Carol - I hope you have a great weekend camping and kyaking. Enjoy wearing your new capris. I'm looking forward to seeing your picture when you post it - maybe one of you in your kyak. I get my results next Thursday - thanks for asking.

Nikki - Congratulations on your loss. It must be so nice fitting into the smaller sizes, especially with the warmer weather coming. As far as our challenge - I weighed the same on Friday, but have only been on the challenge for a few days so hopefully I'll show a loss by next Friday. I'll post some garden photos when the peonies are in bloom in about a week.

Marie - You and Judy are the Gadget Queens. I don't even know what a t-mobil wing is! I hope you enjoy using your new toy. Have fun trekking with your elves.

Judy - I hope you enjoy your much deserved down time this weekend. The weather warmed up after you left. I hope you get better weather next time you're over this way. I'm glad you found some nice pants. It's always good to find clothes that fit well - especially if it's a bargain.

We're going to a big garden center tomorrow. I want to get some more foxgloves and some shade plants. I bought a new hummingbird feeder today - those little guys are so spoilt around here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend.

I'm in a good mood today . Besides enjoying the slow pace of a long weekend, I finally started going through my old clothes. And my summer work shirts from several years ago fit again, hooray. So all I need is one more pair of summer shoes and I can stop thinking about clothes for a while. I'm annoyed that the scale isn't moving faster, but I know that it will catch up with reality any minute now. I was planning to change my ticker, but the 3FC site is being worked on so I'll have to wait another day or two.

I managed not to gain any weight on the road, which is a rarity! And I have conquered the evening munchies, at least for now. Mixing up my workouts with the cardio machines has helped, along with sticking to the meditation and the self-hypnosis. This week I will experiment with reintroducing fruit and the occasional whole grain into my diet. A few pieces of summer clothing that I'm just a few pounds away from wearing are prominently placed in my bedroom as reminders of how important it is to stay with the program.

I'm catching up with friends and chores this weekend, and enjoying the heck out of not having to do anything if I don't want to! My apartment has felt cluttered and junky lately, so I'm taking advantage of my good energy to purge clothes, knickknacks, old bottles of dried-up glue, etc. Just seeing a few more clean surfaces is calming.

Penny, hanging out with flowers and hummingbirds sounds lovely. It feels like full summer here already--upper 80s and humid--so I forgive you for not hooking up the weather for me while I was out west.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend--judy

Judy- Congrats on maintaining and fitting into old clothes again. I can imagine you are enjoyin yourself not having to do anything.

Penny-Maintaining is good give it awhile to kick in.

I managed to get past some major ice cream cravings this weekend. I felt like everywhere I went they were serving soft ice cream. My boyfriend helped immensly telling me how much I would regret it and that it would only taste good for a minute. I am back to drinking my water today and hoping to see a loss wednesday.

Happy Memorial day
Nikki

Girls what a great weekend. I kayaked for appox. 5.5 hrs total for the weekend. It was really cool and I could do it by myself so it was peaceful just nature and me. I also went to the rock beach which was quite a walk. But I ate like a hungry bear so wt. loss most likely none to report but I feel good and have a tan and a little burn. But other than my back hurting this a.m. in good shape I think. I didn't find my Aleve bottle from camping and now I know I should have looked harder for it. Oh well on my way to work I will stop to grab something for it. Getting in and out of the kayak isn't so easy as its very low. Thank goodness for a little seat that blows up for better comfort. I now know the deal I got for this boat was real sweet. The guy called last night to see how I did. I told him I love it. I went up streams which curved etc. I was feeling pretty confident by the time I left camp. I think its going to be a good source of relaxation for me. Which I need. My hubby was getting a bit grumpy as his illness sometimes makes him. I just said see yah in a bit took off in my boat and relaxed with nature watching the two swans as they prepared their nest. We visited the cookie factory its a camp with large wooden post which have craved elfs and fairies. The lady has had this place since my kids were very little. She bakes all the cookies on site and has huge clear jars of all sorts of cookies. You go in and help yourself. The pms choc. cookies with mint frosting and mint chips those are my favorite. Good thing I burned calories huh? Well Judy sounds like you had a good weekend. Nikki congrats to you. Penny hope the tests results are fine. Marie I guess you must of enjoyed the pool huh? The kids were in my sisters in ground pool yesterday just having a blast but no adults went in side line watching. Well take care and Judy I am going back onto South Beach starting tonight. Already had some cinnamon bread for breakfast I did think it helped with cravings and the book said you can go back to stage one any time I think I skipped over 2 a little to fast and back to normal stuff entirly. But the wedding is in about 24 days so now or never. Tonight I am working on the flower girls dresses I promised to get them done this week and I will. Just a little taking in on the sides and some trim put on. No good pictures of me this weekend but I had wished my camera was on board when my girl friends tipped over the canoe. They were only in a few feet of water but it went quick and was quite a good picture. Hah hah! Oh sorry I have a sick sort of sense of humor at times. I am off to work girls.

Hi all, I'm very frustrated with 3FC since they changed servers. I wrote a post last night and it just spins saying it's "posting". It never does. So I emailed it to work and tried from here. Does the same thing. So I give up. I will try writing again later.
Marie

Marie your post showed about the post not posting last night

Carol, I'm so glad you had fun! "PMS cookies"--what a great idea! See you on the Beach.

Nikki, this weather (and the opening of the summer season) screams ice cream. I love rich soft-serve ice cream, and especially old-fashioned frozen custard and malteds...yum, yum...maybe my growing lactose issue is a blessing in disguise, I don't much want to act on the cravings, or a small amount will do. When I was a kid, my family could do some serious damage at the Dairy Queen!

Penny, I hope you're feeling well, and had a nice time with the flowering plants. And Marie...come back!

My weight's settling a little higher than I hoped, but I went ahead and changed my ticker, with Independence Day in mind. I think I've finally got a little momentum going here, so my July 4 goal will be 218 or better.

judy

Judy - Congratulations for not gaining while you were on the road. It's very hard to stay on plan when you're away from home and your usual routine. I'm glad you had a relaxing weekend and had a chance to do some 'spring cleaning'. Good luck for your July 4th goal.

Nikki - I get an ice cream craving about this time of the year when the weather starts getting warmer. I'm looking forward to going to our favorite ice cream parlour on the coast soon. I only eat ice cream about twice a year but it has to be really good - no low fat stuff! A nice long stroll on the beach should burn off the extra calories.

Carol - I'm glad you had fun kyaking. Those PMS cookies sound like they would cheer a person up. That cookie factory sounds so quaint (but dangerous). I hope your back soon feels better. Mine is doing much better but I'm thinking of getting more bark dust on the weekend so I'll have to be careful I don't overdo it again. The bark dust is working very well to keep the weeds down on the beds I've spread it on so far.

Marie - Sorry to hear about your posting woes. I hope you had a good weekend.

I went to my yoga class today after missing two lessons. It felt so good to stretch. This time last week I couldn't have touched my toes! Our yoga instructor also does acupuncture, so I'm thinking of getting it done on my ankle. It's going to be 92 deg. here tomorrow so I'll have to get my work done early as my office is upstairs and it gets like an oven. We're getting central air installed next month, so that will make life easier on the hot days.

Penny we are due to get the 90's on thurs and fri. I plan another trip out this weekend to kyak that will help burn some cals and flab on my arms. Bark dust we call ours bark or mulch are we talking about the same thing. Most likely. I bought a tree from the nursery for $2.00 normally 29 to nurse back to health again for years of beauty I am sure. Do you have hens and chicken plants there? I purchased a huge huge one it was at least 10" wide in a circle with little ones coming. I gave it away to my daughter for her birthday on friday. She loves it and it was the last one there so I will wait for a slip of it. Enjoy but becareful of your back. The ice cream topic its tough. We all love it. I was told years ago by a nutritionist whom was helping me learn about chol. triy. etc. told me to skip lunch and have a hot fudge instead. It makes sense to change out the cals instead of having both and feeling satisfied. Marie I haven't run into that problem but it must be frustrating as all heck! Sometimes I have trouble just finding the thread. So come back Marie! Judy good for you on the loss and staying focused see you on the beach today. I am starting my day off with poached eggs and some toast. I will get all the way on by thurs. gradual break in for me. I stopped to get a trim last night and ended up with a dye job. Hah hah! Guess I felt the need for a little make over. We also talked about styles for the wedding which is coming fast. I am a bit worried that if it is a 90 degree day my jacket will roast me even for a short period of time. I think I may look today just for fun to see whats out there for dresses again. Still have the tags on mine. Maybe just a nice shawl would work? Oh we will see. I spoke with my daughter in law and they aren't arriving until 5 so no facial for her. I might have to get it instead wow facial, nails toes a whole new me. That is the day before the wedding spa day instead of a girls drinking party my DD doesn't drink at all nor does her man. My DIL and I had a lovely talk. Well take care and be good!

Judy - I am happy you are on the path for July 4 Momentum is awesome.

Carol-I use to do the meal swap before atkins and it does work. Now with Atkins though I can't do it. However, if I can get my hand on some heavy cream I can make a homemadeice cream I can eat.

Penny-Central air sounds like a blessing. Good going on your yoga class. I love to stretch.


I am weighing in 2 times this week. Once today and once Friday. Reason is that Friday - Sun I am going to eat some carbs so I get the cravings gone. My weigh in today was exciting I lost 4 lbs and weigh 150. By Friday I am expecting to see 148. I never thought I would see 150 I am so psyched. It has probably been about 7 years since I weighed this little.

Hang in there everyone.
Nikki

Wow, Nikki, congratulations! That's a huge milestone. It's your hard work, focus and dedication that got you this far--keep it up, lady! Are you going to have any downtime this summer, now that school is done?

Carol, the spa time before the wedding sounds ideal. Sometimes the wedding party is a nervous wreck just before the event, it would be great to plan to zone out and relax...

Thanks, Penny! I have such a hard time sticking with a program when I'm traveling. There's really no reason for it, I can always make better choices and plan ahead, but most times I use travel as an excuse to eat my favorite foods. And trust me, I can find something compelling (and fattening) anywehre I go! This last trip was the first time in years that I really stayed focused, and I didn't starve, either .

I brought a quinoa salad to work today that I'd planned to eat for lunch, but I ended up going out with an old friend instead and had a green salad with chicken. I ate the quinoa around 3:30, a little nervous about the carbs setting me off in a "hungry" frenzy. But almost two hours later, I'm still feeling full and not munchy--so far, so good. I made too much quinoa, so I guess this will be my afternoon snack for the rest of the week.

See you tomorrow--judy

Hi all, I'm going to try again. If it doesn't work I'll probably PM the post to you all. I gave up posting the one I wrote on Monday night. Apparently it had gremlins.

It's hot out today and I'm going swimming after posting. I've been driving my yellow CJ5 topless (as in no roof as opposed to without shirt and bra) for the last few weeks. Today it was awesome! I did the treadmill workout this am and will swim 1/4 mile next. I did 1/2 mile swimming yesterday and didn't walk, jog or do a video. Wow that's a first. My left knee was bothersome - I think it's the WATP and side motions. So I'm going to stick with the treadmill as it doesn't aggravate it at all - even the jogging.

Food is getting back on track. I should be under my 1700 cals by over 300 today. I was aiming towards that to flush my system of the junk I've put it it. I even got a pimple from it!!! Weighin yesterday was good so I didn't do damage of the long weekend.

Nikki, wow, 150. You go chickie. That is fabulous!!!!

Judy, I distinctly remember a post in the not so distant past of 231. Now you're 224 and goal setting at 218. You join Nikki on the you go chickie. Very good control on the trip. I can not be good on vacation. It's not even possible with me.

Carol, good job on the kayaking. I added 10 lengths of the pool with the breaststroke to work different muscles in my arms. I usually do freestyle and back stroke, but for some reason the breaststroke is using diff muscles. Enjoy the spa, that sound like fun.

Okay, I'm going to push the post button and it better work!!!!
Marie

Nikki congrats that is wonderful news for sure! Wow Atkins has really helped you get where you wanted to be but you as a person were determined to get there congrats!!!!!
Judy congrats to you too! How wonderful to see some good changes come your way. I wasn't so good in my dinner choices last night. We went to celebrate my SIL birthday at Red Lobster. What I ordered was higher in cals and in the end I wished I'd ordered something differently. The scallops were about the size of my pinky nail not what I thought at all. But live and learn huh? I am going to be on track today. With my salad for lunch again and a grilled chicken br. for dinner with some veggies. My hubby had a doctors appt. yesterday the doc thought his mumur sounded louder than in the past and asked when we see the heart specialist. I have to ck into when the next appt. is I hope they see no changes. This is an operation he doesn't want to have and has fought it off for years leaky valve. But without it could be a risk for a stroke down the road now that wouldn't be good either. Sometimes life just doesn't seem so fair but we will make the best out of it cause what else can one do? I am not going to alarm the kids the timing just isn't right with a baby on the way, wedding etc. plus we really don't know for sure anything. Maybe his hearing is off!!! Lets hope. Marie I am so glad you were able to get on its so frustrating I know I have been there. Sounds like your trying to get back on track good for you. How easy it is to let things slip in how well I know. Remember you are building muscle by swimming. I wish I had your pool. I had Bears appt. all set up for going to the fix it doc. But then heard that doc lost my hairdresser dog last week after the same surgery so I am canceling and rescheduling with another place. Oh how awful that must of been no thank you. I don't want anything to happen to my crazy bear. Well gotta get to packing my lunch. Talk to you all soon today will be a better day for me!

Marie - Your post is showing today. Go you on the under calories and having a good weigh in.

Judy-I'm babysitting and looking for full time work this summer. I had a day or so of down time so far. I have been trying to do stuff around the house that I neglected when I was writing my thesis.

carol-I hope everything works out with your husband.

I made the mistake of stepping on the scale today and show a slight gain. I suspect it is from the heat my whole body feels dehydrated.I'm sure it will disappear soon.

Nikki

I just got back from my doctor's appointment and I'm glad to say that my skin biopsies were negative! I had one of the spots "frozen" off as it was the kind that can turn to skin cancer if not removed. What a relief!

I have to tell you about something strange and wonderful that happened. I was hoping for a sign that everything would work out with my biopsies, such as seeing a rainbow. I went to lunch with some girlfriends the other day and one of them was talking about her Indian friend who has a large collection of sari's - Lynne said they were "like the colors of the rainbow". This morning driving to the doctors I thought - with not a cloud in the sky - I doubt I'll see any rainbows. Just then I drove past a plant nursery with all the sprinklers on and, you guessed it, there were dozens of little rainbows arching across the field! It sure helped me cope with whatever news I was going to get. Just thought I'd share it with you. P.S. Later my DH and I went to a coffee shop and the store we parked in front of had a big rainbow logo in the window!

Carol - Your makeover for the wedding sounds like fun. It always nice to do such 'girly' stuff. I think you're right about wearing something cool for the wedding as it's already pretty hot in your part of the country. Last year we attended an outdoor wedding in California and it was 105 deg.!!!! They had tents and everyone got a little hand fan and a bottle of water but I was roasted even in a sleeveless dress. I guess Californians are used to those temperatures. Kyaking must be a great workout for your arms. Don't worry about your puppy too much, those operations are pretty routine and I'm sure there are not many that turn out badly. It will probably give you peace of mind to go to another vet's office though. Yes, bark dust is the same as bark mulch. It's pretty inexpensive here as we have a big logging industry. Good deal on the tree for $2! Sometimes all they need is a little TLC to thrive (kind of like us!) I'll keep your hubby in my prayers.

Nikki - You are doing fantastic! Don't worry about the little blip on the scale, overall you are losing at a very fast rate. Like Judy says, you are very focused and dedicated to reaching your goal.

Judy - I'll have to get some quinoa. It makes a nice salad. I have a recipe somewhere for a middle-eastern salad with mint and cilantro, very refreshing on a hot day. Quinoa has lots of good nutrients too - maybe that's why you found it so satisfying.

Marie - I bet you're enjoying this hot weather. I hope your knee is feeling better. Swimming is probably a bit easier on it than the WATP. I also break out when I go off plan and start eating rich foods/junk. It doesn't seem fair that I still get pimples at my age!