Everyone is doing so well. It must be the cabin fever that is going around! I walked twice yesterday. Under no curcumstances should any dieting person go into pizza hut. It is too hard. Lets just leave it at that. I could have had the salad bar, but this one sucked. There was more fat in their toppings than the pizza! Their dessert pizza is yum, if you ever decide to have a free day. :)

Wildfire- more {{{HUGS}}} I am not looking forward to the teenage years. Well, to everyone...keep this up, we can do it. It is so close to shorts and sandle weather. We want to look as good as we can.

Hi All
I worked today if you want to call it that. My boss came in to do some extra work and discovered a leak in her office from all the melting ice and after we checked it out more we found a leak in the dinning right where one of our resident's sits and the ceiling was actually falling a little. so the two of us head outside with a pole and hammer in hand to knock down some of the ice. In places it was 18 inches thick, so I spent most of my day doing that until the maintainance man could get in and he had much better equipement. Once I left work I went out for dinner to the Mandarin Restaraunt good thing I worked so hard at workso I burned up some extra calories to make up for what I ate. This was a belated birthday dinner with my husband, my brother that I found last year and his wife. We were suppose to go Feb 21 the day after my birthday but I was so sick with my cold and we had a bad storm coming so we had to cancel. We had a very nice time, it was a buffet but I stayed away from the heavy desserts like cake and ice cream and tarts and I had fresh fruit and a small dish of rice pudding. My husband just laughed he said a little late to start watching your points now the damage is done. This being very true I said why make things worse besides i would have felt terrible if I had eaten the heavy desserts because the sweet stuff just doesn't seem to agree with me anymore, good thing.

I'm off tomorrow and I hope it is a beautiful as it was today I sure didn't mind knocking down ice on a great day like today. Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend. Take care all.

What? Where goeth our Empress??? I hope you'll be back soon, we'll miss you!

I woke up yesterday morning with a plan. I was going to get a treadmill, and I didn't care what I had to do to get one. So I woke hubby up at 6am to tell him so, not knowing he'd stayed up until 4am watching tv. :D We picked out a nice one in the $2,000 range, and it will be delivered on Wednesday. I'm going to have this big honking exercise machine in my living room because we live in an apartment and there isn't room anywhere else, but who cares? I rarely have company and I plan to use it every day. I've wanted to buy one for years but the price tag was discouraging. I rationalized it by telling hubby if I didn't get one, I'd spend at least $1,000 on new clothes for spring/summer because the stuff from last year is all too tight, and by next winter all the stuff I'm wearing now will be too tight and it would cost him more than $1,000 for new winter clothes!

Dollar, wasn't it beautiful here yesterday? Supposed to be warmer today, but foggy I think.

Flower, everyone needs a break and a splurge now and then. Just climb back up on the wagon today!

Kaylets, interesting about the 5 minute vs. total workout thing. I have to say I'm guilty of that. I should start telling myself that I only have to do 5 minutes, because usually once I get started I'm willing to do more. It's the getting started.

Kaylets, I'll put the kettle on this morning since I've been up since 5am. :) Maybe I'll whip up a batch of low-fat muffins while I'm in the kitchen.

Scrumptious Sunday!
 

Wildfire! I could smell the muffins baking from as I was coming up the walk! And when I stepped up on the porch, my mouth was watering!! DearBeagleDogs needed to go out at 3:30 and when
they came back in, I jumped back under the quilts.

Here too, the weekend has been mild. We have just two small piles of snow in the front so I spent a few minutes out there yesterday. Not sure, but I think one of my "4'oclock's " are pushing up.

DH had to go to work yesterday but didnt leave till after 12 so while he was gone, I did "chores" in pieces throughout the afternood. Made the Mushroom/Barley soup and good thing I had double package of fresh mushrooms as I started "tasting" the soup and wound up having to add the extra package of mushrooms so it wasnt just "Barley" soup.

Empress- we are keeping your chair warm and await your return. We are hoping you'll abscence will be a short one!!

Flower- How's that unpacking going?

Dollar- Sounds like you had plenty points earned from the ice moving excercise!! Sounds as though your employers would be lost without you! How many other people would say, "sorry, not my job!" - Good for you!! And PS, could you have done that 90 lbs + ago???


Today's thought is:

"I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he along among the creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of kindness and compassion." Willam Faulkner

To today's best choices!!

Good Morning all!

Kaylets no i could not have done that 90 lbs ago and I told my boss that yesterday. If this had happened at this time last year I would not have been able to help her. I have bad knees but with all the extra weight last I could not have managed to climb oveer snow banks and balance on slippery chairs, I was still terrified of the ice but I always will be I have had one too many serious falls that have led to more surgery in the past.

Looks like we are in for another nice day today so I will get out for a walk today maybe even 2 Im very determined that I want to be down this week at least what I put on last week so weigh in is on Tues so I better get craking to make up for last nights meal. The best thing about the nice weather is getting up to hear the birds outside chirping it really lifts my spirits. Well I hope you all have a great day.

Empress, be safe and well during your sabbatical. You will be missed. Pray return refreshed and renewed in body and in spirit.

Wildfire, I too have been up since 5 a.m. and NOT happy about it. But am off to see the princesses today and to bask in their affection.

Had another great outdoor walk yesterday and a good day overall (not in the diet sense but every other way).

So my second cup of green tea is ready and then off for the drive south towards Frogger, just not that far. Our snow is going but still lots in our yard. Will seem strange to see none (be that the case between here and there).

At church last evening, so many were already sporting spring togs and colors and I think EVERYONE was out yesterday. terrible traffic but surely to be expected on such a nice day.

So enjoy, all ye Springettes. Our time is here.

I am stiff as a board today. I unpacked for 7 hours yesterday. Garage stuff. Camping, christmas, misc stuff. Stuff you don't realize you are missing til you need it. I ran my dads dog last night too. I haven't ran a mile and 1/2 since PE in 86. So, today I unpack 7 misc junk boxes I brought in the house last night. I am doing wonderfully on my eatting. It will all balence out in the end. I am going to be slightly lazy and drive to Walmart to get the Sunday paper. I should walk, but not sure I could make it home, besides gallons of milk are a a bit heavier over 2 mile return trip. I am going to stretch and try to get all these kinks out. Have a wonderful Sunday ladys!

What a gorgeous day it's been! Had lunch on the deck at daughter's today - it was 70 degrees. Lots of little hugs and kisses to keep me going for a while. DS/DDIL also came over so it was (as dgd puts it) "our WHOLE family". I don't think that's happened since Thanksgiving and it was enough to put a big grin on my face.

Only exercise was lifting those living weights and food was not the best (diet wise, I mean) but it still was a good day for my overall health.

Looks like everyone was out having fun today - not much posting. Unusual for this thread but we are the Springettes and should be outside enjoying Spring (unofficial yet as it may be).

It was GORGEOUS here today, too!! It was in the low 70's! WOW-really, REALLY a gift for this time of year!

I have a question for everyone: how do you keep looking ahead with the weight-loss? I know it takes time-LOTS of time/ probably 1-2 pounds a week at the most (some weeks, I don't lose anything)....I get frustrated especially when I think "oh, by spring, I'll be such and such" and with gorgeous days like today, i realize I may not even come close the goal I was hoping for.
Anybody have any good advice? Ive not been very "good" with my eating the last few days.

Thanks! :D

Still Sunday!
 

Hello all!!

Time for a refill ?? Let me light a these little votives as evening approaches. They're your favorite scent and if I place them here in front of the mirror, the flames will reflect !

DH and I made our 5 loaves of bread to get thru the week and then went out on a hunt for bulgar as we saw the lady on the Cooking Thin show using it to make Veggie Burgers. Did find a Kasha mix which is close enough although I suspect I am going to need bigger quantities but its a start.
DH also dusted off his Juice Machine and made juice w/ more cabbage, celery, etc ingredients than fruit and carrot to see if that kickstarts his refocus. He was regaining and unhappy about it but was caught in that sugar cycle w/ the vending machines at work. It's tough to watch them regaining without saying anything - but I managed to keep quiet (except for one day when the refrigerator door was getting the workout!)

Went to a neighbor's to admire her pretty new wallpapered kitchen. Motivated me to start a project list too. Small things, like repainting the front and garage doors, things like that. Also need to plan a big yard sale. Maybe even run down to the farmers market if I can get there b/ 4 the weather gets too hot.
Am hoping to put in vegetable garden too.

Finally figured out that the water dispenser we bought doesnt need the round bottle the picture on the box shows. So, we aren't fighting w/ the filter on the sink anymore but still have filtered water in the kitchen.

Was looking for something else and bumped into my weight loss numbers showing the amount lost. Funny how you know where you started, and know where you are now but up until today, didnt realize what the number lost was. ( Which isnt exact as about the first 6 weeks or so, I wouldnt get on the scale to look and then when I finally decided to weigh myself, I wasnt getting a real reading as it was the old dial scale and I had to lean over so far to read it I was making the scale top heavy --- Digitals make it so much simpler). Point of that long complicated story is that, even though we set a goal, are we really seeing the results? Smaller sizes, lower numbers, but are we really believing it?
I have photos of myself in clothes I can wear now. I remember very clearly when the photo was taken that I felt "too big" to be in the photo. My hair was very. very long compared to how I wear it now. I put the picture up at my desk the last time I joined WW's as motivation. Many people asked who the person in the photo was. And then, stunned silence when I told them it was me. A few recovered nicely and said the haircut made the difference but I suspect almost 60 lbs made a difference too!!

I remember feeling the same way in highschool, ( the first time I joined WW's ) and now, wish I was at my highschool start weight!! But I was always comparing myself to the size 3's. Wasn't till I was much older that I found out the size 3's were getting implants to look more like me!

Is it like the movie "Field of Dreams" --- " If you build it they will come?"--- Only, " I think I'm overweight so I will become more overweight" ?? I wonder.

So..... if my theory about my own mindset is correct, than I need to believe I am eating healthier and am becoming healthier.

So, I have finally found a focus for this challenge. I mentioned NonScale Victories-- I am going to post habits I've changed.
I will keep adding to a list I keep for myself and maybe I will begin to realize.

Sunday musings.

hottie...if we do nothing to get fit or do a 1/2 a** job, then in 3 months we will look back and say, wow I could have fit this stupid sun dress if I had just tried during spring!!! Think of it as cleaning the house, if you never tackle any of it, you will be in a pigs sty with a huge mess, but if you tackle a little bit at a time, someday you will have a clean house. But you have to continue cleaning or it gets messy, same as dieting!!!

Marvelous Monday!
 

Hello all!

:rain: :rain: :rain: :rain:

What's that about April Showers?? Oopps, its still March!

Expect to have a meeting this am w/ the boss as I requested my meeeting be earler than Thursday. Or my request will be denied but I am sure my request raised an eyebrow. Doesn't this sound like fun??

And just for good measure, TOM has arrived this am. And you'll never guess what happened!! Scale shows an increase but I really believe its TOM ( well maybe the Mushroom Barley soup was salty?? ) --- SO, I will follow the Empress's rule that this is a MAINTAIN rather than a gain.

So Hottie, you're question is perfectly timed for my Monday--
How do you keep the daily grind motivating and interesting?

Shall I bring out what every article always says?? " You didn't gain the extra weight overnight...."

Think about what will work for you- for me, I need a plan w/ very reachable goals w/ a few harder to reach goals mixed in. As I meet the reachable goals, it helps motivate me to keep reaching for the harder goals. Some folks also measure themselves to compare those numbers w/ the scale. I wish I had done that but if you notice what my Tiara says, I am "Queen of Denial". I used to say that all of a sudden I turned around and was shocked by what I saw. ( Course, maybe the size 24's were a clue too??)

I just do the best I can for that day. If I'm not really excited ( hmm, like this am??), I just go thru the motions. I still pack the water, park the car in the same not so close spot , etc, etc. And even if I'm just hanging on by a thread, I'm at least doing better than when I tried to cheer myself up w/ chocolate in both hands.

Most of us are not overeating because we have physical hunger.
If I don't find a way to celebrate and enjoy my journey UNLESS the scale shows a decrease, when I'm at my goal weight, what will I celebrate then?

But it can be grind to keep seeing the glass as half full-- So I borrow every trick, secret, shortcut, weapon I can from whereever I find it. I have my size 24's hanging outside my closet, I still carry my "fat" drivers license (its amazing the eyebrow raise I get now), I wear a watch that floats around my wrist and nearly comes down to my thumb---- and yet, I still catch myself off guard.
In short, ( too bad I just didnt do the short version,
;) , I am finding new ways everyday to stay motivated too Hottie- I'm just like you-- I'd love to hear how you motivate yourself, perhaps I can "borrow" an idea from you!

Today's thought is:They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.-- Andy Warhol


To today's best choices!!

Monday!
 

Happy :lucky: to you all!!!

I finally found a veil. Was in Michaels and they had pre packaged finished edge veils (2 tier w/comb) for 14.99! Friday night I had gone to G Street fabrics to price bridal illusion and they had premads there too. The cheapest I could find with a finished edge was 37.00!! Mom and I are going to attach some pearls or flowers to the comb to make it nice. Also bought flowers to make my own toss bouquet. I figured I'd give it one more shot. Doesn't have to be perfect since I'm chunking it over my shoulder anyway!!! Oh, and PS my shoes are being delivered! Got notification on friday!

Sorry for the short post but I've got to get working!