Hello My Dear, Dear Friends!
God bless us, EVERYONE!

I am having a glooooooorious holiday season! The "kids" are home from college for a few more days, hubby took a few vacation days, and we have been enjoying an "Old Fashioned Christmas!" We had a houseful on Christmas Eve and have been busy running like NUTS ever since. Both hubby and I come from large families and we have managed to visit almost EVERYONE....which is no easy task! I am so thankful that even though our sons are 18 and 21 they go along with us. My family loves to play games like "Mad Gab", Bolderdash, Euchre, Catch Phrase, Charades, etc., so the visits are lots of fun. We so enjoy this time of year. I am blessed......and I thank God everyday for family!

The computer saga continues. I have not had to wrestle the boys for it much too much....we simply have not been home. It has become so difficult to stay on line that we decided last night to buy a NEW computer. I hope that happens soon because with this new internet connection and this old computer.........it has become a hassel! I can't wait until we get set up on a new one!

Sooooooo.....how goes my FOOD INTAKE?????????? Well, I have been doing okay. I have not "overdone" the carbs.....but I have been eatting too much the past few days. I am not going CRAZY...but I can not afford to take a "holiday" from my eatting plan. I have enjoyed a few goodies.........but I know I will pay for it once I do the "scale dance" on Friday. When I started this #14 thread...I added Oooooh Boy! I think you can all relate! LOLOLOLOLOL. We need to get real ....REAL "real" once these holidays are over and the "goodies" are gone. (And I don't mean GONE because WE ate them all! LOL) We all know what we gotta do.....we just gotta DO IT!

Here and now I promise to get on this thread EVERYDAY...no matter what. I will put the axe away that I have placed next to the computer so I do not go postal on it! I will be patient.......I will ignore all the java errors....and firewalls.......and blah blah blah and get on this website if I have to reach in the screen and pull it out! LOL!

I need you guys...........and I need to get to goal and stay there! I wanted to have 50 gone by Christmas......(I have 46 gone.) I most likely have gained a few...but will get the moment of truth when I hit the scale on Friday! (AAAAAAAAAAarrrrrrgh!) I still have a long way to go and the journey will continue long after the scale says the number I am most comfortable at! This is a FOREVER thing!

The bus is in full motion.....(going a little slower right now as we have some snow here in Pittsburgh!)........make sure you are all belted in!

Please check in and let us know "WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW." TODAY.....is the first day of the rest of our "ON PLAN LIFE." Are we gonna have slips??????? Yes....we are gonna FALL, but we are not going to stay down. Take my hand.........I will pull you up....if you promise to pull me up too!!!!!!! I will hold on to you....I you promise to hold on to me too!

For me: Dana....(HOPEFUL) I am at 216 pounds from my start weight of 262. I would like to get down to a size 14 jeans. I am 5'9" tall and that may mean a goal weight of about 160. I am NOT going to EVER give up! I started this low carb lifestyle on June 15, 2001 and it was the best thing I could have done for my FAT SELF!!!!! I am 43 years old and I feel better now on my way to goal then I have felt in 10 years! I can do it! I will do it! 46 pounds of fat have gone from this body and I say GOOD RIDDENS! I am SICK of this FAT SUIT! I hate it! I know how you all feel! I know how bad you want it! LET'S DO IT TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!

My best to you all!
Dana.....(HOPEFUL and DEDICATED)

WHOOO HOOOOO Dana you are ripping!!! I am going to be right there beside you in this fight. I am rededicating myself to this. I hit 42 and need to see me regain myself back. I feel better than i did over 15 years ago and want to continue to feel this good for the rest of my life. I have goasls to meet and people to help and how can i do that if i can not do it myself. I need to regain my chromium focus and hit the trails big time for me, and us. we are all going to get there together, we will help eachother in what ever way we can.

WE WILL SUCCEED!!!

WE WILL SURVIVE!!!


WE WILL RULE!!!!

WE WILL BE HEALTHY!!!!

The pecan come from a major harvest this year and I am sharing the wealth. Friend and family who wish it will have pecans by the gallon! That's what a harvest is for to share with everyone!
I am still working on them !!!! only have about 25 lbs to put away as of today! Tom and I are still dancing, now without prilosec I am sick four or five times a day but I have been through that before. Had a great Christmas and despite deep sorrow this year I have had just as much joy. I am serenity incarnate and so happy to be me. I should like me a lot smaller and feeeling much better but I will get it done. Hang tough girls I have alot of duct tape and am set up for a good long ride.
Lee Darlin, Where are you?
I know a little surgery will be needed but Protein makes you heal quickly so there!
Re couping is no problem. Dieting and crochet will keep me busy!
and then my dears.............. watch out.......... that smoke you see is me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pam

Well Hello!!!!

I really needed to "hear" all that has been said so far!!. I have been doing some self reflection about my weight. It will be a year for me at this site in Jan. I am proud to say I have come a long way!

I wish I could say that I fell, but honestly I had Dana pull over and got off teh week before X-mas. I let my feelings and stress overwhlem me. But all in all it could have been alot worse. I was back on program x-mas night. I said to DH, I wish a pizza place was open I would have had teh pizza to really round things out.

I gained 4# in a week, I have since lost 2 of them!SO I went up to 235# and was 233# yesterday . I regret not making it to 229 for the new year. I am hoping to be 219 by Valentines day.

SO to refresh everyone:

I started lo carb 7/01, thsi was teh woe that finally opened things up for me. I have PCOS and this woe has been found to help woman. In Jan I started out at 272#, I gained afte I started and currently weigh in at 233. I have gone from a size 26-28 to a 18-20. I have, as of 12/1, lost 38.5 inches. I am 39 and 5'5. My ultimate goal is to be a size 12.

To all you lurkers I have recieved so much from teh good ladies here! The support and friendship that I value so much. But there is alot to share. Please don't be intimidated that we know each other so well, when we say come aboard teh bus we mean it!!Just post, you are so welcome here!! This isn't an exclusive club we welcome everyone.

Dana !! I love your spirit, I so needed to read whet you shared!. Good luck with the new computer. You one awesome bus driver!

Sue, I hear it in your voice too! We will make it!

Pam , You doll you, I am so glad to see you again!,

Hey Mary, B00, Lee, Terri and everyone else Speak up

And you lurkers just climb aboard!

Hello my buddies!

I put up the Friday Weigh In Thread. I had a GAIN. (No surprise!)
Check out the poem......and please share there!

Hubby has the day off today. We are going out to dinner and a movie. (I will be good! I WILL BE GOOD!)

Not much else to share!

Glad to see you gbo! I love PECANS....(But I love butter pecan icecream even better!) When I reach my 50 off goal I plan on going to our ice cream parlor and having a scoop of it and my other favorite, toasted almond fudge on a sugar cone! (Yum! YUM!) I will have to wait a bit longer for the 50 goal since I had a gain this week! (Sigh!)
Yes...duct tape is in order!

nasus............keep fighting the good fight my friend! You will be an inspiration to all the ladies you help out there....just as you are to everyone on this website!

fralick..........I loved what you wrote on this thread! (You have a gift with words!) I hope our regulars (along with those lurkers) will jump aboard. I pulled over....but you never got off the bus, babe! You were just changing seats a bit. Now you are back up front! (Smile!)

To EVERYONE else out there..............Get on this bus headed to goal! I am sick of the fat...............and we all know YOU are too!

Dana.........(Heavier this week...but STILL HOPEFUL!)

HELLO ALL,

Its still snowing here, but Sue and Pat, I know you have gotten just totally DUMPED ON!!!!

I have been totally off program,,,those chocolates just got to me...I ate way too many of them and I am now suffering from carb overdose....its an awful feeling...how did I ever live like this all the time...no wonder I felt terrible....

Usually I indulge in the "spirits" around this time of year and not the "goodies" but this year I have done the complete opposite...I havent drank anything but water or tea, but boy, I sure have eaten alot......

OK, NOW TO GET BACK ON THE BUS , WITH THE NEW YEAR STARTING I AM DETERMINED TO LOSE THIS WEIGHT AND I AM SETTING MINI GOALS FOR MYSELF.....I AM SO GLAD I HAVE YOU ALL TO HELP GET ME THROUGH THIS......

I DONT KNOW IF ITS THE SNOW OR BECAUSE ITS CHRISTMAS OR WHAT BUT I SURE HAVE BEEN WANTING TO GET OUT AND CUT LOOSE... MAYBE ITS JUST CABIN FEVER......

I WILL CHAT WITH YA LATER..... I THINK I WILL GO OUTSIDE WHEN I LET THE DOG OUT LATER,,,,I SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT WALKING TONIGHT IN THE SNOW.....\

TAKE CARE

Happy Weekend My Friends!

Soooooo quiet around here! The bus is in low gear.....but still headed toward goal! The carb monster has been chasing me....(as I am sure he is after you)......and he caught me a couple of times! It's the cookies and nothing more. Those cookies! I limit myself...but NONE is a better number!

Not much new. A party last night...and I was a good girl! The Steelers are on right now...and being from Pittsburgh....I MUST get back to the tv before I am thrown out of town!

We are heading out tonight to look at Christmas lights. Our youngest goes back to college on the 2nd and I miss him already!

Stay well and take care! (Would someone PLEASE shoot the cab monster for me.........PLEASE!!!)

Dana (HOPEFUL and cookiefull!)

Finishing off the birthday cake and food from the inlaws then WATCH OUT!!! It will be KICK BUTT time for me.

My in laws have just left from a 2 day stay and we had cake and pie and bad stuff. i am going to finish this splurge and be on the wagon starting tomorow. I know there is no time like the present but i will start fresh, that will bring me into the new year with a new journey to follow.

as for snow i have bearly an inch i am to far east to have the buffolow snow and to far south to get the big lake effect that watertown area gets so i am lucky.

So pat how is the snow???

Terry i can agree with you this year has been a bit different. i have slpurged but not like i have in the past, and Dana i am glad you just slowed the bus down get readt to take off at a high rate of speed as soon as we are all on board so we can beet the carb monster.

Well It's New Year's Eve.

I got a nice E. card from a friend, This morning.

It is such a nice opportunity to start or re-start efforts toward a goal. This month's Fitnees Magazine had some great articles in it. These mags shake things up for me. One thing that I was doing and I guess it was a good thing is imagining my goals in my mind. Like being a size 12 or my next mini goal for the scale. Instead of saying "I wish I was" i say "when i am". It sure makes those goals happen. This time next year I want to be at goal. I want to be maintaining!!

I went snowshoeing on Sat. The snow hadn't settled yet, so it was quite a workout. All my efforst have been drifted in. The lake effect has drifted south. But now with wind gusts up to 40 miles were are dealing with blowing and drifting snow. My husband's 4WD got stuck in our driveway yesterday. And you can't even see where that happened it's filled with snow again.

I have been OP since SAT. I had a collision with fudge on Friday. Made me so mad at myself. But have been doing OK since then.

I am worried about B00 though. Did everyone see her post on the FRiday weigh in? This is not the time to be bailing. I personally don't feel that you have to be OP to log on and post. If that was teh case I would be in a mess. When I first signed up it took me a while to get OP and I have certainly slipped now and again. Remember Friday? I will respect your judgement B00 , But I would rather you were here.

Well Ladies I am off to teh "ROOM"

My goals this week are:

5 Days of working out

Water 124oz. Daily

OP eating , NO slips.
It would be so nice to weigh 229# on Friday!
We Shall see

New Years Eve!

Best wishes to you all!

Taking a few minutes in between preparing for company tonight and laundry to drop a line here.

The Christmas lights were very nice last night. I enjoyed the FAMILY time. Took hot chocolate and cookies with us to snack on. I had 3 cookies....but drank only water. Carb monster will officially be shot by me at the stroke of MIDNIGHT....so do NOT worry about him coming after us any longer! LOL

Love you you all!

Dana (HOPEFUL...HOPEFUL...HOPEFUL!!!)

OKAY 1FRALICK you got me. Your right this isn't a time to give up. Tomorrow is the first and I am back on the BUS and not getting off. I've had a few days to think about stuff and I belong here. Your my friends and we need each other so about me:

I started low carb Dec. 31, 1999 @174 lbs.
Mar. 15, " " @155
May ??? @142

I was on/off in March 15-April something.

April sometime -May I got to 142 and felt like I was on top of the world. I felt as if I could actually conquer the world. sooooo.......

JANUARY 1, 2002 start wt: 159
JANUARY 31, wt: 149?
FEBRUARY 28TH wt: 142?
March 31st wt: 135?

GOAL BY MARCH 31 IS 135=24LBS LOST

that's my goal but if I just at 142 by March I'll still be happy because at 142 I can WEAR EVERYTHING IN MY CLOSET.

HAPPY LOSING GIRLS I'M ON THE BUS (i know you must all think I'm crazy but mentally I'm ready) i'm over what ever i was going through. You know I'm turning 31 in 10 days and I think that's whats been bothering me inside. Husband and I had LONG talk and we're working things out. No one feeds me but me so I'm the only one to blame for this fat suit i'm wearing right now.

GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

159

BOO a wonderful motto i have used is

Pain is temporary pride is forever!

You are the only one who is in control over what you eat.

and my signature line for the mess ups:

Success is not achieved because of perfection but from perserverence.

Take baby steps to get to goal. Start with small goals they are easily achieved, and focus on one thing at a time. this makes things more reachable and then we have success under our belt. then we gain confidence. if we set out sites to high then we are setting out self to failure. start with onle 5 lbs. that is my goal. and i am going to stic with it. if i go further then that is better but atleast i am going for a smaller obtainable goal. but the scale is not going to be my final measure it is the way my clothes fit. BOO we are right here with you. I am glad that you have decided to stay. . You are a dear and we need you just as much as you need us. we are a team and we all help eachother.nomatter if you are having problems with staying on focus the problem comes when you stop posting i found that out last year i stoped posting and i gaine d 20 lbs. it took a heroic effort to get my but moving again!!! but i did it and am at my lowest weight i have been for years!!! (except the few lbs of fluid i have hanging around my fingers, toes and face and in my gut. hoepfully i will be peeing it out soon!!!

Well I am so happy that B00 Is on teh bus with teh rest of us!!

Oh, A moment of silence for teh carb monster. He was shot at 12:01 last night by Dana. He did try to run, the coward. So he will no longer be a bother.

B00 I agree with Sue. Your ultimate goal is 142. But I would break it up into little steps. The first couple of weeks I would focus on water or exercise and better food choices. Skip the scale. Take your measurements today, so you have a start point. ANd do a search and get some ideas on how you can still feed you and your family. Without cooking separately. I know i keep bringing up the glycemic index. But I found this teh easiest way to cook for me and DH. The weight comes off slower but it's easier for me. Take it a day at a time. ANd be easier on yourself.

Sue I feel so much energy from you and everyone!! We will make it. I think we should see if we could plan a get together thsi summer. What do you think?

Dana, That was quite a shot!!! The coward. Hope you enjoyed the get together.

We ladies are on our way to goal. The bus is moving!!

You must have scared the monseter because it came to my house and made me have a cup of hot chocolate last night, well i gave the excuse that i needed to warm up, but he is dead as the hot chocolat4 tasted bad.

I will say that i was up to the YM today yes it is new years day i was there at 9 am and did a cardio workout did a hard session of weights!!!

BOO lets develop small weekly challenges. my first one is to drink the water. I know that is where i have been slack this past few weeks so that is my first challenge!!! and the second is to focus on "wet carbs" VEGES!!! and lost of them!!!

I am going to start a water thread and please add food and exercise to the thread if you want. this will be for the week so you can post as you want. just start the week with your goal for the week and then the end of the week decide if you have meet your goals.

I was just reflecting on my success this year and i have done really great. first i have not lost much weight this year. i was down to 192 last new year but in a size 18 getting a bit tight, as i had fallen off the wagon, and then gained up to 208 it was in April that i restarted the diet. I did have some off days but did fairly well and in june started in on a exercise program and have not stoped. i am now 180 (many lbs of water) so i have not lost much for weight but in size i have gone down to a size 14. So in all i have had a very successful year. I have maintaine d my WOE with some slips but all within some degree of contol soon after the pigouts. none lasted over 3 weeks.

so with that inmind i an steping thoughtfully into this new year with new spirit and new determination. And i am going to bring you all into it with me. I realize that this last year could have been totally successful for me, i just had to get over some issues that i have which i am still dealing with but i understand them, so i can deal with them. I plan on having a totally successful year. I am starting it off good and that is the best thing for me. (and all of you too) CUZ I AM TAKING YOU ALL WITH ME!! Just sit back and watch me rip. this is going to be a wonderful year we all are goint to end it with a great feeling of accoumplishment.

YOU TOO BOO look back at this year it may not have been successful with weith loss but you are comming into this new year with goals and determination. You this last year found us and this site. and that if nothing else have formed friends that will never go away no matter how hard you try. we will alays be here for you!! ands there for you have accomplished a great freat this year and this next year you will find a new you just like PAM, DANA, ME, LEE, TERRI, and PAT!!! (also any other buss watchers get on i am reving the engine my foot is ontop of Dana's and i am getting the engine hot!!!)

So lets prepare this new year to find new success not just in weight loss but in our personal lifes, and selfconfidence.

Your right I looked over what I read last night and I don't know why I put 10lb losses at a time. Just excited I guess and that was my old way of thinking. I have 4 months til shorts so theres no hurry anyways I have a whole year not one month. I'm trying to reprogram my thinking to slow down,enjoy,life. I think I have to lose it all in one month or I failed. I've been soooo WRONG. I gained this slowly over 2months so it isn't coming off in just one. Your such good friends and I thank you so much. Need to find something to eat I'm getting a horrible headache and still have to do treadmill. My hot tub will be my reward for hard work today. By the way usually I sit and watch t.v. all day(humm could that be why my butt's gotten big ) anyways I went and cleaned out my whole garage which is huge, my yard front/back and house. See you all tomorrow.