Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to come up with a rhyme for 14?? I guess my imagination just flew out the window!

I hope everyone has a great day and weekend! I feel like I'm on vacation -- was off work yesterday, and today, and tomorrow, then Monday for the game and Tuesday for the furniture ... you're probably getting sick of me talking about it but I'm just so darned excited!!! I woke up at 3:30 and turned on the TV, watched a few infomercials until 5:00 (when my big DD got home, by the way ...) and then fell back asleep until around 8 or so.

And for all you who have girls, take note of this. I hope it never happens again: my little DD called me last night around 10:00. I was already asleep in bed, and my big DD brought me the phone. "Kate needs to talk to you." She sounded quite serious. So I said hello and Kate said, "Mom, I'm in jail."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My heart just stopped in its tracks as I sputtered out "Whhhh??? Whyyy??? Wherrrree??? Huhhhhh???" (remember I was asleep) And then she says, "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya, can I spend the night with Beth?"

OH-GOOD-GRIEF!!!!! I told her (1) don't EVER do that again and (2) of course you can. After I knew she wasn't in trouble, I would have agreed to most anything!

KIDS!!!

Frouf.....Congratulations! Down 2 pounds with the week you had and 10% TOO?! You are truly an inspiration. I do hope that you go out for dinner tonight. Your unkind Hubby owes you a good meal for all the drama.

Kathy, I can "hear" the happiness in your voice at being off of work. Enjoy! You certainly deserve it after all the crazy hours you've been putting in. I couldn't think of anything to rhyme with 14 either...that's why I didn't start the new thread. I wonder if your little DD knew you'd be so happy that she wasn't in jail you'd say yes?! My heart would have stopped in my chest. Enjoy your next 3 days off. I like hearing what you're up to.

I'll be cooking in a bit and then spending a romantic evening with my Hubby. We plan them now and then....kinda like date night.

Gotta go!

Hope Frannie is ok. She keeps popping into my mind.

Linda, the Crock Chicken Fagiole should be on the menu subboard. I also posted it as a recipe of the day a while back.

I'm planning on watching Shall We Dance? tonight. I haven't seen it yet, and I felt like a girl movie. I've been good today too, so I may even get popcorn with my movie.

Later!
Angela

Kathy-I can't imagine what that phone call was like! Its a wonder you didn't pass out.
Vickie-Have fun on your date!
Angela-I loved Shall We Dance. It is a great chick flick that I still want to make my husband watch. I keep thinking if he watches it, then he will take me to dancing lessons. And have some popcorn while you watch!
We have spent the day with dh parents and gave the dog a bath. What an exciting day! Actually it was really beautiful outside, so we spent the day in the backyard. I think I might have actually gotten a little bit sunburnt!
Everyone have a great Saturday night!

OKAY REPOSTING PREVIOUS MESSAGE HERE FROM BOARD #13!! (did not know where everyone went!!!)

Okay - I am not that great and unselfish a person - trust me! I agree with you Kathy - about "cleaning house", but having already been thru one divorce I am bound and determined to do anything I need to before doing this again. I also am very focussed on our little guy who would be devastated, so for his sake I am desperately trying to keep things going...besides divorce and separation bring a whole lot of other stresses into the picture!

Dh is currently unemployed (altho looks like another gov contract may be coming his way soon??)....so now is certainly not the time to do anything too drastic.

Speaking of which no, dh cannot swallow his pride - has not really apologized for wrecking the end of my birthday - has started talking to me as if there is nothing going on which really pisses me of. Asked me about tonight and I said CANCEL!!...and he went along with that - no discussion or apology or let's try and have a fun time - so be it! I'm getting used to staying home and surfing the net, while he does his own thing in another room or just sleeps!!

Angela - poor you - I also have flat feet so I can relate to your pains. Of course I am not dancing as much as you are so I am obviously not experiencing any pain yet. Hope you can find something that is not as hard on your body! Have fun with your popcorn and movie tonight!

Linda - congrats on the downward trend...good for you!! Okay what are PITA lizards? Heard of pita bread - but that's about it?? ha ha ha. I am amazed that it is hot enuf already to turn on the AC! Warming up here - our yard looks like ****. About 50 degrees today - still a bit of a chill in the air, but very nice and warm in the sun. Sat outside of house and watched the little one biking (just recently got the training wheels off and is going crazy with biking fever!).

Pretty bad eating - well just not planned - no lunch really - just ate popcorn, leftover bread crusts from ds....and what I had earlier (eggs, decaf and birthday cake! )....it's 6:30 and I guess I should have a proper supper as my tummy is now feeling a bit growly! I really don't feel like cooking tho!

Vickie - have a great date!

Will check in later!


Frouf

Congrats Froufy on the loss and the 10%

Linda - the downward spiral has begun, right? :

Vickie - I too went to Applebees yesterday. I had the shrimp skewered salad; I thought that was easy enough to count as CORE and also had the same berry cheesecake that you did. Ummmmmm that was good. I made sure to eat all the strawberries and my portion was also bigger than a tennis ball......whoops......I mean bigger than a golf ball and SMALLER than a tennis ball. I think it's like ice cream scoop size. The shrimp salad was good too, but once I had it and they gave me dressing on the side;; this time they poured it on and it was too much.

Hi Julia and Melissa !

Gosh I missed a lot since yesterday! !

Kathy - I too think your DD knew you'd agree to anything after that phone call. You must have almost had a heart attack. Maybe that revved up your metabolism

My DS on the mend. Yay! Hope it doesn't come back.

BBL
Lisa

Ugh, my oldest dd had quite a time at dinner. She didn't want to eat the fagiole, and after a lot of attitude, when dh gave her a bite, she took it out of her mouth with her fingers. He gave her another, she ate it, then another, and she started gagging, and then throwing up. Bleah! She's always been picky, but I think that 6 is old enough to not be doing stuff like that! I put her in her pajamas, and sent her to her room. But at least I'm being nice and letting her read books and do a puzzle. I'm just so fed up with making these dinners, TRYING to have them be family-friendly, and having them be rejected. I mean, it's not like I'm feeding them spinach wrapped fish, or lima bean and pig knuckle soup every day!! Grrr. (Not that I'd ever make either of those ANY day, but you get the idea.) I guess if I keep offering it, they'll eventually learn that if they want to eat, that's what they're getting. Years from now, they'll thank me for starting them on good eating habits early, right? My mom has a picture in her kitchen that I love. It says, "You have two choices for dinner...take it, or leave it!" I think I need one.

Any ideas?

Angela

Good Evening Ladies, i have'nt really had too much time to post I work saturday's and sunday's are basketball games, and dinner with inlaws(right off the boat italian).My mil thinks i do not feed my children, ughhhhh...... I dread sunday's sometimes depends on what kinda mood i am in. it is late here and I really need to get to sleep, ds#2 will be up at 5:30 YIKES..... BIG cup of coffee already ready to brew. have a good night everyone, i hope to be able to chat more tomorrow, i just wanted to check in.

Hi EVeryone!

Im a newbie to this site, and to CORE also Im VERYYYY excited to be embarking on this journey and in REALLY beleiving in myself !! Now at least when I spend an hour online, I can justify it a little better I'll tell my hubby that the longer I chat on these boards, the sexier his wife will be

AnyHoo, I just started Core on April 1st, and lost 7lbs in one week!
I REALLY dont wanna lose a huge amount in an unhealthy way, but I was SOO Excited to see ANY results, never mind SEVEN pounds!
I guess it was also because I hadnt memorized many Core foods, so I stuck to my few things that I KNEW for SURE that I could have (chicken, veggies, oatmeal coffee, etc..)

As I learn more from you wonderful ladies and gents, I can expand my horizons and splurge a little

I DID make an AMAZING CORE BBQ chicken recipe which is now my FAVORITE ever ! You basically add ketchup and diet soda, and thats it ! YUMM YUMMM YUMMM is an understatement ! Oh, I also threw in some onions!
Im not one to measure, so I didnt do it with measurements, just by eye..

Well, I will end my rambling for now, and continue to read these great boards and get to know you all !

Hi Anna and welcome!

Sounds like you had cola chicken for supper? (I think Vickie was also enjoying that as well!). Pretty yummy I know!

Congrats on your fabulous 1st week loss - I bet you were super happy and are now super motivated to keep plugging away at it! The beauty of core is not having to journal everythng you eat and being able to eat wholesome, healthy foods when hungry. I'm sure you'll get the knack of all of the details pretty soon.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Frouf

Anna, welcome! We have a bunch in common! I'm turning 30 on June 2nd, I have 3 little girls (ages 6, 4, and 1), I'm also 5'2" and have/had roughly the same amount of weight to lose as you. And my name is Angela. Anyway, thought I'd jump in and say welcome. I love Core, and I've been really successful at it. I'm working on my Lifetime right now, (I set my WW goal at 131) but I'm also working towards my personal goal of 120.

These ladies are great here - they're full of ideas, wonderful support, and they're lots of fun!

Post often - we can answer your questions, and you can fire us up with your enthusiasm! 7 pounds in one week is awesome! Great job!

Angela

Hi Frouf and Angela!
Thanks for the welcome!
Angela, my twin sister has 3 kids in similar ages ranges (6, 4, and 3) and the crazy woman is preggo with her 4th and not to mention, she weighs less than me when she's 9months preggo, gotta love that
Well, we USED TO look alot more alike, ok and I plan for this summer to be the FIRST TIME ever that Anna is thinner than Lucy and her being preggo is REALLY giving me the advantage

So, back to CORE. Im really going to need tips and tricks on eating out, and just different menu ideas that I can make to last a few days. Im student teaching and taking grad classes, so cooking dinner is not my top priority lately, bad mommy

If anyone gets this message within the next couple of hours, Im going to my nephew's 1st bday party today, and then going to my parents afterwards, and we are a huge Italian family... so I REALLY need pointers to get me through the day. At the party (at a restaurant), I plan to eat the fish dish, grilled with maybe balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, veggies, baked potato...
can I have a spoonful of cake?

and my LONG TERM goal (well for next month), is that we're going to Disney for 2 weeks, and I REALLY plan to be strong about staying on CORE as much as possible. I know I have to "enjoy" a little when on vacation, but I really plan to educate myself as much as possible to stay on track..

Sorry I babbled, I look forward to chatting with you ladies!!

HUGSSSSS (Hey, why isnt there a HUGS icon?? OK, the wave will do )

Hi Anna! I'm Lisa. My DD is 11 and my DS is 5., I know all about birthday parties. You have your flex points, so you must decide what you want to use them for. I usually skip the cake, but then eat DS's leftovers. He usually eats the icing off the top and only a little cake. Just enough left for me to get a sample without eating a whole piece myself. Eat some CORE foods before you go, so you're not so hungry, and drink your water.

7 lbs in one week is awesome! !

Lisa

Wow, I'm gone for one night on a little date and you guys chat up a storm! We had a great evening and I'm tired this morning!

Angela, I missed "Shall We Dance" when it was at the show and would love to see it. Did you like it? I took ballroom dances for many years in my pre-Jim life and absolutely loved it. It was great exercise too. I actually competed a couple of times. I love to watch dance movies but don't like the old musical kind too much.

Frouf, just keep doing the best you can. That is all a person can do in your situation. Sorry you didn't know we moved. On my computer, when I log on to the page the threads that have new postings since I last visited show up highlighted more than the others. That's how I noticed the new Core Board 14 message. Then once I click on it, at the top on the left, I click on view new or view last message posted....something like that. And, it takes me right to the new post in the thread so I don't have to page through to find it.

Angela, I think you are doing the right thing and should hold to your guns. She may never thank you but will be healthier for it. Easy for me to say, huh! I don't have to be there to watch her gag at the table. I like your Mom's sign. That's how it always was in our house. Unfortunately, my Mom cooked fabulous fattening dinners and desserts. They were trying to beat us away from the table!

Julia, stop in as often as you can. We understand how busy it is with kids and family, etc.! Now that I'm retired, my time isn't as short as it used to be. Gotta love it!

Anna, Welcome and Congratulations on your great start on Core! I haven't read your profile yet but I'll do that soon. This is a great place to be and we love to have enthusiastic newbies in our midst! I just had the Cola Chicken tonight, and I agree that it is fabulous. We have some great recipes here on our site. Another favorite site of mine is www.barbosdietkitchen.com. You change the period to at least 12 months and search Core and you'll get hundreds of recipes! Looking forward to chatting more with you. I eat out all the time and have managed to eat Core really successfully. Restaturants want your dollars and I've found they are very accomodating. I carry my own FF salad dressing, FF sour cream and Smart Balance margarine (points) in tupperware midget containers. I have several places that have FF cheese, avocado, ww pasta, etc. I eat eggbeater omelets dry or with pam spray and add all kinds of veggies, FF cheese, and avocado. Sometimes, I add salsa to the top of the omelet. I eat salads with garbanzos and tons of veggies and avocado. One of my restaurants has ground sirloin (they showed me the package!) so I'll eat a burger and sometimes pay points for a bun. I bring a FF american cheese slice in my purse! Instead of fries they give me a huge fresh fruit salad. When we go out for dinner, I usually order a lean steak, broiled pork chops, or fish with a baked potato or plain ww pasta. I just had a salmon steak broiled dry the other night and it was fabulous. It can take the dry broiling because it is such an oily fish. Italian restaurants are open to broiling other fish in olive oil since they have it available for so many of their dishes anyway. I add Smart Balance to the plain pasta (buttered noodles from when you were a kid!). I always have the salad, and usually order plain steamed veggies on the side. You just have to ask a lot of questions until you get to know the restaurant. I live in a great area. They even know me now and are usually happy to see me because I'll go often and tip well if they take care of me. I always tell them why I'm being so fussy. Most servers understand completely! Sorry I rambled but I love to eat out and like to give my tips. Most new Core people think they have to give up eating out and you don't....it's just a bit of any ordeal.

Big day tomorrow so I'm just going to relax today. Finally going to the Ortho for this elbow from my car accident. I'm guessing nothing much will happen tomorrow excpet for evaluation. Have to be at Niece's at 5:30 a.m. to babysit for Great Niece and Nephew until she gets home at 12:30. Then lunch and Dr. appointment. I'm guessing I won't be talking to all of you until tomorrow night.

Have a great day!

Wowee, Vickie, you're going to be gone until tomorrow night? You're going to have a lot of catching up to do, just a warning!!

A HUGE welcome to all of you people just joining us! Please please PLEASE jump right in and make yourselves at home! We have such a great group here and I know you will love it -- and you'll never get better support from any other bunch of gals than these. Whether you need to whine and cry, celebrate victories or just complain about your husbands and kids ... all of that goes into the equation we call life and it all affects our eating (and consequently, our weight!). We're here for the long haul because even though some are near or at goal, there's always maintenance. I'll be here for that because Core maintenance is different than any other. I'm afraid if I let myself go back to willy-nilly eating, it'll be all over but the crying!!!

So I had a pretty good evening. We did go downtown to Main St. Arts Festival in Fort Worth. It was crowded of course, and we were hungry of course, so we went to a Mexican restaurant. So what do you think I ate? (Keep in mind that Mexican food is my favorite in the world.) Okay besides a few chips with salsa, I had beef and chicken fajitas. Ate ONLY the meat, grilled onions and peppers, and the guac that was on the side. I did not even touch or look at the refried beans, spanish rice or tortillas. Now how about THAT? Oh and I had one beer, but drank half and threw it away, then ordered a margarita with dinner, but drank about 1/4 and gave the rest to DH. When we got home, I immediately crawled into the tub because I felt "downtown" grime all over me, and DH brought me a big glass of ice water to the tub. It was soooo nice to go out and not come home overstuffed with having drank or eating too much, PLUS I didn't even smell like smoke because we were outside! Gotta love that! Now let's see ... that's THREE days in a row I've been good in spite of being at bars and restaurants, etc. It CAN be done!! (Believe me, I'm just as surprised as anyone!!)