Howdy all,

This thread consists of a group of friendlies on the path to a healthy lifestyle. Come on and join us!

Howdy all,
It's a happy day here in Texas! Wonderful mild weather and I somehow managed to lose 2 pounds and make the 65# star!!!

What a wonderful surprise. The only thing I can guess is that the foods I went over on were mostly whole or lightly processed. And probably ate less of them than I would have in a previous life.

AND, our weight-loss queen gave me a large sack of name-brand shorts, capris and tops. I feel rich. Still need a pair of black jeans for work, though. Hate to spend the money and might get a pair of 14s just for the challenge. Course, I still have to be able to breathe in them, too.

The Queen will end her maintenance in two weeks and I want to have a WW luncheon. The leader has agreed to attend (she's so cool) and I hope enough folks can come and bring a lite dish so we can have some variety and take the $$ load off me. This will be nice, too cause our group is starting to do things together. Like the walking teams, and donating old clothes to the crisis center. I think this will be more like we are friends getting together. Any thoughts on what to serve? I'm leaning toward enchilada casserole, spinach salad, maybe the 3fc hoppin jalapenos and a jalapeno grilled chicken dish.

(((({{{Kathy}}}})))) Here's a big hug to start you on your Hawaiian adventure. Don't worry, we won't be the teensiest bit jealous.NOT Hope your mom phones with the best of news.

Michelle -Welcome back, doll. I spend way too much time climbing back on the wagon,(gained 4# last month ) but WW does work and you CAN do it. You know you can. Man, you can come clean my house, too. If you want, you can stay for the luncheon.


Lauren - I ain't gving up, just whinin'. Don't you know true Texas whinin' when you "hear" it? (thanks for the kick up to the wagon steps)

As an extra incentive to control those points, I am now "dangerously" close to another decrease. I either gotta up my exercise (ain't gonna happen any time soon) or get with the program. Already I am a teeny bit nervous thinking of how I'm going to work exercise around my DD swim team activities, but this too will pass.

Enough of my blather. What's up with y'all?

Here I am again. In my last post I forgot to mention a momentous occasion that happened during my absence. I turned 40! It was really not a big deal except for my office at work being dressed up with black crepe paper, tomb stones, and black roses That didn't bother me at all, as it is pretty much expected when someone hits a 'big' birthday. I'm actually enjoying saying I'm 40. There's some sense of power in it for me.

The bad news is that I'd hoped to reach the 50# mark by that birthday and I didn't, but I know I'll reach it while I'm 40, so it doesn't bother me too much. I'm bothered more by the fact that I didn't give reaching the goal my best effort than I am by the fact that I didn't reach it. Story of my life.

Anyway, I'm back on the wagon, feeling good, and just generally enjoying life. Hope everyone else is doing well. Check in, and let us know.

Michele

ME2: Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I am 40 also, but not as excited about it as you are, ha, ha, ha. I think there IS something about being 40. It's sort of I now realize my maturity in my thinking (or at least part of my thinking) yet it's on the young side of maturity. Does that make sense? It was pretty cool that your co-workers decorated your office for you - shows they care. As far as the weight goes, you'll have that off in no time. You seeem so motivated.

Dora: Your WW meeting sounds like such fun. What luck. And what a wonderful group.

Have a good Tuesday.

2oM (Annie)

Howdy all!

And a belated, but heartfelt HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! TO YOU, Michelle. Gee Whiz, I turned 40 in December. And y'all are both right, it does seem as if now we are mature enough to be "right" and young enough to go and do.
This milestone also makes me seriously consider how I want to spend the 2nd half of my life. Certainly not lolling about on the couch feeling sorry for my fat self! So, WW, I am here forever.

Come on, Michelle, kick it gear this week. That 50# will come quickly.

Annie, our group is fun. There are alot of people and different personalities. One lady has been at goal for years. She lost 40# or so and is barely 5'. She has a degenerative disease that is gradually going to take away her ability to walk and causes great pain. In spite of all that, she comes to the meetings and causes a great ruckus. Such fun! I gave her a cowbell, too. Like she needed an excuse to make noise.

My boss' birthday is tomorrow. Just cooked the pudding for a chocolate pie. Hope he likes it -he's sorta picky about things.

Did any of y'all catch that fantastic PBS show about food and diet studies with Alan Alda? Truly amazing how our ideas of serving sizes, indigenous foods, and low calorie diets can make such huge differences in our lives.

Gotta go. Y'all drink that water!!!

Hi! Even though 200 in 2001 might be a little too fast to be healthy for some of us, I like your spirit! And, I will definitely be right on your heels as I work my way down to 250.

Dora, good heavens, you're really losing! It's great to see. Way to go.

I've gradually gotten back into being able to work out after spraining my arm. Today I even used the arm during the workout, which is a big step forward.

Also, I've lost four of the five pounds I gained after spraining the arm (business travel plus Easter celebrations seemed to derail me). I'm thinking of going back on 123 instead of WP, because I just haven't lost well on WP. (A half pound since the end of February!) Anyone else doing 123?

--Lauren

This will be my last post before I head out to NYC for the weekend. Need to get packing.

I've been having a great week....until today. Being tired really is my big trigger. I keep thinking that food will make me feel better, but guess what....it doesn't. Luckily, I recognized what was going on before it got too out of hand, which I is progress, I guess. The other 'stress' was the in-laws stopping by on their way to NC last night. They are very nice people, but they are parents. DH has 'issues' and rather than deal with them, I get to listen to it. Their gone now, so life should get back to normal after the hiccup. I'm really glad to be getting away for a couple of days.

Annie - I completely understand what you mean about having a maturity in my thinking. I am definitely more reflective about my life than I used to be, and I think I'm a happier person because of it.

Dora - How'd your boss like the pudding pie? I didn't catch the PBS show with Alan Alda, but my in-laws were talking about it. They tend to be pretty healthy in their eating since their watch word is 'moderation', but they don't have a lot of tolerance for people they label 'kooks' (like vegetarians for instance) who don't do things the way they do. I don't talk to them about WW because I know what their reaction would be. Luckily they don't ask.

CLCinNOLA - Welcome! Would you be from New Orleans by chance? I've never been, but it's definitely on my to visit list.

Lauren - Hooray for exercise! Takes a special person to keep at it with an injury. Also, hooray for getting rid of most of that 5 lbs. I know that has to feel good. I say I'm doing WP, but my behavior really isn't much different from 123. I was never a big carrot eater, and I still don't count my exercise points. The biggest adjustment I made was my calcium sources have become more nutritional, i.e. yogurt instead of pudding. I say do what works for you.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Michele

Howdy all!
It's been bright sunshiney and windy here. Even managed to mow a tiny strip of my yard before dashing off to a parents'meeting at school. The one thing I miss most since going back to work is TIME. Have to make an appointment with myself to go to the gym, cut the grass, sometimes even wash my hair. (ok, that was too much info, right?)

Lauren -glad to see you are on the path to healing and moving again. About the plans (had to think about that one) I don't count carrots or onions, but I do count beans at 4pts per cup (from a gal who eats LOTS of 'em). And I observe the new points limits, but since I exercise most days and didn't count those towards food, it seems a bit moot. I know you are a slower loser. Have you had your thyroid or BMI checked? My adorable friend Tara has the thyroid issues. What a bummer. But she's a trouper and has learned to eat actually below her points for her particular journey. Still it's slow and I'm soon to catch up to her cause I'm so very normal. (yeah, right )

Carole -WELCOME ABOARD! You just adjust our title however you like. The important thing is that you're doing it for you and keeping with it. I sorta count those 8 pounds lost before WW as another mini-goal. Just hit 66 # with WW -so in my head it's a total of 74# . Only one more pound for my personal total of 75#. Wierd math, but it keeps me going.

Michelle -I'm so very jealous. I love to travel, my DH loves to camp out in his computer chair So, I don't get to "go" nearly as much as I think I should. Am working now on getting him to OK a 20th anniversary cruise. We haven't hit the 19th one, yet, so you can see how I have to connive and wheedle.
Man do I hear you about being tired. And people can be triggers, too. My grandmother is so very prim and proper. She has three things that she judges everyone with. (don't tell her that!) Whether someone is educated, slim, and cleancut (read: short hair) I don't meet any of her standards and for most of my life felt like diving into a bag of chips when she was near. Now she is much more feeble and it doesn't seem to bother me as much.

Bossman loved his pie. He laughed and dug right in. I bet it's gone when I go in tomorrrow. Since I used whipped cream in the can, I bet I find it sprayed everywhere, too.

DH says I can surf to PBS.org and look for that food show and order a copy. Says to search Nova. It was on Tuesday night, I'm definitelly going to take a look.

Here's just one of the studies: young children (4YOA?) were left alone in a room with a few art supplies and a huge assortment of junk food. They were told that the adult would be gone for ten minutes and that the art supplies and food were available. The kid who came from a home that allowed treats without limit only nibbled a bit of popcorn. The one whose parents control the junk didn't even look at the art stuff. He gorged on every bowl of food. So, as that controlling parent with a "blossoming" child of 9, where do I start to make those changes? Argh. My DD is at least 20# over normal. She has almost broken 100. The good news is we started practice for swim team and so far, she loves it. Maybe this could be her sport. But how to change my ways of making treats available? God will help me in this, I know.

Now that I've written a novel, I'm going to hit the sack. It's already way past my bedtime. Gotta rise & walk, walk, walk!

Howdy all,
Ok, this is wierd. Changed my profile for the new WI info and realized that the new 3fc software changes all the profiles in my previous posts, too.

Whatever. The iron monster showed me down 2.4 even after 2# last week. Woo hoo. I did spend more time staying OP and even in the low range of points. Had two days over and actually less exercise than normal. Go figure. Only 1 more til 70#!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Monday morning!

The weekend was pretty good to me, other than dealing with prom, my daughter (who doesn't want to listen to common sense), and her boyfriend (who doesn't have any). Yesterday we prepared stuffed jalepeno peppers for the graduation party. They aren't low fat, so it's good that I don't like them.

ME2: How was your weekend in NYC? Did you come home to rest? Or are you going to work to rest? (That's what I do.)

Dora: You are really kicking butt with getting to the 70# mark. How inspirational. You'll reach that in no time. Don't forget to reward yourself with something fun or nice. You deserve it.

2oM (Annie)

Howdy all,
Whew! This must be "Sabotage your healthy lifestyle" week. Haven't walked at all this week and spent today chauffeuring 16 3rd graders first to a pizza joint then to Krispy Kreme all in the name of a field trip. The pizza was yummy. Pappa John's will have to watch out. And I can now say I tasted and rejected the illustrious Krispy Kreme donut. Yuck. Way too sweet and pasty. Our local offering has nothing to worry about. then I came homw and ate candy. Bleah. Now to start over, thank you very much. Haven't had to climb back on the wagon for a few days, so far.

Annie, all the best with that daughter of yours. I'm dreading those days already. Today my 9yoa DD informed me that she was almost grown-up, wasn't she? I'll pray that yours matures quickly and without doing anything stupid that will stay with her forever.

Hope y'all lurkers out there are doing great!

Dora: You can be thankful that you hated the donuts anyway. The rest of the day you can either figure the points and make up for it the rest of the week, or simply forget about it and move on. Count it as a learning experience. (I'm beginning to think everything is a learning experience. LOL) I kind of like it when I find something fattening that I don't like - one less thing to be tempted by.

I've been very restless with DD and boyfriend. She is doing so well with school and work and he is just a bump on a log. I truely don't want to be unfair to him because he's had a hard life. However, I feel that he can now move on and make his own life what he wants it to be, yet he keeps using the past as an excuse or a crutch. I don't want to see her dragged down by him (or anyone else for that matter). I talked to a VERY reliable source - has spent a lot of time near him - last night that said that he seems to be manipulative and arrogant. I was also told that he may be looking for a mother figure in a girlfriend and when he finds that, he may treat the mother figure as his mom treated him. That didn't sit well with me, but made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, my DD thinks she can help him and get him up on his feet. She seems to be the giver and he's the receiver.

As far as us parents go, we can do the best we can, set good examples, be there for them, and teach them responibility and kindness. What they do with it from there is out of our hands. (I say this even as I try to keep it in my hands, still trying to mold.) I don't think being a parent stops when the magical 18th birthday rolls around.

2oM (Annie)

Hello everyone. I'm back from NYC and had a wonderful time. Of course I ate too much and drank too much and slept too little...a deadly combination...and today is WI, and I know I'll pay the piper, but it was worth it. Had a lovely time with my SIL. We didn't do too much, just went to the Metropolitan where we looked at Renoirs and had a wonderful conversation about beauty and body image. The weather was lovely so we spent quite a bit of time walking in central park. Did some shopping and people watching from the cafes. On Friday, before she got in, I was able to meet a friend and we went down to the village and SoHo to the art galleries. All in all, a lovely, adult, time. I wish it had been more than the weekend, but of course a lot of it had to do with the freedom. On Monday it was back to reality and back to work. School is almost out here, 11 more days, so there's that end of the school rush. I dread it more than the beginning of school because my kids have all this energy and they don't always use it constructively.

Annie - I wish you peace. Sometimes I think all we can do with our kids is cross our fingers and hope for the best, which is not very comforting! My DD is only 8 and I dread the teenage years. We are so much alike, we already butt heads over every little thing. At least it sounds like you can talk to your daughter. Even if it doesn't seem like she's listening, you know your planting seeds that may take root.

Dora - I hate Krispy Kremes too! What's the big deal? It's just a donut, and you're right, they are too ooey and gooey. I wish I had as easy a time turning all sweets away as I do those.

Michele, your trip to NYC sounds lovely. We're heading on vacation for a week, starting this Saturday. We're going to stay in B&Bs and hang around Lake Michigan. We've planned three major gourmet meals at great restaurants; beyond that, we're aiming for healthy. I also plan to walk as much as possible.

I've continued with the walking video, 5-6 times a week. It's keeping me sane. I'm also writing down what I eat and drinking the water. But I haven't been within points often enough. Somehow, I'm maintaining my weight. Probably the exercise.

It has been a tense time, first due to all the layoffs we're having at work -- and now it turns out DH may have cancer. We won't know for sure for a while. He has an ultrasound when we get back from vacation. I'm having to fight feelings of panic every moment. Maintaining weight is about all I'm aiming for right now.

--Lauren