:dizzy:Mornin' Ladies,

We're having a heat wave. It's 23º outside. Of course, it's only 8 AM and it's all down hill from here. High tomorrow will be 6º :(

I was doing really well yesterday then I buttered my popcorn. Dumb dumb dumb! Oh well, it's a new day and I have a whole days worth of pts. to play with.:^:

Today, I'm going to stay home and work on picking up the house. We've had company for a week but they've gone home AND my housemates are off to FL. It's going to be sooo quiet. I'm going to love it.:yes: I'll have no excuses for not being OP. Yesterday I bought chicken & veggies for home and a weeks worth of Smart Ones (they were on sale) for lunches.

TERRI: You are :strong:. I'm so glad to see you're losing steadily. That's incentive in itself.
You are going through a really tough time. Mourning is a personal thing. Everyone handles it differently. But, I can tell you from experience that some days are a lot harder than others. What worked for me was that if I thought of my Dad and really felt that I'd normally call him or show him something if he were here, I'd "talk" to him and feel better. Still do, even now, and it's been nine years. I know you hear this from everyone but it WILL get easier.

CHATTY: WELCOME BACK!!!! Glad you've done the official thing. It helps me to get to meertings, even if just to weigh in. Now if the weather would just cooperate. :D

CYNTHIA, SUE, JEN, MEL, LINDA (to name a few of you):

COME OUT, COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE ...... WE MISS YOU!

Hello ladies, :wave:

Not much to report this morning. I'm still hanging in there fairly well with food. The scale is inching downwards. I even did okay on Super Bowl Sunday. I allowed myself to eat what I wanted - which I found wasn't nearly as much as it used to be. DH made teriyaki wings which were good.

We're supposed to have a nice day today and then get cold again tomorrow. But no snow in the forecast for us for at least a week.

I sure do miss walking the dogs. I had gotten my hip finally to the point where it didn't hurt much anymore but then I was romping with the dogs up and down the hall the other day and aggravated it again. :( :mad: I didn't even think about my hip while we were playing. I am at least still doing my morning exercises - hand weights, etc. I am finally, at 42 yo, developing muscles in my upper body. :lol: That keeps me inspired for doing those. Now, just to get back into regular cardio and I'll be doing great.

J-Ann - Thanks for the kind words. It does help. How's the solitude? How about sending some good housecleaning vibes my way? :lol: Good for you for stocking up on the healthy stuff. I too snagged a few Smart Ones this past weekend. Good sale! I also look for Skinny Cows when they are on sale too. :moo:

Oops, better finish getting ready for work and get out of here.

have a great OP day!

Ah, it's nice to be back :) . Brussels and Brugges were nice, but the weather could have been better. Cold and rainy, but we had umbrellas so we got around okay. I stayed OP the whole time, even used the hotel gym twice. I didn't deprived myself of sampling the good stuff - frites with mayo, belgium waffle, chocolate - but I tasted some of what DH got rather than have my own. Can't even imagine how many points are in one of those waffles :eek: . I did make it up the Belfry tower, wasn't too hard since there were a few pitstops along the way, thank goodness. Just when I thought my legs would give out another would show up. It's a good thing, too, since the stairway is so narrow that you can't stop without blocking everyone behind you.

Terri - sorry you are having so many problems right now, but you are handling it beautifully as far as eating goes. It's wonderful that you can get right back on and not just spiral out of control. Congrats on the weight loss.

j-ann - hey hon, can't post when I'm not home, :lol: . Sorry about all the snow you are getting, especially as I watch my yard dry out :( .

Chatty - computer problems suck!! Mine is a bit twitchy as well and it's about time for a rebuild. I'm trying to install Linux on our server first, then take it from there. I'm with you on getting healthy while I still have my health, so to speak. I'm just worried that there's only so much I can do after carrying around 200+ lbs on this frame for so long. I'm sure there's damage to my knee and ankle ligaments that will show up as I age.

I had a horrible nightmare last night. I'm kinda excited about my upcoming WI Thursday since my jeans are feeling so lose. Well, last night I dreamt I had some kind of mystery disease that made your body retain water, and the medicine to cure it did the same. My thighs were swelling so much that the lose jeans were getting VERY tight, and WI was only a day away. In the dream I tried to comfort myself that I'd been good and done everything right, and that it would show up eventually, though I'd have a gain this time, but it wasn't working. Thank goodness I woke up before I got near a scale!

Welcome Home Cynthia, I must have missed that you were traveling again. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip. What an icky dream!!!! :eek: Thank goodness it was only a dream. Swelling thighs? I can just see it. Yeech.

Terri: You're doing great. Be careful on that snow though. You don't want to slip and undo your healing. BTW tried something new on the dog. I picked up a Dremel tool. One of those gadgets that sands, buffs, and stuff like that. Anyway I put on the sanding tip and ran it while Sarah, the pointer, was getting petted. Then I put her on a down stay and was able to grind a bit of each toenail down. She didn't even blink! HURRAY, no more chasing her around with the nail clippers. I'm going to do a little bit each day until I get her nails back where they belong.

I've been pretty good. I just need to get myself back to a meeting.

Off to the pool. See you all later.

j-ann

So j-ann, when you getting yourself back to a meeting? ;)

Thank goodness the dream was not a premonition. I lost 4.4 lbs. this week bringing my total for January to 20.6 lbs. lost!! :jig: :cb: :hat: :dance: Best of all I made my mini-goal of being in the 230s for my DH's b-day :gift: . I'm sure he likes his gift, lol. Now for 10% by Valentine's Day. Figure if I never rest on my laurels I'll always be motivated.

Hi Ladies,

Cynthia, :bravo: on your loss. GOOD FOR YOU! I'm shooting for next Monday to get back to meetings, again. I'm not going to ask what my weight is though. I've been out of control. As in, see it ... eat it. :( :eek:

Today we had all kinds of pastrys at work. Normally I'd grab a bagel and that would be that. Instead I ate the bagel, 1/2 a fry cake, a corn muffin (egads probably 25 pts. in just the :devil: muffin), then another bagel for lunch. I won't even tell you about dinner. I know I have to keep trying each day. I'm so angry at myself. Reasons? 1. We're going through a lot of changes at work. Read as stress!!!:dizzy: After work it's come home and hang out. 2. It's been so cold and snowy that going out in the evening just doesn't seem worth the effort. So I've just been sitting around the house.

OK, as long as I've been able to note the causes maybe I can make myself do something about it. To be honest I feel better just having put my thoughts to the keyboard. Rant's over. I'm going to try to get back to journaling tomorrow. That has always helped me. :yes:

JEN: Are you out there?

TERRI: What's up?? I have been drink my water. See, I can do something right for myself.
Have you tried any of the flavored waters? I have a lime one right now that's quite good and 0 pts.

CHATTY: Still OP? Sounds like you were doing really well.

SUE: Where are you?

Have a good day tomorrow ladies. I'm going to take it hour by hour and do my best to get back OP!

Hello!


I'm here! Food has not been great the last several days. Its been TOM so I've felt frumpy and fat. Go figure! We didn't get our menu planned and groceries bought as we strive for and that definitely makes for a bad food week. DH had bus trips on Monday and Tuesday and I worked late on Wednesday. Plus on Thursday night I got my hair highlighted. That really shot our week.

I've been busy this week just trying to get caught up around the house. I feel like I must have been doing nothing the past several weeks. The ironing pile was huge and just seems like so much to do.

I finally figured out how I want to finish decorating the master bedroom. I had painted it a light sage (or what I had intended) but never did get the master bath done. I think because I'm not quite sure about the color and decided that I really don't like the border I had bought for the bath. I was in Penney's one day this week and found an awesome bed set. However, if I bought everything I would want from that set it would have been around $800 and that's NOT going to happen. So I bought the matching border instead and will work with the colors. The colors are a beige background with a muted floral pattern - soft greens, tans, spicy golds, and rich purple. I've been obsessing about the shade of green I have and am trying to resist the thoughts that I need to repaint. Like who's really going to scrutinize besides me? I did find dark purple, crinkly silkish sheers for the windows - on sale even! I did splurge and buy one pillow to put on the bed to pull it together. I'll be looking for a beige, tan or spicy gold solid comforter and bedskirt onsale. I'll also watch for pillow sales for decorative pillows in the greens and purples. That gives me something to obsess about besides food! I'm also starting to get the home project itch.



Cynthia - I didn't realize you were going to Europe. What a fun trip! You're doing great with your eating. What do you feel is making the difference this time? Awesome!

J-Ann - I tried the Dremmel on Bear but it was a cordless and just not enough power. Besides that, he's rather finky about his feet sometimes. DH lets their nails get too long. He's lazy until I get scratch marks down my leg or something. I fell to the junk food this week - fund raiser candybars and cake at a retirement banquet. How's the journalling? Mine fell by the wayside this week. Maybe we can inspire each other to get out of our down cycles and have a better week.



Lesson's I learned this week - not journalling and planning only contributes to feeling the loss of control which fuels the bad eating binges and bad eating binges makes me feel just yucky.



Take care and have a wonderful Sunday!

Good morning everyone. Feeling kinda pumped because I had coffee this morning, caffeine is racing through me.

j-ann - good luck on the WI. I have a friend that turns her back now and then when she doesn't want to see the number on the scale, and has the weigher keep her little book. She picks it up the following week when she's ready. Maybe that could work for you!!

Terri - How's the hair look? I have similar colors in my bedroom. Painted the walls "tree garden" from Behr and got my bedding from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. The duvet is a mottled tan with green and purple leaves stenciled throughout, though spaced nicely. Very reasonable prices there sometimes.

The difference for me this time is that I KNOW I will get to lifetime on this join. The 20 years before this that I've been trying I never felt that sure - was always just hoping I'd make it. I'd be wondering when I'd "fall off the wagon", scared I wouldn't do it. Well, I finally realize that I CAN do it, that no one forces food into my mouth, and to stop lying to myself about not knowing why I overeat. I overeat because at that moment the food is more important than losing the weight. I have a personal motto "Find A Way" that has helped me in several situations. When we went on the ski trip with some friends and hit the bars, before we went out I kept telling myself I had to find a way to stay OP. Traveling to Europe was the same thing. I have to find a way whatever comes up - schedule changes, traveling, stress, etc. It is my mantra. I am finally willing to put in the time and effort that it's going to take to lose all this darn weight. I don't think I really was before, though back then I would have said I was. There is a definite different feeling this time around.

And now I have to go do my morning walk. It helps me stay focused more than anything else. I notice the longer I put it off, the more my thoughts stray toward making bad food choices, :devil: . Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Good morning ladies!

Just wanted to make a quick post before work. I'm sending out positive vibes to everyone to have a great OP day and feel great about ourselves.

J-Ann - Good luck with weigh-in. Its okay not to look. Just be accountable by going and getting regrouped.

Cynthia - Thanks for the insight. That was an "aha" moment for me to read your post. I jumped on the treadmill yesterday just to try to get the walking muscles woke up and it allowed me to quit if my hip hurt. I want to get back into walking and regular cardio because that really helped me feel more in control. I've got lots of BB&B coupons so I'll have to check out their comforters.

Have a great day!

Looks like it's mainly just you and me, Terri. Hope the others come back sometime :( . I've been playing with my new toy so haven't been online as much. I ordered the "free" photo camera from Amazon.com (free after I get my rebate checks) and I finally got it. It's a blast, emailed myself a picture from it today, :lol: ! Have to be careful I don't go over my 1 Mg allotment/month. DH would be mad if I had to pay extra for playing around.

Doing well on the program too, though I need to probably take a rest day from the exercise soon. Maybe tomorrow or Thursday. I've got plenty of banked points to tide me over for the rest of the week.

It's funny how we all have things that help us keep on track. For me it's free weights and my afternoon tea. Doing the weights sends a message that I'm serious, and the tea takes over the comfort I used to get from binging. I have 3 hardboiled egg whites with some fancy mustard (eggs are an excuse to eat mustard - just LOVE the stuff) and a small pot of tea. A nice destressing time for me. Good for you getting back to the cardio, Terri. Hope the body responds well and lets you continue.

Do any of you go to the WW boards as well? Curse that Woman's World magazine for having a story on the Wendie Plan, tired of seeing it everywhere. I'm sure the furor will subside over the next couple of weeks, though.

DARN :( Lost my post! Now I've got to start again. :shrug:

I'm OP!!!!! Day 2 and counting. :high: I didn't get to the meeting but I've felt so lousy that I don't crave anything. :shrug: Stayed home from work today to baby myself. My sinuses are draining big time. No swimming for me tonight but I've already put out a WATP tape for tomorrow morning. I'll be lucky to be able to do a mile but I WILL TRY!!!!!

TERRI: The good vibes you sent to us must be working. Thanks! Here's more to share with everyone. :goodvibes:

CYNTHIA: TEA. It's my savior. I've said this before but when I drink coffee I have to eat something, donut, cookie, toast. Some kind of carb. Tea, I can enjoy without looking for something to go with it. I like sweet tea so I'm soooo glad for Splenda. Tastes like sugar, no icky chemicals. Love the stuff.

Time for another nap :D

Good Afternoon Ladies,

Well, I have come to the conclusion that despite my best intentions, I can not keep myself accountable to my journal and my points, so I threw in the towel and got myself to a meeting today! I am feeing really positive about things right now. Your enthusiasm is catching Cynthia. You are doing so great Anyway I plan to spend some time tonight organizing things looking over the material and then dig my heels in and get busy! We will see how it goes!

Still having some computer glitches with AOL, but they are slowly getting better. I like the parental controls since they allow me to control my teenager's access and time so I am trying to bear with them for awhile. Hope to try to post more often.

Cold, windy and snowy in Indiana today! BRRRRRR!! When will spring come! I am ready!

Have a great evening. Off to drink some more water!

Later Ladies!

Hi ladies,

Just a quick post this evening. We had discipleship class so its late and I'm bleary eyed.

I've had a good point day plus I've done the treadmill three days in a row!! Only for a short period of time but the hip seems to be responding okay. Yesterday I even had time to do the spinner as well. Wanted to tonight but didn't have enough time between work and class. Maybe tomorrow.

J-Ann - Good for two days in a row!! Sorry to see about the sinus crap. I have sinus and allergy problems and it can make you feel very down and yucky. I'll send some good feeling vibes your way! Take care but don't let it detract you from your goals.

Cynthia - I had seen about the Wendie plan a year ago or so. I know a gal that used to post here that follows it very religiously and has lost almost 60 pounds in a year. Works for her but I found it too hard to plan around since DH does the cooking. I can imagine WW's reaction to this being published in a magazine though. :lol:

Chatty - Good luck with the meetings. I've tried to do it on my own for a couple of years now but I went back to meetings this year. However, I'm not going every week. I'm doing the Freedom plan and plan my next meetings. For me, that takes the focus off the "WI day". Hope it helps you achieve your goals. Cynthia is a good inspiration for me as well.

I better get going. Have a great OP day tomorrow!!

:barbell: :strong: Me again. I got up this morning and did my leg exercises with leg weights no less and added some tae bo inspired moves. I WILL get my physical stamina back before spring. And that's that! :p

:goodvibes: :goodvibes: Here's to everyone to stay focused for this day. Pick something that makes you feel great and do it. Get your journals out and post even if its just for this day only. Let's get motivated! :goodvibes:

Have a great day!