40-Somethings - 40-somethings August Week 4 Chat

Yikes! I feel too new to start the week's thread, but if I'm going to make posting here part of my morning routine, I'll have to get used to it.

Marie: Yay for small sizes! and I hope the new jeans and bras fit.

CruiseCAT: I've done a bunch of reading in advance of our yet-to-be-started bath projects (did I mention I'm a librarian?) and I got the impression that if you just replace stuff, DIY is possible for reasonably handy people. The book I liked best was Bathrooms: Plan, Remodel, Build by Creative Homeowner Press. You might see what your library has on the topic.

newleaf: I'm so glad you had a wonderful camping weekend. It sounds great!

Hotsplashes: Oh, so you're getting the rain we got last week. We got splendid weather afterwards so I hope you get that, too!

ICUWishing: peach mimosas sound like the way to make canning fun! And the homemade ketchup sounds terrific. I'm sure you'll get back on track today and just think that you have all this wonderful, healthy food prepared for winter.

The family dinner went well and the scale was kind! Now I get to go back to my normal situation with much more control over my day.

Morning, ladies! I'm focused again this week and hope to be posting much more often as I push hard to get to the 160s - 3lbs away!

Marie - your sizing post cracked me up - the things we go through being women! Men have it so much easier with their oh-so-standard sizes!

Cruise - curious to see how you like the new camera!

ICU - wow have you been productive! What a good feeling to can your own produce!

Joy - Thanks for the information and book suggestion. We would like to start the project at the end of November. We priced stuff out yesterday and when we came home and looked at all the tile work we got a little scared. At this point we are going to get a couple quotes and see if having someone else do the job is worth it.

Dancer - it is going to be a month or more before I get my camera. We just got Mack a new underwater camera for his upcoming dive trip to Mexico. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

ICU - I never did get around to planting a patio garden. I would LOVE to have fresh garlic. Your husband's sauce sounds yummy.

Afternoon Joy! It is a beautiful day here! Going to go spend some time in my garden before the sun goes down! Hot and wet hits again tomorrow!

Dancer in Denver, You can do it!! Make it a Labor Day goal!! Good Luck!!

Cruisecat, I'm hoping Santa will bring me a Canon REbel for xmas. I love my current Cannon.. but it's not an SLR... I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLyyyyyyy want an SLR... Ohhh and underwater pics!! I WANT TO SEE!!

Eating today has been amazing and I have gotten so much "exercise" cleaning my house! Tomorrow will be the upstairs cleaning... at least it's a smaller floor!lol

Good evening friends!

Why is it that the weeks drag on but the weekends fly by? Looks like everyone has been busy with projects. We had our main bath redone this spring and are starting our master bath this week. We have also been spending a lot of time at Lowes! My hubby is not handy when it comes to home improvement (He's great at landscaping and we have the best lawn in our neighborhood!). We hired the same guy that did our other bath to do this one. He'll gut the entire bath and rebuild the shower. Luckily we have 2 other baths we can use!

Took my DD to see Mary Poppins this weekend. It's a wonderful show! We had great seats. The scenery was awesome. I love musicals!

Cruise, your pictures are beautiful. Sounds like a wonderful trip.

Dancer, 3 pounds! You CAN do it! You are soooo close!

Hotsplashes, We're supposed to get hot weather here tomorrow. Today was beautiful, mid 80's with low humidity.

Gardener, congrats on starting the new thread! Glad to hear you did well at the family dinner. Keep up the good work!

ICU, you DH's ketchup sounds terrific! Is it his own recipe?

Newleaf, sounds like you had fun camping!

Cruise, sounds like you found a good deal on the Canon. Extra lens make it so much more fun. As is doggie training :dizzy: – ok kidding on that – as training my mule-head doggie hasn’t been fun but the rewards have been great. I hope Tucker mends. Blizzard was given a five year old prognosis at 10 months and she’s now 8.5 yo. I cannot imagine the difficulty losing Tucker will be. Much too young!

Hotsplashes, don’t overdo the pineapple buns. Usually bus and tasty mean calories. LOL :D And the bra sizing should be numbers not an art. No wonder they say 80% of women aren’t wearing the right size. If they keep us all uncomfortable, they have built-in return business. :devil:

ICU, the ketchup sounds fun. And the peach mimosas sound perfect for a day of canning. Did you make them??? I can usually see by the end of the summer some definition in my upper arms (of course after the bat wings are gathered and pulled out of the way) from swimming but I truly am a upper body weakling.

Joy, you did a fine job starting the new thread. Pretty simple, isn’t it??? I, too, like to have my normal routine so that I have no problem staying on track. Just know that the off normal gets easier to handle with practice and that it’s possible to make healthy choices nearly everywhere, even airports.

Dancer, those 3 pounds are toast – I know you’ll get to the 160s.

OMW, I'm jealous of the landscaping skill of your DH. Mine is the handyman but our outside is hodgepodge. Mostly because neither of us are interested in dedicating time to it. Plus Bambi eats everything in the desert - whether or not the plants come with a "Bambi Hates Eating This Plant" tag.

I killed (re-locked) my iPhone last night with an update. So I asked DS how to unlock it again (no ATT in my neck of the woods and I love the iphone so I'm a jailbreaker). DS has always done it in the past. He guided me to the online tutorial and my phone is back along with my Lose It! application. Good thing I'd logged yesterday's food early so I knew what I was having and the calorie total. I'm really lucky that it made a backup before the update and I have all my Lose It! (and contacts) data. I really hope the when the ATT and Apple contract ends this year, they don't renew it. iPhone should be available to everyone. I'm not fond of unlocking one so I can use it. But alas, I do because I love the phone. Anyway, I succeeded and it was really pretty easy. I'm not sure how someone that's obsessive about logging every bite into her application could have survived a day without it. I'd probably have binged out of control. :o:dizzy: Just kidding but I was happy to have it back. Of course, I could have used the ipod touch since it's installed there. I just always have the phone with me.


Marie

Hi, everyone.

Hotsplashes - we went camping at Ohiopyle. It's a state park in southwestern Pennsylvania, down near where Falling Water is. And congrats on your carrot.

CruiseCAT - I loved the photos. Especially the one of the bear nonchalantly crossing the street behind the guy walking his dog! What was the itinerary of stops for your trip?

ICUwishing - I can't believe all the canning you did! I guess you have to find a way to preserve the garden's bounty... I can't imagine doing that...

Marie - That's strange about the upper body strength; I would have thought swimming like you do would give you that... weird.

GardenerJoy - Glad to see you jumping right in!

DancerInDenver - Those 3 lbs will melt off you, I'm sure!

So my weight is up from camping. No surprise there. But I do have to say, it was a lot of fun just *not* thinking about food for 3 days. Especially because I was confident in the fact that it would be limited to those 3 days, and then back on track for me. Today was super busy but I still managed to do my upper body weights and I ate well. I'm confident it's a start to shedding those camping pounds. I am motivated to be back on the losing train. Woo hoo!

Way to go starting this week's thread gardenerjoy! I'm starting my week with a new "do". Chopped off all my hair, can't see it under my hat anyway : ) Got my gorgeous "new to me" kitchen table and hutch on Saturday, and said goodby to a close friend last night : ( Planning a trip to Raleigh to visit in the next couple of months to see her new place. After a low blood sugar crisis at work today, I had someone take me to the pharmacy to refill my strips so I can start testing again. Very lucky to have such great neighbors! Tomorrow is my friday, looking forward to my two days off : )

Found ya!!! When I looked at my subscribed threads and saw that no one had posted since I posted on the old thread yesterday morning, I thought....hhhmmmmmm...must be a new a thread....and you are!!!

Way to go Jacquee! It's only Tuesday!

Woo hoo -- down 2.2 lbs today. I guess that camping weight wasn't permanent -- phew!

OnmywayAfter last week, I just couldn't wait to get back on track!!! Thanks!!!

NewleafGREAT JOB :broc:

way to go newleaf! glad you found us jacque : ) this week was a bit of an uphill battle for me, but today is my friday, yabba-dabba-doo!

Hi guys,
Remember me OnMYWay? I thought I would stop back by to get some inspiration. I haven't been on for quite some time.

What is everyone doing to lose weight? I am sure the cheeseburger I ate and feel horrible about is not something you would approve of. Ugh!

OnMyWay, no more wine, it got to be so calorie expensive! ;-)

Hi, DMC2009. I'm just watching what I eat (healthy choices, portion control), doing cardio (40 min. on the elliptical) and upper body weights (20 min). There is no set regiment on how often I exercise, but I try to do at least one or the other almost every day.

Welcome (back) and good luck!

For all those that asked about the canning, the weekend's tally was two batches of salsa, one of pickled beets, and get this - Sunday, 26 QUARTS of peaches! Downside - fruit flies everywhere. I have cider vinegar traps on each end of the kitchen. Tomatoes are late this year due to the cool weather, so we figure on hitting those next week and Labor Day. Last year we processed four bushels of tomatoes, and it was enough to make it through early summer.

penguin - sounds like the bath is coming along swimmingly! There's nothing like the feeling of a completed project ... love it! I have 2 BA that need serious overhaul too, but not likely to happen this year. You're inspiring me to at least figure out what I want to do with them, though!
Cruise - love the pics that you did get posted! They make me want to go back! I'm pestering my son to enter an essay contest that has a grand prize of an Alaskan vacation. :)
WLW - I hear ya about the pickling! DH's family is pureblood German, and I think vinegar is the key staple in their diet. Now that there's a link between gut health and eating fermented foods (kimchee, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir), I'm all over it. We're also starting a puppy search - our last dog was put down in February. DH wants another Gordon Setter - he's a bird hunter and Gordons are just awesome for pets and hunting. Looks like there's a good breeder 200 miles away - I expect a field trip this fall, and pitterpatter of little feet sometime in the spring. Yay - more drool, more hair, and lots of lovin'!
joy - I'm the daughter of a retired library director/reference librarian. I LOVE LIBRARIES!!!!
Hotsplashes - sounds like you've run the gamut on the weather this summer! Maybe fall will be a little better? Hopefully?
Marie - I'm afraid to make the mimosas. It's the truth. At least until I can find enough people to share them with that I will only be able to have ONE.
newleaf - hope your camping was awesome, and if you're already pulling off the post-weekend pounds, that's way cool!
dancer - productive? Nah, I just supervise. And eat. OK, I'm allowed to do the cleanup duty. Heehee!!!
OMW - no recipe except for the acid balance. The man never measures anything, and never makes the same thing twice. :)
dmc2009 - welcome back!

Scale has not moved since July 31. This is the setpoint I didn't like for the previous 8 years before I suddenly added the 17 pounds that came off pretty easy. Soooooo ... war has been declared.

Newleaf, great job on eating right after the camping trip. That’s where I fail – I go off track for more than a couple meals and it’s very difficult for me to get the motivation to get on track. Since I know that, I’m obsessive about it daily. I really envy your ability. I’d feel more normal than. And YEAH on the 2.2 pound loss.

WLW, enjoy your TGIF then days off. I’m glad you got more testing strips. Sounds like you need to work on the food balance while losing weight. Those will help.

Jacque, you seem to have gotten into the new thread idea. And the thread just only started. :)


DMC2009 – I have cheeseburgers all the time. Just make them lo-cal. I use 4 oz of 93/7 lean burger, one laughing cow lite cheese wedge and one Oroweat whole wheat sandwich thin. Truly it’s the best burger I make or have had. The thin bun gives the accent flavor of bread instead of overpowering the burger. The 93/7 meat isn’t greasy so you can really taste every flavor. And the laughing cow wedge is creamy and tastes sinful. Calories for my burger is ~335. And very yummy. Bet you can guess I count calories.


Today is our teacher's first day back (we year round staff were eased into the chaos by the new teachers starting yesterday). I don't predict a great day - more like annoying but I hope to be wrong. With their return give the sense of fall and that means my favorite season is coming to a close - fresh fruit season. At this point a good chunk of my calories is fruit.

Marie

dancerindenver: Yay for focus! I'm really thinking that's going to be the difference for me with this journey. A habit of posting at 3FC will give me focus even when the journey no longer has that delicious aura of newness that it does for me now.

CruiseCAT: I hear you about at least seeing what others can do for you. For our powder room, I think we'll act as our own general contractor and bring in a plumber and a tile installer. For the master bath, I suspect we'll bring in a general contractor or design/build firm which will probably be a much bigger deal.

Hotsplashes: kudos for amazing eating and a clean house with a bonus of exercise! And I'm glad your weather improved!

Onmyway: Mary Poppins sounds wonderful -- what a great experience to have with your daughter.

Marie: Whew! on having your Lose It! app (and the rest of the iPhone) functional. Once something really works, it's harder than it seems like it should be when it stops. I mean, we used to all live without cell phones! But life would be much more difficult to do without now.

newleaf: I'm glad you were able to enjoy not thinking about food on the camping trip but also to enjoy getting back on track -- perfect! And congrats on today's number!

weightlosswanted: happy virtual Friday! and enjoy your weekend of admiring your table and hutch!

dmc2009: I'm new here, so I don't remember you, but welcome back! I'm also new to this journey and still working out exactly what I want to do. For the moment, I'm making rules for myself that prevent my worst overeating episodes and working my way back to eating all-natural, often local, foods prepared at home. And I'm exercising every day. I'm also reading lots of books, so let me know if you want any recommendations! The Sonoma Diet allows for wine after the first few weeks.

I engaged in emotional eating yesterday after some disconcerting news on my brother's health situation. But that's the first time since I started this new journey and I kept a lid on it pretty well -- not quite well enough to keep the scale from going up this morning, though. So, I need to learn some better techniques. Taking a walk helped some.

ICUWishing - We're in this together; I am determined to get the scale moving again. Like you have said before, I'm not done.

Marie - your burger sounds great! I made wonderful lamb burgers our first night of camping. They are small so you eat two at 196cal each, and worth each and every one!

GardenerJoy - good job maintain some amount of control yesterday. I hope today is better for you, and also that your brother's health is alright.

I have a sink!! Its wonderful, no more squirt bottle of Germx on the back of the toilet tank!

Hubby and I spent most of yesterday shopping for rugs and accececories for the bath. I have towels and a shower curtain {which I currantly can't find} which are red so I'm trying to match those. I came home yesterday with just a soap dispenser, but we did find some rugs at Penney's that we think we'll go back for. I did find a Cathe 10lbs ball at Marshalls!

I haven't been online, but need to catch up with what's going on. I gained a few lbs back over the past week but refuse to change my ticker. That would just be too depressing, but I need to get ahold of myself here!

DMC, Welcome back!

Joy, good job on starting the thread!

I need to go start the laundry and see if I can find the shower curtain!

Just a quick stop by... to say YYYAAAAAAAAYYYY For Penguin's sink!!lol

Hope everyone is having a great day! Today is the last day of nice weather for the rest of the week... Rain starts again tomorrow. So off to pick veggies now while I can!!

See everyone tomorrow while I am trapped inside with the rain!

Splashes, Thanks for the YAY! I better get out in the yard too. Its not supposed to rain here until Fri but I'm going to be busy Wed and Thurs with Bible study and dinner at our friends.

Still haven't found the shower curtain. I've kept track of it for over a year, now when I need it its nowhere to be found!

Penguin - It must be awfully nice to have your sink back! : ) Good luck with finding the shower curtain - it's probably in the place you least expect.

Hotsplashes - hopeyou're getting in a good harvest - what's your favorite this year?

gardenerjoy - sorry to hear you're concerned for your brother but glad you were able to get back on plan quickly.

newleaf - congrats on the incredibly quick post-camping turnaround!!

marie - hope the day went better than expected. And fall's not all bad - just think - lots of apples!

ICU - well, since you've declared war and all: Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war! Sounds kind of rousing, doesn't it? : )

DMC - welcome back! I'm calorie couting, sticking to around 1400cals/day and running around an hour 4x/wk and hiking a couple of hours each weekend. What plan are you on?

Hope everyone had a good and skinny day! : )

Newleaf, congrats on the loss, looks like you are back in the game!

WLW, enjoy your midweek weekend!

DMC, WELCOME BACK! I have missed posting with you. You know what you need to do and we are here to cheer you on!

ICU, 26 quarts of peaches! Do you ship? LOL Hope you can figure out what you need to get back to losing again. You are so close to the IPOD! and goal!

Marie, I'm with you on the fruit. Right now our Sam's has whole pineapples for 2.98. They are delicious and really not all that much work to cut up. Canned just doesn't come close!

Gardener, sorry to hear about your brother. Sorry you had a small setback in your weightloss. This really is a learning process and finding what does and doesn't work is a lot of trial and error.

Patchwork. Yeah for a sink! We started our master bath today and have been officially moved to the downstairs bath. I'm hoping things go pretty smooth and we are only displaced for a week or so! Hope your shower curtin shows up!

Hotsplashes, sorry to hear you have more rain. This has been the strangest summer weatherwise everywhere!

Dancer, Hope you have a great evening. You have been doing great and losing steadily!

Curriculum night at DD's school. Volleyball and club swimming tryouts too. We are dividing and conquering tonight!

I am new to the forum and thought I would post here too. I am getting a lot of good information here and support on this weight loss journey of mine. I have shed a few pounds and that feels nice. I am eating healthier and I feel less tired I noticed this week. You all are doing great and I look forward to sharing our successes!

Hey everyone, I just found this website, thought I'd jump in and say hi! I'm Diane, 44 years old, 206 lbs and completely disgusted with myself. I'm at the point where I need help but I'm so tired of the "diets". I lost 60 lbs. about 9 years ago with Weight Watchers and have put it all back on in the last four years plus an additional 11 lbs. I'm at my wits end and seriously don't know how to start over after "failing" at the last attempt. Can anyone give me any words of encouragement? Please?

Good morning, Hydra, good morning, Diane. Welcome to the group! Congratulations, Hydra, on your 6 pounds lost!!

Diane, I think that what most of us "older" chicks have found is that taking things at a sensible pace, and watching calories in (food intake) vs calories out (exercise and activity level) has been the path to success. I'm sorry that your WW loss didn't stick, that's a total bummer. But, I think you need to put it behind you, stop considering yourself a failure for it, and just put one foot in front of the other. Decide for yourself where you can start cutting back (ie, cookies, candy, sugary drinks, fast food?) and just start building from there.

We're here to support you along the way...

Hydra and Diane - WELCOME!!!! Newleaf said it very well (she always does!) - we're still learning and trying, and figuring ways to make things work in spite of Life Getting In The Way.

OMW - No shipping yet - we don't give up any of those glorious jars. I had oatmeal yesterday with wild blueberries and peaches and just a dash of maple syrup ... oh my! DH is planning to buy some peach trees this fall. We had some before, and the deer sort of left them alone. (cross fingers). Swimming and choir don't ramp back up for us until 9/14 - but when they do, it's nonstop til Easter. Erg.

dancer - I'm more of a sneak-attack type. Very resistant to change. I will have to be subversive and underhanded - sneaking out the calorie wreckers and teasing in more exercise. LOL! I've been planning ...

patch - congrats on the sink! That's HUGE! It must feel really good to see it all coming together!

joy - yes ... posting here and being with the Chicks (and a couple rare but appreciated Roosters) is far more important than I ever would have guessed. Many a binge or appallingly bad choice has been derailed right here. :)

Just workin' today. Need to finish up a short story, and then read a dissection about whether I will form an S, C, LLC, or sole proprietorship. Still checking business cases and making sure the opportunity is right - as one book put it - either a real business or an expensive hobby. :) On top of that, there's my day job, where I'm making an attempt to revise an embedded system. No lack of things to do!

Diane I am new here too, welcome! Don't be hard on yourself, you are here and that means a lot. For me, I try to focus on the positive aspects of my weight loss...I will feel better, have more energy, look better, be able to fit into nicer styled clothes and I will feel more confident about myself with weight loss.

I have been making little changes, like less diet soda and more ice cold water, using mustard instead of mayo, using herbs and spices when cooking to jazz things up, exercising a bit each day and not beating myself up if I don't stay on perfect track all the time, eating foods that I enjoy that are low in calories and keeping a food journal of what I am eating and when. I am looking at these changes as life changes, not diet changes, as I know I need to develop healthier eating patterns for long time results.

I wish you much luck and just make small changes along the way and give yourself credit for all the little accomplishments like passing up a fatty greasy burger for a nice fresh selection of veggies and fruit or drinking low calorie drink or any and all exercise. Good luck to you!!!

welcome diane and hydra! I'm fairly new here as well, and the ladies are a wealth of information and inspiration : )

ICUwishing and newleaf: wishing you luck on your wars against set points.

Marie: hope the teachers weren't too annoying. I love fall fruit, too. We sometimes get a local early apple that I'm anticipating any week now.

patchworkpenguin: Yay! A sink! I love red in a bathroom -- I hope you find the accessories you want

Hydra and Diane: Welcome! I'm new, too. Jump right in!

Diane: I'm really impressed that you lost 60 pounds before. I've never done that in my life, although my goal now is to lose that and a bit more. I'd suggest a lot of self-analysis. What worked before? How would that apply now? What stopped working? What can you do differently now? 3FC is one thing that I'm doing differently now -- if I get myself in the habit of posting every day then I can keep my focus on this project even when life intervenes. Also, I'm finding library books that support my healthy lifestyle really motivating and intend to keep reading them as another way to keep focus for the entire journey and beyond.

Hydra: You might like Judith Beck's books. A lot of what you're doing is the kind of thing she talks about. There's a Beck support thread at 3FC under General Diet Plans and Questions.

Okay, I really want to focus on my veggie eating today to see if I can get the scale moving down again.

Thank you so much everyone for a VERY warm welcome. I look forward to some great chats w/all of you and wish you all continued success in our journey toward weight loss. I just had back surgery in June so it's been a slow process getting back to "normal". I've just started working out again last week and did too much so this week I'm taking it slower, working out every other day rather than every day. Trying to cut the calories, etc.. I was feeling pretty down on myself this morning and you guys helped me out big time! Thank you so much!!!!

Cruisecat, I'm hoping Santa will bring me a Canon REbel for xmas. I love my current Cannon.. but it's not an SLR... I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLyyyyyyy want an SLR... Ohhh and underwater pics!! I WANT TO SEE!!

I sure hope we both get our Canon's soon. As for the underwater pics I have a few on WebShots now but will be posting more. I'll post here when they are up.

Good evening friends!

Why is it that the weeks drag on but the weekends fly by? Looks like everyone has been busy with projects. We had our main bath redone this spring and are starting our master bath this week. We have also been spending a lot of time at Lowes! My hubby is not handy when it comes to home improvement (He's great at landscaping and we have the best lawn in our neighborhood!). We hired the same guy that did our other bath to do this one. He'll gut the entire bath and rebuild the shower. Luckily we have 2 other baths we can use!

I have to agree about the weekends and I don't even work. I really have a difficult time when Mack returns to work on Monday especially when we have had a three day weekend together.

I have several people coming out over the next couple weeks to give us quotes on the bath. The more I think about it I really think it is in our best interest to have someone else do it.


I hope Tucker mends. Blizzard was given a five year old prognosis at 10 months and she’s now 8.5 yo. I cannot imagine the difficulty losing Tucker will be. Much too young!

I agree that Tucker is much too young; even being the genetic mess that he is. He was dx. with HD when he was 9 months and we did do surgery on the right hip. His epilepsy we have had under control for a couple years and his allergies didn't give him a problem this summer because of the prednisone we put him on for arthritis. At this point we have increased the pred. but realize that both knees are in bad shape and although this provides relief it is not a cure.


CruiseCAT - I loved the photos. Especially the one of the bear nonchalantly crossing the street behind the guy walking his dog! What was the itinerary of stops for your trip?

We had been watching that bear across a swampy area and lost him so continued on our way to the trailhead and then there he was crossing right in front of us and heading to the stream right next to the trailhead. We watched him catch and eat his breakfast for about 20 minutes.

Our ports were: Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan


I am motivated to be back on the losing train. Woo hoo!

Count me in on getting back on the losing train.

I'm starting my week with a new "do". Chopped off all my hair, can't see it under my hat anyway : )

I am so ready to cut my hair. I was going to do it gradually but the last time it was colored really damaged it.

Found ya!!! When I looked at my subscribed threads and saw that no one had posted since I posted on the old thread yesterday morning, I thought....hhhmmmmmm...must be a new a thread....and you are!!!

WTG Jacque!!!

Woo hoo -- down 2.2 lbs today. I guess that camping weight wasn't permanent -- phew!

WTG Heidi.... I'm happy report that the scales are moving in the right direction for me too.

What is everyone doing to lose weight?

Counting calories (under 1400) and exercise. I log both using FitDay.

For all those that asked about the canning, the weekend's tally was two batches of salsa, one of pickled beets, and get this - Sunday, 26 QUARTS of peaches! Downside - fruit flies everywhere. I have cider vinegar traps on each end of the kitchen. Tomatoes are late this year due to the cool weather, so we figure on hitting those next week and Labor Day. Last year we processed four bushels of tomatoes, and it was enough to make it through early summer.

I could live with fruit flies with a 26 quart return.

Cruise - love the pics that you did get posted! They make me want to go back!
I'm ready to go back. My sister and her husband will be doing a three week RV trip next summer and have invited Mack and I. Not sure it will be doabe but we are thinking about it.

OMW - no recipe except for the acid balance. The man never measures anything, and never makes the same thing twice. :)

Sounds like my cooking. Mack is always asking me to fix something and I always have to respond "I'll try".

Scale has not moved since July 31. This is the setpoint I didn't like for the previous 8 years before I suddenly added the 17 pounds that came off pretty easy. Soooooo ... war has been declared.

Heidi and I are right there with you. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

I have a sink!! Its wonderful, no more squirt bottle of Germx on the back of the toilet tank!


This is the #1 reason I want some else doing the work. Mack estimated two months if we did it and 4 days for a contractor. I always think about my old employer (an architect) that started a kitchen project and his wife still didn't have a working kitchen for three years.

Just a quick stop by... to say YYYAAAAAAAAYYYY For Penguin's sink!!lol

Hope everyone is having a great day! Today is the last day of nice weather for the rest of the week... Rain starts again tomorrow. So off to pick veggies now while I can!!

See everyone tomorrow while I am trapped inside with the rain!

No rain for us, lots of sun and a high of 103 today.

Welcome Hydra and Diane!!!

Diane - welcome! I noticed you're in NH - I was born in Plymouth and we have a family place on Squam Lake - is that anywhere close to where you are?

Hydra - welcome! I hope you both find this forum as supportive and helpful as I have : )

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200906-omag-beck-diet

I read the article on the above link about a week after I decided to do something about my weight and I found it super helpful for some reason - maybe it will strike a chord for you too...

gardenerjoy - You've got this! What veggies are on the menu today?

Afternoon all! Wed and Thurs are my busy days but I have a few minites to catch up and relax! I plan a walk with Leslie {Sansone} this afternoon, my first since the surgery! I get 'restless legs' at night if I skip too many workouts and its been about two weeks now. I've been known to get up at night and do squats, that helps get the kinkc {or whatever} out.

Cat, Hubby did drag his feet on the bath but most if it was since he had never tiled before he was unsure, finally my dad stepped in and helped. This project has lasted two years exactly, we're still trying to go to the kitchen to brush our teeth!

Diane, Welcome! I lost a little more weight that you a few years back, and gained about half of it back, so we are in the same boat. I reached my goal and thought "Okay, things can go back to normal now." MISTAKE! I felt like a failure, also, I haven't any sage words of advice but we can work on this together! Hope your back is feeling better!

ICU, Sure sounds like you are keeping yourself busy!

Hydra, Welcome! I find joining small groups is the easiest way to get involved and aquainted. Glad you picked us.

OMW, I'm sure your project won't take as long as ours did! although we had a structual problem, one of the joists in the floor was rotted, we took the floor and shower down to the studs. This is our only bathroom, but luckily the house next to us was empty the week we didn't have a toilet. Hubby, I and the dog would all go next door in the middle of the night! What fun it seems like now! {okay, not really!}

Dancer, We think the shower curtain is either in the garage or accidentily got donated to Goodwill!

ETA: I did Leslie's 30-Min walk off her 5 Day Fit Walk Target complilation. This has got to be the most boring Leslie that I own; the music is inaudible, Leslie doesn't interact with her group, and the set "ain't that great either". Since I haven't done much this summer but recover, my hip flexors are screaming at me, and I wasn't able to do all the knee lifts, so I need to work on that!

Dancer - Interesting article, thanks for posting.

Patch - We have now decided to gut our bath (to the studs). My guess is we will let a professional handle this project. We did the other bath on our own but that was just replacing stuff and tiling the floor

I had to laugh about you using the house next door; did you have keys?

I had to laugh about you using the house next door; did you have keys?Yes, LOL! The couple that owned it inheirited her parent's house and had moved out, but since they owned the house they didn't want to sell, and eventually let their son, wife, and grandson move in, so we have neighbor's again. The owner's gave us keys and even lent us their tile saw.

Funny story, when we closed on our house we didn't get keys {the other realtor didn't bother to show up}! So the son who now lives next door helped us break into the house by drilling the lock, we planned to replace the locks anyway, but the whole thing was frustrating. Not like on TV.

thanks for posting the article dancer, I love martha beck!

Joy, I hope all turns out all right on your brother’s health situation. The best technique I know of for not reverting to emotional eating is to ask myself “Will I feel better in five minutes?” The answer has always been No. I might feel better as I eat (30 seconds max for a quick emotional candy bar) but not 5 minutes down the road.

Newleaf, I bet your scale heard your determined typing of it moving and is quaking because it knows, as I do, that you will win and it will go down. :D

Penguin, enjoy your new bathroom. I bet you’re thrilled. Especially that you can see it clearly.

Dancer, I LOVE honeycrisp apples. The only saving grace of fall. Because fall means winter. Winter means January. January is long, dark and cold. See Marie spiral out of control. :o

OMW, I have fresh cut up pineapple and mango from Costco. They did a test in their headquarters – weighed and measured the fresh fruit then costed it out. It was cheaper to buy it already cut up. Cool – I love no work. :cool:
Welcome Hydra! Great start on your journey. 5.5 pounds is excellent! :carrot:

Diane, words of encouragement – SURE!!! You can do it and you can successfully keep it off. You took the first step by joining the best thread on 3FC. :hug: Welcome aboard. Newleaf’s words are 100% true – you’re a success not a failure.

ICU, we planted a peach tree (and honeycrisp apples) a couple seasons ago. We had to fence them in from bambi. Well worth the fencing as they’re doing great. Someday I’ll have bountiful fruit from my mini orchard.

Cruise, I’m thinking we think alike on the doggie care. Make them comfy and happy. When that’s not possible and they’re existing for us, it’s not fair. I hope Tucker can keep going.

Off for a nice ride in my Jeep. I froze on the way in to work this morning (5 layers of jackets – good thing I lost weight or I’d never have been able to layer that many and zip them up). Now it is in the 80’s and a topless ride will be grand. Plus the work day is over and it’s time to go home!!!!
Marie

Welcome Diane and Hydra!! You have already taken the hardest step!! The FIRST ONE!! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other along the path. And if you should wobble or falter, we'll be here to pick you up and keep you steady!

New Leaf... You always give such wisdom!! It's always a pleasure to see you posting!

ICU...Ohhh Licencing and Incorporating!! Yeee HAAwwww... Hay Now I can get your expert Gemologist Opion on Diamond Hunting at that Mining Park!! I wish I could remember where it is now!!lol

Weightloss... YOu are practically an Alumni now.. you've been here over a week!!lol

GardnerJoy... How did the veggie intake go today? I got so excited when I found Zucchini finally growing in my garden!!lol I was surprised to see that they are the yellow ones. I thought they would be the green kind!

Cruise... I would love to get some extra lenses for the Canon I have now.. but hard to find and not the same as if it was an SLR. I use Pixma by google to post my pics. How are you liking WebShots??

Dancing... Thank you for the article!!!

Penguin... How are the eyes??? That was funny... having to break into your own house!!

Marie.. the weather is getting to be that way here. Today it was raining and 55 when i took the geriatric doggies out.. by noon it was 80... now tonite it is going back down to 58.. But our winters are definitely not like yours. People think that because I live in Canada, I must have these horrible winters. I'm actually further south than you are!

Today was a rough day. It seems people are not doing their jobs and blaming everyone else for the mistakes. My funding for school is on the line now because a form didn't get sent in. One office says it was another office's job to send the form.. that office says it was another's.. the other office says they didn't know there was a form to be sent... So after trying to get that straightened out.. a friend stopped by and I had to rush them to the hospital because they suddenly lost the vision in their right eye.. so now they are sitting at the hospital getting a catscan and other tests... so I caved and had a big bowl of Icecream... now I feel like crap...

So back on the band wagon... polishing up my armor to go on my crusade against the government idiots tomorrow!

See everyone tomorrow

Marie: start telling yourself now that you will NOT spin out of control in January! Or start planning a trip to someplace warm and sunny, like sc : )

Cruise : my hairdresser wanted me to go only halfway on the hair because I told her I know the pixie cut makes my face look fatter. I told her to just take it all off, at this point I'm going for ease and comfort! I'll let it grow out some when it starts getting cool again.

I spent the day out with a friend, did ok as far as food, but not great. Dinner was my healthy meal for the day, after an hour of walking around my neighborhood. Funny thing is that I'm checking my blood sugar more often and it seems the more carbs I eat the lower it goes - leave it to me to be backwards! Can't wait to meet with the nutritional counselor on september 2nd to work out a better eating plan! I tried putting my food into sparkpeople and it seems to be much easier than fitday, even found the sandwich I ate at the mall : )

Thanks for the wonderful welcome! I am really feeling positive today about myself and my abilities. I really appreciate all the support I am getting here. I have been reading a lot of the success stories, mini goals and checking out people's tickers. I am inspired by so many of you!

Hydra, I love before/after photos. I get a lot of inspiration from them. Come to think of it I have some of myself, maybe I should put those on the fridge!

Splashes, We were probably lucky not to get arrested but we had the paperwork saying the house was ours.

WLW, That was the exact reason I got my first haircut in so many years, I was out in the yard all the time with four feet of hair pinned to the back of my head. Just to much for me, and I had started to exercise and just couldn't take it anymore! Now my hair keeps getting shorter and shorter! Still trying to get Hubby to post photos! Maybe now that the bathroom is working, I can bug him about it more!

Still no shower curtain!

hello everyone...I have been missing for the summer but am happy to see some familiar faces here as well as some new faces!! It's good to be back and I need it!!

My summer was crazy but so much fun, drove from CA to PA and back with my sister, her 3 children and her dog!! The kids were so good, I couldn't even believe it. We had so much fun for the 6 weeks they stayed with me but we also had A LOT of fast food and ice cream. Sad to say I obviously gained, but the good news is that when the visit was over I returned to my eating and exercise plans quite easily. I was very pleasantly surprised...but of course it seems to come off sooooo much slower than it went on!!

Believe it or not I have one more roadtrip this year...we are driving to Yellowstone begining 9/7...but this is an adult trip so I believe eating well will be much easier. And I'm hoping to get a lot of walking in as we visit the park.

Cruise Glad you had a wonderful trip...sorry you had issues with your photos, but the ones posted are beautiful!!

I look forward to catching up with everyone soon....working my way through the last few pages of posts!!

Boy you miss one day and you get so far behind here on 3FC. Tried something new yesterday...SPINNING!!! Kicked my butt. Somehow I was able to muster the strength to STILL do pilates in the evening. I liked spinning and am considering going once a week...to start!!!

Good morning all!!

Dancerindenver: I'm actually in Hollis right on the border of Massachusetts. Nice to know someone else is from around here!! I just finished reading the Oprah article and found it very interesting. I'll give it a try and see what happens. I like the "so far" mnemonic.


To everyone else, thank you for your encouragement!!! Hope you all have a great day!!

Good morning, everyone.

Tsap - nice to see you back!! I'm glad the roadtrip worked out and your sister didn't spreadsheet you to death!

Jacque - my brother started spinning a couple years ago. He was a bike racer, and loved spinning. He lost a lot of weight from it, without changing anything else in his life. Side note is that he was thin to begin with so the spinning made him kind of gaunt. He actually had to start eating more if he wanted to keep spinning.

CruiseCAT, your itinerary was similar to what ours will be. Ours is Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay Nat'l Park, College Fjord, Anchorage. The RV trip sounds like it would be a lot of fun... We considered renting one to go up to Denali afterwards, but likely we will take the train instead.

The boys go back to school today. I refuse to spend the day doing housework to catch up on the mess we made... I was going to go shopping in a certain area of the city, until I heard there was a mid-day carjacking there yesterday. I figure I'll wait until the dust settles on that... ugh.

Happy Thursday!
Welcome back, Tsap - glad to have you with us again!
Marie - Hear ya on the winter. I think I'm part bear - I try to hibernate through it. This winter's going to be a little different, I expect.
Hotsplashes - I know of a sapphire mine in Montana ... but no diamonds. Lots to learn before I'm going to give out any advice!
penguin - not much ever happens according to the script, does it? Sneaking into the neighbor's "ex-house" was funny!
Jacque - cool with the spinning! Change is good!
Cruise - I can't imagine 103. Dry heat or not ... I mean, isn't that how beef jerky is made? I'd probably look like a piece of it after a week. :) The RV trip sounds very cool.
Hydra - the head game is a huge part of a successful battle. Once the head is convinced, the body does follow.
newleaf - That's why CCW permits passed in MI - people decided to stop being victims. :) Unfortunately, the desperation isn't getting any better.

Day had a good start - I was able to move my ticker for the first time since JULY 31. Whew. No waffling, no flickering between numbers. Now entering territory not seen since at least 2002 ...

Jacque - my brother started spinning a couple years ago. He was a bike racer, and loved spinning. He lost a lot of weight from it, without changing anything else in his life. Side note is that he was thin to begin with so the spinning made him kind of gaunt. He actually had to start eating more if he wanted to keep spinning.
That is sort of what happened to my brother. He is in his early 50's and I think he is too thin as well...but he does lots of other stuff and to top it off...he's a vegan. I have heard there are people that ONLY do spinning and are in great shape...but I like so many other exercises/workouts...that it is only something I will do MAYBE once a week...

Good morning friends! Welcome to all of the new chicks! This is a great group. Hope you'll keep coming back to post with us!

Just a quick note before school. Lots of activity here on the board and not enough time to post to individuals! Sounds like everyone is doing well either sticking to plan or getting back on track.

Little by little we are back to the rat race of school and after school activities. Still trying to find the best time to get in my walks and exercise. I really wish I was an early riser but the thought of getting up before 6 just isn't for me.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

ICUWishing, congrats on the ticker move -- woo hoo!!!

OnMyWay, I'm with you. I just cannot rise early. I'm getting up at 7:00am now since I need to get the kids out the door and have been doing it for the last 3 days. It seems fine, but there is no way I'm moving it any earlier. Until my older son goes to middle school next fall, I guess, and needs to be out the door earlier himself. Back when I was getting my MBA, I had to beat traffic driving into the city and also get there early enough to get a free parking spot. I left the house at 5:30am. It was nuts!!

CruiseCAT: Wow! 103 is hot. We get that once or twice many summers, but (knock on wood) not this year yet. That story about the architect and his kitchen is helpful, thanks!

dancerindenver: eggplant and tomatoes! From the CSA box and the garden -- I'm a little bit overwhelmed.

patchworkpenguin: glad you survived your first post-surgery "walk". I get restless legs some, too, but hadn't thought to correlate with exercise -- that might be true for me, too.

Marie: Oh, thanks! Will I feel better in 5 minutes? is a great question to ask when I'm emotionally eating.
I got the season's first Honeycrisp and Gala apples at the Farmers Market last night!

Hotsplashes: LOL on the surprise of yellow squash instead of green. I have to keep an eye on the zucchini in the garden -- it seems like they go from tiny babies to giant whoppers over night sometimes.
Good luck with your battle against bureaucracy. That's quite a story -- hope it all works out!

weightlosswanted: a nutritional counselor sounds like a good help. I'm glad you found a web site that you liked for your food tracking.

TSap: I'm one of the new people. Welcome back! Sounds like a great summer!

Jacque: Glad you liked the spinning class!

ICUwishing: Yay for new territory on the scale!

I think my honeymoon period is already over. The scale is steady or slowly creeping up. It's about time for me to commit to a more structured approach.

Morning, all!
I'm having one of those days when I'm majorly kicking myself for not having started (and succeeded at) this weight loss process years ago. I feel like I lost so much time feeling bad about myself and eating to console myself about it. I know what's past is past but it just keeps spinning around in my head! Off to run to see if I can chase the demons away...

Hotsplashes, I hope your friend is ok. That would be so scary! I hope that your paperwork gets done right and without all the people making excuses.

WLW, I had to laugh at our misunderstanding. I don’t spin out of control in January. I was spinning out of control with thought of winter. I tend to snowball. Fall = things dying (leaves). Bare trees = winter. Winter = January. I snowball out of control in all areas, cleaning, depressing thoughts (like yesterday’s seasonal one), etc. One area I tend not to snowball is food. Very odd for an overweight person but I’ve never snowballed with food. Anyway, I am planning a winter vacation to Cancun in February.

Hydra, is it just my old age memory or did you change your signature S/C/G??? 12 pounds is great.

Tanya, sounds like you had an eventful summer. Car trips are the worst for dieting. I can only stand the boredom by eating my way across the country. ;)

Jacque, spinning looks like pure torture to me. I bow to your desire to go again. Eeks, torture, torture, torture.

Newleaf, I was so disappointed with our trip to Denali after doing a cruise. I didn’t realize that people couldn’t drive more than a few miles into the park. It’s their mission statement to leave the park as is so they have bus tours that drive partway to the great mountain. DH and I did that – it was horrendous. It was a big uncomfortable yellow school bus for 8 hours and they stopped about 50 miles from the mountain that wasn’t visible in the clouds. So I didn’t see the big mountain – the goal of the trip. I was told it was most visible in the late winter. Anyway, I’m looking out my office window and have a gorgeous view of Mt Shasta, a 14,000 foot mountain. And I can see it clearly. Why leave home was my thought after that trip. But the cruise was incredible, most beautiful sights imaginable.

ICU, excellent moving on the ticker. It sure feels good to change it, doesn’t it? Truly dry heat is nothing like Midwest humid heat. The only uncomfy part I find is that my nasal passages bake the moisture then it feels like my nose has toast in it. :D


OMW, I wasn’t an early riser until a 3FC friend told me it didn’t need to be fun. It took 6 weeks of prying myself out of bed and now (3 years later) I’ve become the early bird and gasp, I love it. Try setting a 6 week goal to do it and see if you can become a convert. It’s worth it. Truly I’m way less moody at work because of early morning exercise. It stabilizes me.

Joy, I envy the honeycrisp find. I looked at Safeway last night but I think a morning break to the better grocery is in order this morning. If you found honeycrisps they must be coming my way too.

Dancer, ok the vent at yourself is over.:hug: I understand the kicking yourself for letting the weight hang around too long but there’s nothing we can do about it. Try spinning the thoughts to “I am thrilled I’m not waiting any longer. I won’t spend my 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond in this battle.” The past history demon is a great unmotivator so it must be eradicated.:devil:

I suppose I need to work. My file utilities finished running about 5 minutes ago… :o

Marie

OnMyWay, Thanks for all your support and I agree, I am not an early riser, but I might have to try it.

NewLeaf- I like your exercise routine. I go to gym classes when I can, I need to be more vigilant, but I blew out my knee and now my elbow. Ain't 40s fun?

Marie, Great recipe for burger, thanks!

Dancer, I don't have any set plan, but today, I just sauteed some mushrooms in Pam and then made some egg whites and put that together with a little salsa. Lets hope I can be good all day. Planning on grilled chicken salads for dinner! OH.. I will read your article that you posted in a bit.

Cruise, I just had Rebath come out and just for the tub and surround, very simple, they wanted close to 6K. That won't happen! good luck with your bath!

Ok, back on track! I write down what I eat and am starting to use the WW point system, but I don't go to meetings! I also just am going to try to make better choices and get back to the gym!

Have a great day all!

I got 40 mins of walking in, in this heat! If I didn't at least sweat off some weight then God is very unfair! And the possible new landlord was a no show on top of it : ( We got some news about my daughter's baby, he has hydrocephalus. Not a good thing, but an explanation and now they can figure out what to do for him. Showering then spending the rest of my day off with a friend. Hope everyone else is having a great day!

WeightlossWanted - If it helps any, I know an 8-year-old boy that has hydrocephalus, and he is doing great. He plays on my son's baseball team, and in talking with his mother, he even just got cleared to play football if he wants (which he doesn't). The boy does well in school with no accommodations, and if his mother didn't tell you, you would never know that he had this problem. I know she is very vigilant, though, in making sure to meet with his teacher at the start of each year to make sure they understand the situation and what to do if he ever complains of headaches or nausea. Hopefully that gives you just a little bit of reassurance that hopefully everything will turn out alright...

Marie, bummer about Denali. Yeah, I have my concerns about the bus rides, etc. Need to research that some more...

DMC2009 be careful about that knee! Vigilance is key...

DancerInDenver look forward, not back. You have done so well -- DO NOT SABOTAGE YOURSELF! I hope your run was good.

GardenerJoy, good vigilance to notice the scale creep. You can do this... definitely set a plan...

I just got done mowing the front yard twice and the backyard once. That was a lot of work, so I'm going to go stretch (I threw my back out at the beginning of the summer from mowing), take a hot shower, and then think about lunch.

Good morning all! ;)

Just wanted to say hi to my fellow 40+ and Fabulous Group! May you all have a fantastic day! ;)

Just got a couple minutes before my hair appointment.... that's right I'm going to get it all cut off. WTH.... it's only hair and it will grow back IF I don't like it.

Heidi - Sounds like you are doing northbound. Where are you going out of? I loved College Fjord and Harvard Glacier. Be sure to get up early that morning (before the sun is up) to see the colors change. We were scheduled to be in front of Harvard at 6am but around 5am was the best, plus you get a good place on the rail.

Joy - This should make you feel even better.... that same employer of mine was also building a house. When I left Virginia back in 2002 it had been 10 yes TEN years since they broke ground. Last I heard (May) was the house is basically done but the wife now has no desire to move into the "lot" house that almost destroyed her marriage.

Just a quick stop by to say hellow and to say I AM BELOW 185!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

See everyone tomorrow!!

Hotsplashes- Congrats on the ticker move! Gosh, they feel good, don't they?
WLW - vigilance is always the key! And fantastic job on getting outside in the heat!
Marie - we didn't even try the Denali ride. The guys hiked up Mt. Healy, we visited the nature center and saw the films, but by then we were already in love. We decided we want to go whole hog and do a backcountry permit - in a couple years after we do some warmup hikes first. Isle Royale was just the beginning. It sounds like you have much more accessible majestic views at home - nice!
dancer - Eyes on the prize, lady! There's nothing you can do to change the past, and you don't get points for looking back! Onward, looking ahead to all the cool things you'll be able to do/CAN do!
newleaf - have fun with the grass (yay.) The hot shower is always a good reward for working hard. And I figure there's maybe 6 more mows left in our season, and then it'll be that four-letter S word anyway!

Lesson du jour: Pears are higher calorie than I thought. Peaches are way low, but pears? Yipes! 90 for a basic medium pear! Doesn't mean I'm going to not eat them, but I didn't realize I was going to have to juggle to accomodate them. :)

I'm not a big pear eater so I too was surprised at the calorie content. I love peaches (40) and nectarines (65) and happy they are so low. I've been eating a ton this summer.

Well I got my hair cut and decided to go short in stages. I also went dark for the fall. I mostly happy with it but I really do see a short style in my future.

Good evening everyone! What a busy place this is!

ICU, glad to hear you were able to move that ticker! Better start counting you money, you'll be going shopping soon!

Hotsplash, under 185! That's awesome. Sounds like yesterday was a rough one, hope today was better!

Cruise, Great haircut, you look very young in your new avatar!

Sunshine, Hi to you too! Stop by often!

Newleaf, Hope your boys did well with being back to school. Double cutting the yard sounds like torture! Hope it's a small yard!

WLW, Sorry to hear about your grandson. Hopefully having advance notice about his condition will prepare everyone for his arrival. Sending a prayer your way!

DMC, Glad you are back! this is not going to be easy but you know what you need to do! Be careful with you injuries and keep posting. I really think the support is a big part of being successful!

Marie, Cancun in February! Sounds like a perfect incentive to get through the winter. I also struggle in the winter. It's dark here so early, Yuck! I think I was a bear in a previous life, I'd be perfectly happy to climb into bed and stay there til spring!

Dancer, What's in the past is over. Time to look to the future. Look at what you are doing now and celebrate that. We can't change the past. Be happy that you will never be the person you used to be again!

Gardenerjoy, Honeycrisp! OMG! We picked them last fall at Eckerts, they were wonderful. I bought jazz apples today at the grocery, very crisp and sweet.

TSAP, Welcome back! Glad you survived your roadtrip!

Jacquee, spinning sounds like a terrific addition to your routine!

Hydra, Where in Ohio are you? I loved in Cincinnati before moving to Missouri.

Sunshine, Hi to you too! Stop by often!

I will. Thank you! ;)

CruiseCAT - LOVE the new avatar!! You look fabulous! Good tips about the boat... I wonder how it will be with the kids from that standpoint -- getting them out of bed to get to the rail by 6:00am!! We are going next July, departing from Vancouver.

HotSplashes - congrats on the ticker move!!! I'm hoping to move mine tomorrow. I was very good today, even said no to having an ice cream when I took my 2 DSs to celebrate after school.

OnMyWay - 1st day was uneventful, so that was good.

ICUWishing - interesting about Denali. One of the things we considered was renting an RV, driving to Denali, and then camping in the park (in the RV, not tents since we can't pack all our stuff) for a few days so we actually felt like we experienced the rhythm, sights and sounds. Listening to you and Marie, maybe we have to go back to that idea...

After mowing (and showering!) I bought myself a new outfit for a meeting I have tomorrow. New jeans and a tight sashy-type top. I'm sick of not having jeans that fit right. I went to TJMaxx and the jeans and shirt combined were $14.

Okay, so today was a good diet day, no sugar and no junk. Tonight I had a grilled chicken salad and tonight will have sugar free pop cycle or two.

What do you all munch on at night, tthat is my downfall.

:o

Okay, so today was a good diet day, no sugar and no junk. Tonight I had a grilled chicken salad and tonight will have sugar free pop cycle or two.

What do you all munch on at night, tthat is my downfall.

:o

I try to munch on a serving something around 100 calories at night.....veggies with reduced fat dressing, a banana, an apple or some other serving of fresh or dried fruit, low calorie snack or breakfast bars, popcorn, nuts, reduced fat cheese puffs, fat free pretzels, dry cereal like Total or Cheerios, lite yogurt or herb tea with honey. My favorite snack is lite vanilla flavored yogurt drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.

onmyway....I live in Cincinnati! small world.

Hydra,
Thanks!
those are awesome ideas!

I am also gonna try to go to bed early!

See ya tomorrow friends!

dmc,
If you like ice cream, try skinny cow chocolate truffle bars. They are really good! Other favorites for me, rold gold cheddar pretzels, fiber one bars, (if I haven't already had one earlier in the day. I can't eat 2 a day!) grapes, apple slices with marzetti's FF caramel. Glad you had a good day!

[B]Jacque: Glad you liked the spinning class!

I just wrote the following in another thread:

In my book...IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD!!! But I'm glad I did it...and I want to go and do it again. I think it's a bit like childbirth...while we are going through it we say we will NEVER do it again...but then somehow we forget the pain, and go back again...sometimes even more!!!



[COLOR=DarkGreen]Jacque, spinning looks like pure torture to me. I bow to your desire to go again. Eeks, torture, torture, torture.
Yes that pretty much sums it up!!!


Jacquee, spinning sounds like a terrific addition to your routine!

I thought so too but now I am a little worried because I am leaving again Sunday for a week to help my mom when she comes home from rehab and I just hope I not only stay on track eating wise but also with exercise. She does have a gym in her development that I will be able to use, but it will be hard to stay on track since I will be at her beck and call.


After mowing (and showering!) I bought myself a new outfit for a meeting I have tomorrow. New jeans and a tight sashy-type top. I'm sick of not having jeans that fit right. I went to TJMaxx and the jeans and shirt combined were $14.

Sounds like a great outfit...and what a bargain!!!

DMC2009, I try not to munch at night, making dinner my last food. That said, if I do find myself hungry (not munchy), I just try to eat one of the healthy things I normally would if I got hungry. Last night I had a small slice of whole wheat apple cherry bread. Other nights I'll have what I have dubbed my banana concoction (heat 1 tsp almond butter in the microwave for 30 sec., then slice a banana on top, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with cinnamon). And still others, if I find myself low on calories but not really hungry, I'll have a cup of tea with whole milk and a couple of cookies. Another snack might be a handful of nuts.

What I try to do, not always succeeding, is be mindful of making a real snack because I am hungry, rather than mindlessly eating because I'm tired or bored (which to me is what feeling munchy connotes).

Jacque, here's wishing your mother a speedy recovery... Don't worry if you miss a week, in the end it will all even out.

Well, I'm not going to move my ticker because I only came in at 164.9. BUT, the great thing is that I am down 5 pounds from Monday -- I have put ALL of the camping weight behind me. Woo hoo! Now it's time for the real downwards motion. I've been feeling fat lately, like I've been deluding myself that I was thin again. I still can't go into the store and pick anything off the rack, feeling confident that it will fit me. I've got to lose these 10 pounds, and then see if I've got to lose 10 more.

Jacque, here's wishing your mother a speedy recovery... Don't worry if you miss a week, in the end it will all even out.

Well, I'm not going to move my ticker because I only came in at 164.9. BUT, the great thing is that I am down 5 pounds from Monday -- I have put ALL of the camping weight behind me. Woo hoo!

My mother is amazing!!! When I grow up, I want to be just like her ;) Thanks for the well wishes.... Also, great job on the 5 lb loss....getting rid of vacay weight is the greatest feeling...keep it up!!!:carrot::carrot:

Thank you all for the compliments on my hair. It feels so much healthier.

DMC - I try not to snack at night either. If I do eat something it's fruit or veggies. I love frozen grapes and a cup will last 30-45 minutes.

Heidi - EXCELLENT that you have taken off the camping weight, don't stop there!!!

Jacque - Hope all goes well with your mom.

I'm off to the dentist this AM for a crown and a couple fillings. I'm not real happy with the practices of this office but truth be told I have NEVER been happy with any of the dentist I have seen here in California. I've done my research and will not allow them to guilt me in to "upgrades" I don't need. I'm a huge proponent that one must be their own advocate and when it comes to desitisy I have found that it is especially important to do your research.

Cindy - LOVE the haircut! The FB photo is terrific too - accents your jawline so well! Best wishes on the trip to the dentist ... stand your ground! You've got a beautiful smile to take care of. :D
Heidi - Congrats on the removal of the camping weight! You put it perfectly with the "deluded about being thin" - I'm in the exact same spot. It would have been sooooo easy to just stop here again and coast. Buckle up, sister - we have work to do! ;) And don't toss out the idea of the RV yet. We're talking about ONE mountain. Yes, it's big, and nifty, but the character of Alaska is really all over the whole park. You can get the feel of it without going deep. I know why there's so few churches in Alaska - you can feel the Creator everywhere. I was a proponent of drilling in ANWAR until I went there - when I came back I had a pretty bad "screw people and environmental abuse" attitude for months. I still think that there are places that must be preserved, regardless of cost.
Jacque - You're a MAINTAINER now! A successful LOSER! No matter what is thrown at you, you have the strategies and the know-how to take care of yourself. And if food and exercise simply can't be the first priority for a little while, then you will simply handle it. :) If you start to waffle, come on in here and we'll kick yer butt for you.
dmc - one of the only bad habits I DON'T have is the night snacking, but it's probably because I haven't fully mastered portion control at dinner. If for some reason my stomach is growling, my only rule is that the glycemic load must be as close to zero as possible. So it tends to be a leftover piece of meat, or a slice of cheese. I don't like to tease my blood sugar before bed - I think it wrecks my already awful sleep patterns. Great job on your one day. Just repeat. :) RockinRobin, who is one of my many idols here, says that if you give yourself the gift of 3 days on plan, just 3, you'll feel so good you'll want to continue.

TGIF!

Okay, last night I ended up blowing it by having a hand ful of granola right before bed. I think it is definatly tiredness AND bordom. I am a single mom! ;-) New leaf, you are right about that.

When I did lose lots of weight, I just closed the kitchen at 6:00 and didn't eat anything after that, Period. Where did that will power go? :o

Okay, so today, I am back at it but I do plan on going to the gym for a really good weight class. I will just wear a brace on my arm.

I have lots of good ideas for things to make from the board and will stop at the store on the way home.

Egg whites for breakfast again with mushrooms. Love that.

Have a great day.

Morning all, I'm trying to play catchup again. Yesterday was busy, followed by a nap. I didn't sleep well so only got a few hours of sleep Wed night, which didn't help my busy day on Thurs. I decided I needed a new bag to carry my books around in, so I copied the old one in size, but adding more pockets inside. Making the outside was easy, making the lining was easy, but putting the two together is where I get frustrated! I finally had to sew the lining down by hand. I haven't been able to to hand sew in years, much less thread a needle so that was amazing, if teadious!

I get to clean house today! There's a compound miter saw on the floor in the dining room, tool bags here and there, and a 15 foot piece of trim laying on the floor of the living room because that's the only place it will fit in the house. We have a garage! I can't move the saw because I'm still only allowed to pick up things weighing under 15lbs. This is going to be interesting!

Tanya, Welcome back. Kudos on surviving the roadtrips!

Joy, When I started to exercise several years ago after being a couch potato, my leg 'restlessness' went away, my migraines became much less severe, and I just feel much better; I'm not sure why.

Splashes, Congrats on the 184!

Cruise, I like the new avatar! Good luck at the dentist!

Newleaf, I buy most of my clothes at Ross, which is like TJMaxx! I love those stores!

DMC2009 - I so understand that need to eat, after a long day with the kids. You know what I have tried to do? I've tried to redirect to making a pot of tea. I don't mean a tea bag. I mean, I have a nice little glass tea pot. I put in the tea leaves, I boil the water, I let steep for 4 minutes, I pour into a big mug. I drink from savoringly. It may sound silly, but having this routine, the aesthetic nature of it, the feeling of decadence, really helps. When the boys come home from school, I usually turn the kettle on to boil the water. So I don't snack along with their snack, or snack b/c they are stressing me out. Instead I have my own relaxation and own treat -- all for 0 cal. Maybe you could try something like this at night (herbal or decaf tea).

ICUWishing - I think we're saying the same thing about Denali. If we aren't going to see the mountain, and if the bus ride is long and torturous, then maybe the best thing is to go back to our idea of RVing / camping in the park rather than taking the bus in. So as to really feel the beauty and the rhythm, etc.

dancerindenver: Hope the run chased the demons away for you. Everything that came before was learning experience and made you the determined lovely dancer we all get to enjoy in this community today.

Marie: Cancun in February sounds like an excellent cure for winter blahs!

dmc2009: yay for being back on track and the food diary! My favorite evening treat is homemade fresh fruit sorbet. Have you seen those newer ice cream makers? No more rock salt or hand cranking! I put in two cups of pureed fruit, about a quarter cup of sweetening (my favorite is honey or maple sugar because I'm on an all natural kick, but artificial sweetners would work too), and a quarter cup of egg whites. One batch makes dessert for about a week. The last two batches were watermelon -- yummy and such a pretty shade of pink!

weightlosswanted: good job on the walking! So sorry for your little grandson. I hope they can give him a good outcome.

newleaf: I don't think even skinny people get that kind of confidence of pulling clothes off the rack and knowing they fit -- it's the insane and inconsistent sizing that's at fault, not you! Which isn't to say that you shouldn't lose 10 more pounds and 10 more after that if you want to. I'll be interested to see you take that journey since I hope to be there in a couple of years. I've set a goal weight, but I have no idea if it's "right" or how I will determine rightness when I get there. And congrats on losing the vacation weight so quickly!

CruiseCAT: Love the haircut! And good luck at the dentist -- good for you for doing the research and standing up for yourself. I don't have that sort of problem with the dentist, here, but I have to be careful at the opthamologist's office!

Hotsplashes: Yay for the new number!

ICUwishing: pears are on the SuperfoodsRx list so I guess there's at least good nutrition in those calories. Apples share the same slot in the Superfoods system and are also around 100 calorie, something to remember as apple season comes rolling in.

Onmyway: do you make it to any of the Farmers Markets? Centennial Orchards has the honeycrisps--they are at Tower Grove on Saturday mornings and Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood on Wednesday evenings. Also, of course, in Augusta all the time. Sorry, everyone else, for the Missouri references.

Jacque: does your mom nap? When my mom was alive and I was with her, I found that I always had an hour or two in the afternoon when I could get away for a walk without her even knowing I was gone.

patchworkpenguin: I hope the house cleaning goes well. Don't be tempted to pick up anything you shouldn't! Clean around it and wait for help. Maybe you could put a ribbon on the saw and dress it up a bit while you wait? :-)

I finally made a food plan for myself. It's a bit odd -- a mix and match meal plan with 3 breakfasts, 6 dinners, etc. I think it will work for me.

DMC, I think you hit on the key – making good choices. I hope your food day went as you hoped. BTW, I have a genetic knee problem that reared its ugly head in my 40’s. My ortho sent me to PT before choosing surgery and it was a miracle fix. I now do squats and weights to keep my quads, calves and hamstrings strong. That was the key for me. Talk to your dr. about a PT referral. It is amazing. I’ve been out of PT for 5 months now and still going strong. Also, I’m not a night snacker – mid morning is my downfall. So for that I brought fresh cut up fruit and must wait until 10 to have it. So another hour of my munchies and I’ll get my reward!

WLW, the unfortunate part about exercising in heat and sweatin’ buckets is that the weight loss is temporary as it’s water. There are times it is unfair. But on the bright side, you definitely used calories and that is real loss. And the diagnosis sounds scary from the brief Goggle I just did on it.

Newleaf, when we were leaving the hubby of the B&B we were staying at showed us the map. We were in Fairbanks and he said on the south side (Anchorage side) the road curves relatively close and you don’t have to the bus as it’s paved highway. Check that out. I know that’s how we’ll try it next time. He said there was a beautiful overlook. Too bad we didn’t see him until the end of our trip. And YEAH on the camping gain being eradicated!

Cruise, I love your new avatar. Great photo! The haircut looks great. Probably a wise choice to go in stages.

Hotsplashes, YEAH getting another milestone. You are on your way!

ICU, I hear you about the fruit being higher cals than expected. Apples are higher too. I think all fruit should be free cals. Peaches – I got a new scale that does grams and gives the cals per gram. My costco ones are twice the cals of the normal ones off the family tree. That was sort of a bummer but still less than your pear.

OMW, I am a former bear as well. I found that returning to my favorite sport – downhill skiing – made all the difference in how I view winter. Last year’s knee problem made the bear return. This year, I am actually excited for some snow (sort of as I still hate winter) because I love flying down the mountain. Every once in a while as I’m passing teenagers (I’m a good skier – one sport I’m really good at), I think about if my parents could see me they’d have a heart attck. They don’t get why I just won’t grow up. But it makes winter fun. So there’s my advice for us bears – find a winter sport that ‘s fun. I love snowshoeing at Crater Lake Nat’l Park too but no speed and danger there…

Hydra, great 100 cal snacking ideas. The yogurt sounds great.

Jacque, it’s cool that you’ll have a gym at your disposal. On the food, do the Nancy Reagan and just say no – to junk. If junk is all that is to be had, use small portions. You can do it.

Penguin, sounds like you’re enjoying the improved eyesight! Even if it is hand sewing. Yuck…

So today is an excellent day! It's Friday. DH will be home tomorrow. He's funny. I think he liked being a bachelor in June but this last month he's hated it. Bored, bored, bored. I can't imagine how bored he'll be in October but at least it is him that has to deploy for the month, not me. I'm pretty sure I'd be in the loony bin. Anyway, I won't be the old spinster with her her three dogs after tomorrow afternoon. At least for another month anyway. :D
Marie

I'm back from the dentist and not very happy. The dentist really wanted to take care of the right side first because of the severity of decay on my back molars. I need to say here and now I really like the dentist but not the office staff.

Anyway, the right side needed THREE crowns and a couple fillings and once in to my very back tooth the decay was so deep I need a root canal..... OH JOY!!! Apparently my dentist refers root canals on molars to a specialist so here I sit waiting for my referral.... I HATE INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!

I got my workout in this morning so I'm planning to hang out at the pool and do nothing. Since I don't think I'll be able to eat much (smoothies) I think I'll have a couple beers to dull the pain before the Novocain wears off.

If for some reason my stomach is growling, my only rule is that the glycemic load must be as close to zero as possible. So it tends to be a leftover piece of meat, or a slice of cheese.


DUH.... no wonder I wake up in the middle of the night with stomach pangs when I eat fruit. I know I do better with higher protein but didn't even think about my late evening snacks. Thanks for the wake-up call.

Okay, last night I ended up blowing it by having a hand ful of granola right before bed. I think it is definatly tiredness AND bordom. I am a single mom! ;-) New leaf, you are right about that.



Hang in there DMC.... Don't give up.

DMC2009 - I so understand that need to eat, after a long day with the kids. You know what I have tried to do? I've tried to redirect to making a pot of tea. I don't mean a tea bag. I mean, I have a nice little glass tea pot. I put in the tea leaves, I boil the water, I let steep for 4 minutes, I pour into a big mug. I drink from savoringly. It may sound silly, but having this routine, the aesthetic nature of it, the feeling of decadence, really helps. When the boys come home from school, I usually turn the kettle on to boil the water. So I don't snack along with their snack, or snack b/c they are stressing me out. Instead I have my own relaxation and own treat -- all for 0 cal. Maybe you could try something like this at night (herbal or decaf tea).

I love your enjoyment of tea. Not just the drinking of it but the joy you take in making it.



So today is an excellent day! It's Friday. DH will be home tomorrow. He's funny. I think he liked being a bachelor in June but this last month he's hated it. Bored, bored, bored. I can't imagine how bored he'll be in October but at least it is him that has to deploy for the month, not me. I'm pretty sure I'd be in the loony bin. Anyway, I won't be the old spinster with her her three dogs after tomorrow afternoon. At least for another month anyway. :D
Marie


Woo Hoo for DH coming home. Mack will be going to Mexico the first couple weeks of Oct. and I once again will be the crazy lady with the dogs; but then again I'm that even when Mack is home.

Mack and I are hiking tomorrow so I guess I better go figure out where.

Cruise, I hope the beer kicks in soon.
Marie, I will trade you formorning vs night eathing
Garden, that sorbet sounds good.

I just got back from the store, I picked up a few things to help out. I bought some sugarfree sucker candies, like lifesavers and werthers, I will put them by my bed, since they take along time and taste good, maybe that will do it.

NewLeaf, I bought some almond butter and had to try it. Never had it before. So for my snack, I just ate a half banana with a spoonfull and some honey. I LOVE honey. it was awesome. I think it will be perfect night time thing with some tea! Thanks,

I also bought some agave nector to sweeten things up, some cheerios and lots veggies and eggs for breakfast!

I went to a step class too! So... here I am no excuses! I am ready to drop some serious poundage! :carrot:

Oh.. and I bought some Whey powder to drink. Its about 130 calories, but supposed to keep you full.

Anyone here try that?

Cruise and all, thanks for the support! YOU guys rock!:hug:

dmc2009 - hi! I don't know if we've "met" before?:)

CruiseCAT - I wonder if the carbs before bed is what causes my intermittent insomnia? I'll have to keep track and find out. I do try to avoid carbs after dinner, but sometimes I don't manage it. Sorry about the crowns. I had to get 5 last year and I had that twilight anesthetic - that made it much easier. Unfortunately, I'm one of the 3% who remembers a lot while under, but it's still better than being totally conscious for hours on end while in the chair.

Marie - what kind of knee problem did you have? I have a genetic (my mother has the same thing) grinding noise when I straighten it and it's bearing weight - like lunges, etc. It aches a bit at times, but nothing major, yet. I've been thinking about a PT referral, as well.

gardenerjoy - in your sorbet maker, is there any way to make sorbet without egg whites? I'm allergic to them, but I'd love to have real fruit sorbet.

newleaf - your redirect with tea idea sounds pretty good. I'll have to try that. I also find it stressful when the boys get home from school because their transitions are always so noisy.

patchworkpenguin - glad to hear your vision is so much better. It must feel wonderful to see well again.

ICUwishing - about fruit flies - I saw that you mentioned some kind of vinegar traps? How do you do that? We have an inside bucket for fruits and veggies for composting and no matter what we do, it always has quite a number of fruit flies hovering around. I'd really like to find a way to do away with them without chemicals, etc.

Jacque - thanks for the info on the spinning. I've been considering it, but I don't know if I'm fit enough, yet.

dancerindenver - you're doing so well on your weight loss! Congratulations!!

I'm not feeling too good today. It seems that as I get older, I have one day a month when my hormones are going a little crazy and I get really tired.

Even though I haven't been posting, I've been keeping up here every day. This week I had two final exams and some very difficult stuff to deal with in our family. We're in the process of adopting our younger son from foster care and the social workers want us to get him to slowly learn to deal with the abuse that he suffered until he was 4. It's really hard to hear the details; I can't imagine what it must have been like to live through it. At the same time, we have to teach him how not to be a victim for the rest of his life. It's pretty emotional. Anyway, at least I haven't gained any weight. That's a positive.

newleaf: love your tea ritual! not only am I a hot tea drinker but I collect teapots as well. my two favorite aunts taught me to drink tea, one aunt was part irish and part english, she believed "a hot cuppa" could cure anything that ails you : )

dmc: speaking of hot tea, I love agave nectar in either green tea, white tea or herbal tea for breakfast (along with my fibersure). it has a lower glycemic index then honey or sugar and I prefer the taste to that of honey. sounds like you're off to a great start!

cruisecat: love the hair! I've gone from red to darker myself. the red bleaches out too easily in the sun here. sorry about the dental work, I hate going to the dentist!

maggie: wow, that's a tough thing to deal with! kudos to you for both the foster care and the adoption. melatonin is a great way to deal with insomnia, I couldn't survive without it.

marie: I would be happy even to just lose some water weight : ) I'm impressed by your skiing prowess! cross country is more my speed.

jacque: I liked spinning except that I can't stand due to arthritis in my knees. as a result I had bruises on my bottom in areas I had forgotten could be bruised from the hard seat! I tried for a couple of weeks to see if I could get past it, but even with my own gel seat cover it just didn't work. I was really disappointed!

The doctors are in disagreement as to what they see on my grandson's mri, apparently nobody has bothered to read the actual report. His regular pediatrician says no fluid on the brain, his head is just not shaping properly and wants to put a helmet on him to correct it. So my poor daughter is on a rollercoaster. We're waiting to get a copy of the report so we can read it, as opposed to each doctor giving their opinion based on what they think they see on the films.
Apparently I ate something yesterday that I really shouldn't have, was up and down all night and ended up getting a ride home early from work. Between the stomach and not being able to eat dropping my blood sugar I was a mess. Planned on the usual cure, chicken soup, yogurt, oatmeal and gatorade for a couple of days. Then I read the ingredients on the gatorade - loaded with hfcs and sugar. Argh! Water and herbal tea it is. One bonus of having a messed up stomach is that I usually lose at least a couple of pounds while I'm getting it back under control. Not sure how the blood sugar issue will handle it though. A friend on FB posted a fairly recent pic of my 1st boyfriend. He used to be heavy but appears to have lost a good bit of weight over the years. Looks better than when we were teenagers - talk about motivation!

hatLady, I hope you feel better quickly!
Maggie, nice to "meet" you.

Today, got an early dinner, I burger and salad. No bun, just the burger.

DD got a bun, she loves her burgers! I did the G. Formen thing, its too hot to go out BBQ... but that is my favorite method.

I had some of the agave nector, boy is it ever sweet, I think sweeter than honey or sugar!

May you all have a great weekend! :)

Jacque - Hope all goes well with your mom.

Thanks so so much!!! Me too!! I always hate going to the dentist too, but it's something we all should do twice a year. Glad you like the dentist now....I love mine, but I would rather see him out and about then when I'm lying on my back with his hands in my mouth. Also, love my hygienist, which is a good thing since I spend more time with her then the dentist.


Jacque: does your mom nap? When my mom was alive and I was with her, I found that I always had an hour or two in the afternoon when I could get away for a walk without her even knowing I was gone.

My mom doesn't take a nap per say but she will be knitting or reading and fall asleep so it's not like I can plan something...The problem will be keeping her down and resting. At almost 75 she is VERY active. She is always running somewhere, doing something, for herself or most likely others. She plays golf, although I think she will have to wait awhile on that activity....so I'm thinking when she gets home, she will be thinking about all the things that needs to be done and won't rest. That's what I have to make sure she does, plus schlepp her everywhere she needs/wants to go. It should be an interesting week.


Jacque - thanks for the info on the spinning. I've been considering it, but I don't know if I'm fit enough, yet.

We're in the process of adopting our younger son from foster care and the social workers want us to get him to slowly learn to deal with the abuse that he suffered until he was 4.

Even though the instructor yells what we should be doing, yes yells since the music is so loud, I found that I could still in a way go at my own pace...it was motivating, however I did take a few small breaks.

Also, good for you on adopting!!!:carrot::carrot: Good luck!!!



jacque: I liked spinning except that I can't stand due to arthritis in my knees. as a result I had bruises on my bottom in areas I had forgotten could be bruised from the hard seat! I tried for a couple of weeks to see if I could get past it, but even with my own gel seat cover it just didn't work. I was really disappointed!
I know if I continue I will have to get one of those seats...my rear and other area hurt for 2 days!!! :) Sorry it didn't work out for you :(

CruiseCAT: root canals suck and insurance companies are worse. I hope it all works out for you.

dmc2009: wow! you're going great! I love agave nectar -- especially in tea and with chocolate. Another thing I do with that ice cream freezer is make chocolate frozen yogurt sweetened with agave nectar. Yum!

presmaggie: yes, you can skip the egg whites. The texture is nicer with them, but the taste is just as good either way! I only discovered the egg whites recently, so I've made lots of sorbets without them. Without the egg whites, the sorbet is a bit on the icy side from the beginning and gets more icy as it's stored (sometimes approaching solid, at which point, I usually eat it like a popsicle without the stick). With the egg whites, it's pretty smooth at first, but still gets icy if it's stored awhile.
That sounds like quite a process that you're going through with your son. I've been wondering with the Jaycee Dugard story what kind of help is available. I'm glad smarter people than me know something that might help. I hope it goes well for all of you. What a wonderful thing you are doing and he is doing to work through this.

weightlosswanted: hope you're feeling better today. Good for you for reading the label on the Gatorade. I hope tea sweetened with agave nectar works just as well for you.

Jacque9999: wishing you and your mom well -- she sounds like a wonderful lady.

I get a quiet day today. I'm planning to try out some of the workout videos I've discovered that I can play for free on my computer under the Watch Instantly tab of my Netflix account.

Mack got called out last night so we will spend the day at the pool today and hike tomorrow. Here is the hike we have planned:

http://sevensummitsofbigbear.blogspot.com/2008/04/gold-mountain.html

This will be #2 of the Seven Summits.

WLW - I've thought about going red but never had the nerve. My sister goes red every couple years and it looks great. Maybe next time I'll give it a try. Hope your stomach is feeling better this AM.

Maggie - my sister is a 3%er also. The last time they put her under she told the doc that she was aware of most of what was going on and the doc was like "no way" then she proceeded to tell him names used and events.... he believed her.

I did foster care many years ago and what these kids have experienced can be very difficult to deal with. I'm glad that you have a good case worker that is helping your family move forward. Ours came by the house maybe once a month. I spare you the details but the system more often than not fails these kids and that is why I stopped.

Jacque - OK... tell me what is fun about spinning. The seat issue is enough to keep me from trying.

Good morning everyone! Can't say I was Perfect last night but getting better.

I am going to "officially" weigh in today and figure out where to go from here.

I hope you all have a great day and stick to it. Thanks all for the support and welcomeing!

DMC

dmc2009 - good luck on the weigh in!:goodvibes

CruiseCAT - they didn't believe me on the memory either until I told them about the ambulance that had been called to the building that I had heard them talking about while I was under the twilight anesthetic. It was funny to see the dentist's face.:rofl:

gardenerjoy - good news about the sorbet. I'll keep that in mind. :D About your other comment; there is lots of help for kids with abuse or other issues in their past. Some psychologists specialize in that kind of help and they have some really interesting tools like neurofeedback (we used that for our older son who spent 3 years in an orphanage) and various treatments for PTSD like EMDR.

Jacque - please keep us informed about how the spinning goes. It looks like fun!

weighlosswanted - sorry about your grandson - I hope you can get some clear answers, soon. :hug: I don't tolerate melatonin, unfortunately. It makes me swell up. I've heard it works really well for a lot of people, though.

I wonder if there's anything to seasons for losing weight for some people. Many years ago I remember mentioning to someone that I just cannot lose weight in the summer and he said that he had the opposite issue and he couldn't lose weight any other time of the year. Now that summer is ending, I'm finding that my body is not gaining so easily for times when I'm not OP. Since I have times of the month when it's tough to lose weight, maybe the same is true for different seasons. I have to admit that summer is not my favorite season. Spring and fall are times when I always feel better. Does anyone else find this to be true about different seasons?

Cruisecat - chiming in late to the chorus of oohs and aahs on your new hairdo - LOVE IT!

presmaggie - interesting thought on seasonality - I've never noticed a real pattern myself - curious to hear what others have to say.

Presmaggie, I agree with dancer, I've never noticed a pattern myself but it really does make you wonder.

Cruise, I think red would look great on you!

DMC, Hope your weigh in wasn't too upsetting. Take things one day at a time. If nights are hard you need to plan ahead for that. Save some calories or points for an evening snack.

Marie, I'm going to try getting up 20 minutes earlier this week so I can walk before school. I know I feel better when I start the day with exercise, I just have to drag my big bottom out of bed!

Glad to have a weekend again. Little by little we are getting back into the routine of me working. Work began on our master bath this week also. Let's hope it goes smoothly! I've picked out all of the tile and fixtures. I'm really hoping it is done by next weekend. I haven't weighed in several days. Decided I needed a little break from daily weighing. Have a great weekend everyone!

Jacque - OK... tell me what is fun about spinning. The seat issue is enough to keep me from trying.

Not sure I can tell you anything that was "fun" about it. But the fact that it's a great workout...burned about 700 calories in the dark is enough for me to try it again.


Jacque - please keep us informed about how the spinning goes. It looks like fun!

Will do...however I probably won't be able to do it again until I return from my mom's...unless there is a class at her gym at a time I can go to.

Well, I am at 145 and that seems to be my average. I have got to get past it.
tonight I am meeting a GF for apps and drinks, so today is kind of shot. But I have had a sensible breakfast and lunch so far. Will try to eat very lightly for rest of day. Probably have a white wine spritzer which isn't too bad.

I will be happy with myself if I can lose 2 lbs by next saturday, I will be very happy. It will be much easier working!

;-)

Cruise, I feel your dental pain. I had two crowns in June. My insurance paid some but it’s still really expensive. Too bad you have to go to a specialist for the root canal. Yuck! And DD had an emergency in Reno so DH went there instead of home. It is a real mess. I’m the only one in the little family not there – she and I are chatting by phone and I’m doing the local stuff.

DMC, you’re right on the morning munching. I log it all and have to make up for it in the evening. I’m able to adjust the eating and not go over on calories. I never thought about it like that. I guess the morning munchie monster is preferable. Also I’m a big whey protein powder user. I don’t like meat much, I’m allergic to peanuts and I don’t like eggs. Protein has always been a problem for me. I buy GNC’s powder French Vanilla Crème. It has 120 cals for 24 grams of protein. I put a half scoop in my magic bullet with about 2/3 c frozen berries (blue and marion berries are the latest) and 1 c. of Diet Pomegranate Cranberry juice. About 100 cals and 12 grams of protein. My smoothie is my normal breakfast, after work snack. I also add the ½ scoop to my 100 cal iced mocha. It has mad a gigantic difference in my elliptical workouts. My quads no longer feel like they went through the wringer and dead tired. I wouldn’t trade the stuff for anything.

Presmaggie, my knees don’t travel straight up and down in their grooves when bending them. They both rotate outwards. So all the muscles needed to be strengthened around them so that the ligaments would tighten and hold it in place better. I can still occasionally feel them run out of track but the PT also gave me ways to get them back in place. I loved my physical therapists (I had two working together). That referral was amazing. Not to mention they’re the ones that made me warm-up on a scary elliptical. I was like “no, no, no” and they insisted I try it. By the end of the warm-up I was so hooked. I adore my elliptical. And never wait until you are “fit enough” to start something. If it looks fun start doing it. No one says you have to do a whole class. Start slowly and build. When you find the right exercise, it is a great tool. Also spring and summer – I lose more than due to the much increase in sunlight and me going and going and going. I do so much more in the spring and summer that I find losing easier then. Not too mention the produce that abounds.

WLW, I love red hair and used to dye my blond locks red. They faded within a week. After a while I was torturing my hair and gave up. I look forward to the day they can give you a shot and the hair grows the color you want.

OMW, “I just have to drag my big bottom out of bed!” HA!!!!! Your bottom is way smaller. You’ve lost 55 pounds. You are a gorgeous chickie!


Dancer, are looking forward yet??? I saw the small post and was glad you're hanging about. Know we're rooting for you!
Marie

Hey all! Hubby and Dad went to Arkansas to pick up a '68 Mustang that my dad is buying as a project/toy from a friend of Hubby's, so Mom took me to lunch and my first ever IMAX movie! I havn't wanted to go before because I figured I would be missing more than I saw with my vision. But it was fantastic! {i'm glad I waited until after the surgeries} We saw Under the Sea, which was about the Great Barrier Reef, etc. I thought it could have been longer. Mom says they go to a theater in FL which has a much bigger screen and the seats recline. I've got to get Hubby to go sometime, hes' never been either.

Even bigger news! I found the SHOWER CURTAIN! It was in the attic! My Mom helped me hang it up, and it looks very nice. Its burgandy to match the towels. I promise, pictues soon!

I walked two miles with Leslie last night, but am unsure if I'll workout today, mabye just work in the backyard. I saw a monarch butterfly in the front when we came home from the movie! He fluttered around us for a few minutes then flew away. We get a lot of the little yellow ones but a monarch only every few years.

Marie, interesting idea about the protein powder. I have a hard time getting enough protein. I don't each much meat or eggs, although I do eat cheese. I've been worried about trying it because (1) I'm not sure where I'd take the calories away to add these new ones and (2) it always seems to be sold in such huge tubs that I worry about the commitment. I try to remember to eat a can of tunafish every once and a while, but normally I just gravitate to fruits and veggies. Sorry to hear about your daughter and your diverted husband. I hope you get to see him soon and the emergency passes quickly / easily.

CruiseCAT, your hike tomorrow looks awesome; enjoy!

WeightlossWanted, I hope everyone can come to agreement and figure out soon what is going on with your grandson so they can start implementing next steps...

ICUWishing, how are your new pet fruitflies doing??? We got them last summer and it was so hard to get rid of them! I trapped them using red wine, but the whole thing was just gross. This year I've been lucky, so far.

Presmaggie, you are such a good mama to your boys :hug:

DMC2009, I'm so glad you loved the banana concoction!! I make it for my boys, too. Substituting peanut butter for almond butter, and chocolate syrup for honey. They love it!

PatchworkPenguin, congrats on the curtain find!! Glad you enjoyed the IMAX, sounds like you are loving your new eyesight!!

Marie, I was hungry but didn't want to eat much before I went to the gym, so I had some protien powder and I did okay, my legs felt pretty strong. I don't usually do treadmill/elip but today I missed my class and wanted to go anyway so I did that. I burned the protien powder plus some. I am just hoping it fills me up more! Do you think it will?

Newleaf, def. gonna make the banana concoction for dd. I can't have chocolate syrup in the house - I will eat it! She liked the agave nector, she said it didn't leave an aftertaste, so it is a hit!!!

I just got back from the gym, doing pretty good on my calories so far today. Going to the movies, I hope not to buy popcorn! If I do, I will eat it slowly and suck on each piece... or I will just take in my water and sucker candy and then save the calories till after the show for a cosmepolitian! Gesh, that sounds so good, it is soooo hot here in so cal.

Happy saturday:D

onmyway - I live near Cincinnati! And congrats on your progress!

I hope everyone has a good day today. :grouphug:

CruiseCAT: hope you had a good day by the pool and a good hike today -- the trail sounds lovely.

Marie: I hope the crisis with your daughter is soon and satisfactorily resolved.

patchworkpenguin: yay for finding the shower curtain!

dmc2009: good job on the gym workout! What movie did you see? Did you like it?

Onmyway: good luck with your earlier rise time and walks!

Everyone else: :wave:

I ended up with two walks as well as playing around with DVDs yesterday, so I think I'll try a nice healing yoga workout today.

Hi all,
I went and watched Julie & Julia, it was very cute! Afterwards went for a glass of red wine and had a small salad as an appetizer, it was a good choice. I probably could have passed on the wine, but it was SATURDAY NIGHT! :p So I went for it.

When I got home I didn't let the munchies get me, I cut up some cauliflour and munched that. Why am I so munchie? Maybe its time to find a boyfriend??!!!

Today, plan on staying on track, I just missed the morning workout class, but can go later and do with I did yesterday, treadmill and eliptical, or just eliptical, it really burns lots more calories. Just woke up, so I am not sure yet.

tomorrow sould be much easier as I am back to work and can plan my meals. I grilled up lots of chicken for salads too!

Penguin, I bet you’re discovering a whole new world out there. Sounds like the movie was fabulous.

Newleaf, I hated protein powders in the past and the one I use was really pushed at me by the GNC salesman who promised it was great and he used it. I can’t use soy based ones because of allergies and he promised the French Vanilla Crème was innocuous, that he loved it in his mochas. Well as I’m a mocha addict I gave in and bought a small bag. After the first mocha, I was sold. It doesn’t taste icky like others I’ve tried. It adds a subtle vanilla flavor. Then I tried it in my fruit smoothies. Hmm, that was good so I was sold. When my little bag started running low I bought the big honking tub of it. Finding the cals to take away was easier as I wasn’t pushing myself to eat yucky eggs.

DMC, I really can’t say if the powder keeps me full longer. I just know the results on my quads and stamina. That has been tremendous. I hope you held out for the cosmopolitan. Sounds needed in the heat.

Joy, thanks for the good wishes. I don’t think there is a good solution to DD’s problem. It involves child custody and alternative lifestyles and broken hearts. But that said, she’s doing pretty good presently. She found a new apartment and DH and DS are getting her moved today. Tomorrow we’re sending her to a lawyer. Enjoy your yoga. I bet the walks yesterday were fine.

This morning I took the donkey dogs for a long walk. OK, only Kai was being a donkey after the first two blocks. We went for 3 miles. Today is a non-elliptical day so I usually add more exercise to other routines on those two days. It was beautiful out this morning but I’m so angry it didn’t make a dent in my brain. But if I hadn’t gone, I’d probably be more angry and depressed. The DD situation really is unconceivable. No one would have guessed her partner would have done what she did.

Now on the bright side of my day. I created a stained glass panel for a charity function that is today. They just picked it up and said it might be their grand prize instead of in the silent auction. That was cool. I did take a pic of it this morning. Of course it was created of my huskies (since wolves and huskies are similar). One was Kai Bear and the other was my first husky, Teddy Bear. I’m going to make a few changes to the design and make it again for myself. But at least I can add this image to my doggie website that has a placeholder for Kai’s stained glass. Right now the site has Kai Stained Glass coming soon. I think I’ll get the pic added today. I think instead of wallowing in anger today, I’ll go to the charity function. It’s a fundraiser for my dog behaviorist’s animal refuge.

The other good part of the day is that my TOM weight is gone and I’m back to pre-TOM. I always like that. :D

Marie

Hi, I added the pic to my website. So here's the donated panel...
http://www.mariesdogs.com/Images/TeddyKaiGlass.jpg

I was able to fit in my 40 inch waist jeans this morning! They are tight and I have what the kids call "muffin top" but this is progress for me! :flow1:

I was able to fit in my 40 inch waist jeans this morning! They are tight and I have what the kids call "muffin top" but this is progress for me! :flow1:

WTG!!!

It's all about progress!!!

Marie - I LOVE stained glass. I would like to learn but I really don't have the patience for stuff like that nor am I an artsy type.

We are back from our hike and headed out to the pool for a couple hours. I'll be back later today or tomorrow with a link to the pictures.

The mountains were a very comfortable 82 degrees with little humidity. When we came back down the desert was blanketed in smoke from several of the fires we have going here in southern California. I haven't heard about any in our area mountains but with these temps and single digit humidity it's just a matter of time.

Hope you all enjoy what is left of your Sunday.

Marie, that is georgous! Beautiful work.

Hydra, you are doing great,just think how you will feel when they are loose!

I am sitting here eating a plate of bell peppers. I am constantly munchie! I need some serious help with this. Today I am trying to make good choices.

I ended up taking a Zumba class and sweating it out... so that was good. Tonight chicken salad, tomorrow for lunch, chicken salad... GAH!!

Need some ideas... I could always have a bologna sand tomorrow on high fiber bread with lots of veggies, yeah... okay... that way I can say I am mixing it up a big.

Lunchtime ideas anyone??

:o

Marie, Your glass is beautiful! I took a stained glass class right after college. I enjoyed it but really took it because the instructor was hot! Hope things with your DD work out. It's never easy when our kids are in difficult situations.

Cruise, Hope you had a great day by the pool! Are you back to your old self after the surgery or do you still have limitations?

Hydra, the muffin top will be gone before you know it! Glad to hear you were able to get into the jeans! That's progress!

DMC, you are choosing the right things to munch on! For lunch, I make wraps with flatout flatbread, a bowl of fruit, a handful of pretzels. Some days I take a lean cuisine and have fruit or carrot sticks. For dessert I have sugar free chocolate pudding or a 90 calorie granola bar.

Hydra, I went to Mt. St. Joe for college. Lived in Westwood when I got married. I also have sisters in Harrison and MIL in Maineville. Love Graeter's ice cream!

Gardenerjoy, 2 walks and dvd's! You go girl!

Patchwork, Glad you found your curtain. I have a bad habit of putting things away and not being able to find them! Once I took one of my son's rollerblades away to ground him. When it came time to return it I couldn't remember where I put it! Did finally find it but it wasn't easy!

Newleaf, your new outfit sounds great. I love a bargain!

Jacquee, Hope your mom is doing well! She's lucky to have you to help care for her!

Cleaned out my closet of pants from last winter. Put on a pair of size 22's, DD climbed into them with me. We got a good laugh. I'm keeping them to remind me of where I never want to be again.

Evening all! Hubby is mowing the lawn. We went to church and then did some shopping. I have gained a little weight so last fall/winters clothes that were tight then are probably unwearable. Sigh! We went to Ross and I bought two pantsuits; chocolate brown and charcoal grey, for under $60 total. Both are by Danny & Nicole so I'll have to remember to try that brand first, next time, since I have a hard time with fit.

My Dad apparently called up my Sis to tell her about his car. He started the coverstaion with "hey, I bought a new car". She was apparently disappointed to find it was an 'old' new car.

The weather here is nice again. We were wondering if we're getting an Indian summer, or if Fall is coming early. The high today was 80* and the squirrels are already in the pecan tree, dropping unripe nuts on the house and yard.

Marie, Wow on the stained glass! LOL on Donkey dogs.

Hydra, Yay, on the jeans!

DMC, I spend a lot of time home alone, and I've noticed if I get bored I get munchie. I'm not sure where/when I started eating as entertainment but I'm having a hard time quitting that particular habit.

Thanks for all the nice responses and encouragement about me getting into these 40 inch waist jeans. They will be loose soon!

onmyway - I live in Oakley and grew up on the east side, I went to Cincinnati State Tech college and I am a native and long time resident of the city.

Have a nice day tomorrow and please know that I value the short time I have been using this site. It is key to my weight loss to get support from people along the way and you are all so positive and motivated and just plain awesome!:grouphug:

Hi guys, hope you don't mind if I jump in and join you.

I turned 40 in March, and have been delaying the inevitable (moving from the 30-somethings to here!). But here I am.

I did a 10k run yesterday - my first. I'd been training and everything, but I think that running with 46,000 others pushes you along a bit more than you push yourself. So I'm a bit sore today. Walk day only for training, I think. And I've got an appointment with the physio for a massage tomorrow. Couldn't get in today, she's booked. Probably some of the other 46,000!

Looking forward to hanging out here. I haven't read the rest of the thread, but will keep up from now on, I promise.

PS Marie - that's a gorgeous stained glass panel. Did you make it? That's one thing I've always admired, but I don't have an arty bone in my body, I'm afraid.

:dust:OnMyWay - I devoured peppers and cauliflour and brocolli today. I was gonna post a question asking how much veggies we consume in a week? ;-) At the rate I ate today, it will be a lot!

Prim, welcome to the thread, I am relatively new to this one too.

Hydra, I need this thread too! I really do!

Patchwork - OMGosh, you are so right on the nose. I am alone all day today and munching my way thru it. I need to head back to church on sundays, go to the beach, do SOMETHING! I need to meet more people and get a life!!!! One more reason to get out there, to stop eating! :moo:

Okay, today was a pretty good day, and I have all my food planned for tomorrow, it should be good too.
I may even take in a cardio class if I can after work. If not I will be just walking in the morning for my break.

I hope to come down at least 1 lb on Saturday.

:grouphug:

Welcome Primm! I went to collage with a girl named Primgamon sp? we called her Prim. I turned 40 in April, which wasn't terribly traumatic for me, its not like I didn't know it was coming!

DMC, I seem to have lost interest in many of my hobbies over the past few years, and haven't replaced them with anything else, and I don't like to watch TV {there's never anything on anyway.}, so it seems that I end up in the kitchen staring at the fridge. LOL, okay there's always housework, yip-e!

No time for personals as i got to see mom yesterday and she is doing GREAT!!! Can't believe she has had only about a week of rehab and the progress she has made!!! I'm so proud of her.

Going to do some pilates here at her house and then off to the rehab center to pick her up and bring her home!!!!

Yeah Mom!!!!

Hubby and I went shopping today, plus I had an eye doc appointment. I'm doing very well post surgery. My distance vision is a little blurry, and I still have the double vision, so will probably get bifocals; readers for the bottom and distance in the top but that will wait for my eyes to stop healing, etc. I asked about the exercise and he said one more week, then said "you aren't lifting 200lbs are you?" I smiled sweetly and said "no, 50 is as high as I can lift over my head" He was speechless for a minute. But then asked me to wait another week. But I took that to mean on the heavy weights. So I figure I'm okay for cardio and light weights. I don't have to wear the hard eye proector at night either. Yay!

Before picture of our shower surround {and dog getting a bath}
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj427/penguinspics/jennifer894.jpg

Shower surround after
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj427/penguinspics/100_3222.jpg

bath floor after {can't find a before on the computer}
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj427/penguinspics/100_3253.jpg

Dry {ha ha} fit of the sink
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj427/penguinspics/100_3261.jpg