#234--Bale of Turtles Taking Things in our Stride!
 

:carrot: :welcome3: We are the Turtle Group here at www.3fatchicks.com. We welcome you to join us as we work toward good health and fitness in a persistent manner. As our inspiration, we use the race between the turtle and the hare where the turtle was the victor because he didn't give up. We believe in keepin' on by using the skills and techinques we have learned from experience to keep us on track. We believe in giving each other support. Good luck to us all!
Judy
Itryharder
(for Lin and Lauren)

Hi Turtles,
Princess, your garden sounds fantastic. You were really busy this weekend.

I had a nice weekend topped off by a visit from our grandson and dd. We swam and had a tiny BBQ. I had made baked beans (2points/1/2 cup) and I'll give you the recipe right now. It has no fat, and much less salt and sugar than the canned beans. Since I made them with a 1#bag of dried pinto beans, they were also cheap and plentiful. Here's the recipe:

Slow Cooker Saucy Beans
(The recipe calls for bacon or salt pork, but I ignored that)

1# dry navy or dry Great Northern Beans (or pinto)
8 cups cold water
1 cup chopped onion
1/2cup ketchup
1 1/4cups water
1/4c packed brown sugar
1/4c. molasses or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1t. dry mustard
1/4 t. pepper

1. Rinse beans. Drain. In large pot, combine beans and 8 cups water. bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer for 2 min. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. (or omit simmering; soak beans in cold water overnight in covered Dutch oven.) Drain adn rinse. In the same dutch oven, combine beans and 8c fresh water. Bring to gboiling. reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Drain beans. In a 31/2-to 4qt. slow cooker, combine drained beans and onion. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.

3. Cover, cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours. Stir before serving.

Serves 12 2 points/1/2c. serving

This looks way complicated-----but it's easy to do. I let the beans sit in the covered Dutch oven overnight and then proceeded with the recipe. Great with any grilled meat. Great for a party or BBQ and also can be frozen in individual servings.

Have fun!
Judy
234.6/190.4/189 and closer to goal :cool:

KimL, so good to hear from you. My goodness! You've had a lot to do in the heat. You sound terrific. Keep on keepin' on!

Hey, I checked my calendar and in the last ten days, I've gotten on the :tread: eight times. Each time, I put in an hour and walked more than three miles. I'm counting on the fact that this should help me lose some weight. I'm cooking fish and asparagus for dinner tomorrow right before my WI and hoping that's enough to see the scale move in the right direction! A :goodscale: would be very welcome.

Gotta run----just wanted to check in.
Judy
234.6/190.4/189 and closer to goal

TBL Doc's Chili Recipe:

3 cups diced onions (I used less)
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced bell peppers (I used a variety of colored peppers)
1 pound lean ground turkey
3 cups tomatoes (I used canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes by Hunts)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cups LS chicken broth
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp chili powder (I used more)
1 Tbsp oregano (I used mixed Italian seasonings)
1 tsp cumin (I used more)
1 tsp ground mustard (I did not use this)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can tomato paste

Directions:
1) You can throw all of this in a crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours
OR
2) You can do the stove top method which is what I do - brown the ground turkey and drain any excess grease - In a large pot start to cook the vegetables with a little bit of broth or water until they are fork tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on med to low temps for about an hour or until seasoned through. I added my tomato paste about half way through the final cooking time.

Makes about 12 - 1 cup servings at 4 pts a serving.

Good morning all and happy Tuesday to everyone!

Rainy here today but it is supposed to be this way just about all week with very high - humid temps. My veggie garden is chugging along, I did not go out last night to check the cuc's which means I will have lots of them when I go out this evening if it stops raining long enough... they grow super fast!

I skipped the gym last night but will go tonight to walk on the treadmill and take a yoga class. DH and I took the dogs to the park last night instead and walked around so everyone enjoyed that!

I posted the chili recipe that I had talked about in the past - I did it from an online version that I found and have to double check it when I get home but I think that I have it right... I will post corrections if they are needed.

Judy: Great job on the exercise! You are doing wonderful, I just know that your W/I will be awesome! Thanks so much for posting the bean recipe, I have it copied over to my PC and will print it for this weekend! I wanted to ask you... does Ariana ever post on here anymore? I miss her, she was so inspirational!

Kim: Good luck with the move... moving is stressful but it sure sounds like you are handling it really well! The hot temps sure don't help!

Tessa: How are you doing lately?

Cherry: What is new with you?

Bandit: How are things going up your way? Anything new with you? I got my first TOPS magazine yesterday in the mail but have not had time to look at it yet... I am excited though!

Have to run but talk soon!

Hi Turtles,
Princess, thanks for the chili recipe. I'm printing it out and will enjoy it, I'm sure.
As far as Ariana, our young Turtle who made flannel quilts and exercised like crazy and was sooooooo inspirational, alas she hasn't posted here in a long time. Ariana, if you're out there and reading, please let us know what you're up too. You are missed!

Have a great day. My goal today will be to make sure I don't sabotage myself. My weight could go either way for my WI. The scale isn't moving, but it's not going up either. :goodscale: is my dream!
Judy
234.6/190.4/189 and closer to goal :cool:

Good morning everyone!

I hope that everyone is doing well and having a good week. I went to Yoga class last night and it was a good class, sore today but that is the way it goes I guess... will be even more sore tomorrow... LOL. The scale is not moving for me this week at all but I know it is a combination of a lot of things so will just try harder and keep at it. No gym tonight but will get out for a walk instead as it is not supposed to rain today.

I am still waiting for my book to arrive... getting eager to read it so I sure hope it comes soon!

Judy: Do you W/I on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings? I can never seem to get it straight but either way I hope it is a wonderful occasion! The chili recipe is good and you can adjust however you want to really. Not really the best time of year for it but it is a nice change when you need it. It would be great to see Ariana post again, you are right, she always had words of wisdom and was a positive force here with the turtles...

Bandit: Have not seen you online lately, I hope that all is well with you!

Have to run but have a great day everyone!

Morning, turtles

Princess - nice job with the yoga, I am sure that will help with your weight loss. Chili recipe sounds delicious - thanks.

Just trying to stay cool and have lots of things going on. This weekend I have my ladies group 2nd anniversary dinner Fri night (then some of us are going dancing) a wedding on Sat & wedding brunch Sun a.m. then dinner with my gf Sun evening. As well, my dd gets back from Mexico Thurs night & looking forward to a visit with her as well. This will definately be a tough eating weekend but hopefully the dancing (and trying to get in some walks)
will help.

Judy - Good luck at the scales this week.

Cherry - hope you are OK, tough with little ones especially when they are sick. I remember eating up all the little bits my dd left on her plate & I am sure they added up to lots of extra points throughout the day. Now, I keep a container for the birds/squirrels and throw in those leftovers for them.

Kim - Moving & cleaning in the heat must be very difficult. Congrats for your efforts.

Princess - I got my Tops magazine yesterday in the mail but haven't read it.

Tonight have my final weigh in with Wed chapter, then off to another one on Thurs next week. It will probably be alittle tense since I really don't know exactly who is transferring, so will just get in/out quickly and see who shows up next week on the Thurs evening.

I am really looking forward to a new start with hopefully more positive attitudes.

Stay cool, everyone!

After a few weigh ins of going up and up yesterday I had a weigh in of 241.6 which is down by -.2 So atleast i am going in the right direction. This morning with my sneak weigh in which is in no way official i was down to 240.4 so i was excited to see that. I need to get in some exercise. I know that it can help with depression because it releases endorphins or something like that. My 3 year old has been very destructive lately and so i am having a hard time dealing with that.

Judy- Hoping you get a great weigh-in. cant wait to find out.
Bandit-Thanks for the encouragement. It is hard not to eat off the kids left overs if i am feeling hungry or snacky.
Princess-Not a whole lot is new lately. Only we had to get a new air conditioner because ours suddenly quit on Monday. Love the added expenses.
Kim-Great to hear from you. That is a lot of work to do in that heat.
LinS- How are you doing?

Hope i didnt forget anyone.

Princess, glad you're with yoga. I'm a little afraid to try it again since I really hurt myself the last time I did it. Maybe I should look for a beginner's tape and try again. :tread:

Cherry, glad you saw a loss at the scale. Hey---look at your tracker. You're doing great. :goodscale:

Bandit, wow, you have a really busy weekend coming up. Luckily you are sociable and have figured out how to avoid the biggest pitfalls! Good luck at your new TOPS meeting coming up. Maybe tonight will be a little awkward, but your next meeting should be great. :goodscale:

Today at my WI, it was disappointing. I've had a great month and I've managed to gain .6#. I know that isn't much, but I'm killing myself and the scale is going the wrong direction. My leader told me what I'm doing isn't working and I've got to change it up! She feels I'm eating too little food. So, I've decided starting tomorrow to do filling foods and use some maintenance points for a serving of bread daily. I think this may work because when I would eat on the Core program, I did well. This will work. I know it. I was happily surprised to see how many foods I like are on the filling food list. Onward and downward!
Judy
234.6/190.6/anything below 190# :cool:

Good morning Turtles!!!! :carrot:

It's been a wild n' whacky couple weeks... My cat ended up at the vet's - that you knew about. She's doing great, eating her pork and rice food and luckily the other girls love it too. She's also on Prednisone now too - so I have a 'roid kitty that can't eat or drink enough. Well, SHE could use the weight on her. She's always been a bit scrawny.

Then my Dad came for his yearly visit for a week. Work's been busy (which is excellent!) and I've had horse and dog duty which ties up my days too. But I've missed you guys!!!!

Oh, and yes, there's still the $#%&(@ rabbits. Still waiting for my handy guy to show up (in Central Oregon time has different settings besides slow and fast, when you need something done it's usually set to "whenever"). I've given up on refilling the holes - they just redig and I think they are liking the challenge. I gave up on the Liquid Fence, by now they're dabbing it on as perfume because it probably smells better than Eau de Rabbit Stink. Chicken wire installed from under the house is the last option before I run out of options and send the little buck toothed brats to the great carrot patch in the sky. It will break my heart - but that's far less expensive than a burst pipe this winter or God knows what other damage they're causing down there.

Weight wise, considering my Dad is a diabetic, that had triple bypass in November, doesn't watch his blood sugar, has a serious sweet tooth and filled my counter with M&Ms, Mother's cookies, 'Nilla Wafers and trail mix, has a McDonald's habit and literally listed all the places he wanted to eat when he got up here - I didn't do bad at all. Actually was down .6 after his visit. I told him we would go to McD's as soon as I was done with MY breakfast and at the restaurants I just made the best choices I could and took 1/2 home. Since I hadn't been to WW since 6/22 last night's weigh in showed a 3.8 pound loss, bringing me to 12.8 pounds since rejoining. :cb:

Princess, I loooove yoga, but it's been too long since I've done it. I think I'll do some and be sore right along with ya!

Bandit, good luck with the new group. :crossed: Fingers crossed for ya that it's a good one and you still enjoy going.

Cherry, congrats on the loss!!! :broc: ANY loss should be celebrated!

Judy, I've done it, my friends have done it... exercising too much, or not getting in the bare minimum Points will backfire. Our bodies don't realize there's a fast food place on every corner and when it detects a serious food shortage it's going to reserve its energy (calories) for what it perceives as an oncoming famine. Sounds like you've got a good plan in place. Should be interesting to see what happens next week!

:wave: everyone!!!! Better go get some work done...

Tes

Judy: Ugh! How frustrating! Core/Filling Foods just might do it for you, it was a great idea your leader had... I don't know much, but I do know this, the lower you go the harder it is... LOL. You have come sooo far though... and you will go further yet... just hang in there we are all cheering for you!

Good morning all and happy Thursday!

Hot and humid day here today... very steamy! I got so busy after work yesterday that before I knew it the clock was saying that it was 9:30 PM so I did not get my walk in... I stopped at the grocery store after work, then went home and got the dogs out and the house picked up, supper made and worked in the garden to get the veg's picked that were ready... and then it was 9:30... ugh! Have W/I tonight but of course my TOM showed up this morning but that is the way it is... no use getting stressed over it. The scale will say whatever it wants to and I will just keep moving on.

Tessa: Yep, the bunny stink thing is cute for us to hear about but not so cute when it is you that is going thru it I am sure... I am with Kim though... still makes me giggle! You sound like a really busy lady! Dog, horses, bunnies! Wow! Great job on the weight loss!!!

Judy: How are you doing this morning? Keep at it, you are doing so good and remember... we are turtles for a reason... although I know that statement does not help you very much.

Bandit: Wow! You are busy right now... sounds like food will be a challenge but you normally handle it soooo well... I know you will get thru it and have a great time! I am not so sore this week with the Yoga as I was last week, and that is a wonderful thing! How did W/I go?

Kim: Good luck with the cleaning and moving... you sound super busy also! Do you have a new place picked out yet? No walk for me last night... I let myself get side tracked to easy... I need to get better at that! Walking used to be a priority, it came first before supper, housework, etc. I need to work on getting it back up to the top of my daily list again!

Cherry: How are you doing? Great job on the weight loss!!!!

Mornin' Turtles!

Had an epiphany last night about the evil :bunny: living under my house. I have decided to go to the extreme opposite of what I've been doing - I *tried* to seal up the area under the deck where they're digging - well, it occured to me that geez, I guess I've pretty much been providing 24/7 security for them! So I'm going to remove EVERYTHING surrounding the bottom of the deck and open it wide up and totally expose them. I also have an electrical plug right there so I'm going to also set up a light so they're illuminated (think "here are the rabbits, yum!" spotlight). I'd rather have coyotes skulking around the side of my house than rabbits *under* my house! They're not paying me to be their body guard.... So, yeah, charging up the cordless screwdriver now to remove all the lattice work. :hat: Good luck to 'em (and mondo good luck to the coyotes).

Now I'm wishing I'd have kept the big ol' rabbit corpse I had in my carport a few months ago. I went to drive in and there was a dead bun-bun. I scooped it up and chucked it out in the back 40 so "whatever" could finish it off. Mysteriously, the next day, it was back in my carport (zombie bunnies?) - but this time it was seriously chewed on (probably a coyote enjoying their snack in the privacy of my garage). So I chucked it even further from my house. I *should* have kept it closer by - and put it near the hole as a foreboding warning of things to come should they keep digging under my house!

Ok, yeah, the rabbit thing is pretty funny... and for some reason my uber snarky sense of humor seems to find fun ways to express the torture they're putting me through! :lol:

Kim, good luck with the move. Yeah, things will go back to normal soon - it's always a pain in the butt (and usually back) to move. Any virtual boxes we can help lift? :)

Princess, good luck at weigh in tonight!

Ok, must get some work done on this lovely Friday-eve. I have 2 mechanics on vacation next week, so it's kinda like a mini-vacation for me too! :dance:

Later gators, I mean, Turtles!

Tessa

Hi turtles:

I was up 1/2# last night at my weigh in - final for that chapter.
Good news, my new chapter will actually be having meetings throughout the summer, so I was excited about that. I found last summer very hard to keep on track with only having weigh ins & no meetings. So, hoping once I get through this weekend to have more success at the scales.

Tessa - too bad about the bunnies, don't see too many where I live so makes me feel sad they will probably die, too bad there isn't another solution.
Hoping the light and exposure will scare them off.

Princess - sounds like your garden is keeping you busy, but will be nice to have some fresh veggies.

Hope everyone else is having a great summer!

Yaaaaaay!!!!! :dancer:

My handy guy is at my house right now - he thinks he's fixed the rabbit issue (none were under the house). :crossed: No more :bunny2: !!!!!!!

If this fails, he said he's pouring concrete. Yeah, I think that would do it! :lol:

Toodles Turtles,

Tes

Good morning all and a very happy Friday to everyone! Yah! Friday is here!

Went to W/I last night, was down 1.2 lbs - I was very happy about that - historically I have my TOM gain at the end of the cycle, not sure why but that is the way it normally plays out. Soooo, we will keep at it and hope that by next W/I I am still moving in the downward direction.

Did Yoga at home last night on the Wii - I got TBL work out DVD a while ago and never used it... last night I put it in just to see what was on it and found a bunch of stuff that looks promising! So did Yoga at home with my big old marshmallow of a German Shep. trying to help me... LOL. It was funny but not always productive ;)

If I recap my personal challenge goals so far I am on track with my classes and weight loss but not my walking... I need to step that up because it will help everything else!

I do have a tinny NSV - I feel better lately, not so tired all the time and really thinking how it will feel to be back down to a lower weight. That being said I am trying really hard not to let the number on the scale define me this time around... I am a turtle for a reason, it will be slow going but the small NSV are what I will focus on.

Bandit: You are doing so well... just a small bump in the road with this W/I and who knows the new group may really be just what you need to get going again... new ideas, new faces, etc. Not may bunnies in Canada? I guess for some reason I was thinking that you would be teeming with wild-life up your way, not sure why I thought that. They have a big section on the TOPS magazine about the TOPS groups in Canada... I am eager to read about it - just need to find the time. Have a great weekend!

Tess: So glad you are getting the bunnies under control! You really sound like a busy gal! Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Cherry: How are you doing?

Judy: Well, that book that I ordered has still not come... I looked at the sellers reviews and they were so bad... I should have looked at them BEFORE I ordered from him. Guess I will have to place the order again from someone else and file a claim as the first one is a know to rip people off all the time... lesson learned! Have a great weekend!

Talk soon everyone!
Princess

Wow! We are hopping here. Congrats to Bandit and Princess on their weight losses.

Bandit, I am so thrilled to hear that your new TOPS group will meet during the summer. I remember how much you wished that could happen last summer when the old group just did weigh in's. :goodscale:

Princess, I love your analysis and I'm happy to be reminded that we are all turtles for one reason or another. You've got a good head on your shoulder. Doing yoga with your German shepherd made me laugh. Good for the both of you.
:tread: (I don't see a "yoga" avatar LOL)

KimL, so proud of you for completing your move. Weigh to go, girl! :bravo:

Tessa, sounds like the rabbit saga may be wrapping up for good. I love it all, but know in my heart it would not, I repeat, not be fun to have rabbits gnawing on my house. You've been very patient! :goodvibes:

Cherry, keep on posting. I think of you all the time with the little ones. Keep on keepin' on. You'll be so proud! :goodvibes:

As far as me, well I'm happy to be on a switch-over program from WW's. I honestly could not have eaten less, nor moved more. Just a month or so ago I was walking 1 1/2 miles/day. Now I'm up to 3miles daily. I think I'm changing that up. I think I'll try a new routine of 3miles/2x wee. 1 1/2miles 3xweek and tapes for exercise the other day or two. I may even start up my arm toning tape. Yesterday I did filling foods and was happy with it. I had a luncheon to go to, but was able to stay on track since there were plenty of healthy choices and I was able to avoid the high calorie ones (and the entire dessert table). later that night my dd invited dh and me to an outdoor movie event that she and our grandson planned. So much fun-----the snacks were not for me----but then I remembered the 35 points we've got and used a couple of them. Wished I had done better, but I'm happy with the results. I've been trying to eat red meat only once a week forgetting that I lost very well with having red meat almost every night. My aim is to lose weight. Then I'll look into reducing the amt. of red meat and getting into a total healthy eating plan. Right now I've got to get rid of my excess fat.

Okay everybody. Have a great weekend. It looks like it may be quiet around here, which is lovely. You all take care, be well and happy.
Judy
234.6/190.6/lower!

Good morning Turtles and Happy Fridaaaaaaay!!!! :broc:

I went home and checked out my handy guy's work yesterday afternoon and ya know what? That sweet man also fixed my pump house door. It had been trying to fall off for awhile and I kept rescrewing the brackets, trying to get it to stay put. He actually fixed it and didn't tell me. His wife is a friend of my mom's and I think I bring out a dad / daughter thing with him. Just a feeling I get...

So what he did was push back all the dirt from the spot on the side of the house where they keep digging, laid chicken wire as a barrier down in the area where they'd been getting under the house AND also about 3 feet flat across the top - so it goes | down the side and -- across the top. Then he covered it all with dirt and laid heavy rocks on top of that. So the bun-buns would have to tunnel about 3-4 feet to get where they want to be - and then they would hit a chicken wire barrier they'd have turn and tunnel another 2 feet to get around around it (assuming they'd think "huh, wonder if this is only a few feet wide?"). AND they'd have to start digging in a very exposed area (not that I would turn the hose on 'em if I caught them - nah, not me!). So, basically, it's still not totally rabbit-proof, but the rabbit that tries is going to have to have a serious obsession with under my house to go through all it would have to to get under there. If this fails, it's concrete time. So it appears the :bunny: gets a stay of execution.

Princess, congrats on the loss!!! :cp: Yeah, I've done yoga with 3 cats in the house. It's like they show off - "you think YOU can stretch, watch this!" (as they pretzel themselves into a position any Yogi would be proud of). And I'm absolutely a fan of the NSV. We aren't our weight, and we are so much more than a number on the scale. I've seen some thin people do some reeeeeeally unhealthy, scary things. Just keep imagining how little you'll be fatigued the further you get on this journey. Before ya know it you'll be a zippy turtle!

No, no new recipes yet - but during this, my "down weekend", (because the next 3 are a little crazy) I plan on going through my Biggest Loser cookbooks finally and marking pages with recipes I want to try. There is a salsa vinagrette (sp?) recipe that I'm dying to try!

Kim, thank you... yes my family (both born to and chosen) would say my sense of humor is pretty healthy. :lol: There have been many times here at work that something just pops out of my mouth, that I don't think is all that funny, but then I don't hear anything behind me (where my mom sits) in response. It's because she's laughing so hard she can't breathe. Then I have to remember what it was that I said! I TRY to have the attitude of 'I can't control anything around me, but I can control my reaction to it'. Having a sense of humor can be a very valuable thing.
Oh, and go take that nap!!!! You've earned it! :faint:

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday and tonight we're going to a restaurant called The Blacksmith. Last time we went (a few years ago) she and I racked up a $120 bill. It's the kind of place where I wasn't sure if I could ask for them to wrap up the rest of my dinner for later (I don't think you can call it a "doggy bag" when they're serving Kobe beef). So it's a *real* culinary treat. I kept my breakfast and lunch Points to a minimum and will just enjoy dinner... And then reintroduce myself to my treadmill tomorrow!

Have a great bunny-free weekend everyone!

Tes

Hi turtles:

Any heatwave coming through, but calling for storms today. My dd got back in the middle of night, so just waiting for her to come home for visit and get her cat. Thank goodness she had a safe holiday - I find it stressful when she is away on vacation even though she is 24, still my baby.

Tess - I can relate to your cats showing off, ours also has to get in the action of whateve is going on.

Princess - great job on the loss! You really sound like you are in such a great mindframe, that is half the battle right there - to be focussed and positive. I also read the reviews and have held off purchasing the book - was waiting for you to give me your own review.

Judy - Good luck with your new programme, sometimes a change works wonders.

Kim - kick back and relax, you definately have earned it.

Also Princess - I read some of the articles in my new Tops magazine and am always amazed at how well some people have done. It really is inspiring.

Cherry - hope you are doing the best you can.

Well, off to my chinese buffet tonight with my ladies group & I know that will be delicious. Really have to shake my butt dancing afterwards!

Have a great Friday!

Wow, it is really jumping around here today! That is a wonderful thing! Everyone seems to be so busy with life in general...

Bandit: Well, if you buy the book on half.com just make sure you read the reviews of the people that are selling them first to make sure that you don't pick a rip off seller like I did... ugh, have never had a problem before now but I may just go to a book store this weekend and pick up a copy and be done with it. I will file a claim against the seller to get my money back but I hear that does not work with this person either. Lesson learned... LOL. I sell my books on there and would never think about ripping someone off...

Tess: Awesome on the bunny issue... I will be sad not to hear the stories anymore but I am with Judy, we can laugh at the stories that you tell but I am sure it is no fun to go thru them on your end. Must be those Oregon bunnies are hardy little suckers... LOL. Let me know if you try any good recipes. I am going to try Judy's baked bean recipe this weekend I think!

Kim: Good job on the move, I know that it is hard when you are doing it... I am hoping that when the housing market picks up and DH and I pick out what we hope to be our last/final home (once we sell ours) that it will be the very last time I will have to move again... just not a fun thing to do.

Judy: Maybe try a small incline on the treadmill to shake things up a bit? Not sure if it will help or not. DS is off of red meat right now also to try and get on a more healthy path... while DH and I are eagerly awaiting the tomatoes to start coming in so that we can have BLT's ... LOL... but they are sooo good! Yes, our GSD is pretty darned cute... he is a bit of a sloppy dog but he is a cutie! And always happy when someone gets down on the floor with him... the other dogs - the old girls we call them - could not care less but he thinks it is play time and wants to be involved... LOL and in the way, etc, etc, etc. He is a good boy though... he is very tall and leggy and loves to be loved... a lap dog in his own mind I think :D

Just stopping by to say hello to everyone - it is a hot but beautiful Saturday here... Got the shopping done, laundry is almost finished, yard work is done and the garden cleaned up and picked. Got a handful of greenbeans off the vines today... LOL, not enough to really do anything with though.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Crazy busy-----dd and grandson and dh and I went to the local aquarium, then had swimming and BBQ here on Friday. Then today, both daughters and their hubbies and grandson came to us for a day of swimming and BBQ. I'm getting good at these last minute BBQ's. They're fun. Had a great time with the kids and now I hope to relax tomorrow. Maybe catch a movie with dh.

All's well here. I like doing the filling foods. If the scale doesn't cooperate, then I'll try something else, but I like the pressure of the scale being removed from me right now. I've been anxious about breaking 190 pounds for much too long now.

Princess, you got mega mountains of work done-----good for you!
I hope everyone's having a nice weekend. Good luck and keep on keepin' on to all of us.
Judy
234.6/190.6/anything less! :cool:

Good morning everyone! Happy Sunday!

Cloudy with storms expected here today, it is very hot here as I guess it is more everywhere these days. DIL and I are going to see the new Twilight movie "Eclipse" this afternoon and I am really looking foward to that. I read all four books in the series and loved them, have watched the first two movies and while they are good I think that the books are far better as they go into much more detail, etc. Food was good yesterday with a little bit of snacking at the end of the day but I knew that I was tired and should just go to bed... so that is what I did.

I went ahead and ordered another copy of the book from Amazon as the one from Half.com is never going to make it here... I have contacted that seller and had no contact in the beginning, I got an email this weekend from him and it was down right ugly... guess he does not like anyone complaining about being ripped off by him... LOL.

Judy: You are crazy busy! I sure hope that you can take a day of down time today and relax. Sounds like you had a really nice time with your family and that is a wonderful thing! You have always done really well on "core"/"filling foods" so I think this will be a wonderful and positive change for you... the very best of luck!

Have to run... take care everyone!

Hi Turtles:

Busy weekend up here, but was really nice overall. The wedding was fun & I didn't overdo the eating and danced quite abit. My gf came for dinner today and we made salmon, rice, brussell sprouts and she made a new side dish.
It was fennel, apple and red onion sliced very thin with a honey/lemon/oil dressing & it was very good. I skipped the wine since I had some drinks at the wedding. So, other than the chinese buffet my weekend eating was pretty good.

It is still really hot/humid here and they are calling for some much needed rain.
Hopefully, I can get my grass cut tomorrow since it is pretty long and I didn't have a chance on weekend.

My daughter had a great time in Mexico & was nice to visit with her as well on Friday.

Lets all have a great OP week!

Good morning everyone!

It is a very sleepy Monday morning for me... I am not very energetic today. The weekends just seem to fly by, I need to make it a point to get a nap in now and then or something so that I feel more rested when the work week starts... LOL.

We had bad storms here yesterday, tons of rain, downed trees and power outages. I will have to go out into the yard after work today and do some clean up.

Went to see "Eclipse" with DIL yesterday, we both really enjoyed the movie - even more so than the first two. Looking forward to the next one :D I did over do it with the popcorn though... it was basically my lunch but I still should not have ate so much of it.

Bandit: Great job with the busy weekend that you had! You can have some of our rain... we are supposed to get it all week... LOL.

All: Have a great week everyone!

Hi All,
Glad to see the posts. I had a nice weekend, busy, but nice. Wrapped it up by getting my paper work done and taking in a movie with dh. We went to see Inception and although it was confusing at times, we both really liked it. I'm so glad to see a movie that isn't a sequel!

I have a new take on my diet, etc. In trying the filling foods, I am gaining weight. I also haven't exercised this week. Hives are killing me. I have an appt. w/doc today and hope to get some relief. In any case, my best guess is that eating and exercising the way I was was necessary just to maintain my weight right now. Ugh. I'll ask my doc if I'm retaining water w/hives, but I bet I am. Not fun to work so hard and see no result.
Well, don't mean to be a downer-----I'll :cheer: up soon.
In the meantime, keep on keepin' on!
Judy
234.6/190.6/lower :cool:

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday to you all!

Another rainy day here with more storms in the forcast... peachy! Work has been stressful with long hours since my assignment has changed so I have not been making time to exercise and have not been getting the sleep that I need. I was feeling really good but as of this past weekend I am tired and stressed again, not really sure what has changed but I need to work on it because it all affects my weight loss, etc. I will try and get to my Yoga class tonight but there again that means less sleep since the class runs from 8-9 and I won't get home till 9:30... I get up at 4:30 AM so if I don't get to bed by about 8 I just feel run down... all things that I will have to work on I guess... LOL.

Judy: You are never a "downer"!!!! I am so sorry about the hives and the gain, I truly know that they are not fun and that the hives are painful to boot! I hope that the visit to the doctor yesterday got you some relief. Take care of yourself!

Bandit: Did you get your grass cut? We are not on a regular schedule with our yard work this year since we have had soooo much rain, we just do it when we can and that is about it. So you have your new TOPS meeting this week is that correct? I hope that you like the new group!

All: Take care everyone and post when you can!

Princess

Hi turtles:

Princess - no, didn't get grass cut and boy, it is a mess. I planned on doing that last night, then had to pick up these black walnut balls that drop for one of the big trees and this sounds crazy but that took me over an hour to do that with abit of tree trimming. By the time I finished that I was super hot and hungry seeing it was after 8 o'clock. That was enough for one night.

And tonight am suppose to have wings with the ladies at a marina closeby and sit out on the deck overlooking the lake, so really would like to go to that. So, I am planning on doing my grass Wed then go to Tops Thursday night for the first meeting of our new chapter.

Judy - hope your hives are under control & you are feeling better.

It has cooled down abit up here and I am not complaining - we are not used to it being so hot for so long. Crazy weather - seeing we really didn't have winter as we know it as well.

Lets all have a great day!

KimL----you're a good friend. Everything else falls into place. :grouphug:

Bandit,------black walnut balls----wow! Hope you get to your lawn soon.
Your plans with the gals sounds great at the lake and I hope you new TOPS group works out well. :cheer:

Princess------I had no idea you had to get up so early in the morning. Egads. Okay----yoga does stress good and it's worth it. :tread: (I don't see a yoga avatar)

As far as my hives, the doc doubled up one of my meds and wants to see me in a week. Right now I'm doing a little better, but none of this is fun. My skin feels all creepy crawly. Ugh. I'm doing the best I can with my food and staying as close to filling foods as I can. Yesterday I got back on the :tread: for 1/2 hour and that's all I'm willing to do right now. Iv'e got errands to run today and am looking forward to a simple BBQ with dh tonight. :chef:
Everybody keep on keepin' on.
Judy
234.6/190.6/lower and closer to goal :cool:

Sorry for getting behind on the posting. It is nice to see everyone else chiming in.
For this weeks official weigh in I am down 1 pound. I will take it.:^:
Just wanted to say a quick hi to everyone.
Keep on going Judy, Tessa, Kim , Princess, Bandit, and LinS:hug:

Hi Guys! Just a real quick fly by to see what is going on with everyone! Busy day today at work so I will need to hope on later on to catch up. Hope all is well with everyone... still raining here! Lots of flooding yesterday, kind of worried about the garden as it is pretty much under water... ugh. Have to run!
Princess

Cherry, :goodscale: isn't it great to see the scale going in the right direction? Weigh to go! :cheer: :bravo: :dancer: :dance: :balloons:

Hey Princess, start yelling for the skies to give the rest of USA some rain. You've had more than enough!!!! WEather very sketchy here. Rains a tiny bit each day-----just about enough to stop the lawns from completely burning up. I can't wait until the temp. gets lower and I can walk on the boardwalk on the beach again. In the meantime I am blessed to have AC .
As far as WI., I didn't. I'm about the same as last week. I've decided that with hives it's impossible to lose weight and I'll do my very best to keep off the weight I've lost so far. When my body cooperates, I'll lose the next 25# and then I'll be close to goal. I'd love to have things be different, but I can't keep on beating myself up. I'm still exercising, but less, and I'm eating more than the 18points or so I was eating before. I've got this plan in my head and I think I can make it work. Three meals, two tiny snacks a day----filling foods for the most part, but one serving of bread a day. Let's see how that works.

In the meantime, :goodvibes: and :grouphug: to all of us. We're a great group of Turtles and deserves to be fit and healthy (and thin!!!!!)
Love to you all,
Judy
234.6/190.6/lower-----:cool:

Good morning all and happy Thursday! Things have been busy for me at work this week so basically in the evenings I just read for a couple of minutes then head to bed to try and get caught up on some sleep... no yoga or anything and it starting to show so I need to get back on it but have learned to listen when my body tries to tell me something... right now it is telling me to chill out for a few days ;)

Have W/I tonight... will just have to see how it goes.

Cherry: Great job on your loss! Keep at it!

Judy: I don't blame you one little bit for slowing things down to a maint. level... your health and the hives have to be tended to first. Take care of yourself and your plan sounds really good! I would gladly share some of this rain... truly I would! I have not been able to get into my garden at all this week yet to pick... I will have cuc's the size of Ohio if I don't get out there soon... LOL.

Bandit: How are you doing? Did you manage to get your yard work done, etc? The heat is hard to deal with when you are trying to get the outside work done... I hope it cools of a bit for you.

Tess: How are you doing?

Kim: I hope things are getting better for your friend... how are you doing?

Lin: Have not heard from you in a while... hope that you are doing well!

Princess

JUst checking to say hi. Princess, I love your daily posts. They help to keep me going! :balloons:

As far as me, I called my doc and he'll return my call when he can to get different meds for me since I'm worse than ever. Ugh. I'm doing the very best I can with food. Also looked up hives again and found that eggs, nuts, fish, and shellfish are major culprits to hives. I had been eating tons of eggwhites and nuts----and then to "lose" weight I stepped up the fish and shrimp. LOL. Well, that didn't work. From the past, I know the hives will just go away one day and I'm hoping that day is very soon. Okay---enough about that.

Dh and I are planning our annual luau. Last year I made pulled pork for the first time and it was yummy. I've got a folder for the luau----Hawaiian Wedding Cake and a pineapple-y- cole slaw and a pasta salad that could masquerade as Hawaiian. All in good fun and something to look forward to in August. Next week we may be doing some baby-sitting since my grandson's camp is over and dd's vacation doesn't start until the next week. WE'll see how helpful we can be.
Gotta run.
Take care and be well.
Judy
234.6/190.6/lower :cool: