OMG Fiona .. what an experience .. I hope you don't get any worse. What a bunch of idiots where you were getting tested. Keep well

Fiona W: What a horrible experience! Hope you start feeling better soon!

RHIANNA: Welcome!! I too took a long time to start posting, but the support you get is great!

Spent most of the day hanging with my 9 year old daughter since they had no school. Had a small splurge and enjoyed a small chocolate shake tonight. Made sure to stay with in my calories though! A month ago it would have been a super size, so it feels good knowing that I am regaining control!

Wow -- lots going on again. I'm still getting used to posting towards the end of the day although I don't know why it would really make any difference!

Nightkatt -- I'm in awe of you. Sincerely. Anyone who can lose 100 pounds AND be baking all those wonderful sounding recipes definitely has her act together. Is this your first cookbook -- or one of many? Hope you can find a linoleum that you like for your kitchen. How cool about meeting your soul mate on line. It's so refreshing to hear a wonderful story instead of the beware-of-the-kooks online stories.

Fi -- OMG three times over. Sounds just horrific. The last time I had a stress test, I told them that there was no way I could even walk fast -- and I don't have short legs -- and they told me that they would do it at "granny" speed. That left me panting, so I can't imagine how you were even able to finish it up. Please ask your doctor if this is the normal protocol for the test -- sounds to me like there's some additional training needed for those two. If nothing else in how to act more professionally. Hope that you're feeling better by the time you read this.

Ubee -- I can see you as a Nanny -- a much beloved Nanny who was fun to have around. The Co-op this morning was fine. There's a new volunteer who doesn't like being idle. So, she thought she could get the files whipped into shape fairly quickly. It's so nice working with someone who not only gets it, but had some great ideas on better ways to organize things. With an all volunteer group, you can imagine what condition they are in! Still chuckling over not being sure if it was hunger signaling you. Never dawned on me to wait and see -- I just assume it is.

Jane -- Those traction booties are a godsend. I had a set for Goldilocks, my golden retriever who had a lot of problems near the end. It really helped her stay mobile. Your weekend sounds busy, but warmer weather always puts me in the mood to get stuff done, too.

Rhianna -- Welcome. And don't worry about the weight number as we're all on the have-a-lot-to-lose side.

Terra -- Hope you got all the walks in and got your room straightened up. Is Clyde real frisky after a bath? It must feel good as every pet I've had just acts a little crazy after getting cleaned up.

Merstopher -- Ubee and I will try to intentionally misinterpret everything you (and everyone else if appropriate) write if we can get a little laugh out of it. Have to admit I didn't think of it that way.......until Ubee brought it up.

JPiper -- Yay! Another computer person. I was in IT for 25 years--started out back in the days where we had to move the wires on the back of the computer to allow the program to have enough memory to finish. With card decks. In Fortran or COBOL. The dark ages. Sounds like you've made some really positive changes in your life -- good for you!

Valerie -- What can one say other than you are handling this with such grace and dignity. Forming a relationship with your fiance's daughter is a gift for both of you. I wish you peace and comfort.

Busy day with a meeting with my financial advisor this morning, then a couple of hours at the Co-op, a trip to Costco and now catching up with you all. I need to at least straighten up the house and have a lot of volunteer computer work to do this weekend. If it's in the 60s, I may even sneak outside and at least get the shrubs pruned back and begin to get things ready for the summer onslaught. In the meantime, I'm going to look through the seed catalogs and figure out what I'll be planting. Have a good weekend all.

Hey everyone,

Today was one of those bleh days at the office. Our phones weren't working right and they are ran by the internet so that went down for awhile too, then the printer started messing up. I think that was a sign to just go home lol...I had to sit at the reception desk because she was off for her birthday today. I did manage to get some exercise in at work, but tonight I'm taking a break from evening exercises. I've been going going going and I don't want to injure myself. It's quite cold out so I won't be going out in that! Tomorrow I'm going to visit my good friend and have her cut my hair. I love going and having her washy hair and cut it. She's so good she makes me want to fall asleep in the chair lol...DH and I may go to this new gastro pub that has opened up because they sell poutine...I know its terrible for you but he hasn't had real poutine in a few years when he went to Canada with this old band he was in and I've never tried it. I may just take a bite of his and order something else.


Tonight I tried a recipe I found on Pinterest...It was for thai lettuce cups using chicken. The flavor was good but the recipe called for putting the cooked chicken breasts in a foos processor. The flavor was good bit the texture was like BBQ. It would have been better if the chicken was cubed instead amd add in some heat and sour, which it lacked. I think if I made it again I would do that. DH agreed.

For those that wanted the lemon poppy seed dressing, here's what's in it.

1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
Dash of salt and pepper
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 packet of stevia or what I did was use the ground stevia, the unprocessed kind, and just put a little pinch, maybe a tad more to taste
1/2 TBSP greek yogurt (this is only if you want a creamy dressing)


Anyway, DH and I are going to have a movie night and snuggle up and get warm. Hope everyone has a good night!!

Fiona - I would have not put up with that kind of treatment. The last two times I have had a chemical stress test during which I was laying down.
Previously I ran the treadmill like you did. Laying down is much easier.

Back to a morning post today -- the good news is that it will be short (for me!).

Sam -- Love the way you are experimenting with cooking different foods and then adjusting them for your own taste. Thanks for sharing your dressing recipe. Hope you and your hubby had a good movie night.

Larry -- Agreed. Hope you are doing well.

Ubee -- Somehow I missed your posting that you'd lost 75 pounds, but saw it in other posts. Good for you!!!! :):):) Doesn't it feel wonderful to bust your buttons from pride instead of clothes being too tight.

I woke up at 5:30 and since I wasn't sleepy any longer just went ahead and got up. I've got to take one of my coffee pots to the Co-op in a little bit for our anniversary celebration. I'll do some accounting work while I'm there. Then I have to stop by my BIL's house and see if I can help him learn to use his new Kindle. He is a dear, dear man, but any time new technology of any kind is introduced, I spend a lot of time coaxing him along with it until he's comfortable using it. It's supposed to be in the 50s here today, so I think I'll get the fruit trees pruned, fertilize the blueberry bushes, trim some bushes back that are beginning to take over the yard, and get a little jump on some of this stuff.

Yesterday was the first day in I can't remember how long that I stayed completely on plan. And I got rewarded with a 2 pound loss (water, obviously) this morning. Eventually I will get back to what my ticker says I weigh -- I'm living for the day when I actually get to move it again. Have a great day all.

Just a quick pop in as I have lots on the go

down 3.1 this morning meaning TOM is done I have a heck of a chest cold though.

resisted temptation last night while driving around a very upset drunk friend with a tub of ice cream it was definitely worth it

have to put my house back together today have a great weekend everyone!

Radiojane: Great job on the loss! Hope your feeling better soon!

betsy2013 Way to go Betsy on staying on plan yesterday!!

SamIAm86: I am so making that dressing! Thanks for the recipe! Lemon poppy seed is my favorite!

Spending the day puttering around the house. Dinner is already in the crock pot. Tonight it will be "The best crock pot recipe ever". Yup that is the name. lol http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/or...a1033b729f.jpg
I altered it some to make it a little more healthy :) I am learning!
Hope everyone has a wonderful afternoon and stay warm!

Nightkatt ~ Thanks for telling me about your pets and when their b-days are

betsy2013 ~ Yeah I got my walks in but I have yet to straighten up my room but since its the weekend I probably have a better chance of actually straighten up my room lol. Yeah Clyde gets frisky after his bath's.

Fiona W ~ Im sorry your appointment went so bad

RHIANNA ~ Welcome, Its nice to have a new member join our Chat thread

SamIAm86 ~ Im sorry your had a blah day at work, Thats cool that you look on pinterest for recipes I do the same thing. Thanks for the recipe.

Radiojane ~ Im sorry your not feeling well, I hope you feel better soon.

I hope to straighten up my room today since its the weekend, There's nothing on t.v on the weekend so its easier to do other things LOL except when it comes to walking, I walk no matter what. I also need to clean the house so I'll do that this weekend as well. Take Care Everyione

Good Afternoon!
I'm really packing the food away today. Not hungry but bored/stressed.
Terra do you enjoy walking? Have you always done a lot of it or just since you decided to get healthy?
Erin thank you so much for posting that recipe in the dinner thread. I am going to adapt it to my plan. It looks soo good! Happy to hear you feel more in control with your eating. Glad you got some daughter time in!
Jane you are a good friend. I would have eaten the ice cream or tossed it out the window. Yea for another loss!
Betsy yea for 2 pounds down and staying on plan! What does it matter if it is water weight? Give yourself credit! How did your yard work go? I am so moving some place with better weather! Now on to the soap opera... how was the party at the co-op?
Sam I had to look up poutine. For some reason I thought it was something you smoked. :o Thanks for the recipe. I am always at a loss for healthy dressings.
Katt thank you for sharing your story. It is intereseting how people can handle things in such different ways. I also think happiness can be a choice. It just took me a long time to figure it out.
Fi wow! I think they should be reported. You are a mentally strong person. What would happen if they treated someone fragile like that? They need some training and compassion! Please take care of yourself. I am sorry you had this nasty experience.
Larry I saw your below calorie report in 40+ way to go.
Hope everyone is well and warm! I am off to house hunt online for homes with a swimming pool!

Hey All,

Little late checking in here, I had a very busy day. Got up around 9 this morning and had breakfast. I had a fruit bowl with greek yogurt instead of my usual oatmeal. It was delish...will definitely start adapting that as a breakfast item so I don't get bored of oatmeal. Then I went to visit my mom and gram (my mom moved in with her before my grand died last year) to catch up with them and get my health insurance straightened out before my hair appointment. I am now signed up for health insurance!! My gram really wanted me to have it even though it is something I really can't afford so she offered to pay my insurance premiums for me. I have never in my adult life had health insurance so I'm pretty happy about it. I am not one to go to the doctor often, but with having PCOS I really want to go get checked out and see a new doctor. My coverage starts March 3 so once I get all of that taken care of I plan to make an appointment with my friend's doctor.

I got my hair cut today by my best friend. She always makes me feel so pretty. I told her to make me look good because I had a hot date tonight with DH :). We put a lot more layers in it to give me some body...I really like it. Once I know or figure out how to post pictures here I'll show you guys :).

DH and I went and checked out this new gastro pub that opened last Monday. We split an order of poutine and also got a checuterie (sp) plate that had some different salami and prosciutto on it. That was my cheat meal. First real cheat meal I've had since I started my journey, but luckily between the two of us it really wasn't much, though I'm sure it was still high in fat. We also went to the mall and went to our local gamer store (we both love video games) and bought a PS2 to add to our collection since our old one broke years ago. It was cheap enough and got a few games. We just got home from getting some coffee and DH already has it set up and is playing a game we got LOL. I guess it's just our generation, we grew up with Nintendo and such and we are still young, but big kids at heart. I still watch cartoons :-P. Overall it was a very nice date, and was really nice to get to spend that kind of quality time with my love.

Tomorrow BIL is giving me my first monthly PT test. I'm kind of nervous, even though I know there is no pass or fail. He just wants to see where I am so we can look back each month and see where I've improved. I'm not really looking forward to the walking part LOL...He's taking me to the park down the street that has a HUGE pond that has a walk/jog/run path around it and wants to time me to see how fast I get around it. I know I'll be doing mostly walking since I skinned the back of my ankle pretty bad the last time we walked. I'm trying to think of something I can put on my ankle so if my shoe starts to rub it won't hurt. Any suggestions? I have those Rebok Easy Tones..DH got me them a few years ago and I only wear those to train or work out in so they are practically new haha...But I think I might need to get a different pair sometime soon that is a little more flexible.

Seems like everyone had a pretty busy day as well.

Betsy You garden sounds wonderful, I would love to be able to come over and help prune your trees and work in your garden. I've always wanted a garden of my own, but have never had a yard lol.

Fi I am so sorry to hear about what happened at the doctor's office. They should be reported. It seems like doctors nowadays just want to get paid and really don't care about the patients and definitely have bad beside manner. I hope everything turns out well for you love.

Rihanna Welcome to the group dear! Hope to learn more about you and get to know you. I'll be cheering you on while you're on this journey!

Valerie Your story brought me to tears while reading it. I am so sorry for your loss. You seem like a very strong woman, and it's great that you and his daughter get along so well. Sending you BIG HUGS!!! <3

Jane Great job on the 3.1 loss!! High five girly!!

Terra & Erin You are so welcome for the recipe! I actually used it in my salad I had today for lunch. It really is good. I get bored with salad dressings when it comes to making my own, and you just can't, well shouldn't eat the stuff in the bottle at the grocery store, and the ones that are supposed to be good for you taste like crap LOL...I'd much rather just make my own, but I am not very creative when it comes to a salad dressing, so Pinterest is a very good place to go.

Well I think I'm off to get in my PJs and relax for the rest of the night. I have an early morning coming haha...Oh, and tomorrow I am going to attempt a cauliflower pizza crust! I saw it on Pinterest and just have to try it! I've seen the same recipe made with zucchini too, so maybe I'll have to try that one too sometime. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Have a great night everyone! Big love!! <3

Hi everyone .. just quickly stopping in .. finally stopping to relax after the photo shoot ... I have seen a couple of the pics and I actually like them (I usually HATE having pics taken lol) ... rain came just as we were finishing so whew .. but its now muggy argggh ... so just taking some time to relax .. then I need to go wash off all this war paint and de-concrete my hair lol ..

Yesterday I really didn't eat well .. didn't even get to 700 calories .. so that is 2400 calories over the last 3 days .. today isn't much better .. had a coffee while getting the makeup & hair done .. and just had a banana ... I have got a bunch of veges for dinner .. and a few beef olives made too .. so hopefully will want to eat it all .. unlikely when its this muggy ... but last resort is a milkshake (Kate Morgan) to get something in ... drinking water like a fish lol.

If I can bug my hunny for a few pics from today I will post them up when I get the chance .. or a link to see them anyway :) Better go ... have to get the washing in from the porch cos the wind is picking up and the rain comes into the porch then lol ..

Hugs all!

PS - SAM - Im going to try that dressing too! My hunny has crappy tastebuds so everything has to be strong for him .. and I have sensitive tastebuds so that is not something I like lol .. but we both have found that anything lemony he can easily taste so this is great .. and I love poppy seeds too :) Thanks!!

EDO - Let me know how the meal turns out .. always interested in crock pot meals .. I won't start on those for the book until about April cos its just too hot for something like that now lol ..

As for my cookbook .. its my second one .. the first one I did was not really a healthy book lol .. they were recipes I had developed over 15 years ago and fat meant flavour lol ... not to mention sugar, salt and all those other bad things lol. So I am revamping my fave recipes to turn them healthier as well as creating some new ones ... my usual problem is that I hate measuring things and I don't always take note of what ingredients I am putting in .. sometimes its just what is on hand lol .. also I am taking pics this time and each recipe will have the nutritional information with it too .. I am doing this one for Xmas presents which is what I did the last one for lol .. only got my original one properly printed last year though .. the gift one was something I printed up and bound myself :)

Here is the link for the shoot if anyone wants to look :)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=5740a412df

On my way to the track as part of my PT test. I am so nervous lol wish me luck!! I'll check in this afternoon.

Ubee ~Yeah I enjoy walking. When I was growing up I would walk natural trails all the time but before I started on my weight loss I wouldnt do much walking except for walking in Walmart and Dillions once a week.

SamIAm86 ~ Im not talented enough to make my own dressing so I just use light salad dressing


Today Im going to clean the house and clean my room and thats all Im gonna do today. I've decided to walk every day but Sunday's so Im taking today off and I will get back at it tomorrow.