Morning all and happy Friday to everyone! Well I have just been off the wall with my food/eating, what a difference a job makes I need to find a routine here at home and get my eating under control, I went to the doctors on Wednesday for my yearly and was stunned when I saw what the scale had to say... ugh! I am going to get some house chores done today and then head to the grocery store and get some things stocked up that are WW friendly and healthy options... I think I have eaten everything here that is not healthy so I guess if I wanted to look on the bright side of things I could say that I have little to no bad foods in the house anymore UGH!

I have been walking on the treadmill though a little bit and am going to do more of that. I have been struggling with the whole not smoking thing... I had quit for a while then started again a while back, now that I am not working there was never a better time to quit. Well it has been two weeks since I quit and that is not helping with the eating at all but I think that I am finally getting to the tail end of the withdraw so things should be looking up.

It is bitter cold here... -10 this morning with wind chills at -30... good lord!

What a miracle that was yesterday with the plane in the Hudson River... that pilot deserves a huge raise! HUGE!

take care all!
Princess

Morning turtles:

Hope everyone is keeping warm & staying OP

I was down 1# at my meeting & ended being biggest loser last week with my 1/2# loss. Got in another walk (17 laps) last night & a swim/hot-tub afterwards. Feels so good soaking in the hot tub after my walk.

It is still bitter cold up here but suppose to warm up next week. I will be missing my Tops meeting next Wed since I am going to see the musical Dirty Dancing & out for a nice dinner with a group of ladies plus my daughter. So really looking forward to that.

Today I am making a spag squash casserole with ground beef, tomatoes & lots of cheese & some muffins for quick breakfasts next week.

Have a great weekend & lets keep moving towards our goals!

Bandit, look how close you are to Onederland!! Woo-hoo!

Princess, major hugs for quitting smoking again. That's the ticket, you just never stop quitting! Both my parents quit smoking when I was a kid; it was rough. But they stuck with it. I am very proud of them.

I'm following my plan fine but am up 1.5 pounds for no particular reason. Weigh-in is this weekend; we'll see what it says. I do need to cut back on the berries; I can't eat them every day in addition to my other food, or my weight loss slows way down. Funny how little things like that can make such a difference. But I'm thinking this 1.5 pounds is hormonal or something; my hormones have been definitely getting whackier over the past couple of years. Perimenopause is such fun.

It was -15 this morning when I got up, -9 at noon. -2 now. No idea what it is with wind chills. They even closed the schools. This is Michigan; they *never* close schools due to cold temps! Quite a winter we're having this year.

Stay warm, everyone.

Hi Turtles,
Despite my resolve, I overate again yesterday. I know I can do this the right way. I have to get back on track. I took Lauren's question to heart about what was the cause of my setback. I think it was this: had eaten light the week before, had a good WI, had a decent but not light week and was up a bit on my scale at home. Got discouraged and fell back into the poor me thinking and then binged. This time of year (not the holidays) is a real challenge for me. In the past I have lost weight (down to 200#) by New Year's Eve and then gained seven or so pounds in January. This is the year to break that pattern. I can do this. It doesn't feel like I can, but I know I can!! and onward. Enough about me.

Jeanne, I love the "diet" avatar you're using. It's really cute. Good luck with your program.

Lauren, I just dump the spices into the teapot. It makes it a little cloudy and there is always a residue, but it's so much easier than making the traditional Indian tea which involves boiling water, milk and whole spices. A hassle. This is easy. I even made up a mix of the spices so I can just use a teaspoon of the mix for each pot. I do have to try Chai tea. My sisters wanted me to try it in Asheville, NC when I visited, but honestly it seemed awfully fattening the way the server in the coffee/tea shop was making it--lots of milk and sugar. I'll be on the lookout for Chai tea in the supermarket. Thanks for the tip! I hope your car is back in shape. Thought your remark about nothing money couldn't fix was funny. It's good to have a sense of humor. My poor car needed a windshield replacement and then the next day a parking lot incident required a headlight fix. So two places--but I must say minor aggrevation and that's a good thing. I hope the hormone thing clears up and lets you see your real weight loss. You're doing great.

Bandit, you are doing great. You should be so proud! and for being the biggest loser for the month. Whew! Yes, you are so close to onederland. Thanks for the inspiration. You'll do it, I know! And thanks for the spaghetti squash reminder. I love that stuff and haven't bought it in a bit again. Yes, wasn't that airline pilot something? How in heaven's name do you bring an airbus down like a glider? That is amazing! God was with him and all his passengers. Whew! Miracle on the Hudson hardly begins to appreciate his accomplishment and that of all the first responders, etc.

Okay--gotta run. I looked through my freezer for good foods--ate out last night at a Japanese restaurant, but did real damage when I got home. I'll figure out a way to stop this! My other dd is coming out today with her dh to look at houses in the area. I'm going with them for moral support.
Take care, be well and happy.
Judy

Morning all and happy Sunday to you. Not much new here, the temps are going up, not by much but at least they are above zero now I think . I made it to the grocery store on Friday and to Sams club yesterday, today is the day to start fresh for me... heres hoping I get back on track this time.

Judy: I am in the exact same place as you are it sounds like, I do the same thing time and time again. I have no words of wisdom for you except to tell you that you are not alone, I am right there with you. So your DD may be moving closer to where you live? That is exciting and what a great time to buy a house, if you don't have one to get rid of anyway .

Badit: You are doing fantastic and so close to onederland! Congrats on joining the club that has the pool and walking track, how wonderful! Try any new recipes lately?

Lauren: You are doing great and I understand the whole hormone thing, I am going through that also, was hoping this last trip to my doctor would get me some answers but I don't see if happening so far. She wants to do some tests/proceedures that are expensive and I am not sure that they are really needed at this time but maybe when I move more into menopause but according to her I am not in peri yet... frustrating as my body is telling me one thing and my doctor another. Anyway, best of luck for a great lose this coming W/I.

Cherry: It was great to see you posting again!

Jeanne: Nice to you see you with our turtle group! I live in the midwest now but grew up outside of Philly so I am kind of from your neck of the woods. I worked in a chocolate factory when I got out of high school, it was a big factory though, Palmer Chocolates, they make the big easter bunnies, etc. It was hard when I first started there because you could eat as much as you wanted but after a while it got old and I lost interest, the hardest part was coming out of work smelling like chocolate it got me a lot of strange looks if I did not go home and shower right away... LOL.

Well I have to go and get ready, we are shopping for a church these days and are going to one with early services today so I need to get my butt in gear and get ready. Have a great day all!
Princess

Yes Princess, you and I are standing shoulder to shoulder right now. We've both done better before and we know what to do. Just knowing you're there is a huge help. Yesterday went better for me and today can be good again.
I have to remember to do this baby step by baby step until I'm in the groove.
We're lucky because we are members of this group and the inspiration is great. I am making this recent eating a temporary glitch! In other words, I have to keep telling myself that is done and over and on to much better things. My dh is not thrilled with the possibility of the kids being in our "backyard" and since I am more than thrilled it's setting up tension in the house. What I need to do is let things take place, deal with them and the tension as it occurs, and make sure that eating isn't the way I deal with the tension. Okay--that's said--now it's time to move on!!!! Thanks Turtles.

Princess, way to go on giving up smoking!!!! That's a

Lauren, I hope the dopey hormone weight goes away.

Bandit, enjoy the night out with dd and friends. It sounds like fun.

Jeanne and Cherry, good to hear from you and keep up the good work!

Okay--it's only January 16 and I've had it with snow. Hmmm--think the weather will cooperate and get fabulous soon?
Judy

Morning, turtles:

Well, it is still snowing and just off my front porch is over my waist. Looks like lots of tunnels shovelling all over the place. Really getting hard to see in some places - have to be really careful backing our of drive for the kids.
It is suppose to snow until late tonight but at least it has warmed up.

If roads are OK going to get in a walk, swim & hot-tub later with the neighbourhood ladies & my dd is suppose to come home for a few days so that will be nice.

Went out for dinner last night & had ribs & chicken & it was very good. Probably not the best choice but I was craving some finger foods & that did the trick.

Here's to a good upcoming week & lets stay on track and maybe do a little extra!

Have a great week, everyone.

Morning all and happy Monday to everyone... Hope that everyone had a great weekend. Our's was pretty quiet with nothing major happening, which is a good thing

Bandit: OMG, now that is a lot of snow! My mom lives in northern Indiana and she is just feed up with the snow... they have had a ton and she is frustrated as I am sure that you are also. The hot tub must be wonderful when it is so cold and snowy outside.

Judy: I feel for you on the family tension thing, ugh, we have that here also and it just never fun to deal with. Best wishes that it turns out for the best. I am heading down to walk on the treadmill now and will be trying to get the two youngest dogs out for a walk today, they have cabin fever as bad as I do. Took the newest dog to the vet on Saturday for his check up and shots... ugh! He is turning into a very expesive dog. Seems he has yeast infections in both ears, they are pretty bad and we need to try and figure out why he is getting them, usually means an allergic reaction to something so now he is on special food... OMG, you should see the price tag on this stuff! But hopefully we can get it narrowed down and get him to feeling better soon. His ears have been an ongoing issue since we adopted him in the fall but I guess it has gotten much worse no matter what med's we use. so we are trying med's and a diet change.

Lauren: Sorry to hear about your car, that is just never fun to deal with. Your statement about the spring clothing got my attention! I would not be able to fit into much of my warm weather clothing so I think I will be using that as motivation to get my butt in gear! Thank you very much! Funny how little things get our attention!

Have a great day all!
Princess

Hi ladies:

Nice & sunny up here today, lots warmer as well. Calling for more snow for next 3 days so that should be interesting to see where we can shovel more of it.

Have my Dirty Dancing tomorrow & dinner beforehand at The Old Spaghetti Factory & not sure what I will be ordering - I am sure there will be lots of tempting items.

Got in a walk last night with the ladies, but our usual centre had the track closed since roof was leaking & the other centre didn't have a hot-tub, but at least we got in a swim.

Hope everyone is staying OP this week.

You must all be excited about the new President - here's hoping for good changes!

Morning all and happy Wednesday. Still cold here but at least we have some sunshine during the day and it is above zero which is always a good thing. DS called me from school and has gotten into some trouble, I am just sick over it. Chances are he will be asked to leave campus by the end of this week. I am just so beside myself over it that I don't even know how you put it into words. He will most likely lose his scholorship and there maybe legal charges... none of which is a good time for us to face but I guess there is never a good time for bad things to happen to a family, when it rains it pours though. Eating is getting back on track, I still find myself slipping and reaching for things that just are not good but I have done pretty well for the last two days and hope to continue. Walking on the treadmill daily is helping to manage the stress also.

Bandit: Hopefully the snow is in the minimal amounts... I have to be honest, I did not vote for our current president but I sure hope that he gets things turned around soon, I guess time will tell if he was the right choice or not.

Have a great day all!
Princess

Oh Princess, I am so sorry about your son. I'm sending : and even as I do that I realize how lame that is. I'm also sending prayers. Try really hard to keep your eating where it needs to be because in these stressful situations I think you need to be in control of one thing and that one thing can be your food. Let us know how this unwinds and know we are all supporting you.

I weighed in today and was up a pound. Considering what I thought (my dgrandson jumped up and down on my scale and I had no idea what I weighed) this is okay. I'm going to forget the recent past, remember how hard I worked at Christmas time to lose five pounds, and keep on keepin' on.

Judy
234.6/215/213 and lower

Oh dear, Princess -- {{HUGS}} and prayers for you and your son. It seems like everyone we know with college-aged kids is having problems right now, I don't know why. At least you're not alone.

Judy, do you have any pictures of yourself at a thinner weight? Can you imagine yourself there again? I think that's what helps me the most -- picturing myself thin, and getting excited about getting there. That's what carries me through all the difficult stuff, the eating out, the avoiding red-light foods in the house, etc. I have a positive goal that really excites me and makes the discomfort, delayed gratification, and self-denial worth it.

I'm having to do a lot of picturing myself in spring and summer clothes, thinner, right now because the scale isn't budging! I've decided if it doesn't go down in time for my weigh-in this weekend, I'm going to chop off an arm. Who needs two arms anyway??

On another note, I've taken today off as a "me" day and am thoroughly enjoying it. Right now I'm sitting in Caribou Cafe, enjoying a cup of coffee and relaxing. I love days like this!

Have a great day, Turtles.

Morning all and a very happy cold Saturday to you all! I am actually glad that it is cold here this weekend! We have DS two dogs for the weekend while they are away with friends on a ski trip so that is six, yes six, dogs here for the weekend... below freezing temps means no mud in the yard and none in my house .

Went to pick up youngest DS yesterday, it was a four hour drive each way but I got him and most of his stuff packed in my car and brought him home. The college said zero tolerance meant just that... no exceptions so he is back home but that is a story for another time.

Hope all is well with everyone and best wishes for a great on plan weekend!
Princess

Morning, turtles:

More freezing cold weather up here but at least it is too cold to snow, so thankful for that & it is sunny which is nice.

Got in a walk & hot-tub yesterday with my neighbour in afternoon then my gf who has been sick since before Christmas finally came for dinner - so nice to see her & catch up on everything. I made us sole with brussel sprouts and some parmasean noodles & it turned out very nice. Then of course, we had some wine. But overall a great day.

I have been doing pretty good with my menu & hoping for weight loss at Tops this Wed. But still have the weekend to get through & that has always been my biggest challenge.

Hope you are keeping warm & staying OP.

Have a great weekend!

Good morning everyone, I hope that you all are having a very nice weekend! Very cold here and busy with all of the dogs that we have running around this weekend... I am ready for DS to come home and pick his up... LOL. Six dogs are a lot of work! But they are fun to watch.

I am looking for some recipes that are kind of easy to make, not too expensive but good comfort food for this time of year. If you have anything please share your ideas. I really need to get fruits and veggies back into my daily eating, funny how they get pushed to the back of the line this time of year, at least for me anyway.

Have a great day everyone!