It's Monday again. Back to work, again. It's raining. Again.
But the snow is melting back, the sun was out yesterday, and it feels like Spring will really happen.
I made serious progress reducing the stuff I own over the weekend. It feels good when it's gone, but it is so painful to let go of things that I once valued even when I no longer have use for them.
First weekend in a long time where no chips and beer were consumed in our house. And I feel so much better! Didn't realize how much a relatively small amount of alcohol was affecting me.
I am now preparing to go into dieting mode : for spring. I smelled that "wet earth" spring smell a couple of times over the weekend. Tried on my shorts and they are pretty tight.
DH is printing out a new weight chart for us and I am going to write down all my cals again and get this weight off before May!
I had an insanely busy week last week, both work-wise, personal-wise, and play-wise. I ignored the local festival on Saturday and stayed home to catch up, a decision I didn't regret one bit. My parents will be here to visit this Friday so I cleaned the bathroom, did the floors, semi-cleaned off the porch in preparation for their visit. There is still a lot of clutter but this might be as good as it gets. I also took Emma for some good wogs and actually cooked healthy food for the coming week - a major victory right now! Things are calmer at work this week so I'm hoping I can get in some lunchtime gym workouts, since I didn't make it at all last week! But I don't feel guilty, it was just not possible. I'm really looking forward to my parents visit, both because it's been two years since they've made it to Florida and b/c it will be a vacation for me to, so I can get some more things done around the house!
Dagmar, Bill, yes, spring is coming! I like it.
Hi to everyone else! I must apologize, there's no way I can catch up on last weeks conversation, but maybe I can keep up this week. Hope everyone is doing well.
I still need to declutter. I make baby steps but I think I'm bringing in more than I'm purging and I feel like I'm losing the battle.
Stay strong Dagmar! I need to as well. I realized I'm going to Vegas in a few weeks and I wanted to get off 5 pounds before I went. I thought I had 2 months when it was the end of February but I'm going the beginning of April, so it is right around the corner!
I had my last splurge weekend for my birthday. I went to an auction/dinner with dh Saturday night. I normally don't drink AT ALL but I had two cosmos. They almost knocked me off my lightweight feet! Of course, that opened the floodgates for me to eat whatever I wanted so I feel more fat and bloated than ever.
I'm waiting for my bloodwork to see if my thyroid is off. Hopefully I'll get the results today.
Crazy couple of weeks ahead for me. Dh is leaving this week to help dd move into her own apartment-- first they have to find an apartment so I guess he isn't helping her move yet, just search. Then he'll be gone for work trips the next two weeks so I'll be solo. I have to compile all of the paperwork for the Read-a-thon that just ended and my book fair is delivered this week and happens next week. Dd (younger) is taking her driving test tomorrow. If she gets her license, dh will leave his car here so she can drive and I won't be as strapped getting her places during the book fair. I just hope I can keep focused on getting to the gym and keeping my eating in check. I really think I'm snacking too much when I'm not really hungry so I'm going to work on that and getting more water in.
Well, DSS's birthday party was a success, and I have a slew of leftover cups, plates and napkins at my house. Over for another year.
I have eaten everything that I got my hands on for the last three days. Including lunch today, which was supposed to be a normal day. This has to stop right now.
Allison - hope your mom is doing well.
Megan - glad your parents are coming to visit!
Bill - I have a hard time letting go of things, too.
Carter has been steadily improving, but this morning he seems to have slid back a little bit. Maybe we overworked him yesterday? We're letting him rest more today and DH (who is home with him) is going to try taking him for just one walk later in the day instead of two walks.
Bill, the fact that the sun is coming up earlier makes me feel like it's spring more than anything else!
Dagmar, good job avoiding the beer!
Megan, have fun with your parents.
Michele, do let us know how your labs turn out.
Shannon, I'm glad the joint party went okay! I seem to recall last year you weren't invited to his party at XW's house?
Probably won't be here much anyway, I'm heading to London tomorrow for what's going to be the first time ever I organize a school trip. But should this prevent me from saying a lil' hello to everyone here, since it's—again—been a while that I hadn't set foot on the forums? ^_^; Haha, no.
I should really try to post here more again, shouldn't I. I guess that being out of the dieting mood kind of made me drift away from places related to weight loss, but... I realize I miss the people here no matter what.
Hey Kery! I've wondered how you were doing. Definitely post here, even if you aren't around much.
Jessica - correct, I wasn't invited last year. This was a big change this year. I was invited, as were my parents, grandparents, brother & SIL. And some of DH's family who weren't typically invited. It made for an anxious few weeks leading up to the party, and we ended up picking up most everything, but at least there was peace.
Shannon Peace and maybe a growing acceptance that you are here to stay in DSS and DH's lives?
I have forgotten how much structure writing everything down gives to my daily eating, with calorie counts and tally. I find it really tedious and hoped to give it up entirely after moving into maintenance.
But it looks like it'll be a good idea for me to keep the calorie journal, even when I come out of the "diet" level of daily cals (1500 or less). I'm going to commit to it every day for the month of March. I'm aiming for weight loss of 3-4 lbs.
Then I'll have to experiment. Maybe one week journal, one week not. But that's what this is all about - a journey that lasts the rest of our lives, with constant experimentation.
I'll have to do some reading about aging bodies (yuck! even sounds bad in print) and maintenance.
Weights time!
Good Tuesday all! (Is it Fat/Pancake Tuesday next week?)
I was very happy the last two mornings when I went to pack my lunch that I had healthy food pre-portioned into containers waiting for me. Much easier to grab and go and not feel guilty about what's in there.
Oh, that's right, the choral director emailed us about a pancake dinner being held prior to our choral rehearsal tonight (we rehearse at the church but it's not a religious chorus). I find that though I love pancakes and waffles, I'm so spoiled by real maple syrup that I just don't even bother eating them, mostly, if there's no real stuff. Pancake syrup, bah. Of course my Mom's apple butter is a very acceptable topping. I'm very glad my supply is being restocked this weekend!
Dagmar, I don't always food journal (it has seemed impossible in the last few weeks), but I do need to do it sometimes and can't give it up entirely, either. Even though I'm only deceiving myself if I sneak in extra food, I will still do it without that accountability.
Shannon, whoa, that is a big change. Peace is good.
Michele, how goes the driving test for DD? It sounds like you're very busy! Maybe you will be too busy to eat those unneeded snacks.
Jessica, are you and DH alternating staying home with Carter now? How is he today after only one walk yesterday?
Kery, welcome back! We missed you too. Hope all is going well with you.
Shannon, I'm glad it seems like your family and DSS's mom's family are getting more peaceful.
Dagmar, good luck with journaling!
Hi Michele, Silver, Bargoo, Megan!
No pancakes here but they sure sound tasty. I actually grew up using Log Cabin Lite syrup and real maple syrup tastes weird to me!
Carter is still acting funny. We're starting to think maybe he just hurt the pad on the bottom of his right hind foot. We had had that foot in a boot for a long time because he was dragging it and getting it scraped up and it would start bleeding, then he'd try to lick it, etc. Recently when he stopped knuckling his foot so much we took the boot off and have been trying to keep it off. We were still using it when we took him for walks, but yesterday DH tried taking the boot off when he was nearly home to see how he'd do and he immediately started holding that foot up off the ground really high even though he'd been walking okay with the boot on. He eventually walked back home okay, but this morning I tried to take him for a walk again and he seemed to be avoiding the concrete, then when he got onto it he was holding up that foot and trying not to step on it. I took him back home (we only made it next door) rather than putting the boot on because I was afraid he pulled a muscle or something.
Since that foot is the one that was dragging, I am doubting it is related to his back because his biggest problem in recovery has been that he doesn't pick up that foot high ENOUGH so the fact that he is holding it up seems to indicate it's not a back issue and that it's a foot issue instead. I'm thinking maybe the reason he has been stumbling and falling more the past couple days is that he is trying not to put his weight onto that foot, which makes him much less steady and makes him fall in the other direction too.
In any case both his surgeon and his physical therapist are out of the office today so I can't get any advice from them. I did call his regular vet and am waiting for them to call me back. In the meantime we put the boot back on him even though there are no visible injuries on his foot except some scabbing on the top.
It's tough because we are having trouble remembering how he was walking two days ago to compare. Is he the same? Is he stumbling more? Was he always this wobbly? I wish he could talk! Then maybe he could say, "I'm just tired," or "The bottom of my foot is sore," or "My leg hurts," or "I'm trying to walk normally but it's just not working."
Things are getting a little more peaceful, at least for right now. It was a significant change, pretty all of a sudden. Or, slowly over the last year, depending on how you look at it. I'm cautiously optimistic that it will continue.
Ooo, I love pancakes. Am I supposed to be eating them today for Fat Tuesday or something? I'm still home sick, so not likely to happen. PLus, I'm determined today will be a healthy eating day.
Jessica - It would help if pets could talk to us, wouldn't it? Maybe the pad of his foot is just a little sensitive after being int he boot for so long?
Michele - keeping my fingers crossed for DD's driving test.
Megan - glad that you had good food for your lunches!
Dagmar - I always journal too, and likely will forever and ever.
Maintainers weekly chat March 7-March 13
Good Morning all!
were consumed in our house. And I feel so much better! Didn't realize how much a relatively small amount of alcohol 
was affecting me.
: for spring. I smelled that "wet earth" spring smell a couple of times over the weekend. Tried on my shorts and they are pretty 
tight.
before May!
I also took Emma for some good wogs and actually cooked healthy food for the coming week - a major victory right now! Things are calmer at work this week so I'm hoping I can get in some lunchtime gym workouts, since I didn't make it at all last week! But I don't feel guilty, it was just not possible. I'm really looking forward to my parents visit, both because it's been two years since they've made it to Florida and b/c it will be a vacation for me to, so I can get some more things done around the house!
I must apologize, there's no way I can catch up on last weeks conversation, but maybe I can keep up this week. Hope everyone is doing well.
