Tina
She is something lol.

ksk
There is nothing wrong with snacks, there is nothing wrong with sugar. Fit those things into what you allow yourself. Don't do without all the time. Things seem more tempting that way I think.

Counting
I have thought about that. I think I am going to hit the sales racks and see if I find anything I really like and want for fall/winter. Have to say I find good wills and thrift shops much more interesting than new clothes. Oh my gosh it is like a smorgus board of clothes to choose from. This has nothing to do with being poor, I am not poor. This has to do with why spend 50 dollars on an outfit when I can get 10 outfits for that same amount of money lol.

I hope everyone is having a great day.

Scenestealer: I’ll trade the beach for the ski trip. Sounds like an awesome time.

JLBake: I hope your leg is better. So were you good with the cookies?

Tina30: I hope your daughter starts feeling better. How did she like the cook book?

Shy: Thanks 4 the encouragement. Congrats on being the biggest loser this week.

HuneB: Sorry you missed the skiing. It sounds like so much fun.

Melissa73: Another person going skiing. Okay, now I am getting a little jealous. Did I mention that I went to the beach this past weekend and my kids were actually in the water? Seriously, have fun skiing. Sorry about the accident. You really handled yourself with class.

Didn't get to watch TBL last night because I had a team dinner. I ate over my calories even though I had planned for it and eaten ridiculously lightly the rest of the day. It's so hard to eat out and stay on track! I had treated myself to some wine, which made me not feel like working out when I got home (I was def a bit tipsy). I was dying to order cheesecake from room service, and even picked up the phone, but hung up before dialing. I then threw on some workout clothes and jumped on the treadmill to bang out 2.5 miles! Cheesecake - 0; me - 1.

Hope everyone has a great OP day :)

You and me both Laura...I totally blew it at dinner last night, actually even before dinner. I let stress get to me! And no exercise. It started snowing in town last night, they said we'd get up to 2 inches, then it was up to 4 inches, we are at 8 inches right now and its still coming down! Today is a day from **** for me, I need to plan ahead!

I miss you guys!! I feel so disconnected why just having to fly through like this but in order for me to make the gym after class I've got to get all my shopping done this morning so I can get 3 soups going for the teachers dinner this afternoon. Thank goodness for crockpots!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

~melissa

Good morning ladies~ Well I made it through day 9. Tonight is my 3rd OA meeting, and every week I seem to be looking forward to them more and more. Today Mattie is home again. I'm taking her in to the doctor this afternoon. She just seems to be getting worse. I went to the gym yesterday and got in a great cardio workout. I didn't workout during TBL, but that's because I haven't watched it yet:) Hopefully tonight I can watch it and do some floor work. Not much else going on though other then that.

Counting- Yep that is the cruise I was thinking of. You know what you deserve a new oulfit...go buy yourself something GREAT!

Cat- I hate when my period is extra bad....they are bad enough to begin with, but every now and then I get one that puts me over the edge. Good job though getting in a workout last night. I know I always feel better afterwards:)

Rennie- Yeah I think my daughter is going to be "something" also!LOL! She already is at 6...Lord help me:)

Mom23BC- Thanks for the well wishes for Mattie. She really liked the cookbook. I feel bad though because she has not been feeling well, so she really hasn't played with any of her new toys. The poor thing tried to eat one of her cupcakes last night and ate only 3 bites. I know she is sick if she doesn't eat a strawberry cupcake:) I just feel awful for her. I'm taking her in to the doctor today though, so hopefully she'll be feeling better soon!

Laura- Now that is some hard core willpower. Cheesecake or the treadmill...I know what I would of picked and I'll give you a hint it wouldn't involve me sweating!LOL! Although I have to say cheesecake is my all time favorite dessert...otherwise I'm not a huge dessert person...Great job~

Melissa-Hope your feeling better today hun! Hey you do what you need to do in order to make "your time" remember that is what your supposed to be working on. We know your here for us:) Have a great workout today~ Breathe girl just breathe:)

Everyone else I hope you have a fantastic day...make it a good one;)

Next weekend I don't have anything planned, so I'm thinking of just going on a quick two day vacation to somewhere (anywhere) with an awesome gym, and just work out/run a lot. I think some relaxation/me-time would be nice, and it would be great to "get away" to jump start some weight loss without getting distracted by lots of other stuff.

The problem is, I can't really cook if I go away, so eating out would make it tough to stay on plan. Maybe I can find an extended stay place with a kitchen? We'll see...

Good morning ladies! Hope all is well with you all! I am going to be working on staying OP today! I just have to get out of this darn funk that I am in. It's driving me nuts! And I want to get out of the 180's. It's nice outside this morning and I think I might take little man to the park to feed the ducks later if it's warm enough outside. Well I will check back later! Have a great day everyone!!!

Tina30: Your daughter is in my prayers. I know it is so heartbreaking when your "baby" is sick. I call all my kids my babies especially if they are sick.

Scenestealer: I hope you have fun where ever you go.

Skinnyvibes: Oh, I love taking the kids to feed the duck. Have fun.

HuneB: I hope your day turns out to be okay.

Hello!
I have been having the worst time with my internet! I did save a post I tried to post last night though so I'll copy it here:

Hey everyone-
Well, I'm happy to report that I am back on track for the past several days and feeling in control again. I've had botchy internet the last few days so haven't been online very much. Yesterday I had an awesome run- 30 minutes total with a few minutes for warm-up/cool down, but it felt so good! Now to get where I am wanting to do that at least 4-5 times a week! With my cleaning job, I find I'm pretty tired by afternoon so need to get my workouts in in the mornings.
It snowed here again last night- but it's going to be back up close to 60 on Thursday so I guess I'll live. I'm just soooo ready for spring!

Counting- I agree that something somewhat dressy would be appropriate. What about a consignment store so you could find something for slightly less $$? How about a sweater with bling? LOL

Melissa- where do you guys ski? I'm not a skier, but my dh has taken my older boys a few times. I suppose if it's something the family is going to be doing I might have to join in sometime. I've just never been a winter sport person (even being from Montana, lol).

Kari- warmer weather definitely helps with the getting moving!! I hear ya!

Well, my dh is home and it's time for me to go work. It's nice on my "non-exercise days" I still get a workout cleaning for almost 3 hours!!

**Back to present** (lol)

Had another great run this morning and eating is on track. Now to get through the rest of the week! I find I do awesome M-W and then for some reason on Thursday my weekend starts and I just don't do as well. So I'm committing to running tomorrow, and Friday. Saturday I have meetings all day and don't think I'll get a chance- but that will make it 4 for the week which I'm happy with right now.
Hope everyone is having a great day! :wave:

I am feeling so much better today than I have in weeks. I have been eating good today, drinking plenty of water and I got some exercise in. It is a beautiful day in Texas (70 degrees and sunny) so I put my 3 year old in her seat on my bike and we took off for a 40 minute ride. She had a blast and I got a great workout. We will definately be doing that again.

Hi Team! I hope everyone it doing well.

I still have a pretty huge bruise on my leg from my fall on Sunday. It still hurts when I touch it, but it is slowly improving. This morning I got out and exercised first thing. If I get my exercise done in the morning, I'm good. But I really struggle to fit exercise in later in the day. There's just too much going on.

We've been busy here. We've been working on the Girl Scout cookie selling every day between site sales and deliveries. I've been really good with the cookies though. I'll be really happy when it's all over and there's not so many temptations sitting in the house.

We also visited an exhibit on Pompeii. We study Ancient cultures last semester. So this field trip ties in with those studies. It was incredible to see the artifacts from Pompeii. It was also wild to see the body casts. We watched a movie at the exhibit about Mount Vesuvius. It was a bit over-the-top playing up the fear factor, but my kids were okay with it. My son thought it was great. I left my youngest home and just took my other three kids.

Anyways, it was a great exhibit and really gave the kids insight into the lives of those living at that time. The kids had great insights because they were making comparisons between the Middle Ages that we're currently studying and the Ancient Times shown in the exhibit. And they were really well behaved.

In terms of my goals for BL, I'm really going to work on consistently getting my exercise done in the morning since that works best for me. I seem to be at a standstill weight-wise and my biggest problem is not getting the exercise done consistently.

Well today my son is home sick from daycare which means I can't take him into the gym daycare either, so I will be running tonight I guess on my treadmill, or maybe a step video. Mon and Tues I was able to see my trainer, so I got in two good workouts so far, and hoping that tomorrow I can get back to the gym with my trainer then I am on my own on Friday and I think if I get off early enough (I am a flex employee so my hours change a lot) then I will go swimming for an hour. It's been over a month since I did laps, and before that it was a year since I regularly swam. I have been waiting to start this job so I could get back in the pool for cardio and I think this might be the week to do it! I burn a whole ton of calories swimming, so I am excited to get started again plus it's easier on the knees which have taken a beating with all the running I have done since last July!

Eatign wise, I am shamefully not OP like I should be. I eat ok meals, but snacks are killing me. Time to pack the junk in the box and send it to Iraq to my husband.

Jen - That sounds like a great exhibit. Is it a traveling exhibit? Pompeii is very interesting. My husband and I were fortunate enough to visit there about 5 years ago and it is a place that I will never forget. We did not get to see many artifacts though because they were at a museum.

Oh, girl - we are two peas in a pod! I wore one of my "new" thrift store suits to work today. I had several comments on it. I do think that I will continue to shop thrift stores after I hit my goal. Not only is it a great way to save some money, but I really like the stewardship aspect of it. I recycle, I reuse, I buy green, and recycling clothes really makes a lot of sense.

Laura - AWESOME victory over the cheesecake! WAY TO GO!

Kari - hang in there - spring is coming - and you WILL be out of the 180s soon!

Emily - thanks for the ideas! No consignment shops here, but a sweater is a GREAT idea. I think I saw some nice ones on the sale rack at JCP. A trip tomorrow after work is in order :) Great job on the exercise! Keep it up!
DK - :woohoo: Glad you are finally doing better :)

Jen - I have to exercise in the morning too. My evening workout is "gravy". If I don't start the day with Bible reading/devotions and exercise, the day just doesn't go as well as it should!


Cat - I find that I have to plan my snacks and get the junk out of the house. I second the idea of sending it forth! Stock up on healthy, ready-to-eat snacks that you enjoy. It really does help a lot!!!!

To all the rest of my RED teammates, I hope your day went well. It sounds like we are back on track. Let's kick it into gear and win this week! WE CAN DO THIS!!!!

DK--Yes, it's a traveling exhibit. How great that you got to visit Pompeii. My sister went there several years ago too, but she also said there weren't many artifacts when she visited. She really enjoyed seeing the exhibit with us because we got to see the coins, jewelry, medical equipment, storage jars, artwork, combs, lamps, sculptures, etc. from Pompeii. We had a great time.

DK--I'm glad you're feeling better. The bike ride with your daughter sounds like a lot of fun. Where are you in Texas? My brother, his wife, and brand new baby are moving there soon to the San Antonio area.

Cat--Sorry to hear that your son is sick. I hope he get better quickly!

Counting--That's how I like to start my day too. But I've really been struggling with it. Thanks for the reminder that everything about the day goes better when you start it right!

Hey ladies,

sorry i've been MIA For a few days. Just haven't been able to find the time to post. Today was my 68th day OP and it was a good day. I went out to dinner with a few friends and planned my dinner before hand. I had a huge salad, water with lemon and 3 slices of cheese pizza for 12pts. I didnt' even have a roll...that was an accomplishment. So I enjoyed myself, went out with friends and I didn't even have to use any ap's or wap's, I actually had 2pts left over. Then I went to cardio kickboxing and earned 8aps. I am getting much better after 4 classes.

Yesterday I went to the gym and did 30 min of run/walk intervals and 20 min of back, biceps and abs. Then during TBL I did 175 crunches during on commercial break, then did 200 squats during another and then hulahooped for another. It felt really good....I earned 7aps yesterday.

Shy: congrats on being the biggest loser this week!

Melissa; YOu inspired me to buy a hula hoop and it's a pretty good workout. Too bad I can't do it very long. DS was laughing at me and then after the commercial break was over, he had to show off how long he could do it with his skinny little ***. LMAO

Tina: I'm so glad that you are enjoying you OA meetings. Congrats on day 9! Keep up the good work.

Wish I had time for more personals but it's 11pm and i'm tired. I'll be back tomorrow! XOXO

Here is my clothing confession:
I've discovered that I always am the size at both Brooks Brothers and Anne Klein (it's too bad I can't drop a size, but that's another story...). Anyway, I've found that on eBay you can get suits, shirts, pants, skirts, etc that are new with tags for a fraction of the price! It doesn't work so well if you're shopping for a specific occasion, but it's a great way to stock up on things you need for work/casual wear while saving a TON of money. The disadvantage is that you can't try stuff on before you buy it, so you need to only shop brands where you are certain of your size. The other benefit for me is that I never have time to go shopping because I'm always traveling, so it's nice to have some fun packaged surprises waiting for me on Thursday nights when I get home :)

On topic now:
I went out to dinner tonight and stayed completely on plan!!! Actually, about 200 cals under. And I also worked out this morning AND tonight (on the treadmill right now), so I'm kind of making up for yesterday too.

I told several of my friends that I need this weekend for some me-time, and I really mean it. I want to cook, eat healthy, not go out drinking, work out a lot, and sleep a lot. Will keep you posted on how that plan goes!

Good evening Red Team! I am just stopping in quick to say hi!

Congrats to you Shy on being BL for the week. I know I'm a little late on this...sorry :(

Laura, that is something that I need to do...make sure that I am a certain size in a few different brands so that I can shop on ebay! I used to shop on their for my son, should start doing it for myself! Of course I am hoping to drop a few sizes so should probably start shopping for smaller sizes that way when I get to those sizes I have clothes already to wear! ;)


I have been doing pretty well with staying OP this week. I have done 2 days of C25K!! This is going to get interesting I can tell. I need to practice my breathing... boy does that sound stupid! I catch myself breathing in and out through my mouth and can tell I'm not taking in the air I should if I were breathing in through the nose.

My new downfall is these cookies you can buy at 24 Hour Fitness...Nummy!
http://mystore.24hourfitness.com/con...7554002009.jpg
Apex Fix Cookie -White Chocolate Chip Box and also the Apex Fix Cookie- Chocolate Mint Chip Box
They are soooooo good!! Soft and chewy and white chocolaty or mint chocolaty depending on which one you get! Only 160 calories. Can eat half the cookie before you workout and the other half after you workout! I need to just buy a box instead of buying them on occasion at the gym, would be much cheaper!

I hope everyone has a great Thursday! It's one day closer to Friday! :woohoo:

Melissa73...did you know that you burn 3.5 calories with a good laugh! Thats the whole point of doing the hula..well besides the great ab workout. I'm so excited that you are giving it a try! Not to worry I've been doing it for almost 3 weeks and I'm a million times better now, even if I cant keep it going for more than 10 seconds, Way to go!!

Ugh I had Salt and vinegar potato chips and whoppers candies for dinner! I was so tired all I wanted to do was fall into bed so I did. Regretting my food choices now but nothing I can do to change them. I'm headed out to run the PTA table at the school for another 5 hours...ugh! And then I would like to hit the gym for a good hour. I think my body is screaming for it!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Good morning ladies~ Well I made it through day 10 and I'm onto day 11. I went to my 3rd OA meeting last night, and really enjoyed it. I can't say enough how good I feel once I leave it. I just feel motivated and full of life....not to be corny or anything!LOL! I took Mattie to the doctor yesterday and found out she has strep. No wonder the little thing is miserable. I just thought since Kyle had the fever for 5 days she had the same thing, but hers was not getting better, so I'm glad I got her in and on some meds. She is feeling a lot better today she said. Of course she won't go to school again today. I tell ya I love me kids to death, but after Kyle being home all last week and now her all this week I'm going a bit crazy. It's like I can't just get done what I need to get done. Last night Kev and I got into bed at 9:30...we were both beat. I did read for about and hour, but it felt good to just be in bed with peace and quiet:) I told Mattie today we would try a recipe out of her new cookbook....she is really excited. We'll do that once her little brother goes to school though, otherwise he takes over and she gets really mad:) I had a great workout at home yesterday, and today is the gym for me. I'm so happy tomorrow is Friday...this has been a week to say the least!

Melissa- Those darn chips get the best of me everytime...I can't stop eating them once I start! Move on though and just have a kick butt workout tonight:)

Andi- I do the same thing when I run...I sound like I'm going to die! It is not the most attractive thing to be next to me on the treadmill while I'm trying to run!LOL! You'll get there...it takes practice

Laura- Great job at dinner last night...

Melissa73- Ahhh pizza...great job on staying within your points. With pizza that would be hard for me:) Day 68....I can't wait to say that~

Counting- I love JCP...good luck finding something~

cakses- I hope your son is feeling better soon. This sickness is insane this year!

Jen- I hope your leg feels better soon. Those bruises can be really tender! I tell ya I used to workout at 5:30 am and I always felt great for the day, but since winter hit, I can't get out of my warm bed and go outside that early:) Maybe once the weather gets warmer I can do that again.

DK- I would love that weather...I'm missing my bike!

Emily- Great job on getting those runs in..keep up the good work~

Have a great day ladies~

Hello Ladies!
Since I had a taste of sugar last week, I cannot seem to stay on track. I'm hoping one day to be able to have a little taste of some things like sugar and not overdo it, but for now I can't. :(

I have had a headache and sore throat for the past few days. I've been trying to go to bed early to try to avoid getting even sicker. I hope I don't get the crap that's been going around. I've been exercising some but not too much.

Good morning! I started my day with exercise! Yay! I wanted to exercise even longer than I did, but my daughter was dragging her feet about getting ready for art class. I had to keep her on track. It still felt good to get the day started right.

Tina--I'm glad you found out what was wrong with Mattie. Poor thing! Strep is painful. She should get better quickly on the antibiotics. Way to go with OA! I'm so proud of you!

Melissa73--You are doing so great staying OP. You're an inspiration to everyone!

Andi--Great job on staying OP and doing C25K!

Melissa--Don't get down on yourself about the food choices. Just get back on that OP horse and keep going! You can do this! I love that you burn 3.5 calories by laughing! We need to keep a good sense of humor on this journey.

Laura--What a great idea for saving money on clothes. Thanks for sharing. Great job on dinner.

Karen--I hope you feel better quickly. The stuff going around is a doozy so I hope you don't have it.

Rennie--Thanks for having such a great attitude about everything. Congrats on being biggest loser this week. You are so consistent and steady on this journey. I find that very inspiring. Thanks!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Good afternoon ladies,

Just a quick post becasue my lunch period is almost over. UGH, these kids are driving me NUTS today. All they are doing is arguing and instigating eachother over, and over and over all day long.

Laura: thanks for the clothing tip on EBAY. I've never thought to buy clothes through there, just everything else. LOL Good plan to keep your weekend to yourself this time. I hope it works out for you!

Melissa: LOL.....believe me DS and I laughed a bunch while I was doing it. My abs felt it too, which is cool. Ummmm....that was defintely not a healthy choice...LOL....but I had 15pts of doritoes the other day. Had to use my aps and waps to count them. OUCH!!! LOL Chips are my downfall, so if they aren't baked or FF I try to avoid them whenever possible.

Andi: Those cookies sound dangerous!

Tina: I'm glad that meeting is going well for you. and sorry to hear that Mattie has strep. No fun!!!

Gotta run, kids are fighting like cats and dogs......

Big news from me today! The research paper that I've been working on just got press from the Wall Street Journal!!! I'm so excited, even though they didn't use my name in the article. Hopefully this is the first of many media accolades, but regardless, I'm still thrilled. I'm only a first year analyst at my company, and this is my first paper to be published, so I'm beyond excited that it's getting this kind of attention.

I got up early to go for a run along the river in Boston today, and I'm on track for a perfectly on plan today. That's three reasons for me to be happy! :)

Hope everyone else is in a great mood too!

Laura
Congrats. It is always nice to get acknowledgment even when our name isn't used. My daughter buys all kinds of things on line like that. She finds some great deals.

Melissa
That is what their job is lol. Thanks. Sounds like you are doing great. To me, being op means I am within the ranges of calories, fat and carbs for the week and I have done my exercises. Let me tell you it isn't always easy. I am proud of you. I have been op for 42 weeks lol. When I say, now is the time I can break out a bit and enjoy ( this or that ). I then say to myself, oh but why not wait a while longer, you really don't want that stuff anyway lol. Even with all my m&m's I am only 1 over on my fat. I will have that down today probably.

jl
Thank you. Glad to see your feeling better. Falls can really shake us up. Sounds like a great exhibit. I would really enjoy that. Nice to see my boring way of life inspires someone lol. Exercise to me is like everything else. It is put on the list of things I have to do for the day. I don't go to bed until everything on the list is done.
Jen
Thank you. Nice going on the exercise first thing in the morning. I try but I don't always get my lazy body to do exercise until I have the house work done lol. It does make the day start out with a bit more energy for me, does it do the same for you? Daughter's lol, do you remember taking as long to walk across a room as daughters do these days lol.

ksk
You take care of yourself. This darn flu that is going around really kicks butt. Keeping the body moving is important even when we really can't give it our all. I know what you mean about not being able to have somethings get. We had m&m's in the house. Now, while I am allowed anything I want. I do not WANT to eat a bag of those things lol. I ate 3 servings instead of one. I told the kids it is just something I am not ready to have in the house yet. No snacks for me for a few days until fit day says I am where I should be again on the fat range :( we play we pay I guess.

Tina
Sure glad you found out what was wrong with Maddie. Poor little mite. Glad you are enjoying your meetings. You are getting something from them. I am glad for you.

Hun
I think my daughter burnt more calories than I did during my hula hoop work out. Oh my gosh she laughed and laughed. I had the last laugh, in my day I was a champion hula hooper lol she can't even do it.

Andi
Thank you. If I had to breath through my nose I would die lol. Oh another cookie. It is never the calories that get me, I have more than enough. It is the darn fat and carbs in everything.

Counting
We fit pretty comfortable in that pod together don't we lol. I was a green person before that term every came into our vocabulary. Yes, it is a great way to save money. Like you said, why buy new. Why not use what is already made. I hit the thrift stores first and then go to the other stores only when I can't find what I am looking for. I don't understand tossing things away either. What is old and not something we want to wear anymore. Is something someone else has been looking for.

cakes
Those snacks can be killers can't they. I really have to make sure there isn't certain things in the house at all. Most stuff doesn't bother me so I keep it around for everyone else. Whoppers are NOT allowed in the house. Hope your little one feels better soon. How is the hubby doing?

Hi everyone.

My cat (Dream) who's been sick for a number of years now and has been on a downward roller coaster. Finally his little body was giving out yesterday. We rushed to the emergency place where they put him to sleep. He was about to go on his own so there was nothing we could do.

I'm doing ok. Sad as to be expected. We knew it was coming but it's weird not having him around..

So I might be quiet for a few days still... just wanted to let you know I didn't forget about you guys.

-Muse

Ideal
I am so very sorry for your loss. Maybe, in time, you can find you another little friend. My little buddy Winkie is now 15 years old. I would be very lonely without him.

Aww, Muse I'm so sorry for your loss. I know there is nothing that can be said in these times to make it better but I hope that your heart heals soon! :hug:

Muse--We love our kitty so much and couldn't imagine our family without her. I'm so sorry for your loss. You'll be in my thoughts.

Muse ~ You will be in my thoughts. :hug:

Muse: Sorry to hear about your kitty. ((((hugs)))) I used to have a number of cats and was crushed when each one of them died. No more pets for me, I can't stand to lose them!

Laura: congrats on the paper!

Shy: WOW, and i thought i was doing great staying OP for 70 days (by the end of today it will be 70 days) 42 weeks is INCREDIBLE! You're my hero!!! :D

:hug:Muse, I'm sorry.

Muse, I'm so sorry for your loss. :hug:

Muse: Sorry about your cat. :hug:

Laura: Congrats on the paper.:carrot:


Have a great weekend everyone.