Weekly Chatting Thread 3/7 - 3/13
 

Oops. I chatted in last week's thread... oh no, will anyone ever forgive me? Oh well, it was a completion to the conversation going on over there anyways. So... how's everyone's new week going? It's Dead Week for me - the last week of classes. Dead used to mean that there wasn't supposed to be much homework/new assignments but the meaning has turned into more of a "you'll be dead after this week" kind of feeling. The most difficult week of the term... and then, tadada - finals week. I know there's a couple other college brats out there, and probably a few on quarters rather than trimesters... how are you hanging in there?

Spring is so close! :dance:

I hope everyone's had a great weekend! DH & I had a nice, relaxing one...I could handle extending it one more day, but guess that won't fly with the 'ol employer. (-; Hee hee.....it will be good to get back into the swing of things, though. DH has an extra night off this week at his 2nd job, so that will be a treat to have him home more!
We had sort of a "planned indulgent" weekend, food-wise.. ..but portions were pretty normal/reasonable, so it was good. I didn't work out this weekend, so I'm excited to get back to the gym & sweat tomorrow! I've started taking Sundays off from working out as a rule, and I really like that. Saturday just turned out too busy to exercise; I normally get in at least 30 min. of cardio on Saturdays. But such is life! I will get in 6 solid workouts this week, and anticipate a nice 1-2 lb. loss come the weekend!
Have a wonderful week, all.

sometimes it's good to look at the big picture:

http://gonzostar.diaryland.com/images/losschart.gif

i had a good weekend, too. sad that it's almost over!

Oh my goodness - it's 11 AM and I just woke up! No! I've been so sleepy! All day yesterday was spent napping, and then I sleep really late. Not to mention the 4 classes I'm missing during the last week of classes! Oh well. What can I do about it now? Enjoy the beautiful spring weather we're having in the PNW.

P.S. Holly I love you graph AND your bf. Maybe guys with the name David are just especially sweet (that's my fiance's name too). BTW, rereading this, I think I should point out that I read that your bf made it in the journals section, not to freak you out with my psychic abilities.

jenicra: You said it best...I will be dead after this dead week...I'm trying to make room for some fun (my b-day is tomm) after I write several papers, and study for all the esams that I have next week :( I feel your pain

Hello All: Have A Great Week!!!!!

I'm in a great mood, I had a great first date on Saturday, spring is in the air...La, La, La.....

Go Spill, go Spill !!!!

I am really glad you had a great first date!! Hope there will a lot more! (with the same guy or tons of others!!) I get carried away easily....*giggle*

Sacha

I hear you girls about dead week. I am starting to think I'm nuts for starting over right now, but maybe a little pressure is what I need. Good luck to you all. Jen, Sacha, Jina, and Lynnie way to go girls:bravo: awesome!

Jamie, it's so good to see you back on the board again! We missed you! Welcome back! And WTG for starting over NOW, and not waiting any longer. (-; You rock!

Happy early Birthday, spillthebeans! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Holly, I like your graph. Every weigh day, when I enter a loss on FitDay, I look at the long-haul chart. It's motivating & inspiring, I agree!

I'm eating the BEST hawaiian pita pizza right now--good grief, it's SO good! But then I was very hungry after my loooong workout this afternoon. (-;

Jen - Pita bread pizza sounds SO GOOD! I might have to make one for dinner tonight.

I'm leaving for my trip in a few days, so I'm trying not to go to the grocery store and am being creative with what is left in my refrigerator. Not as fun as my usual plan of picking out fun recipes to try each week.

My knees are still healing, haven't been exercising other than lots of walking, but I'm trying to watch what I eat a little more carefully while I'm taking a break.

Jamie Welcome Back!!! Good going on Starting Over sweetie... I missed you... and I know you can get down to that 1 again...

Jamie: Welcome back!! You were definitely missed! I'm so glad you're back!! :cb:

Holly: What an inspiring weight-loss chart! Thanks for sharing!

Spill: Congrats on the great first date!! That's so exciting -- keep us posted.

Jenicra: Hope your "alive" week goes well!

Jen: Glad you had such a great weekend and that you're enjoying that pita pizza so much! :D

Katia: When do you leave? How long will you be gone?

I had another great weigh-in tonight. Another 4.5 pounds gone forever! I think I'm finally getting the hang of eating healthy AND exercising. They've never both worked together for me! And, I made my first step into the 170s in at least three years. Lots of exciting stuff!

Oh, something not so exciting... I'm really sunburnt on one-half of my body. We went to a Yankees spring training game today, and the half of me that was facing the sun is bright red. My fair skin just can't handle this Florida sun very well! But, the game was lots of fun, anyway.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Take care,
Jina

Sorry about that sunburn Jina.
Jamie: Welcome back! I'm sure those lbs. putting you over 199 will come off quickly. Maybe we can get to 1derland together! :)

Gosh I'm tired! And I've only been up for 7 hrs! My body must be trying to tell me something... I'll see how I feel tomorrow and maybe I'll take tomorrow as a rest-from-exercise day.

Jamie: Welcome Back, good to have you back :)

Jina: just 3 words for you! You Go Girl!!!!!! Congrats! That is awesome...ok that was really more than 3 :)

Jen24: Thank you, and since it is my b-day and I'm thinking Pizza for lunch (where do you get the pizza you were eating...is it home made?)

...but maybe I should have a salad and go pick up a new shirt or something from the mall???? MMMmmmhhh, maybe both :)

I have date # 2 tomm night....yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks so much y'all for the warm welcome back. looks like everybody who's stuck around is doing great- such an inspiration! I definately missed you guys, and I know your support and kind words are what helped so much the first time. a lot sore from yesterdays workout so I think I'll take a long walk in this awesome spring weather we are having- better not jinx myself though, tomorrow we could get 6 inches of snow! I don't know about y'all but I am sooo welcoming the warmer weather. so my first goal of this week other than posting daily and working out is to quit my soda kick. here's my current mantra... hello, my name is Jamie and I am addicted to coke! I'm sure there are worse things to be addicted to but in my little food journal I was consuming over 60 oz of coke and thats like 700+ empty calories alone. Coca-cola is the devil, so this week I am trying to be coke free- at least real coke- right now I'm kinda enjoying my diet coke with lime, not to shabby! Hope all you ladies have a fabulous tuesday and enjoy the sunshine if you have some in your area- except Jina! Go get some noxeema, advil and aloe for that burn girl, glad you had a good time at the game though!

Jamie ---- Welcome back girl!!! I am so glad you are back...And remember, we are not here to put pressure on you but to help you and support you!!

Spill ---- Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!! Have a great day and treat yourself ok?

Jina --- 4.4 pounds?? That is awesome!!! You must be really proud of yourself...ohh and take care of the sunburn!

Jen --- I haven't had pizza since last May...Can you believe that??? My fiance and I used to have pizza and wings night on Tuesday for American Idol...It's all over now!!! I don't really miss it though...but your pizza sounds delicious and healthy!

Jenrica --- Are you fighting a cold you think? Spring can be aweful for colds and bugs...We want summer!

I am really excited because my spring break is next week!! Woooo hoooo...I just have to stick to the plan and not overeat too much. Every time I'll want to eat I'll have to think about my great new pair of jeans! That will help!!

Oh yeah...And Sacha has been good...Been doing the ab workout yesterday...Just have to stick with it now!!


Have a good day everyone!

Sacha

Happy Birthday, Spillthebeans!!! I hope you have a great day!! :balloons: :hb: :cheers: :hat:

Sacha: Great job on getting that ab workout in!

Jamie: The good thing is that once you wean yourself off of Coke and start drinking diet, you won't want to go back! I used to love Dr. Pepper, but it tastes like liquid sugar now -- yuck.

Jenicra: Take care of yourself!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday!

Take care,
Jina

Feeling pretty good today - no signs of a cold yet, just tiredness. Hoping to get in a quick cat nap with my kitty between school and work so I'll be ready for my workout later. Weighing in tomorrow morning... I am so excited! How lame is that? Today is Day 20 on plan - btw, Holly, are you still going strong? I hope so... I bet so, actually! And soda? I had a regular Mt. Dew about a month ago and I was so hyper and nutso after that - all that caffeine and sugar?!!! My goodness... I could hardly handle it.
Happy Birthday Spillthebeans! Have a wonderful date tonight!
Sacha - keep up that ab workout - you can do it!

Hi guys! You think it's dead week where you are? It's actually spring break here, and the campus is deserted! On the plus side, there's hardly anybody at the gym to laugh and point at me when I sweat my butt off and look silly. :)

I got some good news this week--I'm going to be spending six weeks working for the UN in Paris, and then six weeks at Oxford this summer! I worked hard to get these jobs, and I'm pretty proud of myself. And my FI is going to come to Paris for a week so we can celebrate our 10 year anniversary. :)

But I still hope I can lose some weight by the time I start in May. I was so discouraged when I weighed myself at the gym yesterday--no loss. But I've only been OP for 12 days (with a couple of minor lapses), so I guess I shouldn't be disappointed. My clothes are starting to fit better, at least!

BTW, Jamie, I LOVE diet coke with lime! I'm so happy they came out with that. I love the vanilla diet coke too, but never really liked the lemon kind.

Congrats on the jobs Fey! That sounds amazing.

Spill--my pita pizza WAS homemade. I buy the smallish whole wheat pitas, use regular pizza sauce, lots of veggies, and either reduced fat pepperoni or canadian bacon. And a moderate amount of mozarella! SO good & pretty healthy, too!
Hope everyone's had a great Tuesday--isn't this week just FLYING by???
I better get to bed, must be up early in the morning...
Good night!

Jina - I'm leaving tomorrow for about 3 weeks, I am taking a break from packing to play on the internet!

I hope everyone has a fabulous March, I'll see you all in April!

look what i did today:

http://gonzostar.diaryland.com/images/carwreck1crop.jpg

for more pictures, see my diary. no one was hurt, but i think this poor little blue car isn't coming back. everyone cross your fingers for a decent settlement amount so we can get another car of similar value.

p.s. saturn is a great car, safety wise. see how the car looks like nothing happened except the front end? i rearended someone going about 45+ and they were stopped. amazing.

Oh no Holly! I'm so sorry! I hope you heal quickly and feel better. I know how stressful car accidents can be! I was in one last April (almost a year ago! Whoa!) and it just totally threw me off for awhile. Fight with the insurance company if you have to in order to get a settlement to replace your vehicle. I ended up with more than enough money to buy a new car (I bought the exact same vehicle in comprable condition - it really helped that I could tell them that there was no way I could buy the SAME CAR for the piddling amount of money they wanted to give me). I also ended up with a bodily injury settlement (the accident was the other person's fault) for breaking my thumb (isn't that dorky? The only bone I've ever broken... and it's my stupid thumb! :) ) They wanted to give me 3500 for my car, and I ended up with 5800 for the car and 1800 for the injury - it took forever, but it was worth it to fight for what I needed. That's why we pay for that outrageously high insurance right? Jeez, that really brought up some memories for me... the jerk that hit me was a football player at the college - didn't have a license or insurance and the accident was deemed his fault but he didn't receive a ticket from the officer - I cannot tell you how angry I was about that!!! Still am, obviously. Athletic favoritism can bite me. Grrr... anyways, Holly, hope tomorrow goes better for you! Until then, take a bubble bath and try to unwind and nurse the wounds! :)

Holly, I'm so glad that you're okay!! I hope everything goes well with the settlement.

Hi, ladies. Boy, have I missed this place. I am back (with 6.5 pounds I didn't have the last time I posted). Oh well... 166 is not that far away and I plan to see it very soon!

I'm glad to see so many are still around and doing well!

Thank you all for your birthday wishes...it was a good day! :D

Holly: I'm sorry about the accident...I hope everything will work out for you.

Jen24: Thanks for the info. I love Pita bread...I think I will go shopping this weekend, and do your recipe..I'll let you know how it all turns out...if not, I love Pita sandwiches :)

Lmaxin: Welcome back! and no worries...it's almost spring...and we can spring back into action (ok that was corny) but no worries...glad to have you back!

So Update from yesterday...I went ahead and ordered pizza from PaPa Johns...it twas a special day. I ordered a large and shared with a few girls from the office. I didn't overeat! I didn't do anything special that day, but am having date #2 tonight...he is taking me to a sushi resteraunt! :cofdate: I'm so excited about him and the sushi...I love sushi, :sumo: but rarely get to eat it since it is so expensive and I'm a poor college student :(

Everyone have a great hump day!

Spill - Have a great time on your date! Sushi sounds like a really fun date (and a really good lunch - I may need to run out and get some half price spicy tuna rolls today before I leave).

Happy Birthday Spill :D

Holly I am glad you are ok....

Sacha good going on those abs sweetie

Spill, I hope you have a blast tonight (and maybe the next one too??? ;)

Holly glad everyone was ok, the little blue car was a trooper!
Ok, girls I need some suggestions. The bf and I are in a tight spot right now, do any of you have any fun "cheap date" ideas? I am at my wits end trying to think of stuff to do around here, since I'm not working and feel bad spending his hard earned money. Eastern Oregon doesn't have much to offer entertainment wise, so I knew the fun loving, resourceful ladies y'all are could brainstorm a few of your favorite tried and true iders! This week has gone pretty well so far, caffine and sugar are tough to kick, I woke up this morning with what felt almost as bad a hang over- could it be the lack of sugar? Yeah, blue sky here again.

Cheap dates...

My boyfriend and I like to make dinner for each other once in a while. We don't live together, but even if you do, you can make dinner at home feel like more of a date by setting a pretty table, lighting some candles, playing some nice music, and just sitting down to hang out with each other - no frozen dinners, no television, no take out. You have to eat anyway, and it's fun to cook together.

I don't know if there are any museums near you, but we have a lot of museum dates. We get student discounts, and a lot of places have one day a week where admission is free.

Another cheap date is what we call "adventure days". Exploring a new neighborhood (or new town) is fun and free. Pack a picnic lunch, pick a place to go that you've never really visited before, and take off for the day (or just the afternoon, depending on your time budget).

Yup - ditto on all of Katia's ideas... picnics/hikes/at-home dinner nights/renting movies/going to the theatre during the day as opposed to night/museums. Something Dave and I have done is "spa" days - we give each other pedicures/manicures/massages, stuff like that... dorky, but fun.

Holly--I'm so glad YOU are okay...sorry about the car, though. I hope you get enough $$ from insurance!
Leslie--welcome BACK, girl! We missed you! It's good to see you on the boards again...and you're right, those 6.5 lbs. will be history VERY soon!
Katia--have a WONDERFUL trip--I look forward to hearing more about your travels when you return! No doubt you'll have such a neat time.
Jamie--WTG on kicking the sugar/caffeine habit! That IS hard, but I know you can do it. I'm sure once you get going on it, it won't be so bad. (-;
RE: cheap date ideas, my DH & I get FREE videos from the library sometimes (don't even have to pay for a rental!). That always works. Another fun thing is to light candles, turn off all the lights, and slow-dance to some favorite tunes. (-;

Hi Everyone,

Mind if I jump in? I am 23..so thought that I could jump in the 20-something board and see how the water is. :coffee:

My name is Jenni. Married to Brian, mother to 3 little ones. I am a SAHM mostly, and also a Doula, CD(DONA) and working/studying towards childbirth education with ALACE. (check out www.dona.org or www.alace.org for more info on either of these orgs if you are interested).

Hope the waters warm cause I am jumping in! ;)

Holly: I'm so glad you are OK. Cars can be replaced.

Leslie: Welcome back!!

Katia: Have a good trip! Tell us all about it when you get back.

Spill: So.... how was date #2???

Jamie: Sugar is definitely hard to kick! Way to go!

Jenni: Welcome! I'm so glad you're here. Jump in anywhere you like. I look forward to getting to know you!

I love everyone's ideas for cheap dates. I'm a big fan of the cooking dinner together or going for a picnic somewhere. They both allow you lots of time to talk. Like Katia said, you can really make a dinner special by adding candles and music.

Hey everybody... is it Friday afternoon yet? No? Darn. Dead week is, well, killing me. :yawn:

Welcome Jenni - we're always open to more Jen's!

great suggestions y'all, thanks so much! Yeah tomorrow is friday, which means finals week is quickly approaching! Off to the library soon, so better get my stuff together.

I've heard that it takes 2-3 wks. to form new habits... and you know what ladies? I think I've formed a new habit! Some old friends came by unexpectantly tonight and we went out for dinner. I'd already eaten, so I prepared myself to be barraged by yummy-yummy food. Just one year ago, I would have ordered whatever I wanted without even a second thought - and eaten every last bit of it - AND dessert, too, of course. But today, it didn't even phase me. I went to a baaaaad restaurant and I am still on plan. Making this 22 days on plan - almost a whole freaking month! I ordered french fries, regular. I ate maybe 2/3 of the basket. They just didn't taste that great. Oh, and I also had one roll. That's really all I wanted - I wasn't very hungry and I knew that I didn't need to eat everything in sight. No big deal. I think I have cultivated a completely new relationship with food! I am so happy! I love the idea that I may have really changed my outlook on my health especially within these last few weeks. I love the idea that I'm now a truly healthy eater. It's just what I do. Who I am. I am in balance - hehehe, so this is zen eh? I love it!