Sorry i haven't been around much the past couple of days, but the weather has been so beautiful that i just had to spend the weekend outside. Tricia, let me do a little of that bragging for you. Hay everybody, TRICIA IS GETTING SKINNY!!! Three cheers for Tricia. Hip, hip hooray.

I just got back from my step class and am all hot and sticky but decided to wright a quick post before taking a shower. Good thing smell-a-puter hasn't been invented yet. My (once upon a time) friend wasn't there tonight. As a matter of fact, i haven't seen her in the past two weeks. I guess i shouldn't say this, but I'm glad she may have quit. When i get into that zone in my step class, where my hart rate is up and the music has a good beat and i almost feel like i could fly, the last thing i want to see when i look up is an old friend watching me. Very distracting.

Went swimming on Sunday where i made a new friend. The sun was finally out and the Temp. was around 70 degrees, so after my hour swim i decided to get a little sun on my extremely white legs. Found an empty lounge chair and was only going to stay till my swim suit dried. I got to talking with the woman next to me and before i knew it, an hour had passed and i was starting to look like a deep fat french fry. I've seen her around the Y before but never had the opportunity to talk to her, now i do. I know I'm rambling but i just love meeting new people.

Well, i have to get into that shower before one of my dogs faints from the smell.
Talk to you soon.
Gloria

This is weird...I thought I posted this morning, only to find that I didn't...

No time now...I'm supposed to be packing!

See you in the morning!

Sorry to be so slack at posting. I worked outside Saturday, nephew was home from college so visited Saturday night and Sunday morning then back outside. It is so fun to have that first clean up outside started - but after a shower I sat down and promptly fell asleep.

I will be back tonight. Off to work.

Apologies from me as well. I am reading, wishing you all the best, just have no time to post. Am flat out on a story here. . . hope to be able to catch up later. Take care all!

Good morning all!

Just sounds like everyone is so busy and getting into the spring mode for sure. I'm on spring break and I am doing some painting on my house. Just taking a quick break for a couple of minutes, but I will be busy for the next few days. Hope everyone as a wunerful, wunerful, wunerful, easter weekend. Don't eat too much chocolate!
Have a good one!

Cheryll

Hi, boy what a day I had BUT thanks to Tricia I DIDN'T come home and sit on the couch!!! I exercised for 45 min.

I have been close to giving up on losing weight and then I read Tricia's post and was inspired to keep going.

2 3 INCHES

I can feel your enthusiasim, Tricia. I even might check out Fitday again.

Gloria, I can't stay inside when Spring comes either. Of course for me I work outside when it is 40 - NOT 70

Tricia, I eat sunflower seed when I get the urge to snack and I think that salt gets me too but I think - water weight is WAY better than FAT!

red, I will be waiting for your return!

Cheryll, want to come and paint with me. I have some indoor and outdoor painting to do but am not that much of a fan of painting but it has to be done.

I am going to eat and then read some of Dr.Phil's book on "self-talk". I have to improve mine if I want to be a "Tricia"!!

Heh lucky, great on the exercise! Come on, NEVER give up, girl, you can do this! OK!?!
I'm aching for some good head-banging rock and roll. All this work is driving me nuts or to do nutty things like keep some bloodstock agent out till way past the last train drinking beer after beer in some fancy hotel. Then I insisted on going out further when the poor guy had a plane to catch back to Dublin the next morning. So, I pouty, stomp off, walk down the hill away from the long line of taxis, thinking, oh ****, I didn't know what. There was a cop in his little box on the other side of the road but the road was stansioned off so you couldn't cross. I hop over, which brought the cop out and I demanded to know why the road was blocked off. He said no one was supposed to cross because of the embassy and I look up and there towering over me was the American Embassy. Jeez, he must have realized I was just a harmless drunk or I could have been in big trouble. So, I asked him the way to the nearest station to find a taxi and got one home. Ugh, stupid me, you see, I'm burning out with all the work, but it was fun. . .just wrote an apology to the guy back in Ireland for being such a stubborn little insistent 2-year-old telling him he didn't have to "pack" he could just throw everything in his suitcase and sit on it. . . oh god!

Well, I rode the next morning, yeah, got home, got my article written on this big jock retiring here, sent that out to Kentucky (amazing, one click of the keyboard, and whoosh!! the thing flies halfway 'round the world) then fixed a translation and into bed. Now, I'm up and having a breather before going off to a publishing house and slogging through some poorly written manuscript that I have to rewrite. Oh, I hate it. And lucky, was it you who thought my life was exciting?!?! Crazy is more the word.

First of all let me say how glad I am that most everyone has rolled back through to post. I was starting to here an echo in here!

Second, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the cheers. It really does make a difference to have people around who understand just what a BIG DEAL a few frickin' pounds really is! Not to mention how much work is behind getting rid of them.

Lucky, you are right. I am feeling very enthusiastic these days. It has a lot to do with having had my measurements taken. I honestly had no idea I'd come that far. It shocked me into overdrive that is for sure. I feel so close to where I want to be. And, I have to tell you, that is the STRANGEST feeling ever. It is almost like I'm in this new skin but not quite comfortable yet. I've taken on a whole new attitude about food. I don't remember a diet I've been on that didn't have a special pig out dinner as my reward once I reached a certain point. I was thinking about that at the gym tonight because that doesn't really appeal to me now. The wierd thing is that there is something inside me that WANTS it to be appealing because it is all I know - if that makes sense. I was thinking tonight about what I'd like to do when I hit that magic number and the first thing that came to mind was having my teeth bleached - because I smile so much more these days. I did think a special dinner out with Greg would be nice but not so much for the food. It is the idea of getting dressed up and having a REAL date that I like. All I can say is that these feelings are very foreign to me and I really have to mull them over and over to get my brain around them.

Red, a night like you described would literally kill me these days. When I was in my 20's a group of friends and I would go out at least 3 times a week, be out until 3:30 or 4:00, get up at 6:00 and go to work without so much as a bag under my eye. I'd not survive that once a week now, much less 3. I guess it is having kids that has done it to me. My idea of a party these days is getting to go to bed before 9 and sleeping until 8. And if Greg takes the kids somewhere so that I can curl up on the couch and watch a chic flick undisturbed - get out the confetti cause there's gonna be a celebration!

Gloria, I'm glad you are having such nice weather. We've had nothing but thunderstorms for 2 days. My poor children finally put their feet down when I sent them outside to play during a brief break in the clouds. I gave them very specific instructions to stay out of the mud. They were back at the door in less than 5 minutes complaining that there was no way they could play outside and NOT get in the mud. So, I gave in and let them have at it as I just couldn't bear to watch them sitting bored on the couch for one more second.

Greg is off of work for the rest of the week. I hope he'll tackle the honey do list I've given him. Although, I have to say that my hopes are not particularly high. Even if the doesn't it will still be nice to have an extra set of hand to help with the kids.

I'm off to get some shut-eye. Catch you all tomorrow!

Tricia

Tricia, ah, your post made me laugh, the part about going to bed at 9. That is how my usual days go because I want to be able to be up at 4 a.m. and not a total zombie. I ride early in the morning and need to be alert. You know, I really don't know how I did that the other night. I was surprised myself that I was at all ambulatory the next day. It wasn't all that late I guess and the beers were small. Actually I did feel pretty ragged but I was determined to ride. Recently, I've had nights on the town till the first train after 5 a.m. and they took more out of me. I suppose a lot has to do with hormones, how much is in your stomach, and probably moreso, WHO you are talking to. I was having a fine time talking to this guy, unfortunately I probably scared him off big time, not that I was interested in him, but it was kind of fun, having someone to bounce wits against (not that I have much to bounce! )

But, more importantly, yes, yes, yes, sorry for not having been in the loop with your success story there, Tricia. I had read the other posts but too quickly and mine was just kind of an all-me-or-it's-going-to-be-nothing flyby post. Major congratulations on your weight loss and yes, I know how you feel about being psyched! I want to feel that so much again. I've been turning to blubber. I wear the same clothes but I know I'm fatter. I've lost so much muscle is why. But I haven't really been doing much so I want to, have to devise a plan. Yes, so keep up the good work. You have lost so much, haven't you? You must be proud. Continued good luck and may the wind be always at your back as they say!

I just had a vitamin stuck in my throat - OUCH..and scary for a few seconds. But all is better now!

I have a terrible time with “time”. I need more of it each day. I was
going to get that Shape Up drink of Dr. Phil’s for my breakfast but I can’t
find it. Did something happen? I KNOW he used to sell it on his web site
– but now I can’t find it. It is also gone from the Wal-Mart shelves here.

It’s too bad I can’t get skinny on chocolate and beer!

Anyway, I thought if I had a meal replacement drink for breakfast that
would give me extra time in the mornings I could use to exercise. I know
Slim fast has a lot of sugar so I thought I would check out Dr. Phil’s
stuff and now I can’t find it.

Then WHEN the weather cooperates here I want to use part of lunch to go for a walk.

I am on my way to work but will make replies tonight.

Have a good day all!!!

It looks like your bad weather has come my way Tricia. I had to get up early this morning to close the windows because it was raining so hard. Looks like i wont be doing any water aerobics today. There is a step class tonight that i will attend so will be able to get some exercise today.

One of my biggest problems i have in losing weight is targeting certain areas of my body that need shrinking the most. My stomach and waste are definitely getting smaller, but one of the biggest problems i have is the inside of my upper legs. No matter what exercise i did, this area stayed the same. All my pants have those lint balls from the constant rubbing when i walked. Well, a couple of days ago i was in a new water aerobics class and the instructor introduced a new exercise. It was kick boxing, but you do it in the water. I took the same class yesterday and am so excited that with only two classes, my upper inner leg looks smaller and there's not as much jiggle when i walk.

So Red, I've been meaning to ask you, have you been a vegetarian long? I would think that Japan is one of the best places to be a vegetarian. I know that what we call Japanese food here in the states is completely different from the real thing in Japan, but both are loaded with vegetables. I don't know that much about being a vegetarian, but i was wondering if the food you eat has to be prepared a certain way?

When i started writhing this soon to be post, i went back through some of our old post to get an idea of what i was going to say. When reading some of my old post, i noticed that i don't talk about weight that much. I hope this has not been a hindrance to any of you. I know that 3fatchicks is about loosing weight and getting healthy, but because i don't weigh myself but once a month, the topic of pounds and inches are limited for me.

Lucky, you never told us what kind of plants or flowers you decided on. Here in Florida we have sugar fine sand so i end up having to buy dirt. Hubby kids me about having to buy dirt. Anyway, i can imagine that you have really good planting dirt there in Minnesota.

Cheryll, what color are you painting the outside of your house? I love painting the inside of my house. Makes the rooms look fresh and new.

Kat, if you don't get a chance to post one more time before your vacation, i hope you have a terrific time.

Take care.
Gloria

...the Passports have been found! <she sheepishly reported>

I was sitting there, at work last night, all zombie-like, seeing as I hadn't gotten a full cup of coffee in me yet. Kind of just staring at nothing in particular. When my gaze fell upon my purse...and the zipper compartment on the outside of it. "Hmmm," my under-caffeinated mind postulated, "I wonder if there's any money stashed in that pocket?" As I reached for it and started to unzip, I had a silly thought..."Ha! Wouldn't that be something if that's where the passports are hiding!" The thought no sooner crossed my mind when....VOILA!!! There they were! I think I let out a little shriek, cuz my coworkers came running over. "MY PASSPORTS!!! I FOUND MY PASSPORTS!" They just looked at me like, "Uh, you wanna keep it down? This IS a hospital!" I called dh to tell him. Instead of the jubilation I thought I'd hear, he was all, "You mean to tell me you've been walking around with them ALL THIS TIME??"

That's exactly what I'm telling you buster! AND I now have a cleaned out dresser, hutch, two closets, and two junk drawers because of it.

So it all worked out in the end. And, BONUS...I don't have to go back to the DMV for my picture license! <yet>

I'm off to have my toes pampered and prettied and polished for the trip. That, and a cut and color. I feel pretty, Oh! So pretty!

See you all later...

Hey all

Ok, I'm alive. Yes, even kicking. Well, at least that is what I keep telling myself! I just caught up on a bunch of reading here, and have to say Congratulations to both Tricia and Kat! Sounds like everyone else is working towards their goals as well. I hear a lot of activity going on out there.

I'm struggling, but seem to be coming out on top. So much of my mood seems to be determined by the weather. That combined with one woman at work trying her hardest to make my life miserable, and me not wanting to go back on my old food plan entirely... well, I've been frustrated. I decided to listen to my body for a little bit. If I don't feel like eating 4 servings of protein a day, I'm not going to. If I want to eat veggies and fruit all day long for a day, that is what I'm going to do. I even gave myself permission to have some birthday cake and homemade pizza at my daughter's birthday party. Guess what? The scale says I am down 7.5 lbs. while doing this. I should be elated, but really, what I want to do is throw my hands up in the air and admit that I have no clue what I am doing and how I am really going to get the rest of this weight off! I'm also still pissy at the fact that I did some backsliding and am re-losing weight. Tony was a doll and reminded me that a fresh start is a fresh start. BTW, he is in exams again, but sends best wishes to all of you. I get to see him in just over 6 weeks!

I'm rambling on in a serious way here, sorry. Just wanted to poke my head in and say Hey to everyone

Andria