Thanks for the words of encouragement Bluesers! (Especially Dora. I laughed so hard!) I do have another race coming up soon (10-miler on Oct 19th) but I haven't even been thinking about it since I was focused on this past race. I've got 3 1/2 weeks to go, so if I shift my focus to gearing up for it that should give me an extra push.

My eating has fallen into the "I've made one bad choice so I'll just make another one" mentality and today I'm stopping that. I'm going back to being accountable for everything I put in my mouth. I've been sitting here mulling over different ideas about why I've stalled out but none of them really matter. It's time to just get on with it.

With all this talk about SADD and tanning, I just wanted to point out another option. Taking Vitamin D is fantastic, as is using a light such as http://www.litebook.com/?s=gaw&kw=sad%20lights. My Dad has something like this (different brand I think) and he turns it on whenever he sits at the computer. He's found a huge improvement, which is quite significant in our area where our winter light is so limited.

Have a great day everyone!

Morning everyone!

All this SAD talk has really hit home with me. I'm working on getting up the nerve to talk to my doctor about depression and/or SAD. :( Like some of the others suggested, Vitamin D supplements and lightbox therapy can really help SAD. We're only a week into the Neverending Rain in Vancouver, and I'm already struggling.

I need some help, team! I'm going to camp with my Brownies this weekend, and while I'm going to have a TON of fun... camp is typically not a good weekend, diet-wise. We eat healthy, we just eat way too much! Any advice?

Dora - The only thing I know about property in Costa Rica is that you should take me with you! :P

Thanks Tyler, I appreciate the encouragement. I will try and focus on that first and then see where I can fit some exercise in that I find I enjoy.

Ok, I really have to get up earlier to get in on the live conversation. RE SAAD and depression, I started on vit D last winter too. Vit D-3 (get a GOOD brand) it is available without a prescription. Vit D-3 (cholecalciferol) is not vegan however, if that is a concern for you. Vit D-2 (ergocalciferol) is plant based, but most states require a prescription for the larger doses needed with depression. Newer research suggests that Vit D3 is absorbed much better by the body but this is an ongoing debate. The dose that is effective for your body varies, it is actually quite "high" for some people. A good doctor (holistically minded or ND/MD can test your vit D levels) and help you find a dose that works for you.

My husband bought me one of these Happy Lights which I use at least 20 minutes every morning.

Eliminating processed carbs like Rhonda mentioned seems to make it better for me as well, and getting regular exercise really helps!

Dora if you get a place in Costa Rica I might have to become your new best friend! ;)

Getting away in the dead of winter to someplace sunny for a week or so really helps me too. I am sure I could happily live in Arizona or Florida or Southern CA except that I would miss my family terribly and I love the beauty of the Pacific NW. It is not fun to deal with this stuff, I understand all too well the feeling of trudging thru your day slightly in a fog for weeks on end.

I'm hoping this winter is a better one for me as well with all the positive changes I've made in my life. :cool:

That's tough, because you are going to need to rely on your will power to see you through. You KNOW what healthy portions are, so stick to your plan. Visualize your meal before your start piling your plate with food. You can do it! If I were in your place, my strategies to help me along in making good choices would be:

1. Drink one or two big glasses of warm water before every meal.
2. Eat a big plate of salad and/or veggies BEFORE tucking into anything else.
3. Take along a cattle prod and ask my friends to shock the **** out of me if I reach for seconds.

Maybe #3 is a bit over the top for most people, but it would WORK.

marianne, have you planned what you'll be eating while camping? I don't know what is going to be available there food wise. Are you guys taking food with you? One thing that helped me little bit on my vacay few weeks ago was I took food for breakfast and lunch with me. I know camping can be bit restrictive in many ways but is it possible to at least plan on 1 or possibly 2 meals for you and take it already portioned with you? I'm assuming you'll be going hiking also so thats a good exercise right there :D Oh carry some healthy snacks you can eat while you're there. Plenty of water, maybe buy a bottle you'll have on you all the time :) And most of all have loads of fun :D do the best you can do and enjoy...

I hear ya on the SADD front. I love the change of seasons.. I just dont love the winter time. The coldeness.. the wnting to stay inside. Like everyone menioned already.. vitamin D is a great help. And exercise. I'm actually REALLY nervous for this coming winter. I just got married on Sept 8th and my husband is being deployed VERy soon. I will be in the US ( im canadian) without him for a year. Winter is gonna be harder for me I think than usual.



I will be on the lookout for the CHocolate ones!

I hear ya, Melissa! Sometimes it's just easier to do it yourself, the right way! My day is involved with packing and cleaning... My poor DH last night.. got up to use the washroom and stumbled an dfell over a pile of boxes and stuff to be packed. I think I need a better packing strategy! lol

I'm doing really good with my exercise and eating these past few weeks. Its so much easier now that i'm living in my own place and the only food in teh cupboards is what I BUY hehehe

I have been feeling really good lately, mentally, emotionally, physically.. but my DH being deployed is really starting to kick in. Im new to the whole armywife thing, and sometimes I cant help but feel cheated out of our newlywed time together. Most of our relationship has been apart.. ( months and months trying to get the vis for me to come to the Us from canada to marry him) and now.. he's leaving for a year and i can't even go to canada.(visa regulations)
I usually do so well alone.. it's fine.. i make friends easy.. blahblahblah.. but this is different.. and im starting to get scared for him to go.. I have good days and bad days.. i guess these last couple of days are the bad ones :(

:hug:

My best friend/running coach was just deployed. He don't live around here, so I'm not going to miss him any more than usual (a lot) but the added stress of him being in a combat zone is starting to get to me. Additionally since he's going to be gone a year, now I have to either persuade DH to go to our class reunion next year, or go alone.

Have you thought about volunteering? A co-worker volunteers with the USO at the Naval Station here, and has met a lot of other military wives that way.

My DH is Navy and after 10 years in, I have spent more time alone than with him. (much more!) I KWYM about feeling robbed. It can definitely be stressful! It stinks that you can 't go home. :( Before DS was born, and when he was a baby, that is what I did.

For US I think the time apart has helped our marriage because we talk to each other a lot more when he is deployed. So, maybe even though it won't be a typical honeymoon phase, it can still be a time when you grow even closer.

Munchies - aaahhhhh make them stop. PMS + not smoking = stupid cravings. Oy this is not a happy day. Fighting the good fight thus far but man this is not fun!

First of all I just want to say that I can relate to the "I've made one bad choice so I'll just make another one" way of thinking on eating. I'm the same way and I hate it! But secondly can I just say that next thing you said is one of the best things I've heard....I do the same thing where I sit around and I try to figure out why I'm eating this and why I'm eating that...all the while still eating the junk.....HELLO....don't worry about why for now...just stop eating it! LOL! I know easier said than done; however, there could be very sound reason for why you are eating it....and not targeting the reason could end up sabatoging your best efforts to stop....is it a particular food or food group? Is it a particular time of day.....are you eating due to the response of a particular mood......it could be anything...mine is immediate gratification :D Oh...and I have food triggers too....for example...as soon as Dr. Phil would come on I would plop down with some kind of food and eat all through Dr. Phil and all through Oprah...then after Oprah I would go fix supper and eat supper with my family...but it became habit to grab food as soon as Dr. Phil came on...I had to replace my bad habit with a new one!

My advise is eat slow....enjoy the taste of what you are eating....and stop when you are full. You will eat much less this way. And don't center all activities around food...or cooking out and stuff....my family is really bad about that.....go on lots of hikes...or play some kind of ball......have fun!
You'll be fine!

:cheer3: Yay for you staying on plan! I'm proud of you! Are you in KY yet? Why won't your Visa regulations allow you to go to Canada? That is crazy! How long do you have to wait before you can go back! I really wish you were closer to TN than you are we could definatly help each other out on the working out thing! Hope you keep up the good work!

WOW! What a great idea! I don't have much time now for volunteering but as soon as I can I will. I'm gonna start looking into some different ideas. Does anyone have any suggestions? I think this is a great way to stay active and take my mind off of food! I know you were talking about military stuff...I'm not close to a military base...what are some things in a small rural area you think I could volunteer for?

OMG! I feel for you....that is a double whammy! BUT if you had to cave into a few cravings for a week (while PMSing) to keep from smoking...I would consider caving into a splurge better than caving into smoking! This PMS time will be over shortly and hopefully the smoking cravings gone shortly too :hug: :goodluck: stick to your guns!

Do you have a library?? I'm sure they could use some help. My mom volunteers at her library every week. You could also try the school. DS's school needs all types of volunteers, from making copies for teachers to reading to the kids, or helping to monitor the kids during lunch.

NO ... don't tell me that ... I'll be on my way to get more.

I do my hula hooping with a weighted hula hoop, not on the Wii, but I do sometimes use the one on the Wii Fit to warmup before yoga on the Wii Fit

You are not suffering alone. I'm having a major internal struggle today, BAH!