Happy New Year, ladies!! Another new year has arrived and with it new resolve to take better care of myself

I'm back to work today after being off a week--overall I think it went pretty well. The parties are finished and now I can focus more on getting rid of those pesky pounds I've let creep back on. Why is it they go on so quickly yet, to get rid of them seems to take an enternity???

The weather is unseasonably warm (mid 40's) and it's supposed to stay this way for a couple more days. The hard part will be when winter once again rears it's ugly head and the snow begins to fall again!

I hope everyone had a great New Year's and let's hope for a Happy, Healthy New Year!!!

Hi to Lala, Susan, Pam, Lisa, Austingal!!

Happy New Year, Melissa. Thanks for getting the thread started. Yes, another year and I need to stop eating!!! I really lost it during the Christmas break. I ate cookies, candy, Chex Mix (I know--your favorite), salted nuts, etc., etc...I'm afraid to step on the scale. By the way, I bought a new scale for Christmas (what a nice gift, huh?)

All in all the holiday break was fun. I had more projects on my plate than I had time to do them in, but I did accomplish some things. Althought I ate like an oink-oink, I exercised the whole time.

Hi to Austin, Pam, lala, and Susan.

HI Ladies,

Happy New Year! I've got my new journal out and I'm ready to go. Stayed OP yesterday and hoping for more of the same. The winter meltdown starts at work on Friday so I'm hoping that will make me more mindfull when eating. Looks like with the holiday damage I've got about 7 lbs to take off.

Kind of sunny here today but we're getting a storm tonight that is expected to dump at least 6 inches of snow on us and the rest of the week doesn't look much better. Winter has arrived.

I'm at the office today and it is very quiet. I'll probably leave early and start taking down some of the Christmas decorations at home even though I'm not really tired of them yet. Tomorrow DS and DD go back to school.

Lisa Yup, I was a bit of an oink oink too, but back to clean living now. Actually, I was thinking of getting a new scale myself. Good for you for keeping up on the exercise. My new years resolution is to go to the Y more frequently. It doesn't make sense to keep our membership and use it so infrequently. DH and I came up with a work out schedule and we're going to stick to it.

Melissa I also wondered why it's so easy to put on 5lbs and it takes forever for them to come off. I'm envious of your warm weather.

Well ladies I should try and get a few more things done before I leave. Hope to talk to you all tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

Yep, it's 2006 and anything is possible, including getting rid of this extra weight and getting more exercise. Can you say New Year's resolution??

I had a nice visit with my family. It was hard to see and accept my Dad's mental condition, but I think I have (finally) done that. He is unable to be around crowds and get's extremely agitated after being away from home for about an hour. We went out to dinner as a family to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday on New Year's Eve, and he left about half way through the meal. Mom, on the other hand, finished dinner and went on to party at my sister's house until 3:48 am. Ahem - I had to have a talk with her the next day about how other 80-year-olds behave. She is one cool dude

M and I are going out to dinner this coming weekend. I am looking forward to it. I missed him a lot over the holiday season. Like I said - new year and anything is possible.

I am back to clean living too. Will weigh in on Friday and resolve to stick with it until I'm back in my comfort zone. Am also going to post here regularly because you guys help me to stay on track. I've missed the support terribly.

Hi everyone. Happy New Year back at ya!

Having a hard time getting motivated to do much of anything, so I'm trying bit by bit to get little things done. I cut way back on eating yesterday which was good, except for one donut which god knows what possessed me to do that. I'm back at the gym today, this is the longest break I have had from exercise in the last five years. I'm going to see the doctor today about my cough as its settled in my lungs.

Trying to have a better mental outlook this year. Last year sort of blew around here, so 2006 will be better.

I'm going to do a bit of me defluffing first and then head to WW in a week or so, I have some coupons to use and as long as there is free registration, I should join.

I'm definitely waiting until after this week, it should be a zoo.

Anyone have any resolutions they would like to share?

lala

Resolutions:

Gimmes - the first two are perennial and never broken.
1. Not to start smoking
2. Not to mainline drugs or smoke them or snort them or take them in general

Hmm - I did this last year and I'm still not satisfied.
3. To explore a new job opportunity or three

This is a good one.
4. Lose weight

5. To eat more locally grown products - not eat food out of season unless we have preserved it (tomatoes, roasted peppers, etc).

6. To be more patient with those around me.

7. Try to have a better mental outlook.

8. Try to save another 5% of my salary this year.

Good morning everyone!

Well, resolutions are in order it seems--I'm going to work on getting rid of the 6# of fluff I've managed to find over the past few months. Looking back over last year it was pretty crazy with surgeries, hospitalizations, broken bones, etc. Here's to a better 2006 for all of us!

Lisa: I got into the Chex mix a couple of times (last night was one of them) but I didnt' eat the big bowlfuls that I have in the past so that's a start. I'm ready to start clean.

Susan: I'm glad you had a nice visit with your parents--my dad is 11 years older than my mom and his level of activity is way different than my mom's. He also tends to get agitated quicker (he'll be 79). Let's hope the new year is good to you!!

Pam: It's warm again here today (40's) and later this week we're supposed to see some snow. I think we've all been in the "oink-oink" mode but at least we can get ourselves out of it. I'm planning on buying a new journal tomorrow so I can have a "clean slate" to start the new year.

Well, ladies, my oldest son turned 21 today *sigh* what a momentous occasion for him and a bittersweet one for me. One of his friends just stopped by and said "he'd take care of him" tonight when they go out. I like his friends and they're pretty responsible, it's just that you worry....

Hi Ladies,

Well the 6 inches of snow turned into a foot and it's still snowing! So DD ended up getting another day of vacation. We still need to drive DS to Amherst today since his classes are scheduled to begin tomorrow. Hope the roads are a little clearer this afternoon. Since I'm home I should be productive and take down the rest of the Christmas decorations and maybe do a little cleaning. I certainly got in enough AP's this morning shoveling the driveway.

Susan that's great that your Mom is still so spry at 80. My Mom is going to be 70 on the 14th and I hope when she's 80 she's still as active as your Mom.

Lala that cold has been with you for awhile now. Not good when it settles in your lungs. I'm glad you're going to see the Doc. Other than these pesky few pounds I've put on, 2005 was a pretty good year for me. I think in 2006 I would like to focus on fitting in more exercise.

Hi Lisa and Melissa!

Well it's already after 11:00, I think it's time to wake DS and get him moving. I'll talk to your ladies tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday! I have been swamped at work. About half the work force returned yesterday and the rest today. I was in a fog most of yesterday after being off over a week. I stayed fairly OP yesterday till I saw the leftover crab dip (yum).

I congratulate all of you who have been brave enough to get on the scale. I am a big chicken and have not done so. I know that I need to--WI will be here before I know it. I did run almost 2 miles this morning (slowly).

I hate to tell you this, but it's about 76 here today and very humid. Don't worry, we're getting temps in the 30s on Friday night. That's just in time for my husband's office holiday party (yes, it's a little late).

Pam, that's a lot of snow at once. Shoveling snow is a lot of AP's! We took down our Christmas stuff, but it's not packed up yet. DH does a great job of that as he was a warehouseman in his past life.

Melissa, your son is 21? Wow! Time flies. We're all going to try to take off the pounds with you.

lala, good for you for your resolutions--some of those are really good. I stopped making them years ago; however, I may adopt some of yours.

Susan, it was good to hear from you. I'm glad you enjoyed your family. Stop in anytime; we'll give you support. Can you still run or is it to wintry there?

DH and I had some sad news over the Christmas break. His mother had fallen and is now in a rehab center in Ohio. They told her yesterday that she will never walk again (too weak). We know that she needs to stay in the same facility, but in a nursing home type wing. She is not thrilled to say the least, but she lives alone and was not managing well at all. We're 1500 miles away and DH's sister is in Oregon.

We also found out that an African teen that we had been sponsoring for the past two years passed away at the end of November. I still can't get over it. She had just sent me a nice letter. She was 16.

Sorry for the downer info.

Hello to Austin.

Hi everyone.

Having a day here, but its going along. Went to the gym this morning, so I get my gold star for today. I can't wait to see a whole weeks worth. Feeling a bit better, so that is helping my mental attitude.

I'm so bummed about the miners in W.VA. It just makes me so sad that those families had such hope and then joy and then sadness. It really makes me cautious about giving out information too soon - just like the old game of telephone.

Melissa -- congrats on growing a 21 year old responsible adult! You should be proud of your baby. You look fabulous as well.

Lisa - I could use a scootch bit of warmth, but I was thinking 60s. I'm sorry to hear about DH's mom. Having gone through that with DP's father, the best thing you can do is keep the lines of communication open with his sis and maybe do periodic spot checks. We were only 2 hours away by plane, but it was a good thing to check every few weeks.

I'm also sorry to hear about your teen. That is heartbreaking to lose someone so young.

Susan - welcome back. When do you move into your new digs? I'm glad you saw your family, I'm sorry about your dad's condition. Sounds like your mom is doing some self-preservation, which is good.

Pam - have you managed to shovel yourself out? I love Amherst. I almost applied there as a undergrad. Beautiful country. I hope he has a very sucessful semester.

Well, I should get back to work. I just need to get these files to match up just to start the actual work.

I'm up for a small challenge - 5 lbs before ground hogs day. This is a challenge for me as I have a trip to chicago, maybe paris and atlanta before it is over...

Anyone up for that?

lala

Hi all. Started a post yesterday, got interrupted, lost it, and didn't have the heart to start over.

lala: I'm up for a challenge too. 5 lbs by Feb. 2nd seems reasonable to me. Of course, if I don't get my sorry a** to the gym soon, it may turn out like some of my other challenges.

Lisa: My heart goes out to you, both on the loss of your young friend and on the turn of events with your MIL. Keep your chin up. You mentioned our perhaps wintry weather - NOT. Not one bit of snow left from the storm we had prior to Christmas. It's going to be balmy with rain tomorrow. No excuse not to run outside, yet I haven't.

Melissa: Yikes, a 21-year-old! Ya don't look like it could be possible, girl, so don't sweat it.

Pam: All that snow - I feel for you. We received a dump of 18 inches in New Brunswick on Dec. 26-27, followed by howling winds, then pounding rain which resulted in flooding, etc. Weird weather.

I take possession of the condo on Feb. 15th, so just over a month to go. I'll be going back to my old house Feb. 6th to pack things up. I know that will be hard, but at least things are better between M and I. He slipped and called me "Honey" yesterday during a phone conversation. And he has agreed to read a book on relationships. As things get better between us, I've begun to look at this move as a vacation of sorts - an opportunity to experience some personal growth in new surroundings - replace some old furniture that I no longer like - that kind of thing. At least it keeps me sane...

lala: forgot to mention that despite what my tracker says, I suspect we have a similar amount of weight to lose. Wanna be my partner? I'm serious.

Susan, I'm game. silly carrot.


Well, rainy day here. Feeling a bit better as well. Cleaning diety is back to work and so I hope to come home to a clean house. Dropped off a bunch of stuff at the post office today, this afternoon its visit the dry cleaner and then library and then most of my chores are done. Tonight we're having risotto a roni with lots of veggies, glazed salmon and chard. The chard must be gone tonight. The farmer's market is on Saturday and I want all veggies purchased there to be gone before we buy anything else. Thems the new rules chez lala.


Other than a run in with 8 hershey's kisses, i'm okay.

Will weigh on Saturday at gym to give you an idea of where I am...

Anyone have any very exciting plans for the weekend?

lala

Hi Ladies,

The winter melt down at work started on Wednesday (I originally thought it was Friday) with the weigh in. Thought I had about 7lbs to lose to reach my happy weight of 120, but alas I have 9. Oh well...I've been having some nice OP days this week so I'm going to try and keep it going. Tonight will be a challenge. We're going to Boston College (DH's alma mater) to see BC vs Northeastern hockey game. Hopefully, I'll stay away from the concession stand cuisine. Actually the only thing that really gets me are the big doughy pretzels with mustard. Not too much else planned for the weekend. After our huge snow fall on Tuesday it's been relatively warm with temps in the high 30's. Looks like it will get a little colder tomorrow and then go up again. I can only hope!

Lala your dinner last night sounded delish. I'm glad you're feeling better.

Susan glad things came together with the condo. I'm with you on having to get myself back to the gym. Sure would help the excess weight come off faster. I hope you and M have a nice dinner this weekend.

Lisa sorry your MIL is not doing well. I hope you and DH are able to find a facility for her. Not an easy thing to do. Such sad news about your teenage friend, so heartbreaking when young people pass away. Hope that is the last bad news you'll receive for a long while.

Melissa belated happy birthday to your son. Did he have a nice time with his friends celebrating . I remember worrying when my son turned 21. I didn't want him doing anything foolish with his friends. You read so much about kids going out and doing 21 "shots" to celebrate...yikes.

Well ladies hope you all have a nice weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday.

Hi ladies! I've been busy here at work--it's hard to believe that classes start up on Monday! It has made the time go by fast.

My son had a good time celebrating his birthday. He did have too much to drink but I guess you have to learn on your own. He did get sick too! Anyway, he said it's not like he's planning a "repeat performance" He hangs around with some pretty responsible friends so that's the good part.

Pam: We just got a dusting of snow last night--nothing major. The temps have gotten quite a bit colder (23) compared to the 40's we were experiencing a couple of days ago. I have 6# to get to my happy weight of 136. I've been struggling.

Lisa: Sounds like you've had your share of bad news. I hope it gets better! It's always hard when someone so young dies. Have fun at DH's party this weekend!

Susan: Thanks for the compliment I don't "feel" like I have a 21 year old! I'm up for a challenge--I need to move more!! I'm glad to hear that things are moving along with your condo; it sounds like things are going okay with M as well. I like your idea of using this time as a vacation of sort and of being able to replace things you really didn't like.

Lala: Sounds like you had a good dinner last night. My dad made up a nice pot of homemade bean soup. He puts barley, potatoes and carrot in it so it's nice and hearty. It was perfect for the cold/wet weather we had yesterday. When are you heading to Chicago? I was shocked to see that the Berghoff is closing! DH and I went there a couple years ago for drinks during a break in our holiday shopping.

So it seems as if everyone is up for an exercise challenge of sorts--I need the accountability. I'm planning on getting back into going to the Wellness Center on a regular basis. One of my friends from work (she also works at WW with me too) has agreed to buddy up with me to go to the Center 2 times a week. Both of us have been struggling with exercise so we figure we can help each other out. At first I was kind of hem-hawing and then decided that it would only help me out. Here's to new beginnings and getting our weight/exercise habits under control!!!