From all the weather reports it seems like we are in for some very nasty weather starting Sat. afternoon and into Sun. Usually when they start making a big deal out of it, it never materializes. It's the ones that they say we'll only get about 2" of snow, are the ones we usually have to watch out for because we tend to get 12"+

I am off later this morning to meet my GF and start my Christmas shopping. A couple of stores in the mall are having fantastic sales and this will be a good opportunity for me. I don't have very much to get because since I've been doing a lot of shopping lately I've been picking stuff up for people all year. I have shopping bags for people that I give gifts to and put it in each individual bag whenever I pick something up. I leave them in the spare bedroom out in the open so that I can look to see what I have. I've learned the hard way. If I put the gifts away someplace, usually the bedroom closet, I forget what I've bought.

ANNE, it's amazing how many carbs you do consume on SSzing. Are you going to do either WOE or take the good parts of each WOE and combine them? I've been thinking on doing Sugar Busters along with WW. You have to limit your starchy carbs to 2-3 serv. a day. I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

Hi nikki, Jennifer, mauvaisroux, & Su

Have a great weekend everyone.

I see we posted at the same time

That's great you like your plastic surgeon, that is most important, I think. She does have a great sense of humor!! Insurance can be a pain. Since your breast reduction is for health reasons, they should pay for the surgery. Good luck with them.

Your dinner last night sounds really good. DH & I went to Chili's last week and I had the Montery Chicken (no BBQ sauce and no potatoes), with extra grilled veggies. But, I found it a tad bit greasy for my taste. A few nights later we made a lower fat version on our GF grill.

I have a funny story about technibond. I bought this technibond, simulated ruby, sapphire, & diamond ring from HSN. My GF & I were in a jewelry store in the mall. While she was looking for something to buy, one of the salespeople asked me if I wanted to have my jewelry cleaned. When I gave them my rings, they OOHED & AHHED over my technibond ring, then she asked me if I had it specially made for me. I also had on my Suzanne Somers locket and they all thought it was fabulous. They all remarked that I had some beautiful jewelry. Little did they know it was all HSN & QVC

Aleka

Aleka, that is funny. People are always calling in talking about that kind of thing, I just wondered if it was true, I guess so. I bought a simulated alexandrite ring and matching necklace last year. It is "smaller" around 4 carat stones. They are so beautiful and look real. They do change colors with the light too. I've had more compliments about them. In fact, yesterday, the plastic surgeon just went on and on about them. She seems to know good stuff, we saw her driving a new Jaguar. I like these two more than any other jewelry that I own, real or fake.
Oh, I bought Colleen's wedding ring for my Christmas present from DH. He doesn't know yet and he'll throw a fit when he hears the price. It looks as good in real life as on tv. Some of their absolute are not as good, some are better than on tv. This one is a real beauty.
Bye for now, Nikki

Gooooood morning! It is a new day in my kitchen. Cabinets are up, bot of course my husband opened a door this morning and it took paint from the cabinet with it! Yep Nikki, we painted them. They were country blue, and that just isn't me, so we painted them white. Eeeek! Big mess. Now that it is 'over' we get to do another days worth of finishing touches like putting together a cart, and hanging pots and pans from hooks I want to install, etc. It never ends!

Do any of you have the GF electric grill? This is not the table top grill, but the one that looks like a charcoal one but has a burner in it. We bought one but I don't know what to expect. I assume I can grill indoors with it? If you have one, do you like it?

Ok, off to eat my breakfast I have been going to make for an hour !

Hello All!

Aleka, I am combing Suzanne, PP plan and Atkins. Although I
have lost weight I am convinced after reading these books I
am eating way too many carbos I am going to attempt
to keep under 30 per day. I am eating 1/4 cup mixed nuts at
night for my snack and loving it.
Nikkic, I love our home shopping channel here too!! I am planning
to do alot of my Christmas shopping on line. I hate dragging
parcels home on the subway.
I went to a site today called biofitness. I filled out my weight
and the measurements it asked me for. My result was 40%
body fat and I should be 23.7 or something like that. It said I
must lose 51 pounds to be in a healthy weight range. Boy, it
sure doesn't make a person feel very happy.
I will get weighted Saturday and fill you all in on my progress
or lack there of.
Anne.

Hi everyone!

I am just popping in to say hello. I am at work right now and won't be able to post later tonight.

I am having some girlfriends over for a clothing party. Today is cheat day so I am planning on enjoying pate, cheese, crackers, veggies and dips and some wine along with a couple of other goodies.

I will have to work it off tomorrow at belly dance class

Hope you all have a good weekend!

It's snowing already this morning, but I don't believe this has anything to do with that big storm we're supposed to be getting.

Had a very productive shopping day yesterday. My cousin is all done. I got her a lounging outfit that was originally $48.00, I got it for around $25.00. Then I bought this set of 2 porcelin vases for a friend, that originally cost $30.00 and ended up paying around $13.50! I mostly have to do DH & IL's.

mauvaisroux, how was you clothing party? Did you buy anything good? How was your belly dance class?

ANNE, let us know how that combination is working for you. On SB you are allowed 2-3 serv. of starchy carbs a day, 15 gm. each. I think I can live with that. Hopefully, that combined with WW will do the trick. Have a good weigh in today!

Jennifer, glad you got your kitchen cabinets up, but sorry about what happened. MEN...honestly! All the 'extra' work will get done. It's great when everything is all finished. I'm sure everything will look fantastic when it's all finished.

nikki, your ring and necklace sound BEAUTIFUL! Don't you just get a 'smug' feeling when everybody goes on and on about your 'fake' jewelry? I get a kick out of it. I didn't see Colleen's wedding ring. What does it look like? I have seen Suzanne's engagement ring, but it was too much of a honker for me. I bought an absolute tennis bracelet that I wear all the time. I have had so many comments on how sparkly it is! Even that salesperson at that jewelry store I mentioned, commented on it. My GF has her birthstone, sapphire & diamond ring that I really love. I saw one yesterday, exactly like her's, only in my birthstone, ruby. I don't want to get it because I don't want her to think I'm copying her.

Hi Su, hope you're having a good Sat.

Aleka

Good Morning Everyone,
Aleka, sounds like you got some wonderful bargains. Colleens wedding ring is a marquise with baguets on the side. The baguets taper down next to the marquise. I can't describe it right. She wears it all the time if she isn't desplaying other jewelry. The marqquise is 2 karats and the total weight is over 7 karat. It's a honker, but for some reason, it doesn't look that big on the finger. Even DD #1 said it looked real and she's pretty picky about jewelry.

Mauvaisroux, you do some of the most interesting things. Wish we all lived closer, maybe we could all go belly dancing with you.

Anne, that is my bf content too. Not what I want it to be. I've been rethinking my woe too. The diet plan that comes with the Smart Technique tapes that I've been using is really strict. No sugar, no salt, no bread or wheat products, low carbs and the kicker low cal, low fat and no dairy (what would I do without cream?). But you can have potatoes, carrots and they don't restrict caffiene. I've been thinking about trying it for awhile, just to see if it would speed things up a bit. Even though I'm losing weight, it is painfully slow. Then I go up a few pounds and down a few and it's like a tettertotter. The only reason I don't go for it right away is that I feel so good. I feel better than I've ever felt on a diet before. That could be because I have no sugar in my food for the first time in my life, I don't know. What I do know is that I am moving towards my goal weight, so that makes me happy. I just want to get there quicker.

Jennifer, I don't have one of those grills. I have a table top grill with a lid that you can pick up, like a lid on a pot. It only grills on one side at a time. I love it, because I can take it apart and wash it in the sink. The only problem is the smoke, you need a good ventilation system when you grill indoors like that.

I'm off to the big city (Des Moines) to go shopping with DD #1. There is a craft fair at the mall and she loves that. It will be my exercise for the day.
Talk to you all later, Nikki
PS-just weighed myself and I am 249 today. I haven't been in the 240's for 5 years. I've been bouncing around 250 to 255 for weeks now. So I've lost 25 lbs since starting in August. Just glad to move into different 10 lb category.

Congratulations on losing all that weight 25 lb. since Aug. is awesome! I've read on the SSzing boards that you do have those ups and downs with weight. I got discouraged too when I SSzd the first time. Now I am being more patient with myself about losing weight. I believe Starlite, on the SS board took a year to lose her weight. At one of the WW meetings, our leader said it was better to be a tortise at losing weight than a hare. Those tapes sound good, but I don't know if I could go without dairy. If you try the tapes, let us know how it's working for you.

Colleen's ring sounds beautiful! I bet you can't wait for Christmas so you can start wearing it. Or, are you going to wear it as soon as you get it?

Aleka

Aleka,
I've been doing the tapes every night, I don't know if DD will ever get them. She doesn't seem to want them anyway. I really get so peaceful and sleep so well, that's worth it to me. I don't know if I can do without dairy either. Seems like a big sacrifice. I love cheese and eat it daily now. Cream is a food group in itself. Before I started to ss I rarely ate cheese and cream was once or twice a year on holidays. Patience is something I need to work on.
Can't wear the ring, haven't told DH I have it. I'm waiting til he says he doesn't know what to get me for Christmas. It happens every year, around Dec. 24th. I've learned to have my present bought if I want something besides some last minute, picked over thing from Walmart or worse, Quick Trip.