WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!! THEY FINALLY SIGNED!!!

Apparently the husband was the "issue" according to their agent. :lol: We negotiated a lot back and forth and I wrote a letter to the sellers telling them how much I loved the house, etc. when we put in our final offer. The letter "really touched them" and made them agree to our offer, which was WELL below list price. I think the husband realized what he agreed to and had a panic attack and it took his wife kicking his butt to get him back in. Anyhow - they both signed and now we're in our 10 days of due diligence. We signed all of our loan stuff last night, the inspector comes on Friday and the appraiser comes on Monday. We are scheduled to close on the 20th and move in on June 1. (which works out well because of my triathlon.)

My only concern is that we are moving from about 1200sq feet to nearly 5000 sq feet and we have two cats. Seven days after moving in we are going on vacation for one week. I'm nervous about leaving the cats alone in a new environment and their stress levels since cats don't do well with change. Has anyone experienced this? Any thoughts? Advice?

Somuchfattitude Uh oh! She wrote another letter!! lolololol CONGRATULATIONS!! That is a huge house. What I would do with the cats is give them a more contained home base... like a basement. Don't give them full reign of the whole house. They should have enough time to acclimate themselves with their new surroundings before you leave. ****, cats might like the time a lone to explore. I probably wouldn't freak too much. My biggest concern leaving our cats is them getting bored and just intentionally ruining my things. I think with all this new-ness you wont have that problem. Congrats again lady!! I want a new house.

Congrats on the new home!!! Make sure you do all you can to upgrade your energy cost because 5000 square feet of home is a lot to heat and cool. My hubby spent a fortune upgrading our home, which I've been told that I will appreciate when I'm old and electric bills are sky high. ;)

I agree that you need to contain the cats to a part of the house. Do you have a friend or family member that can come over and spend a little time with them each day. Oh, and make sure they have a window to look out.

Somuchfattitude: Congrats on the new house, glad things worked out.

So I only lost .8 this week was hoping for just a bit more. I now need -1.4 to be at goal. I am hoping to get that next week, before the end of April. It is so close but yet seems so far away. I always weight in wearing jeans and my belt (which is quite bulky) maybe next week I will wear my yoga pants ;).

SoMuchFattitude: Congrats! I have 2 cats too and they actually moved into our new house a day before we did. (This was almost 2 years ago.) I agree with confining them to a particular room or area (or at least closing off areas - like bedrooms, basement). Since you're going on vacation so soon after moving in, you might keep them confined to some degree or extent that first week you're in the house. Also, I always leave extra treats for my cat sitter to give them while I'm away.

Smf-awesome!!! :congrat:

I am sooo nervous about tomorrow's WI!

Dixiemom-I took my shoes off last week....minus is minus!!!

Well after being late for TOM for almost a month it finally showed up this morning. Weighed in this evening and only lost .6 lbs. I'm not griping considering that I had Panera Bread at work on Saturday and hubby took me out that night. You play you pay! :cbg:

This weeks challenge will be that this Sunday my company is having a kick off dinner for a major reps product and we are going to this great Italian restaurant called Maggiano's. Anyone heard of it? They serve the food family style. I am not kidding myself into thinking that I won't eat more points than I should. However, I have from today until Sunday to be on my VERY best behavior with my points and workouts. My current strategy is to try to shrink my stomach some more so that I will eat less food. Think that will work? ;)

SMF: Congrats on the house. How exciting!!!! I used to do behavior counseling for cats and the above advice is spot-on; when moving to a new place, don't give them free reign of the place all at once, it can overwhelm them. Make sure wherever you confine them, they have all their essentials, of course (food, water, litterbox), but also make sure they have"safe" areas that are comfortable to them individually. For instance, some cats find safety by hiding under things like beds, couches, etc. Whereas others find safety in being up high above everything, like on top of a cupboard or tall cat condo. You know your own cats, so provide them both with whatever they prefer.

Although that being said, I have moved a LOT with cats. Across town, across the country, apartments, houses, you name it. I don't tend to always take my own good advice, and usually let them explore the whole place from day one. I haven't had too many problems doing it that way, even with thirteen cats at one point. Cats are pretty adaptable, more than we think. Watch them that first week, if they seem relaxed and finding their old routines, you might be okay just leaving them. You are the best judge of whether they're settled in or not.

Also, on moving day, make sure they ARE confined to one room, and make sure there is a note on the door so the movers don't disturb them, both while moving stuff out of the old house and moving things into the new one.

Thank you EVERYONE for your cat thoughts!

We talked to our agent and apparently the couple is going through a nasty divorce. She accepted our offer without even talking to him which is why he freaked out and refused to sign. Wowzers!

Also, we were leasing to them for 10 days after close and found out it's because he wanted to make sure he had a time to find an apartment. Because everything is moving to quickly and nicely we may be able to move in when we actually close and they wouldn't need those 10 days - which means 2 weeks in the house before we go on vacation and leave the cats.

We would close on a Monday and I would take Mon-Fri to tear the wall paper down, paint and have the carpets cleaned before we moved in...and that would be awesome.

forkeeps - My 8 year old cat can be a jerk. Example: if our younger cat (4 years old) gets her tail stepped on or something he'll attack her when she yawls out. It's so strange. He will occasionally mark something - like my shirt if I leave it on the bathroom floor. Any suggestions on stopping him from doing that in the new home when he has a temper tantrum?

UGHHHH! Its wednesday and I am having that old familiar sense of fullness and strain. Is it normal to use laxatives once a week? I keep feeling guilty to use them, like I am developing some sort of eating disorder... But I seriously need it. Does this sound like the words of an addict to you? I am being dramatic.

I have exercised several times this week, but also ate in a celebratory style TWICE. I am up like 4 lbs. That is insane. I hate the ups and downs. I guess that is all part of the game.

@SoMuchFattitude Ah, cats. I work at a vet and I own 7. Yes, 7. Most of my time seems to revolve around their care. If your guys are easily stressed, you should consider getting a couple Feliway plug-ins and putting them throughout the house. We see a lot of success with their use and reducing stress in cats for just about any cause, including inappropriate urination due to stress and fighting. Make sure you show them where their litter boxes are and it's best to have them in several places in a bigger home.

@smashlers Thank God somebody else has brought up chronic laxative use. I feel like some sort of junkie but I need the stuff! Nothing really goes on without it, it's awful. I started taking a fiber supplement to "support regularity" and it isn't doing anything at all.

PUPMOM5 - any suggestions how to get my 8yr old cat to stop marking when he's having a temper tantrum?

I've sprayed the pheromones in our current apt and they don't seem phased by it. lol

SMF There could be a lot of reasons for his behavior. First thing is always to make sure he is healthy. Even something like a sore tooth can cause him to attack your other cat in response to the yowling. Barring that, it could be a form of redirected aggression. Not really redirected since the source of the yowling is also the victim, but more like an automatic response based in fear or anxiety. With the additional problems you are having with marking, he could have anxiety issues. Although if the only things he marks inappropriately are clothes on the floor, it could be that simply removing those types of triggers would help. I had a cat that did the same thing her entire life. She was perfectly behaved otherwise, but peed on anything soft on the floor (blankets, pillows, clothes). We had to just be cognizant of that, and make sure we didn't leave that stuff on the floor. Now that she's gone (she died last year about age 15), it still feels weird to leave a pillow or blanket on the floor, but of course none of the other cats do it. It was just one of her quirks.

smashlers Sorry, wish I had advice. When I eat well I am regular as clockwork. Lots of water helps too. Did you ever try Fiber One bars? They'll get you going for sure, though with quite a bit of gassiness and bloating beforehand.

@SoMuchFattitude LOL Unfortunately, if he's doing it because he's made and he's neutered, try not to make him mad! The Feliway plug-ins can help some, making sure they have enough litter boxes and cleaning any accidents with an enzymatic cleaner. But sometimes cats are just brats!

I lost 1.4 lbs even with the screw ups last week. But I am having a hard time "trusting" my scale since I am so used to the ones at the WW center.

I feel back on track now with only one weekly point used. I'm going to try to exercise more this week and I'm hoping my leg will agree with me. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day!

I need to lose 1.4 lbs by Tuesday to meet my goal for April.

Hubby got a medical call tone so now I am up listening to the scanner. He is on call for work AND he is still taking tones so he's t.i.r.e.d. He sounds it over the scanner too. Poor guy.

Thanks forkeeps & PUPMOM5 - he is perfectly healthy, a perfectly healthy jerk. lol. He does have serious anxiety issues though. He needs kitty xanax. :lol: He jumps at the slightest movement. And yep - only MY things though. Never my husbands things.

Ugh, checking in for a sanity break. I ate a smaller than usual breakfast, then went out for some errands with my son and my mother. She wanted to take me out for lunch afterwards, but even though it's hard to turn down a free meal, I just can't justify the points right now. Plus, I hate even discussing dieting with her, or food at all.

So I got home and wolfed down lunch two hours later than I usually eat. Topped off my 5 point lunch with a 4 point splurge (toast with Nutella). Still hungry so I had a cup of 0-point vegetable soup from the freezer. Yuck, but at least it filled me up.

Lesson: Don't eat lunch late or I will splurge unnecessarily. But I had only the one piece of toast, so it could have been a lot worse.

I am thinking of running a half marathon early next year. I cannot afford to sign up for it now (it's actually a series of four races that get progressively longer, ending in the half), but I will train for it regardless. So excited! I ran four miles the other day, that's the longest I've ever gone. Planning on three miles this evening. Still a long way to go until thirteen miles, but it's another good lesson in patience for me.

Hey forkeeps--I had a wicked late lunch also. For some reason I just couldn't get out of my own way this morning AND one of the dogs were sick. I didn't even eat breakfast until 11am, snack at 1:15pm. Decided the snack was enough to fill me up for a little while and I went grocery shopping. I didn't buy any junk food, everything I got is low in points, but I think I would have spent less on groceries if I had waited until after dinner time. Anyway, I didn't get to eat lunch until 4:15pm. We'll have a late dinner tonight, luckily my husband doesn't mind that.

I keep having a debate with myself over yogurt. I buy Dannon light and fit and/or Yoplait light, whatever is on sale. Well, my favorite is the Yoplait light, thick and creamy. But it's 1 PP higher than Dannon or Yoplait light... My debate is whether it is worth that 1PP extra. I love it, but do I need it? I got 5 containers of Yoplait light, 3 being thick and creamy and a pack of Dannon light and fit. Both were on sale. Maybe I should save Thick and Creamy for successful WI days?! I don't know!!

MrsD Personally I would buy the one you like best. The beauty of this plan is we don't have to sacrifice eating what we love. My example is ranch dressing. I cannot stand fat free or even light. And I only like Hidden Valley. So it's the full flavored brand name for me, at 4 points per 2 Tablespoons. I figured at this point it keeps me sane and gets me to eat more salad, then later down the road when my points get less and less I can replace it with something that costs me less points. For now I'm keeping it. :)

I just get mad that I kick myself every time I reach for the thick and creamy over the regular. But it's only 1 point more!!

Oh god - ya'll may have had "bad" lunches but my dinner, dear god... we went out to watch the nfl draft, but didnt go until 730pm (and were having dinner there.) I was ravenous when we go there (mistake #1) and ate every all of the chips and queso ever (mistake #2) and then promptly washed it down with 5 Miller Lites (mistake #3). The only redeeming moment was when we ordered food I got the "southwestern wrap" and had already done the math for points and since I ate so many chips with cheese dip I only ate the chicken out of it and the broccoli (that I got as my side instead of fries.)

I feel like CR@P today. My tummy is killing me....and to make matters worse - I am running a 10k tomorrow and I will undoubtedly have a terrible race pace because of last night. Ugh...live and learn, right?

The house inspector comes today!!! So excited! Let's hope it goes well!!! And both of our families are coming out to see the house, too! :D

MRSD - I do the same thing with points and it's so silly. If you prefer it that much more I think it's totally justifiable to have the 1 point extra. I'd look and see why it's one point more, too. Is it more protein in the one you like better? Maybe if you knew what your point was going to you'd feel better? Regardless, I love real cream in my coffee, but only have it once a week and it's the coffee I bring to my WW meeting from Dunkin Donuts and drink right after I weigh in. It's 3pp instead of the 0pp I have the other 6 days of the week.

forkeeps - I grew up on Hidden Valley Light and it's the only ranch I really like now. 2pts in 2tbsp and totally worth it. The funny part is because I've eaten it my whole life I don't even like the full fat Hidden Valley!

I agree too about eating what you like even for an extra point or two. Especially if you feel more satisfied. And too, maybe later down the road as your points go down, you can go towards the lower point things? Hmmm a good discussion!

Teresa: Maggiano's is soooo yummy. Good luck!

Its been really eye opening counting carbs and monitoring my blood sugar. I tend to eat a lot of carbs, it seems. Of course I measured carbs in calculating points values - but I never noticed my daily carb total and what is recommended when trying to reduce your carbs. I've made a real effort to eat more raw veggies and fruits this week. But it looks like I'll have to give up my favorite oatmeal. It is just 4 points but it is spiking my blood sugar levels. Any suggestions are lower carb breakfasts that don't require cooking (except for maybe a microwave or toaster) - that are not too high in points? I am eating turkey sausage some days, which I like.

Hello everyone!

My current issue is with soy milk. A health nut friend says it's very bad. Especially for men. So I researched and agree. Now we are switching to skim milk. I don't dare research that! Then this morning I saw that my Kashi Go Lean has soy grits as the first ingredient. Seriously??? My morning cereal is 12 points because I put walnuts in it. This keeps me full until lunch. But it's too many points. So, now I'm trying to think of easy, quick, and filling breakfast. Ideas?? :)

As far as breakfast goes (Teresa and Maurene), I use a microwave egg cooker (new from Pampered Chef, and I don't sing it's praises just because I sell PC. I use that thing EVERY morning and I LOVE it). I can get an egg for an egg sandwich in 2 minutes, if I use eggbeaters it's 1.5 minutes. A poached egg takes me about 1 minute, etc. I've never seen another product that can make eggs that quickly in the microwave without blowing them up.

I make egg sandwiches (English muffin (I'm sure you can find low carb, I use whole wheat or light for 3PP), egg, slice of cheese and slice of Canadian bacon, it's 7PP if I use a real egg, 6 PP if I use eggbeaters), I like egg burritos (low carb/high fiber burrito wrap (Ole brand), 1/2 C. eggs, RF Mexican cheese and salsa for 5PP). I also like poached eggs, I eat two with two pieces of toast, 6PP. I pair my breakfast with fruit most mornings. I love strawberries and blueberries, sliced apples, pineapple, grapes, etc. I just love fruit. If I'm not in the mood for eggs or for "cooking" (in the microwave), I mix together vanilla yogurt, granola (Bear Naked Vanilla Almond), strawberries and blueberries. Depending on the serving size, it's usually 6-8PP for me.

I work from home, so I have the luxury of snacking and eating when I am hungry, not on anybody's schedule but mine. Fiber bars keep me full (I like Fiber Plus), as do most yogurts and cheese. I love apples paired with cheese.

somuchfattitude congrats on your new house!!

MrsD2008 Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will try it on my week off and by reading it, it looks yummy! :)

I am bummed for tomorrow is my WI. This week was a bad week for me. It started out good tracking wise and all but as the days pass by my choice of food are bad. I ate 2 bags of chips, cookies, cakes, ice cream and what not (of course not in one day. Accumulated for the whole week). But I did good on working out but I think my workout was not enough. I weighed in today and I am up 2.4 lbs. Now I am drinking lots of water to flush out all that salt and because my muscles are sore its so hard to flush it out. Sore muscles retains water too! Mad at myself. Its all ME to blame! Cant resist! :(

Hoping for the best numbers on my WI tomorrow!

Hey folks, I need you to talk me down. Horrible weigh in this week. Up 2.6 pounds. I think I know why, but it still hurts, especially since I am back over 200.

I ran way too much this week, I think. Normally I do three miles a week, this week I went crazy and did 12 miles. Not only is that not good as far as potential injuries, but I think it stalled my weight loss this week. I had 30 AP per my ActiveLink, and still had 16 WPs left over.

Lesson: Ramp up my miles MUCH more slowly. Perhaps make sure I eat all my APs. I may even change settings in etools so AP gets used before WP.

Also, this seems to be my normal week for a little gain, according to the pattern I've been seeing. Ugh. So depressing. :(

FORKEEPS- that sucks! You are right about ramping up your exercise a bit more slowly. Not sure it that causes the weight gain but with your normal cycle it might. You can do it, just keep tracking and moving and it will come back off.

My breakfast is generally an egg, egg white, scrambled with whatever veggies I have in my "tiny chopped up veggies" ziplock and a piece of toast. Sometimes I add in yogurt or some peanut butter if I'm not going to be able to eat lunch until late. (my early weeks, I go in at 7am and don't usually get time to eat until almost 1pm).

My husband surprised me yesterday by showing up at my work at 7pm with some fancy clothes for me to change into (I wear scrubs at work) and promptly whisked me away to see Penn & Teller and then we went and had oysters and beer and walked on the beach. It was amazing. We saw Penn & Teller on our honeymoon 9 years and 11 months ago, so when he saw they were coming to town he somehow kept it secret and made date plans.

Jilu That is so frickin adorable. Love it.

forkeeps, nice job on getting all that exercise in! I think it is important to remember that it is normal for weight to fluctuate based on many factors....I hope your next weigh-in reflects your hard work with sticking to the plan and working out

I like the breakfast ideas! I have been eating a yoplait greek yogurt, a toasted sandwich thin smeared with a little apple butter, and a banana, but I this week I want to switch to something lower carb/sugar that still fills me up

Had a meeting at work yesterday for our health insurance wellness program....next year, we are moving from a participation-based to a results-based incentive program. So, to keep my health insurance at the same rate, I will need my BMI under 30 and blood pressure under 140/90 (and there are also targets for glucose, cholesterol, and nicotine that I should have no problems meeting based on last year's numbers and my improved health). So that is a big incentive to be out of obesity by October! And the year after next, they may make the targets even more stringent. I have to say I am not entirely comfortable with this approach to health insurance; it is kind of intrusive to get tested for this stuff in work and it seems discriminatory (for instance, I have been overweight, but hardly ever visit a doctor and have no health conditions....but I would be penalized? And when they make the guidelines more stringent....what if some people just can't get to the normal BMI range?) But, hey, it is an incentive to lose this next app. 21 lbs before October

jilu awwww how sweet of your husband!

Lost only 0.6 lbs today :( just 0.6 lbs. Did not meet my April goal. I gained this whole April. Bummer! O well lets move on...

Straighahead Whoa whoa whoa..... WHAT? Is that even legal? Was it a choice? Do you work for yourself? Other people have to adhere to that rule that aren't actively losing? EEEEKKK. That sounds terrible. Is that an every day thing?

I feel like I have been commenting but not really sharing on here lately. And I need to do that. Lots of stuff is going on. Next month I have my sisters college graduation and a friends wedding to attend, so I have my dresses in for alterations right now. I bought them from Asos. Ever heard of it? They have a curve line that I love, and it is fairly inexpensive if you can get the clearance.

As far as WW and exercise... I am not doing too well. I maintained last week, and deserved it. I didn't work out, I still haven't worked out but I am tracking. The weather needs to just get nice already. What the h*ll is going on? I just feel kinda meh. Nothing exciting is happening, but I am also not depressed. I need a workout buddy or someone who I can get psyched with about losing. My sister used to do that for me, but she is all crazy busy with graduating and rugby stuff (she just got asked to be on the midwest team and this could lead to her playing nationally, pretty bad a$$).

Ok, that feels better to vent.

I agree about the active link. I have the pedometer and it works just fine for me right now. I figure if I start to plateau I will invest in one, but until then I can't bring myself to shell out that kind of cash.

What a sweetie!!

Hang in there :hug: you are doing such a great job! Always enjoy reading your posts. :)

Are you using the WW pedometer?

It is legal....my understanding is that it is expected to become common for organizations to go this route (and the affordable health care act may play a role in the legality of this, though I am not totally informed on how it all works). The way that it rolled out in my company was this way: This year, our health insurance would have gone up $600 per year (for a single person...it would be more for family insurance) if we did not participate in the wellness program. This year, the wellness program involved choices like participating in one of several activity options, getting our cholesterol/bmi/glucose/blood pressure checked, getting a flu shot, resppoding to a health coach if one contacted you, and abstaining from smoking. Next year we will have to meet the health targets. Nurses come in one day in October and we have to get our blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol, and blood sugar checked...and those numbers (along with whether we agree not to smoke) will determine our health insurance rates. For those who cannot meet a single one of those targets, their insurance will go up $600 per year (but you get partial discounts for every one that you can meet). So people who are very far away from a BMI of 30, they are SOL. I fear that the trend will make it more acceptable over time to transfer more of the cost of health insurance to the people who need the healthcare most. ANother thing is that this year, our personnel department and health insurance companies did not know what out numbers are - they were confidential between us and the nurses. However, next year, I guess they will know based on how much for health insurance is getting taken from our checks

And I hope you find your motivation! It is easy to slip out of WW mode from time to time

Hey everyone. I have been keeping up with posts, but haven't commented in a while.

Jilu - That is absolutely adorable. I wish my husband would think of something like that.


smashlers - I completely understand getting in a rut. I have felt like that a few times lately. I try to remind myself why I started this journey. Look back at where you started and give yourself some credit for kicking A. Also, I look at motivational clothing items online like sleeveless dresses and cute swimsuits. Also, I am going to Harry Potter World in Orlando in September so I picture myself looking awesome in those pictures. Find some inspiration and you will get back into beast mode!

As for me, I am still losing slowly but surely. About 1.5 pounds a week. I am so ready to be 219. (1.3 pounds to go). I haven't been in the teens since 2007. It will also be my 10%. I had an indulgent weekend, although I tracked it all and only used about 15 weeklies. I walked a total of 6.5 miles today, so I hope I have negated those Strawberry Lime-A-Ritas.

Hope everyone has a great week. We can do this!