just wanting to say hello to everyone. as you can guess by my staying off this site things are not going well. i am trying to get refocused on my weight loss. my exercise has been down the drain because of my leg.. some days its all i can do to even walk! i am scared to go to dr. cuz i am scared she will say knee replacement lol! anyways i want to wish all our UK friends to be safe from that wall of water! Ammie hope to hear from you soon!

Catherine: Sorry you are under lots of stress right now. That stinks. I hope things get better for your stress level soon.

Debbie: LOL. My legs don't exactly see "daylight" either. I wear long skirts with HIGH boots. lol. I hope you have a great WI. Good luck. have fun giving Marilyn a bath. lol. My furbabies did just fine. Pepper has gained a bit of weight so we need to remedy that ASAP. She has a bad hip. So glad to hear that your little Daisy is doing better.

Carol: Welcome home! I didn't wear the skirt just because I needed to iron it and well, I was too lazy. lol.

Luan: Hey, you never know. Lots of people are "discovered" when they least expect it.

Ratkitten: No, I really spaced it but, I am going to do it right now when I get off this computer. Thanks for reminding me. I thought I would be able to get off my CPAP machine too but I know I really need it. I am just so tired all the time again. I'm a dummy. LOL.

Well, I have a CPAP machine to wash today along with tons of other chores and workout with the personal trainer. Everyone take care and hugs to you all.
Blessings,
Annie

Patti: Hugs sweetie. I didn't see you sneak in. Please don't wait to go to a Dr. My Step mom had both of her knees replaced at the same time and she is so happy that she did it. She doesn't have anymore pain at all! She is 70 years old too so If it is something that is necessary, you can do it hun.
Blessings,
Annie

ANNIE – LOVE! Your new avatar! WTG on the skirt AND the interview. Isn’t it just awesome to fit into things like that?! I hope the furbabies are well. I hope you get your CPAP going, too!

CATHERINE – I’m right with you on beating yourself up or relaxing. Sometimes taking the pressure off is such a relief that getting back OP is easier. Interesting what you said about the smokers.

DEBBIE, Gabriel is pretty reactive about a lot of things. Mostly the bolting problem came from someone jumping up on him without so much as a how-de-do one of the first few times he was ever ridden. After he bolted that time and she came off, it was a major challenge to teach him to have confidence in the rider. He startles at little things, but normally relaxes again in just a second. But if he startled and then the rider reacted reflexively, it scared him more and you had a frightened freight train at full steam ahead. That’s why I had to break down and send him out to Ken. NOTHING rattles this guy, and he doesn’t rush a horse or ever give it reason to lose confidence. He’s been riding him outside, by the road and everything, and describes him as “pretty much bombproof.” I’m not quite buying that yet, but he was as relaxed and lazy last night as I could ever hope for. I was trotting all over the indoor arena which is the only place I’ve really ridden him myself. Our confidence in each other is growing by leaps and bounds, but certainly isn’t complete yet. We’re still ‘dating’ if you know what I mean. Besides, I still weigh darn near three(mumble-mumble) and he’s learning to carry that weight while it’s wobbling and jostling around up there, as well as the fact that my queues aren’t exactly like Ken’s. I’m so excited about bringing him home next week that I could flip.

CAROL, I’m rediscovering water right now. Like you, I drink it by choice, but lately had been doing too much coffee & SF hot chocolate. As for the protein, how about beans? A good chili would have a different flavor and texture, and the beans and meat combined might do the trick?

QUICK, LUAN! Send me your autograph now, before stardom goes to your head! Ahhh, I knew you back when… ( I hope it airs and is an immediate hit!)

DONNA – Darn it! I know it was a good post, too! (I’m writing in Word right now, cuz I’ve lost post like that too.)

Ahhh, RATKITY, That’s so sweet of you! I really appreciate the vote of confidence. After the ride last night going so smoothly, I’m starting to believe it myself. I know he’ll have moments where I continue to be vividly aware of the potential danger, but it’s no longer an incessant, overwhelming fear. I had the sad experience this morning of catching sight of my whole self in the mirror this morning. I looked at the sight (briefly) and thought ‘You want THAT to be a dressage rider?? – You can do better than that. You can BE better than that’ It might have been a depressing and horrifying moment, but I’m off to another good day today, and it didn’t bother me because I KNOW WHERE I AM GOING. Direction is what counts, not location.

PATTI, I’m glad you’re popping in! Sorry your leg is giving you so much grief. If it’s any comfort, I knew a guy once, about 60?, and when he had his replaced he was thrilled. He said he could finally dance with his wife again after 15 years of not being able to. My MIL has been really happy with her hip replacement, too. I hope you feel better, and keep up the good fight!

Last night was so much better riding Gabe than I would have believed, even a few days ago. I know it won’t always go that quietly, but it will also get better most days. The fear is fading, and isn’t ever-present any more. I trotted all over the place – when I could keep him going! It was just lovely, except that because of my weight I know I was thumping his back too much on the ‘sit’ part of my post, and I lean forward too far to compensate for my weight as well. Practice, confidence & losing weight will all help – him as well as me.

Off to another day on the journey to where I’d rather be…

Donna-I know that is irritating. I had it happen once. Since then I have used Word, and then cut and paste so that I don’t lose it.

Rat-I love the Outer Banks. The last time I was there was in the summer of 1982. Wow, that’s 25 years ago. That just made me feel old.

Toofat-I know that I will have to have my knee replaced at some time in the future, but I’m trying to forestall it. My former roommate had it done, and it turned out okay. She had tried everything before that, including having a gel injected in there to replace the cartilage. She said it felt like having worms in there.

Annie-I’m starting to get caught up, and therefore out from under the self induced stress. A lot of this stuff is good stress, like traveling, but it’s still stress. We just found out that we get a limo from Calgary to Banff. We are taking a special fancy bus from Edmonton to Calgary, instead of flying, and it confused the travel agency handling the arrangements for the group that he’s giving the speech for. We are supposed to leave on Sunday morning, and we still didn’t have our tickets, and the sponsoring group became kind of embarrassed by it, so they arranged for the limo so we don’t have to worry about the connections. I preferred the luxury coach, because by the time we take a 45 minute taxi drive to the airport, get there as early as they want, stand in line to check our bags, then stand in line for security, and wait for the plane and then wait at the other end for our bags, it is just as quick to take this bus. It even has a full sized bathroom and internet access. It’s like traveling like a rock star, but the travel agent doesn’t get a commission off it, so they drug their feet. Plus, my fear of flying doesn’t make me miserable.

I was just talking yesterday about emotional eaters, and today I saw a report on the internet on emotional eating and losing weight. It was a report on Reuters, about a study at Brown University funded by the National Institutes of Health. People who eat because of internal reasons (like being lonely or as a reward) rather than external ones (like overeating at parties or working around food), loss less weight, and had a harder time keeping off what they lost. Now that they have this, it said that they would “need to pay more attention to eating triggered by emotions or thoughts as they clearly play a significant role in weight loss.” Well Duh! Any woman on this part of the forum could have told them that. My question is if there are any obese people at all doing research on this stuff, or is it all skinny people who have never had a weight problem, and can’t even visualize what it is like, or how hard it is.

RK- im doing a feature film called Broken Hearts Club in december, then who knows what 2008 will bring.

Annie - lol ive done some extra work. im not looking to be discovered. there are plenty of people that are WAY more talented than i am to take those roles. lol

Morning Peeps

I'm officially frustrated on the exercise front. After having stayed off the treadmill since Monday I took the pups to the park yesterday. I couldn't make it a half mile before I had to retreat to the car because of the knee. Unfortunately, the doc said walking was what he wanted me to do (or biking or swimming). My instant reaction was - OK - something is wrong here so food will make it better. I didn't cave but was so happy when it was time to go to bed - funny - all those voices went to bed too - I hope I don't hear them for some time.

I guess I will do stretching exercises - the yoga was a problem for the knee too.

Seems like I'm talking an awful lot about a knee that has nothing wrong with it.

Thanks for listening - have a great day.

Hugs,
Carol

Hey all!

Just popping in real quick to say a big hello to everyone! I'm in Bethesda right now at Jed's, but since he's checking emails right now I figured it would be a good opportunity to stop by. I managed to eat 100% OP yesterday and resisted temptations of wanting to eat out, simply because of time reasons. We got back from the grocery store later than expected and were going to be late for the concert if I ate before... but he kept reassuring me that it was fine and that he was "inspired and impressed" by what I'm doing, so we quickly scarfed down some veggie burgers and asparagus and headed off... we only missed 10 minutes of the show (it was a Beatles tribute band), and we got to see the best parts anyway, at least according to me since I'm a much bigger fan of their studio stuff. It's so nice that Jed understands and supports me so much in my weight loss efforts even though he's only been with me for such a short time.

No time for personals right now, but I might have a chance a bit later... I never really know what I'll be doing later when I'm over here.. haha

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! And to those of you who aren't, a big :hug: to you.

Val: I think my avatar is so cute. That is "Muffin". We met at the pumpkin farm. I had never in my life seen a minature horse not on TV. I was so facinated by them. I fully expected them to look just like ponies but they were built just like.... well, a tiny little horse. lol. Muffin had a baby there too. She was only 2 months old and was trying to nibble on hay, also on my DH Joel's jacket and fingers. lol. I'm so glad that you are enjoying Gabe so much. As I said before, what a super great incentive to continue to lose weight! Hugs.

Catherine: Wow, that sounds like sooo much fun. I want to go on a trip just like that. lol. I hope you really feel like a "Rock Star" my friend. You certainly deserve to be treated like a princess in my opinion.

Luan: okay, I'll not try to pawn you off on acting anymore. lol.

Storey: I wish with all my heart you could give swimming at a physical therapy place a try. I tell you that is they ONLY thing that helped my back and continues to help it now. You can usually wear shorts and a tee shirt if you don't want to wear a suit and most of the people going there are in bad physically and mental shape so it isn't like a regular pool. Hugs sweetie.

Carol: Ouch. Maybe you could try swimming too. I went to the physical therapy pool until I felt comfortable enough to swim at a regular gym. It may just help your knee. Hugs to you too.

Well, I got my 2nd interview with the company that helps Welfare people. She told me that at the end of the day on Monday I will know one way or the other if I got the job. My interview is at 10 a.m.! I am so excited and hopeful. The county is very interested in me too. I honestly would rather have the SL Start position though. I know that God has everything in control. At least things are looking up. I finally am having TOM so hopefully in a day or two the scale will move down some. Tonight is our big company night. I have the enchiladas all made and ready to be heated in the oven, the beans are also ready to go into the oven. I need to make the Salsa, ranch dressing and salad. Joel, my DH put the leaf in the dining room table last night and put all the chairs around it. I made my special brownies and lemon squares for their dessert so I"m pretty much ready to go. I love it that I don't have to stress out before the get together. I can take my time doing the other chores. I do need to run the vacuum one more time because one of my dogs is shedding like crazy. lol.

Well, I hope you are all doing well and staying op. Have a great day.
Blessings,
Annie

Lindsey: Have a fantastic time at the concert. I am so pleased that Jed is so supportive and caring. What a great catch you got. Hugs.
Blessings to you,
Annie

I am almost done packing, and am off to do some last minute sewing before the trip. We are off to Banff early in the morning. I've got all my books packed. I hope to get a bunch done on the trip.

Hello everyone,

The good news is that I only gained 0.5 lbs from TOM. I know it could've been very bad (as it has been in the past). I am making cranberries with splenda instead of sugar right now. They are cooling off and then I'll put them in the frig. It's an experiment before Tday.

Hugs and Luv to all!
Ratkity

Hi all,

I haven't posted too much lately, but just have been super busy. The good news...I committed to eating well (and sneaking in a little exercise) this week and I lost 4 pounds!! The same 4 pounds I have lost a few times, but this time...they are gone. I am hopeful that tomorrow morning I will see a 359.something. Yahoo!!

DH and I also have not been out to eat in several weeks. Saving morning and calories, which is always good.

Don't have time for personals tonight, as we are putting up Christmas decorations!! Early, I know. But we love it.

Take care and be well.
Angie

Hello everyone!

Turns out that I do have time to stay a while this evening! Jed is having tummy troubles tonight, so we're staying in, at least until he's feeling confident enough to leave the apartment. He's not used to eating vegetables or whole grains, so I think the shock of fiber with him eating what I eat has gotten to him. I asked him what he usually eats during the week when I'm not here, and he said "potatoes, rice, pasta with sauce". I asked him how many times a week he eats vegetables and his reply was "once or twice." Whole grains? "Never.".... Poor guy. If I had known, I would have told him to eat his food for maybe 2/3 of our meals so that he can slowly build up...

Other than that, not much else going on. We went to the mall today and did some shopping. JCPenney was having great sales today, so I bought 3 lovely sweaters for about $50. I was so pleased with myself... haha.

Now for some personals!

Annie, congrats on fitting into that skirt! Sounds like you've been quite busy preparing for company! I hope you have fun!

Story, I'm sorry that your back has been bothering you. I hope that your recovery speeds up!

Debbie, I'm happy to hear that Daisy is doing better. I take it the new medicine is working well?

Xena, congrats on making it past the 25 lbs mark and the good grade on your test!

Valerie, I always love to hear about your horseback riding experiences. It always makes the country girl come out in me and I suddenly have the urge to go riding... haha. I hope that Gabe continues to do well with not being spooked.

Catherine, it seems like they do a lot of studies on things that seem blatantly obvious... now I'm wondering if they have all of the skinny people doing the research on obesity. That would certainly explain a lot. I hope that you have a nice trip tomorrow!

Carol, as far as protein goes, how about egg whites (or Eggbeaters), beans, tofu, tempeh, nonfat/lowfat yogurt or cottage cheese? I know some people don't like beans, but there are some applications, like purees (fat free refried beans or hummus) that are appealing... which reminds me of veggie burgers (or other veggie products, like fake chick'n patties, veggie dogs, etc.)! I get a lot of protein in the form of those... some people are sensitive to soy, though. If walking is too much for your knee, I'd definitely recommend swimming if you have access to a pool. It's very low impact and my absolute favorite form of exercise.

Luan, sounds like this new show is a lot of fun... I hope it sells so that I can watch it!

Donna, I'm sorry that your post got erased. I feel your pain.. although it hasn't happened to me on this website, it's happened to me on others... Like others have said, I now always use Wordpad...

Ratkity, I think my favorite thing about Thanksgiving is probably the cranberries. Let me know how they turn out...

Toofatforu, I hope that your knee feels better, but if you do need a knee replacement, I would think that it would be best to get it over with rather than suffering in pain forever!

Angie, I've been fighting the urge to put up Christmas decorations this early! Congrats on losing 4 lbs!