GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

Please read the page two of the last thread......which I had numbered up in the 300's - Sorry bout that.

Welcome to all who would like to stop here and join us down this road to thin.

SPRYNG I am sorry that your are having family problems ` perhaps they will be ironed out soon and it is good that you have not let it affect your program. I am following the Weight Watchers plan and have modified the amount of points/calories that I am allowed for my weight range. What I mean by the High-Low is that I vary the amount of points/calories I eat each day so my body doesn't think it is in starvation mode. For my body weight I am allowed 30-35 Points a day which equals 1750 - 2100 calories. I have dropped down to the points allowed for a lighter person because I am not exercising and don't need so many calories. I consume between 1050 and 1500 a day which is a point range from 18 to 25. To maintain this current body weight it would take upwards of 4000 calories a day so you see that I am really cutting back so I can lose. It doesn't take nearly that amount for your body each day. Sometimes a body will hit a plateau and stay there for awhile getting used to that weight before it will let go of any more. Vary the amount of calories you eat each day and also the foods you eat. Sometimes eating the same things like for breakfast can make your body hang on. I hope this has been helpful ~

Have a good OP day my friends.

Good Evening, Flowers!
I'm glad to see that the forum is open again; I tried to visit last night but couldn't get in. It has been another cloudy and windy day in Iowa! I am ready for some sunshine again! I went to WW tonight and lost 3 pounds; I am surprised in that I just journaled this week and didn't really push the program. Now if I get down to business maybe I will show another loss next week!

Lorraine -- glad to hear that your mom is doing so much better. It is so hard when you become the caregiver for your parents as well as your children.

Spryng -- I am on the Weight Watchers plan . . . decided a long time ago that I am further ahead to eat things I would normally eat and count the points rather than deprive myself and then go hog wild whenever I came in contact with something I hadn't eaten in a long time. My suggestion to you would be to increase your calories a little and maybe also increase the exercise. Have some "high days and some low days" like Maggie does.

Gloria -- somehow I missed that you had as many grandchildren as you have! Hopefully, your dog will be around for a long time yet . . . I would be tired after two walks a day too!

Maggie -- I love your idea that dust is a protective covering! I HATE the dreadmill and would much rather walk outside, no matter what the weather is doing. (except when it is icy) Congratulations on the GREAT loss!

I need to do some picking up around the house. The "pile it" gremlins have been at work again. Have a wonderful Wednesday, Flowers!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

This is a wonderful Wednesday and ya'll come out today. My yesterday was a 18 point day and it is the first HUNGRY day since my rejoin. It started in the morning but I had a satisfying breakfast and drank water all morning. My lunch was good but at 3:30 I was looking for something to eat. I decided that I would heat up a bowl of that good ole veggie soup and sit and enjoy each spoonful and folks ~ it really took the edge off and I was able to get through the rest of the day with my water by my side. Today is a 24 point day and I am doing fine. Have my meals planned out and here I go on a roll.

JEAN isn't it wonderful how it works when you just write what you bite ~ then the scales show a loss! And when you really watch what you eat and plan your meals what a difference that makes. I wonder why I can't do that all the time. I know it works...... Have a good OP day.

Everyone out there in flower land have a great day.

Good Evening, Flowers!
It looks like it's been quiet in the flower patch today. Well, day two of 2nd semester is done and I think I like most of my schedule. I have traded speech for a study hall consisting of 3 - 5 yahoos who still have homework assignments from first semester. They don't want to be in there and it's a challenge to keep them quiet.

Maggie -- 18 points isn't very many! Some days I would even have trouble with 24. I don't know why it is but I can eat the same exact things on two different days; one day I'll be satisfied while on the other I will be ready to eat anything else that is loose. Today was pretty much OP, except for exercise, and it is close to being over -- I am heading for bed shortly!

Have a terrific Thursday, Flowers!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

JEAN Look at it this way ~ those who weigh 150 pounds or less get to eat 18 - 23 points worth of food. I plan on being in that weight range and felt that there is no time like the present to get a lot of practice eating what I will be eating when I reach there. It isn't considered a starvation diet for sure since I consume 1050 to 1500 calories a day. My body shouldn't think it is starving because it is in reaity getting enough food. Eat to live and not live to eat. That is where it is at. I certainly have to choose more wisely what I put in my mouth now than when I could consume 35 points. Except on Friday which is my Very High day and I get to go there. Anyway I feel I must do this because I wasn't going anywhere with those 35 points each day. Playing with losing and gaining the same pounds each week and slowly losing a half a pound here and there. I am getting to use a lot of "self discipline" with this program. I made that Zesty Meatloaf on page 217 of the WW book Simply the Best and it is a definite do again. I substituted chopped onion for the shredded carrots for I didn't have any of those on hand. I aslo made that yummy pumpkin custard which is just 2 points a serving to top off the meal.

Is one of your jobs in Study Hall to help those kids with their homework or is it to be there and keep order. Sounds llike keeping order is the main call of the day though and would take up all the time alloted you.

Have a great evening flowers.

Good Evening, Flowers!
Tomorrow is Friday . . . yippee!

Maggie -- I like your spring flowers! We are supposed to help students, as needed, in study hall. Our special ed. study halls are small . . . we try to keep them under 5 students so that we can help them individually. This particular one has 3 boys in it -- 2 of whom have a male teacher who is VERY laid back and doesn't make them do squat. They both want to be in his study hall -- gee, I wonder why?! The other skipped so many days at the beginning of the school year that the police started going to his house to bring him to school. All of them still owe assignments from last semester and of course, none of them will do anything at home so we try to catch them up at school. They are all on the lazy side which makes it even more difficult; I tell them that if they worked as hard at getting work done as they do trying to get out of it, they would have been done long ago.

Have a happy Friday, Flowers!

Jean -- thinking about bedtime in Iowa!

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

JEAN that certainly a challenging job you have. I hope that you can see some progress in their study habits. Wonder why the parents aren't on them to do some at home to get caught up. Maybe, though, they are some of the latch key kids. Hang in there!

Well friend this was my 10th day on my program and I am feeling great. It is a wonderful feeling to be in control. I recommend it highly.

All of you flowers have a nice night. Type at you tomorrow.

Happy Friday!
The sun is out but it is a cold day in the neighborhood! I am so glad the work week is over with! I have the usual laundry, cleaning, and catching up routine planned for the weekend.

Maggie -- congratulations on 10 days! That's great! Does that include the water and points and journalling? I can do parts of the program but still can't do all of the parts all of the time.
You mentioned parents of our students . . . one student is living in a foster home and I don't really know why. He calls them "mom and dad" and he is doing the "most" schoolwise. One has a dad who dropped out of HS and his parents are divorced. My feeling is that his mom just doesn't want to battle him in regards to doing his schoolwork. He is so lazy....a nice kid, but lazy. The last one has been through drug rehab and is spot tested regularly. He wants to be a part of "the" gang but I doubt that he has that much freedom. Two of the three are kept track of through the court system. Not what I would call normal home lives at all. The kids, now days, come with a lot of baggage that makes me wonder how they can function at all. I try to remember that when I am counting to 10!

I need to go to the grocery store so better get a move on. Have a nice weekend, Flowers!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD EVENING FLOWERS

It has been an interesting week. Not what I had planned but then they never are. Tried to stay on program this week and did better but not perfect. Next week I will try again. We are sitting for Cam this evening here. He and DH are watching 'The Hunt for Red October',a Sean Connery submarine story, and Cam is very gung ho on anything military. For an 8 yr old he is very much into history, especially lately the Kennedy stories and of course this week he is learning about Martin Luther King. He has a very curious mind, thank God. His Mom took him to the JFK Museum in Boston last week and he hasn't stopped talking about it.
Sunday we are traveling to DD#3, about an hour away but traffic should not be too bad on a Sunday. It is her eldest's 8th Birthday today and she is having a family skating party on Sunday. They have an ice rink in their back yard and all the cousins love to skate so it should be fun. If it gets too cold for me I can always stay in the house and watch from the back room.
SIL puts up the rink each year and everyone uses it. Two weeks ago they had a neighborhood party for kids and adults. DD had two pots trailing electric cords to the house with coffee for the adults and cocoa for the kids.

JEAN Those kids are certainly not entirely to blame for their lack of enthusiasm for school and learning. It is hard enough for kids from two parent homes. You sure have your work cut out for you.

MAGGIE Keep up the good work. You must be proud that you have 10 days OP under your belt.

Have a great weekend Magnolias

Gloria in MA...baby sitting and only listening to the TV while playing on the computer.

GOOD EVENING MAGNOLIAS

JEAN I am sure you do have your hands full with those kids. It is wonderful that a person like you is working with them then since they have such a vacancy of parental guidance. Kids are not throw aways and are worth the effort it takes to try to get them on the right track. I drink 6 to 8 glasses at least of water each day and write down everything I eat and stay within my points. Yes that is what I call OP. Exercise is outside of that area since I have not been able to do much of late. But Jean you have to start somewhere and it has taken me a while to wake up and do what I am supposed to be doing. So keep doing what you are and then do more and you will get better at it.

GLORIA what a lovely child! The lights are on and someone's home there. I like that movie! I would like to see it again one day. That is so neat she has that ice rink for everyone to enjoy. When we were in Minnesota our friends down the way had one and it was a treat for all.

I went to the doc for my follow-up about my knee and it is doing great. He gave me some more samples of the meds which I am thankful for. He also questioned me about my WW program - he is very familiar with the points system and I told him what I was doing. He thought it a good idea to do it as long as I was losing on it. Also on his scales I show a 10 pound loss in two weeks. I was last there on the 4th. Not too shabby. I know the losses will slow down but for now I am so jazzed. He said that I can start doing some walking now ~ nice and easy does it.

Have a great Saturday folks.

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

Another lovely day in the neighborhood. Wake up you sleepy heads and enjoy this Saturday! Life is good so enjoy each minute of it. I actually had to really think of what to eat last night to fill up my high day of points. What a change that is for me.

We are going over to my folks afterwhile and check out some more videos. They have some we haven't seen and some we have and like to re-visit. We don't have TV reception here, as of yet, so watch a video now and then. I get enough of the current the news from the FOX web site. We got the TV and VCR as our christmas present and will eventually get a DVD player. Then I will start buying those because they take up much less space than videos and we are "stuff" conscious in this little space. We have been without TV reception since September and how sweet it is.

Have a nice Saturday Flowers.

Good Afternoon, Flowers!
I can tell the sun is getting more "heat" to us . . . we got a dusting of snow last night and it melted on the streets at just barely 32 degrees. Each day it is a little lighter later . . . spring is on the way!

Gloria -- nice to see you! Your grandson and my son would get along famously! Jason's major was history and he can rattle off names, dates, and places with ease. At my ripe old age, I wish now I would have paid more attention way back when I was in school. Ice skating sounds like fun -- something I haven't done for years!

Maggie -- enjoy your day with your family! For the most part I do enjoy my job but there are days when I wonder.

We have company coming tonight so I better think about changing clothes. We are going out to eat and then play some cards. I made the Lime Pie from the WW handout last week. It looks pretty so I hope it tastes good; several had made it and reported it to be a redo recipe at last week's meeting.

Have a super Sunday!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Good Morning, Flowers!
It looks like it is going to be a nice day in the neighborhood . . . sunny and a good day for a walk outside. After a late night (early morning ) playing Sequence and an OP evening meal, I am ready for another WWOP day! Won't you all join me?

We've been to church and I am off to read the Sunday papers. DH's group is singing at the 2nd service also, so he is enjoying coffee and fellowship with his fellow singers.

Have a relaxing Sunday!

Jean -- from Iowa!

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIAS

JEAN I will be happy to join you for a WW OP day. For our main meal today I am making that Beef Stroganoff recipe on page 209 of the Simply the Best cookbook by WW. There are so many good recipes in that book it is fast becoming my favorite. I have a batch of my old standby of 8 Can Veggie Soup in the fridge and a bowl of that Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad from page 114 of that same book. So I am ready and set for a new week to begin. I am having a 25 point day and looking forward to tomorrow evenings weigh in.

Have a good OP day flowers.

Hi Maggies:

Well my Mom is back in the hospital in the Cardiac ICU unit. They can't get to get her heart to beat right, so they are talking about stopping her heart and shocking it back so that it might get back in line. If that does not work they are talking about a pace maker. Then they want to take her gorebladder out...not sure which sequence that will be done...either before or after the heart treatment. It all depends on the test they did this morning.

Maggie: I am so proud of your weight loss. Keep up the good work. Good for you to turn down the goodies at your Moms house. It seems like you are really going to to it this time I hope to get back on program real soon.

Jean: Congrats on the weight loss too!!! I bet you feel so much better knowing the scales are going in the direction you want them to.

Spryng: I live in North Texas, and I have three children. One is 12 my second is 8 and my third will be 6 next month. I too was a stay at home mom, but my sons principal was in a bind and wanted me to work for her for the rest of the school year. So for now, I work for the school district and I am enjoying it. I too follow Weight Watchers, but have been off program for the last week or so. I need to get back on program real fast .

Well...I need to get some things done here before I head down to the hospital to see my mother. It takes a little over an hour to get there so I want to start and get there before it gets too late.

Have a great Sunday flowers.