Nick name -- dee Birthday-- 3/7/43 Birthplace --Los Angeles, CA Current Loc/7ation --Fairfax Station, VA Eye Color --hazel Hair Color --blond Height --5'7" Right Handed or Left Handed --right Your Heritage --Norweigian The Shoes You Wore Today --black ballet shoes Your Weakness-- animals, my husband Your Fears-- my husband meeting someone he loves more! Your Perfect Pizza- Pineapple and ham Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year-- healthy relationship with food Your Most Overused Phrase On Instant Messenger---don't do im Thoughts First Waking Up-- How many vicodin did I take last night - then count what's left! Your Best Physical Feature-- eyes Your Bedtime-- 10:00 Your Most Missed Memory-- Christmas Eve with my family Pepsi or Coke --was diet coke... not anymore. MacDonalds or Burger King-- Burger King Single or Group Dates- group dates. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea -- Lipton Chocolate or Vanilla-- chocolate Cappuccino or Coffee-- cappuccino. Do you Smoke-- nope Do you Swear-- nope Do you Sing-- all the time Do you Shower Daily-- yes. Have you Been in Love-- madly in love Do you want to go to College/ have you a degree? Yes Do you want to get Married/ if married how long? married 24 years. Do you belive in yourself-- absolutely Do you get Motion Sickness-- nope Do you think you are Attractive-- actually I do! I think I'm pleasant looking, not a beauty. Are you a Health Freak-- yes Do you get along with your Parents/family-- adore my family -- miss them so much. Very close with my daughters and mom, dad died about 5 years ago. Do you like Thunderstorms-- love them. Do you play an Instrument/paint-- nope In the past month have you Drank Alcohol-- no, don't drink In the past month have you Smoked--nope In the past month have you been on Drugs--nope In the past month have you gone on a Date/ spouse counts--no kids -- Yes, In the past month have you gone to a Mall-- no In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos--ah, yes, who hasn't In the past month have you eaten Sushi-- hate sushi In the past month have you been on Stage-- nope In the past month have you been Dumped--nope In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping-- does getting in the hot tub count! In the past month have you Stolen Anything--nope Ever been Drunk-- Once Ever been called a Tease-- all the time!! Ever been Beaten up-- never Ever Shoplifted-- yup - stole a comb when I was in grade school! Got caught! Yikes How do you want to Die-- I don't!! What do you want to be when you Grow Up/ if grown are you happy with your career? What career -- been there done that, happy with my non career!! What country would you most like to Visit-- Norway Number of Drugs I have taken-- none Number of CDs I own- 100's Number of Piercings - three in each ear Number of Tattoos-- none! Number of things in my Past I Regret--that I was so wild in the 60s and 70s!! Best clothing Style--anything Bohemian! In a Boy/Girl... Favorite Eye Color brown Favorite Hair Color gray Short or Long Hair short Height 6'+ Weight 195 This was fun!! love donna

I was watching biggest loser last night and he showed that 21 small jello containers equal to 1 cup of sugarless ice cream. I would rather have the 21 jellos, I didn't realize it was that much of a difference. I guess its all the fat in it because jello don'T have fat in it. He showed to put strawberrys in a glass, mix the jello powder with cool whip and pour it in the strawberrys and wha la!! awesome dessert!! just thought you might want to know that piece of information ::

I know, does my little hints ever end!! Anyway, I thought this was helpful and something we could use for the holidays! love donna *********************************************************** Surviving the Holiday Season Becky Eason, Registered Dietitian Weightloss Surgery Center of Hampton Roads The Good News is... We don't gain as much weight during the holidays as we often anticipate. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that the average American only gains around one pound during the holiday season. Less than 10% of the study participants gained five pounds or more. The Bad News is... Although most people only gained one pound during the holidays, that one pound was not lost during the rest of the year. Researchers identified two factors that influenced weight gain during this time: Level of hunger Level of activity What does this tell us? We need to control our hunger. How can we do this? Do not skip meals - Try to stay on your regular schedule for eating. Balance your meals: Make good food choices throughout the day - don't try and "store up" calories for a party or event. Plan ahead: Pack healthy snacks when heading to the mall to avoid a poor choice at the food court. What else does the study tell us? Placing activity on the back burner, even for a short time, does make a difference. It is important to find something to sacrifice rather than time at the gym. Find some extra time by: Getting up a little earlier. Baking ahead and freezing foods. Taping your favorite shows to view after the holidays, or exercising during the show! Exercise must be a priority Start a New Holiday Tradition: Host an annual Thanksgiving Day flag football or kickball game. Have the Thanksgiving meal early and invite friends and family to join you for a game later in the afternoon. Take the family ice skating on Christmas. After the meal, go on a long walk or have a snow ball fight when the weather allows. What about us social butterflys? Surviving the Holidays Key: Focus on and anticipate the SOCIALIZATION of the event rather than the FOOD offered at the event Holiday Party Tips Scan the entire buffet before you make your food choices. Have a rating system: if the food is not a 10 on your scale, don't put it on your plate. Only make one trip through the line. No standing by the table nibbling! Start by eating lower calorie foods like vegetables to help curb initial appetite. Offer to bring a dish you know you can have! More Party Tips Skip the Alcohol: The average alcoholic drink contains 150-200 calories per glass. If you indulge in one or two of these you can easily drink the calories recommended for an entire meal. One 8 ounce glass of traditional alcoholic eggnog often contains 450+ calories!!! Alcohol can also increase your appetite and alter your judgment. Are you the Host? When hosting a get together, offer low calorie food and drink options. Plan ahead and gather containers so you can send all the leftovers home with guests. Out of sight, out of mind: If you do not give the leftovers away, freeze them in small portions to have another day. Recipe Modifications Try some new recipes! Instead of giving up your favorites, make some changes to the recipe to lower the calorie, fat, or sugar content of the food. Traditional Holiday Foods TURKEY TIPS: Choose turkey without the skin. As a general rule, white meat is leaner than dark meat, so choose a breast rather than a drumstick. Use a fat separator for the roasting pan juices and skim off all the fat before making the gravy. You can add a dry package of turkey gravy mix if you want more flavor and thickening. COMPARISONS CHOICE OF MEAT: 3 oz dark meat, with skin: 200 calories 3 oz white meat without skin: 130 calories PREPARATION OF GRAVY: ¼ c Traditional turkey gravy: 76 calories ¼ c Gravy (fat skimmed from juices): 14 calories Traditional Holiday Foods POTATOES: Mash the potatoes with chicken broth and skim milk instead of butter and sour cream. Use pineapple or orange juice thickened with corn starch as a glaze for sweet potatoes. VEGETABLES: For a healthier green bean casserole, use fat free half & half or low fat canned soup and top with almonds instead of fried onion rings. PUMPKIN PIE: Make pies with canned, evaporated, skimmed milk. Use sugar substitute or use half the sugar in the recipe (brown sugar may be a better choice as it is more flavorful). Add additional spices for extra flavor. Use fat free whipped topping. Eat the filling, skip the crust! COMPARISONS PUMPKIN PIE: Traditional pie/whipped cream: 450 calories Pumpkin pie, made with evaporation skim milk and ⅓ less sugar: 142 calories CANDIED YAMS: Traditional candied yams (⅔ c): 250 calories Modified candied yams (⅔ c), made with pineapple and orange juice: 105 calories STUFFING: Instead of stuffing the turkey, bake the stuffing in a casserole dish. This will significantly decrease calories by reducing the amount of fat absorbed. Sauté onions and celery in a very small amount of margarine and use chicken broth for additional moisture. Replace ⅓ of the bread with vegetables. Cooking Tips Cut calories by decreasing the oil or sugar by ⅓. You can usually do this without having a major effect on the final product. Steam vegetables in a small amount of water to prevent loss of flavor and nutrients. Use the leftover water when preparing another dish. To remove fat from soups, stews or drippings: Let them form a solid and scoop off the fat. Or, when cool, add ice cubes and the fat will stick. Cooking Tips-Substitutions 1 Whole Egg 2 Egg Whites Sour Cream Low Fat Plain Yogurt or Low fat Sour Cream Heavy Cream Evaporated skim milk Oil Equal amount applesauce or other fruit puree 1 oz unsweetened chocolate 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder Pay attention to your emotions Stressed is just desserts spelled backward! If you are a stress eater, work on developing healthier coping mechanisms. For some people, holidays bring up painful emotions. Identifying stressors and preparing for them will help you avoid negative behaviors. Recruit a friend or family member to help keep you accountable. Eating this Holiday Season KEY: Remember, the calories add up! When you munch on rich casseroles and desserts all day, a bite of this and that can add up to a lot of unwanted calories by the end of the day! KEY: Stick with your routine: Three meals and maybe one snack a day. KEY: If you eat too much, too fast, or the wrong foods, you will not enjoy your holiday - Be smart so that you will have positive memories of this time!

Donna - log into Sparkpeople.com - it is giving me all sorts of ideas for food - I'm not sure I will follow the menu but at least now I have some ideas!! I am so very serious about this... hugssss..Linda

any of you who have kids on myspace may have seen this already. I loved reading my boys. It was very insightfull. Play along if you choose, just copy and paste into reply and erase my answers for your own. Some questions you may not want to answer, just leave blank. It is all in fun.... donna Nick name -- d, frizz Birthday-- 5/25/63-- ok I put the year in.... you don't have to if your shy Birthplace --Medford Ma Current Location --Lowell Ma Eye Color --blue Hair Color --brown-- out of bottle Height --5'8" Right Handed or Left Handed --right Your Heritage --irish/canadian The Shoes You Wore Today --black ankle high boots Your Weakness-- food--stray puppies-- people with problems Your Fears-- loosing my family Your Perfect Pizza- Sliced tomato and cheese Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year-- 143 pounds.... Your Most Overused Phrase On Instant Messenger---dah Thoughts First Waking Up-- is it the weekend yet??? Your Best Physical Feature-- eyes Your Bedtime-- earlier and earlier... 10:00 at the latest Your Most Missed Memory-- I loved when my boys were 2 and 4 I miss that the most. Pepsi or Coke --was diet coke... not anymore. MacDonalds or Burger King-- was MCD's loved their fry's. does anyone remember their apple pies from years ago. they were deep fried.... ohhhh Single or Group Dates- group dates. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea -- Lipton Chocolate or Vanilla-- vanilla Cappuccino or Coffee-- coffee..coffee..coffee... Do you Smoke-- nope Do you Swear-- like a truck driver.... sorry mom Do you Sing-- very badly Do you Shower Daily-- yes... and sing too... Have you Been in Love-- still am... Do you want to go to College/ have you a degree? nope would love to go back once hubby and boys are done Do you want to get Married/ if married how long? married 21 years. Do you belive in yourself-- sometimes... but only recently Do you get Motion Sickness-- yup. can't read in car. Do you think you are Attractive-- nope, but getting better. Are you a Health Freak-- turning into one... but not obsessed. Do you get along with your Parents/family-- love my family. Still close with mom and dad. Do you like Thunderstorms-- love them... I sit on our porch and enjoy when ever I can. Do you play an Instrument/paint-- paint some what not very good. In the past month have you Drank Alcohol-- yessssssss In the past month have you Smoked--nope In the past month have you been on Drugs--nope In the past month have you gone on a Date/ spouse counts--no kids -- hubby and I go out at least once a month to the local theater and dinner. It costs us up front to get the season tickets but is well worth it in the long run. In the past month have you gone to a Mall-- just yesterday-- and I hate the malls In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos--not one... In the past month have you eaten Sushi-- love sushi In the past month have you been on Stage-- yes play in high school... hated it... In the past month have you been Dumped--nope In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping-- its cold here in New England.... scary thoughts... In the past month have you Stolen Anything--nope Ever been Drunk-- I will never telllll.... Ever been called a Tease-- hubby thinks I am now.... Ever been Beaten up-- a few times.. thought I was a tough **** when in school... Ever Shoplifted-- nope How do you want to Die-- in my sleep or... doing something really insane like skydiving or racing something....one extreme to another. What do you want to be when you Grow Up/ if grown are you happy with your career? Not happy with career.. but make really good money. Now the big question do I really have to grow up??? What country would you most like to Visit-- austraila-- also want to visit alaska. Number of Drugs I have taken-- to many --much regrets in past. Number of CDs I own- 100's Number of Piercings two one in each ear... lol Number of Tattoos-- most people don't believe this but I don't have any tats Number of things in my Past I Regret--wasted a lot of money on racing and partying. Best Clothing Style--jeans and white starched shirt with boots. In a Boy/Girl... Favorite Eye Color blue Favorite Hair Color brown Short or Long Hair long Height 6'+ Weight 195 oh my gosh I have described my DH--- other than the hair...it used to be long... now he is one of those old bald guys with a gotoo.