Apples2

LauraK...you have the cutest sense of humor. I do know of the song you talk of and I just love that saying whether it is meant or not. "Bless your heart". Cute. I went back and read my post when I was giving you crap about giving Lori crap. Ummmmmmmmmm....that came off as kind of crude and rude. Oooops....not meant that way. Wish we could all just do Skype cuz sometimes my posts come off not they way I intended. I guess you will all have to deal with my rudeness and crudeness...too old to change now. LOL. Great....Colorado is not on the route. SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, NM, and onto AZ. Ugh...when I look at the route it makes me feel pent up already. Maybe I will just take some of Tanker's calming meds. We'll just use the Garmin to find our Cracker Barrels. Good going on hitting this "back on track" stuff the way you are and on the 5lbs lost. Remember....even though you are staying on track, don't let the scale get you down if the numbers jump back and forth a bit. Just keep it going. It's nice to be able to work out at home. Do you think you are going to miss the gym at all? Your chili sounds good. I have used Arlene's cookbook quite a bit. DS and DH have loved everything I have made so far. Thanks, Arlene.

Good Morning All... Jessica...Congrats on the BCBS scholarship. That's wonderful. Like Janet said one time...you're out little butterfly. You've done so well. Just look back on this last year and everything you have accomplished. So happy you are planning your cruise and nothing more convenient than leaving from your own city. The take the time later to work out the formula on how many pairs of shoes you will need to take. LOL Arlene...to answer your question...We are thinking we will do the trip in 3-4 days. Last year we were doing 1,000 mile days and just too much for me in a day since I do most of the driving. And, my butt just cannot take it. I even stopped at a Target and purchased a memory pillow to sit on. We are just going to start out at 6am tomorrow (hopefully) and drive till we decide we've had enough. I like to stop every 2-3 hours and get out and run around the vehicle, potty break, coffee, pee the dog and hit the road again. Those little breaks are nice. I have all the snack food packed. The trouble we ran into last year was that every time I would eat something (protein bar, dry high protein cereal, jerky, etc.) DH would eat too. He really gained on that trip and I lost 7lbs. Don't know how that works. So this year he has his bag of lower cal protein bars and I have my bag. Now, some of you will think this is weird but we a looking forward to stopping at the first Cracker Barrel that we see (I think closest is in OK). We don't have them anywhere near us and we love eating there. Jodi...planning Dazzi's big day sound similar to planning a wedding. How much fun is it that you will be able to pick up a dress for little or nothing. Great way to do it. I come across some beautiful formal dresses when I do my consignment shops. I do not own one (no need unless one of my sons gets married sometime) but love looking at them. And, just enjoy having a housekeeper....if you can swing it, do it...don't guilt yourself. Later

Back on track, Meredith...that's what we like to see. Keep it going, Girl...I makes our hearts happy

OK...now I can post a real one...sorry about that last post...just had to get that whine in there. It was "all about me" but, I guess that's what this thread is all about. Support. I just KNEW I could come here and get it off my chest. No...my head. I was so pi$$ed today that I thought the top of my head was going to flip off. Had to unload. Thank you for listening. Eva....your gym is EXACTLY like mine!!!! Shhh.....don't tell the gym rats....I think we might get a better workout (just between you and me, OK?) Janet...so nice of you to photo shop your sis's picture. She's beautiful. You forced me to go look at all the photos. What a nice looking family. I say prayers for your sis. Linda...gotta tell you this. When I met you I could not believe how tiny your were. I always admired you because of how dedicated your were to exercise...even with the hip thing. It's kind of like Lori said to me and I said to her the first time we met (she said it first and I meant it too)...she stated that I looked like I had never carried extra weight. While she is saying it, I'm sitting there having the same thought going across my brain about her. You know what is sooooooooooooooooooooooo nice about this thread? None of us knew each other fat so we accept and cheer and accept and cheer........I am bewildered sometimes how we can be so close and share so much and respect and share and love and enjoy each other like we do. Yes, it does take a bit to get to know each other but there is true love and we are so accepting of each other. A little tough and not so well thought out posts sometimes (Me...foot in mouth syndrome)...but we did not SEE each other. We all speak from the heart and we only have the heart to judge. Arlene...you know that when we poke fun it's only that, right? Well, when Lori did the "dog ate the homework" I almost choked on my butterscotch pudding. You're one the train all day??? If so, good job. If not, no shame. Love. LauraK...Now...don't tease Lori about flying around the world too much...she just might feel bad. You know how I fee about that???? Tough sh_t. Hope you have a lot of fun in all those damned places you are going, Lori. Love Cheri....where the he)) were you today when I needed you???? Would have loved to see you come up against the chicken strip chicken soup french fry eating woman.

Finally getting a chance to post. Yes, Arlene, I was gone today. Crazy A$$ day I had. Lots of 2011 books to do b/4 we leave. Even though I pay a lot of bills online or by credit card (hence the airline miles that allow me to meet you girls whenever), we deal with a lot of little cooperatives that don't know what online banking is. I had to do a lot of "creative bookkeeping" and paying bills ahead of time. Got it figured out. And, (patting myself on the back) I balanced yet another year with my tax accountant in all checking accounts. I always stress about that....maybe a bit of a perfectionist? No...really not...just the way I was brought up. "If you are going to do something, do it right". Anyway, balancing to the penny always makes me smile. Cuz, if I don't I have to find it. And, if I don't balance I have to pay them to find it. Not going to pay them 20 times more than my paycheck for them to find a mistake. Only had to do that one year out of 31 and they charged us $700 but had to give it back cuz it was their mistake to begin with. Sooooooooooooooooo...another pat on the back. So...did bookwork and had a hair appt with DS's GF from 10am till 1:45. (Color, cut, highlight and straightened). Then I met up with a friend for lunch until 3pm, ran out to the county office to sign power of attorney papers so DS can do whatever, ran to the tax office to sign another paper that they forgot yesterday, ran back to the hair salon to get my earrings that I forgot there (oops), got dog food for the 2 mo trip, stopped and bought myself a present for the GREAT job I did with the books, came home and made dinner, did three loads of laundry, cried when I said goodbye to oldest DS (did my cry yesterday for youngest), did the dishes, and had a major meltdown with DH over something that happened today during lunch. Whew...good day all-in-all. All I am going to say about the meltdown is this: Had lunch with friend I have known for 32 yrs. I have blown her off here and there because of some comments (too skinny...I KNOW you don't eat). She blasted me b/4 I even sat down. "You are on death's door....I KNOW you don't eat....If you say you are eating as much as you say you are daily, then you should weigh at least 50lbs more than you SAY you do....My DH's nephew is in the hospital and on death's door and you look just like him....Your eyes are sunken just like my nephew who is on death's door....Wow, you ate more than me....Are you sure you are not throwing up or something after you eat?.... So...those of you reading this and thinking "Why did she sit there and just take it?". I was working up to it. She was sitting there while saying all of this with six deep fried/breaded chicken strips, a bowl of chicken noodle soup and cottage fries that she was finishing off. In between blasting me she talked about being on Nutrisystem, hating the food, and cannot figure out why she has hit a plateau after losing only 6lbs three months ago and eating only 600 cals a day. "Honestly...I only eat 600 calories a day". I stood up (we had already paid the bill), gave her a hug and said "I've been so real with you for so long....time for you to be real. Love ya". Tough to do.

Rawhide, right???? Yum...your soup sounds wonderful Good going, LauraK. Night everyone

Eva...I keep forgetting to comment on your hummingbirds...I am also very fascinated by them. I have so many flowers and a feeder at the lake. They know me so well that they feed on the plants just inches from me. They are just so interesting. Hey...I thought DH's text was great. Quick witted guy! I know it does not good to say this, but, don't work so hard on that rental house. Appreciated though. love Meredith...good going on the food plan today. Keep it going. So good to hear you are journaling again. It really does help. Good luck with the icky math test tomorrow. Be calm, don't panic...walk in like you own the place! LOL

Cheri...so good to read your post that your father was leaning towards a retirement home. And you were worried he could not be swayed. There comes a point where we have to gently guide them in the direction they need to go. Sad for them to give up some of the control over their living situation. Oh how the tables turn. His bit of acceptance must make you siblings breath a bit easier. Hoping you are on the road to making this work for them. Jessica...thanks for sharing the lyrics. Melissa Ethridge is one of my all time favorite performers. Been in love with her for years....Shhhhh....don't tell her partner. Arlene...can you please make a promise to make the next WW meeting and weigh-in? When you signed up, you talked about WW being a good thing you and DD could do together. I know it is tough sometimes for DD to arrange things now that she has 2 little ones. Make it your weekly "date/Mother/Daughter time". Wish I would have had a mom that would have given me an hour a week. Show your DD that you give a hoot about your well-being and hers. (I know you care and are a very loving mother...just set the tone for her to think of her own health also). One thing that kept me accountable prior to surgery when my doc required weight loss was having to be accountable at my weigh-ins. I really needed it. I couldn't have done it without that. My point is....since you have been posting on this thread you have always had more of a tendency to stay on track when you had a structured weigh-in (like with Dr. Davis). Hugs

Great....I know you asked me the route question a few days ago and sorry I forgot to answer...wanted to ask DH about the route first. Nope, won't be passing through Utah. Would have been nice to have lunch or meet up. Hopefully you will be able to find and opportunity to get to Tucson in the next couple of months. Good going on the protein, calories and exercise. Sounds like you got quite the workout. Be careful with warming up and make sure to gradually build. Didn't think a person could have "toilet issues" because of exercise. LOL Arlene....lunch with DS was very nice and we said our goodbyes. I had the most wonderful chicken and cabbage Asian dish with mandarin oranges. The sauce was so tasty. Of course, DS had his old standby...1/2 lb bacon double cheese burger with steak fries. That stuff just does not appeal to me anymore...not even to look at. Prior to this changing of a life style, I could have eaten the entire plate of food that he had. He took half home in a to-go box. The drive to and from town was a nail biter. Ice under compacted/patchy snow. Not much easier running around doing errands and worrying about a slip and fall. Similar to your slip and fall off the train today???? What did you eat that was so tempting???? Do you have things around that are tempting you? Do you need to go through the pantry?????? Do you need to have Janet come down there????????????????????

Good Morning All (Whine Alert!)...Got up this morning to 18 below zero temps and I have all kinds of errands to run in town. Going to try and head out by 10am. Errands in the cold, lunch with youngest DS, tax appt., a few more errands, home for a bit and then back out in the cold for a meeting this evening with our farm management guy to do the cash flows and balance sheets for the farm and business. I am thankful that everything is packed and ready to go because I am not sure what more I will be able to fit in. Linda....where do you buy those "poosicles"???????? Have a good day at work. Nice when it's busy, isn't it. Makes the days fly by. Laura....we know how much you love that little guy of yours. Us moms are pulled back and forth so much with our feelings. When the boys were teenagers (and little devils..truly...devils) DH used to say "I cannot wait till you guys are 18, out of here and on your own". I would cry and ask him how he could say something like that. Then when they do actually leave it takes a bit to adjust and you wish for the times when they were little like Nels. Then (like LauraK described recently) when they come home for extended visits, you love and enjoy them but look forward to your routine back. You are the best mommy...just enjoy every bit of it. Well, better go layer up for the bitter cold. Just wanted to say good morning. I was thinking this when Linda talked about getting protein. A person is better off grabbing some protein to eat when they are starving and cannot stand it (like Lori was last night). You are better off going over your allotted cals for the day and eat a couple of ounces of protein to stop that hunger and not grab carbs. I used to have turkey or chicken breast in the frig ready to grab. Janet has a good way of tallying....don't count veggie carbs on non-starchy veggies. OK...you all have a great day. And, yes, Arlene...I am ready to get the hell out of here. Thank God that oldest DS works with us and he can take over things while we are gone. We appreciate being able to get away as long as we do being the age we are.

Congrats to all who had a good first day of staying on task. It gets easier with each day. Just remember the great feeling of what you have accomplished today and be determined not to undo the accomplishments. Janet....great minds think alike. First thing to go across my brain with Meredith's post was "Where's the protein". Gotta be the staple in a bansters food plan. Meredith...get that protein in any way you can...it will give you the stamina and prevent you from going off course. Julie...congrats on the adoption. Big day in the life of your family. Hope your pain eases so you can get some sleep. Good going today, Great....you will have another one of those tomorrow and the next and the next.. Think of Janet on your shoulder when the hunger hits. Scary, huh??? LOL. Hope DD holds on for a few more weeks and that your test is negative. Some day I will tell you all about my pregnancy with youngest. Onto a new day tomorrow for our girls. I was always told it takes 18 days to form a habit. Measure and weigh food, journal, keep all the junk out of the house. You all have been through it b/4...you know what a good feeling it is once you can start eyeballing your food again and KNOW your portions are what they should be. Just think "real" foods and nothing else right now. Just the basics. If you get the hungrys...have a conversations with yourself. Give yourself a lecture if you need it. Convince yourself that you are not hungry. Focus on the boost your will get a couple of weeks down the road when you are tripping over yourself to get to the computer to post those pounds that are melting off. Heading to bed a little later than usual. So much accomplished today and more to get done tomorrow. Ready to fly this coop and wear some of those sandals I have packed. Love you all. Sleep tight...talk to you all tomorrow. Phyll...safe travels...watch the crossroads. Hugs.

Rachel...congrats on finally getting your surgery date and also for taking the steps to get banded and onto a healthier YOU. Don't start this journey doubting success. Tell yourself you can do this. Follow the rules your doc has set up for you. Good luck!

Tina...bummer....hang in there til Thursday. Good going on the walking. It will get easier and easier and longer and longer distances. Push yourself a little more each day. Congrats on another 3lb loss.

Jessica...I always thought that your hair was tapered in the back....looked like it in a couple of your photos. It looks cute. I never like when someone else styles my hair. It's gotta be me. DS's GF has done it for a long time now (6-7yrs) and she has a handle on exactly how I like it. Hope your DH likes the new color...and if not.....not his hair. I follow your blog every other week or so, Jessica and I catch up on what I have missed. So nice to have that video history and I am sure you are helping many through this by documenting your journey. You do a great job and loved your 2010 recap. See? Just all kinds of things we love about you! Good going on making the attempt to meet up with the other volunteer and the mother of Jake's friend.

Arlene...I am no expert on vitamins but I have been taking Biotin since way b/4 banding and it has made such a difference in my nails and hair. I have not missed a day of my vitamins since Oct, 2007. I fill my little pill boxes a month to six weeks out so I always have them at hand and are just part of my daily routine. Once you get in the routine, it's second nature. This is what I take on a daily basis: Biotin....5000mg Vitamin E...1000mg Vitafusion Calcium chews...really good...creamy orange, raspberry, etc. 1500 mg Vitafusion MiltiVites...gummy vitamins 2 per day Vitafusion Fiber gummies 4 per day (they have the sugarless also. I think they are called Weight Mangement but I take the reg. Meredith...good luck on your math test. Math was not my thing. Give me history, English or science...not math.

Kelly....where have you been lately???? Don't you start your schooling soon? Missing you around here. Well.....all packed and so ready to go. It took some very creative packing to dwindle the load down to less than last year. I've been patting myself on the back all morning. I'm not obsessed, I'm not obsessed, I'm not obsessed......I'll have you all know that I am only taking 12 pair of sandals/shoes. That's pretty good for being gone for 2 months. We won't talk numbers when it comes to tops, sweaters, jeans, capris or shorts. Nobody's business. LOL

Melissa....your post about your liver surgery, tumors and your diabetes, just solidifies how important it is for you to get back on track and making a true attempt at eating healthy and watching your carbs and calories on a daily basis. If your honey is lecturing you about all of this, it is out of concern for your health and well-being. PLEASE take this opportunity to find a way to set things right for yourself. Can you follow up on a weekly basis with your doc's office that deals with your diabetes?????

Great...we are on hold right now as for when we can leave. Corn train did not make it's arrival into town yet. Called this morning and it is stuck in snow on the track somewhere in ND and no idea when it would move again. POOP! We were expecting to be able to haul corn today, tomorrow and Wed. But, no worries....just so another storm does not hit as we are about to leave. I am setting my sights on Sat morning to leave. That way if we leave earlier, it will be a happy thing...if not...no disappointment. Ready to leave it all behind and hit the road! And, I am all packed and ready to go. DH was impressed by the amount of boxes this year compared to last. Never been to an IKEA. I know my one son shopped there and found some cool things. Will have to check it out someday when I come across one. I am in need of not one thing for my house. It's been ages since I have purchased anything for the house...seem to be happy with just the way I have it. Laura...hope it works for the Chicago weekend and Great also.

Sandy...I'm sleeping pretty good. Just had a couple of nights last week where I did not sleep at all. I get up about 3am each and every night and have a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and milk. Been doing that for a couple of years now. I sit at the computer while I eat and catch up or post. Truly a new day and a new start for some of you on this thread. Keep your noses to the grindstone and know that we are all here to back each other up. Do your best not to stray off course. Tina...hugs on your issues with your spouse. Maybe once your meds fully kick in you will see things more clearly. Anxious to hear what you find out from your doc today. Melissa....hugs also...don't know what to say except make this a new start. Get back to the CPAP. Not wearing it if you need it has to affect your level of energy. It's a well known fact that loss of sleep affects so many things in our lives. Wishing all of you that are doing a restart in your plan the best of luck. Hugs

Meredith....I think that if are going to freeze meals, you would be better off with "one pot wonders". Easier to freeze and really no worries about calories. If you freeze in the same size bowls they would all be the same calorie amount. I am not one to freeze pieces of meat unless they have a lot of gravy on them and we all know about gravy! I guess I am unsure if you like to cook? Or not??? One way to make it easy for yourself or Andrew when making meals is to use the G.Foreman grill to cook your meat while veggies are steaming. I can post a couple of recipes when I have time later. Some of my favorites (and DS and DH) are: White Chicken Chili, Regular chili made with ground beef or turkey, chicken soup (with Greek yogurt) and another fish/seafood based stew that my DH says is to die for. These all freeze nicely. If I know I am going to be gone from home and family needs meals at hand and neither can boil water, I take a whole day and cook a bunch of different things for the freezer. Nice to have a variety also....

Oh Eva....I read your post and the comment about a couple of your friends making you feel like a "brainless idiot" is just the opposite of what I have always seen you as. They must be lacking something if they could ever see you that way and to somehow intimidate you into feeling like one. I guess we don't tell each other often enough some of the things we see in others. You are caring and kind and intelligent and with our first meeting, you verified that. Gee, wonder how you got so far in your career if you were a "brainless idiot"??? Far from it. Mean girls.

Arlene....original plan was to leave this coming Wed. If we are lucky it will be Friday or maybe Saturday. Not soon enough for either of us. We should make it back home here around March 5. Brisket is something that I never make. Is it like a tri-tip???? I have always thought of brisket to be stringy and tough like corned beef. Am I once again wrong??????? Good going on what you have eaten so far today. Good girl! Cheri....I just happened across your post about church. I had scrolled back. So sorry you were upset by your preachers comments. I know you have been struggling. Maybe time for a change in church you attend. Sending hugs.