OMG! Can you believe it!

I finally reached a ticker goal. Since the first of September when I got back from Montana I have lost 23 lbs., the first 5 of that 28 that shows up on ticker one took about 3 months as well. I FINALLY got serious about all this.

So this week was a phenomenal 3 lbs. - I'll just have to let this 3 settle in for a while I bet.

On to the benefits. I have a new skip in my step. I am feeling really good. Yesterday I went shopping and am dipping into a new size. I found a great and stylish suit on half price sale which I bought! I am going to wear the heck out of it too, because you know what, it's going to be too big before I know it. How is that for positive thinking?

Anyway, I am very happy and celebrate today.

What an amazing weight loss Ledom...3 pounds...that is something you usually only get the first week of a diet

You LaDean are always so good and consistent on your weight loss and exercise

I ordered the book on why French woman eat and stay slim. Its true ... the people in France are small and slim...well, except for the odd one but as a nation. I have been to France about 5 times and am always impressed with the food and how well ...chic...the people look. Yesterday I was dusting one of my book cases and found a whole row of brand new diet books NEVER EVEN read...I have all the Bob Greene books and journals...why do I ever buy him? He is such a hard a$$ at dieting and exercise. I did find some interesting ones though that I am going to skim read.

Snow is melting somewhat but not so much I feel I can drive in it...still have to have DH drive me around.

ledom, congratulations on reaching your ticker goal.... That is really fantastic.

judi, is the diet book you're talking about, Why French Women Don't Get Fat? I have it and haven't read it yet. Like you, I have every diet book ever written and haven't read any of them through. As a matter of fact, I just ordered a new one yesterday, Calorie Queens.

LaDean, hope you have a loss every week until the end of the year. I'll be pulling for you.

Speaking about snow. Two of my cousins e mailed me, one lives in MA and the other in NH. They're both getting a snow storm today, and are expecting 6"-12". I am thinking of them, as it is 82° here and I'm wearing shorts.

Hope you all are having a good day.

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU LEDOM.. THAT IS A GREAT LOSS. SO VERY HAPPY FOR YOU GIRL. YOUR GOING. YOU HAVE DONE SO GOOD. hearing this gives me encouragement to keep with it and i to can have a good loss hey we all can. oh so fun sharing such good news. this time of year especially. you go girl..... I just wish all of you a great day. I loss 1/2 lb last nite . 2 weeks in row now. so i want to get a loss for rest of year. and go out with a big bang. ha ha so join me and lets all do it. oh those books sound good. i will have to check some of them out. i always love reading new diet books. ha ha got lots of them. go back to them to.. in fact thinking of atkins now for again... oh my cousins in missouri have snow to.. i am going to get my things out today and up. get in mood round here. ha ha have a great day all of you.. thanks so much you all are the greatest friends. LaDean

Thanks guys. Congratulations to you too LaDean, 2 weeks in a row, that's the way to go.

I am pretty suprised at how well I have been losing. You know it is not that much different than when I wasn't, but I guess enough different. Slightly less food, slightly more exercise, but not radically different. I have found a formula that works for me and now I am going to knock on wood so I don't jinx it.

Judi, hope your snow melts so you can get out and about. Snow days are fun, but there is a limit to how long you can stay at home without going stir crazy. We have had VERY cold temperatures and even a little snow, but not enough to make the roads bad.

Today my mother and I did our annual pilgrimage to cut the christmas tree. Having some snow on the ground made it feel very festive.

I have been super busy today. I raked and bagged leaves, still more to go. I strung lights on the fir tree in our backyard. I leave the lights on all year round but this year they really needed to be changed and the tree has gotten very tall so that was a big job. Having to stop and go buy more lights was par for the course. But it is so pretty. The way our lot is situated it looks like a lighted tree in the woods from all the angles. I like it.

Now I have just taken my pumpkin cake out of the oven to take to my party on Sunday. I guess I am getting in the christmas spirit after all. At least today felt very domesticy and christmasy.

Alice, do you wish you were having snow? Or are you happy to be nice and warm now?

Ledom. oh your day sound so fun and nice. to have your mother to do that with is so great. wish i had mine here the holidays and all. we use to do things together and all. was so fun. but i have lots of memories and that counts so much. Oh your pumpkin cake sounds so good. how do you do it?? i have some pumpkin lefted and do not want a pie.. something different and the cake sounds so good. have you heard of the fruit coctail cake. oh i am going to do it for christmas.. my friend from tennesse i met online gave it to me.. Oh i bet the snow and all its really christmasy. i got in mood today to. i put few lites outside. would love to put some on my tree on lot. its a fir one to. so pretty and would be with lites. but dought i do it this year. i am going to next year though... so its looking more like christmas here in Oregon. lots have there things out and all. i got started on little things in house out and about to. got more to do in family room. going to bring some trimmings from trees to get the smell. we have a artifial tree get it done tomorrow. the wood heat and all it drys out so and i can never get it up early . so went this way.. i may get a small one and put in family room on table. thinking about it.. oh glad your losing good and that you found a plan that works. that is kinda like me now. its watching the portions and i am going to start exercising more to.. that is the way to do it i think. and if its helping stick to it.. good for you. hey have a good tomorrow to all of you.. LaDean

Hey Guys, As much as I loved having my ticker goal filled, my signature was unwieldy so I just added my new goal to the one ticker. When I get this one complete I will have arrived at onederland. You do the math! I feel as if I am finally in sight of it.

So, baking today. I threw away one whole batch of cookie dough. I forgot that I cannot make cookie cutter cookies. I do not know the trick and my memory failed me on that fact in the 10 years since I last tried. At a fairly early point I just decided not to frustrate myself further. I changed to a drop cookie recipe and they turned out great. I do not like making cookies at all though. Just not my thing. And then they are next to impossible to resist. These are to take to a potluck tomorrow and good riddance. Somehow tonight did not go well diet wise. Guess I had my treat night tonight instead of at the party tomorrow.

I am so excited. I am going to be a part of the Christmas Bird Count. I am going to be in my kayak on the Bayou DeView where the Ivory Billed Woodpecker was rediscovered last year. My friend who works for the Game and Fish Commission secured me a spot to participate. This takes place on Thursday.

Happy Sunday everyone,

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend. Mine has been busy running errands, getting my Christmas Cards mailed, and last minute shopping. I still have DH to finish, and I'll do that tomorrow when the mall will be less crowded.

Last night we drove around looking at Christmas lights. Some of the houses were really pretty, but a lot of them were decorated way..way too much.

ledom, the Christmas Bird Count sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I could be joining you. I love watching birds. There are a lot of different birds here in FL that we never had up north. It's funny, I do and I don't miss the snow. I miss it at Christmas, because to me, it isn't Christmas unless it's cold and/or snowy. But, on Fri., I was outside in my shorts, it was 82°, and I realized that at home, in New England, they were having a terriffic snow storm, and there I was in shorts. At that moment I did not miss the snow at all. I think I'm coming around to the FL way of life. I'm so glad that you're doing so well in the diet and exercise dept.
Have a good time at you potluck.

Hey judi, LaDean

Enjoy your day.

Hi Gals!

Sounds like you all are doing good.

We put up the tree yesterday and decorated the house. It looks nice. I am a bit worried that the tree will drop its needles before Christmas. I guess I will just have to keep it watered and don't leave the heat turned up. Next Sat. I will have my little grandson all day and wanted everything up for him. My D. says when he is playing he pretends that we are in whatever he is playing he talks about "dooda's truck and baba's car". So cute...that is us...Dooda and Baba. The other grandparents are "Grandma and Grandpa", though he can't say that yet.

I haven't got on the scale this week. Not eager.

Let's BOTH try to read that "french women" book Alice.

Sounds like you are doing a lot of cooking Ledom. They do a bird count here on the island too. Wouldn't it be something to see an ivory billed woodpecker...a thrill of a lifetime. I get excited if I see a flicker. OMIGOSH you are in "one"derland Ledom!! You must be ecstatic. I can't do the math...just tell me.

You are in 82 weather Alice!! I can't tell my DH it is 82 anywhere...he keeps lamenting it is so cold and dark here and I am trying to be positive about it. Since we can't go anywhere anyway. He really misses the motorhome...much more than I do.

Are you in Oregon, Ladean? Did you get your tree up? So nice, eh? I went overboard this year on the decoration dept. (I guess to make up for last year). What does the doggie think? Marely can take it or leave it but the cats were very curious and had to go and sit under the tree after it had been thoroughly inspected from all angles.

Time to go and have a coffee. Have a super day everyone!

Oh no judi not onderland yet - I am at 223 - will be in onederland when I finish out my new ticker. So close, yet so far.

Today I am making something healthy. Yesterday wasn't so good. Left me feeling pretty bad about the holiday and being able to maintain what I have worked so hard far.

Enjoy your grandson and I love his names for you.

Hello everyone,

Ok, judi, we will definitely read that French woman book. I got a kick out of your grandson calling you Dooda. When I was about your grandson's age, I started calling one of my aunts Dooda. I called her that until the day she died. When I saw the name it brought back so many memories. Earlier this morning I was at the mall and went into a book store. I saw a book Marley & Me, and thought of you. I forget who the author is. I bet your house really looks nice all decorated.

ledom, how was your party? Hope you had a good time. Don't feel bad about the holiday, they're meant to be enjoyed. You're back to eating healthy again.

LaDean, is Beau getting excited about Christmas? I've got Lacee's gifts all set. I'm sure she'll be amble to smell them under the tree, especially her cookies.

Have a great day.

I am such a caffiene addict. Today I am trying to wean myself off of copious amounts of diet coke by drinking copious amounts of strong coffee.

I have shifted into overdrive to get everything done I need to this week. I had to stomp on some Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes last night to keep from eating them. It was empowering. I packed up the cookies in a pretty tin to give as a gift. My house is again a sugar free zone.

Did shopping yesterday. I am out of money so I guess I am through.

Cleaning and decorating today.

Hi! I can't sleep...so I am up and prowling around.

Good for you Ledom, that is SOOO close to 'one'derland...plus quite a bit of your weight is muscle and if I was at that point it would just be er..fat
Give your self a pat on the back...hey, are you still planning to buy jewellery?
Good for you for stomping on the cookies.

In looking at where I was last Dec. and where I am now...I am down 5 pounds. Not exactly record breaking but it could have gone up...now I realize there is no upper limit...I saw a special on tv about a poor guy who died and weighed over 500 pounds. That is so scary...to imagine you can keep gaining weight until you can't move and then your health is so impeded. That horrifies me.

I am looking forward to "that" book arriving Alice. The house does look nice. I bought a cute 'old timey' tin sign that says "Try our fruitcake 5 cents" and put it in my kitchen.

I am done shopping too...I did stocking stuffers today...the last of them. I shopped for stocking stuffers earlier but some of the stuff was so cute I decided to keep it for myself and had to go out and buy again.

I still have to make cookies but I don't want to make to early and have the temptation around.

Lacee is good not to root out her Christmas gifts...when I get anything for Marley he always knows it is in the house .... he can tell when "pet store" smell has come into the house and he will PERSIST until he either finds it or I crack and give in to him. I have to buy and leave in the trunk of my car until I am ready to give it to him.

Any of you hockey fans? Did you see the Vancouver Canucks beat the NY rangers

Hi LaDean! How is it going?

Good morning everyone,

I can safely say that I am done Christmas shopping. I finished DH up on Mon. and all my pkgs that I sent out have been shipped. Now all I have to do is wrap DH's gifts and put them under the tree.

I had a good chuckle out of you stomping in the Little Debbie's, ledom. That must have been something to see. You must be getting excited about your bird counting.
I have just become addicted to Starbucks Coffee. In the past it was always too strong for me. But, when we were traveling, the only decent place in the rest area to get a cup of coffee was Starbucks. My first sip, I didn't care for, but the second sip got me hooked.

I've started reading "that" book, judi. The first thing you do is take an inventory of the food you have in your pantry. She has 2 soup recipes for leeks. One is you boil the leeks in water, remove the leeks, then save the broth. The other recipe, is more like a soup with added veggies, and you eat it as you would soup. You can make either recipe and for the first weekend, this is all you eat. You eat the soup every 2 or 3 hrs. or whenever you're hungry. I've never had leeks before. I haven't gotten beyond that point yet, so I don't know what you do after that weekend. That's really terriffic you're down 5 lbs.

Lacee has her own kitchen cabinet and she knows when I open the door to "her" cabinet. I can open any other cabinet door in the kitchen and she never appears, I just touch the door knob on her cabinet door and she's right beside me.

La Dean, haven't heard from you in a while. Hope everything is ok with you.

Have a good day.

Hi, all is fine here. just been busy. when its cold i am not in this room to much. beau sets and whines and wants me in by stove. had to take him for his shots yesterday afternoon. hes all in good shape. but ..... was told to FAT. so that means we both are going to be stricker on our eating. ha ha hes got to. small bones and not good for him. so hes doing ok 2 days with eating right now. i got him back on just his food. maybe a treat here and there. ha ha so that was good knowing all is ok with him. just been getting ready for christmas and all. got decorations and all done. i just have to get out and get my gift certificates and that is it. so not much to do. i want to bake some. sounds like everyone is ready now for christmas. i am glad. its so neat to come in here and share.. oh that book sounds interesting. i know i was once on the cabbage soup plan. loss and i love the soup. i have never had the leeks either. i have been real good. so scales are looking good for me to. that always makes me so happy. glad all is going good all of your way in that area to. keep it up. we will do it for sure. together and having fun that way to do it... have a great day all of you. LaDean