Hi everyone,

Well, I am finally up and around pretty much the whole day after my brush with deadly suntan lotion. I still feel somewhat drugged from the perscription. I guess that will stay in my system for a few days. I managed to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day throughout the whole ordeal. I think I was on autopilot

Tashabella: I don't recall the brand. It was one of those fancy expensive kinds from the beauty supply house that are supposed to intisify your tanning ability. I really don't know why I chose that one except, it smelled really good like coffee. I tan so easily being of American Indian descent anyway. I'll tell you though. I sure felt like my skin was on fire. prior to the itching beginning.

Esmaraude: Loosing your folks is always so hard and going through their personal things is very hard. When I had to go through my mom's things, I felt like I was almost spying or something. Plus the memories are just all over the place. Hang in there. You can do it. Maybe it will be bittersweet for you. Crying is good for us. Hugs to you.

Thinthinker: Wow, it sounds like you got a lot done in your yard. So many of you did yard work over this past weekend. That is wonderful. Sadly I was dismissed from the sun this weekend per Dr.'s orders so I watched as my hubby did all of the chores. He did install a screen door for our front porch which lets in such a lovely breeze, when there is one. He also bathed our dogs and I got to sit in the shade and dry them. They are too huge dogs. They are not related but they are the same breed. 1/2 Golden Retriever and 1/2 Labador retriever. They are very furry and shedding badly right now. But, they smell so much better.

Juleecee: Congrats on your Vegas trip being able to stay pretty much OP. I'm glad you are home safetly.

Shadie: Just a big hug and a hello to you our little . I am glad that you are a part of our group!

Hippievan: Wow! Wow! I wish I could sew. Let alone a swim suit. I know what you mean about the dredded mirror. I don't want to know how people at the swimming pool see me. I have had a few comments lately from some people. Unsolicited comments. One older gentleman told me that under all of my fat, I looked like I have some muscles. Another older lady told me on Monday, you are doing a really good thing coming here honey! LOL. Sometimes I don't know what to think. On Monday there were some punky young 20 something guys trying to "Drown the Fat Lady" with their cannonballs. My family always says that I have a look that can almost kill or at the least stop some people in their tracks. I must admit I pulled it out on Monday. After being bombed while trying to do my laps of which half of them are backstroke, I stopped in my lane and gave my look. It did stop the cannonballs and ran the punks off to the hot tub then they left.

Well, I guess I have flapped my lips enough. Nice to be back with the group.
Blessings,
Dogpal

Hi gang--Just a quick check in. Last week was not bad. I feel off program one day, after pulling an all-nighter, but I was good over the long weekend, and I'm down 7 pounds from last week. Lotsa that had to be water, but it's still good to see the weight I gained in April coming off quickly.

I'm out of touch with everyone already.

Dolfingirl--welcome!

Karen--So sorry things have been so hard. At least you haven't given up!!!!! You're still here. You're still standing. Do y'all know that song? I think we should make it our theme song.

2Cute, glad you had a great weekend with the family. Good to see you--I missed you last week.

Hello to Thin, Lilion, Catherine, and everyone I've missed. I'll be back tomorrow.

Hey everyone... today was my long day so a short post today... I'm a bit disappointed by the dumpster that was delivered today. Its like 2 feet high! Supposedly can hold 10 cubic yards or 2 tons... I paid almost 300 bucks for that?!?! I hope that we don't fill it up before we get done. I have this really bad feeling tho that we are going to tho... We'll see what happens when the tractor gets here...

Take care all...
Sue...

Hi everyone~~

I hope that you're all having a great day.

Sue...It sounds like your doing some home renovations. My bf and I rented a dumpster that held 2 tons a few months ago and it gets filled up FAST! If there is any way for you to switch to a bigger dumpster, I would try to. If the company you're renting it from is anything like ours--there are no discounts if you want to dump and then refill it. Good luck though. Going through the house and getting rid of stuff is hard work--both emotionally and physically. I think your dog is a cutie. What kind is she? he?

Joanne--I'm glad you're not bummed out about your weigh in. Your attitude is excellent and I find it very inspiring. Too many times I'll let that stupid number on the scale affect my mood and attitude for the day. Thanks.

Hippievan--you cracked me up with your story about the mirror! I can so identify with that. Good luck

It's getting late--I always end up posting at almost 1:00 a.m. and tonight I'm really tired for some reason. Have a great day ladies and I'll be posting later on. I'm doing the 30 minutes a day in June challenge so I want to get some sleep and walk on my treadmill early and post here right away so that I don't forget. Good luck everyone.

I have to tell you, Hippie and Dogpal, I admire you guys so much for going to the pool!

I live in a community that has a pool that I can use anytime I want, but I don't have the balls to use it. I just can't handle people being mean to me (I was treated very badly during my youth and I think that's why I can't face it).

I'm proud of you!

You go, girls!!!

Morning ya'll,
Just a quick check-in with ya'll. I'm at work and have a busy day ahead. Taking daughter for a check up this afternoon, so need to get as much done this a.m. as possible before I take off.

Thanks for all the inspiration folks...I've managed to say OP and I've lost another 2 lbs.! I even had someone at work yesterday ask if I haven't lost weight. That's a good feeling! The encouragment here makes it much easier to keep it up. Reading your stories and successes (and even when someone slips up and then jumps right back on track) has been great!

Even tho I might not post often, I'm here. Hoping that someday I can be an encouragement to some else.

Have a good OP day everyone!
Happiness,
Mertz

Good morning ladies! I have a quick minute here at work and thought I would post. I do read daily, but this will be a busy week. My son has a paper route and this week is "collection" week, so I walk the neighborhood with him as he goes door to door collecting. It's a good responsibility learning tool for him and I get some exercise in!

Dolfingirl - Yes, I do love my fur babies. And as any fur baby mother will tell you, in their heart of hearts they know there is no other fur baby as cute and adorable as theirs - I am no exception! (As obviously you aren't either!!) Doxies are definitely a breed apart in stubborness/oneriness, but on the other hand they are so darn cute and lovable, you can't stay mad!

SueMarie - Keep a positive attitude on your yard renovation! I'll keep my fingers crossed for plenty of room in that dumpster!!

Joe Anne - Don't worry about that gain. Get right back in there and watch how fast it will come off.

Shadie and Angela - Great job on those losses!! Keep moving forward.

Lilion - I had the same reaction when the hubby surpassed my loss on the scale. It makes me so darn mad! He doesn't follow program as strict as I do, and he loses more weight in a smaller amount of time. The week he passed me I told him I wasn't doing WW with him anymore and he could cook his own food and do his own program. He couldn't figure out what he had done wrong! I got over it as I can't stay mad at him for long!!

Well ladies, my "main" boss just walked in so I do need to get off here and get to work. Catherine, Dogpal, Tashabella, Thinthinker, Esmaraude, JuleeCees and MissMeliss - a big hello and Wednesday well wishes to you all.

Hope everyone has a great and "lighter" week.

Good Morning Ladies (and Gentlemen if there are any here),

It is 10:34 a.m. and sunny today for a change in southwestern Idaho. It has been rainy and stormy for so many days now. I am having a slow but nice day today. I am going to go to the pool, come home and shower and try to trick myself into going to school. Agoraphobia (incase you are unfamiliar with this term, is basically fear of leaving your home), has kept me out of school for 3 months now. I really want to go back but I freeze up every time I think about going. I am going to try to go in later today instead of first thing in the a.m. Wish me luck and for those of you who pray, please pray that I make it to school. If not today then tomorrow. It is a serious problem for me. Anywho.

Angela: Congrats on the - 7 pounds. That is wonderful even if they were former pounds.

Joe anne: Don't fret, jump back in there with both feet. You maybe gained some muscle.

Suemarie: I hope everything fits in your small dumpster. It is so disapointing to believe you are getting something and it turns out it is something totaly different than what you thought you were getting. I used to order a box of fudge for my Grandma and my husband's grandma every year as added gifts from us at Christmas. One year I happend to be at my Grandma's house around Christmas and I asked her about her fudge. It was supposed to be two pounds. Well, my grandma being quite open with her feelings on things said, "No, I didn't get any fudge from you kids, just a heart shaped candy bar." I looked in her frig where she said it was and I was so embarrassed. It was the size of a large candy bar. Two pounds wasn't what I thought it was at all. So, good luck.

Dolphingirl: I am so happy that you are doing the 30 minutes in June. I did the May one, my first month coming to this site, and it really helped me to stay on track with exercise.

Mertz: Congrats on - 2 pounds. Way to go!

Everyone else that I didn't mention a big Hug and a hello to you all.

Blessings,
Dogpal

Today is the first day of Hurricane season. I have all of my supplies ready, including a new laptop with a longer battery life so I can go online everyday even if the electricity goes off. If something does happen here, I will check in briefly to let everyone know I am okay. That said, St. Pete has only had 2 hurricanes hit here in the last 150 years. For those of you who grew up in tornado alley like I did, you know there are parts that the tornadoes always went through, and parts that they seemed to almost "bounce" around. St. Pete has been like that the 11 years I have lived here. Bad storms always veer south or north of us. They say the natives who were here when the Spanish landed used to come to this peninsula during hurricane season because they thought that the ground had some type of magnetic rock that deflected storms. I don't know from magnetic rocks, I believe in having a plan, being prepared, and then relaxing until a time that I need to worry.

My new suit worked great in the pool today. It does seem strange to wear something that really fits. I have gotten used to baggy clothes, and that feels more natural now. When I try something new, I almost feel a bit naked if it fits too well. This was also the first suit I have ever owned that was made from cotton lycra instead of poly-lycra. It's about 90% cotton and 10% lycra. It is heavier and has more body to it, but seems to breath better. It has a texture like those waffle weave golf shirts. I lined the front and the back both, and it ended up being almost too big for the swimsuit spin dryer in the locker room. I had to really scrunch it down to get the lid to shut. It also must hold a bunch more water because twice as much drained out of the bottom of the spinner than my old worn out suit did. Most importantly no one called me droopy drawers today.

My clipping for today: At the last meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, researchers presented the results of a study of 20 extremely obese women (BMI over 40) who were on a very low-calorie diet. During a three-week period, those who also took omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil lost 20% more weight. So not only are fatty fish good for your health, they are good for your waist line too. Omega-3 helps insulin attach to cells more readily.

God! What a Day!

It started out normally enough, then I get a call from the Diabetes Center where my best friend is taking her last class, telling me they need someone to take her to the ER. She thought she was having a major anxiety attack, but she had all the classic symptoms of a heart attack. Anyway, I rush out and get her to the hospital and now they are keeping her overnight. They are testing her to see whether she had a minor heart attack. She's only 38 years old!

Anyway, I can't leave work again, due to the whole June Medicaid-vacation fiasco compliments of the Missouri legislature. So I called my DH who left work and went home. Our 10yo son is home at my friend's house with her 14yo daughter, who is his "baby-sitter"/best friend....Anyway, someone had to pick them up and take them to our house and my friends husband doesn't have a license...so...falls to us!

I've been a wreck most of the day since all this happened and now I'm finally getting things squared away there. I still have a meeting for our renaissence festival committee at 5:30 which we may or may not go to, depending on the attitude of the kids and how freaked out the daughter is. And I forgot to cook anything for dinner - meant to crock-pot it this morning. On top of my roughly 5 hours of sleep - this is rough! The up side...not being able to leave the office makes the diet easier...no way to get food I didn't bring with me, which was OP, if not very filling.

Right now I just want to crawl into my bed and stay there till next week!

Well, since I'm stuck at work, I may as well work! I just needed to vent big-time. Thanks ladies, for being here!

Hope you all have a happy OP day! Congrats on the losses!

Hi all,

checking in again ...
I went down to Sydney last weekend (about 600 km drive each way) so my daughter could go to a leadership conference at Sydney Uni Women's College. She loved it, and they want her to apply now to go to the college when she goes to University in 2007. It's very prestigious and apparently only accepts around 5% of its members from public schools (the rest from exclusive private schools) so it's quite an honour for them to ask her to apply so early.
While we were down there we went to the IMAX theatre - the largest screen in the world. I hadn't been before and my daughter actually paid for the tickets and was so pleased that -she- was taking -me- out!! We did a lot of walking around Darling Harbour (my daughter is also a shopaholic) and finally went to the historic Rocks area and had dinner in a restaurant that was about 180 years old (well the building was - a converted wool baling building next to the harbour that has been converted into boutique shops and a famous restaurant). On the Sunday morning we went out to a huge markets where we spent 3 hours walking around and spending too much money! Then another 7 hour drive to get home.
I was so exhausted by the time I got there.
Positives: I could not have walked that far / driven that far 2 years ago. I didn't think once about how I was going to physically fit into restaurant chairs etc because I haven't had problems like that recently. I also managed to get up and down to our room (on the fourth floor with no elevator!) without dying of exhaustion/breathlessness each time. And my daughter and I had a great time getting away for a weekend together.
Negatives: The attitude of inner sydney people has changed a lot from 12 months ago. Even though I am nearly 30 lbs lighter than I was then, I had many nasty comments from the ultra-thin "trendy" people at the restaurant we went to, in Darling Harbour and on the light rail. I was so shocked because people didn't even seem to care that I heard them, and didn't seem to view me as even a human being. I was more a "thing with no control". I had heard that there has been a backlash against the fat acceptance movement, and that some people have become very antagonistic towards people who are overweight, but I hadn't really experienced it before. The difference from last year to this is that I didn't let their attitudes stop me doing ANYTHING - it's their problem not mine!!!

Anyway, I bought two new cookbooks - "Symply too good to be true" books 1 and 2. All low fat recipes and meals that my family will eat. We had the first meal last night and miracle of miracles, EVERYONE liked it!! So I am going to stick to those recipes for the next week and see if I can get myself back on the losing-weight-wagon!!!

I better go - doctor's visit is calling me,

Leanne

ok ladies... need yoiur help.

I need help. i have been way over stressed. my second youngest son ( almost 4 years old is mentaly handicaped.. but we dont know from what yet... dealing with him thru the day and my other kids aswell.


his tantrums and delays are driving me to eat... i start then cant stop. i know i am ruining all my hard work. and i am back up to 283 lbs.

i dont know what to do.

Hello Everyone…

CrimeGirl – hi there, I’m going to school for teaching with a concentration in math. and WELCOME!

Dolfingirl – yeah I called the city, unfortunately they won’t deliver a new one without a charge… blah! But we’ll be ok, we’re going to talk to our neighbors and see if we can borrow their trashcans lol…

Doxiemom – my fingers will be crossed as well LOL, but I think we can make It with this dumpster if we put the heavy stuff in it and use trash bags for the smaller lighter stuff. Then we’ll see if our neighbors will let us use whatever empty space they have left in their trash cans. Hehehe.

Dogpal – I hate it when you order something and it’s just not what you think… I’ve had my share of that… the dumpster just being one of them.


We just got done working on the backyard some more… my allergies are going over time now… but its looking better and better everyday. I’ll have to show you all the before and after pictures… I’m almost embarrassed at these before pictures… okie wait, I AM embarrassed by them so I won’t show them til I got something looking good in that backyard, and I don’t mean just James. I’m gonna go shower…and ewww got calculus homework to do…

Take care everyone…
Sue…