Morning chickies...
I've really got to get going today, but wanted to quick check in and post to you all about my day yesterday and to tell you that today is going to be productive...and leave a few comments!

OK...yesterday was pretty good, food wise, but there was no exercise involved unfortunately... Next week, I promise this will be a priority. My plan is to get my butt up at 6:00 every day and exercise, which means I have to get to bed earlier! I need my 8 hours of sleep every night!

Food came in around 1485 and that's with 2 of my Homemade SF Latte's and a glass of wine last night, so I would say I did pretty good!

Water was good! I drank around 70 oz. I'd like to see that increase a little, but it seems about what I am averaging without thirst, so maybe that's what my body needs!

Joy...I'm sorry about your daughter's gas problem. It's amazing how we make our children's problems our problems, isn't it. It's that unconditional love! But it can certainly add stress to our lives! I'll keep you in my prayers, chickie! I'm with you next week with the exercise. Let's make it a priority...no matter what!

MsRD...Those darned office mates! I guess we also know how to say "No thank you" don't we? LOL! But it's so much easier to place blame on everyone else around us, isn't it? I'm guilty! And great job on the weight loss...you really are doing great! And yes...add some more calories...1000 isn't enough, that's for sure! You will still lose at around 1500 and your body will behave better, too!

Betani...Hope you got your star yesterday! You certainly deserved it with that kind of dedication to your exercise! Great job!

TBJ...Way to go on the green day! Of course planning works...now if I could just follow my own advice!

Becky...Wow...you told us alot about yourself in just two small paragraphs! Preschool teacher in Japan...how fun, but I understand about the energy thing at the end of the day! And what kind of dog do you have...we have lots of dog lovers in this group! And a cruise in February...WOW! Where are you cruising to? That's something I have never done, but want to do! And...do you speak Japanese?

Jennifer...Hope you are having a good weekend and getting lots done in your new house! I'm getting excited for you to move in!!! We'll catch up with you on Sunday!

Elisha...So much going on in your life chickie! Remember we are here for you! And like MsRD said...remember to let your friends know that you really do struggle with this weight issue. They will help you if you tell them HOW! I checked out your blogs and your taste in dresses is so "elegant"! And your ring is so pretty! You nails look so nice, too! Thanks for sharing those things with us!

That's about all I have this morning! I need to get a lot done today! House cleaning is at the top of my list and I will at least get some stretching/toning done and maybe a bike ride if there is time! The weather here really is DRAB...I am in need of something sunny to help lift my spirits! I know exercise should do it!

Have a great weekend all!

Hi everybody! This Sat. is going fast already! I can not believe it..I have the evening to myself. DH is taking the kids to a hockey game, and I will have some ME time. Hmmm...what to do??? I was thinking p.j.'s and a good book, but I actually may go do some more shopping (I still have Christmas money!). I literally had, before my last shopping trip, only a couple of pairs of jeans that fit, and nothing to wear to church. Everyone gave me money for Christmas, and it is fun spending it. This may sound awful to you..but we have a terrific Goodwill center here in our county, and it's one of my favorite places to shop. I find the best stuff ever in there! Gap jeans, etc! I get the best bargains ever! Anyway..I am rambling.

Last night, we went out to eat, and I had a hamburger and fries, and so I came home and rode 47 min. on the exercise bike! I felt good about it. I weighed a bit early, and I have lost 3 pounds this week. Water weight, yes, but still encouraging.

Julie- Hi! I'm going to try getting up early to exercise next week too. I hate exercising at 6 a.m...I would rather do it at 11 p.m. I know that sounds crazy. But, I am going to try it again, anyway. I need to get more rest. Hope you have a great day cleaning !

Joy- Sweetie, here is a big (((HUG))) for you. I’m thinking of you. Life gets so crazy and tough sometimes, it really really does.

Ms.RD- I love the outlet malls! Can I come up and go with you?? LOL ! And, I absolutely LOVE blueberry muffins..those sounded divine! Great job on the 2 pounds down..girl, you are ON YOUR WAY.

Betani- Good job on getting your walk in without waiting! WTG! And, I am sorry to hear things are so stressful at work..maybe next week will be better. Here’s a (((HUG))) for you too .

TBJ- Oh, I wish I could do better with my planning! You are an inspiration to me. Good job!

Becky – Hi, and WELCOME! I know firsthand how those preschoolers can wear you out. I am a teacher, and I work some at my son’s preschool. It’s good to have you on the challenge .

Jennifer- Got a big weekend at the house, huh? Cleaning must be so much more fun when cleaning a nice, new house . Hope your weekend is great!

Elisha- I agree with Julie..I really enjoyed looking at the pictures . Thanks for sharing.

Well, I'm off to work on laundry. Have a blessed day, everyone!

G'morning chicas.

Yesterday was another green day. I baked cookies, and limited myself to one. The cookies didn't turn out cookbook-beautifully, but they sure taste good. Hopefully I can continue to limit myself to one.

Jujitsu was stickfighting again. I learned a way to knock a knife out of someone's hand. And... cartwheels are kind of fun... on the right side, that is. On the left side, I look like I'm crawling out of a bean bag.

Excersise challenge starting Monday: um, 540 minutes. Heh heh. That's three classes of jujitsu and four bike rides.

***

Betani -- Good work on the walk.

MsRD -- Wohoooooo on the weight loss! Everybody's different, but fwiw, 1500 calories/day lets me lose at least a pound a week. The problem is sticking to the plan...

Joy -- Sorry to hear that you're depressed right now.

Elisha -- I saw your blog. You are definitely the Mistress of the Manicure. Nice ring.

Lisa -- Ooo, new jeans shopping. That's always motivation. Have fun!

Becky --

***

Today I'll study for the bar, go to the beach, and visit the animals. Got to balance bar review with relaxation.

Happy Saturday!

Just added up the calories for today.....about 1300! And, I might add, that is lunch and dinner out......good calories, but the food was not particularly good choices.....too much fat, too much salt (which will probably be reflected in my fat little ankles and on the scale........gotta gurgle lots of water in the next day or so to flush it thru!)

Joy.....I am so sorry to hear of DD and her problems......and I totally understand your stress in that area (once a mother, always a mother....you just can't turn it off). I am glad, however, to hear your positive attitude coming thru on the diet front.....this stress is NOT going to drive you to eat or not exercise! Stay strong!

Julie....Your food count was good.....water was awesome.....exercise was......well, shall we just say the two of us need to join the exercise challenge for next week? We have now had a record 15 cloudy days in a row with no sunshine....it really does affect my mood!

Lisa......WTG on the 'me' time! Enjoy! and Spoil yourself a little! Hey, there is nothing wrong with Goodwill......DD shopped there in high school to get sweaters to wear skiing (she wasn't about to ruin an expensive sweater, tumbling...oops, I mean skiing....down the slopes!)

TBJ.....Step away from the cookies.....you want to keep this day green, don't you? Yes, i am feeling better having a few more calories in the day! It helps curb the cravings!

Oops....gotta run....

Julie--the cruise is taking me to belize, cozumel, grand cayman and costa maya. Im very excited and hope that I can reach ten solid pounds lost by the end of Feb! As far as speaking Japanese--VERY little just enough to get by!
TBJ333-thanks for the welcome!

yesterday I did well went to the gym walked my lab, Shadow and drank lots of water. Today I plan on hitting the gym and walking the dog later!

How is everyone's weekend treating them?

Julie--the cruise is taking me to belize, cozumel, grand cayman and costa maya. Im very excited and hope that I can reach ten solid pounds lost by the end of Feb! As far as speaking Japanese--VERY little just enough to get by!
TBJ333-thanks for the welcome!

yesterday I did well went to the gym walked my lab, Shadow and drank lots of water. Today I plan on hitting the gym and walking the dog later!

How is everyone's weekend treating them?

Evening chicks!

This will be a quick post from me, as I have to go exercise NOW before I talk myself out of it!

Food yesterday was ok. Calories were rather high--around 1850, I think--because I gave in to some Belgian chocolate last night. But even though the rest of the day was still slightly over in calories, I made decent choices, so I'm not too upset about it.

This morning I was back down to 216.0. Tomorrow though... I don't want to know.

Today's calories are at 1655, which is a little high, but I don't plan to eat anything else, and like I said I'm about to work out.

When my friend and I got to the bridal shop last night, they had already closed (that girl takes so freaking long to do *anything*!), so Mom went with me today. I tried on a few, but didn't really find anything I liked. But she did take some pictures. Let's just say I'll NOT be posting them anywhere. Not only does my mother not really know how to use a camera or compose a photograph, but they really show every pound I have to lose, plus a few more for good measure. So yeah, I'm exercising my butt off!

OH, and we actually picked a date--October 14. Mark your calendars, chicks, because it's not changing again! And we're working on guest lists, so we should have an approximate count by the end of the week.

So tomorrow I'm going to get up early to exercise, then going to spend the day with my grandma (she hasn't seen my ring yet, you know), and then going bowling tomorrow evening. I'll have to chug lots of water and eat healthy stuff, because Monday counts as my "official" weigh-in. But I know Grandma will encourage me, so it's all good.

OK, now I'm going to go climb on the elliptical, and make use of the weight machine. Have a good weekend, chicks!
~Elisha

Wanna know a trick to stop eating? Put on mud mask. I got a huge breakout from the stress at work, and I can barely blink or open my mouth through the thick mint julep clay which hardens pretty quickly.

My food choices could have been better today, but I did stick to my schedule. I cut my walk slightly short, but I did get 25 minutes in, plus I did some wall push-ups, crunches, and squats. Today was pretty much Flylady day, with a shiny sink, 3 completed loads of laundry, and 4 cleared "hot spots" to show for it.

***

Elisha-- October 14, cool! My anniversary is October 17. We did the Sweetest Day thing. Have fun exercising!

Becky-- I've been seeing lots of magazine articles that say people with dogs will have an easier time losing weight, playing with them, walking them, etc. Sounds like a fun way to go about it!

MsRD-- Salt is the bane of my existance sometimes. I'd need a keg of water to flush it through if I could eat as much as I wanted!

TBJ-- You can eat just one cookie! WOW!! Great job

Lisa-- Congratulations on the loss! Even water loss is encouraging. Have fun shopping. Having clothes that fit is a great motivator!

Julie-- Get up and get exercising, chickie! That combined with your good calorie counts will make those pounds fly off!

Joy-- *HUGS* That helpless feeling when you want to help someone like that can really zap you. You're in my prayers!

elisha--- how exciting . congrats on picking a date! We just celebrated our
1st anniversary on August 28th. My sister is getting married in July so im still in wedding-mode if I can be of any help.......as far as dresses...you'll know it as soon as you put it on!


So far my sunday as been great--- walked Shadow and went to the gym. had a salad for lunch and Im over half way to my goal of 64 oz of water for the day.

My goal for this week though is to cut out the diet soda! I swear they make me hungrier!

Hi everyone!

Becky -- Sounds like your Sunday is going fabulously. What workouts do you most enjoy at the gym?

Betani -- about the mud mask. Did it work?

Elisha -- How did your grandma like the ring? And I'll have to re-calculate my goals for your new wedding date...

MsRD -- Glad to hear that you're feeling more satisfied with more cals.

***

Yesterday was a green day. Darth Vader is happy. Although I ran out of pennies, so I had to stock up from our change drawer. But if I have a green day today, then I can swap them for a $10 bill tomorrow... Then I can't mess up and have a red day, because I don't want to make change for a $10 bill!

hi all im 5'4 and weigh 154 pounds and i wanna get slimmer. my long term goal is to lose 49 pounds or more by the ending of May so i can look good in a bikini. Me and my mom is going shopping latr on today. im gonna buy a food journal and an excersize journal. im glad that we all wanna accomplish a newer us. we will look great and i know that we can all accomplish our goal if we just put our will power and focus on our body. i'll try doing atleast 20-30 minutes of cardio daily and reduce my calorie intake to about 1,132 calories daily.

hi u guys wanna join the challenge to so i can look good in that bikini. mi im addy is candieangel12 on yahoo so if any1 wanna be my buddy im free

Evening all!

Whew....kids just left and DH has already gone to bed! We had a busy day.....food was not great, as I got into the blonde brownies. I thought I would just have a taste.....a little 1"x1" square.....and everytime I walked through the kitchen, I had another little 'taste'. Good grief.....I would add up the calories, but have no idea the quantity I had......mindless eating at its worst!

Becky......You are doing great! And the cruise sounds like it is going to be sooo much fun! That is a great incentive to lose weight!

Elisha.....you have set a date! Now, all you have to do is get the church, the reception hall, set a budget, get a dress, bridesmaids dresses, caterer, a gorgeous cake, flowers, music......yes, it all sounds like a lot, but the most important thing is to enjoy the process. We don't want a stressed out bride!

TBj.....Congratulations on 'another' green day! I am sure the universe is all in sync when Darth is happy.

Candie......Welcome! You are really getting yourself organized for this challenge! Halfway to your goal......you go girl!

Ok......ready for the exercise challenge to start tomorrow? I am going to commit go 180 minutes of exercise......that sounds kinda lame compared to some of you, but it is all my body and time schedule will allow for (i think). Maybe I should go practice now........

Evening, chickies! Gotta type fast, while my eyes are still open! Yawn!

Comments first, and then my weekend:

Welcome, Becky & Candie!

TBJ- thank you! I'd invite you over to help with the Windex, but HI is having much better weather right now- it was 37 degrees last night at the new house. Love the Vader watch- may the force be with you!

MsRD- We should be ready to move into the new house in about 3 weeks-ish. Depending on how quickly we can get phone / internet / cable set up, since hubby works from home 99% of the time. We've got calls in & are checking out different options, but as soon as his office gets set up, we set up the master bedroom, and we'll move the bulk of the stuff. Congrats on the 2 pound loss!

Julie- Have I mentioned how glad I am to be back???? You don't realize how much you've missed people until you take the time to catch back up.

Lisa- You go, you wild woman. I'm even more tired now after your busy schedule!

Joy- hubby & I are also 24 addicts- next weekend- Sunday & Monday- 2 hours each night- get ready! I can only imagine what's going to happen this season. And you are right- I need to take my lunch breaks, especially now that things are going to be more hectic- I need that "me time" to recharge, and take care of myself!

Betani- way to go getting that walk in I've crested the peak of Mt. Crap, and the view from the top can't get better.

Elisha- gorgeous pictures! And congrats- I am marking down your date, and making my top secret stealth plans..hee hee hee. Good Luck with the newest house- I hope everything goes smoothly!

Can I tell you how sore I am??? I am just too out of shape to think I can play an entire team of Merry Maids! On Saturday, the men came to install the water softening / filtering system, so they turned off the water while I was mid-cleaning 4 bathrooms. I had scrubbed every single surface in 4 bathrooms, complete with trying to get iron marks out of toilets from the hard water. Now, at least, we won't have that problem again, and no more sulfur smell & rotten eggs!

Scrubbed 4 bathrooms, scrubbed, and then mopped the tile floors, dusted all the plant shelves that I could reach, and dusted the tops of the kitchen cabinets. I scrubbed all the counters in the kitchen, and by that time, I was pooped. When they painted the house right before the closing, they got little drips and drops of paint everywhere, so the scrubbing might have gone faster if I hadn't needed to loosen up the hardened drips, and scrub paint off of bath tile. We got the rest of the blinds for the open living areas, so it won't be open to all the neighbors soon. My father in law is going to come help us put those up, otherwise hubby and I might strangle each other with the cords.

We also got 2 rotating sprinklers for the grass / sod they put down in the front. It hasn't had a chance to root, and there were 2 nights of very cold weather, so the grass is a little dry, and brown. Hubby watered it a few hours each day, trying to save it. If it dies...well, that's a lot of grass seed to replace it.

Food was good, water was excellent, and exercise...well, I was falling asleep before 9pm, so that's a good sign. I'm a little stiff and sore, but I'll survive. My knees & ankles hurt most, from pounding the cold tile floor (it's not always below 40) so I think I need to get padded house slippers, or I am going to have to get some very thick socks & get used to wearing those around. And getting this dang weight off will also do wonders for those aching joints!

Have a great night, ladies, and here's to the start of a brand new week!