Hi ladies,

I got 2 points yesterday - went slightly over my calories, but not too badly!

Well I went shopping and it wasn't easy, but I did manage to buy myself a really nice outfit. Why is it so hard to buy clothes when you are big? Why do they cost twice as much as skinny clothes? Even though I've lost 50lb it was still difficult - I am not quite up to fitting into regular shop clothes - although it won't be long! I didn't have much money to begin with, and when I saw how over priced everything is, I realised that I was only going to be able to afford 2 items. I bought a fairly decent pair of jeans and a very lovely fancy 'going out' top. I am going out on the town at the end of the month with a friend who always dresses really glam, so I am happy that I have a nice outfit to wear then! The trouble is I want to save those jeans for going out in, and the top is far too fancy for day wear, so I'm still stuck in my too baggy combats and hoodie for day to day! Hopefully we'll have some more money by the end of the month, if not then certainly by Christmas, so I'll be able to buy some casual wear then. Honestly £50 ($87) does not go very far at all when you are a big girl! (in the UK anyway!) Yet another reason to lose weight!

Anyway, I am actually really pleased with the outfit I've chosen - when I get ready to go out I'll get Nigel to take a photo and I'll post it here.

Have a lovely evening

Love Amanda x

It must be so cool to live in Europe! Julie and her husband went to the UK for a week and they came back with the best stories! I was so jealous! We're going to have to plan a trip of our own sometime after the kids are both potty trained.

2 points for yesterday, but I'm excited because I'm starting jogging fir the first time tomorrow. I'm sure it'll turn into walking fairly quickly, but I think I can turn it into actual running at some point.

Lee Ann

FRIDAY: Today is Fabulous Friday Follies. This week, what is the funniest thing ever to happen to you when you try on clothes?

POINTS:

LeeAnn
Amanda

Amanda: I can't wait to see you in your new clothes. Our Walmart stores here carry large size clothing and the stuff is CHEAP and a lot of it is cute. For example, you can get a nice pair of slacks for like 20 quid (my computer doesn't have a pound sign ) I buy tops and sweaters all the time in MY size for about the same amount. You are better off getting a few things of nice quality that you can mix and match with what you have. Some nice basic trouser colors like khaki, black, white, jeans etc, then match tops to them that will go with all the pant colors. Gives you more to chose from that way. Also, losing weight, you hate to buy a bunch of clothing when you hope to "shrink" out of it.

LeeAnn: Good luck with the jogging. Start slow and just work up the stamina. You will be doing the whole way in nothing flat!!! How are the little ones? I am so anxious to be a Nonny again. I adore my grandson, but I would sure like some more and this time be there when my dil has a baby as I wasn't here for my dd's.

Jack just set off for the lab to have his blood drawn and then he is going to come back and get some breakfast as he is starved! (he has to fast for 12 hours before so his cholesterol level comes out right) It is nice to have him home during the day. It will be fun for us when he can retire in 9 years and then we can do whatever we want day to day. Only thing is he goofs up my routine. I get up with him and when he leaves for work, I set up posts, clean cat litter etc, feed animals, start load of laundry, put away dishes in dishwasher from night before, make bed then have breakfast and goof off for a bit and then I do whatever cleaning I have for the day. Yesterday was clean the upstairs bathrooms and they would usually be done by 10 at the very latest and it was 2 PM before I did them and that was when he fell asleep in the recliner. Truth be told about yesterday though was I went to the store to get stuff to make a couple pies to try. I am assigned pies and rolls for Thanksgiving and I usually buy the pies but they are like $12 apiece and so I decided to make them. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com for coconut pie and it had 5 stars and 131 reviews, most of which were great. So, I went and bought stuff to make a coconut and a chocolate and came home and made them. He got to test them and give me critique. I love to cook and I feel I am very good, but I really drilled him about taste, crust, creaminess and on and on. He LOVES coconut pie and this was what he told me about mine..."Ok, this is what I think. The best coconut pie I have ever had is either Bob Evans or Das Essenhaus (an Amish restaurant in Indiana) and your pie if not exceeds it is equal to theirs! WOOHOO! High praise! The day before we leave, I have 2 chocolate, a coconut, pecan, pumpkin cheesecake and a pretzel salad, which is my favorite. I bet those of you with kids would love this and you can make it low fat with ff cream cheese, sugar free jello etc. It is called pretzel salad because the "crust" is made of crushed pretzels. It is actually a dessert.

Well, gals, laundry is finished and needs to be thrown in the dryer as today is wash the sheets day!

Have a great day

Faye

Good morning gals. Just setting up Saturday's post. Hope you all had a good day yesterday and a fine one today. I will check back in later to see if anyone has peeked in

Faye

hello,

I got 2 points again for yesterday - visited a friend yesterday evening and went over my calories with a couple of glasses of wine and a bit of cake. The scales are FINALLY starting to move in the right direction again - after 7 weeks of staying static, so I'm a very happy bunny. I'll report my losses and change my ticker next Friday. I feel like my metabolism is back up now and I'm entering the weight loss zone again - yay!

I had my cycle class today and boy was it tough! Loads of really long and fast sprints. If I don't lose weight tomorrow after that class, I'll eat my hat!

LEE-ANN - Good luck with the jogging!

FAYE - Hope Jack's test results are good. Coconut pie? That sounds DANGEROUS to me - it sounds absolutely yummy, I'd eat the whole thing! (DO NOT GIVE ME THE RECIPE!! )

Have a great weekend

Love Amanda x

Amanda: Actually, I have substitutions for this same recipe using Fat Free Half and Half and Splenda instead of sugar. It cuts the calories drastically. Jack is happy to be my guinea pig! I actually made another chocolate pie using German Chocolate instead and he has to eat it! Poor man, I put him through so much..... Hope you had a good time with your friend. I went out shopping with dd this afternoon and we haven't done that in eons because she works days now. It was nice to go out with her for a little while. Her birthday is Wednesday and we are going to take her to Ryan's Steak house, not because she wants to go there, but because my grandson has been driving her nuts about going somewhere else she hates so she compromised! She is more the Mexican food or Applebee's Chilis type than Ryan's food bar! Jack's tests were just a bitty blood test but he is a weiny about needles so always dreads it. When I was pregnant with my son, I had to have blood drawn ONCE A WEEK because of the RH factor which we had and he thinks blood tests once a year are awful! Men are such wimps!!!


POINTS:

Amanda

I have started on my last scarf and hat because I got part of my yarn through the mail last night and then was able to find the stuff they didn't have in stock at a store here in town today. This will give me something to do in the car as we go to Indiana. It is about a 10 hour drive and we will probably get on the road around 9:30 AM after Jack's cardiologist appt that day.

Well, my hubby is hungry so better get him something to eat for dinner. Have a good weekend everyone!

Faye

Yay! I went jogging today. Deb (a co-fighter's wife) nearly killed me. BUT I ran for a total of one mile out of the 4 (I know, I know) but I felt so good about myself that I took my family to the zoo and we walked around all day and had a great time.

So I actually celebrated exercising with more exercise! (instead of a big fat banana split sundae) Ha ha! I can't wait for next time. I told Deb I'd practice every day so I could run more next time than I did today.

Wow endorphins! I really love that stuff ha ha.

-Lee
(4 points today- YES!)

POINTS:

Lee Ann

LeeAnn: Good for you! You are going to be super fit in no time! I am proud of you!

Not much going on here this morning. We got a bit of rain, but not much. We sure could use it though.

Jack is still snoozing as he tends to stay up late on Fri and Sat nights. Me, I am usually knocked out around 9-10. But boy can I get up early!

Everyone have a good weekend and I will talk to you tomorrow

Faye

Morning!

So yesterday I decided that I had better not be full of hot air and I went running again. This time I made it a bit more than a mile before I pooped out, but only a tiny bit more.

Being a Nonny must be better than being the mommy... you can give them back when they start to throw tantrums. Ha ha!

I actually have a recipe book for desserts for diabetics. Very very low cal recipes. I'm so lazy, though, that I don't actually cook too many of them. I like to be the one experimented on, too. *wink!*

-Lee Ann
(3 points.. water- ick!)

MONDAY: Today is Mission Monday and our mission this week is water! Most people don't care to drink water, but we know it is important to feed our cells. If you are a water hater, start out slow by increasing one glass a week. Pretty soon you will be getting in all you need.

POINTS:

Lee Ann

LeeAnn: Being a Nonny is definitely better. I was not a great mother, but I am a great grandmother and not because I spoil him. I can deal with tantrums or whatever better than when I was young and always stressed. Didn't help having a husband who would be gone for 6 months to a year at a time either and that lasted 20 years. The kids never got to know their father properly and he didn't know how to interact with his kids. He is trying hard to repair their relationship and is so much better. I see kids today being spoiled beyond belief with their parents not only giving them everything they want, but being afraid to discipline them in almost any way. I find so many households where the kids run it instead of the parents. You don't have to be Hitler to have a well adjusted household, but you can't just let them do whatever they please either. They end up such brats that the teen years are a nightmare. I didn't have children close in age, they were 4 years apart so I didn't have diapers and bottles at the same time AND I had a very compliant little boy that helped a lot. The kid never told a fib until he started school. If he broke something, he told you. He made up for it in his teen years!

My husband stunk up the house with cooked sausage this morning. I was still in bed and the smell came up the stairs. I wanted to gag. I got out of bed and lit candles upstairs and when he left just went ahead and got up and opened the back door for some fresh air and lit candles all downstairs. He never uses the vent hood, leaves his dirty dishes sit on the counters, sink and stove and on top of that, he shampooed his office yesterday, didn't bring the shampooer down until this morning, then just left it sit in the dining room for me to put away. MEN!!!

Our 33rd wedding anniversary is Friday and I can't believe it. Hard to believe it when you have been married that long. I remember the day (actually night) we got hitched. It was a nightmare as all weddings are in some way or another. My grandfather (who I lived with) didn't like Jack so refused to come to the wedding so only my grandmother is in my pictures, my father came and my step father (who I despised but made goody goody to for the sake of my mom) so I felt none of the three of them could walk me down the aisle so my brother did it, they screwed up the flowers then screwed up who they put them on, my headpiece is cockeyed in all my pictures, and on and on. We never got a honeymoon and had to leave Sunday morning to drive 18 hours back to Va Beach so that my husband was back on duty by Monday afternoon. We did have a 25th anniversary party and renewal of vows and that was nice. If I had a choice between having money etc or doing it all over again tough times for all those years, kid problems and whatnot, I would do it the same. He has his faults as do I, but no one loves his wife as much as he does and he treats me wonderfully and you can't ask more than that.

Better get to my Monday cleaning. TTFN

Faye

TUESDAY: Today is Target Tuesday and our target this week is eating at places other than the table. This is probably the worst dieting sabotage there is and we all do it. Start cutting back eating in front of the tv, while reading, in the car and whatever.

Talk to you later girls, I am really busy this morning

Faye

Faye, LOL--I'm eating lunch at the computer right now!

I'm still here, just can't seem to get my sh*t together...I'm either eating well and not exercising or exercising and eating crap. Trying to fix all that today...going to the rink to skate right now.

Everyone have a great day!
Julie

I hear ya, Julie... I can't seem to get my sh*t together for any longer than like three days at a time ... and I am thinking that with the holidays coming it is only going to get worse... I am going to try and stay OP most of the time but who knows ... I have been OP for the last two and am going to work out tonight ...

Supposed to be getting pretty nasty here weather wise starting tonight, it is pretty gloomy and rainy, going to be a high tomorrow of 39 degrees, brrrrrr...

Hope you all are doing well .... I will check back in later when I have more time to write ...

Faye, that's a good idea. I only allow myself to eat at the table with a proper place setting, even for a cracker I use a plate. It makes me aware of what I am doing. I no longer allow myself to read or watch tv while I eat - then I never feel full because I wasn't aware how much I had ate.

WEDNESDAY: Today is Wednesday's Woes a day to gripe about anything. Our topic woe this week is, allowing ourselves to be fooled by weight loss pills, shakes and the like.

Morning gals. It is BRRRRRRR here this morning too, Carri. We were at almost 80 yesterday and dropped 30 degrees in about half an hour. I know my son's area is supposed to be getting snow today. Just as long as it is gone by the time we get up there next week!

Everyone try and hang in there for the holidays and make the best choices available to you. Don't try and deny yourself, just try and be frugal with your high fat choices.

Faye