January Chat
 

Good morning Chicks!

Sorry I have been so MIA lately.
Work has been really busy & stressful, but not exactly in a bad way. I am not sure if that makes sense. :)

I had a small dinner for my mom, sisters & nephew on Christmas Eve, and I had 27 people over for Christmas Day. It was crazy but a good time.

Then I headed to Ohio for a few days. I got to spend time with the boy, which was very nice. :D News Years Eve was fun, even got my first New Years kiss. Yes, I am 27 and never got one for New Years before. :p Lots of time spent hanging out at the house watching movies, and taking naps. Only down side was I caught his cold. I did get a massive ego boost too. Kinda nice to have someone call you sexy, beautiful and cute all weekend. ;) We are now trying to figure out when we will be able to get together again. Neither of us have anything planned.

I lost a total of 4 pounds during this past challenge. Not great, but good enough for me. At least I lost something!

How is everyone?

Hey, Squeak! :wave: We missed you sweetie!
I'm glad you had such a good time! I'm sure the cold was worth it, eh? ;)
A New Year's kiss... hmmm... I've been married for 16 years, and I don't think I've EVER had one! :lol3:
Hey, you lost weight!?!? Am I going to be in competition with YOU now, TOO!?!? :lol:
Congratulations, girl... keep it up! :hat:

I just got back from the Y. Well, the Y, and then breakfast out with DH, which sort of cancelled things out. :D It was a good time, though, and I'm glad to be getting back to the Y. (well, not really, but you all know what I mean)

Where is everyone? Where is our beautiful, redheaded leader?
Where are all of our new members?
Get in here and tell us how your day is going, girls! :wave:

I'm here ellis! :wave:

Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve! :cheers:

Sure sounds like you did Squeaker ;)

I am off work today and went shopping with my mum and dad this morning. I have been spending the afternoon organizing financial stuff and tossing the rest of the junk food out of my house :p

I bought a new kitchen scale and I am going back to weight watcher's tonight. It is as you said ellis, it feels good to start getting back into your routines :D

Hi all,

I've been away from the internet for a few days, and had a lovely time being so, as it meant I was not working! As for New Years, a town nearby, Northampton, has a really neat First Night program full of storytellers, comics and musicians, so we caught 6 performances in 8 hours for a pittance. Had dinner at the local all-organic vegetarian/fish place, and I felt good asking for and receiving no potatoes and double asparagus, woo hoo! I think I've gotten New Year's Kisses from the DH pretty much from the start, but we're pretty smoochy overall anyway. :D

Glad to hear you all are well, and I'll weigh in tomorrow when I want to goof off from work a little more!
Ciao!
Solarmama

Hi all,

Back from Tennessee and back at work today. What a BUNCH of stuff I have to catch up on. Had a LOVELY day yesterday with the "Guy". He met me at the gym at 8:30 and then spent the rest of the day with me until he had to go into work. Then spent half the night on the phone with him. Got to quit doing that - I was too tired to get up and hit the gym this AM.

The ex hub bought DS a weight bench for Christmas - I am more excited than DS is. Now I can work out at the house on snowy mornings instead of sliding to Ballys. I guess the ex is not a total complete utter waste.

Tiki.

Ellis - I am glad you enjoyed both the Y and breakfast. :) And no competition for me. Not my thing. :lol:

Mauvais - I hope you had a wonderful day off of work. :D

Solarmama - Your New Years Eve sounds like fun!

Tiki - I am glad things are going well with the "Guy" :cool:

Den - How is your hand doing?

I think my weekend was well worth the cold. ;)

My tree is now down. Everything is put away. Kinda bummed since I enjoyed decorating. Next on my plan is to start pulling out all of my half finished projects, and start to tackle them. :p

Squeak - Sounds like a faboo New year's. Where about's in Ohio? I'm from Cincy.

Tiki - How jealous am I that you are dating a workout partner. I had to drag mine kicking a screaming to the gym and he wouldn't use the treadmill next to mine because he didn't want me to see how quickly he gave up on cardio (BTW, he was showered, dressed and leaving for work when I got off the treadmill).

Ellis - I wish you were at MY Y!

NYE was a lot of fun. The Cute Boyfriend and I went to a contra (which is a type of social folk dance) and danced until midnight, then skipped onto another party. We stayed out super late then I POACHED eggs for breakfast and made eggs florentine. Hello! I poached eggs! I am soooo cool.

The very very very very sad news is that I am at my highest weight in 5 years. I found that out last night when I stepped on the scale. I'm disappointed but most of all I'm overwhelmed. It's like I never ever struggled or exercised. I don't wonder if I wouldn't be the same weight if i sat on m butt and ate Hoho's all day. Darn it!

Anyway, i went to the gym today and ate entirely OP. It's a good start.

Jessica - keep in mind that if you were weighing at night, you were also weighing all the food you ate that day, water you drank, etc. You may be becoming more 'solid' with your workouts at the gym (sissy workout partner notwithstanding) and be more muscle than you used to be. And even if you are near your highest weight, how do you feel? Do you feel run down and lethargic? Or energetic and upbeat? Or just blah? All those things are to be considered, IMHO, before you start to beat yourself up. We all have had our ups after working so hard to get down, (at least I know I have!) and the only thing for it is to get back on track. Sounds like you're already off to a very good start. We're all here to be a positive force for good, so come get a dose of cheerleading anytime! :cb: :cp: :cheer:

And I'm finding that cheerleading for everyone helps me stay on track, too, so thanks for the opportunity. ;)

It's finally snowing here, with about a half dozen inches predicted by tomorrow. Woo hoo, I can finally try out the sleds I got for my birthday! We have a road that gets closed for the winter up behind our house which then gets nicely packed down by the local snowmobilers club. So, if you can stand the 1/2 mile hike to the top of the hill, you can then sled back down the road at 35 miles an hour for about 5 full minutes! That's faster than my half-greyhound dog can run after you. It's the most thrilling thing I've ever done. Hurry up and SNOW, darnit!

Ciao,
SolarM

BTW Jess - I just realized that in two separate threads I'm cheerleading at you. It's probably annoying by now, so my apologies. I've been told that I'm overly cheerful, and I'll try to rein that in. :cool:

Ciao!
SM

HI!! I'm getting in to a better mood now!! My sis and nephew came to visit late last week, and it was GREAT to see them! He is starting to put sentences together, and is generally running my sister ragged! We went to Rainforest Cafe and he kept on asking me to take him to see the "elephance" and the "crocode" which was, of course, something I couldn't say no to!!

Squeak-My hand is doing GREAT, thanks! I'm still rebuilding strength and flexibility, but all of the tingling and deadness is gone! I can't wait to get the next one done!! It sounds like you have been having a great time with the boy, and I am glad to hear it. You deserve some fun time!!

Ellis-DH fell asleep around 10 new year's eve. He woke up at about 3 am, came downstairs to take his pills, kissed me and we toasted the new year with water.....WOO HOO!! WHAT EXCITEMENT!! I've had another rough sleeping stretch, as you can see by me being awake at 3 AM, but I seem to be coming around again. Glad to hear you had some fun with hubby!!

Mauvais-Good for you for dumping all the leftover goodies. We are still accumulating MORE!! DH and I went to an Italian bakery where he tested a cannoli, decided they were "acceptable" and bought 6 more for later!! (He did share with the kids, but YEESH!!) They did eat them all that day ("They are no good unless they are fresh."), so at least they aren't still around. I did have half of one, but didn't do TOO bad!!

Tiki-Glad to hear that things are working out so well with the cute guy!! It is GREAT that you can work out with him.

Jessica-Solar is right. Don't beat yourself up. All the work you have done means that you are stronger and more resilient. I need to join you, because I'm in about the same boat except that I haven't even been exercicing, so it is back to square one for me!!

Solar-Your new year celebration sounds GREAT! We are getting snow here now too. The kids are hoping school will be out tomorrow. I have a feeling they will be open and just be a PAIN to get to!! DS17 is in the middle of practices for the Pop Concert, and has already informed me that if school is cancelled tomorrow he will have a make up rehearsal on Friday.

I am FREAKING OUT!!! DS17 will be DS18 before the end of the month!!! He is doing college apps and I feel OLD!!!

Solar - No, I appreciate the cheerleading. Really, it makes me not head straight for all the oreos. bah! I need motivation! Unfortuately, i can tell I'm at my highest weight. My face is chubby. Aches and pains that I never had before are surfacing and I feel like poop. But I'm at least headed in the right direction.

Den - Hey! I'm so at square one! Come on in! The water's fine. ;)

Today I saw two tall thin girls in the checkout line and they were soooo buying crap. Frozen meals and.... and... processed foods. How is that even fair!

Hey all - Hope you're well.

Jess - when I see the tall thin girls at the checkout, I always stop and try to figure out if they are tall, thin, TEEN girls. If so, then I quietly say to myself, "Heh heh, soon you'll know what pain feels like!" No, I don't stalk and torture them, I just know that eventually, if they keep eating like that, they will be having the same kind of problems that I struggle with every day. It's when I see the tall, thin 50-somethings buying salad that I really feel threatened: they obviously USED to have problems with eating, and have beaten them. How can I compete with that? Oy.

But, having had two days of no exercise and no weight loss, I see what my recipe for success will be. Luckily, it's also the thing that will make my body stop being so cranky going forward. Now, if only I could be consistent about exercising! Aw, :censored:

And this weekend, I can sled! We got enough snow, and I think that it won't melt before tomorrow. Tonight, I'm going to lose 10 bucks at a friends first monthly Texas Hold'em game. Looks like it might be a monthly thing, at least until I get a little better at the game! :^: Wish me luck!

Ciao!
Solarmama

Remember, some people are just naturally heavy or slim. I was only skinny when I STARVED myself, and even at 94 pounds I had a round little tummy. My MIL is thin no matter WHAT she eats!!! Started getting a bit of a tummy, exercised, and it went away. (DH is the same...it makes me SICK!!)

Hi y'all
Sorry I have been away so long. Fed up with myself!! Need to do something. I was doing so well and then I just let myself go again. Missed you gals! Chat soon!
Virginia

WHy is my meter not showing up?

Virginia, welcome back!
Use the BBCode, and cut and paste it into your signature... just trying it out here...

I tried that Ellis but it didnt work, and thank you for the welcome back by the way.
Virginia

You were right Ellis, I apologize I was using the first code and not the BBcode. Thank you.
Virginia

Welcome back Virginia!!

I think I am catching DH's cold, and I wish he would TAKE IT BACK!!!! Have to go grocery shopping and I just want to crawl under the covers.

(I'M NOT CRANKY!!!)

Thanks Den, good to be back and getting back on track for what the fiftieth time. Oh well, I guess the main thing is I keep coming back.
I hope you are feeling better soon, and tell your family to keep their colds and other sicknesses to themselves you do not want them.
Virginia

Hey, I'm trying to get back on track for about the MILLIONTH time!! Thanks for your good wishes; my head is killing me, but I actually have more energy now than I did for most of the day!!!

Den -

I starting getting a cold last night. I'm usually the initiator in the family. I don't even KNOW who I was near that was sick. I only work in an office of 8 people (max) and I'm not even in school right now, so where am I picking this up from??? I swear, I'm going to take up the habit of wearing a surgical mask & gloves wherever I go!

Jessica

Jessica-I know what you mean! I'm getting better, but DH's car started acting up while I was still sick, so I have been the taxi service for him as well as the kids for the last few days. Figures it would happen while I am feeling like crap!!! (And figures it would happen so soon after Christmas.....$$$$$)

I'm back! Sorry I disappeared for a while. Life got really stressful and I kind of withdrew from everything. I went away (back east) for my vacation to rest and talk to old friends. I really needed to be reminded of who I am. Along with confidence and self worth I gained about ten pounds, oh well. I'm back with my boyfriend and we're both seeking counseling, him for his anxiety disorder and me so that I can learn not to blame his anxieties on myself. I'm also getting back on track with my MA paper, when I got depressed last semester I couldn't even face the idea of working on such a big project. I want to lose the weight, but more than that I want to learn to exercise and eat healthy. I think my body will naturally fall in line if I do that. So, I'm making small goals for myself this time. And I'm not going to hate me if I don't make them. Anyway, I'll be around, so I just wanted to say "Hi!"

Welcome back Hannah! Sorry to hear you had such a stressful time :grouphug:

Hannah, welcome back. :grouphug: It sounds as though you're getting your life "together". I'm sorry you've had a rough time of it. :(

Hi guys – I’m back too. It’s not like I left for good or anything: I have been lurking :p . I just stopped posting when my semester took off and got really busy (psychology, grad school) sometimes back in October.

I’m not losing weight – I’m doing maintenance right now, and this maintenance-thing is a bit boring actually. I sometimes miss the drama of weight loss, which probably means that it’s good for me to experience the ordinary and mundane aspects of what my life is going to be like when I eventually finish losing weight! ;)
After losing 25lbs last summer (and 60lbs total) I’ve been maintaining this weight since September by eating pretty much the same food I ate while dieting – just more of it.

The one thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve consistently lifted weights 3 times a week the last 6 months. I’m definitely getting stronger, and I love that feeling (it balances out the feeling of getting weaker when getting thinner… If that makes sense to anybody… Maybe it’s just me ;) ).

I’m doing OK though, I haven’t slid into a depression or anything (losing weight is the best antidepressant I know, but weight loss periods have often been followed by weight gain and depressions – so I was a bit anxious when I stopped losing weight; I wondered whether I was going to get depressed again). But my courses in psychological biology/neurology/pharmacology last semester cemented the notion that with my history – and several serious depressive episodes – the chances to become depressed again are quite substantial. I do understand that the research and numbers are against me, and that I should accept that - but then again; neither of us are statistics – we are still human beings. So I suppose I should be prepared that it could happen, but not plan my life around that it will… :^:

I’m doing external hospital practice this semester, so starting up next week I’m going to work with chronic pain patients. I both look forward to and dread it. I’m trying to read up on the literature and clinical research, but I still get overwhelmed by how serious it’s getting: by next year this time I’m supposed to work as a psychologist all alone! ( :fr: )

But anyway. Just dropping in to say hi! Hope everybody is doing OK.

Welcome back everyone! :wave:

Thanks y'all. It's good to be back.

I have a question. When I was at my mom's I weighed myself on her scale, it said 183. I didn't weigh myself on my scale at home until this morning and it said 189! Is it possible that there is such a difference between the two scales? I'm really confused.

Hannah, my scale at home is consistant, but it's 10 pounds off from the one at Weight Watchers. :shrug: So it's quite possible. :yes:

Mette, we missed you, hon!
You have a great attitude re: the depression. You can't let it rule your life. If it does hit hard (and you know what I mean by hard), there's not much we can do about it. However, we CAN control the "light attacks" with the knowledge we've got.
Keeping you in my prayers, sweetie. :grouphug:

Welcome back to all the MIA chicks! :wave:

ellis - how is your kitchen coming along? I am turning into an interior decorator - my mum and dad have enlisted me to help fix up their place so I will be spending a few weekends window shopping with them to get some ideas and price things out.

Ooooh, what fun, Mauvais!
You should pop over soon and see how we're progressing (or not progressing. heh heh). And borrow some movies. Yours are sitting here beside me. :lol3:

YIKES!! You are all being so industrious!! I have been sitting on my butt... I'm basically over the cold, but still congested and still tired. At this point I think most of what I am feeling is the COLD!!! Should get up and clean (snort) but all I want to do is sleep...

Well, sleep for a couple more days, Den, and then we are going to KICK YOUR BUTT!!
You're going to be joining us in the exercise thread if I have to come down there and physically PUT you on that BIKE!! ;)

Yeah, tell your DH "Nice try there buddy, but I believe YOU have OUR movies!" :lol3:

Ellis-I think I NEED you to come down here and physically put me on the bike!!!


YIKES! I am now officially an adult child with an adult child. DS#1 is now 18!!!

We went out in the snowstorm for cannolis to celebrate. WHY?!? Because my HUSBAND wanted them too!!! (He has had 3 so far!!!) DS18 (YIKES!!!) has had 2 so far. I had 1 and I feel sick; I don't know how they do it!!! (They are both thin too, DS14 and I each had 1 and we are the ones who have to watch it. NOT FAIR!!!)

Happy Birthday to DS#1, Den!! :balloons: :gift: :hb: :hat:
Holy... eighteen, eh? :yikes:

I’m no fan of winter either. Everything is so cold and dark – the best thing to do is definitely to stay under the blankets. :lol:
I have been looking forward to March and spring for months now….

ellis – thanks for the warm welcome back – good luck on your kitchen progression!
It’s so true what you say - that we’re learning how to deal with “light attacks” of depression! I started up with therapy again in October, and have been trying to specify the warning signs that I’m getting depressed again: trying to identify where I need to take action. I find that it’s very useful to think about it so “pro-active” and focus on what I can do. Not just look at it as “destiny sweeping down on me from nowhere”. :p
It looks a lot like weight maintenance actually! I find that I need the pro-active approach and a focus on how to learn coping skills in both areas.

I’m off to find my blanket – have a nice day everybody! :D

That's great, Mette. :yes: That's what I work on, too, and it's hard work, isn't it?!!

It's also really difficult to separate "who you are" from "what the depression seems to have made you".
I gave my mom and sister a description of the depressions that I suffer from, with a list of the "symptoms". They were really glad to have it, and my sister's reaction was, "Oh, THAT'S why you are the way you are!"
I told my psychiatrist all this, and he said, "Don't let them confuse YOU with the symptoms!" Which I guess is true. On the other hand, if my family wants to forgive me for what they see as a "list of symptoms", that's okay with me. :lol:

It's also easy for me to feel comfortable in "depressed mode". I've suffered from it for 28 years, and sometimes when I'm slipping into a slight depression, I think, "It's too hard to pull myself out of this!" And I can comfortably slip deeper and deeper into what, for me, is a very familiar state.
I "recognize" the personality that I'm slipping back into. It's like, "Oh! Hello, Ellis! There you are!"
Not good. Not healthy. :shrug:

YUP!! Been there, doing that.....

HEY!! DS says thanks for the birthday wishes!!!