Morning everyone
 

I'm sitting here eating my oatmeal and drinking my herbal tea - it's not too bad although yesterday afternoon I really wanted to stop at Starbucks for a real cup of coffee. I took my dogs out for a run instead.

I think I have tried every diet known in my life, but came upon The Fat Smash Diet. I was skeptical at first because the name seems like it's just another fad diet. It actually is very healthy - the first 9 days is call the detox stage designed to cleanse the body of junk. I can have all fruits, veggies (except avocados & white potatoes) - protein sources - chickpeas, beans, tofu, lentils - brown rice (2 C cooked/day) skim milk (2 C/day) water, oatmeal, herbs, spices, lowfat yogurt (6oz twice/day), egg whites, herbal tea, lowfat dressing, lowfat olive oil (althought I haven't been able to find lowfat olive oil). It's been easy for me to stick with this plan except for the coffee. After the detox stage there are three other stages - each stage adds more things back into the diet. So far so good although yesterday I put a pair of jeans on and they actually seemed tighter!! I hope someone didn't make a mistake and this is actually a diet to "bulk" people up. :)

Penny - thanks so much for your technical support I really appreciate it. I think I may have a ticker attached to this post.

Marie - you are in my neck of the woods (sort of). Do you live outside of Portland? I absolutely love the Oregon coast - Lincoln City, Newport Beach what wonderful places to visit. I don't know about Portland, but Boise has been so cold in the mornings - I'm ready for spring. Have fun shopping at the Columbia store. We are getting a Sierra Trading Post Outlet here in Boise, I can't wait.

Nikki - is that you that just got a puppy? I couldn't see a name at the bottom of the post. Puppies are awesome but it's truly like having a two year old in the house. The key to housetraining is the crate. Some people think it's cruel, but it becomes their den and they will grow up loving it.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday. I'm off to get a scale - I also have a love/hate relationship with the dang thing.

See ya, Suzanne

Marie - I'm so glad you're coming to town and I'm looking forward to getting together with you and your DH. I'll call you on your cell. I love the Columbia Outlet - it's just 10-15 min. from here and I got some great shirts there on sale for next to nothing last year. Give your scale a kick from me! :lol: I kicked mine around a bit too on Friday, but it still wouldn't go down a measly half a pound! :mad:

Carol - I hope you have a nice time at the shower. I'm not sure what's wrong with your tracker. Those things can be tricky. If you don't copy and paste the one that starts with [url=http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/] it won't work. Maybe you'll need to do it over again and see if that's the problem. You had asked about the kind of cream we use on the scones. It's stiffly whipped heavy whipping cream (the spray can kind is too watery). Traditionally, you should use clotted cream, which is very thick and made from rich Devonshire cream. It's a pain to make though, so you very rarely see it used outside of the UK.

Suzanne - The Fat Smash diet sounds interesting - is it mostly vegetarian? I've never heard of lowfat olive oil either. I think there is a lowfat margarine type spread that has some olive oil in it. Don't worry about the darn scale too much - those things are evil :devil:. Marie is right about judging how your clothes fit. Sometimes our clothes feel looser even if it's not showing up on the scale. I also get very bloated and retain water when I eat too much salty food and that can make the number on the scale go up and my pants get tight! Aaarghh!!

Have a great Saturday everyone.

Hello everyone well its been a nice quiet day. The wedding shower was really nice lots of desserts but they passed around to each table 6 and everyone took a little bit of each. I wasn't crazy over the bread pudding one. So I left it behind. But oh so good everything was great. I had red snapper, some vegatarin foods etc. Nothing heavy just tasty stuff. A bit too much red wine I think but oh I wasn't driving. I had a good time and nice to see my family members. We have so many gatherings this year wow! 2 upcoming babies and 3 weddings and maybe a fourth. It is suppose to be really cold here on mon. around 7 for the high of the day burr! I haven't gotten on the scale today. But will Tues. I am trying to be good. Weekends are tough I know I had some italian bread with my spaghetti for dinner. The sauce was my homemade and pretty low cal and healthy. I also had some shrimp w a little sauce on the side. Sounds like everyone is doing well keep up the good work. Spring is coming soon. I am looking at colors to paint my kitchen /open living room soon. Its so hard when both areas flow into one another. Something earthy and neutral I guess will do. Then add color with my ceramic wares which are rich blues and little brown, turq. colors. Well guess I better go see whats happening with the superbowl. No big food parties here I am kind of glad doesn't give me an excuse to over eat today. I will plan a 1/2 of cup ice cream instead. I will measure it out and add some strawberries to it. Have a great evening everyone.

Hi ladies-

I have a quick question. Do any of you use fitday? If you do, do you find that you cannot always find the food you eat on their list?

Nikki

Carol - I'm glad you had a nice time at the shower. It sounds like you did well food-wise. It's great when you have family nearby. I miss that as my DH and I are a few thousand miles from our original homelands and don't have any family here except our DS. We have some nice friends, though, so they are our "second family".

Nikki - I was on Fitday for a while but I'm currently using Spark People for my food journal and they have quite a good database. You may want to check it out - it's free. Also, I find most foods (even fast food) on Calorie King or Nutrition Data. Journaling my food has been the key for me in my weight loss journey.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. My DH and I had a nice time meeting Marie and her DH this morning for breakfast. We had a good long chat and it was fun to actually meet one of my on-line weight loss buddies.

Penny-How nice that you and Marie got to meet. That is always fun. I keep a daily journal of my food. I was trying to use fit day but found it annoying. I'll check out Spark People.

Suzanne- It was not me who got the puppy. I wish lol I have 6 fish tanks and working on a 7th :)

Carol- I am glad the wedding shower was so nice. I really like when they pass alot of dessert around but everyone just gets a taste.

Today is my weigh in day. I made it to day 8 of South beach and lost 5 lbs
:dancer: I am so excited and I am looking forward to dropping another 3-4 this week.:crossed:

Morning everyone, I'm multitasking this morning. Many things going ont eh computer so while they're all doing their thing, I decided to check in as I'm babysitting once again tonight (and tomorrow and the day after that...). Boy, I'll be glad when this term of DS and almost DIL's school is done.

DH and I had a wonderful mini-trip this weekend. One of the best was meeting Penny and her hubby. We had a nice breakfast and chat. BTW, she has an awesome accent!

We did dinner at the Macaroni Grill on Sat night and I had Pasta Milano - I found the calories on line and if I'd eaten it all it would have been 1080 cals. But since I ate 1/3 and have lunch for today and tomorrow, not bad at all. Of course the chocolate cake was unnecessary but wonderful. DH did help eat it. The swimming and hottub were great - the only time my back didn't hurt in the last week. I bought a whole new ski outfit (jacket and pants), a spring rain jacket and fleece jacket. DH even bought a new winter jacket. Incredible deals!!! Then on Sunday, we went to the zoo and was enjoyable until a load of screaming kids descended on the place. You could see how uncomfortable they made the animals and I had to leave. I'm an animal person and to see misery on an animals face is torture. But till the yellers arrived, it was awesome. Then we spent a ton at Costco. It was a nice weekend.

I did exercise this am 3 miles walking. The back is still pretty sore. I'd say it's about the same as last Thursday so it's not making great progress. The walking does loosen it up for the day though.

Nikki, way to go. Are you liking SB? I'd never survive on a structured diet. I like going with food that I'm in the mood for. So calorie counting is the only diet that works for me.

Carol, boy lots of changes in your family this year. That's a bunch of babies and weddings. The shower sounded like a good time and good job on staying on track.

Suzanne, how many doggies do you have? I totally agree with crate training. Only my Siberians opposed the crates. My Alaskan Husky loves her "house". There's no door on it, but that's her space. My Siberian will wander in during nap time - not night time - but always lasts about 15 minutes. BTW, nap time the Alaskan (Blizzard) sleeps with me. My golden was crate trained but now just has her bed. All 3 definitely have their own space (beds).

Well, I should get back at restarting the multitasking as all tasks have finished.
Marie

Marie-
I love south beach. I get to eat more and I get to eat foods I 've never tried before. I have wanterd to start cooking more and this is giving me that opportunity.

Nikki

Marie - It was great to meet you and your hubby - let's get together again the next time you're in town. I'm glad you found the things you wanted at Columbia, etc. - shopping is always fun! Thanks for the compliment about my accent, but it's just an accident of birth! :lol: My family in the UK always think I have an American accent. I hope your back is feeling better today.

I can't believe they let the kids go wild at the zoo, scaring the animals. I always feel sorry for zoo animals too. The kids obviously weren't properly supervised so the adults are really the ones to blame. You'd think the keepers would ask them to pipe down and be considerate of the poor caged beasts. It makes you wonder who should be in a cage? :mad:

Nikki - Congratulations on your 5 lbs. loss! :dancer: You're doing great - keep up the good work.

I'm down a half a pound (unofficial) so I'm hoping for a whole pound by Friday.

Carol & Judy - Hope your week got off to a good start.

Penny, way to go on the 1/2 pound. I suppose your accent is diluted by living here for so long. Your DH's accent is still very strong.

Nikki, that's cool that you want to cook. I found a copycat recipe for the Pasta Milano and I'm going to slim it down. I might even do that tonight depending on DGS mood (cranky = no cooking).
Marie

Hey, I'm still here, a little crazed, though. Sorry I haven't been more present. I will check back in when I have time for personals. Things are good, just very COLD and busy....too much to do in the few days I'm in town....

judy

Marie and Penny great you got together how cool! Marie the pasta dish sounds great when you figure out your recipe feel like sharing? I of course love to cook and eat too. I am trying to stay on track it isn't really too easy. Our weather is so cold that it makes you want comfort food. Today I was up a little in cals but thats cause I had a white cocoa at Dunkin Donuts at least I didn't try the sweets only the cocoa. So my end of the day cals are 1720. I bit high but counted non the less. Better to beaware of what I had than not. I will try to be at 1400 on tues. I have had enough of the bitter cold weather whom ever sent in our way can have it back for sure. Bear doesn't like it so well either training has been a little effected by it. But over all he is doing good. We had to cancel the vet appt. do to the weather conditions today. I will reschedule for the end of the week. Penny congrats on your loss.Way to go and you too Nikki thats is great. I will do the scale on wed. this week and friday. Judy hope all is well. Suzanne I am the one with the little puppy. He is 13 weeks old. I guess training him in the summer weather would have been better but thats life and I am dealing with it. He is a cutie and worth all the puppy care I guess I am learning as he is. I tried to buy Dog Whisper today but the store was out. Marie has been very helpful on this site giving me some tips etc. Well gotta go girls its getting late and I have a book I am reading helps me from snacking.

Morning-

Carol- congrats on the puppy. I have een dying to try the dunkin donuts white hot cocoa. But now I can't. I found a recipe for cocoa that is on sb . I will have to stick with that one.

Marie- Did you make that recipe? Let me know how it was.

Judy- will catch up with you when you have more time.


As for me I had a weight blip this morning but I am trying not to freak. We are talking tenths of a pound. I had the same thing happen on Saturday when I had my boyfriends chili. I think it is something in the chili. I ate it again last night. Hopefully tomorrow things will be better.

Nikki

Hi all, I didn't play with the recipe yesterday. I tossed a 1/2 of a frozen ultra thin pizza in the oven and was done. Since I don't get help with the dishes or babysitting by DS2, I'm not making him dinner. He was a little surprised when he came out of his room. too bad I say.

Nikki - a 1/10 of a pound - a dash of salt will do that to you. don't fret about it. I'm actually learning not to fret about 1 pound fluctuations.

Carol, I will share the recipe when I do make it. I like the idea of making it but just not for the slugs that currently live with me. :) I think they believe I'm their slave. And 1720 cals is not bad at all. sometimes it's is the only choice to enjoy the "forbidden".

I did 3 miles walking this am and added a set of lower back stretches I got. Hopefully something will make the back better.

Judy, stay warm.
Marie

MMarie- I am trying not to worry to much. Today will be a light eating day since I have class until 8 and hate to eat past 8. I am sure by tomorrow I will be back down and maybe even weigh a little less.
Nikki

Hi everyone. Just a quick hello for me. I had a long meeting today (3 hrs.) and now have to transcribe my notes! We had a major planning session for our fashion show & tea and got a lot done. The meeting was preceded by a potluck lunch but I did fairly well and resisted the lasagna! Hope everyone is doing well.

Okay, I'm winding down for the evening...and glad that I've purge my kitchen of microwave popcorn, 'cuz a big hot bowl of kettle corn would feel really good right around now....maybe I will have an apple after I write this.

Carol, I'm glad the shower went well! You must have had a lot of fun. Keep little Bear nice and warm! I bet it's not fun to go out nosing around the yard in weather like this.

Nikki, WTG with the South Beach! I tried it once and liked it, but it was hard for me to absolutely say no to all fruit for the first phase of it. The program I've been on more or less the past two years has been similar to South Beach.

Marie, I hope your back is feeling better. Doesn't seem to have slowed you down very much! It's great that you and Penny got to meet. I'll be near Portland in May, I think, maybe we can work out a reunion!

Penny, I'm with you on the "second family." Good friends are the family we choose for ourselves. I spent some time with a few of my "brothers" in Chicago, who I've rarely seen in the past 15 years, but we were able to take up again where we left off.

Suzanne, thanks for the Fat Smash details. I may have to do something similar when I get back from this next trip; even when I don't totally fall off the wagon on the road, it takes me a while to get back into my normal eating patterns. Hey, do you know of a Basque bar in Boise? Turns out I know two people who hang out there.

Time to pay the bills, eat an apple, then sort the laundry. I do laundry as soon as I wake up (before heading to work). I'll have to pack again Wednesday night....ugh, I can't believe that I used to enjoy traveling!

Keep up the great work, ladies!

judy

Hi everyone
 

Hi all - sorry I was missing in action. Seems like this week is already blowing by. I'm also still trying to figure out who everyone is, so if I accidentally answer a wrong question, please forgive.

Nikki - that's awesome that you've lost 5lbs on SB. Way to go, I find if I can just loose a couple of pounds at first, the excitement keeps me on my diet. You go girl!

Marie - sounds like you had a whirlwind weekend of shopping, dining and meeting Penny and husband. How fun - I love Macaroni Grill although I eat way too much bread and olive oil when I go. Boise now has a Cheesecake Factory - oh my gosh!! I took my daughter there a few weeks ago - food was delicious and cheesecakes were incredible. They did have some very healthy choices, non of which I ordered.

Penny - so what kind of an accent do you have? Where were you born? The other day you asked if the Fat Smash Diet was vegetarian - only the first phase which lasts 9 days. The next phase which for me starts tomorrow and lasts 3 weeks I can introduce 3 oz. of chicken, meat, fish back into my diet. I can also add in a 10 oz. cup of coffee! Now that I've gotten over the caffeine headaches, I think I'm going to buy some decaf coffee beans and try to stay away from the "hard stuff." I weigh in tomorrow so I'll be able to see what I've lost.

Carol - have fun with the puppy - they can be challenging, but the rewards are endless.

Marie - I also have 3 dogs - two German Shephards and one Black Lab. As I'm typing this, my black lab is sleeping on my bed, one of my German Shephards is snoring on her bed beside the computer, and the other German Shephard is probably sleeping on the couch in the living room. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Well everyone, I need to get to bed. Have a great day tomorrow.

Suzanne



I've also tried to put the ticker on my posts, but for some reason it's not working. I have - - all right, no one laugh - - Window 98. I know, I know, I am probably one of the only people left on the planet with this old version. I don't know whether that is what the problem is.

Hey Judy - it's probably Bar Gernika. It's a cute little bar downtown and they have the best chorizo in town. There's a whole Basque block includint Bar Gernika and a Basque Museum. Boise has the largest Basque population in the US. They always have street dances in the summer - they love to party.

Suzanne

Morning -

Penny I am impressed that you resisted the Lasagna. Way to go girl.

Suzanne Did you make sure you saved your signature? There are 2 buttons at the bottom of the signature creation screen. Sometimes I preview but forget to save. Just a thought.

Judy I too thought the no fruit would be hard. However, I am on day 10 of phase I and have had no problems sticking to it. I did not even cheat that I know of. Pretty good if you ask me. I am proud of me LOL.

Here is hoping the scale will be nice next Monday again. I am aiming to lose 8-9 lbs in this phase. that would be 3-4 more lbs this week. I can't wait to hit the 150's again and bust my plateau weight of 157 away :)

Nikki

Girls your all doing so good keep it up. I slipped a bit yesterday and now realize that when I get home a healthy snackk is needed while dinner is getting ready. Cause I got into the munchies before dinner time. Man I hate those little mistakes and now need to make a plan to ensure it all gets fixed up. So I guess either eatting a piece of fruit on my way home or a healthy snack before dinner low in cals etc. That way I won't be so very hungry like the little hungry catipillar in that book who ate through everything. Nikki you keep it up. Marie hope your back is better so you can feel great again. Judy you are a little traveler I am jealous. I love to travel never in the winter months so far. Penny the tea sounded delightful. Suz glad your finding your way back to us. Bear is learning it takes a lot of patience. Oh how I know. But he is now starting to go to the door instead of us always trying to catch the right momment. That will be a blessing. I have been shoving him out by himself a bit and watching from the door. We set back a ways from the road but it is a busy road so I need to be careful as he gets more curious. Take care and today I am not eating til I write things down that will help eliminate the junk I ate before dinner. Its the hubbies treats not mine but I keep them in the house. I did eat a healthy yogurt for my evening snack.

Nikki, I'm proud of you, too! I know I could live without fruit, but mentally I just don't want to add any more major food groups to my forbidden list, which already includes fried foods, most dairy, high-glycemic foods like rice and corn, and anything made with wheat :dizzy: . But you are sticking to what works for you, and I say, go, go, go:carrot:

Carol, sometimes when I first get home in the evenings I have a little lower-sodium V8 Juice with a dash of hot sauce, and the combination of spicy and filling takes that ravenous edge off 'til I've fixed dinner. A little yogurt is a great choice, too.

Suzanne, Gernika is the place two people have referred me to if I'm ever in Boise. Idaho is one of the few states I've never visited but who knows, all of a sudden I'm talking to folks who know of the same watering hole there...Don't worry about your ticker. You can keep updating your profile in your control panel ("User CP") until you figure it out. It's probably not a Windows problem, but we should let our techie, Marie, answer that one for you.

I am in a bit of a lull. It's the point at which I need to decide what won't get done before I leave the office, and what I absolutely have to focus on or else! I got my laundry done early this morning with enough time for a 20-minute workout. There's exercise facilities in all three hotels I'll be in this trip, plus I'm taking my mini-DVD player. The daily schedules aren't as crazed on this trip, so I will have no excuse not to work out most days. I bought apples, protein bars, almonds, pistachios and protein shake so I'll have good options in a pinch. My weight has been around 226-227 since I got back from Chicago, which is up from my lowest last month. I will not gain more weight on this trip, I will not gain more weight on this trip....

Hope to check in nearly every day! It really helps me to know that you're also dealing with your own struggles, and making it work.

judy :strong:

Not a bad day but a bit too much white bread with my spanish rice for dinner. Other than that not too bad. I am going to eat a grapefruit for my evening snack tonight. Just peel it and eat it like an orange yummy! Boy Judy you sure get around huh? This cold wind here is for the birds. In the next county over they got 67" of snow since last week end. Crazy huh/ We got about a foot but thats nothing compared to them The wind blows across our country roads and makes it a bit tricky to drive on. My road being a long strech of country road with not many houses really gets bad but not til your after my house so it misses me mostly. CAN YAH SAY SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can! The shower plans for my daughter are coming along it should be lots of fun. We are looking for a good time. Something she can look back on someday. Well gotta go now take care!

Judy - Good idea to purge your cupboards of no-no foods. I need to do some more of that and stop buying things that I know will cause me to go off track. You're doing great staying on track considering how difficult that is when you travel so much.

Suzanne - You asked what kind of accent I have ummm well it's a bit of a mish-mash of English (where I was born), Australian (where I lived for 7 years and met my hubby, who is Swiss), Canadian (lived there a couple of years) and Oregonian! I've lived in the States for nearly 30 years now, but have never managed to lose my accent. My DH still has a very strong Swiss accent (kind of like German). I hope the Fat Smash diet is working for you. I've cut out coffee too for the past few days. I'm hoping it will help with my recurrent stomach problems. I've been drinking more tea, which I like anyway, but I sure miss my latte every morning!

Nikki - You are doing so great! You'll soon be in the 150's at this rate.

Carol - I've been struggling a bit lately, so I can sympathize with you. Remember "a slip is not a fall". We all slip up but each day gives us a chance to start over. I had to laugh when you wrote about being like the hungry little caterpillar - I remember reading that to my son. Sounds like it's your turn to get some wild weather. Take care out there. I bet your puppy doesn't like going out right now, but that will soon change when spring comes. Your shower plans sound like fun - something to look forward to.

Marie - I hope your back isn't still giving you grief.

I was so busy today I almost forgot to eat!!! Made up for it tonight, though, but I'm still ok calorie wise. I spent several hours ironing out details for our fashion show and tea. I'm sooo tired as I only got about 5 hours sleep last night as I was wound up after a busy day and also made the mistake of drinking some green tea before bed - that stuff must have some caffeine in it! I'm going to take a nice long bath tonight and go to bed early. My DH will be out of town the next couple of weeks so I'll be busy on the phone taking care of the business while he's away.

Hi everyone. Another long day. I babysat for the 3rd night in a row. It's too hard with a sore back and working fulltime. Too bad DS2 doesn't understand when I tell him a need help as he stays in his room and plays computers. I'm a little peeved about that. DH says he's probably irritated that I won't make him dinner and I said I wouldn't until he starts to help.

I did not exercise this morning. Yes you read that right. The alarm went off and I chose to doze during exercise time. It was so decadent!!! I did ride the exercycle 2.5 miles while babysitting (much of it with DGS on my lap so I wasn't a total slug. :) I got my new DVD set of WATP today so tomorrow I'm going to try that.

My back is slightly better - I have hopes for it to get totally better pretty soon.

Food is going good although tonight I made a decadent dinner. There was one Omaha steak left from my parent's Christmas present so I thawed it yesterday and had it for dinner. It was great!!! DGS kept me company since I didn't invite DS2. :)

Penny, I'm glad someone else mad ethe green tea mistake. Being caffeine free, I thought I was making a good healthy choice. The caffeine made me so sick - I really thought it was decaffeinated. I can see how it would keep you up.

Carol, your weather sounds delightful. Especially the town with 67 inches of yucky stuff (unless it's on a ski hill). If I were bear I wouldn't go out either.

Judy, I second the idea that you're doing great considering how much you travel. Dieting is the easiest when you can control all aspects. So you rock.

Nikki, how much longer of Phase 1? I agree with Judy on the restriction of fruits. I wouldn't like that.

Suz, Judy is right. It wouldn't be Windows 98 causing the problem. All of the pages are written in html and it's windows de-sensitive. Some browsers have problems with some web pages so if you're using an ancient version of IE or Netscape or whichever you're using, that could be a problem, but I doubt that because we'd see an error or the html on your posts. It's probably the saving, copying and pasting that's causing it, but heck, who knows.

Well, talk with you all later.
Marie

Hi everyone - I just typed a huge long e-mail and then I went to copy/paste my ticker and when I tried to come back to my e-mail, it was gone . . . errrrrr

Sounds like everyone had a good day. Marie I hope your back is feeling better.

I'll write more tomorrow. I finally bought a scale today so tomorrow is weigh in day. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

Suzanne

Morning Ladies-

Marie- I am on Phase I until next Monday. I'm glad your back is better today :)

Judy-Have a safe trip :)


Carol- That rice sounds divine :)

Suzanne- I'm pulling for you on thescale today.

Penny- I'm hoping but I am not sure I'll see them soon. Be careful of not eating. I would hate to see you get sick because you forgot to eat. That bath sounds wonderful I don't remember the last time I took a bath.


I am stuck in a rut 2 days at the same weight. I think I am pmsed though so I will take that. If I just keep going the loss will show ... If I just keep going the loss will show. I have to keep repeating that.

Nikki

Hi all, Suzanne, don't try to copy/paste your ticker in the message, you need to go to the control panel and paste it in the signature area. It then adds the signature to all of your posts. Good luck with the scale.

I did 3 miles fast walk from the Walk Slim DVD. I started with the 2 mile but there's something wrong with the DVD so I started over. I really like it and it is more of a workout than the advanced set. Tomorrow I'm going to try the 4 miler. The back is okay, not great, not bad. So now I'm ignoring it.

Nikki, your body will plateau as it adjusts the the quick loss you've already had and if it is pms, that's great. Just don't get discouraged.

I have tomorrow off so that will be nice. I might volunteer to work since almost DIL mother will be at the house all day. I'm thinking not restful so I might save it for a different day.

TTYL.
Marie

Marie - Yes I am trying not to obsess. The pronblem is when I see a loss I get so excited. So I peek at the scale often. It sounds like you won't be off even if you are.



Nikki

Marie - I'm glad your back is a little better be careful not to overdo it till it's all better. Good for you putting your foot down with your DS2 - maybe it would be nice if he'd make dinner for you once in a while! Guys always seem to be asking "what's for dinner?" My guys are the same way. Maybe next time I'll answer "I dunno - I was just going to ask you the same thing!" :lol:

Suzanne - I hope Marie's advice helped get you going on the tracker. Here is how I do it: First do your tracker (I think you know how to do this) then copy the code that starts like this:
[url=http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/] etc. etc. It's important you only copy the one that says "Use THIS code for the 3 Fat Chicks Forum". Be sure to select and copy all of the code. Then go to User CP then Edit Signature. Scroll down till you see the box that says "Your signature" and paste the code into that box. Don't forget to click the box below it that says "save signature". I hope this helps a bit.

My DH is out of town so I couldn't be bothered to make lunch. I had a turkey Subway sandwich which I enjoyed very much - and not too many calories.

Penny the tea will be a big hit I am sure alot of effort goes into these things. Some folks could never understand that sit on the sidelines just how much. So have a good time and you need a lavendar candle burning and some lavender lotion to boot! Relax you deserve it.
Well I am very pleased today with my lovely scale today its my friend down 1.5 lbs. Hurray it finally showed me a whoosh! I am as of today 2.5lbs away from my end of the month goal. It made me feel like making it move some more of course which is a double plus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hurray! At any rate I looked at mother of the bride dresses yesterday. Got some ideas and will watch for more styles this spring to come out. Maybe I will be down another 4lbs. by then and really have something to rave about.
Bear went to the vet 102 dollars later the little love is now 12.5lbs. and was 4.5 when I got him. Vet said he is a healthy little fellow and I am very pleased to get that approval. We had his nails clipped at 16 dollars now I learned how and will do them myself. Learning as I go along.
Suz I read up on the Fat Smash sounds interesting I still do best counting cals its worked in the past and as long as I journal it works. Nikki your body is adjusting for a bit, you have lost a lot in a short period of time. Sometimes the body needs to adjust before moving on to more of a loss. Not a bad thing you have been doing great. SB taught me a few things when I did it in the past and I have kept some of those habits now. So continue on girl! I will change my lbs. later on or over the weekend. Gotta go snowy roads yuk! One area around me was on national news Oswego New York 100 inches in one week. Wow only 45 min. away they can keep it. I am off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ticker test. . . ticker test. . . :)

Suzanne

Oh you guys are awesome. Penny thanks so much for your help on the ticker. It totally made sense.

I did weigh myself yesterday and if I think my beginning weight was 187, then I've lost 8lbs !

I'll write more tonight when I have time. Everyone have an awesome day.

Suzanne

Yay Suzanne you did the ticker :)


Nikki

Carol - Yay! Congrats on the 1.5 lbs. loss :carrot: You're doing great. My DH is flying to Buffalo NY next week - I hope the snow leaves off a bit by then!
Your puppy is getting to be a big boy - I bet he is soooo cute!

Suzanne - I'm glad you managed to get your ticker up and running - glad to be of help. You're doing great with your weight loss too.

I weighed in the same today :^: at least I didn't gain. The good news is I bought some jeans that fit great. I always have a hard time getting jeans to fit as I have a fairly narrow waist and a big butt. They usually gape at the waist but these jeans (Lee tapered leg) fit great and make me look slimmer! :cb:

Have a great weekend everyone!

I will have to figure out this ticker thing. Penny hopefully it will slow down by next week. Buffalo is about 2 and 1/2 hrs. away from my area. Great restaurants to eat at. He should get some buffalo chicken wings thats where those orignally came from. Well I manage to stay with in my food plans for the day. Almost started a fire in the microwave at work today warming up something. My friend and I couldn't believe it. Then when it was all over laughed pretty hard over the whole thing. The smoky microwave will never be the same again. I just read that keep a food diary is surely a way to success. I think thats true for me at least. It was on Spark.com. Well take care and Suz. congrats to your loss.

:carrot:

:hug:

Happy Friday (weekend)!

Carol, our scales were working together. I lost a real pound this week. I hit the 160's - not by a lot but I did (169.4). I was near heart attack as I thought the 170's would stay forever. But I decided not to weigh quite as often. I'm thinking after Tuesday, I'm going for once a month. Then the small losses will be more exciting then the up and downs. Who know??? So hooray for us all (Suzanne included!!!)

DH and I went out to dinner (I worked late - yes I chose to go to work on my day off). I know that I overate at dinner but was low on my calories for the rest of the day so it was fine. And wow, it was AWESOME to feel full after eating. I haven't felt that in forever! BTW I had nachos ultimos at a Mexican restaurant and I did leave 1/4 of it on the plate.

I got my new Walk Slim DVDs a couple days ago. Yesterday I tried the 1 and 2 mile DVD and the DVD is faulty so I started over with the 3 miler and did it. Then at lunch I went outside for a mile walk. Then after work I did the "bonus" DVD called fast firming. It was harder than I thought but I liked it. This morning I did the 4 miler and it was great. A bit harder than Leslie Sansomes other DVDs including the one I've been doing for months, the 5 mile advanced. This is very nice. I do recommend the whole package. I'm planning on doing the fast firming at least 2X week until I'm not babysitting the majority of the week (about 6 weeks left of that). Then I'll up it to 3-4 times.

Carol, multiply your vet bill by three and you'll get what my vet bill will be tomorrow. February is my doggies annual visit and immunizations. It's always around $350. Good thing I get a 10% discount because I bring 3 or more animals at once - they only have to clean the room once but see 3 patients. I always plan it for February so the tax return pays for it. It will again this year.

Suzanne, good job on the ticker. I actually changed mine today. I decided I wanted it to reflect the 43 pounds - I hadn't changed it since 40. I'm lazy by nature.

The back is still a little better. It's not hindering anymore seeing that the 4 miler this morning had 5 interval sessions (3 minutes jogging each session) and the back go no worse by doing it.

Penny, I love Lee jeans. They're the only ones that fit me right and comfy. Heck I'm wearing a pari as I type. Okay, they're the only ones that I buy - that's a lie - I do have a pair of Levis too but I like this pair the best.

Carol, I would have to say you go the smilies worked out. :)

Nikki, hope everything is going good for you and South Beach.
That's all for now which is probably good since I was way long winded.
Marie

Sounds like everyone had a great day - I'm glad today is Friday though. It's been such a busy week for me. Busy is a good thing though.

Penny - I've never tried on Lee jeans - I'll have to try them. I have big hips and I have the same problem with the waist being too big.

Marie - is the DVD that you have, for the treadmill? Can you recommend a DVD for exercising? I can't seem to find the time to get to a gym, but could workout at home. What are your favorites. Does anyone know if there is an exercise CD that can be downloaded into an IPOD?

Carol - congrats on your weight loss. I've never been on spark.com - I'm curious to see what it's about.

Anyway - hope you all have a great weekend.

Suzanne