Whoops, got cut off. I was saying check out:

http://www.allrecipes.com

They have a ton of recipes and give you the nutritional info for everything. You can even adjust the servings automatically.

Must get back to work.

Good Morning Ladies,

Hope you are all well, and from the looks of things you all had busy and filled holiday weekends.

A special thanks to Amanda, aka phoenix rising! She and I both se same server so we can Instant message. I have enjpyed conversing with her and getting to know her. I look forward to talking to more of you. My e-mail address is [email protected]. Would like to correspond there too, if anyone is interested.

I read often about all of you and will attempt to navigate myself around these threads in order to become more a more active participant.

sw 356
cw 347
goal 130ish

feeling good, have been walking, one week today! I deserve this as do all of you, and thank you in advance for your support and encouragement! We can do it:grouphug

Woohoo!!! I did my one mile WATP tape. I can't believe I left the cellophane on it for so long. Anyway, it will fit into my day much better than a regular walk with my hubby's new schedule. Tomorrow, when I've had more sleep I might even try the two mile tape. I can always stop if it is too much after all.

Pam-It has been a pleasure getting to know you. Another great way to get to know more of us is chat. Wed and Sat @7:30 CST.

Where is everyone today? Of course maybe I just got my day off to an early start. I feel much more energized even though I only had three hours of sleep. I'll either take a nap midday or sleep really good tonight. Who knows which at this point. Right now I'm going to take this energy and get busy cleaning house.

Well...here we are!

A brand new week. No barbecues coming up, no parties, no reason NOT to get back on plan and get losing!

That said, I just hopped on the scale for an official new weight... hmmm...bad idea. Several things just occurred to me.
a. My scale is definitely broken! ...not likely
b. I am SERIOUSLY retaining water! ...a distinct possibility
c. I ate TOO MUCH this past weekend! ...BINGO!

Oh well...back to the drawing board.

Justme, Welcome to our group! I hope you like it here! Re: the South Beach Diet...it sounds perfectly healthy to me, it makes a lot of sense. Check out the prevention.com website for more info if you're interested. Here's just a blurb...

The South Beach Diet is not low-carb. Nor is it low-fat. Instead, it teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats--the good ones--so you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and get rid of cravings without feeling hungry.

In one 12-week study of 40 overweight people, those who followed the South Beach Diet lost an average of 13.6 lb, almost double the 7.5 lb lost by those on the strict "Step II" American Heart Association (AHA) diet. And the South Beach group showed greater decreases in waist-to-hip ratio (belly fat) and triglycerides, and their good to bad cholesterol ratio improved more. Plus, only one person dropped out compared with five in the AHA group.

By choosing the right carbs and the right fats, you simply won't be hungry all the time, and portion sizes will take care of themselves.

I'll keep you posted on my progress...Today begins "Phase 1."

2cute: I agree, July is TOO HOT to go garage sailing! But I hope you got rid of a lot of stuff! I keep saying I want to have one...it's just easier for me to bring the boxes over to the thrift shop.

Sandy...sounds like a "nice" weekend...Wouldn't you just love to be a kid ~or, better yet~ a guy one of these weekends? You don't see them running around trying to make sure there's enough food/drinks, or cleaning up either before or after, packing/unpacking, watching out for kids, etc...not a care in the world! PS...that bandana quilt idea is adorable!


Look at the time!!!! I have so much to do today, starting with getting to the bank before my checks bounce!!!

More replies later!

HI guys ... came in to reply to everyone... but I am still in the mode to CLEAN and PACK so I am just going to send all my love and get myself busy . Hopefully later when I need a break to just sit for a while I can reply. I can't believe this is 4 days in a row I WANT to clean and pack.

I'm having a chocolate attack. I think I am going to need some soon. I think that a pack of M&M's isn't so bad. I will try to resist. If I still want it at 3, I'll have it. If not I'll have my usual healthy snack.

So I read up on the South Beach Diet. Strange, it's almost exactly what I have developed for myself. The only difference is that I didn't start with a 2 week deprivation plan. I switched to all whole foods, no processed flour or white sugar. I only eat natural products, whole wheat pasta, fresh veggies and fruit. No soda or flavored drinks. I brew green tea and put it on ice with lemon.

I'm not too keen on the first 2 weeks of that plan. I don't believe in doing anything to my body that I wouldn't continue to do for the rest of my life. I just don't think it's natural to cut out fruit from your diet. I mean, that's mainly what I eat. I can do without losing 14 pounds in 2 weeks. I'd rather lost it slow and avoid the saggies. I know it's only 2 weeks, but something just doesn't sit right with me. Well, if it ain't broke then don't fix it right?

It is so warm here today. I can't decide whether I want to swim when I get home or weight train. Hmmm, I could do both. Oh God NO!

OK, I am awake...I think This new medicine packed me for a wallop for a couple of days!

With all the Fourth fireworks, Tigger ran away Friday night and didn't come home until 7AM Saturday morning...poor kitty. He didn't leave the house all day Saturday, and didn't even venture too far out of the yard yesterday. Of course, today he is back to being the normal Tigster. Noah wasn't fazed by them at all; this coming from a cat that dives for cover when the vacuum cleaner comes out. Go figure

It has been hot as Hades all weekend and it is going to be a workout for my central air all week according to the forcast today. I had to cancel the vet appointment till fall as a result; it is bad enough that I need the National Guard to get these two in their carriers to begin with, but I don't exactly relish the idea of taking them anywhere in the heat--since I don't like even letting them outside in it to run. (yes, I have spoiled animals ) Needless to say, I've been doing all my workouts indoors as well--though I did a major pig-out on the Fourth of July --but I got over that. With the new medicine the doctor gave me, I notice I get full very quickly; hence, I don't have to worry about overdoing it very often.

Hey guys! Thought I'd drop in for a few minutes before I treat myself to a nice long bubblebath. Don't get mistaken by that little cloud9 guy though.... I am still in the throws of PMS. Not to mention that I am now a blithering idiot because today is dh's first day on seconds. I walked him to the door today and had to bite my lip to keep from crying. We have this little "thing" that we always do when I walk him to the door. I always stand at the door waiting for him to get in the car, and once he gets in....he looks up at me and blows me a kiss and then lays his hand over his heart.....telling me "I am his heart." Today when he left, he did the same thing, but he held his hand over his chest a little longer and kinda squeezed up his shoulders *indicating he was giving me a hug*. I just had to wave and shut the door before I went into a crying jag. Which I did anyways. I know you gals probably think I'm pretty sappy and I'm hoping some of this unhappiness is from the PMS. I guess you would just have to know our whole background to know why I am upset about him going to seconds and not being able to spend time together in the evenings anymore.

Oh well....the bubble bath is calling my name, so I'm going to go drown my sorrows and pop back in here with individual replies later.

I won't have to fight someone else for the internet anymore.

Hi Ladies!!
Welcome to a new week. I hope everyone is recovering from their nice holiday weekend. I decided mine wasn't long enought --- I am playing hookey from work today. Shhhh....don't tell. I woke up this morning and started getting ready for work and cramps started setting in and I just felt blah...so I called my boss and told him I'd be back tomorrow. My work is so casual and flexible that it's not really a problem. I have plenty of time coming to me - not that anyone tracks it. So, I slept on the couch until 10 and then went out to lunch with hubby and some friends from his work. I am now back at home debating what to do with the rest of my day. Couch and a movie sounds good to me!

Well, we have sort of solved the vacation/family problem I mentioned yesterday....a quick update for those that missed...Jeff and I got into a 'discussion' yesterday about a cruise we have coming up in Oct. with my family. He doesn't want to spend much time w/ them on the ship because he doesn't feel like himself with them and doesn't have as much fun. I 'sort of' understand. Anyway, I am going to take a few days off work in August to go to FL by myself and spend time with my family alone. Then, when we get to the cruise in Oct. my family won't feel like they haven't seen me for so long. And, when I am there in Aug. I can set some expecations for the October vacation. It's the best solution I can come up with. It's so hard being stuck in between DH and the in-laws.

Amanda - Sorry to hear about all your car problems. Hopefully you can still manage to get out to do the things you need. Tackle that big hill walking your daughter - you can do it! GOOD JOB on opening that tape and doing it!!! It doesn't do us any good to buy exercise videos and then leave them in their package.

Justme - Thank you for the recipe info. I love to cook - especially finding new, healthy recipes. I just haven't had much time lately so I've been doing a lot of grilled chix, salads and soups. Sounds like you and I are doing about the same thing as far as eating plans go -- no formal diet, just smart and healthy.

Kat - Yikes! I hope you made it to the bank in time to keep those checks from bouncing around!

2cute - Look at you go - cleaning again. I hope you'll find time for that break to come back and catch up with us.

Lori - Hey Gal! Glad to see you popping in. Sorry to hear about the rough weekend your kitties had. The fireworks didn't seem to bother my dogs too much - but the thunder last night had one of them a little shook up --- she ended up sleeping with us. I know what you mean about spoiled animals!!!

Tina - oh, I just wish I could give you a big hug!!! I hope the bubble bath helps soothe the soul a little bit! Hang in there!

Pam - I look forward to getting to know you better. I am not always able to make it to chat, but I usually check in here several times a day.

Well, I am going to be a little lazy and enjoy my "sick" day!
I'll talk to everyone later!
Barb

Hey ladies!!!

I been catching up on all of the posts while I have been off; my you girls have been chatty!!

I've been off work since Thurs and go back to work Tues night. I went out of town for the 4th. Spent the night in a jacuzzi suite. I didn't stray far from home, just about a one hr drive away. But it was good to get away for a little while. I did indulge in some pizza.

I got off track last night - I was home alone and had a box of hamburger helper calling my name so I fixed it and ate half then threw away the rest. So no more HH in my house!!

I won't get in any individual replies except to welcome Pam to the thread (I have sent you a PM).

This month I'm scheduled to see my doc; I'm hoping for a 10 lb loss. My blood sugars have been really good since my last appt in May.

I won't be back in here until tomorrow so I hope you all have a good rest of day.

Tina: Just one question? Where oh where can I buy a model like the one you have? Is it called the Ron special or what? He amazes me more everyday. {{Hugs to you}}

Sandy

I have no business being on here writing but I just needed a break.
I get hooked watching those decorating shows on tv and not get anything done.
So I decided writing here for 30 minutes is more productive than watching Trading Spaces. LOL

PJK....again let me say how glad we are to have you join us. I don't do emails ... barely find time to even post ... but can't wait to build a friendship with you here.

Mary.. I loved your long post. Your food choices sound yummy... I'll be right over. And I can't wait to try your meatloaf recipe.

Thin... thanks for starting the new thread. It is practically already full by now. LOL
Your new bushes sound beautiful. I don't know one bush from another... but I know anything new always look .... well ...NEW.
Sorry to hear that Legally blonde 2 was a disappointment. It has been soooo long since I have been to a movie.

Justme... Your photo is sooo lovely. What a warm and friendly face you have. And your smile is worth a million bucks. Nice to "see" you.

Terri...Your post fit you name.... DETERMINED TO SUCCEED !!!
Attitude is 98% of success.

Barb.. Your dining room is beautiful !!!! What shade of green is that paint.??
I love faux finishes but I am too scared to try them myself ... and too expensive to have them done. My new walls are so tall there is no way I could do it myself anyway.
I am sooo jealous you are going on a cruise. My brother wants to organize a "family" cruise. I love my family ... but I don't imagine myself on a cruise with them. Even though there is a LOT of space to spread out ... I am not sure I like the idea. Let me know how yours turns out.
I also wanted to say I NEVER ate fish. But that Talipia is pretty good stuff. You may want to try it. Live dangerously.
And one last comment. I was very impressed by your willingness to "pamper yourself". I have never pampered myself. In fact.. I have never even put my "needs" in proper priority. I hope to learn a lot from you.
Amanda... NO CAR I hate it when I don't have a car. Even though mine will sit for days without me going anywhere. I just want to know I can go if I want to. LOL
I can understand the part about fitting behind the wheel. I always FEAR that when someone asks me to drive their car for some reason. Same with seatbelts while riding as a passenger. I ALWAYS drive myself whenever possible.

Lucky.. Great Monday Motivation !!! My motivation today is just the good feeling I had all weekend being productive. I want to hang onto that feeling.
I have never done any quilting... but i have bought several old quilts at garage sales and such. One of mine is signed (stitched) by all the ladies who made it. That is one of my favorites.

Deb... I LOVE my alone time. I get a lot of it... and I never complain.
I also like to socialize too... and when I get this weight off... I am going to do a LOT MORE party throwing.
I got a good chuckle from your weight averaging. LOL I can't weigh myself that often... I let it play head games with me too much.

Andria..Counting your blessings is such a good way to live. You are a wise woman. I am sure glad you are posting again.

Michelle... thanks for the update on the July 4th saga. LOL I am such a nosey person. LOL

Joanne.. thumbs up on your walking !!! What an inspiration you are to me.
Do you like berries ?? Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries ... they are all good low carb fruits. I found an article where they have added even more fruits into the low carb food plan ... I will see if I can find it for you.

Sandy...glad you had fun camping. But it is always a LOT OF WORK!!! You definitely need to come home to relax. LOL

Tina.... My dear sweet Tina. {{{HUGS }} Wish I could make it all better for you. There is a solution for you and your husband ... just relax and let it come to you. Don't spend all of your energy focusing on the negative.... let the positive show itself to you... and there is a positive solution to your delima.

Lori... I was wondering where you went??? Glad to hear you are feeling better again. And glad your cat came home.

Dixiedarling... hope you are enjoying your "sick" day.
Can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow. LOL

Kat... doesn't it make you mad when these darn banks make our checks out of rubber. I told them the other day... "I can't be out of money.... I still have checks left"

hmmmmm .. who else am I missing?? I think I covered everyone who has posted lately. But what about those not posting....
Duckie, Ravyn, Sara, Jen, Steph, Deon, Syn, Jiffypop, Prism, Tontoy, Susie, Dollar, Forgiven, Aradia and Malia to name a few.
Please know you are not forgotten. We would love to have you peek in and say hello again. And if I missed you ... please don't feel forgotten... I am an old lady and have a bad memory. Come in and say "HEY 2cute... you forgot ME" LOL

okay... enough relaxing time... back to work I go.

Let's do replies first:

2cute: I am a Trading Spaces nut as well. Who's your favorite? Hildy makes me very nervous. I like Lauri. (or however you spell her name) Thanks for all the kind words earlier. If there is a positive to this thing.....I will get to spend a little more time here without someone grabbing my chair if I get up to go to the bathroom..

Sandy: You are such a sweetheart. Ron, I have to say...is one of a kind. Don't get me wrong. He has his flaws too. After all, he is a man, but all in all...I am truly blessed. Hope you are resting up from your.....vacation

Connie: Nice to see you. Glad you got a chance to get away for awhile. It's nice to leave home sometime, even if it's only a short distance away. I know what you say about being alone in the house with things that tempt you. I have finally come to realize I cannot control my yogurt raisins. They are no longer in the house.

Barb: Sounds like you had a really good day! Don't you just love having those days off when you had anticipated going to work? Because of the nature of my job, I usually don't get "unscheduled" time off unless I'm literally dying. What movie did you end up watching? And....not to play devil's advocate, but I completely understand what Jeff is saying. My in-laws are nice and everything, but I just can't enjoy myself around them and be me. Hope your situation works out for all involved. Also wanted to add that your dining room looks FANTASTIC! Absolutely gorgeous...and I am SO proud of you for figuring out how to post that lovely picture so we could see it!

Lori: Sorry to hear about Tigger. Glad he's home, safe and sound. All of my kitties have been adopted now. My SIL took two. My granny took one and dh's granny took one. That left us with one and he was the one we were keeping anyways. He is black/chocolate and his name is Peanut. Such a cutie!

justme: Sorry I haven't introduced myself or welcomed you yet to thread. Where are my manners? This is a truly wonderful group of ladies and I think you will make a fantastic addition. My name is Tina....I've been married for almost 16 years to my husband Ron. I have two boys....Brian and Trey, ages 15 and 10 and I am your resident Nascar expert!

Kat: I have to say I'm going to check out the SBD myself. It seems perfectly healthy to me. While the first two weeks do look kind of rough....I think it's more or less just a way to purge your system from all the carbs and things that are still inside it. You know, more or less....a cleansing. I know there's no use in trying it till after I come back from out of town, but I may try to incorporate it in with WW. Thanks for the info. You're a doll. Also...thanks for the PM.

Amanda: Congrats on doing the one mile! Isn't it fantastic? I absolutely love Leslie and her tapes! I just won an auction on Ebay over the weekend that gives me four of her latest dvds along with two stretchies. I got it at the bargain price of only 29.00! I am so psyched and I can't wait to get it!

Pam: Very nice to meet you as well. It's good to have you here with us! This is a wonderful group of ladies who will offer you all types of support and fantastic ideas along your journey. Stick with it and with us and we will make it together!!

Andria: Thank you so much for saying that. I hate to say it, but sometimes it takes a trajedy for you to realize what is truly important in life. Sometimes we get down on ourselves and think our lives are so bad....but then we look at something like that and we realize that our problems are not so bad after all. Thank you. I will pray for the family...

Deb: Really nice to see you. Hope you pop in more often. Hmm, maybe I should take my own advice, huh?

Lucky: In case I haven't said it, and I think I have....It is SO nice to have you back here with us. I truly missed you and just seeing your little yoga lady back on here boosts my spirits!

Mary: Do you call this a post?! I don't think so! Get your butt in here woman! (Now, some might look at this post and think I'm being mean) but I know you know I'm joking with love....I just had to. I absolutely love your long posts though! You're such a sweetie. How are things going? Looking forward to a visit from you soon. Do you have to go through my neck of the woods to get to Talladega?

Thin: Ok, I'm not going to complain because we did get a long post at the end of the last thread, although it has completely slipped my mind what you said! And you were right, I did have some attitude with a capitol "A" in my last post. I am feeling a little better now though. Thanks for always being one to tell me like it is. What would I do without ya?

Ok, I have now posted to everyone that posted on this thread. I haven't left you out, I just have to get my hind end off this computer for awhile. Seems like I have been here forever. Dh has called me three times while I've been working on this post. I think he misses me too.

Have a wonderful night and I will see you tomorrow!

Hi everyone! I found this on www.weightlosscenter.com and thought I would share it with you all for Motivation Monday:

10 Commandments of Weight Loss

1. Thou shalt honor thy health and good spirits above all else.

2. Thou shalt not go on crash diets: there lieth the way of madness!

3. Thou shalt not clean thy neighbor's plate.

4. Thou shalt not eat when thine eye lusteth but when thy stomach doth supplicate for sustenance.

5. Thou shalt sup chiefly on the fruits of the earth, the grains and vegetables thereof; on the fowl of the air and the fish of the seven seas, whence donuts cometh not.

6. Thou shalt not eat when thou art miserable, for food is not a medicine unto the soul.

7. Thou shalt take exercise daily; for why hast thou sinew and bone, legs and sneakers?

8. Thou shalt be patient but not forgetful.

9. Thou shalt take delight in every good friend and good song, in every good walk and good day; for to enjoy them more is why these commandments are given unto you.

10. Thou shalt not knit thy brow if thou transgress a commandment, but forgive thyself; for it is written, 9 out of 10 is not bad.

I'm back again, I've been reading up on all the posts today, this is an enormous thread. Good Grief.

Queen,
thanks for the intro! Hello to you too. Your story today about your husband really made me smile. I can only hope I'll be that lucky in marriage. Wishful thinking, I gotta get married first.

2Cute,
You are too cute for giving me that compliment. Thanks for making me feel fantastic. Of course that pic was taken about 40 pounds ago, but none-the-less I'll be back there soon.

Barb,
One thing you'll learn about me is that I love to cook. Just about the same as my love for eating. If you ever want to exchange recipes, I'm your girl!

As far as an update, I ate the chocolate. Oh well. One Hershey bar with almonds, not so bad. I believe I stayed under 1800 calories today. And I worked my butt off with my strength training. So there goes the chocolate. Burned off.

Funny, I heard you all mention Trading Spaces. I have a juicy little tid-bit for you about the show. Amy Winn the carpenter lives upstairs from me. Hysterical, I know. I've met her a bunch of times, she is a sweety. Just thought I'd mention the gossip. I'm still a little star struck from finding out who was up there. It's just so cool.

I'm off to check out my other threads...you're all keeping me so busy.

THANKS!