I hope everyone is off to a great start for the week. I did okay for the weekend, but not great. However, I didn't eat any sweets, candy, or pastries, so I did pretty good. I didn't get to go for as many walks this weekend because it rained part of the time. But I did go for a walk on both Saturday and Monday. The weather was beautiful yesterday, and both my DH and I had the day off so we went for a long hike in the country. Walking up hills gets the heart pumping. I didn't do very well at all with my water intake though. I really have to work on that. I just hate having to go to the BR all the time.

Thank you all for the support with the issue of the peer pressure from the coworkers. If anything, I think it's made me more determined this time.

We had my mother-in-law and her husband over for dinner on Saturday. And for the first time, it really bothered me to watch someone else overeat. My mother-in-law needs to lose quite a bit of weight, too. She knows it and is always saying things like, "I haven't had a greasy hamburger in a while, so I'm going to treat myself." or "I haven't splurged in a while, so I'm going to eat some of this cake." Even though, I know she probably had had something just as bad the day before. I had tried to make a healthy dinner - crock pot herb & garlic chicken with vegetables, a salad, a little bit of pasta, and some lowfat biscuits. She ate two of the busquits smothered in butter and honey, not to mention the huge amount of other food that she ate. And I think I recognized myself too much in her because it turned my stomach to watch her eat like that. Anyone else feel like this now, too? But it did give me incentive to work harder at my own eating habits.

Jenn, hang in there. Just keep thinking of the cruise. I definitely think getting a doctor's prescription that defines when, what type, and size, whatever, is the only way to handle the inmate. That way he can't say you aren't following doctor's orders.

Welcome Laurie! I understand the commute. I work only 40 hours a week, but have almost two hours of commute per day. And then if I have to run any errands after work, it's sometimes 8:00PM by time I get home. Makes it hard to work out and eat right, but stick with it. Any little changes will help. And this group is very supportive.

Well, have a good week. Small steps up make it easier to get to the top.
Robin

Hi--

I've been away for a few days, hanging out in New York and trying not to derail myself (with mixed success). I had a great time, danced like a maniac Saturday night, and generally let off a lot of steam I have probably gained a few pounds, between my trip and being out of commission last week with my back. During other periods, I would have been eating my way through Manhattan or comforting myself with my good friends Ben and Jerry, so I guess I haven't fallen too far off the wagon. So far today, I've been on plan. Knowing I need to come back and check in helps keep me from straying too far away!

judy

Hello ladies!!! I missed you all terribly yesterday. My husband has been working on a huge project that was due last night so I haven't had a chance to check in since Sunday.

I look so forward to checking in with you all everyday that as soon as I walk in the door I am turning on the computer.

My company left this morning and it was nice to come home to an empty house. I enjoyed my visit with my mom, but... it is nice to be back in our routines.

Everytime I tried to get on the site this weekend my mom would come in and stand over my shoulder to see what I was doing. That really bothered me. It made me realize how important you all are to me because I can say things here that I wouldn't feel comfortable saying to other people. You know what I mean??????

I had the best complement today, a teacher at work came up to me and said wow you really look like you have lost weight.

I am nervous about weigh in on Thursday since I only lost a quarter of a pound last week. I am also trying really hard not to weigh myself until then. My whole day is determined by what the scale says in the morning. So I have gone cold turkey on the scale.

I hope you all had a great day and here's to tomorrow!!!!

Paige

Ok, ladies I was just skimming the journals thinking about adding one when I read one that mentions www.myvirtualmodel.com It shows you what you look like now and what you will look like when you reach your goal. It is kindof neat. You might want to check it out sometime, especially if you need a little motivational boost.

Paige

Mornin' Everyone,

Things have been going good lately. Our home improvements are coming along nicely and I'm excited for them to be finished. I don't like doing home improvements, but I do like the results. Yesterday was hard to get motivated to paint after working all day. I think that will slow the project down some. Usually after work I'm too tired to do a whole lot of anything. Making dinner is hard enough. So yesterday I didn't do a lot.

Lori, that was a great idea to change the snacks. Believe it or not, I hadn't thought about it. I was in the mindset that I had to be good and not snack - period. So then I would and I'd choose bad foods. After my dentist appointment this morning, I will pick up some pretzels to stash in my desk. I don't like popcorn, so that one is out. But if you or anyone else has good snack ideas, throw them at me. Variety would be good. I do like to munch while working. I seem to be more productive but it's heck on the diet.

Paige, I know what you mean about not wanting my family looking over my shoulder. My kids will ask what I'm doing and I'll tell them, but then I have to stop and wait till they go away. They don't need to know about the struggles and privacy of this public board. That made no sense, but I feel that way. It's like it is mine and I don't want to share.

Welcome Laurie and you've came to a good place. It's a great thread.

Take care and I'll talk with you soon.
Marie

I have to say that my most recurring snacks are apples and popcorn. Marie I CAN"T believe you don't like popcorn! I would die without that salty snack, but if you like pretzels those are good too.

I am proud to say that I am WEARING my practice pants to work today! I thought I looked like a million bucks in them so I did it! I'm so glad that I did. They are comfy and much more fitted than most of the baggy clothes I've taken to wearing. I even wore a fitted top with them.

BUT I am feeling under the weather I went home early yesterday and I'm trying to hang as long as possible today. So I did splurge and had a Krispie Kreme a bit ago with some STRONG coffee. Hopefully it will help get me going. I just count the calories and move on.

I know what you mean about message boards being your private sanctity. When DH & I started getting into them we used to get mad at each other for coming up behind each other on the computer. Now years later, the boards we participate in have become active parts of our conversation. I have made true friends from my online groups and he is well aware of the goings on. But I do remember when I considered it VERY private. My DH knows that I consider him my biggest obstacle when it comes to losing weight! So he's just glad I have a group of girls to lean on.

Well I guess I should try to do some work around here. It is a boring and slow day. If I had any PTO I'd be home in bed instead of here feeling icky.

Good morning. I tried out the virtual model you posted, Paige. And I have to say that I don't agree with what it showed. If I looked as good as the model at what it shows for my current weight and such, I wouldn't be complaining. They need to figure out how to show the rolls of fat on my stomach when I'm sitting down. Then we'll have a more accurate picture - of course there's the cellulite on my thighs, too. Oh well. It was still fun to play with.

Not counting the whole icecream cake fiasco of last Thursday, I haven't had any sweets since the 14th. I think this is the longest time I've done that. I do use Splenda some, but I've not even had a cookie! And even though I was tired last night, I still made myself go for my 2-mile walk. It was pretty last night, too. The moon was full and shone brightly out on the open fields in the hills. We even saw a coyote.

I've gotten to where I eat all day, instead of having set meals. But the way I do it is I pack so much food each morning in my lunch bag. I usually bring a cup of Blue Bunny Lite 85 yogurt (the best fat-free, no sugar yogurt I've found), a Lean Cuisine entre (or some other similar type of entre), some fresh fruit and/or vegetables, and some crackers or bread. Then, I just eat out of it throughout the day. If I haven't brought enough one day, and my stomach is really growling in the afternoon, then I have some backup popcorn that I keep in my desk drawer. This works for me, but it probably won't work for everyone.

Well, I have to get back to work. Take care.
Robin

Good evening!! Sorry I missed you all this morning, but it was my early day and it is absolute _ell to get out the door on time!

Robin I usually do the same thing, I over pack my lunch and I have some instant oatmeal at my desk just incase I didn't bring enough. I'm playing with the chex mix recipe trying to get the fat down, when I get it right I'll share.

Marie, something else I've been meaning to try and make is bagle chips, you slice 'em thin and bake them to a crisp. I'm sure you can add flavorings too. I really like fat free cottage cheese, but I have to have pinapple on it, I'm not sure I could eat it without! And I'm a huge left over junkie, I make giant pots of soup, they make great snacks. I have one that uses dill as flavoring and it is mainly chicken broth and vegtables.

Wow Kerry, that is great news!! I haven't dug out any of my thinner clothes yet, but I'm hopping I will need to soon. I noticed I'm going to have to start wearing a belt with my dress pants that I wear every week so the progress has started!!

Ok, I have to go crank something out for dinner, I'll check back later!!!

A quick hello before heading out to the gym!

Paige--Good luck on the weigh-in! If others are complimenting you, you must be doing something right!

Marie--my favorite snacks are protein bars (Balance), and combos of fruit and protein, like an apple and a few almonds, or berries and plain yogurt. I'm pretty happy with them, unless someone's brought in Krispy Kremes...

Kerry--Yaay for practice pants! I have what for me is a little black dress (size 18) that I want to be able to wear by New Year's Eve.

Robin--I agree with you on the Virtual Model. I tried it a few years ago and thought it was fun, but even the big model was kind of a babe....hmmm, maybe that's more about my own self-image than anything else, I have to think about that for a while....

Gotta go work that body! Have a good one, everybody.

Kerry: That is great news! I have pants of every size, down to a size 10. It's going to make me feel so good when I get down to each smaller size. It was utterly depressing every time I had to go up. Congratulations again! Keep up the good work.

Marie: I'm about to join your world. My DH and I just closed on our land, and so now we can begin building our house. We have to find a contractor and such, but we're ready to go. It's going to be a lot of work, especially because we both work full time, too. But I'm hoping the extra work will burn a lot of calories for me. I won't mind if I drop and lose a few pounds out on the property. They won't be welcome in the new house anyway.

Paige: If others are noticing the weight loss, then you must be doing something right. And remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so just because the scale doesn't say you've lost weight, doesn't mean you haven't lost fat. And muscle makes a body look good.

Everyone else: Have a great evening! I think I'm going to spend most of the evening doing our taxes! FUN!

Robin

Gee thanks ladies! It's helped get me through the day, when I've been feeling out of it. At least I'm feeling better about how I look. I talked to my mom tonight and I know she is happy for me. She has struggled with her weight forever. She has a lot more to lose than me, but she's getting her national teacher certificate right now and it has consumed her. I told her about our little support group and she was fascinated.

I sure have learned so much from all of you! And you inspire me too. I'm so proud of all of you for being so active (& jealous too). DH said tonight that he would bike with me and I think that will be GREAT. I'll feel much safer if he is around - just in case I have an asthma attack. I sure wish I could swim somewhere, but I can't afford to join that kind of gym.

Robin - That is VERY exciting that you are building a house! I suppose you've got the whole thing designed and planned. I can't wait to do that, someday when we figure out where we're going to be for awhile. What kind/style of house are you building? Do tell!

Lori - You inspire me to cook more and better. I borrowed some cooking light books from a co-worker and I am trying to find some new things. I need to work in more veggies.

Marie - How long until you are finished with the remodeling project? It's gonna look good!

Paige - I'm so glad that a co-worker noticed you've lost! That is such a great feeling when people notice.

Jenn - Aren't you leavin' soon for the southern seas? Have you even started packing?!

Well I gotta go lay this weary head down. I have suffered from a cold and AF all week and I'm dragging. God willing I'll feel good when I wake up in the morning because I have a LONG day ahead of me tomorrow.

Goodnight all!

What a day!!! Can you believe I actually had a teachers mother call to tell me I had hurt her daughters feelings!!!! Please her daughter is a 30 year old drama queen. Hopefully she will find greener pastures to graze in next year!!! Sometimes I think the teachers can be more of a headache then the kids. Enough of that! I would probably be an alcoholic if I wasn't a food junkie!!! Stress is something I do not handle well and food usually tends to be my answer for that.

Weigh in is tomorrow...Yikes! I have tried to use all my points this week. My WW leader thinks that I didn't lose much weight last week because I wasn't eating all my points and my body had gone into a starvation mode. I just hope I didn't overdo it.

Well it is getting late and I have not gotten on the treadmill yet and I promised myself I would do at least 30 min. tonight. I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow.

Paige

Good Morning !
I had to call off work today, the kids have a snow day and my dad is going to the city for a Dr. appt. So I had to use one of my vacation days !!!

Well, I had a horrible night last night, probably good I didn't go to work anyway, no need to show everybody at work my personal problems. DH and I had a terrible fight about the bills, he thinks I should go to money jail because we are still in debt just as bad today as we were 3 years ago. Buying this second house was the worst, unthought through thing I have ever done. I wanted to file bankruptcy for over a year and he won't hear of it, but he is always mad when we don't have any money. Now I want to go eat eveything in the fridge !!! I don't know how eveybody else does it, new cars, new houses, new eveything??? The debt is awful, I can barley squeeze groceries out of what we have left and I don't have a new car or a new house. Ok I'm going to change the subject before I fling myself off the nearest bridge!!

Paige, I hope your weigh in goes well!!! Adults are always worse than kids, like I said, I don't envy your job one bit!!! I might start flinging everybody off the nearest bridge!

Robin, a new house, how exciting!! I would be afraid to build a new house, I change my mind so much that the contractors would wind up putting me in the foundation!

Jenn, I think your going to have to share some pictures, I hope someday to be out of debt and go on a cruise! That will probably never happen, I mean the cruise thing, my husband was in the Navy for 4 years, we barley go to the beach let alone getting on a boat.

Judy, glad to see your back at it and feeling better this week!!!

I'm going to get some house work done, no better time than a day off work!!!

Good morning!

Well we woke up to it snowing. My 5 year old looked out his window and yelled, "Awsome Man!!". Poor thing he still had to go to school! All of the other schools around us were closed but the city was still open. Oh well, at least I will have the house to myself for a while and can maybe get something done!

Lori~ I feel your pain, girl. We got ourselves into debt real bad. When we bought our house in 2000, everyone wanted to give us credit. It was so bad that we had to get money EVERY month from my mother-in-law just to pay the bills. We did end up filing bankruptcy. It is not something that I can say that I am proud of but we had no other choice. It has been almost one year since we filed and we haven't had much problem getting new credit. Shoot, since we filed I have had two different new vehicles and my DH bought a new truck a few months ago. Now granted, 7 months after we filed, I got a new job with a huge pay increase. I went from $13.17/hr to $20.10/hr. One of the best things was that our second mortgage company lowered our interest rate quite a bit. But anyway, if you would like to talk about it some more PM me.

I still have not started to pack yet. I don't know what I am waiting for. I know it's not gonna pack itself!!! We are going to be very busy these next two days. My DH's great-uncle, that was more like a grandfather, passed away Tuesday morning. The family night is tonight and the funeral is tomorrow. At least it happened while we were still here and not in the Caribbean. My DH would have been very upset if he wouldn't have been able to be here. So, not only do I have that to deal with but I also have all this stuff to get ready for us to go and for my son to stay with family while we are gone. I guess if I would get off of the computer I could maybe get something done!!

Well, if I get busy and don't make it back here before I leave, I will post when I get home on March 6. Hope everyone does well this next week. Be sure to say a little prayer for me that I don't gain all of my 14 lbs back!!

Good morning every. I am seriously dragging this morning. I got a good 8 hours of sleep last night, but I'm still tired. I sleep really deeply, and so it makes it really hard to wake up in the morning. I didn't go for a walk last night because I chose to work on our taxes instead. I would rather have gone for a walk. We had so much going on last year because my DH and I moved to a different state, but not at the same time, we both changed jobs, sold our house, etc. etc. Fortunately, my previous job was with an accounting firm, so I have lots of resources from which to get information and help.

Lori: Hang in there. This too shall pass. I know it's cliche, but it's true. I had a business for a few years, and after the stock market and economy took a nose dive in 2000, I ended up having to file bankruptcy, too. It happens to a lot more people than most of us realize. Feel free to PM me, too. My credit rating is back up over 700, and it's been only three years. I've since taken several accounting courses, and am much better at working through the hard times with the money. I did decide to permanently close my business and have gone back to work full time. That's also helped. And believe me, in 2001, I probably gained 30 lbs. from all the stress. I filed bankruptcy, lost my best friend, got married, and built our first house. Talk about a roller coaster year. But I did survive it.

Jenn: Have a great time on your trip. A lot of those cruise ships now have a lot of fun activities on board that you can do to keep up with the exercise. I'd like to try the rock wall, except that I have absolutely no upper body strength. YET. But just have a great time. After all, it is a vacation.

Paige: Good luck on the weigh in. My next weigh in is Monday. I dread it because I've done a few sneak peaks and haven't lost any weight. It's really disconcerting sometimes, that no matter how much I work out or how little of the bad stuff I eat, the weight still seems to take its time coming back off. And you're problem with adults is exactly why I prefer to spend a lot of time with my pets. There are no petty problems. Just unconditional love.

Well, I need to get back to work. And for those of you who have the snow, please send some back my way. Idaho is in a drought. We should have snow on the ground, and we have absolutely none. We need the moisture. It seems the East coast and California are hogging all of it.

Take care:
Robin