Puff puff!!! Whew!! Just jogging on in here really really quick before the boss gets back from lunch. Due any second now!

I promise to write again soon and let you know how Atlantic City was yesterday (beautiful breezy day on the boardwalk - yes, I did get out of the casino long enough to see it ) and how the week's been going and address some of you more personally.

But for now I just wanted to let you know that I weighed in on Sat. and just squeaked by with a 1.2 lb. loss. Whew!

Uh oh. Gotta run!

Love you guys!
Jo.

Let the Bands play and the Crowds roar...Do you hear them????? Way to go, Jo. I knew you could do just 1 pounds a week. I'm so proud of you. Yes! Let's see one more this week. You can do it.

Judy - Nice to hear from you. You didn't tell us about the 'date,' though. How did that go?

I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is still in jail. I know, as a mother, you feel like you should be doing something because that is our perception of what motherhood is...the mender of all ills. What you are doing, though, is more difficult than making things better for her. I applaud you and think that you are taking the right approach - she is an adult and needs to learn that she must either fix the problems that she creates for herself, or pay the consequences of the actions. Think of you often and pray that things will eventually work out for the best. Keep your chin up, girl.

Sooooo, a live in gardener. I could only wish. We have about 5 acres landscaped and keeping on top of the lawn mowing and weeding is more than we can do. We have often envied the house down the street that has the gardening company come in to do their thing every week. We could certainly use a boarder like yours.

Hope everything is going well. Where are all the MIAs? Come back soon. P.S. If you can't write....draw

Luv,

Hi all ...

I'm sorry I haven't been posting hardly at all lately ~ guess I'm just in a anti-social mood! Seriously, I have been going thru some kind of a slump period lately ... I'm not depressed, but just have not felt like posting anywhere .. it's like a chore it seems. I don't know how to explain myself really ... I have been down on my weight tho, gained 6 lbs from the end of the year, and now am stuck at one wt, and won't budge either way (altho, down is definately preferrable to up)! I do read the posts every day tho, so you guys are always on my mind.

I've also been dealing with some personal family matters lately too. Our youngest daughter is in Colorado, raising her 9 month old son by herself, and having a hard time dealing with life right now! She has not been taking her medicine she needs for a chemical imbalance, so she actually "flipped out" the other nite. Very hard when she is there and we are here. Dick and I were all set to drive out there and pack them up and bring them back home but, she does not want to come back to Michigan to stay! I talked to her a little while ago tho, and she is now back on meds and sounding a lot better. Still insisting on staying out there tho ... Boy, a few days ago I thought we were going to be raising our grandson ... at least for a while anyways - not a problem if it happened ... would welcome the job! Hopefully Denise will be ok now ... but of course, will keep in constant contact with her.

Well, need to go ~ just wanted you all to know that I check on you all daily, and will be back soon ~

Love you all!
CJ

{{{{{CJ}}}}} Hugs to you CJ. I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time. Sometimes when it rains, it pours, you know.

Seems like a lot of us are not in the posting mood these days. Me included. I simply cannot get back on track to stay. I keep feeling like something's got to happen soon to kick me back onto program but that something never materializes. I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to get through this. I find myself thinking like I used to - trying to convince myself that I'm fat, have always been fat, will always be fat and I might as well accept it and learn to deal with it. I mean, heck, they have a lot more nice clothes for us plus size gals out there now than they did in the past. Guess I can live with that, right?

Wrong!!!! I WANT TO BE THIN!!!!! But I just can't seem to do it!!!!! Whine! Whine! Whine!

The Community Day block party I'm working on is May 5. We have a follow up meeting on May 7 and I've ALMOST decided to join my two coworkers at the local gym after that. I'm hoping my life with calm down just a little after this event. I need that!

Sam, I'm glad to see you posting! I can't believe Charlotte is one already! And now you can look forward to her little brother or sister. Do you want to know the sex of the baby? I don't know if I would or if I'd want to be surprised.

Judy, I've got a spare bedroom too!! Can you send "your gardener" my way?? Oh, yeah. I'm sure Rich would love that. Still, it would be handy....

Peggy, thanks for the cheerleading! I think I need more!! Rich has been good about "ordering me" to the treadmill and eyeing my food while I eat but he just doesn't have the cheerleading skills. What do you want, he's just a man after all.

BTW, I had a wonderful time in Atlantic City on Monday. Rich did come with me and we had to keep arranging to meet up at certain times because we kept losing each other and didn't want to spend all our time searching for each other. At one meeting, I found him all sad-looking and depressed saying he was done gambling for the day and thought he'd just wander the boardwalk for a while. I figured he wasn't doing well. Then he proceeded to tell me about the royal flush he got on the poker machine for $1000. Humph! Why can't I do that?? Still, it was a beautiful sunny and breezy day and I had a great time ... and didn't lose too much money.

Gotta run. Time to start the day. TGIF and all that. Company quarterly luncheon today is chinese food. Could be trouble but I'm drinking at least a gallon of water before and after. Hope to hear from all you guys again soon. And if anyone talks to Ms. Sassy Sharon, tell her tax season is over so she'd better get her rear back in here!!!

Love you guys. Have a great weekend.
Much love, Jo.

Well, I just got back from the gym. That 6am workout three times a week is exhausting. After the workout, I went to WI...only .5 pounds this week. Buuuuut, that meets one mini-goal that I have been trying to break for the last 2 months. Finally, finally, finally, I am under 130 pounds (129.5 ). That was even being over points every day this past week but 1.

This gives me a bit of incentive to be good for the next week and see if I can get well into the 120s. I am soooo close to goal, I can taste it.

I was talking to one of the fitness people here at work (we really are spoiled at this place), and she told me that she has been trying to bring WW at work in. However, they don't have any facilitators to send, so we are taking some WW losers that work here and paying to have them trained as facilitators. We will soon have WW here and I will be able to go to meetings on lunch break. I did not actually join WW this time (although I am a lifetime member from years ago) because I am not very good at packing up, driving into town and making a special point of attending a meeting. I know that I would eventually quit because I resent the extra time that I put in to going to meetings, JUST to lose weight. Working on my own has been successful so far, but I do need the occasional kick. You guys have been great for that. Thanks.

Jo - What a great opportunity to go to Atlantic City. I have never been there, just read lots about it. Sounds like you and Rich had a great gettaway day...profitable for some, too! Keep up with the weight loss. Your weight loss last week was great. You can keep it up. Your plan for lunch today is great. I think the planning is what helps to stay on track, or at least not to stray too far away from track. Wishing you the best for lunch...

CJ - So good to hear from you again. Wish I was there to give you a big hug. You have been through a lot lately. It is sooo difficult to deal with children who are at arms length. For me, I always have visions of their problems, and not being there is so hard because it is more difficult to be a support for them. Hope everything works out for your daughter, but it sounds like she is back on track with her meds. Thinking of you and praying for you. Take care.

On a sad note, our community is realing from the deaths of the military personnel in Afghanistan. I live just a couple of miles from the base that they are stationed at, and several of them live in my immediate community. It has been very sad here trying to cope with such a tragic accident.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay OP, drink lost of water and exercise. For me, it is another marathon study weekend. I need to finish this silly course by next Wed. (final exam), so will be working through. Take care.

Cheers,

Just read about a new calendar that has been developed. Jo, this might be of some help...

NEG FRI FRI FRI THU WED TUE
8 7 6 5 4 3 2
16 15 14 12 11 10 9
23 22 21 20 19 18 17
32 30 28 27 26 25 24
39 38 37 36 35 34 33

This is a special calendar for handling rush jobs.
All rush jobs are wanted yesterday. With this
calendar a job can be ordered on the 7th and delivered
on the 3rd.

Most jobs are required by Friday, so there are three
Fridays in every week.

There are eight new days added to each month to allow
for end-of-the-month panic jobs.

There is no 1st of the month - thus avoiding late
delivery of the previous month's last-minute panic jobs.

Monday morning hangovers are abolished together with
non-productive Saturdays and Sundays.

A new day - Negotiation Day - has been introduced keeping
the other days free for uninterrupted panic.

Peggy, I love it!! I'm making a poster of that calendar for my office. It's perfect.

Me, I'm not so perfect. Weighed in this morning with a dismal 0.2 lb. gain. So much for a pound a week, right? Overdid the chinese food yesterday and "underdid" the water. Where did all my great plans go? Down the tubes!

I'm at the office now, printing out posters for the block party. Shhh! Don't tell the boss or management. It's a quirky printer/plotter at best and I've got about 25 posters to print. It's going to be a long morning...

Best part of it is that I have no change or $1 bills so I don't care how loudly the vending machines call to me, I can't respond.

OK, last set of prints is almost done so I'd better go. Hope you're all having a good weekend!

Love, Jo.

Happy Monday morning, everyone. I spent the weekend in another marathon study mode and have finally finished the course, so can write the final exam. However, my head was soooo tired this morning, I didn't get up to go to the gym
. I just have to make it up tomorrow morning.

Jo - Sorry to hear about the gain this week. But, it was only .2 pounds and considering you were into the Chinese food on Friday, you have done well. This week will be better.

You know, I love any kind of Asian food and find that when I indulge, I just can't lose the same way that I usually do. Hubby and I have spent a lot of time in Thailand, Korea, China and Viet Nam, so love to eat the food from those countries. We have found a Viet Namese restaurant that is absolutely yummy. The food is authentic, so we try to go there frequently. BUT, I have a lot of trouble with weight loss when I eat there - the portions are large and I think it makes me retain more fluid. I usually drop the weight quickly after, I eat there, but the next couple of days, I know my weight is up. I keep wondering how Asian people stay so thin when I gain weight eating their food?????

Hope this week is good to you, and remember, to start again. You will lose that gain from last week. I know that you can do it.

Well, today I am really angry. Woke up to more snow today. When will this ever end? It's already April 22 and we haven't been able to get out into the yard yet this year. It's still too wet, where you can see through the snow and also waaaay toooo cold. I'm just plain tired of this whole thing.

Ok, I'm finished whining today.

I did get up this morning and go to the gym before work. Didn't much feel like it, but I did it anyway. I am committing to going to the gym 3 times each week. Hubby is coming, too, so that makes for some company.

Hope everyone is doing well today. Seems I am talking to myself these days. Where are you all? Hope to hear from you soon.

Luv,

I'm here Peggy - we're at the cabin tho and have been doing many many errands - had to order (and pay for)! our trusses for the garage (hubby's playpen - 40'x90) ... ouch! that hurt!

Am keeping myself OP - every day - thank goodness! I think maybe I am getting back on track - will be missing WI this week, but will weigh on my scale here - hopefully will be down.

Snow??? Yes, we also had snow here Sunday nite and yesterday - almost 3"!!!!!!!!! But, it is melting now, it's beautiful out. In fact, am shutting down as soon as done here and going outside. Maybe walk down to the mailbox down the road ...

I check here every day ... soon hope to be posting a lot more.

Love, CJ

CJ - Great to hear from you. The snow is beautiful, but I think I would rather see the tulips. Also, our weather is terribly cold - cold wind and blowing. This we can do without.

Great to hear that things are going well and that you are managing OP. Keep us informed how you are doing. Miss 'ya.

Luv,

Hello. I'm here. Haven't posted lately. I'm very sad. Got home from work on Monday and found my friendly little parakeet looking very sick. Looked like he had a stroke, his little head was all twisted sideways. He ended up just huddled on the bottom of the cage. I didn't expect him to make it through the night. But he did so I left him alone because it was pretty clear he wasn't going to get better. When I got home Tuesday, he was lying on the bottom of the cage, eyes closed, looking very peaceful. I, of course, stood there and wept for a long time. I'd had him for smething like 10 years. He was just a sweet little chirpy bird, never did any tricks or talked or anything but loved to make sweet little birdie noises especially in the morning when the sun came up. So Rich and I dug a hole in the backyard and wrapped him up and put in his little mirror (that cute little bird friend he was always watching and kissing) and we buried him. I'm going to make a little cement stone for him.

It sounds so dumb when I tell people how upset I got over "just a parakeet" but I just loved that little guy. I'll miss his little noises and singing. Even this morning I got up and went in to feed him and the cat and it was almost surprising to not find him there. And of course I'm feeling just a little guilty about the fact that I'm glad he died and isn't still suffering. I thought I might have to call the vet and see if they could end his suffering.

Whew. I'm sorry to go on like this. It's just that I know you guys will forgive me. I promise to post more about weight-loss and all the stuff that we started this forum for in the first place. It's just that right now my mind keeps wandering.

Talk to you all later.
Love, Jo.

Jello: I am sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved parakeet - and I don't think you are silly - it was your pet and you loved him/her. It will take a while I'm sure to get used to him being gone .. are you going to get another one? And, believe me, you don't always have to post just about weight loss! We are friends here, not just weight loss buddies!

Love, CJ

Hello Ladies,

I felt really bad about our rainy weather, severe storms last night but after hearing about snow I take it all back. At least I can get out in the yard between storms to pretend it's spring. Is this hopefully your last snow of the year?

WI on Tuesday (drum roll please) 2.8 lbs lost! That made up for the .6 lb gain last week. I was very happy with this loss but there have been 2 days of special parties for various things at school and you would think I had never heard the words Weight Watchers in my life. I have probably ruined my chances of a loss for next week.

CJ - Glad to hear you are back on track. I knew you would get there. Keep up the good work.

Jo - I know how you feel about those pets. Ten years is a long time to have a parakeet.

Peggy - I know you feel good about getting that studying over. Good for you. Do you get to take a break now?

Must run. Be back later.

Carolyn

Good morning everyone ~ just having my coffee so thought I would say hello ~ we are getting ready to pack up the truck and head for home ~ we will be back up here tho in a couple weeks for the long haul, most of the summer.

Carolyn ~ good job on the loss. I'm so proud of you ~ I weighed myself on my scale here at the cabin (is usually pretty close to WW scale) and it says I am a lb down ~ missed WI this week so we will see next week ~ but I am definately back OP! Took me a while, don't exactly understand what happened to me, but hopefully will stay OP now for the duration!

Had snow again nite before last ~ about 1 inch ~ then it got nice and sunny and it all melted again. Was snowing for a while last nite, almost like a blizzard, then it stopped and the sun came out again and all was nice. Crazy weather!

Well, got to run ... catch ya later - tonite maybe.

Love, CJ