Fi It's a lot of steps I'll tell you that!!! I have an iphone and it tracks your steps for you while you have it on your person. I think I probably had done a few hundred before my walk if that and after the walk it was at a little over 17,000 steps!!! I really want to get a FitBit HR. One of my company reps has one and she love it. I've been on the search for a good one for awhile that would be affordable for me and after reading up on it, it sounds like the one for me. There's no chest strap required to use while you work out which is HUGE!!! I saw it on sale at Sam's Club the other day for about $130 something and it normally runs about $150 or so with other sites and places I've seen it. That's one of the things I plan on purchasing after getting some repairs done on my car (new brakes and AC), so hopefully I have some money left. I'd also like to get my ring resized. I'm not a follower of sports for the most part except hockey. I LOVE hockey and of course the Washington Capitals is my team...I was born in DC and for the short time in my life before moving to SC, we lived in Burke, VA. I can definitely understand your excitement though!! The Caps have had an AWESOME season this year and I hope they finally win the cup this year. They usually make it to the playoffs every year and seem to choke by the time they get there.

Cal Sounds like a great weekend! Glad you had a good time :)

Donna So glad you were given something that was able to let you get some sleep!! How sweet of your son to make you breakfast in bed :) The weather sounds wonderful where you are right now. I have never traveled outside the US, never even above the state of VA here, never been on a plane, but I do have dreams to get some traveling done at some point in my lifetime. I've always wanted to visit the UK and go back packing around the different places. If I could pick one place in the entire world to visit and that would be the only place I could ever go I'd pick Japan. I am a huge fan of all things Japanese/Asian. DH and I watch more Anime shows than we watch any other TV. We love Asian food and I am obsessed with everything Kawaii! There is a term used in the Japanese language that describes people like me who are big fans of games, movies, tv, cute things...It's call an Otaku lol :) Glad to hear the lambs will be here soon!!

So this will be a quick finishing post as DH just called me for breakfast. This time change has thrown us off and we are now only eating breakfast at 12 PM. I didn't get to bed until shortly after 3AM last night due to DH's show, and then of course the time changed as soon as we got home at 2, now considered 3 AM. I actually slept in today, not waking until about 930 AM, which is late for me these days. Ever since being put on a different medication for my bi-polar disorder I have been able to sleep well at night and not feel grogy when I wake up.

As far as my weigh in I'm down to 203.2!! If you remember from my issues with my food last weekend and all of the water weight I gained I was up to about 212. Previous to that I was between 206-208 so this was a great loss for me this week!!! Maybe next week I'll finally be under 200 again!! Boy would that make me so happy!! That will be next week's goal I believe. I got my 5 days of workouts in this week, so maybe that extra day that I seem to be missing lately paid off?

Have a great day dolls! Hope for a great week next week!

Day 17 of rain only we've moved on to blowing winds with gusts up to 70 MPH expected in the afternoon. Oh well, keeps me from having to do yard work!

Fi -- Native NWers seem to be very proud of all the rainy days and how everyone just goes on about their business like it's a lovely spring day. Of course, since the rainy season lasts 9 months (summers are wonderful out here), what choice does everyone have. Funny thing is that our average rainfall is about the same as for central Illinois where I grew up -- 40 inches. It's just that when it falls in the form of drizzle a lot of the time, it takes awhile to accumulate. Thanks for the instructions on how to get to the other artists' collages -- I'll do that next time. I didn't remember that you had lived in Chapel Hill, but anyone in that part of the world has to be interested in ACC sports. During the tournaments, they even put TVs throughout the building so people could watch while at work. Considering that IT is in many ways a sweatshop mentality, I was in shock the first year I was in NC. I'm not into sports, but out here you're either a Seahawks or Sounders (soccer) fan or you don't have much to talk about. lol The timer is working, plus like you told me would happen, my cravings are beginning to subside since I haven't been eating those foods for awhile now.

Sam -- 8.3 miles!!!! Yowza (that's old people language for whatever the current word is for something that is really great). I don't remember having bog. Had Brunswick Stew, but that sounds different. Of course, once I was in NC everyone was so busy arguing over whether Lexington or eastern barbeque was best, they maybe didn't make bog. I'm with you on getting adjusted to DST as I didn't wake up until after 8:30 this morning. Ooops, almost forgot to give you an Atta Girl on the weight loss. Sounds like you got all that water weight off and some "real" weight too. Good for you. I really admire your sticking with it.

Donna -- What a wonderful young man you are raising! How sweet of him to fix you breakfast in bed. And, yes, they grow up way too fast. Glad that the doc was able to adjust your meds so that you could get some sleep. Please let us know what the CT scan shows if you don't mind sharing. Staying on plan when you're so sick is very hard although a lot of time I end up losing anyway. Glad those ewes are finally dropping their lambs. I had visions of them walking along dragging their bellies on the ground from being over pregnant. (A lack of imagination was never a problem for me!).

Calda -- Oooh, Australia. You're on my bucket list -- well, your country is although it would be wonderful to meet some of the people here on 3FC.

I finished making the candy yesterday, got the laundry done, vacuumed the house, scrubbed the bathrooms, and wrapped the presents for the boys for Easter. A big day in the life of a retiree. Today I'm making and baking the cookies, and tomorrow I'll start decorating.

Eating wise I'm staying on plan and the weight is slowly coming back off. I want to be down to 350 by the end of the month which is another 4 pounds -- surely I can get 4 pounds off in almost 3 weeks! Time to get it in gear. Hope everyone has a great day.

Good morning. Quiet day on here yesterday! More rain with snow in the mountains -- lots of passes closed for parts of the day to do avalanche blasting. Not much to report here today other than the usual being "off schedule" due to the switch over to DST. I go to bed much later and get up later for about a week until my body adjusts. Once we get into June with the sun coming up about 4:30 in the morning, I sleep much less than in winter -- and feel the same!

Working on cookies again today. I had one yesterday that I broke, but that was it. Funny thing was that while it tasted good, it didn't taste great like I remembered. I wonder how much of my food memories are "in my head" so to speak; i.e., my memory of how the food tasted is actually enhanced compared to reality. Hhhmmmmm -- something to think about (but not something to taste test!).

Time for breakfast and then to the gym. Hope everyone has a good day.

Hi everyone! I've recently re-committed to my weight loss and find myself back at 3FC. I used to post here, but not for a really long time. I'm looking forward to checking in and getting to know you all!

ruby2sday— Welcome to the 300+ thread! Or welcome back... =smile= We're a small group here, and very supportive of eacb other. That's a big step you're taking, to re-commit to your weight loss journey: you deserve tons of credit for it! Just about all of us know what it's like to fall off the wagon for a while, gain weight, and then finally summon the courage to start over. Congratulations!

The issue of taking cannabis for my chronic pain is evolving more rapidly than I thought it would. I saw my pain doctor today, and he said we don't have to wait until the "Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission" gets their act together, later this year. Why? Because there are already on the market a couple of legal meds that hit those cannabis receptors, and my pain doc uses them, with great results, in his practice. That sure got me all excited and hopeful!

Later in the day, though, I found out there's a catch: prescribing those cannabinoid drugs for fibromyalgia & chronic pain is a so-called "off-label" usage, and the prospects don't look good for my insurance paying for them. And at least one of them, the one my doctor prefers, is wicked expensive—like one grand for a month's supply! No way can we afford that. So it's all kind of up in the air now. I have to get back in touch tomorrow with my pain doc, or at least his savvy receptionist, to find out what the deal is... =sigh=

So I feel pretty down in the dumps tonight, having gotten all those high hopes, then learning what may turn out to be the bitter truth...

But rock-n-roll is saving me, as it does so often. I'm listening to my favorite deejay's show, and he's playin' all the songs I need to hear—like Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue," just to give one example.

I've lost count of the rain days. Just assume that it's raining.

Ruby2sday -- Welcome back! As Fi said, we've all lost and then had a trip up. In some cases, it was a major tumble (that would be moi). It's been quiet on the board for the last couple of days, but the group is very supportive and we talk about not only our weight loss challenges and successes but also what's going on in our lives.

Fi -- I don't know of many people who could afford a grand a month for any medication! I haven't started investigating the cost out here but am worried because when cannabis was legalized a few years ago, the legislature made the brilliant decision to just lump medical in with retail making the medical jump dramatically in cost. I haven't even checked to see if my insurance would cover it, but since mine requires that all drugs be ordered through one of their suppliers, I'm assuming not. Hopefully you get some more affordable alternatives when you talk with the pain doctor today. Just knowing that he feels that the use of it has been very effective is encouraging.

I'm slowly getting all of the cookie and candy making done. Today I start on the decorating the cookies and then I'll be done with that -- can just freeze them until they're needed. Later this week I'm going to run some errands including investigating the patches and looking into getting a grass catcher for the lawn tractor. With the compost bins now built, I need to be able to catch the grass clippings.

Still feeling droopy from the time change. Hopefully an hour at the gym will get me revved up. Have a great day.

Betsy— Since "Curious" is my middle name, I can't help but ask:.what do you mean by "investigating the patches"? I'm drawing a blank...

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I came home from having a good day at work, got my exercise in and then went to the mailbox. I've still been waiting on my federal tax return and got my state last week. Of course there just HAD to be a letter from the IRS in there. They basically say in the letter they one this premium tax credit form for health insurance premiums filled out and sent in before they'll give me the refund to confirm that I didn't receive a tax credit. Why can't I just send in the dumb form that shows I didn't get one? Nope, they have to make it even more difficult on me. The way it sounds like I may get this back at the end of the year LOL...Luckily I get more back from the state and am on my way with getting new brakes and a/c in my car. There's other things I'd like to be able to do with my refund like getting my cat spayed and my ring resized, and getting DH and I some new clothes that we so desperately need but those all come 2nd to my car. In this area if there's no a/c in your car you'll die in the summer.

So I'm on hold as I type this with the IRS. Luckily I spoke to a very nice lady who didn't really tell me anything other than to give them what they want if I want my refund, but at least she said it in a very polite way!! She's sending me to someone who can go line by line and help me fill out the form correctly so this doesn't drag out even longer.

With everything else going on I barely slept last night. I somehow hurt my neck at some point in trying to go to sleep and the pain shot down my arm. I couldn't get comfortable...I tossed and turned all night. DH couldn't sleep because of me either and said I kept whining and crying in my sleep because of the pain. I almost called into work today because of it but I made myself go. I have to leave early Thursday for my doctor's appointment so I didn't want to take a chance. My neck still hurts but not as much. I'm hoping this thing with the IRS isn't an all evening thing so maybe I can get a workout in if my body will let me. If not this will be my rest day and tomorrow I'll be back at it.

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know I'm ok...seems like yesterday was a slow day here. Be well friends!

:wave: everyone! I've been 'stalking' this group for a few weeks and you all seem like such a great group, I thought I should introduce myself. :)

I am 35 years old and started THIS leg of my journey in January. ;) I've been on this weighloss journey for YEARS.....but never consistently this long. Something in me "clicked" this past year, I'm not sure if it was the knowledge that I was halfway to 40 or that it was just time to 'get it'.....I've had a few bumps in the road since January, as creating new habits gets hard sometimes....but overall.....I'm trying harder than ever before. I've lost 22 lbs since January 1st.

I have a daughter that we adopted through foster care a few years ago. She is 17 and intellectually disabled. I 'retired' from teaching to homeschool her. My husband and I want to adopt internationally....and so for that to happen, I need to lose about 55 more pounds (I need to lose about 150 overall), as one of the requirements is related to your BMI.

And thats more than you all probably cared to know about me!! But I look forward to getting to know all of you better in the days to come!

SamIAm86--We are currently dealing with some tax stuff.....I feel your pain!! Ridiculous.

lovinlife— Howdy! Welcome to the thread! Thanks for what you said about our "great group": we like to think of this place as where we talk about absolutely anything and find sympathetic listeners. I like your avatar: is that your dog? Cute! It's good to hear that something "clicked" for you, because that sure is what had to happen for me, to embark on this last (I sure hope!) attempt to get myself down to a healthy weight. It's interesting to hear about your experiences with your foster daughter. I'm astounded that being at some pre-determined BMI would be a requirement for adoption. As a 61-yr-old woman who's spent much of my life comfortable with being a fat woman, which included activism for size acceptance, that requirement strikes me as downright sizeist—bigoted, in other words. But if you're finding it a powerful motivator on your weight loss journey, go for it! I look forward to getting to know you better. =smile=

My big issues these days seem to be (1) chronic pain in my legs, pretty severe for much of the day; (2) trying to get enough sleep (not easy when you're hurting, for either you or your partner—as you, Sam, discovered!); and (3) getting in all my Qi Gong exercises plus my nightly round of leg exercises, every single day. Mike—my Qi ("chee") Gong instructor/healer—just keeps giving me more to do, and some of the new breathing exercises he's prescribed are both time-consuming and mentally demanding.

And the more I try to walk further, just around the house, the more difficult it is to get in all those exercises, especially the physical ones, like my leg raises—simply because of how painful they are. Usually I do five sets of 120 leg raises, but tonight I could only do three sets. I could tell that any more than that would be overdoing it, and I'd really pay for it tomorrow. =sigh=

Meanwhile, I'm nowhere near having my artist's life back. Not enough collages getting made, not enough postcards going out, and not enough letters being written...these things really weigh on my mind. =sad face=

Strange how weight loss is on the back burner...I'm pretty much sticking to my modified Atkin's diet, but I haven't weighed myself in a really long time—like 2-3 months. I ate too many sweets for a while in January & February, but I hope I'm back on track now. I guess I won't know for sure until the 22nd, my supposed-to-be monthly weigh-in. I'm trying not to hope for much of a loss, if any, because of how I fell off the wagon earlier in the year.

At least I'm not depressed! I'm so grateful for that.

Fiona-That sounds so very painful. I'm sorry that you struggle with that every day. Hoping you find some way to get relief from it very soon! Hopefully the prescription stuff will all work out. Insurance is a necessary evil it seems. But I hate it. Jumping through impossible hoops only to get denied seems to be the name of the game for them. I am impressed though......5 sets of 120 leg raises....thats a TON of leg raises!

Yeah, the BMI thing bothers me a lot too.....they are tying your health to your BMI...which I kinda get....someone morbidly obese probably has more health problems than someone of average weight. It's also because our country of choice is China and it will be a special needs adoption. China has a lot of requirements. It does seem sizeist to me as well.....but I can't change the requirements.
And I will add, we had no problems fostering/adopting our daughter due to my BMI, so the requirement is a China requirement, not an American one.
(And yes, my avatar is of my dog.....its one of my favorite pics of her because it looks like she is smiling. :D

Hi everyone.

ruby2sday and lovinlife, welcome to our little group. You will find tons of support here and Fi is right - we talk about anything and everything here, so jump right in.

I haven't posted for a few days - this cold is really kicking my butt. It's mainly a cough now, sometimes congested and sometimes dry and barky, but it's interfering with sleep (the night before last I spent most of the night sitting up on the couch because I couldn't stop coughing in bed). Last night was a little better until about 7 this morning. The city is installing new sewer and water pipes and they happen to be working on our street this week, so sleeping past 7 is impossible, unless you're my DH. :)

I'm hoping this cold is gone soon. Monday I'm supposed to go visit my best friend for a few days. I'm really looking forward to that as I haven't seen her in over a year. She has a five year old so I really don't want to be contagious around him.

On the diet front things are good. I'm back on track and down a little from my ticker weight. Funny how those things work together. I will update that later this week if the corned beef and cabbage doesn't put it back on. Is any one else making it tomorrow? I know it isn't very diet friendly, but it's once a year and I always make it, and I think DH would be devastated if I didn't. He's going to the store for me today so I can work on getting better.

Sorry no personals today but I'm reading all your posts and thinking of all of you and I hope you all have a great day.

Lovinlife Hiii!!!! Welcome to our home!! I love this group and they have done so much with helping me lose weight I don't think I could have done it without this place! Hope you'll stay awhile! Would love to get to know you!!

Fi Thinking of you today...Hoping you find relief soon but you did make a very good point...you aren't depressed and I know how much of a big deal that is. I am so glad to hear that!!

Cindy I'm sorry you still aren't feeling well. Spring/Summer colds are the worst!! The pollen is in full swing here, so much so that my blue car is starting to look green :lol: Get well soon my love!

Well DH went and had the brakes checked today. We need two new rotors and two of them resurfaced plus the pads they are saying close to $500. DH said no way we will change them ourselves. They also looked at the AC and the clutch to the air compressor had completely fallen off!! That is something we knew we would have to replace ourselves because we don't have $1,000 to get it done. So DH and I will have a lot of work to do on our girl here in the coming weeks!!

DH picked me up from work today and I had him bring my wedding rings so I could get a price on FINALLY having them resized. It's going to be $70 all together to get both of them done...but the exciting part is finally seeing what size I wear now!!! Before losing weight I had short sausage fingers, wearing a soze 11.5....I now wear a 7.5!!!!!! For the first time ever in my life I have a normal ring size!!! DH was just as shocked as me!!!! It really made my day that's for sure!!!

We just got home so I won't be able to get a good workout in tonight but I'm supposed to be going on a walk with my friend and her little here soon.

Oh also my doctor appointment is tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

Better get ready! Be well friends!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all. I'm celebrating my 1/16th Irish heritage today with the stop to the rain, the mountain is out in all her glory, and the sun is shining! Hurrah.

Fi -- The patches are the cannabis transdermal patches that are used for pain relief. They have ones that are NOT psychotropic so you get pain relief without getting high. They also have ones that do produce the high. I wanted something that didn't involve smoking or ingesting and am going to look into these. I'll let you know what I find out. Glad that with all you're dealing with that the depression is at bay -- at least for now.

Lovinlife -- Welcome to our group. You probably have already gotten a good feel for everyone here, and we appreciate your sharing something about yourself. What a wonderful person you are to adopt and love children with special needs. The whole China requirement for a certain BMI is weird -- thanks for clarifying that it was a Chinese requirement as opposed to something a US agency would have. Good luck with going through both the weight loss and adoption process.

Sam -- So sorry you're having to deal with the IRS. I know that they have had an incredible amount of fraud between identity theft and people lying about having health coverage and this results in people who are honest getting dinged. Hopefully you'll be able to get your refund soon. In the meantime, sounds like the car is going to be a major $$$, but you're right -- life in the South without AC would be miserable. I always think of before AC and all the clothes that women had to wear and the corsets. I'm surprised any of them survived. Of course, they also undressed and took naps during the hottest part of the day -- not a bad idea! Great news -- talk about a NSV -- on your rings. That must be so exciting!

Cindy -- Yep, I'm making corned beef and cabbage. Like you, I basically have it once a year and I don't think it's that bad of a meal. I braise my cabbage with apple, a little vinegar, and caraway seeds but do a regular boiled meal for the rest. Then I have sandwiches with the leftovers. Truly one of my favorite meals. Sounds like the cold really hit you hard. Hope that you're all better in time for your visit with your friend.

Donna, Porthardygurl, Tootsie (and I know I'm forgetting someone) -- hope you are all doing well.

I need to get it in gear. The cookies are finally done. They look good -- not great, but good. A friend is coming over to look at my double bed frame that's in the attic to see if they want it. Then the kid that did all the yard work for me is coming for lunch and to play with Toby. I want to get to the gym first, so I need to get a move on it.

Hope everyone has a great day.

New collage: "Burial Cairns in California Desert". (Click image for larger version.)

Betsy Yeahhh the whole car situation stinks. But DH thinks we can probably do it all ourselves for about $400 which will still be pretty cheap than to have to pay someone to do it. Very excited about getting my ring back on Monday! :)

Fi Awesome collage!!! Kinda gives me this sort of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, meets The Creepshow vibe. Really cool!!!

Ever have one of those days where you're just fed up? That was my day today. Everything was going well at work. Left early to go to my doctor's appointment at a new doctor all together. I pull into the place that their website said there office was and guess what? They moved!!! I was freaking out because I didn't want to be late for my appointment. I hadn't saved their phone number in my phone yet so I called the number on their website...disconnected!! I decide to go to another office that was next door to see if they knew where they had moved to. They weren't exactly sure and a really nice front desk lady called one of their other locations to get the correct phone number and called for me. What she ended up getting was a VERY rude and snotty woman on the phone. She asked her where they had moved to because there was a new patient who was lost and asked if I could still keep my appointment. She got nasty and told her no I'd have to reschedule. My appointment time was in 10 minutes by the time we called. She handed me the phone and told me to make sure they don't charge me a no show fee because it isn't fair. So I said something and she got rude with me and said she wasn't going to charge me and then huffed and puffed while she looked on the calendar to see when I could be rescheduled. She wouldn't be able to get me in for another month and by that point I was tired of her being so rude and said you know what, how about I'll call you when my schedule has time for me to come see you and hung up the phone. I apologized to the woman who was so kind to help me and she said she was more in shock that she was so rude when she was just trying to help out their patient and a fellow doctor's office. She did tell me that they would be accepting new patients at the end of April if I wanted to come see them. They're a family medical doctor. I took their card and may just do that. I really didn't absolutely have to go to that doctor's appointment today, but it would have been nice to get some more insight on my health and what I need to do to prepare to have a child in the not so far future. My psych is the one who referred me to the doctor, I'm sure she is a wonderful person but their other people stink and I'm not going to even try to go back there. If they had their website up to date I wouldn't have been late. I still don't know their correct address. Shows how much they cared to have me as a patient anyway.

I was going to go back to work since the day wasn't over yet, but my boss let me take the rest of the day off, so I went to this outlet store to look for some new under garments. I didn't find anything that would fit me well. I tried on some different pants too. I was able to get a size 12 on but it was a little snug. The 14's were too loose. I guess I'm a 13 now if it even exists LOL. They had a lot of cool house stuff and I wanted to buy the whole store...But I got some of the necessities that we could use around the house. The retail therapy helped...I haven't done that in a long time. I also ran to grab some things from Wal-Mart and stopped at our local asian market and got some kimchi, fish cake and pickled radish. DH is making pork bulgogi tonight. We had it earlier in the week and it was so spicy we had a fire ball in our stomachs for 2 days so he is insisting on making it again and making it better. I really could use some good Korean food right now after the day I've had. I got home late because I didn't pay attention to time and I really don't feel like working out. I'm taking a me day.

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm pretty excited for the weekend. Looking forward to some quality time with DH without having to go anywhere if we don't want to. Be well my loves :)

Sam— What a story about your missed appointment! All of a sudden I realize how fortunate I am that my three main doctors these days all have exquisitely polite and caring receptionists. I can't imagine one of them moving and not calling all the patients with upcoming app'ts to tell them about the new location—or at least updating their website! Sheesh... But I love how you're not lettin' it faze you—that you're rejoicin' over your new ring size, doin' a little retail therapy, and lookin' forward to some yummy Korean food. Thanks so much for the amusingly phrased feedback on my collage: I'm into both Hunter Thompson and "Creepshow"! Lately I've started to feel insecure over how simple my collages are. Compared to other peoples', they usually have few elements, very basic techniques, not much layering. But that's how they've been all along... Once I did break out of my comfort zone and made an extraordinarily complicated, busy collage. It wasn't half-bad...but I didn't enjoy the process. I felt like I was just sticking more & more things onto it for the sake of doing so, not with any clear artistic purpose in mind. I guess I'll have to try again some time...

My day started out really crummy, because I woke up so severely depressed, I had to really push myself to get out from under the covers, to drink the coffee and eat the omelet that Bob had so sweetly made for me.

What is the deal with my depression? I'm not used to this frequent alternation between good moods and bad moods. Usually I stay in one mode or the other for an extended period of time. But everything's changed since my Big Disaster, since I'm on completely different medications. Who knows...

So I cancelled my app't with Mike—something I rarely ever do. But all the same I felt stubborn about retrieving something good out of the day, so right off the bat I meditated for an hour. That helped enough that I was able to create the back sides of a couple of my collage postcards: vintage stamps, more collage bits, fancy address, a long personal paragraph, the whole bit. I hope I'll be able to talk Bob into helping me go to the post office tomorrow to get them hand-cancelled.

All day long I kept going back and forth between feeling better and crashing into despair. A lot of things are bugging me these days, but at the top of the list is this cannabinoid medication my chronic pain doctor wants me to start taking. I really want it! But when I called the pharmacy today to see if they'd contacted my insurance company, they said they hadn't even received the order from my doctor for the prescription! Arrrggh.... So I called his receptionist for like the third time this week, and gave her the phone # of my pharmacy again. I know that doctor is very busy, but this is ridiculous! =big sigh=

And yet...and yet...I kept on pushing to try to feel better. I did all of my long and demanding Qi Gong routine: the physical part of it is minimal, but it takes a LOT of concentration to do the energy work, the manipulations of chi within my body. I managed to hold my focus through every bit of it, though, and thank God.... by the time I'd finished my second, much more chi-focused meditation, the sun was setting, and my mood was lifting steadily, as it always does at that time of day. (I'm downright allergic to afternoons.)

As I write these words, I'm listening to an excellent St. Patty's Day rock-n-roll radio show—my favorite deejay on Sirius-XM, of course. And some time tomorrow Bob and I will watch our recording of UNC's first-round game in the NCAAs.

So life moves on...best wishes to all of y'all...

P.S. Ha ha! I just did a little retail therapy of my own: 'went to ebay and bought a bunch of vintage stamps with fish on them. I LOVE FISH!!!

Sam That is absolutely insane that the receptionist was so rude. I think you are making a good call in not going and perhaps finding somewhere else. I worked as a receptionist for a while and one thing I was super careful of was even if I was having a bad day, ticked off, or completely overwhelmed--you could never tell over the phone....because sometimes its a first call (like in your case)....plus you just don't. It's bad customer service. Even though its a doctors office....customer service still applies. AND its a doctors office. If you aren't at ease scheduling (or re-scheduling) an appointment with the front desk....how comfortable are you going to be the doctor? She was wrong on so many different levels. On a positive note...How did the Korean food turn out this time?

Fiona Your collage is awesome! So sorry it was a rough day. I hope tomorrow is much much better. And sorry that you, too, had to deal with doctors offices today with your prescription. Its horrible that we have to advocate SO hard for ourselves to be listened to, isn't it?

We have an appointment with the accountant first thing tomorrow morning so most of tonight was spent scrambling around making sure we had all the paperwork we needed. Stupid thing is, we have already had our taxes done once but we are 95% they were done incorrectly. Long story, very short, we were asked to fill out a form for my husbands job that we are pretty sure (and the new accountant confirmed it over the phone) was incorrect and were told we owed a LOT more than we expected. When we questioned the previous accountant he was adamant that he was correct and sent us the bill. Lots of factors at play here...but suffice to say, my husband switched jobs this year and we are going with the accountant who has worked with his current employer before and who is pretty well known in our community. So fingers crossed we don't end up deeper in the hole by having to pay another accountant for something thats already been done.

The whole situation has me stressed and wanting to eat, because that is my go to when times get hard. I am trying to remain focused, went out and did a walk/jog for 30 minutes, and have not cheated today. So for that, I am proud of myself.

Can I join in? I have been back at it for 3 wks. I am trying to keep my carbs about 50 per day. I feel good but scales are being ugly. I lost 9lbs week 1. Then gained back 5 and scales are still there. I had a moderate cheat day a wk ago. Scales won't budge. But guess what I'm staying with it!!!😱
I am using the gaZelle for 30 min a day and lifting weights daily. I feel good.
I am losing inches. I was able to wear a shirt to bunco last night that was to tight 3 weeks ago. 🎉 We do fingerfoods and I took a healthy food and stayed on plan. Big improvement for me!!
We'll have a great day!

Hello everybody!
I know I know I have been MIA for days and even when I check in it is a flying visit!
Unfortunately I have had to have my Central (PICC) line put back in for IV antibiotics to start again. What I really want to do is lie in a hospital bed and refuse to move until they fix me!
Am feeling quite shaky and fluey today which is not surprising as the oral antibiotics are not doing the job.
I am hoping that the CT results will be available to the community nurses who come to the house to do the antibiotics and give me some answers. I will then know what I am dealing with which will reduce some of my anxieties.
I may have the PICC line in for up to 6 months in which case I plan on buying a specific waterproof cover so I can swim regularly as that is my favourite form of exercise. I have one for showering but it is too uncomfortable to wear when swimming so I will treat myself.
Hope everyone is OK,
Take care,
Donna

The sun is out but I'm having a blah day. Don't know why -- and that is unusual for me -- but blah it is. Oh well, if this is the worst thing that happens then I have nothing to gripe about (but probably will!).

Fi -- The new collage was kind of scary. Then I took the opportunity to look at your body of work and thought WOW! What a creative mind! I like the composition of yours even though you feel they are simple. Or maybe it's because they are so much less cluttered than others I see. Sounds like you really worked at battling through the depression -- hard to do. Enjoy your new stamps and the b-ball.

Sam -- I would have just lost it. First, I can't imagine why there wasn't a sign posted on the door, why they didn't call every patient with an upcoming appointment, and why the web site wasn't updated. One suggestion is to definitely provide feedback to your doctor who gave you the referral. Doctors do talk to each other, and it's possible that the doctor with the crappy receptionist would be glad to get the feed back. Glad you were able to do some retail therapy, will get the car fixed and will have your rings soon. And it sounds like you have a good weekend coming up.

Lovinlife -- There's nothing like a problem with the taxes to give us a bad case of the jitters. Hope that the new accountant gets things figured out and definitely in your favor. I take it the form was provided by the first accountant. If it turns out he was wrong, I would suggest asking for a significantly reduced bill from him! He did do work on them so probably deserves some compensation although filing taxes incorrectly would be a pretty major boo-boo -- especially for an accountant! Hope it all gets straightened out. And on a positive note, not eating when you're this stressed is a major win for you. Way to go!

Dgramie -- Welcome back! The ups and downs of those first weeks on low carb can drive you nuts. One cheat day and your body just totally betrays you. Glad you're seeing results in the inches area.

Donna -- I'm so glad you posted because I had a feeling that you were having some more problems. So sorry to hear that you have had to have the PICC line put back in. Have you gotten the CT results back yet? Sometimes just getting a definitive diagnosis on what's causing these recurring bouts would help a lot. Hope that things start looking up for you very, very soon.

I'm getting ready to head into town. I'm going to stop by the medical marijuana place and investigate the transdermal patches and then go find a grass catcher for the lawn tractor. I was going to go up to look at another town up around the kids tomorrow, but my nephew sent me a text that one of the exits will be down to one lane for road work all weekend. It's in an area where the traffic is always horrible anyway. Basically, there's I-5 going north with the mountains on the east and the sound on the west. There are some side roads I could go on, but I'm sure they'll be awful too with others trying to get around. So, cancel that. Guess I'll get the tomato starts moved to the next sets of pots as their first leaves have started. I want to germinate the peas so I can get them planted in the next week or so and set out the onions. Time to get started on the yard work again!

Bad day yesterday eating wise in terms of salt intake -- my fingers look like little sausages. Back at it today. Hope everyone has a great day.

Fi The whole thing with the doctor's office is I think they have already moved since before I made my appointment and just not updated their website. I had never been to that doctor's office before or seen that doctor so I'm not entirely sure. I actually got a recorded phone call today telling me I missed my appointment..uhhh you think? LOL!!! I really like your collages. Sometimes the simplest things are the best things. Sometimes things get too busy and then you feel like your looking at a picture on acid because it's so busy. You are such a creative genius and I am in such envy of you :) I'm glad that you share your art, it makes me feel lucky to get to see such wonderful things. I'm sorry you've been battling a lot of ups and downs lately. You're right it could be the medicine, change in the weather, who knows.

Lovinlife I completely agree with you. I work as an insurance agent and I know customer service is key with everyone. People want to be treated like a person, not a number, and in a doctor's office of all places I feel like there should be more compassion regardless of the situation or what you're dealing with that particular day. I've always been told your outside life leaves the door when you walk in, which can be hard sometimes. I don't plan on trying to go again and if my psych asks me if I saw the doctor (who is her friend from medical school) I'll tell her what happened and that I don't plan to try and reschedule. Taxes suck but boy does your problem seem so much worse than mine was. I hope you get it all sorted out. It sucks having to pay a second person to get it right.

dgramie Hello!! I think you may have posted here quite awhile ago if I do remember?? Don't get discouraged by the scale, if you are losing inches that's great!!!

Donna Please do keep up with us!! We worry about you so I'm glad you checked in. I hope things turn out ok and you get your answers soon!! Glad to see you are still thinking about going swimming when you can :)...How are the babies?

Betsy You're right I probably should say something. I was so mad I wanted to write a google review so people would know what they could be up against and to let them know about the website issues since apparently the office doesn't care. I really have no idea how long ago they moved either...It could have been months or a year or who knows!!! I'm keeping on the bright side though and moving along. Hope you have a great weekend with hopefully lots of sunshine!

Today wasn't too bad at work. I actually have been having a great week and have gotten pretty much ahead on my work...I don't know if I should say that too loud the mountains of work may come crashing back down on me LOL. When I got off work DH told me he didn't feel like making dinner or wanted something quick. He decided he wanted Chinese so I went and got it for him on my way home. I have a weak spot for Chinese but I pushed through the temptation and just got it for him and came home with nothing. I just finished exercising and decided I would make a personal egg bake for myself that's going in the oven. I just threw in what I could find on hand...sweet potato, onion, tomato, ham, egg and cheese. Hopefully it turns out ok. This is the first time I've made something like this, although I guess it's about the same as the egg muffins I used to make.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow and of course DH is taking it upon himself to claim a lazy day. I want to get the house in order since we probably won't be going anywhere. It's starting to take on a life of it's own again. We'll see where it takes me.

Hope everyone has a great evening!

Hi guys! Sorry I have been a bit absent this week! I hope you all are well! I have had a fabulous end to the week, I have made some big progress at work, and I am having a nice, chilled out weekend. I weigh in again on Monday, I hope the scales are kind to me! It will be 2 months since I started on my current meal plan and exercise regimen, and I am hoping to have cracked the 10kg lost mark this week! I still have another 4 weeks to go, and my ideal goal is to have lost 15kg in 12 weeks, but I am taking it one week at a time! I hope everyone is hitting their targets and enjoying their journey!

Sam, Betsy, & lovinlife— Thanks so much for the nice comments on my recent collage, and about my collages in general. I guess I'm attracted to abstract art so much that even when I'm working with representational elements, I tend to think of them as adding up to an abstract composition. That's one way of understanding the "simple" thing. Abstracts can be complex, of course, but the ones I admire (e.g., Kandinsky) don't have layered stuff like tissue paper or random splotches of paint like a lot of collages I see. I must say, though, that my fellow Kollage Kit participants mostly stick to simple, well-composed arrangements.

dgramie— Welcome back!

Last night I did the exact opposite of the advice I give to other people: when a craving for sweets hit, I immediately gave into it. =sigh= Bob was kind enough to share some of his fruit bars with me. My weigh-in is on Monday, and I'm not looking forward to it. I just feel heavier...

More afternoon depression today, but I got in my full Qi Gong routine all the same. The meditation part really helps my mood.

The Formula 1 season kicks off this weekend—yay! If someone had told me, twenty years ago, that I would turn into a huge fan of Grand Prix auto racing, I would've said they were crazy. But each race is different, because each one occurs on a unique circuit, in cities scattered all over the world. It's so international a sport, in fact, there are rarely any American drivers, and the American drivers that appear from time to time always drop off the map quickly, 'cause they just don't seem to have the knack for driving these very light (carbon-fiber, minimum of metal), very fast, high-tech machines.

So I guess between F1 and the NCAA's, Bob and I will be spending an unusual amount of time in front of TV. =laugh=

Two new collages I made today: flower remedies 1 & 2. (Click image for larger version.)

Frustrated. Saturday is my weigh in day.....and I am up 1.5 lbs on a week where I stayed in plan & did 4 days of couch to 5K throughout the week. My body doesn't want to seem to leave the 300s. :( I have PCOS and thyroid issues so the struggle is real 100% of the time.....so I wasn't hoping for a 5 pound loss or anything....but wasn't anticipating a gain. Oh well, going to enjoy going out to eat and to see Zootopia with my family today and start fresh tomorrow.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Cal Thanks for checking in with us! Glad you had a great end to your week :)

Fi The collage is beautiful!! I absolutely love the flowers! I read the caption about the tulips that is so interesting I had no idea!!! Thanks for teaching me something :) Hope you and Bob have a great time watching the race this weekend!

It's cloudy here today but I believe it's going to be cool for the whole weekend. It's supposed to rain sometime today but looks as though it will be mainly at night. I'm thinking about getting ready to go on a walk and hope it doesn't start a down pour. Although it's cloudy I'm not going to take chances and will put some sunscreen on since I got burned last weekend, and I have had times where I've been burned in overcast weather like it is now.

The egg bake I made for myself last night for dinner turned out really good! It looked so cute in its own little corning dish :) No idea what will be on tonight's menu but a trip to the grocery is in order. I'm also thinking about going and getting my seeds to plant this weekend. I really need to start them now if I'm going to do some from seeds. Maybe that will be my project for tomorrow, and possibly rinse off any left over pollen from the porch to get it all ready for spring :) Maybe I'll finally get my chairs spray painted like I wanted last year :D

Just ordered my parts to get my brakes changed. DH and I plan to do it next weekend. I got a pretty good deal through Advanced Auto. They were having 15% off online, plus a $40 rebate and I had a $5 off coupon. I was able to submit the rebate request online as soon as I placed the order so once I get the rebate back I'm looking at a cost of about $160 total including tax. I'll be going to pick those up later today as well. Still on the hunt for a good price for the A/C part. I found a reputable company out of Texas that I sent an e-mail to about their part they are selling just to make sure it is brand new and has everything I need. I'd rather not get a refurbished part unless I have to as they tend to go out faster according to my FIL. Fingers crossed that I can get all of this done in the next two weeks...The hot days are coming quick!!!

Time to get ready for my day. Take care everyone :)

Good morning everyone. It's one of those days where I have 20 things on my to do list and my desire is to don't.

Sam -- I am so impressed that you and DH have the ability to do all of these car repairs yourself. I was always interested in cars and used to change my own oil, but once everything got computerized I just threw in the towel....or the socket wrench. Your egg dish sounds like the frittata I fix. I saute all of the veggies in an oven proof skillet, add in well beaten eggs and stir them around, then put it under the broiler, take out and add some cheese, broil another 30 seconds and it comes out all nice and puffy. And it's huge! I feel so much like I'm cheating and I'm not. You are a good soul to get your hubby Chinese and resist! Hope you get your projects done for the weekend.

Fi -- Love the newest collages. I realized that part of what I love about your collages is your creativity in naming them. Glad you did the exercises and good luck with the weigh in. I know what you mean about feeling heavier.....definitely been there. I did go and check on the transdermal patches. Evidently there are multiple ways to get the non-psychotropic cannabis: patches, capsules, an additive for food, etc. WA has legalized marijuana and medical marijuana with the only difference being cost. I don't qualify for the medical as they have devised categories and the only one I would fall under is intrinsic pain. Basically, if the pain can be fixed such as with a joint transplant, then there is an alternative method of fixing it. So, at this point you probably are farther along than I am with trying to find some pain relief without a) resorting to highly addictive pain meds or b) using the medical cannabis and spending a small fortune.

Calda -- So good to hear that you've finished off the week on a positive note! It really does make the weekend start off so much better. Glad that things at work seem to be going better. Good luck with the weigh in. You have set some good goals -- hard but achievable.

Lovinlife -- Yeah -- sometimes the scale is something that I'd like to throw against the wall. Sam will be the first to tell you to make sure you're taking measurements each week because the scale doesn't tell the whole story. Sometimes, you've lost inches but gained pounds because you're turning fat into muscle and muscle weighs more. Hang in there.

I got my errands run yesterday and finally found the place where we bought the lawn tractor so I could buy a grass catcher. Excuse me, it's officially called a material collection system. I guess that way they can charge more. I'll wait until Bill gets back from his cruise before trying to install it.

I've been doing intermittent fasting lately, but have had a lot of trouble with getting frustrated when I don't see enough progress. So I'm switching to the 5:2 intermittent fasting. Basically, you "fast" by eating 500 calories on 2 days a week and the other 5 eat "normally." Now, normally can't mean going on a binge, but I'm allowing myself up to 1400 calories on those days. At 66, my metabolism is slower than a tortoise. I'm hoping the back and forth on the calories will help me get things shaken up enough to lose some weight and get out of the 350s.

Time to get it in gear. I'm going to transplant the 38 tomato starts to the next pot size (I think friends will be getting some tomatoes this year) and want to clean out the pantry. That may or may not happen! Have a great day.

Good Morning Everyone! A chilly morning here today, but I'm enjoying it! It was supposed to rain last night and we so desperately needed it to wash away some of this pollen but to no avail. There's a 60% chance today but that means nothing in my part of the world. The weather can completely change its outlook by midday.

Betsy DH has changed the rotors and brakes once in our car. He had a hard time doing it but it got done. I told him I'd help this time so hopefully it will be a little easier and take less time. As far as fixing the A/C goes we have no idea what we are doing. We both have a basic knowledge about cars, him more than me, so that's when YouTube is going to be our friend to walk us through it. It's what he used to get the brakes changed last time :D I have my fingers X'd that we can do it!!

Looks like a quiet day here yesterday. Hope everyone is doing alright. Today was my weekly weigh in. I lost a pound. Super happy about that!! I'm inching closer to being under 200 again and that will be a marvelous feeling. The feeling went away too quickly last time so I don't feel like I actually got to savor that moment. I lost some inches too when I measured myself. Having those charts printed out have really helped me with making sure a log my progress weekly.

DH and I didn't do much yesterday. After my walk we were basically couch potatoes. I was tired but couldn't fall asleep for a nap. Going to try and get our million things done today. We'll see how that goes. House needs cleaned, seeds need planted, need to go to Sam's Club. Those are the majors. Hoping to get my balcony washed off and maybe get the patio furniture cleaned up and painted if time permits. If not there's always another day.

Waiting on the coffee to finish brewing and going to get breakfast going. I'd like to get another walk or some form of exercise in today among everything else going on. Hope I can do it. Take care ladies!!! :)

Happy Spring! The calendar says that the vernal equinox has occurred so in spite of not even being sure if the sun is really lurking behind the cloud cover, I'm celebrating. More sunlight than darkness!

Sam -- YouTube is a wonderful invention and definitely there's not a whole lot that can't be found on it. I wonder how any of the online class sites that offer classes for sale even stay in business any more. Good luck with it -- you're a braver couple than I! Congrats on losing a pound. You are so smart to tackle getting the little holiday regain off quickly. I know it probably doesn't seem like it's quickly to you, but considering that my efforts to lose my 40 pound regain are now in year 2, it seems like you're a whirlwind. Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate for today but there's something about getting things ready for the summer that is so motivating.

I got my refrigerator cleaned out yesterday and it's amazing how much more space I have now! And it's all sparkly clean inside. I also baked a couple of dozen cookies for a friend's birthday in a couple of weeks. I'm going to decorate them today and then freeze them. I definitely need to get the tomato plants repotted and want to start on cleaning out the pantry. Since I've been looking at places to move to closer to the kids, I've decided to move into a much smaller house and am looking at what can go -- it will be a huge garage sale!

Today is a "fasting" day -- need to keep the calories down to 500. I've only been doing 5:2 for 2 days, but seems pretty easy to stay on so far. We'll see how the long term goes. Hope everyone has a good day.

Sam and Betsy— Thanks for your sweet words about my flower collages! I was a writer for many years before I became an artist, so coming up with the titles and (sometimes educational) descriptions for my collages is part of the fun. And Bob often helps me out with the titles. For example, for a collage that showed four different views of the skull of a newborn baby, Bob suggested, "spring lamb." Perfect!

I would be pretty bummed out these days if it weren't for my collage postcards. The pain in my legs is nearly unremitting, and it drives me into a depressed mood—with thoughts like "I'll never be able to walk around the lake again" and "I'll always be in pain, the rest of my life" coming to the fore. And then the depression makes the pain worse: it's a loop that goes round & round.

And yet today when I'd spent a long time decorating the backs of those two flower collages—with vintage flower stamps, of course, and also vines with leaves all around the border & stylized flowers going up the middle, drawn with colorful fine-point markers—I really felt my mood lifting. No matter how simple and easy to execute it is, a finished work of art is always good for me—especially one that someone's gonna pull out of their mail box, that will make them smile. It's like your decorating those cookies, Betsy: I think everyone needs a creative outlet that they engage in frequently, especially one that will make someone else happy. There are lots of different ways to be creative, too. (By the way, Betsy, have you thought about taking pictures of your decorated cookies, so we can appreciate your handiwork?)

There was a very scary crash in the first Formula 1 race of the season, in Melbourne, Australia. Bob's and my favorite driver was in an accident where his car flew high into the air and spun over multiple times while airborne! But they have those cars so carefully designed with all kinds of safety features for the drivers, he just stepped out of what was left of his car, and was fine! The other driver in the crash came running over and hugged him. It was so reassuring to see the two of them walking away together. They were checked out by doctors in a nearby E.R., and were said to have no injuries at all. =whew= It was an exciting race for other reasons, too—just what I needed to take my mind off my painful legs...

And I'm pleased that I did my whole Qi Gong routine today, and then later on, my 600 leg raises and other nightly exercises. Living as I do either sitting or lying on a futon, or else in my wheelchair, it's really important to do non-weight-bearing exercises every day. Last summer when I was inert and despairing for months, my muscles wasted away so much, it was really shocking: even my butt got flat! I have some dumbbells, and I need to start working my arms more. Like figuring out how I can get to the pool in order to start swimming, it just hasn't happened yet. One step at a time...

Happy Vernal Equinox, everyone! We don't have a lot of flowers out yet, but the first of the pink trees—the saucer magnolias—are blooming. And the forsythia—I love its wild wavy wands of green with bright yellow flowers on them. We have a big forsythia bush right next to our driveway. Some day next week when the sky is blue, I'll have to ask Bob to wheel me out there, so I can sit and inhale the earthy smells of new growth.

Here's hopin' y'all all have a pleasant Monday!

Oh man, y'all, I am SO relieved. I just had my weigh-in, and the news is reassuring: I'm basically the same.

I hadn't weighed myself since January 1st, when I was 259.0 lbs. In the past nearly three months, my eating has been very inconsistent. During January and February, in particular, I ate a lot of sweets. I'd be back on plan for a while, then off again, and so on. So I've been really worried that I'd gained a bunch of weight, like 15, 20 pounds or something. My body is such a stranger to me these days, it's really hard to tell.

But today I weigh 260.2 lbs. So I've been on a plateau. Usually that wouldn't be good news, but in this case....woo hoo!! Given all the pain and depression I've been through, a plateau is welcome.

NOW I will stay on plan, and start losing again! =smile=

And back to the rain. But with everything beginning to bloom, the deciduous trees are trying so hard to leaf out, and a month from now the rhodies will be in full bloom. I know it's coming because I had to transplant the tomatoes yesterday and get the peppers and eggplant started so they'd be big enough to transplant. Come on warm weather.

It's been very quiet on here lately -- hope everyone is doing ok and are just busy with life!

Fi -- I do so hope that you can get some effective pain meds soon. Your description of your pain and your day just tugs at my heart strings. But I do admire your spirit in this with keeping up the exercises, working on your collages, and doing the things you can do that both you and Bob enjoy. I saw that crash you mentioned on the news last night -- miracle that he wasn't hurt. Great news on the weight front and am so glad for you that you're weight didn't go up. Good for you. It's also encouraging to know that once we get to goal that we can have the occasional treat without immediately blossoming again.

This week is prepare for the Easter gathering week. I need to clean the house really well, figure out the menu and do the grocery shopping, dye the eggs, etc. Most of the presents and candy/cookies are made so that's done. Bill should be home from his cruise some time today or tomorrow and he can get the grass catcher installed on the lawn tractor -- hopefully!

I've switched my Intermittent Fasting approach to 5:2. You eat "regularly" for 5 days and have 2 nonconsecutive days with 500 calories. Regularly doesn't mean eating everything in sight, but rather eating healthy. I'll still track my calories and carbs on those days to keep me in my normal IF range of about 1200-1400 calories. I'll let you know how it goes.

Off to the gym and then to get started on the cleaning. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hi everyone. Happy Spring!

Sam, Congratulations on losing this week and good luck getting your brakes and A/C done on your car. Even with YouTube I don't think I would tackle it, but I have faith in you. :)

Fi, glad your weigh-in went well. I like the flower collage too. It makes me think of Spring. Your mention of the forsythia bush brought back a fond memory. When I was a child my parents called me by my given name, Cynthia. We also had a big forsythia bush in our yard and I always thought they called it "For Cynthia". I felt special that the bush was mine, and still smile whenever I see those yellow flowers in bloom. :)

Betsy, good luck with the 5:2 intermittent fasting. I don't know if I could only stick to 500 calories on any day without some serious effort. I do notice that sometimes if I eat significantly more calories one day then go back on plan the next it doesn't usually have a negative affect on my weight, so I think there is definitely something to be said for switching up your calorie intake to shake up your metabolism.

I've lost a lot of sleep lately and spent more time sitting up on the couch at night than I have in bed, but I think my cough is finally getting better. I postponed my visit with my friend though until I'm closer to 100% better. I am thankful that I didn't end up needing Prednisone this time to get better like I usually do. I'd like to believe that it's due to being healthier than I used to be but that could be just wishful thinking.

My scale is up again, but I think I've lost inches. Sam, I can hear you saying I should measure. :) I think I am going to start doing that. I just bought 3 blouses online in my size and they're all too big. Last year I didn't go down a size until I got a lot closer to 300, so I'm not really sure what's going on. I don't feel smaller but it's unlikely that 3 different blouses in 3 different styles are all sized too big. Glad I have free returns.

Well off to make a salad for a late lunch. I hope you all have a great day!

Fiona--Glad you didn't gain like you thought....its always a relief isn't it? :) Your newest collage is pretty....love the flowers! My mom has a green thumb and has a huge flower garden. I live 10 hours away from them....so flowers/spring always tug my heartstrings a little for home.

Sam-Congrats on the loss! I have no idea what to do when it comes to car stuff so I admire you for taking all that on! My husband is not car savvy either, so anything that goes wrong, our car is in the shop! :D

Betsy-Let us know how the 5:2 fasting goes! I'm interested to hear. And I LOVE a clean fridge. :) My husband and teenage daughter just throw stuff in the fridge and it never seems clean. I try to keep up with it as much as I can, but some weeks, its just a losing battle.

Cindy--I hope you get back to 100% soon!! It's no fun feeling icky for so long!


I had a really good, needed weekend. After my weigh in, I was seriously bummed--but it turned into a weekend of introspection and family time. I took my fitbit off and tracked NOTHING.....I think sometimes I get so caught up in the weightloss side of things that I forget to live a little.

I have done my measurements at least twice a month since starting this back in January....and I came to a conclusion this weekend.

I have been this weight before. Many times. I seem to go between 300-330. I never can get below 300. But looking over my measurements, I have never been this size before. My weight isn't fluctuating a whole lot...but my body is changing in HUGE ways. I am down 8.5 inches in my bust alone (because don't we always lose 'the girls' first?)....I am down 5 inches in my waist......at this time last year, I weighed about 3 pounds more than I do now....but my measurements....were all at least 3-5 inches more than now. Which tells me that under all this "fluff" there is some muscle being made. I've also been taking progress pictures and those helped put me at ease as well.

Must go start to clean house. My inlaws are coming over for Easter on Sunday, and while I keep house pretty clean....its the inlaws....so that means a little deeper cleaning than usual. ;) Cleaning house burns calories, right??

Overcast and gloomy here but at least it's not raining!

Cindy -- Love your story about the For Cynthia -- makes perfect sense to me and is one of those cherished memories from our childhoods. I'm glad that you're beginning to feel some better. Sometimes, sleeping sitting up on the couch is the only way to go. Last time I had a bad cold I seriously thought about just buying one of the adjustable beds -- right up until I priced them and realized that just the mechanism with no mattress was going to run about $2,500. I decided that the recliner and a blanket would work just fine! I am having some trouble with the 500 calorie days, but surprisingly it's after I eat that I get really hungry. It's like some switch is turned on. Congrats on losing the inches. Sam is right that we should all measure to help us get past those times when the pounds don't seem to be budging.

Lovinlife -- I'm chuckling over your cleaning house and doing a deeper cleaning because the inlaws are coming. Same thing going on here! Yesterday I cleaned the downstairs although that was more for me. I try to do about 1.5 hours each day to spread it out because I hate cleaning with a passion. A weekend off is sometimes just exactly what we all need. Glad you took the time for yourself and your family. And the inches off -- WOW! You've got to really be able to tell the difference in how your clothes fit -- or don't fit!

Time for some coffee, breakfast, and then the gym. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hey all quick check in. Been a busy two days for me. Haven't gotten a workout in and it's my TOM so I'm having a wonderful time :D

Yesterday I had to run a few places after work and by the time I got home it was kinda late and DH wanted me to help with dinner and a few other things. I decided to take the day off and knew I'd be able to work out today. Welll...One of my long time client is going through a lot and he had to let his car get repoed and had to cancel his insurance. I offered to come to his house to get him to sign the document to have his policy cancelled since he doesn't have a car anymore. DH came with me because this one has a little crush on me and I didn't want to take a chance of him getting the wrong idea. He was very nice and I feel bad with all of the things he's going through...declining health, issues with his estranged wife...the list goes on. He's been a great client of mine and told him as I left not to give up, that everything will be okay.

DH and I went to World Market after we took some seeds back to Lowe's. We found a good deal of some online and ordered them last night. So nothing's been planted yet. We just got home and DH put a roast in the oven before we left and it's nearly done. I'm pretty beat from work, running around, and TOM stuff so I guess I'm taking it easy today and will try and get a walk in tomorrow. Maybe DH can come with me for once.

No personals today but thanks everyone for the encouragement on my loss this week. Means a lot :)

Betsy I wanted to ask your gardening expertise if you don't mind. I haven't started my seeds yet but I've been reading in some places it says not to start them in potting mix, to use some sort of seed starting soil. Is that correct? I just want to make sure I do it right because this will be my first year doing anything from seeds. Thanks for your help!

Be well friends! :)

I had a rough day—lots of pain in my legs, making it an ordeal to take my shower, get dressed, get in the car, and go to my app't with Mike. I was seriously angry/frustrated by the time I was sitting there in front of him. I had the hood up on my hoodie, my arms were crossed across my chest, and I was speaking in a super quiet voice—because I was afraid of my own rage. Long story short, Mike said some stuff about my voice that wasn't all that tactful. He said I wasn't talking in my normal voice. "Your normal voice is angry," he said. He talked about a bunch of Chinese medicine things, too, but when I left, I just felt horrible about what he'd said about my voice.

And I couldn't let it go. I felt like a terrible person...for hours. Stupid, I know. Bob was very sympathetic and tried hard to talk me out of feeling bad. I listened to music. I read this cool book about colors. But nothing worked. I just kept feeling like the most ungrateful heel in the world.

Finally, around 9 PM, I called Mike. We worked it out over the phone. He reassured me that I don't sound angry all the time, but that if he were in my situation, he'd be real pissed off, too. He said, "It's not personal. I was just making an observation, as a clinician. I'm a Taoist! I want you to be spontaneous and express your emotions!"

I said, "But I want to be nicer."

He said, "F**k being nicer! Say what you feel!"

So now we're back on track. I really love Mike for that "F**k being nicer" line. =whew= But it's been weird. And I still need to do my leg exercises. Good night, y'all. I hope everyone who's fighting a bug gets to feelin' better soon!

And Cindy, I also loved the forsythia = for Cynthia memory. I thought about it when I wheeled my wheelchair past our forsythia bush today. =smile=

Lots of lambs!
 

Hello lovely ladies.
Yes...in case you thought I had fallen off the edge of the world...here I am!
I am still receiving twice daily intravenous antibiotics from the Community nurses but am starting to feel better at last.
I bought a cover for my PICC line and am testing it today as my daughter and I have a spa day booked! I booked it as a birthday treat for her and a treat for me as I have been so poorly. The cover I have is designed for swimming rather than showering so in theory copes with being submerged! If it works I have plans to swim regularly even if the PICC line stays in for months. Where I live people are very accepting so I wouldn't feel really self conscious about wearing it.
How is everybody? I have lurked and read most of the posts.
Fi...well done for maintaining despite all that you have been through
Sam...well done for your loss.....your pics are sooooo inspirational to me!
Betsy......hmmmmmm now I will have to mow my lawn....a job which I find really difficult and I absolutely HATE!!!
We have loads of lambs all around us they are beautiful!
We have had a period of really settled weather for quite a few weeks which has been rather wonderful...and somewhat unusual for Wales!
My boy Sam breaks up for Easter tomorrow so I will have 2 weeks with him. He spends a little time at his Dad's but mostly we just enjoy each other's company and go out for a few days out.
Have a great day.
ps Betsy...my friend has been doing 5:2 for a few months and after an initial period where she front loaded the 5 day menus has settled in to it really well and is steadily losing without it being really tough.

Hey guys, just thought I would quickly update you all on my weigh in.. In 2 months, I have lost 9.3kg, and 35cm all over. The weigh in didn't go as well as I thought, and I think it is stress. I have followed my diet and exercise plan, however my stress levels are at an all time high, so I don't know, I guess that is how I think I have gone wrong this week? I am looking forward to a few days off over Easter. I hope everyone is kicking goals!