Hey Ladies,
I have decided not to weigh in until Sunday. Periods add poundage, so I will hold off until then.

I will start working out again on Saturday, I haven't been, because I haven't felt up to it, since being sick, Curves sent me a get well card. Those ladies are so nice...

Ok, ladies, Columbus Day is the 13th of October, so if you plan right, you may all be able to take a long weekend, and come out early Friday or Friday evening the 10th.
So, tentatively the dates would be 10/10 -10/13!!
I will start looking for a hotel with great rates, and let you all know. If you don't know whether you are coming, but there may be a slim chance, let us know anyway, so I can prepare for you to.

Just to get an idea of the things I will be doing out here to prepare for a fabulous Weekend!

** Looking for suites for all of us to stay at.
** Looking for some great restaurants(Low Fat of course)
** Bring your dancing shoes, because we will probably be hitting a hot spot or 2.
** Arrange transportation to and from the airport
** Visit some of the coolest places here
** Arrange for some low-budget spa treatments(optional)

These are just some of the things we can do here. If you have anything that you know of that you are dying to do here, please let me know, so I can make arrangements for us..

I just love planning for things like this

Can you all please email me your home address so I can send you some information: at [email protected]
if you have any questions or concerns you can always reach me at that email address....

I look forward to talking with you about this.

Hi everyone,

Reina, you should be a travel agent ...everything sounds wonderful! I am in for the spa treatments.

Cyan, it sounds like the Big Mac did to you what my reuben sandwich did to me on St. Patty's day...I guess our stomach are sensitive all that grease and fat at one time. I can really understand how hard it is for you...I plan healthy meals and I am ok for breakfast, lunch and dinner but after dinner that is when the binges happen and i can blow the whole day.

A strange thing happened to me today. I ate special k strawberry breakfast for breakfast and lunch and then about 3:30 this afternoon when I was teaching a science course at my son's school I felt faint...it was like my blood sugar was very low and I felt dizzy, I had two snack packs of nachos and a few chocolate cookies and felt better...I came home and had a cup of soup and now I feel fine. It was strange because I am eating about 1,200-1,400 calories and not doing heavy exercising ..maybe it is just hormones... I am expecting my period and sometimes my blood sugar gets low.

I went to my favorite auction this morning and bought two victorian plant stands that need work for $40, a deer hoof lamp for the lake house for $30 and a beautiful inlaid wood chest for $15...the best part of the chest was that it was filled with some beautiful silver pieces that the people bidding on it were unaware. I love going to auctions they are addicting and you can get some very unusual things...you can not get a deer hoof lamp at the mall.

Oh well, I am going to make a chicken stir-fry with brown rice for dinner tonight and fruit salad for dessert.

Have a great night!

Hello everyone!

Reina, your plans seem like so much fun. I still have no idea if there is anyway I'll be able to attend, but I am still hoping. ( Oh, forgot to tell you...Pewter is one of my FAV vehicle colors )

Cyan, I went to McDonald's yesterday with my kids because I was wanting one of those Shaker Chicken Caesar salads I love so much. Well, they no longer carry those. They have replaced them with a new much larger chicken caesar salad with LOTS more calories. The original one had 100 calories and 130-180 in the dressing depending on which you chose. So for 230 calories, I had a nice satisfying lunch. Well, Now, just the salad is 210 not counting the croutons and the lowest dressing is 190. My salad cost me 400 calories. I was soooo aggravated! I want my old one back!!!

Taiwan, I hope your head is feeling better. You're doing much better than I am with drinking water. I have just got to get back into that. I did buy some green tea yesterday but havent tried it yet. Do you drink it plain or add sweetener? If you're getting all sweaty and red-faced, I would think you're definitely keeping that heart rate up.

Debee, maybe you should go to a doctor and have your blood sugar checked. It may be that you need some changes in food choices. Some fruit is very high in sugar. My stepmom had to almost totally give up fruit because of her diabetes. She also had to give up pasta and some other things she loved. There may be things that also cause it to fall drastically like yours seems to do at times. Just good to be on the safe side and make sure you really dont have a medical problem. The auction sounded cool. I can honestly say I've never seen a deer hoof lamp in a dept store. I love things that are different...I dont want my things to look like everyone else's.

Luke, my 11 yr old, and I walked a mile together today then shot the basketball for awhile. The other day when we all played for 45 min my arms were soooo sore the next day!! I'm worse at basketball than I am tennis..lol

My calories for today were just under 1300 with 38 fat grams. Yesterdays were about the same calories but almost 60 fat grams
That was because of that stupid McDonald salad mainly. 25g of them came just from the salad and dressing! That didnt leave much room for breakfast and dinner fat grams.

I think I'll have a loss for this week but not sure how much. I've done fairly well but I always have so much room for improvement. Just wish one week I would do EXACTLY like I should....eat right, exercise, drink water...all of it..for one whole week! I cant seem to get them all together at once.

The weekend is almost here. Any other time, I'd be excited but since I've been off this week, I'm actually dreading it. That will mean my little break is almost over. Notice how days you have off are much shorter than work days??? )

Gonna run for now. I want to check out the latest war news. Take care all...

MIKI

Hi,

Miki, I love those McDonald salads too, the new ones are just too many calories too waste. Sounds like this week you were good with the exercise and the eating. Hope you show a loss. my mother has diabetes and I think you are right that I should get it checked...maybe it's pre-period hormones or it could be something worse.

Well, this morning I weighed myself and I am at 129.8. I was hoping to show a loss but I am trying to look at the bright side and at least I am still under 130...I am trying not to creep up over 130. I think the last few days I really blew it..food and exercise wise.

What I did wrong this week..

1.I was good with breakfast, lunch and dinner...snacking was very bad. Low calories foods most of the time but lots of it. ..nuts, cheese, hummus

2. Very little exercise..last week I was much more energy.

3. Last weekend ate out more than usual. Didn't control portion size.

What I did good this week..
1. Even when I failed ..I tried again.
2. Ate breakfast everyday.
3. still tried to be motivated even though it was hard.
4. When food shopping I did not buy the Lays potato chips.

Deb

sw1/3-141,cw3/21-129, mini-goal4/4-125, mini-goal 4/15-121,gw 6/18-110

I did pretty good yesterday with the calories...I ate 1349 and 46 grams of fat. I think I finally figured out how to trick myself into eating below 1500 cals...I plan my menu for 1200 cals..this way...if I cheat a little...I havent blown it...and it seems to be working..YAY!

I did not exercise yesterday...so tonight I will be hitting the bike for sure!

I will weight myself after my period..which starts sunday..so I will let you know on Monday how things went...witht he horrid scale.

On the good side...these gap pants I bought last spring are now too big on me...I have to wear them with a belt ... so thats good news.

Ok Ladies off to work

Reina...cant wait to come to Chicago. Oh I would really want to go to the Oprah show! Dream come true for me...hint hint.

later girls

Cyan

Much better report today than last Friday when I had gained a half of a lb. Today I was down 4 lbs!! I am now at 209. Last year at this time, I was 242. I havent taken my measurements in a long time. Maybe next week, I'll do that when I weigh in.

Now for the downside....Luke talked me into Mazzio's pizza buffet today for lunch. Needless to say, my calories and fats were blown for the day. I'm definitely not eating supper tho and just had SpecialK for breakfast. Ok, one more confession....Josh and I are going shoe shopping for him tomorrow and I already know I'm going back to RedLobster for more of that YUMMY shrimp pasta!! Good thing I lost this week huh? lol That'll be it for the upcoming week tho. Back to lowfat, lowcal meals Mon-Friday.

I didnt AirWalk today, but I bought a 10 lb weight which I used tonite. I did 3 sets of 10 on 3 different arm exercises. Going to do some leg lifts shortly. Got hubby helping work on what I need to do to get rid of some of this loose flab.

Hope you're all having a good weekend. Mine is going pretty good. Talk to ya'll again tomorrow.

MIKI

Hi Everyone!

I just finished reading all the posts I've missed. Thanks for the positive feedback on my new image. I have not been doing well for the past week. I've been snacking a lot and eating junk food and munching after dinner and gained 4 lbs. I was feeling really discouraged and I have to admit the thought crossed my mind not to log in anymore. I stopped getting the email notice that someone had posted a note, and thought maybe you all had given up too. Well, you must have been calling my name 'cause you would continually pop into my mind when I wasn't expecting it, so tonight I thought I'd just read the posts and not write anything. I went to the old list and there was Reina's notice that there was a new thread so I knew you were all still here. And ya know what? Reading all your posts made me realize how much I missed every one of you. Boy, I mean I really did miss you gals! I can't possibly respond to all that has been going on, but I laughed, sighed, celebrated and got frustrated right along with you as I read each letter.

Let me tell you what has been going on at my end. My sister and brother in law came from Texas and stayed with us a week. My other sister in law came from Minnesota and stayed with our cousins for the week. We all did a 12 mile bicycle ride for lung cancer on the 15th in honor of Bryan's brother who passed away from that awful disease last November. It was his birthday and a great way to remember and honor him. We ate out all week, had a wonderful time and I managed to go from 138 to 141. The scary part is I can't seem to get back on program. I keep snacking, eating after 8pm and stuffing my face with junk food. The only good news is I'm still exercising. In fact I enjoyed the bike ride so much Bryan and I have decided to do a 12 mile ride once a week as an alternative to my running. Bryan rides 30 miles every day, so this is a walk in the park for him, but it's nice to have him riding beside me.I'll continue to do my run 4 days a week.

My other news is the Gateway store I teach at is closing, so as of Sunday I will be unemployed. There's a little stressor for ya! I will really miss the job, I loved working there, and I'll miss the paycheck! I am going to make a Leap of Faith and start my own business. I have spent the time since my relatives left designing a business card, brochure and strategizing how I can get my service known. I will offer 2hr in-home personal computer instruction, basing it on the Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. classes I taught at Gateway. I met a gal yesterday that has her own successful painting business and she gave me lots of helpful tips, good advice and encouragement. Wish me luck!

Cyan, Congrats on those Gap pants! I was so glad to hear you are exercising regularly and working on those calories. I love your plan to trick yourself! By the way, why are you cutting down on Sushi? You love it, it's low calorie and low fat. Go for it!

Debee, keep at it and you will lose soon. You know what they say ...keep trying 'till you get it right. You know that day you got light headed? You had Special k for breakfast and lunch and that is a high sugar cereal. Sugar will elevate your insulin level which will make your blood sugar drop drastically. With this in mind, it makes sense that if you had a high sugar breakfast and lunch, your sugar level dropped drastically in the afternoon and you felt light headed. I'm not saying give up your special K; just eat some protein for breakfast or lunch. It will stay with you longer and you won't have that drastic sugar slump.

Miki, Good for you! a 4 lb loss! I'm so proud of you! You're finding great ways to exercise, with tennis, shooting hoops with your son, walking, etc. And you are eating right! Oh, and I really like the new you in your picture! You are so lucky to have such a wonderful family and it sounds like you have so much fun together.

Reina, I'm glad you're feeling up to working out again. As for Chicago, I think Oct 10 - 13 will be good for me... it is our anniversary on the 10th, but we'll work around that. Bryan is very supportive of me going; he likes the fact that it keeps me motivated. I'm so excited about your wonderful plans! Now, having made the commitment to go, I will have to get back on program and lose some more pounds.

Taiwan, I love the nick names you have for your little one! Hoover! Glad to hear you're doing your kick and jab and that new exercise machine sounds like it gives you a tremendous work out! I don't remember how to figure your target heart rate, but I will ask Bryan when he gets home. He's a real exercise nut and knows all that stuff. Anyway, if you are sweating and getting red in the face you're working plenty hard enough!

Well, as usual, talking to all of you has left me motivated again. While we were talking I put coffee on so I would have something to drink and wouldn't snack. I'll probably be up all night from the caffeine, but I'm not eating! LOL

Boy this was a long one, wasn't it!

See you all tomorrow!

Lady

So glad you are back...dont ever stop posting cause you are an integral member of our group....promise? Ok ... good...I cant wait to meet you in october..YAY

Actually I cant wait to meet all you lovely ladies..I think its gonna be a big success story.

Once again I did well yesterday...Reina I had the sushi...yummy ...I also exercised....not for long...but I did get on the bike.


Well girls ..its saturday morning and I am hungry so I am going downstairs to make myself a nice breakfast!

Oh Miki..you rock girl....4 pounds down...I am so proud of you. You go girl.

Debee ... soon you will be in your maintenance phase! How exciting...good on you for being consistant with your plan and staying on it.

Ok..I am salivating cause I am too hungry Gotta go

I will weigh myself monday ... my period starts tomorrow...

Have a good rest of weekend

Cyan

HI,

Just a short post...

Lady, please don't ever stop posting! All of you motivate me so much...I never really joined a chat room like this before and I feel very lucky that we all found eachother. I think it is great that you are starting your own business. I know that you will be very successful. Maybe to get yourself known you should offer a free intro to computers at your local library and then try to build your client list from there...word of mouth is the best advertising.

Miki, 4 pounds!!! Way to go girlfriend! I am so proud of you.

Cyan, hope you had a nice breakfast. Hope you post a loss on Sunday.

Reina, hope you are having a nice weekend.

About my special k cereal for breakfast and lunch, Lady I think you are right...it is loaded with sugar and usually I only eat it for breakfast and have my turkey pita for lunch. A friend who is a doctor also thought that is what might have happened.

Well, its a nice day and I am going to plant a few spring flowers. Have a great weekend.

Hi all! Another beautiful day here....65 degrees and mostly sunny with a few clouds.

Well, I did have that shrimp pasta today and it was DELICIOUS. This time, tho, I had the luncheon portion. That made a difference of 590 calories for it versus 1170 for the fullsize serving!! It was plenty, more than plenty actually. I had that, a Ceasar salad, and a garlic cheese biscuit. Tonite I wrapped some grilled chicken, red pepper hummus, and salsa in a flour tortilla. Even with some Apple crisp dessert, my calories ended up at around 1500. ( only downside was the 71 fat grams! )

I did 15 min on the AirWalker, then did some leg lifts and again used my 10 lb weight to do more arm exercises. I could almost fly with these 2 flabby things under my arms..I have got to get rid of those! Hey, but there's a cheap way to get to Chicago...

Tomorrow is back to being serious with the food again. I was thinking today tho...Yes, I had the shrimp pasta and No, it wasnt the healthiest food choice, but I made this decision ahead of time. It was planned and I did the exercise to make up for alot of it. That means I was able to control the food, not let it control me. I didnt eat it because a circumstance like stress, anger, even happiness caused me to. I ate it because I consciously chose and planned to and also have consciously planned how to make up for it the rest of the week. I think that's what we're all working toward, right?? Not to never again eat what we like or want, but to be able to control when and what we eat. Anyway, that's the way I'm going to look at it.

Lady, welcome back! It was great hearing from you again. You better not quit coming in here, not for any reason! I'd hate for us to have to come out looking for you. Believe me, if I only posted when I had been good, I wouldnt be in here nearly as often. Your new job prospect sounds challenging but perfect for you. I'll bet soon you'll look at your job loss as a blessing in disguise.

Cyan, you are definitely doing something right regardless of what the scales show if your pants are looser. Way to go! As much as you exercise, even if you eat more than you plan, I think you must be toning up alot. That's just as important as weightloss.

Debee, wish you lived close enough to come help in MY yard. My sister got all my grandmother's talent for that. I dont have a green thumb at all.

I cant wait for Lisa, Cjunk, and Betty to get back in here to let us know what all has been happening with them. I hope all of them along with Taiwan and Reina are having nice weekends.

Gotta run for now...

MIKI

Ok, maybe I should hire Ladyrider myself!! lol I just spent an hour trying to reduce this pic enough that it would fit in here. It started out as a full-length one. I wanted one like that so ya'll could compare it later when I hopefully reach my goal. Evidently a body this size wont fit into a 110 by 110 pixel picture. Oh well, it's a LITTLE more than just a headshot anyway. Oh, that's cutie pie Kaylen, my 2 yr old niece, in the pic with me.

Hi Everyone!
I had a great day at work! When I came in my boss told me a woman came in looking for someone to help her with Word, so he gave her my name and number. Then I had 3 students ask if I would come teach them in their homes. Luckily I just happened to have plenty of my new business cards handy! On the way home I stopped in the grocery store and ran into a previous student who also asked if I would come and teach her. I really think I am being guided to do this and my going freelance is meant to be! Tomorrow is my last day teaching at Gateway. I'll be sure to bring my business cards along just in case.

I didn't eat after dinner last night, but all that coffee came back to haunt me and I didn't get to sleep until 4am! Tonight I had just one cup of hot chocolate, so I should be able to sleep tonight. Today was a low calorie day and I feel like I'm ready to start losing again. Thanks so much for the encouragement; I promise I won't even consider leaving the group again!

Cyan, I agree with Miki that you must really be toning up and losing inches. Soon you will be downright svelt!

Miki, isn’t spring wonderful? I was in Mountain Home a few years ago and you are lucky to live in such a beautiful state. Congrats on doing the air walker. I had to laugh at using your flabby arms to fly to Chicago! I'd bet mine would get me there in record time!

Debee, what kind of flowers did you plant? I'm really anxious to start my garden but we have freezes until the end of March so I have to wait a bit longer. I agree with your idea to offer an introductory class. I used to do exactly that at the library until I got too busy at work. I will definitely consider doing it again.
It's late, think I'll read for a bit and go to bed.
Have a great OP weekend everyone!

Lady

Miki,
I just saw your new picture and it's great. Your sense of humor always make me laugh. And you're right, little Kayen is adorable.

Lady

Oh, and Miki? Thats WHEN not If you make your goal! :-)

Hello ladies. Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've talked to Cyan a few times on IM but really I forgot to post. I've been so busy and I've actually been on spring break! I've been re-doing my living room. It looks great. There's still a little work to do, but it looks awesome. I'm very pleased.
Okay, food wise I've been horrible. My whole spring break has been spent eating whatever my little heart (or stomach) desired. But I sure paid for it on Thursday morning and it landed me in an ambulance headed for the hospital. I'll tell you more about that at another time. I think the lack of a gall bladder keeps me from eating too much crap. It's a long story and I'm so tired I'm going to fall asleep while I type.
School starts again on Monday so I will be back on track then.

I've missed you all and I'm still in for October. I will mark my calander. I'm so excited that Spring is here. It's nice to have warmer weather! I wore capri pants today!!!

Well, I promise to post at least 3 times a week now. I get my first patient this coming week! I'm so nervous!

See y'all later!
Lisa