I am happy to report that I am down .6 pounds. Not much but I worked for it and I am PROUD of it no matter how small.

I took a before picture of myself and plan on doing it for every ___ of weight that I lose! It is a reminder to you of where you started, where you are now and a special reminder when you want to eat that "no no".

Lou and I DID go to the Mesa to get some fruit. They have a $1 bin of fruits and veggies and I nearly wiped them out! Eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, aneheim peppers, apples, yellow and red peppers and broccoli!

We have a juicer (Christmas present so we can get in our fruits and veggies) so I will make Lou an orange/veggie juice and me an apple/veggie one. Normally we would have more fruit but a wise lady told me ONE THING AT A TIME.

I know that we are to work up to 3 each (starch/fruit) a day but for you long time Beachers, do you?

My wish for all of you today is to remember that you are worth this effort and I am proud of you. Marcie

Good morning, Marcie, and thanks for the cheery start-up. That veggie/fruit bin sounds like a real deal. Be careful with juice as it's easy to drink too many calories and you will be missing some fiber.

You would not believe how cold it is here! It's -33ºC which is nearly the same in F. I am darned glad Donna is driving us to gym today and sure hope she warms up her car for me. We'll probably go out for coffee afterward although I know she has loads to do before she leaves for Cuba tomorrow.

I have a few niggles to clear around the house this morning and then have a Mill Board meeting which will probably gobble up the afternoon. My sister escapes for a month in Hawaii this afternoon and I am envious.

Hope your Monday starts out well and that you are cozy and warm.

Morning ladies.. I know it is early.. But I woke up at 4am. this morning.. Couldn't sleep.. I weighed in at 219.0.. TTOM is here.. I guess water weight gain.. Although, I had just switched over from doing Atkins.. So, don't know if that had anything to do with it..
I guess it is coffee time for me..

My woodstove still had some coals in it and I just cranked it up again. The dogs spend a lot of time in the back room and sure appreciate it. I'd love to just sit out there and cuddle them but need to get organized for the gym. See y'all later.

Morning ladies...hope this morning finds you all blessed. I'm about to head to bed for the night, but thought I'd pop in here and say hello. Had a good weekend that included my first 5K (yay!!!), a night out w/ friends (a little too much beer, oops), and a trip to Atlanta that was uber fun. My poor roomie got yelled at by a ton of people b/c she was wearing her Jets jersey and apparently them Atlanta folks can't tell the difference in a Jets jersey and a Packers jersey. As you can imagine, Falcons fans didn't take to kindly to a perceived Packers fan visiting the ATL in team gear, LOL She finally had to take off her jacket so they could see that her sleeves said "Jets" on them. On a side note, I finally got to eat at Vortex while in Atlanta and I think I'm in love, LOL I had a turkey black and bleu burger (cajun spices, blackened, topped w/ a bleu cheese spread) on whole wheat bread w/ lettuce and red onion. I only ate half of it and took the other half home. The only SB friendly sides they had were sweet potato fries and a side salad for an extra $2, so I went w/ a Caesar salad. Yum, it was SO good!!! I'll definitely revisit the Vortex...I love that you can choose the meat used in your burger and just completely customize your meal to fit you. It's great for us Beachers!!!

Ooooh boy...today's the 17th and I still have 1419 minutes to make it to my goal for this month. I better get on the ball!!!

Oh, here's some pics from the 5K. I ain't paying for the sports pics, so I just ganked the ones w/ "Proof" printed across them, LOL The girl walking w/ me is my friend, Pam, who was also doing her first 5K.





Me and my roomie afterwards...she did the half-marathon.



Action shot...crossing the finish line, LOL It almost looks like we were actually running, LOL

Confetti Chickpeas by Nat. Sounds yummy. Will do my version based on yours.

Good morning Still on dial-up and I'm afraid to look at the temperature. Negative numbers should not be allowed. I'm heading home today instead of tomorrow because we have another storm heading our way. It's more driving overall but it will be nice to have an extra night at home.

Natasha - Congratulations woman! You are an inspiration!

Marcie ~ That was a great bargain on your veggies and fruit! I prefer to eat my fruit whole, as it takes longer to eat it, and it's easier to control the portions. Most people don't realize that in a simple small glass of OJ, you are actually consuming 5 or 6 oranges, besides missing all the fiber. For Phase 2, I usually have 2 servings of fruit a day, but try to keep my starch to 1 a day.

Ruth ~ I'd be tempted to try to tuck myself into one of those suitcases, either to Hawaii OR Cuba! It wouldn't matter to me, either one of those places are warm!

Lanee ~ hang in there, that temporary water weight will be gone as soon as TOM is.

I'm off to spend the day with my girls today. I miss them so much while they're in school! I only hope that they don't want to spend the entire day outside sledding or skating, as it's bitterly cold. But the cold doesn't seem to bother them at all.
I made a scrumptious cannellini bean gratin yesterday, and I'll have to share the recipe with you all. I'm going to take some with me today, as I won't be getting home until late.

Have a happy Monday, and enjoy your holiday if you have the day off!

Cyndi, have a safe drive back home, and I hope you make it before the storm!

Natasha, congratulations for finishing the marathon! It sounds like you had a great weekend!

Ruth, can it really be -33 degrees celcius? Wouldn't that be like -70 degrees farenheit? I could NOT deal w/ that. Last night was the first night here we could even crack a window while sleeping - I'm an animal about having a window open when I sleep and for the last week or so it has been too cold to do that and I've felt like crap when I've woken up.

School is closed today, and I am going with my friend and her son to a science museum for kids. They actually have a really nice cafeteria there and I'll be able to make a good lunch choice. Not weighing in today because TOM is coming (my b**bs are holding at least 2 lbs of water each) so I'm staying on Phase 1 until Friday.

Have a great day everyone!

Good Morning

I'm on the run this morning because I told a lady from church to pick me up at 630 to go to an aerobics class. I knew I wouldn't want to get myself out the door....but now that she's coming I have to.

Have a great day everyone!

LadyWindsong, thanks for getting us started this morning!

Natasha, great pictures! You've got me motivated!

Well, it's up to -27.3ºC right now - a veritable heat wave. Donna just wimped out on gym because of the cold so I am about to brave the elements, crossing my fingers that my Focus starts, and GO TO THE FRASSING GYM!

If you don't see me again, it's been real.