Good Afternoon!
Betsy, I am glad you had such a nice time with your family. Glad you and your BIL are such good friends and can be there for each other. Good friends are hard to come by. How was Toby's bath? Does he enjoy them?
Silent, I love counting my blessings. You really have an active social life! I hope you feel all the love and positive energy today and everyday. We all deserve to be loved and happy. Positive attitude and weightloss go hand in hand for me.
Went to the grocery $tore and bought a cart full of healthy food$. I am cooking some meals ahead for the too busy to cook days.
Where is everyone and how are you doing?
Blah! I have a cold. Could I have caught time's cold in an online forum?
Anyway left work early today, figured I would spare everyone my germs, fell asleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon (my kitten loved it, unexpected daytime snuggle opportunity), and I feel a bit better now. I am also skipping out of a Monday night thing I do but I think I will still go for a swim and see how I fare.
Ubee... On my way home from work I stopped at the grocery store and bought bag loads of healthy stuff too.... Great minds think alike But I am a single man, so it included a lot of healthy frozen dinners lol. 24 minute mile throw down? I am in metric, can I do a kilometer instead?
Silent - you sound well loved! Way to dance away the weekend
Betsy - if reverse logic works, go with the flow!
Sam, sounds like you are on top of the wave, ready to drop in! I felt that way a week ago, still sort of do, it's a good feeling. Like I have the bull by the horns and I am ready to tackle this thing.
Mountain - way to go on the the loss! Every stone (or half stobe) is another step towards a boulder
Plucky - I would say welcome back but I am pretty new here but it's working for me so far!
Fi - I can help, but only with Canadian French
Why does my kitten play by himself until I take my ipad out? Then he just sits in front of it and purrs... I keep moving him and he keeps coming back. Maybe he wants to say hi to you all?
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
Well, I'm pretty bummed out tonight. My Belgian friend finally clarified her wishy-washy behavior with regard to our planned get-together in September: she says she's not up for any "longterm commitments" right now. She says she wants her future to be wide-open, her page to be blank, etc. I know it's a phase she's going through, but all the same, it means she's not coming to visit me. I was SO looking forward to it: we'd made plans for a week at the beach, a week going to art museums, and a week at the farm. I don't know why I ever got my hopes up in the first place: she changes constantly, and just can't be counted on. But right now I am really crushed: there's no way around it.
Fiona I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with your Belgian friend. My best friend and I had a falling out last week and I haven't spoken to her since. Part of me wants to apologize because I still want her as a friend, but she excretes drama all the time, and I have been slowly working to get rid of all the unnecessary drama in my life. I don't have many friends anymore because of it, but at what point in your life do you say you're tired of the high school bull mess? I'm 27 years old, I'm too old to play that game. I hope everything gets better for you. Sending HUGE hugs to you!
merstopher I am totally catching the wave right now. I'm hoping I don't fall flat on my face, but even if I do, I'm going to dust myself off and start again...that's all you can do right? Thanks for the welcome!
Silent Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to getting to know you.
I'm keeping the postings going here because I feel like it is really helping me. Lucky me came home from work today to find that my BIL made flourless peanut butter cookies. They look so dang good! I know I could eat one, but I'm feeling so high on the good vibes I've had these past couple of days I didn't want to ruin it. So I moved them to the side and had a slice of ham and cheese while I cooked dinner. Tonight I made spaghetti squash for the first time. I've had it before but my hubbs always made it. He's an awesome cook, I call him chef sometimes hehe...I roasted it in the oven and it turned out superb! I also made some marinara with mushrooms that was delish to go on top of it. I am so full and I don't feel bad for having my "pasta". I thought about making garlic bread but I'm glad I didn't because I really didn't even need it. More good news when I came home today. I found that my hubby ate one of my salads that I had made up for the week that had ground turkey in it!! I had an extra one so it won't put my lunches for work off, but I was so surprised he ate it, and he said it wasn't that bad. Maybe this prep work may be his motivation. He can just eat it without thinking about it. Maybe if he has to think too much about what to eat, he'll end up eating something crappy. I really want to work on getting his heart in check. His dad, grandad and uncle, and I'm probably leaving out a person or 2 all had heart attacks in their 30s. I don't want that to happen to him...So maybe I'll continue with the prep work not only to help me so I don't end up going through the McDonalds drive through when I don't have lunch at work, and it will help him because he won't have any other choice LOL....Anyway I hope everyone is having a great evening! And thank you all so much for helping keep the good vibes alive in me
Hello All... Hope everyone had a marvelous Monday!!!
Honestly right now as far as the gardening goes we are just getting the ground prepared. About the only thing we will be able to plant early will be onion sets. I think in March we will be able to plant potatoes. I am sure there is more but I am not going to get in a rush. I usually decide to plant a garden in April or May when it should be already pretty well going. I am ahead of schedule this year...
Fi - I am so sorry about your friend. I know you were very excited of the prospect of her coming. As far as my aunt goes, it was one of those things where she called and said she needed a place and I didn't ask any questions just said "come on." I mean after all, aren't we supposed to help out family and friends when we can? I am sure it is temporary to an extent, however, it is a little trying getting used to another female in the house... LOL. She does mean well and really tries hard... That is another reason for the garden... I could see she was going to need something to occupy her time... LOL.
Merstopher - I think your rest was much needed (and probably deserved as well). A good little nap does wonders for your health. I hope you are feeling even better in the morning.
Silent - I completely understand about the break from the cold. That is why we have been so excited about the garden as it has been kind of warm the past few days. I must point out that it has been pretty cool at night, down in the 30's.
Ubee - You are so upbeat and positive. You really inspire me to be more like you. I am jealous... a 24 minute mile... geez I gotta get after it... LOL
Sam - Welcome... and you are so very right... walking is a wonderful exercise and many even say the PERFECT exercise.... I love to walk... I just have a hard time motivating in the winter time... I can walk in 100 degree temps but I guess I am a weenie when it comes to doing it in the cool wind.... I guess that is why we have incorporated the gardening around here when it warms up... not only getting movement in but also building muscles...
Plucky - just a few weeks ago, the first week of December, we had ice on the ground for over a week... this is unheard of most of the time here in Texas... I think if you look at the average January temps for us we usually range around mid-30s, but not very often to we get much snow and ice...
Alright my friends... I am off to dreamland... Sweet Dreams everyone!!!
Honestly right now as far as the gardening goes we are just getting the ground prepared. About the only thing we will be able to plant early will be onion sets. I think in March we will be able to plant potatoes. I am sure there is more but I am not going to get in a rush. I usually decide to plant a garden in April or May when it should be already pretty well going. I am ahead of schedule this year...
pjvw34 You inspired me and I cleaned up my garden today. My peppers are still producing and I found a tomato plant growing in my compost pile with tomatoes just starting to ripen. We have yet to have a freeze here in Central Florida although it got close with 35 degrees one night. I plan to plant onion sets tomorrow. I have have started seeds in our house. So far Peppers and pansies for later transplanting. I have a large garden which is entirely containers. The ground here is mostly sand and it is difficult to grow veggies in the native soil.
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
I made a collage expressing how I feel about the loss of my friend's visit. I tried to express both how broken up I feel, plus my desire for an orderly frame around the emotions...
Hey Larry
That is awesome!!! I am really excited about this garden thing and ready for the veggies to be here... I think the most wonderful part of it is the sense of accomplishment in seeing a piece of ground that was grown up turn into something that produces veggies... I am also loving the process of getting it all ready!!! The exercise it involves plus the yield of fresh veggies.... Keep us informed on your garden progress as well!!!
It is a grey day outside but fairly mild considering we were in the minus 20's last week. The ice and snow are melting leaving large puddles in the middle of some of the sidewalks but much better then the skating rink that was out there last week.
I am sitting here typing on my laptop as I sip my second cup of coffee and watch the show "Ruby". I am inspired by her weight loss although some things about the show annoy me.
Ubee Hey there! I agree that being in a positive frame of mind certainly helps me with my journey to health. I also feel that as I eat better and move more I feel better which puts me in a better frame of mind. Congratulations on the 3 pound weight loss.
Betsy Thanks for the welcome back and I am confident we can unwrap those tails and start wagging them soon.
silentartic Thanks for your encouraging words and your weekend sounds like it was fun.
[B][/Bmerstopher] Welcome!
Fi So sorry to hear about your friend bailing out of the trip, I would be very disappointed if it were me. Art is such an amazing way to express feelings. My therapist is a big proponent of using art as a way to express feelingsSamIAm86, to unblock feelings and as part of the healing process. I struggle with finding my artistic outlet. I will check out your collage after I finish my post.
SamIAm86 Hello and good job on resisting those cookies.
pjvw34 and Larry hello and hope you are enjoying getting your gardens ready and tending to them.
I went to TOPS group last night and I am so glad I returned. There are some nice people I can relate to and some people doing very well in their weight loss. I see this as another tool I can use on my journey to health along with therapy and coming here.
I will check in later after my cardiologist appointment. Have a good day!
I was so pooped last night after making dinner and it had gotten really dark. I was afraid it was going to rain so I didn't go for a walk, but tonight I'll have my hands busy doing some makeup on my friends for my portfolio. I'm really excited. I've decided this year I'm going to push myself to the max to get my name out there in the makeup artistry world. The need for makeup artists that don't work at a counter is kind of limited to weddings and photo shoots here but I really need to get a portfolio done so I can get more jobs. I still work my day job as an insurance agent until I get going with doing more makeup.
Larry & PJ- The garden sounds so awesome! I live in an apartment so I don't have much room to be able to grow a garden but I'm thinking about maybe trying to do some indoor gardening. I found a cool website that sells little hydroponic pots that maybe I can get stuff to grow indoors since I don't have a yard or balcony that gets much sunlight.
I hope everyone is doing well. I gotta get back to work but I'll check in later today
It's so bizarre to see talk of gardening! Where I am you're lucky if you can start in May!
Well, my lack of drive regarding my health has finally reaped consequences: Not only am I tired due to lack of exercise and only semi healthy eating, my sciatica flared again this week. I haven't had an issue in probably two years. That was the kick in the butt I need.
On the plus side, my living room hardwood is almost done, although we will have to wait until next Wednesday to finish due to work commitments on my bf and his father's parts. I intend to paint the master suite this weekend, and then hopefully the next weekend I can begin doing the flooring in the spare room. It's quite nice to have a project.
Fiona Oh dear! I totally understand your feelings! I would be super upset too.
Good morning all. After a very long day at the hospital yesterday, I was looking forward to getting caught up today......and the Co-op has reared it's needy head. The hospital was just a training class for my BIL's upcoming hip replacement surgery, the blood work and EKG, and the meeting with the surgical nurse on what to do right before the surgery in terms of meds and getting cleaned up.
Jane -- Sorry about the sciatica -- I know how much that hurts from my own experiences. You have shown the patience of Job in getting your flooring done. I bet it will be beautiful when it's finished. Good luck with getting back on track. We all know you can do this!
Sam -- Sounds like you've got a plan career wise and health wise -- good for you. Good luck with getting your makeup artistry business going. Loved your post about realizing that all of the prep work was worth it if it helped you and your hubbie. Great insights. How did you cook the spaghetti squash? I want to try it, but have avoided it so far.
Plucky -- Your TOPS meeting sounds like you've got a really good group. Lucky you have multiple support groups.
Pam and Larry -- SSSSooooooo envious of all the gardening you're getting to do already. It's always mid-May before it's safe to put out any of the seasonal plants and some years it's been mid-June. Larry, you mentioned container gardens -- that's what I'm going to try this year as our "soil" is mainly rock and clay. How many do you have?
Fi -- Of course you're disappointed with your friend cancelling out on the visit. It sounds like a wonderful visit was planned. I'm glad that you were able to do a collage to express your feelings about it and hope that your spirits come back up soon.
Merstopher -- Hope you're feeling a lot better and haven't spread any more germs virtually. Loved your description of your kitten and the antics.
Ubee-- Please come shop for me. Purchases lately have been for the family and making some meals for a neighbor who just had surgery only she loves high carb meals like lasagna and pork chops and rice (wouldn't be bad except she likes the pork chops breaded and fried first.....before pouring on the mushroom gravy and then baking!). She's 94 -- she said that she's earned the right to eat whatever she wants at this age, and I can't argue with that!
SilentArctic -- Sounds like you had an absolutely wonderful weekend with lots of good friends and reasonable eating. Totally understand the impact of weather on our mood -- it's definitely easier to stay on plan when the sun's out!
Toby and I start his obedience class tonight. No one is holding out much hope for me, but they figure Toby will do well. His bath got delayed until today, and, yes Ubee, he does love getting a bath (actually a shower). Still not binging, but definitely having some trouble getting back to the strictness of low calorie/low carb where I do so much better. Will keep at it. I think it's time to determine if volunteering at the Co-op is really in my own best interests. To say that it's added stress would be an understatement, and unfortunately I haven't learned how to totally control my stress eating yet. Hate backing out of a commitment though.
Off to the gym. It will feel good to work some kinks out. Have a great day everyone.
Merstopher - Cat's know when you want to pay attention to something else, At least in my experience. I know everytime I tried to read when I was catsitting while a student , the cats would try and sit on my books.
Sam - Awesome job on the willpower, I love peanut butter cookies of all kinds... thats why I haven't made them in a long long time. Spaghetti Squash is good.
pjvw & Larry - Jealous its nice enough to garden ah to be able to leave the house without a zillion layers and to not have to worry about frost bite.
Fi so great that you are expressing yourself through art, I do that through music but not as well. I can't click links here.
plucky - melting snow, thats summer weather if ever I heard of any Hopefully ya'll have the bad weather systems out of the way. I know it made for a rather interesting holidays for people in your part of the country.
Radio - Its okay we can be toughies in the cold together. I'm just excited that the windchill is -42 right now (-27 without the winds) , so enjoying the warm up, its suppose to dip back down again later tonight though.
Ubee - Awesome about the cooking ahead. I always think about it but rarely actulaly DO it.
Was exhausted I tried to stay up but just couldn't keep my eyes open so napped last night at 7:30 which delayed supper to an innapropriate hour. (By the time I was done cooking it was nearly midnight) Honestly if I hadn't felt so hungry I would have just tried to sleep through but I woke up at 9:30 and my body just wouldn't take no for an answer. Anyways so I got back to sleep rather late. I really need to fix these sleep patterns!
I might have pizza tonight, horrible I know but, if I plan it into my calories I will accept that sometimes that what I really want. I just hope the canteen that I want to get it from will be open otherwise I might have a long hungry curling match tonight. I can make it up to my arteries by eating a bunch of fiber one cereal over the next couple days? lol
Even with the late supper I still weighed in at 317 today so I'm content with that. Hopefully my planned indulgence doesn't skyrocket my water retention for tomorrow. I'm bracing for that possibility though.
Location: from Canada currently living in Cairo, Egypt
Posts: 308
S/C/G: 380/ticker/180
Height: 5"9
Fi- I am sorry to hear how you are feeling about your friend cancelling the visit.
I would love to write some more personal notes, but I have been awake for about 30 hours now and can barely focus.... Last night I simply could not shut my brain off, and work today was a challenge.
Good Afternoon!
We have a snowstorm today so the girls came home early from school. Larry and Pam, I am sending the cold and snow down to you! Seriously I am glad you are both talking about gardening. I need to make a plan for mine. I am thinking of changing over to raised beds. Time4me, 30 hours without sleep! I can go 14 at the most. At that point I just fall over. Silent, I am going to have pizza tonight with a cauliflower crust. It tastes pretty good and is guilt free! Do you do curling? Once again I must say you have a very fun sounding social life! I had too much sodium yesterday and was drinking like a camel. Betsy, I am willing to bet your neighbor is a twig. Everyone I know who lived into their 9o's ate high fat diets, just watched their portions. I know how you feel about going back on a commitment. I did that 2 years ago because it was so stressful and it was hard. It was also when I started setting boundries and taking care of myself. Weightloss followed. Good luck on whatever you decide! Jane sorry the kick in the butt was not fun. Did I read that right you LIKE a project??? You have so much spunk! Way to go! Sam I love your energy and am glad to see you checking in with us! The support here is so healthy! I love it when several areas of our lives get moving in positive directions. Good luck moving your career in the direction you want it to go! Andrea I hope the doc had healthy news. I have watched Ruby on ocassion. I wonder how she is doing. I'm glad you are liking TOPS I know many people really find it helpful. Our meetings are past my bedtime. Chris, cats sure have a lot of personality! When you have 3 minutes to spare... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKffm2uI4dk Fi I'm sorry that your friends emotional issues are causing you so much sadness. I saw your collage and I must say you did an amazing job of expressing yourself! When I looked at it I saw hands holding up a protective wall. I did not know they were seashells until I read below. You are a beautiful butterfly and I hope your wings heal soon. As for me I would have expressed myself with food...
I did not sleep well last night so I am fighting off the tired hungries.
But I am a single man, so it included a lot of healthy frozen dinners lol. 24 minute mile throw down? I am in metric, can I do a kilometer instead? 
but it's working for me so far!
I am jealous... a 24 minute mile... geez I gotta get after it... LOL 
and watch the show "Ruby". I am inspired by her weight loss although some things about the show annoy me.
