Happy Day after Easter. I hope all of you had a good holiday. I went to my parents' and enjoyed a nice dinner with them. I also sang at their church for the Easter liturgies. I ate only one serving of each item for dinner, but I had to have dessert.

Well, I think I told you last week that DH's truck bit the dust. So, I found a replacement used truck near my parents' home. It's a 2000 Ford Ranger and it was in pretty good shape. Of course, I had to leave it there till next week when DH and I will go pick it up. My father is having carotid artery surgery next Tuesday (4/25), so we will be going over for that. He's very nervous about it. DH works with patients who have that surgery all the time. He's not concerned, but it's still risky nonetheless.

It is going to be warm here--90 degrees. That's really warm for this time of year. We really need rain. Last night we sat on the back porch and the smell of brush fires was in the air (yuck.)

How is everyone else?

Good morning!

My Easter weekend was pretty uneventful. It's strange with the boys being older. I made them up Easter baskets--they were filled with snack crackers, small bags of chips, and just a few pieces of chocolate.

Yesterday DS #1 and I went walking at the peninsula and got a little over 4 miles in It was a little windy but at least the sun was shining!

I had my follow up with the doctor and my thyroid has come down really nice with the low dose of medication. I'm not feeling as tired so that's a good thing. She was also pleased with my BP (122/78) so that new medication is working well too. Now to get refocused on my eating! I'm really struggling with feeling hungry and need to plan better so I'm not eating "empty" junk! It's right around TOM so last night it was Sun chips and fritos...ugh! Can I tell you how disgusted I felt when I went to bed??? Anyway, I need to move forward and I'm planning on just taking it one meal at a time, one day at a time. I think I tend to go overboard and then get discouraged.

So that's my story, ladies. I hope everyone had a great holiday. It's good to be back at work this morning and into a routine.

Where's Lala I hope she's not angry/upset with us!

Hi to Susan, Pam, Austingal!!

Another warm one today, but it's low humidity, so it's not like summertime. I am so mad at myself--I'm just not losing any weight. I weighed myself this morning and I was the most I've been since reaching lifetime. I'm still below goal, but not much. Argh!!!

Tonight DH is taking me to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants for my birthday (which was yesterday). I'm not going to worry about food tonight, but starting tomorrow--it's boot camp.

You're right, Melissa, take it one day at a time. I'm so happy for you with your doctor checkup. The thyroid can really mess you up.

I've wondered the same thing. I even went back in the threads to see if we said anything to lala to make her mad.

Hello to Pam, Susan, Austingal and lala.

Lisa: Have a great time tonight at dinner! Tomorrow begins a new week and a new outlook at getting back to our desired weights! I'm starting a fresh page in my journal tomorrow and with that a more practical approach to where I want to go. I think I've put too much pressure and with that more defiance to eat what I want to eat and not worry about the consequences.

I noticed from Lala's blog that she's been downsizing the things she's subscribed to in the past so maybe we're a "cut" as well. Hopefully she'll be back--I always enjoyed her travel stories and hearing about her garden, cooking, etc. Here's hoping we hear from her soon!

Susan: Are you pretty much settled into your condo? How's the running coming along? I told my son as we were walking yesterday that I had a dream that I started running! I enjoy the walking and don't know that I'd want to put the stress on my knees with running unless I did it in intervals.

Austingal: How's the weather out your way? I thought I heard you've been experiencing some pretty dry weather.

Dinner was excellent. It was a very pleasant evening. Today is a new day!!

Well by some unknown force I was down 1.6# today. I'm not complaining at all. Maybe things are starting to come together. The walking is definitely helping and so is my class. Last night I dug out my old books from 1999 when I joined and re-read the materials for something "fresh". The meeting helped too.

In any case, my goal this week is to make sure I keep my journal and to not get "defiant" about what I'm doing but rather to be more positive about where I want to go and how I plan to get there.

Susan, Austin, Pam: Hope you all are doing okay--things have been pretty quiet on the board lately.

Congrats, Melissa; that is great. What do you mean about being defiant? Do you mean that you want to eat what you want no matter what?

Congrats, Melissa; that is great. What do you mean about being defiant? Do you mean that you want to eat what you want no matter what?

Hi ladies,

Sorry I've been so scarce but I've had a lot going on this week. Lauren's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9. Please keep her in your prayers. If all goes well, she should be home the same day. I've just been so nervous about it, she however is very calm..just wants to have it over with.

Melissa and Lisa I'm with you on getting serious about taking off the fluff and getting back to where I want to be. It's almost shorts season here and I just know I'm not going to fit into the ones I bought last spring. I've got a very small frame and carrying around an additional 8lbs really makes a difference.

Lisa happy belated birthday. Hope you had a great day. Glad you and DH were able to find another truck so quickly.

Melissa I also miss Lala's posts and hope she stops by from time to time. I joined your group last year but how long have you Lala, Lisa and Susan been posting on this board?

Well ladies it's close to 10pm and I've got to wake up tomorrow at 5 to get Lauren to the hospital on time so I should try and get some sleep. I'll try to post on Friday and let you know how everything goes. Take care.

Pam, thanks for the birthday wishes. Yes, I'm glad we found a truck.

I'll definitely say a prayer for Lauren.

I've been on this board since May 2002 (can't believe it's been that long). I think Melissa has been on longer.

Hi Ladies,

My name is Debbie. I reached Lifetime the first week of January. I have been doing a good job keeping my weight down. The last few weeks have been a struggle. I have gone up 2 lbs., which is not good for me. Now I am back on track. I am trying to be consistent with my journaling, and drinking my water. Now, I have to get motivated to exercise more. Anyway, Just wanted to stop by and say "Hi". Have a wonderful day!

Debbie )

Welcome, Debbie. We are a group of Lifers who seem to have the same problem at various times. I tend to exercise regularly, but the exercise of hand to mouth is the one that gets me in trouble. : O

Good evening everyone! Tomorrow I head to Chicago and have yet to start my packing--I'm undecided about what to take and I think part of that is due to TOM and its arrival.

In any case, Lisa, you hit the nail on the head, yes eat whatever I want because things are going the way I want them to. I'm working on that one. It's been frustrating lately because I've upped the exercise and my eating is just not falling into line as quickly as I'd like. It's time to take action! My friend and I walked today at noon (no strength class today as they're on "spring break") so we got in about 4 miles. Even got some nice hills in! Tonight I can feel my muscles aching but it's a good ache.

Pam: I hope Lauren's surgery goes well tomorrow--I'll keep you both in my thoughts/prayers. I'm not even thinking about shorts--lately I've been more distraught over pants and not finding ones that fit! I can't tell you how many pairs I've tried on the past few weeks--too big in the waist, too small in the thigh, too big in the thigh, too small in the waist....aaaaahhhhh and it's really playing with my eating/mood/outlook. I have 4# to get back to my "comfort zone" and I'm really trying to stay focused. I can't remember when I first joined the group but it's been quite a while--it's 4 years at least because I know I conversed with Lala about my trip to London and that was 3 years ago!

Debbie: Feel free to join us! We're always looking for fresh faces and new insight on Lifetime ups and downs. We sometimes have "mini challenges" and we report in as to how we're doing. I tend to lean towards the salty/crunchy snacks and get in trouble with them. My biggest temptation are tortilla chips which are a big red light food for me. I'm currently working on getting more exercise in and have even gotten into taking a class on strength training.

Pam, Austingal, Lala: Hi! Hope you're all doing well and that we'll hear from you soon! I'll try and check in from Chicago. Have a great weekend!