[Amarantha2]

Welcome, Working! It is so nice to meet a fellow step counter! I am having fun with it & gradually raising my output! I love your attitude about wanting to lose an amount but being equally concerned with keeping it off.

To that end I have raised my calorie limit a little & moved my goal to get into the 120s another week out to Jan. 13. Losing more slowly works better for me.

Marie, I love your pictures. You look great & your family does too.

How neat to have the original red velvet cake recipe. I wish I had a piece of any cake right now lol.

I used to think red velvet cake was the same thing as a red chocolate cake that had canned tomato soup in it that my mom made when I was little. It sounds awful but was delicious.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[Marie]

Happy belated Christmas to all. I did make the red velvet cake and thankfully most of it is gone with all the company that helped consume it yesterday. Am2, next Christmas I'll give you the original recipe so that I don't mess up your winter solstice goal.

Being bah-humbug chick, I took down my Christmas tree this morning. Mostly I just wanted to make it less a temptation to my 4 huskies. Some of the ornaments looked to be tempting them. Tomorrow I will go back to work. I'd planned to go today and just couldn't make myself. That's what vacation days are for.
Marie

[Amarantha2]

Lol, Marie, I'd like that recipe next year, would be fun to make the cake on the Solstice and eat some of it the next day.

I've been very blah yesterday and today but am considerably perked up this evening.

Hope you have a good day at work, Marie.

[Marie]

Am2, remind me next winter solstice for the recipe. My brain won't remember that far away... unless you don't change your signature because I see RED VELVET CAKE every time I log in here. Of course I salivate but it's not a trigger food. Just my favorite cake. I'm glad it's not an obsession because I'd hate to give it up.

Went back to work today. Was better on the eating except I had a candy bar. Not a big deal but it would have been better to abstain. C'est la vie... I'm not exercising at the moment because my hip has been so painful. Started on Saturday and I think skiing on Monday didn't help. I'm going skiing this Monday as well and I need it less sore. I have started doing the yoga stretches on it and it is definitely improving. So I have hope.
Marie

[TERAPET]

Hey Girls!

Just a quick flyby. I am out of town for New Years with my husband and daughter. Still eating too much and unfortunately I have not been able to make my Y classes. Not good for the waistline at all. Anyway, I do try to stop by here for inspiration so I am hoping I am not too terrible over the next week. After that, weight loss (and finding a new job) will be my focus.

[Amarantha2]

Tera & Marie, mine is a flyby, too. I am about to go walking, have raised to 12,000 steps, plus continuing doing weights & aerobic DVDs. I do not think I will be renewing the gym membership next year, although maybe. Guess I have time to think about it.

I am eating a little too much still, but changing my perspective on things but a change in perspective helped me be peaceful with whatever the New Year weigh-in is.

I also need a job lol.

Marie, I probably will leave the red velvet in the sig. It has kind of wiped out my desire for all cake. I've been overeating on things like chicken & veggies, but no lust for cake.

Hope your hip feels better soon.

[Marie]

Tera, enjoy the time with your DH and DD. Next week will be here soon enough and we can all try to raise or "in control" percentage post holidays. I'm going to aim for 95% in control. For now, I'm ok with the 70% although some days I'm thinking I'm slipping below that. But yesterday I think I was above that. Hmm, perhaps an average of 70% in the holiday season????

Am2, cool on leaving it in your signature. I'm not sure I'd want to do the year away from RV cake. But I do understand trigger foods so you are wise.

Good luck to both of you finding new jobs. I'm sort of lucky. I pretty much like my job most of the time.

My hip is doing better. The prescription Naproxen has helped as well as the rest and yoga stretches. I think tonight I will try the elliptical. After skiing this coming Monday, I probably won't baby it as much since I don't have further ski plans for the next month. Right now it's more important to me to have a happy hip for skiing because is costs so darn much.
Marie

[Spicylyfe]

Good morning, everyone I am new here and absolutely love this site… I am on the beginning of a new chapter in my life starting today and am thankful that there is a place to come and interact with others on the same path..

Thank you..

An

[Amarantha2]

Greetings, An. Congratulations on the beginning of a new life chapter, that is always an exciting and happy place to be.

Marie, thanks for understanding about the RV sig, it has come to be kind of special to me.

Hope your hip feels better for skiing Monday.

Tera, hope you are enjoying the time with your family.

I never aim for any particular percentage of control. This year I am also going to sneak in more IF (Intermittent Fasting). This is not the kind of fasting that connotes what some folks think it does, it relates more to meal patterning. I have been halfheartedly playing with it for years, but last night when I couldn't sleep I received a preorder iBook, "The 8-Hour Diet" on my iPad and read it all the way through. The co-authors are the ones who do the Eat This, Not That books series and one is the editor of Men's Health. I'd cite properly but I can't spell his name, but the book was in his lighthearted, accessible to all style, a popularized compilation of IF information that has been around for years but was presented in an easy-to-implement plan in lieu of the plethora of versions of IF that have been bouncing around for years.

I believe in IF to an extent, not so much for weight control, but for health issues. I will never do it daily.

May not do it at all, but I liked the book, sort of IF 101, Men's Health style.

Not doing great with calories today, good thing I set my weigh-in for Tuesday instead of Sunday.

Working on 12,000 steps & then will be resting and staring at my dog sleeping.

Kind of looking forward to it being 2013 & getting on with it.

The next holiday I will address is probably going to be Valentine's Day, perfect for NOT eating Red Velvet.