Hi Bunti!! SO glad you're here with us! THIS IS THE YEAR, Girlfriend!!

Bunti and I know each other from CruiseLineForums.com where all the cruise addicts hang out. Writersblock (Laurie) & laffenvegas (Lisa) & gypsieladie are all cruise-addicted. Anybody else? It's not fattening until you actually GO on a cruise!!

Hi YellowSub! Welcome!!! So glad you found us!

Well, Kids....I had a good day yesterday....went out to lunch with some old work buddies. "Crispers" was the restaurant of choice, (thank goodness!) and I found a flatbread made of whole wheat & spinach covered with feta, sun dried tomatoes, olives & pepperonchini. It was FAB! ~~ And the best part is....I brought half of it home!!

It's a good feeling to go out to eat and be able to stick with your eating plan, isn't it!!??

Here's the bad part....I still can't get on the exercise band-wagon. I have 2 Pilates DVDs, I have a fitness center & 2 pools right in my "active adult" community, a great place to walk with no traffic...and I just can't get in the exercise groove. (YET!!!)

Good Morning girls, well last night l went to my first WW meeting, it was great. l really feel inspired. l did pretty good yesterday drank plenty of water and watched what l ate. Now with the WW kit l know it will be easier. l have talked to my old mate so many times about going on a cruise but the only cruising he wants to do is on the old Waccamaw river here. Mind you it is lovely and spending weekends with friends and cooking out does have its merits, so can't complain. Have a super day everyone.

Hi Beth! It's wonderful to be inspired...yours is rubbing off on me....I just lined up 6 bottles of water to remind me to drink them while I clean my house today!

Yes....where you live is so beautiful. My old mate and I love that area between Myrtle Beach and Savannah. The marshes and lowlands are so peaceful. We toured much of the area on our motorcycle last year & enjoyed it so much!

Good Morning Everyone

Bunti, maybe with several of that are all hooked on cruising we will get the others hooked too

Elyn, that is great that you got on the bike that the treadmill. I am just a firm believer that at our age we have to keep really active or that darn matabolism just quits working and even though we don't eat much we gain weight I am about to go get on the treadmill right now.

Jill, that is great you are drinking the water, that is probably the one thing I tend not to do so well, if I start to drink it then I have to run to the bathroom constantly and it seems the older I get this darn bladder does not want to work so well any more , then I get to busy at work. I do try to drink about 60 oz but I know it should be more.

OK, it is 7 and if I don't get exercising I won't get my mile in before work.

Hi...thanks for the warm welcome! And thanks for the weighttracker Jill. Is that Sammy the Penguin helping me there? Uh-oh.....just edited cause my signature changes didn't take. I will have to try again later!! don't have time to figure out what I did wrong...off to work.

Yellowsub, I am not sure about a fructose intolerance, but I know for me that certain foods make me hungry ---when I eat them, I want more, more, more. They are the more "refined" foods, so those are the ones I avoid. Fructose in an orange doesn't seem to set me off. High fructose corn syrup in sodas, juice drinks, etc is like giving me a hungry pill. So I check labels and try to avoid it. It helps. It, and white flour are my downfalls, and they're everywhere!!!

Beth, my first cruise was a Flylady Cruise, and DH didn't want to go either. But when I made the plans, he didn't want to be left out. Now he likes it as much (or more) than I do.

Have a great day everyone! Together we can evict our body clutter.

Hi ladies! Flsunbakd invited me to join you. I'm 54 and very much overweight. Unfortunately, due to health issues, I can't exercise very much so I have to rely on diet only for weight loss. The only exercise I'm allowed to do is swim and I don't have access to a pool. Oh well, such is life. I'm very excited about having a new group of friends to share my diet victories and defeats with. My goal is to lose 100 lbs over the next couple of years. I'm sure I can do it if I can keep my big fat mouth closed when the doughnuts are passed around at work!

Glad you found us!
Lotsa friendly people here...all trying for the same goal.

It's much more fun to try to stick to our goals when we're all struggling for the same result: mainly better health...but if we end up looking awesome as a side-effect...won't it be great?!

Most of us are weighing in on Mondays....but it's certainly up to you when (or if) you want to share your successes (and disappointments) with the rest of us. There's a place to do a weight tracker...works kind of like a cruise countdown clock. Let us know if you need help

Hi Pungo Glad you found us. We are all here to help each other We will just need to set small short term goals for you but I know you can do it
Gee, with all us Cruising folks we might need to rename the thread or get everyone else to join us on a cruise

I have kept up my exercise I did about 10 minutes of floor exercise this morning then I did 1.5 miles on the treadmill. That is just so darn time constraining. It took just over 26 minutes, it is just a good thing that I don't get in trouble coming in late to work

Well, speaking of work. I have lots of it so I better get going.

Yellowsub... Hope you will be inspired and find the support you need to reach your goal weight.

Beth...So glad to hear you liked your first WW meeting. I think they are GREAT and I just finished my first week. I'm going to do it this time!!

Pungo3... Hi and Do you have access to a YMCA in your area? If you do, for a small monthly fee you would be able to use the pool and do warm water arobics. I have a buddy in WW that can't exercise also, but she does this instead.

I had a wonderful day today. I stayed within my points, drank my water, but I haven't gotten my exercising in for the day. But I will get it done before the evening is over. Today was my weigh-in day at WW and their scales said I had a loss of 4.3lbs. Not the 6lbs that my scales said, but I think I need new batteries in it. Anyway a loss is a loss, so I'm happy just the same.

Have a good evening.

Cheryl

Dream Big
By Author Unknown

If there were ever a time to dare to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing - it is now. Not for any grand cause, necessarily - but for something that tugs at your heart, something that's your aspiration, something that's your dream.

You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.
Dream Big.

Know, though that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days. There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself, that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.
Because with an idea, determination, and the right tools, you can do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect, and your heart guide you.

Trust.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.

Cheryl, YEAH!!!!! 4.3 pounds is fantastic

I totally believe WW the a great way to go. I am sorta of following WW myself I just do not have the time to catch a meeting and WW on line would be OK but I know the old program so well and that is what has always worked for me that I know I can do it myself. I worked for WW many years ago part time as a group leader after I became a Life Time Member. It really can be a very rewarding job.

I myself am hoping for a big loss tomorrow but I also know that I had a good weight loss last week my first week and know that often the second or third week sometimes is not very good so we shall see.

The next three days at work will be a bit of a challenge for me, we are having this big sale and the Dealership said they would buy all the employees lunch for Thursday and Friday (they always do on Saturday) the tough part is tomorrow they are ordering Pizza and Wings One of my weakness's yet I have been so very good that I feel I need to be rewarded. I guess I will just have to wait till tomorrow. One of my co-workers who I am helping with his weight loss will also need help so we can be strong together

It is great that the number of "cruise addicts" are getting to be more, so there is so much more support available.

I'm afraid I can't go on a cruise, I get terribly sea sick. When I travelled to England and Norway, I was SOOOOOO SICK the whole time, the motion sickness pills didn't help very much.
Come to think of it, even the short trip on water to Rhode Island and Martha's Vineyard made me sick!
But I love to travel preferably by air, and I don't mind driving either.

Our dear friend is getting married on April 8, so I have to come up with a short term goal of 135 pounds, so that I can fit into a "dress", not a "tent".
I guess this will be very tough, and I will have to double my efforts, but that is good additional incentive for me, besides being healthy and looking great of course.
So this morning I biked 15mins. and walked on my threadmill for 27mins. Still planning to do my 1 hr aerobics video workout later. That's part of my "double efforts strategy".
Doing good on the "food part" as well. Why oh why is it sooooo difficult.......

good morning everyone, And welcome all the new members! Our thread is getting quite large! The moe people the more support and help we can give each other!

I had to work yesterday and it was a very stressful day. I work 12 hour shifts and even a good day can be a problem, but yesterday wasn't a "good" day. My stress reliever is Usually i come home and medicate myself with food! Especially because I sometimes don't have time at work to eat. But, I did well last night, so i'm happy.

Thanks for the encouragement about the exercise. I know I will eventually get to the speed and length of time that I want, I have to increase gradually! But I will get there. And i'm 5'. I used to say I was 5'1" but i was measured at the Dr. office Monday and he told me 5'. I don't know if I was always measuring wrong or if I lost an inch. It happens with age. But that is one of the reasons I take my calcium and do the exercise. To keep my bones healthy.

Jill, eating out is always a problem. But with a little planning you can chose healthy food and still enjoy it. I usually decide what I'm going to have befoe hand. Too hard to decide and make healthy choices with that menu open and everything looking so good. And, you'e right. Exercise is boring. I do have certain TV shows that i enjoy watching. I exercise then. Exercise makes such a difference it's worth the effort! Try picking a certain time of day when you're usually free and then "just do it". Accept the fact that you're probally never going to like it. Some things we do because it's necessary!

Every one seems to be doing so well. Keep up the good work@
Freda

Good Morning Everyone! It's a beautiful morning here in Central Florida...gonna be 80 today. HH (handsome husband) is off today, so we'll be riding our motorcycle all day. Too bad there's no exercise in that!!

Yes...it is SO GOOD to have some of my cruise buddies over here for support to all of us...but it's also so very nice to have all of my new 3FC friends!
I think as the months go by, we're going to become a pretty close-knit bunch!
How can we not? ~ We're sharing our FAT stories with each other ~ something that most of us don't usually share with anyone else!

Elyn...I love your new short term goal for your friend's wedding. It's motivating to have an event to work toward, I think. You can do it...and we'll help!

Cheryl...thanks for sharing the poem...it's more inspiration for me. God knows I need it!!! 4.3 pounds or 6 pounds...it's all Fat Off the Frame!

Then there's Lisa (laffenvegas), who is an Exercise Machine!! My Hero!! One of these days SOON I'll be getting in the groove! Lisa...I'll bet you pass on that pizza today

Freda...I'm so glad you had a good night after a stressful day yesterday!! YAY! And...you're right ~ I just have to pick a time and DO MY PILATES! I plan to do that on Saturday when HH goes back to work. He works a rotating schedule, so each week his days off are different. OK. I WILL pop in my pilates DVD and DO IT on Saturday. There. I've said it. Now I will follow through since I told all of you I would!!!

I know that all of us are on different eating plans, but here's a little treat that might be "legal" for most everyone. If not totally legal, at least it's better than pigging out on something worse!!

The Yummiest-Ever Chocolate Mousse

1.4 oz pkg of Jello fat-free, sugar-free chocolate instant pudding
1 cup of FF milk
1 cup of FF or part-skim ricotta cheese
3 good tablespoons of cocoa powder

Mix together until almost smooth, or pulse in food processor until same. It's pretty much ready to eat if you just can't wait after you taste it!!!

Make it a great day, 3FC buddies!!

Good morning fellow winners at losing!! Wow!! so many nice folks here. Hi Pungo!!
Ummmm that mousse sounds great Jill, I have to wait til I am more established in my pattern though. I haven't been away from sweets long enough, and they are another trigger for me early on. It is better after I have been eating right for several weeks.

I will be doing the Curves 6 week challenge. I did it once in the past, so can do it for free now. I think the meetings and inspirational videos will help keep me going. So far this week I have exercised every day. Baby steps though....can't set myself to do too much or I will crash and burn. 20 to 30 minutes 5 days a week to start. I stop at Curves on the way home from work. It probably isn't the best time of day to work out, but it works with my schedule.

Jill, as I look out the window at the beautiful but cold landscape. (fresh snow last night) I am jealous of your weather!!! Have fun on your riding day!

Well, time to get started for the day.