[gggirls]

Purple - thank you for sharing your story. Please keep posting with us here.

The cooler weather has had me in the cooking mode - I spent the morning looking at recipes and came up with several I am excited to try. Tonight is sweet and spicy crockpot chicken. It smells "salty". I'll keep you posted. I truly love cooking but find myself eating the same things over and over - grilled some kind of meat and steamed veggies. There are so many other things to do I just need to stop and take the time to do it.

Annie - I think the pups slept better than I did - they loved being in the bed with me. Unfortunately I don't sleep well when things are not the norm.

Debi - keep ice on that face. Hope you feel back to yourself quickly.

Hope you all have a lovely evening.

Move your bodies, drink your water and SMILE.

Hugs to all,
Carol

[purpleorc]

Hi everyone.

Well had a narrow escape this morning from the rain I was doing my daily exercise of a walk with my DH. After returning we were not in the house above 5 minutes when the heavens opened and it was lashing down with rain. Phew so missed being a drowned rat

Just had a ham sandwich for lunch with a fat free yogurt. Then for our evening meal we are having pork in stuffing. We have not had that for ages so quite looking forward to it. I prepared all our vegetables last night as we always have heaps of vegetables to pack out our meal to make them filling but not laden with calories. I think we will have a banana later on has I have plenty.

I am suppose to be making some muffins made with oats which I have when I go to the MS therapy centre on Tuesday. I take 2 and they fill me up at lunch for about 300 calories for the 2. I find them filling but I know they are good for me with all the oats which lower cholesterol, then the fruit in them is equivalent to 1 fruit portion when you eat 2.

Carol Thanks for the welcome to the thread. I must admit your lunch sounds rather yummy to me. Although spicy foods are off bounds at the minute due to an ulcer . I miss spicy foods and can not wait for it to be healed so I can indulge again

Like you I love cooking and have since I was knee high to a grass hopper. I have fond memories learning to cook from my Dad. Yes I was lucky enough to have a Dad who cooks superbly so had a great teacher. He cooks nothing fancy but good plain home cooking and also baking when we were young. ( myself and my sister)

Time to go and put the pork in on a low light so it cooks slowly so it is lovely and tender for later. So bye for now everyone and take care


purpleorc

[Ratkitten]

Greetings my Chickies!!

Sorry for not posting all week long. I've been soooo busy! I was at a training class out of town for work that lasted 9-10 hours a day. The trainers did their best to make a boring topic interesting, but they failed most of the time. hehe. I was so mentally exhausted by the end of each day, I just wound down a little by practicing guitar and then went to bed.

The training class ended this Friday and my big sis had major surgery (hysterectomy) that morning. The surgery was supposed to be for 4-5 hours, but lasted only 3 hours. The surgeons were afraid it would have to be done "open" because of her previous surgeries, but she was lucky and it was done laproscopically. All is well and I am now at her house taking care of her doggies. I visited her last night and she was doing well, but in some pain. She should be coming home today.

The cortisone shot I had in my knee has worn off and my knee is hurting again... *sob* I guess I need to call the knee doc and make another appt. I head home from sister's on Tuesday night.

Hugs to all my Chickies that are doing so well! Welcome Purple!

My eating has been so off since my knee has been messing up. I have to change my stats now. Time to get focused, but I'm not feeling da motivation.

Catherine, I am sorry for your loss. *hugs*

deb, I hope your mouth is healing!!

GGG and Annie, hugs to your and your fuzzies! I miss mine so much when I'm away.

Luv to all,
Ratkity

[dgramie]

I gained 2lbs over night..so i went from being the same to a +2 gain. I know it must be from pain meds and not eating or drink much of anything yesterday. Hubby went and got me some mashed potatoes and gravy and i did eat them, maybe a cup and a half total.
Mymouth is really sore but overall i cant see any swelling. I am going to try and drink my coffee as i cant function without it. I dont want to just lay around today..i have a bridal shower at church and then maybe go to the grocery store depending on how im feeling.
im thinking of taking a freebie week on bl. I have never taken one before and i think this is a good time to take one.
purple- so glad to see you posting here..i know you will love everyone here as much as i do!!
carol- your dinner sounds wonderful..
annie- congrats on the job being full time now. just dont overdo it!!!
hugs to all

[dgramie]

rat- so glad you are back with us!! I missed you!!

[gggirls]

The sweet and spicy chicken was too spicy and too salty - it is worth tweaking though. I used only half of the called for soy sauce - I can't imagine how salty it would have been with all of it. The sauce tasted similar to General Tso's sauce only much hotter if possible. I think next time I will use orange juice and 1/4 of the soy sauce and 1/2 t cayenne. One teaspoon is a lot of cayenne although the recipe reviewers all said to double it - glad I didn't do that.

The total body workout Thursday night has officially kicked my whole body. My earlobes ache. I'm looking forward to water aerobics this morning so I can get stretched out at the very least and get a little mobility back.

Rat - I had my first hyalgn injection yesterday in the ole bum knee. Sorry the cortisone shot wore off so quickly - I had good success with them also lasting about 4 months. The perils of steroids on a 50 year old body though prohibit too many. Hope you see the ortho soon to see what's really up with it. Those furbabies loved being in bed with me - I'm gone all next week - I suspect by the time I get home I may be the mean ole ogre when they are back to their kennels at night. Good to see you! I always miss you.

Catherine - how are you? Miss your posts.

Annie - does this mean a little more money for you working direct for Netflix? I hope so! I would love those hours but would probably spend more than I made since I would have all day to work on projects that take money to do. What day are you meeting up with Toni? Enjoy your weekend.

The next new recipe in the line up is tequila lime shrimp - sounds so easy and yummy. A nice salad and maybe some grilled veggies to round it out. Not sure if it will be tonight or tomorrow. Hope this turns out better the first time than yesterday.

Needs to get ready to head to the pool.

Move your bodies, drink your water and SMILE.

Hugs to all,
Carol

[Debbie54]

Hi Ladies,

PurpleOrc, love the name. Your story is pretty interesting. Sorry you didn't get to stay in nursing, but there's something else going on for you in God's plans. Just hang in there to see what it is. Congrats on losing so much weight. That's really an accomplishment!!

Carol, the new meals you're making sound really tasty. Like you, I get in a rut and keep making the grilled or oven roasted meats with steamed veggies. A body can only take so much of that! So bravo to you to getting out there and trying new stuff. I think I'll get some new recipes going too, just need quick and easy ones though. I love to bake more than cook. It's probably how I got the way I am.

Annie, so glad you're getting more hours. I'm sure that's going to help lots. I'm putting an app in at Michaels. If I get hired, I get 25% off on stuff. I'll probably end up spending all my money there!!

Ratkity, sorry to hear your sister had to go thru that but so glad that she is doing well. I hope she recovers quickly. Who's taking care of your furbabies if you're taking care of hers? Sorry about the knee too. That's gotta hurt!

Debi, hope the mouth feels better with each passing minute. Did you get to drink your coffee? I've been meaning to ask you, where did you get your mini tramp? It sounds like fun and something easy to do while watching tv.

Well we've decided on what we are going to wear for Halloween. The Eagles is having a party and we didn't want to spend alot on a costume, so much to my shock and surprise, Jim said he would dress up in my wedding dress, and I will wear his suit he wore to DS wedding. It actually fit too, which surprised me. We bought wigs too, mine is like Elvis's and Jim's is a yellow and hot pink one. He's pretty hairy, so I was trying to get him to put glitter in his chest hairs, as they will be showing in my dress. It's going to be pretty funny I think. I'll take pics.
Today we're going with the kids to another corn maze and then pumpkin shopping. Then after that, off to the show to see Saw 5. So it should be a fun day. I was worried though because it was raining last night, but pretty and sunny today. YAY!!
I think we have a dead mouse under the house too. It's starting to stink up the house. ICK!!! So gross!!! I guess the brighter side is that they aren't eating the house anymore.
Well, better get going here. Have a great weekend!
Debbie

[dgramie]

debbie- yes i was able to drink my coffee..i had let it cool down some first. I also was able to go to a bridal shower at church. It was nice but wasnt really able to enjoy the food..so no big tempations there. Came home and ate some mashed pot again with a little bit of gravy. I also ate some jello. I am finding cold doesnt feel good or neither does hot stuff..so luke warm food and drinks for me.LOL I got my minitramp at target but i think Kmart has them also. They are fun and really does work if you use it!!!!!!! I have slacked off so much with exercise but did get a few days of lifting in last week..welll my pain med is kicking in...nap time for me.
hugs

[purpleorc]

Hi Fellow chicks

DEBBIE Thanks about my name I chose it as I love the colour purple and have an interest in mythology hence the orc. I once had a French teacher whom was Greek and used to tell us all the Greek mythological stories so from there on in I was hooked.

Yes I agree God has a different path for me to follow now, I accept that now and look forward to where this path leads. Thank-you about my weight loss accomplishment, part of it is my hard work but a lot has to do with the help and advice people gave me on here. Oh yes and the occasional when I have needed it

Sounds like the Halloween fancy dress is going to be fun. The costumes sound great for this event. We do not celebrate Halloween as much you yourselves do. When we were children we did not go trick or treating although over the years the tradition has started to grow and take its roots from the States.

DEBI Sounds like the bridal shower was really good and at least you were able to eat a little which must have been a real bonus.

The trampoline sounds like a good workout for the whole body if used regularly would love to use one but not possible due to being unstable on my legs. I am fortunate though I do get the use at the MS centre of a "wobble" machine. It is a machine that vibrates at high speed and it helps us with balance etc. Though if you are overweight it has the added bonus of burning fat. So I have a go on it each week to help me in both departments.

Medication that we take can give us weight gain they may give us relief in other areas of our life but we could well do with out this side effect . The trouble is with many pain medications they make you drowsy so want to sleep or you are unsafe to drive or operate machinery .

CAROL Experimenting with food and tweaking it is all part of the fun of cooking new dishes. It is good to try new dishes and make life interesting and not seem like we are on this boring healthy eating. I have tried so many new dishes while being on healthy eating that my DH swears that he is a guinea pig He has done great on healthy eating as well he has lost over 70lbs which is no mean feat as he has a very sweet tooth so finding things that hit the spot have been a challenge for me.

RATKITY Thanks for the welcome to the thread. I understand how hard it is to get focus and stay focus after your health has taken a little downward spiral. I try to treat my bouts of ill health has times to be in maintenance rather than lose weight. You often can not exercise or if you can it is a fraction to what you normally do. I often stay in the 1lb or 2lb region of bouncing around with the same couple of pounds. Try and focus on how well you have done and how much you have lost. You have done so brilliantly and are an inspiration to others that you can do it.

So chin up, you can do this and we will travel this bumpy weight loss journey together.


I am going to be all out of sorts today as we put back the clocks an hour last night. So it will take some days for my body to adjust but it was nice to get the extra hour in bed.

Time to go and put the Hoover around the house as my furry baby as made more mess than four kids put together so take care and catch up with you soon.
purpleorc

[dgramie]

I am feeling much more human today. My mouth is itching really bad so i know its healing now. NO more pain meds for me..i hate the way they make me feel. Im skipping church this morning and trying to catch up on things here at home. I do have a meeting at church at 5 about our fall festival which is on halloween. I love working it and cant wait..also its exciting that the shirt i always wear is wayyyyy to big.:O)
hugs to all

[NuevaVida]

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick "drive by" to say I've been reading posts diligently and enjoying know what you are all up to. Welcome to the new members! :-)

I don't have time for personals today. Just finished working out - 40 minutes on my bike today - YAY - and my fastest speed yet. I could have done more but my home is a mess and I REALLY want to make myself a dress today. Spent the day yesterday making the muslin and then modifying the pattern. So, if I can make it through the housecleaning quick enough, I may be wearing a new dress tomorrow. I'm thrilled! For almost 5 years I've had in my stash this gorgeous demin that I'm planning on using. Wish me luck!

Have a great day everyone! More soon.

[azcyn]

Happy sunday all..

rat: glad you are back lady!!!

purpleorc: I just seen your before and after pics..you look great!! What an inspiration for me!

Debbie: my kids wanna see SAW 5. Hubby will take them this week I am sure.

WE HAD DRAMA last night. My son..the 17 yr old..went to his GF house yesterday. His hair is died black..he is finally comming out of his gothic phase..lol..so his hair was down to his shoulders..a month ago he cut its really short but looked good. So his plan was to let the black grow out to his natural dirty blonde color...

WELL...yesterday while at his GF house..they decided he would look great with PLATNUM BLONDE hair!!!! Well after doing so he calls me and says umm mom I have a problem..my hair is blonde...black..yellow..and orange! I about fell off the couch! Mind you I had got my hair cut yesterday morning and the lady who does my hair TOLD him to let it grow out no more coloring!!!

Hubby went and got him..he walked in and I cried! Yes it was that bad!! It looked like soneone took spray paint and colored his hair! It took in some spots but not in others. So we took him today to basically buzz the back really short and the top so short!! The lady that did it..cause my normal lady was closed...did her best. I t is a little orange but more brown.

Now that we are home...he thinks its ok..I said son..your gonna be 18 in 2 weeks..you have to be a big boy. He says he knows. I know this is not the worst thing he will ever do but it broke my heart cause he didn't listen to me..usually he does.

UGH..thanks for listening..hopefully he will learn at this tender age...lol I said well atleast it is halloween..your hair matches

[gggirls]

Hiya Peeps - how's everyone?

It's a very windy day here with a definite chill in the air. Looking for the first freeze tonight. DH and I worked outside most of the day tending to the banana trees and digging elephant ears. The tropicals that need to come in are in as well as sharing with family some of the excess. Mom is going to see if she can keep the artichoke going through the winter - even though it's a perennial I think our winter is too harsh for it. I also picked the last of the zucchini - about 25 of them. I think I will shred it to throw into soup through the winter.

Another new recipe tonight - Tequila Lime Shrimp. A nice salad and grilled zucchini should round it out nicely.

I'm really dreading the travel this week - I guess once I know how the airplane seat is I will be better. Keep your fingers crossed for me please.

I find myself stepping more and more out of my comfort zone lately. Yesterday I tucked my shirt into my jeans - haven't done that in such a very long time. Additionally I bought a pair of cowboy boots to wear with my jeans. This is a gigantic step for me. Best of all I actually think I looked OK. Maybe next time I'll get some pics.

I took my measurements yesterday and the new trainer is certainly helping me move the inches. Since September 20, about the time I started working with her, I have lost 5 inches off the big 3 measurements. I'll definetely miss her workouts this week while I'm gone but I do plan to hit the hotel fitness center - another big step for me.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening. Thanks for everything - you have all provided me so much support along the way.

Move your bodies, drink your water and SMILE.

Hugs,
Carol

[dgramie]

cyn- my neice use to be into the wild colored hair and one time she went to dye it and the same thing happened to her..it was like chetta spots..she is a beautiful young lady and was able to pull it off until they could fix it..She has had every color hair..even hot pink..but it wasnt supost to be hot pink. She is one of those artsy types who can pull of strange color hair and still look gorgeous!! Hang in there with your son!!
hugs

[gggirls]

Ooooooooooh my the shrimp was wonderful and so easy to prepare. Meals like tonights remind how much I love a simple meal. It probably took less time to prepare then the "same ole same ole" I traditionally eat. It will hit the menu again definitely.