We have a field trip tomorrow to Fire Island National Seashore so I won't be around a computer all day. I figured I'd start the thread a little early.

UFSeniorGirl - Sorry I wasn't here earlier to welcome you! Congratulations on your loss! I agree with Karen - water, fruits and veggies and other foods with fiber (that bring down the points value) should take care of constipation.

Lynne - We have ALL fallen off the wagon. The important thing is to dust yourself off, forgive yourself and get back on. I'm glad you are not feeling discouraged but try to forgive yourself. Our old (bad) habits are hard to break - try to give yourself credit for what you've accomplished so far. I agree with Karen - social engagements are tough and alcohol makes it tougher to stay OP. I try to have 1 drink and then stick with water - and as Karen suggests, try to go with a strategy like having 2 glasses of water before I eat anything or making sure I have a 0 or 1 point snack before I go.

Karen - Wow! I can't believe you and Mike started building on your property! That's great - when will everything be ready (oops. just read down and see that it will be soon!) Will you retire then? Wow, I can't believe Jen is in Korea! That certainly is far. Way to go on getting on the treadmill. My back isn't worse but it does seem to be taking a long time to get better. I didn't get to do any upper body weights this weekend by I'm going to try to this week. I hope the weekend went well at Mike's cousin's. I cracked up about Jasper eating your lunch! We have to watch our beasts - especially Max.

KellyJo - Sorry about the gain but you know, facing it and moving on is the best you can do and you're doing it! Good luck on losing what you can for the formal but no matter what happens, enjoy it and then get right back on!

Rachel - sorry I didn't get a chance to get on before you left for vacation. I hope the biscuits and gravy are yummy, you are active and having a great time!

Carla - Congratulations on being in a new decade!!!! I hope the dinner party did not throw you off too much. I hope John is feeling better soon - asthmatic bronchitis is so awful. I'm always dreading bronchitis when winter approaches! I did NOT manage to pick up the upper body weights this weekend but will try to at least on one of the days I'm off this week.

Loralee - welcome back to the program! Way to go on getting the walking in. Wow, that's a great plan to work up to walking to the bus stop. I'm not sure where San Marcos is - do you have good weather most of the time?

I'mn posting a 0.4 pound gain but I'm just fine about it seeing as how TOM started Saturday morning, the day I weighed in. The weekend has been tough. We went out to dinner with friends to one of NYC's famous steak restaurants - Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. The steak and the sides were fabulous and not a one was core. I shared dessert with my friend but 1/2 a hot fudge sundae is still 1/2 a hot fudge sundae! Back OP today. I had a good weekend baseball wise but didn't do nearly as much work as I needed to. I have to create a teaching portfolio and while I'm pretty much done picking artifacts for it, I didn't start writing the rationales I need for each (and there are 20 of them). I still have some time (the 1st draft is due Nov 7th) but not nearly as much time as I would like given that student teaching takes a lot of time to prepare for. Oh well, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) is Tuesday, I'm off Tuesday and Wednesday and as we only celebrate the first day, so I should be able to do a good deal of work on Wed.

Have a great one!
Judy

Here's to a new week with positive choices and exercise!!!! I'm down 2 pounds but they feel undeserved, although I'm not sending them back, I had two parties this weekend so my choices weren't good. I like the idea of eating before I go to a party then I'm not so hungry when I get there. It's funny, I don't realize I need a strategy for some "eating aspect" of my life until I get to it. Which tells me a couple things about myself: 1. I was never really aware of what I was eating and 2. I truely am making some lifestyle changes. Now, if I had the crystal ball and could see ahead of the game where my "trip ups" are going to be, I'd have it made. Alas, I know me and that won't be the case, but I'm feeling good about jumping back on the wagon instead of letting it run over me....LOL. I've got two solid weeks of exercise behind me and I feel a glimmer....I'm looking forward to exercising this week. I use to think that I would use it as a means to get extra points, but I really don't; I see it as a means to feel better about myself.

Judy, keep up with your journaling, I didn't and had to scramble at the end. S. Teaching is exhausting, but it will soon be over in a whoosh and then you can get out there and get your own classroom! Believe me, I think student teaching was harder than teaching on my own. Lots of logistics, piddling things have to be done other's way, when you have your own room, it's your way. Don't get me wrong, teaching is still tons of work and you never get to leave on time, but there is something very satisfying about locking the door at the end of the day and know that it's your door.

Everyone have a great week. I want to say I appreciate you all so much. I couldn't be doing this without your support and knowledge that I have someone to be accountable to. THANKS, Lynne

JudySP - San Marcos is just North of San Diego. We have great weather year round. I do not even have air conditioning. We only use our heater 2 months of the year- and only in the evening.

Everyone- today was a great WW day. There was carmel apple pie out at work. I avoided the foyer where the pie was. I did not event hink about it. The old me would have visited the pie often and had at least 2 peices.

I just joined this board. I was doing meetings but have joined online now. I weighed in this morning I have lost a lb.

Finally I am back on track.

Lora: Way to go on passing the pie....a new step, a new strategy, great job.

Cowgirl: Welcome. Looking forward to hearing of your progress. Share with us!

Lynne

Lynne - congratulations on being down two pounds!! I loved what you said about getting back on the wagon instead of letting it run you over! Hey, sometimes you don't know you need a strategy until you are confronted with a situation but the key is to learn from those experiences! I'll often bring a small bag of those baby carrots in the car with me when I'm going to an affair with food. Great attitude about exercising - I admit that I enjoy the extra points but I see it as a means to keep myself heatlhy as I get older. Thanks for your encouragement! How long have you been teaching? I was a little disappointed in doing only 7 rationales instead of the 10 I had planned today but my brain was pure cream cheese by 5:30 and I still had to prepare for lessons tomorrow. Oh well - it will get done in time - it always does, doesn't it? I told myself tonight that I have basically 5 more weeks of crunch time. After I finish student teaching the second week in Nov, I'll still have work to do (research paper for my last literacy course) but the end is in sight!

Loralee - way to go avoiding that pie! That is a real behavior change - I hope you have given yourself many pats on the back because you deserve them!

Cowgirl - Welcome and congratulations on your loss!

I had a rough couple of evenings - dinner at Mom's for the holidays. As usual, I overate although I did better last night than on Monday night. Most of what she served was core which helped and although I did take a piece of honey cake (a special cake for the occasion - the honey is for a sweet New Year) I ignored the Mallomars that appeared on the table! I worked all day today which kept my hands busy! I did not get to do any yoga and my back is bothering me but I plan on getting up early tomorrow and doing some yoga before work. I have my student teacher seminar tomorrow night (a makeup for last week) so I doubt I'll get anything else in. Still, I finally managed to do a weight workout yesterday and since it's been a while, boy am I sore! I'm beat and don't think I'll watch more than a few minutes of the Yankee game (I hate when the games start at 10 pm!).

Have a great one!
Judy

Hubby is still working 60 hours a week but we have stopped eating out. Who knew, I actually like eating at home! I am down 3 lbs this week.

Welcome Cowgirl!

Hi all.

This week has just flown by.

Judy - A belated Happy New Year to you. Sorry to hear you had a rough couple of nights. Holiday dinners are hard. Period. But good for you for ignoring the Mallomars! I haven't done any upper body weight work either. I really, really have to get back to it. Thanks for the good wishes for John. He gave in and went to the doc on Monday and is on his usual meds. I think it's not quite as bad as last time, although he has coughing fits that shake the house.

Lynne - Congrats on a terrific loss! Sounds like you not only jumped back on the wagon, but you're driving it! Good for you. Eating in can be enjoyable. I have to remember that and start cooking again....

Loralee - Congrats on ignoring the caramel apple pie. That's a toughie, in my book.

Sadly, I found the three pounds that Lynne lost. However, given that I had salty food and that it's PMS time for me, and that my ring was tight, I'm guessing it's mostly water and I'm not going to freak out about it. No big challenges coming up for me, other than lunch out on Saturday. John and Ana are leaving tomorrow for Michigan, where they'll be attending the U of Minnesota/U of Michigan game with his brother, his cousing and their families. Since Sunday is the first class in the Sunday Pre-school program at church (I'm the coordinator), I didn't feel I should go. So I have a weekend alone at home. I'm looking forward to getting a lot of things done. The weather has cooled off again (we had a spate of hot days this past week) so I'm starting to feel enticed to get out and walk. Now if I could just get myself up early.....

Have a great day.

Carla