Hey girls how is every doing? Pretty good here although I am having a slight misunderstanding with the scales right now. I have been completely on track all week and they went from 221.2 up to 222.2, mmmm, have no clue as to why but I figure I will just keep on truckin and eventually something has to give right?

Linda – hey girl I am here just been busy, sorry to hear the time change has been so hard on you. Usually it is a killer for me too but I think that since I was so looking forward to more light in the evenings it really hasn’t bothered me this time. I am sure you will be back in sync soon.

Mia – Welcome to the group, let me tell you I have been stuck gaining and loosing the same 5 pounds for 3 months and would never have stuck this out if it hadn’t been for this group of ladies. They are what keep me going and I am sure they will motivate you too.

Diane – hope everyone at your house starts feeling better soon, that crud can really take its toll. I am sure once you get back on your meds you will drop some of that water weight and you will be back with your ticker. I just wish I could get back to mine and soon.

Tina – I’ve missed you the past couple of days. Hope you have fun on your trip.

Emily – There is no way I could eat what my family eats, not that its all bad but by counting every little bite that goes into my mouth on my fitday I don’t think I could fit in fried catfish like they had last night so I had broiled flounder. Which, by the way I will not be sharing my recipe for because it was not too tasty, LOL.

Erin – I can’t count how many times I have wanted to run to McDonalds and have a Big Mac and Fries. Today I want to run to the snack table here at work and have cookies and bagels, but I am so scared of putting what I have lost back on that I just cannot do it. It is not really willpower to keep going, it is fear of gaining again. I also have a fear I will be stuck forever.

Jana – Don’t you just hate TOM, I know I do. The past few days I have wanted to eat everything in sight and am soooo craving chocolate. Hope you can hang in there.

Well ladies, I have 2 off plan meals comming up, one will be tonight. Yesterday was my hubbies birthday and we will be going out to eat at an Iris pub tonight. They do not have an online menu with nutritional values so I will have to just do my best at picking something that sounds halfway healthy. The second will be at my mothers on Sunday. She is cooking a birthday lunch for my hubby, Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, some type of veggie and Blackberry Cobbler for dessert. How am I gonna get through that one? I figure I will pick a chicken breast pick off the coating eat the meat have a small helping of potatoes and the veggie, skip the rest. Not sure if I can do that but its what I have planned.

Hope every one has a great weekend. Check back later.

Just thought I'd say a quick good morning . . . actually, it's almost a quick good afternoon around here . . . :hug:

The nasty storm they've been predicted for the last two days, still has not materialized . . . all we have so far is a tiny dusting of snow on the ground; although it is still pretty overcast and the radio is still predicting various kinds of doom and gloom. Guess I'd be feeling a little more optomistic if the sun would come out. . . :)

Nothing big on my agenda . . . some laundry is calling to me . . . and a couple of hours of work for this silly company I seem to think I'm retired from :dizzy:

Hope everybody has a great moving and shaking kind of day planned. See you soon. :carrot:

good morning everyone im am off this weekend so i plan to get a good workout in
how is everyone?

I have had such a busy, productive Saturday! Remember those notepads we are delivering for the realtor (every other month)-- well it's that time again and even though it's "the kid's job" it's sooo much faster to do it alone so we actually only go out for a couple hours with them which is plenty. I got up and did it this morning for an hour and a half. I was walking fast and going up steps and kept my heart-rate up!
It's also a beautiful warm (albeit windy) day today so I got out the rake and cleaned up the front yard-- filled a big orange trash bag with leaves and twigs (all from the neighbors...grrrr)
I baked banana bread and cookies for lunches next week (tried a new recipe w/peanut butter, coconut, oatmeal and chocolate chips...divine! Also supposed to have pecans and raisins, but I knew the kids wouldn't go for that. I've tried to not eat too many though today is my "free" day (and I have had more than I should have...)
Finally, I grocery shopped. Even braved Costco on a Saturday. I am beat! I will sleep well tonight for sure.
Tomorrow I'm making a corned beef dinner-- back to watching portions!
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! :wave:

Good Morning, Gang . . . :hug:

Nothing too exciting going on in Atlantic Canada this morning. It is dull and drizzly, but fairly mild and we definitely did not get the really nasty stuff they were predicting for the past couple of days.

Wow, Emily, you really had a busy, busy day. I'm worn out just reading about it. Hope you got your exercise in, Mia.

Well, that's my quick 'Hello' for this morning. Keep things moving and shaking everybody. see you soon. :carrot:

Hi gang! I’ve been lurking lately with little time to post until today

Linda, Glad to hear that you’ve missed the nasty weather that had been predicted for you. Maybe you’ll soon get some spring weather. Do you often have work from the job you tried to retire from? :lol:

Emily, You had a busy Saturday. I didn’t realize that you did a free day. I’ve always found that interesting but have been too scared to try it myself.

Hi Mia, and welcome to our group. These ladies are great support, and I’m glad you have joined us. I’ve used that same daylight savings time excuse this week. I am going to have to make myself get back on track with exercise TODAY. What type of plan are you following? We definitely don’t focus on losing by a certain date. It can be so discouraging when you do that. Sometimes no matter how good we aren’t our bodies just aren’t ready to cooperate.

Hey Robbin, I second what others have said about admiring you for sticking to it even when the scales aren’t cooperating. It’s easy(er) to stay on track when the scales co-operate but much more difficult when they don’t. Hope your hubbies birthday meals weren’t too difficult.

Erin – great to see you posting again. I’m with Linda on the water advice. Keep gurgling. I’d bet that those 6 lbs are nothing but water retention. We’re also having that beautiful weather you described, although it cooled off some last night. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts, it will be HOT too soon.

Tina, Hope you have a great weekend with your brother. What a long drive though.

Diana, Hope everyone is better by now at your house. Getting off the BP meds would be such a bonus to the weight loss. Good luck with that. I loved to hear DH’s comments to you. That’s fantastic and I love to hear that from my hubby. I had to laugh at your comments at the hairdresser. I love for someone to do things with my hair. It is so relaxing to me and it almost puts me to sleep, but my hairdresser talks too much for that to happen.

Hi Jana, Hope you enjoyed your spring break. My kids had their break this past week, but tomorrow is back to our normal schedule.

Well, I’ve made a big decision on my weight loss. I’ve decided that it is time for me to try to maintain for a while. I have been very emotional lately over the speed of my weight loss and I decided that it is time to take a maintenance break. Now that doesn’t mean that things are changing very much for me. Nothing will change except that I am bumping up my calories to 1800 – 1900 per day. I’ve been considering doing this for the last three months, but I had hoped to get to 199 before I did it. For my own peace of mind, I’ve decided that I couldn’t wait any longer. I have felt so much frustration lately with the scale, even though it has been moving, just slowly. I’m scared that I will become complacent with weight loss, so I’ve set a date to begin actively trying to lose weight again for June 1st. I don’t really think I will need that much of a break, but if I do, that’s when I will restart.

Take care ladies and I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend.

hi i am currently trying to figure out what works for me as far as plan, someone suggested that i try getting 3 servings of the food groups a day but because of me work schedule i find that hard and then i has tried weight watchers which i may have to go back to and i tried others but nothing fits

Tammy, OMG! Your pictures! You look fabulous!! I can't believe how much you've lost!!! You must be soooooo pleased! I have to say that I hate to hear that're you're taking a break. You're sooooo close....but I totally understand! I look forward to June when you're "back on the wagon." Although, I guess you're not officially "off the wagon." LOL I'm sure I'm not the only one anxious to rejoice with you when you reach onederland!! If I can get really, REALLY busy, maybe we can get there together....although I highly doubt I'll be where you are by then! LOL I can dream, though.

Linda, I see that you have one of those jobs that won't let you quit, too! lol I work at my husband and father-in-law's company. I actually quit a couple of years ago....it lasted for about 48 hours (I quit on a Friday, by Monday I was employed again....not of my own free will!! Brother-in-law had a serious car accident over that weekend and my MIL was unable to work. Been back since then....learned that, reluctantly, I'll be there for the rest of my life!) People say it's nice to be needed....are you feelin' that? I just feel overworked and unappreciated! LOLOL

Well everyone, I think we're officially over the latest illness (nasty stomach virus). We thought my daughter was dehydrated Friday (I know she was....no wet diaper for over 16 hours--not a drop)...doctor wanted to put her in the hospital! We finally got enough fluids in her to make her go, though...thank goodness!!! She's much better today, although yesterday she was still sickly.

I went Saturday and had BP meds refilled (last refill)....wasn't going to. I had almost made up my mind that I was just going to quit taking them. But I thought long and hard about it...and the more bloated I felt, the more I was able to convince myself that I still need to be on them. I just called in the refill...will pick it up today. Will check in with the Dr. after this refill is gone...won't have a choice. lol

Well ladies...it's a brand new week. Hope it's an awesome one for each of you!

Good Afternoon Ladies!!!

I have been sick with a stomach bug since Sat.

The good news is the scales were down to 205 this morning!!! I guess that's because I have not been able to keep anything down, not even water!!

I really enjoyed seeing that number this morning. I'm feeling much better and I've been able to keep some soup down but I'm still fighting with my tummy because it's still trying to push it up.

I've been moving around a lot today to try and keep my mind off of it. I was in the bed all day yesterday!!!

Once I get back to 100% I'll then have to fight to keep those extra seven pounds my tummy ache helped me lose, OFF!!!!

I hope you ladies have a wonderful Monday!!! It was back-to-work/school for me but I called in sick, so I'll be back tomorrow.

Hey ladies, hope everyone is haveing a good Monday. I did pretty good over the weekend, not completely on tract but better than I have been for the past 3 months. As a matter of a fact my weekend gain is also lower than it has been in 3 months. Saturday and Sunday scales said 220 and today they said 222. I have not had a Monday reading of 222 in a long time it is usually 224 or higher. Maybe this week will be the week I beat the 220 mark for good. Keep your fingers crossed. Better get to work. Check back soon.

Hi girls . . . :hug:

Hope each of you is having a really great day . . . I've been busy trying to get some errands run before I have this little cataract surgery on Wednesday simply because I don't know if I will be housebound for a couple of days or not. I know people who've been told not to drive for a week or more and others who are okay to do just about anything after 24 hours. . . hope I'm the 24 hour type. :^:

TAMMY . . . :hug: . . . I'm sure you've made a good decision. When it becomes such a strain, you definitely will benefit from a little respite. Who knows, you just might start losing like mad as soon as you stop trying so hard. If not, well . . . practicing for maintenance is a good thing of and for itself . . . there is a school of weight-loss-thought that suggests taking a break after every six months of concentrated effort. For me . . . I don't think that 6 month deal would work . . . as a matter of fact, I know it wouldn't since I've proved it many times in the past. Please just make sure you continue to post on 3FC.

MIA . . . :hug: . . . There is a plan out there that will be a perfect match for you, girl . . . Just keep reading until one really catches your eye and in the meantime, keep doing the best you can to cut back and fit both healthy eating and exercising into your schedule. BTW, I'm rather curious as to why you quoted all of Tammy's post in yours?????

DIANA . . . :hug: . . . Glad to hear everyone is finally feeling better. That must have been quite a scare with your poor little daughter. Thank goodness everything is okay now. Amazing how some jobs are so hard to retire from, isn't it. :o

JANA . . . :hug: . . . Glad you are feeling better, too. Just ease back into the eating and keep on drinking lots of water . . . but don't be too upset if a bit of the weight comes back for a short time.

ROBBIN . . . :hug: Good going. Sounds like things may be starting to click for you again. Keep doing the good stuff, Chickie.

Well, I guess I'd better go feed the cats . . . they are such creatures of habit and start acting like they will never eat again if the dish doesn't hit the floor at the right time. :)

Have a great moving and shaking evening everybody. See you soon. :carrot:

robbin, I just popped in to read any new posts...didn't intend to post myself, but I just had to tell you that I am so completely overjoyed for you!!!!! Keep doing what you're doin'........ :cheer:

Mia, Have you thought about just doing calorie counting to start out? Using a website like www.fitday.com makes calorie counting so much easier than it used to be, IMO. Finding a plan was difficult for me at first too, then finally I realized that I just had to do SOMETHING, and not keep putting it off. I hope you find something you like soon. :hug:

Diana, Thank you so much for your comments on my photos. I appreciate that. :hug: I'm truly not "off the wagon" so to speak. I'm still measuring and weighing my food and logging it. The only two changes are that 1)I'm trying to eat a little more than usual (sounds like fun - but I don't want to eat just junk so that's more challenging than I thought it would be) and 2) I'm not worrying if the scale shows a loss or not. That is the part that feels so good, so freeing. I'm not sure when I got so hung up on the scale but this is a good change for me. There are several of us so close to 199 that I'm sure we'll have good company when we cross that line. I hope your family is completely recovered. How old are you kids by the way?

Jana, woohoo on the pounds lost, although that's a nasty way to have to do it. I hope you feel much better soon. :hug:

Robbin, I'm crossing my fingers for you that you see 219 again this week. Today's weigh-in sounds very promising. :hug:

Hey Linda, If I don't get a chance to post tomorrow, I hope the catarct surgery goes well. I'm sure it will. I hope you are the 24 hour type too. :hug: I will definitely continue posting at 3FC while I'm trying to maintain. I think I'll need it more now than ever. :)

Take care everyone!

meowee you know what i didnt even realize i did that, i was in a rush this morning i was suppose to be getting ready for work:)

thank you everyone for the advise

Good morning ladies. How is everyone today? Pretty good here, scales did not move over night but that’s ok, I am still gonna work my backside off this week to see if they drop. I found a recipe for a low-fat Chicken Florentine that I am dyeing to try; I think it will be tomorrow night’s dinner. If it turns out good I will post it for you ladies.

Tammy – I took a peek at your pictures and all I have to say is WOW lady you look great. You should be so proud of yourself. Every time I start feeling down in the dumps and want to quit I look up to people like you who have stuck this out and proved to everyone that it can be done.

Diana – glad to hear the family is feeling better, don’t you just hate it when the little ones are sick. You feel so helpless. I am also glad to hear you decided against stopping the meds. I think it is best you wait till you see your dr.

Mia – I agree with Tammy, calorie counting is one of the best and easiest ways to go. I use fitday.com and it only takes me a few minutes a day to keep track of what goes into my mouth. I do have to admit that when you are just starting out with fitday it does take some time to figure it out but once you have the foods you eat most entered into it, it is a snap.

Jusj - I do not want to be a downer but I do want to warn you, once you start eating again the scales are likely to go up a bit. Right now your are empty and partially dehydrated, once your body refuels itself you might see a little jump.

Linda – how is the weather? We are expecting storms for the next couple of days but the temps are perfect hanging around 70.

Well I guess I had better get to work. Hope everyone has a great day.