We LOVE "The Voice". I barely watch any TV, but "The Voice" is my favorite. I prefer it to "American Idol". Cee Lo and his cat make us giggle every time. :lol: The cat has his own FB page! Dh and dd watched the entire series last year. They saw that the auditions part, which I think is just over, is really the best part.

FAVORITE PICTURE BOOKS Amos and Boris Wagon Wheels Tye May and the Magic Brush Miss Rumphius Roxaboxen The Story of Ferdinand Alexander Books Dandelion Martha Miss Twiggly Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters Lassie Angelo Berlioz the Bear The Worry Stone Sylvester and the Magic Pebble The First Dog Mandarin Ducks Uncle Jed’s Barbershop Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Brave Irene Stone Soup A New Coat for Anna Cranberry Thanksgiving The King’s Equal Chanticleer Doctor De Soto Fritz and the Beautiful Horses Two Bobbies James Heriot’s Treasury for Children Anything by Bill Peet The Journey That Saved Curious George All Curious George Books Jan Brett books – especially Beauty and the Beast Katy No Pocket FAVORITE CHAPTER BOOKS Charlotte’s Web Anything by Thornton Burgess - these books are SUPERB. They teach so much about life. They're animal-based stories and are very deep. My dc loved these, as do I. The Doll People, The Meanest Doll in the World, - the entire series The Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett Humphrey the Hamster series Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant Tale of Despereaux Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Elmer the Dragon series A Llama in the Family Narnia series - but we only got through a few of these, not the entire series Indian in the Cupboard Harry, the Poisonous Centipede Roald Dahl books - we love Roald Dahl Freddy Books - we have the Freddy Anniversary Collection and the dc loved that. Owls in the Family Detectives in Togas (as well as its sequel)

No answers for you, just sending you lots of kind thoughts, prayers, and hugs. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I hope you feel much better very soon. :grouphug:

:lol: :D :lol:

Thanks again. :)

A little bit on the large side ... :D

:lol: Thank YOU for this :grouphug:. Glad no one jumped down your throat ;). When I started a similar thread (which shall go unmentioned) a week or two ago, you should have seen the attacks. You'd think I'd committed some crime or something :lol:. On the other hand, I got several loving and sweet private messages. As Caribbean folk often say, sometimes people get just a little too "ticklish". :rolleyes:

Thank you again. :) Now, I need to soon start making plans. Really don't feel like it ... :glare:

Kindle version is at a decent price. Just ordered it. :D Hope you're feeling better. :grouphug: I love Fannie Flagg and that one was the first one I read, also my favorite. :D Never read Bill Bryson. Some of his books are on my wish list.

Once again, thank you all so very much. Yes, this is me also. Starches and sweets are my downfall. For years and years, I'd read and been under the impression that having baked potatoes, whole wheat bread, rice, etc. - are all good for feeling full, reducing cravings, etc. This book has completely changed my mindset. This is very helpful to know. For me, timing is everything. If I do Atkins, as with most diets, I'll have to time the first few days for a not-so-stressful time. I would love it if this is the case for me also. Baking and cooking are my biggest challenges. I seldom bake when trying to lose weight. I loathe cooking primarily because I have noticed that the more time I spend in the kitchen, the harder time I have with weight. ETA: I have no problem making breakfasts, which I love to do and go all-out with, since that's when I have the most energy. But by the time it comes to dinner, especially - I cannot stand it. Yes, this is my concern also. Putting the weight back on - and eating off plan is the bane of my existence. Not at the beginning, but generally after a while. I hear you on the turning 40 thing. I'm 44 and it seems that my body has completely changed. I used to be able to run a few miles and eat what I want. Then, in my 30s, that became a bit more difficult. Now, in my 40s, it's so much harder. I dread to think what it'll be like in my 50s and 60s. :001_huh: Sorry to hear about your health issues. :grouphug: You mentioned working on losing weight again. My question is, again, if you have time, will you be doing the Atkins approach again, or some other approach? I wish that I could just find a simple, no-fuss, effective approach. I don't want to spend the rest of my life having so much of my thinking consumed with food, diet, weight loss, etc. I'm tired of it and wish that I didn't have to think about it much anymore. Thank you so much for your kind encouragement. :grouphug: I could do this for a while, but I know that just 1-2 cups of fruit/berries per week, would lead to my failure on any plan. I love fruit. I'm willing to forego some fruit (bananas, etc.), but if someone tells me to have barely any fruit, if at all, I know that at some point, I will eventually crack. Good for you on the weight loss! :D I hope and pray that your cancer will be soon gone. :grouphug: Thank you so much for taking the time to share all that. I'm looking at the books you suggested and will take a look at the sites also. I'm not sure that I can do Paleo/Primal, and not sure if I can handle that commitment at this point in my life. * Hard to get much of the foods here. Very hard. Nothing organic, etc. * As I mentioned above, I'm at a point in my life where I really dislike cooking. The more time I spend in the kitchen, the more I want to eat. I have found that when I seldom cook, I eat less. * I can handle some of Gary Taubes - make liver, for example; or eggs and bacon, etc. - but to go all out and cook almost all my meals (particularly when I know that I'll have to likely cook separate stuff for my extremely picky family), I don't know if I can do that. :confused: You've gotten me thinking now. I've tried the NoS once or twice. Never for very long, however. It didn't work for me at all. I guess I need more structure. I would really, really love it if it worked for me. I want to make it work. So much easier and simpler than other approaches. My problem is portion sizes at meals. I guess I'll have to figure that out for myself. This is something I'd love. Now I'm confused and overwhelmed - try Gary Taubes/Atkins approach or NoS? :confused: I do want something for life. Something that doesn't require much fuss and bother. I'm tired of all that. This is very helpful. Thank you. Thanks again everyone. If you have more to share, please do. I love and really appreciate your posts.

Tried to find you a birthday-relevant Eclair image :D. Couldn't. Hope your day is a fabulous one.

Will reply to everyone tomorrow. Thank you all for your fabulous replies. Keep them coming. So helpful. :grouphug: Luving Life, quick question: how does your friend determine how much to put on her plate? I have struggled with NoS and would really, really, really love it to work for me. Give me nice and simple any day. I hate cooking and Atkins, etc. would mean cooking and food prep for me. Can't stand cooking and food prep. :glare:

I tried and really tried with this book a few years ago. The foot binding stuff started to get on my nerves and I wasn't able to finish it.

Well, we live right across the street pretty much from a very gorgeous beach. Guess we tend to take it for granted at times. For those who are LDS, one of those buildings is the LDS church. Another one of those buildings is where a family member lives. Too funny. Small world. :lol: Anyway, today, I would love to be in Europe, but only if I could either change the temperature to summer OR if we had the proper clothes (which we don't). Barcelona, Bruges, Paris, London, The Cotswolds - anywhere in Europe, quite frankly. I love Israel also. :) I love this thread. One can dream, right? :D

Loved this and wish I still had them all. I've read most of them. We really enjoyed the movies also. In the past week, I finished: Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons - okay. Not the worst, not the best. Light and fluffy. Why We Get Fat - very interesting, a real eye-opener for anyone interested in weight loss, health, etc. This book has really gotten me thinking and has changed my mindset greatly. I'm considering giving his approach a go.

Jennifer, although more expensive, this brand is by far my favorite. Rebekah's Pure Living was okay, but the one I linked has been the best so far, at least for me anyway. If you do decide on the hcg route, read, read, read ... be well prepared, and, most importantly, time it for a relatively stress-free/not-too-crazy time of your life - no big moves, vacations, big events, etc. Do not workout excessively while on hcg. Most workout very little, if at all. If you need more info, do a search here, or I can also copy and paste my info. Maybe it will motivate me. I would love to lose at least 7-10 pounds. Keeping the weight off is the hardest part for me. :glare:

:iagree: I also don't know how to text. Only my family members know my cell phone number and I hardly ever use it. I really dislike call waiting, but we do need it at times.

:iagree: with all this. I don't see weight struggles, at least mine anyway, as ever being cured. My weight struggles will be with me as long as I continue breathing. I have come to accept it.

The problem with this one is that it has 1 pound of "safe" starches per day - potatoes, etc. That goes against Taubes. Thank you, anyway. Off to look at the other one. The whole diet/food thing gets overwhelming. I'm just tired of it. :tongue_smilie: I really do appreciate your help, however. :grouphug:

Beth, I have lots and lots of info on cholesterol and triglycerides and will be more than happy to share them (very long and detailed tips) if you're interested. Yesterday, I finished reading a very, very interesting book - Why We Get Fat. Here's my thread on it. He goes into depth on cholesterol. Basically, sugar and most carbs are the main culprits. His book is changing my way of thinking. I used to eat the way he says, not completely, but quite a bit, and interestingly, my cholesterol and all the detailed parts of it, plus my weight, were at the best they'd ever been. I'm now eager to hopefully try this approach for at least 6-12 weeks and see how it goes. I personally don't have a cholesterol problem, but I would love to lose some weight and just feel healthier overall. Eggs are not that bad. I eat them all the time and my cholesterol is fine. Sugar and refined carbs are the main problem.

Thank you so much for the links and book recommendation. This is so helpful. Off to do more research and reading. :) If anyone else has read the book and hopefully has had experience with this approach, please do share. TIA. :)

Thank you, Stacia (and Mona). We might do that. Not sure. It just sounds perfect and I would love to have more space, etc. The only reasons we wouldn't: * Every time I've searched vrbo for apartments (don't know about NY - I'm talking other places), they seem to cost quite a bit more than hotels. * We won't use the kitchen, so it almost seems like a waste, as if we're praying for a feature that we won't even use. The fridge is always nice, but we don't cook. The washer/dryer would be lovely. :D

You're not the only one. I get very emotional when seeing them. It's gotten to the point where we seldom see them now. I wish we could see them more often.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

:grouphug: I hear you. My doctor said the same thing. I read, researched, read more, etc. - talked with dh who's very scientific-based/epidemiology background, - and in the end, decided, that for me, to wait a while. I'm trying my hardest to focus on prevention - eating right, exercise, lymphasizing daily or as often as I can, all that sort of stuff. :grouphug: