hi everyone!! just saying hi. back on the way DOWNWARD and i mean that in a good weigh.

somewhat in a rush, just saying keep up the good work everyone!

hahaha freudian slip? meant that in a good WAY not weigh... but that same thing i guess in this context

Well, well, well. Looks like I don't quite have the hang of it yet! I see we have a new chat thread so I'll post my old reply in here. First, a response to some of the new stuff I read on the past few pages of this one!

Jet - I have arm jiggle too. BIG TIME. It drives me crazy but, hey, I'd rather be healthy with some jiggle than unhealthy with just fat arms. Within the last month I have started doing tricep pull downs on the weight circuit machines at the gym I go to. I'm hoping this will help. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Jamie - Congrats on the promotion!!

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Hey Chicks! I never meant to be away for so long. I had full intentions on checking on on Monday after my BBQ weekend (so you all wouldn't forget about me! ) but then I was sick on Monday and playing catch up all day yesterday at work. I worked until 11PM to get caught up! I will admit, though, that I went home to make dinner (Grilled jerked mahi mahi with couscous and grilled zucchini) and watch ****'s Kitchen. I'm hooked on Gordon Ramsay.

*breathe*

My grill weekend was great! I invited some friends over on Saturday for some Sangria (made with Splenda instead of sugar) and burgers on the grill. I also made a German potato salad. Both the burger recipe and potato salad recipe came from one of my WW cookbooks so I felt good about that. We hung out for awhile, talking and laughing and polishing off the massive vat of Sangria I made.

On Sunday, my boyfriend and I went to the gym and then lazed around the pool in the sun at our apartment complex. We later played Bocce with some friends who live in the building. It's nice to do stuff like that because I know that last summer I would not have (a) laid outside with my arms and legs exposed for others to see or (b) agreed to a game. I grilled again on Sunday night. This time it was grilled garlic and rosemary chicken with a warm roasted red pepper sauce.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand I have a lot of backreading to do.

Jamie - Thanks for explaining wogging. I think I do that from time to time. I am not in good enough shape to jog. I do my best with the ellipical and weight circuit machines. I literally laughed out loud at my desk when you mentioned buying a HPT and then getting TOM the next day. I am exactly the same way. I am on a fairly fool-proof method of BC (NuvaRing) but I convince myself that something went wrong, I fell into the 1% group and then I make my boyfriend go buy a HPT because I'm too out of gear to actually purchase it myself. He said he's going to buy stock in the First Response company.

Oh, one last thing. You live in the city where one of my favourite bands was formed. I'm sure you've heard of them.

Manick - Thanks! I love love love pugs! You might say I have an unhealthy obsession with them. The dog is not mine but I absolutely can't wait to get a pug. I keep the pug as my avatar/screen symbol (here and elsewhere) because it reminds me of my reward when I reach my goal. Some people might treat themselves with new clothes, a vacation, etc. I'm going to treat myself by finally getting a dog. A dog I can play with and chase around at that!

Rachel - That adobe soup you described sounds delicious. I may try to recreate that. I'm a foodie by nature, a chef by practice and a desk monkey by study. I love to make new things. Good for you for getting some fitness videos. I purchased a Wii online yesterday (I caved) along with Wii Fit. I'm really looking forward to turning working out into a game. I will still go to the gym with my unbelievably supportive boyfriend but we decided we will play the Wii Fit for boxing, balance and friendly competition.

Modkittn - I love TJ's until I remember that they have dark chocolate covered blueberries. I have two weaknesses in life--dark chocolate and blueberries. I incorporate both into my day, every day. However, when they come in a pair like that... haha I just have no self control. Congrats on your weight loss and good luck with your weekend of unknown food.

Chey - Hi, I'm LeeAnne. I was heartbroken to read your post about the floods in your area. It's been hard to watch it on TV so I can't imagine what it's like actually living through it. I'm glad you're not getting discouraged because my first impression of you from reading that post is that you're a strong, kick-a$$ woman! Go you!! Also, you're right. Slow and steady wins the race. We are not dieters, we are healthy lifestyle marathon runners! Winners don't start a marathon by sprinting.

I think that's enough from me for now. I hope you are all having a great day. I'm going outside now for a 20 minute lunch time walk and then coming back for a turkey wrap.

Couldn't be Dave Matthews Band, now could it?

Of course!

Lol, seems like the exercise is kicking my butt today! I wasn't feeling so hot earlier, but my husband convinced me that I needed to exercise. Two days in a row is a record for me, but three, is just crazy. I only ended up doing about 13 minutes and then my legs were like "no that's enough for us!". I was so tired this morning, ended up taking about a 2 hr nap just so I didn't pass out while doing something critical, like driving. Now just have to tally up my points and all is well with the world.

Suite: Ewww! Spiders! OMG I freaking hate them, scare the crap out of me! I saw one that big before, ran right away. You are much braver than me, sounds like something my husband does with roaches. But the two manly men making those comments is rather funny. Congrats on the promotion at work!

BB: Congrats on the 3lb weight loss! That is amazing!

LeeAnn: Your food sounds amazing. Is the mahi mahi recipe a WW one? Did you post it in the forums? It sounds yummy. Gordon Ramsay is entertaining and a good cook as well. Have you ever been to the ukfood.tv website? That has a bunch of recipes from him as well as other british chefs. Your other recipes sound good too.

Evenin' ladies!

I'm gonna try my darndest to catch up!

LG- I'm in the same boat as you are...exercise is kicking my butt this week. I did just find out from the chiro that I had whiplash after falling off of my horse Memorial weekend. I just went to the chiro for the first time since the accident this Monday. She wasn't happy with me. I'm hoping that the adjustment Monday and today was just what I needed to feel better during my exercise.

SS- your grill weekend sounds marvy. You're making me hungry I should probably invest in a WW cookbook. Maybe I'd actually try to cook every now and then!

BB- 3 lbs!!! Excellent!!!!

Jaime- a typical camping day for me is as follows:
B- 1pt Smart Portion muffins (2) or a Fiber One Bar
S- Apple
L- PB sandwich, chips or crackers (100 cal pack), cookies (100 cal pack)
S- WW yogurt w/Fiber One cereal in it
D- Turkey Cheddar Brat, chips (ff Pringles) or light chips of some sort, Hostess 100 cal chocolate cakes or a Smore if I have enough pts.

I really struggle with the veggies when I'm camping. I may start taking carrots and celery sticks. The last time we camped, we made stew over the campfire for dinner. It was yummy!

Everyone else:

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Weighed in this morning. 1.4 up I'm getting frustrated with the whole 2 steps forward, 1 step back scenerio. Last week I lost 3 lbs only to put 1/2 of that back on with TOM this week Last month it took three weeks to lose after my 1lb TOM gain!

Had an okay day of riding. I stayed on top of my horse, so that's always a good thing.

I did some jogging on the treadmill this morning trying to defeat the TOM gain. I don't jog well. I was jogging at 5mph. DH said it looked like I was fighting the treadmill belt - actually pushing against it. So I pumped the speed up to 6mph and that felt great! Of course, I only last a minute and my legs were rubbery afterwards, but I'm going to try little intervals of that more often now. Something has got to help me with these few more lbs before maintenance.

I am pooped. I think I'll hit the hay. Nighty night y'all.

Hi everyone!!! I've missed you!

Heather - Wow, congratulations! That's an excellent loss.

Paint - Apparently interval training, pushing yourself harder for a minute or two and then going back to a pace you're comfortable with, is a really good workout. I've always wanted to jog... maybe this summer I ought to start!

Sunshower - I quite like Gordon Ramsay too. In England we have a show called Top Gear which is my absolute favourite program on TV for a multitude of reasons (mainly because I think it's the only show I can watch with a stupid grin on my face for the whole 60 minutes), but Gordon Ramsay was on the show driving the Reasonably Priced Car that they put celebrities into to send them around their racetrack. It's quite funny, or at least I think so, but then again, as I said, it's my favourite show. You should look up "Gordon Ramsay Top Gear" on Youtube. I'm sure you'll get it! Nice to meet you, btw... I don't think we've met before!

Suite - Congratulations on your promotion! That is SO fantastic! I hate spiders too. My tactic for getting rid of them usually involves the vacuum cleaner. You saved the spider's life... I would be freaking out so much that I don't think I'd be able to contemplate that!

to everyone else I missed!! Hope you are all doing well!

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Germany and Spain were great! We cooked for ourselves but ended up eating a lot of stuff on the run and people in both countries seem to be exceptionally fond of baked goods. I think I put on about 3 pounds, but can't tell at the moment as TOM is here and my weight always jumps around. That, and I don't really trust my mom's scale, so we'll see how that goes. It seems like so long ago already as the last six days have been even more of a whirlwind trying to get my stuff packed up back in England and coming home.

I got home yesterday to news that one of my miniature geldings is lame or thought to be getting sick - I have had him for more than four years and he has never limped a step that I've seen, and he doesn't seem to be limping now, but for the first time last night he was trying to get away from me when I was petting him and saying hello. This is not like him - firstly, he's a pig and expects everyone to have treats, and second, he has not done this to me since we first got him and he was kind of skittish. I'm pretty worried about him. He's not the one that usually needs attention, it's Leo with the hoof problems so it's really weird that Mo is acting funny. I really hope he hasn't foundered. I know for a fact that because it's "convenient" (since I am away at university and not here to help) that they are sometimes left in the rich grass far too long and it's really green because we've had so much rain. Paint might be the only one who understands this whole paragraph, lol, but foundering is a really bad hoof problem (the reason why our other mini Leo needs so much attention from the vet/farrier is because they both think he foundered up to three separate times at his old home and it can cause serious permanent damage) as is really rich grass for long periods of time. Argh. I'm just going to keep an eye on him and now that I am here to look after them, no one can make up any more excuses about "convenience" when it comes to their care. Edit: Just came in and my QH gelding Freckles is lame. My mom's the one that mainly takes care of them while I'm gone, since Freckles is half hers and Leo is hers, but she's been in London with me for the past week and my stepdad rode Freckles yesterday and he barely knows which end of the horse is the head. I'm absolutely furious. I've waited three months to ride, the sun is out, and Freckles seems to be in quite a bit of pain. I'm going to hose his leg and his shoulder (since he has shoulder problems to begin with, but they don't really flare up anymore) and hope it's a one-day thing. Out of our four horses at home, one which is my stepsisters, my two are sick/lame. When my stepsister is looking after them, her heart is in the right place, but we usually look after her mare because she seems to shut her brain off sometimes. Don't get me wrong, she's super sweet and loves to help, but what she makes up for in generosity she lacks in common sense. I don't know what happened to Freckles, apparently he was "just fine" when my stepdad finished riding him last night, but then, as I said to my mom, he wouldn't know what a horse favouring a leg looked like if Freckles held it up and told him it hurt. Sorry for the rant. This sucks. And I'm pissed. I know I'm away at school and that was my choice, but sometimes I think the only way any of them are going to get properly looked after is if I do it myself since my mom complains about having to get up early to feed them when I'm not here.

Mom and I are going grocery shopping today. She wants to lose a few (as she always does) and I'm going right back onto my routine starting tomorrow, or rather, today, since it's not yet 5 in the morning and I am wide awake because of jet lag. I'm going to take my slider with me I think, for the first time ever!!!, because I am hearing things about 0 point bread that is getting me very excited!

I got an email while I was in Spain from my African Literature professor and he wants to PUBLISH my last essay on the university's essay database thing for other students to look at as an "excellent example of textual analysis". I can't say I'm not pretty pleased with myself for that one It was the highest mark I've ever had at university too. Wooooo. The topic was awful though. It was on excremental metaphors!!

Well, that's it for me. Now that I am back home and recommitting, I'm really hoping that things go well!

Hey gals, I will post a big thing tomorrow, promise! So far, every day I have been on travel has been OP. I have exercised 3 out of the 4 days (worked super late last night so didn't get to). Today I'm traveling home. I have a weird flying schedule and it won't be looking good for lunch, but I'll eat my snacks and push through until I get my connection and eat at my stopover. Hope everyone is doing well!

Mod, you are doing fantastically eating well while you are traveling! Even a few days in London on the weekend sent my good intentions down the tube. You should be extremely proud of yourself! It's so easy to let go while you're on vacation.

Good morning lovelies. I posted a thread last night in the Mini Goal Photo Album with Before and "So Far" pictures. I'm not an After just yet but I hope to make it there someday. The encouragement around this place is outstanding.

Today I am swamped with meetings and it's going to be a challenge to get to my WW weigh in. I have it in my calendar as a meeting so no one can schedule me but something important came up. I usually go to an express lunchtime meeting. Looks like I may have to head to open hours tomorrow instead. I guess we'll see.

Rachel - The mahi mahi recipe is a modified WW recipe. I always read recipes and then, based on my own likes and dislikes, modify here and there so long as I'm not drastically changing the Points value. Most times my modifications are cooking method, wet marinade vs. dry rub or adding more spices. For this particular recipe, I used a wet marinade from one WW cookbook and then a dry rub recipe I found in another. I marinaded the mahi all day while I was at work. First I jooked it with a fork (that's where "jerked" came from) by poking a bunch of holes in it so the marinade would penetrate. Then after I got home, I dried it off with paper towels and rubbed on a jerk spice dry rub I made the night before. I'll try to remember to type out both recipes tonight. Thanks for the link! I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. I absolutely love to cook. Tonight I'm making Steak au Poivre in a peppercorn brandy sauce with garlic mashed potatoes. Yum!

Paint - The WW cookbooks are hit or miss. Usually I'll use about 20 out of every 100 recipes. Some of the best sources are online! You're brave for jogging. Yesterday I tried a new program on the elliptical machine in the gym and it had me pedalling backwards for half of the program! Auuuugh! My thighs are killing me today. I used some muscles I didn't even know I had.

Freedom - I'll have to check out this Top Gear show you speak of. Congrats on having your essay published! Go you! What did you do while you were in Spain? I've been wanting to go there for some time. I'm sure you know but travelling outside of the US to Europe is very expensive compared to travelling around the region when you already live there. So far I've only made it to Italy and Poland and a good part of Asia.



Last night my boyfriend and I went to the gym to work out for awhile and came home for tuna sandwiches. We made excellent tuna salad with fresh dill, dill pickle juice, sour cream and cucumber. It sounds weird but it was great. Served it up with some creamy corn soup from Trader Joe's for a great post-gym meal. I then proceeded to fall asleep on the couch at 10:30.

I'll be sure to check in if I'm up or down this week once I finally hit the scale. I've got my fingers crossed for a loss!

Freedom- I totally understand where you're coming from. It's so frustrating when our horses are off and can't tell us why. I had an off day riding Apache yesterday. He wasn't horrendous, but he wasn't right either. Griz (hb's horse) foundered in January. Lameness is so hard to deal with because you don't know if they pulled a muscle, have an abscess or are dealing with laminitis. And it's doubly frustrating when the weather's gorgeous and you're anticipating a ride. Riding is my out and lately it's been too much work! I hope you're babies are back to their normal selves soon.

SS- I'm not much of a cook, maybe I'll skip the cookbook then. Ouch! on the new program. Your muscles will thank you for it later.

Mod- Good job staying OP while traveling! You rock!!!!

Heather- 6lbs? That's awesome!!

Jaime- Sorry. I forgot the kudos on the promotion You go girl!!!!

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Things are status quo here. Aunt Flo's finally leaving town. I jumped on the scale this morning and showed a loss - too bad it's 24 hrs too late. Ah well, such is life. Suck it up and move on.

No major plans today other than dance class tonite. It will hopefully be fun because we're learning a new dance that I've been working on all alone. It'll finally be fun to have people to dance it with!

to all

HI Ladies

It finally official I lost 2.4 at this morning meeting. YIPEEE!! Going to stay on the core plan until I lose 5-lbs,and say good-bye to the 160's for sure. My leader wanted me to say something to the class. Didn't have to stand up front and face them,spoke from my seat.

Today we had the theme of detours from the main road like the super highway took over route 66,and how it may apply to our weight loss journey.We spend time going over what ways we could get back to the super highway and how to avoid the detours.


Thanks ladies for your congrats on my weight loss.Hope it will continue downward.

Not able to post to every one individually today,but I'll be back tomorrow

Hugs BB



Hugs BB

Hi. I am new... sort of. I may have posted here before a few months back. I started WW in January but I am a public accountant so things sort of slipped as it got nearer to April 15th (good ole tax day). I am now back at it! Unfortunately, I gained everything back that I had lost plus one additional pound. But (hooray!) I lost that pound this week! I am really motivated to follow through this time and go all the way. I like reading what everyone writes in these forums as they are so motivational. It is nice to hear that everyone is going through the same struggle as I am.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and say hi... so there I did it!