40-Somethings - July New Week New Attitude (Week 4)

OK... it's a new week and I am really going to get back in the game. I'm off to change my tickers; unfortunately 148 is my official WI for today. It sucks that I am going to have to post a gain for the BL challenge but I've used my freebies and it is what it is.

CAT - I agree with earlier posts - I have a hunch some of the supposed gain is related to surgery and will drop off on it's own as swelling reduces. In the meantime, hang in there!

I'm at a mini-goal of sorts - half gone, half to go. (At least for now, may change the goal a la newleaf when I get closer if it doesn't seem like enough)I was lazy yesterday and made it an unplanned rest day which gave me the munchies - so not good. I plan to kick it up a notch this week with more exercise than usual. Anyone else planning any changes this week?

Newleaf, we used to rarely have mosquitoes in our area but then the county sprayed the nearest tarred road and the pests all migrated to our neighborhood. We always have yellowjackets in July and after being bitten twice on Thursday, I despise those guys. Their bite hurts. Anyway, I’m impressed you finished a Sept newsletter already. That sounds like fall is too close.

Presmaggie, did you ever think there would be a time that we’d have trouble eating enough calories? I do know what you mean by that.

CAT, thanks for doing the new thread. I’m sorry that you needed to readjust your ticker. But like so many others have said, you didn’t go crazy and regain the great weight loss. You’re stopping the slip from becoming a real slide. If there is nothing else on this thread we all understand is that slip. So pat yourself on the back that you are back on track. Then look forward to changing that ticker back down. I also live in the desert but I renamed from High Mountain Desert to High Mountain Desert Rain Forest after I’d lived here a while. We have a very low annual precipitation amount, but the endless cloudy days in the fall winter and spring with a few drops of rain seem like when I lived in high precip areas. But this past June we did have lots of rain, very abnormal, and the mosquitoes had a breeding ground. With your comment about the creepy-crawlies, I pictured some of the things I’ve scooped out of my pool. I really don’t like the tarantulas… :p

Dancer, way to go on the halfway mark. That is a great moment. All downhill from here. :)

Yesterday I met with the lady who will be our dog-sitter in August, Thanksgiving and in February. She’s an animal behaviorist with 30 years experience. She knew 2 of my dogs from when she worked in the clinic my doggies go to. Anyway, she was literally amazing with them. My huskies were polite and well behaved. I’ve seen videos of the dog whisperer and she basically did that. Very quite with just her posture and quite directions and my dogs did what she said. So we’re also hiring her for animal behavior for a couple husky irritations. She already has me doing a couple things and it made the morning walk a bit frustrating, but other than the bits, there was no tugging by Kody or Blizzard. Kai, the baby was too much of an imp to get it on day one. Basically she said that Kody was the alpha in the family and that DH and I had to get that back. It should be cool once Kody stops looking at me like I’ve betrayed him for making his walk correctly and occasionally sitting during the walk. :D

Marie

Marie - probably a silly question but have you tried those bright yellow traps for yellow jackets that use an attractant? They pretty much solved the yellow jacket problem for me and we can eat outside without getting divebombed. Sounds like things are going well with the dogs - I love the dog whisperer, isn't he great?

CruiseCat - at least if you change the tickers, you can feel the momentum as you move downwards again. I agree with everyone - I'm sure some of this is still the effects of surgery. Do what you can, but be mindful also that your body is still healing...

DancerInDenver - congrats on the half gone!! That is great!!

PresMaggie - I read that your boys are 5 and 6. As for the current adoption underway, is there a child already identified or is it too early in the process (I know nothing about adoption, so forgive me if these are obvious questions). I think it's wonderful that you are able to take these children in and help change the direction of their lives.

Marie - the reason for doing the newsletter this early is to get it to the printer before the onslaught of teacher print requests that would take precedence over mine; but yes - Fall feel close!

As for doing things differently - well, I forced myself to get on the treadmill today, so that's a start. And I have a weight goal for Labor Day that I'm working toward. I know I am serious (mentally) about losing more weight. I need to get serious physically, too. I eat well, so at least that part of the equation is under control (I have eggplant all set to throw on the grill for a nice, healthy lunch!).

I'm making dinner this afternoon for a local family where the husband (father of 4, ages 1 - 10) was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. It certainly puts everything into perspective...

oh my gosh ... I love the title of this weeks chat thread.
I am so on board. Last week I hit the wall again and just didn't really care about it ... ate mindlessly and paid for it by gaining 3 pounds of the 6 I'd lost.

This is a new week though and I've begun calorie counting and have been successful (in writing everything down) for three days. While I have gone over my calorie limit goal every day ... at least I know where I did it and why (late night TV snacking) ... and even though I exceed my limit, I still ate less than when I was eating mindlessly.

I'm logging everything on livestrong.com (mydailyplate) and so far so good.
Now if I could just get my lazy butt out to exercise more, I'd really be back on track. It's been 103 degrees here the last few days and I have been using the heat as an excuse to not go for a walk.

Alleytd - I'm a huge dailyplate fan too - it really holds you accountable, even if sometimes it's a bit scary!!

Newleaf - way to go on the workouts - I know they're not your favorite : ) Do you listen to music or watch dvds on the elliptical? I find music (which makes me happy while running) isn't enough on the elliptical so I've been watching episodes of Sex and the City on borrowed DVDs. You watch two episodes and you have a decent workout (and a strange desire to go buy designer shoes, but that's a whole different issue : ) ).

Cruise - sorry this weight gain is getting you down.:hug: I hope that it will go as quickly as it came.

dancer - congrats on half way to goal!:carrot:

Marie - my problem with calories is that either I eat some grains and then I'm always craving them, leading to high calorie days or I don't eat any grains and it takes real planning to reach my calorie target. It's amazing how my cravings drop away, though. I don't suggest that everyone should do this, but with my mixed up metabolism, many naturopathic doctors suggest that it's a good plan. We shall see.:crossed:

newleaf - I guess I haven't been too clear.:dizzy: Our 5 year old son is the one we are in the process of adopting from foster care. He has to live with us for 6 months before we can apply to adopt him. He's been here 4 months, so we have 2 more to go and then we have to wait for the courts, which can be a few months. Adoption proved to be the only way we could have children, so that's the way we had to go.

Alley - everytime you learn something, it's one less thing to cause trouble next time. It will get better.:hug:

It's a beautiful day and I'm stuck inside doing my studying. Oh well, it has been somewhat easier than I thought to get back in the "groove" of studying and learning.

Hi Friends!
Another good day here in the midwest. Up early to walk and then went to water aerobics with my neighbor. Was a bit mortified to find one of my son's friends in the guard chair when I got there! I have found my skirted tankini is not the best for water aerobics. The top goes everywhere! Made a quick trip to Kohl's and found a one piece on sale for $35 with an extra 30% off! I love a sale! I'll try it out tomorrow!

DD and I hit the neighborhood pool this afternoon. My back to school paperwork came in the mail today, I'm back to work in just over 3 weeks! The summer is flying by!

Presmaggie, What are you studying? Can't imagine having time to go to school with 2 young ones around!

Cruise, You'll be back in the zone before you know it. Don't get discouraged!

Hope everyone has a nice evening!

Hey All! sorry to have been MIA my sis is in town, and I had two Drs appointments today. I went back to my eye doc and my vision improved to 20/25! Even the Dr is very impressed! I still have the retina distortion {and always will} but Hubby is teasing me that I see better than he does. I go to my regular eye doc {retina specialist} for a checkup next week. If all is well, he will tell the cateract doc to go ahead with the second surgery scheduled for Aug 17th. I'm not really sure why they need his go-ahead but I 'nodded and smiled". Whatever they need.

It seems another week of 'light and easy' but I'm okay with that.

I'm trying not to think about what I've eaten for the past couple days; LOL, call them cheat days and move on!

CruiseCat, you and I can be the 148 buddies! I can't seem to budge from that weight either. I've been there for a month and don't have your excuse of recovering from surgery. I have no excuse--I've been eating too much. I'm good on exercise though. It's hard to find that perfect balance of losing weight and living your life. Some days I'm ready to give up and just stay at this weight, which wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm a 10 and I feel and look pretty good, but I'm so close to my goal. I have no deadline or date that I've imposed so I can take as long as I want, but I'm not ready to give up the fight just yet.

Marie, I would love to have an animal behaviorist meet with our Beagle mix, Lucy. She's a spoiled cry-baby. Just this morning, she was crying to be let out of DS14's bedroom, where she slept on his bed. DH let her out and she just moved to our bed, which is empty because we're both up! Talk about spoiled and lazy!

Penguin - congrats on the vision results!

Losermom - I'm curious - how did you decide on your goal? Is there a specific look you're going for? A size number? It's been so long since I've thought of myself as trim, I'm not even sure how you know when you get there since it's almost always possible to be thinner still. Curious to hear how the rest of you make/made your goal decisions as well....

AlleyTD - is this week going better for you? Exercising in the heat is hard, I totally agree. Could you go somewhere air conditioned to walk, like a mall? Good luck!

DancerInDenver - Re: the elliptical, I listen to music. Sometimes the radio, sometimes my MP3 player. We don't have a TV down in the basement. Sometimes I try to read, but the book has to be really light (in topic, not weight). Although it occured to me last night while thinking about your post - maybe if I got some large print books out of the library, that would help.

PresMaggie - good luck on your grains plan. I don't really eat much rice or bread, but I do have 10-grain hot cereal each morning; that would be hard to give up... I hope it works out for you! That sounds like quite a wrangle, the adoption. But it is great that he can live with you all this time rather than being in limbo.

OnMyWay - you are doing such a great job with exercising -- WTG!!

PatchworkPenguin - I'm glad that your eyes are doing so well!! How annoying, having to go back to your original doctor, I agree...

LoserMom - there will always be natural fluctuation around your weight... So if you stop now, that at least gives you a good reminder that if you see 150 on the scale, you need to redouble your efforts... Time will tell -- do you want your upper boundary to be 150, or 145? (rhetorical question)

DancerInDenver - I chose my goal weight because I've been there before and know how I look. I've been all the way down to 145 and thought I looked great, but it was difficult to maintain. 155 seemed a more natural spot for me. BUT, now at 163, I'm not sure I will be satisfied with how I look at 155 this time around. We shall see. But the one thing I know is -- this will be the LAST time around...

Morning everyone!!! Wow it’s hard to believe summer is half over. Why doesn’t winter go this fast???

Dancer, we do have a yellow jacket trap and it’s DH job to change the bait. It took three weeks of reminding and my 2 bites to get him to do it. Now it’s catching them again. Yeah! On the elliptical, I really like listening to my audiobooks more than music no matter how much I like the music. Perhaps for more of the botox bank account, you might want to find another show or your closet will be overrun with designer shoes.

Newleaf, great point on changing the ticker after a gain. When I’d regained 20 pounds, I didn’t change the ticker, actually I just removed it. I didn’t feel like every lost pound of those 20 counted. I really celebrated with the 1st lose pound after losing the twenty. I made a mistake with that one so I like your wisdom of feeling that downward momentum again. Instead I punished myself. That wasn’t wise.

Alley, Go for your walk in the early morning when it’s the coolest, come home and take a shower and you’re set. And good job logging your foods. I swear by that as the key to my success.

Presmaggie, I must have missed something. What are your studying for? And your children are blessed to have you just like you are to have them. Those 2 months will fly by.

OMW, as a former lifeguard, when you’re on a stand, you can see in the water but definition is nothing. Basically your son’s friend saw you from the neck up and swirls of color from the neck down. You were making too many waves with the aerobic for clarity.

Penguin, I think the dr. routine is a cover one’s a$$ process. If it keeps you safe, than it’s cool. Expensive but cool.

LM, I toured the animal behaviorist’s wildlife rehabilitation center yesterday. It was so awesome. I then told her about the walk and Kodiak’s clear irritation that I changed the game. She said that was normal and that me consistently being the alpha doggie will get him to accept his place in the order and then he won’t be confused. I did feel sorry for him again this a.m. Poor baby but he’s not pulling at all anymore. :carrot: Two days to good results. So are you ready for my favorite (spoiled, self-centered) quarterback to come to your neighborhood soon? I’m a Packer fan through and through but I will be cheering for the Vikings this fall if #4 is playing. Except when they play the Pack which then I think I’ll go for a hike for confusion about allegiance.

Dancer, can I butt into your question with LM??? Goals weight – I chose a number relatively arbitrarily. Then last week I mentioned to DH that maybe 125 was a better choice than 135 thinking like you, that it’s always possible to lose more. But DH and discussed my brother who lost loads of weight several years ago (kept it off) but I didn’t recognize him. He was so thin that his face looked like Jack Skellington from Nightmare before Christmas. That was DH’s way of saying I was wrong. BTW, dear brother’s face has filled out a little and I will recognize him in 2 weeks. Plus I saw a pic of him on Facebook. :D

I guess I could turn off my heater before our district’s energy manager shows up in my office and has a fit. It’s supposed to be in the 90’s today. I figure it was 55 and I was cold. Now I’m not and if I can hide the evidence… it’s not helpful his office is next to mine. Back to work and the heater is off… :o

Marie

Dancer, that's a good question. One that I didn't have the answer to when I started this journey. I picked 140 initially because I was at that weight at the tender age of 19 (27 years ago!). I felt really good about myself and my body at that weight. Also alot of really good things happened to me at that weight and age (met DH and finally was able to decide on a major in college) so I associate that number with good things.

As my weight dropped I thought that that number might be really unrealistic at my age (46) or unattainable but I kept on chugging along. I am happy at this weight, but feel that there is room for improvement with toning. I'm still pretty jiggly around the waist and thighs. Do I need perfection? No, I'm not sure that perfection is worth the sacrifices required. At this point I do think that 135-140 is doable, but I'm unsure if I'm willing to work that hard at it. I tell myself that yes, I do want it, but that cheesecake or chocolate or homemade bread looks better to me right now. I know that I can maintain at this weight but feel that I "should" strive for improvement.

Regarding exercise, I'm pretty committed. I do at least 30 minutes of cardio (stationary bike, walking, running), sometimes 60 minutes 6 days a week. I also do weight training (all-over body on weight machines) 3x a week--my personal favorite. I plan to get back into water aerobics (2x a week) in the fall when it gets too cold to run outdoors.

Hi all! I survived the wilderness of Isle Royale! We logged in 28 miles of hiking in the 4+ days (the pack turned out to be 45 pounds), had fabulous weather, and saw a bull moose at REALLY close range. I expect to lose at least one toenail and possibly two, but the minor blisters are already healed and don't present a bad memory at all! Better footwear for next time, though. :)

No loss, no gain - but immense satisfaction on being able to do some seriously hard hiking/climbing for continuous days with NO muscle aches.

CAT - sounds like the gallbladder's long gone - I'm glad it went well and now you can truly CRUISE! :)
Alley - welcome!
Marie - I detest those yellowjackets. Go to Isle Royale - I never saw a single one!

Obviously, a tremendous amount of catching up to do! More later ...

Good morning all ... :coffee:

I went out for a walk last night at from 9:30 to 10:30PM. It was nice and I hope I can keep it up. My walking road blocks are my boys. I started the family thing a little later than most and at 47 I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 9 year old. Morning walking is not an option because my DH is gone to work before we get up in the am.

However, I am down one more pound, so I changed my ticker and added a cheerleader for my first 5 pound loss :cp:

Today has started out good with an egg whites and veggie scramble and a protien drink. I shopped for a bunch of veggies, high fiber and higher protien menu items so my fridge is now correctly stocked.

Have a great day everyone.

Thanks Maggie, I am feeling much better. At this point I have put the gain behind me and will move forward.

I can relate to your issue with calories; the higher my carb days the worse the cravings and the more likely I am to go over my target number.

OnMyWay.... I too love a good sale. I went to the mall the other day and really had to pull myself away from all the sales. My closet is still full of clothes that don't fit (8's & 10's) so I really do not need new clothes and I don't want to buy anything that I'll only wear a few weeks.

Patch - That is great news about your successful surgery, 20/25 is awesome.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your sister's visit.

LM - How about the 140 buddies, I don't plan to be 148 long. I would really like to get back to where I was (142.8) before I leave for Alaska in three weeks. In the past I have always gained 5-10 lbs. during a cruise. The only time I didn't gain weight was a couple years ago when I did Hawaii with my MIL. I barely drank, I ate lots of GREAT fruit, and worked out every day.

Don't give up we can do this together. At this point I have given myself a goal deadline to help me stay focused. My entire family will be getting together for Thanksgiving and I would like to be at goal by then. That's a little less than 1.5 lbs. per week.... VERY DOABLE.

Dancer - You are doing GREAT. Your question about goal is one of those that is very difficult. One size does not fit all even for the same person. I have my goal weight at 125 because like Heidi it is a weight I remember looking and feeling REALLY good in the last 10 years. For me I want to be at a weight where I look good and can maintain easily while still live life.

Marie - You are very lucky to have such a competent dog sitter. I would pay very good money for the right person to stay with my guys. Although Tucker is not the most social dog and it would really take someone that is NOT intimidated by a bully. Tucker is not aggressive but he will try to scare you in to keeping your distance. If you ignore him he does fine if you don't he will take advantage and continue to try and mess with you.

Welcome back ICU. What an awesome accomplishment. Would love to see pictures when you get a chance.

Alley - Congrats on the 1 lb. As time goes by I'm sure you will find a schedule that works for you and your family. The key for me is to make sure that I am TAKING that time for me. I don't have kids but my five dogs sure can keep me busy.

Marie - wow, that approach (not counting the 20) does sound punitive! Luckily, that won't happen again :)

ICUWishing - welcome back!! Can't wait to hear more about your trip and see pictures. It sounds like you were in excellent shape for the trip -- WTG!!

AlleyTD - nice job of the fridge stocking and finding a way to get a walk in. Congrats on the 5lbs; sounds like you are off and running!

CruiseCAT - sounds like your goal is very doable and you will be comfortably in your 10s & 8s before you know it!

As for me, I went to the library today and took out three Large Print books to motivate myself to get on the exercise equipment...

Swtgila - I saw that you are in Mobile... my ILs live in Foley, and over Christmas last year we went up to Mobile to go see the battleship. What an incredible day that was, very educational and a lot of fun. My boys loved it!

I went to lunch with M, D, Sis today then shopping at a sidewalk mall. I bought a pair of black pants; that's me, always living dangerously!

I'm going to try to get some exercise {walking} before it becomes time to start dinner. We bought some produce also and I need to get it cleaned and chopped, and in some cases frozen!

ICU Glad you had such a good time on your hikes. Eeek about the toenails!

Penguin - I hear you on the black pants, although I need to branch out into some other colors one of these days.:lol:

CruiseCAT - glad to hear you're feeling better. You'll be back to normal in no time and I'm sure your new level of fitness will help a lot.

AlleyTD - I have young kids, too, and I totally understand about it being tough to fit in time to exercise. My dh leaves for work at 6:25AM, so I have to be back from my walk by then - sometimes I leave at 5AM.:yawn:

ICUwishing - way to go on the hiking! You are my hero!;)

losermom - interesting discussion on your goal weight. I also chose a weight from the past where I was very happy. That might go upward as I get closer, though.

Marie - although my education is in civil engineering, my experience is in working on huge industrial projects. Since we have now moved to a small city with a more service/government/tourism base, I'm finding it really hard to find a job. I've always loved the financial part of my work, so I'm taking some education and training to get an accounting designation. It should help my job search once I have a fair bit of it completed - probably next summer sometime. I'm going to do the majority of my studying while the boys are at summer camp or school.

newleaf - yeah, I'm starting to think that my goal weight may be too low, based on what you and others are finding at this age. Time will tell.

My grain free experiment has been interesting. Yesterday I met all my goals for calories, carbs, etc and I gained a pound. :shrug: The good news is that my back pain that I've had for the last 4 months is gone. I thought it might be tied to my food sensitivities, but now I have the proof. Hmmm. It might take a while to figure out what I need to eat to lose weight again, though.

So it worked! The large print book I'm reading is total fluff and was easy to read. I walked for 45 min. without getting bored and actually worked up a pretty good sweat!

Isle Royale. Some of the sights ... if you like nature and feeling like a visitor to a truly wild place, this is a MUST. I am definitely going back!

CAT - I've got a whole album of 47 pictures on my FB page. Anyone else, if you want to see the whole journey, with captions, let me know!

ICU - Loved the pictures and the solitude.... heavenly!!! Even with the killer blisters you looked VERY happy and in YOUR element. Thanks for sharing. Sorry, I had to laugh about Alex's pack being to heavy, I usually whine on the way OUT and end up giving Mack a few extra pounds to hump out.

Thank you so much for sharing. It really helps remind me why I am getting healthy.

So it worked! The large print book I'm reading is total fluff and was easy to read. I walked for 45 min. without getting bored and actually worked up a pretty good sweat!

What a GREAT idea. I'll be at the library today and will get a couple LP books for the treadmill.

Ladies - thanks, all, for the thoughtful comments on goal setting. I think it's interesting that so many are going on memory. My initial goal of 160 is roughly what I weighed at a very happy time when I met my bf 7 yrs ago so I was using that same logic : )

Newleaf - very cool idea on the large print books!

ICU - loved the pix and so glad you had fun and a great adventure!

penguin and presmaggie - seriously, do pants come in another color besides black?!!? Looking at my closet you would certainly not think so : )

marie - I like you're scale strategy of recording the low and ignoring the gain until it's gone. That's pretty what I've been doing with the small fluctuations so I don't make myself nuts. I think you've also talked about as long as the trend is downward... which I find helpful as well!

Am off on a hike with my sis on a random mid-week vacation day. Will touch base later...

ICUWishing - I loved the pictures!! I'm not on facebook; otherwise I would have loved to see the other 40+. What a fabulous trip...

CruiseCAT - How is life w/o a gall bladder? Does it make a difference in what you can / can't eat? How are you adjusting to that?

DancerInDenver - Enjoy your time hiking with your sister; I'm envious!

Here, the scale is moving again. Of course I intellectually knew this, but for me (since I have a very healthy diet) exercise = scale movement. Why, oh why, don't I just exercise then??? All this to just go on vacation again for a week, come Saturday. I need to keep the weight off while we're gone, but it should be a pretty active vacation, and also we're renting a house so won't be eating in a restaurant for all our meals, so I'm hopeful.

Good morning everyone! Lots of activity here yesterday, I really like reading all of the posts!

Newleaf, LOL about the large print books. What a simple solution but kind of funny! Glad to hear you found something to help keep you moving!

ICU, WOW! 28 miles in 4 days! Isn't it nice to really enjoy your vacation and not be limited by excess weight! Sounds like a great trip, toenails, blisters and all!

Presmaggie, Who would have thought your diet could cause backpain? I admire you for your hard work in finding a plan that can work for you. Having food sensitivities must be so hard.

Patchwork, You can not have too many pairs of black pants! Just about everything goes with them. Very practical if you ask me! 20/25 Yahoo!

Alley, It is hard to get the exercise in with little ones. When my dd was younger, I walked up and down the street in front of our house while she played out front. That way I could see her. Sometimes she would ride her bike while I walked. Now that she's older, I walk before she wakes up. Congrats on your first 5! Keep up the good work!

Cruise, DD and I are dog sitting right now for 2 different neighbors. It's great for her to earn a little money and the dogs are happier at home rather than in a kennel. I love the different personalities of the dogs. They can be so funny at times!

Losermom, I'm with you, I know what I should do, But what I am doing is a bit different. I'm not where I want to be but I also don't want to give up some of my treats. I'm really thinking once I get back to work, I'll be more disciplined to complete what I started.

Dancer, I started with a goal of 170. When I hit 178, I realized 8 pounds would not be enough, so I changed my goal to 160. Then summer got here and even though I have really increased my exercise, I've slacked off a bit in my eating and haven't made much progress since June. I don't remember when I last weighed 160 or what size clothes I wore.

Marie, Thanks for the reassurance about the lifeguard! Yesterday our instructor said we burned at least 600 calories during our class! What a great feeling! I'm hooked! I've also been looking online and have found a deep water hot tub. We are getting ready to put a screened porch on our house and it would be perfect for treading at home, now to just convince DH!

I have out of town company coming for the weekend. I love having guests! I found a fruit pizza recipe that I'm going to try. Only 172 calories a serving. Hope everyone has a great day!

ICU, what an awesome NSV you had during your active vacation! 28 miles with a 40+ pack? Amazing!

CruiseCAT, 140 buddies sounds so much better than 148! I'm in! I'm back at better eating so I hope to see results within the next 10 days or so.

Penguin and Presmaggie, I am never without a pair of black pants in my closet, I'm wearing some today. Black=Classic in my book!

OnMyWay, I think that taking a break is good for the soul. I know you'll be back on track when you get back to work.

NewLeaf, I've read on my stationary bike for years. I used to call myself a "lazy exerciser" because I couldn't ride without a good book. Now, in addition to reading, I sometimes listen to podcasts and play solitare on my itouch--still pretty lazy. But I've added other exercises to the mix as well that do not include reading and solitare, so now I'm only a "casual lazy exerciser".

CruiseCAT - How is life w/o a gall bladder? Does it make a difference in what you can / can't eat? How are you adjusting to that?

I'm still eating everything I ate before surgery and really have not noticed a difference. I still have some IBS symptoms and not sure if those were from the gallbladder or if I really do have IBS. It's something that I have lived with for years so until it becomes a REAL issue I won't worry about it.

LOL, all, I'm a very boring dresser. Dark pants, solid color jewel tone tops, I can't stand prints or florals. {only in my quilts!} I do have two vertically striped button downs but I don't wear them much. My closet is a yard square, and not counting the too-small-for-now pairs tucked away, I have about 5 pairs of pants {summer and winter!] 3 black, one dark brown, one butternut, but I wear the black the most. Since its summer I'm trying to wear the brown ones.

last night, I found a post here at 3FC that had more than just the 4 basic body types and found I'm either an hourglass or a cello, which helps a lot. Neither pear nor apple seem to fit right. I don't have a very defined waist however; my rib cage is very wide. Hubby's been telling me I'm an hourglass for years but I never believed him.http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/2836241-post13.html

ICU, Thanks for posting the pictures, what a wonderful place!

Maggie, I've tried Navy pants but I seem to do better with the dark brown. I had to keep the Navy ones on a special hanger marked with a blue ribbon to tell them apart from the black, which drove me nuts! I seem to get better color matches with the browns.

LM, I agree about picking a goal weight that sticks in your mind about feeling good about yourself in the past. That number association is really strong for most of us.

ICU, way to go on hauling 45# around daily. That is awesome and the whole trip a big accomplishment. You must be so excited about your triumph. Thanks for the pics of the green lush outdoors. Some days in the desert, I forget about how lush places can be.

Alley, I loved “correctly” stocked. Good choices at the market make easier choices at snack attack moments.

CAT, Tucker sounds a lot like my Kodiak. That boy thing, I’m pretty sure. I really like your comment about maintenance and balance between it and life. I think that’s the tricky spot for nearly everyone.

Newleaf, what a great idea about large print for the exercise equipment. I never could figure out how people could bounce on the elliptical or treadmill and read a book. Thanks for letting us know how it worked.

Penguin, it sounds like you had a great girls day out. Sounds fun. You’re lucky to live by family. I hope you made it out for your walk.

Presmaggie, very cool that you’re going back to school. We’re going to all do a virtual grad party for you next summer. And really don’t pay any attention to the pound. You know you didn’t gain fat when you made all your desired calorie intakes. Women’s bodies fluctuate for no reason at all.

Dancer, enjoy your mid-week vacation hike. That sounds so much better than working.

OMW, I think DH should just accept the concept of a deep water hot tub. Remind him of all the fun the two of you could have in it. That could just about put him into ordering it for you. :o Also, please share the 172 cals/piece fruit pizza recipe.

OK, so the pants debate – I’m a blue jean wearer. Always, forever. I think I’m in the minority here. I do believe my favorite Levis came in black and I remember ordering them. I’m pretty sure they have the tags on still. Probably in the fall when I have to dress professionally again. But, I LOVE my black denim skirt that I wear all year except summer.

So a question for you all. While DH was gone for a month, I lost 6 pounds, much more than my usual monthly amount. Now July, I’ve lost 2 pounds. I log everything so my calories are the same. My exercise is the same with a little more intensity on the elliptical as I’m stronger so I push harder. So why is the weight loss so different? I think it’s DH’s fault but other than his aura causes my metabolism to slow, I can’t figure out why. Anyone have ideas??? Or was June’s weight loss a fluke. I guess August will tell as he’ll be gone again.

Marie

newleaf, if you'd like to see the full album, send me a message with your email on it. I can send you a link, and you don't need to sign up. Or I could just email you 24MB - lol! Actually, that's a "cull" of the 340 pictures that DH took - but he likes to play with camera settings so a lot of them are repeat shots. Love the idea about the large print books - I'll have to keep that in mind for rotten weather. :)

Regarding goals - just to "weigh in" - my original goal was 139.5. It's not that I think it's impossible, even though it dates back at least 15 years, it's just that as I came back into the 150s, I was much more happy to see them than I had been before. Of course, my fitness level is better than it's been in a very long time - I have no doubt that's a big part of it. And I think I can hold onto the low 150's. But we'll have to see ... the fun never ends, does it?

Peng and pres - ditto on the black pants! They're one of the few articles of clothing that I can actually wear to death!


Marie - I usually lose faster when my spouse travels, too - but I know exactly why. He's a great cook - and "composes" with complexity. I'm barely competent in the kitchen, and can be happy with a skillet of sauteed zucchini covered in hot salsa for dinner. Might put spaghetti under it if I'm really hungry. :) I love to eat, but lose interest pretty fast when I have to cook for myself!

dancer - hikes rock! I think I've found a new passion - as soon as I get some new footwear ...

OMW - I'm on board with taking a break too. I have treats I won't let go of - like a glass of wine each night, even at a cost of 10% of my daily calories. Balance, balance, balance ... and knowing they're all choices under our control. :) Deep water hot tub ... oh, I miss mine! I'd love to get one of the Endless Pools ... I have probably already spent the money in memberships to other places with pools and gas getting back and forth.

Still catching up ... more tonight!

newleaf - what a great idea with the large print book! I have always found cardio machines a bit on the boring side. Now that the days are getting shorter :cry::lol:, I know it's only a matter of time until I'll be back to working out indoors, again.

dancer - there really aren't too many downsides to black pants, are there? Well except for cat fur.:lol: I once had this cat who found my black pants irrisistible first thing in the morning, just before I left for work. There would be a smear of fur at calf level that I would have to remove- every day.

penguin - are we related?:lol: I wear the same combo of black pants and jewel colored tops, too. My favorite colors for tops are red, purple, hot pink, turquoise and emerald green.

Cruise - I have trouble with diet related IBS. Now that I eat dairy products very infrequently, I have a reaction within minutes - not pleasant.:( Gluten containing grains cause the opposite problem. :rolleyes:

Marie - thanks for the support! Studying is easier at this age because I have experience with a lot of the topics.:comp: Oh, I also wear jeans most of the time. When I've been working is when I've worn black pants.

ICU - I probably eat better when my dh is away, too, now that I think of it.

This morning I got back from my walk and someone had brought back our address number plate that they had stolen a month ago from the tree stump at the end of our driveway. I thought it was a pretty stupid thing to steal, because unless your house number also happens to be 4305, it's pretty useless.:lol3:

OnMyWay - Have a great weekend with your guests; I can't wait to hear how the pizza turns out!

Marie - Really interesting about your weight when DH is in town. If your calories are the same, is your eating style to reach those calories different? Maybe that's the difference?? Otherwise, dunno. Could there be more alcohol calories? I find that I lose more weight when DH is not around because it gives me that extra ability to really control what happens in the house.

ICUWishing - I'll send you the msg; can't wait to see the pics!

PresMaggie - at least the cat fur was at calf height. My cat loves to snuggle my bosom!! And boy does he shed!! Did I actually use the word bosom??? I didn't think I ever would have occasion to! Weird about the address sign being stolen... who would want that???

I thought it was time to update my avatar photo. My DS8 took this today. I'm at about the same weight as in the other picture, but I'm 2 years older now. My skin definitely looks like its aged... but the other photo was in better (outdoor) light, was a much further away shot, and was also slightly blurry. Excuses, excuses...

penguin - are we related? :lol: I wear the same combo of black pants and jewel colored tops, too. My favorite colors for tops are red, purple, hot pink, turquoise and emerald green.LOL, mine too! Well, with the exception of the hot pink that pretty much sums up my wardrobe! Weird that someone stole the street numbers and then returned them! :?:

Newleaf, great avatar photo!

I'm having a very snacky day. I always get snappy on the second Tues in my cycle, yesterday, I think this might be my ovulation day ??? but the next day I just want to eat and eat. Now I have a headache so I don't know whether to nap or take a walk with Leslie.

*Drive by!* Just wanna say hello and I hope everyone is having a good day! I just have a quick minute but wanted to poke my head in. I'll have to catch up on reading the thread later tonight. ;-)

Newleaf, Love the new avatar! Cute haircut!

Presmaggie, That's odd about your house number. Maybe somebody's mom made them return it! LOL!

Marie, I think the difference in the 2 months is that you are closer to goal. Your reply to my post made me chuckle. I'm thinking DH would be on the phone in a minute! LOL

Patchwork, I get snappy right before my period. Watch out!

ICU, I'd love to see the rest of your photos too! I'm sending you a PM!

Losermom, Solitaire while exercising! Next time I ride the exerbike i'm bringing my laptop!

swtgila, stop back when you have more time to visit!

Heidi - I LOVE the new photo! Wow! You looked great before - but WOW!!!

Patch - Yeah. All that with that b***ard TOM. Bring on menopause. Please.

OMW - all it takes is an email - I'll be glad to send you the link. :)

swtgila - drivebys are fine!

Patch - I have found the heavier I am the more boring my clothes are. It's funny as I have been finding clothes in the closet that fit I'm like hmmmm when and why did I buy this? Then I put it on and it's like wow... that looks pretty good. I too own more black pants than any one person needs and dog hair is ALWAYS an accessory. Even when I wash, pack, and travel I still have a piece of them with me.

Thanks for posting the link to body types. I too am an hourglass.

Marie - Tucker is one of four males, I'm just glad the others are not anti social. Tyra my only female and very fair alpha does not rule as consistently with other females; she can be a real b*tch so I try to keep fosters to males only unless they are VERY young.

Because Mack is my #1 enabler I always do much better when he is away.

OMW - We love our hot tub; however, it is a HUGE energy hog. It uses more electricity than the pool. We have ours in our sunroom and only keep if filled from Oct - March.

ICU - I have to laugh about your "barely competent in the kitchen" comment..... that's me!!! My problem is Mack doesn't like to cook either so we usually eat lots of chicken. At least twice a week I will cook up 4-6 chicken breast for salads, wraps, or stir fry. Sometimes I'm so lazy it just the cold chicken.

Heidi - Love the new avatar, I really like the hair. I'm seriously thinking I want to go shorter but every time I cut it I end up with hair envy.

Well I need to get in the shower, I've got a dentist appointment this morning. Anyone else HATE the dentist? I always feel like it's more about "sales" than preventative medicine. When did dentistry become "big business"?

Losermom, Solitaire while exercising! Next time I ride the exerbike i'm bringing my laptop!

I just had to share my old setup for the treadmill. I did this for several months before I started running.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e265/123BrindlePack/HookUp.jpg

NewLeaf, love the new avatar! Your hair is adorable!

CruiseCAT, your treadmill set-up cracks me up! Is that ebay on your screen? And the remotes and sprayer--you are all set!

My DH hardly ever leaves town so I can't comment on whether I do better with him home or away. TOM came to visit today. Which explains why I've been so tired the past week. I've been taking afternoon naps, which is unusual for me. It seems as I get older that TOM always sneaks up on me. I don't have the usual emotional cues that I used to have like I did in my 20s and 30s. I never was a cramper and my face might break out a little bit more than usual, but I usually am just more tired. Then bam, TOM comes along and whoosh! I usually drop 1-2 lbs overnight. TMI alert: I generally am in the bathroom 2-3 times during that first night. It's like my body releases alot of fluid.

Happy Thursday, everyone!
Nothing much going on here - toughing out TOM and re-discovering pistachios. Anybody ever lose a toenail? This is my first - and I cannot believe what an ITCHY process it is. I've got it taped down so that I don't unintentionally rip it off, but holy cow, I don't think I've ever had anything itch like this. LOL - what's really funny is that I have my first pedicure EVER scheduled on Saturday - for feet with two black toenails, and 2 heels that are big half-healed blisters (with all the funky thick itchy skin that that is). They're gonna earn their money, for sure!

ICU, last summer I tore one of my big toenails about halfway off. The nurse at my dr's office suggested super glue and it worked like a charm. Although it stung like a son of a gun when I applied it!

CCat - that treadmill pic is a hoot. I can't imagine being on my laptop and walking at the same time. I can barely use the TV clicker without having to slow down :p

On a personal note, I'm assuming TOM is our friendly monthly guest?
If so, he's visiting my house, too. ugh!
Maybe we are all synchronized online ... like if we were roomates?
Too funny.
I guess misery does love company.

Have a great day everyone! :carrot:

C
Maybe we are all synchronized online ... like if we were roomates?
Too funny.
I guess misery does love company.


Synchronized here, too LOL :dizzy:

ICU, There’s no doubt you can stay in the 150’s. Look at everything you’ve accomplished!!! You’re even looking for way to stay in shape for the rotten weather. That’s why you can do it. And I totally agree about wishing for menopause to knock on my door. And you’re going to make your pedicurist pass out with the sight of your feet. Bring smelling salts.

Presmaggie, how really strange someone would steal your address sign, and almost odder, is to return it. It’s good you got it back as it does cost $$$. Maybe it was your reward for going for your walk so it could be returned.

Newleaf, great new avatar. You look fabulous and you have a great smile. I wish my smile looked natural in photos. No alcohol calories for me. I just think it’s his aura. I’ll have to send DH back on his military assignment.

Penguin, the snacky monster is finding me today. The percentage of my non-nutritional calories is a little higher than I’d like today, but I’m guessing TOM will show up soon as that’s my body’s PMS. Right now, I’d choose the nap over Leslie. A nap sounds divine.

OMW, then tell your DH about the hot tub. Interesting thing about the DH slower metabolism aura is that the 2 pounds/month was more normal than 6 pounds. Perhaps I sleep sounder by myself and when DH is around I sleep raid my fridge…

Cruise, it’s funny that you have male dogs and I have a passion for female dogs. Kodiak is my one and only boy doggie. Never again would I get that “see, I can lift my leg so I am better than the rest of the species – heck better than all species”. I love my boy doggies to the ends of the earth but he’s very trying. And what theheck is your dentist trying to sell??? Mine tries to keep my costs down. And the laptop/treadmill pic is too funny. Smart as well.

LM, at least with TOM maybe you won’t be so tired. And enjoy the upcoming whoosh!

Alley, TOM is the monthly guest although I don’t think friendly is the correct description. Irritating, ill-timed, the list is endless. After reading the posts today, I was thinking we’re all roommates too. I should be seeing TOM in a day or two.
Marie

Alley - Tom just left me (TOM=Time of month) How funny that we do seem to be synchronizing.

Becky - I lost my first and only toe nail last summer. From the time of my "accident" to the time it fell off it took about three weeks. It took forever for it to grow back 6+ months. Was this from your boots? I just got a new pair for my trip to Alaska and I've been wearing them on the treadmill to help break them in. Hope to go hiking this weekend to get some "trail" time on them.

As for the dentist I don't even want to go there right now. I do have some work that needs to be done (crowns) but why do they always have to try to up-sell over what the insurance will cover.... GRRRR

Oh, I totally hear you on the dentist. I quit going to one who seemed to spend all his time trying to sell me teeth-whitening procedures and get me to sit for all sorts of x-rays. The x-rays were even covered by insurance but completely unnecessary; I felt like he wanted to do them just so he could bill for having done them.

And re: the hiking boots. Are you flying to the port where you get on the cruise ship? If so, are you planning to wear the hiking boots on the flight? That's what I did on my flight to Peru b/c the last thing I wanted was to get there and *not* have my hiking boots. Everything else is pretty much replaceable, but not the boots after you've broken them in...

losermom and Cindy - thanks for the toe info - I'm just keeping a piece of tape wrapped around it. It's a fascinating set of orange, purple and red colors. DH thinks there's a chance it might turn around. Marie - no kidding! I am gonna get some strange looks for sure! Wonder if there's any point in painting a toenail like that? Yes, I was not hiking in regulation hiking boots - the sole was too flexible and with the ground being so uneven, I was constantly smushed up into the toe. Live 'n' learn!

Marie, thanks for the kind words re staying "normal". I've learned a lot in the last six months and I'm sure I can do this. :)

Interesting book - "The Divine Matrix" by Gregg Braden. The TOM thing actually kinda fits. Problem is, once I read that book, I started seeing connections to everything!

Count me in on TOM synchro! Too weird!

I absolutely hate the dentist. I would rather eat rocks! Mine is pretty nice but I'm sure my chart reads "major wimp". I opted to pay extra for the nitrous when I had my last crown. Well worth it in my opinion. I would have let them drill all day if they wanted!

ICU, enjoy your pedicure. I started going regularly a few years ago. It's one of those nice things I do for myself! A good pedicure can last me about 4 weeks! My heels used to look awful and I hated wearing sandals but not anymore! When my sisters come this weekend we'll go together to get our toes done. It's a tradition when they visit me!

Cruise, love that treadmill! LOL!

Have a great evening everyone!

Whoa - I missed a ton in a day! Had a great hike with my sis and my niece yesterday.

Newleaf - love the avatar and the new hairdo!

Presmaggie - too weird on the sign disappearance and reappearance - I'm sure there's a good story in there somewhere but you're probably never know where it's been all this time : )

Cruise - loved the treadmill pic - too funny!

ICU - sorry your toe's having such a hard time. You're probably going to think I'm nuts for saying this, and do whatever you're comfortable with, but everything I've read suggests that it's best to avoid pedicures when you have wounds (blisters, scratches, etc) that are still healing. Gross out alert: There's a really mean (and gross) kind of flesh eating bacteria that can infect you when you have an open sore and it hides out in those whirlpool foot bath chairs. I LOOOVE pedicures and get them regularly but since I read about this icky infection stuff I've been super careful to only go when my skin is whole and blisters are all healed. I'm not a germaphobe at all, I swear - I just don't want to have to have a toe or leg amputation because I had my toes polished on the wrong day. If you do decide to get the pedicure, see if you can get them to use a still container of water, like a big bucket if that makes sense, instead of one connected to a whirlpool gismo as the inability to clean out the whirlpool gismo is apparently the problem with that bacteria stuff. Sorry to come across so alarmist - I'd just like you to continue enjoying going on future hikes with all of your toesies : )

Apologies to anyone I missed in my rushed catch-up - will come back and chat more tomorrow...

Thanks for the heads-up, dancer - I will call ahead tomorrow and see what they have to say. I'm a long way from a germophobe too - (my house doesn't have a 5-second rule - it's more like "is it physically possible to separate whatever it is from the floor?"), but you're absolutely right about the broken skin!

Whew! I'm so glad yall approve of drive bys! LOL And no TOM for me now for quite a few years. I did the menopause thing really early for some reason. Lucky me huh? I am 47 and I think I was post-menopausel (sp?) by around 44. I haven't missed TOM one bit. Prempro takes care of all the nasty side effects (hot flashes, night sweats). Ok, off to beddie bye. Hope to chat more in the am. Nite nite :-)

oh and the treadmill pic is great! I have been trying to figure out how to position a laptop on mine. Very clever!

Good Morning everyone.
I lost 1, yes that's 1 pound!
very happy here.

Cruise, I’d seriously consider changing dentists if they tried to sell me things. I guess I’m lucky my dentist hates the idea of retiring – he’s of the old school and never pushes the unnecessary on me.

Newleaf, Great idea on the hiking boots for travel. I think I’ll do that. I’m bringing mine to Iowa in a week and I’d hate to have forgotten them.

ICU, I’m pretty sure we’ve all learned a lot through this journey. I know you can do this as well. You discovered a passion for hiking and I bet you won’t give it up. That means staying on track. I heard a great quote on my audiobook this morning as I was finishing the doggie walk. “If you stay on track, then you’ll cross the finish line.” This from a romance type book. :D I really liked that and that’s gonna be my motto.

OMW, nitrous is quite nice at the dentist. I suppose they need a way to lure people into their chairs of torture.

Dancer, great words of advice for ICU. Sounds like you had fun with your sister. I plan to hike lots with my sister in Iowa. I love the outdoors and you live in one of the most glorious outdoors. BTW, I have a 2 hour layover on my way home on the 8th. If you live near DIA, I’d love to meet you for coffee.:coffee:

Debbie, I am so envious of your menopause.:p

Alley, way to go getting rid of another pound. Great job!:carrot:

Time to work. I was doing a pesky data verification and gave myself a break to 3FC when I was 2/3 through. Now the last 1/3.
Marie

Alley - congrats on the pound!

Marie - I love the idea of meeting up - what time on the 8th is your layover? I use 3fc as a work break too - too funny how we have to motivate ourselves!

Am now at the 20lbs lost mark. Hope the next 20 or so are soon to follow!

dancer - congratulations on 20 lbs gone!!:carrot:

Cruise - I'm sure that a laptop would make that otherwise rather monotonous cardio time much more interesting. I wish we had a place in this house for a treadmill - we had to give our away when we moved here.

AlleyTD - 1 pound down is 1 pound that you won't have to see again.:wave:

swtgila - wow, that is early for menopause. If my family history is anything to go by, I have another 10 years of perimenopause. I think I'd rather have it over with, but my body has other ideas.

ICU - that sounds painful.:hug:

newleaf - love your new avatar! You look great.

losermom - I have heard that superglue works really well on skin, but I hadn't thought of a toenail. It sounds like a good thing to know.

So, yesterday I realized that going totally grain free is not realistic for me. I was gluten free for a few years until I had testing for celiac disease that came out negative. Now I've been doing some reading on the internet that sometimes people get false negatives on the celiac tests and that the back pain that I have been experiencing sounds like a common symptom for people with celiac disease. Hmmm. Next, I'll try gluten free again and see how that goes. I always seem to have to be experimenting with my diet.

Goodbye, everyone. We're headed for our vacation in Virginia tomorrow morning (I've been scarce, trying to pull everything together). I'll be back in a week.

Have a safe trip Heidi. If you get a chance hike up Old Rag.

http://www.localhikes.com/HikeData.asp?DispType=0&ActiveHike=7&GetHikesStateID=1&ID=4163

I didn't realize it was that long nor did I think when we would do it that it was "strenuous"; guess 20 years will do that to you.

Mack and I are off to one of our local parks. Decided to do some light trail walking with the new boots. Will do "real" hiking next weekend.

The weather here has turned humid (double digits is considered humid in the desert) and I am miserable. I hate being sticky all day. After we get back we'll hang at the pool. Unfortunately once the humidity hits 20% the swamp cooler is nothing more than a fan. Might even have to go to the movies or mall to escape.

Aw Cruise, you're like me in the desert. I hate humidity. We don't have AC as it's usually not necessary. Enjoy the movie as it's probably the best escape. I'm guessing you're starting to feel like yourself again after the surgery - enjoy your walk.

Newleaf, enjoy your vacation and I hope your back holds out!

Presmaggie, it would be great if you discovered the source of your back pain. Even if it's going to a gluten-free life, it's worth it.

DH and I went over the mountain again and I pillaged the produce at Costco. DH hauled it in from the Jeep and muttered, "Here, more fruit." Clearly as the fruit was piled everywhere I went overboard. But wow, the cherries and blueberries taste incredible. I'll get to the mangos, pinepples, peaches and tomatoes later. BTW, I'm the only one that eats the stuff. DH is not a fruit. :o But I could live life as a fruitatarian. This is my FAVORITE time of the year!!!!
Marie

Happy Sunday friends!

Busy around here this weekend. Family here from out of town! I love having company!

Had DD to Dr. yesterday for swimmer's ear. She also had a skin infection around the back of the ear. Can't believe she didn't say something sooner. It looked awful. No pool for a week. On the way home she asked me if she could start shaving her legs! She's 11. When I told her she would have to be prepared to do that for the rest of her life, she replied "I'm ready to let the rest of my life begin." What a great attitude! I told her as soon as our company is gone we will get her what she needs. My baby is growing up!

Congrats to those of you that lost some more. I'm holding steady but really trying to make good choices. I'm not worrying about it, I have less than 3 weeks til I'm back to school.

newleaf - hope you have great weather on your vacation!

Cruise - even though I live on the coast, it's not usually as humid as it is today. We even had a thunderstorm last night which is really unusual. I don't like the really high humidity, either.

Marie - I love the fruit this time of year, too. It's been a great eye opener to see how few carbs are in the berries I love, so it's fine to indulge.:D

Onmyway - our younger son had swimmer's ear earlier this year and it was tough. I hope your dd is feeling better, soon.:hug: Have you heard of the drops that you can put in their ears after they swim? We've been putting them in our son's ears and he hasn't had a repeat of the infection. It's just a few drops after they swim and it helps to dry out the ear.

I'm feeling so much better gluten free that I guess I'll have to keep doing this for the rest of my life. It's a small price to pay for feeling better. It's also supposed to help with weight loss. We'll see.

Presmaggie, try linking in your mind the gluten-free with the diet as a whole - small price to feel healthy. If eating less makes us feel better and you not eating gluten in addition makes you better, then it is a great deal. I'm allergic to peanuts and a co-worker had me pick up a 3# bag of Peanut M&M's at Costco yesterday. Peanut M&Ms, I just love them. Really love them but my throat closes with peanuts. I haven't had the bag o' yellow nirvana in 15 years. But they sat on my kitchen table just taunting me. I resisted because it was like you said, small price to pay to feel right. BTW, he lives in town so I carted them to his house after biking and they're no longer tempting me. :D

OMW, I hope your daughter feels better quickly. No pool for a week sounds torturous for both you and her. Without a doubt, our babies do grow up quick. Eeks on shaving - I hate it and gave it up a year ago. I bought an Epil Epilator and loved it. It died this past week and I bought an Enjoi one instead. One would think ripping the hairs out would be painful but to me it's so much better than shaving. No cuts, burns, ingrown hairs. But I don't recommend it for your 11 yo. :D

Life is just great. I'm outside, sitting under my new paito umbrella, surfing the net, sipping on Crystal Light lemonade and enjoying the heat. Truly, there are days that are unbeatable.
Marie

What a GREAT weekend. Mack and I went to the park on Saturday and did the 1.5 mile walk around the lake twice. Then we hiked in the mountains on Sunday. My new boots are breaking in nicely and I think will be ready for my trip to Alaska. Mack was laughing at me, one because my new boots match my new winter coat (didn't plan that) and two that I was kicking up the dirt so they wouldn't look new.

Monday mornings are always so difficult when Mack returns to work, especially after his flex Friday three day weekend. I can't wait for him to retire so we are together 24/7. Only 7 years, 7 months, and 7 days.

Well I was down 1.2 lbs. yesterday morning but only .8 this morning for my official WI.

I'm off to workout and will also do bowflex for the first time in three weeks. Decided I would lower my weights by 5 lbs. just to make sure it's "tolerated". Then I need to clean house so I'm sure I'll be checking in from time to time to catch a break.

I have been sooooo out of the loop. Been a busy few weeks but now I think I am back on track and back to life as normal...depending on how you think life is normal. Hope everyone is doing well.

Morning, ladies! I was MIA from the board this weekend but was having a great time, first with a few girlfriends and their super-active 4 yr olds who came over for dinner Friday night. Then the rest of the weekend with my bf - we didn't do anything that special (house projects, dinner out Sat night, hike Sunday morning, dvd last night) but it was just one of those weekends were you feel super lucky to be so happy. A very nice feeling! I head out to Boston for the week this afternoon - am hoping to stay on plan as I was a bit wobbly last week and ate a bit more than I have been lately. I guess I needed a little break.

Presmaggie - Glad to hear the gluten free thing is working for you! My best friend from high school found her health changed radically for the better when she started avoiding gluten. Don't know if there's a pf chang's near you but they have a great gluten free menu in case you didn't know. We always meet up there for lunch.

Cruise - glad to hear you felt well enough for a light hike - that's great!

Marie - love the fruitatarian comment! I'm much more that way than my bf and when I buy those huge things of fruit at costco, he thinks i'm nuts. Wish the quantities were a bit smaller but can't beat the prices.

Newleaf - have a great vacation!

OMW - hope your daughter's feeling better!

Cruise, LOL at the scuffing up the boots. I can see doing that myself. Sounds like you’re recovering nicely.

Jacque, welcome back! What is normal???? :?:


Dancer, sounds like you and bf had a nice weekend. I like those types – a few projects, relaxing, activities. It sounds perfect. I hope you have a good trip. Enjoy Boston.

Things are good in my life. It’s hot out so I’m not cold. I really like that. One exception is the elliptical after work in the hot house. That makes it work not fun. The dunk in the pool afterward is always nice. I made a huge mistake at work and it’s got me bummed out. :( As I’ve apologized to the supt for the numbers error and she was great about it, I’ve got to let it go but it’s hard, you know. I hate making boo-boos. A good side note on that, I didn’t reach for food to comfort. I exercised yesterday instead. There’s progress.

I don’t know if you all read the NSV thread, but I’m going to post here what I posted on Sunday. It was pretty cool. DH and I went biking and for years I’ve loved/hated biking. I love it as fun, hated it because my butt hurt so much every time. I’d tried two different ergonomically correct saddles and nothing helped. Well Sunday it was a love biking, and only love biking day. My butt didn’t hurt at all after 12 miles. I could have kept going. Why??? Apparently having 57 less pounds sitting on my butt makes a BIG difference. Ah Marie, well duh!!! :dizzy: So the hate part is gone for good. It was so much fun. :D

Marie

Oooh, I'm behind again!
CAT - sounds like you're doing well post-surgery ... and back on the move. I just want to do a hike where I can look around and not have to concentrate on every single step!
Marie - you sound like a super-perfectionist at work (me too!). I can totally relate! So glad to hear you've recovered your love affair with your bike - I loved that post!
dancer - yup, those weekends are the best. I vowed to work more on Gratitude this year and your post reminded me to be glad for a) a very good job b) good (and improving) health c) a stable marriage d) a healthy, silly kid e) a strong roof over my head and f) a flourishing garden full of good stuff. There's lots more, but those are the biggies. :) Oh ... and g) a fantastic forum called 3FC jammed chock full of some of the most fascinating and supportive people I've ever known!
Jacque- Welcome Back! How's life "after goal?" Sounds busy!
pres - glad you've found a WOE that fits and feels good. Gluten's huge, but so is feeling great. I have a gf that was having horrible health problems - they were tossing out diagnoses of lupus, MS, etc ... she quit gluten and the symptoms cleared up in DAYS. Despite negative tests for celiac! It is what it is - you're lucky to have dialed in a culprit!
OMW - my son's not dealt with infections, but we've done battle with a sticky eczema behind his ear for a few years - it comes and goes. We use Elidel on it and it goes away for months. You'd think chlorine would kill EVERYTHING!

Gotta run, meeting - back in a bit!

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Jacque, welcome back! What is normal???? :?:

Ya know, I have no idea but I guess for right now, it would be not having my daughter sleep in my bed (my mom has been in her bed) or have my son sleep in the basement (my aunt is sleeping in his bed)....sort of sounds like Goldilocks story....Anywho...can't wait to have my house back to me....even the dog has been freaked out since she has had to sleep on the floor...or her bed that I bought from Costco...and she hasn't been happy about that for 7 of the last 9 weeks!!!



Jacque- Welcome Back! How's life "after goal?" Sounds busy!
Thanks for asking....I feel great although, I have been a little off track the last 2 weeks, I have been on for the last 2 days no problem. Hoping that I lose the almost 2 lbs left over from my vacay to CA but I gotta say, I'm still fitting in the size 6 shorts...AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!!!:carrot:

Quick check-in from Boston - I walked on the treadmill for an hour since I didn't want to stop reading my book - the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Very sweet and touching if you haven't read it. Hope everyone's doing well.... I keep getting lost in this crazy place even though I have a garmin. What I would do without it I'm not exactly sure : )

Morning ladies. Sounds like you all are doing well. The last couple days have been great for me regarding my eating and exercise. My big focus right now is "routine". No matter how much I don't want to workout or drink my water I am making myself.

Jacque - Good to see you here again, we've missed you.

Marie - Just don't lose too much or you'll end up with a boney butt that doesn't feel great in a bicycle seat.

Becky - I love your gratitude list. One of my favorite quotes is "gratitude is wanting what you have not having what you want".

Dancer - Good for you for working out while you are in Boston. I really have a difficult time when I travel sticking to my routine. That was the beginning of my slide back in May. Exercise has been very sporadic for me ever since. With vacation coming up I really want to be back to a regular schedule. Should be much easier 1) it's only a week and 2) I'll have access to a full gym.

I keep thinking that things can go back to normal but I have come to the conclusion that it requires some action on my part to MAKE things normal! I haven't been watching what I eat, exercising, or doing much of anything. Hubby and I spent practically the whole weekend shopping! But today I NEED to clean house, do some laundry, and get back in the swing of things!

I had an eye Dr appointment yesterday, and everything is fine in there! Dr R approved the next surgery for Dr P! Aug 17th it is. I'm getting a little double vision and mentioned that to Dr R, he said it could straigten itself out OR I could have surgery on the muscles of my eye to FIX that. EWWWWW! PFFFT!

Hubby went to the DR yesterday for his back, its been bothering him again. They gave him muscle relaxers and a NSAID. Haven't heard from him today to see how he's feeling since this morning.

I'm still reading Julia and Julie, but its not a 'happy' book I'm almost halfway through and there's barely been any mention of Julia. Most of the book is Julie, her crazy life, and trying to do the recipes, with brief mentions of Julia's life and experiences. I don't like Julie very much, but maybe there's a point in the book where she turnes into a 'nicer' person, :?:; transformed into a person who has Julia's outlook. I checked out Julia's autobiography "My Life in France" and am trading off between the two books, but I like My Life better.

Marie, Congrats on your NSV!

CruiseCat, Hope you have a good workout! Congrats on feeling so much better so soon.

Jacque, Glad to have you back! I guess normal for me is something in the house is cleaned on a regular basis. Dishes, clothes, floors!

Dancer, Glad to hear from you in Boston!

Maggie, Glad you found the gluten, and are feeling better. As you said a small price to pay for feeling better!

OMW, Eeeek, on the legs shaving at 11! My advise, Safety razor! I use a Silk Effects {not sure they make them anymore} but its got wire wrapped around the blades so I have to work hard to cut myself! I saw a commerical for a new razor that also had the wire and bulit in soap!

Dryer buzzed! My call into action!

Hi chicks!

My company has gone home and we have our house back to ourselves, for a few days anyway!

DH leaves for his fishing trip on Friday and a good friend is coming for the weekend. My summer vacation is quickly coming to an end. I'm back to work on the 12th. I have had such a good summer and I attribute alot of that to being thinner. I feel so much happier with myself and have done things I wouldn't have done before. As Marie said in an earlier post, Life is good!

Hi chicks!

My company has gone home and we have our house back to ourselves, for a few days anyway!

I know EXACTLY how you feel. My mom just left after being here for 7 of the last 9 weeks. And my aunt left after being here for only 5 days. The kids are at their dad's till Sunday night....so needless to say, I am in HEAVEN.

Marie - thanks for the support. I have done gluten free before and, now that I think of it, I did lose some weight at the time (of course, I gained that back plus more, afterwards). I guess this is a good reminder that medical testing is not always right. It was through the power of other people's experiences as described on the internet that made me reevaluate the gluten.

Cruise - Do you stop in Victoria on your way to or from Alaska? That's where I live and I know that some of the cruise lines stop here. It might be fun to meet for coffee, if you're open to that.

Dancer - we don't have pf chang's here, but I've found a website with some other restaurant listings. It's good to hear that other people live well gluten free. It sounds like Boston is an interesting place. Have you been to any famous landmarks?

ICU - re: gratitude. My dh's coworker lost his 15 year old son in a diving accident yesterday.:cry: It really brought home to me that I need to spend more time being grateful for what I have. It sure puts life into perspective when something like this happens.

Onmyway - so glad to hear you had a great summer and being thinner felt so good. That helps to spur me on to action.

Jacque - guests are great and it's nice to have the house back when they are gone. Take some time and enjoy the silence!

Patchworkpenguin - it's too bad the book doesn't have much about Julia. It sounds like she had a really interesting life.

I went back to my gym yesterday after an absence of many months. It felt really good. They have a personal trainer special, so I signed up for a few sessions to get me on the right track and to focus on my "areas of concern".;) On Friday, I'll be getting an assessment of where I am wrt fitness, etc. I'm glad I've already lost a few pounds, so it won't be as bad as it would have been 17 pounds ago.

Tomorrow, I'm writing my first midterm exam in many, many years. Should be interesting.

ICU, I totally agree with your whole list of things to be thankful for. I wish I wasn’t a perfectionist at work but since I’m valued, I guess it’s worth it, even if I beat myself up over a mistake.

Jacque, wholly-smokes. 9 weeks of out of town visitors. You are a saint. :angel: I could not do that. And it’s so cool you’re maintaining in spite of it.

Cruise, I think it’s a long shot of me ever having a bony butt. :D I can see wear that would hurt. On the routine idea. Many years ago I did the a different part of 3FC that the member blogs seemed to have replaced. There was a lady from SF that had reached goal and had maintained for years. She gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten for exercise. I needed to be a morning exerciser (for dogs/heat reasons) and I could not get my butt (the non-bony one) out of bed. I think I had written, “It’s not fun.” She wrote back and said something like, “Marie, no one ever said it would be fun. It’s necessary.” That was about 3.5 years ago. I now love morning exercise but some days I have to hear her words again to get up. It really helped in that push because I could accept it wasn’t fun but necessary. Maybe it is/was a mind game but it worked tremendously for me.

Penguin, doesn’t it stink when a book disappoints??? I nearly always finish it and regret that occasionally. When I used to read a book, I whip the book across the room when I finished. Now that I do audiobooks, whipping my ipod across the room is not going to happen. But deleting it from itunes with pleasure clicking the delete button helps.:o

OMW, congrats on the thinner summer. Isn’t it amazing how much better we feel. I’m sorry you’ll have to return to work soon. I really miss my 200 day contract. When they pushed year round on me, it was not accepted easily by me. I really, really miss taking a chunk of summer off. So I'm terribly envious of you. :p


Presmaggie, sending warm thoughts to you and your dh’s coworker. That’s so awful. Our Alaskan cruise stopped in Victoria and you live in an incredible place. The flowers were unreal. The horses. Oh, it was special. Good luck on you midterm.

Things are good here. I leave on my vacation on Saturday and I just saw United rerouted my travel to the Midwest and now I have to go through SF. And they gave me a whopping 30 minute layover. Any of you that have heard of San Francisco know it’s famous for fog ;). I’ve traveled through there 2X this year and both times missed connections due to fog. So I’ve checked the flight status all week and every day it has been 90+ minutes late. I believe my Saturday travel is doomed. BTW, I hate SFO and deliberately chose to travel through Portland. I don’t think United should be able to change my ticket like that. Other than the travel thoughts, everything is going great.
Marie

Marie, I'm just sad that I wasted the money on this book, but its picking up a little, I won't recommend it to anyone though. The movie has got to be better in this case!

Marie - I had a similar unauthorized rerouting with NWA for my VT trip a while back. I had booked crazy far in advance and they complete changed the route so it took several more stops (!!!!) and a whole day each way. I called and insisted they cancel the ticket without any penalties since it's not what I signed up for and they did, no problem, and I rebooked elsewhere. That only works of course if you have a decent alternative as far as buying a new ticket. Have you checked current fares by chance? Just a thought.

Am totally sleepless even though it's after midnight on the east coast - I used to be so good at adjusting but not so much anymore : ( Oh well, probably one of the less significant downsides to aging.

penguin - I enjoyed 'the sharper your knife, the less you cry' - a book about a young woman who takes time off from a corporate job and decides to go through the cordon bleu cooking school in Paris. She sounds a bit more likeable than Julie in the one you're reading - may be worth checking the library for if you aren't totally sick of cooking-related books already.

uh oh - we forgot to start the new week. :) New habits ... lol! August is only 2 days away. It's great to see so much traffic on our chat thread - every morning I come here and get my dose of funky spirit for the day.

Watched Christopher Titus's stand-up comedy video "Love is Evol" last night and laughed til it hurt. It's definitely adults-only - far from the most graphic or profane, but the analysis he does on relationships is priceless! Thing to remember - you don't get rebates on the number of years you spend with somebody who makes you miserable. Those years are just GONE ... kinda like the ones we've all spent wishing we'd done something about our weight?

dancer - post a couple pictures of Boston if you have some. I remember discovering my very first "roundabout" there - good thing it was 3am and I had it to myself so I could figure what the heck was going on. :)

Cindy - you're going to LOVE Alaska! There's just no way that pictures can capture it. It was as close to a religious experience as I've ever had. And if you're going inland and you love salmon ... there's a place in Denali called the Salmon Bake restaurant that is a MUST. What stops will you be making?

presmaggie - Best wishes on the midterm, and with the trainer. Always good to get a refresher on weight training - form is SO critical!

patch - great to hear that the fixes for your eyes are going well and continuing on. Sight is ... priceless!

OMW - totally agree with you about the summer being better as a thinner person. My gawd, why didn't I do this soooooonnnnnerrrrr???? Because I wasn't ready, I guess. :D

Jacque - agree - you ARE incredible for being able to host visitors in your home for such a long period! Treat yourself to some extra special (non-food) indulgences - if anybody ever deserved a full-body massage, it's you!

Marie - dancer's right - it's worth a try to fix that layover. SFO is most definitely a trap - delay is as certain there as it is with the Saltillo morning flights (way too much experience with that one). I cannot fathom why they even TRY to launch planes out of there in the morning - do they think Mother Nature is going to change??? grrrrr.

Cruise - Do you stop in Victoria on your way to or from Alaska? That's where I live and I know that some of the cruise lines stop here. It might be fun to meet for coffee, if you're open to that.

A stop in Victoria would be way cool but unfortunately the cruise ends in Vancouver with no other stops in Canada.

I went back to my gym yesterday after an absence of many months. It felt really good. They have a trainer special, so I signed up for a few sessions to get me on the right track and to focus on my "areas of concern".;) On Friday, I'll be getting an assessment of where I am wrt fitness, etc. I'm glad I've already lost a few pounds, so it won't be as bad as it would have been 17 pounds ago.

Good for you!!! I would love to work with a trainer. Would love to hear about your experience.

Tomorrow, I'm writing my first midterm exam in many, many years. Should be interesting.

Good luck. I can't imagine going back to school after all these years. I'm sure you will do GREAT.


I think I had written, “It’s not fun.” She wrote back and said something like, “Marie, no one ever said it would be fun. It’s necessary.”

[COLOR="navy"]Sounds very similar to the quote in my signature.

Am totally sleepless even though it's after midnight on the east coast - I used to be so good at adjusting but not so much anymore : ( Oh well, probably one of the less significant downsides to aging.

I too am finding the older I get the less sleep I need. Not too long ago I NEEDED 8 hours and then in the last 6 months or so it's been more like 6.5 - 7...... hmmmm do you think weight loss has something to do with that??

I'm getting really excited about my trip, I've even started making piles :o. I usually wait until just a couple days before but with needing to take warmer clothes it's not like I'll be needing them in the next couple weeks.

I'm moving a little slow this morning and really need to get the dogs out and then get on the treadmill. Hope you all have a good day.

Becky - I really wish I had booked my air in to Anchorage a couple days early so I could enjoy Alaska a little more. Oh well, live and learn. I leave out of Anchorage on the 12th cruise the Prince William Sound and College Fjord on Thursday. Friday we are in Sitka, Saturday in Juneau, Sunday in Skagway, and Monday in Ketchikan. On Tuesday we will cruise the inside passage before getting into Vancouver on Wednesday.

Juneau. Mendenhall. Just mindboggling!!! And if you enjoy beer - don't miss The Alaskan Brewing Company. They're generous with samples. :D

This might not seem possible right now, but by the end of the trip, you will be saying, "oh geez, not ANOTHER bald eagle." ROFL!!!!

Funny scale story~ Mon morning I got up before Hubby, staggered to the bathroom and weighed myself. Mr. Scale told me that I had lost 10lbs SINCE SUNDAY! Okay. So I hopped on it again, same results. I went and woke up Hubby and asked him to read Mr. Scale. He read the same thing. He shoved me off and weighed himself with the same 10lb weightloss. We finally moved the scale and found a cherry pit stuck under the scale. I've been walking around the house with handfulls of cherries and aiming the pits at whatever trashcan I've been closest too. I guess I missed. But the pit was just big enough for us to lose 10 lbs.

Dancer, thanks for the book recommendation!:D

Too funny about the cherry pit!

Let's see, 2 cherry pits under my scale and I'm at goal! I like that! LOL

Jacque - guests are great and it's nice to have the house back when they are gone. Take some time and enjoy the silence!

Last night was going to be the first night I would have been alone so my BF said he wouldn't come over. After I had a few hours to myself in the afternoon, I called him and told him to come over...I was lonely :D We grilled burgers and corn and hung out on my deck for hours and enjoyed each others company. This weekend should be pretty mellow too.


Jacque, wholly-smokes. 9 weeks of out of town visitors. You are a saint. :angel: I could not do that. And it’s so cool you’re maintaining in spite of it.


It really was only my mom and her dog (my sister) for 2 weeks then she left for 2 weeks and then came back for 5. Then my aunt was here for 5 days. My mom rents a car and pretty much does her own thing since she has friends here. But thanks for calling me a saint. Now in 2 weeks I get to go visit them in FL for my mom's surgery...will only be there for 4 days and then will go back in Sept for a few days after she gets out of rehab for her knees.

Becky - I really wish I had booked my air in to Anchorage a couple days early so I could enjoy Alaska a little more. Oh well, live and learn. I leave out of Anchorage on the 12th cruise the Prince William Sound and College Fjord on Thursday. Friday we are in Sitka, Saturday in Juneau, Sunday in Skagway, and Monday in Ketchikan. On Tuesday we will cruise the inside passage before getting into Vancouver on Wednesday.
We did a cruise in Alaska leaving from Seattle a few years ago....IT WAS THE BEST FUN!!! And absolutely beautiful too....Have a great time. I would have liked to do the inside passage, but maybe next time :)

patch - that's funny about the cherry pits. But I can relate about the perfect season for 'em - I can't stay out of them either!

Penguin, if the book is boring, my guess is that movie would be too. I’m not a movie fan so I’m a bit biased. I truly loved the cherry pit story. I’m very impressed you investigated so much. I think I’d have like to take the loss and enjoy it. But then eventually the pit would move and I’d be in the pits of despair.:o

Dancer, I really thought about screaming at them (United) but out of my little town, there’s Portland and SFO as flights. Portland has very few flights and there wasn’t much of a layover before the Denver flight. And if I didn’t make that one I’d have been stuck. I checked United flights and they have a SFO to O’hare flight every hour and I have about two hours in Chicago. So I decided to take my chances. I know I won’t make the SFO to O’Hare flight as the weather isn’t to change and every day this week the flight It is already an hour late this morning.

ICU, is the Titus’s stand-up on DVD. I really thinking laughing till it hurts sounds great. I totally believe the idea of those years are just gone. I wish I’d been smarter a lot earlier.

Cruise, it sounds like you’re going to have great stops. Bring lots of warm clothes. It’s a chilly cruise even in August.

Jacque, having bf over for a mellow evening is comfortable and relaxing. I never find having out of town visitors relaxing. I can see why you had him over. Lonely is no fun!

So I'm taking a poll on what you all would do. I have/had a memo of understanding with my employer for the last 3 years for a significant bump in pay as I was so underpaid I was in the process of quitting. The raises were there with one big disagreement about the third year (last) and longevity. They went with the "intent" not what was written in black and white and signed. Now I just received the first paycheck of the new year and my longevity is still not there. Because the document is legally binding and it clearly doesn't state the intent they're calculating my pay on, would any of you pursue it legally? It's about $2200 per year that they're not paying me. It would be pretty much open and shut in my favor but then there's the black cloud over my head the rest of my tenure here if I stay. So... what do you all think you'd do? BTW, I haven't eaten a thing in emotional eating since finding this out. A NSV if I've ever had one. :D
Marie

I couldn't sleep and I slept late today to 'make up' for it. I'm painting today; I have my Gma's table {really nice one from Ethan Allen but very 70's} and several years ago we bought a set of 'have to be put together' chairs to go with it. Hubby put them together but only stained two, we didn't like how it looked and gave up. The table has a lovely oak wood top but the base/legs are beige with gold fleck and accents {eek!}. So, I've been thinking that we could Kilz over the stain on the chairs, and paint the table base and the chairs so it would look more like a set, and maybe actually finsihed! I've got one of the chairs upside down and am testing the Kilz on the bottom of the seat, and on one of the table legs. Good news I don't have to make a decision about the paint color {which is why I'm doing this project and not the walls of the kitchen.} The chairs will be painted a creamy beige called Tusk Tusk, {I didn't name it} My mom picked this color out for the trim in her house, I liked it so that was easy.

When we bought the house in 03 I wanted a Traditonal look with greens and reds, now I want to change to a more Tuscany look and colors but feel that if I only change a few things at a time Its going to look really weird. And I'm not very decisive.

I've decided I HAVE/WILL workout today! I think that's part of why I can't sleep, so I pulled out a DVD and have it out on the couch so I will remember to do it.

I knew I hadn't lost 10lbs overnight but it was a thrill to see the scale that low!

Marie, Tough situaltion to be in. Is there someone that you can bring the agreement to and point out that they aren't holding up their end of the bargin??? Then again you've probably done this already.

I decided to go ahead and workout 1) to get it over with and actually DO it, 2) so I can fill up the living room with painted chairs! The test subject seems to be fine, paint adhering well. Hubby used a tinted oil to stain the chairs and I was worried that even Kilz would stick over that and we would have a big mess. I ventured out into the dreaded garage and found a paint tray and a small paint roller to hopeully make this go faster.

Workout was Firm: Ulitmate Fat Burning ~45min, prehaps a little adventerous since this is my first workout for a while; I sagged a little at the end, and to save energy I didn't do all the steps as shown but I did finish the workout {okay, I didn't do the pushups either} F:UFB is one of those workouts that I pull out when I don't want to workout.

Marie, even though I'm a hugely nonconfrontational type, you have a written contract. It might be enough to "gently remind" them that this is indeed a contract, and that you really hope that they will honor it WITHOUT OUTSIDE HELP. Written and signed is a statement of fact - CEOs and athletes and consultants and union members all have the understanding that what is written, is as good as law. I don't believe this to be a black cloud at all - you might run up against a petty little crybaby, but a promise is a promise. And a contract is even better than that.

Marie - I'm sorry about what's happening at work. :hug: I'm glad you liked Victoria! We've been here 5 years and we do like the moderate climate. Well, except for the last week when it's been so unbelievably hot. Finally, it's cooling off today. Several days with 90+ degrees, high humidity and no AC (it's not usually necessary) is pretty hard to take.:cool:

CruiseCAT - too bad you'll be passing us by! We did the cruise from Vancouver years ago and we loved it, too. Hope you have a fun one!

ICUwishing - I hope I get a good trainer. After my evaluation today, they will decide who best fits what I want. Basically, I don't like having someone stand over me and yell; instead I like them to take me through a program that I can follow on my own.

Jacque - hope you enjoy your quiet weekend.

Patchwork - guess I'll have to find some cherry pits for my scale, too.;)

dancer - I have that problem with jet lag, too. Some people find melatonin helpful, but it just makes me jittery.

I wrote my first midterm in many years, yesterday. I'm not sure when I'll get my mark, but I think I did ok.

Jacque - hope you enjoy your quiet weekend.

So much for that....it is already starting to get noisy...and busy....oh well...

Marie - I have to agree that a contract is a contract and I would hope they would not put you in the position to seek legal resolution.

patch - Good for you for getting that workout in. I got on the treadmill this morning and couldn't (NO WOULDN'T) finish the hour. I got about 38 minutes in had to pee and never got back on.

pres - I'm sure you aced that mid-term.

Mack and I are hiking with a group tomorrow and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. I’m all for saving the earth and doing my part but I am NO “tree hugger” and I know several of the people in the group are radicals. It will be interesting to see if I can not get caught up in the personalities and enjoy the hike.

Howdy all - I'm happy to be back in Denver again and am looking forward to some good hiking on Sunday with friends.

Marie - have you talked to your HR group at all? That would probably be my first step if your direct supervisor isn't helping. I'd keep legal recourse as a last resort as that can potentially make it tricky to get hired elsewhere if you ever switch jobs. So sorry you're in this nasty situation though!

Penguin - great job on the workout!

Am heading out for a run with my jazzy new new knee brace/strap doodad which seems to help. Happy Friday!

Hi friends!

Chaotic here, houseguests coming and going. DH left today for Minnesota fishing trip, Work friends here for lunch, then to the airport tonight to pick up my girlfriend who will be here til Monday. No big plans for the weekend, just catching up and chatting.

Trying to get back into the right mindset. I have been super committed to exercising but with so much company my eating has been all over the place. With DH gone this week, there is less pressure on me to cook so I can prepare things that work for me, we'll see!

Marie, you are in a tough situation. I would also suggest going to HR if possible. Let us know how things go.

Dancer, glad to hear the brace is working for you.

Cruise, enjoy your hike, hope the tree huggers are too far out there!

Presmaggie, glad to hear you finished your first midterm. Hope you get an A!

Patch, your dining set project sounds kind of fun to me! Hope it comes out nice!

Jacquee, your evening with BF sounds very relaxing! Noisy can be a good reminder of all of the wonderful people in our lives!

ICU, I see you have lost another pound! Way to go!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hi all, just a quick run-by as I must pack. I've read all your responses and I should have said that the director of "mis-"personnel is the one that said that they were going to apply the MOU by the intent that they meant. He also said that he realizes that I would win if I got legal. I really hate this. But... I didn't eat out of emotions. YEAH!!!! And I don't go back for a week so I have time to contemplate.
Marie

Jacquee, your evening with BF sounds very relaxing! Noisy can be a good reminder of all of the wonderful people in our lives!

Well it turned out to be fun...and relaxing. We went over to his sister and brother in laws house and sat outside having some drinks. We took some pizza over too. We just talked...AND LAUGHED...alot, as we always do when we are together. It was nice just being the 4 of us for once...it usually ends up being a group of about 10 but everybody else just stayed home...and that was fine with me.

His snoring woke me up at 4 and I couldn't fall back asleep, so if it is a nice day out, I will relax outside on my deck or hopefully go to a pool somewhere. I do have some errands to do...like pick up my car and do pilates, but other then that, I will...RELAX!!!!

Hi all, my 1st post from my iPod. Travel today is interesting so far. I'm still in Klamath falls. I agreed to be bumped for a free ticket. So now I'm on a redeye. But I got to go home and swim. I swam 1/2 mile that I wouldn't have. At least this way I have time between flights. And the 1st plane wouldn't have made the connection. A win win. If there are typos, sorry. It's sort of hard to type this way. But free Internet is worth it.