Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I would be happy to brainstorm that when I have a little more time and am not half drunk (had two glasses of wine at happy hour, and I am a very cheap date these days!). But you have brought tears to my eyes with what you said about someone to come home to. You get it.

:)

Originally Posted by :
Hmmm, I hadn't thought about an exercise class in terms of consistent companionship. But that is a very good point and a great reason to go to a class.

For me it sure is! It's what gets me out of bed at 4:45! :)

Originally Posted by :
I would think that Thai food would be relatively healthy?

It can be! But I didn't order as reasonably as I should have, and I could have done better restricting my portion, too.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down .6, stayed OP until the two drinks at happy hour (but didn't overeat), had a personal training session, contacted my diet buddy.

So a good day for you!

Originally Posted by :
I am not going to take my computer with me over the weekend and am reluctant to use my friend's computer to post here (considering what happened after I used Bethy's computer), so will not be able to report in tomorrow or Saturday.

So I guess you won't see this until Sunday night -- I'll just keep adding to this post each morning so you'll only have one to respond to when you get home. Hope you enjoyed your trip!

Originally Posted by :
Also, when I got home tonight, I had a phone message from my eharmony match asking me to go on a roadtrip with him TOMORROW. It was too late to call him so I had to email to tell him (or remind him, since I had previously told him) that I was busy this weekend. HUH? I don't get it.

So he wants to be just friends, but he wants you to take a road trip with him? This is really odd. And talk about a last-minute date! LOL! He must be having some sort of strange mixed feelings going on.

I decided to take my computer after all, so will check in tonight as normal TTYL

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I decided to take my computer after all, so will check in tonight as normal TTYL

Cool! Hope you had an easy safe trip!

Report: weighed (down to 2.4 under goal, yay!), ate very low -- bars for breakfast and lunch, lump crab with cocktail sauce for dinner, a couple glasses of wine but NO wine-induced snackfest. Didn't leave a bite but since I was eating so low it wasn't an omission but part of my plan. Michael's home for spring break and today's my dad's birthday, so I'm making a company dinner and planning a pretty diet-unfriendly meal (grilled cheese, chili, potato soup, and chocolate bread pudding) in an attempt to please all the different palates so I'll focus on portion control. Then tomorrow we're going out to brunch with my sister and her family, so I'll likely have to focus on portion control then, too, though there may be some diet-friendly choices I can take advantage of.

Hope you're having a great time with your Longaberger friends!

(Sunday morning) Looks like maybe you didn't take your laptop after all -- hope you're having a great time! Report: weighed (2.4 under goal), ate VERY CAREFULLY and totally went for portion size. Had a bar for breakfast and lunch, then had half a grilled-cheese sandwich, a small bowl of potato-corn chowder, and really just a few bites of chocolate bread pudding for desert. Left more than a bite of just about everything. Today's another challenging day -- brunch with my dad/his girlfriend and my sis/her family, and then tonight we're supposed to go to my niece-in-law Heather's for a special Molly (my other niece-in-law) And Michael Are Home So We Eat Grandma's Spaghetti dinner. I actually may skip this, though, as Jane needs to study and can't go and I might stay home with her.

TTYS!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Cool!

I did take my laptop, only to discover that my friend lives in a dead zone, so neither my phone nor my computer worked. I'll remember not to bother to take it with me next time I visit her.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (down to 2.4 under goal, yay!), ate very low -- bars for breakfast and lunch, lump crab with cocktail sauce for dinner, a couple glasses of wine but NO wine-induced snackfest. Didn't leave a bite but since I was eating so low it wasn't an omission but part of my plan.

YAY for the lower weight, for the low-cal day, and especially for drinking wine without following it up with a snackfest! WOO HOO!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Michael's home for spring break and today's my dad's birthday, so I'm making a company dinner and planning a pretty diet-unfriendly meal (grilled cheese, chili, potato soup, and chocolate bread pudding) in an attempt to please all the different palates so I'll focus on portion control. Then tomorrow we're going out to brunch with my sister and her family, so I'll likely have to focus on portion control then, too, though there may be some diet-friendly choices I can take advantage of.

Two very good reasons to celebrate. Your planned meal sounds delicious (it all sounds like "comfort food"), if not exactly diet-friendly. But you are really good at watching your portion sizes in situations like that.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope you're having a great time with your Longaberger friends!

Yes, I had a really good time, and it was a good distraction from thinking about the trip-that-could-have-been this weekend. It was exactly what I needed!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
(Sunday morning) Looks like maybe you didn't take your laptop after all -- hope you're having a great time! Report: weighed (2.4 under goal), ate VERY CAREFULLY and totally went for portion size. Had a bar for breakfast and lunch, then had half a grilled-cheese sandwich, a small bowl of potato-corn chowder, and really just a few bites of chocolate bread pudding for desert. Left more than a bite of just about everything. Today's another challenging day -- brunch with my dad/his girlfriend and my sis/her family, and then tonight we're supposed to go to my niece-in-law Heather's for a special Molly (my other niece-in-law) And Michael Are Home So We Eat Grandma's Spaghetti dinner. I actually may skip this, though, as Jane needs to study and can't go and I might stay home with her.

YAY YOU for eating such reasonable portion sizes (I knew you could do it)! Did you go to that spaghetti dinner, or did you stay home with Jane?

Like I said, I had a really nice weekend, and I did well with my eating until today. The drive home gave me way too much time to think about all of the issues that would have arisen had I taken that other trip. Although I had stopped on the road for dinner and wasn't hungry when I got home, I had a dessert-fest anyway. I feel disgusted with myself. I had a bunch of grading to do, I have to get up at 6AM, I have a long day tomorrow, and it's already almost 1AM. But I am going to write out a plan for what I will eat tomorrow. I haven't actually written one out in quite some time. Time to go back to al of the basics again :(. Good thing I have that counseling appointment coming up. My tooth is really bugging me, too, so tomorrow is going to be a long day on limited sleep. Blech.

Hope your day was better than mine!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I did take my laptop, only to discover that my friend lives in a dead zone, so neither my phone nor my computer worked. I'll remember not to bother to take it with me next time I visit her.

Wait, she can't use a computer at home at all? Wow! That's, like, Amish. :D

Originally Posted by :
YAY for the lower weight, for the low-cal day, and especially for drinking wine without following it up with a snackfest! WOO HOO!

Yep, I was happy.

Originally Posted by :
Two very good reasons to celebrate. Your planned meal sounds delicious (it all sounds like "comfort food"), if not exactly diet-friendly. But you are really good at watching your portion sizes in situations like that.

It was chosen for ability to prep-ahead, ease of serving to a group for a sit-down meal, and the fact that since most of the prep was completed hours before serving time I'd be able to finish serving and just need to load the dishwasher to wake up to a clean kitchen, but it definitely was a comfort food fest.

Originally Posted by :
Yes, I had a really good time, and it was a good distraction from thinking about the trip-that-could-have-been this weekend. It was exactly what I needed!

Glad it was a good trip!

Originally Posted by :
YAY YOU for eating such reasonable portion sizes (I knew you could do it)! Did you go to that spaghetti dinner, or did you stay home with Jane?

I ended up staying home, as Jane enjoys having company while she works. The brunch was nice -- I didn't eat too badly, though I didn't make the ideal choice -- and I was glad not to have another heavyish meal in one day.

Originally Posted by :
Like I said, I had a really nice weekend, and I did well with my eating until today. The drive home gave me way too much time to think about all of the issues that would have arisen had I taken that other trip. Although I had stopped on the road for dinner and wasn't hungry when I got home, I had a dessert-fest anyway.

Wait, I thought you didn't have any desserts left?

Originally Posted by :
I feel disgusted with myself.

You're taking steps to deal with this problem. The fact you haven't been able to deal with it yet is not a reason to feel disgusted. It's a reason to feel proud of yourself for recognizing that you need to deal with it and for putting the process in motion.

Originally Posted by :
I had a bunch of grading to do, I have to get up at 6AM, I have a long day tomorrow, and it's already almost 1AM. But I am going to write out a plan for what I will eat tomorrow. I haven't actually written one out in quite some time. Time to go back to al of the basics again :(. Good thing I have that counseling appointment coming up. My tooth is really bugging me, too, so tomorrow is going to be a long day on limited sleep. Blech.

Blech indeed. I hope Monday turns out better than expected!

Report: weighed (holding steady at 2.4 under goal), ate reasonably well, got up and went to class this morning, though I didn't walk because it's icy here. Contacted my diet buddy.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Wait, she can't use a computer at home at all? Wow! That's, like, Amish. :D

No, her computer works fine (via cable modem)! In fact, her husband is a retired engineer, and they probably have five or six computers in their house. But mine has a thingie that connects to the internet through Sprint (can't think of what it's called). I could have used my friend's computer, but, like I said, I'm very reluctant to do that after what happened when I used Bethy's.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yep, I was happy.

As you should be!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It was chosen for ability to prep-ahead, ease of serving to a group for a sit-down meal, and the fact that since most of the prep was completed hours before serving time I'd be able to finish serving and just need to load the dishwasher to wake up to a clean kitchen, but it definitely was a comfort food fest.

You say that like comfort food is a bad thing! :)

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I ended up staying home, as Jane enjoys having company while she works. The brunch was nice -- I didn't eat too badly, though I didn't make the ideal choice -- and I was glad not to have another heavyish meal in one day.

Do you ever feel that sometimes going to a social event just isn't worth dealing with the food issues you will face there? I do.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Wait, I thought you didn't have any desserts left?

I didn't, but I got a new BBB last week.

Originally Posted by va1erie:

You're taking steps to deal with this problem. The fact you haven't been able to deal with it yet is not a reason to feel disgusted. It's a reason to feel proud of yourself for recognizing that you need to deal with it and for putting the process in motion.

Yeah, I suppose you're right, but right now I have limited faith in my ability to deal with it. And I know it will take time to deal with--and in the meantime I could gain a lot of weight. But I am willing to do whatever I need to do to get a grip on this once and for all.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Blech indeed. I hope Monday turns out better than expected!

I only got 2 hours of sleep last night, so it was not a stellar day work-wise. But I followed my eating plan exactly, drank LOTS of water, read my cards, and already wrote out a plan for tomorrow. So I am feeling a little better now than I did last night, at least in terms of eating. I am sure I will feel better still after I get a good night's sleep!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (holding steady at 2.4 under goal), ate reasonably well, got up and went to class this morning, though I didn't walk because it's icy here. Contacted my diet buddy.

The weather is crappy here, too. YAY for holding steady at a low weight. How many weeks until your vacation?

My weight was up 3 whole pounds this morning (compared to last Friday). I wasn't surprised (ate some higher calorie meals over the weekend in addition to the dessertfest last night), but it does amaze me that I can gain so quickly. It's scary. I had to give myself a stern talking-to to get myself on the scale this morning, so YAY ME for that!

Hope you had another good day! I'm off to bed now, very early for me.

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I could have used my friend's computer, but, like I said, I'm very reluctant to do that after what happened when I used Bethy's.

I don't blame you! I wouldn't want to either after that experience!

Originally Posted by :
You say that like comfort food is a bad thing! :)

Why do all the comfort foods have to be high calorie?

Originally Posted by :
Do you ever feel that sometimes going to a social event just isn't worth dealing with the food issues you will face there? I do.

Yeah, sometimes. I knew for instance that this was going to be an exceptionally high-cal, high-carb dinner. I'd have liked to have seen Molly, but I was just as glad to have an excuse to let John and Michael go without me.

Originally Posted by :
Yeah, I suppose you're right, but right now I have limited faith in my ability to deal with it. And I know it will take time to deal with--and in the meantime I could gain a lot of weight. But I am willing to do whatever I need to do to get a grip on this once and for all.

To me, that's the important part of the equation: you're willing to deal with it. You don't have to deal with it perfectly. You just have to be willing to keep working at it. Showing up for the fight is half the battle.

Originally Posted by :
I only got 2 hours of sleep last night, so it was not a stellar day work-wise. But I followed my eating plan exactly, drank LOTS of water, read my cards, and already wrote out a plan for tomorrow. So I am feeling a little better now than I did last night, at least in terms of eating. I am sure I will feel better still after I get a good night's sleep!

Yay, you, for sticking with your plan even when you'd had a crappy night's sleep!

Originally Posted by :
The weather is crappy here, too. YAY for holding steady at a low weight. How many weeks until your vacation?

About 2 1/2 weeks. I'm going to press for a low day today, which should be easy-ish because I'm having a minor mouth surgery (to remove a mucocele on my inner lip) and doubt I'll feel like eating much until it heals. I'm surely not going to want anything spicy, salty, or requiring much chewing, at any rate! Probably won't want wine anywhere near the incision, either. It would be fantastic to lose a pound over this. :)

Originally Posted by :
My weight was up 3 whole pounds this morning (compared to last Friday). I wasn't surprised (ate some higher calorie meals over the weekend in addition to the dessertfest last night), but it does amaze me that I can gain so quickly. It's scary. I had to give myself a stern talking-to to get myself on the scale this morning, so YAY ME for that!

But you did! Yay, you! I SO know that feeling of not wanting to get on the scale when you suspect there's going to be bad news, and I SO know that it's the one thing I SHOULD do at that point! The one good thing about having a gain from a few days of higher-calorie-than-normal eating is that it gives you the opportunity to show yourself again that you can indeed recover from a gain, and that such gains are usually at least part not really gains of -fat-. I think that's a good lesson to learn several times.

Report: weighed (still 2.4 under goal), won't be exercising today and may not feel like it tomorrow though I'm planning to set my alarm tomorrow morning for class and at least getting up and getting dressed to give it the best possible shot. Ate reasonably all day even though I had a couple glasses of wine last night.

Hope you had a better night's sleep!

Originally Posted by va1erie:

Why do all the comfort foods have to be high calorie?

I'm going to treat that as the rhetorical question I think you meant it to be, rather than going into an explanation about evolutionary adaptations!! ;)

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yeah, sometimes. I knew for instance that this was going to be an exceptionally high-cal, high-carb dinner. I'd have liked to have seen Molly, but I was just as glad to have an excuse to let John and Michael go without me.

Makes perfect sense to me! But I was curious if you would ever feel that way, since you are so much more social than I am.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
To me, that's the important part of the equation: you're willing to deal with it. You don't have to deal with it perfectly. You just have to be willing to keep working at it. Showing up for the fight is half the battle.

Yes, I'm definitely willing, and I'll bring the same commitment and dedication to this that I did to the weight loss in the first place. I had a flash of insight today. I was thinking that I "feel fat" and therefore don't want to see my match this coming weekend (not that we have any plans to get together; we don't). The insight was that part of my motivation for overeating lately has been to INSURE that I don't feel like seeing him; if I don't see him, I don't have to deal with all the issues and fears that would then arise.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yay, you, for sticking with your plan even when you'd had a crappy night's sleep!

Indeed! I was very motivated.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
About 2 1/2 weeks. I'm going to press for a low day today, which should be easy-ish because I'm having a minor mouth surgery (to remove a mucocele on my inner lip) and doubt I'll feel like eating much until it heals. I'm surely not going to want anything spicy, salty, or requiring much chewing, at any rate! Probably won't want wine anywhere near the incision, either. It would be fantastic to lose a pound over this. :)

There's a silver lining in every cloud!! OUCH, though. Oral surgery, even minor, hurts. But it sounds like you've got a good shot at getting your weight where you want it before your trip. I'm going to follow that same strategy by trying to get to 126-127 before I go to the Grand Canyon at the end of May. That would give me a few pounds of leeway for the trip.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
But you did! Yay, you! I SO know that feeling of not wanting to get on the scale when you suspect there's going to be bad news, and I SO know that it's the one thing I SHOULD do at that point! The one good thing about having a gain from a few days of higher-calorie-than-normal eating is that it gives you the opportunity to show yourself again that you can indeed recover from a gain, and that such gains are usually at least part not really gains of -fat-. I think that's a good lesson to learn several times.

I think I'm destined to have multiple opportunities to learn that lesson :(. But I definitely do agree with you.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (still 2.4 under goal), won't be exercising today and may not feel like it tomorrow though I'm planning to set my alarm tomorrow morning for class and at least getting up and getting dressed to give it the best possible shot. Ate reasonably all day even though I had a couple glasses of wine last night.

So your surgery is tomorrow? Hope it goes well. YAY YOU for not overeating after drinking wine! You seem to be getting better at that lately.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope you had a better night's sleep!

I did. Then I spent 9 hours grading statistics homeworks and tests today (can you say TEDIUM?), on top of teaching my classes and having a personal training session. So I am exhausted again!

My weight was down a pound this morning (supporting what you said about some of the gain not being "real"). Followed my written plan exactly. Had a personal training session. Read my cards. Made it a point to eat extra slowly and mindfully.

Good luck tomorrow!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Yes, I'm definitely willing, and I'll bring the same commitment and dedication to this that I did to the weight loss in the first place. I had a flash of insight today. I was thinking that I "feel fat" and therefore don't want to see my match this coming weekend (not that we have any plans to get together; we don't). The insight was that part of my motivation for overeating lately has been to INSURE that I don't feel like seeing him; if I don't see him, I don't have to deal with all the issues and fears that would then arise.

Very good insight!

Originally Posted by :
There's a silver lining in every cloud!! OUCH, though. Oral surgery, even minor, hurts. But it sounds like you've got a good shot at getting your weight where you want it before your trip. I'm going to follow that same strategy by trying to get to 126-127 before I go to the Grand Canyon at the end of May. That would give me a few pounds of leeway for the trip.

I can't believe it's already close to the time for your trip! One of the nice things about having some leeway is that you'll be more relaxed and possibly able to demonstrate to your bear friends that you aren't 'obsessed' with your weight. And of course they'll be able to see that you haven't continued to lose weight, which will help.

Originally Posted by :
So your surgery is tomorrow? Hope it goes well.

It was yesterday -- went very quickly. He was running a few minutes ahead and finished two minutes before he was scheduled to begin. :)

Originally Posted by :
I did. Then I spent 9 hours grading statistics homeworks and tests today (can you say TEDIUM?), on top of teaching my classes and having a personal training session. So I am exhausted again!

Ugh!

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down a pound this morning (supporting what you said about some of the gain not being "real"). Followed my written plan exactly. Had a personal training session. Read my cards. Made it a point to eat extra slowly and mindfully.

Yay, you!

Report: Hardly ate anything yesterday because the stitches are a hassled. Did drink some wine -- carefully <g> -- but because of the stitches I wasn't even tempted to have a snackfest. Down a pound this morning to 3.4 under goal, yay! Didn't get up for class -- when the alarm went off, I just was feeling the stiches so much that I knew I wasn't going to want to exercise vigorously, get out of breath, possibly accidentally bite my lip where the stitches are. So I didn't even get up and put on my clothes -- just turned over and went back to sleep, which I needed. The stitches are supposed to dissolve on their own, so I'm hoping by Friday morning they're feeling less stiff. If not, I probably won't go Friday either. I'm wondering if I should get on the treadmill today at least. Hm. Maybe I'll at least put on my exercise clothes after all and give it a chance.

EDIT: Okay, I'm dressed for exercise down to my shoes, the key element -- I won't let myself take them off until I get on the treadmill.

Hope you had a great day!

(Thursday) Hope everything's okay!

Report: weighed (no change, 3.4 under goal), ate reasonably, slowly, mindfully. Stitches still hurting. I did get on the treadmill for 35 minutes yesterday, yay me!

I had a long post typed out and then when I hit submit, it said I wasn't logged in. GRRRRR. I'm only going to try this one more time.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Very good insight!

For what that's worth. Insight isn't all it's cracked up to be; sometimes it just helps you understand why you're screwed up but still leaves you screwed up. :(

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I can't believe it's already close to the time for your trip! One of the nice things about having some leeway is that you'll be more relaxed and possibly able to demonstrate to your bear friends that you aren't 'obsessed' with your weight. And of course they'll be able to see that you haven't continued to lose weight, which will help.

That's definitely the plan! Right now I feel like I'll probably have gained 30 pounds by then, so I won't have to worry about my friends' reaction. :(

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It was yesterday -- went very quickly. He was running a few minutes ahead and finished two minutes before he was scheduled to begin. :)

Kinda like when you fly west across time zones and arrive earlier than you left!! But in your case, this is definitely a good thing!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: Hardly ate anything yesterday because the stitches are a hassled. Did drink some wine -- carefully <g> -- but because of the stitches I wasn't even tempted to have a snackfest. Down a pound this morning to 3.4 under goal, yay! Didn't get up for class -- when the alarm went off, I just was feeling the stiches so much that I knew I wasn't going to want to exercise vigorously, get out of breath, possibly accidentally bite my lip where the stitches are. So I didn't even get up and put on my clothes -- just turned over and went back to sleep, which I needed. The stitches are supposed to dissolve on their own, so I'm hoping by Friday morning they're feeling less stiff. If not, I probably won't go Friday either. I'm wondering if I should get on the treadmill today at least. Hm. Maybe I'll at least put on my exercise clothes after all and give it a chance.

Yay on the pound down--you got what you wanted! I certainly don't blame you for not wanting to go to exercise class with stitches in your mouth.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
EDIT: Okay, I'm dressed for exercise down to my shoes, the key element -- I won't let myself take them off until I get on the treadmill.

GOOD JOB!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
(Thursday) Hope everything's okay!

Last night I fell asleep on the couch and never did make it to my bed. I had nightmares all night. Fortunately I woke up in time to go to class, but just barely. It didn't help that my cat threw up right as I was about to leave. It was a bad start to a bad day.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (no change, 3.4 under goal), ate reasonably, slowly, mindfully. Stitches still hurting. I did get on the treadmill for 35 minutes yesterday, yay me!

YAY YOU all the way around!

My weight was down 1.6 yesterday (no idea why). I didn't weigh this morning in my frantic rush to get to school on time. Today was my very worst eating day in years. I easily consumed several thousand extra calories. I am not going to weigh in the morning. There's no point. I know what it will say, and I know what I need to do, so the information would not help me. I am just feeling desperate, overwhelmed, and hopeless. I have my first therapy session tomorrow, and I know she will be able to help me get a better attitude. I know I can deal with this, that I HAVE to deal with it if I have any hope of maintaining my weight. And I am willing to do whatever I need to do. I feel so sick and bloated right now, and I have terrible heartburn, which reminds me of the years I spent with continual gastric reflux and esophageal ulcers. Blech.

I need to get to sleep, if I CAN sleep, feeling so stuffed. I have to get up early to get my car serviced, then go for my consultation with the oral surgeon who will extract my tooth next Friday, then see my old therapist. Tomorrow WILL be a better day. OK, hopefully this will post!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:

For what that's worth. Insight isn't all it's cracked up to be; sometimes it just helps you understand why you're screwed up but still leaves you screwed up.

But it's still a crucial step.

Originally Posted by :
That's definitely the plan! Right now I feel like I'll probably have gained 30 pounds by then, so I won't have to worry about my friends' reaction.

Oh, dear.

Originally Posted by :
Last night I fell asleep on the couch and never did make it to my bed. I had nightmares all night. Fortunately I woke up in time to go to class, but just barely. It didn't help that my cat threw up right as I was about to leave. It was a bad start to a bad day.

:(

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down 1.6 yesterday (no idea why). I didn't weigh this morning in my frantic rush to get to school on time. Today was my very worst eating day in years. I easily consumed several thousand extra calories. I am not going to weigh in the morning. There's no point. I know what it will say, and I know what I need to do, so the information would not help me.

Ok. But we should talk about this.

Originally Posted by :
I am just feeling desperate, overwhelmed, and hopeless. I have my first therapy session tomorrow,

So why the bad eating day? You've had many, many good ones interspersed with these occasional bad ones, and you'd actually just seen a nice drop on the scale. Why was yesterday the worst in years? Do you think it could be related to the fact you were having the therapy session the next day, maybe?

Originally Posted by :
and I know she will be able to help me get a better attitude. I know I can deal with this, that I HAVE to deal with it if I have any hope of maintaining my weight. And I am willing to do whatever I need to do. I feel so sick and bloated right now, and I have terrible heartburn, which reminds me of the years I spent with continual gastric reflux and esophageal ulcers. Blech.

Blech. :( Please call me when this happens. Hey, you know I bought the CD of the book -- I keep it in my car and listen to it whenever I'm out of reach of NPR. Maybe for your long driving days, you could get a copy of it and listen to it. The reader's voice is a little annoying, but I find the message motivating.

Originally Posted by :
I need to get to sleep, if I CAN sleep, feeling so stuffed. I have to get up early to get my car serviced, then go for my consultation with the oral surgeon who will extract my tooth next Friday, then see my old therapist. Tomorrow WILL be a better day.

Hope it was MUCH better!

Report: weighed (3.4 under goal), ate reasonably even though I made two new recipes for dinner including "Oreo-stuffed brownie & chocolate chip cookie bars," which I didn't even eat one bite of. Or any of the leftover oreos from those I bought for the recipe, which are still sitting in the pantry. Left a bite, didn't exercise. Didn't go to class again this morning -- the inside of my lip is still feeling really tender and the stitches are starting to dissolve which means they're even more in my way. Will put on my exercise clothes when I get dressed, though, and get on the treadmill.

Once again I had a long post all typed out. Then my cat plopped down on the keyboard, and the whole thing went POOF. I had to restrain myself from throttling her. I am on my way to bed and am too tired and wrung out to reconstruct the whole thing. I did have a good eating day, though, and a good therapy session that convinced me that I can tackle the relationship thing one step at a time, just like I did the weight loss.

I am very impressed that you could make two such enticing goodies and not sample them, even if the stitches were part of what inhibited you. You rock! And I will go to Amazon and order Beck on tape. I think that's a very good idea.

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Once again I had a long post all typed out. Then my cat plopped down on the keyboard, and the whole thing went POOF. I had to restrain myself from throttling her.

Arg!

Originally Posted by :
I am on my way to bed and am too tired and wrung out to reconstruct the whole thing. I did have a good eating day, though, and a good therapy session that convinced me that I can tackle the relationship thing one step at a time, just like I did the weight loss.

I'm glad the session was good! And that you're feeling more optimistic! Sorry you're feeling wrung out though -- the therapy session?

Originally Posted by :
I am very impressed that you could make two such enticing goodies

It was ONE enticing goodie -- you make chocolate chip cookie dough and spread it in a pan. You put down a layer of Oreos. Then you make up a brownie mix and pour it over, then bake it. You get cut it into bars that have a layer of chocolate chip cookie on the bottom, brownie on top, and cookies sandwiched between. :)

Originally Posted by :
and not sample them, even if the stitches were part of what inhibited you. You rock! And I will go to Amazon and order Beck on tape. I think that's a very good idea.

I still haven't eaten one. I'm planning to cut the rest of the bars and freeze them to send in Jane's lunches.

Report: weighed (no change, 3.4 under goal), ate very reasonably though I did have several deep-fried green beans at happy hour, but then I came home and had a very small dinner. Didn't end up getting on the treadmill, though. :( But still a good day overall.

Hope your Saturday was a good one!

Originally Posted by va1erie:

I'm glad the session was good! And that you're feeling more optimistic! Sorry you're feeling wrung out though -- the therapy session?

Yes, I started crying almost the moment I walked in the door!! And then I had to catch her up on all of the things that have happened since I last saw her (Bethy, bear pals, breast cancer scare, dating), which drained me. But after that, it was low-key and kind of fun. She had me respond to a bunch of questions about my favorite things (color, food, style of furniture, city, etc.) to start me off on gathering data about my likes and dislikes, on the theory that I can't figure out where I want my life to go next if I don't know who I am. This surprised me a bit, but the conversation did convince me that I don't know the "new me" all that well, and the issue does bear exploring. I'm supposed to write it down every time I notice that I like or dislike something as I go through my day.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It was ONE enticing goodie -- you make chocolate chip cookie dough and spread it in a pan. You put down a layer of Oreos. Then you make up a brownie mix and pour it over, then bake it. You get cut it into bars that have a layer of chocolate chip cookie on the bottom, brownie on top, and cookies sandwiched between. :)

One, two, whatever......it was still a SUPER enticing goodie, and you resisted it!! I am salivating just reading your description of it!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I still haven't eaten one. I'm planning to cut the rest of the bars and freeze them to send in Jane's lunches.

Like I said, I am in awe of your self-control!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (no change, 3.4 under goal), ate very reasonably though I did have several deep-fried green beans at happy hour, but then I came home and had a very small dinner. Didn't end up getting on the treadmill, though. :( But still a good day overall.

That all sounds eminently reasonable, and I'm sure the scale will tell you so tomorrow! How is your mouth feeling?

I weighed myself this morning--133.6. ACK. I shudder to think what I must have weighed yesterday, since my belly was much flatter this morning than it was yesterday morning. That puts me about 6-7 pounds above where I want to be, and I can definitely tell the difference in how my clothes feel. I've had two good eating days in a row now, however, and I recognize that the gain is just a form of information that tells me that it is definitely time to get back on track. I am going to make an extra effort to look nice every day this week, which I have discovered in the past often makes me want to eat better.

My cat has just snuggled up to the very edge of my laptop, with her face above the keys, so i had better submit this before she erases my post again. Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Yes, I started crying almost the moment I walked in the door!! And then I had to catch her up on all of the things that have happened since I last saw her (Bethy, bear pals, breast cancer scare, dating), which drained me. But after that, it was low-key and kind of fun. She had me respond to a bunch of questions about my favorite things (color, food, style of furniture, city, etc.) to start me off on gathering data about my likes and dislikes, on the theory that I can't figure out where I want my life to go next if I don't know who I am. This surprised me a bit, but the conversation did convince me that I don't know the "new me" all that well, and the issue does bear exploring. I'm supposed to write it down every time I notice that I like or dislike something as I go through my day.

I'm amazed you got to anything besides what's happened in the last two years! :) I love that you're writing down things you like and dislike. I've just started using Pinterest, which is a sort of online pin board you use to "pin" items you find online or see in your real life (and photograph with your camera) into various online boards which you can share with your friends. They "repin" the things they like too. It's kind of fun. I'm not sure you can see my boards without being a "member" though it's free to sign up -- here's one: https://pinterest.com/taylorvalerie/to-make/

Originally Posted by :
One, two, whatever......it was still a SUPER enticing goodie, and you resisted it!! I am salivating just reading your description of it!

I think it was actually a bit too much, LOL! Even Jane said she thought it might be better without the oreos. :)

Originally Posted by :
I weighed myself this morning--133.6. ACK. I shudder to think what I must have weighed yesterday, since my belly was much flatter this morning than it was yesterday morning. That puts me about 6-7 pounds above where I want to be, and I can definitely tell the difference in how my clothes feel.

One thing that stuck with me from the Beck workshop was that -successful- maintainers tended to lose down to a goal, then learn to live at about five pounds above that goal. I think this was a really interesting idea, because it's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking gaining anything above goal proves you 'just can't do this' and that you've 'failed.' When of course being able to maintain at five pounds above the arbitrary 'ideal' weight you have in your mind isn't -failure.- It's accepting the reality that an ideal isn't necessarily something you can live with, and that maintaining five pounds above that ideal is still successful maintaining.

Originally Posted by :
I've had two good eating days in a row now, however, and I recognize that the gain is just a form of information that tells me that it is definitely time to get back on track. I am going to make an extra effort to look nice every day this week, which I have discovered in the past often makes me want to eat better.

Good for you!

Originally Posted by :
My cat has just snuggled up to the very edge of my laptop, with her face above the keys, so i had better submit this before she erases my post again. Hope you had a great day!

When I've got a superlong post to do, I sometimes submit before I'm finished, then go back and edit what I've submitted to make sure that if I lose the post, all I've lost is the work I've done since I last submitted.

Report: weighed (no change, 3.4 below goal), ate very reasonably even though I made braided stromboli for lunch. I'm having a colonoscopy tomorrow, which means a light breakfast and then fasting for the rest of today and drinking a bunch of goop that everyone says is the worst part of the process. But maybe it will mean I'll drop a bit. Won't be going to class tomorrow morning because of the procedure.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I'm amazed you got to anything besides what's happened in the last two years! :) I love that you're writing down things you like and dislike. I've just started using Pinterest, which is a sort of online pin board you use to "pin" items you find online or see in your real life (and photograph with your camera) into various online boards which you can share with your friends. They "repin" the things they like too. It's kind of fun. I'm not sure you can see my boards without being a "member" though it's free to sign up -- here's one: https://pinterest.com/taylorvalerie/to-make/

Oh, and of course I had to tell her about you and the whole Beck thing, too! I guess we covered a lot of ground in an hour! Funny that you should mention Pinterest. I just recently read about that site in a regular column in my local newspaper. The columnist wrote about how she has become completely addicted to the site. I will check it out! Right now I am watching the Hoarding show on TLC, and I am seeing all kinds of things I don't like!! :D

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I think it was actually a bit too much, LOL! Even Jane said she thought it might be better without the oreos. :)

I would definitely not think it would be better without the Oreos. Trust me on this.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
One thing that stuck with me from the Beck workshop was that -successful- maintainers tended to lose down to a goal, then learn to live at about five pounds above that goal. I think this was a really interesting idea, because it's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking gaining anything above goal proves you 'just can't do this' and that you've 'failed.' When of course being able to maintain at five pounds above the arbitrary 'ideal' weight you have in your mind isn't -failure.- It's accepting the reality that an ideal isn't necessarily something you can live with, and that maintaining five pounds above that ideal is still successful maintaining.

That really struck a chord with me, too, and I was reminded of it yesterday when I got on the scale. I definitely understand her point, and I think it's a crucial lesson to not throw in the towel because of a 5-pound gain. I have thought of that many times, and I know I could accept staying at this weight IF I had gotten to it "honestly" (by healthy eating). But that is definitely not the case here. So I'm not ready to accept this as my new maintenance weight yet. But, more importantly, I'm absolutely not using it as an excuse to give up, either.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
When I've got a superlong post to do, I sometimes submit before I'm finished, then go back and edit what I've submitted to make sure that if I lose the post, all I've lost is the work I've done since I last submitted.

That's because you are SMART!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (no change, 3.4 below goal), ate very reasonably even though I made braided stromboli for lunch. I'm having a colonoscopy tomorrow, which means a light breakfast and then fasting for the rest of today and drinking a bunch of goop that everyone says is the worst part of the process. But maybe it will mean I'll drop a bit. Won't be going to class tomorrow morning because of the procedure.

UGH. That means you must be doing the prep right about now. I had my first colonoscopy many years ago, and the prep is definitely not as bad now as it was then, but it's still the worst part by far. But the good news is that your weight will definitely drop! I hope it all goes well for you.

My weight was down 1.2 this morning. Stayed OP all day. Made it a point to eat extra slowly and mindfully. I worked all afternoon on my taxes (getting stuff ready to take to the accountant, which included a couple of hours on the phone with my brother going over the stuff that he manages for me), one of my most hated tasks, but did not give in to the urge to eat. I slept for only an hour last night (just couldn't fall asleep), so hopefully I will sleep really well tonight and feel even better and stronger in the morning.

Good luck tomorrow!

Later: I just went and looked at your Pinterest link, and I was able to see the page. So those purses are purses you found on other sites and would like to copy? And other people can see these as well? How would they find this page? And do you look at other people's pages? How do you know what you want to look at and how to search for it?

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Oh, and of course I had to tell her about you and the whole Beck thing, too! I guess we covered a lot of ground in an hour! Funny that you should mention Pinterest. I just recently read about that site in a regular column in my local newspaper. The columnist wrote about how she has become completely addicted to the site. I will check it out! Right now I am watching the Hoarding show on TLC, and I am seeing all kinds of things I don't like!! :D

Oh, that show is a guilty pleasure of mine! It always makes me want to clear out a closet or drawer! :)

Originally Posted by :
I would definitely not think it would be better without the Oreos. Trust me on this.

Well, you know Oreos are a definite weakness with me! I sent about half of them back to school with Mick and today I'm going to cut the rest into portion-size packs for Jane and stick them in the freezer.

Originally Posted by :
That really struck a chord with me, too, and I was reminded of it yesterday when I got on the scale. I definitely understand her point, and I think it's a crucial lesson to not throw in the towel because of a 5-pound gain. I have thought of that many times, and I know I could accept staying at this weight IF I had gotten to it "honestly" (by healthy eating). But that is definitely not the case here. So I'm not ready to accept this as my new maintenance weight yet. But, more importantly, I'm absolutely not using it as an excuse to give up, either.

Very good point that it's not simply finding that you simply can't eat that low day-in, day-out. You've proved you can and were consistently doing it until this latest issue reared its ugly head. :)

Originally Posted by :
That's because you are SMART!

I occasionally have my moments. :)

Originally Posted by :
UGH. That means you must be doing the prep right about now. I had my first colonoscopy many years ago, and the prep is definitely not as bad now as it was then, but it's still the worst part by far. But the good news is that your weight will definitely drop! I hope it all goes well for you.

It went smoothly, for the most part. I messed up the prep (the prep instructions that came with the box were VASTLY different from teh ones the doc had provided, but I didn't realize it until 3:30 when I was filling out the paperwork. But apparently I called an audible well enough to get to the eventual goal. But YEESH that stuff tastes awful.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down 1.2 this morning. Stayed OP all day. Made it a point to eat extra slowly and mindfully. I worked all afternoon on my taxes (getting stuff ready to take to the accountant, which included a couple of hours on the phone with my brother going over the stuff that he manages for me), one of my most hated tasks, but did not give in to the urge to eat. I slept for only an hour last night (just couldn't fall asleep), so hopefully I will sleep really well tonight and feel even better and stronger in the morning.

Yay for the downtick! Love those, eh? Good for you for staying onplan even though you were doing your taxes. Sorry for the bad night's sleep. Mine was pretty broken up as I had to get up numerous times. I imagine I'll sleep well tonight!

Originally Posted by :
Later: I just went and looked at your Pinterest link, and I was able to see the page. So those purses are purses you found on other sites and would like to copy? And other people can see these as well? How would they find this page? And do you look at other people's pages? How do you know what you want to look at and how to search for it?

Yes, not exactly copy but use as inspiration, like that Kate Spade purse, or learn from the tutorials on some of the sites -- one site gave me a fantastic bit of a suggestion for solving a common problem. Yes, others can see your boards. They choose to "follow" them, and you decide whether you want to follow that person back. It's sort of still in Beta and I don't think at this time there's any option for blocking anyone, so it's not something you'd want to pin anything sensitive on. When you first start out, you can find friends who are doing it by searching on their emails or names, and eventually you start seeing people whose board you're interested in even if you don't them personally -- people whose board indicate they have similar interests to yours, which means you can look at their boards and "repin" the things they pinned to their boards on to yours, which in turn shares those with your followers.

report: weighed, and I'm down an astounding 3.6 pounds to 7 pounds under goal! I nearly fell over when I saw 110 on the scale -- haven't seen that since my twenties. I should do a colonoscopy before every vacation. :) I know it's all deyhdration and of course the fact I was EMPTY, but still maybe tomorrow or the next day I'll still have a bit of a downtick leftover. Ate nearly nothing yesterday, but planning to go out to lunch with John today. Will skip the treadmill today because I'm feeling a little lightheaded still -- my bp just woudl NOT get back up to my normal low blood pressure level, so we had to wait in recovery for over an hour. John's hovering.

Hope your day was a good one!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Oh, that show is a guilty pleasure of mine! It always makes me want to clear out a closet or drawer! :)

ME, TOO!!! I'm usually cleaning out a drawer or cupboard before the show is even over!! But I'm fascinated by the show--those people's lives are train wrecks, but you can't look away from a train wreck!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Well, you know Oreos are a definite weakness with me! I sent about half of them back to school with Mick and today I'm going to cut the rest into portion-size packs for Jane and stick them in the freezer.

Are you putting them in the freezer to make them less noticeable, accessible, and/or tempting? I think freezing them would make them even BETTER!!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Very good point that it's not simply finding that you simply can't eat that low day-in, day-out. You've proved you can and were consistently doing it until this latest issue reared its ugly head. :)

Exactly. If I go back to doing what I was doing and still can't maintain a lower weight, I will accept that. But I don't expect that to happen.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I occasionally have my moments. :)

And you're MODEST, too!! ;)

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It went smoothly, for the most part. I messed up the prep (the prep instructions that came with the box were VASTLY different from teh ones the doc had provided, but I didn't realize it until 3:30 when I was filling out the paperwork. But apparently I called an audible well enough to get to the eventual goal. But YEESH that stuff tastes awful.

Hmmmm. If it tasted awful, you must have had something different than I did. What I was told to do was to mix an entire container of Miralax (I think it was 48 doses) in a gallon of Gatorade and drink the whole thing. It tasted mostly like Gatorade. It was too much liquid for my stomach to hold, though, and I started vomiting like crazy, which was unpleasant to say the least. I was afraid I hadn't kept enough down to do the job, but that fear turned out to be baseless. :D

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yay for the downtick! Love those, eh? Good for you for staying onplan even though you were doing your taxes. Sorry for the bad night's sleep. Mine was pretty broken up as I had to get up numerous times. I imagine I'll sleep well tonight!

Yes, I bet you will sleep like a baby tonight! I certainly slept better last night than I did the night before, but I still did not want to get up this morning. The time change did not help.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yes, not exactly copy but use as inspiration, like that Kate Spade purse, or learn from the tutorials on some of the sites -- one site gave me a fantastic bit of a suggestion for solving a common problem. Yes, others can see your boards. They choose to "follow" them, and you decide whether you want to follow that person back. It's sort of still in Beta and I don't think at this time there's any option for blocking anyone, so it's not something you'd want to pin anything sensitive on. When you first start out, you can find friends who are doing it by searching on their emails or names, and eventually you start seeing people whose board you're interested in even if you don't them personally -- people whose board indicate they have similar interests to yours, which means you can look at their boards and "repin" the things they pinned to their boards on to yours, which in turn shares those with your followers.

It definitely sounds cool--kinda like the cork boards we used to put on our dorm room doors in college, only on a much bigger scale!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed, and I'm down an astounding 3.6 pounds to 7 pounds under goal! I nearly fell over when I saw 110 on the scale -- haven't seen that since my twenties. I should do a colonoscopy before every vacation. :) I know it's all deyhdration and of course the fact I was EMPTY, but still maybe tomorrow or the next day I'll still have a bit of a downtick leftover. Ate nearly nothing yesterday, but planning to go out to lunch with John today. Will skip the treadmill today because I'm feeling a little lightheaded still -- my bp just woudl NOT get back up to my normal low blood pressure level, so we had to wait in recovery for over an hour. John's hovering.

OMG!!! I do not remember how much I lost when I had my colonoscopy, but I know it was nowhere near that much. Even if it doesn't last, I'm sure it was still very nice to see that 110 on the scale!! I have thought many times (given my ongoing struggles with extreme constipation) that I should just do the container of Miralax-in-Gatorade thing every month or so! But sanity has always prevailed. Is your BP low because of not eating, or because of anesthesia?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope your day was a good one!

It was one of my looooonng days with a trip to Kent for a meeting, but it was a good day. I ate right around 1500 calories today but have still been quite hungry all day, and I am ravenous right now, so I will be interested to see if I support your theory about that by showing a good drop on the scale tomorrow. I was down .2 today. Got a bit of spontaneous exercise (consciously parking far away from destinations and taking the stairs for multiple floors instead of using the elevator). I at least was able to avoid eating meal in the car, so ate everything sitting down, if not as slowly and mindfully as I would like.

I heard from my eharmony match AND from another potential match (another professor, who is also a physician and lives in Columbus) who would like to start communicating with me. I haven't decided what to do about that--partly because I am so confused about the status of the first relationship. Sigh........

Time for me to get to bed. Tomorrow is one of my early class days (with the time change, it will still be dark when I have to get up). I also have a personal training session tomorrow.

How is your mouth doing? Hope you recover quickly from both of your procedures and have a great day tomorrow!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
ME, TOO!!! I'm usually cleaning out a drawer or cupboard before the show is even over!! But I'm fascinated by the show--those people's lives are train wrecks, but you can't look away from a train wreck!

I know. It makes me feel a little bad for watching. I know the point of the show is that these folks are trading their privacy for the help they're getting and that the economics of the situation require people to be watching. But I still feel guilty for being fascinated by breathtaking lack of insight, beyond-dysfunctional family interactions, and filth.

Originally Posted by :
Are you putting them in the freezer to make them less noticeable, accessible, and/or tempting? I think freezing them would make them even BETTER!!

Partly to get them off the counter, partly to keep them fresh for lunches, partly to work ahead. I often portion a loaf of bread into sandwich bags, two to a bag, so that in the morning I can pull out a bag, slap on some peanut butter, and stick it back into the sandwich bag and into a lunch sack. Pull out a bag with a brownie in it and add and orange and voila! Jane's lunch is ready to go. :) I do the same thing for diet-friendly breakfasts -- portion minibagels and a turkey sausage patty into a snack-size bag and I don't have to think too much about what to eat for breakfast, which helps keep me from deciding maybe I'll have a slice of leftover pizza. :)

Originally Posted by :
Hmmmm. If it tasted awful, you must have had something different than I did. What I was told to do was to mix an entire container of Miralax (I think it was 48 doses) in a gallon of Gatorade and drink the whole thing. It tasted mostly like Gatorade.

It was called Suprep. The instructions called for mixing a 6-oz bottle with 10 oz water, drinking that quickly, then following it with a quart of water over the next hour, then a second similar dose 8 hours later. Next time I'll ask if it would be okay to drink it more slowly so I can dilute it more.

Originally Posted by :
It was too much liquid for my stomach to hold, though, and I started vomiting like crazy, which was unpleasant to say the least. I was afraid I hadn't kept enough down to do the job, but that fear turned out to be baseless. :D

One of the nurses actually mentioned that they used to have people drinking a gallon of water, which tended to make people vomit, so now they ask them to drink a LOT less water after the dose. I was supposed to drink an additional 64 oz of "fluids" during the day -- I think probably to prevent dehydration -- but even with starting early I couldn't get all that down so I ended up pretty dehydrated by the time they had to put the IV in. I hate IVs.

[quote]It definitely sounds cool--kinda like the cork boards we used to put on our dorm room doors in college, only on a much bigger scale![quote] That's exactly it!

Originally Posted by :
Is your BP low because of not eating, or because of anesthesia?

No clue. My BP tends to be low just in general, though. It's one reason I never worry about how much salt I use. :)

Originally Posted by :
It was one of my looooonng days with a trip to Kent for a meeting, but it was a good day. I ate right around 1500 calories today but have still been quite hungry all day, and I am ravenous right now, so I will be interested to see if I support your theory about that by showing a good drop on the scale tomorrow. I was down .2 today. Got a bit of spontaneous exercise (consciously parking far away from destinations and taking the stairs for multiple floors instead of using the elevator). I at least was able to avoid eating meal in the car, so ate everything sitting down, if not as slowly and mindfully as I would like.

Yay for a good day!

Originally Posted by :
I heard from my eharmony match AND from another potential match (another professor, who is also a physician and lives in Columbus) who would like to start communicating with me. I haven't decided what to do about that--partly because I am so confused about the status of the first relationship. Sigh........

JMHO, but I'd say Sayonara to the first match. If he's wishy-washy at this point, he's not worth investing any more effort in. At the very least I wouldn't even CONSIDER it as having any understanding of exclusivity -- he said he wanted to consider it just a friendship, and I'd be taking him at his word on that one. Again, JMHO, and sorry if I'm overstepping boundaries.

On a tangent, would communicating with/dating multiple people cause you more anxiety, or less? What I mean is, if you're dating whoever comes along, both (all) in a no-more-than-friendly fashion, you could possibly see it as not-yet-a-relationship and so less threatening emotionally. You're not in a relationship, you're just exploring whether or not you =want= to be in a relationship with this person. Or would the idea of "dating around" take your brain to an anxious place?

Originally Posted by :
How is your mouth doing? Hope you recover quickly from both of your procedures and have a great day tomorrow!

Mouth is nearly healed, yay! SO glad to have all the stitches gone.

Report: weighed (up 3 POUNDS! to 4 below goal), ate very reasonably for lunch and dinner, then had a wine-induced snackfest when Jane brought home a truly evil bag of a caramel-corn, cheese-popcorn, buttered popcorn mix that was like CRACK. I have issued a standing order that it's never to be brought into the house again.

Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by :

First, sorry I couldn't get on here last night. Every time I tried to load this page, my computer would time out before the page would come up. I get very frustrated when that happens.

No problem! Apparently I didn't get in here, either! I don't know why! Did I just get too busy? LOL!

Originally Posted by :
If I was cooking, or even eating something other than NS food most of the time, I would definitely package my food into individual servings like that. That's a very good strategy for managing portion control AND getting temptation out of sight.

It does help!

Originally Posted by :
Mine was low for most of my life, too. I only developed hypertension in the last couple of years that I was obese. Now it's low again.

Yay again!


[quote]



I have had two good days. My weight was up .4 yesterday and down .4 today. Had a great personal training session yesterday and broke my record for most calories burned in an hour (almost 300). Stayed OP both days, ate everything sitting down, ate slowly and mindfully.

Originally Posted by :
I hope you are OK and that there is no post from you this morning because there was none from me to respond to, not because something is wrong!

Putting this in as a placeholder -- will update it! Nothing was wrong yesterday, I must have just forgot. Weird. Report: my weight was up a little, 3.2 under goal, but that's still okay. Ate slowly and mindfully but did have a wine-induced snackfast last night, which is likely why I'm up a bit.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
No problem! Apparently I didn't get in here, either! I don't know why! Did I just get too busy? LOL!

Apparently you have a life!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Putting this in as a placeholder -- will update it! Nothing was wrong yesterday, I must have just forgot. Weird. Report: my weight was up a little, 3.2 under goal, but that's still okay. Ate slowly and mindfully but did have a wine-induced snackfast last night, which is likely why I'm up a bit.

You must be going on vacation in what, about two weeks? Are you comfortable with the amount of leeway you have in your weight?

My weight was unchanged. Had a personal training session. My gym just got a rowing machine, so I learned to use that, and I LOVE it! Ate everything slowly and mindfully and sitting down.

I am so looking forward to getting that darn tooth out of my mouth tomorrow (actually later this morning!). I am going to have general anesthesia, so I will probably sleep most of the day tomorrow. Will try to get on here tomorrow night, though. Hope you have a better day than I will!!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:


You must be going on vacation in what, about two weeks? Are you comfortable with the amount of leeway you have in your weight?

A week from tomorrow! I'm comfortable, but I'd rather be down a bit. I may try to do shakes-and-bars next Mon-Fri.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was unchanged. Had a personal training session. My gym just got a rowing machine, so I learned to use that, and I LOVE it! Ate everything slowly and mindfully and sitting down.

I've never tried rowing! I wonder if I could do it with my knees?

Originally Posted by :
I am so looking forward to getting that darn tooth out of my mouth tomorrow (actually later this morning!). I am going to have general anesthesia, so I will probably sleep most of the day tomorrow. Will try to get on here tomorrow night, though. Hope you have a better day than I will!!

I hope it went smoothly for you!

Report: weighed (no change, still 3.2 under goal), ate reasonably, didn't go to class this morning. Got up, dressed, started out, and the tendonitis in my ankle was acting up so I decided to skip it. I really don't want to go through that again.

TTYS!

Testing to see if this will work.....I see someone else started a thread about having trouble loading certain pages.

WOO HOO on the big weight drop. Don't you just love when that happens, even if you have no idea why it did?? But I'm so sorry to hear about your ankle--especially when you are about to go on vacation!

My weight was down .4 this morning. Stayed OP all day, ate slowly and mindfully, did not exercise. Today my jaw is incredibly sore, and on both sides. And the side of my mouth is all scraped and scabbed over so that I can not open my mouth very wide without cracking it. I feel like I got beat up! The extraction site itself doesn't hurt much, though. Weird.

Hope you had a good day despite your ankle.

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:

WOO HOO on the big weight drop. Don't you just love when that happens, even if you have no idea why it did?? But I'm so sorry to hear about your ankle--especially when you are about to go on vacation!

Yeah, I'm really bummed. It means not exercising at all for weeks, too, which is such an incredible drag.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down .4 this morning. Stayed OP all day, ate slowly and mindfully, did not exercise. Today my jaw is incredibly sore, and on both sides. And the side of my mouth is all scraped and scabbed over so that I can not open my mouth very wide without cracking it. I feel like I got beat up! The extraction site itself doesn't hurt much, though. Weird.

Oh, bummer! I hope it starts feeling better soon!

report: weighed (up 1.6 to 2.2 below goal, sigh), didn't exercise. On crutches now, trying to keep from using the ankle at all. Shakes and bars starting tomorrow in an attempt to stave off a weight gain even if I can't lose any before we leave.

Hope you're feeling better!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yeah, I'm really bummed. It means not exercising at all for weeks, too, which is such an incredible drag.

Did you injure your ankle somehow, or is this just a spontaneous flare-up?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed (up 1.6 to 2.2 below goal, sigh), didn't exercise. On crutches now, trying to keep from using the ankle at all. Shakes and bars starting tomorrow in an attempt to stave off a weight gain even if I can't lose any before we leave.

Oh, no, does that mean you will be on crutches for vacation? :( What bad timing!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope you're feeling better!

I do feel somewhat better today, although the whole side of my mouth is scabbed over (looks like a giant cold sore) so that I can barely open my mouth without cracking it. Made it a little difficult to sing (in choir) this morning!

My weight was down .6. I went to the gym (keeping to my plan to amp up the exercise during break) but had a little mishap. I decided to try the stair-stepper on my own (previously only used it with my trainer's supervision). Somehow I accidentally programmed it to go faster and faster. I got going so fast that I was having trouble keeping up but couldn't take my hand off the rail to re-program the machine. When I tried, I slipped. I held on to the rails but ended up sliding down the still-moving staircase on my stomach, which had the effect of suspending all my weight from my arms and really wrenched my shoulder, along with bruising my belly. It was also very embarrassing. The machine, of course, kept running until one of the staff heard me scream and came to turn it off. But at least I didn't hit my mouth on the stairs! Stayed OP all day. Ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully.

I sure hope your ankle is feeling better. I feel so bad for you. :(

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Did you injure your ankle somehow, or is this just a spontaneous flare-up?

I don't recall anything at all -- I think it must just be a bit of overuse. It's the same ankle I had the tendonitis on several years ago.

Originally Posted by :
Oh, no, does that mean you will be on crutches for vacation? :( What bad timing!

The worst. :( I will probably arrange for crutches there and hope I don't need them, but what a drag.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down .6. I went to the gym (keeping to my plan to amp up the exercise during break) but had a little mishap. I decided to try the stair-stepper on my own (previously only used it with my trainer's supervision). Somehow I accidentally programmed it to go faster and faster. I got going so fast that I was having trouble keeping up but couldn't take my hand off the rail to re-program the machine. When I tried, I slipped. I held on to the rails but ended up sliding down the still-moving staircase on my stomach, which had the effect of suspending all my weight from my arms and really wrenched my shoulder, along with bruising my belly. It was also very embarrassing. The machine, of course, kept running until one of the staff heard me scream and came to turn it off. But at least I didn't hit my mouth on the stairs! Stayed OP all day. Ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully.

OMG! Isn't there a clip that you can clip to your wrist or waistband that automatically turns off the machine if you fall? I'm so glad you weren't badly hurt!

report: weighed (down .4 to 2.6 below goal), ate reasonably, didn't exercise. Won't be going to class until after vacation, at the earliest. I may try to do non-ankle involving things like pushups and curls on my own, though.

Hope you had a good day!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I don't recall anything at all -- I think it must just be a bit of overuse. It's the same ankle I had the tendonitis on several years ago. The worst. :( I will probably arrange for crutches there and hope I don't need them, but what a drag.

TOTALLY a drag. I hope it won't keep you from having a wonderful time!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
OMG! Isn't there a clip that you can clip to your wrist or waistband that automatically turns off the machine if you fall? I'm so glad you weren't badly hurt!

No, isn't that crazy? I asked the trainer the same thing, since he always makes me wear that clip when I'm on the treadmill, even when he is standing right next to me. And even worse, the switches are up at the top of the staircase, too high up for anyone who is not standing on the staircase to reach. So the staff person who turned off the machine for me had to first get a step stool! I won't be using that again unless my trainer is right there.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed (down .4 to 2.6 below goal), ate reasonably, didn't exercise. Won't be going to class until after vacation, at the earliest. I may try to do non-ankle involving things like pushups and curls on my own, though.

Having an ankle that is out of commission really limits the exercise options, for sure. Even push-ups sound really difficult. The only thing you can really do to get your heart rate up is to move your arms. What are you thinking about how you'll handle eating on your vacation, since you won't be able to burn as many calories and don't have as much of a cushion as you hoped?

My weight was down 1.4 this morning (??????). I REALLY feel like I got beaten up now, between my jaw, the side of my mouth, my bruised belly, and a very sore shoulder, so I didn't exercise. I have a training session tomorrow and hope I can keep up! Stayed OP. Ate slowly and mindfully. Am feeling in control again, which is a relief.

Hope you had a better day today.

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
TOTALLY a drag. I hope it won't keep you from having a wonderful time!

I'm sure I'll still have a good time. But I'll have to skip a lot of stuff like shopping, walking around, etc. I won't be able to wear most of the shoes I'd planned to take with me. But without being able to get any exercise at all, it means limiting my eating even more, which of course is hard on vacation already. And

Originally Posted by :
No, isn't that crazy? I asked the trainer the same thing, since he always makes me wear that clip when I'm on the treadmill, even when he is standing right next to me. And even worse, the switches are up at the top of the staircase, too high up for anyone who is not standing on the staircase to reach. So the staff person who turned off the machine for me had to first get a step stool! I won't be using that again unless my trainer is right there.

Wow, that's nuts! They're going to end up with someone really hurt.

Originally Posted by :
Having an ankle that is out of commission really limits the exercise options, for sure. Even push-ups sound really difficult. The only thing you can really do to get your heart rate up is to move your arms. What are you thinking about how you'll handle eating on your vacation, since you won't be able to burn as many calories and don't have as much of a cushion as you hoped?

I'd already planned on focussing on seafood. I love seafood and of course can't often get it fresh, so that helps. And I'll just have to be really strict about completely avoiding anything I could get here at home.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down 1.4 this morning (??????). I REALLY feel like I got beaten up now, between my jaw, the side of my mouth, my bruised belly, and a very sore shoulder, so I didn't exercise. I have a training session tomorrow and hope I can keep up! Stayed OP. Ate slowly and mindfully. Am feeling in control again, which is a relief.

Yay you for feeling back in control!

report: weighed (no change, still 2.6 under goal), ate reasonably but didn't do the bars and shakes. I was just feeling too sorry for myself sitting in the kitchen watching Bollywood with my foot propped up. It's easier to do the bars and shakes route when you're busy. :)

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I'm sure I'll still have a good time. But I'll have to skip a lot of stuff like shopping, walking around, etc. I won't be able to wear most of the shoes I'd planned to take with me. But without being able to get any exercise at all, it means limiting my eating even more, which of course is hard on vacation already. And

Looks like something got cut off here at the end! I'm glad you have a good attitude about your vacation, even with the limitations you will face.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Wow, that's nuts! They're going to end up with someone really hurt.

I told my trainer about it today, and he said they bought the stair-stepper used, so he suspects that it is an old model without safety features that are standard on newer models. He said the very same thing happened to him the first time he tried it, so I shouldn't feel bad!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I'd already planned on focussing on seafood. I love seafood and of course can't often get it fresh, so that helps. And I'll just have to be really strict about completely avoiding anything I could get here at home.

Seafood is always a good way to go, and it's a good thing you actually LIKE seafood! I think the strategy of avoiding everything you could get at home is really rational and helpful--honors the idea of a vacation without going overboard.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yay you for feeling back in control!

I do feel a lot better. Part of it may be situational, though. I'm going to be meeting my second eHarmony match in person for the first time this weekend, and I will feel much better about that if I feel on top of my eating.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed (no change, still 2.6 under goal), ate reasonably but didn't do the bars and shakes. I was just feeling too sorry for myself sitting in the kitchen watching Bollywood with my foot propped up. It's easier to do the bars and shakes route when you're busy. :)

Aw, you're allowed to feel sorry for yourself, and I don't blame you a bit. And good for you for not letting feeling sorry for yourself be an excuse for overeating.

My weight was down another .6 this morning. That's three good losses in a row (I was back under 130 today, for the first time in weeks), so I suspect I may be dehydrated. It will be interesting to see what the scale says tomorrow. I really kicked up the exercise today. First I walked to the gym for my personal training session. I got there half an hour early, so I worked out on my own before the session. Then I walked home a very roundabout way. I believe I walked about 12 miles. My Exerspy says I took over 21000 steps (a record for me) and that I burned almost 2200 calories, and I know both of those are underestimates, because I didn't put the Exerspy on until I'd already been awake for a couple of hours. I ate about 1500 calories, so I definitely had a good deficit. Ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully. I definitely did not want to overeat and undo all that exercise! That's one of the best benefits of exercise.

I am incredibly exhausted and suspect I will sleep really well, despite the fact that it is 86 degrees in here right now. I can't remember if I told you that my air conditioner died months ago and hasn't been replaced yet. It will be done on Saturday--just about the time the weather is supposed to cool off anyway. In the meantime, I am sweltering, especially during the constant hot flashes I get because of that darn medication.

Hope you had a better day and aren't feeling quite so sorry for yourself. :(

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I do feel a lot better. Part of it may be situational, though. I'm going to be meeting my second eHarmony match in person for the first time this weekend, and I will feel much better about that if I feel on top of my eating.

Very cool! I'll be looking forward to hearing how it goes! BTW, I'm considering not taking my laptop with me on vacation, just to help limit how much stuff I need to carry with me. John'll probably take his iPad, so I might be able to get on with that.

Originally Posted by :
Aw, you're allowed to feel sorry for yourself, and I don't blame you a bit. And good for you for not letting feeling sorry for yourself be an excuse for overeating.

I actually had good news! I saw my doc and he thinks this isn't tendonitis but more likely a stress fracture. This is great news because a stress fracture won't be made worse by overuse as long as it's reasonable overuse. So I don't have to completely baby myself. I can walk through the pain without worrying so much.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down another .6 this morning. That's three good losses in a row (I was back under 130 today, for the first time in weeks), so I suspect I may be dehydrated. It will be interesting to see what the scale says tomorrow. I really kicked up the exercise today. First I walked to the gym for my personal training session. I got there half an hour early, so I worked out on my own before the session. Then I walked home a very roundabout way. I believe I walked about 12 miles. My Exerspy says I took over 21000 steps (a record for me) and that I burned almost 2200 calories, and I know both of those are underestimates, because I didn't put the Exerspy on until I'd already been awake for a couple of hours. I ate about 1500 calories, so I definitely had a good deficit. Ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully. I definitely did not want to overeat and undo all that exercise! That's one of the best benefits of exercise.

Yay, you! Wow, 12 miles and 21000 steps!

Originally Posted by :
I am incredibly exhausted and suspect I will sleep really well, despite the fact that it is 86 degrees in here right now. I can't remember if I told you that my air conditioner died months ago and hasn't been replaced yet. It will be done on Saturday--just about the time the weather is supposed to cool off anyway. In the meantime, I am sweltering, especially during the constant hot flashes I get because of that darn medication.

Oh, bummer on the AC! Hope you did get that good night's sleep!

Report: forgot to weigh this morning! Oops. Ate pretty reasonably yesterday, so fingers crossed for tomorrow. I have a hugely busy day today to get ready for leaving Saturday.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Very cool! I'll be looking forward to hearing how it goes! BTW, I'm considering not taking my laptop with me on vacation, just to help limit how much stuff I need to carry with me. John'll probably take his iPad, so I might be able to get on with that.

Don't worry about posting, at least not for my sake. I'll just keep adding to a post every night. I already know that I won't be taking my computer with me when I go to the Grand Canyon, and I won't use my friends' computers, either (I know you understand why). Maybe if they see me go a whole week without doing my reports, they'll stop thinking I'm obsessed! Or not.....

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I actually had good news! I saw my doc and he thinks this isn't tendonitis but more likely a stress fracture. This is great news because a stress fracture won't be made worse by overuse as long as it's reasonable overuse. So I don't have to completely baby myself. I can walk through the pain without worrying so much.

OK, I've never thought of a fracture as good news, but if you're happy, I'm happy for you! What counts as "overuse"?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yay, you! Wow, 12 miles and 21000 steps!

And it was physically much easier than when I used to do those long walks last summer. I really noticed the difference on the hills, and it took me significantly less time to cover the distance to the gym. I am pretty sore today, though!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Oh, bummer on the AC! Hope you did get that good night's sleep!

I slept pretty well. But it's even hotter tonight--88 in here at the moment. UGH.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: forgot to weigh this morning! Oops. Ate pretty reasonably yesterday, so fingers crossed for tomorrow. I have a hugely busy day today to get ready for leaving Saturday.

The worst thing about vacations is the frantic preparations beforehand. I'm sure your ankle does not make things any easier, either.

My weight was actually UP .2 this morning, but it didn't bother me at all since I know I had a large calorie deficit yesterday. I didn't go to the gym today (thought I had better give my poor muscles a break) but have another personal training session tomorrow. If the weather is nice, I'll walk there again. Stayed OP all day. I burned almost 2100 calories today (ate 1500) despite getting much less exercise than yesterday, which makes me think that maybe vigorous exercise really does increase metabolism for hours afterward.

Hope you had a productive and pain-free day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Don't worry about posting, at least not for my sake. I'll just keep adding to a post every night. I already know that I won't be taking my computer with me when I go to the Grand Canyon, and I won't use my friends' computers, either (I know you understand why). Maybe if they see me go a whole week without doing my reports, they'll stop thinking I'm obsessed! Or not.....

You should also feel free to call me any time! I usually have my phone with me and it's usually turned on, so feel free to call while you're gone.

Originally Posted by :
OK, I've never thought of a fracture as good news, but if you're happy, I'm happy for you! What counts as "overuse"?

Basically running, jogging, jumping jacks, or other high-impact stuff.

Originally Posted by :
I slept pretty well. But it's even hotter tonight--88 in here at the moment. UGH.

Ugh indeed! Do you have a balcony or something you can sleep on?

Originally Posted by :
My weight was actually UP .2 this morning, but it didn't bother me at all since I know I had a large calorie deficit yesterday. I didn't go to the gym today (thought I had better give my poor muscles a break) but have another personal training session tomorrow. If the weather is nice, I'll walk there again. Stayed OP all day. I burned almost 2100 calories today (ate 1500) despite getting much less exercise than yesterday, which makes me think that maybe vigorous exercise really does increase metabolism for hours afterward.

Wow, you are the exercisin' woman! Good for you! Bet you feel great, if tired!

Originally Posted by :
Hope you had a productive and pain-free day!

Productive and mostly pain free. Had my teeth cleaned this morning, had a laser treatment this afternoon (hair removal from my lip -- Jane and I are doing it together) and got my dress from CAbi finally! I love it! Happy happy happy! Tomorrow I get a pedi, mani, leg wax, brow wax, and pack. Oh, and I have to do a little shopping, but that's okay.

Report: weighed (no change), ate slowly and mindfully and pretty reasonably given that John and I went out to dinner. No exercise. Ankle is painful but I can manage. It's swollen, though. I have three ankle bones and one "cankle." Oh, and Jane got into Kenyon with a nice scholarship -- the final countdown begins. Almost all the schools Jane applied to will respond within the next week-and-a-half. Pray for me.

Have a good one!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
You should also feel free to call me any time! I usually have my phone with me and it's usually turned on, so feel free to call while you're gone.

And you can always call me, too, although you should probably use my home number rather than my cell if you actually want to reach me!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Basically running, jogging, jumping jacks, or other high-impact stuff.

I think you should be able to avoid those activities on vacation without cramping your style too much!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Ugh indeed! Do you have a balcony or something you can sleep on?

NO. I wish!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Wow, you are the exercisin' woman! Good for you! Bet you feel great, if tired!

Yep on both counts. Today was a repeat of Tuesday, except that I walked "only" 10 miles instead of 12. I burned 2386 calories and took 19727 steps. YAY ME!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Productive and mostly pain free. Had my teeth cleaned this morning, had a laser treatment this afternoon (hair removal from my lip -- Jane and I are doing it together) and got my dress from CAbi finally! I love it! Happy happy happy! Tomorrow I get a pedi, mani, leg wax, brow wax, and pack. Oh, and I have to do a little shopping, but that's okay.

Oh, my goodness, you glamour girl, you!! I have wondered about laser treatments, since I hate my mustache! Is is painful and/or expensive, and how long does it last? I had never heard of the CAbi brand before, but my SIL is totally into it and introduced me to their stuff at Christmas. We went to an outlet store that was going out of business, and I got several things there for very little money.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (no change), ate slowly and mindfully and pretty reasonably given that John and I went out to dinner. No exercise. Ankle is painful but I can manage. It's swollen, though. I have three ankle bones and one "cankle." Oh, and Jane got into Kenyon with a nice scholarship -- the final countdown begins. Almost all the schools Jane applied to will respond within the next week-and-a-half. Pray for me.

Pray for YOU, rather than for Jane?? ;) You got it!

My weight was down .6 today. Already told you about my exercise adventure. I stayed OP and ate just under 1500 calories, so definitely had a good deficit today. Ate everything sitting down, slowly and mindfully. Tomorrow I have my second therapy session. Saturday I am meeting my second "match" for dinner. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but time will tell!

Have fun with all those beauty procedures tomorrow. You are going to be totally spiffed up for your trip!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
And you can always call me, too, although you should probably use my home number rather than my cell if you actually want to reach me!

Hm, don't think I have your home number? I have xxx.xxxx.xxxx.

Originally Posted by :
Yep on both counts. Today was a repeat of Tuesday, except that I walked "only" 10 miles instead of 12. I burned 2386 calories and took 19727 steps. YAY ME!

Yay, you!

Originally Posted by :
Oh, my goodness, you glamour girl, you!! I have wondered about laser treatments, since I hate my mustache! Is is painful and/or expensive, and how long does it last?

It feels a little like a series of rubber band snaps on your skin, and it's PERMANENT. It takes 3 - 6 treatments, which last about five minutes, about a month apart. It's expensive -- about $100 a treatment -- but if you sign up with places like Groupon and Mamapedia and AAA Deals, you can often find half-price offers. Groupon is at Groupon.com, and you sign up by your closest major city but you can check deals for others close by, so you could for instance check in/get the emails from Columbus, Akron/Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown if it would be worth your while to drive that far for a deal. And lots of times the "Cincinnati" deals are actually in the outer burbs or nearby smaller towns, so you might come across some that are reasonably close to you or that you'd be able to take advantage of them in your work travels. Groupon usually sends out at least one deal a day here in Cincinnati, so when Jane and I decided we wanted to do laser I just started watching for them, and so far two have come through.

Originally Posted by :
I had never heard of the CAbi brand before, but my SIL is totally into it and introduced me to their stuff at Christmas. We went to an outlet store that was going out of business, and I got several things there for very little money.

I like CAbi's stuff, but I was sweating not getting the dress in time since I purchased it specifically for this trip. Here's the dress I bought, along with the stuff I'm planning to wear with it, if you can see it:

http://pinterest.com/pin/208010076509211587/

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down .6 today. Already told you about my exercise adventure. I stayed OP and ate just under 1500 calories, so definitely had a good deficit today. Ate everything sitting down, slowly and mindfully. Tomorrow I have my second therapy session. Saturday I am meeting my second "match" for dinner. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but time will tell!

Oh, I hope I can get online to hear about it! :)

Report: weighed (no change, but I'm good with that given no exercise for nearly two weeks), ate reasonably.

TTYS! I'll check in tomorrow before we get going if I have a chance!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hm, don't think I have your home number? I have xxx,xxx,xxxx.

That's my cell. My home number is (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It feels a little like a series of rubber band snaps on your skin, and it's PERMANENT. It takes 3 - 6 treatments, which last about five minutes, about a month apart. It's expensive -- about $100 a treatment -- but if you sign up with places like Groupon and Mamapedia and AAA Deals, you can often find half-price offers. Groupon is at Groupon.com, and you sign up by your closest major city but you can check deals for others close by, so you could for instance check in/get the emails from Columbus, Akron/Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown if it would be worth your while to drive that far for a deal. And lots of times the "Cincinnati" deals are actually in the outer burbs or nearby smaller towns, so you might come across some that are reasonably close to you or that you'd be able to take advantage of them in your work travels. Groupon usually sends out at least one deal a day here in Cincinnati, so when Jane and I decided we wanted to do laser I just started watching for them, and so far two have come through.

I didn't know that it would be permanent. That alone is enough to motivate me to do it, despite the cost. I can deal with the rubber band feeling! Amazing what we women do to be beautiful, isn't it?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I like CAbi's stuff, but I was sweating not getting the dress in time since I purchased it specifically for this trip. Here's the dress I bought, along with the stuff I'm planning to wear with it, if you can see it:

http://pinterest.com/pin/208010076509211587/

My computer kept timing out before the page could load. I'll try again, though. :(
Just tried again, and this time it worked. Your dress is really pretty and will look fantastic with your dark hair. You have a real flair with accessories. I really like that tangerine-colored purse!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Oh, I hope I can get online to hear about it! :)

Or to commiserate and console!!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (no change, but I'm good with that given no exercise for nearly two weeks), ate reasonably.

Wow, I didn't realize that almost two weeks have passed already. Time just flies by!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
TTYS! I'll check in tomorrow before we get going if I have a chance!

If you can't, I'll just keep using the edit function to add to my post, and I'll try not to write a book!

My weight was down .2 today. I went to an outlet mall after my therapy session (which I pretty much cried my way through, but it was helpful re: tomorrow night) and walked a lot there(albeit not 12 miles!!). I wasn't wearing my Exerspy, though, so don't know how many steps I took. I stayed OP all day but have been struggling mightily not to overeat tonight. I'm going to bed now so that I won't give in to temptation.

Have an absolutely wonderful vacation! I will look forward to hearing all about it!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:


I didn't know that it would be permanent. That alone is enough to motivate me to do it, despite the cost. I can deal with the rubber band feeling! Amazing what we women do to be beautiful, isn't it?

Check with local plastic surgeons and dermatologists -- that's who usually has the laser treatments. Dark hair on fair skin is the best candidate. Light-colored (including grey) hairs are difficult to get rid of, so depending on what's there, you might still have to wax. I waxed at home the last few years, figuring it was cheaper to buy the waxing pot and do it myself, but even at a salon it's only about $20 a pop and lasts about three weeks.

Originally Posted by :
My computer kept timing out before the page could load. I'll try again, though. :(
Just tried again, and this time it worked. Your dress is really pretty and will look fantastic with your dark hair. You have a real flair with accessories. I really like that tangerine-colored purse!

Thanks! I just bought that purse on Zappo's. (Zappo's is great, btw -- they pay for shipping both ways and their return policy is extremely generous.) They called it "peach" but it's closer to tangerine or mango, I think. The little draped cardigan is actually not white but winter white, close to the background color of the dress. They look really cute together. Jane helped me pick out all the shoes.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down .2 today. I went to an outlet mall after my therapy session (which I pretty much cried my way through, but it was helpful re: tomorrow night) and walked a lot there(albeit not 12 miles!!). I wasn't wearing my Exerspy, though, so don't know how many steps I took. I stayed OP all day but have been struggling mightily not to overeat tonight. I'm going to bed now so that I won't give in to temptation.

Yay for the down again! Sorry it was a difficult therapy session, but glad it'll help with getting through the next date. Good for you for going to bed instead of eating!

Report: weighed (down nearly 2 pounds to 5.4 under goal, yay!) I'm where I wanted to be -- 111.6 -- but I don't know why, as I haven't exercised and didn't eat especially low yesterday, though come to think of it I was pretty busy, don't remember having lunch, and ate a fairly small dinner so maybe that's part of it. I might be dehydrated, though -- I woke up thirsty. But at any rate it's nice to go off with that number on the scale. Makes me less likely to want to "blow it" I think. I've been going back and forth on taking the scale. I've decided not to and am hoping Glenn and Joe have one.

TTYS!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Check with local plastic surgeons and dermatologists -- that's who usually has the laser treatments. Dark hair on fair skin is the best candidate. Light-colored (including grey) hairs are difficult to get rid of, so depending on what's there, you might still have to wax. I waxed at home the last few years, figuring it was cheaper to buy the waxing pot and do it myself, but even at a salon it's only about $20 a pop and lasts about three weeks.

I've only ever had waxing once--on my eyebrows--and it peeled strips of skin right off! So I've never been willing to try it on my upper lip. Laser sounds like the way to go.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Thanks! I just bought that purse on Zappo's. (Zappo's is great, btw -- they pay for shipping both ways and their return policy is extremely generous.) They called it "peach" but it's closer to tangerine or mango, I think. The little draped cardigan is actually not white but winter white, close to the background color of the dress. They look really cute together. Jane helped me pick out all the shoes.

That's great that you and Jane have the kind of relationship that allows you to share fashion sense!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (down nearly 2 pounds to 5.4 under goal, yay!) I'm where I wanted to be -- 111.6 -- but I don't know why, as I haven't exercised and didn't eat especially low yesterday, though come to think of it I was pretty busy, don't remember having lunch, and ate a fairly small dinner so maybe that's part of it. I might be dehydrated, though -- I woke up thirsty. But at any rate it's nice to go off with that number on the scale. Makes me less likely to want to "blow it" I think. I've been going back and forth on taking the scale. I've decided not to and am hoping Glenn and Joe have one.

YAY for making it the weight you were aiming for before your trip. And if you don't have access to a scale, don't stress too much about it. You've already proven how good you are at making good choices, especially with regard to portion control. And if you remember to save your splurges for foods that you can't easily get at home, you'll be fine.

My weight was up 1 yesterday (no idea why). I had a very low calorie day until my dinner date, when I ate lemon pepper shrimp pasta, which sounded very reasonable from the menu description but turned out to have a lot of oil on it. And I ate a "no sugar added" dessert that was also probably a lot less diet-friendly than it sounded. As for the date itself--let's just say that I see no possibility of a relationship there, and this may be my opportunity to learn a new dating skill: how to let someone down gently.

My weight was up another .6 this morning (no surprise, given my fattening dinner), so I stayed low today (just under 1300 calories). Got no exercise, though. Feeling kind of blah today. Tomorrow I go back to school, and I am actually looking forward to getting back into the routine, even though tomorrow is one of my 15-hour days of back-to-back classes and meetings.

Hope you are having a great time!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
YAY for making it the weight you were aiming for before your trip. And if you don't have access to a scale, don't stress too much about it. You've already proven how good you are at making good choices, especially with regard to portion control. And if you remember to save your splurges for foods that you can't easily get at home, you'll be fine.

They do have a scale, though I haven't weighed yet. Now that I think of it I may not actually get a chance to unless I do it after I've been drinking coffee for hours, as of course I'm up before they are. I've been eating pretty reasonably, though.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was up 1 yesterday (no idea why). I had a very low calorie day until my dinner date, when I ate lemon pepper shrimp pasta, which sounded very reasonable from the menu description but turned out to have a lot of oil on it. And I ate a "no sugar added" dessert that was also probably a lot less diet-friendly than it sounded. As for the date itself--let's just say that I see no possibility of a relationship there, and this may be my opportunity to learn a new dating skill: how to let someone down gently.

Oh, too bad! Just no chemistry?

Originally Posted by :
My weight was up another .6 this morning (no surprise, given my fattening dinner), so I stayed low today (just under 1300 calories). Got no exercise, though. Feeling kind of blah today. Tomorrow I go back to school, and I am actually looking forward to getting back into the routine, even though tomorrow is one of my 15-hour days of back-to-back classes and meetings.

Hope you have a great day despite it being a long one!

Puerto Vallarta is beautiful, the condo is fabulous, and Glenn and Joe are a total hoot. They've only lived here since November but they seem to have met everyone in town. We are scheduled to attend three parties and they're hosting one while we're here, and apparently that's pretty much par for the course. Last night (Sunday night) we attended a birthday party for one of their friends at his even-more-fabulous beachfront condo with wraparound covered balconies overlooking the ocean. Everyone was bringing an appetizer plus they had a caterer, and based on the appeal of the appetizer Glenn and Joe made (asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, then grilled) I decided to eat extremely low all day so I would be able to eat at the party. I was glad I did. The food at the party was definitely out of the ordinary. I overate but not badly. There were a lot of really excellent choices that were extremely appealing, and I skipped the desserts altogether, though I did bring home a couple for Jane and Emma.

Yesterday Jane went parasailing while John and Glenn and I watched from beneath a palapa at a gay resort where we were drinking pina coladas and goggling at the crowd. Gay men like speedos, and lots of them have nipple rings. :) Puerta Vallarta is astonishingly gay-friendly for a latin-american town.

The girls got offered frozen strawberry margaritas while they were sunning themselves on the beach. They bought them, and then Emma texted her parents and Jane brought hers over to where we were sitting, "just to make sure it's okay." Good kids. Glenn said no one ever cards anyone here, and apparently 20 pesos (about $1.50) is enough to bribe a cop to look the other way.

The number of beach vendors here is fascinating. The beaches in Mexico are all public, so while bars and resorts are free to set up chairs and palapas for their guests right down to the high tide mark and even to rope them off, they can't keep anyone out. So while you're sitting in what feels like a restaurant on the beach with waiters bringing you food and drinks, you're being approached every few minutes by people selling everything from jewelry to drugs to cut-up fruit to temporary tattoos. They're very polite and move on immediately when you say, 'No, gracias' but it's kind of amazing.

My ankle was in terrible shape Saturday after two flights -- it was like a BALLOON -- but I iced it all Saturday afternoon and yesterday borrowed a vicodin from Joe and I think the combination of ice and vicodin are going to keep me mostly on my feet. I even walked down to the beach yesterday (250 stair steps! -- Glenn and Joe generally walk down, taxi back up.) Today we're going snorkeling -- an all-day trip -- and then Jane and Emma are going to swim with dolphins and sea lions on Wednesday, and Thursday we have an all-day sailing party with a bunch of friends of Glenn and Joe.

The internet here is a little tricky, so if you don't hear from me that's why.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
They do have a scale, though I haven't weighed yet. Now that I think of it I may not actually get a chance to unless I do it after I've been drinking coffee for hours, as of course I'm up before they are. I've been eating pretty reasonably, though.

As long as you keep eating reasonably, I wouldn't worry too much about the weighing.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Oh, too bad! Just no chemistry?

Just for starters! I'm thinking Asperger's Syndrome and bipolar disorder, currently in a manic phase. Carrying a torch for his deceased wife (they started dating when they were 15). Bad body odor. And to top it all off, he was very frustrated when I couldn't follow his rapid-fire exposition on a completely new paradigm that will revolutionize the field of physics. It is very rare that I encounter someone who makes me feel intellectually inadequate, but I could tell that he was very disappointed in my lack of intelligence and appreciation for this theories. It was just exhausting. Oh, and he said that he just can't understand the appeal of food. He only eats one small meal a day (dinner). He positively inhaled his dinner, finishing it by the time I was on my third or fourth bite. There's more, but I think you have the idea. All of that being said, he was very sweet, and he touched my heart. I just don't have the energy to take him on, as selfish as that probably sounds.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope you have a great day despite it being a long one!

Long, exhausting, frustrating, and culminated in a breakfast-fest. Not one of my better days. Weight was down .2 (but that won't last, given the breakfast-fest).

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Puerto Vallarta is beautiful, the condo is fabulous, and Glenn and Joe are a total hoot. They've only lived here since November but they seem to have met everyone in town. We are scheduled to attend three parties and they're hosting one while we're here, and apparently that's pretty much par for the course. Last night (Sunday night) we attended a birthday party for one of their friends at his even-more-fabulous beachfront condo with wraparound covered balconies overlooking the ocean. Everyone was bringing an appetizer plus they had a caterer, and based on the appeal of the appetizer Glenn and Joe made (asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, then grilled) I decided to eat extremely low all day so I would be able to eat at the party. I was glad I did. The food at the party was definitely out of the ordinary. I overate but not badly. There were a lot of really excellent choices that were extremely appealing, and I skipped the desserts altogether, though I did bring home a couple for Jane and Emma.

Wow, sounds like you will definitely be facing some food challenges on a regular basis. But you certainly handled last night's party well. Yay you!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yesterday Jane went parasailing while John and Glenn and I watched from beneath a palapa at a gay resort where we were drinking pina coladas and goggling at the crowd. Gay men like speedos, and lots of them have nipple rings. :) Puerta Vallarta is astonishingly gay-friendly for a latin-american town.

OOH, I have always wanted to try parasailing. How did Jane like it? Were you disappointed you couldn't join in? Not that sipping pina coladas and ogling gay men in speedos wouldn't have its own charm!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
The girls got offered frozen strawberry margaritas while they were sunning themselves on the beach. They bought them, and then Emma texted her parents and Jane brought hers over to where we were sitting, "just to make sure it's okay." Good kids. Glenn said no one ever cards anyone here, and apparently 20 pesos (about $1.50) is enough to bribe a cop to look the other way.

VERY good kids, I'd say! And what a cheap bribe! No wonder college kids swarm there for spring break!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
The number of beach vendors here is fascinating. The beaches in Mexico are all public, so while bars and resorts are free to set up chairs and palapas for their guests right down to the high tide mark and even to rope them off, they can't keep anyone out. So while you're sitting in what feels like a restaurant on the beach with waiters bringing you food and drinks, you're being approached every few minutes by people selling everything from jewelry to drugs to cut-up fruit to temporary tattoos. They're very polite and move on immediately when you say, 'No, gracias' but it's kind of amazing.

I went on a Mexican cruise once, so I have some familiarity with Mexican beaches. I can't remember if I've ever been to Puerto Vallarta or not, but what you are describing certainly sounds familiar.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
My ankle was in terrible shape Saturday after two flights -- it was like a BALLOON -- but I iced it all Saturday afternoon and yesterday borrowed a vicodin from Joe and I think the combination of ice and vicodin are going to keep me mostly on my feet. I even walked down to the beach yesterday (250 stair steps! -- Glenn and Joe generally walk down, taxi back up.) Today we're going snorkeling -- an all-day trip -- and then Jane and Emma are going to swim with dolphins and sea lions on Wednesday, and Thursday we have an all-day sailing party with a bunch of friends of Glenn and Joe.

Oh, no, on the ankle. I guess it's not surprising after two flights, but it still sucks. 250 steps down to the beach? Who needs an exercise class??! YIKES. You have some FUN adventures planned (I'm JEALOUS!!), and I hope you will be able to wring every ounce of enjoyment out of every one of them!

My weight was up 1 this morning (ACK). Stayed OP all day despite going out to dinner with a friend. Ate everything slowly and mindfully. Had a personal training session that wasn't my best (only got 2 hours of sleep last night and was exhausted during the cardio workout).

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
As long as you keep eating reasonably, I wouldn't worry too much about the weighing.

Still eating pretty reasonably, but drinking way too much. Fortunately there's no junk food to have a wine-induced snackfest on!

Originally Posted by :
Just for starters! I'm thinking Asperger's Syndrome and bipolar disorder, currently in a manic phase. Carrying a torch for his deceased wife (they started dating when they were 15). Bad body odor. And to top it all off, he was very frustrated when I couldn't follow his rapid-fire exposition on a completely new paradigm that will revolutionize the field of physics. It is very rare that I encounter someone who makes me feel intellectually inadequate, but I could tell that he was very disappointed in my lack of intelligence and appreciation for this theories. It was just exhausting. Oh, and he said that he just can't understand the appeal of food. He only eats one small meal a day (dinner). He positively inhaled his dinner, finishing it by the time I was on my third or fourth bite. There's more, but I think you have the idea. All of that being said, he was very sweet, and he touched my heart. I just don't have the energy to take him on, as selfish as that probably sounds.

Good grief! What an unusual person! LOL!

Originally Posted by :
Long, exhausting, frustrating, and culminated in a breakfast-fest. Not one of my better days. Weight was down .2 (but that won't last, given the breakfast-fest).

Bummer on the breakfast fest and the frustrating day!

Originally Posted by :


OOH, I have always wanted to try parasailing. How did Jane like it? Were you disappointed you couldn't join in? Not that sipping pina coladas and ogling gay men in speedos wouldn't have its own charm!

She liked it! We were glad we learned AFTER she was back on the ground that a few years ago a parasail(or?) was killed when he crashed into a hotel!

Originally Posted by :
VERY good kids, I'd say! And what a cheap bribe! No wonder college kids swarm there for spring break!

One thing we haven't seen much of is college kids! Possibly because we're in a very gay area -- the students maybe stay in the big new hotels on the other side of town.

Originally Posted by :
Oh, no, on the ankle. I guess it's not surprising after two flights, but it still sucks. 250 steps down to the beach? Who needs an exercise class??! YIKES. You have some FUN adventures planned (I'm JEALOUS!!), and I hope you will be able to wring every ounce of enjoyment out of every one of them!

I walked down twice, up once yesterday, and my ankle is again swollen badly. John wants me to take it easier, but I really like getting out.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was up 1 this morning (ACK). Stayed OP all day despite going out to dinner with a friend. Ate everything slowly and mindfully. Had a personal training session that wasn't my best (only got 2 hours of sleep last night and was exhausted during the cardio workout).

Hope your weight's back down!