40-Somethings - 40-somethings August Week 5 Chat

My turn to start! Everyone did so great last week, y'all are such an inspiration! Welcome to our newcomers :carrot:

I'm not looking forward to this morning's walk to the bus stop, we're having severe thunderstorms today. On the positive side, it's bringing in cooler weather, high only in the mid to upper 80's! I've been eating bland, soft food which is helping the tummy and keeping the blood sugar down. Last check it didn't move the scale though :(

I hope everyone has a great week!

Well, had a wonderful day and then BAM, got hungry really late and before I knew it I was grazing. I had some chips and some granola, not a lot, but enough to know this is not what I should be doing and its like it ruins my whole days worth of work.

So.... either I need to save more calories for night time, or I need to eat more because I am not consuming enough.

Oh well, I will figure it out. I am determined.

This is a new thread, a new beginning! I plan on seeing some results, because anything is better than my complete mindless eating I can do all day sometimes.

Yoo Hoo!:cool:

dmc2009: Julie & Julia is on my list, thanks! I'm rewarding every 5 pound weight loss with a movie and it's time for my reward!
Lunchtime ideas? Hmmm. I'm guessing that you're packing your lunch?
Chicken salad is a favorite for me, too.
I like using wild salmon in a can to make salmon salad sandwiches since salmon is ridiculously healthy and I'm not that good about eating it other ways.
Homemade hummus also makes a good sandwich and gives me a vegetarian option.
For sides: veggies (sometimes with dip), tossed salad with homemade dressing, fruit (apples are perfect for a packed lunch).
I did tend to pack the same thing day after day, back when I was last packing a lunch. Once I've made salmon salad, for example, it feels like I should eat it!

Marie: the stained glass piece is beautiful! The design is great -- I'm amazed at the detail on the wolf-dogs and the clouds.

Hydra: congrats on fitting into the smaller jeans!

CruiseCAT: take care of yourself! Those fires are looking really scary. I have an internet friend who was prepared to evacuate yesterday. No word from her today, so I'm guessing that she may have left.

Onmyway: LOL at the pants with you AND your daughter! You should take pictures!

Primm: Welcome to 40-something! Congrats on the 10K! That is quite an accomplishment.

Jacque: so glad that your mom is doing well!

The scale finally nudged into new territory. This journey, so far, was a precipitous drop in weight over 5 days, 11 days of no movement and, now, I hope gradual decline for awhile.

Marie - your stained glass is beautiful! I'm so sorry your dd is having a tough time.:hug:

Primm - Welcome! So far, I like my 40's better than my 30's. I guess it's because experience does make a difference.;)

Jacque - you sound relieved. I'm glad your mom is doing better.:hug:

gardenerjoy - I like your idea of rewards every 5 pounds. Maybe it will make this journey easier to break it down a bit. I rewarded myself last week, just for fun, by seeing Star Trek at the IMAX (huge screen). It was a great distraction from what was going on in my life - better than mindless eating.

weightlosswanted - I hope you make it through the thunderstorms without getting too wet. It's good that your tummy is better, too.

I'm taking ds5 and ds6 to my gym today. There is a daycare I can use for a small cost while I work out. I'm proud of myself for arranging it a couple of weeks ago (plan to succeed). I'm so glad it's getting toward fall, a much better time of year for me.

Welcome to our new comers!!! I think you will find the ladies here a GREAT inspiration.

OnMyWay - Surgery was a breeze and I was back to normal after a couple weeks. Good to see you back here, we missed you.

Jacque - Love the new avatar; you look GREAT.

DMC - I had a craving for chili the other day and made a awesome alternative. I used a can on santa fe beans, chicken, tomato, peppers (green, red, yellow & orange), onion, garlic, mushrooms and a sprinkle of mozzarella (.5 oz); it was chunky, delicious and only 350 calories.

WLW - Sure hope you are feeling better soon.

The fire that is causing us trouble here in the high desert in the Station Fire. It is over 60 miles away from us and is effecting air quality as far as Las Vegas. I took the dogs out this morning and to my surprise there was soot everywhere; needless to say I brought them in and we will spend the day inside. The last time it was this bad was the Old Waterman Fire back in 2003that was here in our county and kept Mack VERY busy keeping communications up. Here are some pictures that he took during that fire:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/97051212hdFkei?start=0

One of the biggest problems with that fire was all the damage the bark beetle has caused. Basically the bark beetle sucks the life out of a tree and it dies. We saw evidence of a lot of this yesterday on our hike. You can see dead trees everywhere and the tell tale sign (see picture #13) that the beatle had been there.

Pictures 1-26 are from our hike up Gold Mountain yesterday:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/574263020gZWXGI

Morning, ladies!

WLW - hope your thunder-y walk was okay!

DMC - a buddy from another thread recommended a protein snack (like, a few slices of smoked turkey and a piece of cheese) to battle the late night munchies (instead of salty, crunchy things that you just want more of) and that seems to help me a bit.

Gardenerjoy - congrats on the loss! It does seem to come in waves, sometimes. Those plateaus are so frustrating!

presmaggie - I'm impressed by your planning and discipline in getting in your workouts despite childcare challenges - that's great! What do you have planned as far as workouts?

Marie - thanks for thinking of me earlier in the weekend. I'm back to focusing on the positive after a major TV binge day yesterday (let me clarify - no food bingeing, just lots and lots and lots of CSI:NY episodes and no workout). I think it was partly in response to needing to be so social at my buddy's bachelorette party on Saturday.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/weight_loss_calculator.htm I was playing with this calculator this morning and thought some of you who calorie count might find it interesting.

Hydra, way to go getting into slimmer jeans. Progress is everything.

Cruise, I am very impatient and that I can do stained glass amazes me. Once, about 20 years ago, I was so mad a piece of glass broke wrong, I picked up the remaining sheet of glass and threw it back on the table. Needless to say I had to re-cut all the already cut pieces because it was a one of a kind sheet of glass. I learned my lesson. :o


DMC, have you ever tried Orowheat whole wheat sandwich thins? They’re 100 cals and taste great. I hear that Pepperidge Farms makes the same thing. It would snazzy up the bologna.

OMW, ah my instructor 25 years ago wasn’t hot. She was an old lady – perhaps in her forties. And way too cool about the pants with DD joining you. You should get a picture. That’s the type that goes on Good Housekeeping covers.

Penguin, you’ll get back into those clothes from last fall. Then it’s like you’ve gone shopping without any cost.

Primm, welcome to the forties. Yes I did the stained glass for a charity. I used to do it by contract but when it was a job, I started to hate it. So now I only do it for fun. You’ll find a great group of women here. It’s amazing how our bodies change in the forties. Having the fellowship of other 40’s women is invaluable. And I agree with Presmaggie – I way love my forties. I’m so content with myself instead of trying to prove myself. I figure the 50’s will be just as great. Luckily I still have 2 years left with this wonderful group.


WLW, the scale will budge eventually. Do you log and measure your food. A good kitchen scale is a must. Sometimes it’s amazing how small real portions are. If you’re not seeing progress, invest in a good scale.

Presmaggie, the trip to the gym will be triple effective – you’ll get a workout, a small break from the little ones and no way to mindless eat. Sounds like a great plan you should use often.

OK, drumroll. The Evil Scale was kind today. I have officially lost 60 pounds! :carrot::carrot::carrot:Five this morning I let out a big whoop of joy and my doggies came running, startled. As distressed as I am over DD and DGS, I’m so happy about the drop of another pound. And DH told me last night that they got DD moved from her house and into her new apartment. She feels much safer now. And DH is on his way home!!!! I’m pretty sure no Monday could be better. And the donkey dogs walked like perfect angels this morning. I think that when we walk in the dark, using only my headlamp, they are much better behaved. They can’t see lots of the world around them and so they’re good. Perhaps dark walks are the solution??? Naw, I like weekend walks as the sun rises. Clearly they need to learn.

Marie

Marie - Woohoo!!! Congrats on all of the wonderful news!!!

Cruisecat - Hope you guys stay safe from the fire - how scary!

Hello everyone! I'm trying to read back through last week's thread and catch up. In the meantime ...
Jacque - LOVE your avatar! You look fantastic!
Marie - the stained glass is gorgeous! I have a little appreciation for what an effor that is - my mom does it. How awesome to be recognized for your artistry!
Cruise - Be safe in the fires! Sounds like you've been around it for a while. It's unfortunate but necessary that Mom Nature has to clean house that way. Bark beetles... such fun. Invasive species only have us and our rabid globalization to thank. Here in Michigan, we're dealing with ash borers, Asian carp, gobies, lampreys, zebra mussels, purple loosestrife, wayward bamboo ... just to name a few.
penguin - I'm waiting anxiously for the pics of the bathroom - it must be a thrill to see it all coming together. I love to take progress pictures on all the renovating and decorating projects. And it doesn't hurt when you're calculating capital gains later on, either!
OMW - Loved the story about you and DH getting into the fat pants - that would have been a Kodak moment for sure!
WLW - Much as I like thunderstorms ... I like them from inside my house. :)
Primm - welcome!
pres - that's great that your gym has childcare available. The only ones that have it where I am have ridiculous membership fees. But DS10 is a cool and levelheaded dude - he doesn't mind spending a couple hours alone in the house so that problem can't be used as an excuse for me any more. (darn!)
dancer - every now and then, I do a TV-binge too. I ran into a "House" marathon that had all the episodes I'd missed before I started watching it - I think that was the only time I've eaten in front of the TV in years. :)

Not much to report. The weekend's canning involved pickles, more salsa, and more ketchup. Berries and corn were vac'd and frozen. Cleanup has been constant!
I did get the lawn mowed. We haven't used any herbicides or pesticides in a couple years now, and with the wetter weather, we've had an EXPLOSION of leopard frogs. I had to have DS10 "scout" for me and escort the frogs to the safe spots- we spotted 22 frogs in barely an acre! This is a bellwether species, so I am thrilled to have them in residence. :carrot:

ICU - how cool about your frogs! So glad there are a lot of them as it sounds like they've had lots of troubles in recent years.

Hello Ladies!! Sorry I haven't been posting. Been out of town, LIA for Puter, and getting ready for school. I remember teh days when I used get excited to go to school in Sept. Now I am scared!lol

Dancer: CSI Binges are allowed!!lol NO CALORIES!! If you need extra episodes I have all the seasons of CSI:Vegas on DVD!!lol

ICU: Congrats on the Frogs!! They are considered on the "Endangered" list up here. I got paid by the government to loan them my farm pond to do a 5 year study. They couldn't figger out why I had so many frogs in my pond but other areas didn't. It's because of the way I tile drained my hay fields and how clean my water table and water shed were. I love the leopard frogs! KUDOS TO YOU for being Green!!!

Marie!!! Congrats on the Total Lost!!! I am VERY proud of you!! You are an inspiration!

Cruise: I love your new picture! Please stay safe in the fire area!! And thanks for the info on the Bark Beetle and the Pictures!!

PresMaggie: Good job of "Planning to Succeed"!! And what a great job of finding a gym with daycare!

GardnerJoy: Great job on the start of a new "Decline"!! Keep up the good work!! I find I go BiG DROP.. then nothing for a long time.. then BIG DROP...Maybe you are in the same boat as me!

DMC2: Welcome to the board. And YEs.. Today is a New Day.. and for you A New Start! Keep up the good thoughts!!

WLWanted: WOnderful Job on starting this week's Thread..I'm going to have to get up and on the Puter early enough to start a Thread one of these weeks!!lol Good Job on keeping the bloodsugar in check! That is the big trick!

Hotsplashes - I love your enthusiasm - glad you're back! If I have another CSI binge, I'm aiming to incorporate the elliptical or the rowing machine as the couch potato look just isn't a great one : )

Hello Everyone:

Well I am not new to the boards but I am new to the big "40" *smile* I have actually been away for a long while. Last time I was on the board was Aug 2006...and at that time I was at my goal weight 155...well lets see 3yrs later I will be 40 in October and I now have a wonderful blessing in my life my son. He is 18 months old and I have finally realized that I can't use the excuse oh I just had a baby...hmmm he is 18 months old...so I now need some support.

I have lost the weight in the past...at age 28 I was 252lbs....by age 30 I lost 90lbs...then I proceeded to lose that last ten lbs and I was able to keep it off until I got pregnant. When I got pregnant in June 2007 I was 156lb...and very happy. But I put on 42lbs...and now I am at 180lbs...ugh

I am looking forward to chatting with you and for the support...

Welcome, Gabby!!

Gabby, welcome! We're good at that post-baby weight that won't go away. :)

Hotsplashes - Yeah Froggies! My lawn might be an interesting collection of green vegetation (mostly weeds), but it's clear that somebody likes it that way! That's cool that they like your pond. I have a creek - it's dominated by bullfrogs that find leopard frogs to be yummy snacks. No wonder they hide in the grass!

Gardenjoy, those are great ideas for lunch.

Cruisecat, that sounds like good chili, I love chili on a baked potato... BAD

Dancer, I like the idea of protien and not carbs before bed. I am going to try that when I get those munchies. Gahhhhhh!!!!

Marie, I will check out the crackers, that is what I was actually looking for, I don't have one wheat or anykind of cracker in my house!! I like Trisquit too, but I am going to go for high fiber if I can find it.

everyone else, its nice to see you here, the more the marrier I hope!

Just finished my sandwhich and a banana. Pretty full actually. Tonight gonna try to catch the gym. I like getting there right after work so I don't have to go home first, or it makes it harder.

So... another day and I don't feel anything yet... LOL... kidding. I remember in my twenties, I would wake up and just automatically feel like I lost 5 lbs overnight! Boy, those days are gone. Now its really hard when it takes weeks, months to see any progress!!

:o

ICUwishing - good for you for providing appropriate "frog habitat" ;) Yes, I am lucky with the gym. They have fairly limited hours for child care, though, so it's only weekday and Saturday mornings. I'm not sure if my sons will be as reliable as your son when they are 10. "Level headed" doesn't exactly come to mind with them.:lol:

dancer - you are so close to the 160's!:carrot::carrot::carrot: My workout is about 1.5 hours long with 30 min of cardio and an hour of weights. I've always loved doing the weights because it's something my body does really well. I'm doing that 3 times a week and then adding other activities at least 2 times per week - usually brisk walking outdoors or something like that.

Hotsplashes - I had no idea that frogs did so much better with clean water, but it makes sense. Good for you for giving them that great environment.

Marie - I must have missed it. Why do you call your dogs "donkey dogs"?:lol:

CruiseCAT - that smoke doesn't sound like fun. I used to live in a city where I once could not see the ground from the 23rd floor due to the smoke from a forest fire. It can be unreal.

My workout went well today and I feel back on track. I think I finally figured out why I was so hungry all the time. It seems to have been due to a lack of fat in my diet. Now that I'm adding in things like sunflower seed butter, I am finally feeling normal. Because I have to cook most of my own food due to food allergies, I've been doing low fat everything and it obviously was not enough fat once I started to really exercise.

Pres - you know I'm the "fat advocate"! Not sure what you can take with your allergies, but avocados and olives come to mind along with the seeds and nuts. Yes, it does screw up the calorie counts - they're heavy. In my case, I find that they kill my appetite too, so I eat less and it makes it much easier to control my portion sizes.

dmc - chili on a baked potato isn't necessarily a bad thing! There are ways to bring that delightful dish into control, and a veggie or chicken chili is a great start! Now, if you're adding a cup of grated cheese and half a cup of sour cream ... that's different. :) I limit the potato end of the deal by using smashed baby redskins - more nutrients and fiber for the potato volume. Or, South Beachers know ... that under chili, roasted cauliflower is almost indistinguishable from potato ... !

ICU: Oooh - interesting idea about the cauliflower - will check that out soon. Potatoes are one of those foods that I'm not great about limiting portions on so it's better for me not to start. Do you mash/puree the cauliflower or eat it as is?

presmaggie - good for you for realizing what you need! We're such quirky machines, aren't we?

Marie, that is what I am going to have for lunch tomorrow, I have both chili (turkey) and caulifour at home! I was wondering what to make.
That just rocks! Thanks so much.

Maggie, I never thought about fat benefits, but I can see where it might be true that it helps with feeling fuller. I notice when I eat pumpkin seeds especially, I get and stay full for a long time. I do not eat the shell like a lot of people.

Yesterday I didn't eat hardly any fat and I was hungary all darn day! :moo:

I am rarely hungry, I do get the munchies but it's not about hunger. I try to keep my food at 40P/30F/30C.

I made more chili today....yummy yummy!!!

roasted cauliflower is almost indistinguishable from potato ... !

When I was doing low carb I loved mashed cauliflower. I don't think I would fix it the same way today (loaded with bacon and butter) but I do think I could tweak it to fit my life style today..... thanks for the reminder.

I didn't get rained on at the bus stop today, though it was thundering. A coworker I've never met before offered me a ride home while I was waiting for the bus, just as it started to rain, so I stayed dry. Cut my daily walking in half though. I had a long call at work that ran into my lunch break and as the call ended I suddenly felt extremely ill...my blood sugar was the lowest I've ever seen it. Hard to make myself eat something when feeling queasy! I've really reduced my portions and the amount of fat and spice in my food since the spell I had on friday. Gradually adding back "real" foods but still small portions. It usually takes about a week for me to get back to normal. Unfortunately I'm not being quite so good about the sugar because I don't want to push it at work with letting my sugar get too low.

Marie: We think once they're grown being a parent will get easier, but it's so not true! I love the stained glass piece. I always find walking and creative activities to be great stress relievers. I make jewelery and know what you mean about doing it as a job instead of when the inspiration hits. I'm a turtle fanatic if you ever get the urge to do one with turtles : )

CruiseCat: hoping you stay safe up there!
Welcome Gabby!
dmc: loving your enthusiasm : )
presmaggie: you have such a busy life, I admire your preplanning and dedication!


Everybody has such great ideas and tips! I have one for lunch that includes avocado...it's a mexican tuna salad (actually got from a girl raised in columbia) made with tuna, lime juice, avocado, tomato and cilantro. no mayo and very tasty! I can post the recipe later if anyone is interested : ) I'm sure you can sub chicked or salmon and it would be yummy as well.

WLW, please post the recipe, I love cilantro!

It's only Monday and we are already into the 2nd page of postings on this thread! WOW, makes it hard to keep up!

Welcome primm and Gabby! Keep posting here, this is a great group!

I managed to get up at 5:45 to walk this AM. We have had cooler temps here and it was actually cold! I'm planning to get up early again tomorrow. How many days does it take to create a habit?

Thanks so much everyone. It is nice to fit into more of my clothes. I am literally down to one pair of dress pants, two pair of shorts, a couple of skirts and dresses and a pair of jeans that I can wear. I am looking forward to fitting into more of my clothes in September. :broc:

Might be tmi, but on Friday I am having an endoscopy and colonoscopy. I am not looking forward to the prep part of this. I am sure everything will go well and I just want it to be here and be over with so I can relax.

Have a good evening and a great Tuesday!!! :hug:

I posted the below in last weeks thread by mistake! So I am reposting. DOH!

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

Hey all! Okay trying to play catch-up again. In the correct thread this time. I 'did' a Jacque, who has a great new avatar!

WLW, Nice of your co worker to give you a ride so you didn't get wet!

Hydra, I'll be praying for you on Friday with your med procedures.

Marie, Congrats on the 60lbs! I've thought about trying to sell my quilts or knitting but always thought it would be more trouble than it was worth.

ICU, Finally posted the pics. Our computer crashed about a year ago and we were able to save the pics before having to wipe the memory. Hubby downloaded about 1200 of them {about two years worth} and 75% of them are April {the dog}, 15% are my garden, very few of Hubby and I, and the rest the house, quilts, places and other people, or holidays.

I think chili makes everything taste better. If I buy a can of chili its Turkey but if I make my own its my mom's recipe with ground beef. I've tried it with turkey but its just not the same comfort food! Thanks for the tip on the red potatos

Gabby, Welcome! congrats on your son!

Maggie, Congrats on feeling back on track! I need to get there myself!

Cruise, I don't feel hungery a lot either, even {on the rare occasions} I'm eating very little during the day. Hubby is hungery all the time so 'getting' our meals together is sometimes a challenge.

I typically leave the cauliflower in small 1" pieces. I've been known to hide zucchini with it under the chili, too. :)
Cruise - oh yeah - the cauliflower with bacon and butter - I remember those days rather fondly!
patch - I'll have to check those pics out tomorrow - thanks for posting them!
WLW- glad you stayed dry! Best wishes with managing the sugar ... I think more people should make an effort to learn what sets them off, not just diabetics. It looks like nearly every chronic disease and possibly even aging may be related to our sugar processing in some way. Unlike salt, I have NEVER read a single article or story about anyone that got sick from eliminating sugar or leveling their insulin - am I nuts? Aside from that persnickety craving that we were all built with ... sigh. :)

Perfectly on plan today. Great start to the week!

dmc: I need to plan to avoid the munchies. If I know what I can eat in advance, then I stick to that. If I don't plan out exactly what I'm going to have, I get cravings. And like someone else said, healthy fats and proteins are key.

CruiseCAT: I'm glad the fires are a long way from you. I'm from fire country in southern Australia as well (there were some shockers last year near where my family live, and this year is building up too), so I have some idea of what you're going through. Not fun.

Marie: Well done on the 60lb loss! That's absolutely awesome.

Gabby: Welcome!

Onmyway: I've read (but I don't know how true it is) that it takes 28 days to make or break a habit. 27 to go!

Not much to report here. I'm still very sore from my run on Sunday - from km8 to km9 was uphill, and my quads are killing! A nice walk today which helped, and I'm working tonight so that should help stretch things out again.

My 18 year old broke up with his girlfriend of 2 years yesterday. They just went their separate ways, and he says he's ok with just being friends, but I can tell he's devastated. Lots of support this week, I think!

Checking in with the chicks! It's going to be crazy at work, so I'll do my best to catch up on the personals later today!

I had a great day yesterday, I ate on plan on day, came home prepared food for today and then BAM.. went to cupboard and ate about 8 little sugar wafers with some milk for a nighttime snack. :devil::devil:

I really am considering getting professional help... or a boyfriend to keep me busy. But I am so self conscions right now.

Back on plan today, I have a wonderful day planned accept dinner, but that should be easy.

The rest of the sugar wafers are going in the garbage. GAHHHH.

:?::?::?::?:

Laundry and exercise on tap for today.

DMC, Don't be too hard on yourself, we all do things like that!

Primm, Poor DS. that stinks.

presmaggie: good job on planning to succeed with the gym's daycare and working out that you need more fat in your diet. I've been reading a lot and it seems most authors are pushing fat a bit now since we went to far the other way for awhile. Are you allergic to nuts? That's a current darling of nutritionists. Also, oddly enough, butter (as long is its from grass-fed cows) and ghee from India (where they treat cows as sacred, so, of course, they are fed grass like they are meant to eat). I get pastured butter at Whole Foods and I'm thinking about getting some ghee from the global grocery.

CruiseCAT: thinking of you during the fire -- another internet friend of mine evacuated yesterday from the Acton area

Marie: Yay for 60 pounds! That is a real accomplishment.

ICUWishing: good job on the canning and yay for the leopard frogs! We have about an acre, too. We're about to finish our third year of residence and our greatest accomplishment can be counted in the reduction of invasive honeysuckle bushes.

Hotsplashes: Good luck with school!

GabbyTab: Welcome! I'm new, too, and I'm finding this group a great resource. Sounds like you know how to do this!

dmc2009: good job on throwing away the sugar wafers. I can't have stuff like that in my house, either.

weightlosswanted: love the idea of tuna salad made with avocado instead of mayo. Sounds delicious.

Onmyway: congrats on the early morning walk! Martha Beck says it only takes 4 days to develop the commitment that leads to the habit.

Hydra: good luck with the medical tests. Quite natural to be a bit antsy about that and ready to have the whole experience over.

patchworkpenguin: great bath pix! Love the new floor!

Primm: good job on the run and the self-care for the quads. Sending healing thoughts to your son. That is a tough time in a young life.

Good day yesterday, even with a last minute decision to visit the Missouri Botanical Garden and eat lunch at the cafe there. We do that a lot, so I know what's on the menu. I already had a Cafe lunch in my mix-and-match meal plan, so I swapped that into the plan and that's exactly what I ate -- spinach salad (even though I wanted grilled cheese) and 12 french fries (because I didn't want to break our tradition of splitting fries, but also didn't want to go overboard. Plus, about an hour of walking around the Garden!

Well I made it to the gym this morning...ugh...It was tough but I did it. Why did going to the gym used to be fun and I loved going now it is worse than having to go to the dentist.

I did good on eating yesterday and so far so good today...I am cutting my carbs...not totally going carb free but trying to eat less breads and stuff and by stuff I mean the sweet stuff...LoL

Wow it seems like you ladies are doing good close to your goals...I am just hoping to lose 10lbs by the time I go out with my friends and celebrate our 40th b-days at the end of October...so I got some time.

Well enjoy your day!

weightlosswanted - glad to hear that you missed the heavy showers.

onmyway - it's supposed to take 21 days to set a habit. I'm not sure how that was determined, though. It's hard to believe that it would be the same for everyone. Good luck with the walking!

Hydra - best wishes on your procedures. My mother has colitis, so I've heard lots about those tests and the preparation involved.:hug: They are such accurate tests, though, and I hope you get the information that you need.

patchworkpenguin - since I can't eat beef, I have to use turkey in my chili. I found a great recipe, though, and the magic ingredients are 1 T each of Wostershire sauce and Dijon mustard. For some reason, they seem to add the extra flavor that turkey lacks.:) I like your tile choices for your bathroom.

ICUwishing - interesting thought on the blood sugar/insulin effects on the body. I know that I'm really sensitive to them, although I don't test as diabetic. For me, many of the foods that I have sensitivities around cause changes to my blood sugar, especially gluten.

Primm - well done on the long run. How long have you been running?

dmc2009 - I think it's best to put our mistakes behind us. I think that success is about getting back on track when we fall, instead of aiming for perfection. As long as you have more good days than bad, your body should respond the way you want it to.

gardenerjoy - I'm not allergic to most nuts (except almonds), but any dairy, including butter, does cause problems. Sometimes I wonder if going too low fat (good fat, not saturated fat) is causing a lot of cravings in many people. After all, many of us (and I count myself among that group) can eat a whole box of low fat cookies without feeling too full.

CruiseCAT - it sounds like you have a good proportion of protein/carb/fat. I remember trying the Zone years ago and not losing an ounce. I was never sure why.

After feeling really grumpy this morning, I looked at the calender and saw that it's PMS time. It's not a great time to have the boys home all day. I'll just have to pace myself with them. Just one more week until they start school, thank goodness. We're planning to do some back to school shopping and then I'll take them to the beach to run around.

Maggie, The worchestshire sauce and dijon sound really good. I'll have to try that the next time I make chilli

Gabby, Yay on making it to the gym!

Joy, Your trip to the botanical garden sounds wonderful.

Cruise, we’ve noticed the air quality problem when fires are about 70 miles away or closer. So I can see how you’d be having problems with them that close and that they are that big.

Dancer, I do TV Marathons when I’m sick. I record about 5 series on my DVR and when I’m sick, I choose one and indulge. I have CSI: LV and NY from last year just waiting for the flu to hit. Eeks.

ICU, do the froggies sing at night? I love a summer night with their singing. With the amount of froggies you have, you nearly have the Froggie Tabernacle Choir.

Hots, I also drop in chunks. I just love the chunk drop and hate the weeks without anything. I charted mine for the last 3 years and know when in my cycle I will lose and when I won’t. That’s why I was surprised by a drop yesterday. It was a gift from my scale, probably lulling me into thinking it’s changed its evil ways.

Gabby, welcome and congrats on the baby. You came to the right place for support and it’s clear you know how to lose the weight – so you’ve got it all going for you. And you NEVER returned to the age 28 weight. That’s awesome.

DMC, it does take longer but with the slow weight loss is the wisdom that years bring. You won’t regain it like in the 20s. So even though the progress is slow and hard, it will be long term. A chickie on another thread once wrote ‘is it more wasteful to eat the food and then have the health/clothing repercussions OR to just throw it away?’ Of course, the answer is toss it. Perhaps you need to go through your kitchen and throw everything tempting away. Sabotaging yourself every night is going to do more harm to your mindset than anything. So throw it all away.

Presmaggie, my children are in their 20s and level-headed isn’t an adjective I’d use either. And thank you for doing 1 hour of weights. You might not have known this but you’re doing my 30 minutes plus yours. I hate weight training although I do like the feeling of power after. Oh I need to take my 30 minutes back and do it myself. And, my doggies we’re cross bred with jacka$$e$. Truthfully, I said that to a co-worker once (smart as a rock one) and she asked (this is the real quote) “How’d they do that?” Huskies are known to be naughty, smart doggies that do what they want, part of the reason I adore them. Just sometimes it can drive me batty.

Pres and ICU, I never count fat grams. I like real food so I don’t worry about the fat content. I just worry about the portions. I definitely know the higher fat content meals stick with me way longer. Especially when in conjunction with protein.

WLW, what kind of jewelry do you make? That would be fun. I was thinking of learning the glass diachrome melting stuff but then realized that I’d just spend another fortune and I didn’t need another hobby. I’m thinking turtle patterns…

OMW, I think it took me 6 weeks to convert to an early morning riser and walker. Now I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m proud of you for doing it. Just 5 weeks, 6 days to go… So the idea of how long is sort of a pin the tail on the habit donkey. I think it’s individual do know it takes only a day or two to break it. For me, that’s motivation.

Eeks, Hydra. The end of your week sounds icky. Way to go on getting it done. You are braver than I.

Joy, good job on the fries. I learned that I liked 6 fries. Every delectable morsel of 6 fries. After 6 I just am eating them mindlessly and not tasting them. When I realized that, I haven’t wanted to overeat them since. It’s a joke with my DH that he has to give me 6 of his fries when we’re out.

Penguin, it is way more trouble. I’d never do it again after the last shipping fiasco. UPS broke on and the person had to ship it back. She shipped it overnight and expected ME to pay the shipping. Um, no. I didn’t break it and there was insurance. So never again. At least knitting and quilts wouldn’t break.

Primm, those quads will feel better soon. It’s great you did that run. And uphill is a quad killer. Downhill is a knee killer. I like uphill better even though my lungs hate it.

I would love to join this group is you have space available?

I am looking to lose 30-35 pounds and it sure seems the older I get the harder and slower it goes.

Diane

Ever have one of those days? Our computer is running very slow. I spent about 30min trying to get the computer to print a black and white photo on regular paper. I'd hit an icon/button and wait literally 2 min for it to respond! Then I finally got it ready to print, it with through the motions but didn't print anything, even though it told me it had!! GRR! So I called Hubby and he told me to do a virus scan, and told me how. I went into the living room to do my workout. We've been having trouble with the DVD player {less than two years old!} it won't recognize a DVD until you hard reset the player. So I had to do that again. The DVD finally loaded but paused and sputtered here and there in the workout. I was so frustrated by this time I just went with it, adding reps while the workout paused. It was like trying to work out to a slow YouTube download at the beginning of the workout, but eventually decided it better work. I think we'll {read Hubby} will move the DVDR from the other room until we have time to shop for a DVD player. My workout was a newbie, I bought it a TJMaxx a few weeks ago for about $3. Prev Shortcuts to Big Weightloss. My first non-Leslie workout after my second cateract surgery. The workout is a little weird; it consists of 10 min of cardio sculpt, 10 min of pilates {shoes offf} then 10 min of kicboxing {shoes back on}. I did the pilates last, thank you! I prefer just to pick one style of exercise and stick with that for the full workout but this was a good pick for today.

My computer is running a little faster and is virus free!

AuzzieDee,Of course we have room for you! Welcome to the group.

hey all! Again ... it's a crazy week and I'm kind of doing a drive-by -

Marie - if the leopard frogs make noise, I'm not sure which one it is. We have some really vocal treefrogs, and though it hasn't been hot enough for bullfrogs, there's definitely lots of sound out there. The frogs drown out the crickets, lol!
Auzzie - jump on in! Welcome!

OK - here's dinner. :) We had "flash-grilled" sashimi grade tuna steaks (DS10 is coming along nicely - he loved them!) with sauteed baby pattypans, zucchini, garlic, tomatoes and celery. And a couple of glasses of chardonnay (why is it so hard for two people to have leftovers on a bottle of wine????)
I passed on dessert.

Mexican Tuna Salad

1 small can tuna
1/2 avocado finely chopped
juice from 1/2 lime
1 plum tomato finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro (to taste) minced

combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Auzzie Dee. the More The Merrier.. welcome to the group!

I am really sick right now. ick.. hopefull just something I ate.

Are we starting a September Thread?

See everyone Tomorrow.

Maybe I am off to a slow start this week, but I have to say that even with my horrible choices I have made some pretty good ones too.
Slow and steady, that will be my motto!

Hotsplashes, I hope you feel better soon!

WLW, thanks for the recipe! I just bought some canned salmon, I have never tried it!

ICUwishing, what are pattypans? :dizzy: Sounds good!

Today, I had a fiber loaded sand for lunch, then for dinner I took DD to chinese food. I was bad, but I only ate one roll, one scoop of rice and one bigger scoop of orange chicken. I got the breaded kind because I thought DD should try it. Oh.. and a glass of zin. I wrote it all down!

Hopefully, no munchies tonight.

See you all!:carrot:

Thanks for the well wishes Ladies on my upcoming medical tests. I start preparing for them today with diet changes. To prepare for the colonoscopy I am not allowed to have any fresh veggies or fruits today....bummer.....and tomorrow I will be fasting all day. I am sure I will stay on track today and I appreciate the support so very much. Have a good day everyone!!! :hug::grouphug:

Thanks for the well wishes Ladies on my upcoming medical tests. I start preparing for them today with diet changes. To prepare for the colonoscopy I am not allowed to have any fresh veggies or fruits today....bummer.....and tomorrow I will be fasting all day. I am sure I will stay on track today and I appreciate the support so very much. Have a good day everyone!!! :hug::grouphug:

Good luck...I hear it's not as bad as everyone thinks. They say the day before (preparing for it) is worse then the actual colonoscopy. Hope all your tests come back with great results!!!

Just a quick note to say hi! Hi!

Hydra: I am a veteran colonoscopy girl. The prep for me is worse than the actual colonoscopy. PM me if you want any tmi details. I'll be home after work today. I'm glad you are taking care of yourself!!! :carrot:

Off to school. lol
Ash

WLW - the tuna salad recipe looks wonderful - I'll be trying it this weekend!
hotsplashes - get well soon!
hydra - will be thinking positive thoughts for you. For a few moments of awkwardness, lots can be learned - unlike many medical tests, this one is known to have tremendous value. :)
dmc - one day at a time! There are days ... it's one HOUR at a time. And sometimes less than that! Over in the Support Forum, there's a thread called "If you don't quit, you can't fail". I think most of us have embraced that philosophy.

I'm having a great week so far - I've been at and under my calorie ranges, and the next half-pound represents ... 20 lbs off!

Welcome to our new comers, we always have room for more.

WLW - That tuna sounds yummy. I might have to try that tomorrow when I get home from the farmers market.

hydra - It will be over before you know it.

Yesterday was not a good day for me. I'm avoiding making my calls for my root canal and to make arrangements for Tucker. We had hoped for a couple more weeks but at this point we will see if our vet can come out Tuesday morning. I have my yearly that morning but will cancel if I have to.

I am PMS'ing big time and last night an overload of salt & sugar has left me feeling like I have been hit by a truck this morning. The good news is I'm still doing my workouts and the scales have not moved.

Cruise Cat: sorry you're having to deal with all that at the same time : ( when it rains it pours!
hydra: inthemidst is right, the prep is the worst part. the benefits can be enormous!

I had a bad/good food day yesterday. I was actually able to eat without having my stomach give me fits, but didn't eat very healthy. My fasting blood sugar this morning was WAY up, highest it's been since the 1st week I started tracking it and taking the metformin. It has to be because of the pizza i ate for a really late dinner. Why is it I can walk to the local pizza place (half mile each way) and be satisfied with one small slice, but if I order in I end up eating at least 3?!
I finally got my books from amazon, have been waiting for The Insulin Resistance Diet and The Flat Belly Diet. Hoping to figure out what I'm doing wrong, and have a friend who is insulin resistant and did great with the IRT, in fact everyone in the family lost around 30lbs in the first few months. Mainly wanted the FBD because I had heard about some of the recipes on a tv show - and it does have a ton of great sounding recipes and meal ideas. I'm half tempted to try their 4 day jump start but am worried about the lack of fiber-I can go one and at most 2 days without my fiber before my tummy starts waging a protest.
I see the nutritional counselor today, am mad at myself because I had planned to do a food journal for at least a week to bring with me, and never did get around to it : ( Procrastination is one of my worst faults! However, since I pretty much ate the same exact thing every day for the past 6 days I should be able to give her a pretty good rundown.

I plan to enjoy opening my windows and getting outdoors on my midweek "weekend" as it's gotten a bit cooler here. Hope everyone has a great rest of your week!

GabbyTab: good job on getting to the gym, even when it was tough!

presmaggie: a bit of shopping and the beach sounds like a great way to handle a grumpy-starting day! Good planning.

Marie: LOL at your scale changing it's evil ways!

AuzzieDee: Welcome!

patchworkpenguin: Isn't it amazing how dependent we are on technologies that we couldn't imagine when we were kids? Nothing makes me grumpier than technology that doesn't work.

weightlosswanted: thanks for the recipe! I printed it so that I can make it soon. I hope things going well with the nutritionist -- I'm sure that you won't be the first person s/he's seen without a food journal!

dmc2009: slow and steady sounds like great advice -- thanks!

Hydra: keeping you in my thoughts

CruiseCAT: yay for doing your workouts -- I think they can be such a help during stressful times.

I'm going to a movie today to celebrate getting down to 235! I think I'll see Julie and Julia.

Diane, welcome to our group. We’ve all noticed that our 40’s has slow the weight loss but with all our added wisdom we’re hopeful we’ve learned to never regain it.

Penguin, I have begun to believe that manufacturers or technology like to put idiosyncrasies in their product so that we always want the newer, faster product. Built in customer retention.

Hots, I hope you feel better.

DMC, slow and steady is the best motto. The bad choices will be less and less as you see progress. It’s the best motivator.

Hydra, I bet with fasting tomorrow you’ll really stay on track. I bet you’ll be glad when this week is over.

ICU, here’s sending .5 pounds away vibes. Landmark weight losses are fun.

Cruise, my thoughts are with you , Mack and Tucker. I truly empathize what you’re going through.

WLW, my guess the reason one slice is satisfying is that you exercised on your way to the parlor and on the way home. Exercise and feeling good about yourself is a great proponent of eating on plan.

Joy, YEAH!!!! On the 235. You are doing great.


Things are still bad on the DD vs. her ex-partner front. A custody battle has begun. My poor DGS. Partner took DGS across statelines and won't say where they are - I'd think that would be illegal but I'm not a lawyer. The only bright spot is I no longer have to like the partner (she made that difficult). And I haven't eaten out of emotions/anger. On track daily with 1400 cals. I have been beating up my elliptical with raw anger - I guess another side benefit as I have really pushed it. This morning my quads reminded me that I went a little overboard yesterday. I kept visualizing the partner was under the foot pedals so I was slamming them down. My idea of therapy...
Marie

Thank you all for your support. Although we have known this time would come it doesn't make it any easier. Back when Tucker was just a year old we came very close to having him PTS because we could not control his seizures. He would cluster 3-7 times in a two day period every 7-10 days.

Here is a video I made back then and although I have 1000's of additional photos of him and the pack this is my favorite collage of Tucker.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBrindlePack#play/uploads/54/DqVIlFs7b4k

I didn't feel very well last night, I kept taking Tums to help my stomach ache. This morning I figured out my problem. TTOM. So now I'm cramping and have a headache. This is unsual because I rarely get a warning/sign, and actually thought I was very sore from yesterday's pilates. Rolls-eyes. I still want to workout today so we'll see what happens. Mind is willing but the body is weak.

I get to make an apple cobbler today {I hate peeling apples}. Wed night at Renee's house has been moved to Thurs because her Hubby's school schedule changed, but I have to make the dessert tonight because I may not have time tomorrow.

Cruise, I'm so sorry about Tucker, I didn't get to see the whole video {loading slowely} but he's adorable.

Marie, There's wanting and affording. The DVD player is only two years old while the one it replaced was from when DVD's first came out! {donated to us by my Dad}. I would think taking a child overstate lines is illegal also.

WLW, I've done the 4 day fast/jumpstart from FBD. It wasn't that bad since its 'only' four days, LOL. My parents have the book and they did it so I tried it. I think I had a sandwich on a slice of wheat bread for lunch which was my added fiber?? Anyway I survived. I think I lost 4lbs. Its been a while since I did it so the details are a little fuzzy. My theory on pizza is if its there I'll eat it. I like to make my own but occasionally Hubby and i will order out. I would like to get a large and only eat two pieces saving my other fourth for tomorrow, but Hubby eats three so I feel deprived and eat another then we end up polishing the whole thing off. If we order a small there's three pieces and we polish that off too.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Well it seems the bottom line is I'm not eating enough calories...which I've previously been told by the trainers in my gym could be an issue. They suggested a minimum of 1200 calories which I have trouble doing (except on the days I eat out or order in) and the nutritionist thinks I should aim for 1400-1600, preferably the higher end. The fact that I don't feel normal hunger pangs on a regular basis and have trouble eating bigger portions apparently is a common side effect even long after chemo is done : (

She was helpful as far as explaining how to follow a plan with "consistent carbs" to keep the blood sugar better balanced. It helps to know how many carbs and how much protein I should be eating at each meal. I think though that since I can't always eat the full serving size of a food that I may need to find a way to eat more smaller meals/snacks throughout the day.

Cruise Cat and Marie: so sorry for the tough situations y'all are dealing with.
Marie: great way to channel the stress and anger!
Diane: welcome to the group, the ladies here are great!

Thanks for the warm and cordial welcome.

We spent the last year living in Australia and we are now back in Canada. It is nice to be home, but I certainly will be missing Auz. when its -30 here and plus 30 there.

There is a hiring freeze on at the hospital that I worked at so since we've been home I have not been back to work. I find I am quite bored at home and waste alot of time eating and doing nothing. I need to break this habit and quickly. I won't have any clothes that fit if I don't.

I love the support and accountability that a board like this brings. A few years ago I joined Ediets and found it amazing, I lost 35 pounds with that.

I look forward to getting to know each of you and providing a listening ear and hopefully some inspiration.

Diane

I tried to get a workout in but the DVD player acted up and just wouldn't let me, I went into my sewing room to use that one {less room} but the TV wouldn't turn on! What is going on here!?

I had just pulled the cobbler out of the oven when my friend called and cancelled Thursday night's dinner at their house. There is a mandatory meeting at her son's school that night. Figures. I thought I'd give some of the cobbler to my parents so we wouldn't eat it all. It would be Sat before we could take some of it by my friend's house; we've done that in the past, too.

Dee, I spend a lot of time home alone also, I try to keep busy but there are times when boredom just creeps in and I find myself munching.

WLW, When we are told that overweight people eat too much, hearing that we aren't eating enough in just counterintuitive. I hope you get the carbs and calories straightened out.

Patchwork, time to go for a walk after all the vcr frustration.

Some of the chicks at work and me are going to start walking more at lunch so that should help me out.

Today was a good day (so far), I know I have left over chinese for dinner though. Oh well, it won't be too much.

I really would love to stop for a bottle of zin though, but I will wait until friday to feel like I have earned and deserve it.

Good luck to all today and tonight!

dmc

Day 3 got up at 5:45, did 35 minutes on the exercise bike. It's not that bad getting up early if I'm sure to make myself go to bed early. My problem is that I'm used to staying up til 11:30 or 12. Last night I forced myself to go to bed at 10.

As for eating, I'm doing well with what I have for breakfast and lunch but I'm snacking after school. Our nights have been hectic the last couple weeks with meetings and sports and school stuff. I know what needs to be done, it's just forcing myself to do it!

DMC, Say no to the zin! You can do it! Or maybe say it's for weekends only.

Patchwork, Sounds like tv's and dvd's possessed! Good luck with fresh cobbler in the house. You are very brave!

Diane, Welcom to the BEST group on 3FC. I work at a school and just went back to work after being off all summer. It's hard to be home alot! Make a plan to get out and get moving!

WLW, sounds like good info from the nutritionist, It's weird to think we aren't eating enough when we are trying to lose.

Cruise, :hug: Sorry to hear about Tucker. One shouldn't have to deal with that and the dentist too. Add me to the list of dental phobics! I'm sure my chart has "big Wimp" in bold letters!

Marie, Glad you have found a way to channel your anger over DD's partner. Sounds like the situation in not heading in a good direction. Not sure if there is any legal recourse if there is no custody specified yet. I have always despised those who use children to wage war against each other.

Gardener, congrats on getting to 235! Hope you enjoyed the movie!

ICU, 20 pounds is a big milestone! Celebrate!

inthemidst, Hope school is going well!

Hydra, will be thinking of you as you have your tests. Hope all the results are good!

Well done to everyone on your achievements, and my thoughts are with those who are struggling with factors that make weight loss not so easy.

I've been bang on plan this week and the scales haven't moved! Then I woke up this morning to TOM, 2 weeks after the last one. They've been really irregular lately - am I heading into pre-menopause? I'm not looking forward to that, mainly because I have a very strong family Hx of breast cancer (mother died from it, auntie survived it, uncle died from it) so HRT is not an option for me, and I'll just have to go it alone. Yuck.

Am waiting for the day to cool down so I can go for my run today. My legs have pretty much recovered from my 10k on Sunday, so it's time to get back into it.

Hi, ladies. I step out for a few days and look how much I missed!! I'll have to go back and read the past pages later...

Continuing to maintain here. I'm finding it hard to find time to exercise, now that the boys are back in school. Isn't that ironic, since I was finding it hard to find time to exercise when the boys were home from school???

In all fairness, with them going back, I've been getting around to some dr's appts, having a bunch of meetings at the school, and also had a fun day trip to an art museum today.

But I am committing to regular exercise, starting tomorrow. My calendar is currently empty and *nothing* will interfere with exercising once the boys get on the school bus. I am so sick of being careful about what I eat, but at least at this point in my life, I realize that I have no choice but to just keep at it, even when I go off plan now and again.

Here's a funny thing. With seeing all these people assoc. with the school, after not seeing them all summer, I am getting so many compliments on my hair. Really, it's weird. Even today -- when I didn't even wash my hair. The woman I went to the museum with asked me if I always had bangs, or if it was a new cut, or if the color changed??? I finally told her that my hair isn't any different, it's the fact that I've lost 20 pounds that makes me look different... So I guess people can't really put a finger on what's different about me; too funny... I am so not a hair person, and the other day a woman I bumped into at Wal-Mart was going on about how great my hair looked, and did I just get it done today, and so on... Too funny.

Welcome to all the new people, congratulations on everyone's progress, and hugs to those that need them...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your well wishes on my medical tests. I have had a colonoscopy before and I am sure the endoscopy won't be a big deal. I hate the prep!!! I am sure the results will be fine and yes, I just want this week to be over with.

ICU - Wow! 19.5 pounds is so awesome!!! :cp:

newleaf - how nice to have people notice how great you look! :sunny:

onmyway - good job on all the exercise! :cheer:

Cruise:Sorry about Tucker....and the dentist too.

Good morning all! Sending Thin Thursday thoughts to each of you!

Jacque - I *love* your new avatar -- you look awesome!! So very trim and fit... I'm really happy for you.

Morning everyone!
Marie - sorry about the mess with the daughter. Hope it all turns out OK, for everybody's sake. Nice job deciding to beat up the elliptical instead of doing the "eat thing"!
Cruise - Sympathies on the PTS upcoming event. Been there - know how hard it is. :hug: Re the dentist - another case of fake it til you make it - just pretend you're somebody who doesn't bother thinking about it and just does it. :) So says ICU - who hasn't been to the "girl doctor" in about 3 years ... lol!
newleaf - It's the first week back! You're not gaining, which is great ... and like me, you will eventually get sick enough of seeing the same number that you don't like, that you'll do what it takes to move it. Until then ... live! I can totally relate to the aggravation of not being able to just plain eat, though. I did like that part ... it was just the sucky part of hating the mirror, clothing that dug into fluffly flesh, breathing heavy all the time, avoiding seeing friends, and feeling like crap. ;)

Good Morning Chickies!

Are we all coordinating our TOM's? And what's with all these symptoms I've never had before... the headaches, the cramps... sheesh.. Yup.. must be Pre Menopause... sheesh... ICK...

OK.. time to get back OP and stick with it if I want to be out of the 80s and into the 70s by the end of this month!!

See everyone later!!

I can totally relate to the aggravation of not being able to just plain eat, though. I did like that part ... it was just the sucky part of hating the mirror, clothing that dug into fluffly flesh, breathing heavy all the time, avoiding seeing friends, and feeling like crap. ;)

Oh, totally LOL -- thanks for that!

Marie: good job on the elliptical as therapy. I'm so sorry that your family is going through this.

CruiseCAT: those photos are precious. Thanks for sharing a little bit of Tucker with us.

weightlosswanted: I'm so glad the nutritionist was helpful -- maybe between the two of you, you can figure out how to even out your blood sugar.

AuzzieDee: I'm at home, too. Lately, I've been putting a lot of energy into developing good strategies for weight loss. I read a lot of library books about dieting and healthy foods, cook virtually everything from scratch, tend a small vegetable garden (while planning for a bigger one), shop at the Farmers Markets, and exercise. If none of that sounds good, my other recommendations for the unemployed (advice that I've been giving all too frequently lately) are volunteer work and starting a new creative hobby (for me it was photography followed by digital scrapbooking).

patchworkpenguin: I think you have gremlins! I hope your technology problems get sorted out soon.

dmc2009: I'm limiting my alcohol right now to one drink on Friday nights, too! I have mint in my garden and it just begs to be put in a mojito once in awhile.

Onmyway: good job on Day 3 of early rising. The secret for me is always getting the bedtime right, too.

Primm: hope the run went well! I suspect it might feel good after the 10K and then a break?

newleaf: LOL at the hair compliments! Maybe it really is shinier or fuller because of the healthier food?

Hostplashes: Go, go, go! You've got those 170s in your sights!

I highly recommend the movie Julie & Julia. It's about food and love -- two of my favorite things!

Well I started off my morning with 473 calories for breakfast, was aiming for 400 so did ok. My goals for this week are to log all my food, increase my walking (not hard in this cooler weather) precook most of my food for the week so I'm not tempted to go off plan, and make that appointment for physical therapy so I can hit the gym again. And of course, to try to get those calories up to at least 1400. Non weight loss goal is to get my house in order! I hope everyone is having a productive week and that y'all have a great weekend!

CruiseCAT - I'm so sad to read about Tucker... I watched the photo montage; he is a wonderful dog...

Cruise - I'm so sorry about Tucker.:hug::hug::hug:

newleaf - that's too funny about the hair comments. You probably just look better and people can't figure out why.

AuzzieDee - welcome back to Canada! I'm sure the winter will be a bit of a shock. What part of Australia were you living in?

patchwork - good planning with the cobbler. Those are the kind of habits (like not keeping too many of our favorites around) that will help you to attain your goal.

dmc2009 - I hope that the walking at lunch helps with your weight loss. It seems that everything that contributes to positive momentum is a good thing.

Primm - if you are having troubles with peri-menopause would you be open to going to a naturopathic doctor? They have various herbal remedies they can use to help with the symptoms that might work for you.

Marie - thinking of you:hug::hug::hug:

ICUwishing - that's so true about how uncomfortable it is to be overweight. When the pain of that exceeds the difficulty of losing the weight, that's when we're motivated. I think I first heard that on Dr Phil.

Jacque - you look great in your new avatar!

Onmyway - good morning to you, too!

Hydra - good luck tomorrow.

Hotsplashes - my TOM should be here today or tomorrow, too. I've had the worst PMS in a long time this month. Irritable is an huge understatement. :dunno:

gardenerjoy - count me as another of the unemployed. I've just volunteered to help plan a conference for my church and I'm taking courses for a career change.

weightlosswanted - sounds like a good plan!

My boys behavior had me feeling like I wanted to run away from home yesterday. They were on their worst behavior for the last couple of days, no matter what I did or said. I just hope this passes, soon. They are finally back to school after Labor Day.

Hi all, I'll be back in about an hour to post personals but I wanted to post a link to a writer that I've liked for years. Paige Waehner writes for yahoo and about.com. Her article today is about the mental aspect of losing weight. It's very good.

http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/mentalstrategiesforweightloss.htm

Cindy, after watching the video, now I’m going to cry that Tucker will be an angel doggie. :hug: I am so sorry you’re going through this. He is such a cutie. I love his ears. He sure was blessed to have you as his mommy. Have you ever seen the video "Rainbow" something about dogs passing away? I have it bookmarked at home since one of my beloveds became an angel. I cried but it really helped. I can post the link if you'd like. It's beautiful.

Penguin, I’m in the same boat – usually never get PMS warning signs. So when I do I think I’ve contracted some deadly disease. :p

WLW, good thing you went to the nutritionist. If you’ve been under 1200 cals, it makes sense why your body is holding onto its weight – it’s in starvation mode.

Diane, sounds like you and I share a common thread – boredom eating. It’s why I have morning munchies. I may be “busy” at work but work is work and not fun. So I munch from boredom even though most of my job isn’t boring. I just hate to work. I hope the hospital freeze thaws soon.

DMC, good luck with the work walking club.

OMW, way to go with the morning exercising. I have to go to bed at 9-9:30 to get up at 4:55. :dizzy: My psychiatrist “required” a set sleeping pattern for the bipolar and it has made a big difference in my life. I spoke with an officer I was chatting with at work about the laws. He gave me the laws and you are right – if there isn’t a court order custody, possession is 9/10th of the law with kids. How very sad our society goes with that.

Primm, definitely sounds like pre-menopause. Perhaps one of the alternative regimens will help the symptoms. I can see why you’d what to stay very far from HRT.

Newleaf, it’s funny people can’t put their finger on it but the weight loss has made your face features stand out more and the cut is perfect for your face. So I think I can understand all the compliments – your hair is very pretty.

ICU, I love the way you pointed out the sucky parts of being fat. They last and last and a cookie gives pleasure for just a couple minutes. And the fat lasts. So eating less is worth it. I sure wish I’d learned this wisdom many decades ago. Then my skin wouldn’t be loose and hanging like crepe paper. :D

Joy, hobbies are great for keeping the hands busy and from the fridge. I love photography. I used to have my own darkroom and I just love b&w. But I got older and had kids and that went to the side. DH mentions my enlarger once in a while and someday…

Presmaggie, Labor Day is soon and the boys will be back to a regular schedule. That should help. And no running away. :dizzy: I hear Calgon calling your name…

Hydra, here’s hoping today goes away quickly for you. We’re thinking of you. :hug:

You guys aren't going to believe this but my Direct TV box died today. I just wanted to sit down and relax with some HGTV and I get "no signal" and beeping. I was so frustrated I called up poor Hubby at work and yelled at him! Wasn't his fault, but he's calling the company to get it fixed!

I went outside and did some more weeding. I decided to move some plants closer to the house in a bed than I had given up on so I'm trying to reclaim it. Not too bad just a little overgrown in the deep shade. There's a hydranga there now and I'm moving a azaela, and some hostas into the bed. I think I'm going to go watch a movie now. ZZZ!

This is a photo of my dad's project car. 1968 Mustang http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj427/penguinspics/100_3283.jpg Impressive, huh?

Marie, LOL, on the dread disease.

I truly appreciate the support here, Ladies! I am in the middle of my prep for the tests tomorrow and I am sure everything will go just fine. I am lucky to have a very caring and supportive boyfriend and he will be taking care of me tomorrow and this weekend. We plan to go to the Renaissance Festival on Monday, so we have something great to look forward to this holiday weekend!!!:dancer:

Last night I decided to treat myself to a little online shopping. I went to a favorite site of mine and ordered a pendant and anklet. I also ordered two books that I have been wanting to buy, one is on gluten free eating and the other is a callanetics exercise book. I can't wait for my treats to get here next week! I have lost 15 pounds and have been working really hard and I wanted to reward myself, so darn it, I did!!!

Have a good Friday everyone and thanks so much for the well wishes. I will check in when the happy drugs wear off tomorrow. :grouphug:

Hydra, it will be over before you know it.
Patchwork, sounds great to have a yard, I have pots on my patio and now I have a wonderful little herb garden going. I just pulled up teh last of the tomatoes.
Marie, we didn't get to walk today, but monday we are so there. I am going to get my butt to a step class tonight, maybe! It is so hard knowing my DD has so much homework to do.
PressMaggie, yes, positive momentum.. its a good thing. ;-)
Gardnerjoy, I am dying for a glass of wine... hmmm, maybe I will have that instead of the gym tonight.!!! I am exhausted!

Just getting back to work after a vacation and its been a long week!

I don't have any plans this weekend, just laying low close to home. Its really hot in So. Cal and the fires are really awful for air quality.

I hope you all have lots of fun plans!

Just wanted to say how much I love being Fabulous and 40! :D

Jacque - I *love* your new avatar -- you look awesome!! So very trim and fit... I'm really happy for you.
Thank you!!! :)


I highly recommend the movie Julie & Julia. It's about food and love -- two of my favorite things!
I really want to see that but I'm afraid I will be hungry through the whole thing :)


Jacque - you look great in your new avatar!

My boys behavior had me feeling like I wanted to run away from home yesterday. They were on their worst behavior for the last couple of days, no matter what I did or said. I just hope this passes, soon. They are finally back to school after Labor Day.

Thanks...and all I can say is Boys will be Boys!!! I know I have had days like that but now that 2 of my 3 are in college, my house is very quiet. I know I will miss the confusion, noise and everything else at some point, but I also know they will come back for breaks and summer vacay and I will ask them...."when do you go back?"

I have lost 15 pounds and have been working really hard and I wanted to reward myself, so darn it, I did!!!


Rewards are a GREAT motivator!! When I got to 125 my reward was to buy some of my favorite jeans. They are a little pricey, but I'm worth it. I bought a few pairs and ironically had to send them back because I ordered the wrong size. They were too BIG!!!!

TGIF, Chicks!
Sunshine - yep, I'm with you - the 40s have started out well and I have so much optimism for this decade!
Marie - sleep plays a big role in my life too. And yeah ... this "crepe" stuff is almost as disconcerting as the crop of little spider veins. My reward for the milestone I hit this morning is an appointment with a clinical dermatologist. :)
pres - my son just found out that 5 of his best buddies are going to be in his 5th grade class next week. Thank goodness his teacher is a seasoned veteran, cuz I've seen this gang in action - she is IN FOR IT. Or hopefully, they are.
Jacque - hope everything is still going well with your mom ... and just out of curiosity ... what brand of jeans did you get?
OMW - I read once that getting up early is easier if you hit a natural wakefulness in the sleep cycle - they're 90 minutes peak to peak for the majority of people. It suggested that you try changing the time by 15 minutes each week until you find the point where you're awake when the alarm first goes off. I tried it a long time ago - but the bad news is that it was best at 4:15am! :fr: So ... I get up at 5:45 instead, even though it does mean rushing around.
Hotsplashes - September's a great month for losing weight. Great produce, and weather that encourages outside activity. You're gonna be in the 170's with time to spare!
WLW - my mom pretty much starved herself fat for years, to the point where she was down at like 800 calories a day. She joined WW just a few months back and with the point system ... literally BOOM! 25 pounds off. Your challenge is greater with your sensitive system, but metabolism is like a bonfire - it will not rage unless you throw on the right fuel. :)
Auzz - My first reaction is to be jealous of your stay-at-homeness, but I need to remember I tried it twice - once for maternity leave, and once for a 9-week layoff. LOL - I don't do so hot without regular adult interaction!
patch - unbelievable! But that's 3 appliances - and maybe it's like a death trio? You're done for a while? Crossing fingers ... it'd be funny if I didn't appreciate how frustrating that is!
dmc - Fires smell good - for a minute. It can't be fun to have to live with it. Hoping they get it under control soon.
primm - did you get back out on the road yet? ;)
Cruise - I loved the Tucker montage. Hope you're healing - I empathize. :hug:

Thoughts on TOM - OK - yes, maybe, there's a downside to the 40's. Stuff changes. And with the weight loss, that's a hormone change too, since fat generates estrogens. I know that the last couple years have been pretty aggravating for me too, and I was really hoping that all the bloodwork I had done would show something that could be fixed. But it didn't. I'm seriously considering Novasure, because I simply don't see any value whatsoever in continuing to fund P&G every month for the next 10 years (or more!), without "purpose". One of my GFs had it done and while it doesn't fix the PMS part ... it totally eliminates the mess, and for all practical purposes, is sterilization too. Dunno - I have unexpected conflicts about it. It's not necessary, by any means ... thoughts?

Good Morning Chickies!!

Cruise: I am so sorry to hear about Tucker. My doggies and I will burn a candle for you and Tucker. You gave him a good life and loved him very much. He will be at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for you.

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

DMC2: I will be disassembling my patio garden today. Tomatoes and peppers are all done. But my big garden one block down is still going strong.

GardenerJoy: I put Marigolds in my garden like I do every year.. and the did not do well at all this year! But my Zucchini's are finally growing!!lol Dr. BF actually wants to go see Julie & Julia!!!

SunshineCA: I had no problems turning 40. I love being in my 40s. I feel way more confident than I ever have. 30 was the hard one for me!lol

Jacque: Positive Reinforcement works in People as well as Dogs and Horses!!lol I either buy some clothes or make up!

ICU: I have an internal clock that wakes me up between 6 and 7 every morning... even on my days off. And if I don't get up by 8... my dogs will surely wake me up! At least I am always up in time for school!

It's the start of the long weekend and I'm having meetings all weekend. Go figure.. Publishers and Agents work 24/7. They don't believe in Holidays and Vacation! The didn't understand why I went to Cuba... uhmmm no vacation in 9 years... Yeah I was due!!lol

Haven't jumped on the scale. NOt going to until next week!

Happy Long Weekend Everyone!! School Starts Tuesday!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

Kids had their first day of school yesterday, so its time to get going and get exercising. My goal is to loose 7 pounds in September and I will do it.

Still looking for a job and theres not alot out there, I'm even considering buying a small business to create something until this recession plays its way out.

Have a great weekend everyone. My heart goes out to those in Southern California with the heat wave and the fires.

Diane

Jacque9999: Julie & Julia didn't make me hungry -- mostly butter, lobster, duck with all that fatty skin on. Not things that are triggering for me. Oh, and one of the best scenes involved a huge pile of onions!

ICUWishing: I'm sure that this wasn't your primary motivation, but an answer to not giving P&G more profits is a Diva Cup. Don't have any experience with your other option.

Hotsplashes: I hope you find a way to have a good long weekend before school starts, even with meetings.

AuzzieDee: good luck with the exercising now that the kids are back in school. Didn't you say that you're new to where you live? Walking is a great way to get to know a new place!

I had a good day yesterday, driving out to our nearly abandoned cabin for assessment and a bit of cleaning. I took a walk while I was out there and ate well because I packed my lunch. The scale rewarded me with a new low today. Today, though, I'm having an allergy reaction. So, I guess I'll take it a bit easy.

I woke up this morning knowing it will rain but from the way it looks outside its going to STORM, I can already hear the thunder coming this way. Its very cool outside and I have the windows open. I need to clean house today but may put it off. I'm a little sore from yesterday's digging. Ha, any excuse not to clean. I do have a few blisters on my palms. I don't like gloves so forget to wear them when using a shovel, when I really need to.

I called DirectTV and we troubleshot the box, then Hubby called and more troubleshooting, only to determine that the box was dead. DTV will send us a new one for only $20 shipping. Grrr. There stuff breakx and we have to pay for shipping??? Hubby hooked up the other box that we thought was broken and its working fine, now???? So at least I can get my HGTV fix.

I'm hoping to get some exercise in today.

DMC, I started gardening with pots, mostly herbs. I always thought there was something more difficult about herb growning; I didn't find that to be the case, most of the herbs flourished while other plants died. But I learned so much from those pots, especially the importance of watering. We bought our current house because I feel in love with the backyard! {and Hubby the detached garage, LOL}. Its not very big. but it has huge pecan and oak trees that shade the whole yard, at any given time in the summer its 10-20 degrees cooler back there than in the sun. Doesn't help much with the humidity though. We have an original split brick patio, and we put one of those covered swings {my parents bought us for our Anniversary}, out in the yard, so we get a good veiw of the beds. I nap on it sometimes in the spring and fall, read, make calls.

I just wanted to pop in and thank you all for the support. The pack has been incredible; I cannot imagine getting through this without them.

I know without a doubt we did the right thing but it just HURTS so fricken much. I feel so full of self pity but take comfort knowing that Tucker is pain free. Run, swim, and play Tucker..... till we meet at the bridge.

Cruise, sorry about Tucker. I just got a mommy and baby kitten from the pound (5 months ago) and they are the best. I hope that they are with me into retirement. Please check out the pound when you are feeling better. Someone there needs you.

Patch, I have Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Dill, Mint and one other I can't think of. Already have used the mint and the basil. ;-) I am looking for herb recipes if anyone has any. ;-)

ICU, it seems the fires are getting under control, finally.

Marie, I am 49, (so I am not long for this thread ;-() but I am done with my periods and have been for a couple of years. I didn't take anything even though the hot flashes are horrible. I mean I didn't take HRT. I did take Estroven that is plant based and you can get it over the counter. Costco has it cheap, but the drug stores have a better selection of types. I got the night time one. Now I am pretty much done, but a few hot flashes. Not enough to do anything else medically though. I just figured it will be easier to do it naturally unless it is really horrible and debilitating.

Good luck all you young 40 year olds still having periods. :carrot::carrot::carrot: Sorry, but I have never been able to be happy about not having it before~! LOL

Have a great day all.

Cruise, sorry about Tucker. I just got a mommy and baby kitten from the pound (5 months ago) and they are the best. I hope that they are with me into retirement. Please check out the pound when you are feeling better. Someone there needs you.

lol.... I do rescue & fostering and "someone" always seems to need us. We currently are permanent guardian to four dogs and one cat.

Thank you for adopting from the pound. There are so many in need and pound pets are the BEST!!!

I love them so much. We got a mommy and a baby siamese and the mommy is a lovey dovey but the baby is really skittish, even now, at almost 6 months, but she is coming around.

It is so wonderful to keep them together, because who knows what happened to the rest of that litter. My mommy cat was found wandering the streets with the baby in her mouth! I could never have separated them.

They are so wonderful to watch together, they clean and love eachothter so much, and when one is out of eyesight, the other meows until they come running together.

I would never have gotten my babies any other way.

So, all you pet lovers out there, go save somebody!:hug::hug::hug::hug:

I have a rescue cat here, too. We got him as a 4-year-old, about 1 1/2 years ago, and he is my constant companion. Instead of an alarm clock, he wakes me each morning at 6:45 by nuzzling my chin. Prior to us, I gather that he lived in a house that suffered from wretched neglect, so much so that they had to go in to rescue the animals.

May Tucker rest in peace... :hug:

patchworkpenguin - glad you'll have TV again, soon. I have to admit that I use it to relax in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed. I usually take a TV break and then go to my studying.

Hydra - I try to eat mostly gluten free, too. It's challenging, but gluten free products are now available in most food stores.

ICU - since I have PCOS, my body has had an estrogen dominance problem for awhile. I don't know what I would do without supplementary progesterone.

Hotsplashes - no vacation in 9 years? Yikes.

AuzzieDee - what kind of business are you thinking of buying?

gardenerjoy - congrats on the new low!!

CruiseCAT - sorry it hurts so much. :hug: We had 3 cats pass away in the past year and it's so hard.

dmc2009 - I think true menopause can happen starting as early as the late 30's. In my family, my mother and her mother were 55, though. Yay, another 10 years.:rolleyes: It would be nice to not have to be worried about anemia all the time.

newleaf - I am a cat lover, too. Our two new cats are settling in and are much quieter now that they've gotten used to us. My older son has always had a hard time connecting with animals because they were told to scare them away at the orphanage (I imagine that rabies was always a concern), but he's liking the really friendly cat we now have. The other cat is still a bit skittish, though.

How can I tell it's almost TOM? (I'm never quite sure of the timing due to perimenopause) That would be because after a really good day of eating yesterday, I'm up a pound. That's always a bummer.

I am really only expecting a 1 lb loss. I haven't been as good as I could have been all week and YEP, I am sitting here with a small glass of zin... does anybody know how many points. Its really small, but I think 4 points.

Tonight I was good, I had a burger patty and cottage cheese and tomatoes. the old fashioned plate! :):) Remember in the 80s when the Low Cal plate was all over the place, that makes me laugh...

So anyway... was pretty good all day, will see what the night brings.

The front of my thighs ache like I have been doing 500 squats and I have done nothing!!! What is that? Anybody ever had that happen?

tomorow hiking. Cruise, I love to hike too!

My colonoscopy and endoscopy went really well. My boyfriend, Pete, took really good care of me. I am just catching up on the pc and relaxing. I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend! :flow2:

It didn't rain as much as I had expected it to so I was able to get outside and weed {again}, repot some indoor plants, and move a few hostas. April came very close to catching a squirrel again, but I'm glad she missed. Eww!

Nothing very exciting happening this weekend. But hope you guys have a good holiday.

Hydra, Glad everything went well and you had someone to take care of you.

Jacque: Positive Reinforcement works in People as well as Dogs and Horses!!lol I either buy some clothes or make up!
So true...so true!!! Sorry you have meetings all weekend...but think of it this way....you have a job and you are making money!!! :)

Jacque9999: Julie & Julia didn't make me hungry -- mostly butter, lobster, duck with all that fatty skin on. Not things that are triggering for me. Oh, and one of the best scenes involved a huge pile of onions!
Well it better be REALLY, REALLY funny because I pretty much HATE onions!!! :)

lol.... I do rescue & fostering and "someone" always seems to need us. We currently are permanent guardian to four dogs and one cat.

Thank you for adopting from the pound. There are so many in need and pound pets are the BEST!!!
Seems like you are coping pretty well....it's hard but we do what we need to for our pets....even if it hurts us to make them at peace.

My 2 dogs I have now (one from the humane society and the other a stray) are the best. Out of all the dogs I have had over the years, the best ones are the ones that come from the pound...the ones that REALLY need us to step up to the plate. Although I must admit, my mom's dog Sophie, is pretty darn good too....and she came from a breeder. I think pet store pets have a lot to be desired. Just MHO :)

My colonoscopy and endoscopy went really well. My boyfriend, Pete, took really good care of me. I am just catching up on the pc and relaxing. I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend! :flow2:
Glad everything went well...and thank g-d for Pete!!!

Good morning ladies.... I think it's Saturday... yep Saturday. The last two days have been a blur with raw emotion. It's weird I think this is the first time I did not turn to food for comfort, I went the other way a bit but did force my self to eat. Even weirder was the fact that Mack did turn to food so it was in the house.

dmc - Mack and I are also going for a little hike/walk this morning. It's one of our local 3 mile loops.

Hydra - So happy to hear the procedure went well and that Pete took good care of you.

Hope you all enjoy the weekend. Mack is home until Tuesday so lots of together time for us. The only problem is when we have this much time together (5 days this time) I go through withdraws when he has to go back to work.

Rain here today. We could use it but why does it have to come on the weekend? Had a very good eating day yesterday, finally feel like I am back in the mindset from when I lost most of my weight. Managed to avoid snacking after school Thurs. and Fri. Last night my neighbor brought over a big bag of cherry tomatoes, I went straight to the kitchen to make my tomato salad! Yum!

Thursday night took a killer walk with DH. Very hilly, and I mean hilly. Kicked my butt! Felt good when I finished. :carrot:

Our master bath project is moving along slowly. I keep telling myself it will look great when it is done but we were told 5-7 days, it has now been 10 and there is still a lot to do. :dizzy:

Add us to the list of families with strays. Our Rosie is 8 and she has the sweetest personality. She is laying with her head on my feet as I type this. They really add something to our families. Cruise, You did the right thing for Tucker. :hug:

Hydra, glad your tests went well. Pete sounds like a great guy!

DMC, hope you see a loss today! Have a fun day hiking!

Presmaggie, Sorry about the pound in the wrong direction. I too hate all this peri stuff. Really wish it would just be done!

Patchwork, Hope you enjoy your nothing weekend! I think it's good to not have a lot planned! Too much on the weekends feels like work sometimes!

Gardener, Congrats on the new low! Hope the scale keeps moving in a downward direction!

Auzzie, You sound very focused on your goal! You CAN do it!

Hotsplahes, We are just starting to get tomatoes in our garden. We have been graciously accepting them from our neighbor! Ours always seem to start late and go til about October!

ICU, I have not heard of Novasure but now am curious.

Newleaf, Loved your hair story! It's nice when people notice a change! Even if they don't quite get it right!

Hope I didn't miss anyone! Have a great weekend!

Penguin, you and my son share an electrical magnetic field that destroys electronic toys. He kills ipods, iphones, stereos, computers, you name it, just by owning them. Best part in the military he does ground radar. He’s really good at his job but the equipment just fails around him. It’s truly a joke in our family so as I read your electronic woes, I decided you share that magnetism with him.

Hydra, it’s Saturday so your tests are completed and you’re free to be yourself again. I bet you are relieved. I’m glad it went well. Have fun at the festival. I hope you have great weather for it. You deserve it.

DMC, stay away from the wine and go to the gym. Sounds like a very good mantra to me. I loved your description of how mommy and baby kitty love each other. Animals are so amazing. And the thigh ache – I had it a lot when I wasn’t taking in enough protein. My quads were always tired. Hence the introduction of whey protein powder into my iced mochas or fruit smoothies for an influx of protein. The quad fatigue disappeared nearly overnight.

Jacque, I hope your mom is doing well and that you were able to use her gym. You look so great in your avatar.

ICU, is the appt with the dermatologist for the veins? If so, let us know how it goes. I thought of you when I went walking with my friend. She just did the derma for brown spots on her face – ok about 6 weeks ago. I saw her right after and it looked weird but yesterday I was amazed how wonderful her skin looked. Nary a brown spot in sight. I’m keeping that in the back of my mind.

Hots, I totally agree with feeling more confident in my 40s. Even at the highest weight, I was still proud to be in my skin. And now 60 pounds less, even prouder. Can’t beat that feeling.

Diane, you can lose those 7 pounds but don’t get down if it’s not in the one month. One thing I have learned about my 40s body is that it loses weight at its own rate. So I stopped setting lose by date goals. My goals are to be on track for the week or to eat more veges for a week. I have no problem staying at 1400 cals so that stopped being a goal about a year ago. But when I started it was the daily, weekly and monthly goal.

Joy, excellent job on the new low. And I hope you feel better.

Cruise, my thoughts are with you. My doggies thoughts are with your pack. You’ll be reunited some day in a place where our doggies have no pain.

Presmaggie, I’m glad the new kitties are quieting down. You’re household has been in flux lately so it’s cool that it’s starting to settle.

OMW, I bet the tomato salad was fabulous. You've made me a convert. I plan on buying fresh mozz at Costco today as it was a tad spendy at the local grocery. I'm glad you're back in the losing weight mindset. Taking the summer off didn't hurt you in the least. Isn't that wonderful to know?

DH and I are going out into the mountains to berry hunt. My doggie behaviorist wrote out directions to where she went so I'm hoping to find a big haul of marion berries. I can freeze them and have excellent berry protein smoothies all year. She had gone 3 weeks ago but all the bad life stuff that had happened made it so we couldn't go until today. Then we're going to Costco where produce reigns king. Yeah!!!! No weigh in today and that feels weird since I'm a daily weigher but I got up at my normal 5 and DH was still sleeping so I exited the bedroom out of niceness. It's scary when I'm kind. :o
Marie

patchworkpenguin: sounds like you have a lovely yard! I also started with herbs in pots. In just my third summer, I'm grow eggplant, zucchini, and peppers in the ground. This year's new skill was growing salad and cooking greens from seed in the ground. It's ridiculous how much food I get from a $2 pack of seeds.

dmc2009: I make the pesto from my basil using this Sonoma Diet recipe which is lower fat than the typical version:
Pesto
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 ounces basil leaves (about 4 packed cups -- it's easier to weigh)
6 Tablespoons olive oil
Food process the first three ingredients, then gradually add the oil while continuing to run the processor.
I freeze it in an ice cube tray (this recipe fills about 3/4 of a tray) and then pop the cubes into a freezer bag. They can be thawed in the microwave to top pizza or stir into pasta.
I love rosemary with potatoes so I stir it into potato salad or sprinkle it on roasted potatoes.

presmaggie: hang in there -- that really good eating will show up on the scale eventually!

Hydra: thanks so much for reporting in -- I was thinking about you. I'm glad it went well and that you are being well cared for.

CruiseCAT: hope you and Mack are able to experience some healing over the long weekend -- a hike might be just what the doctor ordered!

Onmyway: yeah, I'm finding the rain kind of sucks, too. Took the wind out of my sails on a planned trip to the Tower Grove Farmers Market. I'm afraid that if I make the effort, I'll discover that my favorite farmers didn't bother to make the trip because there are bound to be so few customers!

Marie: good luck with your berry picking!

I have allergies, so no animals, but I love other people's pets and I appreciate all of you who are getting pets that need you from the rescue operations and/or the pound.

Living in the same region as Onmyway, I've got a rainy day ahead. I think I'll find a way to relax into it and enjoy a quiet Saturday.

Marie, there's a scene in the movie Twilight where the Mom calls the daughter from a payphone {are there any left??? only in the movies} because she lost her charging cord for her cell. The daughter comments, and the mom replies "I repel technology, I didn't lose the cord, it ran away screaming." I can relate. I have trouble with coke machines, automatic faucets, and those touch screens ATMs, forget it, they don't acknowlage me as a living human. SIGH.

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for all your helpful hints.

Gardenjoy - That sounds like an amazing Pesto recipe, I have some basil that I need to pick before it starts freezing, so I am giong to give that a try. I like that it can be frozen in the ice-cube trays.

Marie - Have fun with DH on your hike. And thanks so much for the advice on goal setting without a number, I too find that more effective and measureable.

CruiseCat - My heart goes out to you on the lose of your family member, life really stinks when we loose a loved one.

Onmyway - Don`t you love it when you get into `The Zone`, its great to be in control of our own decisions.

Well, we are off to Rocky Mountain House as my oldest son has a football game there. Maybe DH and I will go for a walk while he`s getting ready for the game.

Diane

No loss today, same ol, same ol.

I am a bit discouraged, but I knew it. I have had a few glasses of wine and I think that blew it.

I just have such a hard time getting my calories down to 1500 or 1200 a day! I just can't get under 1800 or more with my night eating especially.

Okay, that's it. The minute I go to bed, KITCHEN IS CLOSED!!!! I talked to my mom and my sister who is older and usually a lot heavier than me now weighs less than I do! GAHHHHHH!

Anyway, will check in tonight for personals!

Have a great day.

dmc - I tend to snack at night too. I made myself a list of 100 calorie snacks, like carrots and celery with a bit of dip, a lite yogurt, a big handful of raisins, a banana, and apple, a small serving of nuts. I plan for about 200 calories after dinner, so that way I don't feel like I am depriving myself and I look forward to that evening snack.

Thanks to everyone for all your well wishes and encouragement.

We just made out our grocery list and will go shopping later. At first I thought it was more expensive to eat better but in the long run it seems to be less expensive. I am buying fresh fruits and veggies, reduced fat cheese, cottage cheese, frozen veggies, seafood, pork chops and lean steak to grill out, some gluten free frozen meals, dressings, coffee and turkey breast. I love a nice variety of foods to eat. I like healthy food but I also like the stuff that is bad bad bad for you, lol.

I have a weakness for having a glass too many at night sometimes too. I LOVE wine, but I always regret it in the morning. Seems I always realize I need to stop after 3. One glass is about 100 cals, so 3 glasses = 300. Yikes, that's like one frozen lunch entree! (Not to mention that it RUINS my morning run...)

Hi, everyone! Looks like lots of fun things going on this weekend! After piano lessons, DS10 and I made a Costco run for ribs for tomorrow, and then we did some weeding. He took off for a friend's house - I weeded some more until my back said "Nuff!". DH ... still canning! Peaches, peach jam, peach syrup. Bread and butter pickles (spicy!), banana peppers, and dill pickles. Raspberry jam. Stewed tomatoes. I cannot believe how much he's doing! We need to reinforce the shelves downstairs - some of them are bowing under the pressure. :) And he's still working on tomato juice. Whew!

Ticker on the move, finally. I think I can kiss that last setpoint goodbye!

I'll be back this evening to catch up on everybody's goings-on. Have a great day - and send some of that rain our way!!! (for Monday, though!)

Hello all! :)

Working on my menu for next week today. I will also make my shopping list and shop for what we need by Monday. I'm also going to pre-cook a lot of things as my busy season begins and the kids go back to school on Wednesday.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone! ;)

Hubby and Dad worked on the car today while Mom and I went to lunch and shopping. I bought another pantsuit at Ross; this one was royal blue but a different brand and a better quality suit for $40. Worth it! This one had pockets in the pants and on the jacket. which set my little heart to fluttering. I know, it doesn't take much to impress me!

I went to Michael's crafts store with my Mom and found a little booklet that had knit and crochet shawl and wrap patterns. I pulled out some peacock blue faux-mohair yarn {Lion Brand Jiffy} I has stashed away and started a pashimia sp? type wrap. After several starts and stops I have completed two inches. Hopefully this will go more quickly as I progress, LOL. I followed the instructions but didn't feel the wrap was going to be wide enough so pulled out what I had done so far and started over while adding another four inches to the width. I haven't knit anything but baby booties and hats in several years so I picked an easy pattern, but I think its going to be pretty.

DMC, Rosemary and Thyme are my favorite herbs! I have rosemary in the badk but its not doing well. {I need to threaten to compost it! That should perk it right up!] I have a huge creeping thyme in the front but its more decrative than anything. I love rosemary with potaties and chicken, and thyme in vegetable soup! I've grown basil but since its a semi annual it drives me nuts, and I keep forgetting to pinch the flowers before it blooms. I've rediscovering some of my old hobbies since my cateract surgeries.

Patch, thanks for the heads up about pinching the flowers, I didn't know that. I am having some Cyrstal Light Tea with my mint from my garden! :)

Sunshine, I wish I had time to make up my menus!

ICUwishing.. Canning? Awesome!!!!! I am jealous, all that home made delish!

Okay, heres the scoop. Maybe my ticker didn't move, but I was so good today as far as food. I didi have a glass of Zin, but its Saturday, and a holiday and whatever, I feel leaner!

I had such a wonderful day riding bicycles from Venice past Santa Monica pier - even went on the Ferris will at Pacific park on the pier. What a wonderful day and sometimes after 24 years, I still have to pinch myself that I live in So Cal!!!:carrot::carrot::carrot:

Have a wonderful evening and will weigh again tomorrow, jic! LOL

[SIZE=2]Jacque, I hope your mom is doing well and that you were able to use her gym. You look so great in your avatar.

Thanks...she is doing good. I came home yesterday after a LONG, LONG week and a LONG, LONG travel day. I'm not even going to do half of what I had planned to do today.....anyway, I did get to her gym quite a few times while I was there which is good since my eating wasn't totally OP.

It looks like a lot of success here for the 40 something crowd!!

I'm trying something new today. I've still been struggling with a lot of hunger during the day, so I'm making breakfast my biggest meal of the day and then having smaller meals as the day goes on.

Otherwise, it's just one and a half more days before school starts for the boys. :carrot:

AuzzieDee: hope you managed to get the walk in.

dmc2009: I've had to make rules for myself to control my worst habits like "No eating in the car." It's worked for me! I think "The kitchen is closed" will work for you. Would setting up some alternative activities for yourself help?
Do you know how your sister is losing weight? To extent that weight problems are due to genes and upbringing, siblings can be a useful source of information.

patchworkpenquin: the pashima sounds lovely! And the suit, too.

Jacque9999: glad your mom is doing better and that you've been able to return home.

My challenge today is a family day at the in-laws. My goals for while I'm out there are: walk, no snacking until I get home, and fill my supper plate mostly with vegetables.

Joy, your pesto recipe is very much like mine. Nearly exactly other than I use a little less pine nuts. I made sourdough pesto pizza last night with red peppers and fresh mozzarella. Oh I swooned over it. It was the first time DH had it and he was a little tentative but he had three pizza so I guess it was ok. Enjoy the time with the in-laws. Your strategy sounds right on.

Diane, I hope you enjoyed the football game and the hike. I love being out in the mountains.

DMC, it sounds like you need to find a fun, intriguing hobby to do in the evening. The evening snack monster needs to be eradicated. The Zin probably isn’t is what’s making the ticker stuck – one glass isn’t a problem. Your day biking sounds so awesome. In Feb, DH and I have a layover in LA and plan to do just what you did, including the ferris wheel.

Hydra, I also thought eating healthy would be much more expensive and to a point it is. The food is more expensive than all the processed stuff. But since the quantity is substantially reduced I can buy better ingredients. So it ended up not being more.

ICE, sounds like you’ll have enough food if there’s an invasion and the grocery stores are closed. DH sounds like a prince.

Sunshine, sound like you’re good at all the pre-planning. I’m the type that can’t do that as I have cravings for specific foods on specific days and they can’t be predicted. I envy your ability.

Penguin, I have a huge indoor basil garden for my pesto obsession. I never forget to pinch. I check daily to see if I can make another batch of pesto. I think I have about 15 plants and they can’t keep up with me. I also have a big pot of Italian parsley but it’s not as loved as my basil pots.

Jacque, I’m glad your mom is doing well. You must be so relieved to be back home. Traveling is the pits. I don’t know how flight attendants can stand it. The pilots I get as it would be a blast to fly the plane.

Pres, “they” say breakfast is the most important meal. I hope that you find success with the strategy. Your back to school countdown made me laugh and remember the days I did that. Now I dread it as I work for a school district and love the summer as there are no teachers or students around. Just lots of work.

Where we originally went berry picking yesterday had 3 berries that were beyond their time. But was walked around a volcanic rock field (it’s so cool picking up a rock that I normally couldn’t budge but because it’s volcanic it’s very light). And we saw a black bear. It was awesome. Then as we drove the rest of the way over the mountain, we found the stash of wild blackberries along the high way. We picked about 2.5 gallon Ziploc bags worth. I’d have stayed all day but the thorny plants were too much. BTW, I ate a lot of berries yesterday. One for the bucket, one (maybe two) for the mouth. Yummy! Nature is great. Then the sourdough pesto pizza – it was a great food day – everything fresh and homemade (or grown in the wild along the highway.

Today we’re going back to the area where we didn’t have luck in berry hunting to go bike riding. It’s on Brown Mountain and it looked like a perfect place to bike. Usually we head to town to the bike trails but it’s through farm fields so this should be awesome.

Sounds like everyone is doing so great! I've been struggling with trying to get in enough calories without going overboard. Part of my issue is my schedule: breakfast at 8:30, first work break at 12:15 or 12:30, lunch from 3-4 and second break at 5:30. Off at 7 so dinner is anywhere from 8-10 though I'm trying to make it as early as possible. Blew it big time the other night with chinese for dinner. Don't think that will happen again since I actually logged what I ate into sparkpeople.com. Even though I only eat half my order the fat and calories were still mind-boggling and put a great food day down the drain : ( I went so far as to delete the number from my cell phone and tossed the menus in the trash! One of the effects of the increased calories is that my poor appetite isn't so poor, I haven't been so hungry on a daily basis in forever!

I have to catch up on the personals but from what I've seen everyone is doing fantastic!

I have that problem too, WLW. I work a 12 hour shift, and finish at 7:30. So I'm not home until after 8, and the last thing I want to do is think about what to eat and make it when I get home.

My key is planning. I now make my dinner the night before, after dinner. So the next night I'll eat what I've made, and then make dinner for the next night. It means that I have to be prepared with ingredients etc., but I don't have to think about what to have anymore. I just reheat stuff - 10 minutes in the microwave/oven/stovetop, and dinner is ready. So it's as soon as I get in the door.

Great job everyone else! I fully expected to gain this week - don't know why. But TOM is over and that's maybe what pushed me over the line from 187.8 to 187.2. Just over 1/2 lb, but I'll take it! I need to get back into the exercise - my ankle has been better the last couple of days, but I've been lazy...

I was invited to a friends' house today and it was hard: lots of yummy food was served and it was a sit-down dinner. I KNOW I went overboard on my calories, although I stopped eating when I was full. Then my friend teased me that I was going to offend the hostess (his mom) by not finishing...hopefully that's not the case!

Hi, I'm restarting my commitment to weight loss tomorrow and wanted somewhere I can connect with other losers! Wish me luck!:)

Welcome Mitzee! And you don't need luck, you need strength, committment and determination. All of which I'm sure you have in spades.

Stick around, the support you'll get from this place is incredible.

I'm excited to find a group of supporters that are my age AND are in/or have been in my space. I will log in tomorrow to let you know how I'm doing.

Sunshine, I wish I had time to make up my menus!


Believe me, it's not easy making time to plan it out. This is the only way I can stay successful. It's like Nike says, "Just Do It!" ;)

posted by Marie

Sunshine, sound like you’re good at all the pre-planning. I’m the type that can’t do that as I have cravings for specific foods on specific days and they can’t be predicted. I envy your ability.


Awww...thanks! No envy necessary. I just have to or falling off the wagon I go. Also, I do allow for flexibility, as long as it's within reason. The pre-planning is just a skeleton of having something to go by. Trust me, I tweak it often during the week. ;)

My Mom made it so much easier. I was heading out to the supermarket to stock up and she called to tell me that she and my Step-Dad had a lot of meat they purchased from someone and there was way too much for them. I went by there and loaded up on so many goodies from steaks to seafood. :D Saved me LOTS of money! The only thing I had to purchase today was fruit and vegetables. :) I planned my menu based on that. Yay!!! :D