Hi Everybody! Just a quick check-in to say that my miraculous streak continues in spite of a stressful staff meeting this morning. I could've eaten a wall too but I held back. After one of those meetings I'm exhausted and I couldn't bring myself to do anything aerobic today but I did my dumbell routine and yoga and this evening I'm going to try some of that aerobic housecleaning, Crone!

The L.M. Boyd column in this morning's paper includes the following paragraph:

"You want to lose weight? All right. If you're right-handed, eat with your
left hand. If you're left-handed, eat with your right hand. That'll do it!
Or so contends a diet authority."

Maybe that is the solution to all our problems. What do you think? Probably wouldn't work for me.

... of the New! It's my new ***RED & GREEN QUEEN CHRISTMAS SEASON INITIATIVE!*** that I hope to rollover into whatever the New Year or Christmas challenge here will be. I'm ready to take off the extra approximately seven pounds I've recently put on from the hated market research gig and the virus recovery eating, as well as drop three or more, so approximately 10 pounds will be my goal ... give or take. I am not really heavily concerned with numbers, just trends!

Since this "initiative" for me is all about setting goals from day to day and just trying to stick to a good calorie level and exercise, I'm declaring Day 2 as a splurge day and I've had 2,500 calories ... much less than the 4,000 or so I've recently been splurging on. Yesterday was 1,790, so the average isn't all that bad. Exercise was just working the interviews I had to do ... hours of walking. The highlight of today was a job interview at a newspaper, but they feel I am "overqualified" ... no surprise there! That really means they think I am too old to fit into their newsroom. (Though I say I'm a crone, I'm actually NOT too dang old for anything). "Overqualified" also means they think they can get someone younger (and hungrier) for much less money who will probably take orders better (that's certainly true).

Anyway, I digress. The point is after this happy experience, I did NOT eat a house ... just splurged on a carmel coffee frappe with just a BIT of whipped cream and only ONE vanilla spoon ... but I only drank half. Tonight I had five extra crackers and an EAS Edge Carb Control protein shake (I don't do low carb, but these are sugar free and low in calories and yummy).

JoJoJo2: But what do you do if you are ambidextrous (like me)?

Eydie: WTG on the continuing streak ... and beating the stress gremlins without munching into a wall!!

Morrigan: You always seem to find your way onto the path after the occasional bout with ice cream or whatever. You are an experienced traveler on this journey. I saw the Self piece, too. I think it IS important to remember that every little bit of exercise helps the cause, especially resistance exercise. Adding just a tiny amount of muscle burns more calories every minute of the day and also wards off aging and helps us get through life more easily and with less pain. Sounds like you'll soon be very active again on all fronts, what with skiing and the gym. Guess you don't garden in the winter, though ... which is the only time I DO garden ... I just put out some herbs and flowers amid the weeds!!

Everyone, have a great rest of the day/night! Downward.

I had a lot of weeds this summer, but a lot of other good things too. I still have tomatoes, potatoes, squash, onions, and other root veggies in my basement.

I have done a good job exercising the last several days, but my eating fell apart completely. I didn't even realize I had stopped using dietwatch (still free since I have the downloaded version) for the last 5 days. This morning I was back up to 160 lbs and all motivated to track my food every single day to get that number out of sight and mind.

... of my new Red & Green Christmas Season Initiative (the concept is sound, but the name needs work). Calories kind of high, but I'm inching them down and in control. Hope to reverse my recent upward trend this week.

One of my inspirations for the holiday season is the little figure of a queen with the logo: "It's best to be the queen." Decided the Crone still has a bit of the Queen in her and will harnass that power to shape herself into a pretty great looking, thin & fit queen, ready to take on anything.

My second inspiration came tonight in the form of a fluffy, obese stuffed snowman toy I happened across in the supermarket. Snowmen are some of my favorite people, though I hate snow per se. When I was little, I had a Frosty the Snowman record and used to run around the house singing the song all the time. The snowman I found tonight has a BIG problem with excess poundage and is amazingly bottom heavy. He has a label that says: "I'm dreaming of a wide Christmas."

The obese snowman might seem funny to some (thin) people, but to me he's a bit sad, though he's smiling. I think he is smiling because he knows that big and small are just two sides of the same thing and that inside he is a lovely, trim and fit snowman. He just has to wait until spring and everyone will see him in his slender incarnation.

So, the snowman is sitting on my printer and he's another symbol of my Christmas Initiative. Like him, I'm just biding my time until everyone sees how beautiful (not to mention THIN) I can be.

Morrigan: Your veggies sound so good. You have the makings of a veg stew I like to make in the crockpot in January. I just clean and cut all those items you mentioned into big chunks and cook with a tiny bit of water, maybe some parsley and curry powder and just eat with rice (brown) on the side.

Hi All,

Sign me up for the red and green Christmas Initiative! And, sure, carrying on to New Year's is a good idea. I intend to take Christmas day off. Last year I did and just tried to be careful through the week and actually lost .8 over Xmas week. I've been having a mix of good and bad days (but when she was bad.... ...). Partially stress, I guess, but I've just got to nip it in the bud and make this work.

I've been frantic with house stuff, but I don't want to just let this go, else I'll have a wider bottom than Crone's snowman! I have a weigh-in this morning and I will go in fear and trembling, but I WILL go. I know that the worst thing I can do is to not weigh-in and let that go on until after the holidays. I would feel yucky at Christmas and then when I finally weighed in again I would probably be up another 10 pounds (and that's without half trying -- if I just relax my focus I would be up 10 and if I actually splurged I could probably hit 15-20 no probs. Don't want to go there!).

So... I rededicate myself to journaling every bite, to eating only at the table when I'm alone (and I think I have to cut out the entertainment -- such as reading or listening to the radio or stereo), to trying to keep my points within WW guidelines, to drinking all the water, getting plenty of exercise, and just generally trying to take care of my real needs so that I'm not going off the deep end trying to compensate!

Crone, Love your "It's best to be the Queen" inspiration. Can I use it? We don't live in the same country, so I shan't try to usurp...know what you mean about that kind of empowerment, though. It's interesting -- feels almost like flipping a switch to turn the power on, and I think it really is, maybe by making a decision.

Morrigan, it's so great to hear about you getting ready to hit the slopes again. Glad you're up to it -- you GO Girl!

JoJoJo, bet if I started eating with my left hand I would become ambidexterous v. quickly. All that training, you know

Eydie, what's the "power charge"? Sure sounds like it could be useful! Congrats on your continuing streak! I think I'm going to try to refine my criteria, or at least go back to the criteria I was using before.

Sychie, how was WI? I'm hoping not to have lost ground when I go later this morning. I do think it's very important to go - last week I sabotaged myself the couple of days before and then didn't go. This week I semi-sabotaged myself the day before yesterday and tried to make up for it yesterday. Progress?

Lisa, Joanie, Jelynn -- How are you all doing?

Let's make this a great day!

xo
babette
231/211.4/160

Hi girls!

I'm doing fine! I've just been really busy. The good news is that 95% of my Christmas shopping is done. The bad news is that TOM arrived and brought with is four pounds, so I'm back to ten pounds above goal. Hopefully these four will be washed away soon and maybe they'll take a friend with them.

I did go over my Points a couple of times last week, but I'm still binge-free.

Babette Yes, we must find control during the Holidays, and we must plan ahead and stick to the plan! I gained five pounds last Christmas and that's when the whole downward spiral started (or is it upward) and I really don't want to do that again! I ate with wild abandon last year for almost a week. YUCK! I felt and looked awful. Do I really want to feel that way again? NOPE. And neither do you! Let's concentrate on filling our spirits this years instead of our stomachs.

Eydie Great job on restraining yourself around those cookies! You're quite the baker! Are cookies a red-light for you? (meaning that once you have one you literally can't stop?) They are for me, that's for sure. I just try to not have them around unless it's a very special occasion. Great job Goddess.

Crone The Red and Green Initiative! Very proper sounding name I think. I was sad thinking of the fat little snowman. Of course, for snowmen, it's ideal to be fat. "Fat Snowmen Live Longer", that's what I saw on a sign in the store. Too cute! But I'm not dreaming of a wide Christmas at all. I feel sorry when I see severely overweight people looking sad. I was the buffet on Sunday morning and I saw many overweight people, piling their plates with food and then sitting and eating with a blank look on their face. I wonder if they ever think about what they could be instead? Then I noticed the thin people. They put just a few things on their plates and spent most of their time chatting and sipping coffee rather than eating. What a difference. Anyways, I'm here to join you in the Red and Green Challenge!

I'm feeling good today despite TOM. I feel in control again. I don't like that pre-TOM time when I want to eat all day, and eating everything in sight. It's so hard to fight that.

PFTD: 26 Points, ride my horse, water.
Everyone: Make sure you journal today! Journals are indispensable!
Love, Lisa

Anybody else cooking the Thanksgiving feast this morning? I'm almost done--just have to make some rolls and some chocolate-dipped apricots and then tomorrow it's just a matter of heating it and I can relax and enjoy! As I was making the mashed potatoes I started thinking that it's looking like a very starchy meal, so I threw some brocolli in with the spuds and mashed them all together and topped them with a little cheese--we've got to get those green veggies in any way we can, right? Green potatoes--could be a new holiday tradition! [gotta work on a more appetizing name though...]

Babette, ask Crone about Power Charge--it's her baby and very effective! Still streaking, and I should explain what I mean by that. I'm not doing anything weird or heroic---it's just finally gotten into my head that I don't like the way I feel when I overeat so I stop 2 notches short of that full feeling. And I don't give in to every treat that comes along; for me a little loving deprivation is a good thing! I'm eating normal food, vegetarian and low-fat. I'm counting fat grams because that works well for me. If anyone wants to see my food journal or post their's [that would be fun!] I'm on the Alternative Group's Food Journal Thread!

Weeesa, I know what you mean about the buffet people. It makes me think about how I dreaded having my photo taken when I was overweight. The pictures came back with me looking so miserable and embarrassed. I see photos from back then and it makes me want to cry. On a cheerier note, I like what I see now!

Guess that's what I'm on now because I am still working on the concept (I never use the word "rules")! I'm going to try to post a goal or promise each day related to health, weight management and fitness and then post how I did. I would definetely want to stay challenged through to New Year's, whatever we call it!

I am so glad to have partners in crime on this caper. The game's afoot, Watson! No excess fat cell can escape detection.

My goal today was to stop using the excuses of walking a lot doing market research and not feeling well and generally disliking my life to skip my workouts, a recent practice that is bringing about spreadage of the lower body equal to my snowman (BTW, Weeesa, in the desert, an actual snowman has NO appreciable life expectency whatever his girth! ) So for this week, I'm promising the Queen inside me to do a solid workout of ONLY 20 minutes per day ... wimpy, because I used to do a solid hour or more, but ...

My calorie promise is to hover at 2000 calories or less, today only!

Weeesa: I know how you feel about seeing obese people who have lost all hope ... which I think is why they just get that vacant look and heap their plates. I used to be like that, but the glimmer of hope that I never lose managed to flare up at just the right moment.

But here I am approximately 7 pounds up again, and I know this could easily become 17 pounds, 27 pounds, 37, etc. So the reversal begins.

There is a woman at one place I work who is very obese. I mentioned one day that I'd lost a lot of weight and kept it off for awhile and she asked me "how" ... in a funny kind of voice, as if it were a great mystery. I told her I just ate less and moved more and journaled everything and checked with the doctor from time to time (obesity is a DISEASE). I don't think she believed that anything that simple could be the answer, as I observed her eating large amounts of mall food several more times that day and each day since. But maybe she is just getting ready to "click" and have that "I'll do it" moment. I really hope so.

Babette: Hope your weigh-in goes well! I think you are right that we can't just let things go ... my office lady story above was related more for myself, to remind me how far things can go when we let them.

Sometimes I think we WANT to let go because we get mad that we have to deal with weight issues when many other people seem free to eat and exercise at whatever level they like. We say, "Why me? Why does it have to be this way? Why can't I have free reign at Christmas (or whatever) to enjoy all the treats in whatever quantity?)"

When I get like that, I realize that the answer for me is that I AM free to eat, eat, eat and not exercise. And the fat cells lying in wait in my body will be happy, too!

BTW, you can certainly usurp the "It's best to be the queen" line! After all, I stole it from Hallmark! (Don't tell them.)

Just wanted to drop in to report that I managed to squeeze off another 1.2 pounds, for a total of 5.4 since I started back. Since I thought I might be facing a gain, I'm pretty happy with that and I am determined to have a good week. Let's do this!

xo
babette
231/210.2/160 -- Next week surely will see me under the 210 mark again! I think that my lowest low of recent years was actually right around the big "2" (rather than 194, which I reported last spring) because the scale I was weighing on was not synchronized with the WW one.

But not doing so well... I've got to get a grip before the weight starts piling on with all the holiday festivies that are way too easy to get caught up in. I'm probably 5-6 lbs up, my jeans are tight and I feel pretty gross. I've been so busy and living on junk. I really do know better. I *do not* want to be up anymore come the New Year so will nip this in the bud.
After I get back from the holiday weekend I plan to get back to my gym-- upgrade to childcare included since I'm not going early morning or evening. It will be just be easier to go between 8 and noon and the extra $15 per month is well worth it if I will go even a couple times a week.
You guys are all doing so great and are an inspiration
Catch you after the weekend
happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating