Off work today, going to see a new doc, as mine moved away. This one is supposed to be very good with clotting, so we'll see how the recovery is going.

Starting the day with some black coffee, since I've got all the testing for a new doc. Starbucks Christmas Blend. Not bad, but I do miss my cream.

Dean

Good Morning!
Dean, so good to see you. What a wake up call. I like your positive attitude that it could have been worse. Why no cream? Calories or something else?
Terra that is great that you go to the DA4A meetings. We have similar meetings but they are called something else. They are further away in the bigger cities so I don't go. Thank you for contributing to the think tank! Are you working on pushing through any new change/improvement?
Betsy yes when you eat carbs your body needs to hang onto more water. Did you make your own tomato soup? My husband and daughter eat our tomatoes like apples so they go fast.
Sorry I was missing yesterday. We took my youngest daughter to college. She is going to a private one and it is very family/community oriented so we stayed until late last night. Everything was an activity and then food... it was fat girl heaven. I warned my daughter to be careful.
One thing I noticed yesterday was how much food the other students brought with them. My daughter took a few things because she is on the smallest meal plan and will often eat breakfast in her room. We really are conditioned to cosume a lot of food. OK enough chatting.
Have a peaceful day!

Ubee ~ What do you mean by any new change/improvement? I didnt understand the question, Sorry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 8:30 this morning and like every morning I got my morning duties done. It just turned to noon, Already today I took out the trash and cleaned inside of the trash can and Im about to make Deviled Eggs to take to a picnic Scott and I are going to at 5 pm today. Im also gonna do my 2 mille walk after I get done making the Deviled Eggs. Im really looking forward to the picnic, DA4A has one every year and this one will be the 2nd one I've been too, I wasnt able to go last year so Im really glad I can go this year and of course tonight before bed I'll do my 2 mile walk again so I'll walk 4 miles before the day is over.

Good morning. Where is everyone? It's been quiet -- too quiet -- on this thread this week. Hope everyone is doing ok.

Terra You do keep busy during the day between school, home, and walking. Those days pass by so fast!

Dean So glad you're back posting with us -- for several reasons! What a scare you had, and you're right that this could have had far more serious consequences. Do they have any idea what caused the clotting. If you ever have surgery of any kind in the future (hopefully not), be sure to mention this as they will definitely have a more intensive anti-embolism post-surgery treatment plan. Just glad that you're back with us and we can get the coffee update. I did get a chuckle out of your signature line about dogs being the only animals that love us more than themselves. I might have to add that mine also loves my slippers more than himself and possibly me! Just chewed up another pair last night and I thought I had them up out of his reach. Oh well, he more than makes up for it with all the affection he showers on me.

Not much new going on here. I'm procrastinating on the yard work, but am making great strides in getting the house whipped into shape. It will all get done. Have hit a stall int he weight loss which had been steady at 1/2-1 pound per day. Not too surprising as no one can continue at that pace unless starvation is involved. The kids are coming this weekend to help with getting things ready for me taking care of their dad (my BIL) for the next couple of weeks after his second hip replacement of the year (other hip). Off to the gym, bookkeeping and yard work. Have a good day.

Betsy ~ Yeah the days do go by fast, I agree

*waving to everyone*

While drinking my coffee this morning, I have a quick moment before my visitor, my best friend Mary, wakes up. About Mary, who is about 53, six and some years younger than me: a Midwesterner through and through, she lives now in St. Paul, Minnesota, and loves it there. She has many passions, but three grand ones: (1) early (baroque) music: she plays the viola da gamba—a large viol that predates the cello by many, many years—in various ensembles in her area; (2) the German language: she's self-employed as a German translator of mostly medical & legal documents; (3) pop culture, especially movies, especially horror and action flicks. The latter passion is shared by the two of us, and we get together every summer for five intense days during which we watch about 50 hours of movies. Our favorite sub-genre is splatter comedy: fake blood played entirely for laughs, a lot like Buster Keaton's silent comedy. We met on the Internet in 1990 (years before the Web came along) and have been having our annual "Blood Binge" for over 20 years.

This year I shared Mary with my great-niece Grace for an afternoon. Mary drove from Minnesota to Maryland in order to bring along her viola da gamba, named Cedric, and jam with other baroque musicians in this area. Since Grace plays the double-bass in her school orchestra, I arranged for her to meet Cedric and participate in what Mary calls a "gamba petting zoo." Mary gave a patient and humorous introduction, one-on-one with Grace in which I was a fly on the wall, to everything from the history of early music and its instruments, to musical notation of the period, to the physical characteristics of the gamba itself. She played three lovely, complex pieces for us, then let Grace hold (with her legs) Cedric and try playing him a bit. It was marvelous! I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson and did not regret giving up some of my time with Mary. After Grace left, Mary paid her the high compliment of saying that if she were in high school with Grace, she would want to be one of her friends.

Now soon Mary will be up and we will be back to our packed schedule of movies. Wishing you all well... I will write again on Monday...

Good Morning!
Fi that sounds like a wonderful time!
Hi shinesgirl! What have you been up to?
Terra is your DA4A meeting to promote independence for persons with disabilities? If so, they often have an impact on the community to change things or improve things. I was just wondering if they were working on helping the community improve/change anything.
Betsy you are right it is sloooow on here. Will be able to keep posting while you are nursing Bill back to health?
How is everyone doing????
Today in her challenge thread Katt reminded me that if you are struggling, gaining or yo-yoing 3 Fat Chicks is where you should be. So many times we pulll away from here when it is the time we should stay hyper focused on being here.
Come on everybody get back here and let's help eachother succeed! :carrot:

Good morning all. Woke up at 4:30 for some odd reason and couldn't get back to sleep. I foresee a nap in my afternoon.

Dean You are a true coffee drinker when you will drink it black rather than not have any at all. Did you like the new doctor? With the blood clots, having a doctor is definitely high on the necessity list!

Terra (and maybe Ubee, too), What is DA4A? Probably something I should know but haven't heard of this group.

Shinesgirl :wave: Back at ya.

Fi Sounds like a great visit with Mary! Glad you're enjoying yourselves.

Ubee Hopefully I can at least drop in to say hi......it's exhausting for the first two weeks until he gets more mobile. Fortunately Bill is easy to get along with and definitely not demanding at all.

Ubee's right -- I need all the support I can get. Had an off day yesterday and am amazed at how easily old habits just slip back into place. Bought food to have for the boys (the big boys, not the little guys) tomorrow so they can see their dad and help with getting things set up for Bill's recuperation and darn if it didn't call to me during the evening. And I was definitely overly responsive to the silent overture. Aaarrggghhhh......will when chips lose their hold on me?!

OK, must get the deck cleaned off. Am going to pull out the cuke and pea vines as they've stopped producing. Need to water everything, clean the carpeting on the stairs, and actually finally tackle some of the yard work. It's a gorgeous day here, so that shouldn't be a problem. Have a great weekend.

Ubee ~ Yes we are always making changes and improving things for people with disabilities.

Betsy ~ DA4A first stands for Disability Advocates 4 Action and we are a group with or without disabilities that who take action to promote equal access for all services, programs, activities, resources, facilities in society

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 7:30 this morning cause I forgot to turn my alarm on to go off at 5 am so I could get up and be ready to walk outside at 7 am. Oh well I'll be sure its on when I go to bed tonight. As I do every morning I got my morning duties done. Right now Im just watching t.v while eating breakfast but after breakfast Im gonna do my 1st 2 mile walk of the day and then I'll walk again at 1 pm and then again at 6 or 6:30 tonight and Yes I still need to clean the bathroom before I go to bed tonight. If you couldnt guess Im a put things off for another day type of person when it comes to house work LOL.

Betsy I would use the excuse of "It's a beautiful day here." as a reason not to waste it doing yard work. Glad you will be popping in. Bill's recovery seemed like FOREVER to me last time! Are there any chips that the boys like and you don't? Wow, who would have thought you could hear someone laughing in Washington all the way in Wisconsin???
Terra I am your partner in crime when it comes to putting off house work. I'm not sure if this is a weightloss thread or a I don't want to clean my house thread most days.

=also waving back to everyone=

Mary is making a Moroccan eggplant dish right now as we take a break from peals of laughter while watching movies. After Mary leaves, Monday morning, I will have a short period to get caught up with folks. Then Bob and I will leave for the farm over a long Labor Day weekend. We're going to take the kitties with us, and my auxiliary studio will be painted. I'll be off the Net while there.

I broke down a bit this morning before Mary woke up, and ate my dark chocolate bar earlier than I wanted to. It was calling to me. No big deal, but I am concerned to get back to doing my leg exercises.

Great to see you back, Dean!

Ubee ~ Yeah I agree, I dont know which one it is either most days LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 3 am this morning and I've been up ever since cause I went to bed way too early last night so when 3 am came around my body and back was telling me "GET UP, ITS TIME TO GET UP" LOL. So I went ahead and got up, I dont know if I'll take a nap today or not but what I do not is not to go to bed so early again. Since Im up so early though I definitely plan to get my 5 miles in today and I'll definitely have plenty of time to clean the bathroom today LOL.

Good morning all. Foggy morning here which is normal living this close to the Sound, but it will burn off by noon. Or not....somewhat unpredictable weather patterns out here.

Terra DA4A sounds like a great group. I tried finding a group here in WA, but didn't see any listed. Sounds like a great group with which to be affiliated.

Ubee This is WA. It's either a beautiful day or rain. Not a whole lot in between. I have felt a stronger and stronger desire to just move into a condo or at least a house that isn't on the side of a ridge. Yes, it is amazing about how far sound travels, but you did give me a great idea. One nephew loves the Jalapeno chips so I'll see if the other one does. I think they're awful! Interesting approach -- I'd like to invite you to my house and I'll be serving only foods that I hate. Talk about hostess with the mostest!

Fi Moroccon egg plant -- yum! I LOVE egg plant and grow it in one of my deck planters. Have a great time at the cabin and we'll look forward to catching up with you on the flip side.

I had a food shock moment this morning. Normally when the family is coming for the day I don't bother entering my food on MFP. I figure that I'll watch it or just count it as a cheat day. Well, I decided today that I would enter what I'm serving for the day. Good heavens -- no wonder I'm fat since I ate this way for most of my life. The total calorie count for the day is 2876 calories with 245 g of carbs. Breakfast was two slices of toast (45 calorie/slice Sara Lee multigrain) with 1 TBL of PB. That wasn't too bad at 280 calories. Lunch is to be a hot dog (in bun) and one ounce of chips. That's 470 calories and 42 g of carbs. Then supper. T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, corn, fresh baked bread, Caesar Salad, and apple pie a la mode. Yes, it's a ridiculous meal, but one that the boys (the big boys.....the grown men) love. That meal has 2,126 calories and 177 g of carbs. That was really an eye opener for me and certainly explains a lot about how I got here and why I can't afford cheat days. Just went in and changed the day. Still have a hot dog, but no bun and no chips. Added in 1/8 of a cantaloupe. Have 4 oz of the steak instead of the whole thing, half a baked potato, no corn, no bread, no pie, but will have 2 cups of the Caesar Salad. That comes to 1,144 calories and 88 grams of carbs. MUCH BETTER!

Late Hellos today!
Went out today and was good 50% of the time. I am not as brave as Betsy so I will not add up the damage.
Betsy I am still laughing at your "no wonder I am fat" comment. Same here my memory loss really kicks in when I try to remember all I've eaten in a day.
Just decided I am going to write down everything I eat this week. On a page not mfp. MFP causes me some weird head game stuff lately so I will just write it down and not count carbs or calories, just observe honestly how much my portions are out of control.
Terra how long did it take you to work up to 5 miles a day?
Fi this morning I did 5 leg lifts. Ugh! I am out of shape. Have a fun vacation and we will be here waiting to hear how the kitties liked the different house.

Hi everyone, quick check in...

Didnt lose any this week and had a small gain in my measurments but maybe its muscle. Been really busy at the home front so I havent been able to post

Dean, glad to see you are back dear...make sure you take care of you first...we'll always be here for ya

Got to see a friend of mine today whom I have not seen in a couple of years. The last time I saw him he was about 160lbs and strung out on heroin. He's been in treatment and was home visiting for a couple of days. He's close to probably 290 now...he seems healthier and I hope this treatment works out for him. I've known him since high school and was in a band with DH for a good while when they traveled the country and Canada...he's family.

Got some good thrift store finds today....a pair of sleep pants, a skirt in a XL and a pair of size 18 jeans...never thought I'd see that!!

Anyway I'm off for now. I gotta get to bed early now since school is back in session and I have to pass by 3 schools on my way to work.

Night!

Can you guys believe its the last week of Aug. already? It went by so fast.

Betsy ~ Yeah its a nice group to belong too.

Ubee ~ Actually I still trying to work up to 5 miles, Its taken a while. The most I've been able to work up to so far was 4 miles each day but I hope to work up to 5 miles soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 3 am again this morning. So I definitely probably take a nap later on today. As with each morning I already have my morning duties done. Right now Im about to fix breakfast, Its 5:30 am right now. My plans for today is to FINALLY get the bathroom cleaned and hopefully I FINALLY get 5 miles in. At 2:30 pm we're gonna go to Walmart to do some food and non food shopping and those are all my plans for today.

Back with some target brand "donut shop" coffee this morning...

New doc was GREAT, and the reason for the black coffee was so that she could get good readings on blood tests, etc., one of those "fasting" things...

Biggest factor for clots is always air travel, but I had one of the genetic factors that makes me "predisposed" to clotting, too. Of course, they always say you're more at risk if you're heavy, too. You just can't win, LOL.

Everyone have a great week!

Dean

Good Morning!
Stormy morning to be followed by a muggy afternnoon. Tomorrow should be nice.
Dean I am sorry you are going through this but I want to thank you for sharing it with us. I sometimes forget all the risks that come with being obese.
Terra I hope you are loading that cart up with lots of veggies!
Sam good to see you! (Yes, I am a worry wart!) Aren't you just tickled pink by those size 18's? I hope to see you on here again today.
Today I am going to make a chart for my daily goals. Water, exercise, vitamins, floss, no sugar, no gluten. I am feeling OCDish so I will not like a ugly black mark on my pretty chart. Hey, whatever it takes to get the fat off.
Have a peaceful day.

Dean— Gee, that was one scary experience you had with those clots. I'm glad you have faith in your doctor and hope it's all resolving now.

Terra— Good job that you're up to 4 miles a day! If I can achieve that some day, I'll be a happy camper.

Ubee— Good luck with your daily charting: sometimes being OC about weight loss goals is very helpful. Terrific that you did five leg lifts! Try to do 8 the next time, 4 on on your side and 4 on your back. If you alternate legs between days, you'll be able to slowly increase the number of lifts.

Sam— Size 18 jeans—way to go girl! One or even two weeks without a loss is no big deal: sometimes your body has to stop on the way down and consolidate the losses so far. I know that happens to me.

Betsy— That was both courageous and smart of you to calculate the calories for what would've been a cheat day, and good for you that you figured out a way to make it a more on-plan meal for you. You are really getting with the program!

shinesgirl— Howdy! I hope that soon you will be posting every day. It really helps to check in, even if things aren't going that well.

Well, Mary set off this morning for her trek back (1100 miles!) to Minnesota. We had such a satisfying Binge. What with the interruptions, we didn't watch as many movies this year, but with just a couple of exceptions, the ones we did watch were top-notch. It's so much easier to screen them than it used to be, since almost all of them we streamed right off Netflix or Amazon. We also watched all of Season Four of "Game of Thrones," which was amazingly excellent. The changes the writers are making from the book version really make the emotional moments hit home. What superb acting that series has! And speaking of excellent series, Mary brought with her the whole DVD set of "The Wire," on loan, which I hope I can talk Bob into watching with me. Mary and I only see each other for five days a year, but we sure do make the most of them. We did our usual exchange of gifts, and she gave me a gorgeous black cloth messenger bag with Godzilla on it—the Japanese characters for "Gojira" in bright red. I love the way the cloth is all frayed around the edges. I'm going to find that bag especially useful for taking books to the farm.

The biggest news from the Binge, though, is that I didn't go off plan even once. Most importantly, I did not have one single cookie the whole time—woo hoo! I had a bit more carbos than usual, because Mary and I have a tradition of making a huge bowl of tabouli to sustain us through our movie-watching, but I partially made up for eating the bulghur wheat by skipping my muesli most of the nights.

Today I slipped easily right back into my modified Atkins regime. I didn't do my monthly weigh-in on the 22nd, because it fell right in the middle of the festivities, but so what? I look forward to seeing where I'll be on September 22nd, and to putting another data point on my downward-sloping graph. Tonight I did three sets of lifts with my left leg, 120 per set. I know that soon I'll be back up to my usual 600 per night.

Good Morning!

Early day at the office-some "carrot cake" coffee... Not bad at all.

A bit sore today, but the doc said that the body has to absorb/route around the clots, and I may have some odd soreness. Oh well. The thinners prevent the clots from moving while the body deals with them.

Everyone have a great day!

Dean

Oh darn, both the kittens and I have infections, plural. They had had ringworm (a fungus) in their cattery, and my breeder syspected it was a human strain, since only the kittens had it. They were "dipped" for it, and it was supposed to be cleared up, but increasingly Nénu's ears have been looking patchy and dirty, so I've been worried. And then just this morning I was scratching at an itch, and I noticed I have the characteristic ring-shaped lesions myself, on my arms and legs both. Arrrgggh! So now the cats need to go back to the vet, plus I need to see my primary-care doc, to get the fungicidal pills. I've had a very bad fungal infection in the past, so I'm not messing around with topical creams on this.

Meanwhile, both kittens still have the upper respiratory infection they've had since arrival. Two antibiotics so far haven't touched it, so we got an expensive panel for viruses and suchlike.

I'm feeling less and less comfortable about stressing the kittens by taking them to the farm with us, which means I'm going to ask Bob if he can go by himself to supervise the painting of my auxiliary studio. He's asleep right now. He isn't going to like this. And no, I don't know if he has any fungal lesions himself. I warned Mary by email, because we did share a towel in the kitchen.

Isn't this all a pain in the you-know-what? =big sigh=

Hi Everyone!
Fi so sorry about the kitties. We once were given kitties with fleas. I feel for you. Hope you are all healthy soon and Bob finds the strength to go to the farm so things can get done.
Dean it is so nice to hear your coffee updates again. How are your doggies doing?
I am doing better with everything since I started my chart and am sticking to plan on everything but portions. That part is getting better. I feel so much less bloated. I feel good and peaceful.

Ubee ~ Mom was the one that was shopping, I just went with her to get out of the house

Fiona ~ Thanks, I know you'll get to 4 miles too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My day started at 7:20 am this morning. At 7:30 am my mom and I left the house to start our day, We went to Home Depot to pick up some site to store items and then we went dillions and then we went to my doctor's appointment and then we came home for the day. I took a nap from noon to 3 pm. We ate dinner around 4 pm and then when my mom went to bed I did my 2 mile walk. Im about to take a shower and head to bed.

Oh darn, I'd just typed up my message & for some reason it all went "poof".

~sigh~ the temp has been in the 90's for the last 2 wks & it's really starting to get to me - it's too hot to get much done indoors & too hot to go out, lol.

Fiona W - What a shame that you have the ringworm issue to deal with - I hope it all clears up fast!

Terra - Do you listen to music when you go for your walk? Is it always the same route?

Betsey - I am so impressed by you doing that menu switch! *applause*
Since it's the 2nd time, then I hope you find your nursing duties much easier!

vwdeano - You've inspired me (w/ your mention of "donut shop" coffee) to actually have a cup of coffee for the first time in about 6 weeks! I generally give up hot drinks in the Summer, but I sure do miss my coffee!

Ubee - What a good idea you had to make a chart to track yr pills, water etc.. (Naturally I'm assuming it will involve glitter, lol) I'm stealing your idea, but I'll use a mini flip top note book instead. How much water do you drink each day? I like water & drink a lot of it, but I haven't been keeping track of the amount.

Hazelnut today...

Doggies are well. We had to switch them to "wet" or canned food, because the little girl stays a bit too slender. She would just graze. Cuda (the boy) is about the right size, because he'll sit down and eat a meal, more or less, but Kitten (the little girl) would just grab a few pieces of dry food and then not touch it for a good while. Now we feed them separately, and she seems to be filling out a bit. We're giving them the good stuff, I think they may eat better than WE do.

They were in hog heaven when I was home for three weeks after the clots. They love having someone at home.

Rode the motorcycle in today. I've been avoiding it because I'm on blood thinners, but I was bundled up in all the safety gear. Too nice not to get the bike out.

Have a great day!

Dean

Good Morning!
Green tea instead of coffee for me today.
Dean I am not suprised your dogs eat better then you. As I recall you are quite the doggie daddy. Good for you for getting on your bike and living. I let fear control too much of my life.
Shinesgirl no glitter. I am a plain Jane type. I drink 64ounces a day. I like water I just like eating food more...
Terra did you start that exercise class at school yet?
I am feeling a little groggy today may have to make some coffee. Nothing big planned just a lot of little jobs I've been putting off.
Have peaceful day.

Hi all. Just a quick swing through to catch up on what everyone is doing and let you know I'm still amongst the living. Hope you'll excuse the lack of personal greetings -- just wanted you all to know that in reading everyone's posts it feels like reconnecting with a family member who has been away (it's only been 3 days, but feels like a month!).

Bill came through the surgery just fine, has had almost no pain, and he was up and walking down the hall yesterday for PT. We have our training class that I have to attend today, then he has PT and then they're releasing him. Just in time for me to get him home for supper. I've got the house all set up so there will be fewer trips into town (25 miles one way), but the long days begin now. He'll be here a couple of weeks and then 4 weeks of me driving him around to appointments, PT, etc. The big thing he hates is having to wear the anti-embolism socks for the whole 6 weeks because he's prone to blood clots (nothing like what you're dealing with, Dean).

Don't know when I'll post again, but be well everyone.

Ubee ~ Nope not yet, Im still needing members

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up around 6 am this morning, Wanting to get up at 5 am but when I woke up at 6 am the alarm was turned off but I know that I turned it on before I went to sleep. Anyway today I went to school for a meeting. I took a nap at 3:30 pm today until 6 pm and then I got up and ate dinner and now Im just on here while watching t.v. I'll go to bed at 10 pm tonight so in about 2 hours. I finally got the bathroom cleaned yesterday though so thats good. I took today off from exercising but I'll start back up tomorrow morning when I go for my morning walk.

*waving hi to Betsy as she passes in a blur*

Tonite I weighed myself & have lost a pound! : )

Morning, all...

Little "donut shop" coffee this morning, with a touch of cream and some hazelnut syrup(tiny bit-sugar free)... Mmmm...

Hoping for a peaceful day in the office-we'll see, LOL.

Have a great day,

Dean

Shinesgirl ~ Yeah I listen to music when Im walking to my dvd and when I'm walking outside and Yes its always the same route because I'm afraid of getting lost if I walk anywhere else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 6 am, I heard the alarm clock this morning so that was good. Im really for school already, I wait for my bus at 7:20 this morning. Its almost 7:00 am now. I have cooking class today, We're having build your own salads, so Im excited for cooking class today, I LOVE salads. After cooking class Im just gonna read until 3:30 pm which is when I go home, I usually have peer support after cooking class but its been cancelled for today.

Good Morning!
Shinesgirl what a lovely day and losing a pound is just icing on the cake.
Terra I too love salads. Please share with us any interesting toppings you put on. Today my salad will have toasted almonds, craisins, goats cheese, and hot bacon with baslamic vinegar. I would like to add chicken but am out at the momment.
Dean trouble in the office? Might need a little more coffee to deal with it.
Betsy thanks for stopping by and giving us the update on Bill. You two are lucky to have eachother. I'm sure your sister is very happy looking down on the two of you. I am the queen of putting on those stockings, if I must say so myself. I've had a lot of practice with loved ones, friends, heck even relatives of friends have called for me to help. These big old "man hands" are good for something. Funny thing is I got them from my mom and I loved her hands.
I jumped on the scale today since I feel less bloated. Must be broken because I stayed the same and had not dropped those 20 pounds I was so sure of.
Have a peaceful day.

Ubee ~ Well my favorite salad to make at home is a Seafood Salad but today at school we're having just a normal salad with cucumbers,tomatoes,cubed ham,cheese,Sliced Raddishes and ranch & ltalian dressings.

Hello Everyone!!!

Sorry I have been a bad weight loss buddy and haven't been posting like I usually do...I have read to get caught up so and I'm on the computer where it will be easier for me to take the time to type out personals today *smile*

Dean Glad to hear that things are slowly getting better. Great to hear about the doggies too :)...I've missed your "Couffy Taulk" (insert Mike Myers, SNL skit voice here) :)

Shine Great new to hear about your pound loss...Keep it up girly!!

Fi SO HAPPY to hear your visit with Mary went well and you had a great time!! I love Game of Thrones too but I haven't seen much of it...I'm only on the second season since I don't watch tv too much these days lol....Sorry to hear about you and the kitties! I hope you 3 are all better soon!!

Betsy Glad to hear Bill is doing well...You are such an awesome SIL to help take care of him....Makes me so happy...You truly are such a sweet person and would feel so greatful if I ever got to meet you outside the interwebs.

Ubee I'm here!!! Sorry I have been slacking with the posts...I've been keeping myself very busy in the gym on the daily :D...Couldn't believe about the size 18s! They are snug but they fit and that's all that matters! :D

Terra Awesome job on working up to the 4 miles a day! You go girl!!!

I hope I'm not forgetting anybody....I sure do miss Larry and hope he and his wife are doing ok...It's been awhile since we've heard from him too.

Well this week I finally took the plunge and signed up for the gym where my friend goes....It's made things way more easier on my end because if she doesn't feel like going, or can't I just go alone, like I did today. I've been taking advantage of the red light therapy bed and the hydro massage bed they have there too....Felt good after today's work out...I am trying to push real hard when I go to the gym so I usually end up leaving pouring sweat so I guess that's a good sign...

I'm back eating 100% on plan...Not that I ever really fell off but some of my choices weren't as strict as I've been in the past...I am hoping for a nice loss either in weight or inches this week.

Another friend of mine has come back home from PA after being up there for several months. I was supposed to go meet him for coffee last night so I skipped the gym and took yesterday as a rest day...Time got the best of him and we ended up just taking a rain check to this weekend. I haven't seen him since the very very beginning of my journey so I'm really interested in seeing his reaction when he sees me this weekend...

Speaking of weekends, almost the whole month of September I will be busy on the weekends with something or another...I get out of work at 12 tomorrow so I'll definitely enjoy the rest time before going to the gym with my friend....I have to go meet a gay couple I'm doing their makeup for their wedding in October on Sunday to do they're trial run...Anytime I get to play with makeup I get really excited so I hope everything goes over well. Next Sunday I have to go to my SIL baby shower and the Sunday after that, DH and I have a wedding to go to...I don't even have a nice fancy dress that fits anymore so I'm going to have to go shopping....With the very limited choices at Goodwill, I doubt I'll be able to find anything in their dress department that wasn't straight out of 1983 so I'm going to try and buy something new. I went and tried on some dresses at Target last night that were simple but dressy enough to wear to a wedding...I'm able to get into their misses XXL size :) I think I found the dress I want, it's a simple black capped sleeved dress that hits right above the knee...They have one in burgandy too so I don't know which one to get...Burgandy would be nice in the fall too....

I'll try to make a point to post again before the weekend is out....I really need to get back to posting every day, even if it's just a hello...I really miss posting here so frequently and it does help keep me accountable...

It's getting late, and time for me to turn off my devices and try to go to sleep in about 10 minutes, so I'm gonna call it....

Hope everyone is doing well, night!!

VWDeano - *snap* I had hazelnut coffee today too, but adding yr syrup sounds like it wld be nicer than my reg. flavored kind.

SamIAm - That burgundy dress sounds so pretty, & you're right that it wld be good in the Fall right thru Christmas. Woo hoo on the size 18!!!!

Terra - Seafood salad sounds like it wld be delicious - what all goes in it?

Ubee - I bet those pesky pounds start shifting themselves next time! (& yr salad sounded really nice - in fact I think I'm slightly drooling, lol.

shinesgirl ~ I just get a bag of salad mix and then add Shrimp and Crab and toss it together with Remoulade dressing, It is very good and a squeeze of lemon, You cant forget the lemon.

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I've been up since 4 A.M. and now its 7 A.M. and Im wide awake now. Im about to go on my morning walk. Just got back from my morning walk, Its 7:25 am right now though. I need to do my afternoon and evening work out to my dvd and I also need to do the dishes sometime today as well. Those are all of my plans for today.

Morning, all!

Gorgeous day here in East TN... Doggies were "peppy" this morning, needed several rubs before I got out the door. Didn't have the energy to brew coffee this morning, so picked up McDonalds coffee on the way in (restrained from the food-although I LOOOOVE the smell of bacon in the morning).

Have a great holiday weekend-see you on tuesday!

Dean

Good Morning!
Dean see you in September.
Shinesgirl what is new with YOU?
Terra how do you make your remoulade dressing?
Sam I am glad you have a lot of positive things going on in your life. Thanks for popping in I was getting worried.
So I am doing well sticking to my no sugar, no gluten, drinking my water, exercising and taking my vitamins ... HOWEVER, my portion control leaves a lot to be desired. I will start on that on Tuesday.
Have a peaceful day!