mdrai

Good Sunday afternoon, Vi's~~ A grey, drizzly day here... all the snow is gone now... DH & DS went to the 2nd round of tryouts for the ODP... DD & I went & saw "Enchanted" -- how cute! Just like real life -- not! Now I've got a pot of chili bubbling away on the stove... how cozy! Vicks on the feet... hmmmmm... will have to try that next time, Judy! Laura... some say that our "true" selves come out when we drink... be careful, friend! Jane... Yay you!! Fantastic!! You're melting away! Pam... post a pic of the sectional... sounds comfy cozy! Tracy... Did you ever get to read a bit?? Enjoy your eves, friends!

I don't know if I qualify as a "successful" loser yet, but I feel bad that no one's answered you yet, so here's my .02: B'fast = 40 g Protein shake w/8.5 oz vanilla micellar milk, 1 scoop vanilla unjury Protein powder, 1/2 scoop low-carb chai tea & 4-5 ice cubes... yummy way to start the day w/a big bunch of protein! or an egg or egg-beater omelette w/a little cheese, maybe a veggie; slice or two of bacon... but it's the shake 9 times out of 10 lunch = usually 3-4 oz of soy "fajita strips" or "chicken strips" either on top of some lettuce w/1 oz cheese, a sprinkle of sunflower seeds, a few olives w/a little salad dressing... or the 3-4 oz soy "meat" w/ a couple T of diced tom, maybe a 1/2 small can of sliced mushrooms & a little cheese on top, all cooked together... or a veggie burger w/a slice of cheese, lettuce, tom, pickle slice... or deli "roll up"... tuna salad... egg salad... w/lettuce... dinner = a small portion of whatever main dish I make for the family (usually chicken or beef or salmon) + veggie (and I TRY not to have the bread/rice/pasta/potato, etc... sometimes I do... sometimes I don't...) When needed: Snacks = 1 oz low-fat cheese; 1 oz cashews; S. Beach bar; low-fat yogurt; pro shake; no-sugar popsicle or a skinny cow bar (very rarely)... That's pretty much it... I tend to be one of those folks who finds what I like & sticks w/it... so there's not so much "calculating" of the cals/pro/carbs every day... I can do it in my head... Best wishes!

I love cinnamon spice. Every morning I have my fav Protein shake: approx 8.5 oz. vanilla micellar milk (1/2 the carton) = 20 g pro 1 scoop vanilla unjury powder = 20 g pro 1/2 scoop low-carb chai tea (from bariatriceating.com) 4-5 ice cubes blend well enjoy! I also like the whey Gourmet chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder mixed w/ 1/2 carton of chocolate micellar milk. I also mix a scoop of vanilla unjury powder w/ 1 vanilla 60 cal sugar free Jello pudding, a T or so of canned pumpkin, a splenda (to taste), & some cinnamon... tastes (to me) like pumpkin pie filling. yum! Just play around w/the flavors you enjoy! Best wishes!

I couldn't stand it... so I ate about 6 meatballs that simmered in red sauce all day... nothing else... just the very moist meatballs + sauce... mmmmmmm... went down fine...

Wow! Slow day on the thread! Hope everyone is out & about having a great day!! Me = laundry, cleaning... woo hoo! Am on 2nd day of post-fill liquids and am STARVING!! And so it goes... Have a fun eve, Vi's!

Terri! You're channeling your "inner Laura"!! See!! We used to take boring photos of us just standing there like lumps... but now we're learning from Laura how to "work it"!! (Or else you were drinking??) Just joshing! It looks GREAT!! (+ you'll still never get the famous "nothing but undies" shot from me, no matter how great Laura looks when she does it!!) Tracy -- Me, too! When I can't fight the cravings anymore I just go to bed... whatever the time! It works! Good luck w/the cookies... Judy! Hope you feel better soon... but even with a cold you've got the energy of 10 of us! Here's a rare occurrence -- we have NO scheduled plans today! What to do?? It may have to be shop a bit w/ ds (he needs "concert" pants for next week) + pick up my cards... then home to write them & do other puttery-around stuff... what a luxury... Enjoy the day, Vi's!

Hey Pam!~~ Just got your card... too funny!! Perfect for my sense of humor!! Thanks!

Yes, Laura... -3 in a month sux... because I HAVE the band... so it'd better get workin'!! If I"M working... it has to, too!!

Updated my ticker... for some reason, ever since dh reconfigured my puter, it won't "save" my tickers, so I have to re-create it each time... annoying, but at least now I can change the design to suit my mood each week! Gina -- What powerful photos -- wow! You look great!! Tracy -- Have fun this weekend! Laura -- Your chix sounds nummy... but NO MORE OF THOSE TURTLE THINGS! Or eggs... for the rest of you... by the sounds! Pam -- No drinking & driving, esp in the rain!! Water, m'dear! Suzie -- I'm w/you! I'm delaying the annual pumpkin bread baking as long as possible this year... so far I think I've got about 40 loaves to do this year... it begins next week, tho... + my family is getting on my case about not starting the cookies yet (I always make all sorts of different kinds)... but I don't need them & neither do they!! Bah Humbug! Darn Xmas food!! Jenn -- Yep... patience & trust... haven't seen Judy on here today, so I'll be the cheerleader... P&T! P&T! Can you believe that it's snowing here AGAIN?? This is MARYLAND, not MINNESOTA... geesh!

Hey all!~~ Just got back from the doc... I have all my fluid... & they gave me a bit more... never did get a definite answer about how much is in there now... but I guess I'll never know why I've felt so "open" & hungry since the last fill on halloween... odd... I've got my fingers crossed that this one will hit the sweet spot!! -3 in a month sux... don't want THAT to happen again!! Kids get home 2 hrs early today... darn kids, messing up my day! Just kidding... sort of! Make it a great day, everyone!

This one should do it! 600 posts! Let's make it a good one!! I LOVE THE VIOLETS!! :kiss2: muah!

2 more posts & I hit the 600 mark!

Good eve, Vi's~~ FINALLY got my family to stand still & smile for the camera for our holiday picture! Phew! So now the card is in the works. Little by little, Christmas will come together! I always get a bit ticked off that a fat man gets the credit for all my hard work... but that's a mom's life, huh?? Fill tomorrow!! I can't wait! Sleep tight!

Too cute, Tracy!! Got the car back... yay! Got it up to the house... yay! But after we emptied it (groceries), I drove it down to the neighbor's so I can get out in the a.m. w/out having to worry about ice, etc... I'm sure dh will tell me I'm being overly cautious, but so what! (Oh, 3 cars HAVE gone down into the woods off our driveway, btw, over the past years... so it's not completely inconceivable that it could happen!) TTFN!

I'm talking to myself again...

Oooooh... 1 more thing... Pam (& all the other alkies on this thread! )~~ Don't you fret... I've already SOMEhow figured out that margaritas will be a staple for our weekend! I'm going to get my friend's slammin' recipe for pitchers of them... watch out world!!! :cocktail:

Laura... Just don't bend over! ("Doctor, my arm hurts when I go like this." "Don't go like that." HA HA HA!)

Haydee!~~ This cracked me up: "I couldn't resist opening it! I took a peek and then closed it back up and stuck it under the tree." That's so funny!! You opened it so now why stick it under the tree?? No reason to... but omg, I thought I was the only one who'd do that!! ha ha ha! I've caught up to you?? Amazing! Now the race is on, girlfriend!! TracyKS~~ How wonderful for you!! Enjoy it & tell us all about it, natch! Janie~~ I hate snow & ice! It discombobulates everything! We live on the side of a big hill and we can never get up/down the driveway when it's snowy/icy. Last winter we were iced in for more than 1 week!! Everyone else in the town was fine... it's just us... we can see the cars going up & down the street from our house... we just can't get to the street! I finally had to hike to the street, my gf picked me up & took me to the grocery store, and the kids met us & we had to haul the groceries up to the house on sleds! "Just like the pioneers" my kids said (well, not really, but... ok...). So anyway... I dread snow & ice... if I get my car tonight, I'll park it @ my neighbor's house so I can get out tomorrow a.m. for my fill!! That was funny, Terri!! Time to shower, so that when my friend is ready to take me for the car, I'll be ready! Get me out of here!!!

Good Thursday Morn, Vi's!~~ We ended up getting about 5+" of snow yesterday... schools got out early yesterday & are CLOSED today... and I STILL don't have a car!! It is supposedly fine now w/its new battery, but is stuck @ the shop. I'm hoping that one of my gf's can take me down to get it later... I'm bribing them w/a "Thank You" Starbucks treat! Set points. YES! I had considered this. The 250s are the lowest weight I can ever remember being in... well... ever. I know I was lower in college, but I can't remember a number. So getting out of them will be a BIG accomplishment. And guess what?? The scale today read: 249.2!! So I'm out!! I can't believe it! Hark the Herald Angels Sing!! And I am not doing ANYTHING differently EXCEPT -- I haven't worked out in a week!! That's not good!! But it's true. Hmmmmmmm. Maybe I just won the war of the wills & my bod finally figured out that I wasn't "giving in" this time like I always do at about this point (& so being my climb back up the scale) & my PATIENCE and TRUST won! Altho I really wasn't so very patient, was I?? (I'm still not... I want MORE!! I want to be 242 by 12/31!!!) OK! Time to go find the shovels & get some exercise out in the snow! OH!! 1 more thing!! I have no winter "gear" (snow pants/boots...) because I generally don't "do" snow... dh & the kids do... but dh isn't here, so if I want to be able to get my car up the hill to the house, I've got to go do it... & I'm actually looking forward to it rather than dreading lugging my fat self out there & fearing a heart attack, etc... looking like an overstuffed sausage in my winter coat... ANYWAY... I thought I'd try to wear 2 pair of pants for warmth so I put on this pair of nylon-type sports pants that I've had for 10 years or something like that that I was bursting @ the seams 5 years ago when I wore them last & now they're falling off... so then I put on the too-big sweat pants that I still wear around the house on OVER the other pants and the 2nd pair are STILL falling off as well!! AMAZING! My dd thinks it's crazy! It's like she was seeing me for the first time this a.m.... she said, "Mommy, those pants didn't fit you... and now you have them both on?? But they're falling off!" Then she said that my arms looked skinny, too. What a day! I go for my fill tomorrow! Hallelujah! Off to shovel... bbl!

Yippee Ki Yi Yay! (I'm channeling my inner cowboy!) I just received the final piece for the SS gift that I am giving!! Now I can put it all together & get it in the mail!! As always, I'm more excited to GIVE than RECEIVE!! I can't wait 'til she gets it!! Hee hee hee! (That's cackling w/glee!)

Suzie: I don't want to say "I told you so"... but..... who am I kidding?? I love saying that!! "I told you so!"

Good Weds Morn, Vi's~~ It's snowing!! In Maryland!! In December!! Oh my!! I'm not ready for snow. It discombobulates everything here, because we get it so infrequently & so everyone wigs out! Sheesh! PLUS... my car is at the shop today, so I'm stuck here again for a 3rd day! And my GF who I go to aquaaerobics with called to say she's sick so isn't going so can't drive me so I don't get to go, either!! Waa. I do love my aqua-sizing! Kids went to school but I'm betting that they close early, which is ridiculous, imho... either open or close but this in & out & having the kids on slick roads is not smart. Am I crankity?? I didn't think so... but then I re-read what I just typed and me-thinks maybe?? Off to shower & get on w/my day... I'm getting ready to e-bay a bunch of discontinued Mary Kay products if anyone is interested! Have I ever mentioned that I'm a MK lady?? Funny, huh?? But it's true! I'm not one of those pink-crazed ones, though... it's mostly just personal use & family & friends who like the product... it IS a good line... LOVE the skin care... if any of you use it/like it, I always offer 25% off retail... TTFN!

Hang in there Suzie. "No news is good news!" Maybe they just got busy... or want you to come back just to be thorough. Purple power!!

Drat. It was the gas man, not UPS. Darn him & his big truck for fooling me!

Hi gals!~~ Stuck at home again today as my car battery is dead-o. DH will jump it (AGAIN) tonight when he gets home & we'll take it to the shop for a new battery & an oil change. Will pick it up after the Y in the am. 2 days @ home & I'm batty! Today was cleaning day... & finishing putting up the decorations... phew! Oh, & laundry here, too, Jen! Can't wait to see your pic Laura!! Scale was the same today... of course... sigh... Oooh! A big UPS truck just lumbered its way up our drive... Xmas presents!!! Yay! Gotta go see which ones! Check back later!!