Support Groups - Daily Check-In: Support for all diets

Happy evening everyone. The day food wise is way better today - actually only 50 cals under goal, but I didn't have to scrimp at dinner to make up for munching through the day. I'm very happy about that. I did yoga this evening. I'd stopped last spring when I spent every evening swimming. Now that the pool's closed for autumn (I did that for you Mariana - BTW that's a GORGEOUS name) and I need to get back into a balance and flexibility routine for ski season. Wow, it was amazing how much flexibility I lost. The balance is still good, but eeks on the flexing. :o

Mariana, Thanksgiving is an American holiday that the pilgrims started to celebrate and give thanks for the bountiful harvest. They did dine with the Native Americans. Canada's Thanksgiving is Oct (according to my calendar) and ours is the 4th Thursday in November, so 9 days from now. And it's the American's way to eat like piggies and not feel guilty. Then it just snowballs to Christmas and the average American gains 7 pounds. But not here, right chickies???

And here's to all of us staying on track - way to go Auntie, Mariana, Carol and me. Hopefully Penny, Judy, Mi mi, and Lu have had success as well.

BTW, my stomach is fine now. I think it was just angry yesterday afternoon.

Auntie, I got my cookie scooper from Pampered Chef as well - also just to have purchased something. But I find it excellent for making perfect portions so the cals can be calculated.

Carol, definitely get the walking in. Walking is such a wonderful way to exercise. I wouldn't trade the time with my doggies for anything. End of last week, with the big moon and stars overhead made it so peaceful. I'm into multitasking (ADHD) and my morning walk gets everything. I get exercise, my doggies get exercise, I get fresh air, I spend quality time with my doggies and I listen to an audiobook, so I'm "reading" at the same time. Can't beat that. If I could email at the same time, I'd be in heaven. :D

Time to shower before bed. My house is finally warm enough.
Marie

Hi, just a quick note to say all is going fine. I will be speaking at a public hearing in about an hour. Eeks. I really hate being pulled into politics. Stupid people have caused this. I'm glad we're on the downhill slide into weekend. Then a short week next week.

I went out for lunch and ate sparingly and DS is bringing a chicken pizza for dinner before the hearing. I will again eat sparingly. Mr Scale is still evil. But as usual I did exercise. Well back to the hearing stuff.
Marie

Hi all! I am working on making photo calendars for my mom and MIL for Christmas, so that is sucking up my computer time, and I am sooo not done yet. Had a little chocolate monster attack today, but I think I've got him back into his cave now. If only those Hershey Kisses would disappear from work...

Mariana, I agree with Marie, you have a beautiful name! And isn't this site great? So much to learn from people who live in different parts of the world! Autumn/fall... yep, well, we usually just call it fall. Autumn is so formal, I guess. And ya know, stupid as it is, it never occurred to me that Thanksgiving is not everywhere. Pretty stupid, indeed. So, I guess that means you don't get Black Friday either? (The delightful shopping day after Thanksgiving...) Hey, how did you turn from a collector into a thrower outer? I've spent most of my life collecting clutter, and only in the past couple years have started to change that. I still have a ways to go, and find it difficult to get rid of things unless I give them away to someone I know. The hardest thing is getting rid of things that someone in the family gave me. Oh, the horror! Congrats on your on-plan days. Keep up the good work!

Marie, glad your stomach's better, and I hope your hearing went well. Public speaking would definitely give me a stomach ache. I don't know how people can do it, so more power to you! Politics, blecccch! Pizza, yummmmm!

Have a great Thursday, everyone! (And almost Friday, Mariana!)

G'day folks.:dancer:

.....Okay.. I confess. Nobody I know actually says 'g'day'. It's mainly a false stereotype perpetuated by our media exports. :lol:

I went to the gym today at around noon - I love going to the gym during off peak hours, it's completely empty! I am in the middle of readin 'One for the money' by Janet Evanovich right now - have any of you read it? Or any Evanovich books?

Marie and Auntie - thanks for the compliments about my name! :D:hug: I have a south american background, and it's a fairly common name in Uruguay.

Thanks for explaining more about the fall/autumn thing, Auntie. We don't have black friday, no - the closest thing is... friday the 13th? :)
Other than that - our other main holidays (apart from the usual xmas, easter) are Australia Day (january 26)-celebrating our colonisation-, ANZAC day (april 25th)-war memorial-. That's sort of all I can think of - other than the queen's birthday, where we get a public holiday.
Oh - and regarding my thrower-outerness; A few years ago, I became increasingly sick of the clutter in our garage - especially in these two HUGE wardrobes full of my old.. 'crap'. I had about 2 or 3 days of just throwing everything out - almost. I only kept things that were actually important - even though I ended up throwing our most of that, too. Ever since then, I've been keen on having a nice, free space everywhere from my bedroom to kitchen.
Plus, these quotes help sum up how I feel:
"You end up belonging to your belongings"
"If in doubt, throw it out"
Glad to hear you've got the chocolate monster under control. And it's cool to hear you're making photo calendars! Are you generally a creative person?

Marie - thank you for clearing up thanksgiving for me! I love hearing about the walks you take with your dogs - while listening to audiobooks and everything. They sound relaxing. I assumed that you went in the morning - but when you said the moon was overhead - It made me realise, you might go at other times of the day? Or maybe early in the morning when the sun hasn't risen?

There's cicadas in the background and it's warmer outside the houes than inside right now - gotta love an aussie november.

Have a great friday, all!

Extra note : I'm really into dandelion tea right now. I'm drinking it iced. It's bitter and yummy! Any other fans?

Hi, chickies! I've been off in a corner, moping, for a few days...well, metaphysically, anyway. I've been working non-stop. My big two-day meeting is over. Some part went well, some not so well, but it was all helpful. I should be on the road again, but at the last minute I decided to cancel. I'm exhausted, and feeling a bit-"flu-y" as if I'm trying to come down with something.

So much to catch up on...Mazza, I agree, you have a beautiful name. Don't know about dandelion tea. I love teas and infusions, though. When I'm on my game, diet-wise, drinks like mint tea in the afternoon really help me beat the nervous crunchies.

Marie, I hope the public hearing went well. You have such a funny blunt voice on the thread, I like to imagine you giving government officials the business in an open forum :rollpin: but probably not, huh?

Carol, it sounds like you're doing a good job of working exercise into your busy schedule!

Auntie, I'm looking forward to chores this weekend, and again over the four-day holiday. My apartment still has a way to go before I'm all settled in, so it's a relief to have a chunk of time to unpack the last of the boxes an move things around. This weekend I'll buy paintbrushes, etc., so that I can paint a few walls over the holiday break.

We're not discussing my eating or exercise today, beyond saying that I've officially fallen off the wagon and was last seen sprawled along the side of the road, rooting around in my pockets for chocolate kisses....

judy

Afternoon everyone - especial g'day to Mariana as I can use it if Australians really don't. :D

Judy, I was much more blunt with sarcasm thrown in yesterday. Dealing with idiots who are making choices that could harm our areas children (educationally) make me even more irritated (=sarcasm). The first hearing I was much more politically savvy. Yesterday I was blunt. It went well so that is good. Today I spoke with a reporter and was very to the point. No sarcasm as it would misinterpreted in print. So I answered the questions and when he asked if I wanted to add anything, I politely (but quickly) declined. If I went on, I would have let it slip that I call his publication the Lying Rag. :devil: But as they lie, it's a true name.

Anyway, I'm glad you're home resting instead of another trip. I think there's a wagon circling near you. Put your thumb out and hitch a ride. I KNOW you can do it. You certainly want to look beautiful for inauguration night as you part on the town, even if it's not the official party.

Mariana, I've never had dandelion tea. I barely drink black tea but I'm starting to like it. so many less cals than the mocha. And I LOVE the numbers series by Evanovich. I've read or listened to them all, in order from 1 to 14. There also in between the number novellas and I've only listened to one and didn't like it. I loved Metro Girl as well, but not the rest.

I do walk in the morning, about 5:00 and it's pitch black outside except when Mr. Moon is full. I love Mr. Moon. He's starting to get shaded so it was starry this morning. I have an LED headlamp (who's batteries died during yesterday's walk :o)

Auntie, throw the darn kisses in the garbage!!!!!! No way are they worth the effort to get them off your hips. And Black Friday (Mariana, it's the "1st" real shopping day of the Christmas season and retailers "slash" the prices to get people in the doors) - I have a mission to find a good big screen TV or I'll buy one at Costco in a couple weeks. DH is resigned to it so I should just get it. :D

Doggies and I walked this morning even though it was supposed to rain/snow. I was so pleased when I looked out and there were stars. The rain came about 3 hours later than predicted. Good for me and the huskies. food is right on today. Yesterday was harder as I ate out lunch and dinner. But overestimating my cals based on similar restaurants, I should have been just about 200 cals under. I left a bit of room as I know restaurants tend to throw fat and calories in the food with no rhyme or reason.

That's about it for the day. TTY tomorrow.
Marie

:yawn: I'm going to try to be quick. I am beat! I just completed my calendar project, and not a minute too soon. My eyes are getting googly! I must confess I did have a few more Hershey Kisses today, but not too many. And now it's snowing like crazy! I'm cold and I want hot chocolate. Oh, this is bad...

Mariana, hmm, yeah, we should all start saying g'day here! Black Friday is not an official holiday, it's more like a shopping tradition. An all day fiasco shopping tradition. I'm tired just thinking about it, but that won't stop me from going! Good news is, I did get rid of some clutter, to make room for the new clutter! :lol: I am trying hard to give creative gifts this Christmas - I don't think anyone on my list needs any more knick knacks, and so many stores are closing up, I don't want to risk giving gift cards that will never be able to be used. I want to simplify, but it keeps getting more complicated! Ah well, congrats on getting to the gym!

Judy, welcome back! Take a rest and feel better! The wagon is waiting... Good luck with the apartment stuff, but do get some rest!

Marie, oh, if only I could get rid of those Kisses! Alas, I can't. They are scattered all around the shop for lurking customers to discover. :eek: I just have to toughen up! Hey, I subscribe to a Black Friday ad list, and they mentioned doing a comparison article on TVs. I'll try to find it if you're interested. I haven't read it, but I believe they are comparing the best deals available for Black Fri. I can't even see straight now, so I am off to bed.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Hello been super busy and stressed at work so much to do as I am off wed. thurs. and friday next week. Wow! Auntie G worked late on wed. til 7:45 but helped celebrate the upcoming holidays the one group home combines them early to fit them in. It was so nice I did eat a ck drumstick that was out of this world oh it was!! Only a little dessert of a brownie but tasty. Some many folks brought different dishes from their culture to the celebration its so nice to celebrate together. But trying to get recipes is like pulling their teeth out hah hah! They give it to you but not everything and you know it and so do they we laughed about it together. I guess that I will have to wait til next yr.
My food intake overall hasn't been awful other than a handful of chips on stressful meeting front yesterday. Budget cuts across the nation aren't anyones favorite topic and the uncertainy for every non for profit and state program and all the rest of us in our personal lives. Not nice!! We'll all be okay but need to tighten it up a bit. Things our grandparents and parents talked about years past come to light in our minds and communities and families. Well moving forward we have the white stuff not so cold and roads look okay. I am only working a half of day due to over hrs. other days. So off to the gym yes! Then to stop at the health food store, groceries and shop for the sil she needs warm nities that her cast will fit into. So I have a mission today to accomplish and finished seeing all my folks yesterday for the month just paperwork now and prob. solving. Hopefully!
My boss is still talking about the offer from before but I won't buy into it til I see it happen she said yesterday don't think that way it will happen. Well I will not think that way cause I know more about things with our company than she does at this pt. politics etc. time will tell if it happens fine if not thats okay too. Having a job now is a good thing I say! Marie great description of thanksgiving I loved it. But it was so good. Auntie G oh BLK friday now I need a new blk leather coat or something for the winter weather that looks nice but warm. I lost my coat must of left it somewhere and now another has it keeping warm. Oh well guess they needed it more than me? What can yah do. I tracked my locations and came up blank. So I am forced to shop oh my just the money that bugs me.
I'll catch up later got to put my face on and get to work weather takes me longer and it could be slick on the bridges and major highway once I leave my country rds....

Yaay, it's Friday! I'm determined to have a weekend that's relaxing, productive and healthy....and not to think about the job all. Or at least not come to the office until Monday. I did a short workout this morning, and ate mostly on track, except for a bag of popcorn this afternoon :corn:. Much as I love going to San Francisco, I'm so glad that I didn't leave town!

Yes, Marie, I do want to look good for the inauguration festivities in mid-January (already made an appointment to get my hair done Jan. 16)! A lot of friends and colleagues will be in town for the parties and ceremony. Plus I need to see the nutritionist around that time, or she won't refill my thyroid medication, and I don't want to disappoint her with any backsliding.

Auntie, please keep all that snow up your way!

Carol, I hope that the office politics don't get to you. I'm sure that the shaky economy is making lots of folks see the situation at their jobs as a glass half-full instead of half-empty.

judy

Happy Friday! Woo hoo! A short work week is upon us! I only had ONE Hershey Kiss today, so that's an improvement. But I am feeling a bit under the weather- bloaty and stomache-achey. Blecch. And speaking of weather, the snow is gone. It really came down like mad last night, and I had to clean a couple inches off the car this morning, but by the time I got half way to work, there was no snow to be seen anywhere. It was just a skinny strip of snow that came through, I guess. Weird, but then it's so unusual for us to get snow this early in the season anyway.

Carol, sounds like you had a nice pre-Thanksgiving! I bet there will be lots of coats on sale on Black Friday, if you can wait that long, that is. There do seem to be plenty of sales this weekend, too, so don't freeze!

Judy, you didn't get any snow? This really was a weird one. I live north of Philly, and work 10 miles north of where I live. Almost every time it snows, it's worse at work than at home, but this time it was opposite. I think this may be a crazy winter coming. I am hoping for the elusive white Christmas, though! So... do you get to go to official inauguration stuff? That would be pretty dang cool! Can I say that I bought an Obama "action figure" for DH for Christmas, or is that too political? :dunno:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Waaaahhh! I'm up a half lb. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. My new plan for the coming week is to weigh in on Wednesday instead of Saturday, since I know Saturday will be, um, salty?! I was going to skip it altogether, but I think this is the way to go.

So, no cheating today for me, and I know I'll get some movement in, too. We have our local Christmas parade going on today, and it's going to be soooo cold that there should be a lot of jumping around trying to stay warm!

OK, off to do the grocery shopping, whoopee... Have a good one!

Enjoy the parade Auntie G. but christmas already did they forget to do the Thanksgiving one?
I spoke with my DIL in HI and my son is making a beet/green bean salad. I had never heard of it and oh he can make that for christmas it will be real pretty on the table. Then looked it up and it looks darn good.
I am working on my intake today. It is going to be exercise at home not the gym too snowny.
I'll ck in later.

Hi everyone, just a quick not - or until my laptop battery give out. It's in the red zone.

Mr Scale wasn't evil this morning. It gaveth back what it tookth away during the week. So it's the same (actually .2 less) than last week. At least the irritating digits changed.

Auntie, you are a trouble-maker. :D So I googled black friday ads and saw what was to b on sale at Circuit City, Best Buy, Sears and Costco. BB was going to have the 50" TV I chose one sale for 900 as a door buster (meaning = none left...), but then I'd have to pay sales tax (no sales tax in Oregon) at 7.5% in Reno. So I looked at Nextag and found a highly rated seller with free shipping and a wall mount (which I sold back and bought a 3 year, in home full warranty). So alas, auntie caused me to spend about 1000. Naughty, naughty.

So Carol, google like I did and find yourself I black coat. It was really cool to find out what coming and to search online. My TV is coming from Maine so I should get it in about a week and a half which is close to Black Friday timeline. Give it a try.

Judy, great job getting back on the wagon. I know you can do it. And popcorn is considered diet food unless it's smothered in butter (the only way I ever eat it and I rarely ever have it).

I'm going to call Penny today if I can find her number. I'm a little worried about her. I'm hoping she's been absent because of her bazaar. I'll let you all know if I find the number and call.

Well, the battery is mad so it's time to go.
Marie

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a great weekend.

I hope its not too cold up there right now. The weather here right now is hectic. Yesterday it was blistering hot and today it's raining and freezing.

Judy - popcorn! Yuummmm. I was almost tempted on saturday night when I went out to the movies with a friend. Luckily she ended up just getting a bag of cheetos which were easy to resist.

I hope you enjoy/ed (by the time you read this) your son's salad, Carol. It sounds healthy and food always tastes better when someone makes it for you! (Even BETTER when someone else is cleaning up the kitchen afterwards ;) )

Auntie, I hope you had fun at the christmas parade - what exactly does it involve? I can visualise lots of people and a lotta fun.

Good news about the scale Marie! I'm going down slowly these days too - but at least the number isn't ascending :)

Happy saturday night everyone. I'm off to sunday lunch :)

- Mariana

Brrrrrr!!! I've been home from the parade for 5 hours now, and I don't think I'm warmed all the way through yet. It was crazy cold, but I actually enjoyed it more that way than when it's unseasonably warm. This parade "brings Santa to town", so it's supposed to be cold!

Carol, how much snow have you got? Hope you got in your exercise today.

Marie, yay for Mr Scale! And sorry I made you spend big bucks on your TV. :o Doesn't that put you in exercise debt now? :devil: I'm starting to see the beauty in ordering things and not having to trudge to all the stores and fight for them, but I'm not giving up Black Friday! Did you talk to Penny? Hope all is well...

Mariana, you're weather's sounding kinda crazy right now. Sounds like typical fall here, never knowing how to dress - hot or cold. Our parade sure isn't like the ones on TV (if you ever see things like that there!) It's local fire companies and school bands and whatever groups want to get in on it. Some make floats, but most just decorate their vehicles. Santa comes in on a fire truck at the end of the parade to usher in the season. The funny thing is how it's changed over the years - now so many of the groups throw candy to the crowds, that the kids all come with bags. It's like Halloween all over again! (Um, do you do Halloween there? Is that a stupid question? I have no idea!)

OK, my nephew is bugging me to play chess, so I must get on that. Have a great Sunday, all!

Hi everyone,

Wow, auntie, you're football team is in the funk isn't it? They benched their quarterback??? I'm thinking T. Owens is having the last laugh. I hope you stay warm today. Our Santa parade is in the next week or so and sounds like yours. They put ours on a Thursday evening - not conducive for attendance if you ask me.

Mariana, you're doing great on your weigh loss. And you're coming up to your summer season. I always found it easier to lose weight in the summer. I hope you make your goal.

I did find Penny's number buy haven't called yet. I'll give her a few more days to return here.

Mr Scale was even nicer today. I will change my ticker as I officially lost another pound. So I'm down 14 out of the 20 I had regained. Getting closer and they I'm going to keep going down from there.

I made the best pizza today!!!! I used my sourdough starter and instead of 2 loaves of bread, I made one loaf and the other pizza crust. I calc'ed the calories and it was 203 cals/per slice. I chose to give up my ice cream this evening so I could have an extra piece. It was so fabulous.

Well, back to stained glass. I'm working on finishing up my part of the Christmas presents.
Marie

Hey now, Marie, I can't talk about football today! Oh man, talk about self destructing...

Thursday evening for the parade does not sound like a good plan. Who's in charge of that decision? LOL!

Congrats on the pound! And, mmmmmmm, pizza... I don't think I can fit in any pizza for a while. I'm going to need Thanksgiving recovery time first. Maybe New Year's Eve, since I don't really do much drinking. Yeah, that sounds good.

Have fun with your stained glass! I can't imagine being close to finishing Christmas presents yet, but I'll get a good chunk done by next weekend.

Oh, it's time for The Amazing Race - have a good one!

Hi all,

Sorry I've been AWOL for so long. I survived the bazaar but then got the 'flu. My shoulder makes typing excruciatingly painful, so I'll just be checking in when I can and lurking otherwise. I may need another cortisone shot if it doesn't get better soon.

Marie, I love your stained glass art - you are very talented. Thanks for your concern about my absence, you're very kind.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.
:turkey:

Penny, I'm glad to see that you're around as I was concerned. I'm sorry the shoulder is still mean and evil. Did it take lessons from all the scales??? And the flu - probably because of the medical procedures weakened your system. I hope the deviated septum survived the flu.

Auntie, so you and I share even more - you mentioned a while ago being decaf and now you're a tea-totaller. So am I on both counts. That's sort of cool. And yes, I am in exercise debt again - but not quite as it's interest free for 90 days, so if I work my a$$ off and get the real money... ;)

Mr. Scale was again nice this morning. Another .8 pounds which is on the line for my counting another pound. I bet the box steals it away tomorrow. I'm drinking lots more water and I'm hoping the losing will continue.

I took the doggies out for a 1.5 mile hike this morning. Beautiful stars and a sliver of a moon. And COLD!!!! Yesterday, DH and I took them for the 3 mile hike and they sure liked that. My wrists can't take more than 1.5 miles of the Siberians pulling.

Well, that's it for now. I'll chat with you all later.
Marie

How is it that Monday always comes so fast? Thankfully, it's the short work week now, but I just don't know what happens to the weekends. Yesterday I ended up sewing (by hand :dizzy:) most of the day, and my fingers are still aching. At least it distracted me from the horrible football game. ;) Strangely enough, I bought 3 pairs of pants that all needed hemming (2 are Christmas gifts, and one is for me - size 14, yay!) And I had to lengthen the sleeves on a wool coat. Ugh!

I am behaving very well, food-wise, in anticipation of the upcoming feast... :hun: And I did unofficially get back what the scale took away on Saturday, but it doesn't count yet in my crazy, regimented mind.

Penny, glad to hear from you! Sorry about your "technical difficulties", but it's gotta get better, right? Hang in there!

Marie, yay for Mr Scale! You're getting him beaten into submission! As for the caffeine and alcohol, I can only take them in very small doses, so it's hardly even worth the trouble. I use those coffee bags at home, and they don't seem to have much, if any, caffeine. I can't drink regular brewed coffee at all. It makes me insanely agitated and nervous. And I just can't hold my alcohol like I did when I was younger. :shrug: One sip makes me feel drunk, so again, usually not worth the trouble. I will try to get in a mudslide around the holidays, but that's about it. Never the life of the party here! :dunno:

Well, I declared earlier today that I would not set foot in a store again until Thursday, as I hit many of them this morning, but alas, I find myself needing to go get a Christmas order put in at the drugstore. I could do it from the computer here, but if I go in person, I don't have to pay for shipping. So here I go...

Have a delightful night, all!

I wrote a long, marvelous, simply stunning, post yesterday, but lost it when my Internet connection went missing (forcing me to reboot my computer and power cycle my ethernet). I won't try to replicate it here, but take a moment to imagine how witty, inspiring and slimming it was...

Penny, I'm so glad to hear from you, but sorry that you're been feeling poorly. I hope you can do something about that shoulder soon.

I'm back on the wagon, and strapped firmly in the middle, between Auntie and Marie, so I have no reason to fall off any time soon.

judy

Hey everyone! :dancer:

The scale was down today 2 lbs. (I'm still getting used to imperial conversions.. I think that's right. 900grams - approx 2 lbs.) So I am really happy that my work is paying off. These last pounds are harder to get off than paper sticker price tags on a present to someone.

Auntie - we do celebrate Halloween here, but not to the extent you guys do - it's rare to get a trick or treater come by, even though there are some about and I even used to go trick or treating when I was younger.
A lot of the time, we'd be met with comments like " wha? hallo-what? " followed by angry door slams. Here, halloween is used much more as an excuse to have themed parties and even lolly bags from the supermarket.
Anyways - It's good to hear you're staying on track!

Judy - AARGH I hate it when that happens! Internet connections are so frustrating sometimes (sometimes being when they don't work). For fear of something similar happening to my entire laptop, like a crash, I've been looking into external hard drives to begin to back up my PC with.

Awesome job staying on plan Marie. :) I'm sure those lbs will keep dropping off - you're doing a great job. I hope your cute doggies are doing well. What animal wouldn't be happy with an owner that makes stained glass art of them? :D And good art at that.

Today I've been invited to a party on the central coast - a community about 1hr 30mins train ride from sydney. I don't know if i'll go, because I'm feeling lazy, have today off and want to cheese out at home watching some movies I taped. OOH and we just got Tivo here in AUS. Very nice! I haven't got one yet, I'm still using my dvd recorder.... but the future of technology is here. Hehehe:lol:

Have a great night everyone!

This has been a very long day at work! I had trouble sleeping last night, and woke up feeling hung over (without the fun of tippling the night before :mad:). No workout this morning, just rushing from one meeting or conference call to the next. Wednesday will be calmer, just because so many people will be heading out early for the four-day weekend. Eating has been on program today, except for some chocolate that snuck past my lips somehow. I'll work that off this evening on the e'bike and treadmill.

Congrats, Mariana! :carrot::carrot:. In the USA, trick-or-treating had almost disappeared in some places, replaced by parades and parties. But it's coming back really strong in communities where the neighbors know and trust each other and people are more relaxed about their dear kiddies wandering about, knocking on the doors of strangers. I used to love the edgy feeling of being out in the dark, without my parents, being slightly frightened but also giddy (and weighed down with candy). Hmm, again with the candy...

judy

Ah, almost the long weekend! My boss is taking off tomorrow, so I'm getting that holiday feeling now, hoping for an easier day. Still behaving, but I really need to get an official exercise program going. Of course now the next month will be so busy and hectic that I'm sure I won't find the time yet. So New Year's it is!

Tonight's project has been to put together the new ceiling fan that we are going to TRY to install, ourselves, on Thanksgiving day. Oh boy! I'm getting so many new experiences lately. I'm starting to think I'd like to go to some sort of tech school to learn to really do these kinds of things. Hmmmm...

Judy, I've been thinking about your witty, inspiring, slimming, invisible post all day. So brilliant! ;) And I'm glad you are back on the wagon. We need all the bodies we can get on the wagon for warmth. :D Now just beware of that sneaky chocolate- :chockiss: - I had a few Kisses sneak up on me today, too, but I counted them officially and they did not derail me.

Mariana, congrats on the 2 lbs! You're right about the last ones being the most stubborn, for sure! The last time I lost weight (before it found me again), I know it took longer for each pound, but they still did come off, and that's what counts. Keep up the good work! And you're not behind in your technology, either. I haven't got Tivo, and of everyone I know, I could use it the most! I still tape the old fashioned way - on VHS, and I tape nearly every day. So many TV shows, so little time... I am always behind in technological advancements. I didn't start buying cassette tapes until CDs came out, and didn't start buying CDs for years after that. Last year I bought myself a RECORD PLAYER, since I still have so many records. Woo hoo! Just got a digital camera about 6 months ago, too. I always reject changing my equipment as long as possible. I'm such a dinosaur. :dunno:

Off to watch The Biggest Loser and wrap Christmas presents. Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Hi Hi :D

Just got back from an awesome strength training session. I'm trying out all sorts of new S.T exercises - different ways of training muscle groups etc. Things like eccentric chin ups (lowering down from the bar, but not pulling up) and isometric tricep exercises, like holding onto the dip bar and hanging there as long as I can.

That's my biggest news!:lol: It's a gorgeous day here. Things at work are same as always ( I work in a small retail store part-time) and we're seeing huge sale increases because of christmas.

Auntie - It's good to know there's still other people who are old-fashioned when it comes to technology:). I also tape every day - it's super convenient, isn't it! When you watch your favourite shows, you don't have to sit through commercials. Great control with the kisses! Chocolate is haaaard to resist - especially at work. Keep up the awesome effort.
Oh - and I hope all goes well with the ceiling fan installation.

Judy, it sounds like you've been busy these days! Hopefully things will, like you said, calm down - and you can enjoy the four day weekend. Great work staying on plan all day - even if it was for the chocolate.
Sounds like chokkie is a weakness for all of us. :lol:

Does all of the US get a 4 day weekend for thanksgiving? It's sounding better and better all the time!

Hope all is going well Marie.:)

Well I'm off - seeya ladies!

- Mariana

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (And a happy Friday to you, Mazza!)

I'm getting ready to head out for a little shopping - just a warm-up for tomorrow. Then it's time to install the ceiling fan. Oh my! Heading to my sis's for dinner later. It's going to be an extremely busy couple of days, so in case I don't make it back here for a few, I hope you all have an awesome day, and don't eat too much! LOL!

Oh, and Mazza, not everyone gets the 4 day weekend. Those who work retail probably have it the roughest this weekend. My work is open Friday, but I always take off for the Black Fri extravaganza. I always say that when I get a new job, if they don't let me have off, I'll have to quit and get a new one each year. That would be rather unpleasant, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Have a great day, all!
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s60/Terrihi/Thanksgiving.jpg

Hi, chickies! I'm having a lovely lazy day. I roasted a turkey breast in herbs and garlic--and my apartment smells wonderful :drool:. But I'm not eating it today--I'm going out for dinner in Chinatown, then to a basketball game. So, Mariana, a lot of folkswill have to work--the subway and bus drivers, the cooks in the restaurant, and the vendors, ticket-takers and basketball players, to name a few...but for most lucky people it's a four-day weekend.

Auntie, good luck with the ceiling fan! Are they hard to install?

This morning I slept in, which was wonderful, and did a long workout on the cardio machines. I had a hearty brunch--omelet, with a treat of two wheat-free waffles--and had a snack of yogurt and blueberries. Oh, an a bit of the turkey, but purely for quality-control :D. Dinner will be at a Mongolian grill, so I will load up on the veggies and not get carried away.

I hope everyone is having a good, healthy day.

judy

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a nice day without overdoing it on food. I didn't reach my -5 lbs. goal, in fact I gained 5 :(, but, as my motto says: quitting is NOT an option! I'm feeling a bit better, so no more medicating with food! I did a light workout at Curves this morning, so I'm slowly getting back on track.

Hi all! Well, I've been eating terribly for the past 2 days now, and don't intend to stop quite yet. We had Thanksgiving at my sister's, and my turkey didn't thaw out fast enough, so it's in the oven now. Black Friday certainly had it's ups and downs. We were a little disappointed at the lack of thrills in the ads, but I did nearly finish all my shopping. Then when I heard on the news about the New York Walmart employee getting trampled to death, it kind of put things into perspective. No sale is worth that kind of madness, obviously. What on earth is wrong with people?

Today we had a minor disaster, but you wouldn't know it was minor by the way I reacted. We got our tree, I filled up the stand with water, and the water proceeded to flow right out the bottom of the stand all over the floor. Well, I was just about in meltdown mode by then. I had to run back out into the madness to buy a new stand and I was pretty bent out of shape. Then I remembered the Walmart thing, and realized that my problem was certainly not that bad.

Sorry to be so negative today, I'm just frazzled and exhausted. The bad eating is definitely adding a heavy feeling to my mood, too. Ha! Or should I say, DUH!

Ok, I'm going to stop now.

Judy, yay! We succeeded with the ceiling fan! I really didn't think that would happen. It wasn't too bad because we weren't starting from scratch - we just replaced the old one. I was worried that things wouldn't be quite right with the old wiring or installation of the previous fan (which was here when we moved in), but we worked out the kinks and now I have light again. I am definitely happy about that! It sounds like you had a good day on Thursday, good for you! Did you veggie up for dinner?

Penny, hurray for you not overdoing Thanksgiving! You are a stronger woman than I...

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend and doing well. I'll be back in my right mind soon...

Having a lovely weekend so far. Saw two really good films--Slumdog Millionaire and the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The second one is especially good, and not a depressing as you might think, given that the plot revolves around ****s and a concentration camp. The child actors are fabulous, and there several lovely, funny scenes. Movies for grown-ups, imagine that! I've had a fun hanging out with my brother, who's in town for a wedding. Today I'm working for a few hours, preparing for a trip to New York (Sunday-Tuesday).

The Thanksgiving meal was okay. We were in the party room, with platters of mediocre food brought out to us, so the only veggies were broccoli drowning in salty sauce, or the bits of onions and pepper fried in spring rolls or in General Tso's chicken. I was really happy that I had turkey, veggies, cranberry sauce, etc., at home. I've worked out some days, but not every day.

Auntie, don't feel bad about losing it. At least you caught yourself and put things in perspective. Holidays can certainly be a strain, and it sounds like you'd had a long and tedious day already. If everyone stopped and took a deep breath when they know they overreacting, instead of justifying the drama, the world would be a nicer--and safer--place!

Penny, it's good to hear from you. You and I are somewhat in the same place re Thanksgiving goals. But tomorrow is another day, and quitting, I've heard, is NOT an option :carrot:.

I will be traveling for 21 days between now and Jan. 3. My only realistic short-term goal, I think, is to weigh myself tomorrow morning and try to maintain that weight through this next series of trips.

judy

Hi everyone, sorry I've been MIA for a few days. Work on Tuesday and Wednesday were hectic and no time for a web-break. Then on Wednesday we drove to Reno with the dogs. Eeks, that was painful. After an hour, I drugged Kody with a tranquilizer. Then to DS1, almost DIL and grandson's house for Thanksgiving. Other than we had to tranquilize Kody and Kai, it was GREAT!!! We had a great time. Everyone did a part of the meal that we had in the early afternoon. DS1, DS2 and DS1's friend played rock band. Almost DIL had a great time and I think her obnoxiousness in August was just TOM as she was wonderful. And DGS, what can I say other than he is the most fabulous person in the world. I never knew I could love anyone like I love him.

So foodwise - I'll give you my almost DIL's comment after I logged my calories. "I can't believe anyone can be under on their calories on THANKSGIVING!!!!" Yeah for restraint. I did really good and was under on the way home yesterday. Right on track again today. Nothing is tempting me to fall off the wagon. That's very new for me.

DH and I bought a turkey this morning as it's my favorite meat (as I only like turkey, chicken and occasionally beef and pork) not having leftover turkey was depressing me. So it's cooking as I type. :carrot:I tossed in one sweetpotato that DH and I will share, and then some beans. No gravy, stuffing, or potatoes. All good for me stuff.

So I was thinking during lunch. I've really come to accept my 1/2 sandwich as a fine portion. When that happened, that I didn't feel like I was being jipped, I have no idea. And a shared 1/2 apple with DH. So strange. Could this be a real turn for me or another false hope and the pounds and food will find me again??? I haven't exercised yet today. I think I will aerobics in a bit. The doggies are wiped out from the meds and they should be out of their system completely by tomorrow. Although high on tranqs they still went on many walks. OK, perhaps that would be a good choice.:D

Mazza, congrats on the 2 pounds. It sound like you're having a grand time with the strength training. My almost DIL joined a gym and that's the part she likes. She has biceps now and it's helped her constant back pain. And she's lost 5 pounds since August. So when I read your strength training I thought of her. I need to remind DH to bring our weight machine back from the garage. I told him I wanted it about a month ago. I know, I'll clean out the space it's going in. That will do it. He did bring in the bench but what am I supposed to do with just the bench.

Penny, I'm so glad you are feeling a tad better. I think you should get the shoulder fixed and put 2008 and the medical misery behind you. 2009 you'd be good as new. Even better than new. ;)

Judy, wow, you're schedule never ceases to amaze me. I do not envy your travel schedule. Your turkey sounded wonderful and way better than the eat out dinner. You and Penny will make new goals because Penny is so right that Quitting is Not an Option. We're all in this together.

Auntie, I'm glad you had a good Black Friday in that you're done with shopping. I ventured out to two places. First one I couldn't force myself to wait in an 1.5 hour line to purchase the DVD Upconverter. I'll be ordering online in a few minutes. The second was a new store called Scheel's. It was the coolest place I'd ever shopped. It was the most awesome sportings good place ever. Two humungous stories with lots of two story aquariums and a ferris wheel in the middle. I went for a food slicer (that was a doorbuster for Saturday, not Friday when I went so I paid full price :( but it works great so I don't care), and helmet and goggles for almost DIL's b-day presents. She'd found them in the ad and asked for those so I changed my original plans. And when I was there, I actually found pink MITTENS that match my ski outfit. I have loo0ked for two years. I have a pair of "mitten" that have gloved insides. I hate gloves and when I put my skeptical fingers in the pretty pink ones, I nearly dance for joy. So I piad full price for those and a pair of very thin gloves for doggie walking. Controlling 3 leashes with bulky gloves wasn't working. I'd dropped Blizzie's leash one day and she ran to the street and a car was coming. At 5 inthe morning, I was screaming my head off for her to come back. That won't happen now. Anyway, that store was so fun and I thought of you and your Black Friday madness. My almost DIL and you would get along great.

Carol, I hope your Thanksgiving was great.

OK, since this has turned into a novel, I'll say by for now.
Marie

Greetings all.

Internet has been out for a few days, but luckily last night we got it working again.
This whole weekend I was at a course to become qualified as a spin class instructor. I've never cycled so much in my life! I'd say all together around 6 or 7 hours. I'm feeling okay but my nether regions complained when I got on my bmx bike earlier.

I had a blast, met great people. Burned over a thousand calories while doing something I love.

Heya, Marie - rock band! Awesome! One of my friends just bought it, as it's just been released here. He says it's great. Is it hard to pick up? I'm super curious, as I play music in 'real life' and would like to see how that has been converted into the video game world.

Judy - when you say 'travelling' does that mean holidays? If so, I hope you have an awesome time! Good luck for staying OP during travel.

I'm hoping everything is okay now after the tree mishap, Auntie. My biggest fear is all of the cables and things that it takes to power up xmas lights and decorations. It might only take 1 spill of lemonade and .....eeek!

Penny - Hi there, I'm Mariana - I'm not sure if we've spoken here before:) How do you like Curves? I've heard mixed reviews and I'm interested in what you have to say, out of experience.

My warm thoughts to you all.

Mariana

The long weekend is over... Now it's time to get back on track! I feel so crappy from 4 days of overeating. I suppose it's a good reminder of why I started on a better path to begin with.

Judy, holy mackerel, that's a lot of travel! I'd have to agree with your goal to maintain. There's so much out of your control when you're away from home. And maintaining is certainly no easy feat, either, so it would be a victory. Good luck!

Marie, congrats on eating sensibly for Thanksgiving, and coming to grips with the new and improved portions! Sounds like you had a fabulous holiday! I had to laugh about the gloves/dog walking thing. (Oh, but not that your baby got loose, though!) It's just such a topic of conversation around here in the winter. We don't have a lot of trouble holding onto Jess, but trying to open and maneuver a poopie bag with thick gloves, well, that's a whole lotta fun! Anyway, glad you had a good Black Friday experience!

Mariana, wow, a spin class instructor, huh? I guess you won't have any trouble getting in your exercise! Congrats! Now about my tree incident, I was highly aggravated because our carpet is still fairly new, and I didn't want it getting ruined, but this was not nearly as bad an incident as we had a couple years ago. This time the tree was still bare, but last time it decided to fall over in the middle of the night, all decorated. I lost an awful lot of glass ornaments that year, not to mention the water on the carpet and general disarray. I couldn't freak out too much because of the time - didn't want to wake the neighbors. But it was not fun, to say the least.

Here's hoping everyone's trees cooperate this year!

OK, I better get busy. Have a great day, all!

Ah Blue Monday, back at work.

Mariana, wow on the spin class. I not only could never do a spin class (to be honest, would never want to) but to teach one. You are doing so great. Auntie is right you'll never lack for exercise in that line of work. :D

Auntie, you certainly have had a few tree woes in your time. DH and I decided not to put our tree up till the weekend before Christmas and we'll only decorate the top half. Then on Christmas Eve, we'll decorate the rest of it so that we can supervise Kai Pixie Bear. She believes every toy within her reach is hers to destroy. We only have nice ornaments now (tossed the "first married cheap ones") and I don't want her to destroy it.

I'm finished shopping and I even wrapped the presents yesterday. How ridiculously efficient is that. DH still has to solder 4 presents together but my part is basically done. Our soldering iron died yesterday - it was 24 years old so I'm thinking I'd gotten my money's worth. I ordered a new one last night. Hopefully it will be here this week.

We took the doggies hiking yesterday. They ran wild over the mountain and had a blast. Hunting season had finally ended so they got to run for the first time in months. Food was one track and had a sourdough theme (sourdough pancake for b-fast, sourdough pizza for lunch and sourdough turkey sandwich for dinner).

I hope everyone is recovering from the weekend and is ready for Christmas fun.
Marie

PS Auntie, I like your Christmas goal. I can't believe you did too much damage over the 4 days of overeating!

Back to work for me today. Waaaah! Although I guess it's a good thing - maybe I'll be able to get back to proper eating. I screwed it up again yesterday with PIZZA. Mmmmm, so good, yet so bad. I feel like I've done a LOT of damage.

Marie, wow, you're shopped AND wrapped! And December's just begun. Very impressive. I started wrapping what I had before this past weekend, but haven't made it to wrapping land since the onslaught. I thought I was cutting back this year, but somehow I still have 40 people on my list. That's kind of ridiculous, isn't it? No wonder I'm tired and broke!

Well, I should be on my way to work, so I guess I better move it. Have a great day, all!

Morning everyone, I woke up in the middle of the night with a very sore throat and started coughing. My chest hurts so I'm at home today. Truly just an onslaught that I didn't expect. So today I'm going to snuggle with doggies all day.

Auntie, I know you'll get back on track today. You've come way to far to let Turkey day sabotage you.

Well, I hope the rest of our group finds their way back.
Marie

Auntie G - Sorry to hear about your leaky tree - I hope it didn't stain your floor. There's worse things to eat than pizza - just think of all that healthy protein in the cheese and the lycopene in the tomato sauce! :D.

Marie - I'm glad you had a nice time in Reno with your family, especially your darling GS. That was brave to take your doggies on such a long trip.

Mariana - Yes, we did chat a couple of times before I went awol with my surgery and then my sore shoulder. I'm the one that lived in Sydney for several years. I'm impressed with you and your spin class :ebike:. Wow - burning 1,000 cals is fantastic, you must be fit as a fiddle.

Judy - Well, we both didn't reach our Thanksgiving goals, but at least we're still trying to lose. It must be even harder for you with all the traveling you do.

Carol - I hope everything is well with you.

My shoulder is a bit better - hence my longer post. Today I'm having lunch with some friends at a place called Sleighbells. It's out in the countryside and has an enormous selection of Christmas items - tree decorations, etc. and a very nice restaurant decorated for the holidays. I'm going to be careful and pick the healthiest option on the menu.

Marie - I guess our posts crossed in transit. Sorry to hear you are under the weather. I hope you'll soon feel better. A nice snuggle with your doggies will be comforting.
:getwell:

Hi, chickies! I'm back home, but feeling crazed. My trip went well, a very busy itinerary but very positive, and I spent Sunday evening with one of my closest friends, which was really nice. Today at work, though, I was just hyperactive and tired, coping with too many little fires and feeling a bit out of control:tantrum:...the pace of the past three-plus months has clearly gotten to me. I got home late this evening, and just going to take a hot bath and go directly to bed (as soon as I finish this post). My food choices have been hit or miss. I walked a lot in Manhattan, as usual, and I did a 45-minute workout this morning.

Mariana, the travel schedule includes a week and a half with my family, in two cities. It won't be relaxing, but I will be glad to see my grandma, whose health has suddenly turned precarious this part year or so, and I haven't spent much time with my mom and sibs since last Christmas. Being a Spinning instructor sounds awesome :high: Re Curves: I was going off-and-on for a few years. Some women find it boring once they've mastered the basics, but because it close to my office, it really helped me establish a discipline of doing at least one workout most days of the week. I really miss my steady workout schedule, and can't wait until January to start over again.

Marie and Auntie, shopping and wrapping already? The only gift I've begun working on is my secret Santa recipient at the office--and I haven't bought it, just decided what to buy. Marie, I hope you're feeling better soon. And Auntie, you've been on wee vacation from your hard weight-loss work, but I know that you'll want to end the year on a high note, so step away from the pizza!

Penny, it's good to see you hear more often! Hmm, a restaurant named Sleighbells must smell like gingerbread. Hope you had a nice time at lunch.

judy

Hey there, hi there, ho there! OK, so again it was not a perfect day, but I got closer... :chockiss::devil::chockiss::devil::chockiss:
No pizza today, I had a veggie burger for dinner - yay! I realized what went wrong this week, though. Since I was in the midst of the eat-o-rama, I never printed out my food journal for the week. And when I ain't writin', I ain't behavin'. And because I'm sort of crazy when it comes to starting in the middle of the week, I will just do the best I can with the next two days, and have an official re-start on Saturday, which is when my week normally begins. Oye!

Marie, sorry to hear you're under the weather now. Something's started going around. Hope you kick it fast! And enjoy snuggling with the puppies while you have a legitimate excuse to lie around...

Penny, glad your shoulder's on the mend! Sleighbells sounds awesome! Hope you had a good time!

Judy, glad your trip went well. I seriously don't know how you deal with all that travel! But then, I'm kind of a hermit, I've been told. I guess you'd probably go crazy if you were home watching TV every night. It's nice that you got to visit with your friend, and that you'll get to spend time with your family, for sure. Most of my family is in walking distance, which sometimes is good, and sometimes is not - LOL!

Keeping my fingers crossed for a good Thursday for all!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been around much lately.

A quick check in here.

Been busy these days... in preparation for xmas, my boss has got me working 10+ hours. (I work in a retail store). That plus the fact that I'm getting registered and insured to work in the fitness industry full time starting some time in '09 means I'm having to get my certificates and such certified by a Justice of the Peace... so I have to chase them around and photocopy things etc... Ah well, it's all worth it.

Penny - Of course! I remember. It slipped my mind, but I remember we spoke about where I lived - little italy.

Marie - Feel better soon! :hug: I know the change of seasons usually hits me hard, immunity - wise (if that makes sense) and a cold or sore throat soon follows.

Auntie - Yum! Veggie burger. I haven't had one of them in years. What kind was it? By that I mean, ingredients & such.

Mariana, the travel schedule includes a week and a half with my family, in two cities. It won't be relaxing, but I will be glad to see my grandma, whose health has suddenly turned precarious this part year or so, and I haven't spent much time with my mom and sibs since last Christmas. Being a Spinning instructor sounds awesome :high: Re Curves: I was going off-and-on for a few years. Some women find it boring once they've mastered the basics, but because it close to my office, it really helped me establish a discipline of doing at least one workout most days of the week. I really miss my steady workout schedule, and can't wait until January to start over again.


I'm sorry to hear about your grandma, Judy - and I hope you have a good time visiting her, and the rest of your family.

What you said about Curves pretty much sums up what I though - based on what I'd heard about Curves from people I know who go. It's awesome that it helped you develop a routine workout - I think that's one of the best parts of it, the fact that it can get inactive women ( or those who don't already have a routine) into exercising, and often they take it from there and move on.

Auntie, I love my mom, sister and brothers, but I have to say that it's wonderful to be several hundred miles away from their in-laws and significant others, the difficult relatives and the occasional outbreaks of drama :rolleyes:. I do love traveling, or at least being in different places, seeing old friends, and being in some of my favorite cities. 'Course, it can be too much of a good thing! I also enjoy being at home and zoning out in my free time :cool:

Mariana, the other thing I'd say about Curves: the manager and staff really makes a difference! One reason I quit going was that the one nearest my office changed hands, and the young ladies she hired babbled nonstop and inappropriately about their personal lives and gossiped like teenagers about other people. It drove me nuts!

Speaking of nuttiness, I figured out what's been bothering me these past few months. Wanna guess? Here's some clues: :stress::hungry::dizzy::tantrum::mad::tired:...Oh, and sleeplessness, weight gain, night sweats, random acne, skin dry as tree bark, a few weeks shy of turning 51....Give up? Yeah, I think it's hormones. I mean, my life has been a bit stressful, but c'mon! It was a relief to finally put it all together. I have a doctor's appointment in early January, but until then, I'll try to be more self-aware.

judy

Another day, another bag of Kisses. Well, not a whole bag, but still way too many. Ah, I can't wait to get re-started on Saturday. We're having some friends over tomorrow night after the town's tree lighting ceremony, and we shall be indulging, I fear... But Saturday's a new day, right? Groan...

Mariana, you're a busy little bee, aren't you? This is a very busy month all around. There's so much I should be doing, but here I am on the computer. Oh well, it's almost bedtime, too late to start anything big, anyway. My veggie burger was just a frozen MorningStar Farms garden burger. I really do like them! Do you have them down there? There are so many yucky ones out there, but the MorningStar ones are the best I've tried. Good luck with the certification running around!

Judy, yeah, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought my house. Staying right in the middle of all the family drama can be a bit insane, I think. I mean, I'm glad we get to spend holidays and birthdays together, but the things I get called upon for can sometimes be unbelievable. Locked your keys in your car? Don't know where another family member is? Drunk and need a ride home? Need to look up the phone number to a pizza place? Or hours a store is open? These are some of the many services I am expected to provide. I am a reference librarian and servant. But I am really happy to be near the niece and nephews, to be able to be part of their daily lives and watch them grow up. Wow, that was long - I guess I needed to get that out of my system!

And oh dear, the big M strikes again! Hang in there! I'm sure things must get easier just knowing what's going on. At least I hope so!

OK, have a great Friday, everyone!

Hi everyone,

Well I believe I will be returning to work tomorrow. :( Although today I was a bit bored. Tuesday and Wednesday I could do no more than veg in front of the TV. I watched all 14 episodes of CSI and CSI:NY that I'd had recorded. Today, no TV. I took the doggies for a SLOW 1.5 mile hike and successfully didn't need my inhaler (which I brought with). So that was good. I also did a little stained glass and listened to an audiobook. My weight was down .2 pounds from last week, so that was something. Not a lot but not a gain.

Mazza, enjoy spending the extra $$$ that you're earning. I agree about exercising and starting somewhere. Nearly 3 years ago (anniversary in January) I started with a 2 mile Walk Away the Pounds video and now I'm obsessive about getting my exercise. I'm so active it's amazing to my lazy self. I mentioned to DH two weeks ago that I weighed the same as when we got married 25.5 years ago but was 2 sizes smaller. How cool is that???

Auntie, I've got to ask... why wait until Saturday to get back on track? No time like the present. Hint, hint. I know you can do it.

Judy, I hope your grandmother is healthy for your visit and I can definitely relate to the reason to move away. I live 1800 miles from my family. That was deliberate. We actually lived on the east coast, then the families conned us to move back to Minnesota, and then they went on to ignore our existence. So then we moved to the west coast. Bet you can guess, they moan and groan about that. For us, distance is a good thing.

I just really finished my shopping. We always buy a nice ornament for the stockings and usually it's a last minute thing. But I did it all online. 3 at ebay (Hallmarks) and 3 at Things Remembered. All done. YEAH!!!!

Marie

Hi everyone,

I did go to work today and now I feel worse than I did a couple days ago. Oh well. My big screen TV arrived today and DH is currently sawing/drilling the old entertainment unit for it to fit. It'll be so cool when it's done.

I didn't exercise today. I planned after work if I felt ok and I truly didn't. Tomorrow I'm going to town for breakfast with DS2 (DH was supposed to join but he has a flight lesson instead). Then DS2 and I are going to the ski swap to look for skis for DS1. DS1 admitted that snowboarding is not his forte. So this is good.

Well, chat with you later.
Marie

Happy Saturday! Well, this morning it was time to face the music... I'm up 1½ lbs, but I think that's a bargain, considering what I've done since Thanksgiving. I printed out my food log, and now I'm officially back on the wagon. Hurray!

Marie, I had to wait until today for my official re-start because I seem to have some mental problem- LOL! I needed my fresh journal sheet to make it official. I'm sure there's a name for that condition! Anyway, my wagon break is over for now, so it's all good.

Sorry to hear you're feeling worse again, but it's gotta get better soon, right? And ooooh, the new TV... Hope you get a good football game this week!

I'm off to buy the last Christmas present that has been eluding me. I have to go a bit farther out of town, so it's a whole trek today with a couple friends. Then I'm done shopping for real!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hey auntie, if the official restart works for you, that's awesome. Me, I'd still be eating away. I can't let a day go by without staying on myself to be good. Enjoy your new food journal.

DH got the TV mounted in our entertainment unit and is now working on the wiring of the whole thing. Eeks, it's messy.

I just walked the doggies 1.5 miles and it was ok. The asthma is there and the cough is bugged by it. I do feel better today but still not good.

Hope everyone else is doing good.
Marie

Yum, I just finished a lovely quick dinner: grilled tilapia, with snow peas and broccoli. I'm working my way through some of the frozen goods in my freezer, since there's no point in buying a lot of fresh food for the next few weeks. We're having a holiday potluck at work soon after I get back from this next long trip. I've decided to make an orange-fennel-carrot salad, and some kind of salmon dish. Otherwise, the one place I'll be saving money will be at the grocery store!

Marie, I hope that you take it slowly this weekend! You don't want a nagging illness to bug you during the season to be jolly. I envy your having a handy hubby around to take care of things. A friend picked up a small dining table for me from Ikea. It would be nice to have someone around to lug it from her car and assemble it...

Auntie, a pound and a half's not such a big deal, as long as you don't let it become too attached to you! I hope you can convince that weight to take a hike as quickly as it jumped back onto you.

I did a nice cardio workout this morning. I think I'll break out my lightest hand weights in the morning. My right shoulder still isn't right, but I'm going try lifting and see how it feels. I haven't re-inflated my stability balls since I moved to my new place. I no longer have a handy closet or corner to tuck them into, as as they take a while to inflate with the foot pump, I'll never use them if I have to re-inflate them each time...Just one of the many issues I need to figure out so I can finally settle in. I will have house guests for the presidential inaugural, so I will have incentive to get busy those first few weeks of January, once I've unpacked my suitcases for a while.

Carol, Penny, Mariana and the rest--I hope you're having a fine weekend!

judy

Howdy, all! So, I still haven't been "perfect" this weekend, but my eating has greatly improved over the past week and a half. It's gonna be tough through this month, to say the least, but I'll give it the best I've got. I think the most important thing now is to just not throw in the towel.

It is FREEZING and soooo windy here today. The serious wind that takes your breath away- not good for any outdoor activities whatsoever. It was a great day to watch football, however! I wanted to get to my wrapping, but my crafting/sewing/wrapping room is in the attic, where there's no heat. Perhaps tomorrow...

Marie, how's that new TV? I hope you're getting some rest and letting your body heal!

Judy, oh I wish I could get excited about fish. The last time I remember eating fish at all (besides canned tuna, anyway) was when I was a kid! I know we used to eat trout all fried up in butter, and I liked it, but I've never learned how to deal with fish as an adult. The stability ball problem gave me a little giggle. I've got the storage problem going on, too. I do have an extra room I could keep it in, but that's where the kids stuff is and where they sleep when they sleep over. Of course they always want to play with the ball if they see it. That just seems kind of dangerous, cause it could wipe out a lot of stuff at once if it gets thrown. :eek: So, where I keep it is balanced against the wall, on top of the door to the computer room. Most of the time it's fine, but occasionally I forget it's there, and go for something behind the door. Then it comes bouncing down on my head. How delightful! If only they had a magical, instant inflate/deflate button on them!

Hope everyone eases into Monday smoothly...

Greetings, greetings.

Just dropping by. I feel strange today. I think it's really bad PMS.

Auntie.. you sound like you're on fire with your eating plan. I know you say you haven't been perfect, but your perseverance is amazing - you're improving, and refuse to 'throw in the towel'. Nice one matey :)
I hope the weather treats you ok. I can't stand wintery weather... it makes me want to curl into a ball on the couch and eat sweet, starchy carbs all day long while watching movies. :lol: It's been kinda windy here lately, too. Hot wind.. and also somewhat tropical weather. It's very odd.
I hear ya...It's totally going to be tough this month - just a week into december and there's already been cheesecake, candy... temptations around every corner.

It's great to hear you're keeping up the exercise routine in the new place, Judy. What do your cardio workouts usually consist of? I'm a bit of a cycling junkie, but lately running has really got me going (no pun intended). All the best for working around your shoulder issue.

Injuries can really be a drag. I've had some knee problems in the past (landed on it once when it was hyperextended and it hasn't really been the same since) but it hasn't complained much yet. The physiotherapy, expensive shoes and strengthening exercises have been well worth it.

Marie, I hope you feel better. Being sick is no fun at all :(. I'm sending you 'get well' vibes. :hug: How's the entertainment unit worked out? Is the wiring and such complicated? Electronics are one of the reasons it's good to have a hubby to put in the elbow grease eh? :D

All the best for you all. Have a great start to the week.

Hi Mazza! PMS has got me in its evil clutches, too, which is why I'm not doing better than I am. Good luck to you! I just have to ask, "pardon my Bosnian"??? Is that what people say in Australia, or am I missing a joke? LOL - I like it either way...

Off to bed now, finally...

Auntie - :lol: I just made it up - a play on when someone says "Pardon my french" after swearing. Thanks for reading my blog!

Morning Chickies...

I'm back at work and the weekend was ok. I'm still sick and I'd really like to feel better. I did walk both days, although slowly up the hills so it wouldn't put the asthma over the edge. Food has been fine and because I'm being lazy, I have been about 100 cals under each day. But now I'm at work and that in itself will make me move more.

The new TV/BluRay is really awesome. I practiced watching it all day yesterday. :D This coming Saturday, the DirecTV installer is coming to change our DVR to Hi Def DVR and service. That will be so awesome. Even DH is starting to like it.

Mazza, I hear you about the knee. I hurt mine about 1.5 years ago exercising. It's never been the same since. I wear my brace for many jarring exercises but it's always there. The ortho just prescribed the brace and said voila, there we go. With my foot problems, I've come to the conclusion exercise is bad for one's physical health. As it's so good for my mental health, I persevere. You keep persevering regarding the temptations on every corner.

Auntie, congrats on the Eagles win. My Pack were pathetic yesterday, and in big screen it looked even worse. ;) I'm really glad that you're back on track. We're in this together.

Judy, take care of that shoulder. Perhaps you could just add walking to your exercise regimen and let the other parts rest???

Well, I need to work. Although I am exporting files in the background as I enjoy my time here...
Marie

Hey all. You're probably all going to bed as I am writing this.

I came home early from work today because I felt sick - a weird nausea. Plus, every time I stand up, I feel like I'm about to faint. I took my blood pressure with our sphygmo and I do think 98/60 is kinda low.. So that might be it. I also feel lethargic.

Anyway! Enough complaining.

Good to hear you're back at work, Marie - and I hope you keep recovering. It's great you're getting some walking in, and that your diet is going well. :)

Today I ate bread for the first time in months. Organic rye - my favourite. I'd feared it for so long ... :lol: Thank god that's over.

Lot's o' love.

Mariana

Hmmmm, I haven't been getting my new post notifications for the past couple days. I wonder what's up with that?

Today I made my old standby, healthy spaghetti. It's so much easier to be back on track that way. Had a few pieces of chocolate, but didn't do too bad. I think I'll be fine when PMS has run its course.

My car was in for inspection today, so I got some stuff done around the house and finished all my Christmas cards - yay! And I got good news from my mechanic, too. That $700 repair on DH's truck that I was complaining about a while ago - well, we haven't gotten it done yet, and my guy says he can do it for $450. Sweeeeeet... A trustworthy mechanic is so hard to find these days, and I've always liked this guy. DH went somewhere else because it was closer for walking home (one block instead of 6 blocks, oh, please!)

Mazza, good to know about the French/Bosnian thing. After I read that, I thought, hmmm, well maybe the whole world doesn't use the same expression as we do here, but perhaps it is universal after all. (LOL) I hope you're feeling better! Any idea what caused the low blood pressure? I've had the feeling faint upon standing tons of times, but it was always because of fluid in my ears. Blecch! Enjoy being back on bread- I'm sure you have no problem with burning calories, so bread can be your yummy friend...

Marie, you GO, girl! Still walking and keeping under cals, even when sick. You are in the groove! Glad the TV watching practice went well ;), you know, practice makes perfect! My Eagles are trying to keep the hope alive - yay! DH is always writing them off, which kind of gets on my nerves. I figure as long as there's still some hope, we might as well think positive and enjoy it! Next week we have another Monday night game, and I can never stay up to watch the whole thing, so that takes the fun out of it, but I'll keep my fingers crossed, nonetheless. Better luck next time for your guys on your new TV!

Guess I better get things wrapped up so I can get to bed. I expect tomorrow to be crazy at work. Tis the season...

Have a good one, everyone!

Morning everyone. Mazza, take it easy with the fainty feeling. My pressure drops when I don't get enough salt in my diet. Just a thought. Auntie, I can't get 3FC to stop sending me update emails. No matter how many times I unsubscribe, it re-subscribes me. I finally wrote a rule for my home email to delete all 3FC emails. Too much in my inbox and I check regularaly regardless. Sort of funny we're having opposite problems.

I drove over the mountain yesterday (I was supposed to go today, but legal reasons prompted it yesterday instead). I was good and didn't overeat. I wanted to munch my way but the mountain pass was icy and yucky. I had to have both hands on the steering wheel and no munching or even drinking my water allowed. It was a terrible drive. Anyway it's over and I did my Costco shopping while there.

Auntie, I finished my Christmas cards last night too. I dropped them in the mail this morning on the way to work.

Mazza, I LOVE rye bread. I found a sourdough rye bread recipe that I'm going to try now that I have my wonderful starter.

I walked the doggies at 5 this morning. It was 20 degrees and the stars were gorgeous. So I was thinking I was definitely on the road to recovery. Then at work, I turned funny and wrenched my knee. Man oh man, it hurts. I tried massaging it and that really hurt, so now I'm just sitting at my desk. Soon I'll be working. Boo, I really just want to feel normal and be able to exercise without complications. :(
Marie

I'm off, chickies! I'm boarding the first plane in a few minutes, with a small chili and a salad in hand :). I will check in when I can, with real posts when I-m hooked up to a computer.

Hang in there!

Judy

'Ello. :)

Marie - I think you're spot on about what could be causing my dizziness.
Last weekend at the cycling workshop I sweat and drank tons, and I spent the following week with seemingly insatiable salt cravings. My sodium levels are usually pretty low - and this might have tipped me over the edge.
Maybe ice for the knee? Also - do you take a fish oil supplement? They're awesome for speeding up recovery. That and magnesium - which you can usually get in powder form.

Good control with the chocolate, Auntie. PMS usually has me wanting to stuff my face with all sorts of chocolatey treats. And great deal on the car repair! You're right about trustworthy mechanics.

Judy - How exiting! All the best for your travels. Salad - a great start:D

Oooh.. before I forget.. I'm down another 2lbs this week :dancer:. 5.6 Kilos (14lbs) away from my goal. It's getting close... I hope I stay on track.
Looking forward to salad and grilled trout for dinner tonight.
Next November, there's a 90km bike ride I'm keen to participate in. It's gonna take a lot of training, but I think if I set my mind to it....

Mariana

Today has been a loooong day. Work was overwhelmingly busy and I need to get wrapping tonight. I really feel like going to bed...

Marie, yeah, that's funny about the emails. I did get them today, so maybe my trouble was temporary. Icy mountain pass driving sounds horrifying to me! I suppose you must have some experience, though. I'll always stay home when it's icy if at all possible. Argh! I forgot to get stamps to mail my cards. Maybe tomorrow... Hope that knee heals fast! I've had some knee issues in the past and I know it's no fun. I'm still trying to get my foot to heal - now I'm sure it's an arch thing, not a heel thing. Everything feels good in the right shoes, but my problem is that I hate to wear shoes, so as soon as I get home, they're off. And that just isn't helping.

Judy, have a safe trip!!!

Mariana, congrats on the 2 more pounds! I guess all that exercise makes a difference. Maybe I should try it sometime - LOL! I don't think you'll have any trouble training for the bike ride. That really would be kinda cool. Go for it!

Have a happy hump day!

Hi all,

Mariana, DH has fish oil so I'll start taking it tonight. I tried web md and a couple other sites and nothing describes the pain I have. I did put my brace on it and DH will drive me over the mountain if I need to go to the dr. Thanks for the idea of fish oil. AND CONGRATS on the 2 more vanished pounds. You are doing so great.

Auntie, you make me laugh. I even read your comment about exercise to DH and he laughed. He's pretty impressed you've lost 51.5 pounds without exercising. Actually his eyes nearly popped. Between my knee and foot problems, I might have to take your idea on exercise. ;)

Judy, I hope the travel goes good. I'm guessing you went to Wendy's in the airport for chili and salad.

Well, that's about it. The knee hurts and I'm depressed. :(
Marie

Hellooooo out there! Well, spaghetti week is definitely helping me. It's so great to not have to think about what's for dinner, when there's so much stuff to be done at this time. And thankfully, the Kisses seem to be gone from work (for now, at least.) Hopefully the boss doesn't re-stock before PMS loses its grip!

Marie, how's that knee doing? I'm glad you guys got a chuckle out of my exercise regimen! ;) Seriously, I have never been able to sustain a program that seems like work. I wish I could find a sport, or something fun, but no such luck there, either. I do try to walk as much as possible in the course of the day, and just work in things here and there so it doesn't seem like something to rebel against. I'll lift little weights while I wait for computer stuff to load, and do stretchy things when I'm on the phone or waiting for the teakettle, etc... It's all no way to do any serious re-shaping or burn a whole lot of extra calories, but at least it's something, right? Oddly, I am the most flexible person I know (in my age group, that is!), so I guess there's some benefit to the bits that I manage.

Oh, I'm going to be late for work. Have a great day, everyone!

I agree Auntie... Helloooooo out there........

My knee is pretty screwed up but it is getting better. Thank goodness for the brace. I talked with one of our school nurses and her DH has the same problem and she really explained what is wrong better than the orthopedist. Unfortunately her DH finally surrendered and had surgery. She said, "he just wouldn't stop". Hmmm, sounds familiar. But for now, I've stopped, no exercise since Tuesday morning. But I am thinking of a slow walk after work and only about 3/4 mile. We shall see. Depends how bad/good it's doing in a few hours.

Food has been on track. Mr. Scale gave back what it had taken back over the last week of TOM plus another .2 pounds. That was a nice surprise this morning. I'll take .2 any day. Oooo, .2 everyday would be even better. :D

Auntie, I'm glad the kisses are gone and the spaghetti week has been working. You had me worried there for a moment. Anyway, if you're incorporating lots of movement into your day, who's to say that isn't enough. Look at your weightloss! You're doing something WAY right!
Marie

Yesterday I worked a mars bar into my daily calories. It was delicious! I hadn't had one in, easily - over a year. I've been trying new foods and things to give myself variety in my diet (i was tired of canned salmon, peas and low fat yoghurt..not that that's all I was eating :lol:).

A wedge of light laughing cow cheese on half a slice of rye is my favourite snack right now - and only 85 calories, with 9 grams of protein.

Before I changed up my diet, I was eating small amounts of healthy, high-ish calories foods, but now I'm eating smaller amounts, more variety - and the same number of calories. The change has been refreshing and it also means I'm less insane about not eating certain foods... I'm allowing myself more 'treat' foods - in sensible portions. (That still doesn't mean I get a mars bar every day...:D

Work is getting really crazy lately. Everyone's buying christmas things...(duh:)). I'm really sick of the cd we have playing in the store - it's a 40 or so minute loop...a mixture of generic christmas songs and a man saying "thank you for shopping here" as well as other things every few minutes.

It's raining in sydney right now, and I'm feeling lazy and tired form my workout yesterday, and I have an active day ahead of me tomorrow - I'm going to a parkour jam.

How's the knee feeling, Marie? Braces are brilliant. The slow walk sounds like a good way to ease back into activity - also, do you cycle? It's a great way to strengthen the quads (and stabilise the knee joint), and it's low impact.

Auntie - still really busy with work? At least the evil kisses temptation is gone...even if only for now.
Hey - even if you don't sustain an exercise program, you're active in your everyday life! What with the tea kettle waiting stretches/ computer loading waiting weights....It's all about incorporating activity into daily life, right? This is why I love accidental exercise. I plan to make couch plyometrics a craze. It's simply - every 5 minutes when you are sitting on the couch watching tv (which i do a lot, even though I'm also active) you spring up and jump as high as you can and land back on the couch. My friend dubbed it (a$$ trampoline). I should get the idea copywritten..... :lol:

Ok my insanity has infiltrated this post enough.... time to go now.

Happy friday ladies!

Mariana

It's been raining so long, now, I think I need to start building an ark. Ick! If this were snow, we'd be in deep! Anyway, I've had a completely chocolate-free day today, and I am under calories for once - yay! I think I'm really back in the swing now, at least until I have to do my baking. But I am not going to extend my Christmas day eating like I did Thanksgiving. Whatever goodies are still here by that night will be going home with my sister for the kids. So there!

Marie, egads! You might have to find different exercises for a while to let your knee have a chance to heal. I know you don't want to be a couch potato! Congrats on Mr Scale's good behavior once again! And don't worry about me, I do expect to go temporarily insane again for Christmas, but I am not abandoning ship! I realize that this is a lifetime battle, and there will be times when things are a bit out of control. In the past the bad times would make me give up, but now I accept that they are just part of the ride. I don't have to be perfect, I just have to KEEP GOING!!! It's very freeing...

Mariana, I don't think I've ever had a Mars bar. Hmmm, what's in it? Or maybe I don't want to know - LOL! Seriously, I don't know how I could stand it without the Laughing Cow cheese. Mmmmm, so yummy, and so satisfying for so few calories - a fabulous invention. And yes, I am still crazy busy at work, too. I'm so sorry you have to listen to the same CD all the time. I thought I had it bad, but we have a 5 CD rotation, at least. Oh man, am I sick of them, though! All day, every day, the same songs over and over and over. And most of them are not even songs I like. They're weird, not traditional Christmas songs that I could sing along with. But I think I'd be screaming if I had to hear the "thank you for shopping here" man. Hang in there!

It's just about time to watch Survivor- I think I'll try a little a$$ trampoline...

Happy Friday!!!

TGIF!!!!

Auntie and Mariana, I'm so sorry about the retail end of the holidays. And a 40 minute loop. Holy, moly, I'd be nuts after one day. I take the PTB are cheap??? Even 5 cd rotation is too little variety. I listen to my Christmas playlist (about 2 hours long) once a day and even that is too much.

No knee brace today. It's stiff and achy but certainly improving. I do have the brace in my work bag because one never knows. DH and I walked about 3/4 mile yesterday with the doggies. They certainly were disappointed in the speed and distance, but hey, better than nothing. Mariana, I love biking although my a$$ hates it. No matter how many ergomically correct seats I buy.try, it always hurts after a few miles. DH says I'll get used to it, but he lies. After 3 months in summer 2007. I begged to differ. Anyway, I bought a fluid trainer for my bike for the winter. I do like it but haven't done it in a while. Now there's no way as bending my knee is where all the pain is. But I will start slowly probably this weekend. Makes sense about stabilizing the joint. Besides, I won't be able to ski if my quads aren't in good shape. And skiing season is right around the bend as TWO arctic storms are set to hit tonight and Sunday. Snow on the way.

Mariana, I don't know what a Mars bar is either and probably shouldn't know. :D A Milky Way bar sounds really good right now. I might buy a mini-bite package for treats. I don't have a problem munching on stuff if it's nearby. I'm so "cheap" with my calories that I wouldn't "spend" erratically. Now, if I could only be cheap with money as well. :devil: :D

auntie, good for you on the chocolate-less day. I can't do that. I have to have my 70 cal serving of dark choc m&ms daily. They are my friends. Sometimes I even have 2 portions if my cals are a bit on the low side in the evenings.

Mr Scale was again nice and dropped another .2 pounds. So now I've lost 16 of the 25 pounds I'd regained. I will be so happy to see the 9 remaining go but I think that will be April at the speed I'm losing. Late 40's has done evil things with my capacity to lose weight. So a word of warning to my younger chickie friends, don't regain in the late forties. It's so slow and I'm more vigilant than ever.

Marie

:elf: Yippee! I'm down 2 lbs, which brings me back to where I was before I lost my mind. This weekend will be a little "foody", but I really do feel like I'm back in the right mindset. We're going out to Olive Garden today for DH's birthday, which is actually next Thursday- same day as Judy's! And tomorrow is my niece's birthday party- she'll be turning 5 next Friday. Busy, busy, busy... Tonight my nephews have a performance with their church group, which we will be attending, and luckily that's not an eating event. I still have a mountain of wrapping to do, but I'm trying not to get too stressed out about it. After I'm done posting, I'll be going grocery shopping, and I will re-buy the truffles for my sister that I ate. I will then wrap her gift immediately, before the chocolate monster strikes again! Wish me luck!

Marie, glad to hear the knee is showing some improvement. Has your snow started? It finally stopped raining here, so hopefully we'll dry out a bit before we start looking for any snow. Oh, about the chocolate-free thing- I still have my fake brownie (the HG fake fudge) every day, but I don't count that as REAL chocolate. I wouldn't want to go a day without some sort of chocolatey treat, even if it is fake! And congrats on another .2! I know things have changed since I turned 40, so I guess it continues to get a little more challenging, huh? That's ok, we'll get there. Slow and steady wins the race!

Must get off to the grocery store before it gets too crowded, ugh! Have a happy weekend!

Okay auntie, I literally laughed out loud. Re-buying the truffles you ate. Oh that sounds like something I'd do. :D That was funny. Congrats on the 2 pounds. I always have OG Spaghetti with tomato basil marinara as it's pretty lo-cal and delicious. The bread sticks chant my name but I only allow myself one. You can be strong. I know you can. Enjoy grocery shopping - if that's even possible. I hate doing it.

Our snow did start. It's very light even though everyone's predicting a bit more. It's swirling out my window at the moment. It's actually pretty as long as my fire is going.:D

My knee is a tad better than yesterday but closer to the same. I decided I'm going to try my bike with nearly no resistance and see how it goes. I'm definitely going to use the treadmill at a low speed and no incline. I'm going nuts with no exercise. I did, however, clean like a banshee this morning. The DirecTv installer should be here anytime in the next 1.5 hours. Or later considering the icy roads. Our service is being changed to Hi Def today. So I had to clean the house somewhat as being sick and then the knee, I didn't do much for cleaning. It looks way better. I also made bread and ice cream. Tonight I'm making lasagna. I don't like much meat, so with the part-skim ricotta and skim mozzerella and my lo-cal marinara, it should be within the diet. I already made the ice cream as I want it hardened so that I can have a small scoop. I like is soft serve best, but then I eat way too much. I'm learning my little tricks.

Oh and Mr. Scale gave me another .2 pounds this morning. Auntie if slow and steady wins the race, I will win because I'm like a tortoise. ;)

Hope everyone else out there is doing great. Thanks Auntie for checking in daily as I'd be so lonesome.
Marie

Hi Marie! Yay for another .2 for you! :faint: Yesterday did not go well for me, food-wise. My mental state really is fine, but I just got swept away with the current. I always get the Tour of Italy at Olive Garden, so that I won't have to choose one thing, but I immediately divided everything and brought half home to make a 2nd meal out of it. Well, that was definitely an improvement! But alas, we ended up walking around the mall last night, and somehow I ended up in the Gertrude Hawk chocolate store. Don't know how that happened. I must have been abducted by aliens.

There is no chocolate left now. (Oh, but I did get my sister's truffles wrapped, so they are safe!) So, today's a new day. A birthday party day, but a new day nonetheless. I don't think the party will be too bad- it's just a quick afternoon thing, not an all night extravaganza.

How's your snow? Is it piling up yet? We're going to be warming up this week, with one day getting up to 60º, or so they say. I hope we get some snow for Christmas, but I guess it's ok this way for now.

Gotta get moving here... I'm off to the pet store, then have to make puppy's food before party time. Another busy day ahead! Take it easy on that knee, and enjoy your Hi Def!


http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h211/rscain4/tortoise.jpg

Hi Auntie, I'm still so impressed that you make your own dog food. I'm not that patient. All my doggies have their own food so making three dog foods would push me over the edge.

I walked (Slowly) on the treadmill for 1 mile. Usually I go about 3.5 mph and I could only handle 2.3. So of course I upped the incline and that was a bad idea. So today I'll know 2.3 with a 1% incline. Hopefully I'm not overdoing the knee. I did ice it yesterday. Today I'll ice it right afterwards.

And yes, another .2 pounds gone. That's four days in a row. Oooooooo....

Mr Directv came yesterday and wow. That's all I can say for the hi-def. Of course some stations aren't HD yet, but Sunday ticket is so I'll watch my hapless Packers in HD. I think it will be so awesome, even though they'll probably lose. I'm recording DH's Viking's game and we'll watch after he gets home from work. And yes, it's HD too.

That darn chocolate alien sure does have a crush on you, doesn't it???? I bet you didn't go too overboard. Enjoy round two of Italy. My lasagna turned out great and 1/12 of the pan was 250 cals. I'm seriously thinking of having it for breakfast as it was so good.

The snow is still falling and we're up to an inch. So much for the 22" predicted. I'm not complaining but I would have preferred the 22" as the ski area would open and the first weekend crowds would be gone before I can ski again. BTW, I tried my bike and made 5 pedals and knew that it was not going to work. Each pedal was stabbing pain. So I did the treadmill instead. I'm trying to decide about taking the doggies by myself. I guess if I really kill my knee and need surgery the dr. will write a note and the ski area will refund my season pass $$$. But I'd so much rather ski. But then Ms. Blizzie needs to walk before her hips stiffen up on her. Ah, the decisions. :?:

Well have a great day.
Marie

Just stopping by to say hi! All is well. Will be back soon. Net problems and time restrictions.

Hope you're all well.
- Mariana.

Help! I'm having wagon trouble! I ate bad yesterday at the birthday party, not a LOT, but bad. And that made me feel kind of sick (onion dip will do it every time), so that made me eat bad today because pizza calms my stomach. Criminy! OK, trying to get a grip...

Um, I started making fudge today (for Christmas), so hopefully I don't eat it. What was I thinking??? Well, in a week and a half all excuses will be gone. I suppose that's the only way to look at this.

Marie, I'm not sure I'd make 3 different types of doggie meals, either. One is hard enough! Well, not that it's hard, but it's time consuming. If you don't need to do, don't do it! Another .2, huh? You're on a roll! :bravo: I'm not up on how your football games went, but I'm sure they looked lifelike! Hope the knee's making progress and you'll be skiing soon!

Mariana, I'm sure you're whizzing through the season. Don't work TOO hard!

Big TV night tonight, my favorite sitcoms (Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother) and the Eagles game. One more pair of pants to hem while I watch... And I have sooo much work to do tomorrow (at work) that I really should go in early. I guess I best not stay up too late. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Auntie - tis the season! Temptation is areound every corner these days. How do you make fudge? I've always been curious - it seems like it would be a hard thing to cook.

Speaking of off-plan eating.... 2 words: rice pudding. Oh, lordy - how could I have forgotten that it tasted so good?

The other day we had to clear out our packaged food section (at work, not home:)) and we found pounds and pounds worth of expired chocolate, peanuts, cashews, chocolate covered raisins etc... I tried a bit of the chocolate.. and let me tell you, even when expired chocolate looks okay - it isn't.

It always kicks me in the gut a little when we have to throw out massive amounts of food just because the packet is damaged, we aren't selling it etc.

It's illegal for us to keep it or give it away to our 'loading dock buddies' :lol:(which is what I usually do) ... it's taken me a while to get over the whole "But, it's free food!:(" Thing.

I think it's a good mental exercise - to learn how to let go of those old behaviours etc.

Marie, it's so cool that you can ski right near where you live! I've seen snow once - when I was 9, and that was a 6 hour drive away. These days in the city, it's pretty sunny. We were having some weeeeeird tropical weather (raining and windy but humid and hot...ew)..but luckily that has now calmed down. (That weather is also the main reason for my internet failing so frequently... our cable thingy is really sensitive).

Mmmmm lasagne. Only 250cals - that's a pretty sweet deal!

Your knee's gotta hurry up and get better! Maybe its too cold for this - but how about swimming as exercise? Though..the last thing you probably want to do in mid december is get soaking wet in a pool.

Best wishes to all. I can't believe it's already the 17th december. Ok I'd better stop being lazy, peel myself off the computer chair and go to the gym.

Hasta Luego!
- Mariana

Hi Mariana and auntie!!! It's freezing cold here. Literally. They say it's the coldest temps in 5 years. Brrr. My house is even cold as we don't heat except with the wood stove. It's hard to add wood when DH and I are at work. So it's currently 64 and has actually warmed up some. Again... brrr.

Mariana, I'd swim if it were summer and my pool was open. But alas, it's closed for the winter. I know the geo-thermal heated community pool is open and the 84 degree temp would be nice. It's the getting to and from the pool when the high is 22 degrees that is too much to take. I thought about the YMCA but I wouldn't be able to use my legs to kick and in lap swimming that would really be annoying for others. But you and I were thinking alike.

Oh Mariana, I also once worked at a bookstore and when the books didn't sell, you pulled the covers off and they were sent back to the publisher. Then you had to toss the books. For an avid reader that was tough so I understand your pain.

Auntie, your Eagles are hanging in there. The wagon that you're having trouble with got me today. I was irritated with my computer programming and nothing working as I designed that I got munchie. I will make the call limit as my nightly reward of homemade ice cream cone (300 cals) is history. :( My fault as the irritation led to munching.

I have walked yesterday and today on the treadmill (way slower than normal) but for 1.5 miles and 1.0 respectively. My knee is weak and feels just out of sorts. I did make an appointment with the orthopedist for next Monday. I need some type of better solution than to sit on my but when I pivot on my foot and the knee goes out.

Well, have a good night you two!!!!
Marie

Oh Mariana, I also once worked at a bookstore and when the books didn't sell, you pulled the covers off and they were sent back to the publisher. Then you had to toss the books. For an avid reader that was tough so I understand your pain.


Eeeeeek!! Perfectly good books... what a shame.
Best wishes for the orthopedist appointment on Monday, Marie.

:crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy:

OK, I'm officially going crazy now. I don't know why I do these things to myself, but I always do. Just when I thought I was on top of the season, I come up with some other bright idea that puts more pressure on me, and now I'm in the middle of a million things that there just aren't enough time for.

Deep breath...

I'm also eating like there's no tomorrow. One more week, one more week...

Mariana, I'm making "easy" fudge- the recipe is on the marshmallow fluff jar. I hear that other ways are more difficult, but I've never tried. Today I made a batch of peanut butter fudge for the first time, so I'm sure I'll be testing it later, when it cools. I suppose I should be happy that I've never had rice pudding, huh? Groan...

Marie, I hope you're warming up, but I definitely had to laugh about the temperature. We have oil heat, and I'm pretty stingy with it. I turn it back to 56 when we go out or go to bed, and turn it UP to 62 when we're home and awake. Every now and then when it's windy and bitter, I'll break down and turn it up to 64. It definitely keeps some people away who like it hot in the house! Good luck with your doctor's appointment! It must be so frustrating not being able to do your normal exercising. Maybe you can just pump some iron for a while, although that would undoubtedly not amuse the pupperonis. It's always something, isn't it?

Well, I best get back to work on my never-ending list. Oh yeah, tomorrow's DH's birthday, and now I've got to add "make a cake" to that list. I somehow keep forgetting that. :crazy::crazy::crazy:

Have a great night and a fabulous Thursday!!!

NOTE: Before you read my post, I must warn there are some graphic descriptions of diet un-friendly foods!!

:) Ok don't say I didn't warn ya.

Auntie - I've never tried that fluff stuff. You can only get it in specialty stores around here, and I've never tried it but I imagine that it must taste great... being marshmallows and all. I hope things don't get too stressful - and remember there's a bright light at the end of the tunnel! (The future). Also, this time of year is pretty much the only of its kind (only long holiday season, bigger than thanksgiving/easter etc) so I guess we're lucky the temptation, organisation etc.. only happens once - this intensely. I hope that made sense.. because even I am confused by it...
So - do you know what kinda cake you're making yet?

I just realised I never told you guys what a mars bar was like - I remember having mentioned it a while back. Ok here goes (side note: I can't believe you don't have mars bars!!!!) .. they are very similar to milky ways but in my opinion, better - the nougat is more concentrated and rich, as well as the cream caramel filling. The outside chocolate shell is milk chocolate and thicker than a milky way's outside. Apparently, they have them in Canada, and wikipedia calls them "a sweeter version of the American Milky Way bar" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Bar - the link has a photo of one of these coronary nightmares.

Also, they have deep fried mars bars... oh dear god. I've never tried one, but I'm keen to do so one day before I die. I've heard they have over 700 calories. It's a bar dipped in batter then deep fried.. and all the inside goes gooey and mushy.

If you're feeling curious; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-fried_Mars_bar

A good day to you two, Auntie and Marie. :D Have a nice one. Oh..wait. I mean - sleep well. I just realised it's like 9pm there.

...for a few days, at least. My trip was very good, but much more hectic and tiring than I expected. Did I stay on program? On while I was sleeping....not so much when I was awake, especially those days I was in my favorite eating city: New Orleans. I did walk around a lot, and managed to fit in a few light workouts.

I've been trying to catch up on the posts since yesterday, but I'm so far behind that I'm just going to start from a clean slate!

Mariana, we certainly do have Mars Bars in the States, although I haven't had one in years.

Auntie, your DH and I have the same birthday!

Marie, I'm sorry to hear about your knee.

Hey to all you other chickies out there!

judy

Happy Birthday, Judy!!!
Glad you had a good trip! On program while you were sleeping - good one - me too! So, have you felt ripped off over the years by having a birthday so close to Christmas? DH says it was always a problem when he was a kid. I've tried to make it a separate special occasion, but it sure gets harder and harder. And get this, not only is it also a friend of ours' birthday today, too, that he must share with, but DH is also a triplet! The poor guy never gets his own birthday. And to top it off, now my niece's birthday is tomorrow, and as she is turning 5, she naturally gets the attention. It's a good thing that DH is full of himself every day of the year! :rofl:

Mariana, I made a carrot cake this morning. All these sweets are getting out of hand! It's funny that fluff is a specialty item down there. It's just a cheap grocery store thing here. It is quite delicious on a sandwich with peanut butter (a fluffernutter). I looked at your Mars bar link... in the picture it sure does look mighty tasty! I think I read that we used to have them in the US, but they were different. All I know is that I never had one. I was always a Snickers kind of kid, or Reese's PB cups, or Hershey with Almonds, oh, I better stop thinking about it now. :drool: Oh, and I'd stay away from the fried Mars bars. That's really asking for trouble! :eek:

Marie, hi! Hope you're keeping warm!

Off to work. Have a great day, all!

Hi everyone, we're on the verge of another winter storm. Perhaps we'll get more of the anticipated snow that last time. They're predicting 4-8". Sounds good to me. My knee is less sore, just feels off - like it's ready to snap. So Monday the orthopedist and a week from tomorrow I'll probably go skiing (with the brace). If surgery is something needed, I will do it after the ski season. See Marie Be Responsible... :D

I have been back at exercising. I've been using my treadmill daily for 1.5 miles. :woops:I've increased the speed all week and am only a little off normal speed. The incline is still only 1% but this is better than nothing. And yesterday after work, DH and I walked the doggies for a mile (I did have to stop with one give out and tell him to slow on the hills). Anyway, it was SO COLD that my buggars froze and I think my contacts did as well. Holy moly, it was butt chilly cold. Today is warmer as the snow is moving in.

Auntie, I love carrot cake with yummy cream cheese icing. :hb: But you made me laugh with the full of himself comment. Maybe it's the goddess in charge's way of keeping him in line - triplet at Christmas. My his parents got a heck of a tax break that year!!!

Mazza, the mars bars sound delightful. I have never seen them and truly I've searched most of the country's candy aisles. ;)
:bday2you:Judy!!!! I'm glad your trips went nicely. Were you in New Orleans during their snow??? Hey if you're sleeping 8 hrs a day than you're at least 33% on track!

Time to work again. :cry:
Marie

Marie, I was in NOLA for the snow. It was funny to see how freaked out everyone was. It didn't last for more than a few hours, but it was startling to see the snow covering the palms and the lemon trees.

My birthday was fun, because we had our staff potluck that afternoon. Otherwise, it was a lot like any other day, which is typical. Although friends around the country were kind enough to call, email or text.

Auntie, when I was a child, I was usually so cranked up for Xmas I didn't worry much that my birthday didn't get much attention. Your poor hubby, as a multiple, that's a whole other problem, poor thing. He has to share everything! Tell him that my annual tradition is to raise a glass of Jack Daniel's to Rolling Stone Keith Richards, as we share the same birthday. I stopped by a bar on the way home and toasted us all--me, Keef, your DH and his brothers :D.

Now that I'm back home, I can't say that I've done much about my sugar intake, but I am eating more veggies ;). And sleeping peacefully in my own bed, hooray. I'm supposed to be going to Las Vegas on Christmas eve to be with my mom and grandma, but now they are both worried about the snow storms there. I want to see grandma, but honestly, I'd be relieved to reschedule and have a shorter vacation in Ohio. It would be nice to have a few days totally to myself. Oh well, there's always next year!

judy

Hello all!

Happy belated birthday Judy! :dancer::carrot:

I hope you spent it well :D

Things have been pretty chillaxed around here (chilled out and relaxed...:lol:). I got asked to work today, and I wasn't over the moon about working on a saturday, but oh well - free time next week, big time!
Went for a long bike ride to day and trusty F11 said I burned around 450 calories on my bike. I also got yelled at by not one- TWO crazy people as I rode through Surry Hills (one of the oldest parts of Sydney - located in the central business district)... ironically, not a very affordable place to live.

I ate oreo cheesecake today (saturdays I have a high calorie day - my 'treat' day.. it's not completely out of control eating, but I give myself permission to have a little sumethin' I've been wanting - If I have been wanting anything).

Judy, good on ya with the veggies! It's always nice getting to sleep in your own bed after coming back from travels. It reminds me of how comfortable I really am in my own little nest and how much I do appreciate the privilege of having somewhere warm to sleep at night.

Marie - you go girl! Back up and exercising again. The cold sounds harsh but it also seems like it would be lovely and cozy to be indoors with a mug of hot chocolate, watching the snow fall. I always wondered - is you display photo a shot of where you live? Because if it is - wow!

Auntie, when I read 'fluffernutter' I LOLed ... what an awesome name for a sandwich :D. So by the sound of it you are quite the baker? Carrot cake... yum. That reminds me of my mum's 'famous' microwave banana cakes she used to make with walnuts on top.

I'm going to sleep soon. Last night it was so hot I woke up and was thirsty and dry. Ooh! And - yay! working from 10-6.30 on a sunday! Should be fun.... {sarcasm} :lol:

P.s. you ladies checked out www.freecycle.org ?

Good morning! Ah, the last weekend before Christmas and still so much to do... This has been the worst eating week ever! Starting off with last Saturday's Olive Garden, it just went downhill from there. Three separate birthday cakes, pizza once or twice (I can't even remember) and way too much fudge. Now if the fudge would have turned out right, I wouldn't have had to eat so much, but since it was too dry to use as gifts, well, ya know... I've been so bad that I completely forgot to weigh in this morning! Just went about my breakfast business without a care in the world. I know it's gonna be BAD, but I'll weigh in tomorrow, so that I don't get too comfortable down here on the ground, off the wagon.

Marie, glad you've got your groove back, even if it's a little slower paced. How's your snow? We had a lovely ice storm yesterday, but it's mostly gone now. Expecting another one tomorrow. I guess winter is upon us. Now I normally hope for a white Christmas, but this year DH has to head out that night for work, so I'm hoping either it comes ahead of time and the roads are clear, or holds off until after he's home the next day. Of course it's not actually up to me whether it snows or not, but just puttin' it out there- LOL. They are expecting us to have more snow this year than usual. Too bad I don't ski!

Judy, snow covered palm trees must have been a cool sight to see. Did you take pictures? And Jack Daniels, huh? Woo boy! I guess when you're toasting Keith Richards, you need the hard stuff! LOL! (Complete alcohol wussy here!) I see you also share your birthday with Steven Spielberg and Brad Pitt - not bad... Oh, and btw, my poor triplet DH has 2 sisters, not bros - he got the short end of that stick, too! And hey, now, what are these "veggies" of which you speak? I thought the only food groups were cereal, milk, and sugar! ;) Oh, so sad... Good luck with your travel plans!

Mariana, well, even with cheesecake, it sounds like you are totally in control. Good going! I will do better after the holidays, but man, I can't get it together right now! I'm really not much into baking normally, just cakes at birthdays, and miscellaneous holiday stuff. But your mother's microwave banana cakes do sound intriguing... :o Try not to work too hard (at work, that is.) And yes, I've freecycled my butt off in the past. There's been a build up of clutter again, so after the holidays it will be time to get on that again. I don't look to get stuff, just get rid of stuff. It is a fabulous idea!

Time to go grocery shopping... Have a great weekend, all!

Over 500 posts so time to start a new thread. Perhaps you could consider doing this by month?