Hey ladies. I've read all of your posts for today, but I'm going to forego replies tonight. pjlla, I was so happy to read a more positive post from you today!
Today wasn't my best day. I have decided that I have to quit all caffeine. I have been hitting it really hard over the last several weeks and I have gotten to where I can't wake up in the mornings. Caffeine no longer revs me up, it just barely helps me feel conscious. So... without any caffeine today I had a headache for most of the day and felt like I was in a coma. Which led to... less than controlled eating. The best thing I can say is that I didn't overeat anything genuinely awful, but I ate a TON of grapes. Just couldn't stop. I started right before lunch and I kept munching off and on all day and into the evening. So, where I made poor food selections yesterday and stayed in my calories, today, I made healthier selections but totally blew my calories.
Giving up the caffeine will be a bit tough initially, but you will be so much better for it in the long run. I gave it up years ago when I first got pregnant with DD. There have been some links between caffeine and cleft lip/cleft palate. So along with a family history of those things, it was an easy decision to give up the caffeine. I never went back to it either... (although admittedly, I wasn't a big abuser).
I now stick with decaf 99% of the time when I do drink coffee... but when I need the caffeine to stay awake for something, it really works!
Usually when I am craving grapes, it means that I am thirsty.
I hope today is a bit better.
Hi everyone. I now have only one project to focus on for the next two weeks. I literally feel like weights have been lifted off my shoulders. But now that I only have one project to work on, I am procrastinating. I gave myself a deadline so that will definitely help. I made another crazy concoction today for lunch. I had some grapes left over from a snack and some shredded chicken. So I went to the cafeteria and got some lettuce, nuts, and raspberry vinaigrette. Combined everything together and had an interesting salad. I get tired of having the same kind of salad over and over so its nice to get a variety whenever I can. I cant believe tomorrow is Friday. Hope everyone sees the numbers they are looking for tomorrow morning. Happy Friday.
P- I think the weight range is an excellent idea.
Your salads always sound delicious!
I'm thinking of aiming for a goal range of 128-134... that is a full six pound range and will allow for a bit of vacation gain and TOM gain without putting me outside of my comfort zone. Ideally I'd like to stick around 130. I was there this summer and it felt GREAT!
SETPOINTS (pretty sure it's all capitalized) is something WW came out with when they stopped Core and started Filling Foods. Certain foods, mostly fruits, nonprocessed meats, and some grains have a set points value in case you have no idea how much you ate. So, if I order a pork chop at a restaurant and trim off the fat and bone, it is x points, as long as I can safely assume I had more than 3 oz. A bowl of watermelon, providing you think it's over 1 cup, is 2 points, whether it is more like 2.5 cups or 5 cups. The other rule is that you have to choose one food per meal to use SETPOINTS for- I usually choose the meat or the fruit. My favorite meal to use SETPOINTS is tacos made with ground turkey breast. I have enough to measure and count already (cheese, shells, etc.) so it's one less thing to worry about and it gives me some buffer because I probably don't eat 5 points of meat, but I do eat a lot of veggies, probably enough to call 1-2 points. I think I do best when I use SETPOINTS on protein sources.
I'm off to bed now. I will reply more in the morning. Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

for weigh-in!
Just another reason why I should have rejoined WW recently. I'd love to learn more about all of their newer plans. I hear they are rolling out something new next month too. I'll google the SETPOINTS later today. Thanks for the info.
Morning everyone. I've got to get over this disconnected feeling. My entire thought and action process regarding weight has taken a back burner. I am pretty sure I have gained... maybe several pounds. I feel fat. I am a bit worried about complacency. Hopefully, after next week, I'll be able to get back in the groove. Everything is just so hectic and topsy turvy right now. My digestive system is a little nuts, too. I really need to get a run in this weekend.
School is nuts, home is....adjusting, Master's class is rolling right along, Pampered Chef is taking most of my extra time just trying to figure it all out, making contacts, sending invitations, etc. House is a WRECK. I have a 1,000 item to do list that grows by the thought. I am taking a fairly healthy mental approach, though, I think. "What do I need to be doing this minute to achieve my goals"? Which leads to not much downtime, of course. It is so imperative that I have a good first 30 days, there are a lot of incentives/money riding on them.
Busy weekend - tonight is the team Halloween party, so Anna Kat is going to say goodbye. Should be fairly emotional, but she has made her decision, not looking back, and feels great about it, I think. So my emotions about the whole thing are out of the picture. Blue billion things on my morning to do list tomorrow, we are going to a friends "pre-trick or treat" party. They are doing games, etc. for the kids, kids changing there, then headed out together to hit their neighborhood. Still have to talk to Brad about the point that we are going to leave to T or T at his parents, my mom's etc.
Sunday, another blue billion things. I really want to take a day off work next week just to get caught up. Brad's off again next Friday, and the entire week of Thanksgiving. Here we go again.
Sorry to rant and complain, just trying to update everyone as to my whereabouts. I miss you guys!

Taryn
When life has been CRAZY like yours is, I start figuring out what I can give up comfortably and still maintain a "normal" life. When the kids were littler and I had trouble finding time to finish up all the laundry, I started giving up folding every little thing.... the kitchen towels got dumped in a wicker basket and used as is instead of folding every single one.... the underwear got dumped in the drawer without folding. No big deal, but it saved me a lot of time. I did eventually go back to folding the kitchen towels, but I still don't fold DH's undies!!
Instead of giving the shower/tub a full-on scrub, I plan an extra 5 minutes of shower time, bring the Mr. Clean eraser in the shower with me and everything gets a swipe while I give the hair conditioner time to do its thing.
I also read somewhere about "cumulative" chores versus "noncumulative chores". If you keep up with the cumulative chores and ignore the others for now, you will be doing okay. For example... if you get behind on the laundry or dishes, it will take you longer in the end to catch up.... and things will seem very disorganized and messy. But dusting and vacumming will still take the same amount of time, whether you do it every day or or once a week. When life gets super busy I concentrate on keeping the laundry and dishes on track... next up is the picking up/clutter patrol. And I make my bed every day.... even if I am just about to climb into it..... all of those things make me feel much more in control. But if I haven't dusted in 2 weeks.... oh well. And if my menu planning has been converted to "what kind of sandwich/cereal do you want for dinner?" then that is that. Life will go on!!
It sounds like you have a good idea of how to plan your time the most effectively.
"What do I need to be doing this minute to achieve my goals"? is a GREAT plan!!
Lisa--those picutres are so cute! Glad DS is feeling better.
P--I have days like this (first paragraph). I really don't understand where it comes from, but I guess it's just part of the process. Sometimes I think a lot of it depends on what I'm wearing that day. I tried on some compression shorts on Wednesday and I was HORRIFIED by how they looked and how huge I felt I looked in them. I see lots of people in compression shorts and don't think twice about how they look. But for some reason I can't wear them because all I see are fat legs. I know I don't have fat legs, it's just a distortion issue. Maybe I should get some anyhow, and force myself to work through the distortion issues.
And as for the housecleaner. We have been talking about getting someone to clean the bathrooms, clean the floors downstairs and dust downstairs. I can do the rest, but I am so sick of cleaning. My sisters and I had to clean the house since I was about 10. I feel like I have been cleaning my entire life. How do you find someone to clean though--that's the part that's stressing me out. And how do you know what is a reasonable fee?
I found my cleaning lady through a "friend of a friend" sort of thing. I paid $20/hr, which was the going rate at that time for my area. But she lived in my area (the boondocks) and I'm sure she was glad to have a job that she didn't have to drive 45 minutes to.... maybe someone who had to travel further would have charged me more. This was in the early-mid 2000's. And I had her just clean the stuff I hated to do the most... bathrooms and floors. I don't mind the general picking up, dusting, vacuuming.... but I HATE mopping and bathrooms!
Good morning to my favorite group of losers!!!!
For those that are struggling right now, take a moment at some time today to take a deep breath and "smell the roses" as they say. Be good to yourself! We are all here for each other and are always available to help.
I had a good night's sleep and actually woke up before the alarm went off so I got in a 3 mile Pilates walk and Bob's 20 minute strength workout!
Happy to say I'm down 4 pounds this week!!!!!!
Time to finish getting ready for my day: get DD2 on the bus, run to wellness center, run to bank, help in DD2s class for 45 minutes, take acs out of windows, get some more cleaning in, go to DD1s class party, take girls to Build A Bear, go for Chinese food for DD2s birthday dinner, come home to watch Project Runway Finale, get ready for my book fair tomorrow!!!
Probably have a protein shake or Greek yogurt shake for lunch today so I can save up the calories for supper tonight.
TTFN
I need to come live at your house for a while and mimic your eating/exercise. I would think I had died and

gone to heaven if I lost 4 pounds in a week!! GREAT JOB!!
just a quick good morning and happy weighin day!!!! Like tigger said, lets all try to take some time to smell the roses today.

And be good to ourselves, no negativity.
I am down .4 of the pound I gained last week.

I ran 3 times this week, for 9 miles total, and I am pretty sure that is what saved me on the scale. Now I try to think how much weight I could have lost if i had been eating within my points and stayed away from the junk. I'll try to keep that in my mind in the week ahead.
Have a great day everyone!!
Great running!!
Good morning, everyone! I am exhausted from working on cupcakes and cleanup the last two nights. On top of that, my secretary is out sick again, so my morning has already been a mad scramble. (Oh, and I had to color my hair this morning - the grey patches and the dark roots were completely unbearable)
Well, I was kind of disappointed in how the cupcakes turned out. The mummy Mickies are not so obviously Mickeys and we couldn't quite figure out how to position the ears to make them look right. I nearly threw the rolling pin out of frustration in trying to work with marshmallows for the bandages and finally Andrew went to Michael's and got white fondant. It is Duff's brand (from Ace of Cakes) and it was soooooo incredibly easy to work with AND it tastes good.
So, here are the cupcakes packed to go to Andrew's school and the second picture are a couple (close up) that we'll take to Jenn and her apartment mate tomorrow.
Howard did more than half the Jack faces for me - I just couldn't get the hang of the cake decorating tip and I think there was too much frosting on the cupcakes, too.
Andrew was so appreciative and promises he won't be embarassed by my feeble effort. When it came right down to it, he made me laugh when he said "Mom, come on. These are high school students. Do you think they'll care what the cupcakes look like? ...... Ummmm, I don't mean these aren't cute. I just mean they won't be scrutinizing them to see if you put the Mickey ears in the right place or to see if they all have the same number of mummy bandages." :lol:
YOU'RE CRAZY! Those cupcakes are just adorable! You did great!
Wow Cam, wish I lived in NJ, because I would so hire Jill.

I have the time to clean--I only work 3 days a week, I just HATE it. I mean, I would rather be tortured than clean. Mike is not a big fan either and ever since DS got his scholarship Mike has been saying--we're not paying tuition, we can pay for a house cleaner. (And really our house is not that bad. I don't want you all to think we live in a pig sty.) I just need to get my act together and find someone.
I'm cleaning out my closets, and I decided to try on "the purple dress." This is the one (for new people) that I wore to a formal in college. It's a size 9/10 from the 80s. I have moved it all over the country cause I just loved it and we had a lot of fun at that formal (more fun than our wedding). Anyhow it's shiny purple actetate, fits really tight with a flared skirt and cap sleeves with shoulder pads. So I've been putting it on every couple months just to see how close I am to the college size and drumroll please.....I got it zipped today without even putting on spanx.

And if I had spanx on I might even consider wearing it to a retro party.
Ok, back to work. I am almost through my closet. Does anyone else find it stressful to get rid of bigger sizes. Like you start doing the whole what if thing?
Pictures please!!
I am already tired and the day isn't even in full swing yet. My husband's dog woke me up at 4:30 to let him out to go potty and I could not go back to sleep. My dog will sleep all night, but his is a tiny thing that can't hold it all night, UGH!
My day really gets going after lunch. I have to go help with my son's class Halloween party. They called me from the school and asked me to do it since no one had volunteered. I find it funny since last year there was an incident with another parent accusing me of abusing his son when I made him move so he wouldn't be hit with a baseball bat at field day. Each time he told the story I got more and more abusive. Luckily I had witnesses and the man is known for his fits and accusations. It went so far as him filling a complaint with the police and I was questioned. It was insane! Anyway, the principal knew I didn't hurt the boy and they know I work from home, hence a phone call. I was going to the party, just not planning to be in charge.
Then I have to take the kids to my husband's work for them to trick or treat.
After a couple hours there, I will have to come home and catch up on work, plus get dinner ready for the family.
Guess I better find a couple more games for the class in case the games I have planned go too quickly. Happy Friday everyone!
I swear, there is nothing tougher than working with other parents!! Glad things didn't get worse for you with that nutball!
I have been coaching a Robotics team for a few years and we are dealing now with a kid who wants to quit but that doesn't seem like what he is telling his parents... and they are divorced and really bitter and throw some of that bitterness/anger around in emails with us! I really don't need to hear their dirty laundry! One parents seems okay with him quitting, but the other obviously isn't... and they start sniping at each other through these group emails.... really makes the rest of us uncomfortable.!!
Glad that the school seems to support you and appreciate you!
www.weightlosschallenge.com user name: wlc password: home
Didn't want to forget this!
I had quite the morning at the wellness center. I'm down 3.6 for the week on that scale. She also did me 6 week measurements and I have lost about 9 inches total! She was wondering if she was looking at the right numbers! It felt so great! She's going to be sending me some coaching training materials through email She really thinks I should do it.
I had the new pumpkin spice protein shake this morning at the wc. Quite tasty and she put some extra vanilla protein powder in it. I'm not a pumpkin person but the spices made it quite tasty. Going to have another shake for lunch so I can enjoy my Chinese food tonight and a well-deserved drink!
Time to take out the acs before DH and I have to run to the two different schools for the parade and party. I need another glass of water now.
I'm exhausted! But feeling great!
I'll post tomorrow's question of the day later tonight.
TTFN
Nice job with the inches too!
DS called. He saw the DR. He wants him to come in every two weeks for the rest of the semester. He also suggested he talk to the dietician--DS is a little stubborn (I know what to do...etc), but did say he is going to give it another couple of weeks and if it is not coming down he'll go in and talk to her. And really he does know what to do for the most part--he knows what to eat and that he should exercise. So we'll see. Today the first reading was in the 130s over 90something. The second reading they took was in the upper120s over 80something. So getting better. He knows Mike's family has a ton of heart disease history, so I think he will take this as a wakeup call.
Ok, guess I should get back to cleaning.

Or maybe I'll just go flat iron my hair.....That definitely is more important than cleaning.
Glad his BP is coming down. Maybe you could suggest a food diary for a few days? There might be some hidden caffeine or sodium that he is consuming that might be affecting the BP.
I am soooooo glad yesterday is over! I am pretty happy that our house is pretty clean for the weekend.

At 6 last night we still hadn't heard anything from the relatives, so Mike called. We ended up meeting them downtown at 7 for dinner--they were running late. There's a shocker. I had two beers during dinner and someone commented that I didn't really eat anything--that's because I was so po'd about an incredibly rude comment his cousin made to me--which of course Mike didn't hear. She is always nasty to me. Mike said she's always been "special." The other cousin and the uncle I actually like, but the rude one needs an attitude adjustment. I did shut her down, which I never would have done in the past. But I shouldn't have had to. Whatever. Anyhow, afterwards we went to our favorite bdubs and I had two more beers and I think my bp finally returned to normal. I told Mike that was it for me. Never again.
Anyhow, we are running a 5k today. It's going to be in the 30s--brrrrr. Hoping this week is nice and calm. I texted DS last night and said I needed a few drama free days.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Glad you shut her down. Often, when you let people like that know that you aren't going to take their crap any more, it really deflates their attitudes. And MMMMM.... beer. Makes me kind of sad that I pretty much gave it up... maybe I'll splurge on one this weekend for my halloween treat!
Morning all! I only have a quick minute more to say hi! Yesterday was okay on the scale.... not a grand loss, but a modest one and it made me feel a bit better.... and then of course, TOM made an early arrival, so I am actually surprised I had ANY loss! Busy, busy weekend with DD's swim meets and halloween, so I probably won't be on again until Monday or Tuesday.
TTYL....................P