I am glad you can celebrate FOUR YEARS of a healthier life! That is such a HUGE accomplishment and it makes me so happy for you and so hopeful that I can keep at it as well. This group does make a positive impact on it and know that I need it to keep me on track.
And these four years have FLOWN by.... and I can tell you, for certain.... I definitely do NOT remember the treats I've had to forego or the desserts I've skipped or the tired feeling from a hard workout.... but I remember every proud moment of holding my head up high because I am not embarrassed to be the "fat girl" in the room! I remember being able to do the dry-land workout with my DD's swim team one summer evening and not being embarrassed about running and doing push-ups and sit-ups with a bunch of teens! (Okay.... I was way slower than them.... but I still did it!) I remember meeting new friends of my kids and not feeling like I will embarrass my kids. I remember being on the "big-screen" at DS's robotics tournament in an auditorium with hundreds of people.... and all I thought was "I look pretty good!" It has all been worth it.
Thanks for the note about Hagrid! It is amazing the impact our pets have on us. We all knew how important this cat was to us but didn't REALLY get it until this week. Now, after $700+ in vet bills, we said that he owes us several more years before scaring us like that again!
At least the $700 got you more time with Hagrid. When I lost my Olivia a few years ago, she was at the vet's on IV's and such for 5 days trying to get her kidneys to function again before she lost her battle (and yes, the kids and I drove the nearly 60 minutes round-trip to the vet every day to visit her.... never regretted that decision). It ended up costing me $500 to take home my kitty and bury her. It was a a very sad day here. Give Hagrid a hug and pat for me. (BTW, love the name!)
Great job on celebrating 4 years of healthier eating and exercise! Not that your super active kids needs it, but you are an awesome example for them (and us)!
Well.... they are both "active" but DS definitely needs to exercise more regularly when he isn't playing a sport (like most of the summer!). We had fun playing Just Dance 3 on the Wii the other night.... it was fun for me to look silly and I liked getting him moving. In 8th grade they no longer have recess, so other than two days of basketball (one game/one practice) and one day of snowboarding, he isn't very active in the winter.
It's so funny that I talk about all of you like I actually know you personally lol. I mentioned something about Gretchen the other day to DH and wanted to show him the pics of her villa at OKW and he was like, "How do you know this girl?" I said, "Uh, hello? DIS and WISH."
Without a doubt, you all are the friends I talk to and talk about the most! Meeting Deb last year and meeting Kathy this year have been highlights of my years! And I can't wait to meet Rose, Maria, Sue and so many others!
Also, I make a full batch of the oats and split it up by serving size in containers. Then breakfast is ready for the week. It still tastes good days later, but sometimes I have to add a little extra water to it.
I was surprised at how large a batch it seemed to make. I definitely had a big serving (although I didn't measure it, I tried to take a quarter of the batch, since a serving of the oats dry is 1/4 C), DD had a fair size serving, DS had a small serving, and there is probably one large or two smaller servings left in the fridge for the weekend. It definitely looked bigger than a regular 1/4 C serving that I cook on the stovetop. Maybe the overnight cooking makes the oats absorb more water and it "puffs up" more. It did seem really "inflated" when I lifted the lid this morning.
Well, I am off to finish up here at work so I'll check back later (hopefully I will have time).
Jill
Thanks for all the interview wishes!! You guys just rock! I'm doing a drive by since I just got into the office at noon and have a million things to do before my presentation tonight!
The interview went very well and it looks like they want me back in a few weeks to meet with the parents and students. They also want me to submit a writing sample....not my strength so I will have an English teacher friend check them over
So, I may have a new job by the second week in March! (granted I wouldn't begin until July 1st!) Fingers crossed!!
And yes, THAT is what I am celebrating this week....that I took the risk and put myself out there as a professional. As much as I would like to celebrate with a nice ice creak sundae....I will just go and refill my water bottle
I'll check in later!!!
Glad it went well. Look forward to hearing more updates in a few weeks!! Enjoy your celebratory water!!
I am celebrating 2wks off of fast food and diet soda. I was drinking at least 3 sodas a day and had fast food such as mcdonalds at least once a day but more often it was 2-3 meals. It was disgusting and now looking back I have no idea even why?????
I am also celebrating the fact I feel like I am back into running again.
SO much to celebrate!!!
It has been a gloomy rainy day here but thank goodness it wasnt snow. So Im not complaining. I do feel kind of gloomy myself but that is just TOM talking.
Tonight is a trip to the grocery store. I dont have a list made which is never a good thing but I will make sure to eat before I go. I do have lots of coupons though.
I hit the store last night and forgot to use my coupons! 
Hope you don't do the same!
Mike will take Ryan to basketball practice and Nick will go along to watch too so its some alone time for me. Too bad it has to be spent grocery shopping.
That was my alone time last night too!
Today is my rest day from working out. I was going to do 20 minutes of kinect but my foot was sore the past couple of workouts because I need new shoes and I just dont want to push it too much.
Take care of your feet!!
Thank you guys! It's official now, too- I just paid my $25 and registered for the Cupid's Cup 5K on February 11th! There's no backing out now!!
And Jen, I think it was you who told me about maybe a bellhop costume for the race...it got me thinking about a french maid-ish costume. I don't think I would look good in a bellhop costume! I am trying to see how I can work it without looking all hoochie-mama during the race. Disney is a family place after all, lol!
I am so excited!!
Wow... two races!! WTG! DD would love to register for the TOT 10K, but as much fun as I think it would be, I don't want the pressure of doing a race at Disney. It would eat into my park time too much! We had considered doing the AK 5K last spring when we were there (coincidentally we were already going to be there the same weekend), but when I figured out how much park time we would be losing, it didn't seem worth it.
Hey guys! I have officially joined your team today and I'm so excited! I have a lot of catching up to do here but I wanted to introduce myself...
I'm Sharon and I just turned 39. I am a single mom of the most handsome little 3 year old named Joshua. He has already been to WDW 3 times...I've lost count of how many times I've been.
I'm turning 40 in November and I'm spending that week at WDW. Sooo...my goal really is to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday (40 BY 40...LOL).
I also just returned to weight watchers, today actually, so I'm hoping that this in combination with that will keep me on track!
Looking forward to getting to know you all!
Hi Sharon! So nice to meet you! You will have plenty of company here. We have many friends turning 40 this year ( we need to have a virtual birthday party at some point in time) and lots of moms to boys (mine turns 14 in two weeks). I am a fellow WW as well, so I'd love to chat about it whenever you want!!
I am almost 53 years old, and am more regular now than when I was in my 20's. Go figure????
I was always very regular, even in my teen years.... like clockwork. But about a year or so ago I hit the "perimenopause" state and things have been totally crazy since then. Sometimes I go weeks without a visit from "Aunt Flo" and then other times she is knocking on the door with increasing regularity. I have the unpredictability of it, but since I know it is just an introduction to the official title of "menopausal" I'll stick with it whenever I can get it for now!
Welcome!!!
I went and watched the parts of the BL that I missed. Online the episode is 86 minutes long. LOL Far form the 120 minutes. Anyway - the nutritionist said - 6 pieces of California roll may have only 300 calories - but has more carbs than 5 slices of white bread.
There are some articles over on Livestrong that go over the different styles of sushi. I thought I had read an article in Prevention but was unable to find it.
Janis
Again... they are talking about a California roll, which has a lot more rice than many other types of sushi. I would say that overall sushi is a very good choice for a meal/snack, as long as you watch the sodium in the soy sauce and such. Not sure why I care to take the time to argue with them.
Hello everyone! What a crazy day. I am in MO and we had our first snow today. All the schools around were closed except ours
So my poor daughter (12) went in the crazy cold blowing snow to the bus...which didn't come! Apparently it slid off the road before it got to her. So she called me 15 minutes after she should have been gone and was almost in tears wanting to come home! I felt terrible for her and said heck ya, get home! She was frozen solid! So my husband took her and son (10) in.
Anyhoo...to the QOTD, I probably am not losing any this week either, but I'm working just as hard as I did last week, so I am super proud that I'm not quitting. I'm chalking it up to the second week curse!! I feel great. I had a kidney stone right before christmas and today had my follow up. The doc said the best thing I can do is drink tons of water. I was happy to hear that cause I am doing just that!!
Oh my gosh. Poor DD!
Hi everyone!!
I have been trying to catch up on all the posts but I was finding my self to be getting even further behind. I read the first ten pages or so and then the last six pages. So I might not be totally clued in to what is going on with everyone but I'm going to try my best to make sense of all the conversations from here on!!
I gotta admit I'm a little nervous about the weigh in tomorrow! I am really proud of myself this week though! I have been sticking to my diet and haven't cheated at all! I guess we shall see tomorrow if it is paying off yet or not!
I am celebrating not cheating on my diet at all so far! Also that I have been trying extra hard to stay active during the day by keeping some upbeat music on in the house. I have also been doing great with adding more veggies to my diet! That has always been a huge struggle for me!! And one more, I think I have drank more water in the past two weeks then I have had in some MONTHS!! I am proud of myself for staying so strong through this so far. I just hope the scale shows a little bit of a pay off in the morning! I definitely feel more energetic but don't feel any different weight wise...I guess we will see tomorrow!! :nervous:
Fingers crossed for a great weigh-in tomorrow.... but PLEASE don't be discouraged if it isn't! I've had weeks like that and it can be so very discouraging. No matter what the scale says, please be sure to come back here and chat with us!
***********
Evening friends! DS's snowboarding lessons ended up cancelled.... not sure exactly why, but it gave me an afternoon at home that I didn't expect. I used the time to do more laundry
sad2: ), sautee some veggies for homemade burrito bowls over the weekend, and make a batch of my homemade fruit/veggie juice.
Like I mentioned earlier, TOM is visiting, so I'm not expecting anything exciting on the scale this week... plus it has been a tough week eating-wise.... which now that I think about it probably go hand in hand!! DUH! No WONDER I couldn't keep my hands out of the junk last weekend! Guess I should have put two and two together sooner.
BTW, for the person who asked about the Beanitos chips..... they are chips made from black beans. So many snack items (even "healthy " ones or low-fat ones") are made with a CORN base. And most of that corn has been genetically modified and sprayed with chemicals, thanks to your friends at Monsanto. In an effort to be healthier, I'm trying to reduce the number of corn and soy based items that we buy. I stopped buying real Cheerios. I found DD another brand of "honey nut O's" that are made from organic, non-GMO ingredients. I will buy tortilla chips for DS (he loves them with salsa and since he isn't much of a veggie eater, I'm thrilled that he eats salsa), but I try to stick with chips made from organic non-GMO corn.
Anyhow.... I found these Beanitos chips and I think that they are DELICIOUS! And they have some protein and fiber. They are nice and crunchy and salty, which I really crave. And since I watch my white carbs, they are a healthy high-fiber carb! They come in two flavors... one is just the "black bean chip" flavor and I think that the other is a cheese flavor. Not particularly low fat or low calorie, but a reasonably healthy snack otherwise.
I'm currently not scheduled to work tomorrow, but of course that could change with a call in the morning. I will say YES if they call because I haven't worked much lately. So if you don't see me around in the morning, assume that I am at work! And DD has a swim meet in the evening about a 90minute drive north, so I won't be around much in the morning. And DS has a b.ball game Saturday morning about a 90 minute drive west.... so I won't be around then either!!
So I'll either see you tomorrow morning.... or Saturday evening!
Wishing you all good news on the scale tomorrow.... and encouragement to those who do not get the news they expect. Remember our mantra.... "I will NEVER give up!"...........................P
It is a night race, right? But personally I couldn't do it, cause I'd need my full support jog bra!
I had all intentions on cooking dinner, but after DS's orthodontist appt it was too late to start cooking, so I asked DS what he wanted and Little Caesar's it was. At least I got 30 mins on the elliptical in before I ate. I'm hoping it doesn't affect my weigh in too much!
YAY! Glad that you are feeling good after giving up the soda! That is a great celebration!
to me in some ways. Since I can't even keep up with the split. 
Thanks for stopping by! Keeping up does seem to be a challenge at the start. I would like to be a bit more active on the Team Mickey thread but it is a lot just to keep up with one thread right now! 
I believe the article was in Prevention magazine. 
I can't believe JCPS released 2 hours early!!!!
Thanks for sharing!
You will find a lot of people here on WW so feel free to ask if you have questions. Can't wait to hear about your WDW trip details - I think it is a great idea to celebrate there!
GREAT JOB moving forward! I think it is so hard to keep on going when you don't see the loss that you are looking for. It is great that you recognize that you are feeling great and drinking your water! 
Tonight Hagrid is in bed with us while I type this out. He is purring and happy. 
