Ok .. I made it to work. Now I have a little more time to respond to everyone else's posts!

Lucky!! Glad to see you made it online and could check in. Thanks for the truck well wishes... This too shall pass, you know? It just gets a little tiring having to deal with vehicle issues all the darn time because I just can't afford to buy a decent vehicle right now. Again.. I know I'll be ok, I just have to hang in there. I love the thought of you doing pilates at work! There is NO way I could do that here. Pilates is excellent - I was doing it 5 times a week for a while, then my DVD player bit the dust, which sucks. Of course I haven't been able to afford to get a new one of THOSE either. *huff* I tried doing it without the DVD, but I guess I need the reminders on position and breathing and stuff, because I just wasn't doing it right. In any case, in 3 weeks at 5 times a week, I noticed a marked difference. I want very much to pick up a cheap DVD player this next payday so I can start doing it again. Keep us posted on what you think of the pilates, I'm curious.

Happy - You know, you might be right on that frustration thing. I hadn't thought of it that way. How cool on the class! My daughter would kill to be able to actually take classes, but she's doing pretty well just learning on her own, I guess. I can't wait till I can enroll her in online stuff, she's going to have a blast, I know. So will my son. So what Cert are you aiming for? God!! I'd LOVE to be able to wear those low riser pants!! Maybe get a navel piercing... Can we say second adolescence here? I guess I was so pudgy through my first one it would be awesome to go through it again all slim and fit. You know, I've been having a real problem with munchies lately too. Spring maybe? But I'm kind of tired of it. I wish I could just flip a switch and turn that kind of stuff off. I had made it through till last night when I just HAD to have another serving of pasta with my meatsauce. Not that it really hurt me calorically - I just don't like it when I can't seem to say no. I think it's more a matter of principle at this point than anything else. Sooooo have you CLEANED off the treadmill yet?

Hippy - So sorry to hear about the plumbing woes. I hate that nonsense. I remember one time we had to snake the pipes and we found an old grease rag WAAAYYYYYYY down in the pipes that had been there probably since the house was built, it was that disgusting. I guess gunk and gross stuff had just finally built up around it so much that it became an issue. The running isn't really painful, I've been building up to it SO slowly. When I started in January it was just walking, then I'd try for a tenth of a mile at a time, etc. Pushing it to two miles today was a little tough - I got a stitch in my side right at about that last tenth of a mile and each stride was accompanied by a little whine-grunt sound. Good thing I'm alone in that garage when I run. And yes, I do have a super nice boss. He's the best. It's one of the reasons I stay here when I could be making more money somewhere else. Liking and respecting the people you work with and for is soooo important to me now. Your vacation sounds WONDERFUL. I'm jealous. Only a little, though. I'm really hoping to be able to take the kids and my BF to Disney World when that house up in AK sells. It will be the very first vacation I've ever had. I mean *real* vacation. I've taken a couple days off and gone to Savannah or things like that, but never really just .. picked up and gone off for a week to someplace with the kids and had a great time. If we can do the Disney thing... that would just make my lifetime, you know? I'm such a big kid.

Chachee - Ok .. Where are you!?? It's 6 in the morning your time, girl. Get on here and tell us about that weigh in. The house doesn't have a huge yard, no - it's pretty standard. It's over in Spenard, not the absolute best area, but very close to an elementary school over there. Good for someone with little ones. That's one of the reasons they're selling THAT one, and keeping my dad's house. Dad's is a much nicer house, even if it needed a lot of work because he'd been too sick to pay attention for quite a few years, and I guess we just didn't realize it. I think it needs an exterior paint job before they actually put it on the market, so I'm sure they're waiting for breakup to get started on that. This move was kind of impromptu for them, so the house wasn't exactly ready to put on the market.

Alright chickies.. I guess I'd better get to work. I'll check back in a few hours and probably jabber some more.

Hello Ladies!!!!

Good news. I am not only the proud new owner of my first 5 pound loss bookmark, but I also lost a total of 4.2 last week, bringing my 3 week total up to 9 pounds!!!! One pound shy of my next 5 pound star!!! I am so excited! I didn't think I would do that well, but the scales gods were good to me!!!!

Okay, goals for this week:

1. Maintain previous goals, except for the "No flex points". I'll use them if I need them.
2. Practice "switching" at least a couple times a day. That is the practice of swaping out a bad eating habit in your mind for a good one. i.e. Imagine the candy bar going into the mouth, then switch that with the image of a healthy snack going in your mouth. It's a good concept and helps to get rid of those bad habits. My habit I am focusing on switching this week is the mindless tv eating. I'm really bad about that. I'm going to swap the image of the food going into my mouth for an image of me knitting and drinking water.

Raven: Sorry I didn't get on here earlier. Traffic was backed up and I didn't get here until about ten minutes ago. I'll try to do better next time. Spenard house, huh? You are right, not the best part of town, but I am sure there will be a family it's just perfect for. Hey, only 16 more pounds and I hit my goal of getting my nails back on!!! Have you check the scales lately? Are they still playing games with your mind??

Happy: Your classes sound interesting. I'm good at computers, but I couldn't do that programming stuff--way too logical for me! Oh, and you broke my heart about the platforms. I was only in the single age digits when the 70's were around and was never allowed to wear platforms. Now I own about four pairs, but I also have started buying a lot of pointy toe leather boots. Yes, I admit, I need a shoe intervention, but a girl has got to have at least one vice that doesn't put pounds on!!!!

Hippy: Sorry to hear about the plumbing. What a nightmare! I own pretty much the whole collection of TaeBo tapes and I have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I want to get down about 30 pounds more before I start using them again. My physical therapist suggested that before I started it up again. Don't want to injure myself. I've never been as toned as I was when I did those tapes.

Okay, back to work for me. I am going to have mexican buffet for lunch. I already have it all mapped out in my head what I am going to have. (Maybe that's why my tummy has been growling since last night, huh?) I am going to have one mini bean burrito (2 points), three veggie tacos (5 points) and possibly a mini cheese enchilada (3 points). I did good on bringing veggies for snacks today because I want to save up the points for lunch. I limit my mexican intake to once a week. Same with pizza. Those are my "red light" foods that I have a hard time controlling the portions.

Here is to a great week! Oh, and my goal for next week is just a pound to get that star, but I guess I would settle for a bigger loss! Gosh, I am on a roll this morning. Not as big as the roll around my midsection used to be. Gosh, I need to stop. Back to work.

Chach

Ok, Chach - what did you put in YOUR coffee this morning!?!? Or tea. Or whatever it is you've been drinking!



Fantastic weigh in!! I truly am being left in the dust here! You worked hard for the bookmark, dear, you earned it, and you're so close to your next goal already! That rocks!!

I'm so glad you finally logged in to let us know.. I've been sitting here wondering if you didn't want to post because it wasn't a good weigh in or what! *whew* My scale is still a poohead. Not as bad, I'm only a half pound up now from the 182.5 (yes, that's 183), so I'm not really too worried about it. I'll just be so freaking happy if I can break through to 179 this time. I keep hoping for some mysterious, miraculous 10 pound loss, but it just never happens! My "reasonable 5 pound goal" for this month would put me at 181, so I only need to lose 2 pounds to get there. Then if I am to make my stealth goal, I need to drop 7 more pounds in the next 3 weeks. I so doubt that will happen. BUT hey, hope springs eternal and all that! All I can do is keep on truckin'!

Hey girl, have you been keeping up with the Iditarod?? I keep checking online to see who's where... I want so many people to win!

Raven: My tea was only peppermint, caffeine free. Can you imagine me with caff? Let me tell you, it's not a pretty site!!! I've made a promise to myself that no matter what, I will post my weigh ins. I need to be accountable and being on here is a big part of that. I'm kinda proud of myself, also.

This is a long month, so your scales are going to be good to you with your reasonable goal! You are getting down so far it's not going to come off as quickly. You are doing so well! I'm impressed with your exercising. I hope to add that in next week.

I've been kinda keeping up with the Iditarod. I know on the news this morning they said Doug Swinley scratched. He thinks he froze his cornea in his right eye and has only 50% vision. Call me sentimental, but I want Martin to win. He's always a favorite of mine and he's from here and lives here. Hometown hero!!

I did pretty well with lunch. Broke two taco shells in half and made mini tostados with salsa, cheese, guac, tomato, lettuce and jalepenos. Also had a mini burrito and cheese enchilado. Yes, ate more than I had wanted, but we are having Japanese tonight, so that's sushi and veggies for me--almost no points.

Plus, in all honesty, I wanted a little reward. Why I chose food to do that is an issue that I battle daily. I might be up a little on the scales tomorrow, but from yesterday morning's weigh in I was down another 2 pounds. We'll see if that holds for this week.

Okay, I rambled enough. WHERE IS EVERYONE???? Raven, they joined Jolly and Tracy and have left us alone, again! That's okay, we'll just have to be LOSERS together! I love being a loser!!!! Hey loser!!!!! Alright, enough bad humor. I'll be quiet now.

Chach

Geez, it's hard to keep up with you!

Chachee - Yay on the great loss for this week. I have to be honest here. It was a day from - all the way around, but mostly from work. By lunch I was pretty aggrivated and had talked myself into a fast food lunch. I was just about to leave when I checked the board here and saw your posts guys. I read it and with all your plans, I realized that "stinkin thinkin" (a Fly Lady term) was getting me no where. So I put my coat back and made a cup of healthy homemade Minnestrone and some chicken for lunch with fresh cut veggies. Thanks Chachee and Raven - you never know where your inspiration will come from!!!!!

Gotta run and make dinner now. It's my TV vegetation night and no one takes that away from me - *** evil laugh *** . I'll be back later tonight.

Happy YGG!! I'm SO glad you stayed OP!! I know you would have been kicking yourself all over if you hadn't!

That term "stinkin thinkin" is something I hear around a lot.. one of the horse trainers I follow uses it. I like it, and can definitely relate to it!

I hope you enjoyed your couch veg time, I spent some time doing that myself last night. I must run and hit a few weights before I schlepp off to work.

My scale loves me today! I won't shoot it. s: Down to 182 today. I think this one isn't a blip, this one is real. I'm a happy camper today. It's Friday, and I'm taking the kids to see Hidalgo tonight! Tomorrow we spend most of the day at the stables riding and training and taking care of wee puppies, then dinner out tomorrow night with the Boyfriend (chili's caribbean salad for me, thank you!) and another movie - not sure which one. Then Sunday morning early up for me to get out to the stables and feed and work, then ride. Must practice my sitting trot and my two point.

I hope everyone else's Friday goes beautifully, and you all have a fantastic weekend!

Good morning!

Great job Chach That's a heck of a loss! Keep up the good work!!

Happy!!!! What willpower It's so great that you chose to stay OP!!!

Raven, you have never had a vacation? That stinks! We have just in the last 4 years been able to take vacations. We would go away for a few days to the lake and go camping or something but that was about it. Even now we have to really stash but somehow we manage. We were planning a trip to Disney this year but decided to put it off a year. That is a very pricey trip and I don't want to go there and slide by on the money that we have. I too am a big kid and can't wait to go, I want to see pooh bear!!!!!! I have adored that silly old bear since I was a kid I so hope that you get to go!!!

I am so glad to hear you all talking about those jeans and so on. I think I'm crazy sometimes but I would love to wear clothes like that. The little tank tops with the thin straps that you can't wear a bra with with a low rise pair of jeans. How cool would that be?! I have a feeling when I get this weight off I will have to be real hard on myself about how I dress! I don't act like a 38 year old now, most that I know are all prim and proper and wear regular jeans and no revealing shirts, acting all old and grown up. Not me!!!! I get out, laugh and cut up, have a good time!! I even have a few pairs of flared leg jeans Wonder what people might think, I think I don't care

Been OP all week. It's been my time of the month week so I don't know if I will see a loss this week but if not maybe next week. I even made it through PMS without a chocolate binge!!

Better run. Here's to a productive Friday full of goals and accomplishments!!

Morning to you ladies

Well I am up a pound for the week. I shouldn't be surprised, I didn't get all my water in this week and in review my portions were a bit bigger than I should be eating. We're in the rollercoaster of up and down temps and we're back down again - it was 17 degrees this morning. And when it's cold like this it seems I am more hungry. I haven't eaten anything that terrible, just more than I should have. I did start to clean off the treadmill - oofduh - what a mess all that drywall dust made. I totally underestimated what it's going to take to clean it up - at least one whole weekend day. Oh joy. The weekend will be spent doing alot of cleaning. This is the year my childhood friends and me all turn the big 5-0. The first of the group has a birthday next weekend and her sister is throwing her a small surprise party - just a casual get together. It means going into the city and spending the weekend as I do not drive the expressways anymore. DH will drop me off Friday for the party and I will spend the night with my mom which is good, we talk all the time on the phone but I don't get to see her as much as I'd like to. Since I'll be away most of next weekend, will have to double up on getting things all done this weekend.

Yay Raven on the great numbers for this week! And your weekend sounds like a lot of fun too - all your favorite stuff. Easier to handle the week if you have something to look forward to at the end of it

Boy the way that everyone raves about the TaeBo tapes, will have to look into those. From what I saw of the infomercials, I got the impression that you had to be rather lean, fit and limber to do them but I've heard lots of gals who were just starting out try them and like them. Also interesting too Raven how you said it helped your hip sockets.

Egads, platform shoes and pointy toed boots! At least when we wore platforms they were either tied shoes or strappy things that were well secured to our feet - I'm not sure how people stay upright with the open "scuffs" that are the mode today. I see alot of kids tripping on campus with the shoes and the super wide bell bottoms. Guess I must have looked the same. I actually liked pointy shoes but I have always had wide feet so it didn't take long before my little toe pushed the side of the shoe out and wrecked the line. I've seen some of the spring heels and boy are they narrow! My shoe fetish seems to be 10 pairs of sneakers in the eternal quest to find a pair that feels good an hour after I have them on I have problems with my feet cramping up and no one including my podiatrist seems to have an explanation for it.

Well I am babbling and I need to switch to the other computer and start working for the day - lots to finish up today.

Lucky, Raven, Hippy and Chachee - have a great day and a fun weekend!

Hey ladies

Happy - I'm sorry about that pound. BUT! You know that tomorrow that pound could be gone. Please don't let those scale blips get you down! I know for me it's definitely harder to stay OP, motivated, encouraged when it's cold. I don't do cold. I hate cold. It frustrates me, it makes me cranky, and those are the times I want to eat. Cold makes me want comfort food. Cleaning off that treadmill sounds like a workout in and of itself! But you know once you get it done, you'll be happy you did it! Though next weekend sounds kind of hectic/busy, it sounds like you'll have a really good time. I have utterly no social life! Well, unless it involves a horse.

Taebo can be really good, but you have to be careful. The safety stuff he talks about, really listen. It's easy to hyperextend doing the moves if you get going to fast, and really, it's all about control. I had about three years of intermittent martial arts training before I started Taebo, and I love it. The more stretching you do, the easier it all is. Excellent workout, though. And just as a note - the last time I was in taekwondo, I worked my BUTT off, and I weighed 188. If I hadn't been eating like a small army, I would have lost so much weight doing that. But I guess my point is you don't have to be a skinny little thing to be in martial arts or to do taebo. It will push you though. I think it's really important to remember you can slow it down and do it at your own pace.

ANYway... I popped in here to tell you all about something that actually just occurred to me. When I hit 178, which is now only 4 measely pounds away (aweigh?) HA! I will have hit 40 pounds loss from when I started in January 2003. I weighed 218 at that point, and I tried for about a week or two to do it on my own, but found myself stuffing my face on the weekends and just not really doing what I needed to do. So, considering how much I despise in-person meetings, I (of course, geek me) hit the web looking for a chat group or forum. Enter 3FC. I can't believe how much I've learned. When I first started, I had so many things to work through, and I was so overwhelmed with the fact that I had 83 pounds to lose. I felt alone, scared, and helpless. And in my search, I found the most incredible group of women I've ever seen. Hitting 40 pounds down will put me so close to half way to my goal, and let me tell you. I now know that if I can lose 40 pounds, I can SURE as **** lose 43 more. But I couldn't have done it without you all, and the folks in the journals. So .. party at 178? My place?

Good morning, ladies!

Raven: I'm ready to party!! You are going to fly us all in, right? Great job on the weigh in. Every pound puts you closer to your goal. I am so proud of you. It's wonderful that you have been doing so well! I see the humor bug has hit you also. (Aweigh!) I totally agree with you on the Taebo thing. I am going to wait (weight) until I get down about 30 pounds or so until I start back up. Too much weight on me right now and too much of a strain on the joints, but man, I love it. Let me know how that Hildago movie is. Sounds interesting and I have loved Viggo since GI Jane!

Happy: Oh, I am so happy you stayed OP yesterday, but sad you gained this week. Hey, we all have those weeks and a pound is nothing to come off! Look at what you did/didn't do this week and see what you can improve on. Oh, and I vegged in front of the tv last night also. Thursdays are my veg out nights also. Survivor and my new favorite show THE APPRENTICE!!

Hippy: I'm right with you on the fashion. I missed so much of my twenties to being overweight that once this comes off, I'm gonna be out there. Actually, and this might sound funny to some, I'm really enjoying jeans again. They were always too tight on me as most of my weight is around my midsection. Well, I found some cute boot cut Levis about three months ago that I fell in love with. They are getting looser, and I am actually looking forward to buying new jeans. I could wear a turtleneck and still have cleavage, so I have never been much into the lower cut shirts. I've never liked my midsection, so shorter shirts are also a no-no. I'd just like to have a cute little top with a cute little pair of jeans with stilletto boots or platforms!! Hahaha!!

Okay, have a great weekend if I don't check in before. Here's to a wonderful group of ladies who I am honored to be in their company. You all inspire and motivate me. Let's keep it up!

Chach

Thanks for the tips on the Taebo. So it's much like Pilates in the sense that the important part is actually control and doing the moves? From the few peeks I've seen of the commercials, it seems like everyones just jumping around alot and going for speed - like a step class or something I will definitely look for a video this weekend.

That is really awesome Raven approaching 40 pounds down! I can sure understand the need for a party - and rightly you deserve one.

The funny thing is, I started out very similar to you. In March of 2002 we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. I thought in 2001 it would be way cool if I could fit into my size 3 wedding dress by my anniversary. Hah. That March I was bigger than ever. In June I saw some pictures my mom snapped - we had just a small family get together and I was appalled. I actually cried. I had a cute short haircut (and I hate short hair) but my face was a balloon. It was a hard dose of reality - I weighted 215 at the time. And I vowed to diet if it killed me. I actually ordered a diet plan from an infomercial - a customized plan that turned out to be low carb, low fat, low sodium. I was working from home at the time and it suited the 6 mini meals plan. I was also going to the gym at 6am religiously 5 days a week. I went from 215 to 196 by August of that year. Then we went on vacation. Shortly after I came back, we hired a person at work and I had to go into the office everyday to train her. The first thing to go was the 6 mini meals. Tho I packed a healthy lunch, it was very difficult to eat every 2 or 3 hours. The weight loss stopped when I went back to the traditional 3 meals a day. Then I had to give up the personal trainer when he needed to switch my early morning time slot and I couldn't make the other times. Shortly after that I had to give up the gym altogether when we got behind on our project at work and I was working pretty much 7am to 7pm for 6 months running. I pushed back into the 200's again and got as high as 208. I swore I'd wire my jaws shut if I hit 215 again. Things calmed down at work, I was able to start working from home again a few days a week and I went back to the old diet. Then winter hit and I got hungry - the diet worked well in the summer - mostly cold food and veggies but didn't suit me when I wanted hot food. I got back on track again last summer and went gung ho when we got the treadmill. I racked up 130 miles in 4 months. Weight got down to 197 again. THEN I got the plantar faciitis in my foot. Every time I tried to get on the treadmill, I just created all kinds of pain again. Took 6 months, 3 months of physical therapy, a wad of money and orthotics to fix me up again. Then I had school last semester - one killer course, 1 medium killer course and an online class for work. I didn't think I'd survive to see Christmas. I barely had time to sleep much less food plan, cook and exercise. I started January of this year at 206. And then my stupid teeth abscessed. I tell you, it's just been so DAMN FRUSTRATING!!!! 'scuse my french please. Every time I start to get momentum, something comes along. So while you started 6 months after me and are down almost 40 pounds, here I sit 2 years later at 202. On the positive side, I have kept some of the weight off and broke the annual cycle of year after year gains. I've also made alot of changes in my meals - I do low fat very very well. And dropping my cholesterol from 233 to 207 tells me that the changes I have made are for the better. I don't get the nagging chest pains I once did from fatty foods and I have learned that if I low carb, I don't get the terrible body aches in the evening that were a way of life for me. I also gave up my 3 - 5 Cokes a day habit for water instead. The hardest part is the food. Though trial and experimentation, I have learned that the only way I can sustain any kind of regular weight loss - a pound or two a week, is by 5 days a week exercise, 2 liters or more of water a day. As for food, I MUST do low carb, low fat, low sugar AND low salt. ALL OF THEM RELIGIOUSLY. Any deviation and my weight maintains or I lose like 1/4 of a pound a week. And it's hard because staying on that kind of plan is like being on induction on a diet for months on end. I have traded regular ice cream for an occasional slim a bear. I have learned that a smidge of peanut butter on a fresh apple slice is just as good as a taffy apple. But there's lots of sugar in Slim a Bears, even if they are 98% fat free - just like my beloved Yoplait FF yogurt I love. I can't have that stuff more than twice a week. And it's either / or not both. Therein lies the problem. I like food. I don't have to have Fettucine Alfredo (geez it would kill me if I did) but I like my food to taste good. And the diet that works best for me is pretty darn bland. After about 2 weeks it's really hard to stick with it. I get cravings but I have to watch carefully - one piece of bread can easily lead to more cravings - particularly if it's french bread I'd like and I'm eating the poor man's substitute of multigrain

I'm just kinda bummed and venting right now so please excuse the LONG whiny post. I keep telling myself to hang in there, the end of May will be here soon and I'll be done with school for the most part except for a class or two for work. Summer is around the corner and we'll be grilling alot which is the easiest time for me to stay on a diet - I love the grilled food, I drink more water and I eat less when it's warmer out. Maybe I should just move to Arizona, eh? We're going on vacation in 5 weeks. I had wanted to be around 190 at that time. The way I'm going maybe 195 is doable if I take up jogging or something. And too with all of these periodic illnesses - compressed disc in neck, tennis elbow, D&C, plantar faciitis, abcessed teeth - I'm in a lull period now and I half fear what else is around the corner waiting for me? ARRRRRGGGGGG. Guess you just can't sit there waiting for something to happen, can you?

I'm sorry Raven, I don't mean to steal any of your thunder. I'm envious not jealous but also very happy for you. There's just this nagging voice in my head that says SEE - she did it and look all that she went through this past year. WHY CAN'T YOU DO IT TOO? Can you come over and beat on me? I'll pay for your plane ticket

Ok, I got that out of my system... again, sorry to suck up all the bandwidth on the site with my pity party. I'm going to bed now and tomorrow I'll get

Chachee - I LOVED your comment about how you could wear a turtleneck and still have cleavage I am also a Survivor / Apprentice junkie. It's my one indulgence for the week! I am delighted that Richard Hatch and Omarosa are gone, gone, gone.

oh please, please, please....can i join you guys??!! ~smiling warmly~ i just joined 3fc 6 hours ago. ~laughing~ spent the first couple hours learning the who´s its and whats its in the admin area. then perused and though my first post should go into one of those getting to know you places. so i copied and psted all the questions and started tippety typing my lil heart out...... 2 hours later or there abouts (really thrilled with all my answers) i hit "Submit Reply" only to get a message boy thingie that said i wasnt logged in.......ARRRRRRRRRRRG. i was so disappointed ( putting it mildly ) i mean up there to the right it said i was logged in. i almost chipped a nail typing it ~laughing.... now~ okies holding off on the ramble. so off i goes to soothe my soul and start my jouney of sucess. and what to my wandering eyes should appear but an excellent thread titled "Rears in Gear" ! i adore word play and the message with a motive. so been sitting here reading about your month and lovin it! you all sound like a bunch of women i would have a ball with in 3D.

now i realize its mid-month and part of me was thinking i should wait till you all started a new month to join in. but thats just "stinkin thinkin" and old procrastination tapes jumping in. trust me i got a ton of tapes. but at least now i can play them thru and see whats really going on. it wouldnt take long to fill you in on my month. i just joined the WW winning points system march first. thought i found valhalla! i adore cooking, the sight, the sound, the smell, a whole new world of recipes was opened to me. and the best part was, they were good for me and mine!! my partner is also on the plan "Flex Point" our scale likes him better then me, he sneezes and more weight comes off. my start weight was 210, by march 4th i was at 208. the 5th 209, the 6th 207, the 7th and 8th 208. finally i decided bugger, it didnt matter what the scale said i was eating good foods and had started taking that adorable pooch in the upper left hand corner for a 30 minute walk daily. as you can see by his pic, he loves the snow and is thrilled with the new routine. i hate the cold and can use ucky weather as an excuse ~in her best Forest Gump impersonation ~ well, thats all i gots to say bout that.........

anyway the short and the sweet of it (not a play on my name i assure you ~winks n grinz~) i spent the first week looking for menues and recipes. which as easy as that sounds wasnt so easy. i am in Austria now and you know all those premade, quick easies we americans have come to know and love..... they arent here! so i have to cook everything from scratch. double edged sword i assure you. couple that with barely knowing the language. i only know enough to sound polite and find the potty anywhere in the country. ~laughing~ some things are easy rice is reis, but garlic is knoblauch, cinnamon is zimt and ifn that werent bad enough ........ ounces and pounds to grams and kilos!! it was a charming challenge when i got here a couple of months ago, it really bites when changing your whole eating regime. but thankfully my handsome honey is Austrian by birth so we shop together. couple minor incidences in the store a time or two ~laughing~ the next week i incorporated the walks and this week my period begins.

so as i sit here before you i am at 209 pounds sounds great in kilos 95. my goal is... i would love to be between 140-145, happy at 150, and huge warning flags at 165. i dont mind fluxing but i do mind being fat.

so again i ask, may i please join you all? you sound like such a wonderful group of gals and i would truely like to get to know each of you better.

sincerely,
sassy..... that part of my nic fits so much better at this time of the month ~never innocent.... just not guilty look~

Good Morning!!

S&S - Hi!! Welcome!! You sound delightful! What a wonderful sense of humor. By all means, join us! The more the merrier! What took you to live in Austria?? I gather you're from the US? What a cute pup! The fact that it's mid-month is not important, you can jump right in and start anytime. I love cooking too, and realized a very short time ago that for me, food will NEVER be "just fuel." I love the whole process of finding a cool recipe, putting it all together and being so curious what the end result will be. Some recipes turn out great, some are .. *ahem* well, never repeated. But I guess if this is going to, ultimately, be the rest of my life, I'd better figure out how to make it work so that I don't feel deprived and resentful. And regarding the scale. I'm a helpless scale addict BUT I've pretty much gotten to the point where I understand the reasonably predictable ups and downs. I don't let a sudden drop get me too hyped, and I understand a sudden gain is NOT my fault (most of the time). But I've also found that if I put the scale away and DON'T weigh in every day, I lose sight - I lose momentum - I lose accountability. I guess I'm a very number oriented person. I need that trackability to keep me going. Again, welcome! I look forward to hearing more from you!

Happy - Vent. It's ok. That's what we're here for, hon. You have had one **** of a year, or maybe several years. Please don't compare yourself to me, or anyone. Like you said, you have learned so much over the last several years. You've changed many of your habits, patterns, and thinking. If I'd had to deal with as many physical ailments as you've been whacked with, I probably wouldn't have made any progress to speak of, either. I'm blessed right now, Happy... I know that. Sometimes I, too, wonder what's around that corner waiting for me. Maybe that's why this time I'm going as hard as I can without hurting myself. I need so badly to take advantage of this time. I don't know how long it's going to last. I'm not getting any younger either. If I don't get in shape now and take care of this body, it won't be there for me when I'm old. I wish I'd known all of this when I was in my teens. I'm trying so hard to teach my kids that we're not young forever. I wish someone had taught me. But they didn't, and you're in the same boat. All we can do, my dear, is do what we can do. I admire you so much for trying SO hard at all you do. School, work, marriage, trying to get in shape and fit... You are an inspiration to me, even if YOU don't think you are. So - chin up. We're here for each other, and this is OUR year. And I'm going to drag you along with me kicking and screaming if I have to. Capisca!!? Verstehen Sie? Of course you do. All this said with great affection, I hope you know. On the taebo.. yes - if you watch the tapes you see all these beautiful bodies jumping around looking fantastic. But trust me, you can take it slow and easy and it will work you out. I advise you to PLEASE take it slow and easy and practice the moves because generally speaking many of the kicks and punches are not what your body is used to doing and if you try them quickly at first you risk pulling or over stretching something. ESPECIALLY those side kicks. Never make the mistake of fully straightening your arms or legs. You always want that slightest bend left - therein the control. If you just flail your legs and arms out, you are not working them properly. Oh lord I'm sorry.. I'll get off my now. I don't want to turn you off the taebo at all. It's wonderful, I just let my taekwondo instructor channel through me sometimes.

Chachee - I'm flying .. you .. all? I better go start buying lottery tickets now!!! Speaking of flying, however... I'm going to try to be up in AK in a couple months. I'm delivering Ian to his dad for their drive down. It looks like he's FINALLY understanding that these kids desperately want him in their lives. And that his job doesn't hold a candle to how important they are to him. I'm praying. I really am. This means everything to my kids, and I swear if he bails again this time I will take his butt to court and ... Right. So like I was saying... I don't know the exact dates yet, but I'm thinking somewhere around the end of May or beginning of June. You going to be around?? I wanna see my pupppppiiiiieeeeeessssss! And of course I want to see my dad again. I miss him. *sigh*

Ok ladies... today was a good run - I accept that the two miles was a high point, and now my baseline is a 1 mile run - up from the half mile last month. Today I warmed up for a quarter mile, ran a mile, walked a fast quarter mile, then ran the last half mile. Not too shabby for a chick who couldn't do a tenth of a mile without feeling like she'd been hit by a truck a couple months ago. I guess next month my baseline will probably be either the mile and a half without stopping, or the two miles. We'll see how I feel. As long as I'm making progress, I'm happy.

I realize this is probably a scale blip, but... I'll keep my fingers that it's not. I'm down two pounds this morning, putting me at 180. Like I said.. I'm not holding my breath on this one. I'll see how long it lasts. OTOH, I feel like kind of a moron because yesterday I didn't eat even CLOSE to 1200 calories, I came in just barely above 1000, and that's after eating my HC ice cream sandwich. It wasn't intentional, and I wasn't hungry... so... I'll try to keep a better eye on that. Ok .. I supposed I've blathered on enough. I have a lot to do today... I was going to try to get my nails done this morning, but I'm running out of time. I need to eat breakfast, get a shower, get the kids up, and head out to the stables.

OH! And.. I'm not sure if it's just because the movie was about horses and Viggo was in it, but I LOVED Hidalgo!! It was so much better than I thought it was going to be. My daughter loved it for those two reasons too, but also because it touches on some really heavy topics just briefly, namely the indian slaughters in the US and slavery across the "big water." I found it to be a good movie to open discussion with my kids about US history, slavery, animal cruelty, a host of things. Besides .. the . .uhm . . "scenery" was great.

Ok, off and running! HA! Running.. get it?? Byeeeeeee!!

Good morning gals!!

Welcome Sweetn..lots of wonderful ladies here. Full of motivation and inspiration!

OH Happy, I hate it that you are feeling so down. I can say I can relate to everything you said. I too HAVE to eat low carb and can't have much at that. I thought eating whole grain bread and pasta that maybe I could have it a few times a wkk but it just doesn't work that way. For me it's very hard to find a balance that I can live with. I feel like I eat the same things over and over and get so tired of it that I want pasta, fruit, bread and my loss stops. For mr low carbing is a continuous cycle of trying to see what I can and can't eat and how often. VERY FRUSTRATING!!!! I agree, soon it will be warm and we will be able to fire up the grills. Grilled meat is so much better tasting to me and I can't wait to try the tips you gave me for grilled veggies.

Raven, you have come a long way! **** YES!!!! YOU CAN LOSE THE NEXT 40 POUNDS I'm cheerin you on girl!!!!! I know you say you have found alot of support here but don't forget that you support us too. I'd be a loser if I didn't have inspiration from your posts!

Chach, I have big boobs too. They don't seem to go away when I lose weight. Most of the time I wish they would go away. I have had them since I was a kid, I developed at a very young age. My mom amd grandmother are C cups so how in the world did I end up with DD To be honest I would just like to have perfect little perky boobs to go with my new body!!!

I have been working hard to get this weight off this time. I'm worried about keeping it off. That's a problem for me. I have lost weight several times but before I know it I'm fat again. About 5 years ago I lost down to 150, for me that's skinny, I'm 5'6" and large framed so I can carry that much weight and look pretty damn good, anyway, I guess I got comfortable with eating again and packed it all and more back on. I know when I take it off this time I will have to eat this way the rest of my life. For me that will be a challenge. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Today I have to go shopping for Jordan. Pretty soon he will need shorts and can't wear any that he had last year. I almost can't keep up with as fast as that child grows. 13 years old, 5'10", size 10 shoe, size large man's shirt, 33by31 jeans and he isn't finished growing! YIKES!!!!!!

Have a lovely saturday girls!