Hey Gang of Chickie's

I've been hung up for a few days getting somethings done and just got to check in. First dh and I kissed and made up, but I didn't forget, I'm just waiting till I hit that earring reward! Jennifer, loved the caret veggie thought. I will be looking for some dangling tanzanite ones, got the diamond ones.

I've been great with my exercise and eating, but still only making about 1/2 of my water, except for Thursday when I had a housecleaning binge on and I must have drank a couple of weeks worth cause I was up all night!
I am so proud of Big time loser, that is one great blood sugar. That is one of my main reasons for dieting, other than the other obvious ones, is to try and avoid diabetes. I may not be able to but I might can hold it off for a number of years by exercising and eating right. Also, for lameducklucy, girl you got those pants on, breathing is optional, ha ha ! in a week or two they will be fitting just right, and in another couple of weeks they will be baggie and you will have to go down another size!

Last night, we went to Applebee's I had the steak caesar salad, no croutons, no cheese, and no dressing (so it was a big bowl of romaine lettuce) and steak on the side, I gave my husband 1/3 of the steak and pulled my dressing out of my purse. I was so full afterwards and I still had about 300 calories, I could have had a fudgecicle (no-fat and 90 calories) but I was too full! I was very tickled.

Motivation: This book I have been reading talked about hanging somewhere where you will see it, something you use to wear at the size you will be back too, or buying something in the size you are going to be. It says to visualize yourself in that outfit, wearing it, going someplace and how the outfit will feel. I have this sexy little black dress and I remember all too well how it fit and how I felt, well I hung it up by my treadmill, but it didn't look small, so I took a dress I wear now and hung it up beside it, wow big difference, major motivation for me. I can now say, "you wanna be this, or you wanna be that?

I think I didn't post yesterday and ya know what? I didn't eat as well either! But today I am back on track and doing well.

I had hotdogs(no buns) and a few(probably too many) chips for dinner and I felt so awful. I did play with the kids outside quite a bit, so I think that will count as some exercise. DH was off and I had so many errands, I just didn't plan well. Not a veggie crossed these lips But it's a new day and I can just jump back on track.

Thanks for the award and the wonderful comments, I know I couldn't have done this without you all, I have tried too many times to count. So it's OUR award, we are a team and we help each other.

Hope everyone has a great day today!

*yawn* Morning, everybody.

Oh, man, what a difference 12 hrs of sleep makes!!! We got some paint last night, painted 1 1/2 things that we wanted to paint (we did the mantle-thing [not really a mantle, but just this chunk of wall taht sticks out real wide] lime green, and one wall in the living room a slate blue), and then we watched Comedy Central for a little bit. I ended up having to take a major painkiller last night, 30mg coedine, but I am not too worried about that.

So food yesterdya was a little off. B & L were the same as I'd expected, but my right arm curled into a "piss off!" position after my nap yesterday. Sooo, my hand went numb, my arm wouldn't extend fully, and it was totally weakly. You shouldda seen me trying to drive in rushhour!! It was amusing.

So we went to Shari's for dinner, as I'd hoped we would. He ordered a giant order of cheesesticks (my poison), but I didn't have a single one!! I thought it'd be a lot harder for me not to do it, but when I thought about the grease dripping off of them, and the fact that the junk would fill me up before my semi-healthy dinner got there, I was turned off to them completely. YAY!!! That is HUGE, since I won't give up cheese for anything!! hah!!
Sooo I ended up having a garlic mushroom cheddar burger, and I skipped the onions. I ate about 2/3 of the burger, well, no. Just over half. Maybe 5/8, then. ANd I had about 3 fries. I did have a pepsi and a vanilla shake with it, though, but I was way under on calories, and I decided to let myself go for a shake anyway. I only had about 1/3 of the shake, but I did drink most of the pepsi. That's the most soda I've had in over 2 weeks!! I haven't been drinking it at all. Weird!!

And then, when I woke up this morning, I felt way better... unless you count the 90-lb dog stepping on my darn stomach as way better, in which case I moaned in pain.

But I went into the bathroom, and saw myself mostly naked for a moment. My stomach is definitely different looking, now. My arms are WAY smaller than they used to be, even a week ago! They are way leaner, have more (visible) muscle tone, and look mostly proportionate!! WOOHOO!!! My legs -feel- like they're mostly muscle, now. Maybe doing that stepper for 30 min a day isn't such a bad idea after all? I guess it WAS doing something. I am so proud of my legs for finally appearing slightly different.

So even though I don't plan a formal workout for today (as in 30 min stepper w/ weights, 500 situps, etc.), I plan on getting a lot of stuff done and in doing so, having a continuous workout for the day.

Food today:
B - 1 nutrigrain bar, 3/4 cup cantaloupe, 2 tbsp peanut butter on celery (around 300 cal)
L - Quite possibly some hot dogs or something like that, with some veggies.
D - I am contemplating making 1 foil packets on the grill. 1 packet with a bunch of fresh veggies, chopped up into bite size pieces, and sprinkled with a bunch of seasonings. 1 packet with about 30 shrimp in it, tails removed & whatnot, sprinkled with a little seasoning and a bunch of garlic. This sounds like an awfully yummy, SUPER easy dinner to make. (And I can do it on the grill, since it's already over 76 outside!! WOOHOO!!)

Workout for today: (I know it's not formal but I'm gonna sya it anyway, because it counts!)
Painting 2 walls (touchup on one, complete on the other)
Vaccum the WHOLE HOUSE
Take a load of donate-stuff to VV's or Goodwill, something like that. (about 4 boxes)
Clean the kitchen
Clean the office
3-mile walk with the dog
Gardening for approx. 40 minutes - planting flowers & arranging hanging baskets about the porch & entry way.
If possible, making a large abstract painting to go over the fireplace.
4 tapes (if time).
Clean the carpets w/ steam cleaner after we finish painting

Ok. Sound busy enough? Yeah, I think so, too!!

Thanks a ton, you guys, to everybody who has been super supportive and really nice to me thru all of the stuff I'm going thru. I'm glad I have you guys, and I'm proud of myself for dealing with the problems instead of ignoring them and letting them make me mean and surly. I'm also proud of myself for staying (mostly) on the plan I have set, and for working out despite everything.

My scale is apparently 1 day behind. I need to teach it to coordinate with the calendar.

I got my new middle # this morning.

Ok, so I'm a day late & a dollar short...story of my life, sometimes..

But it's here- I'm giddy with excitement now. That's a rush that will help propel me forward, keeping up the more intense workouts, and staying on target for the rest of the month. Small steps, small goals...it's so great to actually be hitting these goals.

Today:

Brunch-
1 can chickarina soup
1 slice light oatmeal bread
1/2 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon sugar free apricot jelly

Dinner tonight
chicken breast
veggies- TBD

At some point I'm going to get on the bike, between loads of laundry & just lounging around, basking in the new middle number. Ok, 8.6 pounds to be rid of by the end of the month for the next new number.

Happy Easter, chickies! You are all such amazing women!

You are doing awesome chickie! I love this idea! I just cleaned out my closet and got rid of ALL my dresses! They are just too big for me (Size 22W down to 18W). I should have kept one to remind me of my size when I'm down to that size 8! NOW...I need to go buy that size 8 little black dress and hang it down next to the exercise bike! Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

Well chickies...I missed checkin in yesterday completely, but I promise...I was here in spirit! I did check in to read all the posts (not too many ) but by then it was pretty late. My food was good. I did a power walk through the mall and back looking for an Easter dress (no luck with the dress, though) and LOTS of walking at work, but no formal workout!

Today so far...no formal workout, water is good, food has been ok. My sister and her 3 boys are/were (she left for work, they are still here with their Dad) for the big Easter Egg hunt! What a blast! It is not warm here, but sunny and they had fun looking for the eggs! No major traumas except for the middle boy (who's 8 and moody) because he thought everyone else was getting more eggs than him. Ah, but Aunt Julie TOLD them there were equal numbers of eggs for each child (color coded, too!) We had lunch of hamburgers on the grill, coleslaw and chips & dip. I didn't put any chips and dip on my plate, but managed to eat a few off DD's plate as I was cleaning up! Tsk, tsk! Had only 1/2 cup coleslaw and a burger with no bun, so did well with the meal. Oh yea...my sister brought a bottle of wine, so I did have a glass of it! Only one, though! She left the bottle here, though !

But....I have managed to slip into the Easter candy, which I said I wasn't going to do! I have eaten about 6-7 pieces of chocolate and 4-5 jelly beans! This is ok, but I need to stop at this and forget it's even in the house! It's the dark chocolate I love which I didn't buy, but my sister bought the good stuff for some of the eggs, so....had to have it!

I want to go looking for an Easter dress again today. Hubby said we could all go when everyone left...but they are all still here. The kids are watching a movie and DH & BIL are chatting in the living room! Maybe I will sneak out by myself!

Lucy...glad you are a feelin' better! Your day looks as full as mine! Hope you get lots done. Your color choices in your LR look pretty rad! Sounds like fun! We have pretty muted colors in our house, but I like them...for now! Maybe some day I will do something bold in one room!

Jennifer...Way to go on the middle #. Those scales are evil and should be destroyed (pulls out tazer and zaps scale!) Have fun on the bike and lounging today!

Bigtime...That is the best thing about this group...that we help one another along! I love that! So you had one "bad" day, but it really wasn't that bad, anyway! We just move on...Hope your day today finds you back on track!

Magnoliamouth...I hear ya on the water thing! I do the same thing, but usually every day. I don't drink in the afternoon and at night, I sit and drink about 64oz. after 8pm! DUH!!!!! Slosh, slosh all night long!

Lucia...thanks for the nice words! I'm happy to hear you are feeling confident with your journey. That is 90% of the battle, isn't it? Way to go, chickie!

Well, I must go do something besides sit here! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Easter. I am thankful for all of you!

My, my, my. I haven't posted since Tuesday. How did 3 days pass like that? Anyway, here's my excuse. Had surgery last Friday. Went back to work Wednesday. Guess I just lost track of time. I did manage to walk everyday, except yesterday. Some days I walked twice or got on my stair stepper for 10 min before work. I also stuck to my plan pretty well. I discovered that if I graze all day at work on fruits and veggies, I'm not so famished at night when I get home that I binge. I even had cals left over after supper. Yeah for me! But, since the surgery, I haven't been able to do anything strenuous with my arms, and I have 2 more weeks of that. So, no weights for me for awhile. Oh well....But on the bright side, dear BF came over and vacuumed and cleaned up the yard for me. What a prince!

I do like the idea of hanging an article of clothing somewhere to stay focused. I do need to clean out my closet from winter to summer. Perhaps that will motivate me.

Have a good rest of the weekend. I have to get busy. Enough loafing on a Saturday!

What a day!! Whew!!! We got up at 6:30, because my son had to be at the ball park by 8:30. By the way, WE WON THE GAME!!! Which, was great fun. I was one of the dugout Moms!! Gotta love the baseball.
Well, we got back home and my DH said he would keep all the boys for my Mom and me to go look for my formal gown. I had just the gown I wanted in mind. We went to an upscale consignment store that I had heard good things about. My Mom reached onto the rack and pulled down a dress for me to look at - IT was THE DRESS!!! So, I went to try it on. Here is our conversation - "Lisa, hold it in - come on...- Mom, I can't hold my breath anymore- O.K., Lisa, almost zipped up - Mom I can't breathe(fit of giggling)- OMG, let's try to hike up the boobs a bit...there!! Whew, I'm in!!! Can I even sit down?? The discreet saleslady came over and told us to go out and look in the big mirrors. I was afraid, but I went on out. This dress is beautiful. It is electric blue, sequined, floor length, with a collared neck that is beaded, cut in a V in the front, with the back a bit open. But, I think my DH is going to have to boil me in a big vat and pour me into the dress. Ms. Discreet said with a 5lb weight loss, the dress would fit even better....so...I bought the thing!!! It was $129.00, which is a steal - you should see it. But, I need to lose a bit before May 1st (the Ball). I need extra toning and a tan also. Did I make a mistake?? Too late now - don't tell me if you think I am an idiot!!! I'm gonna ride that bike till smoke comes out the back so that I can fit in the darn dress. Chickies, help me!!!!!! Tazer me immediately if I seem like I am letting up. Say a prayer that I can be strong. Please.

So, I get back home from the trip. I remember that I have to get some items for the Easter baskets, and I run to Super Target for about an hour and a half. When I get home, I go up the stairs and hear crying (the bad kind). My 6 yr old had been outside playing with a shovel in his SANDALS and he chopped off his big toenail completely, and cut the nail bed badly. Blood is everywhere. So, we go to urgent care and get stitches (It was terrible, gruesome, and heartbreaking). Poor baby. But, I was strong. I am learning. I can deal with some things calmly (occasionally).

I have had a few bad eating moments, but overall I would say I have done o.k. this weekend. I am not snacking. Water needs improvement.

Sorry to ramble on and on. I haven't even told you half of what happened to me the past couple of days. I need a Calgon moment.

Happy Easter, Chickies - I Love you all, and I am rooting for you all the way!!!! I think we make an awesome team, I really do.

Julie - You have done such a good job!! If I were eating that kind of lunch, my dear, I'd be all about the chocolate and wine and chips!! haha!! Thx for the comment on the color choices -- I am totally in love with my new living/dining room colors. Lime green is so awesome. Uber modern and sorta crazy -- just like us!!

Dolphin!!!! What kind of surgery did you end up having?! *hug* I hope you're feeling all right!! Take it easy, hon! No need to overdo it right after going under a knife!! What a sweet BF you have!! When mine was still a bf (now a hubby), he brought me a little stuffed penguin after I had surgery. Aren't they awesome?

Other than that.. I think I should note that I feel like a large pile of goo. I passed out for over 3 hrs on the couch (Which I totally odnt' remember doing?) and woke up just after 6... ? Weird. So I tried to make dinner (that shrimp thing), and ended up failing miserably, because I thought I'd puke if i stayed standing up. So now I'm going off of my plan, and trying to calm my poor tummy down enough so that I can make it eat real food tomorrow.

Let's call today my off day, as I will be having ice cream and some other horrible things that I shouldn't be eating. Blech. I need to feel better, though, so I'm focusing on that before working out.

I hope you guys all had a rad Saturday, and that yours was just as beautiful as mine was in Seattle!! (Sunny and lower 80's? I'll take that!)

Eerily quiet here tonight! DD is asleep as it should be 10 minutes before 10pm! It's been a busy day and I just sat down after cleaning up the kitchen from the day's doins! Hubby is asleep on the couch (what else?) and I'm ready to hit the hay soon! But wanted to check in to tell you about the rest of my day!

No more chocolate for me today! I just put together DD's Easter Basket which doesn't have much candy in it, but does have a bunch of cute Easterish type presents! I put some of her candy from the hunt today in it. She hardly eats candy and has probably had her year's fill already today! LOL! Anyway...I didn't eat any while I was putting together her basket and I will say, that I was a bit tempted! So, yea for me!

After the gang left today, hubby wanted to take me shopping for a dress because I was "groaning" that I couldn't find one yesterday at the mall! So we went to Fashion Bug. I tried on about 10 dresses and he kept bringing them to me. There were a few that were ok, but whatever fit me on the bottom was too big on the top. I knew what I wanted, but couldn't find one with sleeves! So I finally settled on a sundress (sleeveless, which I will never wear alone because I hate my arms right now) with a short sleeved sweater, which I know I will wear with lots of other things I own! So a good find even though it was more than I would have paid for a dress if I was shopping by myself (one advantage to bringing hubby along!)

As we were about finishing with the dresses, he noticed there were bathing suits there. I haven't bought a bathing suit in probably 4 years...and although I hate how I look in one, I do wear one often in the summer with Lake Michigan right around the corner!! And we have a hot tub...So...hubby started throwing bathing suits in for me to try on! The new style with the "skirt/pant" are very flattering for those of us with jello legs! So, he threw one over to me which I liked right away...navy blue with hot pink stripes along the sides of the top (like a little workout bra) but long enough to cover the whole middrift! It was very cute! Anyway...I called hubby over to check it out. He excused DD from the dressing room and wel....let's just say he LIKED it a whole lot! OK, now chickies...don't get the wrong idea...DD was standing outside the dressing room, so we couldn't do anything! LOL! Anyway...I tried on a few more after that and didn't really think anything more about them. I figured I'd come back another day when they were on sale and get one if they had any left that I liked!

So hubby took the dress up to pay while I changed and cleaned up the dressing room. I meandered around the store dreaming about being a size 8 and not having the jello thighs or arms some day (hopefully by next summer) while he paid for my dress. We met up in the car and he handed me the bag. I looked in it to check out my dress and saw something catch my eye! HE BOUGHT ME THE BATHING SUIT, TOO!!!! Awwww! I really didn't expect it since it wasn't on sale and you KNOW how much bathing suits are these days! But he liked it and knew I needed one, so he blew the budget on me! I was flattered!

Then we went to the mall and DD played at the play area. We got some chinese and came home and ate. I had a good helping of Bourbon chicken and a small serving of rice! Ate the middle of 1/2 of egg roll. No veggies today! But I still feel like I ate within my points! I'm probably over in the carbs, especially with the chocolate, but oh well!

Tomorrow I get back on the bike or do the WATP 3 or 4 miles! I HAVE to exercise and after seeing myself in the mirro trying on clothes, even though I do look better than I have in years, I still have a long way to go! So whether I want to admit it or not, size 8 is a long ways away and there's gonna be a lot of hard work before then! BUT...the best part is all the dresses are now size 16! Yea! Only 4 more sizes to go! I'm feeling more confident than ever that I can and will succeed at this goal. And you all are helping me to get there...and for that I am so thankful!

Take care chickies!

Lisa! First of all, you rock girlfriend! Did you forget to tell us the size of the dress on purpose! It sounds wonderful and beautiful and just perfect! I KNOW you can lose that 5lbs (and more)! Just put your mind to it and keep trying on that dress every couple of days! I know it must just look great on you! And...we want pictures! YES! I promise I will send pics of me with my little "cheerleading" bathing suit on, too! But I am going to try to get some sun on my legs and a little less jiggly in them before I take the picture!!!

I am so sorry about your little guy! Poor baby is right! And you...you are keeping it together for him and the other little ones! It's what us Moms have to do! When I cut my finger the other day, it really hurt, so I can imagine how much this must have hurt him! Owee! Give him a kiss for me! Sweet thing! My little sister was playing in the sandbox when she was about 3. Some of the neighbors were there and one of the kids had a hoe and started "hoeing" and hoed right into her foot. She needed some stitches for that mess! Yikes! What kids will do, huh?

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your life! When you have time, fill us all in!

Hugs to you (((((((((((((((Lisagirl)))))))))))

Julie, thanks for the hugs!!! Boy I needed them!!! The dress said size Large inside. I'm not sure what size that is- but tight squeeze is what is going on with that dress. I am SO excited. Yes, I will take a picture and post it!!! And you MUST post your bathing suit picture too of course!!

Well hey guys, my motivation has been hurting, im trying really hard to get back on track. I had to stop WW because we cant afford the Gym and them, so WHEN i get back on track which should be soon, im going to do a weigh in on my own. I still am loosing but im very miserable about the whole thing. Ive been really busy but will get on more again Good Luck everyone and im so proud of you all.