40-somethings September Week 1 Chat
 

Well the lack of appetite only lasted a couple days and then I wanted to eat everything in the house. We still have some not so good stuff so I will have one more planned day of eating crap.

Tomorrow I am back on it.

I will be getting lots of exercise today walking around at the Renaissance Festival! :dancer: Pete and I will be meeting some friends there in just a little bit. I really enjoy the festival every year and I am not worried about gorging on turkey legs and beer....I am worried about spending too much money on all the handcrafted cool stuff they will have, lol.

We went grocery shopping this weekend and I loaded up on fruit, veggies, seafood, lean meats, nuts, gluten free bread and my beloved coffee. I hope everyone has a nice holiday and a good week!!! :carrot:

Marie: That sounds like amazing pizza! What a wonderful day you had berry-ing and hiking. Hope the biking was just as fun.

weightlosswanted: that does sound like a challenging schedule. Yay for losing the number to the Chinese place!

Primm: What a great plan you have for dinner with a challenging schedule! I hope you're able to get back on the exercise habit, soon. I assume that's challenging, too?

Mitzee: welcome! I'm new, too, and I've found 3FC a wonderful motivator and this group, in particular, is very warm and friendly.

Everyone else: Hi! Hope you're all having a great holiday weekend.

Our visit to the in-laws went fine -- and I met all of my goals. We actually walked twice! That really helped balance the meal that I had a little less control over than I do at home. Today will be quiet with some food prep to help later in the week -- baking whole grain bread in the bread machine and making watermelon sorbet.

New Week, new beginning
 

Hi all,
Slept in and today I am just hanging out. Might go for a walk later with DD if she is up for it.

Yogurt and granola for breakfast, and going to try to stay on plan all day.

Oh.. I did buy some steak and corn on the cob for our dinner later, but I won't put any butter on corn and I will make it small pieces, I might add mine to a bountiful salad to stretch it along.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the extra day off.

Marie, I think you are right, I might go over to Michaels and see what I can find to do, maybe crochet again, or art... I want to paint!

Hello ladies, haven't been on the 40s board in while. Was busy with the kids all summer, but now have some more 'me' time now that we're all back in a routine. My exercise dropped off dramatically in the summer, so trying to ramp that up in time for the fall biggest loser challenge.
Hope everyone is enjoying the labor day holiday & I'll make a better effort to get on here regularly.

Hydra: I went to the Renaissance Festival in Houston Tx while I lived there and absolutely loved it! I know what you mean about spending all your money on the crafts : )
Cruise: so sorry you're still struggling, glad you're cutting yourself some slack.
Mel: welcome back! I'm pretty new but have found this to be an inspirational group.
dmc: I love corn on the cob! I've found a couple of squirts of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray gives me the taste of butter I crave on my corn without the fat and calories.
Mitzee: welcome! this is a great support group.
gardnerjoy: glad the visit with the in laws went well : ) someday I want to get a bread machine and make my own bread. I have a friend who's always bragging about baking some.

I had a planned "off" day. But I stuck to my off day plan - did NOT let my neighbors lure me to the chinese place for lunch, and told a friend I would ride with her to chik filet but I couldn't eat the sandwich even though it was free. That fell through, which stinks because it was so nice I wanted to go walking at a local park and we were going to go there after. I spent a couple of hours purging my second bedroom which has turned into my junk/storage room. Can't see much difference yet but I moved boxes into the empty closet, emptied out about 6 boxes and hauled out a bunch of trash. I'm just going to have to tackle it a little at a time! Slept with the windows open last night and kept them open most of the day, love this early fall weather we're having!
My neighbor took me to the store and I stocked up on my chicken breast, some sliced turkey from the deli, pita bread, cottage cheese, fruits and veggies. Then I had to clean out my fridge to fit it all!
I'm struggling with my own family issues: 3 grown kids, 2 with kids of their own right here in town yet once again I'm spending a holiday home alone. Makes me seriously consider moving back to Texas where I can be part of a real family : ( For memorial day I threw a potluck for the friends I've made via meetup.com, but I just didn't really think about it being a holiday until the last minute this time. I'm already dreading Thanksgiving and Christmal again, not to mention birthday number 45 in October.

I hope everyone is having a fun and safe holiday, especially those who are travelling! Back to the grind tomorrow : )

Ruth, it’s awesome that you can make your food in advance. That has to help to keep you from mindless eating when you get home and have to cook a whole meal.

WLW, isn’t it amazing how many calories restaurants can stuff into food. DH and I were chatting about it yesterday. One would expect at 16 oz porterhouse steak and bake potato with sour cream and butter to have loads of calories. That makes sense. What I NEVER get is how a restaurant can take a poor, defenseless skinless chicken breast – grill it and have it come in at 500 calories. I figure they inject Crisco into it. :devil: And I'm sorry you're alone on another holiday. Children cause so much joy and grief. Plan something special for your 45th with your friends. Take the offensive and don't depend on the local family for celebrating.

Jasmine, just let your friend know you’re trying to make a positive healthy change and that eating too much is troublesome for you. Most people accept that. Of course after saying everything looks so delicious.

Mitzee, welcome. You can do it. Great to see another Oregonian here. Your point of a group that have been in your place is so true. It’s why I love the 40’s something threads.

Sunshine, yeah for free food. Good free food is the best. How nice of mom and stepdad to share.

Cruise, toss out the crap and go shopping. It’s much cheaper to throw it out than eat it and guilt, gain and starve it back off. :dust:

Hydra, I hope you had fun at the Festival. There was one where I used to live in Minnesota. It was fun.

Joy, you sound so much like me a year ago when going elsewhere to eat. I have such perfect control at home but not out. That does come, by the way. Eventually you’ll be great at tiny portions out. Usually the only way to keep the cals low. Enjoy your bread. I’m making more sourdough. I LOVE sourdough. No added fat – just the little bit in the flour itself.

DMC, I had steak and corn the other night. My food scale made it possible. Investing in a really nice food scale was so smart for me. BTW, I use about ¼ teaspoon of butter on my corn and it’s a whooping 8 calories. It’s enough to give the flavor and hold the salt on it. If you want to paint, take a class or if you already know how, have a ball at Michaels stocking up on new supplies.

Hi Mel, enjoy your “me” time and WOW you’re halfway to your goal. Way to go.

DH killed my quads. I’ve learned to never, ever ride on a place called mountain not matter how “flat” the roads seemed in the Jeep. Man oh man, that was a killer yesterday. My quads were so tired that this morning’s elliptical had to be only speed and just a tad of resistance or I think they’d have jellied right off my legs. But we did have fun. I just wouldn’t go back anytime soon. I really though the elliptical and bike used the same muscles but clearly I was wrong. I wanted to go to the bike trail this morning just to know I still love biking but it was 36 degrees out. Taking the doggies on their walk was chilly. My nose was running and my fingers were cold even with thin gloves. I think winter was starting to knock on my door. :shocksn:

Marie

WLW - I think it is great that you have friends over during holiday times. I consider my friends as part of my family and try to squeeze in time with them often. Maybe you could plan a holiday party or something.

Had a great time at the Renaissance Festival and not only stayed on plan but under budget too, lol! I treated myself to a cute little ring that has 3 charms on it, a tiny cross, a heart, and a silver bell. I was tempted to drink some beer and get a funnel cake but I resisted, whew.

I wish every weekend was a 3 day weekend! Not that we really did much of anything but just the relaxed atmosphere knowing that there was no work today!

Our bathroom guy showed up at 7:30 this AM. We were not expecting him to work today but he did get a lot done! Maybe by next weekend he will be finished. Maybe....

Did pretty well eating wise all weekend. Haven't been weighing everyday so I'm not sure if there has been any change. Walked with DH again tonight.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Hello to everyone, new and old!

Hi everyone!

I'm Renee. 45, 135, almost to goal (120) (48 down, 15 to go)

I divide my time between Tennessee and Florida. I am a professional singer. I've been in the music business for 25 years!!! (OUCH!) I am a Gold certified Turbo Kick instructor. I have 5 cats, 3 rabbits, and a husband (all rescues! LOL!) I will be married 20 years this October!

There! That's all there is to know!

Nice to meet all of you!

Renee

Hi everyone, First day back to plan and I would give myself a B-. I had a little trouble during breaks and lunch at work because I'm also trying to stop smoking and I had to do something! I need to plan ahead and have good snacks available at those times. Hope to make it to the gym before going back to work Tuesday (BTW I work at Safeway, no help at all) Better get some sleep. Talk in the am

Can you believe it's the 8th of September? I don't know where the time has gone. I started my journey on December 15 and my goal is to reach goal by my one year anniversary of my life style change (still very doable). The weekend cost me a few pounds but I'm not worried about it; I don't do guilt or starvation. For me I have to allow for a fluctuation in my weight and have found I am comfortable with a 5-7 pound swing. My problem at this point is I've been "swinging" all summer and now it's time to get busy.

I'm off to the doc this AM for my yearly exam, I really don't want to go but know I need to so will "Just Do It"!!!

dmc2009: a craft sounds like fun! and good job on working your plan for the holiday.

weightlosswanted: you got some great stuff in your grocery shopping! I'm sorry your holiday wasn't everything you could wish, but you sound so satisfied with your work on the extra room -- I'm glad you could at least make it productive!

Marie: wow that sounds like a killer bike ride! That's interesting to know that the elliptical and bike aren't the same muscles. At the gym, I switched between a recumbent bike and the elliptical and the muscles were different -- but I would have thought a conventional bike would have been more similar to the elliptical.

Hydra: good job at the Renaissance Festival -- both with the food plan and the budget!

Onmyway: loved your puns on the Halloween thread -- brightened my evening last night!

reneekicksfat: Welcome!

CruiseCAT: go you! Getting to goal by your one-year anniversary sounds very motivating! Hope the lady doc trip goes well. That's not my favorite day of the year either.

Quiet and productive day yesterday. Today is all about catching up! Including a ton of errands. I want to make sure that I'm snacking at home appropriately because snacking while I'm out is really dangerous for me!

Whew - glad the holiday weekend is done! Kidlet is in his first day at school - I have to go pick up him and his buddy in a few minutes, but I did want to say hi and admire how busy everyone's been!

Welcome, renee and mitzi!

I'll be back this afternoon to catch up. I'm taking a so-called "vacation" day and basically doing all the stuff that should have been done over the holidays. sigh.

Had a great weekend with my husband and son. Had one bad day but have been back on track. Not going to let one day get me down. This Friday will mark two weeks on my new journey and I am hoping to see the scale move. Fingers crossed.

Hi everyone!

Holiday is over... back to reality! I had a great weekend actually. I made the cole slaw from the Hungry Girl recipe. Only 49 calories per serving. It was great. I also made the Apple Cobbler from the 200 under 200 book from Hungry Girl, and it was also surprisingly good. I have a few more recipes out of that book to try. All and all we had a cookout with frineds, and we kept the food very low in fat... everyone was on board with it so that helped.

Off to workout then run errands. It's a Costco day!

Renee

Great willpower, Hydra. :dust: The funnel cake smell is so overpowering at those events that sometimes it’s awfully difficult to resist.

OMW, sounds like you had a nice weekend. Relaxing. That’s what my next weekend will be as DH has to do guard weekend. This past weekend was exhausting. Good job on the walking.

Renee glad to meet you. Congrats on the great success you’re having. Those last 15 will go as well. I’m down to my last 17 but they’re being slow. Patience. So in your avatar, are you one of the two girls?? If so, which one? I love Hungry Girl but haven’t bought her book but I love the daily emails. I’ve used many of her recipes and the chicken cordon bleu is my favorite. I also love Costco. I could live in their produce dept. Too bad it's next to the delectable smelling bakery dept. :o


Mitzee, interesting idea of grading your day. Our Safeway has a starbucks in it. I’d be in deep muck if I worked close to one of those.

Cruise, it is amazing how the time flies by. I really like to know where summer went.

Joy, I’d have thought they were the same muscles as well but clearly weren’t. My legs have pretty much recovered. Good luck on getting your snacks in line with what you want.

ICU, enjoy your vacation day. Doesn’t sound like chores will be a good time… :(


Gabby, that’s the key – to never let a bad day keep you down. I swear that’s a bad day is the killer to most diets. “Well I screwed up so I just can’t do it” Good job not letting that trap get you.

Marie

Okay, I need to do some catching up here. Had a nice weekend with Hubby, but now its time to buckle down and get to business again. However, this morning I pulled the sheets off the bed and put them straight in the dryer. Umm, its called 'washing the sheets' because they actually need to go into the washing machine first. I'm more awake now.

Yesterday was hot and very humid {90%} but it never rained. Today seems nicer outside. Yay. So I'm probably end up out in the yard later today.

After many days of overeating I seem to have gotten a better hold of myself and have done fairly well the past few days. Small steps.

Mel, Welcome back

Mitzee, Welcome, congrats on trying to quit smoking! I worked at Kroger 's bakery for many years, being around all that food didn't help much!

Hydra, Your Ren fair sounds wonderful. There's a park not far from us where on Sundays they get together to practice swordfighting which is always interesting to see.

Joy, I hear you on the catching up...I need to fins last week's thread and see what I missed.

Cruise, It does seem like this year is flying past. Hubby Bday is the 11th and it seems to have snuck up on me.

Renee, Welcome. What parts of TN and FL? I'm in Memphis, and I have a sis who lives in St Pete.

OMW, Eeek on the 7am bathroom guy but I'm glad he got a lot done!

WLW, Hubby had a big family but they never seem to include us. They seem to either expect us to know they are doing something or invite us at the last minute when we've already made plans to do something else. I don't have a big family so this seems counter to everything I've read/heard about families get-togethers. My dad always worked holidays so we never really celebrated the 'little' ones like Labor Day, so I don't think about them as 'get together' times.

Marie - Ha! The beautiful blonde in the avatar is Chalene Johnson - Creator of Turbo Jam & ChaLean Extreme (Turbo Kick, PiYo & Hip Hop Hustle) I would be the brunette!

Penguin - Cookeville Tn and Ft Myers Fl

Renee, I was wondering the same thing. I thought the blonde looked familar, I'm a member of a video exercise forum {VF}, and some of my friends are doing CLX.

Evening Ladies! Hope everyone had a great long weekend. I sailed all weekend and got to see the most beautiful sunset and moonrise all in about 2 hours on Saturday nite.

I fell off the wagon, Danged that Tim Hortons! But Scale to day said I didn't gain any! So I must not have been too bad.

Today was first day back to school. There are people older than I am in my class so I don't feel so overwhelmed.

Now it's a matter of learning to make my lunches ahead of time!

Wow, hard to keep up with all the personals!
Hotsplashes: congrats on returning to school! preplanning lunches will help, either packing them ahead or knowing what's on the menu at the cafe that fits into your plan.
Cruise: you're so close to your goal, I can see you making it!

I'm getting better and keeping my calories in the 1400-1600 range recommended by the nutritionist. The whole 4 meals of about 400 calories wasn't working for me. Now I'm eating my regular breakfast, 1st break is more of a lunch and my lunch break is more of a dinner. After work I'm having a snack instead of a full meal. Bonus, I'm not feeling so crappy from the low blood sugar spells. The downside is that I'm STARVING most of the day! I almost never feel hunger, now I'm on the verge of gnawing on my desk. Guessing that means my metabolism is picking up? Got in an extra 1/2 mile on the treadmill during my lunch break today. So far no scale movement, neither up nor down. I guess there's something to be said for maintaining : )

Hello ladies I was just wandering if I could joing your group. I need support and motivation. This looks like a great place for that. I am starting over once again and I am really hoping that I can keep this up. I am trying to just count my calories. I would love to have a monthly menu but I need some help putting one together if any of you have any suggestions or ideas that would be great. Thanks for listening.. Have a great night. :)

Morning ladies!

Just finished Turbo Kick Round 37 and some PiYo. Body bugg calculated 875 calories burned!

Drank my ********** post workout. Off to shower then, grab my lunch, and snack and it's off to work I go!

I can at least bring the laptop to work. It'll be dead today. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Renee

Need some advice....

I have a friend who started exercising and a lifestyle change about the same time I did. We both had about the same amount of weight to lose. Well I continued the journey...being very consistent and sticking with the goals I set. She has been very inconsistent and "talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk". She's always saying, I will do this and I will do that. She has dropped out of one thing, added another then pretty much doesn't nothing. She has gotten better and says she has lost some weight, honestly I don't see it...yet. I have been her biggest cheerleader in all this and don't feel that it is appreciated....her loss I guess but frustrating for me.

Anyway....for awhile now things have not been quite the same between us....my BF has been saying for months that she is jealous of my success.

Having said that, yesterday we were talking about (actually texting each other) and I had told her how I had had a veggie burger for lunch that I didn't quite agree with me and wasn't feeling great....her response was what kind of bread did I have with it....and I said, none, I didn't want the carbs (I eat them in other ways, i.e. cheese and crackers).

Anyway....her response,

YOU NEED CARBS, YOUR ARMS ARE TOO SKINNY!!! I was shocked at that response. That is her opinion and I don't agree one bit. Also, not one person has said any part of my body looks "too skinny". My response to her was that I like my arms, and she said, yea but they are still too skinny...all I said was, but they are ALL MUSCLE!!!

I really felt that she was trying to sabatoge me because she has not done much in her journey and would probably like to see me fail. I know that sounds crazy but awhile back someone said something about my arms being really toned and she says, well you tone fast. I was like, I freakin' worked my butt (and arms and everything else) off to get to where I am. There was nothing "fast" about it. This has been a long process and I am proud of how far I have come.

I'm sick and tired of the tension between us and I don't know how to handle it.

Any thoughts?

Also...

:welcome: mystical

Welcome Mystical! This is a great support group, plenty of great ideas and inspiration : )

Jacque: I think your bf is right. Not only is she jealous, but unsupportive and critical! I love your arms, and just saw a story on the news about how women are flocking to the gyms wanting toned arms like Michele Obama. Guess what? You've got them!!!! As for how to handle the situation with your friend...that depends on how important the friendship is to you. You may want to just not discuss what you're eating or the lifestyle changes you've made, and change the subject if she brings it up. Or the next time she says something critical tell her that you're sorry she's not willing to be supportive of your success. Certainly the last thing you need is a friend who tries to sabatoge you with negative comments. If you want to maintain the friendship it may take a sit-down with a heart-to-heart talk. Sadly, when we make changes in our lives, even for the better, it can cause a change in our relationships and we may have to let some people go along the way. I hope you find a way to resolve the situation!

Jacque - I have "friends" that are supportive and "friends" that are enablers. The true supportive friends are there every step of the way (on plan or off) the enablers "say" they are "with me" but the fact of the matter is they pick apart everything I do or eat and tell me why losing weight is impossible for them. Like your "friend" they also seem to think anything under 150 for me is too skinny. They are also the FIRST ones to point out when I've put on a few pounds. They are obsessed with weight; mine and theirs.

Unfortunately these people have been a part of my cycle for years and when I stopped my part of the vicious cycle it created issues within the relationship. For me even though I have a goal number in mind it's about getting healthy physically & mentally and that is my focus especially with my enabler friends. No matter my size there is no denying that I have benefited from being strong physically & mentally.

Welcome mystical, the ladies here are GREAT!!!

Looks like you are off to a good start. What is your "plan", we all have our favorite meals/snacks to share. One of my favorites is a one egg veggie omelet with spinach, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, and 1 oz. of mozzarella cheese (about 260 calories). I also love fruit smoothies, yogurt, banana, and frozen fruit either mixed or just strawberries (about 250 calories).

Jaquee,

Sometimes when you have made positive changes in your life, you start to see the negative you should leave behind.

I have friends that are true friends that have been my biggest cheerleaders, and others that are just doomsayers. I realized they are no more healthy for me than Crisco covered bacon on a buttered croissant. Tough decision, but perhaps you need to move on, and surround yourself with positive energy.

I'm not saying ditch your friend, just make room for new ones with a more positive energy.

Renee

We're getting big! Er, I mean, more of us! I have to take notes sometimes on who's doing what - anybody else having trouble keeping up? :) It's great though - we have (at my count) 22 contributors in just the last week, and I know there's plenty more lurkers who are watching us. FABULOUS 40's, for sure!
Mel - welcome back! Looks like you made some progress over the summer - a credit to the good habits. ;)
Gabby - 2 weeks is a great start! But should the scale NOT move - do not give up - concentrate on how much better you feel. It will move, eventually. Fickle things, those scales!
Hotsplashes - the sailing day sounds terrific. Best wishes for school - and agreed, the habit of making lunches ahead of time is a great one to start.
Mystical - welcome and hop on in!
Renee - I'm curious about the TurboKick, but I'm a classic klutz. :) It sure looks like it's working for you, though!
Cruise - Mid December? Oh yeah. Doable. Join the Halloween challenge! Boo!
patch - We'll be expecting pictures of the knitting projects!
OMW - I love that "groove" too. DH is starting to accomodate my change in lifestyle, and he's beginning to display just a bit of curiosity about how I'm managing my losses. He knows he needs to drop at least 20 to take pressure off his arthritic knees, but like me, he doesn't want to give up things. DS10 has even asked that I stop putting fruit juice boxes in his lunch each day - he wants me to alternate them with water and with V8. Woohoo!
dmc - I have not given up wine! I have ... cut back. And I have made peace with the fact that weight loss is going to be very slow on this round - I'm older, I don't have a lot of time to exercise (and I don't like it that much), and I dearly love great food. What's working for me is portion reduction to bring things in line with my calorie range.
Jasmine - tip from a fellow wine drinker: know thy glasses well. If you haven't done this yet, find out exactly where the proper volume of wine rises to on your typical glass. Generally, wine goes about 24 calories per ounce - I started measuring again when I couldn't break a stall, and found out I was seriously undercompensating. :O
Gardenerjoy- I'm all over that pesto! mmmm!
Auzzie - good strategy to walk during football prep. I'm going to do that during my son's swim practices - I CANNOT sit through another season in those bleachers! Ugh!
hydra - I LOVE Ren Fests! We have a huge one in Holly, MI. Mmmm - Scotch eggs ... and I usually come home with more than I planned, too. :)
Primm - hope your ankle is fully recovered!
Mitzee - like someone else said - there's no "luck" in weight loss. None. The good news is that means it's fully under your control. :)
Sunshine - thank gawd for freezers. Precooking is the only thing that saves me some weeks!
pres - Many of my very best eating days start off with 40-50% of my calories right at breakfast, usually in a meat and cheese-stuffed omelet. There just seems to be something about major protein and fat that works for me ... I can just lightly graze the whole rest of the day and I'm perfectly happy. Hope it works as well for you!
WLW - IMHO - the hunger IS your metabolism firing up and coming alive again. I conquer those "wanting to eat the desk" days with small portions of nuts, seeds, a cheese stick, or a tiny can of tuna. I think you'll see them taper off a bit as you get used to the higher calories. It's great that you're seeing improvement in your blood sugar levels - you're on your way back to health!
Marie - I haven't gotten in to see them yet. The brown spots bug me a lot more than the spider veins. Depends on what it costs, I guess, and we are heading out of shorts weather, so legs will come after face. My recent issue of Life Extension has a huge article on a supplement from Europe that's got some strong clinical data backing up claims for improving leg vein/capillary function. If I learn something worthwhile, I'll make sure to let everyone know.
Jacque - very sorry to hear that your GF is still wallowing in the victim mentality. I think your arms look fabulous - I know you work your fanny off (among all your other thin, toned parts!) and you've achieved the body you DESERVE. You just can't flip that switch for someone else. Now if she's getting catty ... the best response I've ever heard is a surprised "Oh my gosh. I can't believe you said that out loud - you must be so embarassed!" She needs to know she's stepping over the line with you, and is forcing you to back away from the friendship. She will have to decide whether she's going to quit her attempts to block your progress, join you fully in the quest for health, or risk the friendship. :hug:

Filed my Articles of Organization for my LLC yesterday, and also got my federal tax ID. :D Forward!

lol, love the visual renee! and ICU, what a great comeback! I need to remember that one myself : ) Have a great day ladies, I'm off to hang out with my daughter and take the grandbaby to yet another dr visit.

Hi Everyone,

Welcome Mystical..I'm fairly new also and it is a great group...you'll find lots of motivation here.

WLW - Have fun with your daughter and grand-daughter, I love your quote, its so cute and so true.

I am going to join WW tomorrow. I need to put that structure and accountability into my life. I love this board for everyday support and the weekly weigh-in will keep my number focused.

Have a great day everyone.

Diane

reneekicksfat and Marie: just requested the Hungry Girl books from the library. The recipes sound great!

CruiseCAT and patchworkpenguin: For me, part of the sense of the year going fast right now is that Labor Day was so late. In my mind, it should be at the start of month and it just passed but we're more than a week in to September!

HotSplashes: sounds like an amazing weekend on the water. Yay for packed lunches! In some ways I found it easier to eat well in the daytime when I worked -- I packed what I was going to eat and then ate it! Hope it works as well for you.

weightlosswanted: hope the hunger evens out a bit for you, soon. Sometimes I think it just takes an adjustment. But starving all day doesn't sound like a good long-term plan, so you may find you need to adjust the calories instead.

mystical: Welcome! I'm new, too, and this group has been very warm and supportive. I made up a mix-and-match meal plan, 3 breakfasts, 6 dinners, etc. I plan which meals, exactly, that I'm going to eat the night before (but I leave open the possibility of swapping in another meal -- usually that happens if we go out to eat to one of our normal lunch places). I plan dinners for a week on the day I go grocery shopping. None of that is any where near a month's plan, but if I were going to tackle that, I might try doing it one week at a time to make it less intimidating.

Jacque9999: Yikes! That is not a fun situation and not at all cool of your friend. I don't have any advice, but want to confirm that your feelings about it are what I would feel.

ICUWishing: I'm composing my personals in Notepad so that I can go back and forth between windows and not lose track of everyone! Yay on the progress for your business!

AuzzieDee: Have fun at the WW meeting!

Time to eat some breakfast so that I go to the grocery store full and I'm not tempted to snack during my errands.

renee - hi! and welcome!

mystical - welcome!

Hotsplashes - best wishes on the school year!

Jacque - it's sad that others want to pull you back into the pit with them. You are so right that this is a choice and it takes a lot of work. It's been good for me to see so many of the gorgeous women at my gym and to know that they have to work at it. My gym is near a university and the average age is on the young side. That being said, there are some women in their 50's and 60's who look amazing. They work at it, too.

CruiseCAT - sorry about the enablers. I think that when we lose weight, it can definitely push people's buttons.

ICUwishing - congrats on the first steps for your new business! It must feel good to be fulfilling your dreams.

AuzzieDee - hope the WW works for you. I know several people who have had great success with them.

gardenerjoy - good for you for planning a week at a time. I'm lucky if I plan 2 days at a time. I need to work on that.

My boys started school yesterday and I got a call for a job interview. A good day all around. The job would be at the university and it would probably be a good environment for me. It's next week and I have my fingers crossed.

Jacque9999 I am sorry to hear your friend is that way I agree with everyone else I think you arms look awesome. I look at you and it gives me motivation that one day I might be there so don't let her get you down you are an amazing woman.

To all the rest of you ladies thank you so much for the warm welcome! It has been a up and down battle for me my entire life. I learned by example which was my mother and I am trying to change my life now and show my children that it is never too late to make changes in your life to be a healthy active person.

gardenerjoy Thanks for your help, I am pretty good with breakfast, and lunches, do you think you could message me some dinner menu ideas I would really appreciate it. Thanks for your help. :)

Hi, Jacque. My favorite way of handling this sort of situation is to put people on the defensive for being rude to me.

"You tone quickly."
"Gosh, talk about devaluing all my hard work over the last 7 months."

"Your arms are too skinny."
"Gosh, that's a rude thing to say."

I mean, really, what can she say as a comeback? It *does* devalue all your hard work and it *is* a rude thing to say. So you are just responding with facts...

Good luck with your friend!

I'm definitely having trouble keeping up, which makes me sad b/c I can't respond like I used to... But welcome to all the new members!!! I promise to chime in where I can...

helloooooo Ladies!! sorry I've been MIA! wanted to post quickly and then go back and read through the thread!

It was a hectic couple of weeks before my vacation but now all that is over with and I'm back in the swing of things again! Missed you all and can't wait to catch up!

CruiseCat - so good to see you! back on track like you planned? your 1 year goal IS still very doable!! I say GO FOR IT!

Hydra - not sure if we've met before, so nice to meet you here. How was the Ren Faire?

Gardenerjoy don't think we've met either :) how do you do? :)

dmc2009 lovely to see you - hope you are getting in the swing of things again after the holiday?

CanadaMel - I'm just getting back as well! It was quite busy at least the last month, but I'm ready to hit Autumn running!

weightlosswanted we haven't had the pleasure of meeting either. These ladies ARE inspiring and motivational, you are in the right place!

Marie good to see you :) I think you had a different photo as your avatar the last time I was around!

Onmyway Hey! I too wish there were more three day weekends! we are not free of course in the Netherlands, but I just came off a two week holiday. Man, vacation really suits me... too bad it doesn't suit my pocketbook! :lol:

reneekicksfat Hey - welcome! I'm Renée too! WTG with your weight loss! what kind of music do you do?

Mitzee good to meet you! BTW I work at Starbucks... in the roasting plant in Amsterdam... but we have a regular store with all of the temptations there... trust me I know temptation and if I can resist it (daily frapps in the summer...) you can too!!

ICUwishing Yay! so good to see you! back into the old routine again huh?

Gabbytab good to meet you! I'm thinking good thoughts for your two week weigh in on Friday!

patchworkpenguin good to see you here too - I guess you are fairly new around these parts as well?

hotsplashes hope things are going well for you!

mystical welcome! I'm sure you'll find these chicks a great group!

jacque glad to see you! wow, I don't know what to say about your friend though I swear you have mentioned things like this before... I think she just can't handle it and somehow doesn't realise that SHE is the only one who can change her situation. I have a friend who constantly would hit on the negative aspects of things and not talk about the positives. And in a very high school manner, she recently deleted me from her facebook friends list because of something pretty petty. 20+ years of friendship but you know... if it's going to be like that? who needs it! Your friend does sound like a saboteur and it's a shame but honestly... I don't know any other way to deal with it than to either have a heart to heart (confrontation is hard) or take a break from her for a while...

AuzzieDee nice to meet you here :) and here's wishing you success with Weight Watchers! It's definitely the program that I swear by!

presmaggie hey! congrats with the job interview! will cross all crossables for you next week! always nice to have a job in a good environment :)

newleaf great to see you! what a beautiful avatar you have!!

Hubby got stung by a wasp the other day just over his ear, the area has swollen up so he's headed to the Dr today. He's not allergic but this one is giving him a hard time.

I hope to get a workout in today. I'm planning on baking a German Choc cake for Hubby's 9/11 Birthday, but I'm taking it to Renee's house on Thursday, so I need to bake it today.

VelveteenI joined in June, LOL, I guess that still makes me new?? :D

Newleaf, A lot of people have changed avatars recently and that has confused me a few times.

Mystical,Welcome!

Maggie, I hope the interview goes well!

Dee, The extra accountability of WW can't hurt!

ICU, LOL on getting big. There does seem to be a lot of us now. Harder to keep people straight.

Jacque, Re: Friends, Sadly there are people in our lives who are 'diffucult' at best. I've learned the best way to handle them is to not let them ruin my day. Such as 'nod and smile' then do whatever I feel is best for me.