Goodmorning! I am just dragging my butt out of bed to go grocery shopping, I am feeling SO much better than I was feeling last night. Before I went to sleep I was half laughing, half wanting to cry, and in SO much pain. It was a really long day, I think I was actually delerious from needing to sleep. I woke up this morning with a tiny bit of pain in the butt (teehee), and my calf muscles. My shin splints ARE GONE!! :)

Jill - sounds like a fun weekend, minus the toe nail thing. I'd totally dig the sucker out, which I suspect you might have too :)

Okay, I gotta go.. but I'll be back later!

-Aimee

Kimberley - Thank you :) We should have a 3FC's meeting, however... I live SO far away, and have no car.. but this might all change ! :)

I'll BBL for real now!

-Aimee

Monday already?!?
 

afternoon ladies. I hope your day's are all going well so far.
Kimberly, I think that sounds like such a wonderful weekend planned. My daughter will be in Cincinnati on Friday...she has choral competition there for school. We don't live that far from you.
Aimee, I am so proud of you for doing that run!!! I know what you mean about shin splints. I get them all the time in class. My professor keeps telling me to do toe lifts, but they don't help. I hope eventually they won't be so much of a problem.
Jill, Im sorry youre having problems w/ your toe. I used to get them alllllll the time, and my mom(who was a nurse) would make me soak my foot in hot water and epsom salts..it always helped.
Di, I hope things go well for you this week at curves. Does that membership travel? or is it only good for your city?
I think it would be so awesome to have a 3fc meeting. The damage we could do to one town...oops....I mean we could have so much fun together...yeah, that's it, that's the ticket, fun.....:lol: :joker:
To everyone I havent seen in a while, as well as to those I have, I wish you all a fantastic day, low fat food that actually tastes wonderful, and the ability to laugh at your scales.

My time is in.. 108 minutes. So I held my pace of 10minutes per km, or close enough! Yay! :)

Heather - Congrats on your weight loss.. I'm late.. I'm sorry. Life has been very distracting lately. But I bet you know all about that.. I don't even have a husband or kids.. I can't imagine. My bf is pretty time consuming.

I went to Costco today and bought these drinks, sparkling something, flavored type water stuff, made with Splenda.. which doesn't always work too good in my system.. but one here and there will be okay. I'll keep me sane as I'm quitting sugar again!

-Aimee

Gooooood morning!

So, I was serving last night instead of hostessing (yay!), and since I was the first one on at 4pm (others didn't come on until 5:15 or 6), I was first cut (yay again!). That means--I was home by 8:30!!! And that was after I went grocery shopping after my shift! Oh, it felt sooo good. I only made about $8 less than I would have if I stayed all night to hostess, and I only worked for 3 hours. The schedule has me serving 2 days next week--Monday and Tuesday (I'm hostess for today-Thursday this week), so that'll be a nice change of pace. I'm SOOO glad to be serving again!

I did not go to the gym yesterday. I could have--I had the time to do it. However, I feared putting my sneakers on and irritating my toe. As it was, I only had my socks and work shoes on for about 4 hours last night, and it made the toe worse. It doesn't necessarily look any worse (it's not redder or purpler or ickier), but it definitely made it hurt a little more. I may take this week off from the gym and just try to eat a little healthier in a meager attempt to make up for it. I can also do some muscle tensing exercises at my desk at work. I'll still b moving about the restaurant all night for the next 3 days, so I won't be getting no exercise, just less.

So, here I am at my desk, tired and cold. I bought more meat when I went shopping last night (sliced ham, shredded chicken, and turkey burgers). I think I need more protein in my diet. I need more iron, too, I think, but I don't really like red meat much. I also bought yogurt (I know you're a big fan, Aimee), which should be good for me. It's no sugar added, but it has aspartame in it. It has 90 calories per container, and they're only 44 cents a piece. I figured that would be a good snack during the day. I really need to focus on eating healthy, not just cutting calories. I eat quitea bit of fruit, but no veggies and barely any meat. Example, here's what I have for today:
Breakfast: cereal (fruit loops) with skim milk (2 servings~400 calories)
Snacks: 2 cinnamon graham crackers with 2 tablespoons fat free strawberry cream cheese (170 calories)
Chex mix (130 calories)
BBQ shredded chicken (2 servings~180 calories)
yogurt (90 calories)
Lunch: Lean Pocket Ultra--meatball & cheese (200 calories)
Dinner: Chef Boyardee pasta w/meatballs in tomato sauce (220 calories)
After-work snack: apple (80 calories)
All together, that keeps me under 1500 calories for the day. I don't drink coffee or tea or anything, just water at work and occasionally diet Coke at the restaurant. I'm also currently eating some fresh strawberries a coworker left for me [at 50 cals per cup, I'd say I'm only having about 100 calories (since some are already kinda mushy and browning), so still under 1600 total for the day]. This is a very typical day for me except that the shredded chicken is a new addition. I usually just have either more fruit [like an orange and/or kiwi, or like yesterday I had a can of fruit cocktail (not packed in heavy syrup)] or pickles or something, but I added the chicken today for protein.

When I started this whole dieting thing, I decided to just count calories and not worry about anything else for the time being. As you can see from the above, fat grams is not a major concern of mine (I always stay well below 30 for the day), but I feel I'm certainly not getting the proper nutrition. I know it's better for your body to get nutrients from food, but I'm thinkging I need to start taking some major supplements. I'm always cold (I used to never be cold, and I've only lost about 7 pounds, so I know the weight loss is not the culprit), and I'm always tired (I know I work a lot, but Sunday I slept for about 13-14 hours and still felt tired), so I think lack of certain vitamins/minerals may be to blame. Anyone else have these issues or have any suggestions (suggestions for changing my diet or for adding supplements)? :shrug:

Aimee--congrats on sticking so closely to the time you set for yourself for the 10km! That's an awesome accomplishment! :cb:

Heather--I had always soaked my foot in salt water before, too. Not only does it feel good, but it softens the skin for when I need to cut the nail out myself. It just never seems to be an issue for me until it gets infected--I never know I have an ingrown toenail until it is red, painful, and needs to be drained (I know that's icky--sorry). It sucks, especially when one of my jobs requires walking all night long! But, woe is me, I'll survive. I've survived worse :D

Kimberely--How cool that you get to meet people that way! The only people I have ever met from online have been guys I've dated (2 I only had one date with, and then my Jeff :smug: ).

How AWESOME would it be to have a 3FC gathering?! what've we got here, I'm near DC, Marge in NY, Kimberley in Ohio, Aimee near Toronto--Heather and Di, are you guys in Ohio, too?

Alright, back to pretending to work (and by that I mean researching cars online ;) ). Have a Terrific Tuesday!

quick note. hey all...No, I am in NY state,way up..close to Saratoga.. I used to live in Ohio..I am going to visit Heather in over 4 weeks...It has been almost 12 years since we have seen each other
and she is remarried now, so I cannot wait, her ex-I call him Beeazlebub, he would not allow her to have me in her life, because I knew he treated her terribly and I hated him for it. So it is a long time in coming...been staying on track so far this week, not much else going on, just busy crafting and planting...HAGD! and BBL!

I can't believe I didn't check in yesterday. I was paying the price on Monday for taking it easy last week! I missed you all! I'd love to get together! Great group of ladies!

Aimee, way to go on the 10K!! That's very cool. And you kept going even when it got rough. That inspires me. :) I think most people do wait until they're older or retired to travel. It's not so easy to have the extra cash and time. Or else they decide to have fewer things, a used car, a smaller house, or to rent, so they have the money to travel.

Kimberley, when I saw Coney Island I did a double take. They do the Cincinnati flower show here?? :lol: I love flower shows. They have a big one here that I went to a couple of years, but they've been upping the entrance fees and it got overly commercial so I stopped.

Ah, the dreaded ingrown toenail! I would have voted for the podiatrist on that one. I get them, never had an infected one though. Yeow!

I'm not a dietician, that said, sugary foods (like fruit loops) and very processed foods (like the Chef Boyardee) go through your system fast and give you a quick burst of energy but then leave you tired. Try to go for more complex carbohydrates (whole wheat, etc.). You might want to check out Dr. Phil's food supplement book, it's in paperback and gives a long list of foods and their nutritional values.

You also haven't incorporated any veggies. Veggies have a lot of fiber and nutrients that will fuel you and make you feel fuller too. I remember you said there aren't many you like, but maybe some experimentation and cooking them various ways might help. I remember making broccoli for a friend of mine and he was amazed how much better it tasted the way I'd made it -- his mom always boiled it to mush, I steam it and leave some crunch, and put a pat of butter and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

I'm not a big believer in supplements unless a doctor tells a person they have a particular deficiency. A balanced diet should cover all the bases. I'm slightly anemic and the doc told me to take iron supplements -- not to get the iron from eating red meat. Not that I think red meat is evil, but it's more difficult to digest, takes longer to move through the body, and tends to be fattier. (You have to be careful with iron supplements because a build up can be toxic -- I take one tablet every other day.)

I believe 1400 calories for a busy woman who's larger sized is low. And in the end, you are really busy! You're on your feet all the time and running around, you have two jobs and an active social life, it makes sense you'd be tired. Plus, like most of America, you have problems sleeping sometimes.

I got up early and went to the gym today. I'm likin' it :) I still have those gym-gringo moments -- like stepping on the one treadmill out of about 15 that's not working and taking five minutes to figure it out (should I push this button???)! Or having my feet slip off the recumbant bike pedals! heh heh.
Guess this post is long enough! Have a great one, you all deserve it.

Marge, you're right about so many things! I know I need more veggies. I did buy some frozen stir-fry mixed veggies (no sauce or anything added, just pieces of peppers, broccoli, and such), and I have some frozen boneless, skinless chicken. I should just throw it all together, heat it up, add a little of my teriyaki sauce, and dish some of that out for lunch each day. Now, just to find the time for it...:dizzy: I leave my house at 5:30am and get home around 11:15pm Mon-Thurs, so during the week is out. Normally, I do my grocery shopping and food prep for the week on Sundays, but this past weekend (and the next 2 weekends in a row), I was in MD at Jeff's. I also know the Fruit Loops are no good, but it's my one meal that feels like a splurge (even though I still count all the calories). I bought some Kashi cereal, and (not to offend those who enjoy it) I personally think it tastes like cardboard. I still have it in the cabinet, but I won't eat it unless I add sugar to it, which really defeats the purpose :p I did buy, however, Honey Bunches of Oats cereal with fruit in it (I know, it still has sugar, but it's got to be better for me than Fruit Loops!), so when the Fruit Loops are gone (which should be in the next 2 days or so), that's next on my breakfast rotation. I would love to have an egg white omelette and whole-grain toast or something, but I don't have the time to cook it, nor do I have the time to clean up after myself :p Basically, everything I eat right now is a matter of convenience and easy (or no) prep (hence the sodium-filled Chef Boyardee dinner cups!). I have no time to cook (nor am I very good at it!), and I only have time to shop once a week, so fresh foods are difficult to keep fresh long enough to enjoy them. I know I'm just making up excuses--I need to find something that works. I need veggies and more protein and less sugar--No point in losing weight if I'm too tired and malnourished to enjoy it! I do only eat between 1400-1600 calories per day during the week, but on the weekends I have much more, so I restrict myself during the week when I don't have the temptations of eating out and such. We all lead busy lives and still find the time to make things work. I just need to crack down, stop whining, and do the same! :D

Whew!
 

Jill & Marge~~You all wore me out...Before I get into all of that...I got a compliment today from someone who has not seen me in months, so it must be working, I will know how well on Sunday!!!

Marge~ How right you are about everything...I agree...I do like the suggestion with the broccoli, will give that a go myself!

jill~ have you tried cutting up the veggies, like carrots ( baby, ths smaller they are, the better), cucumbers ( I get the european ones wrapped in plastic--they do not make me burp and taste better to me), and celery sticks, placing them in a divided container with ranch or other dressing to dip as a snack? I do this often...I agree with you about the Kashee, like eating sticks to me, lol. I eat a lot of Cheerios ( honey nut, wholegrain) or similar cereals, or when I want oatmeal, I eat Nutrition for women by quaker, it has soy in it, and I like the Vanilla Cinnamon one...I also eat a lot of lowfat yogurt with some granola mixed in, and fruit for breakfast. As far as other foods go, maybe investing in a nice sized Crockpot is the way for you to go. then on the weekends, put in stuff for nice stews or soups or pasta sauces, then divide them up and freeze them so you will have meals for the week ( cook the pasta and mix in the sauce)...then you will have good food, and it won't take too much out of the weekend plans for you to have to cook all day, the crock pot does it for you...Below are some great sites for you with recipes, low-fat, low-carb, whatever...Dottis also has great tips for everything else..Once you find the recipes you like, print out and keep in a folder...I like the other sites too, and the directions are great for most of them.. Just some ideas...Hope they help!


www.dottisweightlosszone.com

www.recipezaar.com

http://www.angelfire.com/journal/wwrecipes/index.html

I love the Cheerios with fruit, amazing how they manage to do that, heh heh. I usually eat a little of that, mixed with Wheat Chex and/or Grape Nuts. I have cereal with skim milk just about every day.

I don't know if I could survive your schedule! We sometimes cook a pot of something or casserole and eat it during the week. You might consider frozen veggies that you can nuke -- if you don't have a microwave you can get one for $50 and under nowadays. I know you've had some unexpected expenses lately. Maybe the crockpot would be the better investment, they can be pretty cheap too. Sometimes if you ask around or mention your looking for those things, someone might even give you one. My boss gave me our office microwave (a small one). You can always make your changes bit by bit, so it's not so overwhelming time wise and habit wise.

With cooking for this diet, I find if I have a repertoire of about 5 dishes or so that we rotate, that can keep us going for quite a while before we get the urge to shake it up. That makes shopping easier.

I'm going to check out your links, Diana. I could use some new dishes. Now that it's getting warmer, the urge to cook starts to really go out the window!

I just found some yummy looking recipes off of that last link all are WW type low fat...I must have printed out about 30 of them LOL..Even some of the desserts look good, gonna make them and never tell DH they are low fat..hehe...have fun!

Hey Girls!! Very late post from me today.. I got up and had to head to the new job to fill out papers, and then headed to my old, icky job.

I have GREAT ideas for breakfasts and lunches :) Often I'll have nothing to take for lunch and need to eat in a grocery store.. with that in mind I bought myself a bag of croutons (they make low fat ones!), some parmesean cheese (which is low fat!), a bag of already chopped lettuce and some low fat ceasar dressing. I can usually make a HUGE salad, and then have some pudding for dessert. I also converted to head lettuce in my dislike for preparing things, I can chop it up and it takes maybe 5 minutes to make a salad. Also, I usually buy a HUGE bag of broccoli from Costco, it's already chopped so I can add it to eggs, salads, stirfry's. I always look for creative ways to add protein to my diet (I reallllly don't get enough, if any).. and when I did the Winsor Pilates diet thingy I learnt how to. My ultimate fav thing was "Apple Cobbler" It has 1 cup 1% milk, 1/3cup of oatmeal cooked, 3 teaspoons slivered almonds, 2/3 ouch protein powder, and 1/2 a granny smith apple chopped. It was SO delish!! my second fav thing ever on that diet was Skim ricotta cheese, 1/2 a pear sliced (or sometimes grapes), and 1 teaspoon slivered almonds. Oh man.. so yummy. I'm looking at the diet right now, and am thinking I should try it again, I just have to track down my dvd's. Soon.. in the mean time, I'm reverting back to South Beach-type diet, that I'll start on Thursday.

Well, I'm all talked out, and have to go find dinner (in the form of delivery pizza.. I'm so bad :( But I'm not going to bother trying to diet until I'm away from my horrible job). Have a great nice you hot fabulous ladies!

-Aimee

Hi, everyone. I crashed really early last night - like 8:30pm - and slept through until mid-morning today. I guess it was just too many nights of poor sleep catching up with me. It sure felt good, though, I'll tell ya.

We went to the YMCA today and I walked 15 minutes on the treadmill next to Howie's, then started in on the machines. I managed three sets on each one except the assisted chin-up's. Thinking I needed to challenge myself more, I upped the weights on several of them. Oh....Too much, I think.

I'm glad tomorrow is a rest day for the weights, because everything from my forearms on down to my fingers hurts. It's very painful to grip and carry a glass of water. Next time I go, I need to identify the machines that cause my hands pain and skip them - either that or ask if there's a way I can modify my use of them.

I'm kind of discouraged about this, because my pre-existing wrist and hand problems are flaring up again, and I don't want to be further limited in what machines I can use. My arms are strong enough to do many of the machines, but my hands are not strong enough to do the necessary work.

Hey, Aimee, we posted at the same time. Hiya! :)

Hey Kimberley - HOT picture :)

-Aimee

hey all, quickie b4 I leave...wow, Great Pic Kimberly...you can really see the weight loss in your face!BBL all, HAG1!

Whew, got a late start this morning--didn't get here to work till 6:30! :o I made a big boo-boo last night--I ate dinner at the restaurant :mad: For some reason, I was really hungry yesterday. Usually, I eat my Chef Boyardee cup dinner at about 3:30pm then have fruit in the car on my way home at 11 (since I work from 4-11...I know you should eat every 3-4 hours, but I can't just sit and eat whenever I want when I am supposed to be standing at the door to greet guests). I'm usually okay during that stretch of 7-hour fasting, but last night, I just felt so hungry! I thought maybe it was just a craving, but after more than an hour, I still wanted food, and my tummy actually growled. So I broke down and had a horrible-for-me dinner of a chicken club sandwich and french fries. Tomorrow is weekly weigh-in...I'm sure I'll be paying for it, especially with not going ot the gym this week. Bad combination. If the same thing happens again, and I feel hungry during my shift, I will have to get the salad bar (no matter how amazing the fried foods look and smell!).

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! Still no veggies packed for my food for today (although I did forget to put my ice packs in the freezer last night, so I have a bag of frozen broccoli in my lunch bag to keep my food cold :p ). I do have a crock pot! When I moved, one of my friends from my old job gave me hers. I have only used it once, and that was just to make meatballs. I also do have frozen veggies (broccoli, stir fry veggie mix, and sugar snap peas) and a microwave, but I don't like them without some sort of dip or dressing, so I'll have to check and see if maybe I can find a lower-cal honey dijon or something (I LOVE honey mustard dressing, but it is insanely high in calories--the one I have now is 130 calories for 2 tablespoons!). I once went on a Caesar salad kick for months at a time, and now I get semi-nauseous just thinking about Caesar dressing :dizzy:

Ugh, this has been a bad week for me. I feel as if I ate like it were the weekend all week long. I had a chocolate milk on Monday (fat free, but still not on plan, especially since the bottle was actually 2 servings), then the Ruby Tuesday food last night, and the weekend was a little worse than usual since it was Jeff's birthday (dinner at Jillian's, snacks at the baseball game, a McDonald's happy meal, out for ice cream Sunday night...). I'm not even close to looking forward to tomorrow morning's weigh-in, but I can't do anything now but stay on plan for today! I will eat what I packed and nothing else!! Screw what I said before--not even salad bar tonight! I'll have to start packing food more wisely and include a snack (that does not require cooking or refrigeration) to keep in my apron at work in case I get hungry during my shift at night. Maybe I can toss my apple in my purse and have that if I need it. Yeah, I'll do that. I have plenty of other food for during the day.

Alright, blah blah blah, time to get to work--but not before mentioning how much I love Kimberley's new picture! Have a Wonderful Wednesday, all!!

Kimberley, Very cute pic!

Maybe one of the trainers at the gym could give you exercises to strengthen your wrists. In the meantime you could concentrate on the leg strenthening machines.

It's another warm gorgeous day here today, yeah! We bought window fans this week. We have an air conditioner but only like to use it as a last resort. Mid May we're going up into the Hudson Valley for a long weekend to celebrate my b-day. We'll probably take Amtrak up there then rent a car. Can't WAIT for a little break.

I peaked at the scale and I've lost last week's weight (official weigh in Friday). I'm 95 percent sure it was TOM water weight (whew! :lol: ). I keep a journal and as weird as it sounds that same week for the past 2 months I've gained the exact same amount of weight (to the tenth of a lb). Then I get my period the following week. So, like, I figured it out! heh heh.

I have to say restaurants can be my downfall. I admire anyone that can go in and get a meal that fits well with her/his program. I see a menu and I want to get what looks most delicious, which is rarely the salad plate! I love salads, but I get pulled towards the less desirable choice usually! :o When Rob and I got that sandwich last week to eat in the park, I did manage to not get a bag of chips (Marge patting herself on the back). That's a step forward for me. I know this is going to be a challenge for me this summer since we'll be going out a lot more. I'm going to have to keep my eye on the prize!

Pilates? Who was the genius?
 

all I can say is ouch! lol. That was a very interesting workout to say the least. Hi Marge! good to see you. Kimberly, gorgeous pic! I hope to one day put one like that up.
Jill, how is your foot feeling? Aimee, hope the last few days of your old job go ok. Di, he may be beelzebub, but my mom always said he reminded her of Frankenstein...lmbo.
Have a wondeful day all. I have to go to rehearsals. I'll try to be back this evening. Its warm here but is supposed to rain...and I love how the sky gets dark in the daytime before a storm..not sure why though..lol. Anyway, have a wonderful day ladies! big hugs to all of you.

Goodmorning Ladies!! How are yah'll? I'm pretty good :) Feeling good, I work today, but then have Thursday, Friday, and Saturday off, so tomorrow is going to be the day I get 100% on plan!! I have a little workout thing set up, I was reading this month's Glamour (I'm addicted to magazines), and they have a whole thing "Body by Glamour", so I signed up. There is a workout, which helps me, because I hate trying to figure out what to do, plus I have to workout at home (can you believe a gym membership costs 50+ dollars a month AND you have to sign up for a min of 2 years?!?). So I'm going to try their weight routine, and will do my own diet. I really have to get serious if I want to lose some of this weight before the summer gets here! Once I get tired of all of that.. I'll do the Winsor Pilates thing. I get tired of workouts WAY too easily, I'm hoping to hang on to this thing for at least a month. I wish I lived closer to a gym, and had more cash to spend on that, I'd totally hit up different classes.

Jill - Cheese Strings would be a great snack! You can get low fat ones, which will keep your fat down, but that protein will help you keep on going. Or even peanut butter on celery.. just to name a few ideas. I think the cheese string thing is my best idea. Or WAIT! Green pepper, yellow pepper, red pepper! They are semi sweet, AND veggies!

Marge - restaurants are my downfall too, I have a hard time picking a salad.. but only because I can make a salad at home, why go out and pay 10 bucks for a salad? Just seems pointless! I'm cheap.. sorry.. heh. How much weight do you put on before TOM arrives? Sometimes I go up 7-8 pounds!!! It always scares me, I'm not weighing in this week (my scale is already saying I'm up 2 pounds, eek!) I'm going to change my weight tracker though.. gotta measure my weight loss for real I guess.

Heather - I LOVE pilates! The best part for me is that it stretches my body, and works it out all at the same time. I bought the pilates for dummies tape about 4 years ago, and then got the winsor pilates tapes from a friend, and have one called pilates for weight loss. I just don't do them enough (fighting for the tv/dvd player when the bf is home).

I can smell the warm weather (sounds weird... ), I left my window a little bit open last night.. I absolutely LOVE the summer.. I just hope to be able to enjoy it properly this year. Alrighty, this is taking me FOREVER to write... so I'm going to go off and be productive before work.. have a great, Fabulous, day! :) My brother was here and decided I needed to do a blog thingy (don't ask me.. no idea what the heck it is), so he set one up for me (I don't even know WHERE it is either!), anywho.. it's called Fabulous Aimee or something along those lines.. he wants me to write a book on being fabulous... he's so funny. Anywho! BBL!

-Aimee

Haha--Aimee, I so just posted my food for the day this morning on the 100 lb. Club forum, on the thread where everyone is listing their foods. Notice my lunch was ham with honey mustard and STRING CHEESE! That is too funny--I just bought the string cheese on Monday night, so today was the first one I'd had. I think you're psychic :p

I tried the pepper thing a few weeks ago. I never really ate peppers before, so I bought a yellow one, an orange one, and a red one just to try. At least I made the effort to try them before I decided I really didn't like them :(

I LOVE peanut butter--the only bad part is, I can't stand celery! If I could just eat a jar of peanut butter every day (my favorite is the reduced-fat Skippy--not as sticky as the full-fat kind), life would be awesome :D

I'm hungry again today for some reason. I did manage to stick to only the food in my bag so far, though, so I'm being strong! I'm outta here in just a few minutes--off to job #2 soon.

My toe is a little better. The side is still red and shiny (and I know shiny is bad--it means there's fluid in there that shouldn't be). I drained a little more of it last night (eww!). I'm afraid it won't get much better till the weekend since I still have to run around the restaurant every night during the week.

OH, I found out today that Jeff is coming here this weekend since his cousin isn't having a party (I was supposed to go to his house for his cousin's birthday). That means I get to go out and actually look at cars IN PERSON instead of just online. Yay! And it's only supposed to be in the mid 60s this weekend, so I won't be sweating and gross like when we went to look for Jeff's car last May. I'm so excited! I never bought a car before--my parents bought me my first one in high school and my second one in college when my first one died. This one will be ALL MINE! :D

Thanks for the compliments, ladies. Considering that last picture was taken in June 2004, when I weighed 266, I thought I probably ought to put up a more recent one!

Fabulous Aimee! Love it...And I think I found it, yes? http://fabulousaimee.blogspot.com/ I figured he probably set it up at Blogger, and he did. ;) Now go post, you!

My hand and arms feel better today, thank goodness. Got a haircut today and it looks so much better, cut short over my ears and stacked in back. I finally went back to the stylist I'd been going to since the late 1980's. For a while, I went elsewhere, just for a change - for a fresh idea from someone who wouldn't be influenced by how I'd always done it in the past. Then I went to Great Clips for a while because it's so cheap...But it was hit or miss there, even with sticking to my favorite stylist.

It's just nice being back with my buddy Chris again. There's something to be said for long-standing business relationships, I think. I felt guilty for "cheating" on him for the months I went elsewhere! ;)

Jillybean, good for you on going for more nutrition. It kinda goes back to my calories as money theory - which foods will give your body the most benefit for the calories you spend on them? I'm happy for you...Even if you don't like Kashi, LOL! My sweetness palate has changed over the last few years, because I even like my iced tea unsweetened. Insane!

Goodevening! I made it thru work, and realized that 3 of the people I worked with today, I might never see ever again. I thought I'd be more upset, we'll see though. I was a VERY good girl today, I hate horribly.. heh, BUT I took my new vitamin! I am starting to take Fish Oil pills, they help to take away my cramps and cyatic nerve pain.. this morning I also decided I should go back to taking Calcium, Vitamin C, and eccancia? I can't ever spell that word. I'm convinced my body is not in good shape and really needs to be pampered in that area. I am starting on plan tomorrow (the bf is trying to convince me not to.. I don't get him!!!), but I'll walk to the damn grocery store if thats whats gotta happen. I am determined, I always get so motivated the week before my period. heh.

Kimberley - thats totally it! I need to do some writing and thinking before I write anything, I also need to decide the point of the blog.. my brother thinks I should use it as a place to write things about my little book idea. He thinks it's a great idea for me to write a book.. this is also the boy who thinks I should lose 80 pounds and be a plus size model (plus size starts at a size 10). So I don't know... tell me what you think ladies..

Jill - I am psychic.. I tune into ESPN (ha-ha, I use that one at work all the time when I want to seem stupid). When I did a crazy diet a few years back (I lost 3 inches on my waist tho!!), I used to eat an apple with peanut butter. I'd measure out 2 tablespoons, and slice up an apple. It was very yummy.

I have crazy PMS, so I'm going to go to sleep :) Nite !

-Aimee

Have crazy PMS dreams, fabulous Aimee! :lol:h

Did any of you watch "Big John" on Discovery Health Channel? It was touching, seeing what he went through (and some of it so familiar to us, especially Howie). It showed that weight loss surgery isn't the easy fix people make it out to be. It did a good job showing that patients still have to take their vitamins, exercise, change their eating habits and change their thinking. Here are additional airings of the documentary.

Never caught "Big John," but I wroked with two women at my last job who had "the surgery" (funny how we all know what "the surgery" refers to, kinda like "the pill"). My boss lost I believe over 150 pounds after her surgery. She was insanely disciplined--she took vitamins and supplements at every meal and would go off carbs anytime she got above the 5-pound range she allowed herself. She just recently had surgery to removed a huge amount of extra skin--without that skin, she now weighs even 20 pounds less. 20 pounds of skin! I can't even imagine. The other woman had the surgery right before I started working there, so I got to see the transformation. In about a year, she has lost a little over 100 pounds. She is still heavy (about a size 20), but she is so much happier. She can't eat much in the way of fried foods or anything too oily or greasy because she will get sick. I just think about these people who have to be so strict about wht they eat after they have the surgery--if they could have just had that self-discipline without the surgery, they could experience almost the same weight loss (100 pounds in a year is doable with such strict discipline) and could have spent thousands of dollars less! I have also heard of people who have gotten the surgery, lost the wieght, and then gained almost all of it back :o My boss used to try to convince me to have the surgery, too, but having had surgery in the past, I know that's not something I want to do to myself voluntarily.

Alright, enough about that. I've been thinking about starting a blog site, too. I don't necessarily have anything special to say--just need someplace to spill my guts about stuff. I don't even care if people actually read it, and it's much easier for me to type than to sit and write in a journal (since I can pull off the typing at the office and still look like I'm doing work :dizzy: ). Then maybe my posts on here wouldn't be mini-novels every day ;)

I did stick to only my packed food yesterday--no restaurant splurges (yay!). However, I also weighed myself this morning--304.5. Up a pound. I can take it...it'll be back down next week. I'm quite determined. Plus, since Jeff is now coming here this weekend, I will have time to cook and prepare and separate foods for the week. Saturday will be car shopping day, and Sunday will be food day!

I am SO tired. I didn't even take a shower this morning (good thing I didn't go to the gym and get all sweaty yesterday) because I kept hitting snooze on my alarm for 40 minutes before I was even coherent enough to actually open my eyes and see what time it was. I usually only hit snooze once and get up when the alarm goes off the second time (7 minute intervals), but today took me FOREVER. When I start serving more (I have 2 server shifts next week :D ) instead of hostessing all the time, I will get to leave the restaurant by 9:30 (often earlier) instead of having to stay till 11. My body will surely appreciate the extra sleep time :)

This morning, I officially decided to let my tongue close up. I got it pierced in October of my sophomore year in college--one of those "I want to do something people won't expect me to do" kind of things. Well, I can't wear it when I'm working at the restaurant every night (not allowed to have any piercing other than earrings), and putting it in and out every day is a pain in my butt, so I'm done with it. It's hard to let go of--it was my little reminder of how much fun I used to be (when I had time to be fun) :p It'll only take about a day to close up since the tongue is the fastest-healing muscle in the human body (a little bit o trivia for ya).

Aimee--have you ever tried one of those Fashion Bug fashion shows? I know they're not exactly the big time, but it's a start to building some experience, and I know they take models that are well over a size 10. I see them advertising for one almost every season, it seems.

Alright, off to try and stay awake at my desk (a very difficult task). Hang in there, all--the weekend is right around the corner!

Marge - restaurants are my downfall too, I have a hard time picking a salad.. but only because I can make a salad at home, why go out and pay 10 bucks for a salad? Just seems pointless! I'm cheap.. sorry.. heh. How much weight do you put on before TOM arrives? Sometimes I go up 7-8 pounds!!! It always scares me, I'm not weighing in this week (my scale is already saying I'm up 2 pounds, eek!) I'm going to change my weight tracker though. gotta measure my weight loss for real I guess.

I know! salads in restaurants are pricey! a burger and fries is usually one of the cheapest thing on the menu -- and a lot more tempting than a salad for me most times. These past few months I've gained 2.6 lbs the week before TOM. My TOM can change quite a bit. I've been on an even keel lately. I think the diet and exercise effects it too.

Rob hates the summer; I like it as long as it doesn't get too hot and humid. Yesterday I took my usual walk (it was in the 80s and sunny), the warm air and sun felt GREAT! We have some beautiful trees in this neighborhood too, a white magnolia and a huge white one that I pass, they're gorgeous. And the cherry trees are all blooming too. I love this time of year.

Yeah, the things that really attracted me to the Y here was that I pay monthly, have the option to stop my membership any time with a 30 days notice. I can also suspend it for up to three months in a year. That's how all gyms should be.

I also need to decide the point of the blog.. my brother thinks I should use it as a place to write things about my little book idea. He thinks it's a great idea for me to write a book.. this is also the boy who thinks I should lose 80 pounds and be a plus size model (plus size starts at a size 10). So I don't know... tell me what you think ladies..

I say jump in and let the ideas flow. Post a few times and the point will come to you, not that it even has to have a point. I say go for the book, the world can always use more inspiration. If you want to be a plus sized model go for it!

Why do you think the bf is anxious about you going on a plan?

(funny how we all know what "the surgery" refers to, kinda like "the pill"). My boss lost I believe over 150 pounds after her surgery. -- Jill

It's true, re: the surgery. ha. My brother had that surgery; from what he told me it was pretty horrendous afterwards for quite a while. He hasn't gained back all the weight, but he doesn't exercise (he was an athlete in highschool and college, and he always played sports like tennis). He went to a diet program at Durham too and lost a huge amount of weight, that was before he did the surgery -- he gained that back. It definitely is not a cure all. It's been a couple of years and he's able to eat bigger meals now. I worry that he won't be able to change his habits and stop gaining. His wife is a woman who when she feels she wants to lose weight she goes on a diet and to the gym and doesn't have any patience for anyone who struggles.

onto other topics: Good job on packing the food, Jill. :) I have one ear with three piercings, usually now I just wear a regular pair so I hope they don't close up. Was it painful getting your tongue pierced?

I think PSM and lack of sleep has been making me a b*tch queen the last couple of days. Want to sleep, just can't. Tomorrow morning is gym morning and weigh in. Then we'll enjoy the one day out of the weekend that should be sunny. Maybe Coney Island again.

Hey, Heather!

Diana, where are you? I miss your posts. How're you feeling? Hope you're in the garden!

Kimberley, you're making me miss my short hair. I was watching Amazing Race and when Joyce shaved her head I couldn't believe it, Rob thought she was a nut and I thought she rocked :lol: Very gutsy.

Enjoy your day, all.

morning ladies. I hope you are having a great day so far. My son was in his 3rd grade play today...it was soo cute. so i get to play hookey from school today..oh darn..lol. its actually not a good thing, but oh well.
Jill, I know what you mean about the piercings. I got my navel pierced a while back, for the same reason, and ive been thinking about getting rid of it. it never gets shown..lol. but its a reminder of times when things werent the best, but i tried to make the best of it, so i havent gotten rid of it yet....sometimes its hard to leave things behind.
i think the blog idea is a good one for anyone who wants/needs to get anything out there...it might help someone else, and will definitely help you.
well, i better go for now. Ill be back later tonite. i need to go practice for tomorrow. have a terrific thursday and Ill chat w/ you all later.

Goodmorning! I am up a little early this morning.. I'm still really tired, just can't sleep. Ugh, stupid PMS. I'm hoping this little burst of wanting to be on plan will help with my weight gain. See my weight tracker? Yup, I'm up 6 POUNDS!!! I can't even believe it. I had to weigh in this morning because today I'm officially back on plan. My plan sounds a little insane, but unfortunately its what I've got to do to lose weight, I've tried Weight Watchers, but they say not to cut foods out, but I have an allergy to wheat, and sugar does not do good in my body. Also I don't drink milk, I'm allergic to it. Poop!

Jill - what? no more mini books from you? I don't know what I'll do! I also got my tongue pierced in college, don't really know why I did it.. but it's still there. I've been looking for a reason to take it out.. I don't have one. And I'm so used to it. Soon I think I'll take it out, I'm turning 26 this year, and need to look like a grown up!

Marge - I'm not too sure why the bf doesn't want me to go on plan, partly I think it's because I have to be SO strict, which completely eliminates our midnight slurpee runs. Also I think he's avoiding his weight, he needs to lose almost 50 pounds, infact, he keeps gaining weight and we have to buy him new clothes. He says he needs new work pants, but he has a perfectly nice pair in the bedroom, but he just doesn't want to lose the 15-20 pounds to wear them. The ones in the bedroom have never been worn either! If I knew a guy who was Josh's old size, I think I'd give him all of the clothes in the bedroom. The boy seriously has 10 pairs of jeans, and probably close to 15-20 shirts, not to mention shorts, or even the 50 dollar board shorts I bought him and he hasn't worn more than 2 times! Ugh. I'm not going to let him discourage me, which isn't what he's trying to do, he just doesn't want me depressed about my weight. I have 102 pounds to lose, thats pretty scary for me. I also need his support to do this, and sometimes rely on him, he really hates that. I don't get him actually. You would think him making me meals when I'm tired, and me getting thinner faster would actually make his life easier.

I'm babbling, and I should get going to go grocery shopping. I'll bbl!

-Aimee

It's hard to stay on plan when your SO or family member(s) either knowingly or subconsciously sabotages your efforts. God bless Howie, he was able to stay on plan all the months last year when I just dilly-dallied around. Now that we're both on plan, it's so much easier.

That TOM weight gain will go away. You eat healthfully and do what's good for your body, mind and soul -- the rest will come.

Hey, I found an eBay seller who carries all sorts of Lane Bryant and other good clothes. Looks like she must shop nearby outlet stores, maybe, because they are all new with tags. Her feedback's great, too. I figure I need to take a trip to Lane Bryant and try on their various clothes so I know which ones fit me best...Then, baby, look out!

I just tried on some jeans I had set aside for "some day". They fit now, but they're relaxed fit with tapered legs and hide any weight loss I've had. They make me look like an ice cream cone (thanks to What Not to Wear, I have a term for the illusion they create!).

They're going up on the auction block soon as I get them photographed and measured. Might as well finance some new clothes. It'd be nice to have several favorite jeans, one each in descending sizes, and just work my way down.

Hey all :wave: , Sorry, just been busy crafting, and cleaning, and trying to stay focused...Love the Frankenstein thing Heather, LOL yes, He does resemble him too, That man is just vile, good riddense is what I say.. :barf:

My Dh's grandmother told me I am looking great, don't know if I posted that or not yet, she can really tell I have been losing something, be it inches or weight, I no longer care, as long as it shows in some form...I only weigh in every couple of weeks and measure once a month, because, with me, I need to see something other than a pound gone, or else I will fret over it.

I have decided to just live, and stop beating myself up if I have something bad to eat sometimes. :spin: I have no candy in the house, a big deal for me, trust me, and only low-fat junk foods, but even those I hardly eat. I am trying to look at this as an adjustment in my life, as opposed to a diet. So I am basically only eating when I am truly hungry, then only eating half of what I normally would. Have been drinking tons of water too, so that helps. A handful of grapes, or something when I feel the urge to eat between meals, as opposed to a whole bag of chips...I am not allowing myself to over indulge, but I am not going to deprive myself either, because I will only pay for that in the long run. I also am looking forward to a great workout every day, so that helps. I focus on the weight or resistance aspects, M, W, F, and focus more on the aerobic aspects, Tues, Thurs. So this is what I look forward to every day. I have decided, starting Sunday morning, rain or shine, to start walking too. No dog, just me~~ sorry baby, but I need to worry about my health, that is most important. even if it takes me an hour to go the distance, I will do it. I also will start riding my Mt Bike, I have a nice, new one that really got very little use last year because it rained so much here. I will be riding that too. And working in my yard and flower beds. Dh fertilized yesteday, so was not able to go out and work my gardens yet, but this weekend we will be, and looking forward to that for sure. Planting a TON of Cosmo seeds, and some other stuff. Once my metabolism gets up to par, I can eat like a normal person again, not to excess, but not a rigid strict diet either. nothing much else to report.

I plan to get my rat's nest taken care of in OHIO...I am sick of it hanging in my face, and I want something along the lines of how I used to wear it. In a Bob. I always like them and they are easy to manage, and frame my face nicely, one around chin length works well for me. so now am just letting it grow wild until I go, lol, wearing it in Ponytails mostly. I want a dry and go look, nothing I have to fuss over all the time. I used to spend hours on my hair, in fact, in HS someone voted for me for best hair my senior year. LOL ahh, the good ol days. Of course, one year, my hair was dark purple, but that is another story.

Peircings, NO THANKS, other than my ears, have two in each. I hate it when I see great looking people that have a ring in their face, whether it be a nose, or eyebrow, makes me cringe every time. I do have 2 tattoos, that I regret immensely . Costs thousands to get removed so am stuck with them til I am old and wrinkled. One is of a small butterfly just above my left boob, the other is of 4 intertwining butterflies on my right calf just above my ankle. Craziness.. :cool:

Aimee~ Go for the modeling thing. I was always told, when I was in HS, and much thinner, to become a runway model, my parents of course never supported me in anything, so I had no confidense. then as I gained some weight, everyone told me to become a plus-sized model. I wished I would have, maybe then I would have some self-esteem. I have zero. Even with all of the beautiful men I have dated, and my handsome hubby, I still have zero...Nice how your family can play with your mind eh?

And I love the Amazing race. She was amazing and I really like them, I hope they win. Rob and Amber are such a cute couple too, but they won Survivor so it is time for that other couple to win. and any woman who would do something like that deserves it.

Okay, sorry for babbling...Gotta run, HAGD e1! :D

PS: DH is biting the bullet, we are going car shopping this weekend too..woo-hoo...he loves new cars, and is ready for the change...Okay by me... ;)

Hey now, we've not watched our tape of this week's Amazing Race yet! We hope Rob and Amber win...They're good players in whatever they do, why not let them excel? I would love to have even half the competitive spirit those two do. *sigh*

It's hard getting past the lies we've heard and told ourselves all our lives, I hear you. The only way to even start getting past them and to build up that missing self confidence is to start acknowledging the good things about ourselves, treat ourselves right, and stay focused on that.

I am back! We went MAJORLY grocery shopping, so I am pretty stocked up, we'll make a trip to the fruit stand tomorrow for spahgetti squash and lettuce. Josh seems to have smarten up, he was going to get some coke, but got the C2 coke instead, because I can have it (very limited amounts). Also he didn't pick anything out that would be a huge temptation for me (usually frozen pizza and coke), so I'm happy enough. We'll see how the week will go though, I have 2 weeks of being completely sugar free before I will start adding things in. I loosely follow the South Beach diet, very loosely. I am now eating this odd dish, I was hungry one day and threw together extra lean ground beef, celery + garlic (the flavor base), and a can of crushed tomatos, and of course random seasoning. It tastes really yummy! This is my lunch, and for dinner I'll have a stirfry with chicken, asparagus, and broccoli in a curry sauce. As for snacks, fat free yogurt, and cheese strings (Jill.. ;) ). So besides my breakfast, it's going to be a perfectly on plan day :)

Diana - you are back! Glad to hear everything is all good on your end :) I can't wait to hear your measurements! If people are noticing, there has to be some inches lost! You did take your measurements right? As for modelling for me? I'm thinking about it, I have a bit of weight to lose, so it might be a few months, but I'm entertaining the idea. I'm like you though, I don't have the confidence, I just fake it! Mine isn't from my family though, my mom always told me I was beautiful and perfect, but I've always been really sensitive to what people think of me. And turns out a lot of people think that a size 5 is fat! Stupid people.

Kimberley - Those jeans sound horrible!! Get rid of them! Thank you, it's hard to remember that the TOM weight will go away, seeing a 6 pound gain was frightening. It WILL go, I just can't wait! heh. It's most definitely TOM weight, when Josh and I were in the grocery store I started to tear up as we passed by the butter. Not for any real reason.. but just because. BTW, Dr Phil isn't a good show to watch with PMS, it was really a tear jerker today!

Okay, I gotta go get my Glamour workout in before my friend calls and we go for coffee (we'll see about that.. she's a flake). Either way, the workout has to be done! I'm thinking I might even do a 1mile WATP workout.

-Aimee

Alright, no WATP tape, that Glamour workout really tired me out! My legs feel like jelly, I think thats a good thing though. It only took 30 minutes, and it was a full body workout with some intervals of cardio. Alright, dinner time!

-Aimee

Just checking in...Was out at the arboretum this evening taking pictures of the gorgeous blooming crabapples, then I went grocery shopping. MMMM-MMMM! Good stuff in the cart, cabinets now full of canned veggies and the fridge is full of all manner of veggies. My feetsa's is killin' me, though...Note to self: Do not wear your comfy sandals to traipse through the apple grove and supermarkets. They're comfy for the brief jaunt here and there, but not for the long haul.

Kimberley - tomorrow is your weigh in! Sounds like you had a nice day, minus the sore feet. Canned veggies? I don't know that I've ever had anything but tomatos from a can before. I used to eat canned fruit, it was short lived thing, they didn't taste as good as fresh. I think I'm lucky, we always have fresh, cheap veggies and fruit.

Well thats all for me today, I sure posted enough times. I'm going to drink some peppermint tea to calm my tummy, and then hit the sack. Nite! :)

-Aimee

Good morning! I know I always complain about being tired, but today I am hard-core tired. The restaurant got pretty darn busy last night. We usually cut our first section of servers by about 8pm, but last night, it was busy enough that they didn't get cut until after 9. Then when we only had 2 servers left (the closers), we got a little pop and had like 9 or 10 tables sat just a half hour before we closed. Yes, we close at 11, but that really means we want people OUT by 11, not coming in at 10:55! So yeah, instead of leaving about 10:45-ish like normal, I was stuck in the restaurant helping the servers and doing closing work until 11:35. By the time I got home, I just wanted to strip off my smoke-smelly clothes and crash in bed, but my toe was doing pretty badly from all the running around I'd done all night. I didn't have time to soak it (pretty sure I would have fallen asleep and woken up to a cold pruned foot), so I cleaned it with peroxide and put some pain-relief Neosporin and band-aids on it for the night. I cleaned it off with more peroxide this morning after my shower and left the band-aids off for the day so it could breathe. Hopefully, it will dry out and heal up nicely like it did last weekend (as long as I stick with the flip-flops instead of socks and sneakers).

So yeah, when my alarm went off at 4:22 this morning, I was still a little sleepy, since I had not gone to bed until about 12:05, and by then I was so wound up that it took me a while to actually fall asleep. I had some stress from the day job yesterday, too. They asked me to come in this weekend to work. This is the third weekend in a row they have asked me to come in. Granted, I didn't actually come in the past 2 weekends because I was at Jeff's, but still. Maybe if there's so much work to do, they need to hire someone else. Now, I am all about helping out and doing my part and working hard and yadda yadda yadda, but between the 2 jobs, I am already working 70 hours in my 5-day week. I really don't want to give up my weekend! Also, I am salaried, so I won't get overtime or anything. I will basically be volunteering my weekend away. Of course, I'm a big weenie and can't say no, so I said I cold come in in the mornings for a few hours if they needed me to. The problem is that I work with people for whom this job is their life, ya know? My boss has no husband, no boyfriend, no pets that require much attention (she has a snake), she lives alone, and most of her friends are other people who work here, so she thinks nothing of working on something from 10am till 1:30am if she has to. This is her career--we work on EPA documents, and she went to school for environmental science. Works for her. For me, however, this is just a stepping-stone to something better. I don't want to be a technical writer forever. I want to be in marketing/advertising/sales assistance--something a little more exciting and fun. I hate that I have no communication with the outside world here--I'd much rather be dealing with customers and clients and sales people and stuff. Therefore, I feel that for as much work as I do here (and for as little pay as I get), I'm wasting my time! If they actually paid me enough here so I didn't have to work nearly 30 hours at the restaurant each week, then maybe it'd be a different story. I know I should maybe find a new job, but I have only been here since November, and this coming November, I will probably be moving when when my lease runs out, so I don't want to start a new job here and have to move and switch jobs again in 6 months. ARGH! so frustrating...but I'll survive :^:

So, I may not get to do as much car shopping as I'd hoped if I have to work this weekend. We'll see how that goes. I think my current car knows I'm thinking of a new one--it was particularly smooth and peppy on the drive home last night. She's trying to prove to me she's still got what it takes. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late :p
I didn't pack any food for today. If I need a snack, there are 100-calorie bags of Smartfood popcorn (yum!) in the vending machines. The cafeteria has a salad bar, so I can make me a good salad for lunch. Dinner tonight will be out splurging with Jeff (assuming I can stay awake for dinner). I really need to clean my apartment, too. Right now, there are piles of mail and dirty clothes and dishes and trash and...I have NO time to clean or do laundry or even run the dishwasher (it's even stated in our lease that we're not supposed to run them after 10pm or before 8am because you can hear it in the apartment below you, so I'm never even home during the "dishwasher-allowed" hours). So yeah. Usual complaints--I'm tired and broke and frustrated. Sorry about the big Jill pity party today. I'm just not quite energetic enough to be chipper this morning. On the bright side, it's Friday, so make it a Fabulous one, ladies! :D

Jill - there must be something in the water, the internet water of course, because I don't think we are on the same water system. Anywho, I feel very blah today. Partly it's the crazy headache I have, Josh is going to go get me some coffee soon, I'm hoping it will help. I'm going thru serious sugar and caffiene withdrawl. It hurts! Everytime I move I kinda feel like barfing, I've taken tons of tylenol, and hope this coffee will help. I will be back later to post properly. Gotta lay down or something.

Kimberley - where are you weigh in girl?!?!

-Aimee

Heya, heya! Howie made it...He's in TWO-rific territory at 297lbs today! I am down to 229lbs today. :dizzy: Can't believe it.

We went out to Dawe's Arboretum for a bit after enjoying our Egg McMuffins (do you know the McMuffin man? LOL). Howie didn't have his camera and got a little peturbed when I kept oohing and aahing, asking him to stop the van so I could jump out and get pictures of the gorgeous rain-soaked greenery. I put my camera away after that. But, we walked a little on the boardwalk in the cypress swamp (yes, we have a cypress swamp in Ohio!) and I took a few more then. ;)

Here's a few from today. The white flower is a trillium, Ohio's State Flower. The boardwalk is in the cypress swamp and the green glob is salamander eggs in the water at the cypress swamp.

Woohoo Kimberley! I am so happy for you :) You go girl! ;)

I'm feeling SO much better after my huge starbucks coffee :) I am a new person! I'm not too sure about eating, I just feel like I have the flu.. even though I know it's just sugar withdrawl. It's going to be worth it! Just look at my weight ticker.. I'm already down 2 pounds.

Now I need to vent, my new boss was supposed to call me on Tuesday and let me know my schedule, but I still hadn't heard from her today, so I called with more questions (she hasn't been telling me enough info). But she was too busy to answer, and so now I'm worried she's going to be as useless as the boss I just left. I sure hope not though. Even so, it's closer to home, right? I gotta be positive. Worst comes to worst, I'll try and get a job at the gap, my true clothing home.

Enough venting, I am going out to enjoy the sun :) Have a great day, STAY ON PLAN! GET SOME EXERCISE! FEEL FABULOUS! :)

-Aimee