Maintainers Chat: September 29 - October 5

[Meg]

Good morning! I made a big pot of coffee this morning, so grab your mug and pull up a chair. How's everyone today?

I got home last night from four days at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, where DS had two races this weekend (he's drives in the Volkswagen TDI Cup series). It's unusual to have a double-header so it made for a long weekend with it a practice session, two qualifying sessions, and two actual races. Rainy weather was a problem all weekend and it was a constant dilemma of rain tires versus racing slicks. Sunday's race was a crash fest and the whole series will be on the Speed Channel later this month, so that race will be an interesting one to watch.

My job (besides being personal assistant and general go-fer ) is the pit board, which gives the driver information about the race such as minutes to go, place, seconds behind the leader, black flags etc. I hang over the wall separating the pit from the track and whenever DS's car flies by, I hold up the board telling him what he needs to know. It's definitely the best spot to watch the race from!

I was surprised at how well the new knees held up with climbing over pit walls, standing during the races, and generally getting around the race course (a sea of mud). Despite my best intentions, though, I didn't do any of my PT exercises for my knee. No time and definitely no energy at the end of the day! My physical therapist may kill me today when I go in.

All the food for the four days came from the Volkswagen hospitality tent and I tried to make good choices most of the time, but it still was different than how I usually eat. I'm up two pounds but can't budge my wedding ring which means I'm really bloated up -- with salt and carbs, probaly. So back on plan today, with lots and lots of water (and exercise!)

And we get to do it all again in Atlanta this coming weekend! All I can say is ... mamas, don't let your babies grow up to drive race cars. A violin seems like it would have been a much calmer choice.

How is everyone else doing in Maintenance Land this morning?

[Mudpie]

Good Morning all!

Glad to be back to my own food and kitchen. Managed to eat healthy breakfasts in NYC but too many fats and carbs with lunches (sandwiches grabbed from all over Manhattan) and ditto dinners. I did eat fruit for snacks and only had one decadent dessert, one chocolate bar and one small bag of chips as treats.

I will "officially" weigh in next week although I did step on the scale this morning out of curiosity. I know I didn't eat enough in NYC to gain 6 lbs in 7 days so I'll wait until next week to take the number on the scale seriously.

Lots to catch up on, including shopping for food this evening so we don't have takeout (which probably bloated me up last night) again.

Dagmar

[WardHog]

Good morning!

Meg, it must be hard to watch your son race cars sometimes! My son is only 4, but his daredevil ways make me cringe already.

Dagmar, did you have a nice trip?

We are supposed to go to Hilton Head on Wed. but there is a gas shortage here. Like, none of the stations have ANY gas. We're afraid that even if we are able to fill up before we leave, we'll get stranded and won't be able to come home. I am not sure what we're going to do.

There's a small exercise room where we are staying, so I will be able to work out, I hope. There's also a 24/7 supply of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies right next to it. Cross your fingers for me that it's oatmeal raisin week. I don't really like those. I'll still eat them, but I won't empty the jar the way I would if they are chocolate chip.

I have been really sticking to my plan so I am down under 123 at the moment. I will need the wiggle room to stay under my red line on vacation.

Have a great Monday, maintainers!

[midwife]

Eeks, Meg! And I thought having my dd drive around town was scary enough. Sounds like you had a nice time!

Welcome back, Dag!

Ward, I've been hearing about those gas shortages. I would stick close to home...being stranded doesn't sound fun.

Last week was insanely busy for me. I managed to eat at maintenance and get my exercise in. The refrigerator broke Thursday night, and I was very very sad to throw out all the spoiled cottage cheese and turkey and eggs...And then, because it was easier, we ate out since then until we could get a new one delivered....They delivered it yesterday. I've been at the hospital so I haven't seen it yet (well, I picked it out, but I haven't seen it in my house yet!). I did manage to make excellent food choices at the hospital yesterday....well, there was the dark chocolate....but I am maintaining with occasional sweets, so that is okay. I started this most recent journey a year ago yesterday so it was an interesting milestone. One of the nurses was telling me about her new workout regimen and said I had inspired her and another nurse said I look like a different person. I guess that is a good thing?

I hope everyone has a good week. Sometimes I just can't keep up with the thread very well, but I do read and send happy thoughts.

[the slim me]

Hi Meg, Got my coffee, thanks. Can't make it through the day without it. This weekend was good. I was supposed to work Wednesday day shirt, 12 hours. But, I got a call Saturday night around 9 that one of the nurses had a car accident going to work and could I come in and work midnights. I had been up since 6 that morning, but agreed to go IF I could leave if I got too tired to work any longer. manager said "fine". I could have asked for almost anything at that point and theywould have said yes. Anyway, i got to see my son coach is first little league game, a double header, and they won both games. had a lovely time in the bleachers with the other parents/grandparents. HUGE turn out. Lovely day. Started out cold and I wore a long sleeved top. It got hot fast and I was going to go home and change clothes. One of the mom's said she had an extra sleeveless top in the car i could wear and I told her"thanks, but I could never fit in it" She is so tiny!! It fit great. I guess I still don't get it.

Dagmar, It's always good to get back home isn't it? How was your trip? have fun?

WardHog, I wasn't aware of gas shortages. Just high gas prices. Hope everything works out ok. Congratulations on sticking to plan. It is nice to have access to exercise equipment when you're away from home. Enjoy your time away.

make it a good day, Freda

[LisaMarie71]

Meg, I agree with the other posters that it would be scary to watch my son race cars!! My son is only 7 weeks old and I'm already starting to worry about the things he'll do when he gets older! I thought about him driving the other day, and I freaked out!

Ward, the gas shortages are scary. It hasn't happened here yet, but I've been hearing about it and wondering what people are doing!

midwife, those comments from the nurses were really great! I hope you enjoyed hearing them! Ah, I miss hearing that stuff now that I've gained most of my weight back. Sigh...

I was on plan yesterday but not the day before. Saturday, I got the baby out and met up with my husband and our cross country runners at an ice cream shop after their invitational race. We did the same thing last year after this race, and I couldn't help thinking how different things are a year later! I'm sooo out of shape compared to last year, and I didn't go to the race but showed up with a baby after the fact instead! Ah, how life changes... The baby screamed and cried on the ride home, which he always seems to do. So much for car rides putting babies to sleep...not my little one.

I have to take Henry to the pediatric GI doctor today for his tummy issues. I think his poop is clearing up, but the doctor found blood in the samples again Friday so he wants me to go to the GI. I'm pretty scared, because I don't know what they'll do to him! Poor little thing.

Have a good Monday, everyone!

[paperclippy]

Good morning!

Meg, I didn't realize your son was a race car driver! How scary (and exciting)!

Dagmar, welcome back! I hope you enjoyed your trip!

Lisa - Instead of thinking of how out of shape you are this year as compared to last year, think about how in-shape you will be next year compared to this year. I hope Henry's appointment with the GI doc goes okay.

Hi Ward, Midwife, and Freda!

Friday night I caved and ordered pizza for dinner, including cinnastix. :sigh: Plus, beer and wine. Then, Saturday morning when we went to the farmer's market to pick up our CSA share, the woman from the farm asked me if I was pregnant!!!! She was pretty embarrassed when I told her no, but luckily I managed to be polite about it and laugh it off. She said she had thought that I was maybe just barely pregnant. Ha, more like just barely fat!

Anyway, that renewed my motivation to get these stupid 10lbs off. I had a talk with DH and I think I convinced him that he needs to be an active partner in it since I can't do it without him. He also needs to be getting more exercise, so hopefully we'll get on a good schedule soon. I made healthy muffins (bran, flax, oats, ww flour, etc) and healthy banana bread yesterday, and managed to not have any banana bread (giving it to DH's grandma) and only 3.5 muffins -- in place of lunch, so calorie-wise okay.

[Megan1982]

Good morning all,

I've got my coffee! I was dumb and swapped PM for AM on my alarm clock, so I was an hour late for work this morning. Doh. OTOH, I got an extra hour of sleep.

I've got to say that I'm still really, really struggling with my weight. It's the same !@#$ that's been going on for months with me, but even worse now. I'm not going to post a bunch of excuses or whatever. Today's Monday, and I'm recommitted. I'm really good at recommitting on Mondays.

The weekend was beautiful. All of the sudden we're starting to get a touch of fall weather here and the mosquitoes died down. I was actually able to get outside and do some chores I've been meaning to do for a long time. Then allergies drove me inside. Mine get much worse every year, and medication just doesn't treat them anymore. I end up feeling like I've got a cold for 2+ months. Getting outside and under the house also meant I found something leaking somewhere underneath the general vicinity of the toilet/pipe to septic tank. BF is going to track the local plumber down today.

Jessica, it's great that your DH is so supportive about getting these 10 lbs. off. I support you! However, I just want to say that having seen pictures of you at your wedding, where as I recall you were right about at goal of 130, I highly doubt 10 lbs would make you look pregnant! I think she was just not being thoughtful.

Freda, how great you could totally fit into that "tiny" woman's shirt!

midwife, congrats on your 1-year anniversary! And how kind of your fellow workers to say such nice things. How sad you had to throw out all that good food. I hate it when we have power outages and food spoils.

Ward, keep us posted on whether you can go on your trip or not. Otis Spunkmeyer is evil. Stay away!!!!!

Dagmar, glad you enjoyed your trip. Traveling always makes me retain water, don't worry too much yet. No pb donuts?

Meg, it sounds like your son's racing world is very exciting! I think being the pit board person would be a whole lot of fun - like you said, it seems like it would be the best view, and you're right there in the action. Your new knees are doing great - you really are bionic!

How is everyone else? Let's make it a great week all!

[AnneWonders]

It has been a rough couple of weeks for me as the fatigue of going back to work is kicking in. I guess I did sleep some on maternity leave after all. DH took the kids Friday morning and I slept for 3 hrs straight. Sorry I didn't get to post, but I lurked. Unfortunately the brain has emptied as the brain has a tendency to do these days, so I'll just say hi to everyone.

I'm home with the kids this morning. DD has another UTI and we have a call in to her doc after a trip to urgent care this weekend. DS has his first cold and is refusing bottles, so it is a good thing I'm home with DD anyway. I'm pretty zombied out after a rough night up with both of them.

Anyway, my eating was really good all week. The weekend was a little rough since I did get to go on my 2 hr bike ride and came back HUNGRY. But I feel like I'm making 2 steps forward for every one back now, and that is where I need to be. This is real life after all, and perfection isn't required, just consistency.

Anne

[alinnell]

Meg~I'm right there with you in the pits!! Actually, not any longer--DH sold his last race car and just Friday afternoon it was loaded on a car carrier for a trip to Florida to it's new owner. You'll have to let me know when your son's race is on the speed channel so we can watch it (although with my race-junkie husband, he'd probably see it and watch it anyway!!). DH had two race cars. He started out racing vintage cars--his was a 1966 Mustang fastback. When that wasn't fast enough he bought an Oldsmobile stock car (kind of like what they race in NASCAR). I really liked the vintage racing mainly because there were so many rules against extreme racing (because no one really wants to bust up their vintage cars!). The stockcar racing was much more dangerous. And expensive! At least two sets of tires every race, all that fuel, the mechanics. I don't even want to think of how much he spent.

I had a bad night's sleep and woke up famished (and am still starving). The good news is that I've stayed at 150 for 4 days so I moved my stats. I still have 15 to go, but all is good. My food is purchased for a good, on plan week. I wonder if my bad night's sleep was partly due to starting niacin last night. I generally take my vitamins at night because if I take them in the morning I get an upset tummy and it ruins my day. I've been taking everything at night for so long with no troubles, and then this. I got the slow release niacin, but I woke up around 2 AM feeling quite warm, even though the ceiling fan was on and the AC kept cycling on. Then at about 4 am I got the niacin flush. My face was burning! Ouch. My doctor said to avoid this to take a baby aspirin an hour beforehand. I'll try that tonight.

DD came for the weekend and we did do a little shopping together. She needed a new stand for her piano keyboard. She's been using a cheap one that we've had for 15 years and her new keyboard is unsteady on it as it is too big for the stand. We got her a really nice one. Then she decided she needed a bookshelf. We found a perfect one at Pier One but she opted for one at Target instead (and saved me $80 in the process!). She went out with friends both nights she was home so she didn't get any home cooked meals. She does cook, but she said it's usually burgers or mac and cheese!

[traveling michele]

Good Monday everyone!

Allison-- hope you enjoyed your dd's visit. Glad you got to move your ticker in the right direction!

Anne-- sorry your little ones aren't feeling well and you are exhausted. I feel for you.

Megan-- sorry your allergies have been acting up. LOL at you getting an extra hour's sleep. I hate that panicked feeling when you oversleep though.

Jessica-- I can't believe she said that to you. I am sure you don't look pregnant. I never ask unless I am certain! We have a (very skinny) teacher at work that I'm starting to suspect may be PG, but maybe she is just starting to gain weight-- I'm certainly not going to ask!

LisaMarie-- hope things go well with Henry at the doctor and they don't have to do any yucky tests.

Hi Freda! I'm wearing my new October bead as I'll be out of town on October 1. I now have three and love them!

WardHog-- hope you are able to go on your trip. We don't have any gas shortages on the West Coast but I've heard other places do.

Dagmar-- glad you had fun in NYC.

Hi Meg and Midwife-- hope you have a great week!

I am off tomorrow on a mini cruise with just my dh. I am so totally excited. I have 6 pounds of wiggle room and hopefully I won't gain all of them in 4 days but you never know. I am definitely going to exercise and will watch what I eat some but am planning on splurging on some desserts and some alcohol!

I think I'm going to apply to be a WW receptionist. I think it would be fun to do very part time (since I already work and take classes and have children, dh, and pets!). I will go to an informational meeting in a couple of weeks and then decide. I filled out an online questionnaire and messed up on one of the questions. It asked if I was within 10 pounds of my goal weight. I said "no" because I am 20 pounds less than my WW goal weight. I thought I would get another question asking if I was over or under but I never did. So when I called today and told the recruiter she made a point to note that I'm 20 pounds under my goal. So... I better not gain too much on my cruise!

[Mudpie]

I have a bit more time now so I'll report on the PB donut in NYC.

It was not the trip highlight I expected it to be. The Wed. after I arrived in NYC I went and got the donut first thing in the morning, straight from the fryer, all hot and greasy and . . . bleagh! My stomach started lurching after the first bite. I had to throw it away.

Apparently my body is refusing to co-operate with my brain in derailing my healthy eating habits . Although the bod did go along with the other treats in NYC.

Sort of. The decadent chocolate/raspberry souffle cake thingee, consumed with passion and delight around 8 p.m. came back with a vengeance around 2 a.m. My head whirled and my body shook for about half an hour. Then I slept like a lump for about 5 hours. What decadence. SIGH.

I'm not looking forward to the day when the bod decides that chocolate is no longer an acceptable food .

Other than that my trip was a blast . I walk for a living but it's so much more fun when I can go where I want, stop whenever I choose, and not have to pick up anything left behind by a dog .

Speaking of that I have to go and clean out the cat box. Gee it's good to be home

Dagmar

[BlueToBlue]

Hi everyone! Not much going on with me this week, other than work work work. Our big annual conference is officially only three weeks away. We're expecting around 2,000 people and are now in crunch mode, especially since with the economy and everything that's happening on Wall Street, registrations are down. The conference is one of our most important sources of revenue, so this is a big concern.

My eating continues to be just so-so. I do great all day and then evenings are a problem. Last week was fine, but I got back into the chocolate covered espresso beans this weekend. The problem is that I am just torn over my weight. On the one hand, I think I'm thin enough that I could just maintain. But on the other hand, I'm at my red line and that number of the scale is driving me bonkers. I know it's just a number but I really want it to be lower. Accepting a higher goal just feels like failure. So I eat all day at a losing calorie level, then I get to the end of the day and think that I don't really need to lose anymore weight, so I might as well have some chocolate. This is really not the way to go about maintenance.

And the fig extravaganza continues this week. I invented a recipe that involves spaghetti squash, mushrooms, and figs--three of my favorite foods (of course my favorite food list is pretty long ). I'll be eating it for lunch all week, so I'm pretty excited about it.

Michele: Being a WW receptionist is a great idea! Maybe you could keep before and afters of yourself at the front desk to inspire applicants! Have fun on your cruise! How nice to be heading into it with a 6-lb cushion!

alinnell: I'm glad you had a nice weekend with your DD and congrats on moving your stats! I hope you get the Niacin/sleeping thing figured out. At least your DD gets some protein in her diet with the hamburgers--I mostly just ate spaghetti with meatless sauce (Paul Newman's was our fav) when I was making my meals in college.

Anne: Sorry the adjustment to working is rough but great job on getting back into your diet and exercise routine. You know, if your DD is getting frequent UTIs, it would be worth taking her to a specialist, if you aren't already. I suffered from frequent UTIs for years and when I finally saw a specialist, it turned I had a very easily treated condition that was causing them and now I never get them anymore. The other advantage to seeing the urologist is that he was willing to give me an antibiotic prescription with refills on it, so that when if I did get a UTI, I could treat it right away--no trips to urgent care. Not sure if they would do this for a child, but it would be worth asking.

Megan: How nice to get an extra hour of sleep even if you did have to be late to work to do it! You know that there are procedures that can help treat your allergies, beyond just taking medication. There's some sort of procedure they can do to your sinuses that my allergist absolutely swears by (he had it done to himself, even). So if you medication isn't working anymore, it might be worth a visit to your allergist. Another thought might be acupuncture. I've had a couple of friends that have had a lot of success with acupuncture, including one friend who is specifically being treated for allergies and says that it really does work.

Paperclippy: I can't believe for one minute that, at 5'4" and 140 lbs, you look pregnant. I weighed ten lbs more than that and was slightly shorter at my highest weight and, as far as I know, no one thought I looked pregnant. In fact, some people looking at my before and after pictures have commented that it doesn't look like I really needed to lose weight. That woman is just . The fact that she would ask if you were pregnant just proves it; no one in their right mind asks that question!

LisaMarie71: You'll get back to where you were before! You just had a baby; that takes a lot out of you. Just give it time. Like Paperclippy said, this time next year, you will be in much better shape!

Freda: What nice NSVs for you!

midwife: Those sound like great compliments! How exciting to think that you've inspired others to make positive changes in their lives!

WardHog: Wow, I hadn't heard that there gas shortages. That's kind of scary, especially with banks going under too. I hope you get to take your vacation and manage to stay away from the cookies! Step away from the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies!

Mudpie: Sounds like you did great on your trip; it was a vacation after all, wasn't it? And great attitude on the weigh-in. Some of that weight, if not all, is most certainly water.

Meg: I must confess that I've never understood the attraction to auto racing, but I'm glad you enjoyed yourself and that your knees held up well. Seems like they got a good workout, even if you weren't able to do your PT exercises.

[LisaMarie71]

I'm trying to think of it that way, that I'll be in shape next year, but it's hard b/c I'm sooo far from where I need to be!

Jessica -- I used to always get the pregnant question b/c I carry my weight in my stomach. It was painful, since I was always trying to get pregnant! I would never ask someone that question -- I wait for them to tell me, just in case!

Megan -- glad you got to enjoy some fall weather -- it really is the best time of the year, I think.

Anne -- I'm sorry you've had a rough time, but it's good you've done well w/your eating. Call me anytime! I keep wanting to call but then remember you're back to work.

Allison -- how many instruments does your daughter play? You mentioned a piano keyboard and you also talked about mallets the other day. I play piano and played the xylophone and marimba in high school. I miss that, but I can't really afford to buy a big marimba for my house!!

michele -- have fun on your cruise and good luck with the WW receptionist thing -- I think that sounds great!

Dagmar -- I still think the pb donut sounds gross, but that choc/raspberry souffle cake sounds nice! Hope you had a good time in NYC.

Barbara -- it's definitely hard to accept a higher weight than what you've had in mind, but you do have to remember it's just a number. My original goal (165) still sounded huge to me when I hit it, so I was trying to go farther, but right now I'd be thrilled with 165. When I get there again, though, I'll probably change my mind again.

Well, I took the little one to the GI doctor yesterday and he told me it was a waste of my time, that my pediatrician should never have referred us there. He said that small amount of blood in his stools was actually pretty common, and he's surprised the ped found it because he shouldn't have even tested for it unless there were other symptoms. He did a rectal exam (my poor baby -- he really hated that!!) but it was just a quick finger up there and that was it. He tested and there was no blood and he said I have a beautiful healthy baby boy!! They measured and weighed him, and he's above average, especially for length. So I have nothing to worry about, he said, unless I actually SEE blood in his poop. Yay! Now if I can just get him to sleep in his crib... he stayed in it for a full two hours last night, which is a small victory.

If he takes a little nap this afternoon, I may actually break out a workout video or something. I doubt I'll have the energy, but it sounds like a nice idea right now...

[paperclippy]

Megan, Michelle, Barbara, and Lisa, thanks! I think I gained all 10lbs on my stomach though. Maybe it's because my belly is a bit tubby but the rest of me doesn't look heavy that she thought that? Who knows. In any case, it's been good motivation to lose these 10lbs!!

Dagmar - I guess your body is getting pretty smart!

Allison - congrats on getting to 150!

Anne - I hope your kids are both feeling better soon (and you too).

It's definitely fall here. The trees are starting to turn, leaves are falling, it's been cool and crisp especially in the morning, and my kitchen is stocked with apples, (asian) pears, yams, and winter squash. Our farmer's market is done for the season, so now I'm wondering if I can find a source for local frozen veggies. If I had been smart, I would have bought extra veggies in the summer and frozen them, but oh well.

I got a great strength workout in this morning! I'm really trying to get my exercise more intense and on track, but without hurting myself. This morning I graduated to the 4lb weight for my arm exercises, and 8 reps was surprisingly not too hard!

Question for the ladies who have done NRLW -- what equipment is needed for it? Do you have to go to a gym, or can you do the workouts with dumbells at home?