August chat thread.
 

Happy August people. Let's do our best ok? :D

In life issues my life currently sucks. My crush told me last night that if he doesn't find a job by October he is leaving the country forever. I was already depressed because I can't find a job either so this kind of destroyed me last night. :(

Also I got into a fight with my best friend last night. We were at a cafe and we were having a conversation about boys and relationships last night and she just turned around and told me "unless you lose the rest of your weight and do a tummy-tuck you will never find a guy". Now seriously!!!! How could she say that? We have been friends for 15 years and recently she has started to become very aggressive with me. I just turned around and told her "But I had boyfriends on my highest weight!" and she turned and said "Well before you were a tight fat person, now you're a wobbly fat person.?"

Needless to say I got super angry and told her that if she has self-image issues she should not project them on me (She is one of those skinny girls that always comments that she is fat). She called me a b*tch and I reminded her that I only get b*tchy when provoked. So to get things short we had a huge fight and I left the cafe.

Anyway the beginning of our thread got to be a venting post. I am sorry.

Where weight loss is regarded I lost a kilo this week breaking the plateau :carrot:and started doing some nice difficult yoga moves.

Aww...sorry to hear that your month is off to such a rough start :hug:

Guy issues always suck, and I'm sorry that your friend was so disrespectful to you...that's waaay out of line. You've made amazing progress and she has no business undermining all the hard work you've put in by telling you that you need surgery to be attractive. Bull. From your avatars, you're flat-out gorgeous. Don't let her get to you. Congrats on losing your kilo! It's great that you at least have some good news to help balance out the nasty parts.

My month's off to an iffy start too (though I've also had awesome luck with the scale so far, surprisingly enough)...today was the last day at school before summer break, and it was 38 Celsius in the staff room with the fans on...then the electricity went out. I ran out of even the most mind-numbing busy work before lunch time and sat there doodling and staring at the clock for 3 hours after. Then I went to go home and realized that both of my bike tires had popped. I went to the store where I bought the bike and got 2 new tires and tubes. Last time I needed a new tire, they were very nice and installed it free of charge. This time they told me that they'd need to send it to the factory...where they'd charge more than double the price of the tires for standard issue ones (I'd splurged and gotten the pop-resistant ones since this is the second time I'd had an issue in 4 months) and I wouldn't get it back for more than 10 days. As my bike is my only reasonable mode of transportation that just wasn't going to cut it. So I brought the tires home and spent 3 1/2 hours installing the back one and lining the gears and chain up properly. Thankfully one of my neighbors (who I've never even talked to) spotted me struggling and offered an extra pair of hands. I'm going to have to make him dinner or something as thanks. That was really sweet of him. It was completely dark by the time I finished, so I'll have to skip my bike ride tonight and replace the front tire in the morning. Oh well. At least it's vacation time now...

serenity - sorry to hear about all that rough stuff! Best friends can either be so awesome or such *******s! I get frustrated at my best friend because I'll say things like "I lost 20 lbs" and he'll say "really? I didn't notice" ... which is pretty defeating. But your friend was super disrespectful. Once the heat calms down from the fight you should tell her it hurt you so much, and why... but calmly.

hotaruchan - bummer about your bike! I hate it when that stuff happens... are you teaching english in japan?

My month has been rough so far too! haha My fiance is in China visiting family and I'm in Canada. We try and talk everyday but it's gotten progressively more difficult. Last week he very ... gently... started talking to me about my weight. It turned really emotional because I'm so insecure. It ended up, over the course of 3 or 4 days up till this morning, really spiraling out of control. We almost broke up, not just over the weight thing but because he feels disconnected (but we decided it was from being apart for 3 months) and a bunch of other stuff. So I've basically been up every night fighting with my fiance, trying to save my relationship ... and waking up every morning afraid that he's met someone new in China or something ridiculous. It's all been super stressful. However, I think we got to a better place. I guess it's good that he brought up my weight because now I have some more motivation to lose it... it's just really hard when that one person you thought loved every inch of yu no matter what... doesn't! He said he doesnt care if I never lose it, he just thinks it would be healthier and that I'd be more attractive... sigh.

Aww man...August is sucking so far. Sorry to hear about the problems with your fiance, Katiekish, but it's good that you're turning it into something positive and using it as motivation. I know how bad the long distance thing is...I'm in Japan (yes, teaching English) and my boyfriend is back home in the US. We've been apart for 5 months and it's really rough. On the other hand, him not seeing me will make it a bigger surprise when I'm actually normal-ish sized next time he sees me. My boyfriend is silly and insisted that I was "tiny" from the start, but in the past he's dated much bigger girls. He's admitted that he prefers a few extra pounds, but also realizes how uncomfortable I am in my own skin, so luckily for me he's been very supportive.

Know what's awkward? Taking a step and having an earthquake at the same time. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD STOP HAPPENING WHEN I LOST WEIGHT TT^TT I kid...I suppose the one good thing about this awful section of Japan is that the earthquakes are, while still pretty numerous, very mild. I think the worst we've had since I've been here was a 4, which was only enough to knock a few things off of my shelves and wake me up at 3 am.

Hey people!

Thankfully the last 3 weeks I've maintained my weight despite eating terribly and not doing any exercise. I have been active socialising, preparing to move to Japan (I've done a lot of walking around!) and generally chilling out before the madness of moving to another country/finding a job kicks in.

I've pretty much done all my packing, I've just got to pack the things that I'll be using in the next 4 days but I've put a lot of my things into storage, put aside all my winter clothes to be sent another time. I JUST WANNA MOVE NOW! I feel like I'm just sitting around waiting now. Which I am technically.

I can't wait to see my boyfriend, it's going to be lovely having him waiting on the other side to meet me. We finally get to live in the same country again!

Hi ladies!

So my August started out with a bang with all my moving (if you haven't read about my moving escapades that happened between the 30th and 31st, they are here: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/4424403-post128.html )

Now we're just trying to get things set up in the apartment while still juggling work and (very scant) finances. The major problem in this apartment is the lack of storage - we've filled the bedroom closet and a chest of drawers and there was still clothes overflow into an overhead storage I wanted to use for linens, so we need to buy an armoire for our coats and winter stuff. The kitchen has lots of cupboards but they need shelving in them - right now it like one giant rectangular area inside the cupboard and that's not cutting it for dry good storage, it ends up in a heap.

The scale still hates me, but my pants fit looser so I'm guessing torn muscles swelling to recover are to blame. It's depressing though because I feel like I'm not progressing!

serenity i think you definitely handled your friend in the absolute best way. very mature of you. nobody who is a friend of yours should talk to you like that.

seems like everyone else is so busy this month! luckily, i don't have much going on so i can try and focus on getting/staying on track. i still fall victim to bad food that my boyfriend brings in though :(

Hi everyone! I'm new to the monthly thread so I hope nobody minds if I join in. :)

serenity: I'm sorry to hear about your friend. It's rough when fights break out with people we care about. I hope everything works out between you too.

Riestrella: Japan sounds so exciting! What part are you moving to? (Sorry if you've already answered this question)

Katbot: Congrats on the new apartment!

As for me. August has been pretty boring so far and I'm liking it that way. School starts up again at the end of August and I'm definitely not looking forward to it.

I think i am developing an allergy to one of my favorite foods.. eggplant..:(
Last time i ate a bunch my mouth was in pain because my teeth hurt from my gums swelling, and I wasn't sure if it was from the eggplant. Today when i had some i felt the roots of my teeth begin to hurt and my cheeks were slightly swollen... :(

Hotaruchan- Oh man... I don't think I could handle 5 months apart. But you'll likely be apart for a year, right? Are you doing the JET program? I had a 2 day stop over in Tokyo this summer and would LOVE to go back.

Its great that your boyfriend is so supportive. It's always nice when the ex's were bigger, too. My fiances only ex girlfriend is a freaking twig... and one of those girls that shows off her body WAY too much... so she was always all over facebook with her boobs and stomach hanging out everywhere. grr.

Now that I've had a few days I'm glad my fiance piped up about it. I mean, he doesn't hate my body and he thinks I'm gorgeous..etc... but he says he'd be more attracted to my bod if I lost some weight. What better motivation? BUT his belly is growing too so it also gave me the chance to say "hey babe... maybe look in the mirror". :) So we've agreed to become one of those couples that works out together and looks wonderful doing it.

Riestrella - Why are you moving to Japan??

Katbot - congrats on the new apartment. moving can be soooo stressful!

Hello everyone! This is my first time joining the conversation...

Fisr of all I'd like to comment on the first post;
serenity: I read your post with my mouth on the ground!!! That is absolutely crazy! There are some poeple who can only be friends with you if they feel you are at a disadvantage. Her "aggressive" attitude is probably in direct correlation to your success. Good for you for leaving! Don't look back!

katiekish: My husband and I spent a year living in a long distance situation when we were dating and let me tell you, it sucks! What people say and how they say it takes on a whole different meaning. It's a lot of effort but it's doable (obviously). You just both must be resolved to the fact that there will be no failing! We went through some very rough times, but in the end we are so much stronger for it!

Riestrella: I just moved accross the country at the end of June and I totally get that feeling where you're just waiting for it... The best part about moving to a drastically different location is that it always feels like a fresh start! SO it must be soo exciting for you!!!

My August, surprisingly, has also been challenging so far. I think I'm coming off the high that was July, which for me personally was a super successful month. I lost 18lbs, and I was very productive -- but come August it just felt like I wouldn't be able repeat that kind of success again. So without actually having "messed up", I got all depressed. (It's nuts, I know!) Anyway, I tried to take my own advice and "behave my way to success", so I excercised despite not wanting to, and maintained true to my diet, and today I feel better. The scale didn't move, but I guess that could also be a good thing because it didn't go up (which is usually what happens when I get depressed -- because when I get depressed I usually binge, which I didn't do in the last few days).

katiekitsh: when my bestfriend and her now husband were dating he flat out told her that he thinks she isn't attractive. " But that's ok, cause I love you" So, I think your fiance did a much better job than her's..

Can I do a little rant about my guy problems?
So I was dating this guy for like 5 months, which is sadly my longest relationship. But I am still in school and will be for another almost 2 years. He is in a high stress job and is now traveling. He is gone for 4 days a week and then works the next day in the home state office. And then needs time for himself and time with his friends. (which I totally understand, I like my time too) Before we had met I told myself that I didn't want anything serious until I graduated. (I have had a terrible time with school and didn't want the distraction.) Well anyways we met and I couldn't help not wanting to try. But our schedules clashed so much that we decided to take a brake. However, this is the first relationship that I have had "bedroom time" (tmi?) (my other bfs would tell me that it's a sin and after making out they would tell me how bad and horrible it was, they tore my self-esteem apart) And no one wants to give that up. and we ended on good terms. So after 2 weeks of trying to ignore eachother we gave in. We aren't dating like we were, it's not a serious thing. But I miss the bfgf aspect of it.. And I know I shouldn't feel like he doesn't like me, because he does. He is just so drained. He has said several times that he has to remind himself to breathe because everything is just going so fast. We were watching tv the other night and he fell asleep like 5 minutes in. and then keep jerking awake. I know this is my choice to be in this type of relationship. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel for both of us. (his boss said his schedule should lighten up around the time I should graduate)

He and I are working out together, separately too!

Rie: Great job maintaining! I'm sure it'll be time for you to leave before you know it. It must be awesome knowing that, even if you haven't found a job yet, you have someone waiting to meet you...I still have no friends >.< On the plus side, I contacted a JET coordinator (I'm with a private company, katiekish) and he apologized for the other JETs being rude about events and assured me that I was perfectly welcome. They're having a beer garden get together at the end of the month to welcome new JETs and I'm definitely going to try to meet people.

Katbot: It's always rough for the first few weeks in a new place getting used to things...do you have a Goodwill nearby? I've had decent luck finding furnishings there, and if money is tight you might be able to find something cheap since everything's used.

Daily: I think I might have a mild allergy to eggplant and walnuts...If I just have a little bit, I don't seem to have a problem. But about half the time if eggplant parm's for dinner, I get canker sores and swollen gums. Try some Anbesol.

Katiekish: Glad to hear that things are working out with you and your fiance :)

1yr: Don't give up! 18 lbs is AMAZING. Even if you don't hit that high of a number again this month, it's not a failure at all. Just try to keep on track. Keep your chin up...if you don't match your number from last month, it's not failing, it's still progress.

Beahawkins: Just keep focusing on the light. If you're still both busy, staying on hiatus might not be a bad plan. You can re-evaluate when you have more free time and less stress so that you can really focus on enjoying each other's company.

LadyBug - I'm moving to a city called Tachikawa in the Tokyo prefecture. I'm living with my boyfriend to begin with then moving to my own place when I find a job.

katie - I'm moving to Japan for multiple reasons. I think one of the biggest is that my boyfriend lives there. But the main personal reason is because I just don't see my future in England. There's not much opportunity here and I want an adventure, I want to live and experience a new culture and challenge myself.

1yr - Yeah, I'm really excited to get going with that fresh start! Wow 18 lbs in one month is AMAZING! Well done! Don't beat yourself up over the future, just live for each day and do the best you can. You don't have to keep winning and setting new records each month, even 1 lb off is 1 lb gone forever. Well done for working out, I need some of that inspiration!

Hotaru - Hmm, why do you think you don't have friends? Are there no ALTs in your area?

Not really...I'm out in the middle of nowhere. There's supposedly 3 or 4 others in JET/from other companies at the middle and high schools, but I haven't spotted them anywhere and in any case don't have any way to contact them since I don't even know their names. Gunma is an awful place to live, particularly since I don't have a car.

Edit: I did make ONE friend, but he started making unwelcome advances so I've been ignoring him. Occasionally one of my JTEs invites me to hang out with her family, but I don't want to impose (also, she and her husband are in their 50s and their son is 16, so it would be nice to find people closer to my age).

August started out sucky for me too. I went to tour the college I am going to this fall and all was well until my mom started freaking out because she thought college cost several thousand dollars for the semester and proceeded to yell at me and my dad for it. In public, I might add. Then I totally lost it with dbf over our trip plans (we're going to Schaumburg, IL in a week then going to a Cubs/Reds game in Chicago and doing other things in Chicago too) after we tried to plan it all and I had a massive misunderstanding about where we were staying. Plus, my sister is staying at a respite house this weekend since my lovely mum and dad decided to plan their vacation at the same time as mine (one can only hope it was an accident, but you never know) and has no one to pick her up now. Now she's kind of worried she'll have no way to get herself home (she has autism and epilepsy and therefore I would be frightened of her driving, lol) so I'm hoping everything will work out.

Thankfully, today was better. I went to workout (and going for my second soon, it's just easier on my knees and arms to do two separate workouts rather than do one long one) and visited with my best friend. My crazy best friend managed to get sucked into the backflow of an airplane (she's a freight handler) but thankfully she's doing okay save some nasty scrapes to her elbows, knees, and nose. We went to the mall and went to lunch.

I have received my syllabuses for classes and since I've got a full class-load this semester, I'm starting my reading ahead of time. I'm hoping to complete a lot of them on the trip to Schaumburg and on down time since dbf and I have dramatically different sleeping schedules. :)

I will do personals later on, I have sore eyeballs from typing up class notes and I need a break, lol. Talk to you soon!

Thanks for your support! I think that when a person is in pursuit of some goal it's easy to forget the achievements that they had made along the way, and after hearing your feedback I did think to myself that, yeah, actually 18lbs is not bad at all. So thanks!

beahawkins: I think not getting serious until the end of your schooling is a good idea. You may have so many changes in circumstances between now and then, that you probably don't want to tie yourself down quite yet. The fact that he is so serious about his job/work is a great sign! It's a great characteristic for a "young man". I do think though, that the one mistake that girls make often is that they compromise on what they want in effort to not be "needy" or a "drag" or whatever. Even if you are keeping it casual, if you feel like you want something tell him. Make him put some effort into it without feeling "bad". Your needs count too. Sure he can go out with the guys, but you have a new pair of shoes and a dress that require an outing too ;) So if you do feel like things are going well and you like him, but are not 100% satisfied with something -- tell him. Don't ever put someone else's needs before your own. People tend to get used to that and you run the risk of always being last on everyone's list.

Riestrella: I moved for my bf to a different city and haven't looked back since! (That was nine years ago, and we recently celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary.) It's going to be so exciting for you guys to move-in together, even for a little while... Do you know what field you want to work in? I know there are likely to be jobs teaching english, but is that what you are looking for?

Hotaruchan: I know the feeling that comes with a lack of friendships!!!!! For the past nine years or so, my husband and I have been moving around the country for his training. This year (thank GOD!) is the final year. We just moved accross the country for 2012/2013, and I have zero opportunities to meet people. I will not be working this year, I have a treadmill at home (will not be going to the gym -- especially considering the brutal winter that this city will get), I also don't have a car so I can't easily reach various clubs, and yesterday... (this is a top secret confession) yesterday I actually had a conversation with myself. Yes, I had officially started talking to myself. It's really hard to not be able to form friendships and maintain them. I keep looking to next year, since we'll be moving fairly closer to home and I am hoping to rekindle some of my friendships from the past. Are you planning to stay there long? Are you there perminantly?

Hey guys the last 2 days were hectic no?

Hotaruchan: I admire your strong character. I think I would have been terrified to leave alone in Japan even though teaching English there for a year or 2 is a dream of mine. Also from what I read you and your guy seem to be a very special couple. You make me smile every time you write about him. :D

katiekish: Hope you and your fiancé work things out. It's rough being apart from someone you love and sometimes when you don't know what is causing the other person's words it make you crazy. :dizzy:

1yr: Plateaus are terrible. But the scale will budge if you stick to your plan. :cheer2:

Ok I had a heart-to-heart chat with my best friend. It was so weird of her since she had been my supporter through everything in the last 3 years. Apparently she had been feeling insecure because she feels I have becoming popular lately and she thinks that when I lose all my weight I will no longer need her or want to be her friend. I asked her what gave her that idea and she said that I have changed (I used to be super shy and yes I have become confident in the last few years. She apologised and told me she doesn't want to lose me. Go figure.

Serenity - Sounds like you need to rethink whether that person is someone you want to have around in your life right now. I had a friend like that, and needless to say, things like that just kept piling up and eventually I just stopped talking to her. She apologized, but I still don't feel like she's a person I want to have in my life anymore. This is the person that was my best friend, who I shared pretty much everything in my life with. Don't let her thinking and negativity get you down. If she's unhappy with herself, she needs to fix it or stop complaining.

Hotaru - Good for you figuring out how to install the tires yourself! And it's awesome that your neighbor stopped to help. None of mine would do that... :/

Riestrella - OMG Japan! I really hope you enjoy it there. From what other members have been saying it sounds absolutely wonderful. Let us know how it is once you get settled in!

Katbot - I know what you mean about storage issues, I share a decent sized 1 bedroom with my mom right now (Ugh, don't ever try and live on your own... your parents will downsize and when you have to run back home with your tail between your legs you will be SOL) and I know all about storage issues. I have things tucked away in crazy places, it's pretty interesting. Also, if you're heavy lifting STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALE. Do it now! Your muscles will retain water as they heal, which is why it *looks* like you're not improving weight-wise, but in fact you are! As long as your clothes are fitting better, becoming looser, and you're noticing those changes in your body then you're doing it right. Take weekly progress photos instead of weighing in, perhaps.

Ladybug - Welcome!

Daily - Step away from the eggplant! Maybe there's an alternative food? I don't know much about eggplant, I've only had it once.

katiekish - That's awesome that you and your bf are going to be working out together! I have a guy friend that I work out with, and it's really awesome for getting me motivated. (Plus, all the hot guys at the gym tend to notice when you're the only girl that plays with the "big boy weights")

1yr - That's a crazy amount of weight for your first month. I would expect probably between 5 and 10lbs per month depending on how hard you work. Remember, not all of that is fat loss, some of it will be water weight and if you're not careful some of it can also be muscle loss. If you're not doing any strength/weight training already you should look into it. Not necessarily to gain muscle, but to keep what you have while you're losing body fat. It will help you out in the long run, definitely. Don't get too discouraged by the number on the scale. Progress photos are the way to go, and the way your clothes feel on you. Keep it up!

beahawkins - It's good that you're focusing on school, I know how distracting boys can be when it comes to my studies. Take this time to focus on yourself, and when the time comes it will definitely be worth it. Also, as far as "bedroom" stuff goes, don't worry too much about it, as long as he's into it, it doesn't matter.

Anyone else I missed I'll get you next time.

-------

Someone tell me to stop touching my nose ring! Seriously. This thing is never going to heal right if I keep putting my hands on it.

In other news, I have this mysterious knee injury that I'm not quite sure how I got, and it's making going to the gym immensely frustrating. I can barely get through my warmups, and I can't do any cardio or running, and I have to skip out on my leg days. So pretty much my week has been Chest/Tri then Back/Bi, rinse, repeat. The good part is I'm making progress on those areas, but I feel like I should be doing more. I've been told to rest, stay off the knee, to keep it iced and elevated... but I just can't do it. You can't get me to sit still, it just won't happen. So yeah. It's frustrating.

'Til next time,
Laneyy <3

My scale, my scale...why have you abandoned me? Also, why the H do you run on a watch battery?! I've been checking in the local stores, but it's looking more and more like I'm going to have to go to the big electronics store in Takasaki and I don't especially want to go out there if that's the only reason...it's a 40 minute/ $6 train ride in each direction, so it's not really worth it for 10 minutes of shopping. I'll probably cave anyway because I feel so guilty about not updating the August daily post after making a commitment to it, but I'm going to try to find another reason to head out that way to make it worth my while.

On the plus side, it was a matsuri weekend! 2 festivals back to back. I went to one of them with my JTE and her family, and they invited me over for dinner on my birthday! I almost cried because I was so happy to not have to spend it alone. My boyfriend graduated from the next leg of training, and while they decided to advance him onto the next part faster than anticipated so that he won't get leave, he has 2 weeks of being on-base without any real responsibilities, so I at least get extra Skype time :) I have 3 weeks of vacation now, so I picked up a ton of pamphlets at the train station to try to find local things to do...I'm also going to try to head down to Kansai for a few days to visit people in Osaka and see Nara (I want to pet the psychotic deer!)

namaste: Wow...busy week so far! Sorry that your parents are adding extra stress with school starting so soon, but kudos to you for being proactive and getting a jump on your coursework. I hope everything works out all right with your sister.

1yr: I'd be talking to myself too if not for Skype. My original plan was to stay with this company for 2 years then reassess, but they've been treating me terribly, so I'm going to start job hunting near the end of my contract and hopefully find another job in a more ideal location. There seems to be a lot more opportunities to find jobs now that I'm actually living in Japan, so I have my fingers crossed. I'd like to stay a few more years to improve my Japanese and work towards getting my JLPT certifications so that I can hopefully find some translation work when I head back to the states.

serenity: It's ridiculous trying to find a job in America right now, so even though I graduated with honors and was one of only 2 from a starting class of about 200 to graduate on time (there were a total of 15 that made it through the program, but only 2 of us did it in 4 years...just me with honors), no one wants to hire without experience...even "entry level positions" where you're treated like dirt and paid next to nothing where you're SUPPOSED to be gathering the experience are asking for 2-3 years in my area now. Japan seemed by far to be the best option for me, however scary it was to take a plunge like that. As for my guy, he's amazing. I don't think that I could deal with what I'm going through with him for any other guy <3

Laneyy: I hope your knee heals fast...I know how infuriating it can be when you can't work to your full potential because of an injury that you can't even remember getting. If you can't sit completely still, please try to remember to at least not go all out and risk injuring it further.

My August started out sucky too! Had what looks like a bad allergic reaction last week which made one (just one) of my eyes swell up until it couldnt open. Weird thing is when this happens it isnt itchy or hot or anything, not rashy, but my wrists also swell up. Anyways, I've been referred to a specialist and had some more blood tests on because "maybe its some kind of rheumatoid disease". Great, because I really want to have a connective tissue destroying disease at 25 years old. Anyway, fighting it out with my insurance to see what they will cover or if I have to wait in the public system. Eyes make me really anxious and claustraphobic-y too which is making work hard, and on top of that I had two days away because of it last week which means more work and i dont even have any sick leave yet so I have to use annual! Well, thats my whine over. Food is going well though and my weight is down, so as long as i dont get the anxiety munchies (haha well I can dream right??) should be sweet.

Hotaru- couldnt you buy a battery online? surely in Japan you could do that!

Laney- stop touching your nose! :P Have you tried straping up the knee? Hope it gets better soon, nothing worse than having your progress hindered by injury

serenity- people are odd! But that makes sense about your friend. At least she was honest and open with you now, so you know what's going on and can call her up on it next time.

Iconised Ghost I'm sorry to hear about your problem. Are the doctors positive this is not an allergic reaction to something?

Hotaruchan: The economy in my country is very bad as well. I am not unemployed but my current job's wage is extremely low. To the point I am very worried I won't be able to pay my bills and months expenses.

Ok next week I am leaving for a 10-day vacation to Poland. I am so excited!!! I hope I won't gain weight but I doubt it as I want to try the local cuisine so much!

I also added some new exercise movements in my exercise routine and my muscles are sore but the feeling is quite pleasant. I feel like I have achieved something new. :p

Serenity- they arent sure. At first it seemed like an allergic reaction, but it is not itchy, hot, bumpy, the eyeball itself isnt irritated, and its very very localised/specific which is weird. So on the day I was having the reaction I was smart enough to get the blood test done to see if there are histamines (?) or rheumatoid things floating around or what. I am hoping its an allergy, at least then we have some chance of figuring out what it is and avoiding it. Also, Poland! That sounds so exciting! It must be late summer there now right? I think you will have an awesome time :D

Hotaru and serenity- job economy here is poor too, especially if you dont have a professional degree. Finally I am glad I did so much study. Part of my job is supporting people to get work, its really tough out there.

Iconised Ghost: Aww...sorry to hear that you're having health issues. Hopefully the tests will clear things up and/or it'll turn out that you just had a bad bug bite or something causing the swelling.

For ordering online, unfortunately I don't have an active credit card and haven't quite figured out how to set up Paypal with my Japanese bank account...so ordering online is out.

Serenity: Jealous! I want to go to Poland...Polish food is delicious though, so I should probably stay away. Huzzah for new exercises!

I really need to pay more attention. :) yet again I'm chattering away in the July thread when it's august. :-P I'll edit this later to add personals.

I think that a bunch of people are doing it this month though...I almost popped in to give a reminder, but there were so many recent posts that I figured I'd only be interrupting a nice conversation :p

Hey everyone.. thanks! for the stuff! I really needed to hear most of it. I do tend to let my needs go to the bottom of the list. Especially around guys because I don't want to look needy.
I really want to read the rest of the thread that I have missed out on in the last few days, but I am late for something. erg.

Serenity: I am so glad that you guys talked! Best friend relationships can be even trickier than dating relationships. I "broke up" with my best friend and the stress of it made me break up with a guy. blah.

ladyserenity :( That's so sad about your crush. Does he know you like him? And on top of that you had a rough fight with your friend? I would be livid if one of my friends said something so hurtful!

hotaruchan That was so nice of your neighbor! And that's really impressive that you managed to get the wheel on. I'm not sure I could do that.

katieish How much longer until you get to see your fiance again?

dailystruggle eek! that doesn't sound good about the eggplant. are you cooking it a different way? could that be the cause of the problem?

Ghost Could the eye swelling be from a bug bite or a swollen tear duct? Sometimes a warm compress (like a washcloth wet with warm water) can help with the swelling. Though I'm not sure why your wrists would be swelling at the same time. :( Good luck!

Ok. *phew* sorry that I skimmed over some people. There were a lot of posts! I can't believe that yet again I forgot it was a new month. :lol: silly.

My weekend went by way too quickly. Last night I felt kind of ill...I think it's because of the crystal light I drank. Maybe the artificial sweeteners in it make me nauseous. Oh well, I feel better today.

In a couple of weeks, one of the families I work for is having a birthday party for their little girl (she's nearly 2). I've been working on her present and I'm pretty excited about it. I got a colored magnetic dry erase board at Target, and I'm making little magnets for it of things/characters she likes!
I bought magnetic business cards, and on the non-magnetic side there's adhesive that you peel off so you can attach your business cards. But instead of putting business cards on there, I've been cutting pictures out of books I found at the dollar bin of target. So she'll have a bunch of magnets with big bird, elmo, balloons, etc. I'm also going to get self-stick laminating paper to put over the magnets so a) they won't get dirty and b) I can make the corners rounded so they won't hurt her.

Plus, since the board is magnetic, we can get other magnets down the road to use on it. ABC's, numbers, shapes, etc.

It's been so much fun making it that I'm thinking about doing more and selling them on etsy!

Serenity: i was born in Poland! You'll love it there, so much to do and very friendly locals. Do you speak polish? It doesn't matter if you don't, most of the younger generation all speak English anyway.

QB: fiance's niece is turning 2 soon too! We're going to grab something cute for her in Vegas, her mom likes to dress her up.

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So, I'm still trying to move everything in, we downsized from a 2 bedroom to a 1 bedroom, so there's been a lot of decluttering going on, previously the second bedroom was a catch-all for all the random crap we picked up, now we're going through and getting rid of most of it. The same goes for my clothes, I have culled everything that was too big and about 75% of things that were too small, I only kept things that I KNEW I would wear again when I shrunk into them, but anything I hadn't worn or been dying to wear at least once in the last year all got tossed. It's kind of liberating. We're still short on space and probably will need to invest in an armoire.

I'm going to the fair on Wednesday which means junk food (spud nuts, elephant ears, mini donuts, ice cream, pizza) we're spending the whole day there so I'm going to do a staggered calorie week and eat ultra low cal the rest of the week to make up for that one day where I'm going to indulge. Hopefully spending the whole day walking about and standing in lines will help too.

Katbot24: I love decluttering! It almost feels like you are shedding weight off your body, doesn't it? good for you for getting rid of a lot of things and ALSO good for you for keeping some of those items... My husband and I moved accross the country for a year this past July and I only took the essentails with me... When I was packing though, I went through my closet only to find clothing that ranged from size 18 to 8! I did the same thing as you, and I kept all the items that I am in LOVE with but could not fit into. I put them all in a box labeled "Box 160" and gave it to my mom for safe keeping. When I reach that weight of 160 lbs, I will call my mom and she will ship that box to me!!! And I will have all my favourite outfits, and they will all fit me!!! I can't wait to get my hands on that box!!!!

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The "YAY" of the week; Because I excercise everyday and somedays/most days twice a day, I live in my lululemon pants and t-shirts. BUT yesterday I went out with my husband and I decided to put on a pair of jeans! (something I heven't worn since early July.) Well, let me tell you, I had some extra room in my waist, I wasn't spilling over anywhere, AND I had A LOT of extra room in the pant leg!! They were actually loose on me!!! That was very exciting!!!

Now for the ARRRRRRGGGGHH! So, I'm not giving up and I'm not feeling discouraged, BUT I worked out a lot this week (as can be seen on my 90 Day Excercise log), and I ate very healthy! No added sugars, only one fruit per day, lots of veggies and protein... I was good. Well, this morning I got on the scale and TA DA! ONLY 1LBS DOWN!!! wth??? I am angry!!! It's is so frustrating! I totally believe that even if I lose one pound per week for a year I will be much happier next year, and it'll be worth it (so I'm not planning to slow down) BUT still it is so frustrating too! -- Anyway, next week will be better :)

August is sort of getting better. I got to hang out for an extra day with my lovely, Saturday we played some mini-golf and laser tag (I got repeatedly tagged by a guy that looked about my age whom I swear was enjoying tagging the fat chick and was following me around everywhere, lol) Then lovely and I ate a nice light dinner. Yesterday was kind of horrible eating-wise though because lovely and I went to SerbFest with my mum and dad (big Serbian population here, including my boyfriend-- half-Serbian) and we ate at this place here called Ted Drewes, which has ice cream cups the size of small planets... I got the smallest planet and tried to eat healthy, and the collateral damage to my diet was only +0.8 lbs. Phew!

Went back to my normal schedule today. One hour of water aerobics plus some weights afterward... did my first ninety-pound weight today! I'm going to try this machine again over the week and hope to get to triple digits (!!!) in this particular weight. Wow, for a gal that got winded doing half a mile and using 5 lbs of weight, this is a pretty awesome milestone. :)

My dad got my boyfriend and I reservations at the Westin in Chicago!!!! He used one of those travel sites and got us a room for 62 a night. We're just beside ourselves since this is our first trip together and we get to live it up while we're there. It has a NICE pool and all kinds of crazy stuff. :)

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1yr- Congratulations on the looser jeans! Maybe you'll get to go down a size soon? And I've heard about lululemon... a lot of my girlfriends are crazy about them and I've thought about giving them a try. :) As for the 1 lb weight loss... just think, that's one pound you haven't gained! Try comparing inches lost too, I've only lost 3 lbs but I've lost 4" in my waist. :)

QB- Good to see you and thanks for the post on July! I was wondering why everyone was chatting over there still lol. Water aerobics is a lot of fun, I am the second youngest in there besides my younger sister who also likes it, but since I spend a lot of time in the water and at waterparks, I figured I might as well do something constructive in the water. Hope you feel better, Crystal Light makes me feel a little wonky sometimes too.

Laneyy- Keep away from the nose ring! :D It will heal much faster if you leave it alone. :) I am no stranger to knee injuries, and what works for me is to do some low-impact aerobics til the knee heals up and then gradually ease back into your routine. I feel you on the moving around, I can't sit still either, but look into something like yoga or bellydance, something low-impact. :)

Icon- Good to see you again! You're in my thoughts... hope you feel much better soon! :)

Hotaruchan- I think my sister found a ride. She has a part-time caregiver who comes in and helps her and I think she is giving her a ride home. I'm sure she's relieved. :)

If I didn't get you, I'll be back. :) Hope everyone has a good day/evening.

Katbot I'm glad to hear Polish people are friendly. I have traveled to Budapest last year and people there had been very rude and quite mean to me and my friends. It really put me off traveling this year and had not my friends really insisted I would had not traveled anywhere. I bought a dialogue guide and have been learning some phrases on my free time. :D Also I think you are allowed to splurge this once since things are so hectic with the new apartment.

Iconised Ghost The problem in my country is that most people are graduates. In fact it is still considered a taboo not to go to university here to the point traders are very, very scarce. I was even reading that this year our ministry of education is going to try to promote trade in schools. So when everyone has a degree it makes things even worse. :(

beahawkins I agree on the whole issue. Imagine that my best friend and I are seeing the trip to Poland together as a mean to reconcile and heal our friendship. Yep she causes me more stress than a boyfriend would.

Quiet Ballerina Let's just say that both the crush and I make it really obvious we like each other. There are things stopping us from being together right now, the main one is the financial uncertainty. Adding to the fact that he is a foreigner (and unfortunately most people in my country don't like foreigners) he made it clear to me that as much as he would like to date me and be with me right now he can't until he finds a job. He says the last thing he wants is having people from my family telling me that he wants me for my money or to get a visa. I told him, of course, that whether he has a job or not is not an issue for me, neither what people says concerns me but he asked me to wait for him for another 2 months. He says that if he gets a job within the next 2 months then he will immediately ask me out. If not then he will have to leave the country anyway. :(

Laneyy: How is your knee? Have you seen a doctor about it yet? I hope you are feeling better soon!

Serenity: I hope you have an amazing time in Poland!! Will it be your first time? Let us know how it goes! I love going to new places on vacation. :)

Quiet Ballerina: The gift sounds like something that should be on pinterest! :) I love personalized gifts like that. I'm sure she's going to love it.

1yr2mkovr: Congrats on your jeans! I can't wait to comfortably fit into a pair again. I've been wearing workout shorts and summer dresses all summer long. Btw..I love lululemon. My mom got me into it. My first set came from her for my 23rd birthday.

As for me...I went out to eat with my mom and boyfriend for dinner last night at a vietnamese restaurant. I had my meal planned out nicely before we got there and then it all went down the drain when the pan fried noodles and orange chicken came out. Oh well. Today is another day and I'm determined to stay within my calorie budget and eat healthy this week.

Thanks Everyone!!!

Ladybug10: Don't worry about overdoing it once in a while. As we try to lose weight we have to remember that there are two goals... One is to lose it and the other is to keep it off. Chances are that we will all have thoe days when there's a restaurant outing, birthday, anniversary, etc. when we'll overdo it, so the goal is not to be perfect all the time but to maintain a workable balance.

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I had another exciting thing happen to me today, and I have no one else to share this with who will truelly understand, so thank you for listening in advance... Today I got a workout DVD in the mail (from 1983 or 1989). I did it with my mom when I was in Junior High and I ALWAYS loved it. Well the tape disintegrated and I finally found it, after all these years, on DVD!!! I played it right away and everything was going well until she said bend your leg and grab your ankle (to stretch -- In a standing position, you need to grab your ankle as you bend your leg to your bum...) So, this is something that I couldn't do before (at my highest) because there was just too much fat on my legs! But today, I did it! Without struggling!!!!!! I was shocked! I mean, I noticed that I was able to cross my legs better than before, but I DID NOT think that I could do this! Anyway, hope this doesn't sound stupid to you guys ;)

1yr2mkovr!!!! It is always awesome when the little things start showing up!!! Yay!

Thank you!!!!!

: ) Oh congrats on the onederland too!! That is really exciting!!

Not until August 31st!!!!! I'm going nuts!! :dizzy:

1yr2mkovr: Exciting!! Congrats! I can't wait to slide my fav pair of jeans on...

Ladybug10: Eating out is always the hardest, eh? I always have it all planned out and then I just see that other dish sitting there beckoning me. Gah!

August is a little defeating for me right now! I worked really hard all last month and this week... and I weighed in and actually gained .7lbs... definitely not what I was expecting after a hot and sweaty week... Trying not to lose motivation, still went out and did some cardio today but couldn't pull together to do strength. Fan Expo is on in Toronto soon (like comicon only more awesome with sci fi stuff)... I can't wait until I hit my weight goals and I can go in a super awesome costume!!!

Ladybug10: Double thanks!!!

Katiekish:I'm not enjoying Aug. at all either!!! After losing well for an entire month, I weighed in this week having only lost 1pound! ONE! I haven't lost less than 4 for a month and this week; 1!!!!! So, since I don't excercise on my weigh in day, I thought, don't freak out, these things happen, and then weighed in today at +1!!!! WHAT????

Anyway, I too got angry and took it out on myself by working out for 3 hours today! I swear if I'm not back down tomorrow... Well- I guess I'll workout for another three hours... I have an August goal that I will not get to at all if I keep going down a pound a day.

katbot "decluttering" has been on my to-do list for....oh, at least 2 or 3 years now. :lol: It's just so daunting! I really need to buckle down and do it.
Have fun at the fair! Make good choices. :)

1yr2mkovr You work out twice a day?! Kudos to you! :carrot: I'm a little jealous. Are you eating enough & drinking enough water for all that exercise? That is fantastic news about the DVD! Good for you!

namaste That is an amazing hotel rate! Wow!! Sounds like the trip will be awesome. Yeah...I think I just need to stay away from Crystal light. I'll flavor my water with real limes/lemons instead if I want to mix it up.

preetylady I hope things work out with your crush. :( Where do you live (do you mind if I ask)?

Ladybug Thanks! I think it'll be cute.

katieish Sooo soon!

It's Wednesday!! Which means...
-The work-week is halfway over (woo!)
-I don't have ANY classes (even though I do have some homework)
-I definitely need to drag my booty to the gym because you gals are putting me to SHAME. ;)