Oh, it was delightful to sleep at home last night, and to linger in bed past 9AM this morning. I did my first workout since Wednesday, an hour of TurboJam, and it felt great work up a sweat and to lift weights. On this next trip, which starts early Tuesday morning and lasts through Saturday, I should be able to work out most days, hooray.

Julie, I recall that you were dealing with a lot of issues in your personal life. I hope that things have smoothed out for you in the past year. We missed your good humour and your special way with the smilies:hug: .

Nikki, you've done well not to fall off the wagon and down the hill with all the challenges you had this fall! I'm so glad you're making time to post with us. How's school?

Penny, thanks for the reminder about a stray nible here and there. One of my downfalls is the extra "healthy" snacks, which still add up. On Thursday and Friday, zigzagging around Manhattan to meetings, I didn't have or think about my usual morning and afternoon snacks; I was hungry at dinner (sushi, yum...) but not ravenous. So I know that a lot of this snacking is just habit or a way to break up the time, not true hunger.

Carol, no I did not stay warm in NYC! My fingers, especially, were painfully cold due to Raynaud's syndrome, and instead of the usual walking we kept hopping into cabs. You sound very excited about camping and the new kayak, that's wonderful. And if weighing in everyday stresses you out, don't do it! That works for some people (like me), but not for others.

Marie, I hope you are zoning out today! You have been really busy and deserve some totally "me" time.

I managed not to gain anything this week, and am still at 226. My goal will be to maintain this week, despite being on the road...I am taking my laptop, so I can be sure to check in with y'all pretty much everyday.

judy

Well everyone hello! Sounds like everyone was kind of glad to have a day of rest today. I too didn't do too much. I did want to pop in and say hello. I am trying to be better on the control of my intake on weekends. Sometimes I guess my brain says oh free for all on the weekends in order to succeed I can't let this continue. I did manage to bake some brownies but used applesauce instead of oil. I bit different but not awful. Then made some banana bread for dessert tonight. Other than that staying in control I at least left calories for my banana bread. Good thinking I say. Marie good job keeping so active in the snow. Judy burr it was quite cold I say! Bet you were glad to get in bed at night under the covers etc. Cozy huh? Well its warmed up a bit today not a heat wave but warmer. Gotta go work on my taxes to get ready to file. Gotta pay for that kayak yah know. Nikki maybe we can get some motivation started again here any great ideas since that last one helped Marie so much. Maybe it will be catchy and we can all grab on strong to it this time. Let us know if yah have some ideas! I am sure we would be game.
Take care trying to drink more herbal tea and water. Maybe its helping ???? Oh I did lose a half of lb. yesterday. Better than none.

Ha Carol, told you the evil scale wasn't all knowing on Friday!!! Good job on the 1/2 pound. I'm staying away until TOM is gone. I've been good but boy did I have the munchies yesterday. Made up for it by foregoing my nightly ice cream cone. :( Today I'm under my cals so I'm going to snack on an apple. Truly I'd like that banana bread or brownies but I'm determine. I thought of y'all this am when I wanted some M&Ms. I looked at the bag and said Mari you won't lose any more if you snack. And I WALKED AWAY!!!!!! Yeah!!!!

Well my day of rest is really restful. I hurt my lower back yesterday then picking up DGS for 8.5 hours did it in. I'm in pain. Walking doesn't hurt much so I took the doggies for a slow walk. Good thing my resolution this year was to get my huskies to stop pulling my arms out. They weren't used to the slow pace but it was nice (and not too painful). Then we sat outside overlooking the frozen pool. It was bout 50 and sunny - too gorgeous to stay inside. I did take a 2 hour nap this morning since my back hurt too much to sit for long. I'm hoping tomorrow it'll start loosening up. Eeks what a weekend. You know, I should be not able to move from skiing now twisting around a corner (over a doggie) to pick up an earring. If I call in sick tomorrow, that will be hard to explain.

Yesterday I ordered new mittens for skiing. They should be way toasty! I also ordered a new set of WATP called Walk Slim that my other forum is raving about. They gave me more details and I thought something new would be fun. And then I ordered new tennis shoes, 2 bras and Nike sandals from Kohl's. I guess when I type it out, I was busy. ;)

Judy, enjoy your brief stay at home. Where ar you off to this time? Somewhere warm. I'm actually getting excited for my Florida trip in March. I hate winter and this has been the most easiest winter imagineable. I think I'm getting old. But I haven't swam in the ocean for many years - the Pacific is just too cold so I'm looking forward to some body surfing and playing in the waves.

Carol, taxes are no fun. I efiled mine last weekend. So my return might be here this week sometime. I had mine done because I was worrying about owing so I loaded my TurboTax on the computer in December and used the paystubs to estimate. I was so relieved when I saw a refund. But most was done so when I got my W2s last week, I just changed the estimates to the real numbers and I was done. Not painful at all. And enjoy that kayak.

Marie

Carol congrats on the 1/2 pound. :carrot:

I had a pretty good weekend food wise. I did notstray to much and am hoping for a lose tomorrow. Either way tomorrow I start on my low carb diet. I went to the store today and spent 150.00 on groceries so I have plenty of low carb stuff in the house. I am hoping this kick starts my weight loss. Tonight I hada burger and fries as kind of my last carb meal for awhile.

I will check in tomorrow after I weigh in.

Nikki

Judy - Yes, those itty bitty nibbles add up! That's why I'm glad I journal my food. At least I know where I'm going wrong! I cut back about 50% on my nibbling today - didn't go cold turkey, but I'm working on cutting out most snacks. Even though I'm not too much over my calorie limit I know I won't start losing again till I cut out the snacky stuff (or at least cut down drastically). I'm glad you got a good night's sleep in your own bed. Whenever I travel (which isn't very often), I really appreciate my bed when I get home.

Carol - Congrats on the half pound loss! :carrot:. You have a lot of willpower to only eat a little of those goodies you bake. Baking is a dangerous pursuit for me. I would gobble the whole batch.:lol: I'm going to follow your example and drink more herbal tea. I love chamomile tea, I sometimes have a cup before bedtime to help me sleep.

Marie - I hope your back gets better soon. Good for you for walking away from those evil M&M's! :devil: Your trip to Florida sounds great. The warm weather seems very far away today as we had icy cold winds that seemed to go right to my bones!

Nikki - So you're doing low carb to get going again? I was quite successful losing weight when I did low carb a while back (not ultra-low like Atkins - more like just cutting out 'empty' carbs like white bread, potatoes, pasta, root veggies, white sugar, etc.) Maybe it's time I tried it again as those foods have crept back in to my diet a bit too often. I hope you have a good weigh-in tomorrow.

I've been doing the treadmill regularly and it's more fun now we have this nice little flat screen TV on a wall bracket so that I can swing it out and watch TV while I walk. Not quite so boring that way and the time goes by quicker. Unfortunately, I seem to end up watching the Food Network, which is not known for it's low cal cuisine! I did pretty good calorie wise today so maybe I'm getting the snack monster under control. I just read an interesting article that it's best to eat only one or two different kinds of breakfasts and lunches because eating a lot of different foods stimulates the appetite too much. I once spoke with a woman at TOPS who had lost over 100 lbs. and that was her secret. She said she made eating as boring as possible! I'm not sure I could do that, but it's an interesting thought.

Have a good week everyone.

Penny- My goal is to do 14 days of strict low carb following South beach basically. Then add back in some fruit and whole grains. We will see how it goes. If anyone want to join me I'd be hapy to have company.

See you all in the Am
Nikki

Marie sure hope you feel better soon. The hurt back isn't any fun take it slow but keep moving sometimes no movement messes us up more. Your right about the scale. But this a.m. I still had the .5 gone no more no less but thats alright I guess for today. I thought about it and really this is the winter where we tend to pack on the lbs. I should be grateful it wasn't more. This is manageable and I will get it off. I am tend to eat what I want trying to eat less etc. I guess my feelings is if I have to give things up completly I will go on a huge binge resulting in more damage in the end. I set myself a goal in my journal and will see if I can reach it. I didn't go crazy setting it to high just realistic but do able. Nikki I think I will join you and Penny in trying harder to watch my carbs. Penny you described it simple and I will also watch the intake of these items. I just read an article last night after tax time. Getting things in order. That fiber keeps us fuller which I knew but also that it helps fight off the fat cals etc. So I am going to work on adding more beans and lentils to my diet as well. Also pears which are a good source. Tonight I am going to make a veggies dinner. But for lunch I am making a salad and adding in some chicken and chick peas. After all only 5 months to my daughters wedding oh how quick time flys. Marie that Walk Slim sounds like something I should try I get really bored at home on the treadmill. At the gym your watching others the music is on time goes by quicker. I did fill out the application for the YMCA. I will see how we do with prices and then decide if I will switch gyms or not. I do know I need to get going cause my butt is giggly. I don't think thats good I better firm up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hah hah! Not bigger though thats a good thing. Girls I need a little tv for my exercise room something to get soon. There so cheap no adays compared to years ago. I love the cooking channel but somethings you need to adjust how you make them. Nikki I love fruit and can't do with out so I will just cut back on whites. Anything white except eggs should stay out. Well all I gotta go off to work and catch up on seeing people today the end of the month is near and due to weather and some other pressing matters to tend to I am behind on seeing folks. So its a possible work late evening cause we are due for snow tonight I feel the need to acomplish these visits. Then I have court in the morning for guardianship for a client. Hopefully the weather isn't too bad. This month has been a tough one with work. It has to slow down soon but I have been saying this for months.

Morning Ladies-

I had my weigh in today and I am up 1.2 pounds. I am not bummed out though. I ate a burger and fries last night which always brings me up a bit. Today I start my south beach. I am very excited. I will post back at the end of the day to let you all know how I did.


Carol- I like fruit to but I am going to do it! Are pears low carb? I 'm not sure I wil check my book. . . ok for two weeks I get no fruit and no cheese unless it s reduced fat. I messed up there I bought reg old cheese. Back to the store LOL.


Nikki

Nikki & Carol - I'm in with you for going lower carb. I don't think I'm up to totally cutting out fruit but I'll reduce my bread to one slice every two days. I eat Ezekiel sprouted bread which is supposed to be very healthy. I will also cut out bananas - I've been eating too many of those lately and they are very carby.

Nikki, it's a good idea to limit cheese. It's not too high carb but soooo many calories in a small amount. I love cheese too and so I just can't have it in the house any more. I had some shredded cheese I bought for my DH's omelets and I was grabbing handfuls of that to snack on! I'll go back to asking for more veggies or salad to have with my entrees instead of potatoes or rice when we eat out. Rice has snuck back into my diet lately too - these things all add up to stop my weight loss even though I don't eat huge amounts of them and fit them into my daily calories.

I have the feeling that I'm more bloated and retain water when I eat too many carbs. My protein has been a lot lower lately too, so that will automatically go up if I cut out some of the carbs and protein is very filling. Let's hope this does the trick to get us losing again! Nikki - pears aren't ultra high carb so after your induction period you could maybe have half a pear. I buy "schoolboy" gala apples that are very small so I automatically eat less. They're about half the price of regular gala apples too.

Good luck - we can do it! :carrot:

Nikki, I will keep your low-carbing in mind through these next two trips. I can't eat wheat, anyway, so that helps, but I can avoid rice (which is high-glycemic) and little travel treats like Starbucks chai tea (sugar) and chocolate. But I will want the ocassional bowl of oatmeal or slice of spelt bread, and access to protein bars help me walk away when the only meal options are mac 'n cheese or other off-limit foods. So for me, no sugar or other empty carbs will be a good thing to focus on.

Marie, I hope that your back is feeling better, there's nothing worse than a bad back.

Penny, I've heard that the more choice you have, the more you eat, even something as weird as M&Ms all one color or multi-colored. I love to eat, though, so my limited options will have to be food that's really good. I'm supposed to be replacing two meals or snacks a day with protein shakes, but that was hard to maintain for more than a few weeks. But it's helping to have a shake as my default breakfast during the week, and an apple and almonds for a morning snack.

I'll be in Milwaukee briefly tomorrow, then in Chicago through Saturday. Cold and snowy in both places, but I'll have access to a hotel fitness room, so no excuses!

Um, Carol, exactly what is a "giggly butt"? Sounds happy enough to me!

judy

I must say it is so nice to have support again. I got through the morning not even a bit hungry. I had my high protein breakfast, and now I am having my celery sticks with laughing cow cheese.

Nikki

Nikki - I'm glad you jogged my memory about cutting out some carbs. I just looked back at my *********** food log and my ratio of carbs/fat/protein have been way out of whack! I like to have protein for breakfast as it does keep me full till lunch. My problem is craving carbs in the afernoon. I'll try eating a protein snack instead. I kind of like the Zone diet which is 40% carbs, 30% fats and 30% protein. My DH has successfully kept off 45 lbs. and has eaten the in the "zone" for about 8 years now. He never eats carbs without also having some protein. I quite often have a protein shake for dinner and I put in some psyllium husk powder which is very high in fiber. It's a good way to get fiber if you're not eating much fruit or grains and it has practically no carbs.

Judy - Your gluten free diet must make it easier to pass up on wheat foods. I know that wheat causes me digestive problems but I eat it anyway!:?: I'm just going to have to keep reminding myself that it's not worth the pain. It must be extra hard for you to stay on track when you're traveling so much.

Looks like we'll have to rethink our choice for lunch today - chinese. We haven't had any in ages, but it's hard to eat chinese food without the rice!

:dust:

Morning all (or afternoon for you on the East coast). I stayed home from work. My back was so sore this morning. After I got up a second time, I did an easy 2 mile walk. That helped loosen it a bit. I'll probably take the huskies out again this afternoon. I'm pretty sure walking will make it heal faster. It must be better by the weekend since DH agreed that we could go to Mt Bachelor (a real ski resort). BTW, he's flying home today.

Goldie continues to get better. I have a call into the vet since she'd wanted me to renew the prescription 2 or 3 times. This morning was her last dose. DS1 took my checkbook and will pick up the meds if necessary.

You all reminded me that DS2 said in Mississippi, he was able to buy white chocolate M&Ms but they aren't available here. So I'm going to surf to the M&M site and see if I can buy him ONE color of white chocolate for valentines day. BTW, I'm a big dark chocolate M&M fan. I eat 75 cals worth every lunch dessert (except yesterday - why I don't know). I love them and if I premeasure I don't go over. AND the latest research says that eating around 100 cals of dark chocolate per day is very healthy. Wow healthy and yummy - my kind of choice. The other two great healthy and yummy is peaches and strawberries. My very favorite two foods. I never limit intake on those. :) I always call them God's gift to dieters.

Nikki, good luck on the SB diet. I know you can do it. Are you still living at home with your mom that made your dieting difficult? BTW, fries always bloat me even though I bake them. I love them and the salt on them (I don't salt other foods just them). And I too had burger and fries last night. 4 oz of 93/7% ground beef, a 110 cal bun and 18 baked fries. Oh, delicious but no weighin today. :)

Carol, good luck with the heavy load today. I've already logged in today at work to handle a few items that were pressing. Work is always there, isn't it?

Judy, Milwaukee is close to home of my fave Packers. The midwest is where I'm from and it's definitely cold there according to my family. Zero is a bad number on the thermometer.

Penny, good job whacking down the nibbling. I swear I nibble when I'm at home. I agree with Judy, I use it to divide time up. I wish I didn't love food so much. :) When you watch the food network, think of ways to slenderize the recipes. You'll be paying more attention to the slenderizing then the exercising. It's a win win situation.

Well, that's about it. I'll chat later. I'm going to try my knitting machine and see if it bothers my back. If it does, I'm going to be bored...
Marie

Hi Marie-
Fries are the enemy LOL. I knew I would not have a good weigh in today because of that meal. I am still at home with mom but I went out and bought all new groceries and she is perfectly hapy to let me cook dinner every night. So hopefully this can work. I am actually excited about cooking and eating new foods.


Hope your back feels better Marie

Penny- I had been trying to watch my food intake for the last 3 weeks again and realized I was not losing or yoyoing. When I examined my food journal I realie while I was eating less I was eating 80 % carbs. That is why I am hoping this jump starts me.It is amazing how much we eat carbs.


Nikki

gOOD MORNING EVERYONE. Well its another busy work day. Off to court to help a family member with guardianship. Hopefully it goes well and no one objects. It is really a need for this young lady. Afterwards a coworker and I are going to do a couple of visits and then have chinese for lunch. Last night my down fall was pizza and some wings a big no no on the wing part the pizza wasn't so bad and the cals before that were very low for the day. So today even with going out I will try to stay away from the dark sauce and only have 1 scoop of rice. Lots of veggies! I will be extra careful tonight for dinner. Lunch for dinner , dinner for lunch cals I think a swap. Yesterdays drive left a lot to be desired on the way home. Trying to figure out which roads to take etc... oh I was so glad to see my driveway. Spring please come soon! No is oatmeal high in carbs? I know its suppose to be so healthy and then there are different types of carbs I tend to confuse some of that stuff. I know my pizza wasn't a low carb item but at least it had veggies. Well glad we are all figuring out some new stragies to tackle our lbs. who knows it might be just what we need. Lots of in and out up and down stairs yesterday for exercise. As soon as things slow down and the weather I will get motivated after work again. I can't wait to walk around the beach and Bear will be in training for that. He now sits on demand if I have a treat of course. Not bad for 12 weeks. Have a great day I have to get to work.

Carol- Good luck in court today. Oatmeal that is not instant is made of good carbs. Instant Oatmeal is bad because most of the fiber is processed out of it. At least that is how I understand it.

As for me I made it through day 1 wooohoo. I was not even hungry. According to fit day I had maybe 7 % carbs which is a huge decrease for me and they were all healthy carbs like those from salad. I am excited about today but it may be a bit tricky I have class at 4 so I am thinking I will eat dinner before class and a light snack maybe lettuce wraps after class. I cant believe how many ways you can make lettuce wraps. I think I am getting addicted to them lol.


If any of you are interested there are some creative alternatives to carb snacks on the South beach diet forum here. I am going to try crispy pepperoni tomorrow. It is suppose to taste like the pepperoni on pizza except less greasy. Oh and it is turkey pepperoni :)


Nikki

Hi everyone. I've been working hard at reducing my carbs the last couple of days and I'm hoping it will pay off at the end of the week with a lower number on the scale. We did go for chinese yesterday, but I had only 1/4 cup of rice (which I spread out to make it look like more!) I ate less than half of my entree - "Happy Family" which is shrimp, chicken and beef with lots of veggies. My DH ate only half of his meal too, so we had great leftovers for our DS who came over for dinner. I reduced my toast to half a slice at breakfast. I didn't feel hungry all day and wasn't tempted to snack. My total carbs were 120g where they had been 250+ before.

Nikki - I'll check out the SBD forum. Lettuce wraps are great - I used to make them when I was on Atkins. They are good with chicken or tuna salad inside. I even made a "fish taco" wrap with a bit of salsa that was good. I used some leftover fried fish I'd made for lunch and had it for dinner as a wrap. I'm thinking shrimp and avocado with a dab of cocktail sauce would be a good mix.

Carol - Oatmeal is a bit high in carbs, but the health benefits are worth it in my opinion. Be sure to use steel cut or slow cook oats not the instant kind, which is full of sugar and junk and is very processed. Bear is going to love it when you take him for walks on the beach when the weather warms up.

Marie - I hope your back is feeling better. I'm also managing to fit in a tiny bit of chocolate into my diet. Most days I have one square of Lindt Instense Pear or Orange dark chocolate and nibble it slowly to savor the taste. A real treat for 55 calories and 5g of carbs!

Hi, guys--a quick hello from your very sleepy friend! I was up at 4:30AM to give myself time to wake all the way up and empty out all of my kitchen cabinets...yes, after much complaining from me and I expect other tenants, the building management is exterminating all the apartments at the same time (yaay!) on Saturday (boo!). The notice was under my door when I got home late last night, so I just focused on packing going to bed, and did my best to clear all the counters and take all the food, dishes, cookware, etc., out of my little kitchen. But that takes a long time, and eventually I had to rush to the airport. Oh, well. I hope they'll do the best they can, and I'll come home Saturday night to a smelly, disheveled apartment.

We're cooling our heels for a awhile at the Milwaukee airport before heading downtown for our meeting. I've been walking around a lot, and avoiding the junk food. But I did have the brat-knack plate for lunch, complete with saurkraut and a few bites of potatoes. When in Rome, as they say!

I think that while oatmeal is definitely "high" carbs, it is relatively low-glycemic. One serving doesn't set me off on a binge, thank goodness. And it does have so many benefits, especially with a little milk and cinnamon. I grew up having it with canned "sweet" milk, which was a typical way to take a perfectly healthy meal and load it up with fat and sugar:devil: .

Marie, take it easy on that back! I hope that everyone else is feeling good today.

judy

Hi all, I called in sick again today. My back is taking longer to ease up then I'd thought. The good side was that I spent the morning with DH. We watched The Devil Wears Prada then we took a slow doggie walk. BTW, the book is better than the movie although I loved Streep in the role. DH is now at work and I'm surfing. We decided to by an automatic doggie door. After $400, our energy bill should go down and DGS won't be able to crawl out to the pool this summer. Well spent money but I'd would have rathered keeping it. Alas, safety and my heating bill won.

Cals have been good. I've walked everyday with the painful back (it's the only thing that loosens it up) so I guess I've exercised however, in no way was it aerobic. Slow and sure.

Nikki, good job on day one. I'm glad your mom is being supportive - I know that I'd love it if someone else made dinner. :)

Carol, I hope court went okay. Spring is getting closer. My most hated month (this one) is almost over and sprint is around the corner. DH got 2 cushions for the pool deck chairs and we sat outside for a while before he left. It was gorgeous out but I know that winter is still in control.

Judy, aw, you had a brat??? True Wisconsin food (my degrees are from the UW system). I'm very partial to a state where wearing cheese on your head is the in thing. I love cheese.

Penny, yes, I too love my little dark chocolate. If it's portion controlled, it's great. I read a cool article in Costco Connection about everything chocolate. I learned how it was made, the history (I knew Christopher Columbus had some redeeming qualities as he brought it back to Spain), and the aphrodisiac aspect. It just made me like it more. :)

Well, that's about it. TTY tomorrow. I do believe I'll be going back to work. I can sit there just as well as here and I'm sort of bored.
Marie

Marie - Take care of your back. It's a good thing you can still go for walks because I know you'd miss that a lot. I liked your typo "sprint" is around the corner! That's what I keep hoping - one of these days I'll be sprinting along :lol:.

Judy - I'm a brat fan too, but these days I just have a chicken asigo sausage now and then - a bit of a disappointment after a real brat, but they taste pretty good. When we lived in Swizerland I used to love having a bratwurst on a big crusty roll - just the thing on a winter's day.

I went to try a Tai-Chi class today and was enjoying it very much when I suddenly felt dizzy as if I was going to pass out and had to sit out the rest of the class. It wasn't strenuous at all, so maybe I'm coming down with something. I hope not! I don't have time to be sick - we're just starting to organize our big fashion show and tea that's coming up at the end of March. I had to lie down in bed for a while when I got home but I'm feeling a bit better now. I'm going to take one of my Emergen-C, Airborne and Echinacia cocktails and hope for the best!

Woohoo I made it through day 2. Everyone keeps telling me that day 3 and 4 are the worst. I am looking forward to getting through to Saturday.

Marie- Take care of that back

Judy- That sweet milk sounds good.

Penny- Watch that dizziness are you eating enough?

Talk to you all tomorrow
Nikki

Well ladies I made it through day 3 perfectly :) I hope everyone is having a good day.

Nikki

Hi all, I did go to work today as my back is slightly better. I had to do WATP this morning and it doesn't relieve the back pain nearly as much as walking outside on the hills. Oh well, at least I'm not falling farther behind at work. And calories are right on target. I'll be weighing in on Friday as TOM is mostly gone.

Penny a sprint to spring would be nice. I'm tired of winter. Without snow it's yucky. Mt Shasta is about to close for lack of snow and the temps are too warm to make any. The Mt Bachelor trip looks like it'll have to be postponed because of the back. BTW Penny, the fashion show and tea, is it to raise money? What group are you part of.

Nikki, I'm so glad you're back!!! Good going on Day 3. Saturday will be here soon and you'll be in the groove. How is the exercise going?

Carol and Judy, I hope your day was great!
Marie

Marie - Glad you are feeling a bit better.

I have not been exercising to much my body hurts lately. However, I am doing abs 4- 5 times a week. I'm hoping I feel better soon and can increase the exercise again.

Nikki

Nikki - Good for you staying on track! I was bad today and had around 200g of carbs. I felt yucky from whatever it is that I have (hopefully not the flu coming on) so I went a bit overboard. Believe me, I wasn't dizzy yesterday from lack of food! I usually eat around 1650 - 1750 calories per day. That's why I lose so slowly - but that's fine with me because it's something I can stick with for the long haul. Over the holidays I was eating around 1900-2000 - hence the 5 lbs. gain.

Marie - I'm ready for spring too. I think I may have a slight case of SAD as I definitely crave carbs more when the days are dreary and small problems get magnified out of proportion when I wake up in the middle of the night. I'm on the board of a non-profit british women's group (I prefer not to say the name as you never know who's lurking and I like to stay a bit annonymous for that reason). We raise funds for Oregon charities and a retirement home for elderly brits. It keeps me pretty busy but since I work at home doing the bookkeeping, etc. for my DH's business it works out well. My chapter has about 25 members and we put on an annual fashion show and tea. The statewide organization also puts on a large holiday bazaar and tea where we serve around 600 teas in one day. We have several other events thoughout the year, so there's never a dull moment!

Carol & Judy - I hope things are going well for you.

I have a slightly sore throat and have been really dragging today so I may be in for something. That may explain my dizzy spell yesterday at the Tai Chi class. I'm very disappointed as I was really looking forward to it. Hopefully I can have another go at it when I'm feeling more energetic. At least I managed to print the tickets & flyers and send out the mailing for the fashion show.

I'd love to join
 

Hi everyone - I need some accountability and support from friends. I just started the Fat Smash Diet on Monday - so far so good. Today was the first day I haven't had a killer headache - caffiene withdraws I'm sure.

I have about 25 - 30lbs to lose and would really enjoy the great support from this group.

I'm still learning my way around this website - where do you get the cool footers that are on most everyone's posts?? Not the smilie faces, the ones that show how much weight people have lost. I need to "jazz" up my posts.

FitinBoise

:welcome2: FitinBoise! Glad you're on board. I noticed that we're about the same weight with approximately the same goal. If you click on anyone's weight tracker (the footer you were asking about) it will walk you through making your tracker. Afterwards you can change your tracker by going to User CP on the top left hand corner of this page and go to Edit Signature. As you lose the weight you can just change the number in the html code instead of redoing the tracker every time. Hope this explanation isn't too confusing!
Good luck on your weight loss journey. Looking forward hearing from you again.

FitinBoise welcome to the site. Lots of good ideas and friendly support here. We all lose differently so what is this type of diet your on? Never heard of it before? If you feel like sharing.
Well girls a bit busier than I would of liked to be the last few days. Court went well and my client is all set. Thanks for your support. My newest case is also coming along I met with them again yesterday. I have her set to start a job in a week and she love the day hab I have her in. It always makes me feel good when I have accomplished something for a client and their lifes are better for it and they like it. The families are pleased and thats always a plus human service field we all know isn't so easy! But rewarding not in the pay ck but by what we stand up for.
On the scale front down .5 more. So I am on my way to going back down to where I should of stayed a bit ago. Oh well no sense in being upset just make a move to change it. I also like some S.B. recipes along with WW recipes. I used to make those wraps with lettuce too. Good idea I think to try again. Nikki its so nice to have you back. The oatmeal always helps me feel full guess its all the heaviness and fiber. I enjoyed a nice red pepper cut in half and filled with tuna, onion a little mircale whip and some walnuts on a bed of lettuce, chickpeas and a few croutons and carrots on the side for lunch. It was really good and the red peppers are so sweet. I like the Ken's lite red vinegar w/ walnuts dressing very good. So good healthy lunch yesterday and I am going to repeat it today. Tonight I am going to make some chicken and a roasted sweet potatoe and veggies for dinner. I purchased some little ice cream sandwiches for dessert I think they are by Breyers not bad. I also am going to make some sugar free jello and purchased some lite cool whip. My goal is to lose another .5 lb. this week hopefully I can do it. Saturday I have a wedding shower and it is Thia food is that high in cals like chinese can be if we aren't careful ? I will have to adjust my cals for the day maybe lite breakfast and dinner plus a healthy evening crunchy snack. Oh girls I add in to my coffee maker with the coffee grounds some ground cinnamon daily plus add it to my oatmeal. I know its suppose to lower your chol. lets hope I am darn sick of paying for meds. but the diet never really made a huge difference there as it runs in the genes. Well gotta fly Bear is into everything he's not suppose to this morning just like a toddler. He must make me burn a few calories. I plan on dress shopping next month for the wedding I would like to be down at least 4lbs. by the end of FEB. Oh support I will need you all everyone of you. When I say I gained give me a kick!

Good Morning -

Carol way to go on being down .5 :cp:

FitinBoise Welcome to the group. I too have 25/ 30 pounds to lose. I am aiming to do it by the summer. Feel free to jkump right in. What is the fat smashers diet about? :welcome2:

As for me .. I am very happy this morning. I made it through day 3 on South Beach and I lost 2.2 lbs so far. I also have more energy which is great. I won't change my ticker until Monday. That is my official weigh in day and I am hoping to lose 5-6 by then. I hear that is not unreasonable on this diet in the first week.

Nikki

Hi, all--

I'm wearing workout clothes as I write this, to psych myself up to go down to the little fitness room in the hotel's basement. I went yesterday and did cardio for about 35 minutes. I'm still a bit tired but I got a good night's sleep last night and I can stop rushing around town (in the frigid cold) to meetings, since the conference started last night and goes through Friday afternoon. My eating has been okay, I need to be more careful about fatty foods (no more sausages). Also I tend to get a little dehydrated cooped up in these hermetically sealed hotels, and I don't drink as much water as I would at home.

Marie, you would have enjoyed the souvenir shop at the airport in Milwaukee--sausages, mustards, cheese curds, cheese spreads, cow-shaped cheese, chocolate cheese fudge....alas, most of my favorite Midwestern delicacies are off-limits, llike Chicago-style pizza and Garrett's fresh carmel corn. But I'm not feeling as bloated and sluggish as I usually feel on one of these trips, so it's worth it (I guess:p ) to make better choices.

Hi, Boise, nice to meet you! Let me know how you like the Fat Smash. That Dr. Ian is a little cutie. This is the Celebrity Fit Club book, right?

Go, Nikki, go!:dancer: You're off to a great start.

And Carol, congratulations on continuing to lose.

Penny, I hope you're feeling better. I like Airborne, too. I'm not sure that it works, but I'm partial to fizzy medicines.

Okay, time to sweat. Have a great day!

judy

Evening everyone!!!

FitinBoise!!! Welcome. Definitely please join us. Since Penny answered the ticker part, the smilies are easy to find, instead of using the Quick Reply, click on Go Advanced and add your smilies there. Once you know the symbol's text equivalent, you can type them in the quick reply.

Tomorrow is weighin. I've been way good so I have hope. But since it'll be Friday, it'll be a great day even if the evil scale isn't cooperative. Tomorrow is interview day and I HATE that, but still, Fridays are always good days. :)

I did 3 miles WATP this am. I'm still sore and stiff, but definitely getting better. Tomorrow I will post January's numbers (weight loss - if there is any) and the exercise log. It's on my USB drive on my keychain and I'm too tired to go get it. :)

Judy, ooooo Chicago style pizza. Yummy!!! Good for you exercising at the hotel and staying on track. Isn't it amazing how much better we feel when we don't eat junk?

Speaking of that since you all mentioned protein shakes - I added something new to my diet. One protein shake (whey) scoop daily. 1/2 at 10 in the morning and 1/2 at 3 in the afternoon. I was thinking that might help keep the munchies at bay and the metabolism up. Today it seemed to work. We'll see how tomorrow goes. And it tasted good - chocolate caramel and only 120 cals total with 21 grams protein. DS2 has the same stuff but in strawberry and I hated it.

Carol, great job on your new client. You are such a giving person. I'm so glad you can help them. And another .5 pounds - that's 1 pound from last Friday's evil scale report. Way to GO!!!!!!

Penny, your organization sounds cool. I've never been to a tea. I like iced tea but have to brew my own so it's decaf. I'm a diet pepsi and junkie. Our new co-worker is a tea person and told me about a tea shop in town. I'm thinking my tastes aren't discriminating enough. I sure hope you feel better.

Nikki, you go chickie. You're doing great. I hope the evil scale is cooperative.

Well, it's bedtime.
TTYL.
Marie

Nikki hey congrats isn't it cool how the SB helps with the craving so much. I had problems being on it in the past as I am a fruit eater etc/ it did get me to understand how certain foods make you feel. And I still use some of the recipes and ideas. Keep it up!
I did the scale this a.m. and still the same so I am pleased to be stable for a couple of days but hope for another loss soon.Judy I would love to be there with all the goodies it sounds like a shop I would love for gifts and myself. Judy it is called getting rid of what I let slip on due to holidays and poor choices. I am trying to be wiser this time in hopes to lose my total of 9lbs. in 5 months. It doesn't sound much to some but I tend to be a slow loser. That goal wt. would be awesome. I did grocery shop and purchased some healthy things to make. Tonight I am having shrimp and garlic with some cocktail sauce and a nice veggie. My lunches other than going out one day have been healthy. Eventually wt. has to keep coming off with better choices and movement. A coworker was walking out with me yesterday she headed for the elevator and I for the stairs she gave me a look I said sharing is caring and we did the stairs laughing away! I found some good recipes on the ww site. Penny did you do the tea last year too? I have gotten to enjoy tea more lately. I bought some pumpkin spice oh its good and sometimes I let it cool and make it into ice tea. I am taking some for lunch today. I have never been to a formal tea party sounds lovely do you serve scones? I do make those now for the last couple of years even have thought of trying them with 1/2 ww flour and 1/2 white and I add cranberries, walnuts and yogurt. Really tasty and great with tea. Its girl scout cookie time I ordered 9 boxes and the hubby 6 from the grandgirls. I will have to lock mine up in the freezer downstairs. Down fall is mint for me. I will save some for my son when he comes home. Way to go Marie and hope your feeling a bit better. I am so glad that Jan. is over it was a really crazy work month for me. I have to write 2 reports from scratch for the new clients have a few meetings here and there I have a full case load again. But a coworker is leaving and I will have to help cover her load til another MSC is hired on a bit of stress but it will end after awhile. Hope everyone will have a nice weekend. I have the wedding shower at the Lemongrass Rest. that will be my main meal for the day and I am planning it into my intake. Just don't have any idea on calories with Thai food. No other plans for the weekend I might try to walk the lake if its not to cold out. Gotta do it soon I feel the need for the walk and the beauty of it all. Eat smart, move more and have a super weekend for me its learning it isn't a free for all event. Give me strenght to concor the weekend.

Hi Ladies-

Judy- Hope you are having a nice trip.

Marie I hope the scale cooperates. Way to go on the 3 miles of WATP

Carol Have fun at the shower. I think it is good that you know how your body loses and are willing to make a reasonable goal for yourself.

As for me the scale is down more today. I could not help but peek. It is amazing me how eating right is making it go down daily. I made it through day 4 but had some minor cravings return. I heard once you get to day 6 it's better. I did not get my usual amount of water in yesterday and I am wondering if that accounted for my hunger.


Nikki

Carol - Glad to hear you haven't gained - you're due for a loss so I'm rooting for you! Yes, we did do a tea & fashion show last year (in fact, this is our seventh year of doing them). We serve a very nice tea plate, I must say, with 10 items (all home made) this year including a scone with cream and strawberry jam, shortbread, chocolate profiterole, cherry cake, smoked salmon on pumpernickel and two sandwiches! We usually have about 80 guests. We have 6-8 models, each with 4 different outfits. We use our organization's heirloom bone china and linen tablecloths and one of our members is very talented at flower arrangements and makes beautiful decorations for the room and tables. It's a lot of work, but for a good cause. If you want to know the calories in Thai food, Calorieking has most kinds listed. Some are very high cal because of the coconut milk. I usually eat half a portion when we go out for Thai and take the rest home.

Marie - I'm glad your back is feeling better. I think I'll have to start having my protein shakes regularly again, I seem to lose more when I have them as a meal replacement, even though the ones I make aren't exactly low calorie. We serve Tetley tea at our teas. Most brits think "herbal" tea is a bad word but I do like Chamomile tea before bedtime. I only drink decaf in the afternoons otherwise I have trouble getting to sleep.

Nikki - You are doing great! Way to go being so consistent and sticking to your new plan.

Judy - I hope things are going well for you on your trip in cheese counry!

I weighed in the same today (188). Whew - I thought I had gained because I haven't worked out since Monday when I got dizzy and came down with this strange bug. I still feel very tired and have a bit of a sore throat and stuffy sinuses. It's been very windy here so it may have kicked up some allergens.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Penny - Good job sounds like your body wants you to rest up.Take care of you !

Nikki

Happy Friday
 

Hi everyone - thanks for the support. I'm going to try to get the ticker up and running this weekend.

I also need to get a scale - ugh!! I'm not sure if I've lost this week although I think I have. I've stuck to my diet and I think I'm over the hump with the caffiene withdrawls.

I own my own business in Boise - I'm a dog trainer, petsitter and dog walker - I walk a lot which is great exercise for me.

Since I am new to this, can you tell me the best way to get back to this thread. I logged on to 3FatChicks but then it took me quite a while to get here. I know there must be an easier way. I'm so computer illiterate!!

Anyway - I hope you all have a wonderful day and I'll talk soon.

Suzanne
FitinBoise

Suzanne - You must get plenty of exercise in your line of business! I was at Petsmart today and they had a "doggie day school" with about 20 dogs of all sizes milling about, playing with toys and having a good old sniff. It was fun to watch them - just like a bunch of kids and they were very well-behaved. I don't think I could ever give up my cup of "real" coffee in the morning, but from then on it's decaf otherwise I can't sleep.

You could bookmark the current page (usually your web browser will have a "bookmarks" section in the toolbar). I drag the web address of the current page (http: etc.) onto my favorites on the toolbar or you can drag the icon (the little chicken head) onto your desktop. I have a Mac, so I don't know if this works the same way with PC's. Maybe some of the others have a better way get back to the page. Good luck!

Hi all, the scale tried to ruin my Friday as did the interviews. But I won't be deterred. I'm in a good mood regardless. I swear the scale knows what day I'm going to weigh iand it's mean. Betcha if I weighed tomorrow it would be less. My karma with the scale has never been good. :)

Suzanne, if you're using IE, just make it a favorite. I bookmark the forums then browse to Support Groups, then scroll the list to Daily Check In. I know you can subscribe to the group and receive emails and the such, but it didn't work great for me so I do it that way. It's a habit now so I don't change. BTW, scales are not the end all. You can just weigh in every once in a while at your drs. office (they shouldn't charge) and use your clothes as a marker. I tried the clothes route and failed miserably. My love hate relationship with the evil scale will always be in place. But some people are better without it.

Penny, I'm sending you a PM. DH and I are moving up our Portland trip to tomorrow/Sunday. I'll send my cell number to call if you want to try to get together for coffee. We're going to go to Lake Oswego Outlets (for Columbia Sportwear), the Oregon Zoo, somewhere where DH is getting auto stuff, Costco and we're staying at the Comfort Suites. Spur of the moment. I wanted to get away - probably from the mucho babysitting and the disappointment of my back not being better to go skiing. The hotel has an indoor pool and hot tub. That should feel nice on the old back. It's about the same today.

I did 3 miles WATP again this morning before work. I upped the intensity a bit to get a little more of a workout. DGS and I met DH in town for dinner so that was nice. That's when I sprung the idea of a weekend getaway on him. And last night he told me he'll be back on days on March 5th. YEAH!!!!

Carol, good luck this weekend. You're back on the wagon and the Mr. Scale will smile on you soon (me too - just not on official weigh in day).

Judy, hope your having fun.

Nikki I'm proud of you getting on the SB track. You're doing great. Keep up with it.

Marie

Suzanne I have a little puppy named Bear he is going to be 13 weeks old on sunday. I love him to pieces but didn't remember how much work it is to train. We are getting there but slowly. Your job at least fits the exercise right into your day thats really cool. Glad you joined our group here and a scale for sure is something that we have a hate and love understanding for. Yah either are grateful for it one day or ready to flush it the next but its important to have. I wish I had one which told oz. somedays I swear even an oz I would count off.
Penny do you used cream cheese is that what you mean when you say cream?? I love learning new things and was just curious. Most likely a funny question huh??? Well at any rate I never ate a scone til a couple of years ago then learned to make some and enjoy them in moderation. Also make them as healthy as possible. I would love to attend a tea. But I do enjoy herbal tea and try to have at least 2 cups at work a day. It holds me over from coffee and other junk. Marie hope you don't over do it but your trip sounds just great lots of stuff to do and then soak in that hot tub you will need it. Hope you girls have an opportunity to get together that would be way cool. How long have we all been on here together now. Is it going on 3 years? We have certainly picked up good info. from one another and built some nice relationships over the net. Thank God for teck. Its sunny here today but extremely cold and more colder weather for next week. Last nights driving was really tough for folks. I was happy that my daughter decided to ride home after her late shift at the paper with someone else. I worry about her during the night driving et. I didn't do too bad yesterday did eat a little more bread than I should have and my ham was a bit salty. I saved the seafood for tonight instead ham sandwiches last night. The shower is today so I will have some oatmeal for breakfast low in cals and stick to your ribs food to hold me fuller til lunch time. Grazing at night has been better I usually plan ahead what my snack will be after dinner. If I have some chips I measure them and count them in. Sometimes I feel the desire and make sure I read the portion and don't just eat out of the bag. The 1/2 cup measuring bowl works well. Have a great day all and I am hoping to have one too![link=http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/] [image noborder]http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/heartbar/slider-hearts/lb/179/165/174/.png[/image][/link]

I tried to set up my tracker but somehow failed to do it right oh well. At least I showed my dirt of the lbs. and will now get them down. Good thing at least there here but what did I do wrong?? Let me know I will attempt to fit it.
cc