Carol, I hope you'll have some time every day to rock in your lovely chair! I'm so glad to hear that your hubby's home, but now you'll both have to work very hard until he's recovered. He's lucky to have such a sweet-natured nurse . I was in Seattle last week, so I stopped by the Market. I'm so happy every time I open my freezer!

Penny, congratulations on the tea! And thanks for the tip about tofu pate (Marie, stop gagging ). As it happens, I bought some garlic spread from the garlic booth, and plan to use it on my turkey breast on Thursday.

Marie, it will be nice to have three generations together for T'giving. The little guy sounds very easy-going, a nice quality in a kid!

I had a busy weekend and a crazy Monday. But I'm really buckling down to gid rid of the bad habits I picked up on the road, leaving behind the carb craving. Every day has been a struggle, though. Today I had a protein shake for breakkie, half and apple and a cheese stick for AM snack, a big salad w/tuna for lunch, carrots, hummus and tortilla chips for afternoon snack. For dinner I had beef, broccoli and green beans, and a clementine orange. No workout this morning--I was up late reading, and overslept this morning. I will do yoga tonight before going to bed.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday--judy

G,day ladies just a quick Hi and I,ll catch up on the posts I,ve missed and checkin again later just thought I would say I,M BAAAAACK.

JULS

Juls, I loooove your Xmas present to yourself . I hope you've been having a good time.

I am very happy to get the slider on my ticker moving downward! My period just started, so now I feel a little better about my epic battles with the Carb monster last week. I have been better about the misc snacking, but it's still taking a lot of self-talk. It feels good to be about to work out again, too. I'd forgotten how it felt not to limp or wince. I did 60 minutes of cardio and strength training this morning, and ate on target today--except I ran across a Ghiradelli chocolate, left over from my San Franciso trip, and I promptly ate it. but otherwise a good day.

I hope everyone is doing well. I plan check in every day of the Thanksgiving break (which starts on Thursday, Juls). I will need the positive reinforcement...we don't have to regain a pound over the holiday!

judy

Carol - I hope your hubby is getting better day by day and that you'll both enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Judy - Congratulations on moving your ticker downward . You're an inspiration! That was very sneaky of the Ghiradelli chocolate to hitch a ride in your bag! I'm hoping to be able to post a loss on Friday (despite tomorrow's challenges). I'm glad you're bashing the carb monster !

Juls - Good to hear from you - pop in again soon!

Marie - I hope you're doing well.

I'm doing much better with staying on plan and I'm recording everything faithfullly on spark people. The sun came out today so everyone is out walking or raking leaves. Since we're not crazy about turkey, I'm making roast beef tomorrow with parsnips and brussels sprouts, followed by a tiny portion of raspberry trifle.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

G,day lovely ladies WOW I go away for awhile and the place falls apart accidents, Marie that was terrible how that witch took of off leaving the scene some people don,t give a damn so I bet she won,t give it another thought, glad you weren,t hurt to bad and your car will be fixed if it,s not one thing it,s another.

Carol what is going on with the medical profession, as if you haven,t got enough to deal with but at least they say it shouldn,t cause a problem but that isn,t good enough I would be getting advice from a lawyer too just in case, incompetence is in excusable , but I,m so glad that you and your DH are getting through this trying time my thoughts and prayers are with you as always, it will be great when it is all over and you both can look back on it as just another nightmare you,ve put behind you. I was seeing your rocker in my mind it sounds lovely, I,ve got one but not as old as that I love it I nursed all my kids in it and I still love to sit in it and read.

Judy congrats on your sliding ticker keep it up. I will give you positive reinforcement for the holidays your right we don,t have to gain over the holidays. And what a hide that chocolate had hitch hiking in your bag and of course his punishment just had to be to termination .

G,day Penny how are you.

Well I had a great time in Sydney and of course I ate to much and as you can see by my ticker I gained 2lbs, I was taken out to dinner a couple of times and we don,t have Krispy Kreme where we live in the country so while I was in Sydney I only ate at least a dozen of them so I don,t have any idea how I gained the weight . Anyway I,m home now and have been back to healthy eating actually I have been living on soup God paid me back from eating all those donuts I,ve got an absess on my tooth I suppose that will teach me there is a price to pay and not only an increasing butt also pain anyway I,ve lost 1lb so far but a very sore way to do it.

Take care I,ll check in later bye for now, everyone be good and stay on track keep focused .

JULS

Juls, you must have sent some powerful spiritual mojo up my way, as I got to slide my ticker down a few more notches already . It was right on time too, since today is the official kickoff of the USA's annual eating marathon. I am cooking a feast for myself (pumpkin soup, garlic turkey breast, roasted veggies, greens, and cranberry sauce (made with Splenda)), and looking forward to leftovers. I love Kripsy Kreme donuts, Juls. When I lived in Georgia they were everywhere, at every meeting, wherever there was free coffee....they even have "healthy" whole-wheat donuts now, ha-ha! Sorry about the toothache. Hope you're able to crunch on good food again soon.

Penny, your T'giving meal sounds good. I'll be over at 3PM.

judy

G,day ladies Hope you are all well.

Judy you go girl, glad I haven,t lost my touch, your feast sounds good and healthy and also yummy it just goes to show that you still can indulge but just choose healthy versions. I,m doing OK the tooth is slowly getting better and I,m able to eat a few more things but can,t crunch into an apple yet which I,m missing but I,m getting used to a diet of yogurt and cabbage soup and diet shakes so when I get on the scale next Wednesday the of a thing had better play nice or he will be going out the window and my hip and leg have been pretty good lately so I,ve been able to a bit more so that is good.

G,day, Carol, I hope all is going well with you and DH .

Marie and Penny hope you are both doing fine.

All of you enjoy your Thanks Giving and choose healthy foods and Judy watch those leftovers they can undo all your good intentions .

Everyone take care bye for now.

JULIE

Judy - Your garlicy turkey sounds yummy. You'll have some nice (and healthy) leftovers. I'm just going to have one more small portion of the trifle and then toss it as otherwise I'll gobble up the whole thing! I made a small one, but it's still too much for just the two of us.

Juls - I'm glad to hear your toothache is getting better, also that your hip and leg are letting you be more active. I hope you can soon eat crunchy foods again. I love your positive attitude!

Carol and Marie - I hope you guys had a nice Thanksgiving.

I'm pleased to report that I've lost 1.5 lbs.! Yesterday I ate lots of veggies and just a little roast beef and stayed within my calorie range of 1600-1700. It was nice and sunny so we went for a walk by the river and then did some yard clean up in the afternoon. It was around 50 deg., which is pretty good for this time of the year. We're driving to the coast today to take advantage of the last sunny day before the rain comes back in earnest.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi, all! Carol and Marie, I hope you are having a good holiday.

Juls, keep those good vibes coming! That scale better do right by you at the next weigh-in! I would think it would be hard to eat too post a gain on a diet of cabbage soup and yogurt....It's fun to pick at yummy leftovers, but early last night I divided most of the turkey breast into about 4-ounce portions, and put them into the freezer, along with some one-cup servings of the soup. That limited my snacking potential, and I felt too virtuous (and full)afterwards to want to snack much, anyway. I had a frozen chocolate Slim-A-Bear for dessert. Oh, and I had a glass of wine, too, I guess that counts, huh .

Yaaay, Penny! Way to go . And throwing away dessert, too. That's something I really struggle with. Somehow it makes more sense to store any extra food on my hips and thighs instead of in the garbage disposal. I hope you enjoyed your scenic walk.

I spent the evening watching movies and laughing at the British version of "The Biggest Loser." For some reason I thought it would be more edifying, but no, it was just as melodramatic and petty as the US version ("So, how did that make you feel, knowing that both the Red Team and the Blue Team voted you off their teams, and now you're being sent home?"). Today I did several loads of laundry and have been cleaning up, with more cleaning to do on Saturday. I decided that I really dislike one of my two balance ball videos. But I did have fun checking out soem of the workouts in the cable TV library (thru OnDemand, for those of you with Comcast).

Time for dinner--leftovers, hooray!

judy

Morning everyone, it sounds like Judy and Penny had a good Thanksgiving and stayed on track. That's excellent. Juls, sorry about your tooth. I love KK donuts, but they put something in them that I'm allergic to so I don't get them when I have a chance - which isn't often as their mix doesn't work in higher elevations (according to a former donut store owner). At least that explained why our town didn't have any brand donut stores.

Well, what an interesting week. DGS got sick on Monday (puked all over the Durango) then got DS2, DH and I sick by Wednesday. My parents were here and so far haven't gotten sick. DH had it the worst as he has a very weak stomach. I was sick on Wed, but better on Thursday. Now I'm back to normal. But it sure did help on not overeating on Thanksgiving. The idea of stuffing my stomach was revolting. So I guess I stayed on track all week. I think I'd rather use willpower.

With DGS visiting (and sick) I couldn't exercise Mon - Wed. I did take a 1.5 mile doggie walk on Thursday and yesterday. DS2 and I decided last night that we will have a yoga date today as it's been 1.5 weeks since yoga.

My parents are leaving a day early as they didn't get to the coast on the beginning of the trip. So they're leaving today. I love spending time with my mom, but my dad just drives me up the wall. Now, my mom has had 3 back surgeries and multiple reasons to be b*tchy. But who complains all the time - my father. We went to the winter light show yesterday and it was cold. (This was after a wonderful out to eat dinner that my father made rude comments about throughout). So we're walking in the cold looking at the beautiful lights and he's b*tching away. He goes to the firepit to warm up and we continue on the path with my mom. She's loving the displays. Now, DS2 and I are making comments (whispered to each other of course about how grandpa is driving us nuts). Ok, shorten the story - I say to DS2 "here's grandma with 2 back surgeries and multiple other maladies and she's just trooping on, enjoying life - then there's grandpa... DS2 responds, "But grandma is a trooper." I found a way to let my mom know that DS2 said that without giving her the reason (but she's smart - probably figured it out). The coolest part about this is that my mom used to be the queen of b*tching and moaning. Now she just wants to enjoy the rest of her life. Cool, huh.

BTW, I owe DS2 big time. All week he listened to my father's endless stories about his friends lives. I DIDN'T have the patience - he did. I figure I owe him big, big time. I really appreciate him. I also told him that when I'm old, if I start acting like my dad and not like my mom, to kick me in the A$$.

OK, so that sums up my week. I'm back and in a few hours, my visitors will be on their way (they're still sleeping). My doggies loved my parents, especially my mom. DGS was sick and standoffish be he still charmed them when he was feeling good. All in all, not a bad week.

Judy, garlic turkey sounds divine. How do you make it? I just roasted my turkey and it was great, but I'm a garlic lover. Do tell.

Penny, how can you not love turkey. If it was wasn't for turkey and chicken, I'd be a vegetarian. I LOVE turkey. The roast did sound tasty though. The river walk sounded even better.

Juls, take care of the tooth and be thankful there aren't any KK Donuts in your vicinity. You'll lose both pounds. I know it.

Carol, I hope you survived your Thanksgiving and the DH is recovering.

Talk to you all tomorrow. My laptop battery is dying and I'll send this before it vanishes.
Marie

G,day ladies, hope your all well and happy. It is another beautiful day here downunder a bit overcast and the chance of a thunderstorm but still a wonderful day.

Penny the tooth was doing fine until I forgot and bit into an apple I think I left claw marks in the ceiling but after some pain killers it settled down again, I miss my apples and because I wasn,t in pain I thought I would risk one of a thing looks like it is going to have to come out the absess is nearly gone but the roots are still tender what is with teeth they are buggers getting them and buggers when their going. on the 1.5lb loss another one bites the dust never to be seen again I hope you enjoy your sunny day, and great for staying in your calorie range and your river walk sounded wonderful.

Judy I,m sending heaps of I think of you all when I I think the will be kind to me I jumped on them this morning and with my cabbage soup and yogurt diet I have already lost the 2lb I put on over last week but like I said I wish I could of done it without the pain. . Good for you dividing up the left overs and freezing them and give yourself a pat on the back for not wanting to snack, your chocolate dessert sounded healthy and a glass of wine isn,t going to do any damage and if it was red wine it is even good for you . I didn,t know there was a British Biggest Loser, but I did think in the US one that the blue team voting off Jerry sucked, but like you say they are all so petty and a lot of back stabbing goes on even in the Aussie version. Hope you enjoyed your housework I used to hate it but then there was an article in one of my mags that told me housework was exercise so I don,t mind a good round with the mop and broom now, I put on the stereo full blast and go for it enjoy your leftovers.

Marie, I wish I was allergic to KK donuts but that is my problem I,m not allergic to any type of food you sound like you had a full week, I have the opposite to you I was a real Daddys girl and I miss him terribly, I love my Mum but for as long as I can remember I have spent most of my life trying to get her to be proud of me but she always has some negative remark and it is mostly about my appearance. I went to visit her when I was in Sydney and we went shopping and she found a skirt that she thought I would like I,m between a 16 and 18 bottom and feel bad about that as it is but when she held up a 26 and told me it would fit me perfectly I was stunned, I told her it would be a bit big but she turned to my DH and said she thought it would fit me because I am rather large and to that my DH nodded, again I was stunned when I asked him why he agreed with her he said because he didn,t want to get on the wrong side of her so he got on the wrong side of me instead, I have put up with years of her hurtful comments and my DD who was with us told me it was about time I stood up to her and told her how I felt, so I did I told her that this was who I am it isn,t my weight or clothes that defines who I am it is what is on the inside and if she can,t except that then it is her problem not mine and I just don,t give a damn anymore, she was shocked but respected how I felt but no appology at her age she thinks it is OK for her to say just what she likes and if it hurts the other person to bad. I look at my Mum and for as long as I can remember she has always been the same "negative" I try to see something positive in everything even if it is bad it has happened for a reason and there is a lesson there that I needed to learn. Oh well I guess we can,t change people not even our parents my DD told me that she is so glad I,m not like my Mum and she is thankful everyday for who I am and how I taught her to be, she is my second child and also my best friend I,m glad for our friendship and I,m proud of the woman she has become and I can step back and say I had a part in who she is. I hope you are all well again it is good when we don,t overeat but not so good when it is because we are sick.

Carol all my thoughts and wishes for a speady recovery to your DH and take care of yourself and don,t forget your you time

Bye for now everyone all of you take care and stay focused I,m off for a .

JULS

Morning everyone!!! My house is quiet and peaceful. Just DH, DS2 and me. I'm very liking that. I ended up going over the mountain with my parents so they wouldn't get lost and my father is a terrible driver now. At least in that rental. I kept telling him to slow down. He jerked the car all over the road and would slam on the brakes for the icy/snowy areas. That's the last thing you do. I was literally getting nauseous. Poor driving so soon after the accident was too much. I was glad to see him on his way. I wish my mom was more mobile and healthy as she could then travel on her own. I'd love to spend a week with just her.

Food is fine as my stomach is still a little weird. Some times queasy, some times not. Nice little stomach bug. At latest count DGS's bug took down him, DH, me, DS2 - then two days later DS1 and his mom. All are recovering but it's been harder on DS1 and DH than the rest of us.

I didn't yoga yesterday as I had the impromptu trip over the mountain. DS2 and I changed our yoga date for this evening when he gets off work. I did walk yesterday and will take the doggies out in a bit.

Juls, your mom sounds way worse than my dad. How insulting!!! What does that get her? I mean most people have their agendas in what they say and do. Why be mean to your child. Even when my father irritates the pants off me, I'm very nice even if it's through gritted teeth. I don't understand belittling people. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit her and I'd be SO mad at my hubby if he joined in the belittling. Ooooooo.....

Well, that's it from here. I'm going to keep catching up on things and then make myself a new duvet cover. I bought new flannel sheets to sew together and it should be snuggly.
Marie

Good morning ladies, it is 4.30 in the morning here can,t sleep nothing unusual.

Marie I agree with you Mum is a shocker at times but I love her hey she,s my Mum, we live about nine hrs away from her so I only get to see her about 3 times a year so the rest of the time I just don,t let her get to me, if I ring her and she starts with the negativity I just bye Mum love you and hang up. I was angry with DH but he told me he wasn,t putting me down he was just being diplomatic with her because he didn,t want her on his case, he did tell her not to upset me though so I guess that was something. I always remember a line from the Mel Gibson movie The man without a face, when he is front of the committee judging him for his friendship with his student and he says to them If this is all you see then you don,t see me you can,t see me, and I feel like that when people judge me on my weight, I have a friend I have known for about 16yrs and he has seen me at my heaviest and at my goal weight over the yrs many times, we caught up with him when we went to Sydney and he told my DH that he has never seen me heavy or slim he has only ever seen me as a beautiful soul another friend says the same so I guess I must be doing something right, I make allowances for Mum she is getting old when I was younger it used to hurt but now at 50 I,m not so thin skinned anymore I just let it slide but when she did it this time we were in a store full of people and she isn,t the softest spoken woman on the planet so I was more embarrassed than anything really. But that is over done with gone the next time I see her I hope to be at my goal weight then she will probably say I,m to skinny OOOOH well mothers gotta love em.
I,m doing good tooth is just giving me a hurryup now and again my DD my youngest of 5 and my DGD stayed with us for a week and when DSI came to get them he had a virus and DH and I have it I guess it is going around even all the way here downunder, but this to shall pass LOL.
Take care everyone bye for now.

JULS

Well girls hopefully I am back on track today with work starting at least a half of day the other have to take hubby to the drs. for a visit new primary I got rid of the other one. I am on a role. I did contact a lawyer and we are awaiting the paperwork of the incident then we will see if there is a case or not. Drs are so protected for their mistakes at times. But nothing searched nothing gained and if anything ever happens due to this issue at least it is on record for what ever that is worth. It gave me some peace in a little way. not a huge amount of exercise. I did manage to go shop on blk friday. Lots of good deals I am at the pt of wrapping some more to gather but almost done. Gift cert. wait til last, and they do make life a bit easier. I got a super deal on a kayak for my hubby he will be so surprised and this will give him something to look forward to. My back is bothering me too much carrying packages, pellets etc. Food hopefully will get better with my rtn to work. I am again going to write my intakes. I did finish my chair it sits quite low but I love it and it marked a time in our lifes almost a comfort zone and peace. Oh we do have great news new grandson on turkey day our little HI baby 7lbs 8 oz. healthy as can be. A visit is in order by 3/08. THE HUBBY IS DOING BETTER EVERYDAY ITS ALONG ROAD BUT EVERYDAY IS A BIT BETTER. You all seem to be losing and doing great. Marie its hard to have company at times but there memories we will all need someday. My mom is aging so quickly these days and its tough to see. The time we have isn't always easy sometimes they make us laugh sometimes cry but the time is so precious. Glad you had the time and now your house is back to normal. Thanksgiving was very different for us this year small group the kids were sick so none of them could be around grandpah. So it was tough. But yesterday my daughter and I shopped and the little guy said I will stay and help grandpah. How cute 6 years old. Grandpah said as soon as he is up to it they are all coming for a visit and staying over he misses them so much. But the tummy bug would of not been good or the cold virus either seems they had it all. Well today we are off to see the doc. and then I am going to go walking afterwards with Bear maybe around the lake. Got to get into it. Tues. back to the gym. I never want to do this last month over again and nor does he. It was tough and I am surprised I didn't gain a ton. I do have to jump that scale but I have a drs. appt. this week. Sorry this is so long but thanks for all the support once again. I am going to try and log on my intake cals and exercise later on. Take care and keep up your great efforts and results.

Marie - Sorry to hear you had a tummy bug over the holiday. I hope everyone is back to normal by now. Your new flannel duvet cover sounds nice and cozy. I wish I could sew, it would be great to just be able to whip up something like that. I have sewing machine phobia from previous failed attempts! It must feel good to have your house nice and peaceful now.

Juls - I know exactly how you feel about your relationship with your Mum. I spent a couple of weeks with my parents in England back in September and it was very difficult at times. Mum isn't getting any mellower with age and just seems to be so angry with the world and my Dad in particular! Now that she's so frail - about 4'10" and 80 lbs. - it's amazing how everyone is still afraid of her temper. Looking at it from a distance now, I can see that Mum probably has some form of mental illness. I just wish she had gotten help when she was younger - it probably would have made things a lot easier for her and the rest of us. I think my difficult childhood has definitely contributed to my problems with food as that was the only way she showed affection. We never knew when she would blow up and start beating us. She never criticized my appearance, but there's different ways a parent can abuse a child. Dad was always too afraid to stick up for us kids and I find it amazing how he has stood for all the verbal abuse during 60 years of marriage. He would joking call me "Bessie" (as in Bessie the cow) and similar things. I don't think he realized how it hurt my self-esteem even though I wasn't really overweight at that time. Your post touched a chord in me and I agree with you that you just have to let go at some point. The abusers are the ones with the problem and we have to find it in our hearts to forgive them.

Carol - Congratulations on your new grandson! Your 6 year old grandson sounds like a cutie. It's great that your DH is looking forward to having company again. I'm so glad he's gradually feeling better. It must be a relief for you after such a stressful time.

Judy - I hope things are going well for you.

I hope everyone has a good week and stays on track.