Hi Chickies,

Did the Monday morning problems hit you all? I found a way around it - took the day off. It's been really nice. Quiet and relaxing. I've done some counted cross stitch and baking. I made banana bread in my bread machine and that's what I had for lunch. I tried using half Splenda and half sugar, then half butter and half applesauce and it was difficult to tell that I made a reduction of 500 calories in the recipe. I think the change will be permanent. It really worked out well. Then I made my kids brownies and used the high altitude recipe (most of the time I forget) and it had 1/2 the oil of the regular recipe and only one egg instead of two. My kids will never know the difference and I feel like I could have a piece if I wanted without totally screwing up my plan. So I've been busy altering recipes for the diet. DH said he couldn't tell the difference on the banana bread and DS ate two pieces of brownies without complaint. :)

Today is an exercise day. I have to work out on the Gazelle but I sort of like that. We put a music concert in the DVD and put it on the big screen so you get to see everything while exercising to upbeat music. So far I'm on track with my calories.

Lori, the game needs a dance pad but maybee you can't rent that too. The game itself has a workout mode and it's pretty cool. I love one of the songs but my kids won't let me just dance to the one.

Kerry and Kim, good luck getting on track. Weekends are hard, aren't they? I don't know why since today is a "weekend" type of day for me, and it's not hard. But Sat and Sun, I struggled with. Know that you aren't alone.

Talk with you all later and have a great afternoon.
Marie

Hey, there!

It sounds like everyone's in a good mood, despite a bump and bruise here and there....Robin, I think you worked off those curly fries! I hope your weigh-in went well today.

Lori, congrats on reaching the halfway mark! :bravo: I have a ways to go just to reach this year's halfway mark, so seeing others hang in there and reach it is an inspiration for me.

Kerry, I hope your week is off to a good start. As long as you don't let yourself slack off for long, I think you'll be fine. Lst week reinforced for me how much working out helps me when I 'm stressing, and how great it feels to make sure that I get some "me" time even during a busy period.

Speaking of stress, I did my taxes yesterday....and I might actually be getting a refund. Unless I filled it out wrong (I did it by hand, didn't use TurboTax this year). If I'm wrong, I'm sure the IRS will be nice enough to clue me in :lol: I might wait 'til Friday night to mail it, though. My community has a big block party outside the main post office on 4/15, complete with food vendors and a bluse band (how appropriate). People bring folding chairs and hang out, and last-minute filers are pleasantly surprised to show up at a party at 11PM.....

Marie, Kim and all you other losers, have a good evening!

judy

Hmmmm.....
 

I posted a reply today, this morning, and it's not here. I must have hit the wrong button. I hate it when I do that. I don't have time to write more now, but I will try to log back in this morning. I think weight-loss gnomes must have deleted it. It's the only possible explanation. :D

Have great rest of the day!
Robin

Hey just a quick check in, I promise!

Kerry, by all means working out will let lose some of the stress, wish I knew why, but it really does work wonders!!

Kim, that's a killer cheat day, (I love/hate those days) my advice, go on like it never happened!! But the next time you look at all those donoughts you need to remember how bad too many can make you feel. Buy only one and take it home for desert.

Judy, what a hoot a party at the post office??? Oh my goodness that's almost too funny!

Marie, I have a cook book full of low fat receipes, they use apple sauce instead of oil and butter. Some of it is awsome, and some can leave you wondering!

Robin, catch that gnome!! :lol: Check in and let us know how it's going today!!

Ok, I'm running, oh and got the A/C today YEA!!!

Oh my gosh, I think it has been a year since I checked in!!!! So much happening with you gals! A couple of points hit home--miscarriages--same here, and it sure is tough to live through. I know the due dates were tough on me for years. I have always been surrounded by children, and the pain was very real that none of them were mine. Time is a wonderful healer, though, and having a stepson that is a real nutcase helps too!

And as for the pain of exercise---I have 1 spot of arthritis--thanks to rollerblades!!!!

The basement is still far from back together-but that is the least of my problems right now. I feel like I am living at the office. 12 hour days feel like part time right now. a girl is making life really tough on me there (she has a jealousy issue going) and I don't do well with the jealousy/ competition thing. Her last day is Friday and while she thinks that she will be able to stay with the business and work from Chicago, I have big news for her ---IT AIN'T HAPPENING!!!
This, too shall pass and I will be able to live again, but for now, I just come home,hit the shower and then bed!

My scale is stacked in a corner of the basement, don't know when I will ever get back to it!!!!!

Hang in there everyone, you are such an inspiration---and it is so nice to know that I can just jump right back in when I have a chance to take a breath!


Hugs to all!
Joetta

Lori-that is great advice. I can't dwell on it.
I did much better today. I had 1200 calories and went to my step aerobics class. I'm back on track now. Tomorrow I'm making taco soup. I love that stuff! Also, I'm planning on 1 hour at the gym. Have a great night ladies!
Kim

I'm feeling better today too. I ate well yesterday and took a wonderful long strenuous walk after work. It's been hot and humid and icky here the past week, so I was a sweaty mess and I thought Bella was going to pant all night. I had to turn on the a/c for awhile. It's supposed to cool down again starting today and rain a bit. We really need some rain to clean the nasty pollen out of the air. These unseasonably hot spring days have me dreading the summer. I hate it. I really feel like doing nothing but sit inside where I can breathe. People think they're suffering now from the pollen, HA :lol: Once the mold sets in for the summer I lose most ability to breathe through my nose without drugs. It stinks!

It sounds like everyone is off to a good start this week. Of course Marie had the right idea to take Monday off :smug: the week is much better without a Monday at work!

Joetta - it is good to see you back for a second or two before you rush off to your busy life. I hope things start to come ease up on you a bit. Didn't you just hire a new employee? She's going to help out a lot right?

Kim - you sure do exercise girl! I need to take a page from your book. Way to go!

Judy - that sounds like quite a party at the post office! And good for you on the tax refund - that has to feel good! :)

Lori - That's AWESOME that you hit the half-way point!!!! :D So what is your goal for Memorial day? 140? So that's 7 weeks. . . I think I'm right there with you. If I can get down to 140 by May 30 I will cry with joy!

Robin - I lost a post recently posting from home and couldn't believe it! :o I was so upset. Now I refuse to hit anything before coping & pasting no matter where I post from! ;)

Hi again.
 

Just a short, quick note again. I'll catch up more tomorrow. I promise. I hope everyone is doing well today. It's been a stressful last two days here. And as such, that darned wagon threw me off again. At least it didnt' back over me this time. I'll be back on track tomorrow and should be settled back in for a while. Life just sometimes gets in the way of my having fun. ;)

Robin

Hey, everybody looks like they are sailing along pretty well!!
Everyone seems to have a good upbeat attitude, even if we are all killer busy and hanging on to the wagon by our toe nails! :D Don't let him get ya Robin, that driver of yours needs to behave!!

My goodness, I don't have much to report today! I just realized things are kind of quite around here. I best not say that out loud!! I just finished cleaning out the inside of the furnace (spring cleaning the furnace) now there's a concept. I usually run around like an idiot in September replacing batteries in the smoke detectors and sweeping out the registers. Now with the air this thing is going to run all year round. Well maybe the kids will try harder not to let their toys fall down in the register and I won't have to sweep and scoop in September!!

Oh Kerry, how I hate the humidity!! We get our fair share here in PA! I'm so glad we called the A/C guy before that started again!! Nothing worse than being in a tin box on those hot days!! Kerry, I don't know if I'll cry with joy, but I'll be beside my self. I'm soo worried that I won't be able to break 140, I haven't been below 145 since they killed my thyroid. I'm very interested to see how my body reacts. And also slightly worried that I'll have to adjust my meds again (which can really slow weight loss down) and it takes months for them to get it right!!

Joetta, we miss your humor! I hope things slow up a bit for you soon!! I HATE the office crap, what is wrong with people, if she'ld just mind her own business she might get some work done!! I learned that working at Verizon, over 800 people in the building and if you had time for office politics you weren't doing your job. It was the first time I ever worked for a big company and the atmosphere was very different. At smaller businesses some body always hates my guts, usually a female with jealousy/competition issues. And I must have a big target on me, but the jokes on them, I don't want to be boss. But they usually feel I'm I threat, which I could be if I wanted but I've got better things to do with my time. I figure I'm the CEO at home and that's enough problems.

Ok I need to do dinner and work out! Kim's got enough work out motivation to keep me running for the week :D !!!

Just wanted you all to know that I am here. I've been keeping up with the post, but I guess I just haven't had much to say. I have been having a hard time getting back on track and I'm not sure why. I start the day off really well but by the end of the day I'm like to h-- with it and start looking for something to eat even when I'm not really hungry. I hope this will pass just another hurdle along the way......(I guess)

Paige

I have had an O.K. day. I made several poor food choices. I started really well, then ended up eating some peanut butter and chocolate and 2 doughnuts again. I did go to a 45 minute spin class though. That probably burned most of the calories. That is a major workout. I've got my mind made up...tomorrow's a new day, and I'm going to eat very healthy. Wednesday is the day that I usually go the gym twice, so that will help.

Kerry and Lori-I'd like to shoot for the 140 goal for Memorial Day also. I've got more to lose than the 2 of you, and I probably weigh more than 151 now. I'm afraid to weigh right now. I'm going to really try to push myself to hit 140 though. That would be awesome!

HUMP Day!!!
 

Good Morning Chicks! :coffee: I made a cake in celebration of National Library Week for everyone here at work. I'll probably have to have a sliver, but I made it with LF sour cream :lol: I have done GREAT the past two days and I don't believe that darn scale said 145 this morning and I'm not counting or claiming anything until my weigh in Monday. I don't know why, but it always seems like I weigh less on Wed than Mon :shrug: I do have restored hope though and I am on the 140 by Memorial Day Plan - Let's do IT!

I worked late last night so that I can leave early on Thur. My brother is coming to visit and getting in late Thur. I need time to clean up the guest room and get ready for him. I'm going to make desperate attempts to stay on plan while the little bro is here, but he's been known for serious sabotage!! :devil:

It has cooled down here and got rainy. That hurts my walking plans, but I'm going to do something tonight exercise-wise no matter what! I hope all of you are doing well, staying on plan and feeling positive!

Hi all

Kim and Paige, you'll get back on track. Keep posting. I think that's a big key into staying accountable. When I say I'm going to exercise to all of you, I make sure I do it. I wouldn't want to lie. Also, when I say I'm on plan, I wouldn't want to screw that up. So if you post, maybe it'll help nudge you back where you want to be. Good luck.

Kerry, good luck with the little brother. Guests always make staying on plan difficult, but I know you can do it. You've gone through a lot worse so good luck on sticking with it.

I've been on plan and stumbled onto a way to beat the morning snacking at work. Eat a bigger breakfast. I did that today and it's a lot better. I'm going to try that for a few days and if it continues to work, I'm going to rearrange when I eat my calories. It's nice not to be digging around for anything to eat. Plus, I enjoyed the breakfast (my low cal banana bread).

Tonight is exercise night and I hope I have more motivation than I did on Monday. I just didn't have the ompphh to go on the gazelle. I went 1.5 miles in 30 minutes whereas last Friday I went 2 miles. Definitely more push last week. So my goal is to put more effort into the exercise tonight.

TTYL.

Good afternoon
 

Hello ladies. It's been a rough couple of days, but I'm somewhat back on track now. I've struggled with serious, chronic depression since I was a small child. And while I usually try to be a positive kind of person, every now and then I have a bad day, or few, in which I just don't care about anything. I don't want to get out of bed; I don't want to work, I don't want to exercise; I don't want to do anything good for myself. And so while it could have been much worse, I ate a huge doughnut and a large cookie with icing on Monday, and six chocolate-chip/M&M cookies on Tuesday. I take medication for the depression, which does help, but I think my hormones have a huge say in how I feel, too.

Speaking of hormones. I think I had my TOM starting last Friday and finishing up probably yesterday, or today. I say "I think" because I've actually had a hysterectomy a few years ago. I still have one ovary, so I still have my cycle, I just don't have the cramps like I used to (Thank God!) But I was retaining water and my breasts were sore like I was getting my TOM. Anyway, when I weighed in on Monday, I was still only 192, even though two days earlier I had weighed myself at 188 at home. It had to be the water weight, so I'm not too upset. That just means that I should have a bigger loss this next WI on the 25th.

I've also been fighting a battle for my husband's family. He has an aunt that is 56, but is mentally about 10. She had a really high fever as a baby and it left her somewhat ******ed. She has held a job the last 27+ plus years at a local hospital as a custodian. And they've always kept her working just under full time. They've given her two weeks of vacation a year but that's her only benefit. She's gotten no retirement at all. She's always supported herself financially, but now the hospital has two complaints of sexual harassment against her. And anyone who knows her, knows that that just isn't possible. I'm guessing they're trying to get rid of her. She doesn't understand what's going on. So, I've got calls in to the Labor Board and the Human Rights Commission on her behalf. It's stressful, and it really p*sses me off to know how they've taken advantage of her all this time. And from what I'm finding, I've only touched the surface. Sorry for the venting, but you're all so sympathetic, I was hoping you might have some other ideas on how to deal with this. I've got calls in to just about every state agency, and they all seem to agree with me. We haven't yet called an attorney, but that is our next step.

Take care all and I hope everyone is doing well with the exercise, eating, and drinking water. We're all doing really well, even with life's set backs. Kerry, enjoy your time with your brother. Kim, it sounds like we both go for the same foods. They're evil, I tell you. :devil: And good luck to everyone with the 140 goal. My goal for this week is not eat any more cookies or donuts. I'll start with that.

Take care.
Robin

Good evening Chicks!
I spoke way to soon about things being quite, coz today the bottom fell out!! Work was just over the top crazy and the kids are cranky! Just shoot me now :dizzy:!!

Kim, your going to have to drive a differnt way home, bad donoughts, bad! I can't eat them, they cause me great pain (I think it's the grease) they talk back all day long! Now baked is a whole differnt ball game. Kim we'll have to get you stocked up on some better sweets!!

Oh Robin, that's just the pitts! The closest I ever got to depression is when my thyroid was super over active, I just wanted to lay on the couch I didn't care if the house would have burnt down around me! From what I understand the hormone imbalance was alot like menapause. I told DH if I act like that again just dig a hole in the yard and toss me in. Oh I was next to unbearable. I've read so many articles as of lately about how physical fitness helps with depression. But I'm glad your doing better today! :)

Marie, I read a great article today that says the stars eat 5 small meals a day to stay thin! I have a hard time squeezing it all in, my lunch box is over flowing with stuff! I just love to eat!!

Paige, keep your chin up, your doing sooo good! A few bad days won't hurt a darn thing. Pull that wagon around and get right back on! How many people at work are still sticking to it? I know you guys had a big group to start with, I was just curious.

Kerry, it is soo hard to stay on plan with company! But it will be fun having him over. How was the cake??

Ok, I want to mention this to see if I'm the only one or if anybody else if having similar poblems. I am all of the sudden starving, and I mean really bad. I can't seem to get my food to last more than a couple of hours and I'm starving all over again. So I'm trying to eat my small meals, but I seem to be just plain old eating more. What's your thoughts??