Weight Watchers/Weight Loss Support - April 2012

[srahndennis]

This is a support thread for those working to shed a few pounds (or more)! Some of us are on the Weight Watchers Points Plus plan; others are working different programs or focusing on personal goals. Anyone is welcome to join in!

Morning, everyone!! Welcome to April! I can’t believe it but I’m ready. A new month, a new start! It’s been crazy busy for us so I haven’t been around much. I read when I can but just haven’t had a lot of time to post. I’ll be changing that – I need to be more engaged!

Denise – Congrats on reaching 50 lbs!! That is wonderful. I know you’re seeing dramatic changes and must feel so much better! And a shout out to your DH as well. What a team!

I know there have been lots of vacations going on. Wishing everyone good weather, good times, and good food! If you indulge, enjoy it but don’t let it derail you. We went right from spring break into birthday season – mine on March 30th, my mom on April 2nd , my dad on April 29th and my sister is May 8th. Whew! If I plan well, I can manage the celebrations but I’ve got to plan for it. And to do that, I have to be tracking. :)

[LakeMartinGal]

Hi, Stacy! Good to see you!

I haven't been tracking, but I've been "trying" to watch portions. I was happy with a 1.2lb loss after 3 weeks. It's nothing spectacular, but it is steady, and that's the kind that tends to stay off! DH and I are trying to remember to sprinkle (we're using Sensa), and that's kind of a hassle, but we're trying to remind each other.;)

[srahndennis]

Hi, Kay!! I would think just the act of sprinkling (when you remember ;)) would help you think about what/how much you are about to eat, no? Slow & steady wins -- you're headed in the right direction.

I *feel* like my slump is over. Had an OP day yesterday -- with points left over. Let's see if I can make it two in a row. And I got up to workout this morning -- MMA Boxing. My week starts over on Tuesdays so it's really nice when I get a workout right out of the gate -- slush points to play with!

Another busy day. Work then DS has tennis so I'll be heading to Costco. Probably a good thing as we have next to no fruit in the house. Berries, anyone??

[Valerie226]

Hi all, I'm back from vacation. not real successful. some tire trouble and weather was not good. we got in a little hiking and biking, not as much as planned as it was raining and snowing more than expected.
Did cyclemax after I got back, and the day after went mt biking. strangely, I'm getting much more cycle exercise this year than ever.

Good to see you back and on target Stacy. I didn't lose over vacation... didn't gain either.. stayed the same. went to yoga this morning and am getting on target again for a renewed assault on the stubborn 10 lbs that are trying to be permanent residents.

[EmptyNestMom]

Happy Tuesday to you all! I am not sure but think I told you I was on vacation and gained (my estimate) about 1 1/2 pounds...today I weighed in and had lost that plus one more pound...my weight loss with WW is at 17.8 pounds...slowly coming off...but I haven't really had a hard time doing it...well, I have had to think more!;)

Denise, in case I didn't congratulate you last month here's my WOW! that weight loss is a very good one...how long have you been working at it?

Stacy, I am glad you are back, I missed your steady presence last month...Kay, steady small weight loss is better than a fast gain...I think it is easier to keep it off when you do it that way. And Valerie, congratulations on not gaining weight on your vacation...I am sorry to hear that you experienced car trouble and bad weather :(

I am curious, the topic of this week's WW is anchoring, do you have an anchor to help keep you on track? If so what is it? I think mine is a picture of myself that was taken when my son was small...I was having a great time but I looked huge and didn't even realize it until I saw that picture!!!! And that was when I knew that I had to do something...and I have done something several times and since I am older and wiser now I plan on this time being the last.

Happy April to everyone! Hard to believe we are in month number 4 and the first quarter of 2012 is gone forever!! Hope to hear more from everyone during the month...

[Bawstinn]

Hello everyone!

Still chugging along here. Work is super busy but it also means I am glued to my desk all day.

Keeping up with exercise and tracking. Not so much going on in the weight loss realm but I did order some new capris in a smaller size. I am 6' tall and to actually go down a size is huge. So, that in itself is enough to keep me motivated (at least to exercise).

Easter is only going to be the 4 of us but the in-laws snet two large chocolate eggs to the house - on is peanut butter and the other is cashew caramel. They are from a local homemade candy store and unfortunately I know from past experience that they are VERY good.

I tried the Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms from the April CL and we thought it was very good. Other than that I've been cooking our usuals as I've been getting home late.

[dcollier]

Hi Everyone! It's good to hear from you all. A week ago, I lost my precious cat, Zeke. He was 17 years old, and not having children, he was my baby. And I really took it hard, even though I have continued to say over and over in my head, perspective, perspective, perspective. Today, I'm feeling better. And it's a beautiful, sunny, warm day in the Ouachita Mountains of northwest Arkansas! And thanks to all of you for your support and good words.

Stacy and Pam, my 50 pounds took me 8-1/2 months, and for the last five months or so, I've averaged a pound a week. I'm very happy with that, because as I've said before, my DH and I both use our extra points to enjoy life. If we were not doing that, I'm not so sure I'd still be following the plan.

I don't have an anchor and am looking forward to my meeting tomorrow night to see what our Leader has to say about it.

Happy spring everyone!

Denise

[LakeMartinGal]

Hi Everyone! It's good to hear from you all. A week ago, I lost my precious cat, Zeke. He was 17 years old, and not having children, he was my baby. And I really took it hard, even though I have continued to say over and over in my head, perspective, perspective, perspective. Today, I'm feeling better.

DH and I both use our extra points to enjoy life. If we were not doing that, I'm not so sure I'd still be following the plan.

Happy spring everyone!

DeniseJust wanted to ((((Denise)))) for losing Zeke. I've lost pets before, but never one that I had for that long! It's good that you have perspective, and maybe you'll find another kitty that needs some love.

Congrats on the weight loss, and your outlook on life -- I love the you're using your extra points that way!:D:cool:

[dcollier]

Thanks Kay for your sweet words. Actually, I still have two cats -- Belle (who's 14) and Suzie (who's 9). Both of them were dumped on our (very rural) property and we took them in. Zeke, who just died, and Little Bit (who died in December at 16 years old), moved with us from Dallas 14 years ago. We have a cat door and no litter box, and 6 to 7 months of the year, they're outside cats. We also have a large covered deck, a big front porch, and a gazebo, so they have plenty of sheltered places to stretch out and enjoy the spring and summer weather. We also have a dog, Lilly (a pit bull/Lab mix) who was dumped 6 years ago at about 4 weeks old. She's precious and sweet and loving (just a little scary looking). And while I'm listing my animals, we have four ducks on our pond, and 50 chickens! We raise them and sell organic eggs, and they free-range from noon until dark. A long cry from my previous life in downtown Dallas!

My meeting is tonight, and I think I've had a very good week. I'll check in later with the results.

Denise

[Valerie226]

Denise.. I'm so sorry about Zeke. Wow that is quite a crew of little furry friends. I'm a cat person too. also a dog person but haven't had one for a while, doesn't work with our current life. we had a shelter cat who lived to be 17. we got him at 11 and he was such a personality. so sad when he passed. I replaced him with another shelter cat who's very different and lovable in a different way. we have a large yard... indoor outdoor but always in at night. I'd like to get another to keep him company but haven't done it yet.
Strong work on the continuing weight loss. good luck for tonight's weigh in.

Bawstinn, I don't let good chocolate get past without a taste. just keep the portion modest... someone else will probably be willing to help out and eat the rest.

Emptynestmom, I keep a picture of my exercise goddess Cathe Friederich posted on my bulletinboard, and also her calendar. I won't ever look like that ( unless I somehow get 20 years younger) but I don't give up trying, and in the process stay pretty fit.

[srahndennis]

Hi, everyone! I'm pleased to report I'm having a good week. It's nice to be back. I've been getting up to work out, too. Kickmax yesterday and Low Impact Challenge today. Yeah!

Missed my meeting this week 'cause work's been a little hectic. Not ideal but it is what it is. Almost any picture can be an anchor for me -- yuck! When I'm heavy, they all look bad. Interesting the mine and Pam lean to the negative side while Valerie's is positive. Hmmm.

Denise -- I'm so sorry about Zeke. We lost one of our last year -- she was 20. We knew it was past time but it was still so hard.
Didn't realize you're from Dallas -- I live in Grapevine! The metroplex has really become just one huge city. Not so fun -- your new home sounds more appealing!

Maria -- Congrats on smaller pants! Even if it doesn't show on the scale, smaller pants don't lie. Schedules are crazy here, too. I have several nights in a row where I'm not home to
cook so I've been trying to make a couple of things over the weekend to tide us over. And yesterday it was breakfast for dinner -- eggs, bacon, toast & fruit. Glad my guys love it!

Valerie -- Sorry your vacation wasn't more pleasant. You can never predict mother nature, huh? Hope you had a great birthday!

Kay -- are you still doing water aerobics? I thought of you the other day when I saw peeps at Target. 'Tis the season!

[srahndennis]

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention the horrible weather we've had here. This is a video of DMIL & DFIL's neighborhood. They are okay -- had some roof damage -- but still have no power. They lost a lot of trees and their electric box was ripped off their house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNdSuXp6Ifg

[EmptyNestMom]

Stacy thanks for sharing that video! I still can't believe the devastation and at the same time the low number of injury or fatalities!

Glad you are having a good week! Life has been stressful here at work, the hospital is getting a new EHR and WOW! so much involved in that...I try to get walking in and eat healthy and I think that helps but when you come home so tired it is hard.

Well have a great weekend everyone and try to limit the intake of PEEPS and CHOCOLATE! Satisfaction can come from a bite but pounds can come from a package ;)

[srahndennis]

Pam -- certainly true about how lucky we've been. DMIL & DFIL has their power restored at 1 am this morning. Hurray!

I didn't realize you worked in healthcare. I do, too, in compensation. Which EHR system are you implementing? We've implemented EPIC at all of our facilities. It's a lot of work but really great when it's all done.

[Valerie226]

I used to work in healthcare too. DH is getting training on EPIC next week. they've been using a different EMR ( (electronic medical records) but are switching. I think this is the third system they've used, and of course all are different. guessing here.... is EHR electronic health records? or something else? In a past life I was a transcriptionist so have followed this with interest.

so amazing that there were so few injuries with the storms hitting a major metro area. I'm so terrified of tornadoes I moved somewhere they don't happen, not often anyway.... used to live in the midwest and was scared to death too many times.

Hope everyone does well avoiding too many sweet treats this weekend. I'm lucky, I don't like any traditional easter treats, especially marshmallow "anything".

good observation Stacy... I'm more inspired by positive goals. I think either approach works but positive always has been easier for me.

[LakeMartinGal]

Kay -- are you still doing water aerobics? I thought of you the other day when I saw peeps at Target. 'Tis the season!Yes, I am. I aim for 4 days a week, but don't always make it. I always do at least 2 days a week, though.

I am proud to say that I have not had/bought ANY Peeps this year! It's really after Easter that's the hardest for me with the Peeps -- I like them stale!:rolleyes::o



Well have a great weekend everyone and try to limit the intake of PEEPS and CHOCOLATE! Satisfaction can come from a bite but pounds can come from a package ;)Words to live by, Pam! Thanks!:)

[EmptyNestMom]

I used to work in healthcare too. DH is getting training on EPIC next week. they've been using a different EMR ( (electronic medical records) but are switching. I think this is the third system they've used, and of course all are different. guessing here.... is EHR electronic health records? or something else? In a past life I was a transcriptionist so have followed this with interest.

EHR is electronic health record...and Epic is the up and coming giant...I work in the IT department as an admin assistant and have been involved in different groups, physicians, IT, etc that have done the planning, the builds, the rehearsals and just about everything else...it's exciting times. But it should be so much better than what we have had...and a lot more expensive to put in!!!

[Valerie226]

Everyone around here refers to EMR... must be a regional difference. apparently the clinics and the hospitals were not all using the same system so the systems could not "talk" to each other.

Kay ...stale peeps!! I guess we all have our weaknesses! I love good chocolate but usually seasonal candy does not meet my standards.

[dcollier]

Good morning everyone! I lost 1.4 pounds last week, so I'm very pleased. It's slow, but steady, and that's all I can ask for. I gave a lot of thought to my "anchor" and decided that mine is my 3 month tracker. I bought a cute cover at my meeting place about four months ago ($8.00), and no one knows what it is unless I tell them. I have it with me all the time. I'm one of the handful in my meeting that religiously tracks. Kind of surprised me. But it's what keeps me on program.

Valerie and Stacy, thanks for the sweet words. I'm better this week, and both Belle and Suzie are spending a lot of time with me -- more than usual. I think they miss Zeke too.

Stacy, that video was something else! We called several of our friends in Dallas after that storm. Tornados are terrifying. In fact, three years ago TODAY, an EF4 hit my town -- Mena, Arkansas -- in the middle of the night. This is just a town of 5,000 people, and over 600 homes were totally destroyed, the middle school was destroyed, and the college where I work was almost destroyed (we were displaced for 11 months). We only had three fatalities -- a miracle -- but one of them was a friend. We lost 10,000 trees, 300 at my college alone. Terry and I were hunkered down in our utility room with a mattress over us. We, and our home, were fine, but we lost lots of trees and were without power for days. Mother nature!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Denise

[EmptyNestMom]

Denise, congrats on your slow but steady loss...that is the way to go. It becomes a way of life not just a detour!

I lost another pound this week...I am not sure how I am managing an exact pound most weeks! I try and wear pretty much the same clothes that day and eat/drink about the same amount during the morning so that it accurately reflects what is true...I am quickly approaching 20 pounds and am getting excited. I feel as if I am walking taller and more confidently...and that is a great feeling!

I did make butter cookies last weekend for my DH and then remembered that I really liked them too so it has been a struggle to limit myself, but I refuse to deny myself of any. Easter Dinner was pretty plain, grilled pork tenderloin chops, steamed asparagus (with sauce of dijon and maple syrup) and some broccoli, cauliflower and carrots steamed, green salad and macaroni and cheese...fruit with whipped cream for dessert...after reading some of the other menus people had mine was pretty boring but we enjoyed it.

Have a wonderful week everyone...

[Valerie226]

I ignore most treats.... DH can have much more than I can, unfortunate fact. At first I worried about losing control and diving face first into home made cookies. I store them in a metal canister but they ARE in the kitchen and accessible. I just ignore them.
I find if I have one small dark chocolate truffle most nights it's enough and I don't feel deprived. same way with chips. when we do something long and intense, I allow myself some potato chips but I count them and have 5 or less. I don't look for the biggest ones.
My issues are more with portion control with regular food and wine. Getting older seems to cut the number of calories I can have regardless of activity level. It doesn't seem fair.... I have more muscle and am more active now than I did at 25 but have to eat way less.

[dcollier]

Pam, congratulations on another pound gone! And I agree with you about "the way of life" thing. We've been doing this for 9 months now, and it really has become second nature. We had friends over for dinner Saturday night and really didn't deviate much from how we eat most of the time. I did make a Weight Watchers lemon pie (so good), and we had appetizers, but both of us counted everything. I used 18 of my 49 points that night, but that's what they're there for.

Valerie, I agree with you too about the unfairness of it all as we age. Even 10 years ago eating like I am, I would be losing 2 to 3 pounds a week. Now 1 pound thrills me. I do keep Weight Watchers ice cream bars around (one kind is 2 Points and another 3 Points), because both of us have sweet tooths. I probably indulge in them two or three times a week.

My DH had planned to finish putting in our garden this week, but it started raining throughout the night and is forecast off and on for the five or six days. Bummer. Everything is absolutely gorgeous though in these mountains. So green. We also planned to "open" up our deck this weekend, and since it's covered we probably still can if it's not storming. I hope everyone's having a good week.

Denise

[Bawstinn]

Hello everyone!

Very busy at work but thought I'd come up for air.

Just the 4 of us for Easter. We had ham, a twice baked potato casserole (so not point friendly) and asparagus for dinner, so we are boring too. Mixed berry pie for dessert. I made corn for the kids as well but the little guy (soon to be 3) surprised me by loving the asparagus. I just roasted it in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper and then threw some balsamic vinegar on it when it came out.

Congrats to all the losers. I am hoping to maintain this week. My eating (other than dinner on Sunday) has been on track, but I haven't been near the treadmill. Been logging 12 hour days at work to meet a deadline today. Ah well, hoping to get on it today.

I did spend 4 hours this weekend dismantling and moving our bedroom furniture around so I could steam clean the carpet. Does that count? :D

Stacy - I saw you post on my ham bone thread - what kind of beans do you use? Pinto?

[srahndennis]

Drowning here, too! I lost 1.8 this week -- pretty happy about that as it's been a while since I've seen a negative number.

We did brunch for Easter - cheesy egg bake, roasted asparagus, deviled eggs, fresh fruit, turkey smokies, apple logs, & I make a cinnamon bundt cake with caramel frosting. A little indulgence but not too bad.

I've been keeping up with workouts, too. 6 for 6 last week - yeah! On track this week, too.

Maria -- I usually use pinto or red beans. Sometimes I make black beans but DS likes the others better. I just made some yesterday!

I find that freezing cookies works for me. I'll forget about them if they're out of sight.

[dcollier]

Stacy, great loss! Way to go! Tonight's my meeting night. I never know how I'm going to do, though. I weigh at home the morning of my Weight Watchers weigh in, and I fluctuate anywhere from 1 to 4 pounds, up or down, from the WW scales.

Denise

[srahndennis]

Good luck, Denise! I know you'll do great. I only weigh at my meetings because I know I would drive myself nuts trying to reconcile the different scales. And I'm another one that wears a variation of the same outfit on weigh-in days so that I can have a more "true" picture of how I did.

[Valerie226]

Seems like a lot of spam again. I don't get the point of the latest ones that seem innocuous and say nothing. harmless platitudes. no links to anything else..... unless I'm missing something. always their #10 post.

Congrats Stacy and Denise on your losses. slow and steady wins the race.

Stacy I'm finally getting the hang of cyclemax and really like the workout. I started doing it in bike shoes and gave up on them. they just aren't comfortable and don't work for me... I'm wearing running shoes and am much happier. it's taken a few months of experimenting but the last couple weeks I can go faster and do the standing parts OK. I know most people love cycle shoes but I am the exception, I hate riding in them. they make my feet hurt and feel unsteady. I tried enough... no more cycle shoes /cleats.

[cocoa'smom]

Hi all. I'm back after vacation. I gained .8 pounds which is OK with me considering I didn't track and ate and drank pretty much what I wanted. I did still make somewhat better choices, overall, than I would have before WW, though. We rode bikes and walked on the beach every day, too. I'm finding it a little hard to get back to it. Before vacation, I could easily walk by the snacks at the office and decline lunch invitations most of the time to eat the WW friendly sandwich I brought. Now, it has been a little more of a challenge. I also haven't gotten back to regular exercising this past week. My treadmill's belt has stretched out or something and I can't tighten it so it slips and slides. A co-worker gave me a treadmill she wasn't using, but it is not a very good one, so....that's my excuse! I really need to get back to the focused mindset I had before vacation!

[Bawstinn]

Hello!

Stayed the same this week which is fine with me. I know I wasnt' very good and I'll own it. :D

Cocoa'smom - only gaining .8 after a vacation is great!

Swim classes this morning and the exciting grocery store. Needed to pick up some decent looking vegetables and the store I went to yesterday didn't have a very good looking selection. On the menu for tonight is Tenderloin with Grilled Antipasto Vegetables (http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tenderloin-with-grilled-antipasto-vegetables-10000000335888/) from CL with a still yet to be determined carb. May just do rolls. I cooked some extra vegetables so I can make the pasta salad that went with this recipe for another meal this week.

We are kinda sorta in the path of the storms this weekend but not really, I think. Cloudy out there at the moment. Should probably check the Weather Channel and see what is going on out there.

[Valerie226]

Denise, I made the WW oven fried chicken you posted a couple weeks ago... at least I'm pretty sure it was you. finally made it saturday. I liked it quite a bit. DH wasn't so sure but he was in a nasty mood and nothing would have pleased him. I finally found the panko.
it looked like fried chicken, which had always been my complaint about other versions that turned out white with brown specks. I pounded the breasts with a mallet so they were even thickness and cooked nicely. we will have leftovers tonight and see how he likes it this time.
I made the ellie Krieger pasta salad that ran in the newspaper magazines last week. with feta,spinach, walnuts. It was good, not wonderful, but tasty. I added a little more dressing. she had 2 TB of oil/2TB vinegar for 8 oz of pasta plus the other add- ons. It was dry, needed about another tablespoon. I don't like salads dripping in dressing but this was dry.

Hope everyone survived the series of nasty storms. awful seeing the news coverage. I hated living in the midwest, tornados terrify me like nothing else.

[dcollier]

Good morning everyone! I lost .6 at my meeting last Thursday night, which brings me to 51.8. I'm happy with that. We've had company the last two weekends, and I've taken the last two Fridays off, plus I'm off again this Friday, and Thursday and Friday of next week (my sister from Amarillo is coming). So losing, if only a little, while doing lots of cooking for company is a win in my opinion!

Valerie, the oven fried chicken did come from me, and I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully your DH will tonight. :) I've made it three times now as my DH loves it.

We dodged a bullet last night with the weather. We were under tornada watches most of the afternoon and night and, for a while, a tornado warning. Very scary since we've lived through two major ones since we moved here 14 years ago. But I love it here, what can I say. We also finished planting our garden Saturday, and I'm really excited about that!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Denise

[EmptyNestMom]

Denise, Good loss after all of your company, keep up the mindful eating while you have guests... Glad the worst weather avoided you! We had torrential downpours and some thunder and lightening and heavy, heavy winds but the worst weather went around us. Tornados across the river and to the south...the wind has finally died down today and i think the weather temp is more normal for this time of year.

I gained Denise's .6 pounds this week;)...guess I am back to journalling and thinking before I eat. I'll be back on track over the next week.

Can you believe how fast this year is going!!!!! It's already closer to the beginning on May than to the beginning of April! My mother was right...she said the older you get the faster time goes...well it could slow down a little bit...I'm not that old!:eek:.

Have a wonderful week...

[srahndennis]

Hi, all! Down .8 at weigh-in yesterday. Need to work on eating less chocolate this week! It's so easy to get carried away.

Valerie - That's great the you're making progress with Cyclemax! I've never done spin before but I can only imagine how tough it is. I went 6/6 with workouts again last week. Really proud of myself. This morning was Cardio Core Circuit. I think it's only the second time I've done this one. Didn't really like it the first time but I did today. I think I've gotten stronger and smarted. I sub some low-impact moves when I think I need to. That helps.

Cocoa'smom -- .8 is nothing for a vacation! But it's hard to re-focus. That's always tough for me, too. But don't let it trip you up!! You've been doing great -- keep your mind in to it!

Maria -- I hate multiple grocery store trips! There are some weeks that I swear I go every day.

Denise - .6 is great! Losing weight while still visiting with friends -- doesn't get much better. As I got close to my goal weight, my losses really slowed down. I would lose some like .8 then .6, then stay the same, then lose 1+. It's like my body just wasn't sure.

Pam - Way to get back on track. It's so easy to stray. Tracking is really key for me. If I track, I'm much less likely to pop something in my mouth. Times flying at the speed of light...and I'm not that old, either!

[EmptyNestMom]

Stacy, good going -- any loss is a good one! I find it hard to avoid chocolate once I start eating it, I'll be thinking of you...do you have it around the house or do you have to go out to buy it? I find if it is sitting around I will keep dipping into the stash...if I have to buy it I find I can resist it. If you do have it at home, put it in the freezer...out of site out of mind??

[dcollier]

I gained 1 pound last week. A real bummer, since I didn't go over my points, but I did not eat very well. Not nearly enough fruits and veggies and whole grains, and I didn't exercise nearly as much as I normally do. It was a stressful week. I manage four federal grant budgets at our local college, and a year ago, I took on a fifth -- as a "contract" job (no taxes withheld). Long story short, it's been entirely too much. Lots of weekends and nights, and my stress level has been off the chart. This weekend, my DH and I decided that it wasn't worth the money so I gave notice this morning that as of June 30th (the end of our fiscal year), I would not be managing the fifth grant budget. And what a relief. I slept better over the weekend than I have in six months. Trust me, friends, money isn't always worth it. We would never have left Dallas if we believed that. I just kind of forgot that for a while, I guess.

Anyway, this is a new week! And I spent the weekend cooking and chopping and cleaning lots of veggies and boiling eggs, all in anticipation of a much better weigh in this week. Plus I've scheduled in exercise on my calendar. And my precious sister is flying in Thursday from Amarillo for five days -- and I'm taking off the entire time! So things are definitely looking up for me!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Denise

[Valerie226]

a minor bump on the road Denise... could just be a little extra water weight. I believe all the vegies and fruit act like a diuretic and if you get back to normal, the pound will exit quickly. Strong work getting back on track after a minor derailment.

DH and I did a serious xc ski yesterday, 6 !/2 hours. a humongous amount of work, but just gorgeous. and this morning we did a 30 mile bike ride. been sticking to a reasonable diet. the splurge yesterday was a beer after the ski... first beer of the season. I really like a good flavorful beer ( anchor porter I think it was) after seriously strenuous skis or hikes.
finally some warm weather here, and all soups and stews don't sound good.. . need to switch over to more springlike menus. think it will be baked fish tonight.

[EmptyNestMom]

I lost .2 this week of the .6 I gained last week...and I thought I did very well this week...oh well, I am still in the game...or at least my mind is still thinking before my mouth opens for food to be dropped in! ;) Next week.

Denise, enjoy your sisters visit and keep on thinking before eating...spring has sprung (in most places!) and the spring veggies are coming in. My favorite vegetables are the early ones, lettuce, radishes, asparagus, etc. Our Farmers Market starts in a couple of weeks and I am READY!

[Valerie226]

I'm off on a short vacation for a few days but thought I'd post something on our thread that isn't spam.

Hope everyone is hanging in there, exercising and eating right, and i'll check back in in a few days.

[srahndennis]

Finally a few minutes to post! I was up this week but trying to shake it off. I've had some GI issues for the last couple of weeks that I hope were the cause. We'll see - another challenging week and I've been flat out hungry for the last couple of days which is kind of unusual.

Continuing to do very well with exercise - 6/6 last week and will be 9/9 this week, too - only two workouts to go! I will have completed cathe's April rotation in it's entirety. Very proud!

Valerie - enjoy your vacation! Hope the weather and the vehicles cooperate. Fabulous cross country and bike ride. Anchor porter is great!

Denise - have a great time with your sister. Don't fret about the pound. You've been doing this long enough to know that sometimes it just happens. Everything will sort out.

Pam - How I wish we had a good farmer's market close by! There's a major one in Dallas but it's 26 miles from us. There's a local one on main street but the last time I checked it out, there wasn't much there.

[dcollier]

Hi everybody! I had a great visit with my sister. In fact, I've been a bit sad today (she left at noon). We're 500 miles apart and see each other three or four times a year -- not nearly enough. But her daughter is getting married in six weeks, and we'll all spend five days together. Something to look forward to!

I lost 3.6 pounds last Thursday night! I could not believe it! It's the largest weight loss I've had since starting Weight Watchers almost 10 months ago. But I did exactly what I said I needed to do -- lots of veggies, lots of fruits, lots of whole grains, and regular exercise. In fact, Donna and I walked every day she was here. I'm not kidding myself to think that this will be a regular thing. One-half to one pound is normal for me. But what a boost that was.

Valerie, I hope your vacation is a great one.

Stacy, you're my exercise hero. I'm in awe of how much you exercise. I need to follow your example. When I lived in Dallas, I went weekly to the large Farmers' Market and would freeze and can all summer long. Now we have to grow any fresh veggies we want, and this year we have a large garden, about 40 feet by 60 feet, complete with a "deer proof" fence. We've already got potatoes and onions and radishes and lettuce and purple hull peas and baby lima beans and corn coming up. I just hope we have plenty of rain this year.

Here's to a good week everyone!

Denise

[EmptyNestMom]

Valerie, Hope your small vacation was lots of fun! Hopefully you had less rain than we did this weekend!

Denise! What a wonderful weight loss...even if it doesn't happen again soon it is nice knowing you can do it...

Our Farmer's Market starts Saturday!!! My B-I-L is coming to visit and my daugher is moving and my granddaughter (4yr old) will be staying with us...but I will be there for the first day! I love spring veggies and it has been so warm so early this year that I am betting there will be lots of goodies!!

I weigh in tomorrow and am not sure what will happen...and I am afraid to step on the scales at home! I have been eating right but feel so bloated...well I still have 24 hours to go and things change sometimes quickly!:D

Have a wonderful week, and we'll start a new month together tomorrow!