:lol: Michele and WH. My goal is to retire to someplace it doesn't snow! However, DH loves living here, so right now our plan is to leave for most of the winter (whoops, I guess that would make us snowbirds!). We haven't yet found a place we like as well as where we live now, so I can see us spending parts of the winters in various places, kind of "trying them on" before making a decision to move. Lest you think this is a long term plan - DH is already retired, and I will be in May 2010. Can't wait! :)

The happiest day in my DH's life was the day we sold our snow shovel and moved to So Cal!

Winter has arrived a little early
 

Very few places to live in Canada where a snow shovel isn't required. Usually not in November where I am though, so today was a bit of a shock.

I work outside from about 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. every day. Todaqy it was just around 0 degrees C and I was tramping around in about 3-5 inches of snow. The windchill was about -11 C.

I find it very hard to diet in the winter. I'm always starving although I'm not usually cold as I've learned to dress for it and take along all sorts of dry/alternate clothing and footwear in my car trunk.

DH wants to retire in northern Ontario (we are in southern now). I want to retire in a desert. Anyone out there in Arizona or New Mexico want a really really competent and reliable Canadian live-in maid/dogwalker/chauffer/cook and generally all round good person at their house in about 15 years?

Dagmar :p

Good... day, all! :)

It has been in the 20s and 30s in the morning here in North Central Florida, which means a t-shirt, a long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, a hoodie, a jacket, a hat, two pairs of socks, and sunglasses for me! :cool:

I have fallen SO very off plan during these last couple of weeks, but I've been perfectly ON plan during these last couple of *days* ;) I'd say to wish me luck with staying on plan during these next couple of months, but shoot - I believe we ALL need some good luck and will power dust during the holidays, no?!

On top of that, I did not feel good at ALL on Monday or Tuesday, which really put a crimp on my workout plans. On the flip side, I felt a little better yesterday and feel almost normal today, so I've been trying to work out as much as I can. Unfortunately, I'm not yet up to my full potential because I'm still a little weak. I'm hoping to be all the way better tomorrow or Saturday. :D

I am SUPER stoked about baking a Thanksgiving dinner, though! I'm going to make roast turkey (I found out the best way to cook turkey, too, and would be more than happy to share with anyone interested), homemade mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, arroz con dondules (it's a traditionally Hispanic Thanksgiving dish... rice with... these weird bean...things...hard to describe... but I am using brown rice and turkey bacon as opposed to white rice and bacon :D), and a pumpkin cheesecake. I'd invite all ya'll over if we were all neighbors ;)

Pat and Lori - those are some gorgeous winter pictures!
The thing about snow is that it is beautiful to look at but not so great to touch. One time, I fell on my face (trying to dig out my car, slipped on ice, oops! like Jay's Massachusetts story :lol:) in the snow. I went to work with my clothes a little wet. The snow also lodged itself right between my legs, melted there, and made it look like I peed my pants!

Megan - your "pack test" reminds me of the time when I was training to be a firefighter. I had to walk up the stadium stairs at the pace of one step per minute wearing a fifty pound vest. Then, I had to climb the bleachers at the same pace with the vest on, as well. I felt SO liberated when I got to remove the vest and then I thought, "Wow... I was carrying all that extra weight every day for over a year..." It's definitely a feeling of accomplishment... isn't it? :D

Dagmar - :hug: Sorry to hear about your business :( I hope everything improves for you... but everyone is right... and you know it... eating will not help the situation and in the long run will not even make you feel better... especially if any of the weight comes creeping back on :devil: Lots of hugs to you, though - I've been through my fair share of fiascos and business endeavors :hug:

Just checking in quickly to say that my eating is still POP.

Wow, those pic's of snow sure have me dreading the freezing weather ahead. It was in the 40's today and I felt chilled all day. It was 69 degrees yesterday and I was out there playing golf.

I hear you, Shane! Last night was a bit warmer and at rehearsal I was able to leave off my winter coat. It's still really chilly backstage - the heat doesn't work very well in the big, old theater building. :brr:

Dress rehearsal went well last night and this is the show weekend. Last night I was thinking about how nice it is to be back stage, not on it, sometimes. Having to time a sound effect just right or change a set in less than two minutes is still less pressure to me than having to remember lines! The show will keep me busy this weekend, as well as prepping food for the cast party after the Sunday matinee. "Megan's catering company" is in business this weekend. ;)

Dagmar, I always crave different foods in the winter and try to change my diet accordingly - warm oatmeal or toast instead of cold cereal for breakfast, or roasted veggies instead of (cold) salad with dinner, drink a lot of hot tea, etc. The warm food and drink seem to fill me up more, warms me from the inside out.

Pat, brrr!!!

It's only November - what will we sound like in February? :dizzy:

What is everyone up to this weekend? Lily, enjoy those Thanksgiving meals!

Morning. I won't even tell you about the weather here. Suffice it to say, "it's winter." :lol:

Megan, like you I want warmer food in the winter. The idea of a salad right now makes me shiver. :) Last night I got home to find that DH had marinated chicken in a sate mix. We grilled it and had it with leftover rice, plus some leftover beets that I chopped up and sauteed in a little olive oil. A very nice and warm - both from the heat and the spice! That man is getting domestic after 37 years together.

We have a Thanksgiving dinner with our square dance club tonight. Since it's a 6, I'll leave work early and go home and cook sweet potatoes and heat up the ham that was my assignment. My plan is to stick with small portions of non-sauce covered things. Oh, and to skip dessert altogether unless there's some raw fruit.

TOmorrow I'm supposed to go to Anchorage (50 miles) with some girlfriends to visit a quilt show and a huge Christmas craft fair. The weather people, however, are predicting snow, so it may be on hold. I'm good either way. A girls' day is always fun, but I have a ton of stuff to finish to mail off for Christmas, so whatever happens I'll be busy. Tomorrow night, we have some friends coming to go out to dinner with us at a reasonably new restaurant here. It's sort of Mediterrean food, and I've had lunch there several times, so it should be good.

Have a good Friday! :wave:

:tantrum::tantrum::tantrum::tantrum::tantrum:

I built up some good momentum finally on my running and lifting plans, and getting my head back in the game with the Beck Diet Solution exercises. Then my kids get sick and I'm not sleeping, and my last run has trashed my foot with a possible stress fracture, after getting my knee to finally behave, and I can't do any body weight leg exercises like lunges and stuff so I get to be super sore all over again when this is done and I start lifting again. I'm also having issues with breastfeeding and pumping and so my boobs are killing me, and finally my tooth with the temporary crown that got drilled out last week is pounding. Oh yeah, unpleasant issues at work on top of it all. The only thing missing is a stupid migraine.

Sorry to just drop by and unload. But this is Living Maintenance yes, and this is living. Well, the really bad week part of it anyway. :censored:

Here's hoping all of you have a much much better week than me.

Anne

Anne Your week sounds as cr*ppy as mine. Let's hope the weekend brings better things.

I've managed to stop stress eating but I figure I can't quite get back on the diet yet. The cold and the stress are making it difficult enough to just maintain, never mind lose weight.

Figures the City would implement another part of its hellish plan to ban dogs from parks just before the holiday season. They seem to time these things perfectly. All the "dog people" are going on vacation, or busy with shopping, or etc. etc. blah blah blah. We can never organize an effort against the City due to the general apathy and "busyness" of the pro-dog side.

So we will continue to lose ground. And the job that I've loved for 15 years becomes a nightmare that I can't explain to the poor dogs, who will now all be chained to leashes for the rest of their lives.

And my DH is nagging me for being depressed about it.

Sometimes the food is the only source of comfort. It's short-lived comfort but it's always there.

Dagmar

I am so happy!

DH and I went to a fundraiser dinner last night for my son's school. They had a huge silent auction and one item was a $3600 treadmill. The opening bid was $1000 minimum and I was the only bidder! I'll have to find out when I can pick it up. I'm so much happier on a treadmill than on the NordicTrak!!!

Congratulations on your big win.!

Allison, that's awesome! You're going to love having your own treadmill in the house. :carrot:

Is everyone staying warm? :brr:

Allison, what a great win! I'm jealous!

Anne - :hug: :hug: :hug:

My past week was not on plan. I gained 1.4lbs. :mad: I blame working overtime -- it put a crimp in my workout schedule and stress makes me start emotional eating. Too much chocolate and egg nog this week. :o

Luckily after this weekend the work should be done. I'm actually about to start working right now! I spent the morning working out and now I'm having a relatively healthy lunch -- sweet potato stuffed with broccoli, walnuts, and dried cranberries, and a couple slices of roasted turkey. It would be healthy if it wasn't from the prepared foods section at Whole Foods and coated in oil and salt! :lol:

OK, back to work.

SA-WEET ALLISON...congrats to you and the person that donated the treadmill!

Last week all I picked up was a bowling ball TV game...some jewelry and a lunch for Angie's and my sil's church book club with a local author....but I did pay a little less than half grand!

My daughter and her husband raised 23 grand though for a cancer stricken child...that was awesome!

Hugs to you Anne. You are going through so much. I hope everything improves soon!

I have been slowly losing weight and I had my WW weigh in this morning-- the first gain in months and it was 2.6 in one week-- ouch! Not really sure why but dh and I ate chili the last two nights-- I'm hoping there was a lot of sodium that caused temporary water weight gain. I will have to be careful over the holiday to not add to that gain!

My dd comes home from college tomorrow for the first time. We are busy trying to get everything ready. I am so excited to see her but am worried about all of the food choices and temptations I will be facing.