Hi Girls! I am so jealous! And I am so proud of you gals!
Sheila, I'm so happy for you that you made it to, and past, the 50-pound mark!! Yipppeee!!
And there is a startling difference in your pictures! You can see the difference in your hips too!
Oh man! This is getting exciting now! It makes me want to really get on the ball and get losing too.

Sue, congratulations to you too. Geez, you're really on a roll all of a sudden, aren't you? Good that the tapes are helping. But, they couldn't help if you weren't really working hard at it, so you should really be proud of yourself.

About all I can tell you right now about my strategy thing, is that I'm going to start using visualization and self-talk with self-relaxation. I haven't gotten it down yet exactly all that I will vizualize for different foods and What I will do-say-think of when I start trying to talk myself out of exercise.
The last couple of days I've been picturing an acid-type goo sliding through my veins and body when I want to have something real sweet and sugary. It worked too! Anyway, I have to get it down better before I start bragging, because sure as the sun comes up in the morning, I'll brag, then it will quit working.

I don't iron anymore. Maybe once a year.
When we were kids, my parents raised 3 of my neices and nephew. One of my neices didn't like a sailor dress of hers, and it was all that was clean of hers at the time for school the next day, and she was pissed that she had to iron it, so she set the iron down right smack in the middle of the back of the dress and left it there till it burned a big scorch mark the shape of the iron into the dress. She was 13, and I think she should have gotten her butt kicked for it, but, she didn't.

Charlotte, I love the STRANGE LADY. I have it in a folder, and I still think it's funny no matter how many times I read it. Maybe because it's so like me???


Oh Lord! Puss! If I ever get down to 147 I won't care if I get stuck there! I know what you're saying though. We each feel comfortable at our own weight.
Duck and cranberry pate, ........ mmmm, .... your foods always sound so elegant.
I always have the same old stuff. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to prepare most of those foods you have. I've heard of them, but never had them. Heard of them mostly through reading novels etc. And what is yorkshire pudding? Or rather, what does it taste like?

You know, my husband used to like to iron too, and the clothes always looked like they had been done by a very good cleaners. I LOVED it when he offered to do the ironing.

Well, I got one call about taking that fuel oil tank out. He wanted to know how much I am willing to pay to have it taken out, and the next thing he said gave me pause, ....
He said if there was any fuel oil remaining in the tank, he'll probably have to punch a hole in the tank and drain it out. I don't think so!

Well, I suppose I better retire this to someone else for a while. I have to work tomorrow again. 5 AM till 1 PM. It will be a nice check towards my basement work though.

I'll be back tomorrow to catch up.

Everyone have a wonderful evening/day.

Sheila..I can see a BIG difference!!

You're doing a great job with your weightloss...just keep it up! I can see a difference all over...but your face looks like a different person!

You're a good sport, also, about the teasing of the weigh-in. Thanks for the compliment on the graphics!

Willow...glad you're enjoying your work. I dread next week. I have it alone....ouch!

Fatpuss...I'm like Willow..I'll be stuck at 147 any time! I understand, though, there's a certain place you want to be, & I wish you luck.

HAVE YOU ALL SEEN THIS ONE?!

WHAT PMS MEANS.......

PASS MY SHOTGUN!
PSYCHOTIC MOOD SHIFT!
PERPETUAL MUNCHING SPREE!
PUFFY MID SECTION!
PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK!
PROVIDE ME WITH SWEETS!
PARDON MY SOBBING!
PIMPLES MAY SURFACE!
PASS MY SWEATPANTS!
PATHETIC MOOD SYNDROM!
PLAINLY;MEN S...!
PACK MY STUFF!
PERMANENT MENSTRUAL SYNDROM!

Sheila, tell your DH custard tarts are one of the yummiest teatime treats in the world. They are basically high-sided shortcrust pastry filled with custard - the custard is not the thin, runny consistency we would pour over apple pie and other tarts, but a thick non-runny type. Quite a process to make yourself but if you could buy the pastry cases then the filling is as following:
3 eggs
1.5 cups milk
1.25 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
0.5 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk. Add sugar gradually, whisking to dissolve completely. Stir in the essence. Strain mixture into a jug, then pour into the pastry cases (pastry cases should be already baked at this stage). Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake for 25 minutes ( 150 degrees C) or until filling is just set.

I have made these myself years ago when I had more time but most bakeries here sell them already made so no contest. My father and I used to love them but they are quite sweet.
Another custard-type confectionary which is lovely is a slightly thicker consistency of custard sandwiched between flaky pastry (sometimes called rough puff pastry) and the top layer of pastry has a thick layer of soft icing (frosting?) on it. Oh yum , this does not bode well for me about to go to the market in the high street.

Sheila - just seen your photos, you look fantastic!! Gosh what a difference you must be thrilled to bits. It's also lovely to put a face to your name. Well done, this gives us all inspiration!

Gee, y'all are making me look like a slug for not posting. First of all, Sheila, love the pics. Yes, you do look like a totally different person. Great job! I think its great to have a face to match with the posts.

Angel, I love the PMS list. Did you know in the South, it is called FTS - Fixin' To Start!

Willow, sounds like you are back in control. I was thinking of enlarging a picture I have of myself (at my absolute heaviest) and putting it on the refrigerator. When I think back, I think it was that picture that finally broke the camels back. I never thought of myself as being that heavy. The mirror may lie, but pictures don't.

Puss, the beans were Bush's, though I have tried the Heinz. Sometimes I even rinse them off in hot water when they are too sugary. Those custard tarts sound wonderful. Better to go to the bakery for an occassional treat than to have a whole recipe full in the house. For me anyway.

Today should be a fun day here - shampooing all the carpeting. Just fun fun fun all day. Catch you all later. Have a great day - Sue.

Good afternoon!

Sue, were you really posting at 5:14 am? Maybe it's just a time difference thing--I hope so. Unless shampooing the carpet is a lot more fun than I remember, I'd be sleeping in!

Yum--those custard tarts sounds SO good, Puss! No wonder Lionel always wants them. I'm keeping that recipe around for future use.

Charlotte, love those PMS lines. My favorite is Provide Me with Sweets. Pardon My Sobbing used to be somewhat applicable, too.

Willow, how was work? I hear that visualization works very well. I'm going to start visualizing myself in a size 10. . .

Well, my 19 year old daughter is talking about joining the Navy. Anyone know someone in the service? She is on depression medication so I'm not sure if that will hinder her from joining if that's what she decides she wants to do. She's working fulltime so it's not like she is unemployed, but she wants to try something new and she likes the idea of the structure. We'll see what happens when she talks to the recruiter. She's interested in the medical field.

My son arrived last night. He's lost weight and is looking fit. Wouldn't you know that he comes over here and it rained this morning? He's caulking and masking today and then will paint the house tomorrow and the trim on Monday. I took before shots. I tried the color out on one corner of the house so I'm hoping it will look good when it's on.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing Saturday, or at least is getting something done around the house.

Work didn't go too bad today, but I was glad when my 8 hours were up too. I went to 2 stores on my way home, then came home, took a shower and started doing laundry.
I have one more load to wash and 2 to dry after this one gets dried.

I bought myself some valerian to see if I sleep better with it. I wanted to try it on a weekend so I can see if it makes me groggy the next day. If it does, I won't be able to use it because I have to drive to work.
I also started taking the Glucosamine Chrondroitin that I bought about a year ago and haven't gotten brave enough to try yet. Maybe it'll help my hip. Nothing else so far seems to help.

I took out some skinless chicken breasts and some boneless loin pork chops and I'm going to marinate them for stirfry's this next week. I'm getting eager to get started again.

My foods the last few days have been pretty bad. I need to plan better when I'm working 10-hour days.

I'm really "in the mood" now that you girls are losing so much. It's kind of fun to come here to see how much who has lost and what they're doing to accomplish it.

Charlotte, I loved the PMS list! Too cute! And all me!

Puss, ... my goodness! those tarts sound delicious! I bet that's getting copied LOTS of times!
Are your family there now? I bet you're just enjoying this visit too. It's nice to have her back on home soil, isn't it? Well, if nothing else, they're going to be well fed! Those meals you have planned sound so delicious!

Sue, I think your idea of having a photo enlarged is an excellent one! I wonder how big you can get them enlarged to. I'd think it would help tremendously every time a person would be tempted to have something unhealthy.
Did you get your carpets shampooed? I need to do mine again soon too. At least before winter so they'll be nice for the holidays.

Sheila, I bet you're happy to see your son too. He's good to you guys, painting for you etc. I realize that you're paying him, but, most kids would rather their parents hired someone else.

I sure HOPE the visualization works. Of course, I'm still going to have to use some common sense, and for me, that's hard to do when it comes to food!

So your daughter wants to go military. Well, if that's what she wants, then she'll probably do very well. It's a good way to get your education, but right now, I guess I'd have mixed feelings about it.

I hear the buzzer on the drier so I better go get that load out and put another one in.
I have some dishes in the kitchen sink, and I'm tempted to leave them until morning, but I absolutely CANNOT stand dishes sitting in the sink when I wake up in the morning. I think it takes the cheerfulness away from the kitchen. I am soooo tired though.

You all have a good evening/day, and I'll be back tomorrow.

GOODNESS...everybody is doing housework today!
I've done is take a shower..... & go to a wedding!! Make me feel lazy!! Of course, I don't have much housework around here, right now.

Sheila....wish your daughter well in the service. As far as medication she's on....my son-in-law is on Zoloft, & he's in the army...they provided them the whole time he's been in.(about 9 yrs) He's in Iraq now.....having a very rough time...needs prayers. I haven't talked about it, but he & the other soldiers are going through a lot more than is being told.

Glad you're getting a visit with your son. Did he notice YOUR weightloss, also?

Willow...hope you get a good night's sleep.

Hello Fatpuss......nite all.............

Well, a wet Sunday to you all!

Mother Nature played a nasty trick on us. After sealing and masking most of the house yesterday, and with the weather report assuring us of a mostly sunny day today, we've seen only heavy rain as well as thunder and lightning. Supposedly it's the same for the next two days. We might end up leaving for the coast with an unpainted house.

This morning we played some version of poker that my son likes. I'm not a great card player--I lost big, but my husband won everything and we do live in a community property state! We were only playing with pennies out of my penny jar, and the rule was all the money had to go back into the jar so there were no losers really.

Other than waiting for the rain to stop, we're all going to meet my daughter at 6:00 pm for dinner somewhere near where she lives. We have no idea where--it will be a surprise to all of us.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing day. The news says that Puss is still broiling in the U.K. along with the rest of Europe. My newscaster said he lived in London for a while, and when the temps got over 75 degrees, everyone shed their clothes and went into the fountains. I don't think he meant it exactly as it sounded, but if Puss doesn't post today, maybe she's naked in a fountain??

Just when I thought we could get any more rain, the skies have opened up again. I was on the freeway doing 35mph with my four-way flashers on. You could actually see the rain coming toward you in sheets. That was 2 hours ago. And it is still coming down. Gotta go - thunder and lightning. I'll be back, Sue.

My weekend went pretty fast! Only one day off!

I made out checks for all my bills yesterday, and that took a while, ... lots of little ones.

In a way I hope there's overtime again this week, as I'm eager to get started on my downstairs.

Had a healthy breakfast this morning and did 2 miles of the 3-mile WATP tape.

Sheila and Sue, sorry to hear that you're having so much rain. We were suppose to get some yesterday and last night, but it was a no-show. My yard is all straw. I'm not going to water either because they have that watershed tax here now, which is soooo ridiculous!
Hope you enjoyed that dinner out Sheila.

Puss, I've been watching the people in the fountains trying to cool off over there. Aren't you tempted to join them? .... Or have you?
How come they don't have air conditioning over there? Or is it just that you personally don't have it?

Charlotte, my prayers go out for your Son-in-law and all the military personnel over there. I would be a basket case if one of my family members were there. I wonder if they really know how deeply grateful most of us are to them for what they are sacrificing for us? Please express my gratitude to him and anyone else you may know who is over there or anyplace else in the world serving our country.

I better get moving. Be back after work.

Monday Morning! The weekends just go by too fast. I won't even mention the "R" word. It is so wet here, I have mushrooms growing in my garden. Never had them before.

Sheila, I don't think I have ever been on the computer at 5:14 in the morning. When I post this, it will be just about 7:30 in the morning, so we can compare it to the time it says I posted.

Boss is on vacation this week, so it will be hectic. I can't believe how upset some people get when they hear he is on vacation. Lawyers are actually human too. At this time next week, I shall be out on the boat fishing. According to the forecast, it should be sunny and DRY.

I did get all my carpeting shampooed this weekend. Good thing DH is around to help me move furniture. He is also good at mopping the kitchen floor and doing laundry. I think I'll keep him.

I don't think I will do very good at weigh-in this week. I feel like I had a pig-out weekend. Maybe if I behave myself for the next three days, it will even out. As muggy as it's been, I should at least lose a pound of sweat! Time to hit she shower. (7:30A.M. EST) Have a great day all! Sue

Hi Girls - You've heard of the expression "we don't want to frighten the horses, well if I stripped off in the fountain at Picadilly Circus that's what would happen! The heat is unbearable and non of the houses in the UK have aircon, we are lucky to get a summer with five consecutive rain-free days normally so a builder would be laughed at for installing it. Even some of the older big stores don't have it. DH's company has it but I work for the government and they have hired huge industrial fans which just circulate the hot air but today we were told at 1430 (!!) we could go home if we were suffering. now if they had told us that at 1100 am.....Angel, our friends who came yesterday with their little 5 and 7 year olds had been to her brother's wedding at Oxford the day before and the heat had everyone wilting. I bought the kids two super-soaker water guns before they arrived and we had great fun with them drowning everyone and everything and refilling them with the hose pipe. Big son pitched up with his two flat mates and got soaked and son ended up greeting his sister newly back from Cuba by lifting her over his head and dumping her into the kids paddling pool fully clothed and then upending the pool over her. Kids thought it great fun and restored Helen's honour by drowning him with the guns. It was really lovely to have little ones in the house again. Willow, Yorkshire pudding is just a batter made with flour, egg and milk in thin consistency and baked in individual tins on a very high temp until they rise. They go lovely with roast beef and gravy. We were 10 for Sunday lunch and I have been very bad with foods. Son and friends left last night about midnight and the kids were disappointed he was gone when they woke up. He is a student doctor too and wants to do paediatrics - probably because he has never quite grown up and still collects bugs in a bug box and other daft things. The little girl fell in love with Helen, said she loves her and asked "how many nights before you come to my house". So sweet. They live way in the north of Scotland which is normally freezing or foggy or lashing with rain or all three. Sheila, good luck to your girl if she fancies the Navy. Young man I work with got depression just before he was about to join and although he is still on anti-depressants, he was telling me it would be his fitness level ie weight that would fail him now. He didn't mention that the medication would so maybe it's not an issue. I am sorry your house sealing was held to ransom by the rain but we would love some over here. Did your son notice a big difference in your weight? Don't be too disappointed if he didn't, I think if I grew two heads my son would only notice if I plonked a small size dinner down and he had to look up from the table ha ha. Sue, when I first joined this site when Willow rescued me on dire Sunday, I posted some awful pictures of me on all the food cupboards and the fridge with a big arrow pointing to my stomach saying "don't eat it". Willow, I think the food planning is the way forward. Are you definately going to join the ladies in the buying/cooking plan? As for my foods sounding nice, I think it's what we get used to because all your stuff sounds so much more interesting to me! How did the wedding go, Angel and have you been back to the station yet? Bet you were word and action perfect. Am going to weigh myself tomorrow though I know I will pay for the last three or four days gorging. Never mind, tomorrow is another day and I will get back on track seeing you are all losers (in the nice sense) but me. Night night xx
PS My mother arrives tomorrow but I have promised myself I will not miss checking in.

I hope you have all had a good day today.
I had forgotten about a training day today at work.
I spent the whole day in two training sessions with 3 other women, and actually, it was kind of fun. I passed all the tests, so, now I'm ready to do that particular work if need be.

Geez, it seemed like all I did today was pee! Especially the first half of the day. I weighed myself when I first got up this morning in just shorty pj's, and again when I got home from work and had drank half a bottle of water, and fully dressed, and I weighed 3 pounds less this afternoon!

I have to go in early again all week, except for Wednesday. I have to go see the specialist for this sleep apnea for my annual check-up, and I'll need to take a half day of vacation for that.
His office is in a town about 35 miles from the town I live in and my appointment is at 8 AM, so I'll need to get up early anyway that day.

Sue, I envy you that fishing trip. That sounds just sooooo relaxing. I can feel the soft bobbing of the boat on the water, hear the loons and frogs, smell the water, and taste the grilled freshly caught fish! mmmmm!

I think you're an hour ahead of my time because I read your post at 6:30 AM and you said it was 7:30 where you are.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you to have a loss this week. But, even if you don't, at least you enjoyed your weekend, hey?
I bet you have a loss though.

Puss, I don't know how you stand that heat! I cannot take heat.
How big of your bosses to offer to let you leave at 2:30!

It sure sounds like you had a blast with those kids and your son and daughter!

Yes, if those women keep their word and do the same thing this fall that they did last year, I surely intend to join them. It's also a good way for me to have something to do away from home at least one night a week, and if they come here to exercise, I should be kept pretty busy.

You might be surprised when you weigh tomorrow. Sometimes, you lose better if you boost your calories up a bit, I hear. It has never happened for me, but, I've got such a goofy metabolism that it doesn't surprise me.

I haven't planned my meals for this whole week yet, but I've got them planned a couple days out. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow because there is an all employees meeting after which there is going to be a catered lunch.
I'll eat a healthy breakfast and take some radishes and a stalk of celery with light french onion veggie dip for a snack. Then, if they have all fat-laden foods, I'll either just snack, or forego it altogether. This is going to be in a huge tent out on the lawn at work. I hope it's nice weather for it!

I should go get stuff ready for tomorrow.

I hope you have a nice day with your Mother tomorrow.

Hello to Sheila and Charlotte! Hope you're having a good day.

Hi, all--

Just checking in to see how everyone is doing. Looks like Puss is still roasting, but having lots of fun, and Sue was working too hard all weekend. Oh, this time it said you posted at 4:30 am so 3FC must be on Pacific time.

The sun unexpectedly came out today so I spent 7 hours painting the house, and my DH and son spent more, and we still don't have it done.

Busy day tomorrow running around doing errands, but I get my hour massage tomorrow, too. Not that a massage is that relaxing for me, but it does help all the contracted muscles release at least for an hour or two, and I'll take all the relief I can get.

Hope everyone has a good Tuesday! Only one more day before we leave for the coast. Yippee!