Good morning,

Missy, good for you with the walking, especially if you have good weather. Hard to get motivated here whenit is 97 degrees and high humidity.
The Avatar was taken last summer in Las Vegas. I was actually about 15 lbs. lighter than I am right now----------------Operator this is for you also.----------It was taken just a couple of months before I stopped smoking. Yes I gained 45 lbs in about 8 months after I quit....but the point is...I rarely even crave a cigarette now and the weight is comming off. It's some extra work and suffering...but nothing compared to what I was putting my body through for the past 25 years with the cigarettes...I know you are in a weight loss mode right now, but don't let a few pounds deter you from doing what is best for you.

Lili, I may try the c25k with the walking instead of the running, I have never enjoyed running alway and had to force myself to do it. I don't know why I keep trying to run when I love walking and it is just as good for you. I guess I envy the runners who get real pleasure from it. It is something that I could never achieve.

Well after a week off...it's back to work for me today. First day trying to manage the medifast at work. I think it should go o.k. I was wondering about the food prep. We have instant hot water at work, but everything calls for adding cold water and then microwaving. Has anyone tried preparing the oatmeal or soups with hot water instead of cold/microwave? I can do it either way but just adding hot water sure is easier for me at work.

Have a great day!

D

thanks for the avatar help missy!

to All.....thank you so much for your support! After i posted i got down on my knees and talked to the man upstairs (what i should have done from the beginning). I also talked with my dh. he told me not to worry about the cost. i never do anything for me. it is always about the house or the kids. so, no more guilt there! i completely agree that my goal was unrealistic! i cannot express how grateful i am to talk with chickees that understand. sometimes we feel so alone in our food issues. at least i do.

operator....keep up the good work. if you are anything like me, we use addiction as a coping mechanism. food/cigarettes are comforting. so, i completly admire you giving them BOTH up. Bravo!!!!!!

Jen....my dh and I were a 4 hour drive form one another for 2 years. it can work. oh, buy some new clothes!!!!!! you will feel incredible. I have a closet that ranges from size 14-24! i can go shopping in my own closet!

thanks again for responding even when I was bringing the place down.

Yippeee:carrot: The kids are off to school today. They actually started a new school because we got reassigned, we have now sent them to a private, year round school that I think will be really good.:) The Lord had his hand in the entire situation with financing and admissions as we got it done within the last week. It is amazing with all the stress that I did not fall off the MF wagon;)

Anyways, now that they are in school it is just me and my shakes during the day so there should be no problems staying OP. Hope everyone has a great day, I am going to enjoy the peace and quiet for a little bit and then start on the cleaning...ugh!!

Hey Ladies!!!

Congrats to all you out there who are down!!!!

Romans---10 pounds is great...keep up the good work , and your dh is right..you deserve to do something for you.

Jana---onederland!!!!:cheer2: Congrats. That is a great accomplishment!! congrats on your hard work!!!!!!

Lili--wohoo!!!!!! Your "mini" goal is awesome. halfway there sounds like a major goal....:bravo:

If I forgot anyone---congratS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I had a crazy week last week. Some friends and I went to the Jimmy Buffett concert this past weekend in WI. So as you can imagine, it did not go well OP this weekend.. We spent Thurs and Fri out on the boat at the lake and all day Sat. tailgaiting at the concert. Sunday I think my butt was glued to the couch the whole day recovering. :) But back OP this morning.

I just placed a new order on Medifat and found some coupon codes.
I used Craze55 and saved $55 off of my purchase. There was no expiration date, and it really worked.

I also found some others that save $50 off your purchase, but haven't tried them yet...

savings
DD50F
SB55

if anyone uses these, let me know if they work.

Have a good day veryone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning mamasitas! :D
Operator, I quit smoking 2 years, 8 months and 3 days ago. :smoking:Yes, it is the best thing you could ever do! I have not had one puff since. Its hard, yes, but definatly doable! Here was my take... quiting is easy, we do it every night when we go to bed, its waking up to a brand new day and deciding NOT to start again! :nono:I started smoking at 12, (sneaking cigs) started buying my own packs at 14 with my lunch money, and by 16 was a pack a day girl! So by the time I quit at the tender age of 35, I had been a "smoker" for 22 years! yuck! I couldnt imagine how to live life without them, now I cant even fathom going back... the cost, finding a place to smoke, THE SMELL!:barf:
Anyways, you can do it! If youve done the weight loss and stuck to MF you have the will power for ANYTHING! Good job, Operator, we're all proud of you!:hug:

Romans, your kids are Adorable! How old are they? How wonderful the support from your hubby. (I dont think we give them enough credit) They really are a great source of love and help! And dont ever worry about "bringing us down" Thats what we are here for, we all go through frustrations and doubt and plain old pissyness. I dont know about anyone else here... but writing words of support to others reaffirms and fortifies my own attitudes! So, THANKS!:^::thanks:

Djay, I have gotten a "runners high" from walking strong... It is awesome, I know what they strive for, I hit it almost everytime with a certain hill I like to call my "nemisis". Its a long lazy sloping hill that cranks it up at the last 200 feet to kick my butt! LOL:running:
Gtrgrl- ENJOY!:yoga:

Nikki, you sound like you're enjoying the summer, rock on! How was the concert? Jimmy Buffet seems like a real good time.:beach:
Alice, yep, me too... My DH and I were and hours drive from each other for several months when we were dating (we took things a little faster though because we had known eachother since the 9th and 11th grade... Im the older woman) :cheers:

We're going to the beach, Again! The summer finally broke through here in Seattle about a month ago, but it was well worth it... mid 70's for the last several weeks, perfect outdoor weather! Thanks for the ears ladies! Be rad to yourselfs today! Missy;)

Bummer. I had a long post written and it was lost in cyber-space.

It seems everyone is chugging along, doing well. How great!

Djay, I've had to do the hot water thing before and didn't have any problems with the oatmeal. Haven't tried it with the soup, but I bet it would work fine with the cream soups, as they don't have anything "hard" that needs to soften. And I totally understand the walking vs. running thing. Even at my lightest, I could never enjoy jogging or running.

Missy, thanks for the plateau info! Actually, I have no idea what my starting weight was. When I decided to make some dietary changes, I couldn't bear to see what my starting weight was. I told myself that I would give myself 2 weeks to lose weight before I stepped on the scale, which is the number I have listed on the tracker. So, more than likely I was a bit heavier than what I actually saw. I'm really glad, though, the scale is moving. I knew it would eventually, but it really does wear ones optimism.

By the way, you and Nikki are SO close to Onederland!

Romans, I'm so glad that things are looking better for you today. Your children are beautiful.

Operator, so glad to hear you are doing ok. Don't worry about those 10lbs...most of it is probably water weight and you are doing so much more for your health (and your wallet) by quitting the cigarettes.

Gatorgirl, my first thought upon reading about your new year-around school was, "those poor teachers." Lol, can you tell I teach? I'm currently trying to teach summer school kids; I say trying because it is like pulling teeth. They seem to be dead-set against learning anything, lol.

Mirihawk, how are you doing today?

Well, chickies, I am going to exercise for a bit because I am meeting friends tonight for dinner. I think I will be able to make some good choices, but it is the waiting until 8pm for dinner that will be the hard part, lol. Be good!

djay-I have to bag everything to work with me, so I prepare it all and put it in thermoses. I heat the water in a tea pot and mix the soups with some veggies in the thermos then eat them about 3-5 hours later. DO NOT FORGET the hot soups. They will explode the lids off the thermos after 24 hours.:yikes: I can't stand the oatmeal or cream soups, so I make muffins out of the oatmeal and Brocolli Quiche out of the Brocolli Soup. I also mix the shakes in my Magic Bullit then put them in thermoses. I usually eat the muffins while getting ready for work, take 2 shakes 1 soup(or Quiche serving) and a bar and have my snack and L&G with me. What I don't eat at work, I have at home before bed. I work 12.5 hr shifts, so I'm pretty fast to bed after work.

Romans-Glad you're feeling better about you success so far.:hug:

Jen-Glad to hear the plateau is breaking and you're enjoying dating.:cheer2: Sounds like you're having a pretty exciting time right now.

Today was my Official Weigh In. 181. Not as bad as it had been the past few days. I'm relieved.

We may have a new MFer joining up. My X was totally jealous yesterday when I picked my DD up. They got to the mall about an hour after me and I had done my walking in the mall while I waited. Now Mr. 6'5" is having a hard time keeping up with my 5'2" little self. It took about 2 years after the divorce for me to slow my walking pace down to where I was trying to keep up with a stride 2 1/2 times my own(maybe that's why I started gaining weight:chin:)

I'm enjoying walking and am ready to start picking up the pace to running. I'm also looking at a weight bench at Sears that's on sale. I hope they have it here. The clerk in Casper said they should. I just didn't want to spend the $$$ on gas to bring it back here(400 miles). Plus, we didn't have room with all of my DD's stuff. With the bench, Total Gym and the treadmill, I will have a complete home gym. Just have to put in a TV/DVD for the excercise videos. Now if I can get my DD's to decide who is moving to the basement bedroom so we can set up the room.:rolleyes:

Well chickas. Have a good one. Thanks for all the support with the diet and the smoking cessation. With all this love, I know I can do it.

Jen and Operator, Thanks for the info on making the meals more portable. That will help alot!

Nikki, Sorry to hear you had a hard time staying OP...but...boy it sure souds worth it! Grab those good times!

Sure sounds like you are grabbing some good times of your own Missy! I love the beach! How I ended up so far inland is a mystery to me! Hope you and the fam have a blast!

Today one of my co-workers was eating the most delicious looking salad! The dressing smelled wonderful! I tasted it and it was to die for! Great light summery dressing. She gave me the recipe and it looks like something that we can have! So here it is...

Cucumber Dill Salad Dressing
__________________________________________________ ______________________
o 1/2 cup seeded and peeled cucumbers, diced
o 1 Tbsp vinegar
o 1 tsp fresh or dried dill
o 1/4 tsp garlic powder
o 1/4 tsp onion powder

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend well. Serve chilled over salad.

That's all I've got for now!

D

good evening!
operator....wow. it must feel great for your x to feel jealous. the flesh in us loves that! keep up the determination

gatorgirl.....isn't it amazing how God hears us. He always comes through in His perfect timing!

thanks so much for the discount codes nikki. i just edited my order and it was $296 so i will definately go back and try to edit it. 55off also works. i used that last month

My oldest son just turned 3 and the baby is 10 months. they are so much work!!!! but such an incredible blessing stay atrong and OP ladies

:belly:Good morning Lovlies! We've had a little bit of a plateau here, eh? Well, I just wanted to toot alittle... My first month is officially over today, it is my 4th week weigh in.:goodscale (Drum roll)..................clang! 205.2! :goodvibes:woohoo:Sweetness and glory! :yay: This stuff really seems to work for me. Thank you for all your support ladies! :grouphug: You girls rock it! :thanks:
We are going to disneyland in feb. or march and I cant wait to buy a teeshirt this year! Last year everyone got one but me because I was too fat to get one that looked good or wasnt obviously fat or more expensive. This year I can get one of the pretty ones and show it off! Yay!
Have a wonderful morning, day, evening ladies! I love you all! Missy

Djay, that cucumber dressing looks tasty. I have a cuke sitting in my fridge...I just may use it for that.

Missy, congrats on your one month anniversary and weight loss!

Not much new here...still chugging along. The biggest accomplishment I've done recently was complete the 3mile WATP DVD today. To think that 14 weeks ago, I had a hard time walking a .5 mile. The body is so resilient. I hope in 14 more weeks, I'll still be chugging along and staying OP.

I have a movie date tomorrow, which I'm looking forward to. We are going to see Wanted...has anyone seen it yet?

Hope everyone is happy and healthy!

Missy...congratualtions! Toot all you want. you deserve it!
jen...i love watp video. i have only done as far as the 2 mile walk. almost ready to start it up again. have a super date! i haven't been to the movies in 3 years!

i was just thinking.......feeling good is all in our heads. have you ever noticed how if you are on the way down (whether a size 2 or 32) you feel better. my goal weight is Missy's starting weight! women are so funny!

Hey operator, howz the quiting going? :smoking:Check out this website, http://www.quitsmokingcounter.com/
This place is cool, you can count down and see the effects and all that stuff here. I've save $3,915.58! Thats alot of shakes! LOL Your doing a great thing!:hug:
Jen, what a powerful movie to see! I have wanted to see wanted! That James Macavoy is the DREAMIEST!:love: Oooooooooo, have fun! What is this... the 3rd date? Aw, you got me all giddy!
:rofl:Hey, you girls dont think Im over-doing it on my avatars, do you? LOL;)
Romans, I love the way your head works.
Girlies, Whats the plans for the weekend?
Give your loved ones a big squeeze, and feel good today! Missy

It's great to see everyone doing well! Haven't had much to say, am just kind of showing up. I'm not 100% OP right now but the weight is still trickling off, so I am really happy.

Missy, what a pretty smile!
Romans, you have such a great attitude. I think you got really motivated once you prayed about it. I definitely find that a higher powered day is a more on track day...
Jen, a movie date, wow!
Operator, hang in there!! A new MF'er? The DD or the X?

It's my BF's birthday month and we have a lot of celebrations but I am just walking through it. I know some days I can't just have one L&G so I am planning for it. It is all good. We went dancing last night and I gave him one of his birthday presents. Tomorrow is the planetarium. Should be fun!

I'm just ignoring these 230s and waiting for them to pass... for me to pass them and go on to the next decade... slow but sure.

Thanks for being the loving non-judgmental group you are, its great to know I can come here and post...

Today's 4 weeks on MF and I'm down 14 pounds!! (I was hoping for more, but I'll take it!) I have to make myself understand that it's going to take time. I am going back to exercise now that my MD has approved it. That should help. My big challenge is going to be vacay at the Jersey Shore in 3 weeks. Too many temptations on the boardwalk!! I'll just have to stay strong. History has shown me that if I give in and cheat just because I'm on vacation, I won't go back OP. Can't do that!! I'll just schlep all my products with me and be satisfied to be off from nursing school for 3 weeks. Have a great weekend, everyone!