Week of May 3--Weekly Chat
 

Good morning everyone. Let's have a great week this first week of May.

My weekend was better than last weekend but not as good as the weekdays. I ate well Fri night, but we ended up at a party on Saturday and I ate more than I needed, though less than I would have a month ago. Progress, I suppose. I also forgot my vitamins for a couple of days. Back to that.

I am ready for a good week. The weather report looks good for outside walking which is my favorite. And I have lots of veggies ready for good eats for this week.

Happy Monday!

Good morning, slroth. I am waiting for my coffee...eek! Hope to have a fairly quiet week around here. Guests Tuesday-Saturday morning, but everything that needs to be done is pretty much ready for them. And I get to cook breakfast, which I enjoy doing, And cookies, which I enjoy doing, but it's more difficult now not to eat any. Well...it was difficult before and I just went ahead and ate them. Now I can eat a cookie or I can eat a piece of fruit and some yogurt. Same calories...have to choose nutrition and bulk over yummy junk. Oh well.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Barb

Good morning. My weekend was merely so-so. Last week I got a fair amount of exercise in:), but this week, my exercise partner is gone, so I need to be extra conscientious about getting to the gym.

Not doing so well on the calorie counting, but I'm going to work on that this week.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Well I must be doing something right. I went to buy a new pair of khaki pants yesterday because the pair I have is getting way too big and I fit in 16 petities-on the regular side of the store-not the women's side. And they fit perfectly. So I must be losing inches or things must be shifting around even if the scale isn't moving.

Barb: I'm not making choices between apples and brownies or apples and cookies......I'm making choices between healthy food and healthy food. That's just plain crazy to me. I should be able to eat healthy food and feel satisfied. Depriving myself of healthy food and going around feeling hungry and miserable and deprived is just plain crazy. It defeats the purpose of this process I think. If I want to eat a piece of fruit, or some veggies and hummus I should be able to do that without freaking that it is going to put me over my calorie budget for the day. I think this mindset is what makes me give up. Who wants to be miserable for the rest of their life?

ICUWishing – I really like that quote, “Weight loss and better health should never make us miserable - it really defeats the purpose!” That’s really great, and you are totally right!! There is no way I can join you in your scale-free challenge, but I’ll be rooting for you! Yes, it’s an amazing feeling to know that I got to my ovaries before they got me! I hope your looming showdown dissipates and your personal life gets the shake-up it needs.

PeanutsMom – thanks re: the well wishes! Bummer about the appetite returning… I’m enjoying eating like a bird, “oh, no, I couldn’t possibly have more…”

Petra – you are so right, the wine and the apple, those should be AND choices not OR choices… Both is definitely not gluttonous. Maybe you can smidge on portions a little? For instance, supermarket apples are HUGE, I find, but when I buy them at the local orchard, they are much smaller, more snack sized.

AngelsKeep – good advice!

SukieRD – I’m sure there’s water retention after Chili’s with all the salt restaurants use. Drink lots of water and you’ll see it come off again… Thanks for your well wishes.

SLRoth – I have a harder time on weekends than weekdays, too. For some reason all my self-control wavers. Definitely an area for me to improve upon.

KittehMomma – you can do this without the partner, although it will be harder. What is your plan to make getting to the gym happen?

Here, the scale is down. It must be that bird-like appetite of mine that I am so enjoying! Either that or it’s me losing muscle mass, a side effect of menopause. I am amazed by how quickly my body is changing with my ovaries gone for just a week. My breasts have completely morphed into something new. Probably a change that I wouldn’t even notice if I went into menopause naturally since it would be slowly over time, but in one week I’ve gone from firm, dense breasts to soft, fluffy breasts. Weird. Not bad, but weird.

I lost my motivation for weight loss this weekend. It was amazing how it evaporated through a couple of frustrating interactions. I think my motivations are too externally based and truly not coming from within. I'm trying to forgive myself for overeating & not running this weekend. The scale is up, which is no surprise, but I am recommitting myself. And coming up with reasons to lose weight that are about ME, not getting the attention from other people.

MotivatedChickie sounds like you're on track to finding your motivation again... You have come so far on your journey; wow. Hang in there!!

Hello ladies!! I did get caught up on reading the threads, but don't have the time to do personals for everyone, sorry.

Heidi-Glad you are feeling better and accepting the changes to your body that are happening as a result. I've noticed an even more southward descent of my chest after losing over the last few months. Not happy about that, but not letting it worry me either.

Petra-Yay! for new pants size! What a boost!!:carrot:

Had a good weekend, but didn't do a darn thing! Hate it when I feel my weekend just went to waste. Foodwise, I did a mediocre job of staying healthy. Friday I had 2 slices of taco pizza (delicious, it was worth the stray from the path) and some lite beer. Saturday I had a serving of grilled sirloin, small baked potato (w/ margarine) and small salad. I also had 2 homemade white wine spritzers (used diet Sierra Mist and non-diet grenadine syrup-sm. amt.). Sunday was disappointing. We went to Chili's and after much agonizing over the menu, I decided that I wanted a hamburger and went ahead and ordered it. It was terrible!! Just blah and no flavor....a little over-done, too. The fries were not very good, either. Was so angry I had wasted all of those calories after all the fretting over the decision. I barely ate half, but still felt cheated. Oh well, lesson learned. I am not a huge fan of Chili's anyway. Wonder if my palate is changing.

My goals for the week are really not diet related. I want to get a few planters filled outside and get my porch cleaned up. I also want to find some good, healthy dinner ideas for my sons. They have enjoyed what I have been making lately, but I don't want them to get tired of having the same things all of the time.

You all are doing great and are an inspiration to me daily. I am so thankful to have this board to share in this journey with others who have similar goals. It's helped to change my life!

Happy Monday everyone!! Not thrilled to be back to work but at least it's a bright and shiny day out there - even stuck inside, it's still nice to see that out my window.

Had a great on-plan day yesterday and I'm looking forward to a full month of those!

Hi Gang,

Petra - Yeah for the pants size Down! WOOT!

Sounds like everyone is starting the week off right!

I'm still fatigued but it is better. My uncle passed away on Sunday so my Mom is coming to NC today for the funeral this week. He was a GREAT guy and his passing was too soon but he was in terrible pain so I'm glad his suffering is over.

I'll check in when I can. This is a really crazy week.

P.S. Just wanted to thank everyone for the congrats for my son.:)

Petra - I know I've mentioned before that I failed at WW because low-fat food made me miserable (hungry, crabby, dry skin, shattering fingernails, brain fog, fatigue). I started to crave fat in all its weird forms, and since I didn't want to go the route of ramping up saturated fat (OK, I make exceptions with free-range, natural-diet meats), I got myself into a pattern of always having at least a little good fat with every meal and snack. Veggies sauteed in chicken broth are incredibly delicious, but all that fiber and vitamins won't satisfy me. Neither will the brown rice under it. A pound of turkey breast won't make me happy either. I figured out, after almost three years of trial and error, that I am happily satisfied on less overall calories as long as I'm adding nuts, avocados, flax, and get this - even a fish oil pill, to everything I eat. All the weird low-fat symptoms go away too.

There are a few of us on this board that must have some Eskimo heritage, or something, because our diets are generally pushing 35% fat. I remember JulieJ08 is one. It's such a bear to figure out what works - but once it clicks, the misery goes away. I do my darndest to avoid refined sugar, and I attempt low-glycemic load meals and snacks. The fat helps - and it seems to let me lose weight at a higher calorie level. I keep an eye on my calories, but it really is secondary to how I arrange them. I lost 25# by ballparking 1700 calories, with essentially zero exercise (before swimming started this fall), by adding cheese to the apple, and having the wine with dinner. I keep a massive bag of pistachios and walnuts in my desk - it still amazes me what 100 calories of nuts does for me. The part that absolutely sucks is that what works for me generally doesn't work for a lot of people, and all anybody can do is keep trying. :hug: The formula for you is out there somewhere! And in the meantime - "pantsometers" are more reliable than the "random number generator" scale.

annie - late congrats to your son! That's really exciting! I know exactly how you feel about wasting a weekend. I did the same thing.

heidi - what's it like to not have an appetite? :lol: Was the fluffiness evaluated properly by DH? They love to participate in those types of studies! :lol3:

barb - hope you have a great week too!

slroth - it's Monday and a fresh start. I struggle more on weekends - almost a relief to get back to work. No, wait - that's not true. :D

PM - Nothing feels as good as a full month on plan. And boy, nothing moves the scale as well, either!

kitteh - GO TO THE GYM! Did that help? ;)

motivated - yup, me too. Much better so far today. Fridge is full of good stuff, and the serious "landmine" food went out with the trash today. Let's keep it up!

Whew. TGIM. I needed some sunshine!

Pantsometer...roflmao!

Becky-you may be onto something. Every single time I try to lose weight (except maybe the time I was lowcarbing, I can't recall that for sure) I crave peanutbutter. It only happens when I'm trying to lose weight-otherwise a jar of peanut butter can sit in my pantry for months but when I'm on a "diet" I go through a jar every 2 weeks. (not the big ones obviously). But I eat peanutbutter on something almost every day. I also like the "pantsometer". I wouldn't say my diet is terribly low in fat-probably moderate-around 30%. I just looked at my journal, I ate less fat than usual over the weekend-maybe that had something to do with my misery. I'm also on track for a low fat day today. something I should pay attention to.

Wizzie-sorry to hear about your uncle. I lost an uncle recently too. He was 92 though.

Heidi-glad you are feeling better. I buy organic apples whenever I can. They are one fruit that tend to have a lot of pesticide residue so they are definately worth the extra price. They tend to be smaller.

Thanks for all the support everyone. I'll work my way through this.

I'm another one who finds having enough fat to be crucial to staying with my diet. I'm not doing low carb but I try to get 90-100 gr of protein a day, and it's really, really hard to get there without eating meat (at least for me, I'm not a fan of beans). And it's pretty hard to get meat-based protein without a certain amount of fat. Plus I eat a fair amount of other - healthy - fat, like 1/2 avocado every day, salmon once or twice a week, cook with olive oil sometimes, etc.

I just checked my fitday - for the past 2 months, I've averaged 31% fat, 25% protein and 44% carbs, with 1404 calories. (I am going to confess that I did not log a few days in April, though!) I definitely would not be happy with what I eat or feel satisfied and full on it if I tried to cut the fat too much lower.

That's one of the reasons I like to log everything I'm going to eat for the day into Fitday in the morning - I can see my percentages and if I'm too low, I'll eat some nuts to make sure I'm not going too low on fat, because I know I don't like the results if I do!

Wizzie and Petra, sorry for your losses.

{{Wizzie}} Sorry to hear about your Uncle. One of mine passed away a few years ago...he was just like a father. Uncles are awesome!

KittehMomma—so? We're all waiting...how was the gym without your exercise partner? Did you make it there? Did you find you worked harder or not as hard? And did you count calories? Tell all!

Petra—nice that the smaller pants fit. It's always a good thing to cross back over to the “regular” sizes. Conrats. I hope you figure out a balance of eating vs. losing.

newleaf—hmmm, trade off on breast density for bird-like appetite...I'd take it. I hope the appetite thing lasts, and I'm glad you are feeling so much better.

motivatedchickie—you'll find the motivation again (you have to; it's in your name!). Smart to be looking within. Don't let the weekend get you down...it's bouncing back from a not-so-great few days that makes this process work for life and not for a short time.

AnnieDrews—ohhh I hate when I go out, give the restaurant my money and my calories, and they fail me! SO frustrating. As for “wasting” your weekend...you started by saying you had a good weekend, so that's no waste at all. Sometimes we need to be less productive and enjoy the nothingness. Your to do list will wait for you (and sneer at you as it adds things to the bottom faster than you can cross things off, if it's anything like MY to do list).

Wizzie—sorry to hear about your uncle. I hope your busy week goes okay...

ICU—Yeah, the structure of the work week is good...it's the “work” part that's not so good! I'm going to really make an effort to plan better for the weekends and make each weekend a bit better than the last. It can be done (she says with fake confidence)!

Peanutsmom—when I put avocado on my sandwich or in my salad, I find I stay full so much longer. I think it's the fat in it. It definitely makes a difference.

I had a good day yesterday...decent food and great exercise—first a walk, and then mowing the lawn including the hilly part that I HATE mowing, but it's a heck of a workout. It's raining right now, but it's supposed to clear up at some point. I will get a walk in after I tutor this afternoon and before my son's lacrosse game. I can walk at the field if I don't get a chance before. I also would like to make the time to do some yoga. I need it for mind and body today.

Have a great Tuesday!

Sue

Petra – congrats on the 16Ps!! That is awesome!! You must feel so great!! Hopefully more good things will follow soon :) Sorry to hear about your uncle…

AnnieDrews – good luck with your planters this week! Gardening is supposed to be good exercise, by the way… think strength & flexibility as you bend, squat, reach.

PeanutsMom – great job sticking to plan!

Wizzie – so sorry to hear about your uncle :hug:

ICUWishing – LOL Re: DH. Good job tossing out your landmines… I hope you have a great week!

SLRoth – isn’t it always like that, rain right after mowing, aaargh! Like the grass just can’t wait to get going again… Sounds like you are leading a nice, active lifestyle, WTG!

AngelsKeep – I guess you were right about my weight and having not eaten leading up to and after the surgery. My weight just keeps going down, I’m 4 pounds below my pre-surgery weight. Not eating for 4.5 days and undergoing surgery – not the best weight loss route, but I’ll take it!

My weight keeps going down and I’m in awe. I tried on some assorted pants last night, and this is “real” weight, things that didn’t fit before fit now. So, I have to hold on tight to this post-surgery 4+ pound bonus and own it, maintain it. I’m really happy and surprised. My parents are coming to visit for a few days so this will take some effort since they don’t really cook, I can’t cook so easily, so I guess we’ll be ordering in.

Good morning, everyone. I'm sorry to say I didn't get to the gym yesterday--I got an early call to come in to work. Gotta keep those big birds flying. Yesterday wasn't too bad for the diet, but miserable for allergies, so I went straight home and took a dose of antihistamine that would make me unsafe to drive--in other words, I took a full adult dose. Yeah, I'm a lightweight.

I have also found that I need fat in my diet. I think it's my northern European ancestry. One of my sisters-in-law does great on a high carb diet, but I think that's her ancestry (in ancient times, her ancestors had a low protein, high carb diet, lots of grain-foods. Those who thrived on that diet lived and reproduced.

When I was eating no refined sugar (and very little other sugars except fructose) and no starches or grains, I could eat fat and lose weight.

So, why don't I do that diet again? Because when I started eating sugars again, I went out of control! I put all the weight back on again, faster than before. So now, I want to find a sustainable diet that includes some sugar, some complex carbs, but that still let's me lose, and eventually maintain, my weight where I want it.

My plan for today is--eat healthy and don't worry about the exact calorie count just yet. That will come. I'm going to start attending an exercise class in the mornings--that will give me a required starting time twice a week. The other days, I will just try to keep up with my habit of getting up early and heading off to the gym--I'll alternate weights and the treadmill or elliptical machine.

Wizzie--my condolences on the loss of your uncle.

My uncle died about 6 weeks ago. I think I mentioned it at the time. I was just being empathetic with Wizzie-not trying to make a big deal out of it.

Heidi-a jewish mother who doesn't cook? :lol: Congrats on your 4 lbs. I know how much you have wanted to get out of those 160's. Sort of like me and my 220's.

motivated chickie-its the internal motivation that lasts so I'm glad you are finding it before you get to goal. Would hate to see you get there only to be disappointed that your weight loss didn't lead to whatever external reward you were expecting and gain it all back.

I'm on call this weekend. Not looking forward to that. I"m also raining on someone's parade at work. I hate doing that but it really leads to something that is terribly unfair and will ultimately lead to resentment later. Our nurse practitioner who is salaried like the physicians (most nurses are hourly employees) wants to go to 4 day workweeks. She has 2 small children at home. I understand her motivation but we would all like 4 day work weeks. She doesn't take call so she gets every weekend off and doesn't have to deal with having her pager interrupt every aspect of her personal life-from my perspective she already has a good deal. And it certainly justifies the difference in compensation-yes, I am paid more than the NP so I SHOULD have to put up with more crap and take more responsibility, etc. My contract is up in 6 months and if they let her have this, you can bet there are going to be some interesting conversations when we renegotiate my contract. We already have an issue with my friend who just came back from maternity leave-she only has 4.5 day work weeks except the week she is on call. She used to be in private practice and that is how she had her practice set up. The hospital bought her practice so she is now a hospital employee and they let her maintain her previous schedule.

Hi everyone!!

*****HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!***** May the 4th be with you.:p
http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r...ars/Yiddle.jpg

Annie - LOL! That Star Wars gag made my day

Thanks to everyone for your condolences. My uncle was a great guy and only 70. I remember when I thought that was really old.

Becky - I think you are on to something with this low fat thing too. I crave peanut butter all the time. When not eating healthy I never eat the stuff. I have found that adding a piece of cheese or peanut butter really does take the edge off.

Other good news - With the extra Vitamin D and sunshine, I'm really starting to feel better on the fatigue front. I'm not near as tired.

The funeral is tomorrow so I won't be online more than likely. Take care everyone.

Hi Wizzie! I got a giggle out of the newsman that told the Star Wars thing on the news this morning....couldn't wait to use it myself.;) I am so sorry for your family's loss. You are right....70 is getting younger and younger to me as I creep toward 50.

Petra-I can see how the situation at work could be sticky. I have been on the other side of that issue myself. When my boys were small, myself and another tech would "share" a shift so that we could each have two afternoons off a week. It was a welcome time away to spend time with our children. I know there were others that weren't happy about it, but we did give up certain perks by reducing our hours. We had originally hoped to do the 4 day work week, too, but it didn't work out, so we took what we could. I also remember there being dissent when I was a nursing mother and took breaks to pump breast milk....these were mostly from men who were "old school" in their thinking on that issue. I know this is a totally different situation, but just wanted to put in my experience. Good luck.

Kitteh-I think an exercise class sounds like a great idea!

Heidi-Good luck with your parents' visit this weekend. Hopefully you can get food from places with a manageable menu for your food choices. Enjoy the visit!

SLroth-Mowing is great exercise! Enjoy your lovely lawn.


ICU, Peanut's, Suki....:wave:

I finally had to add a combination of fat/protein to my diet. I wasn't feeling hungry as much as I was feeling tired and draggy. I have been trying not to add too much fat, but have tried to include more cheese, cottage cheese (I've been buying fat-free, may try some low fat??). I just hate to stray too far from what is working well for me right now.

Everything else is good here, a beautiful Spring day. Love to all!

I've been good with my food this week and decided to restrict myself to only 3 nights of alcohol during this 2-week stint away from home (normally when i'm away with all the sales people and at conferences i end up drinking alcohol every day, just because everyone else does).

So on saturday i had my first alcohol eve. Had a good time, it was great. But ever since then i've had a shocking headache all day. Of course on Sunday morning i thought it was just a hangover, but the longer it's gone on the more i'm thinking it can't be just a hangover - i didn't drink that much!!

Any thoughts? Is it my reduced carbs? Is it my reduced exercise (due to broken foot?). Is it a coincidence?

I used to get headaches that would last a few days a few years ago, but haven't had them for the last few years. I don't know what caused them then, and now i'm none the wiser, but i'm just hoping that a) this one goes pretty quick and b) i don't get any more.....

The good news is that i seem to have moved in the right direction on the 'pantsometer' (possibly because i haven't even wanted to eat with this hurty head!).

Ange, could you be dehydrated? Experiencing caffeine withdrawal? Both of those things could cause headaches.

Everyone-I'm around and reading. Just kind of off my game right now, though the eating part is fine. It is windy here...and we had snow last night, just a little. Can't get outside as much as I'd like yesterday and today, and it sems to be affecting my disposition. I think the dvd player is hooked up downstairs...we live downstairs in the summer and are kind of bouncing back and forth right now...not enough guests to make it permanent for the season yet, but enough to need to move stuff around depending on where we watch tv. Maybe I'll just put in the WATP video and see if some exercise improves my badditude.


Barb

edit

Hi barb, it's not caffine because i've not changed my caffine habits (still drinking a couple of cups of coffee a day). It could be dehydration i guess as i'm not drinking as much as normal - but i put that down to not exercising as much as normal (therefore not sweating as much as normal). Good suggestion though - i'll slug more water and hope for the best.

So you run a guest house or something?

PM-Glad for you to be back on track. And the whole month ahead the same! Lucky you to have nice weather.

Annie-Sorry your restaurant meal wasn't good. I can't imagine giving up calories AND the enjoyment...wasted for naught...ICK! Hope you are getting your planters done and having some relaxation with it. Good luck on your recipe search for the sons, too. Lots of wayas to make food weight loss friendly and not taste like "diet" food. My friends all tease me becuase when I cook, they can't tell what's what or why it's any different. I think that's prolly good.

Wizzie-my condolences for the passing of your uncle.

Becky-I wish I had cashews and walnuts. They seem a little too high to fit into my plan easily right now ao I've avoided htem, but I LOVE nuts.

slroth-you're doing pretty well, keep up the good work.

Heidi-sounds like you're well on your way back and beyond. Excellent news!

Petra-the pantsometer is such a great thing...even if the scale number is stuck, you are definitely doing something right to be so small in your new pants. I think I'll be in a size 16 in another 30 lbs...seriously. UGH! And I do so hope that you can work things out so you feel great, get your schedule straight, and have the numbers you're looking for. I hope that your work schedule for the on call goes smoothly this weekend. Maybe nobody willwig out..isn't the full moon over now? I think that on call stuff would be the pits no matter how much or little you are paid!

Ange-I own a bed & breakfast. We are pretty quiet in the winter and crazy busy in the summer. Summer is almost here. I get to meet lots of great people from all over the world, but I am exhausted all the time. Have been wondering how to fit in exercise, but I guess all the physical labor of housekeeping etc. will have to suffice for the most part.

Laughing at Star Wars. Forgot to get Robert to leave the camera out when he left for work, so still need to remember the geocaching pics. Lazy AND grumpy today.

Barb

Annie-love the yoda picture. That's hilarious. Thanks for the perspective on the work situation. Right now, I'm the only one without kids at home so it does create some sticky situations.

Ange-I would agree with Barb, probably dehydration and try to drink more water.

Wizzie-so you crave peanutbutter too? I'm not the only one! I always knew it had something to do with the fat but I didn't get it.

Barb-funny how we are the same height but must be proportioned very differently. Hope you feel better soon.

As I imagined, I created quite a few waves at work today. The nurse practitioner took it as a personal attack and I had to assure her it wasn't personal, it was about creating a policy that only applies to one person-that doesn't work. And my boss and I got into a yelling match. She wasn't even trying to hear me. I think if she talked to some other people after she left my office, she may have gotten some other perspective that let her understand how I feel. I go back to the nursing home tomorrow for the first time in 2 months. I think it will be good for me to get out of the hospital for awhile.

Petra: wow, sounds like a stressful day at work : (
Ange: on the headache, I get migraines and my sister makes me drink gatorade. she's a nurse and it's something one of her doctors told her to do. it seems to help and much less painful then the pressure point thing she used to do to my hand!
Annie: lol!
Wizzie: my condolences on your loss : (
barb: sounds like a lot of work but I bet it's fun owning a b&b

not much to report here, should be packing but no motivation. which means full blown panic when friday gets here as movers are coming first thing on saturday.

I hit a wall of depression yesterday and it took me awhile to get through it. I ended up not accomplishing much (which, or course, doesn't help with feeling depressed) throughout the day. I would say my eating was only okay, but not terrible. I'm happy with that because often on days like that, I "give up" and eat poorly. My mood lifted by early evening and I did go for a walk.

Feeling better able to tackle the things that are bothering me today. For work, I will make a to do list and start doing; that always helps. For my friends letting me down, I will remember that they are busy and not focusing well beyond themselves right now. So today...I will go for a good walk and eat well. I will take good care of me!

Here's to a great Tuesday!

Sue

Good morning. Just a short note--I'm off to exercise class this morning.

I ate moderately yesterday--probably over my desired count, but not bad. The important thing is my mindset is improving about getting back on plan. Before, I felt like I was at war with myself about eating. Now, a truce has been called and Me, Myself and I are just working out the terms of the armistice.

Petra---sorry to hear about the work situation. It is unfair for one person to have special privileges at work, but there will always be people who feel their situation is special. (And sometimes it is, but not always.)

slroth--glad to hear the depression has lifted and you're feeling better. It can be very hard to maintain willpower during a bout of depression, so congrats.

Petra and slroth - sorry you are going through stressful/tough times right now, hope that things go up from here!

I'm doing pretty well staying on plan - not always getting in as much activity but that's lower on my priority list for right now, I just want to make sure I get back into all my good eating habits after a few weeks of being on-again, off-again.

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Good morning. I find I'm still angry this morning although I do see a solution to the problem-not sure it is a solution that administration wants. They need to give the NP a contract. She is the only one of us who doesn't have one. If they want her to be "special" than give her a contract and define her hours, her responsibilities, and her benefits. They have liked having it this way because they can make it up as they go along but obviously it also creates this problem-there are no boundaries.

Sue-sorry you are feeling down. Hope today is a better day.

Thanks for listening to me vent. Hopefully we will resolve this soon without me getting disciplined :lol: I don't think that will actually happen because I think I really have a point if someone with a level head will actually listen to me.

wizzie - hugs re your uncle! Glad you're turning the corner with the fatigue - that is an AWFUL feeling.

petra - All you can do is try it out and see how you feel. It's maddening, it's counter-intuitive ... but maybe that peanut butter is telling you something that might be a window of opportunity! Ugh - you just don't get any let-up at work, do you? I'm sorry that you're going through such bureauocratic headaches.

pm - I'm pushing close to 38-40% fat, believe it or not! If I go into the low 30's, I start to get annoyed and hungry. I do most of my cooking with coconut oil now. I can still eat low-fat meals - and I do because of watching calories - but I just take a EPA/DHA capsule with the meal.

sue - sounds like you're on track for a great week! One bump shouldn't offset you. Keep pluggin' away!

Heidi - welcome to "normal" weight! That's a big threshold for us 5'7"ers! Enjoy the time with the folks - I'm sure they will notice your slimness!

kitteh - you are so singing my song regarding the sugar. It's just bad news for me all the way around. I'm even working toward replacing one of my 3 servings of fruit with raw veggies. :lol3: about the truce - it is what it is, and any terms you negotiate now can always be revised as the situation changes.

annie - nice one with Yoda! :lol: I can see why you're concerned about deviating - you are having a great ride! 23 pounds is excellent!

ange - depends on how long you went without alcohol (my opinion), and what it was you drank, and how much. Lots of variables! I used to get headaches like that too - mine were all traceable back to an old neck injury and tense shoulder muscles. I'm still learning how to deal with all of it. Could be coincidence too - but hoping you get over it quickly!

Barb - exercise is always a great first attempt on the badditude. :) Snow ... omg. I think I'd kill somebody.

kathi - lol - yes, no matter how well you pack, the panic ensues regardless. :)

CAT - where are ya?

Went to Outback last night with DS10 on the way to piano. I had an AMAZING meal - it was two 1/2" thick slices of medium very-rare filet with an incredible wild mushroom sauce. It was DIVINE! I know by mouthfeel this was made with butter and heavy cream - hardly diet food, but the portion was small and I was so happy. And the scale was .5 down this morning, making my ticker honest again.

Other news - our pet goldfish "Sushi" (aka Sushi-fer, or Spooky Fish) died and it's awful because we won't know what happened - too many variables during a routine tank cleaning. I can't stand it when critters under my care die of anything but old age. We're thinking a hermit crab next.

Still swimming - only 2 1/2 weeks to Atlanta! I'll be on the high-intensity stuff til the end of next week, and then coast/recover for the final week. I'm especially geeked about spending 3 days with my GF!

Thought I would drop by and say hi to my 3FC friends; it's been way too long. I've been busy with projects and unable to spend as much time online.

I'm exercising most days and eating has become just something I do. I don't really think about it and even stopped logging. Most everything (except what DSS brings in the house) is healthy and when eating out saying no or having a small bite of something yummy is more than satisfying.

I never thought it would happen but healthy living has become a way of life. I don't even obsess over the scale. I did get on yesterday and to my surprise had lost 8 lbs. in the last 4-6 weeks, I don't know when I weighted last.

Not sure how much I'll be around in the coming weeks. I've taken on a new volunteer position, DSS will be going on break soon, it's pool season, and we've got a couple trips in the planning stages.

I want to thank ALL of you for being there for me and helping me out of an incredibility dark period in my life. I've made good friends and changes that I hope will last a lifetime.

Hi everyone! I haven't checked in for a while because i've been pretty unmotivated since the first part of april. frankly i am just burnt out with weight loss. i know i'm going to start losing ground with the attitude i have now. i'm doing the mrc diet and part of it is to reach your goal weight then start stabilization. my contract with them is up on may 22 and i've been dreading what would happen because i know i'm not going to reach that weight by then. i went into the center today with the proposal that i start stabilization even though i'm not at my goal weight. at first they had pretty big reservations about it. they said they wouldn't be doing me any service by letting me start before i was at a "healthy weight / bmi". i pointed out that they wouldn't be doing me any service by letting me walk away feeling like a failure when i've, really, been very successful. so they agreed to let me start stabilization at the end of the month. i feel like a weight has been lifted (pun intended). ;)

Hi guys!!:wave:

Just time for a drive-by today, so sorry I am not doing personals again. Busy day at work and that means the day goes quickly. Good thing, as I am looking forward to getting home and getting some housework done tonight before my shows come on.;)

Saw a new # on the scale this morning, but not going to get excited until at least tomorrow morning at the "official" weigh-in. Fingers crossed!!

You all are doing great!

kathi - gatorade is a good idea for dehydration headaches - i hadn't thought of that before but it makes sense. I know it really works if you need it, since i used to really need it after my long run on a sunday and water just doesn't cut it then (not keen on all those calories though!)

My headache's gone finally! Hurray! I feel so well and bright now, as you do when you've been ill but don't realise how ill until you're better again.
Problem is that tonight is the big conference dinner - dinner cruise thing, for which i was going to allow myself another alcohol night!

Becky - i also get headaches due to a tight shoulder and it manifests itself behind my left ear for some reason (different to what i've had this week). I started getting those sorts of headaches after the first time i went to a chiropractor about 5 years ago - should have stuck with the physios. BTW how about getting a pet tarantula to replace Sushi?!?! It can live in the same box with an infra red pad (don't forget to take the water out first), and life expectancy is 20+ years!!! What do you mean, no?

petra - good on you for confronting your work stuff honestly. You're fighting for what's fair so whatever happens you can be proud of yourself, and that's important. Keep us updated.

Lolajean - maintaining sounds like a good outcome for you just now. If you know you're not ready to lose any more then it's just not going to happen, so the big thing is to avoid the yoyo until you're ready to have another bash.

slroth - congrats on avoiding the 'terrible' eating yesterday. That's a good achievement. Wishing you sunnier days. Did you end up talking to DH about your diet goals in the end?

annie - looking forward to hearing you've repeated your scale success tomorrow! Good work.

Right, time to start scrubbing up for this cruise thing......