Hey, Howie and I were just saying today that coffee is the one vice we don't plan on giving up, Aimee. ;) Hey, the ticker moved down - yay! I haven't updated mine yet, whoops.

Maybe new boss is just swamped with contacting the applicants who didn't get hired, or has been wrapping up interviews. Don't go in with preconceived notions, just enjoy the new territory and put your best foot forward.

We got into early summer mode and went to Coney Island again -- only it's not early summer, it's April AND IT'S COLD. Maybe not the best idea...Bad Idea Jeans, as a matter of fact. It was fun to be outside for a few hours. Luckily the Parks Dept heats the bathrooms or else I'd probably be suffering from hypothermia right now.

Went to the gym early this morning (before CI). Felt good. I lost last week's gain, which leaves me at my ticker weight, sigh. Next week I'll leave the 270s. Gotta be patient sometimes. I think I had a fantasy that I'd join the gym and lose 10 lbs a week :rofl:

Congrats to you and Howie, Kimberley! Believe it! You're really getting down there! Nice pics, I like the cypress boardwalk. There's a place north of here called the Innisfree Garden that you'd love. It has a bridge that goes over a lake right at the surface of the lake, so you feel like you're almost walking on the water.

I am trying to look at this as an adjustment in my life, as opposed to a diet. -- Diana

Me too, Diana. Family can truly suck sometimes, even if they don't mean to. You have a great personality, it surprised me to read that you feel like you don't have self esteem, I don't get that vibe from you. You seem to me to be a doer. You go after what you want, with the exercise, with your interests. I admire that.

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. --Aimee

Yeah, it gets complicated, doesn't it. It's never us alone with the weight loss, it's the people around us too. Did you see that episode of Extreme Makeovers with the guy who lost hundreds of lbs (can't remember how much) and his wife stayed heavy. I couldn't help thinking to myself that that must have been a scary dynamic -- but he obviously loved her very much and didn't put any pressure on her to lose the weight.

I think it feels scary to me sometimes too how much weight I have to lose. It's like Rob always says though, I just need to stick with it and keep my eye on the prize. What else am I going to do, freak out and eat 2 dozen glazed doughnuts? :lol: :dizzy:

So, you saw that episode of phil? I was sobbing :lol: I had to laugh when I saw you mention that. Two women, in two different countries, watching the same episode of Dr. Phil, both PMSing, and sobbing as that poor woman got that 7-foot $15,000 check, heh heh.

Hang in there, Jill. I bet it all changes before you know it. You have a right to b&m. I did do a double take at the boss with the pet snake. I do like snakes, but never had much of an urge to have one as a pet. I guess that does give you some real insight into what might be happening there at that job....

Heather, I can never remember being in a school play at that age -- they just made us give concerts (I played the clarinet). I think I tortured my parents more than gave them an experience of thinking I was cute in a play :lol: When I think of all those sour notes in front of all those parents, :o ;)

Have a good Friday night, everyone, Fab Ladies.

I am trying to look at this as an adjustment in my life, as opposed to a diet. -- Diana

Ditto...we count on the fact that calorie counting is just a fact of life for us because it keeps us on track.

Well, we have to get up at 6:30am, and we're still up. Heading out to Cincinnati about 7:30am and may not get back here until Sunday when we scout out a spot to grab a of coffee and wi-fi!

Hey Ladies! I have quite the busy day, spent WAY too much money. We bought the bf's neice 2 pairs of shoes at BOGO, and a cute little visor, the bf also took me out for lunch and then we had to buy him a new pair of work pants. It adds up though, eh? 130 bucks later! My lunch was SO good though, and the bf's parents made dinner for us, so it was a really good day in that sense. Although, I cheated. I had fruit (no sugar added), fat free organic sugar free yogurt, and ice all blended up. Sounds good, but it's that fruit thing. I'll know tomorrow on the scale how bad it was.

Marge - you are too funny, I totally laughed about that whole Dr Phil thing, good to hear I'm not the only one who gets like that! Did you see Oprah that day? I almost started to cry.. but was so tired nothing came out. heh. So I only have 100 pounds to lose now, but still overwhelming. Sometimes it's better to know how much exactly you have to lose, sometimes it really helps me stay on plan.. othertimes not so much.

Kimberley - mmmm, coffee. I drink specialty coffee's, so they tend to add up pretty quickly. Have a great time :) Whats wi-fi?

I am off to hem Josh's pants! Have a great one!

-Aimee

I missed the Oprah. ha. Probably would have cried at that too. Hey, we watched Globe Trekker this morning (a travel show on PBS) and guess where they went -- Canada, and Vancouver! The host guy went to the anthropology museum there, and ate lunch at an indigenous peoples restaurant.

I need to get new jeans, have to do that tomorrow. I'll take the train into manhattan and go to the Lane Bryant near Macys. And i'll get some undersquares. Tomorrow is another gym day too. So think I'll lounge today. Maybe do some cleaning.

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. -- Diana

That's cool, Diana. There's a huge loop in the park here, and lots of dirt paths, people use mostly 10 speeds but we see quite a few dirt bikes too.

Marge - I wanna come shopping too! ;) Make sure your jeans aren't tapered! I once had a customer who told me that tapered pants look better than ones with a straight line from mid-thigh down, she told me my pants made my thighs look bigger. She was insane! heh. "undersquares" ?

So that "cheating" I did yesterday? It wasn't bad. My scale was happy with me this morning, so thats that! My friend is supposed to call me this morning, and we are supposed to go for coffee. I have a feeling I won't be getting a call though, why the HECK am I friends with so many flakey people?!? Alrighty, I'm gonna change my ticker, and then enjoy some more sun! I already have a slight tan, most noticable on my foot because I was in the sun washing the car yesterday, or supervising while the bf did it, heh :)

-Aimee

Hi all, just a quickie...been out looking at cars, are waiting for them to get in a blue Camry, SE, then we will buy it...
I hate jeans that have a flared bottom..I like a relaxed fit I guess, the basic jean that has been around for hundreds of years lol...
well, tomorrow is weigh in and measurement day, boy I am sure hoping i see something, after over 3 weeks of Curves and cutting back...it would be real disappointing to have seen nothing. But I will NOT get discouraged, will just work harder..
I love my bike...it's a DiamondBack...I had a Specialized before, but I hated it, cannot get used to having to raise my leg up over the top bar, the Diamondback is a woman's Mountain Bike, and it is made so I am not so hunched over and it has shocks in the seat. Nice and comfy.
Well am off..Busy busy busy...will be out in the yard all day tomorrow...MY sis-in-law may be here too, which will be nice, but after a couple of hours of looking at her Mullet, I am ready to see her home...lol..She is so immature, she is 6 months younger than me and has no clue what life is all about. She still lives at home scot free...It will be a rough year for her, when His dad gets the house sold, she will have no choice but to grow up...

see ya all tomorrow, hope everyone is haveing a great weekend!!!

Well, a little something to brighten my mood today--I bought a new car! Well, I actually get it and finish the paperwork tomorrow since they didn't have the color I wanted in stock, but I put a holding deposit on it and have to go back tomorrow at 3. It will be a black 2005 Honda Civic LX--power everything and remote keyless entry. I'm so excited! PLUS they gave me $1150 for my trade-in (Kelly Blue Book said I would only get $700 on my trade-in, and I figured even less since it needs so much work). Of course, I had test-driven a Toyota Corolla earlier and gotten financing info on that, so when I went to Honda, I was like, well toyota was going to give me a new corolla for about 250 a month, and toyota was going to give me 1000 for my trade-in...it worked like a charm. MSRP on my car according to the Honda website is $16,410 plus title, tax, tags, and fees. I got mine for $13,900 bottom line (title, tax, tags, and fees included), so I think I did alright for my first car-buying experience, especially since I had originally been quoted $13,700 for the VP (step down from mine). Oh, it's just so great to know I don't have to worry about my car anymore. I don't even have to have my first tune-up on the Honda until 110,000 miles, and oil changes are recommended every 5000 instead of 3000 miles. WOOHOO!

Aside from that, my diet has been my typical weekend diet--crappy! The scale was still at 304.5 this morning (AFTER I ate breakfast), so I think I'm still doing okay. Have to wait till Thursday to know for sure.

Howie must be SO excited! I'm still struggling to get into the 200s, but at least I'm still down from where I started.

Diana--the new Camrys are nice! I have a 1993 Camry now (well, until I trade it in tomorrow), and I think the only reason I am having so much trouble with it is that the previous owner must not have maintained it very well. I would definitely still be willing to buy a new Toyota--they get EXCELLENT reviews. Heck, I almost bought a Corolla this morning (but had to at least check out the Civic for peace of mind--ended up Honda just had the better deal for me).

Aimee--I'm sure your new job will still be much much better than your old one. Just think, it couldn't be much worse, right? :dizzy:

Marge--I think I'm done with the b&m for now...got the new-car-smell high! ;)

wtg Jill...thats great...we always buy Toyotas or Hondas...I have a 2003 Matrix now, only has 23,000 mi on it. Only trading it because DH trades cars in every 3-4 years...He got a new truck last year ( 2005 Tundra double cab) so he decided this year it is my turn., he never really cared for it too much anyhow since it is made with Pontiac parts and rattles like crazy...When I first moved here, 7 years ago, he leased me a new Acura CL Coupe ( cranberry red, loaded), which was a beautiful car, but too low to the ground for my tastes..So am not complaining~we can afford to do this. I had to ride the bus and walk it in OHIO. Well, WTG woohoo how exciting for you! HAG1!

Jill - I am so excited for you!! Thats wicked, a new honda civic.. I'm jealous! Yay!

Diana - you too! Holy cow, you are all getting new cars!! My bf wants a Toyota Tundra or Tacoma, with a quad cab. I don't think we will get one though, gas prices are INSANE! We are paying 105.9/L, we've been holding steady around 89.9 to 99.9 for the last year or so. Too expensive. I don't know what that is in American, heh. I can never convert L's to Gallons.

Alrighty ladies, we have 1 more day left in this weekend, we have to stay on plan! Exercise too! However I hear that 80% of weight loss is what you put into your mouth. So lets watch those calories, sugar, or whatever you need to watch!

-Aimee

Hey all...well, not able to use MILs scale she is not home, so will use the calibrated scale at Curves tomorow. I do know I have lost significant inches in a month...ya all ready for this? okay, total inches lost is..............17.75 inches lost. I cannot believe it. Must have really been bloated when I first measured last month. Lost 1/2 in my neck, 2 in my arm, 5 in my chest, 4 in my waist, 3 in my hips, and 2.25 in my calf, my thighs are .5 inches smaller. we measred it twice to make sure. Amazing..So I am happy with that.
well, am off, got a lot of crafts to finish this week, HAG1 All! Diana

PS" Aimee~~ I know that per gallon, and we use Middle grade gas, it was $2.49/gallon the other day. Crazy...

Diana - you worked VERY hard for that, don't discredit yourself! I doubt you were feeling bloated a month ago.. you really just worked that hard! I am so so so happy for you!! Keep at it, and soon I can call you a "skinny b*tch"! ;)

I am heading to work, oh yay? after this I only have 1 more shift! Have a great Sunday, Stay on plan.. all that good stuff :)

-Aimee

Way to go, Diana! You're the incredible shrinking woman! Congratulations!

That mountain bike sounds like something I'd like to get. I'm going to check into that. It's really a future purchase; I don't think I'm quite ready for a bike right now.

Aimee, I hate to say that TOM came yesterday so I decided to put off the jean shopping until next week. In the mid-80s tapered jeans were a huge fad (with zippers at the bottoms of the legs). I had several pairs of those and even though I was about 70 lbs slimmer than I am now, I did indeed look like an ice cream cone! Kylie and I were joking about that on another thread. I learned my lesson from that! heh heh. I'm moving on to other Glamour Don'ts! (Rob and I joke undersquares instead of underwear, I know, pret-ty immature of us! :^: )

And CONAGRATS on the loss :) I love it when those numbers go down!

I had a guy I worked with who's wife went to San Diego (she's as white as I am -- which is in the Casper range). She walked on the beach for one day and sunburned the tops of her feet. He got a little offended that I laughed when he told me the story. It's not like I was laughing at her pain, I just can relate to burning that easily.

Congrats on the new car, Jill!! Very cool. Enjoy that high!!! You've worked hard for it. :)

Definitely my Fridays off and the weekends are where I have the most trouble. Now that we're running around more I get tempted to eat more treats too. I'm really happy with the gym (went this morning), but you're right, Aimee, the diet has to stay steady to make it work. Next Friday is my last weigh in for April, it's already much better than March. March I gained a half a pound (!!!) for the total month. April I've already lost about 3 lbs for the total month (and still have next week).

I'm right on the cusp of being in double digits left lose and right on the cusp on being in the next set of 10 lbs to lose, so I want this week to be a GREAT one!!! Let's all kick Marge's butt into gear ! :lol:

Hey, guys! We're back in Columbus and sipping some light roast at Cup O' Joe in German Village. Lots of interesting people to watch. Howie and I are IM-ing back and forth so we're not rudely talking about others out loud, LOL. ;) Seriously, there are some *interesting* people here today!

Great to hear you found a car, Jill. And congrats on more loss, Aimee! And Diana, you are unstoppable...All those inches gone to the land of missing socks.

Our gardening get-together was fun. We did indeed get rained out, but one of the locals hosted us at her house. It was HUGE. Seriously, we could have fit four or five of our house in there, maybe more. It was beautiful and full of beautiful things, but it was just too perfect, you know what I mean? But OH what a yard they had, full of trees and backing up against Woodland Mound Park. They get all kinds of birds and wildlife there and their feeders were busy all day.

Howie and I made good choices at the get-together, but did decide to make Saturday our treat day when some others mentioned going out to eat later on that day. We enjoyed crab legs and other goodies at a Chinese buffet, but didn't pig out.

The B&B was restful and a welcome getaway - the innkeepers were really down-to-earth, nice folks, too. Kimberly greeted us with hugs!

I'll post more later, once we get home. :)

WB Kimberley! Glad to hear you had a good time, and were a good girl! Sounds like a nice house, I love those big picture perfect houses, I couldn't live in one because I'm pretty messy. And I definitely couldn't clean one. But they are nice to look at! The houses up by where I live are SO nice! Josh and I sometimes drive around looking at all the new houses, I cannot believe the view some of them have, or why people even need a house THAT big. Still... it would be nicer than my tiny little place. Thanks for noticing my weight loss, I imagine part of those 5 pounds is water, but I'll take it!

Marge - I don't really burn, I am part native, I also have a nice complexion from that too. I already have a cute little tan on my face, I just say cute because I get freckles. I've had a couple burns, not too pleasant. I can't imagine having to put on sunscreen all the time in order to not get burnt. And burning the tops of your feet? Yikes! Sounds painful! I am waiting for TOM to arrive, I am now 2 days late. Luckily there is NO chance I'm preggo, I'm just late. I sorta went shopping today! Bought a pink tank top - men's style - for when I go for walks, and socks! heh. Lame shopping.

I was almost completely on plan today! I had some tempura, which was off plan because of the batter. But the little cheats keep me sane, like my daily coffee. I had TWO of them today, and be careful.. I know how to make them and only need 1 thing to make them at home. Fear my specialty coffee making skills! ;) I'm going to go try and convince my bf he's tired.. nite! :)

-Aimee

Ahh, Monday morning--everyone's favorite time of the week! :rolleyes:

I had a minor freak-out this morning. :o I drove my new car (picked it up yesterday) to work this morning. When I came into the office, I went to put my lunch pack on my desk. I noticed this orangey-colored liquid that looked like it was leaking from my lunch pack. I immediately grabbed a stack of paper towels and small bottle of water. I couldn't believe I got my car dirty in less than a day! When I got out to my car, though, there was nothing. I felt the seat and the floor--everything was dry. *WHEW!* I think the liquidy substance came from the wrapper from my breakfast (a Yoplait frozen yogurt/orange sherbet frozen breakfast sandwich). Luckily it only got on my lunch bag and NOT on my car. Crisis averted.

So anyway...I have to tell you what happened to Jeff this weekend. He was driving to my house on Friday afternoon, as per usual, and he was truckin' along on the highway (those of you who know I-95 know that it is not exactly a desolate country road--very busy highway at almost any time of any day). So there he is, just driving along, when *BAM* his front passenger window explodes! :fr: He never saw if anything hit it, never found anything in the car that may have hit it, but it just shattered into thousands of pieces. There was not a piece of glass left that was more than maybe a jagged 1/8-inch square. It was insane. Luckily, he wasn't hurt by any of the glass (it flew all over the car, including the driver's side back seat). I was also insanely relieved that it didn't cause him to get into an accident. I know if that happened to me, it would have scared me so much I would have hit something else, I'm sure. :eek: He said it sounded like an explosion, and the glass just shattered all over the place. So we had to spend a good part of Saturday finding someone to fix his window (we vacuumed out all the glass we could and put sran wrap on the window on Friday night). It's all fixed now, but it was just so crazy (and kinda scary to think about).

Thanks to all for the congrats on my new car--I'm still so excited! Our gas here has gone down to $2.09/gallon for the regular. Not bad considering it was $2.21/gallon a few weeks ago.

Awesome work on the inches lost, Diana! I haven't taken any measurements. I know I should, but it's so depressing to even see where I'm starting. I can tell a little bit of a difference in the way my clothes fit, though (like I said, even though I haven't lost a ton of weight yet, I think things are shifting around, ya know?).

Marge, I, too, am in the Casper range. I have had sunburn on the tops of my feet, which sucks cuz then you have to wear the same sandals till it heals because other sandals will rub the burn and make it hurt more...I am well on my way to skin cancer with multiple serious burns in my history. Even when I wear sunblock, I sometimes burn. So, I try to steer clear of relentless hours in the sun. I NEVER tan--other people say, oh just burn once and it'll turn to tan. Heck no! My skin color choices are red, pink, white. There is no tan to be found :p

Sounds like you had an awesome weekend, Kimberely--very relaxing!

Aimee--1 more shift!! When is your first day of the new job?

I got on the scale this morning (bad Jill--Thursday is weigh-in day!). I was pleasantly surprised with my post-weekend weight. Hopefully, that will carry on to Thursday. I packed my food for today sensibly, so as long as I continue to have a good week, I should love the scale on Thursday morning ;)

Well, that's certainly enough out of me for now. Hope ya'll have a Magnificent Monday to start off the week!

hey all, gotta change my ticker, but only lost 2 pounds this time. I cannot fathom how I could have lost so many inches and only 2 pounds, but am guessing it has to do with building muscle, etc...Everything is so comlicated eh? I am on a mission, and by Christmas I will be my old HOT self, this is a guarantee. I am going to have DH take a couple of b4 pics for here, and will start a progress Blog, will let you all know when this is done. Today, I am taking my first walk in over a month, it should be interesting. but very little bit will help. Drinking a Slimfast shake right now, am sticking with that over the next month or so too, just to get myself a head start.
LOL Jill, I can relate, I get so nervous with new Vehicles. Looks like Dh has made his decision, going for the Camry SE today or tomorrow ( Black, Sunroof, spoiler, etc)...
the Navy one got sold. UGH!!!!
well just on for a sec..HAVE FUN e1, and thansk for the Supportive words...This is a journey, that is for certain...

I don't like Mondays, nope, not at all. The temp is in the 40s today; I AM COLD.

So there he is, just driving along, when *BAM* his front passenger window explodes! --Jill

WOW. That's really scary. He definitely has a cool gene. I once had my hood pop up in the middle of a freeway, going from Walnut Creek to Berkeley. I had to look at the road in that little space between the hood and the top of the car to navigate until I could pull over. Luckily there wasn't much traffic at all.

Aimee, I was 3 days late :lol: I have coffee every day. I'm an addict. I figure it's less than 2 cups and I just put a little whole milk in it, can't be the worst thing. There's a local store we buy it from, they keep a cat in the front and have a basket for it. Rob buys the coffee and the cat they used to have loved him (the store people said that cat never liked anybody, ha). It passed away a few months ago. Now it's a new kitty (has to get to know Rob).

I will usually burn, then tan, and I have a ton of freckles.

Diana, don't let the numbers frustrate you. It's true muscles are more dense and so heavier than fat. And you've been doing a ton of exercise -- and have lost lots of inches. :)

Welcome back, Kimberley. Got any pics of Germantown? Sounds like an interesting place.

I don't have any recent pictures of German Village, not from times other than Christmas. Oh, I'll tell ya, I'm pooped today. We don't normally do so much running around on the weekends, let alone get up so early two days in a row and keep going all day long!

On the way home we stopped at not one, but TWO, factory outlet malls (yay, Howie!). I'd never been in the Liz Claiborn Woman store, and thought their clothes were really pretty. But DANG, they are pricey, even at the outlet store! :P At Casual Male, Howie found a new lined flannel shirt to use as a jacket...He only had to get a 2x this time instead of a 5x!

Goodmorning girls!! The sun is shining, and it's VERY hot out.. well hot considering it's April. I'm going to slap some sunscreen on and get a little sun later :) Ah the summer, I love it!

Jill - thats completely scary what happened to Jeff! I would probably have freaked out, slammed on my brakes, something un-safe probably. Gotta make you wonder what happened, eh? My mom bought her Honda Civic in 2001, and it's still the way she bought it, she's in love with her car. Once we were coming home from shopping in Spokane, and we decided to stop at the new Krispy Kreme, we only bought coffee believe it or not! Anywho, as we were pulling out, someone hit her car. Her bumper was crushed. Thankfully the people gave us their info and her car was fixed, but as we stopped at the border, the border guy said to my mom, you know your bumper was hit. That pissed her off, her beloved car! So she actually said to him " yah, I know, you don't have to REMIND me". I thought we were going to be taken "inside". But she told him it was a new car, and I guess he understood why she was being so mouthy. Heh, still funny though!

Diana - if you are only doing a weight program, it totally makes sense to me why you'd lose mostly inchs! I'd glad you did measurements, can you imagine how you'd feel if you hadn't? 2 pounds feels like a bummer, but that many inchs is SOOO good! Keep it up, I'd say definitely add some walking in. You go girl ;)

Marge - are we the same person? my god! I think I'm also 3 days late now. Except I tan ;)

Kimberley - I would be mighty pooped after that kinda weekend! It's nice to shrink, and wowsers, Howie really HAS shrunk!

I am off to eat breakfast! Have a great day gals :)

-Aimee

hey all, ty for the great support, And you are so right. Wasn't able to walk today, so windy and cold would have been lucky to make it to the end of the street b4 turning back around, lol I HATE WIND...Only time it is great is kite flying and sailing , lol. So, tomorrow will be warmer, and I am going when I get back from Curves...So far, today this is all I ahve eaten:
Slimfast shake for Breakfast, and 2 C of coffee, no sugar
I glass of raspberry tea
1 Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with mustard and lowfat swiss,
60 oz of water so far
I C of raw veggies and dip with a small piece of meatloaf from yesterday's dinner
for dinner: Tossed salad with home made dressing ( vinegar, oil, water, and herbs)
1/2 of a tuna sandwich on whole wheat...
20 oz of water
That will be it
Doesn't sound too bad...
Well, am off, oh, and Jill, I forgot to mention about your BF and that freak thing. Wow, luckily he is okay, did someone throw something at his car? Geez, good thing you weren't in the passenger seat...
I am not exactly Casper, but not dark either. I have part Ottawa Indian in me ( My great Grandmother was ), but my parents are french and german too, so I guess that explains that. Rodney is french and Native American, so he goes outside one day and turns dark. I have to get burnt first...And I have had the tops of my feet burnt too. My cousins have a cabin in Muskegon MI, close to both Lake MI, and Silver lake, well, to get to Silver lake, you have to hop in Dune Buggies to get to it, and it is just beautiful, but the sand, WOWEEE gets very hot...I would love to take Rodney there someday he would have a blast.
well, am off have to throw some tuna salad together, HAG1...:)

Hope there wasn't another Charles McCoy shooting from overpasses. It was awful not knowing who was taking pot shots at cars.

Howie and I worked out tails off in the office and bedroom today, de-cluttering and reorganizing. And his mom came up and cleaned our living room for us! What a blessing...Many hands make light work (and light hearts). I still have some organizing to do and then need to dust and vacuum the office and bedroom, but it's all downhill from here.

Been on plan today, glad to be back to familiar food and plans! Made a *really* yummy salad for the three of us today...This is pretty close to the measurements, I think:

1/2 a medium red onion, finely diced
2 small mango fruits, diced coarsely
1 cup coarsely diced tomatoes (remove seeds and pulp first)
2 cups cucumbers, diced coarsely
1 whole jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped (or 2 Tbsp. cilantro paste from tube)

Just mix 'em all together. It is too spicy for me now that it's had several hours for the flavors and pepper oils to marry. Next time, I'm not including the pepper seeds or membrane!

Well, it's that time again--entirely too early in the morning to function. My boss left a pile of papers on my chair, but I haven't got a clue what I'm supposed to do with them! I'll take my best stab at it and turn it around as quickly as possible, but she doesn't come in till about 10:30 usually, so I at least have to take my own stab at it. I also have a fact sheet (kinda like a q&a style brochure) to write up about Medicare's new diabetes screening benefits (how exciting). At least it'll be something to put in my portfolio for when I try to find a new job. I've already got one major publication under my belt (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/psguid.pdf is the big one--just in case any of ya'll think I'm lazy because I'm always posting here in the morning from work :p ).

I was home about 9:15 last night. So nice! And I made a few dollars more than I would have if I were hostess until 11, so now I am a HUGE fan of serving over hostessing. I serve again tonight, so hopefully it'll be the same story (need the $$ for the new car payment). I think next week, I serve 3 nights and only hostess once. Perfect! Especially since I think she is keeping me as Thursday night hostess, which is the night the hostess makes the most $$ (they make less on weekends because they have to split it since there are 2 hosts on at a time, whereas I work alone on Thursday nights).

I had a problem yesterday in fitting all of my calories into my day. I didn't have time for dinner before work, so I didn't eat the mac n' cheese, apple, and chex mix I had packed. That's 300 calories out of my 1444-calorie day, which left me eating only 1144 for the whole day--not good. So even thought I wasn't hungry when I came home, I had a bowl of cereal. Should have been around 400 calories, which actually bossted me up to 1544 for the day, which probably closer to how much I actually should be eating. I find it SO easy not to overeat when I have to pack everything for the day, and I don't have time sitting at home to worry about grazing in the evenings (used to be a problem for me). I think I'm doing well this week--I hope Thursday morning's weigh-in shows some good results (I have even been working harder at the restaurant--running around more, wiping of more tables, etc.--since I haven't been going to the gym on account of my toe). I just neeeeeed to get below 300. In March of last year, I was about 275. How much damage can I do in a year...:mad:

Diana--yes, it all is entirely too complicated! Muscles weighs more than fat but takes up less space, so inches lost will be more than pounds lost blah blah blah...of course, I'd much rather lose inches than pounds any day, so rick on, girl! The inches lost is what makes the clothes look and feel better and gives you the confidence in knowing you look better and are healthier! Dang, if I were 300 pounds of muscles (as scary as that would be), I'd be a whole lot happier! (I also probably wouldn't have ANY boobs or hips--ever notice how manly those body-building women are on tv? ugh!)

Kimberley--I hate when I go to outlet stores only to find I still can't afford the stuff! I get all excited to go outlet shopping, and then I come home with like a new pair of socks cuz that's all I could afford :dizzy:
Marge--not quite 40s here, but still lowe 60s, which is still too cold for this time of year, especially when it was over 80 just a few weekends ago! I wish it would just pick something and run with it--either stay hot or cold for a while. This switching back and forth all the time thing has gotten pretty old! Growing up in CT, I was always told it was a New England thing, but now that I have also lived in southern PA, Virginia Beach, and here in Northern VA, I see it is not just a local fickle weather epidemic :p

Aimee--Hi! Shining sun and hot outside--I am jealous!

Where's our Heather been lately? Hope she's doing okay with everything.

Alright, time to do the innevitable--work! Have a Terrific Tuesday, Fabs!

LOL hey Jill~~~ When I shared a house a few years ago with a male dancer, he owned his own company ( like the Chippendales, even one of his dancers became one) and when I answered the phone i used to have to answer it lik "Action Dancing, can I help you?", LOL, which was fun living there as a 20 year old girl, especially when he had all the guys come for practice sessions, I LOVED that hehe...he had girl dancers too, but not my thing!...he wanted me to train to be a body builder, he thought I would be perfect for it, He also wanted me to join his group, but that is a whole other story, LOL..I do have a lot of muscle mass, so this is why most people do not think I weight as much as I do...DH calls me his Amazon temptress, LOL...WTG, I looked at the link, now we all know what you, do...very interesting...Well, am off, HAG1 All...gonna go do my first walk in over a month, if I walk from our house, around the other side of the loop and down the road to our town Hall and gazebo that is just over .6 of a mile, so I have to walk back right, LOL, that will be a good start and not so boring as doing to loops...

:lol: I'm picturing Marge the linebacker, heh heh.

Marge - are we the same person? my god! I think I'm also 3 days late now. Except I tan --Aimee

If I were better dressed I'd almost think so! :lol: I have this spring scarf that I bought a couple of years ago that I was thinking of taking a pic of and asking you what I should wear it with. It's cute, but I can't seem to figure out what would work with it. BTW, I work for a criminal defense attorney if your mom ever does get "taken in" ;) We're aiming for 70 today, it's cool and sunny.

I've been pondering making salmon with a mango salad like that. Rob's going to make spinach lasagna today, so maybe on the weekend. I might have to omit the fresh jalapenos, I like them, but my body doesn't. :o (that's what's known as too much information). Good for Howie, he must feel like a different person. I lost 100 lbs in high school, and the terrible thing is that I don't remember what that felt like! This time I'm doing it gradually so it doesn't feel dramatically different. I feel like I have more energy and stamina, but it doesn't strike me as dramatic. I still have a ways to go. We'll see.

Went to the gym this morning, upped the treadmill a little. I felt my pecs (one of the resistance machines I use is for pecs). Odd sensation!

Well, I actually have a lot of work to get done today. Hope I can stay awake for it. I'll be starting a new threat beginning May, if you all want me to change the name, just let me know. Something with fab in it? Fab fit ladies?

(PS I never doubted you worked hard, Jill!)

Goodmorning !! Today is my last day of crappy job!! I am excited for it to be over, and bummed that it is over, and am going to miss my discount. I don't know if I'll miss the people, give me a few months..

So I cheated yesterday, badly. I had a child size ice cream, and a cookie. I got my on scale this morning, and yes I'm addicted, and I was up 1.5 pounds. My body just can't take all that sugar, grrr.. it's hard to have to work SO hard for weight loss. But I was back on plan last night for dinner, and am going to do great today. I packed up my lunch and snacks (is Jill rubbing off on me? ;) ), and besides my morning coffee, I'll be on plan!

Jill - you work? huh? ;) I am the one who is always on here when I should be doing something else, like blow drying my hair.. I have 20 minutes to pick an outfit and do my hair. Hehe, I'll be running late again. But I get a ride to work today :)

Diana - you've had quite the life eh? Always coming out with these stories..

Marge - I don't know that I'm all that great dressed, I just kinda wear what I want, and what fits.. lol. you work for a criminal defense attorney? That sounds interesting, what do you do? You know, I don't know that I really know what anyone here does exactly for a living. I obviously sell cheaply made plus size clothes.. heh..

Okay, I am running late, so I should get going! Have a great day girls! Stay on plan (I promise I will too this time! ;) )

-Aimee

Hye all...LOL @ Aimee~~~ yes, I guess I have had quite the life so far. But wouldn't trade any of it for a million bucks, some great times, some great friends, some great things to tell my Grandkids when I am old and gray. No one could ever accuse me of being a bore. I guess I would rather live than exist in life. I see a lot of people who just exist, ya know? Not me, I am enjoying the ride while I am on it...At least, when I do get old, I will be able to look back on my life and have a lot to be thankful for, some people have not experienced half of what I have, so that is something. well, hag1 e1, BBL!

I want to live! Right now, I exist. I move robotically from one job to the next, same routine all week, tired all weekend, blah blah blah...I did used to have some fun! When I lived in an apartment on campus with 5 other girls in college, one of my roommate's boyfriend's brothers ran a XXX website and was starting a 900-number phone service to go with it. He asked us if we would work for him talking dirty to the guys who called in. He was going to pay us $20 an hour, so we were all about it--came up with fake names and everything! Then he got arrested for dealing drugs, so that plan went out the window, but it was fun to think about :p

When I moved into my off-campus house my senior year, I lived less than a block from "the bar" (the only bar within walking distance of campus). I lived with a girl on the Dance Team and 2 male wrestlers. What a time we had! Parties every night, even when we didn't plan on them. When the bar closed, people would just sort of migrate over to our house at 2am. Needless to say, some interesting things happened. I remember waking up one night about 3am and going downstairs to find an actual wrestling match taking place in the dining room. I just rolled my eyes and went back to bed since I had class at 8am :dizzy: They also almost burned the hwole house down once when they decided to all be martial artists and karate chop all of our dining room chairs into smaller pieces. They then proceeded to stack the pieces in the fireplace (which did not work--the chimney was closed off at the top), douse the pile of wood with rubbing alcohol, and set it on fire. Then they wanted to leave to go to the bar. I watched the fire leap onto the living room carpet, and I had to physically grab and pull the little meathead who started the fire back into the house to put it out. It was insane. So many other stories, but reminiscing kinda makes me sad about how boring I am now (and I'm only 22!) :p Not that all of that was so much me doing the living as it was me living vicariously through my roommates, but it was still good times.

Alright, enough time travel, back to work!

LOL @ Jill~~ Good to see my life wasn't the only crazy one, hehe...I have a relatively sane life for the moment, other than his family...knowing my luck, once I lose my weight, and go on fertility, I will end up with triplets or something, YIKES! hag1, bbl:)

Hey girls! I was SO good today! I ate good, except for my dessert. The bf and I went out for a long walk, and then he took me to starbucks for coffee, and suprised me with a low fat brownie. He was so sweet today :)

So I don't know if my life was as exciting as you gal's.. I'm sure I've got a few stories up my sleeve.. but that'll have to wait.. it's LATE! I'll talk to you cuties tomorrow! :)

-Aimee

Here I am--up with the sun! Actually, I get up long before the sun...I don't know when the sun comes up cuz I live in a cubicle at job #1 and can't see any windows unless I get up and go to someone's office. How sad! I should get one of those natural lights--I fear I am not getting enough sunlight, which studies have proven can actually put you in a worse mood (though I'm pretty sure at this point, if I'm in a bad mood, it's lack of sleep that's to blame). Anyway...

I was bad last night. Instead of my usual thingy of mac n' cheese and an apple for dinner, I ate at the restaurant :o I almost ordered the fried chicken club sandwich and fries, which would have been quite disasterous, but instead, I at least kept half my senses and ordered tha Asian Steamed Dumplings (SOO good!). Total with the sauce, they have about 500 calories, so I still stayed below 1800 for the day. Hopefully, that was good enough, especially with all the running around I did all night. I was serving and was supposed to be first-cut (first pair sent home), so I would have been home by about 9:15 again. However, a girl in another section was whining about how she had to write this paper or whatever, so she wanted to be first cut, so (being the big pushover that I am) I switched with her and ended up not getting home till about 11. At least I made 50 bucks in the process (if I were hosting, I would have only made maybe 35).

Today I will try to stick to only the food I packed. Scratch that, I will stick to only the food I packed! My wallet and waist/scale both get angry when I eat at the restaurant. The only thing that gets happier is my taste buds, and they really have no control over anything else I do, so why give in to them?! I have to close hostess at the restaurant, so it's gonna be a long one. I get spoiled from serving too much and getting home before 11 :D Live life, ladies!

I do legal research, I manage the office, and work as a personal assistant and secretary. Now legal documents can be filed over the internet, believe it or not. So we're able to do a lot of work through the www and emails.

After living in New York for so many years, and working in high stress environments for the most part, with demanding personalities, it may be a case of the grass is always greener, but I wouldn't mind a little peace and "non-happening". I've had people say to me "why do you want to live in Brooklyn and not Manhattan?" Manhattan is probably 10 times more intentense than Brooklyn, not to mention more expensive. Now my idea of fun is to have a relaxing day in a beautiful place :lol:

Jill, I agree with the sunlight theory. I feel so much better now that spring is here (says Marge looking out at a stormy day!) I always stay on the sunny side of the street when I take my walks. I figure at least 1/2 hour direct sunlight has to help.

I'd say I've been doing pretty well with the eating. I was a little afraid I went overboard this past Friday, don't know what got into me, I just wanted all kinds of goodies. I stuck to the exercise which I think balanced it out. (You know you can't really gain 1.5 lbs from a couple of goodies anyway, A.) Peeked at the scale today and it looks good.

Well, gotta get to work. Have a fab one, everybody!

Morning ladies. I have missed you bunches lately....and a big awwwwww to Jill. That's so sweet of you. Sorry I havent been on lately. Things are winding down for the kids at school and scouts and all, so we've been doing a lot for that. Then my finals are next week for school, so Im slowly going crazy from that. I have to perform again next week( I just did a performance last Friday) so my days are also spent on rehearsing..lol. I get a whole week off soon, then back to my classes...I feel like I live at school..lol.
Other than that, not much to report. Haven't gained, haven't lost, waiting for TOM to get here tomorrow, and I finish my fitness class next week, so IM looking into things to keep me motivated to do it on my own...which I have to have complete confidence that I will.
I have to say that Im so proud of the ladies here. You all have such wonderful talents, be it crafty, a sense of humor, intelligence, and true compassion...I feel you all have each one of those, in what you say, and how you react to others. It is a wonderful thing.
Well, now that Ive posted a small novel, IM off to get things done. I wish you all a great Wednesday, and Ill be back soon. (((((((((all of you)))))))))

Hey e1...Wtg Jill with staying on plan that was a great choice you made! I hear ya all about life, and I am so thankful I have a pretty normal one now...but I did have a fun tuime in my 20s...lol. I figured out why I haven't lost too much weight, started my TOM Monday late, so that must be it. When I thought I had started over a week ago, it was spotting during Ovulation, I do that a lot. Sigh! The joys of being a female. Hope Aimee has fun at her new job..And, am off, whew so much to do this week! HAG1!

Morning ladies, I'm having a rough start to the day, got some killer cramps. Up thru my cyatic nerve, so my one leg hurts, my butt hurts (hurts to sit!!), tummy hurts, I hate being a woman sometimes!! I did however make it thru 2 days without these cramps, so I should be happy.. they actually get so bad I scream and cry. Ugh, I should find a doctor who will tell me this isn't normal. Alright, enough complaining!!

Jill - tips definitely have to be nice, an extra 50 bucks would definitely make my wallet happy! I was considering a serving job, just for the tips.. but I think it'll have to wait until I'm back from my summer vacation. I don't want to start another job 2 months before I leave. You stick to you plan girl! OR I'll come over there and kick your butt! ;) I am one to talk eh? heh..

Marge - I am SO swollen from TOM, so I think that extra weight came from that. I don't dare go near my scale today, my tummy has literally doubled in size. I like the idea of the big city, but I also enjoy a relaxed environment. I don't want to have to look good to leave the house!! I really liked living downtown Vancouver, while it was the big city, it was also really relaxed, and it was right along the ocean. I just don't miss the expensive rent part!

Heather - nice to see you around! :) You are one crazy busy lady! I don't know how you do it.. I'd go insane!

Diana - Thank you :) I hope this job will be tons of fun, and time will go quickly! heh.

I've been doing some thinking about this new job, and am going to try to make working out and eating properly my main focus, and since this job is so close to home it doesn't take up my entire day for a 4 hour shift. I have to make this about me if I plan to lose weight in time for my summer vacation :) But for now, I'm completely drained from my little cramp experience (infact, this has taken me an HOUR to write!).

-Aimee

Jill, sounds like planning and packaging your food is really helping you stay focused - way to go! I love Chinese dumplings, too. Ruby Tuesday's has tasty potstickers and they don't put a hurt on the plan, either, since they're steamed.

Aimee, I know you're trying to watch your sugar -- watch those fat-free and low-fat confections, for they often have even more sugar than the full-fat versions. Added sugar makes up for the moisture lost when fat is removed from a recipe. Bummer, I know. Sneaky b*stards. :mad:

I read a cool success story over at Calorieking.com this afternoon. Bob lost 400 pounds, and not with surgery or other artificial means. Way to go, Bob!

wow,Kimberley great link, and story...I love the link too, have been wanting to find a place like that too, now have to go and look some more! TY:)

They charge $30 a year for full access to forums and all the goodies. :( I love their food database, though - it's very complete, and it's free. Hope they keep it free!

My first day was good! Great even! It went smoothly, it's a LOT slower, and there is a lot less to do, just because of the size difference. I'd say my other store is about 2 times bigger than this one, this store has all cotton stuff :) And no slutty clothes! I'm feeling a little more positive after tonight.. I think I might enjoy it!

Kimberley - it's definitely annoying when they add sugar in to make things " low fat" fortunately the brownie I had wasn't sweet like that. Normally treats like that hurt my teeth (they are very sensitive to sugar). It sucks always reading all the labels, i'm shocked at the things that have sugar in them, it's pretty digusting really.

Anywho! I didn't drink coffee for most of the day.. so I'm going to go get some.. I'm suffering from a headache. Talk to yah ladies tomorrow! Jill, I weigh in tomorrow as well.. I'll keep my "skinny" fingers crossed for you, if you cross yours for me! ;)

-Aimee

Glad to hear your first day went well, Aimee. It's always such a mix of excitement and nerves to start somewhere new. I love the "fresh opportunity" feeling to make the situation something different.