Well it's Monday again, don't they come fast. They happen much faster than Fridays do. It's turned cold here, temp tonight supposed to be 18, that is just to cold for Spring. Somebody talk to the Weatherman!

angel-eyes ~ I love the Disney on Ice shows. The skaters make it look so easy. And I think munchies are required. It's not unusual to have clothes that are 8 years old (not for me anyhow) But hurrah for you to be able to fit into them. That's a goal not many people reach.

ginabob ~ Congrats on your new nephew! I love babies! When I retire I want to go to the hospital and rock babies! Skylar is not a little baby to start out with. How lucky he is to have a doting aunt. How many nephews do you have? I have one and he is special, I got to go thru childbirth with his mother, my sister. Of course that makes him partly mine. You're doing great with your weight. I know you feel better! Keep going girl!

Gail ~ I am jealous of you doing yardwork. We are not to that point here yet. One day is nice the next is to cold. Of course that's typical Ky weather! Don't worry about lousy week-end, you will pick yourself up and go forward. You can do it! I have faith in you. We've come a long way and we're not stopping now. Right? Hope to hear positive news about you real soon.

Trish ~ Next time I feel a need for wine I will know where to go. Glad your back is better. Backs are a tricky thing. There doesn't seem to be anything to cure it, mine just comes and goes. I know what the Dr. would say to me but I'm not listening. I do believe the first thing they learn in Med Schoo is "lose weight". And you are right I had a great time with my baby (22 yr) and my grandbaby (15 months) but I sure am tired today. Hope your trip to Orlando is great!

Kester ~ I know the feeling about sandwiches. Actually I am bad about sandwiches. My favorite here is a veggie grinder. It's my reward to myself occasionally.

MK ~ We all feel sorry for ourselves occasionally. It's a very normal feeling but you are right, we are here for each other. Never doubt that. Just show up and we will try to boost your spirit. Trying to keep that constant willpower going isn't easy but is very rewarding when we accomplish it! Stay with us! It's hard having a kid move back home but it says great things about you and your husband when your kids want to come back. You must be doing something right. Hope your husband has good luck with his heart condition. Keep us posted.

CJ ~ I am sending you an e-mail, looking for a new recipe. Hope your week-end went well. Sorry I missed your anniversary. I know it went well and you both had a great time. Later.

South Pacific is on TV and is calling my name. Everyone have a great week and I will check back soon.
Love, Carolyn

Hi Ladies...

Boy do I need a cigarette (and to think I quit back in October).... I can only blame myself its taken me 50 minutes to get this far..... I was still getting a message that the forum was closed and should be up on Monday.... duh.... then it took forever to find you guys.... but if I had been posting like I should have been I wouldn't have had these problems, right?

I am doing good..... well about as good as can be expected under the circumstances..... I guess. As Joanna may have told you I was sick a few weeks back and had to call "Da Mama" to come to Michigan to take care of me..... You might ask yourself why a 45 year old woman had to call her mom to come and take care of her? Well... I wondered too.... I had a severe sinus infection, my throat was almost swollen closed... and I had a temp of 102 and 103 that stayed with me for 5 full days.... when I get sick... I do it up right... I was scared because of the fever and called mom in the middle of the night to come here... and she did that very next day.... and stayed until the fever finally broke for good... I missed nearly two weeks of work.... (no big loss there.... hehe).

During this time I found out that I am diabetic, (I am taking medication in pill form for this, twice a day) I have high cholesterol (224), trying to get it down by diet right now..... and I've gone for an EMG which is an electro milogram.... (not sure about the spelling.... I am a legal secretary not a medical secretary.... hehe)..... the EMG showed that I have mild neuropathy... which is mild nerve damage in both of my feet and legs.... emmmmm.... I am 45, over weight, high blood pressure, holding water, diabetic, nerve damage in both legs.... and let's see, what other meds do I take? Dang I feel like damaged goods.... and this is what I have to look forward to? Gee I can't wait until I turn 50.... I do have a new doctor and she is really good.... I am so glad that I found her.... she knows her stuff thats for sure..... I have to go for blood work every month to check the sugar and the cholesterol..... and I have a mammogram due on April 5th.... keeping my fingers crossed on that one, since I have to go every 6 months... and my aunt (my mom's twin was just diagnosed with breast cancer). Things will start looking up now that I know what I am working with and feeling better, not just complaining about not feeling well.

Other than that I am doing great.... I have a new assignment at work.... alot of changes were made a couple of weeks ago. I used to work for two attorneys, and now..... I am assigned to one attorney and he is a sweetheart of a guy.... I worked for him before when I had two.... the executives decided to take away my female attorney and leave me with Jim.... and what a relief that has been.... but I don't have enough work to keep myself busy.... thats the only drawback.... I do like to keep busy.... but not stressed..... and I am certainly not stressed thats for sure..... these decisions were all made before I was sick and found out my medical news so that had nothing to do with the changes... someone just decided to give me a break I guess.

I have done good in losing weight... its not dropping off in 5's and 10's but it is coming off.... my scales show me at 297... under that 300 mark!!!! I finally made the 10% at Weight Watchers and received my key ring that I have worked so hard to get.... hehe.... the weight watchers scale show me at 302.... so I am going to take another 10% (in my head) and do 10% at a time.... I am already 1 pound into my next 10%, good start eh? All my clothes are way to big because I am still wearing clothes that I wore when I weighed in at 369 so, I do have all new clothes I just have to hem the slacks and press everything.... what a chore and I have been putting that off for so long.... will get on that soon....

I hope everyone is doing good.... I am sorry to say that I don't have time to catch up on the postings... but will make an honest effort to read them from now on.... I seem to get side tracked don't I? There are some days I don't turn the computer on.... Joanna has even had to call me because I haven't answered her e-mails or called her... or that I haven't posted.... she said that everyone was asking about me... I do appreciate everyone..... there are alot of positive things that are happening in my life and I need to thrive on those and not think so much on the bad things.... good things being, my house is done, things are great at work, I am debt free, except house payment and utilities... (I just refinanced.... and paid everything off.... hehe) and am thinking about buying a new vehicle which I haven't had a "nice" new vehicle in 16 years or so.... the last new vehicle I had was my 1986 pickup truck which had no air, no carpet, standard shift.... you get the picture.... just a truck..... hehe.... so things are going good for me.... well..... I had better close for now.... I hope everyone is doing fine.... take care... and I'll be back tomorrow... I promise....

Love.... Carolyn

Hi Guys!

It's so nice to come here and find some posts. I checked in a few times through the day, but there wasn't anyone around. It was a difficult day to get through, but I did it so far - so good, anyways.

Carolyn, so good to hear from you. Your weekend sounds great. The little one is hard to keep up with, isn't she? Their energy seems endless. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Really need it right now. You're right. We have been through a lot these past couple of years and we are going to make it!

Sherry, thank you too for your kind words. Great for you giving up sugar in your tea. I'm sure that was no easy thing to do. Regarding the images, I have been doing it right, but it never comes out in my post. Can't figure out why, but will keep trying. Thanks for your good advice.

Hi Kel, glad to hear that you're feeling better. Yes, I do have to get tough with myself again. As soon as I get a wishy washy attitude, my program goes to he**. I hope some nicer weather will soon come your way. You must be getting awfully tired of snow.

Hope you all are having a good evening. Talk to you soon. Love, G

IT WORKED! Thanks Sherry.

Hi Regency, we must have been posting at the same time. Sorry to have missed you.

Glad to hear that you are recovered from your illness. That must have been a very nasty sinus infection - maybe one of those superbugs they talk about. It's so nice that you have found a doctor that you like. Makes such a difference. Now they have a handle on your health problems and they can be dealt with.

Congratulations on your weight loss. You are really going in the right direction. Way to go!

Enjoy your lightened work load - probably a really nice break for you. You must be thrilled that your house is finally finished. It sure took a long time. Bet it feels great having that all behind you.

Keep up the good work that you are doing. I'm sure every bit of weight loss you have will really improve your health. Post often. We missed you. Love, G

Good Morning Everyone,
Didn't want you all to think I fell off the face of the earth. But I have been very busy. Worked 6 full days in a row. That's not easy when you are used to only 3 days. I give every person here that works full time so much credit to be able to do it and also run a household. I imagine you learn a few short cut tricks along the way. Well I am off to do some wash and then to the gym, which I have lissed lots too. I will come back later when time permits and address everyone. Love to all....Sandi

Hey Everyone!
I sure hope everyone had a great weekend. I sure did. The hockey game was interesting. I'm definitely not a fan but it was a neat experience. Getting to be around some new people was nice too. Even if they kept calling me the "baby" of the group. I can't believe I am 24 and someone is still calling me the "baby" other than my mom. These were folks from the older group of singles at my church though so there were only 2 of us under 30. :P
There is a picture of my nephew on the net at www.sparks.org Click on the internet babies link and then go to "it's a boy" "Skyler Lane M" I am going to try and put his picture at the end of this post but it may not work like I want it to!

Trish - Sorry you are having back problems. BUT I am glad that you are feeling better. It is amazing how much of your life is altered when your back hurts. I hope you have fun in Orlando.
Mary Kay - Sure glad that they cought your husband's heart troubles now. Don't feel discouraged. Not gaining is an accomplishment too!!!!
Gail - I have had many times when I feel like I can't get the ball rolling. I sure wish there was some magic advice I could give to you. What I have done is made out a list of reasons why I am loosing weight (zipping my pants without laying on the bed , running without loosing my breath, wearing shorts and bathing suits) You get the picture. I also try and keep pictures in front of me of what I want to look like. Seems to get my butt moving when I don't want to. Just an idea.
Sherry - Giving up sugar is a hard thing to do. You get used to the tast of those artificial sweeteners after a while. I can't put real sugar in my tea anymore. It just overwhelms me now. And I grew up in the South where sugared tea is queen and a coke is anything with carbonation!!!
Carolyn - I have 3 nephews and one more little one on the way. Hoping for a girl with the next one. I have an overwhelming desire to buy frilly pink things!!! Sure enough the first thing I hear when I complain about my back is loose weight. Part of my problem comes from being a little shall we say "top heavy" in the first place. It runs in my family. Did you enjoy South Pacific? I really couldn't watch most of it. I love the original too much.

Well girls I gotta run. Work is calling me back. Waiting on my computer to chug on some of these reports takes HOURS!!

A big howdy to all those I didn't mention by name.

Love
Gina

Hi! Good Morning and Happy Tuesday to you all!!!

Gina, he is an adorable little angel. Thanks for posting the picture. I loved being able to see what the little one looks like. He is very lucky to have such a doting Aunt as you are. You are sure to enjoy watching all your nephews grow up. Yes, it would be nice too if the next one is a little girl. Thank you for the encouragement. Sometimes it feels like it will never come together but I guess the secret to success is not to give up trying. My determination feels stronger today, so it is growing. Pretty soon that other part of me will take over and start giving the orders. It's like having a split personality - Good Gail Bad Gail Time for the good one to take over again.

Sandi, so glad to hear from you. I was wondering what you've been doing. Working 6 days in a row is a lot when you're not used to it. Brings back memories of my working days. Kind of glad they are behind me, but I do miss the $. Great that you are back. I missed you.

Sharon, so wonderful to get your email. Thanks Buddy for all the encouragement. Don't think I could do it without you. I said it before and I'll say it again. You are an angel.

Well, I'd better go and get dressed. It is only 8am here, but I have lots to do today. Got to run out and get some veggies - running low. You all have a good day. Talk to you soon. Love, G

Buon Giorno Bellas!

I hope you are all doing well. Wow, I like the new look of the forum! I just hope it doesn't crash all the time

Yes, I am back from three GLORIOUS weeks in Italy! What an amazing experience I did manage to lose about 10 pounds (even with all the eating I did)...I tell you, I should move there! Actually, it's from walking around all day for 20 days. Yes, it's true ... Exercise is the key to weight loss.

I just "popped" in to say hello and to check in. I do have quite a bit of work waiting for me, so I will give full details of my trip in a later post.

Missed all of you!

Ciao!

Welcome Home, Sylvia!

We have missed you and your cheery posts.

Your trip to Italy must have been wonderful. Hope that you will post soon with all the details. And you lost 10 lbs. Bonus!!!!

The thread has really slowed down. So great to have you back with us. Anxiously awaiting all the details. Hugs to you. G

Hi Everyone......

I'm back just like I promised...... hehe.... today was a good day.... woke up 3 pounds lighter than a couple of days ago.... but its probably water weight... but as long as I can keep it that way until weigh in on Thursday afternoon.... it seems if I keep it off for a couple of days it has a tendency to stay off.... keeping my fingers crossed as I like to make the Weight Watchers weigh in official... the weigh in at home varies so often but it seems to keep me in line.....

There is a lady in my Weight Watchers that is a big woman like me and she lost 40 pounds right away as I struggled with my lose 2 pounds gain 4, lose 3 gain 1 routine.... she quit coming to the meetings as she gained all the 40 pounds back..... how sad.... she was doing so well...... now she has to start all over again... even though I struggled so, I've managed to keep off the 30+ pounds that I have lost ..... its hard, I'll be the first one to admit that.... I would like to make that great big mark and weigh in under the 300 mark.... now that would be a great day.... I've done it at home now just doing it at Weight Watchers!!!!!!

Gail Thanks for the encouragement.... I miss posting but sometimes I just don't have the guts to do it... although it seems to keep me in line a bit too..... thanks again.

Well..... its almost bedtime and another day at the office..... so I will say goodnight and everyone be good....

Love Carolyn

Hi again...... it works!!!!! and its so easy to attach something...... so now tell me how do you attach a picture or something under our names....????? I've seen some of the ladies have little animals etc. under their names and some don't.... emmmmm....whats the secret?

Carolyn....

Good morning everyone. I know I have been scarce but with good reason … getting my stuff together for our accountant to do our taxes! And, am not too happy this week. Have sad news … my daughter-in-law who was expecting in October has lost her baby. I am feeling so bad for them … So, am sorry that I am not feeling like chatting this morning …. I should address a lot of you, and I promise I will soon, so please forgive me if I don’t now.

But, I do notice that this is the #29 post .. so I guess once a brat always a brat, so I will start the next thread …. And, I promise, I will be back soon to address you all!

Love to all!
CJ