Howdy!
 

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 :dancer: 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

I missed you!!
 

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. :dancer:

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!!!! :cheers:

Paige :balloons:

You have to try this!
 

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! :eek: 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. :smug:

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! :devil: 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. :rolleyes: 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! :D 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! :p

Robin

Gee thanks ladies! :o 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. :rolleyes:

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. :lol: 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! :cool:

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?! :p

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! :)

Called Hump day for a reason!
 

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 :balloons:

Good Morning :coffee: !
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. :dizzy: 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. :coffee: :coffee: 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. :D 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

A quick note before joining the madding crowd rushing to get home in the snow:

Lori: I feel your pain! Debt is truly a burden. Dave Ramsay's books are get on the subject. I just loaned my brother money to pay his rent, he suffers from depression (when he's overwhelmed, he just doesn't open his bills) and most of his paycheck already goes to pay off old debts. I really pushed him to talk with a nonprofit credit counselor, so that he will feel like he's working a plan with a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm in no position to do this for him again, I have my own debts to deal with! Lori, I hope things look up for you and your hubby--soon!

Today is a good day, except for eating a few tortilla chips accidentally (?). I've decided to drag myself down to the apartment building's exercise room tomorrow morning, to make friends with the treadmill. Wish me luck!

I am still here, really I am!
 

HI girls!
Listen, it seems as if we have a thread running about debt. If there is anything that I can do to help anyone, please feel free to ask.
I do a lot of portfolio management, financial planning, etc, but I do have a lot of clients that have significant debt issues, so I also offer credit counseling.
Please feel free to PM me.

I am swamped with the new business opening! The office furniture was delivered today, and I hope it was put up properly, because I have 4 appointments scheduled for Monday, and that is twice what I am really comfortable with--but I will make it work.

Interviewed a lady yesterday, but I don't have a great feeling that she will work out. She seems to be the type that will bail as soon as she finds something that pays better. I will interview a gentleman tomorrow--hope that goes better.

Am going to try to exercise tonight--have missed that all week!!!!!!!!!

This, too, shall pass!

Hang tight everyone!
Joetta

Weigh In Day
 

Hi everyone, :wave: Well WI has come and gone. I lost 1.6 lbs. I know I should be happy because I have gone down every week and a lot of the teachers at work have had at least 1 week inwhich they gained. I am just really disappointed that I have only lost 8lbs in a month. I can really tell a difference in my slacks that use to be tight accross my stomach. I put on a pair today and I didn't feel uncomfortable in them (like the button could fly off at any moment and poke someones eye out). Yeah!! I know that working out on the treadmill is really helping, but....it would be nice to see more pounds come off.

Work was actually ok today!

Lori- I can totally feel your pain too!!! I think debt is the American way. We filed bankruptcy a few years after we were married. We had spent alot of money we didn't have trying to get pregnant along with the fact that credit cards and I are a bad mix....kindof like oil and water. We only have one credit card now that my mom keeps for me (doesn't that sound silly) that we can only use for an emergency. I just don't trust myself or my husband for that matter. We pretty much function on a cash only basis. The only loans we have are our house and cars. I had a lot (I mean my parents did) growing up and I found it was really hard when I was on my own and I could no longer live like I had. It was a real adjustment and not one I made very well. Even today I think I need to keep up with the "Jones". New cars, new home...... Chin up things will get better! I thought it was bleak and eating was also a way I handled my stress with our finances. So hang in there and have faith!!!

Time to hit the treadmill! Talk to you all tomorrow!

Paige :balloons:

Good evening. I hope everyone is doing well.

Joetta: Good luck with your opening. I wish you much success.

Paige: Congrats on the weight loss. Even 1.6 lbs is a step in the right direction. And muscle weighs more than fat. So, replacing fat with muscle and still losing any weight is a success. A big one. I have my weigh in on Monday, and I don't think I've lost any weight. However, my pants are fitting a little, tiny, bit looser. And I'm at least happy that I'm resisting my urges to binge on donuts. And I'm walking almost every night. So, even if I don't really lose this time, I'm still making progress. You need to look at it that way. And the reality is, the slower your weight comes off, the more likely it will stay off. And that's the ultimate goal, isn't it?

I'm heading off to Spokan for a huge home & garden show. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas for the house we're building. I may be able to check in if I take my laptop, but then it will be a sort of mini vacation for me. So, I probably won't take it. I'll probably wait until Sunday and check in then.

Have a great weekend everyone.
Robin

Good Morning :coffee: !!
I have to make this quick, I'm running slightly behind this morning. Thank you and I will probably being PM'ing for debt advice. DH wants to explore equity loans so for now that's it.

Paige, I feel your weight loss pain, it's a big dissapointment to jump on and not lost what you think you should have or want to. I struggle with this every week. I know it is better to only lose 1-2 lbs a week, but I of course want more! But honestly if you lose more than 1-2 lbs you start to look bad, losing to fast can make your face look suken in and that's not good. Roll with the 1 lb, it's a good thing!! If you notice we are all only losing about 1/2 to 2 lbs a week so we all feel your pain. Hang tough, before you know it your second month will be over and you will have anywhere from 4-8 lb loss then the third flyes by and even more is gone. The idea is to hang tight because it is going to be slow but should remain steady!

I got to get in the shower, I'll check back later.

Sounds like this is the week of the $$woes. I agree that it is hard to stay away from the cookies when I'm feeling stressed about the cash flow (or lack thereof). :stress: Being recently out of grad school with DH in the middle of his BFA you can only imagine how bad it has gotten. We overwithdrew our checking this week and I didn't know it until I got paid today. :mad: Every week I pray that one of these places will call and I'll get a FT job, but still nothing. I did recently manage to consolidate all my CC debt onto a low interest card and I am refinancing the car next week for a lower interest and payment. It's all I can do right now to stay afloat. :( All of this compounded to a point where we had the brakes on trying to have a baby. The miscarriage almost a year ago took so long to pay off and my doc has recommended fertility treatments that we can't afford. I feel like all my dreams are so far out of my reach right now. :cry:

I doubt that I am going to lose this week. I'm just hoping that I didn't gain. I think I have the problem of not eating enough sometimes. Then the weekends I eat too much. :devil: I thought that we would be able to take a short little jaunt to FL in March and was SOOO looking forward to it, but now I'm not sure. I'm feeling depressed and I want all my comfort foods.

Paige - the most I've lost in a week is the first week and half which was probably all water weight because I cut out so much sugar and sodium all at once. After that I've been lucky if I lose one pound a week. I keep telling myself that's how I put it on and so that's how I have to take it off. Even though it sux it is healthier and probably something I'll be more likely to live with and maintain in the end. 8 in a month is awesome! :cp:

Robin - You're going to Spokane, WA? Ok so you live in Idaho - question for you - What is that region like? I saw a job yesterday at WSU in Pullman and I swear it was written for me ie perfect fit. But I've been warned against that side of WA. Tell me the good, the bad, etc. You can pm or email me if you want. I'd appreciate any input. :) Thx!

Lori - our fearless leader (((Hugs))) hang in there hun. I wish I had some advice, but I'm in a sorry state of affairs myself.

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so glad it's the end of the week! ;)

Paige--Way to go!!! You've been working hard, to do so well. I can't imagine losing 8 lbs in one week. I'm very happy for you, and a bit envious :halfempty I think it's harder to lose more than a couple of pounds a week if your weight has yo-yoed up and down and up again. Your fat cells just get sneakier, and your body quickly adjusts to the latest diet. That's what I tell myself, anyway....That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Seriously, though, I will be content if by December I can say that I lost an average of 5 lbs a month.

Joetta--best wishes with the big opening! I love it when women are in financial management, there aren't nearly enough of us doing that sort of work.

I want to stop at the grocery store on the way home, and it's already later than I thought, so here's a general shout-out to everybody: Have a wonderful weekend! :grouphug:

judy

This is what you call a weekend?
 

It is 8:30PM on a Friday, and I just got home from the office!
Thanks to all of you for the good wishes on the new office! I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Robin, I gather that you are from Idaho and going this weekend to Spokane--are you close to Coer d'Alene? That has to be my most favorite city in the US! I fell in love with that area while camping and did not want to leave. I seriously considered moving there!---Kerry, I loved that area--Spokane is a nice university city, so more to do there, and a fairly good sized airport. WA is interesting in that there is the high desert and then go across the mountain to the ocean side and those guys are always wet! I truly love that area of the US.

Paige, got a thought for you--we all need to focus on the positives--so here is one for you---think of all the time saved now that you don't have to keep sewing on those popped buttons!!!!! See???Life is good!!!

Judy, good suggestion to Lori about the Dave Ramsay series, he does a good job overall of helping couples get on track.
Lori, you mentioned a home equity loan--please let me give you of my observations on that. Interest rates are low, so now is a great time to get a loan if needed, to use the equity that you have built up. However---(isn't there always an "however"?), make sure that you have long range plans that you can stick to. If you use the loan to pay off credit card debt with outrageous rates--that is great---as long as---you know that you will NOT start using the credit cards again like before.
Worst case scenario---couple gets home equity loan to pay off high interest rate credit cards--relief---furnace goes out, have to buy a new one-no way to pay except credit card. one spouse is ill, off work, no pay for a couple of weeks. Not only do they have the mortgage and credit card debt, but oh yeah, the home equity loan is also in the picture--can't do it all ----end up losing the house through foreclosure.

Keep in mind that if there is a chance that the old credit card habits will continue, the home equity loan is not a good idea--don't put your home at risk. If things get so tough that bankruptcy is a viable option, remember that credit card debt can be erased without losing your home.

A tip that I have used for extreme cases where clients are afraid to not have a credit card (just for emergencies)--get rid of all but 1-and put that 1 in a baggie and wrap very well with duct tape. In an absolute emergency, you can still get to it--but you probably will not bother to use it for that great sale that you stumble onto for key lime flavored lipstick!

Have a great weekend all!
joetta

Yeah! It's Friday!
 

TGIF ladies!! :cb: :cb: :cb: :cb:

I hope everyone has had a great day!! :flow2: :flow2: :flow2:

I don't really have much to say except that I am exhausted!! The weekend is going to be busy getting all the errands done that I didn't get to do last weekend because we had company.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I will try to check in on everyone tomorrow. Hopefully I will have something exciting to say. I guess some days are just like this....

Paige :balloons:

Joetta, thank you for the advice! I'll have to PM you, it will take me forever to put it on the thread (and may really depress our friends) well maybe not, my debt is huge and my make some feel better! :o

I am soooo thirsty tonight, I don't think I had anything real salty. We had taco night tonight, I haven't done that in ages. I love it, but wish the fairy god mother would show up to do the dishes!!!

Another weekend, yea!!! Oh, I wish the kids would go to bed, dads over at his buddies house helping with a furnace and they my boys love to push my buttons. Have I mentioned how bad I hate the news sometimes, kids running away, people abusing animals, and the house fires. If it's not snowing or the Steelers aren't in the play offs the news dosen't have anything to talk about so they pound the sick crap into the ground!!! Ok I vented!

I don't think I'll see a weight loss this week, which is really frustrating and you ladies know excatly what I mean. After behaving all week and doing everything right I'ld like to take my scales and toss them out in the street!

Ok, I best stop, can you tell I'm still venting!! I'll check back in the moring!!!

Starting the weekend confessions:
 

:coffee: I have my coffee, hubby is still sleeping, munchkin is out camping--and I forced myself to get on the scale.
I am up two pounds--but I actually expected more. The past 2 weeks have been horrible diet wise. A 3 day sinus headache, 3 birthday parties, Valentine's Day, weekend company with tons of chips, donuts, drinks, TOM, huge gyro for dinner last night, and no exercise for the past 7 days. I honestly expected the springs to recoil when I finally got back on the scale!:crazy:

Today is a new day--back on the wagon!!
Tons of things to do, so not a lot of time to nosh--take the small blessings where you can get them :kickcan:

Have a wonderful Saturday girls!
Joetta

Good Morning :coffee: !!
I have some running around to do this morning, pick up my prescription, the bank, and the grocerie store. I shouldn't be gone too long (thank goodness)! When I have to go running around I don't seem to get anything done and that's never good!

I seem to be in a better mood! :D I just can't believe I've hit a stand still already!!! Good thing I have you girls to whine to or I might just crawl back in bed and eat 2 dozen girl scout cookies :^: !!

Well things have taken a strange turn in all this debt, we are considering selling one of the houses, which would be the one we are living in now! Oh I don't know if I can bare moving agian!! Our old house was just as small as this place but the boys had to share a bedroom, YIKES!!! I had a basement that floods despite the cash we put in for french drains and sub pumps, but we had a beautiful yard and DH had his own garage! Kerry I know how you feel about things out of reach, I'm right there with you!! If we move back to the old house we are in debt soooo bad that the remodeling will have to wait :( ! My parents will be upset too, having my kids across the street is nice for them and my dad isn't doing too well these days, but I hope they can understand. My bedroom furniture won't fit anywhere in the house and I don't want to part with any of it! And in the mist of all of this I'll have to do something with my sister-in-law who is living in the house now, and it won't be easy. She's a lifer of living off the system, but I can't understand why she would want to live in that small house with the two of them and their 4 children! I was a case worker for our county when I first graduated school and the people whos entire goal was to get on social security ($500 a month) just blew my mind, don't they want more out of life??? Well I seem to have the bla-bla-bla's this morning so I'll stop rambling and get my kids moving. I'll be back today!

Good Morning! :coffee: Yes I did in fact sleep until almost 11 am and it felt GOOD! :smug: DH did too and I think both of us felt like it was an excellent use of our time. We were so bored last night. Trying to watch our pennies and so we didn't do anything other than go out for a sandwich (I had a coupon). Fridays like that make me feel really old.

Lori you are my hero - moving is the one thing that would help us considerably, but I have pretty much refused. We are renters and we pay way too much, but it keeps us close to the college for DH and we have a wonderful yard for our Rottie. My folks have suggested either moving or trying to talk our landlord down in rent and I've attempted neither. But if it would help you that much, hun maybe it's the way to go. I keep thinking that I'm going to land one of these jobs and we'll have to move anyhow - but who knows how long this could drag on. I applied for 5 jobs yesterday: U of GA in Athens, Samford U in Birmingham AL, Ohio U in Athens, E Carolina in Greenville NC, and Washington State in Pullman. Wow! :eek: Of all of the 13 jobs total I've applied for I have the most hope for the Birmingham job calling me but I don't know why? But who knows, the law firm in SC might just call too. :dizzy:

Well I've been exploring my entire closet trying on clothes and I am surprised how many fit - but not perfectly. I hope I've lost this week, DH keeps saying how good I look, but you can't trust a man since he likes me no matter what! :o All I had yesterday was a bowl of bean soup and my sandwich from Quiznos. I drank splenda tea all day - no soda oh and 1 beer. For some reason I didn't feel snacky or really hungry. I'm going to weigh in on Monday morning.

Well I'm off here for now. I'll check back in later. Have a great Saturday ladies! It's sunny and beautiful here so I think I'm taking Bella (my Rottie) to the park! :cool:

Good evening ladies, I hope some of you can break away to come out and play! :D Since I have no life and of course no money guess I'm stuck at home! I should be cleaning something, nah, it's the weekend!! How's everybody else's weekend going??? One of these days it's going to quit snowing so I can at least go out side again!! When it snows I want sooo badly to grab my skis and the kids and head for the mountains, but then reality sets in, that's expensive!! At least when it's warm I can walk and bike for free :lol: !! Oh well, another weekend is zipping by and I have to decide what to cook!
Chow for now, but I'll be around!!

I passed the test!
 

Hi ladies!!!! :wave:
I hope everyone is having a great day. :dancer: :dancer:
Today has been so hectic as most of my weekends tend to be. It began with a trip to Target to pick up a present for a birthday party today. Of course my daughter wanted everything in the toy section for herself. I then rushed home to drop her off and went to get my hair done. I am very proud of myself I actually came home with a new style. She cut about 6 inches off in some places. So I have a short sassy new do. My hubby even liked it!! Then I had to get home to pick up my daughter and take her to the birthday party. They had all kinds of badddddddddddddddddddddddd food and I passed every last thing up!!! I was so proud of myself. The chocolate covered strawberries were very tempting, but I said no!!!!!!!! This was probably the first really big test I have had since I went on WW. But then it happened I became one of them (you know those people who sit and judge what heavy people are eating). I am so much more aware of food now and I don't know if that is such a good thing sometimes.
Anyway I hope everyone is being strong this weekend and making good choices for yourself. Later

Paige :balloons:

Paige, good for you!! I would have grabbed the box of strawberries and ran with them!!! :D These are my all time favorite treat, the best ones I ever had were on the boardwalk in Deleware YEARS ago, I wasn't even 21 yet. I had never had them before, oh my I still remember that as if it was yesterday!!

Ok, I don't want to hear anybody tell me they just didn't feel like working out!! I have been on and off my bed all day, I had left over chicken fajitas from our taco night last night. (I mean for breakfast, lunch and dinner) Yea, I was in a lazy depressed mood! Well at 10:30 pm another movie was over and I told the boys they would have to behave for 50 mins. I was going to work out, they got quiet and I felt guilty so I jumped up and down on that stupid box, and I wish I would have done it earlier coz now I feel great! Now at the end I started coughing and thought I was honestly going to be sick, so I ran in and got water and noticed I wasn't going to be sick at all. I had major gas build up from laying on my bed all day! Imagine that!! I have a bad time with green peppers so the over dose of fajitas and total bed rest really did me in. :lol: !! Ok enough with my personal work out issues! I'm going to go get back in bed and go to sleep this time, I'm still riffting those peppers! I'll chat with you ladies in the morning!!!

Good Moring :coffee: !!
I can't believe another weekend has flown by!! Looks like were in for some major snow here on Monday in the north east!! Why dosen't it hit on the weekends when I have nothing better to do????

Well suzie home maker here just made a double batch of low-fat blueberry pancakes and set off every smoke detecter in the house multiple times! I think next time I'm just going to use our old recipe and modify it to low-fat. This was frustrating and they stuck sooo bad I might never get the griddle clean!

So how is every body else's weekend going? I think I'm going to squeeze in an extra cardio day today. (I skipped Thur. night due to the whole bill issue) Well I'm off to do yet more laundry and do some pre-cooking for the week!! I'll be around and tonight I'm going to get the recipe's together to share, so I'll chat with you all soon!

Nothing too exciting here. I've been working on web dev all weekend. I snuck on the scale this morning and I think my weight in might be a pleasant surprise tomorrow.

I made pancakes this morning, but not really lowfat. I leave out one of the eggs, use skim milk and very little oil. Then I use canola spray on the griddle and low cal syrup. They were yummy. I've practically been fasting all weekend bc my tummy has been bothering me. I think it's all the stress.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I wish it weren't Sunday already! I still have to do some laundry and go to the grocery. . . where does the time go????

Wow Kerry, I hope everybody didn't leave us??? I know, ya'll are busy!! Well I had good intensions about working out, but after cooking all day my feet and legs were to sore to bother! Well I'm getting ready to hit it for the night, I hope to see some exciting numbers tomorrow from everybody's weigh ins!!
Good night, C-U- all tomorrow!

Good Morning Chickies :coffee: !
I won't make this long since I want to get in the shower early, the snow is a coming! I SAW 5's TODAY 159.5 lbs, that means I hit my 10 lb loss (first goal) today!!! What a great feeling to make the first goal!!! And to think, I thought I was going to float at the same weight this week, well I guess ya never know!!
OK going to work, chat with you all later!!!

Way to go Lori!! :bravo:

I have some good news to report myself. I lost 1.5! :dancer: I am so close to a 15lb loss it has given me inspiration! I can't believe it.

Well it's Monday and I don't feel inspired to do much of anything, but there is much to be done. Such is life.

What has happened to everyone?? :?: Hello :echo: hello??

I'm here!!!
 

You're not alone! I'm back from Spokane now. The Home & Garden show was great. We got a lot of good information and ideas for our house. But man I was tired afterwards. I really admire nurses and such who have to be on their feet all day every day with their jobs. We spent about 8 hours on Friday visiting all of the booths and vendors. By time we got to the hotel, I was exhausted. I did okay, but not good or great, with the eating while I was gone. For breakfast on Saturday, I did have two slices of French toast with my eggs and ham. But at least I didn't just poor on the syrup like I used to. I just dipped each bit a little bit in the syrup. And I ended up not using even half of the little tub they had brought me. And I scraped off the pat of butter. So, I could have done much worse. At the show, they had both kettle corn and chocolate-dipped, chocolate-chip cookies. But I didn't have any of either.

I weighed in this morning and have lost one pound. Not as much as I would have liked, but I'll take it. The downer is that I found out that I had the wrong weight on my status bar on my signature, so it's still the same. But I think I'm having my TOM, which would mean I'm carrying extra water, too. I say I think because I had a hysterectomy a few years ago, but I still have one ovary. So I don't always know if the symptoms I'm experiencing are from the TOM or just gas, or whatever else. I actuallly still do get some minor cramping and abdominal discomfort, along with nausea, migraines, etc. My face has been breaking out really bad this time for some reason, too. What joy it is to be a woman!!!

The weather here was beautiful yesterday. I'm in NorthCentral Idaho and was wearing a t-shirt in Feb. Not the norm. But we took our dog for a walk at the lake. We probably hiked three miles, up and down hills. I was sure feeling the burn in my butt muscles.

Paige: Congratulations on passing on the strawberries. I don't know if I could have. When I lived in Austin, there was a place that sold them on special holidays. Huge strawberries hand-dipped in chocolate. I got them occasionally and went nuts. They are so good.

Joetta: Coeur d'Alene is a really beautiful area of Idaho. We actually wanted to move there, but my dh ended up getting the job in Orofino, ID. It's actually just as pretty around there fortunately, because I really love the trees and lake.

Lori: Congratulations on the weight loss! It's so great when you make your goals, even the short-term ones. I can't wait for when I'm under 160.

Kerry: Hang in there with the job search. When we moved here to Idaho this past year for my husband's job, I didn't think it would take so long for me to find a job because I have some great skills and experience. It took me about four months, but I got one. I think so many people are holding on to the jobs they have, especially if they're getting good benefits. That makes it hard for us to find good jobs. Something will come up, though.

Everyone have a great day!
Robin

Hi, all--

I meant to check in this weekend, but I was running errands all weekend, and zoning out in the evenings.

Congrats, Lori, Kerri, Robin, and all you other losers! A big gold star to all of you. Catching up on your ups and downs over the past few days reminds me that this long-term process (for me, anyway) is really about the law of averages. If I get in the habit of moving more, and making good choices most of the time, I'm gonna make my long-range goal. :goodscale

Paige--I admire you on saying no at a party. I struggle between not being a drip and not going wild at a party

Joetta, it sounds like you survived your big opening. I really appreciate the advice you've shared here. I bet you can start a whole thread just on financial issues. Spending money, like eating, is tied into depression, for me, 'consuming' as a way of filling an emotional void.

lost another pound, woo-hoo!

judy

Quick Hello
 

Hi everyone, This is just a quickie hello!!!!! My hubby has to work on the computer tonight. This blasted project was suppose to be done almost 2 weeks ago and they keep finding little things that need correcting. He writes manuals for computer games and this manual is 115 pages long. I don't know about you but if I have to read 115 pages inorder to do anything let alone play a game, I think I'd pass!!!!! Anyway today has gone ok except I really have the munchies.... I guess I had better fix dinner before I use all my points on junk. I really need to get back on the treadmill tonight I didn't use it at all this weekend.

Hope everyone has had a great day!

Paige :balloons:

I survived the first day of the new office!
 

LLLOOOOOOONNNNGGGGG Day!!!!
Gotta share--this ne office is the law office. My second client was there more than an hour early--and that was the best part of his appointment!!! He has been turned down for disability benefits twice, so now he needs to appeal for a hearing before a judge. His disability that he filed on is because he had a colostomy (he was sodomoized at a party and wound up in the hospital 3 days later because of obstruction--woke up with a bag attached---and that still is not the kicker____He told me that he had suffered a lot of abuse in his life-beginning early, as an infant. He tells me that a woman tried to beat him to death when he was only a couple of years old--supposedly had a trach and skin grafts to cover the head wounds.

ready?????

the woman that did this to him is "Margaret" whom he told me is the one that played "The Wicked Witch of the West"

I absolutely kid you not!!!!!!!!!!!

I suggested that he get some mental health treatment-that it would help his case tremendously. I can't wait to copy this file--it should be interesting!

Lori, I'm not ignoring you--I promise I will reply--maybe not tonight though.
It has rained all day, and started snowing about an hour before I left Lexington. Luckily I don't mind driving, and living in Chicago for so long has me adjusted to driving in the snow..

Good night ladies--I'm going to have a glass of wine and then I'm going to bed!

Joetta