Morning All,

Wow, I can't believe how sick I felt last night. One minute I was freezing cold and shivering, the next my face felt like it was on fire and I had to put the fan on. I couldn't even go online, I just needed to lie down. I haven't had a cold this bad in ages. Today my temp is only half a degree up instead of 3 like yesterday, so apart from losing my voice, I am feeling a bit more human. I was supposed to see my therapist today, but I had to cancel, I will see her in a weeks time instead.

How are we all doing when it comes the Christmas planning and shopping? I have started buying gifts now, and the only one I am having trouble with is my daughter. She wants clothing vouchers as her main present, but I also want her to have stuff under the tree, but I just have no idea what to get her. I have got a few joint presents for the family which should be fun, Uno Extreme, and the PS2 Singstar game. That should be fabulous, and I even think Beth will like it because it will show her if she is singing to low or high or whatever by a graph. She loves singing, but being deaf, well you can imagine what it's like. I think she will enjoy trying Singstar.

Wyllen - you did really well with your food choices when you went out. Did you feel like you were missing out on the really good stuff? I figure that I don't go out often, so when I do I don't make the healthy option choices because I don't want to sit there all resentful while everybody else eats what I want to be eating. It might slow my weight loss down, but hey once it's off, I am keeping it off. I have only eaten a bit of soup and some cereal over the last two days, so I think that Pizza I had on Wednesday won't effect my weight too much. I would rather not have this cold and be able to eat, but like I always try to remind myself, every cloud has a silver lining.

Angelia - sorry that you hurt yourself before with your exercising. I am sure it makes you think very carefully about what exercise you will do in the future and how much you do of it. I watched the UK version of the Biggest Loser last night and all of the people had to do 4 hours solid on exercise bikes. I sometimes wonder how much a show like that would help me. But I am pretty sure I would be voted off in the first couple of weeks because I just don't believe in pushing myself until it hurts. I bet they couldn't walk without pain for days after that cycling session, and that to me is no good. When I can exercise I will do it all in moderation. I know what you mean about being too big to exercise, that's why right now my housework is my exercise. I have a Richard Simmons DVD waiting in the wings though that I think I will really try to do in the New Year when I have lost a few more lbs, and when I will feel more up to exercising.

Andrea - how are you doing with that packet of cookies, did you manage to stop at just a few or did you finish them? Over here you can get something called Jaffa Cakes. They are called a biscuit, but are kind of like a little cake. A soft sponge bottom filled with orange jam and the top is covered in chocolate. They are great because they are only half a point each. The problem is that they are too moreish and I have to eat the whole pack instead of just one or two. Until such times as I can stop at a couple I won't be buying them lol. I am too weak!!

TOM really sucks doesn't it, it makes those scales be even more horrible, and then of course there are the food cravings, and sometimes moods too. I have a contraceptive called Implanon in my arm, and ever since I had it I haven't had a period. I never know when TOM is meant to be, and I am a moody thing anyway lol, so that is no indication of when I should be on. Oh well, I don't mind, not having a period is the best thing.

Dogpal - that's brilliant news that you got the house funded, and that you enjoyed going out and buying a few things for the rental you are in. That cuddle chair sounds wonderful, I would like one of those. Hubby and I would both need to lose weight before sharing it though lol, the poor thing would break unde the strain otherwise

I am glad I am not the only one who doesn't suit short hair. Well my face suited it, my body didn't. I much prefer short hair and when I lose a lot more weight I will undoubtedly go back to my short style again. In the mean time, I am growing it like you are. I wouldn't mind long hair if it was dead straight and looked nice, but it's got a natural wave in it that makes it just a mess Do you like your curls?

Brenda - you may not be doing official exercise but I bet you are definitely working off some lbs with all that cleaning you are doing!! I am so glad that you are getting everything back to smelling sweet.

Wow a scrap book room, that sounds brilliant. I guess you must really be into that to have a whole room dedicated to it. I would love to do stuff like that and to make my own cards etc, but two things stop me. One is the expense of the outlay of all the things needed, and secondly, and the most important reason to not put out a lot of money for the equipment, I don't have an artistic bone in my body lol. If I made a card you would think one of my girls had done it So I will stick to ordinary photo albums and buying greetings cards!!

Teahoney - well done on the 2 lbs lost. I know it was an unofficial weigh, but you still saw a loss and that's brilliant. I don't weigh daily, heck I don't even weigh weekly. I weigh once a month and that's only because I have to to make sure I don't need to drop my points or whatever.

Valerie - so glad to hear that you had a great time at that animal training seminar. Sounds like you stayed pretty strong when it came to your food choices too. I sure don't blame you for giving in to those Macaroons though, who can say no to them, YUM.

Sorry to hear you are having a hard time being menopausal. Us women sure don't get it easy do we. We have to suffer years of periods and some suffer PMT, and then the cramps, the weight gain, the cravings etc, and then when we get rid of our periods we have the dreaded menopause to go through. Both my mum and sister suffered terribly with hot flushes, so if they are anything to go by I guess I will too. Oh it's so not fair. As for geing irritable, well I already am so there won't be much change there. But I have digressed, try not to worry about not wanting to chat on the phone and stuff, hopefully it's all temporary and you will feel your normal self sooner rather than later

Vicki - there you are. I have been looking out for you on here and on yahoo etc but haven't seen you around. Glad you are back and hope we can chat one day soon.

I think if you have any more of that Halloween candy left, quick get rid of it. You aren't the only one here who has been tempted after the day by left over goodies. Have to say I haven't heard about rice a roni, but I love rice, so it sounds like it's something I would love. I am glad you could eat that and the candy and not feel mega guilty. This is what we have to remember, it's not wrong to have treats, we just have to make sure that they remain treats, and don't go back to eating like that all the time. That's how we got to the size we are. Now we are like normal people, trying to eat healthily, and allowing ourselves the occasional treat. Nothing wrong with that.

As for your exercising, if I had the strength I would give you the kick you asked for , but as it is I will just give you a cyber hug and say that I know when you are ready to start again, you will do it

Julee - that is awesome that you have lost another 2.6 lbs for an incredible total of 81.2 lbs!!! How long has it taken you to lose that much? I bet you see such a huge difference in your health, in what you can do now that you couldn't before, in your clothes sizes, in everything!! I am so happy for you, and I look forward to the day when I can say I have lost that much too. Right now though I am just aiming for my first 30 lbs lost. My biggest problem is that I want to see a difference in myself, and at 22 lbs lost I can't see any. I watch Biggest Loser and the ones that have lost the same as me look awesome, you can really tell the change in them. Oh well I will just have to be patient and lose quite a bit more before I notice changes.

Sharon (voodoo) - How are you doing, have you managed to go shopping yet to get in some healthy food? I sure hope so. You are doing so well with the exercise, it's a shame that a lack of healthy food choices is the only thing stopping you from being 100% on track. I hope I will catch you on line later on.

Well I am going to go register for some online grocery shopping now lol, so until later, it's toodlepip from me.

Hugs,

Ammi

Ammi--I hope you're feeling much better today! It's so hard to focus on anything when you just feel rotten

Wyllen--oh, how I LOVE Red Robin! I especially love their chicken burgers! I didn't know you could replace the fries with salad...you're so good to have even asked! Man, I need to take you along next time Jeff and I eat out

Angelia--btw, is that your real name? It's very pretty Like others have said, start slow with the exercise. I have lost about 40 pounds now, but I sure as heck still can't run! I always joke with my friends who like to go running that I feel there's no need to run unless you're being chased Instead, I do little things during the day, like I park 4 rows further from the door of the office building than I have to, I take the stairs instead of the elevator (usually--I do get lazy sometimes), and I try to move a little each weekend, even if it just means going shopping instead of watching tv. Every little bit adds up, and when you incorporate it into things you do normally anyway, it doesn't even seem like exercise. I also go to the gym about 3 times a week and do 20-30 minutes on the elliptical machine, but I only used to be able to do 15, so starting with as much as you can do and building up from there definitely helps

Well, I got over the hunger thing that hit me for a couple days. I felt back to normal yesterday, so I'm glad it didn't last too long. I did have a .5-pound gain at TOPS this week, but it was to be expected with all the extra sodium I've been consuming plus the 2 days of eating everything within a 1-mile radius We won't have a meeting next week (since it will be Thanksgiving Day), so I have 2 weeks to take that .5 pound off and then some!

Tonight, Jeff and I are going Christmas shopping. I don't know what I'm getting for anyone (except Jeff--I already ordered his gifts online), so hopefully I will see something that will strike me as being just right for my sister or mother or father or soon-to-be brother-in-law or soon-to-be step-neice

Ammi - I hope your feeling better!

I could feel a real change in temperature here this morning! time to dig out my winter coat this weekend!

Vicki -- KICK and a carrot!! Remember that exercisng gives you extra energy! Sometimes when I don't feel like doing it, I tell myself I only have to for a few minutes. Usually once I start I can go my 30 minutes, but head games can be helpful!

Angelia -- I am able to keep some food at the office (like kashi granola bars) and then each day I have an insulated lunch bag to keep food like yogurt cold. I have to go shopping more frequently than before -- we usedto only do a big shopping once a month (why shop frequently when you're not buying fresh fruit and veggies) and now it's once a week -- but there's extra walking in all that shopping I'm doing, so that's a little more exercise too. Like Jill, I try to find some small ways to get extra movement in. In fact, when I started I just thought: Eat less, move more. And my first month or so my movements were more about just doing more in the house!

Ammi -- that's a really good point about not going out often, but we go out a couple of times a week and I just feel that's bit too much for me not to try some of the healthier things. I actually find I really like some of the healthy meals. At Chili's for instance, I really LIKE the guiltless grill salmon. and now I know I like the gardenburger. I also make sure I have a snack/treat every day that I really like, because I do NOT want to be deprived!

Jill -- I found out that at Red Robin not only can you replace the fries with salad, but you can put a gardenburger in any of their hamburgers (if you wanted the special sauces or cheese or whatever). I chose to have the healthier one on the wheat bun, but could see adding one with cheese... I was VERY impressed by that whole idea.

Well my weight was still the same this morning which I figured because the weather has been so cold I didn't walk every night...plus TOM and also the chocolate chip cookies that I ate yesterday didn't help I am sure.

Ammi--I had three cookies....so I kind of had a little control.

Anyways, we are eaving this morning to go to Chattanooga and we will be back on Sunday. I am going to have to be careful this weekend since we will be eating out. Wish me luck.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!
Andrea

Andrea good luck while your out of town. That is always a hard one for me because when we go out of town it is usually to a family members house and if it's my mother in law she is cooking hours before we get there and the whole time that were there. I love mexican food, but it could ruin my whole week of trying to stay OP if I go there just for a couple of days. I hope you have fun this weekend.


Wyllenn, I am going to do that. My weekend job Fri, Sat, and Sun is in a grocery store so I could always buy stuff while I am there and then stock up Sunday night for the Mon through Thurs I work at the Preschool. Thanks for the tips.


Jill that is my real name, thanks for the compliment. Thanks for the tips on keeping moving. I want to join a gym, but I think I am going to wait until I can do a little more around the house. I hate to run also. My knees always hurt and my back starts hurting, and I also just can't stand it. I don't know why. Even in high school when we had to run the mile I hated doing it.


Ammi, I have a Richard Simmons tape waiting too that I got off of ebay. I tried it once and decided I would have to wait to do that. You know I love those reality shows, but I don't think I would last on The Biggest Looser either, it's not that I don't try enough I just don't think I would take the pain or want to take the pain. I don't want to hurt myself either. I don't think you should have to hurt while your doing the excersise. Now if your a little sore because you haven't worked those muscles that's a different thing. But I think there is such a thing as too much at once.

Gotta go do laundry before work.. I will check in a little bit later!

Hi All,

Well I am back again, but as night draws closer I am feeling worse. Why do we always feel unwell in the night. It can't be a sleep thing because I sleep a lot in the day. Oh well, never mind, hopefully this cold will go before too long.

Angelia - I wonder how long it will be before we are both able to do our Richard Simmon's DVDs. I will try one or two songs a day in the New Year and take it from there.

I am with you all the way on not lasting on the Biggest Loser. Some of the stuff they do I would just refuse to do, and the minute the trainer started yelling at me is the minute I would walk. I know we all need a push now and then, but I think they push way too hard. One of the tasks a while ago was for each person to run up and down a football stadiums steps 100 times!!! I could never do that, would never do that at my size, and yet some of them were bigger than me. I don't get how these personal trainers can just say to a really obese person, do this or else. I mean even a slim person would find that task difficult. So yep, a little aching isn't bad after exercise, severe pain is just wrong.

That is great that your name here is your real name, it's very pretty, how do you pronounce it. Lori and I were chatting the other day about how we both pronounce our names. It's funny trying to explain in type and not in person lol.

Andrea - well done you on only eating three cookies. You are much stronger than me. I swear I can never stop at just one of anything nice. I used to go to my friends house when we were kids, and we would go out and buy sweets/candy. I would eat mine all in one day, and I would visit her again a few weeks later and most of hers would still be there. I guess that's why I am fat and she isn't, lol. Mind you she was and is a very insecure person, and she would always encourage me to eat plenty, and never diet because it helped her feel better than me because she was slimmer.

Wyllen - I wrote you a lovely long PM earlier and the blasted internet explorer encountered a problem and had to close down before I had chance to post it. I hate it whne that happens I will write again later. For now though I just want to comment on what you wrote about going out. Yes you do go out more regular than I do, so you are doing the right thing trying out the healthier option. It's even better that you actually like those meals too, it will go a long way to you not minding not going for the fattier option. Good on you!!

Alison - no I am not feeling much better at all, but thank you for hoping that I am. Did you get my PM a while back saying how I tried to email you and your email address was supposedly not valid? Did you change your address, or have I got it wrong?

Jill - you are so right that it's hard to concentrate on anything, least of all dieting when you are unwell, but at least with me being so poorly right now I don't feel like eating so it's not too bad. I just have to ignore all the honey in my hot drinks lol.

I am glad you are feeling more back to normal with your eating now and not having the cravings. That .5 gain is nothing, just one quick wee so don't worry about it. I think the best thing about all of us here is that even when we do have gains, or if we have bad days with what we eat, we don't give up. That's the most important thing. Allowing ourselves to have our treats but to realise that we still have to focus on losing weight.

Well I am going to go now, Daren's brought me a nice hot drink. Take care all, and have a lovely weekend.

Hugs,

Ammi

Angelia...exercise has to start with small steps. If it has not been a part of your regimen for a long time, then starting with an aerobics tape might be too much. Catherine has written many times about how she got started with just doing scizzor kicks and flutter kicks from her bed. Don't worry right now about breaking a swet (or yourself)...just make the effort to get up and out and moving more often than you already are.

Ammi: I started WW in February 2005 and to date have lost 81.2 lbs. The longer I do it the easier it is...and now it's pretty much like second nature in terms of food choices and whatnot. I still get a little panicked when I have to go on a trip for work or something like that, but the WI's after those weekends are usually my most successful because I am so fixed on what I am eating so I am really conscious of my choices. I have gone from a 26 to an 18. Sometimes it's a regular 18 and sometimes it's a women's 18..but it's an 18. In most tops I am wearing a L or maybe an XL if it's a little more fitted. Purging my wardrobe was wild...but I feel better for it. I did keep one pair of my size 26 jeans so that when I reach goal I can go back and look at them. What I love is how supportive the people I know and the people around me have been. They have been realy accomodating about food modifications or letting me bring some of my own stuff..which is so helpful. I know that empirically speaking I am still big, but I feel so much better than I have in many years. I have loads more energy, I feel like I generally look better and I am certainly calmer since my BP is now in control as well. It took me a long time to be able to look in a mirror and see what other people were seeing. When you look at yourself day after day, you get pretty fixed in your mind of what you xpect to see there. What finally did it for me was having one of my old "fat" pictures right next to the mirror and looking at me in the mirror and me in the picture side by side.

OH..and in terms of restaurants...you have nothing to lose by asking...salad instead of fries...fruit instead of hash browns...cooked "dry" (no oil), egg beaters, wheat toast no butter, steamed veggies no butter. Bring your own seasonings and dressing with you...do whatever you need to do to help ensure your own success and to not feel like you have no options at all when you eat out. Learn to be your own best advocate. If you are going to pay $$ for someone else to cook your food...don't be satisfied with what the menu says...have it cooked how you want. LEARN TO BE HIGH MAINTENANCE!!! It's what has worked the best for me. Don't be afraid to be a little difficult.

Off to throw in more laundry..I am horribly stuffed up and my throat is on fire...poo.

Hello All,

Well the sun is shining today, but its still bitterly cold here. Not as bad as some of you in the US though. I saw on the news that NY had 6 inches of snow. Is that early in the year for that kind of weather? Well I hope that whoever is having to endure those severe cold temps that they/you will be ok.

I am feeling a lot better today, but still can't shift this temperature. It's not as high as it has been, so I am improving.

Hubby was too lazy to cook last night and I wasn't well enough, so we ordered a take away meal. I begrudged every mouthful I ate because I couldn't taste it. Talk about wasted points. Oh well, never mind. I am up to cooking today, so time for some good food choices again.

Julee - you have done so well to lose all that weight in less than a year. I look forward to being where you are now where eating the right stuff comes naturally. Actually I do have a good idea now of what I can eat to keep in my points range. I also think it's wonderful that you have had so much support from people who have been happy for you to take your own food along to functions and events etc. And of course you are brilliant for actually asking for food to be cooked as you would like it when you go out. I will have to work on that one lol. I always think that if you are too demanding they will spit in your food, ick,

I hope everybody is having a good day. Until later, toodlepip,

Hugs,

Ammi

Julee I totally agree with you about eating out, I have found that if you ask politely and firmly for no butter, 'can I have a salad instead of..' etc all of the places I have eaten at have obliged. It helps that I'm fat, and look in need of dieting, though I look forward to the day someone says 'why are you cutting down, you are TOO SLIM to be on a diet!'.
I gained this week, only a pound, I did'nt follow the plan and drank (diet) coke & brandy or gin & (slimline) tonic, after the news of the op I have to have (women's stuff) I could'nt sleep and hubby was on nights so I was a pig. I feel better and did 30 mins of hard aerobics today, with wrist weights too and I'm back on plan. It can be so hard when food has been your 'friend' and 'comfort' for so long and you have to find an alterative for when you are down or feeling alone. I am trying to use exercise, but it does not taste as good as some chocolate!!! but in the long run 'nothing tastes as good as sucesss' even if it takes me another two or three years! I have'nt altered my tracker as I intend to lose at least two pounds next week. Keeping positive.
I hope everyone is doing well, and that the weather is good, the sun is shining here in Derbyshire, even if there is frost on the ground! Sunshine always lifts my spirits. A big hello to tea honey and angelia, it's great to have new people to join in.

best wishes,
sharon

I must have hit some kind of equilibrium point so something, because all of a sudden I’m losing weight like crazy. I’m not doing anything differently, just the same old, same old, but it’s like my whatever has kicked into gear. I had a feeling that something was fixing to happen because I’ve lost buoyancy in the pool. As some of you know, I actually had trouble being too buoyant, especially in my lower half which is 3 sizes bigger than my top half. Doing some exercises in deep water, my butt would actually flip me upside down in the pool like a bobbing duck. It was so frustrating. When just suspended in the water, I would naturally stay chest deep no matter how deep the water was. Now I’m sinking to my chin, and having trouble staying up. I might have to resort to using one of the buoyancy belts that the other people have to wear. One black guy has to wear two because he has no body fat at all. I know that this means I’ve lost fat or gained muscle or both. Near drowning as a NSV. After today’s weigh-in, I am now no longer super morbidly obese, just morbidly obese. Never thought I’d be happy to be called morbidly obese.

Ammi-I hope you are feeling better. It is a bummer to not be able to taste what you are eating. I did that for years but didn’t have a cold to blame it on. I’ve read where people like me actually overwhelm their taste buds to the point that they taste nothing. I could eat just enormous amounts of food, taste none of it, and feel like I had eaten nothing. It is such a wonder to be able to taste flavors now. To be able to savor slowly the taste of food that 5 years ago I wouldn’t have touched. Two ladies in the locker room yesterday where talking about where they were going for a burger after class. I blurted out that I hadn’t had a burger in almost 4 years now. That freaked them out. As for Christmas shopping, I bought him a new wallet yesterday. It is hard to find a man’s wallet in America that has a change purse. Canadians all carry lots of coins because they don’t use $1 bills like we do here. I wanted to buy one made out of sting ray leather, but $82 for a wallet is not going to happen in the lifetime of this skinflint. I’m going to make him a stocking to match mine, and mail them to him. I want him to have my stocking hanging there. I hope this is the last Christmas we have to spend apart.

Teahoney-welcome and just keep chugging along. Your body may be aching now, but I promise you it is liking it. Our bodies want to be in motion so much that they will reward you by making it easier in no time. If I miss my swim classes, my body chastises me terribly.

Brenda-I remember having boxes of flooded stuff when a washing machine hose gave out. I’d been carrying that stuff around, and in the end missed none of it. I’m trying to remember that feeling because I am very shortly going to have to start doing the same thing again to get ready to move. It will literally be cheaper to get rid of things and replace them once I get to Canada than to pay to ship them 3500 miles.

Dogpal-yes mam, I will sew today if I can get him off the phone long enough. I love that I switched to unlimited long distance, but I’m spending more time on the phone than I am working. My biggest hurdle is that I had to buy a pattern to match my top half, and since my bottom is at least 3 sizes bigger, I will have to alter the bottom. That’s easier than altering the top, but I’m still a little afraid. I altered my nightshirt pattern, and am going to make a night shirt first to see how that works. If it feels right below the waist, I can compare that pattern to my gown pattern. I have enough fabric for 3 night shirts, so I can adjust after making each one. If all else fails, I can add panels to the side of the gown. They will look like part of the design.

Andrea-If you crave chocolate, try taking a magnesium supplement. An MD at the Continuum Center for Health & Healing in NYC found that 400 milligrams a day can get rid of the craving in a week. It is an ingredient in chocolate that actually helps stabilize blood-sugar levels. Chocolate has always been an issue for me. I also found chromium and cinnamon to be helpful for evening out my blood sugar levels and avoiding crashes and cravings. I also let myself have a piece now and then, but I chose a really good chocolate, usually dark, and just make sure I count it in my calorie total for the day. Guilt leads to binging.

Angelia- welcome, I hope that you find what you need here. when I first started the only exercise a could do was scissor kicks laying in bed for about 10 seconds at a time. When I had lost about 150 pounds, I was able to start walking for the first time in a decade. This week is the one year anniversary of my being able to walk to the end of my block and back. When I had lost 200 pounds, I got in the pool. I’ve been there ever since. All I could do at first was just water walking. Now I’m doing 30 minutes of that followed by 45 minutes of regular water aerobics and 45 minutes of deep water aerobics. About 6 weeks ago I started having to do the regular class at twice the speed the instructor had everyone else going just so that I could get my heart rate up. I can climb stairs without getting winded. Maria Carey says that water aerobics is the only exercise she does. The water makes your weigh only10% of what it is in on dry land, so that is a lot less weight on the joints, but the water is 12X as resistant as air, so you can get a great work out. I was embarrassed to be seen in a swim suit, but I know I can’t die of embarrassment but can die of obesity. The pool is full of the infirm, aged, and flabby, and I was not the largest woman there. The hard bodies don’t want to hide themselves underwater, they exercise in the gym going regular aerobics and step classes in front of the mirrors. The only time that anyone actually sees me in my suit is the 10 feet or so from where I hang up my towel to the edge of the pool. If you can’t afford the fees, the YMCA has a scholarship program. They were founded on Christian principles, and won’t turn the poor away. You can sometimes get it free, or a much reduced rate, especially if you are willing to volunteer. BUT-the first thing you have to do is go to a doctor. If your chest is hurting when you exercise, you need to have that looked at.

Julee-I know I’ve made an impression when people start quoting me. I love the idea of being High Maintenance. I got so used to being grateful that a waiter would even look at or speak to me, that I didn’t ask for anything special. If enough people make the cooks and chefs change the way they prepare a certain dish, maybe it will make in onto the menu for those too timid to speak up. I once had a teacher tell me that if only 10% of the people vote, then your vote is basically counting 10 times. When it comes to speaking up in a restaurant tell yourself that you are speaking for 10-100 other women who are too afraid or embarrassed.

Ammi -- Glad to hear you're starting to feel better! I hope you're fully recovered soon.

Catherine -- I nearly spit up my coffee when I read of your near drowning NSV, but am thrilled to hear you're losing more weight!

Thanks for the ordering advice everyone! I didn't know the term "dry" -- though it's obvious now that I hear it. It's good to hear others talk of being high maintenance at restaurants, because I am starting to feel a little like Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally". I get a lot of stuff "on the side". And I absolutely agree with Catherine that maybe if enough of us ask that better options may appear on the menu. I have started to ask at some chains for nutrition info, but I'm asking servers who don't have much say in policy. Maybe I should start talking to managers at the places where it isn't available! This is the kind of thing that is hard the first time you do it, but gets easier with repetition.

Hey Chickies!

Wow this is a busy place, isn't it? Had weigh in on Thursday at LAWL and was down THREE more pounds! Add that to 2.8 on Tuesday and that's 5.8 this past week! I'm a HAPPY camper!! Tonight we are going to a couple's home that we've been friends with for years - we try to get together with them every couple of months. They have a huge home complete with a game room, pinball games and a hot tub house in the woods in back of their house! With the temps in the freezing range at night, that hot tub sure will feel great! With 25 pounds gone now I won't feel QUITE as bad in a swim suit - I'm still not happy at all with the look, but these are very close friends and not tacky about it at all. They are both of normal weight and have NEVER ever made me feel bad. They are very happy with my success. Our oldest will babysit the littles so it will be so nice for Bob and I! We will probably have some drinks though! I'll have to be extra good tomorrow and the days after -

AMMI: I hope you are on the mend girl! Those nasty colds are horrible aren't they? Have you tried some hot tea with lemon and honey? I know you guys drink a lot of tea over there, but my mom always put honey and lemon in it for colds and it was quite soothing.

CATHERINE: That's great you are losing weight like crazy again - you have done an astounding job and I'm sure with as much as you've lost, you have plateaus - you are probably so excited about your upcoming plans that it's just burning those calories!!

JULEE: Congrats on losing 81.2 pounds! That's awesome! A whole Olson twin! LOL! I've lost 25 and that's half of my little ones - they are all around 50 pounds - can you imagine being nearly 10 years old and 50 pounds? My Indian girls are SO tiny!

VALERIE: I had to laugh about your remark about talking on the phone - it drives me NUTS! I have a friend with no kids and husband is out of town a lot - she calls and wants to hang on for hours. I HATE the phone! I'll talk your head off in person or in emails, but I just don't like the phone! And I did menopause wayyyyyyyyyy back in 1990!!

DOGPAL: Congrats on the house being funded! Aren't new mattresses awesome!?? We switched from a water bed to a pillowtop mattress and I thought I'd miss that waterbed, but the pillowtop is divine!! Glad things are falling in place for you!!

ANGELIA: You will love it here!

VICKI: I hope you are feeling better about going off a little bit - we all do it and just get right back! You've lost so well, and you will again! I had a craving for Arby's a couple of weeks ago and had a cheddar bacon sandwich with curly fries! It was the FIRST time I cheated on the diet and I'll tell you what, it was worth EVERY calorie!! I just got back on it the very next meal! We'll all do it from time to time, but I have FINALLY learned to get right back on - not to let it defeat all your hard work - we are all works in progress, aren't we? :-)

BRENDA: Sounds like a lot of work in the basement - good luck - at least you'll be burning LOTS of calories! :-)

TEAHONEY: Good luck on your official weigh-in tomorrow!

WYLLENN: I agree with you about the garden burgers! I never thought I would like something like that, but they are really good and so much better for us! Have you seen the movie, "What about Bob?" It's hysterical with Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss - the theme is Baby Steps! SO TRUE!!

Well I better hop off of here and check out my wild ones - they are pretty excited about Christmas coming up - sigh - will I live through this???

Hi to Everyone Else and have a GREAT weekend!

Hello everyone.. I am not feeling too good at all today. I allready told my boss that I am going in a few hours late so I can relax a little bit before I go in.

Catherine that is amazing that you lost so much weight. Thank you for your advice I will definetely go and see my doctor about my chest hurting. When I am feeling better I would love to talk to you more about what your eating and other stuff.


Ammi I think I got your cold. I hope you feel better. It might just take a few days, but I am sure you will. Everyone keeps talking about cold cold weather and I am so envious. It is still 85 or so here in the daytime. At night it barely gets under 60. I am from Utah origanally so I love getting all the seasons and expecially snow. I miss it.

Ok your right telling you how to say my name might be hard. The beginning is just like Angie except you take the ie off and add "el" which sound like the beginning of "elephant" and the end "lia" would sound like it was spelled like "Lea" I hope that makes sence.
Have a good morning everyone!

So, like Angelina (as in Angelina Jolie), but without the "n"?