LA Weight Loss - Friends and Losers Thread Oct 13-Oct 19

Hi friends.

Barbara :hug:...I am thinking of you and your family. :hug:

Jillian........how wonderful to hear your baby for the first time :) I love your DH :)

Well.......this is another manic monday....but we can all do this. So far, so good........keep it up everyone :)
XOXO

We finally got internet turned back on! Lots has happened since I was on last. I never did hear anything from the Jail about the Jail Deputy job. But applied for a position with the local police. I went in for the written test and scored an 84%. you have to have at least a 70% to pass. from there I went on to the interview portion. two different interviews with two panels of people, the first with civic leaders and the second with 7 police officers. and the third step was the Physical agility test, or PAT. the process started with 56 people. 6 of us woman. after each of these steps I am now ranked #7. there are only 19 of us left and only 2 that are woman. (the other woman is ranked #1 at this point!) the next step is the background check, polygraph, drug screen, etc. all the security stuff. assuming I pass all that, I would then be sent to Police Academy in March.

Other than that....... (psst.... check out my ticker!!!) I have to get my but in shape to go to the academy. the other big thing was........ I turned 40 yikes.....

I am going to really try to get on more now and catch up with all my old chicks.



Barbara so sorry to hear about your niece. My prayers are with you and your family.

Lettie- Holy cow! You have been dang busy. Good luck with all of that, how exciting!

Nicole- I hear ya! It was back to reality here for me. Coming home from vacation sucked except that I was able to get my dogs out of the doggie hotel.

hey everyone. :) where is everyone at today?
anyways..just thought i'd stop by and say hi. i'm still sooooo tired. feeling 100% better morning sickness-wise, but still pretty exhausted. i really want to start exercising again, but just can't get myself up at 5am to do it..and the evenings are too busy. so..once i'm 14wks and into the 2nd trimester, i'm gonna start getting up and doing at least 15mins on the elliptical and working my way up from there.
my first dr appt is on friday finally. i'll update more after that! :)

I am in my second week on my life change...did well on my first week and hired a trainer for I've seen enough Biggest Losers episodes to note that week 2 is a killer. As for the major excitement - I, at 46, finally have a paved driveway-lol...figures, now that I'm serious about losing the weight I won't be shoveling! My husband and I thought we could do some home re-modeling and discovered we were wrong-the DIY channel makes it look so easy! I'm planning to have painted walls and furniture in the living room by the end of Nov-we work too much. That which does not kill us only makes us stronger-lol!

Congratulations - Jillian

Good Luck Zambejaly

Lettie, Wow... You are looking great, and down 34 pounds. So exciting about the possible job in law enforcement. I think if you can handle 5 kids, you can probably handle a few law breakers.

Katie, I'm glad that the trip was nice.

Thanks so much for all the condolences. It turns out that you can die of epilepsy. If your seizures are not under control, you can get something called Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, which is what killed my niece. A seizure just caused her brain to shut off that heart beat and breathing thing. We had no idea that you could die that way. Other than the hand full of seizures that she has had in her life, she was perfectly healthy.

Anyway, we are going up to the Seattle area where my sister lives on Wednesday and Thursday. My DD will be able to get off school and come with us. My mom and dad only had 3 grandchildren which is not so many when there were 4 of us kids. Now just 2 left. I have a feeling that every living relative there is going to need to hug my DD and nephew about 10 times.... I know that I just HAVE to hug my nephew about that many times, and he is going to not like it. Life is so fragile...

I haven't been on lately but wanted to post my weigh in results after week one. (6.6) pounds gone. WooHoo:carrot:

Hello all.

Barbara - I am so sorry to hear about your family's loss. How devastating. My prayers will include your family.

Lettie - You look Amazing. Congrats and Good Luck on the law enforcement.

I just can't stay committed to eating right on this plan. I am back up over 150 today. I have no willpower. I want to be smaller, but I just keep putting things in my mouth that I know I shouldn't. Any suggestions for maintaining willpower? I guess I could post a BEFORE picture where I can look at it all day long. I will try that and see if it works/helps.

Karen- Whohooooo!!! That is a great loss, way to go! :carrot::carrot::carrot:

Barb - So sorry for your loss - I too have a 19 yo niece, I can't imagine the shock of losing her or my sister having to go through that.

Barbara- I am so sorry to hear about your niece. I guess we all need to be so thankful for every day. Please take care
We had our Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. I ate a little of everything including pumpkin pie but than I walked my butt off after dinner as otherwise I may have fallen asleep on the couch. I weighed in this week and was up a pound...so sad! I am going to excercise everyday this week as I leave for Mexico on Saturday. Walk walk walk....I might even go buy a weight system. My son is almost 16 so I am sure he would use it too.
Anyways, have a great week everyone,

Joan

LETTIE!!!! :hug:.......you are smokin' hot, girl!!!! WTG on your fabulous loss!!! I am just so excited to see you!!! What a process to work for the pd, huh? My mom went through all that many years ago.........it is worth it. She now works in Juvinelle Intake, in an office with only 5 other ladies.....and she just loves her job. She worked in the jail and then circuit court for many years first. I am so proud of you :) How are the kids?

Katie, Katie, Katie.....we have got to get our poop in a group, eh? We both know what works........just have to be willing to do the work. I worked hard yesterday.......and today, so far, so good.

Where is Kim?

WTG Karen.......nice work.

Dixie Amy.......I just love your new house :) I just looked at the picture again. You have great taste. You can do this........just one meal at a time. Simplifiy it..........have the same thing for lunch or breakfast every day this week. Sometimes just eliminating a tiny bit of decision making is all it takes.

Barbara.......how is DD handling all of this? I really feel for her.......it is going to be a rough week for her too. Good thing she has you :)

What up, Julie?

Good morning, chunky........what the heck is your name....I am bothered calling you chunky........:lol:.

Jillian.......take DS for a little walk today. It will make you both happy :) I can't wait to hear about your Dr. appointment.

Where is Dan?

And Kim?

So DH and I have always dreamed of opening a carmel shop.......and I am seriously thinking of doing it. Is that insane? DS will be 4 in a coule of weeks, and he could come with me to work. There are so many things to consider, and they (the county) do not make it easy at all to start a food business.......but DH is quite the business man......and I operated my own childcare business for 15 years..........and we make some kick a$$ carmel. IDK, it is just talk now.......but I think it might be a good fit.

Ok, have to get something done here today. I will check back later :)
XOXO

i'm confessing a prego craving i've been having since the subject of thanksgiving came up...
i really want some pumpkin pie. actually i'd love a pumpkin muffin with cream cheese frosting. seriously. i can't wait until thanksgiving. i think we're going to my parents house in NE and my mom made some really great pumpkin muffins from the recent taste of home magazine. i can't wait.


oh and my craving of the week: reduced fat wheat thin crackers with cocktail sauce on top. gross, i know. :)

Hey guys, wanted to point out that I changed my avatar to a picture of my new tattoo that I got in Sedona. Also, wanted to share a couple of pictures. The first one is of my daughters and my niece doing their version of meditating on the Airport Mesa Vortex. They were so funny and cute. The second is a picture of my favorite Vortex, the Kachina Woman.

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I'm here! I'm here! Glad to know I'm missed...

We have some trauma and stress going on in life right now, so I haven't felt much like communicating.. More on that in a second..

Lettie!!! Fantastic job... You are looking great!! (I'd say "hot", but Liz may be lurking! :lol:)

Barbara.. So sorry for your loss. Like the others, we'll keep you in our prayers...

So back to my issues... Dieting has been a struggle, as emotional eating has been coming into play.. I haven't mentioned this, as I had hoped it wouldn't be an issue by now, but it's prolonging.. Liz recently lost her job and hasn't been able to find another one as of yet.. It wasn't because of the economy.. She just didn't fit in at her new job and was let go.. Other reasons exist, but none of them I find are very valid.. But that's life.. So she's been on a roller coaster trying to balance her self worth and getting the confidence to apply for a job more suited for her talents..

Luckily, we have enough money saved up for just this sort of thing, so we haven't had to make many drastic adjustments... yet...

Then on Saturday, during a particularly strong rainstorm, we found our roof leaks... Then yesterday, while driving me to pick up my car from a service appointment, Liz was rear-ended when the car behind us failed to stop in time.. No injuries to speak of and her truck only sustained minor damage. The other persons car (an older Camry) was totaled.. Let me take this moment to recommend the Nissan Frontier if you plan to purchase a vehicle any time soon...

Even though the damage wasn't major, Liz kind of lost it and had a meltdown.. It's been one thing after another (with some other stuff I haven't mentioned) and it finally boiled over the top.. Needless to say she took the rest of the day off, mentally, and a big bowl of popcorn came into play while we watched movies on the couch (I had the day off)...

Anyway, we've been good to a certain point, but the importance of watching what we've been eating has become, unfortunately, secondary...

Lettie's success should be an example to all of us who are struggling (looking at you, Amy, as well as myself!).. The words I imparted to you all last week (or was it two weeks ago?) hold true.. There are always going to be struggles, but if we do the simple things (like keeping crappy food out of the house (should have seen how much fruit and veg I bought this weekend), and don't stop at the gas station for snacks (took a personal victory this morning when I DIDN'T stop for a breakfast burrito), that will help us when we start to waver...

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

hooray for Dan!!! You know, Dan.......one of the nicest things my DH does for me when I am down is fix me healthy foods........before I am in binge mode. He doesn't do it that often....but it totally helps me to see that I am worth taking the time for. He doesn't lecture or say anthing about it...he just offers and delivers. Just thought I'd throw that out there for Liz's benefit. Tell her we said hello and to hang in there. And you too.......:)

Barbara........I also wanted to say that I am LOVING your attitude about food right now. Well, I always do.....but I am so happy for you that you are prepared for the food challenges ahead.

Jillian.........cocktail sauce? REally? yep, gross! :lol:

Katie.......those girls are just adorable :) And love the tatoo too :)

Ok, back to work.....ha ha ha.....I haven't gotten ANYTHING done today.

Oh, also........does anyone here own or know someone who owns a Yorkie? Been thinking about one........
XOXO

Oh Dan, so sorry to hear that you guys are having such a crappy time. Poor Liz. I will be thinking about her!!!

Hi all - I'm here too! DH and I took time off last Thurs-Mon (well, Thurs and Mon were school holidays for me) to do a ton of work around the house. Some projects are just more involved than a weekend gives. So, I'm back at work, and happy about it! One more day at home might kill me! DH is a slave driver. (Kidding - he's probably saying the same thing about me.)

So, I borrowed the P90X DVD's from a co-worker and I am going to start today. I can't say I will do it every day, but I'll try. I figure I'd better get all of my typing in today as I may not be able to move my arms tomorrow. or the next day.

Barbara - so sorry to hear about your niece. I will be thinking of you and your family this week.

Lettie! - Good to hear things are going well! I was just thinking about you recently - how wierd is that? I agree with the others - you have 5 kids, being a cop can't ba any harder than that!

Katie- I've been meaning to ask if the angel was a vacation tatoo. It's beautiful - and the picture of the girls is too cute!

Jillian - I love cocktail sauce! When I was a kid my mom used to serve little pieces of raw cauliflower dipped in cocktail sauce - crunchy and spicy... hmmm.... I may have to do that as a snack.....

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all my neighbors to the North!

Dan - Tell Liz to hang in there (or, if she's lurking - "Hey Liz- hang in there!"). Sometimes it really does seem like the universe is against you. I went through some really stressful stuff at work last year, not the same, but where my ego and self esteem took a blow. It is so hard to get that back, but she will get it back. She will find somewhere that appreciates her hard work and where she feels that she fits. I wish both of you the best of luck. And - We have a Nissan Frontier too - no accident, but I second your opinion on it - glad to hear that Liz wasn't physically harmed.

Sigh - Fire drill - time to vacate....

OK, I'm back - from Sept through November, any day that is nice out, you can bet there will be a fire drill. Plus, with the construction in the building there have been some "unanticipated" drills. Oops.

Nicole - you will laugh at this - when I quickly read you last post, I thought you and DH were opening a camel shop! Now, I'm scanning through and get to that part and I'm thinking - what the H*** is a camel shop? Better brush up on my speed reading skills! I love carmel! Yum.

Nicole - I don't have a Yorkie, but a few people I know do. I think that they have temperaments similar to my Maltese (i.e. - calm, but think they are much larger than they are) - I always wanted one when I was a kid.

Nicole - What up! :) What's the diff between carmel and caramel?

Dan - so sorry for all that you and Liz have encountered - now get focused and move forward... you have to focus your energy in the right direction - or at least that's what Cesar Milan says (the dog whisperer).

I'm in the middle of one of my "epiphany" moments. Although it's been tough on the w/l scene, losing soooooooooo slow! I feel thinner, I feel better, I feel happier, and I feel like I need to help others! I know, they probably hate me for it, but they can't know the feeling until they get here, right?!

My body just keeps changing shape and although I have not lost more than a couple of pounds over the last few months, I am able to see a huge difference in how my clothes fit! I even pulled out some old nighties and have been wearing them again - get your mind out of the gutter, I have 3 kids, so they have to be kid friendly! I haven't trained much lately for the 1/2 marathon I am scheduled to run next month, but since I already signed up and PAID, I will be running! I feel like I can run 13 miles, afterall I usually run out of time before I run out of energy... I am going to start today and make sure I am running at least some every week!

Anyway, I'm on takeoff today and yesterday and can already tell I'm in for a loss this week. Wish me luck!

well, I don't know if we have room for a Yorkie and a Camel....but I did ask for a donkey for my birthday....:rofl:.

The ones I have been looking at are Yorkie Terriers, and they seem to be quite small........like under 10 lbs. I have been thinking about a maltese also. Is yours a yapper? My Maggie Mae was a yapper........she was perfect in every way.......but I could not get that dog to stop barking on command. She didn't bark just to bark.......but if the cable guy or someone like that came to the house...she wouldn't stop barking unless the stranger got super freindly with her. Weird. anyway....that was my only complaint of being a dog owner.......

Nicole - What up! :) What's the diff between carmel and caramel?


:lol: nothing.....i am just a dingbat sometimes ;) What I meant to say is, DH and I are thinking of opening a caramel shop!!!
XOXO

Nicole.. Before you get a Yorkie, see if there are any Welsh Terriers in need of rescue in your area... Love those dogs and while they're bigger than a yorkie, they're still pretty small..

thanks guys it really feels good to finally get my butt moving in the right direction. Knowing that the academy is in march is a real motivator. there is no way I want to enter that out of shape! I was pulling clothes off the top shelf of my closet this weekend (you know the one!) I was wearing something between an 18 and a 16. 18s were baggie 16s cut of the circulation. I am now between a 14 and a 12!!!I bought a pair of size 12 jeans a year and a half ago to wear to my sister-in-laws wedding (10-6-07) never got into them. I decided to just try them this weekend. and they fit! I could button them but they were just slightly uncomfortable.

now to personals.....

Jillian- that is so exciting that you are pregnant! are you going to find out what it is? arent your other two a boy and a girl? your hubby has such pretty eyes!

Katie- thank you.... is your tatoo a butterfly?

Barbara-- my heart still aches for your family especially your sister.I can't imagine being a mom for 20 years and then having now children. I have a nephew with epilepsy. it is so scary. He is almost 30.

Amy- will power will only come when it is important to you enough. losing weight to fit in my jeans, or feel better or look better, was not enough to make me have will power. knowing I might get my but kicked in Police Academy...... yeah. that will do it. you have to find what you like more than yummy food. you can do it!

Dan- Mr. Salty! (shhh quick.... Liz is not looking ...... go ahead, tell me how good I look again........) JUST KIDDING LIZ !!!!! better than looking great I feel so much better. So sorry about Liz's accident and job and all. Didn't you wreck the last truck? I vaguely remember something.....Good to see you are still keeping it off. how is liz doing? did she hit goal yet?

Kim- you must have sent me vibes to get my but back on here! haha. Yeah.... in my oral board interview. they asked me about how I thought I would do as a Law Enforcment Officer..... and I pretty much said..... "I have 5 kids.... I am ready!" Our fire alarm went off today at the jr high. right when we were serving lunch! that was fun. Not a drill. just a malfunction or something. but we all had to go out and wait for the fire trucks.

Nicole, Nicole, Nicole!!!!!!! How is the baby? getting big I bet. Is your daughter still with the daddy. are they still a couple or just tolerating each other? My kids are all doing pretty good. my oldest, the 18 year old. is a senior and working at Ruby Tuesdays. the others are just busy with school. Hubby went in last week and .....DAN..... CLOSE YOUR EYES....... (got snipped!) we have been talking about it for about 3 years and finally did it. He threw me a huge surprise party last week for my birthday. Totally caught me off guard! then he gave me a $200 gift card to a spa, second shock..... then he went and got snipped all in the same week! Do you think my new body has anything to do with all the attention??? maybe!

I am really hoping to stay focused and really up my exercise. I want to be to goal before March 17 when the academy starts. I hope I make there. I thought if I just got passed the written test and the interviews, and the physical agility test, that it I would relax and it would not be stressful from there on. I mean.... if a SAHM of 5 can't pass a background check, who can right? but now I am still fretting..... and not hearing anything for so long doesn't help. I have two friends that are deputies plus a retired Federal boy.... so I think I should be ok. they are all rootin for me.

Tuesdays are my weigh in days. I hit 188 this morning. I am so glad to have a 10+ lb barrier between me and 200!!

Nicole - Dodger is much too "cool" to yap. It is so beneath him.

He will bark at cats. And he ran a Rottweiler out of the yard once. Nothing scarier than 6 pounds of white fur.

Here is a picture of my niece who recently died. Wasn't she a beauty? Thanks for all the sweet condolences. I'll be gone for a few days and don't think we'll have web access when we are in the Seattle area for the services. Tomorrow is the visitation and Thursday the memorial service and burial. She worked at whole foods so they are providing a meal after that, so that should be interesting and probably healthy food. Not that the food is the first consideration, but it seems that it is the one thing that people provide for the berieved. Not that my sister is eating much at this point in time... there is one diet I'm hoping to never ever go on.

Lettie, I hope your nephew takes his meds. Tell him that if he doesn't this sudden death thing can happen. I don't think my niece knew the risk she was taking by being a flake about her meds.

Nicole thanks, I am trying to change me relationship with food. Some silly weight watchers commercial really got me thinking about "my relationship with birthday cake" and wow... funny how just a silly thing gets you thinking.

Dan, So sorry to hear that Liz is going through a tough time. I'm sure that there is another door that will open soon, as I believe that everything happens for a reason. Not always easy to see the reason, but at some point it will become clear. Good to know about the Nissan, as I drive a Nissan Altima.

Amy, I just had a thought about the holidays coming and the extra food that is going to be around, and that motivated me to get in a little extra exercise and to eat lighter for a time... since I don't want to start the next year feeling fat and depressed. I'v actually been fairly close to plan the last two weekends, and boy does it make a difference.

So I went into my LA center for weighing in.. and I finally put my foot down and told them I won't be purchasing their LA Lites anymore.. I figured I already wasted over 350 dollars on them, and I really don't think they help with my weight loss.... The counselors at the center were terribly mean when I told I won't be doing the Lites anymore, and basically told me my weight loss would stop if I don't eat those stupid candy bars. They made me feel horrible about it. Is there anybody else here that encountered this at their LA center? And will my weight loss REALLY slow down if I stop eating Lites everyday???? Any help will be appreciated. :)

Oh Barbara, what a beautiful girl. Your family is in our thoughts

What a stunning picture, Barbara. I cannot imagine how sad you all are. I hope that you can all comfort one another in Seattle.

Erica - I highly doubt that your weight loss will stop as long as you follow the plan. The response you got was unfortunately, them seeing their commission going down the tubes. If you feel that you can be successful on the plan without the Lites, that is your perogative.

Barbara, I'm so sorry to hear about your niece. Hope you and your family are okay.

I survived Thanksgiving but I can't say I was very well behaved. I did a little too much gobbling and not enough waddling! Back at it today though.

lettie--thanks! we're super excited as this was a complete surprise for us. we didn't plan on having any kids together. but after he got home from being away for 9mons (army) 3 wks later, i was taking a prego test. we're going to find out what we're having. i think the u/s should be in december sometime...i hope because DH has to go away to MO at the beginning of Jan. and i don't want him to miss it. i have a 5yr old DD and an almost 3yr old DS. we're both hoping for a boy...so we can name him after his father who passed away from battling cancer a year ago.

erica--i did the same thing with the lites--i gave them up for awhile, about 6 months i think and did fine. but then i decided to use luna bars instead of buying LA's sugar filled bars...and i did quite well with them. it's all up to you, and alot of people don't use them and do well. it's all a preference. i hope it works out for you.

dan--sorry to hear about all the things going on in your life that aren't that great. tell Liz that i'm thinking about her.

ok. gotta go. i'm tired. (ha..imagine that!)

good morning everyone :)

guess what? i actually went on a treadmill yesterday. i know, pretty amazing, huh? my neighbor gave us an older one quite a few months ago.....and we finally brought it in. i was only on it for 12 minutes, but since i havent' worked out at all in a very long time, i figured i'd better take it slow.

barbara........what a beauty. have a safe trip :hug:

ok, time to do some work :) have a great day everyone. remember.......one meal at a time.
xoxo

Morning ladies...

Liz appreciates all the sentiments... She's feeling a bit sore today from the crash, as am I, but nothing more than minor aches at this point.. She takes the truck into the shop today to get the estimate going for the insurance.. What a hassle.. Wish I could be there to help, but I'm just so slammed at work. (as you can see evidenced by the fact that I'm posting here :lol:)

Ok Lettie.. Just for you.. LOOKIN' HOT! :lol:

Have a great day, all!

Hello all!

Good News for me today. I am down 2 lbs from yesterday. I have got to start staring at that scale in the morning to keep me motivated. At least I am back under the 150 (barley) but at least.

Dan/Liz - Good luck on finding a job. And when you do, you are going to think - Why didn't I do this sooner? This is why I left the other one. Think Positive Thoughts.

Nichole - I would go with the camel. How may people can say the have a camel? I have a friend in Egypt who can hook you up. Just let me know. Anybody can get a Yorkie. Although the camel is going to take up a lot more room at the foot of your bed. :rofl:

Jillian: Don't forget about the Pumpkin Pudding we all went bonkers over last year. I still eat it for a sweet fix.

Thanks for the encouragement all. I know that when I eat off plan or too much, is when I don't feel well. :(:rollpin: I need to focus on it. I still haven't posted that picture though. I need to do that today.

I will also try to put up a new pic of the Log Cabin.

Have a great POP day all!

Hey Guys I found this Diet Soup Recipe and I wanted to share it with you. I love soup in the Winter. I don't have the exhange information, but it seems to be a version of the Dolly Parton one we all tried years ago, except this one is actually good and doesn't gross you out after eating it a few days. I have tried it with Turkey Sausage and with Chicken and it is good with either of them. You can cut it in half if you like. Enjoy!

All-You-Can-Eat Soup Diet Basic Recipe

1 pound(s) carrots, sliced
3 medium (1 1/2 pounds) onions, chopped
4 stalk(s) celery, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, crushed with press
2 can(s) (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes in juice
1/2 small (1-pound) head green cabbage, thinly sliced
3/4 pound(s) green beans, trimmed and each cut into thirds
1 can(s) (48-ounce) chicken broth
6 cup(s) water
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
3 medium (1 1/4 pounds) zucchini, sliced into half-moons
2 bag(s) (6 ounces each) baby spinach leaves


Coat 12-quart stockpot (or 2 large saucepans) with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add carrots, onions, celery, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Add cabbage, green beans, broth, water, salt, and pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high; stir in zucchini and spinach and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Erica- Dont worry about the lites. I never started with them in the beginning and I am glad. They gave me a box to try but I didn't like them at all. I was doing the slimfast bars in the beginning but they didn't like that so they put me on a different plan so that I wouldn't do any bars but I would get an extra vegetable and protein. It works way better for me.
Barb- Your niece was absolutely beautiful. It makes me sad!
Dan- It is so hard to get thru the tough times isn't it? Last week my Dad was here having heart surgery. He has been in and out of the hospital all year and its been so tough on me because my Mom gets so anxious that I have to constantly be there for her. I had my dog that has been sick and we were told that if the disc in his back doesn't heal that it is a 4000 dollar surgery. It just seemed like one thing after another. Some days its so hard to hang in there. I hope you and Liz get thru this time. Just be there for each other.
Jillian- Pumpkin muffins---yummy!!!!
Nicole- Good for you on your treadmill. I have been walking outside and its been getting cold out so I should start getting on my treadmill soon too. I just like being outdoors. My husband walked with me yesterday for the first time and he couldn't believe how far I walk everyday. He was pooped when we got back. I wonder if he will come with me tonight???

Hey, all! Not officially back on the diet track yet but wanted you to know I had my little girl on Thursday, October 9th! Catie Therese was my biggest baby 8 lb 14 oz and 20 inches! She is a beautie. No, I'm serious, she is the best looking baby I've seen in a long time. :) My labor was fast and furious and I can't believe I actually had a natural non medicated delivery. Call me crazy. I don't think I will do it again, though. But the recovery is much better, so I don't regret my decision to forgo an epidural.
We are home now and doing well. My boys love their baby sister. So far, I am not dieting as yet but just trying my best to use this naturally detoxifying time to my advantage. Frequent healthy snacks and plenty of water. So far it is working...look at my ticker!

thanks Dan! ;)

Here I am Nicole!! Thanks for missing me! I promised to come around more often, obviously I lied! LOL Not on purpose, just way too busy. On the diet front, I survived my first TO in a longggggg time. I made a deal with myself. My birthday is 1 month from today and I wont get to go out to eat for my birthday unless I stick to plan as POP as I can be from now till then. That should take care of the 10 freakin pounds I've gained. I want back in my skinny American Eagle jeans dangit!!! So you guys wish me luck and a kick in the butt wouldnt hurt either! LOL

Personals later after I've had time to catch up. A couple I remember, Barbara, so sorry to hear about your loss, she was gorgeous!
LETTIE!!! WOW you are smokin'!

More later, dont mean to leave anybody out! Hang in there everybody.

Good morning everyone :)

And I thouht I was getting on here late........:lol:

How is everyone?

Good to see you, Kim. I have to tell you, I have NEVER done a TO. More power to ya.....I think I would die if I had to do one.

I was on flylady.net this morning....and it got me thinking of Paula and Lettie and Katie. Do you girls still use that site? I have to tell you......I just love it. It has helped me so much. So, thanks girls :)

Ok, break time is over.

Joni.......you still out there?
XOXO

Boy is this place sloooooowwwwwwww. Where is everybody. Here I am trying to be more accountable and everyone else bails. :o(

Hey Kim!!! Good To See you again. Shouldn't we be allowed to gain 10 lbs? :LOL: I have done the same thing and keep yo-yoing with 4 of them back and forth, back and forth. Its like once I get them off, I think o.k. I can have this. Or my body rebels and screams I"M STARVING, and then I can't stop scarfing down food for 2 or 3 days. Thus the cycle.

Anyway - I have posted a new cabin picture. Not much else has changed since the last one by looking except the front glass and FP chimney.

Make good choices today everyone.

Hello all!

I had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled today. I am in alot of pain and higher that a kite on painkillers. I am still in pain but feeling really stoned so I don't want to take another.

I made a huge pot of veggie soup last night ( a variation of the cabbage soup dit soup) and put it in the blender to make a creme soup. I am glad I did it's all I can get down right now. They had to cut into my jaw bone on both bottom molars so it may be a while before I can eat solid foods.....

Aww Ein, I feel for you.

I went for a sleep test last night and am going off of little sleep. And I have yucky paste in my hair from when they put the electrodes on-> and i have taken 2 showers!

Here's to a weekend OP everyone, have a good one

Well, I have not had any medical procedures, I feel a little left out!

Erin - Ugh. I hated having my wisdom teeth out. I feel for you - hope it feels better soon. When I had mine out, my oral surgeon suggested that I use tea bags instead of gauze and I really think it helped to soothe the pain. I looked like a complete A$$ with two tea bags hanging out of my mouth, but I hated the taste of the gauze.

Jess- I've had friends do that. I don't think I could get through it. Are they testing you for a CPAP? I hope you get some sleep soon.

Amy - Love the house! I can just see you on the porch in a beautiful rocker. What's the view from the front?

Nicole - Is your sink shiny? That's the one thing I've never had a problem cleaning in my house. I live with "Freaky Dish Boy". If there is something in the sink, he cleans it. Sometimes I just put one thing at a time in there to watch him go clean it! :devil:

OK, got to work this AM, outside it is a beautiful, sunny crisp autumn day, about 50 degrees. I open my office door and was hit with this blast of heat. It's so bad, it's comical. I stood in the hallway and laughed. My desk is HOT to the touch. This new heating system is a crack-up. I am wearing my bathing suit next week.

Morning ladies!

almsthere - CONGRATS!!!!! How very awesome...

Pretty much status quo around our house as we head into the weekend..

Nicole - Good job getting on the treadmill this week.. Keep it up!!

Kim - That's awful.. I HATE it when the office thinks they need to crank up the heat and it gets oppresively bad. Makes me sleepy, frankly.. Our office is always either too hot or too cold.. It sucks..

Anyway, have a great day all and make good choices!!

Nicole - Is your sink shiny? That's the one thing I've never had a problem cleaning in my house. I live with "Freaky Dish Boy". If there is something in the sink, he cleans it. Sometimes I just put one thing at a time in there to watch him go clean it! :devil:

OK, got to work this AM, outside it is a beautiful, sunny crisp autumn day, about 50 degrees. I open my office door and was hit with this blast of heat. It's so bad, it's comical. I stood in the hallway and laughed. My desk is HOT to the touch. This new heating system is a crack-up. I am wearing my bathing suit next week.

:rofl:
Kim.........."freaky dish boy......." :lol: :lol: :lol:. You have such a way with words. I would do the same thing to him if I were married to him. Just every now and then for evil giggles :)

Also, please send photos of you in your office in your bathing suit with a drink in your hand. :)

Erin........girl.......tell me you are doing ok. I have dentist anxiety SOOOOO bad.........so bad that I have it for others. I have a dentist appt. on tuesday, and I swear, I'd rather give birth, naturally, no drugs, than get a filling. I have had two wisdom teeth surgically removed and two pulled. I will take the regular old fashioned tooth pull over anything else the dentist might try to do to me. I know it is somewhat irrational....but I have very sensitive teeth, and they ALWAYS hurt me. Only one dentist has gotten it right for me, and he had to go and go to Iraq!!! Anyway........didn't mean to go off like that...........just know I am thining of you and that I wish you a very speedy recovery :)

Dan.......I did not get on my treadmill yesterday.........we didn't get our house settled until after 9:00.......and I just hate trying to work out while saving the world........so I put if off last night. But, to make up for it, I am going to walk my son to the park this a.m.with a girlfriend and her kids. It is only a half mile away, but it is ALL uphill, and they have this nice little fitness trail that I will add on. I so much like being outdoors, rather than on the treadmill. Thanks for the encouragement..........Lord knows I need it.

Barbara.......I know you are gone, but I sure am thinking about you :hug:.

Jessica.........when will you get the results of your sleep study?

Dixie Amy.......hang in there........stay strong. The slow times here come and go, but you can do this with or without us!!!!

Ok, guess I need to get dressed. My friend will be here any time, and I am still in my p.j.s. No, I wasn't eating bon bons this whole time........I did my morning chores first so I wouldn't have to double up this afternoon. :)

Hi Katie and Joni and Lettie and Kristen, and Kim numba 2 and Alannah and oh, heck, everyone that is not on the tip of my tounge right now.)

Hey, where the heck are you, AMY LOU????
XOXO

They are testing me for sleep apnea - a common thing for fat people... so hoping the wieght loss will help it too..... I get the results in 2-3 weeks

Well, if it is of any comfort, Jessica....my DH's grandmother has sleep apnea, and she weighs a whopping 110 lbs. :)

Katie.......if you are lurking , you will love this little story.......Andrew, my almost 4 yo DS is quite the wild child.....and he has the most tender heart in the world. He also has a great sense of humor. He pretty much makes me laugh all day. I am not sure if I am laughing with him, or at him sometimes....but anyway........last Sunday at church he was being particularily loud, and I was about at my wits end, when my sis decided she would draw him some pictures on a scrap piece of paper from her purse. Well, she was drawing a picture of Andrew and she kept asking him what to add. Well, he had everything one could imagine on this portrait....even a mustache (ew).......and then he proclaims, quite loudly, "hey, what about his weiner? He needs a weiner!!!" Charming, huh?

So, I was reminded of this story a few minutes ago because my kids have a half day today, and both of my boys are taking a rest in the family room, in their underwear. It didn't start that way.......they were dressed today, but Adam (6) wanted to feel his comforter better (can you blame him?) so he started stripping. Well, of course Andrew had to follow in his big brother's footsteps........so before I knew it, I had two entirely naked boys in my family room. I told them they had to at least have underwear on to be out here........if they NEEDED to be naked they had to be in the bathroom or their bedroom (we find this to be a good house rule). So, anyway, Andrew comes out of his room with his sponge bob underpants on and it just beaming with pride. I must have looked a bit puzzled when I saw him, and he quickly showed me what he was so proud and happy about, as he stuck his finger into a hole in his undies and stated, "I can feel my weiner in these!"

Boys........made with built in toys, huh? :lol:

I had three girls for a long time before these boys came into my life, and I tell ya.....it is a whole different story. I am so glad I have had this well rounded experience as a mother. It really is an amazing job :)
XOXO

Oh my Nicole, You do make me laugh sometimes! And some days I really need it. Today I'm just tired and worn out after attending the memorial services for my niece. It was great to see so much family, but highly emotional. My DH was pall bearer yesterday for the service, and the burial... it was all so devastating for the parents.... They had a video tribute of my niece where they had pictures of her and the Hawaiian version of over the rainbow playing... lovely song and she had actually told someone at some point when she died when wanted that song played.... Pictures of her and my daughter and of my nephew and of me and with dad and her mom and dad and all her friends.... Some funny, but almost no baby pictures, as I don't think my sister could bear to even look at those yet.... Everyone in my family who hadn't seen her in awhile were stricken with the resemblence she had to me at that age... Although to be fair my sister and I look a lot alike, so I think it is just the nose, which is my dad's... My sister has my mom's nose... Anyway, if that was not enough emotional turmoil, of course my almost former step mom showed up... Which I know she was extremely close to my niece, so it wasn't so weird as you might think. My niece was buried with a quilt that my step mom had made, and my grandmother's ashes (only a portion of them, that my mom had been saving to scatter with my niece since she had been on a trip to Costa Rica when Grandma died). Also the ashes of her dog Sarah as Paige had never wanted to put them anywhere but with her... she did love her animals... So anyway. I did not eat so well for a few days there, but I'm back on track today.... I did manage to get some exercise in yesterday, and that was very helpful in settling my emotions. So if you ever are having an extremely emotional day, just get on a tread mill for a time... it does help.

Nicole are you a foster mom? And I am feeling much better today by the way. I paid a premium price to go to an oral surgeon instead of getting my dentist pull them. DBF and I both have extended medical and dental through work and claim to our own first and claim the others for the balance so we often get 100% coverage.

Barbara. sorry it was such a rollercoaster for you at the memorial. I hope it was a beautiful service, she was such a beautiful girl.

hey everyone. just a quick check in. it's been a long day. dh took the day off of work and we went and had coffee, then went to the mall so i could get some maternity black pants for my brother's wedding in a few weeks. i also found a great maternity pea coat for winter too. :)
then we got roped in by a lady at a dead sea minerals kiosk in the mall selling manicure stuff, facial stuff, salt scrubs, body butter, body mud, etc. well, she did a great demo on both dh and i...and i ended up getting the manicure set, salt scrub, body butter and the lady gave me the mud stuff for free since i was prego..as a gift to me. :) i spent over $100 on all that stuff as a great pregnancy gift to myself so i can do spa treatments on my hands, feet, and body while i'm growing this baby. it's great stuff made with all natural stuff from the dead sea. i'm super excited to use it. i'm setting my spa date for sunday afternoon. yay! (ok, i went on a bit of a tangent..sorry.)

then we went out for lunch and then to my dr appt. it went well, a typical first appt. :)


anyways..the kids are coming over tomorrow to carve pumpkins, make halloween cupcakes and caramel apples. i also got ghost shaped marshmellows for hot chocolates. this is my first halloween back with them and it's my FAVORITE holiday, so i'm super super excited!

oh and i made that pumpkin fluff stuff that i used to make when i did weight watchers. it's got 1 tub of ff cool whip, 1 pkg of sf, ff vanilla pudding mix, a can of pumpkin and a bit of pumpkin pie spice. mix that all together, put it in the fridge for a bit and then you can serve it alone or with a graham cracker or two for a fat free pumpkin pie-ish dessert. :) it seriously satisfied my pumpkin craving in a healthy way. (since all i really wanted was the pumpkin part and not the crust part.) mmmmmmm.

ok..i've wrote a book. i'm gonna go now!
hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.

Happy Friday evening everybody!

Well I survived my first TO without too much trouble. I forgot how good it feels to get on the scale and see the number going down instead of up! I managed to be almost completely POP the whole week and as a result I'm down 6 whole pounds!! I know a lot of it is water but it sure is a good motivator!

Nicole-Your weiner story made me literally laugh out loud, my Dh yelled whats so dang funny? LOL

Amy-Your cabin is beautiful. It looks really similar to the one my sisters family just finished. You're gonna love it! Thanks for the reminder for the Pumpkin pudding. Thats one of the things that helped me survive the holidays last year. I took it with me to every family gathering we had and had it for dessert.

Hope everybody has an amazing weekend! I really enjoy mine now, since I work full time for the first time in 23 years I forgot how precious the weekends are! LOL

no, erin, I am not a foster mom.......although I thought about it just before DD found out she was pregnant :) I just call mothering my job, since I have six kids at home right now. (one of them is my grandbaby, Maria). At this point in my life, this is my only job........seems as though taking care of kids just may be my life's work though :) Who knew I would become a grandma before any of my kids even left home and while youngest DS is only 3!!!!

Jillian........what a fun day :) Does your doc do an ultrasound on your first visit? By the way, I want to come to your house this weekend and play with you and the kids and make all that fun stuff :)

Barbara.......are you home now? How is DD? How is your sis?

Stay POP everyone :) The payoff is sooooo sweet!
xoxo

Nicole I do indeed think six kids is a full time job. My auntie was a foster mom and she had 3 of her own and 4 foster kids all the time, she still does it actually but her kids are grown. She was meant to be a mom and I have never met a harder working lady. My dad has a 10 year old and my oldest nefew is 7, that's just the way life goes sometimes. My 10 year old brother has autism and is quite a handful all on his own!

I think you deserve a little pampering Jillian I hope you enjoy it!

Hey guys!

Nicole- That story was dang funny. Boys are so freakin' gross, huh? I while back my son (8 yrs old) cut his finger, and my dad and I had to take him to the emergency room. He announced loudly, in the waiting room full of people, that he was trying to break the world record for not changing your underwear for the longest time. I seriously considering knocking him out, right then and there.

Barbara- That song is the one we played this summer at my grandmas funeral when we let the balloons go. It is really beautiful. I am glad that the service went well. I hope that your sister is doing okay. How are you and your DD holding up?

Jillian- That pudding sounds wonderful, I am gonna have to try it.

BTW, my mom had her last chemo treatment on Monday. We are having a party tomorrow to celebrate.