Hi there. I am still OP even though we were in Dallas all day shooting a tournament. I used 9 wpa's but stayed Core. Life is good.

Paige, no snow here. It was 82* today.

We were at Walmart the other day and a man was in line behind us with sugar free pecan pie. I need to find out how many points a slice would have. I'm sure it would be less than the 11 pts a "real" slice has.

Ann, I had completely forgotten about activity points. Thanks for the reminder. I don't know if I earned oodles at the tournament but I earned a bucketload working in the yard.

Laura, you're a very smart chickie. What you said about using the tools we have applies to all of us.

Barb, just pick yourself up and dust away. I have gone through the same thing you're going through, and I've gone through it many many times. I get to thinking that I'm tired of being on program; I am happy with my present weight; I don't want to even think of being on a diet; etc..... Then all of a sudden I am back on program and am actually much happier. Will I fall off the wagon again? Of course. Will you get back on program? Of course.

Paige and Kim, I need to set some more goals now. I heard somewhere that something is just a dream if you don't set goals and make plans for how to achieve.

Good morning all,
I hope you all have a wonderful day.
Linda, the rice cakes I am talking about are caramel chocolate chip. It is the only caramel I can eat, due to my caramel addiction.....They hit the spot when I feel like having a treat. I have a friend who thinks that rice cakes are the most disgusting things ever made, she even enjoys this kind. I don't eat other treats, so these to me are awesome.

Oops, DS is awake and calling for me. I will post later

Have a great day everyone.
Ann

Morning - I had a terrible time with the site yesterday. I just don't understand why it works sometimes and others everything just hangs. I tried to pm Kim2 and it wouldn't even go to pm. I came back an hour later and I could get to pm but it wouldn't post - it just hung forever. Then it wouldn't even let me post here to tell Kim the problem. GGGGGRRRRRR. I hope everyone gave Linda their email in case of emergency for any extended period of time.

It's Sunday and I woke up with the start of a migraine. I need to go pull some of my Imitrax and stop it in its tracks. I just hate the way it makes me feel.

Good to see so many of you post on the weekend! Many times it's pretty lonely around here on the weekends. Keep up the good work everyone. I'm reading all your posts. Barb, big hugs. Just keep making steps forward and forget about the faltering steps. It only makes you stronger. Paige good to see you back. Linda, great posts as always. Ann, what can I say, you are such a great cheerleader and tell your DH you can NEVER make another bet to stay away again. Sandra, your life sounds like it is such an adventure right now. Love your posts. Paige, I hope that you post a pic of your NY cake on your myspace so we can see it. Briza, for some reason I kept getting you confused with Haylo and I thought you were the speech therapist, but now I realize that Haylo is the speech therapist. Where do you work and what do you do? Sounds fun. Tech, YOO HOO!!!! Where'd ya go? I miss you. To anyone else I may have missed, hello. It isn't intentional.

Good morning!

Yesterday's yard hard work, turnout out to be for nothing as I decided to not only munch on some cookies after dinner, but also had a huge craving for ice cream so I had a bowl. Oh well, if we don't get any rain, I'll go out and do a little more in the flower beds and hopefully counter what I did!

Today is going to be a lay low day.... Kids have some homework projects to finish up and after a 4 day break, they need to get refocused on school and the week ahead. As for me, I'll get refocused on my goals and plans.

Ann - we love the rice cakes here! The kids love the carmel ones as well as the cheddar cheese. They are a nice "popcorn" treat since with their braces they can have popcorn.

Laura - do you have trouble with other sites or just this one? Maybe your computer has a bug??? I notice that if I have too many cookies, or if I get a little virus my system can't work.

Sandra - how was the tourney? Did you or DH place?

Hello to everyone else! Here is to staying op and having a great day!!

Hello everyone,

Well this week was hectic as usual it was my aunt's 40th bday so my eating and excercise went out the window and sure enough I gained 2 lbs. It's time to get back on track I am just a little frustrated b/c I know what I need to do and I hate when I just let go.

I hope everyone is well, I haven't had a chance to check in

Ann: work is just a crazy as usual, thinking of a new career is an ongoing thing with me I inquired about a program at UT Austin but haven't heard back from the department so hopefully I hear something soon. I haven't had to much time to sit and think about it. As far as my calorie counting like I said earlier in my post everything went out the window this week for some reason I just couldn't get control. I don't think I overate I just didn't make very good choices.

Belly: Even though you had some ice cream, at least you got some hard work in!!!

Rosegarden: I hope you feel better, yup it's me I am the speech therapist.

djmommy: your post sounds just like me sometimes I do that too, I was doing really well but for some reason this week I was in sabatoge mode. Like you said I too need to come up with a plan.

HI ALL How are you doing??? I have to tell you what happen today. We went to Target and My boys went to look at toys while I bought moisture cream for my eyes (I will tell you about that later) Anyway when I met up with the boys my oldest wanted me to buy him something..Of course I gave him the... write it on your list talk and no I am not buying a thing...Anyway an older lady came up to me and HANDED ME A 20 dollar BILL. She told me it was for my boys so they could buy themselves something special for christmas.......I told her NO way we really could not except this and she insisted saying she does these RANDOM acts of kindness through the holiday. Well of course I said Thank you and felt a tremendous amount of guilt when she left. Anyway , my older boy mention that he was helping her pick out some toys for boys in MEXICO. So I think she was thankful toward my son... Anyway.. It is funny how I felt so strange.. I wish I could have talk my boys into giving that to a charity too. Un fortunately they were in toy mode and spent the 20 in seconds flat......

So that is my story for the day.. Has this ever happen to anyone before???

I am doing better today.. I made Cinnamon rolls for the boys today and I did have 2 small ones but really have had nothing all day... I am roasting a chicken on the grill and looking forward to the meal tonight. Last night I made sweet pot and will devour in those tonight. MY boys loved them too. I hope they are not bad for you...Have not come up with a plan yet but will tonight.

Sandra and Laura Thanks for the hugs.. Sometimes it helps to complain and than move on.. Sorry to unload here on the site but I could not help it.... You are right we all have are ups and downs and I do know that but jeez it does stink....

It is cold and raining here. Not a comfy day....

Warning to everyone..I was watching GMA this week and they had a part on fish..DO NOT eat fish from China or Ti land. It is the most unhealthy fish around and yes they are not testing it like they should when they come in our country... They found extremely high levels of Poison ,bacteria and feces.. Yep they are raising the shrimp and fish in sewage.Look on the back if it say China or Ti land do not purchase it. The man said to ask the restaurants to where their fish is from . If they can not tell you do not order it. I guess Alabama is the only state that has people who actually test the fish... It makes you think what we are going to be able to eat around here...

Oh yes my little one keeps telling me I have heavy eyes...Yep that is my bags starting and leave it to a small child to let you know your faults...LOL So I had to go to try to find some remedy to conquer my baggy eyes,or as my sweet child says "Heavy Eyes" OH yes when he was 5 he told me my eyes were cracking...My worst critic Got to love himn though...


Have a great night ladies... BArb

Hi there, chickies. We're having a lowkey day today, too. We went to a garage sale and bought a couple of yard chairs. Got both for $5. They'll be perfect for the front porch on the playhouse.

Laura, we are having one adventure after another. This AM we finished one plumbing project before we went to the garage sales. Now, we're just chillin'.

Kim, Curtis overdosed on Ben & Jerry's yesterday. Some days that just seems to happen. Just dust off.

Barb, I have never heard of anyone giving money out like that, but sometimes Curtis will occasionally pay for someone's dinner. He might pick someone who reminds him of a parent/other relative from his past or maybe someone who is eating alone. He always does it anonymously. He tells the waitress not to let the person know who paid. And he does the paying as we're leaving so he doesn't even see the people's reactions.

Thanks for the heads up on the fish, Yuck! That's awful!

I am almost finished with day 6 on Core. Life is good.

Have a good evening, everyone.

Sorry I wasn't here earlier, DH wanted a family day... it didn't turn out well for me with food, but "let's not go there". But, at least I got on the treadmill and earned 2 flex points.
I was particularly cranky today, it was just one of those days. Here we were supposedly going to have a family day and I got bent out of shape about a few things and ended up not having a decent day at all. Oh well.
Barb, so tell us what the plan will be??? Get started, there is no time like the present. If you don't plan ahead what your meals and snacks are going to me, that leaves too much room for making errors in judgement and allowing emotions to come into play. I do so well when I have things all written down.
Tomorrow, for example, is my quilt guild monthly meeting. It's really cool that about 250 women come together in this huge function hall and there is show and tell (all sorts of quilts like the photos I shared this week) as well as a business meeting. There is usually a speaker and program at each meeting. BUT, there are usually two huge tables laden with tons of food. I've been getting around it by bringing my own snack and just getting coffee there. I shall try that again tomorrow. If I steer clear of the food tables, I do OK and just enjoy the meeting. I am there for the meeting, not the food. Some of these women have plates and treat it like a buffet and must consume 30 - 40 points worth of food in one sitting. No way, not me!
Barb, why not try to buy a cut of beef that you can eat rather than a rib eye, that is the fatty cut of meat. Why tempt yourself? Sirloin, eye of round and that kind of thing are good as well. You can marinate or use steak sauce as well. They may not be as tender, but they are still good and OK to eat as long as you don't go overboard.
Kim, glad you like the idea of the beans as well. People just don't think of them, I swear. They are tasty, you can do lots of things with them and they are also full of great protein and low in fat! How can you go wrong! They are so filling as well, with all that great fiber!
Ah, Ann, the chocolate rice cakes are "OK", I guess. Still not my thing. Have you ever seen the chocolate mereigns (sp?) that you can buy? Oh goodness, they are good and it is only something like 6 to make a point.
Laura, I only have two people's private e-mail addresses, that's it. If this site ever goes down, I would gladly contact those who I have. I need to organize the ones that I have, at least, in a small file on my computer - which I have yet to do. I could set up a small e-mail with a "reply to all" thing if the site ever went out. This way, we could still be in touch. I have times when I can't get on here either.
Barb, I haven't had anyone give me or my kids money, it would have made me feel odd as well. I have a teapot in my house that I put a few dollars at time in throughout the year and a few weeks before Christmas I go out and buy toys for tots and donate all of them. I get the most pleasure out of that shopping trip and much more than for my very ungrateful and greedy nephews and nieces. I threaten (but it's DH's side of the family, not mine) to cut them off without a dime but we go through the same thing each year. Not even a thank you note, rude rude kids...
At any rate, my personal Christmas is when I buy for the needy kids. I spend as much on those kids as I do the ungrateful ones that I am "forced" into buying expensive junk for that they could care less about, I swear.
So, if this one woman gave you money, maybe that was her one true joy for the holiday and maybe she came home with a smile and a good feeling that she made some kids happy for the day. But, if you feel that your boys are not "needy" and that she shouldn't have insisted you take the money and it makes you feel bad, maybe you could turn around and talk to your kids about toys for tots and take $20.00 and have them pick out toys to donate?
Sandra, your Curtis sounds like a true gem, and my husband paid for a man once that way as well. We would always see a man who was obviously mentally handicapped walking in our area. He never was in a car and he always was walking and alone. One time, my family was in a Dennys eating dinner, which was a somewhat ordinary thing for us to do at that time, and this one man was by himself eating there. As we left, my husband paid for the man's bill anonymously and we hurried out. We felt good that we were able to do that and take care of his dinner for just one night.

By the way, I guess I wasn't too bad with my eating, but DH dragged us to a breakfast buffet today. I skipped breakfast, went on the treadmill and combined breakfast and lunch. I tried to have more of the CORE foods, but there weren't too many available, so I was careful. Mid afternoon, when I go hungry, I had some popcorn and a banana.
Dinner tonight was a rotisserie chicken (on my own rotisserie) and mashed potatoes with peas.
Dessert will be my core blueberry cobbler with lite cool whip.
I hope I can be very well behaved tomorrow so weigh in will be good on Tuesday.
Also, any CORE ideas for leftover chicken that will be flavorful and "exciting"?

ONE MORE THING:
When you go to bed tonight or in your travels tomorrow, keep in mind our Veterans who have put their lives on the line in service of our country. Where would we be without them?

Hi everyone,

I was posting here a couple of months ago but fell off the wagon. Finally I am getting myself back together and I'm ready to rejoin you all and meet the new people that have joined!

I was doing really well until the university semester started (I teach piano at a university) and then I got overwhelmed. I've gained about 5 pounds in the past couple of months. I'm just grateful it wasn't more.

Anyway, I am ready to start again and lose those 5 lbs and more besides. Special hugs to Linda who has kept me on track so well in the past!!

cheers
Erika

Hello all,

Linda, today it is Remembrance day in Canada, a day we remember and pay tribute to our Veterans. There are ceremonies every where and Monday is a Government holiday for this. I am grateful for them and all the freedoms I have because of these men and women.

Welcome back Erika. How is Claire ( I hope that is your daughter's name and it is spelled correct? Is she enjoying school?

Janelle, I hope this week isn't hectic for you. Remember to plan and it will make it easier.

Barb, I often randomly give out money. The reason I do this, is that God has truly blessed me and it is only by the Grace of God I am not in need of anything. It is strange but I get a feeling and then I give whatever I feel I am supposed to give. One time I just had such a strong feeling and I told this lady, I am so sorry I don't mean to offend you, but I need to give you this money. She began crying and grabbed on to me, as her husband had lost his job and they didn't even have enough for Christmas dinner. It made me feel so good. I could tell you many stories of the reaction of people. One time this woman told me she didn't need any money. I just couldn't shake the feeling she needed it. I kept going back to her and then I finally said, "If it is not you that needs this, then you will meet someone who needs this. Please give it to them. She agreed to take the money and a few months later this woman came up to me and explained she didn't need the money but her friend did, I had no clue what she was talking about and then she told me where she was when I gave her the money. I then remembered. I know I may not always be able to do this, but while I can I will continue. Like I said, God has truly blessed my life. When people tell me, I owe you, I always remind them, they don't owe me, they will come across someone else who is in need and they can help them out when they are in a position to do so.

Barb, your children helped that lady, even though there was no reward for them, other than helping another human being....wow you are raising awesome children....kudos to you. Be proud.

Laura, thanks for you kind words for us. I know so many times you inspire me to keep on going. I really like this place everyone is so supportive. I hope this week becomes easier for you. Be good to you. You take care of others so now take care of you.

Sandra, It sounds like you are getting this Core down pat. Yeah. Enjoy your days. It sounds like you do.

Erica, where are you. I do hope all is well with you.

Kim, Good luck with your week. I hope you get to walk and make wise choices.

Paige, How was your day yesterday. I hope it wasn't too hectic.

Jackie, what did you do today? Have a great week.

Donna, how and where are you.

Take Care everyone and have an awesome week.
Ann

Ann - Amen on Remembrance Day!! Thank you for remembering Claire. She is loving school and also her Suzuki violin lessons. There's a pic of her in her Halloween costume on my blog ... this was the first year I could really sew her a costume so I was proud!

cheers
Erika

Linda, I know how it made you feel when your dh bought that gentleman's dinner. What a man you have there!

Core ideas for lo chicken? How about making a chicken dressing? You could make the core cornbread then make it into dressing that contains the lo chicken. I do that sometimes. Hmmmmmm? Maybe I'll do that again soon.

Welcome back, Erika. I've been run over by that wagon lately, too. That is very very good that you just gained 5 lbs. I gained more than that. But--here we are--getting help. Life is good.

Ann, Curtis and I feel more alive now than we have in a long long time. Did I tell ya'll we already have cardinals? They are one of the main things I was missing while we were in Montana.

I'm going to take the liberty to start a new thread - see you all there!

Here's the link!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126926