Twilight

End of day check in. Calories 1150, protein 83 g, only about 40 oz of liquid. I think I'm coming down with a cold. That really sucks. Going to bed soon. I have to get to bed though. My dh has agreed to go visit with a family that has 3 greyhounds. We are going in the morning. I'm so excited. He's given in....and it only took 2 months. He's getting softer. Okay....to bed with me. I'll talk to you later. Night ladies. Keep Denise's house, family, and friends in your prayers.

Hi again ladies. I'm back from church and the harvest field. It's very cold out there today and windy. I think it's going to rain but we really don't want it to rain. It's starting to spit. I had protein for breakfast and just had 2 cheese sticks. I will try to have some meat in a bit to fill me up. Haven't had any extra liquid yet but will be working on getting it all on. Talk to you later.

Hi ladies. Just a quick check in. I forgot to check in with food yesterday and feel bad because I made a deal with you, Ruby! Yesterday I had 75 oz liquid. 850 cals, 35 g Protein. All sounds good but the food choices were really bad. Choc chip cookie was my downfall and then things went bad from there. I then munched with the kids on animal crackers. Finally I made the horrible choice of having ice cream for dinner. I did force myself to stop at 1/2 cup but really bad choices. GRRR. I need to choose better things today. I will start with dinner at church today. I will do better. I am sure of it. I will be sure to put in extra prayers for Denise and family. I'll check in later today all.

Hi again ladies. Kari, there is a free anti-virus program that we use called AVG anti-virus. You can google it, download it, update it, and then let it run. Fairly quick and free. It's the only program we use. Much better than some of the paid for ones out there. Wouldn't have McAfee or Norton ON my machine. I was mixing my coffee drink this morning and poured hot coffee on my hand. Do you think I can sue the microwave company for heating it up too hot? Damn it hurts!!! Should be worth at least 10 mil. Okay....off to do nothing some more. Talk to you all later.

Denise, Glad to hear you are getting out in plenty of time. I agree, the picture thing can be horrible but those are irreplacable memories, they would be what I would grab too. Clothes can be replaced. I hope your dh's nuts don't get dropped too often. That could cause permanent damage (hehehehee). Sorry...couldn't resist that. Glad to see you can laugh at some of this. The looters should be shot on sight. That's my opinion. Anyone staying behind to make a horrible situation worse, shouldn't be allowed to go on. How people can prey on devastation is appalling. grrrrr. When you get settled and can keep us informed, please do. And when this is all over, please let us know what we can do to help your family. Prayers for you all.

Holy Cats!!! I said I wouldn't be back....that doesn't mean I wasn't looking forward to the rest of you talking so I could read it today. Okay...bbq went well. Salmon patties weren't a big hit but everything else was good. Good company and a good night. I enjoyed everything but the harassment about everyone working while I sat home and did nothing. If they weren't such good friends and jealous I would have been offended but they were saying out of love. It was fun. Headache today though. One too many drinks I guess. I'll have to get in some extra water to counteract today. Slept in for Janet. It was WONDERFUL!!!! Now I have to figure out what I'm making for potluck tomorrow or church. I don't even have an idea what I WANT to take. Grrrr. Oh well. It will come to me. Denise, I'm thinking of you and hoping you are having all the help and supplies that you need to prep today. Stay safe and we'll continue to pray for you, your friends, and your family. Talk to you all later.

Hi guys. Just checkin in. Probably won't for the rest of the night. Denise. I'm praying for your family. I've always wanted to come down and do some Katrina relief but never have had the chance. Another big storm so soon is awful. Many still aren't even back in their homes. The whole are is in my prayers but you especially. If there is anything we can do from here, please let us know. I just got my MoA pics off my chip when I was doing family reunion things. I will post them tomorrow if I remember. If I don't, remind me again. I have to shrink them before they post. nice here...but gotta go. Everyone in my prayers.

Your ideas sound honestly grounded Shirley. You have been working towards a better you and that is what matters. Good for you on your scooter use! That is a huge step forward. Mobility is so much more important than a number on a scale. You are still working on losing and working out as able. All those changes are life changes and GREAT! Kudos to you! Have a wonderful time on your trip! It sounds amazing and I'm even more jealous now. Can I stow away in your suitcase? Have an amazing time!

Ruby, I'm pulling with you...not FOR you....WITH you. Take a deep breath. Have you tried mixing protein powder with something warm. I've been mixing mine with my coffee in the morning. I'm much looser if I've had something warm. I've never hot and sour soup. Is it just a broth? There are some days that I have trouble with bananas but can get kashi crunch down. Others that if it's more solid than soup there's no way. I understand the games we play in our heads. I do...really. I almost talked myself into ice cream instead of dinner the other night because calories are calories. How crazy is that? But, we are strong. If you have to depend on us for accountability and it gets you through it, I say depend away. I have broad shoulders. I don't know if I have any suggestions for you. I want to give you the magic piece of advice but I know there isn't one. I guess if it was me in your shoes right now I would find something to beat myself up with....figuratively. I would do some deep cleaning...the garage or storage room....some heavy lifting....some really strenuous something so I could vent my frustration at myself, occupy my time, and hopefully work out the reason I was struggling. I do my best work when I'm mad. I get the most done then. The harder the better. And working up a sweat always helps. Gardening? Washing walls? Mopping the floor on your hands and knees? Something that you can attack instead of attacking yourself. That's my advice. It's what I would do if it was me. Hope that helps.

Back to food. I've had a protein drink, a fiber one bar, and 30 oz of liquid so far. A few animal cookies with the kids. I think those are the main things. I've been working on dinner tonight so I haven't been paying a lot of attention to things. Need to get something for lunch but don't know what I really want right now. I'll figure it out in a bit. Talk to you later.

I agree. Politics can always be a touchy subject. I think we have been able to touch upon some very intimate subjects with this group and for the most part, stayed very respectful. I'm sure our group can stay respectful to all. There is a great deal of awe with this election. I have not felt this amount of fire in everyone since I've been able to vote. I worry that some people may vote their prejudices instead of the issues. Meaning, elect a woman, elect a black man, elect a POW....regardless of what those people stand for. I'm glad to see history being made, but the last 10 years of teaching have taught me that so many people act out of passion and not thinking. There are so many issues to debate. I hope that they fight a clean fight and Obama stands on his words of last night and rises above challenging patriotism and name calling. Okay....off my soap box. Take my words for what they are....my opinions.

McCain's running mate was interesting. If she is everything she says she could be an amazing choice. But, I too, worry that she was only picked because of Hillary not being picked. I just don't know. The next couple of months should prove interesting. I have to say my ears are perked. I too am not sure which party I belong to anymore. I was pretty sure I was voting Obama up until this morning. Now I'm not so positive. Okay....running away again. I'll be back.

Okay ladies. I need advice to you who are cookers. Tonight my plan is to cook filet mignons, cheddar brats, salmon burgers, and scallops. I need suggestions on marinades for the steaks and how to cook scallops. I've never cooked them before. I'm a little intimidated actually. I keep hearing, don't overcook them but how do I know if they are overcooked. Do I marinate them in anything? Do I put seasoning on them? Can I even grill them? What should I serve with my salmon patties? Lemon? Tartar? Something else? I'm going to have melon and chips too and the others will be bringing side dishes. Or so that's the plan. I'm a little nervous about people not liking my choices. I'd love any suggestions anyone has.

Back after listening to the news and mowing the back yard. We are having a bbq out there tonight so I have a lot of work to do today. I love to entertain but getting ready for it is always an issue. McCain just took the stage so this may read a little sporadic as I lose train of thought. Phyl, I had an idea. Maybe you could make a deal with dh that if he kicks you out of the kitchen he has to allow a handbag purchase. He has to just stand by and let you cook or stand by and let you buy a bag. He gets to pick. Karri, Im so gald that at my school it was 2 days PIR. We only had about 4 hours of meetings during that time. I have to admit there are big positives with being THE department and not having to work with others. Granted, there are downfalls too. But what you're talking about I never had to go through. Good luck. I don't know what to think of this choice of John McCain's. Is he trying to play games or is this woman going to be what he promises? Okay...going to go listen to what she has to say. I know I'm about 20 minutes behind because of tivo but I hope to pay attention now. Talk to you later ladies!

Can I jump in for just a second and give a little advice. I don't know what it's worth but maybe a couple of things to consider. Shirley, you don't mention your Fluid intake. Are you getting at least 64 oz. per day? That has been key in my weight loss. Without the liquid my body just doesn't let go of the weight. When I stall out, I've upped my liquid to at least 80 oz. and in a week I see a big change. Okay...relatively "big". I also feel more alert and more energetic. Just something to consider. You also mentioned v8. I love the v8 fusion light juices. Fairly low cal, liquid and fruit and veggie serving. It is thinner like Water so easier for me to drink than regular v8. Also possibly a way to up your cals a couple hundred for a couple of days. The next thing I wanted to say was what my NUT told me a month or so ago. We were talking about plateaus and she said that new research says they are actually better for us than steady weight loss. She said when we lose and plateau our body fixes a new set point. That way, if we begin to gain again, our body feels THAT is the new place to stop, not the old top weight. Also our body doesn't feel so far away from the set point so it is more apt to continue with losses. She said she is beginning to see research that points out better success with some plateaus. So maybe they aren't as discouraging as originally thought. Another thought since you haven't been able to get out and exercise would be resistance training. My nut talked to us about resistance bands but also normal things like doing curls with a bottle of water. Most of the weight lifting moves with dumbells can be done with something like a 20 oz bottle of water and actually give you quite a workout. Since muscle uses more energy than fat, it boosts your metabolism and every little bit helps. She showed us about 8 exercises we could do sitting watching tv and my body got tired in 15 minutes. It might be something to look into. She suggested doing a search for resistance band exercises and try them with something like water bottles before you put out the money on the bands. The bands are only about 20 bucks though so it's not like putting out a ton. Just some thoughts. Again, take them for what they are worth. I have to say your loss is amazing and I don't think your 60+ pounds since banding is anything to disregard. Oh...and enjoy your cruise. I am so jealous. I want to go on a cruise so badly!!!!

Good morning ladies. I guess I'm getting into the swing of things. I was up at 6:15 this morning and have gotten coffee with protein, a shower, and the kids are out playing on the tramp. I love my mornings with them. Ruby, I think Flo should go too. That's why I call mine TOM. Anything that miserable MUST have a male name. And something as kindly as Aunt just doesn't fit any time so miserable for me. TOM seems to fit for me. I'm so sorry you had such a rotten day yesterday. I guess there are just going to be days like that. As much as we hate it, I guess that's life. This too shall pass. High hopes that you have a much better day. I better get the kiddos out of the tub. They only get along for so long in there. Things are starting to get noisy in there. I'll be back later ladies. Have a great day.

Oh yeah! Phyl, tell him to chill. Ask him if he would rather share HIS kitchen or build you a second one in the living room. He should have learned to share in kindergarten. And I've heard that Minot is a horrible place to live. It seems to be a normal state of events in towns (not cities) that have air bases. Cities can absorb the military strife, but towns the size of Minot, Great Falls, and the like can't. Okay...now I'm really off to bed. After the new mac commercial. I LOVE THESE!!!! Night ladies.

Hi ladies. I thought I would check in and give my final report for the day. 80 oz of water. 900 cals, expected more but I'm really tight tonight so no snack (my net cals after exercise are down at 700). 59 g of protein. A little too much sodium but my blood pressure is usually on the lower end so I'm not worried about too much sodium except for the water retention issues it can cause. I mowed the lawn but cut the walk to a half hour so I could get home for Obama's speech. I have to say he is an amazingly dynamic speaker. Even if you aren't Democrat, you have to say he was an amazing speaker. I had my eldest watch the speech and he was impressed. Oh....I watched a rerun Dr. Phil today....or at least I'm assuming it was a rerun because they were advertising the new season starting in a couple of weeks....anyways it was all about quick tips for parents and there was this teen who wanted to drop out of school because it was stupid. Phil did a great job of giving him a reason without a speech. I liked it. Wish I would have recorded it. I think he would have been able to spend a whole lot more time on that issue. It's a big one for kids these days and one that parents are always facing....but for a short segment he did a nice job. Okay...time for bed. Talk to you all tomorrow.

This is absolutely amazing Fanny! You are doing such a great job! You may love your band but you are doing the hard work that it takes. You are having a great week!

Congratulations Linda!!!! What wonderful news!!!! I'm so excited for her. And what makes Candice so special that she gets pictures???? I'm so jealous! But so excited for the new baby! Enjoy the little sweetie!

Of course I know there are those out there that are pulling for me. Probably a lot more than I know about. But there are some very toxic people in the area. The town is VERY gossipy. Who's sleeping with who, who went out to dinner too many times this week, what parties are going on and who's invited to them. In a lot of ways this town seems like highschool all over. I have lived here 7 years now and have made a few near-to-friends, but no true ones. It is a very cliquish town and drives me crazy. Small town America you know. There's a country song that goes something like "Everyone's famous in a small town." the lyrics are EXACTLY what happens in this town. But you all here are the ones I truly care about. I KNOW without a doubt that you are all pulling for me and are my very true friends. That's why I can share some of this with you. Because I know you loved me when I was fat and you will love me when I'm skinny:tongue:. Dionna, thank you for your comments. I will remember them when I'm feeling really negative about people. You are right, there are so many that are good at heart. One rotten apple, you know. Again, thanks.

Janet, I think you are right on a lot of points. I am trying to think of this as a forever thing. I backslid on that the last couple of weeks. I know that I'm not going back to eating the crap that I was eating before. That's insane. I don't even care for a lot of those foods anymore. I do enjoy my veggies more. I would, most of the time, rather have a cheese stick wrapped up in a piece of roast beef than a couple of cookies. A big part of my problem the last couple of weeks is not having those options in my house and having bad choices here instead. I've been trying to clean out from the family reunion and I had a lot of junk left over from that. Chips and chocolate and other not so great stuffs. I have a fridge full of crap and not good choices. I'm trying really hard to not waste stuff because I'm not working. I'm having issues with my dwindling bank account. I know it's silly because Jeff and I talked about it and he's going to take care of the groceries now....but it's always been my job and I am trying to go as long as possible without asking him for money. Again....image. So I have got to bite that bullet and clean out all the junk. Get rid of it. Make it inaccessible and still keep it around for my family so it's not really waste. I'm having a bbq tomorrow night for friends and hopefully I can get rid of some of it there. Janet, I know it's not a diet. I know that this is forever and that is why I chose this. I knew that diets were not what I needed anymore. I'm just letting little things get in the way of my success. I do feel awesome about my journey....I just don't like being talked about even if it's good. I'm too private for that. I know you all who met me wouldn't think it, but I am amazingly introverted. I'm not worried about getting to goal. I'm going to do that. I'm too stubborn not to. It's the after that is freaking me out and the expectations that others have. I know that a lot of people may be saying "great job" right now but waiting for it to be put back on. Waiting for me to fail in THAT regard. Any who see me now can't believe I want to lose another 15 pounds. They think that is crazy. Maybe I see their point, but I'm still working towards it. Wii fit says my "ideal weight" is 119. I think that is crazy, but in the 120's would be surreal enough for me. Okay. I'd better go. Thanks for your words of wisdom Janet. you are always on top!

Ruby, I hate it when I don't sleep well. I have been having a hard time going to sleep lately. I toss and I turn and nothing seems to help. Then I'm up at least three times going to the bathroom. So I know how tired makes for a bad day. The only thing worse is when I'm late and rushing. That feeling of panic is overwhelming. Take a deep breath, write yourself a list and get back into the swing of things. When my morning starts like yours did it usually messes with the whole day. Here are some suggestions to get you back on track. Instead of a nap, why not an extra walk. Not necessarily a long one, just one to take some time and think about how you want to organize the day. May seem silly but what about a nice soak in a warm tub? Bubble bath. Pamper yourself. Read a couple chapters in a book. The reason I say instead of a nap is because it seems when I do that, I disrupt my sleep for another night....just a vicious cycle. As for your morning workout, when I logged onto my wii fit this morning to weigh in it said that you should not work out on an empty stomach in the morning. It suggested a banana to pick your blood sugar levels up and give your muscles some potassium. Maybe that would help. Just a thought. I don't work out in the morning so I never thought of that. Getting into the school routine is going to be tough for me too. I'm not sure I like it....but it's only day 2. My son usually eats lunch at school so I don't have to worry about that part. How old is your son? Okay. Weigh in was 142.2 so down 1.8 this week. Not bad I guess. I would have expected less as unmotivated as I was this last week. I've had coffee with proticcino mixed in this morning. After I take kids to daycare I will try some kashi oatmeal. I need to find something to do today. Not sure what but I've gotta do something so that I don't sit here and want to feed myself all day. Talk to you all later. Drink Drink Drink!!!!

Alright ladies. Checking in. Total fluid great - 16 oz coffee, 8 oz protein drink, 60 oz crystal light. Food did much better - breakfast kashi oatmeal, lunch proticcino and fiber one bar, snack 1/3 cup raisins, dinner 1 c chili with beans. So far total cals 1012, 77g protein. Exercise - walk/run 4miles in 1 hour. Ran more than I have in the past. Keep this up and by the time the snow flies I should be running half of it. So, when I work the plan, the plan works....I know it, I've said it before, and I just stopped following it. Today was a real eye opener. I have 250 cals left so I am going to have something to snack upon. Not sure what. We'll see. Talk to you all later. Oh...tomorrow is weigh in.

Somewhere I looked and it suggested for what my day was like teaching to call it lightly active. It said that if I went moderately active not to count any activity that didn't bring my heart rate up a certain percent for at least 30 minutes. With lightly active the loss per week has been about right when I was tracking and staying at that level all week. Just a thought. I just ate a couple of handfuls of raisins....I was hungry and family isn't here for dinner yet so I'm down to only 250 cals left today. Hopefully dh gets home early enough that we get dinner done early enough to get out and get some exercise in....because I'm going to need it. I know I need it. Keeping my fingers crossed. He promised in 10 mins he'd be home. I'll be back later ladies.