boil chicken until cooked. Cut into cubes. cut up veggies. Put everything into a large pot or Crock Pot and fill with water to just a bout 2 inches above veggies. Let cook on medium for a few hours. When cooked, pull out about 1/3 of the soup mixture and blend it in the blender. Pour the mixture back into the soup. This makes the soup seem thicker.
I use only 2 potatoes and drop in a 1/4 C brown rice that I keep cooked up in the fridge in each individual serving before zapping it in the microwave.
judi
11-11-2002, 12:45 AM
I had an adventure on Friday. I had to go to emergency and ended up staying overnight in Vancouver. I might have had a mini heart attack. They did a bunch of tests but didn't find anything.
I was in mass and went out, trying to get back to my car I fell down in the street, several people walked on by, I asked a guy going into church (mind you) to let me call an ambulance on his cell phone but Mr. in A VERY expensive suit said he didn't have a cell phone. Yeah, right...those business types don't have cell phones:lol: just kids and little old ladies, any way a good Samaritan came by and helped me and I got to the hospital where I was whisked past the whole waiting room of people to the head of the line and got a bed immediately. The staff in the emerg. were so KIND and wonderful in every way. It was worth the whole horrible experience just to meet so many nice people in one place.
But here am I at home and having lived through one of my worst fears "FAT PERSON COLLAPSING IN PUBLIC" fear and found out I could do it...no kidding this was my worse horror that I could imagine and I went through it.
But it was good for a 2 pound weight loss:cool: which helped redeem the day.
Back to dieting: The fibre one and blueberries sound great. Hmmm...that would probably be only a one point snack.
How are you enjoying your time by yourself, Alice? Nice, eh??
I am not going on the Dec. trip, I want to stay home and my FIL is going with the DH.
We are at a hundred:balloons: Good for us!
ps: I am trying to give up coffee...2 cups this week, 1 cup a day next week, then following week 1/2 etc. until down to ZERO.:crossed:
ledom
11-11-2002, 07:16 AM
Oh, I am so sorry! What did the Drs. say to you about this?:( I'm so sorry you had this experience. I am horrified that you weren't helped. Please take care of yourself.
What a sobering thing. When is DH next trip? I hope not really soon - please keep us posted on how this is going. Were you given medicine, did the Dr. recommend you give up coffee?
Alice, I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was very uneventful.
aleka
11-11-2002, 08:27 AM
judi, OMG, I am glad that you are ok. What did the Dr. say caused you to collapse like that? Have you seen your PC Physician? If so, what did they tell you? What an awful experience for you to have to go through falling and that man would not help you. Please keep us informed. Did your Dr. recommend you give up coffee, or are you doing this all on your own? If you are experiencing any difficulty giving up caffiene, what helped me give it up once (I'm back drinking it again), was using 1/2 "real" coffee, and 1/2 decaf for awhile, then kept decreasing the "real" coffee until it was totally decaf. On a happier note, congratulations on your 2 lb. loss:cp:
ledom, well we are at #100:balloons: I had a nice 2 days by myself, just me & Miz Lacee. Did some shopping for me, on HSN :s: I always watch HSN when Suzanne Somers is on, and I bought her bread machine to make my own bread. I'm trying stay away from sugar, and hydrogenated oils, and I can't seem to find any bread without any of these in them. I have been looking at the SB site and combine it with the WW points, so I'll see if it is at all possible to do so.
Yesterday DH & I went shopping, and I found a black leather blazer, originally priced at $200.00, on sale for 1/2 off, plus another 15%, I believe and it got it for $85.00. . I love it. I've been looking for something like it for quite sometime.
Later this morning I am meeting a cousin for lunch. We haven't seen each other for quite sometime even though we don't live very far from one another.
Take care and have a great day.
judi
11-11-2002, 10:55 PM
No one told me to quit coffee but I think it might have something to do with the whatever it was "the incident"...because when I had another coffee after I was out of the hospital I sort felt that pain (not sharp but really intense, sort of like if you swallowed ground glass) start up a bit...eek! I also have quit cold turkey cola pops (pepsi & coke) haven't found an alternative though. What do you drink instead now Ledom?
That is a good idea about the coffee Alice. I will do that.
Shopping from home is fun isn't it! I love it, I haven't bought anything off of the tv yet but I love computer shopping. Enjoy your purchases Alice!
Ledom last night for a snack I had Kashi (good friends variety) and blueberries. It was good.
I won't see my own Dr. ( I have to go get my hair streaked...priorities) until next week. I didn't get any meds because they could not say for sure what was. Women if they have heart attacks often don't have the same symptoms often as men so sometimes the attacks are missed or misdiagnosed. I saw a thing on tv about it. Today though I felt a bit nervous going to mass on my own. My DH went with me on the weekend. But I feel a bit scared now, I was prepared Aspirin, cell phone etc.
Estaban now knows his name and comes when I call. He is so cute.
My DH isn't going until the end of the month. I really want to stay home and do Christmas things.
ledom
11-11-2002, 11:23 PM
just remember your priority is your health girl!!!! Don't wait too long to see your Doc. I am thinking about you.
All is well here. I am in the midst of filling out a huge long application for a promotion at work. Academe can be especially cruel when it comes to this type thing so it has me filled with stress. I handle it like I usually handle these things, by worrying and procrastinating about getting things together until the very last minute. I will feel SO relieved when I get it finished. I have toiled on it all weekend and am still at it. I am making progress, but want to be finished and to forget about it. I won't find out any results until spring.
judi, I am so glad you have Estaban. I couldn't do w/out my kitties. As I type, Miss Bea is sitting in my lap and purring. Computer time is our time together.
Well girls, next Wed. will be my 49th b'day. My friends are cooking supper for me on Sat. Thank god Sat. is free day. Not sure how I'll handle my actual b'day out w/ M and D. I have been SO GOOD on this diet. I don't want to break it.
Alice, cool about your leather jacket. If the 3 of us ever got together I know exactly what we'd have to do. SHOP. If you came here I'd take you to TJMaxx. My absolute weekly place to get my shopping fix.
Take care girls.
aleka
11-12-2002, 12:42 PM
My weigh in did not go very well this morning only down .2 lb. (2/10ths). I think I'll have to go back to my eating the 0 point soup more often, and my snack at night s/f jello with Cool-Whip, instead of the 4 pt. ice cream.
I did get my exercise in today. When I came home from WW, DH was out mowing the lawn & downed leaves. So I got my trusty rake and we were raking for about 1/2 hr. - 45 min. I hope I'll be able to move tomorrow. ;)
judi, I am in total agreement with ledom, your health should be your first priority. Get yourself to the Dr. soon:drill: Caffiene can cause problems. I am thinking about you too! I'm glad that Estaban is a joy to you. I miss my kitties terribly. We had one that gave the best massages. You'd lay on your stomach and she would jump on your back and knead away(she didn't have claws). She was a indoor cat, I never let her out. She was a stray that wound up on our doorstep, and she was the most affectionate cat I've ever encountered.
ledom, good luck with your application, I hate filling things out. I've got my fingers crossed that you'll hear great news in the spring:crossed: A happy early birthday to you!:hb: Would Wed. be too early for a free day for you? You won't mess anything up. You have come so far.
judi
11-13-2002, 04:23 AM
I too wish you the BEST birthday!
I PROMISE I will go see my doctor, honest!
Alice, a kitty that gave massages now that is what I would like too.
I did some gentle walking on the treadmill today. I am going to try to keep it up. Good for you for all that leaf raking Alice. There must be some exercise points there.
Ledom, I too hate filling out BIG, IMPORTANT documents...it takes me forever because I am over careful and then make some kind of mistake (like misspelling my own name) because I am being so cautious. That is tres cool that you are being considered for a promotion or advancement.:cool: :D Now, that is exciting news!!!
Alice, how many points are in a sugarless no fat pudding with light Whip? How big a portion do you usually have? Do you know that in Canada we do not have all the nutritional info that you have in the US. IF it is there it also has to be in both French and English. I love the US groceries for having it all on the package, I am an avid label reader. I even read the labels of groceries I have no intention of buying.
A couple of days without cola now. What are you drinking instead Ledom?
Estaban will usually sit quietly in DH's lap when he is on the computer but he likes to walk around on my keyboard. I love it when he falls asleep amongst the junk on my desk. THere is something so nice about a cat sleeping on the desk while you are working away.
It is about 12:30 at night here so I had better go. Have a great morning ladies:goodvibes
ledom
11-13-2002, 07:19 AM
judi - after posting yesterday I realized I forgot to tell you what I am drinking now. You won't believe it! I drink WATER! That's about it too. I do have a cup of coffee in the morning - I might drink iced tea if I weren't too lazy to make it.
One thing I noticed this weekend. The ONLY time I miss diet coke is when I am eating something junky on free day. As I suspected DC was part of some bad eating patterns. Kind of like when people trying to stop smoking have their weakest moments when they drink alcohol. Not very glamorous, huh? The diet requires lots of water and I just gave into it. I do like water though.
On freeday I have been drinking apple cider and milk, but the cider is too sugary for any other time. No milk on this diet either - that is also because of the sugar, not the fat as you might think.
Thanks for the early b'day wishes.
Alice, do try not to let the 2/10 of a lb. get you down. You are, after all going in the right direction. My weight loss was in the fractions last week too. All that I read says that as soon as I make some more muscle and finish burning off a little more fat the lbs. will start falling off. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but I am keeping the faith.
Still haven't done my workout so I'd better get with it. Have a good day!
aleka
11-13-2002, 08:03 AM
I am able to move this morning :faint: I can feel twinges in my back, shoulders, & arms, but nothing major.
ledom, thank you for your encouragement. I am trying not to let the .2 lb. get me down, at least I didn't gain. I have eliminated my ice cream snack at night and have gone back to my s/f jello. Do you have to count sugar grams in the BFL WOE? I have been into the Sugar Busters site, and a lot of people have been doing it along with WW and are having good results. It's a plan like the Somersizing I was doing awhile back, where you cut out sugars in any shape, way, or form. You can drink milk though. I am slowly incorprating that into my WW. Speaking of water, yesterday at my WW meeting, the leader was talking about drinking water and said that if you can't stand water that you can drink the flavored waters, or Crystal Light in place of plain water. Works for me! ;)
judi, glad to see that you are exercising. Do you have any episodes while on the treadmill, or just when you have caffiene?
1/2 cup of the Jello s/f pudding, made with skim milk, is 1 pt., the chocolate is 2 pts. 2 T. Cool Whip is 1 pt. Here is a recipe I got when I joined WW. It says it's 3 pts., but by my calculations, it's 4 pt. Take 1/2 c. each chocolate & vanilla f/f, s/f, pudding, layer it in a parfait glass, (1/4 cup each at a time) and top with 2 T. fat-free, (I use the lite) Cool Whip & a maraschino cherry. I have found for some reason, WW keeps changing their point values.
Have a great day.
ledom
11-14-2002, 07:25 PM
quiet here today. Hope you girls are doing ok and having a good day.
I was home today. Got my hair cut, did a little shopping:dizzy: , cooked a little. I even got a kayak trip in this a.m.
Well, not much to report. I want to lose a LOT of weight. Trying not to be impatient.
Judi, I think light treadmilling is probably a good idea.
aleka
11-15-2002, 06:05 PM
It's been quiet here these past few days. We are gearing up for a big storm over the weekend. Usually these are the ones that don't materialize. Hopefully it will be the case with this one too.
I just got home a little while ago from shopping. I met my GF for lunch and some Christmas Shopping. A couple of the stores in the mall were having good sales. I am just about done except for DH and IL's.
How short did you have your hair cut, ledom? Do you like it? That's great you got a kayaking trip in. Pretty soon you will have to bundle up.
judi, how are you doing?
Have a great weekend.
ledom
11-16-2002, 09:59 AM
Alice, did you get your storm?
It is cold and windy here today, but the sun is shining.
I had a good shopping trip at TJMaxx this week. I don't usually do this, but I did buy an all weather coat that is just a bit too snug. I know I'll fit into it soon! Actually it does button or I wouldn't have. It is such a great coat at a great price. It is an XL, and I'm really wearing a 1X these days.
The scale was good to me this week, 1 1/2 lbs. - last week it was only a .25 of a lb. I suspect it to continue like this. I just finished my 7th week and I've lost 12 lbs. I think that is probably pretty good.
My friends are kind enough to have a dinner for me tonight for my upcoming b'day. SO glad it is free day cause these folks can cook. I am looking forward to it. Wed. my M and D will take me out. I am going to hold out for this really nice steak house here in town. I think I can do my b'd on program and still have a very nice meal out.
An upcoming family crisis is brewing. My mother's sister, who lives in Alabama, is not doing well at all. My mother really wants to go visit her and I have offered to drive her down. We may go during the Thanksgiving break, or we could wait until Christmas break if she continues to improve. It is up in the air now. That will prove a real challenge to me dietwise. It'll just be hard to schedule my food and get my workouts in. All the time I am thinking of this I also think what a selfish thought! I will work it out no matter what.
judi - I hope you are just busy. Write when you get a minute cause I'm tending to worry about you when I don't hear from you.
aleka
11-16-2002, 11:40 AM
ledom, congratulations on your weight loss:bravo: :cp: Good job! Kudos on the coat! I bet you're really happy being into a smaller size. I am so sorry about your Aunt. I hope it's not too serious. No, it's not selfish of you to think about your eating and exercising. You really are seeing great results and you don't want to jepordize anything. Also, you do have a free day within that holiday break. You will work something out.
We are having some light snow already. But, I don't think it is part of the storm we are supposed to get. They are saying it will start later this afternoon into tomorrow, and from what they are telling us, we will have ice..ice..ice.. A good day for curling up with a good book.
I had a great day shopping yesterday. My GF & I got some tremendous buys at one of the major dept. stores in our area. I bought a gift for a friend that was originally marked at $30.00, and I got it for around $13.50. It is a set of 2 porcelin vases, with holly leaves around them, and green ribbon woven through the slats ontop. They really are very cute.
Enjoy your dinner that your friends are cooking for you and have a great time.
judi, I hope everything is ok with you. Like ledom, I hope the reason we haven't heard from you is that you are busy.
Bye for now.
ledom
11-18-2002, 08:12 AM
Alice, are you iced in? Do you even have electricity? I was watching the national weather map last night and it didn't look good up your way.
I had a good, but busy weekend. Not much down time and I wish I had today off to recover :dizzy: . The dinner party was fabulous. We have parties for each other on our birthdays. Somehow I have gotten to have my party at the home of my friend with the knack for throwing formal dinner partys. My partys run to chili and tamales. Her presentation is so elegant. A table set w/ linens, orchids, candles, and a menu to die for. Pork loin stuffed w/ cornbread and apple dressing, whipped garlic sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts for the main course. We started w/ a great bluecheese salad and bread and finished with lemon custard cake. Lots of red wine. I laughed so hard. We always have really good music and we all saw a side of one of my friends we'd never seen before. He started dancing and, like his wife said, she saw moves she didn't know he had. It was fun!
Yesterday I drove back over to Little Rock to see Frida. It is a beautiful movie. It isn't fantastic, but you might enjoy it. I did.
OK, so now I gotta go shower and grade that assignment that I didn't get to this weekend before I go to work. Payback time for a weekend of play.
Hope you are all well.
aleka
11-18-2002, 08:46 AM
ledom, so glad you had such a good time at your birthday dinner. The menu sounds positively delicious. There is nothing better than getting together with a bunch of people that you enjoy being with.
We really lucked out with this storm. We got a little snow overnight Sat., then we got some sleet, then it seemed as though it was raining. Late in the afternoon, we seemed to have been in a lull, then early evening it seemed to rain again. There is slush out there this morning, no ice at all. Our power didn't even hiccup. We were watching our local (New England), 24 hr. cable news station, where they were reporting icing everywhere, which we were not getting. I let Lacee out this morning, she came running up the steps onto the deck, and when she didn't slide into the side of the house, I took it as a good sign.;)
I have seen advertisements for Frida and it looked like a movie I would like to see. I enjoyed My Big Fat Greek Wedding that you recommended, so I know I will enjoy this one too!
judi, haven't heard from you in awhile. I hope everything is ok.
Gotta go make breakfast. But...I'm really not even hungry.
Have a great day!:hat:
ledom
11-19-2002, 09:56 AM
Alice, I am glad you dodged the severe ice. Ice is the worst kind of winter percipitation. It is sunny and in the 50's here today.
Just finished my walk. The leaves are mostly off the trees now and I need to rake my leaves.
Today is my long day at work. BUT, we are covering 2 chapters tonight so we can take off next Tuesday night. That will stretch my days off to 6 including the holiday next week. Our school is out starting Wed., but they close the dorms on Tues. night. Doesn't seem fair to ask my students to wait for 6-9 class when they are having to drive home afterwards. What am I saying? I don't think many of them would show up even if I did expect it.
Not much new here, just work, working out and trying to keep the right food in the house.
Hope you guys are doing well.
aleka
11-19-2002, 11:34 AM
Had a great weigh in this week...down 2.6 lb., which makes a total of 10 lb. gone!:cb: At the meeting we got some great tips to help us through the holiday.
Yesterday I did my walking tape, the 3 mile one, sans weights, which is a 45 min. tape. I didn't think it would ever end!:rolleyes:
I think you're right about your students not wanting to stick around for that class. When will you be leaving to visit your Aunt?
Take care and have a great day.
judi
11-19-2002, 01:54 PM
Well, I am exhausted my D. dropped out of school again, was supposed to go to a Joyce Meyer's conf. in Tacoma (exactly what she needs) didn't go and might be breaking up with her BF....
I am up 2 pounds, with all the goings on I haven't been watching. I started journalling again.
Guess what the culprit was for my "attack"? COFFEE and COLA, I had both that morning about an hour before I had it. Apparently it happens to lots of people. My hairdresser had to go to emerg. once with exactly the same thing. She is slim, fit and younger than me. Her DH too. THe cure is give up coffee, cola and if you ever have french fries eat them with ketchup because there is something in the tomato that counter balances otherwise these EXTREME and most painful form of indigestion. My hairdresser said she passed out from the pain and was crying and couldn't breathe etc. SO there it is...
I went an had a haircut and a dye job. It looks good. In about a month I am going to go a get my streaks redone. It is so nice to be liking my hair.
Other than the thing with my wayward D everything has been good. I have even done some Christmas shopping.
I am trying to talk my DH into donating some money at Christmas to the hospital that was so nice to me instead of buying me a gift. But he thinks I am going to come down stairs on Xmas morning look under the tree and go "Duh, where is my gift??" SHEESH, he should have SOME faith in me!! I honestly don't want gifts this year. I would like to get away from all that stuff and do something for someone else for a change. My DH would go for it but not my D.
Good for you on your weight loss ALice:bravo:
You as usual are doing wonderfully Ledom! I got jump on the wagon or you guys are going to leave me in the dust!
aleka
11-19-2002, 03:15 PM
It's great hearing from you. When you did mention about the attack after the coffee, I was wondering if you were having trouble with your gall bladder. Would decaf do the same thing, do you think? I bet your hair looks smashing. Those 2 lb. will come off in no time.
aleka
11-20-2002, 07:56 AM
I wanted to wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY !:hb: :gift: :hat: :balloons: Where are your M & D taking you for your dinner? Wherever it is, ENJOY!!!
Hi judi, hope you have a good day.
ledom
11-20-2002, 08:20 AM
They are taking me to a great Steak House here in town. Looking forward to salad, steak, and baked potato.
Hey judi, so sorry to hear D is having a hard time. She'll figure it out - these things take time.
judi
11-20-2002, 09:37 AM
:hat: :gift: :grouphug: :high: I hope your birthday is as special as you are!!!
eeK! coffee! No, it wasn't a gall bladder thing...the pain was very high, that is why I thought it was a heart attack...sort of situated between my exquisite breasts. Why is it that you are not drinking coffee on your diet? What are the reasons? Maybe they knew something about the horrendous effects of coffee. My hairdresser said after she had her attack she spoke to many of her clients and found out that it was a common thing. Actually, it has not been hard to have just one 8 oz cup a day (to forestall caffeine headache...I used to have tons of it, both my DH and I are real coffee addicts). By next week I will cut it down to a half with Alice's trick of adding decaff. My DH will just have to make a Starbucks stop before work if he wants more caffeine.
Today after mass, I am going for lunch with the Good Samaritan that helped me last Friday. She is a very neat woman, so if I have a new friend out of the deal it will be worth all of it.
I am trying not to focus on the dilemma of my D. You are right she has to figure out a few things for herself. She doesn't appreciate my advice anyway. Today my DH is taking her for lunch, so at least she is still talking to one of us. But my feeling is she is 24 and it is time to "smarten up". What slays me is the opportunities she is tossing away so carelessly, she thinks they will always be there for her...not so, sometimes life closes some doors that are impossible to open again.
Well, Estaban and Marley are THRIVING! So at least I am succeeding somewhere.
I had a good diet day yesterday and treadmilled.
How is everything in your part of the world Alice? Is Miz Lacee getting excited about turkey day???
ledom
11-20-2002, 09:50 AM
You girls are TOO SWEET! I adore having you for friends.
judi, I am not sure if you are asking me or Alice. I still have coffee, it is just diet coke that I gave up. I drink about 2 cups a day. I was trying to get away from aspartame and also the eating habits I fall into w/ a dietcoke in my hand. Good luck giving up. Once I decided it was time I haven't had a lot of trouble giving up the d.c., after I got through the first week of headaches that is. I knew I had to do it cold turkey before my resolve weakened though I'm not sure it was the best way, certainly not the least painful way.
I know what you mean about D. She is going to have to figure it out. I know I had too. I also dropped out of college. Decided I'd work and get an apartment, that is when I realized what I was up against w/o an education. Crappy job, crappy boss, not enough money. I'll be an armchair psychiatrist here and say that she probably needs that experience as well. Also, sounds like she might really be scared of growing up. Doesn't she just have 1 semester to go? Just last year we had a student that blew everything the last semester - I think some kids do that as an avoidance of moving on to the next thing. I'm glad she is having lunch with her Dad. If I were you I'd try not to take her problems on, until she realizes that it is her life and her problem she may not stand on her own two feet. I know, easy for me to say. Anyway, good luck with keep yourself sane while she figures it out.
Love you girls, take care.
aleka
11-20-2002, 10:24 AM
judi, I haven't given up coffee entirely either. I still have my morning coffee, but when we have our afternoon and/or early evening coffee, we switch to decaf. We used to drink the "real" stuff in the evening and it never bothered us sleepwise. But, then I started to wake up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep until the wee hrs. of the morning. Since we switched to decaf, I haven't had that problem. I agree with ledom about your D and leaving school. I know you are concerned, but try not to let it bother you. This advice from someone who doesn't have kids!:^: Maybe someday she will realize her mistake and go back to school. Glad that Marley & Estaban are getting along. How is Bentley taking all of this?
Miz Lacee is fine, she'll be more excited about Turkey Day when we sit down to eat. :cbg: I usually fix her a small plate with a little bit of everything. She's not spoiled or anything. Enjoy your lunch and hope you make a new friend.
ledom, enjoy your birthday dinner! I love steak. Do you have any Longhorn Steak Houses in your area? We occasionally eat there, as it somewhat of a haul to get there. Hope you get a lot of neat gifts.
I'm off for lunch & shopping....again....with my GF. Now we have to buy gift wrap!
ledom
11-21-2002, 09:51 AM
Ah, a day at home today. I am going to clean my nasty house and rake leaves. So much more to do than the time to do it, but I am just going to dig into chores I hate today.
I survived b'day week w/ no diet slip-ups! It is a good feeling and I'm glad it is behind me. Now to get through T'd and I'm home free. Christmas will be my rest week. Alice, we are still up in the air about when to go to Alabama. We might go next week, but if my aunt continues to do ok we may wait a month until Chistmas. I am so torn about this, I want to take my Mother when she wants to go. She is very understanding about my work schedule too. D has a take home algebra test during Thanksgiving, we are both tired and looking forward to a little break, I'd not be able to do my diet/exercise plan to the T. So many reasons I want to wait. BUT, if she got sicker, or the weather turns nasty if we wait? You can see the quandry I'm in.
My body is looking strange as I lose a bit of weight. I guess I am more tuned in to that now that I am strength training too. My arms are looking firmer and slimer, but my ab area looks flabbier. Maybe a bit smaller, but definately flabbier. :shrug: I am employing strength of mind on this matter. I think it will improve as I go along. It is at this point in every diet I have done I start to berate myself for letting things get so out of hand. Also, I have worked hard and it is obvious that there is a lifetime of hard work ahead on this particular project and it is easy to be overwhelmed. NOT an excuse to give up though! I guess it is actually a good place to be. It means I have a good start.
aleka
11-21-2002, 05:34 PM
It had been foggy most of the morning, and it only got worse from there. It is very raw outside. We are supposed to get some rain starting later this afternoon and lasting into Sat. morning. We still need the water.
ledom, how did the house cleaning and leaf raking go? Glad you made it through birthday week intact. That was an accomplishment.:bravo: Yes, I can see the quandry you are in. But I am a believer that everything will take care of itself. You've still got a few days to decide on what to do. You really have come a long way with BFL. I really think the stomach area is the hardest to firm up, and from what I've observed, as women age they seem to get flabbier stomaches. On me, I wouldn't know the difference;) :D
judi, how did you lunch turn out yesterday? Have you made a new friend?
Enjoy your evening.
ledom
11-22-2002, 09:38 AM
How's your weather today Alice? Sounds like winter up there. Our cold front is supposed to move in on Sunday.
Well, today concludes week 8 of my BFL plan. Time is flying.
I didn't get everything done yesterday, made a dent though. Yard is about 1/2 raked and house is slightly cleaner. New Years resolution for me should be to not spend so much time on the computer. It is an addiction that is possible out of control, great way to procrastinate on those chores you hate.
Ah, Christmas shopping. I gotta get busy on that.
This has been a great semester and it has flown by, but you know what? I am tired of it, ready to be through. I don't have much else to teach, now it is just evaluation time, letting students get their stuff turned in, etc.
Gotta get dressed and get to work now! Have a good Friday.
aleka
11-22-2002, 11:16 AM
ledom, our weather is very raw and it's raining, temps in the 40's. This rain is supposed to end with snow tomorrow morning. How cold is it supposed to get down your way? Everywhere I go I hear people saying that they think we're in for a very nasty winter this year. Are you just wiped out from the semester? How long is your break between semesters? Well, at least you got 1/2 of what you wanted to get accomplished. That's a feat in itself :s: Good for you.
I did get my workout done this morning, and I feel better for doing it. On Wed. I met my GF for our weekly luncheon & shopping, but we had to cut our shopping short as she had to pick up her DH at the airport. I got home at a decent time, it was so beautiful out that I got a walk in.
8 weeks of BFL are up already???? I just realized that I'm into week 10 of WW. Time does fly! :angel:
Hi judi, :wave: hope you're having a good week.
Enjoy the weekend. :df:
judi
11-22-2002, 10:42 PM
We stayed in Vancouver last night.
Yes, I think I did make a new friend, we had a 2 1/2 hr. lunch and were still talking when we parted.
Ledom, you are raking your own leaves...good for you...mine are waiting until the gardener gets over the flu, if he wants to even do them.
Well, I lost the 2 pounds I was up plus one more. So I am down about 2 sizes. It is a total of 18 lbs. Now clothes wise it is a good and bad thing...remember about 1/2 year back I bought some new big size stuff, some I haven't even worn and it was expensive, I was trying on some of it and its too big, not baggy but actually TOO big. (imagine that!) Can't be returned as it was bought up and down the west coast. The good news clothes wise, a jacket and a denin dress that fit like skin on bratwurst before so I could not wear either actually fit normally now. I am going to give the big stuff away so I will have nothing to grow back into. My closet is too full anyway.
We are having a glorious break in our rainy season...sun for two days now.
My DH is gone to Ca. and I am on my own. I am going to stay up late eat popcorn, read and sleep until noon tomorrow:smug:
aleka
11-24-2002, 06:15 PM
I guess my post from yesterday got lost in the shuffle. We did not get any snow from that storm. I am so happy about that!
judi, that's fantastic you've lost 18 lb. and into another clothing size!:bravo: :cp: :cb: At one of my WW meetings, the leader suggested just that, getting rid of your larger clothes except for 1 piece of clothing to keep as a reminder. Glad you have made a new friend. Have a nice time while DH is away. Sometimes it's nice to have a break where you can eat what you want and when you want. ;)
Hi ledom, hope you had a good weekend.
ledom
11-25-2002, 09:29 AM
Congratulations to both you girls on you weight loss. You're doing great! Sorry I forgot to comment on your good week earlier Alice.
I am down 1/2 lb. this week. Two days after free day I am still down that 1/2 lb. Thanksgiving day could end up wreaking havoc on that, but my free day this weekend was very reasonable. I also spent most of the day paddling. My really good friend that took me out the first time I tried my boat went with me. He is hard to pin down for plans, but we had an excellent time. I took him to a place on the lake that has the most amazing bluffs and rock formations which he really enjoyed. He has taken a geology course so he added a lot to my understanding of the landscape. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and it was in the mid-60's, very comfortable.
Today our cold front has moved in, it is supposed to be a high of 46 today and a high of 38 tomorrow, rain today and maybe snow tomorrow though the ground is too warm for it to stick. Very holidayish - I have wood in the dry so we can have fire in the fireplace for Thanksgiving.
So, a 2 day work week and I am so looking forward to the break. We have decided to go to Alabama at Christmas.
Alice, have fun shopping. I still haven't done much shopping for D, gotta get going on this! Take care and have a good day you guys.
judi
11-25-2002, 10:24 AM
Good morning Ledom and Alice!
You have snow Alice? It must make you feel Christmasy. I bought a couple of Christmas CD's but haven't listened to them yet. We have been blessed and have had no rain and a sun for the last few days.
So you decided to go to Alabama for Christmas Ledom. In one way it will be restful because you won't have to do so much work preparing your own place for the festivities.
Re: the big clothes - I think I will have the expensive big stuff altered and toss out the cheap stuff. I don't want to spend the money getting more new stuff. I felt really good yesterday, I had on a long (mid calf) merino wool sweater that I bought at Macy's in San Fran. way over a year ago (and couldn't wear before) and a longish new wool skirt (both navy) and wore them to church. I think I even look smaller.:)
DH and I have been talking on the phone a few times a day. But it is so relaxing to be by myself, no cooking, shirt ironing etc. Mind you I am NOT complaining, I would miss him SOOO much if he were away much longer than the week. I am just enjoying the time to do "whatever".
What do you eat on your free day Ledom?
How is Lacee doing? Estaban is getting to be a butterball. We don't let him go out because we are afraid he will take off but I don't think he is getting enough exercise. I can't believe he is the same cat that was so little and skinny. Since Thursday he has drank 1/2 quart of half and half, I give him a little slop of it for a treat. Everytime he sees me he cajoles me into getting him some.
Ledom, your day with your friend sounded so nice. Is he a friend or a FRIEND??:cloud9:
ledom
11-26-2002, 09:37 AM
Morning girls, judi - Way To Go!!!! I bet you looked smashing in your outfit. I think 15 lbs. is a size, once before every time I lost 15 lbs. I'd go down a size.
On free day you can eat whatever you like, whenever you like. This past free day I had an apple fritter for breakfast, a turkey and swiss sandwich on ww bread, a small bag of chips, gatorade, a vegetarian meal at may favorite Mexican restaurant (which included a cheese enchilada), and an ice cream cone from McDonalds. Believe me, that was a moderate day as compared to some of my other free days. I'd like to start keeping them moderate.
All of a sudden I am feeling my weight loss. It is just like the BFLers said, you wake up one morning and feel as if you lost 20 lbs. overnight. Everything just has to catch up with itself if that makes any sense.
judi, my friend is just a friend, but a very dear one. Unfortunantely for me he is gay. I knew him for years before I ever knew that about him, he used to be a coach and is very hard to sterotype into the gay lifestyle. Some romance in my life would be nice, but I'm not very good at scroungeing that up. ;-)
aleka
11-26-2002, 05:11 PM
I only lost .4 lb. this week. But, that's ok because I did lose quite a bit last time. Just got back from lunch & shopping with my GF, and I do believe I gained that .4 lb. back.:lol:
ledom, congratulations on the 1/2 lb. weight loss :bravo: That's wonderful you are feeling your weight loss.:strong: It is a good feeling. When I was Somersizing, she called it "the melt". Will you be using your free day on Thanksgiving? You have decided to go to Alabama for Christmas. That's probably better because you'll be able to stay a bit longer than if you went for Thanksgiving.
judi, all our snow is gone. Depending on who you listen to, we may or may not have snow on Wed. We just have to wait and see. Estaban is a very fortunate kitty to have been rescued by you and your DH. It's good he looks like a butterball. Lacee is doing well. She's lying in the chair behind me, and I am sitting on the edge of the chair, very uncomfortable to say the least. But, just as long as she has plenty of room, that's all that counts.;)
Hope you both have a great evening.
judi
11-27-2002, 03:14 AM
Hi Ledom & Alice!!
I had a wonderful gay man friend (about 7 years ago) that I used to go to the opera, dinners with etc. Honestly, he was the best looking guy on the west coast and one of the nicest men I ever met and he treated me so well, when the DH and I moved to the island our relationship sort of petered out ... we were good friends for about 4 years, really best buddies. I often wonder if he is even alive now, I don't want to contact him because he knows where I am if he wants to see me and maybe his life is comfortable and settled and I never try to keep relationships going after I feel they might have run their course. (Though I pray that God bless him ...daily.) Some friendships, the rare ones last for a life time and the others usually a few years and I never like to keep anything going past its ...well, "due date". I think people are meant to move in and out of our lives easily...that's my theory on relationships, I could be wrong...I have been wrong before. Yeahh, I know it is hard to believe;)
Alice your snow is gone! That is good, too early to get winter. We have had glorious non rainy days for a number of days now. So nice too. Mr. Marley and I went for a walk today around the lake.
I like the idea of free day Ledom. Sunday for me is more free than the rest of the week but not totally free. I have been eating one reg. size meal a day and the other two are small like the Prevention recommended ones (around 250 calories) and I rarely snack anymore. I had a bowl of popcorn the other night and it felt weird to be eating in the evening, when about a year ago that is when I did most of my eating. I am down to about 3 glasses of wine a week now. I find wine drinking though I LOVE it, really triggers binging for me.
Alice, you should see Bentley...he has gotten fat and his brindle color now has got so much red in it. He looks like he is in one of those muti colored brown/black and red knitted wool sweaters. What a cutey pie!
.4 is good Alice, any going down at all I always feel such an encouragement!
Are you girls getting ready for Thanksgiving? Any special recipes happening?
aleka
11-27-2002, 08:41 AM
Well judi....I cannot say there is no snow any longer. DH let the little one out in the wee hrs. of the morning and it had started snowing. It seems to have stopped, and there is about 1/2" or so.
judi, you are right about relationships. I will add that some friendships end, then a miracle happens, you reconnect, and it's as though the years apart never happened, and you're best buds again! I am speaking from experience. I do have another GF, who, as I've read articles about this, is a toxic friend, but I have no graceful way of ending the friendship, and I don't want to hurt her feelings, as we've known each other since we were children.
OOOH, I would love to cuddle Bentley. He sounds soooo cute. :love: I noticed Lacee was starting to get a little heavier when I picked her up. I weighed her and she's put on a little weight. Lacee's sister, who was born 7 months after she was (I have some unfavorable comments about that) is all brindle according to the breeder, and that's very rare.
ledom, are you getting ready for turkey day? I've got to give the house a really good cleaning before my IL's arrive tomorrow. Thankfully we'll be going out to dinner. I bought some turkey breast slices the other day that I will cook on Fri. as our "leftovers". I found this recipe for a spicy rub to put on the turkey along with some cranberry chutney that I will try to make.
I want to wish you a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Have a good day. :balloons:
ledom
11-27-2002, 09:26 AM
judi - those are some very interesting thoughts about friendship and words I needed to hear. Both about letting people leave, as well as enter your life. I have just felt so sad to see some of my closest friends drift away from a close relationship. It isn't so much that they are gone, but we work much better as a group than one on one. It is the strangest thing. Maybe by letting them go on that level there will be room for new people to enter.
I'll be cooking tomorrow, prepping today. I just finished my workout and will shower, eat breakfast and then go buy my groceries. We are having a cold snap that is making this holiday feel very traditional.
Hey, this is something I suppose I should have know but never did until recently. When you exercise on an empty stomach, your body burns stored fat. If you drink or eat something right before working out your body burns that fuel instead of dipping into your fat stores. BFL recommends exercising first thing when you wake up, or 3 hrs. after your last meal and then waiting an hr. before you eat. This past week D went to a nutritional lecture on campus about the "freshman fifteen" and they said the same thing. I thought I KNEW everything about diet and exercise except how to do it successfully but somehow this tidbit had not sunk in for me. Anyway, D invited a new friend to go w/ her to this lecture and the girl already works out. I am hoping that they will team up and work on this because it is so hard for them to eat right on campus. The cafeteria food is BAD and they are allowed only a fridge in the dorm room. I know it is a challenge. I think if she'll just be more aware about drinking too many cokes and if she will exercise she'll be a lot better off.
OK, I'm off to get going on my day.
Happy Thanksgiving Alice, and judi you have a good rest of the week w/ the house to yourself.
judi
11-30-2002, 08:27 AM
How was Thanksgiving? Good, I know.
It was just a regular day here yesterday (we have Thanksgiving much earlier) except that we are having unusually warm and dry weather for this time of year.
The pants o meter indicate weight loss, while the scale stayed the same. I am washing the pants in hot and drying them on hot hoping they will shrink as I just bought them about a month ago. (2 pair)
Alice, "toxic people"... dump them...try to slip away slowly, they are usually so preoccupied with self they won't notice right away that they are being dumped and when they do they won't believe it anyway. You are way to NICE to have to put up with someone toxic. Cut them loose, I say and wave buh-bye :wave:
Hmmmm, that is a good fact about exercising in the morning, except I can never do it...I have to ease into the morning so slowly, with a coffee, something to read, CNN, something to nosh...when I do exercise it is usually late morning.
Nothing much new here. I am waiting to hear your Thanksgiving day news reports.
aleka
11-30-2002, 12:48 PM
We had some snow yesterday afternoon, and it made me in a Christmas-y mood, so I took down our Thanksgiving decorations, which I'm sure I forgot some, and started putting up our Christmas decorations. We will be putting more up later on today.
judi, way to go with the pant-o-meter :high: We had a very nice Thanksgiving. My MIL & FIL came up and we went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. I like to do that because I hate to cook, and you don't eat too much. You are so right when you said my toxic friend was so self-absorbed. I only wish it were that easy to dump her. I did try that once, but the "Catholic" guilt (the priests & nuns taught us well) ;) got the better of me, so I just try not to be around her as much as I used to. I also feel very sorry for her, 12 yrs. ago she was diagnosed with cancer that has a possibility of growing back. She has been in remission since her treatments. All of her friends abandoned her, except for moi, when she was going through all of this. That was very sweet of you for saying that I was nice. I think the same thing about you & ledom.
ledom, I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying this long weekend.
Take care and have a great day :balloons:
ledom
11-30-2002, 09:02 PM
this holiday weekend is FLYING by! But it has been nice.
Thurs., I worked too hard cooking. D & M seemed to enjoy it though. I would have been happier w/ so much less. I have got to adjust my christmas menu - after all, I am the one in control here.
Hey, two nice compliments. Yesterday I was coming in the door and D looked at me and said "you are looking good." Of course I'm like a puppy when she said that, where do I look good! "Just good, you look good everywhere." Music to my ears. Now this poor child hears about my diets all the time and I am always asking her if she can tell I have lost weight. She usually nods her head and looks bored - I think yesterday it just registered for her. She also said, "I think you are going to lose all your weight this time." Once again, poor child, I have struggled with this her entire lifetime.
Tonight I was talking to my mother on the phone and she told me I was really looking good, she could tell my diet was working. Once again, she would never say it if she didn't notice. So....let the compliments begin. I'm ready to accept them.:lol:
Today, D and I went shopping. She found tons of stuff. I am holding off until after the new years, I like bargains!
I did spray some Chanel 5 on my wrist and I love it. Usually perfumes get heavy and all smell the same on me after about 30 minutes. Now, about 5 hrs. later it smells the same as when I put it on only not as strong. I am thinking a bottle of Chanel perfume might be my 12 week reward for sticking w/ the diet! I have been slowly switching my cosmetics to Chanel. It's expensive, but if I do it gradually not so bad. I bought some moistureizer and D's christmas gift at the Chanel counter.
Glad you had a nice T'd Alice. You'r smart to go out, I think I'd enjoy that.
judi, give Estaban a rub for me. My little Bea looks like a meatloaf. She is a little cat w/ a square body in the winter when she puts on weight. She is so sweet. RM is a "bad boy", but quite beautiful. Tweeg is 14 now and not showing her age a bit. Love my babies.
judi
12-01-2002, 11:56 AM
Here we are entering into another phase of the year...where DID the last year go???
Your Thanksgivings sounds' lovely. Yesterday I started feeling quite happy about Christmas coming. This year it is going to be dff., I am not sure in what way but I just feel it is.
Ledom, if people are saying you look good, then you look GOOD!!!
Alice, the toxic friend...sigh...what can you do/ She is blessed she has you.
Mmmm...Chanel...I like it too. That is a good reward for your accomplishements
DH is coming home today, so I got up at five and dashed around tidying so everything will be nice when he arrives. I had a good and very peaceful time this last week or so. I also came to the conclusion though I am a mother, I can't keep "mothering" (read:smothering) my D. I have to let her be free to succeed or fail, so having let go of that I feel much more at peace.
Have a great Sunday and talk to you tomorrow, I hope.:grouphug:
aleka
12-01-2002, 12:57 PM
ledom, I agree with judi, you ARE LOOKING GOOD if people are saying you do! :high: I am so happy for you! Glad your T'giving was a success. Now it's countdown to Christmas. I think I have my Christmas meal all planned. Since it will be just DH & I, there is this chicken recipe called, Christmas Chicken, that I found where you marinate chicken breasts in a sour-cream marinade.
judi, I have mixed feelings about Christmas coming this year. On one hand I am excited, but on the other hand, I'm a little melancholy at times. Hopefully the excitement will win out! That's great your DH is coming home today. You must be really happy to see him. Being at peace with your decision re: your D is much better than being in a turmoil.
Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
ledom
12-02-2002, 08:00 AM
I'm starting week 10 of my challenge this week. This time has really flown.
Ah Christmas, I'm behind on my shopping. I look forward to the time off from work. I'm sure I'll get excited as I get a few things behind me at work.
judi, I'm glad you have come to some resolution with your feelings about D's troubles. Sometimes you have to realize it is no longer in your hands.
Just read the BEST book that you guys might enjoy. Carol Joyce Oates, Middleage, A Romance. I think it might be profound. The best kind of read, it can be ejoyed on a very light level but I keep finding myself thinking about it on a deeper level as well.
Hope ya'll have a good week.
aleka
12-02-2002, 08:18 AM
It's gotten awfully cold all of a sudden. It seems more like Jan. than Dec. Right now it is 16 deg. I think it's supposed to only get into the 30's later on. BRRRR!!!!
ledom, time really does fly by. I can't believe you're in week 10 of you BFL challenge. When I think about it, tomorrow will be week 11 of WW. You really are doing fabulous. What happens after week 12? Do you take some time off, then restart another 12 week challenge? Thank you for recommending the book. I will look for it the next time I'm in a book store, Sam's Club, or BJ's.
Hey judi :wave: Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Did your pants shrink?
Have a good Monday.
judi
12-02-2002, 10:53 PM
Hi! It WAS nice to welcome the DH back, but alas, he has got the flu now.
Yes, the pants did shrink. I bought myself a great outfit on sale for only $75.00 (for both things). A long (imitation) suede skirt and a big bulky sweater. They both are a rich chocolate brown, so I was happy. I will be glad when I get out of the X's though and just buy reg. size clothes. the new things were 2X's down anyway.
I am not buying a bunch of Christmas stuff this year. Nor am I going to be knocking myself out baking etc., I am going to focus on the more spiritual side of Christmas this year.
Joyce Carol Oates, I like her too.
Diet has been going good.
Animals are fine, both got new toys today and already have broken them:?:
ledom
12-03-2002, 10:11 AM
Hey judi, I like your plans for christmas. I am trying to move in your direction this year.
Yes, Joyce Carol is correct and the title is Middle Age (2 words). I like her too, I like this book because it isn't so dark as a lot of her work. The go so far as to call it a comedy on the blurb on back of the book. I wouldn't go that far in describing it but there is a lightness to it that I like.
Your outfit sounds great judi. D and I went shopping on Sat. and I tried on a bunch of clothes though I didn't buy. Have you seen any of Emme's clothing. A full figure model that has taken up clothing design. I tried on several of the things from her line. I am wondering if her sizes are cut a bit larger. There was a pair of black pants I should have bought - hopefully when they mark them down I'll get a shot at them. Anyway they were 18's and a perfect fit. At this point I am wearing about 3 different sizes. From 22's to 18's usually the 18's in a top. I want to wait to buy clothes when I can get in a 16!
Busy, busy day ahead. Hope you have a good weigh in Alice.
aleka
12-03-2002, 11:35 AM
My weigh in was just so-so. Another .4 lb., but it was Thanksgiving, so I guess it wasn't all that bad, and too, I didn't exercise at all. It was just one of those weeks where I just couldn't find the time.
judi, your outfit sounds lovely. You will be out of the X's soon. I bought a suede blazer in a L, which is a little snug, and hopefully I will be able to get into it soon. I brought it home and gave it to DH to wrap for Christmas. I said, "See what you got me for Christmas?":s: Sorry your DH isn't feeling well. Hope he's better soon.
ledom, I have seen Emme, but have not seen her clothes. Have you seen or bought any of Delta Burke's clothes? I don't know why they don't make more plus size clothes for petite women. I'm 5'2", and everything is too long on me. I could get a tunic top and wear it as a dress:D
Hope you both have a good day.
ledom
12-04-2002, 08:28 AM
I think .4 lbs. is fantastic. Where were you last year after thanksgiving? You are doing great. Ah, my D is petite also, it's hard to find things that fit right for her as well.
Not much to report today. I have finished my workout for today. That always makes me feel good.
Oh, judi to answer your ? about what happens after the first 12 wk. challenge is over. The book says to take a week off and then do it again. That is basically what I plan though I will probably take 2 weeks. I'll wait until after my trip to Alabama to start again because it would be too hard to do it while traveling and staying in someone elses house. I do need to come up w/ a plan for not regaining what I have lost in that 2 weeks.
judi
12-04-2002, 05:59 PM
Hi Ledom & Alice,
Good for your .4 down Alice!:cool: The scale stayed the same for me, I had 2 extra meals on 2 days...I was very hungry so that didn't help. Probably not getting enough protein.
No we don't get those clothes up here or I haven't seen them anyway. I will look when I go to California.
18 Ledom and that would be a fit 18 to for you:strong: I can't wait until I am out of the X's!!!
Today I have on a pair of expensive black capris (with tights) that I only wore maybe 4 times in all. I was saving them for something "good" and was going to wear them then. Now they are too big and I have to keep hiking them up. From now on I am not going to save stuff for when something "special" happens, I am going to think "EVERY" day is special and just wear the things. My MIL, my grandmother and my mom all had fabulous china which they rarely used because it was so special and they all have passed away now without really using their good things. I don't think we should do that, I use my good china anyway. It is always the better clothes I am saving, but no more!
We are having a very dry winter for the west coast in Canada. None of us are complaining, maybe just the skiers...
It has been kind of fun with the DH at home. I think I would really enjoy it if he was retired.
Are you looking forward to your trip to Alabama Ledom? When are you leaving?
Do you have snow Alice? Does Lacee go out in it?
Well, I had better go. I am catching the ferry and going to mass. Advent has been making me feel quite "Christmas -y" even though I plan to cut back the swath I usually make in Christmas consumer spending.
aleka
12-04-2002, 06:25 PM
DH & I just got back from the mall, which is about an hr. drive south of us. I bought a new vacuum cleaner. I purchased one of the Fantom vacuum cleaners about 3-4 yrs. ago and something keeps getting hot and it constantly shuts itself off. So, we went to Sears and I bought a Hoover. I also got DH a few more Christmas gifts. As I went into the stores he stayed out in the mall waiting for me. I hate going shopping with him because I feel like I have to rush. It's nothing that he says or does, but it's just a feeling I get. Oh, well.
Thank you both for your encouragement. Ledom, I was 12 lb. heavier last Thanksgiving, so when you look at it that way, the .4 lb. doesn't seem so bad. I think the key is exercising. I started back doing my workout today.
I have a busy couple of days ahead of me. My GF e mailed me to see if we could get together tomorrow for lunch and more shopping. I have to clean the house, use my new vacuum cleaner:twirly:, as another GF, the toxic one, is coming Fri. to stay overnight to do some Christmas shopping. By Sat. I'll need a BIG bottle of wine all to myself!:joker:
judi, yes, we do have snow and it's awfully cold. We haven't had this cold of a Dec. in a long time. Lacee doesn't like to go outside when it's snowing, but once it clears up she likes to romp in it, and her face is covered with snow when she comes inside.
ledom, I'm sure you will come up with a plan not to regain the weight you have lost. Do you have any small handweights you can pack along with you so that you can keep your strength training up? I'm sure there will be places you can walk to keep up your cardio work.
Take care and have a great evening. We'll be watching the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center tonight, and I'll be wishing I was there!:genie:
ledom
12-05-2002, 09:29 AM
What fun, a new vacuum cleaner. Nothing like a new, and efficient appliance to peak ones interest in a little housecleaning. I need all the inspiration I can get!
Speaking of appliances, my oven went out the day after Thanksgiving. I haven't had a chance to miss it yet, but today I eat the last loaf of BFL banana bread I had made up and I find it hard to get through a day w/out that. Hope the repairman comes today!
Winter has set in early here, we have had 2 days in a row where temps. haven't gotten out of the 30's that is unusual for us this early in the year. It has been a cooler than normal fall.
I am off today and this morning my friend and I are going on the "long" hike. I guess it is about 4 miles. I like hiking when it is cold - makes it easier I think. Anyway it is cardio day and this will make it a nice change. My friend and I will chatter the whole time and get a good visit in to boot.
judi, I believe we will go to Alabama between christmas and new years.
Last night I went to book club and the food the hostess served was from the chi chi deli here in town. It looked beautiful (coconut key lime pie) and I know it was tasty because this deli makes the best food. It was not difficult to pass up on though - truly! The only difficult part is that this is the 3rd bookclub I have forgone the food and I so can't wait for one of those ladies to notice that I am getting results from my program. I really have to talk to myself sometimes about the true reasons I am doing this. It is for my health, and so I'll look better. Compliments, and the praise of others do power my engine though. One nice thing, when I weighed this morning I was down 3/4 lbs. from yesterday. That was sweet victory for my resolve despite lack of praise last night. Let me say the scale does not move downward at lightening speed on this particular program. I am leaning out, I can see it when I look in the mirror. This program is an adventure in that each day I see or learn something new about how this way of eating and working out affects my body. Anyway, that is a long story but I really do have to take this adventure, both the pain AND the glory within myself and not rely on outer sources for affirmation. Besides, you girls are here and are a great cheering section and source of encouragement.
Hope you have a good Thursday. Alice, I hope your company goes well! I agree with judi - your friend is lucky to have you. I am sure she knows it too even if she never acknowldges it.
judi
12-07-2002, 08:23 AM
Goodmorning mem'selles!
We are still in our record breaking stretch of dry weather.
A Hoover...I always get a Hoover, my DH spent a fortune on a Kirby (the salesman was REALLY good) and I didn't like it at all and ended up selling it.
We have been staving off the flu here...lots of vitamin C and all.
I bought some clothes the next size down, don't fit yet but I am confident they will.
I have traded in all my bras for sports bras...they are so comfortable! OK they might look funny under an evening dress:p
As you can tell my life has been pretty quiet here...and that's how I like it.
Enjoy the weekend!
aleka
12-07-2002, 09:28 AM
My GF was unable to come Fri. We had a snow that started Thurs. night and another little one came in behind it on Fri. She is deathly afraid of driving in the snow, and I totally understand that!! They did get more snow than we did, as we were on the very northern edge of the storms. Barring anymore storms we are shooting for next Fri.
I haven't used the vacuum yet. I had planned on vacuuming on Thurs. to get ready for my company. My GF wanted to meet on Thurs. I thought I had time on Fri. morning to do the vacuuming. When I got home late Thurs. afternoon, DH informed me that he had done the vacuuming. :angel: :faint:
judi, you will be fitting in those smaller sized clothes in no time. Keep trying them on because the way you are losing weight, they'll be bigger on you before you can wear them!;) I wear a sports bra when I'm doing my walking workout. They are soooo comfortable, I honestly don't know why I don't wear them all the time. HMMMM, you've given me a good idea. My GF, that I meet each week, & I were in the mall on Thurs. I saw a Boston Terrier in the pet store window. Of course I had to take a look. It was a female, and my heart melted. I really wanted to take her home, but I don't know how her nibs would be with a new "intruder". Speaking of Lacee, today is her birthday. She's in the terrible 2's. Since she was born on Pearl Harbor Day, the breeder named her "Pearl". Hope you stay well.
ledom, congratulations on the 3/4 lb. loss.:cp: That's fantastic!! You should be very proud of yourself with all that you have accomplished in these past 10 weeks. You could use the reasoning you're doing this for yourself, but it's more fun to have people notice how you look, then you can think...darn, I do look good! How was your hike? It's so nice having a friend along to make the time go by more quickly. Did you get your stove fixed?
Hope you have a great weekend. DH & I are off to the outletmall in a little while. I have some odds & ends to get.
ledom
12-07-2002, 09:41 AM
Alice I'm glad you asked about the hike because the neatest thing happened that you 2 girls would have loved. We rounded a corner near the top of the mountain and there were a bunch, I'd say 30 to 50 birds flitting around in the trees. I suppose they were feeding on something. It slowly dawned on us that we were looking at a flock of bluebirds. I always think it is such a treat to see just one or two bluebirds at a time. They just chattered away and continued flying from treetop to treetop. It was purely magical. My friend and I just stood and watched them for the longest time.
Yeah, well about friends noticing the weight. I guess I just haven't lost enough yet. I'll just keep plugging on. Today is free day and then just 2 more weeks left.
Ya'll have a good weekend.
judi
12-08-2002, 02:50 PM
You are right Ledom, I would have loved it. We don't get bluebirds here. I saw one once in Saskatchewan. It must have a real treat to see so many.
Lacee would NOT like to share her place as Queen, thank you very much, she'd say. Why have some of it when you can have it ALL! We would never see a Boston Terrier in a pet store here, thay are so hard to get, it is like adoption...the breeders interview you, my D. had to buy Bentley from another province and then fly him to Vancouver. I know I couldn't have resisted...thank goodness such a temptation is not likely to come my way...Marley probably thinks we should have drawn the line before the cat.
I have had a peaceful time of it this last couple of weeks since I have laid off "mothering". My D must be enjoying it too.
Today we are putting up the lights so I had better go help the DH.
Alice, the DH probably just wanted to try out the new "tool", if he is like mine I doubt if it will happen to many more times:lol:
ledom
12-09-2002, 08:21 AM
A quick good morning. Glad you are feeling good about your new "mothering" mode judi. Well, can you believe this semester is almost over! This is the last week of classes - next week is finals and graduation. The semester has flown for me. I'm on week 11 of BFL now (as if you could forget with me reminding you on an almost daily basis!). I have to admit, I didn't want to do it this morning and kind of struggled through yesterday too. BUT, I am doin' it - I am so close to finishing a challenge that I'd hate myself if I gave up now. I am sure looking forward to a break though. Hope you guys have a good Monday.
aleka
12-09-2002, 09:02 AM
I hope both of you had a great weekend. We did have a couple of milder days, but it's back in the deep freeze today. It is 3 deg. this morning. BRRRR!
On Sat. it hit me that I will be mailing my cousin's gifts shortly and that I had better start wrapping. I wrapped her gifts, then I decided I'd had enough of that! I have to ease myself into the wrapping process:D This morning I realized that I was going to write out our Christmas cards yesterday, which I had forgotten to do.:?:
ledom, you were right about the bluebirds. It must have been an awesome sight. We do get bluebirds occasionally, sometimes they land on our birdfeeders to get a quick meal on their way to wherever they go. But, there are usually only 1 or 2. Did you take any photos of them? Every once in awhile we see these black birds, I don't know what kind of birds they are, that fly in very large groups. They all swoop down to the ground at the same time, then one will fly into the air, then they all will follow. Everytime I see them I am amazed. I could watch them for hrs.
You have come so far with BFL, and this is your next to last week. That's great you've decided not to give up. This could be why the challenge is every 12 weeks.
judi, did DH get the lights up? Yes, DH likes to play with new "toys" I figured that was the main reason why he did the vacuuming.:s: I agree, Lacee would not like an interloper in her house. I wouldn't do that to her anyway. We had our first Boston for 2 yrs. when we thought she might like a companion because both of us were working all day, we went and bought a new Boston puppy. We were so sorry we did that because her personality was never the same. She became very withdrawn. DH & I vowed never to do something like that again. The oldest one started having seizures and she died when she was 11. The other one was so heartbroken that she died 6 weeks later, and she was 9. DH & I couldn't go through that again. Enough of my rambling.
Have a great day :balloons:
judi
12-09-2002, 11:30 PM
Alice, that is SO sad about the Boston's. What a heart breaking time that must have been!!
You have done so good on the challenge Ledom? Hey, are you still making that jewellery war chest?
I had to buy a new pair of sunglasses today. I like Serengeti's the best but the new styles look terrible on me. I ended up buying an Armani Emporium pair...they cost $285.00. EEEEEEPPP!!!! Good thing the DH won't notice a thing, but it was the only style that looked ok. I would have rather had the Serengeti's because of the glass. There was no real selection because it is winter. Oh well, it is not my fault:(
I have been terrible the last couple of days on the diet...I have bought chocolates for gifts and ate a box...ok, it was a small box but it is STILL a box. What is wrong with me????
ledom
12-10-2002, 08:41 AM
I have been thinking about those diamonds, but I have settled on the Chanel 5 for my reward after completeing the first challenge. I need to work harder and achieve more before I reward myself with the earrings. 2003 will be the year I break 200 lbs. and I think the diamonds should wait until then. SO, I am still saving - maybe I can get a BIGGER pair if I wait longer.:)
Guess I am going to have to do my cardio in the rain this morning - it's cold out there too. I am sitting here stalling on that. I need to go add a layer of clothes too before I venture out. Weather is the one problem with not having a gym membership. A treadmill would be nice this morning.
Have a good day girls.
judi
12-10-2002, 10:52 AM
Hmmm...2003 to break through 200...that is a good goal. I will try for it too. IF I stayed on WW I could do it by this time next year. Man, wouldn't that be NICE!!! Let's make it our goal.
I am trying anew today. My priest suggested fasting as a means to not only control food appetites but as an aid to other areas of self control. IF I just stayed within my points that would be a fast for me, or if I tried to stay at the low end of my points and NOT bank and eat up the points I saved...that would be a fast.
OOOOhhh...you want DIAMOND earrings...what a bad girl...something VERY expensive, well, you deserve them right now for being the inspiration you are!!
Mornin' Alice!
ledom
12-10-2002, 11:03 AM
I have gained so much insight from BFL. There are a couple things that really have kept me going on this diet. One, because we eat 6 meals a day we are never more than 2 1/2 hours from getting back on program. When you screw up maybe telling yourself that would help. The other thing is the concept of the "self promise". If you make a promise to yourself that you will do something and then break it you are making it so that you can't trust yourself. That is also a thought that I have been holding on to. I think your priest is saying something similar, working on your strength of mind is an important part of the process. Anyway, good luck and I like the idea of having a partner in breaking 200 lbs. It has been a very long time since I saw that and I think I had all but given up the hope of acheiving that goal. It will take me a goodly amount of time for me to be there, I'd say a year, but it is my goal.
aleka
12-10-2002, 01:01 PM
I gained .2 of a lb. To me, that means I basically stayed the same. I think I had a little bit more wine this weekend than I should have.
ledom, what great insight about breaking promises to yourself. You really do need strength of mind to lose weight, and reach your goal. Diamond earrings!!! :cool: Get the biggest earrings you can find! You deserve it.
judi, you really can make that vow to stay within your food points. Today at WW we learned that we can have 10 servings of 0 point veggies per day. The 0 point soup is my staple.
ledom & judi, I know you both will break 200 lb., and together you can do anything!:smug:
Right now my goal is lose 10% of my starting weight. In 2003, my goal is to get to my goal weight, hopefully by summer, but if it takes longer, so be it.
Have a great day ladies.
ledom
12-11-2002, 06:57 AM
how is the pant-meter doing? That is the TRUE measure of your success. You are doing great and good for you on your goals - I only wish I could hope to reach my goal by summer. Maybe NEXT summer!
But hey, I'm not complaining. So far week 11 has been the best. Yesterday 3 people I work with commented on how my hard work was paying off. It was weird because when I looked in the mirror yesterday morning I thought I looked smaller too. It just takes time. Those compliments go a long way in giving me the nudge to hang on.
School is winding down. I had so much on my mind this morning that I couldn't sleep after I woke up at 3:30. It is now 4:55 and I already have my workout down. Now that is a good thing to have behind me.
I am slowly making progress with my christmas shopping. My poor mother decided to give D and I money this year. She has arthritic hips which really bother her in the winter and especially when walking on concrete. I believe I'll save mine until after christmas and try to catch some sales.
Have a good day.
aleka
12-11-2002, 11:02 AM
Had a hairdressing appt. earlier this morning. I got a much needed trim and I'm BLONDE again!!! It had been 5 months since my last highlighting and my hair was YUKKY looking.:p
It's funny you should ask about the pant o meter, ledom. Yesterday I did notice that the pair of jeans I had on were getting a little baggy, they're stretch jeans with an elastic waist, which I had to roll up at the waist more than usual to make them fit better:) According to my scale, I weigh myself on Mon., I've lost 12 lb., but by WW scale, it's only a little more than 10 lb. I like my scale better:lol: You are doing so well with your program, that you will be surprised at how fast you will achieve your goal.
Sorry you mother's hips are bothering her so much. My IL's give money to DH & I, and they give each one in my BIL's family the same thing. To me, that's less of a hassle and you don't have to fight the crowds. When will school be closing for Christmas break?
Hi judi :wave:
Have a great day.
ledom
12-12-2002, 11:42 AM
the pant-o-meter never lies! UNLIKE the scale.
I bet you look beautiful with your new 'do. You'll be ready for the holidays!
So are you frozen in up there? The weather map this morning looked treacherous in your area.
Hey judi, what's up? Haven't heard from you in a day or two.
I am good, kind of really and truly bone tired though. I find if I sit down I might sit and stare off into space for a lot longer than I should. I am looking foward to a well deserved rest after next week. Classes are done now, I give finals on Mon. and Tues. and then a bunch of grading follows. D has the opportunity to move into a brand new dorm on campus and must move before the break so I guess I'll be recruited to help with that. It's a good thing though - she'll love it.
aleka
12-12-2002, 12:49 PM
We got about 5" of snow overnight. DH was out plowing and snowblowing most of the morning. It is supposed to warm up a bit, and they are telling us that it may possibly rain on Sat.
I am on a much needed break from writing out Christmas cards. I just finished our personal cards, and after lunch I'll tackle the business end. I need nourishment:lol:
It's amazing how uplifting a new 'do can be!
ledom, is you D excited about moving to a new campus? Yes, with everything that is going on, you will deserve a rest.
Well...I'm off to the "salt mines"
Have a good day!
ledom
12-12-2002, 01:01 PM
yes D is very excited. This good news has not been w/out trauma though. She has had to experience a hard lesson, in that life is not always easy. In order to move to the new dorm she will have to leave her roomate behind. Her roomate is feeling very betrayed. D has made the choice that seems best for her but feels terrible about her friend. I have listened to hours of this now and there is no easy answer. Basically she made the decision that she felt was best for herself, taking into consideration that her current roomate would resent it. I am proud of her, but also understand both sides of the situation. I think the hard feelings will pass, but D has had a rough week of it. These girls need a break too. Aren't you glad you're past all that?!?!?
aleka
12-12-2002, 01:59 PM
I can see where it would bother your D to leave her roomate and friend behind. I admire your D for being able to make that difficult decision. Maybe one day her friend will get over her feeling of betrayal, and they could end up even better friends. Yup, I'm glad I'm past it all. Aren't you?
judi
12-12-2002, 10:16 PM
Basically, I have been fighting traffic jams, an overcrowded ferry and no parking spaces downtown...whew...I just put on some CD's and collapse when I get home.
Ledom, good for your D not to let other people put "THEIR" expectations on her to fulfill. A big life lesson!! But tough of course, because one always asks if it is the right thing, etc.
You are blonde Alice! I just had my hair streaked blonde yesterday...blonde on auburn hair and a hair cut. I think I am just too cute!!:smug:
I have been going out quite a bit to eat because I am too tired to cook when I get home, Ceasar salad and fries n'gravy. :(
I love that combo...hence, I have stayed away from the scale this week.
Hey, the real acid test ... the underwear-o-meter!! called for the next size down today.
Yes, let's try for breaking through 200 in 2003 Ledom! Hey, Alice...I give you leave
:lol: :lol: to eat your way past 200 and then you can come with us on the journey down!! What no takers!??? I didn't think so...you are doing too good!!
If I am going to do it it will have to be with exercising that is for sure.
Time to go put the groceries away.
aleka
12-13-2002, 06:57 AM
I did get the Christmas cards written out!!! I did it in shifts:lol:
I have my yearly mammogram this morning, then afterwards, DH. Lacee, & I are heading down to Mass. to deliver some parts and to drop our gifts off at DH parents' house and visit before they leave for FL sometime within the next couple of weeks.
The underwear o meter..I LOVE it!!! I've had that experience myself, not long after the pant o meter.
judi, I just may take you up on that offer of me eating my way to over 200 lb. If my WW leader gives me any flak about it, I'll just tell her that you said I could.:joker:
Yes, judi, you are too cute! Your hair must look smashing. Are you wearing your hair any shorter or the same length? I love being blonde. That was my natural color when I was little, but as I grew older it got darker, it's a mousy brown with a few gray hairs mixed in. I wanted to have it all blonde, but my stylist talked me out of it because of the maintenance.
Have a great day.
ledom
12-13-2002, 08:07 AM
Workout is done and I'm ready to meet the day. Actually, my favorite mug has a picture of a cat on it and it says - Sieze the day, then go back to bed. I'd make a great cat. Speaking of which, how is Estaban?
We got our christmas tree yesterday so will be decorating this weekend. Alice it sounds as if you are on top of things with all your christmas chores. Wish I could say the same.
Judi, you're on. Actually, may I revise what I said. Diamond earrings after completeing 4 successful BFL challenges or breaking 200 lbs. whichever comes first.
Thanks for your kind words about D's delimma. Yes I am proud of her, especially as I know how hard it is for her to do anything that might hurt someones feelings even at her expense. I am really seeing her grow up a lot these days. She is just a delight to be with and I look forward to spending time with her.
Have a good day all.
judi
12-14-2002, 08:36 AM
Alice, I mailed my cards too yesterday. My hair is short now just under my ears but it is still BIG, it is quite poofy. Streaks do make you feel good don't they.
I am starting on our self challenge Ledom. Yesterday I had a perfect WW day and exercised on the treadmill. It is good to have a goal.
I have started eating tuna and salmon, but just the canned kind and no other fish. I don't think I was getting enough protein and that is why I was so hungry all the time. Most of the veggie meat products are wheat gluten. Tofu is too many points, so is cheese and eggs. It seems to be working because I had a tuna/salmon sandwich (skinny bread) for breakfast for the past few days and I haven't been nearly so hungry. I just try to ignore the fact it was a living thing swimming around...and think "Nope, it just appeared in the universe in this small can.":(
What do you girls eat for protein???
Estaban is dying to go outside, but DH says "NO!" Yet, he would have such a nice cat life because there is so much for a cat to do in our yard. He is always longing looking outside. Sometime I take him out and hold him so he can smell and look but I don't know if that is making better or worse. He always sniffs the dog when he comes in like..."Man, you smell so GOOD!" Poor kitty, I don't want him to get run over or take off but I understand what he is feeling.
Have fun decorating your tree Ledom. Is yours up Alice? I hope to get ours this weekend.
Have a good day ladies:high:
aleka
12-14-2002, 09:43 AM
Well, we were supposed to have snow, quite a lot actually, but it's 41 deg. and raining! Talk about good news!!!:D
judi, our first cat we ever had, loved the outside. She was an indoor cat, so we put a kitty harness on her and tied her outside on a runner so that she could move around the yard more freely. She was so funny, as soon as the warmer weather arrived, she would meow at the door wanting to go out. When the cold weather came she was content to lay by the fire:D Maybe when you or DH will be out in your yard, you could tie Estaban out while you're there. I am a meat eater, I try not to think about it, but everytime I see a cow or a chicken I feel guilty, and vow not to eat meat again. I will NOT eat veal or lamb, for obvious reasons. I find if I eat protein and fat together, it fills me up and I don't get hungry. Whenever I eat cereal or oatmeal in the mornings, 2-3 hrs. later I'm gnawing on the carpet. I know I should be eating more protein & "good" fats, but it's hard doing WW that way because I rack points up awfully fast. They seem to lump all fats together. Did you get your tree up and decorated?
ledom, have a good time decorating your tree. I really wish I was ontop of my Christmas chores. I still have presents to wrap that I keep putting off. I do have to mail my cards sometime within the next few days. For some reason this year I just don't want to bother doing anything.
Have a good day!
ledom
12-14-2002, 10:36 AM
judi I am an expert on protein these days as I eat it 6 times a day. I am not a vegetarian, but I don't have a big taste for meat. I eat a LOT of lowfat cottage cheese and egg whites. I always thought, eggs whites, yecchhhh! But I find that is not the case at all. I have one whole egg and 6 whites scramble for breakfast most mornings and LOVE them. I am not looking this up now but whole eggs have about 90 cals. while a white only has about 20 and they are an excellent source of protein. Ditto w/ cottage cheese (cc), cottage cheese is my staple. I buy 4 cartons of cc a week and 4 cartons of 18 eggs a week and eat it all myself. CC can be eaten in so many ways that I never dreamed of as well. You might have read this when I was telling Alice about all that a month or so ago.
Free day and I have already made myself sick. We have a really nice donut shop in our town, actually way across town thank goodness, but that is what I craved all week. They make the best apple fritters. Grease, sugar, flour, doesn't agree w/ my stomach too much anymore.
Ricky Martin stayed out last night and in the middle of the night I heard a dog and cat fat. Their is a leash law here and I never see dogs out so I don't know where it came from. Anyway, can't find kitty this a.m. and I am worried. I know letting my cats out for little supervised outings made it much worse for them. I finally just gave in they were so pitiful, but I have these little agonies of not finding them when I need to all the time. AND, Bea did lose an eye to a racoon. What'cha gonna do? They love being outside except of course in the winter when they'd rather be inside.
judi
12-14-2002, 04:11 PM
I like egg whites too. I have one of those microwave omelette makers and I spray it with Pam then put half a carton between both sides of it, add mushrooms, spinach, sometimes some cheese, baco bits and nuke it for 4 min. Then I top it off with salsa and it is the best breakfast. Egg whites with the addition of stuff is much better than I thought they would be.
When did poor Bea lose an eye to a racoon? Poor thing!:( That is too bad about Ricky, he probably got a bad fright and will be home soon. We have lots of dogs going up and down the hill, no racoons on the island. Sometimes a cougar or a bear will swim over. The shot the last bear...dumb a##es!! People were willing to chip in money to pay for its relocation too. It was a timid bear. That kind of a thing is so upsetting. They just took the easy way out for them but not the bear.
Hmmm, cottage cheese...maybe I should get some. Do you buy reg. cottage cheese or low fat? I don't like the no fat cottage cheese at all.
Yes, the protein thing is really making a diff. for me.
I kind of have that feeling too this year Alice. I actually tried to get out of putting a tree up and telling the DH that we will make a good advent and have a more spiritual Christmas. But he didn't go for the no tree part. I guess we will go get one after mass tomorrow. We do have a great light display though. Best wishes on getting your Christmas chores down...after you finish you can sit with your feet up and enjoy a nice glass of wine.
Yesterday I paid 12 bucks for two tiny baskets of raspberries...instead of a bottle of wine is how I look at it. I am not drinking much because I get insane cravings after the 2nd glass and then all h*ll breaks loose food wise...I love raspberries, both my mom & my grandmother grew lots of them so we had them all the time. They are always so expensive here, in Ca. too I noticed.
Well, better go do something around the house.
ledom
12-16-2002, 07:35 AM
I buy the lowfat CC. Once I accidentally picked up 4% CC and it tasted so rich and good but decided I'd better stick w/ the lf. I don't think I could do fatfree. The lowfat has 90 cal. per 1/2 c while the 4% had 110 cal.
Anyway it is a staple at my house, this a.m. I had steelcut oats w/ apples cooked in and CC w/ splenda and vanilla. Kinda tastes like apple pie. It is a good stick to your ribs breakfast.
Kitty still isn't home. We have all been dragging around w/ long faces this weekend. He has done this before, but I am very worried. Beatrice is missing him too, she is under my feet all day long and extra affectionate. Sigh.
Well, finals week. It will be busy, but it will be over soon. 5 days left on my challenge!
The tree is up, a little cleaning and leaf bagging this weekend. At least I had more energy than last weekend.
Ya'll have a good day.
aleka
12-16-2002, 08:16 AM
We had all rain in that storm over the weekend. Sun. morning the sanders were out just in case there were any slick spots on the roads. We have another storm hitting our area today, but from what they said last night, south of us is going to get hit the hardest. It is snowing lightly as I "speak".
ledom, I am so sorry about RM. I do hope he'll be home soon. Please let us know when he does come home. Are you able to have raisins on BFL? I have added raisins to the apple when I've cooked it with oatmeal. It really is good. Do you still stick with the same food plan and exercise while off the challenge? I don't know if I could use just 1 egg yolk and the rest just whites. Is it something you have to get used to? DH & I tried it once, and we just didn't care for it. Maybe we're just so used to nice yellow scrambled eggs and omelets.
judi, I forgot about the cottage cheese. The cottage cheese with splenda, and vanilla that ledom mentioned is really good. Sometimes I add cinnamon and raisins if I want something "extra". Ledom posted a great recipe using cottage cheese and sweet potatoes (yams). That poor bear. We had an incident like that many years ago in the town where I used to live. A bear wandered into the trailer park in town and climbed up a telephone pole. Some gung-ho idiot ran to get his rifle and shot the poor thing among onlookers, including children. He did get fined. In this case too, I don't think the bear was doing anything wrong. A lot of people that I've talked with say their hearts just aren't in doing Christmas this year.
Have a good day.
ledom
12-16-2002, 08:36 AM
Alice. What do you think the deal is? I too mentioned not having a tree this year, D set me straight on that. Is it us, the mothers and wives that end up doing most of the work that are the only ones not into the spirit of things? For me, I feel like I just packed all those boxes away. Maybe christmas every OTHER year would feel better. Time goes by so fast anymore. The tree is beautiful by the way. The other thing is the expense of christmas, frankly I don't feel like I can afford it this year.
Oh well, maybe the spirit will strike before all is said and done.
On the egg whites. You know alice, I like the eggs from day one. I wasn't expecting to but to me they don't taste that much different to me. Every once in a while I'll end up w/ 2 yolks and then I cut back on the whites. It is kind of a treat but I like it the other way as well. I think I probably could have raisins occasionally. I haven't though because they aren't actually listed on the authorized foods.
When I have free week it is just that. Folks say though that they generally eat about the same with one free type meal extra a day. I am not sure how I will handle it. Sat., my free day, was running me instead of me runnning it this week. I ended up w/ such a tummy ache I had to send D to store for alka seltzer. And honestly, it didn't take that much to get me there. My stomach has adjusted to a diet free of refined and fatty foods. I don't want to go back there any time soon. I'll keep you posted how it goes. I look foward to a break from working out but frankly the food part scares me. In a way having free week during christmas is nice, on the other hand there is a lot more fattening food around than at other times of the year. Hopefully I'll handle it with some common sense.
aleka
12-16-2002, 09:30 AM
ledom, I honestly don't know why everyone seems not to have the spirit this year. I am wondering if it comes with age. DH & I too aren't spending much this year, and our friends are doing the same. Business has been soooo slow:snail: I do think a lot of people have lost their jobs, not to mention their money in the stock market, or their pension funds. I was talking with my cousin (she & I spend 2 weeks together), granted, she is in the middle of a move, but she said that usually there are some gifts she gives that she's excited about giving, but not this year. I thought about that, and that is exactly how I feel too. There must be something going around:D
I know what you mean about being sort of afraid of your free week. But, I'm sure you'll do alright, especially with all the muscle you have built up to rev up your metabolism. Usually I use the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas as free weeks, but this year I'm waiting until Christmas Eve to eat whatever I want.
Raisins really aren't on my personal eating plan, but on WW you can have them, and they're an occasional treat. I think I will give those egg whites a try again. I haven't had sugar in so long, that it gives me awful heartburn whenever I eat anything sweet.
Even looking at baked cookies in my recent magazines, don't tempt me at all.
One thing that I was wondering about BFL, ledom, is you can have a palm size of protein, and a fist of carbs, (have I got that right?) Well, everyone has different sized hands, and I was wondering how that works? At our last WW meeting, the leader was demonstrating what was in a serving with her hands, and her hands are a lot bigger than mine. I have relatively small hands, and I'm afraid I won't get enough food:lol:
Take care.
judi
12-16-2002, 02:11 PM
Ledom, so sorry to hear about Ricky? Any sign of him?? He will probably come jauntly walking throught the door like "What's up?"
I certainly hope so.
You have had a storm Alice?? Something I am not looking forward to watching the news and all. The power went out last night but we just went to the bus (it has a generator) read, had dinner etc. We have been having torrential rains.
Well, the tree is here...sitting in the living room...waiting for me to be inspiried.
How much fruit can you eat Ledom? I have been eating quite a bit of fruit but at a diff. time then my protein. I have been feeling much less food cravings since I have been having more protein.
Re: Christmas: I feel like you girls, it does seem to me like I just put the decorations away too. I told DH, ok, I am doing the tree but no BIG cooking thing on Christmas. He said maybe we could go for our dinner to one of those gospel missions that give free Christmas dinners. (What a joker!) I said no, that what I had in mind was more of fancy hotel in downtown Vancouver. As far as spending we cut WAYYYYY back on buying for family. I did do more buying of small gifts for the people that help me all year though...something I haven't done that much of in the past. The thing that has been making Christmas for me this year is not the usual hype but following the liturgical calendar. I plan to go to mass on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year...something I haven't done...well, ever. So I am kind of excited about that.
Re:coffee....I am doing 1 8oz. cup a day. I did buy a case of diet caffeine free coke though.
The dog has gone for the day to have his hair done. Kitty and I are having a quiet day. I have to go to the opt. to have my eyes checked this afternoon.
Have a good day all!
ledom
12-17-2002, 07:46 AM
Good morning, alice - I have wondered about that as well. My hands are pretty large (though shrinking). Actually I believe it still works out, the larger you are the more calories you can process. There is a formual that I have heard spoken of on lean and strong which states how many grams of carbs. and protein you should eat per lbs. of body weight. I haven't committed it to memory though. I go by the palm/fist method because it is easy. Some people go to the trouble of submerging their fist in a full container of water and then measuring how much water was displaced. So far my method seems to be working for me so I haven't done that. judi, as far as fruit goes - yes fruits are a carb. Their is a list in the book but most any fruit you would want you can have. I eat a lot of blueberries (on CC), but for the most part I prefer, yams, potatoes, oatmeal and brown rice for my carbs. They seem to stick w/ me longer.
Ricky Martin still has not shown up. He has been gone this long before but somehow I just don't have a good feeling about this. I feel so guilty for not making him come in, he's been gone since Friday night. :-(
aleka
12-17-2002, 12:41 PM
I lost 2 lb. last week. I was pleasantly surprised. I guess those 2 small losses finally caught up with me.
I have a Dr. appt. later this afternoon. She hasn't seen me since I've joined WW and have lost weight. It should be interesting to hear what she has to say.
ledom, thank you for the info on the palm/fist method. I was always wondering about that. That's too bad RM isn't home yet. Have you put out flyers in the neighborhood hoping someone has spotted him? Please let us know when he does show up. When he does finally show up, you can give him a proper dressing-down.
judi, we had a good rain storm last weekend, a little snow yesterday, now they are saying rain again on Fri. There is an El Nino :devil: that's causing all this horrible weather. From what I've seen on the news, Calif. has gotten hit very hard. Are you getting those storms too? I admire you for planning on going to church both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I plan on going to one of the vigils on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. Is Marley a handsome dog again with his new haircut? I hope you and kitty spent a glorious day together yesterday.
Have a good day.
judi
12-17-2002, 08:57 PM
Ledom, I am so sorry Ricky hasn't shown up. Sometimes when cats get hurt (maybe in a fight) they hole up for awhile and come home when they are better. There is no way you can or should blame yourself. How could you possible know he wouldn't come back this one specific time. Ricky would want you to know you are the BEST possible kitty mommy! He still can come waltzing thru the door. We will pray that he does.
Alice:bravo: :cp: on the weight loss. I am still the same.
Ledom, did you write out before what a sample day of menus is??? I would love to see what you are eating?
We still have no snow, thank goodness...though the skiers would not agree with me.
There is a midnight vigil mass, plus a latin one earlier on Christmas Eve but I think we will go to Vespers and the five o'clock one and then go home and at midnight there is a papal mass on tv. I notice at mass as we get closer to Christmas the singing is getting better and better, people must be feeling more joyful.
I am finishing off the tree today. I am glad the DH talked me into putting it up now. It is a Douglas fir, I like the Noble pines but each year they are harder and harder to find.
Yes, Marley is a handsome beast now, he sure smells better anyway which is good because since we got Estaban he insists on sleeping on my bed every night and I know it is not because he likes me so much he just doesn't want the cat up there. He is such a jealous dog.
How did your Dr. appt. go Alice?
I am still focusing on breaking thr 200 this year Ledom.
aleka
12-18-2002, 07:20 AM
I shipped my cousin's gifts yesterday. So, unless they end up in another country, she'll get the bundle today.
My Dr. appt. went very well, judi. She was soooo pleased with my weight loss progress, that was the main topic of conversation. According to their records, I've lost 11 lb. since I was there in Sept. After the nurse weighed me, she looked at my previous weight on my chart, turned around, looked at the scale, and asked if she had perhaps done something wrong weighing me.:lol: The nurse & I are very friendly, she looked at me and asked very LOUDLY, if I was dieting. I have never enjoyed a Dr's visit so much:D I had my mammogram done last Fri., that was fine ...WHEW! I also was quite surprised that my Dr. also attends WW. So, to me, that would indicate how healthy WW really is!
That's great you are happy your DH talked you into a tree this year. You will enjoy it. You still have masses in Latin? Now nice, I sometimes miss some of the "old ways". Our masses are very modern, shaking people's hand to wish each other peace, and you never know where that hand has been:s: :p
ledom, has Ricky Martin come home yet??? judi is right, there really is no reason to blame yourself. He'll saunter in when he's ready. I stopped at the grocery store and bought some CC to make that delicious mix of vanilla, cinnamon, & splenda. I like eating that all by itself.
Have a great day.
ledom
12-18-2002, 09:48 AM
No, kitty isn't back. I can't tell you how mopey and depressed D, myself and Beatrice are. Bea keeps running outside to check if he's back and then running back in. Ricky is the dominate cat, always making sure that I know when the food and water bowls are running low. Tweeg has never cared for the "new" cats, but the rest of us are in mourning I guess. I haven't given up all hope, but it is hard. Thanks for asking.
OK, here is the scoop on how "much" food you should have alice. 1 gram of protein and 1 gram of carb for every lb. you weigh. If you weigh 150 lbs. you should have 150 grams divided over 6 meals, or approximately 24 grams of each per meal. You also need to get in two non-starchy vegetables a day and a little "healthy" fat. Oh, and CC and egg whites are "fluffier" than palm size so you adjust on that relying more on the gram measurement.
judi, this is what I ate yesterday.
1. oatmeal/apple and 8 egg whites (1 yolk)
2. CC, oatmeal/apple - (1/3 of tall carton of CC)
3. grilled chicken salad, side of corn (I was eating out and actually I forgot to order the corn but that is what I should have had)
4. banana bread - this is a special BFL recipe it has egg whites and protein powder in it
5. bfl chili - it's great with celery and carrots in it which are new chili ingredients for me
6. baked yam and CC all smushed together w/ splenda and vanilla
so judi, you see, I kind of eat like a horse. I am never hungry and I am never overly full. You MUST add strength training to the mix to get away with this much food I believe.
I'll work at home today. I am having to finish a photography project for an exhibit that opens in Jan. so we can get pics to the framer. The archivist who has been in charge of printing has had a family emergency so I'll be spotting 30 prints today. I also have to finish grading and averaging grades. I'll go in tomorrow and tie up rest of loose ends. D is taking finals. We have had such a hard time w/ this new dorm arrangement. She hasn't been able to pin down a move-in date but was told early on that she needed to be in by the time the dorm closed for break. That is Thurs. and today is Wed., we are both kind of beside ourselves on this issue too. I finally did what I said I would avoid and put on my "Mom" persona at work yesterday to get some answers. Hopefully they will come today.
sigh, more than you ever wanted to know. I am looking forward to graduation on Fri. night being OVER!!! Time to move into a new routine.
aleka
12-18-2002, 10:06 AM
ledom, I am so sorry Ricky Martin isn't home yet. I am thinking about you. Thank you for the info. about how much protein & carbs you should be eating. Would you use the same amount of carbs & protein for each meal even though you are not body building?
ledom
12-18-2002, 10:35 AM
The BFL diet and exercise plan are so precisely formulated that it might not. I am not a nutritionist. I know that the protein is necessary to build muscle (which you do with bodybuilding) which then burns the excess fat. I have never read a discussion of that question. If you aren't going to do the exercise portion it probably would be best to follow the plan you are on now. That is one thing that I have heard discussed - if you commit to a plan that has been proven to work then you need to stick with your plan and not second guess it. This is not much of an answer but it is all I can say with any accuracy.
aleka
12-18-2002, 11:54 AM
I plan on being on WW for the long haul, as I am having great success. The only thing that concerns me about WW, is the amount of carbs I've been eating, more than I would like, because carbs are very low in points. I would like to incorporate more healthy type protein, but never knew how much protein one should have. Speaking of which, I just had some of your cottage cheese mixture in a bowl, and added 1/8 of a cup of Fiber One cereal. :T Now I won't be gnawing on the carpet until lunch time:smug:
ledom
12-18-2002, 12:17 PM
:( Just a sad note to let you know. I found our Ricky Martin in the vacant lot next to my house. He is gone. I buried him and am just shedding a few tears right now. I knew you guys would want to know. Ricky Martin was the prettiest cat ever, he had a piece of our hearts. Last week I had a really special moment with him and I'll always be thankful to remember him giving me a big hug and a big purr the last time I was with him. I don't know what happened to him, I suspect a dog got him but he looked perfect like he was asleep. Thanks for your kind thoughts.
aleka
12-18-2002, 01:31 PM
I am so sorry about Ricky Martin. :cry: It is so hard when you lose a beloved pet. I hope you can take comfort in the fact that he was a much loved cat and you gave him such a good home. I am glad that you had that special moment with him last week. Again, I am so sorry.
judi
12-18-2002, 01:33 PM
Oh Ledom, I am SO sorry to hear that!! What a very sad day!
ledom
12-18-2002, 09:40 PM
and for sharing my heartache. D took it really hard and this is a day that I am glad to see come to an end. I guess this is the impetus I need to start our new thread as I don't want to come back to this page again. Hopefully inspiration will strike as I mosey to the post new thread box. You'll find it under diet plans. Once again, thanks for you kind thoughts.