counting
As soon as hubby found out there was aspartame in it he said NO. He is more funny about artificial stuff than I am. This will give him a real reason to keep at me not to drink it ever again lol. I can do plain walking just fine its those walking/aerobic videos that kick my bum lol. I can now do most of the 3 miles ones but my lungs hurt a bit sometimes so I tend to stick with the 2 mile ones.

Melissa
I think it is terrible that parents can't seem to treat their children equal. I had the opposite problem. My children's father had teenagers when we had children. He always has treated his older kids much better than our children. My kids can't stand their brother and sister because of this.

Spider
I have a saying around here lol, this is not Denny's. You don't like it don't eat. Each day I make something someone likes, if someone else doesn't like it that is tuff. Someone else eats what they like some days too.
There are certain times one of them doesn't eat what the rest of us eat and I have to make them something else. My daughter for example can't have tomato products very often, they really bother her ibs. She gets chicken and noodles on those days. My son can't have anything spicy so if I make something spice he eats peanut butter that night.

Tina
The other day hubby was saying he bet I would be glad when we could go to the parks again and the little town we love to walk through. I told him he makes me tired. I just can't walk as slow as he walks. He said something like, you walk to fast where they heck are you going. I said you will never know because you walk so slow I am asleep by the time we get there. It really does make me very physically tired to walk as slow as he does.

I find it very sad, surgery for children to lose weight. No wonder the world is becoming the place it is. No one is responsible for them selfs. Find quick fixes. Wouldn't we be much better off and our future better off for us as parents to teach our children to be responsible for their actions and that includes eating. Teach them the easy way out ( not that surgery is easy by any means ) don't make them responsible. I think surgery is a wonderful option for those that have tried everything and for some reason just can't seem to get the weight off no matter how hard they try. With children what are we teaching them, not to stick with something and get the rewards of getting where we want to be by good old determination and hard work is in a great many cases what we are teaching them. How are they ever going to deal with the real world. Sometimes the only way you get where you want to be is by hard work.

Hun
Thanks for the info. Think I am just going to stick with the natural stuff. I have my tea down to caffeine free and about 6 to 8 carbs for 16 oz. I can live with that. Hope that poor little one of yours feels better soon.

Hey everyone, just wanted to chime in that aspartame gives me headaches too. I use Splenda very sparingly and I've had no problems at all with it. :)

:hug: ~Roni

Diva
Thank you for the information. From all I have just read on the next about splenda. I don't think it is for me either. I will stick with sugar.

There really aren't that many calories or carbs in sugar for me to worry about it. I just happen to have liked the taste of that strawberry/banana drink I found.

Karen, awesome job with the chocolates - you have GREAT willpower! Also, I think I'm going to pick up a copy of the Beck Diet Solution - all your quotes are really interesting.

Rennie, there are conflicting studies about almost any artificial sugar. However, aspartame is an older ingredient (compared to Splenda or sucralose) so there are a ton of studies on it. I know it causes cancer in lab rats, but critics of the study say they gave the rats so much that you would never approximate that in a human. I personally don't eat/drink any artificial sugars (actually, see my latest blog post for an explanation of my rationale as well as one of the studies on the effects of them). Basically, one of the latest study shows that if you eat stuff with artificial sugar instead of regular, you'll gain weight even though you're eating fewer calories. It makes sense. There is a really awesome article here on it that explains it way better than I did: http://mrs-furious.blogspot.com/2008...-stuff-up.html. The problem with diet foods is now that they've been tampered with to be no sugar or low cal, you don't have to budget as hard to fit them into your diet plan, so it's making you eat less healthy. Just my opinion, of course - there are plenty of others who swear by them and think they're amazing.

Tina, while I wouldn't say not to talk to a therapist, I think we're one step ahead of a lot of people just by having this group to chat with. Coming here is kind of like free therapy for me - all of you are so supportive, and it's great to talk through issues here together! Also, I love that you said "this house is no longer a buffet" - what a great line! :)

My NsV (will be back home tomorrow to check my scale): I've gotten up to walking 4.5 MPH on the treadmill while reading/typing on the forum! First day I could barely do 2.5 but I'm getting better. And I spend a lot of time on here so this should really help me get more exercise in. Have a great day everyone!

Good Valentine's Day morning to our great team!

I am still feeling not the greatest. My voice is back but now it is in my lungs, whenever I cough it hurts my whole body and almost :barf: . I was able to manage it at work on Tuesday, but yesterday my assistant teamm mgr started getting a power trip and had me start taking phone calls (my voice was not better yesterday) even though she should have pulled another person to take phone calls. :nono: We'll see how I last at work today. Our manager is out with flu :cry: and half of our team is sick... we are just a big incubation area :dizzy:

I hope everyone has a great v-day. :wave:

Happy Valentines Red team!! Sorry I'm gonna have to run off again this morning but I've still got 48 cupcakes to decorate and 2 exams to study for this morning. Talk about being a slacker! LOL!!

I hope everyone has a fantastic day and I'll be back this afternoon to catch up with everyone!!

Happy Valentine's Day team! Gotta do a quick run by, but just wanted to say good morning! Now gotta get my kiddos moving. Check back after grocery shopping.

Good morning ladies~ Happy Valentine's Day everyone:) Today I'm going to the school to help with the kids parties....I love helping with the parties. The kids are so darn cute at this age, and just are happy to do whatever! Well it helped to talk it out on here yesterday...I still feel a bit out of control, but I'm ready to face this and work on it. I'm going to take it one day at a time and just try my best each day. I know I can do this...I've done so well in the past with me eating. I just need to get into the right mindset again, and stop making excuses. This isn't going to just happen....I have to make it happen. I know how proud of myself I'll be once I get to sticking with it. I used to be so anal about weighing my food, keeping my food journal, calorie cycling...I can do this!!!! My exercise has been OP for awhile now, so now it's time for my eating to follow. So today is going to be my start...I'm going to start keeping track of days OP, and hopefully I make it to where Melissa is day 46:) Even though it's Valentine's Day I can stay OP. I'm making our romantic dinner for 5 tonight;)LOL! I set the table with candles and wine glasses for everyone...they get a kick out of it. A taco dinner with wine glasses...really funny now that I think of it. Whatever though it's our tradition, and the kids look forward to it. My muscles are so sore it's not even funny...whatever my workout is today it's going to be light. I have a really nice 25 min. stretch video that I'm thinking I'll do today. Have a great day ladies, and thank you so much for being such a fantastic team and support system:)

Dk- Once a week eating out is what we aim for also...it usually falls on the weekend. It's too expensive to eat out with 5 people more then once a week;)

Melissa73- My parents divorced when I was just a little over one...my relationship with my dad has not been the most consistent. He remarried also, and I have the best stepmother in the world. They have 2 kids now though and it does make me sad sometimes when I hear about him going to their games, or how they are going on a family vacation. I am happy that my sisters have that, but it still hurts sometimes that I didn't have that. It sucks and I always have this dream of us sitting down to talk this out, but it really scares me. I don't want to hurt his feelings and I know he has a ton of guilt about it. It's just a crappy situation to be in all around. I love my dad though, and hopefully someday we'll both be able to get together and say what we want to each other and move on.

Counting- I'm going to look into that book...thank you~

Rennie- What you said about hard work really hit home with me. I just was telling my sister that nothing just drops into our laps we have to work for it, and here I am thinking of easy fixes to control my eating. Thank you for the eye opener I needed. I don't like to be a hypocrite, and that is exactly what I was doing. I hear ya on slow walking...it tires me out more then a good power walk:)

Laura- That's a pretty cool NSV....I think I'd fall of the treadmill if I was trying to read or type and walk at the same time...I'm a huge klutz!

Andi- I hope you get to feeling better....I'm working on a little something. It feels like my chest is so tight~

Melissa- 48 cupcakes and 2 exams to study for you better get shaking girl!LOL! Good luck with your exams...have a great day~

Happy Valentine's Day :val1::val1::val1::val1::val1::val1::val1::val1:

Hi Kari...have a good one:)

Tina
I like what you are doing for dinner. That is great. Many years ago when I almost died I decided everyday was china day. Since that day when we sit down for dinner we use the china and the crystal and the silver. My kids think that is normal. I remember the first time they went to someone Else's house for dinner ( they had hot dogs and chips ) my daughter came home and told me they must be very very poor, they were using paper plates. I thought I was going to die laughing. You have fun at the school party, I miss those days.

Andi
Oh, you better go to the doc. You could have turned what ever you had into an upper respiratory infection and they are nothing to mess about with. Hope you feel better.

Laura
Those reason you talked about are the very same reasons I never used the stuff. I am just going to stick with sugar. I know it isn't going to kill me. I don't eat diet foods, I don't eat fat free. I just eat normal four basic food group foods and watch what I eat. I think I will stick with this, has worked so far.

Good Morning everyone!!!!!!! I just wanted to pop in and say that I hope that everyone is having a great week :hug: I can not believe that this is the middle of Feb already and is :val1: Well my :bb: is still sick but is doing better! I have not had a lot of energy to exercise but I need to get motivated some how cause my eating is so much better when I have a goal with things. Well I am going to try to put him down for a nap before my brother comes to help move the rest of my house....uugh I have had NO motivation and I am just so tired and will be glad when this is all over :carrot: Have a great day all!!!!!!! :hug:


HAPPY VALENTINES DAY :val1: :val1: :val1: :val1: :val1: :val1: :val1: :val1:

:val1: Happy Valentine's Day! :val1: I hope you all have a great one!

Andi-- I hope you start feeling better soon!

Happy Valentine's Day, team! No chocolates for me today!:p

I am so dissapointed!!! It is my TOM but I am up 6 pounds this weigh in. I am soooo sorry team. I feel like I have let everyone down.

Good afternoon buddies,

Well my NSV for the day is nooo cake and cupcakes and chocolate for me today at shcool. The kids are having their little party as I type and I ate my salad. I have 1more point going towards my blood orange and the rest of my 19 pts are going towards dinner with DBF tonight. We are trying to go to Carrabba's. WE'll see if it's too crowded, DBF is trying to make a reservation but it may be too late!

I am going to go to the gym BEFORE he gets home to earn some ap's so I don't have to tap into too many of my waps' for the week. Always a plan!

Happy Valentines Day!