HI everyone,
Hope your all having a great weekend.
I've lost a couple of pounds this past week. It is nice to see that scale start to move again. I was watching the show Discovery Health Bodies 2 on DHC and it was pretty interesting to see how they looked from beginning to end. None of women started out as heavy as I am now.

The kitty has left. She apparently figured out how to use the cat door a couple of nights ago and she has not returned. I guess this was not the cat Shangrala that I thought. Our cats are much happier.

Aleka, I decided to order the Denise Austin Mini Stepper from QVC. It is small and compact and I won't have to remember how to do anything special. Just stepping and exercises with the arms. It was a lot cheaper than the one they sell on HSN. I may order the oxysize later. I do like the idea of breathing exercises.

Talk to you all later, Nikki

Niki,
I just got a new tredmill and I love it so far, mind you I have only had it two days

What is with these oxysize exercise?? I think I will try to find this out on the net later.

Well all for now, will check back as time permits, now that I must work my exercise into my day, haha.

Oh yea, it is raining so hard, as I said, I am thinking of building an ARK.
Tazcat

What a terrible tragedy this past Sat. I feel for the friends and family members of the astronauts. I couldn't believe the news when I heard it.

tazcat, how are things going with the treadmill? What kind did you get, a motorized belt or one that you physically have to move yourself? We got about 3" of snow yesterday. We didn't mind because they were predicting up to 12". Tomorrow they're talking about rain. I think I will leave my car outside in the rain to get some of the crud off it. My car is sooo filthy.

nikki, congratulations on the weight loss!!! Has the kitty returned? The poor little thing. Maybe that's what happened to her in the first place, her running away from home. Let me know how you like her mini stepper. I'm still doing Walk Away the Pounds with weights and the gazelle.

Enjoy the rest of the day.
Aleka

Hi everyone,
Yes, it was a terrible thing that happened on Saturday. I rarely watch the news and saw it on the computer. What a shock.

Aleka, I still do the gazelle about 3 times a week. It is still fun and I like that I don't have to think about it. Sometimes, I just zone out and before I know it, 20 or more minutes have gone by. I also do pilates, cardio sculpting tape and the abdoer. The total gym we got for Christmas is not my favorite thing. It needs to be adjusted so often for different exercises, I get frustrated with it. DH likes it. I'm going to use the little stepper for when DH is asleep. I swear, he's always asleep, except when I want to sleep, then he's wide awake and the tv is blaring. I think he's half deaf. Wish I could do the walk away the pounds, it looks like fun too.
The kitty is still gone.
It's raining now and will turn into snow they say. I have to take DD to work in an hour and pick her up at 10, this will not be a pleasant night for that.

Later, Nikki

Hi Everyone!

Nikkic, you are doing just awsome!! Congratulations

Like all of you, I felt terrible about the accident on Saturday
Morning. So awful. I hope they didn't suffer. Seven teenagers
died in Western Canada over the weekend too on a ski trip with
their school. An avalanche. Just tragic. What a weekend.


Dad goes at 9 pm tonight for his MRI. The hospital runs these
tests 24 hour a day if you can believe it!

I just bought the new Atkins book. I will let you guys know what
I think about it.

Tony Little and Joan were both on this past weekend.

Anne.

HI you guys,
Anne, I hope everything went ok for your dad and it wasn't too long of a night. I hate to go to the Dr at the U of I. You hurry up to get there, wait hours to see the Dr. and then wait even longer while he's doing something else. Last time, we sat and waited over 5 hours in a little room to see him. I know a few times when I've gone there, they just forget all about us and then realize we're in a room waiting. Well, the nurses there are very disorganized, so that's part of it.

We got a load of wood yesterday and got it moved just in time. A blizzard hit in the afternoon and by the time DD went to work, you could barely see across the driveway. DH took her, he didn't want me out in it. Later, when I went to pick her up, it had quit snowing, but still blowed badly. The door hinge froze open and I had to drive with the door open and try to hold it shut. I tried to thaw it out and even sprayed that stuff in there to deice it, but it was really cold out last night. Wind chill was -10, but I think it must have been colder, the wind was just vicious. It isn't much better today.

Trying to stay warm, you all do the same, Nikki

ANNE, hope your Dad made out alright last night. That's great the hosp. does MRI's 24 hrs. a day. I don't think they do it around here, but I'm not sure. Maybe in the larger hospitals. Please let us know how he made out.

nikki, how much snow did you get? We started out with sleet, then snow, back to sleet, now it's just raining. I think it's supposed to get colder later on in the week. I watched Suzanne most of the weekend. Didn't buy anything though. She had eating chocolate bars and baking chocolate bars this time, but they were too expensive. It's funny, everytime I see her on HSN I want to start her WOE again, because I really do miss the food.

Hi tazcat, hope you're having a good day.

Take care and stay warm.
Aleka

Hi Everyone!

The weather in Toronto is absolutely disgusting Freezing
rain, sleet, high winds etc.

Dad made out fine with his test but he is worn out from the
MRI. He says the tests just zap his energy level.

He goes back today for a bone scan. He is really upset about
this one because it is a long test. Because some of his ribs
are missing from his previous surgeries he finds lying on the
metal table painful. His breathing problems don't help either
when he is lying flat.

What a winter you guys!!! Bad roads forcasted again for today!

Anne.

ANNE, how did your Dad make out with his bone scan? How awful for him that he has to go through all that pain. You really do have some nasty weather. It's gotten colder here so that all that rain we had yesterday turned to ice. I wish winter was over already.

Hi nikki & tazcat

Have a good day everyone!
Aleka

Hi Everyone:

Dad made out fine with the scan and he's glad that test is over.
He goes back on Feb 17 for the Bronchoscopy and on Feb
18 for the results of all his tests.

My autistic son David is currently sick with stomach flu, I am
doing laundry around the clock when I get home at night. My
husband is also sick with a fever of over 100 degrees. He is
just over shingles!! What else can go wrong? I better
not ask that one or I'll find out!!!

Hope you are all well, it is still freezing in Toronto.

Talk to you soon.

Anne.

I'm glad that your Dad made out ok with his bone scan. I've got my fingers crossed that all his other tests come out ok. Sorry that your DH & son are so sick. I hope that they're better really soon. That's good news that your DH is over the shingles. You probably should try and rest a bit, otherwise you may get sick too.

It's freezing here too. This cold is getting sooo tiresome! DH & I are planning on going to Florida in a couple of weeks and we can't wait to get out of here!!

You take care and try not to get sick yourself.

Aleka

God makes our lives
a medly of joy and tears,
hope and help, love and
encouragement.
Morning chicks, still on the tredmill everyday, and enjoy it.. It is motorized and goes fast.

I hope you have a good day. I am leaning weight watchers as I just cannot go without fruit. So it is a little LC and a little WW. The POints of LC HAHA
Love Tazcat

Hi everyone,
I'm losing about 2 lbs. a week now. It is not as dramatic, but it's the healthier way to go. I've always read that the less you have to lose, the slower the weight loss. I still need to lose about 68-78 lbs, so I don't have to worry about that problem yet.
Tazcat, in Somersizing, fruit is fine-except for the dreaded banana. I know your not following the SS plan now, but it's an example of what is ok with one is not always ok with another. I believe all people eventually take a plan and make it their own to suit themselves anyway. I see nothing wrong with eating fruit, it is a beautiful gift from God and very healthy. I even eat bananas occasionally too. My favorite snack is an orange or an apple. I would have never thought that a year ago. Back then a snack was potato chips and dip, the fruit would just rot and then I'd throw it away.

Anne, your dad is an inspiration. I know he must be getting tired of all the testing and discomfort. I hope your son and DH are better. I hope you don't come down with that too. That is hard to avoid when your already run down and cleaning up after eveyone else's sickness. Your poor DH, just gets over the shingles and then this. I know it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's still there. Hang in there girlfriend, do something nice for you tonight. Take a long hot bath or use a facial mask. I've found some really cheap ones at Walmart. They come in all kinds of flavors and are so much fun to use. Some of them are for stress, some to reenergize. DH always gets this look on his face when I use them-it's priceless.

Aleka, I will be so jealous when you go to FLA. It is -7 here this morning. I don't know what the wind chill is. Man, is it cold. Spring is just around the corner. I'm planning on putting in a big garden this year, or at least big for me. We don't have a lot of land. I wish we had about 10 acres, I've always thought that would be the perfect amount. I'd like a small pond too, while I'm dreaming. I've always wanted to raise my own chickens, have a pig and a cow. DH says I'd just make pets out of all of them and never be able to eat them. He's right of course.

I have to go exercise. I took the day off yesterday from everything, even ate some french fries. They were surprisingly unpleasant.

Take care, Nikki

We're getting snow this morning and it's supposed to last most, if not all day. Thank goodness we're on the northern edge of the storm, the farther south you go the more snow. I was to meet my GF for lunch and some shopping, but had to cancel because I don't like driving in snow. It's the type of snow that makes everything slippery. My GF & I aren't having much luck meeting weekly this winter because of all the nasty weather. Last winter we hardly had any snow and we had no problems.

nikki, that's wonderful you losing 2 lb. a week. They say it's the safest way to lose weight. I have no doubt that you will succeed in losing all the weight you want. I've decided to incorporate more Somersizing into WW, by still counting my points and hopefully by the time my membership is up, I'll just continue SSizing, if I lose any weight. What really made me decide was when I realized that when I go into my next set of points, I'll only be eating 900-1100 cal. a day, and that does not seem very healthy. When I reach goal, and start adding calories for maintenance, I'll start putting the weight back on. Like you, I've always wanted to raise any kind of animal. Living on a farm and having lots on animals would be my ideal. And, like you, they all would be pets.

tazcat, I agree with nikki about Somersizing, you are allowed a lot of fruits, except for bananas, but when I really crave one, I will have it. I found that I eat more carbs on WW only because they are so low in points, and I always feel blah Let me know how you do with WW & LC without racking up too many points.

Anne, how are your DH & son feeling? I hope they recover from the flu pretty quickly. Hope you're taking care of yourself.

Take care and have a great weekend
Aleka

A quick note-
DH just came in and said he had an unexpected visitor in the garage. The little kitty is back. She endured a blizzard and -20 wind chills. She is thin again and eating everything in sight. I am not exactly thrilled that she's back, our cats aren't happy. But, it's good to know that she's alive. Perhaps she is just passing through again, we'll see.
Talk to you all tomorrow, Nikki