Living Maintenance - Maintainers Chat: Sept. 7 - 13

Good morning from New Mexico, where I am NOT on my way to the gym (per my usual Monday morning!) I'm telling myself it's OK to take a few days off from exercise. DD has to go back to work today, even though it's Labor Day. When you're a paramedic, there aren't any holidays! So DH and I are driving to a resort outside of Santa Fe for our last few days here. Dinner tonight will be at a restaurant in Santa Fe that we've been to before and I know I can get a great fish and salad meal. And the resort has what looks to be a nice fitness center, so that's on the schedule for tomorrow morning.

We spent yesterday lamp shopping for DD's house, then looking at Open Houses. Fun, though we're certainly not in any position to retire yet. As the owner of a 57-year old house, I just drool over the kitchens, closets, and bathrooms. :love:

We're doing a lot of walking so hopefully that's burning off most of the excessive restaurant calories.

What are everyone's Labor Day plans? How was the weekend? :)

Good morning from Hilton Head! :) We are just waiting for my husband to get up so we can pack up and leave for home. I have had a very active little mini vacation, but I have also eaten a ton. I am ready to get home and get back into my routine.

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Meg - definitely okay to take a few days off from exercise! Everyone needs a little break! Enjoy Santa Fe and the resort! :)

Ward - safe drive home today!

No big plans for us today, I might try to get to the park for another run, might not. DH is over his cold/flu thing I think and his back seems to feel better from his Saturday yard work, so of course I'm a little sore from my yardwork yesterday and my throat is a little sore from my allergy head. :dizzy:

Good day everyone!

Hi Meg, WardHog and Shannon!

Sounds like Meg and WardHog have had a nice holiday!

Not too many plans here today. Dh is in Europe working for 2 weeks. My dumb dog can't sleep in and got me up early. I'm debating a nap but my tummy is hungry. Maybe breakfast, then a nap? Dd and I went and saw All About Steve yesterday-- cute movie!! We ate at a new (to us) restaurant before. Not a healthy meal so I will definitely be hitting the gym today. I'm bummed that my normal class is cancelled so I'll just be doing some sort of cardio.

Hope everyone has a great day/week!!

Good morning! My DH and DS are off 4-wheeling this morning leaving me to download more stuff into iTunes but I'm also trying to figure out some printer issues so the downloads aren't going very smoothly.

A strange thing happened to me on Saturday. Twice. I've always been a member of the clean your plate club. Even at restaurants (although I try to choose options that aren't going to be huge portions). Saturday we went to an Italian place and I ordered a chicken sandwich. It was served on foccacia with lettuce and tomato. The chicken was pounded thin and very lightly breaded before cooking (probably fried, but light). Anyway, half way through I couldn't finish. I took half home. Then at dinner, we BBQ'd steaks (5 oz filet mignon) served with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and we each had two small pieces of bruschetta with sundried tomatoes on top. I couldn't finish my steak. That is unheard of! My dogs got the benefit of my fullness.

Oh. Has anyone seen Bottleshock? We watched on HBO or Showtime Friday which then sent me to the store in search of those wines (which I found at $45 and $52 per bottle and yes, I bought them! Yikes! My usual wine price limit is $15-$20 a bottle! DH and I shared one bottle Saturday night and all I can say is YUM!)

A few days at a resort sounds wonderfully relaxing, Meg.

Wardhog, hope you had a good time at Hilton Head.

Shannon, the sore part doesn't sound good, but glad you got a nice run in.

How early is early, Michele? Not nice on a holiday! I'm surprised that your gym is open.

It's almost 11:00 am, and I'm still in my bathrobe. Just been puttering around. We're putting together a little fountain for the patio, and I was doing the bills, etc. My DH and DD are out for a walk. I have yardwork to do so I didn't want to get too tired before I started that.

We saw Julie and Julie yesterday--great movie! We laughed so much. On Friday, my DD and I saw 500 Days of Summer, which was also good. I like that kid who used to be the kid on 3rd Rock from the Sun on TV--he'd done another little indie film that got good reviews a couple of years ago.

Went kayaking on Saturday, but the water was so low, we bumped around a lot. We had to portage over this little waterfall that we went down last time. We saw a couple of beaver this time, though, and one swam directly toward my friend's kayak. She had her smaller dog with her, and we think the beaver was curious. The dog certainly was! It's cool when the beaver dive and slap their tails.

Happy Labor Day! Hopefully nobody is laboring too hard today.

How early is early, Michele? Not nice on a holiday! I'm surprised that your gym is open.


Went kayaking on Saturday, but the water was so low, we bumped around a lot. We had to portage over this little waterfall that we went down last time. We saw a couple of beaver this time, though, and one swam directly toward my friend's kayak. She had her smaller dog with her, and we think the beaver was curious. The dog certainly was! It's cool when the beaver dive and slap their tails.

Happy Labor Day! Hopefully nobody is laboring too hard today.

Sheila-- I have two dogs. One will sleep. The other one wakes up and cries. I don't know when he started but I gave up and got up and fed them at 6:30.:mad:

My gym is open today so I guess I am lucky for that. It is 24hour fitness and they are open almost every day of the year. I think they are closed Christmas and Thanksgiving but that is about it. No excuses for me!:carrot:

I would have loved to see the kayaking with the dogs, Sheila. Sounds so cute!!

Back from "d'ya want fries with that" land today. No food in the house and grocery stores are not open so we're going to a chicken place tonite. Big, big, big salad for moi.

I'm going to take the rest of the week and diet off whatever horrible amount I gained up north before getting on the scale. Lots of things planned for the Toronto part of my vacation that do not involved eating of any sort.

First thing on the list is a manicure from a shop. I can't do that during the work week 'cause the polish chips in about two seconds when I start with the dog walking. Then I'm off to the Bata Shoe Museum, which I've wanted to see since it opened years ago.

The rest of the week will be spent in a similar fashion, doing things I want to do and things I've been wanting to see in TO for years.

Have a great week all!

Dagmar :dance:

Dagmar - Ohh how fun, a staycation.

I am off to San Fran on Wednesday for 5 days.
Hmmmm - food control should be doable...but all that delicious Californian wine at such affordable prices....
This is my first mini-break in eons, so I am going to have Fun!

Dagmar - Ohh how fun, a staycation.

I am off to San Fran on Wednesday for 5 days.
Hmmmm - food control should be doable...but all that delicious Californian wine at such affordable prices....
This is my first mini-break in eons, so I am going to have Fun!

What are you planning on doing/seeing in San Fran? I live about 45 minutes away.:)

I just ate a carton of Ben & Jerry's Light Phish Food. I bought it and consumed it specifically in the hopes that it would make me less annoyed and out of sorts over my slightly off kilter weekend. On top of eating one more taco than I had in my calorie budget for today and not exercising. Didn't make me feel better. Actually, made my stomach upset and made me annoyed with the fact that I was at my lowest weight in over two months at Friday's weigh in and now I'll be close to redline with my salt and sugar binge today. When will I learn that food doesn't fix it?

DH just went to bed, back still hurting him pretty badly. I grabbed my exercise clothes and I think I'm going to exercise. I want to do some yoga, but since I ate so damn much at dinner I know that will fail miserably which will just make me more annoyed, so I'll do something else. Kickbox maybe. That usually helps with the irritated.

Thanks for reading my grumpy rant. :) Hope everyone else had a better day.

I just ate a carton of Ben & Jerry's Light Phish Food. I bought it and consumed it specifically in the hopes that it would make me less annoyed and out of sorts over my slightly off kilter weekend. On top of eating one more taco than I had in my calorie budget for today and not exercising. Didn't make me feel better. Actually, made my stomach upset and made me annoyed with the fact that I was at my lowest weight in over two months at Friday's weigh in and now I'll be close to redline with my salt and sugar binge today. When will I learn that food doesn't fix it?


Ugh... :hug:Shannon:hug:

That's kind of a description of my 3 day weekend :o:p

Mel

sznn, San Francisco has lots of hills, serious hills, plan on walking a lot around the city and you will get a good workout in.

:hug:Shannon:hug:

Don't ask me why you did what you did because I am the queen of doing the same thing! It seems that whenever my weight is at its lowest, I eat something totally off plan! Mind games. Hope you get to kickbox and feel better!!

Shannon, been there done that. Go kickbox something for awhile. Lots of water tomorrow.

Holiday weekends are rough - although getting back to the grind tomorrow is a bit of a bummer, I think it'll help everyone (myself included!) back on track.

I've got lots of prep to do for tomorrow - esp. for one of my classes, so I'm off for now but I'll try to catch up in the morning!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend...now it's back to the grind...routine, school, work, staying on track...you know the drill!!! :)

I'm actually looking forward to being OP again. I'm starting to really not want to eat unhealthy stuff (I just had 4 days of it) and since I've got low stress (no dogs, no dad) this week I'm going to try to stay in dieting mode all week.

This should be quite easy to do with the staycation.

Have a great week all!

Dagmar

Shannon, been there done that. Go kickbox something for awhile. Lots of water tomorrow.

Sound advice! We've all been there. I don't want to admit it, but I probably will be there again one day.

It sounds like food and activity were off for some of our long weekends but everyone did fun things. This weekend I all of the sudden started panicking that the holidays (you know, THE holidays, Thanksgiving & Christmas) are right around the corner and will be here before I know it! I've got to get back into more pairs of my jeans before the cold weather arrives. I made good progress this weekend, though! Stayed POP, except for a handful of pretzels yesterday. I made some yummy lowfat veggie dip and lowfat hummus with ww pita for my snacks all weekend, fruit salad, and ate it in the proper portions when I was hungry. I worked out each day, went scuba diving Sunday, even got to the gym at 7 am Monday to get in a workout before I went boating & beaching with my friends. And I had tons of fun, though I will admit I had a little twinge of envy/regret/whatever when we were sitting on the beach and everyone was drinking beer. But I'm not going there - alcohol always makes me eat much more, so is severely restricted for a little while.

Did I mention that as I was going down the anchor line to the wreck on my dive trip I saw a sea turtle scuttling off into the blue? So fun!

Back to work today for a short 3-day week. Friday BF & I are going road tripping to his nana's birthday party. Let's make it a good week. :)

Michelle - Not sure what I will be doing in SF. I have been many times before - my sister lives there. She is right in Russian Hill, so yes lots of walking hills.
I am going with a friend who loves to shop - so I am sure there will be just a lot of walking in general.

We are going to the mountains for the w/e, so maybe I will get some hiking in.
Just looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing for a few days.
The only real food threat is I HAVE to visit a taco place in the Mission, I love those tacos!!

Dagmar, enjoy your staycation! I hope you get lots of rest and relaxation. There are a lot of places in the southwest that I hope to see before a permanent move back east. If only I ever had the time (and money!) a staycation could be in order for me as well. =)

This weekend I all of the sudden started panicking that the holidays (you know, THE holidays, Thanksgiving & Christmas) are right around the corner and will be here before I know it! I've got to get back into more pairs of my jeans before the cold weather arrives.
Oh man do I hear you on this! There is enough time that I am not panicking yet, but I see them looming on the horizon. Plus, I was cleaning out my closet and discovered FOUR pairs of slightly too small jeans (hello, muffin top!) that I need to get back into. The jeans I'm wearing right now are definitely showing their wear and I don't have the money to spend on jeans at the moment.

Megan, also that is SUPER cool about the sea turtle! I took some marine bio in college but never saw anything exciting like that. We mostly studied algae and now I'm studying human health... but how exciting!

sznn, have fun in SF!

Good morning everyone. I'm still grumpy and out of sorts today, but I'm going to stay OP, and I've already gotten off to a good start on the water. Hope it helps - as predicted, I'm right at redline. I know my patterns pretty well by this point in the process... DH went back to work today, still in some pretty solid pain I think, so won't be in a good place tonight either. We have DSS so that will provide some distraction at least.

Mel - rough long weekend for you too? Hope you feel better today!

Michele - It does seem kind of self destructive when we slip into those patterns, doesn't it? I didn't consciously think 'hey, I weighed less so I can eat a little ice cream' but I know it was in there somewhere.

Dagmar - enjoy the stress free week!

Megan - sea turtles are cool! :) Wow, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner... where did the year go?

Sznn - enjoy SF! And the tacos!

Iris - I got two pairs of pants on clearance at Target over the weekend, but sure don't want to have to spend money on pants either...

On the topic of the pants, one of the pairs I got was a 2! Wow! Of course, they don't fit well today with the extra two inches of tummy I picked up from my splurge yesterday... But they will be fine again soon... :dizzy:

:wave: to everyone! Have a good day!

Please! It's too early to mention THE holidays! Except that I was at Costco on Sunday and they already have an aisle dedicated to Christmas decorations. What? It's not even Halloween yet!

We bought a golf cart yesterday. It's used but in pretty good condition. We're going to give it to my in-laws when they return in October. I think they'll appreciate it--that way if one has the car, the other can still run short errands (and haul laundry to and from the resort laundromat!). It isn't technically street legal, so they really shouldn't use it outside the resort (there are a lot of golf paths here in the desert--but you have to have a street legal golf cart). I don't know how much we'd have to pay to make it street legal, but DH has this strange idea that one of us will use it to commute to work IN THE SUMMER while the in-laws are out of town. Doesn't he realize that the temperature in the summer is 115 most days? It doesn't have AC and of course it's open to ALL the elements! I don't think he has his head on straight!!!

Had a run in with a terrific burger last night and could have easily eaten only half of it. My scale rewarded me with a gain. Yikes. I've got to be even more OP today to get rid of that!

I just lost my post.....

I had a run-in with a terrific burger last night and my scale rewarded me with a gain, so I've got to be even more OP today to get rid of that.

We bought a golf cart yesterday. The plan is that our in-laws will use it while they are here (in the resort where we own an RV lot). I figure it will be helpful for them to run short errands and such. It isn't street legal so technically they can't drive it outside of the resort. I'm not sure what it would cost us to make it street legal (here in the desert we have a lot of golf cart paths on regular streets), but DH has this weird idea that one of us will use it in the summer to commute to work and back. I'm like, doesn't he realize that it gets above 115 here in the summer and the cart doesn't have AC? I mean, get real here dude! I'd be happy to use it to commute in the winter--but that is when the in-laws will have it, so that won't work. Anyway, it's a used cart and we'll probably have to replace the batteries so that is more important at this point.

Need some advice....

I have a friend who started exercising and a lifestyle change about the same time I did. We both had about the same amount of weight to lose. Well I continued the journey...being very consistent and sticking with the goals I set. She has been very inconsistent and "talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk". She's always saying, I will do this and I will do that. She has dropped out of one thing, added another then pretty much doesn't nothing. She has gotten better and says she has lost some weight, honestly I don't see it...yet. I have been her biggest cheerleader in all this and don't feel that it is appreciated....her loss I guess but frustrating for me.

Anyway....for awhile now things have not been quite the same between us....my BF has been saying for months that she is jealous of my success.

Having said that, yesterday we were talking about (actually texting each other) and I had told her how I had had a veggie burger for lunch that I didn't quite agree with me and wasn't feeling great....her response was what kind of bread did I have with it....and I said, none, I didn't want the carbs (I eat them in other ways, i.e. cheese and crackers).

Anyway....her response,

YOU NEED CARBS, YOUR ARMS ARE TOO SKINNY!!! I was shocked at that response. That is her opinion and I don't agree one bit. Also, not one person has said any part of my body looks "too skinny". My response to her was that I like my arms, and she said, yea but they are still too skinny...all I said was, but they are ALL MUSCLE!!!

I really felt that she was trying to sabatoge me because she has not done much in her journey and would probably like to see me fail. I know that sounds crazy but awhile back someone said something about my arms being really toned and she says, well you tone fast. I was like, I freakin' worked my butt (and arms and everything else) off to get to where I am. There was nothing "fast" about it. This has been a long process and I am proud of how far I have come.

I'm sick and tired of the tension between us and I don't know how to handle it.

Any thoughts?

Well... it's a tough situation, and like a powder keg, in that if you are too confrontive with her, all of her negative emotions about herself are likely to come rushing out. I imagine she feels terrible that she has been unable to stay with it and lose weight. And, she also might lash out at you, since you probably represent all the ways in which she's failed.

I would say, make a coffee date or something, where you don't have to eat together necessarily, and just reveal in a caring way that she has made some remarks that have made you feel bad, and you wonder why. You don't need to speculate on why she is doing it--just the fact that she IS doing it. She may go into denial, or she may overreact, but in any case you have made your feelings known. Try to keep a caring, friendly tone in the discussion.

And the next time you get one of those response from her, you could point it out. "That's one of those comments I was talking to you about."

Be prepared to have the relationship cool down for awhile after the talk. It may be that you can't be friends the way you used to until she gets over this issue.

Just my 2 cents.
Jay

Yesterday I was doing a fairly intense workout, and all the sudden became too hungry to go on. I ate some of the pumpkin seeds in my purse, since that's all I had, felt better and finished my workout. Ate the rest of the pumpkin seeds (1 oz total) on my way home. 10 min. later nauseous/starving again, ate leftover rice in the fridge. BF got home with the flounder and triggerfish he'd caught for dinner just then. I told him I needed to eat ASAP, he got cooking and finally we got to eat. I could barely concentrate enough to make a salad - just walked out of the kitchen to go shower (Good thing BF has seen me like this a few times before and knew what was going on - he kept cooking!). I barely got the dishes done and went to bed after that. Hitting the bottom of my fuel tank so suddenly took me by surprise, and the bottom was much more intense than I've felt in a long time. I've been re-upping the intensity of my workouts over the last week and I guess it hit me all of the sudden last night. I finished the day much higher in calories that I would have liked on paper, 1950 calories isn't the "losing" range I'm trying to hit, but I feel like I needed every one of them and for once don't feel bad about "going over" my calories.

I'm better prepared today with a protein muffin for the gym so I can get a hit of protein and carbs immediately if I need it. I think the more intense workouts are helping me - helping my body move and also get me into better shape again - but I need to remember to be prepared and give myself proper fuel, too.

Joci, sorry to hear that you're having these problems with your friend. I think Jay's right. We can all speculate about why she might be saying hurtful things to you, but if you talk to her about this keep the conversation on how she's hurting you with her remarks. Don't bring up her weight loss efforts. Maybe she will be receptive, maybe not even realize what she's doing, but maybe not. If she's not ready to hear it or continues to make negative comments to you, you might need to stop spending time with her for a while. It's okay for her to be a little jealous, not ok to keep putting you down. Good luck. :hug:

Allison, lol, you can let DH commute to work on the golf cart in 115 degree weather. You just keep driving the car. :p

Shannon, I hope you feel better today. Wow, a size 2! Awesome!

Sznn, enjoy SF! Sounds like a fun trip.

Iris, I am so spoiled b/c I actually have seen several sea turtles up close and personal, and get to see dolphins all the time too. It never gets old, though. They're such neat animals!

Have a good Wednesday everyone. :)

Joci - :hug: That is a tough situation. Like has already been said, no way of knowing why she is acting out like that. Definitely not okay for her to put you down. Things might be a little sketchy for a while, but hopefully talking to her about how you feel will help. Keeping it to your feelings about her comments is good, less accusing and allows her to save some face. Good luck! BTW, I looked at your profile pic and your arms look fab! :)

Megan - I've hit bottom like that a few times myself, pretty scary. Definitely stock up so you have something on hand quickly if it happens again!

Allison - I can't imagine being in an open golf cart in 115 degrees, an air conditioned car is bad enough! :dizzy: There is a town south of Atlanta, Peachtree City, with a lot of golf cart trails through town - you see people driving theirs to work, going through the drive-thru, they built overpass bridges to cross the highways. They are out in them in all weather - there was a big conflict a few years ago when police started ticketing people for driving them under the influence or with open containers... Was weird to watch it all unfold, my dad worked near there at the time and witnessed a cart/automobile accident where the cart driver was drinking and plowed right off the path directly in front of a car.

My cold is definitely worse today than yesterday... Blah. I don't know if I got it from DH who was sick last week (but mostly over it by Thursday) or DSS who had a fever on Sunday when I was hanging out with him while DH was on bed rest from the back injury. I'm suspecting I picked it up Sunday. Yuck.

Jacque~it is jealousy and there may be little you can do about it. Next time she says something disparaging like that I'd just say to her "sorry you feel that way but I feel differently" and see what happens. It might start a conversation where you can be more truthful, but it sounds like she really has not made the full decision to lose weight (it is a HARD thing to do!) and she is jealous that you were able to make that decision.

Megan~are you hypoglycemic? Your hitting the bottom and being kind of "ditsy" (the best way I can explain how you were acting, lol--not saying you ARE ditsy!) sounds like hypoglycemia. My friend who I went to Italy with seems to have those symptoms (she gets dizzy and can't read if she's too hungry). If that is the case you might want to keep a little more on hand than just pumpkin seeds for future events!

Shannon~sorry your cold is worse. I hope you feel better soon. I know the cold I got in July was probably one of the worst I've had in over 10 years. It took weeks to get rid of that phlegmy feeling in my lungs.

My good news is that the scale is back down to post vacation weight after my run-in with that jalapeno burger! Actually, it wasn't just the burger. I ate bread with all 3 meals on Monday. I never eat that much bread and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.

Thanks everybody for the advice...just a few more things. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends, so I can't imagine her not in my life. She (and her husband) fixed my BF and me up, so we are part of a big group....pretty much my only friends, so distancing myself from her is not an option.

I have, for quite awhile, not brought up the whole weightloss/exercise thing to her. I only talk about it in response to her questions or comments on what she has, of most likely hasn't done. And to be totally honest, since my schedule has not changed at all since I have started, she pretty much knows when and where (pilates, boot, camp, gym, etc...) I am at certain times but always would sound shocked when I would answer her question "What did you do last night?" and I would respond with "Pilates (or the gym)". It's almost like she didn't think I would stick with it.

When we are all together, I can feel the tension and I think some of our other friends can too. I have talked to a few of them about it and they all respond, "well you know how she is". No I don't....I thought we would support each other through the process, that we would do it together....like we said we would. I've cheerleaded for her, but have not gotten one RAH RAH from her. No I take that back, just last weekend (the first and only time I got a RAH) was when we were all at her house and some people who hadn't seen me were complimenting me. She did chime in and say, "doesn't she look great?". But to be honest, it didn't feel sincere at all. It felt like she only said it because everyone else was.

Fri night her, another friend and myself are going out for our b'day celebration dinner. I plan on eating whatever I want...because I can...I am good during the week so I can be a little bad on the weekends. Having said that, she has already said what she is planning on eating...and I can feel it in her tone that she would just love to see me stuff my face...and she probably will :)..no seriously, I won't be THAT bad, but I won't have to think so much about it and might feel weird about enjoying whatever I eat when she will try to be totally good...does that make sense?

Anyway...thanks again...I knew I liked 3FC....everyone is so supportive...more so then my closest friend....

I just had a big, cold, interesting salad for lunch. There are some real perks to vacationing at home. I'm starting to like this. So much easier to stay OP becasue I don't have to prepare/eat the same things every day for lunch.

And now I'm going to watch the Dog Whisperer. TV during the day - I feel sooo decadent.

Have a good hump day everyone!

Dagmar

Megan~are you hypoglycemic? Your hitting the bottom and being kind of "ditsy" (the best way I can explain how you were acting, lol--not saying you ARE ditsy!) sounds like hypoglycemia. My friend who I went to Italy with seems to have those symptoms (she gets dizzy and can't read if she's too hungry). If that is the case you might want to keep a little more on hand than just pumpkin seeds for future events!

I've never been officially diagnosed/tested, but my Mom would love to tell you about how as a kid I'd get cranky if I didn't eat for too long. :dizzy: I used to bring a protein muffin or bar most days to the gym to eat between the gym and dinner, but sort of realized that I was eating it just to eat it sometimes even if my workout didn't end up being that intense. I sort of got out of the habit this summer b/c I've been slacking a bit and doing shorter workouts, less weightlifting, etc. (no good excuse, just using the heat as an excuse to slack off!). I definitely need to remind myself to be more prepared and in addition to start bringing snacks again need to replenish my car stash of pb crackers and granola bars (things I can keep in the car that won't melt/won't go back even if they're there for months). I'm not going to run to the doctor but need to remind myself to be prepared since it has happened in the past. It's been a while and the suddenness/intensity of this time took me by surprise!

Dagmar, glad you're enjoying your staycation. It sounds very nice and relaxing!

I have had this happen to me a few times after a workout, such as step class. I also had it happen once when I was expecting lunch at a certain time (and didn't have any snacks with me), and then lunch was delayed for over an hour. Your metabolism has just gotten faster than it used to be! I started carrying the small boxes of raisins as a "just in case" food.

Jay

sort of realized that I was eating it just to eat it sometimes even if my workout didn't end up being that intense

Megan~I can totally relate to eating something just because you have it on hand!!! It can be so annoying! I used to bring my lunch every day and eat it all each day, but now I bring a week's worth of food for DH and myself (with a few snacks mixed in) and store it all in the fridge. Because it is generally larger amounts of food, I don't have the hangup about eating everything I brought for the day! And I certainly don't mind leaving something in the fridge over the weekend! It's more like having a fridge full at home--I eat what I've planned and that's it.

I hit my goal today so I am now officially maintaining here on out! I have a go wear fit which is even more helpful now because I can decide how much to eat based on how busy I have been that day. I know it's not 100% accurate but so far it's been close enough to help me get here.

Welcome Prinny!
Woo hoo and congratulations!!! I am in the East Bay so you may not be too far from me....

I want to know if I am the only total klutz at the gym (or elsewhere). I did a class tonight that I don't usually do but it worked timewise as I had back to school night. It is a weights/ step class and it is hard! I was behind a big pole and having trouble seeing the instructor (notice I'm building up my excuses!) and I totally fell off the step. Luckily I didn't fall totally down but I kind of went flying and looked completely ungraceful! I have never liked the step so I only put it up with one riser (I don't know how people do three!). Am I the only one? Has anyone else done klutzy stuff at the gym? Even when I take spin, I'm afraid I'm going to fall off the bike! Hasn't happened to me yet but I'm waiting for it....

Michele, I've seen that happen to a few women in step classes, so don't feel too bad! Also don't worry about using just one riser - it's much easier on your knees and still great exercise =)

Welcome, Prinny!

prinny :bravo: on reaching your goal weight!

Dagmar :cool:

Congrats, Prinny!

Have I ever been a klutz at the gym? Is rain wet??? :lol: I have ZERO pride at the gym. I'm glad to just do my best and get a good workout. I've fallen off things and gotten stuck in things and required rescue by my trainer several times.

complete and total klutz here! :wave:

prinny! :cheer2: :cheer3: :cheer2: :cheer3:

:cb: :broc: :cb: :carrot: :broc: :cb:

Jay

Congratulations, Prinny, and welcome to the world of maintenance. It's a wonderful place to be. :)

And I most definitely am a gym klutz! I once walked into the end of an Olympic bar on a squat rack and had a perfectly circular bruise right in the center of my forehead for a week. :lol: Mel has dropped a 45# plate on her foot, I know, and we've both fallen off enough balls and equipment to embarrass anyone. I remember the day that the personal trainers at Ballys were bored and were all trying to stand on an exercise ball. I can kneel on one and balance, but stand? :eek:

Bottom line: most of us are klutzes when we try something new, but that's all part of the fun.

I'm in the Albuquerque airport, waiting to fly back to Pittsburgh. :( The week went way too fast and I'm sad at leaving DD. I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning and hope the news isn't too bad. My jeans still feel about the same. :crossed:

Prinny! Congrats and welcome!

Total gym klutz here as well. When I was a member at Bally's I got run off the back of a treadmill the first time I tried one, knocked over a cross country ski machine (and believe me, don't know how, couldn't reproduce it if I tried) and tripped over a barbell sitting in the middle of the floor. During a yoga class I was taking, where I was madly in lust with the instructor, I tangled my legs up and fell, knocking down two other students as I went. Now I exercise in my garage where no one can see the stupid things I do. :lol:

Home sick today. Can't stop coughing and my head feels like it is full of cotton balls. Ick. I feel like the coughing must be some kind of ab workout, as much as it is making my muscles ache. :eek: They are hammering on the house under construction behind me, so not much napping on tap for me today unless I figure out how to sleep through it. I really want them to finish the houses, but I'm already tired of the noise. And, I'm probably in for two more years of it...

I'm going to go forage for something to eat - hungry...

Good day everyone.

I dropped my towel on the treadmill and stupidly tried to retrieve it. Once at home on the treadmill I took my glasses off to clean the sweat off them and they hit the treadmill and went flying--I almost went flying after them until my emergency cord stopped the treadmill. Sometimes your mind just turns off while at the gym!

Welcome Prinny! Welcome to the club!

Shannon~I hope you feel better.

So it's 8 am and I'm eating popcorn. Why? Well, I had a slice of melon this morning, then an egg, but I really wanted cereal. A check of the pantry netted cocoa puffs and Reeses' puffs. DS's cereals of choice. Yuck. I was looking for something along the lines of rice chex. So I came into work and settled for organic, non buttered, lightly salted popcorn. Its dry and bland and I doubt I'll eat it all. What was I thinking?

Ha! I can't tell you how many times I've sat down on the treadmill to tighten my laces or something, gotten up and banged my head on the armrails. :woops: How about my graceful whale-flop-belly-roll-type dismount from the yoga ball after I finish my set of jackknifes. It's occasionally embarrassing but sometimes I figure oh well, at least I'm doing it, and whoever sees me is standing there watching and not doing it!

BF and I leave first thing tomorrow for a quick trip to his family's, returning Saturday PM. I'm hoping to sneak some exercise in one of those days, and avoid the bday cake and booze at all costs. Must stay OP! Must make smart food choices! I'm packing our lunches for both days, since we'll be in the car, and healthy car snacks. I'm a bit nervous b/c usually I get along w/ his family, but not so much that I feel totally accepted into the family. During our little, uh, hiccup last month I don't know exactly what he told his sis, but I know that she told him to break up w/ me, and this will be the first time I've seen them since then. Yeah... hoping that's not going to be awkward. (Did I mention I'm not going to stress eat? I will not stress eat. I will not stress eat...)

Allison, can you stop at the store and get some cereal that will really satisfy you?

Shannon, I hope you feel better soon. All that hammering would drive me crazy if I wanted to sleep.

Meg, I hope you get home safely. Experience tells me our Bionic Woman will not have much vacation weight to deal with. ;)

Welcome, Prinny! Congrats on reaching maintenance!

Jay, well, it would be nice if my metabolism is faster! I was thinking about it some more and I'm definitely carrying more muscle now than a few years ago.

What's everyone doing this weekend? Have a good one all! :)

Glad to hear I'm not the only gym klutz! I just don't see anyone being klutzy usually. I had to laugh at you midwife-- I was picturing you getting stuck in the machines!

Megan-- you can be strong! I hope it isn't too awkward for you with the family. I would think they would try extra hard to make sure it isn't with you, but who knows.

I have to share the funny dream I had last night. Every once in awhile I have a very detailed, realistic dream and this was one of them. I remember every detail and it seemed so real when I woke up! So... my best friend recently found out she is pregnant (at 42). She let me know yesterday that they heard the heartbeat, she has a due date of May 4, and everything looks fine so far. So, last night I dreamed that I was pregnant. I went to the doctor and said that it was impossible and she said, well, not impossible, but pretty much a miracle, because you do have ovaries (I have no uterus). She said I was 8 weeks pregnant and I got all excited because I thought I might have the same due date as my friend and she said that my due date is September 23 (more than a year from now!). She was telling me I might have to be on bedrest and I was telling her about my gym classes and she said the only one I could take for now is latin dance. Then I went and ATE a ton of food and realized I probably shouldn't eat that much just because I am PG (I went to bed very hungry last night). When I told my dd my dream (she is 14), she told me that she dreamed that she, her sister (18), and myself were ALL pregnant. She said my dd's baby was black (her boyfriend is black so no big surprise) and then she found out that she wasn't really pregnant but didn't want to tell us because she was getting so much attention that she started eating to look pregnant! Funny dreams!!

Plans for the weekend-- nada... dh is still in Europe..... Work, gym, schoolwork, errands, the usual.....

I'm a bit nervous b/c usually I get along w/ his family, but not so much that I feel totally accepted into the family. During our little, uh, hiccup last month I don't know exactly what he told his sis, but I know that she told him to break up w/ me, and this will be the first time I've seen them since then. Yeah... hoping that's not going to be awkward. (Did I mention I'm not going to stress eat? I will not stress eat. I will not stress eat...)

Sorry to say it doesn't end there. DH and I have been married for 21 1/2 years and a few weeks ago (just before I left for Italy) my SIL "unfriended" me from Facebook after a tirade where she said I was "tacky" and I was disloyal to the family for saying something about DH in that public forum. BTW~DH was totally behind ME in the whole thing (as was my DD). They both wanted me to write a reply, but I said I'd just let it slide as I don't like fighting, but it turns out I couldn't have replied because she had unfriended me. (IMO, it is tacky to lash out at someone without letting them have the benefit of a reply!)

And you will NOT stress eat! Make it your mantra!!!

Allison, I love how facebook can make totally sane, normal adults act like we're in high school again. "OMG, I'm going to unfriend you!" My 30-year-old friend found out that a "fight" with her BF was a break-up b/c he changed his status from "in a relationship" to "single" on facebook. Oh yeah.

Wasn't it "tacky" of your SIL to have this little tirade out on facebook? Facebook is a social networking site! If it's that important, pick up the phone! That is just my opinion, lol.

:wave: super gym klutz here. There's nothing that I haven't fallen off, walked into, dropped, or tripped over. I once stood up under a squat racked and knocked my self senseless. At times, I feel like the gym entertainment.

Welcome, Prinny!!!! and congratulations :carrot:

Thanks for the giggles. :)

When I first started in the gym with 239 pounds to try to move around, at one point working with my trainer right next to another pair I hear the other trainer say, in an eye rolling voice, "Your client just kicked my client in the bum!"

I suspect that I did; I had wondered what that foot had hit, LOL.

:lol:

SIGH. DH dropped 3 bombshells one right after the other last night. Then he complained for a solid hour. The only positive thing he said was that he had found a used treadmill for $125 so his exercise plan might not yet have gone out the window.

I ran for whatever snacks we had and just stuffed my face. All of them are low fat/low cal but they add up.

DH's emotional/mental state has such a major influence on mine. He is going to be very stressed, unhappy, and whiny for the next 2 years. I can't change any of his stuff and I'm not having success changing mine with what I'm doing right now.

Time to try hypnosis. If I can reduce my own stress/anxiety/eating then I hope my calmer state will influence him (I'm using the Dog Whisperer's training principles on myself).

TGIF and enjoy the end of the workweek everyone!

Dagmar :(

Sorry Dagmar for the continued upheaval with dh and his emotions.

When I get into frustrating situations I try to remind myself to control what I have control of because I can't control everything. Then I try to focus on my eating and my exercise because I can usually control those things. Doesn't always work, but that is what I tell myself anyway!

Question for those of you who have tried/used greek yogurt. I keep hearing that it is good so I'm planning on getting some to try. A friend was telling me it is very plain and she adds honey. How do you eat yours? Do you use it in recipes? For breakfast I usually eat a bowl of berries with a little fat free vanilla yogurt and a sprinkling of grape nuts on top. Would greek yogurt be a good substitute for my regular yogurt or is the consistency too different? Thanks and Happy Friday everyone!!
Michele

Michele~if you have a Trader Joe's where you live, please try their brand. It is a lot better than the Fage Greek yogurt which is more readily available. Oskos is also a good brand but can be hard to find. Fage is rather tart which I don't like. The Trader Joe's brand can be eaten plain (IMO) but it is also good mixed with all sorts of things. They also make a couple that already have the honey mixed in (not as good) and with vanilla (OMG, so yummy) but those are a bit higher in calories due to the sweeteners. Amanda uses the sugar free coffee syrups to add flavor and sweetness without adding calories (I've tried the coconut which was really good).

Michele~if you have a Trader Joe's where you live, please try their brand. It is a lot better than the Fage Greek yogurt which is more readily available. Oskos is also a good brand but can be hard to find. Fage is rather tart which I don't like. The Trader Joe's brand can be eaten plain (IMO) but it is also good mixed with all sorts of things. They also make a couple that already have the honey mixed in (not as good) and with vanilla (OMG, so yummy) but those are a bit higher in calories due to the sweeteners. Amanda uses the sugar free coffee syrups to add flavor and sweetness without adding calories (I've tried the coconut which was really good).

Thanks Allison for the tips! I do have a Trader Joe's nearby.:)

In my greek yogurt I put 2 packets of splenda and a packet of Via which is Starbucks instant coffee. It's hoe I deal with my coffee ice cream addiction.

In my greek yogurt I put 2 packets of splenda and a packet of Via which is Starbucks instant coffee. It's hoe I deal with my coffee ice cream addiction.

Interesting! I was just reading about the Via in my hungry girl newsletter today.;)

ARGH!!! I have carpal tunnel and it's flaring up really bad... which is keeping me from working out. NOT HAPPY!

I also like Trader joe's greek yogurt. Usually I put a little bit of agave in it - same idea as honey.

Ouch, Prinny, that's a shame! Is there anything you can do that helps? :hug:

I'm back from our New Mexico trip and the first weigh-in showed a gain of 2.8 pounds. I lost one of those overnight and am hoping the rest is water and comes off as fast. It doesn't seem like real weight because all my pants fit the same as before I left.

I have to work today, then DH and I are going to a wedding. Guess I'll tackle all the unpacking and dirty laundry tomorrow!

We are replacing a floor in what is our combined living/dining room. Since the house is so small we have stuff crammed into all the other rooms, including the kitchen.

So we had take out pizza and beer and cookies for dinner last night. Any excuse - sigh.

Once this project is done there will be no other huge things until Christmas (we are hiding out at Thanksgiving).

I am going to sit DH down and have a talk with him about how we have to take control of our eating/drinking habits on the weekends. That is the time we undo all of our good healthy efforts of the previous week.

And then I will do whatever it takes to get to goal. I have taken the first step and booked an appointment for hypnosis in October. I have also bought a new notebook and will start writing down every single thing that I eat.

It's time to stop playing around with these last 5-10 lbs.

Have a great Saturday all!

Dagmar

Michele - I don't do well with plain yogurts of any kind, either regular or Greek, so I get the vanilla flavored. I like the Trader Joe's brand a lot, like Allison I find the Fage a little bitter. The Oikos isn't bad, and I just recently tried Chobani that I found at Publix - it was really good and very smooth. I've been thinking about trying the plain again with the sugar free coffee syrups, but have been afraid to commit to it. My last plain yogurt with flavoring experiment was terrible...

Dagmar - sorry about the stress with DH. It is hard to take care of yourself when things around you are in upheaval. :hug:

Prinny - ouch on the carpal tunnel! My cousin just had to have surgery for hers, hope yours isn't that bad!

I feel somewhat better today, but still can't stop coughing every time I inhale deeply. Got cough syrup, a steroid shot and an 'optional' antibiotic at the doctor yesterday. One of those antihistamine cough syrups with codeine, that I expected to help me sleep last night but ended up keeping me awake. I dozed in about five ten-twenty minute spurts from 11-4, about 45 minutes from 4-7, then pretty solid from 7-9:30 when the hammering behind me broke through again. So what, about 4.5 hours last night? Not a wonder that I feel like someone has rolled over my head with a car today... Was going to try to clean up the floors or exercise while DH hangs with a buddy this afternoon, but the whole coughing with deep breaths thing isn't working for that. I'm thinking rest instead... We had DSS last night, mommy picked him up at 11, he comes back here tomorrow at 2, so rest now would be good....

I'm tired of sicknes... First DH's cold, then his back, then DSS has a fever, now I have a cold... I want the house to be healthy...

Good weekend everyone!

Dagmar, just a suggestion, take charge of your own weight loss and let DH take care of his own.

Shannon-- sorry you aren't feeling well! There is nothing worse than not feeling well and getting a poor night's sleep. I hope you can get some rest and recuperate soon!

Great weigh in for my this morning! Lowest weight ever at my WW meeting! Not quite sure what I did differently if anything but I worked really hard this week...... I was up .6 last week at my weigh in and down 2.2 today. Still find this maintaining bit tricky!! Now not to sabotage my loss by splurging on the weekend...

Dagmar, just a suggestion, take charge of your own weight loss and let DH take care of his own.

I did do that and lost 17 lbs. I'm just sabotaging myself for the last 5 lbs. so I can use that as an excuse for other things lacking in my life.

As for DH I'm afraid for him now. His father is well over 400 lbs., has had one hip replaced already (he's 68), and can barely move. I can see that DH is on his way there.

DH wants me to drag him (kicking and screaming) into diet and exercise mode and wants me to initially be responsible for him. He will take over eventually once he feels the benefits outweigh :p the denial of what he still sees as pleasures.

He is taking small steps but the motivational coach role falls to me. I'm not good at that with humans (do a bang up job with dogs) so I'm seeing it as a learning experience.

It's stressful but the alternative is to watch DH become morbidly obese, probably disabled. He's my only real face-to-face friend so helping him helps me too.

Dagmar :dizzy:

Dagmar, I understand. I really do. My son was 450 pounds,I was not successful at motivating him. What turned him around was being diagnosed as diabetic. I didn't handle that news well as it scared me. I begged him to take care of himself and he promised me he would. Well. he has done that , in spades. He has lost well over 200 pounds and his doctor has taken him off his diabetes medication. I believe it is really difficult to motivate someone else, no matter how much they need it.I think that if you continue to lose weight to improve your health, and only prepare meals that are healthy and continue to set a good example is probably going a long way to motivate him . However , we can't motivate someone who doesn't want to be motivated.

I am so far behind, I don't think I will ever catch up with these posts...hope everyone is well. TOM is visiting me this week and for the first time that I can remember, I couldn't fall asleep last night...so I when I finally did past midnight, I knew I couldn't get up to go to the gym. But I did go after work....still tired though.

Hope EVERYBODY is doing well.