S.C.A.M. Here

[shelbyla]

Letitia - I make the fudgey peanut coconut thingies with almond butter for P3 and 1/2 almond, 1/2 peanut for P4. (no bacon--lol) Here is the link...

Fudgey Peanut Butter Coconut Squares (Pic incl)

Also, don't wait too long to try on clothes. Some of my favorites, I just literally skipped over since I lost sizes so fast. On the hormone doctors, I have a couple of referrals in the south OC area if you're interested I will PM them to you. One is in Costa Mesa and the other Encinitas. I haven't been to them personally but they may have better insight into what is actually going on with your body, at least according to some folks on another thyroid/hormone forum I am on. If either of those is close enough to you, it might be worth looking into.

I shouldn't laugh over your description of the reception at the VFW--I really shouldn't--but I AM! SOOOOOO exactly like where I grew up! Fruit is strawberry jam. Vegetables are potatoes. Fortunately, my parents are more sophisticated and LOVE great food--including vegetables. I can totally relate to how you need to be in P4 for the wedding...

Cathy - yes my yoga instructor is a guy! lol And he's a STRAIGHT guy! My friend is trying to set me up with him. We'll see but he sure is cute! Date with a new different guy upcoming Thursday evening for coffee. Look at me go! lol

[shelbyla]

Btw, 1862 calories today (WELL under BMR), vitamins all in, lots of water with lemon and ACV, macronutrient ratios exactly where they should be, not TOO sore from yoga (only a littl). We'll see what Mr. Scale has to say tomorrow...

Also, good luck with the dreaded "bump"--you're right, it's probably nothing but better safe than sorry.

[catjrow3]

Shelby, nice, a guy instructor!! Good luck on the new date Thursday. Let us know how it goes!!

Letitia, I agree, better safe than sorry and its hopefully benign and nothing to worry about!

[1BellaDonna]

first off, i need to get the complaining out of the way....my scale read 155.2 today (+.2)!!! I didn't cheat or binge and purge and I drank lots of agua but alas.... :-( starting from square one in finding a doc now. the practice that my one friend was happy about had the most HORRIBLE reviews (from office staff to doctors). i'm not talking 3 out of 5 stars, but 1 1/2 out of 5 star average. Sad. hmm, maybe my new assistant (i think i have one!) will have a recommendation.

cathy- how's it going? are you sick of any specific foods? hubby made me chicken and cabbage "soup" today for lunch. so psyched! although i bought some, i am completely incapable of eating a cucumber still. lol i imagine them in a yummy salad and i'm fine but when it comes to selecting my veggie for the day, my stomach lurches and my throat tightens when i see the cukes in the crisper. BLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEECH!!

shelby- how is the scale today? do i need to come up there and pimp-slap it? glad you're recuperating from the yoga and kudos for being so on point with everything. you are inspiring with your dedication (minus the boozy nights!! ha ha ha haaaaa!!). ;-)
thank you for the recipe link and your info regarding the p2/p3 tweaks. i have it all minus the splenda granular or quick pack. do you use a substitution or is it just worth it to buy some for this recipe? also, do you like them frozen better than refrigerated? do you do any other tweaks beside the pb and almond butter ones? i do not have much luck with lc sweets recipes...prob bc i chicken out using the erith and tend to use liquid splenda. lol it's not like i don't buy all the other stuff. it's sitting there, so i should just use it! lol

[1BellaDonna]

oh yeah, shelby, i forgot to reply to your comment about the vfw. lol i really try not to be snobby about people but i find that i can be at times. i'm not at the level where i only talk to certain types of people, dated only certain types, etc. i'm equal opportunity...as long as you were HAAAAWWWT! ;-) i just find that, in this day and age, i find it strange to see how limiting some people are with their diets and their mindsets. i just grew up with parents who encouraged us to be even better than they are and encouraged us to aim for sophistication and education, versus... Hmmmm. you know what? as i type this, i just realized that my mom is a bit of a classist!! lol no wonder i am the way i am!! lol granted, i'm not nearly to her level and have had many many arguments with her about just taking people as they are. i guess, i'm more of the mentality that you respect your roots but try to better yourself in all realms of life. you can be from the hood/ghetto or the trailer park, but it doesn't mean that you should not try to evolve somewhat. hmmm, i don't think i'm expressing myself very well. lol nevermind. just know that letitia+vfw wedding = major discomfort for letitia. lol

now, where the heck is my new assistant!?!!?!?

[catjrow3]

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

first off, i need to get the complaining out of the way....my scale read 155.2 today (+.2)!!! I didn't cheat or binge and purge and I drank lots of agua but alas.... :-( starting from square one in finding a doc now. the practice that my one friend was happy about had the most HORRIBLE reviews (from office staff to doctors). i'm not talking 3 out of 5 stars, but 1 1/2 out of 5 star average. Sad. hmm, maybe my new assistant (i think i have one!) will have a recommendation.

cathy- how's it going? are you sick of any specific foods? hubby made me chicken and cabbage "soup" today for lunch. so psyched! although i bought some, i am completely incapable of eating a cucumber still. lol i imagine them in a yummy salad and i'm fine but when it comes to selecting my veggie for the day, my stomach lurches and my throat tightens when i see the cukes in the crisper. BLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEECH!!

Letitia, hey there!! sorry about the small gain, its just a normal fluctuation I am sure and will be down tomorrow. I am plugging away still (as stated previously, after turbo camp, did bad that night with hunger and then the next day and am still recouping from that 1.5 day binge! UGH! almost back to the 150s... shame on me. But plugging away as usual. Just finished a great workout with combo sculpt dvd with billie blanks and the bands attached to feet and hands, and then ran for a 1.8 miles afterwards. I cant eat cucumbers alone either, occasionally in a little bit of vinegar they are okay, but really, not my cup of tea... I find I dont like them in my salad anymore either.. and I used to... weird!!

HATE Cabbage, so that would not work for me! I am an asparagus or lettuce girl here...

[1BellaDonna]

wth?? how did i forget about eating salad greens?!?! in all these rounds, i've never had it! dumb! dumb! dumb! just imagined some chicken on salad greens with some acv and lots of pepper! i did do spinach before but was never satisfied, maybe didn't eat enough or it wasn't bulky enough? idk. how much of the greens do you eat? i should maybe try to give asparagus a try. i'll eat it off the diet but am not a huge fan normally. how do you prepare yours? you know my picky toddler (2 in 4 weeks!) is sooo weird about food. it drives me batty. he DOES, however, love any form of white pasta (e.g., with butter or plain, or with parmigianno, alfredo, etc.) and won't fight me on eating when that is presented. last week, he was having a melt down about his offered meal and eye balled what i was eating. my hubby had given me cabbage (shredded) and chicken. ds2 said "dat a tata" (that's a pasta) and gave me "the look". i said, "um. suuuure." well, long story somewhat shorter, that kid ended up eating the cabbage and kept begging me for more! you think i should just shred up all foods as long as they're pale in colour? lol we HATE meal time bc he's such a pain about it. can't wait until my OT friend comes in 2 weeks. i'm putting her to work on my kids! lol

[catjrow3]

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

wth?? how did i forget about eating salad greens?!?! in all these rounds, i've never had it! dumb! dumb! dumb! just imagined some chicken on salad greens with some acv and lots of pepper! i did do spinach before but was never satisfied, maybe didn't eat enough or it wasn't bulky enough? idk. how much of the greens do you eat? i should maybe try to give asparagus a try. i'll eat it off the diet but am not a huge fan normally. how do you prepare yours? you know my picky toddler (2 in 4 weeks!) is sooo weird about food. it drives me batty. he DOES, however, love any form of white pasta (e.g., with butter or plain, or with parmigianno, alfredo, etc.) and won't fight me on eating when that is presented. last week, he was having a melt down about his offered meal and eye balled what i was eating. my hubby had given me cabbage (shredded) and chicken. ds2 said "dat a tata" (that's a pasta) and gave me "the look". i said, "um. suuuure." well, long story somewhat shorter, that kid ended up eating the cabbage and kept begging me for more! you think i should just shred up all foods as long as they're pale in colour? lol we HATE meal time bc he's such a pain about it. can't wait until my OT friend comes in 2 weeks. i'm putting her to work on my kids! lol

I eat several cups of lettuce (I buy romaine hearts already cut up in a bag) and then I use wishbone spritzer, balsamic vinagrette (sp?) on it...its only like 25 calories for 2 cups or something... so you can get a good portion for sure. I guess I do eat spinach on occasion, cooked in chicken stock and spices... and asparagus, I usually spray a pan with butter spray 0 calorie and put in the oven to broil for 12 minutes with salt on them, or... cut them up and boil them too sometimes... My oldest dd was the pickiest eater you ever saw, so I completely understand. She would not eat anything red either, so no tomato sauces, pizza, etc etc.. she liked breakfast and grilled cheeses! UGH! Dont miss those days!

[1BellaDonna]

first off...BOOO!my weight increased more than i had thought! i forgot it had gotten into the 154's yesterday. I'm up .4 lbs. :-( sniffle, sniffle....

thanks for the info on how you prepare things, cathy. options are needed for keeping us sane!! last round, i was so happy when i made my little p2 cioppino dish. it makes me so happy and i enjoy eating it, esp. when i feel like seafood but don't feel like shrimp will fill me up enough.

[shelbyla]

OMG you guys! You are busy little bees today! First of all, the scale was kind so no slapping of any kind needed. I've really found that when I catch it right away, it comes off right away. Down 2.1 today to 153.5.

Originally Posted by catjrow3

Shelby, nice, a guy instructor!! Good luck on the new date Thursday. Let us know how it goes!!

Oh you bet I will! My RL gf's get sick of me talking about my dating adventures!

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

first off, i need to get the complaining out of the way....my scale read 155.2 today (+.2)!!! I didn't cheat or binge and purge and I drank lots of agua but alas.... :-( starting from square one in finding a doc now. the practice that my one friend was happy about had the most HORRIBLE reviews (from office staff to doctors). i'm not talking 3 out of 5 stars, but 1 1/2 out of 5 star average. Sad. hmm, maybe my new assistant (i think i have one!) will have a recommendation.

you are inspiring with your dedication (minus the boozy nights!! ha ha ha haaaaa!!). ;-)

thank you for the recipe link and your info regarding the p2/p3 tweaks. i have it all minus the splenda granular or quick pack. do you use a substitution or is it just worth it to buy some for this recipe? also, do you like them frozen better than refrigerated? do you do any other tweaks beside the pb and almond butter ones? i do not have much luck with lc sweets recipes...prob bc i chicken out using the erith and tend to use liquid splenda. lol it's not like i don't buy all the other stuff. it's sitting there, so i should just use it! lol

Sucks that you were up a tad but you KNOW this works. Just keep on keeping on.
Did you see my post about having a couple of recommendations in the south OC area? Any interest?
Yeah booze is the DEVIL for me. Two day effect because there's the night of booze first and the hangover the next day which makes me crave SUGAR and SALT, none of which look good on the scale!
On the recipe, I have used liquid splenda, all splenda and a splenda/eryth combo. The liquid splenda was a little softer but still good (I think I used a cup of s/f syrup of some sort). The all splenda was nasty--bitter tasting (I managed to choke them down though!). My favorite is 2/3c powdered splenda and 2/3c eryth. I think the recipe says 1c splenda (that's what's in a "quickpack") and 1/3c eryth. The freezing is an important part. Not sure why but they "harden" in the freezer so they turn out more like candy, even when they are not frozen anymore.

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

i just find that, in this day and age, i find it strange to see how limiting some people are with their diets and their mindsets. i just grew up with parents who encouraged us to be even better than they are and encouraged us to aim for sophistication and education, versus... Hmmmm. you know what? as i type this, i just realized that my mom is a bit of a classist!! lol no wonder i am the way i am!!
now, where the heck is my new assistant!?!!?!?

I think part of it is living in CA where it's NORMAL to like stuff like raw fish, flaxmeal, steel cut oats and vegetables! It just seems weird when people don't eat BROCCOLI! I was reading this and realized that *I* was actually the "classist" in our household. My parents, who were both college professors, hang out with all sorts, but mostly those who might be considered more "blue collar". Factory workers, contractors, garbage men, etc. As a child, I always wondered why they didn't hang out with more "upscale" people--their own type, ya know? It was only later in life that I got a better perspective on the whole thing...

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

thanks for the info on how you prepare things, cathy. options are needed for keeping us sane!! last round, i was so happy when i made my little p2 cioppino dish. it makes me so happy and i enjoy eating it, esp. when i feel like seafood but don't feel like shrimp will fill me up enough.

On the salad, I always eat at least 100g of greens. That filled me up quite nicely. I also would mix 2T broth, 2T ACV and a bunch of spices for my "dressing". Sometimes I would add WF dressing to my little mix to make it creamier. I ate salad for lunch pretty much every day on P2. 'Course, I eat salad pretty much every day anyway! I have a whole bunch of recipes that are very easy that I used all the time on P2. Want me to post them?

[shelbyla]

Asparagus - snap old ends off of asparagus spears, squeeze lemon juice over them, sprinkle with salt & pepper, roast in 375 oven for 15 minutes. yummy!

ETA: Can I just say that I am having my first nectarine? omgomgomg...delish.

[1BellaDonna]

You guys, i'm soooo stupid! I never do ADVANCED replies bc I can never remember what everyone posts...Just now, I see that if I scroll DOWN, I see all of your posts!


oh yeah. can you tell i am soooooo lonely here at work that i am not being very productive? lol i'm going throught spurts of productivity. i found my assistant! she mistakenly went to the other speech path's office and is workign with her. she'll come to see me tomorrow and now understands that she's ALLLLLLLLL mine tues-thursdays! lol

first off... YES! please post those recipes! thank you! i'm going to try the asparagus one and hope that i become more of a fan. lol also, i never thought about adding chicken broth to acv to make a dressing. you're brilliant, girl!!! (but don't let it go to your head, you fellow-classist, you!!!) Also, thanks for the info on the eryth and splenda combo. definitely good to know. oh, and i'm going to weight out some greens next time. i'm thinking i wasn't eating enough of them to satisfy my hunger, so that's why i eventually stopped having them.

re: our classism (is that a word?), i don't think i was aware of it as a child at all. i honestly thought (up until 6th grade), that everyone's father worked for dupont. lol it didn't even occur to me that they worked in other places until my teacher did a little classroom poll one day. lol i was surrounded by middle class everything. i don't even care ir a person is blue collar or white collar. i think it's more of an issue of being tacky. lol i just can't stand tackiness and embracing it. for instance, have you seen Big Redneck Wedding? O! M! G!!!! LOL i don't think you have to be rich to have class and actually prefer working with economically disadvantaged families (LOVED when i worked in an east l.a. hospital!!). it's when people are crass, tacky, and ignorant when i have an issue. to me that's not based on money, race, religion, or even where you grow up. to embrace those "qualities" is all out unnerving to me. i definitely need to work on that part of me and accept that not everyone has to live like i do and value the same things that i do. sure will take a lot of work though. lol i know my control frea/type-a tendencies!

re: the doctors, i think those areas are pretty far from me since i'm in the south bay (think 6 miles from the border!). i should send you my lab info that you asked about to see what you think. (yes, in another phase of nonproductivity, i typed them up.)

okay, going to put in one last effort to do some work. can't wait to hear all your dating details! what fun!

[shelbyla]

Here are some recipes...will post more later...

Salad dressings:

Start with...
2T broth (beef, chicken or veggie)
2T apple cider or red wine vinegar
1/4t salt
1/4t pepper

For Italian add...
1t Italian seasoning
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t onion powder

For honey mustard add...
1T mustard (yellow or brown but check ingredients for sugar)
5 drops plain stevia or 1/2 packet Splenda or Sweet 'n Low

For a creamier dressing use...
2T Walden Farms Caesar, Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing in place of one T of broth and one T vinegar

For a different taste use...
2T orange juice, lemon juice or lime juice in place of the vinegar

Switch up spices. I like...
1t curry or
1t shallot pepper or
1t dill or
1t sage
1t cumin
Tabasco
Tapatio


"Skillet" meals (if you are NOT eating the grissini/melba, increase your evening veggie portion to 200g/7oz)

Broth 1/4-1/2c, depending on how saucy you like it
Chicken
Beef
Veggie

Protein 100g/3.5oz raw
chicken breast
lean ground beef
shrimp
crab meat
langostino tails

Veggie 100g/3.5oz raw
Belgian endive
Cabbage
Bok choy
Celery
Chinese cabbage

Spices
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

plus...
Italian - 1T Italian seasoning (works best with chicken or beef plus endive or cabbage)
Mexican - 1T chili powder, 1t cumin, couple of dashes tobasco or tapatio (works best with chicken or beef plus cabbage or endive)
Asian - 1T soy sauce or Braggs liquid aminos (works with all)
Lemon pepper - 1t lemon pepper, 1T fresh lemon juice (work best with chicken or seafood plus any veggie)

Add broth to skillet. Add veggie and spices and cook to just before desired doneness. Add raw protein and cook until done (the protein cooks so fast that it's best to add it at the end). Optional: sprinkle with Guar or Xanthan gum (available at most healthfood stores) in a salt shaker for a thicker sauce--a little goes a VERY long way so sprinkle with caution! **DO NOT OVERDO AS IT IS A STARCH AND COULD STALL YOU.

Panfried White Roughy

Sprinkle a filet of Swai (white roughy--available at Ralph's and TJ's), cod, or orange roughy with salt and pepper. Heat skillet until hot. Add fish. Cook on one side for 3 mins. Flip and cook until fish flakes easily--about 2 more minutes. Serve with salad or stirfried veggies.

[shelbyla]

Ok, so I just went back and read what you wrote about your son, Letitia. Hilarious! Now you know what to do with that leftover cabbage at the end of P2! hahahaha If only that would work with my niece and nephew. I do NOT know how parents do it. Really. Hats off to all y'all. I think if I had kids they would starve because I would make them eat whatever I put in front of them. It's probably good that ship has sailed for me!

Feel free to send me the labs info. I will PM you my personal email addy. I will actually check some forums to see if they have any doc's on their "good docs" list in SD. Totally forgot about those...

[1BellaDonna]

154.4 today! yay!!! hoping that it was just a bernice issue?

hey shelby! thanks for the awesome recipe info. i'm looking forward to some changes in the menu! re: my son, he's a pain in the @$$ about eating! uggh! i'm not one of those parents that would make separate meals just bc the kiddo doesn't want to eat. for the most part, he is expected to eat what we eat (well, what my hubby eats). we always offer that first but i do know that somethings aren't super kid-friendly either. i don't want a kid who just eats grilled cheese and am lucky that ds1 is a good eater and understands that even if he doesn't think he likes something, he has to try at least one bite for each year of his age. for example, he's four, so he has to take 4 bites. he was weird about eating at first, due to textures, even having full body shudders. lol i call ds2 the inspector bc he will notice any microscopic bit of spice on something and not want it bc it doesn't "look" right to him. lol he's weird about textures and loves his carbs. there have been times where i've literally had to force a little taste of a food into his cheek, so that he will just try it...and then he ends up liking it (for that meal, at least). sometimes his picky @$$ just goes hungry for the night. he won't starve before breakfast. lol the crazy kid will be 2 next month and he STILL likes baby food entrees. uggh! hell, ds1 still requests babyfood vegetables! i am just glad that he likes the vegetables and requests them. however, i can't be packing gerber in his lunch when he goes to kindergarten next year! or can i?? ;-) jk

oh yeah, i forgot to tell you that i'm not cuckoo-ravenous anymore!! i'm back to (my level of) sane and think i can do this. i'm glad i took your advice and increased my dosage.

re: the doctors, please pm me your addy fo' sho! :-) plus any recommendations for any doctors would be great. maybe he/she can check my lump (maybe i should name it! how about lucious?) also. who knows. i'm open...and have not found a doc yet....okay, i didn't have time to research it today. i actually worked all day and had meetings. lol what is this thing called productivity?? eek!

you have a date tonight? i'll be waiting with cathy for details. Hey, Cathy!!!! Where aaaaaaaare you?

Ok, i better run. i'm meeting with a coordinator for my agency so that we can brainstorm my new role. i'm getting groomed for a leadership role and pretty much get to develop my position...but am at a loss as to what i can be/should be offering. i'm so used to being a clinician only. beyond my supervising new grads, i'm lost. lol wish me luck!

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

154.4 today! yay!!! hoping that it was just a bernice issue?

oh yeah, i forgot to tell you that i'm not cuckoo-ravenous anymore!! i'm back to (my level of) sane and think i can do this. i'm glad i took your advice and increased my dosage.

re: the doctors, please pm me your addy fo' sho! :-) plus any recommendations for any doctors would be great. maybe he/she can check my lump (maybe i should name it! how about lucious?) also. who knows.

you have a date tonight? i'll be waiting with cathy for details.

Ok, i better run. i'm meeting with a coordinator for my agency so that we can brainstorm my new role. i'm getting groomed for a leadership role and pretty much get to develop my position...but am at a loss as to what i can be/should be offering. i'm so used to being a clinician only. beyond my supervising new grads, i'm lost. lol wish me luck!

Yay 154! Come ON 153!!!!!

Excellent on not being hungry. That is toughtoughtough. I didn't really have it to any degree except when my drops got deactivated.

I will PM you my addy as soon as I get done here (promise!) Just goofing off since my date isn't til 6:30.

Good luck on the management thing. I can probably throw a few things out there for ya--having done that for 10 years until someone with one of these c===> (hahahahaha) decided I didn't think the right way, i.e. HIS way. Of course I don't think like you, idiot! I'm a woman! oo lol

*************
As for me, I was down a little more this morning--hit 152 something. The thing that I really love about this diet plan is really learning what normal weight fluctuations look like, what to do if I go up to far (correct it right away damnit!), and getting comfortable keeping track of my weight daily. Never did that before this and I really do think it's key in keeping me on the right path for my weight.

I'll keep you posted on the whole date thing. My expectations are so low that it's always possible that I will be pleasantly surprised!

[catjrow3]

I am here ladies, just did not have too much exciting today. Just worked and exercised! Yeah 154s!!!! You can do it!!

[1BellaDonna]

153.8!!!! Yippee!!! Pretty excited to see the scale moving since TOM is supposed to be in 4 days. Heeeeeeeeey! Just realized I've not been my psychotic-PMS'y self. Strange. Hope that doesn't mean I'll be doubly psychotic when it gets here. My kids have figured out now that I go to my closet to cry and to gain my composure! lol

Michelle :-) - I got your post after I left work, so I don't have my results with me. I'll get them on Tuesday when I go into the office. On Mondays and Fridays, I "work" from home now. Still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing right now. lol I hope mentoring the new grads only plays a small part in what they'll want from me and that I get to develop some products and projects, utilize my bilingualism, and get to travel a little bit (They better send me to Nicaragua or Ecuador next year!!). We shall see. Anyway, how did the date go? Please tell me that they at least met your LOW expectations! lol I like your attitude though, I must say. I started doing that with movies for a while. At one point, I decided to not watch any movie trailers or to even know what a movie was about before seeing it. I never got disappointed that way, was only pleasantly surprised bc I had no expectations whatsoever. lol BTW, love your pic of the c===>. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Cathy, my dear-- glad you checked in! no need to have any major news for us. we just like seeing your purrrrty face 'roun here! :-) What was the best part of your day yesterday? Worst? How are you holding up with this round?

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by 1BellaDonna

153.8!!!! Yippee!!! Pretty excited to see the scale moving since TOM is supposed to be in 4 days. Heeeeeeeeey! Just realized I've not been my psychotic-PMS'y self. Strange. Hope that doesn't mean I'll be doubly psychotic when it gets here. My kids have figured out now that I go to my closet to cry and to gain my composure! lol
Yay!!!!!!! 153!!!! 152 tomorrow, come ON, 152... (hey, it worked yesterday! ) I can completely appreciate the psychotic TOM behavior. I live alone now but remember when I was in college having a freak out. I thought I was alone in the house so I started wailing and crying and throwing things. My roommate at the time thought I was mental and came in and was like, "Uh, what the HE!! is wrong with you??!!" Embarrassing, to say the least! (Then there was that time that I was sleepwalking naked and walked into a different roommate's room...but that's a whole 'nother story!)

Michelle :-) - I got your post after I left work, so I don't have my results with me. I'll get them on Tuesday when I go into the office.
That's cool--it's for you hon so whenever!

On Mondays and Fridays, I "work" from home now. Still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing right now. lol I hope mentoring the new grads only plays a small part in what they'll want from me and that I get to develop some products and projects, utilize my bilingualism, and get to travel a little bit (They better send me to Nicaragua or Ecuador next year!!). We shall see. Well now, doesn't THAT sound fun? Fingers crossed for you!

Anyway, how did the date go? Please tell me that they at least met your LOW expectations! lol
Well, again, nice guy. Interesting guy. Accomplished guy. Stable guy. Waaaaay too old at 50 for me. Nothing in common. And zero chemistry. It wasn't terrible but if he calls me again, I think I will politely decline. No use wasting anyone's time... Moving on...

BTW, love your pic of the c===>. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
A friend of mine showed me that the other day. I thought it was hilarious too! Now if only HE were single! He's got his own cougar, though. He's 31 and actually dating a former highschool teacher! Go cougars! And I figure if they ever break up, at least I know he's not opposed to older women!

As for me today, I was down another little bit. I was a bit worried since I ate really late last night but low 152's today. I'm hoping to see 151'something tomorrow--having another light day today--because of a big party I'm throwing this weekend. There will be drinking and eating--probably too much of both and I want to go into it with a cushion! I may not check in tomorrow but will def tty chicas on Sunday. Probably with a bit of a hangover. Hopefully you'll be able to talk me off the "eat all the leftovers" ledge!

[1BellaDonna]

lol! have fun! GONGRATULATIONS on dropping even more!! such a skinny minny! woo hoo!!! i am hoping i can lose a big chunk and then catch up to you. lol then again, you've also got an inch on me too, as i'm merely 5'8". sniffle, sniffle :-(

anyway, check back in after your big party (aka-hangover-i-wanna-die-day) so we can hear how it went. what's the occasion? just because?

i'm going to see sugarland tomorrow night and am excited! can't believe it's been almost 6 months since my last date with my hubs. so pitiful.

toodle looooooooooooo!!

[catjrow3]

Only inch, she has 3 on me, and you have 2 inches, I am not usually the shorty in a group! *sniff, sniff* Awwww....well them are the breaks!

Going to go see Harry Potter today or tomorrow, thats our "date" time...LOL I dont drink and hate loud music...(speaking to the headache that I woke up with this morning) so we dont usually do concerts or bars either...if they had quiet concerts, I would love to go! LOL

Okay, have a great weekend ladies!

[shelbyla]

After running around like a maniac last night getting ready for my party (and yeah, it's a "just because" party--I usually have two a year), eating super late, NOT good macronutrient ratios, and WELL below BMR (something like 1750 calories), I dropped another pound'ish down to 151.5. I am really going to try and take it easy on the booze today which is usually where I get into trouble. I can have a shot of good vodka in a REALLY big glass of water and sip on that and be just fine. I'm usually quite busy running around cooking and stuff to really relax (i.e. get drunk) anyway!

I had a funny thing happen last night. I was making Texas sheet cake for the party which calls for an entire box of powdered sugar in the icing that has to be put on the cake right out of the oven. When I recently rearranged my kitchen, I thought I had 3 or 4 boxes as I sometimes stockpile. Well, when I went to get it down, I didn't have it in a box but in a bag. I grabbed the bag down, opened it up, went to measure out 4 cups and realized the bag I had opened was FLOUR! THAT would have been some nasty-a$$ icing! Anyway, now I was stuck. Only a half box of powdered sugar, warm cake sitting on the stovetop so I thought, WTH, I try making up the difference with powdered erythritol. So I added it to the icing which looked weird and runnier than usual. And I was trying to figure out how to taste it to see if it was ok or if I needed to throw it out and do it all over again. I couldn't make myself taste the icing! Because it had sugar in it! I threw it on the cake and I am going to have to figure something out this morning because I would rather throw it out and make another one with all real sugar than serve one of my signature dishes to my friends and have it taste gross.

Hmmm...who can I call to taste test for me? All my gf's are on the hcg diet! I'll check in tomorrow after the party. It's shaping up to be the biggest one in years--probably about 50 people--so I should have some good stories at least! YOu guys have fun dates with your hubbys...

[1BellaDonna]

153 today....PMS is kicking in and i'm back to freaking out over the lump again. overall, pretty psychotic today. not even looking fwd to date night and have a feeling the hubs is starting to dread it now too. lol he keeps suggesting i go take a nap or go relax and have some quiet time. lol siiiiiiiiiigh. poor poor man.

i'd be the same way about my cake, michelle. lol just imagining how nasty it would have been with half-flour frosting. blech!!!! i love me some carbs but sure wouldn't want flour THAT way. lol looking fwd to all the details from your party. with that many guests, you'll have to have some sort of drama going on! lol

cathy- have fun at date night. we love harry in this household. the surprise bday party that i held for my hubby was a HP theme. all the foods had HP names (e.g.- Honeyduke's trailmix, Training Wands, Dragon Snot, Bat Wings, Wands and Muck, etc.) and his cake, of course, had Harry on it. The house was decorated with maroon and gold, Gryffindor colours and all had to wear those colours or a costume. One of our crazy friends wore a death eaters costume. lol drinks also were Dragon Blood, Firebolt Shots, and Gillywater Cocktails. We have become very mellow and homebodies (this is our first date since valentine's day!), no going out downtown and dealing with the "Wooooooooooooooooooooo"-girls and posturing (and drunk) young guys. when we do social stuff with our friends, we have a game night at our house with some wine and beer and food to gnosh. of course, the next day i need a full nap. lol

hey, michelle, what else are you serving?

hugs!!!

[shelbyla]

O.M.G. you guys. I wasn't going to be posting much today but I needed a sanity check. I opened the fridge...and can you say sangria accident? ALL OVER. All over me. All over the stuff in the fridge. All over the floor. Imagine sliced fruit that has been marinating all night PLUS red wine PLUS brandy freakin' everywhere. I decided I needed to just step away (after I had cleaned it up, ya know), have a cup of coffee and read a little LCF... sheesh. needed THAT like a hole in the head...

I said a LOT of VERY BAD WORDS...

Letitia - I am serving Wings of Death (a special recipe--dry wings, very spicy), brats, burgers (turkey, beef, salmon), chips, veggies, dip, guac, cheese tray, deviled eggs, fruit salad, the fudgey peanut coconut thing. Regular backyard BBQ stuff. Wine, beer, hard liquor, sangria...

Off to get myself prettied up.

Letitia - take hubster's advice--go chill out, girl! Read a book, relax. Take a nice shower, pamper yourself or something. So you guys can enjoy your date tonight.

[catjrow3]

Am I missing something..... Is Shelby really Michelle?? If so, wow, all this time and I just caught that one !! Sorry about the sangria mess, yucky and sticky I bet!! Hope all still goes well. Did you taste the cake? was it okay?

Letitia, My hubby is the "biggest" fan. I like HP, but its not a do all kind of thing for me. He is english though...LOL Thought it was good though and bummer that there will not be another to look forward to. They were great movies...well acted and put together!

Hope you both have a great Sunday!
TTFN

[1BellaDonna]

O.M.G. you guys. I wasn't going to be posting much today but I needed a sanity check. I opened the fridge...and can you say sangria accident? ALL OVER. All over me. All over the stuff in the fridge. All over the floor. Imagine sliced fruit that has been marinating all night PLUS red wine PLUS brandy freakin' everywhere. I decided I needed to just step away (after I had cleaned it up, ya know), have a cup of coffee and read a little LCF... sheesh. needed THAT like a hole in the head...

I said a LOT of VERY BAD WORDS...

OMG!! That would be a meltdown for me. lol I think I'd be saying a lot of bad words and even make some up, in case I didn't get enough frustration out! lol you handle it well, michelle. Hope the party was otherwise successful!

Am I missing something..... Is Shelby really Michelle?? If so, wow, all this time and I just caught that one !!

Cathy, don't feel bad. lol I just found out bc she had written it in a private message to me about my lab tests. lol She said she likes her nickname Shelby too. I know I'll slip and call her Shelby anyhow. Hey! Your name is really Cathy, isn't it??

Glad you enjoyed the movie. I'm sad it's over too. I read all the books but am not a HP addict like my crazy husband. I swear, every time I come into the room, he's got it on the tv. I am thinking he may need a 12 Step Program!

Sugarland concert was nice! We were both pretty grumpy and stressed until we were sitting down for a while. We got out the house later than expected, missed our exit, had to go up 2 additional exits, came back south only to hit a detour, and then get a little lost on the campus. lol The GREAT thing is that we had absolutely ZERO traffic coming back home...not even coming out of the parking structure. I've never been to a concert, where you weren't stuck in SOME sort of traffic. Anyway, nice quiet and relaxing time with my love. The next one will be sooner, as we go to FL for a week in late September. Im so excited to get to push my kids off on to their grandparents! It's hard not living anywhere near family and not having (or being able to afford) babysitting services. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and getting in some relaxation. My mom has a time share in Orlando and it will be my mom, her husband, my dad, my stepmom, my brother, and my little family. They can ALLLLLLL sign up for babysitting duty!

151.4 today ...but I'm pretty dehydrated. (Still it's exciting to see those numbers!) I was so grumpy and upset yesterday that I barely ate and didn't drink. I had a cup of coffee (espresso to most) for breakfast, an apple and crab meat for lunch and an apple for dinner.

okay, must run. time to play with my younger son some more. hubby took the older one to the park so they both can get some one-on-one time.

hugs to you both!!!!

[shelbyla]

The party was good. Good turnout. Good food. No serious issues (injuries, cats escaping, etc.). Even though we tidied up last night it still took me 3 hours to finish cleaning this morning. Gah. I am now completed exhausted. I was only up 0.1 pounds this morning so I call that a victory. I am toying with the idea of going to Souplantation for lunch since I haven't eaten but that place can be all kinds of deadly for me. I also have leftovers in the house that would NOT be good for me to eat (cake, chips, etc.) and every time I go to Soup, I end up having munchies later. Not sure why--probably hidden ingredients in the dressings and stuff. I think I am going to chance it cause I am just too pooped to cook right now. Check you ladies later...

[catjrow3]

Letitia, yup, I am Cathy!! LOL I finally had gotten over calling you Donna, and now I will have to learn MICHELLE!! Hey!! You will look like Shelby to me forever now though! Glad the party went well and hope you recoup well! Talk to you chickees later!!

[shelbyla]

Ok, now THIS is just CRAZY!!!! So I went to Souplantation for lunch yesterday, came home, DIDN'T eat the goodies in the house (!), didn't even really eat much at all because I wasn't too hungry. I probably had about a cup of blueberries but that was IT. This morning...I was up 4.5 pounds????? Now maybe this is a two day delay from the Saturday party (although I didn't eat poorly--just drank) but are you freakin' serious here? The ONLY thing that I had yesterday that was even slightly questionable was clam chowder and I even picked out the potatoes! Sheesh! All right, I know it's water weight but for the love of pete if I can't even go out for a salad, WTH???

Ok, done whining now. Hope you ladies had a nice Sunday. Yoga tonight. I'll check in later.

[catjrow3]

I am sure its just water retention Michelle and it will mostly be gone tomorrow. Just drink lots of water today and you will see an improvement in the morning!! (hugs)