Patch – Glad you are healed from the surgery and that there is hope for dealing with the double vision.

Heidi – One of the things I do with yummy stuff like nuts and my dark chocolate is to put servings in snack size bags and only eat them when I am out and about.

Hydra – That is EXCELLENT that the doc has decided no meds for your cholesterol.

ICU – Good deal on getting that appointment with the doc scheduled.

OMW – Woo Hoo on your break up, can’t wait to see pics. I will be making my calls today to schedule estimates. My sister suggested getting FIVE, how many did you get?

Mel – Love the progress pics, they are such a motivator. I stopped taking my weekly pics but have decided to start taking them monthly along with measurements.

ICU – LOL on DS. One of my favorite pics of DS was taken in 1st grade, he was missing his two front teeth. Halloween in the past was the start of packing on the winter pounds. Between all the holidays, parties, and travel I would usually gain about 10-15 lbs.

Joy – Vegas is such a cool place; besides the great food, shows, gambling, and people watching that Vegas is known for Clark County has an excellent Parks & Rec. department (that is VERY dog friendly) and the nearby mountains are beautiful. The scales can be funny; I have tried to only do my weigh-in on Monday but just can’t seem to stay off the scales. I have gotten better about the mood swings I would experience with a gain but it would be nice to lose the obsession

WLW – Having a food scale was a must for me. I never realized how far off I really was until I got one. Hang in there, I know you are not where you had hoped but you are making life changes and for some it just takes longer.

BoPeep – Good to see you again. Isn’t it great to get out there and enjoy life again? I love summer and being outside and the fact that I live in southern California I can enjoy outdoor activities year-round.

Well no surprise I am incredibly sore this morning. My fall was one of those that had the potential for serious injury and the fact that I’m just bruised and swollen with a few cuts/scrapes is a miracle. I fell/tripped over a tree root that pretty much ended up in a full body slam on the rocks. I hit my chin and how I didn’t break my jaw is beyond me, my sun glasses saved my right eye; I am sporting a bit of a black eye and my chin could have used a stitch or two but the butterfly bandages did a great job on closing my deepest cut. Both of my elbows have trail rash and little cuts as does my right knee and shin. The palms of my hands have little gashes and although my left knee has no scraps or cuts it is swollen and very uncomfortable. Like I said it could have been REALY bad.

The one thing I have to say is that getting out there and living life accidents are going to happen. I won’t be doing my planned hike this weekend but I will be back out there soon enough; I’m already planning my next trip to the same area to enjoy the fall colors and then again for some sledding this winter. Here is a link to my “hiking” album:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/574263020gZWXGI

The Mary Jane Falls are the first 22 pictures. FYI – the chocolate lab is Hogan’s brother, one of the "orphaned eight" I fostered last year. The three yellow labs belong to another friend who was out of town and it was our job to wear them out. I will be post more pictures of them in my “playdate” album.

ICU – Thanks for the Arnica suggestion I have never heard of it, sounds like some good stuff. Mack is now in Vegas so I will have to continue with the ice & heat.

As for the BF calculator I don't trust those either. I definately wouldn't let it bum you out.

Marie - WOW!!! What a difference. I agree, you look completely different from the old you - not just your hair and weight. You look years younger, and the shape of your face has changed a lot! And your dogs... I'm sure they're very dignified and all (when they want to be), but when I look at them, they look like such big fuzzy wuzzy puppies, all I want to do is go all mushy on them. They're soooooo cute!!!

Gardener - Hi! Yay - another obsessed gardener! DH and I love to spend the day wandering around our local Montreal Botanical Gardens. I've been busy outside finishing up with the last minute dividing and all. Today I have to cut back all the extra growth on the tomatoes (and then I get to make 'mater soup... YUM!) and start bringing all the tropicals closer to the door.

CruiseCat - Ouch! I hope you don't have any lingering 'leftovers' from your tumble. Generally I am not minding getting older, but the one thing that I really have noticed is that I don't 'bounce back' as quickly as I used to.

Hydra - Hi! It's great that you have a nice Goodwill near you! It really helps take the financial bite out of replacing your wardrobe.

It's funny about the used undies thing. In theory, after washing, they should be fine to wear, but I just can't bring myself to do that. There's this mental block with the idea of someone else's undies. Not going to do it! :D Fresh undies all the way! I'll just have to suck up the price and deal with it.

On the topic of undies... How do you chicks figure out your new size when it comes to panties? Do you just buy one pair of a couple of different sizes and go from there? Is there anyone else here that's roughly my height and weight (5'8" and 157 pounds) - if so, what size do you wear? I'm thinking maybe a 6??? :?:

BP

Hey, bopeep!

I'm pretty close to your height and weight, but my butt is a fluffy 41 " and my waist is 31 1/2". I'm very, very comfortable in my 7's right now. I tried on some brand new 6's that I bought by accident a few years ago, and I find them unacceptably snug. I need about another inch of loss in both spots yet. Hope that helps!

Cruise - I forgot one. If you have any ginger in the house, or you can get somebody to hit the store for you for ginger tea ... ginger is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatories in all of history. I steep shaved ginger root in simmering water for about 7 minutes and strain it before drinking. Natural remedies are one of my passions, and this one I can swear by. It works really well for sinus misery caused by allergies, and also for the chills. :)

WLW, here’s the link for the scale. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product At first I didn’t think it worked right because when I was chatting with my DH on the cell, numbers would blip all over the place. I’d contacted the company and was going to return it. Then I realized it was only when I was on the phone, and only when I was using my Bluetooth headset. Don’t do that and it was awesome.

DMC, your late night snacking sounds healthy so I doubt you’ll have nasty scale results.

Penguin, I’m glad your dr. is trying to tweak your vision so reading would be easier. Double vision would be annoying and I’d think cause headaches. BTW, DGS is 3.5 years old. Great job on getting back into exercising. I wouldn’t be hard on yourself for the summer – you had TWO eye surgeries silly! :o


BP, YEAH!!! On a summer of maintenance. You give us hope that lots of socializing won’t screw us up. I feel your closet quandary. I look in mine and think I need to shop. But I have 15 pounds to go and I don’t want to buy anything. And used bras. Eeeeekkkkksssss!!! My doggies get me to get mushy on them all the time. The baby (smallest) is a big snuggler. I will tell them tonight that they’re fuzzy wuzzy puppies. Kai and Blizzard will like that but Kodiak will be indignant. ;)


Newleaf, I’m glad the cholesterol level goal was met. That’s excellent. It’s a good thing your dr. is checking the heart rate and iron. It’s better to be careful.

Everyone, Thanks for the compliments. What I saw in the standing picture is that I still need to lose weight. I believe my exact words to DH was “I’m still fat” so I think 15 more pounds is more than reasonable.

Canada, too funny on the photoshop comment. When I was cropping the standing pic, I thought about a Photoshop trick a pro taught me a couple years back – to stretch the photo very slightly (in my case vertically) to lose 10 pounds. :D It sounds like you are going to be mighty busy with your kids.

DMC, I adore my DGS. I thought having my kids was great but DGS sort of blows me away with how much I love him. Right now it’s very difficult as DD’s partner took him out of state and file for full custody. DH and I are now financing a custody battle. :( Funny thing is DD doesn’t want to fight; she wants joint custody in an amicable atmosphere. I’m guessing that’s the case for many in her situation.

Cruise, I’m glad you had fun in Vegas. But I’m truly sorry you got hurt. I think all of use in our 40s can understand. I remember years I could fall (rollerblades, bike, skis) and get up and go on my happy way. Not anymore. I hope you feel better quickly!!! :hug: But from the sounds of your post, that fall could have been a lot worse. And the pictures are great. I love the doggies drinking from the water bottle. My girls can do it but Kodiak chokes as he tries.

Hydra, I bet the Goodwill will come in handy quickly as you’re losing, especially on weekends.. I donate all my clothes to them as I lose, even bras – the ones with the sales tags still attached because I tend to buy and not wear. But I totally agree on the used ones.Used swimsuits as well.


Joy, I’m green with envy of your day’s plans.:p I love doing both walking and photography. I had the best time shooting photos at the Minnesota Gardens a couple years ago. Even inspired me to plant more flowers. Bambi loved them. :dizzy: Have a GREAT time today.

ICU, I think I’d use the pounds number and your tape measure. Body Mass Index is really only measured by that water weight measuring. There is no correct formula for body mass index except the dunking in the water tank. There are too many variables. See I did listen in college. :D Even the caliper method isn’t accurate. You are doing great and I bet 99.999% of your loss was fat.

So there was so much activity on the thread I’ve used up all my break time plus maybe a couple extra minutes. I will get back to work and stop pretending the work is an interruption to my typing.
Marie

ICU - I just measured myself and I'm pretty close to you (30 1/2" waist and 41" hips). I have mostly size 8 undies and they're so saggy that even DH laughs at them. Seriously droopy drawers!! :lol: I have a couple of size 7s and they feel kind of saggy too, but they're on the old side. I'll try some new 7s and see how they fit - with the elastic still strong they'll probably hold me until I'm firmly in 6 territory.

Marie - it is really hard to justify spending much money on new clothes when one is nearing goal! I don't have much choice though! I put it off for too long and I don't have any intermediate weight clothes (I think I was afraid to jinx myself by buying anything that wasn't my old size!).

I had a great day shopping for "new" clothes today. I am a size 10?!?!?!?! Ho-ley cow! :faint: I bought two pairs of pants, two skirts, three tops, a dress and a light fall jacket for only $50! :carrot: Then I went back this afternoon because they were getting the winter coats ready to go out when I was there earlier, but they weren't quite done. And I got *three* (!!!) coats! $40 for all three, and they're wool and stylish, and one of them is fitted! I have NEVER worn a fitted coat before, but I love the way they look on people with a waist.

BP

BP - GREAT DEALS!!!!

Where did you go?

I went shopping yesterday, too, and bought a bunch of tops to wear this fall. I figure if they fit now, they'll just be slightly too large by the end of the season. I also bought a pair of pants that *almost* fit, as a motivation, and a pair of shorts for next summer that don't fit at all. The two "motivators" cost $15 altogether, so I figured it was a reasonable price to pay for motivation.

So *this* is why I look so hippy -- I'm hippy! Ugh, I had a real hippy moment in the dressing room yesterday... My hips (ie, butt) are 42 1/2" and my waist is 30 1/2" -- ack!! As for the underwear discussion, I'm wearing size 8s. They are comfortable in all the openings, but they are kind of baggy across the front.

Embarrassing confession - one of the things that really motivated me to start losing weight was that my underwear were all too tight in the leg openings. I had actually taken scissors to them and cut the elastic to give me some breathing room. Definitely a sign that something needed to change! And also why my reward for losing 10 pounds was new underwear, which was super motivating!

Hi all,
 

NewLeaf, LOL... great confession, every deserves new undies.

Marie, thanks for the vote of confidence.

Just a drive by post tonight, I am exhausted. No gym today, but really being run ragged at night with homework, house work and dinner as well as lunches and all that. Gahhhhhh!

Good luck all!:hug:

Another drive by as well...it's payday and I've already ordered the food scale and a regular scale. Yesterday was a horrificly long day, most of it spent hopping buses to get to physical therapy, but it was worth it - I can get back on the elliptical machine! If y'all heard a thump it was me falling off the wagon, ended up at wendy's for lunch because it was the only place in walking distance where I could eat for under $3. However I got a kid's meal so it wasn't horrendous calorie-wise. Will try to get caught up on personals after work. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Half day of vacation planned today. My GF is here from WashDC and we're going to spend the afternoon doing lunch and catching up. The restaurant we're going to is called Mind Body Spirit, in Rochester. Google it if you want - it is incredibly cool (take note, OMW!!!) with organic foods and the "locavore" mentality. Then I'm going to spend the evening at a wine tasting at Whole Foods with other girlfriends. I expect that this will be a real challenge to track, but I'm going to do it.

WLW - the cash limitation was a ringer. I love the Mandarin Chicken salad. And the Chicken Grill sandwich doesn't fit too badly. The wagon will wait for you to get back on. It always will. :)

dmc - rest up!

newleaf - ahem ... you're not alone in having "modified" clothing at the fat phase. I repositioned a number of top buttons on my pants along with what you did! And yes, getting rid of those particular items of clothing was very sweet indeed. ;)

Cruise - how ya feeling today? Any better?

Enjoying the shopping tales! I'm going to have to do the same. While I'm rediscovering a lot of wearable slacks in the closet, the tops are ... in deep trouble. I'm good on sweaters ... but I'm going to have to cave in and do some shopping. I have $150 in gift cards to Macy's that I can burn - now that I'm firmly back into a Medium and probably will never be Small, I might as well get to it. NOT my favorite activity!

It is Friday and that means HAPPINESS abounds!!!!
 

BP, it sounds like you had a great shopping expedition. WTG on the size 10. Your trip must have been really motivating. A fitted coat sounds fun.

Newleaf, I loved your underwear story. Mine was close in that I bought an extender for my bras.It was so uncomfortable I had no choice but to start to lose weight.


WLW, Wendy’s is the best for dieters. Their small chili is cheap both $$$ and calories. I did like the thump idea though. I didn’t hear it out in Oregon so the kids meal must have been not so bad. :o


ICU, never say never. I bought new M&M PJs from Avon (I’m M&M obsessed) and I looked at their measurements and knew mine fit in their small. I couldn’t bring myself to order small. So I ordered medium. Yes, they’re too big. Oh well floppy clothes is all of our specialty these days. Nothing to complain about.

I surprised my DH this morning. It was funny, at least me and my co-worker thought so… I get up about 25 minutes before him to walk the doggies. So when my alarm went off, he got up to use the bathroom. I jumped out of bed, made the bed and he comes out of the bathroom and just stares at the bed. :o I smile and say “Now you can join me on the walk”. :D He did and kept staring at the gorgeous stars. I think I was forgiven. Anyway it was nice to spend time with DH and the doggies.

My monthly zit has appeared on my face so TOM must be creeping nearby. :( At what age can these darn "teenage" problem go away for good????

Marie

CruiseCat - I went shopping at a second hand clothing store. We don't have "Goodwill" brand stores here in Canada (or at least here in Quebec), but we have similar stores. This store supports a charity that helps women in difficult situations (like recovering addicts, domestic abuse victims, etc..) get back on their feet. They have a lot of really nice stuff and it's super cheap!

Newleaf - :rofl: I did the same thing with a pair of undies at my heaviest! I bought a new skirt a few weeks ago that is a motivation item for me. It was on a clearance rack for some obscene amount off, and it had another take half off lowest price sign on it, so for $10 I got a beautiful $150 skirt. It's a size 8 and just a bit too small.

wlw - Don't worry about falling off the wagon! Every time I fall off, I use it as a reminder of why I want to stay on that darned wagon in the first place! :lol: Each time I fall off, I focus on how bad the 'fall' made me feel, and getting back on gets easier and easier.

ICU - That sounds like a great day! Enjoy the occasional food mini-splurge without feeling guilty - you are on track, you know how to adjust your meals to accomodate the extra calories, and relearning how to enjoy food as it should be enjoyed (quality not quantity) is such a good feeling! I love this new locavore trend! I've always tried to eat that way and have made a big effort to grow a lot of my own veggies. I'm so glad that it's catching on and becoming easier :D

I'm off to go grocery shopping at the big market here. Fresh produce season! Yum!!

I also plan on stopping by that used clothing store again. I'm heading out on a trip next week to help my brother with his gardening and I need some mucking around in the dirt clothes (and shoes). I miiiiiiight just check out the rest of their stuff again... ;)

BP

Marie - :lol: at your DH! I think mine would have strangled me and left the body for dealing with *after* he got up. My DH is NOT a morning person! He is soooo hard to get out of bed. :snail:

And pimples... Yeah, what's up with that? Do we have to wait until the 'factory' shuts down for good for them to stop? :?:

BP