Hi All,

It's 5:45 a.m. here in Phoenix and I am about to get ready to go to work but I thought I would at least check in and let you all know I am doing quite well. I am keeping up with my exercise and I do believe I can weigh in at WW on Sat. morning and be at goal again--that will be exciting because it is one year in Oct. that I have kept off those 50 lbs. I also found out some other good news my new insurance provider, Pacific Care has given us a Silver Sneeker card which allows us to join several gyms in town for free. I found one not too far from my home and they even have a couple classes a week geared for the seniors.

One week from today I will be on my way to PA and then onto Ohio for my 50th class reunion. I am getting excited about going and especially about being able to spend time with my children and grandchildren.

Michelle, have a memorable trip to California, I will be thinking about you. I do believe you will be able to get back on track here really soon. Remember, you most definitely are worth it!

To all the rest of you--hang in there and Michelle's correct when she says don't get bogged down by the little thing--they will take care of themselves!

Anita

Hello Ladies,

Mitchellez - Hope you have a great visit with your dad. I understand about the dogs getting depressed. When I pack, mine practically lays on top of the suitcase, and like you said they are always so happy to see us back.

Mooz - Keeping your niece in my prayers too.

Nita - Wow, that has got to really feel good knowing you have lost 50 lbs and kept it off for a year... Good news about about your gym discounts too.

LittleChick - Is apples the only thing you have added back? Are you just having 1 a day? I say I haven't added anything back, but yet today I had chicken salad... I know there was mayo & raisins in it. I have not lost anymore since I started phase 2, but I know I have not been as strict. I really want to see a 5lb loss this month, so I need to get back on track.

Cat, Thin, Hal, Chacha - Hope you all are having a OP day!

Hey oneday- I have only added back apples and one a day. I did have 1/4 of a cup of rice with my stirfry tonight but on apple. I am not sure how many carbs to add back just yet. I have not weighed myself yet either but my clothes feel a little looser. Well take care.

to the rest of you fab chickies have a great night.

Good Morning Chickies - it is a lovely morning here today - sunny but cool. I should be able to get a walk fitted in today!
I was talking to my nieces mum last night and she is so delighted that both mother and baby are well. It has been a stressful few months for them all. The baby weighed 6.7 pounds. She is calling him Daniel Gerard. Gerard was the name of my brother who died from cancer 9 years ago and this would have been his first grandchild.
I went to Tums & Bums last night but I did not really enjoy it - I think I will stick to linedancing. Mind you I expected to be a bit sore this morning but I am feeling fine.
I think I will go to the aerobics class on a Monday night and see what it is like.
Sorry I don't have time to talk personally to you all but I do read the posts and it is good to hear from you all even if it is only once a week or so.
Have a nice day all

Sooner

The sooner you deal with a problem, the less of a problem it will be. The sooner you act on an opportunity, the more value that opportunity can bring. The time to act is now. The longer you wait, the more you put yourself at a disadvantage.
No matter how far ahead or how far behind you may be, there is always something you can do. Be willing to act sooner rather than later, and your actions will be all the more effective. Stop waiting for conditions to be perfect. Regardless of what the conditions may be, there is some way to start moving positively ahead right now.

Sure, there are plenty of good excuses for failing to act. Yet they all pale in comparison to the advantage you'll gain by going ahead and getting started. The sooner you act, the better it will be.

-- Ralph Marston

Hello Ladies,

I am so ready for friday! I have lots to do around the house this weekend... mowing yard, cleaning house etc.... Our State Fair is also going on... I just love to go out there but their are so many high calories foods to eat. I am planning on going out their next wednesday, so I really need to be OP this weekend.

LittleChick - the book said to add one item... etc. a apple, or maybe on the 2nd day, you could add a piece of wheat bread. I need to reread that part again.

Mooz - glad to hear your niece & baby are doing well. Are they going to be able to treat your niece?

Cat, Mitchellez, Thin, Nita, Hal, Chacha, - Hope you all are having a OP day!

Hello everyone!

Long time and I do apologize, but trust me... there is little to NO time for me these days! I am getting ready to head into the classroom this morning, and will be there until early evening just playing catch up! More than likely I'l be there a few more hours tomorrow. Between teaching full time (no less than 70 hours a week, usually more), taking 2 classes at UK, and mentoring a new teacher (this pays tuition for my rank one classes) there is little time for relaxing, sleeping or doing things like posting here. I know you understand.

The school year is going well, I LOVE my classes and my students. Tonight is the homecoming dance, so I'll sneak down to see the decorations before I leave the building this evening. Our art teacher is fabulous, and our school cafeteria area is absolutely transformed when she and her students are finished working.

I've lost a total of 25 pounds over a little more than 3 months on Adkins. It works for me!!! It is important to just plan what you want to eat (shop and prepare) so boredom does not set in. I honestly could be a vegetarian, so you know I am planning to make this work. I am very interested in the SB plan. I marked a page on this site to read about it, when I can squeeze in some time. I only ocassionally miss carbs, usually TOM time.

Thank you to whomever mentioned the low carb Bryers ice cream. It is very, very good. I would have never known about it if I had not read it here.

I am planning to see a band called Seven Nations Tuesday evening after a class at UK. They are an Irish Rock band. You can listen in at sevennations.com I enjoy them very much. I am taking Wednesday off as I will be out late, and plan to work all weekend. Gotta plan some fun time, and this will be fun!!!

Sorry for not posting individually today. My best to each and everyone of you. Thanks for keeping this the best thread ever!

Hi Ladies,

Halgal --A BIG CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 25 LB. WEIGHT LOSS. That is outstanding. I, too, am celebrating today because I was able to weigh in at WW 1-1/2 lbs. below my 2-lb. limit. I have been doing a "modified" Adkins and throwing in some WW recipes. The more people I talk to I find that the Adkins people are losing the best and don't seem to be bored.

It is still too hot to exercise during the afternoon or evening in my garage but I do believe when I get home from vacation--I will be leaving next Thursday--the weather will finally be cool and beautiful.

I am keeping this short because I still have quite a bit of sewing to do before I leave.

Hope everyone is having a fine weekend and staying on their "special" program!

Take care,
Anita

Goodevening Ladies,

Hal - WTG on your 25 lb loss. That is wonderful. Adkins is really working for you. Like you said the biggest key for me is being prepared. You have been a very busy person these last few months. How is Rocky doing? I bet he is getting bigger. It's good to hear from you & be sure & drop by when you get a chance.

Nita - WTG for getting in below your limit. So it has been one year now that you have kept the 50 lbs loss off? The weather is still hot here too... We have gotten maybe one or two cool days. The evening are cool though. I'm sure your Grandchildren will be happy to see you. How is your daughter doing on the SugarBusters program?

Today was a somewhat busy day for me. Did lots of laundry, clean house etc. Tomorrow i'm going to go grocery shopping & get everything I need for the week. I am determined to lose 1lb this week.

Mooz, Mitchellez, Thin, Chacha, LittleChick, Cat - Hope you all are having a OP day. Hope to hear from you all.

Hi Ladies,

It's been a while since I last posted. Things are going well. I'm finding it hard to focus...I'm slowly getting back on track. I've decided to get up earlier in the morning so that I can have breakfast and pack a lunch for work. Since I started this, I feel a lot better. I have more energy during the day and I find that I'm not snacking. And I'm making a new commitment to go to the gym a least 3x a week.Everyone around me seems to be really health conscious, which is good in that we all have a common goal. And it seems to help me stay focused.

Fall seems to be setting in. It's darker in the mornings and the evenings seem to be setting in earlier. It's been really foggy lately. Kinda spooky....just in time for Halloween.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend...and I hope you have a great week.

TTFN,
Jodie

Hello Ladies,

Jodie - Good to hear from you. Hope you check back more often.

Thin - Wow I can't you all already got snow. Yesterday our high was 81 degrees... Sounds like you had lots of fun up at the lake. I'm still doing the SBD, this past week I slacked off quite a bit. This week I am determined to lose 1 lb...

Hope everyone is doing ok... hope to hear from you all soon...

Mornin' Chickies - the weather is so miserable here at the moment - wet windy and cold. I didn't get for a walk yesterday but I did go to keep fit and it was really good - it was more like a dancing class with about 10 mins of floor exercises. I am so bad at doing situps so I will need to work on them at home. My tummy muscles are so weak. Eating is going OK but I should be more careful and cut out calories that I really don't need.

Thin - GOSH!! snow already ........ even thinking about that make me feel colder ............

Patty - go for that 1 pound - you can do it.

Jodie - good to hear from you and glad that you are feeling focused.

Nita - Congrats on weighing in below your limit - you are doing so well.

Halgal - Congrats on losing 25 pounds in 3 months.......... great news! With a 70 hour week it's not surprising that you don't get time to post.......... I have difficulty with a 16 hour week

Littlechick - have you weighed in yet ........... I hope it is good news.

Michelle - I hope you have enjoyed your trip........... the dogs will be so happy today.

Catlover - hope you and your family are OK.

Tammy - hope you get to post soon.

Anyone I have missed - have a gret day.



Know why

Most likely, you have a good idea of what you would like to do, and what you would like to accomplish. Do you know why? Behind every desire is a reason, and behind every reason is a purpose. Connect your desire with its deepest underlying purpose, and you'll connect with the strength necessary to achieve that desire.
Achievement requires much effort and commitment, time, energy, and persistence. You're absolutely capable of all that and more, when there's a real, meaningful purpose to what you're doing. But without a clear purpose, you're likely to become discouraged, bored, or frustrated into giving up. By contrast, with a strong, driving purpose behind your efforts you'll find a way to work through any challenge.

There is much you can learn from your dreams and desires, even before you begin to reach for them. Understand the reasons and the purpose behind those dreams, and you will gain a better understanding of who you are.

The more you know about yourself and about what drives you, the more effective every effort and every moment will become. Know why, and the road to your dreams will unfold with every step you take.

-- Ralph Marston

Hi All,

Just a quick note to let you know I am doing well and busy getting ready for my big trip back east. I can hardly believe it that just two days from today I will be on a plane flying to Pittsburgh.

I will get to bowl again today and then tomorrow I promised to work since I will be gone on Thursday. I am still treating myself to my WW cookies. When you make up your mind "one" cookie is all you need to satisfy you! I am planning on sticking to my program the best I can while I am gone. Since I will be with my grandchildren I am sure they will keep me occupied!

I am still watching Dr. Phil and I am finding out he has a lot of good theories when it comes to losing weight--and first and foremost is that we have to get "real" with ourselves and when we get up in the morning and look in the mirror the first thing we should acknowledge is that we are most definitely worth the effort and that no one but ourselves can make this happen. Since I am probably one of the oldest members in this group I just want to say whether you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's or 60's, like myself, you can make a permanent change in your lives. My husband keeps reminding me every so often by asking me, "Do you feel better now that you have taken off those 50 lbs.? And, of course, there is no doubt about it I really don't feel my age and have more energy than I had at any age when I weighed a whole lot more.

Well I had better get going--I need to color my hair before I go bowling.

Take care,
Anita

hello Chicks~~
Just popping in to say HI. I got another walk in yesterday ...1.5 miles. It is still warming up here and i'm liking that, BUT now those darn imported asian beetles are all over my house. We have had them for the last 3 or 4 falls now. They look like a lady bug but they are not. They were brought in to battle some other pest(i think the gypsy moth or one of them) and they do not DIE--or they are reproducing...not sure which! and they stink when you kill them. No bird or critter wants to eat them cause they must taste as bad as they smell. So i have the shop vac and i'm zipping up some. And i found some spray to put around the house by the foundation. Not too many got inside but they are sure trying. So i am burning off some calories fighting with them.

~~NITA~~You sound so excited for your upcoming trip. You also have a class reunion to attend while you are there? Enjoy that and your family.
I missed Dr. Phil on Monday so i should go to the website to read about it. I'm so glad that he did not boot off 5 of them! But now they have teamed up to compete for prizes. I guess that would be part of it. And rewards(other than food) are good things to get us to goal. There has been some good with that show. But i do so dislike his bars/vitamins thing. Oh well. I don't have to buy them! right?

~~MOOZ~~yes, how does HalGal do it? work so many hours a week --the Atkins plan must really be helping her stay energized. I'm so proud of all of you! I don't work outside the home anymore, and i still am unorganized and not finding much spare time for anything! YIKES. I better try harder.
I am right there with you on the tummy exercises. I was in a good groove before to do my workout, but now w/DH home, it is sooo different. I guess us ladies don't like to do the sit ups in front of our guys! At least i know i don't. I do have a good article on using a pillow to help you do them...going to have to give that a go.~~~~~~~

~~~1day~~ i went and bought this bag of candy corn while groc shopping yesterday. I was hungry when i went there, so that was not a good thing! And now 1/2 the bag is gone. I don't know how i'm going to even begin to start cutting out that sugar. One way or another i end up eating some each day. Whether it's ice cream or a bit of chocolate. I might have to go to the SBD clinic and be locked down to get the sugar outta my system ~~~~~

Well ladies i must be going. I will try to stop by again this afternoon. Hope to read a few new posts from our other chicks then. Missing you Michelle~~hope things went well on your trip. How is DH doing on his job?

thinlizzie

Hello Ladies

Just a quick check in.

Thin - I know what you mean about that sugar. I had one twizzler yesterday... not the whole pkg.. but just one row... & I was craving sugar the rest of the evening so bad... I kept telling myself don't do it, otherwise you won't be able to stop... so instead I had a ff jello w/coolwhip... it satisified my sweet tooth... but it was hard knowing their was candy in the house. I have not seen those beetles... my battle right now is with gakeo lizards(sp)... their are alot outside the house...

Mooz - I need to work on those situps too. How is the pilate tape? I was thinking about buying the Windsor pilate tapes. I have noticed that I am not as limber as I use to be...

Nita - I'm sure you grandkids are excited about you coming to visit. Is their a certain day that Dr. Phil focuses on weight? I have been thinking about buying his book? Has anyone read it?

we'll I need to run.. Hope everyone is having a OP day