In search of my body...not the one I ate!

[MaMabearJo]

MBJ - I'm so please to hear the surgery went well.

Those pics you emailed me, did not work!!! We gotta get your picture posting situation worked out!

I Don't Know what the H_ _L is wrong with my computer. We are going to sign up for a different Dish company and they have Highspeed so maybe it will make a difference in everything, I know Zac hates the fact he can't do his homework off the computer (to slow). I'll cross my fingers.....

Thank's to all of you for thinking of Zac .

DWD I would love to work at a Home & Garden show, I love people and talking and selling. I have managed a Green house in my local home town for the last 3 years and love it. The people, the selling, the free flowers, the huge discount on metals & status. This would be my dream job to own my own flower/out door stuff (greenhouse). We own 10 acres off our home that would be perfect and I think I might have my husband talked into me using it. He was always worried I would not have time for our trucking company, plus I have my own plowing company to take care of in the winter which would be when I would be planting in the greenhouse,. But I am a mom and we get use to juggling, I have done it for 20 years, with kids, sports, housework, job, and HUSBAND.

DH did say he would not help and does not want to be involved, (but I know he will when I start making money) Because that is what happen with my plowing company. He saw the money coming in and the business growing he wanted to be part of it. So we will see, I know I can do it on my own, I have a few good people that want to work with me already.

So DWD congrat's on you hard work and it sounded like you had fun. Nice to see you back on the boards.

3Dkids: Did you say you saw your nutritionist at you gym or did you go to a doctor. I would love to see one, I know my eating is way out of whack and I am not sure if I am doing to many cal or not enough for my weight. I think I might call our Y and see if they have one there.


Dawn: I like your writing, you must be inspired.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Ok, so I am back.

Jodi--the guy I saw is at my gym. He is the owner and a friend (well, really I am friends with his wife, but they go to our church and we have kids in the same grade, yadda yadda). He has a list of credentials a mile long, but his specialty is nutrition for the athlete.

So the results are in. Turns out my metabolism is smack-dab in the middle of the normal range, so that is a good thing. If you remember a while back I was worried that there might be a thyroid issue, but there isn't. Although he did not do a blood test, he said that the results of this test would have been a clear indicator that I need to see an endocrinologist, but it all came out ok.

The next number that we talked about was my VO2--this notes how well your body uses the oxygen from breathing and supplies that oxygen to your blood stream and muscles. He said that this number definitely showed that I am a distance runner! He said that my body is "very efficient." Um, ok, great...then why am I tub? Basically, he could tell that I do a lot of cardio.

Calories...to maintain my current weight, I would need to consume 2,000 calories/day. So he has me on a 1400-1500/day calorie regimen. This is about what I have been doing.

As for the meal plan...a HUGE disappointment. He really screwed up and I am going to have to have him re-do it. This is going to be uncomfortable b/c we are "friends," but he just didn't do a good job. I told him that I was allergic to bananas and that I am a vegetarian but I do eat dairy and fish and eggs.

Well, he gave me a vegan meal plan (NO dairy, NO fish...but he did have the eggs in there) and a banana each day. WTH??? He also had that I am allergic to nuts, which I am not. He kept saying, "yeah, if you could have nuts, then you could eat XYZ...." At first I thought it was because nuts are so high in fat that he didn't include them. Finally, after the third or fourth time he said it, I chimed in with, "If nuts are so great, why didn't you include them?" "You said you were allergic." Ummm...no. So, I am going to have to scrap most of what he gave me.

The most interesting thing I learned was about milk and eggs. He said that skim milk is terrible...just equates to sugar water. He was adamant that you cannot separate protein from fat. In order for the protein to "count" and be used as protein by your body, there HAS to be fat in it. Otherwise, it just converts to sugar. Now, he did NOT say to have whole milk, but he did say that 1% was best....having just a little bit of fat with the protein gives you all of the benefits of the protein. Same goes for eggs....eating just egg whites is useless....the body just coverts it to sugar (and excess sugar gets stored as fat). Also, hard boiled eggs are useless...when you put eggs in boiling water, basically that amount of cooking destroys all of the protein.

In general, I have not been eating enough fat. Since I have not been giving my body enough fat, it has been holding on to what I do have.

[note for chicken eaters] - he is not a fan of eating chicken and poultry because you have to cook if so well in order for it to be safe to eat (salmonella and e-coli) that again, most of the protein gets "cooked out" so to speak. The example he gave was that if a 4oz chicken breast had 30g of protein in it, the amount of protein it would have after being cooked was only 7g. Now, he is not saying that you should eat stuff under cooked, but he just was making a point about how we are not getting all of the protein we think we are.

Everything else was stuff I already knew...no refined sugar (duh!), try to eliminate all white flour (in favor of whole grains), and try to eat as much natural food (least processed) as possible. Again, no big revelations here. He said to avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup (again, I long ago eliminated this from my life).

Basically, what he gave me is very similar to Phase 2 of South Beach Diet. Complete proteins, healthy carbs (from fruit and whole grains), and don't skimp on fat. And keep it to 1300-1550 cals per day. One thing I have been doing is having too many of the 100-calorie pack types of snacks. So I will eliminate those in favor of better snacks. I was already moving in this direction anyway.

Honestly, I think most folks would be better off using a site like SparkPeople or FitDay, which is what I will have to start doing. I am pretty disappointed overall. I really thought that I would get super helpful information and a great meal plan today...turns out, I am basically on my own with one of the above websites.

Opinions please...Dawn, I know you like FitDay and Kat loves Spark...what are the differences? Which one should I do?

 

[MaMabearJo]

Wow lots to think about, interesting about the skim milk and hard boiled eggs. Getting any new information is great for me, I can keep a mental note when I am grocery shopping. There is so much to think about and do when you want to lose weight properly, I understand why people quite or have an extremely hard time getting going. (Like me many times) It is all about learning and rethinking your food choices. Thanks for the information to bad it was a let down for you. But you do seem to be on the right track. Keep up the great job and it will come. Jodi

 

[HockeyKat]

Ok, so I am back.

Jodi--the guy I saw is at my gym. He is the owner and a friend (well, really I am friends with his wife, but they go to our church and we have kids in the same grade, yadda yadda). He has a list of credentials a mile long, but his specialty is nutrition for the athlete.

So the results are in. Turns out my metabolism is smack-dab in the middle of the normal range, so that is a good thing. If you remember a while back I was worried that there might be a thyroid issue, but there isn't. Although he did not do a blood test, he said that the results of this test would have been a clear indicator that I need to see an endocrinologist, but it all came out ok.

The next number that we talked about was my VO2--this notes how well your body uses the oxygen from breathing and supplies that oxygen to your blood stream and muscles. He said that this number definitely showed that I am a distance runner! He said that my body is "very efficient." Um, ok, great...then why am I tub? Basically, he could tell that I do a lot of cardio.

Calories...to maintain my current weight, I would need to consume 2,000 calories/day. So he has me on a 1400-1500/day calorie regimen. This is about what I have been doing.

As for the meal plan...a HUGE disappointment. He really screwed up and I am going to have to have him re-do it. This is going to be uncomfortable b/c we are "friends," but he just didn't do a good job. I told him that I was allergic to bananas and that I am a vegetarian but I do eat dairy and fish and eggs.

Well, he gave me a vegan meal plan (NO dairy, NO fish...but he did have the eggs in there) and a banana each day. WTH??? He also had that I am allergic to nuts, which I am not. He kept saying, "yeah, if you could have nuts, then you could eat XYZ...." At first I thought it was because nuts are so high in fat that he didn't include them. Finally, after the third or fourth time he said it, I chimed in with, "If nuts are so great, why didn't you include them?" "You said you were allergic." Ummm...no. So, I am going to have to scrap most of what he gave me.

The most interesting thing I learned was about milk and eggs. He said that skim milk is terrible...just equates to sugar water. He was adamant that you cannot separate protein from fat. In order for the protein to "count" and be used as protein by your body, there HAS to be fat in it. Otherwise, it just converts to sugar. Now, he did NOT say to have whole milk, but he did say that 1% was best....having just a little bit of fat with the protein gives you all of the benefits of the protein. Same goes for eggs....eating just egg whites is useless....the body just coverts it to sugar (and excess sugar gets stored as fat). Also, hard boiled eggs are useless...when you put eggs in boiling water, basically that amount of cooking destroys all of the protein.

In general, I have not been eating enough fat. Since I have not been giving my body enough fat, it has been holding on to what I do have.

[note for chicken eaters] - he is not a fan of eating chicken and poultry because you have to cook if so well in order for it to be safe to eat (salmonella and e-coli) that again, most of the protein gets "cooked out" so to speak. The example he gave was that if a 4oz chicken breast had 30g of protein in it, the amount of protein it would have after being cooked was only 7g. Now, he is not saying that you should eat stuff under cooked, but he just was making a point about how we are not getting all of the protein we think we are.

Everything else was stuff I already knew...no refined sugar (duh!), try to eliminate all white flour (in favor of whole grains), and try to eat as much natural food (least processed) as possible. Again, no big revelations here. He said to avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup (again, I long ago eliminated this from my life).

Basically, what he gave me is very similar to Phase 2 of South Beach Diet. Complete proteins, healthy carbs (from fruit and whole grains), and don't skimp on fat. And keep it to 1300-1550 cals per day. One thing I have been doing is having too many of the 100-calorie pack types of snacks. So I will eliminate those in favor of better snacks. I was already moving in this direction anyway.

Honestly, I think most folks would be better off using a site like SparkPeople or FitDay, which is what I will have to start doing. I am pretty disappointed overall. I really thought that I would get super helpful information and a great meal plan today...turns out, I am basically on my own with one of the above websites.

Opinions please...Dawn, I know you like FitDay and Kat loves Spark...what are the differences? Which one should I do?

Sucks that he didn't listen to your preferences and allergies!!

As to the rest, interesting. I use eggbeaters, not egg whites. I do put skim milk on my cereal, but only 1/4 cup which is pretty worthless anyhow.

I wonder if the cooking thing is why my program works so well? I eat a lot of lean meat (96% lean hamburger, strip steak, lean roast beef lunchmeat), and I eat it basically raw. I also prefer my fish raw.

I try to keep my fat grams around 30 per day... but I don't really count them and I probably have at least 8-10 g per meal. I have found through my 6 months and then 2 months (with Sept-Jan off) of doing 1200 calories, that I have to get a certain amount of fat and protein or I can't make it through the day. I try to keep protein g over 60.

I have done both FitDay and Spark... I like Spark better because I think its food database has more in it, or at least more of the foods I eat. They are really similar, though, and it may just be a personal preference.


As to the congrats on the exercise, thanks!! I am finally feeling totally well again and the Claritin has kicked in to combat the pollen allergies (it is full-on SPRING here), so that helps a lot.

MamaBear... if you have health insurance, you can usually get your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist and a lot of health care companies pay for a certain # of visits.

 

[MunkyMe13]

Hey everyone... I'm alive.... My dad is still in ICU... Hopefully they are moving him to the cancer ward today and they were talking about trying to get him out of bed... Hes not coming home anytime real soon we don't think. I gained like 4 lbs this weekend just because I kept eating and eating... Talk about an awful weekend. Marital discourse is still ever so slightly present and thats not helping either. Anyway I gotta get back to work. I'm sorry for my lack of posts... I hope all is well with everyone.

Sarah

 

[SeptemberGirl]

Erika, I am so sorry the meal plan was disappointing! I was really hoping he would have this super perfect, out of the world plan for you that would make you drop the rest of the weight in a snap! You have struggled to find something, I was hoping this was it. I think you're probably right - you know what to do, it's just a matter of tracking using one of the online thingies.

I have a horror of my weight loss stopping. I was pulling out too big clothes and going, "But wait, maybe I should save this in case!" and then I had a big talk with myself over a glass of water. Of course, I barely exercise, so I do have that to fall back on!

 

[SeptemberGirl]

Hey everyone... I'm alive.... My dad is still in ICU... Hopefully they are moving him to the cancer ward today and they were talking about trying to get him out of bed... Hes not coming home anytime real soon we don't think. I gained like 4 lbs this weekend just because I kept eating and eating... Talk about an awful weekend. Marital discourse is still ever so slightly present and thats not helping either. Anyway I gotta get back to work. I'm sorry for my lack of posts... I hope all is well with everyone.

Sarah

Big hugs coming your way, honey!

 

[HockeyKat]

Hey everyone... I'm alive.... My dad is still in ICU... Hopefully they are moving him to the cancer ward today and they were talking about trying to get him out of bed... Hes not coming home anytime real soon we don't think. I gained like 4 lbs this weekend just because I kept eating and eating... Talk about an awful weekend. Marital discourse is still ever so slightly present and thats not helping either. Anyway I gotta get back to work. I'm sorry for my lack of posts... I hope all is well with everyone.

Sarah

So sorry. You can call or text anytime if you need to talk.

Erika, I am so sorry the meal plan was disappointing! I was really hoping he would have this super perfect, out of the world plan for you that would make you drop the rest of the weight in a snap! You have struggled to find something, I was hoping this was it. I think you're probably right - you know what to do, it's just a matter of tracking using one of the online thingies.

I have a horror of my weight loss stopping. I was pulling out too big clothes and going, "But wait, maybe I should save this in case!" and then I had a big talk with myself over a glass of water. Of course, I barely exercise, so I do have that to fall back on!

I have that fear too. I put on a size 16 jeans over the weekend and they fell off, and I thought I should give these away. Then I was like, no, but what if I need them?

Oh, and I forgot... born, I didn't learn how to skate/play hockey until 5 yrs ago at age 27. I am no good at it but man it is fun!!

 

[SeptemberGirl]

I have that fear too. I put on a size 16 jeans over the weekend and they fell off, and I thought I should give these away. Then I was like, no, but what if I need them?

Oh, and I forgot... born, I didn't learn how to skate/play hockey until 5 yrs ago at age 27. I am no good at it but man it is fun!!

I'm glad it's not just me. I felt like this when I hauled all those 20's out...but I'm not going back. Deep breath, deep breath.

I was thinking of signing Emily up for skating in the fall - they have kids learning hockey at age 4 here! But I guess it's not too late for me, either!

 

[3DisneyKids]

Hey everyone... I'm alive.... My dad is still in ICU... Hopefully they are moving him to the cancer ward today and they were talking about trying to get him out of bed... Hes not coming home anytime real soon we don't think. I gained like 4 lbs this weekend just because I kept eating and eating... Talk about an awful weekend. Marital discourse is still ever so slightly present and thats not helping either. Anyway I gotta get back to work. I'm sorry for my lack of posts... I hope all is well with everyone.

Sarah

Sorry! Hang in there! Don't worry about food...you have enough going on right now.

Erika, I am so sorry the meal plan was disappointing! I was really hoping he would have this super perfect, out of the world plan for you that would make you drop the rest of the weight in a snap! You have struggled to find something, I was hoping this was it. I think you're probably right - you know what to do, it's just a matter of tracking using one of the online thingies.

I have a horror of my weight loss stopping. I was pulling out too big clothes and going, "But wait, maybe I should save this in case!" and then I had a big talk with myself over a glass of water. Of course, I barely exercise, so I do have that to fall back on!

Thanks for the support. Yeah, I a really bummed...like you said, I was really putting a lot of hope and faith in this plan. Oh well...I will spend this week turning into Kat... ...memorizing the calories of everything and using SparkPeople.

I think a lot of this is an age thing, too...since I am closing in on the big 4-0! Those in their 20s and early 30s, listen up....It is SO SO SO much easier to lose weight when you are younger. The older you get the, the harder it becomes. I was 23 the last time I really needed to work on losing weight...about the same amount as this time...and I lost 20 pounds in like 5-6 weeks without exercise. It just melted off. Now...not so much.

I have that fear too. I put on a size 16 jeans over the weekend and they fell off, and I thought I should give these away. Then I was like, no, but what if I need them?

Oh, and I forgot... born, I didn't learn how to skate/play hockey until 5 yrs ago at age 27. I am no good at it but man it is fun!!

I'm glad it's not just me. I felt like this when I hauled all those 20's out...but I'm not going back. Deep breath, deep breath.

I was thinking of signing Emily up for skating in the fall - they have kids learning hockey at age 4 here! But I guess it's not too late for me, either!

Get rid of the clothes! You will never be there again! (unless, of course, it is by choice and either of you gets knocked up in the future... For Kat I know that is in the "not gonna happen" category...but Liz...any plans for a second?) Even so, get rid of the clothes. If you get pregnant later you will not want your old fat clothes anyway!

 

[grumpyyoungguy]

Carry Me

Carry me to the time when I will wear your ring
Where fireflies dance and the crickets sing
Carry me far from the home in which I reside
Where shadows haunt and tempers hide
Carry me in your strong arms of love
Where safety surrounds and passion cries from above
Carry me to a glorious, wondrous place
Mystical, magical yet so full of grace
Carry me to a far reached, distant shore
Where "I love you" won't fall from my lips upon the barren floor
Carry me with you from dream to sweet dream
Carry me with you to sights yet to behold and unseen
Carry me through the night and throughout the next day
Carry me quite simply
Because I need to be
Carried away.

Just wanted to say thanks to Dan for showing me my smile..and to all of you for being my friend. I am truly blessed.

 

[HockeyKat]

Sorry! Hang in there! Don't worry about food...you have enough going on right now.




Thanks for the support. Yeah, I a really bummed...like you said, I was really putting a lot of hope and faith in this plan. Oh well...I will spend this week turning into Kat... ...memorizing the calories of everything and using SparkPeople.

I think a lot of this is an age thing, too...since I am closing in on the big 4-0! Those in their 20s and early 30s, listen up....It is SO SO SO much easier to lose weight when you are younger. The older you get the, the harder it becomes. I was 23 the last time I really needed to work on losing weight...about the same amount as this time...and I lost 20 pounds in like 5-6 weeks without exercise. It just melted off. Now...not so much.





Get rid of the clothes! You will never be there again! (unless, of course, it is by choice and either of you gets knocked up in the future... For Kat I know that is in the "not gonna happen" category...but Liz...any plans for a second?) Even so, get rid of the clothes. If you get pregnant later you will not want your old fat clothes anyway!

23... wow. I have struggled with my weight my whole life... I know what I need to do, it is just sticking to it. This last weight gain, though, was at least partially being absorbed into someone else's wishes, and overall just not fighting hard enough. That is never going to happen again.

Thanks for joining the "Kat" super-calorie-counting club!!

SeptGirl, you could definitely learn to skate/play. If I can do it, anyone can! I had never played a sport before in my life.

 

[BrcsDisneyPrncs]

I never ends I tell you!

I had planned to hop online this weekend, catch up, etc. Well our computer FRIED on friday. I never realized how much i like having a computer handy until i don't have one!!!

The shower went great!!! Bruce's grandfather is not doing so great... Hopefully i'll get a chance to catch up tomorrow or so, have to write up thank you cards!

Bah, one thing after another after another!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

 

[MaMabearJo]

Food today: oat meal 1 pack
glass of skim milk (but from now on it will 1%)

Bowl of healthy choice soup (chicken rice)
yogurt/raspberry

Fiber one bar (love them)

Home made raveolie ( I have no Idea how spell it)
Green beans
mixed fruit

Multi-vitamians
10 glasses of water so far

AND STILL NO POP


I am sure I will have a snack before bed

 

[3DisneyKids]

Hi everyone!

Jodi--awesome food day! And way to go on getting rid of the soda! Woo-Hoo! I know it will be worth it for you to have all of that junk out of your system!

And Jodi (and all) - please do not run out an buy 1% milk just yet. Yes, this guy is a professional and is well-educated, etc. but I am definitely questioning the 1" thing. While it has been many years, I was once a fitness trainer and all-around health/nutrition freak. And in all of those years, I have never heard anyone say this before. I told DH about it (and he is a body builder and has like 6% body fat...don't get me started) and he has never heard it before either.

So I am going to do some research and I will report back what I find.

Kat and all you other calorie-counters out there...wow! This take a LOT of time! Too bad this comes at a really busy time for me. I really want to take some time and play around on SparkPeople, but phew! It is going to take a lot of work and there is a pretty steep learning curve.

I will be in and out all night...

 

[AKASnowWhite]

I'm so far behind in my life...I haven't even found time to shower yet and yes, I did work out this morning.....took a ZUMBA class at the gym....holy crap am I seriously lacking in the rhythm department

Major PMS going on.. ...I'll check in tomorrow. Have a good night everyone!

 

[HockeyKat]

Erika, it definitely takes a lot of time to calorie count. At this point in the game, I tend to keep a running tally in my head and don't always enter it in, sometimes until the next day.

Jodi, great job!!

Food for today:
B: Coffee
L: Roast Beef pita w/ laughing cow (150), salad (20), pumpkin soup (90), 8 strawberries (30)
S: 6 almonds (30), 1/2 100 cal pack of cheezits (50)
D: 8 oz chicken livers (220), 1 potato (100), 1 onion (30) - half sliced and sauteed w/ the chicken livers, half sliced and sauteed w/ the potato, 1 artichoke (60), 2 Tbsp ff promise (10), 1.5 8 oz glasses of white wine (220)
S: 100 cals of something? (not sure yet)
Total, 1110. Exercise, 30 min on arc trainer, 40 min of weights. Water, 80 oz.

 

[Dizneydawn]

Hi guys..I will send out PM's today to people for the magnets....I will also get the chance to get our win/loss tallys for the Peeps Patrol done....

IF YOU DID NOT SEND ME LAST WEEKS WEIGH IN>>>PLEASE DO SO>>>>

I am going to find a Dr today to help me with chronic elbow pain....has been around for about 4 weeks now but keeps getting worse and keeps me up all night....I do not play a raquet sport and it is both elbows so I am not sure what is going on....can they put you in a bubble if you request it???

I will get a chance to respond to the posts at a more detailed level...

But from memory...

Goof....hope your life slows down enough to let you enjoy it...

3Dis.....I hope you find the miracle combo that works for your body...I too have been staying away from skim milk..

Brcs & Munky....praying for family health....

Kat...glad the tootsies are good...I love pedicures...

Mama....good job on the pop..Zac is your son all the way...ad here is to an uneventful prom season...

And the Liz duo...you guys are rockin the weight loss...I am sooo proud....

Bird, Chbc, Snow white....and the rest of the gang....missing you too....

 

[born2bird]

Hey everyone... I'm alive.... My dad is still in ICU... Hopefully they are moving him to the cancer ward today and they were talking about trying to get him out of bed... Hes not coming home anytime real soon we don't think. I gained like 4 lbs this weekend just because I kept eating and eating... Talk about an awful weekend. Marital discourse is still ever so slightly present and thats not helping either. Anyway I gotta get back to work. I'm sorry for my lack of posts... I hope all is well with everyone.

Sarah

You have so much going on it is no wonder you don't have time to worry about diet and exercise. Hang in there. We are all here for you.

Erika, What a bummer about the meal plan. Did you talk to him about doing it over again? I am curious to see what you find out about the milk. I hate milk and can only stomach a small amount of it on cereal but I use skim when I do.

Dawn, Miss you too, sweetie! It was a crazy weeked with the baby's b-day party.

Brcs, I am sorry to hear about your future FIL. You are one busy lady!! I hope you get the chance to slow down and enjoy some of the wedding prep. It should be a least a little bit fun.

Jodi, Great job with the food yesterday. You are on a roll!

Kat, I might give skating a try if my DS continues to show an interest in hockey I am so uncoordinated. So much so it is a running joke in my family. I broke both my elbows at the same time when I took a fall inline skating. Sadly, I wasn't even moving that fast since I was going up a hill. I am affectionately called crash by my husband's family.

Liz, get rid of those clothes!! Just think of the closet space you will have to fill when they are gone.

Warning to all of you parents of small children!!:[/B] Do not use the playtex orthodontic pacifiers! The entire nipple pulled off of the button last night while my son had it in his mouth. If I had not seen it happen or if he had been in bed for the night he would have choked to death. I called playtex and they are sending me a bag to put the pacifier in and send it back to them. I did some research and they have had 3 different orthodontic pacifiers recalled due to the same problem in 2000/2001. They had 21 reports of this same thing happening. Obviously, they still have not gotten it right. I shudder to think what could have happened. I was shaking so hard when I called that I could barely speak to customer service rep.

 

[goofyfan-12]

Hi Everyone...

Sorry for my lack of posts, but it has been crazy around here thanks to the confluence of some issues at work and the volunteer work I do. I seriously need to learn how to say no... When you think about it, not being able to say no is the heart of multiple issues for me... can't say no to eating, can't say no to taking on additional work, can't say no to being there to help a friend or familly member. The result is one stressed out, tired, cranky and overweight Goof... NOT GOOD!!!! There - I feel better just for having typed that last bit.....

Things are starting to calm down a bit - at least back to my normal state of craziness... I am restarting my weight loss journey and going back to basics. I am listening to my motivation CD's that came with the first week materials at Jenny Craig and I am determined to get back into the exercise mode I was in a month agoa. I am sick of losing and gaining the same four or five pounds and it has to stop... I am a body boarder (with giraffe print shoes that I will be wearing next week so I will take pictures) hear me roar....

Anyways - I have been following the discussions over the past few days even though I haven't been posting. I am praying for those of you who need prayers, celebrating with those of you who have acheived life's victories and empathizing with those of you who have not yet acheived your milestones yet.

In the meantime, how much longer until I am in Disneyworld??? I am beginning to feel that my vacation may never get here.... On the plus side, they did announce the dates for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.....

Have a good day everyone,
Goof