I know how frustrating that can be, Mamahulk! The thing is, you need sleep to lose weight. It sounds silly, but it's true! You need the time spent sleeping not only to do the actual work of moving your fat to be used, etc. (obviously I'm not a doctor or scientist! ). In addition, when you don't get enough sleep, your body releases chemicals that make you want to eat more, even though you don't need the extra calories. I know for me, I also crave because over the years I learned to eat carbs and sugar when I felt tired to get my going again. Oy!

So, try to get more sleep...and in the meantime, be gentle and understanding with yourself. I have no excuse for my lack of sleep, but when I'm not working very hard on it, I usually get about 3-4 hours of sleep a night, and that's when I see my weight maintain or even gain. But, as soon as I get one or two nights of good sleep (7+ hours), the weight drops rapidly. So don't stress too hard, okay? Try to keep yourself from eating extra, no matter what cravings you have, and don't beat yourself up, okay? Don't forget to tell your cardiologist that you aren't getting enough sleep, okay?

Brian has strep throat. I guess that is better than the flu but it still means he will miss a couple of days of school.

Luckily work has been pretty quiet and DH is out getting his prescription filled now.

Oh Barb....I hope Brian feels better soon! Maybe mom can make him some of her awesome soups? :

WElCOME HOOSIERMOM from another Hoosier in Indpls.

I can relate too about lack of sleep. My 2 year old had me up 2x last night and I woke up on my own a couple of times. I stay up late at night just to have time to myself. I rarely get more than 6.5 hours of sleep.
Did I mention I'm having my afternoon coffee right now?? LOL
Love that cup of coffee. I know I should drink more water and I am trying. I have got to get DD down for a nap before the boys get home from school.

I also didn't tell you all I work at the YMCA! I NEVER get to exercise tho because I'm either working or taking care of the kids, etc. I know I've got to figure out a time to do something there for me. I could have gone to a aerobic class 7:00pm Wed. but I'm out of the house 4 of the 5 weeknites already this week! Busy week. I could do walk away the pounds at home and I really want to make that my goal this month. To do the exercise tape here at home at least 3 times a week! I know I'll feel good if I do!
Got to run!!!

Good Afternoon Chickies -

I'm finally on lunch and have a minute to post.

The weather here (Chicago) can't decide what it's going to do. Okay this morning, but now sort of snowing? To all the snow (and ice) bunnies out there...be careful on the roads

HoosierMom - I'm from Evansville, IN...where is Linton?

Barb - I hope Brian is feeling better soon!

Hello to everyone else!

ME: Doing good today. I am back on P2 after a two day P1 to get rid of all the bad carb cravings I've been having (since I had been eating a lot of them for the past three week!). Didn't go to the gym yesterday...my abs just hurt too much from T's workout. But I will be there tonight Went to Trader Joe's last night and bought some yummy raw almond, roasted peanuts and dried apricots (the posts yesterday about them made me want them ). Looking very forward to my PM snack of dried apricots and almonds.

Well, I have to go. Lunch has been over for 10 minutes now (haha)

Have a good afternnon all

Brian is napping now. And you know an 8 year old is sick when he will nap instead of watching TV! I haven't been able to get him to eat anything. The strep has made his stomach upset. As long as I can get some fluids and the pennicillin to stay down, I'm not going to worry about food. He'll probably be eating fine tomorrow since the strep was caught fairly early.

Just wanted to stop in and say hi to all you chickies... especially all you early risers! I could never do what you do!
I only have a week or two left at my current job (I'm a temp QC editor for LSAC), and I'm getting antsy. I really hate change... I've gotten so used to being here and all the little perks (wearing jeans and t-shirts every day, unlimited internet use, etc.), even though I find myself getting bored a lot. So now I need to start looking for another temp job. I would like to get a permanent job, but since I plan on going to grad school in the spring I don't think it's feasible. Do you think it would be rude/unprofessional if I started a permanent job and then had to quit 6 months later? That's what I'm thinking. ::le sigh:: I can't wait till I'm finished with school completely and I can actually start a CAREER! Grr.
Diet-wise I've been off and on. Yesterday was good for up until dinner, when my bf and his brother decided to order in pizza. I stuck to 2 slices, though. And today I went out to lunch, had a chicken caesar wrap, which I guess isn't so bad, but then I scarfed most of the potato chips on my plate. I need more self-control.
Well, I hope you all have had a wonderful day so far. I'm sorry for all of you stuck in storms or sick or nursing sick people-- hope things get better! Peace Out!

P.S-- for the decadent brownies, do you know of anything that could substitute for the pecans (I don't do nuts)? Thanks!

Hello everyone. Pearshape, did you say you were enjoying 60 degree weather........................share will ya???????????

Quiet day in the ER so far, that's good, I'm getting a lot of homework done.

It's great to read all the posts, they are so motivating.

Oops gotta go get a patient!

RNmom - Would you believe it was 93 in Dallas yesterday? Right now it is 79 but the rain should be starting soon.

It's hard to believe the weather this year. We keep going from one extreme to the next.

Hey, Barb, are you still on? I wanted to ask you if you ever tried the Indian Chicken from the Quick & Easy SBD cookbook. I made it for supper today, and we thought it was pretty bland tasting. Not bad, but not good either, and I wondered what I could add to it to make it tastier. Maybe yogurt? We didn't like the Cauliflower Soup recipe either, that was very bland tasting, too. I guess we're just used to spicier food.

I did try the Indian Chicken. I had to substitute for the coconut milk since DH is allergic to coconut and we didn't care much for it.

As for the cauliflower soup, it was so bad I ended up throwing it out and making hamburgers. I like just about everything else I have tried from the cookbook though.

We like spicier food too so I just wrote off those recipes. There are lots of better ones.

Thanks for your input, Barb, I'm glad we weren't the only ones that didn't care much for those 2 recipes! So far all the other recipes I've tried in the book are great!