Carol-Bear is a dog? Try to enjoy your day after you leave work. Getting out early is always good.

I was real good yesterday ate SB induction and today that 1 lb plus .2 is gone. Now I just hope to keep it off . This weekend is going to be hard. I know I will have loads of salt even if I eat only protein and moderate carbs.

Nikki

Yesterday was quite a day. Our son was here loading up his stuff in a U-Haul truck. I'm so sad to see him go. He just left an hour ago on his move to Idaho.:(

I got around to taking our cat, Tommy, to the vets yesterday as he hadn't been eating or drinking for a few days and hiding under the bed. I feel guilty that I didn't pay more attention due to things being so hectic lately as it turned out he had a huge infection on his hindquarters (probably from a bite from his brother). He had to have surgery right away and has all kinds of drains in him and half his fur shaved off. I'm supposed to bathe his wounds 3 times a day for 10 min. but that's impossible as he won't let me touch him. He just cries and cries poor baby. On top of that we were socked with an unexpected vets bill for $550.

I sure hope things calm down around here soon!

I hope everyone is on track and I'll catch up with the personals when I'm feeling better.

Penny, it's always somthing, isn't it? One kid heads off with a U-Haul and then the furry kids cause problems. I think you should hand the vet's bill to the brother who did the biting, it's all his fault, anyway. Seriously, you poor kitty sounds miserable, I'm so sorry for both of you.

Nikki, yaay for moving forward with South Beach! I know that you can handle whatever challenges come your way this weekend.

Marie, it's great that you are enjoying jogging :running: That's really giving your muscles and your metabolism a jolt. I love your spring drink. I have lots of frozen strawberries, so I will definitely give that a try.

Carol, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who likes eggs in the evening sometimes. Sometimes I'll have a scrambled egg salad--a green salad with hot scrambled eggs--and it's pretty good, despite the faces people make when I tell them that :barf:

The meditation class is a godsend. I'm sorry that there's only two more. I am looking into finding a meditation group nearby. I'm getting back into my workout groove, and enjoying walking outdoors (although the temperature is taking a definite turn for the worst). I finally got up the courage to get back on the scale for the first time in weeks...228 :eek: . I'm keping the May 20 Challenge in mind, and thinking about dong the Curves Six-Week Challenge again, even though I will be in New Orleans for part of that time, and entertaining my beer-and-chicken-wings-loving brother at the end of this month. There will always be obstacles to figure out, and I can't keep using them as excuses....

judy

Hi all, I hope your Thursday was good. Penny, I'm so sorry about your cat and that your son is moving to Idaho. That must be so tough since he's an only child. When DS2 left for the military he'd been driving me bonkers and the other son was here. Now DS1 is driving me, DH and DS2 bonkers so I'm so looking forward to them leaving. Oooo la la, just a couple more days. :)

Nikki, good for you getting rid of the 1+ pound you'd gained. Don't you hate when the scale is mean one day then normal the next??? I swear sometimes that weighing everyday would be better, but then I'd really watch the types of good for me foods I eat that retain water. So it's best for me 2X a week. Tomorrow is my weighin... Let's hope the scale wakes up on the right side of the toilet.

Carol, I hope that the eye appointment didn't take all of your afternoon off and that you had a bit of fun. And snow!!!! Yucky!!!! But I'm not naive enough to think we're out of the woods. At 4100 feet, the high elevation dumps on us up till June some years.

Judy, I hope you can find the meditation group. That sounds ideal for you with your stressful life. And now it's time to kick that evils scale back into line...

I did the 4 mile walk slim and the .5 miles jogging this morning. I'm just a mover. :) My average calories for the 10 or so day on the challenge is 1531. Yesterday was right on target at 1550.

We hired another new person in my office. I might not have mentioned that last candidate that accepted the job and did all the drug tests and paperwork decided to stay with his employer a couple days before he was to start. I'd say he's blacklisted from the district. But this guy we hired today seems really good and I know his wife and that he wouldn't do that (at least I hope).
Marie

What a week! But I survived it, and got the most important things done, I think. But I will be working over the weekend, to do some planning and thinking. There's just too many meetings the three days I will be in the office next week, and I can't leave town without sorting some things out.

I'm eating well, did a short (half hour) workout this morning and went to Curves at lunchtime. I've decided not to sign up for the six-week chalenge, as I may have to miss two of the meetings. But I read about a book that I'm going to look for on my way home that might help me with the right mindset to stick to a program on the road or during times of maximum stress....I'll tell you about it if I can find it. I've been feeling bloated and lumpy for some time, probably for the past six weeks, which I hadn't realized until just now. It's amazing how quickly you can get used to feeling crummy!

Marie, you're about a mover...remember that old Sixties song, one of the ones with a cheesy Farfisa organ? Congratulations on being on target :cheer: .

I hope that everyone has a good weekend, that Nikki's whizzing along on South Beach, that Marie has an empty nest again, that Penny and her cat are recovering, and that Carol's off being an Easter bunny.

judy

:bunny:

What a difference a couple of days makes! Our son got to Boise safely and is all unpacked and having fun exploring his new environment. Tommy gets his tubes out tomorrow and looks more alert. I got a fairly good night's sleep and worked out at Curves for the first time in over a week. The sun is shining, it's 75 deg. out today and everything is in full bloom in the garden.

I'm starting to get more into the mindset of starting to eat and exercise properly again. I'm finding it a bit of a drag recording all my food every day so I'm going to start taking weekends off but still watch what I eat. I've managed to maintain my weight over the past couple of weeks but I really need to start losing again soon.

Nikki - I'm glad to see you are still making good progress. I hope you like the Atkins diet and that it works well for you.

Carol - That naughty Bear chewing up your glasses :nono:. It's hard to stay mad with them though when they look at you with their big brown eyes!

Marie - Your strawberry drink sounds refreshing, I'll give it a try. I hope your new hire works out well.

Judy - I'm glad your meditation class has been helpful for you and hope you can find another one now that the first one is finished. It sounds like you have a very stressful job. I hope you get a bit of a chance to relax over the weekend.

Thanks, everyone, for all your good wishes during this past week. Have a wonderful Easter! :bunny2: :egg:

Hi everyone, today has been a lousy day. Very tip top worst type. Last night/middle of the night I made the awful decision to put Goldilocks out of her misery. Today at 4:00 she was put to sleep. It was very peaceful except my DH and my wet eyes. I'm tearing up as I write this. Tomorrow ill be better, but it's an empty feeling with her gone. She's been part of my life for nearly 12 years. This is very difficult. I'm very blessed to have 2 more dogs to hold and love.

I did lose .6 pounds but it doesn't matter today. I did 2 miles walking and 2 miles jogging WATP style then the .5 mile on the treadmill. All I can say it distracted my brain occasionally during the hour or so workout.

I will chat more this weekend.
Marie

Oh Marie, I'm so sorry to hear about Goldilocks :(. I hope she's at peace in doggie heaven. Just remember the happy times you shared together.

Marie - I am sorry to hear about goldilocks. I know that is a very hard thing. Just know she is in peace now.

Penny- I am glad to hear your sun is settling in well. How did it go with Tommy?

Judy- I really admire you for taking the time to meditate. I used to do that all the time. I oftn wonder why I stopped. Life was so much more peaceful then. Try to stick with it while you are in the zone. It gets harder once you are out of the zone.

I am at my boyfriend's now. He is off on a job interview. I thought it was weird the guy wanted to meet him 9 am the Saturday before Easter. Oh well. My fingers are crossed for this job as he has not been able to find work other then retail. I would like to be able to move out in a year and we both need good jobs for that one. I have little doubt I will get hired for September. I should have dual certification come June so that gives me an edge.


Everyone enjoy the weekend and don't eat to much candy :)

Nikki

Nikki yes he is but I don't think he really acknowleges that fact sometimes. The vet said that Bear thinks he is souly mine and so I need to back off a bit and let my husband take some control. So now I have him feeding him so the dog looks at him a bit differently. I also and trying to be a bit hard on him in order to gain some control. He is a bit bratty and I guess the vet knows it? Opps I have been a naughty mom. Oh well all his shots are done now and we can hit the parks and start walking that will be nice. He also had a tick on him uh! I felt it on his neck line but didn't know what it was and just had found it as I was petting him on the way to the vets. So I asked? Long behold it was a yukkky tick. So now Bear is on meds too. He is now 21.5 lbs. and will be around 30 full grown. Oh thats the end of my puppyness.
I think we all need to have a vet acct. I know I dropped 93.99 there yesterday and they are worth every cent of it but oh! I am sorry your vet bill was so high I thought mine was only to be around 55 but then with the unexpected tick it went up cause we had med involved. Oh Marie if I could ask what do you use for fleas and ticks? He said Frontline but others say Advantage? I am going to order something from online its cheaper. Next month we do our fixing job.
Congrats on the loss Nikki. Good luck on the job search sometimes subbing is where you have to start depebnds on the where you live I think. Thats the way around here though. Charter schools seem to be blooming everywhere and have lots of opening not sure the pay scale is as good. In our area there getting lots of gov't funding which surprises me. Judy you can order grilled chicken strips for yourself and ask for the buffalo wing dip on the side. I do that at home with chicken strips and make my own dip it healtier no skin or frying? Just a thought as I love them too. In fact I think thats a great dinner for tonight thanks!
Marie what is with people accepting jobs then changing their minds? Yah know its crazy look at what happended at my work and she is still not happy and never will be with somethings. Hope this new guy will work out great for all of you our new girl is very nice and we all like her. I have done a lot of the training and she really is doing quite well.
Marie when I put Katie down it was a relief for her but sadness for all. We think of her so often but know she is taken care of and not suffering now. We were going through family pictures last night getting ready for the wedding video for my daughter. Along came a picture of Katie and we both were a bit sad. You know in your heart what you did was brave and needed to be done when that time comes we recognize it and do whats needed. My thoughts are with you on this matter for sure. Maybe Katie and Goldilocks will find peace with each other in doggie heaven.
I am going to be brave today and hit the scale yuk! Lately I have been on task off task and not using the scale so the time has come to face myself! Maybe doing it before Easter is smart keep me in line a bit more. The sun is shining and Bear and I will go to the lake today for our first walk.

Morning everyone. I'm doing better this morning. It's actually raining here so the skies are crying for Goldie too. It seems the huskies finally realized she was gone. They are very mopey today. Sort of strange because we brought them both over to Goldie yesterday before we buried her. I thought they were supposed to have animal instincts and know that she was gone. Oh well, if it stops raining we'll take them out for a walk to cheer them up.

Because we're hoping to wlak the doggies, I did 1 mile on the treamill this morning. .5 mile walking and .5 jogging. I dind't want to miss the jogging.

Apparently my DS1 and almost DIL are moving out tomorrow not today. That was a bummer. DH and I are thinking of disappearing for the day so they can't stick us with the packing. They are so LAZY!!!! But the future cleanliness of my house looks very promising. :)

Well, I'm going to think about grinding my glass for the wolf piece I'm making. The key word is think about doing it. :)

Carol, I hope the scale was nice. I re-weighed this morning and it was the same as yesterday but today I was happy about it.

BTW, DH and I were zoning out last night and watched an old episode of CSI. At one point there was a line in it that fit me to a tee. "Have you ever done the right thing and still felt guilty about it? Yeah, and doesn't it s@ck?" That's how I feel about deciding to put Goldie to sleep. I know it was right in my head but my heart feels guilty. And it does s..." It was sort of cool to have a TV show of all things put my feeling into perspective.

Nikki, here's crossed for your boyfriend. I hope the interview is successful and gets him on a better track than retail.

Penny thank you for the kind thoughts.
Marie

Marie, you have my sympathy and a big, big hug :hug: . I'm so sad for you, your hubby and the other doggies, I know that you will all miss her very much. But if she was suffering, and in pain, and not going to get any better, you did a hard thing but the right thing. It sounds like you gave her a nice home and a lot of love, and that's all that matters in the end.:goodvibes

Yesterday was one of my favorite kinds of Saturdays. Slept a little late, did yoga, did a few chores, talked on the phone, read, practiced my knitting while watching The Big Lebowski...I could use a week of days just like that one! But now I'm procrastinating. I have three things to do before the weekend is over (and before the Sopranos comes on tonight) and I don't want to tackle any of 'em. But one of them will be big drag if I don't get on it, so....2006 taxes, here I come!

judy

Nikki - I hope your boyfriend got the job. Tommy is doing much, much better - thanks for asking.

Carol - Sorry to hear Bear picked up a tick - good thing you caught it quickly. It's hard to tell with all that fur. That's why we didn't see Tommy's infection - even the vet missed it at first - and it was massive.

Marie - I guess your DS1 and almost DIL have moved by now. It will be nice for you to have the extra space again. I hope they will be happy in their new home. I hope your sadness is easing a bit after losing Goldie. Perhaps you can dedicate your wolf piece to her memory.

Judy - I'm glad you had a relaxing weekend - you deserved it!

We had a quiet weekend. It rained a lot, so we couldn't get outside and do some much needed yard work as we'd planned. Our son has settled in well and emailed us a bunch of photos of his new place. He's already got everything unpacked and it looks really nice. I'm glad we gave him our old leather sofa set as it's something familiar for him from home. He just started work in his new job this morning, so we're looking forward to hearing how it went.

Tommy is doing lots better and, after dropping another $120 at the vets, we decided not to take him in for any more visits. The vet wanted to see him every day this week which would have been several hundred more dollars. He's doing just fine, healing up well and eating like a horse!

We were invited to friends for Easter and I ate way too much which was reflected on the scale this morning. I am really going to knuckle down and get back on track now that things seem to be calming down. I need to get back to normal eating again or things could start spiraling out of control.

I hope everyone has a good week.

A quick check-in: I didn't get too far on my taxes, but I did find the folders with the info I need, so that's a start! I did a long cardio workout in the fitness center Sunday evening, and my quads are still complaining, so I guess I need to find my way down there more often. Today I'll lay off a bit, except for going to Curves this evening. I had a weird little binge last night: those little Dole fruit bowls were on sale, two for one, so I bought two packages, one applesauce and one mardarin orange. After dinner I mixed one of the orange ones into some cottage cheese....and did it again...and eventually ate the remaining two orange cups before the evening was over. So, no more orange fruit bowls for me. I reacted to the high sugar content as if they were Godiva chocolates :devil: . I should have known!

Penny, how are you planning to knuckle down? :D It will be May 20 and the end of Nikki's Graduation Challenge before you know it...

Marie, I hope you're doing okay today.

Nikki and Carol, I hope you had great weekends.

judy

Judy - Those little bowls are very more-ish! I always get the tropical fruit ones and pour off the juice, which saves a few calories. I sometimes have them with cottage cheese for breakfast and manage to only eat one.

You asked how I'm going to "knuckle down". Well, starting today I'm going to log EVERYTHING I eat during weekdays and make sure it's under 1600. I've been 'cheating' a bit lately and not recording evening snacks (which are my downfall). I am also reducing my breakfast calories to under 300. Snacks can only be up to 100 calories each and NO alcohol - which I've found to be disastrous lately as it relaxes me and but I tend to overeat even more. Oh, and I'm not going to eat out as much - we've had Chinese a few times lately and that stuff is so loaded in fat and calories. I've also started exercising regularly again now that I'm feeling better. Hopefully this will all make for a loss on the scale. :crossed:

Hi Everyone-

I hope you all had a good weekend. I had a nice weekend but overat. I haven't looked at a scale. I will peek tomorrow. I started atkins today and did great :)

I'll catch you all in the morning.
Nikki

Well girls I have a new keyboard very nice I must say. My futrue soninlaw hooked me up with one. I knocked my cup of coffee over mine on Easter morning not so smart. Me whom always tells the kids not to have any drinks next to the computer. OOOPPPS! Well at any rate yesterday I did read all your thoughts but couldn't respond back. I had a nice Easter and it sounds like everyone else did too. I ate a bit too much but today was much better. I am with you Penny on intakes. I did stay within my boundaries for today. I had the leftover lemon pie but only ate the filling no crust its gone now bye bye to that but it was great. I made it from scratch as mom couldn't this year. I started my day off with healthy foods and then made a pot of veggie soup in the pressure cooker for lunches this week. Smells good haven't opened it up yet. Love the fact that I can whip it up so quickly. Judy glad you had a chance to rest and oh taxes are never too much fun. I do mine quite early and got a refund so thats was nice. Good luck with them. Marie I bet your house is extremly quiet now huh? Nikki let us know how the Atkins diet goes. I think its changed from years ago more fish and veggies etc. Can you eat fruit in the beginning stages? Well work was off to a great start with the State Auditors in right off the bat this a.m.. I heard we did pretty good they interviewed me and one of my cases also my records and how long I worked for the company etc. Interesting first time they ever asked for that info. But I called in the office this afternoon and was told we did good. After awhile you get used to these things and know what to say and they go smoother. In the past I would get stressed not anymore or at least not today. Well talk to you all soon and careful with drinks next to your keyboards. But this one is so much nicer I was really in need of a new one. They are going to build me a computer for my office soon the guy says I deserve a new one mine is from the dinosaur ages!

Carol-No fruit , veggies and fish ok. I actually feel better already just from 1 day on Atkins. I always try to be careful with the drinks. I think I would freak if I dropped one LOL. I'm glad your interview went well.

Day 2 for me tomorrow is my weigh in . I expect to either maintain or be slightly above last weeks weight. No problem I can take it off :)

Hope everyone is having a nice day

Nikki

Morning everyone. Things are still going so-so. The house is so quiet and it's extraordinary. I love it to no end. However, son1 left angry and me very angry at him - long story if I didn't write it earlier I'll leave it be - but our relationship has definitely nose-dived. Scarily, I don't think it's temporary. I'm so sick of being used by him and his GF that I just closed up. DH is thinking the same thing. So there's the loss of Goldie and the loss of son and DGS is hard. BTW, he's using DGS to hurt me - withholding him from me. ovely kid I have...

Anyway, on the good side is the quiet. I love it. And the garage is a garage again. It took Sunday and Monday, but it's back. I didn have to scrape the ice off my car this morning. It was awesome. DS2 scrubbed their bathroom and made it his. It is spotless. To say the least, we're not missing them. And the house is no longer baby proof. I hated the cabinet locks.

I've been a good exerciser and an okay eater. I'm averaging 1540 on the challenge even with going out to eat on Saturday night. The scale was very nice today. I've lost 46 pounds now. I will change my ticker later today from the 44 pounds. I was pleased with that this morning.

Judy, we did our taxes in January and the refund is long gone. We used to wait till the last minute and it was too stressful. We have extra withheld so we never owe again - we had to take a loan once. Good luck getting yours done this week.

Penny, I hope kitty stays on the mend. Pets are the most wonderful creatures and the money is secondary, at least in my opinion. But there's a point where vet visits are overkill and that sounded like that was your case. I'm glad your DS is settled in nicely.

Nikki, good luck with Adkins. You'll find the right diet that fits you best. I know all the diets out there work - it's just finding the right match. Calorie counting is the only thing that works for me.

Carol, I'm pretty sure everyone has spilled drinks on the keyboard or somewhere else important at some point. Right now my drink is poised next to my very expensive work laptop. Probably not a good place. Okay, I moved it. :) Good job on the audit.

Oh yesterday was great - my name has legally been changed to Marie. No more M Marie - I got rid of the icky M first name and it's legal. It's about a 6 week process but the judge/court people were great. So Now I'm Marie Anne. Pretty cool, don't you think???
Marie

Marie- It sounds like you are much more peaceful now. i am happy for you. I hear you about trying different things.I am at this plateau about a year so I am hoping this Atkins works.

So far day 2 is going well and day 1 was great.

Nikki

Ouch, paper cuts! :tantrum: I'm copying materials and stuffing a box for my trainings later this week. They need to arrive no later than Friday morning....but I have a nasty cut on my palm now so I'm just going to stop for a bit.

Marie, I'm sorry to hear that your son didn't move out on good terms. Some folks just take longer than others to grow up, and our relationship with our parents seems to be the last one to benefit. It will get better! In the meantime, you can have fun reclaiming your place.

Nikki, great start on Atkins! Hope your weigh-in shows it.

Carol, If I was sure about getting a IRS refund, I would have sent in my return in February! But I had a little outside income last year, and not much to write off, so I might have to pay. I didn't do anything on it last night, my brain was too fried. But everything's out, the table is cleared off, and I found my TurboTax software, if I need it, so I'm ready to go.

Penny, you know what I'm talking about with the fruit bowls! I love 'em with cottage cheese or kefir (yogurt), but I've learned my lesson. I will take the applesauce ones with me for the hotel room, along with my protein powder and a shaker for b'fast. I'll be at one of the fancier hotels in New Orleans, so I will be able to visit the fitness center most days.

I didn't knuckle down yesterday, but I was a knuckehead :nono: I bought some pistachios on sale, and proceeded to munch, munch, munch....God knows how many extra calories that was! I am the only person I know who likes to pig out on healthy food!

judy

Nikki - I'm glad you're enjoying Atkins. I hope you have a good weigh-in tomorrow.

Carol - Smooth move dumping the drink on the keyboard - one way to get new equipment! :lol: Maybe you can try the same thing on your "dinosaur" at work.
I'm glad your audit went well. I'll have to make some soup too. It's always good to have handy for a quick meal and it freezes well.

Marie - I'm sorry your DS left on less than friendly terms. I'm sure your relationship will improve a lot with distance - I know mine did with my parents. Congratulations on losing 46 lbs.! :woo: You're leaving me in the dust, I'm gonna have to try harder to catch up with you! Also, congrats on the name change, although you've always been 'Marie' to us. Marie Ann sounds nice too. Enjoy your newfound space!

Judy - I tend to pig out on nuts too - they are just so more-ish! We keep them in the pantry and I find myself grabbing handfuls during the day, which is not good considering the high calories. Better to have one of the little fruit bowls for 60 cals.

I went to my yoga class this morning. It was hard but I felt great afterwards. I've started doing some much needed spring cleaning and that burns calories right? There's got to be some benefit to doing housework! Tommy is feeling much better, he is getting really frisky, like he's so glad to be alive and have no pain. He's talking to me a lot - I'm sure all about his ordeal!

Our DS had a good first day at work yesterday. They have a 'breakfast club' and the engineers are responsible for donuts. The secretaries make waffles. I told him he's going to have to start working out at the gym if he's going to be eating that stuff! He has a nice office with a big desk and they had already put his name on it so he was quite impressed. His first project is going to be designing a geothermal heating system for the State Capitol building. A lot of his work will be in making buildings more environmentally friendly. Sounds interesting and challenging.

Well girls I have decided to give South Beach diet a whirl. I thought soon that wedding will be here invites are out and I need some positive wt. loss to happen. So today was day one and I did well still gathering some info. I am going out of town on the 23rd and that will be my count for the 2 week mark one day early a little grace period. Kind of gives me an incentive to work towards. Nikki we can compare notes the diets are similar Atkins is a bit different but same concept. We are getting a lunch paid for by the company for having a good audit. I asked for it to be healthier foods not pizza and wings most of the dept agreed but not sure what to order boy we get so stuck to routine huh? Marie sorry to hear about the heat between you and the kids life is too short and hopefully it will be over soon. They should kiss the ground you walk on with the ride they have been on for months with you and the hubby taking them in. Why do people think its an obligation? Its not and they were very lucky to have such a nice place to spend their time. I am sure things will work out. Judy as far as the taxes in your case I guess it was no hurry usually we don't get much back either ours was from home improvements energy savers tax credits. Penny how true it is that I should do that at work hah hah! Today was crazy and I am glad it was over at work not til 6 this evening too many needs today. I was proud to stay on task with my diet due to stress level. I will be counting my days until phase 2. I am having dinner with friends chinese but will order something with out rice or noodles. Maybe broc. and chicken steamed ? I already made a healthy lunch with tuna and a yellow pepper, tomatoe and lettuce. I can do this!

Evening all, we're a chatty bunch today. Things are going good. I made it through work and I hate going back after a day off. But I sure do like the days off.

Suzanne at 3FC graciously changed my username to Marie. Adios to the MMarie. :) I was so happy. I also got payroll and the insurance changed today.

Good luck on South Beach Carol. As I said earlier, it's good to try until something works for you.

Penny, we're not in a race. You are doing so great so just keep on that track.

Judy, now I know you'll agree with me - office work is a dangerous job. Papercuts stink. DH has a literally painful job (drills and metals and the such) but I'll come home from work and make him kiss my boo-boo. The worst papercuts are the ones from file folders!!!!

Well, dinner is almost done - another perk. I made homemade pizza crust and I like lots of my homemade sauce and just mozz cheese on mine. DH likes the pepperonis (yuck). So he makes my 3 pieces (2 tonight and 1 for lunch) and the rest his and DS2. What's so cool is that half the pizza doesn't have to be sauceless. The exited household members wouldn't eat pizza with sauce on it. They were the pickiest eaters on earth. Boy is in heaven that we don't have to cater to them. :) :) :)

TTYL.
Marie

Oh I know how it is to have picky eaters. Mine here are just to basic and I on the other hand like to explore. I get oh whats that! At any rate my SIL is thinking most likely oh now whats she going to cook being on this new diet. Well it isn't too bad actually just an adjustment for me. I can make spaghetti just for me it will be the meatballs and sauce no pasta. I have made it through day 1. Today is 2 lunch is packed and eggs for breakfast with veggies in them and some cheese. I almost ate a banana last night but after peeling it I gave it to the SIL. She said whats wrong with it I said no fruit for 2 weeks. That does sadden me a bit but its okay as long as results follow and I know eventually I can have them again. The funny thing is my dept is taking a huge fruit salad to a going away party on thurs and it was my idea. That way yah just bring in fruit throw it in a bowl add some walnuts, oj and away yah go. But for me no fruit thats tough! Your right Marie sometimes trying something new helps. My friend whom can never lose wt. is on a new diet from her work mon, tues, wed. they follow a certain menu the other days just eat normal portions without limitations of any certain foods. She dropped 7 lbs. the first week. I was so happy for her as wt. is a problem and is effecting her walk etc. overall health. This is week two for her and she is doing well. So I know that if she has the power I must also have it just need to whip it out! Nikki was SB the diet you were on first? Well off to research some info. on this new plan of mine.

Penny - I am glad your son is enjoying his new job.

Marie-That pizza sounds yummy.

Carol- I did do south beach a few months back. I had success on phase I but not II. That is why I decided to try atkins it is pretty much in line with Phase I. How are you liking it so far?

I am pleased this morning. My weigh in is today and i managed to get back down to my weight last week. On monday I was weighing between 163-164. So that is a 2-3 pound loss in two days. I am hoping to get down another 3 by next Wednesday.

Nikki

Morning everyone. I slept through the whole night!!! That's the first time since having Goldie put to sleep and son's mean departure. Yeah, I'm getting past it.

I did 3 miles WATP and 1 mile on the treadmill (.5 walking and .5 jogging) this morning. I was at 1523 cals yesterday and the average is still at 1538 after 20 days. This is the best challenge for me. It's definitely keeping me honest and the scale is showing that. :)

Nikki, good job eradicating the little gain. Sounds like your on track with Adkins. And the pizza was yummy - I have 1 slice for lunch today. Luckily I have a toaster oven at work so it'll reheat nicely.

Carol, I couldn't do without fruits. I'd be a fruitatarian if I could. I love fruit better than any othr foods. I've always said peaches and strawberries (my 2 faves) are God's gift to dieters. I hope that SB works for you though - although I always got the idea you are like me in the fruit department. That might be pretty tough. But it's always good to try.

Marie

Carol - I hope you are successful on South Beach. Good choices for the chinese dinner. It's hard to eat out and stay on plan, but it can be done if you decide ahead of time what is the better choice.

Marie - I'm glad you're sleeping better. I could never give up fruit either. That's why I couldn't stay on the low carb diets. Some people aren't all than keen on fruit, so it's probably easier for them to stick with. I've never figured out why they have you cut out fruit for 'x' number of weeks. What happens when you start eating fruit again? If it's not banned for ever, I can't see why stopping eating it for two weeks makes any difference whatsoever. I'm not an expert in these things, so I'm sure there's a logical explanation! :dizzy:

Nikki - Congrats on the loss! :cb:

Judy - Hope your week hasn't been too hectic.

I had a luncheon meeting today and had my annual hamburger. I only eat hamburgers once or twice a year when I get a craving for them. I had the High Country Burger topped with Canadian bacon, crispy onion straws, lettuce, tomatoes and a touch of bbq sauce. It was delicious! I figured it was around 720 calories (with coleslaw instead of fries). It's a good thing I only had oatmeal for breakfast and I had a shake for dinner with kiwi fruit and a pear for snacks, so I had what I wanted and don't have to feel too guilty. :D

Nikki the SB is going well better than I thought of adjusting today is day 3. Yesterday we had a lunchoen and it wasn't a problem I had plenty to choose from even with staying on no carbs. Its weird how you just lose the craving for the chips, breads and cakes. I do have to go grocery shopping and that will help. Last night I had london broil, onions, red peppers and steamed broc. with reduced fat cheese melted on top. Not bad and satisfying. I did the scale this morning and am currently at 172.5. That was my wt. in March last year. Now I am looking forward to losing and being in the 160's hopefully soon. I feel good and have more energy. Also got the SB book from the library maybe my couting calories sometimes gives me too many choices? For now I will try this and see how it goes. I may end up joining you on Atkins later on.
Marie I am glad you got some sleep. Its a very hard thing you did but as her mom you did what needed to be done. It shows how much you did love her to let her go. Thinking of you! Oh Marie the fruit is the toughest to let go on but only temporary with that gradually I will add it back in. I did have a glass of wine which was off limits but do to stress with coworkers acting out again I just did it. Seems like the scale didn't mind thank goodness. Its weird that I am doing okay so far we even put together a huge fresh fruit salad for work in my dept my idea for the lunchoen weeks ago. That was a bit tough but I did okay.
Penny yeah the fruit thing is tough but right now I am going to try it this way. If this ends up a flop then I will look into some other diet which I can work off until I lose a bit more wt. Just can't seem to do it on my own counting cals alone its not getting me where I want to be by June. See I could have that juicy burger but without the roll which is okay for me. Breakfast for this first stage is a bit different. Eggs pretty much but I add red peppers hot sauce and veggies. So its okay. I am going on a conference 4/23 that is going to be my 2 week mark. Hurray I will of made it. Nice to have a goal date also and a plush spa resort and fun time to look forward to. I will let you know when I finish this chapter why the no fruit for 2 weeks maybe Nikki will know right off the bat? Well once again I am so glad its friday and this nutty week at work will be over. I just wish people would stop wasting their lifes on making others upset and miserable cause its not very grownup or nice to deal with and after awhile it takes a toll on us. Well with that being said I am off to end this work week. Take care girls and lets all keep up this our good ideas and wt. loss. Our weather is suppose to change over to snow yuk I feel a hot dish of something will be brewing.

Carol- I am glad to hear SB is going well for you. I ate steamed food if we went to chinese. You have to be careful of the sauces. They are packed with carbs.

Penny- That burger sounds yummy. I can eat a burger with bacon and cheese minus the bun. I put them on a bed of lettuce 0 carb meal.


I am feeling good on Atkins. I seem to be losing about a pound a day. I am hoping to lose 3 more by next wed weigh in. I am going to get my TOM betwen now and then. I have to try real hard not to get discouraged by that one. I am determined now to meet my goal for summer.

Nikki

Hi everyone!!! It is Friday. That is such a good thing. Carol and Nikki, sounds like both of you are doing good on your plans. Carol, is the acting up co-worker the one that promised to leave and then didn't? sorry work is stressful. Nikki great job losing another pound.

Penny, the burger sounds good. I'm making those tonight for dinner. I get 93% lean burger meat, have 4 oz and a 110 cal bun,a sprinkle of 2% Mont Jack cheese. It's about 320 calories and delicious. I only have them when I can BBQ them. Tonight I'll add a Yukon gold potato (they're so good they don't need any topping). And of course my nightly ice cream.

DH and I planted the 3 apple trees I bought from Gurney's. I love (really love) Honeycrisp apples and they actually sell the trees. It's a newer variety that's about $3 a pound so I bought two Honeycrisp trees and one Nova the pollinator. Now I need Bambi to leave them alone.

I exercised as usually this morning and the cals are still at 1540. So I'm doing good. I didn't lose anything from Tues. weighin but since my body loves its fat, I'm okay with that.

Marie

Hi, ladies--

Just popping in to say hi, I'm still out here. This trip is going well, but an old friend I was hoping to see passed away a few month ago. I didn't know until I called his office....so sad. Food is okay, but no time to workout yet except for dancing at a club last night.

Have a great weekend--judy

Carol - I'm glad you're liking SB. It's good that you are not having cravings for carbs. Carbs are definitely addictive and the more you eat the more you want! I hope your weather isn't too bad over there - the weather reports look scary for this time of the year. Good soup weather!

Nikki - You are doing good on Atkins - a pound a day Wow! I used to like having burgers on lettuce when I did low carb. I think I'd rather give up carbs than meat! I like the lettuce roll ups too - I still make them now and then. I also like to just spread some lowfat cream cheese spread on lean ham or turkey slices and roll them up with cucumber strips inside - yum!

Marie - Your burger sounds good too. I often make ground veal or chicken patties with lots of herbs, a dash of worcester sauce and onion in them. We just have them with veggies on the side, not in a bun. I'd rather 'spend' my carbs on half a potato. Those Yukon Gold are great, so creamy you don't need butter on them.

My burger splurge yesterday didn't hurt me any on the scale and I was down a pound this morning. I've been very busy cleaning out closets and marking all our storage boxes with what's in them - it gets very frustrating looking for stuff when we don't know what's in the boxes. It looks so nice and tidy - for now! :lol: I've got quite a bit of stuff together for a garage sale now that DS has left and so we'll probably have one when the weather gets warmer. I also grouted the new bathtub, sink and toilet and lined all the bathroom cabinet drawers. It looks so nice now. The old bathtub was dark pink with a horrible pink hexagonal sink and toilet - now they're all bright and white. The bathroom looks so much bigger.

Tommy is doing great and is very playful and talkative again. He keeps backing his butt up to my face when I'm in bed and meowing as if to say "look - my butt's better"! :lol: He looks quite a sight with half his fur shaved off, but hopefully it will grow back quickly.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Marie now how did you guess? At any rate I am not 100% sure but somehow feel she was involved in this mess. But it has all worked itself out with some of my investigating and my supervisors understanding and being fair. Yah know office politics have to be one of the worst things its even worse than having a tough case. Yah think people could do something more with their lifes. Someone told me today that they feel someone is jealous of my work performance and thats why this most likely happened. It was right over the top. I couldn't even believe it happened all so crazy, nuts and why?? Oh well its over hopefully until the next time. Like a bad chapter book theres always something lurking out there. I guess as I was told never ever trust anyone with info. and if its something private take your cell and call don't let others over hear your info. At the next staff I am sure a new rule will be developed to address this problem that wasted my time and my bosses this week. Needless to say the emotions that went with it. But I am proud of my accomplishments and not binge eating or going off my diet other than a little wine. Oh today I held a great meeting and they brought out a huge platter of those gaint muffins the real big ones, and coffee. Well I passed them up thanked the host and said just coffee I just started SB and none of that stuff until after the phase 1 and then it will be pretty limited. I seem to be okay and feeling full and cravings aren't so bad. I did pick up some nonfat yogurt but gotta figure out what to do with it. Currently no fruit! Penny yah not so bad its weird how you don't have those cravings just crazy. I would of never thought it would be so easy for the first 3 days. But I like veggies too. But fruit I will have back eventually in moderation. Judy dancing how fun is that! Good for you! Thats a calorie burner for sure. So sorrry about your friend that had to be rough. Well off to the casino with the girl friends tonight. I made a nice dinner broiled haddock ,scallops and cottage cheese. Hope you are all doing well and I have never been so glad to see a friday come.

Carol, sounds like you off to a fun evening. I hope you win lots. I'm sorry that the pest caused you so much grief this week. Why couldn't she have just left???

Judy, I'm sorry about your friend. That must have been quite a shock.

Penny, your bathroom sounds much nicer. I LOVE pink but not in my bathroom. My grandmother had light pink fixtures and it was sort of strange. Dark pink sounds even worse. :)

I'm so relieved it is weekend. I'm beat tired. I did take the doggies for a 1.5 mile walk today and according to my calorie counter, I'll be at 1550 cals for the day. Now I think it's time to zone out.
Marie

Marie oh by the way I have about 8 apple trees Bambi here likes mine too. This winter a couple had the bark missing hope they'll be okay. I don't get many apples yet? But my pear tree is usually the one which produces better. Around here the apple man down the way is just grooming his trees. I should be doing mine maybe this weekend or next pretty cold front with a winter storm suppose to blow in. Yes I do agree the problem would of been somehat solved it the CW had taken another position. But no matter what throughout life there are folks who get their jollys out of causing issues and watching others scramble to fit it. My meeting with the person whom was intended to get angry at me went really well yesterday so no damage was done in anyway there thank goodness. In the end it will back fire and people will learn to judge or maybe look at what is said first before reacting and maybe a contact to ask the person might be nice oh such a dreamer huh? Well I had some fun last night but no win should of spent my money on some clothes for spring instead oh well. But this a.m. I am a winner on the scale down 1 more lb. hurray. Yah know I went to this meeting yesterday and they brought out a huge platter of beautful big muffins and coffee. I was able to say no thanks I just started SB and the first stage is pretty tough about that stuff. But I was able to have a lovely cup of really good coffee. The thing was I was in control a shock to myself to beable to refuse the offer which was so good looking. So today I am 171.5 now that makes me happy. I made some broiled scallops and haddock for dinner with a side of cottage cheese. Had a piece of cheese for a snack at 11:00 and it was reg. cheese oops. But I was still okay. Today is day 4 and I am okay with plans of what I will make for dinner etc. Going to try pizza made with portebella mushrooms for a base. We'll see how that goes while everyone else has reg. I am reading the SB book so that I can understand my system and the diet better hopefully this will continue to go in the right direction for me. I think I was in a rut with repeating the same foods too many carbs etc. Hopefully I will come away from this thinner and with some good eating habits in place for long term health. Marie I did more walking today and it felt really good. If the snow holds off Bear and I may attempt a walk around the lake. If I just would get my butt in gear to walk as much as you Marie I'd probably shed lbs.
Penny the great hing about such a neutral color you can change the towels around for different seasons and the shower curtain etc. and have a whole new look from time to time in the bathroom without too much work. Good for you cleaning out I love garage sales. Have a great day girls I am off to make some eggs and turkey bacon for my breakfast.

Happy Saturday everyone. I've been cleaning like a madwoman and I like the results. I just love having a clean house again. To me that makes it relaxing, that and the peacefulness of not having a house full of slobs. DH, DS2 and I are definitely not slobs.

Called my parents today to chat. It's hard to believe they're nearing that 80 mark (couple more years). It was a nice conversation. They aren't coming for son1's graduation as son and GF have been rude to them too. They're going to come for Thanksgiving which is way better for me. The graduation is at the end of the school year and there's no way I can take time off from work. So this is great.

I did 2 miles on the treadmill this morning. .5 of it jogging. Tomorrow is my day off from jogging. I know my legs are ready for a break.

Carol, sorry about the no winning last night. I'm a loser when it comes to casinos. I figure they're rigged so I don't go. In Reno once I did put a $5 bill in a slot machine and won $25 on the one try. I quit while I was ahead. It was totally out of character for me. :)

Carol, :dancer: Congrats on losing a pound!!! That's awesome.
Marie

Well I've made it to day 5 and have not felt too bad giving up somethings so far. I think last time I tried this some time ago I never read the book just browsed through. So reading it makes some sense to me and I am trying to understand the Dr.'s reasons behind certain reasonings and its sinking in my thick skull a bit more. Its interesting to say the least and any new knowledge is a start to better health habits I guess.
Marie good for you getting your house back to be the way you want it. Hurray and end to having so many around and now you can cook the way you and and run around without anyone checking yah out. Well sounds like its well underway to spring cleaning point. I don't always win at the casino but do have to admit I like to go and try. My friends always think I am lucky cause I win more than them at least they think so. Hah hah!
Well spring is on its way regardless to the snow we have on our ground and coming our way. Bah humbug! I am going off with a friend to buy some plants that Lowes store put out and they got frostbite looking. Now at 75% off which brings the pots of pansies to 1 buck a pot. I bought 3 yesterday and in one day they look great so off to buy 10 more to get ready to decorate my acre lot! Take care and enjoy your day I might be headed for a snow day on monday oh now how bad would that be????

Morning all. The weekend was fun but I overate. I admit it. I was at about 1850 cals on Saturday and 2050 cals yesterday. So for the challenge, I'm now averaging 1572. :( I know it's only 22 cals above my goal, but I'm going to get it back under 1550 again. This is the best challenge for me. It's making it easier to get back on track since I'm competitive with my fat cells. I got up early and exercised this morning. 3 miles and today is the end of the sun for a bit so I'm going to take the doggies out again. They and I did a 3 mile hike while I listened to an audiobook. I'll do that again today. DH and DS are working on DS's new project.

I did get a bit of stained glass done this weekend. I'm enjoying it. I'll post a picture when it's done. It's a wolf with Kodiak's colorings. I'm thinking of doing a white wolf to match that would be Blizzards colors. Then I'd have 3 wolfs that strongly resemble my Huskies (Teddy has since passed away several years ago but her stained glass is prominent in my house).

Okay, what's all of your thoughts. The VOICE is getting married on June 2nd - and today I received the invitation (with DH's name wrong but I digress). It's on the same day as the other co-workers that I RSVP'd that I'd attend but DH can't as he has guard weekend and his wedding is in the early afternoon. The VOICE's wedding is in the evening. DH and I "could" attend. But eeks... So do I do the proper thing and say we'll attend or send regrets and a gift? Personally I was hoping he'd quit before the date... What do you all think?
Marie

Hi Everyone-

Just a quick hello. I am still on track I am really enjoying atkins. I'll pop in tomorrow. I had a real rough day.
Nikki