Good morning/g'day all! After yesterday's SNOW (which didn't last but it was coming down like crazy for a couple of hours), today I had to scrape ice off the car. I swear, I'm so ready for the warmth but it's just not coming.

Made my homemade baked potato soup for dinner and picked up a Papa murphy's garden salad - (those are a good deal if you have one near you - $5.49 and it feeds 3-4 people). Figured out the points on my soup and it's 9 the way I divided it. Sad to say, I heated it up for breakfast, too. But it works out fine with the points i have and is pretty darned filling. Hopped on the scale this morning and I'm up a pound (then down three, then up five, then up one, so went with that one. Note to self: get new freakin' scale)!

Feel like after I've had a good week, I think oh, I've got it under control and then want to feel "FULL" instead of just not hungry again. So to work on that and refocus. I'm not going to meet my goal for April 1, but am setting myself a goal to be down five by April 30. From my signature, not my up pound today. Feel like exercise has taken a backseat to life this week - but usually do pretty good on the weekends, so will ramp that up and hopefully get on the trail this evening - if not, then the treadmill.

Kitteh - are you still out there and doing okay?

Annie - hang in there - can you put the rest of them out of sight? Maybe it wasn't as bad as you're thinking... I think each cookie is under 40 calories? Is today your weigh-in day? How was it?

I keep thinking today is Friday. Teasing myself.

LOL Annie- In my office we have a rule that if it is not labeled, it is trash. We have had too many instances of people leaving food there forever. We were doing well for awhile, but I noticed the last few days it is packed.

My goal for the month was to stay on track with calories/exercise every day from the point I began (17 days), with an ending weight of 197... I have kept to my calorie limit and weighed in at 196 this morning (11lb loss!)

I guess I will pop in here and then start posting!!

Hello everyone!! Got up and did almost 3 miles walking this morning...had to fast forward through the end as I was running late. Really can't wait until I can get back to using my arms more. I just want to be careful, as I awoke again this morning with no pain in my upper back. I may even lay off of cleaning tonight, just to be sure that I don't irritate it again. This weekend will be a test.....sleeping at fiance's on his terrible mattress. I did buy a new pillow last time I was out there. Hoping I can keep my pain from coming back. I don't want to have to pay for physical therapy right now.

NP-I DID have the cookies hidden from view, but I knew they were there. I didn't even count how many I ate.....at least half of one sleeve of them. Ugh. I usually weigh on Thurs and Fri mornings and average or take the best of the two as my official weight for the week. We'll see what tomorrow holds. I am not going to panic just yet. I have 5 more days of prednisone. I think it is causing me to retain fluid, as well as want to eat everything in sight. So I am hoping to have a big whoosh when I finish this round.

The potato soup sounds good! Younger son was asking me to make some this weekend. I'll have to see if I can get a pot made before it gets too warm out.....it's a cold weather food in my book.

RisePhoenix-Congrats on meeting your goal!!! That's how ya do it! I didn't reach my goal (getting into the 140s), but I will work on it next month.

Hi Jules!!-Just jump right in any time! We'll start a new thread tomorrow for April.

Have a great day everyone!

Ha - Annie YOU posting about potato soup made ME make it! Wish you lived closer, I'd have split it so no leftovers I make mine with baked potatoes and add cheddar cheese. Counted it all, though, so at least not feeling that guilty Like your idea of averaging the two days' weights. And yay on being painfree. Is your fiancee open to the idea of a new mattress before long? Or are you planning to join households in the near future?

RisePR - GREAT job on exceeding your goal and getting in all the activity, too! Congrats!

Heading home for lunch - hopefully I'll choose wisely. Still cold today - windy.

Penguin – way to go on the weights! Dessert gum?? Where might one find this?
FL – no fair for the guys who can eat whatever, sometime people like that make me feel a little insane!
Annie – its only a few cookies, you could do well this afternoon and still keep on track! Glad to hear your pain is better.
Rise – way to go on the 11 pounds!
Yesterday was good, today on plan but need a snack as all this talk of food here makes me want to go and eat. Found a yogurt by source, 4 new flavors – mocha, raspberry chocolate, caramel and strawberry parfait, have one in the fridge for snack with some bran buds and put one in the freezer at home to see if it is comparable to ice cream, which I need to ban in my house as well. Hubby eats lots of it and when he has it I have it. Frozen yogurt is just as good and he eats it to so need to make a switch. Bought several packs of brownie mix due to it being $1. Havent made any yet but if I stick to my calorie range I can have some !!! As long as I don't eat the whole pan. Food is so much better when I stick to plan...

oh and by the way it is above 0!!!! It was plus 10 yesterday, oh my gosh a heat wave :P and above 0 this morning too!! Now all the ice and snow has to melt so i can walk on the trail again.

Pat on the back time! Can I get a whoop whoop? I just checked in on my 100 pushup challenge, and another person joined! Zippy skippy, man. Have you ever thrown a party and nobody came? I have - sad, sad story - It's the best feeling e-ver that I started a challenge and other people are coming on board. Most everyone has some pain/injury issue that's stopping them from traditional floor pushups. I'm just extremely jazzed that modified wall pushups are actually filling a niche, and that I'm not out there launching my boobs at the wall all alone. Wait. That sounds funny. Right? Sounds weird.

I shared my ginger-lime cod recipe with dad. Shared recipes... with my dad. Wassup with that? We traded recipes back and forth like we were playing hearts. He even asked me to email him one. I kinda like this older, retired stranger.

Has anyone painted a wall with chalkboard or whiteboard paint?

Jules you made it to the chat! Hiya. I'm stress eating today (thought of you), so I've roasted a can of rinsed chickpeas and grazing through the crunchy goodness like a lawnmower. My fiber is off the hook today.
FL - yay for your DH modifying his dessert habits to help you out. Now that's how it's done!
Rise On, Phoenix. Welcome to ONEderland.
NP, "new freaking scale." **snort** I hear you on the 'feeling full' thing. Sometimes I just want to really chow down. I dunno, maybe it's related to chewing, like some sort of sensory feedback between the jaws and brain? Or hand - mouth - brain. When I get s few really toothy, meaty bites it leaves me feeling on edge, like I'm not done with my lollipop and the nanny just took it away. Or like I have a 75% off anything coupon and there's only one thing in the store I want. No, like I'm at the library and can't find anything to read!!!!!! Seems awfully tough getting food heartiness and satisfaction when you're on a diet.
Annie, tell me you're not being bossed around by a cookie! Well. Thin Mints, after all. Who wouldn't be? Good one on your 3 mile walk. You're so close to the 140s. April's your month for sure. Bye bye prednisone, sayonara pain, hello 140-ish.
Ashley, all I can think of now is eentsy weentsy brownie chunks swirled in frozen yogurt. Dang chickpeas.

Tomorrow's Friday!!!!!

okay losing, thanks for making me laugh... lol snort snort.... so what are modified wall pushups, i cant do floor ones properly well knee ones maybe cause i don't have a lot of strength in my right wrist and hand from years of working at a desk. (Several years ago I switched to my left). I started using weights to help strengthen it but not there yet. It seems odd to me that standing against a wall and going back and forth doesn;'t seem like much, what am i missing.

My energy seems low this week after not feeling well on Tues. and I am fatigued I know lets eat to feel better this afternoon..........for crying out loud......

Thanks all!
Last night my husband came home with a jar of peanut butter, after he ate some, he locked it in his safe. It has a combination lock, I don't know it & can't ever get them open. He's a smart man, i was ready to kick his butt! lol

Went to the dentist this morning & had a root canal done, not bad at all. It is a front tooth, so of course I was all numb for 5 hrs ,my nose was numb and stuffy too. Ever since, my nose won't stop running & is all sore, i had to go to the market with 20 tissues in my pocket. I hope it stops soon, how will i sleep tonight. I'm thinking since it was the tooth next to my front tooth, somehow it affected my sinus's, the nerves that were taken out, go up pretty close to the sinus's. I hope it's not damaged for good! I can't live this way, my nose actually drips! I did real good with my calories today because of the dental visit & rode the bike when I got home for 20min. w/ tons of tissues by my side so I could reach them while riding.

I helped my son move to day...third floor apartment the jacuzzi tub and advil are calling my name.....but I wanted to thank everyone for the warm welcome..

I started a new thread for April.