I'm trying to stay off my feet right now. I have a football game tonight, so I expect to be covered in hot chocolate again. I have lost 4 of the 8 pounds I gained on my binge last weekend. I'm sure that was the water portion. I'm hoping to sweat the rest off tonight. It will be about 5 degrees at game time, that's 40's for you Americans. Went to the doctor yesterday. It was so nice to only see 4 prescriptions instead of 5 this time. I'm going to like it even more when I go to pick them up and pay for them this afternoon. It's always nice when you can drop one of the expensive ones. 20% of a lot is still a lot. I have thus far refused to take the PG test just because my husband wants me to so bad. Honest to God, he tried to float a butter dish in the toilet so I wouldn't notice when I got up to go this morning without my glasses on. I was raised by a practical joker. He'll have to come up with something a lot better than that to catch me.

Brenda: Yea to you on another -1. I say going down is better than up! lol.

Meta: Congrats on a size 22 How exciting to be able to buy clothes without going to a "special store".

Peggy: Wow, congrats to you too. Your outfit sounds so cute and comfy. I'm happy that you got to wear your cute doggie shirt again.

Ammi: I hope Darren feels better soon. Poor guy. Thanks for the emails and yup it is Dee dee who was a drag. I only brought her because she said she needed a new bra desperately. I ended up buying her 2 bras and 1 sweat shirt in exchange for her coming to clean my house really good on Wednesday before my Uncle and Cousin come to visit.

Emily: So happy to see you post whenever you can. I wonder about our smiling Em quite often. Glad things are going so great for you hun.

Catherine: Congrats on loosing 4 of the 8. Great job. Also congrats on less meds. I myself know that feeling first hand. After this week I don't have to take anymore high blood pressure meds and I already don't have to take my water retention meds. Now, to just get rid of the potassium meds and the to protect my gall bladder while I loose wegit qucikly and all I will be taking is vitamins. It is exciting. The butter dish in the potty was so great. It made me smile. Sneaking man ya got there. lol. Don't over do it at the game today!

Well, everyone else. Hugs and hope you are all doing well. I am just zonin a bit about to go do a couple of errands. My niece Lindsey who has been with us all summer is leaving back for school tomorrow morning at 4 or 5 am. I will miss her so much.

Blessing to you all,
Annie

Hi All,

I am feeling so proud of myself today. I went grocery shopping this evening and we ended up taking so long that it was way past my meal time. But despite wanting to pick up everything I shouldn’t in the shop, I still bought all healthy low fat stuff, and instead of buying a bar of chocolate to eat while we waited for the taxi I bought an apple. How good am I

Em - lovely to see you posting. It’s good to hear that you have made such a great life style change that without doing anything very big you are feeling better and the weight is still coming off I am glad to hear you are so happy in your work too, it must be lovely doing a job that you really love, and it helps with the weight loss too with all that walking

What rides did you fit on at Alton Towers? I may be lighter than you,but I am also shorter, and I am sure most of my weight is in my butt and thighs so I really am concerned about fitting in those ride seats. Did all the main rides have dummy seats before the queue so you can test to see if you fit?

Catherine - great news about losing 4 of those 8 lbs. Like you said, the others shouldn’t be far behind. Hope you don’t get too much hot choc over you at the football game

Annie - lol I did remember Dee Dee’s name, I just wasn’t sure if maybe she came on 3 fat chicks so I didn’t want to mention her by name. I hope she does an excellent job of cleaning your house seeing as you’ve already bought those things for her.

Okie dokie, time to go chill in front of the TV now. Finally some relaxing time. Take care all,

Hugs,

Ammi

Nancy, to you on your 2 lbs gone! Also that was a great NSV.
It's always so great when people start to notice the weight loss. Keep up the good work!!

Battleax, Wow! Size 24!! That is so fantastic that you can wear them now. That's my next size down and I can't wait!! Sorry to hear about your struggle with exercise. I know that you will get right back on track.

Peggy, you handled the pizza so well. I'm a total pizza-aholic too and to even have a small in the house, I would of eaten half. Good choice on the salad too. You certainly can be proud of yourself, as I am. So glad you can wear that pretty long sleeved shirt again. It's so fun to go in to the too small clothes and find that they fit again. I just did that with
one of my shirts, and now it's almost too big...what a great feeling!

John, don't work too hard...mmmm a frosty...how I miss those.

Annie, how lucky to have a Mom who did all that for you! Sorry the shopping experience wasn't as much fun as it could of been. Next time, go get yourself a pedi and a mani, and do some more clothes shopping. That puzzle I was doing, well I think there were some kitty and doggie paws in it. It turned up I was missing 3 pieces. darn it!! The kitties like to knock the pieces on the floor and then our new dog, Marilyn, ate them. Sheesh!

Meta, how exciting to be in a size 22 dress! That's fantastic!! And what the topper is, is that you feel so good in it. Keep up the good work. So many great NSV's on here lately.

Brenda, yeah!! Down another pound I see!

Ammi, yes, I certainly would recommend the walk and muscle dvd. You walk one mile while doing upper body exercises with 3 lbs weights. It's a good workout and I really did work up a sweat. I got this one when I ordered those 7 Dvds. It was a website selling them for only around 24 bucks and that was including shipping. Normally it would of been $159 for those. It was a great deal and I couldn't pass it up.I haven't tried the walk and jog yet..still have to build up to that one. Good choice on the apple!!!

Hi Em! Good to see you back. I'm so happy for you on your job. There's nothing better than having a job that you love. All that walking just at work is such good exercise.

Catherine, I've gotta say..that was pretty funny on the butter dish in the toilet. I just sat here and cracked up. Thank you for that. It's pretty cold there now isn't it, so maybe having hot chocolate all over you will keep you warm..lol. Come on...take the test..we're all dying to know!!

Hubby and I went out and did our shopping today. Bought alot of goodies for the salads since I've been eating at least one a day. Also some fruit. Yum! I really don't crave sweets at all anymore but if I do, I have the 100 calorie packs. I just love those. Especially the Lorna Doone ones. Tonight we are going to go out. He wants to go karaoke..nope..I don't sing but I like to watch people. Other than that, yardwork probably this weekend...again.
Debbie

Hi everybody! Wow I have not been here in ages. Life suddenly became a zoo. But I do miss everyone and hope to check in again more often.

I got a $150 a month rent increase so decided to move... my lease is up Oct. 30 and I was so fortunate to find a place immediately where a guy bought a house and is moving out of his apartment. It is almost the same rent as I would pay here but much larger and nicer! So I have been frantically packing and painting the walls I painted different colors. Sooooooo much to do!!!

Oh and would you believe... a couple at church gave me a REALLY nice treadmill! They will keep it for me until I move. Has the arm tension thing, etc. Yay!

More later... God's blessings to all.

LitChick!

OMGosh, your black beauties are gorgeous!!! The window picture is precious.

I miss my old black cat, Wicket. She was a great cat with a fabulous personality. Captn kitty (my long haired black cat) is 17 yrs old and still hanging in there. Ratkity is my 15 yr old tortishell psychokitty. It's hysterical to see my golden retriever, Buffy, giving Captn's head a good tongue soaking. Captn loves it. He quit cleaning himself a while ago and he thinks Buffy is doing a decent job. Old Spithead. Psychokat hates my goldens and the other golden, Charlie, loves to chase her into the bedroom. All during the golden-cat show, I have a neurotic parrot screaming encouragement to both sides hehe. Never a dull moment in my house!!

Give those cuties a hug for me,
Luv,
RK

TGIF, everyone!

Story, oddly enough, one time my hair started falling out and for some reason when I changed my shampoo it stopped. Probably just a strange coincidence, but I still won't use Herbal Essences shampoo... Hope everything goes well with the tests!

Torister, I get the same kind of response from people when they ask me what I'm doing to lose my weight. It's like they expect for you to mention some top secret to weight loss, like eating mung bean sprouts with each meal or something ridiculous like that! I love pizza as well, but the only way I trust it for me is to buy the frozen pizzas (Amy's brand because they're made of high quality stuff so it's not as cardboard-like). For some reason I can control myself with those much better... probably because they show me right on the box how many calories I'm eating. Maybe if Pizza Hut put it right in front of my face like that I'd put that 3rd slice down... haha.

Annie, thanks! Look at all of that weight just falling off of you! You're going to pass me up before long, I'm sure. Lane Bryant has my favorite underwear (and bras oddly enough). Avenue's are okay as well, don't know if you have one of those near you. I usually like to shop alone or with my mom, because it seems anytime I take my friends they always end up making fun of the things I like. One time in recent memory was when I was with my friend Makana at Forever 21 (a juniors shop that I felt VERY awkward in) and I found a purse I liked. She forced me to put it down and said "Okay, we have to go before you buy something horrible like THAT "... I went back the next day and bought it. I felt like a coward and defiant at the same time... haha

Ratkity, my hair is layered and does the weird flippy thing as well, mostly because I usually sleep on it wet. The only reason my hair looks remotely straight is because I used the straighening iron on it... not so well, might I add. I don't know why mine never looks as straight as other peoples... probably because they're more patient than I am with sectioning their hair. Might also be that they have more expensive tools than I do...

Catherine, that's a bummer that they're not going to let you take that class. If you really want to that bad, I agree that she's probably not the final authority. In either case, I'm sure you'll think of lots of fun and interesting ways to mess with her!

Nancy, way to go on the NSV and -2 lbs! I've only watched bits and pieces of Ugly Betty, but I liked what I saw. For some reason I have a hard time getting into shows, probably because I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up! Maybe I'll have to invest in the DVDs like you.

BattleAx, congrats on fitting into those pants! I'm actually planning on heading to Lane Bryant sometime this weekend to look at jeans. I was never impressed with them in the past, but I figured I'd at least look.

Wyllenn, hope you have a good time out of town wherever you are!

John, sorry you're feeling so slammed at work.

Meta, hope that fall fair is lots of fun! I always love things like that. As of right now, I'm trying to find a friend to go with to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I've only been to the one in Texas before that's the largest in the country, so it'd be nice to see what other RenFests have to offer. I don't want to buy a costume right now, as they're expensive and I'm not planning on being able to wear it next year! If only I could sew... haha

Brenda, hey, a 1 lb loss is great! Like you said, better to have lost than to have gained. Every lb you lose gets you a little bit closer to goal!

Ammi, I hope Daren feels better! Great job on keeping control while in the grocery store. I'm always tempted to buy yummy looking things there... especially the yummy things disguised as health foods... like the whole grain cookies and things like that.

EmilyMay, that's great that you love your job! I'd say that all of that running around the halls will definitely help with your weight loss... every little bit helps!

Debbie, I love karaoke! I like to sing, but only if the mood is right and I can actually find a song I know all of the words to. Watching people is always the most fun though. One time I saw a group of 5 men who looked like they had just come from a business dinner (in suits and ties) sing "My Heart Will Go On"... well, one was singing, the rest were pretending to be Kate Winslet when she was stretching her arms out on the front of the ship... haha

Misti, a larger and nicer home is always better in my book! Sounds like a great find!

Everyone else,



I had a great day today. We got our economics quizzes back today and my instructor said that only two people in our class (there's 77 people) made a 21/21 (100% in other words)... and I was one of them! She even later kind of announced it to the class, so I hope no one hates me! Haha.

I took a nap after I got home from school which proved to be a bad idea. I really needed to go to the store to pick up a few vital things I needed for today, but decided I was too tired. After my nap, it was even harder to drag myself up and out to the store, but I went and I'm glad I did as I found some new interesting foods to try. For dessert I'm trying one of my new Nature's Promise Fruit, Flax & Fiber Whole Grain muffins... 8g of fiber and 180 calories, which really isn't bad at all for a muffin.

Tomorrow from 1-3 I get to work at Fun Day with the rest of the Math & Computer Science club. I hope it's fun and we have nice weather because it's supposed to rain tomorrow morning. We're making bubbles with the kids out of these 3-D geometric models of some sort... not exactly sure, but it sounds good to me!

That's about it for me. Everyone have a great OP weekend!

IMO Lane Bryant has the best panties and bras. The underwear lasts longer than any other plus-size brands I've tried. It's expensive, but if you shop the sales it's not bad, when considering how long they last.

Avenue's is nice, but it doesn't last as long.

I've tried the panties in the package at discount stores, and of course they're not nearly as nice, but they do the job. I bought some recently because my budget is really tight. I have been disappointed in how long they last. Before you know it, they have holes.

ETA: OK, I know someone talked about buying underwear at Lane Bryant. I can't find the post now, but I swear this response isn't coming out of left field! :-)

Annie-I'm surprised they didn't take your gallbladder when they did the surgery. In Florida, they would take it out as part of the surgery.

Ammi-It warmed up just enough, that they didn't want hot chocolate today. They gave free tickets away to back to school kids, and we went through popcorn, corndogs, and hotdogs. 56,000 screaming kids. We ran out of everything.

Debbie-Can you come do my yard work? I need to mow, and himself won't let me because I might hurt myself. It's not going to cut itself, and he wouldn't even know how to start the thing.

Misti-Lots of people are having their rent raised here because of the boom. 1 bedroom apartments are going for $750.

Lindsey-I can take the class, but they wouldn't pay for it. I'm going to be content with what I'm allowed. He agreed with them about it, so maybe they are right about it. It just means I'll have more time to blow the curve in the other two classes.

Just spent 6+ hours on my feet. I seem to be taking fewer and fewer breaks. I guess I'm getting stronger, or more used to being in pain. They gave away free tickets to kids going back to school, and it was like a horde of 56,000 locusts descending on us. They ate everything that wasn't nailed down. They ate all the popcorn, and we started with 15 lawn and leaf bags stuffed full. We don't even get to find out how the game is going except for hearing the cheers or cannons going off with scores. We have to ask the ushers on the way out the door what the score is. I've only got one more game this fall because we will miss 2 while traveling. If we don't make the playoffs that is. I don't know how we could possibly make the playoffs at this point. It has been hard, but has been so good for my self esteem.

Hi Catherine... you can't FIND a 1 bedroom apartment around here for $750! Almost impossible to find one under $900 and most at least $950 and up. Yikes!

Glad to hear you are getting stronger! Yay for you.

G'morning all!

Misti, yay for new digs! Geesh, and a treadmill. I hate packing to move. I haven't moved in 6 years.. one more year and it'll be a record! I have noticed that I accumulate some odd things and don't have the purging that moving does. I'm getting better at throwing things away.

Lindsey, wow, a shampoo that messed with your hair that bad? Eeeep. I have the straightest hair known to mankind. When it's humid, it goes flat looks like I haven't washed it. I know my friends with fluffy hair hate the humidity for the opposite problem.

Battle, a friend of mine gave me all her Victoria Secret bras (in a multitude of colors too!) when she lost weight. It took losing 100 lbs, but they all fit! yay! They have lasted forever too. Oh, and I hear ya about cheapo undies. Holes and elastic boings early on.

Catherine, get Himself to rub those feet! Oh maybe not. He'll wear you out more..nvm.. hehe. yay for more strength!!! It's amazing what you guys serve during games. You don't wanna know what apartments go for in the burbs of DC. The icky side of town, they go for $1100 for a studio if you can find one. Right now, I couldn't afford to buy my own house if it was on the market.

Nancy, you are my hero!!! You keep going girl. I love your enthusiasm and NSVs!!

Wyllenn, see you when you get back! Have a good weekend.

More to come!

Luv,
Ratkity

Well, I gained 2.6 lbs this week. It was a combo of bad eating choices, more exercise, and TOM. I am back on track today. I rode my bike yesterday and kept telling myself that I was not a number on a scale. On a good note, I rode faster on average than I ever have.. hehe.

I have been thinking about intense feelings and my food coping skills. The fears and feelings have been surfacing periodically.

For example, my little sis (who has also has lost 100 lbs; now a size 10) was working with a client on software testing. She was being nice to the client and chatting about general things. Well, her colleges accused her of flirting with the guy because he whispered something to my sister. The whisper had to do with the product potentially not performing and he didn't want the other tester to hear it. What fear did this surface? That because of my reduced size, people now see me as a sexual person and being friendly is now seen as flirting. Being fat, I am seen as asexual and general chatting is not seen as a threat.

What does this mean? Some problems go away as a result of losing weight and some more appear?

As I mull some of these things over, my eating goes out the window.

That's about it for now. I'm rambling.

Luv and Hugs,
RK

I, too, wish I could have found a 1 bedroom for $750. That's what I was paying when I lived in a suburb of Houston last year... here in Salisbury (probably because it's a college town and apartments aren't exactly plentiful) you can only get a really crummy apartment for like $850. There are also house rentals around here, but they're mostly in very bad areas of town and look like they're falling apart. Oh! And it seems all of the less expensive places to live don't allow pets, which I guess makes sense but was bad luck for me... The only decent apartment complex remotely near school doesn't even have 1 bedroom apartments, so I ended up with a 2 bedroom, which ended up being good because I have a lot of stuff so the extra bedroom became a study...

Okay, sorry for rambling... haha

Lindsey - Netflix!! They not only have movies, but all the TV shows - plus you can get tons of workout dvds. I love it.

I mentioned it on the exercise thread, but not here yet and I am so mad!! There is something wrong with my left foot that is causing pain when I have been on the elliptical for anything other than a few minutes. I did the bike on Thursday for 30 minutes and that made my butt hurt really badly (the gym bikes have no padding)! I will have to be careful and go to the doctor next week if I can get an appointment. Argh! It is so disappointing to have this happening.

Lesley - What cute kitties!! I keep thinking about getting one, but I haven't decided yet. I am lucky enough to be in an apartment that allows them, but so many don't.