Hello, Happy Monday--where did that weekend go It's very rainy here today and some severe storms are expected tonight (I pray there are no tornadoes).

Stayed OP all weekend and tonight is official WI, so I'm hoping for some loss. Went to Applebee's for lunch today and had the 7 point chicken and portabella mushroom sandwich. That was tasty.

Played some golf. It was a pretty day on Saturday.

How is everyone else? I hope your weather has improved.

Hi Lisa -

The weekend is underneath the laundry that didn't all get done.

Crossing my fingers that the storms do not hit your area. The weather continues suck in the midwest.

Had a busy basset weekend - lots of long basset walks, dog park, I did a 5K and pretty much walked over 5 miles each day this weekend.

Of course, I gained a lb at weigh in on Saturday. Grrr.

Its really quite springy here. We have some small rock tulips blooming! Yoikes.

Time to get those sweet peas in the ground.

Any fun stuff planned this week? I am going to concentrate on getting my water in and starting to add a little stair stepping and rowing to my routine.

Hi to everyone!

Hi everyone!

The weekend went pretty well--temps rose a little so I was able to get the ice which had built up in the wheel wells released. It's a warm 27 here today. There's a winter storm warning out with the possibility of 8 more inches of snow! I'm hoping the winds shift and take it somewhere else!

Lisa: DH, DS #2 and I went to Applebee's on Friday night and I had the same sandwich! I enjoyed it and would definitely order it again. I will admit that I snitched some of DS #2's fries from his plate

Lala: No spring flowers here--yesterday I watched a woodpecker in the suet that we had hung in the tree. Sounds like you got a lot of activity in. I managed to get my laundry done last night.

Saturday I did some errands and ran the sweeper but the rest of the afternoon I read. I felt guilty not doing something but it was a much needed break. DS #1 had a good trip to NC and got some good information in regard to grad schools. We ended up making homemade pizza on Saturday evening and I ate more than my share.

No major plans for this week--I need to focus on making better choices.

Hi everyone. It was positively balmy here this morning at -8 C. Seems warmer than I remember it, but that's what happens after two weeks of -16 and colder...

My weekend was pretty good. Sis and I had a good time on Friday nite. Even met a rather nice guy and I may have coffee with him sometime...It's nice to know they still exist...

Cleaned my house on Saturday. Ended up doing a bit of rearranging; finally took the TV out of my bedroom and replaced it with a nice comfy chair for reading. I positively love my bedroom as a result; a relaxing haven from the world (and television). Saw the play Tribute on Saturday nite and really enjoyed it.

Spent most of Sunday with my friend and her children. I took the three kids back to my place after the church luncheon and we watched a movie. It was fun.

Ladies, I need to do something about losing the rest of this weight, once and for all. I have booked a consultation with LA Weightloss for 5 pm tonite. It's not that I don't believe in WW - I do - but I need to shake things up because I'm just not doing it - following program. It makes me angry because I am only about 6 lbs over goal but I just can't seem to get and stay motivated. Maybe something different will help... Will let you know how it goes and what I decide.

Susan

lala, you sure are getting the activity in! I can't believe you had a gain. What is up with that?? Laundry was done, but it's piled up again. DH and I wear too many clothes.

Melissa, I'm glad you like the sandwich, too. Oy, more snow? That doesn't sound like any fun. Didn't know that DS #1 was considering grad school. That's great. I also did some reading. My GF could not believe that I had never read the Harry Potter books, so I'm reading the first one. It's all right--I don't know what the hype was about.

Susan, It sounds like you had a fun weekend. That's great that you met a nice guy. I hope you get to see him again. Let us know about LA Weight Loss. I'm not so sure about it. There are negative posts out there, but maybe it will be the thing that kicks in for you.

On a serious note, ladies, over the past couple weeks, I've been checking my blood pressure which I do occasionally and it's been rather high. I have always been around 114/74. Now I'm 139/90. I don't know why that is, but high blood pressure is nothing to mess with. It's pre-hypertension. So, I made an appointment for a complete physical with lab work. I want to find out what is going on. I certainly don't fit the classic folks who get it: overweight, no exercise, smoker, poor diet. I'm puzzled.

Susan: I wish my bedroom were big enough to fit a chair in it! I'd love to have a chair to snuggle up in to read The only thing I've heard about LA Weightloss was the cost--nothing else. You have to find what's going to jump start/work for you.

Lisa: I read the first three Harry Potter books but haven't read the last two. There was a lot of hype about how bad they were for kids, but in all honesty I didn't find anything bad about them at all. I think it made kids use their imaginations more. On the BP note, mine was always low and then it spiked to 150/100 when I went in for a check up before I turned 40 and it stayed up so they put me on a mild diuretic to bring it down. It helped some but then they switched me to a ace inhibitor and I'm happy to report that my bp has been holding around 108/80 which is way better. High blood pressure is nothing to mess around with. Keep us posted.

I was finally able to update my picture--it's only taken me a month to do it!

Hi everyone!!

Lisa, hope you're happy with your weigh-in results tonight. Congrats on staying OP all weekend - that's such a challenge and something to be proud of. Weekends are so tough for me! How long do you have to wait for your physical?

Susan, good luck with the 6 lbs you're battling. I'll be anxious to hear how you like things over at LA Weight Loss.

Melissa, love your new picture! Hoping the big snow misses you!

Lala, sorry about the gain. All that walking's a great victory, though. I hear ya on the laundry - sometimes it feels like laundry rules my life.

I'm struggling a bit, but I'm feeling like I'm "back" today (and I'm determined to stay strong). Ever since I hit Lifetime, I've become a bit wishy washy with my eating and exercise. I don't have weigh-in looming over my head every Saturday morning and, consequently, I'm not being consistent like I was before. It worries me a little. I'm thinking I should just go ahead and weigh in every week even if I don't have to. Do you know if that's "allowed" when you're a Lifetimer?

Hope you guys are all having a great Monday.

Melissa, Love the pic, girl. Very nice. Sorry to hear you've had high blood pressure issues, too, and so young. I really don't want to take any prescriptions. As I said, the Harry Potter book is all right. I'm not sure I'll read more unless it becomes more interesting. Did you see the movies?

Karynlee, I think Melissa will confirm this, but you can weigh in every week if you wish. As a Lifetimer, you are not required to do so. I know that I first became a Lifetimer, I was so scared of gaining, that I weighed in every week. I finally got calmer about my weight and began doing the monthly weigh-ins. My physical is on Thursday.

Susan, I forgot to mention that I think that it's great you removed the TV from your bedroom. I don't think it belongs there, but that's a personal opinion of course. I also love to curl up in a nice chair and read.

Official WI was down 3#. I was so thrilled as I've been really working hard at it. Tonight is V-Day dinner, so...

Wow!! THREE lbs - that's awesome, Lisa! Congrats!!

Lisa: Way to go on your WI!!! I've been taking meds for 5 years now and have my bp under control. The dr told me it's hereditary *sigh* but she did say that I'm ahead of the game since my weight is good and that I eat healthy and do a lot of walking. I've watched a couple of the HP movies but enjoyed the books. Once you get into them they're pretty good.

Karynlee: I think it's normal to kind of "stray" once you hit Lifetime; it's a subconscious thought that you're done with "dieting" and now it's okay to "let go" but in reality it's a lifestyle change that you need to continue. As Lisa said, you can weigh in every week as a Lifetime member. The first one of the month determines if you are "free" or have to pay for that week. Once you've had your "free" WI you don't need to weigh every week. I can tell you that I do WI every week and have done that since reaching LT in 1999. It keeps me honest and on track.

Well, we've got winter storm warnings out with accumulations of 5-8" by the time we leave work tonight and another 6-12 by tomorrow morning!! They're saying that tomorrow we could get another 4". Right now it's just windy and cloudy but the storm is coming from the south and it's supposed to be a big one. They say the commute home tonight could be slow since it's supposed to be blowing and drifting. I could be getting some AP's with snow shoveling if we get what they're calling for.

I haven't journaled this week and I know that's not good for me. The picture was taken when I was in Chicago in December...I had a heckuva time getting it to post.

Hi to Lala, Susan, Pam!

Hi ladies.

Well, my consult with LA Weight Loss was enlightening, to say the least. They wanted $630.87 up front to cover one year - 8 losing weeks to shed 16 lbs, 6 maintenance weeks and 38 maintenance weeks at $8.00 per week minus 10% paid-in-full discount plus $179 for a compulsory package plus taxes.

I think I can do better....teehee.

It was an eye-opener. The best part about it was listening to myself describe where I'm having difficulty - eating breakfast regularly, drinking water regularly and curbing nite-time eating. I think I have my marching orders for the next few weeks...get these three things in hand and I have the beginnings of success...

Melissa: Love the new photo. Can't believe you're getting that much more snow. Drive carefully tonight. You're a great role model as far as weighing in regularly and sticking to the WW guidelines. Maybe I'll stick your photo on my fridge as inspiration....mine doesn't seem to help

Karynlee: I agree with Melissa that it's normal to let your guard down a bit after achieving Lifetime status. But you still have to meet that 2-lbs-from-goal test, so it's best not to relax too much.

Lisa: Wow - congrats. Can I have some of what you're having (by way of motivation?) And yes, maybe I'll put you up on my fridge too....

lala: Bummer about the 1-lb gain. But it could be due to more exercise, so don't sweat it too much. You're doing everything right.

I have a coffee date on Sunday with Mr. Nice Guy from the weekend. Looking forward to it as there should be lots less pressure. At least I hope so...

Hi to Pam.

Susan

Hi everyone!

Lisa - woo hoo on the loss. You rawk. Enjoy that dinner! Have you talked to your doc about your BP? I know that I was floored when I saw my cholesterol results and then had a good meeting with her. If you can arrange a meeting and go armed with information about your family history, you'll get the best results.

Karynlee - I find lifetimers to be an inspiration at meetings. Please go just to show others what maintaining a healthy lifestyle is like.

Melissa - Ack on the snow. It seems like there is no relief in sight. I fly through Chicago next Friday, I hope things mellow by then.

Susan - You pinpointed your weak spots for free! Nice. I cannot function without breakfast and am working on water.

Hi to Pam!

I am sooo tired. We have a Preview Party to attend tonight for our big flower and garden show tonight. I took the dog for a walk, but didn't do anything else exercisey. I am hoping to do a gym circuit afterwards as we have a doggie sitter.

I did eat my snack already, beets and kale salad. Nummy.

lala

Hello,

Thanks for the congrats--I have tried very hard; it's been a struggle and I passed up lots of sweets (red light for me, especially chocolate).

It is very easy to become complacent as a Lifetimer. There are always those out there, too, who say: "Oh, you're so thin. You don't need to worry. Have some cake (or whatever)." Run away!!

You'll like this. My WI place is at my workplace. I usually don't stay for the meetings, but I chat with the folks. Last night the meeting room was occupied by some folks having a meeting (imagine that). As they were leaving, they actually asked us WW folks if we wanted their leftover cookies!!! We had a real chuckle about that. We told them to take the cookies with them.

Sorry about the photo thing. I'm having a very difficult time changing my photo (inspired by Melissa). I'll get it right eventually.

Melissa, so much snow. That is awful. As Susan said, be careful. Does your BP med have bad side effects? That's what I've heard from other people. I don't want to take prescriptions.

Susan, I'm glad you're seeing the nice guy for coffee. As you said, you've already met, so there's no being nervous about that. Yikes!! As Melissa said, she had heard that LA Weightloss was expensive. I had no idea! Yep, you got free advice.

lala, my physical is scheduled for Thursday. Yes, I plan to discuss the blood pressure with my MD and other stuff. Geezh, this has kind of put me in a tailspin.

Lisa - no tailspin, just make sure you have your family history and tell doc what time of day you are checking your BP.

Time to take a walk for some water, I'm getting cranky at my desk....

lala