Amber: Thanks for the tip, I will have to try it as we go along because I know there are always those moments. One of the things I have done is gone and had a glass of water, but sometimes that doesn't always help me out. Looks like you are moving the pounds off well! Keep up the good work.

AM: I went and biked last night for 45 mins. I was on the recumbent and I swear, my belly is no joy to bike around while sitting - it's like bouncing a pillow on my legs - a heavy pillow. So I do hope if I had the choice where I'd like to loose weight would be there first. How many of you wish you could pick and choose where to loose the weight first?

I live in a rural community and there are limited places to go move, but luckily the old folks home in town has opened their PT/gym space up for membership to the public so you don't have to drive 30 mins each way. No one else was there last night so that was nice. I was able to cycle while watching project runway.

Hopefully the shrinking violets are all shrinking a bit more! Good going on the weight loss and the moving of the bodies.

Welcome to Pictureframe- Good for you for cutting out all refined sugars and grains. I cannot do that at this time, but may have to later on in the process. None of my friends are trying to lose weight either, so this forum will be a big help!

Welcome to LemonThyme- I am really just now starting my exercise journey, but I am trying to do some higher intensity walking for a minute or two and then slow down for a minute or two, etc. I don't know if it really makes a difference but it's doable for right now.
Good for you for doing 45 minutes at a time on the bike! I am so out of shape that I max out at 15 or 20 minutes of walking. I just try to do it a few times each day.

I'm still on track with calories and exercise, weight clocking in at 220 for 2 days in a row. I'm good with that because it's so much less than the number I had in my head, haha. Hope everyone is having an awesome day!

Hey violerts,

Lemon good job on 45 minutes on the bike that is great.

I would just say be patient with your self. I know I am not either but it will eventually work and you will see progress. Just don't be beating yourself up. You are doing something moving that is all that matters. No mater what jiggles.

And believe me I have plenty to jiggle too. I am going to look for water aerobics by me people say that is great.

Les "Good Job." Just for you new people I have a niece 9 yrs old whenever she has done well through her growing up I have always said "Good Job". to her so I told that over the violets and say that to them.

LG

lemonthyme - We have five kids, and our oldest is five. They keep me busy! I am thankful that it's not really a choice to be somewhat active with them - I need all the help I can get. I have done some HIIT, and it is supposed to be one of the best for calorie burn!

LesGetFit - Way to go staying on plan! Each day we do that, the closer we get, right??

mam1958 - I hope you get feeling better soon! Give yourself time to heal - I'm sure it's super frustrating.

I had plateaued all week, and the scale was finally down a bit this morning so I hope I'm back on track! I ran just over 3 miles this morning, and trying to be more encouraged that I can do that than discouraged that it wasn't a good run - easier said than done. In a rut on meal options! Tired of the same ol' same ol' - so if any of you have any grain free favorites, please share!

Hey violets,

Yes it is super frustration to heal and recuperate. But I don't want to use that as an excuse to eat (emotional eater here).

I have put on 15 pounds after finding out the diagnosis and now it is time to stop and get started in the other way.

If I can't exercise right now at least I can eat right.

What can't you wait to do when you reach goal?

For me it is to start living my life and not letting my weight hold me back. I tend to not go to events and hide so no one sees me.

I realize I have missed out a lot on life doing this. I see all my friends doing so much and enjoying life. I want to be that way.

LG

Morning ladies!

Mam: May I ask, what were your recently dX with? I had a recent m/c and don't want the weight to pile on like it did w/the other 3 I had. I think you are wise to take it slow with the exercise. It looks like you are looking for a pool? Swimming is wonderful for weight loss. I did that 3x a week/35 mins a time before I married and dropped about 40 lbs. If swimming isn't your thing, using a kick board for lengths can get the heart moving too. Hang in there and push those cravings back down your roots Violet!

picture: 5 under 5! Saintly! I will be glad for school to start. One is in school the other not old enough. We have kept busy w/swimming and reading and summer school and lots of art projects because that's my interest/background. My garden fizzled early so other than the kids eating all the cherry tomatoes on me (who can complain right?) it didn't produce a lot, but we all had fun investigating.

lesGet: keep up the good work! You will find goodness in swimming. I did the backstroke which I found gave me a good workout and the last 5-10 mins I'd kick board. I miss my indoor pool - I live in a podunk that only has an outdoor pool and even it died this summer so we had to haul to the next town. The things we miss - a pool and a dishwasher! Did you get your scale?

Amber: be careful w/the caffeine supplements. It can do a number on your heart and you don't want that feeling ever. I get it occasionally when I have had too much soda - it feels awful like my heart is being poked from the bottom up inside and I don't breathe when that happens for the moment.

Karen: 18 lbs is terrific! What are you finding helps you out? How long have your taught college level?

Fire: car sharing is not fun. I lost my car to a deer hit and monies haven't allowed us to replace it quite yet. So when I need a car, DH and I borrow his GMs. It's kind of hard, especially when you feel you are taking it over. Hopefully soon that's remedied, but the walking is a side benefit! Hope the migraines have ceased.

Hello to those Violets I missed!

AM: I fell down the stairs carrying a full laundry basket yesterday. My foot looks a big old plum right now. I am hopeful I can put enough weight on it today to get back to my old folks home to move the body tonight. Since I am on a recumbent, that hopefully is doable. Did I say I was graceful?

My books came in at the library on this diet the doctor wants DH on. So I will pour over those this weekend and see what will work for me and for him if he does decide he wants to loose weight. He's skeptical, but I hope he finds the strength to try.

I saw you want to know what areas of the country we hail from. I am from the land of cheese - lots and lots of cheese! Oh and the Packers, but that's a sidenote. I live in a rural town population under 1400 in lots of rolling hills, woods/trees and cropland. We are beginning to get temps closer to fall at night and during the day it can still be hot and humid midwest summer weather. I can't complain this summer has been fairly mild in that respect. We recently traveled Up North to vacation for the first time and put our toes in Lake Superior - really now, it's not that freezing! I was able to sit in it the first day, the second day, my toes were just fine and my butt sat on the beach. So now I can say I have been to all WI coasts! Hah - each has their own lure (well, if you call visiting Chicago a lure we enjoy it for museums/shows/shopping and an airport). Lake Michigan is always a visual treat, Lake Superior area filled with Native American lore, the Mississippi has it's charm as it divides the nation in half with it's wide waters. The people here are pretty welcoming and we have lots of cultures we celebrate with foods/festivals etc. Oh and in regard to the cheese - lots of different types available and all worth those extra calories - in moderation of course, string cheese is a help on that front though. We also have a lot of wineries and craft beer places replacing what was once a commercial beer making state (remember Laverne and Shirley?). And the berries - lots of berries. I pick blueberry, strawberry, purchase cranberries (as I am not filling a bog to pick!) and apples of course. I live in an area that is close to all these pickings so the freezer is full yearly!

Now may I ask about fish?
The closest I have come to making fish as an adult is either the packaged pub battered fry or a good old Friday Wisconsin Fish Fry night - something you have to at least try once in your life. I digress. Is it easy to prepare fish? It's not something I eyeball at the store, so forgive me if I sound dumb. Do all fish come with scale/skins on one side to remove? I grew up with my mom making white cod w/potato flakes coating and that was only during lent. I also remember finding fishbones occasionally. Is this something you have to look to remove or can you buy boneless? Is there a type that you'd recommend? Let me know - I need a fish primer pronto! Though I currently hail from the land of lutefisk, that is not something that will ever cross these lips!

Happy weekend Violets! Enjoy a good summer day!

Lemon,

Thanks for the tour.. Loved it! It sounds so beautiful. I have never been your way.

I live in Chicopee Ma., Patriots nation. We have beautiful fall colors wonderful crisp days. (Can you tell I like the fall).

I love to go to water falls, scenic drives into New England states. Antique shopping, estate sales. You can find such beautiful old barns that have estate sales I can stay there all day long just looking through the stuff.

Then I like to take my finds and do some sort of craft with them. Refinish them or use them in my flower gardens.

I had surgery for uterus cancer. I had to have a hysterectomy.

I ask the dr if this cancer was one of the cancers caused by being over weight and she said yes. Too many fat cells too much estrogen.

So I feel this is my wake up call gods second chance for me. I need to lose this 120 pds.

I do have a pool I just can't go into it cause of my surgery It hasn't even been 2 weeks since surgery. I am VERY limited with what I can do. I can't even walk that far. I go to the store and have to use one of those motor carts.

That is why I am concentrating on the food aspect right now until I get the go ahead from my dr.

LG

Oh Mam1958, I am so sorry to hear about the details of your diagnosis and surgery. Concentrating on the food intake is all you can do for now, but hope fully the doc will give you the ok for the pool very soon. I know water can be very healing. Hearing what your doctor said will certainly be incentive for me to stay on track. I am sorry you have had to go through so much, and I hope you are feeling better very soon! I love the fall too, even though here in Florida, ours is nothing compared to yours. But I can't wait for some cooler weather for my walks!

LemonThyme- I am so sorry about your ankle! Stairs are easy to hurt yourself on, especially when carrying laundry. Don't push it too hard and let it heal up. Hope you feel better soon, too. I have never eaten much fish, so I'm not much help in that department. But I know I should be eating it, so maybe I'll check out some recipes.

PictureFrame- Wow, running 3 miles? Way to go! I can't wait to get to a point where that is possible. Right now I am so out of shape that walking is kicking my butt!

Wasn't totally on track yesterday as I went to a Chinese buffet, a total weakness for me as it's my favorite. I ate twice as much as I should have, but I stuck with mostly good choices, lean meats and lots of veggies. I did have a couple of my favorite wontons but no rice or noodles. And I drank a ton of water during and after. It could have been much worse, haha.

Les eating over on veggies and proteins is better than the carb overload.

Lemon I am very limited with my fish also. I do not like strong tasting fish, salmon, tuna steak.

I do know that when buying it ask and look for "fillet" (it means bones and skin has been removed) although sometimes a few can be missed but not many.

But I love Haddock (my favorite), cod, scallops, clams.

What I do is something I learned from weight watchers.

a fillet of haddock, 2 TBSP of butter, chopped green onion.

Place butter and onion in frying pan just until butter melts.
Put haddock into pan.

Cook on high until all water is gone and you get a nice light brown crust on fish. Keep turning not to burn it.

Think stir fry veggies...

Delish!!

LG

Mam: Oh I am sorry on the cancer . Been there and done that too, but in my 20s. When you heal on up - enjoy the pool the joints don't hurt much and the only thing I disliked after a period of time was smelling like chlorine all day. It's a hard smell to get rid of! Do you have any further chemo/radiation or is this one that is once it's out its gone? Keep moving as much as you can - even chair dancing can be a help.

Fall - we too have beautiful falls. So far the sumac isn't changing to red a sure sign that cold is on it's way. Some years it's an extended peak season, other years it's a blink and it's gone. I am further north in my state - mid section but I come from the southern part. Not much difference, just cooler winters and more snow. I enjoy fall and all it has to offer, of course less the bugs trying to invade my house for warmth - the faux lady bugs and boxelders. Otherwise, it's my favorite season. We go to a pumpkin patch yearly. The owners have a motto - all kids should have a pumpkin for halloween so no matter the size, they are all a $1. My kids enjoy immensely running the field looking for that perfect pumpkin.

Antiquing sounds fun and your area of the country should have great old finds! I'd love to join you, I love ratting around in junk shops here, you never know what you may find that grabs your interest. I also refinish - I have 6 dining chairs waiting me to finish. I'd thought to cane the seats myself, but I think I will look into finding an Amish in the area to help me there.

LesGet: Well you made smart choices on the veggies and proteins! Have you always lived in FL or did a job bring you there? What do you like about your area?

AM: I should be cleaning the office. I have been putting it off for eternity, but thought I'd pop on here and see what's up. Less time to put food near me or snack when the hands are busy typing.

It's about 72° and breezy w/sun, now if it only stayed that way today. Perfect summer weather for me. But we are to have storms tonight which usually means it will get humid in there somewhere.

My foot is doing a bit better. Lordy, the whole being graceful thing so totally avoided being passed down to me. It seems in life w/my kids I have more broken noses and toes due to their toys and baby gates and them jumping up and down. I will be mighty attractive when they are in their 20s!

Thanks for the fish tips. I aim to find out what works for us.

Oh - does anyone can? I made salsa the other day had some last night w/our chicken last night - very tasty, I think I did well. We have to watch the heat factor because of the kids, but I was pleased.

Hello all! I would love to join your group. I'm Jade, a teacher from AZ. I have tried off and on for ten years to lose weight, but I really got serious about it this summer. I gave up my beloved Coke (the drink, haha) habit (addiction) and cut out sugar (another addiction) as much as possible. I'm focusing on protein, veggies, and fruit with limited carbs. My hubby and I hiked five days a week until school started, and I haven't found any exercise that I am willing to commit to to replace hiking so far. Weight loss has been slow, but fairly steady this time around. I feel soooo much better than I did before. This seems like a great group, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you all.

Welcome desertemerald,

Lemon The surgery got all the cancer I was lucky it was VERY early.

Will post more later on way to the store.

LG

Welcome desertemerald! Sounds like you have had a productive summer. Keep it up! Hopefully you can still find time to enjoy a hike here and there. I gave up Coke, too, just a couple of weeks ago. I also used to joke that it was my beloved, haha. I really loved it but knew it had to go.

LemonThyme- I have always lived in FL, and the rest of the year is fabulous! It's only July and August that are unbearable around here, between the heat, humidity, and mosquitos. By September, we will get some cooler days and occasional breezes, and walking will be actually enjoyable. The best part of living here is you have a lot of scenery choices. You are always pretty close to beaches, forests, parks, cities, etc. I will have a lot of outdoor opportunities when it cools off.

Mam- Glad to hear they got it all!

Jade: Welcome! I am new myself. Good going on the walking all summer long. You will find something to replace your walks. Even if it just means walking in the neighborhood after dinner.

LesGet: That sounds doable weather wise. I know my ILs don't like to go to FL unless it's winter here they think there are too many bugs, but frankly there can be too many bugs wherever you are. What outdoor activity is one you find yourself doing most often since you have the weather that cooperates?

Mam: Hope the shopping was fun. I was to do that today but the walking a big store will have to wait.

AM: Here I sit, my office space is cleaned about 1/2 and still looks like a mess because I am sorting and filing, shredding/saving, recycling so I have piles all around me. My goal is to get this done, dusted, vac'd and shampoo the carpet as the kids are going to the ILs tonight.I am tired of looking at the mess, the room has a door so when company comes and we have the rest of the house looking good this becomes one of the collect all areas. BAD!

Weight wise, after the purge is done cleaning, I will sit with the diet books. I can do the GD diet, but I can't find anything that says how many carbs I should have with each meal. When I was pregnant mine was 30/30/60/15/60/15. Why can't I find something online? Of course maybe I am not looking in the right place? I will read on the mediterranean diet tonight and decide what Monday will bring. Then too, I aim to get on the bike again today. I think the foot will handle it. I don't mind doing 45 minutes of riding, but because I am seated, my seat becomes sore the last 15 minutes partly because it's well, an oversized bike seat with crappy padding. I think too I may try the recumbent elliptical as well. Since the kids will be gone I will get DH to go with me. Woot!

Ok, break's over and I need to get this mess finished and done! Have a wonderful afternoon. My best to all you having a good day.

Hey violets,

How is everyone doing today? Today is my DH"s birthday. So I will be treating him like a kin g today. (but that's nothing new).

Since I have no energy to go shop for something I will make a nice steak dinner for him.

He will get his present when I feel better.

So how is everyone doing? Has anyone else ever wished there was a like button on this site? I have many times when I see something and don't want to post but would like to encourage someone else.

Have a great day violets.

LG