Here's a place where we can discuss Flex and WW, as well as issues of our everyday lives. New Flexers are always welcome, so please join in, to give and get support and encouragement on your weight loss journey.

Flexers that attend meetings, At-Home Flexers, and anyone just curious about Flex are all welcome here.

We're up past that magical "100 posts" number. Just creating a new thread

Here's the link to #9 if anyone needs it: http://3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142240

My kitty is doing OK. She's been acting normal all day, and I won't be scared to leave her at home tomorrow. The vet did an exam and bloodwork, but I won't find out the results of that for a while. I'm really glad sometimes that I have pet insurance!

Oh and I'm throwing up wedding photos (8/30/03) of us with the JP and us sitting (I'm on the bottom right - I changed into jeans!) with some friends to show you how non-casual the wedding really was (yes, that is a beer box on my friend's head!). Also some kitty pictures for your viewing pleasure! Bailey is cream/white, Jinx is the torie, and Chloe is the black/gray/white.

BB - I'm sorry to hear about your DH's diagnosis, but glad to hear he is in remission. I understand now why you would not want to go.

Manick - on the loss! Yep, my kitties are my little girls. They are all a part of our family and I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of them! Posting a pic of them with this.

Paint - I'd caution you on calling it a "cheat day"! It might make you feel like you actually cheated and it wasn't something planned. I say that you should plan a day where you use a good amount of your flex points, or aim for a different number of points every day in the next week (1st day at 23, next at 27, next at 24, etc)

luvmyfam - Do you weigh every day? Maybe you need to take a break from that and start only weighing yourself once a week. That story about the egg is hilarious! Well you know, as an outsider and not the person it actually happened to

Hi all, I am new here but on ww for about 5 months.

luvmyfam-
I am addicted to my scale too but I try not to take it too seriously. I figure if I keep within my points and eat plenty of veggies I will lose. A couple of months ago I gained one lb one week and 1.4 the next. And I stayed within my points and exercised. I figured I would be the first person to gain 50 lbs in a year while on ww....Of course that didn't happen. The damn broke and I lost 7 lbs the following 2 weeks.

MANIC-Congrats on your 1.5 weight loss you'll be in onederland very very soon.


Thanks MODKITTN-Hopefully he will be ok, to go down in JUNE or JULY.

Have a great evening


Hugs BB

Awwwww Mod the kitties are very sweet looking all cozied up there together, Jinx has beautiful eyes, I love that leaf-green kitty-eye color, and you look so pretty and happy and summery in that pic! Looks like a lot of fun was had by all thanks for sharing!

Good word on the "cheat" thing too, yeah, right...negative name for it is not helpful...it is a plan of action! I needed to hear that too.

luvmyfam eeeeeeew! Kids! Mod has a good point about the scale. I know how frustrating it can be to not see some movement. I actually tried being more relaxed about hopping on the scale every day (I only do it in the AM at the same time every day) so for several days this week I did not weigh myself, but I did stay diligently on plan. Last time I did weigh in fact, it said 206.5 about 3 days ago...and today, the official day, 203.5! I was not expecting that. Not saying one way is better than the other, but if the mental stress from the scale is getting to you, allow yourself to take a break from that, if you know you are OP. These women are wise here, their advice has helped me!

philadelphiab Yep, what you said!

BB Thanks! I'm feeling mighty positive today, but I know my down days might come. Just trying to stay on plan.

PS, from Talk#9 Suite thanks for the kind words about the girls, my darling nieces! I thought they were so cute too. I wanted them to have very elegant, grown-up dresses so I really looked hard and their mom made the little black satin shrugs to go with them. (Mine too actually, out of the material from the shawl that came with my dress.) They had been waiting their whole little lives to finally be in a wedding! I am their only auntie and nobody else had ever asked them. They had a ball. Your little one was darling too, and the giant mega zucchini cracked me up! Hope you have a nice reunion with DH when he comes home.

Suite, I was struggling with the "here's my opportunity to eat whatever I want" while DH was away this weekend, too. It's not like he tells me I can't eat this or that, just some weird mindset thing, I guess. Also, as far as the meetings, I'd try going to different ones, we have a center that has a meeting every night and sat. a.m. I like Sat. but with the summer it's hard to get there, I'm going to try the Tues. night nearby. I've been through the meeting that's not "meeting" my needs, it's part of the reason you're struggling, no doubt about it, find a different one, don't let it poison the success you've had so far. You can manage if you have a not so great leader and have a good group, but if you have neither you need to find a different night (diff. group) or different leader.

I will be up front about tracking. I started yesterday, didn't do dinner or today, but after reading the support/advice/encouragement from ev1, I'm going to fill it out and salvage this week while it's still young.

Mod, nice photos, I'll have to scan in a couple wedding ones, I can't find any on here at the moment, I know there's got to be one on here. Glad your kittie's better.

ev1, thanks again for the support and encouragement.

Hey gals! I had a great day yesterday. I stayed home to watch the kitty, and she's all good. I'm very happy and relieved! Well DH and I did some more work to our patio (we are digging out the old one that was just white rock and dirt and putting down gravel, stone dust, and patio stones). I could not believe what we found there. Apparently in the "old days" (according to my neighbor) when there was no garbage pickup, people would have this thing in their back yard. It was just a metal cylinder that went about 8ft into the ground and had a cap. Well you would open it up and pour your trash in there and set it on fire. And the people who owned the house before us even built a stone wall for this patio but didn't bother taking this thing out - crazy! They just filled the top part of it with cement So it took us a while to dig it out and it was heavy, but its out! We also discovered we are done digging the dirt out of the patio, which is good because the gravel and stone dust get delivered today. We're going to be working on it all weekend. Lots of movement for me this weekend!

Oh and I stuck to my plan yesterday and feel fabulous about it! I've also been very cold the past couple of days, which for me is a sure sign that I'm on plan and doing things right. Burning all those calories so there is no energy left to keep my hands and feet warm

philly -

BB - June and July are not far away. I still have to wait until September for my vacation. Its going to be hard making it through the summer! I feel like I need a vacation now

Manick - Yep, I have learned never to use the word "cheat"! I never say "I cheated", I will say that I made decisions that were not good or that I had a planned day with higher points.

keli and suite - I do too when DH is not around sometimes - eat more, I mean. Maybe it is because we know we are all alone and if we don't eat it in front of them... well how will they now? Sometimes that is how it is for me. DH is my support system. When I make poor choices when he is not around, I think it is specifically that he is not around to say "Did you really plan those 6 donuts into your day????"

luvmyfam - Good for you, pledging to put away that scale for a while those little numbers sure can drive you crazy. That mess in the van sounds... well... messy and gross! I hope it all got cleaned out well enough that your van doesn't smell forever. DH threw up in my truck once (interesting story, that!), it took a couple weeks for it to stop smelling of the dinner he ate whenever I got in....

mod - Glad your kitten is better. Maybe that citrus stuff just made her feel a little queasy, like you know how unpleasant smells can make our tummys turn a little? Let us know how the bloodwork turns out. You have beautiful cats, I love torti cats but I've never had one. I think they are gorgeous. I also really like your wedding dress! Very cute That big metal cylinder in your back yard is bizarre! I never heard of that. I bet that took a lot to get out... Good luck & have fun with your patio project this weekend.

philadelphia & BB -

Manick - That was my neice, too - She was almost 3 years old and she did SUCH a good job for being so young... She really got a kick out of it, I think. As for the giant zucchini.... er... I never got the whole story behind that, though I'm pretty sure I know who it was When we got to the reception it was just sitting on DH's chair.... Thinking about it still cracks me up.

keli - It's interesting that a couple of us are saying the same things about using our DHs as controls on our eating... whether they realize it or not. (I think mine does.) I think I will try going to a different meeting, though with the same leader... Maybe that will weed out the problem people. We'll see. Can't make it to a meeting this weekend anyway so I'll try it next week. I can't wait til you find some wedding photos to share


I will have very sporadic access to 3FC starting after work today... I'm taking off tonight to get an early start on my long weekend! I'm headed up to Maryland to stay at my sister's house for a while. She's graduating from law school tomorrow so we'll be going to that, then she's having a housewarming party on Saturday. On top of all this, my mother is coming in from Colorado tonight for the graduation and I haven't seen her in... two years I think? Maybe just a year and a half? Anyway, it's actually a mystery as to whether I'll see her or not, we won't really know til she walks off the plane. (Last time she was supposed to visit she had plane tickets and everything but then just didn't get on the plane.) I have mixed feelings about seeing her again... A lot of our relationship is kind of a facade, sadly. We'll see. We're trying to work things out, though because of how both of us operate, we're trying to appear as if we're not working things out while we simultaneously work things out. Anyway, it's weird, and I'm not sure how the weekend's going to go... but hopefully it will be fun

Anybody see the new Indiana Jones yet? I am DEFINITELY going this weekend, I am so excited for it. I haven't read a single review, I don't care if people think it's terrible, I've been waiting for this for ages! I did hear on the radio this morning that they tried to keep the feel of it authentic, so it's hard to tell that 18 years have passed... They kept computer animation to a minimum, used puppets and whatnot like in the old days... Basically did everything they should have done to the Star Wars prequels to keep them in line with the originals. I am so excited to see it, and I don't get excited over movies very easily....

Okay, well ladies, off I go.... Have a good day everyone!

Luv – that is pretty nasty about the egg. Kids are fun, aren’t they??

Mod – oh poor kitty! I hope everything turns out ok. My avatar is my little baby girl, Piper (named so because a plumber found her stuck in a pipe). I never thought I was a cat person, but turns out I love them! Wow – just read your next post – that patio project sounds intense!! What a great way to get some activity in – I love when it just works its way in organically.

Phila --

Beach – hope your canasta party went well!

Manick – hi!
Kel -- I’m getting back on track with you, girl. Today was my weigh in, so a start to a new week.
Jaime – ugh that is a bummer about the meetings. I have been doing WW online only, so can’t exactly relate. But I definitely know that feeling in other places, and gosh, it hits hard and strikes deep. Definitely not something I’d want to deal with in a WW meeting! As far as the rest of your struggles, all I can say is that I have been there, we all have. My most recent bout with the binge monster felt different, though, I think because I allowed it to happen and just tried to be mindful about it. To notice that when things get really hard for me emotionally, I go to food, and while I know in my head that the food won’t fix the real problem, it does make me feel better temporarily. So, fine, I use it, and I think I know what I’m doing. Eventually, I was just able to move on – some of the stressors in my life went away (ending internship and the semester), so I didn’t need the food so much anymore. I guess I spent a lot of years knowing that I was abusing food, using it to fill holes that can’t be filled by food, and then getting really angry and frustrated with myself for this maladaptive behavior. This time, I allowed myself the maladaptive behavior. I think it helped. Either way, whatever you do, don’t stop posting! I’ll miss you way too much!!

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Well, I weighed in today and dropped down to 135 -- 3 lbs down from last week!! This is most likely because of dehydration -- I drank last night and John and I ended up ordering pizza, so I'm not feeling so great about that. BUT, I am ready to see 134 so I want to keep OP this week! I have an event tonight that will include hors d'vours (sp?) and cocktails, and I'm going for it (how often to I get to be catered to??) but I think there will be lots of crudites and fruits to munch, too, so I'll try to stick with that. Other than that, I'm planning to clean the kitchen and my office today, and get to the gym.

Have a good day, all!

Hey Jaime we posted at the same time -- good luck with your mother. I just had a visit with mine. Now that I have started therapy, I have all sorts of questions about her, and it's been kind of weird but we're having some good conversation with each other as a result. I hope you and your mom can have some honest talks with each other -- or, do whatever works best for you! HAPPY GRADUATION!!

Morning Flexies!

Mod, interesting, I am the same way with regard to being cold--freezing cold hands and feet and 'buns' when I am totally OP. Exercise really warms me up so it is good motivation (sort of) to do it in the morning. Or...ya know, burrow under a pile of blankets instead But, the last 3 weeks I have kicked myself out of bed and gotten to it. It will be worth it!

Here on the west coast you'll find those ground garbage containers still, around older homes and apartment buildings. Portland is a very hip, urban center and most structures have been re-modeled or turned into condos, but some neighborhoods still have the original features intact. Sometimes they have a flip-open metal lid. At my old condo (a 1940's building) they were just open holes still with the linings intact, so we filled them up with plants so we wouldn't fall in! Dangerous without covers! Good work on digging that sucker up...sounds very hard.

Suite Have a great time! I hope it goes well however it turns out...sounds like you are up for the challenge. Glad you will have your hubby and sister for support! Hope you can relax and enjoy!

LOL AGAIN to the giant zucchini... and the..."er"

We are also seeing Indiana Jones this weekend....I don't think I realized till just now it is opening weekend...we'll have to go get tickets ahead of time. DH is just as big a fan! The rest of the weekend we will be planting-the garden-finally! and 3 flats of impatients along the walkway in front, and tomatoes, basil and geraniums. IF I get all my work done and I don't have to go in over the weekend-ugh.

Shrink I'm really impressed with you! Sounds like you are really working to figure things out and make some connections and long term changes! Good for you! Keep up the good work, and those 3 lbs gone will be gone forever! Enjoy your event tonight!

Kel Good resolve!! Back OP, stay strong, you can do it! It feels really empowering

BB Hi, hope your day is going well!

Chey you around? Miss your humorous tales

Faerie the wonder woman of welcome! I see you all over these boards! I hope the move goes as smooth as possible and you can get some well deserved REST! At least from all that stuff! Hang in there this weekend, drink your water and stay cool

My update? Gotta go exercise, not very excited about it today, feeling sore and old. 204 today, I will NOT obsess, I will NOT obsess, I will NOT obsess! (merely an interesting, passing factoid) Was totally OP yesterday so it is just phantom whatever...the movements of the body. I have 5 days till TOM so if I can control my PMS eating this time it could really be OK. I hope to plan, plan, plan, and have lots of appropriate food ready to go. And I am going to try making the black bean brownies, worth a try, any of you made them? It is COLD and rainy here today, 50* currently and last weekend it was 98* and I know I will feel better when the sun comes out on the weekend, and maybe, even today after some movement. Off I go!

Have an OP day!

Ok, I vow to take my own advice from yesterday and stay OFF the scale until next Wednesday! If I am on plan, and doing my exercise it doesn't matter WHAT it says! Right?

Happy almost weekend, peeps!

Hi Ladies

Didn't have a chance to get onto the thread until now.

Went to my WW meeting and I went up 1.2 lbs. this week. I can't figure why as I watched carefully not to add any extra sodium to my diet,but the scale was still unkind to me. My leader look over my tracker and can't understand why I'm not losing. She said it might be a medical problem, or medicine that I taking.

One of the ladies that I made friends with told me to try to eat more than my target point of 20[1000 cal] she told me that happened to her,& once she started to add more points back she started to lose again. She asked my leader if that could be possible and the answer,she wasn't sure but it worth a try.So I'm adding 5 extra points daily to my menu this week. 25pts=1250cal]

Other than my weight Leo has to go to a Pulmonary Disease Doctor for this coughing & hacking.He might have to use an inhaler,to open up his air passages.


MANICK-Positive thinking is what we learned at WW today. She told us to take out week 3 booklets out and read it. I found out that I'm a very negative person,so maybe thats the reason I'm failing to lose.According to the booklet I have to ""manage my thoughts.""by positive self talking.Have to work on that.Had a good day until I got on the scale.Boy can't believe how that stupid little thing can change how you feel & think.STAY OFF OF THAT SCALE,WHEN YOU DO EVERY RIGHT YOU DON'T NEED THAT SCALE TO UPSET YOU.Going to take your advice.


MODKITTEN-I know that days are rapidly going by,but before you know it Sept will be around the corner also.Happy to hear your kitty is better,now you can relax and not worry anymore.

SUITE-Have a wonderful time at the graduation and being with your family. I forgot to ask my leader about the even amount of points for each meal. I got hung up in what i reported above.


SHRINK-I very very lucky to have such wonderful fiends like I do, we all had a great time laughing and playing cards at the same time.


Hugs BB

Just a quick checking in

Suite, best of luck with Grad and all the other stuff. Hope all goes well.

Manick, love reading your posts

best to all staying OP