Sugar Shakers - Sugar Busters Weekly Support Board 4/30-5/6

This is the SUGAR BUSTERS WEEKLY SUPPORT BOARD where all of you who are following this WOE, or are thinking about doing so, are welcome to come join in and be a part of our wonderful group.

Other than finding support and friendship on this board, we also try to do something during the the week to add a little difference to our board.

MONDAY-MOTIVIATIONAL MONDAY
TUESDAY-TUESDAYS TIP & CHAT AT 9:15PM EST
WEDNESDAY-WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY-THURSDAY RECIPE DAY
FRIDAY-FRIDAY FITNESS

Please visit our NEWEST BIO BOARD where you can learn more about everyone who is on this board:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?postid=34143#post34143

Please make sure you post your BIO on the NEWEST VERSION of our BIO BOARD everyone!!!!


Our MAY 2001 RECIPE BOARD can be located at the link below:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=4770

We have FOUR INFORMATIVE BOARDS!!!! Please take a few minutes to visit them! New information is continually being posted, so please make sure you visit them often:

THE RECOMMENDED READING BOARD:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2342

THE TOOLS & TIPS BOARD:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2344

THE FOOD INFORMATION BOARD:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2365[/url

MOTIVATIONAL & INSPIRING THOUGHTS BOARD


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=2359

We also now have a SB WEEKLY EXERCISE BOARD that you can log your daily/weekly exercises on:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=4771

WANT TO POST YOUR WEEKLY WEIGHT LOSS INFO and BE COUNTED in our weekly totals of pounds lost?? Go to the WEEKLY WEIGH IN BOARD BELOW to post your stats!


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=4772

NEWBIES! (aka new members) If you would like to REPLY to any of our threads, please hit NEW REPLY NOT NEW THREAD then type your message in and hit SUBMIT REPLY. Also, when the board gets to the 2nd & 3rd page, sometimes it may take a little longer for your message to appear, you can refresh your browser, or wait, but it will show up! If you need to edit your reply, just click on edit located in the body of your post and make changes as you need to, then hit SUBMIT NOW.


WELCOME! :D

It's VIV'S BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK, MAY 5th!!!!!

GOOD MONDAY MORNING EVERYONE!:wave:

Just a quickie-will write more later on today. Just wanted to start your week off with my MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY contribution:

EVERY STEP


Even the most difficult challenge can be broken down into finite, easily accomplished steps. People who only take some of those steps will fall short of the goal. Those who are willing to take all the steps will enjoy success.

Some people will often take a few steps and then stop, complaining about how unfair life is. Others will take some steps in one direction, grow bored, and then start off in another direction, only to become disillusioned.

The only way to success is to go all the way to success. Take one step after another until you are there. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. It doesn't take exceptional strength to get it done. What it takes is desire and commitment. You have them if you choose to use them.

The path to any success is in front of you, and you are free to travel that path, one step at a time. Each step is within your reach. It's up to you to take them all, every one of them.

-- Ralph Marston
**************

Hope you have a wonderful week!:)

Debbie
194/13?/129
SB since 3/22/00

Hello hello hello!!!

http://www.gifs.net/animate/winkingeyesdv.gif

It’s almost Monday again! I’m ready to get back into high gear after a week that was really thrown off by my bike accident. That means I also didn’t reach my goal of running 3 miles in 30 minutes (unless I want to kill myself in the morning) by the end of the month. My best time was 31:37. But I’m close!

DEBBIE, dying for a food processor. There was a little cute one at Costco for only about $50, but they don’t have it anybody. There was a Cuisinart with bells and whistles but it was $160 . . . maybe I can get it for Martin for his birthday (evil grin). Would definitely make life easier. I made another batch today, added more lemon juice and garlic and washed the beans carefully, even rinsing in vinegar so the “tinned” taste wasn’t a problem.

MARY, sounds like you’re working awfully hard!

ORANGE, have you changed your eating any since you quit smoking? Or your exercise habits? Have you stayed on program and still gained weight?

ANNA, intellectually, I know that “not all guys are like that” but in my gut it’s hard to shake the feeling. I just have to be careful that my motivation doesn’t come from what THEY think regardless of what it is. Because I’m inwardly STILL paranoid and insecure, comments from men like “I don’t think anyone could possibly look good at 5’7’ and 160 pounds” or “I’m glad my ex dumped me because I hear she is now DISGUSTINGLY FAT” at 160 pounds, it turns out, REALLY bother me. The more valuable I view myself, the less their opinion matters. I have come a long way in the past year but I’m overcoming a LIFETIME of thinking a certain way and I try to be patient with myself. This change from a suicidal, depressed, dysfunctional girl, as I was in my early 20s, to the confident, powerful, mature woman I will become, is not going to happen overnight.

Congrats to your son’s baseball team!

MARIE, sounds like you’re on the right track with your heart rate then. Keep us updated on if any changes you make produce results on the scale! I bought some powdered mix to make falafel from the health food store, but I haven’t done it yet. The hummus experiment I would say was a success, but I need that food processor!

LARA, sounds like your body is just adjusting to the trauma that you have been through by being hungry...nothing to worry about! You stuck to legal foods which is really great. I wouldn’t call it bingeing. I’m glad things are settling down for you.

”I'm recalling party planning, a birthday for loved one, and baseball games, just remember it's not about going without, it's about planning ahead, making sure you are not starving when you enter a party or event, and making the best choices out of what's available.”

Wise words!!! So true. I KNOW if I’m caught unawares I will eat something that’s not good for me, because god forbid I go hungry. A big challenge coming up tomorrow: a client of ours is throwing a cocktail party with champagne from 2000 she’s unveiling...she’s INSISTED that nobody bring anything to eat. Nevermind that there is someone there I particularly don’t want to see, the food question alone is giving me hives. The plan: eat ahead of time, bring hummus and triscuits regardless of what the hostess says. Take a glass of champagne and take one sip, drink no other alcohol.

StarChaser, welcome back!

SolShine, miss ya!

Frogster, HI!

Kim, that woman you mentioned is so inspiring. A good reminder to all of us that our successes affect everyone!

Nancy, you said, ”There was a time when I actually flet that loosing weight was for others, and that something with my genetic disposition was so off that it wasn't possible. The sense of hopelessness, and worse off my sinking self-esteem....well you gals know. You are my light at the end of the tunnel. THANK YOU!!!!”

Well, that’s exactly how I feel about this way of eating!!! I’ve always had this underlying feeling that I would eventually fail...this time I know that I can do it! It may take time but I have full confidence that everything is going to get better and better as time goes by...not the old cycle of temporary success followed by greater failure.

Cheri, I take my lunch to work every day now, something that I’ve never been able to accomplish before now. The easiest thing for me to bring is some kind of all in one combination thing with brown rice, like hamburger or chicken and vegetables. I just dump it in a bowl and it’s ready to go. I’ve even gotten used to washing my Tupperware instead of forgetting it somewhere then throwing it away. ;) I could use some variety as well I suppose. Other things that travel well are Boca burgers, hummus, tabouli, boiled eggs, cheese.

Lisa, congrats to Ross and Laura! As time goes by I think you will find that with advance preparation we always have good choices! Meanwhile, sounds like you are doing well.

Ashley, you are a cutie and I love the stamp work!

Fruitloupe, I’m also beginning to cut way back on alcohol! I LOVE beer, and I like to relax and have a few drinks...your words about not needed alcohol to have fun were a good reminder to me, because I’m SURE a lot more fun when I’m drinking! (At least in my own mind) I’ve avoided social situations altogether at times because I didn’t want to face the temptation to drink, but I have to remember that I can still have fun...and be fun.

On the email notifications, hit “forum links” “profile” and play with your profile options. You can turn it off.

EVERYBODY ELSE, hello and keep up the good work!!!

Hugs,

Chris

164/156?/130
3/16/01

Motivation

This was written in response to Anna’s question on Saturday, “I have a question for everyone. What has motivated you to be on this WOE? In my case it was health issues and because I was feeling so bad. I would be interested in know what the other motivators are?” I found that to be a very thought-provoking question; therefore I will spend some time answering it. This is very personal and touches on several aspects of my history.

Physical health

Like Mary, I have a history of cancer and diabetes in my family. Both my grandmothers had diabetes, as does my father. Many relatives have died of cancer. I myself have survived thyroid cancer. I was so far into my depression and compulsive eating that none of this really bothered me. In fact, I cared nothing about what happened to my body. I wouldn’t wear a jacket when I was cold. I would wear polyester, bulky clothing in warm weather because I was ashamed of my body. I never went to the doctor unless I was dying. When I got cancer none if it seemed real. I was too young.

But looking back over the past couple years, I can honestly say that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn’t care when I was diagnosed. I didn’t care when I went through a 5 ½ hour surgery to remove a 2.5 cm tumor and my entire thyroid. I CARED when I went through two radioiodine treatments to zap the remaining thyroid tissue, and I was mentally and physically incapacitated from not having enough thyroid hormone, then had to be confined to the hospital for 3 days each just when I was at my worst. I cared because I knew then that I wouldn’t always be able to do the things I wanted to do physically. So while I have the strength, I run. I move my body as much as I can. I find my limits and I stretch them. I may have to have another treatment soon. Until then nothing will slow me down! (Well, except for falling off my bike ;) )

Mental/spiritual health

I was raised in a strict religious environment that emphasized rules over people, doctrine over common sense. I’ve figured out that true spirituality means listening to the voice in my heart, while religion, as presented to me, told me to jump off the cliff with everyone else no matter WHAT my little heart had to say. Thus, I’m still learning to listen to my feelings, to trust myself. It takes a lot of trust to make good choices for myself, like eating well and exercising, day after day. It takes love for myself to stick to my commitments. It takes a healthy spirituality to succeed.

Due to this situation and many other factors, I have always had a low-grade, underlying depression. No matter how well things were going in my life, I always felt lonely when alone. Well, I have noticed a great improvement in my mood since I have let go of sugar, so part of that many have been physical/chemical. But some of it has to do with being dissatisfied with myself for not reaching my goals, both in weight loss and other areas. The excruciating emotional pain I feel when I (in my own mind) have failed, is not bad in itself. It serves as a motivator to succeed. However, I must combine this motivation with acceptance of myself, with respect for the person I AM, not the person I will someday become...if only ______ .

Sex

Yes, you heard me, sex. As those of you who read the thread about Frangipanigirl understand, I have strong feelings about the media’s standards for women’s bodies and the way men fall for those standards hook line and sinker. I’ve gotten into many, many discussions about it online and face to face, and each time, I spout off at the mouth with certain arguments, but my mind is total mush. There is only this deep anger that I can’t put into words. So I keep getting into these discussions, trying to get closer to the anger so that I can understand it a little better, and chip away at it.

Well, the bottom line may be that I, the chick who accomplishes everything she sets out to do, want to be a very attractive female. Not just cute or as my roommate describes, “not unattractive.” And according to the media standards, I may never be to some men. I’m short, with a muscular, stocky build, broad shoulders and narrow hips. I have short, thin hair. My abs will never measure up, maybe not even with surgery.

Some history: from the age of four, in other words since I was a baby, I have labeled myself unattractive, fat, asexual, a FREAK. I was a very chubby little girl and have never known what it was like to be anything BUT a social outcast. When all the other teenagers were figuring out the little norms of social behavior that everyone else takes for granted, I was off in my own little world, completely unaware of my surroundings. I was a virgin until I was 24. I always knew that the idea of being with a man at all, any man, was as impossible for me as a summer trip to Jupiter.

When I did start dating, for reasons which are obvious I was quite desperate. I felt that if I ever met a man who would speak to me, I had better make my move because I would never get another chance.

This is a journal entry from when I first met my very first boyfriend ever. I was 23 1/2.

November 26, 1996:

I feel strange & scared and most awfully depressed. First, I've been responding to newsgroup posts. And there's this guy who actually wrote me back. _____ from Moscow. And he seems really really nice, can't help being scared of two or three things like he only wants to get in this country. That he would want me to stay fat. And just afraid in general. But ****, at this point I don't care. Anything is better than nothing.

Editorial comment: none of my fears were ANYTHING close to the truth.

I wanted to get married. But for once I listened to my gut instinct which told me that I needed to experience more before I committed. I was thrown to the wolves. Met a man who was (again) as inexperienced as I was and who (like me the first time) wouldn’t make a commitment. Searching for something, anything that would make it better I went out on TONS of dates with strangers. Like, two every weekend at one point. I can’t even count the number of boring first dates I’ve been on. I got to know the routine (dinner, drinks, goodbye I’ll call you) pretty well but almost never got past the first date. Every time, it was like a test, and I failed -- and I NEVER fail. But I always ran back to the man who wouldn’t commit, and thus managed to keep myself at the same level of emotional maturity despite a lot of dating experience.

Finally, after a very traumatic experience or two, I gradually stopped dating altogether, not an easy accomplishment because by then I was caught up in the excitement of always moving on the next game. Which, a YEAR later, brings us up to date.

So here I am. After all my experiences, I have never faced the world of love, dating and sex as an equal. A woman with something to offer. A buyer, not a seller. And I’m really not sure how to go about it. On the one hand, I seem to have a lot of evidence that men base their feelings entirely on physical attractiveness and that they don’t consider me very attractive, but on the other hand I do realize that all the time I was attempting to date, that I was spiritually and emotionally incomplete. I was looking for somebody outside me to fill that gaping void. But it could only be filled from within me, and until I was whole, no relationship would ever work. Not the kind of relationship I’m looking for anyway.

My recovery is twofold: spiritual/emotional, and physical. I believe one will not happen without the other. I can deal with all the other parts of my body but I look at my abs and I don’t consider them attractive. I wish I could, but I can’t really say that I have reached complete recovery, or wellness, as long as I find my body unsatisfactory. And that lack of confidence shows no matter how much I try to cover it up.

Yes, it’s hard to balance that with the idea that I MUST love myself completely in order to progress. Well, I don’t think loving myself means I have to be completely satisfied with myself and don’t think there is anything I could improve. I keep improving until the day I die, as we all do.

Conclusion: I probably will not date until I reach my goal weight. Meanwhile, I would like to start building a network of friends and acquaintances in the community. But I’m not actively looking for a relationship until I get this part of my life, which is the most important thing, under control. Because I don’t know MYSELF and what I really want, until I reach my goal.

And yes, I will be more attractive. Have more options. Have more confidence. Which brings me right smack up face to face with the same issue I’m struggling with right now: I wouldn’t want to date a man who would want me fat, but I wouldn’t want to date a man who would ONLY want me thin. Nope, they can’t win. I wish I didn’t think so much.

Part of the reason I’m writing this is to sort it out in my own mind. I do find myself feeling less and less anger toward men every time I work through it.

My roommate and I (we have endless discussions on this subject) were talking about models today. He asked me, “Where do you get the idea that the standard of beauty for models is set by men alone?” After I skirted around the issue for a few minutes, he said, “Maybe men have swallowed those ideals and have decided that’s the way women should look. After all, men are stupid.” Well, since he was making so much sense ;) I thought I would think about what he was saying. So I said, “It’s gay men who set the standards for models! Clothes designers. After all, clothes look better on stick figures. They drape better. All the designers care about is how their clothes look.” What a concept! Gay men see women as clothes hangers and men decide this is how women should look! I’d never thought of that before. (Speaking very simplistically.)

My anger against the media’s standard of beauty is really frustrated desire: because I DO want to have the power that comes with sexual attractiveness. That I can understand that brings me a lot closer to accepting the situation.

~ Chris

Had a wonderful vacation! The GatorNationals were an experience, for sure!! Vince and our friends were like little boys in a toy store. It was fun to watch them and their zeal for the speed and cars. Columbia, SC is the most beautiful city!! They have little parks with awesome shade trees, flowers, plush grass and walking areas all over the city.

I didn't stay on plan too much, but didn't cheat too bad either. Vince is very helpful and we mostly ate at places wehre they were going to have SB friendly food.

I'm not caught up on reading so I can't respond to everyone, but I did notice y'all were talking about green tea and I have to say GOOD EARTH is by far the best green tea I've had. They have lemongrass added to the tea blend and it takes the bite off the green tea and smooths out the flavor. I don't add any sweetener to it at all. They have a decaf version too.

AMSERAPHIM, we spent the night in Savannah on the way home. Didn't really do anything, but eat at a seafood restaurant. It was just a pit stop, but thought about you. Congrats on placing at the races! Are Hubby's races local or was he at the GatorNationals?

MARIE - I'll run down to the gym today at lunch and get the target heart rates to post. I can't get mine while I'm moving. I just stop the TM and check it and then go back to working out. It is a key factor in losing weight I've heard.

Elizabeth is gone! :( I'm still holding out for Colby to win. I win the office pool if he does and I'm going to use the money to join the club for a couple of months where GATORGAL works out. They give you personalized attention and their goal is maximum impact in minimum time. It's like a personal trainer at gym prices. Since my office has a free gym and Vince's does too we're not really willing to pay for a gym membership at this point.

I know there was something else I was going to mention/ask, etc. but can't remember. "Senior Moment" I'll re-post when I think of it.

Motivation Monday:

Walking is falling - just catching yourself before you do. Keep putting that one foot in front of the other. One of the greatest pieces of advice I can remember about working out is - on those days when you don't feel like it - get dressed and geared up and tell yourself that you'll do just 10 minutes and, if you want to quit after that, you can. More times than not once you get moving you won't stop. It works!!

Quote of the Day
You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.
- Anonymous

Hello everyone

Iam back to work today and a little sore from all the outside work. I did a lot more yesterday.!! Things are starting to look good. I ate well all weekend no real complaints except maybe my water consumption . I find it easier to drink at work. So there should be no problem with that today.

Cheri. I can totally relate with the frizzy hair. Mine is also curly. I have had to dye mine for years , however, I have become really allergic to the dye so I had to let it go. I was shocked at how much grey there was especially as I am 35. It took me a while to get used to it , but it is healthy and I feel better. I keep it cut funky so I do not look old. Do you know how many people told me I look younger .WEIRD! It helps that my face is shrinking as well. The only thing is curly grey hair can really frizz up.Oh well what is a girl to do.
For lunchy I often have veggies with dip, or a green pepper stuffed with tuna.

Nancy. Welcome you sure seem to be keen which is wonderful!

Lisa. If the scale stayed the same that is wonderful! Take it.

Star glad to you had a wonderful vacation. It is always nice to go on vacation and nice to come home.

Sparklescamp.

Wow I read your post . I almost was almost cying. I hope that you heal both physically and emotionally.

Quilter . Your new friend sound wonderful. What an inspiration for us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone else that I missed, have a super day

190/176/165

Good morning all :)

Just a quickie to say Hi! I haven't read all the posts yet but have to get out for a walk this morning before I get sidetracked and run out of time. And then on to badminton this afternoon.

I would like to share a bit of information I picked up from another SB board yesterday. It appears that now WHITE BASMATI rice is considered 'legal'. I think this is good news for anyone that dislikes the brown rice. To check out the posts click on the links below:

http://www1105.verio-web.com/sugarb/wwwboard/messages/3380.html


http://161.58.51.157/wwwboard/messages/3420.html

Will check in again later.

Bye for now :wave:

Marie.

For motivational Monday, here's my little ditty....

LEARN FROM YOUR OWN MISTAKES!!

Twenty years ago in fifteen minutes, I went under the
knife and had my stomach stapled....I lost 123 lbs on that adventure...
Here I sit twenty years later, weighing ALMOST as much as I did then and starting over AGAIN
I wish I knew how much I had lost and gained over the last twenty years, BUT I DON'T.
Wish I knew why I let myself lose control like I have, BUT I DON'T....
I could sit here all day wishing I knew BUT I WON'T...
Did I learn from my mistake? YOU BET I DID...IS IT TOO LATE? YOU BET IT'S NOT!


BOB

Cheri & Gardengirl - I also have naturally curly frizzy hair and live in humid Louisiana. I have tried a bunch of different hair products but last week my hairdresser angel introduced me to Bio Silk Smoothing System. It is a shampoo, conditioner, smoothing balm and smoothing spray! I absolutely love it!!!! Frizzy's are totally gone and my hair feels totally different! Even when I sit out at the baseball game for 3 hours - presto - still no frizzies! love it love it love it! I wish somebody would have told me about this stuff sooner so I am passing it on to you gals. I'm sure if you look around you will be able to find it in your area - it seems to be real popular.

Rosalie?? wonder where we might find this Indian White Basmati rice? will they have that at the grocery store? or health food stores? any ideas? have you found it?

Deb - I have cut way back on the use of Splenda and will see if that makes any difference at all for me.

Thanks for all the great info gang!

Have a great sugarfree day!

cathy :wave:

Cathy - I usually buy my Basmati rice in a bulk food store. It is also available here in the regular grocery stores as well as East Indian/Pakistani grocery stores. I use Basmati most of the time, both white and brown.

Marie. :)

Good Monday Morning to Everyone!

I am looking forward to reading everyone's Motivations.
I can tell, all of you are going to make me a computer-aholic. It so nice to have this much support.

Debbie-In answer to your questions...1)My Doctor is recommending SugarBusters although he admits not to reading the book yet. He understands the premises, as do the other physicians in our office, who have also been recommeding it to patients. Once my boss sees the weight coming off, he will encourage patients to talk to me so I can get them motivated as well. My starting weight was 226, and as of yesterday I was 221. Tomorrow will be two weeks that I have been on SB, but I am going to particpate with "Weigh in Wednesdays" and just weight once a week. I don't think it's good for people to weigh in daily because there's too many factors that can alter being up or down, and then people can loose their motivation and become discouraged. If you're on track, exercising, and drinking the water, results are a given. I know from watching patients that it get tougher when they are closer to their goal, it doesn't shed off as fast as for those of us who have more to loose, but that's o.k. as long as people are still on track. Thanks for the "computer" info...I'm in a rush to get to work, and will figure it out later.

Lara-I will bring the "Uncle Sam's to work if you want to stop by and pick it up. Sorry we didn't get to gab on the phone yesterday, the day just flew by!

Thanks to everyone one else for your welcome into the group. I'm looking forward to getting to know each and everyone of you. I posted my bio if you want to learn more about me :)

Have great day! Nancy

Morning Again!:wave:

Went for my walk this morning. Walked out to find it sprikling, not a pretty day. Grabbed my mini-umbrella and off I went. Actually made it my usual 4.5 miles without it coming down on me, just light smatterings of sprinkles. I guess the powers that be wanted me to walk today!:)

I can't believe it's the end of the month, another month wiped off the 2001 calendar! Time sure does fly. It's now been a year since I started a board dedicated to SB-can you believe that!?! In the past year not only has the board grown, but I have grown right along with it-and not by size!

Speaking of the month, I usually try to see what I've lost not only by the week (or should I say the day), but by the month. This month I lost a mere 2 pounds, yet I was this weight a month ago. Back on March 28th I dipped to this weight. I'm not pointing this out in a complaining way, just want you to see that even though I've been up and down, and up and down this past month, I'm still here, not cheating, still walking and not giving up! I guess I just want to say the when you see the scales aren't going down, don't give in-they WILL go down!!!

I don't know if any of you besides QUILTER believes in life after death, and I surely don't mean to offend anyone in mentioning this, but ANYONE who is interested in this type of thing, just wanted to let you know that GEORGE ANDERSON is going to be on the SALLY SHOW tomorrow. I've read his books and I truly am a believer! If you've never heard of him, try to watch/record the show. I shall be glued to the TV tomorrow morning. Not until I read a book about him called WE DON'T DYE and WE ARE NOT FORGOTTEN (can't remember which came first), did I believe in this. It has NOTHING to do with religion at all, (I'm probably the most unreligious person you'll ever meet), just something I found fascinating!!!

CATHY, glad to see you back on the board. Why would you want to do liquids-that's not healthy, and definitely not necessary. Curious to know your reasoning for wanting to do it.

FRUIT, another way to keep yourself legal when it comes to the drinking...tell ALL your friends that you want their help and to help you stay away for the alcohol when you go out-those that truly care about you will be right behind you rooting for you 100%. When my cousin went away to college, she desperately wanted to lose some weight, so when she went, she told everyone she was highly allergic to chocolate right from the start-she lost the weight and has been able to keep it off for quite a few years now.

SPARKLE, you should be able to find a decent food processor just about anywhere these days. It doesn't have to be fancy and expensive, there's no need to waste money on something like that. All I can say about your story you shared was WOW! I think you are farther along in your recovery than you think. Keep up the great work all the way around.

SOL, glad to see you back on the board. Glad you had a good time on your vacation. I do believe Colby and you will win. He's played the game the best I believe-Tina has done well too, but I think ultimately, Colby will win at the end. I'll surely be glued to the tv for that show! I'll have to look for that GOOD EARTH brand of green tea, sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing your MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY thought and QUOTE!!!!

GARDEN, I too find when I'm home I don't drink much water as I do when I'm out and about. I was lax on my intake this weekend.

ROSALIE, thanks for the e-mail. I WAS aware of the rice issue long ago and thought I had something on that on the FOOD INFORMATION BOARD. It's funny how Max mentioned they just found out that Basmati rice was okay because there's been information on Mendosa's site for such a long time. Max mentions Indian basmati, which is white, yet it says Brown is better, where he says it's also acceptable. Here is the bit from Mendosa's site:

Rice and Potatoes

Rice and potatoes are some of the foods most tested for their glycemic indexes. They are important both because most of us tend to eat a lot of rice and potatoes and because they can have a high glycemic index. Professor Brand-Miller reports the results of 49 studies of rice and 24 studies of potatoes. The results for rice ranged all the way from 54 to 132 and for potatoes from 67 to 158.

What could possibly cause such tremendous variation? According to Professor Brand-Miller, for rice one of the most important considerations is the ratio of amylose to amylopectin. She says that "the only whole (intact) grain food with a high G.I. factor is low amylose rice, such as Calrose rice...However, some varieties of rice (Basmati, a long grain fragrant rice, and Doongara, a new Australian variety of rice [which is not available in the United States] have intermediate G.I. factors because they have a higher amylose content than normal rice."

Wallace Yokoyama, a research chemist working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Albany, California, gave me a comprehensive explanation. There are, says this noted rice specialist, four types of rice: long-grain, medium-grain, short-grain, and sweet rice. Sweet rice is also known as sticky or waxy rice. It makes the best sauces and gravies, and is usually the rice used in Asian restaurants. Sweet rice has no amylose, Yokoyama says. In other words, it is the rice that has the highest glycemic index. The three other types of rice have lower glycemic indexes. Among these types, long-grain rice has the highest amylose content and short-grain the lowest.

Of course, each of these three types of rice may be brown or white. Brown rice has a lower glycemic index than white rice, everything else being equal. Therefore brown long-grain rice—or if you can find it—brown Basmati rice—will probably be your best best for a rice with a lower glycemic index. White Basmati rice had a glycemic index of 83 in one study. Brown Basmati rice can be expected to have a somewhat lower index, but we don't know precisely what it is, because the studies haven't been done yet.

BOB, geez, you KNOW how I can relate to learning from your mistakes when it comes to stomach stapling!!!!!

CATHY2, it may just work with cutting back on the Splenda and it may take a few days to get it out of your system, so wait and see what happens.

NANCE, you will be not only an inspiration to your friends and famiy, but you will be helping so many patients with your knowledge of this WOE and how well they see you do with it-no pressure there, right?!? I think that many people hear the diet name of SUGAR BUSTERS and think another fad diet-I do believe if it is introduced to people as a LOW GLYCEMIC WOE that the stereotype of a fad diet will be taken away. You should encourage your boss to read the book, or at least some key points, just so he can understand this all better. I hope you take a before and after picture so patients as well as yourself will be able to see your transformation!

Well, here it is, after 11am already. I've got to run. I'll check in with you all sometime later today.

Have a wonderful week!

Debbie
194/131.5/129
SB since 3/22/00

Hi again :)

I got my walk in this morning, now I have to go out and check how far I walked. It's a beautiful day for walking and I found a new walking route, partly through a park. I'd forgotten about this area. Haven't been through there since I used to go bike riding with the kids.

Starchaser - Welcome back. Glad to hear you had a good time while you were away.

Kim - Darn, I thought there was going to be a new Hegi book for me to read. :D. I think she is a wonderful writer. She makes you feel that you really 'know' the people in the book and you are sorry when it's finished because you would like to know more about their lives. Thanks for posting the story about the woman who lost 100 pounds. That's very inspirational. I've ordered the AM Yoga tape from the library, so hope to get it soon.

Chris - I've tried to make falafels with the powdered mix but I wasn't too impressed with them. The best ones I have made were made from a can of chick peas. I just drained them, mashed them with a fork (a little time consuming but less mess than the blender) and added an egg, some wheat germ, onion and spices.

Solshine - Good to see you back posting again. Sounds like you had a really good holiday. I loved your 'Quote of the Day'.

Gotta run.

Marie. :wave:

Debbie - Thanks for your e-mail. I too was aware of those articles about rice and I have always eaten Basmati rice, both brown and white. But I thought it was of interest coming from Max on the SB board and thought others would be interested in knowing it is considerd 'legal' on SB. It is listed in the GI Tables as having a gi of 58 which is not much different than any of the brown rices. This was one of the questions that was put to the doctors several months ago which they didn't respond to so I was just wondering when they decided it was 'legal'.

Marie.

Hi!! :wave: just a quicky! I have tons to do and never get anything accomplished!! Had a pretty yucky week end food wise! I guess when i get that "i am cured" thing going it really does me in-then i whip my butt and get with it again. I am only hurting myself i know and won't whine anymore! I guess part of my problem is just getting used to this bod! I am finally seeing myself as a smaller person but when i cheat i automatically see FAT on me der! I Know -see what our heads do? I have had some things off the program and have been suffering with terrible stomach ache and head aches -constipation also-but we won't go their! I really don't like feeling like that!!!!! Anyway enough about me!

You all have great posts (i have been lurking) Everyone sounds like they are excited and on their way! I hope i have been suportive. Keep it up everyone. I have to take my middle son to the Dr. today. I know he is going to say something about his weight. I am getting myself pumped up to tell him off!!!! LOL I have had some issues (besides the weight) with this Dr. and am ready to find another one for them. Oh well. I hate stuff like this! I will be lurking if i don't post! I got my pay check today and liked what i got with my 9 hrs of O.T sooo gonna try and push it this week while they have it at work!

Rhonda
201.2/140 ????/135-yeah i can do it!

Hello everyone! :wave:

Why is it that Mondays always mean rush, rush, RUSH for me?! It's so hard to get back into the swing of things after the weekend, even a busy one like I had.

Well, I know why I felt so bloated and blah......that lovely TOM decided to come a few days early. I don't know why, but I get the munchies soooo bad during this time. I have to confess.....I just ate about 1/2 box of Triscuits. Just had to have something to crunch on. Oh well...LOL..... a month ago I would have eaten a whole bag of Doritos. Maybe that's progress :?: At least I don't have to worry about getting enough fiber today!

My daughter will be 8 on Thursday. It's funny....for so long I blamed my weight on having children. Well, when the "baby" is turning 8, I think I lose the right to blame it on her anymore!

Here's my contribution to Motivational Monday. This is quote from Oprah Winfrey's book, Make the Connection:

"The connection is a change in perception. It is first realizing that losing weight is not what is most important. Instead, the excess weight is merely a symptom of a larger problem and losing it is a side effect, a nice one certainly, of something much more important. It is really about increasing self-confidence, inner strength, and discipline. It is about feeling better on a daily basis, having control over your life, and caring about yourself. Ultimately it is about self-love."

I know I need to remember this more often!

Have a great day!

Lisa
215/204/140

CHRIS - I was thinking about you and, I don't know if they have garage sales in Hawaii, but I bought a very nice, very expensive steamer for 25 CENTS at a garage sale and used that darn thing at least once a week for YEARS and we just bought a new one a couple of months ago. We're all too aware of how people get on these fad diets and buy all kinds of gadgets and then move on to something else. We got a very nice juicer from someone who did that. I'm sure you can find something without breaking the bank. We don't have a food processor and make do just fine for all the cooking and things we make.

NANCEMEISTER - Welcome! I call my dear husband "Vince-Meister" - been his nickname since the first day we met. Cool name! You'll be a "real live" example of how it can be done - a regular celebrity in the office - before you know it!

MARIE - We ate at an Indian restaurant for the first time on vacation and they had Basmati Rice and some red pepper or onion chutney - oooohhhhhh, it was good!! So I can have it, FOR REAL, huh??? I'm excited!!

LISA - Loved your quote! Yes, Triscuits IS an improvement over Doritos if you ask me. It's a move in the right direction - and THAT's an improvement.

RHOO - Hope everything goes well at the Dr. and that you find one who will be much more compassionate and who has a better "bedside manner" we pay too much for them to not be nice, helpful and encouraging.

DEBBIE - 1 year only? WOW!! I'd a thunk you were an old pro at all this with YEARS under your belt! You do an awesome job!! Thank you for all the time you give to keeping us motivated and organized!!

How about a few more goals of mine? (Apologies for any repeats - feel free to share yours)
-- To sit on my husband's lap and not worry about squishing him!
-- To wear cropped sweaters with pants and not feel like I have to cover up my butt/stomach.
-- go on any amusement park ride i feel like without checking the weight limit first.
-- To wear my shirts tucked in again.
-- Go Canoeing without worrying that the canoe will sink or bottom out because I'm in it.
-- I want to worry about the bikini area of a one piece bathing suit because now all my suits have skirts.
-- I want a pointy chin
-- I want cheekbones
-- Not have my top arms wave the same time I wave!
-- to not here that "swoosh-swoosh" sound when I walk and am wearing pantyhose....or pants for that reason.
-- What I would like most is to meet my husband at the door with a sexy, slutty outfit on and have him be able to pick me right up and carry me to the bedroom. Now if we only get as far as the kitchen table that is OK too!
-- Have a picture taken and not have to hold my head in a wierd position to minimize my chins.
- Not be afraid that the seatbelts on an airplane or someone elses' vehicle aren't going to fit.
-- I would like to be able to sit in the bath tub with water all the way around me and not just in front of and behind me. Or better yet have room for my husband to join me!
-- To wear a two hook bra, instead of an industrial 5 hook
-- On a cold night, when my husband offers his sweatshirt, I can accept it and put it on without fear of stretching it out.
-- I want to walk up a flight of stairs without having a stroke.
-- I NEVER want to wear "grannie panties" again!!!

Afternoon ladies!

Just got back from the doctor - went for my first day of allergy testing. We did the food allergies today. My husband was telling me that a lady at work did the same thing as me and now she can't eat very many things. I told him that that wouldn't be such a bad thing! I said - maybe I'm allergic to everything I'm eating and I'm not really fat I'm just SWOLLEN!! :D If only that were true!

Well, these are a few things I was allergic to: white fish, shrimp, broccoli, peanuts, pecans, pinapple, pears, plums, lettuce, and a few others I think. They will give me the list tomorrow when I go back for my last test. The ones that hurt the most are the shrimp and fish! Those are my favs.

SOL: Love the goals - those were funny! I am totally with you on all of those!

Well, I'll check back later - I'm off to do some house work being that I'm off this afternoon!

Missy
284/25?/170

I hope everyone had a good weekend and is starting on a wonderful week!

I was all over the state this weekend on a spur of the moment trip. Friday night I stayed at a friend's house. I offered to bring dinner--makes me look like a great houseguest--ulterior motive, of course, was to stay on program. So here's my motivational thought (actually this is more of a tip)--do whatever it takes to stay on program!!!!!!


Susan
300.248/150
uly 10, 2000

Evening Everybuddy :D

Hope everyone had a good day..After such a beautiful weekend, I sure didn't want to go back to the grind!

KIM Yes, I'm still using the chewing sticks
I can reccomend them first hand..I think they would work for food cravings too...I'll try that the next time I get a craving for maple nut goodies!
I really appreciated all your support during this, THANKS

MISSY You should have had that Dr "whittle" a little each time he lanced those boils..for that kind of money, your butt should be tiny!!
I can't imagine living in LA and being allergic to shrimp.
Now, you don't have a shellfish allergy do you? This is just the little "prick" under the skin kind of test? AND MY GAWD...allergic to PECANS???? IN THE SOUTH???? WHAT ABOUT THE PRALINES???? SHHHHH maybe Debbie doesn't know what they are..
I had that done and came up not being allergic to any kind of food that they tested me for....So, mine isn't bloat....it's pure fat! But I plan on getting rid of that by riding in the middle of the wagon...

SUSAN So, where did you go??? Did you see Bear Bryant anywhere?
Do you teach in summer school?

SOL Oh I wish you hadn't mentioned granny panties You're gonna get FROG started on the thongs again!!
I'm glad you had a good time on your trip..I can't imagine going to Gainsville and having a good time, but I'm sure there is more to see there besides Steve Spurrier!! LOL

LISA I know what you mean about Mondays and rushing...Seems like I start rushing from the moment I get out of bed all the way through the day...
Happy Birthday to your BABY...

RHONDA You can join me and Missy in the wagon..good eye view of everything going on up there..
Spend that OT on YOURSELF!!!

MARIE How long are you going to be gone on your trip? I envy you ..England has always been one of my "dream" visits..
Thanks to you too for your support on my smoke free journey...

NANCY {{{{WELCOME}}}}}} Glad you're here.
The WESTCOASTERS are mounting up...

CHRIS While I was beginning my smoke free experience, I didn't worry about what I was eating..I tried to cut back, but decided to concentrate on the smoking and worry about the "fat" when I was done. Well now that the worst is over, I'm buckling down and getting back in the wagon....holding on for dear life!

LARA So glad you're back and did well with your surgery.

Hello to everyone else...off to lurk...

WHERE IS BARB AND ANNETTE????

BOB

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Hope all is well with each of you. I had a good day. My eating continues to be right on track as far as what I eat. Quantitiy is another story. I did do a major number with the sweet potato chips this weekend. Let's just say that the bag I bought had six servings in it and between me and Paul it didn't last through the day yesterday. Yikes. I now know the time to buy them is definitely NOT the weekend!!! But other than that we have done really well. I did have to eat a couple of regular Lifesavers this weekend, because I was in a public situation and I could just feel the bad breath coming on. But I broke them in half and only ate half at a time. They didn't even taste good, but did help with the bb.

ROSALIE---I so agree with you about Hegi's writing. I think that for me she and Wally Lamb are the most talented writers right now as far as depth in your face serious stuff goes. I thought about that little blonde girl for months after finishing "Stones from the River." Couldn't you just envision her and her dad and that house then lived in??? Hey, I can't wait for you to get the am yoga tape. It's great. (AT least I think so.) Rodney's got quite the build too.

RHROO---Are you sure you're not related to our fearless leader with your no-dookie problems? Sorry to hear you are feeling poorly. Hearing what you said is a good reminder to all of us that eating off program gets you nowhere and sometimes nowhere with some ills to go with it. BTW, YES, YOU DO INSPIRE!!! YOU WITH NO BUTT WHO PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT THAT YOU ARE LOSING TOO MUCH WEIGHT!!!! Yes, you are keeping me on track. I love reading your posts!!! Keep going, girl!!!!

SOLSHINE---Thanks for sharing your goals. I could definitely relate to most of them.

FILLISE---How smart you are to bring the food so you could stay on plan. What a great idea!!! You definitely killed two birds with one stone on that one. Also I loved your tip for the day. I think it is very motivational and I will make that my mantra!!!! Whatever it takes . . . .

BOB---Congrats on Day 28. You are awesome. You are kicking RJReynolds butt and taking names!!!! Keep with it. Your motivational thought was quite gripping. While I haven't had stomach stapling, I have done my fair share of yoyo dieting. Thanks for sharing. You are in my thoughts!!

Well, gals, my Penguins are on trying to beat the snot out of the Sabres so I am off to veg in front of the tv. Hope Tuesday is simply a wonderful day for all us SB losers!!!!! Let's all be 100% legal tomorrow and see how great it feels!!! I promise no LifeSavers for me!!!! LOL
Take care.
Kim
185/171.5/139
Since January 2, 2001

I'm sorry to dump on you'll, but I'm feeling really low right now & needed to share something. My mother is 73 years old, a diabetic, & a vitim of Alzhemier's disease. She has not been in good health for several years now. She still knows us, but some days are really bad & she can't finish a sentence. She struggles for words & thoughts are all jumbled together. She has been living with one of my younger sisters for a while now.

Well, about an hour ago I received a call from her & she told me that she is entering the nursing home. It seems that my sister went to check things out today & made arrangements. I've known this day would eventually come, but now that it's here, I'm heartbroken because my mother always said she would not like this. I know that it is difficult on my sister to care for her & I sure can't since I have to work, but it still does not lessen this pain that I'm feeling.

Sorry to be a downer, but just needed to share with someone.

Oh Melf, I'm so sorry to hear that. I can imagine what you must be going through. I'm sure your mother will receive the care she needs and you will be able to spend "quality time" with her without always having to worry about her care.

I know it was a difficult decision for your sister. I'm sure there are many families in your situation that are not able to give their loved ones the quality of care your mother will receive. Your family is in my prayers.

Lisa

Evening Everyone!:wave:

Had to wait in line for the computer-5 people wanting time on it makes it hard to get your turn on it.

ROSALIE, yes, now I understand a bit better about Max-why now is he revealing this to be true about the rice. I see from peeking at the board he's getting on there a bit lately-and that there was some more controversy there again-which usually is the reason he comes onto the board. Too bad they never addressed our questions we had-definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

RHROOOOO-need I say more?

LISA, thanks for the quote from Oprah's book-it says a lot in that small paragraph. Hope your daughter has a great b.day!! Don't worry, we'll find a different reason for that baby fat!!!:lol:

SOL, you had me ROFL with your goals! You are too funny!! Boy, can I relate to so many of them too.

FRUIT, wow, you are allergic to many things. Some I wouldn't mind being allergic to, but others are hard to stay away from. What happens when you eat shrimp, or anything else you listed? Too darned bad that I'm not allergic to chocolate, cookies and ice cream-then I'd be a stick for sure!!!

FILLISE, I ALWAYS take my food, even to families houses-never want to be an imposition with anyone's fridge and food-plus like you said, you stay on plan with no problems. I'm a great house guest!!!! At least I think so-ask BARBEE!

BOB, ummm, I do know what pralines are my dear!!!! :lol: Hey girl, 2 more days and we've got you on your 30 day milestone!!! How are you feeling?

MELF, sorry to hear about your Mom. Was this decision made soley by your sister without your knowlege? Are you okay with it? I'm sure it's not an easy decision for anyone to make and I surely don't want to ever have to be in that position, but I'm sure many say the same thing and find themselves having to make such a decision. I hope all works out for the best. Is she going to be far from you? You're in my thoughts!{{{{HUGS}}}}} Keep us informed.

I'm off to beddy-bye. I'll check in with you tomorrow. It's TUESDAY TIPS tomorrow and I have a few small ones to post. It's also CHAT NIGHT AT 9:15PM Please try to make the chat if you are able. I have a meeting at my son's school but hope to be home by that time-if I see the meeting is running late, I'll just have to excuse myself and tell them I have more important matters to attend to.

NITE!

Debbie
194/131.5/129
SB since 3/22/00

Melf - I was so sorry to hear about your mother having to go to the nursing home. This is a very tough decision for any family to make but sometimes it is for the best. She will receive the care and have the supervision that she needs. I am sure it was a hard decision for your sister to make but I can understand the stress she would have been going through with your mother's declining condition. Thanks for sharing. We are here for you and I will keep you in my thoughts.

Marie.

Hi everyone -

Sorry I'm mostly lurking these days. I hope life gets back to a slower pace SOON!

VIV - Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear V--V--I--I--V--V, happy birthday to YOU! Hope you have a wonderful birthday week!

MELF - I'm really sorry to hear the news about your mom. When this happens, suddenly everything turns upside down and you don't know how you are going to get through it. But you will. I have a similar situation with my mom, but she is in a facility for people with Alzheimers/dementia. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk about it.

Karen

Evening Ladies,

How is everyone?

Tuesday is the 1st and that will be my 2 month anniversary on SB. As many of you know, I only weigh in once a month. So tomorrow will be a big day for me.

I lost 15 pounds the first month (March) but I don't really expect to keep that pace up. I do know I've made progress because of the walking (up to 2.5 miles a day)and 100 oz. plus of water a day. I will also take my measurements Tuesday as well. I'm excited.

I'll keep everyone posted.

MELF: Sorry to hear of the news regarding your mother. I know it must pain your heart as well as your sister's. Being a caregiver is not an easy task. I'll be praying for you and your family.

SOL: love those goals.

FRUITLOUPE: Ouch! Allergic to shrimp? That's a killer!
YES, I'm a BIGTIME LSU FAN!!!!I'm obsessed with SEC football. Can't wait until September. As tired as I was Saturday from my trip, I went to the Spring scrimmage on Saturday! 12,000 people there for a purple and gold game. Unbelievable!! I do believe Saban has pulled it together for us. You mentioned you went to a float meeting. Do you belong to a Krewe?

Well, gotta run.
StarChaser

Happy May Day Everyone:)

The 1st of May is always special because it reminds me of my childhood. We use to make May baskets of flowers and take them to friends and families houses, leave them on the porch ring the bell and run. So since I can't do that today I want all of you to imagine me bringing you a basket of flowers. Have a great day!

Sparkle: Your motivation answer was incredible. I hope you know how far along you are in maturity, knowing your mental, spiritual and physical self. I'm 39 and am still searching for some of the ideas or concepts that you have probably found. It wasn't until 18 months ago that things clicked for me and I realized that I needed to be healthy in all 3 of those areas. I've had depression, migraines, mood swings etc. for most of my adult life. It wasn't until I took charge of those and started looking inward to my self and not others that I realized how to manage them. Notice I say manage them and not conquer. I will always have issues and problems but they are mine to deal with and no one elses fault or responsiblity. Keep it up.

BigO: Yes you do have the power to do this and we all do. I loved your saying.

Melf: I know how hard and difficult it is when a parent becomes ill and hard to care for. Your Mom will be well taken care of. As a mother I would want my children to help me but not be a burden to them. So know in your heart that your Mother understands and would want you to be happy. That is all a Mother truly wants out of life. Your sister will need your support in this too. Remember we are here for you.

Anna
222/135/140

I’m soooo mad!! I have been getting my big ole butt-ocks out of bed at 4:15 nearly every morning to be able to come to work and have the gym all to myself and have my work-out over as soon as possible in the day. I have my own little routine as I’m sure you all do too…..WELL, this morning some dude was on MY treadmill blaring Howard Stern (whom I can’t stand) this morning. HOW DARE HE?? I got on the OTHER treadmill and noticed he had already been on for 45 minutes - so he was there 30 minutes BEFORE I even got there - HE’S INSANE!! I know it’s a public gym, but I don’t like to share (I don’t play well with others, either) :D I remember seeing him there on a Saturday when I first started. Vince had come up there with me to see what was available and to help me with a schedule/routine to maximize the little equipment they have. Okay, venting over --- COME ON COLBY --- Momma needs a membership to GATORGAL's gym!!

MISSY - OMG, Bless your heart!! I can't imagine being allergic to most of those things. They are most of my favorites! It is nice to have answers, though. I'm sure that helps calm the nerves.

BOB - LOL!! We ONLY went to the race track in Gainesville. We DID go get pictures of the football stadium and the baseball stands at USC in Columbia (tradition my dad started). Dudy Noble Field where Miss. State plays baseball is one thing we totally blow other schools away with so it's nice to get to snicker at other's stands. :) CONGRATS on staying smoke-free!! Tomorrow will be ONE MONTH!! That is a MAJOR accomplishment!!! Thanks for sharing your challenges, too. It really helps.

MARIE - Have a great time on your trip!! My mom and dad left last night for 2 weeks in England. If you happen to meet a loud very southern couple where the woman talks all the time ask them if they are Sonya's parents from Mississippi. My mom will be talking to everyone around her. They always come home from trips with an address book full of new friends.

MELF - I'm sorry to hear about your mom. The nursing homes here for Alzheimers patients are very nice and they do special things for them. I'm sure your sister found the best one she could and I'll believe with you that the transition is as smooth as possible. It's so hard to watch our parents/grandparents age and become more dependent on others.

STAR - Looking forward to good news on your weigh-in! I'm sure you will have great numbers to share with us.

CHRIS - I was reflecting on your post last night and remembered vividly my "dating days" and 3 seemed to be my magic number. I couldn't ever get to the 3rd date with anyone. My best friend and I would laugh after every 2nd date one of us had and bet whether there would be that elusive 3rd date. It made it more like a game at that point and that's when I started relaxing more and just having fun since I wasn't going to see him again (according to my pattern). That's when I really started having the best dates, too - even if it was only going to be 2 dates with each guy. :)

Tuesday Tips

Basil(since I started my herb garden this week-end):
Did you know that in addition to their abilities to flavor our foods, certain spices have some medicinal effects as well? For example, basil has antispasmodic properties, and is used for treating flatulence and stomach upset. Because its taste triggers saliva production, this spice also enables us to digest our foods more effectively.

You can easily grow your own basil, which not only helps to purify the air, it also helps to keep away insects, who hate its pungent scent. Buy your plants from a nursery or supermarket, since it's easier to get them to grow than trying to start a plant from seed.

Insoluble Fiber
There are two basic fiber types: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber helps move food and digestive by-products through the large intestine (colon) and out of the body. The benefit is that the faster that food and food by-products travel through the digestive tract, the less time there is for potential cancer-causing substances to take hold. Some examples of insoluble fiber are the bran in grains, fruit pulp, and vegetable skins.

Only soluble fiber -- found in a wide variety of foods, including apples, oats, dried beans, and green vegetables -- seems to have the ability to lower serum cholesterol levels. The way soluble fiber acts on cholesterol is not yet fully understood.

It's important to note that all fruits, vegetables, and grains provide some fiber. To get a good daily dose (25 to 30 grams), eat oatmeal, bran cereal, or whole-grain bread, and plenty of fruits, vegetables, and dried beans. High fiber foods are those with at least two grams of fiber per serving. If much of your diet consists of healthy complex carbohydrates, you should easily fulfill the recommended daily minimum of 25 grams.

I get a daily tip from http://www.emazing.com every day in several categories. These tips came from them.

Hello everyone

Melf I am sorry about your mom. My grandma suffers from the same disease. It is awful. I wish you the best.

Debelli My girls have not reached the stage where they want the computer all the time yet. It is coming I am sure.

Quilter I am glad to see that you are still motivated.

Fruitloupe. Wow that is a lot of food allergies . Have they ben bugging you for a long time. How did you know that you may have food issues?

Bob day 30 is coming. Good for you.


Solshine It sounds like you have some great motivating goals to help with your weight loss! Can I steal some of them?

To everyone I missed have a great day.

Things are going okay though TOM is coming and I am miserable. I can gain a lot of weight prior. I suffer with TOM. I had an Endometrial Ablation Ballon Therapy in January. It is supposed to really help with heavy long periods. Nope. What a drag. The next step is to take it out. Which I am thinking would not be such a bad idea. Except that I am 35 and you wonder if for some strange reason you still need some of that stuff. Oh well time will tell.

Anyway I have lost one pound so I am heading there. 10 to go. I would even be thrilled to just maintain this weight over the summer and then lose the rest in the fall.I have never been this thin as an adult so I am enjoying it. My doctor is thrilled and thought that 174 would be a perfect weight for me. I am 175. She said she would like to see me maintain it. I know sometimes that is the hard part. I am really large boned at 5'10 so we will see. I am going to keep eating the sugar busters way as it is a lifestyle. I am really going to try in May as we have nothing going on.

Anway have a great day. I will check in again later.

Good Morning!

Well, I'm at work (oh the joy) and I'm getting ready for another day of 1st grade. Just found out that I got ANOTHER new student today. That's 2 new students in 1 week. Who moves with only 6 weeks left of school?!? I'm starting to think that people decide they want to move - take out a map of Louisiana and throw a dart at it - it must always land on HOUMA!! Last week we started IOWA testing (standardized test) and I got a new kid on Friday. So, yes, this new kid took the IOWA test with my class and let me tell you - he's no Einstein! So, that's a reflection on my class - needless to say - he didn't bring my class scores up any!!!

OK - when I weighed yesterday I was at 255.5 - today 252! WOW! Was really excited this morning! I did walk yesterday, do my weights and some stomach and butt exercises! So, now that I'm back in the groove I need to do that every day! I know that I won't lose that much daily but it sure was an inspiration!

Star: yes - I'm in a krewe in Houma called Cleopatra. There are about 16 of us from school that are on the same float - and yes the 16 wildest teachers that this school has!! HAHA! So, it is a blast!

Well, ladies, gotta run - I'll check back tonight!

Missy
284/252/170

I realize Motivational Monday was yesterday, but my personal motivation didn't strike me until last night. I got a call from my sister-in-law last night, whom by the way is a totally out of control diabetic, her blood sugars were 112 last night. For Martha this was a total shock, as the only insulin she took was that morning, usually she has one or two shots, plus 2-3 insulin pills. The reason for this dynamic change? She started SB yesterday!

My tip for Tuesday, goes out to those of you just starting this wonderful way of life. Give yourself 2 full weeks to get use to the plan, remember you are creating or changing habits for the rest of your future. Don't knock yourself for eating too much meat or fat, worry about getting the sugar out of your system and only having 2-3 starchy carbs a day. Make sure you eat until your full, this is not a starvation diet, this is a healthy way of life and is not about deprevation. After two weeks begin modifying your fat intake to lowfat. By the end of your 1st month it will be a "piece of cake" (whole wheat and sugar free, of course)!

StarChaser: I'm glad your back from your trip, sounds like you had a great time! Thank you for adding me to your prayers. Happy SB 2 month Anniversary!!

The Quilter: It's so inspiring to hear such success stories, thanks for sharing.

iceskatefan: I don't plan menus well, but I have a what I eat in a day agenda, I could email you if you like?

Viv: Hope you have a wonderful Birthday on Friday! Any big plans for the weekend?

Sparklescamp: I hope that you find healing through your words. Thank you for allowing us into your life so fully.

Debelli: It was fun talking with you the other night, hopefully we will bump into each other while posting again and have the opportunity to chat longer.

Lisa_A_A: Thank you for sharing the clip from Oprah's book..."it's ultimatley about self-love" So true. Triscuts is definitly an improvement over Doritos!

Solshine: You can and will do it! I was telling Nancemeister over the weekend about your goals and how I could so relate. Little things like being able to shave without holding my stomach out of the way...I can do this now! and there are others, see your self healthy, eat right, and keep re-reading your motivators. It will happen!

fruitloupe: Sorry to hear about your allergic responses. I hope that once they identify your allergy foods you will get to feeling better.

BigOrangeBabe: 28 days, smoke free! Congratulations on this most major accomplishment!

Melf: I'm so sorry about your mother. Tears come to my eyes, as they are questions about my father's memory loss and tremors, could be Parksinsons or maybe small strokes, just developed over the past couple years and the memory loss is fortunatley short term. I worry the same could come for him. It would be devastating. My prayers are with you and your family.

Well, once again it's time to get the kids and I ready for the day!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Happy May and Good Morning to all!

Melf-My Dad is in a Nursing home due to a stroke. My Mom was taking care of him for sometime before he was placed. I know what a difficult transition it is. E.mail at "Nofingfane@aol.com" if you would like to talk more. Hugs during this difficult time.

Viv-Happy B-day week. What are you planning for a SF B-day cake? You could get a SF/NF Yogurt and stick a candle on it, or better yet get a filet mignon and a glass of cabernet wine at a good restaurant!

Starchaser-2 months??? You goddess!!! You go girl!!!! My hats off to you for only weighing once a month. That's my goal, but right now, I'm a little obssesses with once a week, which is proving difficult. I know that's the best way to go because then you are always guranteed results, and always having something to celebrate. Be sure to treat yourself to a manicure/pedicure ( a non-food reward as I call it) Look forward to your post at tomorrows weigh in Wednesday!

BeachFan37-I love the idea of May baskets! Have you ever read any of tasha Tudors books? She illustrates childrens books, and some for big kids too! She talks about may baskets and May poles in on of her books.
She lives in Conn. and has so many neat ideas. All homemade from scratch. Let's go buy ourselves some flowers today!

Solshine-Howard Stern? Give me a break! I can't stand him. I though most gyms had rules on time limits on the machines! Are you and the Vince-meister fans of Saturday night live? I love to watch it, when I can stay awake!

BOB...Soon to be Little orange babe. I sent you a private message...I think two times by accident. Let me know if it worked or if you got the big "0". Bear with me while I master this web site!

ldblond-I sent you a regular e.mail, but in case you read this first I'm gain for anything. So glad to have lunch with my SB Buddy! Just e.mail or call me, and will figure things out!

Sparklescamp-I think I need to get a "venti" coffee from Starbucks, then I can go back a nd read your post from yesterday. I grazed over it, but need to have time to fully absorb all that you shared. Thanks for sharing with us!

QUESTION......Where does one purchase "Agave Nectar" that some of you have mentioned in your great recipes? I got busted by my boss printing out recipes yesterday at work. My printer at home is out of commission, and I couldn't resist. I re-assured him I would re-stock the paper, but I needed to get some ideas. Being the doctor who's been on my butt to loose weight, I would have thought I would have received a little better support, but then if he didn't watch his penny's he wouldn't be able to live in that big house in the country club, right? LOL

EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT DAY. You are ALL my inspiration!

Nancy :)

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING EVERYONE!:wave:

I should actually say good afternoon, by the time I get this typed and loaded on the board, it will most certainly be afternoon.

I had absolutely NO desire to go walk this morning. We got woken up a bit after 4am with a wrong number and it was hard going back to bed. After I made Michael's lunch I crawled back in bed and struggled with should I go walk, should I stay in bed. I finally got dressed while the good conscience and the bad conscience struggled. I finally went out and decided for a 2.5 mile walk, which turned into a 3.5 and finally my usual 4.5 miles-of course, after all was done, I was happy to get out there and "just do it"!

TODAY IS TUESDAY TIPS and forgive me for being lax on doing them lately, it's just been hard to get the time to find some to post-but today I come prepared with a few short, but good ones...

For those of US who aren't particularly fond of drinking our water, I've mentioned before about putting a little fruit juice into your water, as you would lemon-but in SHAPE MAGAZINE I read where they suggested also putting some VANILLA EXTRACT in the water. Of course, I just HAD to try it (I use non-alcohol extracts), and I must say, it tastes MIGHTY GOOD!!!! Start off with just a tad and adjust it to your taste. Now I can't wait to try some other flavors in my water!!!

If you haven't seen this company's FITNESS MUSIC, check it out. They have tons of video's, but what got me to the site was the array of walking/workout music. Lots of YOGA items as well. When you get to the site, hit ACCESSORIES & AUDIO at the top, on the tabs. Many of these tell you the beats per minute for each song. Here's the link:

http://www.collagevideo.com/

and last, a fitness site I found, haven't navigated through it all yet, but you can go see it for yourself, here's the link:

http://sickbay.com/netsweat/

KAREN, you sing Happy Bday so beautifully!

STAR, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and a BIG GOOD LUCK from me for tomorrow's monthly weigh in! Let us know how the measurments are as well-I'm excited for you too!!

BEACH, thanks for the May basket thought :)

SOL, thanks for both of those great tips-and for that great picture of Colby! He looks better cleaned up with some meat on him! I'm rooting for you to win the pool!

GARDEN, CONGRATS on another pound loss. That's great you are so close to where your Dr. recommended you to be. You are so lucky to be tall-it's the pits being short! I'm sure you'll easily be able to lose or maintain, but just eating healthy is the most important thing. I don't think you saw an post from last week, I had asked you where you were in Ontario in relation to Toronto.

FRUIT, CONGRATS on the loss! WOO HOO! You've done it before, and you're doing it again. Before you know it, you'll be hitting your first milestone of getting below 250. Just stay focused!!!

LDBLOND, that's wonderful news about your SIL! Many people find they can lower their insulin and some even go off when they change their WOE. If you have never read THE SCHWARZBEIN PRINCIPAL, you should, at least the preface-it's interesting to see what she found with diabetics and their eating. I use to have a link for it, but they removed it. You can get it at your library though. Great Tuesday Tip-thanks for posting it!

NANCE, I buy AGAVE NECTAR at the HFS. There are a few places on the net, but unless they are offering free shipping, which I have never seen them do, it's just too costly to buy and then have to have shipped. Do check out any HFS in your area and ask them, maybe they can order it for you! Being that you are in CA, you should be able to find it quite easily I would think.

Gotta run and do a few things before I have to go get Michael. Please don't forget TONIGHT'S CHAT AT 9:15PM EST I'm hoping to get back in time from my meeting.

And of course, another reminder that TOMORROW IS WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY! Please pray to the DIET GODESS for me tomorrow, I need all the help I can get and I'm not feeling too hopeful-though I do have a nice headache today, so maybe that's something that may help-don't ask me how, but hey, any sign may be good!

Will check in with you all later!

Debbie
194/133/129
SB since 3/22/00

Hello

Hey Deb sorry about that. We live just under an hour west of Toronto, though I lived in Brampton for years which is really close to Toronto. We live in a really small village outside of Guelph Ontario. We love it . It is quiet and quaint. A really nice place to raise children.
My sister lives in the Beaches which is a pretty trendy area of East Toronto. Not my cup of tea that is for sure.

Anyway I hope everyone is doing great!

Hello everyone!

Tuesday's tip: Eat all your meals--never EVER skip a meal. I find that the most dangerous times for me are when I let skip meals and let my self get ravenous. Then I think nothing in the world will fill me up and that is when I am most tempted to go back to old habits. If I eat a good breakfast, lunch and dinner--even if I don't snack (which I sometimes do and sometimes don't), I think much more rationally about my meals.

We are swamped with the end of the semester. Last night--for the first time in months I was all caught up with my grading. I went to hear the AU Singers to celebrate. Another set of papers is coming in today--a second set tomorrow and then exams next week. EEEK!
I'm not teaching this summer. In fact this is my last semester at Auburn. I am in the process of changing careers and now that the time to leave is actually here, it is bittersweet. Now for all you UT, FU, and LSU gals--don't do thinking that I'm not going to be screaming my head off for Auburn come fall--nothin's changed there--but I've been doing political consulting on the side for several years and I want to try it full time. It is exciting, but scary. I'm all enthusiastic one day and then asking myself "what the **** are you doing?" the next. So be warned that there might be some wild mood swings ahead as I move through this transition.


Holding steady this week--I'll take it!

Susan
300/248/150
July 10, 2000


Melf--I'll be keeping you and your mother in my thoughts and prayers.

Good Tuesday Afternoon… been missing in action for about 10 days and have really missed you all.

Finally got together with my four brothers (Washington, Texas, Calif.) for a four-day weekend at my mom's house (she passed away in Aug). We finalized the cleaning out, garage sale, etc and it is on the market to sell… A very draining four days since we all come from a distance. Emotionally draining also because it is so final! The week prior to going down the transmission went out on my husbands mini-van and then my 21 y.o. son who moved to Tulsa in February called to say he was coming home….. he found out he was a California boy!! So we had all of his stuff coming into our house as we were leaving town to unload my mom's house….

It was one thing after another and I was unable to get on the board……… MORE BAD NEWS.. my son returned to his old room (which I had moved my office into) and "poof" there goes my DSL connection. I had already cancelled my ISDN so now I'm back to 56K until he gets some networking done or hooks up his cable modem…

Things are winding down now so hopefully I will be able to pay better attention to SB… Have skimmed the posts but need to go back to catch up… it's probably easier to start fresh!!

Hope you are all doing well....

Debbie-Where is the chat at tonight? Is it the post-section? I'm a newbie....I need HELP!!! :)

Hey Gals!:wave:

Quick post before I leave for my meeting tonight...

GARDEN, are you anywhere near WATERDOWN? Eli's sister lives there. I've been to the Toronto area many times as my family has a cottage in Rochester NY and whenever we'd go up there a trip into Canada was always in the plans, and when the kids were old enough, a trip to Canada's Wonderland was included as well.:)

FILLISE, sounds like your change in careers will be interesting. A new job to go with your new body. I truly feel everything is destined and whatever happens happens for a reason, so if this is meant to be, it is meant to be. I'm sure you'll be an asset in whatever you do in this new job!!! We'll take you, mood swings and all!!!:)

VR, glad to have you back on the board. I know it's been hard for you trying to get your Mom's house finalized, I remember when you first mentioned having to go work in there last year. It's good that your brothers were there for help as well as support. So your son is back, living life on his own didn't last too long-I'm sure your glad to have him back though-maybe not in your office though!:lol:

NANCE, I always thought there was a link directly to the chat room for everyone, but it seems the link is just for AOL members, others have to go to the chat room, through the entry room and into the SUGAR BUSTERS CHAT ROOM.

Gals, here's a LINK TO THE CHAT ROOM hope it works for everyone! It should take you to the sign in page:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/chat/sbchat.html

If it doesn't just look for a link to the room and go through the entry room. I asked Suzanne about this but haven't heard back from her as of yet.

Time for my meeting! Again, TOMORROW IS WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY!!!! I pray the scales are kind to us all tomorrow!!!!

Debbie
194/133/129
SB since 3/22/00

Evening ladies!

How are you tonight? I'm doing just great! I'm a little sore though from all of the exercising that I've been doing these past two days! It's a good feeling though!

Went to the doctor for the second part of the allergy tests today - you know the dusts, molds, etc. And I found out that I'm VERY allergic to the grasses and weeds. So, I have to start doing the allergy shots at the beginning of the summer. My food allergies weren't really bad - they are on the low side of the scale - so I can eat them if I can tolerate a stuffy nose or two. So, I'm not worried about that. The doctor just told me to make sure I didn't cut the grass - NO PROBLEM! Terry wants to go get tested too now so that he doesn't have to cut the grass :lol: He says that if we are both allergic to grass (which he is not) we could just put cement all around the house so that neither one of us has to cut!! I told him that we should just buy a goat! Anyway, I knew that I would have more of a reaction today because I get hayfever and my allergies act up so much when the seasons change. The doctor was amazed that I hadn't come in sooner - I've been suffering with this for years.

STAR: We will definately have to meet up before a game this year. We didn't go to the spring game - how was it? What do you think about the Booty Brothers getting drafted? Are you a Rohan fan? I liked Josh Booty a lot. I think Abram (spelling?) pussed out and was a cry baby - but he was a really good player. Rohan seemed to only be fired up when he was starting the game. Share your opinions!


Well, let me run ladies! I'm going watch a movie! See you tomorrow for WIW - what's the scoop - do we report it here or on that other board??? I'm hoping for good results!

Missy
284/252/170

It's been a tearful day, but I survived. Spoke to my sister this afternoon & she said my mother settled right in at the nursing home. She's rooming with my daughter's second grade teacher & next door to one of my father's sisters, so she saw some familiar faces & felt good about staying. I pan to call her tomorrow if I can keep from crying.

When I called my sister, I told her that altough I'm not taking this well, I knew that it had not been an easy thing for her to do either & that I agreed it was the right thing for everyone concerned. We cried together.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU for your kind words, your thoughts, & prayers. I sat here & cried as I read some of your comments. What a great group of gals you ALL are. Your kindness will not be forgotten.

I hope to be back to normal in a few days & be able to focus on other things. I'll try to post again then.

Just a quickie!

Have another busy week getting ready to go back to the beach with hubby and about 30 other people.

I will post a longer post tonight if I have time.

Sorry I missed the chat last night; was at the neighbor's house doing the menu planning for the upcoming trip.

Am desperately trying to find out how to watch Survivor, the TV at the beach house has tin foil on the rabbit ears, not a good sign! I think we may all go out to a bar to watch it!

Gotta run!

Frog!

Happy Weigh in Wednesday Everyone:D

Well I am dancing a happy dance this morning. Back in January I hit my first goal of 140. I wanted to cruise on down 5 pounds quickly and stay at 135. Well I didn't cruise too fast and it has been a big big struggle to lose these 5 pounds. It has taken me 4 months and a lot of excercise and frustration. Today I hit the 135 mark and I am very very happy. I feel good and just have so much energy. Hope everyone has a good WIW and remember that persistance does pay off. I have now been doing this since DECEMBER of 99. That is 16+ months!!!

Melf: Glad you are better.

Frog: Hope you can watch survivor. You could always go to a t.v. store and watch it there!

Gotta run.

Have a good day

Anna
222/135:)/140
SB since 12/99

FILLISE - Congrats on your career change! It can be an exciting time. What are you going to be doing?

VR - Welcome back to the board. Sounds like a rocky road you've been on, but sounds like it's getting smoother as you are moving those rocks outta the way.

MISSY - Sounds like you're kicking butt and taking names!! Way to go! It's certainly inspiring. Thanks for keeping us upsted on the allergy tests......maybe I should try the tests for grass, too. :)

MELF - Wow! How cool is that that your mom is so close to so many people she knows and likes! I'm sure that's a big comfort for you and your sister, too. God is good always! I'm glad you two have each other for support during this hard time - someone who can REALLY relate to what you're going through. Continuing to send up prayers for you and your family.

FROG - You crack me up! I hope you're having a blast at the beach! Tonight on E! there's supposed to be a Survivor special on the original Survivors. Vince hates Survivor - he's definitely going to be Survivor-ed Out by the time this is all over. :D I hope you get to watch it in style!!

DEB - Way to go getting out there and starting walking - funny how once we start it's really hard to stop at less than we know we should do. I can't wait to get to the point where my muscles really feel it when I miss a work-out. I'm not there yet, but I do remember it from when I was more faithful to do my exercises.

CHRIS - Hope things are going well for our SPARKLESKAMP!

GATORGAL - Miss hearing from you!

I'm back up to 208. Guess I'm not surprised from vacation eating we did. My body will not allow me to cheat even the tiniest bit. It's hard enough to get the weight to come off when I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing. That jerk-wad was on MY treadmill again this morning. I had a semi-temper tantrum and told him I could not listen to Howard Stern and that he was going to have to get some head phones. I went outside to walk this morning instead of doing my weights and walking on the treadmill I don't like. I can't really say anything about the time because it's a very small gym supplied by the building. They don't have time limits or anything other kind of structure. They have 2 TMs, 2 bikes, 1 stair machine, 1 multi-station weight stand. I'm going to go at lunch today to check out GATORGAL's gym and see what their hours and prices are. I know I'm being petty, but if I'm going to have to work out with people, then I'm going to go where it's big enough to share.

Next week I go to the Dr. to see how the Glucophage is helping and I don't want to have no change in my weight. She's interested in getting me healthy and off-setting the risk of diabetes, but I want to lose weight!! Move over, BOB, I'm scooting further up on that wagon....holding on to the bumper isn't doing it for me.

Hey Gals!

Well I was happy to get on the scale this morning! Lost another 1.5 pounds. It's amazing what exercise can do for you!

I can't post a biggie this morning - got work to do - but I'll stop back in tonight!

Love you ladies!!

Missy
284/250.5/170

REACH ON UP SOL...I've got the WIDE LOAD sign on the back of the wagon...we've got plenty of room...Just don't knock me out of the center....I have to be able to hold on to both sides of the wagon!

MISSY Way to go girl!! You won't have to stay long in the wagon at this rate!!

MELF My dear friend, You and your family are in my prayers and in my heart. We went thru this with my grandfather and it was not easy...Your faith will keep you strong and your love will keep her surrounded.
Just know I'm here if you need me...You've been so supportive to me and I really appreciate it...WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU......

BOB

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING EVERYONE!:wave:

It's a rainy day here in Miami:( I went for my walk, despite the sprinkles-was on my way and it started to rain, so I walked in the opposite direction-lets just say, I came home looking like a drowned rat!:eek: But hey, I got in 5 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry I missed the chat last night. The meeting was a lot longer than expected and I couldn't leave because we had to vote for next years board members, didn't get home til almost 10pm. How'd the chat go???????? Any problems with people locking up in the chat room???? Did my link to get there work???

Well, it's WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY today, and I hope you all faired better than I did. Still up 1.5lbs from my lowest, weighing in at 132 today. I must say that even though I am up, for some reason, I FEEL lighter-hmmmm.....

If you'd like to post your losses on our SB WEEKLY WEIGHT LOSS BOARD just click on the link below:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=4772

FRUIT, glad to hear the food allergies aren't as bad as they could be. At least with the lawn, you'll never have to mow it-and if you both are allergic, you can just have the luxury of getting a lawn man to do it. You can post your losses here AND the weigh in board!!! Another 1.5lbs! CONGRATS! So how many since you've been back on the wagon?

MELF, glad to hear your Mom is settled in an among some familiar faces. Please know that our thoughts are with you and your family through this difficult transition. Do know, we are always here to help and listen:)

BEACH, CONGRATS!!!! You did it! There's hope for me, I hope! That's wonderful. Okay, I must admit, I am jealous!!! But, I'll be patient-as I've been and hope that I too will be rewarded as you have. I'm doing a happy dance for you!!!!

SOL, honestly my muscles don't miss it when I don't work out, it's the brain that does.:) Isn't there someone you can complain to at the gym about listening to that garbage that the guy has blaring (Howard Stern). He's so gross!! Guy must be a scum to even want to listen to that crap.

Okay gals, I've gotta run, Eli is off today and we're headed up to Broward for a few hours. We have a dinner to go to tonight-will try to get in a post before we leave, otherwise, after we come home!

Please remember, TOMORROW IS RECIPE DAY and we have the MAY RECIPE BOARD up and running at the link below, so it you have any recipes you'd like to share, please, try and post them tomorrow.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=4770

Have a great day!

Debbie
194/132/129
sb since 3/22/00

Hello everyone.

I am miserable and really premenstrual. To say the least last night was trying with the family. I would have gladly sold the Dh and the children last night. Though of course today I would keep them. Sometimes they are just trying sometimes, as I am sure , I can be. Oh well it sure makes life interesting. I am down 1 pound from last week so that is okay.

Anyway I should go

190/175/165

I'm down 1.5 ponds from last week. 4.5 pounds total since starting SB x 2 weeks. I guess red wine with dinner nightly and sugar-free yogurt 3 times a week is going to have to be eliminated/moderated better.

I'm glad I took my measurements...good results with that over the last two weeks, but I won't bore you all with the specifics.

I need to run!!!! Wish I could talk more, I'll check in later.

BOB: Did you receive my private message?

ldblond: Call me, I need some support from you! I'll be at work about 8:30am. Thanks :)

Good morning all :)

This is just a quickie, barely had time to read all the posts yesterday. I have a busy day ahead, I have a sewing project I have to finish plus I have to do some surfing on some travel sites as I am planning a mini-trip while I am in UK in June. And then I have to work the afternoon shift and won't be home until after midnight.

Anyway some good news this morning - I am down to 201 pounds which is the same as I was three weeks ago but two pounds less than last week.

Deb - There were only two of us on the chat last nite, myself and Kim. I don't know what happened to everyone else. And yes, I was able to get to the chat from the link you posted.

I wish everyone a good WIW.

Gotta run :wave:

Marie.

Hello Ladies,

Yesterday was my 2 month anniversary on SB. I only weigh once a month (the 1st).

So here goes.........

I lost 5 pounds for the month of April. For a total lost of 20 pounds in 2 months. I was a little disappointed, considering all the walking I have been doing. However, I have not taken my measurements yet! I know I've lost some inches because of my clothes fitting loose. BUT I REALLY WANTED TO CRACK THAT 300 MARK!!!!

Looking back in my records for April, I wasn't as intense with my WOE as I was in March. What with the trip and severval "extra events" to attend I was thrown off plan a few times. My routine was interrupted a few times. It's a learning experience and I need to stay focused.

Overall I'm very pleased. I feel in control.

Thanks to all,
StarChaser

325/305/150
Started SB March 1, 2001

Hello--I hope WIW is good to everyone!

I'm holding steady--which I'll take since I know I lose in stops and starts.

Star--try not to be disappointed. You weigh 20 lbs less than you did two months ago! 20lbs in two months is a great loss! You'll hit that 300 mark soon enough--keep the faith. Know that everything you are doing is making you healthier by the day--that's the best progress of all!!!!!

Melf--It sounds like your mom is with family and friends and is happy. Be glad that she has familiar faces around her. I'm still thinking about you. I dread one day having to make the same decision for my parents.

Anna--WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO! You are an inspiration! I'm doing the happy dance in your honor!

Deb--It will happen!

For those of you asking about my career change. I am going into political consulting. I have been doing it for several years as a sideline and I really love it, so I'm going to give it a shot full time. If you know of any Republican candidates looking for wisdom and guidance let me know!!!!!

Susan
300/248/150
July 10, 2000

Good morning everyone! :wave:

I managed to lose 1 lb. this week, and must say, I'm grateful for that loss!! It's my lovely TOM, and I always gain weight during this week. Hopefully, next week will be a better week for me....no more Triscuit binges to report, either. :)

FILLISE: congrats on the job change. I know that is a major decision for you. Republican candidates...hmm... what about Charles Barkley? LOL Heard he might be running for governor soon...and w/your Auburn connections...who knows?!? :lol:

FRUIT: glad you've found the source of your allergies and I hope the shots help. My husband also suffers and I know that can miserable.

MELF: so glad to hear that the nursing home your mother is in is a comfortable environment for her. That's wonderful that there are familiar faces there!

BEACH: 135! WOOHOO!! That is great, and you've been a big inspiration to me. I'll be heading your way tomorrow....I'm going on a field trip w/my daughter's class to the McWane Center....it should be fun. I've heard it's great. Have you ever been?

FROG: I can totally relate to your "Survivor" dilemma. I'll be at the ball park (where I spend most of my time!) and will not be home until it's almost over. I guess I'll tape it.....that will tough not watching it until Friday!

SOL: I hate you're having to listen to Howard Stern while you exercise....not exactly motivating, huh? If he won't get headphones, maybe you could and bring your own music to listen to.

DEBBIE: 5 miles in the rain! I'm VERY impressed!! I have to admit, I've not been exercising like I should..... I will really try to work on that this week.

STARCHASER: 20 lbs in two months is awesome! Keep it up and I'm sure you'll be at that 300 mark soon!


Well, this weekend seems to be turning out as busy for me as last weekend was. We are taking our children out for dinner tonight for Laura's bday (she'll be 8 tomorrow), field trip to Birmingham tomorrow w/Laura's class, then a trip to Girl Scout camp for a one night "Mom and Me" campout on Saturday. (Someone please nominate me for mother of year :smug: ) I am looking forward to spending time with Laura, though. She's definately gotten the short end of the stick many times because of Ross's leukemia. I've been gone with him on all of his hospital inpatient stays (6 two night stays, and one time for 6 nights). We're very lucky to have a lot of family and friends that have pitched in to help take care of her, but it's still been hard on her.

I hope everyone has a great SB day!

Lisa
215/203/140 ***can't wait to get below "200"! ***

No, I didn't get the private message...sorry I overlooked your message about it...Why don't you email me...
gobigorangepage@earthlink.net
I won't get it until I get home, but will answer you
Later
BOB

Fillese - you can start with the new governor of Wisconsin. He could use a lot of help! LOL

I'm usually not a republican, so I better keep my mouth shut. LOL

Anyway, congrats to those who are losing! Way to go. Keep it up and rub some of it off on the rest of us! I stayed the same, which is ok considering the AMOUNT of food I have been eating and the fact I have not been on the TM in over a week. That's all going to change after this meeting tonight--then it's back to the old routine.

MELF - glad your mom seems to be settling in. My mom has been in a kind of assisted living center for Alzheimer patients for over a year and a half. She still knows all of us and is pretty aware of everything--just can't remember what she did an hour ago. If you were to ask her how long she has lived there, she would tell you a week or so. That is one of the few "blessings" with this nasty disease. Your mom will be somewhere where they can give her the stimulation she needs and you and your sister will still be able to give her the love she needs. Like I said earlier, please feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk further about it. I'll be thinking of you a lot!

Gotta go work!

Karen
207/188.5/?
since 1/23/01 (gotta quit dinkin' around and kick butt!)

Quick reply to Lisa

The McWane center is great. I hope ya'll plan on going o the IMAX movie. Everything at the center is hands on science. My kids are 14 and 13 and still love it and being a kid at heart I still do too. Be sure and do some of the activities and not just watch. It is as interesting for an adult as it is for the kids. Hope you have a good trip. It is suppose to be pretty tomorrow.

Hey - I just was running on to say a quick hello and noticed two things as I was scanning through....

Birthday wishes - thank you! We'll be in NYC for my birthday, coincidentally, not due to any of DH's planning, LOL, going to a Broadway show and the new planetarium, etc.....

And I noticed SOL posted Colby's picture! May he endure! We arehosting a neighborhood Survivor party tomoro nite - and it's also DS's 7th birthday, wow.....GO COLBY!!!!!

And - wanted to say just a plain ol' hi.....I've been spending all my spare online time trying to deal with plans for CA - it's all encompassing. I can't wait to get home....

Weight is still stable - maybe this forced "plateau" will be a good thing and when I get back OP aggressively the pounds will fly off!

Kimmi - Hi honey, I'll answer your email.....did you get the pictures? ARE they scary?

Hugs to all - DEB, hope you had a nice day with Eli today!

Viv

Just a quick note....

I finally bought some green tea and am enjoying a cup right now. It is "mixed berry" by Lipton and is very good!

Beach....yes, we will doing the IMAX! Those things can make me feel a little queasy, :dizzy:, but they are really neat!

Bye for now! :wave:

Lisa
215/203/140

Just a quick hello, I'm all dressed up and have somewhere to go!:lol: Will be on later to reply to all!!

Deb

Don’t have time to catch up on posts, but wanted to check in. I have been dreading the scale, sure enough I weighed in at 160 yesterday but 159 today . . . a traumatic reminder to be vigilant!

Review of the month of April

Beginning weight: 162.5
Ending weight: 160

What did I learn this month?

I learned NEVER to skip meals. Monday I forgot my lunch and there was nothing I wanted to eat available downtown. By the time I got home from work I was ready to eat a horse AND pasture.

I learned that exercise can be fun and rewarding, especially when I add variety to my routine.

I learned not to try to do too much exercise or I will burn out. I learned that tapering my speed can help me to avoid cardiac arrest on the treadmill!

I learned that no matter how hard I work the scale can be schizophrenic!

I learned that Diet Coke makes me retain water.

I learned that preparing all my own food takes a lot of time and energy, but it really worth it in the long run. It also becomes easier as time goes by. I now have a good store of "staple foods" built up, and am working on my kitchen equipment.

I learned to ALWAYS BE PREPARED! I learned that there are no excuses for going off plan.

I learned that the little private everyday victories add up to big success in time!

FINE TUNING – What I’m doing to improve my plan in May

Exercise: Continue running 3 miles 5 days a week, preferably in the mornings, gradually increasing speed and incline. I have discovered through trial and error that I can perform best when I eat a light complex carb meal and drink lots of water at least 1/2 hour before running. If I eat nothing, I don’t have as much energy; if I eat protein, I don’t digest my food in time.

Do upper body weights twice a week, using as heavy weights as possible. I’m not trying to build bulk, but definition (which will pay off once I remove the padding!)

All other cardio is optional: I’m doing it because I want to not because I have to!

Food: Following the plan has worked very well. I’m not as hungry and my moods and energy levels are steadily up. However, I need more structure in my food plan. I discovered this month that I still have no concept of portion control. As some of you may remember, I tried making up a complex system of calorie counting, but I didn't follow it for even one day.

Today I thought of something simpler, and will see if it works. I'm going to eat, as a guideline, these servings each day: 4 complex carb, 2 protein, 2 fruit, 1 added fat, 2 dairy, with unlimited low-cal vegetables. If follow this strictly for a month, I'll be able to make better choices naturally in the future, without keeping track as closely.

I also need a plan to better cope with those dreaded monthly cravings! The first time, I did well. But this time, my monstrous premenstrual cravings coincided with my recuperation from my bike accident and added up to BIG TROUBLE. I was feeling sorry for myself, unable to run and generally eating the paint off the walls. I didn’t eat anything off plan but I think I consumed an entire year’s supply of Triscuits. It’s heart-breaking that the weight comes off so slowly and yet I can EASILY put on 4 pounds in less than a week...it’s happened time and again. I suppose the only thing I can do is increase my carbs moderately this time of month, and make sure I have plenty of veggies to snack on.

Losing weight is not just about diet and exercise

Another thing I need to do is increase my social contact. I called my friend and asked her to go on a hike, spur of the moment on Sunday morning. It was a 2.5 mile climb to the summit of the Koolau mountain range, the most beautiful views I have yet seen on an island of spectacular views. I really enjoyed the company even if I had to go more slowly than I would have done alone. Sometimes when I’m feeling isolated I want to comfort myself with food, so it’s important to address this area of my life.

*****

Today I found a parakeet in the garage. I live in a big apartment building and there is a big, common enclosed garage. Well I was pulling my bike up to the gate and there was this colored thing hanging on the other side of the gate. I opened the gate and grabbed her but she flew off by some parked cars. So I went to go pick her up and she's quite tame. She stayed on my hand all the way up to my apartment. Went back downstairs and left a note for the manager to post a lost and found notice, and meanwhile the bird is flying around the apartment. She seems to like the stove. She also likes shredded wheat, but not flaxseed. I am not exactly sure what I'm going to do with her since I don't have a cage but she is awful lively and friendly.

~Chris
164/159/130
3/26/01
3 miles in 30:22 -- ALMOST THERE!

http://www.gifs.net/animate/granny.gif

Evening Everyone!:wave:

Just got home from dinner, it was good, but it could of been better if I would of cheated! Just joking. The place we went to is called Christy's and my parents were invited as part of an investment thing, and so they brought us along to this restaurant-VERY expensive! They had soup (didn't have it, cream of tomato soup), bread:nono: free, flowing wine (yuck), Caesar salad-yummy, FILET MIGNON:spinning: didn't touch the potato, and baked Alaska for dessert-didn't phase me. Boring to listen to their pitch but hey, for a free dinner-what the heck. Had a reason to dress up!

GARDEN, CONGRATS on your pound loss!!! I thought I was the only one who gets like that-glad to know I'm not alone-I'm sure with summer coming soon, I'll be feeling like that even without it being my TOM!!!!:eek:

NANCE, CONGRATS! Great loss 2 weeks in a row-kudos to you. I'd love for you to post your measurements-it's good to see those numbers change as well.

ROSALIE, that's wonderful you are back down! Congrats! I know you'll get below 200 before you know it. Thanks for letting me know about the chat and the link. Try not to work too hard!!!

STAR, CONGRATS! 5lbs for the month is good!! Your first month you lost a lot, you have to give your body a bit of a chance to adjust to such a huge loss, plus, you may have lost even more, but just happened to be up for one reason or another today, and come tomorrow, you would be lower:) Gosh, I know how you feel about all the walking and the scale-look at me, walking about 100 miles a month, and I'm at the same weight I was over a month ago-now THAT'S depressing! At least if I cheated, I could contribute my not losing to something, but not knowing why is the worse.

FILLISE, thanks, I'm sure it will happen, just not happening as I thought it would, or should I say hoped. Honey, ALL politicians need wisdom and guidance!!!:lol:

LISA, CONGRATS on your loss this week! You'll get below 200 soon-just stay focused and you'll be there before you know it! Did you have a nice dinner tonight? Did Lara enjoy herself? Saturday sounds like a lot of fun, I'm sure you'll both enjoy the time together and with the other Mum's and daughters!

KAREN, kudos for you for being able to maintain this week, I'm sure once you get back on the TM you'll start your downward trend again:)

VIV, enjoy your birthday on Friday! We miss you!!!!! Hope once things settle down up there you'll be back with us full force.

SPARKLE, congrats on your losses for the past month. Your posts are always interesting reading material. Why not keep the parakeet if he's not claimed?? Hope you find a place for him besides flying around the coop, bird doo doesn't make for a nice setting:eek:

Well gals, I'm pooped, so I am going to hit the hay. I'll check in with you all tomorrow-I promise to get some recipes posted on the new recipe board!

NITE!:dz:

Debbie
194/132/129
SB since 3/22/00

I am happy to say that after 3 weeks at 156 I am now at 153! All that dancing and beach walking must have paid off!

I am in the middle of packing; leaving at 10:00 in the a.m. and am not ready to zip up the suitcase!

MELF - I missed your posts regarding your Mom. I am sorry that you have had to go through such a trying time. Just remember that sometimes the best care we can give a loved one comes when we let someone else help provide it. Hold on to the joy.

Hey to everyone!

Peace,
Frog

190/153/130
(37 down, 23 to go)
Unleash your feet!

this wil not be long at all. Major problems with computer - major. So far tonight I have been shut down over 20 times.
BOB - I am still here. A question -- where is your weight statistics????????? Geat on the smoking - not ready to give up on it.
Major medical problems going on here - to long to go into .
MELF -- I can not tell you how sorry I am about your mother. My mother-in-law had Alzheimers for 9 years. My mother had it for 5 years. I was the last one to go - as far as her memory was concerned. And what really was upsetting was that she never forgot I was heavy. She was petite. If you have never had anyoe that has had Alzheimers it is the saddest thing that could ever happen. My mother looked like a million dollars but there was nothing there. They will revert back to when they were young and will talk about the past - never the her and now. It is heart wrenching. I do not mean to upset you but I have been through this too many times. Now my mother's sister has it. The very best place for her is in a nursing home. My mother closed his company to take care of mom and she was 82 when she passed away. I will pray for you everyday to gather strength. Please do not stop going to see her even though it is the hardest thing in the world. I have already told my husband if I get it get the pillow and put it over my face. If you would to email me it is Steinway53@aol.com. My prayers are with you -- be strong!
Now moving along to some thing more pleasant -- there are 14 days left of school -- YEH! This gal is ready for it to be over.
Our daughter bought a car today -- I lost the weight I had put on from eating about 20 candy bars -- could not help me. They have changed my meds and I am hungry all the time - HELP! I am back down to 185 after going up to 193. Not really cheating - just desire to have chocolate.
Have to go before this locks up.
Congrats to all of you that are continuing to lose. Fruit -- I was so glad to see you come back - hang in there.
Happy thoughts
Take care every one.
Barb
225/185/16?

Well, life has been very busy the past couple of days. I've only had time to skim the posts and no time to add my own comments. Sorry for being delinquent.

Yesterday I weighed in at 171 which is the same as last week. (I swear!!!! Will I ever cross into the 160's ??? THIS IS GETTING OLD!!!!!) Then today I was up to 172!!!!!!! UGHHHHHHH!!! What is up with this?

I don't see how I could possibly eat any less than I am already doing. Breakfast: yogurt and puffed Kashi (3/4 c); Lunch 3/4 c cottage cheese and 7 triscuits; Sometimes a snack mid morning: pear or apple; Supper: Big salad with lots of leafy greens and all sorts of veggies and feta cheese and crab/tuna OR hard boiled egg and very little salad dressing. And that is it. Sometimes a homemade peanut butter yogurt for dessert, but not every day. That's it. Nothing illegal and no binging!!! I am drinking tons of water and doing the TM everyother day and the yoga two times every day. I AM FRUSTRATED. I know it's just a mood I'm in today. Lately, I've really been telling myself this whole effort is for health reasons and I'm trying not to get caught up in my desires to be skinny. But this morning when I got on the scale it just got to me. I am literally ready to throw that damn thing out the window. EEEEEEEEEEEK!!! (Guess who got up on the wrong side of the bed?????) Just had to vent. Today is the kind fo day when I want to say the heck with this woe. But I'm going to jump in the shower and try to get myself back into positive mode. Poor Paul, he doesn't know what he's about to face when he gets up. LOL

By gals! Sorry this was such a pity party for me, but I just had to share. I know one reason my attitude is low is because I haven't been spending as much time with you all. I'll try to be less self-obsessed when I get on later. I am excited abou the final survivor tonight. Two hours. Yeehaw!!!

Take care.
Kim
185/172/139
January 2, 2001

Good morning everyone :)

Sorry I haven't had time to respond to everyone the last few days. Barely had time to skim the posts. I have another busy day ahead but wanted to check in to say Hi! Will be scooting out soon to spend the day with a couple of friends.


Solshine - Too bad I won't have a chance to bump into your Mom while I am away. She sounds like a fun person. I'm not leaving until June 5th so she will probably be back home before I leave. That was quite a list of goals you posted. I can certainly relate to many of them.

Melf - I hope your Mom is settling in to the nursing home. I'ts good to hear that she is amongst some people that she knows there. This should make it easier for her.

GloryB - Where are you ? I haven't seen you post for a few days. I hope everything is O.K. with you.

Will check in again later.

Hope everyone has a good SB day.

Marie. :wave:

Hello everyone

My Tom came early and I am cranky. Every month I go through this roller coaster of emotions and pain. I even had icecream as I was so pissed.

Quilter I know how you feel. It can all be so discouraging . I am still up a pound from where I was before. I keep wondering if I will ever see the 160's. Why do you weigh yourself everyday? I only do it once a week and then you see what your actual weight is. I would be suicidal if I did it everyday. Ihope that you are doing better.You have lost weight and we all need to remember that this is a lifestyle change not a diet. It will come. I guess we have to remember how far we have come.

I hope that everyone else has a great day and stays with the program. I have already eaten to much bread. Oh well

190/175/165

Fillise-Good advice about not skipping meals on Tuesdays tips. Befire I started SB I NEVER ate breakfast. I do now, and I find I am not starving at 10:00 or 11:00 at work, which is great. I've been alternating between cereal and eggs stuff. So far so good as long as I have my coffee!

Debbie-Thanks for the info on the chat room, I got on, but I didn't realize I wasn't in the "SB" chat until I got talking with some other gals who were on WW. Oh well,
next week I'll get it right. Thanks for the link!

Frog Lover-Hope you have a great time on your beach trip. Sounds like a bunch of fun. Is the person you were doing "menu planning" with on SB? Curious minds want to know :)

BeachFan37-YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!! 135....Excellent. You are my mentor! I need to hear all the fantastic things you are now able to do since you hit your goal!

SolShine-Did you drink all your water while you were on vacation? Change gyms! Exercise is a priority. Mr. Rude doesn't seem to be going anywhere...you need a bigger place to work out at. EIther that or change the time that you go. I know that I'm an "AM" person for exercise.
Do you have a contract with the one you're at now?You could seek your revenge on Mr. Rude by getting something like N'Sync or some rap group music and driving HIM out of the gym! LOL

BOB-I was curious what the "Orange" meant in your name. I coulnd't retrieve my original message to you, to remember what else I had asked...that's why I've got a cup of coffee in my hand right now to get all those little brains cells of mine functioning!

Gardengirl-I have heard that taking "Primrose-oil" capsule from the health food store helps with PMS. It might be worth a try!

Rosalie-I tried getting into the SB Chat the other night, and didn't realize that I was in just a regular chat with alot of WW people. When I finally clued in, and clicked in on it, the other person, probably you :( clicked off! This newbie is looking forward to getting it right next week! See you then!

Starchaser-20 pounds in 2 months is excellent!!!! You're probably down one or maybe two clothes sizes. Did you take your measurements yet? I had better results with my measurements than I did with my weight loss, which helped boost my morale. I realize patience is not one of my better virtues!

Lisa_A_A-I nominate you mother of the year. Isn't Mother's Day right around the corner? I keep telling my husband and kids that I should be able to get that nice spralkly ring at the jewelry store I've been wanting, but I don't think their going for it! Have fun camping if I don't get to talk to you before then. Remember, wet-wipes are a girls best friend!

Well.....time for me to hop in the shower and get ready for another fun filled day at work! My only salvation is knowing Friday night the girls from work and I are getting together to have a SCRAPBOOKING night on Friday 6pm-12pm. Should be lots of fun. I decided I'm going to do a scrapbook on me with pictures of my weight loss journey! I can title it the Before and After
or Goddess of Weight loss! LOL

Have a great day everyone! P.S. WHile my boss was out yesterday, I sought my revenge and printed the rest of the recipes from the board that I wanted. While the cats away the mice will play! The recipe all sound so good, I'm looking forward to trying them! Thank You for posting them. Home recipes are always so much better than the ones I try out of cookbooks.:)

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING EVERYONE!:wave:

It's actually turning into a nice day here in Miami. Woke up to the threat of another day of rain, but went for my walk anyhow and it started to clear up during my walk, so that was nice. Got in my usual 4.5 miles.

TODAY IS RECIPE DAY and I VOW to get a stack on my cookbooks and post a few of them today-I have nothing planned except to clean the kitchen and do some wash, so I will have time to get a few things posted.

One thing I've been meaning to share with you all...I got rid of almost all of my non-stick cookware and got some regular stainless steel cookware-what a difference in taste when I no make an omelette. I may have to scrub a little more, but it's definitely worth it-plus, I found, after a while, my non-stick cw would stick anyhow!

I'm still at 132:mad: but honestly, I do feel "lighter" the past few days. I'm hoping to make a drop, and soon, but with it being a few days away from mid-cycle, who knows what my body is going to do!?!:?:
I'm staying with my wait-and-see attitude:)

So, tonight's the last Survivor episode-I don't expect much action on the board this evening-I think many of us will collectively be glued to our televisions.

FROG, WOO HOO GIRL~ CONGRATS! That's great! Have a wonderful time away-hope you get to find a place to watch Survivor tonight!

BARB, hmmm, not really cheating, what does that mean, like not really being pregnant-okay, maybe that's not a good example for you, but you get my drift. Your diet police status was revoked:lol: Seriously, you'll be fine, it's probably the new meds causing the gain and once you cut out the garbage, you'll be back down. Sorry to hear about the computer problems, I can definitely sympathize with you on that one! I'm ready to trash this thing, but without any $$$ to replace it, I'm stuck with it for a while. How's G????? Plans for the summer???

QUILTER, you know from me moaning and groaning that this crap happens, much as we wish it wouldn't and hate when it does. Look at my chart I sent you and see how I've been up and down with the same flippin' pounds for about 2 months! I look at BEACH and I see that there's hope there, somewhere, and hopefully, there's some of that hope for me. I do wonder though if you are eating ENOUGH. That could be part of your problem. Are you keeping track? If not, you should try for a few days. I've been, just about every day and it does help. Many days I've wondered why I stay 100% on this WOE and don't cheat, why I walk as many miles as I do-and then NOT LOSE-but I stay on it knowing that I've always said patience is one of the keys to being successful on this WOE, and in time, I'm always rewarded for just sticking with it as usual. You don't know if the next day will hold a big loss for you or not-why chance it is my motto!

NANCE, sounds like you have a nice evening planned with your friends Friday night! Sounds like a great scrapbook you have in mind!!!

Okay, I'm off to gather some books (that have gathered some dust) and will be working on posting some recipes on the new May Recipe Board.

I'll check in with you all sometime later today.

Have a wonderful day!:)

Debbie
194/132/129
SB since 3/22/00

VIV – Hope you have fun in NYC and celebrate your birthday BIG TIME!

CHRIS – Thanks for the recap – it was a good reminder of the things that I needed to hear.

DEBELLI - Mmmmm Filet Mignon, yum! “At least you’re healthy” kinda doesn’t really help when you’re walking 100 miles a month, not cheating AND not seeing the scales go down . It WILL go down, though.

FROG – Congrats on the weight loss!! I love the beach and understand how hard it is to leave.

BARBEE – I see you went from 225 to 185 – that’s awesome!! My first goal (besides getting under 200) is 185. That’s what I weighed when I got married. After that 150 is my final goal. I probably should shoot for 135, but I was perfectly content with my body at 150 and could wear size 10’s and some 8’s at that weight – hmmmm, thinking about that, I wonder if the scales were right. Does that sound reasonable? 150lbs. in a size 10?

QUILTER – No need to apologize for not posting or for venting when you do. Who knows the woes and frustrations better than us? :) We’ve all got the t-shirt! We’re always glad to hear from you when you have time. It can be a lot to read and post sometimes on here. How many calories are you eating? That doesn’t look like very much food to me, but, then again, I eat too much which is why I’m here. :D Maybe you need to up your calories for a week or so to stimulate your metabolism – or go up and down on the calories for a few days. I’m sure the experts will have more helpful advice. Hang in there! You ARE healthier and you WILL appreciate your efforts even more when people around you are getting older and not able to do as much because they didn’t take care of their bodies. That’s a small consolation when we just want to look good in a bathing suit – which is an honest goal – but sometimes we have to reflect on the “healthy” accomplishments we’ve already begun to attain. I’ll be right there posted in front of the tv tonight pulling for Colby. I went to GATORGALs gym yesterday and I need to win the office pool to be able to afford the initial personal trainer fees to get me started on the right plan – GO COLBY!!

NANCEMEISTER - LOL about the NSYNC on the station - but sadly, I think this goober would like it. It's a free gym the building makes available to us, so I can't complain too much, BUT I was thinking of complaining about him and asking them to institute a couple of rules about having to use headphones and time limits on the cardio machines if someone is waiting. I'm also looking into moving over to GATORGAL's gym which is right across the street from where I work and quite reasonable as far as gyms go. If I don't do that I may play some of my Cajun Music, BlueGrass or Country music - I found that people who don't like that kind of music will flee when it's around! :lol:

Okay – so I went to the gym across the street and they have a free introductory lesson and a pkg price for 6 one on one sessions for 30 minutes each. They assess your body fat %, measurements, weight, etc. and set up a personalized weight-lifting plan and they have treadmills and spinning bikes for the cardio. You pay a monthly fee that’s pretty in line with all the other gyms around the area. There’s no contract, you just have to give a 30 day notice if you’re not going to be going or re-upping for a month. In addition to the monthly fees you can buy additional blocks of personal training. I’m going to go for the free session with Vince soon and look into joining. I think the personal attention and personalized plan may be what I need to jump start my exercising and motivation. We haven’t paid gym fees in years so it’s kinda hard to justify the cost – I may do it for just a couple of months and see how it goes.

We had an awesome dinner last night of Spaghetti Squash and clam sauce – from my favorite fast cook book “Desparation Dinners” I’ll put the recipe on the recipe thread later today. Took only 20 minutes to fix!

HERE'S TO COLBY!!!

I am still alive and Sugarbusting (trying to!) I must admit i am not perfect, but i should get something for effort!!! I have had a few good days yeah me! I am crabby today also i can not get the blue screen off my vcr to do my tape!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very frustrated. I am taking the kids to the park sooo i will walk a bit there thats about it...oh well. Kids have a half day today and that does not help matters!!

Quilter- Don't give up-------i don't think you are eating enough. You are excersising and you need more fuel. You need some real fat in there and more fruit. I think thats one problem. Because if your not cheating you should be losing something and it sounds like your being really good. Try to up the calories-----they say peanutbutter may help a plateau. I eat it almost everyday. Great protien. Your doing great that 160 something is going to be there soon enough!

Deb- I think its going to be warmer here today than there!!!!! YEAH!!!!

Melf- Sorry i didn't reply to your mom the other day i had good intentions but at 1:30 a.m i just couldn't do it!! Hope she is settled and your feeling better about this. Life really stinks sometimes.

Yeah to all the losers!!!! If your not losing don't give up it will all catch up with you!!

Sol- Awsome loss!

i had alot to say but lost it all and I don't have enough time. I am very tired and crabby! I didn't go to the scale yesterday. I feel like i have maintained though. Like i said i have been excersising all week and staying with in "my" guidlines! ha!!! :D

Rhonda
201.2/14?/135

Don't ask me why, but if that crab is the imatation kind, it's a :nono: I know it has something to do with the way it's processed, but that's all I know...Maybe yu've become intollerant to dairy...I think I have, did'nt drink mil,k for a month had some and bloated right up! I also read today that contrary to public believe, fruit IS NOT AS GOOD FOR YOU AS YOU THINK...especially when you're on a diet. It's a sugar thing...
I say...lower the dairy and up the protein...EAT MORE CHICKEN!!!!

Nancy, the ORANGE comes from being a TENNESSEE fan....DIED IN THE WOOL TENNESSEE FAN...if you're still here when football season starts, it will be REAL evident
who are the dye hards around here...:lol:

I can't remember exactly, but I think the 2nd ingredient in the imitation crab/fish/lobster stuff is cornstarch or something starchy/sugary -- that was why I didn't get it the last time I was at the store. I used to eat that stuff like it was going out of style.

If you need a substitute I have a GREAT chicken salad recipe that's quick and easy to make - I'll try to post it tomorrow.

I have a question about Carbs - how much is too much? I just noticed the Shredded Wheat I bought has 170 calories - 1 fat - 6 fiber - 41 carbs - 0 sugar. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Thanks, Y'all!!

Have a great evening!!

Sol, Deb can answer the carb limit better than me, but youi can subtract your fiber from your carbs and it gives you your "usable carbs"
I try to stay around 20-36 carbs a day, however, everone is different as far as tollerance. I have read about people who eat upward to 100 or more and still lose weight...You might try some experimenting..

BOB

EVENING EVERYBUDDY!! :D

Well, today is THIRTY DAYS WITH NO SMOKING FOR BOB!!
I feel great, breathe great, eating sucks!! I gave myself one month to eat what I craved....I was really surprised that I didn't want regular food....I WANTED SWEETS
and I ATE THEM As of yesterday, I had gained 8.5 lbs in the thirty days. Now it's time to buckle down and get down to some serious SUGAR BUSTING
Got paid today, so that makes the grocery store a definate possibility!

BARB I don't list my weight because i have never felt comfortable doing so. One day maybe I will and this will be the first place I do it...But until then....

Tonight is the big finale....what does everyone think?
I think it's too obvious with Colby...Yes, he deserves to win, but we'll see...

NANCY I noticed your daughter's name is Nadia?
my first name is Narda...

Well...I'm off to do some lurking..

BOB

Evening Everyone!:wave:

It's been raining here since late morning, really pouring since early evening-poor Eli has a long drive home in the cruddy weather:(

If you've been on this board for a while, you'll know that for me, finding sneakers isn't an easy task-I wear only mid-tops and they have to be black. I found some last month and I really liked them-yesterday, I went to the JCPenney outlet and they had them marked down even more than what I paid for them. I ended up buying 2 more pairs at $13.50 a pair, and they were originally $90 (so they claim)-what a bargain and a relief to know I won't have to be worried about finding shoes for about 1 1/2 years!!!

SOL, it's weird, when I typed in 100 miles of walking, it really didn't phase me, but when I read your reply I said, geez, 100 miles-that's a lot! Darn-I should be rewarded! Sounds like the gym is a good deal. I keep saying I will look into the one here, they have a 2 week free trial, but I never get around to doing it. On the carb issue, you should have approx. 40% of your daily intake from carbs. For instance, for me, I have about 1200-1300 calories a day, so take the 1200, that would give me 120 carbs I can have a day. BOB is right when she says you can delet the number of fiber grams from carb grams to have more carbs-meaning, if you take in 150 carbs and have 25 grams of fiber intake, your active carbs are only 125. Hope this makes sense. I believe shredded wheat is okay, I don't eat it. BUT, I do eat, for instance, Wheatina and it has 33 carbs in there, and I think 6 grams of fiber. Here's to Colby tonight!

RHROO, trust me, none of us are perfect! Just do your best, like I always tell me kids at school! BUT, if you know you can do better, that's your decision to do so. I can come kick your rear, but that doesn't mean it's going to change anything you do. Your motivation is how bad you want to hit your goal, if you are comfortable where you are, than just try to maintain. Many say maybe my body likes where is is, my problem is I don't like where it is, so I keep on truckin along.

BOB, that's really low carbs you consume. Are those total carbs, including fruits and veggies?? It just can't be possible to stay that low, that's like Atkins induction-are you sure?????????? Hey, 8.5lbs isn't so bad-it could of been worse! I'm sure you'll bounce right back in and be into the groove once more-congrats on your 30 days!!!!! Are you feeling any different? I remember when I quit smoking 20 years ago at the tender age of 19, after the 3rd month is when I really noticed changes.

Well gals, I'm off to sit my butt on my side of the couch. I'll be glued to the TV as I know many of us will. Since my choice of winners is no longer on the show (Elisabeth or Rodger), I'll vote for Colby, he did play the game very well-Tina would be my second choice, I don't care for Keith-surprised he stayed around this long.

I'll check in with you all tomorrow!!

Have a great night!

Debbie
194/132/129
SB since 3/22/00

Hello everybody!

SolShine, so nice to see your smiling face back here where you belong! I’m glad your vacation went well.

I loved your list of goals (again). Really brightened up my day. Especially “What I would like most is to meet my husband at the door with a sexy, slutty outfit on and have him be able to pick me right up and carry me to the bedroom. Now if we only get as far as the kitchen table that is OK too!” LMAO! I can certainly relate! The other day my roommate was ah, pretending to use me as a battering ram (we have a strange relationship) and he actually picked me up and turned me on my side...I was so amazed that he could actually do that as most of my life, not even the Incredible Hulk could budge me off the ground. Of course he is a big guy but still.

Yeah, with dating, I think I see what you mean. I WAS taking myself too seriously at the time, even if I said I was just having fun. But from the beginning I was determined (desperate?) to get something from dating, I didn’t even know what it was at the time. Now I think it’s approval, or acceptance. Which is something I’m now slowly finding from within.

Thanks for the useful tips!

Marie, well I impulsively picked up some Basmati white rice Monday night. I noticed that it doesn’t have any fiber, but it’s awfully good. My roommate/coworker cooked up breakfast for the whole office and I put on a pot of rice, so I’m just trying it today. Smells like popcorn when it’s cooking.

Debbie, thanks for the words of encouragement. Also I’m going garage sale-ing this weekend, looking for a food processor and a birdcage too. ;) Who knows when I might get lucky. I’ve been keeping the bird in the bathroom when I’m not home. As for weight, I am sure you are going to reach your goal but geesh the scale can be frustrating. At least you are close to your recent low and are doing everything right! Meanwhile you are sure an inspiration to me, and I’m sure everybody else.

GRRR to the 4 am phone call. I would *69 them and RETURN the favor!

I have tried vanilla extract and Splenda in water long ago and it wasn’t bad.

Lisa, yeah those Triscuits take a pretty hard hit during those pre-menstrual cravings! I don’t know WHAT happened, I bought 4 boxes on sale and was doing pretty good on the portions for a while, but on the day my period started they were ALL GONE! I don’t even know what happened! AND I gained 4 pounds in less than a week, so whole wheat or not, those things can be dangerous. I did get two more boxes and am doing well so far. I think what I will do is just avoid them during certain times of month!

Fruitloupe, geesh you are allergic to living! Sorry to hear about all that. I read in Sugar Blues that in time, abstinence from sugar can help alleviate allergies. So maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sugar Blues also says that sugar abstinence helps with premenstrual cramps and mood swings. Again, it takes time. If anybody else has experience with either of these things I would like to hear more.

Susan, “So here's my motivational thought (actually this is more of a tip)--do whatever it takes to stay on program!!!!!!” AMEN SISTER!

Kim, I like Wally Lamb too, but have only read one book, the one about the fat girl, was it “She’s Come Undone?” It was one of the BEST books I ever read. I really should go to the library but I’m afraid they’ll arrest me for my long-overdue fines.

I feel pretty frustrated about your weight too! ;) Good advice from Rhonda to follow about eating a little more though...sometimes our bodies need a change of pace.

Mary, sorry to hear about your mother ((((HUGS))))

Anna, This year May Day officially became Lei Day in Hawaii (it was signed into law). Everybody wears flower leis and it’s quite festive.

135! Those 4 months of struggle really paid off for ya! That’s great!

Thank you for your insights. Speaking of managing stress, I have been quite worried about that subject because my plans for the near future are to finish the second half of my bachelor’s degree, which means going to school full time while working full time. I can’t do that unless I can manage stress better, because the headaches and other physical ailments I have suffered when studying for difficult licensing exams are unacceptable. My hope and prayer is that following Sugar Busters and sticking to my exercise routine will enable me to manage stress better so that I can reach my goals.

Frog, 153??? Wow I’m seriously impressed! Keep up the good work you will see those LOVELY 140’s real soon now!

Nancy, you’re making excellent progress! Keep it up!

StarChaser, 5 pounds in a month is NOTHING to be disappointed about! 20 pounds total is awesome. Remember to be proud of the progress you’ve already made even though you are motivated to do more and better!

*****

Now. I really did some lying in the dirt last week. I stuck to “legal” foods but once again denial took hold and I ate WAY too much Triscuits, hummus, sun dried tomatoes, and stuff like that. I was just so incredibly HUNGRY. I would say that I didn’t do well from Wed to Monday, and after that many days it becomes difficult to get back on track. Great danger of going back to my old ways. Not to mention I gained 4 POUNDS! Didn’t feel like I was bingeing.

Therefore I’m very happy to report that I’m doing quite well again! I’ve done my 3 mile run 3 days in a row now, with my best time being yesterdays, 30.22. I started a new plan of controlled portions and have only done that for one day, but notice a vast improvement already. Didn’t realize how much extra I was eating!

For dinner last night, I was about to throw together some tired old leftovers but my roommate wanted to take me out to dinner. I’m really tired of my own cooking, not to mention we have had some conflicts lately so I said yes. We walked around the neighborhood and ended up at this tiny hole in the wall Chinese restaurant, with REAL Chinese food, not that food court trash. (I love living in the city.) So I had chicken and beef vegetable dishes with no rice, and did eat 2 spring rolls with a little bit of sweet sauce, which was off plan, but overall the dinner ended up being better than what I’ve usually been eating. Especially all the yummy vegetables. When I got home I was still hungry but resisted eating more (roomie consumed an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s.) So it was a very good day.

I’m excited about eating more controlled portions...we’ll see how my weight does when my food intake is more predictable.

Weighed in yesterday at 159...so I guess that officially makes me up 3 pounds from last week. But we SHALL get there!

Lots of love,

Chris
164/159/130

http://www.gifs.net/animate/bacio.gif

NO I eat more carbs than that!!! I just love to yank your chain....
If I ate that few a day, I would be a "skinny minnie" and we ALL know THAT I'M NOT.....
My point there is....everyone needs to find their own niche as far as limits...we all are different...

R E M E M B E R Don't talk about SURVIVOR after the show....RESPECT THE WEST COASTERS!!!

BOB

Hi all my SB friends,
I have been so busy and have not been on in a week or so. Probably the SO, more like 2 weeks. My new computer is here, sitting on the floor. I'm going to get it all set up on Monday but am too busy right now to do it. A friend is coming over on Monday to move all the files, set all the preferences, etc. All the icky stuff. Anyway, my new computer is soooo much faster, and I will be getting a cable modem so I won't have to sit for 2 minutes a watch a blank screen while the SDB site comes up. Also, I've gotten so tired of pages half blank, like the last one on this weeks board. So that is also why I have not been checking in. I've just been checking my e-mail.

I can't remember who asked, but Big Orange's board name is in honor of her favorite team, the Univ. of Tennessee volunteers! Their colors are orange and white. We have a big contingent of SEC sports fans on this board, and we are all just biding our time until football season comes around. Then, watch out!

Big Orange, how are you doing?

Gotta go. Just wanted to check in and let you know that I still exist.
Take care and God bless.

[/Debbie]

If this comes out totally alian, it am trying to follow your instructions on how to type in bold. You said "To get the bold, you need to put before a sentence/paragraph like you see, and then after, you do the same exact thing, but instead you put the / before the b, still in the brackets." This is what I did to your name and it looks weird. Please help this newbie......Also more strange questions. Why is the time so off on the postings? Most all of us are in the US....it's like it's Eurpoean time. I thought there was PST, Mountain, Central, and EST???
Also....How do you get the expressing faces where you want them? I've added some smileys, but how do you master the thumbs up or down, etc? Clip art I understand. You'd never know that I was married to a
man who was a Microsoft Systems Certified Engineer would you? (He's hoping to be "teaching" computer classes in the fall)

BOB: Hey! WHat's the deal with the Survivors/"Westcoasters". I think you are all in love with Colby and want a poster of him hanging above your bed! O.K.....so I never got into "Survivor". Now I'm almost tempted to watch it tonight, just so I can bond with my SB gals!

I want you girls to know that I went to the library last night desperate for a copy of the SB Cookbook. Of course the first library I went to didn't have it.....I went to the other libray in town at 20 mintues til closing. I was scanning cookbook, after cookbook, saying to myself "Please be here". Frustrated I finally got on their computer system and they said they had it in stock. My husband was anxious to get out of there, as they were
starting to lock up. I grab a librarian and begged her to help me find it, and she said although it came out in 1999, it could be on the new releases shelf.....as they are locking the doors, I sprinted up to the section, found my book and managed to get checked out 3 minutes after closing. (Payday isn't until next Friday).
OH YES.....the sweet smell of victory! :)

Well....I guess I'll sign off and check in tomorrow when you all have Survivor out of your system....I'll probably be the last post of the night by the sound of things.

Hi everyone

Just checking in again before heading off to bed. Was out all day with a couple of friends. Browsing around the shops watching my friends spend their money. I was very tempted to buy something as I saw lots of stuff that I liked but I am trying to not buy anything else for a while as I am hoping to go down a size or two (who knows maybe I will go down in size before any more pounds come off). Most of what I am wearing now I bought earlier this year after going down a couple of sizes. So I have to exercise some self control. I also want to do some shopping when I am away.

Went to an Indian restaurant for supper. It was really delish. Had a lamb curry, lentil curry and basmati rice - all legal. The one illegal item was the naan bread but we shared one piece between three of us.

Kim - I quite understand how you feel. I'm in the same boat. It can be very frustrating when the scale doesn't want to move. Looking at the menu you posted, if this is a typical days menu it does look like you are not eating enough.

Nancemeister - To see directions on how to make bold letters click on reply; then click on "vB code is ON" at the left of the screen. This will bring up another window which has the instructions for bold, italics, etc.

Well I'd better say goodnight as I have to be up early for work in the morning.

Congrats to all who lost this week and to everyone else just hang in there.

Nite :yawn:

Marie.

To type in bold and do all sorts of other tricks, click here:

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT VB AND MORE (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/misc.php?s=&action=bbcode)

Happy TGIF:D

I hope that 6:47 a.m. central time is enough of a time lapse to talk about survivor! For those that still don't know the winner....skip the next paragraph!

I'm glad Tina won. I would have been happy for Colby but I'm glad a woman won by being a woman. She never won any of the immunity challenges but by being a "Steel Magnolia" she was able to keep her ethics, morals, but be strategic in a game that is geared toward challenges that are extremely physical and difficult for women to win. She was very smart. I loved when Colby heard she won and was so excited for her.

I think all of us could learn from Tina because she is a very self assured, centered person who made a plan and stuck to it.

Ok...back to SB: It's my TOM so I am up 2 pounds. I also have a stuffy feeling in my head and generally feel bloated. Oh the life of a woman.

Gotta Run.

Anna
222/137/140
SB since 12/99

Hello Everyone.
I am happy about Tina to.Though I was really impressed with Colby he was a real gentleman . A very gracious loser. Even Jerry acted okay. Not like Susan last time.

Anyway I am up 3 pounds again as it is TOM but that is okay by weigh in Wednesday I should be down again.Though I feel fat . But this is a typical month for me. ALso I have eaten to many breads . Oh well.

Anyway I hope everyone has a great day.

Deb we live 40 minutes from Waterdown.Small world or what?

OKAY...ALL THE SIGNS WERE THERE.....
1. ORANGE FLAG
2. ORANGE HALTER TOP
3. TINA FROM KNOXVILLE, TN
4. HER FAVORITE COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM???

One pharase will say it all:GO BIG ORANGE!!!!

I really wanted Rodger to win, but Tina is a home girl.
Like Beach said....a true MAGNOLIA....Be sure and look at the money section of the USA TODAY....and the headlines of the Knoxville News Sentinal were great!!!
BOB IS HAPPY TODAY!!!!

Have a great day everyone

Hey Ladies!

Just a quick post before the school day starts! Didn't get to post yesterday and I just skimmed the posts this morning - just not much time when I am at school.

Things here are good. I'm down another 1/2 pound - so that's 5.5 pounds since last Friday. I do have to confess though - I ate a hamburger last night from a rest. at the mall here. I went in - it was funny - I was trying to avoid all of the things I'm allergic to - I have to for a week and then start eating them one at a time to see what kind of reaction I would have. So, I didn't even look at the salads the pastas (no whole wheat). I ordered a hamburger and I told them I wanted it dressed - YES - the idiot that I am - when I'm mid way through the hamburger - I realized that there was LETTUCE on the hamburger - I'm such a moron! I could have just had the salad!!! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!

So, that's sums up how bright I am!! I went home and did my walk and exercises afterwards. But, I know that doesn't excuse the hamburger!

Well, gotta run!!

Missy
284/250/170

Good Friday Morning Everyone!:wave:

Well, that was quite a show last night on Survivor. I was certain Colby was going to win, not because he was my favorite, that goes to Elisabeth and Rodger, Tina a close 2nd. He played the game and won the challenges, so I figured they'd vote like that. Not until the questions and Colby and Tina talking about the experience did I think that Tina should get it. She didn't win any immunity, was hard for anyone but Colby to win when he was the only one who was having food, how little that may of been, it made an impact, and here was Tina, wasting away and trying her darndest. I think she does deserve the $$$. And besides, what was Colby going to do with 2 cars, give one to Mama???

The day is young and I already started it in a crappy mood. Got on the scale this morning only to see I am up AGAIN!:mad: I just sat here an stewed for a while, figured why the heck should I go out and kill myself walking after the heavy rains we had all day/night yesterday. So, I sat, watched TV and finally felt I really had to get out and walk-being it was late, I only got in 3.5 miles before having to take Lauren to school. I didn't feel any better about the scale after walking, but was glad I made myself go. I'm 3 days away from it bein mid-cycle, so I'm sure the scale is going to go up some more, and I'm going to b*tch some more too, so bear with me guys. It's disheartening to me to see the scale at the same numbers I was in March! I don't understand why, and I guess that's what bothers me so much. If I could pinpoint the problem easily and know I could fix it, that would be good, but I don't see why it keeps going up and down like a yo-yo. I know we hit plateaus, but trust me, it's always easier to be on the end that gives advice, not the end to receive it. As they say, "this too shall pass."

SPARKLE, good luck at garage sales, I'm sure you'll probably find things you didn't even know you were looking for!

NANCE, okay, to make Debbie bold you need to put a b in between a bracket before the word like so[] (make sure to put the b in between the brackets) and then after the word, do the same exact thing, but put a / in front of the b like so: /b, again, in brackets. If I try showing you it will just do it-hope this helps. When you hit NEW REPLY you will see options on the side of the screen, click on vB CODE IS ON/OFF-this will explain it much easier than I did just now!:lol:
To change the time, go to PROFILE and click on that, go to EDIT OPTIONS and you will see TIME OFFSET, just find your time zone there and change it. With the smilies, same thing, when you hit NEW REPLY, you will see on the left of the screen where it says SMILIES, just click on that and it will give you all the smile options you can do. What a coincedence, I went to the library also and got the same SB cookbook. It's very contradictory! You can't have pineapple on SB and yet they have a recipe using pineapple! One area of the book doesn't mention that you can have MANGO and another one does. Happy reading!

ROSALIE, sounds like you had a nice time with your friends-dinner sounded great-I LOVE LAMB! UGH, again, it seems like plans to come to Canada are on hold-I'm hating this back and forth junk. Oh well, I know one day I'll get there! Just not sure when now.

GARDEN, Eli's sister lives there in Waterdown. We were going to see her this month but it seems now plans are on hold. Was hoping to meet ROSALIE, and now knowing you were close too, would of loved to meet you too-I'm sure future plans will hold a meeting though:)

FRUIT, congrats on another 1/2lb. Don't beat yourself up about the burger, it's over and done with now. You'll be fine. Keep yourself focused over the weekend.

Well gals, I've got to run-have some work to do for Michael's school and then have to jump in the shower. I'm meeting Sheila for lunch to chat about SB, I mentioned her about a week ago, she e-mailed me noticing I was in Miami-we live about 4 miles away from each other. Small world!

Will check in with you all later!

Debbie
194/133/129
SB since 3/22/00

I love Fridays, live for Fridays!!!! So happy every time it roles around!

Rosalie- Your dinner sounded good! We don't have too many ethnic restaurants around here, except Mexican, since I'm in Southern Calif., at least in the area where I live. I love trying new foods. Thanks for the tips on mastering writing....When time permits, I will fiddle around with it!

Sparklescamp-Thnaks for the info. I will going to that attachment and getting right up there soon with the rest of you. Who knows, maybe I'll even get to cut and pasting cute cartoons too!

BeachFan37-Question...When you listed your #'s, was your start weight 222, your current weight 140, and your goal weight 137? If that's the case, you are doing awesome! I can't wait to buy some new clothes when I go down a size! You must be thrilled!

Debelli-Thanks for you patience with me. This weekend I will get on line and practice, practice, practice. Are you weighing in daily? I may be a newbie, but working at a Doctor's office.....may I say my peace? Not a good idea!
Aren't you two pounds away from your goal? Get out those before photos and look how far you've come! That's nothing! I would give anything to be 2 pounds away from goal. The most important thing is that you are healthy, you're eating right daily and exercising. Are you drinking enough water? You sure look good in your photo. You will reach your goal. I know when I get that close I will want to see "140" but I know for being 5'8" that 150 is more realistic. You're our mentor. Weigh in once a week on weigh-in Wednesdays...I thought that was the deal?!? I haven't had a chance to read the SB cookbook yet. I've been too busy reading everybody's recipes I printed out. I made someone's Salmon cakes last night, that were very good with some steamed asparagus. I had another question. WHat is the "3gram rule" I saw mentioned in some of the recipes? Thank again for all your support!

Well, I'm off to Scrapbooking tonight. Can't wait. My daughter is coming with me too, and then we get to get up at o'dark thirty and head off for a skating competition for my son (he does aggressive rollerblading).

I wanted to share that I made a chart and hung in up in my bathroom, kind of like a thermometer, with 5 pound increments to reach my goal. Each time I get 5 pounds off, I color a section in. I put motivational sticker on it, and put "YOU GO GIRL" at the bottom. Thought it would be fun, like being a kid again. I love stickers!

I had another idea I wanted to share. Maybe instead of giving our old clothes away for donation, we could circulate them to each other. Say for instance one person was a size 18, and they lost enought weight to now be a 14 or 16, they could box their clothes up and ship them ground (what $3 or $4 dollars) to another member at that size. It might be kind of fun, and save us all some money!!! Does that sound to weird or not? Let me know what you all think???? My SB pal Lara(aka ldblond) said once she moves down from a size, she gets rid of those clothes, so she will never return there again. I thought HEY....We should exchange!!!

Gotta get in the shower and head to work. We're having a pre-"Cinco de May-o" party. I'm sure I'll be excusing myself and running out to purchase a salad!

YES!! Now I'm off for a few days. I'm really beat with all the stress of this week.

I have not been able to go visit Mom yet because of my work schedule, but have received news on her everyday. My oldest daughter went to visit yesterday afternoon with her 3 boys & found Mom in good spirits. It was quiet an experience for the boys too, as others wanted their attention. Daxton, my 18 month old GS whom I have spoken of before was quiet a hit & made lots of the residents laugh & ou & ah over him :lol:

This nursing home is one of the nicest, newest ones around. Someone had asked how far away it was. It is my hometown about 20 miles away, so I'll be able to visit often as my work schedule will allow.

Now, WIW was a few days ago, but here is my report. Better late than never, right? I'm excited because after my episode with the scale going up to 160, I did come back down to 156 & stayed pretty steady after that. I had not reported at all last week because of that.

I am now at 155 & holding, so that is a 3 lb loss since last report 2 weeks ago.

It's been a busy last two days for me, but hopefully, my eating has been pretty much in line. I can't help but laugh at how many of us are struggling w/our TOM right now....that's pretty odd that so many of us are on the same "schedule"! :lol:

I ended up staying up until very late last night watching the tape I recorded of the Survivor show....I was at Ross and Laura's ballgames last night. Ross had a beautiful hit...almost over the fence....and had a easy standup double. The other team bobbled around w/the ball and the 3rd base coach sent him on to 3rd for the steal....and they threw him out. :cry: He was still pretty happy to have such a big hit.

I went yesterday w/Laura on her class trip to B'ham. We went to the McWane Center, which was GREAT! They have a lot of neat hands on type of science experiments that were a lot of fun, plus a really cool IMAX theatre. Good day.

I need to go and wash clothes and get packed up for the "Mom and Me" campout I'm going on tomorrow. Ross is going to Auburn on Sunday w/a buddy to the AU-FL baseball game...so once again, we are really packing in a lot into our weekends!

I hope everyone has a great day! :wave:

Lisa
215/203/140

BOB: You and I are the same heigth, and both work in medical. What do you do? What was your starting weight? Curious minds want to know. Plus I think you are a computer-a-holic like me, and check the SB Web-site while you are at work....am I right? :) Nancy

Colby GAVE AWAY $900,000.00 – I can’t believe it!!! I heard him and Tina being interviewed on CBS this morning and they agreed and had agreed before-hand that making it to the final 2 would be winning for them. Tina said that if she had won the immunity she would have voted for Keith to be voted off so that it would be her and Colby. He doesn’t have any regrets about not making that final cutthroat strategic move. I’m sure he’ll make plenty of money being on shows and doing other things with his new fame. It IS nice to see someone nice and who deserves it get the top 2 prizes. I had been pulling for Roger, Elizabeth and Alicia, but, alas, these 2 will do. Looks like there is still no love lost between Jerri and the other tribal members. Guess I’m going to have to find my gym fees somewhere else in my budget. :(

BOB - 30 DAYS IS AWESOME!!!!!!!! Sweets is what I craved the most when I quit, too. You can probably smell smokers a mile away by now. 8.5 lbs is not so bad – at 1-2 lbs/week you’ll be back to pre-smoke-free days weight again in no time!

CHRIS – That’s a cool feeling being picked up and moved around – No matter how big the guy is, he’s probably not going to do it unless he knows he can with little to no difficulty. Planning to go back to school, huh? That’s great! To keep from getting stressed can you just take a class or 2 a semester rather than going whole hog? It might help with the budget, too.

GATORGAL – So good to hear from you!! Hopefully I’ll be seeing you around the Fitness Coach pretty soon. My first session is on Monday 5/14. I was counting on Colby winning the dues for me, but, alas, he decided winning the big money was all that important. Wish he’d’ve consulted with me before deciding to give the game away (like that contraction?). You’re gonna love having a new turbo ‘puter!

NANCE – your “Go Girl” chart sounds fun and motivating! You’ll be coloring away on that as you follow the SB WOE. Your clothes swapping sounds like a good idea, but my weight isn’t shifting anywhere and I’m terribly rough on my clothes – I don’t know that anyone would WANT my clothes when I can’t wear them anymore. :lol:

MELF – Congrats on the weight loss!! That’s great news! Also, that’s cool that your sons are able to brighten the days of the other residents who don’t have visitors as often. I’m glad it’s close enough for you to get to visit often, too.

DEB - I wish I knew what to tell you about your weight. I feel so bad for you knowing how hard you work at getting to goal. All I can say is that I WILL pay off EVENTUALLY. When I was doing WW they had several recommendations for stalled weight/plateaus: eat in the High/low range alternately for a week; increase water intake; exercise more or use a different exercise for a week; change what you are eating if you're eating basically the same things every day; check your sodium intake and limit it. Maybe some of those ideas will help. My heart really goes out to you. I know how frustrating it is to be doing everything you can and not see the results.

Have a great week-end everyone!

Debbie

I'm am going to see if all your tips have worked. So far I have mastered a few things, and got my time changed which was really bugging me.

I wanted to find out how you became the "Moderator" for this forum. What's the scoop?

This will be short--we are in exams so there is lots of grading to do, plus I'm getting the house ready for the Derby Day party I throw every year. It's a pretty big shindig--we start at 4:00 in the afternoon and go until--well--whenever. I planyted flowers on the back terrace this morning and will string lights out there tonight. It's very festive and very pretty. I'm looking forward to it!

It's also great for making me get the back yard in shape for the summer season. It was good to work outside this morning. I'm goign to pick strawberried tomorrow for a fruit platter. Yum.

Susan

Hi Everyone:)

Feeling realy miserable with TOM symptoms but I wanted to respond to a few post.

Lisa...loved the AU symbol. Glad you had fun in my hometown. Yea to Ross for his double.

Debbie: You'll get there. I know you have resisted changing something for fear it will make things worse but I don't see how it could. For just a week, do something different. You've always given us strategies for dealing with plateaus, so this time follow them. Don't weigh for a week, eat more, eat differently, and excercise differently. Get a tape from the library and do some aerobics. Kathy Smith's Weight Loss Work out is intense but very good. Remember I was fluctuating between 138-140 since Jan. and only recently did it even budge to 135 and today I am back up to 137. Our bodies are stalling for time to get use to the drastic changes that have occurred. You have to trick your body to get it to change! Also, remember how far you have come and enjoy your weight loss. Try not to get down on yourself.

Nancemeister: The numbers under our names are in this order: starting weight/current weight/goal weight. So I am 222/137/140. I hit goal in Jan but wanted to lose 5 pounds below to give myself a good cushion. I'm still struggling to lose that final 5 pounds:( Thanks for the compliment.

Big Orange: Maybe I liked Tina becaue I like you!!! She really was the epitome of a true southern woman and a Tennesean.

Gator: Glad you are doing good. We missed you.

Fruit: Don't sweat the hamburger but get back on track. Remember to "begin again" and make a plan for what you are going to eat.

Melf: Glad your Mom seems ok.

Barbee: Hope you are feeling better. Remember how far you have come and hang on to that when the times get rough. You are great and will handle the set back as you always have with humor and grace.

Gotta run...have a terrible headache because of the TOM.

Anna

Hi all! Its been awhile since I posted. Ive been lurking just not responding.
Ive been struggling with some personal problems and decided to take some action. I have a dr. appt.
next week to discuss my crossing into the peri-menopause zone, plus its been about 3 years since my
last well-woman exam.

I havent strayed from the plan but my portion control got out of whack. So today I just picked myself
up, dusted my self off and started again. Some of you have been real a inspiration to me, and I would
like to thank yall for keeping things in perspective for me. I have been keeping up with exercising sorta.
Ive been out playing golf with the dh most of this week. I also did 30 minutes on treadmill after lunch
and will attempt to do my new Denise Austin Trim & tone tape with weights. It works all the body parts
for 30 minutes I think. If I can just get past her bubbly personality and smiling through all the exercises.

I am actually posting to find out if anyone knows of a sf alternative to powdered sugar or how to make
a sf version. I want to make this dessert for mothers day and it calls for Pwd. sugar. Any help would be
appreciated.

Well guess I will go for now.

New and needing some help here. I had a baby in September after a bout with Toxemia. So, I am now around 50 lbs overweight and really needing to get it off. I have been thinking SB might work for me since you aren't so restricted on what you eat. Before I got pregnant I did great with the Atkin's diet but I felt pretty hungry all the time. I figured SB wouldn't work as well because you are eating more carbs, but I have found that the last three days I have barely been hungry at all. Is this because of the fiber in the whole grain foods??

Also, I would like to exercise but I having problems right now because I have a major bone spur on my foot that all the anti-inflammatories in the world wouldn't relieve. What can I do to get some exercise?

Thanks

http://www.gifs.net/animate/airpla~1.gif

Fruitloupe, must be a confusing time with food, dealing with all those allergies. I don’t blame you one bit for wigging out and having a hamburger! Last week, during one of my “bad” days I woke up in the morning craving a hamburger and chocolate shake! The weird things that pre-menstrual cravings will do to you! The amazing thing was, that I realized with this plan, I CAN have a hamburger and chocolate shake if I want to! I just have to make it myself! And preferably don’t eat them both at the same time. It was an amazing revelation. There is really no reason to feel deprived. I ended up not going through the bother at the moment, and I don’t eat chocolate at all, for my own reasons. But I have been planning to make a peanut butter smoothie for a while, and will probably do that tonight.

Debbie:

“This information may be useful if you hit a plateau.

Limit any reduction in energy intake to a maximum of 500 calories per day less than your maintenance requirement. In other words, don't ever cut calories by more than 500 below what you need to maintain constant body weight. Any more energy restriction than this tends to result in decreased metabolic rate and muscle loss. If you hit a weight loss plateau, increase calories by about 300 per day for a week or two. This will stimulate your metabolism and get you going again. I have worked with a lot of people who have used repeated bouts of starvation to lose weight. After prolonged periods of energy restriction their metabolic rates are so low they just can't lose any fat. In this case it actually works better to increase calories. This works by increasing lean body mass and metabolic rate, and shifts the body from a fat-hoarding mode to a fat-burning mode. It sounds paradoxical, but sometimes the trick to stimulating fat loss is to increase calories (of course, from a very clean diet). A couple of good rules are never to reduce calories by more than 500 below maintenance and not to lose weight for more than ten consecutive weeks. After ten weeks or so of dieting it is often helpful to increase calories for a week to add some muscle mass and get your metabolism going again. You may want to try this if you hit a plateau in your fat loss.”

Where did I get this information from? Hmmm, let’s see...it was posted by YOU on the TIPS & TOOLS BOARD! (CLICK HERE TO SEE (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2344&perpage=10&pagenumber=2))

(From SHAPE Magazine) Your BMR is calculated by multiplying your IDEAL weight (not your current weight) by 10 to 12. Let’s be conservative and use 10 for this example:

130 x 10 = 1300 minimum number of calories per day needed to maintain weight at REST (like, lying down all day)

+ ½ of BMR for ordinary daily activities (650 calories) = 1950

+ calories burned by walking 4.5 miles a day (300) = 2250

- a MAXIMUM of 500 calories a day for weight loss (according to you) = 1750

DEBBIE’S REQUIRED CALORIES PER DAY: 1750

Debbie’s actual calories consumed per day: 1200

Hmmmmmmm. Things that make you think.

Nancy, wow I love the enthusiasm with all your questions. Plus you make me feel like an “old-bie” already! LOL! The three-gram rule: As I understand it, you can eat stuff with less than 3 grams of sugar per serving. The idea is that the sugar is consumed with other ingredients and doesn’t have much of an effect.

Oh, that reminds me. I was rethinking the idea of using soy milk in place of regular milk because most soy milks contain so much sugar. I realize that milk has 11 grams of sugar (lactose) per serving, but the sugar added to soy milk is usually rice syrup. But I (heart attack) decided to splurge the extra $.60 each for the “unsweetened” soy milk. Turns out it has only ONE gram of sugar per serving, not 4 like I posted earlier. I haven’t tasted it yet but for those of you who are cutting back on milk, I’ll keep you posted.

I like your idea of sharing clothes. That might not work for some people but with the volume of posters on this board, I’m sure there must be a match, and at least a few people can benefit from your idea. I personally already gave away all my “fat” clothes in 16s and 18s and I had some nice, if overly dowdy, stuff too. I gave my black beaded ball gown with the chiffon skirt to my best friend then she moved to the mainland, so who knows what she did with it. The closet cleaning was part of my spiritual journey.

I would be happy to receive any donations in size 10 to 12 though! (Evil grin)

Mary, whoohoo for the 155! I’m dying to see that number myself!

SolShine, well, for a little background, I HAVE been taking one or two classes a semester for FIVE YEARS! I finally finished my associate’s degree last semester! I’m taking this semester off, and it looks like next semester too. I may not go back to school until I finish some professional courses that may take me up to 2 years. But when I do, I definitely want to get it done all at once. That’s why I have to learn to handle. I’m SICK of school...I went to school feeling like a 50 year old who was still in high school, I’d been there so long.

***

Well, I’m at 157 this morning so ALMOST back to last week’s low of 156!!! I spun into a panic when I hit 160 again. But this week has taught me that the TOM gain is nothing to worry about...so long as I get right back on track. I’m always going to have carb cravings to one degree or another and I can’t ignore them altogether.

This makes day four of faithfully doing my 3 mile run this week (I was still out of it on Monday.) I have also religiously done my ab work EVERY SINGLE DAY since March 23. Sometimes I do a half-arsed job but I always do it. I have made all my own food and brought home lunch since I started SB on March 26, with I believe 2 exceptions. My point is, I have tried and failed all my life to build good daily habits. It’s always been, get really gung-ho for a day or a week or a month and then back to the old ways. I was talking to a friend of mine who is older than I am, and she said that she has never really made ANYTHING a habit. So the fact that I’m starting to build good habits instead of just wishing to be thin is MAJOR for me.

Day 2 ½ of portion control. Working VERY well for me. Better than calorie counting!!! I know what a portion looks like, and while I have to be careful not to be in denial about it, I can generally figure out proper portions without any complicated counting weighing or measuring (I do measure, just not every single thing) So this plan fits into my schedule.

To repeat, these are the portions that I’m approximately having per day:

4 carb (grains or starchy veggies, 120 calories)
2 protein (meat/nuts, 150 calories)
2 dairy (120 calories)
2 fruit (120 calories)
1 added fat (100 calories)
unlimited low cal veggies

Of course this would not work for everyone and I also may have to adjust as time goes by. The main thing is that I have some idea of what is going into my mouth each day, and see what my weight does with a set number of calories per day.

I am still having regular setbacks, like my injuries last week, but as time goes by, I realize that setbacks, instead of being an excuse to give up altogether, like in the past, are really an advantage! Because with each one, I learn something valuable and dust myself off, stronger than ever! I feel like my plan is getting more and more refined (unlike my food) as time goes by. I’m learning what works FOR ME.

Hugs to all,

Chris
164/157/130
03/26/01

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can . . . and the wisdom to know the difference.”

http://www.gifs.net/animate/bartskateboard.gif

Gene for "sweet tooth" identified

By Suzanne Rostler

NEW YORK, Apr 23 (Reuters Health) - New research findings may help shed light on why some people react to a piece of chocolate cake with a craving for more, while others are content with just a bite. Two separate teams of researchers have identified a gene in mice that appears to regulate a sweet receptor--a protein on nerve cells in taste buds that responds to sweetness.

The researchers used data from the recently completed mapping of the human genome to locate a similar gene in humans. The findings could lead to the development of artificial sweeteners with a more authentic taste than current products, as well as ways to regulate cravings for sweets.

They researchers used two sets of mice-tasters--one group that preferred drinking sweetened water and another group that was more ambivalent about the sugar water--to locate the so-called "sweet tooth" gene.

One study, published in the May issue of Nature Genetics, found that mice that were unable to taste most sugars had a mutation in the T1R3 gene, which blocked the function of the taste receptor.

"Differences in this gene from one person to another may determine their particular preference for candies, cakes and other sweets," Dr. Robert Margolskee of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and a senior author of one study, said in an interview. "Decreasing the activity of this gene may enable people to control their urges to overindulge in sweets."

Researchers of another study, published in the May issue of Nature Neuroscience, found that mice with certain mutations in the same gene were less drawn to sweetened water, compared with mice whose T1R3 gene did not have mutations.

"The results presented here identify T1R3 as a candidate taste receptor in mouse and human," Dr. Linda Buck of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts and colleagues, write.

However, researchers of both studies note that more study is needed.

"We believe that this receptor actually binds sugars and sweeteners, although this remains to be directly shown," Margolskee said.



Nature Neuroscience 2001;4:492-498; Nature Genetics 2001;28:58-63.


Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited.


Have a great weekend!

Karen

Hi folks!

http://www.shapeshakers.com/redhead.gif

Karen, thanks for the info!

I'm happy because....

I'm happy today because I have nearly FOUR full weeks this month to reach my goal! I love the start of a new week and especially the start of a new month!

I'm happy today because things are finally okay between my roommate and me. I don't elaborate on this situation much for privacy's sake, but just to give you an idea: I work with this man (we are partners in the same job) and live with him so we spend nearly 24 hours a day together every day...probably a lot more than you wives with your husbands. So although we are not in a romantic relationship, it's important that we get along. The other day I was so unhappy, yet even more unhappy with the idea of calling it quits. So I made a determination to do what I could to make things better. And you know what happened? Things immediately got better without my EVER having to tell him the things I was unhappy about! Slowly, over the past few days, we've began to talk about things again and everything is working itself out. But today was the BIG deal, the thing that was making me think I would put an end to the whole thing, we finally resolved it! I feel like a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders!

I am in control of my own destiny!

I'm going to attempt to do a recipe or two. Difficult because I make everything up as I go along. But since I've started minding my portions I've actually started making up cool dishes instead of eating Triscuits all day long!

Last night I made some baked chicken. It was supposed to be bbq but it turned out rather like...tomato chicken, with spices and agave nectar in the tomato sauce. Turned out quite good. With that was Napa (?) cabbage, which I had never seen before. I baked it up with some salt, pepper, bacon and butter. Yum. Add my wild rice blend and some sweet potatoes and call it dinner.

Tonight I made stuffed tomatoes with leftover wild rice and sausage dressing. It was AWESOME. I didn't think my own cooking could be good, let alone heavenly.

Then...(drum roll) I totally made up this muffin recipe which I will attempt to post! You would have to have gone without sugar for a while to appreciate them, so I will ONLY share with you all. To me they tasted like heaven.

Nitey!

Chris

Hello Everyone!

It's another beautiful Saturday morning here in Cincinnati. I can't believe this great weather we are having. So far, we have managed to NOT turn on the ac. We like to go as long as we can without it. Seems like once it gets turned on, we depend on it too much.

My niece's wedding is a week from today. Can't believe it's finally here. I sure do hope the good weather keeps up for them. They were leaving FL this morning and will get into IN sometime on Sunday. I am going over Tuesday evening after work and staying there the rest of the week. There will be lots of last minute things to do. And I can always "man" the kitchen and do what needs to be done there. I did get MY pre-wedding assignments done: 96 bubble bottles decorated and 112 hershey kiss favors finished. That was really kind of difficult handling all that candy. But you'd be proud. Not even one little morsel went into my mouth. I wanted to be able to withstand and I did. But they sure did smell good. I tried to remember the bad taste you get in your mouth after you eat them and that kind of turned me off the idea of having them.

As far as weighing in goes, I'm still hovering around 171 and 172. Geesh!!! So who knows???? Anyways, thanks to all for the great pep talks after my pity party. What you said really helped and made a huge differenc ein my attitude. I am trying to be that there is a reason for this plateau that is unknown to me and when my body is ready, I'll get going again. However, somedays it's just not that easy to stay up and positive and motivated. Thanks to all for your help!

Sorry, I am not responding to anybody. Just so much to do before I leave on Tuesday. Hopefully, my life will be back to normal in a week or so and you'll have the old gabby Quilter back again. Please know that you all are in my thoughts daily. (SOLSHINE, I did think of you during Survivor! Sorry about the gym membership. ) And I am sending good thoughts your way that you'll be feeling good and having tons of successes.
Take care.
Kim
185/172/139

Happy Saturday Everyone:D

Well I feel so so much better today. Before I did SB, I would have migraines that lasted 3 days. Also, my hormones were out of control and I would have estrogen induced headaches. Well for the past 3 days I was fighting a bad headache that was most likely estrogen induced. It never became a full blown migraine BUT I was pretty miserable for 3 days. I also had to travel and was in the car for a total of 15 hours over the past 3 days. So today the sun is shinning and I am thankful that the ache is gone:)

I told Sparklecamp that I would tell more about myself when I had time. Well here is a synopsis for those who may not know too much about my motivation for losing weight.

To begin with my Mom had the German Measles when she was pregnant with me. I was born sickly and was in and out of the hospital as a child. The most major condition was a hole in the left ventrical of my heart. I was encouraged and fattened up as a child because I was not healthy. I was also discouraged from any activities.

By age 6 I was very heavy. The good news is that the hole closed up on its own and I never needed surgery. The bad news is that I had weakened lungs and other organs as a result of the blood flow being restricted for years and I was on digitalis for many many years. So I stayed a sickly child. Pneumonia was very common and I was still in and out of the hospital.

As I went into highschool I became better. I lost a lot of weight and gradually started excercising even though I was discouraged from doing so. I was chubby but not fat in high school and in college. Life was pretty good and I moved to Houston out of college, married had children and was at a healthy weight.

The year I graduated from college my Mom had female problems, had a hysterectomy and they said she was ok. Unfortunately, she had ovarian cancer and no one caught it. Three years later when I had my first child she was dying with terminal cancer. So I was married at 23, first child 24, scond child 25, mother died at 25.

At 26 my husband took a job in Savannah, Ga. He was unhappy and I was unhappy...probably depressed but didn't know it. I gradually put on weight. I weighed about 200 when we moved back to B'ham. That was 11 years ago.

When we moved back I was 28 and weighed 200. I went to WW and lost 70 pounds. Then things started to get rough at home. My father remarried and it was a strained relationship with him after that. Not because I didn't want him to be happy...I actually encouraged him but because after he remarried his new wife did not like children...and I just happened to have very young active kids. She was a nervous wreck when we visited.

Over the years I gradually put the weight back on. My dad was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago and for 2 years I became the responsible caregiver. Every weekend I would spend there, every night at his house etc. I was the one taking him to the doctor etc. Then he was in and out of the hospital constantly. You get the picture. Eating was my salvation and comfort. Also, I don't think I had ever really dealt with my Mother's death and this made me face it and the fact that at 36 I became an orphan.

Well I had eaten my way to 222. Was having tons of health problems. Pneumonia was back, when I walked to my car from work I had to catch my breath, migraines, mood swings, etc. I can remember going with my family to a football game and we were walking back to the car up a very slight hill, I became out of breathe and fell. I was humiliated and also upset because they didn't even notice until they were at the car and had to run back to me. I think that was the turning point. By November I had missed a lot of work and had one entire week where I was out because of migraines. So I went to the doctor and she told me to:

1. Eat right and recommended SB.
2. Put me on birth control pills to control the estrogen fluctuation
3. Told me I was depressed and having a delayed reaction to the deaths in my family. She recommended that I walk every day and if my moods didn't lift she wanted me to go on an anti-depressant.

Well the rest is history. I religiously started eating less sugar and sugar products. Walked everyday and now I am here.

I hope that this helps others see that they can control and change some things in their lives. Eating right and excercise of vital. One thing to note is I am now working on the spiritual and emotional sides of my life. The thing I do know is to take one day at a time and change one thing at a time. And make small steps to reach your goal.

Anna
222/135/140

Hi...its me again!

Went for a long walk and thought about what I had just written. Awhile back a person asked me how this had changed my life...thought that the response to that question should be the rest of the story.

How has SB and excercise changed my life???

1. My children and husband and I have a much happier life. They are extremely proud of me but that is not the only thing. We are active and enjoy doing things.
2. I can shave my legs in the sink.
3. I can put on panty hose that are a size A.
4. I can buy any outfit I want because at a size 10-12 anything looks good.
5. I can paint my own toe nails.
6. I can walk on the beach and enjoy it.
7. I'm a better worker at work and get more done.
8. I keep a better home. Chores get done.
9. My children are healthier and are establishing good healthy excercise and eating habits.
10. My kidneys are beter because I drink a lot, and I mean a lot of water.
11. I can touch my toes:)
12. When bad things happen I am more emotionally able to deal with them.
13. I enjoy the little things in life.
14. I savor something that taste good instead of swallowing it whole.
15. I can ride roller coasters without worrying that I won't fit and have to get off.
16. I comfortably fit in an airline seat.

Some things I notice about other people:

1. I am given more respect and responsibility at work.
2. Socially people look me in the eye and talk to me.
3. I am treated differently than before.

Am I a different person.

No, I am still introverted, strong willed, task oriented, control freak. But, I manage the good parts of that personality and the bad parts better than I did before.

Good Saturday morning...

Well I'm back on the DSL connection and loving it. My son networked my computer so we could both have access. :angel:


Beach: You are an inspiration to everyone on this board. Although I was somewhat aware of your story, I loved reading your "map" to a new you..

I also re-visited a web site that I had found long ago and recommend everyone visiting it for some SB inspiration, great SB tips and menus:

http://www.prettyimpressivestuff.com/sugarbusters/index.htm


Got my walk in this morning and it felt good.............


Sparkle: I think you were the one that mentioned Brown Cow yogurt. I found it in my local grocery store and it is great. Made right here in the Bay Area.

Gotta go and run weekend errands...... will be checking in a lot more now that DSL is back up!!

Take care!!

I hope that everyone is enjoying a great weekend.

I have been reading the posts regularly ....but not posted myself for a while. I got back yesterday from a quick mini vacation- visiting my ex sister in law with my mom and sister. We had a good time even though it rained. But it usually does that when I am on vacation. The joke around here is that we should have the state of Florida send me on vacation when the drought gets to bad, then it will rain.

I have been doing good with sugar busters and look forward to going back to work to weigh in. That is the scale that I have been using all along, so that is my official one.

I have a small little victory to tell you about.....after all sometimes that is all we have to celebrate. Today when I went food shopping I decided to try the scale at the grocery store. You know how a lot of the stores have the huge scales that sit at the front door. When I started this journey I could only dream at the thought of being able to step on one of them. They don't weigh anything over 300 pounds. Plus weight in public!!!!!!
Well I have been under 300 for a little while, but never thought about the scales because they have been a "NO NO" for so long. Today I stepped on it,. First I really had to look around and make sure no one was watching and not coming my way. And the coast was clear so I stepped on. 288. That is a drop for me since I used any scale, but I felt like a normal human being, not a fat gross outcast of society. Makes me feel like I can do more if I keep working on it. So we have to celebrate the little things.

I hope everyone has a great day.
Laurie
350/291???288??/170
Port Charlotte Florida

Just read and had to respond . . .

BEACH---Thank you so, so, so, SOOOOOO much for sharing your story. Somehow, I had missed the details and had no idea what you had gone through. YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION!!!!! How wonderful that you got help from your doctor and you acted upon it. Wonderful!!!! Hearing what you have been through helps me to realize that I can do this too. What a support you have given by sharing. Plus I love your changes lists. Those were really profound. I want some of them, too.

LAMAP---Good for you girl!!! You get on that scale. How great that your confidence level and boosted so much that you can weigh in public. You are MUCH braver than me. What an AWESOME loss!!!! Are you going to start hanging out at the grocery store everyday now to check your weight??? Just kidding. Keep it up. You are doing GREAT!!!!!

Well, gals, I've been sweating like a pig. We started cleaning out the basement while I was doing laundry and we got SO MUCH done. Feels great. Now that those chores are finished, we are getting cleaned up and go shopping. I'd really like a new dress for the wedding next weekend and I have a few extra hours. So that's where we're headed. Wish me luck!!! I'm looking for the perfect dress that makes me look thin and is really on super sale. Hmmmmm. Think I'm setting myself up for a big letdown????
Take care, y'all.
Kim
185/172/139
January 2, 2001

Happy Saturday to all!

Aces-I would advise you to buy the book, or go to the library and read it cover to cover. You're at the right place, and are reaching out to a great group of woman who will be here for your every day!

SolShine-Love the Bulldog! I wanted one sooooo bad until I found out how much they cost! Now I have the cutest puppy in the world "Floyd". He's have boxer have pit bull terrier. I got him from the orphan pet center. WE all love him to death. He is so spoiled! Since I'm a newbie, I'm still trying to figure out how I can get a picture by my name. I'll probably have to have ldblond help me.

SparkleScamp-Thanks for the info. on the 3 gram rule. I saw alot of recipes that that said the were "legal", but I'm sure limit setting needs to be included too!

BeachFan37-Thank you so much for sharing about yourself! I really appreciate getting to know about everyone better. As a newbie, it seemed like you all knew so much about each other. I'm glad that you opened up and shared! Not evryone has posted a "Bio" on themselves.

Well....I wanted to share that yesterday we had a potluck at work. Never any low-calorie items there! Plus I had to bring dessert. I bought a chocolate cream pie, and didn't eat any. Then I went to my scrapbooking party and they had all Mexican food and Margarita's. I was a saint. I had two small taquito's, a ration of refried beans, and a couple of chips with guacamole.....and of course a Margarita. I was in a situation that I couldn't
do any better, so I just had small portions and drank a bunch of water when I got home. It seems you can control what you eat just about everywhere, except at someones house. I guess I could have had water, but you don't know my friends, and as much as they know that I'm trying to loose weight, they wanted to see a drink in my hand. I drank about 1/3 of it, and when they weren't paying attention, threw the rest down the drain.

I know many of you are faced with the same challenges. I welcome ideas for next time I am in a situation like this.
I guess I should have asked what they were serving, and ate at home ahead of time. Oh well...that's the only problem I've faced so far!

ldblond-I miss you! Are you home??????? How did the conference go? Better yet how was your reception when you got home? Write, call, something!!!!!!

Evening all!!!

Well, I lucked out and found a dress. And it was on sale too. I was in one of those moods where nothing really turns me on, but this one was okay. I'm not sure it makes me look thin, but at least I saved some money. I need some control top (heck make that control all over) pantyhose. Hey DEB, got an extra girdle you're not using? Ha! AFter seeing my roles tonight in that full-length mirror, I need to know wher eyou buy them and what to look for in a good one. (Good meaning anything that would hold back about 20,000 pounds of fat pressure.)

VR---Thanks for the link to pretty impressive stuff. I spent a good bit of time there this evening. Really enjoyed the recipes. Actually tried out the hot toddy one. I liked it. It was kind of interesting . . . really made my old skim milk taste like something exotic!!! How did you find that link? Do you know that woman? She sure has an inspirational story to tell and seems to know quite a bit about SB. I added her to my favorites list. Thanks so much.

Well, it's time for bed. We've had a busy day. Hope yours were as productive as mine. Whew!!! My dogs are achin'. Take care, you all.
Kim

Hi Everyone!:wave:

Sorry I've been MIA, I did start a post last night, had it disappear on me, started another, didn't finish it and have been working on one earlier today and trying to finish it now.

Went to my sisters house for my nieces birthday and I actually broke down and cheated! At least I think it was cheating, though I do believe we are allowed to have pumpernickle, aren't we-but for me, it's the first time since starting SB. I had a really thin bottom piece of a pumpernickle bagel. Needless to say, I didn't feel too good shortly afterwards-what possessed me to eat that, I haven't a clue-but boy, if I keep it down, it will be a miracle. Not to mention, I was starting to sport a nice headache.:eek: Afterwards, when cake was served I had a small amount of Breyers Vanilla ice cream, which came right back up again-thought I had been robbed, so replaced what I lost with another serving, lost that one as well. Guess someone was trying to send me a message.

I've been eating all day long, it's mid-cycle and the scale is up and I feel bloated-I LOVE BEING A WOMAN!:rolleyes:

Have been making a delicious salad that I had bought at WHOLE FOODS and figured how to make on my own-will have to post the recipe when I get the chance-VERY EASY!!!

Went to garage sales, didn't find a heck of a lot, but a few things, some books (more recipes gals), did manage to find this Tupperware rolling mat for making crusts on, for .25 cents. Not much else out there today:(

NANCE, I do weigh daily and the reason for this is basically due to this computer program I've had for a little over a year now. It charts everything for you and if you don't log your weight daily, it guesstimates it for you. I'd rather be accurate, so I do it daily. It does help me see trends and I do believe that it's helped me stay on track. So many times in the past I'd see myself going up when I was being so good and trying so hard and I didn't really understand my bodys fluctuations, this lets me see it. Trust me, I hate my scale more than I like it and would love to throw it into a watery grave-but for now, I keep it. When I get to comfortably to goal, I will only weigh in once or twice a week-the only way I know I'll be able to do this is if someone hides the scale on me, but I'm willing to go through that detox! I have been lax on the water and it goes in spurts like that, some days I have no problems, and others, it makes me gag. I was 2lbs from goal, now 4lbs-just call me yo-yo woman! The 3 gram rule is that SB allows you to have anything that contains 3 grams of sugar or less PER SERVING. I personally try not to buy anything with added sugars in them, even if they fall under that guideline. Your chart sounds cute. You can also do a chart on EXCEL to see your losses, or even graph paper. I can't remember who, but someone in the past mentioned that she gets together with others every so often and exchanges clothing-that sounded fun. Not sure how that would work out sending it off-you could ask the others-for me, I'm picky and wear the same style most of the time. Hmmm, well, Suzanne from the 3FC's fame asked me to be the moderator since I was the one who started the SB BOARDS and seemed to spend every waking minute on it. I proposed this to the members of the board at that time and they unanimously agreed I should be the moderator, so, that's how I found my road to fame:lol: As for facing obstacles when eating at friends-I always ask what's being served and if nothing is that I can eat, I bring my own food. Honestly, don't let anyone make you feel like you have to have a drink to enjoy yourself-if you don't want it, just say "no thank you". I've been in that situation so many times and I guess it's quite easy for me to say that because I don't drink-never liked it, but even if I did, I would still say no-there isn't a food/drink that I want more than I want to reach goal:)

FILLISE, okay, now you have me wondering, what exactly is a Derby Party and what do you all do at one???

SOL, nicely put about Tina and the others. I still can't stand Jerri, and I don't think there are many who do care for her. I sorta felt sorry for Deb, she was trying so hard to hold back those tears. Thanks for the nice words in regards to my stall-it happens and I just have to go with the flow. I'm not good to go for changes once I'm set in my ways-I try to do something different in my exercise, I just don't like it.

BEACH, as always, thanks for your insights. I know I should change something, but I just can't. I know me, and I know that once I do, it won't be a pretty sight. Thanks for posting how SB has helped you-I love reading those things. I really should try to see what I could come up with-when I get a chance, I'm going to sit down and write!

CATLOVER, glad to have you back on the board and back on track. I"ve heard a good powdered sugar substitute is dried unsweeteneed coconut-you wiz it around in your food processor til it's fine like powdered sugar-but I can't tell you for sure as I"ve never tried it myself.

ACES, WELCOME TO THE BOARD Many people experience the same thing you are experiencing with not being hungry. Just make sure you are eating enough, otherwise you're going to have a hard time losing after a while if your body's metabolism slows down from not eating enough. How about swimming as an exercise? I've seen on tv where they do exercises while sitting in a chair. Hope you get that bone spur taken care of soon-must be painful. Just let us know in what way we can help you!!!!

SPARKLE, I know that I posted that, and my figures say I should be eating what I am, which is really about 1300 calories a day. Lately, it's been more, so really, I am right in line. Glad to see you going back down again-I'm hoping to head in that direction as well, and soon!!! Looking forward to seeing that muffin recipe-I LOVE MUFFINS, problem is, I like to eat them ALL!!!! So, needless to say, I hardly ever make them, but I do plan on making one of my recipes this weekend.

KAREN, thanks for posting that article about the sweet gene. I had read it about a week ago I think it was and never got around to posting it. I think it's a good article to keep on the RECOMMENDED READING BOARD!

QUILTER, just wanted to tell you that I hope you have a wonderful trip and a great time at the wedding - just remember how much fun you can have without indulging in non-SB food!!!! Trust me honey, you wouldn't want to borrow one of my girdles-they'll make your eyes pop out from the pressure:eek: LOL!! Glad you found a dress-I always wait til the last minute and usually find something worthwhile.

VR, glad your computer is up and running!

LAMAP, thanks for sharing your scale story-I can totally relate. Being a native Floridian, I grew up with seeing that scale in Publix all the time and never once would get on it in fear someone would see my weight-so this was one thing I have always avoided doing-and still do. I commend you for taking the plunge and getting on that scale!!!!!

Hope I didn't miss anyone-if so, trust me, it's not intentional!!!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!

Okay, I'm hitting the hay now. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. I'll be back tomorrow morning after I get my walk in.

NITE!

Debbie
194/134:mad:/129

Sorry I've not been posting much lately, but wanted to say hello to all of you & let you know that even though things are keeping me from reading & posting, I am sticking to this WOE. Scale is still smiling! :lol:

I have not been able to walk since Monday. Today DH & I cut grass so I got quiet a work out.

Then we picked up my mother at the nursing home & brought her out to eat some Chinese food. She love Chinese, that's why we brought her there. I ate just a little that was not OP. Then we brought her to a Gospel singing at a local theater. She sure did enjoy the outing. When I called her to see if she wanted to go, she hesitated & said she didn't know if they would let her go. She was so excited when I told her that I could come & take her out on a pass anytime.

Well, it's late. Got to go nite nite. Hope you all have a blessed Sunday. :wave:

Hi! :wave:

Kim, good luck with the wedding and GREAT job with the candy! Doesn’t it feel great to find a good dress?

Anna, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading your post. You have overcome SO much. I have heard somewhere from somebody pretending to know what he was talking about that we stay at the same “mental age” that we were when we pick up a compulsive behavior, be it food, drugs, gambling or drinking. Well I think maybe it works the other way too: we pick up a compulsive behavior at the same point that an unresolved trauma happens. Sounds like things were going pretty well up to your Mom’s death followed by problems with your father’s wife, followed by his death. So much to deal with! I really admire you for your success, and the way you have taken charge of your life despite the circumstances.

I too have had SOME success with eating right and exercise and am working on the spiritual and emotional aspects of recovery. Those seem to be going more slowly. I truly believe that progress in one area (physical) can’t happen without progress in the other (spiritual).

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with us.

Regarding your list, you could have described me! Especially:

Some things I notice about other people:

1. I am given more respect and responsibility at work.
2. Socially people look me in the eye and talk to me.
3. I am treated differently than before.

Am I a different person.

No, I am still introverted, strong willed, task oriented, control freak. But, I manage the good parts of that personality and the bad parts better than I did before.

Wow! I could not have described MYSELF better! Like you I’m using those aspects of myself for the positive instead of beating myself up over being compulsive.

Do any of you watch Star Trek Voyager? If there are any hard core fans, please don’t beat me up, because I know almost nothing about Star Trek. But I sat down to watch Voyager with roomie the other night. There is one character, Seven, who used to be a part of the Borg and was de-assimilated. She and another character were stranded on a jungle planet inhabited by a primitive race. Well, the other crew member was busy learning the language and getting along fabulously with the natives, while Seven was suspicious and refused to communicate. I said, “She’s awfully stuck up, isn’t she?” Martin answered, “She’s still learning how to get along with people.” It was like a light bulb went off. I said, “Oh. Just like me!”

I really do care about people but I have a hard time relating sometimes. Sometimes I forget (hahahaha yeah right) that I was raised in almost complete social isolation and then got involved with a strict religious cult for my entire young adulthood. I’m just learning how to get along with people too and I have to remember to cut myself some slack and take it one day at a time.

Veronica, nice to see you back, girl! I read the link you provided and was quite impressed. I’ve seen that page before, think somebody posted it. Do you (or anybody else) know this Rissa chick personally? She is very inspiring. Not to mention pretty.

Glad you liked Brown Cow yogurt. It’s my favorite. Too bad it’s like $1.20 a cup here.

Laurie, wow you have come a long way with your weight! That scale incident must have been spiritually liberating! I mentioned I weighed myself totally naked in the middle of a crowded locker room (I normally weigh in bra and panties now, but have lost the nerve to weigh in shoes). But I don’t think I could get on the scale at my bank. IT TALKS.

Aces, WELCOME TO THE BOARD! What is “toxemia?” Does it have to do with pregnancy complications?

Nancy, sounds like you did well at the party. Best you could under the circumstances. I’m SLOWLY learning that even if something is not 100% perfect, that’s not an excuse give up. Like, oh, I had a bite of jam, let me eat this entire cheesecake!!!! Sounds like you have that moderation thing down pat. I don’t think 1/3 of a margarita will hurt you.

Ideas for next time: STRAIGHT TEQUILA. (Just kidding, sort of) Okay so tequila will really ____ you up, in quantity, but at least it doesn’t have sugar. So down a shot to the cheers of your friends and then drink water for the rest of the night.

An OA member who is also a recovering alcoholic always has club soda (is that the no sugar kind?) in a martini glass with an olive when he is out with friends.

My staple drink was diet Coke with limes for the longest time. Unfortunately I don’t drink diet Coke anymore so that is the main reason I’m having a hard time going out AT ALL. I feel cheap just asking for water but I’ll do it anyway, and be sure to tip. I’ve found myself avoiding going out altogether instead of being faced with the temptation to drink AND SMOKE.

I’ve been thinking of ordering a virgin bloody mary if I can stand the taste. That will be like having my salad. ;)

My stoner friend always carries a bottle of half melted ice/water with her in clubs.

For those of you chicks who DO choose do abstain from alcohol/sugar while everyone else is drinking: It took me a long, long time to realize that my friends don’t WANT to see a drink in my hand. In fact they are concentrating on what they are eating and drinking and don’t CARE what I put in my mouth! Very liberating! Still, like I said, it’s been rough. I have given up alcohol since shortly after I started Sugarbusters both because of the bloat and because drinking lowers my inhibitions, and it’s been rough. I think in a month or two I will go back to drinking red wine, vodka and scotch (avoiding sweet drinks and the nectar of the gods: BEER). But right now I really need to focus on my goals.

Deb, OH MY GOD DEBBIE FINALLY CHEATED! How do you feel? I think it was such a big deal to “cheat” after a whole year that your body just rebelled on you.

I went to garage sales this morning, as I intended to (what a concept). I called up my Mommy cause she loves doing that stuff. We got a bit of a late start (8:50) and I learned that all the good stuff is wiped out in the first half hour. I haven’t been seriously garage sale-ing in YEARS, if ever, and was quite comical with my list (printed from the Internet) and map book. Guess what I found at the very first sale? A brand new BIRD CAGE for $10! I didn’t even try to talk her down I was so happy. I also found an Ann Taylor suede skirt for $2, a Calvin Klein bag for $3, and a set of four sealed ceramic jars, brand new, with scoops attached to the sides for $8. Not a bad day’s haul.

Geesh, taking a baby (my niece) out of the carseat and putting her back in a hundred million times really wears me out.

I really must indulge in a rant about my beloved mother now. I STILL have a hard time dealing with her as far as food goes, it’s my biggest challenge because my expected behavior around her is to eat everything in sight. A little background: Despite eating and feeding us large amounts of sugar, my mother was always very thin, like under 90 pounds at 5’0”. Everybody always thought she was my sister. She always said that she’ll never go over 100 pounds because she wouldn’t be able to stop. Well she used to work very hard cleaning houses all day long and now she has a sitting job. So sure enough, she got up to 140!! Very recently too. (She is 51 years old.)

Well, every time I spend time with her I am reminded anew that it’s not entirely my fault I was so fat. I was supposed to make breakfast but I got up late. So I grabbed the bag of muffins I made (the rest of the batch) and some almond butter. So of course Mommy and baby are hungry. Cherise is eating snack mix and wanted to go to McDonalds. I was supposed to provide breakfast so I paid for the fruit punch they wanted although it made me grit my teeth. It was 10 in the morning and my mother wanted a honeydew melon shake, but the shake machine was broken. So she got breakfast and I got coffee. When she fed Cherise (who at 3 ½ is plenty old enough to feed herself) she would break off pieces of food and stuff them into the child’s mouth before she had a chance to finish chewing the last one. I practically yelled at her to stop doing that but she wouldn’t. We ate muffins in the car too. Not an hour later, she stops at Taco Bell and gets two tacos and two MORE fruit punches since Cherise sucked down the first one.

My point being, this is the way I was fed my whole life. I was 6 pounds when I was born and like Anna everybody was trying to fatten me up. Well, it worked, thank you very much. I managed to stick to my plan though, and every time I stand firm I get stronger around her.

However, Debbie, you are right about those muffins. There are only two left now and I won’t be making another batch anytime soon! I could tell I ate too many carbs because I felt drugged-sleepy this afternoon. Getting VERY sensitive to the effects. But it’s been so long since I had anything like that that they tasted like heaven. I did do some damage control by having only a green papaya salad (yummy) for supper (and two more mini muffins).

Mary, don’t you love that Chinese food? And most of it is quite healthful if you make the right choices so a bit off plan won’t kill you (like those killer spring rolls I had the other day, but no rice.)

:)

In other news, I had a haircutting experience from **** today. I actually walked out of the salon without paying, and I’m going to have to write them a letter explaining why. I was scheduled with Cory, my regular, and Myrtle, this old lady, was cutting my hair, with no notice to me. After about 2 minutes, Myrtle was finished. I asked her if she was going to shave the back like I asked. She said she didn’t know how. Worst of all, she tried to convince me that it looked “very nice!” I responded, “It’s not what I want!” This went on forever, and she finally agreed to have Cory fix it. When I got home, Martin said, “Looks like you didn’t get your hair cut after all.” AAARRRGHH!

But everything evens out. Found the birdcage after all. Had a lovely talk with my quasi-boyfriend. Feel content for the first time in forever.

Have a good Sunday everybody!

Love,

Chris
164/157/130
3/26/01

http://www.shapeshakers.com/redhead.gif

"A master in the art of living draws no distinction between her work and her play, her labor and her leisure, her mind and her body, her education and her recreation. She hardly knows which is which. She simply pursues her vision of excellence to whatever she is doing, and leaves others to determine whether she is working or playing. To herself, she always seems to be doing both.” -- Author Unknown

GOOD SUNDAY MORNING EVERYONE!:wave:

Got a late start this morning but did get in my 4.5 miles giving me a total of 25.5 miles for the week:)

I woke up around 4am this morning thinking it was Monday and that I hadn't prepared to post the board-thank goodness I was wrong and it's only Sunday! Geez, I think about you all even in my sleep!;)

I forgot to mention that yesterday I got a college book on NUTRITION at a garage sale, look interesting, and was only 10cents! Also picked up a pair of 10lb handweights for $3.00, so I'll try to start using those some.

Have nothing exciting planned for the day, kids are going with their Dad and Eli is at work-guess I will clean the kitchen, again-and make some muffins.

Speaking of kitchen, I am hanging up the towel. I just seem to get worse every time I attempt to cook something. Last night I made a pre-seasoned roast, it was hard as a rock-the other night I screwed up hamburgers-hamburgers, would you believe!?! I better stick to the few things I know how to make well-of course the old joke is RESERVATIONS!!!!

QUILTER, when's the last time you took a peek at our TIPS & TOOLS BOARD?? Back in November we posted the PRETTY IMPRESSIVE SITE-see, all along you could of known about her site!! Whenever anyone new asks me about SB, I refer them to her site, it's a lot easier than explaining it in detail.

MELF, that's wonderful that you had some time to take your Mother out and that she enjoyed it. How has she been adapting to her new surroundings?

SPARKLE, glad to hear you found some goodies at the garage sales-try looking for some old vegetarian/natural cookbooks when you are out-those have lots of great SB legal recipes in them. Well, I guess in SB terms I didn't cheat, you CAN have pumpernickle bread, I found out for sure, thought it was okay, but wasn't 100% sure before now-but it is, so no cheating, just ate something I hadn't for well over 1 year. It actually has the lowest GI of any bread, coming in with 49-so, not cheating here I guess.

Well, time to go-I'll check in with you all this evening. Please remember, we start the new board tomorrow and it's MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY TOMORROW so if you have any words of wisdom or motivation, please, try to post them tomorrow:)

Have a great day!

Debbie
194/133.5/129
SB since 3/22/00

Hi, Everyone,
I started reading the posts from last week at about 7:30 this morning, and just finished...it's 11:15. Yep, I read all of them. I just felt so out of the "loop" that I just read all of them. I am so glad that I did because they all just imspired me, and help me to feel as if I was getting to know all of you a little better.

A little background...At the beginning of this school year I was teaching third grade and really loving it...our school needed a fourth grade teacher. I had taught fourth grade for several years before finally begging enough to get to teach third. Well...in Louisiana we have a very high-risk test, and the administration didn't want a new, inexperienced teacher to take the class...so, you guessed it!!! I found myself back in a situation that I had HATED for so many years. So, what did I do??? Did I try to start fresh?... because I was thrown to the wolves so to speak...I reverted to what I knew...and before I knew it, I think I fell into a depression. This is what led to my overall downfall with my woe.

As I shared before, I was put on the woe by my dr., and I was soooooooo good. I mean, if I went to an amusement park, I go a hamburger, and ate just the lettuce, tomato, and burger...I threw the bread away. I had a stash of triscuits in my purse, and had those with my lunch, and drank water. I still seemed to have the yeast infections...but I was still able to be strong. UNTIL I changed grade levels. Then I think it all came crashing down on me. I was unhappy at work, and was still fighting the med problem, and just gave up on the woe.

This week I was fortunate to be able to go to a teacher's convention here in town, and was able to feel a renewed spirit about what it me means to me to be a teacher. I realized that shortly after changing positions I was actually depressed and didn't realize. I had no energy, felt sick all the time, and I really feel that part of it was mentally induced. I had real symptoms...even had to go the emergency once for esophgeal spasms (that can be brought on by stress) and am now on Prevacid daily.

About a month ago, I came back here...so I guess that is truly when I made the first step, but after the conference, I knew that I had to gather all my strength and "start from now and make a new ending". Thanks for that quote Melf!!!

After reading all your posts today...I realize that I have been just feeling sorry for myself, and compared to all of you...you would give anything to have my "problems". I am not diminishing my problems for me, but realize that now I have the power to do something about them.

My first step will be to begin today...I WILL stay on sb all day today.
I will go to the grocery and buy foods to help me stay on track this week.
I am going to call tomorrow for an appointment with a new GYN. This has gone on long enough, and I feel that I have lost confidence with my doctor.

Please know that I do appreciate all the kind things that all of you have said..., and I will try to post often. If I leave someone out...it will take me a little while to catch up, but I am trying...

Melf- Again, thanks for the quote...it did help!

Fruitloupe- We meet again. I was posting around this time last year. We are practically neighbors with you living in Houma, and me in the Big Easy! In fact, I am supposed to go to Thiboudeaux in July for a Language circle Linguistics training. I was glad to see that you can still eat some fish and shrimp...gosh that would have been awful considering where you live.

Beachfan-Thanks for the flowers and sharing your story with us. You were on of the people that really made me see how easy it will be for me to get back on track with my life.

BOB-When I quick smoking I had a really hard time. It took me about nine months before I really felt secure with saying that I had quick. Congrats!!! One month. What an accomplishment. I found that staying away from caffine and alcohol helped. You are an inspiration!

Idblond-My email address is: tcher50@hotmail.com
I would very much appreciate seeing your agenda of what you eat. Lunch is my biggest problem. I am basically lazy when it comes to preparing meals for lunch...but I am someone who used to eat sandwhiches for the chips. So, any help would be appreciated.

Sparklescamp- You sound like you are well on your way to becoming the person that you want to be. You go, girl. Also, I envy anybody who gets to live in the land of rainbows...a reminder of a new promise everyday...

Liss_A_A-I can totally relate to your Doritos dilemma...I have been known to eat a whole bag in one sitting, and I'm not just talking about a "Big Grab" size.

Nancy-Many people have answered your question about Agave Nectar, but I am sure if you haven't already found it...you will be able to. If I can find it here, I am sure you will be able to in CA.

Debelli-What can I say...you are such an inspiration...with this site...with your determination...
I just have one question...what happens to this board when you reach your goal?!?!?!
Will you still be here for us...sharing your maintance help with us...Please?!

Fillise-As you can see above, I have experience in job changes. I wish you luck, and hope we can be here if yu need support with your changes.

Quilter-When I worked for WW, (seems like another life) we were told that when our bodies thinks it is starving...it slows down our metabolism. If you are not eating enough, we will not loose weight. Maybe, you need to increase at least some protein. Just a thought...

Starchaser-The average weight loss for any food plan should not be more than 5 pounds a month. If we loose it too fast we are more likely to gain it back.

Solshine-I have enjoyed reading your posts about your gym escapades...I am sorry that you didn't win you Survivor pool, but am glad that you are looking into a new gym. Good luck.

Catlover-I read, and have seen on several cooking shows that if you take regular granulated sugar, and put it in the food-processor, or blender it will make powdered sugar. I have tried this when in a pinch for a last minute cupcake icing. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work for Splenda, or Equal, or any other artificial sweetner.

Melf-(again) I am going through what you are going through with my dad. It is hard to see someone that was so active and quick, to change into the person he is today. My mom is taking care of him right now, and I do live next door...but the time is coming when we will have to do what is necessary for him to get the best of care. This became evident at Easter when my youngest great-nephew was playing a little too hard, and had an "accident" instead of taking time to go to the bathroom. My neice was telling him that he had to take time for "potty" breaks even when he was having fun. My dad told him, "That's okay...it happens to Gandy, too sometimes." My heart goes out to you and you family, and I will look forward to your posts, so I'll have strenght to do what needs to be done, when the time comes. Thanks for sharing.

I will try to post more often...I have to go now...I really have a lot of school stuff to do...
I will post a few recipes later today if I can. Please overlook spelling errors. I didn't take the time to "Spell Check". :) :) :)

Ok Deb, you had to ask about a Derby party.

I throw a party every year on the first Saturday in May, which is when they run the Kentucky Derby. I make Mint Juleps and Mimosas and everyone has to wear a hat. We bet on the race and after it is over, we head outside to my terrace and continue the party. After dark I turn on the Christmas lights I have strung over the terrace and we drink something called Harbor Lights (a cordial glass filled with Southern Comfort, topped with Galliano, and set aflame. It tastes like warm Nyquil). This party has become an institution in Auburn and anticipated for months. Everyone left around midnight--which doesn't sound bad until you realize that the party began at 4:00 in the afternoon. So it was an 8 hour party marathon.

Needless to say I was off program yesterday. Derby Day and Christmas Eve are the two days I have declared "free days" since beginning this WOE. It wasn't eating off program that was the problem--it was the drinking. I LOVE mint juleps. Derby day is the only day of the year I drink them so they are not a temptation otherwise and they simply can't be made without sugar! It's like the worst possible drink for Sugarbusters.

Anyway--I'm not doing too badly this morning. I've already hosed down the terrace and am getting ready to scrub the kitchen floor and vacum to get the house back in order. I am trying to decide if this nagging headache is from the alcohol or the sugar. Oh well the wages of sin. . ..

I am actually looking forward to a high protein dinner this evening as sort of a cleansing experience.

Susan
Who is not getting on the scales again until AT LEAST Wednesday!

Hi everyone!

I have been so busy this week that I haven't even been able to read the posts until today. I have to say that I have been doing good with this woe this week and so has my Mom. I stayed the same, she lost one pound.

I think that I may be eating too much ww pasta, brown rice or triscuits and too much cheese. So this week I'm not eating any cheese and no pasta and no rice and just having one serving of triscuits with chicken rolled up and raw veggies for lunch and chicken and veggies for dinner. I have been struggling going up and down for a while now. I hope that this will get me going.

I was going to ask "can we have semolina pasta"?

Debbie: thanks for posting the recipie for ww wraps. It really sounds easy and I have been unable to find ww tortillas around here. This will be great.

I can't remember who it was that said that they were having a really hard time with their TOM and it being really heavy and extra long. But... I just want to say that if it comes down to the point where you have to have a hysterectomy, don't be too scared about it. It is a very big decision, but in my case I never ever regret having it done. I let it get so bad that I fell asleep everywhere, then my ex-husband couldn't wake me up, but I could hear him. It scared me and I went to the doctor. My hemoglobin count was down to 5. I had to go right to the hospital and have blood transfusions (6 pints in one week). Then a year of iron injections and a year of birth control pills, a d&c, you name it and I tried it. Finally, I had a hysterectomy and I haven't looked back. It's like I'm a new person. So..... If you do find that you have to go that route, I will be glad to answer any questions.

Beach: Thanks for telling your story. It is so inspirational.

Laurie: you are doing great. Keep it up.

Kim: Hope you have a nice time at the wedding. And I hopw that the scales start to move down for you again soon.

BOB: Congrats again on one month of no smoking! How have you been doing getting back to this woe. It sounded like you had everything under control. I wish I would get myself organized and get things all cooked and ready for the week instead of waiting until the last minute.

Everyone have a great day. I'll probably be back later to read some more posts.

Cheri

WHAT IS A DERBY PARTY????

I can't believe someone who lives in the South would ask such a question....:nono: BUT I guess you wear white shoes after LABOR DAY don't you???? :lol:

DERBY is the MOST IMPORTANT day of the year in the state of KENTUCKY and a bigger HAT WEARING DAY then Easter..
The only thing WRONG WITH THE DERBY? MINT JULEPS!!
Sorry SUSAN but if God had meant for there to be cough medicine in my beverage , he would have put it in my EARLY TIMES!! :lol: SOUTHERN COMFORT shouldn't even be classified a bourbon!!
Your headache is from SUGAR because SOUTHERN COMFORT IS SUGAR! The problem with a JULEP is that it's already a bourbon with extra sugar when it's made, but then you add even more sugar when you make the actual drink.....you were getting a double wammy :nono:
My neice went to the OAKS on Friday and placed my bets for me, and I was sitting IN THE TV when the race came on. Being a Native Kentuckian I miss race season more than the change of season...

ANNA Thanks for the compliment....I really like you a lot too! Thanks too for sharing your history with eveyone..I think it helps when everyone can relate. My dear, you are A TRUE STEEL MAGNOLIA

KIM I have a wonderful girdle..don't wear it much, but I got it when I was in a wedding...it comes up to the bottom of your bra, and it's like having an all over on.
I went to one of those corset shops and they fit you into what you need.

I took back my unused patches today!!! I still have that urge to smoke, but am being quite strong..and for me, that's great!!! My Pharmacist is so proud of me, and the praise makes me feel SUPER!!!
Thanks again for all the support that each and every one of you has given me.

Well I'm off to grill up some Chicken...while that's cooking, I'll be fixing my green beans...

Debbie, don't you beat yourself up for not being able to cook...as long as Eli will do it, let him...I wish I had someone to cook for me...I would pull up the chaise lounge and tell them to go to it

Everyone have a great evening

BOB

Hi Everyone:wave:

Thought I'd get in a post while I have the house still to myself.:D Did really nothing today. Had to work on a volunteer form for tomorrow's open house at the high school to try and get volunteers signed up for next year-should be easy with the 9th grade parents, older ones are light pulling teeth to get them to volunteer! Went to the grocery store and stopped for the newspaper-that was my exciting day today!:rolleyes:

ICESKATE, glad to see you posting today. There are many teachers on this board, so you are in great company. It's not easy being a teacher these days, I'm sure, and that's sad when you really sit down and think about it. Teachers shape the future for the kids. It should be one of the most respected professions! I'm glad you feel revitatlized now after your conference. Please let us know if we can help you in any way possible-we all want to see each other succeed on SB and reach our goals. And speaking of goals, don't worry, I'm not going ANYWHERE! When I reach goal, I'll still be here:) The participation on this board has brought me to where I am today, and I will continue posting because I truly believe this board has kept me in line these past 13 months. You'll find the more you are involved in the board, the more likely you are going to stay OP. So, not to worry-you're all stuck with me!!!!:lol:

FILLISE, thanks for the explanation of the Derby Party, sounds like you had a blast! After I posted the question to you I saw on the tv about the Kentucky Derby, so I figured it was a party for that. Would LOVE to see a picture of you adorned in your hat!!!! The drinks sounded interesting, well, all but the warm Nyquil one-YECK!

CHERI, tell your Mom congrats on the pound loss! Kudos for you too, staying the same is lots better than gaining! When you eat pasta & rice, what do you consider a serving size to be? How much cheese are you eating? It's a great source of calcium, so if you cut that out, please, try to fulfill getting your calcium other ways. You want pasta made with 100% durum wheat semolina or WW flours.

BOB, who the heck in Miami knows about a Derby Party! Down here, the only big party we hear about is Calle Ocho. We may be south, but it's definitely NOT horse country! Eli really does like cooking, and he's great at it-one day you'll come visit and he'll make one of his chicken concoctions-you'll love it. Seriously though, I feel bad, he works all day and has to come home to cook while I don't work-just isn't right. I took the meat I made and threw it in the food processor and ground it up for a sandwich, wasn't too bad.

Okay gals, I'm gone for now-will try to check in before I go to bed tonight. Remember, the new board starts tomorrow!!!!!

TOODLES!:wave:

Debbie
194/133.5/129
SB since 3/22/00

Debbie

Thanks for letting me know about the semolina pasta. As for the cheese, I have been eating about 3-4 oz a day. The pasta and rice when I eat it I eat 1/2 cup.

But I'm wondering, when I eat the pasta or rice and have had a slice of ww toast for breakfast and triscuits with cheese for a snack and then have 1/2 sandwich with ww bread for lunch and then 1/2 cup of pasta or rice at dinner . Do you think I'm having too much in one day? Should I only have 2 slices of ww bread in one day, or 1/2 cup of pasta or rice in one day, etc?

Anyway, thanks for the info.

Cheri

CHERI

Thanks for posting your info. Yes, this may definitely be the culprit. SB says to have 2-3 starchy carbs a day, and you are having 5, so do cut back. You just may be consuming too many carbs. Are you keeping any type of food journal? Try to limit your cheese to up to 2 ounces a day, that's for full fat cheeses, like cheddar.

Good Sunday Afternoon to All!!

Sounds like everyone is having fun. I've been working on scrapbooking and taking in easy today.

I didn't see the response if semolina pasta was SB safe. I was also going to ask if Spinach noodles are SB safe. I think they are made with semolina also.

Cheri
I have been very conciencious about my carbs. I just make a rule for myself, if I have a piece of toast with breakfast, than I can only have a 1/2 sandwich for lunch.
If I am planning a strach for dinner, then I make sure I cut something out at breakfast or lunch. So far so good, but I'm no expert on the program, just a newbie!:D

BOB
I'm starting to get a complex that I'm already on your last nerve. I had a few questions I asked you...I think on Friday and didn't hear back:?: I'm starting to feel like chopped-liver.

Fillise
Your Derby Party sounded fun. How many hats do you have? Does everyone try to come with the biggest, silliest one they can find, or is it more of a refined evening? I've never had a mint julup, but then again, I've lived in Ca. all my life.

Quilter
I'm making your "Beef Stroganoff" recipe that you posted on the April board. I couldn't find any WW flat noodles, So I bought the sprial kind. I'm sure it will taste just as good. :smug:

Well, time to walk the dog! I called the Orphan pet place to see if any of Floyds brother or sister had not been adopted yet, and the last one was adopted yesterday. I was feeling week and wanted to get one more puppy. I'm sure my husband is relieved. I thought it would balance things out..2 kids, two cats, two dogs....oh well. At least they all having homes now!

Just wanted to say goodnight!!!!:dz:

Deb forgot to tell you that I found a recipe for sf pwd sugar on a site on the food info board.

It's MONDAY, a new week and time for the NEW WEEKLY BOARD to begin. Just click on the link below:


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=5006

See you there!:)