Congrats, Amy!!! I'm new here and am re-starting LAWL for the gazillionth time. I am starting Take Off tomorrow with the 48 Hour Hollywood Diet Juice! You all are such a fount of knowledge - thanks

Welcome Jessica!

Hi ,
Just a quick fly by for now
Roma

Good morning Where the heck is everyone?

DD has a doctor appointment this afternoon, and I am so curious to see how it goes. She is really feelling the pains of pregnacy......so I hope it it not much longer.

EMIL called last night and asked DH to come to florida to help close up his grandma's condo and get this mom and grandma off to the airport to Wisconsin. His Grandma has not been well and has been in and out of the hospital and a rehab center. She will be going to a rehab center in Wisconsin for a short time, and then to EMIL's house to live. I encouraged DH to go help his grandma......but I am trying sooo hard not to be mad at EMIL. How could she possibly ask HIM of all people (there are other family members) to come help at a time like this. His first grandchild could easily be born while he is away.......and you just can't repeat that. DD is going to feel bad.....no matter what the reason. She will understand.....but she will still really miss DH if she has the baby while he is gone. Also.....how the **** am I going to manage everything if she goes into labor? I know I will be fine......but WTF? I don't have ANY family here, and I have very few friends who can help out........and one of them is starting chemotherapy on Monday.......so I can't ask her to be around my sick kids. My only resource is my across the street neighbor. I am going to go talk to her today to see if she is going to be around sunday through tuesday.

Also....it is always OUR family that is expected to make sacrifices, because everyone else has to, "work." Don't EVEN get me started on that one. Apparently because I am a stay at home mom, and because DH is in management......we are more able than anyone else in the family to drop everything at any time to help. His brother is single, no kids......but he just can't help with anything because he has to work. He is a police officer, and apparently has no say in any days off and has no vacation days at all. Whatever. It just makes me so mad, cuz when DH takes days off, for whatever reason.....he then works 14-16 hour days for days or even weeks to catch up......cuz noone does his job (for the most part) while he is gone. What that boils down to is I become a single parent not only for the time he is gone, but how ever long it takes him to get caught up......and he gets stressed, cuz he wants to be in both places. Don't get me wrong.....he is still around for our kids and such....but it is a vicious cycle......and ultimately, it affects our kids.

It's not that DH even minds helping his family.......it's just the fact that they somehow think our obligations are less than other family members..................You know.....DH and I have been talking aboutgoing to see his Grandma for weeks........I think it is important.....and I was all for him going....until I found out grandma was going back to wisconsin on Tuesday. As soon as the baby is born, we can so easily go visit her in wisconsin.....our whole family. she lives in the same town as my parents and his mother. DH can go spend as much time with her as she likes and I can keep the kids busy with friends and family. I don't know what it is like to "close up a condo," but really, only EMIL has been there over the last three months......how difficult can it be? I would never ask my child to leave his/her child at a time liike this. If grandma was getting worse instead of better, it would be a different story........ I am just sooo perplexed over this situation........

Anyway.......I forgot to mention yesterday...Paula.....I am glad DH is doing ok. What a long couple of weeks for you both. Did everything go ok yesterday? I sure have been thinking of you.....

Big hellos to everyone, and welcome to all of the newbies!!!! Keep fighting the fight..........one day at a time. Together.....WE CAN DO THIS!!!
XOXO

Hi Everyone!
Well, I survived FF and I'm happy to be back on plan again. So far, so good! I was happy to see the loss this morning, hopefully it will help keep me on plan.

Thanks to everyone for all the words of encouragement!

Amy - Congrats on the engagment and Happy Birthday!

Dan - I have a quick question. I saw you mention on another thread to avoid processed cheese. What type of cheese do you use and how often. I usually use cheese as my dairy. I use the Kraft Free Singles or the part-skim mozarella cheese sticks. Thanks!

Hope everyone has a great day! It is beautiful here today!

good morning.

not much to say.. i'm staying on plan (no cheating) and the scale is not budging.. lol i know it will eventually so i'm not worried about that but it sure would be nice to see a drop..lol

Nicole - wow you sure have a bunch on your plate. sorry you are going through such a stressful time. hugs and warm wishes!

Morning all! I graduated on Saturday and it sure felt good!!!

AMY! CONGRATS! Wow! What an exciting weekend. Lots of changes for you-lots of good ones! Wow-you better get wedding planning missy-I'm feeling stressed and I'm waiting til next fall. Where will it be? So excited for you. The ring is amazing!

I had to skim all the other posts, I'm going to try to go back and catch up.

Nicole- hang in there! I know how stressful it can be to have your other half pulled in different directions. I hope it all works out and I hope he is home when your DGD is born!

I have not been POP, I was going to try to use this week to get on an exercise routine and eating routine before the bar studying starts on monday, but I haven't!

Does anyone have any good, OP freezer recipes? I'm trying to cook ahead so that I don't eat fast food while I'm studying this summer!

Miss you all a lot!

Nicole- Personally, I think that is a bunch of BS. DH should tell her that this it is not in the cards for him to go help her right now. My family steps up all of the time for my grandma, and no one else does. Well, we are going through a crisis right now, so yesterday I called some of my cousins and asked them to all take a night to bring Grandma dinner and visit her for the next week, and some of them told me flat out "No, I just don't have time." I was so mad. I just do not understand how they can just throw all of the responsibility off on us and not care at all. Wow, sorry for the rant. Your post just got me all rightously angry, LOL!

Good job Amy!!!

thank you, Katie.....you get it I hate having to always do the right thing!!!

Gonna - The stuff like kraft singles are the worst.. The mozzerella string cheese is acceptible on the plan (or at least they were when Liz and I had a COD to go to)

We try to buy low fat/part skim when we can, but we usually just buy natural block cheeses, which are more expensive, but worth it, I think.. We don't use enough per day to count it as our dairy, but if you do, I'd consider switching to yogurt smoothies like "Lite and Fit"...

The problem with the processed stuff is all the additives and preservatives in them, not to mention the sodium.. Of course, there's salt in any kind of cheese, but over the course of the past couple of years I've really tried to eliminate a lot of the extra stuff that processed foods have in them... Not just for weight loss, but for general health...

I never buy packaged lunch meats anymore.. I prefer to get Boar's Head brand as it's all natural and have some really good low sodium turkey and beef (the beef is REALLY low in sodium)...

Amy......you look adorable in your cap and gown Congrats!!!!

And Katie......I hope everything is ok. Are the kids and DH ok?
XOXO

Hello all.

Not good news for me. I am traveling this week and have not even been close to OP. This really sucks and I have really been trying to be good.

I am sad to say that I have just realized that Nicole is from St. Louis and that is where I am through today. I would really have liked to have met, but I have a busy schedule and just didn't put 2 and 2 together in time.

Congrats to both Amy's on the graduation and the engagment. Whoo Hooo

I did finally get a new puppy. I will try to post some pics of her soon.

Good Luck all. I hope to get back on plan tomorrow and maybe even do a TO. I will probably need it.

No other action on the house. Still waiting on the last week in May to get the construction started, but that will be here before I know it.

Make Good Choices today. I can say that as I have just finished my chocolate/peanut butter cheese cake. LOL

Hello everyone,

I hope that everyone is having a great POPing day. I just got back from WI and was down almost a pound. They asked me today if I would be in the newspaper for them. I asked them, "Why me" and they said, "Because I had done so good." I told them that I would do it. What a great way to help with my motivation to stay on plan.

I am sorry about everyone that has stress going on in their life. I hope that things calm down soon.

Congrats Amy's on the graduation and engagements.

Well, I better go get to work.

Have a great day.

Dionne, You are doing just great. Over half way to goal already.

Nicole, Perhaps your DH could help out in some limited way. Your MIL is likely dealing with a lot, so do what you can while still supporting your family. People do think that SAHM have a ton of extra time, which I found when I was staying at home that the hours other people were at work went zipping right on by quickly... They only seem long when you are working them. I wish I lived closer, as I would come over and watch your kids, as I'm sure your DH wants to make sure his grandma is taken care of too. I helped move my grandma into assisted living, and it was a chore. I was glad to do it though. She was a sweet, sweet lady and I still miss her. Just bad timing for your family. Perhaps there is something you could do from there.. hire a cleaning service... something.... to help from a distance...

Katie, I wonder why your cousins were so unpleasant? Most people at least attempt to help out family members when asked. I'm sure they have their reasons. I suppose we all have days when someone asks for one more thing, and it is just seeming impossible to fit one more task into the day. With both parents working in most families, there just is so much stress. Sorry they took that out on you and your grandma. Too many people have their lives way too overbooked.

Graduate Amy, I loved the picture of you in your cap and gown! Congrats! You KNOW that you will do the best on the bar if your brain is firing on all cylinders, and to make it do that you need to eat healthy and exercise. A healthy body makes for a sharp mind. So take care of yourself.

Amy of the fancy new ring. How exciting and how romantic that he took you back to the place where you met. How did your finals go? Don't get too wrapped up in the whole wedding thing... a wedding is just a day, but a marriage is for life, so make it about the joy you have coming together and not about what you have to do to impress people.... I still wish I had relaxed and enjoyed it more and not been so tense about what might go wrong and what people would think.

Michelle, I'm sure the scale is just getting ready to do a good sized drop...

Dixie Amy, Traveling is hard. Just do your best and get back on track as soon as you can.