If you have about 50 or more pounds to lose, jump on in and join us! You'll be sure to get a warm welcome.

Texaslady, glad you enjoyed the game! Good thing you didn't get the weather we had yesterday, with t-storms so bad they cancelled the Fiesta river parade. We needed the rain, though, and today is gorgeous! Re: your friend's low vision problems, there are *so* many great aids out there; an Internet search on "low vision aids" will give lots of results. Dad got his through the V.A., but they contract out to a private company that evaluates you and prescribes the right aids. I'm sure Houston has companies like that! What exciting news about your dd's closing; it's all coming together so well!

Liz, good to hear from you again! I envy you having a Trader Joe's nearby; what a place! I hope your poison ivy episode is cleared up? How awful; swollen eyes can be so painful. Were you out hiking when you contacted it?

Carol, you're right, I didn't make much of a haul; will keep shopping! Glad you liked the salsa; it's a staple in our house. Re: the beach, we're heading to Rockport, a lovely little artsy town near Corpus Christi. We stay at this old motel built right on the water, so when you're on the porch outside your room, you're actually over the water. Guess it was built before codes prohibited that! They have lots of nature trails and such, so will try to get in lots of walking and some swimming.

Hi to Janet, Saara, Patti, Rebecca, Stamps, Nancy, Nancy, and Kendra; hope all is well!
Regards,
Jan

Hi Ladies,

Well, the crawfish held me back a little - I lost 1.2. But I just realized that the girl made a mistake on my card. She put that my loss for the week was only .8. So, all night I thought that was all I lost. I know it is not a big difference but I want credit for every ounce. She DID have my total right (19.6) though. I'm happy -- as long as it keeps going down.

Rebecca - I LOVE potato chips also. I'm not much of a sweet eater, but I love salty snacks. I only eat WOW chips now and when I do, it is only a handful with a sandwich. But I really like them and they taste like the real thing. And I must not eat enough of them to bother my stomach, because I haven't had any problems. I like the Ruffles the best. Hang in there.

Jan - My natural hair color is dark brown and he keeps it basically dark brown with like a tint of auburn. It covers those "lighter" hairs very well - if you know what I mean.

TexasLady - My son's prom is May 18th. We have a baccalaureat (sp?) Mass that morning and a breakfast after. Then graduation is the 21st. He starts exams next Monday. Last day of school is May 4. On May 3 we go to Lake Charles, Louisiana for a State band competition. It's a 5 hour bus ride - ugh!!! They had the band banquet this weekend and they showed a slide show and it made me cry.

I don't know if you all heard or not, I know they showed it on COPS and they are showing it on America's most wanted - but an 11 year old girl was kidnapped from Slidell (which is right across the lake from us) the day after Easter. Her 6 year old sister saw her go to give directions to a man in a van - he wanted to know where the office of their apartment complex was. No one has seen her since. Everyone is just sick about it. My niece is 11 and I could cry everytime I think about it. You can just hear the emotion in the newscasters voices when they talk about it each day. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Well, I'd better go, my boss is taking me to lunch for an early Secretary's Day treat. We are going to Cannon's Restaurant. They make a wonderful grilled fish!! Hi to everyone I missed.

Take care,
Patti

Hi everyone.
Not to bore you all, but Jan asked... I just added a new album of pix of my little sweetie to my Picture Trail site- they are all in the "World' Cutest Toddler" book.
Will post more later. Bye for now.
Carol

STAMPS HERE (Thanks for the shorter name...I like it!)

Question...
Does your menstral cycle have an effect on your WI? Do you retain water (thus weight)?

I WI Thurs. & I will let you know. If I gain it was either the cycle or the Lonestar Steak House. :0)

Carol, the new pix are delightful! he must be a real joy for you and his parents!

Stamps, I'm sure that your cycle could have an effect on your WI....if so, it will soon pass. hang in there, and stay OP as you can.

Patti, you have a busy schedule!! Our senior events are spread out from May 12, Prom, thru Graduation on June 14. She has some minimum days this week, so hopefully, we will get some driving practice in.. I need to make an appointment for her driving test, I guess she is ready.
What is it about the crawfish that did you in? Are they boiled in saltwater? or what? We made our reservations to go to New Orleans in Sept-Oct...you will have to clue me in as to what foods are *mandatory* to try.

Have a great day!

~~~~
Joyce

Patti, congrats on the 1.2! That's a very good loss. Nearly 20 pounds gone now! That's so terrific. Hope you enjoyed your grilled fish at lunch; isn't it great that most seafood places now have healthier choices like that? I can remember when pretty much everything at seafood places was fried.

Carol, those pictures of your little sweetie are just precious! What a cute Easter outfit he had, too! That darling little smile of his really shows what a happy and loved child he is. Thanks for sharing those with us!

JOYce, are you and your DH driving or flying out to New Orleans in Sept-Oct? If driving, hope you'll stop by for a visit with us. (We have spare bedrooms and would love to have you stay over!) You'd probably be driving I-10, and we're less than an hour out of your way ...

Stamps, I'm sure that TOM (time of month) has an effect on weight, since we tend to retain water then. You might want to drink more water (which, strangely enough, keeps you from retaining it) to offset that. Also, like JOYce said, don't worry if the scale doesn't show a big loss; it will show up the next week!

Went to my mtg. last night and again had a small gain, second time in a row. Darn. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I'm going to try eating at the short end of my range for a while and journalling more carefully. I'll have to be extra cautious at the beach this weekend, too! I've been walking 3 miles every morning, lifting weights every other day, counting points and drinking the water; maybe I'm having too much salt and not enough fiber. Will just have to try harder!

Hi to Janet, Saara, Texaslady, Rebecca, Nancy, NancyTC, and Kendra!
Regards,
Jan

Hi everyone,

Guess what??? After going out to lunch yesterday (but I was good) - today we had a meeting and we brough Chinese in!!! I had something called Triple Dragon and it seemed pretty light. It had chicken, pork and shrimp in it but the gravy was more like a broth than gravy. It was pretty good. I just feel so stuffed....you know how Chinese food is.

Stamps - My TOM had a little influence on my weight loss a couple of weeks ago. I only lost .8 that week, but they said that was still good because most people show a gain. And then the following week I lost 3.8 so you kind of make up for it I think. Just keep drinking lots of water and DO NOT get discouraged. It's only one week!

Joyce - The crawfish just makes you hold water. Any of the boiled seafood down here is boiled with Zatarains Crab Boil seasoning and it is spicy and salty AND delicious. We put all kinds of good veggies in the boiling water too - like whole heads of garlic, whole onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, cauliflower, artichokes, potatoes and corn on the cob. It is great. You definetly have to try boiled crawfish, crabs and shrimp. Also, you need to try gumbo if you've never had it, shrimp remoulade, bread pudding, pralines, good ole new orleans red beans and rice and barbeque shrimp. That's just to name a few. Where are y'all staying? Have you been here before? The Jazz Fest is this weekend and next weekend. It is huge.

Well, I gotta run. Talk to everyone later.

Patti

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Well, my day is turning out better. The sun is shining and it is 75 degrees. This from the people who just had snow on Sunday. North Dakota weather at its best...

At my weigh in today, I did bad. I gained .9! I was so ashamed. I know what I did wrong, and I knew this morning that I would be weighing heavy because of my eating habits this week. I think though, the gain was enough to kick me in the butt and get me back on track. I just hope this is the last gain I have...

Other than that, I bought a pair of jeans a size smaller than I was wearing...and I can wear them! Maybe a little tight, but not so bad. I am reluctant to buy too many clothes because I am going to reach my goal and I don't want to many clothes that I can't wear. (Thought maybe if I sound optimistic, it will come true.)

But I better run. You all have a great day and I will talk to you soon.

Rebecca

PattiThanks for all the food info! Sounds like a dangerous place, but I am so looking forward to it!
We haven't made reservations to stay anywhere yet, just the traveling ones.

Jan You are such a gracious lady! thanks for the invitation, but we will be flying on our frequent flyer miles. But one of these days, I will say yes!

Rebecca, at least you know what your mistake was, so put it behind you, this is a new week for you!


~~~

Joyce

Hi girls!

Can't stay too long - just wanted to check in. Have been too busy at work to even log onto the site - and today's was Secretaries Day and the boss treated all of us non-secretaries (legal assistants, instead) to a wonderful long lunch at a fancy restaurant. The bosses stayed behind and answered the phone. It was much fun. I had a Greek Salad with Grilled Shrimp on top - yummy and not TOO bad, I guess. Also had a glass of wine - but just one!

Rebecca - congrats on the smaller pants! It's good to reward yourself - I think its especially important when you haven't had a very good week. It helps you focus on all that you have accomplished since joining WW! So just get back up on that horse.

Ditto to Jan. I know that I shouldn't speak as I haven't been staying op very well these last few weeks!! but you are our inspiration! I envy you your trip to Rockport. The place you are staying sounds just too wonderful to be true. My kind of place, that's for sure.

Joyce - You & your dh are going to have the best time in New Orleans! Boy, you better start banking points NOW! Kidding aside, there is lots of boiled seafood available too! But I don't know what you will do about the pecan pralines! Sinfully delicious. Good luck to Melissa on her driving test.

Patti - You have a big month coming up with all your Senior activities! Sounds like such fun, though. My dd was in band in high school too, and we had some of the best times on band trips - also some of the most hair-raising! Nothing like chaperoning a busload of high schoolers to make your hair turn gray fast.

Stamps - I think that TOM may make you not lose as much as you should have. But as these girls have said, it will all come out even in the end as long as you don't let the numbers on the scales throw you into a funk.

Carol - I will check out the photo album once I get home but I am certain I will see the world's cutest toddler in your picture album! Not that his Grandma's prejudiced or anything ..................

Janet - Where the heck are you?

Liz - Good to hear from you! How did you get the poison ivy? Was it when you had your Orienterring week-end? Hope you are better now. My ex dh was SO allergic to poison ivy - he didn't even have to touch it - just be in the vicinity - to get a bad case!!

Saara - Have a good time this week-end! Hope your party turns out great.

Good morning ladies!
Boy, has this been a busy wek to work in an allergist's office!! The pollen count has been over 1500-an all time high, and everybody wants an apointment yesterday. And speaking of allergies, my little is coming in to see my boss for his first allergy appointment this morning. I'm anxious to find out what's causing his chronic runny nose- and all those ear infections before he had his tubes put in!
Liz, sorry about your poison ivy- hope you're doing better. My father was terrribly sensitive to poison oak- I can remember one time when I was a child when his face was swollen beyond recognition after he'd burned some leaves that apparently had poison ivy or oak in them. I too love the Kashi bars- the peanut butter chocolate ones, specifically.
Jan, your beach trip sounds wonderful!! Don't sweat the small gain- as close as you are to goal, it's a fight every step of the way!! Maybe your exercise is adding muscle mass since your eating has been on track? Glad you enjoyed the pix- he definitely is a loved child, that's for sure!
Patti, congrats on the 1.2 loss! Any word on the kidnapped child? Your grilled fish sounds good!
Stamps, I agree with the others that water weight is definitely a factor- some people gain(and then quickly lose) as much as 5 pounds then.
Joyce, your upcoming trip to New Orleans should be a lot of fun! I've never been there- or a lot of other places, for that matter!
Rebecca, congrats on the smaller jeans size!! Isn't that th best feeling? Along the way as my size changes from 24 to 12-14 I've become very good at finding clearance sales and other bargains to save money on the necessary transition clothes! Since you know where you went wrong on the .9 gain, I'm sure it will be gone next week!
Texaslady, how nice of your bosses to take ou all to lunch!! Who me? Slightly prejudiced about the "world's cutest toddler"?

I went out to dinner with a friend Tuesday night and tried something different. It was grilled chicken and grilled asparagus spears on top of penne pasta in a vodka and bacon flavored tomato sauce. It was really good! And speaking of good, has anyone tried the Vitamuffins advertised in WW magazine? I sent for some- they came yesterday, and are really good. Fat free, 8gm of fiber, 200 cal for 2 points (old system) and have all the vitamins and minerals of a nutrition bar. They come in Cranbran, Bluebran and Multibran. Their web site is http://www.vitalicious.com
Gosh! Look at the time! Gotta run. Have a great Thursday, everyone.
Carol

Hi girls...I think this may be the longest that I have ever been AWOL. Sorry, but things have been hectic as usual. I did try to post a couple of times last week, and ended up losing both long posts...so I gave up. I have been lurking some and trying to keep up.

Congratulations to all the losers...and for those of you who showed small gains, don't despair. It sounds like you are all on top of it and aware of why you gained, so I know the scale will be kinder next time. Jan, I bet your gain was because you are building so much muscle. Is weight training something you have just recently started? Krysten and I were just talking about how we wanted to add that to our exercise routine, but I'm trying to take one step at a time. Enjoy your trip to the beach...it sounds wonderful! Tell DH and your dad hi for me.

Stamps, I have never gotten to welcome you. I've been posting here for about a year, but have been slacking a little the last couple of months. You are going to find so much inspiration and encouragement here, not to mention some great friends. TOM definitely causes me to show small gains each month. I'm going through peri-menapause and now some months I have all the symtoms (including the weight gain) but no TOM...very frustrating!!

Patti, everytime I read your posts, I decide that you and I have more and more in common. My daughter graduates May 27 and she has also participated in the band...since the 6th grade. They will have their final band concert next Monday night where all the seniors will be recognized. She was on the flag/guard team for the last two years but before that she played the baritone...with all the boys. She didn't start out wanting to play that instrument, but she was the only one in the 6th grade who could use their lips correctly. Of course, being with the boys ended up being a good thing as she got older. She got a scholarship to do flags at the college she will be attending, so I will still get to go to band functions, but I don't think it will be the same. I'm going to miss all the activities. Has there been any progress made with the kidnapped girl? That tore at my heart, and my prayers are with her and her family.

JOYce, while you are in New Orleans y'all have to go to Cafe Du Monde for some of their scrumptous beignets and coffee or hot chocolate. I don't drink coffee, but their hot chocolate is the best in the world to me. The beignets are fluffy doughnuts sprinkled with powered sugar. I believe the cafe is open 24 hours and is down in the French Quarter. Just talking about it makes me want to hop in the car right now!

Texaslady, haven't we been having strange weather? One day it will be 80 degrees and the next it will be in the 30's. How did your DD's engagement pics turn out? Have they gotten them back yet? I can't wait to see them.

Carol, I'm glad you had such a good time at your friend's inauguration. What an honor for you to have been included. I know it meant so much to her to have you there. The pics of your sweet grandson were absolutely adorable. I can't wait to meet him in person one day soon. You've never been to New Orleans? Well we will definitely have to rectify that. You can fly down here and we can hop in my car and be there in no time. It is and has always been one of my favorite places. I can remember as a little girl going there and driving down Bourbon Street. They have it closed off now and you have to walk, but back then you could drive. I can remember hanging out the windows and being amazed at all the sights and sounds...most of which were definitely not PG rated...but I loved it. It is just a beautiful, diverse city. I sound like a travel brochure!

Saara, I'm going to email you at home to verify your address before I mail you your package. I know you are computerless right now, but if you happen to log on just watch your email. Enjoy your May Day activities...they sound like so much fun. We have lots of festivals and things going on here right now too. I want to go to Memphis in May, but I don't think that will happen this year. Lynard Skynard is going to be here in a couple of weeks and I am trying my best to figure out how I can find time (and money) to go to that concert. You probably don't even know who that is since you are quite a bit younger than me (and live in Finland), but I KNOW that Jan does!! Get your computer fixed soon...I miss your posts. We are definitely going to have to try to plan our get-together next year around you coming to the United States, so keep us posted about your plans.

Rebecca, don't be ashamed about your small gain. That is a very small amount, and you will be able to lose it in no time. Concentrate on those new jeans you were able to buy in a smaller size. What a wonderful feeling that is! I've only gone down one size so far, but I look forward to everything getting too big and falling off me. Speaking of that, I will have to tell you my "falling pants at the movies" story some time. I'm sure all the girls here who have posted for awhile will remember my embarrasing experience!

Liz, I am sitting here scratching just thinking about poison ivy. I had a terrible case of it last year and vowed NEVER to go through that again. A girl in my office just missed two days of work and ended up going to the doctor twice. It makes me cringe just thinking about it! Take care of yourself and get well soon!! I wish I had a Trader Joe's to shop at. There are so many things I want to try...and I have looked all over here for those Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches but haven't had any luck. I don't even really love ice cream, but everyone makes them sound sooooo good!

Well, I don't have much to report on the weight loss front. I've been having those TOM symptoms so I have showed a slight gain the last two weeks. Hopefully next week will be better. DD has really been exercising like crazy lately, so she has inspired me to do better. Of course, I don't have one tenth of her energy. She is so ready for school to be out. She has gone through twelve years without ever even being sent to the principal's office, but last week she called and told me that she got ISS. I was all excited thinking it was something good (since she was calling me at my office during the middle of the day). Turns out it stands for "In School Suspension" and she got it for being tardy to a certain class. I hated it for her because now she can't be exempt from her exams after she has worked so hard, but she was relieved that I didn't get all bent out of shape. I was worried about my sister-in-law (who is a teacher at the high school) knowing about it and telling my mom. I was going to tell her, but wanted to do it in my own way and time. Well, it turns out that Krysten spent her two days in ISS sitting next to her cousin. He was in there for skipping and that really made Krysten mad. She didn't think that the punishment for being 5 seconds late for class should be the same as for skipping. Their first assignment was to write a report telling how they felt being in ISS and about the teacher that put them there...and let's just say that Krysten gave them a piece of her mind. She is an angel most of the time, but she can be very opinionated. I wonder where she gets that trait??

Back to work. Hi to Nancy, Nancy and Kendra. Did I miss anyone?? Have a great OP week.

Janet (kudzu)

Hi Janet! Good to hear from you! Sounds like you have really been busy. Thanks for the encouragement; if I can just stay OP this weekend, surely things will turn around! Re: the weight training, my little sister designed a simple program for me (curls, rows, etc.) that I do with 10-pound weights from WalMart. She's a physical therapist and a personal trainer, so I'm in good hands! Next time she visits, she's going to add more "stuff" to the routine. It's fun to do, and I can already see results after only a couple of months. And thanks, yes, I'll be sure to say "hi" to Dad and dh for you! We're all hoping to see y'all again at our second reunion, and you're right, we definitely need to plan that around Saara's visit! Sure hope you get to go to the Lynard Skynard concert! You're right, I have several of his tapes. Sorry to hear Krysten got ISS; doesn't seem right for just a tardy! But it sounds like she's handling it well. Glad she got the chance to tell them how she felt about it!

Carol, thanks for the tip on the Vitamuffins; will have to try those! How did your little darlin's appointment go this morning? I'll bet he was excited to see you there! That asparagus and penne dish sounds great; penne is our favorite pasta anyway. We get huge bags of it at Sam's to divide between the houses. Also, Hodgson's Mill makes a whole wheat penne that's lower in points.

Texaslady, yes, I think you'd like this place! It's a little old and worn, small rooms, but clean, with a great pool. Not too far from Houston, really! It's at http://surfcourtmotel.com/ .

Rebecca, jeans a size smaller, that's great! And like everyone said, don't let the small gain throw you off track; I know that's discouraging, as I 'm in the same boat, but I agree with you that it should just give us more incentive to work harder. We'll both show a loss next week, I'm sure!

JOYce, I'll hold you to that, now; you just have to come to our next reunion! I know you'll enjoy your New Orleans trip; such a fascinating city! I love the antique shops. And the aquarium is a marvel too. Guess my favorite thing is taking those riverboat rides, though!

Patti, we must have been posting at the same time. Are you going to the Jazz Festival this weekend? How is your search for a house going?

Hi to Saara, Stamps, Nancy, Nancy in tc and Kendra; hope you had a great Thursday!
Regards,
Jan

Hi All!!

Joyce - I had forgotten about the beignets - they are great. We make them at home sometimes. Cafe du Monde is right in the French Quarter on Decatur Street.

Texaslady - I have been chaperoning the band for the last 4 years and the worst trip we have been on was 2 years ago to San Antonio. We went by charter bus and the bus driver was falling asleep at the wheel. We traveled all night both ways and the parents on the bus never closed their eyes because we were so afraid. Thankfully the bus company will be a different one to go to Lake Charles. I did actually enjoy San Antonio though. We went to Fiesta Texas and The Riverwalk and Alamo.

Janet - My son has only been in band since his Freshman year. He has always loved to play music though. He is in the bad boy group of the band ----- the Percussion group!!!!! He has learned to play so many instruments though, like all the drums, snare, quads, bass, tympany, and all of the melodic percussion instruments too. He also can play keyboards, guitar, and bass guitar very, very well. I will really miss the football games and especially the Mardi Gras Parades. We were in 4 this year and I really love them. It is alot of walking though. We did Bacchus this year and it is almost 10 miles. At least DS only carried a snare drum this year. Last year he carried 40 lb. quads!!! I'm gonna miss it though.

Jan - No I wont be at Jazz Fest this weekend. Our church fair is this weekend. Maybe next weekend. Haven't actually seriously looked for a house yet. Still reeling from spending all of this money on graduation.

For everyone who asked about Lisa, the girl that was kidnapped - still no sign of her. The whole community is involved. It is really sad. Her picture is in every store you go into. I keep thinking of that move "The Deep End of the Ocean" and hope that she is alive and well and will be reunited with her family soon.

Well I'll talk to you all later.

Patti