Maintainers Chat: November 3 - 9

[Meg]

Good morning! My internal time clock is completely screwed up with the time change and I was awake super early again this morning. I dragged the comforter and pillow out to the couch to see if I might go back to sleep but all the cats decided to join me and it just didn't work out very well.

I don't know if I'll have time for a nap because I have physical therapy and then WORK this afternoon! Yes, I have a new job! My knees haven't healed to the point of being able to go back to personal training yet but I have a new job, oddly enough thanks to personal training. One of my Ballys clients opened a spa last year, with all the spa services from hair to nails to massage to skincare etc. As with many of my clients, we became friends and she's now asked me to help out at the front desk (the official title is "spa coordinator"), which means I answer the phone, book appointments, greet people, pour coffee and wine (and mix special "spa drinks" -- all pink concoctions made with champagne ) and generally help out.

I officially started learning the computer system last week and am going in tonight (spa is closed) to book imaginary appointments ("OK, you want a hot stone massage, bikini wax, and cucumber pedicure on Saturday starting at 2:00 pm" and then I have to make it happen!!) I spent all weekend learning the different services -- I had no idea there were so many ways to wax the human body! There are seven kinds of massages, 11 kinds of facials, at least four kinds of pedicures, plus they're adding a chocolate-peppermint one for the holidays ....

One bonus of the job (besides it keeping me out of trouble) is that I get 70% of all spa services and 25% off retail. Nice! And it's an opportunity to wear the excessive amount of clothes I've bought since I reached goal. But the learning the software is overwhelming right now, though I'm sure I'll eventually be able to book a deep tissue massage with aromatherapy add-on in my sleep.

So I think my life is going to be exercise and working at the spa for a while! The only job downside that I see are the dishes of chocolate candy that are all over the spa, including on the front desk right at eye-level where I sit. I think I'll be OK so long as I don't take the first one. But I know myself well enough to know that one leads to three, which leads to half a dozen pieces every day, and we know what that leads to! So I've vowed no chocolate, ever. My former client and now boss knows my weight loss story from training with me, so hopefully she would fire and then kill me if she ever saw me in the candy dish.

Enough from me! How is everyone doing today? How did Halloween and the weekend go? Does anyone have candy in the house to deal with? I wonder if people will bring in their leftovers and dump them at work today?

[Mudpie]

I too got up waay too early and now have to fast until 8 a.m. and my physical. It's a new doctor and it's hard to get a good GP in Toronto these days so I'll have to make sure I'm not cranky with him.

All the Halloween candy went into the garbage (yes, that's right and I wasn't struck down by lightning ) and I had a very modest slice of cake at my niece's birthday yesterday. Came home and had a quick cup of soup to quell the sugar cravings.

Now it's time to buckle down and stay OP almost every day until Christmas. Easier for me as I work outside and no -one brings anything edible to tempt me there. The challenge is at home in the evening. I'm gonna be tired all winter (always am) and I have to keep reminding myself that eating won't make me less tired.

Meg on the new job. Sounds like it comes with super perks!

Have a great week everyone!

Dagmar (daylight savings hater)

[WardHog]

Good morning. I was up super early, too.

Congratulations on the new job, Meg. It sounds like it would be fun.

Good for you for throwing away the Halloween candy. There is scads of it here but so far I have limited it to one a day.

My only news is that I bought a bodybugg on eBay and today will be my second day of wearing it. Theoretically it should tell me exactly how many calories I burn every day, and I will know exactly how many to consume to maintain. I am loving it so far; I am a numbers nerd so I like to have charts and reports and stuff.

I hope everyone has a great week.

[rockinrobin]

Good morning everyone.

Wardhog, that bodybugg sounds cute! Let us know how it goes.

Dagmar, good for you for ridding yourself of the Halloween "treats".

Meg, that job sounds great. Especially the 70% off part.

I have been sooo off plan, I can't even begin to tell you guys about it. My niece got married and I decided to celebrate by eating and eating and eating. Oh my. But I gotta tell you, I'm not too upset about it. My weight is DEFINITELY up, but I'm really okay with it. It was a nice break to eat whatever I wanted. And I wanted a LOT. I knew that I would be right back to my regular routine come Monday morning and that even if it takes me 2 weeks to get it off, - it was worth it. I soooo rarely say that.

So now that it's Monday morning - back on plan for me today. And I'm really looking forward to it. Kind of like when one goes on vacation. It's great to be away, but it's also great to come back home. Well, I'm at that point. Glad to be "back home" today.

Have a great day/week everyone.

[AnneWonders]

I am SORE this morning! So sore I skipped my run in favor of slobbering in my bowl of cereal and drinking my coffee at home instead of in the car. I did my final triathlon of the year on Saturday and let's just say that with the baby, my training was lacking, and my race plan B of sneaking out of the house anyway, parking the minivan in the desert, and sleeping in the back may have been the better one. I'll have to include vitamin I with my multi and omega3 this morning. Back at it tomorrow though.

This week finally looks sort of calm and I shouldn't be in full out sprint for days on end like last week. Tonight I have to pay the bills and then figure out my choices for the election tomorrow--I think I have about a dozen different propositions to figure out, and it isn't easy to read all the fine print, figure out the unintended side effects (and sometimes the intended ones), and make an informed choice. I usually try to haul DD to the polls with me so she can see democracy in action, but I think this time I may just call it "me" time.

No daylight savings time here! Have I mentioned that I love Arizona!!

Meg, your new job sounds pretty fun. I know that working with people could be hard, but I imagine that most people are happy in a spa, and that sounds nice.

Dagmar, big high five on pitching that candy!! Woo-hoo!

Wardhog, I'm going to have to google bodybugg. Sounds intriguing.

Robin, I'm glad you enjoyed the wedding. It is really nice when we get a chance to be like normal people, overindulge a little without huge regrets, and then just make the needed adjustment to get back to where we need to be. As long as one night doesn't become a pattern, it really isn't that big a deal, and I felt so liberated when I finally got to that point.

Hi everyone!

Anne

[the slim me]

Good Morning, Another early riser here. I woke up this morning at 3. Thanks mostly to the thunder storm, but also to my baby (dog) that is afraid of thunder and needs to be held.

Meg, Congratulations on the new job! Even with 70% off i would probably never draw a paycheck. I would spend it all on all those special treatments!

Dagmar, Good job, throwing out the candy! I thought I would have to send our left overs to work with DH, but, surprise, no leftovers. We were raiding the cabinets looking for enough to get us through. We had way more kids this year than we usually do. Some were adorable and some just plain made me angry! One girl, maybe 15-16, came to the door with a baby in her arms, maybe a month old. At least she had it covered well. Threw back the covers to show me she had a baby and stuck out her basket for candy. And what is with this bringing 2 bags (one is for my brother).

Wardhog, Can't invision what that bobybug looks like.

It was my grandson birthday this weekend (devil's night) and we had Pie and ice cream Saturday. He must be the only kid in America that doesn't like cake or ice cream. Worked out well for me, I'm not especially fond of pie. I had a very small sliver and one small scoop of ice cream. Not bad. Planned for and controlled!

Robin, If you're going to "pig out" you might as well injoy it. Unlike you, I have a horrible time getting back on plan once I go off. It takes me a few starts to get it right again.

make it a good day, Freda

[traveling michele]

Good Monday Morning everyone!
Hope everyone had a wonderful, fun weekend!!

Meg-- I want to come to your spa! It sounds so decadent! And 70% off-- I would be in spa heaven..... I agree with you-- no chocolate! I have not had one piece of Halloween candy as I know I wouldn't stop at one....

Hi Freda! I got my new bead over the weekend. Did you? I don't know how to describe it but it is blue and silver and very pretty. Maybe the girl with the baby was a big sister?

Anne-- good luck figuring out all of the propositions! They are so confusing and there are so many here too (California). Dh and I voted absentee early and spent hours studying each proposition to try to weed through all the political verbage. Did you finish the triathalon? That is an accomplishment by itself!!

Robin-- welcome back (to being on plan)!! You can do it....

WardHog-- I've seen the bodybugg on Biggest Loser and at my gym (24 hour fitness). It does look intriguing. I'd love to hear your "review" after you have it for awhile.

Dagmar-- good luck at your physical. Good job on throwing out the candy! I am going to donate mine to my WW center-- sounds like an oxymoron huh? We have a member who just went to Afghanistan and is in charge of morale for 700 soldiers. We are all sending our candy to her. I am ignoring it until I can bring it in.

I have another question for you maintainers. I have two older relatives (who haven't seen me in person, but just in pictures lately)-- they both think I've lost too much weight and are "concerned". I took out my WW book and realized I am still losing weight-- I've lost almost 10 pounds in the past 3 months while "maintaining". I weighed 126 this morning. In the past I've always been up on the weekends, but I was actually down today. I asked a friend yesterday for an objective opinion and she said I look fit and healthy and perfect. My question is-- I am still "sticking to plan" while allowing an occasional weekend splurge. Will my body stop losing when it decides it is done? I am not starving myself at all. I eat all the time. Just healthy foods and I exercise daily. I am also wondering about my thyroid medicine??? If I've lost weight (approx 45-50 pounds) would I need to adjust my meds perhaps? I'm wondering if I'm getting too much thyroid med which would explain weight loss, but I'm not having any symptoms of high thyroid-- in fact I am still freezing all of the time. Thoughts?

[Meg]

Michele, my thyroid dose had to be reduced after my weight loss, by 50mcg (225 to 175). If your TSH hasn't been checked since you started losing weight, it might be a good idea to ask your doctor to recheck it. When I was hyperthyroid last summer, I didn't realize it so it's possible that you might be and not know it (I was still cold all the time too). Then my Syntroid was cut and I went hypo again (and got REALLY cold), and now supposedly I'm "normal". Jessica and I sure understand how frustrating the thyroid rollercoaster can be!

[NightengaleShane]

Good morning

After going hellaciously off plan on Halloween, I had a reasonably on plan weekend. The girlfriend bought two bags of Halloween candy and it's been hard to resist them, so I decided to give some to the neighbors and I told the girlfriend to hide the rest from me.

OH! I got a tattoo of the Celtic knot on my left bicep a few weeks ago. And speaking of Halloween, here are a few pictures. I haven't transferred the rest; one of my friends e-mailed these to me:
This girl in the Greek goddess costume is actually one of my personal training clients.




Meg - Your new job sounds exciting! And so do those "spa drinks" Learning all the stuff at new jobs is always difficult and overwhelming; I remember when I first started my current job, I thought, "OH wow... umm... what DOESN'T this crazy man expect me to do?!?! Wait... what... goes... WHERE? HOW?" I think it's pretty normal to feel lost during the first few days (or sometimes even weeks ) at most jobs.
On a side but still related note, I wish your spa was down here in Florida - I'm going to have to get a full body waxing for the bodybuilding competition those ladies have NO hair ANYWHERE!

Anne - Triathlon? That's AWESOME!
Speaking of the election, I voted early (on Saturday). For me, picking the candidate for the presidential election was easy, but voting on the proposed amendments was a bit difficult. They use so many huge (and sometimes contradictory!) words. I kept reading them over and over again, trying to make sure I knew exactly what they were trying to say. I felt like I really should have gotten more sleep before voting - it felt eerily like taking a Civics test.

Freda- WHOA, your grandson doesn't like cake or ice cream?! Good for him! HAH, there's a good chance he'll never be fat if he keeps that up When I was a kid, I made a point of eating everything on my plate and hiding the vegetables in my napkin just so I could HAVE some cake and ice cream after dinner

Michele - While you may be needing less thyroid medication, there is also the point that sometimes, your body decides to choose your goal weight. You will stop losing weight eventually. I know I initially set my goal to 135 and was happy to reach it. 125 was where I really wanted to be, but I would have been okay with not getting there. I started "maintaining" at 135 but still lost 7-10 more pounds before I just stopped. Getting *below* 125 is near impossible for me, as is getting above 130. The same may happen to you.

[alinnell]

The good news about the time change? I had NO problem getting up 1/2 an hour early to do 20 minutes on the NordicTrak followed by a couple sets of my abs exercises!!!

I had a great weekend. We went to see The Changeling yesterday. Wow, what a good movie! I can't imagine how that poor woman handled it (it's a true story about a woman in LA who's son goes missing and months later the LAPD find her "son" but he isn't her son and no one at the LAPD will listen to her). I can't give away any more--I do recommend it (although my DS had a hard time with one scene).

After the movie, we had drinks and appetizers at my house followed by a great dinner with my in-laws and some of their friends from out of town.

Wardhog~please let us know how the bodybugg works for you. I've been thinking about one myself, but at the price you really have to be sure!

Meg~hmm, a peppermint chocolate pedicure. Just how does that work?

Anne~I hope your muscle aches ease up for you! Congrats on doing the tri!

[evilwomaniamshe]

Hey Night,
You look great & that tattoo suits you. Looks to me like you had a "devilish good time!" I too partied like a rockstar at a halloween party and I ate a bit too much, but no worries I'm back on track. Best of luck to you in the competition you lil light weight. woo hoo, wax on, wax off! Yikes, your gonna go for a full brazilian huh? Better you than me... Ouch!

Great new job Meg, enjoy!

[traveling michele]

Allison,
How old is your ds? I would love to go see that movie but was wondering about the content for my 13, almost 14 y/o dd....

Shane,
Love the pics of your new tattoo (and you too!)
looks like you had fun. I went to a Halloween party as well and if we go next year, I know that I need to be a little skankier!

Meg-- I get my thyroid checked every six months so it has been checked since I started losing weight, but I've lost more since then. I am pretty sure that I was at the lower end of normal so I could probably stand to move up some. I'll see when my next check is due.

[midwife]

Hi all,
I start the week with good intentions to keep up with personals and then....alas....

Thanks for all the support last week. When I have no sleep + I am a little depressed, eh, it's not a good thing. I appreciated all the kind words.

Meg, sounds like a fun job....Do you miss law at all?

Good luck with your physical, Dag. I need to schedule mine. My lipids were a little off last year, but since then I have lost 50 pounds (whee!) and eat mostly healthy. I'll be interested to see if they have improved.

Hi Ward! Did the kids enjoy Halloween?

Robin, congrats on the wedding. I think you are getting this whole maintenance thing. Go off, okay, but get back on.

Anne, my hat is off to you with how well you balance the kids, work, and exercise.

Hi Freda, Michelle, & Wendalyn!

Shane, gotta say that Greek goddess costume looks like a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. Looks like you have had a fun time.

Allison, that movie does sound interesting, but I am weird about certain themes---usually ones that include harm to women and children and have themes about powerlessness and abuse. I think I'll stick to High School Musical 3....I am looking forward to Twilight (squeee!!!!!). Yes, I am an adult woman.....usually.

Have a great rest of your Monday folks!!!

ETA: I voted two weeks ago and I am so glad I won't be standing in line tomorrow!

[alinnell]

Michele~my son is 13 and will be 14 on Christmas day. There were two pretty violent scenes, during one of which I heard him breathing deeply. I really didn't think it would bother him since he plays "shoot-em-up" games on the internet constantly. This particular scene, there was no blood. If you want more info, send me a PM.

Midwife~Twilight? I may be going to the FIRST showing of that!!! Seriously, everyone in my family has read or is reading that book and we simply cannot wait!

My sister-in-law just found out her thyroid isn't functioning well. She's been extremely tired and her hair has been falling out. She thought it was just stress, but even a few days on synthroid have made her feel better. My other SIL had thyroid cancer. Gosh it seems so prevalent. Scary. Prayers to everyone who has thyroid problems that things go well for you.

[NightengaleShane]

thyroid issues DO seem to be really common. Two of my close friends have thyroid diseases - both are on Synthyroid - one of them has hypothyroid and the other once had Graves' Disease and now has *NO* thyroid. I've been tested for thyroid issues twice, too - once while overweight because I thought I might have hypothyroid (I had a lot of the symptoms, but it turns out that they were just related to the depression I experienced due to being overweight among other things) and again because the doctor highly suspected that I had *hyper*thyroid. The test results were apparently normal both times, but I never got the actual numbers.

Allison - I really want to see The Changeling and think I will this weekend. I love that Jeffrey Donovan and Angelina Jolie are in the movie together, too - both are great actors and super hot human beings! I am glad to hear it was good.

Wendalyn - yup, "partied like a rockstar" is about right - see those empty cups?! Everyone at the party was sloppy drunk. I was one of the most sober people there, ironically... therefore, I ended up listening to three different drunk girls give me their life stories between sobbing and puking. Aren't I nice?!

Michele - if you have it, flaunt it! Go in a mini skirt next year and surprise everyone!

Midwife - @ wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen... yeeeeah... I am pretty sure she had several malfunctions but she was FAR too drunk to care. She ended up chugging Jack Daniels right from the bottle! Her entire costume could have fallen off and I am pretty sure all she would do at that point was laugh...