Support Groups - 10 lbs. at a Time #164- A New Year Dawns

Good Morning All,

A New Year is almost upon us and I'm sure most of us have done reflecting over the past year. It's been a learning year to be sure and I think it's important for all of us to focus on the positive changes and encourage ourselves to make more of them for the coming year.

A New Year is a fresh start for some and I know myself I will be treating it as such. I ate my way through Christmas and am really at a loss as to why I let myself sabatoge (sp) myself that way. I knew it was wrong, I knew I wasn't hungry but still I kept on. I have a 3 lb. gain to start the new year and have updated my stats to relfect that. Today is a new day and tomorrow a new year and I am determined to start it off on the right foot.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and were able to spend time with loved ones and time renewing yourselves.

To all of you; A Happy New Year and nothing but the best for 2003.

Take care,

Pam

Pam, you are so right. Although I did lose weight last year, I could have lost it all had I stayed focused. I am getting serious, I have my shopping list (the fridge is EMPTY), and I intend to make a 2 week effort to see just what type of dent I can make in my weight. I am joining Curves for Women on January 20th, and am looking forward to seeing some serious results overall.

Happy New Year everyone!
Meg

Hi Gang :wave:
Pam is'nt it stupid..i've done exactly the same thing but with chocolate :( in fact as i've been browsing the forum this morning i've been stuffing my face with big fat chocolate almonds..at 9am in the morning!! what a nut :lol: like the pun? :s: but the best thing about it is that i'm finally in the right frame of mind to do this again..took long enough did'nt it? i've been thinking about the clothes i was wearing last spring and how close i was to wearing my size 10's again until i blew it :mad: don't you dare blow it! Are you listening? Get a grip now before that 3lbs become's 10lbs. The most humiliating thing for me was that i lost my driver's licence while i was on holiday and had to get a replacement when i came home..hubby came with me and the man asked me if my weight was still the same (it was 140 when i renewed it last year) i had to say "unfortunately no..i'm back up to 165lbs". Hubby did'nt hear me tell him and came up to the desk and said something like "have you told him how much you weigh" whilst smirking :mad: no wonder i'm an emotional eater.
Anyway..i've decided there will be a lot of changes in 2003 and the biggest one will be my appearance..this year the sweats and trainer's will be gone i'll be back in suits..stilletto's..and jewellery.
The old me..Joan Collins..(i alway's refer to myself as her because i alway's used to be dressed up to the nine's like her in the past) is raising her head again :D

Happy New Year to you all :wave:

:wave: Hi Everyone

Pam and Meg, it's good to hear from you again, and Pam I know just how you feel. I didn't do very well during the Christmas holiday, between all the parties and gifts of chocolate. Especially the chocolate! Cat and I both had a good time with chocolate. But I have sent it all away and now I am struggling to get back on the program. And like you I am having a three pound problem. Throughout the last two or three weeks I have gone up and down. When I would get tough with myself it would go down, then when I goofed off it would go up. Right now it's up, but I have until my official weigh in on Friday before I will change my stats. So it's an incentive to be really good this week!:nono: I don't want to have to register a weight gain!

Tomorrow is the start of a new year and I intend to be on program with both diet and exercise so I will continue to lose weight. It appears we have all been having a problem during the holidays but it also appears everyone is determined not to let it stop us. WE CAN DO IT. I think it is just as important for us to post our failures as well as our successes. It makes us realize we are all going through the same thing. It doesn't matter who we are, or where we are in life it is difficult for all of us, but by working together we can do it. If I hadn't been posting and trying all the time these last few weeks I might have gained more and that would have been very discouraging. Not giving up and giving in is so important. Think of it as an accomplishment - How much could we have gained if we were not struggling to stay committed.

:grouphug: Now it is time to put the holidays behind us, don't dwell on our failures but enjoy our successes - it's a new year - Time for a new commitment - EAT HEALTHY AND EXERCISE - EXERCISE - EXERCISE!

:soap: Anyone who isn't posting - come back to us - we need you and you need us - WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER!

:hat: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Where is everyone - sleeping in maybe - Don't forget it's a new year and time for a new commitment!

I did pretty good last night. We had my bil and sil over for the evening. We played sequence, a fun game and ate snacks and had a few drinks. And watch the ball drop in Times Square. But I stayed pretty much op. Except for a few pieces of cheese and a few pieces of pepperoni, I only ate low fat crackers and drank ice water. My sil had brought over a pizza for later but we all decided we didn't need it and instead each had a big fresh orange that we had just received as a gift yesterday. It was delicious! I was so glad they decided against having the pizza because I know I would have been right into it if we had cooked it! They really helped me with that decision!

I've already done my exercise for today. This morning I walked the treadmill for 25 minutes and went 1.10 miles. Maybe this afternoon I will do a mile on the bike. I am in a Valentine's day challenge for exercise to do 50 miles by Valentine's day and it would have been only 1 mile a day to achieve it, but I've missed a few days so now I need to make it up if I am going to meet my challenge!

Tomorrow is my dh birthday. He will be 70 years old. He sure doesn't look or act it. Everyone is always surprised to find out his age. I plan to take him out for chinese food, along with some of the family if I can get them together because we haven't really planned it yet. Another challenge - I better be good until then, because I love chinese food!



:wave: Hi everyone and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR - GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US FOR AN OP DAY AND AN OP YEAR

Good Morning All,

Happy New Year!! It's hard to believe it's here already isn't it?

Cathy, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your strong words yesterday. When I read the part of don't let 3 turn into 10 that really brought it home for me just how easy it would be to let it slide like that. Thank you for helping me put that in perspective. I love the image of you of as Joan Collin's and have no doubt about the fact that you will knock hubby's socks off this year. You're a beautiful person inside and out and your strength is showing through. Go Girl!!You know you can always email me for extra support. Thanks for being such a friend.

Grandma G, I'm so glad you joined our group too! I know what you mean about the posting helping you stay focused on the journey even when our motivation strays. You ladies are always in the back of my mind when I feel like giving up. An inspiration you all are to be sure.

Meigg, I'm happy to hear from you again. Curves for Women has had excellent reviews from some of my friends and I know you'll do well at it. I love to hear the resolve in your post this morning. We all owe it to ourselves to be the best we can be.

Karie, Dahlia, Terry, Lisa, Carol, and everyone else whose been with us over the years, please come and say hi and let us know how you're doing. We miss you.

Take care and let's all have an OP day to start the New Year off right!

Pam

Happy New Year everyone. Day one. Going well. Trying atkins for next two weeks with much support from hubby and family and work friends. Work has been very dissapointing as of late. Remember the salary cut? Did not get the money back in bonus. I asked a friend point blank what her bonus was, and she lied to me (obviously to make me feel better). But you know what, that is not being a true friend. I have had several people warn me about her in the past, and I have never believed them until now. I am cutting her out of my life. It was a ridiculous thing to lie about - so what else is she lieing about? Clearly, I am upset.

I am moving on, though. New Year's resolution: 2 weeks on Atkins to see if I can budge scale 5 pounds. Then I will believe that carbs are what has been my problem. I hope none of you are really anti-atkins. I need all the help I can get right now. I promise not to have steak with butter on it! I am eating eggs, fish and chicken, with salads and veggies. Cutting out the caffiene, sugar, fruit, and everything else is going to be a nightmare! - mostly just breaking the habit. I went to reach for something this morning and had to remind myself that I had started!

New Year's is such a good time, as we all have good intentions. Let's try to stay focused. I read on cnn.com today to just try to keep your resolutions one day at a time. i think we all need to keep that in mind. If we fall off, we can always start with the next meal, the next morning, or simply getting back on the treadmill.

I have so enjoyed the journey with you all so far, and I hope the year to come will make us happier with ourselves - whether we lose weight or not.

Happy New Year!

Meg

Afternoon Ladies :wave:

Pam..i'm so glad that the "talking" to helped :D you are so close to your goal and i know you'll be there in a couple of weeks ;) any time that you feel like your motivation is slipping just get out that "fat" picture..the one that you posted on Yahoo and compare it to a "thin" one and say to yourself "I'm never going back there" (i'm a fine one to talk are'nt i? :lol: ) What is it that they say? A picture is worth a thousand words? or something like that..well..it is true. I never thought of doing that while i was on my way to goal last year and i so wish i had i think it would have kept me on the straight and "narrow" :lol:

Meg..i'm not anti-Atkins and i think you're right not to have fat dripping off everything :lol: Good Luck! About your friend..how do you know that she lied to you? if it was from someone else how can you be certain that she did'nt lie to them? and even if she did lie you are probably right it was to protect you from being hurt.. friends like that are hard to find..besides..even if she did get more than you it was'nt her fault it was your employer's..they are the one's you should be mad at :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE AND HERE'S TO A SLIMMER ONE!

Meigg, we are here to support each other no matter what. My SIL did Atkins a few years ago and had much success on it. She did gain all the weight back but she also wasn't following the guidelines properly either. Sounds as though you've researched it and are going to keep a good head about you. People seem to think that you never get carbs again but I believe that after the induction phase you get to add some back in until you strike the right balance. I'm so glad you've got Dan's support and that of your friends...it does make it easier doesn't it? Be sure to post often and let us be here for you.

Cat, good point about the pictures. I'll have to ask Erwin if he can scan the one in from his Christmas party in my size 12 frock. That's a good one to show me how far along I've come. Thanks for the reminder.

I'm OP today and have nine points left for the day so far so good. I've jounalled everything and am remembering to drink my water. I'm off to clean the pantry out and see if I can find it's shelves again.

Have a good one.

Pam

Thanks for the support guys. I did well today. I am eating chicken with salad and a little feta. I drizzled a little olive oil and lemon juice on the salad and it was REALLY good. Imagine! I actually could see myself making that dressing in a restaurant and enjoying it. That is a positive.

I am mad at my boss, which I am trying to let go, but I asked my friend to be honest about how much her bonus was (so I could see if everyone got different amounts based on workload, or if they were all the same - like last year). She said she got the same as me. I found out from someone else that she got $250 more than me. The thing is, I wouldn't have even been mad at her if she had just told me the truth at the time - she has worked really hard all year, and totally deserved it. I also told her she didn't even have to answer if she didn't feel comfortable. But pick one of the two - don't lie. I just wanted a real answer so I knew how badly I was getting screwed out of my $10,000 in lost wages. That's all.

Well, enough of that. I will simply look for a new job instead! Stay positive, right? Right!

Talk to you all tomorrow.

Pam - Great job journaling and with the water - keep it up. One day at a time!

Grandma G - I love your workout challenge for Valentine's Day. I wish that my gym opened earlier (I think it opens Jan 20th) or I would join you!

See you later!

Meg

Good morning everyone. Well, day two is off to a GRAND start!!!!

I am feeling well, despite the cutback on caffiene and sugar - and guess what - MY BOSS ACTUALLY APPROACHED ME ABOUT MY SALARY!!!!

He told me that he is doing the math and that he should know by the end of next week what type of increase he can give me. It probably won't be back to what it was, but even if it is something, that is better than nothing! And HE approached ME! This has absolutely MADE MY DAY!

I hope everyone is doing well today. Remember, try to keep your resolutions one day at a time. And if you slip, just start over again at the next meal, or by working out. We can do it!

Talk to you soon!

Meg

Meg..so glad that "scrooge" approached you :D the word must be out..he's probably heard that you are :censored: :mad: :lol: i hope you get what you deserve :D Glad that Atkins is working out for you..now..i've got to find something that works for me. I might just try counting calories and fat grams instead of restricting anything..that usually works for me :wave:

Hey girls, just doing a quick check in today to say hi! All is well...I'm back at work now after a lovely week off and there were no surprises waiting for me. I love days like that.

Had an OP day yesterday and am on track today also.

Meigg, sounds promising. Good for you.

Cat, how are you doing today? Sounds like your plan is coming together. Remember one day at a time and like Meigg said, if we do poorly at one meal treat that as one meal, not a whole day. We will do this.

Have a good one and I'll pop back in later.

Dahlia, if you're lurking, how is your son doing on his recovery?

Pam

Hi Pam..what can i say :?: it's lunchtime and so far so good :lol: glad to hear that you are doing well :D think i'll get the old digi-camera going later and take some "before" pic's..want to get on the treadmill sometime today too as well as go shopping...boy.. i'd better get movin' :wave:

Good afternoon ladies!

It is a great day here, sunny but cold. I got off to a good start by walking 1.30 miles on the treadmill, in 29.30 minutes. I am trying to increase my speed and endurance by continually increasing my speed each time for the mile, then slowing down and continuing to walk for a few more minutes. It is working but when I walk faster my ankles hurt more along with my feet. I hope that will improve as I walk.

So glad to hear your good news Meg. It's about time they realize how valuable you are. I hope it works out for you. Also glad to hear the new diet is working for you. I have the book, but I never tried it. It didn't seem like something I could stick with, but I know several people who have had a lot of success with it. Good luck!

Meg, if you want to start a Valentine's day exercise challenge before your gym is ready why don't you do some of that dance exercise you told us about. Just challenge yourself to do so many minutes each day in place of miles. I wish you were closer you could use my treadmill!

Pam and Cat, I like the idea of the pictures to show us how far we have come, I think I will do that. I will get a before and after picture to put on the fridge! That should scare me into eating right! :lol:

My dh is having a great 70th birthday so far. Our dil arranged to have a friend's daughter, who is taking massage therapy in College come with her table and all her equipment and give him a massage this morning. HE LOVED IT! I knew he would. I was planning to take him out for Chinese food tonight but we postponed it until tomorrow night. It was more convenient for the rest of the family. :hb:

I am doing pretty good staying op with my eating but I could do better. I am working on decreasing portions again. Even though I eat the right things, I need to eat less.

:wave: Hi Karie, Dahlia, Terry, Lisa, Carol, Floridachick and anyone else who may be lurking, come and join us - we need you! :dance: :dance: Good luck to all of us for an op day

Well, I'm not sure if you meant Riddle "Lisa" or me, but here I am anyway! Its the start of a new year and even though I have not been posting, I've been doing well!

I think I started around 235....wayyyyy back when. I'm happy to report I am down to 190ish!!! Will weigh in on Monday and confirm the exact number. I've been wavering between 185-190 for a bit now.

I've been sick since Thanksgiving, so I went off my meds. Restarted them yesterday as part of my resolution to get/stay healthy. Did Tae Bo just a few minutes ago - WOW am I out of shape! I haven't done any exercising in ages, probably since last spring, and I can tell!

Anyway, my long term goal will be to get down to 160-165. I remember when I was posting last year my long term goal was 185 and "I'd be happy!". So this is a big next step! I haven't been in the 160's for at least 10 years!

I hope everyone else is doing well. I haven't had a chance to go back through past threads (that would take me a year in itself!), but its really great to see some familiar faces here! Hope I can stick with you guys this time!

Best wishes for a Happy & Healthy New Year!

Lisa

Cat - keep trying. I know we will all find something that will work for us eventually. I think the key is to actually DO the work (if you know what I mean). I always keep saying, "I can start tomorrow". No - it has to be TODAY!

Grandma G - great idea about the exercise. We just bought a ball, so I am definately going to incorporate some of that tonight - some sit-ups, etc. Also, I just thought of something when I was reading your post - the part about portions. Wouldn't it be great if there were cookie cutters for portions? That were the right size for protein and a different one for veggies? When you went out you could just use your cookie cutter and you would be fine. And in a perfect world - no one would think you were a freak for doing it!:lol:

Anyway....I am off to have chicken and veggies. Remember that fish I had every night for dinner ALL LAST YEAR? It has more carbs than allowed in one day! Pretty funny.

Good night!
Meg

Good Morning!

Had a smashing day yesterday..stayed within points and got a good workout in on the treadmill. Wasn't too hungry during the day and did well with my choices. Felt great!:D I just want to keep building on these little successes day by day.

Hope you all are doing well. Talk to you later,

Pam

Good morning ladies,

I am up early this morning. I always am when I have regular coffee the night before. We went out for chinese last evening for dh birthday. There were 15 of us and we had a great time. but Meg I should have taken my cookie cutter. Actually although I only filled my plate once, I REALLY FILLED IT! At least I hadn't eaten much during the day, but I have no idea how many calories I consumed last night! It's a good thing I did my exercise yesterday. I have been keeping to my commitment on exercise! I've walked 3 and 1/2 miles in the last three days and that is really good for me! I amost didn't do it yesterday. When I wait until later in the day, I always want to put it off until tomorrow, but yesterday I pushed myself and wouldn't take no for an answer!

Lisa it is so good to hear from you. It sounds like you did okay during the holidays! I know what you mean about getting into the 160's. This is the first time in probably 20 or 25 years that I have been there. I have been hovering between 167 and 170 for about a month or better now, so I am ready to get going and work! My next big goal is to get down into the 150's

Cat, just keep trying until you find what works best for you. These challenges both with diet and now I am finding with exercise help me more then anything else. When I try to procrastinate, I think about the challenge and I don't put it off until tomorrow. Meg is right it has to be TODAY!

Pam, it sounds like you really have your motivation back. You will be at your goal before you know it. We are all so proud of you! keep up the good work.



:wave: Hi to Dahlia, Karie and anyone else I missed. :cb: :cb: Lets all keep with it, eat healthy and exercise - that is all it takes to bring us to our goals!

Good luck to everyone for an op day! ONE DAY AT A TIME - TODAY!

Hmmm...i did'nt get around to exercising or taking any pic's like i said i would..i spend so much time posting and reading on here that the hour's just fly by :rolleyes: i'm definitely getting control over what i eat tho' and making better choices :D

Hi Lisa..welcome back and congrats on the weightloss :D

I can't believe it's 2pm and i've been online since early this morning :eek: so i'd better make tracks before it goes dark.

Hello ladies,
Meg, not sure what is the story, but that is nice that your boss is going to increase your salary and its his idea.. that means you are a valuable employee and they know it.. *hurrah for you* :)

Pam... my son is doing very well, thank you for asking.. we are taking him in for a post op checkup on MOnday, 3 weeks early cause he is having some problems,,,, but I'm sure they will taper off, just want to talk to the doctor and have him tell us everything is ok.... but it's amazing the difference a month can make... there is a light at the end of the tunnel... whew :)

Pam it sounds like you are doing so great on staying op and getting close to your goal... soon more of us will be able to say that too..I remember 5 yrs ago how great it felt when I lost the 40 pounds.. and people were all noticing and telling me how great I looked.. I want to hear that again and I WILLL... I am determined.. I am a strong willed person, I just have to get my act together...

OK.. grandma G.. one more week and I'll be able to get back on my treadmill,, the kids will be out of the basement and it will be mine again.

Hi to everyone else,, have an *op * weekend and take care.

Dahlia

Hi All,

Dahlia, you sound great and I'm glad DS is on the mend. I know how scary it can be not to know what's going on all the time when the body is healing. Fingers crossed that everything will be fine. I also forgot to ask how the grand babies were doing? Do you still babysit them alot?

Cat, isn't it amazing how fast the day can be frittered away on line? I'm amazed at how fast I can chew up an hour :)

Meigg how is the Atkins plan going for you? I had a bit of a giggle on the fish comment. Go figure eh?

Lisa, nice to hear from you and continued success. I know you're a busy gal but try and stop in once in awhile :) We miss you!

I've had a smashing good 3 days and feel quite a bit better than I did before New Year's. My body just doesn't handle high fat and no water very well. I've noticed since I've been eating my regular way I feel a bit more energized. DH and I had a giggle over this being our regular way of eating and Christmas being an oddity in our household. Ah the difference a year can make.

Hope you all are having a pleasant weekend. Will check in tomorrow. Sweet dreams to all....

Pam

Well everyone, after several days of doubt because of the scale, I finally have faith that Atkins can and does work (at least today I do). I am down 3 pounds. Hey - I don't care if it is water, fat, muscle, or anything - I actually LOST! 181.5 lbs is the weight I have never been able to get below, which is why I set my first goal at 179. Then I will know that Atkins REALLY works for me.

I need to go out and by those ketostix that you pee on to tell you if you are in ketosis. What a nightmare. I just can't imagine adding that to my routine for the rest of my life. - but hey, if that means that I can fit into all of the clothes that are stored in the basement, I think I can pee on a stick!;)

And the food - sounds great on the front end...but man - apparently I am not clever enough with my menus! Eggs with feta for breakfast & turkey sausage. Turkey burger with cheddar and a small salad for lunch, and roasted chicken for dinner, or a burger, or scallops. I may be overloading on the cheddar as snacks, but a girl has to have something to keep going!:s:

Pam - you sound great - and back on track after a slight holiday binge. It sounds like you truly have made some lifestyle changes, which is what it is all about!:smug:

Dahlia, I am so glad to hear your son is doing better. I am sure the doctor will tell you not to worry - and everything will be fine! My thoughts are with both of you!!!:grouphug:

Grandma G. - Sounds like you are VERY dedicated to the treadmill, and you are an inspiration to me. I have called around to all the local gyms to get pricing and hours. Can you believe that the new curves is only open 9-12 and 2-7. I am in the CITY OF CHICAGO. Not in the suburbs. This area is a ghost town during the day. I found a gym about 10 blocks away, same price but open 24 hours, with a parking lot. I am going to join - just not sure when. Thanks for the inspiration!

Ladies, once I create, patent, and start testing the "Lifestyle cookie cutter by Meigg" (to wordy?:lol: ) You will all get one free to test. In the mean time, let's try to watch our portions.:chef:

Have a great rest of the weekend - Meg:wave:

Good Morning Ladies...Meg they have started showing an ad for Curve's on tv and they make it look real fun :) the women are just ordinary overweight women..no Cindi Crawford's :lol: so you've had second thoughts about joining :?: do those hours not work for you? Congrats on the weightloss :D where do you get those ketostix? i've heard about them but have never seen them.
Are you missing carbs at all? i could'nt imagine having bacon and eggs without bread :cry: but i suppose it's a small sacrifice to make if it means not having to live on lettuce :rolleyes: oop's questions..questions..sorry to bombard you with them :lol:

I'm going to use my treadmill in a while..i almost put "try" but i'm not going to try i'm going to do!

Pam..great job on the 3 day's OP!

Pam - I get home from work at 6. I worry I can't fit it in. And they aren't open weekends. I was really psyched about it and now I am not.

You get the ketostix at the pharmacy - no prescription necessary. I don't really miss the carbs. It is weird. but one day I had a craving for sugar cookies - and I don't even like sugar cookies.:dizzy: . I have had to give up ALL sugar - including aspartame. It is hard - just to figure out!:o

Right now I am using chocolate molds and melting nestles chips - I have to REMEMBER NOT TO LICK FINGERS or it messes the whole thing up. But what is funny- I don't really have a craving to - so that is good.

You go with the treadmill girl!!!!

Just another quick check in! Sounds like everyone is doing very well!

Saturday night I had to go digging through bags of old jeans - someday I'm gonna make a quilt, when I have time - to find a smaller pair of jeans for myself! Hubby was quite impressed on how a size 16 looked. 14s next? I don't know...haven't been that size in 15 years and two kids ago!

Weighed in this morning at 190 which gives me 25 to goal. Set up my exercise room over the weekend, but I really wish I lived close enough to a gym. I always thought that would be more fun to go somewhere and work out than to sit at home and do it.

Well, I have a busy day ahead, so I better get going! Take care all!

Lisa

Hi Ladies,

I don't have much time but I just had to check in and say WAY TO GO LADIES! Everyone sounds so motivated and ready to work! I know we can do this together.

The exercise challenge has helped me so much to get my motivation back. Every day after I finish I record it and I am determined not to miss a day. For the last three days I have managed 1 and 1/2 miles each day. And I never thought I could do it. What a great feeling! But I find I need to do it the first thing when I get up or it is much harder to get myself going. Like I told Meg, if you don't have a treadmill or a gym just do any kind of exercise you can and set a certain amount of time each day to do it, and increase it gradually. Then set up a challenge for yourself and try to do it daily. It's amazing how fast it adds up - I pledged to do 50 miles by valentine's day and I am already at 9 miles, almost a 5th of the way there! I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM DOING IT! I think this is what I needed to get those scales moving again!

:wave: Hi to everyone - good luck for an op day.

Well, I got the ketostix, and suffice it to say, the diet is working. I registered a reading on the stix, and lost 3 pounds on the scale! That is definately motivation to keep on truckin' with the low-carb thing. Perhaps my body just wasn't meant for alot of carbs.

I have alot of energy. Didn't even need to press snooze on the alarm this morning - what is wrong with me? And I am looking forward to joining the gym! I am inspired, and I hope to stay this motivated. I haven't felt this good about a program EVER!

Lisa - CONGRATS ON THE SMALLER SIZE! I keep seeming to get bigger. That is a great indication of how well you are doing - keep up the good work! Can you try integrating some new music or videos into your workout - something that makes your home gym a treat? Maybe put in a VCR so you can watch movies while you work out?

Have a great day everyone!

Meg

Good Morning Ladies,

Grandma G...way to go on your challenge. I'm so proud of you!!! 50 miles is a lot of walking but you'll be there in no time. Are you still using your paintings as a visual?

Meigg, holy smokes girl! No snooze button??? Terrific...I'm jealous :) Great job and keep up the good work.

Lisa, you are doing so well and I'm happy you're checking in again. The scale isn't always the better judge of things as you well know. I'm so proud of you and the new size!

I've had a good weekend..actually a pretty good past week. I'm feeling better mentally and that sure carries over to other things doesn't it?

Well back to what they pay me for and I'll check back in later,

Pam

Hi Ladies :wave: Grandma..you're right..when i used to exercise religiously every day it was because i alway's did it in the morning it was like do it now and then it's over and done with and the rest of the day is 'free' to do other things..now that i have no motivation to do any i say to myself "i'll do it later" but later never happens :( today is a prime example..it's 4.20pm and i still have'nt done any..i'm sat in my lycra shorts but i have'nt done anything :lol: well..that's not exactly true...i bought 2 exercise tapes yesterday to motivate me..NOT...one is one of the FIRM series and OMG these amazon women move that fast that i have'nt a clue what just happened..i have no co-ordination at all :spin: so that was $20 spent well :mad: maybe if i watch it a zillion times i'll get some of the moves down but there is no chance that i'll mess with the 14" step that they use unless someone gives me a ladder :lol: now i'm really gonna use my treadmill..i did'nt yesterday like i said i would but i am now..right this minute :wave:

I'VE GOT A NEW ATTITUDE ooh ooh..ooh ooh ooh :lol: i just love the new Jenny ad it's got me pumped :D and YAAAYY i did exercise last night..3 miles on my treadmill..i'm gonna try a tape today :) but not the FIRM because i'll end up looking like this :dance: and the amazons will be doing this :dancer: :shrug:

Cathy you seriously crack me up :) You go girl! Great job on the treadmill.

Pam

Hi Ladies,

Way to go Cat, 3 miles on the treadmill:cp: When you exercise you really exercise. Think what would happen with the scales if you commit to doing that every day. WOW. I thought I was doing great at a mile and a half. Of course for me it is great, so I am happy with it! I love your sence of humor!

Yes Pam, I am still using my paintings for a visual. The last couple of days I have been studying a painting I am working on that is nearly finished. That is how I decide what still needs to be done and how I know when it is finished. My mission in life, other then my family is to create paintings that bring to people the beauty and history of our great country. Most of the commission paintings I have done have been creating other peoples dreams and memories. It is such a challenge to do that, but so rewarding. The greatest feeling is when a client says to me, "that is exactly what I had in mind." My current painting, not a commission is based on an old black and white photograph and is of a big stone house built in 1819. It is part of the history of our town and the site of the first town board meeting. The scene is of a beautiful fall day, with the trees in full fall color and the grass still green is littered with falling leaves. Out in the front stands a man dressed in a dark suit and three ladies in long white dresses, and near a tree sits a yellow cat. The reason I put the yellow cat in the painting is based on a story we were told a couple years ago when we went to a party at the "stone mansion", given by the present owners in honor of some of the decendents of the original owners. The decendents told about a yellow cat that lived in the house and always slept in a large glass bowl that sat on the piano, then proceded to present the very bowl to the current owners with a stuffed yellow cat in it (not a real cat) with a request that it remain with the house. I plan to have prints made of this painting and write the history of the house so a copy can go with each print. This is the third painting in my historical home series. I think it will be the last in this series.

:yawn: Sorry I got carried away, hope I didn't bore you to death!

Meg you are doing so well with your new diet. Congratulations on the weight loss. Good luck with it!

Dahlia, I hope your son continues to improve. I bet you will be glad to get back on the treadmill. In spite of my hurting feet and ankles, I feel much better after exercising. And it is working. I have already lost 2 lbs of what I gained over the holidays. Only 1 more to go and I will be back where I was before Christmas!

Good luck everyone for an op day tomorrow, and hi to anyone I missed. :wave:

:lol: he-he glad you had a giggle...i ate way to much today but i got lots of cleaning done and i did a 50 min exercise tape this morning and another 3 miles on the treadmill this afternoon :D i'll have to make sure i do something first thing like Grandma does otherwise its fatal :faint: i get online and that's it..end of story.

Come out..come out..wherever you are :lol: i walked for 4 miles yesterday and 'rode' for 30 minutes on my exercise bike :D i thought why sit on the sofa and watch the bold and the beautiful when i can 'ride' :lol: still eating too much tho' :(

Hey Cathy, little steps at a time. Soon the exercise will become routine and then the eating will fall into line.

I too am still eating too much but it's not junk food right now. I'm still sticking to between 25-30 points per day for the most part. I'm just trying focusing on maintaining right now and not obsessing over points or that guilty feeling from being a point over. AFter awhile I think that's what gets me down is then I feel like a failure. So right now the focus is just a healthier lifestyle with healthier choices and upping the activity by taking the dogs for a bit of a longer walk or parking farther away at the mall. We'll see how it goes.

Meigg, how are you making out so far? I hope it's all going well for you with the new program.

Grandma G, you are doing so well too. I love to hear about your painting. It makes me wish you lived closer to me. I'd love to commission you to paint a portrait of our dogs for my husband. I'm far too attached to the dogs I know :) You sound as though you love what you do so much that I know that joy reflects in your work.

Karie, where the heck are you at girl? Hope all is well in Cowtown. Come out and say hi?

Hi to all I've missed. I'll check in later,

Pam

Hi Ladies,

Where is everyone - We need you all! Karie, Dahlia, Lisa, and anyone else who might be lurking. :lol:

Pam, you are right I do love my work. A couple years ago we remodeled a room upstairs in our home to be a studio and I bought a north light to work under. With a corner for a framing center. Before I always painted at a big old desk in my Gallery (dining room), downstairs without a good light and not much room. Yet for some reason I still haven't settled into my new studio. I used to spend hours a day painting, now I haven't been taking much time with it. The fact that my husband retired hasn't helped either. We spend so much time running the roads, traveling and working on historical projects. I help him with all his town historian duties. Of course my current series of paintings blends well. I made up my mind not to accept any more commissions so I could paint only what I wanted to, but I am having a terrible time saying no to people. Doing commissions helped me so much to grow as an artist - I tried things I never would have thought of on my own. And accomplishing their idea is always a thrill. Once a women asked me to paint her back porch as a gift for her neice who spent a lot of time there as a child. I was doubtful it would make a good painting, but I did it and it turned out to be a great painting, one of my favorite's and her neice loved it. Now this same women wants me to paint a special tree for her other neice. :lol: Here I am getting carried away again!

Pam you are doing so well, and learning how to maintain is just as important as losing, because if we don't learn that and just gain it back we have wasted our time dieting and yo yo dieting is as dangerous to the health as staying overweight is.

Cat, I am so proud of you. :cb: :cb: When you exercise you don't fool around. I wish I could do that! You are inspiring me to incorporate some work on my exercise bike into my day. I haven't used that much lately. I am still doing my treadmill and haven't missed a day. But I still need to do it when I first get up before breakfast.

I too seem to be eating more then I should. I have been munching during the evenings. I try to keep to things that are low in calories and good for me, but I need to stop doing it anyway because even that adds up. On the Ophra show they had a guest on that said you should not eat after 7:00 in the evening. If with your lifestyle that is not possible then stop eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed. The guest also said that that hungry feeling you get in your stomach later in the evening was when your body was getting into the fat reserves and you should welcome that feeling and not feed it. Because when you feed it you keep yourself from losing. That makes sense and I am trying to remember that, and not eat!

:angel: Well I had better be an angel and do well today because we have another banquet tomorrow. The last of our holiday parties. More temptation!

:dance: :dance: Hi to anyone I missed and good luck for an op day

Hi Ladies..Another 3 miles on Treadmill..20 mins on exercise bike and 10 mins Pilates..(well..trying Pilates :lol: ) yesterday.Weighed in this morning with a 1.5lbs loss :D the exercise alway's does it for me..regardless of if i watch what i eat..good job really :o it's almost 8.30am so i think i'll get up there and start doing something :wave:


169.5/168/130

Atkins has been going great. Although I have been overdoing it on the cheese:cheese: (my favorite food), so I haven't seen a real loss. I also have been drinking coffee and I am working on switching to decaf. I had also lowered all my bipolar medications, and I think because I am metabolizing food differently, I had a manic episode (first one since 1999). I felt it coming on, and took a bunch of pills. I am now back where I was before, but not upset about it. I will try messing with them again later.

I am also joining the gym this weekend.

Gotta go!

Did an assortment of exercise tapes this morning for about an hour and another 3 miles on my treadmill..hope i can keep this up :D i feel like i can because i'm actually starting to look forward to doing it in the mornings :D

Hi Ladies,

I just finished my walk on the treadmill and I am slowly inching my way up, I went 1 and 6.8 tens of a mile today. I hope soon to be up to 2 miles a day! Can you believe it. If anyone had told me just a couple of months ago to walk 2 miles a day, I would have said "ya right! are you crazy". I just hope those scales will start moving soon. I know I've lost 2 lbs but it was only weight I gained over Christmas, so I still haven't made real progress. I wont do that again, no more cheating!! It's not worth it.

Good job Meg. Sorry to hear about the problem with you meds, that makes things so much more complicated. Good luck with the gym.

Cat, what an inspiration you are! You make me want to do more and more each day. I can't really say I look forward to it but it is becoming a habit. I don't try to get out of doing it. I will settle for that.

: :lol: :wave: Hi to Karie, Lisa, Dahlia, Floridachick and anyone else I missed, come on back, we need you - Good luck to every one for an op day

:cb: :cb: COME ON EVERYONE - LETS EXERCISE!

Morning Ladies :wave:

Grandma..Great Job! I'm glad that i'm giving you the urge to go just that bit further :D you'll be up to 2 miles in no time :)
You should see me today :snail: i can hardly move :lol: i sure worked those thigh muscles yesterday because they don't want to move today :lol: i'll sort them out tho' :drill: a brisk walk on my treadmill later will loosen 'em up ;)

Where is everyone? Locked in the Gym? Come on Ladies..tell us what you're up to :wave:

Oh lord my body is aching a wee bit today :) Hubby and I have stripped the wall paper and border out of the spare room, painted the ceiling and applied the primer. All that's left to do is the coat of paint tomrrow and my new home office is ready to have my new desk installed. I'm hoping happier surroundings and a more productive work space will get me more into my school work. Here's hoping.

have done horrible with food the past two days but have earned some decent activity points with the painting. My weight was down slightly today but for the most part I take it as a maintain. I'm happy.

Cat hope you're feeling better and that you have your thighs sorted out :)

Take care all and I'll check back in tomorrow.

Pam

:nono: Pam..i feel like you..a wee bit sore :( i did'nt exercise yesterday unless you count stacking firewood :?: well..i did :lol: i will go on my treadmill today if nothing else..Hope the new home office has the desired effect ;) what colour is it? if anyone is doing any home improvements i would recommend yellow..i did one of the spare bedrooms in that colour and everytime i look or go in it i smile :) don't know why :dizzy: can't help it..the whole room glow's.

Yaaaay! I walked 5 miles today :D so i think i made up for missing yesterday..i've had a nice hot shower and thighs work again :lol:

Cathy you are my hero :) Wow, you rock. My hamstrings are still quite upset with me from painting but tomorrow I should be able to do some treadmill and upper body work.

Have a good night and I'll talk to you all tomorrow,

Pam

Hello ladies.

I have not posted in a while.. but I read this everyday. Been active watching my grandbabies again. Man so glad I had mine when I had energy. Why is all that energy wasted on young ones.. can you imagine the amount of things we could get done in a day if we had that kind of energy?:cb: :cb: :dance: :dance: :dancer: :dancer:

Well, back to me...:lol:
Hubby and I started a better healthier eating plan last Monday. We are trying to eat better choices and cut down on the fat content.. also son enjoys eating that way too.. and the good part is the scale was down 2 pounds this morning...so my goal right now is to lose another 3 by Valentines day and then go on to Easter challenge for 10 more... bringing me under 200 by spring. Of course I'd accept a bigger loss as well. But I am not getting my expectations up. I am taking this slow but steady.

How is everyone doing? Good I hope...I cannot remember what has been going on... I read it everyday, but usually in a hurry so I sort of skim sometimes... I really must slow down....

Well, I have to get to work. Just wanted to check in let you all know I am still around.:cp:

Son is doing better. He is spending more time downstairs with the family... that is a big improvement, cept now I don't have to run up and down the stairs all day long.. my knees and legs were just getting used to it... well guess I could do it just for the fun of it...:)

take care all, have a super *(op)* day.. later
Dahlia

Hi Dahlia...welcome back and congrats on the 2lbs loss :D glad to hear that your son is doing better and getting more mobile :)

Hi Ladies,

Just a quick checkin. We spent the day at the hospital. Our granddaughter had her toncils out. She was scheduled to come home tonight but was still in a lot of pain so they decided to keep her overnight. The doctor said teenage girls have the hardest time with this surgery. He said nobody knows why, it just seem to be true. Hope she feels better tomorrow!

Dahlia, it's good to hear from you. Glad your son is doing better. I had to laugh when I saw your remarks about stairs because I walked up several flights of stairs today. My dil has a problem with elevators so I walked up the stairs with her while my dh and ds used the elevator and I was amazed at how much easier is now after all those miles on the treadmill. I must be getting in shape. I agree Dahlia, couldn't we all use the energy of little tots!

By the way, I am very proud of myself because I finally made - 2 miles! Can you believe it- I walked two miles on the treadmill this morning for the first time!:jig: :jig: Also, I checked the scales and I have lost the last of the 3 lbs I gained over the holidays. So I am back to where I was before Christmas. Now I can start making some real progress! :dance: :dance:

5 MILES CAT - WOW - don't expect me to get there! You are amazing:goodvibes :goodvibes Way to go girl!

:wave: Hi and goodnight to Karie, Pam, Lisa and anyone else I missed - Good luck for an op day tomorrow

Good Morning Dear Hearts,

Grandma G...I'm so proud of you! 2 miles is an awesome accomplishement. Soon you and Cat will be having cyber races :)

Dahlia, glad you checked in and so happy to read DS is on the mend. Brings you a sense of peace and well being I'm sure. Kudo's to you and hubby for the lifestyle change.

Cathy, what can I say? 5 miles!!! HOLY COW!!! You are my inspiration.

Had a good OP day yesterday and got my exercise in so I'm happy. DH is working on getting my desk together so soon I'll have my dining room back too.

Have a great day ladies and a special hi to all you lurkers :)

Pam

Grandma.. :bravo: i knew you could do it!
I nearly did'nt exercise yesterday..was really lazy..but last night i kinda felt guilty like i was letting myself down so i 'walked' 3 miles while Joe Millionaire was on :D i'm so glad Heidi was dumped..she was so smug..i can't wait to see the winners face when she finds out that he's not rich :lol: i'm a :devil: i know!

Hi Ladies,

It's pretty quiet on the board, where is everyone? I hope all is going well and everyone is just too busy exercising and staying op to post!:)

I have to admit I had a little set back in my exercising! I think I was pushing myself a little too hard, because after two days at 2 miles my legs were really bothering me and I had a blister on my foot. I didn't want to take any days off from exercising so I cut back a little on speed and distance. I am back to 1 and 1/2 miles at a time of 35.46. I will slowly increase each day until I get back to 2 miles. I still haven't missed a day of exercising this year! I figured it is better to do less then none. So I am satisfied for the time being. Thanks Cat and Pam for your encouragement!

Keep up the good work Cat, you are still my hero and my inspiration!:bravo: Even though I know I will never catch up to you I am going to keep trying!:lol:

:dance: Hi to everyone lurking, let's all work together for a great losing year COME BACK AND JOIN US!

:wave: Hi to everyone and good luck to all of us for an op day!

Good Morning everyone,

Wow I can't believe it's Thursday already. This week is just rushing by!

Grandma G I hear you about pushing yourself too hard. I worked out with my free weights on Monday night and I kid you not my biceps are still aching! Oy vey :)

My sister and I are going dress shopping on Saturday for her upcoming wedding. Sounds like she may be having a few troubles with the futer MIL whom she does love and adore. that being said however, her MIL seems to want to be planning an awful lot of the day and I know that the guest list has already gotten larger than my sister and future brother in law had wanted. Oh well they'll get pushed far enough and then they'll stand up for what they want. I told her to elope LOL.

Have a great day all and I'll check in later.

Pam

Grandma..you can catch me up any time you want ;) i'd be glad of the company :lol: I missed exercising on Tuesday (hate when i do that!) but i did 3 miles yesterday..5 miles today and 15 mins of free weights :D Pam..glad you stopped by :) like Grandma said "it's very quiet around here" let's get buzzing! Weigh in for me tomorrow..hope the metal :devil: is in a good mood :dizzy:

Hi Ladies,

Not much to report. I weighed in for this week and am back to 167, where I was before Christmas! So I have undone the damage my cheating caused. I also added up my miles on the treadmill for my challenge and I have walked 25 & 1/2 miles to date this year, so I am more then halfway to my challenge of 50 miles by Valentines day.

Everything is going well and I am staying on program so I just have to continue doing what I have been doing and hopefully by next Friday I will have some progress to report!

:cb: :cb: This exercise helps keep me motivated and is a good start to each day.

:wave: Hi everyone, hope you are all having an op day!

Hi Grandma..great job with the 25.5 miles :bravo: i've got a bit of a stiff neck/shoulder this morning thanks to the butterfly press :lol: so i'll just be treadmilling today..talk about no pain no gain :rolleyes: weighed in this morning with a 2lbs loss :D so i'm ahead of the game now..only 'weigh' to go is down :cp:

169.5/168/166 Goal:130

Cat and Granmda G Weigh to Go!!! Awesome work ladies. Quite impressive treadmill work from both of you. Inspiration for me to haul my butt up there on it :)

I've spent the past few nights decluttering the house and I'm feeling good about it. Jus trying to simplify life as much as possible so I can concentrate on the things I want to do.

Have had a pretty good week eating wise so I'm happy about that. We'll see if the scale reflects that tomorrow. I did poorly on the weekend so we'll see if that had much of an effect. Every day is a new day and every meal is one that you can always make a better choice at. I'm slowly minimizing the Christmas damage so all is good.

I'll check back later. Have a great afternoon,

Pam

Okay I'm back :) Went out for Korean food with DH and gosh it was so yummy. We hadn't been to that restaurant for quite awhile and the manager came rushing over to our table to shake our hands and welcome us back. Don't get service like that very often! It was delicious and I didn't make an oink of myself either. I weigh in tomorrow and I'll post my results on the challenge thread.

Catch you all in the morning.

Pam

Hey Pam..i'm sure you will have lost weight :) it's nice when you get treated like that..last year when we were going to the Keg a lot the manager took us to our table one night and bought us a drink..makes ya feel special does'nt it :) i 'walked' for 5.5 miles this morning..i was aiming for 6 but got fed up :lol:

I finally heard your calls. Thanks so much for remembering me and holding a space for me to come back to.

I have been struggling too! After such a blockbuster year last year, I have been having a tough time finding my motivation again. The day starts so well but then I slip off into that mindless eating place.

I do keep thinking every moment is a new opportunity to make a fresh start so I haven't quite given up just clunking along.

It is inspiring for me to read your posts. You all help me remember how good it feels to be eating well and losing. I am still going to the gym every morning but have stopped being sure I drink enough water and clearly I am eating way too much.

Thanks for the "wakeup" calls everyone. I will try to get here more often and bring good news.

Good job to all of you who are still here. We will walk this path together.

Karie

Good Morning,

Well weigh in yesterday was a bit disappointing and I'm up almost a full pound. I guess I'm not watching things as close as I thought. Need to get in more exercise so that's this week's priority.

Went wedding dress shopping with my sister yesterday and she lucked out and found the perfect dress right off the rack. She'll look radiant that day to be sure. The grin on her face after she got it was a mile wide and I knew she was relieved to have that part of planning her day done.

DH and I finished decorating my new office last night and I'm quite pleased with the results. Got a nice set of cranberry colored curtains for a splash of colours and four little pictures with old fashioned country scenes in it to tweak my imagination when I feel like taking a journey in my mind instead of working on accounting. LOL.

Karie, I'm glad to see you back posting. I know this journey gets darn hard sometimes...we're all either going through it or getting past it, but we're here and we'll do our best to keep you motivated.

Hope you all are having a good weekend. Off to have breakfast, grocery shop, laundry and homework. Whoo hoo what an exciting life I lead :)

Take care,

Pam

Hi Ladies,

It is a beautiful sunny day today after a cold night. I think it got down to about 3 or 4 below 0 F. Not as bad as it was last week. Last week it got down to at least 12 or 15 below one night and the same night Saranac Lake less then an hour away was the coldest in the nation at 33 degrees below 0. I am ready for a January thaw!

Karie it is so good to hear from you. Don't worry you can do it. I understand what you are going through. After losing 40 lbs I can't seem to make any progress no matter how hard I try. But with my new exercise program I can feel I am toning up and I am also learning how to maintain. I have noticed my slacks fit a lot more comfortably then they did when I first got into them and I have had to stop wearing some of my older ones because they were getting uncomfortablely large.

If we can live in a healthly lifestyle and keep off the weight we lost we are still acomplishing something. And if we keep doing what we are doing the scales will have to start moving sooner or later. I HOPE! The hard part is keeping the motovation when the scales don't show it. I have a bad habit of getting on the scales every morning, and they are not terribly accurate so they go up and down each day. I know it would be better to only get on once a week, but I can't break the habit of stepping on every day!
even when some days its discouraging! Last year when I first started my diet, it went down every time I got on and it was so encouraging!

Pam your office sounds awesome. You should enjoy working there. Are you working for employers at home or are you a certified public accountant? My sister who lives in NH is an accountant. She works from her home and several times a week has to go to different offices where she brings their accounts up to date and does their payrolls. Your Sister sounds so happy, what a special time, getting ready for her wedding.

Cat, you are unbelievable with that treadmill. I can't even imagine going 6 miles at one time. I think I am doing great getting back up to 1.8 miles this morning. But I am determined to do it every day. I didn't have time before church this morning but after church and breakfast I came home and did it. Before I started this challenge I wouldn't have done it later, so that is progress!





:wave: Hi to every one I missed. Have a great op day!

Hey Pam..it was probably that meal that you had ;) don't worry about it..it will be gone next week :D the office sounds really nice. How exciting shopping for wedding dresses..can't wait to see the pic's.

Karie..great to have you back :)

I walked 6 miles yesterday (for a total of 18 miles in 4 days) while watching "From Dawn till Dusk" i've never seen it before and when they were fighting all the vampires my adrenaline was pumping and my little legs were going like the clappers :lol: then i did about 15 mins of weights..i allowed myself 2 beers last night with it being Saturday night (i live an exciting life too Pam) so my calorie count was up a bit but i 'burned' 470cals on the treadmill so it should balance itself out :D i'm gonna watch the second installment of 'Taking it Off' at 11am..one guy weighed in at 463.8lbs last week..he could'nt believe it :eek: he thought he was about 375lbs..anyone else watching it? gonna get some brekky and then start my 'hamster' routine :wave:

Hi Grandma..we were posting at the same time ;) i'm just the same with the scale :( it's parked right by the toilet and everytime i 'go' i hop on it :lol: and it does go up everytime because i'm full of food and water :lol: but today i vow to put the :devil: in the closet and not let it out until next friday's weigh-in..i said i'd do that yesterday but did'nt bother for some reason :?: are you going to join me ? hide it somewhere until your next 'official' weigh-in :D

Hi again,

Grandma G, thank you for your eloquent post this morning. I was feeling a bit in the dumper about my weight and lack of motivation but you're right...keeping off what I've lost already is a great accomplishement also. My home office is for me to work in for my night courses. I'm working towards an undergraduate certificate in accounting through a local university through home study courses. I work full time as a book keeper but wanted some courses under my belt so that I could understand what I was printing off on for our financial statements. After the certficate (seeing how well I do as it's ten courses) I can then apply for the diploma and if I really like it (that's ten more courses) then I can transfer those into the pursuit of a CMA desgination. That would take years but hey who knows? I'm not even 30 yet

Cat I'm happy that you watch Taking it Off too! I love that show. i teared up for Malcom when they read him his official weight. The poor man seemed so devestated as he knew he already had a momentous journey ahead of him let alone tacking on another 80 pounds. Those girls that room together drive me a bit nuts. I can't wait to watch tomorrow night. The deal I have with myself is if I want to watch it I have to be on the treadmill while I"m doing it. Thanks for the encouragement wtiht the gain this week..here's hoping next week is a bit more favourable.

Well off to finish laundry and watch the NFL games today. I'm anxious to watch the Oakland/Titan's game.

Have a good one and i"ll check back later,

Pam

Pam..do you mean the 'sisters'? the one that is dieting actually said that she was glad that her little sister was now bigger than her :( and the 'little' sister (who looks like she is eating herself to death :( ) said she would'nt change her eating habits to help her sister :lol: you should have seen her pigging out..she dropped some cake on the table and licked it off..i feel like knocking their heads together because they are both really pretty and could be knockouts if they slimmed down a bit...i don't know how far this girl will get because she's only making a half-hearted attempt..time will tell :chin:

You bet...those were the girls I was talking about. When she was joking about her boobs being too big for her to reach the table all I could think about was "it's not funny". Both those girls are gorgeous. when the roomate kept talking about how she wasn't going to make one single effort to help her out with her journey I thought to myself that she's in for a long hard road. I hope she hears that "click" for herself but gosh I'm not feeling real positive about her right now. They live here in edmonton...I wonder what I'd do if I saw them out at the night clubs they were talking about? I hope I wouldn't turn into the food police or something LOL.

Hi ya,

Okay today was a much better day. I know I can get that feeling back again. I will be in control and I will feel good again not to mention get into that new suit I bought!

Thanks so much everyone for the words of wisdom. I guess we just can't hear them enough.

I was at the gym this morning for my regular 2.6 mile walk and 20 minute weight session. I need to work on upper body strength right now. I finished my glass blowing course last weekend and realized that if I wanted to do bigger pieces in the future, I am going to have to heft a whole lot more molten glass than I felt I could this time around.

I haven't seen Taking it Off but I just searched the TV Times and see it is on tomorrow night at 7:30 so I will try to catch it.

You are all doing so well with the walking right now. It does feel so much better to be moving.

Pam and Cat, great mental picture of you two on your treadmills totally engrossed in the television.

Hi Grandma C, hang in there. I agree we will do this together.

Have a good evening,
Karie

Hi Ladies,

I didn't do so good with my eating yesterday. We went to a memoral service and they had a dinner after with tons of food. And you know how it is, even though you just take a little of each thing there are so many dishes! I ended up with a big plate full and I ATE THE WHOLE THING, then to top it off they had all kinds of cakes, brownies, cookies etc and someone had made white cake with peanut butter frosting and of course I couldn't resist the peanut butter frosting so I had a little piece. And as if that wasn't bad enough, later in the evening we were at our sons house and my dil fixed some garlic bread. I just had to have two little pieces!:devil: NOT A GOOD EATING DAY!:?: The only thing I did right was keeping to a very small piece of cake and very small pieces of garlic bread even though I would have liked more - maybe that at least was an accomplishment!

But today is a new day and I will do better! I will

Cat you are right, I will put the scale away and only use it on Friday at my official weigh in:angel: I won't get on it until then.

I have thought of another idea too. In the winter I don't drink nearly as much water as I did this summer. Maybe if I start drinking more it will help with the weight loss. Starting this morning I will increase my water intake. I don't think it is good to drink an excessive amount, but certainly more then I am. What does everyone else think? I remember we kind of obsessed on that at first!

Pam it sounds like you have a good plan for your education and I know you will do it. It doesn't matter how long it takes. In five years you will still be five years older wheather you take the courses or not, so why not take them. I read that in "dear Abby" once when someone wrote in asking if Abby thought she was too old to go back to school. That was abbys answer! My dad only went to 9th grade and didn't graduate from high school. When he was in his 60s and retired one of his grandchildren went for his GED (equivalent to a high school deploma) so dad went with him for encouragement. I don't think the grandson ever did get it, but Dad did and he was so proud of himself he went on to college just to prove he could. He only went one term but he made the dean"s list. Moral - you can accomplish anything if you want it badly enough and it doesn't matter how old you are:bravo: THAT GOES FOR THIS WEIGHT LOSS TOO - WE ALL CAN DO IT

Has anyone played that new game "Cranium". We played that at my sons house last night and we had a ball. I think there are only supposed to be 4 players but we just divided everyone there into teams. At first there were 6 of us then my granddaughter and her boyfriend came in and later my grandson. I haven't laughed so much in years. Especially when my son acted out Marilyn Monroe for us to guess!:lol:

:wave: Hi to karie and anyone else I missed, I hope we all have an op day!

:cb: :cb: Exercise time, I have a date with the treadmill AT LEAST 1.9 MILES TODAY - MOVIN ON UP

Good morning ladies,

Hello to Grandma G., Pam Karie and everyone...I am re stating my goals again today... I too am going to hide that metal contraption and only weigh in once a week, I get to frustrated when I do it daily and that darn thing goes up and down all the time...

My son goes back to college today, thereby making my treadmill accessible again.. I plan to use it this afternoon.. and try to do it daily from now on... I will have to see how far I can get....

Not much to say,, been doing well with my eating, and I read that if you drink tea, any kind it is good for weight loss, I used to drink pots of it and I was able to maintain a lower weight back then, so hoping it will work again,, and since its so cold out, is good time for it.

Well, I better get to work. Pam your new office sounds nice and pleasant, I need to get mine drywalled and fix the drafts... my office used to be an enclosed porch, it has heat in it but is only over a crawl space and not insulated.. only paneled so I am cold in here alot... especially my feet. I told my DH what I want him to do, so this summer he will do it... it is one of my goals..... I have so many.. but my main one is to get down to at least 20 pounds by summer, that isn't to much to ask or expect.. right? right....

Later, have an op day and stay warm.

Dahlia

Last week I couldn't get online at all. I was working with my children's theatre group, casting Annie Get Your Gun. We work with 4-8 graders where I grew up (my mom founded the group). She has been doing it since 1974. Now I help by choreographing the musical numbers.

Anyway...It has been 20 days (let's call that 3 weeks) on Atkins and (drum roll please)...

4.5 pounds down!
1/2" smaller bust!
1.5" smaller waist!
1/2" smaller hips!

:dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

I didn't join the gym last week, because I never would have been able to go, so I am joining this week.:strong: I am very excited at how well things are going.

Now I will be able to check in again everyday. Hi to everyone on the board!!!

Talk to you soon....
Meg

Hey..great to see more of us are posting again :D I took the day off yesterday from everything :lol: and only moved to fuel the woodstove and make dinner :rolleyes: ate to much chocolate, sweets and dessert too :mad: but like Grandma said 'today is a new day' oh..and i did put the metal :devil: away too!
Grandma..that game sounds a hoot..wish i could have seen your son :D is it kind of like charade's? what exactly do you have to do?
Meg..congrats on the weightloss ;)
I'm still in my dressing gown at 1.45pm..lazy :moo: Bad Girls will be on at 2pm so i can either exercise then or wait until Coronation St comes on..decisions..decisions :lol:

Hello Ladies,

Popping in quickly to say HI!

Meigg, awesome job. Way to go.

Dahlia, Grandma G, Cat, Karie hi to you and hope all is well.

Doing all right today food wise and I've got my treadmill date tonight to watch my show :)

Have a good one and hopefully I'll have more time to chat tomorrow.

Pam

This is feeling like old times!

This has been a pretty good day for me too. I made a big pot of beef barley soup last night. 2 pts for a cup so I have confidence that I will coast through dinner with maybe 4 pts and 3 for a small bagel. It does get easier as I get a few days under my belt.

Grandma, I think yoiu are right that drinking water really helps with getting the weight moving again. When I forget or slow down, I do find my weight gets stuck. It still try to drink 2 litres a day.

Pam, I love going to school. Your home office sounds wonderful. I think that CMA would look great behind your name.

Meigg, Good job on the Atkins diet. It is so exciting to see that old scale go down.

Dahlia, Welcome to the recommitment party. It just seems like the right time, doesn't it.

Cat, I think you just have to figure out home many kilometers to have to walk to walk off the chocolate and you can have a "balanced" diet :lol: :lol: :lol:

Good to hear from everybody.

It is so cold here and terrible icy rain. I am going to work at getting my studio into some kind of order.

Have a great evening,

Karie

Hey everyone. Just popping in to say high. Things are going well today. - oh, but I forgot to mention one thing about work. I don't know if you remember, but July 1st of last year my boss cut my salary $10,000 (for the rest of the year). I never got that money in the xmas bonus, but instead he gave me cookies. Don't even get me started on giving the fat girl cookies...

Anyway, he just gave me a $5,000. But, when you do the math over the year, I am losing an additional $5,000 (because now it will be for the whole year - not just for 6 months).

So, I made a second New Year's resolution (albeit a little late). I am going to find a new job. Between that and my body, I have alot of work to do!

Karie, sounds like you are doing great - keep it up!

Hi to Pam, Cat, Dahlia, and everyone else!

Meg

Well Meigg, I think you know what's best for you and it does sound like you are getting the short end of the deal. You know what you are worth and it doesn't sound like your boss does. That was an awfully big salary cut and I'm a bit surprised by his seeming reluctance to talk to you about the long term plan.

good luck and don't get discouraged.

well i'm just taking a study break tonight so I better get back at 'er. Hope you all had a great day and I'll try to pop in tomorrow. Time seems to be flying by this week...

Take care and hi to All.

Pam

Hi Ladies...Pam i watched "Taking it Off" last night..did you? i was wondering if you were on your treadmill like i was :lol: is it on more than once a week only it said week 5 and i've only seen 3 :dizzy: that 46yr old woman is a hoot..i don't know her name. She cracks me up with her husky voice chatting up the personal trainers :lol: she made me laugh when she told the dietician that she could'nt have just one beer a day :lol: but she's doing it!!
I 'walked' 2 miles yesterday and 4 today i've kinda lost my oomph at the moment..i'll blame it on the lousy weather :s: i want the sun back ;) eating more than i should will have to try harder tomorrow.

You bet I watched it from my treadmill ...I laughed my butt off when she called that pretty boy trainer a "slip and tickle kind of guy". She's quite a riot. This is only the 3rd time it's been on so they must do a show in elapsed time so that it won't run the full 26 weeks on Life. I think next week's espisode will be a bit of an emotional one as they'll be talking to Malcolm's son (he's the really big fellow) I always tear up when I hear how cruel kids can be.

You girls will be so proud of me. Not only did I come down for a 20 minute quick treadmill work out, I also stayed totally OP and even got my two hours of studying done tonight. I tried to take the dogs for their walk but it's too darn cold out there. Poor little guys only stand 10 inches tall and we've got 8 inches of snow so you can imagine the treck they've got everytime I drag them out there. I'd hate to read their minds these days :)

Where is this "taking it off" show? It sounds great - let me know what channel. I have a satellite so I get almost every channel.

Dan and I bought a deep fryer, and he made me wings tonight. He used to be a chef at a restaurant, so he is a great cook (okay, he makes other things other than wings!). Anyway - they were SOOOO good - and they are a part of Atkins.

I feel great - tomorrow I am going to try and join the gym.

Sammy - great job staying on track today - one day at a time!!!

Cat - don't worry, just try and get back on tomorrow. It is okay to take a break for one day, just try not to make it a habit (like I have!)

Hope you all have a great night!

Meg

Hi Ladies

It is so good to read all the post and feel all the motovation!:D WAY TO GO LADIES, We are doing it! One day at a time -

Meg is right Cat, don't let one bad day get to you, think of all the good days you have had and jump right back in! You can do it. About the game "Cranium" It isn't just acting things out - they have four boxes of cards and all different catagories. As you move around the board and land on different colors it determines what box your card comes from - There is answering true or false question, some multiple choice, some just answering questions. and there is sculpting with play dough for your partner to guess, drawing for your partner to guess and even humming or whistling a tune for your partner to guess. Something different every turn! Never a dull moment!

Meg it sounds like you have really taken to this diet and are doing so well with it. Keep up the good work!

I have to go now. It's going to be a busy day, but I already did my 2 miles on the treadmill. Hi to anyone I missed and good luck for an op day!

I watched Taking off Pounds the other night too. I love that they are doing the show but it seemed to me that it is a show done by skinny people about people struggling with their weight.

I would really like them to show more of the struggle cuz it sort of seemed to me that they were not that empathetic to folks. I thought it kind of came off like "its their own fault or they don't have the stick withitness to lose weight. Maybe I am just a little sensitive about the issue. :^:

I love the woman who is just who she is and has a great sense of humor about this weight loss struggle. Cool trainer she decided on.

Well, I am back on track. I went to WW and was down 4 pounds. It certainly gave me the boost I needed to work harder and stay on track.

We are headed for Toronto for the Gift Show tonight and back on Sunday. Hotel and restaurant food will be a challenge but I am going to try to even be down .25 of a pound.

Pam you sound like you are motivated on all counts right now. Good job!

Meg, good luck with the job hunt. When we are on a roll there is no telling what we can to.

Cat, Grandma, Dahlia way to go sticking to that exercise. Sometimes I can only be commited to one part of this process but if I do keep it up, I eventually get all the other parts in line - eating properly, drinking water and exercise. Some days it is enough to do my brain in :dizzy: :dizzy:

Have a good weekend everyone and I will check in when we are back.

Karie

I weighed in today, and I weigh 179.5!!!!! I haven't been able to get below 180 in like 2 years!!!!! I am not changing my signature until I weigh 179. My next goal will be 170!

Just wanted to let you know!

Good Morning,

Karie, great job on the loss! Whew you go girl! Have fun in TO and hope the new idea works out for you.

I have to agree with you on this series of the show. I really found the series before this one to focus more on the people themselves. There was alot of "me camera" time and they all really spoke about what they were feeling on the inside. I felt more of a "connection" with the last set but am hopeful that as time goes on I will feel more of a bond with the new set of people on the series. Each week they focus on different members of the group and their journey.

Meigg I'm so proud of you! That is a great feeling and I can't wait to celebrate with you when you hit 179 which I know will be soon! Keep up the great work.

Good Morning Grandma G..hope you find some "you" time amidst your hectic schedule.

Cat and everyone else I've not said good morning to...consider this your friendly little wake up call. Let's all have a great day and I'll check back in later. It's so darn cold here this morning. -41 at the airport and -32 at our house. I just hope the wind stays down today. Brrr..

Pam

Morning Ladies :wave: i just found out i'm a GRANDMA :D my first grandchild..the new addition is a girl "Olivia Nicole" I'll be shopping later for baby clothes..going to spoil her rotten :D i told my daughter i would have to start knitting..she told me i'm too young to be a grandma :D

Meg..congrats on the weightloss..you too Karie :bravo:

Pam..did you hear the trainer tell 'that woman' that you should be able to bench press your OWN weight :?:
:eek: <- thats just what her face was like! she said "you mean i should be able to press 160lbs? :yikes: are you sure it's only on once a week? because i watched it on sunday morning and then when you mentioned that you were going to watch it that night i checked the listings and it was on here at 6pm Monday, so i watched it and it was a new one :dizzy: i'll be keeping track from now on..don't want to miss any :)

Hello ladies,

Cat90 (*CONGRATULATIONS*) on being a grandma... it is a great phase to be in.. you go girl, spoil her only like a grandma can do.... :D

Meigg, good going on the weight loss... Karie you too. I love Toronto,, why are you going to a food show? are you in the business? anyway sounds like fun...I liked the underground mall... the whole place was so neat... want to go back some day...;)

It is cold here too, I thought 9 degrees with a chill factor of -8 was bad... Pam.. how do you stay warm... especially since there is so little of you....:D

I just came home from running errands and a business luncheon... I had a oriental salad and a cup of decaf coffee. I did so good, and only had a small bowl of cheerios for breakfast.. and after runn ing or should say sliding around on my errands, I actually feel exhilerated,, glad to be back home to warm up.. but I feel good. Yesterday, I didn't post cause I was so depressed... and ready to just crawl in a hole... getting out helped... I need contact with people.... :dizzy:

So you all better keep posting, cause somedays, you ladies are all I have to keep me going...

Everyone I missed, hello and hope you're having an op day... and keeping warm...to bad we can't burn off more fat keeping warm...
:lol:

Dahlia

My little ones are coming over for a spell this evening... more fun time... :smug:

Dahlia..glad you're outta that hole and feeling better :D i know that feeling all too well :rolleyes: especially the "you ladies are all i have to keep me going" bit ;) i love logging in to read how you are all doing :D Brrr...i'm glad i'm not living where you and Pam live :( i'm chilly in the house and its 68* :lol: just looked at the weather channel and its 5* now reaching 9* later (and raining).

Dahlia, hugs to you! I'm so glad you're feeling better today but I know what you mean about "crawling into the hole." It's a rough feeling but I hope you know we're here for you. I know I don't get online every day but if you want my email address just send me a private message and I'll be there for you when things just feel rough. You girls are such a blessing to me and I'm so glad we're all posting more often. it makes me feel more grounded.

Cathy, Cathy, Cathy....a Grandma??!!! That's so exciting! I'm so glad that the arrival of Miss Olivia was safe and sound. I can't wait to see a picture of her. I just know you'll have so much fun outfitting the little Miss ala Joan Collins :) :lol: Congratulations to you and enjoy it!

Well today was another good day. I did well eating, got another hour and a half of homework done and got my personal binder filled with my weight loss journey pictures. Do any of you have something like that? I put a big binder together full of motivational / inspirational articles, pictures, measurement tracking, recipes. I find when I'm starting to get really down I pull out the binder and read through it. It helps.

Well it's freezing cold again! Wind chills of -39 celsius. Yuck. it's supposed to snow tomorrow so I'm sure it'll warm up again a bit. I don't know how to convert it to farenheit (sp) but trust me when I say Brrr...They say exposed skin will freeze in less than 3 minutes if left exposed. We've given up walking the dogs for now. Poor little tykes. I'd like to get them into little booties but I can well imagine how well that'd go over :lol:

My parents are coming up tomorrow for the weekend so I'm not sure how much time I'll get on line but I'll try to check in.

Hugs to you all and I'll see you later,


Pam

Hi Ladies.

I know just what you are going through over there in Canada, we in Northern NY are experiencing the same thing only in farenheit, and I don't know how to convert it either. But tuesday night it was 20 below 0 with a wind chill of 30 something below and yesterday it never got above 0 during the day. The wind was so bitter all day I just wanted to stay in but we had commitments so had to get out. In fact it is still below 0 and snowing. What weather - I am ready for a January thaw, but they tell us not to expect it any time soon!:dance: :dance: Dahlia, perhaps what you were experiencing is what we refer to as CABIN FEVER - It is very prevalent here at this time of the year. Getting out of the house is the cure.

Yesterday, we came by my sons house and noticed his dog (a yellow lab mix) was outside and saw no one was home. When we stopped at the post office to get the mail he came running down the hill and sat their looking at me so sad, so I said to my dh, go back up the hill and I will let him in. When he backed up to turn so he could go back up the hill, the dog knew we were going to let him in and he got so excited he just ran up the hill barking like crazy and wagging all over. He was so excited we thought we were going to end up running over him trying to get back to his house. In this kind of weather it is so important to make sure the pets are in before leaving for work!
In this case he probably hadn't been out that long because my son's house is also his office and his secretary is usually there but she had probably just gone to the bank or something and would have been back soon!

Well Cat, CONGRATULATIONS GRANDMA - your first grandchild, what a thrilling experience. My first grandchild, a granddaughter is 19 and still very special to us. No matter how many grandchildren you have or how much you love all of them, the first still holds a special place in your heart! ENJOY

Meg, you are doing so well, I can feel your excitement in getting below 180, when you have been trying so long and finally do it, it makes you want to work even harder. It wont be long before you will get to 179 and even to 170 - KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

Karie, good work, congratulations on the new commitment and the results. You are ready now to repeat your success of last year. I can feel it = KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

Pam and Cat, great job with the exercise. I am still working the treadmill every day too, By inspiring each other we can do this. I never believed I would do it, but I haven't missed a day yet this year, and I am determined not too! :cb: :cb:

I have also been good:angel: I haven't stepped on the scale this week. Tomorrow is weigh in day - wish me luck, I hope it has moved downward - I HOPE - I HOPE.

:wave: Hi to anyone I missed - Good luck to all of us for an op day

Hey everybody!

Grandma - thanks for the words of encouragement!

Pam - I am in Chicago - -22 with the wind chill today. What a nightmare! Your book sounds great - I think I will put one together also. It sounds like a good thing to have around when you need inspiration.

Cat - congrats on being a grandma!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you really are interested in knitting (I knit), I would be happy to recommend a book of really easy knits for children that are ABSOLUTELY adorable. I made 1 for a baby shower, and everyone said it was the best gift given that day. Let me know and I can email you the info.

Well, I am starting to branch out on Atkins. Last night I made a low-carb hot cocoa. I had to make it from scratch with cream, water, unsweetened cocoa powder and splenda. I actually had to cook it in a saucepan and everything. It was good though - a little too chocolatey, but good.

Today is my company's xmas party (we were too busy in December). We are going to a bar and bowling. The LAST thing I want to do is be out with these people. 2 hours and I am out of there!

Well ladies, let's all stay warm!

Meg

Hi Ladies..no exercise for me today :( i was in too much of a hurry to get to the mall to buy my grand-daughter some outfits (ala Joan Collins :lol: ) i enjoyed it so much..could'nt find any baby stilletto's tho' Pam :lol: she will have to make do with bootee's :)

Meg..i had to :lol: when you said that you'd made hot chocolate from scratch :lol: it sounds so funny..when i was a little girl that was the only way we made it..i remember boiling the milk on the stove..i alway's used to try and catch it before it formed a skin on top..i hated that :p: the only time i do that now is if i have the occasional cup of Ovaltine :) Hope the "christmas party" was'nt too bad.

Good morning ladies,

That is funny cat about trying to catch the milk before it scalds and gets that film on top..I remember doing that do, only I liked the film...:) now we can just open an envelope and pop the milk in the microwave... but I think it tasted better back then.. maybe it was the anticipation and smell of the chocolate as we waited for it cool enough to take that first sip...:)

Sounds like you are enjoying that granddaughter already.. they are such a treasure. I went to babysit my dgd and dgs yesterday as she was sick all night and couldn't go to the daycare... but when I got there she was fine... as adorable as always. She is 2 and talking up a storm.. I just love when they talk, its so cute. The things they come up with...:^: And the gs is almost a year.
He is grandma's boy also... they just creep right into your heart. I remember the first thing I did when I heard we were having a granddaughter is go out and buy her a pair of black patent leather shoes with little bows on them.. after having only the 5 boys.. I wanted to buy those so bad.... so you just enjoy her, it's a grandma's privilege and joy to buy for and spoil those little ones...

As for eating. I saw Suzanne Sommers on tv yesterday, does anyone here follow her plan, of low carb and lots of protein. I gave it a shot before, lost a few pounds, but found it hard to stick to. but am thinking I may try it again to get started... any ideas on that ?

Well, have a great day everyone.

Dahlia

I have'nt tried her plan Dahlia..but i've got some of her recipes.. very high fat..i think that's what puts me off :( plus i like bread and potatoes so i'm better off counting cals..well..trying to :lol:
I did'nt lose any weight this week :( but i was'nt expecting to..i've eaten to many calories plus i don't think W.W. will work for me..even tho' i've felt like i've been on a 'diet' this week (i have'nt felt 'stuffed' by any means) i've been consuming about 34pts worth daily..i know..that sounds a lot but its 34pts worth of the wrong food :lol: it would help if i liked a more varied 'diet' but i'm very limited in what i will eat..talk about picky eater..i'm the ultimate picky eater :lol: i need to step up the exercise too..make that a little more difficult.

Dahlia - I haven't tried her plan either, but it sounds kinda like atkins - being low-carb and all. I have found that it really isn't that hard. I am never hungry anymore. I used to be starving all the time. Maybe you should give it a shot. If you find you are losing easier than your current method, maybe it will be easier to stick to.

Hope all is going well with the rest of you!

Meg

Meg...Somersizing is food combining..she does'nt put protein with carbs..stuff like that..you can still have them but not together :( and i like my meat with potatoes :lol: I think i will have a go at the Slimming Worlds plan tomorrow...one girl on another thread lost 5lbs her first week :) i was going to try it once before but thought it would be too difficult to follow (it was devised in England and i can't find a lot of the stuff here) its similar to food combining but not as strict..on the day's that you want lots of potatoes and vegetable you have to limit meat and on the days you want lots of meat you have to limit the carbs :dizzy: i'd better get my books out and do my homework :?:

Cat - plan sounds very interesting. Can't wait to hear more about it:) I think it is always fun to try something new !

Things here are going well. Tomorrow is my weigh/measure day, so we shall see if I lost anything. I have been overdoing the coffee with cream. I am going to really get tighter with the carbs during the week. I am already planning my lunches.

Talk to you later!

Meg

Pam...i see that you have lost weight :bravo: good job..almost at goal..YIPPEE!!

Thanks Cathy :) I had a pretty good week all in all and felt back on track mentally which as we all know, is a huge part of this.

Mom and Dad enjoyed the concert they came up to see on Thursday and we all had a nice time visiting. We met with my sisters future in-laws on Saturday for brunch and that was enjoyable too. I even behaved myself quite admirably for a change.

My Dad asked a few questions about what I do and asked to borrow a book that I enjoyed so maybe he is finally hearing his own "click". I hope so. I want him around for many more years to come. My Mom is also trying to quit smoking again so please send good vibes to her. Gosh that's gotta be the hardest thing to do. I can't imagine.

Got my workout in today but didn't eat enough breakfast and ran out of steam half way through. Will do better tomorrow. Got my home work done, laundry is almost finished and DH is making supper so I'll be able to just watch the Superbowl without any guilt feelings. If I get the munchies I've got Skinny chips and popcorn.

Hope you all are having a good day and I'll check back later,

Pam

Hello ladies,

Pam, you sound like you really have it all together,, I envy you..
around here, just as it seems to be falling into place something happens that sets my life into a whirlwind again.... oh well, that is life.. what are skinny chips?

I weighed in this morning with a 4 pound loss, but I had the flu over the weekend and still am not totally over it....so I know that is why I am down.. but hopefully I can be careful and use this to my advantage. Ya think?:^:

Grandma, how is the treadmill going? I still have not been on mine, son keeps coming back on weekends, and somehow the weekdays are to full to get it in.. but I have to try harder as soon as I feel better. Not enough energy right now

Well, I need to go lie down.. funny how tiring being up can be :lol:

later,
Dahlia

Hi Ladies

Dahlia, my treadmill work is doing good now but I did have a little setback, I missed one day, the only day I've missed this year, by putting it off too late in the day. Also there were a couple days I only did a mile or a mile and a half, but today I got back to my schedule and walked the first thing and went a little over two miles. I am still doing okay with the valentine's day challenge as I have walked 40 miles this year. Just 10 miles left to go before Valentine's day, so I should make that and even more, if I keep with the program. Good luck with getting back to yours. I hope you feel better soon. Being sick is no way to lose weight!

Unfortunately, the scales still are not moving!

:?: :?: No matter how much exercise I do or how well I keep op it just doesn't want to move. I guess I am on a plateau, but I will not let it get me discouraged. I know I am firming up because I can feel it in my clothes and if I just keep doing what I am doing that scale will have to go down someday, I HOPE! The weight gain over the holidays set me back and I did lose that so I shouldn't complain, I guess. But I just wish I would make some real progress!

Pam, great job, It is wonderful that you are getting so close to your goal! WOW, way to go girl!:) :cp:

:dance: Isn't it something, this weather! It was so cold last week and yesterday it warmed up just long enough for us to get 8 to 10 inches of snow, then last night turned cold again. But it was really beautiful yesterday. And today is pretty and sunny but back below 0 Farenheit

Was everyone happy with the football game yesterday! My daughter lives just outside of Tampa so they were all excited about the game and the results. She called me twice during the game! It got a little exciting for a while didn't it! After the game she took the phone outside, so I could hear all the horns blowing. She said there were even fireworks going off. I guess everyone was pretty happy with the winners!

:wave: Hi to Cat, Meg, Karie and anyone else I've missed. May we all have an op day.

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