Marie in the past I got into trouble when I didn't get on the scale so I still need to about 2 times a week. Glad we were hitting the numbers to the good instead of the other way hurray! Lets keep it up. I am going to little Italy for the afternoon with my daughter and grandaughters. We will have lunch so I will try my best to eat healthy. I know we will hit the Italian Bakery its a must but I will buy something special and only have one. I preplanned by having a healthy breakfast no more free to fly weekends. If I treat myself I need to count it in the best I can. So sunday might be a becareful day if I go over a bit today. I am looking forward to the 60's I will even take 169.75!
Suz I don't go on Spark everyday and count cals on it I have my own little book I carry with me in my purse seems to meet my own need. Its kind of big but thats good cause its presents reminds me to document a bit more often. Spark offers an email sent daily to you and lots of good motivating information sometimes reading it in the start of my day puts me in the mood to do well. Good luck and ck it out for sure! Let me know what yah think. I think Penny was the nice person whom got me into it. Have a great dayt he sun is shinning and I am looking forward to a fun day with the girls.

:dizzy: :angel: Ooops lost my whole letter dang!
Glad you did so well Marie and I love company on the loss! You can keep the bigger vet bill but smart thinking on tax time. I am getting my kayak and that is something special for this years tax time. Puppy vet bill was worked out of the regular budget thank goodness. I also have the expense of my youngest getting married this year so say bye bye to some dough! But mom is trying to lose some more lbs. to also look good on that special day. Finding a dress soon I hope or I will be checking out patterns to make and design my own. Maybe a look in the catalogs for patterns isn't such a bad idea? Suz ck out Spark its get for keeping you motivated with little emails daily if you want them. I don't get on the site to count cals. just read the emails and ck out info. Good luck boy we are all getting real motivated on here I love it !!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone have a lovely day I am off to little Italy with the grandgirls and their mom. I will try to eat carefully but there will be an Italian bakery involved in this little tour of the city. So I will try to reframe from over doing it and make my dinner low cal. Talk to you all soon !

Happy Saturday.

Well I have a much lighter wallet today. I was wrong about the total - it was 738 today at the vet and next Monday it will be even higher because the huskies need some dental work and they put doggies under for that. Eeks. DH has been grouchy ever since - but he is putting up our new automatic doggie door (can you all say another 400 for that). Eeks, he's not too happy with me or the doggies at the moment. C'est la vie. I love those doggies. :D

Suz, I do the Leslie Sansone walk at home videos. No treadmill. It's walking in place, side steps, kick back, kicks and knee lifts. I've been doing it for over a year and have definitely tightened and firmed. Google her name or just type the www pluse her name and dot com and you'll get to her site. I have about 10 of her DVDs - each a progression on the last. I highly recommend the Walk Slim package she just released. You get quite a variety and the firming is very good. I think I spent under 50 for it so it wasn't a bad deal (that was with shipping).

Carol, I'm definitely waffling on the not weighing as often. I'll probably go to once a week (instead of once a month) unless it's TOM then I don't bother. Have fun in little Italy and don't get caught in the snow. Your neck of the woods is the major story on msnbc dot com.

This morning I did the 4 mile walk/jog then followed it with the 25 minute fast firm (uses a stretchie which they include). Took about 1.25 hours but was worth it. I figured out how I could do the firming on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays most weeks. So I'm going for that as a schedule.

Oh Suz, to answer your question about the ipod - what I do is buy the DVDs then use my DVD to ipod software and put them on my ipod. I did both the 4 miler and fast firm this morning since I'd tested them out an know I want them available at all times. I think I saw somewhere that had ipod exercise videos but I'm not sure where that website was. Regardless, the walk slim programs are doable for me and pretty enjoyable. Other videos all get dropped after a while.

Marie

Hey Marie - you are doing awesome with the exercise! Congrats on the pound loss - you've worked hard for it! You're a real inspiration to us all. Sorry to hear your doggies are costing you a bundle in vets bills, but I'd do the same. We were at PetsMart today and they happened to have a dog adoption event going on. We were very tempted as they had some adorable friendly doggies there, inlculding three beautiful retired greyhounds (what loving expressions they had). They seemed like really gentle dogs. I'm glad people are adopting them now rather than their being destroyed as soon as their racing days are over.

Carol - You are always out and about! I bet you had a nice time in Little Italy. Hope there weren't too many temptations for you or you'll end up like me with only 150 cals left for dinner! :lol:

Suzanne, Judy & Nikki - I hope your Saturday is going well.

I've been snacking too much today, so as I told Carol - I've only got 150 calories left for dinner! I'll have to spend it wisely ;)

I thought I'd share this poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson that I saw posted on another site:

"Finish each day
And be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and
Absurdities have crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
You shall begin it serenely
And with too high a spirit
To be encumbered with your old nonsense."

I think I'll print it out and put it on my fridge!

Hey, everybody! I've missed a lot of posts, sorry. I was exhausted and pretty out of it during my down time on Thursday, and aggravated that the advertised "Wifi access" in my first hotel only counted if you sat in the lobby. I'm in a different hotel for the rest of my stay in SF, and can sit in the comfort of my own room and check in....

I did something to my back on the way out here, so I haven't worked out, just walked a lot (in the constant rain). My back is getting a bit better, so I will try the treadmill tomorrow and see how things feel. My eating is haphazard, a few treats every day, so I need to buckle down. My new hotel room has a mini-frig, which will help.

I'm heading off for a hot bath and an early night. I wanted to zone out in front of the tube but it's hard to avoid the saga of Anna Nicole Smith...sheesh! Glad to see that everyone is doing well. Carol, watch out for that snow! Penny, thanks for the poem. Marie, Suzanne, Nikki, be well.

judy

Morning everyone. I just finished a 4 mile walk and it was tiring. Now I'm almost ready to go back to bed. :)

DH bought a truck yesterday (cheap) because it has the motor he wants for his car. So after he pulles what he wants from it, he'll part the rest out. To say the least, he was happy and the shock of the vet bills were dimmed. :)

Judy, lovely hotel with wifi lobby access. Bunch of cheapskates. One little router and that's it. I wouldn't go back there again.

DH and I are hopefully going to go skiing at Mt Bachelor next weekend. I made hotel reservations and it'll only be cancelled if he can't get off work a few hours early on Friday or if my back doesn't stay almost better. I'm pretty sure I can ski with it the way it is. So I have hope.

Penny, you didn't adopt the greyhound? I bet they come pretrained. I do like when a real effort at adoption is made befor putting them to sleep. The number of doggies (and cats) that are euthanized is so sad. I had a co-worker who would adopt a puppy or kitty and then bring them to the pound a couple months later. Over and over - I very much disliked her because of that. So glad she's gone.

Anyway, food is on target and so is exercise. DH and I are making chili tonight so we can freeze the leftovers. I love chili!!!! So low cal and high in protein.

Not much else planned. A lounging day. :)
Marie

Penny I knew of a friend whom adopted a greyhound and he was pretrained and gave many years of loving friendship. Next time it comes around think hard! Unconditional love they give for sure. Bear is so much a part of our family in such a short time we have had him. I can't imagine not having him now funny how that happens so quickly. He is learning and so am I. In the a.m. he goes out for a quick potty. Then I take him in with me while I get ready for work selfish reason to ensure he doesn't poo somewhere else. Then out as soon as I am dressed to poo. Its working well I am not sure who is training who but as long as it is done. I have already shown him I am his boss. At least I am someones!
Marie wow on the vet bill. See we had dogs for years and no dental work now adays they have so much extras it gets crazy. I guess there are bones out there for dental? My son also brushes his big dogs teeth. Maybe I should introduce Bear into that. He would most likely chew it up!
I did pretty good in little Italy. I had a canoili for my lunch choc. covered and all. Then only bought some pasteshutes not too bad. I tried to jump back on board yesterday. Not too bad of a day around 1500 cals. Today I have prepacked some lunch stuff for work this week. Figured I will take it in and put some of it away so I have healthy stuff there. I made my rough oatmeal this morning it takes about 8 min. to cook but it sticks to your ribs forsure. Judy sorry to hear your computer wasn't so good there. At least you can be greatful for the one you usually use. Nothings ever easy is it? I have been starting my search fo r dress for the wedding nothing yet. Penneys is suppose to get more dresses in soon. I did at least get motivated in looking. I am going to start the little girls alterations this next weekend. There dresses I purchased last year but bigger and a great deal 120.00 dresses for 20 at a store going out of business. Sorry for them but our timing was great and they are beautiful. Then I have to figure out if I am having my daughters dress altered or if I am doing it. The hem needs to go up a bit and the train bussled up which I think is only a hook sew in place. Time is coming up quick. I have next monday off and looking forward to that. Well take care and Marie I think the scale once a week is better for me at least when I let it go with similar thoughts to yours some jumped back on the scale and I didn't notice it in my clothes wear. I wasn't too happy and still trying to get a little of it gone.

Happy Monday everyone-

I don't have time to reply to all the personals. I just wanted to check in . I had a rough weekend health wise. But, my bf surprised me with a comittment ring which he will replace when we are ready to get engaged. That was very nice. It is a nice diamond and white gold ring.

My eating has been good. I am pmsed though so I did not weight today. I will weigh tomorrow when I have more time. I just have to keep in mind that I will most likely show a blip in my weight due to pms.

Hope everyone is well
Nikki

Congrats Nikki on the commitment ring. You must be excited. I'm sorry that you weren't feeling well this weekend. Definitely want it better by the 14th now that you're committed.

Nikki, rawhides always kept my doggies' teeth clean but Kody has a sensitive stomach and so we stopped. We're restarting a week from Tuesday. The dental bill will probably about match this past weekend. DH sure isn't pleased.

I did the firming DVD and walked 4 miles today (before work and 2 after with the doggies). I also got my teeth cleaned and it's scarier - mine is cheaper than the doggies even if I didn't have insurance - which I do so that way I can pay for the doggies. For doggies they have to put them under to do it. I guess they don't patiently hold their mouths open. :)

Talk to you all tomorrow.
Marie

Nikki congrats my daughter whom is getting married on June 23rd had a comittment ring for a bit and now wears a beautiful diamond. Congrats before long you will be making wedding plans etc. You have been togethe awhile now and that says alot for comittment alone. Good luck and hey staying off the scale for a bit good for you. Hope it shows you a loss for all your hard efforts.
Yesterday I did a bit of extra food but it was at least healthy food. For some reason I just needed it at least felt I did. Today we are having lunch brought in as a coworker has taken another job elsewhere. So I will have my dinner cals for lunch and less cals for dinner. Some of my being hungry might of been from not packing a lunch of my norm. I had enough food but usually have more for the same amt. of calories all goes into the choice making. Oh its so cold out today! I was going to run around the town a bit to see folks. But I only have one scheduled visit and think thats it. We are in for a big storm NORTHEASTERN! Could be something like 1-2 feet. Not fun!
Marie good luck on the doggies front. Now I have been told to not give rawhide do to pieces possibly going into his system? What do I know about that nothing! Bear knocked over a whole cup of hot coffee from my computer shelf this a.m. Hopefully this isn't a start to his day. He put his big paws up there it slide and knocked it right off. Oh he is full of surprises. I baked cookies last night but they were the cheating kind Pillsbury roll outs which yah just cut, bake and frost. The little guy needed them for school V day. I figured I'd be less tempted than making mine from scratch. It did work I ate not a one. Well take care everyone and stay warm. I am going to make sure I try to write in all my cals today. Its hard when you order out but its pasta and garlic chicken with veggies so I will try to guess well.

Morning ladies-

Thanks for the congrats. Yesterday I got me TOM but still decided to face the scale today. I actually showed a 1 pound loss wooohooo. I usually gain 3-5 over TOM.

Marie- You must be so toned from all the walking.

Carol-Good luck with the lunch today. Also, eating more healthy food may not be so bad. Do you do calorie counting only? I forgot .


Have a good one ladies
Nikki

Waah, I'm sick:( . Nothing's worse than being ill while you're on the road. Yesterday's bad chesty cough has turned into a major sinus problem, complete with popping ears. We don't have any meetings this morning, so I will try to locate an urgent care center. I really don't want to fly up to Seattle this evening will all this going on in my head. I was too achy to work out yesterday and this morning, but I think I'm eating pretty much on program, so I still hope to not gain weight by the time I get home....Sunday morning seems so far away!

Nikki, congratulations! A commitment ring is very sweet.

Carol, I can't believe that you're getting even more snow! Be careful outdoors.

Penny, Marie, Suzanne, have a great day!

Judy - So sorry to hear you are sick - there's nothing worse than being away from home when you're ill. Be careful flying with a sinus infection. Maybe you can get some decongestants - they helped me in a similar situation when I had to fly with a head cold. Take care of yourself.

Nikki - Congrats on the commitment ring! Sounds like an engagement is around the corner! You must be so happy :cloud9:. Sorry to hear you were'nt feeling well, I hope you're feeling better.

Carol - Good idea not to make cookies from scratch! The store bought mix kind are less tempting. Luckily your klutzy little pup didn't spill the coffee onto your computer! Hope you don't get too much snow.

Marie - Good thing doggies don't need retainers like kids! It seems like the sky is the limit when we take our fur babies to the vets. One of our cats needed his teeth cleaning (went to vet for another problem and found out he had tartar build up). Of course, they had to put him under for it and we ended up paying around $250 for the visit. I don't think anyone has ever survived brushing a cats teeth though! :lol:

Suzanne - Hope everything is going well.

I'm feeling crummy today after only getting a few hours sleep (my IBS is acting up again). It's so frustrating because I never know what is going to trigger it. It's odd, but my arthritis always seems to flare up at the same time as the IBS. Probably something to do with inflammation. I'm going to a beginners class for Hatha Yoga today, so maybe that will help me learn how to deal with the pain.

Oh girls todays cals weren't so good. The lunchoen had a chicken pasta dish with a white garlic sauce and then the desserts were so tempting I had to have some. Now of course I regret my intake a little to late. Oh well suck it up I guess. So on wed. I need to be really super good. I am already planning on making some homemade veggie soup. We are in for a storm they say 1-3 feet over the next couple of days and winds 40- 50 mph. Oh lets hope not.. Sometimes their wrong this might be one of those everyone is panicing and running to the store to stock up on stuff etc. So far no signs in my area and they said around 3 pm then changed it til later. Time will tell. Hopefully it holds off the little guys all have their valentines day parties on wed. Well I need to be so good the rest of the week. I have been increasing my water. Oh how is favored cookie for us? I had a wonderful cup of choc. cherry coffee oh so delish! But how does it toll up? Is it awful for us/ It tasted sinful.
Take care and have a special valentines day I told the hubby no candy for me. I got roses from the kids.

Penny - I hope you feel better. I know what you mean about feeling crummy from not sleeping. My condition is also acting up and I'm not sleeping much. I have been reading though.


Carol- Good for you on telling hubby no candy.

If I get candy I will give it to my mom. I am still doing pretty good. Although I have not been able to eat reagulary the last 2 days becaue I have been on the run.

Nikki

Happy pre-Valentines Day chickies!!! Things are going good here. Sounds like Judy, Penny and Nikki all shared bad germs and the such. Pretty weird 3 out of 5 of us are sick. That's just not good ladies. Me, my back is actually getting better. On the 1 - 10 scale, I think we're down to a 1. Just every once in a while I feel it. Mostly when sitting in a boring meeting on hard chairs - this afternoon. Right now, no pain. :) YEAH!!! Skiing on Saturday I hope.

I did 4 miles fast walking this morning. Nikki, I think I'm toned but with all the jiggly cellulite, who knows. I do know I can downhill ski again without quad pain and fatigue. Major improvement. The last time I'd gone 3 years before was horrible. I'd sworn skiing off, thinking I was too old. No I was too fat!!! I'd been raised on skis and now it's so awesome to have that back. Walk Away the Pounds was the trick.

I hope you all rell better soon. Cupid should arrow you all with good health.

Carol, maybe it was something in the air - I munched like crazy after work. I'd been an angel till then. So my dinner? A protein shake. Not the best or tastiest, but I made my calories. BTW, I lived in Duluth, MN for 9 years - lake effect snow was unreal and mostly unpredictable. You all on the east side of the great lakes get it even worse. I definitely can sympathize.

Penny, I hope the yoga class is good. Wonderful job on trying something new. I try to like yoga, but deep down I know I hate it. I'm thinking of destroying my DVD and never trying again. Now that I've admitted my hatred of it aloud, perhaps I will :)

Well, Judy, I hope your ears survive your flight to Seattle. That would be so uncomforable.

Okay, off to do other things. TTYL.
Marie

:val1: Happy Valentine's Day ladies!

Marie- I tried skiing once. What a disaster LOL. It is awesome you can WATP. I have to figure out what type of exercise I can add in. I can't walk so WATP and aerobics are out. My back is also shot. Maybe the ball a bit in the next few weeks. I am afraid I'll lose the weight but look worse for flabby skin.


Today is going to be real hard. I am dying for a piece of chocolate. I am actually depressed I have none in the house. Don't know how I'll get through it LOL.

Nikki

Nikki for me I would have a little of something I really crave cause otherwise I would blow it completly eatting anything and everything but that and end up with way extra cals. Todays not been too bad and I just made a huge pot of veggie and beef soup not bad cal wise. It will be lunch and dinner today. It goes over real well in my house. I am going to make some rice pudding but will monitor my dish of it. I think it will be made seperate from everyone elses more spice some almonds and raisins. This will be our valentine dessert for the evening treat. I am trying to push water intake today also as long as I am home snowed in. We got around 10 inches since last night and more to come today along with bad roads and blowing snow at 30 mph winds I guess to be expected this afternoon. I am knitting my sweater in hopes to really finish it soon. I had to pull part of it out as I didn't read the directions closely enough and had too many sts. Oh well ! Nikki your doing well keep it up. Marie careful sking this weekend don't over do it with your back. I have had stiff hips again in the morning when I first get up. Wonder if its my mattress? It is only around 7 years old. Suppose there is some type of pad cover out there to put over it? If anyone has any info. let me know. I think this afternoon I will try to get in some exercise down stairs with an exercise video. Well hope everyone is feeling better Penny and Judy I wish you were near I'd send some soup over to you both. Todays travel is a bit bad I wouldn't recommend a trip here. Take care!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! :val1:
Carol - Don't worry about the slip up. So long as you are on plan most of the time you will lose the weight. I told my hubby not to get me any candy either. He got me a cute stuffed dog (at least I can't eat THAT!) I had a problem with my hips hurting at night and I realized that our extra firm mattress that we had preferred was the problem. I think as you get older and the joints get stiffer a slightly softer mattress helps. We got a new mattress with a puffy top and it's made all the difference. My hips never hurt now. Now, if I could get the rest of my body to cooperate! :lol: I hope the snow goes away soon, that's no fun.

Nikki - Good plan to give away your candy. I hope you're soon feeling better too. Have you ever tried yoga? I did it for the first time yesterday and it was quite enjoyable. It's good for me because it's slow and yet I got a good all over body stretch. There were only three of us in the class, so it was good to get a lot of one on one instruction, especially as I'm a beginner. The instructor said it's harder to learn from tapes as there's nobody there to correct your form, which is vitally important. :yoga: I can see how somebody could do more harm than good if they did the poses incorrectly. I've signed up for four more lessons. She also does accupuncture, so I may give that a try for my foot.

Marie - I can see how somebody like you who loves action sports might be turned off by yoga, but it's supposed to be great for firming. I'll let you know if it makes any difference! WATP is working great for you. If I can get my foot to cooperate one day I'll give it a try. I'm glad to hear your back is a lot better.

Judy - I hope you're doing ok with the cold. Sending good health wishes your way! :hug:

I slept a lot better last night. I've been eating a very bland diet, so that's helping. My DH is still out of town, so I'll be celebrating Valentine's Day with my DS who has kindly invited me to dinner (sushi) tonight.

Penny, it must be the OIT students/alumni thing with Valentine's Day invites. DS and almost DIL want us to join them for dinner tonight. We have to work it into their school schedule, DH work dinner, and DGS's nap schedule. I think it'll probably be a hit and run but it's the thought that counts. I got everyone a little present so I'm set. DH got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and DS, almost DIL and DGSgave us boxes of chocolate (mine is M&Ms). I'll probably make cookies with them and no one will know that they're eating them. :) Clever aren't I?

Nikki, definitely try the yoga as Penny suggest, if you can. I understand the chocolate wants. I have .5 oz of M&Ms Dark every day. I'm having mine at the moment. I do love it and wish I could eat a 1/2 pounds instead, but alas, 1/2 oz is all I'm allowed. But as Carol said, it gets rid of the cravings.

Judy, hope you're feeling better and survived your flight to Seattle.

Carol, enjoy your snow day. Blizzards are so delightful... Actually you're lucky your power is still on. Last Blizzard I endured, we were without heat and electricity for days. Brrrr.

I did 4 miles this morning and I'm on track food wise. Tonight, who knows. But if I start off on track, then one meal shouldn't blow me by too much.
Marie

Morning ladies-

Yesterday I managed to get in some abs and arm weights woohoo. I feel like I amlosing inches more then pounds. I am hoping to see a loss on Monday :fingerscrossed:

Have a great weekend ladies
Nikki

Happy Friday everyone - I'm so sorry I've been missing in action this week it's been a crazy week and by the time I'd get home every day, I just wanted to plunk down on the couch and do nothing.

I hope everyone has had an awesome week and has been successful in eating healthy. Also hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day -

I weighted myself on Thursday and did pretty well - 4lbs.

Not to sound cynical, but is anyone else tired of hearing about Anna Nicole Smith?? Who cares about where she's buried. There are thousands of people doing great things in this country that deserve recognition besides her. Ok, I'll stop there :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day - I'll be better at checking in, I promise.

Suzanne

Suzanne - Congrats on your 4 lbs :cheer2:

Nikki

Hi, chickies! Sorry I have been MIA. I'm still travelling and still sick, and not up to much of anything beyond working and getting through this trip.

I don't have time for personals, but congrats on the weight loss....and yes, the staedy drumbeat of "breaking news" regarding the late ANS is a sad statement about our culture and values.

I like y'all fine, though!

Judy

Snowy here everyone and not really nice I had to take a snow day today. Thank goodness they are letting me take a vacation day and that way I can get paid for monday as we are off for a holiday. The past two days I have jumped back on track. I had oatmeal for breakfast with whole wheat toast and then I had a salad ready for work. So I had that for lunch as if I was at work. So cals today have been good. I think for dinner most likely fish of some type. I have to go to the village to get a few groceries. Our roads are a little better now. Wow have we got hammered here. I am glad everyone got Valentines day with in their control. I need to ck for those dark mms. A nice little snack and treat for me too. Not too many though. I wish I had my paint for the kitchen today I could have painted. I am going to get it on saturday and start my painting this weekend. Well take care girls and for me I am going to stay close to home today. The roads leave a lot to desire. Times like this I wish I were in Hawaii with my kids. Well take care and I need to go add up my cals for the day so I can see whats left. Sorry some of you are sick I have a little cold that started out of nowhere. Whats with that?? And I had 3 jars of the recalled peanut butter in the house. The teenager next door at some of theirs and got really sick the earlier part of this week. Her mom saw the news called the doctor she'd taken her to two times due to so much problems they said yup and put her on an antibotic after doing testing to ensure the other day it wasn't something else. Weird huh?

Marie - I like the idea of the dark M&M's but I know my DH would find them if I got some and gobble up the lot all at once! I can parcel things out in small servings, but he tends to eat up everything in sight that's sweet. He's trying to get his BP down by losing about 10 lbs. so it wouldn't be fair for me to tempt him with those chocolate goodies.

Nikki - Good for you getting going on the weights - they are great for firming up and losing inches :strong:

Suzanne - Congratulations on losing 4 lbs.! :dancer: You're doing great - keep up the good work! Yes, I am sick and tired of hearing about ANS. I wish they'd have a "good news" channel - I'm so fed up with all the negativity and sleaze bags on TV.

Judy - Hang in there - the week's nearly over. I hope you can soon curl up in your own bed and recover from your illness. Take care of yourself.

Carol - You guys are really getting it with the snow. Good thing you could take the day off so you don't have to drive in it too much. That peanut butter poisoning is scary. I bought some a couple of weeks ago (different brand though) as I read somewhere that a tablespoon a day can help you lose weight. Well, that jar went down pretty darn quickly so I'm not buying anymore - it tasted too good and I can't spare 100 cals. on just a tablespoon of pb! I hadn't had any pb for years and had forgotten how good it tastes! I should know better by now than to tempt fate by having stuff like that in the house! :devil:

My DH was in California all week so my car decided to die. Well, it's not exactly dead but will cost $1,800 to repair! I noticed a big oil slick under the car. All of the engine oil had leaked out so I had to get it towed to the repair shop. Thank goodness we have AAA or it would have cost a bundle to have it towed. I've had it for 9 years and this is the first problem I've had. It's been a good little car so it's worth fixing. I could sure find something better to spend it on though!

I lost .5 a pound so at least that's good news.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Hi everyone, well in an hour I'm off to get DH from work then we're heading up to Bend for a ski day tomorrow. I'm very excited. The back is nearly recovered although I could feel it a little when I brought the cooler out to the car. Since I had the vehicle we're driving, I got to pack the car. If I had been SMART, I could have filled the cooler while it was in the car. Hind sight.

Suz, I hate the stuff about ANS. I thought she was icky in real life and now even in death it's icky. I won't read anything about her. Icky, icky, icky.

But congrats on the 4 pounds. You're doing great.

Penny, DH is an M&M fiend, but he knows my ziploc bag is mine. I will always share but he doesn't touch it. Sort of strange come to think about it. He knows it's part of the reason that I've been successful so he leaves it. Sorry about your car. I married my mechanic so I don't have the labor bills, just the parts. :)

Judy, hugs to you and I hope you start to feel better.

Carol, I'm imagining that it's a little white outside your window. Remember how incredible your weather was near Christmas - it'll get better and all of it will eventually melt.

Okay, drum roll..... I lost 1.4 pound this week. I was like doing the happy dance at 5 am in the bathroom. So I now wonder how the evil scale will get me back next week (TOM). Okay I know how. :) But I was so excited.

I did 4 miles WATP today and am doing good on food. Since we're driving in the dark, I'll probably munch a little on the Doritos. But that's okay, I'll burn loads of calories tomorrow.

Talk to you on Sunday. The day of my DGS 1st birthday. The party is at my house so I'm thinking Sunday is a cleaning day. Yuck.
Marie

I love MMs - they are my fav. In my "bad eating" days, I used to get the jar of PB, MMs and a spoon and go to town. Mmmmm

Marie, congratulations on the weight loss, it's so nice to see the scale going down. Have a great time in Bend - it's such a beautiful area. My labrador's breeder lives in Bend. Have an great time skiing and be safe.

Penny, can you tell me how to edit my ticker without having to redo it? I tried this morning and I ended up creating a new one. I'm sure there must be an easier way.

Carol, spring is just around the corner - sort of! I wish some of that snow would have dropped here in Boise and I'm sure you would have been happy to share it. Do your kids live in Hawaii? I have a 26 yr. old son that lives in Kona - I've never been there, someday though. Scarey about your next door neighbor's daughter. My daughter bought one of the PB jars from Walmart but thankfully didn't get sick.

Judy, hope you feel better. Nothing worse than to be sick and away from home.

Nikki, you're doing awesome on you weight loss also - way to go. Losing inches is a good thing.

Have a great Saturday, Suzanne

I agree the Anna stuff is getting a bit old. I am not one to get into all that info. At work everyone is chatting about it I pretty much just stay out of it. And when something like that happens Suzz the press just give us more than we ever needed. Somethings should be private not matter who you are on the status pole. Hey on a happy note congrats to you on the 4lbs. wow thats great I am doing the scale on sunday this week. Had a few up and down days so trying straighten myself out first. At least I caught my slip and thats so important in order to change our lifestyles. I have the cold everyone has been getting yuk! That I am not to happy about.
Penny yah the snow is gone wild finally slowed down for today just really cold and the sun is popped out. The birds were happy we put food out and they were interesting to watch out our Adirondack room window. Like sitting in front of the fire and watching birds what a life for a little bit. Helps us to enjoy the little things that are so beautiful. The peanut butter I like on a sliced apple and only use a half of serving the treat is nice and protien high. But who needs this problem with foods lately being poisoned etc. Boy I am going to start raising everything myself maybe we should buy a tractor and the piece of land next to us? Oh but now where would I fit that into my already crazy life?? Penny congrats on your loss every little bit counts. Too bad about the car boy never a dull one huh? Marie hurrray for you too losing that wt. I now feel like running in and checking but I said sunday and it will be that day. Any how it will help me to stay within my cals today to have scale day sunday. The weather is going to be around 30's sometime this week now we worry about flooding! Wow crazy it is. Bear kept me pretty busy throught out my time off. He chewed the corner of my entertainment center oh so naughty. He has lots of chew toys! The training is going better he is learning to go to the door etc.
Suzz yes my son and lovely daughter inlaw live in Maui and have for the past 2.5 years. I went last March oh how much fun I had adventuring didn't do the tourist stuff more adventurous. The bamboo forest was great I hiked to waterfalls often different ones. Did a lot of climbing etc. Just a super time. Oh and I am trying ot save some time to maybe go in Nov. things should settle down after the wedding a bit. Hopefully I have enough vac. left I get 4 wks and saved one from last year. I can't wait next year I get my 5 weeks vac. thats a hold on staying at my current job. Well I am off girls to purchase some paint for my kitchen and then ck out colors for my livingroom. I want to buy a few new little things for the house this weekend. Like something new to hang behind the couch area maybe a few things that all go together for alittle uplift. We have had a large picture there for ever. Well my plans for the day are counting cals and staying with in them but to eat well and have something yummy. Take care and stay safe.

Well girls I stayed the same but I am not upset thats okay. At least I didn't go scaling up. Today I have been good so far and thats a plus. I have enjoyed my day baking some healthy bread which is quite healthy with pumpkin, molasses, honey and walnuts in. But I know to becareful of what I take in so I made a cup cake for myself out of the mix. So I have my intake of that already for the day. My kayak is being del. today oh so now let spring come and off I go to the water ways. This will be good exercise and fun too. I can't wait to use it. The guy I bought it from I used to babysit when he was little so funny to be doing business with him now. He gave me a 100.00 break on it. That was nice his mom and I remain good friends though she lives in Florida. Well thats about it my girl friend and I are going to the casino for a couple of hours. The hubby is busy watching the car races this afternoon. I am putting a chicken and roasted veggies in the oven for dinner later on. Going to steam some spinach to go with that and dinner is served sort of speak. Hope your all having a super day my cold feels better today but sleeping last night wasn't so good. Looked up my daughters registry on line today at Macy's they did a nice job picking out some good items as I told them to get what they want this only comes one time. I think after 30 some years mom should have a shower again too. Enjoy your day!

Hi everyone. We had a good/bad time at the ski area. The area is beautiful and with good snow conditiona would be a blast. Apparently it pouned all day on Friday and that made yesterday's conditions horrible. Glare ice. But after spending over 100 on the tickets alone we endured. By mid afteroon, the conditions improved to the bad status. But I did have a bit of fun. DH did not. But the rest of the adventure was great. I did really good with food and my legs are tired today so they got quite the workout yesterday.

Today is DGS's first birthday. We have a turkey in the oven. I'll make another loaf of bread (already made one today) and mashed potatoes. I picked up the cake from Costco last night. So we're set for the part other than my house looks like a bomb hit it. I'm a little put off that I should have to clean it because of all the others not doing their part. So for now I'm putting it off. For now, I'm okay with that. :) But eventually I'll start to clean.

Talk to you all tomorrow.
Marie

Marie sorry to hear the ski day wasn't all that great sounds like you all made the best of it anyways. Good for you! I won on their free card at the casino I was up 54.00 so I felt good about that. We are planning on going for breakfast with a group of folks on monday my winnings will be going back hopefully they return with me and then some. At any rate we are big gamblers just go and have a good time. When our kids were little we couldn't afford to do things like this a couple hours here or there are fun. I came home and had some wonton soup how bad in cals is that anyone know. Oh well it helped with my cold.

Marie - Congrats on the 1.4 lb. loss! :woohoo: Too bad the skiing conditions weren't too good, but at least you got to go and have a good workout. I hope your DGS enjoyed his birthday. Wish him a happy birthday from me :bday2you:

Suzanne - To change your ticker without redoing the whole thing: Go to User CP, Edit Signature. Scroll down to the box where you see the html code for your ticker. Scoll across till you see the numbers in there like this: 187/150/175. Just change the number that is your current weight (i.e. 175) then click the save signature box. Your son is so lucky to live in Hawaii. We almost moved to Maui at one time, but my DH couldn't find work in his field. We had a condo there for several years and spent many happy times there with our son when he was little. If you get a chance to go there and visit I would highly recommend it - I always felt 10 years younger when I was there!

Carol - I hope the wonton soup helped your cold :getwell:. I've been craving some home made chicken soup for a while so I'm going to make some tomorrow. Glad you came out ahead at the casino!

Judy - I hope you're feeling better too: :getwell:

Nikki - Hope all is well with you.

It was good to get out in the yard for a while yesterday and do a bit of clean up. I sorted out all my potted plants and put the ones I'm not sure still have "life" in them behind the shed out of sight. I bought a nice little planter of mixed spring flowers: hyacinths, daffodils, mini tulips and primroses to put outside the front door for some color. It will be a few weeks till my other daffodils are out, so it's nice to see some signs of spring. The birds are starting to sing early in the morning, so spring is in the air!

I've decided to switch to goats milk and goat yogurt for a while to see if that helps my tummy trouble. I even found some goat milk protein powder for my shakes! It's supposed to be more easily digestible.

Have a great week everyone!

Penny - thanks so much again for helping me with the dang ticker. Somehow I can never seem to figure stuff like this out. I imagine Hawaii is beautiful and one of these days I'll get over there to visit my son. I've been getting spring fever myself - starting to think about what I want to plant in my garden. I'm curious to see how you like goats milk - I like goat cheese, but it has a strong distinct flavor that I'm not sure I'd like in milk. Anyway, let me know how you like it.

Marie - sorry to hear the skiing was crummy but it sounds like you had a fun time anyway. We had rain Thursday, Friday and today, but our local mountains had some snow. Hope all went well with the birthday party.

Carol - the pumkin, molasses, honey bread sounds wonderful. Do you have a recipe? You must be excited about your new kayak - do you white water kayak or flat water kayak? I took kayaking lessons a few years ago, but could not get the roll - it actually freaked me out a bit, and I considered myself a good swimmer. The fact that I was upside down skirted in a boat panicked me a bit. I know some people that kayak only on lakes and they love it.

Hope all of you have a wonderful Monday.

Suzanne

Penny your so funny playing in the yard while we are still shoveling 5ft. of snow of the roof tops. Boy we did get hit in a short period of time so much snow now the worry of flooding begins. Yes I came out ahead and had some fun too.
I checked the scale today and still the same but thats fine no gain is okay. I still would like to make my goal for the end of this month which is 2.5lbs. But if I don't its okay just to lose something more by then. I have been online checking out dresses for the wedding. The one I may order is really nice a bit pricey but its my daughters wedding. Black with a little jacket she is having a elegant black and white affair. So now I have a real incentive to be good. I am trying to decide what size to order. Or maybe I should order two and return one? Oh so much to think about so early in the day.
I am proud of myself for doing better over the past two weekends as far as food is no free for all its the weekend. I did make some awesome bread yesterday and pretty healthy too. I think in the future it will be tried with 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat. It is very moist so I don't think it will matter much and healthier yet. It has pumpkin, banana and honey in it then spices only 3 tablespoons of oil. Not bad huh? It was in our sunday paper and a real hit around here. If I make it in muffin form then it will be portioned out better and thats better yet. A college young man came up with this recipe so I ck'd it out and gave it a whirl. Easy as can be.
Penny didn't get any of that peanut butter did you? I took back 4 jars and the hubby ate a few times with it but didn't get sick. The skinny minny little 17 year old next store was sick for well over a week and the doctors couldn't figure it out. Then after couple of visits to the doc's and testing her mom heard the news called the doc he put her on meds and sure felt that was her problem as they also had been using it and her especially. Still not feeling great and having troubles with intakes. Boy our food is scary these days huh?
Suzz flat water for now but some day I might try the other. We camp alot in the summer and I look forward to working out and burning some cals. I want to firm up my arm pit area especially for my daughters wedding the dress has a jacket but if I get warm and want to remove it so be it. No flab I hope! I got a great deal 550 and it goes for 1000 new and he gave me the paddles. As soon as the weather breaks he will take me out for a few lessons. What a deal he gave me. They really don't lose their value and I should have it for years. I will put the recipe in this letter enjoy oh so good. I think making it into muffins makes sense and I bet you can freeze them and just take one out at a time.
Today is a day off from work a holiday. I am spending some of it with my friends going for breakfast at a buffet. So I will try my best to make some healthy choices. I will count the cals as breakfast and lunch and only have an apple at lunch time. For dinner I will have some leftover roasted chicken and some spinach. Thinking ahead and having a plan always makes a difference for me. I think getting on the scale this morning will help me think about where I am and where I want to be in a few months. Not a lot to really lose but its hard wt. to get off sometimes worse than if I had lots to lose. Just my line of thinking I am sure. Recipe follows:

Greg's Bumpkin Love Bread
Dry: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour Wet: 1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda 3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 small banana
I added walnuts and will try this with some whole wheat flour and white tog.
Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan (spray). Whisk tog. the dry ingred. In seperate bowl, combine water and vanilla. Add oil, sugar, honey and molasses and beat for 3-4 min. Add eggs and beat well. Add pumpkin and mashed banana til mixed well.
Combine dry ingred. into wet ones. Beat til fully blended and smooth texture. Pur batter into pan and bake on center rack until a toothpick comes out clean or fork. About 1 hr. for a loaf pan, muffins ck in 20 min.
Let me know what yah think and can we make it even healthier? What do you think the cals are girls??? Oh so good!
Enjoy and have a super day I might ck in again so I stay on track today.

Morning Ladies-

Sorry I was not around this weekend. I was having a nice romantic getaway. I am down another .8 this week. I will take it since I have not been feeling well and I've been eating little.

Suzanne- great to see you got your ticker figured out :)

Marie - Congrats on your 1.4 loss :cheer2:

Carol- Staying the same is worth being happy about go you !

Penny - Does goat milk taste different?

Have a great Monday Ladies. I am off to go lay down I have a sinus infection and bad throat Yuck!

Nikki

Carol - I'm glad your cold is getting better and that you didn't gain this week. Your bread recipe sounds great but I'm trying to eat only sprouted grains in an effort to fix my IBS. Luckily I have found a wonderful 20 grain sprouted bread "Healthy Way" that tastes great! I limit myself to 1 slice a day but I could eat a whole loaf!

Nikki - Sorry you're in the "sick chicks" club! We've all been going through a bit of a rough time lately health-wise so let's hope we all get well soon :getwell:. The goat milk does taste different but if you like goat cheese or the taste of lamb, you might like it. It does take a bit of getting used to but is WAY easier to digest than cow's milk.

I hope everyone else is having a good Monday.

Last night I was the first time in years that I didn't have the abdominal pain that wakes me up! It's almost too good to be true so I don't want to jinx it. I sooo hope this continues. My friend sent me a book called "The Maker's Diet" which is based on the foods of the Bible. The guy who wrote it had severe Crohn's disease and cured himself by following the food guidelines in the Bible. I've cut out as much white flour as possible and I've switched over to goat's milk most of the time. You are allowed to have organic cow's milk if you prefer it but the goat's milk is apparently much easier on your digestion. It's like a lot of those other diets where you cut out 'empty' carbs. You can't have foods with additives and preferably organic foods that don't have hormones, pesticides or antibiotics in them. I also can't eat pork or other 'non Kosher' type foods like shrimp and shellfish (which I don't eat much of anyway). Luckily, I've been gradually learning to eat healthier, so it's not such a huge change for me. It will be wonderful if it also helps my arthritis - keep your fingers crossed for me! :crossed:

Okay, I'm back! I got in early Sunday morning, and haven't done much more than sleep and lounge around since then. I have to venture out for provisions, though--nothing much in the frig except ice water and catsup. i'm feeling much better, but still with a lot of sinus congestion and a constant headache. But I'm finally on the mend, I think. I haven't been able to workout since last Monday. My weight is still at 226 :( which isn't so bad, considering a 10-day trip and being ill, but that's cold comfort after getting the year off to a fast start. C'est la vie--I'll take up from this point and do my best.

Penny, keep tweaking your diet to make it work for you! My fingers are definitely crossed. I have given up most dairy, which I used to have a couple times a day. But shellfish? I don't think so. A small box from Pike's Market in Seattle should arrive tomorrow, with salmon, halibut and scallops.

Nikki--hope I didn't give you whatever I have :devil: . Congratulations on continuing to lose the wieght. A romantic weekend...do people still do stuff like that?

Carol, it seems like the tremendous snow up there hasn't slowed you down a bit! And you seem to be doing really well with your intake despite your busy social schedule and many commitments. I do't think wonton soup is bad at all, just some broth and a little protein and dumpling. The only worry I have with Chinese food is the salt content, but that's oday too if you balance it out in the course of hte day.

Suzanne, how nice that you have to keep changing your ticker, that's a great problem to have to figure out :) .

Marie, I hope the party went well! And congrats on the loss, despite the odd Dorito.

Nikki good for you having some well deserved fun with your honey.
Penny that sprout bread sounds good where do you get that? Never saw it around here maybe its something I could make? Can you use soy milk/ Thats all my daughter drinks.
Oh Judy I loved Pikes Market and yes those fish guys got me good throwing their dang fish at us. Hah hah! I thought that market was wonderful and how I wish it were here. We got fresh flowers so cheap and beautiful oh it was about 3 years ago I guess. But fond memories enjoy your fishes.
The lovely fresh fish will be good for you and a nice start to get back on your regular schedule of being back home. Welcome back I think I had that same cold sinus junk. Oh not nice but almost over. I did pretty well with the breakfast buffet had a little waffle 1/4 of a circle w/ fresh strawberries and yogurt on top and a bit of granola, a veggie omelet w/ little cheese, 2 slices of bacon some cottage cheese with melon and coffee. Not to bad and that was lunch and breakfast. For dinner I ate a roasted chicken sandwich w/ Italian bread and a skinny cow ice cream for dessert tonight and oh I am done. Oh a little glass of red wine to contoract the fats away! The worst of my intake I figured out was the bacon of course. Oh I could of ate til the cows came home. When my friends returned for more I was good and sat and enjoyed my coffee. This is really being good for me. So I have a good start to my week maybe by friday the square white guy will be kind? Take care and have a great week everyone.

Hi all, the party went great - the house was clean thanks to DH and me. Yes, I finally had gotten up and cleaned. It's still clean since we re-cleaned after the party. DGS had a good time. He was very into the streamers and balloons. The presents? Not as good as the boxes. He did get a fire engine and he really likes that. DH had made him a wooden rocking horse that turned out incredible. He's awed by it, but doesn't quite understand the idea of sitting on the horse yet. My mom made him an incredible quilt that's definitely an heirloom.

The huskies got their teeth cleaned to a tune of another 379.00. I was expecting 500 so I guess I came out ahead??? Both are very zonked out from the anesthesia. After I brought them to the animal hospital this morning, I realized I should ahve scheduled it on a work day. The house was horrible without them and so I got really moody (TOM that showed up today probably didn't help). I asked DH if he wanted to go to Crater Lake to snowshoe since the huskies wouldn't have been allowed there anyway. I needed to escape - my house is just wrong without the huskies. So we did a day trip and shoed in the snow while it was snowing. We couldn't see the lak but it was still beautiful. Then on the way home we picked up my babies and all is right in the house again. And I got loads of exercise.

Carol, order both sizes of the dress, then pick the one that fits the best but don't go for being snug with the hopes that you'll lose it in time. No need to put undo pressure. It definitely sounds pretty. I went kayaking on the Rogue River once and it was to die for fun. I'd love to do it again.

Nikki, wonderful job on the .8 pound loss. We'll all take anything. You're doing a great job and I hope you had fun on your weekend romantic getaway!

Penny, I'm glad you're finding some foods that work for you. I would have such a hard time giving up dairy from Mr. Cow. I love ice cream, milk and cheese. I hate lamb so I'll stay away from the goat stuff.

Judy, welcome home and I hope you continue to feel better. I don't know how you could fly with the pressure. That had to be excruciating.

Suz, I thought when my kayak flipped that it was fun. Oh how different we are. And when I did it was early fall and the river was about 50 degrees. The fun of the roll was worth the freezing body. And I hate to be cold. I'd thought of getting a kayak just so I could roll it in my pool.

Well, time to do another return label with Zappos and choose another shoe. This will be the fourth try. Thank goodness they have free shipping both ways. And I have to reorder DH's skis since they "ran out" of the ones that their live updated website said they had. :(
Marie