~*~ Freedom from Fat 4th of July Challenge ~*~

[**Jennifer**]

I know we all want to be free of this excess weight we're carrying around, and we want the freedom to move without pain, have the energy to do whatever we want, without limitations. Join me in declaring our independence from this baggage, and setting ourselves free for good! :hug:

We all seem to be struggling again, whether it is planning ahead, or following through with our best laid plans. Summer is now in full swing, and it's only going to get hotter, and more miserable. I don't want to be hiding in jeans on the 4th of July- and for shorts, well, the time has come for some serious action! :o

Set your goals...whether it is planning, follow through, healthier eating, changing programs, getting enough exercise, or a combination, let's make this month one to celebrate with fireworks and a nice loss at the end of the month!

[**Jennifer**]

Morning, chickies- Happy June. For me, Happy First Day of Hurricane Season. Took forever to get in this morning because of pouring rain. I am sooo glad we spent the time to rain-x all the windows on Tuesday. That made it much easier to see everyone else on the road.

I weighed in this morning for my official weekly #, and I'm down .8 more. Woo Hoo. Now, I just need to keep this going. Food has been good for the most part, and water has been ok, but I need to be more focused, and also be more consistent with some kind of formal exercise. Right now, the housework, unpacking, and yardwork have been the only real exercise that I am getting, and it isn't enough. I need to plan, and set a schedule, and stick to it. Who's with me?

Today's plan:
Breakfast
1 cup Constant Comment tea w/ splenda & ff vanilla creamer
2 packets cinnamon & spice oatmeal
18oz water

Lunch
1 1/2 cup faux hamburger helper (93% lean ground beef, drained, and elbow macaroni w/ 2% cheddar
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, drained

Dinner
to be planned before the end of the work day today- no excuses.

I'll check in later today with some specifics- time to work with the New Girl for our mandatory training session. Lunch-time sneak in is a possibility. :)

[miss_elisha]

Morning chickies!

Well, this morning’s weigh-in has me at 214.0! Woot! That’s down about 3 pounds from last month. My ultimate goal for June is NOT to gain those 3 pounds back again, like I’ve done in the previous 8 months. :D

Seriously, I want so badly to be below 200 for my wedding. 5 pounds a month would put me at 194—the lowest I’ve been since I was on the way up. So I need to be ultra-consistent this month, and all summer, in order to stay on track. I know I can do it, I just have to stay focused. And plan, plan, plan. That helps more than anything, and it makes everything easier.

Anyway, scads of work today. I’ll try to pop in later for some comments.
Have a great day, chicks!
~Elisha

[ArtsyGirl]

Good morning ladies-

June sure came up on us fast. I just bought 2 bikinis so my goal for this month is to wear them without feeling to insecure.

June goals
3200 minutes of exercise
75 miles walking/running

I will try to eat healthy the majority of meals, but I also want to be able to indulge in some summertime treats and not beat myself up over them.

elisha and Jennifer-congrats on the losses!!!:carrot: You're both doing terrific.

Gotta run, but I'll try to check back in later.

[**Jennifer**]

Elisha, I'll prod you if you prod me back. We'll get you under 200 before the wedding!

Brandy, I am sure you look just fabulous in those bikinis- and with all the exercise, you'll have no problem standing tall & proud, knowing you look good. You've worked hard- enjoy the oogling & attention you are bound to get! :)

Mom had her weigh in this morning. She's up 4 pounds from last week (oops, maybe the long weekend with me wasn't keeping her on track!) and I am down. I felt bad telling her I had a loss, but I also did more physical stuff, making sure she stayed out of the sun because of her blood pressure meds. Gotta take care of my mom & all.

So, dinner- hubby has an appointment scheduled for 4pm, he'll be home later than me, so dinner is now planned as chickarina soup, and a chicken or turkey breast (deli meat) sandwich w/ ff cheese- I'll make it on toast, and warm it up so it'll be like a melt sandwich, minus all the added fat calories.

Going to try to get in here as well if hubby isn't on the computer, until I can get mine set up. I'm going through withdrawal for sure!

Have a wonderful evening, if I don't get back here until the morning.

[miss_elisha]

Morning chickies!

Jennifer, :drill: :sumo: :rollpin: :coach: :frypan: :kickbutt: :dust: Consider yourself prodded! We’re in this together, you know, so let’s get down to business and lose this weight!

Brandy, I’m sure you’ll look fabulous at the beach. :beach: I can’t wait until I’m brave enough to strut my stuff in a bikini! And you’re right—June did get here fast! Where did spring go? All of a sudden it’s just summer! Not that I’m complaining, it just seemed so very… well, sudden.

Julie, Joy, others… where are you?

Work has calmed down for the morning, though this afternoon promises to be jam-packed with crap to do. But at least I have time to post, right?

The scale said 213.6 this morning. Yay! :goodscale: Yesterday was good. Calories came in at 1611, water was around 100 oz, and exercise was 30 minutes on the :ebike: My goal for the weekend is to drink lots of water and not gain any of that weight back!

On the menu today:

Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/hazelnut creamer, 2 c. multi-grain Cheerios, 1 c. skim milk
Lunch: 3 oz. diced chicken breast w/½ c. brown rice and ½ c. corn in tomato sauce, sprinkled with LF shredded cheese
Snack: 100 cal pack of popcorn
Dinner: No idea. Depends on how late I’m working. If it’s late (as I suspect it will be), I’ll probably order a salad from Bob Evans or Ruby Tuesday (the two closest restaurants). If I’m not working late… perhaps one of those skillet Lean Cuisine things we’ve got in the freezer. Who knows.

OK, I’ve got to get moving. Things to do! Have a wonderful day, chicks!
~Elisha

[Formeiwill]

Wow! This is a great thread! I've been playing on the message boards all morning, and just came upon it by accident. I'm actually going on vacation the weekend after the 4th... to the lake!:fr: The thought of shopping for a swim suit is terrifying! I'm working toward 10 pounds lost by the 4th. Which means instead of watching all those great summer shows that are on at night I actually have to get up and go walk/run.:woops: I deffinately won't be in a bikini, but maybe I could find a cute tankini right before I leave.

[**Jennifer**]

It's Friday!!!!! Yeah! Another weekend, and just in time, too. I've been more tired than usual this week, and I think it's from everything we did this weekend, having no down time, and PMS kicked in. I just wanted to stay in bed this morning. Too bad there's no telecommuting for me, just yet. If only I can convince the powers that be.... ;)

Elisha, thank you! that frying pan prod made me :lol3: sproing, sproing, sproing! LOL. Maybe it's the eyes on it, just tickled me. All right coach, let's do this thing! Drink that water! Make those plans! Get your biggest glass out, and leave it on the counter as a reminder- drink that water this weekend!

Julie, Joy, MsRD, Betani, Angela, Diana....come out, come out wherever you are! We miss you!

Ok....yesterday I stuck to plan, so bonus point for following through on the plan. I managed to get 3 18oz glasses of water in at work, plus I had 2 12oz cups of tea, so a lot of fluid going in. The girls here laugh at me, because up after getting up at 5 & the first bathroom trip of the day, I get to work by 7-7:15, start with the diet coke, and the water, and lately a nice cup of tea to go with my oatmeal, and by 8:45, they are taking bets to see if they can time the "Potty Sprint." I am peeing myself sensless! Ok, maybe not senseless, but this morning, 9:05, then again by 10:45. On glass #3 of the water, and had both water & diet coke with lunch. I'm sure there's a potty visit looming just after the posting of this entry. :)

Plan (mostly executed)for the day

Breakfast
2 packets apple & cinnamon oatmeal
1 cup constant comment tea w/ splenda & ff vanilla creamer
12oz diet coke
18oz water
1 vitamin (remembered to leave the bottle at work)

Lunch
1.5 cups faux hamburger helper
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
12oz diet coke
18oz water

Dinner
TBD- hubby should be home by 7- wondering if I should eat before him, or wait for him. Depends on hunger level by 5:30 once I get home & comfy.

Laundry night...I'll get 2 loads done, and that will free up some time for this weekend. While that is processing, I have 2 boxes of stuff that I have to find homes for in the master closets & bedroom. Also found a box of my shoes- I'm sooo not the stereotypical woman with 300 pairs of shoes, let alone 30, but I found my box of kicky shoes that was in storage, and then buried in the garage. I've got 2 pairs of open-back sandal-y type shoes that are perfect for this time of year. If I can get enough stuff done, I think I'm going to reward myself with a home pedicure. And probably in another 10-15 pounds, my feet will be less puffy & I can wear them comfortably. C'mon, NSV!

My weekend project- stay out of the pantry, or the fridge. Keep myself outside, and away from random grazing. Last weekend with the parents over was hard- Mom has to keep her blood sugar stable, which meant snacks between meals, and before bedtime. Outdoor work meant everyone was starving & ate portions like it was our last meal. There will be no repeat performance. NO GRAZING! There is a new middle # 4 pounds away, and this can be done in the next week as long as I pay attention and keep the short term goals in mind. And then there's putting together 4 outdoor lawn chairs w/ hubby, and more purging/unpacking/putting away, and potentially some planting in the front yard.

Ok, lunch is over, and I've got at least another hour of training with the New Girl. I'll be out of here at 3:45 today to get a jump on weekend traffic, and I am bringing the laptop home for the weekend, to be able to check in, even if I can't get on IM on this machine. I'll try to check in with updates.

Have a good weekend- hope everyone gets a chance to relax a little!

[**Jennifer**]

Welcome, Forme! :) Glad you found us! This is a really great group of ladies here. 10 pounds sounds like a doable goal for the 4th. The weather here has been so nice, it's easier to fight the urge to sit inside and veg.

Have you looked at Land's End catalog for swimsuits? I've seen some nice separates, and they make them in cuts and sizes for real people, not stick figures. Looking for the least trauma, ya know? ;)

[Tabu]

Hello :)
I'm very new to the board and hoping I can join in on your July 4th challenge. My goal is to be down 13 #'s by then.

I don't follow any particular food plan, just making a HUGE effort to eat healthy, watch my portions, and drink TONS of water! I started May 1 and I am down 20.4 pounds...so far so good. I joined Curves this month and am really REALLY enjoying it. I am also make a conscious effort to keep busy around the house...yard work, house projects, etc., anything to get me moving and keep me from getting bored, which always means munching on junk food for me!

I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and finding support, inspiration, and motivation!

[ArtsyGirl]

Morning gals-

Just a quick post to wish everyone well on the weekend. I've got big plans for the day and not much time. Hello and welcome to all new comers.

I've got tickets to see "Wicked" in Detroit this afternoon and I am just about ready to burst with excitement. Looks like it'll be a beautiful weekend so I hope you all get out and enjoy it. Relay for Life is today and we're scheduled to walk this evening so I'll be busy and hopefully add a few miles to me chart.

Sorry for the quicky. Have a great one.

[hikein2005]

G'morning all you chickies!
I'm so sorry I have been MIA this week! I have read all the posts and every time I went to post myself, soemthing would happen and I would never get back here! So now I have my cup of coffee and am going to sit glued to the chair (phone..BRB...another interruption) OK...I think I can sit here for a minute without another interruption!! Grrrr!

Anyway...First things first. My goals:
This month I am going to really concentrate on my food plan. It sounds simple enough. Stay within my WW points each day.
How am I going to do this?
Log my food in my food journal. I would say I would do it here, but, well...you know my history with that!!!
Plan out my meals one day a week and stick with it.
Keep my points low in the morning. Eat a healthy, but filling lunch and the same with supper.
Plan any "special events" into my points

As far as exercise goes...I am going to just concentrate on getting the food back under control for this next month. When I have lost 10#, I will start my exercise plan. I pretty much know what I have to do and it's not that I am a "couch potato" these days...I mean, I swear I walked 5 miles just at work yesterday! And summer is always so busy for us...we are on the go all week and all weekend! Lots of activity for this chickie! That way, I am not too overwhelmed with too much at one time. I'm pretty sure this next week, I will be down at least 5# (total) since I joined WW. It doesn't seem like much to some, but those 5# have been lurking over me for too long now! So for me, it's a time to celebrate (not with food, either!) ;) :woo:

My overall goal this month is to lose at least 5 more pounds so that I will be down 10# by July 4th. Then I will be at my weight I was 2 summers ago! That will make me feel soooo much better. And I beleive it will inspire me to keep going and following the plan! My overall goal for weight loss is to lose 50# to bring me down to 130. I would be ELATED with that #!!!! I haven't been that weight since High School....and that was SEVERAL DECADES ago!!!!!! ...OK...I just went to look at some old pictures...that took me aout 30 minutes. I suppose I should get this closed and get moving with my day!

I'm going on a hike at the State Park and have to meet at 10:00. I still haven't showered or gotten anything ready! I'd better get a move on...

Hope you all are having a great weekend. It's beautiful here today!

[miss_elisha]

Evening chicks!

I hope you are all having a wonderful, relaxing, sun-filled weekend!

Welcome Tabu and Formeiwill! The more the merrier!

This weekend is going well for me. Lots of exercise, food is going well, even water is coming along ok (though not great), and we're even getting some stuff done around the house. Yay! Now, if I only had about 3 more weekends right in a row I think we'd be all set!

Friday was crazy at work, but one good thing did come of it. I got an R+ (Positive Reinforcement) in the form of a $50 gift card to Target. Yay! I went shopping for clothes today, and didn't find anything I liked, so just bought a few random odds and ends and saved the rest of the card for later. I know my boss nominated me for it/gave it to me because I had such a crappy time in NJ last week. It was a bribe, of sorts. But hey, bribery works for me! :D

Anyway, tomorrow is laundry, cooking, cleaning, perhaps a few more house tasks. What fun. No idea what's on the menu this week. But I AM going to plan it all out before I cook anything. Planning is a good thing!

OK, time to go relax now. Today has been jam-packed, and I'm tired!

Have a wonderful night, chickies!
~Elisha

[Formeiwill]

Well, everyone's having a busy weekend! I'm just now getting settled down, and I'm on the verge of crashing. I just thought I would check everything before doing it. I went shopping with my mom and a friend today. Got some new running shoes that I'm really excited to break in tomorrow. I didn't do any formal form of exercise today, but I wore my pedometer and took almost 12,000 steps. Eating wasn't extremely great because we were eating on the run, but it could have been sooooo much worse. I kept myself pretty in check.

Thanks for the tip of swim suits Jennifer! I hadn't look there, but I have the catalog wrote on a sticky note stuck to my computer. I may do some looking tomorrow.

As for now I am turning in for some much deserved rest. Have a great night everyone!

[Tabu]

Hi everyone:wave:

I didn't get any formal excercise in today but boy, did I work my tail off in the yard! 8.5 hours! I got SOOO much done and the yard is looking SOOO nice. The best part is I kept myself busy all day which means I didn't have time to get bored and munch YAY!

Hope everyone had a great day!

[hikein2005]

I have a few minutes here this morning, so I thought I would say HI to everyone!
Yesterday was good, although I did succumb to part of an elephant ear when we went to the Motocross last night! <sigh> DH and DD have decided that DD is going to race next year probably...<sigh>!!!! It is exciting to watch them race, but oooooooohhhh....I don't like seeing those little ones fall! Makes me cringe! Anyway...

Other than the piece of elephant ear, food was pretty good yesterday. I haven't added up my points yet, but I'm pretty sure I was over the allotted 24. Good thing I have some flex points to used duirng those "hard days"!

I did get in a wonderful hike at the State Park though. Went a little further than usual, so it was probably 3 or 4 miles...lots of hills! Fun! Lake Michigan was a bit chilly, but it felt good to have that lake breeze after a long hike. We met a guy along the trail that was doing some bird watching. He said there are several pairs of pileated woodpeckers around in the park. They are very cool to see! We saw a hawk up close and heard several other birds...cardinals, tanningers, some others I didn't know!

Today is slotted for a couple of hours of housecleaning. My house has been neglected lately! And I have some laundry to do! That ought to burn some calories! DD is pouting because I won't come outside and play with her. She's soooo spoiled! The girl has every toy imaginable, and she still wants Mommy & Daddy to play with her. I told her after I got my housework done, we'd do something together! < Sigh>

Tabu & Formeiwill...Welcome! I hope you can find what you need here. This is a great bunch of MOTIVATED chicks! And Tabu....8.5 hours of yard work could just about wipe me out for an entire week!! YIKES!!! I'm sure you slept good last night!!! LOL!

Elisha...Our weekends sound a lot alike! Lots of housework! YUCK! Yea on the Target giftcard! Sorry you had to endure so much to get it though! But like you said, you will take bribery! It's just a job! ;)

Jennifer...Chickie.....We have GOT to catch up! Your house is going to be all lived in before I get that package sent out! LOL! ARe you officially moved in and all unpacked???? That is a never ending process! You are sounding really great, though! I'm proud of you! Did you post a link on our last challenge so the rest of the group knows we are here. I wonder if they know...LOL!!!

Brandy...Oh...please let us know how "Wicked" was! They had that here in GR recently...my SIL is involved in Civic in GR. She was either in it or designed costumes...she does both~...hope you enjoyed the day!

Gotta get moving! Have a great Sunday everyone!

[Tabu]

Good Morning!

I'm moving a little slow this morning after spending the day doing yardwork yesterday. It's pouring rain here today so I'll spend the day getting some inside projects done.

Julie - I slept like a log last night! LOL It felt great though. I'm trying so hard to make lifestyle changes instead of focusing on the latest "quick fix" diet fad, like I've always done in previous weight loss efforts.

Hope everyone has a great day!

[ArtsyGirl]

Hi gals-

"Wicked" was really a terrific show. Everything was excellent (music, set, costumes, actors, etc.) I would definetly suggest you go if the opportunity arises. I'm not sure I have a favorite show, but this ranks up with the best.

Other than the show my weekend was busy. We did Relay for Life for a few hours on Sat. night. I got upset at the disprespect shown by some teenage boys who insisted on wrestling around on the walking track during the luminary remembrance laps, but other than that it was a nice night. Sunday sucked for me. I found out that one of the older women at church who has really befriended me over the years has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I am taking this very hard. You all know I am the church's organist, and part of my job is to play the funerals. I am starting to have alot of trouble playing them because these people are now "friends" instead of just "acquaintances". I was VERY emotional yesterday, and made myself physically sick because of it.

We won our softball game last night, but my heart wasn't in it, and I asked to sit out after the 3rd inning since we had plenty of girls to replace me that wanted to play. I have a late game on Wed. and then a double header next Sun. so I'll get to play lots this week and hopefully be able to enjoy those games.

Julie-your hike sounds awesome. I've never seen a pileated woodpecker. That would be so cool.

elisha-bribery is better than getting nothing. I always laugh cuz my hubby has come home many times with a "reward" tshirt. (They are so UGLY-nice reward!!) At least you got some recognition.

tabu-Wow, thats lots of work, but now you get to enjoy sitting out in the beautiful area to enjoy it.

formeiwill-hope you broke in those runners over the weekend.

Well, I'm outta here for a bit. Have a great day.

[**Jennifer**]

Oh boy, oh boy...I sure need another day to my weekend! Saturday we did a lot of running around, looking for more landscaping stuff. We ended up taking a road trip, heading up 2 counties north of us. Several stops at different nurseries, and the purchase of 4 more citrus trees made for a productive early part of the day. We dropped them off at the house, then headed south, stopped at Winn Dixie for a few sale items, and then headed back home. I did 3 loads of laundry, re-arranged stuff in the pantry, since some of the shelves were heavy with canned goods & I didn't want to risk them pulling out of the wall & crashing to the ground. :)

Sunday I got up at 7am, and did another load of wash. By 10:30am I was feeling like crap. Hubby wanted my help putting together the adirondack lawn chairs we had in the garage, waiting for assembly. I tried helping him, but since I was following his instructions to the letter, and he still wasn't getting the results he wanted, that must have been MY fault. :dizzy: Whatever. I went and laid down, and managed to fall back to sleep until just before 2pm. I woke up because the cats had come up on the bed to sleep with me, and Cardigan, the lard butt, thought I made an interesting lump to climb up on. I was groggy, and my head hurt, but I got up, folded the laundry that was done, and then put it all away. I also put away stuff from 2 more boxes. I think we're down to under 80 now.

After finishing that, and being tired of stepping over stuff in hubby's office, I went and put away his boxes of letter-size paper, put stuff away on bookcases, and made it easier to maneuver through the room. He had put together 1 of the chairs, and then took the weed-whacker / trimmer attachment and gone a little nutso with the weeds & brush between our house & the neighbors. Several of the people on our block are going to be adding some fill & grading their property, so we're all trying to get the best price & see if we can't get a package deal. Our next door neighbor is doing it, too, and the price we were quoted also includes them hauling away the large rocks at the edge of our property line, which separate us from the neighbor. That'll make it easier to do fencing, or landscaping, and grade the property so there's no standing water issues. Wow, just reading that, we've been pretty busy! No wonder I'm tired!

Food this weekend was unplanned because of the impromptu road trip, and then my mini-coma on sunday. Could have been better- hubby got chinese food on sunday, and I had won-ton soup, and a little chicken fried rice, and sweet & sour chicken. With the salt, and bad foods, I'm up .8, but that's what I was down last Thursday, so I'm still holding steady at -19 since 4/23.

Today's plan

Breakfast
2 packets apple & cinnamon oatmeal
12oz can diet coke
18oz water

Lunch
chicken breast sandwich w/ swiss cheese

Dinner
Taco Rollups (hubby said he'd make the meat while I'm at work)

Comments to come, but I've got to run for the moment- crisis to deal with for a client who is throwing a tantrum!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Mine was too short, but that’s every weekend! :lol:

We did get a lot done though: replaced the gutters on the garage, installed a door at the top of the basement steps, most of the laundry, lots of cooking, and meal planning. And I ate really well all weekend, got in a decent amount of water, and a good bit of exercise. Of course, this morning, the scale is back up to 214.2, but I’ll gulp the water today and hopefully be back down to 213 point something for tomorrow’s official weigh-in.

I actually planned out all of my meals for the week. I’m pretty sure I won’t follow it exactly, because I didn’t plug it into the computer to figure out calorie counts and such, but I’ll make it work. I made lots of food yesterday, so I’ll have plenty of choices this week. I made spaghetti and meat sauce (with ground turkey), peanut butter chicken, turkey ham stir fry, teriyaki chicken (marinating, still needs cooked), and turkey tacos, plus we have a few leftovers from last week. On the menu today:

Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/hazelnut creamer, 1 egg, 1 sl. WW toast, ½ mashed potatoes
Snack: grapes
Lunch: ¾ c. long grain brown rice w/3 oz. chicken, ½ c. corn, tomato sauce, and ¼ c. LF shredded cheese, apple
Snack: green pepper strips, celery, 2 T. ranch dressing
Dinner: 2 salmon-dill cakes, 1 c. stir-fried Asian veggies, ½ c. long grain brown rice (not positive about the rice, I may skip it), and pineapple for dessert

Calories for the day come in at 1499. Woot! And lots of water on the agenda! And exercise tonight. If it’s still raining (which seems likely) it’ll be the bike. If it’s not raining, a walk.

OK, it’s a busy day already, so I need to get working. Have a wonderful day, chicks!
~Elisha

[Formeiwill]

Morning all! It's been a hectic weekend. After the shopping trip and all Saturday I thought maybe things would calm down a little. Not even close!!! My best friend got engaged over the weekend which leaves me as the last one not married off in a group of friends. I can already hear the "Oh I know the greatest guy..." coming right now. Then a family friend lost her battle with cancer Saturday morning. So it was up and down all day yesterday. The visitation is today, and my best friend is coming home for the services. So I figure today will be as emotionally trying as yesterday. I didn't workout yesterday, but I also didn't eat a lot because of everything that was going on... so I'm going to call it an even day.

I'm deffinatly going walking after the visitation tonight. I'm going to need the chearing up. My younger brother walks with me most nights, and he's aspiring to be a comedian. I'm sure he'll be on a roll tonight. I have to cover the office this afternoon while the regular secretary is out so I won't be able to leave until 4:30, but that should still be enough time to do weights. I have my jug of tea for the day sitting on my desk, and a bowl of soup in the fridge for lunch. I had a cup of cheerios for breadfast, and a class of OJ. I have no idea what I'm doing for supper... I laid pork chops out to defrost, but I may just do a sandwich or something.

I hope everyone has a great day!

[Tabu]

Hi everyone,

Seems like we all had hectic weekends! We are a productive bunch of chickies!;)

Had a busy day today - worked 6 hours, picked my daughter up who had stayed the night at a friends in the next town over, then came home and did four hours of yardwork. It's like that children's book "If you give a mouse a cookie" - the more I do the more I see that needs done! I swear its never ending - lol

Good part is I am so tired and I know I will sleep really well tonight and wake up feeling well rested in the morning.

Everyone have a good day tomorrow!

[**Jennifer**]

Morning, chickies! I started my day bright and early, and got in here at 7am. Of course, the bane of my existance also got in early, at 7:30, and she hasn't shut up since. Is it too early to drive home and call in fed up? ;) Anyway, since breakfast is now done, I can at least take an advil and try to keep her quiet.

Starting off with comments so that I don't rush off & forget.

Tabu- welcome! Better late than never, right? :) 8.5 hours, and then another 4 hours of yardwork? Wow! When you finish, will you come help with my yard, or Elisha's? You should be done in no time. ;) I hear ya on the staying busy- keeps the hands out of the proverbial cookie jar, and the mind busy not to dwell on what's in the kitchen.

Brandy- sorry to hear about your friend's diagnosis. I'm so sorry.

Julie- Finally! And of course, you sneak in on the weekend when you know I can't pounce on you! ;) LOL. Way to go with those 5 pounds- they have been annoying you for so long, but that's it- gone for good! :) I posted the link yesterday- I had totally forgotten to put it on the old challenge. And how is my little dare-devil, now doing motorcross? Yikes! She's braver than I am. The house- sigh...we are nowhere near done. And between doing the house, and the yard, and work, and laundry, and still trying to figure out what the heck to do with the townhouse...I need a keeper, for sure!

Elisha- Go Chickie, with that positive reinforcement. Here at work, we get very little of that. Bribes would work on me! :D Or at least a day without the Roid. ;) How do you like the tacos with the ground turkey?

ForMe- wow, lots of walking. Oh, and I know a great guy for you! Just kidding, but I had to say that! :D So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

Ok, the plan for the day-

Breakfast- already done
2 packets cinnamon & spice oatmeal
12oz diet coke
12oz constant comment tea w/ splenda & ff vanilla creamer
18oz water

Lunch
2 taco rollups-
(2 low fat small tortillas, 1/2 cup 93% lean taco meat, 1 oz shredded skim mexican cheese mix)
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
more water

Dinner
chicken breast w/ bbq sauce
veggies- most likely green beans

Ok, everything planned out, just need to execute....back later, as soon as I can take a break from the training. :)

Oh, and today is 06.06.06... !

[shanonbug]

Okay..Hello everyone!!!
I am new here and would like to start my first challenge.
I would like to lose 15 pounds by July 4th. I currently exercise 3 times a week and I would like to up that to four with a min of 30 min each time.

I am currently eating pretty healthy, but I have some fun weekends planned before the 4th so I am going to need some encouragement to have fun, but still eat healthy. (I know I cant make it through the fair without some cheese curds though). I also would like to try to get in one walk/arobic activity on the weekend with my family. I havent been having much luck on the scale since I've been trying to lose weight so if I lose this 15 lbs that will be a real break through for me. Would love some help!!!

Oh..a little info about me:
I am 25 yrs old, married to my dh for almost 2 years and I am a sahm to my ds who is one!
Thanks all!!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

:welcome: shanonbug! Your goals look great!

Well, it’s been about 45 minutes since I started typing this post, so I guess I should make this quick. :)

I’m feeling like crap today, both mentally and physically. Yesterday was good, calories, water, exercise, all good. And the scale was up this morning. Bah. Stupid scale. Today will be good too, and damn the scale.

Today’s menu:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/hazelnut creamer, mashed potato sandwich!
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Taco salad w/lettuce, ground turkey, salsa, LF sour cream, and LF shredded cheese
Snack: Celery w/reduced-fat peanut butter
Dinner: Teriyaki chicken, mashed potatoes, spinach, perhaps more pineapple for dessert

OK, that’s all I’ve got time for. I hope you are all having a much nicer day than I am!
~Elisha

[ArtsyGirl]

Hello ladies-Hope you're all off to a wonderful start of the day. We walked 4 miles this morning and incorporated a 13 min. run again. We were supposed to go 21 min., but I have a cold/sinus infection and didn't want to push it so we flip flopped with Fridays run.

elisha-hope today is better than yesterday!

shanonbug-welcome! What kind of exercise do you do?

formeiwill-sorry about the loss of your friend:hug: .

tabu-hope you got that good nights sleep.

Have a wonderful day!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Well, yesterday was weird. I was so tired all day, and work just plain sucked. But food and water were good. I didn’t exercise, but that was intentional. And I went to sleep around 9:30, and I feel a little better for it this morning. I’ll see if I can’t make it even earlier tonight.

I didn’t weigh this morning, as I have a deal with a buddy over on the journals not to weigh until next Tuesday. I wanted to though! It was tough! I just hopped in the shower as soon as I could so I would no longer be tempted to pull out the scale. Hey, whatever works, right?

Something I realized this morning… I find that I’m actually *liking* planning out my meals and trying to fit in more fruits and veggies. I *like* eating healthy. It makes me feel good, proud, and I know that I am doing something good for myself. This morning I was adjusting my daily food plan, trying to fit in as many vegetables as I could. I’m trying to get at least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies every day, and I’ve made that goal every day this week. Yay!

Today menu:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/hazelnut creamer, 2 sl. ww toast, 1 T. LF mayo, tomato slices, 2 oz. LF mozzarella, sprinkled with basil and garlic… yum yum yum
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: 3 oz. teriyaki chicken, ½ c. brown rice, 1 c. stir-fry veggies
Snack: Celery w/1.5 reduced-fat peanut butter
Dinner: Turkey taco: 1 tortilla, 3 oz. turkey, ¼ c. LF shredded cheese, 1 T. LF sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and some cucumber
Dessert: 1 Reese cup

That reminds me… yesterday afternoon I was attacked by a wicked chocolate craving. And I was about to fall asleep on my desk, and what better way to wake myself up than eating some chocolate, right? (Yeah, yeah, I know how that theory backfires.) So I go over to the office snack shop and actually compare the calorie counts of the various chocolate to be had, thinking that I’ll only eat half of it. I come back with a pack of Reese cups. As I walk back into the office, one of our new employees walks up and says she has an interview with my department, just to better understand what we do. So I sit the chocolate on my desk and we have our little group meeting, which takes about 10 minutes. After the meeting, I sit down and pick up the Reeses. I stare at it for a minute, and finally decide that I don’t really want to eat it, that I just think I do. So I put it in my desk drawer, where it still sits. I’ll take it home with me tonight and have 1 of them as dessert.

OK, I have a meeting to go to, then a bunch of work. *sigh*

Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

[**Jennifer**]

Wheee- it's hump day! Finally done with the NewGirl training for the day, and now I'm officially "at lunch" to see if I can get this written AND posted in under a half hour. On your mark...get set....type! ;)

Shanon- Welcome! Glad you are joining us! :) Your goals look great- definitely doable!

Brandy- if I only had your motivation and self-discipline, I'd be a whole lot closer to healthy right now. You continue to be a kick-butt role model, and one day, I will get my poop together and actually believe that I can be that active, too! Well, purposely active, not like the cleaning & unpacking & that stuff that keeps me busy, but not at a target heart rate the whole time. :)

Elisha- we bought a whole pineapple at Winn Dixie, and I thought of you. I thought it would go nicely with the teriyaki chicken you were having, and then I even dreamed up a variation of sweet & sour chicken with chicken breast pieces & bits of grilled pineapple & just a drizzle of sauce, over brown "fried" rice. Your meal planning is doing wonders for my meal planning, because I get to "borrow" ideas :D I've been checking the sale papers, too, and trying to see what's in season & super cheap right now- like corn on the cob is 5/1.00 right now, and you have people selling ears on the side of the road, fresh from their farms. And melons- you can't walk through the store without 2 or 3 melons trying to jump into your cart- 1.50 for a cantaloupe or honeydew!

The Plan du Jour, already 66% done :)

Breakfast
2 packets apple & cinnamon oatmeal
12oz diet coke
18oz water

1 cup constant comment tea w/ splenda & ff vanilla creamer

Lunch
2 meatball & mozzarella lean pockets
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, drained
18oz water

started a tea, but gasp- someone used the last of the creamer, and there's nothing left but sweet & low. Bleah. Instead, I went with a can of diet coke, and I will bring some stash from home in order to leave splenda packets in my desk. I'll also have to buy powdered creamer, or vanilla soy milk, which people should shy away from in the office kitchen.

Dinner tonight
Leftover taco rollups with shredded skim mexican cheese mix & fat free sour cream. (does anyone else like the fat free sour cream better than the real sour cream? I find it has a nicer taste & texture than the "real" version.)

Note to self- put a package of chicken in the fridge to defrost overnight for tomorrow night's dinner.

Ok, tonight will be a busier, but quiet night. Dinner. Start a load of wash, sweep all the tile, vacuum up kitty hair tumbleweeds from the tile, vacuum the master bedroom and all area rugs, vacuum his office when I can kick him out. Mop the floor. See if I can get hubby to spend 10 minutes putting together the last bed frame, and lift the huge, heavy mattresses so I can make that bed & put that room together. Then, find something on TV to kill time while I go thru all the coupons I've piled up in the last few weekends, and weed out / file the ones we'll use.

That's it for the moment...time to post, and get the show on the road. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

[shanonbug]

HEllo everyone! Doing good so far. 2 lbs down woo hoo. That was motivational for me!
I worked out monday and today...took tuesday off so that means I have to make sure to get my butt to the gym the rest of the week so I dont mess up my new goal! Wish me luck!!!

[hikein2005]

OMG!!! I'm about to need another vacation!!! Geesh!

Yesterday was my weigh in at WW. Unfortunately, I had eaten a bunch of stuff yesterday with zero poop, so I was only down 1/4 lb!!! That rots my sox, but hey...there's bound to be a HUGE weight loss soon, don't you think???? <Sigh>

I tortured myself last ngith after my meeting (acutally I skipped the meeting and went straight to shopping)! I went and bought some new clothes, but I tried on about a zillion outfits before I found just a few items that looked decent. One of the things I bought was a HALTER!!!! I haven't worn one of those since I was like 13!!! I tried it on (sans bra) and it was extrememly liberating...even more so than my bathing suit. I'm going to have to take it in a bit at the sides (boobs show a bit)...but it really was nice to buy something sexy. Even though my size is not down yet, I wanted something I could wear and feel good in. I also got a pair of white capris...nice ones...to wear with the halter. And I bought a sleeveless sweater (v-neck). I got some towels and washcloths (mine are so old!) and a pair of shoes/sandals (the sporty kind). I think that's it. But I was sooooooo very tired when I got home that I didn't even sit down to read posts. I have to run off to the grocery store tonight now, so this is going to be short!

I'll make comments later! You all are motivating me!

[shanonbug]

I tend to mostly do the eliptical machine at the gym. I love yoga and my favorite class is kick boxing, but the classes dont fit into my schedule well so I end up on the machines a lot. I like the bike, but I burn calories faster on the eliptical. I try to fit in upper arm toning too, but not to faithful with that.
Family walks are great too, but a little more casual then cardio!

Thanks for asking...how about u?

[miss_elisha]

Morning chickies!

Well, I sat down to post comments and everything, but I just got a big project that has to be done by noon, so I've got to make this quick!

Yesterday was good. Food went almost as scheduled, except I forgot my Reese's cups at work, so instead I had some tomatoes, cucumbers, and mozzarella. Not exactly chocolate, but still tasty! Water was good, exercise was 60 minutes on the bike. And I slept in a little this morning--until 6.30--but it was completely by accident! I hit the wrong button when I set my alarm last night, so the radio came on instead of the alarm. Unfortunately, I don't have a radio station set, and it has automatic static mute, so there was no sound at all. Anyway, I still made it to work on time.

Menu for today:
Breakfast: 1 c. coffee w/creamer, 2 c. multi-grain cheerios, 1 c. skim milk, 1 banana
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: 2 sl. ww toast, 2 oz. LF mozzarella, 1 tomato, 100-cal pack popcorn
Snack: LF yogurt
Dinner: 4 oz. peanut butter chicken, 1 c. ww pasta, 1 c. snap peas

My head is pounding today, and I've got lots of work to do. Bah!

I will try to make it back in later for some comments! Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

[**Jennifer**]

good afternoon, chickies! :) One more day until the weekend! Yeah!!!! :)

Last night, plans got shot to poop. When I left work, I stopped at Home Depot near the office, which took about 20 minutes to putter around and see that they didn't have anything worthwhile in the garden center. I called hubby to tell him there was nothing there. He was "heading out" to go to Publix for kitty litter, and other incidentals, so I figured no reason to rush back home, since I've got my list of poop to do, and the whole night to do it. I stopped at the old house to make a pit stop, and not have to squat in the bushes on the highway :lol3: on the way home. I got home about 5:45, at which point hubby asks me if I am ready to go. Um, go where??? Take a guess. No, seriously....guess. Uh huh- Publix.

And not only Publix. Also another Home Depot. And the Pet Supermarket just across the way. And Target. And Staples, next door to Target. And then a pet store 2 doors down from Staples, where we found the right canned cat food, and a cat scratching post/perch/climbing thingie on sale, and then, hubby surprised me with dinner at PF Changs. So, the evening did not go anywhere near according to plan. And today, despite being weigh in Thursday, I didn't want to face the scales. It says up 1.6 pounds, but I'm sure a lot of that is from the sodium, and the sheer volume of what I ate. Today I have to atone for last night's sins :)

Breakfast-
2 mint chocolate Zone bars
12oz diet coke
18oz water

Lunch
2 taco rollups- 6" low fat tortillas, 1oz shredded mexican cheese, 1 cup taco meat
1/2 cup swiss miss sugar free choc pudding

Dinner
-NOT chinese food
-behave, and make sure I drink plenty of water to flush out my system, big time

And tonight will be handling all the chores that would have been done last night.

Shanon, way to go on the 2 pound loss. Are the machines that tell you the calorie burn the kind that you input your own height & weight into? Otherwise, they might be understating, or overstating. I read that most of the machines that don't let you set your own statistics usually plug in 130 pounds for the average female. Even at 150 pounds, that would be underestimating what you actually burn. :) I know I want credit for every possible calorie I work off! :D

Julie- ok, so 5.25 pounds down- nothing to turn your nose up at. The rest will come off- we will do this!!!! Oooh, sexy thing in the halter top- roar! ;) Hubby may just throw a coat over you! :)

Elisha- those elusive Reese's cups...hope you get to enjoy them tonight!

[ArtsyGirl]

OK ladies, I posted a huge reply earlier today while I was at my sis's babysitting the little ones, and lost the darn thing somehow. I then gave up, but now I have time to retry.

Jennifer-that is a lot of running around after a full day of work. At least you had a nice dinner with hubby. I hope that you get a more relaxing evening tonight.

elisha-Great control over those p.b. cups. I don't know how you do it!

shannonbug-I love spinning and kickboxing classes at the gym. At home I do lots of turbokick workouts (I went through their certification class to teach solely for the purpose of using the workouts at home by myself-not to teach.) I also walk 4 miles 6 mornings a week and have started running small amounts 2 times a week. I play on 2 softball leagues so I have games 2 nights a week. Other than that I throw in some biking and kayaking whenever I get a chance. I'm pretty much an activity junky. Its kinda funny, but the elliptical machine is the only one I've never been able to do. It makes my ankles hurt something awful. It doesn't make sense to me, but I know it happens so I avoid that machine now. Congrats on your weight loss!!

Well, I started my day out groggy and my ankle throbbing. The grogginess wore off, but the ankle still hurts and is swollen. My cold is definetly now a sinus infection (no dr.s appt. yet, but I'm sure) and I had to take a day off from working out so I can hopefully give my body the rest it needs to recover.

I got a phone call this afternoon. I have to play a funeral on Monday. It is not for the lady I told you about on Monday. It is for a different friend who I thought was recovering, so I am very sad. I really don't know how I will make it through playing his service. I'm not very good at controlling my emotions, and this will be very hard. Then, while I was discussing the funeral with my pastor, I asked about my friend who just got diagnosed, and he doesn't think she'll hang on much longer. Can you believe that, just 2 weeks ago she was at church as chipper as ever and now shes fading so fast. Life really is so short. It makes me feel guilty for not embracing every moment with gusto. Hard to do when you're enveloped in sadness, but I'm going to try.

Have a good night everyone.

[DewCan]

Hi All
sorry I disappeared at eh end of May there sometime. I have a silly reason. I was down like 4 pounds, it stayed that way for 2 days, then I was back up those same 4 pounds the next day. No, it wasn't water because it is still there. I becasme so disappointed that I just quit the whole weight loss thing. But I'm back, and this is my first day back. My WW weeks run form Thurday to Wednesday, so I want ot have one week where I stay within my points so that I know I'll be done and this will then in turn motivate me for the next week. I know I shouldn't have given up, but it's so disheartening. My eercsie goal is substantially less than last month, but I'm jsut stinking tired of wearing the sugli and pushing the stroller, It always looks like a bit of a caravan too. Well, my goal is 600 minutes of walking (30 miles). Average 1 mile per day. I'm at 20 minutes, :lol: how pathetic is that. Good thing there are many days to go. It keeps effing raining here and I can't taked my kids out then as they'll probably get sick. My baby :bb: has a cold already. Well, I need to change my tickers now.

[DewCan]

I'd fix all my typos but don't have time, sorry :o

[shanonbug]

Two more pounds lost this morning! YEah.
Thanks everyone for saying hello and encouraging me!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chickies!

Man, this has been *such* a busy week! And I’m still busy! But it looks like I may get a few free minutes this afternoon, and I’m going out to lunch with Steve, whether they like it or not! Hehe…

OK, so I’ve been doing pretty well all week. Haven’t weighed since Tuesday (or was it Monday? I don’t remember!), and I still have not eaten the Reese’s cups. They’re still sitting in my desk drawer. I did have a White Russian last night with some friends to make up for those lost calories though. Hey, it was skim milk, and at least it had some calcium, right?

Today’s menu is still mostly unplanned though—can you believe that? Breakfast was a mashed potato sandwich, going out to lunch (don’t know where yet), and dinner is yet to be decided. I’ll probably cook something tonight. It depends on what I end up getting for lunch, and whether Steve is still awake when I get home, so we’ll see.

Good news… my boss is going on vacation starting today at noon, and she’ll be gone all next week! Yay! As an added bonus, she’s in a really good mood today.

Today is payday for me, and this is the single largest paycheck I have ever received (overtime from my trip to NJ). Of course, our mortgage is due and Steve doesn’t get paid until next week, and he couldn’t manage to plan for it, so I’m stuck with the majority of that bill. *sigh* Hopefully I will find room in my budget for something fun though. I’m thinking of ordering some Bare Escentuals makeup… I’ve been wanting to try it, and there’s no time like the present, right?

Groceries, car payment, credit card payment, gas, some stuff for the yard… money’s gone. Eh, well, you can’t take it with you, so what difference does it make?

I’m in a good mood today for some completely unapparent reason. I guess just because it’s payday and it’s Friday. Who needs more reasons than that?

OK, I’ve got to get back to work. I promise I’ll make it in to comment at some point in the near future! I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!
~Elisha

[DewCan]

Good Morning Everyone,

Shanonbug, that's fantastic :carrot: 2 pounds is a lot if you measure it in butter! I'm always amazed when I think about it that way.

Elisha, wow, if I had those Reese's in the house they'd be gone by the time I'm done posting this. :o No will power when it comes to that, so I just don't buy them. What on earth is a mashed potato sandwich. i'm not sure if that sounds good. Good news regarding your boss. I don't know where the money goes in our house, but it comes and goes pretty quick. I need to go to the bank to deposit my DH's paycheck. I just hate banking with kids, as there are always long line ups. Actually it's the parking I hate, it's just on a street downtown. I'm considering switching banks for that exact reason.

Well, I had a good day yesterday. I stayed within my points!!! :D Couldn't be happier, if I can do it for a day, I bet I can do it for a week and get some results from it. I've gotten out quilting stuff as I can't eat and quilt :lol: I need to get some done anyway. I didn't go for a walk as it's still raining. I feel like I live on the coast or something. Yuck.

Uh oh babies crying gotta get off my butt now

[shanonbug]

Today we went to chinese with another couple and their kids because they are moving away and it was sort of a good bye thingy. WELL I just cant say no to the crab rangoons and we kept talking and talking and I kept munching. I hate that! So hopefully tomorrow the scale wont jump up. I was tired at the gym so I didnt work out as hard. I didnt eat much tonight at all so hopefully that will help. I really want to make this goal!
Thanks again everyone for being so nice!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

What a weekend! I think I need another day or two to rest up! :lol:

The weekend was good, we got a lot done, but my diet and exercise could have gone better. Not terrible, but not great either. At least water was ok. And I still haven’t weighed! Tomorrow morning I will be allowed to get back on the scale and then we will know if my week away from it has done me any good!

Saturday we went to my parents to pick up a few things, among them a coupon for a $20 gift card if we registered at Target, so we went to do that Saturday afternoon. We also went and bought our wedding bands. When Steve bought my engagement ring they gave him coupons, for every $200 he spends he gets $100 off, and they were expiring this week. We thought we had 6 coupons. I picked out a ¼ carat diamond channel (figuring my solitaire was ¾, with another ¼ I’d have a full carat), but then Steve picked out a band with ½ carat diamond channel, and told me to get the ½ carat to match. No problem. Then we go to ring them up and they tell us we have not 6 but 9 coupons. So Steve tells me to get the full carat band. Geez… twist my arm, why don’t you?

I’m going to be the sparkliest girl on the block. :D

Then we went grocery shopping, planning to spend around $30 on produce and that’s about it. We picked out a couple new, “fancy” things to try, thinking that we were only getting a few things so we could indulge a little. Yeah, that worked. We ended up spending around $110 on random stuff. Fortunately, it was all fairly healthy stuff, so I don’t feel bad about it.

Then yesterday was spent cleaning the house. There’s still more work to be done though, of course, of course. I’m hoping to plant my tomato plants tonight, but we’ll have to wait and see about that. Part of me just wants to go home and go straight to bed. I didn’t sleep very well this weekend. *sigh*

Anyway, I’ve got to go to a meeting, then I need to get to work. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

[hikein2005]

LOL!!!!

Goodness! It's been a week and it's only MONDAY!!! Today I spent several hours writing my Plan of Correction for the 15 page (yes, I said 15 page) citation issued by the federal inspectors who were in our building a few weeks back! Yucky! Activities is much more than what you might think! They want you to actually KNOW EACH resident, write about them and then tell everyone who works there what you know and how to help them! It's quite an undertaking! My individualized care plans have been lacking in some areas...soooooo....I've got my work cut out for me!!! :?: It's not that I don't like my job, it's just, well....let's not get into that right now!

OK...onto other things...like this past weekend. Camping...again! I don't think I have gained any weight, but I'm pretty sure I didn't lose any over the weekend. I'll find out tomorrow night! I weigh in. I'm hoping for at least ONE measly pound! I've tried to incorporate fruits and veggies into each meal over the weekend, but it didn't happen! :( I did drink...uh, er...maybe not WATER all the time, but I did drink!! :o

I took a few walks, but they weren't anything aerobic. But it was nice to be in the sunshine and fresh air (cold air) all weekend. Even got some sunburn on my nose! Ouch! I'm thinking that not counting my points all week has been a drawback for me and not being accountable...what d'ya think??? LOL!!! Gotta be accountable with those points!

Elisha...hope your not weighing was worth it for you! I know how you missed the scale! :hug:

Shannonbug...Welcome (sorry it took so long) and you are doing awesome!

Dewcan...Glad to see you back. Maybe this is the week that BOTH of us can get it together! Want to?

Brandy...So sorry about your losses. And I hope you start to feel better real soon.

Jennifer...I'm thinking you are probably under water about now! Yikes! Hope you stay somewhat dry and had a good weekend! Miss you!

Gotta go get little one tucked into bed! She's been dirt bike riding today and I'm sure is beat!
Here's a picture of her riding today!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Today is shaping up to be one incredibly busy day! Oy! One of our consultants just came in a commandeered BOTH of our graphic designer and BOTH of our editors, which means that I’m going to have to pick up the slack for BOTH of those roles today. Did anyone mention that I am neither a graphic designer nor an editor? Yeah, I can do a little of both, but I typically end up asking so many questions that it would be quicker for them to do it themselves. *sigh*

What fun. And that’s on top of all the other crap I have to do, which is a LOT right now.

So anyway, yesterday was fine. Calories came in a little high, around 1750 I think, but I’m not too bent out of shape over it. Water was decent, but not great either, only around 72 oz. No exercise, as I was trying to get other stuff done, but still didn’t.

I got to weigh this morning. I *gained* 0.2 pounds. Eh. At least it wasn’t worse. But that’s why I like weighing daily—I know where I’m at. I really don’t get too depressed about it on a daily basis, even though I may sound like it in my posts. I tend to exaggerate. The thing is, if I’m up a little one day, I generally know why, and I know what I have to do to fix it. But if I’m not weighing, it’s so much easier to just continue fooling myself. So that’s settled, no more time away from the scale for me!

Menu for today:

Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, 2 sl. ww toast, spray Smart Balance, ½ c. egg beaters w/onions, ¼ c. LF shredded cheese
Lunch: 1 hamburger bun w/3 oz. turkey sloppy joe, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 oz. LF mozzarella,
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Don’t know yet. Lots to choose from though, so I’ll figure something out.

I sat down and made out a To Do list this morning. Haven’t done that in a few day, but when I do it’s usually helpful. On my list today:
Wash dishes
Sort laundry (wash a load if there is enough)
Put away clean laundry
Water plants
Order wedding invitations
Walk the dog for at least 30 minutes
Repaint fingernails
Dig up ground for garden

I don’t think I’ll get all of that done, and I think there’s something I’m forgetting, but I’m going to try to get at least that stuff done in the next day or two. My mom informs me that I can’t plant my tomato plants until the 26th or 27th, so I guess I won’t worry about that just yet.

OK, lots to do, so I’d better get going. Have a good one, chicks!
~Elisha

[**Jennifer**]

Hey chicklettes! Wow, looks like I took a 5 day weekend there ;) We had an impromptu meeting on Friday, and yesterday I did 2 closings in the office, and today, did training from 9-11, and a closing from 11-12:30 with a lovely older couple who have been married for what seems like 100 years. And they bickered like cats & dogs the whole time. I have a headache! :lol:

Food this weekend was okay, and water was okay. We did some running around, so at least I have some exercise in over the weekend. I did get the small guest room off of hubby's office done- he helped get the heavy mattress moved into place, I moved the white wood furniture, and made up the bed, did the lamps, etc. I do want to add curtains or valances, so I'll work on getting the rods that I want, and then ask my dad to come help us install them for another long weekend.

In about 4 weeks, we'll have the living room couch, love seat and chair delivered, so that room is done except for tables, lamps, and curtains. We already have a nice area rug in there, which will be staying. Hubby's office is basically done (again, just window treatment & filing the rest of his stuff away) and the guest suite my parents have stayed in, as well as the master bedroom. That leaves the den area (my hideaway), the family room, and the dining room. And going thru the rest of the boxes. For the next year, it feels like. ;)

We got a lot of rain, and some stiff wind from Alberto. 9 days into hurricane season, and we're already being affected. I definitely don't like this! I'm leaving plenty of time for travel, but with the roads a mess in the weather, I'm concerned about the other idiots who didn't leave in enough time, and are now in DeathRace 2006.

All right....comments later if I can kick hubby off of his computer. :)

[DewCan]

Elisha, I'm jealous of the rings. I had a plain gold band and lost it in our move. So now I'm down to zippo for wedding rings, makes me a bit sad. I like your "to do" list, mine is always 3 miles long and there is no hope for me to do it. And then of course, it's depressing.

Julie, not jealous of your job at all!!! :eek: How old is your little one, doesn't look too small on the pic. I'm totally up for having a good week with you! I'll have to go back and count my points for today.

Jennifer , what's Deathrace. I'm glad there are no such things as hurricanes where I live. So what if it's cold in the winter. :coolsnow: I'm thinking of going to Florida, when is a good time of year to go? We need to finish setting up house, with having the baby, I haven't had time,

speaking of baby he's screaming, I guess he's awake now.

[hikein2005]

OK...I've about had it with the 1/4 lb losses!!! I'm ready for some big stuff now!!!! At least a pound next week or....:p Yep...I only lost 1/4 lb...but at least the scale continues to move in the right direction, I suppose. AT least I'm not gaining! DH said to me tonight...at that rate, you might lose 10# by the end of the year!!! He's not all too far off...

I met a gal at the meeting...I've been sitting next to her the last several weeks...she and I have a personal challenge going this week because we are basically around the same weight and seem to have the same "issues". My personal challenge for the week is that I will drink no less than 64 oz. WATER each day. It seems I have been lacking in this department. Hmmmmm.... The other challenge is that I am going to stay away from sugar ladened treats like icecream, cookies, cake, etc. We are both going to attempt to lose 10# by my birthday which is 6 weeks away (July 25). That's almost 2# a week, so I really need to buckle down!

I am also going to post my daily points eaten here. My allowed points for the day is 24, so I will post #eaten/24. Today it was 17.5/24, which means I have a lot left for the day and I'm not even hungry! I can also use up to 35 extra points per week...at any given time. I can spread them out over the week or use them at one time! I'm opting not to use them at all if possible!

Dewcan...My DD is 6.5. She's on a little Honda 50, so she looks big on it. She's not petite by any means for her age, but she's not huge either! We are going out to the track tomorrow night too. She's really excited about it. What a tom boy! LOL! Yea...thanks for the "kind" words about my job! It kind of sucks right now, but actually, it's a challenge for me which I need! ;) Alright...you post your points for each day, too, ok? We can compare notes! Hang in there!

Elisha...I hope you dug up the ground for the garden BEFORE you touched up your nails!!! LOL!!! It was "nail day" at work today, too! You and the residents...LOL!!! I love doing their nails, though. It is relaxing to me and it gives me time to spend actually talking to them!

Jennifer...Your days make me tired just reading about them. Isn't it amazing what we collect in those boxes??? I have spent the last few years trying to "declutter" our house and get rid of stuff so that IF we ever move, there is less of it! We still have way too much stuff! Drive carefully! We don't want a repeat of last year's fiascos!!!! :hug:

OK...gotta go! Hope you all have a good day tomorrow! Where is the rest of the gang?

[ArtsyGirl]

Hi gals,

Its been a busy, bad week for me. I played the funeral on Monday, and as emotional as it was, at least I made it through the hymns without any huge problems. My other friend, the lady who was just recently diagnosed, also passed away, so her funeral will be on Friday, and I have to do the same thing over again.

My sinus infection is almost completely gone, but my stress headaches have taken over. I went to bed at 7 last night, and I still feel tired and cranky. I can't wait till this week is over.

I leave on Monday to go white water rafting with our church youth group. We're going down to West Virginia. I'll go rock climbing with a small group of guys who are all 18-20 years old. Then there'll be me and one of their dads so at least I wont be the oldest! Those boys will wear me out that day, and then the next day ALL of the group goes on the big rapids. It'll be so much fun. It'll be nice to get away for a few days. I'll be back on Thursday, and that's my hubby's birthday, so I have lots I need to get done today so everything will be ready when I get back.

Julie-At least you're moving in the right direction. I've been slowly creeping up, and need to get my act together. This week is gonna kill me.

Jennifer-hope hurricane season treats you ok. Those type of storms scare the crap out of me, and I've only seen them from my tv.

DewCan & Elisha-hope you both got to cross off something from your lists.

[ChicCityChick]

WOW! This is un-real! I just joined this week and was going to post a challenge to lose 10# by my birthday. MY Birthday is July 25th too.

:spin:


Guess this is the thread for me! I am SO excited to find you!

I decided to do the "Slim in Six" video exercise program--a daily workout for 6 weeks. Are you all doing Weight Watchers? I haven't decided yet but I'll probably mix it up a little bit. I want to try the Shangri-La diet method for a week and these first 2 days I'm doing the Rice Diet cleansing start up.
Then maybe WW.

Diana

[miss_elisha]

Morning ladies!

OK, comments first, while I have 2 minutes to type!

Diana: :welcome: to the group! We’re not all doing WW (I count calories), but it does seem that more and more of us are joining. Let us know how the Slim in Six program goes. I’m always interested in new fitness regimes.

Brandy: Where in WV are you going? I’m in north-central WV, but I imagine you’ll be going to the southern part of the state—the New River area is famous for it’s outdoor adventures! I’m sure you’ll have a great time, and no problem keeping up with those boys—they stop ever 12 seconds to eat!

Julie: At least you’re losing, and that’s what counts! Hopefully your new WW buddy will help you kick things into high gear!

DewCan: I really wasn’t expecting the ring I got, but I’m not complaining. I figure, if I’m going to wear it for the rest of my life, at least it will be one I like!

Jennifer: I still say you’re going to be all moved in an unpacked well before I am. We may be getting some new furniture this weekend though. Steve’s dad worked away from home (in Delaware) and had an apartment there, but he just got transferred back to WV, so he’s letting us go through all of this apartment furniture and take what we want. I know we’re claiming the dining room table and chairs at the very least! I have no idea how we’re going to get it home, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Yesterday went ok for me, and the scale is down to 214.0 this morning. Calories came in at 1520, but I didn’t get in enough fruits and veggies. Last night I was craving fried chicken, mac and cheese, and any other comfort food I could think of, and I felt like eating everything in the house. Fortunately, I didn’t. I had another turkey sloppy joe and some toasted sourdough bread and then made myself stay busy so I wasn’t raiding the kitchen all evening. Water was about 85 oz, exercise was 30 minutes on the bike. And I did get a lot of stuff done, everything but the dishes and ordering the wedding invitations.

And I did try to order the invitations. Unfortunately, the company I was ordering from has decided that they don’t sell the ones I want anymore, so it’s back to the drawing board. I did surf around and order some samples last night. Oh, and I stopped and talked to a lady about the cake yesterday too, but hers is the highest quote I’ve gotten yet, and I’m going to look around some more anyway. And hopefully I’m taking the afternoon off on Friday to go pick out flowers.

Random funny side note: the florist we’re using in personal friends with my grandmother, who is buying all the flowers, so there was no shopping around. Whatever. Anyway, we were going to go in on a Saturday (he’s not open on Sundays), but as it turns out, he’ll be closed on Saturdays through the middle of August because he’s taking his llamas to competitions and shows.
OK, I guess that’s not really that funny. I just have a weird sense of humor.

Today I am feeling rather frustrated and depressed. I don’t know why, I just am. I feel like everything is going wrong, and it’s all hopeless. I’ll never lose weight, my wedding is going to be a disaster, and I’ll never like my job or be able to find another one. I have my annual checkup tomorrow afternoon, and I really think I’m going to talk to my dr. about my depression. I’ve been reluctant to do so in the past, but the fact that the SAM-e I was taking actually helped me has somewhat convinced me that I need help. I’m not sure I ever really believed it before. But she may tell me to keep using the SAM-e, which would be fine. I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

I’ve also decided that I’m going to take in my weight tracking charts to show her what I’ve been eating, my exercise, my water intake, and my weight fluctuations. Last time I told her what I’d been doing and that I wasn’t losing weight, and I don’t think she believed me. But my philosophy is, why lie to your doctor? I mean, they can’t help you if they don’t know what’s going on, and if you’re just going to lie to them, why bother to even go? Anyway, since I track all of that stuff anyway, all I have to do is print it out and show it to her. I’m not going to print out everything, of course, but at least a few weeks, just to show here what’s going on. Hopefully she will make some recommendations that actually get the scale moving again.

And there’s other random stuff I’m going to ask her too. I have it all written out so I don’t forget anything.

*sigh*

OK, I have to go prepare for a meeting I have in 30 minutes, and another meeting immediately following that one. Bleh. I hate work.

I hope you’re all having a good day!
~Elisha

[ChicCityChick]

Thanks for the welcome. I forgot to say a little about myself, I was so excited to find such a tailor made group!

This upcoming birthday I'll be 49 [:yikes:] and will need to lose another 15# for a total of 25 by the big 5-OH next year.

I just got married this last September [elisha, I feel your pain!] and this month I'll be starting a new job so we have to move in July to make it a reasonable drive. We're in the process of buying the new place right now--it's 3 times the size of our current space which, with 5 doggies and one husband, will finally feel like we have some room...

Funny--this weekend I saw a sign for a Llama Show while we were out exploring the town we're moving to. Must be National Llama Month???

Breakfast : 1c instant oatmeal made with soy milk/1 pear

Exercise video: DONE for the day.

Onward! Diana

[DewCan]

Julie, I'll post my points too. Today I'm at 0/26. Just not hungry as it's hot in the house. When it's hot I don't feel like eating. Ddon't worry, I'll get my points in by the end of the day. I'm trying to declutter as well. It's fun yet work. But it feels so good in the end. Ahhh...you DD is on a small bike, that would make sense now.

Oh Brandy, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friends. That is brutal losing 2 so close together, it's hard enough with one. I'll keep you in my prayers. It sounds like your'e planning a fantastic trip. I can't say we ever did great stuff like that when I was in youth group. I hope it can lift your spirits, even if only for those few days.

Diana, this is definitely the thread for you as we've got the same name ;) I like your 10lb challenge, and I'm going to join you. What's the Shangi'La Diet? Can't say I've ever heard of it. 5 dogs, WOW, that would be busy. I understand house pains, we just recently moved and there is nothing easy about it.

Elisha, way to go on not giving in to the "feelings" of eating :carrot: you did fantastic. And you're down today, that's a great reward isn't it. If only those reward feelings lasted, never do for me for some dumb reason. I find the Llamas funny, who knew they had competitions?? :?: Not me :lol: I'm taking paxil (and SSRI) for fear that I will get postpartum depression again. It has worked amazingly. I'm going to wean myself off it now. Baby is nearly 6 months now and I'm no longer afraid of the PPD. I think that the medication is there, take it if you need it. You need to get this fixed before your wedding.

Today will be a good day, I can feel it. Tomorrow is official weigh day. Hope it's good. Is everyone doing exercise minutes as well this month? I'm going for a walk as soon as :bb: wakes up from his nap. I'm spending too much time shopping on ebay these days, or quilting. But now that it's not raining, I should be walking. I finished one rag quilt (4x4 squares, took forever) and I have max an hour to go one the baby quilt for my boy. Well, if I want ot get some of the things off my list today I better get at it.

Diana

[shanonbug]

Hello Everyone! Well..>I was so excited when I joined this challenge (last week I think). I lost 4 pounds right of the batand I was super excited BUT on the weekend I gained some back and now I am just back to the same four lost! I almost always seem to gain on the weekend. HOw do you do things and eat out without gaining? I really didnt eat that much (BUT what I did eat was unhealthy). It is like I try so hard and even eat so much less then I normally would and I still put on some weight! Any tips?? PLEASE!
Also....July 4th is coming up and I still have 11 pounds to lose. Pray for me. I need the support because I really really want to make this goal!

[hikein2005]

Ai Yai Yai!!! A busy day for sure! Just got DD settled into bed and she came in all tearful...so I spent another 15 minutes getting her settled in again! She's just exhausted. We spent another 90 minutes at the dirt bike track tonight so she could practice. She's getting good! Then we went to Fazolli's and had dinner...not the best of choices...those darned breadsticks! Then we looked at puppies that we are thinking about getting and came home...she had a bath...my sister called from Oregon...we chatted a while...DD made a Father's Day card while I was on the phone...and that was all after a full day's work!!! No wonder I'm tired!

Points today were not great. Just added them up and I am at 40/24, so I have used 16/35 bonus points just in one day! Tomorrow will have to be better! AT least I stayed away from the sweet treats today...well actually that's not entirely true. I ate a whole package of Turtle Chex Mix on the way to the track...that was 12 points, so there ya go!!!! Empty caloires/points!

I did manage t0 get in 64 oz. water today and I'm still thirsty, so I clearly didn't drink enough. Fazolli's is loaded with sodium, so I'm sure that's why! I'll make it all up tomorrow with more water and less points! That's what's great about Weight Watchers. They let you have that FLEXibility!!!

I'm thinking of all of you which is why I come and post here! You all have been so wonderful!

Brandy...you are in my thoughts and prayers. I'm so sorry you have had to endure so much pain this week. Death is so sad especially when it is a friend. Your trip to VA sounds great. We went on the New River several years ago! DH fell out of the raft...great video!!! He was ok!

Welcome to Diana! What kind of dogs do you have?

Elisha...good luck with your Dr. visit. Hope you feel better soon. And yea on the loss! You are down, aren't you?

Dewcan...hope you got in some points today! Walking sounds like a good idea! I need to start...soon! My body is achy tonight...foot hurts and all joints ache! :?:

Jennifer...hope you are having a good day.

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Man I'm tired today! A full 8 hours of sleep and I'm still exhausted. Yep, put that one on the dr list.

Yesterday was ok. Calories came in at 1520, water was good, no exercise. After work, I went home and worked for another 3.5 hours. Yes, I'm officially crazy. There are just a few parts of my job that I cannot manage to do in this office environment. Like writing, which is what I was doing last night. But I got most of it done, and the rest of it will be done today, so it's okay.

I'm in a much better mood today, probably because I'm less stressed about getting everything done at work, and also because I'm going to the dr. My scale was down to 213.4 this morning, but I know the scale there will be higher, especially since my appt. is at 5pm. But I feel like I might be able to get some help with a few problems, like the lack of sleep and the wacky moods, and help is a good thing.

Menu for today:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, 2 sl. toasted sourdough, 1 T. LF mayo, 2 oz. LF mozzarella, tomato slices, basil
Lunch: 2 sl. ww bread, 1 T. LF mayo, 4 oz. turkey ham, peach
Snack: LF yogurt
Dinner: TBD

Lunch and snack are left over from yesterday. I ended up going to Wendy's for lunch. I had to get out of the office before I went crazy. I didn't do too bad though, and calories still came in at 1520, and I had a light dinner and drank some extra water. I know I can't use food to solve my problems though. All it does is make me feel guilty. I figured my weight would be up this morning because of it, but I was down.

Ugh... today is going to be a long day.

Steve and I are going to his parents' house tomorrow evening, about 3 hours away. His dad did work in Delaware and had an apartment there, but he got transferred back to WV recently, so now he's letting us have any of his apartment furniture we want. We've already laid claim to the dining room table and chairs, and hopefully there will be some other stuff worth taking. :) Steve wanted to stay until Sunday afternoon, but I told him I'd rather come back Saturday night. #1, there's the dog to consider. It won't be a problem having my brother feed her and let her out, but I don't want to inconvenience him any more than we have to. #2, and the main reason, I want a day where I can just relax without worrying about having to do something (like drive all the way home). I want to sleep in Sunday morning and have a lazy day. Just one, in however many weeks it's been. Steve doesn't seem to like the idea of coming home on Saturday though. He always mopes about things like that. But I know him, and if I agree to stay until Sunday afternoon, we won't get home until about 8.30pm, and that leave no time for me to relax whatsoever, and that's just plain unacceptable.

Anyway, today, more work. At least I get to leave a little early for my dr. appointment. Tomorrow I may take half a day to go check out flowers with my mom and grandma. Have to talk to the coworkers about that.

OK, time to work. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

[DewCan]

Shanon are you eating salty stuff, because that can retain tons of water. I really like WW, you don't have to cut out anything, just watch your portions. If you'd like to try it you don't have to join the actual meeting as it is expensive. Just a suggestion. It really helps me realize why I weigh what I do.

Julie, what kind of dog are you thinking of getting? I'd like to get one but DH says NO NO NO NO. Phooey. I'll win this one some day. ;) Achy? hope you're not getting sick!!

Elisha, how was the appointment, what did she have to say? I hope you enjoy your weekend, whenever you decide to come home. My family is 5 hours away, ughhh... I totally understand you problem.

Well, yesterday I had 26/26 points and today I'm at 6/26 and it 4:30 already. But we're going to BBQ so I want to save my points for that. Bought prawns and am going to make kebabs with them and veggies, and of course garlic, yummy. I jsut went grocery shopping and found some good 1 point items. Full size fudgesicles and popsicles for 1 point each. And this flat bread that is like 11x7 inches and looks good. I'm really excited about this week. I'm only down 1 pound, blech, next week will be at least 2 pounds, I am making my self that promise.

Any of you watch hockey? How about that game last night, fantastic!! :carrot: HAve a great day,
Diana :coffee:

[shanonbug]

DewCan- I interested in trying it, but how do u do it without joining??

[ChicCityChick]

Hey there,

Day two and still on track. Even down a pound--no doubt cuz I didn't spend the last 24 hours stuffing myself! Managed to do the exercise thingey [Slim in Six] and ramped it to the second of three levels. Beginning to feel it already so I know tomorrow morning will be all owie :faint:

Elisha, I just got married last September. The hardest part was when I realized I couldn't possibly fit into the dress I'd bought and ended up wearing a suit I had already. Total bummer. Some of the pictures embarrass me to bits, the way my heinie seemed to take up half the church aisle!!! This year, I'm determined to be able to get into the danged dress for our 1 year anniversary. Good for you getting ready ahead of time!

shanonbug--I think you can go online and do the whole WW program without having to go to meetings. The ladies that lead the meetings that I've gone to I somehow just couldn't relate to so I end up doing it on my own. That and the expense...

So. Everyone have a great Friday-seeya tomorrow.

Diana

[hikein2005]

oh yes it has been! I worked from 9-8pm last night and my dogs (woof, woof) were killing me! We had a Father's Day Ice Cream Social for the residents at work at 7 and I just had a million things I needed to get done, so I just stayed and worked.

Today is going to be another busy and manual labor type day at work! We are setting up for our garage sale and we are hauling all the boxes we have been collecting from storage and bringing them down to set up, moving tables, moving residents in wheelchairs. I know I'm going to need some pampering when I get home tonight. And tomorrow starts all over again. The yard sale, then a graduation party, then my uncle is leaving to go back to LasVegas and wants to meet us for dinner before he leaves. Lots of opportunity to "blow it" with the diet if I don't really plan! Like I didn't do yesterday....<sigh>

Confession time: I was doing great and even brought my lunch yesterday, but I didn't plan for my dinner...so I didnt' eat one! I ate about 2 cups of sugar free icecream, then came home and binged on chips and dip (I NEVER do that) and had a microwaved s'more! I was just so tired...and stressed!!! I know I need to come to the computer and journal but I could barely keep my eyes open and just wanted to veg! I may be under my points, but I'm not even going to count them from yesterday...just move forward today.

I need to plan on paper so I know what I am going to do! Here's an attempt:
B-fast: Coffee w/creamer (3 points)
Lunch: We always have a picnic on Friday's at work (hot dogs or hamburgs or brats with all the fixins) but I think I will go get a salad at the grocery store, instead! :)
Supper: Oh...I want to go out to eat. Maybe I can talk DH into taking me out for a salad or something! NO BREAD!!! Otherwise, it's going to be chicken on the grill and there's some fresh grean beans in the fridge that I can fix!
No Snacking Today!!!!
I bought a big 64 oz (8 oz. x 8) jug for water that I will keep in the fridge at work for me! Then I know I'm drinking enough!

Tomorrow's Plan:
B-fast: Coffee & a WW shake
Lunch: I'm going to try to get a salad from a local bagel place
Supper: Out again...not sure where, but I will keep it healthy and stay away from the bread and alcohol!

A pretty general plan here, but life is so uncertain these days, so I have to be flexible and still work at making healthy choices. I guess that's what it's all about!

Diana (chick)...I got your PM...can't beleive we live so close! My MIL lives in Rockford!!! Go figure!!! Hope you are not too sore!!

Diana(mommy)...We looked at Schipperke's. Nice dog. We have a Siberian Husky, Tasha and she's 13. Just had our male Husky-- black & white one-- (Nikai) put down in November. He was also 13...a great dog! I'll put some pictures up here so you can see them. Tasha thinks she the queen of the house...and she basically is, but she's a good dog! My DD has been wanting her own pet that she can train and take care of for about 2 years, but we couldn't have 3 dogs! So we are just looking right now!

Elisha...Hope you found out some answers at the doc. appt. Way to go on the loss. It's nice to see the scale move down isn't it? Hope you have a great weekend!

Jennifer...Where are you chickie??? Miss you!

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Yesterday was a good day. I don’t know where my calories came in, as my computer decided to stop working last night and I couldn’t get it to come back on, so I didn’t get to plug my food into DietPower. But I know it came out ok, because I did pretty well. Dinner ended up being a Subway Club with no cheese. I didn’t get in quite enough water, but I didn’t do too bad either. No exercise though, as I didn’t get home until after 8.

Menu today:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, 2 sl. sourdough toast w/2 oz. LF mozzarella, 1 T. LF mayo, tomato slices
Lunch: 3 oz. turkey ham, 2/3 large cucumber, tomato, 1 oz. mozzarella
Snack: Peach
Dinner: Italian turkey sausages with peppers and onions on hoagie buns

We’re headed to Steve’s parents’ house this evening, and we’ll be coming back tomorrow evening. :D I don’t know what I’ll be eating tomorrow, but hopefully it won’t be too bad.

OK, so, doctor stuff. As it turns out, I’m healthy as a horse. That’s good. She gave me a couple of prescriptions to fix some minor inconveniences in my life. I got a cream to treat a skin condition I have on my upper arms. Doctors have been telling me it would go away in a year or two since I was about 6… 20 years later it’s just the same as ever. I want it treated, at the very least, for my wedding day. So now I have to apply stinky cream twice a day. But hey, if it works, I’m all for it. She also gave me prescription anti-perspirant, as I can’t find one that works for more than 3 days at a time. Seriously, I have at least a dozen different kinds sitting around my house that I have to keep rotating. It’s a pain. AND she gave me a prescription to take whenever I think I might be getting a UTI. I can just take one and it will most likely go away. If not, I just take them a couple of days in a row. Easy enough. And that’s all the prescriptions she gave me.

She did, however, give me a couple of instructions. As far as sleep goes, she told me to #1, exercise more, and #2, monitor how much sleep I get and how I feel the next day. For my moods, she told me to monitor my moods, rating how irritable and how depressed I am on a daily basis. And for my weight, she looked at my menus and weight charts, etc, and told me to #1, exercise more, and #2, cut back on the starchy carbs. I’ve got a follow-up appointment to go over all of these things, as well as to see how well the new prescriptions are working, in 3 weeks.

At first I was a little disappointed, feeling like nothing had been done to resolve my 3 major issues. But I thought about it a bit, and now I’m really glad that she made the recommendations she did. All she has to go on for those issues is what I’m telling her. So if I track what’s going on for a little while, she can make a more accurate diagnosis. I’m glad that she is trying to actually figure out what’s going on rather than just throwing pills at me.

So on Sunday, I’m making Steve take me to the grocery store, and I’m going to stock up on non-carby foods. I’ll think I’ll do a sort of modified South Beach Diet, probably similar to Phase 2 or 3, just to see what happens. I’ll track that and show her what I’ve done, and we’ll go from there.

Also, I’m going to go back to the Total Body Makeover routine. I kind of gave up on it after a while, but I know that it’s a good routine when I actually do it, and I know that it will work if I just stick to it. It’s a 12-week program, and I’ve got about 16 weeks until my wedding. That’s plenty of time to drop about 15 pounds and get into shape.

OK, so, lots of work to do today. Oh yeah, and I’m not leaving early today to go to the florist. Mom said I didn’t give her enough warning, so we’ll go next week. Whatever. Today shouldn’t be too bad. I’m doing the fun part of my job anyway.

Have a good weekend, chicks!
~Elisha

[DewCan]

Shanon, first you have to figure out how many points you're allowed in a day. I weigh 204 so I get 26 points. Each food has a point value and you can earn more points through exercsie if needed. You also get an extra 35 points for each week in case you need them, called flexpoints. I try not to use mine. Try this link to see how many points in each food. Food has points based on how many calories, how much fibre, and how much fat is in it. There is a calculation you can use but I can't remember it right now. It's really quite easy to keep track of once you get the hang of it. Look in hte WW stuff on this site, it's loaded with good info.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72186

So Diana, are you hurting today? It's a good hurt. You know you did something good for your body. That's a sad wedding dress story. Bummer.

Julie, just move forward....it doesn't help to dwell on it. It was jsut your flexpoints that you used :p Don't blow it today though. You can do it :hug: Nice pic of your dogs, they are beautiful!

Elisha, glad the appointment went well, glad to hear your'e healthy. Docs that just throw pills are sucky, so I'm glad your'e understanding the reason for not doing so. I hope you can figure something out for your moods though. Are they at all related to your TOMs?

So yesterday I had 23/26 points. Not like me to have points left over but I missed lunch as I was super busy. And we had veggie/shrimp kebabs for supper with some grilled asparagus. Had fruit mix and a 1 point fudgesicle for dessert. So I had 15 points left for evening snack :dizzy: had 2/3 cup of trail mix from Costco for 12 points and went to bed. Didn't feel like snacking more. I didn't walk yesterday as I was so busy and today looks even worse on my list of things to do. Baby had a horrible night (one of his worst) so I can't see myself walking today. Must run now, have spent entirely too much time on the computer today. Oh the scale looked good this am but of course it's 6 dys till official weigh in so it doesn't count yet.
Diana :coffee: must go make coffee...cannot. go..on...with....out

[ChicCityChick]

Happy Weekend! :coffee2:


Got my exercise video done already this morning and have the days meals planned out. I'm finding that having my birthday as a goal and having it be fairly soon is a goal that actually holds my interest. I guess I'm feeling cocky today--I'm even beginning to wonder how I'll reward myself on my birthday if I make the 10# loss!

Yesterday I woke up feeling worn out and sorta weak. Amazingly no pain at all from the workout but more like wrung out so I walked around our lake with 2 doggies for 45 hot sweaty minutes [hadda throw the doggies in the lake to cool 'em off enought to get home]. This is why I prefer to exercise in the comfort of my air conditioning!!!

Then I had a tough spot last night after work. Got so hungry I felt nuts and frantic so I broke my "no late night eating" goal and ate a baggie of pretzels so I could get past the FIVE late night drive-thrus with no damage. I did manage to make it home without a cheeseburger but it was dicey there for a while! Whew! That is my most awful habit and I need to break it. I guess it's good to keep emergency rations in the car for those occasions.

So today I get to stay home and work on the Father's day quilt. And try to stay on plan for the rest of the day.

Do we have4 a regular weigh-in day on this thread???

Have fun today!! :cb: Diana

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Well, this weekend is good, but man, am I tired! I spent all day Saturday loading furniture into the van and then all day Sunday cleaning room for said furniture and moving it into my house. Also, we had a cookout for my dad yesterday. Eventful weekend. Once again I think I need another day or two to rest up.

But alas, I have too much to do today. *sigh*

Food was… ok. I snacked all weekend, but I didn’t go overboard, and almost everything I had was healthy. The scale is at 213.8 this morning. I figured it would be higher, as I didn’t get nearly enough water this weekend, especially as hot as it was. No formal exercise, but I sweated plenty from moving furniture.

Steve’s dad came over yesterday morning to help with the furniture moving. It was incredibly hot on the main level of our house, so he told us he would buy us another air conditioner, this one large enough for the living room/dining room. Woot! (The two he bought us a few weeks ago were fairly small. They’re upstairs in the bedrooms.) So one day this week, my house will be cool again. Yay!

Today starts my lower-carb plan. I’m not cutting them out altogether, just limiting them. I’m still going to eat as much fruit and veggies as I want, and I’m going to allow myself 1 starchy carb per day, and my sugary coffee in the morning. Plus I got some chocolate-mint Viactive calcium chews—they are yummy!—so I’ll allow myself 1-2 of those daily. I stocked up on produce yesterday, and Steve is going today to get me some LF string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, other veggies, etc.

Today’s menu:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, Italian turkey sausage, egg beaters, sautéed onions and peppers
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Salad (3 oz. turkey ham, 1 oz. LF mozzarella, 1 tomato, ½ cucumber, 1 stalk celery, with vinegar), peach
Snack: 1 stalk celery w/2 T. reduced-fat peanut butter
Dinner: TBD

I’m going over to my best friend’s apartment after work and we’re going to play some DDR. That’ll be my cardio for today. Then I’ll go home and do some weights and some stretches after dinner. That’s the plan, at least.

OK, time to get busy. Have a great day, chicks!
~Elisha

[DewCan]

Hi Diana & Elisha, and others.
I'm too tired to notes to everyone. But weekend was good. I'm just soooo tired today.
Diana :coffee:

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Good news first! I’m down 2.2 pounds this week to 212.4! WOOHOO! Of course, most of that was yesterday, because I drank a gallon of water yesterday to flush everything out, but I was so astounded that I stepped on the scale about 8 times because I couldn’t believe it. Yay!

The amazing part is that ToM will be here in a day or two. Maybe I’ll make it down to 210 (or below!) for next week’s weigh-in. That would be just plain great.

OK, I guess there really isn’t any bad news. Hehe…

Yesterday was good. Food went as planned, with a lean pork chop and a big salad for dinner with my brother and best friend. We played DDR for over 45 minutes. We went for 45 minutes straight before dinner, then took turns playing for a while after dinner. I didn’t do my weights though, as I didn’t get home until after 8:30. Calories came in around 1320 and water was 120+ oz.

Tonight I have to stop at the store to get more veggies, then I’m heading home for dinner, more exercise, and weights.

Menu today:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, 2 sl. ww toast, 1 T. LF mayo, tomato slices and basil
Snack: grapes
Lunch: Salad (4 oz. turkey ham, 1 oz. LF mozzarella, 2/3 cucumber, tomato, vinegar), apple
Snack: celery w/reduced-fat peanut butter
Dinner: TBD

OK, once again, I’ve got a zillion things to do, so I’d better get to work. Have a great day, chicks!
~Elisha

[DewCan]

Elisha, how fantastic!! :encore: This is such good news. Keep this going and you'll be at 210 in no time. Isn't it such a good feeling, don't forget how it feels next time you want to be doing things you know you shouldn't. ;)
I have one foot off the wagon these days, :( It's a little frustrating. I'm not eating too bad (I know I'm not gaining) but I'm not tracking and havne't exercised yet this week :o I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Tomorrow's ww in the evening, hopefully that will giveme the kick in the a$$ I need.
Well, baby is napping so I should be working.
Diana

[DewCan]

Where is everyone else? ......hellooooo......

[miss_elisha]

Morning chicks!

Yesterday turned out to be a good day. Calories came in at 1355 or so, water was around 100 oz, exercise was 45 minutes of fat-burning yoga. I didn’t do weights last night because I worked too hard at yoga and my arms and legs were shaking when I was done. Who ever said yoga isn’t a good workout hasn’t done the Crunch Fitness Fat-Burning Yoga video! I was dripping with sweat by the time I was finished. Dinner was a baked sweet potato, Italian turkey sausage, and mixed veggies in an herb-tomato sauce. And for dessert I had a few strawberries dipped in Cool Whip. Yum.

This morning is off to a good start. I’ve decided that I want to start doing some exercise in the morning again, even if it’s not an entire session. So I got up early and did about 20 minutes of stretches and calisthenics. I’ll do some aerobics and some weights this evening.

The scale said everything from 209.6 to 212.4 this morning, so at best I’m down 3 pounds since yesterday, at worst I’m still down 0.2 pounds. Either way, I’ll take it! :lol:

ToM should be here either today or tomorrow, and I can tell I’m going to feel munchy today. *sigh* Good thing I brought fruit that lends itself to munching (i.e. grapes and strawberries). Dinner will most likely be something munchy too, though I don’t know what that might be.

Today’s menu:
Breakfast: 1 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, 1 c. SF iced tea w/lemon, 1 sv. FF strawberry-cheesecake yogurt, 1 sl. ww toast w/1 T. LF chive cream cheese
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: 4 oz. peanut butter chicken, salad (1 cucumber, 1 tomato, 1 oz. LF string cheese, w/vinegar), plum
Snack: Strawberries
Dinner: TBD

Work is busy today, but I finally get to wrap up a couple of projects I’ve been working on, so that’s good. Plenty of other stuff to do though.

I’m feeling a little weird about my diet at the moment though. Part of my brain is saying is simply ecstatic that is seems like I’m finally starting to lose weight again. But another part of my brain is always starting to waver, and it’s only been a couple of days. That upsets me, particularly because I’m really enjoying the way I’ve been eating. I feel so much better about myself, my health, and my diet at the end of the day when I know I’ve done well, and in the morning when I plan out my menu, because I know I’m doing something good for myself. I feel proud of myself. So why on earth would my motivation be sagging?

*sigh*

I don’t suppose it really matters. Pretty much all the food in our house is healthy at this point, so even if I would grab something random chances are it wouldn’t do much damage.

I think back to the last time I lost weight, about 2 years ago, and what I did then that worked so well. I ate pretty much the same food all the time: 1 egg, 1 piece of toast for breakfast, a Lean Pocket and a few Pringles for lunch, whatever Mom fixed for dinner. It wasn’t really a healthy diet. I’m doing so much more good for my body right now. And at that time, I had nothing else going on.

Bah… I just got interrupted for over 2 hours, so I guess I need to get to work. Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

[shanonbug]

Hello everyone! 1 more lb lost. I changed my goal to 10 lbs by the
4th...sounds more resonable and I will be happy with that. HOw is everyone else doing on the challenge?????

[**Jennifer**]

Hey chickies- just a quick pop-in for the moment- taking 10 minutes to quickly eat my sandwich while I don't have a shadow. Been a very busy last week, between training, the purchase of a new computer for the office to be used by our team, also a high-capacity scanner, and learning the software so that we could be fully functional on it by today. Seems that all the documents that we have been sending to the new office in Jacksonville end up in a black hole, and our closings....well, never seem to happen as planned, or on time, or without a major catastrophe. It's been stressful, and at least I have the food controlled so I'm not gaining, even though for the moment, I'm not losing.

This weekend was my birthday / SIL Birthday / 2 dads Father's Days, and my parents 36th wedding anniversary. Needless to say, I need a few days to recover from my weekend. I am pooped! And the Miami Heat playoffs...hubby's been trying to stay up to watch the games, and enjoyed the win last night. Just makes me even more tired with that on in the background, and having that disturbed...yawn!

I'll try to check in tonight, if I can get hubby out of his office. Otherwise, early morning check in. :) Missing you chickies.

[DewCan]

Elisha, I'm right there with you with a sagging motivation.

Shanon, congrats on the pound down. You're doing fantastic. :flow2:

Jennifer, good to hear from you again! Happy Birthday, :woo: Wow, that's a busy weekend you had!! So what is your work? You talk about closings? What does that mean?

Tomorrow, is my weigh in. I never know quite what to expect. I'm always a bit of a fluctuater. It would be nice to be under 200. It's nice out but super windy so I cna't take the baby out :bb: which sucks. We're getting closer to having our sod put in. My quality of life will improve greatly then. Well, gotta run....actually I feel like having a nap. :tired:

Diana

[shanonbug]

Well Hello again everyone! Thanks for all your help, but I think things need to change here a bit and I wont be able to finish out the challenge because I just found out that I am pregnant! This will be baby number 2. I'm excited, but it is about a year earlier then we were planning so my husband will be suprised! I guess I will be posting on the pregnancy board!

[hikein2005]

:wave:

Oh my...as usual, my life is on Fast Forward and I either haven't had time or have been to tired to post. Not to mention that my motivation to lose right now is FADING...Waaaahhhhh! :cry:

I haven't kept track of points in over 2 weeks. I did not weigh in this week at WW (due to my crazy schedule). I have been eating LESS but still eating whatever I want most of the time and have not exercised in FOREVER!!! I have been trying to put at least one fruit or veggie in my diet for each meal and that is probably the only thing that is keeping me healthy.

Work has been super stressful. You all know my stories about the surveyors...how they have inudated our facility in recent months...first the State, then the Feds...STRESS, STRESS, and more STRESS!!! Well, yesterday was the arrival of the State inspector doing their "re-survey" (they have to come back to follow up on certain citations)....So....needless to say, work is even MORE STRESSFUL. I am working short days this week, though because DH is out of town and I have to pick up DD from daycare sooner than 5:30 as I am also doing Vacation Bible School ALL WEEK from 6:15-8:15pm. It's just been crazy!!! DH comes home late tonight, he will work tomorrow and then Saturday morning we leave for vacation for 10 days (camping in NW Michigan!)

One one hand, I am so looking forward to vacation, but on the other hand, just getting ready for it with my usual workload is enough, but I have all this other stuff going on at work (planning, writing and implementing a Plan of Correction for the citation we received, preparing and giving an inservice tot he staff, getting July calendars ready before I leave...) and home right now that I am just beyond busy. Fortunately for me, I am an organized person because I can't stand chaos in my life...but in times like this...the people around me (including myself) pay dearly for my behavior. I've been really feeling it this week! And my lack of control in my eating and exercise really pushes me to the limit and stresses me out. That is the part of my life that is in chaos, which goes against all that I am!

Wow...that was an "AHA" moment!

OK...so having gotten all of that off my chest (thank you very much for those of you who endured it)....

Shannonbug...Congratulations on your pregnancy albeit poor timing, but these little ones have their own plans, you know!!! ;) And way to go on your weight loss! I'm so proud of you! :hug:

Diana...I am so hoping that next month we can make it through the whole month without that "sagging motivation". It seems to get me right about the middle of the month! I am going to exercise (somehow) everyday on vacation and hopefully that will spark a new habit for me! I also will eat better and be more conscious of what goes into my mouth...and track what I am eating. I'll report back here (to you, my WW buddy) as to how I did. That way I can be accountable for my actions on vacation! Hang in there!
:hug:

Jennifer...So great to hear from you! I know how your work can be overwhelming...take a few moments for yourself. You don't own the company...you deserve a break!!! And yea for the Heat!!! I've been thinking about you when I see the highlights on the news!!! Speaking of heat, could you please keep it down there...it's been steamy and hot here the last few days!!! I think the Northern winds are finally coming in again, though! Thankfully! You hang in there too! :hug:

Elisha...Girl!!!! I am soooo proud of you! You are doing what you are supposed to be doing and the scale is moving! Own that! YOU did it...no one else, nothing else. It's been such a struggle for you, and now you seem to have that mojo, so hold onto it and keep doing what you are doing...just today...and then the next day...keep talking positive to yourself. Don't belittle what you have done. It IS important in your life! You deserve a great big :hug:

I'm going to get going. Probably won't check in until July 4th as it's going to get busier the next few days! I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday (for our Canadian chickie...Happy Canada Day!) I WILL be accountable to all ofyou when I return from vacation. You can hold me to that!

:grouphug:

[miss_elisha]

Horoscope for Today, 6-22-06

Quickie: When you get a glimpse of your future today you may feel inspired to move faster.

Overview: You're able to envision success so vividly that it becomes real almost as if by magic. Yours, more than any other sign, knows the power of creative visualization. You don't let little obstacles get you down.

Morning chicks!

Well, things are still going fairly well. Food went ok yesterday, though I thought I was going to kill someone to get something completely unhealthy around lunch time. I had a healthy taco salad for dinner, but, being a taco salad, it still felt like an indulgence. After dinner my calorie count was still fairly low, so I had a couple spoonfuls of ice cream, and that soothed the cravings beast a bit.
Water wasn’t great yesterday though, unless you count the tea I drank (unsweetened, but still caffeinated), in which case it was still only decent.
Exercise was 40 minutes on the bike and a set of upper body weights that about killed me. I can still feel a little tension in my muscles from Tuesday’s yoga workout. Today will be strictly cardio, as my muscles need to rest!
The scale was down to 211.2 this morning. Yay for downward movement!
I was going to do aerobics last night rather than the ebike, but I was moving the ebike and I squashed the side of my foot, so now it’s all black and blue and ouchy. No high impact for me for a day or two. I’m just glad I can wear flip flops to work, even if they don’t match my outfit. :lol:

Today, busy busy busy. It’s getting to be a theme or something.

Menu for today:
Breakfast: 2 c. coffee w/FF hazelnut creamer, ½ c. egg beaters, 2 oz. ground turkey taco meat, sautéed peppers and onions, ¼ c. LF cheese
Snack: grapes
Lunch: Taco salad (lettuce, 3 oz. turkey taco meat, 1 T. LF sour cream, 2 T. salsa, 1 cucumber), strawberries
Snack: Celery w/reduced-fat peanut butter
Dinner: TBD

I’m not feeling so unmotivated today, so that’s good. But I’m not exactly raring to go, either. I’ll be ok though. I just feel like I have to make it through one day at a time, and if that’s what it takes, that’s what I’ll do.

OK, I’d best get to work. I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!
~Elisha

[ChicCityChick]

Still out here. I've been down with pneumonia for a couple days. It comes on in a heartbeat because of my asthma...No exercise and not watching closely what I eat, but NO CHANGE in my weight, thank Heaven!

Today I'm going back to work--there are only today and tomorrow left and then I start a new job at a new hospital on Monday. Maybe closing on our new house next week too. I am at least able to think about my eating today and will go back to matching those portions. I'll pick up the exercise again when the lungs clear out.


JULIE!!!: As my Birthday Goal buddy I NEED you to hang in there!!! I'm pulling for you and hoping you can ditch the stress on your vacation and get in some great exercise! :drill:

Cheering from the sidelines,

Diana

[DewCan]

Shanon, :preg: how fantastic :flow2: :bb: :bb: :bb: :bb: :flow2: Another little angel :angel: What a wonderful thing. How old is your other one? I have two and let me tell you that the second time around is much easier! For birthing and raising :lol: I hope I'm not going to the pregnancy site for a while. :p I'd be stressed out then :stress: