Goodness, how did my week get put on "fast forward"??? I am running around like a crazy woman! Extra, extra busy here. Food has been pretty good, really..exercise not as good. My back has been hurting the past couple of days. And, I know from experience, that the best solution is to rest it..so...I am!

I have to get ready for tomorrow..I swear I have stuff planned all day..up until 7:30 p.m.! I must get in bed early tonight. I wish I had time for comments, but just want you all to know I'm thinking of you. I am proud of all of you...we CAN do this! We really can!

Have a terrific evening and a good day tomorrow girls!

Evening chicadees!
It's been a good day! Thanks for all the uplifting comments, everyone! And may I just say, I agree with TBJ...I think this group is turning around and doing the happy dance! YEA!!!

I brought some snacks today to "munch on" but there really wasn't much time to do so! I had a pretty filling (working) lunch. The local grocery store (conveniently located across the street) has these awesome lunch specials and today was roasted (which I picked) or fried chicken, dressing, corn, sweet potatoes and a dinner roll! Talk about a carb fest! And the portions were huge! I ate most of the chicken and about 1/2 of the rest of it! I also had the last of my Hawaiian pineapple from my sister. I didn't really need anything until about 3:30 so ate one string cheese! For supper, DH made chilli (which was on the menu...woo hoo) and cornbread (more carbs!). I haven't totalled up my calories for the day, but I'm thinking I must be right around 1500! I hope I didn't go over! OK, just totalled...1440 calories! Woo Hoo!

OK...exercise today was 20 minutes of toning with DD. She went and got my weights and said "Mommy, are you going to work out tonight?" Sweet, isn't she? She's really on it...that girl can out-exercise me in a heart beat! I love it! She does ONE HANDED PUSH UPS!!!! UGH!!! I have to do them against a wall standing up because I can't hold my own weight up (hurts my wrists)!

Anyway, so...I've gotten in 100/180 minutes so far this week (I started on Sunday and will go to Saturday...just works better for me)! Woo Hoo! Tomorrow is another biking day! I'll be up to 180 in no time! Friday's my day off!

Betani...I guess I did know that you worked at the library. But way to go on your presentation! That IS a long day! We just went to the library tonight in our local community. There is a nice new big one with a fireplace and really nice sitting areas all around! I was looking for some soft piano music for a project at work and found lots of good CD's! I also found a Carly Simon CD...it took me waaaay back! So, we like to go there! DD was NOT in the mood for looking for books. All she can think about after school is TV, videos or her computer! ARGH!! So tonight was media-free night! We played Sorry! I won! Then we exercised and did some reading (I made her get at least 3 books!) I digress...sorry!

Elisha...hope you feel better, chickie! Maybe a day off is just what you need!

MsRD...What are we going to do about your visits with your Mom! I'm sorry about that! Maybe before you go you could tape a note in your car that says something like "I will get through this without food!" Would that work? Or how about something like "My 3FC buddies really do love me!"
Get back on track now, ok? Days like that can send me spinning, too, however!

Don't know where the rest of you are, but I'm hoping you are around!
LISA, JENNIFER, JOY!

Wow...it's already 9:30! I need to finish up some things and get to bed! Where DOES the day go???

HUGS to all!

Hey everybody,

I just looked back ... I haven't posted since the 8th.... I'm sorry. I have been reading.

I've recovered from my L O N G day yesterday. Work all day, holding DH's hand in the dr's office (really sitting in the waiting room for over an hour) then to Home Depot ... finally exhausted I dragged myself into Red Robins for a Taco Salad in El Bowlo (which I ate) ugh... I'm afraid I didn't get a star yesterday.... got into the trail mix about 8:30.... only had about a cup or so (did I say ONLY). Today's food was okay ... haven't been adding things up this week.... gotta get on that. I made a wonderful sechwan
(sp) stirfry over noodles tonight ... YUM

I managed to get in a 15 minute walk yesterday during my break and two 15 minute walks today so my total is 45. I seriously have to quit trying to be an overachiever..... Can I change my goal to 150 minutes?? I need a quick fix of success.

Julie ... way to go with the under 1500 day.... YOU ROCK CHICKIE

Lisa ... make sure you take time to appreciate yourself in your busy day

Betani ... I know all about binging too... hopefully recoving also ... I'm a buyer for a school district (don't buy books tho) but I can relate as I've worked in the textbook department as well as our central stores for building materials. What's your favourite scent of bubble bath?

Elisha ... Hope your feeling better ... it's looking really good for your house too.

MsRD ... I think that you should plan yourself a special treat for at home after your visits with your Mom. That way you'll have it to look forward to instead of eating until you find the "thing" that satisfies you... at least that's how it happens with me. Glad you came to your senses and grabbed your glass of water. You have so many sucesses under your belt.... best to look at how far you've come.

TBJ ... I can just picture you flying through the air ... tuckin' and rollin' into a perfect summersault followed by a "quick" cartwheel. YAY YOU ! You can easily have three green days in a row ... no problem.

Jennifer ... where are you?

Hugs to all
Joy

Hello all!

Whew! Where did the day go? I can really relate to Lisa's Fast Forward day! I did get in 30 minutes WATP.....so I can update to 60/180. Food was good....around 1500 cals......water was superb (DD called and we talked for 1-1/2 hours tonight and I just chugged water the whole time!)

Elisha....Sorry you are not feeling good, chickie. Take it easy a day or so....and make sure you get enough sleep!

TBJ......Isn't it amazing that sometimes we can 'decide' how our day is going to go....like 'making the day green'..:...we really are getting our groove back!

Betani.....Wow - you did have a stressful day! Public speaking used to terrify me too, until I finally realized that the audience was not the enemy and it was highly unlikely any of them were armed......I'm still not terribly good at it, but at least not paralyzed in fear any more!

Lisa.....Thanks for checking in. It is nice to know that, even on your busiest days, you take the time to stop and say 'hi'! Take it easy with that back....a days rest might be all you need.

Julie....Look at you! You are doing incredible in the exercise department! Once we decide we are going to do something, there is going to be no stopping us now!

Joy....Ok, chickie, start writing down your food for the day. There is nothing like the list of the days food staring back at you to realign your plan! You are right, I have to start planning my visits with Mom better......I know it is coming and I just have to deal with it.....maybe coming home and popping in an exercise video to work off the frustrations?

Just went over the list of food for the past couple of days.....therre seems to be chocolate sneaking in here and there and it has to be stopped! Tomorrow is going to be a proper eating day.....no more funny stuff!

Morning chicks!

Well, I do feel a little better today, but I'm still tired. I was in bed before 10, but then Steve came home from a basketball game and offered to talk about wedding stuff, so I was awake until after 11. This morning I did NOT want to get out of bed. I am going to try to make it to bed early tonight.

The scale said 215.4 this morning, down 0.2, so that is good. Yesterday turned out better than I expected. Breakfast was bad, as I mentioned, but I ended up foregoing Wendy's at lunch in favor of Subway, where I even skipped the cheese (that in itself is a miracle), and Mom actually fixed dinner. It wasn't the healthiest thing possible, but it was better than fast food. She fixed baked chicken with stuffing in cheese sauce and boiled potatoes, plus we had a salad. She asked me how it was as far as healthy dinners go. I told her that it's a start, but she needs to cut back on the cheese and add some more vegetables, like broccoli or green beans. Even my dad would be satisfied with a meal like that.

Also, I went grocery shopping last night and stocked up on some healthy foods, so I'm good to go for another couple of weeks (with some quick trips for fresh fruits and veggies).

But this morning's breakfast was cold pizza that Steve brought home. I was in a rush (well, it happens when you crawl out of bed 10 minutes before you need to leave), so I just grabbed it and ran. Fortunately, lunch and snacks are good, and I'm sure dinner will be ok.

Exercise.... eh. I think I need to start doing it in the morning for the simple reason that I don't want to do it when I get home. I just want to relax and read a book or watch tv. But how do I make myself get up even earlier when I don't get enough sleep the way it is? I'll have to work on that. I know it can be done. I just have to make up my mind and do it.

OK, I need to get moving. I've got some stuff to do today. Have a good one, chicks.
~Elisha

Morning, chickies. Sorry to be missing yesterday- I tried twice from work, and each time, I got distracted from my original intent. We have to sign our new contracts by Thursday, so that's a good thing, and since we lost our 3rd assistant, the office manager is in a tizzy over what she used to do. We've taken on the critical things so that it's all transparent to the customer, but the cleanup and clerical stuff has been sitting.

The kicker- we get criticized for not handling returned mail and updating mailing lists (not critical, and there's no way we would be able to even do a mailing at this time) instead of getting the "atta girl" for taking on all of the critical functions. And now, we're told we have to do ALL off the cleanup crap, even if it requires overtime. What kind of manager wastes budget on overtime for the 2 highest paid people in the office to weed through returned mail, update forwarding addresses in a database, and purge everything but critical information from closed files? Is the money tempting? Yes. Do I want to spend any more time than I have to with the Roid? No. So this should prove interesting.

After calling and being told my car would be ready by 3pm, hubby got a call. It seems that while installing the new window, the glass company scratched the new paint. The paint they had to buff the day before. Sigh. So, that is being redone. 3 added days of rental car at 40 bucks a day. They had better take something off the repair, since their screwups continue to cost me money. Grrr. Ok, end of venting.

Yesterday food was ok- breakfast & dinner were perfect...lunch was a "baby pizza" brought in by our boss. It's the size of a paper plate, plain cheese. I did soak up all the grease on it, and didn't eat the plain crust part, trying to be good. I did get my water in, because it seemed like all I did was solve problems, and run to the bathroom yesterday I got 15 minutes of walking in yesterday, so I'm up to 45 minutes towards my goal.

Today, great so far. I've had my Zone bars, my diet coke, I'm on my first 32oz glass of water. At lunch, I'm taking my hour, going to eat, and also run to the post office for 2 cent stamps. This increase snuck up on me- I saw it on the news on Saturday night, and that was the first I heard about it. Sneaky post office!

After work, we're getting my car. Come heck or high water, we are getting my car, and getting rid of the rental albatros. And then I'm going to start a load of laundry, and get my mile in.

Betani- sounds like you had a hectic day- glad you made it through in one piece! Hope you got that bubble bath!

Julie- it's taken a lifetime already to come to terms with food, and start to control it. No easy task. How encouraging that DD exercises with you, and that you're setting her up for success and not the weight problems that we're dealing with. Such a great DD you have!

MsRD- sorry that MomTime pushes all the wrong buttons. We've got to find a reward for dealing with her that won't send you off the deep end towards food. Any thoughts?

Elisha- hope you are feeling better today, and that you got some rest.

TBJ- cute Vader box/bank. I used this http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/s...ProductID=5794 ring eraser- it worked wonders in our old house- some of the marks had been there for years. I don't know if Windex will freeze- maybe one of our Northern Chickies will leave some outside and test it for us.

Lisa- take some time for yourself, and don't overdo it, girl! Go easy on that back!

All right chickies, hopefully this will be a less eventful day, and more things will go my way.

I've got almost all my water in, and almost all my exercise in, but I'm down to the wire. I had to get my hair cut tonight, and DH wanted to stop in the computer game store, so I'm incredibly behind on my chores. On top of that, this was one of those mornings that I DID NOT want to get out of bed, so I still have stuff to do that I should have gotten done over 12 hours ago.

I didn't end up taking my bubble bath last night, but there's no way I'm going to bed without it tonight. It really helps me fall asleep. Cucumber Melon, here I come!

***

Jennifer-- Aren't cars fun? *snarky grin* They are the bane of my existence and I don't even drive! But DH and I have shelled more than one entire tax refund into repairing the stupid things. Our car just seems to know when our W2s come in...

Elisha-- Sounds like your mom's getting the idea. And it's nice that she asked how it was for your diet. It took years for me to train my mom not to buy an entire box of Enteman's donuts every time we visit.

MsRD-- Unfortunately, when I have to do public speaking at meetings, there are people who reguard each other as enemies. Not outright, but you can feel the tension. So people have to choose their words very very carefully. I'd much rather sit in the background composing and mentally rehersing answers to inevitable questions.

Joy-- Szechwan is my favorite! Great job with the walking!!

Julie-- Yay for insisting on the books! When I worked at the circ desk, it broke my heart to see parent after parent tell their kids they couldn't get books, they were only there for videos. AND THE KIDS **WANTED** BOOKS!!!!! Sorry, needed to get that out of my system.

Lisa-- You aren't kidding about the "fast forward" week! It's going so incredibly fast, and yet certain parts of the day just CRAWL!

Alright, I am really down in my back now. Grrrr!

Today was a bad eating day. Period. Worse than a Red day. Like a triple red day..or maybe even a quadruple red day. What in the world is wrong with me???

I was up all last night with a sick child, got news from one of my dearest, bestest in the world friends that she is moving, got news my Dad is having major surgery (maybe throat cancer), and I have been tutoring Algebra (this is a stressful subject for me!!). One of my friends miscarried, and I found this out tonight. So...........just a lot of stuff. Would you guys consider forgiving me for getting so far off track with my eating today?? Actually, I know I don't need "forgiveness" ...but I want you to know I am committed to the challenge, and I will try harder.

I think I am going to bed now. I am sorry if this post sounds like such a downer..but I did want to check in. I promised that I would check in daily..I really want to stay accountable for my actions.

I am proud of you guys. You motivate me more than you know! I am hoping to leave some nice comments tomorrow. Take care everyone, and have a good day tomorrow !!

Evening Chickies!
Phew...a busy day! I feel good, though! I got in my 30 minutes on the bike tonight, so that brings my exercise total to 130/180!! I still have 3 days left...Pretty sure I can get in another 50 minutes somewhere!

Food was ok, but man...something I ate today (and it wasn't much) isn't very pleasing to the olfactory senses!! WOW! I came in at 1143 calories! That scale had BETTER show a loss tomorrow!! I've decided that Thursday is my weigh in day...it gives me most of the week to show some progress and might be a little more forgiving about the weekend. I weighed earlier this week (which wasn't a good thing to do) and the scale showed I was up a pound! That was discouraging, but I know it was probably a "blip" as Jennifer calls them! A few days can really make a difference! I hope I keep this motivation for another week...then another...then another...You get the idea!

Water was good...If I finish this glass, I'll be at 72 oz, which is ok for me. I'm still shooting for 80 oz/day, but can never seem to get it in! I'll take 70, though!

OK...I started this post hours ago! Sorry about that! I'll try to leave some comments tomorrow! Hope you all are staying motivated! Maybe next week we can have a "stay motivated" challenge! ??

Evening all!

Just finished 2-mile WATP.....and FYI, I counted 246 knee lifts in that session....no wonder my leg muscles are screaming! But that puts me 90/180...halfway there! Could it be possible that I actually meet a challenge?

Elisha....Lack of sleep seems to be a recurring theme for you.....and I know how hard it is sometimes to stop in the middle of a project (or tv program) and call it a night, but I know I feel so much better if I can get a good nights sleep. How nice that your Mom asked you how her meal stacked up healthy-wise.....at least she is interested and wants to try.

Jennifer.....It is so difficult when a co-worker leaves ....and the rest of the team has to scramble to cover all the bases. It seems that paying a part time clerk for all the lesser duties would be a sight cheaper than paying someone else overtime.....but then it is hard to decipher what goes on in the minds of 'management'.

Betani.....Hold out for the bubble bath tonight! Lock the bathroom door, light some candles......you deserve it!

Lisa....How awful to receive such distressing news from so many different people. And we all know the part that stress plays in destroying our best-laid plans. Tomorrow will be better. Take a deep breath. Deal with each problem one at a time.......stay strong!

Julie.....Wow! You are really sailing with that exericise! Good luck on your weigh-in.....you should be seeing results now!

Food was so much better today......funny how those little 'treats' slide right in and the first thing you know, I have sabotaged my entire diet plan. It has to stop.....I want so badly to make some progress this year!...and I am strong enough to make it happen.....nevergiveupnevergiveupnevergiveup

Morning chicks!

Well, yesterday wasn’t too terribly bad. Calories came in around 1860 something or other, so that’s not great, but it’s better than where I have been for the past few days. And most of it was healthy food, like about ½ a pound of cherries (I *love* cherries!). And water was good—around 100 oz. No exercise, but I did get a bit more sleep last night, though still not enough. The good news is that the scale showed 214.8 this morning (actually, it showed everything from 214.2 to 215.2, but 214.8 was the only one that showed up more than once, so that’s the one I count—besides, even 215.2 is down, so it’s all good).

I’ve decided that next week I’m going to my No Excuses Plan. I signed up for the Exercise Challenge this week, and I haven’t exercised once! Bad Elisha, bad! So next week I’ve got to climb back on the exercise wagon whether I want to or not. Next week I WILL exercise 5 days, without a doubt.

I’ve also decided that I’m going to up my calorie limit a bit, to around 1600-1700. I know this will make my weight loss slower than a 1400-calorie limit, but I just feel so much more normal at this level. I don’t want to have to stress out about it. I like food, and I don’t want to feel guilty every time I eat something. Besides, if I’ve lost weight—even ½ a pound—the way I’ve been eating this week, I can certainly lose weight on 1600 calories. I’m just going to focus on eating healthier foods, like fruits and veggies, and not worry so much about the calories. After all, it’s sort of counter-productive to feel guilty because I ate too many cherries, right? I mean, I’m *supposed* to be eating cherries. At least I wasn’t eating chocolate.

OH, good news! The dress I want that I couldn’t find (don’t remember if I told you about that or not), well, I found it. Granted, it’s in California, but it’s like at least I know it can be found at a regular bridal shop and not necessarily some high-end store that I can’t afford to walk into. And if nothing else, they offered free shipping. And the best part it, it costs about half of what I expected! Yay! Of course, there’s nothing saying that I won’t find a dress I like even better, and or even that I would like this one once I try it on, but I’m still looking. You never know.

OK, today is turning out to be a crazy day at work. I may or may not get to come back to comment. If not, I will try to comment tomorrow.

Have a good day, chicks!
~Elisha

Good Morning, chicklettes! I'm vowed to make this a 90% positive post, and to try and project that attitude today at work, after a total FUBAR'd day yesterday. Basically, cranky loan officer + more work than we can handle = supreme blowup of loan officer and screaming rant by her while we look on and try not to tell her what she can do with herself. Sigh. Today is a new day, and if she starts in, I think tomorrow might just be a sick day.

Anyhow, I got my car last night after work. Hubby went & signed over the insurance check and paid them...got 50.00 knocked off because they broke the window & we had to pay for a rental for 3 more days. Hubby test drove it while I was returning the rental, and then he came to pick me up, and then pick the car up from the body shop. When I got the car home, the gas-tank release doesn't work right, and the trunk release from inside the car doesn't work at all. Sigh. They'll have to fix that at some other point, because I can't bleed any more cash into a rental. Now 2.5 months after the hurricane, you still can't get a small rental car, so all I had to pick from was a Durango, or a Chevy Blazer, extended cab. And that was double what insurance would cover. yikes. 43 days to get the car back.

After that, felt like poop after having such a mentally draining day. It's bad when the office lunatic, known for her outbursts comes and tells you she feels sorry for the way we were treated. LOL. Cough, cough...I'm feeling sick, wink, wink. I didn't exercise last night. And my food choice, while not the best (pizza) was controlled, and normal portion sized, and so far, that's working. Weigh in this morning showed a loss of 1.6 pounds. Woo Hoo!

I think I've decided on 2 "official" weigh in days a week. I do weigh daily, and log onto a little pocket calendar, so I have the stats and can see trends, etc. I am going to use Thursday (since Mom started WW end of last year, and that is her date) and Monday, so that whatever I do over the weekend will cause an impact. And I think I'll update my ticker on Mondays, too, with the new loss #s. Just some mental housekeeping.

Betani- I swear, once a car is paid off, it makes sure you spend the same amount as a car payment just to keep it running. I think I paid enough to own the stupid rental car outright, too. Books...I am a book junkie- I can't part with them once I read them- I hoard 'em!

Lisa- chickie, so sorry that you got hit with all that overwhelming stuff at once.

MsRD- see, it's those knee lifts from hades, I tell ya. Congrats on making it to 50% done- I think you're the first to get there- yes?

Elisha- have you checked out the Sonoma or Mediterranean diet/lifestyle? I got the book to read, because of the whole grains, veggies & fruits.

Seems like I'm always apologizing for not posting... but I do have a good excuse. I was at a class after work yesterday and didn't get home until after 10. DH signed us up for a course (through his union) called Effective Communication and I though ... what the heck? When we got there is was actually Conflict Resolution.... probably wouldn't have gone if I knew that.... but I think it will end up bring DH & I closer by getter to know more about ourselves and each other. I found out that I'm an avoider ... gotta work on that ... don't like any conflict at all, at any cost.

Oh well, tonight will be a quick check in.... lots to do tonight.

I've been doing great getting my 2 fifteen minute walks in... My exercise minutes total is now at 105!

I'm afraid, as suggested by MsRD, I need to start writing things down so I can feel like I'm heading somewhere with my eating. I haven't been binging or gorging... but I just plain don't have any accountability. I've been adding a focus each week so I guess next week will be journalling my food intake/calories.

I haven't stuck to my after 8pm plan since Sunday, but I WILL get a star tonight. Goal is still within range for the month.

Weight in day is Sunday.... I did peak a look and it wasn't positive, so I better get my a$$ in gear.

Only one comment today... and it's for everybody. We have to remember to take care of ourselves physically, spiritually and emotionally. We can't rely on other people to know what we need. We have to know what we need, that we deserve what we need and that we can insist on what we need ... without guilt.

Joy

Oy....it was not a good day today! I don't get any for my efforts today, I'm sorry to say. I didn't even add up calories because I know they were over! And there was no exercise! I will make up for it tomorrow and Saturday and try to make healthy choices over the weekend...that's always a bit difficult, but I CAN do it!

It was a bad work day all around with the exception of my boss owning up to his mistake with my raise and telling me what I wanted tohear...that I was going to get more than originally planned!

I'm thankful for my hubby and daughter who are always there when I need them! And all of you! Thanks for being my friends!

I promise tomorrow's post will be more uplifting and have comments! Tonight I just want to go to bed and not think any more about today! It's over!

Thank you Joy for your words of inspiration! Yes..we do need to take care of ourselves and only WE know how to do that! Thanks for the reminder!

That's it for tonight chickies...have a great night and a great Friday!


to all!!!!!!!

I called off sick to work today. I was just feeling really run down, like I was spread too thin. I needed to sleep it off.

DH and I had a fight which turned into a long heart-to-heart about me needing lots more help around the house.

I did get my walk in, and food was acceptable, I'm just still quite tired.