WOW....Ms Perception and Tummy girl those are quite the pictures, you both look fantastic. What an accomplishment.

I stepped on the scale yesterday and it turned out I was only up .8lbs so the 6lbs went away overnight. Not sure what happened there but I'll take it. This month is going slower than planned on the weight loss journey but I haven't been exercising since I have been sick. The weight for the first 2 weeks seemed to melt off but now it has slowed. Hopefully I can get back at it soon. Stupid cough. Well I better get ready for work now. I hope all of you have a great day with many successes.

Gekster and SG - My condolences. Congrats to both of you for continuing to take care of yourselves.

Ms. P and Tummy - Yall both look amazing!

Sandye - I love that you are making quilts for your girls. They will probably treasure them for their entire lives. I still have the blanket my mother crocheted for me when I was a little girl. Something that my friend did in her little girl’s room that you might consider - she also made her quilt and she sewed some extra squares and sewed a white panel in the middle with her daughter’s name cross stitched on it, she then used that as the front of a throw pillow and used one of the materials she had cut the squares from as the back.

Lauranna - Congrats on 2 weeks smoke free! Don’t worry so much about the weight loss. Concentrate on the not smoking and do the best you can with your food and exercise. The further you get from your last cigarette the easier the rest will become. Trust me. I actually quit smoking about 4 months before I started trying to do anything about my weight and nearly 8 months before I recommitted myself and got serious about it. However, I had tried the weight loss thing many time while I was still a smoker. This time has been my most successful and easiest and I definitely attribute a good deal of that to my not smoking. Congrats again, and stick with it.

Kim- I am soooo sorry that you had it for a couple weeks. I was only truly down with it for about 3 ½ days with a couple days of not quite right before it and am still in the not quite right of after it. I thought I was going to die, literally. I can’t imagine that for a couple weeks. I am glad you made it through.

I’m sorry that I can’t do more personals right now, blame it on the pig flu.

So, I figured out why I was having the small gains. It was apparently my body trying to fight off swine flu. In the end my immune system lost the battle, but thankfully I did not actually get sick until the wee hours of the morning the day after hubby’s birthday. I am so glad I was not sick on his birthday and was able to celebrate with him. I also got lucky in being one of those people Kim was talking about who is only sick for a few days. I was completely down Thursday-Saturday and part of Sunday. I’m still not all the way back, but I’m getting there. I am so thankful for my kick butt immune system (and my aleve which kept my fever minor). My husband and I had mono in ’06 - he was sick for over a month, I was sick for 5 days. Mono damages the immune system though and mine is still not back to full strength (for me a cold used to last a few hours, half a day max - last winter I had one for 2 weeks), the doc says it usually takes about 5 years. After swine flu only taking me completely out of commission for 3 ½ days, I’m thinking that part of my having such a strong immune system is that it will get back to normal after the mono faster than most. I know weight loss and a healthier diet also improves the immune system for most people, I’m wondering what mine will be like in the end - I might never be sick again, lol. Due to the sodium in all my chicken broth and the fact that the only solid foods I discovered an ability to keep down were hawaiin bread and, oddly enough, lasagna, I was up by 5.4 pounds at the end of it, including my small gains before I got sick. Since I wear a body bugg I know that my bmr went up by .2 calories per minute due to my fever, my weight would have probably shot up even more if not for that. I told my hubby that I wish I could have a minor fever all the time, but without actually feeling bad. I have been seriously chugging my water and crystal light and being a very good girl with my food since I got to where I could eat properly again, I was even able to exercise last night. I was not able to do what I usually do, but I did 30 min. on my elliptical on minimum resistance, even though I was a mess afterward. I have dropped 6 pounds in the last 2 days, so the flu weight is gone and it took .6 extra with it. WooHoo! Half of my exercise goals for the month are now impossible (6 days per week and not skipping on C25K), but I’m not gonna worry about it - I was sick, nothing I could do about it. I’m still going to try to get my minute and mile goals though. Hopefully I can still hit my weight goal (5.6 pounds to go), but if in a month where I got taken down by swine flu and also have Thanksgiving still to contend with I just manage not to gain for the month I will be happy.

I have a personal question for those of you who are down to small sizes (size 4s indeed - good job Tummy). Where on earth do you find panties? I am starting to get a bit worried about this. I can’t stand loose panties. I’m already in a 7 and some of them are already having to be tossed due to being too loose, and that’s at 190. What in the world size am I gonna need when I get to goal? The smallest thing I’ve ever seen in a store is a 4, and I’ve only seen those a few times. When I was at 245my 9s were getting too tight and I really should have gotten 10s I think. So if nearly 55 pounds causes a drop of 3ish sizes, what will 75 more pounds do? I really don’t want to get little girl panties, which is what my hubby jokingly suggested. Have you smaller girls had a problem in this area? Am I going to have to special order them? ACK!! Does the rate at which panty size drops slow down? The last time I was smaller than a 6 I was young enough for little girl panties, so I am clueless. On a slightly sideish note, I really miss England when it comes to buying panties - the UK sizes panties the same as outer clothes, so if you wear a size 18 jeans you wear a size 18 “knickers”. It was sooooo much easier.

FGG-I wear VS undies/panties. They have sizes according to S, M, L, XL. You would certainly find a fit there. I've gone from XL to M. The S is definitely small! I love their cotton undies. Just a thought. Feel better soon!

Bigmid-Congrats on the weight coming off! That extreme jump almost always comes right off...whatever it was.

FGG - I buy Victoria's Secret undies for my SD's. They are a size 1 (gag me I know, lol, but they are teenagers) they have size XS, S, M, L, XL . I am a M at VS right now, and I only had to get a few L when I was at my heaviest. And honestly they are cheaper there than the deptartment stores. At Belks they were 4 for $25 at VS, they were 5 for $25. And VS always has clearance ones on their website.

And I agree the US panty sizes are stupid! My guess is it was to make us feel better about it. I guess I would be in a 6 for panties in like Jocky brand or something.

NELLA ! A big THWACK! to you! I managed my first set of bench presses before I had to turn my attention to printer problems (my DH is clueless), but I made up for it today!

LAURANNA ~ Woo hoo on two weeks without cigs. Trust me, it gets easier ( I smoked 1 PPD off and on from 12-50). The fact that you had drinks without smoking is huge! WTG!

GIVETLC ~ WTG on the 2.2!

JELLO ~ Wow, that's quite a gain for a little wine! Woo hoo on the 18s though! Hope you feel better soon. "Princess shift," I love that!

MOONFAIRY ~Thanks for the rolling pin! I don't blame you for working out at home. My little gym has keys for lockers, but you leave your keys in a basket on the front counter which isn't always attended. Makes me nervous, so I go home and change and carry my keys with me.

SANDYE ~Will do. It's not often that I just don't feel like it. I did start, but had to play computer geek (who, me?) after five minutes. What's with this cough? You did not mention that in your email this morning! DON'T IGNORE THIS (Chicks, I am super paranoiod about this H1N1). ANY DIFFICULTY BREATHING, GET THEE TO THE ER!!! I WILL CALL DH ABOUT THIS, DON'T THINK I WON'T!!!!!! Sorry, I got a little carried away there, but so many young (25-40) healthy people are dying from this! You know I am not normally afraid of things like this. Promise me? TAKE YOUR VITAMINS AND GET LOTS OF REST!!!!

MSP ~Thanks for the kick in the rear! I predict that pound will be gone tomorrow!

LAUREN ~ Thanks for the rolling pin! Way to go not gaining weight after TWO birthday parties!

TUMMY Thanks for the frying pan. It's funny how aware I am of what people eat anymore! I was never one for sodas or fatty foods or supersized meals. My drug of choice was chocolate. When I see what some people eat, it amazes me! I would feel so wretched if I ate like some of my coworkers. It's a shame because some of them are so young. 12 degrees? I can not EVEN imagine!

Well, my DD needs to do some homework. Sorry I didn't get to everyone. My workout was cut short yesterday, but I had an awesome ST session today. I will be sore tomorrow! Thanks for all of the tough love. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Evening Ladies,

Bigmid - Why thanks and congrats on getting back down.

Kim - Glad you're slowly recovering, that's incredible how long it takes to get your energy back too, that's brutal, no wonder there's so much worry about the high risk folks. And I believe in the states it would be about 53 degrees, I'm in celcius and I forgot that you guys are different, lol.

FGG - OMG you too! This is nuts but yeah for your body fighting back and glad you didn't get it as bad as Kim. I'm with the other ladies, we don't have the VS here but we have La Senza and the like and if you go to any undy store you can get those other sizes. I didn't know they made them in sizes like here but it may be an American difference, we go s-xxxxl kinda thing. And the 4's don't fit yet, lol, they're muffiny to all get out.

Actually got a post in at night for once, doesn't happen much anymore.

Today I had one of the most marvelous moments, as I metioned this morning I thought I might go for a run this afternoon because it was so nice out today. Well, I did and when I was done it occured to me that I went for a run because it was nice outside, like for something to do, to enjoy the day more, not to lose weight or because I "had" to but because I couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend some time on an unseasonably warm day. I may have just met a whole new person inside this body of mine today. It was brilliant and I hope everyone can feel that someday, it was priceless.

Talk to ya'll tomorrow.

Hellooooo!

Jumping right into personals.....

MsP You know what, I've decided to take your advice and claim my loss. Thanks! And... if I gain, well I guess I'll be motivated to make sure I get it right back off!!

KimL Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry for the hearing loss, but I'm also so glad you're feeling better. Paperwork... ugh... that stuff piles up FAST, doesn't it? Good luck and don't hurt your neck looking over all those papers! It gets me every time I'm sick, I always end up with a stiff/sore neck.

jessicado Hoorayyyy! I know exactly how I felt when I hit the "just plain old XL" category. YAYYYYYYY!!!! You are rocking this stuff girl! Also... did you say marathon? HOLY COW! You are my hero. I was thinking of going for a half marathon by the end of 2010... but man, you go girl!!

LTTG You know, I think it was something about Monday and working out. I like... walked off the treadmill 1/3 of the way into my intervals Monday and just went upstairs.. just wasn't feeling it. I blamed it on my cycle.

jellofer How did the weigh in with the doctor go? Also, congrats on the 18's!!! Isn't it fantastic to get into a new size???

Sandye Man you're busy. I wish I had the time to do all of the fun stuff you're doing. I will be selfish here and say I MISS YOU!!! But I'm glad you're keeping busy and getting a bunch of stuff done!

FitGirlyGirl Ack! Not you with swine flu too! I'm glad your case was mild and that you feel better! You know, I've never understood why we have different sizes for panties than we do for pants. It has just never made sense to me. Is it so we can think we have a small butt? I don't get it!

Tummy Wow to you on just going for a run because you ENJOY it and it's something to do! That's got to feel amazing when you realize such a thing! I'm in awe of you girl!

Well, I'm down to 192.4 today which means I can update my ticker. Part of me thinks the weight loss must be a fluke since I've been eating so poorly but then I remember it's not that I've been eating a lot of calories, it's that I'm not eating as healthy as I usually do. It's getting better though and this week I've got salads for lunch which are fantastic!

I'm still waiting for the inevitable weight loss slow down where I start to lose a little under 2 lbs a week. I was reading a thread here some time ago about how much people eat and how much weight they lose per week and I'm up there on calories but also up there on weight loss and I'm not sure why. I'm not even counting all that carefully any more. My breakfast is always the same, my snack and lunch are pretty much the same all the time and dinners... I just make sure what I'm making isn't too calorie dense and eat what I want. The only time I really count is when I'm dealing with meat because it has a tendency to be more calorie dense than anything else I eat these days and it's easy to go over with it. But.. things seem to be moving along so I guess I'm doing ok, eh?

Gah, my attitude has been so poor this week. I've not wanted to work, I've not wanted to get out of bed, I've not wanted to work on anything and I've not wanted to work out! I'm hoping I'll pull out of this funk SOOOOON! I hope everyone else is doing great and hope to hear from you soon!

Quick morning rant because I am getting so darn frustrated at this point. Every time I get close to getting out of the 280s my weight jumps right back up. I weighed in 3 days ago at 281.3 sooo close, but then today back up to 282. I have been stuck in the 280s since before I went off plan and I have been back on for 3 months and still, I lose and then gain again and I'm being pretty constant. Ugh.

SG-Welcome to the winter sluggishness! I was SO there in October when we started getting SNOW and cold weather. I just wanted to be warm and cozy...no motivation to do anything. You just have to get your butt moving and eventually the attitude will catch up. I'm so glad you're working on improving food choices. It has to be workable for you, ya know? The rate at which I've lost weight has changed very little with the exception of the first month, so maybe we're the lucky ones that can keep a consistant loss throughout the process.

Tummy-Oh, a run in 50 degree weather sounds dreamy when it's been the 30's lately during my morning runs! I already can't wait for the spring and ENJOYING the weather while I'm running, not to mention having daylight! So glad you took the opportunity to enjoy that run. That's a fantastic way to spend your free time!

LTTG-Yay on the nice ST'ing session! There are days when it's hard to get the energy for any workout, but it always feels better once you've done it!

KimL-How did the doc apt go today? Here's to a healthy rest of the month!

Gekster-That is frustrating! Examine all your foods/water, exercise, etc. and see where you can make some changes. Maybe your doc set your cals just a tad high, see how your body reacts to a minor decrease. It's all about experimenting with what works for you. We're all gonna be different, but I know you'll figure it out and get to those 270's!!

Well, the majority of the Sunday weight has gone. I'm really hoping/expecting to pass goal in the next day or two. Today I'm doing my run when my MIL gets home from work. It's a "long hills" day for running and the best "long hills" around here are not safe to run on in the dark. They're on a county road about a mile away from the house. Anyway, it also makes it nice to not have to wake up an hour before everyone else to get it in. I think I'll be doing that for the remaining month of this training program I'm following. That way I only have 2 early mornings each week.
Have a happy healthy day, girls!

Just a quickie today, gotta hit the shower and then off to get my new bike . And to add another great yahoo for the day, my body got rid of my 0.4lb bloat plus an extra 0.6lbs to boot. Sitting pretty at 146.2 this morning and feeling fine.


Have a great day ladies and I'll bike on over to say hi later, hahaha, I'm too funny.

Thanks everyone for advice on undies. I was worried I’d have to get friends to ship them to me from England.

Tummy - Doesn’t that feel great? I’m not to that point in my running career, but I went for a walk like that a few weeks back and I found it to be an interesting change for me as well. I had gone out to take care of the fish pond and while outside I noticed how gorgeous it was so when I was done tending fish I came through the house to grab my keys and I.D. tag and went for a long walk for fun on my walk I found myself looking forward to when my body is to the point that I can also jog and run for fun. I felt like you, that I had discovered an entirely new me. Congrats on the scale numbers too.

SG - I know, it’s silly - trust me, I know I’ve got a big booty, lol. I feel the same about brands that do the funky sizing for plus size clothing - Torrid and such. I think all women’s clothing should be sized like men’s - in inches, though rather than just waist and length for pants we would need to add a hip measurement and for shirts we would need not just shoulders but bust as well, but that’s doable. I can buy undies or pants for the hubby person no matter what brand or style, he’s a 32 and that doesn’t change, it’s not fair Also, yay for ticker movement! And I hope your funk is gone soon.

Kim - I hope the doc appointment went well.

Gekster - Have you been to the doc to get blood tests and all that good stuff? Is it possible you have a thyroid or other metabolic issue? I am sorry you are stuck and I hope you get it resolved soon.


I think I maybe pushed too hard by jumping on the elliptical so soon after being sick, I felt like crud again yesterday. All my house cleaning plans had to be set aside. I did manage to work out, but I decided on something a bit easier and did wii fit instead of more elliptical. My mind wants to get right back into the elliptical and running and things, but apparently my body says no. On top of recovering from piggy flu, TOM has also decided to come calling again - he better not stay 3 weeks again. We also have a new addition to the family as of last night. An amazingly sweet, gorgeous girl tabby cat. She is one of the strays we have been feeding in our yard for months now, but unlike the others she seems to have once had people, so we had been working on getting her in the house since she showed up 2ish months back. She is currently in a spare room since we have to keep her away from our other cats until she has been to the vet - that happens on Friday, but she doesn’t seem to mind it in there. I go visit her and she has toys and soft places to cuddle in, hubby even built her a little fort with a chair, one of his robes, and some throw pillows. This weekend we are planning to try and trap the kittens that are in the back yard too since they are still young enough to possibly tame. With the kittens though, if we can tame them we plan to rehome them. We will be doing the kitten trapping thing again in another few months since one of the strays is pregnant. We now have 5 kitties in the house and 3 adults and 2 kittens who are permanent in our yard (and who knows how many kittens on the way) as well as a couple cats who visit. The kitties outside are awesome though - they have formed a little pack, or a pride I suppose, they all, including the young adult male who calls this home and the adult male who visits, take care of each other and the kittens. A few minutes ago I was watching the most precious site, we have an arbor of ivy and the mommy and kittens were eating just on the far side of it from the house and the young adult male was standing under the arbor being their guard, and when one of the kittens toppled over while trying to move from the food dish to the water dish, he scurried to it to help. Male cats don’t generally tend to kittens and these aren’t even his kittens (he’s too young to have fathered them), we do think the mommy the same one who had him though. It made my eyes slightly leaky to see that. The non-mommy adults (including our new house guest) have been being fed in a different spot than the mommy and kittens since we didn’t want to change their feeding spot when we discovered she was under the shed with kittens, and other than to do what I assume is testing to make sure it is safe for them, they WILL NOT eat the mommy and kitten food. If they run out of theirs they will cry at the door for us to bring more, but refuse to take from mommy and babies. I’m sorry for the kitty ramblings, but I am feeling very touched by them today. I wish all strays could find a pack to live in and that we humans would learn from how such animals behave.

FGG- I am seeing a doc regularly. I don't have a thyroid issue, but I do have POCS, which she has had me on medication to regulate the insulin resistance associated with it for about 6 months now.

I am in a funk today after the results this morning. I am going to meet a friend at the gym in about an hour, but I'm just not feeling it. I'm trying to talk myself out of it even though I need to go today more than ever since I really don't want to go. They had the H1N1 vaccine on campus today and as I was walking by I noticed there was no waiting, so I signed the waiver and now I am vaccinated. Got to say, the nasal spritz thing is weird.

Good afternoon girls! I've been trying all day to get on here and post and everytime I do, it doesn't load the page! Not sure if it's just me or if the site is having issues again--?!?!

Anyway, super fast fly by post for now--I'm going to try my hardest to come back tonight and post some personals! I miss you girls a TON!

Down .2 today so I'm sitting at 132.6...not changing my ticker as I hope it's back down to 132.4 tomorrow and plus, I don't have time.

Hope everyone is having a great day and that everyone is Drinking Their Water!!!