Ahhhhhhhh!!! The high carb demons have found my weakness! BlackJack, Clove and Beechams gum is being marketed again. For those who are unfamiliar, it's old fashioned gum that get's sold every few years. I LOVE clove gum beyond all thought and reason. I ended up buying a whole box (20 packs - 5 pieces per pack) of the gum. Of course it's made with sugar - but it's only 2 grams per piece, so if I give up my decaf and limit myself to 1 piece a day, then I'm ok, right?

I'm singing and dancing this morning because I had a party to go to last night and for the first time (in a long time) I didn't overeat!!! The party spread was incredible, popcorn shrimp, eggrolls, nacho chips, wine, martini's....donuts, sweets....etc etc....I had to bring an appetizer and I brought a great shrimp/crab dip that was low in carbs (bought it at costco) but instead of the garlic roasted bread I brought, I ate it with some fresh veggies. I mean, most of the party was held in the kitchen and esp. surrounding the food table. My number one rule is usually to stand on the far side of the room away from the food table but in this case that was impossible. I'm sooo proud of myself, and I didn't even have one sip of those great watermelon martini's everyone was having. What was also great was the compliments I got from some of the people I haven't seen in awhile. One even asked what was different?..she also asked me if I had my teeth whitened?...LOL..no, but maybe its the almost 20 lbs I'VE LOST!!.....haha, I kept it to myself but wait until the same group of friends see me at Christmas. I felt really good and positive about myself and in charge.....YEAH!!! I think I'm finally getting it.

I'm so bummed today, I just found out my Aunt Pat died last night, she has some kind of anorizm SP??? it exploded in her heart and stomach (never heard of that but thats all the details I have now, I'll find out more later) ........they tried to save her but couldn't, she was only 62. Sigh ~~ She lived in arazona for the past few years but her kids still live in NJ, they are shipping her up here to be burried

Oh Leens I am so sorry your aunt passed away. It it always so difficult when it is sudden. I will keep her family and you in my prayers.

Angel - Great job at the party! The hardest part is staying feet away from that spread.

Oh Leens, I'm so sorry to hear of your Aunts passing and at such an early age. Will you be able to make it for her funeral? My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Leens -

My thoughts are with you. Let us know if we can do anything.

I'm so sorry to hear that, Leens. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Take care,
Jina

I'll be praying for your family Leens. I recently lost a cousin to an aneurysm. She was only in her early forties.

angel-eyes, great job of resisting the temptations. You're doing great.

I've dropped another couple of pounds so I'm on cloud 9. I can't wait to hit the 160s.

Have asuper weekend!

Leens - I am praying for you and your family! I am so sorry! I just attended a funeral yesterday for a good friend who died after a 7 year battle with breast cancer.

About the Americanos, if you ask for a tall Sugar free, they will put a shot of sugar free vanilla in it to give it a AWESOME sweet taste.. I love it with out the cream!!!

I'm sorry to hear about your aunt Leens. Hope friends and family can be a "safety net" for you in the difficult time.

Angel, great job on resisting the temptation of what sounds like REALLY YUMMY stuff. I'm looking forward to getting together with family and friends who haven't seen me in a while too. I, however, AM whitening my teeth too Also, I'm following a more disciplined facial-cleansing, firming and moisturizing regimen. I think, at 42, the fat in my face has helped keep the wrinkles at bay. Don't want all the skin to start hanging off my skull!

I found an unexpected benefit of having lost 20+ pounds last night. My daughter took up figure-skating last November. I've gone to the public skate with her 4 times now. The first time, I could barely make it around the rink without my ankles and lower calves killing me. Same with the 2nd time, but when I bought her new skates, I got her old ones which were much better than the kind you rent (her feet are bigger than mine and she's only 11!), so the 3rd time I went, I was able to do a bit more, but still couldn't manage to actually lift my feet off the ice. That was 2 1/2 months ago, before I started Atkins. I decided to take her last night and I was amazed. I was able to skate ( I mean really skate) around the rink 3 or 4 times before I had to stop and rest, then I could go again. A little shaky, but lifting my feet off the ice and really moving. I only just started an excercise program, so it can't be that. Is it that my legs are so much lighter now or I feel more confident in general or I have more stamina or I have stronger muscle, I don't know. All I know is, I had a GRAND time and we're going again on Tuesday night. She has a competition coming up in Portland, OR and the more practice she gets the better.

Jen

That's awesome Jenn. I'm sure your daughter really enjoyed it too. This will be great exercise for your legs. I too have stepped up the facial routine and teeth whitening. Bit by bit I'm working on the new and improved me.

Hey Jen...or is it d) ALL OF THE ABOVE ? Isn't that great to see?....this might be the answer to your idea of how to get some excersise into your day. Skating is an excellent sport to get into and you already have the cream of the crop iceskates!! Something else to think about....while she is practicing and you are waiting for her, why not put your runners on and go for a walk around the complex? Remember baby steps, don't try out for a marathon at first but it would be a good first step. Keep at it!!!

Jen - You are doing awesome! I want to try ice skating some day! And that picture.. you can see the difference!! I love it!!

from my fabulous weekend downtown (yes angel eyes I am in the beautiful capital city of Ottawa!).

Leens - my sympathy to you and your family at this time - I am sorry to hear about the unexpected passing of your aunt!

Angel eyes - way to go at the party/food fest - glad to see you managed okay.

Jen - I am truly IMPRESSED - as angel eyes will confirm Ottawa is the site of the longest skating rink in North America - which is our canal system - freezes over in winter, and a fabulous place for everyone to skate on (and have hot chocolate and those yummy beavertails).....I will have to get my skates out this year and try again!

Our night at the Westin was awesome (you must try their Heavenly Beds - lot of pillows, duvets/comforter - very cosy). Lots of fun shopping (dh got new clothes, I got new perfume/soap and watch!). I even tried the Cafe Americano at Starbucks (with 2 pumps of sf vanilla syrup and cream = very excellent...and my new favorite).

Dinner was great - altho not extremely low carb - my chicken came w/root vegetables and some sort of apple/potato marmalade (on the side)....and I tried to pick out what I could eat. There was some kind of sauce on it, that did have a slightly sweet taste??? The ceasar salad was amazing tho - lots of garlic, warm chunks of smoked bacon and freshly grated romano...to die for.

Next stop was Martini Madness at another posh spot - too busy so we left...ended up at Fat Tuesday's (new orleans type place)...where we enjoyed some live (old 70's and 80's) music and a COSMOPOLITAN MARTINI (yes folks you heard it here first)....not entirely legal, but very yummy and strong (okay I did not eat the maraschino cherry at the bottom of the glass). Also had a glass of white wine w/dinner so I was feeling great! (What can I say? I am a very cheap drunk!).

This morning after a great SLEEP IN!...had brunch in the fancy hotel restaurant - very awesome: omelette, smoked salmon, cheeses, salad, baked chicken and poached salmon...followed by fresh strawberries, blueberries and melons (and I even found some freshly whipped cream to put on top!).

More shopping and fun, then off to the movies with a PLANNED CHEAT of popcorn! I had decided that it has been five months since starting Atkins and what I miss most is movies and popcorn (have switched to decaf coffee at movies )...so in light of my 5 month anniversary I decided it was permissible to have some popcorn as a treat (shared a medium bag w/dh along with a Diet Pepsi).....how exciting is that?

I am back on plan starting tomorrow and will weigh in as usual. Hopefully not too much damage done!

Hope everyone had a fun weekend as well!

Froufy