130s. yaya

Marie, I opened some choc. chips yesterday and Had a handful, I was craving. I am going suppose to bake with the for my DD! HA!

Cruise, you are out my way Pt. Magu, you should bring bikes and go to Venice and do that trial, omg, you would love it next time.

I got a boob job and it was probably the biggest mistake I made as an adult. Think about it long and hard before you do. I got it five years ago, I wanted a lift but they talked me into augmenation. Not me. Now I have these big boobs to try to dress and its not easy. I have to say that I am hoping they will go down (DD) as my weiht drops.

Oh... forgot to tell you. I got a call to go back for a mamo / U.S. I couldn't believe it. Wow, that is scary. Next Week.

Okay, Have a great weekend all.

[lambchop]

Quick post - just finished Week 1/Day 2 ----> C25K

[weightlosswanted]

Wow, I'm having trouble keeping up! Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone, it's actually on tuesday but I did my shopping early. Got my gift from mom today and am debating if I should wait to open it. Having a bunch of ladies over for a pizza party to celebrate on thursday night. Stopped by at the gym to weigh in the day after the crazy scale episode, back to 166. Would really love to see a whoosh sometime soon...going to try to get motivated to stay after work and get in a workout on monday and tuesday. I hate doing it with a time limit - get off work at 7 and the gym closes at 8. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[Hydra]

lambchop - it is nice to see those inches lost. I recently started measuring so I could find out what size I am.

marie - good luck on the clothes altering. I recently had to take in a few work skirts.

onmyway - i think all your exercising is getting back in the groove. I think we all hit times where losing is not our major focus.

dmc - fantastic on the 130s!!!

wlw - good job on fitting in those workouts. Hope your pizza party goes well.

I had a very lazy day. Today I need to get motivated to finish the cleaning and I have my bf, Pete, and my son, Hunter, to help. I am looking forward to watching football later on. My team, the Bengals, are playing the Chicago Bears and we need another win. I am also looking forward to my granddaughter, Hayden, coming over tonight. She will be here for a couple days, yay.

[CruiseCAT]

Yesterday's hike is a mixed bag of reviews. The area was OK but everything was still green and we saw only ONE fricken monarch. What was suppose to be a simple 10 mile walk with only 700' elevation gain turned in to a 12 mile hike with 1400' gain and most of that in a half mile going up and 1.3 coming down. It was a good work out. I'll post a link to pictures later today or tomorrow.

The drive home was horrendous; it took us an hour to drive the 30 miles thru Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, then another two hours once on the freeway to get home. We did stop to cool our tired feet in the freezing water of the pacific. NOW I remember why I don't go to the coast; cold water and WAY too many people. AND bugs!!! We don't have bugs here in the desert.

DCM - I don't see a return trip in our future. We said maybe we would try for the Monarch's again next year but we would pitch a tent after our hike and then leave at like 4am (regular wake up time for us).

Sending good vibes for your US next week.

I'm torn about the lift/augmentation. I don't want anything big I just want to fill my "pockets"; a nice "C" cup would work.

LC - The house still smells like pumpkin and I love it. Usually my wall flower is emanating mint chocolate, smells just like a thin mint. My sister is like you and can't handle foods smells but it doesn't bother me. Good job of C25K

OMW - Get It Together!!! You know you can do this.

Hydra - Enjoy your time with your GD, I still have to wait four weeks before I see Noah. I HATE being so far away.

Marie - Enjoy your football games. Mack is a Dolphin fan and I'm a Redskin fan; we rarely get to see our teams play out here on the west coast. We are headed to Costco and then will come back for NASCAR nap time.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

[lambchop]

Marie, giggling...we're not big on museums and blew it off. We usually do the "quick tour" too - but I just couldn't get excited...so we didn't go. I hope your alterations go well. Sorry not all the new clothes fit well, but hey - woohoo on a smaller size!

OnMyWay - the raking is good exercise! Maybe it's a plateau -- I read another thread somewhere about someone being stuck for a long time, but after sticking to it....whoosh - they dropped a bunch one week. Hang in there!

DMC - 130's! Congrats - you must be tickled -Let us know how the call back goes. I get them (call backs) every year since i was 34, so I expect them now..(lumpy breasts/cysts)...((DMC)) _ also have to go every 6months for ultrasounds now too...but rather be safe then sorry - they aren't all scary I've had so many call backs, and all have been okay.

WLW - hope your pizza party is great fun, and you see a whoosh sooner than later

Hydra - enjoy your lazy day. I'm an Eagles girl myself. Have a great visit with your Hayden

Cruise- that's a heck of a hike! -- oooh, no bugs in the desert? didn't realize

--------

When I finished my second day of C25K, totally out of breath, i reminded myself i've done it before, and soon enough I'll be breathing fine...

The sun is finally out today, so I'm looking forward to going out for a little bit.

We ate out yesterday, and I got the salad bar and had a really healthy salad. I almost don't recognize myself! Lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, onions, eggs, mushrooms, my own lite dressing...WHO AM I? Not one single crouton - never dreamed THAT day would come!