TEAM 4 FOR ALL #4 April 1-30...

[lagpmgdsls]

Here is our new thread for April....let's get it together team and kick some LC bootie this month. No more slacking!

[lagpmgdsls]

Good morning everyone!

I didn't sleep well last night...not sure why but I was up until almost 2 and then up again at 6....its going to be a long day.

Chuck......I hope we get to hear from you today. Its new month and time to get serious again so come on in!

Need to go get the kids up to get ready for school...will be back later and will hopefully have all the teams stats by then so I can post the results. Won't take me long to figure out once I get all the information.


What new exercise(s) will you be trying this month for the challenge?

[koosmom]

Good morning. I needed to talk to you guys..and aren;t ya prou of me? I found ya right off!. ANyway..I awoke this morning thinking crazy thoughts..you know.the Oh well..I ahve thirty days..I can take today off..who will know? alll those kids of thoughts. I needed to check in and get real.
SO today is thirty new days for me alright..Thirty days like January..water, exercise and days of 30 carbs a day.
I did so well in January..I want that back.
Take care..
Brenda

[wolfie]

Hi All!

Just checking in for Friday. It has been a difficult week for me. It was spring break from school and it turned out to be 4 days of staying at home (I went to work on Monday), laying low trying to get rid of this cold. I am still hacking and have a headache. I haven't strayed from the eating plan, but haven't really moved very much or been too motivated. I am bummed out. I was hoping to do some catch-up at work and now that didn't happen. I have tons to do and just feel like I am buried.

I need to get some spark back here. I am working on that.

Laurie--thanks for all your work on keeping the challenge going and for compiling the stats. You are such a busy person and then take on even more.

Robin--love the new challenges. I think reading those posts will be very motivating. I hope to add a little work on my flabby arms into my exercise routine.

Brenda--good to hear from you. Hope we all can make the most of our 30 days of April!

Chuck--where are you bud? Would love to hear from you!

Hope you all are having a good day. Talk to you later...

Shar

[MISRobin2]

Happy Friday Everyone!!

A new month, and I'm doing great! I woke up this morning and decided to apply the "Just for Today" theory to my life. So, just for today, I'm going to stay on plan, drink my water, and get some exercise, even if I have to go to the gym later tonight. Tomorrow morning will be another day, and I can decide to do it "Just for Today" all over again.

I had planned on a lazy day laying out by the pool at my friends house, but that was not to be. I've taken advantage of my vacation by helping my husband with some of his work, and it's amazing how it became a full time job! Only three days left of vacation, and my laundry room STILL isn't painted!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend... talk to you later!

Robin

[lagpmgdsls]

Hey everyone...just a quick check in as I want to try and get the stats posted tonight. My weekend is very busy so I know I won't have time.

[crazychuck]

OK So it's not the1st but better late then never! I was having PC issues yesterday and just gave up on it and I will fix it on Monday when I get home. Sorry I failed you guys in March. I hope to make things better starting today. For breakfast I had a meat omlette with 2 pieces of bacon. I am drinking my water again. I am going to use April as a get back down to siggy and pre March weight so bear with me. I am going to try to hold myself accountable by posting what I eat here.

I will come back a little later today and try to catch up on things with you all! Sorry I abandoned the ship. Hugs

[lagpmgdsls]

Hey Chuck!!!!! I was so happy to get up this morning and see you here. Welcome back and come here alot to keep your motivation up. Send some my way will ya???

So...I go to do laundry last night and I had noticed a small amount of water on the floor from the last load so I was watching the machine as it drained. I had the hoses off 2 weeks ago due to a clog in the cold water hose at the filter screen so I figured something must be leaking. As I run upstairs to get a flashlight to see behind to look for a leak I hear water splashing on the floor...The washer is draining but the ewater is just splashing out of the drain pipe all over the floor....what a mess!. I called my father and he says I may need to have the septic pumped. Its been about 2 and half year since it was done which was when I moved in this house. I did some research online last night and agree that the septic probabpy needs to be pumped...I hope its just that the septic needs to be pumped. Well...this morning I take a shower and run downstairs to check how well the floor is drying up and guess what...the water from my shower is now all over the floor. Its Saturday and calling for service today will cost a fortune so we have no water this weekend...unless of course I want it all over the basement floor. I swear...when does it ever end...its one thing after another for me and this dang house. Does the septic not realize that I just had to spend 535 bucks on car repairs this week?

We are getting major rain here today and they are predicting a major flood because if it. I will be back later on providing we don't get washed away.

ok..I am done rambling. I won't be back online until tonight as we have a very busy day....gym, gymnastics, swimming, b-day party this afternoon...and at some point I need to go to the grocery store.

Hope you all have a great day!

[wolfie]

Good Morning!

YEA!! Chuck is back!! Great to have you on board again. Looking forward to getting caught up with you.

Not much is new here. Need to get some grocery shopping done today. Haven't done so in awhile and need to get some low carb food in the fridge.

Laurie--isn't owning a home a never ending challenge? We have been through septic issues this winter. Turned out we have to replace our whole system. We were relieved to find out we only had to spend around $6000 instead of $12,000. Good luck and stay dry!

Robin--great to read your positive messages! You go girl!!

Brenda--let's have a great April. I need to get my fire back that I had in January too. Together, we can do it!!

Have a good day everyone. I will check in later...

Shar

[koosmom]

Hey CHuck...Sooooo very good to have you back, bud!. We are all using April to get into a tight program, so you will not be alone.
Saturday mroning here and it looks gold and dreary outside. That works for me as I have a full day of school work and house work.

Laurie...So sorry about your septic!.. HOpe the weekend goes well and am wondering if your septic field is saturated from all the rains? I am so imnpressed you stay on program !..WHat an inspiration.

Robin..I like that ..."Just for today." I have starte reading the 100, 200, 300 pounds stories. They are so energising. And they are just like us!. We can Do this!..

Shar...HOpe you are getting your health back. I still have the cough, but the rest is settling down. Someone at work told me that every so often even three weeks later they still have a bad day! I am just starting to get my appetite back. HAve you found that too? I think I want something..but two bites in...yuck. OF course, I have been enjoying that for now, knowing it won't last.

Have a good day, folks. Talk to you tomorrow.
Brenda

[MISRobin2]

Good Morning Everyone!!

Oh Chuck... you don't know how happy I am to see you! I really missed reading your posts while you were MIA.

I find it really interesting how attached I am to our team, and how much I feel like a little family. It's just like Shar said at the start... we're a pack, and we need each other!

I read a really interesting (ok, to me anyway!) article in Oprah's magazine about retraining your brain to be successful in weight loss. It talks about how they studied people who were successful in losing weight and then keeping it off for years. It turns out that those people predominatly used a certain quadrant of their brain which thrived on order, routine, and repetition. They also gave suggestions to train your brain to thrive on the same things... funny thing is, they started with organization! I was hoping that the article would be on Oprah's website, but it's not, so if you have a copy of her magazine for April, the article is called "It's all in your head".

Laurie... Great Job on the stats! Thank you so much for putting so much time and effort into the challenge for all of us! I feel for you with your septic problems... I once had a house that was about 90 years old, and had a redwood septic tank of about the same age. We were ripping out an old deck that was above it and found out the hard way that the top of the septic tank was completely rotted out... Lucky for us, city sewer had made it out to us a few years previously, so we could hook up to that instead of having to replace the tank! Maybe it's a GOOD thing that you will be gone all day!

Shar, would you do my shopping while you are out? I'm out of almost everything! I've been eating a lot of tuna lately, I still have almost a case left from when it went on sale last. Oh, did I tell you all how happy I was to finally get some sugarfree pickle relish??? Now my tuna salad actually tastes right! That Mount Olive pickle company really came to my rescue! It's funny, not one store in Las Vegas carries it, but I found it in Reno, and they have it in my home town in California.

Brenda... You are right, I AM proud of you for finding the thread right off! Good Job! And yes, I know the "oh, I can take a break for a while" syndrome... DON'T DO IT!!! That's what happened to my March! Get yourself past that by just "Doing it for today" with me!

As for me... I'm going to go lay by the pool today for sure, and the heck with painting the laundry room!

Talk to you all later!
Robin

[wolfie]

Hi All!

It is so cool that our happy little group is all present and accounted for today. All of you do mean a lot to me and it was so good to hear from everyone this morning.

I am on the mend from this stupid cold. I have this horrible gut-wrenching cough at times. Unfortunately, I have an appetite again. I need to get myself back to eating normal meals again--it has been hit and miss all week.

I survived my grocery trip. The bill sure adds up when you are out of almost everything. My plan is to stick to real foods on the Atkins WOE. I need to get back on track with exercise. With daylight savings time, it will be light longer after work, so I plan to get in some walks in the great outdoors.

I need to be fired up this month. My trip to Vegas is less than a month away. I want to carry a few less pounds than I am currently hauling around. I am so looking forward to the opportunity to meet Robin during my time out there. It is also a good chance for my DH and I to get away after a long winter.

Robin--hope you are enjoying your time by the pool. Oh how I long for some nice warm weather!!

Have a good evening everyone!! Take care...

Shar

[crazychuck]

Okie Dokie! So I go to Baton Rouge for the bowling trip and totally loose it. It was more on the drinking side of things but it had been forever since I got that toasty! It will be a long time before I am again , let's just leave it at not being a pretty sight!

New Orleans was a blast and really unique in the French Quarter. I was not there at night so I am not sure what that is like. I hear that is a good thing

We drove across the 26 mile bridge over Lake Ponchosomething. Bowling wasn't so great but hey it was fun and that is what counts to me.

I have a new puppy as you can see in my avtar his name is Sam. He is a 10 week old Boston Terrier.

I have put some pounds back on during my dumbbutt hiatus. Yes I regret it and feel like crap for physically and emotionally from doing it. My hardest part of getting back on is going to be resisting what I haven't been resisting lately!

I have done great today. I have had a Meat Omlette, Half slab of dry ribs(no sauce), and a link of Polish Sausage. I have resisted the container of cookies that the girl that works before me made and left. Tough to do but I ready and able

Laurie it is great to see you take over the stats and such.

Robin great to see you are still the leader of the pack and looks like you created the challenges this month, yes?

Shar Get back on plan I am back!! (Sounds bad from me considering where I have been for no reason ) I too need to get back into the exercise ritual! Let's do it together! I will try to get back to the pool this week. I am getting in extra walking at Dollywood now that we have season passes. I went 3x last week. It's uphill walking at points too. They have turkey legs for sale too.

Brenda You know your coment about having 30 days and taking today off. That was an assistent to my failure in March! DON'T DO IT!!! I am walking, Talking, Typing proof that it has a snowball effect!

Ok so what does everyone look like, I have yet to see all of my team. Let's trade photos and get to put a face with the posts. I will post one on Monday when I get back home of a recent trip to Cades Cove up in the park.

OK I am done being long winded!! Hopefully I don't lose this post after all this typing.

Hugs

[lagpmgdsls]

Hey everyone...

Its been along day. The weather is nasty and it just stinks to be running errands in the rain. I am tired. Losing and hour of sleep tonight is not going to help either.

I called the person who pumped my septic 2 years ago and he is not working right now due to some medical problems so I have to find someone else so I ultimately decided to wait until Monday.(thank goodness for neighbors with toilets!)..it cost enough as it is and to have to done on a weekend will be even more. I hope and pray that this is just a pumping job...I can't even think about if I need a new septic. The house is 40 years old...last winter my well pump went which cost about 2 grand to replace...my hot water heater is ancient...at least 20 years old...I am just waiting for that to go. I did get a new fridge last summer....the other one here was ancient...lovely brown color with a sky blue interior...and plenty of rust! This house was owned my an older couple who used it as a summer/weekend home so it wasn't lived in full-time there fore everything in it was ancient.

Chuck....I am so happy your back...I even sent Sam (your friend...not the puppy) after you. I pestered him until he promised to hunt you down. Just walk away from the cookies! I have cat named Sam and also a daycare child named Sam.

Shar...glad to hear your finally starting to feel better. That was a nasty one huh? I too hate grocery shopping...Its so much money...I can blow 200 bucks a week easily feeding all these boys.

Brenda...ditto to you on feeling better. I hope its just saturation from all the rain. That would be such an easy problem.

Robin...laying by the pool??? I am so jealous!

Tomorrow is just as busy as today.....my oldest son and I are going to a benefit concert for a very good friend of mine who dies suddenly last year. His brother is a musician and will be playing so it will be good music and lots of fun I am sure.

I just figured out I can still take a shower ...I just have to plug the drain and not let the water out....LOL

Goodnight all!

[lagpmgdsls]

Good morning team 4!!!!

I figured out that if I let the water run very slowly that I can still use a bit of it...so I did a few dishes at a time this morning and am slowly tackling the sink full. I filled a big pot with water and washed in there and slowly rinsed them. I will be taking my shower soon and of course not letting that water down the drain. I sometimes wonder if these things happening are a wake up call for me to slow down and realize how much convenience I do have in my life because believe me...having no water or plumbing is a real inconvenience! Hopefully I will have the convenience of plumbing again tomorrow.


I combined 2 teams so now team 17 is no longer and team 11 has 5 members again. It's amazing how many people are left in this challenge compared to how many we started with. More than half are gone I think and its down to 43 people a few of which are questionable at this point. Didn't we start with about 100? We have only 10 teams now! I am not slacking on being the new stats person and plan on being here until the end.

ok...need to go shower and get ready to go to the concert. Will be back later and hope to hear from all of you today!

[crazychuck]

On the problems that your having with your septic tank. I too am on septic and need to get it checked to see the level. Laurie you are doing an excellent job with the stats. I am also going to be here til the end, I hope for no more AWOL incidents!! I went for breakfast this morning and all I could think about was the comfort foods that I can't have. I stuck it out and got my eggs and bacon.

For dinner last night I had a giant roast beef with no bun and some bacon.

If I can keep my head in it I can do it and only I can truely control what and where I eat so it is up to me!

That statement applies to us all! It is difficult and I don't want to feel like I did last month. I felt really gross but I couldn't get my head in it. I should have just locked myself in a closet somewhere with Robin's case of Tuna fish

OK let's hear from the rest of the crew!

[MISRobin2]

Hey Y'all!

I'm just popping in for a moment to say good morning before I go off to lay in the sun again this morning. I have to get my time in today before the famous Las Vegas spring winds kick up this afternoon!

Chuck... I'm rolling on the floor with the mental image of opening up my pantry door to find you in there with my case of tuna!

Talk to you all later today!

Robin

[wolfie]

Hi!

Okay, now that I have had my laugh for the day--Chuck locked in a pantry with a case of tuna fish. See what happens when you swim so much! It is a beautiful day in WI. The sun is out and it is warm. I have been like a potted house plant lately. Just when I think I am getting over this crud--I go into these fits of coughing. Tomorrow it is back to work--boy spring break went by fast.

Robin--enjoy the sun and warmth!! Do you have to go back to work tomorrow??

Chuck--glad you are not AWOL anymore. Stick with us guy--we will all be successful despite our challenges along the way.

Laurie--it is amazing how we take all our modern conveniences for granted. When they are temporarily disabled, it is a real pain. Sounds like you are surviving though. Good luck and hope the problem is not any bigger than a pumping can fix.

Brenda--hope you are having a good Sunday and feeling good!

I have got to work on school budget stuff this afternoon and have delayed long enough. If I get through what I need to, I will check back later...

Shar

[lagpmgdsls]

Good evening everyone...

Had a good day at the benefit concert. We raised close to 4 grand all of which goes to the american cancer society, a new cardiology center at the local hospital where my friend Leo worked as a PA and to the local soccer club with which he was very involved with his son. Close to 200 people attended..he had a lot of friends!

I am bushed though so am going to settle down on the couch and watch the yankee/red sox game and then go to bed.

loved the Chuck in a closet with the tuna visual!

[MISRobin2]

Whew! What a day!!

It was beautiful here this morning, and I was able to get about two hours out in the sun before the wind picked up and pushed some clouds into town... The smell of chlorine and sunscreen really made me feel like I was on vacation! I've got a nice light pink on me and am feeling good!

Yep, Shar, this is my last day of vacation. I'm back to work tomorrow, and then Black Tuesday comes... I'm pretty sure that I won't be getting laid off, but I'm still a little nervous. I'm worried about my friends at work. It definitely won't be easy saying goodbye to some of them.

I think I must be fully into ketosis again. My hunger levels are way down, and I'm feeling good... why can't I remember this when I go to eat something stupid???

Shar, hang in there with the cold, my DH had it a month ago and until just the last few days couldn't sleep in our bed because laying down on his back would start a coughing fit. He spent a few weeks on the couch, I think it forces him to sleep on his side, now I'm kinda used to sleeping in the middle!

Chuck, it sounds like you had a good time on your trip, even if you did overdo it a bit! I'm rooting for you to get right back on track!

Laurie, I hope that Monday brings good septic news and that pumping it is the most you have to do. I'm so glad to hear that your fundraiser went so well!! What a wonderful person he must have been to have that kind of turnout!

Brenda... Where are you??? I hope you're having a great weekend!

Now, I have a favor to ask of you, my team members... It occurs to me that when I went off of plan I kind of disappeared from the boards. If that were to happen again, I'd love it if someone would call me and hold me accountable, slap me, shake me, or something along those lines. If any of you would do that for me, let me know and I'll PM you my phone numbers. Of course, I'll do the same if any of you want me too...

Talk to you tomorrow!
Robin

[MISRobin2]

Good Monday Morning!

How's everyone doing today?? I am back at work, and feeling it! Argh, 6 am was HARD today, now that I got used to sleeping until 7:30 or 8 everyday!

Talk to you all more later!
Robin

[crazychuck]

Hiya everybody!!!

Been very busy today and a lot of activity but no real exercise. I will post tomorrow as I am still running around and busy.

Everyone have a Great Night!!!

[wolfie]

Hi All!

I will be brief--I had the day from hell at work. Sometimes, I don't know why I try so hard at a place where so much negativity and so little positive input comes my way. I work in a toxic and mentally unhealthy place. I really feel down about things again--I am sure you see this recurrent theme with my posts. I know I shouldn't complain when I have an okay salary and decent benefits. I know it seems piddly when people are losing jobs all over the place, like at Robin's company.

I started my day going to the doctor because I couldn't handle the constant coughing. She ended up prescribing an inhaler--I am still coughing, but very jittery. I found out my oxygen level is low so that explains my lack of energy and why resting was not helping me.

I think I am going to have a good cry. I am not hungry at all today. At least that's a positive.

Thanks for listening--you are all the best! Hope you all had a better Monday than me. Take care...

Shar

[lagpmgdsls]

Hey everyone...

its late...I am fried...I need a shower.

The septic ended up being a clog in the line.It was packed with powdered laundry detergent.....needless to say I switched to liquid. NOt sure if you know anything about the anatomy of a septic system but the baffle was just packed with hardened powder. Its all fixed now and now I just wait until next week to see what plumbing problem I will have...LOL

I was back to school tonight also after a week off...its tough to get back into it.

I will write more tomorrow..I just need to go to bed.

Goodnight!

[MISRobin2]

Good Tuesday morning to you all!

Well, I'm here at work and the layoffs have started. Its very hard to see some of these people go, and to make it worse, my boss' boss is in the office as well.

Argh, the woman who sits next to me was let go... and she was told that her position was safe, now I'm really starting to worry!

I'll check in later, but I have to tell you that I just went and had a grande decaf latte with sugar free vanilla cause I'm so stressed!!

(at least it wasn't the mile high chocolate cake!)

Robin