ack! so i had this long post to everyone, and it got eaten... lol

so basically, things are good. still working on the superhero show, so thats awesome. and i prob will for the 3 weeks that they actually shoot the show. so im excited about that. im in the office more so that keeps me from buying food i cant afford and shouldnt be eating anyway.

Hello Everybody and all the new ones I haven’t met yet.

Let me first say, Happy Birthday Catherine. I’m sorry I missed it.

Zelma~ I love your new haircut! It looks saucy!

Ammi~ After the thousands of times you’ve told me not to sweat a little gain after a bit of a splurge, RIGHT BACK AT YA, SWEETIE!
I too am sure it’s only water. And I think you’ll punish your gazelle for the little gain. You’ve come too far my dear friend. So, keep on pushin’ ahead.

Mechelle~ I jumped back on to this thread instead of trying to catch up. Your note about made me cry. I literally have NOT be on line but to check email since my past post and didn’t even check it daily …just ask Erica. I saw the pics of your kitties. They are so cute.

Erica~ Glad to hear Amanda doesn’t need surgery after all. That’s just wonderful news! I hope you are doing well. I still suck. I only have a few more days to get to my exercise goal for the month, I don’t know if I can make it.

Jill~ Congrats! Your ring all picked out already! Be sure to post a pic when you can. I can’t wait to see it.

Annie, My poor baby girl. I am so sorry you’re feeling poorly. If I lived closer I’d make you chicken soup. You’ll have to get Joel to pick up some low sodium soup from the store. to you.

Patti~ Way to go on your loss! That’s awesome. How’s your knee holding out?

Em~ Way to go! Meeting your exercise goal for this month is awesome! I don’t know if I’ll make mine.

Brenda~ You’ll love your new Outback. My Andy sells cars, new and used. His fav are Toyota and Honda’s are first and then Subaru. If we could afford a new car, I’d get the Toyota Prius Hybrid in a second! I just love it. My girl friend says it looks like a space ship. But, when you look at it from the front, it looks like It’s smiling at you. It’s mostly just Abby and I in the car anyway, but it’s real spacious inside. But, we don’t have $26000 lying around, nor can we afford a payment for that amount either.

I too have had an impossible time making good food choices. I did go back to work half days last wed – fri. I worked all day yesterday …… and am home today. I am so upset with myself about how I crumble to the stupid pressure I usually do so well in. My dr is in Florida on spring break. But his associate did fax a note into my employer today. I finally found my old counselor. I have a call into him to set up an appointment. I am so happy to have found him, cuz I don’t think I could handle “breaking in” a new one.
I’ve gained 2 pounds in the last couple weeks. I’m not freaked out about it, (and am NOT changing my ticker til next weigh in which may be Saturday.) but I am depressed about it. It’s like, how can I keep “falling off the good food wagon.” I mean, I’ve even gone to the trouble to go OUT of my way to make naughty stuff like a cake. It’s just stupid.
Before I forget, Nomer’s friend’s baby did get to go home the other day. He spent 10 days in the hospital and 8 of it in the nicu.
They really believe he had the seizures cuz he came out too fast and that made his little brain swell or something like that. I know he’s been seizure free for about 4 days now and they don’t expect there to be any permanent damage. My evil sd is at her mom’s til LATE Sunday night. It has helped my depression, it’s just the stress from work now. I feel really mad at myself for feeling emotionally weak. I’m hoping it passes and I hope to sleep well tonight so I can tackle tomorrow. Hope all of you continue to do well and keep on fighting in our journey. Til later, and I hope that means tomorrow evening.

sANDY MY KNEE IS DOING GREAT I SLACKED UP SOME OF THE EXERCISE AND I REST WHEN I NEED TO AND THAT SEEMS TO HAVE DONE THE TRICK!

Hey gals,
Just a few personals... today has already been bad-- Ice cream for breakfast?? OMG!!!! somebody please tell my body to shut the **** up.
Have a good day chiquitas.

mechelle- thank you i try Actually its already wednesday here and I didn't work out yesterday cause I was in so much pain... Today I will for sure though!! What fitness video is it that your doing?

going to loose 200- I pull out my white glove and *smack-smack*!! Turn that frown upside-down!!! Hang in there girl, its tough on all us women folk! I can relate now... don't worry this is a small hurdle you will be past it soon!! Tough love bebe tough love....

looking for hope - great news!! Huzzah!!!

Voodoo - wassup how you doing? By the looks of things pretty good! Congrats on your 10year time travel! I'm at about 2 years myself.heheh

LitChick- sounds hot and steamy!! My summer is over in sydney, thank goodness, it was a real biatch this summer. lol

toofatforu - congrats on the loss! only 29 tiny little pounds left!! I'll be waiting with my hurrahs!!

Lesley: Thanks for the well wishes on my foot! Read any good books lately? I'm on a trek to reread many of my favorites from when I was a child. I reread Bridge to Terabithia the other day, it still makes me cry. I'm planning on Phantom Tollbooth next. I'm getting my kids to read it and of course, they love it and it makes them feel good about being readers and being smart (same as it did for me)...I'm looking forward to that trip down memory lane. I'm also rereading the Harry Potter books because I love them so much. I hope your AC gets fixed quick, without a lot of $$.

Michelle: Thanks for the welcome back. I hope my foot gets better soon, too. I took the stairs at work today with relative little pain, but I was out of breath, I really need to get moving again!

Brenda: I'll keep my fingers crossed for your loan, the Outback Wagon is a cool vehicle, I'm sure you'll love it. Plus, with the camping, plenty of exercise.

Sharon: Thanks for the welcome. Yes, he is gorgeous, isn't he? I wish I could say he's my husband, but alas, I have to admit that he's none other than Gerard Butler, the actor. He's a Scot and did a lot of work there in the U.K. before coming to the U.S. He was recently seen in such hits as Phantom of the Opera (title character) and 300, where he was King Leonidas. If my husband ever leaves me, I'll be beating down Gerard's door.

SXSW is short for South By South West. It's a music festival they hold every year here in Austin. We are the self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World and you better believe there is a ton of live music here! We also have a little film festival that has attracted the likes of Gerard Butler, Angelina Jolie, Matthew McConaughey (sp?), Tommy Lee Jones, and many many others. The thing I love most about Austin is how it is the perfect mix of nature and city. With all the celebrities, live music, etc, you would think it's a big city, but it's not uncommon to cross a deer while driving at 3am and have them run into a small copse of trees nearby. This area is largely undeveloped and that's what makes it so beautiful. There are some folks out to develop it now, but Austinites are strongly fighting it.

As for my foot, it seems like it may be getting better now. I had the time to sleep in yesterday, so I took a painkiller/anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant, slept 13 hours and while I was still in a good bit of pain yesterday, I climbed the stairs at work today with little pain (I was very out of breath, though!).

I have about 50-60 lbs to go before I am the weight I was when I met my husband, I can't wait until then. It's funny, you know, how back then I used to lament that I wore a 20 or 22, now I'd give anything to fit in something that small again. Ultimately, I'd be happy if I fit in a 12, because I haven't since I was about 14. I'm hoping I don't get baggy and saggy as I lose. That's one of the reasons I'm so desperate to get the weight off now, I'm still in my late 20's and have a good deal of elasticity so I'd like to get it off while the going is good.

I'm having a pretty good day eat-wise today. I had Schlotzky's for breakfast, but I was very restrained, I had half a small sandwich, a small soda, and a cookie. I was very pleased with myself for being so restrained. The soda's not healthy, but I'm trying to break the caffeine habit and they have less caffeine and cost a lot less than energy drinks.

For lunch, I had the other half of my sandwich and a quarter of an apple with some peanut butter. Water to drink this time. I'll probably have leftover ziti and garlic bread with a salad for dinner. Maybe a glass of wine if I can remember to bring it out to let it breathe. All-in-all, I'm impressed with my day!

i love that austin's slogan is "keep austin weird"

brenda -- hang in there! Making a big goal seems to affect many of us in a weird way, but just keep doing what got you here and you'll get back on track!

Dreasam - My brother and his family live in Austin. I lived there in the late 1980s, but only for a year. My brother loves it. I don't think we'll ever get him back!

Things are going well for me today. I am excited because I splurged and bought season tickets to the Houston Texans' professional football games. I am an avid Texans fan. I am particularly excited because my seats are on the Club level where they have private bars, lots of food, waiters that serve you in your seats, comfy chairs and great views. The season starts in September, so I am hoping that I have lost my weight by then so that I can enjoy some of the food.

Hunger has gotten better - haven't really wanted to eat today, which is really good. I still crave solid food though, and would love to be at McDonald's right now. It's only been 3 weeks since I've been on liquids and I'm hoping the cravings will get better, but I just don't know. It may be something I'll have to live with forever because I can never go back to eating like I did or I will gain everything back.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Take care!

Lisa

I was having a kind of bad day. It became apparent to me today that if my family was going to acknowledge my birthday, it would have happened by now. I keep thinking they will eventually forgive me for moving to Canada, and start talking to me again. Anyway, when things seem darkest, the sun shines (well in between snow flakes we got today). Immigration Canada decided to approve me for permanent residency today. My MIL can't do anything now to get me deported unless I commit murder. It will take me about 6 weeks to get all the paperwork finished, and get my PR card, but with that, I get to start water aerobics, and get to go on my husband's insurance which means new glasses, clean teeth, and my meds paid for.

Now I'm waiting for him to come home to tell him. I would have called him, but the phone decided to go out today. I'll have to surprise him instead. I just wanted to thank everyone who has been praying for us. I don't think I realized how hard this had been on me until the relief hit. If I had been deported, we would have lost our condo, and he would probably have ended up in the hospital. With my family disowning me, I wouldn't even have had a place to stay while waiting for my resubmitted application to go through the embassy in Buffalo. We were actually making plans for me to live at the big homeless shelter in Oklahoma City, so that we could keep up the mortgage. I don't understand where all the bitterness in my family and in his comes from. Isn't life hard enough without trying to make everyone around us miserable. Well, there will be some celebrating going on here tonight.

Catherine -- That's the best gift in many ways (though some acknowledgement from your family would have been nice!!). I am so so so happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope we get your minutes in the exercise thread when you get that card!

Catherine, CONGRATS!!! woohoo!!!! Have a happy birthday!!!!

Catherine, GREAT NEWS!!!!! I forgot to wish u a happy birthday, BUT it looks like you got a GREAT PRESENT!!! Families??? I often wonder why some people have kids, they either hang on for dear liufe & never want to let them go or don't care about them at all!!! I see little kids 5-7 wandering around near busy roads with no parents or adults watching them, why they don't just get a cat or dog instead I don't know. ANYWAY.... I hope hubby is happy & you have a great time celebrating!!!xxxxxxx
Mechelle, your kitties are SO CUTE, I bet they needed those furry beds in Alaska!! How did they cope with the cold & snow? I know a lot of cats hate getting their paws wet & there they were in danger of getting their paws FROZEN to the pavement!!xxxxxxx
Well I caved yesterday & ate a 'fun sized' bar of chocolate I 'found' in a bag at home!! Ok it was 2" long but I felt so STUPID!!!! I didn't really enjoy it!!! 5 minutes later I had another mouthful of chocolate, but SPAT IT OUT!! I really need to stop being so silly AND greedy.
Chimichanga-ICE CREAM for BREAKFAST???!!!!! lol. WTG on walking the bridge though!!! As it's Summer there I'll let you off, lol! Have you thought of making a low fat smoothie with low fat yoghurt or milk & whatever fruit you like & adding lots of ice instead of icecream, they're really nice!!!xxxxx
Kymberly WTG on being third!!! I hope you get something nice for the prize/prize money.xxxxx
Erica, BRILLIANT that Amanda doesn't need an op. WTG on the exercise front too!!!xxxxx
Lesley, in the UK we don't have air con in homes as we get 3-4 weeks a YEAR where it's above 80 degrees, though I envy you the heat I don't envy the cost of runing & repairing it!!! I hope it's something small & inexpensive which has broken.xxxxxxx
Emilymay, WTG on the exercise, though I bet all those 12 hour shifts must help, your poor feet must feel like they've been BEATEN!!!! I bet they feel better for you losing weight though!xxxxxxx
Lisa, Mc. D's??? ICK!!! But I really want to eat too, I think it's more emotional eating than a physical craving, it does go..apparently, lol. Are thee any support sites for your diet? People there might be able to offer more detailed & pertinent advice (Though don't leave us!!!) Just think by July you could be 30+ or more pounds down!!!! That's whats keeping me going....except for the chocolate yesterday, butit's a new day today!!!! Keep it up,,WE CAN DO IT!!xxxxx
Ammi, have you weighed yet to see if the 'pizza weight' has gone yet? I KNOW you will see a good loss next Monday!!xxxxxxx
xxxxsharon

I've done it!! Met my exercise goal - and I went to the gym today for a 6 week check up thing and have lost a lot of inches! Funnily enough the only measurement that stayed the same was my hips, but everything else had gone down by 1-2 inches! So thats great! BUt she made my programme harder...doing 10 mins treadmill with incline of 6%, then 20 mins bike at level 9, then 10 min treadmill and lots of weights and squatting in between, its really hard work, oh and also 3 mins on the cross trainer!! well we shall see what my next assessment in 6 weeks says....

Good NSV tho!!

Good Morning Everyone!
Well I finally got my oldest (21) to check out this site, she loves it and is hanging out on alternachicks. I am so happy for her, she has really committed to fitday too which makes me happy. Of course becoming a fatty I brought my husband and all four of my daughters with me. The ones still at home I can help, but the older one is having to do it on her own just like me. Well, at least they love themselves and are happy girls! I really did lose seven pounds last week, I waited until Tuesday to report it on my WI just to make sure it was real! Anyway, I am a happy happy lady.

Hello and welcome to those I have not met.

Catherine-Happy birthday! And WOW you must be on cloud nine with your new immigration status!!! And don't even get me started on families, my mom has the sort of family, like you it sounds, that maybe it is just a blessing that they don't acknowledge you at all. Some people create and live in their own nightmare and cannot see the joy of this life. You do not get to choose your birth family, but you can make a choice for chosen family. Like you have here. So, screw em', Congratulations to you a thousand times.

Sharon-I love that you spit out the chocolate, that is hilarious and great for you!

Emilymay-Right on for you! You rock!

To everyone else, I hope you are having a great week. I am doing great, I found a new workout buddy, I lost weight. So, if you are having a bad week take some of my happy dust, I have lots right now!!!!!!

I'm still in a state of shock. I don't think I realized how upsetting the whole "mil trying to get me deported" thing was affecting me until it was lifted from my shoulders. I think I'm going to go for a walk today to clear my head.