Ah, Gary, you put us all to shame.

I'm up ridiculously early, getting ready for a weekend trip. Coffee, anyone? Things have been fairly stressful lately and I'm going to try to channel the stress at the gym instead of eating junk.

A belated but heartfelt to Shrinking Mama - you have much to be proud of! We're hoping to be hearing lots more from you.

Gary, take it easy on us women, we lose wt. slower than men. LOL. However today made 1 full week of SBD induction for me and I've lost a grand total of 5 lbs. So, I was thrilled when I got on the scale this morning. I can so totally do this for another week. LOL, and by then I'll need a belt to hold my britches up. I do realize I must have been retaining a ton of water, but a lb. is a lb. and I'm glad it's gone anyway.

Lacy and Shelbey want to do a home Biggest Loser Challenge with me for the next 3 months. We each put $5.00 a week in a pot throughout the 3 months. The one who loses the most lbs. at the end of the 3 months gets the cash to buy new clothes with. I fully expect one of the girls to win cause I don't have any desire to lose more than 5 lbs. (which would put me at 135 lbs.on our home scales). Both girls starting weights are also higher than mine. If nothing else maybe this will give both girls incentive to walk with me of the evenings and maybe Shelbey will quit drinking regular Dr. Pepper. I will be cooking for all of us and helping them to have healhy lunches to take to school. BTW, the girls are the ones that came up with this idea. They are both going to try eating 1500 cal's a day, I'm sticking to SBD. I'm not sure if this is a great idea or not, but they did say they will do it without me if I don't want to be in it. I actually figure my money is just a donation, LOL.

Our starting weights this morning are:

Me, 140
Shelbey ,153
Lacy, 151

A pound is indeed a pound especially if it effects my pants
Morning!
I got nothin' new. Just puddlin' along.

Hi everyone,

I'm pondering a little slip-up last night. I was just ravenously hungry, and raided my roommate's food cabinet for snacks. Calorie-wise not too bad, ~400 cal, to bring my daily total to 2100 - this is ok for maintaining, though not losing like I'm trying to do. And of course I stole food from my roommate. I am frustrated with it not b/c it was a huge binge, but unplanned and I was out of control. I'm going to start a separate thread to ask for suggestions about my eating. This is week 3 of behaving and staying OP, and I won't let last night ruin that. I'm just rethinking food a little. (I wasn't PMS-ing or over-tired last night, and couldn't leave for a walk b/c I was waiting for the plumber.)

In good news, I have a small part in the play that I mentioned a week or two ago, and I'm also asst. directing it! Rehearsals start in a few weeks. It will definitely keep me off the streets at night (and away from my TV, fridge, etc.).

So those theater people had better brace themselves to see all my tupperwares! I don't think the comments were negative, I'm just admittedly over-sensitive to perceived scrutiny about my food. I'm so used to comments from co-workers (who are friends outside of work), and housemates, that those ones just roll off my back. I think these just came from a new/unexpected area.

Lily, well, if this will make the girls stop eating multiple packs of ramen noodles... Glad you're feeling so good about SB! Keep it up!

Meg, I hope you can work out your stress at the gym.

Gary, excellent job walking! That sounds like me on airport layovers - I always feel like security is watching me b/c I circle the terminals so many times. That's right, those people are just jealous of me, lol. Thanks for the kind words.

Hi, Shrinking Mama. Congrats on your success so far. I think that many of us here have had our regains and slip-ups. The key is recognizing what's happened and taking steps to counteract it before it goes too far, which you have - so keep up the good work! Hope to "see" you around.

Allison, could you ask your hubby to hide the cashews, or keep them in his car or at work or something? Today is a new day and a fresh start.

Susan, Pat, Baffled, Leavenworth and these other towns sound like a lot of fun! Makes me miss New England's Christmas villages, apple & pumpkin orchards, the leaves turning color, snow angels...I'm getting homesick! Good thing I'm going home to PA for Christmas this year.

Hi everyone else. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Coffee. Mmmm. Coffee is good this morning.

Today is an unplanned rest day. Both DH and I have schedule conflicts and so I'm doubling up tomorrow, a bike to split the commute (I bike in, he bikes home) and a swim. So I'm enjoying the time.

I noticed Gary is everywhere. Ah, the energy. Most days my mind fogs before I get to the end of this board!

I noticed we've been having a lot of men on the board lately. Gary, John from KY, and Sleepy. I think that's pretty cool.

Weird things happening here, I've been crazy hungry and eating like it, my weight is dropping like a rock, and I'm no longer cold all the time. Not that I'm not enjoying it (this is so much better than just the opposite), but just when you think you've got it figured out, something new happens.

I should slink on over the the accountability thread and do some typing...

Anne

IMO, the best thing about Leavenworth is that you're only a hop skip and a jump from the American River. Guess I'm more of a Winthrop/Twisp type of gal myself. But the Cascades are gorgeous. I used to love hiking them thar' hills when I lived in the area. (Yes, I've lived in the PNW, too...)

Baff: I'd actually guessed Walla Walla from some of your earlier posts. Private school in the middle of nowhere in eastern Washington? Aren't too many choices that fit this description.

Kim

Hi everyone!

Since I've been too busy with appointments, holidays (happy new year to the Jews on the board!), etc, I am taking advantage of the gym on the days I actually get to go. Tuesday night I did a regular workout from 5:30 to 6:30 (walking uphill on treadmill, my knees were bugging me so no jogging, plus back exercises), then joined the "free! one time only preview!!!" Zumba class they were having. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work! I felt pretty exhausted by 7:30, that's for sure. Hopefully they will start offering it regularly, it could be lots of fun. But hopefully it won't be at 6:30, since that's really too late for me.

Of course now that I'm only three weeks out from the wedding I'm having the worst breakout I've had in years. FOUR pimples, all of which are in areas that will be shown by my wedding dress, including one big fat one right next to my lip. I haven't had more than one pimple at a time in years, and that's even pretty infrequent. Ugh! Hopefully it will clear up soon.

Anne - sometimes the body does weird things. Eating more and losing weight? As long as the pounds are going away, I'd still be happy. Provided it didn't continue excessively, in which case there might be something medically wrong.

Megan - congrats on the part in the play!

Lily - It sounds great that your DD and SD are starting this plan, since I know you've said you've worried about them gaining weight lately. Plus 1500 cals a day sounds perfectly reasonable and healthy.

I'm too lazy to scroll back to page 4, but hi everyone!!

Morning everyone! I'm onto my second cup of coffee and pondering how I'm going to schedule my day.

Lily, that's great about the girls. I'm with Megan: anything that keeps them from filling themselves with junk is a good thing.

Anne: the wonders of the human body, eh. It really can be mysterious at times. Stay healthy. That's the main thing.

Megan: re your food. Could you start making hot lunches for yourself and include the fat there? We make a big batch of a different soup each week and freeze it in individual containers to bring to work for our lunches. It's pretty easy to add a little extra olive oil when sauteing the veggies. There's a great recipe for an African Peanut Butter Chicken soup on Cooking Light that I've adapted to include more veggies, barley and fewer calories for more respectable portions. Peanut butter + sweet potatoes + chicken = yum!

Kaw: I've definitely given plenty of clues over the months, but I figure that most non-PNW people have never heard of Walla Walla anyway. Have you ever been out this way, in your travels? Great wine!

Jessica: Bad pimples! Bad! I recommend frequently dousing them with hydrogen peroxide. It clears them right up.

My doctor's app't went well on Wednesday and she increased the med that counter acts the visions I've been seeing at night since I've been under stress with all our insurance worries. She even gave me a month's supply of 3 of my 4 drugs from her samples stash when she learned that my prescription plan charges me a 50% co-pay because they are medicine for mental illness instead of other health issues. That was extremely generous of her and saved me a few hundred dollars.

DH met with a doctor about his collarbone and is scheduled for surgery to put a plate in on Wednesday. They took more X-Rays and found that the bone was broken in one place and shattered in another. He was told that normally they don't preform this surgery on people over 35 - he'll be 46 next month. But since he's so active with wind surfing and skiing, they're going ahead with it. Otherwise, it would just have to heal all mangled.

On Tuesday, I officially became an aunt after 16 years of being an aunt by marriage. My brother's wife had a baby boy that they named William Henry. I think they'll call him Will. My mom's with them for a week and is in baby heaven. She's been waiting for grandchildren since I was born 46 years ago.

Today, I'm going to the lawyer for help responding to the private insurance about how they think I owe them for all the artwork I've sold plus the articles I've written and edited. Then I'll head up to DH's apartment and take the train in to NYC to meet him for dinner. I'll be taking our cat along with me because I plan to stay up there all next week while he has his surgery. Since she gets car sick, I haven't feed her this morning and she's all over me and the computer trying to get my attention to feed her. I had to put a cover over the off button on my laptop because she's learned that pushing it REALLY gets me to respond!

Gary - you amaze me about how you're able to respond to everyone. I log on every other day or so and get overwhelmed with what everyone has written that I can't keep straight who said what.

Morning!

Ah Baffled, I just mixed up my W's! I've not been to Walla Walla unless I drove through/by on another trip. Have been to Lake Chelan though, and it's a lovely area. It's on our list to visit again "sometime."

Not much happening around here today. I'm going to lunch at our local asssisted living/nursing home. Our church is getting a new pastor and one of the candidates is here and will be at the women's bible study which is meeting at the home today. It's across the street from work, so easy for me. Who knows what they'll serve for lunch though!

Carolyn - I'm familiar with the cat/computer problem. Mine wants either to lay in my lap, preferably draped across my arm, or to sit on the desk between me and the printer. And she's reallllly insistent about this, and since she's siamese, you with give in, listen to her "talk" or lock her out of the room....

I think it would be a lot of fun to say "Walla Walla" over and over again after you've had a lot of wine ...

Baffled: I spent the better part of a week in Walla Walla in high school, at a regional conference for some extra-curricular activity -- don't remember which one, at this point. This would have been a goodly number of years ago, though. Back when wine coolers were more to my taste than wine. (Uggh.)

Kim

It is a funny name and we do drink a lot of wine out here, I'll give you that.

Wine coolers. Really? Ugh! Actually, the wine industry here is pretty new; it's all come about in the last 10-15 years and the town has come along with it. I keep hearing all these nightmare stories about the best restaurant in town being the crummy burger joint and the best entertainment being to go to the wheatfields and cause trouble. Thank god they set up a wine, food and tourist industry before I moved here! I don't think cow-tipping would work as a hobby for me.

Pat, ages and ages ago my mum asked me to house sit for her and look after her cats while she was away. I brought my laptop to do work, and while I'd be working and typing, the cat kept walking across the keyboard and *swiping* at the cursor as I moved it around. It was ridiculous!

What a horrible day this has been! Okay, it started out fine with a good run this morning, but I got to work and no internet......rebooted everything and then our server started acting up. Our IT guy couldn't stop by until he was on lunch (he does it as a side job), but thankfully he figured it out just before he had to head back to work! So now I have a lot of work to catch up on (and a lot of 3FC!).

Gary~I just sat on my butt while waiting for the car. I didn't want to get all hot and sweaty before heading in to work.

Baffled~Yup--fake Bavaria!! I wonder how many of them exist all over? How far are you from Ellensburg? DH's aunt/uncle and cousin live there and all work at Central Washington University

Pat~have fun in Leavenworth (but isn't that the name of a prison? LOL)

Megan~I can't have DH hide the cashews at work--we work together!!! I just need to stay busy and out of the pantry.

HI GALS ~

Well I lost another pound today so all that walking paid off. I am 19 down...can't wait for 20! Not sure it is going to happen tomorrow...I exercised a lot, but I also made mashed potatoes and tri-tips and gravy tonight...I ate what I thought was a "fair" amount and then just a little more...and ran away from the table!

ALLISON ~Well it was in the low 70's here...if I was out there I am sure I would have sat on my butt too!

BAFFLED ~I have been to WALLA WALLA! When Angie and I built our house in Kennewick a few years ago we drove there...for what? ONIONS! of course! It was a nice drive from Kennewick for us. We had coffee at the Starbucks on the corner in town, walked around the downtown area, ate lunch at a sandwich deli in town and went and got onions! I have a friend in Benton City, that place is trying to get the winery thing going. We had some real nice wines there at a few winerys.

WATER RAT ~ I love it in Bend! Angie and I "almost" bought a house there, until we found out we couldn't rent it out because of restrictions! My kid's godparents and my ex-wife's best friend (and still my friend) live there. I love it there...in the summer!

AUNT CAROLYN ~ Prayers your troubles ease with the insurance!

PAPEARCLIPPY ~I have a daughter that was married recently...I can relate to the "pressure pimple" ...relax

ANNE ~ It just seems like I am everywhere...no one wants to keep me...after 5 years here I find my way around I have had some time off work this week AND my computer is down in the family room, I play around on it while I watch my DODGERS!

MEGAN ~Great job on the "PLAY" news! You are so talented. step away from your roomies goodies!

SUSAN ~A pound is a pound if it "helps" my shirt out too!

LILY ~ Love the Biggest Loser challenge between you girls! My $$$ is on you!

MEG ~ Not putting anyone to shame here! I just have been real fortunate to be working close to home for a few weeks and have had a light schedule which makes it easy to exercise...AND I am working my butt off on my "choices"...you know exactly what I mean!!

WELL GALS ~ KEEP IT UP!