Hi Em,
Sounds like you had a busy weekend. I had an okay weekend. Fought with my dh most of the weekend and really didn't eat much. So I am hoping that the scales are my friend tomorrow evening at TOPS. Started off my day good and now I am back in a foul mood. Sorry I am not in a good mood right now. I hope that you have a great weigh-in tomorrow evening.
Chat with you later.
Kerry

Hi Em,
Hope you have a great weigh-in this evening! We will not being have our meeting tonight, since all the schools around us are closed due to the snow. So I will just have to be extra diligent in what I do for the next week so I have a great weigh-in next Tuesday. I do know that I would have had a great weigh-in tonight had we had the meeting. Need to get moviated for the day and get my workout in.
Well I will check back in with you later. Have a great day!
Take care,
Kerry

Well I gained this week not too bad just .8 but it was so frustrating because I didn't over do in fact I wonder if I ate too little that my body decided to hang on to the weight since I lost over 3 lbs last week. I guess I'll have to make sure I plan better this week and eat all my meals instead of skipping some of them. I had such a great losing streak going too. I'll keep going though instead of my usual "I give up". Hope things are going better for you. I'm off to do some grocery shopping and errands.

Em

Hey Kerry,

Hope you had a good weekend. I just came back from taking the dogs for a walk but we are having 40 mile an hour winds today and you feel all of it out on the bike path so the walk was a little short. I at least got out and moved. Hope your doing ok and things between you and your dh are better. I know sometimes I get so frustrated with mine I'm not sure I can do this another day and then things smooth out for awhile again.
I'll check back in after weigh in tomorrow.

EM

Just checking in to say HI!, hope you still stop by here just to check. Have a good day.

Em

Hi

Just checking!
Em

Hi everyone! I am also a Tops member . Just wanted to say hi, got to run for now , I will check back later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Glad someone else has checked in. Not sure what haapened to Kerry but hopeful she'll be back.
Dumplin - How long have you been in TOPS?

Em

Hi Folks,
Sorry that I have been missing for about a month. I have been busy with some work at school and haven't had time to check in. Since feb. 18th I lost two pounds. So I am slowly getting there.
Welcome Dumplin! How long have you been a TOPS member?
Em how are you doing?
My group is slowing losing members. We need some ideas to get new members in. Any ideas?
Well it is my lunch time. So I better go and eat my lunch. Chat with you all later.
Take care,
Kerry

Our TOPS chapter held elections tonight (delayed because of weather). I was voted co-leader (I knew it was likely) and hubby was voted treasurer (complete surprise, and funny. I posted in general chatter if you want to hear the whole story).

I'm excited. More than I expected to be. Hubby is too (a lot more excited than he expected to be, as he had told me earlier he had no interest in being an officer, so I was really surprised when he accepted the nomination).

I've been a member of TOPS a couple times in the past in IL (losing 60 lbs ten years ago - of course regaining it all and them some afteward). Hubby and I joined in late August (late enough to more accurately say September). Hubby has been a member of Weight Watcher's with me, but when I described TOPS he wasn't AT ALL interested (I think my description of the games, contests and recognition events scared him). Surprisingly he's really enjoying it (though trying not to let me think he's liking it too much). We got area awards for our weight loss in our division (just a small certificate, but it was really neat). Both of us assumed it was just for our chapter, but it turned out they were for the whole area. That was really neat. He got the second place for men in division 1 for losing 12 lbs, and I got 1st place for women in division 1 for losing 16 lbs.

We have a small club, and while it isn't losing members, I think it would be nice to have a group that isn't so small that one third of the membership are officers, and another third used to be. I know we do advertise (more of an announcement really) in the local free paper, and in some groups I belonged to they would pay for radio and newspaper ads (but it was a pretty big group already). I've also seen groups declare a meeting an "open house" meeting where the club paid for, or asked members to bring in an inexpensive door prizes and every member who brought a guest (and their guest) would be able to enter a drawing for the door prizes.

Good morning ya'll! DH and I joined TOPS Thursday and we are really ready to go! DH is so cute, he said that he is going to blow all those in our group out of the water and that he was going home with the money in the cup every week! LOL he's so funny!

Ok, so like I am needing help with the exchange thing. I've got it down, I know how to do it it's just figuring up meals... ya know? I did a diet a few years ago called First Place at my church and it goes by the exchange diet, so I dug that book out and it has a lot more exchanges in it then the little booklet that i got at the meeting. DH and I are taking care of Uncle Bill (DH's uncle) right now, he had a triple by-pass surgery last week. He said something about pizza and I found these Lean Lifestyles pizzas at Krogers. do you guys know how i would figure out the exchange for it if it's not listed on the box or on their website. Or even a book that i could buy that has a lot of good name brand exchanges.

well, i better get off of here and visit with Uncle Bill for a bit.

Lauren

I bought Exchanges for All Occasions used at amazon.com. I think it could be organized better, but it has a lot of foods in it. The American Diabetes Association probably puts out some good exchange books. There's also alot of information online. HillbillyHousewife website is one of my favorites.

The great thing about exchange diets is that all exchange plans are fairly consistent, so you can use cookbooks from Richard Simmons, many diabetic cookbooks, Healthy Exchanges, old Weight Watchers (prior to 1994)...

How's everyone doing?

Monday we had swearing in of officers, and I realize that I've never been to one before. The candle ceremony was actully rather touching. Kim, our secretary made corsages for everyone to match their candle. I thought my husband was going to think it was hokey, but he was very solemn as he lit his white (treasurer's) candle.

Our weight recorder made and donated fruit baskets to the year's (2007) biggest loser, and the member with best attendance (who actually was the same person, so the attendance basket was given to the best attendance runner-up). During the meeting, we discussed SRD (State Recognition Day). I've never really gotten into the recognition events, retreats, or rallies in the past, but the candlelight ceremony has surprisingly peaked my interest.

I want to be a good co-leader. I want that attendance or weight loss fruit basket next year. I want to walk on stage at a big gathering for an achievement award.

I think I've always recognized, but until now, underestimated the role of comraderie and fellowship in weight loss. Strength in numbers doesn't seem as intuitive for weight loss, for me. I guess I've always seen it as a lonely road, a battle fought myself, mostly with myself.

Anyway, I'm glad to be here, with all my fellow soldiers.

Hi My Fellow TOPS Buddies,
Just wanted to check in with everyone. I lost my way with 3FC during the spring. I was very busy with school, stressed out about that and a few home issues. So I didn't have time for the computer. But I have put those issues behind and are looking forward to moving on in life. So I wanted to get back in touch with you all.
Hope to hear from some of you real soon. Hope life is going well for you all.
Take care,
Kerry