Starting the topic - be back soon.

Happy Monday all - we're waiting for the storm to start here in the Northeast. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a snow day tomorrow - I could use the time to work on my research paper! I had a not-so-great weekend - more because of snacking than anything else. I went to Trader Joe's on Friday to get some more clementines and ended up buying a number of snacks that aren't bad in moderation but I didn't snack on them in moderation! I blew my no food after 9:00 pm rule - I think it was a release from the stress with Max. Mr. Max is doing well. He's downstairs with us now and while he rests a lot (you can tell he's had surgery) he's getting back to himself more and more.

I did manage to exercise over the weekend, a tough workout on Saturday and some yoga after I came home from the ballet yesterday. My goal for the week is to get back to basics (water, milk, veggies) and to stop eating by at least 9 pm.

Have a great one!
Judy

I'm still waiting for my kit, but trying my best to count the points I know of!
How do you make those cute little tickers?

i'm new to ww myself, been lurking for about a week now so i thought i should introduce myself. I'm a 34 year old mother of 16, 12, and 7 year old girls also have a husband and a small cocker spaniel and a very large st. bernard.

Hi all.

Judy - So, did you get snowed in? I haven't been listening to the news, but I did hear that you guys out east got socked with the snow again. We just got a dusting, more or less. Finally today we have sunshine. Winter can leave any time now. Glad to hear that Mr. Max is doing well. I bet it's good to have him home. Trader Joe's can be a dangerous place. I too tend to load up on snacks that aren't bad point-wise, but which I have a hard time eating moderately.

Dark Fair - Welcome.Go to the User Control Panel and select edit signature. You'll get instructions there.

Mosher - Welcome. I'm glad you've stopped lurking and are joining in. I'm 45 and the mother of a 6 year old girl. I too have a husband and a pet, but mine's a cat.

I didn't weigh in today - just didn't feel like facing the music. I haven't been feeling that well this week and I guess I've been eating to comfort myself. I'm not sick enough to stay home and stay in bed, but not feeling up to doing much of anything. This is how it usually goes for me - just feeling on blah and on the border of being sick for a few weeks. I wish I could just get sick and get it over with. I most definitely do not feel like going to work this afternoon and standing out in the cold doing drop off and pick up duty, but no choice really.

Take care and have a good day.

Carla

Lightning fast drop in to say hello. Will post this evening. I haven't forgotten you! Welcome Mosher & Darkfair!

k

Hello everyone! Welcom Mosher and Darkfair!

I was on vacation (southeast US) since last Thursday and returned yesterday. I totally fell off the wagon and didn't even track points at all. So I'm not going to weigh in this week. I am back on the wagon and will weigh in on Monday. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Welcome back Donna! Time to get back on track and start counting again. I hope you had a good vacation.

Carla - hope you're feeling better. Sounds like you have a persistent little virus. I hear you about not wanting to weigh in - I'm feeling pretty much the same. I think there's some end of winter lack of motivation lurking around.

Judy - how are you? Glad to hear that Max is on the mend.

I'm in a slight funk. Work is impossible - Judy, you asked what was up; construction of new dementia care cottages has started, and they'll be ready to occupy in about seven months or so. The construction manager is a *&^%#@ and doesn't consult or communicate about anything. I'm trying to coordinate hiring an interior designer, gathering quotations for all the equipment we'll need, organizing contracts for a monitoring system, interviewing staff for new positions, and writing up the whole social model of care - and all the while carry on with most of the regular stuff I do. My best friend is struggling with a depression and alcohol problem and won't let anyone help. I feel like I'm failing her. I'm overwhelmed, tired and am getting burnt out. But other than that, it's all peachy. Food and exercise hasn't exactly been stellar (although not enitrely horrible) and I can't be bothered to ask Mike for the scale - I don't care what I weigh these days.

Enough of my pity party. I hope your days are better.

Karen

morning all,
i'll try to get on later just wanted to tell you i was so motivated yesterday i actually rode my recumbent bike. Its been sitting in my livingroom (tucked in the corner) for months without me riding it. not sure what possessed me.

Dark Fair – welcome!

Mosher4you - way to go on getting on the recumbent bike!

Carla – Sorry to hear that you are still not feeling well. My eating has not been very good either – but for me, I think it’s giving into the stress. I just realized I only have 3 weeks before my doctor’s appt (and no doubt lecture) so I’m going to stop the stress eating and stick to core as of today! We ended up getting about 6 inches – not as bad as they were originally predicting and what was so surprising was that we didn’t even have a delayed opening. I swear, our superintendent decides by flipping a coin! Yup, that’s the thing about the Trader Joe’s snacks – they are not bad point-wise but I can’t eat them moderately. Note to self – next time you are in Trader Joe’s, get the clementines and salmon and get out! I hear you on not weighing in – I haven’t for a few weeks but am determined to do so this Saturday.

Donna – welcome back. As for falling off the wagon – we all do it. What I’ve found is that at least now when I do it, it’s not as bad as it would have been before I started (usually).

Karen – oh my goodness, as I was reading about this project at work I was shaking my hear and saying “poor Karen!” I know from my past career what those kinds of huge projects can be like and I so sympathize! I’m sure that you are doing what you can for your friend. Hey, we all need a pity party now and again but please, please don’t beat yourself up for not being Superwoman! I know that you are doing your best and we can’t really do more than that – can we? I know that right now it seems that 5 spare minutes is impossible to find, but see if you can fit in some time for Karen – maybe a hot bath or a few minutes with a facial mask on your face so you have to sit for a few minutes – and then breathe deeply. I don’t know, I guess I’m sounding new agey here but you need to take care of you. Here’s some {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}} from across the continent.

My eating has been far from stellar this week – mostly snacking in the evenings for the last few days. I know I’ve given into the general stress of grad school and the release of stress from Max’s adventures with earplugs. It hasn’t helped that I brought home the GS cookies, put them in the freezer so they would be out of the way and Tony, bless him, found them and has had them out every night munching away. At least I got a workout in Mon and Tues and will do something when I get home tonight. As for the snacking, I’m going to stop by 9:00 tonight come he** or high water!

Have a great one,
Judy

Hi all.

Donna - Welcome back. Sounds like you were someplace warm - good for you. Where in Michigan are you - upper or lower pennisula? Good job getting back on the wagon after vacation - that can be pretty hard to do sometimes.

Karen - I wish I could fly up north right now, give you a hug, and take you out to a nice dinner. Instead, I'm sending you virtual {{{hugs}}}. Sounds like you're really in work h*ell right now. I bet when you got into nursing you didn't see yourself doing all this other stuff, huh? Hang in there and try to keep in mind the patients that will benefit from all your hard work and the families that will be so grateful. And I echo Judy in hoping you can find some time for yourself in all of this. I vote for relaxing with a nice glass of wine on Friday after work. As for your friend, that's a tough one. But you know that you can't really help her unless she wants to be helped. The fact that you care enough to be concerned and to want to try to help her means you're not failing her. All you can really do at this point is continue to let her know you're there for her when she's ready to accept your help. You're a good friend - that comes through even on-line.

Judy - I think we're suffering from a case of winter-needs-to-be overitis. I need to make my dr.'s appointment and just take my lumps, I guess. That and get back on the wagon. I've got one foot on the wagon today and am trying my darndest to get the other one up there. What snacks did you buy at Trader Joe's? I got the cheese curls, or whatever they're called, and the fat-free caramel corn. Both, very point friendly until you mix them together in a big bowl and eat them. It's a very good combo, I must add. So my note to myself is to never buy those two items at the same time ever again.

Nothing much new here. I'm agonizing over deciding where to send Ana to school next year. I'm trying hard to be objective, but... I realize some of our desire to keep her in the Montessori school has to do with our feeling comfortable there and our having our sensibilities matched there and that's all really beside the point. I was at the public school today signing the consent form to start services. And of course the staff at both schools each feel that there school will be best. I think what we are going to have to do is consult with an independent third party and get a subjective opinion on what will be best. I don't feel qualified to decide, on a purely educational basis, what will be best. Through it all, I have to realize that shoving food in my face isn't going to lead me to a decision.

Have a great day.

Carla

Carla - I think the idea of consulting with an independent, objective third party is an excellent idea. I don't know where you find such a person though. Of course, you are right - eating through the decision making process doesn't help the process - just as eating through my stress about school doesn't help get the assignments done. I have an idea - it sounds a little nuts but maybe we can try it and see how it works this week. You know when you are eating emotionally, right? I think you do because I know I do. How about if we vow that before we get the thing we want to snack on we post here about how we are feeling (of course, that assumes that we have a computer handy but for me at least, I usually eat emotionally at home). It may not work at all but maybe coming here first will give us the small bit of time we need to ask ourselves if we *really* think XXXX (where XXX can be Trader Joe's cheese curls and yes, those with in the variety of snacks I got) is going to help the situation. Whaddya think? If it's too ridiculous, don't feel shy in telling me so. Asfor the snacks, I got TJ's cheese curls, jalapeno black bean chips and some soy chips. Again, not bad if you have ONE serving of ONE of them - not exactly what I did!

Karen - I agree with Carla - sounds like a nice glass of wine is in order for this evening. Kick back and give yourself at least a few minutes to realize what an amazing woman you are!

I also got a little bit of one foot back on the wagon. Let's say a few of my toes. I did have a couple of GS cookies (but they are almost gone now and if Tony takes any more out of the freezer, I'm going to tell him that they either go back in or I'm throwing them out!) but I stopped snacking 2 hrs before bedtime and my last "snack" was a WW smoothie - lots of calcium. My sneak peek this morning shows the popcorn I snacked on last night (which was a better choice than some of the things I was thinking about) but I'm going to be guzzling the water today and hope for the best. I realized this morning that I had gotten back into the habit of weighing myself every day and I want to improve on that this coming week.

Later on my challenge this weekend - I hvae to go make a banner for Spring Exhibit.

Have a great one!
Judy

Hi all!

Judy - I don't know where I'm going to find an independent third party with whom to consult either. My alma mater, Loyola University, has the Erikson Institute, which is a highly rated and works with kids with all kinds of problems. I may give them a call and ask for a referral. You're on with coming here before doing the emotional eating. It sounds like a good plan. I snacked on popcorn last night too! Only, I'm back to popping it on the stove. I just think the microwave popcorn probably has a lot of things in it that I don't need to ingest, including too much sodium. Now if I can only find the microwave popcorn popper that doesn't use any oil that I saw at Target at Christmas time. I should have bought it then. Your snacks from Trader Joe's sound delicious. I'll have to look for the jalapeno black bean chips next time I'm there. Unfortunately, they no longer carry one of my favorite snacks, their fat free corn crackers. Used to be 21 crackers for 2 points. For another point you could add their fat free black bean dip. That was good eating. My current favorite: the jalapeno stuffed olives.

I had an ok day yesterday. Not great, but not an eating rampage. I'm planting myself firmly back on the wagon today and trying hard to stick to whole, unprocessed foods. My body just feels yucky from all the junk I've been eating. I may do a stint with CORE next week. I have to sit down and plan some menus.

Have a good day and a great weekend.

Carla

...and so the Weigh-In at Home thread became the busiest thread on the 3FC boards, as Carla, Judy, Karen and others sat glued to their computers, documenting their emotional eating urges and episodes.

Seriously, Judy, it's a great idea. Thanks for the hugs.

Carla, thanks for the hugs too. I'm sure whatever you and John decide will be the right thing for Ana. A third party informed opinion sounds like an excellent idea.

Mosher, good for you for getting on the recumbent bike...I need to make an appointment with my treadmill.

As for me, I forgot to eat my breakfast yesterday. It was sitting there waiting for me when I got home from work. This morning I forgot to feed the dogs after I got their breakfasts ready. I left all three dishes sitting on the counter. They looked at me in disbelief as I was heading out the front door - luckily I realized before I left that they hadn't eaten. They say stress mimicks dementia. It does.

On a good note, the hounders and I went for a great walk at the beach before dawn this morning. The sunrise was breathtaking, and I'm hoping an omen of a better day today.

Have a great weekend all.

Karen

morning all

been busy lately so thought i'd catch up on everyones posts while my kids are still sleeping and not begging to use my computer.

anyways my first week is up and down. i can't seem to find a middle ground with my points. either i eat to much or not enough. most days i'm low on my points then i went way over (only one day thankly). any ideas on low point snacks that will fill me up and not leave me craving more.