That is great since the beginning of the year!!:carrot:

Allison I think you are doing great. Congratulations on losing those pesky pounds.
OK I had an encounter with a French Restaurant and the Restaurant won. After looking the menu over verrrrry carefully I decided my best choices would be the Baked Salmon or Roast Chicken. I picked the Salmon which was delicious, have no idea what was in the vegies but they definitely were not steamed, then there is the little matter of the Calamari appetizzers and a small piece of cake for desert, not to mention a few champagne toasts. I am not going to even try to add up the calories in that dinner, but it was an enjoyable evening, but now it is back to the drafting board.

I'm wearing the pants I bought out of desperation at 158# earlier in the year. Today for some reason, I'm suddenly aware of how big a change 8 pounds is - they're hanging off me in really strange ways. They are saggy in the HIPS. Can't say I've ever seen that in a pair of pants before! :dizzy:

April feels like it's going to be a good month. DS12 is doing so well in choir that the director told us last night that he doesn't need the optional rehearsals unless there's something special coming up. Chicks, this choir is SO good ... I spend two hours having goosebumps. There's something about being in the presence of excellence that makes me want to be better and try harder at the things I do.

Had a massive leg cramp in the middle of the night two nights ago - is a charley horse when the back of the leg/rear end hurt? Good grief. How does one get hurt SLEEPING????

I'm going to have a couple hurdles this month. In two weeks, DH and I are driving to Phoenix for the weekend. We're staying at the Phoenician, which is a pretty ritzy resort. We'll golf Friday and then Saturday hang out with my friend and help her get ready for her house-warming party. I know the food will not be my friend, but I'll do my best. The following weekend, she's coming to our house for the weekend so I won't be able to follow my Nutrisystem diet for two days (instead of the typical one day off). I need to be EXTRA careful for the next two weeks to lose before this all happens so I don't end up gaining anything back.

bargoo~we have a little French cafe near us that is so good! My favorite is the seafood crepe. They serve it with a side salad, but I'm certain the mornay (is that how you spell it?) sauce is loaded with fat and calories.

Allison, enjoy your visit with your friend. Just do as you plan and everything will be Ok.

To switch things up in April, I've switched from iced coffee - which I get at my local bagel place, often accompanied by a bagel - to iced tea - which I can easily make at home, drink plain, and have with a healthier non-bagel alternative. I'm also going to start building the habit of doing some sort of physical activity after dinner.

bargoo, the dinner sounds delightful and fun! I don't think I'd try to add it up either. One night can't derail your great progress for more than a couple days. It's all good. Back on track!

allison, ditto bargoo! You know how to do this. :) You ARE doing it!

exhale, activity is always the last thing on my list. That's something I'd like to change for April, too - just gotta kick my butt out of bed in the morning earlier. :p It's the only time I can make it work, and somehow it doesn't suck quite as much if I'm not awake enough to figure out how to talk myself out of it. :lol:

Exhale - I had to cut out my daily Starbucks habit almost completely. I make coffee with my Keurig now. i have a recipe for cold brewed iced coffee somewhere, if I can find it would you like it? Easy to make and you can do it at home. :)

Allison - you can handle the weekends out. Staying OP up until then is a good idea.

Bargoo - ah, french restaurants. Love them. They don't love me. Today is a new day.

Becky - I've had that happen at night and asked the same question. How can I wake up in the morning with a sore leg? So not fair. High five on the baggy pants!

I'm trying to have a good day today. Got up and went for a run before work this morning. Brought green beans and a grapefruit for snack. I can do this.

DH & XW had the appointment with the therapist to get the results of DSS's behavioral testing. I'm anxious.

ICUWishing, I'm glad to hear your DS is doing so well with the choir! It sounds amazing.

Allison, enjoy your time in Phoenix and stick to your guns with food plans (easier said than done, I know).

Shannon, keep the positive energy from the good start to your day. You can do it! =)

BF and I were supposed to go out to dinner tonight with his adviser and hubby to celebrate a publication, but that got cancelled just now due to some family emergency. I'm half relieved and half disappointed...

ICUWishing, once-upon-a-time when I was working out regularly at home, I would role out of bed and pop in a dvd. I was half-asleep for most of it but got it done and it worked!

Shannon - I would love that recipe. Thanks so much !

Becky, funny about the hips being loose. I was just thinking I need to go find a place that sells jeans with a true "curvy" cut. They keep inflating sizes and screwing with cuts. I currently have three pairs of jeans in two different sizes and none of them really fit right. It's like my thighs, hips, and butt are big, but my waist is really quite narrow, so I need belts all the time. I can't go down a size because I won't be able to get the jeans over my thighs, but belts drive me nuts.

Shannon, let us know the results of the testing. :hug: Hopefully whatever the news is it will give XW a hint that she is partly responsible for his behavioral issues.

Exhale, just think how much money you'll save with homemade iced tea instead of coffee and a bagel! I am primarily a water drinker myself but I do like tea as well.

How true paperclippy, iced coffee is so expensive! And the bagel is expensive calorie-wise, so I'll be in a win/win situation.

Hey Exhale - I found the original blog that I got the recipe from, here is the link: Pioneer Woman Cold Brewed Coffe

Basically, it is 2 gallons of water to 1 pound of ground coffee. (I have split the quantity and made 1 gallon to 1/2 pound, yummy. You can weaken or strengthen the coffee concentrate according to taste, I like mine medium strong.)
1) put coffee grounds and water in appropriate refrigerator sized container (I can't use the big tubs she uses, no space)
2) Put container in fridge, let 'cold brew' for at least 8 hours. Overnight is better. The local coffee shop guy near me brews his for three days - it rocks my world.
3) Take out from fridge, strain liquid through cheesecloth lined strainer, mashing all liquid out of grounds mishmash.
4) Store in the fridge, make iced drinks as desired.

I've done 1/2 vanilla soy to 1/2 coffee concentrate over ice, skim milk + coffee + raw sugar over ice, skim milk + coffee + a little smidge of classic syrup that I bought by the bottle over ice, just coffee + syrup over ice (strong...). The friend who originally shared the recipe with me makes a concoction with coffee concentrate, vanilla protein powder, splenda, a little milk and ice that she blends into a frappe. I'm not that complicated. Plus, I can't do Splenda - bad for the tummy and the head. I go a little real sugar over Splenda any day.

I cut about $150 a month of my expenses when I bought a Keurig and started making my own coffee beverages. And I can't even quantify the calories that I save.

Jessica - look at Little In The Middle jeans. Aphiil recommended them to me once - I didn't get a pair yet, but two of my friends have and they totally love them. Little In The Middle

Oh Shannon, this is truly life-changing :dizzy: Thanks so much !