Good morning girls! Well yesterday wasn't as on target as I would have liked, my daughters best friends mother from preschool phoned and wanted to go out to McDonalds for lunch. What can you say? She was excited to see a friend she knew. I had a salad and a yogurt parfait, pretty good in fat grams and calories...but the sodium was a shocker! So I think the scales are reflecting that this morning. Up 0.5...wahhHHHhhh! But I will not get discouraged over something so little, I'll just get sloshed and drink some green tea. After I get my walking over with of course, full bladders and treadmills do not mix! LOL!

Stacy, thanks for the cheers. It sure felt great and I still do! Dang those nasty cramps...men will never understand what we go through! Hope the midol keeps things at ease for you today!

Tammy, nice to see you! I was missing you. Thanks for Alyssa's compliment btw. As per your question to Cheryl about what FD means, it's foster daughter. Great job with the exercise this morning, and thinking about another tonight..you rockin'!

Cheryl, oh you poor dear! You sound exhausted. You are more than deserving when it comes to getting away and having a break. I've said before you're a saint for taking care of foster children and it's so true! Sorry to hear things are rough with them right now, I hope they learn their lessons and wise up to make it easier on you.

Shyla, congrats! You're sure melting it off fast here lately. I know what you mean about back fat...mine seemed to disappear there too faster than the rest. It's nice to look at the mirror and see something almost smooth! LOL!

Robbin! Woo HOOOoo! Now that's what I'm talking about! Congratulations! Go change that ticker girl...claim it!

Well I'm off to walk! Have an awesome day! Keep up the great effort ladies...we're so rocking this thing this week.

~Tina

Victory dance I am just in shock today...i must have found that sweet spot everyone talks about with the balance between eating enough but not too much and exercising enough but not too much. I dont know how long that will be my sweet spot but for now i am on cloud 9. I lost 3.2 last week and 3.8 this week. What is the world coming to? Thank you fairy fat mother. It seems like it has been a good couple of week for most of us....keeping that fairy fat mother on her toes i guess. Then i had a nsv of some pants that i havent been able to wear, they were just barely too tight...well i comfortably wore them to work today. So i am tickled. I still cant get in to the blue jeans that are that size but i am working towards it.

Robbin: WOOHOO to you for the scale victory. Shall we do a little dance. I LOVE your rewards idea. I just treated myself to my 20 pounds victory last week. I rewarded myself with a new haircut and color job. I have been needing both FOREVER, but at the 20 pound mark i feel like i had earned it. I dont know what my next reward will be. Your reward of a manicure is great. I have had it done only once. A pedicure is great too in the beginning of the summer.

Tina-Good job on the McDonalds visit. I would have gotten a happy meal and not felt too bad about it but then i would have been hungry in an hour. 10 points for you for choosing the healthiest option, lots of veggies, etc.

Tammy-Claim that loss honey. And koodos to you for your recent loss. I am the same way, i dont wait either, once the scale says it, i change it. I have my weigh ins on friday and i work really hard to make that days number look good. I may be 5 pounds up on saturday but i stick with fridays number. It has worked so far. I am glad you asked what FD stood for. I didnt know either that it was for foster daughter. I assumed it was a relation but its good to be clear. I can totally relate to what you are talking about with being in proportion. My legs are small, my arms are small, my chest is small, my "apron of fat",(perfect description by the way) is huge in comparison. Like you, i am about 3-4 sizes smaller in all other areas than my gut. VERY annoying. That is another reason i am already planning a tummy tuck. When i lost down to 190 last time, i still had this gut...everything else was like a size 8 but my gut was still an 18 or 16...unbelievable. Now i just have to worry about financing that tummy tuck. Wow, 3 miles with WATP, good for you. That is a walk.

Ok ladies, my boss keeps looking at me. I wonder if he wants me to take care of some of this stuff on my desk. ha ha.

Good morning girlies! Hope you're all well. I woke up to a freak force of nature this morning. Would you believe it? SNow! I can't either! It's wet snow so it isn't really sticking yet, but you can see some accumulations around the grass and trees. YUCK!

My scales still read 215.5 this morning, can't figure that one out. But after I got to thinking I realized I haven't been giving myself credit for how far I've come in a week. Last saturday I weighed in at 218.5, so in actuallity I've come down 3.5lbs. this week. I guess that isn't anything to be taken lightly. I've just been focused on getting to 215 and under and put aside what I had to lose to get back to 215. I do remember that I used to hover on one # for a couple of days before losing the next pound or so. It does say 1-2lbs. a week right?

Robbin, love the reward idea. I'm thinking pedicure for sure! I've always wanted to get my hair foiled but that's too much $$. These ol'feet could sure use a good polishing after a summer of sandles.

Stacy, congrats! You're doing awesome! Gotta LOVE IT! Keep it up and you'll be melted away in no time. I went online yesterday to have another look at the nutritional at McDonalds. The salad dressing is so high in sodium that I don't want to risk it too often. I figure if I'm faced with that challenge again I'll have the chicken mcgrill (sandwich only), or the chicken fahitas(sp?). A lot less sodium and not half bad in the fat and calories department either.

My sister is here with her kids and I haven't made it to the treadmil yet today. I think I'll save it for after dinner when they're gone. The treadmill is in the basement where her and her kids are staying and I don't need an audience! LOL! Hope you have a good day!

~Tina

Stacey, Wow! You are in a sweet spot. Congrats on all of your success, including your NSV! The thought of a tummy tuck is swirling around in the back of my mind. I know I'll have lose skin there, whether I decide to try to do a tummy tuck depends on how well I can disguise it. I'm old enough that I can't see myself wearing stomach revealing clothing whether I have loose skin or not, so if I can just disguise it, I'll try that.

Tina, Snow already?? Wow, it's 90 and very sunny here today. Wish I could send you some. You are right to slow down and think about how well you've done in just a weeks time. 3.5 lbs is wonderful. And of course weight fluctuates so much that you can't give .5 lbs a thought. I didn't realize that the salad dressings at McD were so high in sodium. We almost never go there, but I'll need to remember to check the website the next time we do to see if I want to change what I usually order (one of the salads with grilled chicken).

Robbin, When I first decided to lose weight, I told my husband that I wanted some rewards to look forward to. The first 50 lbs was a new digital camera. The second 50 lbs was a MP3/digital video player. The third 50 lbs was a new laptop. The last 15 - 20 would be a trip to Paris. He agreed to all of it, and secretly I KNOW he never thought I could lose the weight, even I didn't REALLY think I could do it at first. I bought my digital camera and MP3 player when I hit those goals. I've got a new laptop ordered through work, so I don't really want us to have to buy one at 150 lbs after all. But I really want my trip to Paris. I know how much money he has saved for it so far though - 0 -, so I probably won't get it. I'm also splurging on myself and getting my hair colored and foiled every couple of months. At first I was doing it every 25 lbs, but now that the weight loss has slowed down while I'm still being very good, I've decided to continue doing it as often as I need it. Otherwise I would have these very gray roots while waiting for the 25 lbs. I think a manicure sounds like a fun idea, but my husband may be tired of my rewards.

Where are our peeps?! It's getting awfully quiet in here. Scales are still saying the same thing this morning, up 0.5lbs. But no sweat off my back or should I say a lot of sweat off my back cuz I'm gonna keep at it the same ol'routine. It's the weekend though, that means that we'll be eating out sometime and although I can make great food choices it's just that I can't count it and add it up to see where I stand at the end of the day. Not a lot of restaurants here have the luxory of checking them out online first. Guess I can always rely on keeping my fingers crossed!

Tammy, yeah snow! Believe me, it is freak for me too. It's suppose to warm back up to normal seasonal temperatures next week. Phew! Thanks for telling me not to give that 0.5 any thought. It feels real good to know that the little half pound isn't a big ugly scar that everybody is staring at. LOL! Glad I could inform you on the salad. I was so naive before, I practically had one once a week during Alyssa preschool year.

Well, I guess I should beat that treadmill up with the pounding of my shoes. Have a great Saturday girls....wherever you are!?

~Tina

Hi Gals!

I am soo freakin' happy ...after 1 1/2 years I have FINALLY found out what is wrong with me-why everytime I step outside during spring, summer, or fall, I am miserable and can hardly breathe ...Turns out, I am highly allergic to outdoor mold, and to trees-oak, maple, willow, pecan, walnut...all nut trees (and those nuts as well). I had the scratch tests and injections done yesterday. On a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the most severe, I scored 4 almost immediately on molds and trees...then he gave me 9 (yes, i said NINE) shots of different kinds of those to see what triggered, and sure enough, outdoor mold and those trees triggered again almost immediately! While I'm not thrilled about the being allergic part, nor am I looking forward to the shots every week, I am so happy to finally figure out what the **** is wrong...I've been going crazy and beng miserable for all of this time. I mean, I know I'm not in the greatest shape, but I should be able to walk from the car to the building without getting congested and wheezy! Anyway, I start the shots a week from Monday...once a week for 6 months, then every other week for another 6 months, then maintainance for 3-5 years...I guess it's a fair trade-off for breathing!

I just finished riding my bike...yay!!!!!!! I only did half a mile before I started getting wheezy but still...I plan to do it 2x a day...morning and evening. We'll see how that goes...

Sounds like everyone is doing well on plan and losing lots! I did not do so well this week, but am cooking today so that I have food to eat for lunches and dinners this week...I do so much better when I don't have to worry what to eat...

Oh well...I'm gonna run and get some stuff done...have a great weekend all!

Hey ladies... sorry I've been MIA. Work has been crazy, blahblahblah. Sorry... I am PMSing over here. Am tired & cranky & overwhelmed etc etc. But wanted to check in & letcha know what's going on.

DH and I went on a date night last night -- we saw the new movie, The Covenant at the Movie Tavern. Which means, I had two margaritas with amaretto, and something came over me and I chose the WORST possible food on the menu! And ate it ALLLLL. The bottom line... today I am up FIVE POUNDS! EEEEEKK!! I'm sure part of it is PMS and WWW from all the margarita salt, fried foods, etc. But seeing it go up SOOO much was scary today.

I DID go workout today, though - 30 mins on elliptical. So I was able to get my 3 workouts in this week! Yay! And ate great today... probably too little... but was really not hungry all day after all the excess last night.

Anyhow, I'm back in the groove now, and hope that extra 5 goes back away QUICKLY!

Morning Ladies

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Tina, what's up with your weather ?!?!? We had a beautiful day yesterday; however, today rain..rain..rain. Oh well I have some reading to do today, so will probably remain indoors.

The board has been rather quiet, although I haven't been contributing too much either

A gal at work and I were talking the other day and she is also wanting to lose some weight so I think we are going to "use" each other as support, which is great. Between you gals, her and my hubby I will have heaps of support.

Well, I am off to enjoy my morning have a great day and I will chat with you all soon.

Good morning ladies! I wanted to pop in to change my ticker! I've been really good with keeping my choices healthy all week and maintained my walking, got my water intake down despite the fact that the scale consistantly reported the 0.5lb. But this morning...I was rewarded!! Down 3lbs.!! Can you believe that?! I can't! But I gonna..hehehe! I'm so on the ceiling I'll come back later for personals when I can manage to peel myself off! Hope you're having a great day too!

Well good Sunday to you all. I am doing well today. I have been really slacking with the water intake here lately. So i am making an effort to step it up starting today. I went and bought my weeks worth of groceries today and all looks healthy for the week. Got some stuff that i dont normally buy, keeps me from feeling i am in a rut. Dd and i came up with a "game", we are going to try a different fruit or veggie every week. Something neither of us have ever had. A couple of weeks ago it was speghetti squash...let me just say, yum, i have been missing out all my life. this stuff is awesome wtih some marinara on it...my family actually prefers it over pasta now...very cool at like 35 cals a cup. So this week dd picked out star fruit...we will give it a try tonight.

Tina-WOW, somebody got their groove back. 3 pounds...how wonderf
ful.

Louie-That is cool having a healthy buddy at work. If your work is anything like mine it can be quite tempting at times and it takes a lot of effort to keep it going, especially when you coworkers eat VERY unhealthy. So i bet that will not only give you some support but also a buddy to eat similar food with.

Shyla-Right there with you honey on the pms-ing. I think the peak part is over and now i am on the downward slope but, my poor kids and husband. That is so nice you and hubby got to go out on a date. I am jealous. But i can totally relate to the pigging out...i did that friday. And my scales are still reflecting it. Glad you are back in the groove though, me too. Back to reality. And really after eating like i did friday, i really didnt feel good...I just dont like that full feeling like i used to.

Ryanmi- Oh those lovely allergies. I can relate. From EARLY spring to LATE fall, i sneeze and my eyes puff up constantly. I take prescription meds and they help. Keep me posted on how it works out for you. I would rather switch over to an allergist and just be done with it.

Jtammy-OOOHH Paris. That is my ULTIMATE reward. I have wanted to go there forever. I just dont want to take the kids, but yet, i am too scared to leave them here while i go over seas. I would love to shop at a parisian market. I have been taking french laguage classes on and off for a couple of years now, it makes me feel like i will go there one day. ha ha.

Ok, the laundry apparently is not going to wash itself.

Hey everyone!
I ended up sooo busy last week and no computer time for me so that' why I wasn't around much.
I also ate TOO MUCH JUNK! I fasted today (only water) until 8 pm tonight and had some lentil/veggie soup I made last week. I feel like I need to de-tox a bit. In fact, I've been dinking around so long I've decided to go quite strict for awhile. I keep kidding myself that I can still lose weight having the occasional donut, McDonalds, chocolate bars etc, but in actuallity my occasional is really daily. So- it's time to be hard core again and get some results! After a few days of clean eating it's easier for me to stay on track. So my rules for myself are:

minimum 64 ox water daily
30 minutes cardio 6x per week
4 t-tapp workouts (2 full, 2 basic +)
one dessert per week
one off program meal per week
max. 2 cans diet coke a day

So there...hopefully I can get my groove back!

Hey there ladies, I just wanted to pop in and say sorry I have been MIA since what Thursday? Man that is bad of me. I should have been here friday but I was so busy with work I never got the chance. And most of you know how my weekends go, so I never got the chance to pop in. I also wanted to let you know I was totally bad over the weekend and mad some horrible choices and today I am paying for it. The scales are back up to 228.8. It was just impossible for me to say no to Mom's Peach Pound Cake when we were at my parents house yesterday, but the worst part is not the eating some its the amount I ate, 3 peices. How stupid can I be. And that was on top of all of the other bad choices I had already made. I just have a problem staying on track over the weekends. I am gonna have to work really hard this week to get back to where my ticker says I am. Hopefully I will be able to flush alot of it with water.

Well Chickies, I hate to skip on personals but I really got to get to work. I am hopeing to get back here after while.

Good morning ladies! What a wonderful day! The sun is back and that means we're back to some normal seasonal temps. WOOhh, that snow was waYYyYYyy to early. The scale is up a pound since yesterday, but I'm keeping my ticker put. I ate out yesterday so I'm thinking that the additional sodium in restaurant food is kicking around some extra water. I had the most delicious sandwich though...wow..talk about yum! It was grilled chicken on a half of a foccacia bun, with cucumber, tomato, green olive talepade (who knows what that is?) and feta cheese sprinkled on top. I had a side salad to go with. It was so good...too good infact, so I ended up making a fruit salad for dinner because I wasn't hungry at all but I thought I better eat something or else I'd wake up with those hard, starving growling pains. You know the ones! hehe! Oh yeah I took a day off of walking yesterday too, but will be back at it this morning. So all in all I'm in a pleasant mood today, still feeling the effects of yesterdays surprise.

Ryanmi, it's nice to finally pin point what has been making you so miserable during 3 seasons outta four. But it's definitely not nice to be allergic to something that's everywhere and that you can't help but be around it. I hope those shots are successful, but I guess now that winter is coming along you will hardly have a chance to test the theory! Bugger! Glad to hear you got your bike figured out and already started wheelin'. You can burn an amazing amount of calories on a bike in less time it would take me on the treadmill. Good cardio, you're plan sounds really good.

Shyla, glad you're putting that date night mishap behind you and got right back on track. There's no way you've gained five pounds, with all that sodium and Aunt Flo you're bound to be up with water retention. Congrats on getting your weekly workout goal met...YAY!

Louie, lol..the weather is possessed! We're expecting more rain tomorrow, I think we've gotten Vancouver weather. It's exciting to have someone take the journey along with you, glad you found another source of support! YOU can do this!

Stacy, I love the try something new everyday idea. Tell me how that star fruit tastes, I've always wondered about that. Another thing I've always wondered about is spaghetti squash, it's really that good? Not mushy? Thanks for the congrats btw!

Hey Emily, you're goals for the week sounds really realistic. I have never done a detox before but it sure sounds nice to get rid of all that bad food junk in your body. Sending you all the will power thoughts to you to resist temptations. I know my occasionals little treat became too often too. Glad you put your foot down and stepping it up!

Robbin, I'm sure that the 1.8 uppage will be as easy to let go as it was to get it. A day or so back on track and you'll be getting great results again. Weekends are the toughest for me too. But I was really strong this weekend somehow. My parents wanted me to go out to eat with them on Sat. I was like no, you guys can go. Then Alyssa wanted to go...so I ended up giving them some money to take her along with them and I stayed home and made a salad. Wow...where did that strength come from?! hahaha! Good thing because they ended up at KFC! Big freakin' weakness for me!

I best be getting on that treadmill. Have an over-the-top day girls! Be strong, stay powerful and make it happen!

~Tina

Well i have done well today. But i am so bummed about my www over the weekend. I am up 5 pounds from fridays weigh in. Now grant it friday was a splurge day but not a 5 pound splurge day. basically my splurge day was an oreo ice cream...so what gives. I am going nuts looking at this scale. I am going to have to hide it away until friday or something. Its only monday, why am i in a panic? Well i am just going to continue to drink water, water, water.

Tina-The star fruit was good. Kind of like a pear meets an apple, its very pretty when cut...looks just like a star...not really a lot of bang for your buck though. The speghetti squash is really that good. To avoid the mush factor, i just put it in a collander while i am shredding it out of the shell and some of it will drip out. But overall i really really like it.

Robbin-I can TOTALLY relate to the weekends making it super tough to stay on track. It starts on friday night and ends monday morning...boy i can sure do a lot of damage in those 2 or 3 days. It makes it extra hard if you think you are ordering smart but you just dont know what all goes in restaurant food. I am hoping it was a lot of salt and not so much butter.

Jelynn-The occasional "treat" creeps up on me too and before i know it, just like you it is an every day thing. That is why i have to have an official weigh in day...that keeps me going. If i know i have to weigh in on fridays, i am more likely to behave and then have the splurge on friday only. My program is a lot like yours with the cardio, water, one splurge per week etc. Great minds think a like huh.

Ok, time for Mr. Ellipitical.