[Reg4242]

Hi Sandy:

Your story made me laugh out loud.
Talk about plans not working out. Good for you for making lemonaide out of lemons.

[WaterRat]

Sue, we do have a short growing season, and compared to much of the country, a cool one. We try to buy things that take 55 days or less to mature, and some years we get frost earlier. Long days certainly help, but since it's not too hot we can't grow things like hard squashes, sweet corn , or melons. Our tomatoes, cukes and peppers are in a greenhouse. My DH loves to garden, and I like the results. Oh, and I know there is (are?) Trader Joes in Michigan (check their website) but I'm not sure about Whole Foods (also called Fresh Fields in some places). I loved both these stores when we lived in Seattle. We have a few farmer's markets here but they don't grow a whole lot that we can't at home.

Sandy, sounds like all the circumstances were against you yesterday! But you did get your bike ride in, so it was not all lost. Speaking of bunnies, I saw one in our yard on Sunday, and another by the side of the road on the way to work this morning. They certainly seem bolder than normal.

[jansan]

<<Speaking of bunnies, I saw one in our yard on Sunday, and another by the side of the road on the way to work this morning. >>

So where does the bunny work? Har har. I have a colony of cottontail bunnies living at the side of my house under the bushes and deck. I have to grow things there they dont like to eat. Yesterday I saw one sampling my baby basil plants. Oh well. They are so cute to watch. When they come right up to the side windows that go to floor level to nibble on the fallen rose petals, they do drive the indoor cats crazy.

I need to get more sleep. Its so much easier to eat less on days I am well-rested. I suspect I want to eat more food to get abit more energy. More sleep would be so much better. I do love the long days however, and keep waking up too early and staying up too late.

Jan

[ellenuw]

Just a "drive by" post to tell you the rice is "Rice Express" organic brown rice. It is in the frozen food section at Whole Foods. 3 pouches to a box and I get a 1/2 c for me and probably closer to 1-1/2c for DH from each pouch. Cut the corner and micro for 3 mins. It is the only way I can cook rice! I have also tried the Uncle Ben's brown rice in the 90 second pouch from the regular grocery store. Also good, but not as good and a little higher (like 1g) in fat, but a good 2nd if you can't find the 1st. I am going to Trader Joe's tomorrow and will let you know if I see something similar there ...

[Airegrrrl]

Hi ho and Happy Thursday.

‘Tis I, having been gone but not forgotten, I hope. I’ve been sandbagged by life, with upheavals everywhere. A dear, dear friend is battling cancer of the blood plasma (really rare; really awful). Work is a pressure-cooker shambles. And daily I’m reminded that while you can take the girl out of the city, you can’t take the city out of the girl, which is a frustrating finding when you’re living in a small Midwestern town. Result: my coping mechanisms have evaporated. My weight’s up, but even worse, I feel lousy. I can actually *feel* the stress eroding my physical and emotional well-being.

I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even lurk here for several weeks, but I returned the other day, just in time to find this from ellenuw (greetings Ellen!): “I need to remember I didn't start this to lose weight, but to get my health in order…”

Bingo. For me, that’s the bottom line. I can’t seem to care very much that I’ve gained 10 pounds in the last six months (a statement which probably needs some careful scrutiny on my part), but I sureashell do care that I’m jeopardizing my own well-being and, more important, my future. And I care that I haven’t been able to devise workable solutions.

I’ve learned some things. One, I’ve learned to recognize the powerful force of stress, and to admit that I’m as susceptible to it as the next person. (I used to think I was superwoman, and above that sort of thing. Yeah, right.) Two, I’ve come to recognize that I need to find better ways of taking care of myself. Three, I’ve come to believe that there are few forces more powerful than Mother Nature … and our own bodies. Nature does what it wants. Just consider tsunamis, blizzards, mudslides or earthquakes if you want proof. There’s no stopping them. Likewise, in some cases bodies will do what they want. They develop illnesses, syndromes, and irritating habits. They get hot; they get cold. Sometimes we can control them and other times we can’t. But the one thing we can never forget is that we are a total package: few things stronger than that mind-body link. I think we have to learn to live with it and with our physical selves. We have to nurture them. Take care of them. Nourish them.

Where am I going with this? I’m not sure that I know. But I do know that Meg’s list of staples simply leapt out at me: chili, marinara sauce, brown rice, spaghetti squash, green beans, grilled chicken, burgers, steak, salmon. That thar is real food. Wholesome food. Good-for-the-body food. And although I’ve cooked like that for years, I’d forgotten all about it. I want some of that food, even as I reach for whatever anesthesia is handy. So, I’m going to do a little cooking this weekend. That is, I’m going to try to fit in a little cooking between getting ready for: the house painters who arrive on Monday morning at 7; a huge university ceremony on Tuesday; a trustee election on Thursday, which will mean a big turnover on my board (read: new bosses); and July 4 firecrackers, which send our dogs into eye-rolling tailspins (is that a mixed metaphor?).

See, the stress never goes away, and I know I don’t have a corner on that market. I can’t control it. But I *can* control how I react to it. Just as soon as I figure it out how.

Now, you may be reading this and thinking that I’m either ready to jump off a bridge or succumb to a giant wave of self-pity. Neither. Not my style. I’m extremely positive; it just takes me awhile to come to terms with some things. Being able to come here and “think aloud” is one of the great gifts of 3FC. I thank you all for giving it to me. Oops … gotta go. That meeting’s about to start.

Good to see you all!

[Mel]

Robin! It's so good to read one of your posts again I'm sorry to hear that life has been a struggle for the past few months, but take your own advice, breathe, and stick around

Mel

[WaterRat]

Oh Jan THose bunnies (which are actually Arctic hares btw) are truly fond of our garden too! DH has been wielding his string trimmer all over the place eliminating bunny hiding places.

Robin good to see you - I've always enjoyed your posts - and your attitude.

[Megan1982]

Hello maintainers,

I’ve been lurking the forums here at 3FC for a while and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me joining your chats. After seven years of “stair-stepping” down weight I have been maintaining a 65 pound (total) loss for about 4 months. Last summer after graduating from college, getting my first job and moving 1000 miles from home, friends, and family I decided to finish the process off and lost my last 25 pounds, now maintaining between 135-140. I’ve done it through a combination of cardio, strength training, and eating less and healthier foods.

In the past three weeks I’ve been in two very stressful situations that led to binge eating bigger than any slips I’ve had in a full year. ‘Only’ working 40 hours a week has let me take better care of myself and I’ve been under much less stress than I was in school. Luckily I undid the damage from the first binge, scale-wise, in a week, by getting back to mindful eating and extra cardio. But two days ago I found out I didn’t get a job that I had really wanted that would have taken me closer to my family, and since then have been going crazy with food and not exercising. For two days I’ve gotten home from work and just eat until bedtime. It’s not at all about hunger. There are a lot of emotional issues involved here – suffice it to say that I’ve been in this small, isolated town for a year and am very lonely. What is really scary to me is that with every other slip I was able to get back on track, feel that good mojo or whatever has kept me going on this lifestyle change for so long, but these two have been too big and too close together. I realize I need a much better support system/way of coping with stress, because stress is unavoidable. Of course I need the support system in place all the time, not just when I am stressed.

So…this morning the scale said 141. The line has been crossed. I will avoid the cookies in the office kitchen, get some good cardio in, weights, eat my already made healthy dinner. And I bought lots of beautiful fruits and veggies at the store during my lunch break. I'm going to keep plugging along, which is what it feels like right now, and hope I’m ‘feeling it’ soon. Sorry for rambling so long, and thank you for listening.

Hearing you all talk about your gardens makes me jealous. My housemate’s garden is already “done” for the season, since even this far north in Florida it’s so bloody hot by March. Forget June! At least we have pots of nice fresh herbs growing all over our porch.

Megan

[Ilene]

ROBIN !! I've so missed your posts too!! Welcome back we LUVS OLDIES and NEWBIES !! Sorry to hear that life is getting in the way, it really sucks sometimes doesn't it ?? But hey, like MeL said BREATH and BREATH again... Think, plan and get back on the wagon with us... Nice to see you back....

Megan --- WELCOME we luvs NEWBIES and Congrats on your weight loss and realizing that your line in the sand has been crossed and getting back on, guess what, yes, the WAGON!! (we should have a wagon icon )
I've been struggling myself lately too and coming here and reading how everyone gets back on track helps me so much...

Today has been a usual ho-hum day.... but it's finally the end of school and the kids are home for the summer, thank goodness they have jobs now and at least they won't be stuck in the house ALL the time...

[jansan]

Hi Megan and Ellen. Welcome.

Megan, one of the things I used my overeating for was to attempt to avoid unpleasant feeling states by using food. That never works. If you are sad or angry or afraid or disappointed about anything, there is nothing wrong with these feeling states. In fact they are signposts re our lives - thats why we have them in the first place. Perhaps do some journaling regarding the things in your life that are concerning you, and actually watch for and experience the feeling states this brings up. Cry if that seems right. Sounds silly I know at first, but over time it really works.

Robin, good to hear from you. Do I have a book for you. Its "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jonn Kabat-zinn. Most libraries have it. The title is taken from Zorba the Greek when Zorba is asked if he is married. He replies (something like), "yes, ....wife, children, friends, job, house, --the full catastrophe". Its a very good book and gives some very good information about putting life's stresses into better context, as well as techniques how to deal with it.

Living close to nature and the bunnies is certainly very nice in most respects, but here in dry So. Calif, things can turn quickly. There was a fire on the next ridge today from my home, perhaps a half mile away as the crow flies, but coming my way. Thank goodness there was no wind today. I even started loading the car with the essentials just in case. Fortunately the wonderful fire-fighters got it under control in a couple hours. They were dropping water from a helicopter. Quite dramatic to watch. Odd how the thought of food didnt cross my mind for several hours.

Jan

[Sashenka]

Hi, everybody!

Robin - welcome back! Your mantra: "Breathe. Wait. It all counts." is still hanging on the wall in my office - I missed you so much! Glad you are back!

Yesterday I accepted finally that I am getting bigger. Like I finally realized that eating a bit more ends up on your body and even though I exercise I still find that my body becomes bigger in certain areas. Like my jeans are tighter... I gained about 4 pounds and my fat % dropped a bit, but my body bulked from biking and I can easily see my quads BUT my legs are bigger than they were a year ago. I am not sure what to do about it, but at least I accepted it as a fact, rather than telling myself that jeans shrunk!

This week was great exercise wise - biked 3 days during this week to work and back, went swimming and also did my weight lifting session as well as pilates (and odometer on my bike which I purched in the mid-may showed 500km since I started biking )... Foodwise was good at work but lousy at home - yesterday ate 2 dinners as I was worried about job interview my hubby did for 6 hours - automatically reached for sausage - thanks God we did not have too much left in the house. Well, at least interview went smoothly and he liked the job, but again, it would happen the same way if I would just listen to music rather than eat... Hope they will give him offer after next interview which is scheduled next week...

It is finally summer here and I actually picked some fresh spinach from my garden to go with my salad. yesterday I also picked tons of strawberries as well as 2 raspberries - we moved in September and that is first year in the new garden and I am glad our old strawberries and raspberries and black currant liked new home. All roses bloom in my garden and I can not wait for the weekend (especially with hubby at home enjoying all of it and me working in the office without the window).

Have a nice weekend,
Sandy.

[Megan1982]

Happy Friday everyone!

Thanks for the warm welcome . Jan, I definitely did cry a lot earlier this week. You’re completely right, I’ve known for a long time that food won’t solve my problems. It seems when I get as upset as I was earlier this week, which is pretty rare, I can’t seem to care that food won’t help me. It’s something I’ll have to continue to work on. I have been neglecting my journal (not my food journal, but my “Dear diary”-type journal) though, I’m sure going back to that will help me re-focus and steady myself. I will just continue to “breathe.”

The good news is that yesterday evening I went home and did a good weights/strength workout and ran six miles, then had a healthy dinner and dessert of beautiful strawberries. Mmm. No uncontrolled snacking! I’m feeling much more on-track. I love the positive feedback loop of eating well and exercise, how one makes me want to do the other and so on.

Robin, what a wonderful outlook you have. Enjoy your weekend of cooking and good luck preparing your house for the busy week to come.

Sandy, why are job interviews so stressful? It’s terrible! My fingers are crossed for your husband.

I’m a semi-bulk cooker, and single-portion freezer, as well. My housemates might strangle me if I stocked up our fridge or freezer any more than I’ve already got it, though. My bs chicken breasts are crowding their toaster pastries and jalapeno poppers (don't worry, I'm not even tempted to touch those). I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the calorie-free s’mores. Think of the contribution to humankind we could make with that recipe! Have a wonderful weekend all.

Megan

[Meg]

Robin, my friend … so good to have you back with us again. You’re one of those I think about often when you aren’t around. I know I’m speaking for all of us when I say that 3FC isn’t the same without you. We sure hope you’re able to stick around for a while.

Megan – I want to belatedly join in welcoming you to Maintainers! Gosh, I could have written so much of your post today myself – the parts about knowing that food won’t help but just not caring (I actually can hear a voice in my head saying “I just don’t care” when I try to reason with myself … yeah, I’m ) and about the positive food and exercise loop – so true! Maybe the most important part of maintenance is learning how to weather all the inevitable storms of life – because we’re all going to have them – without turning to food as our comfort (and it’s a hard, hard lesson to learn). And when there are food lapses – those are inevitable too – it’s learning about how to get right back on track. Because a lapse doesn’t have to lead to a relapse! It sounds like you’re getting right back on track and I’m sure those few extra pounds will be gone in no time.

Am I being incredibly dense if I tell you that I’m not sure what your avatar is? All I can think of is Niagara Falls? Or a mountain?

Jansan, I completely agree with you about the difficulty in controlling eating when you’re tired. I finally figured out that being tired is my #1 trigger for overeating – even more so than being hungry. Like you, I’ve been thinking it’s because food is an instant burst of energy – especially sugary, carby food (which is what I always crave when I’m tired).

I’ve got a pot of chicken and black bean chili bubbling on the stove, despite it being in the 90s here. Hey, a girl’s gotta eat, right? And I broiled some red snapper for dinner tonight after I finish with my last appointment at the gym. I have one client on Friday nights – we call it Happy Hour. Today’s Happy Hour features …. legs!!!

I hope you all have wonderful weekends.

[Megan1982]

Meg, my avatar is a picture that I took on the coast of Oregon a few years ago. The entire Pacific Northwest coast is full of these dramatic cliffs and sharp rocks jutting up out of the sea, and the waves are very high energy and crash on the rocks and spray up in the air. It's very beautiful and very different from most of the beaches I've seen here on the east coast. I'm an aspiring marine biologist, so it seemed appropriate .

~Megan

[Meg]

Ah! How spectacular - I think I may need to see this in person!

Are you doing marine biology in Florida now?