Purple - :) Red pepper flakes are dried red chilies with the seeds. They provide heat and flavor. You've probably seen them at pizza places. I LOVE THEM. Fresh red bell peppers are fabulous, too. Sweet & crunchy and contain more vitamin C than an orange. :)

If you want to impart some heat into a dish, put a little oil in a pan and heat it up, then add red pepper flakes. It infuses heat into the oil and helps to flavor the entire dish. BE CAREFUL. A little goes a long way and if it starts to burn the fumes can be . . . hot and unpleasant to breathe.

Soul - I saw you in the bra discussion!! :) Here's the link if anybody is interested. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139974 Very funny.

I'm avoiding work. Can ya'all tell?? I've been working on a quilt for my mom and she came over here yesterday and had a freak-out. I can't work on her quilts when I'm feeling upset with her. I've been surfing this site . . . I need to get off my tush.

On second thought . . . maybe I'll go create a new signature.

smurf: smells definitely get me. Most of my downfalls have to do with picking my husband up from work and him saying something like, "so-and-so buffet would be good...we haven't been there for a while" or something to that affect...I am triggered by talk a lot. I'm glad you are feeling better.

ceegee: we call Giada "lollipop head" because she is so skinny but her head is so big. :lol: I thank god for my pug's compact poop everytime I walk him.

Julz: you are an awesome photographer! I can see why you get a lot of business. I really enjoyed looking at your photos, I looked at your portfolio too.

reda: congrats on your loss! Stock cars? Wow, how cool...that must be fun (and nerve wracking) to watch. Good luck to him. I don't know how you guys can eat the same thing like that, we only repeat a menu item about once every couple of months...we are always trying something new.

theresia: congrats on winning the challenge!

mugsy: Yeah, I'm a foodie too. What I have to do with my hubby is print out a recipe for him to follow. He's good with that. And he's pretty good when he decides to make things up, but only because I've had to remind him not to add too much oil, etc. Congrats on your 4th day, that's awesome!


Well, I am very happy to say that yesterday was a perfect eating day for me. :carrot: I'm hoping today will be okay, but tonight my downstairs neighbor is having "craft night" at her place and we are going to be ordering pizza...so maybe I will have a salad before I go and only have one or two slices. Lunch will be healthy, it's leftovers from last night, which was a healthy meal. I'm getting scared for the fall: I found out that to graduate with my masters, I need to have a "B" average throughout. AND...a "B" is a minimum of 88%! I'm going to be mighty stressed come fall.

LOL @ "lollipop head"...in my family we talk about her large head and small body, as well! It's just so unnatural looking! Have you noticed that some of the celebs that had gastric bypass have that look...Star Jones and Al Roker are the first 2 that come to my mind. It's like they lost weight in their bodies and their heads stayed the same!

Well, I decided to really buckle down and start tracking my calories again. It seems that I may have been eating too little, maybe that is why my losses have stalled? I was overestimating the things that I eat. I always round up just to make sure and it seems that I am still about 300-700 calories lower than what I should be eating. I usually try to eat about 1800-2000 on days when I just walk at work, but don't go to the gym and 2000-2200 on days when I do go to the gym. TDP says I should eat 2200 without doing any exercise, but that seems too high! Any opinions on the matter?

I am upping my cardio today, the usual 40ish at lunch then 50 on the treadmill. I started at 30, then moved to 40, but I want to be able to make it through a 5k in a few weeks, so I am going to push it to 50 tonight. I have kind of slacked off on the weight training, but in July I plan to get back into it b/c without school I will have much more time to workout. I hope to get into a nice schedule, that way when school starts back in August, I will have a set schedule to work school into. I also noticed that my weight loss S-T-A-L-L-E-D when I was weight training. I haven't figured out how to change my calories with it yet.

My sister joined WW last night, she is notorious for starting everything and finishing nothing, we are hoping things are different this time for her. If she seems to be successful on it, I may look into it. The things she was telling me seemed pretty common sense, things she should've been doing anyway! It kills me to give someone money to tell me things I already know! I guess we will see how it goes! :)

Well, I am also avoiding work, but I better get back to it! Hope everyone is having a really great day!

TTYL--
Misty

ggmugsy - lol, yeah, I am working on at least staying at this weight. Trying not to stress about the last few pounds, and at the same time trying not to get tooo comfortable here. We just booked a chartered Carnival concert cruise for next March, so that could be my incentive......

Julz - you really are a photographer!!! so beautiful!

troo - she is SUCH a lollipop!

LOL the lollipop head-very true. My family always talks about how big her mouth is when she smiles you can see her molars :) love her though!

Okay so I am bummed I had to skip my yoga hour this morning it always takes a while to get my blood sugar back on track after I get sick and for some reason with this new found heat wave and past sickness I am having a HECK of a time getting it to neutralize. I was too shacky and light headed to tolerate the yoga, so I ate some snacks that helped spike me up, but then the plumit came too fast and I was back in bed. I think I finally have a hold on it and hope I can do the yoga thing tonight after the kids are in bed.

I have tons of work I need to be doing a wedding and 3 family shoots but for fun you guys want to see my family? do you like how I hide behind my cute kids? Now I have to get back to work!

Lolllipop Head!! ROFLOL!! It fits . . .

Misty - you were probably building muscle when you were weight training and your weight loss stalled. Losing fat, but gaining muscle.

Smurf - Adorable pic!!!

I went and weeded the garden. The mint smells GREAT. I could hear Bob Marley in my head, smell the mint, remember the Caribbean, and dream of Mojitos. :)

oooh mojitos! I never know what to do with all of my mint. My one lab eats it right off the plant like a goat.

smurf -so cute! Kids are great for hiding behind once they get big enough, lol. I don't think I allowed myself to be in pics until I could hide behind them. :)

Smurf---you have a gorgeous family!

Mugsy--I figured that was what was happening, but it killed me to stay stalled out for so long. Right now I am trying to kick off a great fat loss, then I will work on building more muscle, I just wanna get under 300!!! I mean come on!!!! LOL!

smurf- you have such a lovely family, it is a wonderful thing to be blessed:)

gg & ceegee- wow mint in the garden I bet that does smell invigourating. Never heard anyone say anything about mint in the garden.

trooworld- you know I am a very picky eater or most say that I am. I really don't eat much meat but not a vegetarian by all means. I do not eat any NO seaford what so ever. I really can't even stand the smell of seafood you know when you walk in somewhere that will have crab legs or lobster can't usually stay because the smell makes me sick. (probably in my head but this something that has been with me since childhood) So with that it is very hard to change up my menus much. I did just recently try broccli again and this time around not to bad as long as it is cooked and small I don't really like the big heads nor do I like raw.

I may have to try the red pepper in my scrambled eggs in the morning I usually only use green peppers when making chx fajitas or put in my salads but will try red ones next time. Thanks

Well everyone have a great night adn talk to you tomorrow

Hi team,

Sorry, I didn't realize that I haven't posted for several days. :o I've been off on vacation so I guess I took a vacation away from the computer too. We've been busy around the place doing lots of outdoor hard work. I've also gotten in some horseback riding. Best of all has been some chill out time in the pool.

I didn't realize until a few years ago the difference between the colors of peppers. I learned that the green peppers have too much 'bite' for me and that I really like the sweet, mild taste of the red, yellow or orange peppers. Love them in scrambled eggs along with some onion.

Congratulations team for winning week 7. Great job!

Hello teamies...
It's been awhile... THe work has been strict on web usage lately starting this week so I kinda have been staying away from 3FC while at work.. And as I don't get on the computer that often at home, I wasn't able to post that much at all. I woke up today at 8 for 1 hour of training..and figured I should get on here to say hi to my ladies before going back to sleep. (I went to bad at 530 AM)

Things have been going well and I am still around. As far as eating goes, I've been on plan for 3 days now...and working out at least 30 minutes daily with no resting days. :)

Hope to "see" you soon.

Good Morning Team! I am so proud of everyone for working hard on this challenge.

I have not watched any TBL shows. I think I might when next season starts. See what it is like.

Londonjulz love your art work! It is wonderful.

Happy2bme - I also struggle with good sleep. After the kids get to bed I find a second wind and will keep going till 11 or 12. Then I am up again at 6 for when the first of the daycare kids come. And then you add in the occasional rousing from a child who has a nightmare or needs a snuggle. I probably average 6 hrs a night.

I am thinking about getting the Dr Oz book. I will just have to read thru some of the books already waiting on the night stand.

Wrestling with getting enough exercise in. The beach hopping was keeping me going! That travel bug in me insisted on not being left behind!

Gotta go the kids are getting antsy for the park. HAve a great day!

I can relate to that... I swear I'm not going to buy another "diet" book ever again. I even tried getting them from the library but our library has a pretty crummy selection of books. (And if you try and donate some good hardbacks, they just sell them at the Friends of the Library used book sale - so go figure :dunno: )

Regarding the red pepper discussion - I take it that you mean red pepper flakes as in the red pepper chilie, not the red bell pepper, right?

I had some stir fry yesterday and the cook was quite generous with the red pepper flakes - took away my hunger all right, the pain in my stomach made me forget about food for quite a while!

So please tell me there's magic in red bell peppers please!

Good Morning Everyone. Just a quick hop on here to check in with you all. I am so proud of everyone for sticking to their plans and doing what is right for you and your health. That is so very important. If we don't take care of ourselves, who will??

I am on vacation next week. Getting ceramic tile installed on the stairs and in the foyer and then new carpeting in the living room and hall. I am so excited. I cannot wait. There is currently "mauve or rose or pink" carpet in there. Call it whatever you want but trust me a little bit of it goes a long way!!!

We are having Father's Day/birthday celebration on Saturday. All 5 of the kids and all 11 of the grandkids will be here. That should be a blast. I am so looking forward to that.

Anyway, I'd better get busy. I'll be back later. Have a great Thursday. Remember, it's almost time for the weekend!!!!

Morning Teamies!

Hope everyone has a good day!

:carrot: Veggie-Man says "Eat lots of veggies!" ;)

:lol:

Have a great day, all!

Smurf, lovely family. I don't see how you could possibly lose anymore weight though, you look GREAT right now!

Sorry to barge in on your forum :o

For those who haven't seen this please check this post that Jaime posted

http://3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2233125

Please Sign up...thanks :D

Smurf - Your family is adorable. And ditto what Soul said; you look great!

I don't know which Dr. Oz meant, his book just says "red peppers" but I have been using red bell peppers and it is working for me. He said to eat them in the morning to kill later afternoon/early evening hunger...and it has worked for me like a miracle. I usually get in trouble that time of day with munching adn eating my way through cooking dinner, but I have not felt hungry or munchy this week since eating the peppers...I am also using 1 t cinnamom as he recommends, so it might be that as well. I basically scramble eggs, adding in frozen seasoning blend I get at walmart(just frozen onion, red and green peppers, celery, nothing else), then add in more cut up red pepper and 1 t cinnamon, scramble together. It is really good, I like the taste of the cinnamom on the eggs. I added some salsa yesterday and it was yummy too.

ADDED: I might try to add the flakes into some dinner dishes, but I am not good with spicy foods at all, so won't be trying that for breakfast.

No need to apologize! Come by anytime. :) Thanks for the heads up.

Well, yesterday I tracked calories and ate within the range that I set forth for myself. Maybe tracking everything I eat will help to boost my weight loss! I did a total of 80 mins of cardio yesterday! I did find that doing it for longer doesn't necessarily mean anything though, I burned about the same amount of calories in 50 mins than I usually do when I do 40, I think b/c I can sustain the higher level of exertion for a less amount of time. Today is laundry day so I am skipping the gym. I also forgot my ipod, so walking is going to suck. I am tempting to stay in my office and spend my lunch break writing a letter that I have been meaning to write. I am sure at the last minute I will muster up the motivation and get my tush out there.

I am going to do that one hundred push-up challenge. I think I can probably do 1 or 2, so this should be interesting.

I hope that everyone is having a great day. It's supposed to be 82 and sunny today. Yesterday there was a great ocean breeze blowing, hopefully it is back today!

I may check out Dr. Oz's books, as well. We have a great library out here, I wonder if they have any of them. I am a captive audience for the time that I am on the treadmill and with school that is my only free reading time!

Have a great day everyone!

--Misty

oolong - congrats for being the biggest loser and hooray black team for winning this week!!!

thanks purplefly! i will try using hand weights instead of the bands/pull up bar.

smurf, i totally understand not getting into P90X with no AC. oh my!! i'm dripping after every workout and we have AC. i've done P90X for 4 weeks (about a month ago) and then due to travel abandoned the program. i restarted this week and just completed week 1. I have 10 weeks before our next trip so i won't complete the full 12 week program but if i can get to 10 weeks, i'll be thrilled. we have houseguests coming the last weekend of july and that will throw a wrench into things though. my workout room is a guest bed room. so i may have to "massage" the program now and then. and what a great family picture!!!

mugsy, i don't know alot about P90 vs. P90X except that they are two different programs and that P90 program came first. there's a program that came after P90X but i'm not even sure of the name. tony horton is the instructor in P90X. i really like the way the whole program is put together and this most resembles my experience with a personal trainer. (my time with a personal trainer wasn't as productive though because i wasn't committed to a healthy food plan. now i'm counting calories and tracking at the daily plate.)

my weight this morning seemed to be back in line. now to buckle down this weekend so i, too, can post a loss on monday.

have a good weekend everyone!! we're out of town this weekend.

That's sounds like a good thing, I always wanted to learn to do many push ups.. So I'll join.

Laurie! I am so jealous of your house makeover. Our house is 130 years old and if I think the carpet and kitchen floor has been here since they covered up the dirt floors ;) I would love new flooring! have fun with your housefull how fun!

Thank you all SOSOSO much for saying such nice things about my family-and me :blush: you all made my day!

Angeline-good luck with the p90x! I am looking forward to it this winter (not really looking forward to winter, but you know...)

So I am so SICK AND TIRED of the rate I have been loosing basically in the past 10 weeks I have only lost 8 lbs ggrrrrr! I hate the thought of counting calories or points as I have said before I have an addictive personality and have counted before and had to be forced to stop-it controlled everything I did. My exercising has been put off since Saturday due to illness and blood sugar issues which I think I am finally on top of and my eating has been greatly improved and I feel that I am eating healthier, smaller portions. My snacking is now controlled to healthy snacks and I really feel that my eating has been good.

My water could be better on my good days I drink only 64 oz. I am hoping now that it is hot I will want to drink more.

I really wanted to be 136 by the end of this competition, but it doesn't look hopeful in that I still have 26 lbs and only 8 weeks.

Any suggestions? Can drinking more water really effect weight loss that much? I know it is important especially when working out, but does it really effect the actual weight loss?

Anyways-I need something!

blueyedlvrgirl: yeah, I noticed that too...especially with Star Jones. If I knew I was going to look like that, maybe I wouldn't lose the weight!

smurf: you and your family are gorgeous! Nice pic, too. :)

mugsy: I love mojitos. I once tried to make them and made the mistake of putting the mint and everything else in the blender. It came out looking like sewage. I've been afraid to try making them since then.


Yesterday was great, I went to the craft party (and made a cute postcard and journal) and we didn't end up ordering pizza. I had a healthy bowl of smoked turkey sausage and zucchini first and then when I got there, I ate some fruit and had 2 small cookies. Today didn't start out so great, but I think if I eat sensibly at dinner, I will be okay. Gotta go....

Hey girls! Got a great non scale victory today. Slipped on my wedding band! It went past my knuckle! Still snugg. But I have not been able to wear it in 2 years!

Julia- that is awesome it is nice to have little surprises like that... :)

I did stay within my points today but I did have a pizza roll and 3 tator tots but counted them as 5 points so I did stay within my limit today. I did also get my exercise in tonight and plan on keeping it that way. I am going to try to start the pushup challenge on Monday so that I can build some upper body strength as I could only do 2 perfect form full man push ups. I call them man push ups because no knees on the floor.

Laurie that would be awesome to be getting new floors in the house we did our kitchen 2 years ago and are suppose to be getting the dining and living rooms floors done but of course haven't done it yet to much other stuff going on. It will be so great when all done. :)

Well we have a packed weekend again of course have the races on Fri and Sun but we are also have Awesome Harley Nights in Sioux City which is about 35 miles away so we are going for a 200 mile ride then going to head to Sioux City for biker nights so we will be eating out for lunch and supper on Saturday but I am going to try my very best to stay on track and within my points.

Everyone have a great Friday and one day till the weekend!!!!!

Troo - Oh my gosh!! You murdered a mojito. ROFLOL!! My problem is that I make a mess. The little plunger thingee we use to grind the mint & sugar is sticky and flings sticky all over the floor and the counter. My sisters and I get to laughing too hard . . . maybe that's part of the problem. ;)

Reda - You are rockin' & rollin' this week!! I've been afraid to click on the push up challenge. Maybe I'll tackle that tomorrow.

Good luck to all you push up jocks!!

Julia - Awwwwww . . . how sweet about your wedding ring! Congratulations!

Smurf - When I hit a plateau I do double days. Split my workouts into two portions. One in the morning and one in the evening to keep my metabolism high. You're pretty darned thin already!!

Yay! Isn't that a great feeling? Congratulations! :carrot:

hello, ladies :)

thank you for your kind words :)
I'm glad we won the last week challenge :)

as for me, I'm so nervous and don't have a minute to spare because my month of finals are here, and I don't know if I can survive it :(

but I'll try to pass it all so I can enjoy my summer vacation :)

Hey Gang, TIGIF!!! :carrot:

I'm down another pound. I can't believe I've lost 15 pounds since starting the challenge. All of y'all are so motivating!

Have a great day & weekend.

Jenjen - 15 pounds!! WHOO-HOO!! That's fabulous!!

My son and I have been updating our computers this week. We added more RAM. It was super simple and made a HUGE difference. I was about ready to buy a new computer but now it's running like a different machine.

We've also been cleaning up the boat and getting it ready for summer. Need some work done on the carburator. Weeding & tending the garden which is a never-ending task, IMO.

I'm LOVING summer. I hope you all are, too!!

Happy Friday!
It's official...my scales HATES me! This morning I was 300.0! I just wanna see 2 something! I am not walking today, it is supposed to be super hot! I am going to stay indoors, where there is a/c. I am going to the gym after work, so I will get my exercie in there. Anyway, I just wanted to say happy Friday to everyone and share my scale struggle. I will keep you updated!

Julia---that is awesome! I felt that way when I put on a pair of jeans that hadn't fit me since I bought them. Now I wear them all the time!

Bye for now!
--Misty

Good luck with finals-oolong
Thanks for the suggestion ggmugsy I will try the double days and hope that is what it takes. The picture really is decieving! I carry all my weight in my belly and there is pleanty there just hidden behind my son ;)
WOW jenjen 15 lbs that is awesome!
Julia congrats on the wedding ring that is a victory I am waiting for too-
Misty I have a love hate relationship with my scale too. Sorry yours is being stuborn-put it away for the rest of the week and then bring it out next week. I find when I am getting down about my lack of losses it is usually because I am checking all too often. You will get there-this awesome muscle you are building is going to pay back in full force soon!

So yay I got a short 20 min. walk in this morning and a 20 min. session of yoga without feeling lightheaded and faint from my blood sugar. I think I finally have tabs on it again-now I better not get sick again at least until winter time. I am going to try to do a weight session tonight and hopefully feel like running a bit in the morning.

I am heading out of town again tomorrow for a sister's baby shower in the evening and then a birthday party Sunday and will be back on Monday. I love seeing my sisters it makes me so happy, but dang it we love to sit around the table chatting too much! I will be strong-I will be strong!

I come in shame and horror to whine and confess to you all :tantrum: You all know I took like a week and a half to just relax and not worry about anything, came back feeling destressed and started my Dr. Oz program. Well, the scale was saying 220 after the week off :eek: but Dr. Oz had me feeling so good after just a couple days it was back down to 216...and then last night hubby left out and he will be gone this weekend :cry: and soon as he walked out the door I said "okay kids, who wants taco bell?" I was screaming at myself inside NOT TO DO IT the whole way, but did it anyway. Today was to be my official WI and I was going to be back to 216, maybe even 215 and it was pure self destruction, and a lot to do with emotions as well. I ate horribly, close to 2,000 calories, and now today the scale is saying 219 :cry: I know it is all the sodium in taco bell and some will come off, and I have been back on plan today and feel somewhat better already. It's like my head was in the wrong place last night, and I woke up today clear headed, but ready to choke myself to death.

I don't want to post a 3 lb. gain but also if I use my second freebie I will have to worry about being dropped out of the competition if something happens later and I can't WI for some reason. I think part of the problem is I have been weiging myself several times daily and when it gets close to a WI I am seeing good numbers I just want to self destruct for some reason...SO I need to go back to just weighing in weekly and won't WI until the 30th...so it's either post a gain or take a freebie :mad:

Yesterday was like a huge step back to where I started from 40 lb. ago. When I first started, I would sabotage myself every week. I'd be perfect, then the day before WI would binge and ruin it, then binge through WI day thinking I had another week to work it off...only to start all over again the next WI day. I had to stop weighing daily to break that and was okay with weighing every couple days after awhile...but I guess I need to go back to only on WI days.

The good news is I am not emotional today and am clear on my goals....and feel better already, just got straight back on program but can't stop beating myself up over it.

***deep breath*** on another note: I am going to be focusing more on my waist measurement. Dr. Oz says it is what shows your true health, your risk for cancer, heart disease, etc. and he doesn't even recommend following the scale at all, but your waist measurement. Mine is 39" right now, and for a woman healthy is 32.5" or less. That's a lot of inches to lose...but then again I was close to 50" if not at that when I started (not sure, but it was at least clsoe) so I have already that many inches and more...I can do it! I'm hoping this will take my focus off the scale more, since it's something more healthy to focus on.

Hey team...no time to post lately!

I've been reading and cheering you on!

Purple, have to respond to you since I am following yours directly, I can relate on SO many points to what you say...I don't know what that self-sabotage is about...but I've had that too! ACK! Hang in, and get right back to it and you will be fine.

It's been a rough few days for me emotionally, a friend died Sunday, she was only 34 (she had ovarian cancer) and she left behind a one year old son and 14 year old daughter. She was married for the second time a couple years ago to a wonderful man and they discovered the cancer while she was pregnant. She decided she wanted to let her pregnancy progress no matter what and she had a beautiful, healthy little boy. She did aggressive treatment after giving birth, but sometimes...

Anyway, the funeral was yesterday, it was just beyond heartbreaking! I grieve for her parents and her husband and children. Just, so, so, so sad!

Anyway ladies, hug your loved ones extra close today and GO TO YOUR ANNUAL EXAMS! If it's been awhile call your doctor TODAY!!! Life is very precious and sometimes very brief. A reminder not to take it for granted.

As for me...I'm doing OK. I was VERY thankful DH went with me yesterday, I could not have handled that alone and he was wonderful. :cry: Also my dad has been home sick for a few days, seriously ill with fever and pain in his legs. They are not sure what it is yet, kidney stone or some other infection...test results come back Monday. Anyway, I've been thinking about him too, making food for my mom and him, and letting my dad's health sort of be a wake up call to me to GET HEALTHY and stay healthy!

When I really consider the alternative...HOW HARD IS IT to just eat healthy and exercise? Do I want to be sick and weak and fat? NO!

So, that's where my head has been the last few days.

:hug: to you all!

Manick :hug: that is incredibly hard, esp. with the children. I am glad they will be left with a good father, but it will change their lives forever. You are so right, it seems like it should be darned easy, but it's so complicated when you look at food in the wrong way...we need to just look at it as nourishment for the body, PERIOD, but very few people can do that anymore. It's been like a friend to me, and is so hard to let go of...but I realize at the same time it's not worth it, esp. when it can put your life at risk. Dr. Oz explains how cancers develop in his book YOU: staying young and it was eye opening. I thought it was something that just gets in there like a virus and hangs on, but it's actually the way your cells multiply and make mistakes...anyway, it's interesting if you want to read up on it I recommend his book. :hug: hang in there, we're going to get through this somehow, someway, someday.

Hey gang, back again at the end of the day.

GG, you've been really busy! Yes, I'm enjoying summer. I was driving down the beach at lunch & thinking, "when I take the week off, I'm going to rent an umbrella & sit on the beach!" And, I plan on doing it to.

Misty, Try not to get down on yourself. Just remember how far you've come & that you are getting healthier.

Smurf, Glad you are feeling up to exercising again. I am always amazed that when I don't exercise for a couple of days, my body really misses it.

Purple, I know exactly what you mean about being self-destructive. I've done it for the past couple of weeks. I eat well/healthy and exercise during the week, but on the weekend, I run wild. The next week I play "catch up" to try to get back to where I was. I've promised myself I won't do it this weekend. I'm going to keep myself busy & eat healthy! I wouldn't worry about posting a 3 pound gain. I know it's not easy, but I honestly feel that it's braver to post a gain than to use a freebie.

Manik, I'm so sorry for your loss. You are so right that life is precious. I learned that last year. I'm 36 and last year I was diagnosed w/a brain tumor. It was removed last May. I wake up every day thankful that I'm alive--and healthy. It took me another 6 months to realize I needed to do something about my weight. But, I realized this is the only body I get and I need to take care of it.

Jenjen - OMG!! What kind of brain tumor?? My mother had an acoustic neuroma and one of my friends had a tumor on her pituitary gland. Brain tumors are much more common than most people think, IMO.

Purple - Sweetie . . . just pick yourself up and keep going, just like you said. This is a PROCESS. Nobody does it perfectly. For the challenge, you have until Monday at midnight to log a weigh in. You an choose to do it today, or you can wait until Monday. It's your choice.

You and I have lost about the same amount and I've found I kind of needed to get comfy at this weight a little. Say goodbye to what I've lost and then come to terms with what's still in the mirror. I've made good progress, but the reality is I still have more fat to lose. It can be scary. The more I talk with women that have successfully lost weight, the more I know they had real moments of fear about shedding the weight. People treat you differently. Sometimes it isn't easy.

Misty - You are SOOOOOO CLOSE!!!!! I bet if you are good this weekend you will be rewarded Monday morning with a 2 number!!!

Manick - How sad!! :hug: That poor family. :(

Soul - Where are you?? What have you been up to??

Jessica - I see your pretty face, whazzup??

Angeline - Yup. Power 90 is Tony Horton, too.

Reda - Beware of mint in the garden. It's wonderful but it will take over everything if you let it. Oregano is even worse.

I was going to go hiking today and my friend bailed on me. It's nearly 3:00 in the afternoon and I haven't worked out. (Jaws theme playing in the background . . . ) What to do . . .

Hope everybody has a happy, healthy, and OP weekend!!