Hey sleepyheads where are you? I can't believe there isn't a thread yet!

Hope you are all surviving the weather. It's sure cold here. I'm not sure if my tomatoes are going to be able to stay warm under the blankets enough to finish ripening.

Had a great OP day yesterday and last night after I got done canning applesauce and salsa I went to the gym and worked out. Felt great! Worked by underarms twice as hard as normal so I wouldn't have choir lady arms...or whatever you call them.

Anyway, have a great day. Look forward to hearing how you are all doing.

Good morning, Chicks~~

Not a sleepyhead this morning--I've been a busy chick! DD has decided she needs to lose 10 pounds for her upcoming trip to Hawaii so she's decided to join me on South Beach for the next 2 weeks or so.

I've been up since 6:30 making both our breakfasts and lunches.

This is going to be good because having her OP will help keep ME OP!

She said she gets really bad cravings and "munchies" in the mid afternoon and has a high stress job. So, she's adding some cottage cheese and about 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce to her plan. I figure that's better than grabbing a bag of chips and dip or a Snickers bar.

Well, time is running out here for me...and I haven't even had my shower! Gotta run.

RNMOM, congrats on the great OP day and the workout!

Hope everyone has a great day on the Beach!

Mamacita

Good morning to all!
Boy am I dragging today. But I did get on the scale and I lost 1lb! Wish it were more but thats how it goes. At least its off rather than on right. I was Op yeaterday although I know I over did it on the starches yesterday. They had Subway at my friends house that we were going through the ruble and it was on wheat, but I had had a low sugar cereal for breakfast and sweet potatoes with dinner. So none of that for me today. I think I might go back to Phase ! starting today. Just to just start me again. I have my reuinion in 3 weeks and would like to lose another 3-4 pounds so that might be a good way to do both.
Well even though I am draggin I am going to make myself get out and take a walk. I keep hoping I will get in the habit and it will help me with my goal. Alright enough talking. about me.


Rnmom- You go girl!! WOrk those arms
Mama- It is so nice to have someone help keep you on track.

Gotta go get DD1 off to school. Will check in later.

morning chickies,
not much going on here today, the weather is supposed to be beautiful sunny and 80 today. tonight is ds's football game and that is about it in my world. i'm doing my best to stay on my new plan, week 2 is going well so far. got good news from the dr yesterday dd's bloodwork (thyroid) came back all good so we were happy to hear about that. hope you are all doing well.

mama good for you having dd along on the plan. the extra support will be good for you both!!

RNMOM congrats on staying op you can do this!! the salsa and applesauce sound yummy.

to everyone else yet to post GET UP!!!!!! and have a great day!

'morning chickies,

It's kind of cloudy and dull outside, but promises to clear up. I'll have to get the dog out before it gets too warm - hate anything above 25C!

RNMOM, so good to see you've overcome your difficulties. Congrats on an OP day! It is so inspirational to see someone climb back onto the program after a difficult patch.

Mamacita, my dd has been saying she'll join me since July lol! The only problem is she wants me to be her police and I refuse. I have enough other things to police what with homework and piano practice! I envy you having a buddy on the program.

skherb, good luck going back to Phase I.

Hope everybody here and later has a good day. Stay strong!

Hey, girls!

RNMom, it's relatively warm here. I'm surprised... it's been quite cold the last few days.
Good for you for getting in a workout!

Mamacita, good luck to your daughter! I wish I only had 10 pounds to lose. If I'd weighed myself every day years, I don't think I would have ever let the weight creep up like this. Hindsight.

Skherb, congratulations on the pound down! Every bit helps!!

We've ordered our appliances. They're arriving next week some time. Got the stainless steel stove with a smooth top and the buttons at the front of the stove. And a stainless steel range hood and dishwasher. We picked up the microwave the other day, and I'm already cursing my kids for the fingerprints on it.
Next, we start opening up the ceiling and a wall to get at the electrical. I suppose plastic sheeting at the doorways is in order...
And I have to pick colours... I can't decide on them...

I hope everyone is well... back later... hugs for all of you...

Jodi and Heidi... I missed your posts... HI!!!
(Jodi, that's great news about DD's thyroid!)

Good morning - I AM LATE! Once again I woke at 2:30 with a sore knee, had a pee and then rubbed my hands with the lavender ointment. It seemed to help me go back to sleep although I did have a nightmare. Finally woke up at 7 AM – unheard of! I think I need to keep Advil beside the bed for the middle of the night aches. Maybe take it at bedtime?

Jodi, great news about your DD's thyroid test! You must be just tremendously relieved!

RNMOM, I have yet to make my salsa and applesauce. The fruitflies are breeding madly in my kitchen. I need to make pear chutney too - darn Dr. Bob gave me a bushel of his pears! He'll expect a jar or two so I can't just compost the works!

Mamacita, it must be encouraging to have your DD join you on SB. She sounds very aware of her "tricky" times. Her snack sounds good for Phase II or for a very minor deviance on Phase I.

Skherb, don't beat yourself up over Subway. You are in a stressful situation with your friend. Congratulations on the one pound loss.

Heidi, it's dull here today too. I am definitely closing the dog pool this morning. That's it - summer sucked so I'm leaving her behind!

Ellis, maybe you could file their fingertips smooth so they don't leave prints? It sounds like you have another big project ahead of you. It's a good thing you are smart and competent - a sort of Rosie the Riveter!

So today will be a better day! I must bring in the rest of the basil – geez, I say that a lot! – and gather the rest of the tomatoes. After that, aside from the raspberries, the garden will be pretty much finished. I hope to skip a nap and get a bit more sewing done this afternoon. I have to finish up those odds and sods of mending and hemming before I start a new project. I’ve split my To Do List into "sewing" and "other" which makes it less intimidating.

Early dinner tonight as I have meetings. I wish meetings were in the morning instead of at 7 PM! Too bad people have to work!

Big to the chicks I've missed. Have a good day.

Good morning everyone! Good news! Upon completing my second week for phase one, I have lost 5 more pounds this week fora total of 13!! I am sooo excited! I love seeing this jump start in my weight loss, it's so motivational. DH has lost 10 pounds -- that's a lots of weight between the two of us! We are still doing phase one for one more week, and then we'll move on from there -- yay!!

RNMom -- I know, I am worried about my arms, now, too! Ha!

Mama -- That's great about DD -- having DH doing it with me is such a big motivator!

Jodi -- Glad to hear the good news about the thyroid.

Morning Heide, Ellis and Ruth!

I am off to Chicago this afternoon, but I'll be beack Friday, so I hope you all have a great week!!

Well all is well here! Nothing major goin on. I need to start getting my pics and stuff hung on the walls. I have spent enough time tryin to decide where to put everything. I'm still not real sure though. The layout of this room is just so different especially with the cathedral celieng and beams. I know I will make it though after all I am a decorater! haha It's always easier doin other peeps stuff than my own!

Goldie... Congrats on y'all's progress!

Ruth...Advil sounds like a good idea!

Ellis... I fell ya! This kitchen needs a whole new makeover. Hopefully next year I can renovate it! Good excuse to eat out! Fingerprints my emeny!

Heidi... I hope the clouds roll away for ya today!

JustJodi... Congrats for your DD's blood work!

skherb... A pound down is always better than a pound up.

Mamacita... Well maybe you can keep her on P-3 after the 10 so you still have an in-house buddie!

RNMom... I'm up bright and early just not always functional! haha Oh you make me tired with all that cannin and such. My Mom did all that when we were growing up. Not me it's not in my blood line! haha

Well to the chicks that may have posted while i was and to the chicks to come let's all have a great OP day!

Good Morning Everyone!

I made it through my first day of Phase I. I stuck to the plan that he lays out in the book - I started getting a little crazy around late afternoon and was speeding to get home to eat my dinner!!

I slept great!! The sugar in my system is winding down. I have my little lunch packed for today and I'm ready to go! I'm hoping to sneak in a big walk tonight! The weather here is beautiful - for Michigan. I'm afraid that hurricane Ivan pushing up the coast has kept us in sunshine for weeks. My friends in PCB FL are having a terrible time cleaning up. My prayers to everyone who was affected.

Have a super day everyone!

Article

Don't know if many heard about the shootings here yesterday. Some kid went around shooting up everywhere, including the capitol building, killing my boss at the hospital's husband. Also shot my friend Dale's son at Byrds and Brooks, a military surplus store. As far as I know, they haven't caught the guy yet.

Just about everywhere was on lockdown yesterday. Cops patrolled our parking lot. It was a really scary day. I was telling a co-worker that it's amazing who you know in a town of 115,000 people.

So anyway, please pray for Sheila and her two children, as I'm sure the loss of Bill has to be horrible. Also, I think Dale's son is alright, but say a prayer for him, too. He was hospitalized.

You always see this crap on TV, but you never think it's going to happen in your town. Please pray that they catch this jerk. Some 20 yr old ing kid.

Edited for update: Update

They caught the guy. He's 24. MY AGE. I'm not sure if I know the guy or not because I don't get the paper at home and the online version doesn't have his picture. The name sounds familiar though. What a *******. At least he's caught, though.

Incidentally, I thought the ******* shot Dale's son, but apparently Dale shot his own son, trying to shoot the *******. Whoops. His son is ok I'm sure. Big military guy like his dad. Just a gunshot to the arm. Still. Geeeez.

Weezle that is aweful! I will keep you all in my prayers as the whole town will need them! Glad you are ok.

Good morning all! Congratulations on people's weight-loss victories, small and large!

I too made it through Day 1 on Phase I. I didn't eat anything off-plan, but it wasn't a "good" eating day for the most part. My appetite was all out of whack--wanted to nosh all morning long, was standing at the fridge eating slices of turkey breast and fat-free cheese at 10am, then wasn't hungry at dinnertime. I think I'm detoxing from Sunday, when (bad, I know) I ate everything sugary in the house in preparation for going on SBD (should have thrown it away instead). Finally at 10pm I made a kind of stovetop ratatouille with garlic, 1/4 onion, 2 small zucchini, and 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms--sauteed them all in a skillet with some olive oil and a splash of chicken broth. Delicious. Would have been great heaped on top of a chicken breast or a cod fillet--will try soon, after getting some more local zucchini.

I'm amazed and delighted at the prospect of cooking and making salad dressing with actual olive oil. I've been using PAM spray and store-bought fat-free salad dressing for YEARS--it feels so luxurious and wonderful to start a recipe by putting a Tb of EVOO in the pan.

**Actually, this is a question for the Chicks who've been successful with weight loss--how much do you allow yourself a day of healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, peanut butter? I'd like to eat about 1 to 1.5 Tbs a day of olive oil, on a salad at lunch and in sauteeing dinner, but that's 120-180 calories and it just seems anathema to a weight-loss diet. I mean, that's 10% of one's daily calories. But it tastes so goooooood.....

This am I weighed myself: 148--not so bad. That means I want to lose about 15 lbs, but I'm SO out of shape that I'm still going to have a lot of work to do to be a toned 135 instead of a flabby 130. This sounds like a tiny goal compared to the long and amazing journeys of some of the Chicks, but I've struggled so much over the last few years with disordered eating, obsessive dieting, binge eating, weight yo-yo-ing, negative body-image, etc., that just to be on a healthy plan, with sensible eating and regular exercise is the real goal. (Also, since I've been on and off low-carb plans a lot, I don't expect to get the same big initial loss on Phase I that South Beach first-timers do. But maybe I'm wrong?)

My goal for today is to go to the gym and hit the elliptical trainer, and to NOT drink wine or eat fruit or crackers at my department's welcome-back reception today.

Anyway, happy Tuesday!! Also, happy official last day of summer!!

Oh, I forgot to say, Ellis--my brother and sister-in-law have a stainless fridge--they keep a clean dishtowel threaded through one of the door handles at all times, and whenever they notice a fingerprint they rub it off right away. Don't know if this would work with your micro--maybe you could put a magnet hook on one side and hang a small towel on it? Make a rule for touching the micro--"He who smears it, clears it?"

xo
Belly