Peggy-I also find it easier to eat the same things every day most of the time. I guess it leaves less guess work, and I don’t have to think as much. When I hit a plateau, that’s when I have to shake things up.

Annie-The meeting last night went great. We were treated to dinner at the hotel beforehand, and it was an all you can eat prime rib buffet. That was a challenge. I just filled my plate with salad, some wonderful large mushrooms, a tomato pepper salad, and had the salmon. No pasta or potatoes or red meat. I was content with enough but I did have dessert. They had one bite sized brownies or all different flavors. I tried a couple of those. He gave his speech, which honestly I mostly wrote, and pocketed the check which is paying for my new computer. After his speech they showed a new movie called “Canvas.” It’s done by one of the writers of the Titanic movie, and is autobiographical about growing up with a mom with schizophrenia. He started to wiggle in his seat as it hit too close to home, so we weren’t able to stay and watch it. It looked like it was really a good movie though.

Battle-I have to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. I have always loved to cook, but right now, it’s just not good for me. I find any short cuts I can take, even if they end up being more expensive, I have to take. Using bags of frozen veggies, when I could use fresh goes against my grain, but it keeps me out of the kitchen. I look forward to the day when I can make veggie burgers from scratch rather than buying pre-made ones, but that day is not here yet. I may never be able to have that kind of relationship with food again.

Rat-spin class sounds so hard to me. I’d like to be able to do that some day.

I have to go plan my Thanksgiving menu. I agreed to allow himself to have a party for the first time in a while. He’s buying me a new computer, so I figured I could do a turkey for all his bachelor friends that don’t have anywhere else to go. I saw him calling to invite people using the phonebook. I have no idea how many he has invited. We had 24 in this one bedroom condo last Christmas, so I don’t trust him when it comes to inviting a reasonable number. I just wanted to know how big a turkey I need to get. He wanted to know if I could cook two. He gets it in his head that he has to invite twice as many as he wants because only half will come. Yeah that works like airlines overbooking flights, and I’m the ticket agent getting yelled at by someone trying to get to a family reunion. Man, that boy loves to have parties. I invited two people. Both single girls from the choir. Of course now that he is telling his geeky friends that there will be girls, they will probably all come. It will look like a Star Trek convention with 7 of 9 as the guest. I just hope they don’t run screaming from the apartment being chased down the street by the nerd patrol.

Hi All,

Day 5 and after a shaky start it’s gone very well. The shaky start was because I was so tired this morning that I just couldn’t drag myself out of bed to exercise. It’s also TOM, I am on two different types of antibiotics because I have a skin infection which is very painful and is bringing me down. So between all of that I was trying hard to talk myself out of exercising. But when I woke up after going back to sleep this morning I reminded myself of the promise I’d made to myself that even if it’s only a few minutes a day I would exercise. So I got up intending to just do one of my 35 minute DVDs. I did that and then I thought, well why not do a few minutes on my Gazelle, so I did 30 on there lol. I was happy with that, so stopped there. BUT THEN after lunch I decided that I may as well do a little more, so I did 40 minutes on my bike!!! So now I am feeling brilliant. Still sore, but happy and sore. So there you go, there’s my happy story for today :rofl:

Peggy - being hyper sounds like it does you a lot of good! That’s so great that you got so much housework done, played with the pups and got your walk in ALL before going to work. Now that’s some energy! Can you send some my way please :D

Sita - sounds like a good mini goal/baby step to me, drinking more water and making sure you take a multi vitamin every day. Baby steps soon add up to crawling, then walking, and before you know it you are running :yes:

Catherine - that low fat cake sounds delicious, any idea of how many cals or WW points would have been in it? Oh yes I agree with you there about not being able to eat slices and slices of cheesecake like you can with normal birthday cake. Yet another reason why I think Daren will be having one of the former for his birthday this year :D

:congrat: on such a wonderful response to your graduate paper. Your Prof sounds suitably impressed by you! I am glad that you felt such a buzz from you accomplishment that you felt up to going out with ‘Himself’ to listen to his speech at the conference. And of course to have that fancy meal before hand. I am glad you had such a good time and that you made such fabulous food choices :yes: :cp:

Annie - that new goal isn’t that far away, not with your determination to exercise and to be a diet angel after your surgery. Have confidence in yourself like I have in you, those lbs will be off before you know it :yes:

Debbie - I’m feeling lazy, can you FedEx some of that lovely soup you are making to me :D Oh and while you are at it, some chilli for the rest of the family would be nice :rofl: Seriously, I hope your soup is as yummy as it sounds.

Glad you got some nice new clothes, though a shame about having to send the one top back. I guess I am weird. I know my arms are fat, and flabby now too, but I have no worries about wearing sleeveless tops if the weather is nice enough. You’ll never catch me in a pair of shorts though, or with a mid riff top :lol: I guess I don’t mind my arms on display even if they are gross!

Heather - I’m sorry you had another day where you ate a little more than you should have. At least you made amends by doing some extra time on the elliptical. Those machines are killers. That’s one thing I DON’T miss about going to the gym :lol:

RK - they must be some impressive spin bikes you get to ride if you can stand up on them. My spin bike specifically says NO standing up. It’s a shame because I’d love to keep riding for at least a little while when standing so I can get some feeling back into my butt :rofl: Well done on achieving what you did, and most of all for enjoying it too. Time will come soon enough when you can do as well as every one of those women there who could do the whole routine perfectly.

Story - oh cool, I am glad you have been pre-warned about Leslie and how she can get a little annoying. The problem is that because you use the same DVDs over and over you start to get annoyed, or you start to pick out all the faults in them etc. One of the things that get to me in all exercise DVDs not just the WATP ones is how everybody is exercising away with huge smiles on their faces, especially when the cameras are on them. I enjoy my exercise but no way do I do it with a huge cheesy grin on my face :rofl:

I am so sorry your scales are being so nasty to you, have you measured yourself to see if you have at least lost inches? I am sure your W L Surgeon has seen a lot of people post op who although they are trying their hardest to lose the weight they still hit a plateau. So try not to worry too much. Perhaps they’ll have some suggestions of ways to break that plateau :hug:

Sharon - am just about to post this then I will look for you on MSN. If you aren’t around because your parents are there, then have a nice night tonight, and maybe I will catch you tomorrow for a chat.

Ok time for me to go, so take care all and I hope everybody has a great weekend,

Hugs,

Ammi :chicken:

Hi Everyone~~:wave:

First of all I have to say this:

Catherine--you crack me up and you have revealed your geeky side. :rofl: I absolutely loved your comment about the Star Trek convention with 7 of 9 as a guest. :lol: You do realize that a lot of women don't even know who 7 is right? I, however, am an avid TREKKER and I am onto you. :D And your being chased by the nerd patrol line? Brilliant!:D

Don't worry so much about how many people your sweetie invites--you'll rise to the occasion and make it a wonderful Thanksgiving for everyone. You have that way and you can and do whatever you set your mind to. :hug: I know that when my brother and his family came out from California--(I took to spelling all of the states out since Sharon said that sometimes she has a hard time figuring out where people in the U.S. are from when we use the abbreviations. I figure it might help those over seas a little.:)) Anyway, I planned a family reunion cookout with just 15 of us all together and it was only a hamburger, hot dog kind of thing and that kind of stressed me out so planning Thanksgiving dinner will be tough--but like I said--I know you can do it and do it better than many people could.:)

GREAT JOB on your paper. It seems to me that you probably have an "A". :cp:

Now--do you actually have a recipe to make homemade veggie burgers? I didn't even think about such a thing. I can't stand the frozen ones, but I might like homemade ones that I do myself.

That movie you described did sound good. I'm assuming that one of his parents had an illness which is why you couldn't stay. That man must be utterly remarkable Catherine. It is so hard to deal with the mentally ill and look what he's done and how truly excellent he is. I have a friend who is bi-polar and she was very erratic as far as her children go. Her ex-husband actually has custody and the last I knew she doesn't see them often because of how she is.I am so glad you found each other because it sounds like you both deserve each other. :hug:

Now--You guys are probably going to be a little mad at me, but I ended up walking for 40 minutes today. Why would you be mad? Because my doctor doesn't want me to work out or really exercise yet. But I had to drop my car off at the shop--it needs an oil change and two new back tires. Before I dropped the car off I had to go pay an "excess" bill at city hall and I used the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not at my goal weight or anything like that--but I think I actually look pretty good. :) I am so excited because I honestly never thought I would feel that way about myself--especially when I'm at least 80 lbs. away from my goal--but I feel good. I am so happy. Anyway, my bf told me that the shop would give me a ride home but I felt so good that I decided to walk it. :p I regretted it halfway home--right about halfway up the hill which really isn't all that steep :lol:--it's also TOM day 2 so all of you women know how that goes:(--but I feel proud that I did it. And I'm really not that uncomfortable. I am going to ask my doctor on Tuesday if I can possibly start walking on my treadmill. I would love that so much.

Now on to more personals. :)

Ammi--you posted while I was going to the advance options. :D Girl--you make me so proud of you--and you piss me off. ;) Now how can I have an excuse for not working out when there you go exercising when you have an infection + TOM + feeling down? Stop being so good darn it! :hug: I am so glad you're feeling happy now and who is responsible for it, I ask? That's right--you are! :carrot::cb::broc: Go Ammi! Go Ammi! Go Ammi!

Story--the lopsided belly is probably pretty common. I know that Dr. Rex told me that one side of my belly was bigger than the other.

:hug: I'm sorry your scale is being mean to you right now. :( That truly sucks and it's so depressing. I was at a plateau for FOREVER and eventually ended up gaining approximately 20 lbs. back. Just keep doing your best and it'll all work out. Does your scale use batteries? Maybe it needs new batteries if that's the case. I know that my scale is an absolute BRAT when it needs new batteries so...just an idea. Of course if it doesn't take batteries it's just being a brat. :lol: Good luck and know that even though you've "only" lost 2 lbs. it's a loss damn it and you're doing good. :carrot:

Sharon--how'd the house cleaning go? I am so freaking lazy and I hate doing housework more than almost anything. :p I hope you had a nice visit with your parents. :)

And I'm with Annie on the drinks. You've been waiting so long and there will be plenty of time for you to have a few drinks later on. Either way--you'll do good--but why put a stumbling block in your path right now? Just my 2 cents.

Ratkity--Good God! SPIN CLASS?!! I could NEVER survive a spin class.:bravo: for you. I am so jealous but I know I wouldn't even consider doing a spin class. The funny thing is that I actually like riding bikes outside but I absolutely LOATHE exercise bikes. Good job with getting yourself back on track. :carrot: Sometimes it takes me months.

Hi Heather--:wave: Aren't you doing what your supposed to? If you cheat a little here, then you fix it there? Either by exercising more or by eating something a little healthier? It sounds like you're doing okay to me and that you'll be fine. Stumbling along this crazy weight loss path is just part of the journey. And like you--I know that I will have to really watch what I eat for the rest of my life. :( That makes me kind of sad, but I am worth it. We all are. :hug: Good luck.

Hi Debbie--it's too bad about the shirt. I hate when that happens. I actually bought a shirt that I thought would look good on me--it fits okay but I absolutely HATE the neckline on me. And the neckline is one of the reasons I bought the shirt in the first place. :dizzy: And the sleeves are short too and they show off some of that dreaded "jiggle".

Good idea about making soup ahead of time. I do that and freeze it. It's a quick and easy way to have lunch. Plus--my BF likes my homemade soups better than the canned ones. Not to brag, but they arebetter. :D

Annie--cheesecake cupcakes sound wonderful! :drool:
Tell us if you make them because I will need to live vicariously through your hubby and father. ;) Although--my BF and I are going out on Saturday night to Waterfire in Providence, Rhode Island with some friends of ours and before that we're going to the Cheesecake Factory. I already told my BF that I will be getting dessert. I told him that the desserts at the Cheesecake Factory are supposed to be excellent and since I've never been there that I will be indulging. Although right now I'm wondering if I should since I just told Sharon that there will be plenty of time for indulgences. :?: I guess I'll decide on Saturday night--either way--if I do get something I will be sharing it with Paul so it won't be as bad. I'll try to think of you Sharon and I'll let you all know what I do.

I am so happy for you being able to change your ticker again. Don't look at how far away that 10% goal number is Annie--take it 1 lb. at a time and you'll do great. :D

The thing that bothers me about ******* is that that woman took advantage of THOUSANDS of people. :mad: I am one of the lucky ones who found out before I joined, but I am such an idealist that it really bothers me when people are like that. :cry: Is taking money from people who are desperate and vulnerable really more important than your self-respect and integrity? I just don't get it. :no: Here's another link about the wonderful Heidi Diaz and the ******* drama.

http://*******exposed.wordpress.com/...tory-pictures/

It turns out that most of the "success stories" are total fakes and the "after" pictures are actually pictures of women from a Russian mail order bride site. I can't even think about it anymore because I feel so bad for all of the people who were hurt by this horrible, horrible woman. :(:mad:

PPP--I never congratulated you on producing the food show. :cp::congrat::cheer::whoo: I am so happy for you and hope you're happy and proud of yourself too. Don't forget to tell us all so that we can see it.

IdealMuse--DEFINITE difference in those photos. You are looking good--I hope you can see it too. :) I love your hair. Mine is wavy or pin straight if I blow dry it. I vowed to never get a perm again even though I love how good the curly hair looks. I used to only be able to do my hair once a day because of those darned curls. :lol:

Sita--very good idea about making mini goals. Like I've seen Catherine say--it's day by day and sometimes minute by minute. That's how you have to look at it. :)Have faith in yourself because you CAN do it. :hug:

Peggy--good for you being so hyper. I wish I had that much energy. :D Sadly I usually only have that much energy when I'm working at Bickford's. I love my job at Bickford's, but I make more money driving school busses so I only work at Bick's one day a week now. You made me a little tired talking about all you've accomplished at the beginning of the day. And a little jealous--I still have to do the breakfast and the dinner dishes from last night. :dizzy:

I'm glad you're getting your pre-medicine energy back though. That must make you feel so much better. :)

Okay--I have come to the end of the posts that are visible to me so I have to go. I guess I'll try to tackle those dishes--after all it's only 1:00 in the afternoon right now. :^: You all have a great day and night. I'm all excited because tonight I get to watch the Sci-Fi channel all night. The Bionic Woman, Dr. Who (season finale--I love this show and Ammi you were right--I do love David Tennant as the doctor :D) and then I skip that stupid Flash Gordon just to go back at 10:00 to watch the new season of Stargate Atlantis. :D So I have a heavy night of SciFi planned. Stay OP and keep the faith chicks. :wave:

:grouphug: Vicki :wave:

I just have a few minutes left of lunch hour, and I'm SUPPOSED to be walking... but it turns out I wore my sneaks home the other day, so that's my excuse.

I turned around and you had, like 80 new posts so I can't catch up right now, but:

WELCOME new comers!!!

ANNIE, WTG! Smokin' that 60 mark AGAIN! As always, I'm SO excited for you!

I've been sick this week but am MUCH better now. Just more tired than usual at this point. New job is going GREAT. Went to see Gabe (horse) at the trainer's on Tuesday and am going to see him again tomorrow morning. He's doing great!

I called off on the chiropractor yesterday night - not only is it WAY expensive to be going this much, but each time he adjusts me there's immediate relief in some places, but my neck is so stiff for the next few days. Then just when it starts feeling better, I go back again. I know it's just healing and everything, but I just couldn't take it.

I also found out that I'll have to move my horses. The wonderful barn I've been at for the last year & a half is being sold. I bought a lottery ticket... several actually. I just can't imagine finding another place I love more.

OOP! Lunch is over. See you later!

Catherine and Ammi -- Both of your posts cracked me up this morning! Thanks for the laughs!

Vicki -- Yep, I'm doing what I need to. I just hate feeling out of control!

Yesterday I stopped the downward slide. Felt good. Today I'm starving again! But, I'm going to the gym before the RED SOX game tonight and that seems to help a lot of things...

Debbie: I'm happy for you and having some new clothes. You will be wearing the 24's before too long. You are doing so great.

Heather: Hope you are having a better day today. Hang on tough girl! You can get past this little bump in the road trying to stall you.

Ratkitten: Wow. Spin class. I'm so impressed. I wouldn't even attempt one. lol.

Storey: Hugs about the scale. Just hang in there you will loose the weight.

Sharon: Have a great time with your parents.

Catherine: Sounds like you had a great dinner and made some great eating choices. Congrats on the money for the new computer. I love that you invited singles to your house for dinner on Thanksgiving. I love your thoughts too on the Nerds chasing the girls. lol.

Ammi: I hope the skin thing clears up very soon. Hugs. I am proud of you for all the exercise you did even when you didn't feel up to it. I will email you later today if I get a chance. I have lots of chores to do still.

Vicki: As long as you didn't hurt yourself sweetie. Have a great time at the cheesecake place. I know you will do the right thing. You have worked too hard to let a piece of cream cheese, eggs and sugar to control your decision. You be in charge!

Val: sorry that you have been sick. Glad Gabe is doing well. I hope you will find the perfect place for your babies to live. Hugs.

Well, I am going to try to eat a bit of chicken today. I have put it off since Wednesday and I am going to give it a go today. I think I will chop it or mince it up. I cooked some this morning for lunch and it is now.... lunch time. lol. I am going to get my bootie busy finishing up the housework so tomorrow I can go to Costco and the grocery store before our bar b q we are supposed to go to.

Blessings all,
Annie

Hi everyone,

I am so sorry, no time for personals, yet have read all the entries and hope to come back and write more soon.

My TOM has been delayed for 5 days and I have been living in PMS h$ll. Luckily the uncontrollable urges to eat only lasted a couple of days, even with the prolonged PMS. Don't anyone dare suggest this is a symptom of perimenopause/menopause--I'm not ready to consider that. hehe. In other news, I'm wearing the size 24 pants that I have been talking about for ages and they fit nicely.

I do believe I have been looked at "in that way" for the first time in a very, very long time. Someone that I'm working with on a project came in today and was giving me giant, toothy, goofy grins. At one point he looked at me all puppy doggish with admiration in his eyes and made a comment that even though I look ultra conservative, I have another side to me that is NOT CONSERVATIVE AT ALL (looks laden with double meaning) and that this other side also is an entreprenurial risk taker and he likes it...and I am just like him.

I didn't say too much, and it got awkward, and he was on his way. BTW I'm not interested.

does anyone here have to deal with an elderly parent? my grandma had a stroke a while ago (almost 3 years ago i guess now) but the dimentia and alzheimers are getting out of hand. her mood swings are rediculous, she does things every day to pick fights, she eats all day long because she cant remember she ate. its getting unbearable. does anyone have any advice?

Hi Everyone,
It's finally Friday and I'm so glad to be away from work for 2 whole days. People have been all stressed out at work as well as our customers calling in.:stress::stress::stress:


Heather, I actually do see a dr for depression. He's been adjusting my meds since late January I'm still not balanced out. It's amazing how surgery can mess up your "mental metabolism" let alone dealing with my mom's passing. I'm actually feeling better the last two days. And, I've actually slept better the past two nights. We really do need our sleep.
I'm so sorry you were feeling overwhelmed. But I gotta thank you for sharing. I imagined you as scheduled and precise individual. (food **** comes to mind) :lol: So, I'm sorry you're having a hard time, BUT, you've got yourself on track by planning. Is there any way someone can help you with grading?


Catherine, You're so right about boredom and sleep keeping us on program or not. I know it's been said a million times, it really does pay to drink plenty of fluids. I've increased my fluids this week too as well as salads ...and slept the last two nights and I've been feeling better and more in control. And thanks so much for your kind words about my mom. OMG, it seems like you just got rid of snow. We're having one of the warmest October's we've ever had. I'm so ready for it to cool off ...and I LOVE hot weather. And I do HATE airplane bathrooms too!!!!! :yikes:


Ratkity, I'm so glad to know about the Progressive Lite soups. I'd wondered about their taste. How's the sodium content., if you happen to know? Our family is really restricting our sodium.


Peggy, Glad you're feeling better. Go Red Sox!!! My Honey is at a local sports bar watching the game cuz we only have basic cable. I was so happy the Yankees lost last night. I have a dreadful Yankee fan at work and she's just so "baseball stupid." How did your beef broccoli crock pot dinner turn out? If it was good, I'd love the recipe.:drool:


BattleAx, Very glad to meet you. Your posts are very informative and always encouraging. This is an awesome site, isn't it!? You're not strange about your glasses, I totally understand!
I just read your post from 10/3. Don't fret about people not noticing, or clothing sizes. I'm sure your clothes are feeling much better! I always tell my step daughter that just cuz you can get it on doesn't mean it fits. I have even caught myself wearing clothes that were actually too small just cuz I could get them on. Like shirts that show every roll of blubber etc. :?:I hate to wear "short" t-shirts cuz of my over hang belly. You must be so much healthier than you were 40 pounds ago. You have to be able to move around better. Keep those victories in mind! :hug: I have to say this stuff to myself too. When I saw the pics from my daughter's wedding last year, I was so terribly upset, embarrassed and ashamed.
I'd said on another thread that I did feel like a failure and a fraud cuz I know WHAT to do, just don't always CARE. Why, I dunno. If any of us learn that, we'll be rich beyond belief cuz that would solve the problem. Yes???


Annie, Got your IM. The info was great. You are a wonderful friend. and I've missed you terribly.


Muse, Great post about positive energy and using the passion we have on other issues toward our weight. I will work hard to apply it when I'm dying for powered donuts out of the vending machine at work. I need to not carry singles or change so I can't use the machine.
Sharon, My dear friend! xxoo What a great loss you had. How are you and your family?


Ulovlee, :welcome3: I'm sure you'll love it here. I always do better when I'm here regularly and keep track of daily good/liquid intake.


Dolfingirl2000, I hadn't head about the diet you described, but I've been on line for email only for a long time. I agree that woman is horrid! She has no honor!


Muse, Your weight loss pics are AWESOME!!! You've experienced such wonderful success!


Ammi, I knew the big day at the amusement park was coming up soon.
As you have told me, think of just the little goals, not the whole picture. It's baby steps. How are Daren and the girls?? Beth still at home???
I hope your skin infection clears up quickly. I hate rashes etc. So I totally sympathize.


Luann, I'm sorry about your Grandma. Try to think that she doesn't intend to pick fights, she just can't remember. I think I'd rather my family give me a giant dose of morphine or something to put me out of my misery if I couldn't remember. I can't imagine the terror she lives in
by not having all her mental facilities. Lots of communities off support groups for families who have a loved one suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's. Big :hugs: to you. I can't imagine how difficult it is for you.


Here's to a good weekend! My Andy bought extra salad stuff tonight and that's such a life saver. We can always have "low carb" whoppers
or boil a few eggs to put on a salad.
I sure missed all of you.
:hug::hug::hug:

Sandy -- I'm a Red Sox fan too! I've been glued to the TV since I got home. We were able to watch the end of the Yankees and beginning of the Sox on split screen. That was an agonizing hour! Right now it's the 9th and a tie game. I'm all tense from hours of just WATCHING baseball and it's only early October!

I'm glad to hear you see a doc for depression -- but I know that it can be hard to get level!

It's funny you have this idea of me as a "food ****" and you're not the first on the board to say this. :) I struggle all the time and give into temptation frequently. I manage to usually keep my indulgences small, and exercise very regularly -- and both of those help!

But I don't post about those struggles all the time, so it makes it look like I'm in more control than I really am...

Okay, the bottom of the ninth is starting and it's tied. Go SOX!!

HELLO MY CHICKADEES!!!:wave:

This has been a week of "FINALLY'S" for me...some good and some not so good!!:dizzy:

FINALLY...all the wakes and funeral are/is over. :(

FINALLY...my Great-Nephew had his Christening :)

FINALLY...WE GOT SCOTT'S CAR BACK THURSDAY!!! :dancer: No more taxi service for that one!! :woohoo:

FINALLY...I had a bagel yesterday from our local shop that was almost orgasmic!! :o I haven't had one since January!!

FINALLY...Jack doesn't have to be locked up or use a seperate litter pan anymore!:p (although, he is **** on wheels and into EVERYTHING!!!)

And the one that means so much to me...FINALLY I have broken 350!!! :yay:
I lost 3lbs after playing the 1lb up and down game for soooooooo long!!!
I FINALLY got to change my ticker and add another :chockiss:!!! I will leave it for a week and then put up my next 10 lb goal. (which will FINALLY put me over my 10% loss :carrot:)

And hopefully, I can FINALLY get back to "normal" and try to post daily~even though I am doing overtime again next week.

On another note...
I did take Sammi to the Dr. for her yearly checkup...and I am sad. She has gained over 25lbs since last year, and even though she grew almost 3 inches, she needs to loose @40 lbs. She already knew she would need to lose, but not that much. I am crushed. At least she has realized that comming home from school and going to bed for 3 hrs is not a good thing. On Thursdays she dances for 3 hrs and Fridays she student teaches there for 1 hr. I am trying to get her to at least take the dog for a walk when we get home from school.
And also to stop eating the same crap her brother's do for snacks. I have bought stuff just for her, but as we all know, it is hard when you have 2 siblings w/out a weight problem. Why is it the women always have to suffer??? She is really trying by having salads for lunch. My heart just breaks for her. :(


:grouphug:to all, and :welcome3: to all the newbies!! I have been reading all posts, but you guys move too fast!!!

Have a Great Weekend!!:cheer2:

Battle: Yipee on fitting nicely into the size 24 pants. You are rockin it. Nice to have an admirer even if you are not interested.

Luan: hugs to you on your Grandma. I feel bad for what you and she are both going through. Maybe there is some type of volunteer place where she can go for a few hours each day. I know when I lived in CA there was a place like that where loved ones of mental or brain problems can bring their family for a few hours so they can have a break. Good luck sweetie.

Sandy: Hi

Donna: Yeah to being under 350! Huge congrats. I am getting close to that hopefully soon myself. I hadn't thought about what a great feeling that would be until I started being happy for you and realized how close I am. Save me a seat next to you on the under 350 bench! Glad that your got your car back too. Now maybe things won't be so hectic for you. Hugs to you about your sweet little girl. I feel so bad for her. I wasn't heavy until my adult years. I was extremely athletic but my best friend was about 40 pounds overweight and the other kids were sooooo mean to her and her twin sister. I could just cry thinking about how mean other people can be. I hope you are able to convice her to eat more healthy and walk every day. Maybe you guys could do it together. Hugs.

Well, I woke up this morning to my DH massaging my back. It was so nice! Unfortunately I woke up with my stupid cold worse than before so, back to more vitamin C's than I need and lots more water. I got out of bed and had about a table spoon of Grape nuts cereal with a cup of skim milk. I am very full but it was nice to eat a "normal" breakfast lol. The skim milk has 9 grams of protein in and 8 oz. cup so that is great. I am supposed to be aiming for 60-80 grams of protein a day. I have planned to eat some string cheese later which is 7 grams of protein.

I mixed up a double batch of cheese cake and made some cupcakes which I will decorate with cherries and chocolate on top. We are going to a bar b q today and I don't want to show up empty handed but she told me I don't need to bring anything. So hopefully they like cheese cake and it will be a nice surprise. I am going to jump in the shower when this batch gets out of the oven after I put in another batch of them . I only have 1 muffin pan, tee hee. Then off to Costco which I didn't do yesterday. I did get all my housework done yesterday and went to the grocery store. So all wasn't lost.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today and are good op ladies and gentlemen, John are you still with us?

Blessings all,
Annie

Hello all my 3FC friends! Welll, I have been MIA again for I don't know how long. I just can't seem to find time to get on the computer now that I am in school. Plus we are starting our 3rd quarter stuff at work and that is adding to my lack of free time. I haven't completely caught up on the threads but would like to do a few personals.

Annie - Down 155 pounds! Wow, I am so happy that the surgery is working out for you like this. And although it sounds like you are recuperating from a cold it seems like you have recovered very well from the surgery.

dolphin - OMG, Cheesecake Factory cheesecake is TO DIE FOR!!!! They have about a million different kinds to choose from and it is always so hard to pick! Their other food is really good too. They had some sort of Asian salad I used to love. Anyway, enjoy your meal!

BattleAx - I wanted to pipe in on your disappointment about no one noticing your 40 pound loss. I have to second what someone else said about people could be noticing but not commenting. Weight can be a touchy subject and sometimes people are afraid to say anything for fear of it being taken the wrong way. (Interesting side note: I don't really like having people mentioning my weight loss. In my younger years it was because it embarrassed me to realize if they noticed I lost then they had also noticed I was fat. Now it's more like it puts pressure on me. I feel like once people notice I lost that they will keep watching me to see if I fail. Just last week someone at work said "You are losing weight." On the outside I said, "Yes, I am, thank you." On the inside I was said, "Doh!" And immediately begain to feel the pressure. Something I have to work on) Another thing is you are a tall woman (me too). Just like when we gain weight it's not quite as obvious on our tall frames, I think it works in reverse too. As we lose weight it may take longer for it to be obvious. 40 pounds on a 5'10" woman is a whole different thing that 40 pounds on a 5 footer. Just keep hanging in there. You have been making amazing progress. :hug:

Catherine - Way to go on that paper! Clearly you impressed your professor. :)

MamaB - Congrats on all your "finallys"....especially being under 350!!!:carrot:

Ammi - You are incredible with the exercise. I know for sure if I started my exericise routine feeling like I didn't want to do it there is no way at the end of it I'd be saying, "Why not do a little more." I'd have been lucky if I finished the first part!

I am sorry for those I have missed. I am just too far behind to have kept up with it all!

As for my life, I have been busy with work and school. The time commitment to school is ratcheting up. I have a group project in my Organizational Behavior class that is due in about 5 weeks so we are going to start meeting on Thursday nights for that. So that will have me in class Tues/Wed and then with my group on Thursdays. Not much down time for me.

In addition to that, as I have already posted on the exercise thread, I have decided to get some serious committment to exercise going. In order to do that I decided to join a "boot camp" style training gym. It's not boot camp in terms of them yelling at you or anything. But it is a challenging workout and the trainers are there to make sure you push as hard as you can every single time. No slacking off. Plus there is serious accountability. They take attendence and they pretty much expect you to be there every time. Of course there are times you may be out of town or ill and can't make it. But the old excuse of "I'm tired, I'll just skip today" will not fly with them. It's working so far as I have already exercised more in 6 days in October than I did the whole month of Septemer! :eek:

So I have got my schedule pretty packed and this week was a tough week. My workouts are 5:30-6:30AM Mon-Fri and 7-8AM on Sat. I am hoping I get adjusted to my new schedule. And I am definitely going to have to do a better job at time management if I am going to get it all done.

On a more fun note, my friend's wedding in Boston is now exactly 2 weeks away. Am so looking forward to seeing everyone, although, as always, I feel apprehension at them seeing ME. They don't know I have gained this weight. At some point this weekend I need to shop for something to wear to the wedding. Shopping's no fun for me yet. Plus I have no idea what the weather is like in Boston in October. I need to figure it out so I choose the right thing. Down here in Texas we are still in shorts and flipflops and somehow I doubt it is that warm up there right now.

Well, that is it for me right now. I will try harder to get out here and post more frequently. I definitely miss being in the loop on a more daily basis. But even if I am not here posting, I am thinking about everyone and wishing you all well.

Take care! :grouphug:

Peggy & Heather!! GO MANNY!!!!!!!! When Andy came home last night
he was horse. He said all the fans at the bar were screamin' when the
Yankees lost. Did you know the Yankees are the most hated team in baseball?
I saw it on that Drew Cary game show. When Manny hit his homer, I guess
the bar went way crazy. I wish the Cubs were doing as well. I was born a Cub fan,
and married in to Red Sox Nation.I'd thought I was a pure blooded Red Sox fan til
the Cubs and BoSox played a couple years ago. I was thrilled when the Cubs won 2 out
of 3 games. To see them together in the World Series would be a dream come true.
But, it's just a dream I think.

Donna, I'm so sorry to hear things have been so difficult for you lately. And, I'm sorry
your daughter has weight issues too. Think on the bright side, though. You both have
program and exercising partners!


Indiana is divided into 8 seperate musical/choral divisions. Once a year they have
a special concert. To participate in this concert you MUST try out and be accepted.
Only a few students in each elementary school are allowed to participate. Abby's school has
over 550 students and only 15 spots are available from her school. Out of the 15 spots,
there were only four 4th graders who were chosen. We'd talked about her trying out at
the beginning of the school year, but I had no clue when try outs were.
That having been said, I have an annoucnement to make ......
Our Miss Abby was selected to participate in this huge event!!!! :cp::dance::dancer::yes::encore::whoo::woohoo::che er2::cheer:
We're so happy and proud of her. Andy got to participate in this type of program when
he was in high school in Rhode Island. I got second in solo contest in High School,
but we didn't have this in the '70's. The concert is 2/9. I can't wait to see her
on stage in February!

Well, I gotta get the day started. I'm late cuz it's almost noon, but I didn't sleep well
last night at all.I hope everyone has a wonderful day and weekend.

Sandy - Congratulations to your daughter. Sounds like singing is a family talent! I have always admired people who can sing. I love to sing, I am just untalented at it. :lol: