This is a great thread for those who want support, helpful hints, friendship and a great bunch of people to communicate with. This thread has existed for a long time and we keep re-starting it whenever the old one gets too long. Feel free to stop in and chat, we are not a "closed" group and welcome newcomers. Some of us have been together for well over a year, some only a few days, but we care about each other. We offer tips, we share, we pick each other up of the floor when we've had rough times and we applaud when someone does well.

So, please do stop on by and share a bit, support is what it's all about! We can really do this together.

Hello ladies,

We are back here. I am sorry I didn't get to read all the posts before the site went down.
I do hope you all have a great day and enjoy your weekend.
Take Care and post.
Ann

Good morning everyone,
What happened to the recent posts? It looks like they are just gone, that's a bummer. I missed you guys yesterday. I just read a thread that was like a search party for Linda in the beginning of May. So you were gone for three weeks? I'm so glad you are back, whenever I have been gone, I have thought about you all often. It feels so good to be back.

Well, I'm going to post more later, I'm going to get a walk in before it gets too hot today. The heat here has been so intense, makes me not want to do anything. Talk to everyone later....

Hello ladies,
I do hope all is well.
Erica, how was your walk.
Welcome back LoveMyFam.
This is a like a fresh start for all of us. It is a sign I do say. We are all starting a new. We can do this.
Have a wonderful day everyone. I am glad the server is back up.
Take Care
Ann

Hey everyone....just want to stop quickly and say hi. I am up quite early today as I have to do an expo for work today. It should be fun; sitting out in 95 degree weather, handing out melting chocolate chip cookies! =) (I won't be eating them, of course!) Afterwards my boss is having a bbq pool party, so dh and dds are coming down for that. Should be a fun day!

I'm kind of disappointed that my last post got lost...I don't know if Linda got a chance to read it?

Anyway, hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Good morning everyone.
Paige, I hope you have a great day. It is going to be hot here. Enjoy your bar-b-que and pool party. On days like this we sure enjoy having a pool.
I have friends coming over today to go swimming. My DS is like a fish, he wants to be in the pool all the time.
Erica, how are you doing today? I hope the weekend is going well for you. What did you do?
Linda, where are you? Did you go to the cottage this weekend? I hope you are getting some time for yourself.
Jet, good morning, how are you, you seem really busy.
Laura, where are you and how are you. I really hope you are doing well.
Trysh, are you out camping again? Enjoy.
BeachBum, how is your dh doing? I hope all is well.

Hello to everyone else, Have a wonderful day and enjoy.
Take Care
Ann

Hello Everyone,

Well, I've been missing for a while. (I haven't really been on program since last fall). But hopefully I can join back in....

In the process of taking a break/giving up over the last 8 mos I have gained back about 15 lbs. Why exactly is it so hard to take them off and so easy to get them back?????

So today I started back on a tracker, and Friday I'm going to ride over to WW and try out a new class (part of the reason I quit.....), and I will exercise this week faithfully (even if it kills me).

Sorry this post was all about me, hopefully, I can get back to knowing everyone quick.

-Tech

Hi everyone,
Welcome back Tech, I remember you doing pretty well last summer, especially with your bike riding, even during those really hot days!! You'll be back on track in no time, I gained back everything I lost last year, let's do this!!

Ann-my walk was good, in fact, I walked twice today. How was your weekend? I wish we had a pool, we have been talking about getting one, maybe for next year, it would be a big investment though.

Paige- how was the expo? Did you guys have any of those thunderstorms? So hot in NY today. What are some of your really hot sellers at the bakery? I'm looking to try some new things this fall. Our molasses cookies do really well, especially when people are buying them by the dozen at $1.50/each! How do you guys handle people asking for your recipes?

Well, this was my first weekend back OP. Was it perfect? No. Did I try hard? Yes. Weekends are tough for me no matter what though. I'm going to try doing this for awhile w/o a meeting. So if you see my tracker moving, it's because I weigh myself everyday, so when I see it go down, I really like to up date that tracker.

Linda..... miss you...... hope you're hangin' in there.

Good morning.
I do hope everyone had a great weekend.

Paige, how was your day yesterday? It was so very hot here so we had many visitors to use the pool.

Erica, two walks that is great. Do you have someone to walk with? I walk and run on my own because people would say they wanted to walk or run and then if it rained they would cancel. I don't mind someone joining me on my walk but my intention is to always walk on my own and then if I have company great, if not that is okay too. Believe me the pool is well worth the expense, if you use it. My friend has a pool that gets used maybe 10 times over the whole summer. Did you find some good snacks for the afternoon?

Linda, how are you doing? Would you be able to post your picture again? It was lost when the system went down.

Donna, it is so nice to see you back. How have you been? Every time I look at my bike I think of you and how I should be out riding my bike. I am still making excuses why I am not riding my bike.

Trysh, how was your weekend? Is your DD done school yet for the summer?

Jet, I do hope you had a great weekend.

Janelle, Kim, Laura, BB, and Patty....hello to all of you and to anyone I missed.

Have a great day.
Ann

Ok it's Monday, another chance to start things out right. My goals for today are to get a walk in, journal everything, stay within my points. Starting out again, I'm realizing again the challenge of not feeling hungry all the time. It definitely takes a while for my stomach and brain to adjust to this new way of

Ann- I walk by myself and with my kids. I have this new route where half of it is on the road and half through a wooded trail, so they really like it. Although there is a very steep hill involved and the three yr. old is on my back during that. Last night the sweat was just pouring off of us. I had an epiphany last night that I should get my bike out with the seat on the back and take youngest dd for bike rides while school is still in sessison and we can go by ourselves. I'm trying to come up with some options for our kids to swim this summer. For the first time in about 25 years, my parents are not opening up their pool this summer. It is a huge bummer because that is where he have always gone every summer. What are you doing for snacks these days? I need some ideas.

Ok well, guess it's time to start the day..... hello to everyone out there...

Happy Monday all!

Yesterday was good. I had to hand out cookies, menus, and race applications to people at a 10k classic yesterday. The owners of my cafe are big runners, and put on a 5k in August. The cafe is in the downtown area, and that area has gone through "rough" times, and is getting better, so the proceeds of the race go to purchase items to help beautify downtown. The race helps to bring people down that normally are too "afraid" of that area because of it's old reputation, so now they see that it's not like that anymore. So anyway, that is what I did yesterday morning...and I won 4 weeks of karate lessons and a uniform from the karate booth next to me! LOL! I have been wanting to sign my little one up for awhile, so I'm excited to get free lessons.

So today is my 7 year wedding anniversary. Dh, dds and I are going out to dinner tonight...our original plan was to go to TGI Friday's, but now I'm thinking that I want to be good. If I go there, I know that I won't. I love their Jack Daniels burger and the chicken strips (fried, with the JD sauce...YUM) so if I go and then be good, I have a feeling I won't feel satisfied. I'm thinking that maybe I will see if dh would want to go to Applebees instead. That is dds favorite restaurant, so they will be happy there.

It is going to be another hot one here in NY today; I believe it is supposed to reach 100 in the city. We haven't turned our AC's on yet; I'm hoping that we can keep from turning them on today, but we will see.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and has a great day!

Hello,

Well, I have one day back on program under my belt Today is turning out harder than anticipated because I had to take dh in for a colonoscopy this am and the doctor found a tumor he thinks is probably cancer He won't get the biopsy back for a couple of days but he says he'd be really surprised if it wasn't. So now I really want to stress eat. But I'm here instead and I think I might go to the gym and swim laps after I'm done posting just to get out of the house and away from the food. I wanted to go for a ride, but it is just tooooo muggy out, but I may take the dog out later.

Ann - Thanks for the welcome back. Don't worry about the riding you walk and run, that I don't do and we all have feet (at least I think we do).

Paige - Happy Anniversary So do I read your avatar right and your at goal? If so belated congrats.

Erica - molasses cookies that sounds good and I'm not a sweets eater. I agree, I was really hungry yesterday and couldn't figure out why. But I decided it was just getting back on track. Congrats on getting thru the weekend.

- Tech

Hey!!! I'm here, welcome back Donna!
Erica, you too, in case you didn't see the post I made about that.
What the heck happened? I couldn't get on here for days and now things are lost? Hope we are back in business!

Ta Da! I announce that I went back to the gym today. It felt good and I earned about 3 points. I am proud of myself.

I did something that I am also kind of proud of too.... I've been driving around with this pair of jeans that I ordered by accident from JC Penny. They came and I found out they were not the usual ones I wear with a bit of elastic built into the sides of the waist-band. I found them "snug" and thought I would exchange them. But, hadn't gone over by JC Penny in a long time and they have been in the back of my car for ages. Well, today, I picked them up and was going to move them and said, "Darn it, I should be WEARING these things... no excuses.
I am keeping them.
I need to keep at this and figure out what to do. I'm back in business, I guess.
I've been really down in the dumps and sinking, but no one is going to make this easy for me and I have to learn to accept what I cannot change.
So, let's get rolling guys!
I'll do better than posting my art photo again, here is a link to my friend Beth's blog:

http://www.quilterb-bethsblog.blogspot.com/

You can go there and read about "my on line friends" and see her photos of my art, she gave me credit and posted them as I have used some of her photography for my art.
I hope to SELL something... need to get to work on finding a gallery.
Take care everyone!

Hello everyone,
Well one thing about hot steamy days, my appetite goes down and my water intake goes up, so overall I was happy with today. I did not do any formal exercise, but i did rent a carpet cleaner and that made me sweat!!

Linda-you went back to the gym, that is awesome, was it hot there? I find a lot of times gyms are not air conditioned which can be rough. When I was a substance abuse counselor, we use to use the term "fake it 'til you make it". I really like this phrase, as I relate it to myself when I'm starting out, not likeing a lot of my "new behaviors" and fighting them all the way. You asked about how many days does it take to form a new habit? (was that you that asked?) It is 21 days. You've already won half the battle when you say, "accept what you can't change", now, you just have to focus on the "wisdom to know the difference". I checked out that blog, love those pieces of artwork. Will it be a lot of work to find a gallery?

Tech- that is awful about your husband, I really hope that everything works out ok.

Paige-Happy Anniversary!! Did you end up going to Applebees?

Ann-How was your day?

Well, here's hoping for another good day tomorrow!