FEISTY & SEXY 50 & 60 YR OLDS #82

[slavika]

ANNE :D Seems to me that there is an awful lot of "WEE ING" going on in Ireland over the holidays. LOL LOL :D

LILY You are right you did have an ALAS day. :)

I'll be back tonight.

[Mareed]

Hello, everyone, my name is Marsha and I would like very much to join this group. the posts are so interesting, and everyone seems to be so nice and so encouraging to those who struggle to stay OP. Right now I'm struggling and not succeeding. It's so discouraging to go along losing half a pound or sometimes a pound after a perfect OP week, and then have a bad week and gain back not half a pound or a pound, but [b]ten pounds![b/] It happened to me Thanksgiving week. It's enough to make a person want to tear her hair out - only I don't have enough to spare any more. Guess I'll just have to buckle down and work it back off.

I'm 58 and live in Southwest Louisiana. I've been here about 20 years, having come originally from California. I have about 100 pounds to lose, and know I have to do it for my health's sake. There's nothing wrong with me, thank goodness, and I've never felt better, since I started working out at the health club, but I can't keep all this extra weight on. I've been going to WW for almost a year, and had lost 25 pounds until that 10 came back. I hope to lose faster next year, without so much of losing one week then gaining the next.

It's really nice to find a place where people from all over the world can come together to support each other and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.

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Marsha

[lighter]

Hi Marsha, Those stubborn pounds will come off if you perservere. I know, it took me 22 months to rid 71 pounds and they didn't come off very easy. The first year my average lose was 1 pound per week. The next 10 months it was
1/2 pound per month. You bet it was disouraging but worth it in the long run. My only advise to you would be to follow the program, write everything down that you eat, drink your water and exercise. I chose my exercise to be walking and I faithfully have walked every since day for the last 23 months at least 20 minutes. Now I walk 30 minuets first thing out of bed in the morning, I'm dressed and out the door with my walkman on. This was a big undertaking for me for I had to start walking a block at a time. Then to get up, get dressed and out the door was major steps. I would much prefer to lounge around most of the morning in my robe and slippers. When the weather got hotter, I had to get up earlier to avoid walking when it was too warm.

I do eat a lot more fiber now than I ever did before. Bran muffins for breakfast, Kashi cereal some times for lunch, W W veg. soup after a week of no lost. You know the drill. Sometimes I plan meals ahead and other times I wing it. DH and I are retired so that makes it easier. We travel by RV months at a time and fixing our meals is a lot easier than eating out. If I loose 5 more pounds that would be great but if I stay the same I won't complain. Size 14 fits just fine and some medium blouses also fit. I never did wear any size below 12 in my life.

Good luck to you, believe me, I know you can be successful.

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Ann P

[slavika]

Hi Marsha Welcome and of course you can join us, we just love hearing from new gals. :) You live in Louisiana and I live in central Canada where we are freezing our tush's off. Boy it's cold today and really windy. :( I have been feeding a grey squirrel since spring his name is "Sammy" and today I looked out and he was eating the peanuts I put out for him and I guess his little toes are cold (we have snow) so he would hold one tiny little paw up against his little belly and then other to warm them up. Poor little guy, well not little he's really fat. He'll soon have join a WW Squirrel Class. :D LOL
Marsha come and post here often, I think that helps us to stay on track and if we fall off we get all the support we need from the rest of the gals. This is not a easy thing losing weight or maintaining the loss. I don't have a lot of choices about whether I get old or not but I don't want to be old and fat. We have this lady who goes to the little Mall right in my neighborhood every single morning and stays until lunch time. It has a grocery store, health food store, drugstore, hairdresser, bakery and a bank. Her husband passed on some years ago and left her financially well off but she really doesn't have any family. She lives across the street from the Mall in a nice town house and just walks over every day. If the weather is really bad she orders a cab to drive her across the street. :) Anyway, the first thing she does is has her hair either shampooed and set or combed out at the hairdresser's every day but Sunday.
She gets all dressed up to go to the Mall to. She usually wears a black skirt and sweater and black stockings, and her mink jacket if the weather is in the least bit cool. She wears lots and lots of jewellry including several gold anklets. I forgot to mention this gal is likely in her late 70's. She is a slim gal and when she walks she likes to kind of flip her feet so she can see all the anklets. She talks to everybody who will spend a few minutes with her. One day she told me that growning up in England she loved to eat chocolate but couldn't afford to buy it. She said she can afford to buy all the chocolate she wants now but will only allow herself 1 bar per week, because she doesn't want to gain any weight. Some people like my "Lady" make such wise food choices for themselves and others have a devil of a time, (like me). Anyway, I want to be thin like her when I am in my late 70's. (the gold anklets would be nice too :) hee hee

[phillpc]

Sounds like Christmas has become somewhat commercial every where. I think it up to us to push that aside. Being from New Mexico we do have a tradition of a Mexican supper on Christmas eve. We have tamales and posole. Posole is a northern New Mexico dish that is Indian in origin. It is a bleached corn (somewhat like hominy) simmered for hours with pork, garlic & onions. Then red chili sauce is added. Most people now serve the red chili on the side so you can make your bowl as hot as you want. It is ssssooo Good!

I'm really having to adjust my points some days. I want to at least taste all the unexpected things that keep popping up. I am keeping 0 points soup in the freezer so I can have that for supper when I've used all my points for the day. And the days there are no treats I'm eating almost entirely vegetables to help me keep banked points. I'm truly trying to make this a lifestyle change so I am trying all ways I can think of to keep within my weekly points total.

And I'm happy to report that I am finally feeling better!!

Phill

[This message has been edited by phillpc (edited 12-03-2000).]

[LilyG]

Slavika: What a great story about that Lady! Its really true about the choices. Just wish I new better when I was younger.

Welcome Marsha! Hang in there. Just keep working at and the pounds will come off. Its a slow process sometimes but you can do it!

Phill: glad you are feeling better! That red chili sounds yummy. Havent had that in a long time. Have a recipe to share?

[Karen L]

Here it is Sunday and my first post in a week. I've checked in most days just to see whats going on. Was going to post last night after reading all the wonderful Christmas Traditions. But this site was so slow I gave up trying to get into the reply page. So I'll share mine now. Christmas Eve My three kid and all their kids and my Parents gather at my house for a supper of sloppy joe's and potato chip and just a lot of snacky stuff . We open gifts and get to watch the little ones wade through mounds of wraping paper. Then its off to a church service for some. On Christmas day we met at my brothers house for dinner. Sometimes all my brothers and their families are there. Sometimes it just those of us who live in town depending on the weather. We visit and play games. We never know what is going to happen until my brother springs it on us. I totally enjoy getting together with family . I remember all those years we were in the service and how lonely I was for family.

Well Last Minute Karen has set a record. All the presents are bought and (drum roll please) wrapped :) don't have my tree up yet but I'll wait until next weekend or even the weekend after that. we"ll see.

The weather here so cold. Every time I have to leave the house the first thing out of my mouth is I Hate Winter :( Have had to resort to useing the tredmill for my exercise. Been getting in at least 20 minutes a day. For me that is realistic as I'm gone so much. I'm also keepng my journal up to date so I'm on top of my points and know where I stand in case a cookie should find it's way to my hand. Did the food shopping yesterday and as soon as I got it home I washed all the veggies and put them in baggies. Then today I re-arranged the fridge so that I could see all of it as soon as I opened the door. Nothing good is hiding in a drawer. Can you tell I'm on a mission to maintaine over the holidays.

Welcome all our new members to our little group that is growing every time I check in. That is a good thing. I can't remember who lost what this week but I was happy to see it while I was reading the board.

Slavika- I really enjoyed your story of the lady at the mall.

Just one more week until New Program is introduced . ( You should see the room I call my office it is piled high with many ,many boxes of the new materiels) I'm Sure that those of you who are unhappy with your rate of weight loss will like the changes. For the rest I say if it ain't broke don't fix it. Being a leader I am using the changes and all is going well for me. I like the idea of something new, kind of gives me a fresh out look on this whole weight loss deal.

Well I think I'll shut up and let some one else talk. Bye for now.

[flaggies]

G'day everyone,
What great Christmas traditions, make mine sound pretty boring :(
Loved the story of the lady in the mall Slavika, I agree I cannot stop getting old but I definetly do NOT want to be fat and old ;)
I had an enjoyable weekend with friends. We get together once a year around Chrismas time and catch up on what we have all been up to during the year. Two of the friends have just returned from a month's holiday in Africa and the luncheon took on an African theme, it was all very nice. A bit difficult to work out points but I just had a taste of most dishes and had fresh fruit for desert. We all went for a long walk after lunch and it was just a great day.
DH is home again, went for 1 1/2 hour walk at 7 this morning along the beach and I am looking forward to another great OP week.
Welcome Marsha, I haven't been here long myself but you will find it a very friendly and supportive site like I have.
Keep warm all in the cold climates and I will try and keep cool ;)
Cheers
MAria

[LilyG]

Karen: I cant wait til we get the new materials. My Leader has been raving about the program. 2 more weeks for me.

Maria: Your luncheon sounded interesting. Never had African food before. What did they serve?

Slavika: Wheres Trudy? Hadnt seen her in a while. Is she ok?
Or Maybe she is working on my tree skirt :)

[This message has been edited by LilyG (edited 12-03-2000).]

[slavika]

Hi Everybody: I'll just say welcome to
STEPTWO once again. "WELCOME" :)
GEEZ KAREN you sure are good. I think you would probably go into cardiac arrest if you looked in my kitchen cupboads. Yikes even my kitchen counter. I'm like my little backyard squirrel I got all kinds of goodies in case I can't get back to the store for the next year or so. LOL :D
HI LILY trust me on this one...LOL LOL TRUDY has NOT been busy this last week working on "YOUR" tree skirt. :) I'll let her tell you what she has been up to~~~~~~~
PHILL I love Mexican food, well who am I kidding I love all food. That would make a good topic for us to discuss. Is there any food you gals do not like and if yes, what is it? I tried "caviar" and have to say I would not rush out to eat that again. :eek: I found it salty and well fishy. Someone told me it must not have been a very good caviar if it was fishy, I wouldn't know. There's no accounting for taste because I really love herring.
Talk to you all tomorrow. :)

[LilyG]

ALAS Was hoping she was working on my tree skirt. :(

Food I wont eat: Raisins, and prunes. Yuck!
all wrinlkly...

[This message has been edited by LilyG (edited 12-03-2000).]

[Mareed]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I'll certainly try to follow Ann's advice, and today I did start a new journal and count the glasses of water and get in a half hour on the treadmill. WI is on Tuesday and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed (and my mouth closed) until then.

Slavika, your squirrel sounds so cute. I have bunch a them in my yard, but they are all rather skinny and look too much alike to be given names. I loved your story about the lady who goes to the mall - that's going to be me someday.

Well, it was cold here today, high in the 40's. That probably sounds springlike to you Canadians, but I shivered all morning and had a hard time getting started. Finally got in gear though and accomplished a lot. I, too, now have all my gifts wrapped, as well as two dishes prepared for parties next week.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day, so I think I'll sign off and take a look at the news and go to bed. Night, all.


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Marsha

[slavika]

Hi Everybody I thought I would just come back here to tell you gals what I found on the internet a short while ago. LOL
I was looking at recipe sites (one of my fav things to do) and I went to Mrs. Claus's kitchen at www.northpole.com (http://www.northpole.com) and came across a recipe that had more calories per serving then I would ever have thought possible. The dessert is a pudding called, "Aunt Mazo's Eagle Brand Dessert". My arteries b
began to harden even as I read it. Per serving: 1002 calories with 60 g of fat. Now ladies don't you agree with me that after seeing that "ANY" recipe we actually would make would be "low fat" compared to that. :D
LILY what do you mean you don't like raisins, they are almost my most favorite thing. I make rice pudding with so many raisins a friend told me I should call it "raisin pudding." LOL :D

[flaggies]

I had a look at the site you mentioned Slavika, there were a lot of rather yummy recipes there :)
My most unfavourite food and I cannot make myself eat it is squid.
Cheers
Maria

[Karen L]

sardines yuk!!! My DH eats these yukky things I can't get them past my nose. The cat is his very good friend when he opens a can.

Lily ,raisins used to be on my hit list. Then one day I read the box. In 1/4 cup there is 130 calories. I said to my self MMMMMMM lots of calories I need to try this stuff. Just as I figured lots of calories I had to like them and I have been snacking on them ever since :o

Marsh you found a good place to chat with caring people. Hang around and you will be inspired by all of them. It's also nice to have a place thar we can talk about other stuff too. Ann gave you some good advice . Time is on our side. :)

Ann I read with intrest about your traveling months at a time and that you still are able to stay on program. Thats put Rv-ing at the top of my list as to what to try when DH retires.

Catch you later :)

Had to come back to tell you that I checked out that northpole site and I found some great pictures for Grandkids to color. Thanks Slavika





[This message has been edited by Karen L (edited 12-04-2000).]

[mooz49]

Hi again everyone. I'm depressed! I wanted to be slim for Christmas but once again I've left it too late. You would think I would learn after 30 years! It's only three weeks away and I feel like giving up but I know that if I do I will only get more depressed. So I need your help and encouragement. I want to lose a few pounds before Christmas and keep them off over the holidays.How am I going to do it? Any bright ideas?

If any one wants to find out a little about the area in Northern Ireland where I live go to www.moyle-council.org/ (http://www.moyle-council.org/) (sorry I don't know how to link it)

All the best everyone
Anne

[survivor]

Maria, Andy, Anne, Marsha So good to meet you all. We have fun on this board. Slavika is a good storyteller. By the way, loved the mall lady.

Anne So, I guess, the "wee" is used a wee bit in Ireland, huh?

Maria Australia sounds so exotic to me. It is just the opposite of our seasons, so it would take a while to get used to. But, as long as you can crank up the old AC, sounds great. Did you see any part of the Olympics? And do you know much about the aborigines? Kathy ? is the track star who just won my heart. Your country did a great job on the big spectacular.

Talking about Christmas traditions--our family just does the same as most people--get together with family. We have our children and families for Christmas Eve day. Then I and my husband go to my sister's for Christmas Day. We have so many parks that are lit up for Christmas, we just travel to see the sights, at least once during the holidays. And shopping and eating are all a part of the holidays.

We are going to have a new grandchild in July of next year. Hope, Slavika, that I get to do some of the "Princess" things you have described so eloquently. So far, we have done only "princely" things.
Glenda

[This message has been edited by survivor (edited 12-04-2000).]

[This message has been edited by survivor (edited 12-04-2000).]

[LilyG]

Anne: Dont give up! Keep trying. Doesnt matter if you lose it all before Christmas. Just keep going and lose what ever comes off. You will be happier if you do. Its not a race but a life style change.

Glenda: Congrats on the new baby in July! What fun! Will be nice if it is a "Princess"

Sorry guys but raisins no way no how. Never. I always pick them out if I find them. :)
I do buy them DH loves them.

[flaggies]

g'day all 8.50 Tuesday morning.
Yet another lovely day in store other than we have not had rain for some 6 weeks, were supposed to have had some last weekend but it never happened. I am glad I now have a small garden, easy to keep watered and not as expensive, my excess water bills used to be horrendous. :(
Anne I don't have any suggestions about being slim by Xmas all I can say is that I am NOT slim but 20 pounds lighter than last Christmas :) If I can manage a further 20lbs by Christmas 2001 I will be thrilled.
Glenda I am pleased you liked the Olympics. I was in Sydney a week before the Olympics and did go to the official Olympic Athletic trials that were held at the stadium. It was fantastic. Adelaide is a long way from Sydney so the actual Olympics I saw on TV like you all did. Kathy Freeman is the track star you talk of and yes she certainly did Australia and her Aboriginal community proud. The relations between white australians and aboriginal australians still has a way to go. For many years they were treated like second rate citizens however there is now a strong push for reconcilliation but people have long memories and it is probably still a way off yet.
I have been surprised that not many seem to be aware of the Paralympics for the disabled. It was held at the same place 2 weeks after the able bodied Olympics. Talk about inspiring, it was just unbelievable how these athletes managed their physical disabilities and put in some incredible performances. Wheelchair basketball was probably one of the most exciting sports to watch.
Have a terrific day all
Cheers
Maria
Anne I will have a peek at your suggested website. I have never been to Ireland but I believe it to be quite beautiful. DH is rather keen on sampling the genuine Guiness :D :D

[Karen L]

Anne Please don't join the ranks of people who put their weight loss and health on the back burner for the holidays. Just keep doing something in the right direction. Journaling is a great way to at least know what it is that is going into your mouth. Then if you can add exercise just 20 minutes a day . This way hopefully you won't back slide. Are you doing points?? Maybe just adding a few extra points on some days when there is a lot going on . Keep some good snacks handy popcorn, celery , crispy crunchy green or red bell peppers. You can use some fat free ranch dressing for dipping if you aren't happy with them plain. Also fruit Apples are great, but so are dried apricots, raisins are good for a sweet tooth. Do you have a Food Companion look it over and see if there is something that you may have forgotten about that you like and is low in points. The main thing is never , never give up.
Sorry to lecture. But I don't want to see you give up. To many people make that choice and are the ones who begin again in January with way more weight to lose than if they just stuck it out.
Ok mouth is shut :o

[Trudy]

Hi gals, I am back from Las Vegas. I was hoping to return fabulously wealthy, but that just didn't happen :rolleyes:. We went there on a 30 Hour Express Bus Trip that turned out to be the Bus Trip From Hell :mad:. We went with another couple, and really had a great time in Vegas. The day we arrived, we went to see the Freemont Street Experience and believe it or not, we ran into my hubbies sister and her husband. Neither of us had any idea the other would be there. There was so much to see and do, we could have stayed longer.

A big welcome to Maria, Andy, Anne and Marsha. Always great to get to know new gals, looking forward to your posts. :)

Glenda I read back and had to respond to your question about Canada Medicare. We had a great thing going here for a very long time. However, there has been so many Govt. cut-backs in funding. Also, a lot of our doctors, technicians, & medical researchers have moved on to the US because they can make more money there. Here they are paid per visit and there is a set fee for family doctors, specialists etc. We have no idea what the future holds for our Medicare. Too bad it all comes down to the almighty dollar.

My Christmas traditions are partly from my Mother's Polish background and my Dad's Austrian background. My Mom used to do Christmas Eve, and my SIL and I would trade off every Christmas day. Now, Mom can't do it anymore so I have taken over Christmas eve as well.

...I just had to respond to the prunes and raisins...love them :D.

I am doing the hand sewing on the quilted tree skirt tonight. I am stitching the binding down, and then Slavika and I will be off to get some fancy ties and embellishments. It has been a fun project. Sorry Lily...just didn't get around to doing yours..LOL.

I will come back later and tell you all about the Bus Trip From Hell, you will never believe what we went through :eek:.

TTFN, Trudy

[slavika]

WELCOME BACK TRUDY :D guess you won't be taking any bus trips in the near future. LOL.
ANNE thank you for showing us a little of your homeland. It sounds absolutely lovely. Looks like you get a lot of tourists to the area. About the weight loss. :) Here's what I think we should all do. We should do the best we can not to GAIN weight during this holiday season so that we don't have to LOSE any additional weight after the holiday season. This is a happy and joyous time of the year. We all have lots of things to do and to look forward to and if we are not quite as thin this Christmas as we would have liked, we are going to look dam good by next Christmas. :D Anne just keep going to WW and writing in your journal, staying within your points range and the weight WILL come off. If you need some recipes or some ideas for new treats just ask~~~~~~we got. Come here too, everyday, and talk to us, we are all in this big boat together. It's funny because as I sit here in my computer room/sewing room I try to amagine where you sit when you are at your computer, a world away from me. I bet your room looks better then mine~~~~~I bet everybody's computer room looks better then mine. Boy have I ever got a lot junk. Who posted something about "DEJUNKING " their house, well that's what I need. CAL I think it's about time you paid us a visit again. How are you doing? and DONNA geez where are you, did you fall off the planet? :( DEE are you stopping by to read the posts? How are you feeling?
Hi MARSHA it will be you me and my Mall Lady and we will all be wearing gold anklets. GLENDA I have to admit having the "Princess" is a lot of fun. She is much different then her brother. She is very much the "girl" (well usually). You could NOT have had a tea party with the boy. But she loves to have to them and wishes to be called, uhum...."Madame". :eek: LILY I forgot to tell you we did make it to Texas, and we are on our way to California. Now if Trudy would quit wasting time on looooooooong bus trips your tree skirt would have been finished. :D
Night all.

[Cal Walker]

OK Slavika
Here I am!
We were at Disneyland and then I was attending a conference in Long Beach. And yes, i stayed OP the whole time. It took some work and lots of water but I just kept the goal in mind. In Disneyland everytime I was tempted I noticed someone very overweight eating the snack I wanted - I remembered how far I've come and was inspired to stay OP.

It is going to take work to get through the holidays. The See's candy box was out on the conference table at work today. So I brought in a veggie tray :) I do not intend to deprive myself - just select my indulgences very carefully. I didn't weigh in on Sat as we were still travelling so I hope I have a loss this week! (I want to hit that 90 lbs off - I was only 1/2 lb away at last weigh in.

Welcome to Maria, Andy, Anne & Marsha This is a great site with lots of wonderful women. Some are at goal, some are just starting (or starting again!) and some are in progress. Lots of support, and humor and wonderful sharing.

What I still need to get committed to is exercise. I'm taking baby steps but doing a little more each week. I must admit it is easier with "only" 100 lbs left to lose... ;)

I'm with you Slavika I want to be old and slim too!
This weekend we have a neighborhood Christmas tradition. Our neighborhood women fund raise and then shop for needy children that we "adopt for the holidays" These are the children that we hit the sales the day after Thanksgiving to shop for. Then this weekend we have a wrapping party. It is a wonderful tradition- we eqat gab and wrap. We sing and play carols. We even have a new generation of our daughters helping.

As far as our family we have my DH's family over on christmas eve and then save Christmas Day for my family. This year it will just be my mother, DH DD and me as the rest of my cousins and Aunt are in the mountains (my Mom couldn't handle the trip). We always open stockings - yes even for the "old folks" and we have brunch before joining the rest of the family.
Karen Well my dear I'm way behind you. I still have lots of presents to buy & wrap. The good news is that I will have the week before Christmas off so I can go mega shopping! This weekend we'll do the tree (alas no new skirt LOL)

Well I need to head to bed. I have work tomorrow - retirement looks really good but not yet!

Margot


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Nothing tastes as good as thin feels

[phillpc]

Good Morning everyone!
Anne I checked out the website you posted about Ireland. I would love to go there someday. Just hang in there! You may not lose as much by Christmas as you are thinking of by Christmas but you can lose.

Lily, I am looking for the red chili recipe. I know I have it written down somewhere. I’ve been making it for so long that I no longer measure anything, but I know I started with a recipe! I’ll post the recipe for posole too, just in case someone wants to give it a try.

Hello Trudy and Margot, nice to meet you. Trudy I flew to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. My daughter lives there. It’s way to far from here for a bus trip!

Survivor, congrats on the new grandbaby on the way. What a lot of fun you are going to have!

Slavika, I checked out the north pole site. What decadent recipes. I did see a few I thought I could modify so I’m going to give it a whirl and I will let you know!

Karen, how long have you been a leader. I always thought I would enjoy that but I’ve never made it to goal so I could give it a try! :)

Flaggies, what kind of food was serving for an African meal?

I probably missed someone, sorry :) but this is getting to be a fun thread! I’ll be back and catch the rest of you later!

Oh yes! I was fine yesterday until after supper and I ate Chrsitmas goodies from my tea for dessert :( so I ended up over points. I simply must become more vigilant!

Phill


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"Our life is frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify." - Henry David Thoreau, author (1817-1862).

[This message has been edited by phillpc (edited 12-05-2000).]

[mooz49]

Thanks to all you lovely ladies Lily,Flaggies,Karen, Slavika, Phill and anyone else who took the time to give me advice, lectures and support.After visiting this site today I am more determined than ever to stay on track before, during and after Christmas. I really do believe we can do this with each others support. Isn't it great to be able to sit and type your problems into a computer and get help from caring people from the other side of the world that don't even know you. Someone mentioned, think it was Slavika, about trying to imagine the other ladies sitting at their computers. It's quite hard to do but I too believe that everyone else has probably got a much nicer room than I do. I was the one who started to DE-JUNK last week.I got my kitchen cupboards done, all the out of date food stuffs thrown out. I would really need to start on this room next and that will keep me busy and I won't have so much time to eat.LOL

Flaggies - Our weather seems to be the opposite to yours - we have had rain for about the last 6 weeks.

Margot - that is a brilliant weight loss. You must so pleased with yourself.

Trudy - can't wait to hear about 'the bus trip from hell'

Glenda - congratulations on the news of a new grandchild in July. That is really something to look forward to.

[mooz49]

Thanks to all you lovely ladies Lily,Flaggies,Karen, Slavika, Phill and anyone else who took the time to give me advice, lectures and support.After visiting this site today I am more determined than ever to stay on track before, during and after Christmas. I really do believe we can do this with each others support. Isn't it great to be able to sit and type your problems into a computer and get help from caring people from the other side of the world that don't even know you. Someone mentioned, think it was Slavika, about trying to imagine the other ladies sitting at their computers. It's quite hard to do but I too believe that everyone else has probably got a much nicer room than I do. I was the one who started to DE-JUNK last week.I got my kitchen cupboards done, all the out of date food stuffs thrown out. I would really need to start on this room next and that will keep me busy and I won't have so much time to eat.LOL

Flaggies - Our weather seems to be the opposite to yours - we have had rain for about the last 6 weeks.

Margot - that is a brilliant weight loss. You must so pleased with yourself.

Trudy - can't wait to hear about 'the bus trip from hell'

Glenda - congratulations on the news of a new grandchild in July. That is really something to look forward to.

All the very best everyone.

"BEING DEFEATED IS OFTEN A TEMPORARY CONDITION. GIVING UP IS WHAT MAKES IT PERMANENT"

[mooz49]

Sorry folks for posting the same reply twice but I stopped it to add the end bit. I'll never get used to computers!!.
Anne

[LilyG]

Maria: Lucky you for gettig to see some of the Olympics. One day I would like to see some of them. Wouldnt mind going to SLC and seeing some. Will have to see.

Trudy: Welcome back! Sounds like you had fun in Las Vegas. And I thought you were working hard on my tree skirt. Alas.... Cant wait to hear about the fun Bus trip.

Slavika: Dont know but my Puter room is pretty messy to. I did dejunked it about a month ago and now its junked again! Never ending! Been to the Northpole before. Its a great web site. Just stay away from the recipes! I did start DeJunking other areas of my house this weekend tho. DH loves coffee cups. We have oh lets say 1,000,000. Dont tell him, but now we only have 500,000. :rolleyes:


Cal: Welcome back! Did you see the snow fall? Its the new thing I was trying to think of. Its a show at night they have. Good for you staying OP thru all you have going on! Im sure when you WI you will have passed that 90 # mark!

Anne: Listen to all the good advise. You can get thru the hoildays! Checked out the Web site to. Would love to go there some day to. Have so many places I want to go and see.

Phill: Yep Karen is "our" Local Leader. She has lots of good advise for us!

Yes where is Donna and Josie? Hope you are ok!

Later all

[survivor]

Cal Walker - I am always happy to hear from you because you usually have a positive thing or two to say about losing weight. Awfully proud of you for making good choices at your meeting. And that trick about finding a very heavy person eating the snack you would love--that is a good one. You can see where you could so easily be.

Trudy - I don't understand a 30 hour express bus trip. Were you just gone 30 hours or were you on the bus for 30 hours. Sounds from hell, all right. But once you got there you had a good time. Seeing you SIL must have been fun. So, your Medicare is for everyone--ours is only for those over 65, I believe. The almighty dollar governs everything, doesn't it? I have had so much illness and treatment with cancer that I with insurance have spent a fortune.

Karen - You have the right advice. Take control now so that in January (which isn't lovely and happy anyway) we can all feel better, rather than lousy about ourselves. You must be a good leader.

Maria - I know during the Olympics that they talked about the paralympics that were going to take place, but we just never saw any coverage of them at all. Of course, we don't have cable, but I never heard anything from anyone about them. I am sure they must have been pretty awe-inspiring. I love the Olympics always and watch every single little thing. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I really get into the lives of everyone when they spotlight them.

Last night my boss took our office to The Madrigal here on campus. It is a production of a mideval meal and entertainment regarding Christmas. Students sing and juggle and spoof you a lot with "English" talk and they dress in period clothes. It is so much fun. We are served courses and I must say that after fruit, bread, and soup, I was ready to quit. That is unusual for me, but this morning I was so proud of myself.
Glenda

[This message has been edited by survivor (edited 12-05-2000).]

[flaggies]

G'day everone,
Everything very much the same still at this end of the world.
I am very pleased I am still managing to remain fairly well OP. I do have a few functions on over the next few weeks to test me :)
Glenda it is a great feeling if you manage to do the right thing whilst out, your feast sounded great.
To all who enquired about what we ate at the African luncheon. All the recipes came out of a book by Dorinda Haffner. Many years ago when she first started out she used to do dinner parties in your own home. I was lucky enough to go to one. The two most memorable things were the stories she told and she taught us how to scoop food with your hands. She is just a really fun loving person who has become very successful.
You may want to have a look at her website and try one of her recipes. http://www.dorindahafner.com/books.html
Have a great day all
Cheers
Maria

[Trudy]

No doubt you are all wondering why anyone in their right mind would take a 30 Hour Express Bus Trip to Vegas :confused: (that means driving straight through with 2 drivers taking turns at the wheel). I thought that taking a bus would be a "relaxing" way to travel and give my Hubby a chance to see the sights. Originally we signed up for a 4 day trip to Treasure Island in Minn., but that was cancelled at the last minute twice. So....we were offered this trip at no extra cost... $99.00 each including accommodations and a couple of meals for 1 week. 30 hrs to get there, 4 nights in Vegas and 30 hrs. home. We thought we had died and went to heaven, it had to be the chance of a lifetime. Yeah, right! So 6 am on Sat morning, there we were on a beautiful tour bus with our friends. 5 min. into the trip it was announced that we were not going south into the US, but going west through Can. to Lethbridge, and then south. (They had to pick up 2 couples in Sask.) ALSO, the toilet was not working! YIKES!! All 47 of us had to go immediately! They promised to make a lot of stops, and believe me they did. Well, there we were pushing westward down the Trans-Canada Hwy, when the bus started shimmeying, every now and then the back end would shake. The spare driver jumped up and went to talk to the other driver, they made a cell phone call. Then they announced that when we get to Lethbridge we would stop for a few "minor" repairs. :rolleyes: There was a repair truck waiting, and they took off the back wheels. As it turned out, each wheel has 10 bolts, and 8 of them were stripped. We were very fortunate to get there without an accident. "Not to worry", they said. "Another bus is on its way from Calgary". Hours later it came. It was the oldest, smallest, dirtiest bus in the fleet. However, being hardy Canadians, we climbed aboard, squeezed into our tiny seats and hoped for the best, after all, were were going to Vegas for $99.00. 4 of the back seats were facing each other, which left no room for 8 legs. Now, we only have 1 driver, who has no idea how to fix the seats. It was 11:00pm and he said he would look for a garage and someone to look at the problem. We travelled like this for 1 1/2 hrs to the border, this is when Pat (a lady traveling alone) had enough. She went into the duty free and borrowed a wrench and took the seats apart and put them back the right way while the men stood around amazed. :D It was very late then so we went to sleep in the chairs. (I needed 1 1/2 pills to get me through that night.) Around noon the next day a horrible odor was coming out of the washroom, the toilet was plugged! The driver refused to dump till he got to Vegas and so we sat in that horrible smell for another 8 hrs. We hung those little "pine trees" all around the vents in the door. It got dark around 5:00 and we were about 3 1/2 hrs to go yet. They turned on the lights to find out we didn't have any lights, the electrical system was broken, so there was no TV, no music, no nothing. We sat in the dark till we arrived at 9:30 pm. When we got off the bus they promised all would be fixed when we were to leave for home. I think we all wanted to believe this to be true.

Before we boarded the bus to come home, we noticed it had also been in accident, the left back side had a large dent in it, which explained why one window was permantly fogged up, why the panels were away from the wall, why duct tape was holding on some ceiling panels, and why some wires were exposed. But, we got on anyway... another announcement, the toilet was dumped, but it isn't working properly so would we only use it in extreme emergencies? Anyone who went to the washroom got the evil eye, no one wanted it to back up again. Also, they were unable to fix the electrical system. A couple of hours into the trip one seat back collapsed and a lady was laying in the lap of the guy behind her. Good old Pat jumped up, got her strap off the carry on bag and tied up the seat. She was amazing!
Things were going OK for awhile, but night was approaching so we were getting ready for darkness again. The bus has to weigh in at the beginning and end of every state. For some reason our driver didn't weigh in when he entered Montana, so when he went to the scale on the way out, he got detained. We sat there for over an hour. We are really behind now.. when we get to the border, the Can guards decide to do a search..guess who's luggage is searched first?? OURS! When they called our name I went numb. Well they went through our clothes and asked a bunch of questions and then went onto the next victim. It was a random search and we sat there for 2 hrs. Finally we get back to Lethbridge. Now it is dark again and nobody is smiling anymore. The relief driver is supposed to be there, but apparently he was sick and didn't tell anyone. Our hostess made a bunch of calls and they said they had located another driver but we would have to wait till he came from Calgary. By this time the 30 hrs are up and we should be home, but no, we sat in the lobby of this motel for quite awhile. Ok, we are back on the road, driving through Sask. when we hit a storm with gusting winds. The Trans-Canada hwy was like 2 tire tracks where the semi trucks were plowing through. Visibility was almost nil when we came to a long line of vehicles. We sat there for awhile when things started to move. Now this is when the defroster broke, and the drivers windows iced up, and he was unable to see. So a passenger took out one of his plastic slot machine cards and stood there scraping the window so the driver could find the yellow line through the drifing snow. One lady in the back said she was sure hair spray would clear a window, so we were spraying it over the windows periodically, it worked, but the bus reeked. We went through 2 cans of spray. We drove through the storm, and that is when the heater in the bus died. I cannot tell you how cold we were, we could see our breath in the air. Someone said, with the wind chill it was 50 below. I believed it. The driver tried to get the weather on the radio, but you guessed it.. it was broken too. Finally we stopped at a little town. We were 2 hrs from home and the passengers were in revolt. I felt sorry for the hostess, everyone was hollering at her. Some people opted to take a Greyhound bus home. We stayed with the "Titanic". It was 7:30am and we thought, that the sun would help the window defrost, people were rummaging through their carry on luggage, and we were wrapping ourselves in diry clothes, anything to keep warm. 48 hours later we arrived home, we called a cab and at 10:00am we were in our little nest, declaring to the world, NEVER AGAIN. I had swollen ankles and fingers for 3 days. We were afraid to eat and drink too much because of the toilet facilities, and I don't think anybody should sit so long in cramped quarters.

So gals, take this advice, If it seems too good to be true, it usually is! :D

[flaggies]

Trudy I often get 'lost' when a very long post is posted but you had me on the edge of my seat with this one :D
The trip may well have been the trip from hell but what a gift the way you described the whole trip, start writing a book :)
Thank you for sharing and I am pleased to hear you are home safe and sound.
Cheers
Maria

[slavika]

Hi Everybody, please go 50 & 60 yr old thread no. 83. See you all there. :)

[LilyG]

Oh.............Trudy.............
Let it be known here and now...
Forget my tree skirt. :)
Seriously tho
Im so sorry you had to go thru this.
Was a trip from hell for sure! But you did survive and the rest of the trip was good! You did have fun in Las Vegas. So wipe out those BAD Memories and remember the good!

[LilyG]

oops go to 83 Please!

[slavika]

Ok gang I'm back. TRUDY I KNEW
how that bus trip turned out but I sure enjoyed reading your post about it. I particularly liked the bit about those scented Christmas trees to try to keep the toilet smells at bay. Geez I don't know which would have been worse and the combination of the two must have been uhm.....interesting :eek: YIKES.
LILY I guess I must be pack rat because I sure have a lot of stuff...not coffee cups like your DH just STUFF.
CAL well hello, nice "seeing" you. Sounds like not only are you having a good time but staying on program too. Good for you. I liked all the Christmas traditions that the gals posted and I certainly like yours too about doing something nice for children. You seem to have a very full and good life Cal and I always enjoy your posts. You will soon be down the wee bit to achieve your 90# loss. WTG :)
GLENDA only my friend Trudy could go on a 30 hour express bus/holiday that takes 48 hrs. LOL
PHILL I sure love recipes. In fact when I first got my computer I printed and printed recipes off the internet and then bought a couple of big binders to put them into, ok well, maybe I bought LOTS of big binders to put them into. I mean I printed off recipes that there is not hope of me ever trying, but I printed them off anyway. Now I am a little bit more selective. I still look up and read the recipes but I don't print them ALL anymore.
I saw DEE today at WW and then she came back to my place for tea and she looks great like always, but I think she was tired from the outing. She hand made each us a gift of room refresheners in little glass jars from gelatin and scented oils. Smells lovely and looks pretty too. :)
I did fine at WW today, maintaining my goal. The lecture today was, it doesn't matter how much food is around for the holidays, or how much people encourage us to eat it, or eat treats in front of us, ultimately the decision is ours as to whether we CHOOSE to eat it or not. BROTHER....what a burden. LOL :D
Well it's getting late so I'm going to say good night. Talk to you all tomorrow. Have a great day. :)

[Mareed]

Trudy, Wow! that bus trip really was from hell! The next time I come across something that sounds too good to be true, I'll be running as fast as I can in the opposite direction thanks to your warning. I'm getting chilled just thinking about your freezing ride home. You have a lot of fortitude to have stayed with it all the way.

Margot, I'll be at Disneyland between Christmas and New Year's and am looking forward to seeing the changes since I was last there about ten years ago. Is the expansion finished? What did you think of it? Congratulations on keeping OP and finding the motivation to do so when you needed it. I plan to follow your example with the veggie tray - we don't have See's here (and don't I love their chocolates), but our office is awash in cookies, caramel corn, fudge and my favorite candied pecans. A few healthy snacks might just keep me on the straight and narrow until after the holidays. Of course, here in South Louisiana our holidays last an extra six weeks, and somebody always brings a wonderful king cake on Fridays right up until Mardi Gras.

Karen, I should have listened to your suggestions before I went to our office's annual ladies Christmas party after work tonight. Everybody brought something delicious and our hostess thoughtfully provided bowls of candy and nuts on every table in the house. Actually, I did ok. I made the best choices I could, moved the nut dishes out of my sight, tried to take small portions, and didn't make a second trip to the buffet table. I had some banked points, and there's a whole week before next WI to work it off. I went to my meeting before the party and was down 2 pounds from the last disastrous WI the week before, which helped my resolve.

Maria, I've wanted to visit Australia ever since I had a pen pal from Adelaide when I was a teenager. I hope to make it one day after I retire. Right now, hot weather sounds very appealing as my hands are getting very cold at the keyboard. I, too, am picturing all of us sitting in our computer rooms among varying amounts of junk, sipping our tea and composing our replies. I don't remember who first asked about "food loathings" , but I'll tell you mine - eel! It's been twenty-five years since I ordered it in a restaurant, but I'll never forget that disgusting taste.

Enough about food. Anne, I went to the Moyle Council website, and your region certainly looks like a lovely place. I remember a recent PBS series on scenic rail journeys and one of them was a train from your area to Belfast. I was especially interested because my grandmother came from Northern Ireland. She was from Bessbrook, where she lived with her family on her grandmother's dairy farm, and commuted to Belfast where she worked in the linen mills after she left school at the age of twelve. I had the chance to visit Ireland in 1981, but did not get to the north on that trip. I hope to return there someday and see all the places Grandma used to tell us about.

Well, I'd better get to bed now. I have tomorrow off and my handyman is coming early to help me install a cedar lining on my closet walls. I've had the boards for a month already and it's time to get this job finished.

[Mareed]

Trudy, Wow! that bus trip really was from hell! The next time I come across something that sounds too good to be true, I'll be running as fast as I can in the opposite direction thanks to your warning. I'm getting chilled just thinking about your freezing ride home. You have a lot of fortitude to have stayed with it all the way.

Margot, I'll be at Disneyland between Christmas and New Year's and am looking forward to seeing the changes since I was last there about ten years ago. Is the expansion finished? What did you think of it? Congratulations on keeping OP and finding the motivation to do so when you needed it. I plan to follow your example with the veggie tray - we don't have See's here (and don't I love their chocolates), but our office is awash in cookies, caramel corn, fudge and my favorite candied pecans. A few healthy snacks might just keep me on the straight and narrow until after the holidays. Of course, here in South Louisiana our holidays last an extra six weeks, and somebody always brings a wonderful king cake on Fridays right up until Mardi Gras.

Karen, I should have listened to your suggestions before I went to our office's annual ladies Christmas party after work tonight. Everybody brought something delicious and our hostess thoughtfully provided bowls of candy and nuts on every table in the house. Actually, I did ok. I made the best choices I could, moved the nut dishes out of my sight, tried to take small portions, and didn't make a second trip to the buffet table. I had some banked points, and there's a whole week before next WI to work it off. I went to my meeting before the party and was down 2 pounds from the last disastrous WI the week before, which helped my resolve.

Maria, I've wanted to visit Australia ever since I had a pen pal from Adelaide when I was a teenager. I hope to make it one day after I retire. Right now, hot weather sounds very appealing as my hands are getting very cold at the keyboard. I, too, am picturing all of us sitting in our computer rooms among varying amounts of junk, sipping our tea and composing our replies. I don't remember who first asked about "food loathings" , but I'll tell you mine - eel! It's been twenty-five years since I ordered it in a restaurant, but I'll never forget that disgusting taste.

Enough about food. Anne, I went to the Moyle Council website, and your region certainly looks like a lovely place. I remember a recent PBS series on scenic rail journeys and one of them was a train from your area to Belfast. I was especially interested because my grandmother came from Northern Ireland. She was from Bessbrook, where she lived with her family on her grandmother's dairy farm, and commuted to Belfast where she worked in the linen mills after she left school at the age of twelve. I had the chance to visit Ireland in 1981, but did not get to the north on that trip. I hope to return there someday and see all the places Grandma used to tell us about.

Well, I'd better get to bed now. I have tomorrow off and my handyman is coming early to help me install a cedar lining on my closet walls. I've had the boards for a month already and it's time to get this job finished.