Countdown to 250....August 5 And beyond
 

WELCOME to all who choose to stop here. We are a fun group providing support, encouragement and motivation. We hope you will sit a spell, grab a bottle of water and chat awhile. We would love to get to know you.

Hi everyone! :wave: Sorry I wasn't here yesterday. I was seriously trying to get some stuff done around here. Didn't get too much done, just some groceries, bills paid, laundry, etc. :)

We were supposed to go out with friends last night and didn't so I asked DH (in this case, darn hubby :o ) if he wanted to go out somewhere anyway. Well he preferred to sit on his a-- in front of the TV until I got upset with him and he decided me being a b---- wasn't worth it so we did go to dinner. By the time we got to the show every darn parking spot in the place was taken. In front, on the side, even behind the theatre. So we barged in on the friends we were going to go out with and sat in their yard 1/2 the night! Amazing that you have to get all upset before hubbies get it!!! :eek: I'm just so sick of sitting in front of the TV. The only time we go out is when I have jobs. Now I know, that's a whole lot more than others go out, but heck, that's my job. I wish he would just take the initiative and suggest something fun once in awhile! Ok, I feel better now, I'm done complaining. Thanks for listening (or at least skimming the post til you got to here :lol: )

My food has been going GREAT this week. I am looking forward to WI tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for a decent loss for a change, something that will keep my motivation up. I have had some serious 'head' struggles this week. I think I'm finally over the Dairy Queen problem, but other problems have definitely been plaguing me. I have been strong in most cases and am conquering the little :devil: one by one!

Maggie: I tried to steal your pixie but it wouldn't let me change either. The page came up blank. :?: Not sure what's going on, I had changed my avatar once before. Are you guys selling the farm and everything? Like never to return???

Terri: How was the Taco dinner??? What a good DIL you are having in-laws over for dinner! :) Are you done unpacking yet???

Bunny: The wine cooler and bath sounds delightful. I hope you 'washed' away that yucky day and have had a much better time since then. BTW, yes, I'm Geri. :)

J-ann: Sounds like you had a busy weekend planned. Did you remember the cooler???

lilacglitter: I bet the bike is alot of fun. I thought they say that's one thing you never forget how to do? Well, ok, WE say you remember 'it's just like riding a bike'. * How did the BBQ go? The no point soup is always great for evening things out after a big meal. * That must be really scarey about the car bombing being so close. It would freak me right out!

Ellie: 3.2 is wonderful! Congrats! Is the WW smoothie mix gritty at all? I've tried Alba and Slimfast and they both have a gritty taste to them.

Hey Cindy, Brenda, Barb Diane, Chatty, Melissa and the rest of you: Hope you are all doing ok. Check in soon.

Here's that Clam Chowder recipe:

Chunky Clam Chowder

2 cans chopped clams, drain and reserve juice
½ cup water
2 cups diced potatoes
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup diced onion
White pepper (black is ok, if you don’t have white and don’t mind the black flecks in your soup)
2 cups corn (I used to of the small cans of Freshlike whole kernal corn, you can use fresh or frozen)
2 cups skim milk
¾ cup evaporated fat free milk
1 tablespoon corn starch

Drain clams, reserve juice. Mix water, potatoes, celery, onion, pepper, ½ cup clam juice in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 7 minutes. Add corn, simmer 5 minutes. Add milk and ½ cup evaporated milk, simmer 5 minutes. Remove one cup of the soup and blend it smooth in a blender or food processor. Add it back in to the sauce pan. (Here’s the secret on how it seems so silky using skim milk; this thickens it up nicely.) Add clams. Mix ¼ cup evaporated milk and the cornstarch. Add it to the saucepan and stir constantly until thick.

Makes 8 cups. 3 WW points per cup.

NOTE: If you doubled the recipe, you would use the whole can of the evaporated milk instead of having half of it leftover. You could also omit the corn if you prefer. Then the soup would be 2 points

Well girls, I've got paperwork and laundry still backed up here, so I'm gone. You all have a great day!!!

"Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have courage during the downs."

Hello! Today was much lovelier than yesterday -- and that's even with my tummy being a bit upset. :) We went walking for our usual couple hours this morning -- searching out merchandise at the flea market, thrifts, etc. It was hot and muggy (which I think contributed to the unwell feeling) but nice enough when a breeze would fly by. On program all day, yippee. :D We went to a local barbecue joint for dinner -- and I had a pork salad (fresh greens, veggies, and a 1/2 cup of unseasoned pork on top) which was surprisingly good when sprinkled with the hot barbecue sauce on the table.

Geri -- glad I got your name right -- I'm learning. :) My husband is a homebody and just hates going out. The only thing he resists harder than date night is an evening out with friends. I believe its been more than two years since we went out with another couple -- heck its been months since we had company over even. He's just more comfortable on his own. Our compromise is that I can make my own plans (as I do two or so times a week) that way I get my outta-the-house time and he gets to be a hermit. He does still get draggd (kicking and screaming sometimes) out from time to time -- but only when its socially required (like Thanksgiving at my folks or a good friend's birthday party). :)

Hope everyone had a great day!!

Hi everyone: :wave:

GERI: No, the smoothies are just that, very smooth:lol: Today in our newspaper it had recipes for slim fast and how to make different flavors from their shakes , so I am going to try it with ours. One sounded good, cause I love cinnamon. You just give 2 shakes of cinnamon in your shake, one was with mango and I think the other one was with raspberries.. hmmmm. having a senior moment..:eek: anyway, you can go to slimfast.com, then to their recipes and they have a whole bunch of them to try for different flavors, instead of just plain ole vanilla and chocolate. But they are good just plain also.

Isn't it funny how we look at things. I would just love to stay home all day on the weekend, and my husband wants to be on the run all the time. We get up, about 7 ot 8 and go to breakfast, and then go shopping and looking around the rest of the day... He loves the flea market and we have a huge one. I guess there has to be a happy medium some where...:lol: I do enjoy the breakfasts though, especially Bob Evans on Sunday morning.

Well, have to run.. it is storming outside and I already had to replace my modem one time cause it was hit by the lightening. It went through my telephone line. Soooooo, will talk to you all later, and everyone have a great week.. Ellie. :wave:

new day new week
 

Well, Hi everyone!
I have had a good weekend - I have been out riding on my new bike - I cant believe I can still do it! I did not go far, but I can build up I suppose.
The barbecue was quite difficult to stay on the programme with, but that was saturday and sunday I was back on it with some good veggie soup and a prawn salad

I make smoothies with just fruit in the blender - I love them! I put in a pinch of cinnamon to make them more interesting sometimes.

The going out/staying in thing is so hard, I do sympathise with everyone. I think people have different natures and I know I have to work quite hard to understand and accept the 'other type'! I am a staying in type of person. I go out if I really have to, but find it very emotionally draining, whereas a week's silent retreat (which I occasionally do) is just my idea of heaven on earth!

Have a good day everyone

Today's just begun and I'm already tired. I think I've not been getting enough sleep (we were up past midnight last night and I was up by 6 this morning). Not sure why -- I just wake up and *poof* I can't sleep any more. Hubby and I watched Chinatown last night -- I'd never seen it. Seemed strange for an American film 'cause the ending was on a down note ... and we tend to prefer those upbeat endings here, or so current cinema seems to tell me. Well done though -- but dang, isn't Jack Nicholson the hunkiest?? Today we'll be shipping and preparing for our kids to take off for three weeks. They're visiting family in Florida and then California (they saved up all their trip expenses on their own doing odd jobs for family and friends). We'll miss them -- but not for a week or so 'cause it will be so strange and neat to be on our own. :)


Maggie -- We moved to North Carolina about a year and half ago after our online business began to pay the bills. We suddenly realized that instead of complaining that we didn't have time for (another) Smoky vacation, we should just move. So we did. :D We're near the northern NC entrance to the Smoky's park -- up by Cataloochee. We're hoping to hike all 800 miles in the park while I'm losin' m'weight. Its a beautiful place -- I can't believe it took us so long to get here. :)

Lilacglitter -- Way to go with the biking. :) My teenager is always askin' me to join her when she rides but I'm so clumsy that walking is a challenge so it seems like a bad idea. ;) I think you can forget how to ride -- and I'm pretty sure I have. :D LOL!

Ellie -- I love smoothies! Why didn't I remember that before now? Sheesh. Now I have a new plan for some of the snacking/grazing I do all day. :D Thanks!! (Raspberries -- yum!!)

Arrrrgh! Ladies, that's the sound of me screaming because I lost a post with a lot of individual replies. I stupidly hit the back button in a spastic moment and lost everything. Grrrrrrrrrrrr :mad: Sorry that I don't have the fortitude to retype, and/or remember all that I said in the lost individualized posts. Saw the musical, Mama Mia (you know, the "ABBA musical") on Saturday. It was great! Afterwards, had a lovely dinner out at a nice restaurant. Ordered the seabass which was exquisite. That is something that I would probably not cook at home because I don't think that I could get a nice piece of seabass in the grocery store. Nice quality (farm-raised) salmon is plentiful, but not seabass. I sold a couple of things at the garage sale and made about $32! I was happy because it was only a handful of small stuff that was cluttering up my place. Congratulations to each one of you (bunny and ellie and everyone else) who have had wonderful weight losses in the past week. Lilacglitter, welcome to our little corner of the net. Glad to hear that you are safe and sound and were not injured in that horrific bomb blast last week. Geri, thanks for your kind support again on my aunt's situation. She was on extrordinary behavior at the doctor's office, but does not usually behave that way. Her regular MO is suspicious, impatient and combative. Still, we had a good evaluation day and I am grateful for every single one of the good days! it is miserably hot and humid in the presently windless, Windy City. Okay ladies, I hope that you are keeping cool and drinking plenty of cool liquids, wherever you are! Take care. Cindy (who continues to struggle with the food portion of program, but who is drinking plenty of water in the heat) :rolleyes:

Hi everyone! :wave: I've got about 5 minutes before I need to go and get dinner together. I put a pork roast in the crock pot last night before bed so I decided to ask if mom wanted to join us for dinner, 'cuz there will certainly be more than enough. I think I'll try some oven baked fries that I found a recipe for and a big salad. I also have cantelope and watermelon planned.

Well, here's the WI report from this morning. I am down 5, yes I said 5 BIG pounds this week. You guys, you cannot believe how ecstatic I am!!! Here's my happy dance! :D :) :D :) :D :) :D WooHoo! This is one happy camper!!!

The neat thing is I didn't feel deprived of anything last week. I was never hungry. I had Chineese one day, we had pizza one day, we even went out Saturday for Italian. So, I will continue on this journey in real earnest now. This was the jumpstart that I needed to get me going again. Look out California, here I come!!!

Sorry, but I've gotta run. I'll try and get back later to answer all of you.

Climb high,
Climb far,
Your goal the sky
Your aim the star.

Hi (waving),
Well it was a decent weekend. Almost blew it on Sat. The local Mickey D's called out as I was driving by and instead of going for my usual unsweetened iced tea
the drive thru lady reached out and absoultely forced me (Yeah Sure, HaHa) to order a chocolate sundae, I did and I ate it. It wasn't all that great either. Had to go home. praying all the way that I had enough points left in my day to cover my slip. I DID! Phew ... I was lucky that time.

I'll have to be really careful the next few times I'm out in the car. I've always treated my car as a food source. Get in, start the car, put something in my mouth, then drive. It's an awful thing to admit but when you don't have to share a vehicle with anyone it becomes a place where you can eat and no one see's you.
I try to have a water bottle or low-fat snack with me now. Or satisfy the drive thru urge with iced tea. This is a tough one for me.

It's so hot I've convinced myself to find a water arobics course in the Syracuse area. That's tomorrow's project on my break. Call the Y, & Kelly Lynn's and get class times and prices. Wish me luck.

BUNNY: Enjoy the free time! I'll bet you miss having those kids around in less than a week <G>.

LILACGLITTER: Keep on pedaling. There's not much better for you than biking. I've got it on my agenda for next summer, when I'm a lot smaller and have more stamina.

MAGGIE: I know those scales will come thru for you tomorrow. I can feel it! GOOD LUCK!

TERI: Yes I did "Remember the cooler"!

Catch you all later,

Hi again. :wave:

I wasn't going to write again today, but when I saw Geri's 5 pound lost I just had to say.. YA HOO... That is soooooo great!!. It really makes you want to try even harder and it wasn't that difficult to begin with.. I know we struggle every week with a point 2 here or a .4 there, but when you hit a whopper every once it a while , it is worth it..!!!!!:D

J-ann: I used to live in Geneva, Ny.. not too far from you. We moved here to Fla. about 30 years ago, but do get back up there every once in a while. My assistant I had is from Auburn, in fact she just moved back there in April. It's a very pretty area.

Bunny: glad I reminded you of the smoothies.. They are very filling and satisfy that craving sometimes. Will have to go to the WW site and get some more recipes for them like MAGGIE suggested... THANKS MAGGIE: :)

Well, will leave you gals again...I promise this time.. :lol: You all have great OP week... Ellie :wave:

GERI: WOW ...What a great weigh-in!

My hat's off to you.
(And that's quite a compilment from me because it means I'm letting the deer flies get into my hair. They Bite ! <G>.)

That's the best way to be reminded that if we stay within our points we will succeed.

Congrat's,

Hi everyone! :wave: Thanks all of you for the wonderful congratualtions. I still can't believe it myself. :eek: I promised I would be back to answer you all so here we go.

Bunny: I lived in NC for 2 years on a job transfer that my honey too. We were in Kernersville, a little town in the middle of Greensboro, High Point and Winston Salem. We really loved it there but when DH got laid off, he couldn't find work. :o How old are your kids? Sounds like they're gonna have a really great time - from coast to coast.

Ellie: I bought some SlimFast to have in the fridge for really on the go days but I had one and didn't like it and haven't touched them since. Maybe if I add some fruit and make it a smoothie I'll be able to swallow them. :p

Lilacglitter: See, you did remember how to ride. Sounds like the BBQ was a challenge, but you held your own and are back OP. Good for you! :)

Cindy: I loved your reference to the "windless Windy City". It's hotter than Haties here too. * Have you realized that Alzheimers patients are very good at 'faking it'? My dad was so 'good' when I was around that for awhile I thought my mom was going off the deep end making up stories about his behavior. :eek:

J-ann: It's been so darn hot here that I've put a small cooler in my van to put my water in while I'm making my stops. I also never leave home without an apple or two. * The water aerobics sounds like sooooo much fun. I love the water, just don't have the courage to put this butt and these thighs in a bathing suit! :spin:

Gonna hit the hay. You all have a good night. :yawn:

Hiya Geri, was going to shut off the computer, but decided to check-in for a second. Congratulations on that fantastic 5 pound loss! You worked so hard for it--earned every single one of those pounds gone. Take a bow for yourself, Geri. You did a great job. Keep up the good work and stay cool!

Maggie, that .8 will be gone in no time. Your determination will burn it off soon. I love your committment to yourself and staying OP. You're an inspiration, as always!

J-ann, nice going on using the heat to motivate you into finding a water aerobics course. What a joy to exercise and cool off at the same time!

Ladies, have a good night. At least we can dream of cooler weather. Cindy

Cool and rainy in London
 

You all seem to be having a long hot summer, but of course in England we get two days of sun (which we call 'the summer') and then it just rains for the rest of the year. :lol: At least I dont have to go out in to my garden to do watering this morning.

Geri - :spin: :spin: Fantastic loss!!! It is so encouraging to hear about it. Especially as you did not feel deprived. Just goes to show that sometimes we have to go and have all that nice food like chinese and italian etc. Good on ya.

Maggie - How annoying for you to have gone up a bit - but it might be water, or all kinds of things. Anyway, good for you for the recommit to your plan. You sound clear about that. I came to Tennassee for a holiday once. Actually I was in the blue ridge mountains in Georgia for two weeks, and around Atlanta, and then we drove up to Knoxville and then drove to Nashville and Memphis. What a time i had!! I think I was in one of the Carolinas too, but its all a bit hazy. What I most remember is how stunningly beautiful the mountains were, and how green everything was. And my favourite ever thing was FIREFLIES!!:spin: :love: Or 'lightening bugs' as a child I was staying with called them. Wow! What amazing things! I had never seen such a thing (although we have glow worms, but they are just very rare green luminous slugs.....boringly earthbound). I was so transfixed by the fireflies. Magic!

Cindy - I have never been to the windless/windy city, but i do watch ER......!!
I love restaurant fish too. We have an old fashioned fishmonger in town where we can get nice fish, and sometimes I go down to the coast for the day and get the newly caught stuff, which is :angel: heavenly

J-Ann - Oh the MacDonalds in the car thing.....eeekkk me too! I find that I only really do it when I am a bit down though, especially when I am angry but not really wanting to admit to myself that i am angry - sort of stuffing it down type of activity. And i always think I am going to love the burger, then I eat it and like eating it, but as soon as I have swallowed the last mouthfull i think 'ugh! and how horrible was that?'. but the secret eating in the car thing....oh yes, i do that. I think maggie has a good point about everytime you dont do it it is easier not to do it next time. Would it be madly extreme to eg glue your driver side window shut so the ritual of driving up and ordering would have to change - if you actually had to get out of the car maybe the allure of the whole thing would be shattered? Or at least a bit cracked? keep on sharing about it! the secrets are the killers.

Ellie - raspberries are totally the best. you have obviously inspired everyone with your smoothie suggestions!

Bunny - see my comments above about (almost!) your part of the world. Fantastic idea to walk the whole park. There is nothing more heartening than a good day out of the city. Have a lovely time without your children. No matter how lovely they are, time without them is so precious!!

Well, i am off for my bike ride:D although it is really making my bum hurt, in a sort of triangle pattern

Good luck to all for an OP day - I weigh in tonight so we will see what week one has brought me.....
love to all.

Morning, ladies! :) (And any lurking gents, too). We're about to head off to leave my kiddies with my folks -- who will later take them to the airport in Orlando for their trip to California. I also get to take a side trip my my distributor today -- something I've been dying to do but which we've been a bit too tapped out for lately. :D So all in all, it looks to be a long, mostly-in-the-car, but fun kinda day.

Geri -- wow! Five pounds! Wow!! Congratulations. Whatever you're doin' -- its working. :D

Lilacglitter -- we've had nothing but rain this month (and a good bit of last) as well. Our creek hasn't flooded, but quite a few folks in our area lost their bridges to sudden high waters. On the other hand, my garden is growin'.

Maggie -- I've read somethin' about the point plan (I think!) that you came up with but I'm blankin'. Can you elaborate? :) My girls are 10 and 13 -- and this is the second trip they've saved up for themselves. We're mean parents (by the standards of their peers) because we insist they pay their own way but I honestly figure its better for them in the long run. :) Plus, they can go places we'd be unlikely to send them if they pay themselves. A few years back they were featured in the Gainesville Sun (FL) in an article on savings accounts and children. (I'll stop being a boastful mom now. LOL!)

J-ann -- I've begun to bring a full thing of water/ice with me where ever I go. I find that just being able to drink up helps keep my full so I'm less tempted by treats on the road. When we're planning an all-day trip (like today) I also bring along a SlimFast bar (the 2 pt chewy caramel) and some carrot sticks. My thinking is that the bar helps with sweet cravings, the sticks with crunchy cravings, and the water just keeps me cool and full.

Y'all have a great, OP day! See ya tomorrow. :D

WI Report
 

Good morning,

Only have time to post my first official weighin results. I lost 1.2 lbs which is good considering I had so much trouble keeping my points under my max. But I feel I'm making the adjustment downwards and will get this under control so I have another loss next Monday.

Geri - WOO HOO. You've worked hard for that 5 pounds and you deserve to feel great. Now keep your focus and don't "celebrate" your loss away like I usually do!

Everyone else--I'll print the topic at lunch today and get caught up with everyone tonight. How did I get so far behind???

Have a great OP day and be strong!

Good Morning everyone! :wave: I figured I would start the day checking in here. That seemed to work pretty good last week! :o

Gosh you were all busy posting after I went to bed last night. Can't hardly keep up any more. But this is so much better than when no one is here! :D

Thanks everyone for your kind congrats. We are working for another loss this week of course! :cool:

Cindy: This heat is enough to make me crazy. I hate sitting in the house with the air on. I love sitting in my backyard and unwinding and my garden really needs tending. I need to dead-head my flowers so they'll bloom again and I just bought some perennials at Frank's Nursery that need to get into the ground, but it's too darn hot to dig right now so I'm just watering them real good. :p

Lilacglitter: I DO remember the rain in England. My husband and I (we weren't married at the time) were there for 3 weeks one summer on a choir tour. We spent 2 weeks in the Lake District and 1 week in London. It was Wonderful! :)

Bunny: Gosh, I wish you would send some of that rain up here. We are having a draught this summer. We're on water rationing and all. Everyone's grass is just brown. The flowers look pathetic. Eeeeek! :eek:

Terri: 1.2# Good For You!!! You keep it up. It's so hard to get back with it when we have been lagging for awhile. I do believe it gets easier as you get on a roll. :dizzy:

Gotta get to work, but before I do, I want to share this with you. My WW leader Angie really does a nice meeting every week. Besides lecturing, she always uses visual aids and she had this done up as a poster to work off of and I thought it was one of those 'printable' things that I will hang up above my computer. You all have a GREAT day!

Make It Your

P romote long lasting weight loss.
R emember you are in charge.
I f you invest alot you'll get alot in return.
O bsessed by the scale? Get Over It!!!
R eview the evidence - your journal.
I know you can do this -- Now you say it!
T ake it one meal at a time, one day at a time.
Y ou need to take a time out to do something for yourself - everyday!

Good Tuesday afternoon ladies, it's another hot and humid one today, but then this type of weather is becoming routine. Ugh! It's a routine that I would like to break. I'm at work, sitting in air-conditioned comfort, and fighting the urge to buy a candy bar. So far, I'm winning, but I have at least another hour of work so I'm not going to be smug about it. Food has been okay today. I'm a little low on the water, but I'm sure that I can make it up by the end of the day. It was just too hot out to really take a long walk so I did a shorter one at lunchtime. Oh, and I ate fruit (2 plums) for a snack--now that's a first (in a long time)! :dizzy: You all are doing great OP and I am trying to follow your lead. You all have a good OP evening. Cindy

Geri, I liked your "PRIORITY" It focused on the right things that I forget too easily. Oh, how I envy your central air-conditioning. The central A/C at work is enough to make me want to stay here and work late! Sad, but true! Hope that you get some rain soon. I would have loved to have sent you even a fraction of what we got last Thursday. Keep cool!

Terri, congratulations on your wonderful 1.2 pound loss. Doing great, lady. You and the pooch should be proud! :D

Bunny, hope that you had a good trip in your car today. Keep up the great OP work.

Lilacglitter, good luck at Weigh-in today. You're doing great with your OP ways and your bicycle-riding. I can't remember where it is in England that you live. Do you have nice places to ride? Hope so. Chicago is very flat and it is not very difficult to ride a bike here (except for the car traffic). I loved the idea of you going down to "the coast" to get your fish. Take care.

Hi everyone!
Wednesday morning. I will tell you this straight away - I lost 5.5lbs! I am so pleased! I know that it was week one and its easier on week one, and I have been on 'powerstart' which meant I only had 22points a day (28 this week), but even so, I am really encouraged. :) :spin:

And Cindy, yes I have some lovely places to ride my bike. I am 5 minutes from Richmond Park, which is huge and has deer so that is very nice, and i am also about 10 minutes from the Thames (flat tow path - fantastic). I could go about 2 miles down the Thames and get to Hampton Court, which is Henry VIII's palace - a lovely Tudor building with very pretty gardens.

Everyone have a good, enthusiastic day, and trust the process to work for you!!
love to all

Hump day Wednesday!
 

Good morning! :wave:

Woohoo we may finally have a break in the heat this week. It was a very lovely evening last night. I took the dog for a long walk and we both loved it. I tried to wimp out this morning but at 5:15 I heard him whining so we had a slower stroll this morning. He's in the back yard and I'm thinking power nap!!! :lol:

Food has been going well the last two days. Last night we tried tuna steaks with avacado salsa. Very reasonable in points. I have to say that the salsa was good but it really lacked spicy flavor to offset the tuna. It really needed something but not quite sure what. I'll post it tonight as it is a very easy recipe. I used the frozen Orca Bay tuna steaks. I had never tried them before and actually did quite well. For some reason I don't do that well with fresh fish. DH found the recipe and whined about making it then acted like a horse's butt because he didn't like "something" about it. He never could answer whether it was the fish, the salsa, missing a flavor, or what. He's a killjoy when it comes to trying new things. He says he loves to try new things but then doesn't give them a fair shot. So I was pretty miffed at him last night. Enough whining about DHs.

I finally got caught up on posts last night so here are some very belated replies:

Geri - The taco dinner was good. MIL loves the house; but then again she gushes about everything! She was NOT impressed with the dog. The way she had gone on about seeing his picture and everything, I thought she was really interested in him. I had no idea she does not like animals. Thanks for all the recipes. My DH is a dud about going out too. Heaven forbid we do anything I really want to do no matter how many football/baseball/golf games I put up with. I love your motivations that end your posts.

Bunny - Do you have a shop that you were searching for merchandise for? Sounds fun. I've never had a pork salad before but that really did sound good. Hope your trip went well and you enjoy your time without kids!

Ellie - Thanks for the info on the smoothies. I picked up a box of chocolate mix at WW this week. Haven't had time to try it yet. A very belated congrats on your 3.2 loss last week.

Maggie - That's too funny about the vinegar and hickups. Good thing it does work; not sure plain vinegar would be very yummy. Sorry to hear about the .8 but looks like you're making it a learning experience. You are very inspiring that way.

Lilac - Good for you for the new bike. Yes, if you stick with it you can definitely build up. I bought a bike about 7 years ago. I could barely ride down the block and back. But I really enjoyed it and kept working at it. Within six months of training, I was able to ride 100 miles in 8 hours (at about 225 lbs). It can be done!! Now obviously I'm a lot heavier and have lost that conditioning but keep dreaming of doing it again. Oh yes, the bomb there by your work made our news here in Missouri, US. I had heard about it from you before it was on the news! Congratulations on your 5.5 lb loss. That is awesome, keep up all your good efforts. :)

Cindy - Hang in there and don't beat yourself up. You're still here with us and you've been dealing with a lot of emotional issues dealing with your aunt. Every one thing you do right for yourself is so much better than none! I hear you about the heat, mugginess and walking. I take the dog at 5:30 am and after 9:00 pm at night and we're both hot and nasty when done.

J-ann - Ice cream stuff is hard for me to resist too. That and Sonic cheddar poppers. Little devil temptations to keep us from our goals! Since you had enough points, then you did just fine.

Time to hit the shower. Have a great OP day!

Good morning! Yesterday I stayed (mostly) OP -- ended up using a couple banked points for the McDonald's ice cream cone I had while waitin' for my dad to meet us in Macon. :) Not bad for bein' travelin' from 9 am to midnight, imo. The kids are gone for three week and the house is eerily quiet. I never knew how much noise the kids make even when they're sleeping. :D Today we have to pack/ship stuff and generally make up for takin' yesterday off.

Determined to succeed (Terri, maybe -- I'm still learning names!) The Tuna steaks sound interesting, to say the least. Do you think they could use some spicing to counter the avacado stuff instead of the other way around? (I'm always trying to spice everything -- my favourite way to make chicken is to grill chicken breast strips smeared in a paste of 1/3 c wine and 1/3 cup *each* red, white and back peppers. Yum!!) My husband and I are both "online entrepeneurs" -- which sounds much fancier and more legitimate than saying we sell on eBay, Amazon, and our website to earn our bread. :D Yesterday was a side trip to my bra wholesaler for new merchandise. Today will be a photograph and update the website kinda day.

Lilacglitter -- WOW! A big loss! Congratulations! You must be on air. (Plus, you live where I wanna vacation next even though my next long vacation is probably decades away. LOL!)

Lunacat -- I love the little chewy caramel SlimFast bars when I have a candy bar cracing. And the 3 pt crunch peanut butter SF bars really do taste like Butterfingers to me! *yum* They help me make it through the movies like nothing else ('cause I've always been a soda, popcorn, candy kinda gal at the movies -- and now I'm a baggie of air pop, soda (diet has always been my favourite) and SF bar kinda gal).

Geri -- I haven't been to a meeting yet (only weigh-ins on Fridays) and I envy you your leader. :) I keep thinking this will be the week where I get to a meeting (heck, maybe this morning 'cause we're not shopping!!) and be reminded of what in-the-flesh support is like. :D Y'all are a wonderful group here -- I think that's why I enjoy this thread so much is 'cause you folks know what its like and are endlessly supportive through it. :)

Hello everyone, (sniffle, sniffle) I'm back from the trailer.

I had a great time. My daughters ball team is going to the Ontario "GRANDS". They picked up a silver metal on the weekend. It was terrrific.

We had a great time at the trailer. It was hot and sunny and we got in a lot of swimming and laying around the beach. The sunburn was a bit much but I guess my skin is just not used of the sun. I will have to start using a higher UV sunscreen.

Dawn brought 4 other ball players back to the trailer after the qualifiers and it was very interesting having 5 teenagers. They are just so full of life, it was refreshing to watch.

Well, I ate too much and my punishment for that was a nasty cold. On my way home last night I started sneezing and now it's a full fledge headcold and I stayed home for work today. I feel real poopy.

It looks like everyone is busy and doing well and I'll try to catch up on individual post tomorrow.

Take care everyone...

Good afternoon ladies!

It is another hot, humid day in Canada's Capital - as it is everywhere else it seems.

I've been lurking and not posting the past couple of weeks. I now realize the reason I haven't been posting is that I've been pretty down and I didn't want to infect anyone.

Anyways, I just weighed in and had a .5 gain (last week I stayed the same) so that makes two weeks in a row without any "success" at the scale. :o

The ironic thing about it is that today's meeting topic was "emotional eating". How appropriate!!!

The past couple of weeks, I have run the complete gamut of emotions - we celebrated my parents' 50th wedding anniversary a week and a half ago, I've had visitors constantly over the past two weeks and my mother-in-law came for a visit in the middle of all this. PLUS, I'm PMSing in a really big way today and I haven't had a good night's sleep in a few days (because of the heat). Suffice it to say that I've been having difficulty staying OP and today's meeting topic really hit. It made me realize how good it "used" to make me feel to post messages here so I decided to "check in" with you ladies rather than just lurking. Thanks for being here and for listening!

Maggie, way to go with your resolve to stay OP. I've decided to follow the Wendie plan this week. Maybe we can "hold hands" and get through it together!?!?! :wave:

Canadian, welcome back to civilization. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Lilacglitter, welcome and congratulations on your wonderful success at the scale. It's encouraging when it works so well isn't it?!? I've been reading your posts about your bicycle and the places you ride. Sounds wonderful. I've haven't worked up enough courage yet to get back on a bike. I keep getting this image of a really fat lady on a bike and wonder where the seat went!!! :?: Good for you for doing it! Keep up the good work and keep us posted!!!

Geri, I really like your "priority" poem. I printed it and hung it on the wall. Very motivational! And congratulations on your great success at the scale. You deserve it lady! Way To Go!!!

Terri, are you started to feel "settled" yet in your new home? Isn't moving the worst?!?! Sounds like you're doing fine OP. Keep it up, you'll be at goal in no time!

Sorry I don't have time to write to everyone individually - I have to do some work. Hope you are all have a great OP day, keeping your chins up and a smile on your face - It Makes All the Difference In The World!!!

Catch ya later! :)

Hello everyone! :wave: It is a great day in Michigan.

Well, ok, it could be better. I just wrote long messages to everyone and I don't know what I did, but I looked at the screen and *poof* it was gone! :mad: So this is a re-type. Good thing I write my responses out before I type or you'd be getting nothing and I would throw in the towel for the day!

I have been OP this week and it is good to feel in control of my life again.

I made smoked sausage last night for dinner. There is a wonderful product, if you haven't found it, called Hillshire Farms Lean and Tasty Sausage. I put it in a dish with a little water and microwave it. Then cut it into 4 pieces which makes the pieces bun sized. (I have 1 point buns available here) Each piece of sausage is 4 points so I basically have 'sausage dogs' for just 5 points a piece. YUM! I also made some Baked French Fries that were pretty good so if you all would like the recipe, I will post it for you.

Cindy: Hope you made it through the rest of the day yesterday wrestling the candy bar monster and came out on top! * They're predicting thunderstorms for tonight or tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Lilacglitter: 5.5# is WONDERFUL!!! :) I've never heard of 'powerstart', but hey, whatever works.

Terri: Sounds like you're doing great! Guess you and poochie have worked things out! * Too bad DH isn't up for new stuff. My guys, all three of them, are pretty good about trying stuff once. Then we all vote to see if a recipe is a keeper. * I love grilled tuna steaks. DH is kind of a die hard when it comes to fish, he likes his fried! Altho' I have to say that he enjoyed the salmon I grilled on the bar-b-q a couple of weeks ago. * Glad you like the quotes.

Bunny: You might find you have a great WW leader too. They are definitely a wealth of information. We are sooo glad you joined our group. What is the address of you site? I know you can't advertise here, but if you're not comfortable posting it, send me a private message. I would love to check it out.

Maggie: Good for you still keepin' on. You are definitely my inspiration! :)

Brenda: So glad you had such a wonderful vacation. Sorry about the cold. They sure are nasty in the summer!

Diane: Please don't ever feel like you shouldn't post here just because you are down. Actually, when you're down in the dumps is when you need to be here even more. That's what we're all here for, to try to bring you back up. It sounds like your plate has been pretty full lately, I hope you have some peace soon so that you can take a deep breath and get back to taking care of YOU! [[[hugs]]]

Gonna run. I have my monthly Family Council prep meeting tomorrow and I have some designing to do before then. You all have a GREAT day!

"There is no progress without some discontent and discomfort."

Good Wednesday afternoon ladies, it is still miserably hot here, but I can't complain too much because I'm at work in the A/C. :) So far, I'm having an okay day with the food/points and water. Yesterday, I managed to avoid the candy bar at work, but fell apart later and ate some donuts in the evening. There is a Dunkin Donuts shop that is on the way home from work and I broke down and got their 2 for 99 cents special. :mad: It may have been cheap, but it was absolutely no bargain when it comes to health. Hate it when I do these dumb things, but I am going to accentuate the positive (as the song says). I'm writing what I'm biting again and trying for some small successes. Ladies, I'm actually thinking of weighing myself again and forcing more accountability in my life. It's a thought, anyway. You all have a good OP evening.

Geri, so glad to hear that you are having an OP week. Go Geri go! Your recipies sound delicious.

Diane, good to hear from you. Listen, when you're down is really the best time to write and get some support. The ladies here are the best! You have been going through a lot, lately so give yourself some credit. Deep breath now. . . okay, feel a little better? Hope that you do. Have a good one.

Brenda, welcome home and congratulations to your daughter on her Silver. Oh, it is no fun having a cold, especially in the summer. Take it easy and ease yourself back into program.

Maggie, Maggie's Plan is working wonders because Maggie (you) are doing the hard work. Keep up the great job that you are doing.

bunny, nice going on the McD's ice cream cone. You worked it into program and had a nice treat on a hot day. Thanks for the tips on the SlimFast bars. I have never tried them before, but may buy some to "stash" in the office. I'm an on again, off again, junk-food junkie so I like to find out about healthy alternatives to the bad stuff. Orville Reddenbacher's Smart Pop has "saved me" on occasion. :D

Terri, I thought that your tuna dinner sounded wonderful! Sorry that DH wasn't was appreciative. Nice going on working the program so well. My hat is off to you for walking the dog in the early morning and late night. I think that my borrowed dog buddy must hate me by now because it has been about 2 weeks? since we last walked. Oh boy, I just felt a twinge of guilt. :o

Lilacglitter, congratulations on that fantastic 5.5 pound loss! Outstanding job, lady! With your biking and focus to stay OP, you will reach your goal. I was in London a few years ago and was so impressed by the great number of large beautiful parks and gardens. I took the Tube to Kew Gardens and walked around there by myself for a couple of hours. It was such a beautiful place. I can't remember if people were allowed to ride bicycles on the grounds, but I seem to recall a lot of mom's pushing baby strollers. Say, keep on pedaling!

Today was long and kinda quiet -- as expected 'cause the kids are on vacation for most of August. We woke up earlier than we'dve liked and have paid for that all day. Its kinda like I'm off a beat -- I've dropped a desk on my foot (ow), deeply cut my thumb (double ow), and otherwise mauled, bruised, or bumped my head, other foot, shoulder, and elbow. Sheesh. I'm usually clumsy but not this clumsy! On the plus side, I managed to get a new desk, printer stand, and hutch assembled and set up in my "office". I have my inventory close at hand and all is right with the world. :D

Diane in Ottawa -- I do hope your week to come is more uplifting. It sounds like you've been bombarded with a buncha different things and once -- and staying centered in the midst is tough, eh?

Maggie -- I can't quite imagine (yet!) eating 18 points only in a day. Yikes. :) You're motivation to stay on track is just astonishing. Wow! :)

Geri -- I want the baked fries recipe. :) I'm a fry fan but haven't had any since startin' WW -- 'cause moderation isn't one of my better skills. My website is linked to, btw, in my profile. I'm not sure if that's allowed -- but it seemed to be so that's how I've done it. :) Bras are my passion. Can't wait 'til I can fit into some of the more fascinating ones! LOL!

Lunacat -- We used to eat three (!!) Krispy Kreme glazed donuts every Saturday and Sunday morning 'cause one of our friends at the local flea market would buy them hot and bring them to sell to the crowds there. I miss 'em. :) Yummy, yummy, not so good for ya. I sometimes think there are foods that are just about yelling, "Resistance is futile". ;)

TA DA!!!! Just got back from WI. I GOT MY KEYRING! I can't believe I lost another 5 lbs too. I needed to loose 32 lbs to earn that little key ring and I'm going to treasure it for a long time. Car keys are goig on it as a reminder to stay away from the drive-thru at Mickey D's. <G>

BUNNY: Sounds like you're having a "klutz day". You be careful and stay out of the car. It sounds like the kind of a day whereyou could back right into something that "isn't there". 8~)

LUNACAT: Hang on to that steering wheel and don't let it turn into Dunkin's. That place is death for me too. Sounds like several of us are fighting the fast food bug this week. We've got to stick together and stay away. I've saved a lot of $'s lately by eating OP and not scarfing Fast Foods.

GERI: Glad to see you OP. Your smoked sausage sounds good but having grown up in a house where kielbasa was a once a week meal, I just can't get that type of sausage down anymore.

DIANE: Let us know how the Wendie Plan goes. Iy looks interesting and I hope it works. I've saved it.

BRENDA: Congrat's to the girls. Good to see active youth. Yuotake care of that cold and drink lots of water. Hope you're feeling better soon.

LILACGLITTER: WTG! Nice loss. I'm sure that the biking has helped your Powerstart. Go For It!



Gotta go put the critters out and fix their dinners.

Rainy day forgot my umberella!
 

Its Thursday, and I have been OP...I have a tupperware box of salad in my handbag, and a small tin of weight watchers tuna with sweetcorn, and a weight watchers all day snack bar. I wonder if we get different WW products here in the UK? I have not seen smoothies or anything at the meeting, but none of you have mentioned the heavenly WW chocolate crisp bar which is 1.5 points, and I can buy in boxes of 5 at the meeting. It has real chocolate on it, and I think it just might get me through this. Each bar is quite tiny (hence 1.5 pts;) ) but at least it is chocolate.

Tuna steaks are wonderful! I do them in a marinade of soy sauce, lime juice, fresh grated ginger, honey (count the point for it), and sometimes a bit of balsamic vinegar if it needs more depth. It is quite 'kicky' then. I use the left over marinade as a sauce, or to dress a salad to go with.

J-Ann FANTASTIC!!!!! You got your key ring!!! Yes!! That is the 10%er isnt it? Oh that is so wonderful! And you have worked so hard to get there! I am so pleased for you - really really chuffed! I feel a bit tearful! Good for you.

Bunny - ouch, desk on foot is not nice. Glad you got your office sorted.

Cindy - Kew is indeed lovely. I have annual membership there and walk there quite often. I love the 'filmy fern house' (largely because I like saying 'filmy fern' 'filmy fern' 'filmy fern'!). Sounds like its as hot in your part of the world as it is in one of those glasshouses. Keep on keeping on. Weighing in really helped me to get real - not beatmyselfup real, just 'oh, ok, that is about 45 pounds more than I thought it was going to be...' (honestly! eeek!).

Geri - I do baked fries using sweet potatoe, and mixing a teaspoon of cumin, with one of coriander, and one of cinnamon, and a bit of soy or balsamic vinegar, and tossing the sweet potato in it, and baking for about 45 mins...yum!!!!

Diane - pleased to 'meet' you! And definitely post when feeling poo-ey. I certainly would want just as much to hear from you then as in the better times. After all, what is support for? And that cycle seat...hmm...I know where it goes...(ouch:o ):lol:

Canadian - Hope the cold is working its way through. And yes, the energy of teens! We should get bonus points just from watching them....

Maggie - hope Maggies Plan is going well! My breath is bated!

Terri - I am completely inspired by the idea of doing 100 miles a day in 6 months time (although I have to say it sounds completely impossible from where I am sitting (ouch) now :lol: . What a pain, your husband not being clear about what it is about the tuna dish he didnt like. It does not give you much to go on!


Have a good day everyone!
Love from a thunderstormy day (its just gone so overcast I am going to have to put the light on).

DO NOT POST HERE!

We're on the second page and I will start a new thread. Again. You know, I'm not the only one that can do this!!! :eek:

Go to: Countdown to 250....August 9 and beyond.

this is just an experiment to see if I can attach an image...!!!