Hello everyone. I sure enjoyed yesterday with my sister. We just "bobbed around in the pool" and talked. It was real nice. Of course the scales show a 2 pound gain this morning!! Could it be from the chips, salsa, burrito, rice and refried beans???? NAH!!! YES!! I know it is mostly sodium and will come off fairly quick EXCEPT I am having everyone over here tomorrow afternoon for homemade Ice cream!! At least I shouldn't have any left over ice cream and if there is --- it can go home with someone!! We usually go to church on Sunday and then out to lunch, but tomorrow we decided to skip meeting everyone for lunch. Thought we would just come home relax a bit and fix the ice cream. Well, my brother called tonight and wants to show the house tomorrow at 2:00pm....Guess we will stop at Arby's and I'll get one of their salads,(they are very good) and then come home, straighten a bit grab the girls and then leave for a bit while the house is being shown. Then come back and mix the ice cream and get it made for everyone to enjoy about 4:00! I'll be ready to enjoy the pool after this hectic afternoon!

OMG!! Bobbi! I haven't work heals in ---I don't know how long! I think that I would have to wear them around the house for awhile just to get used to walking in them again!! WOW!! Enjoy your evening!! Have Bruce take a picture so we can see how beauutiful you are!! In fact, you need to have someone take a picture of the both of you!! Have fun!!

Zoe, loving the pictures that you put on FB! Mass. really does have some pretty places...I thought that when we left there and moved back to Coloraod that we would stay there forever--now I'm back in the heat and humidity here in MO. but loving it.

Well, Hello to everyone else. Guess I need to go and get a little bit done tonight so I won't have so much to do tomorrow to show the house. I have a feeling this will just be another looky loo!! But that is OK-- one more week and we will take it off the market if we haven't got a contract--- I want to enjoy the rest of my Summer without having to wonder about it anymore. If it sells, well we will be busy looking at the list of houses that we have made. Will just have to wait and see.

Have a good night everyone.

Rie--- Have a great vacation and we look forward to hearing from you and seein pictures!!! Don't you just love pictures??? Drive safe!!

Hello GGs

*Blink* - and the weekend has gone! I went to a delicious "Christmas in July" lunch today. It was such a bleak day weatherwise, +7C (45F) and the city enveloped in fog, it was a perfect day for a rich meal, unlike the actual Christmas Day which falls in the peak of our summer and all you can be bothered eating is salads and ice cream cake!

Z - hmmm ... nothing worse than a scale that plays with your mind. Ignore it and listen to Rie's words of wisdom. And as you have mentioned, mix it up a little with your daily calories - keep your metabolism guessing so it doesn't go into starvation mode. As for me, the wii gave me a stern talking to for reaching my goal ahead of time Never to mind, it will be a different story tomorrow (which is my usual weigh-in day) after today's yummy lunch!

Rie - good to see that your preparations for your holiday are going smoothly, and such a lovely gesture from your Mom to share her inheritance. Awwww at your son being so caring! He will be a keeper for a very lucky girl, one day. I hope he will still do "meals on wheels" for you Your low carb turkey rollup recipe sounds yummo! Have you tried making low carb pizza using flattened chicken breast as the base rather than the usual pizza dough base? It's pretty derlish. You don't sound odd at all I think because we have a lot of TV and films from the US we are pretty familiar with US slang. I'm finding it very interesting hearing all of you talk about where you live and the things you like to do - real life is better than films!

Karen3 - I can really hear your joy at having ditched the dodgy cardiologist I was wondering why there was a special glow in the sky! Here's hoping you go from strength to strength in your recovery. Hope your DS and DGD had an uneventful journey home after the cracked windscreen in the plane.

NCNancy - can you handle the truth about TimTams - they are the food of the They are a small rectangle shape, two layers of chocolate biscuit (I think in the US you would say cookie,) with a layer of chocolate cream in the middle, the whole coated in chocolate. The most fun way to eat them is to do the "TimTam Slam" - nibble off the corners at diagonal ends, dip one end into your (hot) cup of tea or coffee and use the TimTam as a straw to suck up the tea ... the timing is crucial for the next bit and you need to practise quite a lot ... just before it all collapses quickly pop the whole TimTam in your mouth ... mmmm

Donna - sounds like you are having a tough time in the heat - do your summers last long? Hopefully, it's only another month or two to endure. It must be such a comfort to Granny/Mom to know that she can discuss very difficult issues with you and that you support her choices. I'll be checking my phone bill for calls between Mungo and SamCat as they plot their next little tactic LOL at the very smart chichuahua!

Mustang Karen - so nice you had such a lovely visit with your sister! I guess whatever happens with your house will be what is meant to happen.

Bobbi - wow, those temps are very extreme. Can't believe you are still out in the garden - true dedication. I've read one or two Jonathan Kellerman's - they were waaay to scary for me, I had nightmares! And Faye Kellerman was even scarier! It's print books all the way for me - I spend too many hours staring at a computer screen as it is.

Rosey - what a busy, welcoming, happy home you have! Hope you enjoyed your day of rest with your book. That's interesting about how to dipnet salmon - I only ever thought of salmon fishing from a boat. I'm jealous of your fresh salmon, but that's how it is - you always get bored with whatever food is plentiful. My fave salmon recipe is to make a little parcel with alfoil, put the salmon fillet in with soya sauce, sliced red chilli, a little grated ginger, lime zest and a squeeze of lime juice, maybe a little garlic, bake (well, it sort of poaches) for about 20 mins, serve with green vegies - beans, spinach, broccolini all go well.

Mary - your DH has been keeping very busy in the garden, he must enjoy it! My worst struggle is with the evening munchies too - it's a really tough habit to break.

Lynn - hope your gastro issues resolve, I sympathise with the pain you would be feeling, memories of my gallbladder crisis still give me the heebie jeebies.

Sherry - hello!

Marie - hope you have been having a great weekend hangin' with your doggies! "A big girl's blouse" is a wuss (do you have wusses in the States? oh, I see later Lynard is calling herself a wuss) and you only ever tease a man about being a big girl's blouse

Gayle - good to see you had a nice visit with your family. Only two days until Tuesday, hang in there ...

Lynard - sorry to hear about your morning of sad news, and that it's come when you are already feeling low from the heat. It sounds like it would be too hot to get a good night's sleep too, which always makes me less able to cope.

Freda - sounds like you are busy keeping up with the grandies' sports activities - that's great they are so involved in team sports. I wonder if your GERD is the same as our GORD - gastro-oesophageal reflux disease? I've got it as well as a severe ulcer - I really know about it if I eat food that's high fat and I can't sleep if I eat too late in the evening.

Well, I've got a pretty big week coming up at work so I might not be able to post very nuch over the next few days. Hope you all have a good week.

Toodles!

Hi Everyone,

I did my 8 miles in the gym yesterday. Was over 100 degrees here.

I have a LOT of indigestion, but not that awful pain. I've been trying to figure out foods that would be good for both acid reflux and gallbladder. Seems like fat is bad for both.

With regards to food lists for gallbladder - there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet. OK nurses, what should I be avoiding?

Lynn

Good morning GG's,

One day down ~ two to go. Yesterday was a pretty good one (you're right Freda ~ better since the full moon has passed.)

Got out about 1 hour late, but still had enough of the evening left to be able to relax and enjoy a little bit.

I went for a hair cut the other day ~ Maddie wanted to go with (grandpa entertained her while they waited) she came over and was watching and talking to the hair cutting lady. She was funny ~ my hair is all wet and clipped up ~ I'm sure not very attractive looking ~ but Maddie says ~ Grandma you look beautiful. So young and trying to say what she felt would be the right thing to say

The hair cut came out too short ~ my own fault ~ when they ask how much to take off ~ I have trouble estimating. Thank goodness it will grow back. I look like a bowling ball with hair

Well, it is time to go ~ I would so much rather stay here with y'all.

Hope you have a great day.

Take care

We had a nice time at the 50th class reunion. I didn't know many people because I'm younger that DH. I was going to eat whatever I wanted but ended up eating pretty good. 1/2 my plate was fresh fruit, watermelon, canaloupe, strawberries, etc., a piece of baked fish, no breading, a small piece of prime rib, a very small slice of raspberry cheese cake. No booze. club soda with a slice of lemon.
Donna...what was your drink of destruction back in those days? Yes, I agree.... I think we're all addictive to food.

Quote:
I’m a teetotaler, too, because I drank more than a couple of lifetimes’ worth in my younger days. I think we’re all pretty addictive people. It’s a good thing I was in that “in-between” age where drugs weren’t really “in”… I’d have gotten into trouble with them, too, probably.

Koala...I'll have to check out his wife's books, never read hers before. I like scary!

I took a color personality test on a couple of different places. Check out our Facebook group.
What does your personality color say about you?
While you may not exhibit all the character traits of your personality color, you will find yourself somewhere in the description. You may also find you exhibit some of the negative traits, particularly when you are stressed.
If your favorite color is red, you are action oriented with a deep need for physical fulfillment and to experience life through the five senses.
If orange is your favorite color, you have a great need to be with people, to socialize with them, and be accepted and respected as part of a group. You also have a need for challenges in your life, whether it is physical or social challenges.
Choosing yellow as your favorite means you have a deep need for logical order in your everyday life and to be able to express your individuality by using your logical mind to inspire and create new ideas.
If green is your favorite, you have a deep need to belong, to love and be loved, and to feel safe and secure. You need acceptance and acknowledgment for the everyday things you do for others - just a 'thank you' is sufficient.
Lovers of blue have a deep need to find inner peace and truth, to live their life according to their ideals and beliefs without having to change their inflexible viewpoint of life to satisfy others.
Indigo lovers have a need to feel in harmony and at one with the Universe and to be accepted by others as the aware and intuitive spiritual beings that they are.
If purple or violet is your favorite color, you have a deep need for emotional security and to create order and perfection in all areas of your life, including your spiritual life. You also have a deep need to initiate and participate in humanitarian projects, helping others in need.
If your personality color is pink you have a deep need to be accepted and loved unconditionally.
If turquoise is your favorite color your deepest need is to create emotional balance in your life, to be able to express your hopes and dreams no matter how idealistic they may be and to make your own way in the world under your own terms.
If your favorite color is magenta, you are a non-conformist who sees life from a different point of view.
Lovers of brown have a deep need for a safe, secure, simple and comfortable existence with supportive family and friends.
Lovers of black have a need for power and control in order to protect their own emotional insecurities.
If white is your personality color, your deepest need is for simplicity in your own life and to be independent and self-reliant so you do not need to depend on anyone else.
With gray as your favorite color, you are the middle of the road type, cool, conserved, composed and reliable. You tend to conform just to keep the peace.
If silver is your favorite, you are intuitive and insightful and have a strong connection with a higher spiritual guidance.
With a personality color gold, you radiate charisma, personality and individuality, making others feel relaxed and valued in your company.

Koala, I'm still not sure i've got your "Big girls blouse" right. I was thinking it was about the same as our "put on your big girl panties" but not I think that might not be right.

Hi everyone..its a rainy dreary day here.i've been doing laundry and dishes between puppy duties My dh had a dr apt yesterday becuz they still cant figure out whats causing the belly pain and digestion issues so more blood work and diff meds,fat free no dairy or no spicey diet and hes to see a sp in anchorage. they think its caused from his gallbladder surg. its could be colitis,crones disease,pancreatitis,or a blocked bile duct. im hoping they can find it and fix it. his mood is some what improved after i pointed out what agrouch hes been. poor guy nothing new here,ive been enjoying being lazy. I just had a sf mocha bean frost while reading the sunday paper with gizmo doing his best to eat it sadie has learned how to crawl up in my lap. shes like a 30# sack of jello but so sweet natured.hoping you all are having an awsome sunday rosey

It's pretty warm today but so nice...nothing miserable like so many of you have been going through. I think you all should move up here to the NW! We do get a few really hot days each summer usually but not often...it takes forever to get summer usually but when we do it's great. We went to church this morning and then out to McDonalds with friends. I ate carefully and I'm still OP...did ok yesterday too. Not as low cal as I did the first week but I'm ok. Hope to do well tonight as it will be two weeks tomorrow since I started my new way of eating. I don't expect to lose this week but hope I can still prevent a gain. Stopped for a few good deals on the way home...stocked up on candles. I love lighting them after I clean a room.

To those who commented on my dh working in the yard...yes he does enjoy it but he comes in very tired and his lower back hurting. The doctor says osteoporosis doesn't hurt but I have read that low back pain can be a sign of it. He is close to osteoporosis in his lower back, and I don't want him to experience a fracture. No, I don't want him to stop altogether and just lay around...can't imagine him doing that, but I realize that would not be good. I just wish he'd cut back a little and not work eight hours or more a day at it! He rarely asks for meds but last night after working a very long day, he asked me to get him some Tylenol (can't take ASA or NSAIDs). But it has to be his own decision and he HATES hiring anyone to do stuff plus thinks no one will do it right (read that like he does it!). Our yard does look beautiful this year as we have planted more flowers and done more fertilizing than usual.

I fixed the tilapia last night in a different way...used a recipe called Kiss My Bass except I used tilapia..so Kiss My Tilapia! It called for cheese and I didn't have the kind but I had cheddar and Monterey Jack. I used the Jack and onions and mushrooms (stir-fried veggies first) on top and baked it. The tilapia tasted better this time...still not up to the previous kind I bought at Costco, but better. We just shared one fillet and I took the smaller 1/2 and dh couldn't even eat all the the other 1/2...he works so hard yet eats so little...wish I could be like him!

Rosey- Your dh has really been through it this year! I hope they can help him feel better soon...for BOTH of your sakes! I haven't had a mocha for a couple days and beginning to want one. I can have one but amazingly I just forget with all the other choices I have.

Bobbi - You did amazing at the reunion! I hope I would do that well but doubt it. I drink very rarely but do sometimes at a special occasion, but these days I always feel it is such a waste of calories! My dh likes to have a little wine now and then with meals but mostly I don't. I don't care for the taste that much anyway but can tell I could grow to like it if I let myself. I agree that we who have eating problems are often very easily addicted. I drank more when I first left home after high school but it was more because others were doing it, and I married young which probably spared me from getting that much into it. Dh is very disciplined about it.

Bobbi - I love the lady Kellerman's books too! I actually prefer hers to his. They are not sicko scary usually but just a good mystery. BTW, you're a brave woman wearing heels. I haven't worn even a low heel in several years.

Freda - I live in SW WA, just across the river from Portland, OR.

Glynne - I got a haircut yesterday too. I have trouble telling them how short too, but thank God it does grow fast, and usually after a day or two it's fine. I wear my hair really short (a modified pixie) and I think I look best this way. I have had it long and about everything in between as well as short various times through the years. I tended to go from one extreme to the other. But now I just keep it short. I do worry a teeny bit that I will look like a pin head ...you know big torso, little head..I do have slender legs so maybe that helps I don't know, but if I just look at my head I like it short. I try to smile a lot and hopefully that keeps people's eyes on my head! LOL

Lynn - Fat is the culprit with gallbladder problems, so avoid fat meals. I've ended up in ER after many a fat meal at a restaurant. As someone else said the surgery is pretty easy unless you've had a lot of surgeries like me. I had to have the large incision because of so much scar tissue. But even so it really wasn't that bad. I think it was harder on the surgeon than me. He said it was the most difficult one he'd done! I'd let it go about ten years and it was all shriveled up and under a lot of intestine....Gross!,,he actually had trouble finding it! It's a wonder it didn't burst. I did have one small stone that slipped out and had to be scooped out but the others were larger so that helped I guess. So, if that's what it is, just get it taken care of and you should be fine. I've been so glad I finally did.

Rie - Sounds like you're having fun! GFY!

Freda - I've seen an ENT. Yes, your symptoms sound close to mine. I have heartburn now and then but not often. Freda, do you ever notice it is worse when you don't eat much? Sometimes it seems that way to me...but maybe it's my imagination.

Zoe - My sauteed cabbage is very simple. I just slice up the cabbage (fresh), put some buttery stuff (these days I usually just use the spray oil that is butter flavored but now and then use something like Smart Balance or actual butter) in the skillet and let it get hot, then I start stir-frying the onions and garlic and then add the cabbage and stir fry all of it together. We put onions and garlic in most everything! If I need to I turn down the heat and put the lid on it to let it cook for a bit, but not long. I like my veggies kind of crisp still. I splash a little soy sauce on it, season to taste and that's it. Some people like caraway seeds and some use seasoned Chinese vinegar, but I rarely do. Don't over cook too because that's what makes cabbage stink. My mom used to boil cabbage and I'd come home from school to a very stinky house and wouldn't eat it! All right i know I was a picky kid! My dh taught me to stir-fry.

Enjoyed having the family over this afternoon for homemade ice cream, cookies and cake! I was told that there are no calories in things you eat on Sunday!!!! LOL!!!!

Hi Everyone,

Today is bookclub day. Yesterday I stopped at 2 Borders – I never liked them as much as B&N. They were only giving 10% off books & there was general chaos and VERY long lines.

I did 3 miles this morning – mostly at 3.8 mph – sometimes at 3.9 mph. My goal is to get to 4 mph.

Have a great Monday,

Lynn

Hi Gayle,

If I am remembering correctly, Maddie’s birthday is April – she is an Aries - is this correct? If so, she says what she thinks – NOT the “right thing to say.” You probably DO look beautiful!

Hi Donna,

I always tell people that I’ve overcome more addictions than any 5 people ever had. I take after my father in the addiction category. My mother had NO addictions. She could have 1 cigarette every once in a while, 1 cocktail… and she never weighed over 145 lbs. When her size 12’s got tight, she’d cut back on food until they felt good again.

Hi Bobbi,

My favorite color is green, but my personality is closer to blue and turquoise.

Hi Freda & Donna,

From Urban Dictionary - A male displaying perceived feminine characteristics through actions which cause his peers to think less of him. Being a big girls blouse is much worse than being just a girls blouse, thus it's highly insulting nature. Also used to force a man to do something they fear through peer pressure.

Hi Rosey,

Sounds like your DH and I are having some of the same symptoms. So far, seems like staying away from fat is helping me.

Hi Mary,

If it is my gallbladder, I hope I can wait for any surgery until after the marathon in September. I will try REALLY hard to avoid fat in the meantime.

Hi Karen,

WOW! No one ever told me! Sundays will be my new favorite day!

Hi GG's, this will be brief, because I'm at work, with a kazillion things to do. Just wanted to check in, tho. Okay, UP a pound on Saturday despite eating like a wee mouse all week long. So, 3 pounds lost for the week, or 4? I dunno. The scale really baffles me. It definitely could be about retaining water because of the heat, OR it could be my metabolism slowing down to accommodate my reduced eating. Either way, I did NOT count calories yesterday. I had my usual Fiber One cereal with skim milk, strawberries and blueberries for breakfast (at 1:00 PM - got busy during the morning hours and didn't eat anything). We left the house at @ 2:00, went to Home Depot, picked up what dh needed, and then we went for a ride and ended up eating at a charming little restaurant/Inn out in the country not far from where I lived in the winters when I was growing up. My mother and father used to take me there, if you can believe it! The food is wonderful, which accounts for their longevity when so many restaurants fail when the economy goes bad. Anyway, I had an oversized lobster salad roll, but didn't eat the roll, and I had about a third of a serving of sweet potato fries and a third of a serving of onion rings, THEN, I had a scoop of raspberry truffle ice cream. Didn't count calories, but I imagine they were right up there...and hopefully, will give this sluggish metabolism of mine a boost. I DO have to say that after a week of such restrained eating, my tummy got full awfully quickly, which has rarely ever been the case with me. So, today I'll stick with pretty low calories, maybe tomorrow and Tuesday up them by a hundred or so, then I'm thinking Wednesday for my "high" day at @ 1500 or 1600. Then of course, drop them down again. This is all so complicated. Blah. Oh, to have the metabolism I had in my 20's and 30's, when I could eat like a long-haul truck driver and never gain an ounce!
A little cooler today on the weather front, but overcast, and intermittent thunder storms predicted. Anything, actually, is better than those 100+ days with that overwhelming humidity. I swear it just makes me feel nauseated and weak, being out under those conditions. No can do.
I'm hoping to get in a day at the ocean on Friday - possibly Friday & Saturday for a mini-getaway. I really NEED one!
Have a great day, y'all! BBL with personals.
Z