Hi everyone sorry that I've been missing. I started back to school, which has made life a whole lot busier, plus other things have kept me very busy.

My latest TOPS news is that two weeks ago I lost a 1/2 lb but this week I gained a pound. I am not upset because this last week I also joined a gym and my exercise is going to be dramatically increased. I feel confident that my weight is going to start going down!! My TOPS also has a new contest that will give $20 dollars to the first person to lose 16 lbs. I so want to win!!

I hope everyone is doing alright and I promise to keep in touch much more often. I have missed it here.

Evening All,
I like Pita have been very busy lately. But have been thinking of you all. I am really trying hard to balance work, home and making time for myself again to workout and eat right. Have new motivation to want to lose. Going on vacation with dh and friends next summer to the beach and I don't want to wear fat clothes to the beach. SO I am trying really hard to lose the weight now.
Hope all is going well for everyone. I hope you all have good wi's this week. I go tomorrow night so I will let you know how it goes. Off to get ready for work tomorrow and then go to bed.
Take care,
Kerry

I wish I had been busy - I've still been sick. Yuk. Hopefully it's improving now. I want to go running but just don't have the energy. My weight was down at TOPS last week (I didn't go two weeks ago) by a pound, but from my home scale it's up over that now. But we did have Thanksgiving meals this weekend. I didn't eat a lot but it was richer food than I'm used to having. I hope I can at least turtle this week, not gain. Or if I do have a gain, that it's a small one.

Jax

Morning All,
Hope everyone's week is going well for them. I went to TOPS last night and am down a pound and a quarter. So I was happy. I am hoping to keep up with this losing streak. I need to buy new clothes for school and won't do it until I am in a smaller size.
Jax maybe it is just water retention. How are you feeling today? Are you on medicine of any kind, because sometimes that can make you gain a little?
Phantasitica good for you for joining that group. I know what you mean about there being a lot of older experienced dieters in your group. But I have found that sometimes they are the best people to be around. Hope you have a good week!
Pita so how is school going? How many classes are you taking this semster?
Collen and Sue how are you two?
Well I best sign off for now. Check back with you later. Hope you all have a great weigh in this week!
Take care,
Kerry

I lost two pounds this week (the two I gained the week before), and hubby lost 8. He won biggest loser, but everyone in the group did really well this week, so his "take" was only 40 cents (meaning only 4 lbs were gained in the whole group, our net loss was 26lbs). We were all very proud of the whole group.

I'm trying to get more exercise in, as I'm super stressed right now, and I know it will help. My prescription drug coverage has run out, and I'll have to pay all my prescription costs out of pocket for the rest of the year. My medications run about $1000 a month. My doctor gave me samples of my Singulair and Avalide (for asthma and high blood pressure, respectively) and we switched pharmacies to Sam's club, and the sweet pharmacist there gave me a coupon for a free Advair disk. I'm looking into Canada pharmacies for the Advair (because it's $200 a month, even at Sam's Club, and about $250 everywhere else), but don't have a clue how to tell a "good" online pharmacy from a bad one. And to make things even more "fun" my husband loses his medical and prescription coverage in November, and will not be eligible for Medicare until August of next year. Yikes! I have to say that I was pretty naive about the issues of universal health care, and affordable prescription coverage, because this is the first time I've not been able to afford medications.

Wow Colleen, that is terrible about your insurance. I am going to pray that something good happens and that you find a way to get your meds at a price you can afford. There has to be something. Good going on your 2 lbs loss!!

Jax, I sure hope you are feeling better. Happy belated Thanksgiving. I'm trying to decide what to do here for Thanksgiving. Last year, my new love, the teenager, and I all went to a Chinese buffet for Thanksgiving dinner. It was great not having to cook like I've done for so many years. However, I'm not wanting to go some place where I could easily gain 10 lbs at one meal.

Kerry, that beach vacation is a great incentive. Keep up the good work!!!

I had my meeting tonight and because the leaders were all MIA except for the weight recorder I ended up running the meeting. It was fun. I lost 2 lbs which thrilled me. I even won the best loser for the month blue ribbon. This is my second month winning, and I have to say I want to make this month as well.

School is going great. I have accounting 101 which is very challenging and I love it. I'm also taking Principles of Professional Selling and that is a good class so far. Lots of work to be done to keep my grades.

You all take care and I'll check back in soon.

Lose those pounds!!!

Colleen, I hope you manage to find somewhere reasonable for your meds. That's a lot to be spending every month.

Phantastica, my group is mostly older women too. I think that's because it meets during the day, not in the evening. I picked it for that very reason, since one boy has hockey during all the evening meetings, but of course that cuts out those who work during the days.

Good job on everyone losing this week. I didn't - up 1.6 lbs. Ah well. Next week is another week. I still haven't shaken this illness, although I'm done with my antibiotics. Hopefully it's getting better. I couldn't sleep last night so am very tired this morning.

That's all my news, have a good weekend folks,
Jax

I have to say I was blissfully ignorant of the retail costs of prescription medications. My husband has found a plan that may cover him. I hope so, because his medications come to almost as much as mine. We can't afford
$1000, yet alone $1800 for medications, so we're kind of left in a scary place.

I'm having to do a little experimenting with some of my medications. There are some that I can't change without health consequences, but for the most part, those are the drugs that have cheaper alternatives or ones the doctor
gave me samples of to last me until January (I'm looking for a better Medicare Part D plan, but the coverage whether with the plan I have now, or another company will start January 1). The drugs I take for pain, restless leg, and
asthma are a little more flexible. I can reduce or eliminate some of them, and basically live with the consequences, but it's a balancing act. I've reduced pain meds, but I've been in bed with a heating pad the last several days (I was doing pretty well until the termperature dropped. I don't do well in cold).

I'm going to try to sell a bunch of stuff on ebay. It's a bad time for ebay right now, but I've got to try something.

The good news is that we only have to make it to August of next year. I figure we can put up with whatever comes for 9 months.

I missed a week due to school conferences, and when I went in tonight I'd gained EIGHT POUNDS?!? Some of it's due to my cycle, but still. I knew I wasn't meticulous, but I thought I'd maintain at best. I assumed that my ban on fast/restaurant food was enough to take some weight off, but I guess I was eating just as much of homemade stuff.