Zoos...ahh, such mixed emotions I have about zoos. I always think I love zoos because I love animals, so I get all excited when we plan a trip to the zoo. Then I get there, and it makes me so sad to see them all caged up and usually quite lethargic. I think about how sad they must be to just try to live and have all these people staring and poking and prodding all the time. Then I remember that most of them have probably been raised in captivity their whole lives, so they more than likely don't know that that's not the normal life for their species, in which case, they're not acting very "naturally" when we go to see them. Oooh well, I'm sure I will be to the zoo a hundred more times anyway (I live less than an hour from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC--the possibly-pregnant panda has made the news more often than Michael Jackson lately) and think differently about it each and every time

As for these peanut butter eggs, I'm really not huge on chocolate, either. I can pass by Hershey's kisses or candy bars or boxes of chocolates, and I never get chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake (I do like me the occassional brownie, though). However, there's something about Reese's peanut butter cups that SOOOOO does it for me. I definitely prefer white chocolate over milk chocolate, though (and I can't stand dark chocolate), since white chocolate isn't really chocolate I've had the white chocolate Reese's peanut butter cups, and they were amazing, so I would assume the eggs would be even better cuz they have more peanut butter in them (my true weakness). I'm also quite in love with Hershey's cookies n' cream candy bars (white chocolate with crunchy cookie pieces--YUM). Luckily, I have a cavity, so eating candy actually hurts. I know I need to suck it up, go to the dentist, and get it fixed, but it's been a great deterrant from junk food

Work at the restaurant is going great so far! I'm lovin' the people who work there, and the managers seem reeeeeeally nice and very flexible. They are also very willing to let me work only the shifts I want, so no working on the weekends for me They also said that anytime I'm not scheduled to work and find that I have time to, I'm welcome to come in and pick up extra shifts for some extra cash since they are often short-handed. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to resist the food (I have so far) since I worked there for almost a year before, so not only do I have the menu memorized, but I kinda get sick of seeing the food all the time and definitely don't much feel like eating it after a shift. Now, if I worked for Reese's or an ice cream company, it might be a different story

The cutting of calories for the past few days has seemed to work, for I'm back down to where I should be (I know I shouldn't weigh myself more than once a week, but I was supposed to go to TOPS last night--ended up having to work instead--so Thursday is my normal weekly weigh-in day anyway). I've actually lost another pound, so 6 more to go to be below 300. I never thought getting below 300 pounds would be a goal of mine , but I'm here, and I'm doing something about it, so at least I'm headed in the right direction. Of course, Jeff wants to eat at P.F. Chang's again tonight, so I had to go check the menu online at their website--looks like dinner will cost me about 650 calories if I go with either the chicken lettuce wraps or the ginger chicken and broccoli. Not bad for eating out, I suppose. Just have to make sure I don't get ANY dessert (all of their desserts have over 1000 calories each ) and that I only have water or diet soda.

Well, I'm off to do some work. Hope everyone has a Fabulous Friday (make it through today--the weekend's here!) and a wonderful weekend!!

Hello everyone1 I have been tracking my intakes and making up my own diet for awhile. I do alot of reading about different diets etc. then kind of take in part of it and follow my own design. So far so good and I feel better lately. I don't have alot of wt. to lose but know that its not easy to get off what I want off. Currently I would like to lose 15lbs. it might not sound like much to some but it is to me. I take it off slow due to my thyroid condition. I do work out at least 3 times a week. I make a schedule every week to which days I will get to the gym . Diane I go to Ballys workout center. When I started years ago after some knee surgery it was 32.00 a month after my 3 yr. contract I currently pay 13.00 a month for life time. But my friend does curves and has had great results. I won't switch due to my deal I have at the gym. At first I didn't feel comfortable either but it wears off. Watch what others do there and learn from them. Thats my advice for what ever it is worth. Good luck everyone and I will ck . in again . Saturdays are my scale days. I used to do Fri. but it gave me too much weekend allowance for input. I am sure you will understand that.
cc

hey all...Friday, best day of the week... Yum having my coffee...Anyhoo. I think some zoos are better than others as far as the way the animals are treated. Yes, there are some that the animals are lethargic, but there are those who don't have them all caged up, They are in more natural settings. Maybe this is why I love my zoo so much. I agree, they are in captivity, but, at least they are safe. The way the world is now, so many animals are going extinct. I think that there are a lot of zoos in the world who focus on the good of the animals and try to keep the breed going so future generations will have experienced them. I agree, I hate going to zoos where animals are caged up and lonely. I hate that. .. I LOVE CHOCOLATE...And love all flavors of it. I have had real white chocolate from Europe, and WOW, how awesome is that. A guy who used to work with my father went to Europe every year and always brought us home white chocolate, there is nothing like it in the world. but my fave will always be M&Ms, plain or peanut. That is one candy over the years that has never changed...anyhoo...next subject. Hope you all have a great day. I think we are going bowling tonight, will be the first time in over a year, so ought to be real interesting, lol. Talk at ya later!!

Had some emergency overtime this morning, so thought I'd pop in and post.

Several years ago I decided to make corn beef and cabbage with coleslaw. The meat turned out like rubber and the coleslaw was so disgusting I had to toss the entire bowl (came from a good cook book but had way too much mayonnaise for me). That was probably the worst meal I've ever made, so I've never tried it again!

I actually don't find the Bronx Zoo to be dirty. I do have a funny story, Rob and I decided to take the Skyfari from one end to the other, that is he agreed even though his palms get sweaty if you even say, wow, that's high up. We got half way across, were suspended over the caribou habitat in the Africa Zone, when the car came to a stop. We're looking around, wondering what's going on. I was envisioning having to maneuver my big bod down a fire department ladder or some such, when a crackling announcement comes over the car's loudspeaker. Some kids were rocking their car, and the police would be waiting to take them away at the end of the ride! I guess the zoo officials actually had to wait for the police to arrive because they kept us suspended there for a good 15 minutes.

Jill, I have the same reaction to zoos. I do know the group that runs New York zoos, and it's probably true for a host of other zoos, does lots of animal conservation work. http://www.bronxzoo.com/ They do breeding of endangered species, and work hard on educating the public and raising money to raise awareness and protect animals (including protecting habitats so animals can stay in the wild). I appreciate that I'm able to see these incredible animals that I wouldn't be able to otherwise, but am sorry that they can't all be in their natural habitat.

Lucky you that your near the National Zoo, which I've been to a couple of times. Great place! I'd happily visit the Toledo Zoo too (thanks for the link). I've never been to the San Diego Zoo, which I'd like to do one day.

I'm going this morning to take a tour of the gym and to sign up (in fact, I'd better jump in the shower right now). This past week was not a good one for me ; I'm ready to make changes to head back in the right direction.


If you see earlier pics of her, I'm 95 percent sure she's had some surgery (in the breast zone). Hey, ! no! I'm not being catty! It's true! Yeah, I'm sure it must take a lot of work. You don't have to sing to be in entertainment, you could act. Lots to be said for having a good sense of humor too (which you do).

Jill, I think I might be in trouble working for a restaurant! So, I admire you for that.

Hi, CC. We have a Curves right next to the Y and I debated with myself over trying that. In the end I decided I'd like to be with the Y where there's a pool as well. Besides, I thought I'd be more comfortable where it was less intimate. I've heard good stories about Curves too. I basically have created my own diet using Jenny Craig guidelines. They give you a booklet with a list of foods in categories and it says how much to eat of what. I haven't gotten the diet exercise balance where I need it yet, since I'm seeing stalling and yo-yoing this month.

Have a good one everybody.

Howdy, howdy. Howie and I weighed in today at the doctor's office. You know what that scale had the nerver to tell me? I gained 1.5lbs. I know my net loss over the last two weeks is still good, and that last week's 5lb. loss was kind of an artificial number since I'd been sick and lost a lot of water weight. Still, it's hard to see the number go up. Howie keeps telling me to wait and only weight once a month...But that's so long!

A 5-day course of Zithromax got the sinus infection under control but also threw my body for a loop and has me planning a trip to the store for a comforting tube of Monistat7! I'm definitely shunning the pool until this clears up - Ouch! It's kind of a discouraging place for me today, but I know things will turn around.

Yuckie Kimberlie. Talk about a double whammy. Do you usually weigh at the doc's scale or at home/gym? If you don't always weigh on their scales then I wouldn't worry about it. Poor William went through the same thing with all his rounds of antibiotics. He almost got thrush too. If you like yogurt, eat lots of it. It will help to get the good bacteria back in your body to help fight those yuckies.

Kimberly - I've been told to only weigh once a month as well... by my boyfriend... but then he weighs everyday! My thought is, if he can't do it, why should I? I'm addicted to the scale, and while when I see a gain I get discouraged, I find it also motivates me. Shows me when I need to work a little harder.. etc.. I love weighing after being sick, because I always see a number I haven't seen for a while... So after my 24 oz flu, my scale jumped down 2 pounds... it was lovely.. but oh so wrong!

Marge - I haven't really compared pics of j lo before, but that would comfort me to know she's hard work... because then it really IS unattainable for the poor You get your butt to the gym! Hmm, that was me trying to be a drill sargent for you... how'd I do?

Jill - I have my first EVER cavity! I'm going to the dentist on Monday and I'm SCARED! I've had all my wisdom teeth pulled, and that was pretty painful, and I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics.. unpleasant. But for some reason I think that cavity's are much more scary..

Alright, so I'm working 1-9:30 today, ugh. And I already got a call from work that they want me to come in tomorrow to work 12-5, or 1-6. Thats my entire day! That would mean no exercise, no grocery shopping, and would basically ruin my upcoming diet week. I'm thinking I should put ME first, normally I would do anything to help to scummy people at work. Grr! And so like, the reason I was called in? Because the newly preggo girl at work is constipated and needs to go see her doctor. So good reason.. but I should put me first, right?!?

-Aimee

Aimee--I, too, always went to work when they asked me to. I worked all the time and put my personla priorities on the back burner. I was working well over 40 hours a week (between 2 jobs) while I was taking college courses full-time! Now that I have this part-time restaurant job, I'm very careful not to seem too willing to work because I know I'll fall into the same pattern of getting walked all over. I'm trying to be strong and learn to say NO! I need time for ME! *sigh* I'll let you know how many weekend shifts I end up working in the next few weeks (even though I put on my availability that I could only work Monday-Thursday nights)

As for the dentist, I had my 4 wisdom teeth removed a couple of years ago, too. It was fine until one of the sockets got infected...OUCH! A cavity being filled is a little more torturous while you're in the office (I hate the drill...doesn't really hurt, just stresses me out), but the healing time is so much faster. I've always been right back to eating normal foods the next day (unlike when I had the wisdoms out--took me weeks to eat anything crunchy or chewy again). I've kinda had a lot of cavities because I have "deep pits" in my molars, so the toothbrush doesn't really clean as well as it should, and the sealants I had put in when I was younger are wearing out, so, lucky me, I get cavities in almost all of my teeth, even though I have pretty much always brushed twice a day! Eh, woe is me--it could be worse

Thanks for the encouragement. I feel better since taking a little nap in the recliner, too. I dozed off in the middle of taking a survey online and just couldn't stay awake even after Howie got home.

Gee, if I only weigh-in once a month, that'd mean I'd only have to get up early once every four weeks instead of once every week...Snicker. Yes, I weigh at the same place since my MIL's scale is always a bit off and she changes it back to zero every so often. It never seems to weighs me consistent to the doctor's office scale, so I might as well just go there. The clincher was a week I thought I'd lost more weight, but it turned out she'd adjusted the scale back to zero and it was 2lbs lighter than the doctor's! WTF!

Nancy (my MIL) joined the YMCA this week and got a bathing suit today. Tomorrow we're taking her there and showing her around. She's so worried about "looking like a battleship" in her bathing suit, and I said, "Join the crowd! That's why we're going, right?" Really, the suit didn't look bad on her, and I told her so.

P.S. Aimee, ask your dentist for laughing gas. Wonderful stuff! I had a dentist slap me when I was in third grade and had to go in with a chipped tooth. I was scared to death and he just slapped me across the face. Can you imagine? I had a terrible phobia about them after that and would not go to one at all. When they'd show filmstrips about oral hygiene, I'd leave the room because I was so freaked out by the thought.

When I was around 20, I had a cavity that was just too bad to ignore anymore. I'd suffered through it in waves, but finally I bit down on a piece of gum the wrong way and about went through the roof! My friend gave me his dentist's name, saying the man catered to cowards, LOL. My first dental work ever, a root canal, went smoothly and I wondered why I'd been so afraid. He gave me plenty of laughing gas!

My boyfriend at the time took me to the appointment, and he could hear me alternately saying "owww, more novacaine!" and then busting out in laughter. He said it was really funny!

Not long after that I had my wisdom teeth removed at the hospital because they were impacted and really close to my sinuses; the oral surgeon wanted to be sure I was really out so I wouldn't move while he was working. The dental root canal was *nothing* compared to that. I think worst thing about the wisdom teeth for me was the cracked lips and sore throat from the intubation.

You'll do just fine!

(Sheesh, some P.S., huh?)

LOL I hear ya...I used to hate the dentist. My dentist was torture as a child ( last name was Gross, hmmm maybe that was why?)...I had this terrible cavity that was so painful for years until I moved here and had no choice but a root canal...It was not the most pleasant experience, but glad I did it, now I am a regular...well have company this eve...gotta run, just wanted to check in...check put my site when u get a chance just put two new Raggedies on there: WWW.PrimitivePunkinPatch.com
hagn!

Wow, you've got quite a selection at your site. I have not sewn in years (not since, like, high school, ya know? OMG!). I'd like to get a sewing machine some day.

My MIL and I went to my mom's for a visit this evening. My mother was evil incarnate tonight, LOL. A synopsis:

Mom: ...

Me:

Mom:

Me:

Mom:

Me:

Mom:

Me: ... ... : ... ...


Yeah, out she comes from the kitchen with two plates of fresh, hot, homemade banana bread. Two steaming slices of motherly 'nana goodness for each of us. Probably, what, 200 calories a slice (plus the margarine on 'em). I wasn't counting on having anything especially high in fat or calories this evening, so I had a 700 calorie supper before going to mom's. Aaaargh!

S'all right. At least Nancy and I didn't take the rest of the loaf home like mom wanted us to! And I did walk 1 mile. I just need to ask mom to please ask me if I want something to eat, not just put it in my hands...Hot...out...of the...oven. It was so darned good, too.

Alright Ladies! I gotta get down to it! My neighbour/friend/enemy has lost 21 pounds since January 17th ish. I've lost only 10! I gotta beat her! Granted I am smaller to begin with, and we are such a different body shape that like, you can't compare sizes or anything.. I just know I wanna beat her! Why am I so mean and bad? I guess it's like a motivation... right? My plan was to get 100% on plan tomorrow.. but we don't have the right groceries. So I'll just do a really good workout instead, like crazy Tae-Bo, and I'll go for a walk too.

So I don't know if I should feel better or worse about this cavity thing. I remember from my wisdom teeth being pulled that they only froze my mouth, I got no drugs at all, and then he broke off one of the teeth in my mouth. It hurt pretty fricking badly! It never got infected, luckily. Dentists never really bothered me, and if it was earlier than 4pm, I would probably nap.. or maybe it's because I'm so tired right now that I'm thinking in that way..

Wowsers, I'm babbling.

Kimberly - is that how you spell your name? Feel free to correct me at any time Warm Banana bread? Oh my, that sounds yummy. Thats good you didn't bring it home, you don't need that in your house! And you stopped at 2? I couldn't do that...Now I'm hungry!!!

Jill - I said no! I couldn't believe that I did.. and I suspect they thought I might, I work Sunday.. so 2 weekend days in a row? Not fair! You better not start working weekends! I will come kick yer butt! We have to learn to say no, and take care of our bodies if we seriously want to lose the weight. I'm a little soapbox-y eh?

So what are we going to do for our next challenge? Should we make our own, or leach off of someone in 100lb club? It's almost that time. Does anything happen in or around the end of April? Or May? May long weekend, I don't know when that is though.. let's think!!

-Aimee

Actually, it's Kimberley with an extra E. My mom had to get all fancy. When I saw "Kimberlie" up above, I just assumed someone who'd posted was named that in real life, LOL!

Ooh, man, I'd be pretty reticent about dentists if I'd had a wisdom tooth experience like that, too. I was blissfully under general anesthetic!

Hubby's still at work. It's some last-minute, rush job from a customer. He is a programmer and does personalization stuff for junk mail. The irony? This huge, all-important rush job will end up like most other junk mail...98% of it in the garbage, unopened (and that's if the piece has a really good return rate!). I know it's all part of the Big Marketing Plan of the World, Capitalism, Commerce, and all that good stuff...But when you have to work late into the wee hours and come in on your weekend off, it stinks.

I feel bad for him, for it's been rough there with many people downsized and more looking for other jobs. I offered to bring him something to eat just now (not banana bread), but he said he was okay.