haha! i could feel that you were thinking of me, nicole! that's pretty weird though.....

Good Afternoon Ladies! I have been MIA for a few days, and whoosh we are now in the first full week of December. Where has the time gone? It sounds like everyone is starting to get into the Christmas spirit. My brain tends to go into overdrive this time of year with every. I went to COD on Thursday and was up (probably too many BLTs, I totally own up to that) but then went in on Saturday was down almost 3 lbs?! Go figure. I must have had a : day. They also did my measurements, and I have lost a total of 19.5 inches. Yay!

The Christmas season is truly gearing up; the Christmas tree is up (both mine and my moms) and the stockings are hung on the chimney with care . We also had a little dusting of snow last night, which was real pretty. Not fun to drive in, but that is another story. For my mom’s birthday, I took her to see the New York Rockettes, whom have traveled to Toronto to put on their annual show. It was a lot of fun, and they certainly are amazing dancers. They do a couple of standards, Toy Soldiers and the Live Nativity to close the show. The Live Nativity was incredibly moving; I do not think there was a dry eye in the house.

All this talk of baking. Yum. I will be starting that soon enough. I usually bake shortbread (which I am not a fan of, my mom is), butter tarts, mince meat tarts and chocolate turtles.

Pearl-Your Christmas tree sounds breathtaking! Pictures please! (we should have a thread to post some of our Christmas decorations)

Cassi-I am going to have to try the tilapia your way. I am not a fish lover per se, but the recipe sounds really good and I am looking for something new try. Speaking of pictures, when do we get to see your kitchen? What a complete drag about the flood. The air would have been blue if that had happened to me. I admire your fortitude.

Katie-Do not feel guilt about calling in sick. Sometimes you need to do something like that for yourself.

Deb-I hear you about lethal lab tails. Fortunately my pupper is not interested in the Christmas tree.

Nicole - For those of us with a lot to lose, this is a long process. I know I won't be perfect during my journey, and don't expect to be. It is true that you have to do it every day, but for those moments of weakness, it's important to remember that the bumps in the road are part of the journey, they are not the end of the road. If you keep on going, you will reach your goal.

Ulanda: thank you for the words of encouragement. They mean alot!


Barbara: I am sorry that you have had a bad experience. It is good to see you back. I look forward to posting with you!

Nicole: thank you for the words of encouragement too. It is hard to not listen to the inner fat Barb. I agree with you about T/O sucking. It did not work for me except make me HUNGRY! I cant do that long on such little food. Even though I am trying to learn to eat right and it portion control that was jsut to little food. My real WI day (the day they calculate my WI is on the 2nd one of the week which is usually Friday). Your children are very good looking! I wish I could donate blood but I cant Your story sounds like mine with my fight with the cookie jar except u did alot better then me!!!


Nance: 30lbs WAY TO GO that is so great to hear! Keep up the good work.

Jackie: I did WW also, while I think it is a great program I just needed something that would give me one on one counseling! YOU CAN DO IT and we are all here for you!

Katie: I hope that you are feeling better!

Meagan: My fellow Minnesotan! That is so awesome that you lost 8.25 inches and most of it in your stomach! That is so good to hear isnt it? keep up the good work!


Michelle: How did WI go? I hope well!!!!

Kim: How did WI go? I hope well!

Alannah: I am sorry about the house. That must be so disappointing!

carol: 19 inches! that is awesome!!!!!!!!!! Way to go!



Well, I made good choices to day and I have to say that reading everyones posts and words to me have been very encouraging and I appreciate every one here. I hope that someday I can help you all along on your journey. Reading about everyones trials and tribulations with the WL journey has helped me remember that I am not perfect and I will slip but I have to get back on the horse and move forward!!!!!

Cassi - I couldn't agree more! Well said.

I was thinking today about a situation here. DH came home from his "Christmas office party" with a little baggie of christmas goodies made by one of the secretaries. There was a piece of fudge and 6 or 7 different cookies. Well, he brought them in and I asked him if he tried them. He said no! So I said, what are you waiting for?!? So, since we both had a starch, dairy, and 2 condiments left, I made us both some SF hot chocolate and we each had 1/2 of the 1x1 piece of fudge and 1/2 a peanut butter cookie! Now I realize to some that is a failure, but to be honest, I'm looking at it today as an accomplishment! We maintained control, got to enjoy a festive treat, and enjoyed a moment together that was "okay"! I'm looking at it as a NSV because the rest of the cookies are still in the kitchen!

This season is a hard time for those of us trying to lose or maintain. But it's NOT impossible to do it! We all have the strength to plan our meals, plan our treats, and maintain control. After all, for most of us, it's the control part that has been our snag in the past. How many times have DH and I sat down and devoured a whole bag of cookies? Or a box of MIL's fudge/candies? We're all learning what we can and cannot do and having determined our goals to be healthier by making healthier, wiser decisions, we can accomplish that. We just have to be prepared, be headstrong, and be ready to enjoy this holiday without having it completely wrapped around what we eat!
I hope that makes sense. Just a thought... Hope it helps someone, because it was definitely for me!
Hugs,

PS - Cassi - did you get your recipe?

Good evening ladies--

I don't normally post much, but I had such a great day that I thought it might be motivational to all...

I am part of a Staff Choir that went around the campus today doing Christmas Caroling at several different locations. Everywhere I went, I had people commenting that I looked either "wonderful" or "lost a bunch of weight". The first few comments made me smile , the last few comments made me grin that I was almost embarrased .

The point is: Keep up the good work! It will all be worth it at the end So here's some to help us get through this holiday season without too much damage to our progress.

Hello Hello Hello!
I'm still waiting for my ornament which is a good thing as I requested one made of Cassi's Mint Bark so it would be hard to resist tearing open the package with my teeth.
I am now firmly convinced that when you fall off the wagon your body starts to crave the junk again. After the football game on Sunday where I enjoyed a few beers and a burger (no condiments mind you) my cravings have been insatiable! I've entered the realm of BLTs (for those of you that don't know it's Bites Licks and Tastes) and they all add up to poundage! I've been tasting everything that I've been making for the girls.. even got into their mashed potatoes.. SHAME.. I think it's a proven fact that our bodies try to self sabatoge when we get close to goals. I was 1.6 lbs away from 30lbs on Friday, have my dad's 60th this Friday and for some reason have had a mental and physical slip. I will only confess to my dear friends on this site that I have hidden from weigh in yesterday and Monday as I was afraid of the scale and the self ridicule it might incite! So I've been POP in every other sense and will haul my heavy head into COD tomorrow for the reality slap in the face.. and know I'll get my kick in the pants from my gals on the site. Why I don't know but do you ever feel silly when you slip!! So here's to me getting my act in gear and back on track. I'm still having everything I planned for the week but need to get back to being accountable to ME. It's so nice to have a place where you can tell the truth and know you will get nothing but recognition and motivation in return. Here's hoping the scale won't punish me like I punished myself and I'll get my groove back.

Thanks gals!

Missmuffet welcome and glad to hear your doing better this time around. I agree that you should eat all your foods as the calorie counts are already on the lower side. Congrats on the loss.

Barb glad trying that is the most important thing. You have a great support team on here.

Nascar girl good luck with your TO and hope it brings you the results your looking for.

Lottame2minime thanks for the words of wisdom. I wish I could sit on this board all day, but work doesn’t allow it.

Katie your sweet, but far from being a college coed I will do my best to get on plan. I seem to do better during the day it’s coming home at night that I need to work on. As for the car accident the insurance totaled our 3 year old car, which sucked, but I’m happy we weren’t seriously hurt. Sorry to hear you’re still not feeling well. Three months is a long time to be sick. Your job sounds stressful and way too many hours. I hope that you can either find a way to quit and stay home or you’re able to adjust to the job better.

Meagan congrats on your loss.

Lara Just try and stay focused with your travels and your weight loss. I’m sure you’ll do fine just remember you want to color your hair

Kimphin I used to be on the board a lot earlier in the year then I kind of fell off the wagon and off of this site. My DD and I are working at getting back in the gym soon. I will try and focus on the small accomplishments. Be careful on the roads sounds like the people here when it rains.

Juliemarie glad to hear your back in the COD and journaling that’s great. You’re right I shouldn’t wait till Jan it’s just so hard with the holidays. It’s good to hear your not letting them give you any crap. You’ve done very well it’s great to see your almost below the 200 mark.

Prazteam thanks.

Mama Nicole hope your boys get well soon. Great NSV from your DH and usually the men don’t pay much attention.

Sorry ladies I have to stop for now. I was hoping to have replied to everyone, but I have choir rehearsal tonight and it starts in 15 mins. Next weekend we have four Christmas programs and next Tues though Thurs we have rehearsals all four nights till 10 PM. I will try and catch up tomorrow.

Here’s to a POP day to all of you.

Kristen - you'll get back on track; we're all only human!! I agree that my little cheats often turn into weeklong celebrations, so I have to be reallllllly careful; LAWL is not yet totally programmed into my brain.

I, too, hit a little bump today while making candy bar wrapper thingies. One of the bars (mind you a BIG bar of Hershey Dark chocolate, had a noticeable slice on the top of the wrapper; the chocolate was exposed. Nope, I said to self, cannot give that as a gift; it's sort of opened already. You know, germs and stuff could have gotten in there. So what do I do, I open it up and eat about 2-3 chunks of the stuff!! I kept saying to myself, Dr. Oz says it's okay - it's dark choclate and you're just going to have a little bit. First, was I not worrked about the germs in the exposed bar -- apparently not! Needless to say, the rest of that bar is now in the trash. A waste, yes, but it will save my waist!

Nancy - Great NSV on all the compliments today; I don't hear from many folks but when I do get a compliment, it feels realllllllly good.

Okay - Pearl, I just read your post about the fudge and eating half a cookie and I can totally relate. I guess although I ate some of the chocolate, in the past I would have eaten that entire bar, so I guess I shouldn't beat myself up too much. And an interesting thing also occurred after I ate the choclate; MAJOR headache which I can only attribute to the chocolate. I need to stick that in the memory bank for next time. Choclate will give Joni a headache.

Carol - congrats on all those lost pounds and inches...one day at a time; that's all any of us can do!

Barb - congrats on having a "good choice" day

Alannah - sorry about the house sale not going through; congrats on doing so well though after a very social weekend. Don't work too hard!

Nicole - Bethany is adorable and I think her picture is cute; Ah, kids say the darndest things, don't they. Hope your boys are doing better and didn't pass on their cooties to everyone else!

Okay, if anyone new is reading these threads today, all I can say is I have never seen so many chocolate confessionals in one day! We really, really, really are a strong bunch of ladies! I think it has something to do with the full moon!

Kim - did you survive your drive to weigh in? How'd it go.

Evette - egads - the scale number is falling, the scale number is falling!! Congrats

Lea Ann - I will spare everyone the details, but ever since a high school ski trip over 30 years ago, my lips go nowhere near schnapps; the word actually still causes a slight churning in my gut. Geez, I wish I had that reaction from chocolate, beer and cookies!!

Michelle, Meagan - glad you popped in.

Katie - so sorry you're struggling with health issues. I know most of it started back up after you took on the new job, so I think you have a valid point in wanting to change some things. I guess you'll need to have another discussion wtih DH to emphasize your point of view. Good luck since I know that is a lot of stress for both of you.

Night all - here's to a chocolate free day tomorrow!

So here I am at work today bored as heck. Sometimes it makes me miss retail during this time of year b/c I would never have been bored now. I packed a good lunch today and I am hoping for a POP day!

I will catch up on personals later!

Morning Ladies! I hope everyone is having a POP day. I was up a teeny weeny bit from Tuesday, but I am putting it down to me being sick for the last 4 days. I have been drinking water like it has been going out of style, but it ain't going nowhere (if you get my drift). I am think I am probably a little feverish which is why I am feeling so dehydrated all the time in spite of the water. I will get back on track. I am drinking some hot lemon water which should help.

Kristen-I hear you. Like others have said, I know when I fall off the wagon, I tend to do a swan dive off the edge. To be honest, I have a tenuous hold on my control this time of year and sometimes want to chuck it all and not come up for air until New Year's Day. However, I know I will completely and utterly be furious at myself for not staying in control. As well, even though I have not posted it as a goal, I want to be at Onederland by the end of February. You are back on track, no worries, today is a new day.

Good morning girls! I was going to go back and do personals, but I am so dang far behind that I just can't catch up. Suffice it to say that I have skimmed all the posts and congrats to those who have stayed the course during this trying time. To those not so POP, it's time to get back on the horse! With all the parties and weekend things going on this time of year, wasting a "cheat" or "splurge" on an item that can be had everyday (cookies, etc) seems not worth it in the big picture.

Excpet for Pearl. I love the way you and DH planned your splurge. I'm sure with the hot chocolate and some time together it was probably pretty special. That's the way to splurge - make it special. Not a handful of nuts or chips as you run by, but if you're going to do it, plan it and make it worth it.

I'm starting to stress about the weekend already! We have a child birthday party Saturday afternoon (I'm thinking it's pizza, so carb cravers there), and then a party Saturday night. Probably prime rib, and shrimp. I will try to stick with veggies and protein. We couldn't get a sitter so I am taking 14yo DD as my date (It's a friend of mine that is a former client). Since I will be driving her, I will stick to Diet Coke, especially since the party is 45 mins away. Sunday is my work party. It's at a very exclusive resort and is a buffet. I got the menu ahead of time, but other than carved turkey, it doesn't look too good. Actually, it looks great, but not LAWL friendly. Everything has sauces and cheese, etc. I will probably make this party my splurge. But I am taking the menu to COD today to see if we can work out a game plan.

Oh yea... Evette - I see your ticker moved again! So close!!!

I'll check in later.

Hi girls!

I made it to WI yesterday( down 1 lb), with no traffic incidents. The snow had pretty much cleared up by then. I need a big snow now, this summer I joined the 'chicks with 4WD' club, and I want to see how it handles in the white stuff.

Holy C**p, the WooHoo stick has made it to my COD. They must have all gone to a convention. The couselor let out this war whoop yesterday when I weighed in, I thought she was auditioning to be an extra in "Last of the Mohicans 2". I jumped a mile and immediately shushed her, which led her to yell "you deserve a celebration" - I almost tackled her to the ground and stuffed my folder in her mouth. Good God.

Anyway, she is new, or at least new to my center, and after I let her up off of the floor and removed the manilla folder from her mouth, I ...(wait for it....) actually learned something from her! I tell you, it has been years since any counselor could actually offer me meaningful advice. I really like her! Of course, she will probabaly quit tomorrow or something. (stop////BAD pessimist, BAD!) By the way the advice she told me was that the Reduce + pills are not water soluble, only fat soluble, so if you don't take them with a fat (or fat in a food) it will seriously upset your stomach, and your body will try to get rid of it. Hmmmm. That would have been helpful to know a few months ago when I asked another counselor if one of the supplements could cause stomach upsets....

Kristen - I didn't get my ornament yet either, so I may intercept the mint bark one that's on its way up to you! (I'm sure it has to pass through this area somehow...) Anyway, I want you to know that you are not alone with the self-sabotage thing, I am the reigning queen. The best thing to do is get thee to WI, take your licks (not BLT's, the other kind of lick) and head off to a new decade for yourself. You have done great so far - actually you've done an amazing job. A couple of pounds is just a number, and a small percentage of weight compared to what you have already lost. We're pulling for you!

Pearl - amazing control. I am very proud of you and DH - what a great idea, sitting down and making your cheat an 'event' so that it doesn't turn into mindless eating. WTG.

OK, I really have a lot to do today, so allI can do is say HI to everyone else, big hugs out to all of you!

Katie - I had to go back and find your post to see what was going on with you. I am so sorry that you are feeling so bad. Is fibromyalgia aggravated by stress? I'm guessing it's the job outside the home that is getting to you. Maybe you could take your daycare kids back if you can't just quit for awhile? Good luck and keep us posted on how you're doing.