Debbie_ your pictures are amazing! I am so proud of you!! I can really tell it in the side view!!

annie_ great job on the weight loss.......you inspire me so much!! What did the dr say??? and how are you feeling today??

carol_ good job on the pound ..that great after such a big loss last week.

dmpls_ where are you today?? I know shampooing carpets...wanna come and do mine..Im starting to see tiny spots again..I think the little ones juice cups must leak at times.

catherine_ sorry your having internet trouble. Hopefully it will be up and running agian tommorow.


dusty- glad shopping went well.

penny- great picture of your husband...do tell how he has lost so much weight.

realist_ 25lbs is a good loss... YOu should be proud that you have been able to keep it off!!!! That is what my challenge is going to be...I am good at losing but bad at keeping it off!!!!

Im wearing my favorite gown from last summer and I cant keep it on my shoulders..better watch out or else hubby might like it to much!!LOL
debi

Congrats Realist! To be down 25 pounds and not put weight on is wonderful!
And with dedication and hard work you can achieve your goal.
Ratkitty, yes the heat makes my ankles swell terrible...The right one balloons up the most...I fell and hurt it in the winter....And now it constantly swells..
But they both do balloon .... I try to wean myself of salt in the summer....
Congrats Debbie!! You are doing great!
ggg Good job on letting that pound go!
Today is a holiday here in Canada .....And I went to work for 4.5 hours...When I came home in the afternoon I went on the p.c. for a while ...And boredom made me realize ....I kept thinking of snacking.... Decided I better leave the house so at 3 pm ... I went out for a 50 minuite walk....came home and ate supper .....And watched news, went on the p.c.
And I did not know what to do with myself....So out again I went for a walk!!Walked for over 60 minuites!!Tomorrow I will be so sore....But I did keep out of the fridge!! Lol Angels

Debbie - your pics are amazing.

Angie - I'll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back but I am really starting to feel "different". I am not a quick loser and I have come to grips with that (most of the time). The support I received when I first started from you, Heather, Rat, Catherine Annie, Battle, Nancy and Debbie has kept me going - lean on me - it's my turn. We are going to dinner Thursday night with friend from Dallas - she's a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader - I used to be so nervous but now I'm confident - she may or may not say anything as I haven't seen her since last July 4th but I know the difference - doesn't mean I didn't model for family what I plan to wear in front of her on the 4th at the pool.

Well I started July out with a bang - 84 minutes of exercised which included a warm up 5k.

Time to go try the BLT with the 70 calorie bacon - thanks for the suggestion Debi.

Hugs to all,
Carol

I am addicted to the BLTs I eat them weekly. This morning i had scabbled eggbeater with jalopano and onions with ff cheese and 2 slices of bacon on whole wheat toast..it was awesome and stayed with me till lunch. I picked another pepper to have in the morning in my eggs.YUM!!

Good evening all,

What a gorgeous day we had here today. I did my cardio outside, picked mulberries, and ended up making jam. Kind of made it up as I went along with the jam and made mulberry-apple-grapefruit, which turned out quite well. Had my swim and enjoyed my afternoon snack (with a drink) on the patio. I'm glad it was a nice day for those that had the day off here (Canada Day).

Bernice - the one thing that changed as I started to lose weight was my shoe size. Nothing major, but some of my shoes ended up quite loose. It really wasn't something I expected. Oh and thanks for the comments on the new pics. I saw the ones you posted of hubby - what a big change for him.

Naytally - because I started a strength training system I actually sit down the night before and plan everything I'm going to eat. My problems in the past have been that I eat too little when trying to lose weight. This way I don't end up in the same situation. Planning the next day's meals are second nature now.

Ratkitten - I'm waging a war on the birds and squirrels this year. I netted parts of the tree and hung up halloween decorations and tin foil and stuff. In the end the netting is the best thing though. This winter when the tree is trimmed and I can get at the fence behind it I'm planning to put a large piece of netting up and tie it to the fence. In the spring (after it blooms) I can pull the net up and over the trees.

Annie - you can come and clean for me anytime. There's air conditioning and a pool out back....

Catherine - it sounds like you're having a rough time with water retention. I'm glad to hear that you're getting back to normal. Hope you're good to go for the football game. Sorry about the internet though. It's annoying when things like this happen on holidays isn't it?

Realist - I'm look for a jeweler first and get some guidance. They may be able to order/get you the gem. Decades ago I got a chunk of amethyst. Our local jeweler cut the stones for my mother and made some lovely jewelry out of it.

Angels4u - Congrats for staying away from the cake. I admit that my cravings are slowly going away for a lot of things. I tend to make my own breakfast breads and they're so much better than cake - because I know what's in them and I can enjoy a small slice guilt free. I'm already working on our zucchini bread / zucchini cake recipes for when the little buggers are plentiful.

Zelma - the kids look so sweet. I know, looks can be deceiving. They do look good in their uniforms.

Tricia -

Debi - Wow, your garden sounds like it's going really well. I love gardens too, although I do kind of like sitting in them the most.

Julia - Great NSV today. I'll have to consider trying that in the fall. We have a jacuzzi tub in the upstairs bathroom that was never very comfortable. I really prefer showers, but a soak every now and then might be okay. It never was very comfortable but who knows maybe it will be now.

Carol - I saw my first zucchini blossom today. Oh my, that means there will be zucchini some time in my future. I'm not that fond of it as a vegetable. I've got some grape and cherry tomatoes but none showing colour yet. I've been reading a bit about NEAT lately, the concept that just moving around more can be more beneficial in the end. The idea is that if your scheduled exercise makes you too tired to do anything else then it's not a good thing. Walking around, working in the garden, these are all good things. Hey, NEAT is the only way to explain my 120-lb mother's ability to eat 1800-2000 cals a day... plus candy and chocolate, and not gain weight. Don't get me wrong, I'm still doing cardio and weights, but I have cut back on them a bit and tried to do more 'non-exercise' activities. So far my weight loss hasn't been affected.

Penny - you're likely off already, but enjoy your camping trip. The picture of your hubby is great.

Debbie - hey, I went looking at Penny's pictures and saw yours. They look wonderful, although you're like me, the clothes are still a little loose.

Dusty - that's something I haven't done in decades - buy clothing in a store. Although I admit I'm not much of a shopper in general. I kind of like mail order stuff. The campus pictures look lovely.

Well I think that's me for the night. I have to go do my meal plan for the night, update my blog, and hit the sack. Goodnight all.

Ok so I was MIA today LOL

I got a running start on errands at 8:00am!!! LOL then came home and took everything out of the living room & shampooed the carpets.......rearranged the pictures & nicknaks in there........put everything back......the DD did the dining room carpets.......the puppy piddles are tiny itty bitty but they still needed to go!!! LOL especially with all the kids being here this weekend!!! Want to do the hallway upstairs & the 3 bedrooms tomorrow....but I will do a quick shampoo.....no moving furniture in those rooms! I still have several loads of laundry to complete!!! I also need to get the clothes put away in my bedroom!!! grrr have I said I HATE laundry???? LOL

I got my glasses picked up today finally after being told they would be done last night and they werent then going there this morning and they still weren't done.........ran some errands and came back and they were finally done! Got my nails filled finally they were about to outgrow my entire nail bed LOL I did red nail polish with blue & white swirly thingys LOL I will include them when I snap a picture of my glasses LOL not sure if I will do makeup & hair tomorrow since its yet another work day around here....LOL but I do have to run my poodle to get his hair done so maybe I will try to look presentable!!! LOL
I would love to get my hair cut & highlighted before the kids get here.....not sure if one I will have time or two that Dh will be willing to put out the dough for that this week....LOL

Eating went well today........on the run with errands DD & I stopped in at Subway......she loves their subs.......I got a vegie 6 in and yogurt ..........then tonight on the run taking DD to her band practise & then a quick trip to the store while she was there.......DH & I stopped in at the Chinese buffet.......he was a little miffed at their selection because it was still early for dinner rush and too late for lunch.......so they didn't have alot of fresh stuff out.......I ate steamed zucchini w/carrots steamed salmon chilled shrimp only poor calorie choice was the banana pudding but ohhh it was so good........I also think it was SF though cuz of the aftertaste you get with artificial sweeteners....

Need to still increase my water intake but I'm trying! I wish I hadn't left my nice jug at work ........can't get in the building till next week .........so I am just using my Brita pitcher and trying to have it full all the time so I will not have an excuse (yucky water) LOL

No exercise except the vacuuming and moving recliners & end tables ohh and the shampooing! LOL But believe me since summer started that is MAJOR exercise for me right now LOL

love all my SIL!!!
ttyl
Bernice

Zelma THANK YOU so MUCH for your kindness, I can see why your pupils (and their parents) love you so much! It brought it tears to my eyes.xxxxxxx
Thank you too Ratkitty xxxxxxx & anyone else who made kind comments. It means so much that when things are bad I (or anyone else) can come here & get support for things which aren't just diet related.
I appear to have lost some weight, though I think it's down to stress rather than exercise. At least being broke there's no spare money for wine, take-aways and chocolate, I have to look on the positive side, lol.
An old workmate manages a small wine & booze shop & I asked her if there was any work going (she'd offered me a job ages ago but Aiden wasn't at school then) & it looks like there is a job going. I'm sad that the teaching assistant job I applied for never replied, sheesh, I'm wondering if the fact that having an Honours degree was worth all the work AND money! I could be a teaching assistant with a six-month course & do shop work with no need for further & higher education. Anyway at least there's something on the job front.
Debbie you can REALLY SEE THE DIFFERENCE, well done!xxxxxx
Annie WTG, you are looking so good!!! I had to laugh about the arms at your side, I do that too!xxxxxxx
Anne, great to see you back, have you been in your pool much?xxxxx
Battle, great to see you too.xxxxxxx
My oldest son is looking to join the army, the discipline will do him good, though I've a feeling he'll be spending most of his time on 'punishment duty' rather than active combat! His injuries are looking better, he still has stitches on his eyebrow & scabs & grazes on his face but he looks better. His gf still has a lot of bruising to her eyes but at least she isn't swollen anymore; I saw pics of her after the accident, it was awful, apart from her long hair you would never guess it was her!
Anyway I have to go, poor Aiden was five on Sunday & spent Saturday throwing up & crying, his birthday he wasn't up to birthday cake & hardly ate anything, even today (Wednesday) he still isn't eating a lot, we go to the Dr's tomorrow. He is playing & eating a bit more but I've kept him off school as he still wants a nap in the afternoon which is not normal for him.
Sandy, thanks for the pm & FAB to see you back!xxxxxx
xxxxxsharon

good morning,
sharon_sorry your little one isnt feeling well! Hope its just a virus or something minor!! Let us know how he is doing.

dmpls_ i count shampooing carpets as exercise!!

anne- I dont care for mulberries.maybe its because we had a huge tree when we first moved here and it ruined my carpet. I had new capet and when the kids forgot to take off their shoes when just running inside for something they got mulberries on my capet...We cut it down after 2 yrs.

carol_ how was the blt?? I perfer it with reg bacon but for the calories precooked bacon cant be beat.

angel_ great job on all the walking...when all else fails exercise!!

I have both boys again today and then will be off the rest of the week. I really need to plan out my meals for the next few days.I need to grocery shop tommorow and get things for the weekend. No real plans as of right now for the 4th.
gotta go and fold some laundry and try to get it put away when hubby gets up and moving. I think i drank a little more coffee this morning than usual and i feel kinda jittery.LOL
have a great day!!
debi

G'morning all,

Julia, that is a great NSV! Either my hips haven't caught up with my weight loss or I have a narrow tub, but I am still a water dam hehe.

GGG, w00h00 on your pound release (and double week release)! Too funny about your DGS and the tomatoes. I bet he was so cute too. I know, my parents are coming to see me and not my house, but I tolerate way more dust than my Mom does.. hehe. The cleaning lady comes today for some extra help and I get off at noon today.

Penny, you've probably already left for your vacation, but so amazing about your DH and the pants! Just wait until you both can step into his britches. Have a great time on vacation

Dusty, sweet deal on the new Lane Bryant sizing and help. My sisters have always been normal or near normal sizes, but have struggled with weight issues as we've all gotten older. They've always been really supportive of me. I used to think my parents were riding me all the time, but then I had an a-ha moment and saw they were trying their best to support me and my anger at them was really anger at me. Your campus flower pict was fabbo!! I love it. Thanks for sharing those

Debbie, how was your doc appoint? Did your DH get in as well? I hope he's feeling better. I did 30 more minutes on the Wii Fit today. Apparently, my yoga balance is great! I finally got the hulahoops game going good too. hehe. I think my fav balance game is the skiing around the flags. Your picts are wonderful!!!! I have my right leg shorter than my left which makes for an odd seat position on my bicycle. It also can pull on my back and cause problems if I don't stretch.

Catherine, I hope your internet is back on. I run into doorways and trip all the time, but it's cuz I'm a clutz. When I was my highest weight, I guess I didn't move as much as I do now. I thought I was!! There's more opportunity to demonstrate my piruettes(sp) and grace now.. hehe.

Realist, I have a cattle prod and know how to use it! hehe. Perhaps a hug would be more in order as you figure out what's triggering you to eat horribly. Remember, you are worth every bit of effort it takes to be healthy!!! You are articulate and beautiful and I'll use the cattle prod to make you remember that!!! This last 18 months, I've lost 30 lbs. If I that for the next 3 years, I might make goal! hehe. You've done great and don't belittle your progress (*points to cattle prod if you do*).

Debi, w00h00 for favorite gown falling down! Tease that DH.. they all need teasing periodically. Your eggbeaters on wheat toast sounded yummy! Maybe I can make some this weekend for Mom and Dad when they visit. They'll be here tomorrow.. EEEEP! Best to get some food in the frig. I'm the condiment queen right now. I have a couple mulberry trees that overhang in my yard from my neighbors'. They smack me in the head as I mow and I cut them back every year. I think they are out to get me! hehe.

Angels, it's good to know I'm not the only one that loves camping, but swells up cuz of the heat. Yah00000 on the double walks!! Happy Canada Day to you. I hope you aren't sore today.

Anne, I hear ya on the squirrels and birds with the cherries!! They were brutal. The dogs caught one. At least they know the lower branches are guarded by big yellow beasts. I have netting and will try to set up something for next year. Hey! No fair tempting Annie with pools and AC to get her to clean for you!! hehe. All I have are the DC museums to walk around after cleaning.

DMPLS, geeesh, shampooing and cleaning is enough cardio!! I know some people don't count that, but you made me tired reading about your day.

Sharon, good luck on the job at your friend's store. Any port in a storm. I once worked as a reservationist for American Airlines and I have a PhD in microbiology. It paid the bills. Lost weight still counts even though it's from stress!! Don't forget your additional walking is helping too. Glad your DS and GF are healing.

Hugs to all! If I'm MIA for this weekend, know I'm entertaining my 75 yr old mother who runs circles around me. If I had half her energy, I'd never have a dirty house.. hehe.

Luv,
Ratkitten

The internet miraculously came back on last night. They were doing a software upgrade apparently. It seems to be faster, but that may just be my imagination.

My legs are back to where they normally are, not exactly twiggy, but not tree trunks either. I'm starting to feel a bit more settled. I go between trying to do everything at once, to doing nothing because it's too big, or I get overwhelmed. I'm at a point now where I can do things in small bits, and be content. That's a big step for a perfectionist. My psychiatrist comes back to town next week, so I will have lots to talk about. He's going to need his own shrink when he's done with me.

Debie: I have to say WOW! What a difference on your pictures. You look soooo much smaller. I'm so proud of you.How did your Dr. appointment go? I hope you were able to get Jim into see the Dr.

Catherine: So glad that your legs are better now.

angie: I have no suggestions on the ring other than can you go on line and see if you can purchase it from the site itself? You are so sweet with all of the comments you said to me. Thanks.

Debi: I'm jealous. I only have flowers on my tomatoes.

Rat: Oh, have fun with the Wii fit. I want one for my wii.

Julia: Great NSV. I remember when I could do that for the first time and it is such an amazing feeling.

Carol: Woo hoo on loosing 1 more. You are really doing so well. Excellent job on the 84 minutes to start the month of July with.

Penny: Have a great vacation.

Dusty: Sounds like you had a great time shopping. What a nice feeling to be the witness to someone being so happy they cry because of a size they can fit into now.

Angels: Great job going for a walk when you are board instead of eating.

Anne: Your day sounds lovely. I would come clean your house just to swim alone. lol. I am such a water person.

Bernice: Sounds like you have been busy and are about to get even more busy with all the kids. Have fun hun.

Sharon: Hugs sweetie. Hang in there.

Well, My sister in law is here visiting and it is so nice to be able to spend time with her. She is so sweet. I am off to ride my bike the 5K and hopefully do it the rest of this week daily.

Blessings all,
Annie

Hiya ladies,
Just wanted to pop in and thank you all for making such nice comments on my pics. I always seem to have a hard time getting past a mini goal so I'm hoping that I can hop over it and keep going. I couldn't have done it without you ladies here, so thank you!

Angie, it's true, you can do this!!! So come on girl! I've got my hand out there for you to hold on to!

Catherine, that is so true. I've backed up into the dishwasher door which was down, and I went down, I've leaned over in a chair and fell out of it which I'm sure was really embarrassing to my son since it was his future in-laws where I did it. I just laugh it off and tell them you never know what I'll do next. I hope I find my center soon though, it gets a bit ridiculous.
Glad to hear your legs are back to normal.

Debi, I bet your hubby really likes that gown!

Angels, good for you on getting out there and walking instead of giving in to the boredom!

Anne, OMGosh! Here I thought those clothes looked tight on me. I guess more for the big clothes bag!

Sharon, I hope you get the job. I'm sure it will be a big relief to have that extra money coming in. to you and your little boy. I hope he feels better soon and can celebrate his birthday with all the fixings.

Ratkity, when I called the doc, they told me I could exchange my appt for my hubby to go in. So now I don't go til the 15th. Jim has super bad allergies (which we didn't even know). He's never ever been this bad but they gave him Claritin and then a scrip for Flonase. I guess because the weather was so wet and awful this year, everyone is getting terrible allergies even when they didn't have them before.

Have a great day ladies!
Debbie

Annie, must of been posting at the same time.
Thanks for the nice comments.
Have fun with your sil!!

Holy cow it's hot. I moved some mulch this morning. Still have a little over a half of a truck full, and I was hoping to surprise DH when he got home that we are finally done, but I just don't see that happening. Instead I think I will hit the showers, see if I can get a new watch battery for him, and then come home and clean. Yesterday I allowed myself to wallow. I found out I need to be a person with purpose. I can't just hang out (unless DH is with me). So yesterday I ate way too much, napped (and thus didn't get to sleep last night until after 2am), and accomplished nothing. I woke up with some resolve today, and need to get things accomplished. As a note, my company gives us all this week off.

Take care and be well,
Angie

Angels—great job avoiding snacking with exercise! Sometimes when I can’t stop being hungry, I just brush my teeth so I won’t want to eat! But your tactic sounds much better!

Anne—mulberry-apple-grapefruit jam? That sounds fantastic! I can’t imagine making my own jam, I wouldn’t know where to begin! I’ve never bought clothes online. I don’t think I could ever get the sizes right. But I do hate shopping in the stores. I don’t think I’ve ever shopped for a bra without crying in the dressing room.

Bernice—Moving furniture and cleaning carpets IS a bigger workout than I ever do! Especially in the summer. Reading your post made me groan because I know I have to help my mom do that soon….I do NOT look forward to carpet cleaning week. I think I will have to find a place to hide.

Sharon—I must have missed your earlier post because when I read today’s I had no clue what had happened. Well I went back to read it and I was shocked! I hope everyone is doing better soon, how awful for your entire family to have to go through that! Thank goodness they are getting better now. I hope Aiden feels better soon, too! Good luck with the new job!

Ratkitten—good luck with your mom visiting!

Angie—wow you get the WHOLE week off, that is so lucky! Enjoy your time!

I am watching hairspray right now (the newer musical version, not the much exhalted John Waters version which I also love) and feeling pretty good. I kind of overdid it today with my sauna suit. I was doing my belly dancing cardio and I thought I was gonna pass out if I didn’t stop so I DID. I haven’t used the suit since winter and this heat was killer! I felt really nauseas. But when I was done showering, I felt GREAT! So I guess it was all good.

I put up some pictures today on the pic page for those who are interested.
Dusty