Faerie- yes, I am blessed to have free time. I only work 30 hrs per week. I get up everyday at 5:30 and start my workout. I usually can't keep my eyes open after 9:15pm, LOL! I haven't always been like this though, it's taken years of changing my lifestyle to get there and I've still got a ways to go!

Mod- I understand about the injuries keeping you from activities. I feel so blessed that I'm able to do all that I am. My mom was stricken with MS at 49 and hasn't been able to do much over the past 13 yrs. I guess I always think to myself "I'd better do as much as I can while I'm able." I'll admit, it's a lot easier to do stuff minus the 33 lbs! ;)

Manick- Those pics are beautiful! You sound so happy. You make me want to go dig my wedding pics out, but I woke up bawling that day and I just wanted to RUN!!! I got some serious cold feet! I had been single too long and was petrified of the possibility of someone running my life! :dizzy:

Katie- good job on passing up all of those desserts! That's an awful lot of temptation. I don't know if I could've done that!

Lizzy- Thank you :^: I did some not-so-fun activity after work today. I mulched around all of our trees. The ATV helped so that I didn't have to carry the bags far - just cut the bag open, empty and rake ;) I remember my girlfriend warning me before we bought our place in the country. She said, "Now you'll have less time for riding and more time consuming property owner tasks." Man, she was right!

No fun stuff to report here tonite. With HB gone I'll probably hang out on the computer after chores are done unless I can find something interesting on TV. Isn't "Dancing with the Stars" on on Mondays??? We don't watch much TV around here :p HB usually watches M.A.S.H reruns. We use to watch The Biggest Loser religiously though. ;)

Manick - Just saw those wedding pictures... GORGEOUS! It looked like such a fun and beautiful affair!

Kim - I don't watch much TV either. Mostly because I don't have cable. I watch everything I like on the Network websites. (Heroes, Lost.. Oh wait... that's pretty much it! :lol:)

Suite - Just giving you a :wave: Haven't seen you here in a few. Things must be busy! Actually, I was listening to radio on pandora.com and the decemberists came on and I thought of you! ^^

Yeah, I was thinking it's been awhile since Jaime's been around. Hey, SuiteJudy, where are ya??

Well, I'm back from my dinner and all went well, except now i'm still hungry. I should go to bed but I'm not that tired...computer is very slow, too.

good night, girls!

Katie: Awesome job on avoiding the sweets! You are definitely stronger than me, if I saw a huge table of cookies and brownies, I would probably eat at least 1. My apartment office always has fresh baked cookies right outside of the gym...it is so annoying!

Manick: I definitely recommend LOST as well! My roommate and I started watching it during the 3rd season, so we watched seasons 1 and 2 in about 3 weeks! It was during summer, so we seriously would watch the DVD's for hours at a time...well worth it now!

Paint: I like The Biggest Loser too. I recommend "Work out". It is a show on Bravo, it's on Tuesday nights at 10pm. It is about a gym and they have this thing called The Skylab program, where they train obese people into shape and teach them healthy eating habits and they go through counseling and stuff. It really focuses a lot more on the actual journey and not just the weight loss. They show re-reruns all day Tuesday leading up to the new episode.

~~Not much going on with me. We found an apartment!! yay! It has two master bedrooms with their own bathrooms, which is perfect for my roommate and I since we both have boyfriends and like to be semi-private. IT also has a washer and dryer in it which is awesome because we always have to lug our laundry everywhere! It is about 100 dollars more for me than what I am paying right now, but it should be fine. I am stoked!

Besides that, I am just doing finals. I have a test tomorrow, and an 8 page paper due Wednesday night that I haven't even started yet. Then I have a 3 page paper and another test of Friday and then I am DONE!!! YAY!!! Getting pretty excited for family and graduation!

Oh and I have been getting a lot of movement in! I work out in the mornings and then do swimming (labs and water aerobics) at night, because it has been 100 degrees over here the last 5 days!

That's it for me, back to the studying...

Lizzy - :wave:

Vday - Yay! Congrats on finding an apartment! *whew* I'm sure that takes a load off. And WTG on getting the movement in! That is a lot! :D

I asked this question elsewhere, but I respect everyone's opinions around here :hug:

Maybe some of you lovely ladies would be willing to help me out as well. How does one go about picking a Justice? :lol: I have a short list. I'm just not sure if there are good questions to ask these people.

Faerie -- I can't say for sure, but I remember my brother and sister in law saying they just "had a feeling" about the person they picked.

vday -- congrats on the apt! It sounds great!!

well, I just ate a breakfast of an egg, english muffin and a side of broccoli -- trying to get those veggies in!! gotta start early in the day!

planning on another long bike ride, and I think I'll bring my gym clothes and stop at the gym for a weight session. and, my mom's in town so I think I'll be seeing her later today...

Have a good day everyone! And Jaime, wherever you are -- :wave:

Good Morning Ladies :)

Lots of things to do this morning before my canasta guest arrive. Have to go and vote,for 3 overrides on the High School,Fire Dept.and Water Dept. and 2 selectmen for our town.

After that I have to get ready before my canasta guest arrive. Going to serve low calories snacks.The ones that come in the 100 cal pack [Ritz mini cheese crackers & mini Oreo s]Oat bran pretzels and of course cashews.
For drinks I have Dry diet orange soda that always refreshing.

See you gals later,have a great day

Hugs :) BB

Hey All-

I decided to own up today. In reality, I was at one point past my goal. I changed my ticker to reflect that. I also added a second ticker for where I'm at now. I need to re-commit and this is my way of doing it. Sort of owning up to the world where I'm really at! I really would like to get back down to 157 or so, but I would be happy with 162. I just want to be able to wear some of the nicer clothes in a slightly smaller size that I bought that are kind of tight right now. I also realized I need to plan. Not just while losing, but also while maintaining. I can't stay in dream-world here where "I'm just fine without planning" because obviously I am not !

Oh and I did not make the meeting last night, but I did go to the gym. DH and I decided on a gym schedule - MWF and Saturdays if we can. I think I'm going to try to go to meetings on Saturday or Sunday mornings. I've been to those here before and I like the leader, so I just have to get up early enough to go to one :)

Faerie - I didn't fly until I was 23 years old! I was really scared though and I had to fly for work. Luckily someone else had to go as well and sat next to me and explained all the noises, etc. It made me feel much better. I'm very grateful for that!

I don't think deciding to not live with your fiance is weird. I told DH I wouldn't live with him until we got married. But then I got a job about 2 hours away from where I was. We weren't engaged at the time, but we had been together for 4 years at that point and he had bought the engagement ring (I picked it out). So I asked him to move with me when I moved. I don't regret it at all now. After the first 6-8 months of being together, we saw each other every single day. I would not have been happy if I was only able to see him on weekends for over a year! We got engaged about 3 weeks after we moved, and married a little over a year later.

As for justices, we would meet with them and get a feel for their demeanor, etc. We would also go over what type of ceremony they normally do, what we wanted, and any other details that were necessary. I will have to post one of my wedding pictures one of these days... Our wedding was VERY casual, but we didn't necessarily want the ceremony to be super short or anything, and we wanted it to reflect who we were. She did a very good job with that.

Paint - I don't think there's ever been anything on TV on a Tuesday night that I've been interested in! I get very upset sometimes about my injuries but there isn't much I can do about them besides doing my physical therapy exercises. I'm glad that I can walk and jog again. At one point I could not jog and could only walk 1 block before I limped badly and was in pain. I miss hockey, but I enjoy watching it so that at least helps. Besides, once I was out of college it was really hard to find people and a place to play anyway, so my activity for that sport was greatly lowered for a long time before my injuries. I *really* miss aikido though. Like... really miss it. I hope to go back one day, but it probably won't be for a few years. Now that DH and I are TTC, I won't put any extra risk on myself on top of all of the other medical issues I have (the leukemia being the biggest one).

vday - Congrats on being almost done! Do you have a job lined up after graduation? What is your major?

lizzy - :barf: As much as I love broccoli... I could never eat it first thing in the morning!!!! :lol:

BB - I've never played canasta! I do love cribbage though and it is very hard to find people who know how to play.

Just wanted to say hello everyone! I haven't made it into this forum in a while, and I'm sorry to say I've completely lost track of where everyone is right now. (we talk a lot, don't we?!:) )

Anyway, I had a terrible bout with food poisoning this weekend, and I'm just now getting over it. I spent all of saturday (which was beautiful and would have been perfect for hiking) hooked to an IV at the hospital and yesterday I left work early to try to get better. I'm feeling much better today, but I don't recommend ecoli for a quick fix to lose ~5lbs. It's not worth it!:p

I'll be out of town this weekend, but I wanted to pop in and say hello at least. Hope you're all doing great!

aerogirl-that sounds like an awful way to spend any day. I do hope you never have to go through that again. Hope your weekend is fun filled :D

modkitten: That's great about this thread, makes you see things you might be able to avoid if you didn't have so many great people cheering you on, that getting healthy is the right thing to do, even if it means owning up to that fact, to all of you. Good for you, getting yourself back to where you want to be. :hug:

BB: hope you had a great day, sounds like fun

lizzy: all that bike riding, Good for you, I do plan to get a bike, just need to lose a bit more booty, first. {too self conscience to get it yet} Hope you have a great visit with your Mom :hug:

Faerie: I think you will know when you meet her/him if they are the right person for the job.

Manick: Your pictures are just beautiful, looks like you had a wonderful day, you both look so happy. Good Luck with your struggles this week too ;)

vday: WTG on finding your apartment, sounds great, and the washer and dryer, that awesome. Happy that your week is going better too, good luck on all your school stuff.

Paint: Your horse looks so sweet and you both look very happy and pleased with yourselves on your mushroom bounty. Sounds like all your fun, is actually alot of cardio. :D I'm with you, who wants to be stuck inside, on a beautiful day, when the sunshine is calling. :flow2:

Katie: Sounds like I hear some bells in your future!! Happy for you both :D

Suite: Hope everythings okay, I'm sure you are just super busy. :wave:

----
Well happy to say, nothing new to report, everything is good. Hope everyone is having a great one too. :carrot:

Hiya kids!

Thanks Paint, have to say, I AM happy and I feel very, very blessed! I'd LOVE to see any and all wedding pics! So much fun to share all that joy :D My pre-wedding freak out came when I sold my little condo. I was 30 when I bought my first little home, and 39 when I got married. Independent and strong for a lot of years! DH and I bought a house together in August and THAT totally gave me the feeling of impending "control by another" :lol: It was just a REALLY big, brave step for me even though we communicated well and chose something we both liked, I was really having to share on a deep level in areas that I had previously had total autonomy over. In any case it worked out OK, as by the time the wedding rolled around in December I was ready for company in my (oops "our" ;)) lonely new house. :)

Mod thanks for the LOST tip! DH fired up season one again last night on his laptop! I'm going to see if those episodes can hook me too.:corn: Haven't been watching any regular show now that the Biggest Loser is off. Just an occasional house show or food shows...I need some DRAMA! Good for you for getting serious again, I am sure it will be worth it! Cribbage is very popular in our house BTW :D and you can play online at yahoo games too!


Faerie Indeed it was! We didn't really do any weddingy stuff (well, aside from the actual wedding and big a** dress and tux and all that :lol:) DH is introverted and does not like to be noticed and it was a monumental thing for him to dance in front of people, but I convinced him that if the bride and groom did not start the dancing, no one else would feel comfortable either so he stepped up. He was wonderful! :love: We really just wanted a big old fashioned party to share our love with all our friends and families who'd supported us over so many years and NY Eve seemed like the perfect opportunity! (And, of course the focus was slightly less centered on us that way too, for DH's comfort) Got several of those cheap NY hat kits ands noise makers and confetti and balloons and RANG in the new year! We both have lots of friends who sing so we had a sort of "talent" show during dinner which turned out to be great fun too! I was sad that we couldn't fit more people, but I really wanted to use the hall next door to my church so people weren't out driving on NY eve and it had a cut off point. We figured lots of people would be out of town and that should have limited the response rate but we were WRONG. :dizzy:

I am SURE your wedding will be perfect for you and the finance as well!:val2:

As for the justice, not exactly sure, but you want someone who will do what you want, respect your traditions and needs (agree to not use any words or higher powers or etc., that you don't want in your ceremony) and be articulate, not stammering or having weird pauses and not use the wrong names or etc :o I bet you will pick up vibes just from talking with them and hopefully "click" with whoever feels right. Are you meeting with a few to decide? Just like interviewing for anything, go with your gut, I am sure it will be right. I think most JP's who do weddings are pretty competent. It is only in the movies that you see those country bumpkin cringe stories of the local JP who makes a mockery of the affair. ;)

Vday the apartment sounds great! Yay! :yay: It IS nice to have a washer/dryer finally IN your place, TOTALLY worth it! Hopefully this one won't have any of those gym-oglers either! :eek:

Hi Areo nice to see you again :D Glad you are feeling better! Yikes, that does not sound fun!

Shrink good job on the biking, I predict more "shrinking" if you keep that up! :bike:

BB have fun today!:yes:

Suite and Instiches and Kel :goodvibes hope things are going OK for you today.

See ya all later! Off to go get an allergy shot (ugh :p) and to work!

Edit: Instiches, we were posting at the same time too, thanks! :hug:

So far I've had a great day and have been on plan! I'm going to a movie tonight (Iron Man) and hope to avoid the call of the popcorn. Luckily I am going with a friend, her husband, and their 4 kids. They won't allow their kids to have popcorn (they bring healthy snacks instead) so I would feel horrible eating it in front of them, which is what I think is going to keep me from buying any even if I do feel like giving in.

aero - That sounds horrible! I'm glad you are feeling better and I hope you keep feeling that way. That is not a fun way to spend your weekend!

Institches - :wave: I'm glad you are having a good day!

Manick - I have to wait until I am at home to see your pictures too! They block email and picture sites at work. I hope you like LOST, I am obsessed!

Hello everyone!

I am worried about Jaime. Where for art thou, Jaime????? Come out, come out wherever you are! We miss you!

Mod: Good luck on the junk food reserve at the movies tonite. Movies for me were always a free-for-all with as much candy and popcorn as I could muster up!

Faerie: I'm clueless on how to pick a Justice :?: We went to Vegas and got married. Everything was set up for us and was perfect! :D

Manick: you totally understand where I'm coming from! I still get the "mine" and our's" mixed up! And I confess, I am always trying to safeguard myself for the future. I guess I don't want to become so independent that if something happens I couldn't take care of myself. I'm sure that sounds selfish and scary to others, but my dad raised me to "never become dependent on a man." My parent's gleeful bliss ended after 19 years. I try really hard not to kid myself that things happen. I hope that doesn't make me sound like a horrible person - just gun-shy of the whole marital bliss forever and ever thing. I truly hope it does happen, but I guess I'm trying to be realistic :?::?: Another sign of my age, I suppose. :o I envy you and hb extreme happiness. I think it's wonderful! :hug:

Institches: Thank you! I actually found a pic of me riding last year at this time. I couldn't believe the difference! I wish I knew how to make them into a side-by-side comparison. It's unreal the changes you can see even with a jacket on!

BB: Have fun with your Canasta Party!

:wave: to everyone else.

************************************************** *******

Not much new to report here. Busy day at work. I'm not sure what's on my agenda for tonite. I should ride since it's beautiful out, but I'm probably going to ride tomorrow, Thursday and all weekend, so I have to find some other form of entertainment while DH is gone. This is usually when I end up on the computer all night! :dizzy: Bad girl! That doesn't burn calories! :o

About the Justice : I think everyone is right. I'll just have to talk to a few and find someone who fits with the chemistry. :yes:

Manick - I love how you had your wedding NY Eve! :love: That's the sort of wedding I'd have a great time at.

Aero - Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well!!! I hope you feel better soon :hug: :hug: :hug: Take care of yourself.

Institches - Glad things are goin' smooth!

Mod - Woohoo for OP days! Best of luck on the movie. I have yet to see Iron Man :o (Me, a superhero lover...) I've heard it's good. Hope you have fun!

Kim - :wave:

---

Just got my shots today! :carrot: (2 in each arm. Ouchie! :lol:) One more thing I get to cross off my list.

Here at work late again. Going to finish this one set of papers, go to the gym for 30 minutes and then head on out.

The usual is planned for tonight... dinner, cleaning/packing. I bet you guys can't wait until I'm finally moved. One less thing to complain about! :lol:

Have a great night everyone!!!!

hi hi everyone :) :wave:

Just a quick note, I am alive and well and whatnot! :hug: Thanks for thinking of me, I've read up on what's been going on in your lives but have had no time to post! Work's busy and DH took the at-home computer with him on a trip. Tomorrow or Thursday I will definitely come back to catch up with you all, I promise!!

Hope everyone is well! :hug:

Suite - :hug: Glad things are well :D

:wave: all

I'm beyond ticked at myself, two gains in a row. I pitched a fit like a big bratty baby today, DH was laughing at me, I needed a butt kicking, I guess. I've been struggling with cravings and just had too many "treat" days, I guess.

I've been thinking alot about some of the traffic about making your mini-goal and then stalling, and I'm thinking getting into the 150s (which I skidded out of this a.m. bleh) maybe was like that, my WW goal is 150 so I was already starting to think about not having to pay again and forgot to work the program.

So, anyway, I got out my tracker and faithfully filled it out today, have to put dinner on it, we had a big salad, it was really good. I tell you getting out the tracker for me is an eye opener, I get 22 pts and sometimes most of them are gone after lunch, if I didn't have APs and FPs I don't think I'd make it.

Well, I have to go back and do some reading, but wanted to post and make myself accountable, got to get back on the stick. I wanted to be OP until vacation (mid-June) so now I've got to get back to it.

best to all :sunny:

Keli - You know you can do this! :hug: It's a real eye-opener to see what we eat written down. So awesome job on filling it out faithfully today. If you still want a buttkicking :kickbutt: and a :hug:. One day at a time. I'm positive you can make it until your vacation week OP!

Thanks for the BK Faerie :D I'm getting ready to go out for a walk, the sun finally came out. I was going to say the same things about flying that I think Manick said, shoes you can take off easily, the ziploc baggie with travel size liquids, carry on at least a fresh pair of undergarments, in case your luggage doesn't find you right away, they've gotten much better with that. My only advice is when you check your bags make sure they are tagged for your final destination. You can go on the website for the airport that you are flying out of and find some more info. I hadn't flown in awhile, then recently had a couple trips for work and now vacation coming up. The airports and airlines have lots of info online.

Give yourself enough time to get your bags checked and find your gate, it depends on the size of your airport, sometimes an hour is enough, sometimes you need 2 hours. Like Shakespeare once said, it is better to be 3 hours too early than 1 minute too late.

Manick, beautiful pictures, you're a lovely couple.

Paint, great picture with your horsie, looks like you were exactly where you wanted to be, how great.

Stitches :wave: glad you had an uneventful time.

later ladies :sunny:

Keli - Thanks for the advice about the plane! :hug:

Heather - Please take care of yourself :hug: I'll be thinking of you until you're ready to return and chat. (Regardless of whether you're "counting" anything or not!)

---

Ack! Or is that Ache! My upper arms are all sore. I can feel it throughout the muscle. But, they told me this would happen. And it's not like I turned purple with yellow spots or something.

I haven't been tucking myself into bed early enough the past few nights. And if I don't get my sleep, unfortunately, I do not lose weight easily. My body works it through at night, and I haven't given my body the chance to do that lately. Not to mention: More sleep = Less cranky. :lol:

I'm feeling pretty positive today. I've got a good feeling that if I get my OT done today and all set that the powers that be will cancel tomorrow's.

Excited about the 5K coming up this weekend. I have to get it in on Friday (due to the moving) but I told myself "no excuses". What's that phrase? If you want it, you'll find a way, if you don't, you'll find an excuse? Something clever like that. Anyway, I've kept that in mind this week about my exercise.

Back to doing actual work.

Have a wonderful day everyone! :sunny:

Aero – yikes, that sounds like a horrible case of food poisoning!! Glad you’re feeling better!

Stitches -- :wave:

Mod – how’s you like Ironman? Not really my kind of movie but I saw it anyway…meh. I hope you were able to resist the popcorn!! And FYI, I’ve started watching Lost again from Season 1 online – it is so good!!

Paint – have fun riding all weekend, that sounds great! Hope the weather cooperates.

Faerie – yeah, shots aren’t really the most fun, huh? As for the cleaning/packing, please don’t apologize – you’re kicking my butt into action!

Jaime – hey!!!

Kel – Ooh, I so know what you mean about stalling once you get close to goal – once I got to 135, I just stayed there and bounced around 136-137. I think I have gotten a bit too comfy! Let’s get rid of those last 10, we can do it! You know, I really think that with target points so low as 20/day, it is absolutely necessary to get and eat those APs.

Heather – I hope you feel you’ve been heard on this thread. Good luck to you, too – check in anytime!



Well, as for me, I mysteriously got sick yesterday. Started throwing up and feeling dizzy, then spent the rest of the day on the couch, more or less. Most likely stress-related. My stomach has been giving me a lot of issues lately! So, I pretty much stuck to eating saltines and pretzels.

I'm planning on another bike ride today, to my therapy appt. Then, I think my mom wants to hang out...that should be great coming straight from therapy!
Also hoping to get a weight routine in -- quick stop at the gym.

S

Good Morning Ladies:)

Had a wonderful day spending time with my friends at our canasta game.They didn't eat much so I glad that I bought stuff that i can fit into my WOE.

MY DH is not feeling well at all,with all that coughing,we decided to cancel our trip to NY. It would be too much for him so we're hoping that the kids will be able to come up and see us anytime this summer.As for our Hawaii trip I'm afraid that its going to be up in the air also.

Thanks ladies we really have a wonderful time.The only thing the afternoon went by so fast that it was hard to believe that it was supper time.

MODKITTEN-My sister plays cribbage at her Fla home in the winter time. I don't know how to play but my senior center have tables of people playing the game.Don't be to hard on yourself. Four years ago I was 148 and 8 lbs from my goal. We DH took me on my first cruise and I went up 10 lbs. I didn't eat that much,but I didn't exercise because going to Mex was so hot & humid on the walking deck. Lost 5 of those pound,than 2 years later my DH took me on another cruise to Hawaii for our 40th wedding Anniversary Gained another 10 lbs to bring me up to 168. Lost 5 lb but only this Christmas to put it up again. We all have weight problem stories.Hang in there. You did great joining a gym,and now please don't miss the meeting I love mine and i wouldn't know how to survive with out it.


AEROTIGERWelcome:wave: back. I haven't bee on this there that long and its nice to meet you.So Sorry:hug: about your food poising. UGHHH!! I had food poisoning also but fortunately didn't need hospital treatment. Just antibiotics.Take care and feel better soon

Institches & Manic-:wave:Have a great day

PAINT-Don't worry maybe Jamie is just busy to post.You know this time of year they're lots of family gatherings


SUIT & HEATHER-Glad to see you posting just to let us know that all is ok.

Hugs :) BB

Gee, I've been absent for most of this thread... Scary amounts of things to catch up with! I'm starting from back on pg 4 so some of this stuff might be a little out of date....

Kim - I'm currently a bachelorette too :p DH is up at my dad's house working on their farm, doing some farm hand stuff... It's kinda lonely now! I'm sorry to hear you ran into your barn, I can imagine how mad at yourself you'd be! Congrats on taking it out on the mushrooms and not your waistline :p "Play" activity is far better than the intentional exercise you get by going to the gym or whatever... play activity is far more sustainable because you love it! There have definitely been studies showing that that kind of activity is directly correlated to being able to keep weight off long-term because you're more likely to just continue doing it and not get tired of it. I love the pic of you on your horse! Is that a mushroom you're holding? :)

Institches - WTG on that little pep-talk you gave yourself. It is easy to slip back into old habits, it takes some amazing strength to dig yourself out of them.

Sonja - Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's some kind of apathy I'm going through right now. It's pretty easy for me to exist in the 190s, even though that's still definitely 'obese' by BMI standards - it's kind of where I've been ever since high school. You and me though, both of us need to keep at it and reach our goals! Gotta aim for 'health' over 'easy.' WTG on eating those veggies with bfast - do you cook extra at night and then reheat or do you actually just cook from fresh in the mornings? How did the hunt for a new cookbook go? Sorry to hear you were sick last night :( :hug:

vday - binge monster sure is making his rounds. I started out this week thinking I'd be super strict with myself, but that's only lead to 3 more days of binging (or does that have an e in it? bingeing?). Uggh. Good luck this week. Congrats on finding an apartment, it sounds awesome!! Two master suites AND laundry! :dizzy:

Chey - glad to hear last week's FF went okay for you. That is pretty amazing that you were able to resist all that! :bravo: for knowing what your priorities are and sticking to them!

Faerie - I hear ya on those animals that give something back :p That's always been my beef with birds. They have little personalities and stuff, sure, but... Not enough. The only reason I have fish is because I don't have TV, so the fish tank works as a TV sometimes... for both me at the cats.... :lol: And heh, I'm glad to be associated with the Decemberists! :D I've never actually used pandora... hmm... I don't think it's weird either that you're not living with your fiance before marriage. I lived with mine for about three months while we were engaged, but it was more like a roommate situation as we also lived with 3 other people, and we did it for financial reasons (living at home was not an option when you're 450 miles away!). Then we spent a year living seperately and then got married. It's just how things work out sometimes, and I don't think that it is essential that you live with your fiance before marriage. You shouldn't feel weird about it at all. It will definitely make the wedding and honeymoon feel SO much more special, when you finally get to be with the person you love 24/7 :D

Mod - ugh, I hate those first months off BC, everything turned so unpredictable and unpleasant for me. I've been off for a good 6-8 months now (I don't remember) and I feel like just now are things getting regular and normal for me again. Bleh.

Beach bum - Don't you generally end up eating different numbers of points at different meals? I don't tend to try to divide mine in any particular way... Have you heard anything more about that theory since you posted? It's an interesting idea, not sure how helpful it would be. Sorry to hear you're having to cancel your upcoming trips. I hope your DH feels better soon!

Manick - hey, congrats on that skirt fitting better!! Gotta love those clothing NSVs, where there's tangible evidence of progress even when the scale doesn't love you. You sure were busy with events this past weekend, congrats on making it through all of them with your sanity intact!! Thanks for sharing your wedding photos, you guys look so happy! I love the photos of the little girls dressed up. They are just the cutest.

Katie - WTG on resisting brownies and cookies :) and that ring NSV is awesome!

aero - Sorry to hear about the food poisoning! Especially since it landed you in the hospital!! Bleh! :hug:

keli - :hug: sorry about the gain. It's pretty easy to get complacent at a certain point, isn't it? Seems like a lot of us are going through that right now. Way to go on resuming tracking, that's a great step in the right direction!!

Heather - Good luck to you too. Come back when you're ready! :hug:

As for me... The past few days have been spent roaming the streets of Overeating, U.S.A.. I feel kind of weird about it. I haven't eaten this poorly this consistently for quite a while... at least since the Fall some time when I realized I had put on 10lbs since my wedding that summer. The past three weeks have been on-and-off, like I'd splurge one day and get back on track the rest of the week, but since Sunday I've been in shovel everything into my mouth mode. I think part of it might be that DH is out of town right now - bad excuse, obviously - but I never eat like this when he's around. (We're talking dozen doughnuts bad, ladies.) I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind it. And I'd say it doesn't matter, that I should just move forward, but I think it does matter, if I ever want to escape this tendency I have to eat and eat until I'm sick. (That is literally what I've done the past three days.)

I feel like I'm in the doldrums right now. The past two WW meetings I went to were highly uninspiring. I left both times kind of upset at what was being said/focused on, felt really out of place, and was, of course, disappointed in myself for my lack of progress. I let those experiences set the tone for the week. This weekend I'm not going to a meeting as I'll be out of town, maybe I just need a break from it? Not from the plan, just the meetings? I don't know. I know for the long-term I still want to be part of the meetings, I thought about just doing it online but I don't want to totally give up on meetings. I just don't feel I've been getting a lot out of them lately.

Actually I wonder if any of you have experience with this - lately my meeting has gotten to feel a little clique-y. Like high school. My leader has a bunch of friends who come to the meeting and a lot of it just becomes a discussion between the 5 or 6 of them that show up. And they're all trying to lose 15 or so lbs, and have a different set of circumstances that I find it difficult to relate to. When these girls want to say something, they are given priority over the other members. There's another woman on top of those girls who comes off as so negative in everything she says... negative and judgemental. If you can't survive on 100 calorie packs, you're not this woman's friend. It's just so bizarre, these personalities I've started noticing... They're really bringing down the meeting experience for me. I'm thinking I'll have to find a new meeting if this keeps up. I love my leader and everything, she's really a wonderful leader, but I just want to escape the feeling that there are only a handful of people whose progress she's interested in.

Okay, I'm just rambling. Point being I'm having a tough time pulling myself out of this funk I've been in for a number of weeks. I promised myself today when I woke up that today would be different... Today is going to be normal. I'm going to be sane about what I eat. I'm going to eat a freakin' vegetable for the first time in a couple days. I am not going to beat myself up for what I've been doing the past few days, I'm going to try my best to move forward. That's the plan...

Morning gals! I stuck to the plan yesterday and did not give in to the popcorn. Actually, I had to wolf down my dinner to get to the theatre on time, so I was really full when I got there. Plus I brought seltzer to drink, so I was all set! I actually turned down the free mini-bag of Nerds they were giving out (Tuesdays are bargain nights here at the theatre and they give you a small treat with your cheaper admission). It is amazing what one OP day can do, especially when I drink all my water. I can lose a pound or two in an instant. I got on the scale this morning and was 166.8, but I refuse to change my ticker every day that I weigh now. It will only change once a week!

Last night was horrible. I have 3 cats, and one of them (Bailey) is VERY dependent. She likes sleeping on the bed with us... right in our faces. We've been trying to break her of the habit and its been going well. Every time she tries to sleep at the top of the bed, I pick her up and put her at the bottom of it. Well last night she just wouldn't stop. Eventually I kicked her out of the room, but then she cries outside the door. So I spray this citrus stuff because cats don't like the smell of it and it usually keeps her away for an hour or so. Well last night she pushed the door back open and got back in (old house, doors don't always latch). So I threw her out again and sprayed more stuff and she got in AGAIN so I was so frustrated (at this point it was 12:15 and I had been trying to sleep since 10:45) that I took my pillows to our guest room (which does lock and the bed is far enough away from teh door that if she meows I can't hear it) and slept in there. When I got up in the morning, DH told me that Bailey was really sick after I went up stairs. She was drooling, kind of foaming, shaking her legs, etc. After a 1/2 hour she was better and then they went to sleep. So I stayed home from work today and took her to the vet. Even though the spray I use is 100% natural (only natural oils from oranges, no chemicals and non-aeresol) we thought maybe if she was right outside the door when I sprayed it and inhaled too much that could have been it (even though we've been using this spray for years and have never had a problem before). The vet said it was possible, but that she definitely ingested something that made her like that. They did some bloodwork, and I should know early next week if everything is OK. Her heart and lungs were OK, but I'm going to take the rest of the day off of work and look after her anyway. I feel horrible that I might have hurt her by spraying that stuff! The other thing I was thinking was that maybe she was really clingy last night BECAUSE she wasn't feeling well (thats happened before) and I wasn't seeing it and was just pushing her away and trying to get rid of her so I could sleep :(

Paint - Did you get to ride? I wish I had a horse. I told DH that when we buy a bigger house I want to have lots of land so that one day I can get a horse. I doubt it will ever happen though. I was the little girl who always asked for a horse (or to go to Disney World) for my birthday every year. I never got either one, but I did get to go to Disney for my honeymoon and also right after I was diagnosed. And now I can't wait to go again this fall!

Keli - :hug: You can do this, hang in there!

Heather - :hug: Please know that we will always be here for you when you decide to return. Take care of yourself!

Faerie - I didn't sign up for the 5K, but I think I'm going to try to do it anyways. I'm sure I can walk a little over a mile each day this weekend!

lizzy - I hope you are feeling better! I have IBS, so I know how annoying those weird stomach issues can be. And yes, I liked Iron Man a lot! I don't know if I would say it was better than Spiderman though (as some critics are) but Robert Downey Jr. was PERFECT for the part (I read comics growing up and am very much a tomboy thanks to being inbetween two brothers and having 3 boys for neighbors).

BB - I think for me it is so scary because I had lost weight on WW once before and gained all but ten pounds back before I got so depressed that I realized I had to do something about it. I NEVER want to be in that position again! Has your DH gone to the doctor? If he's coughing so badly that you need to cancel a trip, I would try to get him to see one if he hasn't.

Jaime - Good to have you back!

Jaime - I think we were posting at the same time! I have experienced what you are talking about. I went to meetings for 2 years the first time I lost weight, and now its been another 2 years. A lot of times I get bored because you kind of hear the same topics over and over again. Sometimes I would switch up meetings and leaders. This time around I stuck to the same meeting because I had a buddy that I went with. But then she stopped going because she went abck to school at night. And I felt the same way you did about the meetings and I switched up my meeting day and leader. What a difference! Of course then I stopped going but thats a different story all together and has to do with my laziness and not wanting to pay because I was over my goal etc etc :blah: :blah:

Suite: glad to see you're back, sorry that you are struggling, as far as your meetings, sounds like you do have alot of great issues, I find that when I don't get much from the weekly talk it does set a differant tone with me. As far as those friends and little miss negative, well... don't have a solution for you, but I do feel it's just not the right thing, does your leader have another class that would be convenent for you? I'm sure you are missing your DH, stay strong and don't let those doughnuts win. They are not your friend, {wish I could say they were yucky, but we all know they are just the opposite} :hug:

lizzy: hope you are feeling better today, hope it was just a 24hr bug you caught :hug:

Faerie: hope that your OT is over soon, and that's exciting another 5k, also see you have a perfect score on your May Challenge, That's Super Dooper:D

modkitten: you did great at the movies, WTG, sounds like you are having a great OP day, not even that popcorn smell got to you. :carrot:

Paint: hope you do get to go out and ride. ;) I also have a before picture, and when I really feeling down in the dumps, that picks me right up, and also reminds me of where I never want to be again! :?:

Manick, BB and Keli hope all is well ;)

Heather-:hug: :hug: :hug:

----
Need to get some sleeep, Have a great day :cheer3:

SUITE-Normally I have various ways I spend my points. I tried the one where you eat like a king[most points] for breakfast.Eat like a prince for lunch[med point range]and eat like a pauper for dinner [hardly any points]. It didn't work as I was VERY HUNGRY late in the evening.I like to find out myself if it a good way of working the points,by keep the points even for each meal. I'm going to ask my leader tomorrow and she what she thinks. Thanks for the well wishes.



Modernkitten-I know I don't want to gain again either once I hit my goal.I wasn't on ww at the time of the cruises I was on a low carb diet,which my leader shrugged saying ["Those Fad Diets"] My DH had lung cancer 2 years ago,but is now in remission. His oncologist told him that its the scar tissue in his lungs that causing the coughing[hacking]. The only way the body knows how to clear the lungs.They have him on Predisone and my DH doesn't want to go down to our DGC that way,and wonder whats going on with grandpa.


Hugs :) BB

Hi Flex Chicks!

I'll have to come back later for more, as I have limited time to exercise and we all know I MUST exercise :D

Heather you take care of yourself, come back when you're ready :hug:

Suite I've been exactly where you are too! Sometimes listing all the reasons why helps me...the pro and con...why do I want this...what is my real motivation....etc., and you WILL feel better in a couple days when the processed stuff gets out of your system so just take it (mentally) easy on yourself and drink lots of water Its actually good, probably, that your body feels the shock, helps us remember that we were feeling better eating right and exercising and all! As for the meetings, I got sick of going...for basically all the same reasons you list. And the classic,the lady who lost 100 lbs who was always the final word on everything, blah blah. I actually have been doing this totally online since January 18. You guys have helped TREMENDOUSLY and I can't thank you enough for the support and inspiration you've all been to me--YOU included, Suite! :hug: I know there are good meetings out there tho, and maybe trying a new one might expose you to some new people and thoughts. I also visit this site from time to time, she's the SIL of a friend of mine and always cheery. If I lived in Ohio I'd definitely go to her meetings! Her update section always has new recipes and blurbs and such.

Mod sorry about your kitty! :hug: that is an awful feeling when our fur-babies are sick. I bet she got into something else, and I know you wouldn't have knowingly done anything to hurt her!!! hope she is better soon.

I liked Iron Man too, Spidy was better IMO, I like a more fleshed out plotline, but Iron Man really was like a comic-book tale. Clipped, spare, frame by frame sort of action. Have to say tho, after reading A Thousand Splendid Suns the week before, the part with the Afghani family moved me to tears and I was squirming in my seat...very true to life for me.

Oh, and I don't know how I missed it last week but your hubby's hands-wedding tat is VERY sweet! Talk about commitment and wearing his heart on his "sleeve"! :val1:

WTG on the no snacking!

Paint You sound realistic and wise! Sorry about your mom, too! That must be tough and thank you for sharing that. :hug: I have no illusions of "forever" bliss, but we are 'working it' every day to choose happiness and peace in our home. I don't think anyone who is single for as long as it sounds like we were forgets what it is like to be on our own. We still have 3 checking acct's even. His, hers, ours. I am not willing to waste time quibbling over who spends what out of the $ pot so this way we just both fund the joint expense account and for the rest we go about our business as before. That said, I am grateful for every day we have together, cause we never know how long we have! :)

Vday I also realized, going back that your grad party with the fam probably has not happened yet, right? Just the reserved plan? Good luck with the finals!

Kel, Faerie, Shrink All three of you'se ;) hang in there! Stresses and life...all that.

Faerie it will feel so good when you are all done with that move, and just think how organized and ready you'll be come the fall! It'll be worth all the tiredness and effort. Not that I EVER want to go thru that again myself! :lol:

Shrink hope you start feeling better as the day goes on, and are able to stay calm and cool with mom there!

Institch I'm glad you are feeling better!

BB party sounds great, what fun to have good pals to hang out with!

OK ladies...speaking of that exercise....off I go...AND...I must report....


I am going to be posting a 1.5 lb loss on the weigh in thread (and that is AFTER my weekend eating fest so I consider it the equivalent of about 3 lbs lost in the amount of effort it took me to get there). I am going for it! Onderland, here I come!

Hello Ladies!

Jaime: It's good to have you back! I'm starting to get the doldrums with the whole WW thing too. I seem to be in a slump this week with my mindset, but I'm still completely OP.

Mod: That's horrible about your cat. Please keep us posted. If it's any consolation to you, my dog was up puking from 4am-6am this morning! I think it's the rawhide that she gets, but our animals sure are great practice for having kids aren't they? We worry just the same and they tend to need us like kids do also. I begged for a horse throughout my childhood also. I didn't get one either. Now I'm making up for lost time ;)

Lizzy: I hope you're feeling better today.

:wave: to everyone else

************************************************** ********

Tough morning here. I gained a pound at weigh-in. My feelings are hurt about it. It's TOM but I started on Monday, so I thought I'd be out of the woods where my weight was concerned. I know I had a big loss last week (2.4) but gosh, I was getting so close to goal. One step forward, two steps back. I am ridiculously OP all the time. I didn't shake anything up this past week, so I'm wondering if my body really does need a "Cheat Day" or something. I hate to think that I'm too regimented for nothing, you know? Nothing like a little humiliation to take that pride away. I really don't know what my problem is this week. I've lost my "chipperness" LOL! Ugh! I hate that!

I will be back to my normal self soon, I hope. ;) Maybe I just need to ride. That usually helps my mindset, but I seem to even be in the doldrums about that as well. We'll see. I'm working today so that I can take tomorrow off and ride with a friend that I haven't ridden with in over a year. Hopefully that will be the change up that my body and mindset need.

Paint-
Try a cheat...one day out of the next 7 won't hurt if you are OP, and heck, it might help! Mine apparently did!

Yep, I'm seriously considering it. I went to the grocery store today to buy light hot dogs and stuff for camping this weekend. I'm not sure how I'll work it in, but I'll give it a try.

Hey gals! Just threw up a new thread: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142953


We're flying through these!