This will be a few challenging days, lunch today with friends , one who is visiting from Texas,tomorrow dinner with number one son ( for Mother's Day)
Sunday lunch with number two son, another Mother's Day treat.

Hm, I'd been thinking about trying greek yogurt but after this description I don't think I will! I absolutely can't stand sour cream! :lol:

I am so happy about the no excuses thread this week. Today I saw my first loss in over a month! :woohoo: Plus I've been below 1600 cals every day this week so far. I'm aiming for closer to 1400, but below 1600 seems to be good enough as long as I get my exercise.

Lily - congrats on being smoke-free! I hope Lacey is doing okay with more surgeries on the horizon. It must be tough for a teenager.

Goal - I am 100% sure that your 9lbs were water weight! You are right, you should weigh at the same time every day and the morning is more reliable than at night. Even so, water weight can cause huge fluctuations! Just think about how much you'd have to eat to gain 9lbs of fat overnight! :eek:

goalsuccess~your story is PRECISELY why I only weigh once a day and in the morning! The daily fluctuations I can deal with. The hourly ones? Not so much.

Jessica~how can you dislike sour cream? I believe it is one of my most favorite foods. I could go on and on with different uses for it....if only I could make my mind believe that Fage 0% plain was sour cream! I do like that yogurt--but I have to mix in some fruit to enjoy it. Frozen bananas (thawed out) are wonderful mashed and mixed in.

Lily~congrats on your first week smoke free! I have to say that every once in a while I get a twinge of a craving, but I haven't caved into the craving for years now.

I can't imagine what a stink the cabbage in the oven would cause!!! DD likes her broccoli oven roasted and I can't stand the smell from that! I usually steam it which is less smelly.

I Love Fage too, but it's just too expensive for me to buy as a daily item. I get it now and then and add just a tiny bit of maple syrup. I've tried that other brand you often see with the fage, but it was awful! :( Someone told me that the Trader Joes version was good too. I'll have to check that out.

Paper - If you add something sweet to it it doesn't taste like sour cream. Just has the same texture.

Lily, congratulations on being smoke-free for a week! That's wonderful! And, yes, at least your DH is being respectful and smoking outside. Plus that has benefits for all the new stuff you've recently put in your house. My friend stopped smoking inside when he realized what the smoke was doing to his antiques, freshly painted walls, etc. He didn't stop smoking, unfortunately, just stopped smoking inside.

Barbara, I, too, love TJ's Greek yogurt. It also has the benefit of being cheaper than the Fage. Wish there was a TJ's around here. You know, this was the first time I've lost weight on vacation. Part of me keeps wondering if I have some kind of illness that caused me to lose weight. How silly is that?!?!

Idealmuse, are you talking about Greek Gods yogurt? Yuck, yuck, yuck! That stuff is terrible--sour and gelatin-like.

Bargoo, stay strong! Let yourself enjoy, but not over-enjoy. At least that's what I keep telling myself about Mother's Day brunch at the winery. :)

So when did I go from miss to ma'am to "dear?" I've been "hunned" before, usually by servers at diners, but it's twice this week that I've been "deared" by people. I'm only 55--that's too young to be "dear!" My hair may be grey, but I've got muscles that I didn't have in my 30s.

Okay, over my rant. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and that all you mothers enjoy your special day.

Ah Sheila, from a decade above, I'll tell you it doesn't get any better. :lol: I don't think I look 63, and I don't like being treated like I'm OLD. People in their 90's are old, not those of us in our 60's.

I'm having a good week foodwise - thanks to No Excuses - now I just need to work on bringing the exercise up to the same level. I'm feeling lethargic, and that's always a Catch-22 - if I drag myself to the gym, or outdoors to exercise, I'll feel better and have more energy. I just need to summon the energy to do it, if you know what I mean. :) It's supposed to be nice over the weekend, so I'd like to go for a bike ride and start conditioning my "seat" so I can do some longer rides.

My DH is leaving next Thursday for 2 weeks, and while I'll enjoy the time home alone, I'm concerned about staying on track foodwise. With him gone, it's a time when I think I can eat xyz that he doesn't like which often is food I shouldn't indulge in anyway. (I also watch TV and movies he doesn't like -but that doesn't add pounds). Anyone else have this problem? I'm so glad I'm working on staying with the plan now so it will be more of a habit when he leaves.

Hi everyone,

Today is a full week of being smoke-free. Still having rough, tearful times, but refusing to give in to the urge to smoke. I'm taking it one day at a time. I can do this.

Like others mentioned, if DH didn't smoke it would be easier. I can't change him, I can only change myself.

This morning has been stressful. Spent 4 hrs. dealing with my insurance company regarding medical bills on me and Lacy. They must get some kind of bonus to deny every single claim for as long as possible, before paying a darn thing. By the time they do finally pay, I'm being hounded constantly by the X-ray, lab, Dr.'s office, hospital, etc. for payment in full. Sorry for the rant, just very tense today. Anyway, I took care of Fourteen claims today and I wonder how much good it will do.

DH has gone to play golf. I'm waiting til the girls get home from school and then we are going to the gym. I'm gonna take out some of my stress/frustration/anger out on the stairmaster and treadmill and swimming.

Still no word from Shane. I'm constantly being told "no news is good news". While sorting through a bunch of paperwork stuff this morning, I found Shane's deployment stuff with his finger prints and dental records amongst it. Probably a big part why I'm in such a sad , stressed state.

On a happier note, my eating today has been somewhat more controlled. Not perfect, just better than the rest of this week.

I'm sorry :( SHEILA :^: From my great grandfather down, the men in my family have always called young and old women "dear". I had no idea your age, it honestly, was not meant to offend...again, I am sorry.

Gary

Gary, I didn't even notice that "dear!" So no offense taken at all. No, it was a younger person at the grocery store and before that a guitar player in whose case I dropped a dollar. Methinks I am too sensitive. . . But when I see the guitar player on Saturday, I'm going to make my DH drop a dollar in the case. :D

Sheila, we need to buy you a muscle shirt! :strong:

Hi all,

It was really hard for me when I moved to the deep south, and at 21 people started calling me "ma'am". It still makes me feel so old (at age 25 now)! It's a regional thing here. But I've definitely heard "dear" and "hun" as terms of affection, often, not to do with age! Gary calls us all "dear" because he loves us. :D

goal, I might hop on the scale at different times of day, but I never ever could any but the number first thing in the morning. I've fluctuate 5+ pounds just about every day, I think! AM is always my lightest, so I use that number as official. ;)

Lily, ugh, sounds like a nightmare dealing with the insurance company. Sorry you have to deal with all.

Pat, I also in a teeny way look forward to when BF is out of town, b/c I can eat things like sweet potatoes and veggie burgers instead of trying to make things we both like. I usually work out more, too, b/c I'm not keeping my eye on the clock at the gym to meet him when we have plans. Just remember, no excuses! Wear your black jeans every day to remind yourself how great you feel.

I've had a busy day at work. Now I'm off to the gym... oh goody...

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm so glad SHEILA! :carrot:

For me...and only speaking for me, and it is how I was brought up, it is appropriate for a "grown" man to call a woman of any age dear, as a term of endearment. I do feel it is not apprpriate for a "boy" to call a woman dear...again...this is all "me"

MEGAN! You are so smart!! I do love all of you. If I ever call any of you something you don't like please PM me! :hug:

I think I may start a week-end thread on this subject in General Chatter ;) later tonight...I will be all alone after date night dinner...Angie is off to her sister's and her mom's for Mother's Day and her 1/2 marathon relay race.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY LADIES! :hug:

Thanks, Gary! And a Happy Mother's Day to all the moms here (even moms of furkids :D). :balloons: Heavens, does anyone have to deal with M-Day buffets today?? :faint: I told my children please, no cards and no presents. And most definitely, no meals out!

DH and I spent the day with his mom yesterday, which is just a lot of driving since she's 2+ hours away. I was seriously starving when we finally got home but stuck to healthy foods -- chicken, almond milk, apple, PB, a couple of rice cakes -- and the scale dropped a pound this morning. :cb:

I've been planning all week to plant my herb garden today, but the weather forecast is for cold and rain. :( I hope they're wrong! In addition to the usual basil, rosemary, cilantro, and parsley, I bought lemon basil and a variegated thyme that looked interesting. The regular thyme, sage, and oregano are perennials and it looks like the Italian parsley came back. I have them all in a narrow strip of garden right outside my back door, so I'm steps away from the herbs when I cook. Basil is my absolute favorite! I think it would make a great perfume. :)

The gym opens at 8:00 am -- what I would give for a 24-hour gym!

Yes, I've got a mom's day buffet to deal with today.
My dh and dds already made me a yummy (and not too bad) breakfast. I will make sure I work out extra hard at the gym today and keep my transgressions to a minimum.
I also got presents and cards! I feel spoiled!

I'm catching babies today which is a fun thing to do on Mother's Day. I got my Mother's Day gift last night---one of those Magic Bullet blenders so I can blend up my protein shakes. :carrot:

Happy Mother's Day all!