Fi genaw.com/lowcarb has some really good recipes too.

Betsey Time to yourself is the best thing in the world! I'm totally in for stringing days together as long as I can start Monday! I have to get through this birthday party and mom's Saint Patty's day party relatively unscathed but I can guarantee you it won't be perfect.

down another measly .6 of water weight. (I wouldn't be calling it measly if I didn't know it was water). I really think my shoulder is a big part of it though. Decided to take today as a rest day from swimming.

calories were around 1800 yesterday and I did 25 minutes at the pool at took Toby for another 25 minute walk.

Have a good day everyone!

Fi- I am thinking of you and hope that you find some relief from this immediate thing soon (I know it will be a longer struggle than this, but at least if this one can pass soon it can be one more victory for you)

Ubee- I know I'm not the bad guy, I just know he will bring up when I said no to him last time.... but that will not change my mind.

Silent- I agree, he might not be the best or truest friend, but I will have to see how he actually handles it.

Vwdeano- I am so willing to wait for someone who is worth it!!


Thanks all!

Today I started the couch to the 5K program...and I actually jogged all 8 of those 60 second intervals.... so proud of myself! Also my workout buddy and I are starting at pretty much the exact same level which is great! So excited we have a 3 day a week schedule we will keep and will motivate eachother! Actually starting this program has made me share with people that I am doing this, I feel less shy than I did when I was just trying to lose weight.

Hope you all have a great day!!!

Good Evening Everyone!!

Going to start out with personals today!

Fi My dear love, I am so sorry that you are going through another rough patch. Please come here any time you need to vent! We are all understanding, and have all gone through our own trials at some point or another and knowing someone is here to pick you back up when you fall down will help you greatly. I do worry about you not eating, though I know it is a struggle. I wish you well and please come here any time you need someone we are all here and all love you!

Ubee I think decompressing the stress and then having the realization of how big I had gotten is what made me say, ok, EFF this, I can't continue to do this to myself! Nobody is going to change me, but me! I'm happy I am able to help and I'm always here if you need someone!

Time Everyone already said pretty much I was thinking, and its obvious you know what you need to do to make you happy. You have a wonderful spirit so it someone isn't there to accept you, or love you for who you are, and will drop you like a penny in a well when someone "better" comes along then it isn't worth it. I wish you well with this situation and know we're all here for you!

Betsy My love!! I am so ready to count how many days we all stay on plan!! I've been doing pretty good lately...The weekends seem to be the only time I have a little bit of a rough time but even now if I'm wanting to eat out or something, I usually end up getting some sort of salad without cheese or croutons and get the best dressing that is available. I think this will be even better for everyone because we can all see it plain as day how well we are doing or if we need some extra encouragement, anyone who is having better days can be there for anyone who isn't...let's rock this girl!!


Dean Don't worry about not doing personals every day...Just knowing you're checking in with everyone is always good enough for me! Hope you're having a lovely day!!

Today was a pretty good day...just a typical work day...After work I went to Wal Mart because I decided I am going to buy this dumbbell set I saw online last night by Gold's Gym that was only $15...They had some in stock and I was so excited to get it home and use it. I opened it up and took out all the contents and two of the smaller weights are cracked where the bar goes in. It's a vinyl set. So needless to say I'm going to take it back tomorrow and hope there is another set that I can trade it out for...I think there was only 1 other set there. I'm ready to start lifting so I can slowly sculpt this body underneath all this flesh. I am really hoping my skin bounces back half way decent in this journey. I don't know if I would be able to get funding or afford to have surgery. But I'm not letting that bother me right now, I'm just more focused on losing the weight and getting healthy. Planned on doing arms tonight so I guess I'll have to use these little 3 lb weights I already had and just do more reps...I'm also going to get some cardio done. Taking a break from the balance ball tonight :)

Anyway, I'm off to get my rosemary chicken going in the oven so it is cooking while I work out.

Hope everyone is doing AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! Big love from Myrtle Beach!! <3

Thanks for all the positive thoughts, y'all. By force of will I've managed to shove about 700 calories into myself, by 5 PM, so I guess that's not too bad. Now if only I could stop for the day... =sigh=

I'm afraid recipes are not helpful, because I don't cook. My first year in med school, way back in 1977-78, I tried to learn how to cook, but then all of a sudden I had no time, and I never got back to it. I got in the habit of working around the clock and grabbing sleep when I could. Even now that I'm retired, I'm always working—at art, writing, correspondence, language learning, reading...For many, many years I lived on frozen meals, take-out, what Bob cooks, and of course junk food, mostly cereal and cookies. At the peak of Bob's depression, 2011-12, I didn't eat anything but cereal and cookies. Once a day I'd stir protein powder in my cereal, I always put lots of raisins on top, and I took vitamins. I gained a lot of weight doing that.

I'm just not very interested in food—never have been. I hate sitting down at a table with other people, because it was such a horrible ordeal in my family. When I was a kid in the atomic age, they told us in the future we wouldn't have to eat, just swallow a few pills every day. I thought that sounded terrific—less time with my parents, more time to do fun stuff! Like working...I've never worked at anything in my life that hasn't been loads of fun.

I'll get through this somehow. If I end up undereating for a while, so be it. At least my mood is good! =smile= I've been reading up on restricting, like what anorexics do, but that doesn't seem to apply to me: those people are very hungry all the time. I'm not hungry at all. What motivates me to eat is that it stops the pain in my stomach. But the actual eating itself is an annoying chore. This didn't happen overnight...it's been developing gradually ever since I went cold turkey on sweets.

Terra— The Month of Letters is a self-directed challenge: you try to put at least one card or letter in the mail every single day in February that the post office is open. Most people put more than one thing in the mail every day, and they have badges you can earn for special feats like seeking out new mailboxes, sending fan letters, getting all your stuff hand-cancelled (I'm very serious about that, all year round), writing to people in other countries, etc. Some people are competitive about it, trying to send out more cards & letters than anyone else, but most of us just view it as a chance to find new penpals, trade addresses with each other, and hang out with other folks who are obsessed with everything pertaining to snail-mall.

Fiona ~ oh okay well thats cool, Thanks for telling me about it

Good Morning!

Was 70 here yesterday, and 35 this morning, LOL. Doggies did NOT want to come out from their blankets this morning (I don't blame them at all).

Coffee's on, and the day is starting.

Remember, whatever you feel you "failed" at yesterday, doesn't have to affect what you do today.

Have a great day!

Dean

Very wise words Dean, seeing as I failed epically at the food part yesterday. Nothing but junk and up to my bmr calorie wise. Up .5 this morning because of it too.

No swim today or yesterday, but I did get my full walk with the dog in. Will do my damnedest to hit the pool tomorrow and Saturday,as Sunday we'll be away.

Surprise party is tomorrow. I'm hoping it will come off without a hitch. Have to order the cake today, and then all that's left is to get the tables and chairs and the burgers over to the house. My friend has the day off tomorrow, so I plan to take advantage of her.

Have to make a run across the border to pick up his birthday gift today too (hence no swim).

Have a great day everyone!

Good Afternoon!
Betsy, I'm with Jane and will start on Monday....
Fi, hope you are doing OK.
Dean & Terra glad to see you on here today.
Sam need some of your mojo.
Time glad you have an exercise buddy. I only have food buddies.
Ate enough calories to hold me over until Monday... hence the eating buddies comment.
Chins up and forward I go!

Thanks again, y'all, for thinking about me. I'm doing much better today: no stomach aches because I've been able to eat my food on schedule without problems. Writing that long posting about what happened on Sunday night and how it affected my appetite and eating was really helpful. I felt like I got to tell the story to people who understood. =whew= It was a relief as well to figure out that I wasn't really doing what they call "restricting." I was just angry at food in general, for making me so miserable. But I've gotten over it.

Ubee, Betsy, Sam, & others— All you guys who've been talking about keeping track of how many days in a row you're on plan, I have a suggestion. Last year when I was having so much trouble with staying on Atkins because of my frequent cookie binges, I bought a pack of big colorful star stickers, and did a thing where I put a star on the wall calendar in our kitchen for every day I stayed on the diet. Early in the year I never seemed to be able to get more than 4-5 stars in a row, and some of my no-star periods lasted for multiple days. But gradually, month to month, I could look at the calendar and see more & more stars accumulating. And I liked the fact that I didn't have to feel guilty if I had a day without a star, so long as I got right back on the horse and had a star on the following day. That's why, when I joined 3FC in October, I was ready to do a period of abstinence from cookies, candy, & donuts, and then by late November I was ready to go 30 days binge-free. That system worked well not only for me, but also for Bob: when he noticed a long stretch of stars on the calendar, he'd say something about it. It was all about getting positive feedback—no negative vibes. No saying "epic fail." Well anyway, it worked for me.

Good evening. Didn't get a chance to check in on everyone this morning, and now somehow the whole day has gotten away from me. Hope everyone had a great day!

Fi -- Glad you were able to get at least 700 calories into you. I'm having a little trouble relating as I both love to cook and love to eat what I cook. I don't think I've ever experienced a period where eating wasn't at the top of my list of favorite activities......explains a lot. You do sound so much on top of things. Thanks for the stars idea. I'm a very visual person and being able to see staying on track may be just the motivation (or kick in the tush) that is needed.

Ubee -- OK. Monday it is. Probably a good thing because I am having corned beef and cabbage on Sunday. I'll skip the soda bread, but I'm having corned beef.

Jane -- Hope your party goes well, and Monday it is for you as well. Hope your shoulder stops acting up.

Dean -- You're a happy morning person, aren't you! I'm one too -- always seemed to irritate some people, but I like the mornings before everything gets to stirring too much.

Sam -- what great personals to everyone. Thanks for all the support and encouragement -- and I hope you're getting it from us as well.

Time4me -- Sounds like the Couch to 5K is going to be a great event for you. So glad that you feel more comfortable with talking about it by having a pal to do this with. Good luck.

Does anyone else eat their big meal of the day at noon? I had it at noon today, it's now supper time and I'm not hungry at all. Usually I'm ravenous and end up eating too much. I read some place that you should eat the most for breakfast, a little less at noon, and a snack basically for supper. I'm going to try it and see if it helps with keeping me on the straight and narrow. Off to a board meeting for the town's arts festival that happens in August. I did the web page for them and now I need to get approval for spending the money. It won't break my budget, but I would like to get reimbursed. Have a great evening and talk to you all tomorrow.

Hey Everyone,

Hope everyone had a real good day. Mine wasn't too bad at all, really. I'm posting a little later than usual because time got the best of me lol...I ended up on the phone with my mom for an hour tonight, which is not the norm for me.

Had another POP day! After work I took back that set of weights and got the same set, but this time it wasn't defective. I worked my arms for 45 minutes tonight...They feel like jello! I posted on my Facebook account something that really does say it all...."Arms that look like jello have to feel like jello after working out to get rid of it!" I was feeling like a BEAST after all those arm exercises. They really worked my chest and back too which is a plus because the girls could use a lift and my fat back has got to go!

For the most part my journey has been really good so far. I try not to let myself worry about things that I don't need to worry so much about right now, like excess skin. I know I'm going to have some sort of excess skin and that is one of my fears. I've never told or spoken about this to anyone before. I've had dreams where I lost the weight I needed to and felt great, but when I looked in the mirror I looked like a bag of bones with all of this skin hanging off of me. That is the one part of me that is a little afraid about weight loss...I know the good will outweigh the bad, but it is a fear I hope to over come. With my age I think the elasticity in my skin is still pretty good so hopefully it isn't so bad. But it's something I try to put in the back of my mind and not think about it too much, because if I over think it I may end up falling hard off the wagon.

I've also been really afraid of when I plateau. I know that is something that is inevitable and will more than likely happen at some point. I'm afraid because I've always started out really strong with losing weight, exercising, and feeling good.....but then I hit that plateau and I may not see anything happen for a week or two, maybe even 3 and I freak out and say forget it and stop with my plan. The only good thing is at least I know if that happens I'll have all of you here to help me get through it, because I'm sure everyone has been there at some point, and I will DEFINITELY need a shoulder to lean on.

I didn't mean for this to be a downer of a post LOL....but it's just been something I've been thinking about for the past few days. I think these thoughts need to be shoved back in the closet for a little while, what do you guys think?? LOL

Anyway, I'm so glad that I am here, and I have all of you for the support. I hope that I am able to inspire and support anyone here who needs it like you guys support me. We truly are a little family and it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Have a great night everyone...BIG LOVE!

Betsy— About the stars-on-the-calendar idea: I had some trouble finding stars that were big enough to have visual impact. An alternative way to do it would be to color the on-plan days with like a blue or green highlighter. That approach has the advantage of not covering up things you may have written on the calendar. Just a thought...

It's funny: listening to you talk about how you love to cook and how eating is at the top of your favorite activities makes me wonder how in the heck I got up to 351 pounds. (And remember: I'm only 5' 3".) Two-part answer: (1) My psychiatric drugs were really jazzing my appetite: before I became bipolar, I weighed 140 pounds, occasionally swinging up to 165, but easily getting back down again. And of course I thought I was fat. =laugh= (2) I really really like cookies, especially oatmeal-raisin. One of my favorite activities used to be either reading or writing while eating oatmeal-raisin cookies.

But I still would put sailing, swimming, hanging out at the beach, making art, dancing to rock-n-roll, and working as a doctor higher on the list. If I had to choose just one activity to do every minute of every day for the rest of my life, it would be sailing solo. And the only thing I ever needed to put in my mouth while sailing used to be Diet Coke. For almost 50 years, Diet Coke (or Tab, back in the Tab era) reigned supreme as the one thing I couldn't live without. Giving up diet soda last fall was WAY harder than giving up carbs. I still can't believe I did it, as I sit here right now with a bottle of plain seltzer next to me.

Originally Posted by betsy2013:
Does anyone else eat their big meal of the day at noon? I had it at noon today, it's now supper time and I'm not hungry at all. Usually I'm ravenous and end up eating too much. I read some place that you should eat the most for breakfast, a little less at noon, and a snack basically for supper. I'm going to try it and see if it helps with keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Betsy, DW and I have made the noon meal our main meal for the last four years. Since I started Volumetrics in December it has became a little difficult to determine which is my main meal. Noon is my highest calorie meal but supper is a much larger quantity of food but less calories. If calories are the main thing, then noon is my main meal. If on the other hand volume of food is the main consideration, supper is my main meal. I have a strong tendency toward skipping breakfast. I have been working hard to include breakfast in my day.

checking in...

happy for the weekend, and only 1 week left for work until Spring Break!! I am heading off to Disneyland Paris for 5 days, and cannot wait!

Running program day 2 is tomorrow.

Coffee's on, and its FRIDAY!

The whole weekend lays before us-get out and enjoy the outside, if the weather will let you, LOL.

Have a great day!

Dean

Good morning all. I woke up at 4:40 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, so I will definitely have time to post before getting into the day.

Dean -- sounds like you're a relatively early riser as well (work will do that to you!). No get outside weekend plans for me as it's supposed to rain both days. But hope you have a great weekend -- spring time in the South is a treasure.

Time4Me -- Spring break -- and in Paris yet. What a treat to look forward to. With all the Couch to 5K work you'll have done, you'll be able to do all the working that any Disney park requires.

Larry -- I hadn't thought of the volumetrics part of this eating plan experiment as a "big" meal for me (that may explain why I'm trying to lose weight! ;)), but I'm trying to have a salad and a piece of fruit for dinner. Hope you and your wife are doing better.

Fi -- I'll probably do the calendar online so I can just highlight a day when I stay on plan. I am on the computer every day, so it can become an event to either mark it off before bed or first thing in the morning for the previous day. Yes, food and eating have always been near the top of the list mainly because our family meals were a good time. Eating dinner together was close to being sancrosanct and we actually talked to each other. But activities wise, my favorite activity is traveling -- especially in an RV where there's no real destination.

Sam -- As young as you are (relative to those of us in the Golden years of life), your skin will probably have enough elasticity to shrink back as you lose weight. And I remember reading several posts where there's a lot of skin improvement after about a year on maintenance. But you're right -- focus for now on getting healthy. And keep up your wonderful attitude and cheerfulness.

Today is hopefully freedom day. We're going to the surgeon and hopefully my BIL will be released to start driving again and not having to wear the TED hose any more. He's to the point where he's going to release himself if the doctor doesn't. He now has given up his cane and he's snuck in a couple of driving sessions on his own. He's also back to walking a couple of miles a day. To say he's been the poster child for hip replacements would be an understatement. As he's become more and more independent, I've been doing better with managing my eating -- definitely a stress eater! Hope everyone has a great day and weekend.

Good Morning!
Betsy I am so glad to hear how well Bill is doing! Not just for your free time but because he sounds like a really nice guy. Do you have any RV trips planned? OH please go some where!
Dean how much coffee do you drink?;) Will you be able to ride your motor cycle this weekend?
Time4me have a great time in Paris! So happy for you!
Larry everytime I read your posts about volumetrics I think of cabbage. I love cabbage and seldom have it. Good thing St. Patties is coming up.
Fi would you want to just take off and sail the world or are you a stay close to home girl? Many moons ago I read Dove by Robin Lee Graham and it sounds so fantastic. Of course the world was a different place back then too, but still...
Sam I am just going to give my two cents if you don't mind. Please consider wearing a very snug bra and pantie girrdle. More damage is done by the loose skin with still some fat in it being pulled by gravity. I have a long ways to go but my skin is not as nearly as bad as I thought it would be by now. Also by losing slower after a while you get a chance to adapt to your changing body and it is a good thing. You have a positive attitude and that is the best thing for this journey!
Took time to reflect on the start of 2014 and I have to say I have a lot to be grateful for. I used to list 5 things a day I am grateful for and I think it is time to do that again. They have to be specific small things and not the same things. Like I already know I am thankful for God, family, friends, our house, food, 3FC,... An example would be I am grateful that my crabby cat woke me up when I fell back to sleep after I heard my daughter was up. (First time I've ever done this!)
Off to have an appreciative day! Wish the same for all of you!

Binged badly yesterday. No idea what triggered it - other than maybe I'd been doing good and I'm just crazy enough to sabatoge myself. Either way, the water weight is all back on and I'm where I started at the beginning of the week. Not very happy with myself right now.

Oh well. Time to party plan. Personals tomorrow!

I'm hoping to be able to get the bike out some this weekend, but I've got a business trip next week mon through wed, so I may be working on some paperwork this weekend. Plus, if I've got to travel, I hate to not spend the weekend with the missus and the pups. She's scared of bikes, so we can't get out on it together.

I could easily be a coffee junkie, but I try to limit it to 2 cups in the morning brewed in my office, and maybe a little trip in the afternoon 1-2 times a week to the starbucks across the street (I try to limit to a plain latte-some of their other stuff has a LOT of sugar).

Dean

Good Morning!
Quiet day today.
Ten am and I can tell this is going to be a hungry day. I have strayed and I can tell by the hunger and cravings. I think it is a good day for a BIG spinach salad.
Spring is in the air and I am hoping it will bring focused weight loss and the energy for massive Spring cleaning!
What are everyones plans for today?

Good Morning Everyone!

I slept in this morning, but luckily not as late as I usually would after staying up until 1 am. I feel pretty good! My chest and arms are pretty sore from my work out on Thursday, but that's just a sign of a good work out!

Last night I met up with my friend to go get a coffee at starbucks...I just got a small plain iced coffee and added some cream amd vanilla powder amd a pack of sugar in the raw. Not usually my sweetener of choice but its better than the chemicals in splenda and equal. We went for a walk around the market area that has all kinds of outdoor shops. Usually when we would walk around there I would be so winded after walking once around the block, but I was able to walk around for an hour at a steady pace and felt great!!! It made me so happy to be able to do that! We weren't running but we weren't walking real slow either. What a good NSV!!!

Today I was supposed to go visit my mom and grandmother but myom decided to go ride her motorcycle today instead. So I'm going to try and get my grocery shopping done today instead of tomorrow. Then I'm going to try and work on legs tonight.

Hope everyone enjoys their day!! Tomorrow is my weigh in day and I'm hoping to be down my 4 lbs to reach my goal!!

hey everyone,

hope you are all having a good weekend.

I did day 2 of the couch to the 5K and actually had an easier time of it. My friend and I are on the same page and looking forward challenging ourselves as we go through the levels.

so hopefully things go well :)

Good afternoon.....already running behind schedule and I have a list a mile long. Oh well, I'm retired and there's always tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well.

Time4Me -- It's getting easier -- good for you. Can't tell you how in awe I am of people who actually complete the couch to 5K effort. Keep up the great work.

Sam -- Great NSV for you. I chucked when I read that your mom was going to ride her bike instead -- I was trying to picture my mom on a motorcycle, but she would never have done it as the helmet would have messed up her hair!

Ubee -- Yes, I'll be taking some trips probably starting next month as the little ones are eager to go "camping" again. The thankfulness approach really does help as it keeps us in a positive frame of mind. Hope that spinach salad tastes wonderful.

Dean -- Sounds like you keep the coffee habit well under control and you're a thoughtful guy to realize that time with family is important. Hope you have a great weekend.

Jane -- I've stopped using the word binge and just say that I went off plan. It hasn't totally stopped me from eating things that are not on plan, but it's helped me think of myself in a more positive light which leads to fewer off plan moments. And, to me, a binge is where I eat everything in sight and eat until I'm almost sick. So, while having pizza and ice cream and something fried might be a very bad day from a healthy food perspective, it's not really a binge. Be kind to yourself. You've got a lot going on and are determined to make this happen.

My BIL, Bill AKA Jack, got released yesterday! Hooray!!!! He can now drive and doesn't have to wear the TED hose any longer. He's done so well that the doctor said that normally he has patients come back at the 3 month point, but Jack's already well past what he would expect to see at that point. Told him to come in if he had problems, but otherwise he'd see him in a year. So happy for him as he's worked so diligently at making sure he did everything he was told. And, selfishly, I'm happy for me to have my own routine back in effect.

Time to get it in gear for the day. I've had my Saturday morning chat with a dear friend from my days in NC and now I'm going to clean the house. We all know how much I am looking forward to it, but actually am not dreading it. Something about spring being on the way makes me want to do a better job with cleaning. Have a great day.

Good afternoon/evening, everybody...

We've had a fairly peaceful day of it, the missus is fighting a sinus infection (too much goop/pollen in the air already). I've been able to get out and walk the neighborhood a bit, and the dogs are loving the warm temps...

Everyone have a great weekend-I'm going to fire up the grill shortly!

Dean

Good Afternoon!
Doing my daily check in!
Dean have a safe trip!
Betsy sure is good news for you and Jack.
Melissa so happy you found someone on the same page.
Sam love your NSV! WTG!
I will be celebrating St Patties today with a big Irish meal and I plan on enjoying every last crumb.
Have a good rest of the day!

Hello there, everyone! Guess what? I'm sick. It feels like the flu, but so far I don't have any respiratory symptoms—just severe malaise, as in so achey and wiped out I can barely hold my iPad and stylus.

It came on last night while I was trying, and failing, to make a collage. I slept for 10 hours and woke up feeling fine, so I thought my immune system had kicked the damn virus in the butt. But this afternoon it's back again. =sigh=

I got a flu shot last fall: what I've heard is if you get a flu shot, sometimes you have a very abbreviated infection. I hope that will be true for me, because I've signed up for a lot of art-related and correspondence-related swaps, so I need to be working. I've got deadlines coming up. My mind says "Let's do it!" but my body says "You have GOT to be kidding..." My body is winning the argument.

Anyway, I just thought I'd check in... Is anyone adopting my star/highlighter system for keeping track of days on plan and days off plan? I don't mean to be pushy about it, just to underscore what I said about how well it worked for me. And it was important that it wasn't on a computer: it was an actual wall calendar, in a location where I would glance at it in passing like 50 times a day.

'Talk to ya later, on the other side of this bug...

Happy St. Patties Day! :luck2you: :drinkup: :kissluck:
Fi I am all on board with my kitchen calender and yellow high lighter!
Hope you are well soon!
Betsy hopefully we will have day 1 to brag about tomorrow!
I have gained 6 pounds this week. I am not happy or sad BUT I do finally feel like my head is back in the game. This is going to be a challenge so wish me well!

Betsey That is a great way to look at it! (Although I ate so much at my mom's yesterday I felt like I would explode... I may have to call that overdoing it). Glad to hear the good news about your BIL!

Fi Sorry you're feeling so lousy!

SamIam That's a fantastic NSV! I'm still amazed at how much better I move. It's amazing what our bodies can do when we treat them well!

The party went well, but it kept me up late Friday night, and then we went out Saturday as well. Yesterday was all day at my mom's and 4 hours of driving so I'm pooped!

I'm with Ubee, looking forward to day one on plan!

Good morning all. There's a strange yellow circle visible in our sky......people all over town are going out and staring up. Oh wait -- IT'S THE SUN. We've already had 7" of rain in March, so a sun appearance is beginning to be something of an event. And for those of us with a little Irish in us, Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Ubee and Jane (and anyone else who wants to) -- Day 1 has started. Just knowing I have to report in with others will help me. I'm so competitive that I won't want to be the first one to break the string. WE CAN DO THIS. Ubee, I had my corned beef and cabbage dinner yesterday as well mainly due to having a stupid co-op board meeting tonight. Lots of left overs and one of the best corned beef briskets I've had in years. Jane, glad your party went well, but your weekend sounds absolutely exhausting!

Fi -- Feel better. That kind of flu where you feel fine in the morning and just feel lousy by the afternoon drives me nuts. My calendar is on my computer, but I've made it my wallpaper. After 20+ years of working in the IT field, everything is on my computer. Actually, paper kind of gets ignored with me. Whatever works.

Dean -- Hope your wife is feeling better from the allergies and that the grilling went well. Love to get to the time of year where either rain or cold weather gear isn't required just to fix dinner.

Off to the post office to mail in the co-op's taxes and get the toner cartridges refilled and buy stamps and go to the gym. Have a wonderful day all.

Good Afternoon!
I can tell I am going to have to modify my calender. Solid yellow for a great day, striped for a good job let's keep at it day and white for a time to get back on track day.
Tomorrow will be striped so far. How is everyone else doing?
Betsy I hope they will have green beer at the meeting to help you survive!

Hi-ho!!!!!

Today was an on plan day!! I think my spirits are high because I finished working out and eating an amazing dinner!! I made gluten free turkey meatloaf with cauliflower mash and green beans...This is one of my comfort foods so I try not to make it that often, even though the way I make it isn't terrible for you. I am so full LOL

I had a great on plan day with my water intake too...I am just about to finish my 5th liter of water! WOOT! I haven't drank that much in awhile, usually I get in 3 and call it a day, but today was successful!

Yesterday was a VERY TIRED day for me so I had to make it up today. I got up on Sunday, weighed myself...I lost 2 lbs which puts me at a total of 28 lbs lost in 2 months!! I was hoping to break the 30 lb mark, but I still had a loss, and I'm quite happy about it!! After weighing myself I had breakfast and literally fell asleep watching a movie on Netflix and didn't wake up until 4 pm lol...I guess my body needed the rest! I made a HUGE amount of chicken fajitas to have fajita salad for the week and a little for dinner and left overs...DH ate the rest for lunch today. I went to bed at 8 pm LOL...Like I said I was super tired.

I took my 2 month progress photos today...I don't know where I can go upload them, or how to start a gallery on my profile. Does anyone know? I wanted to share it with you guys but I have not a clue how to start lol....I sent them to my friend Danielle who is also on her weight loss journey and is a Beach Body coach. I don't follow her plan, but she's a big help in giving me the extra push and help I need and motivation. She lives in GA now so I don't get to see her. She was really happy by the photos and said she could see a pretty good difference in just two months....I got to move my bra to the middle snap today so hey, that's another NSV for me!!!

Today was 2 years ago that my grandfather passed away...It's crazy how time flies so quickly. It just seems like it was yesterday that we were having his funeral. I miss him a lot, and regret the things I never said, but wanted to...But I'm making it up with the people that are still with me to make sure they know how much I love them and how I feel. Life is so short not to tell people you love them, to love yourself, and to do what makes you happy....And that is what I have decided to do...It's ME time, and I know if my grandfather was still here he would be proud.

Anyway, I'm off..I'm super tired from the workout (45 mins of cardio and 25 mins legs) I hope everyone had an on plan day and is feelin fine!!!

BIG LOVE! <3

Still have the debilitating flu malaise that comes on in the afternoon and worsens in the evening. But no respiratory symptoms, so I think the flu shot's helping. This morning I got to the post office to get nine pieces of mail hand-cancelled, and even stopped by the organic market to pick up salad fixings. I wish I could finish the frickin' collage I started, but I keep making the mistake of trying to work on it in the evening. Tomorrow I'll tackle it in the morning, because I've got my errands run for the time being. I have another collage due in the mail on Friday that I haven't even started. =sigh=

I can't believe we had six inches of snow on the ground on St. Patty's Day! I guess the cherry blossoms will be late this year. Betsy, yay for your sun!! And your wallpaper approach for the calendar sounds perfect. How weird to hear you say you ignore paper: I live for paper! Paper is my work, my play, my work that feels like play...almost my everything. But I do read Kindle books on my iPad, so I'm not completely retro. And I listen to lots of rock-n-roll via satellite radio, which doesn't require any paper. Nor does foolin' around with my sweet husband. =laugh=

Way to go, Ubee, on highlighting those on-plan days! I like your idea of striping some of them, to give yourself credit for trying. Positive feedback, that's what we're going for here.

Sam, you're doing such a great job on your weight loss and exercise both! I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures: there's gotta be some place on this forum where they explain how to do the little thumbnails with links to bigger pics. Try looking for the place where it explains how to embed links in a posting: that should have the code for doing images as well.

Good morning all. After being away from the house all day, Toby has taken up residence right under my feet. I just called to ask my BIL to bring Becky over for a play date -- for Toby, not me! LOL.

Fi -- How frustrating it must be to have whatever you've got and get the afternoon blahs. Hope it lifts soon. Sounds like you had a busy morning yesterday, so hope today sees you able to get some work done on the collages in the morning. I'm kind of a mixed bag when it comes to paper. I always print out the Soduku and crossword puzzles as it drives me nuts to try to do them online. And I always send paper cards and still send out Christmas cards. I got in the habit at my old job because we were STRONGLY encouraged to read everything online rather than print it out.

Sam -- Way to go. I think 28 pounds in 2 months is amazing. Hope you can figure out the pictures. And I love your approach to telling people in your life how important they are to you.

Ubee -- LOVE the idea of solid, striped, and stark white. Sounds like a great approach. I was going to use solid for yesterday, but woke up this morning 2 pounds heavier. Might be water from the corned beef, but somehow it doesn't seem right to give myself a solid day when I gained weight.

Guess I'd better get it in gear. Becky is here now along with Jack. I've got to show him how to download books onto his Paperwhite. The man is so kind and good, but technology challenged definitely applies to him! Have a great day.

Just a quick check in.... counting down days until I go on vacation........ not really very focused but okay with that at the moment.

My students put on a show today, they finished their movement and mask unit and the choir performed with them. It went very well.

Just a fly by... took the morning off to take my critters to the vet to fix a galloping case of ear mites. Heading into the office for a short day and then put the finishing touches on my bf's birthday gifts (his actual birthday is tomorrow).

Still on plan!

:( As you can tell by my ticker and what's under my name, Im not only back at 300, Im as of today at 302 but I wont let that stop me from getting back down to 292 and lower, My doctor has put me on a 1200 Cal diet and Im gonna stick with it along with my regular walking that I do.

Flying by just like Jane.
Trying hard to be better.
Will be back in full chatter mode tomorrow.

Hola Mis Amigos!!!

Today was another on plan day!! I haven't kept a calendar of it like you guys have, but maybe I should start..I don't own a wall calendar...but I'm sure I could get one at the dollar store lol...It sounds like a really good idea.

I just finished up my workout...today was abs...I feel great that I was able to start early so I'm not working out until 9:00. I actually did an hour and a half!! I've usually been doing 30 or 45 minutes so I'm proud of that! It was some hard cardio and abs...I know I'll feel it tomorrow. My balance ball is my new best friend :) My legs are pretty sore from yesterday's work out. I am going to shoot for 5 days this week. I have usually been doing only 3 but I want to try and take it to the next level. I feel pretty confident I have my eating under control, but the exercise is where I really need to work on it. I hate exercise lol, but I'm learning to love it.

How has everyone else been doing today?

Betsy Thank you for the kind words love. I am trying! It means a lot that you guys are here cheering me on!!

Fi Since I have some time tonight I'm going to try and figure out a way to get these pictures posted :)

Time The show sounds fun. I am happy you get to go on vacation soon. Enjoy yourself!!

Terra Don't let the scale get you down. We all will have set backs on our journey. The hardest part is getting back up when we get knocked down. For me, I usually start off VERY strong with losing weight...as long as I make eating right and exercising my main focus when I am not working or having to do other things and making sure I plan ahead I feel like I can't fail. But when I start to hit a plateau that is when things start to look bad for me. I have a hard time wanting to stay on plan when I hit a plateau and it lasts for weeks...My mentality starts to break down hard, and I feel like giving up. I'm still early in my weight loss journey this time around (hopefully the last time) but I think as long as I keep coming here and talking it out with you guys it will really be a big help. Don't give up! Things will turn around! And we are all here for you when you need the help doll!!

Well I think I'm off to make some left overs for dinner. I have gotten all 5 liters of water in today, for some reason it was a breeze! Things are really looking on the up and up...just hoping to ride this wave for awhile. Big love to all of you!!

Ok so I've searched high and low and can't seem to get anything to work for these photos. I tried putting them in my siggy, didn't work...I went to the help forum, nothing there that I could find. I'm just going to attempt them here and see if it actually works....I think I might have to post a link...bleh, this stinks LOL

http://instagram.com/p/lqJ6oKJ3Eh/

http://instagram.com/p/lqKA4cJ3Ep/

Sam ~ Thanks for replying to my post. Im gonna take your advice and not let the scale get me down, Your pictures are great.

I walked for the first time in a week today and I had a good work out, I walked outside for the 1st time this month also and I'll do it more often since its starting to be nice outside.