Marie snow shoeing sounds like a lot of fun. How is it for a beginner? Is it something the grandkids will pickup easily? I thought about taking them. I am sure you DGS loved his horse and quilt those will be something he will have to pass down to his children someday. I love gifts like that. Good luck with ordering your shoes.
I am up and ready to go back to work and get back into the groove of things. I was off last week 2 out of five days due to the weather. I really wanted to take off a day this week for the kids being out of school. But it doesn't look like its going to happen. Maybe saturday I can plan something to do with them all. Or I might take a half of day off I could put in for some vacation time today. Maybe friday afternoon. I will ck the schedule of the kids first to see if it will work out. I am making some heavy duty healthy stick to your ribs oatmeal the kind you cook for 8 min. and having a whole wheat english muffin for breakfast and packing a healthy salad for lunch. Well still trying my best to stick to the plan here. I added up yesterdays cals and it wasn't over my limit but close. Glad of that scale day is wed. and friday this week. So take care girls we all sound very motivated lately and thats great!

Carol, snowshoeing is great for beginners and they make kid snowshoes (I saw them at REI). What I like about it is if you can walk you can snowshoe. It is harder, especially if there's lots of powder but it's doable and a great workout. I bought my snowshoes 7 years ago and other than the gas to get to a snowy place, it's been free ever since. No maintenance whatsoever.

I did 2 miles walking, 2 miles jogging and the fast firm strength workout this morning.

Yesterday food was a nightmare. I had the munchies bigtime. Probably TOM but either way, it controlled me not me controlling it. Luckily I expended loads of calories snowshoeing up and down mountains hills. Regardless, I wasn't too proud of myself. Today will be 1500 cals.

Marie

Marie - Getting a quilt is a great gift. I quilt and would love to have gotten one that is so special. I am glad the party went well.

I worked out yesterday and have been eating well. Fingers crossed that the scale is nice Monday. I am super stressed as I have a certification test this saturday. I have already failed it twice. I failed by less then 5 points each time so frustrating.

Take care all
Nikki

Another half way decent day with calories. I wasn't sure what to count my cals at for my ham, cabbage, carrots and potatoe boiled dinner. But I figured it couldn't be that bad so I figured around 450? At any rate my cals total today was at 1450. Still within my boundaries. The salt from ham usually will keep water weight. So I think no scale til friday. No since in depressing myself when I have been pretty good lately. I do feel more in control with foods and portions. I guess we come to grips with what we want know we can only get to our goals with being better and learning new ways. I did drink alot of water tonight guess from that ham. It was lean at least. Marie I think snowshoeing sounds like fun. But now we are getting rain so who knows what kind of weather we are headed for the rest of the week. Yesterday was 9 below out today 39 out now raining our poor world is all messed up. Well have a good evening girls. Lately I stay on track better by checking in more. Nikki think positive you can do this test 5 pts. is doable they say eat a little choc. before a test and it helps your brain. Eat a few choc. chips dk. of course it might help. At any rate good luck. I know testing is not anyones favorite thing but it comes with all the schooling we need.

Nikki, what is the certification for? Stressing out won't help, that's for sure. Just be calm and tell yourself that you can do it. Look how determined you've been to lose weight. You've lost 37 pounds, and I bet it was after many failed tries at dieting. So the certification is toast because you will prevail. I know you can do it.

Carol, I too am not weighing for a while. Not because of the munchies because that wouldn't stop me because that's what really stops them best for me. But because of TOM. I figure the same as you, why depress myself for something that is temporary?

I did have a bad dinner choice but the rest of the day was healthy and my cals are okay. But regardless, DGS b-day cake for dinner wasn't a smart choice. A yummy choice for sure. Smart? No.

Talk to you all tomorrow.
Marie

Quick check in for me today. I felt good today on day three of my new diet. I slept fairly well with just a bit of discomfort - better than usual. I enjoyed my second yoga class today - boy I hope I get to be half as flexible as my instructor! :yoga: She also does chair massages, so I'm going to sign up for one of those next week. I made a delish chicken soup with a fat little baby Kosher chicken I got at Trader Joe's. Just threw it in the pot with water, seasonings, bay leaves, onion, celery and carrots. It was yummy for dinner with a pear/gorgonzola salad on the side. I've been eating a lot of veggies - they are filling me up so I don't snack on bad stuff as much. I was at Whole Foods a.k.a. Whole Paycheck and found some delicious crispy shiitake mushroom snacks, they taste kind of nutty. They also had carrot and squash chips which I'll try next time. Kind of spendy though at $4.99 for a small container.

Hope everyone is in losing mode this week.

Marie- This is the third test for my teaching certification. Thank you for your encouraging words. I was so stressed a friend picked me up and took me for coffee. It was nice to get out and put things back into perspective. I will spend tomorrow - Friday going over what I think messed me up on the last test and with any luck pass it this time. I don't care if I pass by 1 point or 50 lol.

Penny - I am glad you feel better. Tha chicken soup sounds yummy. My mom made a similar one yesterday. For some reason chicken soup when home made makes life better LOL.

Catch you all tomorrow,
Nikki

Nikki - I'm sending positive thoughts your way for your test. Try not to stress too much - you'll do great! Yes, home made chicken soup is so much better than canned. A real comfort food without too many calories.

Have a good Wednesday everyone.

Penny, the chicken soup sounds heavenly. Send some down... I was in for a shock this morning - loads of snow. Okay not in Carol's terms but about 12" and I had no idea it was to snow. School was canceled so I'm at home. We dug out and it continues to snow. But since the ground was thawed and the temps are about 39, it's melting faster than it's coming down at this point.

I walked 4 miles this morning before "work" and during the cool down, my boss called (6 am) to tell me and to ask me to update the website. I wasn't bummed at all. DH had to go to work this afternoon though. :(

Nikki, I hope the test goes well. Really, worrying will not help so just study as hard as you can and go into it with a "I know I can do this" attitude. Worrying would probably lead to goofy mistakes.

I'm still in a munchie mood. I'll be fine calorie wise, but I'm not making wise choices. Hope everyone else is doing good. TTY tomorrow.
Marie

Okay, another quickie--I'm plugging away at work, dealing with several surprise developments (include being asked 9:40 this morning to speak on a panel at 10:30!). I got a note from my landlords that they will be working on the heating cooling systems today, and would need access to my apartment....which looked like the wreck of the Hesperus, I hadn't even finished unpacking. I am continuing to feel better, but still coughing and congested.

Sending healthy vibes to Penny, smart vibes to Nikki, and positive thoguht waves to everyone else. Tomorrow is wall-to-wall meetings, but I will try to come back and really read through the posts I missed. It's late to be leaveing work, but I hove to swing by the grocery store and come up with something for a staff potluck on Thursday....I'm thinking of something that involves tossing shrimp and snowpeas together in dressing.

judy

Okay yesterday I was doing just fine but then stopped with someone for lunch and the sub counter pulled me in. I know it had to be high in cals because of the bread amt. The turkey and veggies even the cheese were okay. So I had a lighter dinner with some spinach and ham sauted with garlic. Not a savor but I tried. Feeling a bit guilty landed me at the health food store on the way home. I did pick up some oatmeal etc. but found the sprout bread with 16 grains and seeds. Very nice with lots of fiber too. So I tried to save myself. Recognizing our errors I figure is a step in learning to expect more out of ourselves. So this a.m. it is oatmeal and one slice of sprout toast and oh so good. Without looking back I am not sure who talked about it but thanks. Today I will be a good girl. Salad for lunch no big subs. Penny I posted that bread recipe on the other page in case you wanted it. I do agree eating healthy is a bit more costly but we are all worth it. My DSI said oh that oatmeal was so good I ate your leftovers for breakfast. That is a healthier cook for 9 min. one gald she enjoyed it better than that instant stuff. Marie isn't the snow crazy this year it just comes out of no where and in buckets. I have never seen such a crazy year it was 41 and sunny here yesterday -9 monday. It is crazy take care and hope you at least enjoyed
the day off. oKay Judy you have shrimp from the Pikes Market oh so good. There is nothing like the the Pikes Market it will always be a fond memory of Seattle for me. Enjoy that seafood while it last. I am going to pick up some type of fish for tonight I think. Everything is on sale with lent. I need to grocery shop and I hate doing it on friday or sat. Well take care and Nikki think positive you know the info. take the time to bring it up and you'll pass that test. I am sure you will make a very good teacher a school will be lucky to have you when your finished. I worked in a school for 10 years before my social work started and its a very rewarding job. I still see students or parents and they remember me and always stop me to say hello. It is a rewarding field and I am grateful for the wonderful teachers my grandkids have. Have a great day everyone!

Morning Lades -

Thank you all for your positive vibes and thoughts. I feel like I have a much better handle on the essay portion and that is what I messed up on last time.


I am so proud of myself I worked out monday and yesterday. I am hoping to hit 157 by monday so I will have lost 10 pounds in February. Then I will be back to my lowest weight that I plateaued at last year. I am sure you might remember my long plateau. I am determined to break it and when I do I am going to be so happy !


Carol that sprout bread sounds great

Catch you all later,
Nikki

Marie - I see you guys are still being socked by some snow. Kind of unexpected! We also had a cool change - rain, wind, cold, brrrr. Just when I was getting used to the warmer weather! Oh well, it won't be long till the days start getting warmer again. It's good you are able update the website at home, it's probably easier to concentrate. I'm the webmaster for the charity organization I belong to and I always dread doing updates using Frontpage in case it crashes or does something weird. One of these days I'll have to redo the site with another program.

Judy - Thanks for sending the healthy vibes. You are such a trooper - traveling and working so hard even though you've been sick. I hope you get some 'down time' soon. I hope you enjoyed your fish from Pike's Market. That's something I love about being here in the Northwest - the great seafood. We had some wonderful wild sockeye salmon the other day. I love halibut too. The other day I had some halbut cheeks. Really delicious - they look and taste like scallops!

Carol - The bread you found sounds a lot like the one I get called 'Healthy Way'. I think it's made in Canada. I used to like white bread (like French baguettes) but now I prefer the multi-grain sprouted bread. It's also much easier to digest because it's sprouted. I read that the hulls of grains contain a substance that prevents digestion which goes away after it starts sprouting. In ancient times they often sprouted the seeds first, this also makes it more nutritious. Don't worry about slipping up now and then - success is as close as your next meal! I always have some slow cook oatmeal handy in the fridge already prepared. I use Irish oatmeal (or steel cut). An easy way to cook it is to put 1 cup oats, 3 cups water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Immediately cover and turn off the heat. Leave on stove overnight (make sure you turn off the heat!) It won't go bad - trust me! In the morning I put some in a bowl with a little milk & sugar and warm it up in the microwave for a minute. I then store it in the fridge. A batch will last me for several days.

Nikki - You are doing so great! Keep up the good work. :carrot:

I'm finding it easier than I thought to stick to my "Maker's Diet". It's already pretty close to how I've been trying to eat. I still need to watch my snacks - even if they are healthy ones. I've put a reminder I printed out from my computer on the fridge. It says in big red letters "Don't Forget - You Are Trying to Lose Weight For Your Trip in September!" Along with my before and after (during) photos. It sounds a bit silly, but I just tend to conveniently 'forget' and go into auto pilot eating. Hopefully this will make me pause before I eat something I shouldn't! :)

Morning all, I thought I'd write early since there's a good shot the power will be lost again. It's another snow day from work. We got another 12 inches and are up to around 24" since Tuesday night. In town they haven't gotten as much (about half) but here in the boonies we got dumped on and it's still going. The amount of snow on the pine trees is unreal. I'm thinking of watching the local news but will have to go outside and unbury the DirecTv dish first. :)

I did exercise this morning before "work". I did 2 miles walking and 1 mile jogging - less because I knew I needed lots of extra time for the commute. Then right as I'm going out the door I get the call that we're closed. Boy, I would have loved to sleep in.

Judy, take it easy as you won't get better if you don't.

Nikki, good job on relaxing a bit. On essays, make sure you re-read what you wrote and if you can read it aloud, even if it's with no sound and just moving your lips. You'll catch errors that way.

Penny, good job on the new diet. I don't think the sign is corny - I have 1500 on my craft/exercise room dry wipe board so I don't forget my calorie goal. It's hard to ignore as I'm exercising away.

Today I hope to be less munchie. Being snowbound is boring and so I get munchie, but I will try. I had about 1900 cals yesterday - I aim for 1500-1600 - so I was a bit over. I will try harder today.

Talk to you all later.
Marie

Marie - Thanks for the tips. Great on getting up to exercise.

Penny- As long as what you are doing works for you I say go for it.


Nikki

I've finally been able to change my tracker downwards! :carrot: I lost .5 lb. this week - down to 187. I've been pretty high in calories, but have been eating healthier.

Have a great weekend everyone!

congrats Penny

You guys are such an inspiration to me! You are all doing so well. And Nikki, kudos on nearly reaching 10 pounds (in in a short month, too!).:jig:

Maire, I hope you're coping with the big snow. Do you have a generator for emergencies? Thanks for the advice--yes, I'm trying to take it easy this week, coming in a little later than usual and going to bed earlier. If I were flat out sick I'd have stayed home. But next week is so huge--my boss will pass the baton, and our board of directors will be here for three fun-filled days of meetings--that I would be worrying myself into a fever if I weren't plugging away as best I can. The cough and congestion are lingering, but I'm much better. I'll go to the doctor on Tuesday if I'm not seeing progress.

Penny, I've heard of the Maker's Diet, and it sounds pretty reasonable. Does it focus on eating local food in season? Probably people back in the Bible days weren't shipping fruit up from Chile in February :D . The best thing about a diet like that is that it downplays food filled with preservatives and gunk. I'm glad that it's working so well for you.

Carol, I popped all my seafood in the freezer. When you get seafood from the grocery store, it's not as fresh but it usually is cleaned better....I forgot about all the scale-scraping I'll have to do. But it will be worth it! I glad you mentioned Lent. I'm not observant that way, but growing up we always gave up sweets (until time to pig out on Easter candy). I will forego chocolate and other candy (except Altoids) for Lent.

Bust that plateau, Nikki! Tell your flab that resistance is futile!

I saw a physical therapist today. He gave me a few helpful tips for lifting weights, and we're going to work out together a couple of time in my apartment complex as soon as the new exercise room is completed in March. That makes me very happy! I want to use the weight machines, and probably I'll give up Curves. Meanwhile, I haven't worked out at all. I am taking it day-by-day--but really hoping that Saturday morning the cough and congestion is diminished enough to exercise!

judy

Hi all, I did make it to work today. There's about 4" on the ground in town and about 18" still at home. I had a bad start to the day. I was walking across the parking lot and thought I was off the ice and wasn't. I fell on my knees and bruise, scraped and cut my right knee. The left one only has scrapes. The big bummer is that it put a hole in my right knee of my favorite jeans. I was way mad about that. The custodian forgot to put de-icer down. See me get mad... At first I was dizzy and nauseous but it got better through the day. Now it's just sore to the touch. I'm hoping it'll be better by tomorrow since I once again had plans to go skiing... Before I fell, I did walk 4 miles so that was good.

I'm still in a blah mood - I think it's because I was so bored Wed and Thursday that I ate my way through the days. Today I'm much better and am on target for staying in my calories. I definitely would LOVE to eat a bunch of the GS cookies that were delivered today.

Judy, that's cool that you worked out with a PT. They definitely know the right way to work the muscles. I do hope you continue to feel better. And I do understand the need to work even when sick (if you think back to Sept - beginning of the school year and a very sick me).

Nikki, my thoughts have been with you today. I hope the certification test went perfectly.

Penny, yeah on the .5 pound. That's TWO sticks of butter. Pretty wonderful.

Marie

Morning ladies-

I am off to take my test this afternoon. I feel confident that I will pass it today ! I spent 2 months studying for the multiple choice portion and a month on the essay section. Not sure I could do anything more. I'm just about to do a 12 minute dance workout to get my body going. I can't wait to see what I weigh in as on Monday. I haven't been to good lately. I have been forgetting to eat as I am so busy. This week I will focus on getting back to eating my snacks and meals.

Marie - Sorry you had such a rough day. One would think that the first thing the custodian would do is put down ice melt.

Jusy - I am glad you made it to the PT. I'm not celebrating those pounds until Monday. You just never know what the scale will say.

Nikki

Nikki - I hope your test went well today. It sounds like you have prepared well for it :book2:. It must have been hard for you to stay on track on your diet with all the extra stress.

Marie - I'm so sorry to hear that you fell and hurt your knee :(. That's the last thing you need right now, just when your back was getting better. Too bad the custodian didn't think to put down some de-icer. I hope it's not too serious and that you'll be able to go skiing as planned. It sounds like you guys are still getting lots of snow. I like the way you compared my .5 lb. loss to two sticks of butter - yes it was pure fat! :lol:

Judy - You are an inspiration to us too! You keep on going even when you're sick and away from home and have the willpower to try to make good food choices when you're on the road. I hope your cough and congestion clears up soon :getwell:. I hope the PT has some good ideas for you. The Maker's Diet is pretty easy for me to stick to as I've been trying to avoid food additives and colorings for quite a while now. You can eat just about any kind of fruit or vegetables, it doesn't matter if it's in season or not. It emphasises a lot of probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and other fermented foods that are good for the digestion. Interestingly, I am also allowed to eat foods like liver (which I happen to like) that are banned on a lot of diets because of the saturated fat. The preferred fats (used in moderation) on this diet are olive, coconut and butter. Other vegetable oils like canola, safflower, etc. weren't used in olden times.

We went to Whole Foods today and it was packed. It's easy to spend a bundle in there - they have such great stuff. I got some more of the crispy shiitake mushroom snacks that I love and some indian candy smoked salmon which is like sweet salmon jerky - very different but tasty!

Carol & Suzanne - hope everything is going well for you too.

Yaay, after two miserable weeks, I finally was able to work out this morning--45 minutes of Turbo Jam :exercise: . My cough is almost gone, but the gunk in my head is still there...I can feel it moving around (trying to escape, I hope!). I bought a love seat after months and months of indecision. I wanted two wing-type chairs, but modern and not bulky. Never found what I was looking for, but the love seat will do the trick. I also saw "The Queen" which was impressive. Helen Mirren is phenomenal.

Marie, Marie, I was sorry about your fall :( . Your fall sounds similar to my December wipeout. Too bad patches on jeans never came back into style. I hope you're feeling better today. And limp away from the cookies!

Penny, you're a liver lover, too! I never make it myself, but now and again I'll see it on the menu of an old-fashion dinner and I'll order it with lots of onions. I used to crave it on an, um, monthly basis, and had a local joint I'd go to in Chicago that could really do up liver right. I'd go alone, though--people who hate liver tend to overreact :faint:


Nikki, I hope the test went well, and that you're doing something fun to celebrate getting it over with.

I did well with food today. I had popcorn at the movie, so I haven't eaten any snacks today, and am on the computer now to keep out of the kitchen. I heard a guy on TV today say that eating within an hour or two before going to bed is a good way to look like a sumo wrestler. I tend to slip into too much "healthy" snacking after dinner, so that was a good visual cue for me--ugh!

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend!

judy

Judy - I'm glad you're well enough to work out again. I loved "The Queen" too. Helen Mirren is a terrific actor. So you're a fellow liver-lover! :lol: I managed to find some nice veal liver today - dirt cheap too at $3.99 lb. It would cost a king's ransom in Europe. I had one of my favorite meals of all time when we were in Italy at the famous Harry's Bar in Venice - it was veal liver with onion and sage. I have made it occasionally since then, but not for a long time as it's not exactly low cal. I figure it won't hurt to have a small portion and lots of veggies with it. It's funny how people react sometimes when you tell them you like liver - it's a 'love it or hate it dish'.

I know what you mean about 'healthy snacking'. I sometimes fool myself too by saying to myself "oh it's sooooo healthy - I must have some (fill in the blank) it will do me good". I think I'll have to start saving some calories from earlier in the day so that I can have an occasional late-evening snack without the guilt. Some days I run out of calories by 3pm!

Penny thanks for the oatmeal idea. I will ck it out. For all of you that lost congrats a hundred times over thats great. I haven't done the scale but dress shopping was enough to know I must be doing something right. I felt good in trying things on. So if I can still shave off some wt. thats great even better yet. I am sorry for not being on for a couple of days. I had the little ones then I went dress shopping for mom of the bride. Oh so crazy some of the styles are wild. I tried on so many different things my oldest daughter and I went lots of laughs no dress. I did put one on hold but then came home and ordered one from Chadwicks of Boston. It will be here by the 9th and I will see if I like it on or not. One good thing was I tried on all size 12's but one. That made me feel good. Still want to lose and I am trying to be good but with the kids had pizza but it was homemade so I could control the ingredients. Marie sorry to hear about your knee take care to rest it properly. I had knee surgery about 8 years ago from a fall. Not fun at all. I still baby it once in awhile when it hurts from the weather. At our work the guys weren't salting very well and a few people really got hurt too. Sounds like old man winter isn't too nice your way. Careful! Nikki you sound like your more positive for your test thats great you will do well I am sure. Now you know what to expect this time around. Judy still that seafood will be worth every little bit of effort you put into it. Enjoy and sounds like the exercise thing is going well. Today I plan on scheduling myself and wed. / friday at the gym. Right after work. Need to tighten up the flab under my arms for thes sleevless dresses I have been trying on. Firm it up baby of course kayaking will help when the ice melts of the water ways. I have found that the sprout bread has 5 gr. fiber then I add my almond flaxseed Kashi cereal for another 8 grms of fiber that is a pretty good start to my day. The fiber helps keep me full longer and it helps to prevent fat from gathering in my body. So thank goodness for some tasty items to help me along the way. I am feeling pretty good finally battled that nasty cold away almost. I spoke to the kids in Hawaii last night and I was really glad to hear from them. They get so busy and with the time change I don't hear from them as often as I wish. Oh well at least their doing really well. In June they will be home for close to 2 weeks. After the wedding we are going to all go away for a few days in the Adirondacks to kayak and camp relax in the woodsie environment no phones no mail. Well gotta go start my day. Take care everyone and lets keep this wt loss going in the right direction. Nikki your in the lead this time around good for you we are all rooting for you to keep up the good work. We will follow yah.

Morning everyone-

My test went. It was pretty difficult. I was nit as strict on my diet this weekend. I had several crackers and did not drink my water at all. Today I got to the scale and showed a 1 lb loss instead of the 3 -4 I was expecting. Oh well, I won't give up. I'm going to go back on phase I of SB today and do that all week. I also got no veggies in this weekend. It wasn't so much what I ate but what I didn't.
I can tell from my body though that I am losing inches. My mom said yesterday I look taller and it must e ecause I lost so much weight! That felt good. Only 26 lbs to go !

Nikki

Nikki, congrats on losing another pound despite all your stress around the test! And your loss is noticible, too...:carrot: . Good luck with bearing down with the induction phase of South Beach. You can do it!

And Carol, isn't it nice to try on dresses for a special ocassion and feel good about it? Adding a little gym time will make you a babe in no time.

Penny, it was nice to see Helen Mirren win an award last night. I stayed up too late, watching until the bitter end....there were too many extra items in teh telecast, but I really like Ellen Degeneres and was determined to see Scorcese finally, finally win a bleedin' Oscar!

Well, my cold is hanging in there (Week Three), I seem to be moving backward with the cough and congestion. I did a weight workout yesterday, but nothing this morning. I have my Curves gear with me, in case I perk up later on. I already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning, so I can ask if I do need antibiotics :( to knock this out. This is a huge week for me at work, and it would a bit of a disaster if I was going downhill during our three-day retreat! I can baby myself a little after Saturday. My weight is holding steady, I'm just glad that I managed to maintain throughout these weeks of travel and illness. BUT I WANT TO GET BACK TO LOSING!!!

Sorry, had to get that out of my system.

Have a great Monday!

judy

Judy - You need to take care of YOU! I hope there's a way you can scale back at work for a while so your body gets a chance to recover. Maybe you need some home made chicken soup - wish I could send you some but I'm sending good health vibes your way. I'm glad Helen Mirren won too. I didn't watch the Oscars as I can't stand most of the Hollywood types. From what I've heard it was a pretty boring show.

Nikki - Congratulations on the 1 lb. loss! :yay: I'd take 'mere' one pound loss any day! It's great that your clothes are fitting better and it was nice that you got that compliment from your mom.

Carol - Yay for you for fitting in the smaller size dresses - that's always such a boost for the morale. It sounds like you had a fun day with your daughter. We just have a son so I miss out on those girly mom/daughter things :(. Oh well, hopefully we'll get a nice DIL one of these days. Sounds like you're doing great with all the healthy fiber, etc.

Marie - I hope your knee is ok. My DH was in Toronto last week and they had an ice storm. I gave him some Yak-Trax to put on his shoes but of course he didn't wear them and nearly slipped. Next week he's off to Florida :sunny:, so that's quite a change of climate.

Have a great week everyone!

Thanks Ladies!

Judy- I hope you get to feeling better real soon. 3 weeks is hard.

Nikki

Hi everyone!

Penny, I'm off to Florida next week too!!! I'm leaving a week from Friday for a long weekend getaway with my sister from Iowa. We're meeting in South Florida and will lounge on the beach for hours. I already bought my 55 SPF sunscreen and lipbalm. I'm ready - I love skiing - but I hate SNOW!!!! And it won't stop. Snow, snow, snow. It's like we moved to the great lakes and are having lake effect snow. I guess it's ocean effect snow.

I did go skiing on Saturday. My knee is tender but certainly not painful. So I went. I didn't put lots of effort in it as I was skiing with DS and almost DIL who are beginner snowboarders. It was still fun although freezing cold. It snowed the whole time - who would have guessed. Snow and wind pelted face. Owie.

Sunday I worked for much of the day except when I went fabric shopping for a new quilt. There's a new quilt shop (actually the only one in town) and they have loads of fabric. I bought all my fabrics then went home to work. At least I made up 6 hours of my wasted vacation time when I was snowbound last week.

Food is still not where it needs to be. I ate about 2100 cals yesterday. Not horrible but certainly not lose weight amounts. today I'm doing very good and will stay at 1500 cals. I didn't exercise this morning but will this evening. I chose sleep over exercise. Bad me.

Judy, I hope you start to feel better. 3 weeks with a cold is too long. Okay 1 day is too long, 3 weeks is he!!.

Nikki, congrats on losing a pound. 4 sticks of butter gone from your body. Way to go.

Carol, you should put the link of the dress you chose on your next post. I'd like to see it. That would be sort of fun. At least you had fun shopping. I did a week ago. I got to ignore the women's section. I stayed in misses and chose sizes smaller than the largest offered. How awesomely fun is that?!?!?!

Well, I should work for a minute, then back to the vet I go. Blizzie's tonsils need to be rechecked. I'd never heard of a doggie having tonsilitis, but of course, my doggie had to try it.
Marie

Marie - I'm glad your knee isn't too bashed up. Sorry to hear about Blizzie's tonsils - I didn't know dogs had them either! How the heck does the vet even get to look down a big dogs throat like that???? :yikes:

My DH is now going to Florida tomorrow as they need him there sooner. For a fleeting moment I thought I might like to go too, but I just HATE to fly - not scared, just can't stand it. He's going to be in the Miami area. I asked him if he's going to pack his swimmers. Knowing him, he probably won't even go to the beach. Still, he might have a nice jacuzzi at the hotel so I put them in his bag just in case. He's coming back on Friday, so you may be able to wave 'hi' to each other as you pass by! I hope you have a wonderful relaxing time in the Sunshine State :beach:

Judy sorry your not feeling well. I had a bit of a cold and it is still hanging around a bit but kind of sinus like. So I am working it out I guess. Glad your going to the doc's in case you need a bit of help to kick it. Sounds like your way too busy to be sick. Yes trying on dresses was a bit of fun. On friday I intend to go ck out a few more and I did order one but not sure if off the shoulders a bit will be me. My daughter and niece liked it so I ordered it. But we will see. I have been doing pretty good with my cals. Yesterday I had some frozen fish baked it added a little left over spaghetti sauce and some mozz. ch. It was pretty good with side dish of sauted spinch and mushrooms.
Penny I am pretty lucky with the girls but boys are great too. I am lucky enough to have a lovely DIL. She is like the 3rd daughter. Can't wait til their visit home in June for the wedding. We are all going to go camping and relax after the big event. The fiber seems to be keeping me satisfied longer and not so many munches going on. I read awhile back we should get 30 fibers a day. Thats so hard to do. But I am trying to get at least close to that and adding in more seafood and veggies. Marie I have enough material for 2 quilts for the grandaughters one is about 2/3 done and so pretty with little squares and the other not started and will be much bigger squares that other one is a tough one. Seems to take forever and it is cause I lost interest for too long. I also have one started for my bedroom. Maybe with you talking about it I will get going on it again. What pattern are you using? Once I plan on a dress for sure I will post it. The one I am currently ordering is from Chadwicks of Boston
2104-29619-719 I think you can look it up on line. I am of course ordering it in Black. But if this doesn't work out whats everyones take on me wearing Ivory and my daughter white? Her wedding is white and black??? Or should I stick with the black which will help make me look thinner? To many decissions these days. I have another dress I want to order too just to have another to compare it to and a different style. Take care of your knee Marie! Penny Hurray a little girl break! You two will have fun and some of the sights will be great on the beach. I love to people watch there. Marie hope your doggie will be fine and not too much on the pocket. Boy they can be costly but so loveable. Little Bear is coming along he sleeps with us now and has for a couple of weeks. At least I am not jumping up to bathroom him. He sleeps all night. This a.m. he got up with me and then sat near the bedroom door and wanted in to go back to bed with Dad. Cute! Well take care girls I am not getting on the scale until friday trying to lose before them in hopes that my scale will cooperate with me then. Lets do it girls we can lose even with this time of life suppose to be hard to lose I am determined to try my best. Menopause!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hot flashes are stiking!

Hi everyone, Penny at this point I would have chosen to fly in the flying buses (I don't like them - claustrophobia) to go to the sunshine. I actually leave a week from Friday - Mar 9th. What's really odd is that my parents are on a cruise and will be in the Phoenix airport the day before I am on my way home. Since they're in Minnesota, it would have been cool to bump into them. :)

Apparently it's much easier to check a doggie's tonsils when they're under. Awake, Blizzie fought it. Her tonsil is still inflamed and that's not good. W're trying another round of antibiotics but there's the possibility it's cancer in the lymph node. All her blood work had come back normal so I'm hoping the change in antibiotics will do the trick. She's my soulmate (aka soul dog) and I'd be devestated to lose her. She certainly doesn't seem sick but one never knows. My first soul doggie died of cancer pretty young so I wouldn't like history repeating itself.

I did exercise this morning (and yesterday evening). I jogged for 3 miles and did the strength training workout. I was pooped and it was only 10 after 6. But I'm energetic now.

I also stayed within the cals. yesterday. YEAH!!! I'm weighing in on Firday whether or not I'm good so I'll be good just because I'd hate to be in the 170's again.

Carol, I tried to view your dress but Chadwicks has a stupid search engine - you can't search by catalog number - I could quick purchase it but then it wants my catalog numbers... I gave up. Very bad search engine. Regardless, I vote for black. Off white would be okay, but you're safest with white so that you don't clash in the pictures. So that's my vote.

Well I'm at work so I should do that. :)
Marie

Hi Ladies -

I 'm sorry I haven't been in touch. Apparently my subscription is not working to send emails to me. Anyway I was pretty bad today. We went for chinese at lunch and I got steamed brocoli and chicken. However, I had about 6 chinese noodles and sauce < not on my diet> . Then tonight I had a killer headache from lack of sugar so I had a 1/2 cup of rocky road ice cream. I'm not to guilty over it because I have been so good and I figured it would be ok . Tomorrow I go back on the diet.

Nikki

Marie- Have a great time in Florida.
How is the doggie today? I have never heard of tonsilitus in a dog either.



Carol - Are you planning to make some quilts? I love to quilt !


As for me I hit my goal of 8 lbs lost for Feb today on the last day of February. My first mini goal I was able to achieve in ages LOL. I am going to try for 6lbs in March.

Nikki

Carol - I'm with Marie on recommending the black dress. Black is not only figure flattering, it's very elegant. I hope you shake off your cold soon too. Our cats are like your puppy, they just love to snuggle in bed and give us hurt looks if we get up just when they are getting comfortable!

Marie - I hope Blizzie is doing ok and that the antiboitics do the trick. My DH is having a great time in Miami - rubbing it in that it's 85 deg. today! He's not been too busy so far and he's had time to visit some of his favorite places down there. I bet you can't wait to go, especially since you've also been having lousy weather lately. We had some snow this am but it didn't stick. There's quite a bit in the higher elevations though.

Nikki - Congratulations on reaching your goal :cheer: :yay:. You are a real inspiration!

Have a great day everyone!

Why is everyone else going to Florida, and I'm only going to Baltimore? I have to head out soon, so I'll be quick:

Woo-hoo, Nikki!:carrot:

It looks like I can avoid antibiotics for a little longer. The clinic gave me some good suggestions for what to do to help this move faster, but said give up and go to my regular doctor next week if it's not gone. I did a long cardio and weight workout this morning, which felt good. I packed my gear for this trip, with emergency snacks, and will make good choices.

I will try to check in everyday, but may not be able to. Wish me luck--this is the big changing of the guard at work.

judy

Hi everyone, I went to Medford (over the mountain pass). The usual 1.5 hour drive was 2.25 and was quite trecherous. I had to go for work. But all was fine - just a long commute. I've been good today, about 1300 calories. Yesterday was a little less. I've been so munchie lately that I've accidently gone under my target because I've been obsessing about not munching. Eeks. Where does it end??? I also walked 4 miles this morning before leaving. It was a good workout.

Penny, I wouldn't listen to DH about the weather. He had to fly in the big old bus to enjoy that sunshine - yeah, it's worth it, I know. I was just trying to find a bright spot in our weather. The only true on is that the ski season improved tremendously. BTW, DH's new skis arrived today. His birthday is next week, but he'll get them tonight so we can go skiing this weekend.

Judy, I hope Baltimore is everything you dreamed of... I'm glad that you don't need antibiotics - it's so dangerous to have them too often. I can't even remember the last time because I'm so afraid of them. And all my infections have gone away on their own - or with a little golden seal/echinecea push.

Nikki - way to go on reaching the 8 pound goal. Months ago I'd lose that in a month, now I'm happy for a couple pounds - heck a pound even. BTW 1/2 cup of ice cream ranges between about 150 cals to 200 cals. Certainly not a big deal.
Marie

Marie good luck with the doggie thats so hard to ensure everything is going right. Yah can't ask how they feel with a verbal response only read them as you know how. I will be thinking about yah. Good job with the munchies last night I ate dinner later than norm doing my own thing after work. So when I did get home I made a lean cuisine not my normal but okay then ate a few oreo cookies I had purchased for the hubby. All in all still made my cals for the day but something made me have those cookies. But lately I have been much better staying within my cals. Friday is scale day. Careful driving in that yukkie stuff.
Nikki the devil got to me too don't feel guilty just pick up and move on. Sometimes we need to be a little naughty. I have a few quilts to work on Nikki and hopefully I will get motivated to do so soon. This weekend I plan on altering the flower girls dresses for the wedding and getting that accomplished. Keep up your good work and look where your headed to a new you for spring congrats on your loss and keep up that motivation its contagious I hope.
Work will be a bit stressful til the 20th my office mate whom has worked for 19 years is moving on to another agency. Its okay but I share an office so I have to listen to oh and I will have this and that and the company this and thats. I thought I was going to lose it yesterday so I took an hr. off and did my own thing. I will schedule myself out of the office a bit to survive. We get along okay better than years ago and I think she needed a change was shocked she did it but thats okay. Let me just get through this part of it. I am trying to be considerate but its tough. This week I brought in some salad making to keep in my cupboard at work and I think I will continue to add to it with healthy snacks. For lunch today I picked up a lean cuisine which is butternut ravilaos different thought a change might be warranted and I will add some greens and lowfat dressing. Well Judy at least your going somewhere I am only staying in Chittenango land of Oz! Maybe this fall I will go to Hawaii or Florida we'll see. Holding onto some time to use then.
Marie is so right Judy on the antibotic my DSI has to live on them the rest of her life because of a staff infection that will never heal. She had an elbow replacement and ended up with that to live with forever. Crazy how life is like her other health problems weren't bad enough. Today I had my sprout piece of toast for breakfast along with cooked oatmeal.The days cals are pretty much planned and no room for oreo cookies! Naughty it was but once in awhile maybe it was the work stress that made me do it. Or the fact they were on sale and I got them for the hubby. They are now sealed in a tupperware container for him. Off to crazy work maybe things will get better instead of worse I should think of the postive side of things this lady leaving sure made my life pretty tough a few years back and caused uneeded trouble for me and I almost quit so maybe I shouldn't be distraut at all but pleased in a way. Not that it counts but it brings me to the top of the pile with years in our dept.

Hi Ladies-

Marie - Long commutes are hard. I know what you mean about the ice cream but it still worries me. Walking 4 miles is amazing.

Carol- I always wanted to learn to sew clothes but have not gotten there yet. I need a new machine as mine keeps knotting the bobbin. Sory to hear work is so hectic.

As for me my weight is driving me crazy. I'm back up today. It seems like my body is doing a yoyo and does not want to get into the 150's lol. I just wish it would stay at a solid 159 even. I am wondering if I am not eating enough or something. Yesterday I had eggs and sausage and v8, cheese, chicken and green beans, a granola, and chicken and green beans again. I was to busy to cook a seperate dinner.

Nikki

Nikki, I was stuck at 170 forever. I hit 169 finally, then surprisingly 168 the next week (two weeks ago). Tomorrow is weighin and I dread it. I just don't want to see 170 so hopefully I've maintained or lost. I hate that "decade" amount when it fluctuates back and forth. I know it's a mind game, but the scale teetering there bugs me. Every "decade" it's the same thing.

I jogged 2 miles, walked 1 mile and did the strength training video this morning. My arms were tired on my way to work. I guess perhaps I'm making some bicep/tricep progress but they're so flabby I'm thinking nothing short of surgery will fix them. But I'm trying none the less.

Carol, your office mate sounds delightful - sarcasm there. I'm sorry she's sticking around for so long. Definitely avoid as much as possible. I'm hoping to get some ideas on my quilt (like planning and the such) soon. I need to make 3 ski masks before the weekend because the snow just keeps falling and it hurts the face while skiing. DS, DH and almost DIL need one. They shouldn't take long to whip up on the knitting machine.

I'm procrastinating at work. I have a big project and a deadline - two things that don't go well together for me. I procrastinate and I'm being true to form. Once I start, I'll get on a roll. I just don't want to start. :)

My breakfast and planned lunch are right on track. I haven't figured out dinner yet. Low in salt and fiber since tomorrow is weigh in. My scale mind games are so silly but there you have it. :)
Marie