This thread is a sub-set of the 300+ thread.

This group is for those dealing with the challenges of having a significant amount of weight to lose and being fit which becomes harder after age 40. If you're an old or new friend and not over 40 and feel this is the place to post, jump right in.

Morning ladies,

Its Monday. Time to get a new focus on the week. My focus in on what I can do better today and only today. I started off with my 40 minutes of exercise. I also consciously worked a little harder each time I felt myself getting more lazy about it.

Val - Fantastic ride you had on Gabe. Even more impressing because you're riding in an English saddle and I do Western which has the horn and cantle for security if needed. I'll have to talk to DH about coming to Columbus. That would be a blast. I have tickets to see Clinton Anderson who is coming to Kansas City in January. Did I tell you I nominated Phoenix to be the spooky horse? I haven't heard anything more since I submitted pictures.

Best get going. Need to feed the doggies and hit the shower.

Have a great Monday and find something that you can focus on just for today! to all!

Good morning ladies, How are all of you this nice cold weather? Brrrr!

Still op after a week! Boy, that is hard to believe isn't it? I actuallly made it through the weekend without going for all of the goodies. some of my choices could still use some work but I stayed within my calorie limit. As long as I am doing that , I figure I am doing ok. I feel better too.

My fingers seem to be finding all the wrong keys this morning. LOL! I hate it when I do that!

I am having a Lean Cuisine sesame chicken dinner for lunch today. Yummy! That and a salad. How about you? Maybe if we shared what we are eating it would keep us accountable? Or maybe not.

I haven't even started getting ready for Christmas. I bet a lot of you have already decorated and finished up your Christmas shopping. After the property tax bill, house ins. car ins. got through with us, I am not sure Santa will be coming this way this year! All of those come due in Nov. and Dec. How awful is that? And lets' not even talk about the price of propane to heat with.
Poor house here I come! Have any of you noticed how much your grocery bill has increased the last year? It seems everything goes up from week to week. I am through ranting now.

I hope you ladies are all having a wonderful day. A wonderful op day. Later, Ta, Ruth

Good evening. I'm finally having a bit of a break in my week. Hope you're all doing okay.

The inside of the house is decorated, but who can say when the outside will happen...

Snowing here right now. Looks like I'll get some extra exercise shovelling tomorrow....

It's snowing! It won't be much, but it looks like winter finally. I was in one of my schools today and the kids were soooo excited! Of course, they wanted school to let out early, but on Wed. the elementary schools get out early anyway so the middle and high schools can't get out early. So they had to stay in all day and watch the snow. It's not supposed to be a lot but the schools may be delayed tomorrow. One of the things I like the most about being retired is that if the roads are nasty out, I DON'T HAVE TO GO! Yeah!
My cats are loving it though. They stare out at the snow.
I am NOT all decorated yet. I hope to get my tree up tonight. I'm going to weight down the base so that the "boys" ( young cats) can't accidentally knock it over. By Sunday I'll have the whole house ready.
I had lunch out today when I met a friend unexpectedly. I ordered just a sandwich but when it came they had piled french fries on the plate too! But I was so good. I didn't eat any of them and I just left them. My friend didn't want them either. It didn't even say on the menu that the sandwich included fries. Don't you hate that.
Well, must go. I'm finishing up a DVD for my camp. Take care all.

Bearcub

Good Evening Ladies!

Quickie post to say hello and I hope you all are well. My house is NOT all decorated. Never got the tree up or anything yet. I did get my two new wreaths made and on my double doors, but no lights, so you can't see then at night! Hopefully this weekend!

to all!

I am SO in the spirit of the season, but haven't even begun to decorate at home. I wrapped some presents last night, but they're for the adopt-a-family at work and have to be turned in by next Wednesday.

Terri, as far as that English saddle business, I'm riding right now in an endurance saddle. The flaps, stirrups & irons are english, so it LOOKS english, but the seat is very deep, the cantle and pommel are higher so it 'embraces' my hinny even more so than most western saddles, and it's a brushed synthetic surface that graps your jeans instead of being slippery. In addition, the seat is padded, the bars underneath are very padded, so horse and rider are both really comfy, as well as being much safer than an english, or to my mind, any western saddle either. It's old and beat up and looks like a real piece or junk, but I LOVE it. You wouldn't like it to look at it perhaps, but if you rode in it I bet you'd like it too. Because of the english flaps, it lets you feel the horse more, instead of the thick, wooden distance that many western saddles put between rider & horse, and it's so much more secure than perching up on a shiny english one. I get no credit for riding english at this stage of the game.

I've been drifting more towards the carbs again lately. Doing well today tho, and repeating my mantra as needed: I will not hurt myself today, I will not hurt myself today...

I go from work straight home to change, then to the barn, then home to the boob-tube and more dinner of a less healthy nature than I should have. I actually made spegghetti the other night. NOT a good choice for me. My dear friend Andrea, mom to Shelby who rides my horse, gave me a turkey the other day, so tonight I'll roast that. Silly as this sounds, I'll have turkey for breakfast tomorrow (& then live on it for the next several days) but my time is so crazy lately that I have to get it in & out of the oven when I can. I've been DYING for turkey lately!

DH is picking up a load in Virginia today heading to Arizona. So glad he's got a good run, and he's going someplace WARM!

Good luck with all y'alls decorating this season!

Let's trumpet our horns and announce our accomplishments! I've posted a sticky to do just that and would like to invite people who've lost 100 pounds or more to submit their names to be duly celebrated!!

We can make categories for 100 pounds, 150 etc...

I won't post people's names unless they pm me themselves!

I'd also LOVE LOVE LOVE if people would share their stories. It's so inspiring. I know, I need to do it too!

Let's celebrate what we have achieved!!!!!

Hello! How are you? My this thread is getting slower and slower. Where is everybody?

Still op! Shoot, Heather that should Qualify as an accomplishment for me!

I still haven't decorated for Christmas, I may not do much. My younger grands are not going to come this year. My daughter only has one day off, so they are staying home. I don't blame them though. Sure won't seem like Christmas. My sons wife has to go into the hospital for surgery soon. They were trying to set up a schedule for it. My older daughter and her DH will be here for dinner though.

Honestly this year has passed so fast, it seems like we just had Christmas and here It is again. Time is flying by. I am not getting any younger so I had better work on getting smaller. LOL! We sure can't turn the clock back.

Have a good day my friends........ Ruth

Not on plan yesterday! I was locked in a conference room for hours with pastry and succumbed -- several times.

Back on track today! No more pastry for lunch.

Hi ladies,

I'm here just having a really bad work week. And when I get home at night, I don't feel like getting back on the computer. That MUST change. I cannot lose any more of my evenings to "bad work weeks" because I'm the one who loses - no exercise at night, poor eating choices, bummed out feeling.

Valerie - I have been eyeing an endurance saddle. (Like I need more saddles - not). I told DH one day this week that I think when I retire, I am going to buy a mule and take up endurance riding. Like I need another equine - always!

to all! Must get back to sucky work and work on getting my speeding ticket fixed so I don't have any negative impact on insurance. Know any good lawyers in Jefferson City???

Hello ladies, thought I would drop in for a minute. I hope everyone is well and fiesty this morning.

still op! I lost the weight I found around Thanksgiving and now I can look forward to Christmas goodies I never plan to find lost weight but somehow I always manage.

Have a wonderful weekend. Ruth

..............Ruth

Hi ladies,

Wow, Sunday morning already! We're having a very winter weekend. Freezing rain and sleet. So its a pretty mellow weekend.

I can't even think of much to yack about. Work sucked right up to the bitter end on Friday night and I let it get to me. I really need to get a handle on that so that it doesn't have a negative impact on how I feel and react otherwise. Sounds good anyway.

I'll be back later after I've done something good for myself today.

to all!

Back atcha, RUTH! Glad you un-found those turkey pounds! I cooked a turkey night before last, with stuffing of course, and even made some cranberry-orange relish to do with it - my FAV. An least now I can enjoy those turkey leftovers since I didn't bring any home from Grama's.

TERRI, So sorry that work stinks so bad. It would be wonderful if you found an employer who appreciated you and treated you better... and of course paid you accordingly! I'm glad you have all your furbabies to come home to. Makes everything seem worth it.

HEATHER, No repeat of pastry attacks this weekend? At least when you aren't locked in with them at work, you can control things better.

Personally, I faced the attack of the 4-H bake sale all day at the auction yesterday. I also was clerking for the auctioneer and didn't keep track of what I was spending myself. $278! I bought a saddle for $135, and a pair of winter horse blankets for $25 a piece and other stuff I could live without. Must be the auctioneer's fault. I've been going to his auctions for 20 years or more, and back in those days I actually had a terrible crush on him. - Don't tell anybody!

Doing good today - yogurt, raspberries & a yam so far today. I've cleaned the kitchen, cooked some chicken for lunches for the week, sorted some laundry - all after I even slept in. Now it's off to Penney's with my 20% off, today only coupon.

Be good girls! I'm tryin' too!