God Bless America!

We want to invite everyone to join us in our journey.
We share laughter and tears.
We share what works for us and what doesn't.
We recently started a Topic of the Day.

Monday........Motivation Monday
Tuesday.......Tuesday Tips
Wednesday.....Wednesday Weigh ins
Thursday......Thankful Thursday
Friday........Friday Facials, Fingernails and Fun
Saturday.......Sit-up Saturdays - any physical activity
Sunday.........Soup and Salad Sunday - recipes

These are not required topics ...just ideas to share. We have found them very helpful. We also share heartaches and fears...joys and celebrations.

Hi Ladies -
I am just finishing up work for the day and thought I'd stop in. I always check the traffic report before I leave work and found out that there is an accident on my way home. So, I am going to hang out here for a few minutes with my favorite gals and wait for traffic to clear. I'd rather sit at my desk than in traffic forever --- my normal commute takes an hour - on a day like this it could take more than 2. Ugh! Luckily tomorrow is my work at home day so I don't have to turn around and do it again in the morning.

Today has been hectic but not too bad. Eating is still ok, but fighting off those cravings and just not getting satisfied. I at a bunch of carrot sticks thinking that would help Then had a Special K bar. Still no satisfaction. Now I am guzzling water trying to keep myself from wanting something else. Hmmm...I could be in the car awhile, not sure how much water I should be drinking. I am going to take a break from painting tonight and watch Big Brother and Last Comic Standing. I think I'll do my exercises while I watch tv. Still not sure what is for dinner. Might just have a Lean Cusine to make it simple.

So much has gone on the past few days, bear with me while I try to do some replies. I know I won't catch everything. I'm good, but not that good.

Natalie - Good job tossing the candy bar. I know several people who will ruin something and then throw it away so they are not tempted to go back for it. Hey, whatever works! I've done it myself.

Pam - I love your Monday motivation. "Be kind to myself". That is so important for all of us to do!!! Oh - a warm milk and honey bath sounds good. I do indulge in a nice bubble bath every now and then - we've got a nice garden tub to soak in and I usually light some candles and read a magazine. Gives me a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Deon - HELLO!!! So good to see you at least peeking in and letting us know you are ok. I hope when you have time you will come back and hang out with us! We miss you.

Kat - Hmmm...are you sure we aren't married to the same man? They definately have the same "dieting" approach! Good job resisting the ice cream!! Good job on losing a pound while on vacation. I have such a hard time when I am out of town. And I have 3 trips coming up in the next 3 months! Uh Oh! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! Are you doing anything special. You're right, Michelle and I were not able to get together last weekend. She had a change of plans. I would love to get a group of us together.

Tina - I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. How is your cat doing since the attack? Any more problems? I don't have children, so I may not be the best to give my thoughts about your son and his weight, so I'll speak from what I experienced growing up....I was overweight as a child and although my mom had the best of intentions I felt like she never really taught me about food. I never really learned how to eat or how to exercise. I should say both my parents battled their weight as well. They were always off and on diets and exercise kicks. I never saw them stick with anything. I wish I would have learned at a younger age what food was really doing to my body and the benefits of healthy eating and eating in moderation and exercising. I don't blame my parents for anything - I love them more than words can say, but I think I now see - after 33 years --- where I went wrong. Even as a teen they were taking me to Nutri-Systems or buying "magic" pills. I think it's extremely important to help children learn about how the body works and what food and exercise do. I would encourage you to include your son in a healthy lifestyle so he gets on track at a young age - before his teen years where things will get really tough.....Sorry, I am now babbling. It's just that I have very recently realized some of these things about myself and my younger years....Good luck, whatever you decide to do. I know how difficult it is.

Terri - Believe me, the 4 pound dogs have their own set of issues! Mine little Charlee has developed an attitude lately - mostly in the form of ear splitting barking at the other dogs for now reason. I do admit it's nice not to have to walk her much! A couple sprints up and down the hallway and she's worn out!

Lola - Good job not letting the morning slip up yesterday ruin your entire day. There are too many times when we slip up once and call it a day. It's important to get right back on track after blowing it. We are only human, right??? Keep up the good work!

2cute - I just get tired reading about everything you are doing.
107?? Yikes --- I hate that it's so hot for you, but please don't send that heat to this part of the country!

Andria - Happy belated Anniversary! And, A BIG CONGRATULATIONS on the 5 pound Loss!!!

Sandy - I hope you are hanging in their for your 2nd OP day! Let us know. I am not trying to do the entire house at once, just bit by bit. Lately I've just been motivated to do more --- hmmm, could it have something to do with a higher energy level now that I have gotten off my big butt!!! Maybe I will do the whole house!!! (NOT)

Homebound - I think you'll find it helpful writing down everything you are eating. For me it makes it more real to see it written down with nutritional values. Makes me think more before putting something in my mouth.

Mary - The veggie dinner sounds yummy.

I know I must have missed some people. I only went back one thread....To everyone else.....HELLO out there!!!!!!!!!!

I think it's time to tackle the traffic - especially if I have any hope to make it home in time for Big Brother....I don't have time to go back and proof this, so please forgive and spelling and grammer mistakes!!!

Have a great night!!!
Love to All!
Barb

Good evening Chicks!!

I haven't been keeping up so I will have to backtrack later; I took Monday night off.

Good news to report - - - I saw my doctor yesterday. All of my numbers were normal - blood sugar, cholesterol AND I LOST 23 POUNDS SINCE MY LAST VISIT IN MAY!!!!!!. That makes my total weight loss so far at least 37 pounds. I feel so much better. Now I've got to start working seriously on exercise.

I'll try to catch on reading during my lunch break. See you all later.

Connie, Wow you go girl!!! that 23 lb loss is fantastic!! and the total loss fof 37 now, I am soooo proud for you and of you, hope you got the pm I sent you, want to meet soon gal!

Did well at dinner tonight, 3oz of grilled steak, trying to limit red meat, had it twice already this wk, so no more for a while, back to chicken/turkey, with occasional fish. Had one flour tortilla, 1/4 c, rice pilaf and grilled onions/peppers, and a small side salad, with water of course. so food day has been mucccch better than yesterday, stayed OP!

Talk with you girls later, probably tomorrow morning!

later

WAY TO GO CONNIE!!!

to Connie!!!

Congrats Connie

Hi everybody! I guess you realize since I started a thread that I am back. Duh!!!

We had a safe trip up and back to Frankenmuth. My mom is doing ok. It was hard for her being the last of the generation.

The parish women put on the luncheon after the funeral and one of the dishes was a zuchini bake. It was delicious so I complimented the women and asked if someone had the recipe. One of the ladies was kind enough to say she would e-mail it to me so when I get it, I will pass it on. It was wonderful!!!

I went to WW Monday morning to WI (not Wisconsin) before I took off and I am down 3.5 pounds this week. Maybe Curves is actually working???? I wasn't able to get there before we left so I will be back at it tomorrow.

I don't have time for replies tonight, but I know that there are some great losses out there I should be commenting on. So to all the big LOSERS, here's a great big CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

And to JoeAnne: What a nice recognition for you!! Congrats on your accomplishment!

Everyone else, I will have to start anew from here. I love you bunches!

"An optimist is one who believes that a fly is looking for a way to get out."

Back from lunch; I just finished reading the posts from this past weekend. I miss so much not getting in here on weekends. It is impossible for me to get replies in while at work, so I'll just say congrats to all of us for our successes and efforts.

A couple of replies that I do want to make - - - - -

Tina - what got into that cat!!! It really sounds as if she was defending her baby, but it wouldn't hurt to talk to the vet about it. Maybe it would help her to have her spayed??? I hear this helps females quiet down. I've never had a female cat so I really don't know what advice to give you. I hope your leg is healing, so glad you didn't come down with catscratch fever or worse. Good thing you have been on antibiotics lately.

Lori - send that a$$hole my way; I've got a can of whoop a$$ waiting on him. What a titty baby!! I guess TOM was a blessing in disguise to show you what he was really made of. Be sure to pack along some Pampers when you ship him off.

Gotta get back to work. Thanks for all of the congrats; I am so motivated!!!

Hi Gals,

Well, I decided to WI today at Curves and get it over with. I knew it wasn't going to be good news so I thought I had better just deal with it. Up five pounds from when I was weighed about two months ago (but really down five since I gained back some and I am working on relosing it - five down, five to go to get back to where I was) but down about 3/4 of an inch overall on my measurements which is an accomplishment that I still shrank, even if just a tiny bit (I'm trying to be positive about this).

I went out and bought two notebooks today, one to start writing a journal in and the other to keep track of my food. I haven't done either and stuck with it and I think that I need to keep track of what goes in my mouth. I'm not sure who talked about it in the last thread (maybe Pam, forgive me if I'm wrong) but I have that closet eating ability down cold. And I figure if I don't write it down, it didn't really happen - classic isn't it? I think if no one sees me put it my mouth then it just doesn't count. Well I know that is not true, but it is amazing, the power of the mind. My favourite hiding place was sticking things under the bed and then eating them when no one was home or sneaking off to the bedroom to grab something quick. When I look at this, it is really quite a sad statement about the powerful role that food plays in my life I'm hoping my newfound journal will help me work through some of these issues. I have never been much of a journal person but I am going to try again, it can't hurt.

Tina,

I know exactly how you feel about your son and his weight problem. When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things that crossed my mind was that I was terrified that he would end up with my weight problem. I would tell my husband all the time that I was scared for this new child that we were bringing into the world, what if he had to go through what I went through all my life, I don't think I could bear it. I still worry about this, and my little guy, Ross, is thin as a rail, actually underweight, with a metabolism like you wouldn't believe! I still worry that he will pick up my bad eating habits, that he will end up becoming fat like me! It is scary. My Mom took me to WW at about the same age. I was successful because she prepared all my meals for me and I was able to follow the program. Problem was, I gained it all back when I stopped the program because I never learned the proper eating habits for myself. That part is so important. I think, if your son is willing to go and you can help learn about the basics of eating healthy then it is fine to get him to go with you. I might help him to be involved in selecting a preparing the food too, just and idea.

Connie,

Way to go! I'm super thrilled for you and I know that you are going to succeed!

Lori,

Hope that everything is okay, we haven't heard from you for a couple of days.

Barb,

Thanks for the encouragement Yes we are all only human and so I keep getting back up on that horse and trying again. I hope tomorrow is going to be a full OP day. Still trying to make that happen.

Thin,

Glad to see you back. The zucchini bake sounds great! I can't wait to see the recipe

Sandy and Pam,

Curves rocks, I it!!!!!!! Where else can you go work out for half an hour three times a week and actually see results?

Terri,

Thanks for letting me know what south beach is, I am going to check it out

Well, it is now 1:18 a.m.. I should probably head for my bed. I am going to try to get into chat tomorrow, but knowing my little prince , he will not allow that. Hopefully it will happen

Laura

I miss DH

I didn't sleep worth a flip last night but it wasn't because he isn't here. Don't know what the problem is. I am coming down with a cold or something.

Pam: Dear Pam sorry I missed your call yesterday. I was thrilled to hear your voice on my machine when I got home from work. We are going to have to plan a meeting soon.

I keep hearing rumors about a new WW plan has any one heard anything? I wish we had one close. My Food is up and down. I do good one day the fall off program two. I can't win.

I think my boss is going to let me have tomorrow off so I can prepare for our trip. I have some comp time that I can take. (from when I worked for free)

I'll try to get some pic made this weekend so I can post one.

Well chicks I better run hope all of you have a great day. Just remember I all of you.

Just a very quick post today. Things have been going, but I haven't been OP for a while. Hopefully today will be the start over!!! I am up and feeling strong. Already took the trash out and have the laundry going. I hope to make a dent in this wreck of a house today. Maybe even pack a couple of boxes.

I did want to tell you though that for all my not being OP I lost 2lbs. this week. I know, I was shocked too. Maybe the good weeks caught up with me? Or perhaps I wasn't as off program as I thought? Whichever, I'll take the two pounds.

I'm not going to try to do replies today. Hello to all and I hope everyone is having a great day.

Hi everyone! Just a quick good morning and then I'm outta here. I've got 3 coffee shops that have to be done before 10:00 AM and then off to lunch with mom.

The lady from the luncheon yesterday was very prompt in sending me the zucchini recipe so here it is. I didn't have time to plug it into Master Cook so if someone does and gets the nutrition stats, please post them. I was looking at it and there are several places that can be 'lightened up' so it shouldn't be too bad. Here ya go:

Squash Casserole

4 cups water
6 cups sliced zucchini or yellow summer squash
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups Pepperidge herb stuffing or seasoned croutons
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

In kettle, bring water to boil. Add the squash, carrots, onion and salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender; drain. Combine the soup, sour cream, garlic powder and pepper. Fold in veggie mixture. Combine stuffing mix and margarine; place half in greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Top with veggie mixture and remaining croutons. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Yield: 8-10 servings. Enjoy!

Note from recipe writer: I prefer the chicken soup and have used plain yogurt in place of the sour cream.

Girls, this was so good. I can see using the reduced fat soup, fat free sour cream and instead of greasing the pan use Pam. That should cut down some. I have no idea if they have 'lite' stuffing mix. I know they have fat free croutons. Anyway, this was really wonderful!

Gotta run. Coffee's calling. See you all later.

"I invent nothing. I rediscover." - Auguste Rodin

Good Morning Chickadees!
I hope everyone's day is off to a great start! I was a little slow moving today. I was going to get up and walk before work, but instead opted for an extra hour of sleep. I was just so comfy! I'll make up for it tonight.

Thin - Great Loss!!! Way to go!!!

I am not a big squash fan, so I'm not sure if I'll make the squash casserole, but I did put it into my recipe program to check the nutritional value. I calculated it using non-fat sourcream, cream of chix soup and I can't believe it's not butter light.....
10 servings
Calories: 378
Fat: 7g
Carb: 43
Fiber: 3
Protein: 9
WW Points: 7.5

The stuffing mix is the biggest calorie contributor to this recipe, so if there was a lite substitute it would probably help a bit.

Laura - good job getting the journals and also on the 3/4 inch loss. Now that you are commiting to staying OP those 5 pounds will drop back off! You can do it!

Mary - sorry you didn't get a good night's sleep. I hope you have a good day!

Amanda - Good job on the 2 pound loss! Even though you didn't feel like you were OP you were probably more concious of what you were eating!

I want to tell you about the yummy pancakes I made for breakfast today, but I have a conference call for work....I'll be back later!

Barb

Good day Lady's,

Finally have a moment to post, it's been so hectic around here lately, with my new position, and taking a couple day's off. Just skimed over the last 4 threads, man you gals have been busy, and were sure growing in size, ( I mean the number of new poster's)

Had a lovely trip to the mountains, such a beautiful site, I will try to post some pictures when I get the films developed. We saw some wild life, Elk grazing right off the highway, a bear crossed the road right in front of us, and a wolf in a field, no mountain goats, don't know where they were hiding. Beautiful blue green lakes, glacier filled lakes so they were very cold, lots of waterfalls and ravines. I even hiked up the side of a glacier, well as far as I could go, with the altitude and the steep slope, I could hardly breathe, and having asthma doesn't help. But it must have been at least half a mile hike. It was cool to stand on ice thats thousands of years old. Very nice, and the hotels in Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff are just mind boggling, it's like stepping into a new country.
Then we spent 3 days in Calgary, Sister from Victoria BC drove up to meet us there, as well as my Grandma lives in Calgary, so we visited with them. Went to the Calgary zoo, it was cool, lots of pictures, but it was +36C outside and I got heat stroke, I guess 5 hrs of walking in the sun is not good for a person. Took me 2 days to recover, Spent lots of money, ate out at fancy restaurant's and really felt like a tourist.

And to top it all off I get home, and weigh myself and I lost 4lbs on my little trip. I know I wasn't eating right but I was walking more than I ever do, hardly had any time to sit and relax. That was a bonus.

I know there's a bunch of new gals, so a big hello to you
And there's some loser's as well so congrats to you

I hope I get more time to come in and play with you gals, I always make time to read even if I can't post. Glad to be back