Biggest Loser 10 Fall Challenge -- for losers and maintainers :)

[Rose&Mike]

QOTD for Friday--I don't know if this counts but my running shoes--couldn't function without good running shoes, and my food processer. We have a cuisinart which we got a couple of years ago and it makes cooking at home so much easier.

Still don't know what's up with the relatives for tomorrow. I'm off work tomorrow, and I swear if they just show up at the house I'm not answering the door until Mike gets home. (I am a terrible person, I know.) But Mike suggested that we meet for dinner, and they responded they wanted to see our house first--well, I did not clean the house because we really wanted to just meet for dinner. Could be interesting. We always joke that we only see his relatives when they are on there way to Florida and they stop by to use our bathroom.

I did not eat enough today. I have to figure out what to have for dinner. And haven't heard from DS today, so hopefully he's doing ok. I did work out today, so I was happy about that. I have been really having to force myself to get the workouts in--just haven't been motivated. And I have decided I would like to lose 7-10 more pounds, but I'm going to stay a maintainer. It might seem like a weird way to do it, but I seem to be able to keep the ana thoughts in check better. I think because it's less pressure--I'm basically telling myself it's ok if you stay where you are, but here's a goal you can work towards. That would put me in the 132-135 range.

And Lindsay--you had great questions this week. I'm sorry I didn't answer them, but I liked reading everyone's responses.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Evening everybody

Watching it rain outside my window. I thought it was supposed to be over by now. Ah well, still got a nice walk in with Onslow, he wanted longer but i could see he wasn't up for it. He pictures himself to be a big energetic Lab. In reality he be little Lhasa Apso mix

Weather report for the Wicked 10k on Sat. has me starting it in the 40s For heaven's sake can't we make it warmer, we have hit 90 here on halloween. Anyhow, i seriously have to figure out what to wear up top. I pick up my packet tomorrow night and will be getting a technical race shirt in it, but its short sleeved. They are using the bib to track me so that has be very visible on my chest or abs somewhere. I don't think I can use a jacket to cover it up for a bit till I warm up. Can i? Last year they used a shoe tracker, so this is new.

So this brings me to a question: Just how warm are the long sleeved exercise shirts? We have some at target and of course I'd wear something over top. Just terribly confused because all my prior 10ks have taken place in May and started in the early afternoon. They weren't races though. They were all for CF.

Any ideas y'all have I'll listen to. gotta go check supper and get a side made. Got pork roast in the slow cooker tonight.

Have a good night everybody

Running clothing is often heat rated--like it might say it's cold gear or heat gear. Mike has some underarmor stuff that is for only under 55. Honestly in the 40s (unless it's windy or rainy) I would probably wear either a long sleeve shirt or long pants, but not both. You could wear an old sweatshirt at the start and then just toss it or tie it around your waste. I get warm very quickly and in the 50s have even considered taking off my shirt and running in my jog bra. I bought a champion shirt from Target that's longsleeved and I like it. It wicks ok (gets the sweat off you). I think it would be hot to be in a long sleeved shirt and something over it.

I have more of an issue with the cold air and my lungs and have something I wear over my mouth and nose when it's cold. In the 40s Mike will run in shorts and gloves. Think about what part of you is usually the coldest and cover that part up good. Whatever you decide I'm sure it will be fine. I hope you have a really good race.

 

[tigger813]

Tracey - Somehow I've misplaced the link to the website. I have all the articles up through week 5 and I am finding the articles very informative. When you get the chance, could you post the link again, please? Sorry!

No problem, Cam. Happy to repost it!

www.weightlosschallenge.com

Week 6 password: cleanse
Week 7 will be available tomorrow. The leader forgot the password tonight. I tried to figure it out from the title but couldn't so I will post it tomorrow. I will see her when I do my weigh in at 8:30.

TTFN

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the kind words. I truly had a blast coaching this week. Welcome to Tracey our new coach starting tomorrow.

I dont have time for replies tonight but wanted to say I enjoyed seeing and hearing about your costumes. Here is a picture of the one I was talking about. My cousin was ALF. After looking at the picture I was cracking up I have no idea where she got that costume.

I got home really late tonight and am bummed that I cant find motivation to run on the treadmill. I am just exhausted. I am off tomorrow for Ryans halloween parade at school. I may try to get a run in outside after that. I had a bit of an issue with food choices today. So much that I am even embarressed to talk about it. Tomorrow is a new day.....

For everyone who is under the weather or stressed beyond belief here are some You are all in my thoughts.

For those that are celebrating accomplishments, good days, wt loss, etc. I am celebrating with you too.

TTYL

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I just found another good one. I think I dressed up like this the first year I was working at the doctors office.

 

[Connie96]

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! And Rose, I really hope your family "reunion" goes well - or is, at least, tolerable.

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.

Recap:
Breakfast - cereal, almonds, milk
Morning break - walk
Lunch - Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
Snack - granola cookie, milk
Dinner - Amy's Rice & Veggie bowl, baby carrots, one cupcake
And.... GRAPES. TONS and TONS of GRAPES. All day long.
Workout - I had planned to run sprints tonight, but I wimped out. Too tired. The breaktime walk will have to do for today.

One other thing before I go... A good friend of mine at work, who will be running the marathon relay with me in January, has started a blog to keep himself motivated as he trains for the KILLER last leg of that relay. His name is James and he is an all-round great guy. I was hoping to drum up some support for him and, if you have time to check it out, I think you'll like it... http://quadzillaquest.blogspot.com/

And, now I have to get logged on to my office and do some more work before I go to bed. Have a good night, ladies.

 

[Cupcaker]

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.

Lindsay- hope the treadmill last night wasn’t too dreadful. I too hate that it gets cold and dark early. It has really killed my exercise routine. You have a hilarious nurse picture!

Kelli- You have such a wonderful and supportive husband! I have had occurrences of eating but still feeling starved afterwards. I usually do exactly what you did. I think the stomach just doesn’t catch up fast enough to know we ate. Your party looked awesome. You did a good job. Thanks for sharing pics.

Tracey- That’s great you can make it to your reunion. Im sure you’ll meet your goal in no time. Hope you get some good rest tonight. You DD2 is so smart!

Deb- Love the wallpaper. What color did you end up picking?

Taryn & Rose-

CC- I hope you feel better. Youre such a great person for helping others so much.

Connie- Have fun trick or treating with DS!

Thursdays QOTD
What was your favorite halloween costume either you or your children ever had. Feel free to share pictures if you have them

I think what I wore last Halloween was cute. My mil helped me make a dress, the same as lucy van pelt. My BF had a Charlie brown shirt. And my beagle starred as himself. I took my doggie trick or treating with my siblings. We went to a “haunted house” and the funiest thing is that my dog got scared when someone jumped out at him. My dog was even sniffing at it and I was surprised he didn’t know it was someone. He made us go home quick.

Shawn- IKEA stores can be so addicting. So are the IKEA stores the same as they are in the states?

Cam- Hope you get some rest today. That was a lot of cupcakes!

Lisah- Wow that’s just wrong how much homework they gave DS. Glad it all worked out. Yay for your foot getting better!
J
ennz- ooh whats the headless horseman that youre going to?

P- I think the weight range is an excellent idea.

 

[my3princes]

Thursdays QOTD
What was your favorite halloween costume either you or your children ever had. Feel free to share pictures if you have them

My favorite was my senior year in high school we had a costume party dance. My best friend and I went to the goodwill and got old clothes. I dressed in a polyester peach colored womens suit, I did my hair in a bee hive kinda style, I had all kinds of older jewelry, I also did the blue eye shadow, heavy on the blush, pink lipstick makeup. It was hilarious. I was really thin then but I remember squeezing myself into a size 8. Half way through the night I was dancing and bent down and split my pants. We laughed so hard that night. I will post pics later if I can find them. I have to get the kids ready now.

I can't pick just one costume. I'll try to find time to post my collection. I've made tons of costumes over the years, several have won prizes.

Thanks for reminding me that I'm coaching starting tomorrow! I thought about it earlier in the week and then when getting sick yesterday it slipped my mind! YIKES! That would've been embarrassing!

Had a good day. I ended up having two clients so no nap today. Hopefully I'll get to sleep early tonight. Took the girls to get them some used DSi games after school and pick up a few other things at the grocery store.

Just had a scary moment a few minutes ago when DD2 started choking on a hot dog! I did the heimlich and she coughed it out but it scared her. She's so sweet that she apologized to me! I was explaining about taking small bites. Then her daddy belched and made her laugh.

Just had some leftover chop suey that was in the freezer. I had a small dish with some parmesan cheese. I think I had made it with ground turkey so not too bad. I had a lite bologna rollup for lunch with some chipotle mayo. I used the 60 calorie pita so it was about 200 calories. I also had a yummy honey crisp apple!

Off to my weight loss challenge meeting in an hour. Looking forward to the weigh in tomorrow. I need to drink more water tonight though. My workout today was my two massages I gave! I did work up a sweat! I plan on getting up very early tomorrow to get in a good workout before running to the kids' schools, taking acs out and taking the kids to Build A Bear!

QOTD: Friday: October 29: What piece of equipment have you found to be the most useful on your weight loss journey?

For me at the beginning it was my Wii but now it is definitely my Magic Bullet which gets used several times a day between DD1, DH and myself. I also use the DVD player a lot.

DH and I will have to make some questions up tonight for the rest of my stay here as coach! I love coaching and am looking forward to a good week as I always seem to do well the week I am a coach.

Time to fix myself a big bottle of water to drink before my meeting and then I will have another cup or two at the meeting and another when I get home. I wish it didn't get dark so early. Otherwise I'd walk to the center tonight! There is a wellness coach training next Saturday but I'm already doing a book fair that day. Hopefully I will be able to go to one!

I'm almost to where I was this past June which was my lowest weight ever! I am really wanting to reach my goal and a bit beyond before my trip in 4 weeks and 6 days. I'm just dying to get a 50 pound clippie! That's just a big milestone for me that I've been so close to before but also so far from it! I am determined to reach it next week!

Good luck to all with your weigh in tomorrow! I'll be getting in a last chance workout in the morning so feel free to join me at 5:15. I then may walk to the wellness center after DD2 gets on the bus for a little extra!

TTFN

My scale is my most important piece of equipment. It keeps me on track.

 

[cclovesdis]

So I woke up this morning feeling like a truck had hit me overnight. I couldn't understand it, since I all I did yesterday was walk. My husband suggested it could be a delay from Tuesday's walking at the zoo. We had a perfect 75 degree day in a nearly deserted zoo. It was fantastic.

I then stepped on the scale - to find out my weight went back down! Almost three pounds since yesterday, it really must have been water weight. If it stays at this number, I might end up with a two pound loss for the week!

My good news of the week, my husband's aunt emailed me with a free 3 month membership she got with her membership to a local gym, so I will be able to take advantage of that during the winter. If I want to go longer, it'll just be $26 per month after that! So I will go in and start that tomorrow. I was wondering if the bikes there would be ok for my knee. I will give it a try and see how it goes.

Hope you are feeling better!

Great pics!

for the gym membership. That's a great price for after 3 months too! I love my gym. Hope you do too!

for water weight! and for weigh-in tomorrow!

CC, you probably already know a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Try not to stress.

Thanks! Me, stress?!?! Who would have guessed?

Glad DS is feeling better. Great pics of him too!

My favorite costume for dd would have to be her first one she made herself...she and her friend made giant cardboard flipflops and one was "flip" and the other was "flop." They are truly each one half of a pair!

That's so creative!

Thanks! Not sure what SETPOINTS is? Care to elaborate? Would I find it with Google? Is it a WW thing?

Very happy to read that you are doing better!

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!

Thanks to Lindsay for coaching this week!

 

[mikamah]

Thursdays QOTD
What was your favorite halloween costume either you or your children ever had. Feel free to share pictures if you have them

I'd have to go with michael's tigger costume, just one from the disney store that he wore when on halloween when he was 3 and 4, and so many days for a couple years. He bounced around here so much, "whoo hoo hoo hoo-ing" it was so cute.

QOTD: Friday: October 29: What piece of equipment have you found to be the most useful on your weight loss journey?

I'd have to go with my running shoes, though my computer is a close second. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have the computer to get the support and inspiration I do here, as well as to head to any restaurant armed with the nutritional information.

Love hearing about everyone's costume and seeing the pictures.

Lisa- Your son is so cute. How sweet you dh makes you a calendar every year.

tggsterr- your party looks like so much fun, and menu just disgusting in the most wonderful way. Love the shrunken head punch.

Lindsay-Love the nurse pic. Hope you are able to get some time tomorrow to regroup and relax a little. Enjoy ryan's party. Thanks for coaching this week.

Tracey- thanks for coaching the week ahead.

I plan to get on every day and post, as well as answer the qotds, and track every bite again. I'm expecting a gain tomorrow, but was on track today, so I hope it's minimal.

Hugs to all who need them tonight, and good luck to all tomorrow for weighin.

Have a good night.

 

[flipflopmom]

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

 

[Rose&Mike]

Lisa--those picutres are so cute! Glad DS is feeling better.

I try to keep repeating that it IS just a number.... my clothes still fit just fine, so I haven't really gained any inches or mass. But honestly, I've had a few scary moments of body distortion.... for example, I glanced in the mirror in the restroom at school the other day and decided that my face looked HUGE! WTH??? And today... while running errands in my yoga pants (in an effort to be SURE I got in my workout) I looked down and decided I looked like I suddenly had HUGE THUNDER THIGHS!! (That's what we called them in high school.) How silly of me.... but I'm glad at least I am realizing that it is DISTORTION and not reality. Thanks for the hug.

Years ago when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed in my life, I had a lady come clean just the bathrooms and floors every other week. It was an anniversary gift from DH for a few months. It was UNBELIEVABLE how much better I felt when she was done! Plus it inspired me to get busy cleaning elsewhere. I would do the kids rooms and general picking up and dusting and such while she did my bathrooms and washed the kitchen floor and vacuumed everywhere. When she was gone in two hours, my entire house was clean!! I say, if you can swing the $, go for it!!

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?

Lindsay--Great Halloween pictures! I hope you get your running mojo back this weekend.

Connie--Good luck with giving up the caffeine. It's hard but it's doable. I went from diet soda, to coffee, to tea to nothing. I miss it sometimes, but now when I have even a tiny bit I get a nice little jolt from it. Here's some benefits from giving up caffeine--much whiter teeth, very economical--water is a lot cheaper, less jitters, less headaches, and for me less anxiety. I have been stressed for the last two weeks, but I know last year I would have been much worse--with a lot more anxiety issues. After I had the heart thing this spring, Mike even gave up caffeine--and he drank ALOT of coffee at work. He said he is really glad he did it. Having said all that, I am going to get a decaf today to try to get my tummy moving since we are racing tomorrow. I read that decaf has the same benefits. I know decaf has some caffeine, so I am going to stick with one before big run days, and hopefully it will be no big deal. Good luck!

Kathy--so glad you are back!

Taryn--hope you have fun with the Halloween stuff this weekend.

Bree--HAVE A GREAT RACE!!!!!!

OctoberBride--Hope you have a great race too!!!!

We ended up getting a thin crust onion, garlic and tomato pizza last night. They forgot to cook it, so they gave Mike a free appetizer when he went to get it and I didn't touch it. Only had two pieces of pizza and my custard cup of ice cream.

I think I'm going to clean out my sweaters and long sleeved shirts today and might go shopping for a bit. Most of my stuff is xl so I know I'll need some new stuff. I guess I will be cleaning up the first floor today (especially the bathroom) since we don't know what's going on today. I am going to be positive today (or at least try)--I will have a cleaned up house at least after all this. Hopefully the doctor at the health center will scare DS into taking better care of himself. His bp last week was 159 over something. This week 149 over something. At the health center on Wednesday it was in the 140s over something--can't remember. Anyhow they took it three times at the health center and it stayed high so they are having come back. Mike's dad died at 49 of a heart attack and Mike has to keep his weight down or his bp goes up. DS has cut way back on the caffeine,(or so he says) but doesn't exercise enough and eats like a college student. It's interesting, I googled it and up until age 18 blood pressure levels for kids are ok if they are higher. The 140s though is kind of over the top.

So there's my day. Feeling better about things. Now I just need to get motivated and get something done today! Hope the scale is friendly to everyone!

 

[SettinSail]

Hi friends! I should be doing a million things right now but I find myself killing time checking in here and posting Did not do too well with food choices at S&B last night. I kinda got sucked into the peer pressure. They were saying "What is she doing? Not eating? Why? This dish is not so bad, really" etc. It did not take me long to cave in and eat just so I fit in with the others. Ended up eating a bacon wrapped date, a sundried tomato/mozarella skewer, hummus with veggies and ...........1/2 piece pumpkin bread and small cube of spice cake. Managed to maintain weight this morning, got some things done at son's school and had yoga class. I knew this was coming but after yoga a lady made a cake for her 50th birthday. It is the custom in Germany to throw your own birthday celebration (even though we are mostly Americans in this class). She served everyone a very generous slice of chocolate cake with chocolate icing and there I was, just trying to fit in with everyone, eating away! I need to think ahead next time and stick to my guns better.
I also got my bag of Choc Chips today too, 24 ounces! I've never seen a bag that big. I will make them last a long time.

When my first ENT first said Meniere's disease, my sister was with me. I had went right after an episode. I asked if my sister would likely have it too. He said no, but know that I have since seen 4 other ENTs and am now on my 6th. He is a neurotologist out of Yale. I haven't seen in him in almost a year, it's not really necessary right now. My hearing has been all over the place, but is normal for an adult. (Children have slightly stricter standards, and I believe I'm borderline there.) I haven't tried doing any exercises. I do sleep with a fan running as long as possible because of the tinnitus, but that's really all I do. I should also mention that the vertigo episodes, especially the first few I had, took a while to recover from-sometimes days. The first time, I left teaching with the kids on a half-day of school (we had PD), and didn't go back until Tuesday. But then again, I was great for almost 2 months before anything happened again. The only reason I called in sick that day was because I had to run to the bathroom so many times in the less than 2 hours I was awake before the 7 AM cut-off, that I knew I wouldn't be okay to teach for 45 minutes with an unofficial minute break and then repeat.

I hope that you are episode-free for a very long time.

Wow, CC, you have really been through a lot with this. I hope we are BOTH episode free for a very long time. I did not notice anything after having one drink last night so continuing to monitor things here.

Funny you should mention no chocolate chips in Germany. My first roomate after college had been a German major. And when she sent gifts to her host family in Germany, she always sent a few bags of chocolate chips so that they could make toll house cookies! That definitely clinches it for me.... I will NEVER move to Germany... who could live without chocolate chip cookies??

As far as DS goes...... props to him for his enterpreneurial tendencies!


Well friends.... I feel like I've sort of caught up on here for now. Not sure what tomorrow will bring on the scale, but I'm trying to "gird my loins" for possible bad news. Not that I've done badly this week, but I suppose it is that mental game of... "prepare for the worst and hope for the best". I'm hoping for the best for all of you too. I know we all try SO HARD to be consistently good with our healthier eating, portion control, exercise.... all while lovingly (and sometimes financially) supporting our families and all that goes with that. Things get crazy, people get sick.... everybody needs our attention and energy and it is so hard to give something back to OURSELVES. But remember, the time you spend here chatting with us (us= likeminded people who want to live healthier more active lives), that is time for YOURSELF and your health.... both mental health and physical health!

Love to all of you who took the time to craft a response to my freak out earlier this week. I didn't mean to unload like that, but obviously I needed to. The show of support truly brought me to tears.... good tears. I cannot express how grateful I am............P

Yes, no cc here but they do have awesome chocolate. I think the chocolate here is so good, they do not understand why you would break it in to tiny chips??? SERIOUSLY good chocolate in Germany

As for the second part of you post, that says it all right there!

Lisah: Love the pictures of your son throughout the years! Soooo cute!

Tggrrstarr- Loved your party pictures and such creative dishes

Tracey: Good luck getting back to 50 pounds gone, I know you can do it

Maureen: Good luck with your 10k And, pork roast,mmmmmmm
I bet it smells good at your house!

Lindsay- You look great in the pantsuit costume, a lot better than ALF
And, the NURSE costume, hilarious

Connie: Good luck getting off of caffeine. I stopped drinking Diet Pepsi October 1st and feel great now. I occasionaly have a dilema where I don't have any good drink options. Here they drink mostly sparkling water which I do not like so sometimes have had to choose between soda, juice and sparkling water. The 3 times that happened, I chose Sprite. It did not seem right so I think I may have to drink sparkling water every now and then.

Cupcaker: Good luck getting going on your last project for awhile. I am such a last minute person, I hear ya on the procrastination! I've never been to IKEA in the US so I can't compare. I would guess the merchandise is a little different.

Deb: I agree, my SCALE has been the most important tool in my journey so far. I actually got very scared a few years ago that I was going to keep getting bigger and bigger so I actually made a vow to NEVER go above my heighest weight at that time. For 2 years, I weighed every day and made sure to stay at that number. Last February I finally decided if I could watch my weight and maintain it, maybe I could try to lose some so have got 20 off so far. I have a goal to lose 50 pounds now. It's slow but it will happen some day.

Have a great day ladies. We do so much to help our children and partners have a great day too so let your light shine where it can!

Shawn

 

[tigger813]

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

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

just taking a minute to answer the QOTD then I will be back later with replies.

I would say the most valuable equipment I have is a tie between my sneakers without them I couldnt run and this is my biggest motivator and my scale. If I dont weigh myself every few days I can feel myself slacking. It keeps me honest.

 

[mikamah]

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!!

 

[cclovesdis]

Good Morning!

I slept in this morning and that was not the plan at all. I had something I had to do before 6:45 and that didn't happen. Not a big deal at all, but I still feel guilty. I shouldn't though, because it seems like it ended up being unnecessary. But, you know me

I baby-sat for longer than I had expected last night, so I did actually need to sleep later this morning. I was able to study for over an hour last night, plus about an hour yesterday morning/afternoon. So, overall, a good day for studying. Hoping for at least an hour today. I'd love to finish this chapter on ratios and proportions, but it's probably another 200 questions. It's possible, but I already feel like I need a nap, so I'll see.

Have a great day everyone!

QOTD: Friday: October 29: What piece of equipment have you found to be the most useful on your weight loss journey?

I love my Wii Fit+/balance board. It's great exercise for me and doubles as my scale.

Maureen: Have a great race!

Your Onslow stories are too funny!

Rose: Hope everything works out with your visitors today.

Lindsay: I LOVE your costumes! The nurse costume is hilarious! You definitely went all out!

Hope you have a great day today!

Connie: Good luck giving up caffeine.

Hope today is a great day!

Jeanette: Thanks for the compliment! You have all been so supportive and I truly appreciate it.

I think setting a deadline was a great idea!

Love your salad yesterday!

 

[cclovesdis]

I'd have to go with michael's tigger costume, just one from the disney store that he wore when on halloween when he was 3 and 4, and so many days for a couple years. He bounced around here so much, "whoo hoo hoo hoo-ing" it was so cute.

That sounds so adorable!

Taryn: Hope AK is ok tonight.

Rose: Glad to hear you are doing better!

Hope DS is too.

Great job with dinner last night!

Shawn: on last night and for maintaining! Seems to me like you know what you are doing!

Wow, CC, you have really been through a lot with this. I hope we are BOTH episode free for a very long time. I did not notice anything after having one drink last night so continuing to monitor things here.

Me too!

Happy to say I'm down 4 pounds this week!!!!!!

That's great! Fingers crossed for you with the Wellness Center challenge!

my scale. If I dont weigh myself every few days I can feel myself slacking. It keeps me honest.

Same here!

I am down .4 of the pound I gained last week.

Congrats!

 

[keenercam]

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:

 

[keenercam]

Rose - I think you were asking about a cleaning lady, right? We finally bit the bullet this spring. I was sick of hearing Howard complaining about cleaning the bathrooms, mopping floors, vacuuming, etc., and I just wasn't around enough to want to spend my free time cleaning. We had The Maids come in and do a very thorough cleaning because I hadn't even had time for spring cleaning.

Once the base cleaning was done, I looked for a cleaning lady. I put the word out to people that we were looking and I asked friends for recommendations. Interestingly, though, one morning at the gym in the locker room I was lamenting to my friend about not being able to find someone. Another woman overheard me and told me her cousin does that. I gave her my number and her cousin, Jill called me.

Jill comes every other week and cleans all the bathrooms, dusts the first floor (except our office), dusts the master bedroom and the guest room (the kids' rooms are their private domain and I refuse to pay for someone to clean their messes). She cleans the whole kitchen, including inside the microwave and the cooktop. She wipes down all the furniture (including our headboard and footboard and the pedestal on the kitchen table!) She sweeps and mops all the floors and vacuums all the rugs (area and wall to wall). It takes her and her helper more than 2 hours to do all of that and they do such a great job that we hardly have to do any of those things in between visits. We pay $85/visit and it is worth every penny -- I'd get rid of cable before I'd cut Jill out of our budget. It seems like such an extravagance but it is so important to us for the house to be clean and Jill is so appreciative of the business - it allows her to be a mostly stay at home Mom for 3 young children. I am just so impressed that she has an MBA and used to be a top-level executive at a local company and then started this business and is turning away referrals. She is pleasant (my fur-baby, Cali, LOVES her) and efficient and absolutely trustworthy. I wish all my busy friends had a Jill in their lives.