I'm having a motivation problem today. It's sunny here and in the low 60s, but very windy so it feels cold. I even have the heat on in the house. Ended up taking Shelby out for our 4-mile walk. Actually, it's about 3.75 miles, but it's very hilly around here (not just a little up and down -- the grades are so steep you end up leaning way forward and really working). So I call it 4 miles. Anyway, we did it in around 50 minutes, which is the norm. Then we laid down on the bed for an hour!

Think I'll wait another hour or so to mow the lawn. I'm so darn tired of being cold.

Elaine, just hang in there. Do the best you can. You'll get there. Your body is still healing.

Wendy, sorry but I have no advice on the eating out problem. I find it odd, though, that he eats out so much. That does get costly. A lot of people do, though. I've heard on news reports and read in magazines, etc. that the average person eats out 3 to 5 times a week. Geez. I eat out 3 to 5 times a YEAR!

What do you typically order and what types of restaurants do you frequent? There are so many wonderful salads. I love a good chicken caesar salad. Or order a sandwich minus the bread. There are usually some great-sounding chicken sandwiches with cheese and bacon. Have a side salad, and you're set.

Maybe you should stay away from Chinese for a while. Every time I have Chinese I gain 5 pounds of water overnight, and it takes several days to lose it again. Maybe you guys can save that for special occasions, not every week.

Another trick that I've read about is to ask for a "doggy bag" right at the start of your meal, and put half of your food in the bag before you begin eating. Then you won't be tempted to eat it all.

Cindy, sounds like you went through some rough times. Glad to hear you're more on track now. Join us every day.

Lissette, we have a weird weed here, too. It comes up looking a little like asparagas spears, and then turns into something that looks like a baby bottle brush. Not spiky, soft. Can't get rid of it. The root system is just so invasive. It typically grows in soil that's a bit more sandy, but can also thrive elsewhere. I hate spraying the weeds, because of the pets and all the other animals around here. Also, spraying doesn't seem to help. The plant you spray will die, but one will sprout up right next to it.

Maybe I'll just curl up with a good book.

I've decided I need to bring veggies back into my life. Trouble is, nothing sounds good. I was thinking more of a veggie salad for summer, so I went on the Atkins Center site and printed up some recipes. Next time I go to the grocery store, I'll pick up the ingredients. If they turn out well, I'll post the links to the recipes.

TaTa for now.

EDITED to add: I just posted the links to the recipes in my journal, if anyone is interested. Let me know if you can't open them. I'm having trouble, but maybe it's just me.