If you have 50 or so pounds to lose, jump on in and join us! You will be sure to get a warm welcome! :)

Hi, everyone!

I'm back from wherever it is that I've been to join you all again. Honestly, though, I've been on vacation, trying to stay caught up at school, visiting a friend who's in the hospital, and all of that good stuff. Needless to say, that made it kinda hard to a) stay awake past 9 pm, and b) post with any regularity. I just got the bf off to work and am waiting to go myself, so I thought I'd stop and write a note.

I took last week off the program. I thought that maybe I was so tired because I wasn't feeding my body enough, but that turned out not to be it... plus I gained about 4 pounds. It's no big deal this time, though. I'm firmly back OP starting over again today.

Now if I could just figure out why all I want to do is sleep, I'd be happy. I need to make a doctor's appointment to see what's wrong with me. I go to work, come home, sleep, wake up, go to the hospital, come home, sleep, wake up, eat dinner... you get the point. Urgh.

In any event... I didn't want you all to think that I'd forgotten about you. I missed each and every one of you, so here I am. :) Now, it's off to work and then to the grocery store to pick up some healthier food than we have in the house. ;)

Kendra

Good morning, girls!

Kendra! Nice to have you back with us again. I was wondering what happened to you! You sound exactly like me as far as going off program. I can gain 4 or more pounds in just one week! Considering how long it takes me to lose 4 pounds, you would think that alone would keep me honest. But not always, unfortunately! You probably show check with a dr about your fatigue - maybe you are anemic. Do you take a good multi vitamin? My dd, who is about your age, has the same problem sometimes. She has kept a grueling work & school schedule for the past several years, as well as gym workouts several times a day (to deal with stress!) and is tired A LOT! (Plus, she's skinny as a rail - doesn't eat properly either - afraid she might gain a pound). She has found if she takes a multi-vitamin and extra vitamin B, she feels better. I think we all just do too much! We say all we do is get up, go to work/school, come home. But that's not true - we sandwich in a whole other life in those other hours. Enought of my Mom talk - just take care of yourself, OK?

Carol - You know I have heard the mind is the first to go when you get OLD! <IMG SRC="http://www.3fatchicks.com/ubb//lol.gif"> Missed your PT appointment, huh? Well, I am at least glad your back is feeling better and you are on the mend with your crud, too. Wish I could send you some of our warm weather - it was 80 yesterday! :) It rained off and on, but altogether not a bad day! We had a little front come through late last night but it was 60 when I got up.

Nancy - Teens have an interesting sleep schedule, don't they? I could barely every drag my dd out of bed from the time she was about 14 to her early 20's. Payback is here now, though. She gets up at 5:00 every morning for the gym & work, and now finds she can't sleep late even when she wants to! I am sure your son will be better with his "check-in" next time. Once they realize they get greater responsibility if they keep in touch, it doesn't take long for them to do so! Brrr! A jigsaw puzzle sure sounds good to me with that kind of beach weather!

Saara - Carol has a good idea! Ask your roomie if she would like to join in our group! I'm glad you will have someone else in WW for support. It always helps to have a WW buddy - as we all certainly can attest to! And you need to cut back on some of those work hours - your "job" is school, remember? How are the "peace talks" going?

Liz - You know your question got me to thinking about how the program has changed my eating habits. Like you, I could easily eat day to dusk - that part hasn't changed. But I automatically make so much better choices now. I probably haven't had red meat more than half dozen times in the past 18 months - and I used to eat it a LOT. I never purchase ANYTHING at the store without checking out the label info and I put things back on the shelf if it has too many points to make me confortable! Before WW, I bought anything I wanted and never thought to look at a lable. I don't eat butter anymore - but that is more a lactose thing than WW! But I have discovered the joys of low point honey on my toast instead!

Jan - Sorry about your Dad's eyesight but am glad there is some treatment to help him. He sounds like a remarkable guy - I can't wait to meet him! Get those bluebonnets going now - we want to show them to Carol & Janet! There are not any blooming around here yet although I have friends who were up in the hill country last week-end who said at least some of the wildflowers are blooming now - but not the bluebonnets or paintbrush yet. I am beginning to think my dd may have schedules her engagement pics a little too early - March 10 may not see the full wildflower effect yet. We'll see. It may rain that day anyway and they will have to take a later date.

Joyce - I am so sorry you have been sick for so long! That stuff has been pretty terrible around here, too. I count myself fortunate it skipped me - or at least so far. You know it will take many weeks for you to get your full strength back, don't you? So do not overdo and take time to rest every day if you can. Anyway, we are glad you are back.

Tomorrow is my dd's defense of her Master's thesis. She will present her paper to her committee. God willing, they will sign off on it tomorrow night and she will truly be done with the darn thing! She has been working on it like gangbusters for about 18 months now, but has been going to night school for the classwork since 1995. Poor child deserves a break, that's for sure. Additionaly, she has just about ruined her health over this thing. Mostly that's because she doesn't know how to do ANYTHING in moderation. To her way of thinking - if 100% is good, then 1000% must be 10 times better! That's a genetic trait she got from her Dad - not her Mom.

Another fun thing - her wedding gown arrived on Friday. I just happened to call the bridal shop to get a progress report and they said they had just pulled it out of the box. I didn't tell dd - I wanted her to be focused on the presentation tomorrow & not dwelling on picking up the gown. The shop will probably call her on Monday, but I am hoping she won't get the message until she gets back from the university Monday night.

I went with dd to get a perm yesterday moring. She has waist length hair so you can imagine that was an all morning long ordeal. She had her nails done the night before. When we got home, I told her how nice she looked and she said, Well, I figure if those guys don't sign my paper Monday night I may have to strangle them. And I want my mug shots to look good! <IMG SRC="http://www.3fatchicks.com/ubb//lol.gif">

Hi to Rebecca, Nancy & anyone else I may have missed. Gotta go, girls. Have a wonderful Sunday!

[This message has been edited by texaslady (edited 02-25-2001).]

Hi Kendra! So good to hear from you again! I think it's wonderful that you are re-committing to program this week; I *know* you'll succeed, you sound very serious. And I agree w/Texaslady, best to see a doctor about that fatigue. Hmm; being dehydrated causes fatigue; are you drinking all your water? They say to divide your weight in half, and drink that many ounces a day. Caffeine drinks don't count; in fact, they counteract the water.

Texaslady, yes, lots of other wildflowers are already blooming, like phlox, and even one paintbrush in the front yard; I think the bluebonnets are on the verge, as I saw some blooming 40 miles south of here. They bloom here sooner than the hill country, as we're warmer. We'll keep our fingers crossed! Good luck to your DD on the thesis defense; I remember mine, and it turned out to be a much "kinder and gentler" experience than I'd anticipated. I'm sure hers will be too!

Carol, glad you had some time for fun stuff this weekend! I hope your weather improves soon; you're right, I wouldn't be able to take those walks in weather like yours. I feel brave when I just walk in the rain; can't imagine walking in the snow!

JOYce, I'm so glad you're feeling better; a month is a long time to have the crud!! Now that you're back on your feet, are you gearing up to make Easter eggs again? I remember last March, when you joined the group (March 7! You were the 4th to join!) that's what you were doing. Congrats on the compliment; I know you certainly deserved it!! :)

DH and I are going out for our Sunday morning walk; it's sunny and almost warm. Sure hope that weather holds for next weekend! Btw, did you know this group started on March 3, 2000, so we are nearing our first anniversary? Tiger Lily (Janet), wherever you are, many thanks. Would love to hear from you again!

Everyone have a great Sunday! Hi to Saara, Rebecca, Janet, Linda, Liz, Nancy, and Nancy in TC! Hope you are all having a wonderful OP weekend!
Regards,
Jan

Happy sunday all!
JAN!, you are a walking encyclopedia! you must take lots of notes or have a lot better memory than I have!! you know when we started, who started it, and 'everything' else!! I am impressed!
And yes,I am gearing up for Easter eggs. I bought some new molds at the last show so will have more sizes to pour this year. I usually make them for placecards for Easter dinner. The girls will be gone to visit their sister in Oklahoma for Easter this year, so don't know how big a dinner I will have. I might just get a head start on enjoying a relaxing week!

texaslady HOW neat that you can keep the wedding gown a secret!! I'll bet you are dying to see her in it again! what is the wedding date? Good luck on those engagement pix! I hope the flowers cooperate.
Is she still wearing boots? and did she paint the soles? such an exciting time!

We had a wonderful birthday dinner last night, worth waiting for! We went to a really nice *special occasion* place, that has lots of extra service. Even the waiter has an assistant who shadows him around, to give extra service. And we had a cozy booth in front of a fireplace, was great on the rainy night that it was!

Must go!
~~~
JOYce

Good morning! How can it be Monday already?
Kendra, welcome back! I thought we lost you! But I'm worried about your being so tired all the time! Please go to the doctor and get it checked out!
Texaslady, I wish we had the 80 degrees you had there yesterday! But this summer I'll be glad not to have your weather, I guess! :) I'll keep all my fingers and toes crossed for your daughter today!! How exciting that her gown has arrived!
Jan, how do you remember all this stuff? I'm impressed! I couldn't even tell you for sure when I joined without looking back to see when my first post was. Looks like I've ben with the group since the end of March. It's sort of neat that we'll be having our get togther on the "anniversary" of the group's founding! The wildflowers sound lovely- I'm looking forward to seeing them!!
Joyce, I'm so glad you had such a wonderful birthday dinner!! It sounds like a lovely place! What's their specialty? If you are gearing up for your Easter eggs, spring cannot be too far behind! How is Linda doing? Why doesn't she drop in here any more?
Janet, when I heard about the tornadoes in Missisippi I was all worried about you- then I checked out Mapquest and was relieved to se that they were over 200 miles from you.
Saara,Liz, NJNancy,Nancy TC, Rebecca. hope you had a good weekend.

I had a quiet Sunday. I didn't even go to Trader Joe's. I can't totally shake the crud- still some cough and sinus stuff, and I'm so tired, so I just stayed in. It rained all day anyhow. I did watch my little sweetie for a couple hours while my dd and her dh went to see Castaway. They liked but didn't love it, if that makes sense. My little guy is growing so, and he's such a good natured little fellow. He's starting to lose that baby look now. He does love his grandma- and the feeling is mutual! He's my bestest buddy!

Did you all see about the 1 year old in Canada that wnadered out in the freezing cold in over a diaper- was frozen to the point of her heart stopping and has survived? They are still worried about frost bite. Apparently she wanderd out when mom was asleep on the sofa.

Well, I've got to run. With last weeks's Monday holiday, I'm so far behind! Have a good op Monday, everyone!
Carol

Good Monday! Hope everyone has a good start to their week!

TexasLady and Jan--- your wildflowers sound wonderful! It must be great to see COLOR outside. It is still grey and some snow cover here in Jersey. That must contribute to the winter blahs. No color intensity to stimulate our senses. Just think how excited we get when the first bulbs start to pop out. That tiny drop of color in an otherwise dull palette invigorates us.

JOYce-- glad to hear from you again. Yikes, you've had it bad. Don't overdo your activities... you are still on the mend and do not want a relapse.... hmmmm.. perhaps you have already had one relapse. Take care.

Do any of you take herbal or specific vitamin supplements? I am sold on the benefits of echinacea. It comes from that pretty purple coneflower! It is an immune system booster. At the first symptoms of a cold, you start taking it and stay on it for 5 days. YOur cold symptoms are less severe and the cold is over sooner. I also take it when I am surrounded by sick kids as a preventative. I've stayed clear this cold season. I give it to my children, too (in liquid form). They are not as diligent as I in maintaining the 5 day, but it helps when they take it.

Jan-- I was inspired by your daily walks. I hadn't walked for 2 days because of weather, but on Sunday evening, the temp rose to a balmy 52! I hit the pavement--- and got blown away with the wind!! I planned my route to walk into the wind on the way out, and had it to my back on the return. It felt good to be out and moving.

Nancy in TC-- did you get dumped on with snow?

JustLiz-- I've been thinking about your question about eating habits. I still have my cravings. I love my butter noodles, candy, cookies... and I eat them... sometimes. I do count them (most of the time!!). But I notice that after having a couple of those foods in the same day or in the same hour, I don't feel well. My mouth feels greasy, my stomach a little queasy. I, too, am a grazer and find that if I eat more frequently, I don't overdo it at any one meal or snack. I usually have veggie soup in the fridge to just heat up a mugful. I make mine with a slice of Velveeta Light cheese in the batch, and it is so satisfying to me. I love Annisette Toast and I keep a box on the counter. At 1 pt, I don't feel like I am overdoing my urge for a crunchy sweet. With WW I have learned to make better choices and to surround myself with better foods. But I still make dumb choices. This past Friday I had pizza with the kids. I had 2 slices and although I counted the 18 pts(!!), after an hour, I was wondering if it was worth the high point count. It seemed so at the time, but I did not have a sense of fullness from it. My key is MINDFUL EATING. I need to give thought to my foods. Last week I had an egg and toast for breakfast. After the meal I had a hankering for something sweet to finish off the meal. A bag of sugar cookies was staring me in the face.... hmmmmm. I walked away and spotted a half orange. I figured I would try the orange first, then if I still needed sweet I would consider the cookie. Well, with a mind to presentation, I peeled the orange, arranged the slices on my plate, and ended my meal with that. My sweet crave was ended. And my gut was fuller from orange than it would have been with a cookie (or 3 or 4!). Lesson learned for me was round out the meal at the start with a balance of salt and sweet. Fill the plate with the good foods, and the you'll see your complete meal from the start. No need to go searching for an additional and probably off program item. This worked this one time for me...no telling if the cookies will win out another time. But hey.. I take this program, one meal at a time... one hour at a time. This time I won! And I can remind myself of that feeling of victory next time I am weakening. But Liz, you've lost 70 pounds... you must have reminders from past successes you can draw on, too. Is it a battle? Sure. It's a WAR!! And we will lose a few battles here and there, but we are looking at the big picture, and in the LONG RUN we will overcome this WAR!

We can do it!!

Good morning, girls!

What a SPECTACULAR day we had yesterday! It was 82 and beautiful and sunny. Felt like summer! I had to turn on the AC cause the house got too warm. I did a little yardwork - not much, or I knew I wouldn't be able to get up this a.m.

Nancy - good for you for winning the breakfast battle. I LOVE your reference!!This is indeed a WAR and we fight battles every hour. And though we don't win them all, our goal is to win the war!!

Joyce - I am so glad you got to go out to a really nice place. You and your DH have had a really rough year with this crud. I know weather is not a real issue for you, but I hope you are able to get up and out and enjoy the spring days.

Carol - You're not doing much better with this crud either, are you? We need to send you Get Well vibes so that you are fit & fiddle for this coming week-end! Take care of yourself.

Janet - I though of you too when I heard about the tornados! Glad they weren't in your area. What's going on with you these days - haven't heard from you in a while.

Saara - It occurred to me that maybe your roomate doesn't speak & write English like you do & may not be able to post! I am guilty of "forgetting" you are Finnish because your language skills are so terrific! If she's not proficient in English, she can join vicariously! What's her name?

Jan - Your week-end breakfast sounds yummy. I never though of just using an egg white for pancakes. What a good idea. I usually just get the low fat Aunt Jemima frozen ones. But then I am basically a lazy cook!
I did fix some coca chicken last week, and it was yummy! How did you know when this board started? I think I joined about April, not really sure. Believe that you and Carol and Joyce were already here when I came on board.

Got to go girls. Time for the commute. Hi to anyone I missed. Take care.

Hi Everyone

We went away this weekend and spent some time with my sister, and her family. It was a great time. I love getting to spend time with my sister, and my niece. She is almost 8 months old and a lot of fun! I had a good weekend, had been banking points for the occasion and even brought my own breakfast, snacks and water bottle. I realized that making those small decisions before I left, made my weekend so much easier. :) I also got great compliments on the weight loss and then the compliments repeated by my mom from what my sister said, "Your sister said you look great, can't wait to see you." That kind of thing. Felt really great!

Am in a funk though, feeling sorry for myself because I don't have children yet. Feel like it will never happen and when I feel that way, I eat. :( And I did yesterday, I blew the great weekend I had. I don't know what to do, I just want the weight off. Guess I just need to re-evaluate what needs to be done and get busy. I just get so frustrated and I turn to food, I don't know how to change that and that frustrates me too.

But everyone, I better get going. Have a great day everyone!

Rebecca

Hi JOYce! Sounds like y'all had a lovely evening, wow, firelight even! We haven't had a fire in the fireplace all winter; it's been too warm. Glad you're feeling better; be sure to follow everyone's advice, and don't overdo! You are always involved in so many neat projects, but don't give in to temptation and take on too much just yet.

Carol, be sure to bring some pix of your little sweetie! I'll bet he's growing up fast. re: The date we started, do you remember when we talked about going on Oprah so we could have a free get-together in Chicago? Well, I was only half joking; I printed out our first few threads so we could document when we started. Maybe we'll *still* get to go on Oprah some day! Wouldn't that be a blast... maybe we'd all get free makeovers or something!

NJNancy, way to go on the walk! I agree, it makes me feel much better too. Things that normally would stress me out don't bother me as much, now that I'm walking so much. And I'm really getting to know my cd collection this way, too! ;)

Texaslady, yes, wasn't it beautiful this weekend? And the SA weather folks say that next weekend will be just as lovely! Not only that, but the bluebonnets ARE starting to bloom now!

Rebecca, I'm so sorry you're feeling down; I can really empathize with your concern over starting a family. But think of it this way: your weight loss journey is a part of that too, as you will be healthier and more able to enjoy that future child when he or she comes into your life! It *will* happen for you, I feel sure! To everything there is a season ...

Hope everyone had a great Monday! Dad and I are heading out to the ranch now, where dh has been cleaning up the old house for our picnic next Sunday morning. :) It will really cheer Dad up to go out there, and to see all the progress dh has made; Dad loves that place, but with his illness last fall, and the chilly weather last month, he hasn't been there in some time.

Hi to Saara, Nancy in TC, Janet, Liz, and Kendra!
Jan

Hi, everyone...

I managed to sleep in again today, but it's only 5 pm and I'm dead tired again, with a night class to go to yet. I'm making a doctor's appointment for tomorrow if I can get one, because now I'm a little freaked out. And this time, I won't let the doctor brush aside what I have to say.

Texaslady, I am indeed anemic... this is something that I've known for a while. However, what you said made me start to wonder if I need to take stronger iron supplements. I'll mention that to my family doctor next time I see him. Thanks for the advice. I've got my fingers crossed for your daughter. I don't defend my senior thesis until May, so I'm not too worried yet. (The key word there is too!)

It wasn't quite 80 degrees here yesterday, but it was close... 73*. It was beautiful; I wore shorts to the hospital last night.

Rebecca, I'm so sorry you're feeling sad. But like Jan said, getting yourself physically ready to have a child is the best thing you can do for the both of you.

Well, my good news for the day is that I've found a babysitting job. I love to babysit, and this woman will pay me more an hour than Starbucks... all to play with kids! As long as I maintain my 20 hours a week there, I get to keep my health benefits... so I'm going to cut back a little (not much) and babysit on the side for some extra money... and some fun!

Kendra

Hi everyone! We've had a pretty day here- temp got to the mid 50's and lots of sunshine. Can spring be far behind?
NYNancy, I like your analogy- weight loss is a war for sure!! And we can all win it- maybe we'll lose a few minor battles along the way, but the end result is what counts. I don't take vits (I know I should). As for herbals, I work for an allergist who doesn't particularly care for them because of the lack of standardization, and the fact that since they are made from plants, etc., people with allergies can have some real problems. For example, chamomile is ragweed, so people allergic to ragweed can have problems with that. So, since I have lots of allergies myself, I don't take 'em- not that millions of people don't have wonderful results- I'm just a little leery.
Texaslady, my day seemed pretty till I read about yours!!!How'd your dd's presentation go? Can I uncross my fingers and toes yet? :D
Rebecca, it sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, and congratulations on the compliments! I know how hard it must be for you to see your little niece, though- but eating won't make that any better! In fact, the better your overall health, the better your chances of getting pregnant may be! Hang in there!!!
Jan, never ask an overindulgent grandma to bring baby pix!!! You'll be SOORRRRYY! http://www.3fatchicks.com/ubb//lol.gif Actually, I don't leave home without some! I had forgotten all about the Oprah thingy- so that's how you remember all those dates!! Can't wait to see the blue bonnets- we have a few crocuses popping, but that's about it here. Will we get to meet your dad while we're there? I'd sure like to- he sounds like a great guy, and I'd love to be able to put a face with the person. I'm looking forward to meeting your dh too- I know we'll see him, unless he takes one look at the bunch of us and heads for the hills! :D

Well, I've gotta run. Have a good evening, everyone!
Carol

I had the longest post going and I hit the wrong button and I lost it! :( Now I am about out of time!

Just wanted to let you know that dd successfully defended her Master's thesis last night and her committee members signed off on the thing. Now all she has to do is get the dean to add his John Henry to it and its a done deal. It's been along road for her, I am so proud and thankful that its all but over now.

Don't have time to repost all my comments. Kendra - let us know what the Dr. says!

Rebecca - You didn't "blow a whole week-end" - you probably just ruined a day! And that is fixable. Just get back up on program and go on down the road. Returning your body to a healthy state is a good first step in planning for a baby! You have done so well and I am sure the compliments you got this week-end reinforced that! You just hang in there, you hear!

Gotta go. Have a great Tuesday. Jan, Carol & Janet - can't wait for this week-end!

Morning everyone. I have to share that all that snow we got less than a week ago is almost all melted! Can't believe things change so much in such a short time. Makes me ache for spring, though.

Texaslady: congrats to you on your daughter's sucess. You must be so proud. What did she get her degree in?

Kendra: let us know what the doctor says. I hope it is as simple as upping your iron dose. I konw I feel different when I forget my vitamins.

Thanks to everyone who gave me some input regarding changes made since starting ww ( I was going to say "food for thought" but thought better of it LOL) I decided to concentrate on the emotions of my eating. I started to really journal my feelings as well as what I eat everyday. Should be interesting considering I am meeting with my lawyer this week about the initiation of my divorce proceedings. The skank left last August, haven't seen or heard from him since (although mutual friends kindly informed me that he left me for a 19 year old) Since I just relocated to NJ at that time the lawyer told me that I would need to wait until I have been here a year to file. Well the time is now..kind of feel like I have been in a holding pattern since last year and now I can move ahead...mmmm wonder if all this eating is about becoming single again and facing all those challanges....I bet I could "analyze" this to the nth ...everyone wish me luck at the lawyers. I am kind of nervous

thanks for listening to me ramble. everyone hav a great day

Good morning, everyone!

Texaslady, congratulations to your daughter (and you, too!) on her thesis! What's she getting her master's in again? I had the same problem with my post... somehow, AOL committed an illegal error and shut down. Luckily for me, I've still got time to repost. :)

Liz, good luck with the lawyers today. Also, congratulations on identifying this stress as an eating challenge. That's so hard for many people... now you can be sure to keep your eating in check, or at least attempt to.

Well, I'm going to lie back down and sleep a little more before class. I'm hoping that I'll start feeling better if I rest lots when I can.

Kendra