Planning and chat for Sept. 3-9
 

Good Morning all and happy Labour Day! Hope everyone in North America is enjoying the last long weekend of summer, and everyone else has had a great weekend too!

Do you have a long-range plan for September, a shorter one for this week, or are you just going on OP as usual :D ?

Have a great week!

Dagmar

Canadian summer's over
 

My DH remarked yesterday that Canadians measure the summer by long weekends - May "two-four" is the start and Labour Day the end.

So to celebrate the start of a new season I officially am now free of diet Pepsi. Drank my last bottle of the stuff yesterday afternoon.

I was anxious all evening :eek: about how I'm going to get through the day at work without my little jolts of caffeine. And I think I'm going through a little "withdrawal" :dizzy:. That sounds so silly!

But I went to bed at 10:30 and slept through until around 6:15. I can't remember the last time the clock showed a 6 instead of a 5 or 4 for the hour when I woke up.

So it's mostly positive so far :cool:. And today we're going on the monster kayak (yesterday was too hot/sunny for DH) so that will keep me away from the DP (diet you know what).

Happy (belated) birthday SusanB :celebrate:

Dagmar :yay:

My DH said yesterday that he's tired of the belly ( it's not that big ) and wants to start a diet today. Considering he's never been on one and hates chicken and fish, this should be interesting. So the house gets cleared of all junk food today, and meals will be of smaller portions but still flavorful for him.

My September includes 5 days of vacation so dieting will be difficult but not impossible , the first 3 days will be restaurant eating , I will handle that by avoiding cream sauces, gravies and desserts, 2 days of the vacation will be at the home of a relative who will probably knock herself out preparing scrumtous meals, here's where portion control comes in. In addition I will get in as much walking as I can.

Good morning. Well, my plan for September is a biggie. I'm quitting smoking tomorrow! I'm very nervous. It isn't my first time, I quit once for 2 years and I've quit with both pregnancies. Dumbie for starting back up! This time, it's for good. Dh and I are doing it together. We don't want our children watching their parents smoke while growing up and we want to live long enough to meet our grandchildren!! Smoking is stupid! I'm tired of it and want to be healthy again. I hope I can do this. :yikes:

My plan for September is to have protein at lunch and dinner every day and to increase my vegetable intake. I have a lot of chicken and vegetables in my freezer because I haven't been eating them as often as I should.

feelingroovy - Good luck quitting smoking!

SusanB - I hope you had a Happy Birthday! :woo:

Good morning All!

It sounds like everybody has exciting resolutions for the end of summer! I am a little sad that summer is ending, but excited at the same time because it brings me that much closer to finishing my thesis and finally graduating.

For me, I really want to get back on track...I'm going to start going to the gym in the mornings, because I have a little more flexibility in my schedule now that school is starting again. I'm going to run 4 times a week hopefully. And eating will be better! I'd actually really like to adopt a more vegetarian way of eating, but I don't know how that will go over with BF. I also say a "more" vegetarian way of eating, because both my parents and BF's parents are not particularily open to vegetarianism.

Good luck to Dagmar and Groovy with your resolutions! Good luck to bargoo on your vacation!!!! I know it can be hard (I fell off the wagon on mine!) but you can do it! And Thinny, enjoy having your DH on the diet...it may make things easier on you!

Groovy - Good luck... quitting smoking is a toughie! My DH is a type 1 diabetic and the last thing he needs to do is smoke. He finally quit SUCCESSFULLY using Chantix. Not sure if you'd consider pharmaceutical help, but it worked wonders for him. Even when playing with his band (one band member in particular takes LOTS of cig breaks), he said he had ZERO desire for one. He did two rounds of it, and he's been off chantix now for several months and doing well. Just a thought...

Ah... September. Means back to work (I teach high school) for me. Sadly, the last 2 years I have really dreading going back, which I know is a sign of burn out. The administration at my school is a cluster%^$#, and the stress of the job is getting to me. I know I'll be ok once I start, but I am just dreading it. I've been a bit blue the last few days, and I know that's why... eating has followed suit (not great). I have biked the last 2 days, and I'm getting ready to go on a walk/run. But what I really need to do is do better with calorie counting... consistency. I need to focus on losing rather than maintaining. 5 more lbs. would be great for me.

Ok. Enough whining ...Sorry for complaining about work... we all have to work (well most of us), and I know I'm super fortunate to be able to have the summer off in the first place (aside from the stint of summer school I taught). So, I will refrain from whining about that anymore.

Happy Labor day, gals. Have a healthy and happy one!

Nic - we posted at the same time... good luck with finishing this semester (or do you have another year). I need to focus on having a more excited attitude toward school. I know that will come once I get started... always does.

Also, you and I are just about identical in where we are and where we want to be. We should keep an eye on each other...might be motivating to see if we can both drop the last 9 lbs. (well, like I said, I'll be pretty psyched with 5!!). Have a great day!

Good morning!

Saturday, I sat down and planned out 2 weeks worth of dinner menus--most from Cooking Light. Lunches will remain the same--usually salads or a sandwich with vegetables on the side. Lately breakfast has been ff cottage cheese and fruit, so that's all good.

This morning, DH and I got up early to beat the heat and spent 2 hours cleaning our back yard patio, grill and furniture. Once or twice a year we do a major cleaning like that, then when we use it, all it really needs is a good brushing off of dust. The grill is covered, so it doesn't get dusty, but several months of use had made it rather greasy and messy. It all looks so clean and new! But it looks like I'll suffer dishwater hands for a couple days!

I think I'll do a little shopping this afternoon. There are 3 stores that I should go to and see what fits. I was hoping to have gotten rid of this excess weight before shopping, but I cleaned out my closet and drawers yesterday, so I need to shop! I tried on and got rid of all my old suits. I don't wear suits much any more, and lord knows why I hung onto them for so long--none of them fit any longer. DH said they looked horrible and baggy on me! Yay!

Yesterday, we all went out to lunch and then to a movie. Dinner was light because lunch was so big.

Well, that's my Labor Day weekend!!!

feelingroovy~DH and I both quit smoking years ago (almost 18 years for me--when I was pregnant with DD). DH took a bit more convincing--but he read an article in the paper that said to pick a date in the future as your quit date and then stick to it (it sounds like what you have done). Maybe we have good will power, but we don't smoke any more. But, what is weird, for many, many years, we would find ourselves in "situations" where we wanted to smoke, and we often would, but the next day we'd quit again. Twice we went on extended vacations where we smoked daily for a week or more, but once we got home, we quit. That lasted a couple of years, but for the past 4 or 5 years, all cravings for both of us has stopped. It is hard. It will take a long time. But it is worth it!!! Good luck!

Good luck getting back into the groove Claire! I can understand that having a a bad administration can really put a damper on a job that you otherwise might enjoy...thats the same reason that I really don't want to go back into the lab to finish my thesis...my supervisor is a big jerk. We can do it though! Stay strong, and focus on what you enjoy about your job! You have an important impact on many young people's lives...teaching is such an admirable job!

I'd also be pretty happy with dropping another 5 pounds...but lets go for gold...we'll try to motivate each other!!!! Good luck!

Allison - Enjoy your shopping!!!! And wow, on the major cleaning event! BF and I need to do that in our apartment....

P.S - I have one more semester of school. I'm in co-op, so my program takes 4.5 years to finish :)

Hello everyone!

So I've returned after a summer away from 3FC. I must admit I missed it, but between work, friends, and some summer courses (yes I am crazy) I just didn't have time to really concentrate on my weight loss or to really come on the boards.

But I'm back! And back on featherweights, which is one of my fav boards here.

Groovy-goodluck with the quitting smoking. That's gonna be tough.

Mudpie - Did you used to drink lots of diet soda? Caffein withdrawal is horrible. When my mom quit coffee years ago she got shaky and had horrible headaches. Goodluck.

Allison - I know the feeling about shopping. I avoided going and buying pants all summer because I kept hoping I'd just lose a little more before I really needed to buy any... but since I needed some jeans I finally caved and bought some. I've decided to get them tailored if (when!) they become to big.

stiebena - what program are you in co-op for?

Welcome back Cats Tongue!

I'm in the genetics co-op program at McMaster University in Hamilton :) What program are you in?

Everyone sounds really up for fall!
 

We do sink into a bit of a torpor in summer, don't we?

Allison Sounds like you and I did a similar housecleaning this weekend. It was just too darn hot (and I'm super cranky from the diet Pepsi withdrawal) to kayak so I tried on a bunch of my fall clothes and donated a bunch of summer ones to a local addiction group (given the diet Pepsi situation it seemed appropriate). It's hard to give up on clothes you used to wear a lot and even harder to give up the "mistakes". I had about 6-7 items that I've never even worn (mail order shopping does have its drawbacks) so I was very conscious of the cost of giving them away. My closet looks a whole lot more organized though.

Stiebena Sounds like you're OP long term for the fall. Partial vegetarianism can be easier to do if you coax people into it. My DH actually prefers meatless meals so I had no problem alternating meat days with meatless ones. Maybe as a start you can ask your collective parents to make an extra vegetable with some meals and to cook more chicken?

Bargoo It's hard to diet when at a great cook's home - so many hurt feelings when you turn down things that they have spent hours preparing. I think your idea of portion control is great! Maybe you can find a smaller plate to eat from - make it look like you're eating more?

Groovy I quit smoking 4 times. My DH 5 before we both stuck with it. You probably will find it easier since your DH is doing it with you and you can support each other. I had to give up drinking alcohol and coffee for awhile (I was sooo cranky the first 3 weeks) with the smoking because the associations between all were so great. YOU CAN DO IT!!

walking2lose My DH's work situation sounds much like yours. So hard to go in with a positive attitude when you know that management is absof#*kinglutely messed up. Hope that once you're teaching it gets a bit easier.

Cats tongue Sounds like you're ready to be a little bit less squishy this fall!

Have a great week everyone! I'm dragging DH out for a walk before the TV narcoticizes him.

Dagmar (Diet Pepsi is DEATH!!) :D

Hello everyone,

I am new to 3FC. I have been perusing this website for a couple of days and finally decided to bite the bullet. I lost 77 lbs last year and came within 7 lbs of my goal and wouldn't you know it I sabbatoged myself. i started to get complacent with my excercising and totally relaxed with my eating. Here I am 20 lbs heavier than last spring. So my goal for the month of Sept is to get back to the healthy habits that helped me lose the weight in the first place. I really have no choice. I threw away all my fat clothes last summer so I would have to buy a whole new wardrobe again. (yikes!):?: Hopefully with a little encouragement from you guys. :carrot: I can get back on track. You guys know what it's like to be right on the edge.

Good Morning!
Hi rswlchic ... we're glad you're here and ... yes, we can help you with all that! But ... I, for one, am impressed with what you've done already!

September is as good a time as any to get back in the groove. Cooler days, the freshness of autumn in the air ... lovely local tomatoes ;)

:wel3fc: rswlchic

Yep, we all teeter on that edge a lot. Some of us (SusanB for example) are on the other side of our goal weight and some of us, like me, are still teetering on the "fat" side.

We're a fun bunch though and I hope we can cheerlead for you :carrot:

Dagmar

Morning Dagmar!

Good morning!

Shopping yesterday was a bust. I didn't find anything that called for me to buy it. I need something new, too!

My run this morning was hot and uncomfortable, but we're anticipating a cooling trend (should be down to 100 by the end of the week).

The kids are off to school this morning. DD was excited, but I'm not too sure about DS. Friday, DD and I are traveling to Cal State Fullerton for a tour. DD wants to apply there.

That's it here. I ALC last night (cookies--aargh!) and my weight is up but it should come off quickly (as long as I lay off the wine LOL).

Hello Everyone :wave:

I'm back after taking a lot of the summer off from my dieting and what a mistake that was. I'm up 5 lbs. :yikes:

Well I'm back on track today. I missed everyone here at 3FC. I must confess, I did lurk a couple of times to see what everyone was up to. I hope everyone had a good summer. As for me, apparently it was a good "eating" summer :dunno:

:welcome2: rswlchic. This is a great place to get support with a lot of nice people.

Everyone have a great day :)

A little OT ramble
 

Good to hear from you abbyin. :welcome2: back!

I just had my eyes examined and tested. The world is quite furry and in soft focus right now - kinda romantic except I'm alone with two middle-aged cats.;)

I had to give up one of "my" young dogs last week - unneuterred male who will be banished from the off-leash from now on - but I got another back. She is GREAT! I loved her owner's last dog but she was a real ruffian - ate my car, wrestled around in the back window with other dogs, etc. This one (Roxy) is terrific! Her owner went on mat leave last September (my the eye test seems to be affecting my typing) and I didn't really expect to ever see her again.

I am happy today even though it's kinda the Monday day :p of the work week. I am staying OP tonite even though it's going to be pretty boring with this soft focus thing happening. I have no cable TV right now (part of DH's weight loss program) and I can't read so I think I might sing to the cats for awhile. That should get them in a really ugly mood (I have two tin ears) - good thing the net doesn't have a voice capability yet. Although I suspect I would put you all "off your food" :lol:

Dagmar :cool: (temporarily blinded by the light)

Welcome rswlchic! :wel3fc:

Welcome back abbyin! :wave:

Dagmar, it sounds like you had a dilated eye exam. I'm due for one of those. After my last one I went out to dinner and of course I couldn't focus on anything! That's great that you have Roxy!

Morning dears ... from the twilight zone ~~~~ someone who looks just like my husband ... went for a jog this morning~~~~ do do do do ~~~~

Good news on the birthday food front. Fully dressed with shoes on I was 126 yesterday. Not bad, not bad.

Once, just once, I forgot to take sunglasses with me to an eye examine ... oi ... weird. I never forget any more.

Hi abbyin!
Nic, how was the cottage?

Originally Posted by SusanB:
from the twilight zone ~~~~ someone who looks just like my husband ... went for a jog this morning~~~~ do do do do ~~~~

My DH loads up a gym bag 3 times a week with gear and goes to the gym to lift weights. Have we started a trend? How about everyone else? Is the DH, BF, etc. exercising and eating better?

Dagmar :yay: (back from the twilight)

Good Morning!

I had a terrible night...couldn't sleep until about 3am, and then had to be up at 6:45 ugh. I hate it when that happens. I am having some general anxiety problems that I guess are keeping me up.

Dagmar - thanks for the ideas on how to warm up my parents/ILs on me wanting to eat more vegetarian! I'd never thought about having them make extra veggie dishes, but that would be really good in a multitude of ways...neither of them have anything close to healthy eating habits.

Susan - the cottage was wonderful!!!!!! I really really enjoyed lazing around in the sun, and poking my head into cute little shops in Tobermory. It was a gorgeous location too...cliff top patio overlooking the deep blue water of georgian bay...great place to watch boats. Also, we were only about 1K from the head of the bruce trail!

hmmm so is BF eating better/exercising because of me? I'd say that I've been a pretty good influence on him since we moved in together a year and half ago...he's eating more regularly now, and healthier meals usually. He was working out for a bit, but he quit...says he's going to start up again now that the fall is here. He is frustrating though...he's 5'4" and 115 lbs...so much smaller weight wise than me! He has the metabolism of a hummingbird...eats whatever he wants. BUT I always try to remind him, that just because he's skinny doesn't mean he's healthy.

Morning ladies!

I had a great OP day yesterday and plan to keep it up today :cb:. I even walked at the mall on my lunch hour :o.

Good for you Whittlin, getting back down to that ticker weight :cp:. Because of my little "vacation" this summer, I have a little ways to go. When I left, I was 143 so I have at least 5 lbs. to lose to get back there but I will do it :yes:.

Susan and Dagmar - It's great that you have husbands that are at least trying. My DH keeps saying he wants to lose weight and is going to work on it, but I don't see it happening. Oh well, I can't really push him into anything. When he's truly ready then he will do something about it. I do think he's getting close though.

Everyone have a great day :wave:

Hey, ya'll need to give me some hints on getting my DH moving!!! Sure, he eats well because he eats what I fix him. I can get him to eat a protein bar for breakfast (which is a step above his old routine of "nothing"). He eats the same lunch as I because I fix it 4 days a week. We eat the same dinners. BUT, he drinks too much Scotch and doesn't exercise. We go for a weekly 4-5 mile walk, but he thinks walking should be leisurely--you know, take your time, stop to talk to ALL the neighbors! It often takes us 1.5-2 hours! I used to do the exact same walk alone and I could do it in 50-60 minutes! I'd love it if he'd get up and run with me (or at least walk while I run)--it would make the run less frightening. Yes, it is frightening to be out there in the dark all alone (alone except with my not-so-ferocious Labrador!!).

Hello everyone!

Just a couple minutes between meetings. The last meeting included lunch, and we had the most wonderful raspberry beets. Very simple: roasted beets, chilled and dressed in a raspberry vinaigrette with fresh basil. Oh so tasty, though. (I love beets, but DH/DS don't and they -- the beets, not DH/DS! -- tend to be too much trouble to cook just for myself.)

The rest of the lunch I could have done without: gloppy coleslaw and parmesan-covered pasta. Oh, I guess there was a fruit salad, of which I had two servings. Oink oink.

Off I go. A good afternoon to you all!

Kim

Just a quick hello to say... I am EXHAUSTED (What a wuss!!)

Two days back at school, and man, am I dragging! So far it seems like 4 out of 6 of my classes are going to be a lot of fun. The other two seem a bit iffy, but I'm hoping they'll warm up. My schedule seems more grueling this year, or maybe it's my age. I know 39 isn't that old, but I just feel like my energy level has waned a good bit. I HATE getting up at 6:00. I'm a natural night owl and have been since childhood. Shouldn't it be illegal to have to get up when it's still dark out!? I know I would mind getting up so much if I could only go to sleep at a reasonable hour... the insomnia seems to really kick in when I go back to school.

Food has been ok yesterday and today, but exercise is lacking. Took off last evening for an hour walk/run, but I wimped out and headed home after 30 min. Bad, bad, bad. Will try again tonight.

Sorry that I'm not taking time to read and respond to everyone, but my brain really is mushy... mushy like oatmeal. Have a good one, girls.

Take heart all you fit-husband-wishers ... I've been at this for over 3 1/2 years! And now ... he runs!?!

I think it may have something to do with having to go back for a cholesterol recheck.

Hello all you lovely featherweights!!!

Today was my first day back at school, and boy was it awesome. I ran into so many of my pals and such, which was very nice.

Still it's gonna be a HARD semester I have some tough classes. But I'm looking forward to it.

I don't have a boyfriend, (never had one, this is the year I think though, there are a few boys I think will suit me fine, lol. ;) ) but I'd like to think I'm a positive influence on my roommate. She tried to get out running last year, and she started to walk to school with me. We'll also be playing soccer together. Now to work on some of my other horribly lazy friends hee hee hee.

Good Morning!

Is it rswlchic's birthday? :hug:

Where is everyone?

Well the last couple of days were pretty good but today I went over a little. I'm trying to stay around 1400 calories a day but today I hit 1560 calories :o. I guess it could have been worse. I'll work harder tommorow.

Well better go. My beloved Colts are on tonight. GO COLTS!

:bday2you: rswlchic

I'm recovering from greasy Chinese food last night, eaten in a strip mall on the way to a meeting. Not my choice but nothing I could do. Ate a lot of the steamed rice but all the veggies with it were covered in oil/grease.

The two Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches :o when I got home didn't help.

Nauseated most of this morning. Geez, what if my body no longer tolerates any kind of unhealthy food? No chocolate - IMPOSSIBLE!!! :D

Have been very consciously undoing the damage today. Except I'm back to drinking the Diet Pepsi :o but in much more moderate quantities. My excuse today was that it was just so darn hot - 34 degrees C :flame: (I hear Allison laughing).

Hope everyone had a great day! I'm defrosting an upright freezer (no idea what I'm doing) and I can hear stuff starting to crash - better go!

Dagmar :beach:

Dagmar: Isn't it amazing how our bodies send us messages, often in loud, uncomfortable, and possibly, umm, smelly terms? :) I think a big part of being healthy is to learn to listen to those cues, and also to ignore or reinterpret the fake cues (i.e., "I *need* this entire bag of Doritos").

Of course, sometimes our bodies rebel against change, too. I think I posted about the delicious the beets I had at a noontime meeting. Well, they were delicious, but later that day they also did the fandango in my gastrointestinal system for an hour or two. Where's the icon for dancing beets? :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening. It's bedtime around here, and not just for The Boy.

Kim

Good morning.

I'm here somewhere. Even if I leave the country I usually try to lurk ;)

This is the one portion of my rotation when I realise what everyone has been talking about all these years ... TGIF ... 'nuff said.

Originally Posted by kaw:

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening. It's bedtime around here, and not just for The Boy.

Kim

;) And my DH says I'm a weirdo for going to bed at 9:30 or 10 p.m. I think I'll start to feel kinda old when the little hand (or in my case the red digital display number) on the clock is at 8. :D

Dagmar (the diet Pepsiaholic :devil: which strangely enough my body is not protesting against)

I don't know what I'd do without my diet Coke! Well, I'm sure I'd live but ... I sure appreciate having some!

What I need to do is go to bed at 8 and stay there! No getting up for a Zone bar ... handful of cereal ... etc ...

I was thinking about Dagmar's intestinal distress while I was in the close confines of the shower. If I wander off alone at some point today ... do not follow and do not stand down wind ... now if I could just remember what I ate that did that ....