Good morning!

How was Mother's Day for all the moms? Mine didn't go according to plan - DS either has food poisoning or a violent stomach virus and spent the day tossing up everything he tried to keep down, including water, Gatorade and ginger ale. He's diabetic, so I'm concerned about dehydration and his blood sugar level (which is OK so far). Depending on what's going on this morning, I may call the doctor for some anti-nausea meds. But the day wasn't breakfast in bed and flowers, I can assure you!

The problem is that I feel cruddy this morning and I do not have time to be sick!! DH and I leave for New Mexico on Wednesday and there's tons that needs to be done before then. I'm skipping the gym this morning and hoping I feel better as the day goes on.

The good thing about a non-traditional (shall we say) Mother's Day is that there weren't any food challenges to worry about -- I had my good old salmon and green beans for dinner. Did anyone have buffets to deal with?

Anything exciting going on this week?

So sorry to hear about your DS, Meg. Kindof ruins the day!

I had a good Mother's Day (no buffets!!). Took DS shopping for his first suit! Other than the fact that I got a card from DS and a friendship bracelet from DD, it was a typical weekend day for us.

Today is my 19th Anniversary, but DH and I celebrated on Saturday.

I have a very busy week and then we leave Friday for a weekend in Vegas.

Everyone have a great day!

Meg I hope your DH is feeling better. Alinell a weekend in Vegas sounds great.
Mother's Day was good for me. My son bought me a set of weights to take to the office. My husband and I went boat riding to a little island about 15 miles offshore and we had a picnic. It was a perfect day but on the way back we got caught up in a thunderstorm. It was a little scary but exciting at the same time.
Today marks my 3 month maintaince. On Feb. 14 I weighed 145 and was 29% BF. Friday I was 144 and 24% BF. I started at 259 and 50% BF.
I hope everyone has a great week.
Terrie

Hi maintainers! Happy belated mothers day to all the mothers!

Meg, I hope your DS feels better soon!

Allison, have fun in Vegas!

I'm back from NYC and totally exhausted. Too many nights in a row going to sleep at 1am and getting woken up by the sun at 5:30. It was pretty hectic! My flight out Thursday night was delayed two hours, and then the taxi I took from the airport hit traffic because of construction. I didn't get to my friend's apartment until like 11:30pm. Friday morning I was up when she was at 6:30 (she is a med student and had to be at her rotation on the psych ward at 7:30). I had expected to find cereal or something in her apartment but all she had was granola bars! I remembered later that she isn't a big fan of milk, unless it is in ice cream form. I ended up getting a yogurt/fruit/granola parfait from Starbucks that morning but I had granola bars Saturday and Sunday.

Anyway, Friday morning I met up with my parents at around 9:30 to go to my sister's graduation from NYU law school. OMG, the graduation took FOREVER. We had to be in the doors at 10, the ceremony started at 10:30, and it didn't end until around 2:30pm. Whose bright idea was it to have a graduation go right through lunch?? I sat with my cousin, who had just had coffee for breakfast, and we were both starving at the end of it. Other than the unending procession of all 800 students across the stage (luckily my sister texted me to let me know which row she was in), the speeches were really good, especially the one given by Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, NJ. I have never seen such an amazing speech in my life (not that I've been to that many, but still). Afterward my whole family agreed that it would not be surprising to see this guy running for president in a few years.

Anyway after the graduation we went down to the law school for their reception, which was totally packed. Since we were starving we attacked the refreshments, which were luckily just fruit and cheese. After a couple hours of hanging around my sister's apartment, we met up with many more family members and friends for a huge, extravagant dinner at a fancy French restaurant. I had expected to be eating a lot, but to be honest for once in my life I managed to eat a big extravagant dinner without being totally stuffed at the end of it. I think it was partly because it took about three hours to eat, and partly because I didn't eat too much of the appetizers (one bite of foie gras was enough for me, it's like eating butter!).

Saturday my mom and I went to visit my aunt and grandmother in the morning, and around 4pm I met up with some friends to hang out and have dinner. Another big dinner, at a restaurant in Koreatown -- amazingly, despite living in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles most of my life, I had never had Korean food. It was really really good, I highly recommend it! But luckily we did a whole lot of walking around Manhattan to make up for the amount I ate.

Sunday was a trip to my uncle's house for a mother's day luncheon, then straight to the airport for my flight home. I was surprised because actually the lunch was quite healthy -- a bunch of veggie dishes (cabbage salad, chickpea salad, guacamole), turkey and chicken sausages, and some bread and cheese. My aunt sent me off with some cake to take with me since I couldn't stay longer.

Overall I actually feel like I did pretty well with food. I'm getting better at stopping when I am full even though other people are still eating. I'm also working on the technique of not putting more food on my fork until I have chewed and swallowed what's already in my mouth, so that I will eat slower. And, the best thing about the trip . . . my weight this morning was still 131, the same as it was before I left!!! I was expecting at least a couple pounds of water weight from higher sodium food.

Getting together with my family always brings up a whole slew of issues. After I lost weight, my mom got inspired and has lost a considerable amount of weight herself, and is now exercising regularly. My sister lost some weight while she was on a gluten-free diet, but she has put it back on since it turned out the gluten wasn't causing her intestinal problems (apparently it is being caused by ovarian cysts that appear out of nowhere, then rupture and release some toxins into her system -- the docs say if she starts taking birth control it will help).

My mom wants my sister to lose weight. I have issues with my parents and weight because as far back as I can remember my sister and I have been told we weigh too much and need to lose weight, while my parents never set a good example (my father is still obese). Because of this I never say anything to my sister about her weight since I know how awful it feels to be told you are fat and need to change your habits, and I know she needs to decide for herself if she is ready to lose weight. You would think, after all this, that my mom would have learned that it is useless to say stuff like that but she still picks on my sister about her eating and will talk about how much she eats behind her back.

Anyway I try to tell my parents not to say stuff like that, but I am kind of stuck in the middle. I can tell that my whole family, myself included, is starting to get worried that my sister might drink too much (which is definitely a contributing factor to the weight problem). It's really hard to tell since I only ever see her on celebratory occasions where everyone drinks more than normal, but it is kind of concerning. My mom has started making the same kind of veiled remarks about her drinking that she has made about her weight. I'm not really sure what I should do -- on the one hand I know that nothing will be helped by saying negative things to my sister. On the other hand I am kind of worried that she does seem to drink a lot, and though she always drank more than me it seems like it has increased since she quit smoking. I guess mostly what worries me is that she will drink when she is upset about something, which I have always considered a no-no.

Is there anything I should do about it? Or should I just continue to take a hands-off approach and figure if she wants help or advice she will ask for it? She isn't a binge drinker or anything like that, she has never had alcohol poisoning, so that's not what I'm talking about, it is more just drinking on a very regular basis. Since I personally have never been much of a partier or a drinker I don't really know what is "normal" for single people in their 20s (she is 27). To be fair I think many of my coworkers probably drink as much as my sister.

Anyway, sorry for the super-long post! I hope everyone has a good week this week! I'm leaving work early to close on our house today!

Meg, sorry to hear that your son is sick. I hope you get to feeling better too.

Allison, Congratulations on your anniversary.

Mother's Day was quiet here. DH cooked my Breakfast, and he cleaned the kitchen and living room. He gave DD and DS money to shop for me. I scored quite a few new clothes, but the capri's that DD picked out are too young looking for me. (they have silver brads on the pockets, LOL) so I need to take them back. They bought me 2 new dressy shirts that are made of cotton and both size large. Both fit across the shoulders but are too big across the belly area. I'm not sure if I should take them back and trade them or wash them and Hope they shrink? I could probably wear them tucked in. Does anyone still tuck their shirts in? I hardly never see anyone with them tucked in anymore and DD says "people don't do that anymore".

I'm feeling a little under the weather and am sleeping twice as much as I usually do. I can't seem to stay awake. Usually a red flag for me that I'm getting sick.

DH overslept for work this morning even though his alarm went off twice. He kept hitting snooze. Then he jumped up 30 min's later and left in a whirlwind.

Terrie, WTG on the 3 months of maintenance. Sounds like you are doing great.

Allison, good luck with your sister. I have these same type of concerns about my sister (only weight and smoking) but I try not to say anything. She doesn't want to change and most likely it would just cause a problem if I said anything. My other sister drinks beer Everyday. While it hurts me to see them doing things that I know is unhealthy (and they know), they are both adults. They don't at all think they have a problem.

I just have to share my Mother's Day card from Lacy.

Hey mom, When Shane and Dad get their new jobs: you and I will be together alone here at the house a lot more. I wouldn't want it any other way. You've rhe best mom ever, and you've always been there for me. I hope you have a marvelous Mother's Day and that you like what I picked out for you. Just a reminder to say I absolutely love that you're my mom. You are beautiful.
I love you, Mom , Love Lacy

Now that is so sweet. It brought tears to my eyes.

Glad to hear that all you mothers had a great Sunday. Meg, I hope your son gets better today. I had a very nice telephone talk with my mom and she and my dad will be here in a week.

Since I had insomnia Saturday night, I ended up sleeping most of Sunday day away. Both Sat & Sun I didn't do any of my floor exercises or other activities. I wasn't able to work it in on Sat and then Sunday was a wash. This morning I was back on track with the floor exercises and weights. This afternoon, I'll either go for a bike ride or walk.

I returned from being out of town since last Friday AM last night. I think I did pretty well. I ate a lot of things I don't usually eat, and I was much more liberal in my dietary choices than when I am at home. I always had my calorie intake in mind, and was conscious of what I was eating. At some meals, I ate more than I usually would have, but I did so with a positive mindset. I had blueberry pancakes with a sliced banana for breakfast yesterday at a restaurant, and they were delicious!

During the last year, I've had oatmeal every time I've eaten breakfast out, and it was quite a step to allow myself to have something else. The pancakes were great, and I left thinking that the indulgence was completely worth it! Perhaps I need to be more free in my dietary choices on a more regular basis. I think it may help with my overeating "mistakes" that I've had the last couple weekends, where I basically overeat to the point of not enjoying the food as much.

I think I need to stay away from having the indulgences be things that I can make at home. That may keep me from just making more and eating them all day until I feel uncomfortable. If I do buy treats, I need to only by reasonable quantities, not quantities that will lead to stuffing myself. I want to be able to eat treats sometimes (within the context of an otherwise healthy diet) without feeling guilty, and without overdoing it too much. I think that plan will take me back to what might be considered a more "normal" relationship with food.

Wish me luck!

Sad Saturday--my daughter's beloved pet hermit crab died. We buried her in our front garden on Sunday, marked with a small flower. She cried a while, now seems calmer. She loved taking care of the hermit crab. I think we'll stay pet-free until the summer is over--too many trips, overnight camp, etc.

I just ate a very healthy and tasty dinner and feel good and not insanely full. Also did a reasonable, but not too intense, workout at the Y.

Two job interviews this week (Middle School English/Lang. Arts) and had 1 last week. I expect I'll have a job by June 1...or the very last week of August. Public school hiring can be crazy--if budgets aren't finalized they don't finish hiring until the very end of summer. Or teachers decide to marry/relocate/not come back from maternity leave/etc. so something opens up last minute. I feel optimistic.

Meg, your post (different thread) about your 5 yr. anniversary brought tears to my eyes. You are an incredible woman and I admire you so much.

Meg-I hope your ds is feeling better.
Allison-have fun.
Jessica-It sounds like quite a trip.
Lily-I hope you're feeling better soon.

Mother's Day was nice. I got the usual homemade cards, but they were nice. Today I overdid it. I scraped and recaulked one tub, repainted in that bathroom and washed everything in it. I am totally wiped out. Dh brought home reuben sandwiches for dinner. I shouldn't have had it but I was to bushed to cook. Ah well, on to tomorrow.

Tara, it is interesting to see you working through your food issues over time. Amazing how much of myself I see in your posts, and I find it helps.

Jessica, sounds like quite a trip!

Robin, it was good to see you post last week. I'd been wondering where you were, and when you'd drop back in with your next batch of insightful tidbits.

Hi Meg, Lisa, Elanajel, Carolyn, Lily, Allison, all our other fantastic maintainers and welcome Terrie.

I had a rough Mother's day, in that my DD is starting into terrible 2s behavior, and I was ready to rip my hair out by the time the day was over. She went to bed about a half hour early, because I was DONE. Yesterday, she was a complete angel, fun, happy, cute. This is just physically and emotionally exhausting.

My eating has been mostly on this week, or at least not too badly off, and I'm getting exercise in, which is somehow more of a challenge than it used to be. I feel pretty good about it.

Anne

Hi everyone, yesterday I went out and worked 3 hrs. weeding my garden with a hoe. My plants are looking great. I can't wait to be able to pick fresh veggies. I have my lawn chair sat up out by the garden under a tree for whenever I need to take a little break. Well, yesterday I took 1 short break. When I finished for the evening, I had a real scare. There was a huge Rattlesnake skin next to my chair. It wasn't there when I started or when I took my break. I'm very thankful that I never saw the snake. DH looked for the snake and didn't find it. I hope it went into the big pasture that is behind the house and stays there.

Anne, we just went through the "terrible twos" with my grandson. It was very trying. He just turned 3 and nothing much has changed yet except he seems to understand and listen just a tad bit better now. His big question now is "WHY?" a million times a day. LOL.

We have another busy weekend coming up. SD #3 graduates from high school on Friday night and her Birthday is Saturday. She leaves next month to the Coast Guard. So, there will be a big party for her with all the family. (I just love these type of occasions with DH's XW and all the family, LOL).

Anne~With my kids, we labeled it the terrible twos AND threes and the furious fours. It wasn't until they were five that I had peace more often than tantrums. But looking back, it was more my DD than my DS--I don't remember him being as bad as she was! Perhaps I was used to it by then or because I was older I was more able to just ignore it and move on. Who knows!

Lily~scary snakes! I'd be carrying a big stick next time I went in the yard!

Tara~you're taking the right steps in incorporating new things into your diet. Small changes with the mindset of staying within your limits should work great for you. So many are scared to try a small indulgence once in a while! You're doing great!

Joy~take it easy!!! You don't want to have that baby early do you? Thankfully you didn't have to cook on top of all that work.

Elena~so sorry to hear about DD's crab. We had a hermit crab here at the office for a while--they are entertaining (though mostly at night).

I had a great night last night. DH and I shared a shrimp cocktail before dinner and that really took the edge off the hunger! I was making BLT's with avocado and could only manage to eat half a sandwich with a few veggies on the side. My weight is 141 and I'm thinking it'll be on a downward trend from there. The only bad thing was when I was pitting the avocado, my knife slipped and I stabbed myself. Not bad--but it feels quite bruised. The cut itself is quite minuscule.

Everyone have a great day!

Ouch!! Allison. I love avocado on BLT's (or even just LT's ) I got some good avocados this week. So often they're either rock hard or pure mush. Buying fruit in Alaska is a real c*ap shoot! You can really only depend on the apples and banans.

Not much new in my little world except I had my first physical therapy appt yesterday for my knees. Mostly he was just evaluating me so he can formulate a plan. It was almost a relief to have him tell me that there is definitely a problem - and that he can do a lot to alleviate it! For now, both knees are taped and wonder of wonders, I can walk up stairs with little to no pain! And the pain on going down is much less. If taping can do this, the proper exercise (and likely orthotics) should be able to help even more. I was very encouraged.

I'm just slogging through stuff at work, and trying to deal with projected budget shortfalls. Not a pretty political or economic outlook around here these days. Sigh. It's not going to get better any time soon either. And food doesn't help in this situation either! Not that I haven't been tempted to try it - this is an observable conclusion.

Well, I'm at home today. I had the base work done for my crown after the root canal a couple weeks ago. I had planned to go to work, but half my head is numb and I cannot actually speak. I'm also drooling all over myself. The plus side: I have absolutely no desire to eat or drink anything!

Ah, we are back in the 100s now! Summer in Tucson.

Anne

Yesterday, DH got a job offer which he accepted! It's in NYC and he'll start 2 weeks from today. It's been a long 3 months for him, so I'm happy he's got work. I'm just bummed that we'll be a weekend couple again. He promises that he'll drive down Wednesday nights for swing dancing.

Looks like we won't be able to go on our three week cruise to Maine this summer. We'll have to do long weekends to Atlantic City, Cape May, and Staten Island. There's a marina in Jersey City where DH's apartment is that we might bring our sailboat to for a week. I would stay in the apartment instead of sleeping on the boat for safety reasons.