Leann/Lynne I just want to send you a hug and prayers. I find it hardest when my kids are hurting or strugling.

Thank you for the congrats. Hmm no secret. I have been calorie counting, increase lean red meat and fish and limited carbs to 1/4 cup rice, 1 slice of bread or 1/3 cup beans per meal. No artificial sweetners or very occasional. My calories are low 1000 to 1200 but lately due to vacation it had been up. I am doing some excercise finally now I am on vacation so hopefully I will not gain. Two of my daughters are loosing too and they worry I will gain back a lot because some of the weight I lost very fast. I must say I agree with them. I am also worried at maintaining weight once I am there. This will be a life issues for me especially since I have some blood sugar issues.

Anna, I recently read that losing weight quickly doesn't lead to regaining. Another myth set to rest. That quick loss may be more effective because the good results encourage the loser to continue. Makes sense to me. I like 2 pounds a week and you are within that guideline. 1200 calories is good. 1000 is low unless you are very small. IMO, you hit the nail on the head with limiting carbs. A tough one - they are everywhere. That's what works for me, though we are all different.

Which of you ladies is 'tech-y'? Daddy gave DD his old Dell laptop that was slower than molasses. My son (a com-sci/math major) said he could fix that by 'nuke-ing' the drive and reinstalling the OS. (Windows XP) Drive has been nuked, but it will not reboot from ANY source - flash drive, cd. He has reinstalled many a OS and we are stymied.

The Windows XP is an iso file.

suggestions? TIA!

I wish i was good with computers. I have an Apple and it needs fixing. I'm not sure I trust anyone to work on it. All of my tech helpers ( my nephews) don't do Apple. I need to go to the Apple store and have it worked on. Hopefully next week.
I had a hard time talking myself in to riding my bike today. It took me an hour to get moving. I guess it was a lazy day. I rode 15 miles. Tomorrow I am loading it up and heading to a different bike path. I have been riding the same one all the time since I didn't have a way to transport it. I live a mile from the bike path. There are a lot of bike paths around here. I am still trying to get a map of where they all are.
Lynne praying for things to calm down for you. Keep up your PT. I found that one day I realized that I was able to sleep the way I liked. You just kind of all of the sudden realize you can do something.
I have also found I do so much better when I cut way down on my carbs. Even when I was doing Weight Watchers and stayed within my points if I cut out most of the bread etc I did better.
Pat

Happy Saturday to all, just completed 10 minutes on the recumbent bike and walked around my complex twice for 2,400 steps - at least it is a start. Was a bit of a rough night and my knees were already putting off heat when I awoke. ugh

Thanks for all the prayers. Not much has changed, and I'm not very good at waiting so I look for things (physical) to do.

Judy, I pray you have a safe trip. The thing that strikes me about transitioning plank positions is that it would raise my heart rate. Currently, I'm not quite stable enough to walk fast enough to do that and the recumbent won't let me add resistance.

Anna, I agree with Judy about how fast you lose weight. If there were no results, why continue? And I'm on board with you, Judy, and Pat - lower carbs not only brings me results, I don't seem to crave them as much, either.

I think DS has figured out the problem with installing the OS - something about formatting. He is taking the car alone for the first time ever today. In high school, he did not want to take drivers ed, but we pushed him. He did not drive one time after getting his license until this year. (been about 4 yrs) He has been driving a lot, but today he is driving to Austin to visit a friend. I refuse to be a nervous wreck.

I am in the mood to sew, but with my apartment in chaos, I gotta wait until my kid moves out. I do have a quilt I was handquilting early last year until I put it away when I decided to make everyone a new quilt for Christmas. (during a moment of extreme insanity) In honesty, I really have not felt like doing much this year. Between my surgeries and my son's life-changing diagnosis, other things were more important. Life will settle down someday.

So far, no soda. I can do this.

Okay, I going to post, even though it's not good news. We had a "debate party" Thursday night at our house, and I did some extra special cooking for it. Tried out 4 new recipes, no, not diet recipes. The two we enjoyed the most were a spinach-artichoke-alfredo sauce dip, that was VERY, VERY good, and a "watermelon pie". Yes, it used real watermelon - two cups of finely cut up watermelon, plus other things. I think I will be making it again real soon. So from now on I will try to do better, but I doubt that I will get my batik fat quarter back.

Ladies thank you on the encouragement regarding loosing weight quickly and it still staying off. I also noticed that curbing the carbs seemed to have the best effect. It helped me break through my plateau several months ago and I agree less carbs seems to equal less cravings. For carbs. Best wishes and lots of strength to those strugling. Wi th beating soda.

Good luck with cutting the soda. I cut mine out several years ago. I had been drinking diet soda since high school so it wasn't as bad as it could be. I was drinking 5 or 6 Diet Cokes a day. I cut back slowly then completely cut it out. I drink maybe one a month as a treat. I talked about cutting carbs but I ate too many again today.
I recieved 3 months of FQ from JimsGem and 1 month from Createfourpaws. There are some gorgeous batiks here. I need to behave myself. I love love batiks. I rode my bike 15 miles yesterday. I wasn't going to ride today but went to get a new seat. I shouldn't have to stop riding because my butt hurts, it should be my legs. I had the bike shop put one on and decided to test drive it. They will let you try them for a month or so. I rode 12 miles today on a different path. I finally got a rack for my car so I can go to other bike paths. This one was hillier than my usual path. My knee still feels weak on stairs and hills. I'm working on it. I still need to do my planks today.

Epic fail for me. I reach for Dr Pepper when I get stressed or emotional - my crutch it seems. Not to justify myself, but I have not been eating all the stuff hubby is. Now there is ice cream in the freezer..... no doubt it will be gone before morning. I'm having trouble getting enough protein. Had a tuna salad earlier. Hard boiled eggs have always been my 'go-to' but I am choking on the price these days!

My kid made it home from Austin just fine. Answered prayer. I am frustrated with my pain levels - 9 weeks out from surgery #1. I was so bow-legged before that I could not walk correctly, but my deformity was fixed with my surgeries. Now that my legs are straight (and so pretty), my body is working to adjust and I hurt from my hips to my ankles. My therapist says that my hip bursitis will take a l-o-n-g time to disappear. I wonder how much of my pain is because my body is used to having medication? Umpteen years ago I remember someone saying, 'if you take Percodan for 5 days, on the 6th day you will NEED Percodan.' I've been on these narcotic pain meds for over 5 years - I may have to suck it up and go cold turkey before long. These Vicodin are 5mg - I've been on as strong as 10mg.

We are supposed to hit 104° today - after 106° yesterday. More of the same for the next 7 days. And my poor parents without a/c. Someone should be shot!