Brenda, actually the Mars bars sound kind of good except WOW how rich and calorie laden, ha! Yah pancake batter makes sense.
Xena, sorry you are having a tough time sticking with it. It sure is easy to get off track but I pray you are able to climb back on the wagon and stay put.
Annie, thanks for your prayers; I can always count on you! And I do pray for you too. My trip is to check on my stepdad... he is 91 and not doing too well. I was planning to go a bit later but some phone conversations I've had lately with family members make me think I need to go a bit earlier than planned.
Heather, thanks so much for moderating this forum for us. You do such a super job and I appreciate you!
Donna, I for one at least sure don't consider your foot problems "whining" -- since I also have plantar fascitis and bone spurs. It is incredible how painful that can be! I finally got some sneakers which really help and was able to find a new pair of them this weekend. I would have gotten two pair -- as I get them at Big 5 Sporting Goods for about half or less of what they usually sell for... but anyway it really helps to have good shoes. My boss has been letting me wear them to work since I had the groin pull too. OUCH! I keep nicer shoes there in case we get "important" visitors.
Catherine, you are tooooooooooooooooooo funny. Now I do have one question... if you still have your forestry axe, why was it so difficult for you to decide what to do with those SCALES? Thanks for the explanation about the kitchen thing... I guess I missed the connection that this was such a huge production! Yah that would be pretty difficult to head up and have organized! But what a neat way for you to be able to help raise money for your church! But just to clarify, ours is not a potluck or coffee and donuts -- it is a full sit-down monthly dinner for approx. 100 people. And at the festival we handed out 8600 bottles of ice water along with a lot of other stuff. Definitely not in the "big" category of a football stadium though. That certainly sounds like a JOB! Yeeks and OURS exhausts ME! Sorry I misunderstood. I don't think I would have lived through something like that ha! Also I most definitely am NOT a leader and have NO desire or skills to take on something like that!
Ratkitten, hope your back heals soon. And yes, you definitely need to take care of yourself and take this break time from exercise!
BattleAx, yah I hear ya about the heat. I grew up in HOT HOT Missouri... lived in Manila Philippines (an OVEN) and Fort Lauderdale... so I do know that Seattle is not really all that hot. But I freely admit to being a total wimp in the heat and I HATE it. People think I am crazy as I keep all the blinds shut in the sun and open them and the windows when it rains. Soooooooooooooooooooooo refreshing Today was cooler though... mid 60s I think and even a few drops of rain. I opened up my deck door tonight and turned on the fans and the air con off so I could get in some fresh air. And hey that is SUPER that you walked up that big hill and were not even out of breath! Yay for you!
Hi ladies. I'm just poking my nose in so you don't forget me. I'll be back after fair is over in another two weeks. I hope so anyways. Crazy busy summer. Having fun, still looking for a better job. Haven't even had time to work with Gabe (horse), if that tells you how things are going.
Not doing well with the my eating, but struggling anyway. Never giving up. But still, not doing well, and I'm scared. I SOOOOO need to be back here!
Bravo for all the life changes and success you're having here, and to those who are struggling like I am - Keep on going. Keep it up! Keep trying!! and I will too.
Yahoo!!! Day two OP. Things seem so busy these days.
I want to say a big kudos to my husband. He too is overweight, and he has been great about making dinner (he has done this since we have been together for 6 years), and he calculates the points (WW) so I know what I am putting in my mouth. And thank goodness because I am starving by the time I get home.
Anyway, you are all very inspirational and I love to read your posts. Annie is a ROCK STAR!! She is truly and inspiration to me. You all are though. Last time (3 years ago) I lost weight semi-easily, but it's not coming easy this time. Oh well.
Ratkitten-It is kind of hard to beat up on expensive scales, but if you really feel the need, just hit the thrift store. They always have ones, and that can give you something to sledge hammer in front of the expensive one. Great to break plateaus.
Battle-There was a little old lady who ran a large woman’s clothing store, and twice a month she would open late on a Friday or Saturday night, and only open the back door. Guys who were cross dressers could come and go without being seen, and prance around trying things on. She said those two nights were about 50% of her monthly business. The only reason I found out about it was because she asked me once when I was in the store to get a box down off a top shelf for her, and it was gold boas and stuff. She very sheepishly admitted to the late nights. Come to find out that she got into the business because her late husband had been a cross dresser. She had all sorts of stuff in the back room that made us both blush. She didn’t need to keep the store open for finances, she said she did it so that other people could feel as good about themselves as her husband had when he got to wear things that fit and made him feel “pretty.” Don’t worry about posting a bunch, I do the same thing when I’m having a harder time.
Donna-Your description made me want some peanut butter. I’m so glad that I don’t have any in the house.
Vortex-That’s a great idea about desensitizing yourself. I used to be very afraid to go certain places, and going when they weren’t as busy really helped. College students can be a handful. They are always laughing and carrying on, and I automatically assume they are laughing at me.
Cris-No I’m not studying to be a minister, I’m Catholic, so they kind of frown on women wanting to be priests. I’m studying theology so that I can go to work at the Archdiocesan level in adult religious education. I’m already doing it at the parish level, but if I want to go up the ladder, I have to have the bones. With my background, they will probably end up wanting me to work for the Defender of the Bond. That’s kind of the prosecutor in the marriage tribunal where annulment petitions are heard. I just want to teach. I wouldn’t mind the red patent leather, but I can’t really wear heels with all the orthopedic problems I have. Besides, in a size big enough for my feet, they’d have to kill a pretty big cow, and that might be bad Karma just for the sake of style. Good choice to avoid the coolattas. The ones with cream have around 350 calories.
Sue-My throwing ax is a Tuatahi from New Zealand. It is precision made, and perfectly balanced. No way am I hitting some metal with it. It sits on the book shelf behind our couch right above where my husband usually sits. Just like to keep him in line. A sit down dinner once a month for 100 people is a huge production. I did a breakfast for 200 once at my church in Oklahoma. I’ve never made so many biscuits in my life. Those people ate like they were preparing for hibernation. We are really lucky to have the concession. There is quite a waiting list. We scramble to make sure we get enough people because it takes almost 30 with all the registers in front and runners to fill the orders and cokes and things. If we don’t keep it running right, they might take it away from us. Normally I bug out after the half time rush, but this last time I had to stay and do all the counting and stuff. It was that stuff that was the most tiring of all I think.
Valerie-I understand that terror of knowing that I need to do something, or die basically. As long as you keep trying, eventually it will click. It took me over a year to finally find something that would work for me after the move and wedding. I finally feel like I’ve got my feet under me again. You’ll get there too. My first step was coming back here.
I got my paper done, now I just have to type it. I actually did it at the mall. They have a lounge with big screen TVs, and I wrote and watched the Yankee/Jays game. I think that while it is this hot, I will have to leave the house to work. I can’t think straight or concentrate when I’m uncomfortable. The fact that I could get the work done at a noisy mall, between the elevators and a group of teenagers with red Mohawks, and not at home where it is quiet says everything I needed to know.
Good morning ladies.
I finally have a day to sit home and relax. Well, I am not "relaxing" but I get to clean the house and I am making some strawberry jam. I'd like to get about 8 bottles and if it turns out well and doesnt take too long, I may try for another batch on friday. Hubby loves it and so do I. I am trying to make it sugar-free this time however.
Anyhow, TOM is here and I am retaining about 100lbs in water I am trying to get in as much water today as humanly possible. 1ltr before breakfast and I am trying to get about 3 litres in before lunch. I'll be in peeing all day and not get anything done
Until later...
Donna - I LOOOOVE Payless Shoes! Seriously, they last and last and some of them are really cute. I'm hard on shoes and I've got Payless sandals going on their third summer.
Annie - YAY on 99 pounds down! YAY on reaching your mini-goal! And YAY on real food soon too...
BattleAx - It struck me how much your reflections on your day yesterday mirrored processes of the intuitive eating I'm trying. You made impartial and non judgemental observations of how your body felt after consuming certain foods in certain quantities and just carried on, richer for that information.
It's funny that I had a two meal pasta fest yesterday as well trying to use up leftovers. Actually the day was pretty much a complete bust nutrition wise - I had exactly ONE fruit and/or vegetable in the form of a peach mid afternoon with some crackers and cream cheese. And at dinner, I had a saucer of french fries with my cold spaghetti and meat sauce. Add to that banana bread and milk for breakfast and 1 and a half small dessert sqaures spread over lunch and dinner and you have a carb fest with little redeeming it.
But that's the beauty of intuitive eating. I rarely eat like that, but when for some reason or other I want to and choose to it's not a bad day. I don't feel bad about it one bit, and it's always interesting to observe that your body just doesn't feel as good as it does when you feed it more balanced and nutritious foods. I didn't overeat at all (I virtually never do anymore), but I felt kind of heavy and dull nonetheless and I was really itching to seek out well being through exercise so I went for a couple of 15 minute walks as I watched my son's baseball game.
As I lay in bed thinking about what I might like to eat tomorrow (today now) I settled on a veggie loaded scrambled egg thing I make and grapefruit for breakfast; leftover chicken breast, a mashed carrot/sweet potato/butternut squash combo and broccoli salad for lunch with a square of dark chocolate for dessert; a peach and a few almonds for pm snack, and I'm thinking about fresh chicken patties on multigrain buns and tossed salad for dinner, with apple crisp or a small piece of fudge if I have room. So a much more balanced day - what has been fascinating and so empowering for me in the intuitive eating process in how naturally it flows. Today's menu was not the result of wanting to 'correct' any 'badness' from yesterday, just what I truly desired when I let my mind wander over all the possibilities in the world. The broccoli salad I'm so looking forward to today would have been an imposition yesterday, so I simply didn't have it. What I wanted yesterday was a saucer of greasy fries and a glob of ketchup, and I'm 100% okay with that.
I feel like I fought the wrong battle for 30 years in flailing around trying to master self control over food, something I only accomplished fleetingly each time. I no longer aspire to that at all because I don't believe normal eaters would ever define their relationship with food as one of self control or mastery. What I have realized I want and need is freedom from the compulsion and the process addiction of eating and that's a different puzzle all together. I'm learning to go straight through food rather than tiptoe around it, and though it's only been five months I've been using intuitive eating as my plan and it needs to be proven over more time I'm so hopeful and optimistic that this may be my lifelong solution.
Vortex: yes, summer fruit is the best. I miss it when it's not in season anymore. I too weigh everyday. It helps me alot to know how I'm doing from day to day. Congrats to you on making the decision to walk to Subway.
Battleax: to you for realizing you CAN have your pasta, stay within your plan, and realize it's not a reason to think "I blew it" and keep eating.
Cris: Good for you on rescuing the gazelle from the basement and even better that the kids are having fun with it. Hope your DD can ride after her trip to the doc. Whoohoo!!!! on stickin' with the iced coffee...I wouldn't of trusted myself to step foot in that place...lol
Sue: Have a safe trip and I'll being saying a prayer for your stepdad.
Real: What a great hubby!!! Even counts your points....wow!!!! Hang in there kiddo, you can do it!!!
Catherine: Congrats on getting your paper done with all the mall noise. Hopefully your professor will love it and grade you well
Brenda: All I can say is, stay close to the restroom
Meta: I was trying to master my food too....doesn't work for the long haul. I hope you've figured out what will work for you and it will make it a little easier to deal with food.
As for me, I did it....I actually picked up my stretchy band and worked my arms for 10 minutes yesterday. I know it's not alot...but it's a start. And I've been eyeballing my vcr and the walking tapes. So we'll see what happens.
Things have calmed down here. Let's just hope they stay this way.
Have a wonderful day
Debbie
MetaChick -- I'm glad you're enjoying intuitive eating! I don't think that would really work for me. If I really eat how I want, it would be a carb fest every day! Not that I don't love the food I'm eating now, but I have to make deliberate, active choices every day to get in all the ratios and nutrients I strive for.
Whew...what a HUGE storm we had here!! I started my post at 7:30am and then along came a loud, scary, thunderstorm that made me jump off the computer because I don't want to lose it to a "deep frying"!!! (it's always about the food!!)
We dropped Sammi off at camp and since the storm had calmed down, we were going to hit WalMart...the roads were so flooded, and there were so many accidents...it took us an hour and 15 mins for a 10 minute ride. The main road that WalMart was on had some transformers burning so it was real slow going. I did a little shopping, but I was worried we would not make it back to pick the princess up. Luckily when we were done, the road was moving again. The weather sure has been weird here this year!!
Catherine: I think you have me mixed up with Debbie...I only use peanut butter for peanut noodles or lettuce wraps. I don't even like it in Reeses...(when I was desperate, I used to eat all the chocolate off and throw the peanut butter part away)
I would love to see that store...you have the most fascinating stories!!!
Cris: I hope your daughter's finger feels better soon...I can totally relate to the Posion Ivy thing...my poor Scott had it for my niece's wedding last summer in 98 degrees!!! We also all got it this spring. Stupid weed!!
I love Disney so much too! I will give Mickey a kiss for you!!
Sue: A groin pull ...oh my gosh, now that REALLY sounds painful!!!
Valerie: I am glad you said "never giving up"...that shows how dedicated you really are (even if you are not OP all the time)
Brenda: I am glad you have the day off to clean and pee!!!
Lesley I'm glad the job is getting better. I'm sure as you get into your routine it will be easier to find the energy to exercise. Kudos to you for keeping up with it even with the stress of starting a new job. My parents live in South Georgia and they were very happy to see the rain too. I've been told that their yard is a lovely shade of brown.
Real Congrats for staying OP all day. I think everyone here knows how hard it is to avoid snacking. (I'm eating a pickle right now because I really wanted a snack and it was the healthiest thing I could find - salt and all. I'm going to the grocery store tonight. I really am. How cool is it that your husband will cook AND count points!! That's soooo sweet.
Misti In retrospect I like the purple stuff, but that year I HATED purple balloons. It seemed like every bride was using purple and white for their colors. Get some sleep! It sounds like you need it! I'm a night owl and barely in bed by the time you get up. I refuse to believe there actually IS a 3:40 in the morning.
Donna I love payless. Cheap isn't bad as long as you get some sort of quality too. I shop there all the time too. For work I buy skate shoes. Skateboarders really understand support and they are pretty darn comfortable.
Catherine - good visual image! You're too funny.
Ratkitten Smart thinking to buy extenders. It never occurred to me when I flew. Looking at your ticker, you wont' be needing them for long.
BattleAxProgress is so cool to see, especially when it means you are getting healthier. We live on one of those kinds of hills. I'm looking forward to when I can walk to my daughter's school at top and not feel winded at all.
Debbie Congrats on beating the craving!
CrisYay you! It's hard to make good choices when faced with very yummy treats and stress at the same time! Hope DD is feeling better. I have sympathy for her poison ivy attack. I get it easily and have had my face swell up too. It's pretty scary, first you swell up and it's seriously uncomfortable. (I couldn't see) and then when the swelling goes down you look like a lizard with the skin that was stretched and dies off.
Valerie What everyone has said already is right. Keep trying, You'll get there. You must be busy. My mom has horses (horse people are a special breed) If she can't get to them you know her day has been out of control busy.
For everyone who complimented my balloons - thank you. I really love my job.
I had a good day yesteday. My youngest dd had her birthday party and I did have 1/2 of a cupcake without the frosting. Just a taste and I did journal it. I also tried the elliptical machine for the first time. 30 seconds or so. I was already tired and it was a bit much, so I went back to it today. I made a whole 5 min. My hat is off to ya'll who get on it for long periods of time! My goal is currently to make it 6 min. That things a workout! While at the gym last night one of the staff guys talked to me. That means I have been going long enough that they recognize me. A real first for me! The hardest part of going to the gym? Walking the track and having 80 year old women pass me. I figure at least I'm making them feel good since they are passing someone half their age. Of course I shouldn't assume too much. I peeked in on a cycle class and gave mental kudos to this guy taking it. He was in his 70's at least. Noticed later that he was LEADING it. I want to be doing that in 30 years! He was pedaling their fannies off!
Thanks Catherine & everyone (I see now that others have encouraged me as well - THANK YOU!) - I know you're right! I KNOW I have to come back here. I'm on the edge of tears every time I think about where I'm heading.
Where I work, we deal with folks with substance abuse problems - substances lots worse than sugar. Monday as I came in, our security guy was dealing with someone who was obviously bad off, cumbling, collapsing right there in the parking lot. I spoke to him about it this morning. He said, you know the thing is, no matter how bad off they are, no matter how sick, how confused, how high - they always seem to find their way back here (our workplace.) They always know where to go when they need help.
That's me. I'm crumbling in my own way. And I know I have to come back here - to 3FC.
So here's my 2 minutes. I have things that must be done and done now, but if I don't stop in here daily I will lose my way. I'm only 9 pounds from topping the 300 again. I can't do that. I just can't do that. I have to turn this around. Please forgive me if my entries are selfish for awhile and I don't do a lot of personals, but I'm grasping desparately to get my focus back. To regain control. I have to set aside all the "don't have time" excuses and do this to save myself. I hate that I'm not supporting those of you that are and have been such inspirations, so much support, and need the list as much as I do. But I know that you understand my heart right now. Hail. I took my silly little happy hormone pills today and STILL the tears are coming. So please pardon me for an e-moment longer while I wallow in self pity.
But fear not! As soon as I find my bootstraps, I'll be yanking myself up by those babies! (Gosh, I hope I don't give myself a wedgie again!)
Oh Valerie--I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time right now. I've missed your posts...I've been lurking for a couple weeks and just started posting again. I totally agree about having to come back here to get back on track again. I stayed away for months and gained back about 12 pounds that I really had a hard time losing, and I was so disappointed with myself. I started reading on this group again and finally have regained my desire to get back OP.
Hang in there girl...remember, us Buckeyes are some tough nuts to crack!!
When and where in life do any of us ever have as much to give as we need, or need as much as we have to give? Please, be selfish! I know any of us would feel honoured to find some little thing to say that might be a part of what helps nudge you back on the track that made you feel better than you feel right now.
A shot in the dark: What if you promised yourself the time, energy and focus to plan and execute a single delicious, healthy on program meal tomorrow. Commit to just one - breakfast maybe - and let the rest of the day fall where it may. See how you feel in the hours surrounding that one meal, with no pressure or expectation to do anything else 'on program' outside of it.
When I was dieting traditionally a fall off the wagon engendered far more fear of having to stop filling my needs with food (though I couldn't have defined it that way then) than it did fear of gaining back my weight. Sometimes it's incredibly hard to stop cold turkey and maybe it's asking too much of yourself right now. Can you do one just one meal planned and prepared with a great deal of love and focus on you, and see how it feels?
Yah pancake batter makes sense.
Thanks for the explanation about the kitchen thing... I guess I missed the connection that this was such a huge production! Yah that would be pretty difficult to head up and have organized! But what a neat way for you to be able to help raise money for your church! But just to clarify, ours is not a potluck or coffee and donuts -- it is a full sit-down monthly dinner for approx. 100 people. And at the festival we handed out 8600 bottles of ice water along with a lot of other stuff. Definitely not in the "big" category of a football stadium though. 
Today was cooler though... mid 60s I think and even a few drops of rain. I opened up my deck door tonight and turned on the fans and the air con off so I could get in some fresh air. And hey that is SUPER that you walked up that big hill and were not even out of breath! Yay for you!
She is truly and inspiration to me. You all are though. Last time (3 years ago) I lost weight semi-easily, but it's not coming easy this time. Oh well.
I am trying to get in as much water today as humanly possible. 1ltr before breakfast and I am trying to get about 3 litres in before lunch. I'll be in peeing all day and not get anything done 
to you for realizing you CAN have your pasta, stay within your plan, and realize it's not a reason to think "I blew it" and keep eating.
Good Afternoon Ladies! 
I am glad you said "never giving up"...that shows how dedicated you really are (even if you are not OP all the time) 
