Sugar Shakers - Sugar Busters Weekly Support Board 12/24-12/30

This is the SUGAR BUSTERS WEEKLY SUPPORT BOARD where all of you who are following this WOE, or are thinking about doing so, are welcome to come join in and be a part of our wonderful group.

Other than finding support and friendship on this board, we also try to do something during the the week to add a little difference to our board.

MONDAY-MOTIVIATIONAL MONDAY
TUESDAY-TUESDAYS TIP & CHAT AT 9:15PM EST
WEDNESDAY-WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY-THURSDAY RECIPE DAY
FRIDAY-FRIDAY FIT FACTS

Please visit our LATEST BIO BOARD where you can learn more about everyone who is on this board:


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=3773

Please make sure you post your BIO on the LATEST VERSION of our BIO BOARD everyone!!!!


Our DECEMBER 2001 RECIPE BOARD can be located at the link below:


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?postid=133441&t=8839#post133441

We have SEVEN INFORMATIVE BOARDS!!!! Please take a few minutes to visit them! New information is continually being posted, so please make sure you visit them often-make sure to visit our newest board, MY FAVORITE SB LEGAL FOODS at the link below:

THE RECOMMENDED READING BOARD:


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2342

THE TOOLS & TIPS BOARD:


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2344

THE FOOD INFORMATION BOARD:


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2365

MOTIVATIONAL & INSPIRING THOUGHTS BOARD


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2359

and our newest board MY FAVORITE SB LEGAL FOODS


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=5005

We also now have a SB WEEKLY EXERCISE BOARD that you can log your daily/weekly exercises on:

http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=11880

WANT TO POST YOUR WEEKLY WEIGH IN INFO?? Go to the WEEKLY WEIGH IN BOARD below to post your stats!


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=11879

VISIT OUR NEW SUGAR BUSTERS 2001 PICTURE GALLERY at the link below. You can upload pictures or post links to pictures on this board:)


http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?threadid=10759

NEWBIES! (aka new members) If you would like to REPLY to any of our threads, please hit NEW REPLY not NEW THREAD, then type your message in and hit SUBMIT REPLY. If you need to edit your reply, just click on edit located in the body of your post and make changes as you need to, then hit SUBMIT NOW.


WELCOME! :D

GOOD MONDAY MORNING EVERYONE!

Will post my usual morning post sometime later, but wanted to make sure I got our MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY done early in the morning, so here's my contribution for MM:

http://members.aol.com/debelli/monday_morning_thought.jpg

WORK ON IT


Easy answers and effortless solutions are not going to bring you what you truly desire. The surest way to the achievement of any desire is to work on it. Stop waiting for it to fall into your lap. Stop searching for a shortcut. Get up, get out, get going and get to work on it.

There are those who will promise you something for nothing. They offer nothing but empty promises and eventual disappointment. So don't let them waste your time or energy. Use that time and energy to truly move yourself in the direction of your dream. Use that energy to work on it.

Work on it. It seems so obvious, and yet too few people actually make the sustained effort to achieve the life they desire. Those who do make that effort, those who go to work on what they desire, are the ones who reach it.

Those who appear lucky have made their own luck. Every result has a cause. Every achievement comes from the effort that is put into it.

One of the greatest, defining blessings of life is the opportunity to put forth effort in the direction of your desires. Live that blessing in every moment by using your efforts to achieve your highest and best possibilities.

-- Ralph Marston


**************
Have a wonderful day and a fabulous week!

Debbie
194/12?/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYONE!!

Lots to do today, but I slept late & am behind already, so I decided to check in & say "HEY" to all of ya who will check the board today. Hope your Holiday is a BLESSED one.

Diet flew out the window & am no longer at 138, so I will need serious detox come Wednesday. BOB, get the wagon ready cause I'll need a lift. ;) :dizzy:

Got to get moving here. Have a good one, ya'll :wave:

Happy Holiday
Merry Christmas

Good Morning to all,

It is quiet here and I figured I would post now, how knows what will happen later. I have already had three days off and feel wonderful. My sister goes home tomorrow night so then I will be free with total time to my self until Friday when we leave for Mobile, AL for four days. But we will have nice time with the family tonight.

I hope that everyone is able to finish all those last minute errands that always turn up. I really hope I won't have to do in to a store today.

I just wanted to take a quick minute to thank you all for being here. The support found here is like a Christmas present every day. I know I get busy and don't always post, but you all are here. I know that you all are willing to lend an "ear" when I need to vent, and full of wonderful words when I doubt I can achive my goals. You offer kindness and support when I am blue, I only wish we all lived close enough to do this all in person. I really feel truely blessed to be a part of all this. Thank you all for the really meaning of giving.


God Bless, Have a great day
Laurie

Evening All:wave:

Thought I better get in a post while I can.

Got my 4.5 miles in this morning, surprisingly. I was in NO mood to go, it was late (after 9amP and even after I started I had the urge to return home, but I went and figured I'd do 3.5 miles-ended up doing 4.5 miles, so I was happy :)

I'm cooking tonight!:^: Decided Eli deserved a decent dinner for Xmas Eve. Making a small leg of lamb (pray it comes out!), some green beans, hummus, rice pilaf and knafi, a ME dessert. Nothing lavish, of course, but filling I hope.

Tomorrow we are going to my Grandmothers house to spend the day with family-hoping to see some Manatees in the back yard. They live on the canal and when it's cool, that's where they go. I love when they come right up to the wall, I almost was able to pet one one year, but alas, my arms were just a wee bit short:( My cousins from MD are going to spend the night tomorrow night, not sure what's in the plans for Wed with them, but we'll spend the day together. I know my cousin will jog with me in the morning, hope I can keep up with him!

Speaking of which, my house is still a wreck, haven't done anything in here today-so I have to get on the ball before we leave tomorrow and get it organized, at least somewhat.

I was thrilled with a package that arrived today. The gal from the agave company sent me some bottles of the new agave they had before she left the office and she sent Michael a huge box of agave stix (like honey sticks), I think I will hold them for ransom so he'll clean his room.

SEF, change your name so that gingerbread man doesn't know it!:lol: I'm sure you'll do fine!!! Happy Holidays!!

MELF, enjoy the holiday, come Wednesday you'll be back OP and back down on the scale. Happy Holidays!!

LAMAP, enjoy the rest of your time with your sister and have a good and safe trip to AL. When will you be back??? Happy Holidays!!

Okay, I'm outta here. Will check back tonight before I hit the hay if I'm able.

Once again I wish you all a HAPPY HOLIDAY!!!!

Debbie
194/122/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

I spent the day cooking, but did get in a looong bike workout this morning. Poor Cleo is limping and I can't run with her. I'm really hoping it's just a strain or pull, and not hip displasia. I don't know what I'll do if my running partner can't run anymore! DH says "over my dead body" about having 2 dogs, but that's what he said about the first, so who knows?:devil: We'll be off to the vet at the end of the week to add to the holiday bills.
Our family culture clash really hit me today while I had custard cooling on one counter to make a trifle (won't eat that!) and garlic, chickpeas and tahini in the food processor on another counter to make a big batch of hummus (I'll eat buckets of that!). Both are Christmas Day staples in our household. I now have 4 more people coming, so it's getting a bit crowded but will be fun. I always make enough food for at least 10 extra people, so we're good for another 2 families or so.

Deb- Your dinner sounds perfect! My favorite meal. Lots of garlic in the lamb, I hope;) I keep planning on going to the HFS to stock up on agave, but haven't made it yet! And to think I just found the stuff. Tho maybe this is a blessing in disguise for me, because I didn't bake anything for myself for 4 months and lived quite well without it. Now I'm scarfing down carob almond bars by the handfull because they are legal. I hate the aftertaste of splenda, so once the agave is gone, bye-bye carby sweets.

Melf-You couldn't have blown it that bad, and if you did, we can try to breach 140 again together!

I just wanted to second lamap's post- I'm so glad I found all of you and thank you for your support, inspirations, and laughs! Today is my 5 month anniversary on SB and I don't think I'd have done it without y'all! I'm even learning to speak Southern:lol:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

mel

Christmas Eve--We've finished dinner--beef tenderloin filet, wild rice cooked in beef bouillon, and tiny hericots verts. The only thing off plan was the sour cream pound cake that we have as a birthday cake. I had a thin slice of that, and will have to "get back on the wagon" on
Wednesday. We had some friends/relatives over for dinner last night. It was yummy. Bean cassoulet, roasted pork tenderloin, and braised red cabbage with apples. It was a terrific meal, very winterish (even though it is anything but winter weather here in Orlando right now!!) and healthy. The fall from grace was the chocolate torte I fixed for dessert. It was yummy, rich and delicious, and, as above mentioned, I will be back on the wagon on Wed. Actually, there was plenty of fat in tonight's meal, and that does me in as much as anything else. So will be back to low fat also, even though it is not top of the list for S.B.

Our daughter is spending the night tonight, and our son came over. He left right after dinner, not even staying for dessert, because he has a girlfriend with 2 kids that is living with him that he had to get back to. He doesn't admit that she is a girlfriend, but says that she is just renting a room and needs a place to stay because she is on
house arrest because of a white collar felony she committed. He doesn't talk about it much and tries to keep that part of his life hidden from us. Apparently she is not allowed to leave the house, so we have never met her. It is awkward. It is very hard, because I don't know whether to play along, or what. Anyway, he hightailed it out of here and I was very disappointed, and feeling very sad. Wish you were right around the corner, Fillise, for I would have called you up for some calming advice. I was trying to keep outward calm, but was crying inside. Anyway, here I am, talking with y'all, and it is a help. Thanks for listening.

I think we will go to a 10 o'clock church service tonight. It will be good for me. I have heard so many people ask, "Are you ready for Christmas?" Well, Christmas is coming whether I'm ready or not. It's a question that, in truth, is focusing on the secular celebration aspect of this day, rather than, for Christians, the truth of the event: that God invaded earth on a not-so-spectacular night, somewhere in a small town in the mideast, so that man, sinner that he was, could have a relationship with a holy G-d. It really was just the start of a chain of events that showed us just how much we were worth to G-d. I guess the better question is, "Are you ready for God?" I think 9-11 just reminds me that I might be facing him at any time and that I'll never know what the next minute holds for me.

We have been working feverishly for the past several days on a scrapbook for our son (!!) that has some great pictures of events throughout his life. It was amazing to see some of the things we saved. I had old report cards back to kindergarten. And some funny cartoons too. One showed Charlie Brown explaining to his teacher,"No, my dog did not eat my homework. He wrote it!" My husband was motivated through all this to plan to start some other creative projects after the first of the year. He has a miniature room that he has been talking about for 10 years, so maybe he will now do it.

Well, I'm gonna go. Just wanted to check in while it was quiet. All the hub bub is finished and the scrap book is done and it is peaceful around this house. Take care, all and I hope you have a blessed day tomorrow as you remember Him who gave you value, peace and purpose.
Gail

HidieHo All!!!

Went to NH today. We talked about Christmas Eves past and present, did "Twas the Night...........", then went to WAl*mart Winn Dixie and WAlgreens, made sausage dressing and Waldorf salad, Rested a bit then went to Bay St Louis for Buffet Supper, very. nice. I was legal right down to desert, they have a section of SF deserts.

Am just relaxing now reading the paper and thought I would check in.

I want to thank you all for being here, I have relied on you all so much.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

Take care, sef

EVENING EVERY BUDDY!!!!

Just a short one...havent packed a rag!!! Have to be up at 6 and out the door to the airport at 7....

Just wanted to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS tomorrow and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

BOB

Just checking in to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS. .

Have to be up early for work in the morning but will be having the family over for dinner. Most of the preparations are done but dd will come over early and finish getting things ready. Just hope ds puts the turkey in the oven on time :lol:

Marie.

Just a very quick post to wish you all a
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

I'll try to get on later to post replies individually. I've got so much to do, the house is a mess and we have to leave here by Noonish to go to GM house. Going to try to get myself motivated to get out and do my walk first.

ENJOY YOUR DAY!!!!

Debbie
194/122/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

Hello Everyone!For everyone who celebrates. . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know it is late and the day is almost over, but I wanted to pass along my best wishes to everyone on this board. You have been so important to me over the past year, and I want you to know how special all of you are to me.

Our holiday celebration has been a bit out of kilter this year. My father developed some sort of infection on Saturday and has not been himself. We took him to the Dr. on Sunday, but it will be a few days before the antibiotics really kick in. He was such a good sport about doing as much as he could even though he felt lousy. He was so concerend about ruining Christmas for everyone esle. Mom and I told him that we thought it would be best not to go to my brother's house, but he wouldn't hear of it. There was no way he was going to miss seeing the grandchildren on Christmas morning. A lot of people when they feel lousy get into really bad moods, but not him. We did put him to bed early last night, but he got up this morning and has been a trooper all day. We got home about 7:30 tonight and he went straight to bed. I know he has to be exhausted.

I'm talking about this because I read Gator's message. This Christmas wasn't the same as before. But it was special--maybe more so because I was more appreciative of the people who are in my life. They may not be exactly as I want them to be, and they may not always do the things I want them to do. But they are the people that I love. For today, that was enough. For today, that was perfect.

Gator, we adult kids can be just as worrying as the little ones. Grown up? Out of the house? Mom is still on the hook for worrying about us! My mom and I used to have a really hard time. She was so busy trying to change me and I was busy trying to change her. I can't change my mom and I can't control her behavior. So one day I started to work on what I could control--my own behavior. She must have been doing the same because we get along really well now (not that we still don't go a round or two every now and then). You can't change your son, or make him do what he isn't ready to do. All you have control over is your own actions and attitudes. I hope you are feeling better this evening. I'll be thinking about you.

I'm going to bed. It has been a very hectic few days and I'm bushed. I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone's Christmas!

Susan

Well, the day is over!!!

This holiday for us, like others, just wasn't the same. We usually have 11 or 12 for dinner on Christmas day, and today I took my Mom to Denny's for supper. We had a small Christmas dinner last night with 6 of us.

BUt .....I am not a real fan of this holiday any way so I am kinda flad that is it over. I always thought I just didn't like it, but I have figured out that I hate the time because it should be for family and I just don't have a big one, or really a little one for that matter. In the past year as the "new" me has come out, I have been able to realize that I don't like to be lonely instead of loving the quiet like I had convinced myself. Maybe as more of the "new me" shows and as time goes by, I just might meet someone to share my life with and he better have a big family!!!

ANyway sorry about ramlbing on.....I did meet a goal today. i have lost 85 pounds as of today. This is what I wanted to do by Christmas and I did it. MY reward is to get a second set of pierced earings. Sound like just what I need....another set of holes in my head. So I have 85 down and 95 to go. What a long road ahead of me!!!


Well I really hope that everyone enjoyed the time with the family and relaxed with the time off from work. ANd for those of you that did have to work, thanks, because that usually means that you were serving others. Good luck with weigh in in the morning.

Have a great day!!!
Laurie

surely you jest!

Obviously I'm not the only one who stayed away from the scales today!! I hope that everyone has better news to report than I would have - had I weighed! :lol:

We had a nice quiet 2 days together - just Vince and Me. We spent all day Monday at Sea World. There was hardly anyone there and we got to enjoy all our favorite spots before our card expires. Yesterday we slept in and went walking/running after breakfast, had a late lunch of grilled steaks and sweet potato casserole and then spent 3 hour (YEP! THREE HOURS) at Lord of the Rings. By the time we got home I had enough time to e-mail my brother who is living in Taiwan and get ready for bed.

This is the first time I can remember my parents not being around for Christmas and, I thought I could handle it, but as I was e-mailing my brother I started thinking about our family traditions that we weren't able to do this year and how much fun my family is and how different it was to not have them around. I *thought* I was okay until Vince asked me what was wrong and I laughed and told him just a 30+ year old crying for her mommy. I know they'll be down to visit during the year and we're all going on a vacation together this summer, but it just wasn't the same not having them around. I also wish my brother would move closer to home - just to the U.S.A. would be okay with me.

Enough of my rambling. I ordered Agave from the place MELF recommended, so I'll be stocked up when the beautiful SB Ladies come calling.

GATOR - I'm sure your son knows you love him no matter what and he'll come clean when he's ready. He may not be too sure that's what he wants to get into and doesn't want to burden you with their relationship if he's not sure if it's going to work out. Her consequences are already pulling him away from y'all and he's not going to like that too much if it continues.

LAURIE - CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You deserve those double piercings for sure!! It's great to have good news to rejoice about and you'll reach all your goals I'm sure!

FILLISE - You're always full of wonderful wisdom. I hope your Dad is continuing to get better. He deserves a medal for not getting grumpy. I'd probably have had to stay home and feel sorry for myself - I couldn't be around anyone because I'd have been major GRINCH.

MARIE - How'd that turkey come out?!? Good, I hope!

Well, I've got to run. :wave: Have a great day, everyone!!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!:wave:

The house is quiet and everyone is gone. Eli's at work, the kids went with my Mom to the Museum of Science and my cousins left to meet up with my sister to go to take all the kids to the zoo. I don't feel much like venturing out today, so I'm going to do some deep cleaning in the kitchen as I prepare for the 30 or so people converging on my house NY Day.

Got in my jog/walk this morning. My cousin jogs 4 miles a day and I thought I'd have trouble keeping up with him, but I didn't do too bad and at times, he had trouble keeping up with me. He was surprised that I did so well, considering I'm fairly new with jogging. We did my usual 4.5 miles and I'm happy to say I HAVE A NEW BEST TIME!!!! I did it in 46:13, 10 seconds off my previous best time. It helped that it was overcast and cooler.

Speaking of which, it's gloomy and cool, but still a nice change from the 80 degree weather we had yesterday. Supposedly, it's suppose to get even cooler for tomorrow with the lows inland of 40's!!:eek: It's days like this that I like getting into a hot shower, but hate getting out!

Xmas at GP house was cramped yesterday, but always nice to be with family. Easily stayed OP, nothing worth cheating for anyway. Though Mom did make her great RED VELVET CAKE which I do love, but didn't even smell it!

Eli surprised me with a digital camera. I thought the Glamour Shots for Chanukah were it, so really, this was a big surprise. So now, there's no excuse for me not to get back on Ebay. Okay, one excuse, I have to read the instructions and figure out my new toy!!!

So, here we are, least you forgot, it's WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY!!!! Hope you've all faired better than I. Not a pretty sight on my scale, still at 122, as I have been for quite a few days now. This is a gain of 1lb from last week and I'm still up 3.5lbs from my low. TOM is over today, so I should see a downward trend in 2 weeks. This next week will be up and down as I've seen from previous months. Also, I've still been really bad with my water intake as well as keeping track of my food-both make a big difference in this WOE for me. I'm hoping to be back on track with both things today;)

I found 3 possible sweeteners to try. All are low GI. I'm awaiting samples from 2 sources, the third source is from the UK and is a FRUCTOSE made from ONLY FRUIT called FRUISANA. I am going to find out the cost with shipping to the states, or ask my friend who lives outside of Manchester to see if she can find it along with the price and cost for shipping. Doesn't seem all that expensive. I'll let you know when samples of the 2 arrive and my thoughts.

MEL, I hope CLEO is on the mend and feeling better today. I can understand about your little culture dilema as Eli being of other faith. I think I saw you mention that your DH has family in St. Catherine? Eli has family in St. Laurent-possibly near? Oh, and to put your mind at rest-YES, lots of garlic stuffed in the lamb. I was surprised it came out well. Easy recipe out of the ME cookbook I have. I think you are smart to stay clear of the baked stuff, even when made with agave. I didn't have stuff like that til close to a year on SB and I think that's what made me more successful on this WOE.

GATOR, okay, what the heck is tiny hericots verts???:?: Again, another interesting dinner you seemed to prepare. You surely would be bored with anything I had to cook and serve! You sure do have a dilemma on your hands with your son. Why not just sit down with him and tell him no more playing around the bush, just be honest about what's going on. Hopefully, you can get things ironed out, can't be a good situation any way you look at it.

SEF, sausage dressing, sounds yummy!!!!! Hope you enjoyed your holiday!

ROSALIE, I'm sure you had a nice time with your family. Did you get snow your way? When we spoke to family in Montreal they said it was snowing earlier in the day. Eli and I were laughing because we had the a/c on and it was 80 degrees that day!!!

FILLISE, hope your Father is feeling better today, please let us know how he's doing. He sounds like my GF, not a complainer and a real trooper! Hope you enjoyed your holiday with the family. Like you said, well, in a way, they may not be perfect, or in perfect health, but it's perfect that we still have them with us!!!

LAMAP, CONGRATULATIONS on the new milestone!!! That's a wonderful "gift" you've given yourself this holiday! Do treat yourself to those earrings-heck, you should be able to find some great deals out there, so make them really special! Just imagine 5 more pounds and you are half-way there. It may seem like a long road, but really, it does go by faster than you think. Keep up the great work.

SOL, seems you and VINCE had a good 2 days off together. Michael saw LOTR the other day and liked it very much. Too bad you have to wait another year for part 2. Hey, I can always p/u some agave for ou before we come-just let me know so I can order it in time.

Okay, I'm off to the kitchen to start some cleaning. Will check in this evening to see what's going on.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Debbie
194/122/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

As I stepped onto the scale this am, dh was yelling DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! and oh boy, I shoulda listened. Not a pretty sight:( Up 3 Pounds from Tuesday's low of 141. I'm NEVER going to break 140 at this rate! Didn't even cheat significantly (only 3 chocolate truffles and they were little, I swear:devil: )but way too much legal stuff all day! Spent most of today quesy and bloated feeling, but HUNGRY too! But we had a really good time with friends and neighbors and my step-sister and her husband decided last minute to join us too- their first Christmas dinner! They usually go out for Chinese and a movie on Christmas along with most of the Jews in Philadelphia. Only problem now is I had enough food for 3 times as many people so we'll be eating Christmas dinner for the next week. Luckily lots of salad and green beans left over, and I can ignore the rest:lol: Dh gave me a pound of 73%cocao choco in my stocking, so I can ignore those sugary truffles and chisel off 1/2" pieces when I need to.

Went out for a run all by my lonesome today- Cleo still not moving well, she was so sad watching me go out the door without her. But she never would have made 4 miles and my time was much better not having to stop and scoop!

Sounds like everybody survived Christmas in their own way, 6 days before we have to deal with NEW YEARS!!!

mel

Hi Y'all,

Was Santa good to everyone?

The best gift was all being together. But my ds told dd "Mom has lost 60#, she needs clothes! Give gift certificates!" She took his advice (wonders of wonders!) So I have shopping sprees due in Lane Bryant, Wal*Mart, JC Penney and the mall! Watch out here I come!

In Lane Bryant I am going to get at least pne briefer, the ones I'm wearing are hiked up so high they chafe under the arm, and the cup to waaaay too big! Tops I can get away with, but old slacks are just too big. So I am lucky and Hppy old lady!!!

DIL went in for her surgery today, ds kust called and they decided she will stay the night, she is sick to her astomach and still in pain.

DD is not back from picking up GD's TX friend.

I did well, stayed OP but ate too much OP foods. As a result I have a potty problem today. I did manage to get to Wal*Mart this a.m. and to KMart.

I think I hear dd and gd so gotta go.

Take care sef

Hi everyone :)

Christmas day went off well even though it was a working one. I had the family over for dinner, my dd came by early to help get things ready. Had the usual turkey and trimmings. I made Deb's Cranberry Sauce and it was delicious. I never knew before how easy it was to make. Will never open another can. Also made Deb's hummus for the first time. Been snacking on it with crispbread - yum yum.

I did weigh this morning but never thought about it being WIW. I didn't like what I saw. :mad: Was up to 198 lbs. To-day has been a good day - have really cut back on the carbs to-day and had lots of protein and veggies and salad - cold turkey for lunch and dinner. Probably will have the same for lunch tomorrow. I am going to make a mini goal of getting below 195 by the end of January - and staying there. I've only once been below - that was a couple of weeks ago when it went down to 194 1/2 but it only stayed there for one day. I have to work hard on breaking this barrier.

We've had some cooler weather here - down to 23 F to-day. Also had some snow flurries this afternoon. I hope we don't get anymore tonite - I have one more day to work before having a couple of days off and I can do without having to drive on snow covered roads.

Deb - Thanks for the Christmas e-card.

Fillise - I hope your father is feeling better to-day. Hope you enjoyed the time spent with your family.

Lamap - Congrats on reaching your goal - enjoy the new earrings.

Sef - Enjoy your shopping spree!!!

Have to go and cleanup the kitchen and see what's on TV.

Bye for now.

Marie.

Evening All:wave:

It's getting really nippy out there, suppose to have a low of 48 tonight!

My back is KILLING me. You all have not a clue the cleaning I was doing today. I spent 7 long hours in the kitchen doing some deep cleaning. I'm still not finished!:eek: I'd say a little over half, maybe. I cleaned under the fridge, something I don't think I've ever done. I have lots of knick-knacks and shelves that needed to be cleaned, definite dust collectors. I've read the riot act to the troops already, first one who messes it up is a dead person!

MEL, I think it's a Jewish trait to have too much food, always. At my GP house yesterday there was so many leftovers. I'm sure it will be the same NY Day. Which chocolate did DH get you? I asked my cousin from San Diego to bring me a couple bars of SCHARFFEN BERGER 70%, I had bought some when I went in August, a 3oz bar that was about $3.59, I think. She brought me 2-9oz bars that we're $6 a piece-definitely a better deal. Down here, a tiny bar of it is over $2.50. Sorry to hear Ms. Cleo isn't feeling better :(

SEF, Santa was good to me, and I'm Jewish!! LOL!! Sounds like you will be shopping til you drop with all the gift certificates you got. I hope once you get one of your spiffy new outfits, you'll have someone take a picture AND POST IT SO WE CAN SEE YOUR NEW DUDS!!!!!;)

ROSALIE, so glad to hear you had a nice Xmas. Glad you liked the cranberry sauce-like you, I will never open another can of cs ever again! We've been hummused out around here. When family comes in,I make so much. It is good though, and I rarely get sick of eating it. It's the bread that I tend to overdue if I eat too much, so celery does come in handy when this happens. Do you like granola? I made some this morning for everyone, came out delish-and they ate it all!!! Don't worry about being up, usually that's your trend before you have a drop, which I'm sure will happen soon. I'm confident you'll meet your mini-goal:)

Okay, I'm off to the couch to vegetate. I really hope I'll be able to get in my walk tomorrow. If my back doesn't get better, I highly doubt it. I have so much cleaning to do, it better get better-then again, I'll probably just be aggravating it more!!:rolleyes:

Nite all!

Debbie
194/122/129
SB siince 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

Deb - Thanks for the tip. I'm now sitting here munching on celery and hummus - yum. :p

Deb- the chocolate is El Rey "apamate", very dark and at $7.98/pound, not a bad deal. Comes in BIG chunks at Fresh Fields.

Is hummus the offical SB food or is it just this bunch? I've got a bucket of it still in the fridge. I've been using it kind of like mayonnaise on everything. Only downside is everyone can smell me coming a mile away:lol:

and on that cheerful note, good nite!

mel

Just a quick check in........

Survived yesterday and actually with today being WIW managed to be up only one pound from my low last week. I'm hoping it's just because I'm not drinking as much water as I should and not exercising either. Hope to get back to that tomorrow.

Sounds like everyone did not too badly.

Still busy running around trying to see friends and family. I'll write more when I can.

G'night all.

At work, this'll be brief!

Got back from road trip last night. At work now.

WIW (Thursday) = down 1 pound to 152. It is coming off again slowly but surely. Happy to see the loss after being naughty over the holidays. Did eat healthy meals, just ate no-no snacks! Have already edited profile. :D :D :D

Will try to catch up on posts later!

Peace,
FROG

Hello Everyone!

It sounds like most of us made it through the holidays just fine. I was not 100% OP, but didn't go nute either. I'm back on track now so I'm not too worried. No reliable scales here so no idea whether I'm up, down, or the same. Will step on scale when I am home next Wednesday.

Frog--I guess you are now looking forward to your big run in just a little over a week. I can't wait to hear all about it--from you and from your SB cheerleaders!

Deb--What is it about after the holidays. All I want to do is be a couch potato. No work please! When I was a kid Dec 26 was the saddest day of the year for me--now it's one of my favorites--you can finally relax. I can't imagine what it is like for those of you celebrrating more than one holiday!

Rosalie (and everyone else)--thanks for the good wishes for my father. He's slowly progressing. He is now getting to the point where he is sick of being sick so is a little grumpy now. But really, if it were me I'd be h**l bent on making everyone else as miserable as I am (I live alone so If I ever get sick when I'm home with my parents I tend to milk it for all its worth!).:s:

Sef--Have fun shopping! I have to do a bit today too! I only did Barnes and Noble yesterday--wasn't brave enough for the mall!

I'm headed out shopping. I need some silver shoes to go with my New Years Eve dress. I'm going to a ball in Birmingham. I found a beautiful evening gown on sale last week. Now I need some shoes to match.

Happy hunting to all the post-Christmas shoppers!

Susan

HELLO............FROM......THE........MOUNTAINS!!! ! brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :eek:


No one warned me it would be this cold!!!!! It's been under twenty degrees each morning and not above forty during the day!!!! I'm freezing...walked out of the house on Christmas Morning on my way to the airport and it was 54 degrees...I said...I DON'T NEED A JACKET....and left it at home!!!! Good thing my cousin and I can share her OUTERWEAR!!!! Haven't been ANYWHERE....no shopping on the 26th for us...we stayed in front of the fire and watched movies...

We're on our way out to do a few things today...but NO MALL!!! :nono:

I'll check in later...Wanted you all to know that I'm thinking of you....FROGGIE....I'll be rooting for you come the race weekend... ;)

HELLO TO EVERYONE.....I'm thinking about you all too...ARE YOU HOME YET SUSAN??? The good games are getting ready to start.....Hope your DAD is feeling better...Pinch his little cheek for me and tell him I'm thinking good thoughts for him...

More later....EVERYONE HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!


BOB

HidieHo all!!

Had to take a break yesterday. Went to mall to exchange two shirts (had to as one guest was leaving the next day) and came home and sogged.

DIL did spend night at hospital, she was naseaous and in pain. DS stayed with her.

Her parents and brother left for OH this a.m.

I went to NH and ds did wash, we are now going to head out to the mall. I am a little more energetic this a.m.

Hope all are well, Take care, sef

Hi everyone! I posted my info on the bio board. I am new and just starting SB. My Dr. recommended it for me. It seems like a very difficult plan, but I am looking at your numbers and seeing some of you have really lost some weight!!! Wow!!! So, I am motivated now.

Let me ask you this, when you started, did you follow the plan in the book, or go on your own. Also, what do you order when you are in a restaurant? What is the best thing?

Thanks, and I look forward to getting thinner with all of you. :)

Mel in VA
mgibbs@msandyou.org

So much I want to say today, but like many of you who posted about how you feel about others on this board, I think I'll start with that & come back later to post about Christmas if I get a chance. Found this in an email today & thought it fit perfectly here about the friends that I've come to know on this board this past year.

Thank You

Thank you for all the moments we've shared,
moments filled with shared dreams and wishes,
secrets, laughter, and tears, and above all, friendship.
Each precious second will be treasured in my heart forever.

Thank you for taking time, time to stop and take
an interest in me; time to listen to my problems
and help me find the solutions, and most of all,
time to smile at me and show you care..

Thank you for being you. You're all wonderful people.
You were there when I needed you to confide
in and to ask advice from.

Through all of you, I began to understand and then like myself..
How can I ever tell you how much I care for you??

Thank you my friends...

:love: :angel: :wave:

Boy, I've really been MIA. I've lurked from time to time but haven't had the time to get a post out until now!

The holidays were very different and somewhat depressing this year for my family since this is the first x-mas without my father. We all miss him terribly and the holidays just made that worse. We got through it somehow (what choice did we have) and I'm glad its over.

My kids were my main distraction from the blues. My 4 yr old had a blast of a time this year! Christmas eve, my nephew (a BIG 18 yr old) dressed up in a Santa suit and came and peeked in our windows. Tyler didn't know what to think! He almost cried, then laughed, then just looked baffled! It was so exciting for him. My house still looks like a tornado has blown through it!!

Confession time - The wagon has ran all over me for the last week! I've done it all from Pizza Hut pizza to Mountain Dew!!! I didn't go completely overboard on portions of illegals, but splurged entirely too often. I have had practically no water or exercise, so I have avoided the scale the last couple of days. I'm getting back on track today and intend to stay that way!

My DH and I are going to Tunica, MS this weekend for an overnight escape. For those of you who don't know, Tunica is a "middle of nowhere" town just south of Memphis, TN, best known for the casinos that line the waterbanks. I don't believe in real gambling, but we enjoy going and playing every now and then. We set a limit around the same amount that we would spend on entertainment for any other overnight trip. We used to go at least once a year, but it has been 3 years since our last trip. I hear that there are other things to do there now like outlet stores, shows, etc. I guess we'll find out. 2 other couples are going with us so it should be fun. I love watching the people in those places - it gets sorta wild sometimes. Who knows, maybe I'll win some $$$ - not likely but possible?!?!

BusDeb - So sorry I missed your B-day. Hope you had a great one! Hope your Mom is all well by now. My co-worker had cellulitus just a few weeks ago - it is really terrible looking isn't it?!?! His leg is really just now looking normal again. It took 20 days on heavy doses of antibiotics to clear him up. No fun at all - hope she is on the mend!

BOB - where in the mountains are you? It has turned really cold here in N. AL this week too!!

Deb - Got your email and its a real shame about the agave. I've got some, but have never used it as of yet. I'll have to try it real soon so I can know for sure if I want/need to stock up! Congrats on your new best time!

Sef - Don't you ever slow down???

Welcome Grizabee!

Fillise - I didn't go really crazy on my little "off program" binge either, but I know that I don't want to fall back into old habits again either! Hope you are having good luck getting back on track!

Hi to everyone else :wave: :wave: :wave:

Gotta run - CYA
tv


gotta do this tonight if it kills me!

I am a new member, I am just starting out on SB. I have 140lbs to lose and I have PCOS. I am starting out discouraged, with little to no hope of ever being where I would like to be or where I need to be for my height and health.
How do you guys do it, I mean, stay so faithful, not giving up?
I am already depressed about how much weight I have to lose!
I know that I am the only one that can change me, but it gets very hard to stay positive and seeing the bright side of things.
thanks for listening
Pravda

Hey Y'all. I gues it's time to change my avatar back to my Frog huh?

Good to see many of you checking in as you trickle in and out for the holidays. It is "little Friday" for me. Glad to be home for a 1/2 day before leaving AGAIN!

Tomorrow I have to do errands and prepare to go to inlaws for the night. Cat has appt for round 2 of shots. I am going to have her bathed too I think. Still no name for that baby. Thinking of Gypsy now. Luckily she was fine while we were gone and H-A-P-P-Y that we were home last night.

Tomorrow evening we will go to get Dixie from "camp" and bring her home for several days. Thursday night we will go back to inlaws where Dixie will stay (that is her "camp") until we return from vacation. We are also having our Christmas celebration with DH's parents tomorrow. More opps for MIL to remind me how great DH is and how lousy I am. Can hardly contain myself. :rolleyes:

On to a different subject! Got some great Christmas gifts! SIS and her family gave me a foot jacuzzi, some frog house shoes and a picture of my grandparents when they were in their 30's (GM is now 90). Cool Huh? My bro and his family gave us a nice picture of his family, and several other goodies. My mom and dad gave me some great gifts too. Lots of Frog things - A cool bird feeder, a candle lamp, a beaded coin purse, a puzzle, a glass figurine. They also gave me one of these little things that I collect called Wee Forest Folk. They are these tiny little figurines, mainly mice, that I collect. I got a beautiful one this year called Carmen. DH and I gave each other the trip to Disney.

For those of you who know about Callaway Gardens, we went to the "Fantasy in Lights" on Christmas Eve and rode the "jolly trolly" through the park. It was pretty cold for there and the first cold weather they've really had. My mom was frozen by the end, and my GF's bottom was sore from the seats. DH and I had a blast and liked being in the cold night air. It'll be fun memories for us to have.

DH and I are thinking of trading our New Beetle for a new car. Anyone have any thoughts on Camry vs. Accord? Would love to hear your experiences/thoughts.

I can hardly believe that one week from tonight we will be all geared up for our trip to FLA to meet the "gang." I am really more excited about that than the marathon!

DEB - Would you or SOL or any other cheerleaders be willing to be part of our support crew? DH wants to change socks at some point in the race. Would someone be willing to hand those or anything else we may want (like a golf cart) over? Would be a really simple thing to do. I don't know yet if there is anything I would want to give up or get along the race track.

WELCOME NEWBIES!

BOB - Where are you? Are you in the NC mountains? It is cold up here if that is where you are? Burr is right! Thanks for the well wishes!

FILLISE - Hope your dad is feeling better soon. May have to name the kitty Miss Kitty! We call her that all the time, just as we call Dixie, Miss Puppy or Miss P! :)

Well, time to go love on the kitty and watch Survivor!

Hope you all have a good evening. Will check back in later!

Peace,
FROG

Hello, Hope all had a nice day.

The weather down here has turned chilly, I had to put gloves on for my walk this am. I came home with rosy red cheeks. It is noce for a change, but this is not why I moved from Massachusetts to Florida. I like the warm weather!!!

Well, I couldn't decide what to do about meeing my goal of 265 and getting my earrings. I usually weigh in at work and I am on vacation till the 7th of Jan. So how do I weigh in? Well on Christmas day I drove to work and weighed in, but if I did this every day the people at work would have me commmitted. I weighted yesterday at home and scale was still the same, but I had to drop a gift off at work for one of the girls and weighed in, but this is now 11, and after my morning walk and tea. The scale was up a pound. But today I weight on the scale at home and that was down to 262, but I wasn't convinced so I went to Publix and weight in public and got 263. So I figured that I must have met the goal and now held it for a couple of days so I can get the earrings.

Now for the good part, I went out shopping to get the earrings and stop at Kmart, found a pair of jeans on sale for 10.00 and a pullover for 5.00. But when I tried the jeans on the 26s were too big and I HAD to get the 24s and then I tired on a 2x top and had to change that to a 1x. So I have new sizes all around. Including shoes. I used to buy size 11w (yes I have long feet) and hated to buy shoes cause I couldn't find the right size--no wonder!!..

ANy way arcoss the mall from where I got my ears pierced, a new shoe store opened---DSW Shoe warehouse. Went in to browse, I mean that I need now shoes for the jeans and the top, right???
I found a pair and they are a size 10 regular width. I guess I must say that it was a good day!!!!


Frog ....good to see the little green thing back. Sounds like you are in and out as much as I am. i am wishing you well nest week. I reallly wish that I could do the drive, but I'll just be getting back into town. Hopefully some time this year I will get a chance to meet everyone...atleast those in Florida.

Pradva.....Welcome, come enjoy the support and great friends. I realize how you must feel, done look at the whole picture. Set little goals and reward yourself. That is how I started, I had 160 to lose and I have already done 85. But get yourself ready that time is gonna take a while and make that ok. You will get there and you will be supporting us before one. Just keep at it, and if things don't go right....then come here vent and get going again. Keep smiling

BOB ....how are you surviving, or are you. The cool weather down here is too much. I don''t know how I am gonna handle being in ALabama over the weekened. Enjoy the trip.

Well to everyne one else...I wish you a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. Keep Smiling.
Laurie

Evening All:wave:

House is still quiet, I'm all alone and have been continuing my clean-up in the kitchen. It's almost done, really it's only the floor, which isn't bad in the first place, but that will be done on NY EVE. When I mean, I've been cleaning, I mean CLEANING! I even took apart both of the light fixtures and washed them. This is not my forte, cleaning, but once in a while I get that bug up my butt and know it has to be done. It does help when you are going to have 30+ people over on NY DAY to push one to get in the mood:rolleyes: I got such a pile of garbage out for the garbage guys tomorrow, I pray they take it all. My next room to tackle is going to be the 4th bedroom. Not that anyone may see it, but I need to clean it up so I have some room to put boxes of Ebay stuff that's sitting in my dining room in there. Once those boxes are out of the way, dining room will be a breeze. The patio is going to be the biggest project, lots of stuff out there that I need to go through and either get rid of or box up for another garage sale. I'd like to be able to sit out there and enjoy the nice weather we are having lately.

I didn't get in my walk. I was half dressed to go and then realized I didn't have time to go and get my kids to their GP house by 10am, so I forgo it for today:( I really did want to go, just no time. Probably best I didn't, give my back a little time to feel better. After we dropped the chitlins off Eli and I went to Circuit City to p/u the camera dock for the digital he bought me and then a quick trip to Walmart then to lunch, MAROOSH, a ME rest., then Eli was off to work-he has to close tonight:(

Seems I've seen a trend with us all lately-bad water consumption! I'm guilty about that as well and I'm not sure why this is occuring. Each day I vow to be better with it, as well as journaling my food, and each day my good intentions fall at the wayside. I know it's affecting my weight loss-so not doing it doesn't do me good. I hope we can all get back on track with the water, it's so important, as we all know.

ROSALIE, glad you liked munching on the celery and hummus!:D

MEL, I've had EL REY CHOCOLATE and it's very good. Yes, I do believe many of us have HUMMUS FEVER here on this board. Oh, you can definitely smell me a mile away too-we use so much garlic in our house.

ZANNE, being 1 pound up is nothing, and probably nothing that you ate, just fluctuations. I try to remember this, esp right after TOM-I tend to go up and down with the same pounds for 2 weeks after, then I have a drop.

FROG, glad to see you down another pound!!! Will e-mail you when I get a chance:) I'm sure I can speak for us all and say we'll be happy to help you out during the race with whatever you may need-you'll just let us know. Can't believe, just one more week to go-I'm getting excited!!!!! Haven't made a hotel plan as of yet-have to do it!!!!! Sounds like you cleaned up nicely for the holiday with the gifts!

FILLISE, I'm with you on being glad the holidays are over. It's hard enough when you celebrate 1 holiday for 8 days, but having to do a bit of Xmas in there as well really lengthens these holidays for me. Now, if we can just get through NY DAY, it will all be over!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE take a picture to post with your formal attire on, I'd love to see you in that gown!!!!

BOB, you NOT SHOP? That cold air must of fried your brains-I can't believe it! Hey girl, it's cold down here too, was 49 degrees last night, not as cold tonight though. Enjoy!!!!

SEF, what was wrong with DIL?? Hope all is well. Get any goodies at the mall??

GRIZABEE, WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!!:D Glad you've decided to join our wonderful group! Thanks for posting your BIO, it's always nice to learn more about each other. Your Dr. is a smart one in recommending this WOE, it's a very healthy and easy WOE to follow. My Uncle is an internist and he also recommends a low GI WOE to many of his patients. What do you think is difficult about the plan?? I personally find it VERY easy to do, though the book may be vague at some times. Make sure you ask lots of questions, we have lots of answers!! I personally never followed the menu outlined in the book. Most say it's for maintenance and when I started SB another lifetime ago it contradicted some of what the book was saying, so I never followed it at all. As for the rest. question, I eat at the same places over and over again, esp. if I know I can stay OP at them. My fav. chain is OUTBACK, which many of us like on this board. I have the salmon with a plain sweet potato when I go there. Really just about any place you go to you can stay OP, though certain places are harder to find things than others, like Italian, for instance. I'm sure the gals on the board can give you some good ideas. Again, don't hesitate to ask questions, this is a learning experience and we're all happy to help teach, as we all are still learning from each other with every question we answer!!! Again, WELCOME! Oh yeah, you're our second MEL on the board, we have MELIRIS on here too:)

MELF, what a wonderful poem you posted! I loved it!! Thanks for sharing and thinking of all of us like that. My sentiments exactly!!!

TV, my goodness, look what the cat dragged in-we've missed you!!!! I'm glad you were able to get through the holidays despite the void in your hearts. The kids really are the ones that keep us going. That sounds like a hoot with your nephew dressing up. Did you get your DS reaction on video?? I hope you and DH have a wonderful time on your little vacation and hopefully, even though you aren't big gamblers, I hope you hit it big! You aren't the only one neglecting the water lately, seems to be a trend around here in recent weeks. Hoping we all do better all the way around after the holidays are all over.

PRAVDA, WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!! Glad you too have decided to join our wonderful group. Please try to not be so discouraged as you start on SB. You need to try and have a positive outlook otherwise you won't be able to focus on the importance of losing the weight you want. 140lbs is a lot, but it can be done, with patience and the determination to say you're going to do it and this time for good. I once weighed 284lbs, 17 years ago and I NEVER thought in my lifetime I would ever be at the weight I am today. Of course, it took a lifetime of ups and down (more ups than downs) to get to where I am, and going through so many diets, not to mention stomach surgery. I wish I knew then what I know now because I would of saved myself a lot of heartache and surgeries, but I guess this is part of the life I've had to live to find out what I now know. Just know, it can be done-I can tell you this first hand. I have yet to cheat on this WOE (way of eating) since I started, and I wanted to lose this weight worse than anytime before, worse than anything and I was determined to do so-so here I am, 6 months since I met my goal weight. For the first time in my life I feel confident enough to say I will never gain back the weight again!! I've even gone lower than my goal. I now weigh what I did somewhere in Elementary School, wearing a size 6 pair of jeans (may be able to get in a 4, but I haven't tried). I was where you were, so you can see, it can be achieved, but it won't be over night. We are here to help you, support you and cheer you on, but like you said, ultimatley, it's up to you. I can tell you, if you put your heart into this and give it your 100% dedication, you will not only start to lose the weight, you will feel better about yourself, and hopefully, when you detox the sugar out of your system as I did, you will feel so much differently-you won't believe what getting that crap out of your system can do for a girl!!! I wish you the best of luck, and just remember, ask all the questions you have-we're here to help!

Gotta run, have to go get the kids from my Mom. I'll check in with you all tomorrow.

NITE!

Debbie
194/121/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

Thank you for your wonderful welcome and information. I will be asking questions, and will need some support--especially the first couple of weeks. I'll tell you why I think it will be hard--I am addicted to sugar, and I am writing this as I am drinking my regular coke--my last one, I hope. ;)

Anyway, I am finding it scary to give things up like ice cream, potatoes, coke and so forth. When I read through the book and see that they are on the NO NO list, I cringe. So, what are some things you have found that are good subs for you?

What is motivating to me about the plan though is how much weight you all are losing. I used to work at Jenny Craig, and one thing we used to say is, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." That is so true, so I use that to get me through sometimes.

I also wanted to let you know that I will be offline until January 4th. That is when I will really be starting SB. I am going to the Gator Bowl to watch Virginia Tech beat Florida State. :)

So, I just don't want you to think I just left you. I will be back next Friday. I hope everyone has a great New Years. And I hope we all get thinner in 2002! :D

Mellie (I'll go by this since there are other Mel's on the board) ;)

Grizzie--Go VT!!!Hope your team does well and that you have a good time in Jax.

Debbie--Why don't you make reservations at Disneys Yacht Club Resort, or Beach Club Resort, the BoardWalk Inn or the Swan and Dolphin. Then you'll be right on the route for Frog's run and we can all come over and camp out in your room until sometime after 10 am. when she should be coming by. That is mile 22 on the route!

All's quiet here today. DH is at work and will also be playing golf with some clients today. We are back on "the wagon" with salads, non-fat cottage cheese, my yummy split pea soup for dinner, and low GI pancakes with raspberries for breakfast. I must say that for me, sugar is so yummy and I identify with some of Grizzie's feelings. Once eaten, it is hard to give it back up. Those slices of sour cream pound cake on Christmas day are still making it hard for me to return to normalcy. I think that is the major reason why sugar does such damage. Not only does it affect our insulin level and all the stuff that does, but just the craving it gives us for more causes us to eat more than our bodies need. So those extra calories pile on the pounds too. Grizzie--my favorite food group is desserts, but when I make that concerted effort to do away with the sweet stuff, then I can adjust nicely to the new tastes of veggies, whole grains, fresh fruits, beans and legumes and some meat.

Here's a question for the day: When do you plan to take down your Christmas tree and other assorted decorations?

Since we are going to the Orange Bowl game to watch the Gators play, I'm not sure right now if they are coming down before or after our trip south.

We are going to a party tomorrow night and I know it will be a difficult one for me because the hostess is a fabulous cook. They have had their party for the past 3 years and there are lots of yummy but fat and sugar laden foods all over the place. Hot spinach and artichoke dip with crackers, lots of cheeses, little cake nibbles, bowls of cashews, and all the diet devil loves to parade before my eyes. I will have to honestly say that right now I don't know how I will handle it. Perhaps I will just say, "Relax, exjoy the evening, and get back OP tomorrow morning." I don't even remember her having any fresh veggies for nibbling. Last year she and her DH handed out bags of homemade cookies as a little gift to each guest as they were leaving!!

Well, gotta go. I think I'll do some house cleaning too. I also have a jacket to alter. My DH gave me a really pretty red suit outfit but the sleeves of the jacket need to be shortened, so I'll probably do that today.

Take care, all.

Like you, I am going to wait until after we get back from the bowl trip. Otherwise, I would have to take them down tomorrow, and that just seems too soon. So, they will come down next weekend.

Thanks for the VT support. I hope your Gators win too. We always root for you when you play FSU because we hate them so much! ;) And I cannot say that I am a Maryland fan either. I live in the DC area, and they NEVER talk about Tech. Even when we played for the Championship in 99--so please, beat Maryland. ;)

Happy New Year!

Mellie

Good morning everyone. Hope your day's been better than mine so far: I woke up with the sniffles, lost three fingernails in the front door, gained three pounds overnight despite eating well and chugging water ferociously, and tripped over the F%&*(#$^ing cat and twisted my ankle, so I can't run today! It's gotta get better from here, or I'll just go back to bed and stay there til tomorrow. End of complaints.

GRIZ- Welcome to the board! My childhood nickname was "Melly"- I cringe at it still, rhymed with too many nasty things on the playground! So you are welome to "Mellie", and I'll be mel, OK? Have fun at the Gator Bowl, and come back ready to start SB. Once you get started, I think you'll find as the rest of us did, that REAL FOOD tastes so much better than junk, and you'll feel so much better that it won't be much of a temptation once you start seeing results. I wasn't a sugar addict, but a starchy carb addict, and now the thought of eating a giant bowl of regular pasta makes me as ill as if I'd really eaten it!

Pravda- Welcome also! I think all of us, no matter how much we had to lose, have had that hopeless discouraged feeling. Once you get into this WOE, it's so easy and you'll feel so much better and see results so fast, that you'll WANT to stay with it. Especially with PCOS. So many PCOS sufferers have had such great results on this WOE. Good luck, ask questions, we'll be here for you.

Frog- So glad to see the little green guy back, really missed him! Sounds like Santa was kind to you and your Christmas was fun. Wish I could be there next week to hand you socks (or a scooter?) or even better, run too! Good luck getting psyched up! How's the toe holding up?

Lamap- Hope you enjoyed your shopping spree and congratulations on the smaller sizes!!! Question for everyone: What are you doing with your "fat" clothes? I'm scared to get rid of them, don't want to ever think I'd need them again(tho given this week's trend, I might!!), so am currently letting 1/2 sit in my closet and shuffling half into the guest room. In some way, they are a good reminder of what I don't want to be, but I'm afraid it might be too convenient to have that "other" wardrobe hanging around.

Deb- I think the walk is superfluous. Your cleaning sounds very aerobic! Thanks for the Jewish humor email:D Had a few of us falling off our chairs laughing!

TV- Welcome back! Have fun on your getaway! Im jealous, we've not been able to escape w/o at least 1 kid for several years now! Enjoy, you deserve it! And don't worry, I think the wagon will be making rounds next week, even staying OP I need to get on it!

OK all you southerners- STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING COLD! IT WAS 18 DEGREES HERE THIS MORNING. I don't wan't to hear about 45 being too cold! I probably wouldn't have run even without the twisted ankle, but it's nice to blame it on something other than being a wimp!

Time to climb on the stationery bike, tho the way today's going, I'll probably fall off, or break it somehow:o

mel

Sooo glad its Friday!! 4 days off after today!!

Well, I got on the scale today and its 3 up from my lowest - but TOM is coming up in the next couple of days and I usually see a little rise around this time. I tend to gain a couple right before and then lose it all back about mid-way so I'm not gonna worry about it too much.

I did very good on my water yesterday - I got in 72 oz!! Funny thing is that I didn't run to the potty all day like I usually do when I drink that much - Must be retaining some of it due to TOM. I haven't gotten a good start today on it, but I'm determined to get down this 20 oz bottle on my desk in the next few minutes!!

Deb - nice to be missed!! I would love to hit it big this weekend, just don't want to get all pumped up for it! I won a $480 pot once on the quarter slots and it ruined me!! Its a mental thing - you know - once you win then you think you can do it again and just keep on putting those coins in!! I'm definately leaving my ATM card at home!!

Mel - yes, a getaway without a child will be nice. I will be missing them before we get there though. It has been 3 years since our last getaway without them - back before my 4 yr old became such a handfull!!:^: He can be quite the troublemaker and he is a definate whiner/squealer/crybaby/hot tempered Moma's boy and I just hope he'll behave while we are gone. He is staying with my Mom - she keeps switches in the kitchen window so he might have some stripes by the time we get back! He can be soooo sweet one minute and making my hair turn grey the next!! I wouldn't take a million for him but somehow I have to find a way to make him learn to control his temper. I actually did the soap in the mouth thing last night and it seemed to work quite nicely. I sat right there beside him and told him if he opened his mouth again that he was gonna get it - and he got it!! He didn't open his mouth again!! I just hate doing those kind of things to him, but he's gotta learn and he is very hard headed so sometimes it takes drastic moves to keep him in line!! My oldest one is soooo easy - THANK GOODNESS!! If I had gotten the little one first, then there probably would have never been a second!!

I've gotta run, but wanted to share the following with you - it's cute -

A woman's random thoughts:

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it will always be yours. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with. But, if it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, uses your telephone, takes your money, and doesn't appear to realize that you had set it free....... You either married it or gave birth to it.

Insanity is my only means of relaxation, A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills.
She had 14 kids, but she doesn't really care.

Reason to smile: Every 7 minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.

One of life's mysteries is how a 2 pound box of candy can make a woman gain 5lbs.

My mind not only wanders, it sometime leaves completely.

The best way to forget all your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you're doing, someone else does.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat are really good friends.

Sometimes I think I understand everything, then . . . . . I regain consciousness.

I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting my pantyhose on fire.

Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!

Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like, "You know, sometimes I just forget to eat." Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name, and my keys. But I've never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat.

The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him.

I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are: eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That is my idea of a perfect day!

If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a noose around your neck?


Cya,
tv

Happy Friday All:wave:

Just got home from some running around, among my stop was SEARS to p/u Michael's new weights. I asked him if he'd spot me and let me work out with them once in a while-let's see how long I last when I try them out.

I'm sporting a lovely headache this afternoon, feel like I should take some 222's and lie down. Was able to get in my jog/walk this morning, not a bad time of 46:55, but not my fastest. It was hot out there again, needless to say, the cool air we had didn't last for long.

GRIZ, wish you could join us at our get together:( Maybe the one we are trying to plan in NC in October would be good for you to come to. SUGAR, that's my middle name, or so it was. I can tell you from my personal experience that I was definitely a chocoholic. For dinner, forget the protein, I'd sit down with chocolate and ice cream. Shortly before I started SB, ELI came home from visiting abroad and brought me 39 of my favorite candy bars, KINDER BUENO. I ate all buy 4 of them (stingy, aren't I). THEN, after the holidays, one of my FAVORITE ICE CREAMS, the Publix Brand with the candy cane pieces in it, well, you know, they mark those down, past season after Xmas, I was eating almost 1 each day:eek: Needless to say, I packed on the pounds before that little light bulb came on that said "You better do something before you hit 200lbs again!!!" I had lost some weight before and SWORE I would NEVER gain it back again, and with each 5lbs increment I saw myself go up, I swore I wouldn't go beyond that point and I did. Thank goodness I caught myself when I did because I was headed higher on the scale daily. I knew I had to do something and I knew I was ready, so off to the library I went and checked out as many books as I could find on the latest "diets". I chose SB over others due to it's common sense, ease and practability. It seemed like something I could do! So, I jumped in with both feet and I haven't looked back. Like I said before, there are some things that seem vague and contradictory in the book, but that's what we can help you out with :) The premise of this WOE is a good one. Once your body gets rid of the sugar and refined crap, you are not even going to crave the sugars that you do now. I didn't have my first piece of SB LEGAL CHOCOLATE until I was almost 1 year OP. I was so scared that I'd go into a feeding frenzy when I took that first bite (less than a 1/2 ounce piece), but I didn't. I have a stash of :^: over 30 chocolate bars in my house that don't even phase me anymore. ALSO, another wonderful "side effect" of this WOE is that I AM NO LONGER AN EMOTIONAL EATER!!! This was my problem in the past and a reason I wasn't able to lose or keep weight off of me. I haven't eaten out of emotions once since I started SB, a claim I'm even more proud of than the weight loss! I'm eating healthier and more food than I ever had on any diet in my life. I'm exercising and even jogging now, something I never did in my life and never thought I'd be doing. I weigh less now than in Elementary School-I could go on, but you get the jest of it. If you want this bad enough, you can lose the weight. You have to decided what's more important, to lose the weight, or have a COKE. When I started SB I would say to myself, "Hershey's was around before I was born, they'll probably be around long after I'm gone and they aren't going broke from me not buying chocolate. One day, if I truly want a Hershey bar, I'll have one, but not now". To tell you the truth, now that I've discovered high cocoa content chocolate, I'll never eat that cheap stuff again-I've been spoiled! I use to HATE dark chocolate-boy, how things can and do change!!!!! SODA, I used to live on diet soda and Crystal Light, but gave them up 1 1/2 years ago due to the aspertame affecting my memory. So now, I drink water, though not as much as I should most days, once in a while tea and just recently, I started drinking some pure cranberry juice that you have to dilute with water that's very good, and low on sugar. You learn to adapt and actually will come to enjoy all the new food experiences. I've learned to love sweet potatoes and can't ever see myself eating a white one again. Instead of looking at the :nono: NO NO FOODS, look at all the foods you can eat on this WOE, it far outweighs what you can't. Just think how healthy you'll be feeling once you get going with this WOE, not only from weight loss, but from eating better. So, you are from VA-that means you MUST have a TRADER JOES in your vicinity! They have lots of wonderful stuff there. My cousins live in BETHESDA and they know that when I come to visit, there's going to be trips to TJ'S! Have a wonderful time at the BOWL GAME, hope your team wins, hope you have great weather along with a safe trip! We look forward to hearing from you when you return!:wave:

GATOR, should of guessed you'd be treking your way down to MIAMI to see the game! Where are you staying while you're here? Wish I could afford to stay at one of those lovely hotels you mentioned, just don't have the funds for a fancy stay, so will more than likely stay elsewhere, though it would be nice if I could find a great deal on something like you mentioned.

MEL, sounds like you got off the wrong side of the bed today! Geez, can we say ACCIDENT PRONE????:?: You and Miss Cleo both aren't doing to well these days, it seems! Glad you liked the Jewish humor-sometimes I get sent some good ones.

TV, glad to see you're not obsessing over the gain and know your body well enough that you know this is just temporary. My body does the same thing and I won't see a loss until right after I ovulate-so even though I don't like what the scale says, I know it comes with the territory. Good job on the water, hope I can say that today. I'm working on 1.5 liters. I know what you mean about the slots, Eli will take more chances than I will putting back winnings, he's won some nice money in the past in Vegas, but not me, so when we went last August, I played very reserved and hardly lost anything. I NEVER win big there. Have fun!!!!

Okay, I'm off for now, will check in later-my headache is pounding at the brain!!!:eek:

Debbie
194/122/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

I'm not lost, just unable to get a moment to connect with all of you. As I may not have a chance to get to the boards before my surgery, I wanted to touch base with you all. I know that I've missed the goings on of the group, but know you are still in my thoughts.

Christmas was beautiful and a wonderful reminder of so very blessed I am. My family got together, we had or bestfriends and my parents spend the night. So many presents around the tree we all barely fit in the room (mind you there's a grand piano and sofa too. I don't quite remember a Christmas like this in my life! It was truly special. I hope the same went for all of you, even though there may be some that celebrate differently I pray this was a truly special time for each one of you.

The new year brings new beginnings for me. Medically I will begin my oral surgeries Jan. 3rd, with a bone graph and additional extraction and graph/implant. As horrible as it sounds, I'm trying to have faith that this time it will be successful. A friend of mine is going to meet with me at lunch, she has this way about her and I know that I will feel better after praying with her. (My pre-op was yesterday, so the anticipation is high for me right now). I gave up on trying to keep to sb, of course now I have guilt and weight gain. I anticipate that after surgery I won't be chewing much (liquid and extremely soft foods for a couple weeks at least), I am going to try and cook this weekend and freeze some soup. This will get me back on track as I feel really uncomfortable with the weight at 165 (or more, I haven't weighed since Wed.) and my arthritis is flaring, so I know I'll feel better when the weight is off again. I didn't do well with the walking tapes and will try to do better after I heal up some.

My family is all healthy and are enjoying their new toys. My husband seems to be handling spending constant time with the kids well too. He went out and rented a bunch of movies last night, so that will give him something extra to do.

Please feel free to email me (ldblond@hotmail.com), it seems I always have a better chance of seeing my email than getting to the boards. I miss all of you and pray that the new year brings, new joys, self-discovery, and many blessings.

Love and Hugs,
Lara

Hi everyone, :wave:

Glad to see everyone had a great holiday! My mom will find out Jan. 7, 2002 if she is going to have to have surgery on her fractured leg or not. She is chomping at the bit because she can't do anything but lay up in the bed and chickenscratch and read. But she has to stay there if she wants to avoid surgery. My child was over the pink eye the day after I started putting the drops in her eyes!!! Thank goodness!!!! We had a great holiday. The wagon ran over me a couple of times but I'm now running over the wagon!!!:lol: I am going to beat the divinity I ate at my mil if its the last thing I do!!;) As of this morning I had lost one of the 2 lbs I had gained in the last 3 weeks.:D So I have the divinity on the move...YEAH!!! I only ate a half a piece and it made me sick at my stomach. My sister made it home from the sunshine state night before last. She said she enjoyed her trip but was sure glad to get home. The Christmas decorations are already took down and put up. My hubby wanted to help me take them down before he went back to work Wed morning. So he helped me take them down. Plus Wed. I got some new decorations at Wal-Mart half price and I am waiting for the next Christmas to put them up. Hope it doesn't get here to soon tho.:dizzy: Well hope everyone has a great weekend and to everyone HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!

Thanks each and everyone of you on the board for all the support and advice this year. Looking forward to this coming year and this board.... :love:

Started SB July 1, 2001
265/209/155ish, 5'5 large frameall

HEY!! I'm so glad to have found this board!! Do you guys mind if I join in?? Can't wait to *really* get started. Gotta get in the right "mindset" tho and I figure this is the place to be for that!:D

Anyhoo, I bought the SB book, cookbook and SB for kids book off Amazon.com, but I completely eliminated sugar from my diet before they arrived. I was doing well till just before Christmas when I ate some of that sugar free chocolate that is available now. It contains Maltitol. Not good!:mad: At least not for me. It set off my cravings again and for the last week, I've eaten alot of sugar. I have the books now and am trying to get my groove back.

I've been exercising consistently and "dieting" on and off since last March. I lost 20 lbs, but the scale hasn't budged since June or July. I'm still 20 lbs from goal and I know it's the sugar and refined foods that are keeping me this way.:devil: Also, I'm TTC at present (this'll be #4) and I just HAVE to keep from gaining my usual 50+lbs.

So that's my story. I can see that you guys are really dedicated to this plan and each other. I also noticed 3 others from Louisiana!! "HI":) AND, someone's going to Tunica, MS of all places. I grew up about 10 miles from Tunica. Funny that people actually travel there. You should have seen that place when I was a kid!!!:lol:

I'll shut up now. Robin.

Evening All:wave:

Still have a slight headache, but now I've got a backache to go along with it!:rolleyes: Just as I was going to lie down this afternoon, my Mom brought Lauren home. She wanted to go to the mall with her friend, so no rest for the weary and one in pain. Then I had to take out the neighbors dog that Michael is dog sitting. Went on the back patio and cleaned that off, it's looking good. Made dinner and then back ache kicked in-terribly painful, but seems to be subsiding. Oye, the joy of getting old!!!!

Thought I'd get in a post before it got too late. I'm not long for staying up late tonight, Eli's having to close SB tonight, so no reason to stay up, nothing worthwhile on TV-so will call it an early night. Catch up on the old beauty rest.

Doesn't seem like there's any garage sales around this week:( Will more than likey just stay home and tackle the 4th bedroom and dining room tomorrow-needs to get done, just a few days to go!

I keep forgetting to tell you that I've been blow drying my hair straight this past week or so. I got sick of waking up in the morning with witch hair, I didn't even want to look in the mirror. It looks so much better in the morning straight than curly.

LDBLOND, please let us know how things go and know we will be praying for it being successful without complications and pain;) Don't feel ANY guilt about not being able to follow SB at this time, you have bigger fish to fry, SB will take a back seat. When you are better, then you can focus on betting back OP. Sounds like you had a wonderful Xmas. Have you heard from NANCE at all??? Again, keep us informed on what takes place and know that I'll send out a prayer for you!!!:D

THUNDER, divinity, my goodness I haven't had that in years! Yum! Okay, so you had a good time, but it's good to hear you are back OP and looking forward. Congrats on getting rid of 1 of the 2lbs you mysteriously;) gained, I'm sure the other one isn't long to stay on your body. Hope your Mom doesn't have to have the surgery-read her the riot act of staying put!

JAMMIN, WELCOME TO THE BOARD! Glad you've decided to join our wonderful group. Another LA gal-you're in good company with quite a few on the board as you have found. Still, the FL gals have everyone out numbered though:D You are very perceptive, we are very dedicated on this board, at least I think so. On the chocolate, I don't recommend that you eat any kind of chocolate until you are more near to goal, as also suggested in Michael Montignacs book. I think SB does an injustice by not stipulating this, and just as you found, this can easily cause problems. PLUS, I wouldn't touch that fake chocolate stuff, it's not good for you, at least not in my humble opinion. I'm sure once you get OP you'll lose those last 20lbs. What's really great about SB is when you do get prego you can continue eating OP without any trouble, that is, unless your DR. says otherwise. Don't hesitate to ask any questions, we're more than happy to help try and answer any you may have. Again, WELCOME!!

Okay gals, I'm a goner for the rest of the evening. I'll check in with the board sometime tomorrow.

Nite!

Debbie
194/122/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

Debbie--We are staying at the Hilton in Ft. Lauderdale by the airport. We're staying there Wed. night. I think we are taking a Gator bus from the hotel to Joe Robbie and then the bus back to the hotel. We'll come back Thurs. morning.

Thanks for the kind words Grizzie, and glad I have a friend of the Gators on the board. There are lots of gals who root for other SEC teams and the Gators are the team that they all love to hate, so I really appreciated your good wishes. I hope we beat the Turtles because we definitely want to beat an ACC team!! And same for you guys, to beat an ACC team. We call them the "Almost Competitive Conference."

Got my suit jacket all altered, and the sleeves are now short enough for my fat little arms. I had to shorten them by about 3.5 inches!! Decided to clean up the laundry/sewing room also, so now it looks really neater than it has in 6 months. There were some clothes in there where some carpenter ants had made a next and there were about 50 ants running around when I started cleaning up. Yuck!! I don't know why ants would want to take up residence in the folds of a cotton T-shirt, but they are now all dead, queen and all. Yuck.

Looks like UGA is gonna lose to BC. Any GA fans out there. Richt is not really bright with some of the calls he made tonight. UGA should have kicked that ball instead of trying to make that 4th down on the 45 yd. line. We were pulling for the bulldawgs, but their coach has got to do his part.

Well, am gonna go and tidy up some other rooms. Take care, all.

Hi everybody. I've been lurking lately. Too busy and too guilty to post.:o I have not been good the last couple of weeks. All the candy is out of the house now, so here's hoping that I'll get back on the wagon. Sounds like everyone had a nice holiday. Our kids got entirely too many presents. Most of them were much needed clothes along with some pretty cool educational toys --Leapfrog stuff.

Welcome to the newcomers. :)

Pravda: Where are you in TX?

Hope to get back in the swing of things here on the board. I still have a week till I go back to school, so I'm really being lazy.

Morning Everyone! Did you miss me?!! I have been so busy have not had time to sit down at the computer. Sounds like everyone had a great christmas. Mine was great too.
Frog - Wish I had known you were down my way. I am so close to Callaway. We could have hooked up. I have a 92 accord that is still going with over 161,000 miles on it! I love it. Great car. The best I have ever owned. I highly recommend it.

I have been trying to clean and throw out some stuff. Getting rid of stuff that just clutters is hard. But gotta get rid of some of it. Will have a yardsale in the spring. Really need to clean out the closet and shed some clothes that don't fit. Keep thinking someday....I'll get back into those clothes. Have been trying to stay on plan but have strayed over the season. Not too bad though. Have not weighed either:^: I figure 1/1 I'll weigh. I know I am lighter than last 1/1 so that is progress. I did go to Christmas at my husbands family and had not seen some of them since June and several commented on the weight I had lost so that made me feel good.

Everyone Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I will try to check in between now and then.
;)

Just wanted to post a quick Happy Saturday note to y'all!

I am attempting to get a head count for just who will be at SOL's on Saturday, yes that is one week from today :spin: !! I know that SOL, Vince, DEB, Eli, GATOR, and me and DH. Are BIG KNIGHT'S MAMA and ZSUZSU coming too? Anyone else from the board? I feel like I am forgetting someone! Could one of you chicks let me know ASAP who all is coming? I'd really appreciate it!

Seems as though some of you are having ailments of the physical nature! Keep those things to yourself! I am already worried that I will be plagued with 2 on race day, my right knee (ITB) and left hip flexor. Send me the good pain-free karma please!

WELCOME NEWBIES!! We love have joiners to our wonderful group. If it's support and friendship you are looking for, you've come to the right place.

Will check back soon to see who is coming to O-Town. Did I mention that I am SOOO EXCITED about meeting all of y'all? :cool:

Later!

Peace,
FROG

p.s. Miss No Name Kitty was allowed to stay on the enclosed (heated and cooled, with comfy furniture) porch while we are visiting the in-laws? Now that's PROGRESS!!!!! :D

Hi everybody! It's a better morning here- haven't fallen over anything yet! Cleo and I did a slow 4.5 miles this morning, after a lazy, sleeping-in start to the day. By the time I got out of bed, both animals were whining, and ds had absorbed several hours of garbage TV. She and I are both moving better, but no speed records were set. I'm just thankful she's moving, I was terrified my running partner's running days were over:( .

Went to another party last night and had- tada- WATER! NO FOOD, NO ALCOHOL, tho one joker did ask me if I was really on my fifth glass of straight vodka. Like I'd still be standing:D These mystery pounds are coming off if I have to do a kitchen lipo job!

Frog- I forgot to answer your car question last post- we are the world experts on Camrys, having owned 4 since they brought out the model. We always buy them used with between 40-70,000 miles on them and they never give up! DH currently drives an '89 with 165,000 miles, runs great (V6, manual trans) but I'm getting real sick of looking at it. He swears it will go another 3-5 years and unfortunatly, he's probably right. I just sold my dd's 92 with 96,000 miles (v4, manual tran) because her gift for getting a full scholarship was a new car- 2002 Corolla, much cheaper than tuition! Absolutly nothing wrong with the Camry, ran great looked pretty good, but we spoil her.:o I've had a long string of very expensive to maintain Swedish cars, and finally gave in and bought what's basically an expensive souped up Accord, and Acura 3.2TL, lightly used. I like it too. Our mechanic, while sad to loose the income from my Swedish dogs, said I probably would have been slightly better off with a loaded Camry or Lexus 300 (a loaded Camry) to keep it running forever cheaply, but the Acura (Honda) was also a good choice. So I think it probably comes down to whichever you like to drive better. The Honda seemed a lot lower with a more down-sloping hood, which enabled me to see out of it better. I know you are considerably taller than me, so you might find that annoying- my dh did. Anyway, have fun test driving- based on empirical data, I'd say go with the Camry. Just don't buy a Volvo or Saab!!!

Hello Nascar, glad to see you're still around!

Gator- You sound like a real Martha Stewart with those menus and altering suit jackets! Wanna come visit me for a while? Have a good time cheering for your gators, I'm not a football fan but I hate Md.'s other teams, so squash those terps!! Their lacrosse goalie tried to kill my daughter last year after she scored on her. Nice sportsmanship!

Deb- Hope your feeling better today- cleaning really is not good for you. My solutions is move when the rooms get full:lol:

gotta go do something useful-

mel

It's lovely and sunny here today. a little crisp, but I think warmer than the past couple of days.

Busy day yesterday. Went to friends' place for brunch. Actually stayed pretty well OP. Came home for about a 1/2 hour then off to another friends' place to celebrate New Years a little early (He has to work NY eve) Too much food. But stayed pretty well OP there too. Today off to DB and SIL place for dinner. They know how I'm supposed to be eating and will probably have good choices for me.

Just checking in. Lots to read! I had to make notes and still I don't think I got everybody.

Pravda, Grizabee, Jammin & Carol101 Welcome! This is a great place for support and info. Some of you are worried that this will be a difficult plan to follow. anything new can be overwhelming. I am not a sweets person--but I love the bad carbs--which is the same thing to our bodies. I have found this a very easy plan to follow (when I follow it). In the 4 months I've been trying this WOE I've lost 6 inches, 6lbs and one dress size. Might not sound like much, but the best thing is that I feel lots better. It's hard to describe, but my body just didn't like all the sugar and carbs. My head doesn't feel "fuzzy" anymore. I just have to be more dilegent about following the WOE more.

If the WOE sounds too overwhelming, maybe try changing a few things at a time. Substitute a big glass of water for a soda. Try to eat one extra fresh fruit/veggie a day. But for some, going cold turkey is the way to go. We each have to find our own way and what works for us. I like this WOE cause I don't have to measure anything--but I do have to remember moderation.

If any of you have questions, feel free to ask. Someone will have an answer for you. Or if you stumble a little (or a lot) we're here to help you get back on track.

Debelli I hope you're feeling better today. Backaches and headaches are no fun. I have to chuckle whenever I read of your cleaning escapades. You sound just like me. I have piles all over. I'm not a great one for cleaning but when I do, I scour everything like crazy--go over everything with a fine tooth comb, and start tossing stuff out. I like to borrow my friend's saying "thank goodness for company or else the place would never get cleaned"

Meliris Hope your day started out a lot better today. Hope you're recovering from all your injuries! Take care of yourself.

TV I loved the "Random Thoughts" I'll have to print it out and stick it on the fridge.

ldblond Good luck with the surgeries. I'll be thinking of you and hope that you heal quickly.

EVERYONE ELSE A big "Hello"

Well, all this talk about the hummus I just HAD to go out and get some tahini so that I could make it. Now I'll have something different to munch on. I had never thought of eating it with celery! I can't wait to try it.

Now that Christmas is over, I'm starting to feel gung ho again about getting back to eating at least 80% OP and getting in that exercise. All the visiting threw the routine out the window. I'd like to get down 20 lbs by the end of February. Ha! Too far fetched a goal. At least 10 lbs would be good. So that's what I'm gonna shoot for.

Well, I'm gonna go start getting ready to go out--AFTER I make some hummus. Talk to you all soon

Those of you who've ordered Agave from the internet--I'm looking for somewhere to order. Could you please give me the internet addy of a company you've had no problems with and you feel is very reliable. I'm kind of leary ordering since I'm in Canada. I'm thinking about ordering it and sending it to my inlaws in West Palm Beach and have them bring it home when they come at Easter. Would save me a bunch of duty and shipping charges. I have about 2 1/2 bottles left and I'm also using Stevia (I do prefer agave tho) so that should do me till they come home.

Thanks a bunch.

Hummus OH BOY!!!! Deb that hummus recipe is amazing. A heck of a lot cheaper than buying it and tastes a lot better. Also with making it, as the recipe says, you can adjust for your own taste.

Meliris looks like I was typing while you posted. Glad you had a better morning.

Hi everyone! Hello. I'm back. Just a note to let you know I'm still not dead. Think I've figured a way to get a little extra time on the machine. Today is my 6th month anniversary on sb :love: I will tell you that I planned and went off the wagon for the week of Christmas and have 5 lbs to prove it. I had actually touched 149 before the dreaded pounds went on. I'm back on for 2nd day now and I have to say I don't miss sugar. Ok, a wee bit. :o I couldn't literally eat all the things I imagined I would if given the chance I was stuffed. Not to mention on the constant sugar high. Who needs alcohol? I was a little paranoid about how I would handle getting back on. Would I cheat? So I'm just as rigid as I was at the beginning of sb and can't wait for my stomach to unbloat. But I do love those size 12's my hubby bought me for Christmas. Not to mention all the Victoria Secret undies and bras Santa gave me.

Enough about me. Wow, lots of names I haven't seen before so the board is alive and well. Welcome to all of you. Glad to see some of the old names too. It will probably take me a month to catch up but I will. I turned my neighbor onto the sb plan and she went on just after Thanksgiving and she's shed 15 lbs so far. So I am now her new best friend or at least sb is. She and I are both devestated about the agave nectar since we love it in our coffee. There is just nothing like it.

Well, laundry and family calls. Taking down the tree. sniff. It dried out too fast and the needles are breaking off. Oh well, gonna leave up my other decorations for a while and have some candles glowing if nothing else for a while.

Love, Ally ('fly)

HidieHo all!

My goodness time flies. Have been sooo busy. Yesterday dd and I went to the mall twice!!! I used some of my gift certificate money. Bought two pairs of shoes, one pair were sandals. A denim long skirt and a pair of slacks. The slackes were a 20, I could put on a pair of 18s but if I wanted to sit down was another matter!!!!!! Today we just rested.

JAMMIN' - Glad to see another LA gal!! I'm a next door neighbor almost, I live in Slidell! Maybe someday we can meet!! I've been over to mandeville, twice in as many days. Discovered the Book Rack, bought a couple of books, When we got home dd catalogues my collection, I had some doubles so we went back the next day for a trade, or a sell/buy I should say. Also went to Barnes and Noble.

ID - hope all is well for surgery, prayers are with you.

For those who asked, dil not sick, just was too big!!! She had huge breasts and is not a big girl. Was a F/G cup. Had back and shoulder aches, doctor suggested headaches can be caused by strap pressure, so she had reduction surgery. Is doing fine. My dd is an RN in Ob/GYN, so dil had a private duty nurse as dd is visiting.

I wrapped six gifts for Little Christmas to give to a few people who have been nice to me since I moved here. I made cross stitch bookmarks. Didn't want anything too big as I just wanted it to be a thank you gift, not something so big as to embarrass them. It's the thought that counts, I hope.

Have to go. Take care, sef

Hello all,
I guess you guys thought Santa Claus kidnapped me didn't you?? Well he didn't .....as my DH says if someone took you they would bring you back....bless his heart!!!:)
We had a wonderful holiday....my brother and his family were here for a couple of days and we had fun playing with the horses. My new babies are keeping me very busy. But I love the time I get to spend with them. I will be making a run to the feed store on Monday.....boy they eat a lot....LOL.
I have stayed OP fairly well.......but will be back to my routine when school starts back....that always helps me for some reason.
Glad to hear that everyone had a good holiday. I am jealous of you all that are meeting next weekend. I hope you make lots of pictures to share with us and hopefully one day I can get in on one of these get togethers.
Take care and I will cya all later.

Debbie :)

Evening all. Thought Id get on and say my Happy New Year as my
resolutions will begin tomorrow instead of Tuesday (no time like the present).

I read somewhere in a post that 2002 would be a New Year and New Me. Well Ive been on Sb 6 months and dont have a lot to show for it. Of course its my fault. I finally accepted that fact that I'm a chocaholic and sugar freak. Its a disease with me so I have to learn to treat it as such. I have decided to give up all forms of the stuff , sugar-free included till I meet my goal of 135 lbs. Its going to be hard. Too bad theres not a Chocaholics or Sugar Freaks Anonymous. I could probably use a program like that,
but I know I can get the support here, as I have gotten alot of support before. You guys are a wonderful bunch and Im thankful that I found yall 6 months ago, only wish I was really ready to start and stay on the program then without cheating, but now Im ready and rar'in to start again.

So everyone have a safe and Happy New Year and see you on the board 010102.

Evening All:wave:

Thought I'd take a break and get in a post before it got too late and I got too tired.

Eli and I had part of the day together today before he had to head off to work. Should of been off today I found out, but a worker didn't come back from vacation, so he had to go in. We went up to Broward for lunch, some Carbolite and to p/u some agave syrup the HFS was holding for me. I had ordered another case for my neighbor, they said their supplier was out:eek: I'm just hoping this is not the start of having trouble getting it, but I doubt it since I know the bottler still has a good supply of agave still. At WHOLE FOODS, I got 5 [b]CRANBERRY SCONES[b] I KNEW I shouldn't of bought them! I ate 3 of them. I swear, I couldn't control myself, it was like I use to be with chocolate! It was like a siren, calling my name. I was in the car and told Eli I felt like I was pulling to eat them-pretty disgusting. THEN, I even had some SF CHEESECAKE-I was a sad case today!!!!!

Anyhow, since I've been home I've been cleaning! We tackled the back patio today and it's nice and clean, so I can set up some chairs and tables out there and not be embarressed at having it look like a pig sty. Have a few things on the outside to get rid of, which I'll take to Salvation Army tomorrow to donate. Got the dining room just about done, have to go dust the table and eterge I have in there, that will be it then. Not a lot to do, just a bunch of little things, like dusting and washing the floors, and vaccuming, which I'll leave til Monday. The house is getting decent looking. The 4th bedroom WAS better, but I had to stick some Ebay boxes in there for now, so it's looking a bit more cluttered, but heck, if anyone wants to complain about it, let them!!!!

No garage sales today, not a one. Two weeks in a row, and I didn't have withdrawls (okay, didn't have money anyhow). Didn't exercise either, which I should of done:^:

GATOR, I think that's the yellow and white Hilton you are staying at-not too far from Ole Ole;) Hope your team wins!!

MUSIC, I'm sure after you get back to work and back into the routine of things, you'll get back on track. Surely, you don't want to undo all the good you've already done;)

NASCAR, sounds like we both are in the cleaning mode this week! Did you ever get the agave syrup samples I sent???

FROG, did you get my e-mail with the head count? Less than a week to go!!!! YIPEEEEE!!!!!!!

MEL, glad to hear you and Miss Cleo got in some exercise! Loved your cleaning solution, but if I followed that, I'd of moved a million times!!!!

ZANNE, I would think you'd be cold up there by now, esp. when I hear the snow that Buffalo is having, you think farther north it just has to be worse-guessed wrong, I guess. I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one with piles. Honestly, I think it's hereditary, my Mother does the same darned thing! AND, the reason the house is getting cleaned up now is just the reason you said, COMPANY IS COMING, otherwise, it wouldn't of gotten done so fast, it's my NY RESOLUTION to get it and keep it clean, but when I say that, that's over time-remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, well, my house surely won't get cleaned in a day, or even a month, but I'm going to work on it. ;) Tell you In-Laws to see if they are going to be in the Boca Raton area (south of WPB) to go to the WHOLE FOODS there, they should have the agave, or they can call and order in a case. If not, let me know and I'll try to find someone in the southeast so shipping wouldn't be a killer. So you made the hummus! Glad you liked it.

FLY, my goodness, I thought you'd forgotten about us! LOL! Glad to see your post! Congrats on your 6 month SB ANNIVERSARY. Okay, I know you said you planned to go off plan, but did you think you'd gain 5lbs from doing so?? Just curious. I can't imagine that all being from what you ate though, you'd have to eat in excess of what you normally would be over 17K calories! Victoria Secrets huh? That's a place I know I'll never buy/get anything from! Hey, did you see GRIZ is from VA as well! Anyhow, glad to see you back and hope you'll find a little time to post a bit more often-we did miss ya!

SEF, when I read about your new duds it brought back memories. When I was a kid I had to lie down to zip up my jeans and I was always so scared the zipper was going to bust when I tried to sit down! Sounds like you had a good time at the Mall. Thanks for explaining about your DIL, that's big busted, for sure. I was a 48DDD at my highest weight (probably bigger but stuffed myself into that size), so I can't imagine being an F/G, esp. if the rest of the body is small!

BUS, glad to hear you had a good holiday and had a good time with your family. Oh, I'm sure yours and everyone elses ears will be burning on Saturday when we get together. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share with the board. Hoping that we can all get together in Oct. in NC for our RETREAT-please try to plan for that.

CAT, glad to see your post. Just read what I wrote about HERSHEYS like 2 posts ago. Just remember, you're not having to give up sugar forever, just until you get to goal and it doesn't over power your life. I doubt anyone was a bigger consumer of chocolate than I was, and now, it no longer has that effect on me and I can have a small piece and be satisfied. I'm sure iwth your new outlook and the New Year coming, you'll get the bug and get on the right track to meet your goal!:D

Okay, I've got to get back to cleaning-not much time left before I go to bed.

Will check in after my walk/jog tomorrow morning.

Nite!

Debbie
194/121/129
SB since 3/22/00
Reached goal 6/10/01

Good afternoon again. I heard a lot of complaining before Christmas about it being too warm for the season. Personally--I enjoyed not having big heating bills. Too bad it's cold now. Hope it's not too cold for our Northern pals. Hang in there. Spring will be here before we know it.

Took the boys to Jimmy Neutron yesterday. Succeeded in staying awake. Sometimes it's a real challenge. Never succeeded in a Pokemon movie. We did see "Lord of the Rings" last week. Did like that. Read the series as a teenager. :)

SEF-You'll be sitting in size 18 slacks soon. Glad dil has relief on the way.

BusDeb-Glad you are still here.

catlover-loved the chocolate and sugar freak anonymous. I'll be a member too if they ever open a chapter.

Deb-you could always ship one of those cranberry scones my way. Forget about you? NEVER. No way I would've thought 5 lbs in one week.

Well, Peter's here and we have to shop (horrors-too many Christmas shopping memories) for Patricks birthday next Saturday. So, love to all.

'Fly Now at 153

It's a NEW WEEK, time for the NEW WEEKLY BOARD to begin. Here's the link:

http://64.119.161.199/forum/showthread.php?postid=141718&t=2777#post141718

See you ther!!!:D