Hello Everyone!

Happy December!!! I can't even believe this, but all of my Christmas shopping is DONE!!! My house is decorated, the tree is up - wow! I've never been this far ahead of the holiday! Now my challenge is going to be to NOT keep shopping!!! LOL

Thursday I had my annual physical - the doctor was so thrilled with my weight loss - but even better were my cholesterol levels - my LDL (the bad stuff) went from 150 to 114 and my HDL (the great stuff) went from 50 to 75!!! She asked me "how did you do that?" I said "I have no idea" - she said "well, whatever you're doing, keep doing it!"

I kickboxed this morning for an hour - then I stopped at the vitamin shoppe on the way home (I'm vitamin D deficient - so I bought some D3 drops) - - at the store however, I found these AWESOME meal replacement shakes called Svelte - they are dairy free - I think 260 calories high protein, fiber, vitamins - all the good stuff - so I had a chocolate one for lunch and WOW was it AWESOME!!! Oh - did I mention it's all organic too?? Icing on the cake! So I got on Amazon when I got home and ordered a case of it. And my daughter popped over - she tried it and LOVED it! She is also starting to struggle with her weight, so she and I are both going to have these shakes for breakfast now - oh, and it's stevia sweetened - no artificial sweeteners....now if I can only get my son to like them.... We'll see...he refuses to eat breakfast, but if I can give him a "chocolate shake" before school he might just try it!!!

I was supposed to meet a girlfriend for a late lunch today, but she called and cancelled....so now I'm trying to decide what to do (sigh) - I need to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond - but just not sure I want to make the drive - - (I know I will...lol). And cleaning the house can wait until tomorrow - I have been picking away at it ----- "never leave a room empty handed!" So there's no clutter - just need to do the "real" cleaning - surfaces, floors, mirrors...again - tomorrow (after my 5K run of course )

Well, just wanted to start our Holiday thread! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Sheila

Went to Bed Bath & Beyond with my 20% off one item coupon - bought a "soda stream" - I love flavored sparkling water - now I can just make it at home! Then I went to Chipotle - got a veggie bowl for dinner with just black beans, fresh salsa, guacamole and lettuce - YUM! The traffic was CRAZY! It's a beautiful day here, so I'm sure people are going to try to get their holiday shopping in today.

Now time to RELAX. Hope everyone has a great evening!

haven't even begun christmas shopping or put my tree up yet! I did go grocery shopping today n farmers market to fill the house back up with healthy choices! My kids went away for the weekend n i thought yes me time... not! My dh's hunting buddy brought his 9yr old adhd son over to "hunt" knowing the kid hates to hunt so guess who has him ugh! Would have been nice to be ASKED! My mood has quickly gone down hill cuz i was so hoping for some down time my TOM is due any day now n that def isnt helping! Oh well ill pop in a movie curl up in my comforter n suck it up like i always do!

I'm with you DangerousCurves, only thing done so far is the tree is out of the basement and up but not decorated...December already!! holy moly

Congrats on the healthy numbers Sheila, very happy for you, that's definitely what it's all about, right?!

HO HO Holidays, here we come, I've been good with the exercise, but really need to keep an eye on the grazing, so easy to say well, just trying to maintain, well that's as hard as trying to lose this time of year...yeeps...I bought some carrots and apples, may throw in a juice here and there for some fruit/veggie.

best to all

Happy December all! I am sticking close to home today and trying to get motivated to pull out my Christmas decorations. It is just DH and I around here and he doesn't care about the decorations so it is hard to get motivated to make the effort since it is only for 3-4 weeks. Plus I need to get some shopping done too. **sigh** I suppose my enthusiasm will kick in eventually

I love reading all your posts and welcome our new friend, Liz, from "down under" and send to any of you that might be struggling or need a boost this time of year.

My main short term goal has been to be under 246 by the end of the year so that I can begin 2013 with less than 100# to go. I may bump that up to being 241.8 by 12/28/12 which would be a 50 pound loss since I began this journey in July. I try not to put too much pressure on myself but I think this is a do-able goal for me. Keeping my eye on the prize and all...

I check in and read all your posts nearly every day and so enjoy being a part of this great community! Thanks for listening and being a part of my success!

Syndehat - you are FABULOUS!!! OMG!!! You are doing AWESOME!! Keep up the great work! Even with the holidays - you have totally ROCKED this year!!!!

I'm watching "ELF" alone with a glass of Chardonnay...lol Good eating day - and exercise. Tomorrow - 5K and cleaning day! Tonight is for ME.

Enjoy ladies - and I've also discovered that sugar-free gum is my best friend - - - I want to eat the junk, but need to find a substitute - gum is working! (for tonight anyway - lol)

Nooooooooooooo!!!!! It cannot be December!!!!!!!!

Wow. Time flies.

Congrats on making the Dr happy Shiela22. Way to go!
Congrats to all those who are ahead with their holiday chores.
Sympathetic to those, like me, who are not!

Wow....when I took my socks off last night, I was shocked to see how swollen my legs were.....just like when I was preggers. (No Sum, not all of us can wear those nice 4in red heels!.....I have to wear flats for everyone else's safety!! And the warm socks because I'm always cold!...wish I could wear sexy shoes )....My salt intake is rather low....& I cut out the liq donuts completely....guess I just need to increase the H2O : coffee ratio.

Hey! No more bad mood and no faking it! I spent another afternoon on KP, doling out rations with known calories. The fridge is stocked for several days with lo-cal, nutritious food for me, and I have home-made soup and goodies for the family. Gonna start that lovely flax bread in the breadmaker now. (could use some more ideas for low-cal snacks)

What else is everyone doing for motivation/accountability? I've seen some of you in other forums. I'm doing the 21 day accountability (to get rid of the liq donuts habit), the goal by Summer (because I have a big, big motivating event then), and just started the Dec exercise (because I'm....well...lazy). Maybe I'll see you there? In those forums, I'm all business, so if I start slackin', you must bust my crust! And don't be kind about it!

[Hey, MrsT....was thinkin' 'bout your customer service position. Ya know....I'll bet that's a much less stressful job in Colorado these days!! And ditto to what Sum said: check with the pharmaceutical manufacturers for assistance and your Dr for samples.]

.......don't stop...thinkin' 'bout tomorrow.......

TTFN

Crazy, nutz day at work. I work for an internationally known company that ships packages worldwide & today I think people were trying to beat the rush. And of course the boss has on just a skelton crew! He NEVER works weekends, so why should he care??? I've never seen so many unhappy customers in one place but we were hustling...none of us took a break except the mandated lunch break.
I'm bone-tired now. I ate healthy & I think all the hustle was quite a bit of exercise! All of us were talking about sore feet & tired brains. Tomorrow is my weigh-in day. It's gotta pay offf! I've been a good girl, I swear!!! Check-in here & then to bed. Huh, before 10PM? Odd? I'm such a night owl, but not tonight...I'm tired. Also the rain is making me sleeeeepy.

To all: We don't do Christmas. Not by choice but to be blunt...it just hurts too much. My family is sooo dysfunctional & when Daddy (April 2000) passed it just got worse. I haven't put up any decorations in 12 yrs. I do get a Christmas card for my mom & some small personal gift (like enlargements of old photos) for her. Sorrry, I just get a little choked up about it, because I really do miss it but NOT ALL THE DRAMA.

Sheila: Good job! I know that I have to get in for a physical myself. I, too, have a deficiency in Vit.D along with iron & a few others. Thanks for giving me a little push to go see my dr. And congrats on getting holiday ready. Now, you can kinda sit back & enjoy it, right? **sugar-free gum is always with me! My 2 favorites are peppermint & bubble gum! It has stopped me from eating junk many a times. Definitely something that should be in the "arsonal" of everyone who's trying to lose weight.

DangerousCurves: Yes, you DO need to be asked. And if TOM is this close...that man is playing with gas & matches! Or at least in my book he would be!!! I love farmer's markets! Sooo much variety & it's soooo fresh! ENJOY!!!

kelijpa Grazing, yes whatta trap it is! That is why at funcations I try not to stay at a "food" table especially if I'm just gabbing. I also make sure to start with fresh veggies/fruit first...lastly LIGHT on the desserts if at all. Good luck! Let us help keep you strong!!!

syndehat: Sounds like you on are on a similar path! I HOPE to be down to 250 by Christmas. Don't know if I'll make it because my scale is being stubborn! But I'm not giving up! Let's kick butt together!

Night all! The bed is calling my name. Agatha, my cat, is also telling me she wants some mommy time...I get into bed, brush her, give her a few treats & then we go to sleep. Can you say, "Spoiled"? I knew you could!!!

wowsers it is flaming hot here...35 degrees celsius outside and the air is like an oven..urghhhhhhhh christmas is going to be a hot one!!..sigh..keeping on track with the eating the exercise is another story...will go for a walkie with the doggie tonight..going again in the morning...starting pilates then too...having a day of rest from the exercise today..hubby is home and sheesh it is tooooooo hot!!

had an awesome breaky..chopped up some spinach, some tomatoes and some onion and added some mushrooms sliced, put into a baking tray and sprinkled with garlic powder a little olive oil a little balsamic vinegar and
roasted in a 200 degrees celsius oven stirring occasionally so that the spinach cooks in the mushies juices!! turned out yummy..add any other herb to it that you like!

sheila fantastic work on being organised..i have to make a family christmas card so that i can put scratchies in an envelope for everyone...we don't buy pressies as such!! whoooooooot whoooooooot on the doctors visit..i am hoping to have a drastic lowering of cholesterol too but will not have the testing done until january!!

dangerous-yeah i need to decorate for christmas too..i don't do much a small tree and a few things on the dining room table is all!!..lol...lol..yes hun spoil yourself you deserve it!!

kelijpa-helllooooooos nice to meet you??...yes the year has gone by sooooooooo fast that i really don't know where time has gone!!

syndehat-thank you soo much for the warm welcome..tis a great group i agree!!..go shopping and the decos and christmas music will help get you in the mood!! i can't help but sing along to the carols whilst shopping!!..i am sure people think i am mad!!!..lol..lol..lol

shiela22-you go gal and enjoy your me time!! oh gum might be for me too..i must get some!!..but if i chew too much i might get gas!! no wait i already have heaps of gas from the veges and fruit!!

see-yeah my left leg especially was swollen sooo much i got a fright and went to the doctors...turns out there was nothing wrong and that it was pms and hormonal..mind you the heat does not help either!!

mrstrying-wow that was a hard days work...you deserve a rest hun...and geeeeez i am wishing for some rain.. might have to do a naked rain dance...problem with that is my uncle reckons he is going to bring the
camera over and take a pic..EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!! yeah well we really don't do christmas either...not for the reasons you state though and i am sorry to hear of your loss and i knows that there
are a lot of people out there who are like you!!...we don't concentrate on christmas much because of the financial burden really and also wow it is a lot of hard work!!oh wow i sooooo spoil mine too hun..there is a definite bedtime routine..heck what am i saying we are wrapped around little paws for sure!!!

about vitamin D..i also take supplements!!..do we all take it???

Have a good weekend all!! Cheers Liz

Hello Everyone!

7am and I have already got my 5K run in - my metabolism is all fired up and burning that FAT! I'm now drinking my Svelte chocolate shake - feels decadent, but it's a perfect breakfast! And I also took my vitamin D

Today - cleaning day. I am SO not in the mood (sigh). But it has to be done - and on the positive side, it keeps me moving and burning calories - and also keeps me from SHOPPING!! My little "bed bath and beyond" trip yesterday took me "beyond" that store to Marshalls, TJ Maxx (sigh)....I'm not going ANYWHERE today. I got my run in on the treadmill, I will clean the house and then tonight I'm going to take a nice long hot bath! House cleaning should only take a few hours....I just need to get started...going to put on some music to energize me! My cleaning routine - I start on the first floor - turn on all of the lights and then as I finish a room I spray some Febreeze (I have a holiday scent right now) and turn the light off...it's symbolic - kinda like putting a line through one of my items on my "to do" list....LOL.

Busy week coming up - something going on EVERY night!!! Should make the week go fast - I don't have the kids this week so it's actually good.

Well - I'm off to make a cup of coffee then to clean! Hope everyone has a good day!

Sheila

gmorning ladies!
Survived yesterday as well as letting our "guests" see their way home! Dont get me wrong i love our friends and having them here, they know they r home here. I just had my head n heart set on a quiet day alone to do what i needed n everything gets changed for me. TOM is still lurking just under the surface waiting for that perfect moment. Dd is in xmas parade today sure hope the sun decides to watch it too cuz its heavy fog n very cold rite now. Have to go to wally world afterwards n get happy pills refilled n pay a couple bills- awesome being able to do all ur stops at one place! I did get a good bit of walking in yesterday n will today too plus getting house, laundry n such in order for the week, i really need to keep myself moving thru the cold months or the family will find me balled up in the back of 1 of the closets hibernating! Yall stay warm, motivated n active!

LOL... I was still posting on November chat

Hello Ladies!

I have had a very productive and wonderful day! Got the WHOLE house cleaned - WOO HOO!!!!

Then my brother came over with his kids for a little bit which was nice, then my daughter came over and just "hung out" with me for a few hours - - she's 16 and wanted to "hang out" with me!! I'm a lucky Mom!!!

So now I'm just finishing laundry - dinner will be leftover Chipotle, or my veggie crustless pizza....it feels so good to have the house clean! I'm going to wrap a few presents this evening, take a nice hot bath and go to bed early - early morning tomorrow!

Hope everyone has had a great day!
Sheila

Am copying and pasting from the other thread since I forgot it's December *grin*!!! I'm sorry if I didn't comment on the posts from the December board so far, but I'm reading them all!

My December goal? I would love to hit 139 by the end of the month. I realize just how challenging this will be with the holidays and all, but why not.

Eh, weighed in at 144.6 today (after a nice drop yesterday to 143.6). I'm SO close to the lower 140s I can taste it! I've run 4 miles two days in a row. I need to incorporate strength training and need to figure out how to do that. I'm a little lost in that realm.

Moving Forward – heh, I love it when my boob size goes down, actually. I wear like a 34D, so it’s so hard to find a small band size and larger cup size. When I’m closer to my regular ideal weight, I’m a 32 with still a larger cup size. I am not sure about the lowering of calories. I’d like to say that it’s fine as long as you feel good and energetic and are getting the proper nutrients, but the whole metabolism thing is mystifying to me.

Lizarddau – how is the soup diet going for you? Do you see results? I know which diet you’re talking about now. I think we call it the cabbage soup diet here! I think I tried it once and only lasted a day, LOL! Also I don’t like some of the food on it, like I HATE skim milk, so I never knew what substitutions were appropriate on any given day.

MrsTryingAgain – glad you were able to get all the meds! It’s so scary when dealing with major health issues like that. I am excited about using my food this week (and today). And I do not understand people who have to be so nasty in public like that. I always try to treat people out and about the way I’d want to be treated. It’s just decent.

SeeMyFeet – I always enjoy wine, haha, part of my problem!

Sum38 – My weigh-in yesterday was 143.6, which was awesome (still not back down to 142.8 but whatever, getting closer) but then today it was back up to 144.4! Ah, well. Tomorrow I am determined not to have a high weigh-in as I almost always do on Mondays for some reason. Good luck with your house! And omg, I love going out for sushi but yes, the bloat is crazy afterward!

Kelijpa – heh, I’ve never had a dog, but I’ve always wanted one for running purposes. I can see it can be more complicated if they are not used to seeing other runners!

Sheila, you sound like a ball of energy, I'm sitting here talking myself into going on the treadmill at 6 pm, I really want to, but still have to make myself go down there. I am trying to get a 5K in every day that I can, doing pretty well with that, I think it's the only thing keeping me in check. And making sure I get my water in even if I have to get up in the middle of the night...

Syndehat, you're inspiring. I have a goal for the end of the year, too. If I don't get after it, I'll be kicking myself. My main goal is to maintain over the holidays, but my secret goal is 170, that is moving out of obese into overweight by my bmi. I'm sure I could do it if I just put in a little more effort, it's the big IF...

Hi Liz, it's a balmy 45 deg farenheit here, it had to warm up to get there...lol...love your posts

Mrs T, sorry about the events that brought you to not doing christmas, sorry for your pain.

Ok, thanks all for the inspiring words, I'm going to the treadmill...can't wait to get back to my book love the kindle on the treadmill, I can even turn pages when I'm jogging.

best to all