[femmecreole]

Morning, Ladies...rush, rush, rush in the cold, cold, cold. Just wanted to pop in quickly to say hey.
Zoe...I want pictures of your new place. I'm sure it's going to be a decorator's wonderland before you know it!!
Lynn...the cookies. I would think that you can take a "regular" cookie recipie and maybe substitute sugar with agave necter, substitutle the flour with whole grain flour or maybe almond flour and substitute butter with "I can't believe it's not butter" or something similar.

To everyone else...gotta dash, but hope you have a great Friday and weekend. I need to dash off to Lowe's and get some stuff while it's not too crowded. Have company coming for 2 weeks on the 11th and have a bunch of stuff I need to do to get the house in "company shape"...
hugs..

[floridarusty]

Hi everyone....I am so far behind with personal replys so I will start fresh today.

Lynn, have fun at the show and I know you will enjoy your shopping with your daughter. What a good day! My three pieces of furniture are 1. an antique rocker hand carved from Germany from my great-great Grandmother, 2. antique side table with marble top from my Grandmother and a hand made cedar/hope chest that my son made for me and of course my sleep number bed - can't forget that. I have other furniture I love but it is Florida style and not of any sentimental value for us so it stays behind.

Joanne, I bet your excited with your vacation coming up. Hey, I wouldn't want to do that zip line no matter what I weighed. You will do it one day if you REALLY want to. Take lots of pictures to share.
I still can't get mine from the new camera small enough to put on here!

Freda, my best friends took Alli and didn't lose anything, they didn't gain and it seemed to me whenever we went out they ate a lot of things like french fries and counted on the pill to take care of the fat. They gave the hubby bathroom problems, otherwise it didn't seem to bother them. I would use it as a last resort, another lady I know took them with no results....like any diet you would have to really diet along with them.

Gayle, an engagement....how wonderful. I am glad you like him. How did Corbin like Christmas.....I bet he loved it.

Margaret, hi glad to see you back with us. I have been starving every since we got back from our trip in Dec. and then the holidays...seems the more I eat the more I crave. I am finally calming down now and all the JUNK is out of the house. I believe that carbs to make us crave foods. Glad you joined the challenge.

Hi Debbie and welcome....lyou'll lose the weight with us...we never give up!

Rosey, congrats on being down 1 lb. after the holidays, way to go girl.

Hi Karen, a late Happy Anv. to you. We also gamble like you do.....I hate to lose money!!!! Been looking at what I really want to take to Ohio with us, it is just overwhelming to think about. We did go thru and box up ready to move all the Christmas and have that at least ready.

Lyn, it sounds like you still enjoyed the drive to the city and I bet seeing all those people was quite good entertainment but sorry you didn't get closer.
Nice it wasn't that freezing cold or raining on you.

Marylynn, nice to see you posting.....I am so proud of you running those Marathons, me I'm happy to get an easy 1 mile walk in, I think you'll be my inspiration from now on!

Zoe, glad you popped your head in and let us know your all moved in. That is nice your son could help out that much and I am sure he enjoyed helping. I sit here overwhelmed with the prospect of packing and moving and what things I will take. Guess the kids will get a lot of the things I have collected over the years if they want them. Hope your getting settled in and SOME boxes unpacked.

Hi Cat, guess your back at school now and I hope you enjoyed your time off.
Your cooking hints are great, keep them up.

Sorry if I missed anyone.....catch you next time.

Phyllis

[femmecreole]

Lynn, found these recipes. They have a recipe for coconut cookies, but if you don't care for coconut, you can substitute other stuff for it, leave it out, use whole grain/almond flour etc. Looks like a good "base" to work from.

Hey Phyllis, we were posting at the same time! I don't have to go back to school till the 8th..yehaa...

[meowee]

Hi there . . .

Wow . . . am I ever glad to be home again. The visit with the relatives in Ontario was great . . . but definitely not good for the weight loss routines . . . ate all sorts of everything and did no formal exercise at all . . . consequently I'm starting January five pounds higher than I started December. Hopefully I'll get my act back together now that I'm home again. My blood sugar has been erratic, too -- Gee, Linda, do you think it might be connected she says with tongue firmly implanted in cheek Will get my profile information and my ticker updted as soon as I'm finished visiting a few more places around 3FC.

Actually got home late Wednesday night after a terrible 3 hour (more than twice as long as normal) drive from Halifax airport thanks to the latest blizzard. To top it off, my luggage finally arrived home late yesterday (thursday) evening. Why oh why can't people learn to read the name-tags on bags before they just pick one up and wander off with it? Think I'm going to stencil lots of cat pictures (or something) all over my bags to make them more distinctive.

Speaking of the cats -- they are all fine and dandy -- although they did get a little destructive while I was away; guess they were bored. At least nothing was broken that cannot be replaced.

Well, gang . . . glad to hear the New Year is ticking along okay for most of us. Guess I skip the challenge for January since it is already the 4th and hope I can get my act back together -- hey, one accomplishment -- I still haven't had even a taste of Cool Whip since the end of October -- too bad I can't say the same about shortbread, cheesecake, stollen, and a few other goodies (baddies?).

Have a great day everybody . . . see you tomorrow . . .

[kd50]

Hi Golden Girls; I just found the 3FC sight yesterday and I understand that this is the happening place for the 50+ gals. I just turned 50 on New Years Eve and I am embracing it with all I have. I lost a sister to cancer when she was 45, so I know how blessed I am to see the big 50 and everyone keeps telling me 50 is the new 40 whew whooo!!! I checked out this sight because I just moved from IN to AR with my hubby's job and have been in limbo for months waiting for the move and now have two houses, the one in IN has not sold yet, so you can imagine the stress (NOTE: I eat when stressed) so it is time for me to get my head back in the game and lose the 15 pounds I have gained and another 10-15 to reach my goal and stay healthy. I love reading all the messages and look forward to chatting with all of you. I am in need of the sisterhood since I left all family and friends in Indiana and don't know anyone here yet. Thanks for listening. KD50

[ellabella]

Whew! Here I am again…still surrounded by boxes, but not quite so many as the last time I posted. <sigh of relief>. There’s STILL so much to do, and I guess that’s pretty much what my weekend is going to look like – unpacking, hanging pictures, finding places for everything, and ending each day with a good long soak in that sweet, sweet tub.
Congrats on being so close to goal, Freda! I know Lynn has given you some feedback on Alli. I don’t know all that much about it, but there are some possible side effects (if you stray from your low fat eating plan) that I sure wouldn’t want to take any chances with. But that’s just me. I was raised by an obsessive-compulsive mother who also happened to be a nurse, and also was a firm believer in laxatives as a means of staying “regular”. After I escaped to college, I vowed never to “mess with nature” through artificial means, and just made it my business to eat right. I sincerely hope that this subject isn’t too delicate for anyone, but we’re all grown women here, so I figure we can handle bathroom issues. I remember, too, when they used to run those TV ads for Claritin a few years back – one of the side effects of which was, of course, diarrhea. They had this gal with long blonde hair running through a field of waist-high wheat or some such grassy stuff, not sneezing a bit, but all I could picture was, well….to put it bluntly, what might be running down her legs behind all that waist-high grass. That ad never failed to make me giggle like crazy. “What’s so funny, Zoe?” “Hmmmm. Nuthin’.” Ahhh. Sorry if anyone finds this distasteful. I guess it probably is, but that’s pretty much what has kept me from trying Alli myself.
Well, Lyn, welcome back to the land of ice & snow, m’dear! 3 degrees outside my door this morning. SO not optimum. If it weren’t for having to MOVE again, I swear I’d be on my way to any little shack I could find down North Carolina way! Keep those long undies on, darlin'!
Debbie (from Houston) – no, “pushing” sixty is not too late to acquire discipline! I “pushed” sixty, ran right over it, and am hitting up on 62! (What happened? I SWEAR I was only 40 at my last birthday!) But you can do it; it’s just a tad slower than it might’ve been when we were all in our twenties and thirties. Half-dead metabolisms! So unfair! But a lot of us are exercising (not me so much since all the hoopla with the moving and all – and I WAS bike riding, but I can tell you I won’t be out doing that anytime soon with all the cold and ice and snow that we’ve got here.) and my plan is to do some walking even if it’s just in the house with those “walk off the pounds” tapes. (Which reminds me – I’d better order them!). So, yes, yes, and yes! You’ve already done great – and we all have a set-back or two. You’ll get there, kiddo!
Hi Gayle – I’m glad you got to spend New Years Eve with your favorite little (and big) people! Sounds like hubby is settling in without upsetting the apple cart TOO badly!
MaryLynn, all this running is just awe-inspiring! Boy, when you make up your mind to do something, you get it DONE, don’t you? Say hello to DH for us – we’ve been busy as can be with this move and all, but the cable guy came and got our computers, phone & TV up & running for us yesterday, so MY DH is back today learning all about the wondrous world of C#, as per YOUR DH’s advice.
Welcome back, Moxie, and happy new year!
Thanks for the welcome back, Karen… sorry you lost $20 on your anniversary! Seems like the least they could’ve done was give you a free token or something, eh? Oh, well. Better days are coming. I’m betting that 2008 will be YOUR year, girlfriend! Betcha your house sells, you find someplace wonderful in MO, and hopefully, your move will be more organized and less stressful than mine!
Welcome to the Golden Girls, Debbie (Florida) !!! Nice to have you aboard!
Lynn, are you saying that you expect to maintain your current weight at 1000 – 1100 calories a day? Jeesh! That sure does seem low, but I guess if you & the dietician figured it all out, it must be right for you. I think I’d be starving on those few calories!
LindaD! Where are you? I hope you're feeling better! Please check in?
Hey, PHYL! I missed YOU, too! SO glad that your trip was such a success, though – and especially glad that you found that condo up there in Ohio. If it weren’t for the kids having the empty apartment, I think our next move would’ve been to a condo if we could’ve found something reasonable enough. It seems a shame not to take advantage of the current real estate slump here in the northeast, but with DH having no job at present, buying something else would be a little unrealistic. And, now that we’re officially moved (despite still having an astounding amount of stuff left to do) I don’t think I could do it again for at LEAST another five years or more, anyway.
Oh, Jo-annie! Off to Maui, are you? What a GREAT idea! I wish I could crawl into your luggage and go along with you! (Of course it would be one heck of a haul just GETTING to your luggage in the first place!) I hope you have a magnificent time, and take thousands of pictures for our vicarious enjoyment!
Oh, Cat…”decorators wonderland” indeed! If anybody creates “decorator’s wonderlands” that would be our Cat! I am quite enamored by that whole “southern living” atmosphere…in comparison, our old Yankee colors and textures, which undoubtedly evolved out of the need to keep warm, seem heavy and ponderous.
My favorite room is still my bathroom…there are a few finishing touches (like the curtains that I will have to make) but that tub is what has helped me stay sane through all of this upheaval.
Hi Rosey! Congrats on the pound! I know you enjoyed those grandkids of yours! I’m looking forward to getting settled in enough to have mine visit!
Hi Meowee-Linda! Welcome home! Glad you enjoyed your holiday visiting! Now, we would all like for you to get your blood sugar under control, because we kinda like having you around, you know? Hope the kitties are doing well.
Well, thaaaat’s aaaaallllll for now, folks! So nice to touch base with you all again!
Hugs,

Z

Ooops! Welcome, KD!

[Karen31]

Welcome kd50!! I know you will like it here. Keep posting and let us get to know you!

Linda(meowee) Welcome back. Glad the kitties are all fine!

Well, this is going to have to be a quick fly by this morning. But I did get on those dreaded scales this morning and I ended up gaining back 9 pounds since the last time I charted any weight loss! I did change my ticker but didn't want to! DARN IT! But that's OK this is a new year and I plan to work hard and get those 9 off and 31 more!! The holidays are over!!

I'll be back later this afternoon to post more. I'm getting ready to go to town for groceries this morning.

Have a good day everyone!

[ladyinweighting]

Originally Posted by ellabella

Lynn, are you saying that you expect to maintain your current weight at 1000 – 1100 calories a day? Jeesh! That sure does seem low, but I guess if you & the dietician figured it all out, it must be right for you. I think I’d be starving on those few calories!

Hi Zoe,

No - during the next 6-8 months, I plan to build up the number of calories I eat daily while maintaining my weight at 150 - 155.

Last week I averaged 1075 calories/day. My goal is to get my daily intake up to at least 1200-1300 calories/day. I need to do this to be able to again reduce my calories to lose the last 20-30 pounds. My nutritionist believes I will be able to get up to 1400-1500/day and still maintain. I'm not sure about this.

I REALLY think that the combination of all the meds I take slows my metabolism. However, I plan to work on speeding it up over the next 6-8 months.

Lynn

[floridarusty]

Linda, welcome back....glad the fur babies are OK.

I just read to keep cats from scratching or off of items spray it with Fabreeze Citrus spray and on wooden furniture use polish with citrus in it. Cats evidently don't like the citrus smell.

Wish I had know that with my kitties.

Phyllis

[meowee]

Hi Phyllis . . .

Sargeant's has a spray product called "SHOO" that works pretty well with mine -- as long as you spray every couple of days. Febreeze makes a special spray just for removing pet odours which works extremely well. Believe me, I tried just about everything when the kittens were going through their "the couch is a great litter pan" stage and those are the two that worked the best for me. While I was away, the problems were with things getting knocked over and/or dragged around the house. Thankfully no litter pan problems.

I do think that the citrus smell works for keeping most cats off furniture; but I have one that likes to play with orange peels (Mouse; the one that also loves to eat romaine lettuce) -- I have some pretty weird cats.

[Craftyone]

Zoe - I think you're right on with the Alli discussion. I've never tried it, but I know folks who have and lived to regret it big time.

OK, there's something on my mind. We're all women here, and I'd like to discuss menopause. Just a brief background - had a horseback riding accident in my 20s, broke 6 ribs and 3 vertebrae; gained a lot of weight which made it worse; re-injured my back helping with Katrina people in '05, and then really did a number on it with our own run from Hurricane Rita that same year; spent 27 hrs in the car and have been in unrelenting pain ever since.

Here's what I'm getting to, I see a pain management specialist as a result of the back problem, and we've tried lots and lots of different meds. They've all worked on the pain, which is great cause I'd have to be seeing a shrink if nothing helped, but my body hasn't tolerated any of them. I went through menopause in 2000 - and it was great!! No hot flashes, no dispositional difficulties, and I was never able to lose weight before menopause cause I had the PMS from Satan where only chocolate would save me.

Now, many, many meds I could take before, I can't take at all now. Not even the flu shot cause I can't eat eggs anymore. Steroids, NSAIDS, antibiotics, phenergan, compazine, the list goes on and on and is growing - of things I can't take at all, and all of which I took without any problems before menopause. Some of them actually send me into convulsions. And I can't take calcium either - legs swell something fierce.

So I was wondering if any of y'all have had the same thing happen. My dr seems to think this is very unusual. He said normally it's the dosing that has to be adjusted but not eliminate the med completely. And earlier this year my bp med put me in the hospital. I'd taken it for years with no problems.

If you don't mind talking about it, I'd sure love to know if any of you were similarly affected. There's comfort in knowing you're not alone and things aren't as bizarre as they seem. Or if this is just me, then I'd like to know that, too.

[meowee]

Have to admit that I've never experienced those problems nor have I talked to anyone who has. Other than the hot flashes (that I still get; although I don't think they are connected to menopause anymore); I had no major problems with the experience. Hope your doctor can track things down for you.

[moxiesd]

Hello Ladies & WELCOME KD50

Lynn: I know that you said before that you ate 50% fat..... That just seems really high to me, I don't know how you eat anything else much. I figured out what mine was....it was 32 grams.....or 288 calories out of 1180 for the day, and my math wiz tells me that is 24% fat. Very little of that is animal fat.... Since I don't eat bread, I haven't reason to include anykind of margines, or butters (molley McButter on veggies). Anyway, I got some vitamins that my sister decided was great stuff.....(darn...they are HORSE pills... I just hope the digestive track can break them down!!) Anyway, you have done incredibly well....my hats off to you!

Freda....I help to take care of a diabetic elderly person (92 yrs old), and I find it very frustrating to try to keep her BS levels in any range. It seems to me that they are starving her to death in hopes of not overfeeding her. Of course she isn't very active, and thus wouldn't require a lot of food, but still I would be surprised if she ate 800 - 900 calories a day. For snacks she usually gets a cup of water, or some diet jello. (YUK) My brother found out he had diabetes, and I am afraid that he isn't going to even try to take care of himself!

Phillis & Meowee....thanks for the cat tips. I didn't have much trouble cat-box training my cats....cat#1 broke the first time I sat her in the litter box, and cat#2 was a bit more challenging.....I decided to put litter boxes all over the house.....it did the trick, and after a couple of months she decided on her favorite box and I eliminated the rest.

Took Alli and didn't lose a thing?????? Sounds like she lost $ $ $ $.

Debbie: I didn't have a lot of trouble going through memopause....a few hot flashes and it was over shortly. But I had a lot of b/4 and after changes with my pregrancies. #1 Child gave me a severe perspiration problem that I had never had before. #2 Child stopped the perspiration problem and turned my naturally straight as a board hair into a curly afro. #3 Child left the curly hair and deposited a distaste for the aroma of coffee, where previously I hated coffee, but loved the smell....still hate coffee....still almost heave when I have to clean up someone elses coffee messes.

Must close before the computer boots me off:

Hello to the rest of the Gals....
So glad to see the old faces & welcoming the new!
Margaret

[meowee]

Hi there, everybody . . .

Wow . . . everytime I turn around today I find another work-related problem that must be handled urgently. Hey it's helping to keep me on track with the eating. Yesterday was pretty good although a little overly starchy (and that showed in my BGL too). Today is going great. Probably helps a lot that the sun is shining and the temperatures are almost up to the freezing mark. Additionally, the felines menagerie appears to hve finally forgiven me for deserting them and have not broken anything new in the last day (hope I don't suddenly hear a crash to pay me back for saying that ). Now if I can just find some time to get my accumulation of laundry done and some more time to get back in touch with good old Gadzella; things will soon be 'tickety-boo'.

Well, guess I'd better get back to the grind . . . have a great day and I'll see you again really soon . . . grouphug:

[ladyinweighting]

Originally Posted by Craftyone

Zoe - I think you're right on with the Alli discussion. I've never tried it, but I know folks who have and lived to regret it big time.

OK, there's something on my mind. We're all women here, and I'd like to discuss menopause. Just a brief background - had a horseback riding accident in my 20s, broke 6 ribs and 3 vertebrae; gained a lot of weight which made it worse; re-injured my back helping with Katrina people in '05, and then really did a number on it with our own run from Hurricane Rita that same year; spent 27 hrs in the car and have been in unrelenting pain ever since.

Here's what I'm getting to, I see a pain management specialist as a result of the back problem, and we've tried lots and lots of different meds. They've all worked on the pain, which is great cause I'd have to be seeing a shrink if nothing helped, but my body hasn't tolerated any of them. I went through menopause in 2000 - and it was great!! No hot flashes, no dispositional difficulties, and I was never able to lose weight before menopause cause I had the PMS from Satan where only chocolate would save me.

Now, many, many meds I could take before, I can't take at all now. Not even the flu shot cause I can't eat eggs anymore. Steroids, NSAIDS, antibiotics, phenergan, compazine, the list goes on and on and is growing - of things I can't take at all, and all of which I took without any problems before menopause. Some of them actually send me into convulsions. And I can't take calcium either - legs swell something fierce.

So I was wondering if any of y'all have had the same thing happen. My dr seems to think this is very unusual. He said normally it's the dosing that has to be adjusted but not eliminate the med completely. And earlier this year my bp med put me in the hospital. I'd taken it for years with no problems.

If you don't mind talking about it, I'd sure love to know if any of you were similarly affected. There's comfort in knowing you're not alone and things aren't as bizarre as they seem. Or if this is just me, then I'd like to know that, too.

Hi Debbie,

My biggest problem has been hot flashes. I have not had problems with medications - if anything, I think I have fewer side effects than I had before.

Lynn