[Katpo]

New week, new attitude ... let's get this party started!!

Like the saying goes ... If "ifs and buts" were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas!

So how was last week? How about the weekend? What can you do differently this week than you did last week? And what's the plan to deal with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Our celebrations can be, and should be, separate from our meals. We should celebrate all the wonderful things in our lives and all the blessings we've had in the past year.

[ontarget]

kathy. i'm not going to change anything. i already changed from flex to core but that wasn't really for the holidays. it was so i'd keep my strength up while training and competing. right now i'm working the plan and letting it work for me.

i don't mean to sound smug. we have two holiday events coming up in the next few days, and i think i'm ready. one thing i did several days ago was to buy a cute christmas outfit. also, i'm taking core foods to both. i plan to spend most of my time visiting with friends at the first and family at the second.

what about you? what are your plans?

[Vickie]

Good question, Kath. I wish I could say that I have a plan but I don't. I'm thankful that I have time to make one though.

I'm weighing, measuring, and journalling.

And...I'm oh so tired.

[Vickie]

Good Morning Chicks! My spirit feels a bit renewed this morning. One meal at a time.

I'll be baking Scottish Shortbread today (3-4 batches) and fudge (plain and nuts). In between I'll be cleaning. The shortbread has to be made in small batches one pan in the oven at a time. It's a bit of a pain but everyone seems to think it's worth it. I'm making a gift assortment tin for Cassie's Vet and for our favorite waitress at our favorite Core restaturant. We ask for her every week and she takes great care of me including always giving me extra veggies! Of course, she'll get an extra nice cash gift too!

I really got a couple of AP's yesterday. I worked solid for 4 hours. I always underestimate the intensity when it's not traditional exercise and I don't eat them. I just like to know I got them and I hope it makes up for any BLT's along the way. I'm guessing I won't have too much trouble resisting my baked goods. My experience has been that desserts are far too sweet for me now. My poison is real food....pizza in particular.

I wish I had a nice new outfit. I don't feel that I deserve it. I'll wait until I get back where I was. In the meantime, it's business time!

Have a great day chicks. I'll try to check in on all of you during my breaks.

[aghiowa]

Good morning ladies. Vickie, to you. You can do this, I know it. Weighing and measuring is a good step. Good luck with the baking. I don't do holiday baking, because I'd end up eating it all.

Sandra, congrats on getting back to "hard-Core." I'm sure you'll end up with more energy.

I'm not really too worried about Christmas festivities this year, since my mom and sister are also in WW, we should have many healthy alternatives. I'm just having a bit of a hard time since I've been sick. I eat for comfort, and I feel cruddy. But I have been decently good, and can continue being good. I'm looking forward to my meeting tomorrow...they always re-energize me.

I'm debating whether or not to keep the girls home from school another day. I think dd #2 I will for sure, since she had a bit of a fever yesterday evening. But dd#1 just has a cold. However, I know how miserable this cold makes you feel. She's just lying on the heat vent on the floor now, and her face is pale and blank. Poor little girl! But yesterday, all day, they were running around and playing just fine. Decisions, decisions!

Later,
Angela

[Katpo]

Good morning!

Sandra, I didn't think you sounded smug at all! Your plan sounds like a very good one to me, and I'm sure it'll go well for you.

Vickie, just hang in there, girlie! It's all any of us can do. I told my boss this morning that I feel like I've gained five pounds since I've been working on this cookbook. I see recipes all day long and am thinking about food in my sleep. I've never been hungrier in my life. Your shortbread sounds like a perfect gift and I'm sure they'll enjoy and appreciate it so much. That reminds me that I need to get cracking on my neighbor gifts, and the tray to take to our vet. I usually take tins of chex mix, almond bark covered popcorn, and fudge to them. The neighbors will get cookies this year because another neighbor gives everyone the popcorn and I don't want to steal her idea.

Oh dang. They're messing with me. Gotta go...

[ontarget]

good morning. we're up and at'm earlier than normal. yesterday's w a helped me in a way i didn't expect. last night was my first night in about 2 months that i was able to sleep comfortably without neck/shoulder pain. i'm thinking now that the pain wasn't cuz of archery but was stress-related. w a is a destressor for sure.

kathy, i have to confess that after i posted last night i got a bit worried. i was afraid i was setting myself up by being to "sure of myself." however, posting online is making me be accountable. i'd hate to goof up now that you all know i'm feeling confident.

vickie, don't tell anyone but i bought my outfit at walmart. i think it's cute, though. i am impressed with all your baking. i'm not doing much baking. we've never established any traditions for me to bake. i am going to make some of those dream pies. i think i'll do white chocolate/peppermint. i'm going to make one of those cakes using no-sugar added pie filling. maybe spice cake/apple pie filling. i'm not sure.

angela, did you keep dd home today? i know the girls want to be at school this week what with all the holiday activities but it's best to keep them home for their sake as well as so they won't spread anything to others. i want to tell you again how happy i am that you're back coreing. i have missed your support. i need you.

we're about to leave to go train. i hope all of you are having a terrific tuesday. see ya later.

[Katpo]

Angela, I hope your DD is much better. Bless her little heart, how miserable would it be to feel rotten over Christmas? I also hope it doesn't spread to the others.

Sandra, you aren't setting yourself up for a failure, you're setting yourself up for success! I believe that with dedication, portion control, and resisting the sweets that we can all do it. Other people are saying this is a bad time to try and stick to a diet ... we say it's the BEST time! We don't need a lot of extra food to have fun!

I'm having the worst day here, with people wanting hurried changes. They're all trying to get their fixes done so they can test them and be off over Christmas. The simulators are occupied every hour of the day.

Back to it ... I'll check in a little later.

[ontarget]

kathy, i hope your day lightens up. how long will you be off for christmas?

[Vickie]

Ooohhhh...this baking is hard! I'm not doing it next year for sure. You cannot imagine how my house smells. I'm done with two batches of shortbread and a batch of fudge. I'm going to eat lunch now since I'm feeling weak physically and emotionally and Jim isn't here. He went to get me more supplies and stuff I need for dinner.

[Vickie]

The crisis has passed for the moment. I ate lunch and feel a bit better. I had a can of split pea and ham soup which I thought would stick to my ribs better. I'm also guzzling water.

Bake to the baking!

[Vickie]

Frouf, where are you again? I hope you're not crazy at work like poor Kathy!

[Tejas]

Hi All:

I took most of today off and took my ex's niece shopping for herself and her two children (5 and 6 months).

I've done OK with food today and the challenge comes in a few hours when we go to our friend's tree trimming party. I'm going to have to really, really control myself. I'll try to think that the best present I can give myself this year is to NOT gain any weight and to eat consciously. I can do it.

Vickie, that baking is very hard to do when trying not to eat any of it. I KNOW that challenge.

Kathy, hope it calmed down for you at work; and Sandra have you looked to see how much energy it takes to do archery. I "googled" it and was amazed at the calorie expenditure. Angela, hope the babies feel better soon. I hate colds myself...they make me feel miserable.

Wish me luck tonight. I'll report in.

Rhonda

[Vickie]

Good Luck, Rhonda!

Kath, how did your day go?

Sandra, I don't think you're smug. I think we need confidence and ALOT of it to survive the holidays without a gain.

Angela, I hope the girls are feeling better.

I don't know why I agreed to bake this stuff. It's almost like I intended to sabotage myself. I'm going to try real hard not to do that. I got everything done that I needed to get done today, including finishing the cleaning of the last room upstairs. Now I'm cooking dinner and trying to figure out what to make tomorrow night that will be easy and still Core. Tomorrow is another big cooking, cleaning day for me. Yeah....more AP's! I ate two tiny pieces of shortbread and I've counted the points. I sure am glad that my new WW week begins on Monday. That means that I get a new 35 points beginning on Christmas day. That should help. I'm trying not to eat anything non-Core because I know I'll have a cookie or two. As long as I stop.....

[Katpo]

It has been a heck of a day. I wouldn't even know where to start, so I won't.

Let's see ... tonight I made tater tot casserole for Judd because I WAS going to make Mexican cornbread for the potluck tomorrow, and the ground beef was thawed out. I decided to just take double the amount of meatballs instead, so needed to cook the ground beef. The casserole was the easiest thing I could think of.

We're about to frame a barn picture and I'll take a picture of the picture and post it later or tomorrow night. Then I'm just cleaning up the kitchen, figuring out my work clothes for tomorrow, and stopping. Tomorrow night I'm making something called Baked French Toast for a breakfast (not the whole program, only five of us) Thursday morning. We do that instead of exchanging gifts.

Vickie, it sounds like you did very well with staying out of the goodies! You go, girl!

I'll be back tomorrow morning. I hope everyone has a good night! Frouf, where are you??