Silent You're going in the right direction....As you know with time great things happen :) Glad you're posting more often.

Tootsie PM me your e-mail address. I have typed up a bunch of useful information that I had given to my best friend who found out she has PCOS last year. She also has a thyroid problem so this information is good for that too if you have any thyroid issues. I can't remember if you had said you had a bad thyroid too. Then if you have any questions feel free to PM me anytime or you can send me an e-mail too. :)

Betsy WOO HOO!!! So glad to hear the good news from the doctor!!! I knew you guys wouldn't judge me, but I felt bad for not telling you guys what's been going on with me. Don't know how I've managed not to gain weight. I guess because I'm still staying away from the carbs as much as possible. I have had chinese and japanese a few times which is sodium overload but still managing to do ok. I've moved from eating soups back to salads for lunch again and I'm sure that's helped. Still eating oatmeal with fruit for breakfast.

Kinda quiet here today...Yesterday DH and I went to Sears and got a new garbage disposal, that cost me a little over $100 after tax. At least I had the extra money to do it since I'm sure **** would freeze over before my rental company would come and replace it. DH tried to install it today but said we are going to need some pipe that we didn't need before on the last one for it to work. So hopefully he'll get it installed this weekend so I can bust all kinds of a$$ to get that kitchen working again. I'm so over eating out or not being able to cook an actual meal in my house it's making me sick. I can't even believe I just said that...the old me would have NEVER been tired of eating out...Just goes to show that consistency will change your mind over time if you let it. :)

Tonight DH is playing with his band at a local bar. I hate going out on the week days but I know he'd be sad if I didn't do my wifely duties and come see him play. I'm going to try and be home by midnight if at all possible. They just got done professionally recording their first song. They're hoping to have a 9 song EP done soon. Here's a link to the recording if you're interested: http://www.reverbnation.com/sonsofat...ion?1336410755

Welp, just a little less than an hour before I'm out of work, then going to hit the gym before I have to get ready for DH's concert. Hope everyone is having a good day...Stay healthy and happy!!! Much love you all!

SamIAm: Can't PM, yet. I think that I have to post so many times before it will allow me to PM. I tried to go to the Private Messages page, and it states, "Your account has insufficient privileges." I will PM you as soon as I can though.

SilentArc: Keep trucking along. I understand the disappointment of the weight not coming off fast enough. What's the alternative though?

Betsy: Glad that you received good news from the doctor. Having heart tests can be fairly scary considering the waiting game that they put you through waiting on test results.

I got on the scale today, because it's been a while, and I wanted to have an idea where I'm at. Still not sure of the accuracy. It displayed, 297.4. Considering that weight can very about 3 pounds in a given day, I'm certain that I may be right at 300. I'm not thinking it as a victory because my best guess was that I was around 300+. It's not a failure either, because I'm not certain if I've lost anything, so, for all I know, maybe I did.

Stiill struggling to get out from under the pain and get my mood into a reasonable state. The most important thing I gotta do between now and tomorrow when school lets out, is to prepare to be the active, engaged mentor Grace needs me to be. I hope her parents don't do something to mess up our time together. They probably will.

Actually, I shouldn't have started writing this, because the medication (Geodon) I take to make the pain more tolerable is kicking in, which means that very soon I willl be sound asleep. Good night, y'all...

Hi Everybody Had a rough couple of days. It really is a small world just looking over all the posts since, I was last on 3fatchicks, I see a lot of us, struggle more than just with our weight. I want to send Hugs to all of you. I hope all that are struggling will find that inner joy again! :hug:

Fiona I hope that you are feeling better soon! Have a great visit with Grace.

time4me Ouch that knee sounds painful! Sounds like you have a great weekend all planned! Enjoy!

TootsieRoll81 Wow, your struggle with Diet/Binges are very common, I also tend to go that route at times, but that sample breakfast looks good, hopeful you can find your good balance.

Silent I agree, going off plan once in a while is ok, forever to me is setting me up to fail.

Bllondy Sounds like you are doing great, yes I think running up and down those stairs is indeed exercise.

Ubee Thoughts and Prayers for you and your family!

betsy Glad all went well at the Dr's, that your test results were good, and gives you some extra motivation, to forge ahead, on your journey! I did giggle when you were talking about how men tend to not think, they just do! You are so correct! I'm so glad all is well and you have each other to lean on. Sorry that you still struggle with portions, have you tried pre-portion your meals/snacks, whatever is giving you that trouble? Is 5:2 approach, a diet?

Terra Take care and feel better!!

SamIam86 You are so Silly!! Never crossed my mind to judge you, and given all that you did share with the group, I don't think I could of been as successful as you have been. Hey, almost 95lbs, you are a superstar. Good luck with getting your kitchen back very soon, sounds like you are more than ready to get back to some normal again!!

Frawnmae Yay!! so happy for you! No need to leave us! I wish you continued success, and maybe stop by just to say Hi, and give us an update when you can!

I hope everyone has a great Friday!

Hey everyone

Just a quick check in.

Been on and off track the last few days, but overall I am doing well.

Giving up all pop/soda for now and abstaining from chocolate for a month.

That part has been successful, but had too much food one night and got a little off track. When TOM approaches my appetite seems to increase, and I struggle with that. Not necessarily eating bad foods, just too much food in my opinion.

Today I woke up feeling a bit under the weather with some stomach issues... bleh, supposed to have a get together tonight, but think I might have to stay home.

As for the knee, it is very sore when it slips, and then after it goes back (sometimes a few hours sometimes a whole day) the knee muscles are very tender... but my doctor gave me some exercises that will strengthen the tendons and muscles to help keep it from slipping. So working on those.


Hope you all have a great day!

Good Morning!

I figured I'd post early today in case I'm wiped out to post later...

Tootsie I think after 14 posts or 15 posts you get all the little stuff like having a ticker and such so it won't be long now. PM me when you can :). Hope your Friday is looking good!

Fi I hope everything with Grace tonight goes on without a problem with her parents. I think Grace does great things for you and your overall health. You guys are a good balance for eachother and it'd make me sad if those Friday nights stopped for you. Glad you posted even if it was a short check in :)

Ubee I apparently missed a few posts on the thread so I had to go back and read yours. Sorry to hear about your MIL. I hope her passing is as easy as it can be. When DH and I went to WV to visit DH's Granny it was like saying our good byes because we really don't know when she will pass. She has a mass in her stomach that she's refusing to have looked at and we don't know when we'll be able to get up there again. DH has made peace with it but it will still be a sad time when she does go. Hugs to you my darling.

Sue I will be SO glad to get my kitchen back. I miss cooking and prepping at home. DH is going to have to put in the garbage disposal this weekend becuase we have some extra parts we'll need for this one compared to the old one. Hopefully he can get it done. I don't want to have to hire a plumber. I just hope by Sunday I can cook us a nice Sunday dinner and have some lunches and snacks prepped for us. That would make my weekend. Hope you have a great Friday!

Time Sorry to hear about your knee. I can only imagine how bad that hurts when it slips. When I was heavier I was having problems with my knees and hips, especially when I'd sleep. I just couldn't get comfortable. I was lucky mine never slipped. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Well I am completely wiped out this morning. I didn't get to bed until 2 AM after DH's concert and somehow made it to work by 8 this morning. Luckily it's Friday and my boss is still on vacation so if I feel like slacking a bit this morning it isn't a huge deal. I'm still planning on going to the gym to do cardio tonight. Just hope I wake up soon because in this state I can't even fathom going to the gym. Not much else planned for this weekend. DH is going to help at the comedy club tonight so I won't see him until he gets home late since he has to leave before I get off work. I think tonight after the gym I'm just going to relax and maybe go to bed early. Tomorrow I plan to get some gym time in and work maybe on cleaning out my closet or going through stuff in my living room that needs to be pitched or given away. I gotta get rid of all the clutter! Sunday I'm supposed to go over to a friend's house to visit for a little while.

Been doing good staying on plan this week despite my inability to eat food from home. I've really been enjoying getting the grilled nuggets from Chick-Fil-A. There's definitely worse things than a piece of grilled chicken from a restaurant. I've been pairing it with their side salad with no dressing. It's been pretty good. I've been trying to watch my sodium intake since I've been eating out a lot, and this week has been pretty good. Just hope to break this plateau that I've kind of had this week. We shall see!

Well...back to work! Hope everyone has a great day!

Good morning everyone. Hope that everyone is planning on something good for the weekend -- even if it's binge watching movies!

Sam -- I do not envy you trying to get through the day with only a few hours of sleep.......although I seem to remember living on 5-6 hours of sleep a night for years while I was still working. Hope DH can get the garbage disposal installed -- ridiculous that your rental company doesn't fix things like that. Most states have laws requiring them to make reasonable repairs in a timely manner -- and this would definitely fall in the reasonable category. Are you guys still thinking about buying some land to build a small house?

Tootsie -- And your scale might be right and you lost 3 pounds. Sounds like you're getting things going in the right direction.

Sue -- Hope things are going better for you. Rough days just add to the challenge. Yes, I've tried pre-sizing snacks......ended up eating 3-4 at a time. I definitely need to get my mind around this. I'm eating well, but definitely have a bad habit of eating really well for 5-6 days, noticing a weight loss and thinking I can have something "normal." Ice cream, chocolate, and potato chips eating in binge level quantities is not normal by any definition.

Time4Me -- Sitting here rubbing my knee in sympathy! Hope you feel better soon.

Fi -- Have a wonderful time with Grace tonight and hope this depression pain goes away. You've been through the wringer lately.

I'm going out to lunch with a friend today, but have already entered everything into MFP so I know what I'll be getting. Then we're going to this fancy, gourmet type grocery store which is where she shops. She's a bit of a snob about things like that but I think she does it to cover up a world of insecurities. Anyway, they do have lovely, albeit overpriced, produce so I'm going to pick up some fresh veggies and fruits to have on hand for this week. My nephew is coming out tomorrow to finish up the last of the rearranging from having the work done on the house.

Guess I'd better get cleaned up. Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Hi everybody. Really rough with yet another chest infection. Back on steroids and kick-as$ antibiotics. In an awful lot of pain from my chest this time and really much shorter of breath than usual.
Just thought I would check in and say "hi" and I am missing you all!
Back soon when I can breathe without it hurting!
Big hugs and love
Donna

Betsy: I'm the same way. I will be doing well for a while, and then just overeat junk. It sucks because one day of not tracking what I eat is enough to destroy a whole week's work. I'm not sure that I'll ever be strong enough not to eat 10 Oreos in a sitting, for example, so I've just decided not to let them pass my lips. I found out something interesting. I had peppermint tea yesterday. Sniffing peppermint makes me not hungry. When I'm feeling snacky, I drink water and sniff peppermint. So far, it seems to be working. I wonder if there are other smells that help suppress my appetite? There are definitely foods that make me want to eat... Fried Chicken, for instance, so why not the other way around?

Sam: Thanks for the offer of information. I still can't PM you. I admire your youthful energy as well. 10 PM is late for me.

Time: I think around TOM is the worst time for all ladies. I have trouble keeping a handle on what I eat around then as well. Good idea with the chocolate and soda. Hopefully your knee feels better soon. I'm fortunate because I haven't had major problems like that. I have pain from time to time from arthritis, but it's manageable with Aleve.

Hi All!
I'm still alive.. My TOM is kicking my butt... I don't want to get into details (because it's just gross anyway) but I'm wiped out.. I'm weak mentally, physically and emotionally from this thing. The past 2 days have been so incredibly heavy that I can't be away from a bathroom for longer than an hour.. Anyway, ugh.. sorry. I wasn't going to be gross but I guess I just was. Just wanted to pop in and wish you all a wonderful weekend, full of successes and happiness! Thanks to each and every one of you for being here to support each other. What a blessing! And those of you who aren't feeling well (Donna, I noticed you're back into that chest junk, so sorry! and Fi, hope that bright ray of sunshine pops through very soon!) I pray you all have a restful weekend and begin to feel better very soon. Talk to you all later!

Hello, lovely ladies. So sorry I haven't been around much the past few days. No time for "personals" at the minute as I need to get to sleep now but in three days I'll be finishing work and I won't have to go back for five - count 'em, five - glorious weeks! I need this holiday SO badly, I can't even express it. And it's going to be a healthy holiday, too. In fact, I plan to use a lot of the time for getting myself finally back on track with my weight loss. I'm getting rather tired of mucking around and not doing anything constructive. For the first time in my life, I've decided to actually use and follow a meal planner. Now, at the moment it is looking like I am going to have to design one myself (and, let's face it, after all these years of being on diets I do have a pretty good handle on what I should eat) but if any of you gals has any helpful suggestions for templates or good sites to use, I'd love to hear from you. My issue with a lot of the ones I've looked at tonight whilst researching is that they include way too much seafood (I don't like ANY seafood, not even tuna or basic salmon), plus a couple of Australian sites, when you ask for low carb options, they suggest you include kangaroo in your meals. EWWW, that is not happening! One of my workmates frequently cooks roo sausages and the smell alone makes me gag! So I figure if the existing ones don't please me, might as well make up my own but it would help if I could base it on something. Thanks in advance and I will hopefully be back in a day or so. xx

Good morning all. Event though I've been retired for almost 10 years now, I still think of Saturday as my "chore" day -- probably reinforced because that's when the nephews are available to help. My younger one is due out here in a few hours to help me with getting some of the stuff done to continue on the "finish up" path I'm trying to get on.

Donna -- You poor baby. What a horrible winter you've had and now to be back in the throws of another chest infection -- and one that is causing you discomfort to boot. Hope the steroids and antibiotics do their job and soon!

Tootsie -- I am fascinated by your discovery that smelling peppermint turns off the hunger/want-to-eat pangs. How fascinating. I just tried to smell a bottle of peppermint extract, and all I could think of what having one of those peppermint ice creeam treats.:dizzy: Evidently I'm going to have to work on finding some different odors or maybe it using it in a more diluted form as I imagine that it's more of a whiff of peppermint in the tea as opposed to full strength. You may open up a whole new approach to appetitite control here!

Bllondy -- I'm so sorry you're having a horrible TOM. Have you been to see the doctor about how awful it is for you? And, yes, this group is a blessing. While I haven't been as successful as I'd like in the losing arena, I do know that even though I've had a regain, it was nothing compared to my past history. And I credit a lot of that to the support from this group.

Deb -- This is why I love have international posters......never thought about having kangaroo on the menu. In terms of meal planners I'm not sure what you're looking for. I use My Fitness Pal to record what I'm going to eat each day and I do it before eating as opposed to using it as a tracker. But if you're looking for something you can use to create a whole week's worth of meals, you can always enter in advance. The meal plans I've found on most sites are helpful for ideas, but totally unrealistic in terms of the amount of food you'd have to buy if you're single or cooking for 2 people. They never use leftovers! And all recipes are for 4 servings. Anyway, I have used Sparks and MFP and like them both.

Fi, hope that your Friday night with Grace went well. Ubee, you're in our thoughts. To everyone else, hope all of you are doing well.

Betsy & Institches ~ Thanks ladies, I'm feeling better but I'm not 100% yet

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Woke up at 8:30 this morning. Its now 1:16 p.m. I'm about to clean the bathroom. Before its gets dark I'm gonna try to go for another walk outside. Well I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Hey everyone

Quick check in.

Enjoying my weekend, today I caught up on laundry and cleaned my kitchen. Best part of the weekend is not having to get up for work tomorrow - love long weekends!

Been off plan a bit with TOM.... but appetite is returning to normal levels (yesterday was horrible today was bad)... went for dinner with a friend and picked up some supplemental groceries. Now just relaxing a bit before bed.