Judy- I hope you managed to stay away from thechips. Carb cravings stink!


Penny - Taking a break sounds like a good idea if yiou are frustrated.


My phone interview never took place. I am not upset as I really knew I couldnt take the job because of the commute. While I was sittin waiting for that call I got a call from a staffing agency and they want me to go meet them tomorrow and go on an interview either directly after or early next week. I never imained I would have 3 companies contacting me without sending them my resume directly. I only posted my resume on Monster 2 weeks ago. I have renewed confidence that I will land the right job real soon.

Nikki

Nikki are you just looking for a summer job? I thought you wanted to teach but maybe I didn't remember your major? Well at any rate good luck and yes interviewing experience is always good. As I told my daughter you just about have to sell yourself and how great you are. So go in there and do good. One article I read said that the thing people usually don't say and should is I really interested in this position and I look forward to hearing back. I guess we all figure they no that or we wouldn't be there but hey its worth a try. We met some friends at the beach and I was bad had wings. Oh so bad I did take some of the fat off but still WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So today I will be good I think I will make some type of seafood for dinner. Lunch and breakfast choices were good at least I did some good choices for the day. Maybe I should go back to tracking food. Lately just not trying to over do except for those dang wings. Well its friday thank goodness. What a busy week. Today I plan on staying in the office and working on some paperwork as my office mate is out today. High 90 today they say.
Judy ward off the chips the wings were okay but not really worth it in the long run. Sometimes if we don't give in to what we want we end up even munching down more calories in the end. Well I gave in as everyone else was ordering the .25 wings that I was with temptation
Penny I have those type of meetings to I like your name for them.
marie I do feel less sore. I'm doing the exercises and trying to sit with better posture. I guess it makes sense and seems to be helping. I need the lumbar roll for my chair at work and one for home at the computer. That I have to see where I can find them.
Well girls have a good day for me I am going to work on not giving in today. Judy I should of had your will power.

Ladies, thanks for your encouragement! I did manage to run away from temptation on Thursday, but overall I was a little sloppy last week. I was hoping to record another pound lost by this weekend, but I will settle for half a pound and focus on not improvising so much next week. This week several of my lunches and dinners will be at meetings or restaurants, plus there's two receptions to throw in there. If I can hold my own this week, I will be extremely proud of myself!

Penny, in my professional opinion, you are right to think that Paypal isn't a priority for a group like yours. There's no harm in it, you just probably don't get enough online donations every month to make it worth setting up.

Nikki, good luck with the job hunt. It always feels good to know that you have options, so you don't have to talk yourself into wanting a position that you really aren't interested in.

Carol, I hope the lumbar roll is helping. I roll up the blanket they give you on the plane and put it behind my back for long trips, it really makes a difference.

I have been having fun mixing up my cardio. I bought a Dancing for Weight Loss video which makes me feel like someone in a Bob Fosse musical (only not nearl as good). I wasn't really using the fitness ball, so I have been practicing just sitting on it to convince myself that it's not going to explode under my weight. So I finally worked through one of the videos yesterday. Jeez, it's a lot harder than it looks! Both the dancing and the ball forces me to do some things differently, which will help me lose a little faster. I have probably fallen into a rut....

Marie, I miss your posts! I hope you aren't ill, but if you are, get well soon.

judy

Well girls I am a bit sore from my kayaking yesterday. I guess it was a little too much but I would do it again today. This is the worst I have felt in a week as far as being stiff in the a.m. maybe I just slept wrong. Oh well its monday and my work is calling me so thats the way it goes. I was so hungry when I returned home the food intake wasn't super by any means. But today I will start again to try to make good choices. Salad planned for lunch time. Judy I have to get that roll. But good idea to roll something up meanwhile. Sounds like you are doing well are you still on the south beach? I should jump back on til next week and just take off a little. They say thats the beauty of that plan to beable to start again etc. Just add the veggies and protein and get rid of my carbs. bread and pasta. Keep up your exercise by your chart it looks like your doing well. Congrats. I am not going to meet my goal by next friday but I feel okay at least I am maintaining and that is not a bad thing as long as it stays that way but a few lbs. gone would be a nice thing too. Nikki hope the job hunt is going well. Marie where are you? Penny hope things are going well. I have my little veggie garden planted my brother in law and hubby did it together. I was pleased as its always me. I worked in the flower beds instead. My SIL the other day said more flowers as I was making a purchase. I said hey you buy CD's and DVD's I like my flowers. Statement made and made strong don't mess with my gardens. I do have lots but thats okay! Well to each their own I say! If we were all a like the world would be a boring place. Today I will strive to make good choices.

Hi Ladies-

Judy-Dancing for exercise sounds fun I love to dance.

Carol-Way to go on the kayaking



I went on an interview this mornin. I think it went well. I should hear this week. As far as Atkins oes I'm not weighing myself as often lately. I am on plan though so I hope to be ok on wed.


Nikki

Nikki - Good luck for the interview.

Carol - Sorry your back is still giving you grief but it looks like you don't let it slow you down much! I'm glad you had fun kyaking.

Judy - Way to go with the exercise . It's a good idea to mix it up a bit so you don't get bored.

Marie - I hope you didn't come down with the flu or something. There's a lot of bugs going around here in the Portland area right now. Kind of strange for June.

I've been eating some salty foods lately (pickles, cheese, Chinese food, etc.) and it's shown up on the scale as a 2 lb. gain. My stomach is bloated up about twice normal size. Now that I've cut out the salt, I'm hoping to be back on track on the scale by Friday. I managed to get some yard work done despite the crummy weather. I just dashed outside between showers .

Well, as Mondays go, this one wasn't so bad. Hope it bodes well for the rest of my week, and isn't the calm before the storm!

Penny, it's amazing how just a little salt can be a sponge for weight!

Nikki, I have a Crunch cardio salsa video that I like, but it's a short wrokout and I don't really get my heartrate up as I'd prefer. I have a Shape one that irritates me...the jury is out on how much I'll like this new dance video. I spent most of my youth in the free-form hippie/reggae/punk era, so while I like to "dance" I'm not sure that what I do counts as dancing .

Carol, you are my hero, out there kayaking with the young folks. Between that and the gardening, I hope you're being extra kind to your back!

I only had time for a short workout this morning, so I'll go to Curves on the way to this evening's event. It's a sit-down dinner (I think) at an Italian restaurant. I'm thinking of just visiting with people briefly, but leaving before the food starts to arrive, so that I can go home and eat "safe" food. I do love Italian food, just the smell of the garlic makes me voracious, and of course there will be vino. But this is the kind of environment where I overeat. It might sound crazy to people who don't have my issues...retreating to my home where I have some nice roast chicken and veggies is definitely an option, if I don't think I can avoid the heavy, fattening delights.

judy

Way to go Judy you are on the move! I am trying to garden with bendings a bit differently and I think it helps also trying my best to have better posture. I have a seat that has an air control on it with the kayak. That is a blessing and really buldges in the lumbar area. Which is really good for me. Work is going well but really busy with me trying to fit everything in before my vacation time. I have just handed in two reports which are the last due before then and been real busy geting my visits in. I worked an hour and half over last night. I think today I might get out early as friday is a therapy day. So I already am only working til noonish. My daughter is so organized with this wedding stuff its great. She should be a wedding coordinator herself. I finished the little flower girl dresses last night. I am going to finish my trim on my dress tonight and be done with all of that stuff.
Nikki sounds like your interview went well. Good luck with that and the right job will come along and you will get what you have worked so hard for. Even know my pay isn't the best in the world its a lot better than years before. The job is really what I like and that out weighs everythings else even the crazy coworkers. I like making a difference in peoples lifes and with this job sometimes can do that. Sending them on vacations or off to camp or saying hey lets try this and it works thats what excites me. Also helping them solve some difficult problems in their lifes. I get quite a variety of tasks some I like and some I could do without. But thats every job I guess. Good luck!
Girls did Marie go on vacation I hope she is not ill? I do miss her come back Marie!!!
Penny the salty foods are tough and I know cause I crave them too. Love those pickles. I feel fat today for some reason. So a salad for lunch and grilled chicken for dinner is the plan. No junk food. Maybe I should just not eat at all. Oh now I know thats not smart but sometimes it would help. I am going to start to journal again today. A friend lost 18lbs with ww and is only 2lbs. from her goal I am a bit jealous. Great for her and she deserves praise!!!
Have a super day!!!

Judy-My friend ands I used to dance around her living room at least an hour a day. I was in the best shape ever then. We did hip hop and regeaa.

Carol- I hear you about the job. Alot of parts of this job I interviewed for sound boring. I am debating on takin it for that reason. It is hard because I don't know if I am use to academia and all jobs are like that.


Penny-That salt weight will disappear real soon.


I decided to go ahead and change my ticker to what my weight was last week so I don't get discouraged if I dont quite reach 151 again this week.

Nikki

Nikki, seeing your ticker is inspiring! You've come a long, long way from your starting weight.

Carol, your daughter is lucky to have such a handy mom. I didn't realize that you were making the little dresses, too! I agree with you about choosing meaningful jobs when you can. Most people in the world just have to work, but when you have an education and live in a country like ours, we have more options than others do, and can look for work that speaks to our talents and values. I've been in nonprofits for over 25 years, and while it would be nice to have more money, I wouldn't trade this for anything. Well, maybe being the queen of the world would be nice...

So I ate at the restaurant last night after all. As soon as I got there, I knew that I wouldn't be able to meet-and-greet and then leave. I had a little salad, some eggplant parm and a glass of wine. The portions were enormous, the small lasagna could have fed three people! Another dinner tonight, at a New Orleans-style place. I'll focus on veggies, since I had turkey stew instead of a salad for lunch today.

Penny and Marie, I hope you're doing well today!

judy

Judy - All that extra exercise you've been doing should counteract the yummy Italian food. I hope you can manage to avoid too much temptation at the New Orleans style restaurant. Hopefully they have some veggies that are also tasty. Being Queen of the World might bring a few too many temptations with all those state dinners!

Nikki - You are such an inspiration. I wish I had half your willpower. I'm glad to hear you are getting some job interviews. It's a good idea to weigh them up and not jump into the first one that comes along. Our son found it quite a change going from college to "the real world". He had a very heavy course load throughout his four years as he did a minor in Math in addition to his Engineering degree. Things move at a totally different pace in the workplace. He's enjoying his current job very much. He only stayed about 7 months in his first job and then was offered the job he took in Boise. He got a lot of practical experience in the first job though, so although it wasn't something he wanted to do long term, the experience has come very much in handy in his new job.

Carol - You're right about posture being very important for our backs. I've always been a bit of a sloucher, so I try to sit straight and walk with my head up and shoulders back. I have to really work at it as it doesn't come naturally to me. The yoga seems to be helping a lot with my posture as I'm more aware of my body since I started doing the yoga classes. It's great that your friend has lost some weight but YOU deserve praise for your progress too! Maybe your friend's loss will give you a bit of added inspiration.

Marie - We're thinking of you and hoping you're ok.

I was at the docs (plastic surgeon) today for my annual check up on my implant and he says I need a smaller one because I've lost so much weight and now the other side doesn't match! I'm going to hold off on doing it though as the surgery is about $6,000 and my insurance deductible is about $3,500. I wish all this medical stuff wasn't so expensive. It just cost me $770 to get the two spots removed and biopsied! I've been doing better calorie-wise the last couple of days, so I hope to be down again by my next weigh in. We're getting central air conditioning installed tomorrow. Hopefully it will get hot enough to try it out - it's been so cool here for this time of the year. We needed a new furnace anyway as our old one is about 25 years old and very inefficient.

Nikki you will know when its the right job. I left my old job of 10 years to go after an different job. It was after I go my degree in 98 late but better than never. I do not regret my move and now have doubled my old pay. But in the school district only worked 180 days, vac's, 32 hrs a wk. So I am surely in the field I fought to get in. I like my job even though it can be stressful I surely can say that I am never ever bored but would welcome the opportunity to try it once in awhile. I also work for a nonprofit organization for the past 9 years. One more year and I get my 5 weeks vac. my benefit pkg. is a good one. Sometimes when searching for a job checking out the whole pkg. is pretty important or maybe it was just my age and having a husband with health issues? Oh well thats where I am at. Yesterday trying to smooth things over with a couple in their 80's and a group home. They wanted to take their daughter home to live again. Oh now thats not a good idea! So I will work out their issues with the group home and hopefully have a happy ending for all of them. My life is crazy at work sometimes but in the long run I truly like what I do and it shows in my work I think or hope so anyways.
Girls I have been so tempted when coworkers ask me to go to the store for lunch I so right to the sub area. I did get whole wheat and lots of veggies with little mayo and turkey but thats still not so good. I have packed my veggies to make a salad for today and have a yogurt. I will stick to it. So that is my weakness lately. I guess the intake journal would help and I will do that this a.m.
Penny glad your son is doing well.The posture thing takes practice and I have to remind myself to do it also. But I do think it makes a world of difference. Did you explain to your doc's office your ded. is so high? Because they might be willing to knock off some for you. Many times we don't ask and there for they don't ever offer but are willing to consider it. So maybe you should ck this out if you want it done earlier? Good luck.
Judy I didn't totally make the flower girls dresses I redesigned them. I picked up some beautiful dresses for 20.00 a piece when Kaufman's went out of business they were 125.00. My daughter liked them but not the way they looked on the neckline or the trim. So we went off to a special wedding material and design shop picked out trim and I redid them. My youngest GD needed her shoulders and sides taken in now that was not fun. The other one just the sides. So we added the trim and ribbon and they match the big girls in the wedding. I am putting trim on my dress around the whole top neckline, shoulder straps and the lower edge of the mock top. It dresses it up as its too warm for my jacket that goes with the dress. Wow its coming fast. My carpets get cleaned on friday and I want to do some major housework on saturday. Then we have a wedding to attend at 11 and reception at 1. So that day is gone. Your doing a swell job and I know the restuarants its not easy. But they say just order and eat half!

Penny- As your son found I am finding the workplace much slower then academia. I am hoping I find something that I feel fits me. It feels good that I am getting interviews means I have skills lol.

Carol- I decided not to teach in the typical sense. I am going to try to use my degree to teach technology < software, hardware etc > in a college or business setting. I must say you have me really impressed by overhauling the girls dresses. I am waiting to get a job to get a new sewing machine. Mine broke and I am lost without it.


Judy-Good going with only eating a little. As Penny said all your exercising should counter it.



As for me, after blipping back up to 155 last week I managed to lose 4 lbs this week and go back down to 151. I will see 149 next week mark my words. I'm not going to screw this up I have 3 weeks to make my July 4 goal and I will do it. I think ,I can, I believe!


Marie I hope you are ok. We miss you ....

Nikki

Lost my note be back later

Carol - I'm sorry you lost your post - that can be soooo frustrating! . I did mention to my plastic surgeon that I'd be paying 'full fare' for my surgery and he said he could give me a discount, but it would still be a LOT of money. It's not a really big deal as the difference isn't really noticeable and I'm also leery of having any kind of surgery as there's alway the chance of infection or a problem with the anesthetic. So I'll just have to avoid being photographed for pin-up pictures! You must be getting so excited about the wedding. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Nikki - Way to go with losing the 4 lbs. I am struggling to get back to 187. I've lost one pound but I'm still at 188. I still seem to go one step forward and two steps back! I'm determined not to start gaining in a big way, so I'm still hoping to reach my goal for July 4th or at least get nearer to it.

Judy & Marie - I hope you are doing well. Poor Marie, I expect you came down with that bug. If so, get well wishes are coming your way

I just got back from a fund raiser in Salem (our State Capitol). Lots of interesting stuff and some internal politics to digest. I don't think the Board is thrilled that I'll be stepping down after this term. I really have to work on saying "no"! I've been working a lot more hours in our business and it's just getting too much. Sometimes people think it comes easy and they think those in charge can just keep on going but everybody gets burn out eventually.