We want to invite everyone to join us in our journey.
We share laughter and tears.
We share what works for us and what doesn't.
We recently started a Topic of the Day.

Monday........Motivation Monday
Tuesday.......Tuesday Tips
Wednesday.....Wednesday Weigh ins
Thursday......Thankful Thursday
Friday........Friday Facials, Fingernails and Fun
Saturday.......Sit-up Saturdays - any physical activity
Sunday.........Soup and Salad Sunday - recipes

These are not required topics ...just ideas to share. We have found them very helpful. We also share heartaches and fears...joys and celebrations.

WELCOME!

YEA !!! I did not think it would let me post my Happy Holidays again.

Now that I am here... I forget what was on the last thread. LOL

Terri.... Chocolate CRACKLE !!!
That sounds much yummier than chocolate crackers.
I don't know how you guys are doing it. I don't think I can bake this year. At least not ALONE. LOL If there is no one here to "see me" take a bite ... then I can't be trusted. LOL
I bought some LC chocolate mint goodies that are to DIE FOR !!!! Mmmm
I won't be able to have them around on a daily bases either.
They are sooooooo good !! Better than Girl Scout Chocolate Mint Cookies.
They are close to being Christmaseee.

I have another day of NO CHEATS !!! I seem to have my food under control ... but barely making my water... and NO EXERCISE at all. Well.. that is only half true. Shopping for a couch potato is exercise ... but I won't count it.

Barbg... I really am worried about you. The last time you were gone this long you said it was because your food was not good. I hope you haven't drowned in a boul of chocolate cream pie filling. Wipe the crumbs off your face and get back in here.

Terri... I have missed your . I never thought I would say that.
Get his butt back in here too.

Thin... I truly believe this year I won't look like that cat after dinner Christmas day.
I feel STRONG !!! I really want this !!! I am ready for it to be MY TURN !!!
I have a midterm goal to weigh less on my birthday in February than I did last year.
My short term goals are our 2x2 challenges. Hopefully I will meet them all.

My living room is STILL not clean. I am going to go work on it.
I would sing another verse... but I feel like I am monopolzing the microphone.

Hey 2cute, what brand are your mint cookies? I love mint girl scout cookies big time.


Just popping in to see if my loss tracker is hooked up right. I am just awful with this stuff!!! Trust me.....I've been at this for almost 2 HOURS!!!

I get so jealous of Barb!!! And you too!! You both just add the cutest things and I cant get the simple tracker on!!!!

Have a good one.

Yep......still ain't got it!!!! I set one up, just don't know how to cut and paste stuff



Trust me.....it took me a month to figure out the smilies!!!

We have chocolate crackles here in Australia, but they are totally different ... they are made from cocoa powder, coconut, powdered sugar (we call it icing sugar), copha (coconut shortening) and rice bubbles .... we mix up all the dry ingredients, melt the copha and pour in, mix really fast then put spoonfuls into paper cases and set in the fridge. They are incredibly sweet, chocolately and of course about 2000 calories per crackle!!!! They are very very popular at school fetes.

I am on the last bit of my thesis. My supervisor has the vast majority of it now ... I have about 2 or 3 pages to write and I will be sending through the conclusion and future research directions section to him. Then I need to wait for his comments and maybe make some small changes, but I am mostly done ... I am hoping tonight! I am still very very stressed but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (just hoping it isn't a large train!!)

I can't believe its only 3 days until Christmas. I keep reading about all the preparation that everyone has been doing and it makes me a bit sad that I haven't been able to do much this year due to time pressures. The most we will be having is a christmas tree and maybe some christmas crackers on the table, with a nicer lunch/dinner than usual. I keep telling myself that next year will be different. I really love my kids for being so understanding about all this, and supporting me even when I want to give up.

Anyway, I have to go and get back to the last bit of this ... *nose down, backside up*

Harry Potter 6 Will be released in the United States on July 16th of 2005 I Cant Wait I Just love Harry potter
Good Morning all
yesterday was not a good weight in but it was not a surprise i was up 2.5 pounds so now i am back to 227.5 BUT i am not going to let it get to me BECAUSE it is Christmas and i was bad about journal from Thursday on I just did not do it . Well i will do better this coming week this is the promise to my self and i will keep the promise to my self next week when i weight in i am going to be down and i that will be the Christmas present to my self .

As You all can see i am a big harry potter fan and just wanted to shout out that the new book is coming out I was not expecting it to come out for another year yet. Is There any other potter fans out there. I have decided that over Christmas Vacation i am going to have a harry potter marithon i am going to watch the 3 movies and then i am going to read all 5 of the Books (Again)

OH MY GOODNESS
I have just finished.... can't believe it.
Josiah (my 10 yr old) just said "mum, what will you do now?"
Last time I wasn't studying he was about 3 years old so he can't remember it.

Of course I will have to revise etc when my supervisor gets through the files I have sent to him, but its mostly finished! And two days early!
Now I can concentrate a bit more on exercise and diet, and relaxing over the christmas break Thanks for putting up with my waffle over the last few weeks

Leanne!!!!

Sorry, no time for a post. I'm trying to get caught up on all the budget and bills plus get ready for work. Time to hit the shower.

Anyone watch The Biggest Loser last night? I am really inspired by their success. I'm trying to convice DH that he and I need to have a little challenge and the biggest loser by the first of May gets to decide where we're going for vacation. He need incentive!

Have a good day and don't do anything you're going to feel terrible about!

Hi all,

Well it is official, we are now homeowners. I have not had too much time to read or post. I have been totally off program this past week. I have gotten lots of cards in the mail. I am going to make a big scrap book of everyone on here. When I get the time that is. Right now I have two days left of work, and I have to pack and clean up and get everything organized for our pet sitters. We are planning on leaving at 3am on the 24th. Have yet to decide whether we are driving straight through or spending the night somewhere. Not quite sure when we are coming back either. I will try to post from down there. I should be able to get on once in a while.

Everyone has been talking about journaling. And I am curious how everyone does it. I am not good at it at all. And I am wondering how people have theirs set up. How they have it organized, how and when they write things in etc. I am totally sucking at this and I think it may help me if I could get it down right. So any ideas will be helpful.

I don't have time to post personals right now. Congrats to everyone who lost weight, and who is doing good with making goodies and not eating them. Well, I have got to get ready for work. Thank goodness only two more days. I love you all and think of you constantly.

Ps. Thought about signing up for the biggest loser, than realized that I would so be a wimp.

Ho HO Ho
Skitt

Have I been gone? I've been reading, but just really busy, as I'm sure everyone else is. I don't know if I mentioned it, but my DIL's grandmother died Friday and she and her mother left Sunday morning to go to way south Texas (the tip, almost in Mexico). She left GS Nathan with Son Mike. Mike called me yesterday and asked if the offer to help him with Nathan was still on, so I'm going to get him about noon and keep him tonight. (Son works 2:00-9:00 and he can take Nathan with him, but it being Christmas, Mike was really busy). So I decided that I needed to get the Christmas packages wrapped and under the tree and get some stuff done around the house before he gets here.

It is sleeting here, so I'm being ugly and not going to the healthclub to exercise today. Now that I've decided that, I think I'm going back and crawl back in the bed.

What a pleasant surprise to find so many posts when I came in.

Barbg... When I saw that cute pic I knew you were back before I saw the name with it. Have fun with your grandson.

skittles ... Congratulations on being homeowners. How exciting !!!

Leanne.... CONGRATULATIONS !!!! Enjoy the holidays with your kids and take advantage of some time off before having to make corrections.
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Well... from here I wrote a big long post... but ... I did not like how longgggg winded I was. Sometimes I just plain talk too much. LOL
I take 30 minutes to explain a 10 minute event. (rolleyes)
I decided to spare all of you.

But I took so long to write all the stuff I delelted ... I now am out of time.
Sorry I did not get to everyone.

Have a wonderful day !!!

Chris... we were posting at the same time. I had to come and join in "THE" song.

"Oh, you'd better watch out, you'd better not cry
You'd better not pout, I'm tellin' you why....
Santa Claus is coming...to town!"

He's making a list ... checkin it twice..
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice ....
Santa Claus is coming to town...

WOW.... here is a post from a successful woman on Low carb.
Her words do not apply to only low carb. It applies to WW or TOPS or any other plan.
thought it might inspire you as much as it has inspired me.
Her post was in response to a woman struggling and wanting a One on One weight loss buddy.
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Sweetie .....

You've been here nearly as long as I have and I suspect that you know by now that you are going to have to find the will to stick to it and just do it somewhere within yourself. None of us can give it to you. I wish we could coz I'd be glad to do so! And there have been times when I could have used someone giving it to me!

Truth to tell I did great on this WOE for about 8 months. Then I started allowing the occasional not so great choice and even one outright cheat while on vacation. That was October 2002! Took me clear through to December of 2003, and a 50 pound gain, to admit that I was way off track and needed to get back to basics and stay there. I suspect that you are wandering somewhere in the wilderness where I spent 2003. I pray it doesn't take a huge gain to get you back on track.

Karen ... the truth is that I believe Dr. A was right ... you can't cheat ... not even a little! You have to get to the point ... or at least I did ... where you have to decide that you want life, and health, and energy and all those good things more than you want unlimited carbs!

Do I still want a Christmas cookie or a piece of fudge ... an apple dumlpling with cinnamon ice cream ... a piece of pizza ... etc. Of course I do! But I know where they lead and I don't want to go there! Those things and many others have called to me ... sometimes louder than others ... over the past year but I have chosen to walk away and not give in. It hasn't always been easy but I am so glad now that I have persevered!

How did I do it? The simple answer is that I just decided my health was worth more than any food could be. I was on a slippery slope to an early death and I knew it! I had very high blood pressure and I was borderline diabetic. Combine that with hypothyroid and a few other little issues and not only did I not feel good but I was trouble waiting to happen. So I decided that I needed to do whatever was within my power to get healthy and for me I was convinced that meant low carb with NO CHEATS! So on December 31 of 2003 I committed to making 2004 a cheat free year. I felt that I could commit to one solid year to see what I could do. A year was doable and if the benefits didn't outweigh the "price" I "paid" to achieve them ... I could choose another path for 2005.

Long story ... short version ... I won't be choosing another path .... 2005 will be my second cheat free year. No bad choices! No excuses! Because the benefits far outweigh the price! Not only have I dropped 110 pounds in 2004 but I am so much healthier! The bike that I could do 5 minutes on, panting all the way, in April ... I did 52 minutes on today. The weights that I could barely lift for one set of 8 reps ... I'm doing 3 sets of 12 with heavier weights. Walking is easier. People comment not only on my appearance but on my energy level, mobility, and BREATHING! Who would have thought they noticed your breathing?

And you know what else? The more you make the right choices ... the easier they get to make! Yes ... I would still like a cookie but it doesn't HURT to walk away from it the way it used to.

The truth is Karen that you have to start exercising your will! Your will to make healthy choices. Your will to eat what's good for you! Your will to get some exercise. Etc.

YOU have to choose to be good to you! And sometimes that means telling yourself ... "no!"

Great post!