Hello, I'd like to join in too, if I may. I like accountability! I was a normal weight for most of my life before starting on the dreaded prednisone(steroid) for asthma control. I was allergic to most inhalers and this was the only option at the time. I gained a LOT of weight, became sluggish and sedentary. The only thing under control was my asthma. My family doc saw how miserable I was (and how FAT!!) and took pity on me. We decided to get my allergies under control and see if my asthma was helped. I weaned off the prednisone last fall and the weight started coming off.(about 50 lbs!)The next 20 Lbs did NOT melt off; they were hard work! I have 11 more to reach my original goal of 138, but have decided to reach for 135 to give myself some "wiggle room". The last few weeks, I have continued to write down every morsel using Fitday.com. I eat on the low calorie side of a weight watcher's type plan, very balanced, lots of fruits and veggies, lean meat etc.for a week or so, then back to "maintenance mode". My metabolism is in great shape now and the rest of me is getting there little by little. I don't weigh every week, and am allowing myself till late August to reach my original goal. That's less than a Lb a week. I don't feel deprived at all, as I plan my little splurges to fit right into my program. Exercise was the bane of my existence for awhile : ) I HATE the gym! And, for a long time, I had NO ENERGY at all. I was a real slug. But I bought a treadmill, a stand to turn a second hand bike into a stationery machine, some free weights and some dance DVDs, turning my garage into a gym-at-home. Now I use it most every day. Also, as I have gotten healthier, I have gotten MUCH MORE physically active, took up kayaking, walking, biking, park at the far end of all parking lots and always take the stairs. I have enjoyed luking and reading what works for everybody.(Hi Harold, Iva Mae, Wodka!) I thought it was time to join in. While everyone is different, I don't like fad diets and this is what is working for ME. Tikanis 149/0/138 (or 135)

Good morning, Karen, take care of yourself and up the vitamin C. I hate strep. Being allergic to most antibiotics I have to go every day for a shot of the only antibiotic I can take. Such a pain. Let's look at the bright side... You may feel too bad to eat and lose a few extra pounds! :) Poor Baby. I'm not trying to make fun of you. Just trying to make you smile. Jas, 15 minutes from the beach! How awesome is that!!!! We started camping with a tent. Then a friend gave us a good deal on a older pop-up. Nothing fancy, but has air conditioning. The older I get the less I can handle these hot, muggy, sweaty days. Harold, I know what you mean about the glasses. I take mine off and turn off the light at night , wake up and reach for them first thing in the morning. Otherwise my world is REALLY fuzzy! Ek, That waist is so tiny I got my magnifying glass out to see it! Encouraging is what Harold does best. Which Carolina are you from? I love both. Our favorite vacation is Nags Head. If it is just the 2 of us we like the off season so we can have the beach to ourselves. Snuck away one New Years and it was GRAND! We were all alone on Pea Island and the sea shells were fantastic!!!! Dh and I have a running contest of who finds the biggest seashell and biggeat piece of sea glass. He ALWAYS wins. One year after a storm I found a gallon vinegar jar washed up and claimed the biggest sea glass for the day!! He said I cheated,but I don't care!! His favorite was when I found a tall wooden step ladder washed up and dragged it forever to reach the truck. Hey, it was already salt treated! I spent a week in Chapel Hill with my niece last May. Loved the shopping. It's a beautiful town. We finally made it to Hilton Head year before last with another niece. Even sneaked down to Savannah and had lunch at 'The Lady and Sons' and checked out the beautiful homes while we were there. I'm dreading starting to work out to tone and tighten. I really need inspiration for that. I can do the treadmill, no problem. But, I don't even want to talk about all of that ab, thigh, etc. I am lazy,lazy.lazy. I will get off of the treadmill and stand in front of the mirror and do maybe 10 bicep curls, tricep extensions, and side leg raises and that's it. Hopefully when I lose a little more weight I can get motivated. I've got this lower stomach thing going on that I've had since I had my hystorectomy 22 years ago. It almost looks like the Dr forgot to bring the muscles back down and sew them back together and they 'pouch' out, for lack of a better word. My niece says she has the same little area since her cancer operation. Maybe the Pilates would help with that? I hope everyone has a great day. Betty

Good morning! I love waking up 'an hour earlier'...It's sunny but cool this morning, 37F/3C is our high today. Looking outside there is another bash of leaves to rake, sweep off the patio and a few things to finally rip out or cut back in the garden. I weakened last night on the leftover Halloween candy but today is a new day. I did count all the treats on my tracker and they blew yesterday out of the water but looking at the overall weekly bonus points if I can manage to get better at behaving this week and continue to track and 'think' I will eventually get back on this or at the very worst - run out of candy! LOL Either way, I am tracking my points, weighing myself which means I am back at it. I know I can get there - this is just a start. I did gain back 7 pounds over the summer which is why this fall/winter tune-up has been incorporated as part of my lifestyle each year with the remainder of the year being maintenance. On a lighter note 2 positives from deciding to join AA and stop all drinking - it should be easier to maintain my weight because beer in the summer just goes to my hips and abdomen which is an easy 5 pound gain over the summer and the values from AA can be applied to my weight loss goals. The positive reinforcement I get from taking care of that aspect of my life can be applied to my eating better and weight health. I can do this. I know I can. I am still looking forward to my meeting on Tuesday and I will be posting my weight loss weekly, probably on Mondays - so a week this Monday I will report in. As a close friend of mine says - Love and light to you, Peggy

Good FRIDAY Morning!! Wonderful to hear from Joanne and Maddie! Suzanne, looks like you got some very nice gifts from Raeanne. Looking forward to seeing those slippers in April 2005! Was thinking about you this morning...I just had to turn Howard off and listen to some old fogies on a local NYC station. Howard just goes on and on and on about his new gig and how much "injustice" he's suffering. I tried to call up and say "shut up and make me laugh"!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...but the phones were busy. LOL By the time I got to within a mile of the office, he was on to funny stuff, but geez, do I need another year of his whining for the first hour? MAKE ME LAUGH!!! LMAO (Hey, I made myself laugh!) OK, another evening and no decorations. I got home after my yogilates class, and DSD was at my house. DH had finished putting new locks on two of our outside doors. Why? I've no idea. On our list of things to-do, it was probably #35, but he was so proud of himself. This evening, we are going shopping and picking up a tree on the way home. I went over this carefully with him before he left the house this morning! LOL Gotta run; I'm working on finishing up my 2004 report on how I accomplished my development and objectives...what corporate BS !! Got to get the wording 'just right' so you get a bigger bonus than the next guy. Ah, what I endure for great vacations! LOL Take care, eat healthy, and NEVER NEVER GIVE UP! DeeMarie