Well, kids...

definately in some type of a manic phase - sorry you are suffering the brunt of it! Worked from 9 am to 1 am today - just got home. Need to pack and get organized for tomarrow - drop dog at canine camp, drop car home, walk to T, take T to work and finish up prep for conference, do errands, walk to BF''s work and get cab to airport (5:55 flight) - WHATEVER!!

Anyway- feeling pretty good despite it all - I was made for springtime! (I know it is still cold, but all my trips have me thinking spring). After rejoining WW, I lost 0.2 over my first 3 wi's. Not even a measily .1 a week. Well, today I was down 2.8!!! AND AF is here and my stomach is about out to the next room, so maybe I will do ok next week even with the trip!

This question may annoy some of you, but anyone have trouble getting enough points some days? Like today, I was just too busy. It is 2 am and I think I am only up to like 12 points. I know this is no worse than the occasional day above (and I have plenty of those) but I always fear that I am doing real damage to my long-term weight loss efforts. I could EASILY eat enough brownies to get up to my point range, but we are out of milk! Really don't feel like eating just to get the points in. Anyone else ever have this problem? - Anyway, not too worried as I am sure I will make up for it this week.

Rabbit: Now Rabbit, you must tell, exactly what does 27 points worth of M&M's look like? YUMMY! Do what ya can to make up some and then move on. You can do it! About tracking points while away - I am not always so good at this but I try to really stick to 3 meals a day with no grazing so that I will be able to remember everything when I can finally write it all down. Always plan to snack on fruits and veggies but it never seems to happen!

Juldiet: When is your show in Naples? I go to their show whenever it is going on while I am there. So much fun! What a great job. If you are there while we are, I will definately stop by!

Lizzard: Hope all goes your way on Monday and you get what you truly want. It is so great to love your job! I need to work on that. Love your toast. Will do my best! See next post re skiing.

Lyssa: Sorry to hear you are having such a tough day - We are here for you if you need us! Wow, you have so much on your plate - I don't know how people manage 1 child, let alone 4! My advice? Throw everything out!! I actually can't do it myself, but I try. My sister is REALLY good about giving away anything her family does not use and/or need. Their place always looks great and they save a lot of "chore time" for WORK!! Glad you got my joke! Have fun with the BD parties.

Elisa: OOOHHH.... I was working alone on 9 points for the day when I read your post - I was actually drooling!! Glad I don't have to deal with that at work though, no one is that strong! You did great! I can feel that scale gettin ready to say 14?!! Go get it. Will do my best with the trips... I can do it?

Nanci: Glad to hear you survived the blood letting. My advice for next time?? WINE FIRST!! Just jokin, seriously I think that could be hazardous to your health. How cool to see the dutchess! Thanks for the words of encouragement.

BFB: Good to see ya! Sorry about the post.

OK, seriously have to go pack - after a quick ski note.

Skiing - OK - the whole truth.

As I said, I had only been a few times before. In 3rd grade, right after we moved to a new town, my parents made me take after school ski lessons. I had never skied before. I didn't know anyone. I was shy and afraid to go so far with strangers on the bus. I had no coordination and was terrified the whole time. I think I made it through 3 of the 10 lessons.

I did some cross country growing up, but did not get back on skis until my senior year in HS. Six of us went on a ski trip. My friend and I were perfectly happy to sunbathe at the base of the mountain the first day (it was the end of the season). The next day, we decided to hit the bunny slope. When I fall, I have a lot of time getting up, as I had a spinal fusion when I was young. However, we were doing pretty well and having a good time. Then, our friend who is a great skiier and a ski instructor told us that there was one trail that started at the top of the mountain but was easy all the way down. He was sure we would love it...

The ride up the mountain in the gondola was beautiful. We all had lunch at the top (always felt left out of that part before). Then we hit the slopes. Suffice it to say it was not pretty - after quite a scene, the guys skied off and left us. My friend took off her skis and started walking - I followed suit. Our friends passed us THREE times on the way down. Strangers kept asking if we wanted them to call ski patrol for us. The skis were heavy and the snow was slippery. NOT A FUN DAY.

So then I moved to SLC for seven years and NEVER WENT SKIING. Felt kind of left out sometimes, but since the mountains were right there and it wasn't an overnight type of thing, it was not so bad. Met the BF the last year there. He tried to convince me to go skiing with him, but I avoided it.

The only reason I went on this trip is because my sister and her hubby rented the ski house for the weekend primarily so my BF would get to go skiing. How could I say no? My BF did such a good job helping me I really had a good time.

However: The rental guy was all excited to give me a "special" pair of rental boots that had been a friend of his (higher quality than the regulars). Well, I sat down to put them on, got my feet in, and then just stared at them. The buckles were about 2 feet apart! After calling me "big calf girl", the rental guy adjusted them a bit so that they just missed severing my leg at shin level when they buckled. I would up skiing with the top buckle unbuckled and they were STILL tight. Not the most pleasant experience. (But pretty darn funny!)

And: When getting ready for a quick zip down the bunny hill before moving on to bigger and better things, I FELL OFF THE BUNNY HILL LIFT! Smooth, graceful, classy. I could not move or get up. That would have been it for me for the day, but the BF leapt off the lift to my rescue and dragged me to my feet.

Then, on the last run of the day, I was tired. I started to have a little trouble and wound up getting a little panicky and hysterical. Hurt the BF's feelings, but he just stayed behind me until I got in trouble and then offered advice. It was not fun that run, but not too painful.

CONCLUSION??? It would have been aweful without the BF.

Here is my advice - Try a private lesson. It might really help. If that is not possible, here is what I know now:

1) It is not possible to lean too far forward. The "port-o-potty" stance comes in quite useful. Leaning back = bad. When in doubt, lean forward (It helps to have someone behind you SUGGESTING this).

2) Get comfortable with stopping (either by turning up hill or by snow-plowing and really digging your edges in). Realize that you can always slow yourself down and eventually stop.

3) Fall on purpose before you start. It takes the "fear of falling" away and makes you take a serious look at whether or not you can get yourself up. Without help from the BF, I have to take my skis off to get up - then they are hard to get on on the mountain without falling...

4) Lead with your hips, not your shoulders (I'm not so sure about this one, but the BF INSISTS)

5) Take it slow, start on the bunny hill and stay there until you are comfortable. Ask the lift guy what trail he would recommend next. Stay in your comfort zone, even if it is just the slope that LEADS to the bunny hill (trust me, it's a little scarry first off!)

6) When you start to get tired, take a break so you don't get in over your head.

OR.............GO TO THE SPA!

Ugghhh...I'm having one of them days. Didn't sleep worth a darn last night, had two hours of boring training this morning, and have class tonite. I'm also gonna get my hair chopped off (hopefully I'll lose a pound too!!). After reading Bailey's story I'm pretty sure I'll be finding something fun for me to do when everyone goes skiing. I was having total flashbacks and my stomach got knots in it. I didn't mention I broke my wrist on the bunny slope the 1st run of the 2nd morning after taking lessons the whole day before. My wonderful BF at the time found my instructor and showed him my brand new cast later that afternoon. I was too drugged up on pain killers to care.

Bailey, thanks for your advice and story (and the butterflies you gave me). Spa day sounds much better to me!! I hope you got off on your trip okay. Don't you love the stress before you travel? I guess that is to make you enjoy your time away even more.

BFB, sorry you lost your post. I know how frustrating that is. I should have gotten outta bed and we could have chatted. Instead I just laid there and watched the minutes go by.

Nanci, does anyone like needles?? I used to donate blood a lot but I would almost always faint. They finally told me to stop donating. Oh well, I tried. I like your spa idea. DH said I could do anything I wanted while in Reno and he'd pay for it. I'll see if mudbaths and massages were included in that deal.

Elisa, great job on resisting all that tempting food - or at least not losing control. You have more willpower than me. I loved Little Darlings -- one of my fav movies when I was a teenager.

Lys, don't let the stress and chaos get to you. When things seem overwhelming to me I just try and look at things individually. Start in one spot and do what you need to do before moving on to the next. Before you know it all the clutter will be in it's place. That's how I clean my house every weekend. It's when you try and do it all at once things seem completely out of control. Did you ever see the movie "What About Bob?" Baby Steps -- that's my philosophy too. We won't be getting a dog until after this summer -- too many travel plans until then.

Juldiet, thanks for your story. I can relate. My BF was skiing behind me and thought I was doing a great job going down the bunny slope until he realized I was flying straight down with no control. Luckily, that fence was at the bottom to stop me. My cheering crowd said I did a flip over it. "Graceful" is not my middle name!!

Rabbit, good job making up the points and adding the exercise. I can't have any candy in the house or at my desk or it would be gone before I even knew what I was doing. Brrr...single digits? It was 35 here this morning. What is going on??? It's March in Florida?!? The news this morning said they actually got some snow flurries and a little sleet in Jacksonville last night. Isn't Spring Break right around the corner???

OK, today is a better day. Dh came home last night, and helped me get out of the "hole" I had dug for myself. We had to move the closet bar higher, and re-arrange some of the shelves to put all of the kid's keepsake stuff on. After that I felt a little less overwhelmed, and picked up a little more, and I think I will be able to handle it now. I don't know what I would do with out dh. He is one in a google-plex!!! (can anyone count that high?)

I recounted my calories, and I eat about 300 for breakfast, 300 for lunch, and 400 for dinner. That is the bare minimum I should be eating. Dh and I decided to add a few things to our diet. I love milk, and had quit drinking it except for in my cereal in the morning, so that is an easy to improve my calories. We are going to add a glass of orange juice to breakfast with protein powder. For extra fat, I am going to work on cooking more with Olive Oil since that is a healthy fat that will help lower cholesterol. And there is always my occasional scoop of Blue Bunny ice cream. But I do like all the weight I am loosing. It is not like I am actually starving myself. I am rarely hungry, and when I am, I eat. I also eat when I am supposed to eat, even if I am not hungry.

Liz - the spa idea does sound fun, but private lessons could be fun too. Hope you get better sleep tonight. I try too look at overwhelming projects as Elephants. My late step-father used to always say, "How do you eat an elephant?...One bite at a time!"

Baily - I don't know when or if you will get this, but have a good time. Behave yourself, and loose lots of weight while you are gone. Let us know how you are doing when you can.

Elisa - WTG on watching what you eat despite the temptations put infront of you.

Nanci - Too cool that you got to meet the Dutchess. I have always admired her spunk.

BPB - It was nice to hear from you even if you had a hard time of posting. I hope you will have a better time soon. And that you will sleep better tonight.

Someone asked before my last post when I had started to loose weight. (I tried to find out who, but couldn't find that post, ) Anyway, January 25, 2002, and I've lost almost 20lbs. I hope I don't gain it back by increasing my calories, but I certainly don't want to loose my health at the same time.

Hope you all are having a great day!!!

Hello all!!!
Just call me "Queen of the SNowplowers!!!!"..I have to say, I enjoyed the bunny slopes and stayed on them the whole week...I took the school but fell off the lift a few exits...I even slipped with those boots and fell on the deck with everyone watching..Such a graceful experince!!!I say go for it and have fun!!!!!!!

Got back from the dentist soo I have a nice fresh mouth!!!!
Have a good one!!!
RR

hI ALL.

Lyssa - I shouldn't have m&m's in the house either - I know better. I had them to make some cookies for dh's business with their colors. Good idea to have dh take the chocolate to work. I had dh hide the easter candy I have bought.

Elisa - Oh, that ordering in at work would be tough! Congrats on handling it.

Nanci - Sorry they took your blood! ~ What kind of super meeting did you go to?

Bailey - Hooray for your loss!! ~ I didn't eat all 27 points at once - it was a few days.

Liz - I'm still working on making up those points, a few at a time.

gotta run. Rabbit

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require more .

Hi All,

Hmm...seems like I haven't posting on the weekly thread in awhile, but I guess I lost track. I've been busy, but I'm here reading and posting my useless food log everyday! Have not been doing very good on the food lately, can't seem to keep anything out of my mouth.

I missed exercising Monday night, but I had to go shopping to get a planner refill and black shoes!! I still didn't get the planner refill because it doesn't start until July!! Hmm...last year I got it for April!! So I bought a few blank months and will have to pick it up in June. I did get the shoes though....did I tell you all about the shoes I bought last week or something? I desparately needed new shoes...black and brown. The black ones were these stretchy fabric ones and booties, and both were really stinky. I had brown booties that are fairly new, but kinda stinky and I just needed shoes. So I said, OK, I know my bigass Dutch feet (size 11) will need to spend more than I like to (that's the scottish side), so I go to Nordstrom, because I know they carry my size. I got the brown ones...they were 99.95!! That's the most I've ever spent on a single pair of shoes...I'm not a shoe junky...Payless works for me. Anyway, I got over the shock and when the salesperson handed me the bag and said enjoy them, I cringed and said, I better...for at least 5 yrs. or so!! Well, went back there Monday night and they got them in in back, so again, I cringed and handed them my debit card. But at least I have shoes now!!

I went bowling last night...didn't blow it off, like I've been trying to do the whole season! Did pretty good. We were at the end, with no one next to us on one side, so it was nice. It wasn't smooshed and smokey. I bowled better than usual...150something, 170 and 148. My current average is 139.

Have a sinus headache, think I'll take drugs now to head it off. Its' supposed to get up to almost 60 today! Oh, that vacation I wanted to win...obviously I didn't win it, but they're down there this week, and they said they have yet to see the sun!! Makes me feel better. Oh, and I hear them complaining a bit about the accomadations too. Hehehe...

Have a great day all!!

Guess who has pink eye now? Me!!! So far the other kids are ok, but I was helping Emma with her eyes before we had a clue it was pink eye. We first thought it was just a stye or something simple like that. But no, it is pink eye the week before the little ones birthday party. I hope we don't have to cancel it. Luckily the dr. gave us enough medicine to treat everyone. (oh no, I just checked Chris, and his eyes are watering too. )

LBH - Glad you are still around, sorry about the price of your shoes. Emma has extremely wide feet, and I fear that she will have to spend big bucks on her shoes when she gets older. When she wore kids sizes, we could never find shoes for less than $50, and very few of those. She never gets to wear the really pretty shoes because they never come in wide widths, but at least now that she wears a size 5, we can find wide width for less $.

I am sure I will check in later. Hope you are all having a great day!!!

I am shocked and relieved to have this information.

I have a friend who's bil is a homeopathic dr. He has told her and her family how to make colloidal silver, and she has given it to me and her dad gave me a generator to make it myself. I know they are only trying to be nice, and until today, I was a skeptical believer in it. You see, we have used it in the past, and it seemed to have dramatic results in helping us get and stay well. I have been out of colloidal silver and unable to purchase silver for making my own. Well, with the pink eye in our home, I thought I would try to buy silver rods, but I ran into this site (http://homepages.together.net/~rjstan/ ) and saw what using silver can do to a person. I am not willing to subject my children to the possibility of having problems for the rest of their lives, and I don't want anyone else to be unaware. I have researched its safety in the past and found no real warning against its use until now.

I just had to share because the negative info isn't out there, but colloidal silver is all over the health food markets.

Lys: I've never heard of that silver stuff. Guess I don't hang out at the health stores enough.
If its any comfort pink eye is extremely contagious. There isn't much you can do to keep everyone in the family from getting it. Hang in there!

Bailey: the Naple show is April 18-19. I don't even know where yet in Naples, they haven't sent out the info packets yet! Wierd!

Lauren: You'll probably enjoy those shoes! I won't go back to cheap shoes. I've had problems with planter fasia (or something like that) and I can't wear cheap or flat shoes anymore. My feet feel much better now.

I need to get to town and run a few errands.

Later, jul

Hi all!

Oh, I have been busy, busy. But thought I'd check in for a minute. I haven't even updated my daily food log for 2 days - and I won't be doing it tonight - but I am counting points anyway (and staying within range & making up some of those m&m points STILL).

Lauren - Enjoy those new shoes! Hopefully they'll be really comfy. I'm with Jul, I can't wear flat shoes like I used to. ~ Wow on your bowling scores - you're really good!

Lyssa - Sorry to hear about all the pink eye at your place. ~ I have never heard of the silver stuff either, but thanks for the warning.

better go - I'm bushed. Take care all.

Rabbit

Hi everyone,
Okay, I'm here for support today!! I'm feeling like crap -- no energy, depressed, and overall yucky!! AF is just around the corner so I'm sure that's why but man I hate feeling this way. What I wouldn't give for a gallon of choc chip ice cream, a bag of M&M's, a pillow and a blanket!!! I did manage to drag my butt into the gym this morning but only exercised for 30 min instead of 1 1/2 hrs like I was supposed to. I made the mistake of shaving a very sensitive area more than normal a few days ago and now I am dieing. Seriously!!! I'm in major pain. That will never ever happen again!! I walked on the treadmill this morning for about 20 minutes -- until I was almost crying. Then I said forget it. Hopefully after this weekend I'll start feeling more like myself. Sorry if this was TMI!!

Lauren, I wish you hadn't put the shoe idea in my head. I'm out around $200.00 too. Bought 2 pair last night while waiting to pick up DH from his guitar buddies. I'd stopped by once to pick him up and they asked for 30 more min. That was an expensive 30 min.!!

Lys, be glad you shaved instead of Nair'd there. My friend tried the Nair and she can barely walk! Hives, rash, itching, pain. She came over yesterday to visit, had the lightest weight dress on, no undies, no slip, and was walking bowlegged. Poor Jen!


- jul

HI ALL.

Boy my life has been hectic this week! We had cable installed (and a pipeline for dsl) and got the satellite disconnected. I had bug guys here - so had to clean out my closets & under the sinks for them. We drained our waterbed & moved all the furniture out of our bedroom (cleaned out all the drawers & dresser) so that we can get the floors done. Last night I vaccumed my ceiling in there - I have a textured ceiling, it worked well. Anyway, I've been meeting myself coming & going. It is nice to have my closets gone through, my drawers, and under the sinks! I got rid of a lot of junk. And set stuff aside for a rummage sale. Tomorrow the floors get done. Next week we get a new mattress. Hooray!

I have weigh in tonight & I hope I can go. I seem to REALLY be retaining water - I feel puffy. And don't want to go if I weigh a ton. We will see. I was crabby yesterday - I wonder if its pms time . . .

Liz - Hang in there!! Hooray for going to the gym even when you didn't feel like it. That is really setting yourself up for success to be able to pull yourself there when you don't want to. Congratulations.

Jul - and I had thought nair might be a good thing & get rid of the rash problem! The life of a woman . . .

gotta run - Rabbit

Jul - That will teach dh to be ready when he is supposed to be!!! It will be too expensive for him to keep you waiting!!!

Liz - Sorry to hear about the delicate rash , but I hope it will be better soon. Exercise for 1 1/2 hrs? Wow, I'm doing good when I go for 30 min. About feeling down, go for the blankie and the pillow, and find some great movie to take your mind off of your troubles. What Women Want is perticularly funny. (I just saw a documentary on Mel, he's aging, but he's still a hunk!!!)

Rabbit - Glad you are able to make up those m & m points. It is nice to know that with ww you can blow it, and then make up for it later. When you are done with your house, will you come and help me with mine?

Well, we are canceling our little ones party because of the pink eye . I will still make them a cake, and give them their presents from us, but I doubt anyone else will want to come over with pink eye in the house. That is so sad, turning 4 and 5 with no one to celebrate the day with. Well, better luck next year.