Weight Watchers - Counting down from 250 and beyond - Feb 16 motivating towards spring!

Welcome to everyone!! We are a wonderful group of friends from all over and from various starting points. We're here to share laughter, frustrations, disappointments, and wonderful successes. If you're looking for support, we're here for all. Come on in and join the group.

Hello ladies!!

I'm so excited that I don't have to work today. This is my second Saturday off since Christmas. Today I'm relaxing around the house going to do housework, laundry, bill paying, yard raking, dog training and some exercise. I'm giddy to be home.

So far, I've sat and read a magazine!! Better get moving soon.

Once again, I had a good week going foodwise. I was really proud of myself on Thursday. A sales team from a recruiter firm stopped by on Thursday to meet with me just to introduce themselves and hope that I remember their name whenever I need to hire someone. So of course, they come with food. Fresh bagels and cream cheese. I had already eaten breakfast but that didn't stop me from eating one. So I did the right thing and made that my lunch with some added fruit and nuts later on. I was able to squeak by within my points for the day. But yesterday, a different firm dropped off two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. I ate three. THREE! :eek: and I wasn't smart about lunch that time. All that carb and sugar left me starved and way over in points for the day. I really did not like the way I felt after that sugar rush bottomed out. YUCKY and starved. Maybe that will be a lesson learned.

Here's the other stupid thing about it. I had finally gotten the scale to budge and was back down to 257 that morning. Then I'll wonder why I can't get past the plateau. GRRR. :mad: Oh well, that's why all the planned activity today.

I hope everyone has a great and OP weekend! Let's beat the sabotage :devil:

More replies later! Laundry is calling.

Well, maybe I won't quit WW after my 12 week prepaid runs out. It certainly does help to keep me more or less honest. I'll think about it. I truly do get more inspiration here than from WW meetings though.

Last night hubby and I went to a small wedding reception for one of my dearest friends who got married in a very private, family wedding two weeks ago. She and her new hubby have just returned from their Caribbean honeymoon and the party was held at his sister's house (a gorgeous home). Anyhow, we ate dinner before we left so I was easily able to avoid all the goodies set out on the dining room table. But, no way could I turn down a slice of the wedding cake and I enjoyed every sinful bite of it too. :o Trying to stay OP today.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend.
LindaBC

Hello,

I've been looking at the message boards and think that this one would be a good fit for me....very supportive and honest.

Now that I'm 45 I'm feeling very motivated to lose weight. Feel that there's no more time to fool around with my health.

Plus, I have a three year old daughter and I want to stay healthy and be here for her until SHE's 45 herself!

I'm following the WW program online. One problem I've had with losing weight is not doing the journal. So, as I begin here I'll make a committment to myself to journal everyday.

Looking forward to being here!

mom2xiaomei

grrr lost my long post! off to work to sulk. I am doing ok, in fact very well.
Cant believe it went! But no time now.
love to all
lilac

This weekend was a "shop 'til you drop" weekend -- we left the house by 5 am every day and didn't return 'til past 10 pm! One of our favourite places to buy stuff to resell was holding a clearance sale -- and we hit every store in 200 miles! Yippee skippy!

I'm tired and hurt a bit -- back, legs, arms -- but we did great. Plus I kept on track eating-wise -- and I can't ask more than that! And shopping is a GREAT workout -- at least when you're at it for 12 hours a day. ;) :lol:

Terri I hope you enjoyed your Saturday off. :) I've been struggling with eating well too lately. I do very well for many days but then I'm overwhelmed with a "but the chocolate eclair from ABC is only 3 points -- so I can have one every time I go" or "but I can have a serving of sunflower seeds in the shell for 3 points -- so they're a great car food" and then *poof* I'm treating myself to "treats" more than I'm remembering that "treats" don't necessarily make for the body I want. Arg. :(

Linda - I toy with quitting too -- lately I'm only weighing in every other week -- 'cause I get my support online and at home so weighing in is really all I look for from my WW center... but then I realize how much easier it is to lie to myself when I don't have someone else holding me accountable so, for me, for now, its best that I check in.

mom2xiaomei -- Welcome!! I journal online and love it!!

Lilac -- I hate missing message syndrome. In fact, I'm gonna copy this message before hitting reply so I can paste it if it gets lost! I always mean to do this -- but never remember until its too late. :D

Well, I am going to have a go at actually getting a decent post up on the board today instead of it disappearing off!
I lost .5 last week, which was ok. I expected it to be more, but then again there were a few chocolates (but I had counted them in points......) I am getting towards the weight now (16 stone) where they cut my points by two a day (we dont get a range of points in the uk, per se - we just get x number (I am on 26) and told we can save up to four a day, and earn up to 12 a week from exercise). So I am thinking that my body is wanting to go down to 24 a day, which I do when I hit 16 stone (224). I am 232.5 now. I will probably stick to 26 until I get to 224 pounds though - I dont mind it being slow.

Lunch today will either be zero point soup (I put too much green veg in and it is a bit insipid this week...:lol: ) or left over lamb curry which will have 4 points a portion. Tonight I am having north african lamb......I am going to marinade it in cumin, coriander and cinnamon, and then lightly grill it, and stuff it in to a warm pitta with a spread of hummous, and some roasted red and yellow peppers! Yum! But it is college night so I wont be in until 11pm which means I have to leave clueless house mate in charge of the food preparation :( so no idea what will happen really:)

In fact she is very good at cooking, but panics a bit when I suggest something different.

Glad to meet momxia, and hello to everyone else. Your shopping trip sounds amazing Bunny. I have been following that dreadful story on the news about the crem. in Georgia - that is near to you is it not? Why did they do it? How shocking. Linda, I think it is hard to decide what is best to do as far as ww is concerned. You could take a break all together from weight loss - if it has become a burden and a 'have to' I certainly get paralyzed and want to scream LOVE ME FOR MYSELF!!!!!!!!!!! from the top of all the steeples! But that is just me. I find the meetings keep me on track as it is a regular fixture for me to moniter how I am doing. I hate all the talking to other people stuff though (I like to just weigh and go, although I stayed to meeting this week which was ok). And Terri - I know that sugar feeling. I think I am addicted to sugar. I have a lot of these 1.5 point bars during the day which are basically pure sugar. It has got to stop at some point.

Anyway, love to everyone, and sorry about yesterday's post, which said all of this (so much more eloquantly...!) not making it. Off to marinade my lamb and roast my peppers....
love
Lilac

Good morning!

Wow, its Wednesday already. Where does time go so quickly?

I'm hanging in there and doing well with food. I've also been doing well with my determination about exercise. I've been doing strength training (for weak upper body and midsection) each morning. Its starting to show a smidge. I've also been working on the spinner to get my biking legs broken in. Actually last night I did 18 mins and cranked the tension up a notch. I'm trying to etch this unto my brain that this is what it will be for the rest of my life. Although I have determined that once I reach 70 I'm eating whatever I want, laying on a chaise lounge all day if I want or whatever not good for me thing I want!!!

Lilac - North african lamb. Made my mouth water this morning. Not that I've had north african lamb but it sounds delicious. Congrats on your loss this week and last. Slow and steady is the best way for the long term. If you only lose a pound a week, that's still 52 pounds a year. How's the walking?

Bunny - Wow, what a power shopper. That had to burn a few points!

Mom2 - I do the WW online and love it. I especially love the menu plans for ideas. Welcome to the group!

Linda - I know the feeling about the WW meetings. That's why I do the WW online. I have weigh-in's on Monday and if I don't record it, there is a message reminding me. I also gave up on looking for motivation from the meetings. But everyone's different so good luck and hang in there!

I need to go do my morning exercises and get ready for work.

have a great day!

In another rush this a.m., that's all I seem to do lately. But did take the time to read the posts. It's good to see the accomplisments you are making with exercise, wise eating choices,

I have been on the upward swing for weeks now and have decided to abandon the meetings because paying to be told I gained is very defeating. This on line thing sounds interesting!

Things have been hard around here with my son and wife going through a very emotional time, lots of fights, you can see and feel the tension and hurt. Whats a parent to do? It stresses me out, I hate confrontations.
So, to make my stressed life better... eat comfort food! Maybe a shopping spree, exercise bike ride, curried lamb dinner???

All I know is between work, volunteering at 2 places, my family, I am exhausted, mentally physically and emotionally. Want to withdraw from both volunteer positions ( leader of both groups)... just want to be quite and at home.

Sorry for the whine this a.m. Thanks for listening...I still am motivated to loose the weight and I sure like the support from this thread.

Talk to you soon

Hi --

I really had to talk myself into posting tonight. My pattern in the past has been to make all kinds of "promises" to myself about changing behavior but I'm realizing that those "promises" were really lies I was telling myself to avoid feeling guilty and anxious about not making the changes I need to make.


So I'm trying to do something different ---- checking in with you like I said I would

I have been journaling and it has not been a pretty sight. I'm finding out that If I go "off program" a bit then I say what the "he double toothpick" and pig out. But I am journaling it all --- another step toward being honest with myself I hope.

Exercise has never been a problem for me...I'm thankful for that. I walk or treadmill half an hour a day and also do weights three times a week.

Teakie, sounds like the family scene is pretty rough right now. I hope you'll listen to yourself and take care of yourself (give up those volunteer positions if you can for right now anyway!)

Glitter, what's your secret in having time to prepare all that lamb??? Do you roast a leg of lamb and then use the leftovers? Or do you use another cut of the lamb??? I love lamb but only eat it once in awhile because it seems like such a chore.

Hang in there everyone!

Mom2Xiaomei

Hi everyone!
it is thursday evening. I had a computer training today, on Advanced Excel. :dizzy: what was all that about??? :lol: I think I got a few bits of it. It is all a bit abstract for me, but I can see the benefits of all those scarey formulae etc. It is a long time since I had to worry what a 'function' was or what 'sigma' was etc!

Today is veggie delivery day so tonight I am going to roast a chicken and have it with steamed broccoli, and a sort of braised savoy cabbage with some bacon, and maybe some baby turnips.

Mom2xia- there is no secret, except just doing it in the morning before work, although that probably only works if you enjoy cooking. I buy any lamb marked 'low fat' or 'lean'. This time I used these things called 'lean lamb steaks' which were thin cut bits about the size of your palm. They were good. It only takes two minutes to take them out of the supermarket pack, sprinkle the herbs and spices on with some lemon juice, and put them in a bowl in the fridge covered with cling film. I find it is really worth it as it keeps me interested in my food, and otherwise I end up eating 'easy food' ie high fat pre prepared food. Roasting a leg of lamb would be a good idea too, although a bit fatty and I cant resist it once its there....:lol: . I am going to save some of tonight's roast chicken to put in to another dish, maybe a pasta sauce or something.......but I suppose I will have to throw away the skin. How hard it that!!! I LOVE chicken skin :(

Teaki........Sounds like things are stressful at the moment. I think it can be a mistake to take on a lot of voluntary work (I have been there, and done that myself, and I know how tiring it can get). I also have two voluntary things which I do, and sometimes it can seem too much. It is important to get space for yourself at those times and let others carry the load of it for a while. you can come back to it when you have more time (although I dont practise what I preach on this one! :lol: )

Terri........I am so pleased to hear that it is going well and that you have started with the bike! I cant wait to hear how that all unfolds. Is it a sponsored charity thing? can I sponsor you? I would love to.

And hello to everyone else out there too!

I am off downstairs now to read my book for a couple of hours before cooking dinner, what luxury.
love
Lilac

Hello, everyone!

Tonight's ham, scalloped potatoes, and lima beans. It means smaller portions than my pre-menstrual body would prefer (I crave salt and fat when I'm, er, monthly) however, I can manage as I bought only as much as my family o' four can eat -- which should make it easier.

I just finished making my first ever graphic for our gaming website -- I "dressed up" the logo with little video-gaming things. It was fun!

Now I find I'm at loose ends 'cause I got up so early this morning that I've already finished all I had planned for the day. :cool: I've even begun loading The Sims on to my lap top to amuse me when we fly to LA in May. That's how bored I am! LOL!

Sorry I have been MIA lately! I had a maintain this Monday at WI. This week has not been so great either. I already have vacation brain, and am not real motivated to diet right now. I don't know why, but I just don't feel like counting those damn points! So for now, I am concentrating on water, and excercise (30 minutes on the treadmill per session). I will walk the treadmill whenever possible. Who knows! I will continue to weigh myself and try to eat health, but I don't want to count! :mad: Please know that I have read every one of your posts and send my love and support to all!

LindaBC - It is bad luck if you don't eat a slice of cake at a wedding reception :lol:

Mom2 - WELCOME!

Lilac - You should write a cookbook... Everything you make sounds so delic!

My love to you all!
G

Well, tomorrow morning (Fri) is another WI. Gosh they come quickly! On the weekend I think I can cheat a bit because there's still a week to go but by Wed I'm thinking ... "Oops, better smarten up here". Actually, this week has been mostly OP for me and I've been to the pool twice. I'll go again tomorrow morning before WI and hope my body doesn't soak up several pounds of water...hey! it can happen! :lol:
Today I went to a Creative Memories scrapbooking party and got two pages done of a book I want to make for my older daughter's June birthday. Just memories of her life until now. I can't believe the damage done to my old photos by those old fashioned "magnetic" albums. I ended up buying a starter kit to the tune of $175 but I'm sure I'll find lots of uses for the paper cutter alone. I already had some stuff from when I put together my Memories of Scotland album last fall. My friends, if you aren't using acid free albums to store your photos, you are in for a nasty surprise in a few years. I was going through some of the albums my Mom left me and her treasured photos have deteriorated so much I worry that it's too late to save them.

A dieting challenge coming up for me on Saturday when we attend the retirement party of a friend. There are bound to be lots of nummy goodies. Hopefully I can overcome my natural instinct to pig out and damn the consequences. One thing I never do though is lie to myself. If I bite it, I write it even though I feel terrible. Better to face up to my indiscretions than pretend I don't know why I've had a gain.

Anyhow, I'll let you know how I make out at tomorrow's WI. (gulp) :^:
LindaBC

Hello everyone
I had half a day of computer training today (Access databases) and that was quite enough for me, so I have come home for the afternoon. Skiving off! I am now happy that I can do the basic things I need to in Access though, and maybe even review how we have the databases set up at work and make some changes, so it was a good course to have done. Also it was run just for the voluntary sector in my area so I met some people and did some good networking.

For breakfast I went to starbucks and had a mocha with soy and no cream (dont know how many points but I am counting it as four) and some cake (3.5), and for lunch I had a pitta bread 1.5 and trout 4 and mayo 1 and sugar snap peas and tomatos (zero) so my total points today is 14. I have a prawn curry planned for tonight.

I am glad it is the weekend. This has seemed like a long week. I have been feeling a bit non specifically stressed out, for no reason I can identify. Money has been a bit tricky, as Australia, Christmas and the new computer all came in at the same time and I had completely under budgeted, and I am having some decorating done and had forgotton to count the decorators money in to my reckoning (and he is £100 a day and I have had him for nearly 10 days since November.......:eek: ). So that is part of the worry. I need to have a rebudgeting session :( . I really cant believe I totally forgot to count £1000 worth of decorating expenses in to my calculations. It is like when you forget to count your wine points!!:lol:

Does anyone else out there use windows xp by the way? and is anyone else having teething troubles with it? it is doing something funny to my email :mad:

Linda, the scrap book sounds wonderful. I used to love doing that when I was little, but have not really done it since I grew up. I often look at the albums and scrapbooks in the shops and think I might have a go, but never quite do.

Gina, your idea of me doing a cookery book has set me going a bit, and maybe I will! I wanted to learn microsoft publisher and that might be a project to learn with. I could do it over the next 18 months or so and then when I get to my goal weight I could give a copy to all my friends and ww people I know to give them ideas and say thankyou for the support....! now there is a thought. I am going to muse on that.

Bunny, bored! I know what you mean, me too at the moment! I am going to load up Balders Gate which is my Game of Choice for those kind of moments. I cant get to grips with the Sims as they keep wetting themselves :lol: In my current computer frenzy I have bought a book about how to work windows media player in xp and I might begin working through that........:yawn:

Love to everyone
Lilac

Good Morning All!

I ate horribly yesterday, but I did walk my treadmill and drink pleanty of H2O. I need a shopping trip myself 6this weekend as I have just realized that all my clothes are old and ratty looking. I haven't bought any in the longest time. I think I had better bite the bullet and buy some new... I don't want to look ratty in Holland and Belgium! :o

Linda - Her are some loser vibes for your WI today ~~~~~! I guess the first step to winning the battle of your challenge on Saturday, is realizing you have one! Just make a plan and don't go hungry. That will take you a loing way!

Lilac - I for one would be very interested in your cookery book! You could even put your point counts with the recepies to make them WW friendly! And maybe write a bit about the virtues of those yummy organic veggies that you buy! I would love to see a photo of that crate of veggies!

Everyone have a great weekend!
G

Had my WI this morning and so happy to report that I was down 1.8 lb. Of course, I'm still working on my Christmas gain but this has inspired me to stick with it.
An interesting note though. I went through last week's journal and tallied up my total points and this week's journal and did the same. Last week, when I had a big gain, I ate below my max allowed points. This week, with a loss, I ate above my max points. Of course, there are variables that could have affected the outcome including the fact that I didn't exercise at all last week, but have been swimming three times this week. Still, something to think about. I also ate up all my exercise points so I think when we try to eat below our minimum allowed points, as I was trying for a few weeks, we aren't doing ourselves any favours. Eat up those points, Chicks.
I have been glued to the tv set for hockey, curling, figure skating and anything else that captures my attention. So thrilled for our Canadian Women's Hockey team winning the gold over the USA. Too bad our men curlers lost by a point to Norway but nothing to be ashamed of winning a silver medal. Now I can hear the US/Russia men's semi-final hockey game blaring away on my tv. I just had to get away from it as I think I'm growing roots into my armchair. The winner of this game plays our Canadian team for the gold on Sunday. I sure can't miss that one.
Tonight my neighbour is dragging me out to the local church hall to play Whist. I haven't played that game since I was in high school some 40 years ago so this should be interesting.
LindaBC

Good Saturday morning!

:wave: I'm still here and hanging in there. I don't know what happened to the week. I think springtime allergies are starting to kick in as I've been so sleepy when I come home its awful.

Food has been so-so the last day or so. Chocolate has been screaming my name. Right now I'm fighting the "can't make the scale budge in spite of all the exercise so let's chow down" blues. My body is going through some weird phase.

Today we're headed down to mom & dad's for dad's 76th birthday. So that's four hours in the truck. Plus she will have spaghetti and meatballs and cake. Hope its nice so I can at least get out and mess with our horse and run the dog. Tomorrow we're going to a BIL's "grand opening" of his Iron Skillet cafe. That will be antoher six hours in the car. So exercise is going to be tricky this weekend but I'm making it my goal to do something.

Linda - Woohoo for your loss!! Our bodies are definitely strange when it comes to losing weight. They go in phases but that keeps us from maybe getting too complacent in our eating habits. Keep up the spirts and all your good work.

Gina - Hang in there too! Good going on the treadmill. You're doing great if you're doing 30 mins already. If you're having trouble foodwise, just pick on meal or a day to be OP or just to make it closer to being OP without counting the points.

Lilac - I had to chuckle about your comments on Excel class. I do accounting work so I can't live without Excel so I assume that its a whiz to everyone else!! I have yet to figure out Access though! And yes the bike ride is a charity sponsored event (American Diabetes Assoc) so I'll be trying to raise some money. I have a DH, a mom, and a BIL with diabetes. They lowered the measuring mark for diabetes and are now saying its almost epidemic how many people have diabetes. Go figure. Anyhoo, if I can get myself going good, I'd really like to ride in the 150 mile event in September for Multiple Scloreris.

I need to go get DH up so we can hit the road. Everyone have a great day and hope I didn't miss anyone.

Hello everybody
I had a good weekend. Yesterday I went on a four and a half mile walk! That is a long way for me. I did 11 000 odd steps and earned five bonus points (which I then ate in the form of melted cheese!) Yum. Today I went to a paint your own ceramics cafe and painted a clock for my study, which they are going to fire for me. Then off to lunch and I had swordfish steak (grilled) with chips (bad Lilac). But I am inside points for the day and can have soup tonight, or veg curry.
So all is well. My computer is going a bit mad and messing around ever since I installed xp plus. grrr.

I have decorators here doing my sitting room. I am having it painted a nice shade of creamy white, and the new carpet is coming next week. It is going to look wonderful. When I bought the house the carpet was petrol blue and the walls a sort of margerine shade of yellow :p so I am really looking forward to it being finished. One more room after that (my bedroom) and the house will be done! Well apart from the hall, stairs and landing. I cant afford to do them yet as I want a stone floor laid in the hall. Maybe in 2003......... The next project will be getting the garden more towards my dreams, but that is a nice low cost high labour project which will take me through the summer.

Summer seems a long way away now. It has been very wintery here. In the north of england there have been snow drifts but we just have cold rain here in London (no change there then...!)

Have good sunday evenings
Lilac

Anyone else feel guilty when reporting a loss? :) My sister, mom and dad were all on the weight-loss journey with me -- indeed they began months before I did and inspired me. We've kept in touch via email regarding weight issues (losses, recipe ideas, strategies for exercising -- like we do here, ya know?) but I don't think they're losin' weight any longer (or at any rate, no one else posts losses any more, and mostly they talk about how "soon" they'll be back on track). So I feel uncomfortable now when I email my progress reports and unsure of whether I should continue or if it's time for me to change the tenor of my emails to a more "chatty-family" rather than "family-weight-loss" sorta thing. I mean, my losses have slowed down a bunch since I began -- but I expected that. Leveling is very normal and doesn't really concern me (yea, I'm sometimes frustrated that I've lost a "mere" 10 pounds in the past few months but hey, I've lost ten pounds in the last few months...) but I know it gets my folks down, my sister down... Anyway, just thinking aloud here I think.

Today is a family day in our home; we'll play games, enjoy a hearty soup together for dinner, chat and watch the telly. All is calm and right with the world on Family Day.

Hope you are all well, Jen

HI Everybody :wave:,

It's been crazy here. One of my housemates went into the hosp. for arterial surgery on her leg. She's home now but everyone is at her beck and call since se can't yet do steps, etc. She's our cook too! So we are managing on my cooking, which is very basic. Should make for a good week pointwise tho.

I did lose a pound at WI on Wed. One more and I'll be headed downward again. (Please, Oh Please, let me show another loss this week.) I'm doing well and have been doing some resistance work as well as aquajogging this week.

Our village, which is working it's way into the 20th (not 21st) century, has a brand new bakery. We are located on the NYS Barge Canal ( Yep, part of the old Erie Canal ran just south of us.) and the State is funding improvements to towns along the canal to promote tourism. Any way our little burg now has a first class restaurant and a brand new bakery that makes the very best breads I've ever had. The downfall to this place is that they also do all kinds of french pastries. (No donuts here!) I do admit that I finally gave in and treated myself to a keylime tart. MMMMMMMMmmmm Good. I've promised myself another one next YEAR! From now on when I go there I'll have to jst bring enough cash for bread, ONLY bread. Wish me luck.

It's still February, and here, in the snowbelt of upstate NY, the sun is shining. It's almost 50° and there's no snow on the ground. Today the red-winged blackbirds began to arrive from he south. It sure has been a very strange winter.

Lilac your latest room sounds like it will be lovely when it's done. How many coats of paint to cover that blue? :)

Bunny, the next time you really talk, not email, to you Mom or sister, ask them if they are still doing WW and if they still want you to comment in your notes. I'm sure that either way they'll be glad to hear how well you are doing. Your notes might be he incentive they need to stay on track.

Linda, Good for you! Congrat's on that loss. We can't let our bodies think we're going to starve or we get into those no loss slumps. You are doing great!

Teri, I know what you mean about chocolate calling, just get something tasty and low in points and have it handy when chocolate calls. Good luck on those party challenges. One of my ways to avoid desert is to offer to serve it, remaine standing ner the table,during the "Happy Birthday" rendtion and then skip out to the kitchen and start on the dishes ("so we can have more time to chat after dinner"). You might be able to celebrate with your BIL then sneak outside for a breath of fresh air (ie: a walk away from all that food) if you think your going to realyy get into stuff you shouldn't eat. GOOD LUCK.

Gina, Have fun shopping and remember not to buy anything too big or too baggie. Lookin' Good Gal!

Have a lovely day and an OP week everyone,

Bunny my unsolicited advice is just to keep posting your weight losses and helpful tips to your family. Even if it irritates the **** out of them, it just may inspire them to get back on the wagon and it's got to be helping you!
Lilac your sitting room sounds lovely. Wish I could see a picture of it. I recently just hung some new swags over my living room and dining room sheers (instead of the existing floral chintz I used a sheer moss green) and I can't believe the difference it has made to the whole mood of the room. Of course, now I'm stuck with yards and yards of floral fabric that I don't really like.
Well, I had a minor victory over my natural impulses last night. Peter and I attended a retirement part of a friend. Naturally, my hubby knew a lot more people there than I did and it was tempting to just dig into the bowl of junk food right in front of me while he schmoozed the evening away but I managed to get through most of the evening on just a few potato chips and pretzels. Also, I never touched a drink, even though I'd allowed for one in my daily points. When they set out the late evening buffet, I chose some raw veggies with a bit of dip, two slices of rolled up turkey loaf and a cluster of grapes. Then, when the cake was cut I knew I was doomed. It was CHOCOLATE!!! So, hating myself, I helped myself to a slab of it. But, ya know what? After two mouthfuls I'd had enough. I realized it wasn't that great and certainly not worth the points. Feeling pretty proud of myself right now. Oh and ya know what? We even had a couple of DANCES! There's one for the record books.
Today I will be watching the Canada/USA ice hockey gold medal game. I can hardly wait and, of course, keeping my fingers crossed for our Canadian team. This should be a good one. In fact, I doubt if you'll see too many cars on the road between noon and 3 pm in this hockey-mad country. :lol:
I was so disappointed our women curlers lost to Great Britain (all Scottish women, I believe) but I guess you can't win them all. Then our men curlers lost to Norway. What a heartbreak! But, I'm still rejoicing for our Women's Ice Hockey team. They were truly magnificent. So proud of our Olympians.
Probably boring the heck out of you folks with my Olympic chatter. I'm not the least bit athletic myself so enjoy it vicariously from the comfort of my recliner chair.
Bye for now.
LindaBC

LINDA: That was a BIG SUCCESS at the party. Pat yourself on the back for that one. Especially for the chocolate cake! GOOD FOR YOU!! :) :) :)

I'm watching that hockey game too. Don't much care who wins but it should be a great game. With the time difference I've been up til midnight almost every night for the last two weeks. Can't wait to get to bed early tomorrow.

What a gorgeous weekend!!

We've had two beautiful spring-like days. Sixty plus degrees and sunshine.

Yesterday down at the parents was a good day. I didn't pig out too much on lunch - three meatballs. Good ole' mom burnt the garlic bread and the cake. Mom just can't try to do one thing at a time! :lol: So that cut down on piggng out! :D We did get to ride horses. We didn't ride as long as usual because two of the three will be having babies in late April or early May. The dog doesn't like the horses and especially when they kick him in the head. Poor Bear baby!! :eek: But he didn't like the horses getting close to me and they didn't like him barking at them. He does love to run along side the four wheeler though. And keeps up with this stupid looking insane, teeth showing, tongue hanging out grin. I had to help Dad "buck hay bales". Geez, I had to pick at least 40 pound haybales to get them up on the back of the fourwheeler and some had to be up about my shoulder high. About killed me.

Today was a disaster. We drove three hours up to the BIL's little cafe. His girlfriend/partner told me 1-4 open house and he told DH noon-4. So we got there at 1:00 and there was no food left. He had put up signs for a $2 buffet. We're talking about country folk that eat big. He had made food for supposedly 150 people and was out of food before 1:00. He didn't serve 150 people. Big mistake on his part because if he continues with the buffet, they will eat him out of house and home. DH was ticked off and we were hungry so we left after being their 30 mins. We spent SIX hours in the car so we could eat at Country Kitchen. BIL didn't have time to talk as it was chaos. Alrighty then. We won't be doing that again.

So, enough whining about that. I need to go walk the dog and enjoy the fresh air. I also need to make a plan for the week and get remotivated and kicking butt.

I'll print out the thread and catch up on replies. I don't have my glasses on and am sort of typing in a blur.

Have a great start of the week and be strong!

Monday morning already....where do these weekends go? I have to rush to warm and liquidise some soup for my lunch today (got to take lunch to work with me or I will give in to the Sandwich Demon), and tonight I think I am going to have a Marks and Spencers low fat pizza (cant remember the points off hand but I think it is six or seven for the whole thing. I will put extra veggies on it). So today's eating is planned out. I will walk to work and back which will be about 3500 steps, and maybe also I will find the time to walk to the bank as I have some banking to do.

Bunny - the family thing is difficult. Maybe they are not yet ready to lose weight and you are ready. I think that for me I have never really been ready before. It has always been a case (at some level) of 'having' to lose weight, and of hating myself and losing being the only way out. Bound to fail. But this time something internal has shifted and I feel happy about losing. Now maybe your family have not yet hit that point of self regard where they are able to continue with it? In any event you need to be really careful about not giving in to old collusion patterns around them. Maybe it is best for you to be proactive about it and say 'I am in a different place with my weight loss than you are, and I dont want to go on with the support relatioinship as it is not working for me' and be clear and clean with it. They will be pissed off about it. But you deserve better than to be made (oh yes MADE) to feel ashamed of your weight loss!!! of your sucess! of yourself and your priorities! It is not shameful, in any aspect. It is also not shameful of them to have stopped right now (maybe they feel it is and you are sort of picking up their subconcious shame and reflecting it). But do not let this pull you down. Families!! Huh!! I feel indignant on your behalf.

Terri - Sounds like you did some major major exercising! I love hearing about your hay bale stuff and the riding and all the other rural stuff in your life. It makes me envious! I yearn for a less complicated city life, and although I live on the outskirts of london, it is still london and has all the urban disadvantages of that. :( One day I will move to the country side and throw bails of hay around and ride horses and have a four wheel drive....! Glad your mum burnt the garlic bread :lol: :lol:

J ann Nice to hear from you! I was hoping you were ok. Sounds as if you are doing well, although I am sure it is really annoying to be losing the same bit over again. I have been doibng that, since holiday and christmas. I am now on the down again, although I seem to be losing half a pound or a pound a week. But that is enough for me. I wonder if I am not eating all my points. I have been a bit lax about portion sizes, doing rough estimates. I might do some proper calculating for a few weeks, to see if I am in the right place with things. At least cooking yourself this week you can be in charge of menus. Is your flatmate supportive of your eating plan? I love the sound of your village and the new bakery. The lime tart sounds lovely. Worth saving points for occasionally.....

Linda - I have not really been following the olympic games but everyone here was very pleased when the ladies curlers got a medal. My favorite medal was the one in the speed skating when everyone else fell over....When I get the carpet down and the picutres up I will take a photo of my sitting room and post it. I was going to do the same for my study, but have not yet got the pictures on the wall there either.....I will post it though, so you can all see.

Love to everyone else too. Off to work now.
Lilac

Good Morning everyone! I have been so bad food wise this whole week! I didn't even weigh myself this week! :o I did walk the treadmill a fefw times and I drank lots of H2O, but that's it. I will walk tonight and then tomorrow night it's a manicure and peducure and wednesday I am off on vacation! :D I am not sure it I will get a chance to post again before then, so if I don't, love to all!


Linda - WTG 0n that 1.8 down! You also had a good triumph at the retirement dinner! Good Going! I am sure that you are so happy about that hockey game! It is so funny, I have been walking the treadmil and watching the olympics. I feel so lame hearing about these athletes that are skating with broken ankles or skiing with bad knees, and I can hardly motivate myself to walk 2.5 mph for 30 min... :lol:

Determined - Wow! That is a lot of car hours! Glad you got to do the horseback riding, and that hay bailing must have burned MEGA points! Sorry to hear that the cafe opening was a bust though... :(

Lilac - Your house sounds lovely! I just recently bought a house with DH and decorating it is so much fun!

Bunny - NEVER feel guilty about your weightloss! I used to feel the same way sometimes when dieting with a friend. I think you should follow j-ann's advice and talk to them about it...

J-ann - Sorry to hear about your housemates surgery. I hope she has a speedy recovery. WTG on that 1 down! That Bakery sounds yummy! That is nice that they are developing the waterfront community near you. I lived in a town that did the same thing. It is nice to have some nice shops and restaurants around...

Well, I'd best be going! Love to all!
G

Well how annoying, I gained one and a half pounds this week, and I have been op all week! In fact I have been under points and that might be the trouble. I am going to be much more careful about eating all my points up for a few weeks.

Every thing else is ok. I dont feel too worried about the scales as I know I have been op so its just a temporary thing I think. I also have not had any water for a couple of days so that might be part of it.

Ho hum. I prefer losses.
love
Lilac

Lilac, try not to let the gain get you down. I think I mentioned that for a few weeks I worked on eating UNDER my minimum points and that I gained. Then I ate OVER my maximum for the week and lost. Our bodies are strange, wonderful things and I guess they simply do not like to be deprived. As they tell us at WW, "Eat up those points". Even eat up your points earned through exercise. If you are exercising a lot, your body needs to make repairs and build muscle and that takes calories. You won't be sabotaging your diet if you eat up those points, you will be helping your overall health. Of course, the idea is not to use the points for chocolates and French Fries. :lol:

Yesterday a friend took me out for a birthday lunch and we both felt like having a hamburger. Well, this place makes enormous burgers with lots of really good fries. Strangely enough though, I could only eat half my burger so took the bun off the other half and just ate the meat and I'm sure I didn't eat 20 fries. This is good, right? Then went home and had a slice of my Black Forest cake. NOT good! :(
Today I had an executive meeting for my women's club (bring your own lunch) so I packed a chicken sandwich on multigrain and was ready to stay op. Then, the lady hosting the meeting at her home set out lovely home made orange/date muffins and a wonderful lemon loaf. I'm afraid I had to add quite a few unnecessary points to my daily total. I guess I'll have to try to work them off on my aero-glider.

Hope everyone is having a good week. I'll check back with you later.

Hello everyone, my name is Joyce and I would love to join your group. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks now and have found you'll are a very supportive, humorous & kind bunch.

A little about myself. I am not new to 3FC's. Been on several boards. Including WW Other Age Groups. I've been struggling with my weight for a couple of years now and have tried every diet out there. My weight gain started when my husband was in a scaffold accident and broke his back. (He's fine now! other than some pain.) But my weight has continued to creep up from 140 to my current weight of 240. :( I am 42 years old, married to a wonderful guy. We have a 20 yr. old daughter who will turn 21 next month. I live in Texas. Where the weather is always unpredictable. We were in the 80's Monday and last night it was 17 degrees. I like gardening, reading, camping, hiking (when I could breath after a couple of miles :lol: ), & fishing.

I joined WW last April and continued through September when finances got tight. I had lost 13 pounds but have since put everything back on. I can't afford meetings but have all WW materials that I need and I'm hoping to find a good support group here on this board where I can share my happy times, weight loss and struggles with this wonderful group. The other reason is that the same WW Leader does every group in a 30 mile radius of me. She is a very nice lady, I like her a lot. BUT, she is just not very motivational as a leader.

I have stayed OP for the last two days. My starting weight will be 240. My doctor told me 135 would be a good goal for me. I am 5'3" tall or short depending on how you look at it. ;) I am determined to get this off. My daughter is in a serious relationship and I want to have fun & be alive to enjoy my grandbabies some day.

I look forward to getting to know you all better.

Have a great evening.

Hello!

Last night was a good sales night for our website -- sold more there than we did on Amazon and eBay combined. This is a first for us! Yippee! I'm finally getting in the swing of things as far as directing traffic to us goes -- and our regular auction buyers are discovering that they can pick things up for a dollar less each if they buy through our website.

My sister was due to visit yesterday; she's in NC from NY to visit friends. She called though on Tuesday afternoon and left a message saying she wasn't sure she'd come after all -- and she'd call back to discuss it. She never called back but we figured out (after she didn't show up by dinner time) that she wasn't coming. Bleh.

My folks arrive next week on Monday; I've got a week of showing off WW recipes planned for them (as well as some very, very moderate hiking - my mother's heart condition and arthritis making anything more difficult).

Joyce -- Its nice to see you here!

I've been keeping up on my reading but haven't got the time this am (gotta get that stuff packed and out, ya know?) to do more than pop in and then out again.

Happy day to you all!!!

Hi everyone
It is post and run again tonight....busy busy
Duck breasts in plum sauce with steamed purple sprouting broccolli tonight, and a low fat choc mousse for three points which I like as it comes in a ceramic pot (I am easily pleased).
Linda thank you for your encouragement. You are so right about eating all the points, but it seems so hard to do when I am really wanting a loss this week. I am afraid that my portion sizes are too big so save a few points to compensate, then donet lose.

Joyce......you are very welcome! Is it really 80 degrees where you are! I am amazed! We only get that here for aboute for about two weeks in the summer.....! I look forward to uyour posts.

Bunny, how frustrating being messed around by your sister. Grrrr I hate that. I hope it all comes out rightin the end. (my cat is chasing the cursor accross the screen as as I type and it is very funny although not very healthy for my posh plasma screen I dont reckon.) I am pleased for you about your business doing well. There was an article in my newspaper this morning about how people in e biz are trying to pick up tips from porn web site owners on how to run a profitable web business, as the porn people are the best....apparently there is a site called (would you believe) Danni's Hard Drive (:lol: ) and she is one of the most sucessful entrepreneurs on the web and is now making over half of her profit from consultancy to other ebusinesses....! Just if you wanted some tips....! :lol:

Love to everyone. Off to watch telly for a while
lilac

Welcome, Joyce. I'm a WW member right now, but as soon as my prepaid membership expires in a few weeks, I will be on my own. I just don't get much inspiration or motivation from my group either (and I've tried several of them). At 59 years old and the veteran of many, many diets of varying types, I'm pretty sure I know just about all there is to know about weight loss. My problem is following through. I'm thinking of joining my local TOPS group just to get my weekly weigh-in because I no longer have a home scale and refuse to get another. I tend to become a slave to the darn things.
It will be nice to have another Chick here to bounce ideas off and gain inspiration from. I look forward to learning more about you.
LindaBC

Go to the new thread!