[AustinGal]

Good Morning, all! Hope everybody had a great weekend.

Work is still crazy. I haven't had a chance to check last week's end-of-week posts, so I will just say a generic "Hello" to all.

We are experiencing a thunderstorm here this morning, which means I won't have to water my plants this afternoon! It is hovering around the high 70's and low 80's around here recently. This week should be more of the same.

Eating and exercise have been a haphazard affair due to my hectic work schedule. Next Tuesday, after the end-of-April crunch, I MUST hit the gym every morning. Our family spring vacation to Lake Tahoe is at the end of May. We plan much hiking and outdoor activity - I need to get back into shape.

Specific "hello's" to katie, Melissa, lalala, seasaw - and all the others who keep this a supportive and interesting board.

Happy Week!

[lalala]

Hi all-

Lots of work stuff to do in the next few weeks. Its proposal writing time!!!!!!!

Pretty good weekend here, plant sales have started and the garden is flourishing. I was set to mow the lawn yesterday afternoon, but got sucked into a really good book and poof it started raining. Its supposed to be nice this week, so maybe
Wednesday.

I have started really tracking and measuring again. I stayed the same this week. Down 1.2 # from my trip. I'm resolved to be down 10# by september. Like Austingal, I'm heading for Yosemite in June (family wedding) and I need to be in shape for my dress and I wanna hike as much as possible.

I measured out my cereal this am instead of eyeballing it and brought a high-protein and high veg type of lunch. I'm going to try and stay away from processed foods this week and see how I do.

Anyways, I hope everyone is well! I'm going to continue the on-line journaling, but its a bit discouraging when no one else joins in.

lala

[Seasaw]

Hi Austingal and lalala. A beautiful sunny start to the week here. We're hoping for two in a row.

I need to get back on track. Perhaps I can use lala's lead as my motivation. I weighed in on Saturday and was down a pound, but eating for the remainder of the weekend was not what I would call low cal. We went out to two (count 'em, two) fabulous Italian restaurants over the weekend. Not the time to "diet", but I find it harder to straighten out after such decadence!

On a more positive note, my sis and I are getting out and running more and we actually had a non-stop run on Saturday - the first of the season. I guess the air was finally warm enough for my poor, cold-ravaged lungs. We intended to get out on Sunday but the lingering effects of wine kinda got the better of me....

I am envious of your weather reports. We had a glorious day on Saturday which allowed us to get out and enjoy some yard work. Back to cooler temps and fog yesterday but at least it attacks the remaining snow.

Have a great week. Let's hope things get livelier around here.

[lalala]

HI all again,

Its in the 60's today and I wish that I could be out weeding and planting than sitting here in my office thinking of verbiage.

good workouts the past few days. I am pleased with myself. I am trying to up the intensity and not the duration and I am definitely drenched at the end. I'm debating signing up for a 5K in San Diego during my week there. I'm not sure I could finish it with all the shiptime and travelling. My eating hasn't been so bad either. I'm trying to minimize trips to the store, so from the freezer we'll eat.

The good news is that our roof is going to be replaced next week. It really looks awful when you start to look at it closely. The housepainter is scheduled too. It looks like that will take a long time- lots of prep work and we have a really tall house with lots of finicky parts. We are running around looking at house colors. I can't wait till its all done. It will be beautiful.

So, I guess I'll get back to the grindstone. I hope everyone is having a better week of it. I wonder if Melissa is back from her vacation ? Has anyone heard
from TonyaLyn?

lala

[AustinGal]

Hello, lalala and seasaw.

Seasaw - glad to hear you are doing more outdoor running - hooray for the non-stop run!

lalala - we, too , have outdoor house improvements going on. Nothing as exciting as getting a new house color tho - we are getting rain gutters put on next week or so. Not glamorous, but it's a must to protect the foundation of this home we bought a couple months ago.

On-line furniture shopping horror story - I saw the dining set I wanted in a catalog and ordered it over the internet. I checked several times on the measurements of the table and chairs, to make sure they would fit in our room. After I ordered it, I was wandering around a furniture store and saw a real life example of the table (yes, I ordered it sight unseen - except for the catalog picture - because it was the style and color I knew I wanted). Anyway, I was pleased with what I saw, but I asked Remington (DH) to come take a look-see to confirm my opinion that the dining set was what we wanted. He agreed that the table was nice enough, but he had the idea that we should make sure all the chairs we ordered would fit around the thing - and they DON'T!! Each of the chairs is actually 3 inches wider than I was told by my internet retailer. As a result, there is absolutely NO WAY that 10 chairs can fit around the table, even with two leaves in. Luckily, the online retailer had a 72-hour full-money-back cancellation policy, so no harm done. Sheesh! I am definitely gonna get a real-life look at any furniture before I order it from now on. I know, I know, that should have been my policy in the first place, but ... live and learn!

[lalala]

Hi Austingal , Seesaw and everyone else,

Oh my Austingal: your furniture story sounds like our new dishwasher horror story. We bought a new top of the line dishwasher, the installers (DP calls them inserters) came, couldn't get it in flush with the back, so instead of pulling it out to see why it wasn't fitting, decided to bolt it in with sheet metal screws into the solid teak facing of our kitchen counter. Bravo I say! Not. Anyways, a couple of shouting matches, irritating phone calls and DP pulling out the dishwasher, chipping away at
a 1/2" piece of wood that was at the top of the back wall and the dishwasher fits! We were not impressed and now our lovely teak has two holes from the screws. However, our new dishwasher is quite lovely now that we can use it.

Gutters huh? They are not standard things in Texas? Man, we need them here. Our roofer is going to put new ones on one side of the house where they are in need of replacement. We attached new rainbarrels to harvest rainwater during our drought and it would be nice if they really worked.

Okay food day yesterday, I went over a bit but then I also mowed the lawn and ran (sort of) the dog, so I figured that gave me a bit of fudge. I'm going to San Diego
tomorrow night, so I"m going to weigh in tomorrow am. I feel smaller, but the dreaded scales may say something else.

Hmmm. I better get back to my proposal writing and all other paperwork that needs to get done.

Seesaw: good for you and the run. Where do you live in Canada? I assume you are somewhere East of the Rockies. I'm looking to use two canadian tickets I have this summer before they expire, have any suggestions? I was thinking St. Johns, but DP was thinking Inuvik or something more rustic.

Have a great day all!

lala

[Seasaw]

Hi people. I'm off on one of my monthly jaunts to Cape Breton this afternoon so thought I'd check in before take-off (by car).

I am feeling quite at home with this talk of work around the house. We are smack dab in the middle of the upgrade project. The bathroom is beginning to take shape, and we haven't hit any major snags yet with the possible exception of a really bad-humoured plumber who all of the workmen (DH included) don't much like. Our carpenter is a dear; arrived last nite with a detailed explanation of the work to date and accompanying invoice. It makes it so much more palatable to pay the bill when you can see what you're paying for.

Despite DH's best efforts, the dust and wood shavings are beginning to get the best of me. It wouldn't be so bad if the downstairs (where we are currently living) were unaffected, but of course that's not the case. Only a few more weeks and it should be behind us.

Speaking of rain gutters, we certainly need them here too and one of them was accidentally ripped off while they were replacing the siding on the house yesterday after moving one of the bathroom windows. Likely inconsequential in the scheme of things...

lalala: I live in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (actually, we're now part of Halifax but refuse to accept it). In my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in this country (and perhaps on earth) is Gros Mourne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland. It's roughly an 8-10 hour drive from St. John's, not far from Corner Brook. Of course, I always enjoy St. John's too - the people are really friendly (unless you have moved to the island and have taken what they perceive as one of "their" jobs). Nova Scotia is also a beautiful province - the South Shore (Chester, Mahone Bay, Peggy's Cove) if you like the well-beaten path or the more rugged Bras d'Or Lakes, Cabot Trail part of Cape Breton.

The running is going well, the eating not so well, but one thing at a time. We were out last nite and the temperature was perfect. Our strength is building and we hope to be back in the same shape we were last summer when we ran our first 10k race.

Bye for now. I'll check in on Friday.

[MelissaL]

Hi Everyone! I'm back on home turf this evening. My trip was wonderful and we covered a lot of ground during my week in FL. We did a lot of walking, ate lots of fun things at our various teas, and enjoyed each other's company. Now it's time to get back to business.

I dropped by my WW meeting today on my way home from the airport to weigh in to get an idea of where I was. Needless to say, I have some work ahead of me. I'm up 4# and next week is the new month. Anyway, I'm hoping part of the gain is that I didn't get my water in, most especially the last 2 days...I didn't want to drink a lot with flying. There's nothing worse than having to crawl over people to get back to restroom. Anyway, I at least know where I'm at and the next week I'm going to work my darndest to write down every BLT and to stay within my points. I need to lose 3# to be within my ww goal area...

The forecast for here is supposed to be nice and sunny so I'll be able to get some good walks in this week. We did a lot of walking while I was in FL...lots of walks with the baby. I didn't get sunburned or really even have time to worry about laying out...we were on the go...our travels took us to Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa, DeLand, and Clearwater (our home base). Anyway, I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed with my own pillow!

Hope everyone is doing well! I'll catch up more tomorrow.

[lalala]

Hi all and welcome back Melissa!

Sounds like you and I had the same experience this week at wi. Arrrggghhhhhh.
I'm feeling a bit discouraged, beset and ready to throw in the towel. I'm up
1.8# which seems strange since I did stay within my points, drank water and exercised. I'm really going to sit down and examine what the heck i'm doing wrong. I know I'm a slow loser, but I'm not going to backtrack...

But, your trip sounded like lots of fun! . I'm glad you got to see your friend and her new baby. I like the idea of having a homebase to take trips from- good idea.

So, I was at the gym this morning and these two ladies who take the spinning class in the morning and are looking pretty good are starting ww!!!!!! I was shocked- I don't know them and don't talk to them, but I think one of them (size 4 and about 5'6") is getting married soon and wants to lose some more weight.
Gosh, I just wanted to cry (overly PMSey? or what?), but I suppose if they learn good eating habits, then good for them.

So, off I rant. I'm in SD to visit the parents this weekend. I'll continue doing everything -journalling, water and exercise. I hope it makes a difference next week.

lala

[MelissaL]

lala I know from experience that one week I'll gain even though I'm doing all the right things. Keep up with your journal, water, exercise and next week you may see a nice loss. I can already tell that I'm losing some of the water weight I've been carrying around--my rings are getting loose again. The humidity really does a number on me. On a good note I went for my annual today and my blood pressure is down I'm happy with that because it was up for a little while.

I have made goals for myself for this week and they are:

1) Drink my water!
2) Journal everything and watch my portions.
3) Walk as much as I can and most importantly,
4) Success is hanging on when you want to let go.

I know I can get this post-vacation weight off. I'm also getting myself motivated to get back down into the high 130's again. I feel so much better when I'm around the 138-139 mark so that's my goal for the beginning of June. Anyone else want to chime in with a goal for the first of June?

[Seasaw]

Hi lalala, AustinGal and welcome back Melissa. A goal is just what I need. I had already set a mini goal for my next weigh-in. As things look now that will be mid-May. Given that I generally lose quickly provided I do what I'm supposed to... (there's a message in that statement, I just know it.....) I think that by June I can lose 6 lbs which would put me soooo close to 138. Count me in

[lalala]

Hi All from foggy San Diego,

Count me in on the challenge to lose these dreaded lbs!

I'll be happy to be down 3# by the time I leave for Alaska and relieved to be the same when I get off the boat, but I would love to be down 6# for my cousins
wedding in mid June.

I'm definitely a fan of Melissa's #4.

Well, I caught my third cold of the year . So, no gym for me this am, but definitely up for some recreational shopping .

Have a great weekend ladies!

lala

[MelissaL]

Hi lala, seasaw:

Yesterday was a little difficult to stay in my point range (18-23); I went over by 2 points but I figure that's not too bad since I'm coming off of 8 days of being away and not being too good with keeping up with my journal. On a positive note I wrote everything down!

It's a gorgeous, sunny Spring day here and I took advantage of the weather over the lunch hour and got a 3-mile walk in...it felt so good! I didn't mention that when I weighed in at the meeting when I got back in town I was 3# over the top of my goal...anyway, I'm back on track and so far so good.

Okay ladies let's keep up the good work and reach our goals

Have a great weekend everyone!