Hi everyone!

I had my alarm set to go to curves today but I my back felt so bad when I woke up I went back to bed.

I am going to try to go to curves this afternoon and just skip the machines that really hurt. I had an adjustment and massage yesterday and they said it might hurt more today. If I'm not getting any better by the end of next week I think I will see my family doctor about my back. Its so fustrating because right when I was doing so well something like this comes along to slow me down!

Does anyone else allow themselves a cheat day? I get to go out to dinner on saturdays and get what I want within reason. It gets me through the week.

Hey all!! So I worked out on Monday, Tuesday and yesterday but the baby is sick today so I'm taking care of her. Yesterday I got on the treadmill for 50 mins. and jogged for 25 of that. It felt sooo good!!

Valerie - I was going to get to curves today as well but it does'nt look like I will make it either. Oh well tomorrow is another day.

Petra - Clothes shopping!! How fun!! I bought those raisins for the baby and she actually seems to like the plain ones better.

Curly - I hate the slow days to. It makes time go by so much slower!!

Hotcup - Come on and climb back on with me. I am still doing okay on the eating but I can't get back on the exercise wagon. I am trying to just take it one day at a time and being patient with myself if I don't make it some days.

Zoey - I'm hoping you are right about the "life begins at 40" thing because thats going to be me in a couple of years.

jhiraqua - Great job on the 10 pounds!!! Keep it up girl!!!

L2L - You can do it my friend. Just remember YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!


Jennie - It's FRIDAY!!!!

Iwmonn - I did'nt realize that you were in California. Me too!! Sacramento to be exact.

Lisa - Keep up the great job on not smoking. The weight will come off. I am sooo proud of you!!!

These candied pecans are awesome. So good in fact I'm thinking about giving away spiced nuts this year for Christmas the way people give away Christmas cookies. What do you guys think about that? I have all these different recipes for different spiced up nuts. I figured I'll try a few recipes out on the people I work with and see which ones people like. Who knows, I may even invent a few of my own. Does anyone know where you get those little tins and how you might put dividers in them? I'd hate to be limited to one flavor per person.

Hellooo my fellow PIC diva's!!!

I went to the gym today and had another killer workout, gosh....this is really kicking my butt. Had some girls come up to me at the gym and start to talk to me about what I'm doing...how much weight/inches had I lost?, and to explain via the book; a move or two. ME? I sure was surprized!! I usually hang out in the back, doing my own thing and here 2 people come up to me and want to know what I'M DOING!!! yikes...so I'm standing a little taller now just in case someone's watching me!!! LOL ...actually pretty neat.

I was on earlier and wrote a very lengthy post and then went to submit button and was told I wasn't logged on!!! GRRRR So, I'll just say....I was thinking of everyone today!!! LOL

Petra....You are making me NUTS for nuts!!! YUM YUM...can't say for sure where you will get the paper dividers, but dollar stores always sell themed cookie type tins. Do you ship? lol

Mom....Hope the baby is feeling better. Jogging for 25 minutes? YOU ROCK!! Good job on your workouts this week.

Jhiraqua......AWESOME 10 LB LOSS GF!!! That is so great to hear that you are going to the gym on your lunch. Keep it up!!

Valerie.....I feel for you. I put my back out a couple of years ago, and I still wince occasionally when I bend a certain way. Massages are great, but sometimes its more pain the next day after. Hope you feel better soon.

Hotcup.....I hope your knee calms down some. OUCH!!! Have you thought about getting an elastic tube thing for it? If thats not possible, then what about a tensor bandage wrapped around it. Thats gotta hurt. Take care...

L2L.....Congratulations about joining TOPS!!! Thats the first step, enjoy the book. YEAH for you !!!

petra why not put them in clear canning jars? then u could put pretty fabric on the top of

That's a thought Curly but it still doesn't solve my problem of how to get more than one flavor in the same container.

I made curried pecans tonight. Oddly, these taste better cool then warm and won't have mass appeal like the sweet ones but some people will definately like them. Depends on whether or not you like curry.

Angel-I'll think about shipping closer to Christmas, LOL

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally feeling better. Guess all it took was making an appt. w/ the dr. That never fails to make symptoms go away lmao. . I stopped on the way home from work and cancelled the appt, and- btw, jumped on the scale. Down another 3 lbs!! Slowwwwwww but steady wins the race, right? I'm happy And I even left my shoes one this time. (Last time I was sure there would be a gain so I kinda cheated? and took off my shoes before getting on the scale).

Petra~ Mamo- Aackkkk! hehe.. they are such a pain. That reminds me I guess i should get offa my tush and schedule my yearlys too. On a happier thought, I'm doing the crock pot sweet nuts right now. They smell so good. I usesd almonds too. I'm hoping there will be some left by the time they're done. heheh...

Val~ Sorry to hear about your back. ~~~healin' vibes~~~ Slow down if you need to, so you don't hurt yourself more. I'm sure there are things you can do that won't strain the back. Maybe even things that can help strengthen it. Can you ask a trainer at Curves? oh, the glow sticks are a cool idea! I wish we got trick or treaters here. I don't do a cheat day Val, but I'm not as strict on my diet as I could/should be. If I were, I would probably need one. I have to remember my food habits have to be something I can live with the rest of my life, and I don't think (at this time) I could be absolute strict forever. I just watch amounts. Moderation is the key for me right now.

AngelEyes~ That is soooo cool, the girls asking what you have done. You must be lookin' good! It's hard to tell what with you being so darn tall these days

Momx3~ Great workouts! I hope baby is feeling better soon.

Curley~ I haven't checked the WBL threads so have you posted to Jillian about the gain yet? That just makes no sense to me. THen again, if you and your body feel better working your old routine, then maybe that's the one for you! Good luck with it!

Jennie~ hehe yay for Friday... makes no dif to me cuz I hafta work Sat & Sun lmao... but Yayyyy for everyone else All those numbers you're trying to crunch there - ackkk! Good luck with the book too.

L2L~ hugs back to ya! Good to see you again. Keep Coming Back! Post as often as you feel you need to, or not. We're here for you.

jhiraqua~ I was wondering if you had left us too. I'm happy to see you back again. Congrats on the loss. is it getting just a little easier for you yet?

Turtle~ You go GF! This is a fight I wanna see You'll do it, when you are ready. And it sounds like ready is creeping up. *hugs* Keep coming back, turtle. We'll be here for you too.

Zoey~ *Hug* It's also nice to see your posts every day. Always a good word for everyone. Thanks.

Hi,girlz!

Well I'm off work now and guess what? I did the unthinkable! I went out to eat with my parents and ate some Chinese food. I know,I know....(sigh) I only ate half of my normal portion so that was good but I am going to have to workout extra hard tomorrow. LOL Oh,thanks for all the congrats! That's why I love you guys so much.......you acknowledge every pound loss which helps keep me motivated. Well,it's getting late and I have a ton of things to do tomorrow so I'll drop in for a little while and leave a note tomorrow. Hugs and Kisses!

(((Dee))) I'm glad you're feeling better!

I cheated tonight and got pizza. I'm figuring three large slices is about 960 calories

I did go for a 45 minute walk after the pizza.

Curly-thanks for the info. They look perfect. I just have to find out if I can get small supplies. I don't need 500 or anything.

Dee-how were the nuts? I bet almonds would work well in that recipe too. I already have an idea for one recipe--barbecued peanuts. I'll have to work on that one a little. I ordered some imitation honey so maybe I can even get honey barbecued peanuts.

Good Morning All!

First, let me welcome our newbies, I am strill trying to get all the posts read from while I was MIA....

Please left me vent. Forgive me, my sense of humor fell off. I am looking for it...It's here somewhere I told my girlfriend that I joined TOPS, I showed her the information, the book, etc...and about one of the coordinators in our city that I talked to and who welcomed me with open arms, answered some questions I have, and that I figured out I could basically walk there after work, then take the bus home as it will be dark when I get out. The reply I get for giving a darn about myself was 'why'd you do that. I thought I was going to help you?' Not the positive attitude I was going for. To not excite an argument or say something I did not mean in the heat of instant defensive anger, I simply said 'because I want to, I need to change my lifestyle, I need to take care of me, and you can never have too much support or too many new friends.' Apparently I have damaged feelings.

But, do not dismay my PICs. I am going to follow through. I am strong, I have willpower, I can make my own choices, and climb out of my holes that I have dug in my obese life.

I have no idea what I would ever do without any of you! I never want to know. My family is excited for me. They are excited to see me happy about me again. But most of all, I am proud of me, for basically hitting the bottom, and pulling myself up by my sneakers so I can move forward.

Have a great day ladies...

Morning All!!

Petra - A guy at work used to do nuts for us every year for Christmas. He would put them in decorative bags tie them with a ribbon and put them in a Christmas mug. They were really cute! If you did the canning jars you could layer them like a parfait!!

Angel - Wow!! That must have been an awesome feeling to have someone asking for your help. Good for You!!

iwmonn - Great job on the 3 pounds!! You are doing excellent!!

jhiraqua - Don't worry about the Chinese. At least you are more aware of portion size and that's a big step!!

Valerie - Thanks for eating the pizza for me I feel much better and did'nt gain an ounce.

L2L - Well you certainly took the grow up approach to your DGF because I don't think I could have been that nice. I am very proud of you!!!

Good Morning Partners !!

Sorry that I have been MIA for awhile.... life just gets in the way of fun sometimes !!

I had my first exam last weekend and studied my tail off.... and just barely squeaked by with a passing mark. I haven't seen the average mark yet, but everyone I have talked to failed the exam So I am pretty proud of myself for at least passing

I have school all day today and tomorrow.. so no rest for the wicked

I have been trying to read the posts so that I don't fall too out of touch with everyone, and it sounds like you are all doing awesome.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a Happy Halloween

Take care and keep on keeping on !!

~ Teri

Good morning PIC's! I hope you all are having a great day. I got stopped by the police on the way home last night. Ooops! He followed me forever, but when he finally stopped me at Kroger, and saw me or maybe my uniform, his demeanor changed and he made up a story about one of my tail lights being out, then said, no it wasn't a tail light it was a brake light, no well, when you tap the brakes, it goes out. I was shocked because I honestly didn't know it was out. Then he couldn't remember which side. It was odd that he was rattled. I asked if he was going to give me a ticket and he got this "Awww shucks ma'am" killer grin on his face and said no. I was polite, thanked him profusely and drove off. Whew, that was close. I guess my uniform isn't ALL bad. I do feel a bit guilty, but for the life of me, I backed up to my house and I CAN'T tell which light is out. I'll have Jay check. But maybe the officer made the story up. I was going kind of fast and while watching him in the rearview, I accidentally blew a yellow. I'm glad he didn't cite me. But please don't think that I feel "above the law" that might have been my ONE, get out of jail free, card.

L2L: Good for you for not letting your disappointment control your anger and words. You're right, you can NEVER have too much support. I hope you like TOPS as much as I do. And walking there and riding the bus at night, well, that shows just how committed you are to this. I bet she'll come around when she sees just how serious you are about getting yourself healthy (and happy). Hang in there girl. Sorry about the long, rambling and possibly MENTAL PM I sent you. I guess I vented too.

Tea: Great job on passing that exam. I'm sorry you're so swamped. I miss your posts. Hang in there, okay? Take care of you. Keep up with us and post when you can.

MomX3:

Petra: I'm getting quite the kick out of someone in your profession having such a delicious way with nuts. The irony smells wonderful! I'm getting rock salt at Super Walmart this week end too. Sigh, we've still got melting snow left from Monday's freak winter snow/ice storm. I hate winter. Some people STILL don't have power, I should count my blessings.

Valerie Joy: Mmmm pizza. Sometimes you just have to work a slice into you diet. Here's hoping you're OP and feeling motivated.

Jhiraqua: I agree. You controlled your portions and did your best on eating healthier Chinese food. Hang in there and take heart in knowing that most of the gain (if any) will be from water gain from the sodium. Chug some water and you'll be fine. You've done so well, so far.

Iwmonn: I'm so glad you're feeling better. Hang in there. Enjoy your week end.

Curlylocks, Angel-Eyes a big Turtle hello to you.

I fear we are missing some of our flock. Moonray, ~~Sunshine~~, Jennie934, LisaWY (although I think she was just here), Deerod, Jackie56808, and Purplerose1964... where are you Chickees?

I think I missed one of the newbies... I must do some research at work and add you to my list. from Java Turtle in WV. Off to clean house before work. Will check in FROM work. Yes, I'll obey the speed limit and drive safely.

Good Morning Ladies,

Momx....Trust me, 40 is a great age to be!

Angel....[AKA the exercise expert!] Good going.

Turtle....Maybe we could start an arthritis club. You can be president!

Valerie...So you had some pizza, I had some carrot cake, but now we are back OP right?

Petra...All of those nuts are sounding good!

L2L...Was that the same girlfriend who didn't want to get up early to exercise with you? You did the right thing lady. You are important! Just keep on keepin' on!

Hi to everyone else. I need to write out a list too.

zoey