Happy Monday!
Starting us up.
Gail Day!
Doing the 27 Fling!
Back later.

Good morning Chickies~~

A wee bit melancholy this morning...if I still had my dad, today would have been his 84th birthday. Yesterday, dh and I were in, of all places, Big Lots, a place Dad would have loved b/c of the cheap prices, and saw one of those huge 5# boxes of chocolates. Every year on Christmas morning, one of those boxes would appear and Dad would deny all association with it...but he would always eat the most! Well, just seeing that stupid box of chocolates made me get all teary eyed and weepy. Dh must have thought I'd slipped a gear.

Got together with my sock coach yesterday afternoon and got through the heel-turning process on one sock. I think I pretty much understand it...but I better hurry up and start on the next one before the knowledge leaks out of my brain.

Not much else going on....just rainy, gray and ugly here...

Hope all you chicks have a great day on the Beach!

Mamacita

Good Morning Chickadees! Raining here as well! I've a bout had it with all this rain! Nothing on my plate today except maybe try to find a tree. If it is raining all day I won't go out so I will wait and see. Pretty good w-end. Not the greatest on eating but... I'm focused today! (I hope)
Mama... Today is my DS b-day. I bet that was hard but so glad it was a fond memory. How fun! Maybe you should get a box of chocolate and put it out in his honor! Just a thought! Have a good day and reflect on the happy times!

To all y'all chickies yet to peck in... Have a great day!

Hey Ruth! I didn't see there were 2! teehee I know you will blend them but wanted to say Good morning to you! Here's to you!

Good morning all from sunny bermuda, I had a great week and despite a few cheats (mainly wine) I am down 4.2 pounds. I figured I can't be perfect this time of year with everything but I am really getting my water down and trying to eat a lot of veggies and no bread or pasta. I had a wonderful tuna melt the other night on a portabello mushroom, who would have thought... It is amazing how we can substitute wonderful veggies for bread. I had friends over this weekend for a pasta dinner and made an alternative meal of broiled eggplant layered with shredded zucchini homemade sauce and cheese and I think they liked that better than the pasta. I have also tried metamucil since yesterday (yucky)... But hopefully it works, I feel really bloated. I need to start christmas shopping soon as I will be going home 2 weeks from tomorrow. Hope evryone is doing well today and I'll check back later.

Bon giorno!!

Heading off to see my shrink. Back later, darlings...

Good Morning chickies,

While I've been coming to 3FC I've often seen folks write that they had a post and then lost it in cyberspace. Well, it happend to me this AM. Grrrrr....

Are you all ready for the final weeks of this year? We've got three full weeks until Christmas and four full weeks until ... 2005. Wow! I have two more parties to go next week and thats about it, unless somthing comes up unexpectedly.

My grocery store doesn't carry Laughing Cow Light cheese so I looked elsewhere and tried an alternative and I was very dissappointed. I knew better than to buy two wheels without tasting it first. I guess it can sit there until an emergency comes up.

I need to find two boxes for gifts and wrap them, and I'd better go make some OP food for the next couple of days. Catch ya' later.

Oy! Hershey has a problem! I've just spent an hour cleaning blood spatters off my kitchen walls, woodwork and floors! Obviously she has some sort of post partum "woman' problem. Do they do D&C's on doggies? She seems well but we need to get this looked after bigtime! It's eight weeks tomorrow since she's had the pups so this messy stuff should be over. I'm sure all us girls can relate.

Gail is on her way so I'll hop outta here and check in later. Need to call the vet too.

Morning Chickies!

I missed you all this weekend. Big weekend of shopping in Chicago. I did well with the diet. Although I feel like I've lived off of pistachios, celery, laughing cow and cheese sticks. It really wasn't that bad. I had a regular OP breakfast on Saturday. Then at the craft show I had pistchios, celery, lc cheese and cheese sticks for lunch. For dinner we were at the Rainforest Cafe in the mall. I had a crab cake that was mostly crab - no stuffing, tilapia, coconut shrimp and a few calamari (deep fried rubberbands) They had a light coating that wasn't OP but it was very light and I only ate a few. Steamed veggies and wine. The only really bad thing about this day was the fact that I had 3 diet pops, and I really paid for it. I'm the one that drinks quarts of green tea so pop doesn't sit that well with me anymore. I had enormous bloating by the end of the day.

Sunday am the hotel had a continental breakfast that has absolutely nothing my DSIL and I could eat so we walked to steak and shake. She is diabetic so we are good traveling partners. We both had a bowl of chili and salads for breakfast - cause their egg selections were so - so. Then for lunch we went to Ruby Tuesday's and they have an enormous low carb menu. Very cool! So I had the low carb "church street chicken", with steamed broccoli and mashed califlower. I thought I was in heaven! Then DSIL and I split a piece of low carb cheese cake for dessert! Wow - that place gets a very high thumbs up from me. On the bus on the way home DSIL and I had the usual cheese sticks, celery, pistachios and then she made cinnimon/splenda roasted pecans - super yummy! I got the recipe for that one. I really tried to pound the tea as much as I could to get rid of the bloat on Sunday. NO POP for me! They had a starbucks in the mall so I kept going back for tea.

Not to mention we walked miles and miles and miles shopping. The craft show was a disappointment. They had 800 booths of crap. Except the wine cork lady was there so my DM was happy. Gurnee Mills is the largest outlet mall - inside - in the United States so needless to say the shopping was better there. I bought DS a real pair of cowboy boots. He was thrilled. I had to pry them off him this morning because he wears a uniform to school and cowboy boots aren't part of it.

I'll check in later!

Morning, Chickies!

It's snowing here! Just a 1/4 inch or so, but everything's draped in white. So pretty! I can say that with confidence because it's supposed to rise to 50 and rain tomorrow.

Ruth, I hope that Hersh is okay! It's awful that she's dealing with this! Hugs to her and you and prayers that all is okay!

Mamacita, big hugs for you! This time of year is hard for anyone who has lost a loved one, but doubly hard when you lost them at this time. My grandmother died on Christmas Eve in 1985, and nearly twenty years later, I still miss her terribly. I like the suggestion of your getting some candy for the fam, and I bet your dad would too.

Bamie, great suggestion! Hope you have a relaxing day! :

Boston, the recipes sound sublime! Can you share them on the recipe forum?

Ellis, hope you had a great shrink visit. I missed my appt. last week. Oy! What a time of year to forget to see the shrink!

A Broad, I know I saw Laughing Cow cheese in the cheese shops in Bonn and Heidelberg. Except there it was called by its French name...something like Le Vait Qui Ries (terrible spelling of my incorrect pronunciation! ). It literaly translates to "The Cow That Laughs". Anyways, maybe you can find some in a little cheese shop. BTW, we had walnuss kase while in Germany and LOVED it. Do you happen to know what kind of cheese it is?

Anchor, aren't you proud of yourself? Good for you! I love Ruby Tuesday's...we have one right near us. It's like SBD heaven! I would really like the recipe for the nuts...we had roasted nuts with cinnamon in Germany and they were fabulous!

Me:
Well, I'm over 100 pounds down! Very awesome! It is so nice to know that I only have about 40 lbs to go. That sounds manageable! : I went to Victoria's Secret, got measured, and bough four bras..two sensible, one with a plunging front so I can wear this delicious red silk sweater I got at the consignment store ( ), and one frilly lace one with beads and sequins (with matching panties). It was so much fun!

Went to a nice craft fair nearby to finish up our Christmas shopping, and I spent the rest of the day running around in our shopping area to get the rest. It was nice, but hectic, too. Still, I got everything done. I finally decided, after much debate, to make my mom a red hat for Christmas and give her the information on the red hat society. I even found a cute hatbox that is lavender with a red hat on top for $9.73 (originally $40.00!) to put the hat in. I worked on it last night and it turned out pretty well!

Now there is tons of wrapping to do and cards to send, food to make, etc. I still have two projects to do for school, but I may put them off a bit until next weekend so I can get a head start on decorating and card writing. I try to do about 20 a night so I don't get a hand cramp! We send about 150 with a Christmas letter.

Hope all is well with everyone and that you are finding time to enjoy this holiday season!!!

How are you all???? Everyone sounds busy with Christmas. Big confession here..... I haven't done one thing!!!!! No gifts bought, finally put up the tree last night. I'm waiting to hit panic mode I guess. I'm pretty humbug this year.

I fly to Nashville on Wednesday to stay for a week and kiss grandsons I'm pretty excited. My oldest child comes home the week after that for Christmas and I'm thrilled. My 4th child who joined the Army Reserves is supposed to be able to come home, but we haven't heard from him so I really don't know what's going on there.

Anyway, diet wise I'm a failure right now. But believe it or not, the Christmas parties for work and church are over so I can behave for the rest of the time. I made carmels last week and dipped them and gave them away. I'm just trying to hang on right now.

Ruth, let us know how the doggie situation is.

Mama, buy the chocolates and put them under the tree. There's nothing like Christmas to awaken those nostalgic feelings and even sadness.

Bamigurl, go find the tree......before Charlie Brown gets it!

bostonchick, Bermuda......................ooohhhhhhh..........e njoy!

Ellis, you are bilingual! Cool! You are a woman of many talents!

a broad abroad, sorry about the cheese thing, nothing worse than diet stuff that's yucky. Thanks for the reminder that ANOTHER year is staring at me in the face and gonna walk up and slap it! I get really weepy over a new year. Did I accomplish and do everything I wanted to? Did I contribute and be a better person?.......the list is endless.

Anchor Weight, chili for breakfast????????????? Ewwww! You are a rock! No Ruby Tuesdays around here. I'm in a university town so we have pizza, burger, pizza, sandwich, pizza, and they are opening a new pizza place

beachgal, enjoy the snow, it is beautiful. Here in Idaho it feels like we have it for half the year. Congrats on the bra buying binge! Send photos

Well, you all have a great day. Savor the season!

Mamacita ~ I lost my dad last year at Thanksgiving, we were estranged? and I missed telling him I loved him and forgave him by all of 5 minutes. Thanksgiving was hard this year but at least I had to work but his birthday was the 3rd. I don't have a lot of good memories of my dad but now that holiday will always be associated with him and it is sad.

Beachgal ~ Love Victorias Secret!!!!!!!!! Grats on the lose and finding you some good bra's...

Ruthie ~ Hope that Hershey is alright that doesn't sound so good.

Bamie ~ I am with you I am so sick of rain... the sun is out right now but they are predicting rain the rest of the week.

Amy ~ Congrats on the great weekend OP.

Well I slept in the morning... Kids at school and DH at work early so now I have to play catch up on house chores and get the running done for the rest of the week since I have to work 5 out of 7 this week. I am pretty much staying OP, still don't think I am eating enough but I am slowly edging down.

1.5 for december 9 pounds total since starting SBD I hope that I can make my goal for december if I could kick in some exercise here and there - there could be hope.

Well I hope everyone has a good day.

Amy

Hello ladies, Today is frustrating, I have been on phase one for 8 days now, and since day 6 i havent lost any weight...I mean all together i lost 4.5 lbs, but i havent lost anything since day 6...is that normal? I added 150 crunches a day (50, 3 times a day) and 50 pushups and still nothing is coming off...thats on top of the walking to and from classes and to the store down the road and taking the steps instead of the elevator to the apartment. Its very frustrating because my roommate has kept losing, day 8 and she has lost 7 lbs. Hopefully today it will start to come off again.

My best friend called last night from TEXAS (note, i am in Pennsylvania), and she is COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! She is in the Air Force and she comes home the 18th, i am so excited to see her...she wants to get our belly buttons pierced together...I told her give me about 6 months to lose the chunk around the belly. I guess this means I have to go christmas shopping and get her something even though im a broke college kid. Any ideas for a cheap but meaningful christmas present?

Now i have to get back to studying for my last few finals Hope everyone has a good day! Catch you ladies at another time!

Hi Ladies
So i totally fell off the wagon on Saturday, pbj a personal frozenpizza rice and wine and a mikes hard lemonade
and i felt like crap from it on sunday
So i was back op on sunday even at wendys in the face of my dh's frosty they were out of chicken so I had a classic single no bun/condiments and a side salad
Heres a question:
Should i add another week of phase one to make up for the day or keep it as is?

RNMom when you get to be around your kids you will catch the spirit
Mamacita buy the chocolates have them under your tree But if no one else wants to eat them drop them off at a retirement home or somewhere that would appreciate it
Boston Chick thats great!!!
A broad i can't find that either!
Anchor you rock Good Job!
Laurie OMG tahts fantastic and llook at you with your sexy stuff!!!

I will bbiab
Kierie

Laurie - you are smokin girl! I can feel the heat from here! You are an inspiration to the rest of us. Keep up the good work.

RN - Yup chili for breakfast - you can make this diet work anywhere if you really want too. It actually was pretty good. Besides I was dying for a salad! I realized this weekend how difficult it is going to be to make my goal - or even - lose - weight this month. I have all my parties coming up.

Amyjo - First of all let me just say that you have a great name second of all - I hope that you slept in a little for me cause I'm tired today.

Stardust - If you want some feedback on what may be the problem try listing what you eat in a day and the members can give you some advice. Usually works for me. Also remember you are building muscle with your exercises and they weigh more than fat.

KO - PBJ? I miss them. They are a "trigger" food for me. Some call it comfort and some call it trigger foods. If I eat a trigger food it begins a slide for me and it is extra hard to gain control. You may want to do the extra week. One thing I try to do is visualize and say to myself "If you were rail thin and could eat anything you wanted - would this be your choice?" Usually the answer is no.