good afternoon chicks I am happy to report that I am happy! OMG isn't that such a simple thing but such a huge thing. Even though I am dusty / dirty / tired (I am cleaning out a junked van that has been in our driveway for flippin years and I decided today is the day!)

This is the exercise I did this morning, plus about 6 minutes of Cathe abwork.

http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/work...ut-at-Home/fg/

Today is my FIFTH day in a row staying on plan!! whereas before I could not stay ONE day on plan. I'm on the change for good honeymoon

HI to everyone and say hello back

Hi everyone! I'm back. I got sidetracked with my posting but not with my dieting. I need to update my ticker. I am down and out of the 4s. I'm going to keep up with you guys now. No more long breaks.

!! That is awesome lilturtle! about being down and about being here

Hello ladies,

I hope this post finds you all well.


Jennifer is home for a few days for Easter, she has to go back on Sunday. I am so glad to have her here with me.


School is going pretty well. I will wait until I get my final grade to tell you what I wind up with. I am enjoying my class. My next session I have a math and business classes to tackle.

lilturtle, it is great to see you back posting again.

Holly, hi sweetie, good to see you, as well.


IBelieve, hope you had a great time on your vacation.

Fi, sorry about your i-pad.


I had a birthday back on the 7th of April, i turned 47. I did not have a good birthday this year.


Much love to all.

aw, Happy Belated!! and sorry it was not a good birthday this year, sometimes they suck, sometimes they're great. Hopefully this means 48 will be GREAT

Thanks for the concern about ny iPad, y'all, but I'm not sweating about it. The crack really doesn't change the images hardly at all, and it's functioning just fine.

Yesterday I felt really stessed out and overwhelmed by the disaster area that is our house. Every time I tried to focus on dealing with just one pile of stuff, I'd keep being distracted by all the other piles. And I've been feeling kind of like a plant uprooted from its comfy bed: instead of reading, writing, and making art, I have to get the house in shape before the kittens arrive in July. I've been calling this long-postponed endeavor the BERP, for Big Entropy Reduction Project. So if you hear me talking about the BERP, you'll know what I'm talking about. The whole BERP, which will take at least several weeks to complete, has to be finished before Bob and I can pitch in together to actually clean the house.

Today went much better, though, I've been steadily working on "clipping" magazines and catalogs. When I "clip" a magazine, it means I go through it page by page with scissors in hand, and clip out any images, or even just areas of pattern or color, that I may be able to use in collage. I put the clippings in low, open-topped boxes, and eventually take the boxes up to my collage room and sort the clippings into other boxes in categories like people, animals, landscapes, etc. It's a process that eats up a lot of time, but there's no other way for me to tackle the piles of paper that are choking our space, and toss 99% of it into the recycle bin. At least I get to think about collage when I'm doing it, and I like the feeling of creating order out of chaos.

Trish— It's wonderful to see you back on the thread! I missed you, girl. Major congratulations on being into the 300s: that's terrific news!

ohiofreespirit— Belated Happy Birthday! I wish you had told us earlier—'sorry to hear it wasn't a very good day.

Holly— Way to go! It sounds like you've got a real streak going of consecutive on-plan days. And it's fantastic to hear your mood has improved!

Hi all. Loving the energy right now, so upbeat.

Still no weight loss (stupid TOM), but I have 2 days of my 30 sugar free days under my belt. So far no hideous cravings, but I did have a spectacular headache yesterday, but thankfully a couple of exec drink knocked it out. I even did some long overdue yard work yesterday, mulching my leaves into the front yard (I have a weird thing about not raking feels like I am stealing nutrients from my yard). Even trotted out my blower and made everything look pretty after. Gave me a much better feeling than my usual sitting around.

Well, if the worst thing that happens to me all weekend is sneezing when I have a mouthful of chewed up protein bar, it should be a pretty decent weekend. Starting my new strength training routine has helped me work off two more pounds this week. Yay! I'm focusing on cardio this weekend. Still waiting for the arrival of the swimsuit in the mail. When I wear it the first time at the gym, I'm mentally bringing all of you with me for support.

Holly, it's so great to know you had a happy day yesterday and were feeling good. I hope it spreads throughout the weekend for everyone on the forum.

lilturtle, way to go. Keep up the fantastic work. You're doing great.

Ohio, Happy Belated Birthday. If you didn't do something special for yourself on your day, do something special for yourself today!

Fiona, just keep chipping away at the piles and don't feel discouraged. When my brain is scattered and I'm facing a project that feels overwhelming, I stop and make myself a list of even the most obvious steps that I need to take. That way, I can stay focused by referring back to the list, crossing things off, then moving on to the next task on the list. That way, when I've finished the list, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Have an absolutely spectacular weekend, everyone!

sorry you had an overwhelmed day..and then the next day you made progress!

CONGRATS on 2 full days of no flippin' sugar! and yay for the yard work! must look really nice. I bet your lawn loves your for your leafy mulch

LOL at the sneezed-out protein bar and WTG (way to go) on 2 pounds GONE!
do you have the protein bar as a meal substitute, or work it in as a snack? I tried a Clif Chocolate mint protein bar, 270 calories, so I made it my lunch, not sure if I should do that much though.

I just did this workout for my exercise today - http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/work...re-Workout/dq/ It... was...brutal! This 53 year-old had to adapt alot of the high impact moves, and the 'star jumps'?? you gotta be kiddin me I did my best though, and had to tissue off the sweat from running in my eyes (in a cool room, 62 degrees, with a fan on!)

I might come back later this afternoon to chat What a difference in my mood..all for the better!

ohiofreespirit - Happy belated. Mine was March 7th. It was a struggle for me too this year.

Thanks everyone for the support and welcome. I'm going to try and post every day even if I have nothing to say. I need to stay connected. I am reading along with everyone too. I'm going to Florida next month to visit my mom for a few weeks. I had to get two plane tickets. Talk about embarrassing. I haven't flown since I was 10 so I am kind of nervous. More so of the airport then the actual flight itself. I don't like new places and I don't know my way around. I will be alone too. I usually take the train but my mom is paying so she gets to pick my mode of transportation. We are driving back.

Tomorrow is Easter. I will be with my family here in Pennsylvania. My stepmom usually makes peanut butter egss and gives me a gallon sized ziplock bag of them. I hope she doesn't this year. I also get other candy. It's going to be hard to turn down candy. I have been eating a lot of pickles and carrots and keeping my calories under 1000 each day. Sometimes under 500. I went through a period of not wanting to eat. I have my heart set on being down 40 more lbs by the end of June when I go back to the doctor. That is about 13lbs a month. It's hard to tell if I am making any progress. But I am hanging in there.

It is a meal replacement. I'm doing a medically supervised weight loss program, so I'm in ketosis. I'm using Nutrimed bars, which are prescribed and have 15g of protein @ 160 calories. Although you need a prescription for this particular brand, a comparable bar is available through bariatricchoice.com. They are called WonderSlim meal replacement bars on that site. Look up item# WS114, if you're curious. And, yes, they are expensive but really no more so than a Clif bar and they replace other foods, so it balances out in the end.

And, yes, it was the graham protein bar that I sneezed. It stings to do that, so I recommend against it.

My doctor allows me to eat as much celery, lettuce, and cucumber as I want, so if I'm feeling really hungry, I can have a protein bar AND a rather dull salad of lettuce, celery, and cucumber with fat-free dressing. I usually just sprinkle it with red wine vinegar and some salt and pepper. The salad provides bulk and something to chew. The protein provides something that is filling and takes time to digest. Since I eat every three hours between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., I don't typically get physically hungry on the program. The challenge is the psychological "hunger" but I'm using Fiona's favorite book, Brain over Binge to change my habits.

Well, my lunch break is done. I just finished 30 minutes on the elliptical. For the first time since buying the stupid machine, I did 30 minutes straight without having to get off for a break every 10 to 15 minutes. Plus, I upped the level of the workout two notches. Endorphin high!

Hi ladies,

I turned in my big project for my class today, it wasn't due until next week but I had it done so figured might as well turn it in. Pretty much done with my class. On May 5th, I have 2 classes to take.


I hope you all are well. I will check back in again soon. Until then, much love to all.

worththeeffort2 - I am going to look into trying some of those protien bars. I have not been eating healthy. Thanks for the tip.

Hi there!

I'm sorry I haven't posted for awhile, I am about to move and I have been busy!!

I miss all of you! How are all of you? How are you Holly and Ohiofreespirit?

I'm currently in NYC visiting family for Easter and I am having an awesome time! Today my Mom and I saw a Broadway play called A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. It was wonderful, so engaging and funny. Tonight I am having dinner with my Dad and his wife, and my brother. I love NYC, and I saw a friend for lunch today, that was a lot of fun. I leave on Monday to go back to PA.

I got my hair colored and cut on Thursday, I really love how it came out! I had been looking for a new stylist and I found a great one! When I look good, I feel great!

I'm actually considering going to school for cosmetology, I think I would really enjoy that!

I just started working with a new therapist, he is very nice.

Take care and Happy Easter!!!

Amy

Thanks for the warm welcome.
Fi I checked out the site you recommended and am trying to track down the book in Canada.
What you wrote on the site was very well articulated and made me really want to get it ASAP