Hello, everyone.

Well, here I am awake in the middle of the night again after having gone to bed early. LOL I just don't need much sleep. And I really enjoy being up late at night and can really enjoy it when tomorrow is Saturday.

My stomach is rumbling... just had salad and a small portion of Polynesian pineapple chicken which I got from PCC Natural Markets... yum and am learning to eat small portions of things like that and still have the enjoyment of it. But I have broken the night eating habit and won't go back to it, so LOL here I am coming here again instead. I sure want that scale to keep going down!

After going to PCC I have sooooo much wonderful food in the house. Along with my usual stock up of produce, I got two large containers of their turkey chili to put into the freezer, southwest corn pudding (which I will eat in half portions) and a new one... eggplant parmesan.

Also got different veggies to try for my favorite new way of cooking... slice up, shaker bag with lemon olive oil and seasoning, and spread on cookie sheet to bake. I got baby carrots (could not get the chips so will slice them in half), zucchini, brussel sprouts, red bell pepper, red onion and the usual asparagus. Today I plan to slice up a bit of each and mix it all together to bake. Yummmmm.. and THIS is "diet food?"?????

Hope everyone awakes to a successful day!

Misti Your food sounds yummy and I call it healthy food. What do you do with all those awake hours?

Diana Yes my brunch is today at 11:30. We are doing a small gift exchange and then I will likely go get a manicure with another friend. I have to go to a few shops in the area too.

My veggies are getting boring. I buy 80% local and organic. It is winter. I am eating apples, cabbage, onions, leeks, carrots, squash, sweet potatos, mushrooms and whatever green house greens they have at the market. I do buy bananas though. I really need vegetables so I will shop at the big organic health food store I will be near today. I will buy some non local foods today. I need some peppers.

My DH is still asleep so I am taking some me time. The coffee is on. The cats are fed and have fresh water. The dishes are put away from last night. The kitty litters have been scooped. My Ipad is charging. My gift is ready for today. My outfit is laid out. All is well. lol

I want to find some new friends, in the real world and am missing some sense of community. I really love this community but I also need connections out there so to speak. At least more connections. I have my DH but only 2 friends and my sis. And it is good I spend much less time with my sis as we tend to be co- dependent. After two years of therapy I ended up breaking off 2 friendships and for good reason. They still email me from time to to time but I simply delete their responses and blocked them on Facebook. Years ago I was part of a church community but I am now an atheist and have been for years. I do miss some of the community though that church had. Also I do not know how to be spirtual in my own way. I do feel best in nature and I believe there is a common thread throughout humanity. Our being human. I am thinking of going to a Unitarian church tomorrow. I will go on my own. DH is a lapsed Catholic (his words) but Catholic none the less. If he goes to church which is rarely it is to a Catholic church. And I want to do more events on my own, it can be hard to meet friends when with someone else even DH. I want to be open to meet and eventually emotionally connect with more people.
Does anyone have experience with a Unitarian church? They are spritual but are set on a great set of values, not a belief system. They focus on social justice which I am big on and would love to become more active in. I once was. Some events are a little flaky to me, just not my thing but they supposedly have atheists, agnostics, pagans and people of various beliefs too. I will try it tomorrow and report back.

Have a good day.

Yesterday I met my caloric goal (1718) but sadly the scale this morning showed 155.6 (up from yesterday). D@*^ those daily fluctuations! I think it may be because I ate more salt than usual yesterday and was up early which meant weighing in at a funky time. C'est la vie!

Misti - Great job on the 18's!

pluckypear - I hope you have a good experience at the Unitarian church. I'm Catholic myself, but sometimes I think I would fit in better with Episcopalians due to their more liberal stance.

Good Morning, Everyone! Happy Weekend to ALL! I hope it's a good one for you.

I'll be back later to do personals. Me and my buddy "joe" need some one on one time.

Calories for yesterday: 1470 +
Weigh In: 156
Down: .4

Good morning, everyone!

plucky, I am sorry you have had bad experiences in the church and with Christianity. Jesus is the cornerstone of my life, and I could not (would not want to) make it one minute without God in my life. I do hope you are able to find some close friends, as they are so important in life.

And yes, I too consider my foods healthy, or I would not be eating them! They are all organic and healthful ingredients. I just know that when I eat the ones that have higher calories, I have to do so in smaller amounts and with salad. Oh and I forgot... I bought a really small container of au grautin potatoes so that is there too, yum.

Krissy, sorry the scale was not so kind to you today! Bummer! Hang in there.

Diana, enjoy your date with "joe." Strange how much I used to enjoy spending so much time with "joe" but am able to do so well with just meeting up occasionally now.

My scale is saying 234 but it is 5:30 AM so, with my eternal optimism, I am still hoping for a 233 ha ha.

I ran a little over 8 miles total this weekend. I think tomorrow is a rest day my legs are shot.

Tonight is a dinner party with old co-workers from a job back in 2006-07, I still keep in touch with certain people via Facebook that I really want to see again. I also had reunion dinner last month with people I worked with back in 1999-2002. That was a fun night!

We'll see how this one compares.

Ciao!

Just wanted to invite all of you to check out the fun thread I started. The responses are hysterical!!! You might even have some neat stuff to add as well.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...un-photos.html

I did! It's a great perspective!

Your posts were cute, novangel! Yes, it sure does give one an incredible perspective. How did we DO it? LOL

I changed my goal back to my original goal of 140p. *sigh* Seems like I'm never going to get there. My long-term goal is to maintain below 144p.

I don't like 5's, to me they're the gateway to the next round up number.

everybody..

Diana,hope you're having a wonderful weekend thank you seems like that's all I've been able to do right these days is exercise but I'm fighting everyday.Oh, some small portein chololate bars they sell at the gym.They are low in calories and carbs,etc..but so good.. I just can't eat one and they make me want to just keep eatting stuff. Oh, and let's not forget the dime honey and cinnamon candy from the health food store.

Misty,awesome job getting in those 18's your meal sounds great healthy eating is good hope you get a good nights sleep

You'll get there Novangel! go for what you want! Hope you had a wonderful evening enjoy your rest day

Missy,you're doing great! all your hard work will pay off soon

Pucky,Hope you like the Church Service. I never had any friends when i was heavier and since I was over weight most of my life,my Mother has always been like my best friend.I was always shy,stayed to myself.Now that I've lost weight,I'm geting out more, have more confidence,self-esteem and meeting people.
Have you tried to fix the veggies a different way or other kinds of veggies?maybe some veggies recipes. I've been stuck on Cauiflower flower for a while now.i can fix it so many ways.My next one to try is a eggplant.


I had a awesome on plan day Any time I can stay home,gather my thoughts and focus I feel better.Can handle the outside world better.Been going too much.Have to been mentally ready to handle that outside Jungle.Plan on going to Church tomorrow ,cooking up some veggies and washing clothes.Stringing some good calorie counting days together will do a world of good.

While leaving the gym this morning a friend told me about a new gym(LAFitness)..that they were having a grand opening,showing people around and was giving a free zumba class today. I had enough time to try and make it (see what the gym was about) and wanted to get something to eat before i got there.

I stopped for nuts but just didn't want them and i even had them in my hands ready to buy too Thought about stopping for a piece of Grilled Chicken but didn't. I knew that anything would mess up my plans for the crab salad i had planned for later and might just mess up my day so.. I talked to myself, knew that i wasn't really hungry,knew that if i did try their Zumba class,it was only an hour and I could wait to eat till i got back home.

Went to the new gym,saw the zumba class but didn't like the way the zumba room was set up.Loved their Spinning room though.Just not enough to leave where i am.

Hi Everyone!

I ventured out shopping again today:

This week I went to look for a dressy/fun/bling-bling top to wear on the cruise. I wanted something for going to the dance/club. I went to Dillard's, the place with the personal shoppers. The ladies that I have worked with previously were not there. The new lady went around picking out tops. The second top really looked good on me and I could see it. The problem was that it was all black and I am wearing it with black jeans. I needed something with more color to stand out. They didn't have any other colors. There was nothing else in the store. I told the lady that I have problems with shopping and finding clothes for me that really have the look. Everything looks fine, but it's just not what I want. She said that the clothes have to have a certain cut for me and she understood what I was talking about. At least I know I'm not crazy now. I went to the Dillard's website and found the shirt. They had it online in a blue color that I liked. I still wasn't happy with the price. It is $80. The good thing is that I think it is a style that can be worn for many years. Here's the top: http://www.dillards.com/product/Calv...53426_zi_black Looking at the shirt now, I really like it with the black pants. It just seemed like too much black on me. Also, I don't like the looks of the blue in the picture. I printed the picture out to take with me today. I went to Tanger outlet. I walked into each store and asked the SA if they had anything like that in stock. One place the lady told me to go to J Crew. I went in there to look around. I looked on the sale rack. They had one sequin top left, in a small, in a pretty purple color. It's the exact same shirt, but the color is different. It was $34 minus 40%. I asked the SA her thoughts on the color. She said the color really brings out my eyes and she liked it very much on me. I showed her the picture of the $80 top. She said she would go with the purple one that I had on. I was so excited to find a shirt that was flattering on me and at such a good price. I think I like the purple that I got better than what the blue would look like. It ended up being $20.40 plus tax! Awesome deal!

Misti Thanks for sharing the fun thread. Enjoyed it. I haven't posted in it, yet.

Pluckypear How was brunch with the ladies? I hope you had a wonderful day. Did you find some good stuff at the store today? I will do my shopping tomorrow. I already made my list.

Krissy The fluctuation sounds like that dreaded sodium! Hang in there, it will pass.

Novangel Enjoy the dinner party. Good job on the running! Are you still hitting the gym?

Ona Good job, today! Keep stringing those good days together! I could see how those bars could cause problems. Especially if they make you munchy for other things. I don't know why that happens to some of us, but it does. It's best to recognize it and move on from it. Don't let it sabotage us.

Avalonmoon My body really likes cardio too. Good job on staying in your calorie range. I actually got to my goal weight May, 2011. I have been through a lot this year, my Mom passed away. The stress caused problems with my thyroid, so the Dr has been trying to get my meds regulated again. I have also struggled with getting a proper diagnoses for another condition that I have. I finally got a diagnosis a few months ago. It's called angio edema. It causes swelling, hives, and allergic type reactions. I have had this for a couple years, but didn't know what it was. The stress causes the angio edema to flare up. I can gain several pounds of water weight with these flare ups. So, I'm hoping, over time, and with stress reduction my weight will drop back down to my maintenance range. I do think I have done well considering how high my thyroid numbers were. I'm still working at it and doing the best I can. Every day is a new challenge.



Diana, I'm sorry to hear about your thyroid and angio edema. Wow. a lot of new things to struggle with, I feel for you.
On the other hand you have really persevered through your flare ups. I bet it takes a lot of dedication indeed. It is admireable, others might just give up. You look great too. I hope the stress tappers off for you. As far as my calories go, yes, I'm aiming to lose by keeping within the right parameters and trying to get enough fitness in also. Thanks. Have a nice weekend.

Total Approx 1585 Calories +

Breakfast (395 Calories + coffee)
spritz oil in pan
egg 70 cal
egg whites from carton 60 calories
Vegetable of choice
1/8 cup feta cheese 40 calories
Rudi's Whole Wheat English muffin 130 calories
1 teaspoon jam 20 calories
juice 75 calories
coffee w/sugar and cream

Lunch 350 Calories
I didn't get a chance to go to the grocery store last night, so I ate a frozen dinner w/extra veggies for lunch. Not a fan of the sodium, but it is what it is. Sometimes life and work really gets in your way, so you have to make the most of the situation.
WW Smart Ones Chicken in Spicy Peanut Sauce 250 calories
Sugar Snap Peas 100 calories

Dinner (840 Calories)
"Lighter Portion" Chicken Pasta Alfredo 480 calories
Steamed veggies 120 calories
Fruit cup w/dip 240 calories (I actually shared this w/my DH, but I kept the calories the same)

Exercise:
Les Mills Combat Power Kata (45)

Avalonmoon Thank you. I appreciate the support that I have received from everyone here. Sometimes it gets tough, but it is worth it to keep pushing through. You are doing a great job. Keep it up.