This is your NJ correspondent, reporting in some progress on the healthy lifestyle of one Miss Katrinabgood...After a 2.5 day hiatus from healthy eating and physical activity, there seems to be some progress to report. Like a polar bear, emerging from hibernation, Kat appears to have shaken off the doldrums that have held her in a state of inactivity. She has claimed that an acute case of "Empty Nest Syndrome" is the culprit, although this intrepid reporter firmly believes that she may just be using that as an excuse for being a lazy slug. At any rate, she was seen entering the gym at around 6:03 pm this evening. Word on the street has it that she had planned on attending oneTai Chi class at 1800 hours, however, she was spotted on the Lifecycle and later the StairMaster, followed by a session with upper-body strength building machinery. Perhaps she was waylaid by a reputedly ailing dog, which caused her to arrive too late to attend the class...will check with local informers. Upon leaving the gym, she proceeded to the local supermarket, where it was discovered that she spent a good deal of time in the produce section. A good sign for those who have placed their money on weight loss, as opposed to the better odds of weight gain. Our man inside reports that she spent $56.14 on mostly fruit and vegetables...kale, spaghetti squash, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, cantelope and raspberries, among others. Will she regain her motivation and continue down the path to better health, weight loss and physical fitness? Only time will tell...

Kat, you are so fun.....

Hey everyone

Not much to report today except IT RAINED! Wahoo!!! Ok, it wasn't enough to even make puddles, but wow... rain smells so good.

My article was published today, and I would love to give you all the web address, but they are having some sort of technical difficulty and didn't update the site. Ah well. Is this where I admit to not having a subscription to the paper I write to? Don't let that one get around.

You guys have my head spinning today. Baylee's post had me remembering how I felt last week when our co-worker's wife died. All I wanted was to be with my family. Yes, I called my honey and told him how much I loved him.
Then, I'm reading hilarious bits like Kat's. You chicks are way too much fun!

DH is actually home tonight, and I'm not going to let myself indulge in the computer and such when there is precious time to spend with him.

Exercised today. About to goal on my water. Food is good. I'm calling it an OP day!

Andria

I just HAD to share the recipe for the fabulous dinner I'm having. ...what? You say it's 10:00, why am I eating dinner NOW and not resting for work tonight? Good question.

Anyway...here goes...Let me just warn you...this is SO HEALTHY and good for you and it actually tastes good...AND...ta da...ZERO POINTS!!! Well...I added some shrimp to it at the end, but until then it was "0!"

Carolina Kale
from the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites cookbook.

1 1/2 lbs kale or any other greens of your choice...collards, chard, mustard
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes and juice or 3 chopped, fresh tomatoes
1 cup minced onion
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp Tabasco sauce or 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste

Wash kale, remove tough stems, stack and slice crosswise into 1/2 inch strips.
Combine tomatoes through salt in a saucepan, cover and cook on medium heat for about 5 min. Add the greens, cover and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 10-15 min, til greens are tender. Add ground pepper and serve.

I sauteed 1/2 lb shrimp in another pan in Pam and a wee bit o' butter...served the shrimp right on top of the greens and boy, it was good!

Okay, I've fooled around long enough...now I have to shower and get to work by... 11:00! Hee hee.

Can she do it? Tune in tomorrow to find out...

Sorry Baylee, I'll get back to you on that tomorrow...saw your post after I posted mine...really gotta run now!

Hi all!

Just wanted to report that my pants are fitting snuggly tonight! That's great news! Hmmm.... what's that? Why you ask? Why are snuggly fitting pants a good thing? Well, I'm glad you asked...

I just went out and bought a couple of hundred dollars of new clothes... all my other's were too big!

Come on now... I had to celebrate my hubby's new job!

Actually I got a lot of compliments from a friend and my husband... they say the smaller clothes really show off my weight loss! (I was hidden in my other stuff!) Hmmm... maybe I'll plan another spree as a reward for my next 30! I used to reward myself with food. Since I don't plan on doing that anymore, I think the shopping sprees will suffice in the reward department!

Kat... you are a nut.

Beddie-bye!
Sara

Good morning everyone! I was so excited to wake up to find you all had been here last night!! Now 2Cute I know you are back!!

I have the dreaded gyn visit this morning so I hafta pick up the house, get the boy washed, fed and dressed and get me showered and pick up the house a little because I have a sitter coming over so I won't be able to post individually right now but you all know I WILL BE BACK!

Kat you had me p'ing my pants!

I dread getting on the scale at the Dr. office...I think I weigh 8 lbs more than the day before I delivered my son almost 2 yrs ago! Ugggghhh!!!

TTFN Michelle

Great to see so many of you again.
Kat... I sure enjoy reading your reports to us.
You are such a nut.... you crack me up.

Tina !!!! Welcome Home.
Congrats on your weight loss. File that 2.5 lb loss in your memory bank. If you ever have a week you don't lose when you were good... then pull out that memory of the time you lost 2.5 when you were not perfectly on program. I agree with whoever said... "You probably have changed and improved your eating habits more than you realized. That is a good sign that you will KEEP it off this time.

I want you guys to know I called Theresa (Yellowpagemaker) and she promised she would be back.... but that was a couple of days ago. Hopefully she is reading as I type and will be the next poster. THERESA...WE MISS YOU !!! She is struggling with the food as I am.... I am just too addicted to all of you to leave.
I may not be losing.... but I am not back to my top weight either.
As I read all of your success stories I can see the difference. I can see what I am NOT doing that you ARE.

I wish I had time to respond to everyone. I am two threads behind and no way I can catch up to everyone.
I will only be home for a couple of days. My mom is in the hospital and I will need to return soon and stay to help her recover. It may be getting to a point where she needs more assistance than I am capable of giving... but if there is any way I can keep her in her home vs a nursing home... I am giving it my best shot.
My dad is getting better. Not well ... but better.
He does not want her in a nursing home either... he hates it there

I am happy to see so much healthy eatting and exercise going on in our group. I am happy to see such great sense of humor from all of you too. It is nice to come and see your joy shining through.
Today is Thankful Thursday.... I am ever so thankful for all of you.

I have to echo 2Cute, I am thankful for all of you too.

Baylee, It is only 57 this morning...brrrr but it sure was great sleeping. It still looks like rain here. We didn't get much at all yesterday. A town close to where I live is doing a version of the "Taste of Minnesota" and Elvis has agreed to be the entertainment. My love was the Beatles but I had an aunt that worshiped Elvis. She died a few years ago so I may go and see him in her honor.

Congrats on the new job, Mary.

Baylee, I love that commercial too.

Kat, (I think it was you who asked) our Gov has a blood clot in his lung. It is serious but they are watching him and trying to disolve it. He had one before and that is what stopped his wrestling career.

Oops...time to go to work.

Hi everyone! No, I have not died and fallen off the face of the earth! It has been a rather interesting (not a good description) week or so. Everyone around me is falling apart.

My aunt (who passed away 2 years ago that I was really close to) has one sibling left, a younger sister, who lives in Fort Wayne, IN. Well, she and her husband (who I call Aunt and Uncle) were up here for a graduation party and he had a stroke. So now, 5 hours from home, he is stuck in a hospital here. He has graduated to the point of in house rehab, so they will be here for 4-6 weeks. He has diabetic neuropathy in his legs and the stroke has wiped out whatever strength he had left in them.

Then I got a call Tuesday morning from one of my dearest friends saying her husband had a heart attack on Monday and is in the hospital on the other side of town. They are doing a catheterization on him today.

Also Tuesday, I called another dear friend and found out that he had tripped over a hose (he power washes cars at dealerships) and fell and fractured his elbow. He's in a half cast for 5-6 weeks and out of work.

Then this morning I got a call from my dearest friend (who some of you have heard about her husband with heart problems, her son with the brain tumor, and her MIL with dementia that lives with her) who's MIL had a heart attact this week.

YIKES! Besides my normal tour of duty (jobs) I've been doing hospital visits! Busy, busy, busy. I have read everything, I think. Of course, not that I would remember who said what! (thanks dad, for the Alzheimers) So........I will try to remember some. If the right people don't get mentioned with the right response, please forgive. Also, if I miss you, I really didn't overlook you, I just have a fried brain right now, please forgive that as well.

Enough of my crabbing. There is so much going on here. New jobs, new attitudes, new eating plans. We are on the move.

Tina: WELCOME HOME!!! So glad you're back! We really have missed you! * You've obviously learned a whole lot more being OP than you thought you had. Losing 2.5 pounds without trying is no slouch! Good for you! It means this is all sinking in.

Theresa: Ok, 2cute's called you, now get your butt back in here too. Eating plan or not, we don't care. We miss YOU, not what you do, but who you are!!!

2cute: Glad you're back. I'm so sorry that you have to go through your mom deteriorating to the nursing home state. You are more than an angel to give so fully of yourself and go to stay with her. That is a real sacrifice. [[[[[hugs]]]]]

Baylee: I was so sorry to hear about the motorcycle accident. How horrible! And I too didn't know that was how you lost your husband, I'm so sorry. That is just awful! [[[hugs]]] to you at this trying time. * I don't use the WW online journalling. It costs, doesn't it? I'm sure it is much better than having all the papers laying around. The approximation for WW points is about 50 calories, but the variables are the fat and fiber. The higher the fiber the more it offsets the fat grams.

Mary: WOW! Reference Specialist, nice title! Congrats on the new job!

Sara: That is wonderful news about your hubby's job! They say when one door closes, another opens. This sure sounds like it. * I'm glad you've turned your weightloss reward from food to clothes. Far more productive. Good for you!

LuckyLadyBug: You must be having a wonderful time with your friend from Japan. The cultural differences would make for some great conversation!

Katrina: You should be a writer! What a hoot! You have a special way of putting things. A good read.....every time!!!

Michelle: The yogurt cheese sounds interesting. I may even have to try that!

Andria: Glad to see you back on a more regular basis. * We had about 10 minutes of rain the other day too. Not enough to fill a shot glass. The ground is so hard and dry that it didn't even matter. * That is pretty bad that you don't take the paper you write for. I'm sure you got a copy from the newstand though. You could always post your article here (or is there a clause that you can't) so we could read it. I'm sure you wrote in on the computer.

Well girls, I hope I caught everyone. Again, if I missed you, it wasn't intentional. I'm so envious that Michelle and Katrina are going to get to meet. It would be fun to plan a get-together somewhere central that we could all meet. Not sure where 'central' would be considering the East coast to Hawaii! We sure are all over the map!!! How cool!!! Anyway, that's a dream, maybe someday when we're all rich and famous....yeah right! You all have a good day. I'm off to do paperwork from yesterday's jobs. Love to all!

"Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one's own unnecessary vegetation." - Gail Sheehy

I'm baaaackkk! As if you didn't expect that!!

Well I had the dreaded exam and because my periods have been out of wack since the beginning of the year she did an endomitri something or other test. She said it would be very uncomfortable and cause severe cramping...I'm like the biggest baby when it comes to pain...well I have to say I have had worse periods than that...having a miscarriage was worse and delivering a 6 lb 4 oz baby was the pits! I barely felt anything today! She did say that it was easy because I have a build up of cells and my uterus is slightly enlarged. I hate that the results take 2 weeks. But I don't have a bad feeling about it...so hopefully its nothing to worry about. She did give me progesterone to take for 10 days for the next 6 months. It should regulate me! I had taken that once before for 2 months back in '98 and then I was fine again! I also have to go for a mammogram and an ultrasound...yuk! Itsucks getting old!!

I know I know, enough of that stuff!!

Thin glad to see you back again. Sorry that there is so much misfortune around you! Hopefully everyone will recover soon and things will get better! Just don't stay away and make us think something happened to YOU!

2Cute glad to see you back again. Take some time for yourself too! You are a wonderful daughter to look after your parents like that. When and IF my sister moves to Virginia my parents will be alone in Rhode Island and I figure since I am the glutton for punishment I will be the ones looking after my parents when they need it. My sister is the stubborn one! And all these years my dad blamed me! Ha! I always threatened to put him in a nursing home if he ever got sick...but I don't think I could do it unless it was absolutely the best thing for him. Even though we haven't spoken since I left there last tuesday night. We just can't be in the same house for more than a few days.

Baylee...I think you have to pay for that site don't you? I have the disks for the WW plan and track. You just load it onto your computer and then you can use the journal and you can even graph your weightloss. If anyone wants to borrow them to load I can mail them to you and you can mail them back. Oh and the yogurt cheese is a bit tart but with a little salt and herbs its not too bad. I am going to try the sweetner and blueberries when I get off of here. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Sara isn't it fun buying new clothes?? Especially in smaller sizes? I have those jeans in size 28 down to 14. I was buying them every other month or so. It was fun!

Kat you are just way too funny! I hope you don't have me p'ing my pants in public tomorrow!

Andria you'll have to share that website with us for your article. Glad to see you back posting with us again! I need everyone to post!

Tina...its a deal!! I am going to pm you with my number and if you don't see me on here you better call me even if its collect! When we make goal we are going on vacation together somewhere..preferrable on a tropical island! If we can't afford that then I know a great beach on Cape Cod! Its way less expensive!! I also know a few beaches in Rhode Island but the Cape's beaches are so much nicer with clear water and soft sand!

Ok you all...I am gonna go get me and the little guy some lunch. I have only eaten 4 points this morning and only had 2 glasses of water so I have some catching up to do! I think I will have some of that left over eggplant parm. for 3 points.

I'll be back!
Michelle

STOP - HALT - CEASE WRITING - Instead go to our new ongoing thread.... #188
See you all there.