Hello everyone! Well my tummy did its thing yesterday (several times...) and it is feeling better today. Had a funny issue with the scales this morning. When I stepped on, straight out of bed, it said 164.5. It showed that a few times, but when I got back on (to be sure I wasn't just delirious), it said 166. So I'm going to claim the 166 and be happy that I met my personal mini-goal (25 pounds gone). We'll see if that 164.5 comes back up next week. Took a pic with my boys last night at their concert and was a bit disappointed that I didn't look "skinnier" than I do. I've never been the skinny type, even when I was 130 pounds in my 20's, but I had hoped to look better. I think the dress is a bit unflattering....I'd really like a breast reduction! I really want to pay attention to wearing flattering styles for my body type....on a budget. Here's a side-by-side of a pic from Dec. (the one that really got me going on this journey, I looked/felt like an inflated balloon in that pic) and the one from last night (the one on the right).




Angel's-Hope you had a restful sleep.

Petra-I think a mediator sounds like the best idea yet for the situation at the hospital. Good luck!

Hi Ange!!

WLW-Glad DD1 is continuing to improve, even if you do have to watch from a distance.Good luck with the move!

Kitteh-Great job on the weight loss! I think I'm going to shop around for a smaller bathing suit for motivation myself! I'm picky about those, overweight or not.

Chickie-You are almost to your goal weight! So happy for you as you prepare for maintenance. You can do it!!

I have a very sore/tight muscle in my upper back on the left. My working out to the WATP DVDs has really had me paying close attention to my posture and I wonder if I am holding myself improperly? Could be the fact that I switched my hand weights last week from 1 pound each side to 2 pounds each side. I really feel like I need a good back rub in that area, but I can't reach it! Don't think teenage boys will be interested in rubbing Mom's back for Mother's Day. So I've been rubbing against the corners of walls. May try my heating pad this evening. Didn't last night as it was almost 90 degrees yesterday and I refuse to turn on A/C yet.

Have a great day everyone!!

Hi Annie! You're looking great! And younger!!

Thanks Ange!

Annie - I can see a big difference, but do have to agree that the dress isn't as flattering as it could be. Even though you have to be mindful of the budget, I'd definitely go shopping for something to celebrate 25 lbs (that's a fantastic milestone!) and that really highlights the new you!

Petra - good luck with the HR thing, we just had an informational session with VP of HR yesterday and she talked about effective discussion/negotiation skills so it will be interesting to see if this guy you have the appt with is helpful.

WLW - good luck with the packing and I think you are smart to try to put away the kid stuff as something you cannot control. It's hard enough to handle the stuff we do have control over, but crazy-making to get caught up on the rest of it.

motivated chickie - congrats with the 3 lbs and getting a handle on your binge eating!

ICUwishing - count me as another one who is very impressed by "only" 1.5 miles! lol!

newleaf - keep up the good healing, sounds like you are finding the right combination of not pushing yourself too hard, just hard enough to maximize the healing process!

hi to ange and angelskeep and kittehmomma and anyone else I missed (I think I got everyone on this page, at least! lol!)

I'm trying to keep my focus on staying on plan this month, and less about the scale, although of course I'm following that too, and so far, having a good month, back down below what was my ticker weight for a long time and just 1.2 above my low, so I'm looking forward to getting into new territory soon!

I've just done my first bit of exercise since breaking my foot (4+ weeks now). 10 mins on an exercise bike and 10 mins on the stepper. A moderate start!! I still have to keep the ski-boot thing on my foot so i can't do anything where i need to flex my toes, but those two machines work ok, so i'm really happy about that, and my foot doesn't hurt, so the plan now is to start to bring back some exercise when i get back home.

I'm in Toronto in Canada at the moment, but have a lovely 20hrs of flying to look forward to this afternoon which means with the time change and all, i don't get home til Sunday morning. Lets just hope there's some good movies on the plane....

Peanutsmom704 - who's Peanuts, or where do you get your name from? (sorry everyone, i'm new, i have questions that everyone has probably already discussed a hundred times)

Good luck on that flight, Ange! Whew, can't even imagine that!!

The candy bars are singing my name today, but I am ignoring them.

They sound really good, though--harmony and everything.

Hang in there, Kitteh! You're stronger than a bunch of candy bars!!

Annie: tie a couple of tennis balls in a sock and put it between the sore spot and a wall for a good self-message! you definitely need to do some shopping to show off your new figure - someplace like ross or goodwill (or any other thrift store) can help with the budget.

I'm on a break from packing boxes. Picked up my keys this morning after breakfast out with a friend so I started the day on a positive note.

kitteh - I can relate - I'm hearing the whispers of Cheezits in the vending machine. Not goin' there! Wallet is in the car, and I've taken to leaving my cash at home exactly because of this. Learn, learn, learn, learn. For every weakness, at least two strategies.

Annie - agree- you look GREAT! Time to shop (in a frugal way)!

I'm going out to play after work. I'll practice "rational restraint", call it a cheat meal, and move on tomorrow.

AnnieDrews you look great! I am large-breasted as well and sometimes just laugh when I try on certain styles, as if my breasts need any more accentuation! I'm sure you'll find some styles that you like. I tend to shop at Kohl's a lot; their clothes aren't very expensive when you use all their coupons, etc, and then I don't feel bad when I stop wearing them. Plus, with my loss so creepingly slow, I can wear something for a year before it looks bad LOL

Definitely find some clothes that fit and are flattering; it makes all the difference!

Annie-I think you look great! Getting new clothes when you lose weight is a nice reward but it can be expensive. I do a lot of outlet shopping.

Ange-that sounds like an awful plane trip. Make sure you get up and walk around every few hours so you don't get a blood clot. They really should encourage people to do that.

Kathi-good luck with your move tomorrow. I'm looking forward to my trip next month.

The HR meeting went well I think. I feel like I was treated fairly. I was chastised for having lost my cool the other day and yelling at my boss which was appropriate but also seemed to recognize that I had some legitimate issues. We'll see how things go moving forward. I still feel kind of emotionally worn out today.

I forgot to mention that I"m going to experiment with making my own trail mix this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out. Will make a good snack with lots of healthy fat.

Hi! I'm really too tired for a long post right now, but wanted to say thanks all for the supportive comments. WLW-If I can find some tennis balls, I'll try that massage trick. (So funny, when I first read that sentence you wrote, I thought you were referring to my boobs looking like two tennis balls in a sock! LOL It clicked after a couple of seconds.) I kept the heating pad on my back tonight and will probably lay off of formal exercise for the weekend. Plan to go on a day trip with the boys tomorrow and do some trail walking/light hiking.

Petra-I'm excited to hear about the trail mix!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Will check in tomorrow sometime. Maye with pics if I get some good ones. Hugs to all!

Good morning everyone. I know I'll never get cuaght up, but wanted to run past and say howdy. Waiting for Robert go get up so we can go geocaching for the day. Guests left early, so we have the whole day to play. I am going to get a Subway to take along for lunch. It's the first time I've had restaurant food,m except for my Friday Frosty, since I started my plan. Feeling a little bit anxious, because I used to eat a 12" one and now it will be just the 6" size. No chips or cookies, no soda. I should probably buy some pre-made carrot and celery sticks too, since I can eat a bunch of those for the calories in one piece of fruit.

I finally got the pics sent over to this computer, so I should go and save them and then try to post a few. Hoping nobody laughs at the fat chick trying to hike...that would be me. And since it was after 33 lbs lost, imagine what I must've lo0oked like before. EEK!

Back in a minute to put up the pics.

Barb