Hi Dee, Sorry I didn't answer before, :-) I was born in the United States. My family is Italian (i Dont know if I look it)
I do speak and understand portuguese only because I took 2 years of Latin and 3 years of Spanish ,Portuguese came easy, plus we have been together for 5 years. A for food omg, there's so much but I did have a few favorites, coxinha pronounced co-sheen-ya is number one in my book. It literally means little thigh, like chicken thigh. It's seasoned chicken with a dollop of cream cheese wrapped in dough and you shape it like a tear drop then fry it. It'd really time consuming i made it once but we go and get them at the Brazilian shop sometime, also they have this chicken salad, named salpicao, pronounced sahl-peecaw its shredded chicken with mayo, Raisins, salt, corn, potato sticks and choppied Apple, match stick carrots,Sometimes peas,wow now I'm getting hungry, ok there is a lot of steak. Beans and rice. We make the rice by first coating the pan with oil then chopping about 5 garlic cloves then mash that with salt in like a medicine crusher, its wooden, then fry the garlic and salt until Brown, then add rice then add water and cook uncovered until the water is gone down then cover til rice is done, garlic and salt are used often, also parsley, cilantro and salt for the steaks, after cooked we slide then up and pass around the plate of steak and dip the slices in hot sauce. As for beans use a pressure cooker, then after beans are cooked through you will reheat in a pan with bacon you already cooked, sometime they use pork knee to season the beans. Salad is seasoned/ dressed with lemon juice and salt and a little Olive oil, everything is very fresh and simple.

Sweet Lord in heaven my favorite desert is called,postre de natas this Colombian and it is outstanding. We travel to Miami for this treat. Its like a thick cream made from milk curd and sort of caramelized served as a pudding. No wonder I'm so overweight lol, this food is wonderful

Hi. This week is going by fast!

I have been working hard to try and accomplish some of the healthy things I know I need to do for myself--logging my food, getting to bed by 10:30 p.m. and getting in 30 min of daily exercise. I have logged my food since Monday, I worked out yesterday and today and I have been in bed at 10:30 p.m. every night.

These are things I need to do to feel my best. I am still working way to hard and many long hours but I'm looking at my schedule and figuring out where it best fits in. It looks like I'll put in time over the weekends but that will help to not make my week nights so long and I can get a balance.

Tori: All that food sounds wonderful! I know you carefully enjoy it.
Have you made it to Zumba and Belly Dancing this week?

Dee: It would be so much fun to go to a festival together. We will have to see if we can find one next fall--let's not forget about it! How are you doing with staying in your weight range? It is hard to lose weight but I know from our KOPS that maintence isn't a walk in the park. You should be proud of being able to maintain your loss for so long.

Hi Carri and Alyssa! You are missed--hope to see you soon!

Hi Tori, I Luv your recipes, TY for sharing them I have a friend that's 36 & her dh is Latino & his aunt's restaurant did their wedding w authentic Latino food & it sure tastes different from Mexican chain restaurants & they gave me a stone Molcajete' as a gift after laughing @ me using the bottom of a cast iron skillet crushing seeds/garlic helping them cook the day before Holly's wedding. Any ethnic food that I like, I try to get their recipes or watch them prepare it. My Italian friend's Nonna taught us as teenagers to cook pasta's w sausage, prosciutto & pancetta, All yummy. I wish I had a Asian friend that made Sushi to teach me On my Sept. menu I'm googling recipes for your 'coxinha & salpicao & postre'de natas & use my neighbors sweet goat's milk in it & also try it w coconut milk. Your mom has got to b very proud of U; I'd Luv to have U as my own daughter. The only Latin/Spanish I know is from working @ my medical assistant job in the 1990's. If I had your foreign language skills I'd try getting a interpreter job @ W.DisneyWorld my family would Luv the free ticket benefits. Hey about the food carbs/fat, etc. U know how to measure your 1 serving size & also freeze your 2nd serving for another day's lunch it'll b just as yummy & no work for U, just Enjoying it

Susie, I'm so happy U dropped-in I'm so proud of my sister for making 'Susie time' again balancing your career schedule w your 'me time', makes a very HAPPY Susie & a happy marriage! I quit tops this summer, the older ladies [about 26 of them] r very crabby & gossipy; that myself & the other 5, 40's-50's ladies quit. I don't have that weekly 2 hours to waste hearing about pains, RX, complaints I was the only KOP that left. Maintenance is easy, just don't eat more than 1 serving size @ 1 meal; unless it is veggies served 'healthy' w/o lots of carbs/fats mixed in. If a KOP uses her eyes & has 1 serving size then she'll always b in leeway; for years I listened to them whine & make excuses for being out-of leeway; everyone knows how to use a measuring cup or small dish, if they r too busy to measure then they could weekly buy a bag of 6 oz./8 oz. styrofoam cups & fill them to eat from or measure/dump/& throw them away. So boo-hoo give me a break, I never felt sorry for a KOPS that was out-of leeway because they 'simply got lazy & got Fat from Not measuring their foods'. After a few weeks of measuring, U easily know what every serving size looks like on your plate/bowl/cup, 'no excuses' allowed.

I am in Luv w chocolate & on Sunday I ate a candy bar; I allow myself 2 candy bars weekly. My dh bought a bag of chocolate-covered-peanuts for me yesterday, I had my yrly. pap smear physical & dh felt sorry for me so he bought me 'chocolate' I filled a coffee cup & gave the bag, 3/4 full back to dh to eat as his snack; I have a brain & I'm using it because I like my body & being healthy. My lab reports & BP were good, so the only RX I'm on is my nasal spray for allergies, my doc is happy that I'm healthy. I have some minor arthritis in my neck from winter sports & she said that when my right knee pains start, just 'stop whatever I'm doing & rest it & alternate ice w heat packs'; she said unless I'm a football player w a 20 million dollar contract it's not necessary to use my knee during pain; or unless I Want to damage it badly & I want surgery on it. I told her I will comply w her knee instructions. Dh is so happy about my medical results that today he planned a surprise weekend day/night date for us He's packing my luggage for me he said & says we're staying in MI.....

Carri Did U see MC last night, I almost cried when Krissy left, I felt badly for her. However she does need some counseling about letting her 'mouth run wild' BB is still good & I WILL b happy when Amanda leaves [her cruelty to Elisa is inexcusable], that mouthy Bitc* needs to go join the same counseling group w Krissy Being in any competition does Not give someone an excuse to 'insult their dignity-b evil'. And I very am Happy that Joe B. invited Krissy to eat dinner w him & his mom Lidia B., & the judges saw Krissy's loveable side. Do U have a fav on each show??? Okay girl, this Post is Not about the scale. This is about friendship so I'll b watching to read Your REPLY Post to me Come Back ASAP, I need my Carri back

Hi girls, we are going to a brazillian independence day street party in Boca Raton today, should be lots of fun, food, music and dancing. Going to avoid the food because we went out last night and I did not really restrain as usual I decided 18 lbs in a month I deserved to go a little nuts, only I was expecting a gain of a few lbs but no gain, holding steady at 232.2. Going to reign it in and get control so I can keep losing. I get so excited to weigh in every day it keeps me focused on the day to day than the big picture which can be overwhelming. But I gotta keep from getting so excited and proud that I think I'm done lol

Hi Everyone,

I am happy to report a small loss of .25 lbs when I weighed in on Thursday at TOPS.

Of course I wanted more but since I didn't start tracking my food or exercising last week until Monday, I am happy to see any sort of loss.

I was proud of myself for getting in 3 workouts last week and this week I plan to get in 4.

Dee: Sorry to hear that your TOPS group wasn't meeting your needs. When I joined ours it was a bit like that. One other lady..who at the time was in her late 60's and I decided to try and see if we could turn things around. She ran for leader and was voted in and it's been so much better since!

Glad to hear that your yearly physical went so well..and I'm glad it is over for you!

Torri: How was the brazillian independence day street party? it sounds like fun!

It was fun,different than I expected.i gotta get my eating in check. Today i feel very tired and yucky and depressed, will be much better when my eating is on plan.i feel so hungover but I didn't drink just junk. My plan was to stay away but I failed

I tried posting some pics

It worked, these plus should explain my 5 lb gain.

Morning Girls, I'm still around ...doing fine...I find myself posting on other sites more often than coming here...our little thread has really dwindled down in ladies and it's hard to get the support you need sometimes because we're all so busy. So you might not see me on here that often.
I know I can always keep in touch with Tori and Susie on fb so they will always know what I'm up to ( even if they don't want to ) haha.

Hope you all had a great weekend...I know Tori did as I've seen all the pics !

See ya !!

Count me in! 10% will be 23.8 so say 24lbs, but i wanna hit 199 by Christmas so Ii am pushing for 36 lbs!.. It's doable and I'll be pushing hard,i never hit One derland since before my wedding Jan. 19th so its long overdue!!

Christmas Challenge!!
S tart Sept 01-235.2
Week 01 09/09-234.4 down (-.8) 35.2lbs left
Week 02 09/16-
Week 03 09/23-
Week 04 09/30-
Week 05 10/07-
Week 06 10/14-
Week 07 10/21-
Week 08 10/28-
Week 09 11/04-
Week 10 11/11-
Week 11 11/18-
Week 12 11/25-
Week 13 12/02-
Week 14 12/09-
Week 15 12/16-
Week 16 12/23-
Merry Christmas My present to myself will be a healthier body!! Yay!!

Excited!!!!

Girls! Come on back! Christmas challenge!!

Hey Tori & Susie, I'm here... Dh took me to where we had our first overnight date together, last weekend.

Tori your weekend pic r Great! U also got back OP right away & U Lost weight

Susie ALL losses r Great, much Better than a gain

Girls I know U will reach your Christmas Goals, U r Doing it!

At my Internal medical doctor appt. last week I told my doc I wanted to lose 5 pounds & asked for her advice. She said 'measure my servings & lower my sodium/fat intake' & to do a "cardio activity 3 days weekly OR walk 20-30 minutes daily" & "lift hand-weights 5 days @ home", giving 2 days off to repair any strains/minor tear in the muscles/tendons/ligaments. That easily I would lose 5 pounds-10 pounds in a month doing that routine. To maintain my weight; to increase my calories Or decrease my walking & hand-weights to 3 days weekly. I gave her a Hug & my thanks. It felt encouraging to know that I have been on the right course all these years

I'm preparing for a Fall-Winter 'Interior decorating show' next weekend & have lots of sewing to finish-up. I'll try to pop in again this week & say Hello.

Girls U got this Covered & U will b exactly where U want to b @ This Christmas, U will b Sooo Happy with your 'results'.

Dee, I wish I had an Asian friend to to teach me how to make sushi too!! What kind of interior design stuff are you doing? Like decorating houses and showcasing or making household items to put in houses? Sounds very cool!! Btw ink if I got to show u all wedding pics

Hi. I have been thinking about you all.

Tori: Your pictures show that you had a great time. Yes, you might have indulged a bit more than you had planned but you can get that 5 lbs off. What Dee's doctor told her to do is very doable....don't be so hard on yourself. Just focus and center yourself.

Carri: It is good to see you here. When you aren't here you are missed. The thread does seem small compared to what it was but I enjoy the closeness that we all have.

Please come post when you can (maybe a couple times a week) and share with us the things you are learning from the other sites you are posting on. New info is always good!

Dee: When I was reading what your doctor said, it sounds so solid and very straight forward and I like that.

I wasn't here much this week. While I was busy at work that isn't the reason this time.

As you know our kitty, Hudda Budda has cancer and this week was a really hard week for him. The ear tumor was bleeding heavy, off and on. I would clean him up before work (and also clean the floor where he laid--he stays in the garage most of the time, sometimes the kitchen), when I got home from work and then again before we went to bed.

We decided that we needed to take him to the vet to see what she thought and if maybe it was his time to journey on. We went Wednesday night, he has lost a lb in 6 weeks (that is HUGE for a cat)....he has been eating, but it's just the cancer causing the loss. She could tell he was in a lot of pain and the tumor has grown and it is very inflamed. She said it was time. We already knew that but wanted to be sure.

DH is very distraught over this and he asked if it needed to be done right then. She said no, but within the week. She told us she could give him heavy steroids and heavy antibiodics (sp?) to take the inflammation down and she gave me some pain meds to give him before I clean his ear to help him not hurt so badly when I'm doing that. She said this would give us a week to spend with him where he wasn't in pain and bleeding and we could enjoy our time with him. We made an appointment for next Saturday, Sept 21, to help him on his journey. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

I didn't make it to TOPS and I haven't logged my food but I really haven't felt like eating very much. This coming week, most of my time will be spent with my kitty and my DH but I have made myself a promise I will get to the work gym 3 times and I will record my food on my fitness pal app to make sure I am on plan.

I do have some good news to share as well. You all know that my career is very important to me and I work a lot of hours. Every year, every employee is rated against their peers based on the level you are at. Admin's are B, C, D, EA, levels. It is based on the work you do and what management you support. I support a Director (the next level of support would be to a GM or VP). D levels support Directors. So, I'm rated against all other D levels in the company. Ratings are 1, 2, 3. 1 being top and 3 being lowest. Most people are rated 2--about 80% of the company is there. 10% are 1's and 10% are 3. I am rated a 1! I have been rated a 1 ever since my first year with the company but that doesn't mean you will always be a 1, you have to prove yourself every year.

Have a great day everyone and I will be posting at least 2-3 times over the next week. After that, I plan on posting daily. When I do, I keep on track better.

Susie, I'm very sorry about your kitty.,
I'm glad you aren't giving up. ! Sad situations sometime make us wanna. Give up.

Congrats on being rated a 1that's a big deal!