Hello Girls..

Ammi~ Thanks for the "A" compliment.. shew.. relief for me.. ,, you just a puderring along now that you are not napping.. I am happy to see that , plus you are being more active. that is great,, keep it up.. I personally could go back to bed this morning it is a blah day,, rain and cool..

Sharon ~Thanks to you also for the A compliment.. Wonder what is wrong with you tummy area..?? I hope all is ok.. make sure to keep me informed....

Dogpal~ Thank you for noticing the Avatar. and the tummy shrinking,, I can so feel that it is shrinking,, Yes you need to take a before pic.. What plan are you on? and by the way, Fishing this weekend for Bass.. pack you stuff and come on up.. You and hubby can stay at our camp,... fun fun fun,, and tell hubby to bring fillet knives......

Luan~Good lord,, I am glad to see you here,,, stop being such a stranger!

HippieMomma~ VERYGLAD to see you posting,, hope all is well, and Take care of yourself...

Well my coffee is waiting on me , gotta go get it,, and a smoke,, Have a great day you guys..

Hi Guys!

Boy am I feeling better! *L* Whatever kinda bug I had I think I squished it! I still have a pot of chicken soup that I will finish working on though

Still holding on to some water after last weekend. Thats ok because I know that is what it is. Called and signed up for Curves today. I start on Monday. I think it will be a good way for me to pump things up a notch. I just hope it helps tighten some areas up!

I also called this morning to check on when I am going to get my apnea machine. Another few weeks!!! Man I hate living in BumpkinVille sometimes! It has been 3 months since I was diagnosed and 5 months since my actual test! AUGH!

Crock ~ Good going on your A!

Ammi ~ WOW.... the new drugs are doing wonders for your energy levels. Just think you have already lost 6lbs... wait till next week as I am sure you will do well again!

Zelma ~ sorry I think I overlooked your question. Cancer research.

HippeeMomma ~ Welcome back!

Hello to Jilly, Wyellnn, toofat, MariaLucia, Dogpal, Val, Luan, Sharon and anyone else that I have missed this morning!

ok all.... I have stuff to get ready for my Scrapbook Retreat on Friday/Saturday and I am going out with a friend shopping around a bit. I'll check in later on!

Brenda

wyllen--first and foremost, thank you for the compliment! I KNOW I need to get in some exercise...I am currently doing absolutely zilch in that department. That's certainly not the cause of my lack of weight loss recently, though. Rather, I tend to blame it on the McDonald's stops, the candy I buy when I stop at the store, the chips I eat at home before Jeff gets home from work...

I just can't seem to control myself for some reason. I plan and prepare and pack such excellent, filling foods (lunch this week has been tuna in a whole-wheat pita pocket--yum!--snacks include frozen grapes, small cans of peaches, roasted sunflower seeds, rice crackers with flavored hummus, mild Slim Jims, cups of chicken soup...). Like I said, I'm not feeling hungry--just, hmm, snacky. Heck, yesterday I stopped at CVS for eye drops (I wear contacts). That's all I needed was eye drops. I ran in, got the eye drops, and ended up buying a bag of yogurt-covered pretzels and ate the whole thing in the car on the way home! ARGH! And right after such a motivational weekend (we had our state-wide TOPS convention on Friday and Saturday). I know it's a problem in my head that I've got to deal with because I'm sure not actually hungry every time I eat! I just feel like I am ALWAYS thinking about food--even right now, I really just want to go downstairs and get a frosted donut. It's calling my name. I'm not really hungry--it just sounds SO GOOD. I just had some hummus on rice crackers to try to fill me up to curb the craving, but it won't go away. Who knows what's wrong up in my head But what I do know is that I won't start losing weight again until I figure it out...

Jill -- I see a lot of me in you. For years I knew exactly what I should do to lose weight, but couldn't get a handle on actually doing it. (actually, I think you know even more strategies than I did... I knew the general idea). You are at least maintaining a weight loss -- I would lose and then gain again!

Sadly, none of us can fix whatever's in the head, but can certainly give lots of encouragement to help you get there!!!!!

Ammi - I've only got about another year, and I can graduate...so I guess I just gotta suck it up and take the crap jobs till then! And in my last two semesters, I'll be placed in a law office...so that's be spiffy. As for my results...The grades don't have to be in until next week, but I can find out how I did on my TESTS by Friday. And then, they should have everything entered in the system by next week.
I wish both of your girls the best of luck! What grades are they in?
I always just study RIGHT before the test...it's not a good habit, I know, but then it's fresh in my mind, and that's how it's always worked!

Time to do some last minute studying for Health (going to be EASY), and then I'm going to give another 15 places a call about jobs I saw in the paper...so here I go!

Have a great & OP day today, ladies!

Good Afternoon All,

So what have I done since I was last here? I did another load of washing, dusted upstairs, ironed what needed ironing in the first lot of washing, and I even had a sleep too. 2 hours and I got up feeling fresh again.

Patti - believe me I was NEVER a morning person, I have always loved to be online or watching TV late, then get up in the morning to get the kids, or as it was then, kid, off to school, then it was back to bed for half a day. That was even before the depression set in. So for me to be up and want to stay up at 7.15, well it's just nuts. I didn't even have an early night. I think I turned the light off at 2 am.

I hope your headache disappeared after you did some of your treadmill work out. Good for you for not going back to bed even though that is what you would have loved to do.

Was Idol good, it must have been, Kellie's not in it anymore

Crock - I don't know how long this new active me is going to be around, so I am enjoying it and getting lots of stuff done that I have been putting off for ages.

Ok I am officially jealous now, you are off on one of your fishing trips soon and I still haven't got a long enough pole Seriously though, I hope you will have a wonderful time.

I also hope your day improved after your coffee and smoke, and that it didn't stay blah.

Brenda - I am glad to hear you are feeling better. OOOOH what's a scrap book retreat? Is it where a group of scrap book enthusiasts get together and share tips and tricks etc? If so I would love that. I don't have the money or talent really to do scrap booking, but I love the look of it all.

You are right, my energy levels are amazing right now, I am even surprising myself I am not so enthusiastic about my next weigh in. I can't get out of my mind the month where I stayed up more then usual, exercised, walked everywhere, dieted like and angel and didn't lose an ounce. So I shall just keep my fingers crossed and hope that won't happen again, not this early on in my diet anyway.

Jill - woops sorry, I think it's my fault. I have lost all those urges to eat even when I am not hungry, and I think you must have found them Seriously though, I think we all know what it's like to have a severe case of the munchies, wanting to eat even when you are full. For me that is the downfall of most of my diet attempts because once I give in and start munching away it's so hard to get back on track again. Sounds like you are doing much better than me and are trying so hard to get a handle on it. I really hope that you will lose the munchies soon.

Heather - I just noticed that you put your name under your avatar, it's lovely, so much nicer than calling you Wyllen. I still haven't been across to the exercise thread yet. I am not ready to exercise yet. I think another week of getting all my jobs done, and feeling a bit more fit and then I will be ready to make a start.

Kayley - that's not so bad then, maybe just a year of not so great jobs before you hopefully get the job of your dreams. I hope you will get good grades, are you going to wait til next week, or try to find out on Friday.

You might not understand the schooling years etc over here because I am sure they are different to there, and they are definitely different to Australia. Beth is in year 10 and she is doing some GCSE exams. She does the majority of them in year 11, and the results she get will be her school leaving results. Caleigh is in year 9 and she is doing SATs, I think they pretty much just determine what level in different subjects she will be in next year.

Right well I better go, but undoubtedly I will be back later on.

Hugs,

Ammi

Luan: glad to see you post. Sounds like you are having some fun classes.

Sharon: Hugs to you. I hope you feel better soon but if not, please do go to the Dr. Maybe you pulled a muscle you don't even know about.

Ammi: The bike thing makes me sound so brave. I think I was just temporarily insane. I wanted to see if I could ride the bike and I just did it without thinking. My hubby wasn't as thrilled as I was that I had driven without a license or without him. LOL. It is amazing how good I feel. I think perhaps part of it is because I have been in such a depression for so many years and here it is gone suddenly. It is so wonderful that I assume it must be how I felt when I first got married. I think that is why I have been able to make good choices with food and not eat out of control. It is almost like I woke up from a long sleep of being just surviving to wanting to really live. I don't know if that makes sense or not.

Crock: I am following the Curves diet program which is based on the glycemic index somewhat. It has been so easy for me to follow. I recommend it to anyone who likes to eat 3 meals a day and snacks too. It seems like I am eating constantly. I have gone most days on the phase II part without being able to eat all my carbs or calories for the day. Oh, I am jealous that you are going fishing. Are you camping also? We have been looking for places to camp here. They are everywhere you look but we want to go a little way away from home. Gotta have it kind of like an adventure. It is still too cold right now to fish for my taste. It is supposed to warm up soon though.

Well everyone, have a great day.
Blessings,
Dogpal

yes i did all my treadmills this morning and i do feel better.

Hello Everyone…I’ve been rather busy the last few days, so I’m going to try to play catch up.

DogPal – Hey there! Glad to see you as well! Thanks for the congrats. The pool is being used very well! We just took it off the cover (from when we set it up for winter) like 3 weeks ago. However, we have drained it. I redesigned the backyard :-p Actually it’s for the better. I redesigned the backyard with a floating deck around the pool. This is where the desk is ontop of the surface rather than having cement posts in the ground. This is so I can work with the permit that I want. Anyways, James wants a Jacuzzi and gazebo and a small get away patio in the back of the yard, so everythings been changed. So right now the pool is drained and we’re setting up a new sand box for it to sit on. It’s not to much of a move, just slightly angled it. Yard work has been slow (money situation). Money lets us know when we can do things hehehe… How have things been for you?

AmmiUK – Way to go on those 6lbs gone!

MsCrockett – I like the calorie counting. I tried Metabolife one time and it just really messed with me. I’m not much of a medication person, I won’t even take Tylenol if I can help it, but I guess I got desperate and wanted to try anything to loose the weight. I will never do it again! I’ve looked into many other diet programs, but I think counting calories is good for me. I found it works best if you cut back slowly. When I cut back dramatically to 1600 calories from my average 3200-3400 calorie per day intake, I lost the weight, but I also weakened my immune system and got sick then got well then got sick again right away. So I took a break to recover and then I cut back slowly. So far so good I’m addicted to sweets and soda (which I’ve cut back on), so I had a really hard time with Atkins and South Beach. My sister in law is on South Beach and she really likes it. Glad it is working out for you

Jillybean – HELLO Good to see you again!

NotTheCheat – Yes I understand about the credit cards. I managed to get his paid off and now he’s grounded for a while from using it I told him only in emergencies. It was hard for us, because we too need to buy particular things and just didn’t have the money and therefore it went on the credit card. So we ended up cutting costs in other areas, like coupons for grocery shopping, or even using store brand items. Then we cut back on going out to eat, or going out with friends… little by little things started to balance out. Course we’ve had a few raises here and there, so that helps to. But sometimes keeping a log of everything you spend, and seeing where it all goes really helps. That’s how we figured out that we were spending much more than we thought when we went out. It make look like 10 bucks here and there, but it really adds up. About the calorie counting, sometimes sticking to a certain number every day gets the body stuck in a rut. I found if you cycle your calories, it keeps the body guessing. Like for example, say I’m on a 2000 calorie diet. Eat 1700 one day and 2300 the next day. Or spread the left over calories through out the week. As long as at the end of the week your calories total out to be 14000 you are good to go. That’s not to say you should eat 3000 one day and a 1000 here and there. Also, if you think at 2000 you are in a rut, try cutting back to 1800, or increase your activity. It’s hard when you hit a plateau and just aren’t going anywhere. Hope this helps some.

Toofatforu – About the sugar free cookies. I haven’t tried them, but I can relate to the sugar cravings. My biggest thing now is to get my water intake to increase. I find that after so long, I can’t stand water anymore. So I got those Crystal Light To-Go packs. I love the lemonade and the fruit punch flavors. That’s about the only thing that I’ve tried that uses sugar alternatives. But it’s got that sweet taste and my body seems to handle it even tho it’s Splenda and not real sugar. It seems to help my cravings.

Xena2005 Oh that’s when you commit for two weeks to loose 2lbs. They don’t do that here anymore? It’s been a while since I’ve been on, but they used to hold them every 2 weeks.

Zelma – WOW! You are an inspiration! You look wonderful!

Okie ladies, I tried to get to as many posts as I could, at least to answer those who messaged me... If I missed anyone, I’m sorry I gotta run to class now. Hey before I go, does anyone here know if they dropped the 2x2 challenge for this forum? Just curious

Take care ladies!

Hi All,

Guess what I am having? No not a baby Right now I am having a low fat hot chocolate, definitely only 2 WW points per cup. It's surprisingly nice too.

Annie - oh ok, so you weren't brave, just insane I can relate. I am so glad that you are feeling so great now, it's amazing how much feeling good helps us with our diets isn't it!

Patti - I am glad to hear you felt better after doing the treadmill. I hope you are managing to keep off those scales

SueMarie - thank you for the congrats, it's great to finally be losing weight again.

As for the 2x2, I am sure Lilion does it, or if not her, then somebody here does it. I can't see it on the list of posts, so maybe it's an unofficial part of the Old Hens thread? Or maybe the new exercise post started by Heather (wyllen) is where everybody is going now.

MariaLucia - Haven't seen you around today, I hope you are ok.

Christine - you are missing in action too, I hope you aren't unwell. If you are reading this please post soon so we know you are ok.

Catherine - you are another gal missing in action. Hopefully it's because you are just enjoying married life.

I better go, got some emails to write. Bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

Hi ladies. The past few days have been so busy and the rest of my week is looking the same way. Tonight I am going food shopping, for real this time. lol Monday I was so exhausted that I couldn't move and then yesterday I had something to do and if I don't do it tonight, it won't get done at all. Having food in the house not only instantly makes me eat better but it also saves me a lot of money as I eat way too much take out if I'm not cooking myself. I still haven't exercised so far this week but have been getting in walking with the running around I've been doing. But I really do need to sit down and work out a schedule to get my exercise in since my schedule has changed up. If I can keep my eyes open, maybe I can work on that tonight. Tomorrow is so hectic though that I won't be able to exercise then either although I should be able to sneak it on on Friday. I also want to make it a point of getting over to Rite Aid and picking myself a multi-vitamin. I always say I'm going to get one and then when I am in the store, I completely forget. I definitely need to cut back on this soda again. I haven't hardly been drinking water, mostly soda and I feel so dehydrated. My lips are sooo dry and my lips are never dry. It'll probably take a day or two to really correct the situation.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a great day. I'm off!!

I have been thinking a lot about the money thing. We definitely need to reign in all kinds of things, and I am happy to join in. It would be good for me to save money too and start paying down some of my student loan debt (although as debt goes it is nowhere near as bad as cc debt). My big realization (and something my BF is NOT going to like) is that we need to move. We just can’t afford the place we are living in now. It is a REALLY nice apartment, but REALLY expensive. We could easily save $500 a month (or possibly more) by moving to a smaller, not quite so nice place, especially one that includes heat and hot water. A big part of the problem was that my BF’s salary was cut awhile ago because he used to be on call 24 hours a day and got paid a good bit extra for that. The other thing he might have to consider is selling his car and getting something more economical, but he will like that idea even less. I will have to run the numbers on that to see if it is worth bringing up.

It is hard because I really don’t want to pay the price for his spending – there are things that we can do, like turn off cable and not have a home phone number and just use our cell phones (neither of which I want to do – I would hate to not get the sci-fi channel). The biggest thing is to stop eating out and buying expensive groceries/beer. I am not going to give up my trainer, at least until I reach the point where my company stops matching half.

The more I think about it, the more I realize it is like dieting. You realize that you are in an untenable situation because your output doesn’t match your input. You are forced to examine all of the areas of both sides and start to make choices about what you can and can’t live with. There are some absolute basic minimum requirements (like having a roof over one’s head vs. not going below a starvation calorie level). Once the basics are met, there is a certain amount of discretionary spending, but it is not unlimited. You need to make choices of what is most important to you – do I buy this book or do I eat this apple? It is also hard when this is being done because only one of a couple has the problem. The other partner must decide to what extent they will change their habits to assist their spouse. Just like bringing home chocolates is dangerous for a dieting spouse, going shopping together could be dangerous for the budgeting spouse. In both cases, even though they are not directly affected, their choices can greatly influence and affect their partner who is trying to make a change. But at the same time, is it fair to ask the spouse that doesn’t need remedial action to be forced to change? I certainly haven’t made my BF eat anything different then he is used to, except that we are eating separately a bit more (although that is largely to do with his work hours).

I hope to be back later with personals - hope everyone is having a great day!

Hi,

It's me again. I have a question, nothing at all to do with dieting. For those of us that watch American Idol, do you think that Taylor has a look of George Clooney to him? If you haven't seen it, then next time he is on, look at him from the nose up. It's his eyes and of course the hair colouring. At least I think so anyway

Tracey - glad to see you post, it sounds like you have had a hectic week. You may not have had chance to work out properly, but sounds like you are keeping active, so that should help work off the pounds.

Nancy - it sounds like you have been doing a lot of serious thinking, and that you have come up with some good ideas towards getting the debt under control. I just hope that your BF will appreciate what you are trying to do and that he won't fight you tooth and nail over your ideas.

Bye for now,

Hugs,

Ammi

thanks Sue Marie i may have to try those!

Ammi i most certainly am staying off the scales today! i feel like i have lost some weight but refuse to step on them again til the weekend!