Vickie - darling - please don't go to any bother with our gifts - we honestly don't care if the wrapping matches!:D :D ;)

I do hope the meds kick in soon - and you feel better - sorry you were under the weather today!

Kim - I just LOVED your holiday eating tips - what a hoot!

Kathy - I agree w/ the "1 size and color fits all" gift - can't go wrong w/$$. As for co-workers gifts - I usually hand out Starbucks gift cards as most everyone likes something they have to offer! (This also make a nice "emergency" gift which you can whip out when someone you had not planned on giving a gift to - gets something for you which you had not expected!).

Melissa - hope you enjoyed the party - and that you get a good rest tonight!

I did go w/dh to the "workshop" this morning - nice lady - in a gorgeous auditorium at the Heart Institute - maybe a dozen people there and a long table covered with those chintzy plastic food examples - and empty wrappers, boxes etc so we could read the labels.

It was very basic nutritional info - but really good explanation of how cholesterol worked - and how the good and bad lipoproteins and triglycerides contribute to the problem. Also large focus on exercise of course as well. Even when on meds for cholesterol or bp - need to STILL make the necessary lifestyle changes in diet and exercise to help meds work and diminish the problem.

Things I learned that I did not know!
1) your liver does not CARE what kind of sugar goes in your body - e.g fruit sugar or candy sugar or honey or molasses, etc. - any excess from the liver goes to your muscles and any excess after that is stored as fat (very bad news).

2) she says it's 8 cups of fluid and not necessarily 8 cups of water - and yes even sodas are included altho these would obviously not be the best choice

3) Reading labels very important - esp for sodium, fat and fibre (we all knew that) but sometimes need to prioritize - for example there is an excellent yogurt out with live cultures (Activia) however it has 3.5% fat (not considered a low fat yogurt) - nutritionist says that even tho it is not low fat, and has sugar in it (i mentioned using plain yogurt and mixing in fruit which is when she said - it would probably be the same amount of sugar as in the "regular" version), it is a WAY better choice due to the probiotic benefits.

4) Make sure the whole grains you eat actually SAY whole grain on the list of ingredients - she showed us several items which said made w/whole wheat flour on the package - but when you read the list of ingredients it is way down on the list - and barely any in the product!

5) Re fibre - it's the soluble fibre which is more important than the insoluble fibre - so make sure you get more of that stuff!

6) and definitely look for products w/added omega 3-6-9 such as eggs and milk and the good oils! (yes the stuff is more expensive but dh and I have decided that it is probably worth it for our health!)

So of course it was off to the grocery store after that (after our lunch stop at Subway instead of Pizza hut as originally planned:o) to load up on lots of fruits and veggies and healthy yogurt and whole grain flax bread and avocados and lots of berries (raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)

Hope we can get further inspired now to eat all that stuff! ha ha ha

Went out to movie tonight with dh as well - Syriana - a bit confusing and dark! Does not leave you with a warm feeling that's for sure!

Now waiting for dryer to "call" me so I can fold and go to bed!

Frouf

Melissa-That's great about the 14's. I'm 157 and in 12's.

Frouf-I'm glad you enjoyed the holiday tips. I was beginning to wonder if anyone had read them. Thanks for all the information. I love learning anything new about health and nutrition. I didn't know that about the yogurt. I wonder if Wal Mart or Kroger carries it. I've bought those eggs a few times but wondered if they were worth the extra money.

My Sunday school party was a lot of fun, but I ate until I was literally sick. I'm not going to make my Christmas goal, but I need to definitely get back on track. I'm thinking about trying flex again. I get so sick of the same foods and get bored easily with different diet plans. I never really lose much but I guess I keep myself from gaining. I do enjoy this group of core ladies so I hope that even if I do flex I can still post with y'all.

Good Morning Chicks! I feel a bit better this morning. I've printed a cystitis sufferers food handbook and I'm going to start keeping a journal so I can figure out what the triggers are for me. Biggest problem is that some of the foods are Core foods. Sheesh. It's hard to serve so many masters.

Frouf, thanks SO much for all that information. I didn't know we'd benefit too! It was very kind of you to type it all out for us. I have to admit that I don't know the difference in soluble/non soluble fiber. I must read up on that since I have both high BP and high cholesterol. I've been to the diabetic sessions with the nutritionist with Jim when he was first diagnosed with diabetes. My WW training helped me to know what was considered a serving size, guess calories, etc. I hope you and DH enjoy this shared journey. It might be something to do together that will bring you together. And, Subway was a MUCH better choice than pizza.

Kim, I so sorry! I'm such a bad friend. I read the eating tips and thought they were hysterical. I thought I told you so but see that I certainly did not. I hadn't seen this version before and it was definitely funnier than the others! Don't worry about your Christmas goal. Just try to maintain. Really, that will be a BIG accomplishment for all of us.

Hey Frouf, will you be having a big Hannukah observance? Was I right about it being the same day as Christmas this year? Will presents be involved?

Stef, Frouf's message made me think back to my Manager days when I used to buy my staff holiday presents. I almost always did gift cards unless I really knew their tastes. Some of the gift cards that I bought were for movie theaters, Starbucks, Bath and Body Works, the local chocolate store, Dunkin Donuts, local restaurants, etc. I also bought instant lottery tickets for the gamblers on my staff. They all really seemed to enjoy these gifts, especially the gift cards.

Well, I can eat breakfast in about a half hour and then I must start wrapping again. I hope to be done with all but the decorations today. I wrap and put the to/from labels on and then go back later to put on bows and ribbons. It really requires a completely different frame of mind for us anal chickies! I'll go do a menu thread (but first I'll check thoroughly to make sure there isn't one already!).

That's O.K. Vicki. You're so sweet.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Happy Sunday, all! Let me see what's going on today ... I went to the store and got a few things for lunches next week, then took my car to get washed. It's a very sunny day and not too cold -- maybe in the 50s? I've done 3 loads of laundry, made sugar cookies, planned the dinner, listed some ebay, and now I'm playing solitaire on Gamesville while watching TLC. I should be vacuuming but it'll interrupt the football that Judd is watching, so I'll wait. I know there are more things I have to do, but I need to think about it and make a list.

So what's everybody else doing?

Well....we know I'm still wrapping!

Actually, I just finished eating lunch. Couldn't stomach the idea of split pea soup so I ate an eggbeater omelet with FF american cheese and ketchup. I just got off the phone with Sports Illustrated trying to find out where Jim's commemorative hardcover edition of the White Sox World Series win is. That's why I ordered the goofy magazine and it still isn't here. It was shipped 12/6 so I guess there's still a prayer of it coming before Christmas. If I finish wrapping before it comes, I'll just have to leave a roll of paper out to wrap the stragglers. I'm still missing about 4 or 5 items.

This is my favorite holiday but sometimes it make me crazy.

Ok, I'm starving today. I've eaten all my food through my lunch snack and I'm still hungry. I've also already had 32 ounces of water and 24 ounces of coffee. So am I just hungry because I have to weigh in tomorrow? Sheesh.

I'd say yes. :lol: You're just hungry because you know you have to weigh in!

I still haven't eaten but should, I suppose. I woke up with a big craving for Crystal Light Ruby Red and Sprite Zero. Is that weird or what? It's all I thought about from around 4 a.m. on ... so as soon as I got dressed, I went to the store for those two things (and a few more). I'm on big glass #2 of it. Dinner will be easy and so I'm enjoying taking it easy today. The next four days are going to be long working hours so I need to rest up.

Hey all, hope you are having good afternoons. We went to church this morning and then out to lunch, so didn't get home until 1:30 or 2. Then we bummed out on the couches and watched a movie. It is so cold here and was snowing earlier. We both fell asleep. DH is still fighting off whatever dizzy-illness he had last week and I feel pretty crappy myself. I wish I would either get sick or get better though. At least if I would get full-blown sick I could take off work, instead of just feeling blah.
Well aren't I just rambling? :)

Vickie, you are pretty anal about the wrapping, but I bet it looks great. This is the first year that I bought two rolls of coordinating paper. It doesn't match, but has similar colors and the same snowmen on both. Made me feel all kinds of special. Even let MIL borrow it so that it would all match. And I am still getting gifts in the mail too. In fact, there are some things that we have yet to order!! :eek: Those are the things that DH is "taking care of." :lol:

Kathy, your vacation plans sound wonderful. We get two big days off for Christmas, and then a day for New Year's as well. I'm looking forward to it though. I'm glad that Christmas is on a weekend this year, so that we at least get our days off in a row. Your drink sounds good, though I've never had the ruby red flavor. I really like orange, I think it's called sunrise orange?

Frouf, thanks for sharing the info with us. It sounds like it was a good day for you and DH.

Hey, shouldn't Sandra be back? Or is it not until tomorrow?

Kim, I'm sorry that your eating was not great last night. Maybe instead of switching plans you could find some new foods to incorporate into your plan? You just seem to be doing so well. The holiday tips you posted were hilarious. And too much like how I used to actually eat. :o

Here's a random question for you guys. I'm looking for something to get my grandmother who has everything. She wants nothing. Really. The only thing I can think of is a frame with a pic of her and me and my mom. Anybody got any genius ideas for anything else? I can't do gift cards because she will just spend them on us. She is a widow and just takes care of everyone!

OK, off to wake up DH. ;) We have been really lazy today.

Kath, your hours for next week sound horrible to me. I'd even rather be cleaning my house!

So I guess it's basically just you and me today. Harumpf! I came here for a break while my corn bread is in the oven and the chili is warming on the stove. What a great meal for today. It's really cold here and the chili will feel good going down. Not that I've been out today! In fact, I'm still in my pj's. After dinner I'll shower and get into fresh pj's! A decadent life I have to say.

Tomorrow will be insane for me. I've got my weigh in and meeting and then at least 10 errands. I have a few more odds and ends that I need for decorating the house and the packages. I'm finished wrapping everything that is here. There are still about 5 gifts on the way for my honey. We both spoil each other rotten. Christmas is my favorite time of year so we still buy for each other and fill each other's stockings. We don't buy presents for our birthdays or anniversarys. We just go out for nice meals then. I guess I'm still just a little kid at heart.

I watched two movies while wrapping today. The first was Miracle on 34th Street and the second was Christmas Carol with George C. Scott. I think this might be one of the best versions I've ever seen. Jim and I will watch Santa Clause and Santa Clause II together since he likes them too. The others I'll probably watch by myself.

So Sandra has an excused pass but where are our dearest Froufie and Melissa? I'm done babbling to myself. I hope you pop in Kath to see my ramblings. I sure hate to think that I'm talking to myself.

I guess I should go make some applesauce and some SF/FF banana pudding. Jim will eat the pudding if I keep it in the refrigerator.

Vickie I had visited! Did you miss my post? Is it invisible? ;) It sounds like you have had a productive but restful day. I like those days when you never get out of pjs. Fun stuff! I hope that you get all of your errands done tomorrow. We're supposed to get snow tonight. My intention was to go to Wal-Mart today but it was SO cold and nasty that I just couldn't bring myself to go. So I guess I'll be going tomorrow night. Your chili sounds yummy!

Well, here I am back after my shower and talking to my Sister. Jim is wrapping my presents so I think I'll go watch another Christmas movie.

Melissa, it's funny that we were posting at the same time. Your day sounds really restful. Too bad you and Aaron are not feeling on top of your games. I certainly understand how that feels. I love the idea of the picture for your Grandmother with a beautiful frame. What about gift certificates of time. Like you and she spend the afternoon together at the show and have lunch or have a girls day out shopping and lunch. Hmmmm.....everything involves food. I'll keep thinking.

Thanks for the suggestions Vickie. I think I'll go with the picture. Those are the things she really likes anyway. I thought about sending her for a manicure but I don't know how she would like that! Have fun watching your movie. Christmas is sneaking up on me more quickly than I thought it would. I have actually been fairly prepared this year as far as cards and gifts go but I haven't had time to do lots of the Christmasey activities that I wanted. I'm going to make time though. I hope that you are feeling well and enjoy the rest of your evening.

I think I'm going to head to the shower for awhile. DH is working on a website that he is doing for a local business, and I'm feeling restless. I got a gift in the mail today that I need to wrap but it is going to be tricky, as I don't have a box for it. I'll have to ponder that. Anyway, I'm also pondering a way to jumpstart my motivation. DH and I just came back in from walking the dog and he was talking about how much he wants to lose weight to help with his BP and other various problems. I know that if we can both get disciplined and have some willpower that we will do well. It's just committing, I guess. I'm definitely going to quit buying some of the things that I've been getting for "him" though. I think I'll put him on core without him knowing it. :lol:

Hi there,

Starting to snow here again - yuck!!!

Vickie - hope you get all your gifts in time - sounds like the wrapping is going well?

yes - this year chanukah and xmas end up very well synchronized - altho chanukah lasts 8 nights and we light the menorah (an 8 slot candlebra) for each of the 8 nights - traditional food is potata pancakes (latkes) fried in oil of course!

We generally give gifts altho not really a high holiday in the jewish religion so not a big focus on gift giving or otherwise.

So much for the nutritionist talk yesterday as I began stuffing my face early today and went very overboard at dinner tonight! We were out shopping this afternoon - yes I got dd her "hoodie" and some other stuff - we did stop to get a cappuccino chiller to drink - very yummy and fatteining I'm sure!

Then dh and I went out for dinner tonight to the new neighborhood Milestone's (replacing the previous Outback) - very fancy shmancy - and filled w/people - having only been open for 2 weeks.

Had to have the signature Bellini drink - then we shared the spinach dip and I had the fire grilled salmon w/garlic mashed pototoes and veggies - we also had wine - so when I left I was suitably bloated! Thankully we had no room for dessert.

I still feel full and very thirsty and my fish tasted pretty salty to me. Need to drink some water and get to bed soon!

Frouf

Morning, chickies. How's everybody doing today?

Me -- not so grand. You can see by my ticker that the scale was up this morning, so I decided to go for broke. I went to Jack-in-the-Box and got food, then ate it all. LOL! That'll show 'em! Or ... er ... show me? Um, wait! That's not how it's supposed to work!

So the next meal is my startover time. Two weeks of clean living and Christmas Day I might allow a snack or two. I'm making a list of food I want when I reach my 145 goal, so maybe that'll be incentive enough to make me stay on plan. The main one is that darn steak finger basket from Dairy Queen. Do you guys have those? Ugh -- if they don't stop playing the commercial for it, I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.

BBL.

Good Morning Chickies! I only have a moment because I have to eat, shower, and go to WW.

Too bad we don't live closer to each other, Melissa. I've got plenty of boxes. I buy them after Christmas when they're are reduced and I start saving the brown shipping ones in October. Yeah, I'm nuts....but I always have the boxes I need. Hope you're feeling better today.

Frouf, it sounds like you ate alot but sort of healthy? Of course, your beverage list sounded quite dangerous! Today is a new day.

Kathy, God Help Me but I LOVE Jack in the Box. They aren't in the Chicago area any more. I'm sure I'm still carting around a couple of their items on my body. I used to love the Breakfast Jacks, Bonus Jacks, and tacos. I could drool at the thought of them. Whenever I'd get sent to Dallas for work, I'd make sure to visit a Jack in the Box. We do have Dairy Queens here but I guess I haven't seen the commericial. Actually, I don't see hardly any commercials since we DVR everything and Jim usually fast forwards through the commercials. It's actually pretty funny. I'll go to the store and find something new and cool. I'll call my Niece to tell her about this new item and find out it's been out for months and I just didn't know because I never see commercials. Pretty funny. Seriously, though, I'm really proud to hear that you are getting back on the wagon with the next meal. I think so often we write off a whole day or week because of one blown meal. You'll be back to 148 in no time.

Well, gotta go! Don't know when I'll be back as I have a VERY full day planned of shopping and errands.

Have a great Core day.

Frouf, start chugging that water! :D

Kathy, don't let the scale get you down. You are still very close to your goal! I haven't seen that DQ commercial and hope that I don't! I'm a sucker for fried food. Um...Jack in the Box...yum. ;)

I'm hoping to have two weeks of "clean living" too. :tree: I'm off to an okay start, but I just had my oatmeal and I'm already hungry! I think it is mental/emotional from being at work. :p

Well I guess I'd better get to work. It is snowing pretty heavily here today, but it isn't very icy which is good. They said on the radio that it wasn't going to accumulate very much but it looks like it is to me! :coolsnow:

Vickie, good luck with all of your errands today. You didn't mention feeling badly so maybe you aren't in too much pain today? Or is that wishful thinking?
Thanks for offering your boxes. ;) I was saving shipping boxes but I ordered a cap for my step-father and they mailed it in a large envelope! So I don't have a box to fit it very well. I was very surprised that it didn't come in a box.

OK enough rambling, off to work! :candy:

Melissa, be careful driving in the snow. It's clear here and I'm grateful because I have all those errands to do. If you are a stress eater then it's no surpise that you're hungry at work. Terrible place. My holiday wish for you is that you get out of there.

Hey Frouf, I noticed that you spelled Chanukah instead of Hannukah. Is it just personal preference? And by the way, I've had traditional latkes and they are fabulous.

Thanks for asking, Melissa! I'm much better than Saturday but not great. I'm hoping the exercise of my errands will help.

Thanks for the info Kathy. :stardav:

Vickie, thanks for your holiday wish! :wreath: I would love for that one to come true.

I'm trying very hard to remain positive and upbeat today! But I do think I'm going to have to eat some applesauce. I'm really hungry.

Hello :)

How are You? :^:

It`s just 2 day on Core plan,but I think that Core plan is very good,I can eat my favourite dishes,I haven`t count nothing (just except foods points which aren`t core ) It`s really amazing,and I had lost 2 lb. :dizzy:

Italy, that's great! Congrats! I was just looking at your menu. I don't know what kind of bread you are eating, but are you counting points for it and the rice cakes? I don't know of any breads that are core. But it sounds like you are doing a great job!

Thank you ,for greeting :)
Yes,I counting points for bread ,and rice cakes.But I`m not sure or fat free curd is core food?

If curd is what I think it is -- sort of like cottage cheese -- I'd say yes, it's Core (the fat-free version, that is).

Afternoon chickies,,,,,,,,can you see me thru the snowstorm here! They were only calling for flurries,,,well its been *flurring* all day and dosnt want to quit. I have a nice stew in the oven and it sure smells good on a day like today. One of my shifts got changed at work (by my request) so I work monday nights now instead of wednesdays..so now I have all wednesdays off yahooo plus I dont have to drive the highways at night for quite awhile now unless something comes up. another yahoo.
Did any of you catch survivor last night,,,i caught bits and pieces of it...I was pretty disgusted with the women eating the chicken after it was sacrificed!! I say good for Rafe not to eat it,,,it didnt feel right to him...and I agree. I really didnt care who won last night, I didnt really get into this one, I must be getting bored of survivor finally.
Tomorrow night is my work christmas party,,,our boss decided she is going to cook us a turkey dinner..so I can stay OP. I was pretty happy,,ususually we go out to a nice restaurant and with appetizers, drinks and desserts..ouch@@ but not this year. Im bringing home cookies from a cookie exchange though,,but they are going straight into the freezer. I baked all weekend different appetizers and a bit of baking..and I only ate about 4 cookies,,which Im proud of....it sure smelled good in here. Its all tucked away in the freezer now out of sight out of mind.
I better go check on my stew and give it a stir.
Kathy Ive heard of Jack in the Box but havnt ever tried it...that sounds like a good thing..haha hope you enjoyed it and sounds like your back on plan again. good for you.
Italy your doing well........keep up the good work
Melissa eat something,,,,,,,dont be starving or you'll turn to just anything to eat...I know Im bad for that....plan snacks during the day and stick to them.
Hope you hear from the other place soon...(hugs)
Frouf sounds like you had a very nice meal....yum love salmon but never cook it myself...

Vickie how did WW go,,,and the shopping...etc..
ok im off once again..
ahah
ttyl

Hello! I'm just back from errands and I'm dog tired. Didn't get half of what I set out to do. But at least I know what's out there. Bows are pathetic this year and I am SO fussy. I bought a couple of bags at Walgreens. Those plus what I had will get me through this year. I'm hurting very bad today. So, I'm going to take some Tylenol (which really doesn't help) and go lay on the couch. I'm very hungry so I'm going to have some FF cottage cheese and peaches first. Maybe a nap while watching some TV. I'll try to check in later again with all of you.

Patti, your new schedule sounds so good for you. It sounds more likely that you'll be able to stay on program with that schedule.

Poor Kathy.....are you still at work?

Oops! I forgot to tell you that I lost .2. Kinda pathetic but at least it wasn't a gain. I just feel so crummy I almost don't care. It's nice to know that I seem to have maintenance down pat.......

just got here and see i'm 6 pages behind. whew! i have a lot of reading to do but am anxious to do it and see what's happening with each of you.

my eating was horrific this weekend but i'm op today. as for the tournament--i did all right. i shot my average. (that means i didn't win.) there were a lot of fantastic female shooters there. i came in 4th in a field of 10. two of the ones who scored higher than i did are teenagers. they are great shooters and have won a lot of tournaments. we saw "old" and made "new" friends. life is good.

i am very tired now. it usually takes me a day or 2 to get over a trip like this. guess i'm not a spring chicken any more. i'll post this now and start reading. please forgive me for not doing any responses here. i'll be back to post more later.

Welcome back, Sandra! Go get some rest.

Vickie -- yep, I'm still here. I'm doing 10-11 hour days this week in the HIGH hopes of finishing this project before the Christmas break. If I don't get finished, oh well.

Have you ever tried making bows?

Hi all. Sorry I haven't been on much lately. My cable broke yesterday...turns out the filter on the pole went bad. But they guy came this morning and fixed it, so my cable modem is up and running again, thank goodness. I was starting to panic without my Internet. :D

I have a big preschool party at my house tonight. If everyone brings their whole family, there will be close to 40 people here. Whee!

I still need to vacuum and make dinner before the party, but other than that, I'm ready. I decorated, cleaned the whole house, made some cookies and did a bunch of laundry (not really for the party :) ). I'm tired now!

I'll check in tomorrow.

Later!
Angela

i just finished reading. we have an archery club meeting tonight but i don't know if i'm going. curtis is tired, too. i may just email the news pages for the newsletter to the club secretary. we'll see.

welcome to the group, italy. it's good to have you with us. good success to you with core.

vickie, i was hoping you wouldn't still be hurting. i hope your meds kick in soon.

kathy, what a rack!!

frouf, i'm dusting off again today. life goes on, girlfriend.

melissa and kim, i won't be meeting my christmas challenge either. i'm still thinking maintenance during the holidays is a success.

patti, angela, and anyone i may have missed--it's good to be home. i'll be back tomorrow and will be more my old self then. have a good evening, everyone.

Yea, Sandra's back! :hug: It sounds like you had a good weekend. 4th place is great!

Vickie, I'm so sorry that you are in pain today. I hope that you are resting and feeling better by now.

Patti, have you dug out yet? I can't imagine getting as much snow as you do. Great job with only eating 4 cookies. I'm very impressed.

Angela, glad to see you! We missed you. I hope that your party is going well tonight! :tree:

Kim, I hope that you are recovering well tonight!

Well everyone, I really, really hate to tell you this. DH has decided that he wants to do slim-fast again (we did it years ago) and I've decided that I'm going to do it with him, probably until Christmas. Now don't get me wrong, I really am a core girl. But I feel like I need something to help me with an extra push through Christmas. I really want to have "clean eating" as Kathy said until Christmas so that I can feel better about going into holiday eating. I hope that you guys will still love me. :o I feel like it will be good to do this with DH though. He really wants to get healthy, and I guess he feels like core is too much to learn. He likes being able to pick up the slim fast and go. So anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys. I'll go away if you want!! :cry:
I hope that everyone is doing okay tonight, you're all awfully quiet!

Hi there,

I am exhausted but still up - go figure!

Patti - don't send the snow here! Actually when it snows it warms up so maybe it's not such a bad idea? We are having FREEZING cold temperatures here - wicked cold! Good luck at the party!

Angela - sounds like you're having quite a party there as well! Hope you survive it!...as does your house!

Vickie - congrats on maintaining - not a bad thing to be good at? Hope you got some time to relax!

Sandra - welcome back! Sounds like you did pretty good (archery wise) and the eating can be "repaired" in no time!

Kathy - great site re chanuka or should I say hanukah? This year it starts on the 25th - great coincidence! Have to find and dust off the menorah and get those candles ready.

This is also a sad time of year for me as well as my mom passed away on Dec 18, 2000 - I can't believe it's been 5 years already! I really start reminiscining about her now (not that I don't at other times) and tonight in the car while driving I just wanted to burst out crying - I miss her so much! I wish she was here!

Also w/TOM around the corner I am especially emotional and that doesn't help at all!

Eating was off track today - not that bad - but way too much food - and no movement - not a good plan. I did find an old Richard Simmons dvd tonight while out shopping for work xmas secret santa gift (80's music) for $8.99 and bought it. It's a 30 minute tape and I figure if it will motivate me at all it will be worth it right? I do prefer dancing to exercising.:carrot: :carrot:

Still trying to hire someone for my team - and it doesn't look good. Looks like we need to have a "competitive process" - which means hiring from scratch from within - but in the goverment this takes SOOOO LOOONG it's not even funny so I am not optimistic. In the meantime while we prepare the docs to do this I am still interviewing to hire a temp help person from an agency who can hopefully take on the position in the short term (maybe 6 months?) to help us out. So I am interviewing someone else tomorrow at 9 am - hope this works out.

I am also hoping to visit some warm weather in the new year. Can't decide if I want a beach holiday w/dh and 7 yr old - probably mexico - early january...or cruise w/dh only at end of january (my manicurist lady friend is going then and wants me to come along!). So far sitting pretty, doing my research and watching the prices so if and when they drop I can pounce!

I feel too fat to travel tho and quite depressed about it - like I won't fit into the plane seat and dare I even think of wearing a bathing suit?

Frouf:(

melissa, don't you dare go away. if you leave because of not eating core, i'll probably feel compelled to do the same thing and i don't want to leave. we each have to do what we feel is best. you do the slim fast if that's what you want to do. you know i'll be reading your posts to see if it works for you--and i might be a copycat. i'm not sure i could do that one, though, cuz i'm afraid i might get weak. will you be eating slimfast meals, too? let us know what you're doing and how it's working. you know we care a lot about you.

frouf, i know what you mean about missing a loved one. my father passed away in the early 80's and i still have my teary moments. girl, if you want to wear a swimsuit by all means do so. you only live once. when i am embarassed by how i look to other people, curtis reminds me that they don't pay my checks. go and have fun. you definitely are our "traveling frouf." by the way. what does "frouf" mean?

Hey Frouf, I wear a bathing suit at 262 pounds! I've decided life is too short to care what other people think about how I look. The problem is that you care. So.....use this as your motivation for getting back on the wagon and staying on it pure as the driven snow until your vacation.

Melissa, don't you dare leave. I still think Core is the best but I know that we all need a change now and then. I did the completely liquid Optifast diet in the 1980's for six months and lost 75 pounds. I got down to 150 but gained it back as soon as I started eating again. I'm not blaming liquid diets or even comparing SlimFast. I'm just saying that I didn't have a clue how to maintain. I could probably do it now though!

Sandra, welcome home! We missed you. You do sound worn out. I hope you take the time you need to recover. 4th place is pretty darn impressive as is going up against those young whipersnappers!

Angela, I was worried about you. I'm glad you're back online.

Kathy, what creamy chicken recipe did you make? I'm willing to spend a point or two if it isn't all Core. You must share. I'm going to go and look to see if you posted something.

I had to take a pain pill and it's almost time for me to go to bed.

Yeah, Frouf, me too! My Daddy died when I was only 22 and my Mom just died in 1999. I still miss them both very, very much. This was also the anniversary of the death of my first fiance. It was 23 years ago yesterday. Very sad but I'm so happy now. I'm glad to know that God had planned to bless me twice with love in my life!

I remember that recipe, Kathy. I printed it but haven't thought about making it yet. Maybe Wednesday.

vickie, i am sorry you had to take a pain pill but i'm glad you had one there to take. curtis takes hydrocodone sometimes for his shoulders.

i am more rested now. we'll go train in the am. life is good. now i need to go see what recipe you're talking to kathy about. i'm nosey.

kathy, curtis and i eat at dq a lot when we're in texas. they do have them in montana now but the ones here in missoula don't have a wide menu--mainly ice cream treats and hot dogs. my fav is the chicken finger basket. yummy!