I am so silly. I've been checking the June chat thread and thinking to myself "where is everyone?!" ....when it's been July for over a week.

3 pages of personals means that I have to be a slacker and not respond to them all. But hello and welcome and I look forward to chatting with you!

This past weekend was my cousin's wedding! It was crazy and hectic but still lots of fun. My relatives are loopy. :)
However....plane rides home? AWFUL. Both flights were delayed, so I was in airports/on planes from 10am-10pm.

Not.cool.

And then I came home to find crumbs all over the counters and floor in the kitchen because my roommate is a mess and doesn't clean up after herself. But I didn't want to say anything because she picked me up from the airport.

OOOOOOoooooo happy note: She's about to go out of town for nearly 2 weeks so I can get the kitchen spotless and enjoy having the place to myself!

sgregg: I want to dog-sit...I'm super puppy-deprived with my dog 10,000 miles away. I haven't found a non-creepy way to approach people walking their dogs on the street and ask to pet them yet (being a foreigner in Japan instantly adds +50 to your creep factor).

kat: Thanks! I'll have to poke around on more sites to see if anyone's worn a monitor doing 1st graders...I come out of every 1st grade class exhausted from jumping around so much...I've resorted to taking a laxative 2 or 3 times a week for the same issue >.< It's been about a month since I was regular, so it was starting to get highly uncomfortable. I don't eat a lot of cheese (Japanese cheese is TERRIBLE), but maybe the rice is binding me up...

Ballerina: That totally sounds like something I'd do with the old thread...I'm glad you had fun at the wedding and sorry to hear that your room mate left a mess after a nasty flight home...Flying home for me would take about 20 hours and while I'd like to go visit, I'm not looking forward to doing that any time soon @_@

Katbot - Hopefully, things get moving along soon. I'm sure that coffee will help a good bit. How's your water intake? I know drinking plenty of water helps me. :)

QB - Welcome to July!!! Hahaha!! I used to love the alone time when I was staying with roommates. Enjoy!!

Hotaru - Sorry you miss your pooch! :( We aren't much for dogs, but I wanted to help my friend.

So far the dog-sitting has been going ok. Twilight (the dog) is very sweet and so far has not had an accident in the house. The only thing I'm not enjoying is having to take her out on a leash every few hours. We don't have a fenced-in yard and our yard isn't very safe since we are close to the road. Every animal that we have had has gotten run over, so I can't just let her out on her own. That's getting irritating since I have to do something with my one-year-old while I take the dog out. And the hubby is stressing me out because he doesn't want the dog touching anything of his. He's not a dog person AT ALL. On a good note, Twilight loves DS. And he likes having her around. He takes her outside sometimes, so that helps out a lot.

Okay, it's time for my morning coffee...ugh...I need it. I'm dragging this morning.

sgregg: At least you're getting extra exercise even if it's a hassle to figure out what to do with your kid. Is your son old enough to handle the dog, or do you still need to hold the leash? It would probably make life a lot easier if he could hold the dog and you could push a stroller, but that's probably too convenient to be possible...

Does anyone have any suggestions for short workout videos? I'm doing the 30 day shred now (day 6) and biking, but I'd like something short to do in the morning to wake me up and get me going. I tried a dancing video that I found on youtube yesterday, but I'm not nearly coordinated enough for all the moves, nor do I have the hips and butt that the instructor has...so I just looked silly trying to shake my boy hips >_< Ideally I'd like something 10-15 minutes that wouldn't end in me completely drenched in sweat, but would get the calorie burn started for the day.

Still here!
 

Good morning!

First off Thanks to all who wished me well on the GMAT. But exactly what I expected to happen...happen. I scored terrible, and Im not really mad, because I know I didn’t put in the effort to study as I should. BUT on another note, I have been eating well, I still haven’t been grocery shopping but, it is on the agenda for the weekend and so is the Farmers Market! I have been trying different pre packaged salads, soups and Lean Cuisines. So when I go shopping I will know whats good and what I can buy several of. I ordered Turbo Fire, and have already fit it in my schedule for at least the next couple of weeks. Im determined to find work out time even the I have a spoiled 4 month old! It should be here before Monday and the real jouney shall begin. I plan to continue using MFP, it was very helpful before.

Question? Do You have any favorite Lean Cuisines, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice dinners? If so, what are they?


Hotaruchan- Kudos to you on the shred! I couldn’t get past day 4. I hate the repeating the same thing everyday. Hopefully I find a cure with this Turbo Fire......

sgreeg- Aww, dog sitting ! Sounds fun long as you have a decent dog!

Welcome back, Lisa!

You already got your test results back? O.o that was super fast! Every time I took standardized tests I had to wait between 1 and 3 months to get my results...If you don't have actual numbers in hand, I'm sure you did better than you thought you did...I never felt like I did especially well on the SATs/ACTs/AP tests, but I generally scored in the top 5-10%.

I found what I THINK was a Lean Cuisine chicken, spinach, and artichoke pita once that had to have been about the most delicious diet food I've ever put in my mouth...unfortunately I couldn't seem to find it again after that. :( It was so good...I would have had that for lunch several times a week if I could...

Healthy choice Cafe Steamers are generally pretty good...They tend to be on the pricey side for frozen meals, but I used to find them on sale at Stop & Shop every few weeks...lots of variety and most of them are really tasty. http://www.healthychoice.com/healthy...-cafe-steamers

The 30 day shred is going pretty well...maybe it's the fact that the humidity was lower today than it's been, but there was considerably less sweat than the previous days. I don't think I had much of any until I got to the second cardio set, so that's an improvement for me...I'm more than halfway through the first level, so hopefully I'll finish before I get TOO bored.

hotaruchan Yes, they gave me my pitifull results once clicked complete and a print out . I took it at a pearsons center on the computer. And the Lean Cuisine I had yesterday was ok, but I just wasnt motivated to eat it. Im going to try a few more and some soups. Im glad you are doing well with the shred. I have seen and heard some people getting some really good results with it!

Hotaru - I hate the shred...but it works. I am just not motivated enough to keep up with it. If I had a group of people to do it with, I know it would be totally different. So, kudos to you for keeping up with it!!

Lisa - Sorry about your test results! :(

It has been raining for the last few days. It's great that we are getting the rain, but stinks when you want to go somewhere. Thankfully, it's not bad storms...just rain. We needed it though. The grass was starting to die and it was getting super hot way too early in the season.

Dog-sitting still going ok, although, I'm ready to take the dog back to her home. Haha! She peed in the floor this morning, but that's because I didn't make her stay outside for as long as usual because it's raining. Thankfully, it was on the linoleum so not a big deal to clean up. She's been growling at my one-year-old the past couple of days. That is NOT cool. So, now I'm having to watch them extra close to make sure DD stays away from the dog. She hasn't snapped at her yet, but you never know with animals and babies. The cat doesn't seem to phased by the dog. She doesn't like it, but she's dealing with it.

We got an apartment!!! And it's a character apartment to boot! For only $10 a month more than what we pay for the dingy basement we live in now we're gonna get:

- plastered walls
- granite kitchen counters
- glass paned kitchen cabinets
- a built-in breakfast nook with storage under the seats next to a giant window in the kitchen (the window actually juts out the side of the building and the nook is built into it, so the window actually partially surrounds the nook itself, if you're sitting deep in you can see a 270 view of the outside)
- a claw foot soaker tub!
- a fireplace!
- really neat vintage crystal light fixtures
- hardwood flooring throughout
- 10ft ceilings

It's also located downtown so we're close to all the night life. The building is a heritage building so the Canadian government actually subsidizes your rent if you get accepted to live there. It used to be an old dormitory for medical students in the 30's. The only down sides are no AC and it's way far from any grocery stores. But the building itself is so pretty. When you enter it you have to climb a giant staircase that splits off into two smaller spiral staircases that lead into the wings where the apartments are located. It's so fancy looking I feel snobby just walking around there.

We take possession August 1st

hotaruchan Have you tried the Walk Away The Pounds DVDs?

lisa Here are some of the ones I like (but I'm not a big meat eater)
Lean Cuisine:
-cheddar potatoes with broccoli is by far my fav!
-pizza, especially the mushroom one and the roasted veggie one.
-snacks with pita bread (but I'd have to eat veggies with them to fill me up for a meal)
-garlic chicken spring rolls (another nice snack/light meal)
-Salisbury steak
-3 cheese stuffed rigatoni
-Asiago cheese tortelloni
-mushroom tortelloni

Healthy Choice:
-portabello mushroom risotto
- various tortellini meals

Smart Ones
-chicken quesadilla
-mini cheeseburgers (especially with some pickle slices on it and some mustard!)

wow....this is turning into quite the list....basically, if it was something without meat or fish I've probably had it. haha I think out of the three, Smart Ones has the most meals that I like.

katbot that's AWESOME news about the apartment! It sounds very cool. I'm dreading the possible apartment hunt I'll have later on this year. Seems like so many of the apartments around here have horrible reviews!

It's been a very.very.very long week. It's Thursday and I've already worked so much. By the end of the day tomorrow I'll have worked at least 52 hours! But the $$ is nice! :) I'm going to start putting away some of my overtime money into a money jar for clothes when I reach my goal weight.

Anyone have fun weekend plans?

This weekend I'm planning on meeting up with a few friends and having a movie night on Friday. I'm gearing up to have some fun with my coworkers and family for my birthday on Monday. :)

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...01478765_n.jpg

Ok, saw this on someone's facebook page (hope the picture works!) and I love this!
One jar with "pounds to go" marbles, and one with "pounds lost." I'm a very visual person. This is right up my alley!

Lisa: Aww...sorry to hear that. The good news is that you can always take it again when you're better prepared. All of these new-fangled gadgets...*shakes cane at kids and yells for them to get off of my lawn*

Kat: That sounds AWESOME. My shoebox of an apartment and I are jealous. :)

Ballerina: ...I have not. I'll have to look into it (though walking is hardly any more enjoyable to me than running. It gets boring really fast unless I'm walking somewhere in particular.) Also, the stone jars are a great idea! If I had somewhere to put them (again, shoebox apartment) I'd be all over that idea...

Originally Posted by Quiet Ballerina:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...01478765_n.jpg

Ok, saw this on someone's facebook page (hope the picture works!) and I love this!
One jar with "pounds to go" marbles, and one with "pounds lost." I'm a very visual person. This is right up my alley!

Everytime I see that it reminds me I want to do that, it's so cool and a great visual

Sadface...I think I officially have to stop wearing my 10th Doctor pinstripe pants...

They never actually fit me per say (they're a 14 and somehow I made it up to halfway between 12 and 14 at my high) but I bought them anyway because I'm obsessed with David Tennant and his swanky dark brown and blue pinstriped suit...I wore them to school today and the belt was so much smaller than the waist that they ballooned out at the crotch and made me look like a clown. RIP, my subtly nerdy pants...I enjoyed our time together immensely.

hotaruchan I recommended the walk away the pounds DVDs because they will probably fall into the category of "not get you very sweaty."

I've been a little extra stressed this week, so I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Going to get in some exercise and cleaning and improve my mood. New semester starts next week (non-traditional schedule) so I want to get a jump start on things with that too.

Bought my marble jars at Target today!!
Also got a dry-erase calendar that is going to be my school/workout calendar. Will hang right over my desk so I see it ALL.THE.TIME. :)

Quiet Ballerina That is an awesome visual! And thanks for the frozen dinner input, I will be trying some them!

Katbot That sounds like an awesome place! Congrats!

TGIF! Whooo hoooo,Im so happy to see FRIDAY! Going to the Farmers Market tomorrow morning. It’s like my treat! I haven’t been in a few weeks, and I’m excited to get to some of my favorite vendors! Turbo Fire is on a FedEx truck as I type! I really hope I can keep up. Although, being honest I don’t not plan to exercise 6 days a week. I’m just won’t lie to myself about that. Also working on a grocery list. I have to stay on budget. I don’t know if this applies to anyone else but shopping for a healthy lifestyle is more expensive for me.

Soooo I left you all in the dark with that teasing comment about black rice. Well we cooked it like normal rice (just took twice as long) and had it with curry I think, it was good, tasted like wild rice. Fun to cook too, made the water purple :D

Other news- wedding planning is coming along. Getting a bit stressed that we havent planned much lately, but if I can get the invitations decided on and the hair and make up investigations going this weekend, then I'll be a bit happier. And we met with the cake person a couple of weeks ago so thats all sorted too. Must get onto the flowers too though. And the bridesmaids dresses. And the plan for the day! Arg!!

I really have to get back into eating and working out too. Eating is good during the day, but its the after dinner snacking that is ruining things I think. And getting up at 5am when it is freezing is really hard too! But I will try extra hard this week and see how I go.

Lisa- I find that eating a healthy lifestyle is actually cheaper! Maybe snacks and things are more expensive...and I find I have to plan a bit more, because when you are buying fresh stuff of course its going to go off faster...but overall, I do find it cheaper. Especially since we are eating less meat. But maybe thats just a New Zealand thing, since we do grow a lot of stuff as on of our main industries. Mind you, most gets exported. I dunno :(

hotaru- thats so sad! Cant you alter the pants?

katbot- that apartment sounds so exciting! Will the lack of AC be a problem? Most places here dont have AC. Some people have heat pumps/wall mounted aircon things, but thats definitely not the norm. Its more seen as a luxury. The rest of us just sweat and freeze :D

Hey everyone!! I did it!! I made it under 200.. by .3 lbs.. hey.. its under! 199.7 this morning! I'm so happy!!

So that was a socializing fail. I totally ignored the thread for like, the last 13 days. Sorry!

In that 13 days I've gotten a gym membership. And actually gone to the gym! I can't wait to go back... I'm going to be starting a weightlifting plan by Jamie Eason. Only problem is.... I don't know my way around the gym at ALL. So. Yeah. I'm kind of a dumb noob when it comes to lifting heavy things.

krystalb - Welcome to Onederland! Congrats :D

Its almost time!
 

Yes everything is in order! Turbo Fire has arrived, i went grocery shopping and spent way too much! I'm choosing to make Mondays my wi day. It works better for me. I think I may need to invest in a new scale as well..

. krystalb Woot woot congratz
. Iconised Ghost lucky you, I went shopping yesterday and went over by 50 dollars!

Hiya chicas ;)

long time no see. i do believe i know about 3 people on this thread. lol. last time i was on here was in January i believe, and here i am again... *sigh* although i live in Tokyo now and am a MUCH happier person than i was at my old place :)

anyways, today, after months and months of sloth and lethargy, i dusted off my 30DS and did it again... it was hard. really hard. like, i had to pause it and sit down to catch my breath. i've never ever done that before and i felt so ashamed and embarrassed that this is what i've become.... but anyways, i did it, and i was good foodwise today, and i'm gonna do it again tomorrow.

i'm on summer vacation now and wanna lose ten pounds before the end of summer (to get started... :p) so i'm really looking forward to your support and encouragement... and news and gossip of course.

see ya

Hey everyone!

Yet again I have dropped off the face of the earth. Work has been crazy busy since I'm still trying to get used to everything. With all of that, I haven't been eating that well and haven't really been exercising. Also with all of the stressful things that had happened in June, I had to stop Insanity. So....I'm starting it back up....all the way from the beginning. And I'm getting up at 5 to do it because that's the only time I know that I can fit it in, and will actually do it.

Last sunday was my 9 year anniversary with my boyfriend, and we did a 5K together called The Color Run. The run was SO much fun!! It took a couple days for me to get all of the color out of my hair and ears. I also had to vigorously scrub my skin to get all of the color off! I will totally do it again.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38.../colorrun2.jpg

I didn't go through everything, so I will be playing catch up for now. Have a good week everyone!

lisa You're welcome! I try not to get too many of the cheese dishes (which is hard since I don't like the meat ones much..haha) but recently I went to the store and got a couple lean cuisines spaghetti with meat sauce/marinara sauce. Oh! And I LOVE their egg rolls with rice dish. The egg roll gets a little soggy when you microwave it, but it's still tasty. It's a great substitute for when I want to order Chinese.

With me, when grocery shopping, I try really hard to make a list. Today I'm going to the store mainly for veggies and fruit. It'll somewhat depend on what looks good, but for veggies I want to get:
-cucumber, celery, bell peppers, a sweet potato (i have carrots already)
and for fruit:
-grapes, cherries, strawberries, pineapple, apples

I have my tupperware containers all cleaned, and I plan on packing up the veggies and fruit into containers so I can easily grab them before work in the morning. Between work and school, it helps me tons if I plan in advance. So on Sundays I try to pack lunch options for Mon, Tues, & Wed. Then on Wed I can pack for Thurs & Fri (and go to the store again if I need to).

(But I'm also a little type A and love organizing).

Ghost So exciting that the plans are coming along! I want to ask questions but I don't want to stress you out. :)
When I read the part about it being cold I had to remind myself of where you're located--it's hot here!

kystal Congratulations!!

Laney Awesome! You'll learn your way around. Don't be afraid to ask. I once couldn't figure out how to turn on the elliptical machine....duh....you just start peddling.... haha

Kawaii Welcome back! I remember you from other threads I think.

Samma Tell us more about color run! What is it?

A very productive weekend for myself! I've done a TON of dishes, washed some clothes & towels, mopped the kitchen floor, made some awesome tortilla soup http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/soup...illa-soup.html that is spicy and delicious and has lots of veggies (next time I want to add in even more veggies). Hung up some stuff on my wall (Calendar for school/working out, dry erase board for school too) and...yeah. Lots of stuff. :) It's been a great weekend.

samma: omg, waking up at 5... you are brave. good luck. that race thing sounds crazy. lol. but i'm glad you had fun :)

ballerina: how are you? glad you had a good weekend :) tortilla soup sounds awesome.

Hi everyone,

It is so good to see some old and new faces. :) I came here in January for a little while, and I think I'm ready to come back. I have lost six pounds, completed my first 5K in over a decade (walked it, working on the running, lol) and have been working out five to seven days a week for the past three weeks. :)

I'm not going to lie, the past six months have been pretty hellish. My parents' and my relationship has been rocky for years and I have come back to and left my parents' house (and 3FC) so many times I've lost count. Fortunately, I decided finally to make amends for good and leave my boyfriend's house. My relationship with my parents is not terrific, I'll admit, but I'm a lot more open-minded and willing to accept that I might remember some parts of my life differently than my family, but it doesn't necessarily have to destroy our relationship. :)

As for my boyfriend and I, we're doing fantastic, we celebrated our one-year anniversary in May and we have been trying to lose weight together. He is doing fantastic, he has lost 23 pounds and is at a healthy weight now. We have traded our usual eating dates for walking and mini-golf, and last Sunday we went to the zoo. :) We are not engaged yet, both of us lost our cars in a hailstorm and bought new cars, and right now car payments are our top priority, lol. Still, I'm loving my sweet new ride. :)

Kawaii- Welcome back!!

Samma- The color run looks like fun! :) I have recently started doing 5K's again and am looking for some unique ones to do. And congrats on your 9-year! :)

Krystal- Way to go! :)

QB- I love those mason jars with the pounds lost and gained! I will have to try some of those myself. Are the letters just rub-on transfers like you get at the craft shop?

Well, I've totally talked your ears off, no doubt. :) Have a wonderful day everybody!

Samma man that looks fun! Even with running involved, and believe me, it takes a lot to get me excited about running.

QB I'm going to try that soup! The fiance LOVES soups and is always eager to try new ones.

Namaste Welcome back! I can sympathize with bad parental relationships, mine were so smothering and controlling that I had to move out on the sly, finding a place in secret with my then boyfriend now fiance and slowly moving my things out of the house. I told them I was going when I was already mostly moved out and they kicked me out on the street in my PJs (it was in the morning at the breakfast table, my dad was screaming at me for not dumping my bf because he was poor and skinny and not muscular, so I told him I'm moving out). I had to come back with the cops that night to get the rest of my things. There's STILL stuff I haven't gotten back a year later, although our relationship is on the mend....they've even invited the fiance and me over for Christmas and agreed to help pay for, but not come to, our wedding

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I signed the papers for our new apartment today! EEEEE I'm so excited!! Only 2 weeks till we move in, 3 weeks till the fair rolls in and I get to go with my fiance AT NIGHT (last year I was still living with my parents and they only let me go in the daytime because they thought the night time would be too dangerous) I can't wait to see all the lights on the rides! In 4 weeks it's time for Vegas(!) and in 7 weeks university starts up again! Wow this summer went by so fast. I hope to have hit Onederland by the time school starts up again, there was this one guy at my job (I'm a volunteer co-ordinator at our health center) who would always crack little fat jokes about me and talked to all the other girls but avoided me because I was "scary". I want to come back healthier to avoid that kind of thing happening again.

namaste Welcome back! Glad to hear things are settling down/getting better for you. That's fantastic! The jars in the picture aren't mine, they were on someone's facebook. For the jars I'm making, I bought letter stickers. I think I'm going to put the stickers on a piece of paper and tape the paper to the jars. That way I can re-use the jars for other things later on (when I'm at goal!) :)

Katbot Great! I really enjoyed it. A lot of the ingredients can be added or subtracted, depending upon your tastes. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mexi...0000001571541/ This was the basic recipe that I used for my soup, but I really wanted to blend the ingredients to make it smooth. I think next time I make it I might try and blend in some beans for extra protein. I don't like the texture of them regularly, but I think the soup will help hide them.

....I'll stop rambling about my soup now. :) Haha

Started my new semester tonight. I'm SO excited because my instructor for Monday nights is one I had for a different class and he's fantastic.

Hey y'all. I'm still around...just busy. I plan on catching up in the AM. Hope everyone is doing well!

namaste: hey. looks like we're coming back at the same time:) looks like things are going pretty good for you. nice to hear.

kabot: wow, your relationship with your folks sounds harsh :( but i'm glad things are going well with your man and congrats on the new apartment.

ballerina: yay for awesome teacher. that helps a lot with would be boring classes :)

sgregg: HEY :D

hiya guys, not too much to report with me... i'm on vacation and everyone else i know is at work so it's kinda boring. also bf is super busy these days cuz it's the end of the semester for him (school in japan is weird) and he's just going crazy with all these final projects he has to do and he has no time to see me and it sucks. i'm trying to better myself at being patient, but let's just say it's not my stronger suit. haha...

anyhoo. i'm still kinda in pain from having started to exercise again, and not too in the mood to do my 30DS today, but i gotta smack myself in the bootie and do it (since i've got nothing else to do anyways). at least yesterday i was able to finish the d*mn thing...

hope everyone is having a nice tuesday :) (or will, after they wake up :p )

I haven't ever joined the monthly chat threads, but now seems as good a time as any to start!

I've finally decided it's time to readjust my thinking and eating habits after a few months of not being conscious enough of my consumption. I've been lifting weights and doing speedwalking but since I've also been eating too many calories I've been seeing a slow creep-up in the scale from 85kg in December to 92.2kg the other day (leveled out at 90.8 this morning).

It's hotter than balls in my Japan right now; 34ºC with humidity that makes it feel like I'm swimming. Three more days until summer vacation; I feel like the wait is going to kill me.

kahokkuri: i'm with you on the heat... i don't think i wanna go outside today... lol.

I'd like to third hating the weather in Japan right now...today I got the added pleasure of having to ride my bike home 5k in a thunderstorm...which was occurring simultaneously with blue skies and sun. W. T. F. Even that wouldn't have been horrible if not for the fact that A) the rain is NEVER vertical like normal rain in Gunma and B) motorists are complete d-bags. I literally sat at a crosswalk for more than 5 minutes while people flew by splashing me in the nice little puddle (read: miniature lake) that had formed in it. More than one of them actually had the audacity to point and laugh at the stupid gaijin out in the rain. Between that and my schools serving up complete BS and giving me absolutely no respect (extra classes, f-ing with my start time despite being reprimanded by their BoE multiple times for it...so I may or may not get paid for what I worked, cancelled classes, being told that it's more important to give the kids study hall for the rest of the summer and field day practice when they come back than hold English class), I came home and cried.

To make matter worse, I also apparently am up half a kilogram from my morning weigh-in despite feeling physically ill from the weather and barely eating anything at all. Such a horrible day...I'm so tempted to call it quits and just go scarf down katsudon until I can't feel feelings anymore...

hotaruchan: awww :hug: sorry you had a bad day hun... but it's JET, they can't not pay you. and it's your BoE that pays you and not your school so let's stop that bullcrap right there, eh? i dunno how long you've been here but you just gotta let that stuff just wash over your back and just nod your head.... some stuff here is ridiculous and makes no sense and trying to fight against it just ends up making you frustrated and miserable. it's almost summer vacation so you'll get a breather soon. as for the weight stuff, it's completely normal to weigh more at the end of the day than at the beginning. don't let it get to you. you shouldn't weigh yourself more than once a day anyways, and it should ideally be around the same time everyday.

hang in there <3

Nope, not JET...I'm with a private company. And the issue is that the BoE pays me, but the communication between the school and the BoE is absolute crap. For example, the BoE told them about a month ago that they WOULD NOT change my contract, so stop scheduling me for first period (I told them I wouldn't mind changing since it's a pain in the butt having to hang out for an hour after classes are over to finish my contract time, but they didn't want to rewrite and told my company that they'd have an issue paying if my time sheets didn't match contract time exactly). The school had me come in an hour early today because 5th grade had a math test during English that they wouldn't reschedule then looked at me like I had 4 heads when I tried to leave an hour early to make up for it...not that I had anything to do for an hour anyway.

It's a pain because one of my schools is a model school...they let me know if there are changes, make every effort not to HAVE changes, and generally seem to make English a priority since they realize I'm only there twice per week...my other two treat me like dirt, and it's really been getting to me lately. This week is the last week of classes, but I'm "on call" to do I don't even know what for another 2 weeks after then 2 weeks before the semester starts again...

Silly me, I figured since I'd biked 10 km and not eaten much, the scale might be a pick-me-up after having such an awful day. Nope.

Hotaru: I've heard from many people that teaching English in Japan often lands you as a sort of 'second class citizen' amongst the teachers, I remember meeting an English professor from UTokyo in a train on the way to Ueno that complained of similar issues in his department. So, maybe take heart in knowing you're not alone in your plight?

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Today is gonna be so busy! Have to run around downtown filling out forms to get the power switched over to our name and then see about intertubes and phone for our new apartment. I also need to buy gift wrap for the gift I bought my mom, she turns 50 today! Then, gotta rush back and get ready to go to dinner with my parents. This doesn't seem like THAT much to do, but we don't have a car so it's at least a couple of hours of walking to get to all these locations. Not to mention that we need to find what the best option is for the phone for our apartment (we need a phone to attach our intercom and security buzzer to) we might bundle a landline and net together, or simply get a cheapo cellphone if the savings on the net isn't worth the landline.

Good morning, 3FC-ers! :)

Man, I got a lot of catching up to do!

Katbot - The apartment sounds AWESOME! I have heard of places up north not having A/C. I think it's funny. Down here you could die of heat stroke in your house...seriously. It has happened to some senior citizens who could not afford to run their their A/C or get one repaired. Anyway, sounds great anyway! And you'll get lots of exercise going up those stairs...don't buy too many groceries at one time though...whew! Haha!

QB - I love the visual "pounds lost" idea! I may have to do something like that to give myself more motivation. Thanks for sharing!

lisa - Speaking of farmer's market, I bought some veggies at the flea market this past weekend and woohoo they were good. :D What veggies did you buy? I got purple hull peas and okra. And yes, eating healthy is very expensive for me too.

Icon - When is the actual day?? Maybe you have said, but I can't remember or I didn't see it.

Krystal - Woohoo! :carrot: Good job!! Keep up the hard work!!

Laneyy - I don't know anything about lifting weights either. Keep us updated!

Kawaii - HEY!! Glad to see you back!! :D :hug: :wave:

Samma - The color run looks like it was lots of fun! I wish they would do stuff like that around here. Anyway, good job on waking up so early! Kudos to you!!

Namaste - Good to see you again!

Kahokkuri - Welcome to the chat thread!! And I feel you on the pain...it's super hot in Mississippi right now.

Hotaru - Sorry about your work situation. :( :hug:

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As for me, well, I've been busy with kids and other things. I had a Pampered Chef party this past Sunday. It was lots of fun. I love Pampered Chef stuff. Also, I talked to the principal at the school that I'm going to be teaching at and he said that I may be teaching science instead of English since I'm certified in both. I'm happy with that. I actually prefer science over English.

I've also started couponing a little bit. Hittin' up those sales at CVS. I bought toothpaste yesterday and only paid 36 cents for 2 boxes! Woohoo!

Anyway, the diet has been horrible. I'm telling you...I lack the motivation to do anything. I'm just trying to eat normal and not over-do it right now. I think when I start working full-time it will be easier to manage because I won't be sitting at home all day with the kids.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

Hotaru- Sorry to hear about the bummer day and work in general. I hope things start looking up for you soon.

Kat- Sorry to hear about your relationship with your parents. My mom has fibromyalgia and depression, and is sometimes a difficult person to live with. Because I am in the process of changing careers and got laid off from my job about three months ago, I am in a bit of a financial pinch and am living with my parents until I finish college (for the second time). I don't love the current situation, but it isn't so bad. I am glad you're in the process of mending the relationship with your parents, and I hope things continue to get better.

Sgregg- Hiya! Good to see you again too! :)

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Today's been a good day for me. I have been trying to motivate myself to go grocery shopping after doing some yoga and an abbrievated workout (about a mile walk, 15-20 minutes on the weights). I didn't know how rusty I was on my yoga, and adding a shirt that was too low cut for yoga didn't help. :/ Ah well, next time, no tank tops. :D

I have decided to do some vegan cooking to cut down the costs of buying premade food. :) I have this awesome fruit medley of frozen strawberries, mangoes, and bananas, and I really want to make a vegan smoothie out of it. My mom has this industrial-strength blender (she keeps breaking the other ones, lol, and my dad got this one for her a few years) and I am ready to tackle it. I also am going to make some rice spaghetti and marinara sauce (yes, it is vegan) for dinner tonight. So hopefully it will turn out okay. :)

Well, I will be back later in the day, I will definitely post some pics if I ever get this stuff cooked, lol. Take care!

@namaste that sounds delicious! Maybe I'll make some pasta soon too!

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So, like I said, we went around hooking up our services today. We ended up getting the landline as it got us a better deal on nets to do so....and....since we're definitely not what you'd call normal people, we came home and bought a phone for the new land line....not just any phone, a black porcelain vintage style phone.....

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...3/3fe61b60.jpg

This phone.

It's not actually rotary, the buttons are push tone. I figured since we're living in a character apartment from the 30's, we should keep up with the decor...also, most of our 'good' furniture which isn't second hand or ikea is in a colonial style, so this phone will match them.

Bleh, sorry to have vented guys. I'm happy to say that I was at least good and didn't binge (as much as I wanted to) I ate an avacado and went to bed. I know that it's not uncommon for ALTs to be treated like crap, it's just entirely frustrating when the teachers tell me after every class that I've done an awesome job of putting the lessons together and that they think the students really had fun then treat me like dirt once their assigned class period is over.

sgregg: Yay science!

kat: I love that phone...I wish that I lived somewhere classy enough for a phone like that.