Hello lovelies!

And that's another week gone. I'm not quite sure where, especially this weekend. Why do weekends always go so fast?

Anyway, the weekend was pretty quiet for me. I meant to check in, but didn't quite get that far. Made it to the gym and had a good workout on Saturday and was on call yesterday for work, so couldn't really go anywhere since my mobile's out of action at the moment. I don't use my mobile very often, but it was a bit frustrating, so I must go and see the nice people at Vodafone this week. I did get below 240, which was my goal for February, so I think I deserve a carrot!

And I learned a lesson today in why I need to organise myself. Normally on a Sunday I cook up a lot of food to get me through the first few days of the week since Monday is always a busy day and the last thing I want to do on a Monday night is cook. I didn't do that last night - had leftovers instead. So when it came time to sort out my lunch I had nothing really suitable for lunch except a packet of instant noodles. I took them to work, ate them and by about 3pm I was hungry, grumpy - you name it. So a lesson for me - I need protein and low GI carbs at lunchtime and instant noodles provide neither! I'm waiting to see what impact the sodium has on the scales...

Bit of a sad day for me today. This day 18 years ago my first boyfriend died in a car accident. We'd broken up several months before hand - no dramas or anything like that, just normal teenage stuff, but yeah. It's the one day a year I spend a lot of time thinking about him. I think about him at other times too, of course, but it struck me that this year he's been dead longer than he ever was alive. It's quite a bittersweet feeling.

MJ, hope you enjoyed that mani/pedi! Brilliant idea!

Mug, good for you with the exercise! Trust me, it does become a habit (and dare I say it, a little addicting as well, seeing how much you improve from week to week).

Red, how are you doing?

Numina, it's all about having fun, isn't it?

Lottie, a book, huh? What ganre? How many words? I play at writing - got lots of ideas, and a couple of starts at a novel, but I don't quite have the discipline to actually knuckle down. One of these days...

So the menu today was:

B - toast with vegemite

S - yoghurt

S - muesli bar

L - instant noodles

D - chicken, rice, stirfry.

Have a fantastic Monday!

Stuck at the same level and bloated (TOM).

I did relax my plan a bit, and had a couple of glasses of red wine to relax. I am busy packing, and there is huge stress and pressure at home (parents), as I am leaving for the UK again, and they hate the idea. Have to plan what to snack on during the trip, which will take almost a day, door-to-door.

Good luck, ladies, stay cool, stay on plan and think summer dresses!

Welcome to March, everyone! Hope you folks in the Northeast are staying warm and dry....

Nicole: Welcome to your new decade, too! Into the 230's, eh --- you are really shrinking! Congratulations! And it does sound like organization is crucial to you staying OP at work. I feel guilty sometimes because being a stay-at-home Mom makes my eating, etc. so much easier --- I have NO excuses for not eating well! Your former boyfriend must have been pretty special for you to remember him so fondly. Hope your day is going well down under, Nicole.

Fractal: Isn't red wine supposed to be good for you in a lot of ways? And it does sound like you can use a little stress-relief. Are you heading to the UK for business or pleasure? A short trip or more of a permanent move? Good luck with the airline foods and I hope those storms back by Boston don't mess you up.

I had a good weekend and actually stayed on plan, even getting in to the rec center to do my treadmill walking. I have been avoiding this for the last 2 weeks, but today is the day I start a free weight routine at home -- today will be the upper body section. Eeek!

B: oatmeal, almonds, maybe yogurt
S: grapefruit
L: salad with tuna, apple
S: popcorn if I am snacky
D: darn good question! probably some kind of chicken

Let's get a strong start to this new month! Every good choice we make, every minute we push our bodies --- it all brings us closer to that healthy and vibrant woman we know we can be. I want to get close enough to shake that woman's hand! Have a good Monday!

Hi chicks! Prodigal Schmoodle back again! It was a very busy week last week and eating was atrocious. Time to stop this snowball from rolling downhill any farther. My jeans are getting tight and I worked too hard to get into these 14s - no way I am going back to 16s again. Hello schmoodle, it's for you, this is your wake up call! I am determined to take 5 lbs off in March, even if it means I have to ...gasp... exercise. Okay, here's today:

B: taco bake, coffee with milk
S: mozzarella cheese stick, V8
L: roasted brussels sprouts, hard boiled egg, celery with hummus
S: skim latte, bean brownie
D: Beef stew, roasted asparagus
S: NSA fudgesicle

I hope everyone has been doing well lately. I'll catch up when I get a chance but I have been thinking about you all and did pop in a few times to read, although posting my food seemed a little ridiculous.
BeverlyJoy, hope you are feeling better (physically and emotionally). I read about your husband's job. I am so sorry. I hope this won't be too much of a hardship for the two of you. It's got to be hard on him when he's been with the company for so long.
Hi numina, your menu looks really yummy!
Hi fractal, is the UK trip a vacation, or something else? I have a glass of red wine or two once a week. It's part of my plan (a nice part).
nicolen, congrats on making your February goal! Good job chick!
Big hello to Rhonda, Lyn, mj, mug, redflame, cfmama, Lottie, and anyone else that stops by!

Snow day here for everyone but me. Kids are home, DH couldn't make it to Baltimore so he turned around and is home for the day. When you telecommute, there is no such thing as a snow day! This will be a busy week, as I've got meetings Thursday and Friday so those will be commuter days, and a trip the beginning of next week to Charleston SC.

Hiya Friends.

I can't believe it's March already. Time is going by too quickly and I've not accomplished anything in weight loss or getting healthy this year. I've fallen back into the sugar/refined carb binges and I'm finding myself fighting the depression again. This is a horrible cycle and I'm fighting to find my way back out again. One day I will realize that I'm addicted and I can't eat this junk.

Starting today, I've decided to get on the treadmill every day whether I've eaten on-plan or not. In the past, I rarely exercised and I definitely never exercised when I was off-plan. I'm hoping that exercising will make me less likely to eat off-plan.

Have a great on-plan day.

Hey, Schmoodle --- good to see your shining face around here this morning. (It's a pretty grey day here and I am depending on you guys to bring some color back into the world.) I just wanted to say: SIZE 14'S ?? Oh, baby! you DEFINITELY have to get back in charge so you can keeping wearing such a wonderful number!

Enjoy your snow day. Try to find a few minutes to line out what you need to do for the week, since it sounds like things are going to ramp UP as far as chaos goes.

posted this in last weeks thread....ooops...so here it is in this weeks......

Feeling really lousy. Not losing. On period. Fought all weekend with hubby. Binged yesterday for the first time in a long time.

Today I will:

go walking at lunchtime

Breakfast
egg & cheese muffin

snack
10 almonds

lunch
subway again--I think I'll puke if I have to eat this much longer

Snack
10 almonds

Supper
Who the heck knows. I have fresh green beans, cauliflaur.

I sure hope this week lets me lose some weight cause Im starting to get really angry and thats not a good sign...........

Hey there, Rhonda!

Sounds like the nasty fat pounds are ganging up on you! They are undermining your confidence and edging you towards that hopeless feeling that comes over all of us at various times during this fight, maybe even toward giving up.

HA! They don't know you very well, do they?

Making an absolute appointment with your treadmill every day is probably the best immediate course of action I can think of. It will rev up your metabolism some, give you something very tangible that you can do to fight back and -- best of all --- exercise like that will elevate your mood along with your heart rate. I have been avoiding going to the rec center all morning myself, so why don't you and I just do this together today?

So, got your walking shoes on? Have a water bottle filled, chilled and handy? Got some move-it-out music to get those toes twinkling? Then lets do this thing!

Watch out, March Munchies and Fat Enfeeblers --- we are large and in charge!

Hi chicks...I had a wonderful weekend with our kids here and celebrating our GS 2nd birthday.

Today - DH is starting his new job of finding a new job! He's a positive person and I am hoping he can find something he likes in a reasonable amount of time.

For today:

office work
heat/ice
stretches and strengthening
lots of water
meditation
PMA

b - egg white scramble, hash brown, ketchup, sf applesauce
l - cheese toast, salad
s - apple and pnb
d - grilled chicken, tossed salad, corn
s - cereal, milk, fruit

Mug - hope you feel better.

Schmoodle - congrats on being in the size 14's . I know you can do this and get back into the swing of your healthy eating routine. Thanks for your kind wishes for DH's job. This is a scary thing.

Rhonda - sorry to hear that you are fighting depression. Sometimes I think it often goes hand in hand with weight issues and lots of carbs. At least it does for me. I am glad you posted. You are not alone in this my friend.

Numina - I LOVE your attitude - yes, we need to be the beautiful ladies we CAN be. Thanks for that reminder!

Fractal - feel better and good luck on your trip!

Hi Nicolen - so glad you started us out for the month!! Have a GREAT day - despite thinking of your friend that passed so long ago.

MJ - Hope you are doing well!

Everyone...........have a good OP day.

Hi everyone! I maintained AGAIN this week...don't get me wrong, that's much better than gaining, but I want to do more than maintain!!! Oh, well, I will keep at it! I do know I ate too much sodium and didn't get enough water, so that's part of the problem. Plus TOM is lurking, so that doesn't help either.

nicolen--Congrats on getting below 240!!! Great job! Sorry to hear that it's a sad day for you. Always sad to hear about someone so young.

fractal--I maintained this week too...better than a gain!

numina--Great job this weekend!!!! Thanks for the pep talk, I needed that! Also for the reminder...I need to go fill up my water bottle!

Schmoodle--Yippee, you are back! I know you can do it!

Rhonda--Welcome back! I'm w/ you....I tend to eat better when I am exercising b/c I don't want to "waste" my workout...

Mug--Good for you for getting right back on track. Sorry you had a rough weekend.

Beverlyjoy--So glad you had a wonderful weekend! Good luck to your dh!!!

The mani/pedi was wonderful! I even had a gift certificate, so it was even better!!! LOL! I am getting my hair cut on Wednesday, so I will feel (and look) like a new woman!

I need to eat my lunch and then get some serious work done! Have a great OP day everyone!!!!

Hey girls, work is crazy busy, it is 3pm and my first chance to kick back for a few minutes
I managed to take off 2 pounds last week, that was after THREE weeks of nothingness! at that rate I would only take off about 75 pounds in a year........wait 75 pounds in a year really is not that bad at all...I change my mind, I would be happy with that
Crap, I would be happy if my big toe shrunk at this point!

Today:
2 pkg ocean Spray Cranberry Pomegranate Instant Oatmeal Yum!
and banana
Lunch, left over whole grain pasta with tons of veggies and some white beans
Snack, 22 almonds (as we speak)
Dinner, black bean sweet potato curry soup, romaine salad with chicken breast

All of you sound anxious for spring...ever notice as spring approaches people seem a little more hopeful, even when things are really crappy...

Hang in there, the daffodils and sun shine is right around the corner (35 degrees farenheight here today!)

nicolen, it's a memoir, 65,000 words, rough draft is finished.

Hey guys,

Well, I'm beginning to think I'm fated not to get salmon when I order groceries online. Yeah, guess what they forgot again. I've emailled them and I'm waiting on a response. I do love the convenience and until the last couple of orders I've never had a problem with them, but I'm just getting a bit annoyed...

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts on my first boyfriend. It's a strange place to be - I think your first boyfriend/girlfriend always has a special memory, but for me it's quite odd. I wonder how often I'd think about him if this hadn't happened, but obviously that's one of those things I'll never know...

Anyway, I got to the gym today and had a hard cardio workout. Work was pretty quiet, and I've got next Monday off, yay! Just need to get through the next few days, including phones tomorrow. Oh, joy!

Fractal, sounds like everything's a bit stressful for you. Hang in there!

Numina, go you with the walking and the weights! Awesome stuff!

Schmoodle, good to see you back! Sounds like you've got a busy week planned!

Rhonda, I'm sure exercise will be a great help!

Mug, sounds like you had a rough few days. Hopefully things will get better for you.

Beverly, that sounds like a wonderful way to spend the weekend. Still sending positive thoughts for your DH's job search.

MJ, sounds like once that sodium and TOM work through you're going to get a fantasic loss! I don't need to tell you to drink lots of water, do I?

Red, yay for a loss. Our bodies do such strange things, don't they?

Lottie, 65,000 words! That's phenomenal! My best effort is around 45,000 words and I'm around halfway through. It's not really a priority at the moment, but maybe over the winter I'll get back to it.

So the menu today was:

B - porridge with dried apricots. Did you know you can cook porridge in the slow cooker overnight and it tastes wonderful? I didn't till this morning. Guess what I'm going to be cooking a lot of.

S - yoghurt

S - muesli bar

L - chicken salad sandwich, 2 plums

D - scrambled eggs on toast.

Definitely need to up the vegies there.

Have fun, everyone!

Hello chicks, just a routine day around here, except the kids are back in school, but only for half a day. I've got telecons up the wazoo and DD's parent teacher conference this afternoon. Dinner is going in the crockpot and laundry is in the wash, so I feel like I'm ready for the day. DH's alarm woke me at 5:30 this morning - he must have hit the snooze before he hit the shower. Maybe I should get up that early every day... nah.
Here's the plan:
B: refried beans, salsa, cheese, coffee with milk
S: V8 and celery with hummus
L: roaster brussels sprouts and egg salad
S: skim latte and bean brownie
D: beef stew and roasted asparagus
S: NSA fudgesicle

congrats on your 2 lbs redflame!
Numina, thanks for the pep talk. I've been feeling like such a failure lately, that I think I lost my perspective. Two years ago I would've killed to be in size 14 jeans (even tight ones). Maybe I'm not such a failure after all!

Silly me, I made the mistake of trying on a pair of jeans that are snug w/ out being bloated...yea they don't fit right now....did NOT put me in a good mood last night! I LOVE these jeans...in fact, I love them so much, I have two pair exactly the same, can't squeeze into either one of them. Plan for today is LOTS of water and to really pay attention to what I am eating. I WILL fit back into those jeans sooner or later (hopefully sooner!)...besides, I have some a size smaller just waiting....I found them on a super bargain, and just couldn't resist!

I will catch up w/ everyone later, just don't have time at the moment.

Have a great OP day!

Yes, my water bottle is full, but not for long!