I thought Dora was on vacation?

Edited to add: Maybe not, I think I'm misremembering! Where are you Dora girl?

Done - Thanks for reminding me

My mother has had this 3 times. Twice she had to have surgety for this and once it unblocked after a couple days. They suck! And he is going to have to watch what and the type of food he eats. For example, mom is supposed to have all he veggies cooked soft, no raw, not popcorn, etc. They worry about the foods that you eat that you don't chew enough.

Thanks Rhonda!

Amy - Congrats on the new clothes and of course more importantly, congrats on the New size! I am so happy for you.

I thought she was too.

On a bad note, I ate a HUGE cupcake yesterday. I tokk them out to the camp where my son is because one of the boys out there (the youngest) was having his birthday yesterday and did it to celebrate. I didn't eat the chocolate one, by had a vanilla one, and I don't really even like cake, but I love Costco's cakes and that is where the cupcakes were from. My stomach still feels sick from all that sugar. UGH!

This morning's update on my dad is that the intestinal blaockage was caused by a "peach-pit sized" gall stone :eek: His gall bladder somehow has turned upside down, the stone broke through the wall of the gall baldder, then broke through the wall of his intestines and then caused the blockage. They tried to snag the blockage when they did the endoscopy yesterday, but it wouldn't budge. So now the surgery will entail removing the gall bladder, removing the bloackage, and repairing the hole in the intestinal wall. The doc in the hospital said this is a VERY rare thing, that he's only ever seen it once before :o Because of that, they will be keeping him in the hospital longer after surgery than normal to make sure he's okay before sending him home.

His surgery will be later this afternoon or early evening. Jeff and I will go down there tomorrow (we'll leave as soon as Jeff can get out of work, hopefully around lunch time).

Umm, I'm taking a freebie week for this week's weigh-in :^:

Wow Jill, nobody wants to be a "medical marvel" in this way! It really is freaky what our bodies can do! I'll be sending positive thoughts to you and your dad (and whole family)! I hope they do the surgery as soon as possible!

Wow jill he sure knows how to do it huh?? I hope his surgery is ok. and you are too :hug:... take care

Jill - well dang ... I guess no one can say that your Dad does anything half way. Keep us as up to date as you can, and don't worry about the Freebie, we all would be taking one too.

Jill-Hope your Dad's surgery goes well!

Jill - I hope all goes well with your dad's surgery! Let us know how things are going (and how you're doing).

So last night I did a time trial through my running clinic. Our instructor mapped out a 10K route and we were to run it at race pace in order to get an accurate idea of what our half-marathon race time will likely be. I was a little antsy at first as I'm not a fast runner and speed tends to wreck my legs, but I listened to my body and pushed as much as I thought I could.

My first thrill was that I hit the 5K mark at 32 minutes, one full minute faster than I've ever done it. I'm really curious as to what my time would have been if that had been my entire distance and I'd pushed myself more. I'm setting breaking 30 as a personal goal!

The rest of the time trial went well but I did "oops" on the route (I turned around at the loop when I was supposed to keep going!) so I accidentally cut my run short. I ran back to the start then turned around again (so mentally tough to do!!) to add in more distance. When everyone who was running and our instructor on his bike had met up we turned back, so I only ended up completing 8K but it was close enough to get an accurate idea on my time, which was 52 minutes.

I totally chickened out of the ice bath last night since it was cold and I'd gotten chilled, but my legs have been kind to me anyhow. I'm slightly gimpy today but not in pain so it's way better than I'd expected.

And one last thing to add to my monster post...I got on the scale today to see 196!! That's 3lbs down from 3 days ago. Total craziness with the crap I've eaten this week. :dizzy:

Wow Jill. That's scary. I hope the surgery is completly sucessful and that his recovery goes smoothly.

I do remember Dora saying that she was going camping.

So, my cul-de-sac looks like a motocycle gang has taken over! One of our neighbors rides a harley and apparently they must all be leaving for a ride this morning from his house.

Good morning, Bluesers!

I'm not feelin as on-top-of-the-world as I was last evening. I'm fighting a cold/hay fever/sinus issue that kept me awake for most of the night. I'm depending on caffeine to keep me going this morning. So, how do you handle exercise when you're not feeling well? Push through or let your body rest?

Amy - I'm sorry you're going through this bad time, but...try to think about this rationally...does the food really make anything better? Or, does it make the stress worse? I'm thinking about you.

Jill - Thanks for the update on you Dad. Be safe. I'll be thinkin about you, too.

Kim - Congratulations on your 3 pound loss! :carrot:

I tried a yummy recipe that I promised to share. Many of you know that my family has been trying new veggies, grains and fruit. Here is a recipe using butternut squash. Yum Yum!

Pasta with Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
* 1 medium Butternut squash
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 pound cooked whole wheat pasta
* 1 tsp table salt
* 1 tsp black pepper
* 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup shallot(s)
* 1 Tbsp fresh sage
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans
* 1 tsp Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions
Squash cut into 1/2in cubes (8 cups).
Heat oven to 400; toss squash with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, spread on cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake, stirring every 10 mins until slightly caramelized, 30 mins total. Take out of oven and set aside. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, drain well. Melt butter with remaining olive oil in saucepan over medium high heat until it bubbles. Reduce heat to medium low, add shallot, sage & dash of salt. Cook stirring until shallots are soft (2-3 mins). Turn off heat, add teh squash and pecans. Toss with cooked pasts and serve with parm. cheese

He he I was just getting ready to bug you for this :D I can vegan it out no problem - love butternut squash. nom nom nom

Thanks Rhonda!!

Hi Blue Team,
Yes, I have been on a couple of mini-trips, 3 days each, but that's not where I've been as far as this site. I've been brooding:(. Then, on the other hand, I've been feeling sheepish for feeling out of touch with the group.:?:
Not having children at home, only working part time and being one to three decades older than most, I just don't seem to fit in the conversations here. Don't get me wrong, I love my life and I'm not depressed. My weight loss is going well, I just haven't felt - I don't know - necessary??? here.
Anyway, it's me, not you. My dad always used to tell me "You're just too sensitive." I guess it's the Sicilian in me, I even cry at music!!! Forgive my pity party, when others are having serious problems. :^: I'm just moody like that:dizzy:.
Weight lifting has helped, I lost 2.4 lbs this last week and looking to reach maybe 210 by the end of the challenge - maybe even single digits! Been to buffets and made good choices, I know I'm never out of the woods, but I'm feeling stronger and can see the beautiful meadow ahead of me. Onederland by my birthday, now there's a gift! Take care all, with special prayers offered for Nori's nephew and Jill's dad. And congratulations Kelly on onederland and Rhonda staying OP.

btw - Vix, I PM'd you.

later

Dora

Yeah Dora ... we can rename you Doraback, instead of Doragone.

Sorry you haven't felt as in touch with the group. My favorite dieting partner is almost 30 years older than me ... my mother. I have always loved reading your postings, so NEVER think that you have been unnecessary. You have done well on this challenge and I hope that I get the opportunity to be with you on the next challenge. We are all necessary, BUT anyone who has lost more than 10% in this challenge ... well that is truely inspirational:D

You an Josephine have been my inspiration this time around.

Yay, there's Dora! I'm so sorry you've been feeling disconnected. I think it has gotten quieter in the thread as the challenge is winding down (and Plurk addictions have blossomed! ;) ), but your posts are always so full of great stuff, don't think you haven't been missed! :hug:

And you lost 2.4 pounds this week! WOW! That's just awesome, you've been doing so good, such an inspiration! Congratulations! :carrot:

I read the update after I quoted this, but that is some crazy digestive mess. I hope things go well. It is never good if they say, "And just let me call the Discovery channel real quick...sign this waiver."

I think that you can NOT be mean, but be very clear with how you feel about the question. I would just say, "Why do you ask?" If they answer that they are worried, you can be truthful and say, "We appreciate your concern, but I really don't like to discuss it." If they are just being nosy, they will not have a good answer. It will be something like, "I was just wondering." Then you hit them with silence and maybe a little nod. Hopefully, they would get it.

Wow, they did not mess around, did they? Pic line and chemo off the bat! I hope they hit it hard and fast and that takes care of it.

I would rather hear over the phone. If they tell you to come in, you know the news is not good. Just give it to me, and don't make me wait.

First, you are a rock star. The whole blue team looks up to you! So happy for your Onederland success. Second, I had a children's meal from Steak and Shake today. I feel like barf. I understand.

We miss you when you are gone. Even if you feel like you don't fit, we think you do!

Anna - How did you get to be so wise and sage with your advice? You can make me laugh, cry, jump up and down, but you always say the right thing at the right time.

I wanna be Anna when I growup.

Me too. :D

I just wanna be Anna's next-door neighbor. Anna works too hard for me to want to be her!

I just want to bask in her reflected glow.

Works too hard - this coming from the lady who wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and exercises her butt off? And then does another workout later in the day just for good measure? Hmm.... ;)

Yeah, but that stuff is fun! :)

I don't raise kids or home school or keep a bunch of flakey parents in line or make my truck run on grease or even grow my own food. I'm really a lazy git.

Dora - I think you are a very valuable part of our team. Everyone brings something to the team and you always bring encouraging, reasonable and wise words!! Thank you!

Anna - yeah, they attack A.L.L. fast and hard nowadays. Today he started the regular initial chemo treatment that all ALL patients start - it lasts for a month. His cell levels are 10 times lower than in typical cases when they're first discovered. His spinal tap came back negative which means he has no detectable cancer cells in his spinal fluid or in his brain. Yeah! The plan now is that he'll be inpatient until next Tuesday and then Amy will just bring him up for chemo 3 times a week after that. The doctors say they've never worked with a leukemia patient as *healthy* as him so hopefully it'll stay that way. The thing in the back of their minds though is that they do believe this is caused by a chromosomal abnormality (he's just too young to have "regular" ALL) - and therefore could require a bone marrow transplant.

Hit the gym hard this morning and have no headache!! Yeah!

I bought a new perfume the other day and am enjoying it. It's Cannabis Rose by Fresh. Anyone tried it? I've never worn/liked a "rose" frag before and I really like this one.

Dora, I love having you here on our team. You offer your own unique insight into weight loss and life struggles. Our team can only benefit from having people of different ages, ethniticities, religious beliefs and social backgrounds.

IMO, this chat thread is to share our struggles with weight loss, exercise and life in-general and to be a place of support and encouragement. I know that many of our past chats have centered around some of our unique interests such as vampire "porn", children, dating, music, sexy men, etc. and may not be something that can be related to by everyone on the team. Many of us have chosen to take our off-topic chats to another site. I'm hoping that this can be seen as good thing and not that we might have abandoned our team. Now, the Blue team threads can be more focused on our common goals of weight loss and creating healthy lifestyles.

Please don't stop posting with us. We need you.

BTW - I wanna be a combination of Josephine and Kelly when I grow up.:D

^
|
Except for those of us who plurk will not work for at home!! Tomorrow's friday, and I work, so I can Plurk!!!

Blue Team,
Thank you Kelly, Jo, Nori, Anna and Rhonda for your encouraging words. I must be in an emotional swing of menopause or something.:shrug: Or, it could be, I'm becoming my sicilian grandmother who used to think I didn't love her because i didn't hang on her like my cousin Susie did.:dizzy: In any event thank you all for being there, I do enjoy being part of this team:grouphug:

And Nori, just thought I'd share this article http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080...ntprofile=1055 from our local newspaper about a 1 year old with leukemia (though it is myelogenous not lymphoblastic). Not entirely encouraging, but sometimes it helps to see how others cope with it all. My heart goes out to you and your sister and of course your nephew.

I'm discovering more things I can enjoy, or like Rhonda, can experiment with, in keeping within my high protein, complex carb, small meal plan. Lately, I've added more whole wheat bread and peanut butter (2 slices, 1.5 TBsp, with half a banana = 365 calories). This has me, uh, eliminating more often, too, which I'm sure has helped. I'm eating more edamame and just ordered some nutritional yeast for it's protein, B vitamin content and fiber. I read that it adds a cheesy flavor to some dishes, and cheese is something I miss at times. Also heading out of town to get some SF DaVinci syrups (German Chocolate,Dulce Le Leche, Butter Rum and Strawberry to start) for adding to soy shakes, yogurt and who knows what else.

I have also changed my workout time to first thing (okay 9ish);) in the morning, with a few (100 cals) carbs to get me through it. I read that by taking in protein right after your workout you replenish your muscles and help their growth. I missed some workouts this week due to being (Dora)gone but now it's Doraback, like Kelly said, and real glad to be here. And, like Kelly, I'm anxious to sign up for the next challenge, so . . . ? who knows when we do that???

And speaking of Kelly - awesome, girl, about getting to Onederland!!! I'm like you about the scale, I'm on it a lot, because like you said, it gives me accountability. If I go without looking, I start to think, "I'm doing good, I can have a little treat" and it's all down hill from there. I don't know how I could have inspired you, but you, with all your little guys at the bottom, and how much you've lost already, YOU are MY inspiration - as well as Josephine and Kim. Around you three, I can't give myself ANY excuses, I feel your figurative :kickbutt:. And because of you and Amy always fawning over your ellipticals, I have started using mine and I'm up to 10 minutes :whoo: (up from 2!!!) You guys are good for me.

Had a NSV too this week, down from 22 to 18 pants!!!:carrot:

Thanks again you guys, you're the best.:flow2:

Dora

I will be Doragone again from August 6 thru the 12th. Not sure if Wifi available, so if I'm MIA, I'm okay now. . . really I am . . .:cry::cry: . . .:D:lol: . . . just call me . . . Sybil. :yikes:

Dora - I'm so happy to see you sounding a bit happier in this post than your earlier one! I love it when you post because your avatar always makes me smile. You've got an infectious smile! :D

Here's a tomato recipe I wanted to share. I've made it twice in two days.

Less Elegant Tomato Salad

4 large tomatoes washed
1/2 cup fresh basil packed
1 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
2 oz balsamic vinegar
3 oz extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Core and cube tomatoes. Tear basil into small pieces. In a bowl and combine tomatoes basil and cheese.

In a glass measuring cup add 1/4 cup (2 oz) of balsamic vinegar pour in olive oil (3oz) until the combined mixture is 2/3 of a cup. Pour dressing over salad and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve immediately

It was waaaay too much dressing yesterday so I kept out half of it and just added some more vinegar for tonight. I don't think you need anywhere near that much olive oil. And I used dried basil and it was still good. I tried it with cheddar cheese last night because it's all I had on hand but the mozzarella is way better. I've also had it with a can of tuna thrown in and it was yummy.

Interesting article, Dora. So sad. I'll ask my sister if she's met the mom, Devin Shoop. I know she has met some moms who are living there right now. They have nice rooms with their own kitchens - microwaves and fridges at least. This afternoon Lucas spiked a fever of 103. Poor baby.

YUM, Kim. I got tons of tomatoes in my CSA box this week, plus I already had some, so I was actually planning to do something where tomatoes were the main ingredient. Thanks!

Nori--I am so sorry for your family! How is everyone holding up?

Hi everyone! Sorry I have not been around much! I WILL catch up soon! We didn't find much yesterday, but we did some more shopping today and went to one antique shop--I hit the jackpot! I collect Fiestaware and I was able to get a box full of great pieces--mostly plates in colors that I don't already have for a really low price. I am SO happy! I can't wait to wash it and put it in the cupboard. Yes, that's right...I use it. I mix it in w/ my 'new' pieces (and I don't have many b/c it's expensive), but I LOVE it and I can't see having it sit in the china cabinet to look at. Granted, I am very careful w/ it, but we deserve to eat off pretty plates! Plus, many of the plates I have are lunch plates and are smaller--which is great for portion control!

That is REALLY good advise, I am so going to try that tomorrow. I had another 3 people at least ask me today.

Very glad to see the chat bumping again!

DORA - Awesome that you are doing weights, they always make me feel strong! There are so many benefits to weight training. I really need to get started with that again myself.

Kelly- Change her name from dora-gone to dora-back, that was a good one LOL - literally =)~

Nori im so sorry about lucas he is so young ... poor little guy i suppose if nothing else at least he is too young to remember all the chemo and everything when he is older..and he looks like he got a bit of reserves for when he doesnt feel well enough to eat :) .. :hug:for lucas
:hug:for your sister with such a nice name and
:hug: for you .. we will be thinkging of you..


Rhonda im back on track that is why im back and i know exactly what your saying.. no need to worry about me.. i was in a bad place last week and im in a very good headspace now and im feeling fantastic...

Dora i know what you mean about feeling out of place at times that is how i felt at the start o this challenge too but i soon found my place..im with you in the 18s dora funny though since im about 50 pounds heavier.. lol

So now my question is where is Tawnya??? in the weigh in thread its looks like she has quit becuase she posted 2 freebies for the last two weeks.. and its doesnt look good.. is she ok?? anyone here from her?? i know she had a holiday but i thought she was back so whats with the freebies??? have we lost her????

.. as for me i found out why i needed to buy 18s.. i did my measurements and i have lost 4 cm from my hippo hips.. in 2 weeks ..which is unreal considering i had only lost 7 cm when ive lost heaps from everywhere else .. now ive lost 11 off my hips :) woohoo..

Morning gang! I broke into the 140s today, yippee!

149!

9 pounds to goal! w00t!

Josephine - I say this with the ut most love ... I hate you (:lol:) Really congrats on all your loss. It is going to be great having you as our biggest loser in the throwdown in a couple weeks. You're going to kickbut, unlike I did last challenge.

Dora- WE LOVE YOU!!! I know for a fact I have learned so much from you. You always have such inspirational and motivational things to share. YOU are very important to all of us!!!

Josephine- Congrats! :carrot: Just so you know . . . I want to be you when I grow up. ;)

oh i have had a sneek peek at the other teams and no one has even come close to josephines %.. so we should just give her her crown now and start the party... lol.. we can party then until the end of the challenge :)

wait i suppose there may be a last minutes liposuction sugery job somewhere.... lmao

Yeah Josephine - you have lost like a quarter of your body weight since the start of the challenge. I've lost like 35.5%, but that has taken me since 15 September 2007 (which is like 11 months, not 11 weeks).

You really do rock girl!

LOL, wow, I didn't think I'd lose enough to compete in the big arena! We'll have to see how that turns out, but if I can bring it home for the Blue Team I'll be so proud!! You ALL have been such inspiration and motivation to stay on plan and work hard every week! I'm so glad I found this challeng -- for me it came at exactly the right time and with exactly the right PEOPLE!

:cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3: :cheer3:

I did a photo comparison of my waistline this morning, you can see the photo on my blog if you're interested! :carrot:

AMAZING, Jo!! Simply amazing! WTG!!

Hey gang. I actually went to the gym today to do step. Wow!!! I am so out of shape. I still love the gym but man, I need to get into gear again. People told me that I haven't gained any weight but I sure feel like I have. Maybe its cuz TOM is coming and maybe I'm bloated. I don't know but I know I haven't lost anything. well, just stopping in to say hi. debating if I should go to toys r us, Elmo TMX is $12 until tomorrow and DD loves elmo. Talk to ya laters.

Hi all,
Jo has acheived TBL-TV-worthy weight loss!!! Man, if she had only really been on the show, she'd a blown 'em all away. Simply amazing, Jo. And Kelly, for the long run, you are the inspiration. I know I can do it when I think of you.:running::running::running::running::running:

Jennifer, thank you so much for your sweet thoughts - they touched my heart:hug: :D :angel:

Tawny - good to have you back!!!

Yeah, Amy!!! Rub it in! Both you and Nori weigh more than I do, and both of you are in same size or smaller clothes. I figured it must be the weights and the elliptical - so now, I'm doing both!!!:whoo:

(Did you guys get this??? Just wondering . . .)

A couple of more quesions . . .

To repeat a question Kelly had of Anna: "Anna - How did you get to be so wise and sage with your advice?" You really do come through with great information and wisdom so many times. Pretty amazing.:bravo:

And another Kelly question: When do we sign up for the next challenge???:hyper::?:

Later . ..

Dora

Well, my dad's surgery went okay. I'm at the hospital with him, and they have the offending gall stone in a container here in his room. It is about half the size of a deck of playing cards in height, and thicker. Scary. When they went in for surgery, it had dislodged itself from his intestines and broke into his stomach, so they had to cut into his stomach during surgery to get it out. What a mess...

But he is doing okay now. He's got oxygen, a drain coming from his abdomen, a feeding tube, an IV, pressure wraps on his legs...my mom said he looks like a bionic man :p He is running a slight fever today, but nothing too scary.
As in the most multiple personalities recorded for one person? (at least, I think that was the significance of Sybil). I watched a movie about it years ago. That's okay, though--we love ALL of your personalities :D