WW Clubs and Groups - wednesday - hump day!

hi girls,
i'm back!! i had a fab time up in scotland, learning how to sail. i'm now certified competent crew and can tie many different knots (i'm sure that'll come in handy). sadly the weather was rubbish, so i spent most of the time in my waterproofs!
all the jubilee celebrations are now over and it's back to work. booh. ah well. it's good to be back with you girls. i haven't read any posts yet, so i'll go do that. just wanted to sign in and let you know i'm here! hope everyone is doing well.
speak later,
kirsty

Kim - congrats! at last eh?!!?
quick report from Lolly's wedding. it was fantastic! the sun was shining and she looked fab. best wedding i've been to. i'll try to post a piccie sometime soon. she's on honeymoon at the moment but i'm sure she'll drop in when she gets back!

Morning! (There is nothing good about it--BF called first thing to tell me he'd lost his job, my shower wouldn't get warm, and I can't get any peace and quiet here at work to actually do work!)

Had WI last night. I was up 2.4 lbs. Oops. But I knew I'd be up because I've been pigging out for the last two weeks so on the bright side, I wasn't up as much as I thought I would be.

Kirsty--You learned to sail? That is so exciting and sounds like so much fun!! Too bad that the weather was rubbish for you. :( I'm glad Lolly's wedding was great, I can't wait to see a picture!!

OK, maybe now I can be left alone to do a little work. Will check back in later and hopefully things will be looking a little better for me. :(

Kirsty - hello there. Sounds like you had fun sailing. I love sailing. I haven't done it in years though! Hope all is going well and I can't WAIT to see pics from Lolly's wedding.

Gosh I;ve missed everyone.

Kim - that's a fantastic goal. And hey - it's a tough goal... but there's a saying "Reach for the stars and you may just land on the moon." I've found that out. There's nothing wrong with setting high goals. I mean... if you set a 15-pound goal and met it, you'd be like "I met my goal." But say you set a 36-pound goal and lose 25 pounds.... you may not have made your goal, but you lost more than you would have if you set a smaller goal. Does that make sense? I have faith that you can do it... 5 pounds a month and that will be 30 pounds.

Well... here's a picture of my progress. Actually... the latest pic, all the way to the right if from last July. I've lost about 35 pounds since then.... but I don't have a picture scanned in yet.

The first pic: Nov 2000 - 220 pounds
2nd pic: May 2001 - 190 pounds
3rd pic: July 2001 - 180 pounds.

The pics are blurry because I can only attach a 25KB file... so I had to cut out some resolution.

I'll find a pic and scan one in tonight.

Lisa

I've missed you! You're pictures are amazing!!! You look like a new person! I can't wait to see a more recent one.

Kirsty - Glad the sailing was fun! Please post a picture from Lolly's wedding!

Jess - I hope your day improves. It can't get much worse, huh?! :dizzy:

Well, things are crazy at work. It is really hard trying to prepare to be out for 8 days of work. But I leave for Italy in 3 days and I am so excited that I can hardly sit still!!! :D

Anyone remember that guy I dated for a few weeks at the beginning of the year? Things were going really well and then he was transferred to Atlanta for 6 months? Well, he called me last weekend and we are going out this Saturday! :) He is coming back to Chicago for good at the end of the month. The really weird thing is that my friend and I were talking on Friday night about how hard it is to meet decent, fun guys and we mentioned him and what a shame it was that he had to go away right when we were getting to no each other, and then I came home and had a message from him!!! Now we haven't talked since February, so it was really weird! But I am excited to see him again and hope it is a good time.

Off to get some work done...

Good morning ladies, happy hump day!!!!

Kirsty ~ Your trip sounds wonderful, barr the weather. Glad to have you back, we really missed you!! I can't wait to see Lolly in her wedding dress, post lots of pics, o.k.!

Jess ~ Sorry to hear about your BF and the bad start to the day you are having, it will get better, I promise!!

Lisa ~ Hey girl!! I am so glad to see you back with us!!! Your pics are wonderful, you look fantastic!!!!!!! Don't worry about the gain, you will have that off in no time!!

Kim ~ I can remember if I told you this yet or not but....CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!! A long time in the coming....:)

So, where is everyone else....Lori, Jen, Jen, Ali, (we know where Lolly is...:devil: ), Trish, Winter, KT, Angie, and all the others I forgot (sorry, it is early and haven't had my coffee yet!!!)

Well, not much new with me, since I have been failing so miserably at the weight loss thing for a couple weeks now, I have finally roped myself back in, and am doing well. I ate my minimum yesterday and even walked on my treadmill last night. I have at least 10 pounds to lose, and would like to do it by sometime this summer.

My DH will be done working his crummy (Jess, I feel your pain, glad to see your night shift is finished), in two weeks. Then, I can go back to being a married woman. I have only seen my DH on Saturdays since March. Sucks....oh well....

Work is pretty slow, just working on projects for the summer, since I don't teach (I teach faculty, staff and students software programs on a university campus).

We had to completely change our floor plans for our house (didn't sit on the lot right) so, we have finally picked new ones, and I think I like them better anyway, so now we will finally be able to start digging the basement, in a week or two.

My brother is getting married 4th of July weekend, I am in the wedding, so I would like to lose at least 5 pounds by then. My SIL (to be) has us wearing corset like strapless tops, and separate full skirts, the full skirt is no problem, the corset top is another story!! :)

Well, I guess that sums it up for me. I am taking my mom to the movies this weekend, we are going to see the Ya Ya Sisterhood, looks great...a good mom-daughter movie!

Well, I will check in later, since I have nothing pertanent on my desk.

Later! :)

Jen,

That is too weird, I bet it is fate. He's the one you will end up with! :D

HI girls - I have a sec before the boss gets here, so I'll post!

Kirsty - you must post a pic as soon as you can!! I am so happy for Lolly. Wow, we must be getting old b/c so many of us are marrying off! Are there any others that are live-in's with no rings yet??

Kim, you don't count anymore, you have your rock!! And I think your goal may be do-able now - the 30 down. If you set your sights high and really stay focused, you might surprise yourself. Do your best and then on your wedding day you won't say "if only I'd tried, I'd feel better right now". Plus, you will look and feel like $1million on your big day. I know you will be a beautiful bride!!

Jess - I am sorry to hear about your morning!! Do you live with B/f? Is his distraught? My thoughts are with you.....good luck. I'll probably be in the same boat as you after WI tomorrow though, so move over - I'll welcome the company!!! :)

Lisa- wow, you look great! Those are inspiring pics of you!!

Jen - hey - let us know how it goes with that guy!! You never know, it might be a "when Harry met Sally" type thing, destined to be together...??

Tonya - let us know how the YaYa's is - I read the book a while ago and I liked it. I think it will make a good movie - albeit a chick flick. Glad you are married again ;)

Well, I amdoing okay - I have up days and down days, but these injuries are getting me down. 4-5 more weeks til healing, then I start recovery, so its a long road for me. I am exhausted from it, and my bladder infection on top of it all.

Plus, I have maintained for 4 weeks. That is depressing. I am very good at points, but the inactivity is not good. Think I need to eat at the LOW LOW end....not mid, as I have been

Well boss is in, ciao for now.

Belle

Kirsty - I forgot to say -wow, sailing that is wicked cool! Glad you had fun. Ihad fun watching Prince Willi at the concert - wow, he is a cutie.

Belle

Morning Everybody -

I'm in mourning today. I can't believe the Wings gave up game one to the Canes. I'm so disgusted.

Kristy - sounds like your sailing trip was fun. Can't wait to hear more details.

Jess - sorry to hear your BF lost his job. Hopefully, he'll find something else suitable without too much of a hassle.

Jen - I hope your trip to Italy is splendid. And have fun on your date with that guy. Kinda spooky how he called out of the blue just as you'd been reminiscing about him.

Lisa - your pics are amazing. Your perserverance is inspiring.

Tonya - I'm so glad to hear that you will be able to spend more time with your husband. I know it has been hard for your family to have so little together time. Good luck with the house stuff. I built one last fall and despite the work involved it was very exciting.

Kim - these are the websites I mentioned yesterday. I'm not hugely computer savvy so these aren't links.
www.LastMinuteTravel.com
www.rcihn.com
www.trip.com

Well, I need to be off to prepare for the job interview I have this morning. I'm stressing a little about it which makes me want to eat which is not good because I have WI at lunch today. I need to find a mint to suck on to keep from stuffing my face.

I'll check in later.

Winter

Morning girls,

Is it time to go home yet? :^:

Kirsty, I'm glad you had a great time on your trip and at the wedding. Fun fun.

Jess, sucky morning! Sorry about your BF's job :(

Lisa, great progress! I haven't posted up a pic yet, but I am hoping to get around to it soon - I'll need to crop and edit other people out, so it may take me a bit ;)

Jen, woohoo about the boy! That's awesome, keep me posted. I'm so jealous about Italy - I went through there on my spring break when I studied abroad and stopped off in Venice, Florence and Rome, but only for about a day or two apeice. The gelati is TO DIE FOR. Eat it up while you can, I'm sure you'll be walking everywhere and will burn it all off anyway :D Oh, and I am totally planning to get Chipotles for lunch today - no cheese, meat or sour cream though - think it is still really bad?

Tonya, we all knew you'd get back on track! We've also seen pictures, so even with 5 extra lbs you'll still look great in the wedding.

Ok, better try to get some work done.

Hi Winter and Belle - we must have been posting at the same time :)

Lexxy - No, I don't think Chipotles can be that bad without the cheese, sour cream or meat. If you are craving it, I think that is a healthy way to approach it. Funny, I think of you everytime I am there or even walk by the place! I am going to Rome, Venice and Florence - 6 days in Rome, 3 in Venice and 1 in Florence. I have already decided that I am going to eat whatever I want because I don't want to miss out on anything! I will just deal with the consequences when I get back...:o

Winter - Good luck on the interview!

Belle - I would say given your njuries and your inactivity because of them that maintaining is really good. I'm sure as you are able to move more those pound will melt off!

Tonya- How exciting that work is being started on your house!! When should it be done and ready for you to move??

Can you tell I don't feel like working today?!

Yikes busy thread this morning!!! I don't have a lot of time to post I just wanted to check in. I am not being a good little wwer lately. The past two days have been hideous but reading all of your goals etc is keeping me from saying screw it :) So thanks for the inspiration.

Kim- 11days OP! I am soooooo jealous and yet inspired. I sometimes wish my wedding was sooner so it would kick my butt. Instead I find myself thinking hmmm 10 months. I just need to lose 35 pds by then. Granted it is a lot but I am such a procrastinator. I seriously am glad that you are managing to post in the midst of the wedding insanity b/c it truly helps remind me that I really need to get it together (wwer wise). Thanks.

Winter- Thanks for the websites :)

Lori- I have one word for you WOW! You are amazing :dizzy:

Jess-Rough morning. I hope your day improves but if not stick around we will cheer you up:D

Kirsty- Glad you are back you sailing queen. Can't wait to see pics of Lolly's wedding I bet she was beautiful!

JKarr- I agree with Belle, very "when harry met sally" ooo and I love that movie!!!!! Have a ton of fun this wknd. How exciting!!

Tonya- So glad house plans are on their way and that you are going to be seeing your husband again :) I agree that you will look great for the wedding 5pds down or not but still it is a great goal :)

Lexxy-Sorry day is not over yet however thus far I have done so little work so that I can't complain :) Hope yours starts to fly by.

Belle- I think that maintaining right now is awesome! Congrats!!! Don't get discouraged most people would gain due to the inactivity and just think of the pds that will melt off when you are able to be active again!

KT-Love the CD idea!!!

Thanks for all of the Bridesmaids suggestions!!!!!!!

Must work now, BEcky

OK I have to be quick but when the thread's this busy I just have to jump on.

Welcome back Kirsty! I'm looking forward to picts. I wondered how close we were getting to Lolly's wedding.

Belle - I'm one of the waiting for the rocks. We had a fun arguement shortly after we moved in together about if I REALLY wanted to ACTUALLY get MARRIED. I wonder what he thought the diamonds we were shopping for meant. Anyway, it's all good and one day next summer or the summer after we'll actually do it. we'll need to find the perfect place to have the wedding first.

Lisa - what great pics! You're doing fantastic!

OK - the IP are eyeing me - I'll try to check in later
KT

me again,
great to read all your posts! i posted a poll so you girls can mark your relationship situation and we can see just how grown-up this thread is getting!!
argh. just about to type to you guys and boss wants me to do work. what's that all about? ;)
best go. back tomorrow (possibly hungover as i've got a ticket to some PR launch tonight - i do hope they have bubbles!).
kirsty

Hi girls!

Boy, is it busy today! Welcome back from your trip, Kirsty! Where did Lolly go on her honeymoon? I can't remember if it's been mentioned.

I probably shouldn't be writing on here today because I procrastinated all day yesterday and my editor is coming down on me about deadlines. No fun. I stayed at work until about 10:45 p.m. last night, although I did leave for an hour and go swimming at the gym. I did laps for a whole 30 minutes (mostly the crawl and about 5 minutes of water jogging), which I was pretty proud of.

Jen: Yay on the boy! Good luck!

Lisa: You look wonderful!

Jess: I hope your day is getting better! Sounds like you need a little pampering to destress yourself. Go get a pedicure! And I hope BF's job problems work out.

Tonya: I'm glad you'll be able to see your hubby more again soon! My BF — oops, fiance — has been working nights and Sundays since October 2000. I know I've whined before about only seeing him Friday nights and Saturdays. I still whine. Since we've been back from Florida, I've hardly seen him at all. I fear I'll be doing all the planning for the wedding myself. I'm a bit irked at him at the moment because I thought we were going to have lunch today and I called him and he was already fixing himself lunch. Grrr. We're planning on going to a jazz festival at a winery Saturday, so hopefully that will make up for not seeing him or hardly talking to him this week.

Hi Belle! See, it can happen. Even I was starting to doubt it. Don't fret too much about maintaining ... at least you're not going up! Is there an exercise you can do, like swimming? That's pretty low-key.

Yikes, I better run. Hi to Lexxy and Becky and anyone about to post!

PS I'm doing WW myself, with the help of eTools. (A friend gave me her code so I could sign up. The online journal and Points calculator helps me a lot) I'm recording my weight every Wednesday, and this morning the scale was hovering between 185 and 186, so I'm calling it 185.6. That's 3 pounds in about 2 weeks!

work's not going so great...

A couple things... my girlfriends and I get together every couple months and one of us makes dinner at our place.

So, it's my turn and I actually have a nice dinner planned that should run about 10 points, excluding drinks and dessert. Not bad at all.

So - one of my friends emails the group and says "I just got 4 fondue pots - can I bring them and we can have a fondue night?"

Before I could respond all 7 girls emailed back saying how great that sounds. I am freaking out now. I checked online and 1/2 cup of cheese fondue is 12 points. Just for 1/2 cup. And she was talking about having cheese fondue and chocolate fondue for dessert.

This spells complete and utter disaster for me.

I was brave and emailed the group saying "That sounds great, but as you all know I've been working on getting to my goal weight, and fondue isn't the best choice for me. I'll be making chicken with caramelized onions, mashed potatoes and green bean almondine. I hope that still sounds good to y'all."

So the girl that suggested the fondue, emailed the whole group back and said "That sounds delicious! And I completely understand .... you look great. I'll bring the fondue then for anyone who wants it though."

AGGGHHHH. So I'm making dinner and it looks like she's bringing the fondue for the people who do want it. But I'm freaking because it will be there. And just a tiny taste will add up for points. Should I email her back and ask that she not bring it at all... or should I battle and see if I can overcome the situation using my will-power. I'm just afraid I won't have the willpower!

Sorry for the long letter....


Jen - good to see you're still here too. I missed you also! That's awesome news about the guy!

Tonya - 10 pounds to lose - awesome. You can do it. So what if it takes time... better late than never. I saw a sneak preview of ya-ya. Great movie!!!!

Belle - sorry to hear about the injury. That definately doesn't help. I'd be happy to maintain during an injury - I hope you get better very soon!

Winter... sorry about your Wings.... I'm an Avs fan, so I couldn't believe last Friday's game. I have NO IDEA what happened. I'm still bitter so I'm rooting for the Canes.

lexxy - thanks. I'd love to see pictures of your progress. It's always inspiring to see others doing well, I always think "I can do that too!"

Grace - when is your wedding? congratulations. good luck with WW this week.

Okay ladies.... see you soon.

Lisa

lisa - email your friend (not the whole group) and ask her (really nicely of course) to not bring the fondue and save it for when it's her turn to have you girls over. make out that you've already bought a lot of stuff in. and you're worried that it will go to waste. if she really has to bring it, then tell her to just bring one (whatever is lower in points). say the chocolate one and then get lots and lots of fruit to dip in it and go easy on the dipping. you might be able to get low-fat fondue stuff? anyone know??
kim - lolly and her husband (hee hee - it sounds so weird!) have gone to edinburgh (scotland). hope it's raining less up there than it is in london today.
kirsty

Hey, could someone do me a great big favor? I don't have my Points Finder here and would like to know the points for this bag of Skittles that I'm going to eat (regardless of the point info)?

Here's the nutritional info: 240 calories, fat 2.5, fiber 0

Thanks guys...

I'll be back later to write some responses...

Jess,

I don't have my points finder.... but I'm about 95% sure that that would run about 5 points.

(When in doubt, if there's no fiber, 50 cal = 1 point) It's an estimate, but helps when there's no points finder!

Kim, we posted at the same time it seems... good for you last night. I've been swimming in the mornings. What a work-out. My gym just finished up our pool. We've been waiting on it for years. I go to the gym at least 5 times a week, and I'm telling you, swimming wears me out!!!! You'll have to tell me more about water jogging..... sounds interesting.

Lisa

Good guess Lisa, they are 5 points.

KT - at least you guys talk marriage, my b/f tells me "I love you Poopie...." then comes "I am not ready to get married or anything..." so I know he isn't there at all.

My friend gave me some excellent advice. She said you know youi are ready for marriage when you know your life will go on without the other person, but you don't want it to. That is real love, not infatuation, lust, etc. I think that makes a lot of sense to me. I think I am there with my b/f - I know I have a life wihtout him, I could get on and pick myself up if we broke up, but I want him to be part of my life. He enhances my life.

Kiminey!! Good for you working out and beign OP - you are inspiring!! Yes, I can swim in 4 more weeks - my arm is not healed either, so I can't really do much until I am healed, then I can start recovery. So maybe at the end of June I can start again. But I am not going to quit WI b/c I do think I might gain if not for being accountable. You know what I mean?? I am so happy for you and b/f. did you love your ring???


Lisa - Jess' advice is good - I have been in the same fondue boat as you are. But really, its your turn to cook, so you should be able to choose themenu! I would call/email this girl too....if you have to have one, get the chocolate and dip very little, getting mostly fruit. It won't be as bad. Let us know how it goes!!

Belle

Hey Jess ... Skittles are 5 points.

Lisa: I agree with what Kirsty said. I think it's not a bad idea to ask her to just bring ONE and find some low-fat chocolate to dip. Think strawberries with just an eensy bit of chocolate on them!

Kirsty: My grandmother is from Edinburgh! (she lives in Connecticut now, but much of her family is still there) I visited there when I was 4. My family has a funeral home there. Creepy!

Belle: I LOVE my ring. I have a photo if anyone wants to see it. My mom took pictures to email to my grandma.

Funny story ... my grandma took the train from Connecticut to Florida (!!!) to visit my mom. She told me today that everyone around her now knows about the wedding and even how he proposed. Yeesh. I think she's a little excited.

But like we've talked about, guys ask when they're ready. I really didn't think Brian was ever going to, and I had almost resigned myself to having a "big talk" with him if we came back from Florida and no ring. But of course that didn't have to happen. And I'm actually at a loss about what to bug him about these days. No more daily "When do I get my ring?" :)

Wow - is this thread ever busy today.

Belle - I know your concerned because you've been maintaining instead of losing for a month but I really think that considering your injuries that is an incredible accomplishment.

Lisa - I second Kristy's suggestion on how to handle the fondue. Truly a diplomatic and gracious way to handle situation.

Belle - I love the advice your friend gave you about marriage. I'm going to keep it in mind. Although, I probably need to meet a guy that I'd like to date before I start wondering about getting married!

Well, I nailed my interview this morning. If I don't get a call back for a 2nd interview, I'll just have to conclude that the hiring managers are dunderheads. This job and I are PERFECT for each other.

Haven't been doing so well on the food front. When I went off in search of a mint, I found a donut instead. And then even though I was up a 1 lb at WI, I went and "found" fries and a burger for lunch. And these were not the small fries and small burger! I'm now at war with myself about whether to get back on track with a small salad for dinner or just call the day lost and have a slice of the pizza that I'm craving. I hate days like this. I'm hoping that the day passes quickly so I can go home, crawl into bed, obtain willpower while sleeping, and have a great OP day tomorrow.

Later,

Winter

Oh my gosh, it's been a busy day today! Thanks to everyone who offered comfort during my crappy day and to everyone who told me the points info for those wonderful Skittles. I hate to use 5 poitns on a snack, but they were totally worth it. :devil:

OK, so here's what's going on... BF went and talked to his boss and got his job back. Basically all that happened was that he's been late 4 times and they fired him for it, which I personally think is a bunch of crap. He's the best darn guard they have (and by far the cutest, but maybe I'm biased) and they don't fire the ones who are lazy and he pointed that out. His boss apparently agreed that it's a bunch of crap and gave him his job back. This makes me SO happy. He had all these big plans and if he lost his job, he wouldn't be able to do much with his future, so this is a big relief.

I'm in a better mood about that, but people here at work are just getting on my nerves! Good thing I have you guys!!

One thing that drastically improved my day is that I booked my cruise today. So there's no getting out of it now. :D I just wish that it was sooner than December. But this way I have time to tan and reach goal before I go.

Lisa--It's good to have you back! Know what? I have the very same dress as the one in the middle picture. I should have never bought it. My boobs are too big for it. I didn't think it looked that bad, but I wore it to a wedding and apparently my breasts were the topic of conversation after I left. :o You look so good in your final picture, I can only imagine how AWESOME you must look now!

JenK--Oh my gosh, that is SO cool about the boy. ;) I bet he couldn't stop thinking about you the entire time he was there and now that he's coming back, he can't wait to see you and I'm not kidding, I think I hear wedding bells. OK, maybe that's a little over the top... I'm a desperately hopeless romantic... :lol:

Tanya--Yikes, your hubby had to do crappy shifts for 2 months? Ick, I'm sorry to hear that...

Belle--No, I don't live with BF. (If I did, he'd always be to work on time because I'm a naggy girlfriend. :D ) And, thank heavens I'm not the only one gaining (not that I'd wish gaining on anyone). Bladder infection? Oh, icky. I had a bunch of those awful things right in a row for some reason about a year ago. Hope that clears up for you!! Also, a suggestion for you, since you've been maintaining, try fluctuating your points--realy low one day, then high, then low again, then banked and so on--my mom had the same problem, then started losing when she tried that...

oops, time to go. Will respond more tomorrow.