Hi, s, sorry the weather is yuk for you at the moment Marie dont, let it dampen your spirits though it,s not an excuse for comfort food it is good you learnt what not to do and that cake YUM = 5 MILE WALK , PAIN , Quiltmama hope your feeling better I remember that burning feeling oh so well, it,s the pits, and I agree with Judy don,t stress about the exercise thing you don,t have to go all out, little things count to any movement is good like get up to change T.V. channels instead of using the remote or do some jumping jacks a couple of times during adds or put on your favourite CD and go nuts who,s to see you I do this sometimes its a good work out without feeling like exercise its fun and it helps relieve tension housework, ironing, walking to the letterbox to get the mail all these things add upat the end of the day the form of exercise is not important its the fact that you move that makes the difference we are all on this journey and with each others love, understanding and acceptance we are making it closer each day to our chosen destination I got hubby to bring me home a double cheese and bacon burger last night from I ate half of it gave the rest to hubby I wanted it at the time but it didn,t taste as good as it used to I followed it with a watermelon and passionfruit yoghurt which I enjoyed more than the fat go figure I have lost another kg (2pounds,)so this week I like my scales s Marie I live to study I,m doing a Business Management course at present just started so not to much of a headache yet well I,m off for a BYE FOR NOW STAY FOCUSED, BE GOOD TO YOURSELVES, TAKE CARE, HEY TIRED HOPE YOU WELL IF YOUR OUT THERE MISS YOU, BLESSED BE....JULIE

Hello everyone and how I have missed being on here. Thought about going on a few times while away but then something was always going on. I had a super time the kids are great. Such great people! We enjoyed ourselves and really made up for the time we all had been apart. My daughter inlaw took off a few days one week then my son took the following week off. So we spent some fun time together. They kept us busy with sightseeing, dinners out, barbeques with friends in our honor etc.. I did some snorkeling first time ever how cool that was. A little tricky at first. I also did a lot of hiking and mountain rock climbing to water falls and natural pools. I swam alot and we stayed in a cottage that was huge with all the luxuries available. They ensured that we went all over Maui. I have a wonderful tan and wish it would stay for awhile. I didn't worry too much about what I ate as I was always active. Being at the beach some mornings at 6:45. Also got up to see the sunrise at the crater at 4:00 a.m.. Crazy but beautiful very cold up there about 11,000 feet up. The roads in Maui are never ending with twist and turns. We saw sea turtles, whales etc. I did love the area. I drove more different vechiles throughout the trip. The kids always made sure I had wheel their so sweet. We drove my sons 4x4 alot and with his plates people treated us like we lived on the island sometimes I was able to get the island discount. It is for folks of course that live their. I ended up with some new jewelry and a few special pieces the kids purchased me as well. I took around 600 pictures too. I have them on a cd and my daughter whom is a photo editor is going to check them over before I print them. I loved my new camera we had gotten from the kids for christmas. It was a lot of fun to use. Well I am going to start my healthy foods and intakes today. I started off with white toast as it was all that was in the house. I heard my boss didn't do much of my caseload so it will be a busy week I will pay for taking a long vacation. BUt I don't mind.
Julie welcome back and I do remember you. Glad your doing so well and look forward to learning from you new tips etc. Sweet pot. sound great. I am going to review some South Beach info. today. I use some of it as a guide. A friend had a heart attack right before we left and he had followed A PROTIEN DIET. Not so safe needless to say. Now the doctors say very limited red meats.
Talk to you all soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yaay, Carol's back I was thinking you'd be gone a little longer. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. It couldn't have happened to a nicer person. I hope that you're able to hang onto that vacation glow for a few more days.

Jules, congrats on losing that kg! Passionfruit yogurt sounds yummy, but it's a new one for me. Maybe it's an Aussie thing. Bacon double cheeseburgers are all too familiar, though . Good for you, not inhaling the whole thing. I find that if something's in front of me, I'll finish it all, even it I'm full or if it's not all that good.

Marie, if you're still in a cleaning mood, come on over to Washington--i have loads of laundry and scrubbing to do!

Quiltmama, I hope you've gotten some rest and that you're feeling better.

And Freda, I hope that your week has gotten off to a good start.

I'm doing well and feeling very motivated. The nicer weather certainly helps. My weight hasn't budged in a while, but I can look at my hips and thighs and see progress, so I can wait for the numbers to catch up with reality.

Be well--judy

GOOD MORNING S, hope your all well s, Carol it is good to see you back it sounds like you had a lovely holiday it sounds like you had a GREAT time catching up with kids and friends, my DH and I have been looking for a place to go for a much deserved holiday we were looking at Hawaii and you make me want to jump on a plane and go right now , you AND Judy both have good memories, I,m pretty easy to forget I don,t think you,ve done much damage in the diet department as you say you kept pretty active, sorry to hear that your boss was slack on your caseload hope there will not be to many headaches to deal with but by the sounds of things it was worth it. Hi Judy for the congrats, I really need it as all my hubby says these days is that I have lost enough he doesn,t want me to lose anymore, but as I told him this is for me not him, he is insecure about my weight loss he thinks I,m going to run off with someone else I think its silly sometimes the way men think I,ve never been a person that cares what a person looks like I think if your beatiful inside that is what shines through, if someone is only interested in what you look like then I feel sorry for them they could be overlooking alot of lovely people that could inrich their lives, I don,t know about the yogurt its Fruche, Yoplait had just a watermelon no fat one which was yum but it was for a limited time, so then I tried the watermelon and passionfruit Fruche which is just as nice 98% fat free OHHH and I know the feeling about eating all of something thats in front of you if it had of been potato chips or cheesecake it wouldn,t of stood a chance I wouldn,t of given it to hubby I would of fought him for it . Hi Marie, hope your doing well and enjoying your break, don,t forget to drop in and say hi to us here. Hi Quiltmama, hope you improving and that infection is on its way out. Hi Freda how are you doing I hope nothing was said to scare you off, hope you come back to say g,day. WELL THAT,S IT FOR ME I,M DOING GOOD SO FAR BYE FOR NOW, TAKE CARE, BE GOOD TO YOURSELVES, BLESSED BE....JULIE

Afternoon chickies!!! Welcome back Carol. You were very missed but I'm thrilled you had a great time. I was a little worried since my sister was in Hawaii the first week of your vacation and it rained every day. She did not get a tan. So I thought of you. But she also said that she was on the "wet" side of the island and that there was a "dry" side. I don't know which island she was on but if she knew it had a wet and dry side, why would she stay the wet side???? Glad you did better.

Judy, good for you seeing that your body is changing. I know mine is and I don't give a damn what the scale says. Seeing that I banished it from my bathroom, I don't know what it says. I just want to eat healthy, exercise and be a good person. That scale is never going to dictate my mood again. So.... good for you in ignoring it's blatant ignorance of your weight.

Jules, I love you. I've always heard the g'day on the Outback restaurant commercial, but never was it aimed at me. It so cool how different our English languages are. You're opening a cool world to me. I just love g'day!

Day one of spring vacation - being a slug and a walker. Mainly a slug, but DH and I took the doggies around the 3 mile block and I'm exhausted. I definitely am handling the hills better (I don't take breaks on the way up anymore - even DH commented that I was getting in better shape), but it's still WAY harder than the 3 mile WATP. Regardless, I did it and my dogs had fun. Overdid it with my Alaskan Husky (she's got severe hip dysplasia and arthritis) so I had to give her pain meds. She hit her limit at 2.5 miles but I certainly couldn't carry her the last .5 mile. So we slowed and she made it. Then I gave her medicine so she'll be out of it all night. But I bet if you ask her, she would have gone regardless of whether or not she'd be in pain afterwards. She loves to go for walks. I wish I loved it as much as my doggies.

Eating - doing good. Healthy choices in balanced, normal proportions. I'm not overeating and taking small helpings. I realized after the cake disaster that only I can serve my portions. I eat whatever is given to me regardless of whether I'm full or not. Clean the plate club life member. So after Friday, I will only serve my foods. Then I'm responsible for the portion and I know I won't overtake too much. So I think I'm at a new stage of enlightenment.

TTYL.
Marie

G, DAY, ladies how are you Marie, have a few spare minutes so I,d thought I,d drop in and say hi its funny how our everyday lingo seems different to others that aren,t from downunder to us its just slang some of it a bit more colourful than others its good that you and Judy see the scales as the that they are, I found out a long time ago that it is what your clothes tell you and your monthly go around with the tape measure and how you feel in yourself that gives you a better idea of how your doing and how every inch lost is a little ripper bbecause like they say muscle weighs more than fat, if your sweating bullets after your workouts regardless of how much or what sort of exercise you do then you know its working well better go by the sounds of all the noise my dogs are having a barney with the dogs next door, BYE FOR NOW, TAKE CARE...JULIE

Well everyones doing so good I am so excited. The motivation is running high on here and thats good for all of us. I am getting into the groove as well. Needless to say when I was away in Maui I ate what ever and didn't worry as my activity was so strong it didn't bother me. But now its time to buckle down and start to be more careful. I have a wedding in May and that will be my next event to look great for. Also the kids are coming home hopefully. My son is building a home for a lawyer and needless to say it has to be in move in condition by June 1st. So we are in hopes he can make the wedding. My first day back at work went well I am working on catching up.No real disasters while I was away. That always helps. I need to catch up on seeing clients though. Thats not a biggy gets me out of the office in the afternoons. I have made a schedule and a plan on how I will get to see everyone. Well I went to the store and stocked up on good choices for the rest of the week. That always makes a difference when things are available to us. I think that yogurt sounds great also Julie. I haven't seen it around here yet. Marie you enjoy that spring break. They say scales aren't the best measuring tool. I do think losing inches is much better I always say I am going to measure myself but don't get to it. But my rings, clothes and looks tell the truth I think. I will attempt that white square in a few days. Tom cam to visit while I was away. Thought I had gotten rid of him for good guess not. Needless to say I hope he leaves for good soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I was on the edge of the rain forest we would get some rain but drive a bit away 15 min. no rain kind of cool huh? Everyone said I looked very relaxed and rejuivanated. Screwed up that word!!! Hah HAH! My highlights really lightened up and I have a lot of blonde now. I hope to go for a walk after work today. It will be a good weather day here. We are starting spring and working up to the 60's this week. My spring flowers are showing up.Quiltamama hope your feeling better. Some how I missed Freda on here welcome to the site. Hope you'll enjoy our little group here! Judy the memories will be with me for a long time I hope. I have taken so many pictures. I am going to frame a few for the office. When things get crazy I will try to put myself back in Maui soaking up the sun and freshness of the ocean view! Keep up the good work girls we can do this. We are gaining more control daily of our efforts to make positive changes for ourselves. That is important to keep in mind! Off to work!

Morning everyone. Day 2 of the spring break and I am enjoying being a slug. For breakfast I had a slice of homemade bread and it was delicious!!! I love Sweet Oatmeal Bread. Yummy!!! I have been doing really good with my foods thanks to some friends pushing me back on track on another thread. I just love 3FC. Exrecise is easy since I embraced WATP DVD. Today is a 3 mile walk but not outside on the hilly roads. That was way hard yesterday. I was nearly passed out the rest of the day. But then I was so thoroughly chilled fromt he wind that I just wanted to be under a blanket the whole day. So today I'll walk inside and not get cold. It's yucky and gray here. But I did get up early enough to see a wisp of blue in the sky beofre the gray totally took over. So I know that htere is blue sky up there somewhere. Well, today is going to be exercise, knitting, drawing and being a slug. I do love vacations!!!
Marie

Hi again everyone, Sorry I haven't been on in awhile! I had to work the weekend, and after those 12 hour shifts i'm just too tired to even look at anything but the couch! Monday I had to baby sit with my grandkids. Again today also, but they aren't here yet! Love then to pieces but they take your every moment! Did terrible with food at work! Someone is always bringing something tempting in and sometimes I can say no and sometimes I can't! But I am getting very choosey. I take one small nibble and if it's "not worth the calories" I don't finish it. I can just hear my mom in the background saying "how wasteful". But better wasted than me wearing it! And I know what you mean about finishing what you eat! I can't sit down with a bag of anything. That is a sure sign for me to finish the bag. I get a serving out and put it in a seperate plate. And put the bag away. If you have to get it back down it gives you time to think about what you're doing.


I am beginning to learn every one, reading the posts, so please bear with me. The Hawaii vacation sounds wonderful! Sounds like it was so much fun! But, any where with your family is fun, don't you think?

It's getting a little warmer here in Michigan. Yesterday we took the grandkids to the park for a couple of hours! They needd to get out and run awhile and had so much fun. Of course they didn't want to come home even after a couple of hours! But papa and I had had enought! I'll be so glad to see spring after this long winter. The weekend was cold, we had another snow. Sat. morning the roads were ICE. Lots of accidents. We get an ice storm every March, I just always hope I don't have to work that day!

Take care, Freda

Freda, I totally agree about not wanting to waste my calories on foods I don't like. Last night, DH made me a chicken breast with a slice of peppeer jack cheese. It'd never had pepper jack cheese and after 2 bites I decided I didn't like it. So I peeled the cheese off. Had 1 bite of the chicken and it was tasteless. So I gave it to the dogs. My exact words were I wasn't wasting my calories on it. Told DH that he cooked the chicken perfectly I just didn't like the cheese. If I'm going to eat, it's only going to be something I like. Regardless that my motheer would also say how wasteful!

G,day you helpful S, I agree totally about only eating what I want and not wasting my cals on what I don,t Freda it is good you are getting the hang of this I,ll only eat a nibble of this food and if you don,t like it you don,t have to feel guilty about not eating the whole thing, OHHH how I remember my MUM those words YOU MAKE SURE YOU FINISH EVERYTHING ON YOUR MY GIRL, BOY that sure did stick in the noggen, even now if we go out to eat I always feel guilty if I leave anything more words of wisdom from mum JUST THINK THERE ARE OTHERS IN THIS WORLD WITH NOTHING TO EAT AND YOU JUST WASTE IT but these days I would rather me have less waist instead of scoffing everything on my plate and feeling guilty about that later on G,day Marie, I am sure glad you are enjoying yourself, you sound like your making the most of it in spite of the weather, its good your back ontrack we all need a shove sometimes or even others motivation is good to I know if I,m feeling a bit like saying why worry about the last few kgs who cares then I come here and the congrats I get for another kg lost helps me keep plodding, Carol glad it wasn,t to stressful at work, I know you will be OK and even slimmer than you are today for that wedding so don,t give it anymind, Judy good to see your taking more notice of your body and the way it looks and your clothes feel instead of listening to the scales, well I,m not doing to bad eating within my cals range and I gave myself a big pat on the back yesterday, when I really decided I had enough of having clothes in the back of my wardrobe that I didn,t fit into anymore and telling myself they shrunk I hadn,t grown just wasn,t working anymore I pulled out a skirt that was my favourite about 10yrs ago long black pencil skirt with buttons up the front and I promised myself I was going to keep going this time until I got back into that skirt well yesterday I took it out and I took a deep breath and thought why not try and see how much further I have to go well it not only fits again but it is loose, I was wrapt that is so fully sick, which broken down means awesome great sorry for going on but I was thrilled and all DH could say was thats good honey but anyway I,m proud of me thats whats important. Well take care be good to yourselves, bye for now BLESSED BE....JULIE

Girls we are really showing some improvements in changing our habits. Good for you all. When we get choosy or take smaller amts., decide after taking something its not worth the cals these needless to say are great changes! Hurray! I indeed need to get into the swing of being home. Its a bit different being back at work and stress eating etc. I will get a handle on it after all its only been 2 days today being the 3rd. So let today be it for geting on track. I do okay for breakfast and lunch but dinner not as good and a few too many cals. So today I will track it and maybe for a couple of weeks. I lost a client yesterday whom moved out of county. I was a bit stressed as its not in his best interest but more of a financial advantage for his family. That is not a great situation and I know it. I wish him luck but it was kind of sad. We had worked together for 5 years and he had shown such improvements and grown into quite a nice young man. Oh well I can't control everything nor fix it all. This time though I hope I didn't give in to quickly. He tends to make impulsive decisions and then regrets them later. This time I won't beable to help him out. I signed off from him eff. today. A bit sad but they will have a new client for me with in a week most likely. Their just #'s to some but real folks to me. Oh well must move on changes happen all the time. Someone else will need me just as much I am sure. Today it is sunny and bright outside and I plan to walk the lake this evening. Got to get a grip here on my goal. So exercise and intake journal are on my agenda.
Freda I also have grandkids. 4 of them 9 yr. boy, 4 yr. old boy and 2 little sisters 5 and 6. They are so happy to have us back in town. We are keeping them overnight on friday. Grandpah has it all figured out their all excited. I will get them something special to do or pick up a new movie. There so cute.
Marie great time to relax from stress do your own thing and your drawing how's it coming. Are you going to take another class? I like are but drawing isn't a strong point for me I wish it were. I went to a few galleries during my Maui visit. Lots of great local stuff. It was fun seeing the different artist displays.
Julie I think my dad was related to your mom's way of thinking with finishing food. Congrats on fitting back into your skirt. That is a great way to measure you inches lost and wt. gone. I felt a bit fat in some of my pictures. I guess more abs exercise are in order other wise felt not so bad. I am glad to beable to keep my hair fixed since I got back. In Maui it curled and waved and just took its own look and not always so good. But the kids said thats how it is here so I went with the flow. Well off to work and will try to keep up my good spirts today and move forward. Thanks for listening girls this is a good outlet for all of us. Stress reducer for sure.

Morning everyone.Things are going good. I took sometime yesterday and listed a couple items on EBay. 2 were my frist WATP DVDs. Since I got the 5 mile advanced one, I thought I'd sell the other 2. The 3 miler went with a buy it now so I'm going to send it out today. I also listed my Card Studio program from last year. I bought the new one and already have a bid on the 2005 version. YEAH!!! Buckeroos for me.

Yesterday was a bad computer day!!! Last week I had to rebuild DH's computer. Kept restarting part way into loading Windows. Rebuilt it and everything was fine. I thought it was because I'd installed a wireless network adapter. So it was working. Then yesterday, I wanted to scan a picture so I had to install the scanner. Blew the entire thing up again. Kaboom... I finally realized it hadn't been the wireless adapter, rather I had unplugged (and threw away) the printer hooked to that machine on the same day. It's a parallel port printer and it was way confused. I rebuilt it 3 times yesterday since I kept trying different methods of installing it. Finally I gave up. The scanner isn't attached the the computer has been rebuilt. FOUR times total. I hated computers yesterday. THEN!!!!! I was installing Quicken (from the original CD) and the CD drive kept spinning, then there was a large bang. Doggie flew over to me and I looked around - no pictures had fallen off the walls. I pushed the CD drive door open and a million little pieces of what had been my Quicken CD fell to the floor. To say the least the CD and the CD Burner were destroyed. Called DH and told him to buy a new Quicken on his way home from work since ALL our financial records are on it. Well, now Quicken is installed and the records have been restored. I had two drives in the computer and the DVD burner still works. It was so strange. To say the least the day was NOT relaxing. Today will be better.

Okay, thanks for letting me vent. BTW, I am typing this on DH's computer since it is happy as a lark now.
Marie

And JULS!!! Way to go on the skirt!!!

Happy Dance!!! You go, girl!

Hi, all! Just a quick check-in, I have several deadlines but I am procrastinating....enjoying my workouts and eating on program so far this week. Will do personals after I get at least one project completed! In the meantime, I love all the energy I get from everyone on this thread, and thank you for being here.



judy