What a great night out! I really love this new group of friends because they are active people who are in shape. I am very proud of myself for the way I ordered. The Margaritas were about 3oz each with alot of ice and homemade which makes a difference as I asked about the ingredients. I figure that both of my drinks totaled about 270 calories and I had a glass of wine later at a bar. So drink total = ~405. I ordered a roasted veggie salad (cactus, zucchini, mushrooms & about 1tsp corn) that only had a light drizzle of crema on it. However, it did seem that they tossed them with a bit of oil (I am figuring about 1/4tsp on my plate). I also ordered a bowl of ceviche. I figure my food total was somewhere between 400-450 calories on the high end. So, in the end I probably went over my daily total by ~100-150 calories. As I danced vigorously at a bar for about 30 min total and I had my bellydancing class earlier that day, I don't feel bad about it at all. In fact, I just weighed myself after skipping a day and I have lost 2 more pounds!

Sillycat: Hey, maybe we can open some type of weight loss retreat over there. Hmmm? Give Principessa Marcella Borghese a run for her $.

Penguin: Sending healthy vibes your way ---------->

Hello - slow weekend on here so I hope everyone is having a GREAT one! Judging by my several posts, it's a slow one for me - mainly marketing/errands and prepping meals for this week, along with various cleaning and clearing out projects.

Ended up catching hubby's cold now and feel crummy. Will have an early night and see if I can knock it out with extra zzzz's. Chilly night - wish I was able to stay awake longer; would have put a log in the fire, but not going to "waste" one if I'll only be hitting the sack soon.

Am I the only one who wants to "feed a cold, feed a fever"? the heck with the starve portion...

national- Hope you feel better soon, I know what you mean about eating when your sick, I always want to eat alot when I'm sick, except if it's a stomach issue of course, I think it's a comfort thing.

It's been a rainy warm day, 55 degrees. Feels warm compared to before, it's one of those days you just want to lazy around all day. Everytime I plan to do that, it never happens anyway. Always too much to do around here. My weight is creeping up from days of higher calories, it really bothers me. So today's eating was perfect, I made sure of it. Hopefully the next few days will be like today. I really need to lose this weight, rode the bike for 30min. this morning at racing speed. I decided when I have to go to the market during the next couple weeks, I am not buying junk food for hubby or my daughter. If it's not here I don't suffer trying to fight off the urge to eat it. If they want it, they can find a way to get it!

Good morning, and welcome to Monday.

Ate off plan this weekend, and my weight was up two pounds this morning. I hope some of that was just water. I admit, part of the problem was that first meal off plan--then I had cravings, which is why I try to avoid eating like that in the first place. At least I got some exercise.

Fruitlady--sorry to hear about the tummy problems, hope you're doing better.

NP--get well soon; bummer about the washer overflowing.

Ashley--you get well soon, too. Must be something going around.

Must get ready for work. Here's to a good day for my diet.

Thanks KittehMomma!

Nice & sunny here in Pa. still chilly though. Winter is dragging on, I'm itching to be outside doing yard work or taking a walk. This weight I gained is taking so long to lose. Since I can't limit sodium or fat anymore it takes extra long. Had a huge healthy breakfast & rode the bike for 30min. Now it's lunchtime and i'm not hungry. Oh well, I'm not forcing down lunch when I'm not hungry. I hate skipping meals. For dinner i'm having 3oz of skinless chicken w/ some caraway seed & pepper on it. It's my favorite way to eat chicken & 3 cups of baby spinach with slivered almonds on top. This will be day 2 of not going over my calorie limit. I will be at 1279. Yay!

Lazy weekend for me, or rather semi-jetlagged i think as i spent most of it sleeping!

We did catch up with friends from interstate for a meal out in Sydney on saturday night and it was also the Mardi Gras parade so we went to see that (except there were too many people and i'm too short). Good fun.

Then on sunday my aunt and uncle from UK were visiting Sydney so we caught up with them and my cousins (another meal out!).

Apart from the meals out i've been pretty good with my eating and the scales surprisingly haven't shifted as a result of the 2 banquets a day for 10 days during my china trip. So i'm really hoping i can knock off a lb or so this month (moderate ambitions i know, but i've increased my running too which always makes me super hungry)

Happy Monday! It is sunny and I was able to walk outside at lunch yay, I feel so much better it is -18 mind you but I am just glad to get out. From what the news people says we are suppose to have a cold spring, I am not sure what cold means anymore as they were not specific. I am happy if it is above 0, and my goodness 12 is a heatwave, can you hear my sarcasim. Wasnt on plan yesterday but not bad either, today back on plan. Had leftover grillled chicken for lunch (may favorite) and a homeade fat free banana muffin with some chocolate chips, well i guess the chocolate had some fat in it.

Congrats Arch on the pounds down, keep at it! Wasnt on plan yesterday but not bad either, today back on plan.
NP – hope you are feeling better, yes feed a fever or a cold works, cept if it is stomach flu then it is starve for a few days cause you are not hungry and even the mention of food can make one want to barf, but yay then when we are feeling better we can eat everything in sight for a few days due to not eating. Once again sarcasim.
FL – How do you make your spinach with almonds. I have never cooked spinach I usually pile it an inch high on my turkey sandwhich and it would be nice to have it another way.
Annie – Penguin hope your doing well!

Hello! Off from work today, took sick day and mostly just sneezed, blew my nose and hacked, then again in same order a minute or five later. As I hate it when folks come in when they're sneezing up a storm, I figured I'd lay low for a day or two, sleep and recuperate before going back in. Have been drinking a lot, so that's good. At least I think it should be for some reason.

Ashley - have you ever tried a spinach salad (just the greens) with mandarin oranges and toasted almond slivers on there? If you eat bacon, crumbled bacon as well ... I used to LOVE that with a vinaigrette that used red wine vinegar. I can look up the recipe in my box if you're interested. I probably made that every week for more than a year - hmmm... maybe I'll try it again; don't eat bacon anymore but SOMEWHERE there has to be decent tasting vegan bacon bits... or turkey bacon bits... (?)

Packed hubby's lunch for work tonight (working 12-hour shift 6 p-6 a) and realized I probably packed him enough for TWO lunches!! But as much of it was fruit/healthy stuff, he'll be okay, at least not spending $ in the snack machines. Had to laugh - he could have used a rolling cooler for it all well, not really, but ...

We're dangerously close to being out of Puffs tissues ... I either run to the market looking like I've been Mack trucked or I resort to toilet paper. Neither of which sounds good. Whiny, huh?

Ange is it this Thursday you head out for sun/fun with your hubby?

Annie - how did the dentist go on the weekend? And your time with fiance?

Ashley- I never cook spinach either. I just pile it on a plate w/ chicken & almonds on top and extra Caraway seed( I love Caraway) I don't even need dressing, the Caraway gives it enough flavor.

national- your way of eating spinach sounds good too, I won't eat bacon though. I have tried a clementine on top, it's good!

How's this for a couple of sentences from a book I'm reading:

"Many women, even those who consider themselves healthy, classify what they have eaten or how much they have exercised as a marker of their worth in the world."

"It is not our kindness or courage that we count at the end of the day; it is our caloric intake."

Wow. That resonated with me. From Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters by Courtney Martin.

yeah!!!! Only a day and a half of work left before then! Hurray!!!!

Well done to you for staying home, and hope you make a super-fast recovery. Wish everyone would do that - i hate it when people are at work but snivelling away and i'm wondering how many days before i get whatever it is they've got!

look after yourself

I just skimmed over the weekend posts ya'll. I just wanted to check in and let you know I am still alive. Over the weekend I developed an ear problem...roaring/rushing sound and then this morning unable to hear out of my left side and barely on the right. Woozy feeling and headache. Had to leave work and go to the doctor this afternoon. I have an inner ear infection (labyrinthitis) and I have no idea how fluid got in there; I haven't had a cold or anything. Now on steroid nasal spray, expectorant and meds for dizziness.

Dental visit was a bust Friday. I got all numbed up and they were working on putting in the permanent bridge/crowns and the dentist asked me to look in the mirror. He knew they weren't the right color and he wanted me to see....it looked like I had 3 white Chiclets in my mouth!! They are redoing them at no charge and putting them in this Saturday, but that means more time in the dentist chair, numbing, etc.

Did not do well foodwise today. We went and got McDs for supper with a Shamrock Shake (peppermint) for dessert....I only drank about 1/3 of it, it was terrible. Did okay over the weekend.
Things will get better!!

Love you all and hope you are doing well.

Oh, Annie, that is SUCH a bummer about the dentist visit - what a pain - literally. Thanks for saying that shake wasn't good - i'd not heard of it and when you said peppermint, i thought, ooohhhhh... until you wrote terrible yay. no temptation there. I like peppermint ice cream, but haven't had a shake in a few years.

Home again today. Sound terrible. A young mother on our staff would come at me with a can of lysol (rightly so) if I went in. I do feel guilty, but I think, "I wouldn't want to hear someone sounding like me there", so thanks, Ange for the confirmation! My boss always makes a point of saying he's never taken a sick day in 30 years. But then he's not around other people mcuh at all, and if we don't come in when we're sick...

Annie, - sorry to hear about your dentist woes always no fun. Hope Sat goes better.

FL and NP yes I love spinach salad I add rasperries too and almond slivers I just thought you were cooking it. I also found a rasberry vinagarette from kraft and it is awesome. I did not think to add chicken what agreat idea and good for you too.
had a good day yesterday but did not eat enough and then ate too much at dinner but not an all out binge so that is good. Will try to eat more today. Another nice day for a walk so I am happy about that.

NP as for your book quote, when I was in my 20's and pregnant I went for my first appointment fully clothed and stood on the scale at 140. I felt the same way then as I do now but I know better, I can't believe I fought so hard back then to lose weight and 135-140 was a good weight for me. Our thinking sure is what can get us into trouble.

It was nice & sunny this morning, so i rode the bike for 20min, then went for a 30min. walk. It was good to be out in the fresh air for a while. My stomach wasn't right this morning again, I thought I wouldn't be exercising today. I am starting to think the spinach I eat almost every night is giving me problems. I always feel bloated, gassy & nausea after I eat it. I'm gonna stop eating it for a while and choose another veggie w/ dinner with sodium in it. I love spinach though! Lost 1.2lbs. I'm slowly losing, have 2 more lbs to get to my goal.