It's OK to splurge once in a while. I loaded my plate with all the salads etc. first to fill me up. I had desserts but didn't obsess about it because once the music started, I didn't stop dancing! Musta burned off at least a slice of pecan pie! I also learned last year that if I'm going to dance non-stop, it's much better if I'm not so stuffed.

Elsie, you should have danced with us! Many of the gals from the class stayed and had a great time! Of course my reputation precedes me each year and I HAVE TO dance! (not that you could stop me.) Furthermore, the DJ plays all my favorite music.

I love to dance also . Do that everyday with the CD's on Ballet . Down to a 14 dress and working on that 12 dress. Don't eat desserts anymore ,but making hubby cookie choc chip and peanut butter for the holidays. He eats it and stay slim. Want to get some pears love those and oranges for he holidays.

Wears the party, Ha!

Well here's my story. I never believed in fad diets, just good balanced mutrition. I was a personal trainer, very nutrition oriented and exercised regularly. Due to these factors, my weight was always pretty good. And then...it hit...THYROID DISEASE!! For the past four years I literally have battled the bulge or should a bulges!(spelling?) Any hoo.. I tried it all South Beach, starvation, Atkins, blah, blah,it only made me feel worse about myself cause nothing budged, and sometimes my weight increased-eek! (BTW this is not a paid advertisement)As I fumbled through some old books, I came across a book called the Metabolism Diet. Now, being as bright as I am (huh?), I thought well that's me-no metabolism. To shorten the story-I have lost 14 lbs. to date, just over 3 months. Now, most lose quicker, but I'm here to tell you it is the first time I have ever been able to drop more than a few pounds. I eat five times a day, and sometimes cheat a little- But I am thrilled that I have dropped almost two pant sizes, and I just need it to continue. So keep yur fingers crossed for me. please? It has been such an emotional downer for me, but to finally see some results has been a God send. Thanks for listening to me ramble! Dana

Dana! Good for you! Didn't know you were dieting but you've lost that much weight and that's GRAND. Metabolism Diet huh? I'll have to look into that......I'm continuing to go to the gym twice a week - and I'm feeling better because of that. If I added the diet component I guess I'd be conquering TWO problems.

I'm glad you found something that works for you.....thyroid disease must make it very difficult to hit the "right combination" but sounds like you may have found it!

Elsie and meredith, what party? WHy weren't we invited? That sounds like susch ffun.

Nancy, It's hard to bake and not eat, isn't it?

Dana and smile, losing wieght and exercising is so good for the spirit. Isn't it? Dana, glad you're heading in the right direction. You go girl!

The party is an annual cancer survivors potluck at St. Judes Hospital. TONS of food so it's hard not to eat too much ("Oh, I'll just take a little of this ... and this ... and that...") Elsie also won the earrings I donated to the raffle! -- actually, I won them but passed them on!

I know the theory behind the metabolism diet, and think it's sound: Our body adjusts to the amount of food available. When we starve ourselves, our metabolism slows down to compensate; our body saves fat as a survival mechanism (it doesn't know we want to lose it!) Eating small amounts several times a day signals to our body that we are not starving and thus don't need to store that fat.

Of course, if our mini-meals consist of white sugar and flour and other non-nutritional high caloric junk, we digest it really fast so we're hungry again in no time, and it won't help our metabolism at all. Your mini-meals could be a piece of fruit or anything nutritional.

Another way of doing this would be to take a regular meals such as lunch and divide it onto two plates. Eat one plate now and the rest in three hours.

My down fall through the holidays was all the tasting. I use recipes, yes BUT am a taster too. So this year everything I baked or bake is wrapped immediately in colored celophane paper with a huge ribbon and set aside. I will deliver as much as I can early so as not to have it around. I already told my son, NO leftovers, don't want any thank you very much, so I should be okay this year. Plus I am wearing my tight jeans so theres no room to grow..www!!! I can barely breathe in them let alone eat too much.

chatty, good idea. Wear tight pants while baking. I think I'll try that.

Well, my story is thus: I have always had a weight problem. In high school, at 180 pounds and 5'4, I guess I was the class blimp. Never ever occurred to me to be self-conscious about it, did whatever I wanted and was a happy camper...just a "big-boned" girl. Got married to a football player (6'6" and 275 pound linebacker) at 25 after sowing my wild oats and at that time I was about 220. He made me look and feel smaller than I was and I still didn't have much a problem doing whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it. Our only problem was we never were able to have children, and I guess looking back that it was the weight, but that never occurred to me either at the time. Married for 27 years when he died of colon cancer and by that time I was about 300 pounds. I was starting to slow down..and after he died I gained over another 100 pounds, even though I was not really eating very much. At over 460, I had a gastric bypass in April 2002. I had liposuction and an abdominoplasty November 29th and now I am under 200!! I am happy and healthy, and I am doing the diet thing, but my diet is a bit different than most. I HAVE to eat every few hours and mostly protein. I don;t deny myself tiny bits of this or that, but mostly I am proteined out daily. I can't wait until I heal enough to start walking again....I was doing 2 miles a day until I had to get ready for the surgery and had to stop all my meds (Celebrex for arthritis).

Micki, what comes through loud and clear in your post is your self confidence and excellent self image regardless of your size. I think that's awesome. We're forever hearing how girls tie the two together and it's so unhealthy.