Harold, glad to hear the surgery went well. Recovery is pretty quick, isn't it? Don't strain your eyes while you wait. I had LASIK about 9 years ago and remember having to be very careful for a few days not to get poked in the eye or anything, wearing sunglasses even inside for the first day or two. Silversword! You are just rockin', girlfriend! I am amazed at you. 129--one TWENTY nine! Woo-hoo! Here's something some of you might be interested in. There's a site at www.weightview.com where you can upload a photo of yourself (in somewhat form-fitting clothes) and plug in your current and goal weights. Then they will adjust the photo to give you an idea of what you'll look like at your goal weight. It's free, but you have to have a Facebook account to log in to their FB page where they will post your altered photo for you. (They don't post your weight or any info about you, and even though there is a weigh-loss community there you can join, you don't have to do it.) I did it today (it's totally free) and got my photo a few hours later. Of course, I don't know how accurate it is, but if it is on target, then I might want to drop my goal weight a little more. I don't know. My body type is really weird. I wonder if I'll ever really be happy with my end results. I doubt I'll ever look sleek or svelte, always "matronly." Here is a link that might be useful: Upload your photo and goal weight for a preview

Good Morning, Wish I was camping with Ekl. I bet she would really push me with that paddle. Reminds me of the time year before last when DH and I were camping and decided to float/paddle down the river. About halfway through, the sky blackened and I could hear thunder in the distance. I am terrified of lightening, especially anywhere near the water. Have had, locally, on 2 separate occasions in the last few years, a young boy struck and killed by lightening, near water. I grabbed the paddle and let me tell you I had an upper body workout that day! I think DH got a real kick out of watching me kill myself trying to get down river and off of the water before the storm hit. It wasn't a bit funny to me. Thank God, the storm turned and didn't hit us. I never could have out paddled it as far upriver as we were. SS, Thanks for the vote for the award. But remember, I only lost 5 lbs last week. The other 2 were from the weeks before. I've also found a big difference in weight with different times of day, different clothes, and after meals. I only go by 1st thing in the morning weight in my nightgown. Counting calories would be too hard for me. I am so lazy. I have found it easier to just forget the bun completely at BK and have the meat in a dish with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I have to have my mayo. I've never been big on bread anyway. Lots of meals I cook I just forget to fix any bread. Drives DH crazy because he feels he has to have it. But, he will settle for WW sliced bread with butter spread on it when I forget! Harold, How are those eyes doing? Can you see us yet?!?! Sorry we are confusing you with the multiple weigh-in days. Weekends aren't good to me, so it is best to have a day to get back on track before posting an official weight. 48 lbs lost! WOW! Such tenacity! If I can hang in, that would put me right around my goal weight. I shall set my sights there. Peg, 3 lbs! Great job! I can't wait to get below DH in weight. I HATE HATE HATE weighing more than him. That's why I get discouraged when I only lose 1 lb a week now. I think he hangs around high 150s -low 160s. Once I get below him I will be ok with "slow and steady wins the race". Can y'all tell I'm from the "I WANT IT NOW" generation? That's how I got so large. I wanted those 2 big bowls of chocolate ice cream everyday while I forgot veggies and exercise. Now I'm paying for it. Those chest pains were my gift from God to wake me up. It worked! Karen, I'm glad you held steady while being sick. Are you feeling better? I bet you are weak as a puppy. Take it easy 'till you get some strength back. I know what you mean about night snacking. DH eats stuff every night after we get in bed. Can't fall asleep because of all of that eating noise on the other side of my bed! Some nights it's peanut butter crackers, others it's 2 peanut butter sandwiches, chips & dip, whatever he can find in the kitchen. If I can't resist, I will do celery with a very little PB, or 15 or so pistachios (sp?) shelled and eaten very slowly while he pigs out. I try to resist "Roseanne" that is giving Silver such a hard time!!! Helen, Everybody needs some fun with friends occasionally. And to still lose a pound, how sweet it is! Jas, About the WW. If it helps you get where you are going sooner, it is worth the $8 weekly. I did WW for a while once. My meeting was about 40 miles from home, so I quit going. Being right at work would really help you. My friend does it and it has helped her. It's just about finding what works best for you. If you have friends who are doing it at work with you, that would really help you stick to your diet. Nothing like having that up close and personal encouragement. If it would still be you working alone and you can get yourself kick-started, Save the $8 to use at the grocery store on healthier foods and spend the time you would spend at the meetings working out, walking, etc. Check in here more often for encouragement and our tried and true diet tips that have worked for us. As you can tell from the length of my posts, I love to talk. I can talk until you beg me to shut up!!! Have a great day everyone, Betty

Good Morning, Soooo sorry I'm late to the party. First, WELCOME Beth! The more the merrier on this journey together. We encourage and lift each other up as we are heading to a healthy weight. Tell us about yourself. I woke up one morning and while getting ready for church I started having the worst pain that started in my mid-back and came straight through my body to my heart and up the left side of my neck. That was classic female symptoms of heart trouble and it scared me plumb to death! That was my wake up call. I started that day to watch what I ate. It took me a week or so to get to the store and buy a set of scales. When I weighed the first time I was 180. I think that was sometime in March. Basically, I'm trying to stick to a modified version of the South Beach diet. That works better for me than any other diet I have ever tried. I say modified because I've got lots of allergies and can't eat onions, garlic, and most cheeses(due to the naturally occuring mold that happens in the process of becoming cheese). The SB diet has those as well as lots of fish. I HATE FISH!!! The real secret to the SB diet is low carb and heart healthy eating. It works for me. OK...... I have a confession to make, guys. Monday was my 55th birthday. We also had a Lady's meeting at church. Pastor's wife made these decadent mini-cupcake type thingies with melted dark chocolate poured over them. I ate one as well as LOTS and Lots of fruit INCLUDING watermelon. Y'all know my weigh-in day is Tuesday. I got on those scales Tuesday and it said 164lbs. I wouldn't log on and report that number because it would give me a 2 pound gain. I was ashamed and embarrassed. Yesterday morning I was back to 162 and would have come here and reported that number, but it was such a busy day and everytime I came near the computer there were people in the room. And y'all are the only people in this world who know how much I weigh. They say confession is good for the soul. I know I've felt guilty ever since I wouldn't come tell y'all the truth. So... there it is. Just like you, Harold - it is what it is. This morning I got great numbers, but I will stick with the true number that was there Tuesday morning and share the good number next Tuesday. Thanks, Harold for being honest. It really helps me to be accountable and true to myself. I got fat by not being honest with myself about my weight and what it was doing to my life and health. I don't want to go back there. I hope everyone had a great Holiday weekend. Lots of stress here. Still haven't made time for the treadmill. Swamped with paperwork trying to get DH's aunt's finances in order since we moved her in with us. Too many bills and not enough $$. The extra mouth to feed is hurting our already tight finances, too. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel which we may get to in about 4 months, but the stress getting there is much greater than I thought. Every day brings more bills in the mail that we didn't know she had and she either forgot or just doesn't want to face. I'm a stress eater, but she is labor intensive and I think that has helped me to keep a lid on the overeating (execpt for last monday night!). I missed logging in and spending time with y'all during the week. I will try to do better this week. Everyone except Harold and me had a good week weight wise. Keep up the good work. Silver, you have set such a good example with your diet and exercise for us all. Don't wait too long to get motivated again and backslide on us. GREAT numbers for you both Ek and Jas!!!! Helen, A loss is a loss and you had a loss! I'm PROUD ;~) Have a great day, Betty

Hi hi hi hi hi!!!! So sorry guys. Last week just got a way from me. We're going crazy yard work at our house and I've been exhausted. Still have not exercised since returning but have done lots of heavy lifting, pushing and bending. I figure shoveling dirt for 6 hours should count for something, right? :) EK, I knew what you meant... no retraction necessary :) And maintenance is on my mind... Weight = 131 155/24/? I'm actually pretty happy at 131. I know I said 125, but this is feeling pretty good. I'm still watching what I eat, and want to exercise more, but for now it's about toning rather than loss. I fit in my size 6 pants. I fit in my size 6 dresses. I feel good taking pictures. Actually, it was the wedding pictures that made me feel pretty good about myself. When I saw how I looked (and we all know what the camera does!!!) I realized I don't really need to lose any more. I don't want to be (s k i n n y) if you know what I mean. I want to be fit and lean. I need to post some befores and afters. remind me, ok? Happy birthday to all birthday people. So proud of Ek for the BMI/15lb milestone success!!! WHAHOO!!! Betty, I know what your body was lacking....FOOD :) Harold, I love couscous too!! Everyone is doing so well... so glad to be a part of this team. Have a good week everyone!!!