Maintainers Weekly Chat July 1 - July 7
 

Summer just feels so good. Even yesterday afternoon when our community garden had to be weeded. I pulled out those miserable uninvited guys with tap roots that extend forever as I drooled over the thought that tomatoes will be ready for picking one day. I ate sugar snaps straight from the vine - best tasting things ever.

Welcome back from Greece, Andrea. At local Greece festivals, I've noticed many overweight folks but have marveled at how un-selfconscious they were when up dancing in front of everybody. Everybody looks like Zorba; they belong on the dance floor.

Summer can be as trying as winter, is my feeling, as I'm sure Allison would agree. Here, it's vaguely stormy looking every morning, which then resolves into a humid day, sometimes a bit overcast, sometimes white-hot with sun glare. In the forecast, there is always possible thunderstorm with flash flooding and ya'll know how I hate that "f" word.

I'm about to head out on a run, when I ought to be in my Monday morning spin class. This is part of my resolution to change up my routine a little and also to be among green things, rather than constantly staring into a laptop.

This was the weekend that wasn't. Yes, it was mostly me and the laptop (which is why I'm trying to get out & run, to make good on my resolve), reading six documents that my direct reports wrote during the last quarter and writing up critiques for their midyear reviews. I started off with 15 documents to go through. Thus far, I've read nine. Hoping to finish off the last six sometime today. My manager wanted this all done during the first week in July, though the company's deadline isn't until August. It's hard sometimes for me being a hard-driving woman working for a woman who's even harder-driving than I am.

Good morning!

Bill I suppose, since we are all conscious :o of our weight, that we don't really understand all those folks out there who don't care how overweight they are and just go about living their lives. They dance, they have sex, they go to the mall - :p.

I have become a lot LESS self-conscious :dizzy: when doing new things - for me life literally IS too short etc.

I'm 9 years away from officially being a senior. I've got a lot less life left and mean to LIVE that time, rather than sitting inside and being afraid of how I look doing something.

I now go swimming without worrying about my jiggly thighs or rounded belly. I bike and kayak in spandex and neoprene and don't think about how I look. As long as I'm strong and healthy the cosmetics don't matter :shrug: that much to me.

And having a temporary 2 lb. gain on what is a healthy body :strong: well within proper BMI doesn't ruin my day or week. I don't obsess about reaching a certain number on the scale.

I am at peace with my body and my efforts (and I do MAKE an effort) to maintain it's health. All the small stuff is small stuff.

Can you tell it's a holiday here? I am going on and on :blah: as my plan to go out on my SUP has been suspended by rather high winds so I have lots of time this morning.

Think I'll wake DH in a couple of hours and drag him out for a bike :bike: ride. I suspect he's kinda loving/hating having such a fit partner. He refers to me as his "muscle cutie". :lol:

Good week all!

Dagmar :beach:

Good morning!

_saef_ I'd like to remind you that you used to say that you never ran, because of your knees. Then you went Upstate and had to run a bit, and found you could, a bit. And now you're going out into the green outside world, going out running. And you can! It's lovely to see how you've loosened up there.

About to have a shower after my exercises. MBF - movement-based flexibility.

Heavy rain outside though next door's cockerel doesn't seem to mind.

Good morning. Fingers are crossed that the storms will hold off and we will get our last swim meet in tonight. Then I will be free ...

Dagmar, I am ever so slowly getting comfortable with my body as it is as well. So what if I don't weigh 125. I am fit, strong and healthy. The vain part of me wants lipo on my upper arms, though. :p

This heat totally takes my appetite away. Yesterday I had to force myself to eat at all. I still came in under calories. The scale showed it this morning, too, but I am not happy about it. I look at it as an artificial loss.
It was 107 here in Northern California, a cool spell for Allison where it was 122,

At 5 AM this morning it was 91 degrees and cloudy--about 50% humidity. They say it might rain tomorrow. All I know is that I'm already tired of this weather.

Looking forward to my cruise later this month, but am dismayed that one of the things I wanted DH to see on the trip cannot happen. We're visiting Florence on a Monday when all the galleries are closed, so no seeing the real statue of David. I guess that means we'll have to go back another time? So instead of even going to Florence, we'll do a different tour--this one to Luca (beautiful town) and Pisa so he can at least see the leaning tower.

So very sad to have read the newspaper this morning and learn of the deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona. Tragic.

Dagmar you have accomplished a lot more than just maintenance if you have attained the state of being comfortable in your own body! That's a kind of enlightenment I think.

The stress of losing my wedding chapel business and other stresses have been extreme. This is in some ways the worst time I've had to go through in decades. And I continued to self-medicate with chocolate chip cookies, so now I pulled out of my "winter weight maintenance" and gained a couple more pounds. Eating badly creates temporary numbness but is followed by even lower self-esteem, a kind of physical hangover, and other negatuive consequences we all know too well. I also stopped visiting this site, and my friends and supporters here. Too ashamed to face you all. None of this is good news.

Today is a new day, a new month. A couple days ago we actually signed the contract to sell our wedding chapel. An uncertain financial future lies ahead. We will continue running our chapel until late October and close our doors.

During the loss of our business and the feelings of loss, failure and helplessness that come along with this, I woke up this morning that at least I can take good care of my body and manage my own weight and dietary patterns. So I will lean on my friends here for support as I let go of the cookie habit, cut my calories, and treat myself better in general. I am encouraged that I withdrew into my cave of avoidance and self-pity for a relatively short time, and the weight damage can still be undone.

I also know from sharing time with you all that I am by no means the only person who has experienced life's slings and arrows. One of us died not long ago, and others of us have undergone major family traumas and other huge challenges. Somehow we slog through it all and help each opther along. Thanks in advance and I will keep you informed of my progress several times a week, that is my promise to myself.

Happy Canada Day, Dagmar and all our Canadian Friends !!!!!

Being comfortable in your body is a funny thing, and I'm not sure I'll ever stop struggling with that. I say it's funny because I distinctly remember feeling really good when I first started losing weight and was around 150. Now I'm down to about 120 and I think I'm more insecure than I was then!

My sympathies to those of you dealing with the heat wave - I remember my time in Tucson and I'm pretty glad I'm not there right now (although come winter I'll wish I was)!

Chris :hug: It's good to hear that you are going to now start practicing healthy habits again. Life is change - good or bad - and I believe we can successfully face all the changes with our health at it's best.

I'm also glad to hear you are going to post again. Sharing the bad stuff is really hard sometimes but there is, for me, such a relief when I do. And it's also a joy to share the good stuff - I am hoping for some of that for you real soon!

Dagmar :cheer2:

Thanks! We have celebrating so far by taking a walk for 1 1/2 hours which included the park in which tonite's fireworks will be set off. I am really proud of DH. :cheer: We walked past all sorts of stands selling all sorts of fried greasy stuff :barf: and he stopped at the fresh produce stand and suggested we buy asparagus to BBQ and strawberries for dessert tonite.

We will get a small cup of fries to share at the fireworks - part of our Canada Day fireworks ritual - but that's the indulgence for the weekend!

Dagmar :strong:

Bargoo-- nothing kills my appetite unfortunately. Not even the heat.

Happy Canada Day Dagmar!

Oh, my. What have I gotten myself into?

A neighbor called, asked if I could take care of her cats for a week. And do a few other things--bring in the mail, etc. I said yes. I've never been inside her house. Until now. Um, can you say hoarder? And she has FIFTEEN cats! Plus 6 fish, a turtle and several dozen potted plants--all outside that have to be watered daily.

Allison, now that crosses the line between a favor and a part-time job. Your neighbor needs to pay some impecunious teenager in the area, or perhaps engage a house-sitter.

Michele, it takes an awful lot of humidity and heat to kill my appetite. Today, in my air-conditioned apartment, after a run in the humidity, it was thriving.

You walk sounds lovely, Dagmar, and reminds me that I ought to do a meandering, almost aimless, observational kind of walk someday myself. I've been rather a vigorous strider with too many errands on her mind.

Chris, I understand the feelings of loss, failure and helplessness. I felt like that after my apartment was destroyed in a flood. I ended up feeling rather defiant at the world. Yes, I felt like giving it the finger. "Take what you will, destroy all I own, but I am still standing, right here, in this body." I relate to your revelation that you must take care of yourself. Weight-training felt like the answer. It wasn't just a metaphor for getting stronger, it was a way of feeling bigger in a world that was making me feel small. Please don't stay away when you feel absolutely awful. Bring all the ugliness and awfulness here. Or what else is the board good for, but as a place to brag and put up a front about how great everything is going? And why bother doing that here, of all places?

Ward, are you free? Was the swim meet held? And I'm with you on feeling attracted to lipo. I've been reading about all kinds of procedures online, some of which use lasers or extreme cold or whatever, feeling fascinated by what I used to immediately dismiss as quackery. I go for facials and pedicures and massages & for some reason it doesn't seem like a big jump to go for something else. But ah, the expense. The puritan in me looks at the numbers and thinks, "Trip to Europe."

Birchie, yes, I run, in my way, that is, I run all the way, but I always feel like I must be doing it wrong. In the pictures, people are long-striding and they seem to be floating. To me it's a lot of pounding, jouncing, jarring my knees, making a bit of a spragging sound with my sneakers. Thud, thud, skip, thud, thud. When does that lovely deerlike floating moment kick in? I've got the breathing right, and the heart-rate, but not the gait.

Bill, I love sugar snaps. Jealous of your garden (though not the care and maintenance of it) and your obvious joy in summertime. To me, summer is just a hot season when the kids are out of school so I need to make lots of plans for keeping them entertained and out of trouble.

Saef, I've had exactly those same sentiments about running. I am a terrible runner (no stamina whatsoever; I either drop into a fast walk every 1/4 mile, or I get a stitch in my side, or both) and find it really, really hard to go more than 2-3 miles. People who can run comfortably mile after mile absolutely mystify me: what alien sort of cardiovascular system do they have? What alternate neuromuscular wiring allows them to keep moving forward at the same pace for 5, 10, 15 miles or more?

Dagmar, I both understand and envy you your hard-fought comfort with body image. I am definitely much more comfortable in my own skin than I was 5 years ago, and strength training has been a HUGE help in that regard. But I still have scale-dependent self-esteem, and a bad day is virtually synonymous with a "feeling fat" day. Even though I have given up on seeing the scale show me my "goal weight," I would love to get to a point where I can register gains and losses in a merely clinical way, and use the number only as a guide to tell me if my energy intake and expenditure are in balance or need to be adjusted.

I used to be so glad when "Monday" came :dance: and I was back to work. Not so much now, particularly after 3 days mostly off, doing stuff I like. I think it's partly aging and partly burn-out :( - I've been a commercial dogwalker since 1994, full time since 1996. That's a long time to do anything. I still enjoy it but I'd like to do less of it. I thought this week would be a slow one, with 3 dogs away, but I got replacements booked that I really didn't want. But you have to help people out in a service business and I get to finally walk a pug - something I've wanted to do for years. Even better - his name is DOUG! How cute is that.

I will need the money though - DH already thinks he's going to need about $500 worth of power tools to work on the new house. I'm going to spend the money. If that gets him off the couch and away from the TV it's money well spent.

We get to visit the house tomorrow morning @ 9. I am NOT booking in anything last minute and cancelling the visit. Tomorrow is the day we find out if the furnace can be moved and if a pass through from kitchen to dining room is possible.

I better go stretch!

Dagmar :beach:

Addiction thrfives on secrecy. So here is my second daily report: I kept to my goals, very little sugar, solid weight loss of two pounds. Two more days and I will be over the "withdrawal" from sugar. Then the long plateau of maintenance!!!

Count me in as one of those who are contemplating lipo or cool sculpt or any of the myriad of other treatments out there. I'd love my upper arms and back fat areas gone! Googling doesn't really help because all you get are the "rave reviews" which only cement my apprehension. Lately the Debbie Boone Lifestyle Lift is looking quite alluring.

saef~this neighbor usually employs a house sitting service when she travels. There was a snag in her reservations this time. She was scheduled to leave July 13th or so but when she called to confirm, they had nothing for that date and they offered her the week prior to the 13th but she had already booked her house sitter for the week of the 13th and they didn't know if they had anyone available for the prior week, so she called me. She's still trying to get her usual sitter to do the job and she'll let me know if it turns out she doesn't need me. In some respects I do hope I don't have to do the job, however, I'd love to get back in her house and take some photos to share with you all! While it isn't anywhere near what the TV show is like, she is very, very much a hoarder.

Andrea~I'm like you on the running. Only once in my C25K was I able to run the entire 5k. When I was at the top of my game, I could manage to make about 3/4 a mile with a 2 minute rest (slow walk) and then another 3/4 mile. The second 3/4 was downhill and much easier. I've never been a runner--hated all aspects of running in my childhood and have never experienced that "runner's high" that we all hear about.

I have been kind of lurking around these maintainer threads. I am enjoying reading about dog walking, trips to Greece and summer gardens. Its gonna be hot today. I think I will take my boys swimming today.

I have not posted much because I some how think that my maintaining weight loss is an illusion. Its been three weeks and I actually just accidentally lost another pound. I increased calories and my workouts but am feeling like I should not be eating this much food. I need to keep watch over micro nutrients. I noticed I have been eating too much fruit. Still working at those healthy habits.

Welcome dstalksalot, You are welcome here anytime no matter where you are in maintenance. PS. I have not walked any dogs lately or been to Greece and I don't have a summer garden. I am a totally boring person.

Allison I'm kinda "old school" so please don't take offense at this but IMHO posting photos of this woman's household anywhere online is an invasion of her privacy. I think your use of the word "hoarder" gives all of us a clear enough idea.

Dagmar :dizzy:

Ooh, I hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks.

Saef - I've been running for four years now and I still have no grace whatsoever. DH tells me I look like a person who just learned how to walk and don't know what to do with my arms when I run. I always feel like Phoebe from Friends. LOL

Hey there, dstalks! Welcome. :) Post here all you want, we'd love to get to 'know' you.

Dagmar - I love your comfort with yourself. I hope I have that one day.

Welcome back, Chris. I'm sorry about the loss of your business, and am glad that kicking the sugar monster back seems to be going well.

Andrea - I don't think the scale number will ever be something clinical for me. It will always be fraught with anxiety.

Allison - wow, 15 cats. I can't imagine.

I was reading an article yesterday about how so many people obsess about food and it said "The average adult spends 338 days of their life calorie-counting - that equates to 20 minutes a day, over two hours a week and an average of 121 hours per year checking labels for calorie content, talking about calories or thinking about calories." That is a little freaky when you look at the total numbers like that.

On the topic of summer gardens, we are getting too much rain this year. It is rinsing all the nutrients out of my raised bed soil, the plants aren't growing tall and my tomatoes are cracking while they try to turn from too much moisture. My peppers are doing well and I'm about to be flooded in jalapeno, but I need the rain to slow down. LOL Didn't think I'd say that after the drought last year. I haven't had to water a single time in over a month, the rain has done it for me.

Shannon We also have "too much" rain up here. I was chatting with the cashier at the local grocery chain and she did not plant seeds this year. Apparently last year's were a wasted effort and, looking at a long range forecast that predicted lots of rain, she passed on her vegetable garden this year.

Yet we have allotment gardens near 2 places that I drive past most days and everyone in there is tending something. I guess some plants like lots of moisture and others don't?

Dagmar :dizzy:

I've been given a slight reprieve. It looks as if I'll only need to do one day plus one morning feeding. I'm actually quite relieved. I was up last night dreading the prospect of having to do it for a whole week!

So instead I have to dread telling an insurance salesman no. We have our liability, workers' comp and auto policies with one company and our life insurance with another. Last summer I had to deal with a competitor who wanted our business for the worker's comp (a lot more work than it was worth) and lately our life insurance guy wanted our liability business (and hinted that once he got that he'd get our auto policy). Although his insurance quote was reasonable and slightly less than what we're paying now, I'm of the mindset of "if it's not broke, don't fix it." The rep we're with now is excellent to work with. He and his staff are easy to work with and they're fast. A few months ago DH and I wanted to up our life ins because of the new building. It took them months to get things set up. So I feel bad to tell this guy no but I just worry that we wouldn't get as good a service.

I'm not good at this kind of thing.

Andrea....you sound like my running twin! I just gasp and pant and look like a fool. Dh says I run too fast and burn out too quick. I hate running!

My weight was down a bit today. Hoping I don't jinx it by posting.

Trying to come up with some nice healthy recipes for the fourth. What are y'all making?

One of my favorites is tomato mozzarella salad.
Sliced tomatoes
About an equal amount mozzarella balls
A few ripe olives
Vinaigrette dressing
I like to use Girard's Champagne Dressing . Sliced cucumbers could also be added. If you have some Feta Cheese on hand a few sprinkles on top can also be added. This is especially attractive in a clear glass bowl.

Why oh why don't I have a Trader Joe's in my town? The nearest one is a 45 minute drive, and the only time I can justify the time is when we're going to my father-in-law's house for a visit (about every 6 weeks). I am in love with their pre-made salads, dips, marinated meats and the many, many healthy frozen entrees and sides they carry. I could live on their food nonstop for weeks, if only they were closer :>(

Not sure if I already posted this, but since coming home from Greece, it's just me and my oldest DS (almost 15) since middle son is still with DH in Greece and youngest is at "camp grandma" in NJ. I can't believe how much easier he is to deal with when we're alone. No arguments, no complaining, actually made [a healthy] dinner the first night we were home, and has done the dishes and the laundry after a single request (he's home all day while I am at work). I am so encouraged by this, I am practically euphoric.

Unlike some of you, DS and I are invited to my aunt and uncle's for the 4th, so I don't have to do any food prep. Unfortunately, she's threatening to just order pizza and salad, because DS is a vegetarian and she "doesn't know how to cook for him." Thus, even though I don't HAVE to cook, I think I will end up WANTING to cook, so that I can bring with me something to eat other than pizza. Do you think it would be too much of a rebuke if I brought a healthy vegetarian dish that DS will eat (e.g., garbanzo bean-feta-mint-edamame salad)?

That sounds perfectly yummy Andrea! Please make extra for me!

I watched a documentary on the building of the statue of Liberty last night. A "gift" from France (which apparently New Yorkers didn't particularly want :lol:). Interesting. I didn't realize she carried a tablet with the US Independence Day's date on it. I was not able to go inside (post 911 rules) the statue and up to look out of the torch when I did the tour in NYC. That must have been quite a view!

I hope all the Americans have a happy and (mostly) healthy 4th of July tomorrow!

I don't know if the reality baking show I watch is shot in advance and then aired but if not they should be coming up with Independence Day showstoppers tonite. Those should be quite spectacular.

Dagmar :cool:

Day two of my "detox" went well, tho I had to use a lot of willpower just to overcome huge sugar cravings. Today will be day three of being back on track and after this it should be easier.

Could some of you please send some of your extra rain to our fire-ravaged Colorado forests? Last week I performed a wedding in southern Colorado: hot, dry, 50 mph winds and smoky. I couldn't use the DJ's microphone cuz of all the wind distortion, and even screaming at the top of my lungs only the first row of guests could hear me. My allergies are usually pretty mild, but on this day my eyes swelled up all red and puffy and I had watery slits for eyes for three days! It's getting a bit better tho with temps going down a bit and some afternoon showers occasionally.

For July 4 Karen and I are celebrating our vegan friend Jude's birthday by cooking up a watermelon/mint dish, quinoa/black bean salad, green salad, maple balsamic tempeh, and a vegan chocolate cake with white tofu mousse with red and blue berries. Who was it who was wondering about bringing a healthy dish to pizza-land? I say bring something tasty and healthy you can eat. I know there are exceptions, but generally I go by the maxim that NOBODY CARES WHAT I EAT... they just want to see me!

Plus, it's past time for me to eat in a way that is different from the crowd anyway.

It was 103 degrees here yesterday but I had to go to a funeral and reception in San Leandro and Hayward yesterday, it was 20 degrees cooler there , what a relief ! The reception had the usual acres of yummy food. I tried to use restraint as much as possible. I just had salad which had lots of fresh vegies and oil and vinegar dressing already on it, roast beef, a couple of small pieces of cheese, skipped the sandwich rolls, a small portion of Portuguese Sweet Rice, I love this so limiting my portion is a huge sacrifice and I had a piece of cake.

One of my favorite salads is cucumber, red onions, black olives and Greek dressing. Sometimes I throw in some feta or mozzarella, but not usually. I haven't made it for a while. I'll have to do that next week!

DS and I are heading to the dentist this morning for our cleaning, so I'm not going into work until after noon. Not too many chores to take care of this morning, so I'll probably lounge on the couch and read. it'll be another hot and humid day here.

Andrea, I think you should go for it, as what kind of terrible person would be upset that a guest at their party brought food?

I just booked a trip with reward miles to visit a friend in Chattanooga TN and she wants to go to Aretha Frankenstein's. Be still my pre-emptively bulging belly.

Oh Krampus... Wow. That restaurant looks sinful.

Summer continues here. The humidity when I'm out doing field work is really getting to me and my workload is overwhelming. Is it this bad every summer? I feel like it's worse this year and I'm physically exhausted. At any rate I am just treading water right now. Blah blah blah. Only 3 more months of this. I'll get through.

It's been pouring here as well and I doubt we'll have many fireworks. I have to work all weekend so I'm looking forward to the day off tomorrow and hopefully resting. I'm not cooking anything, I refuse to. But I love this grilled veggie salad if anyone is looking for a recipe. Happy 4th to my fellow Americans!

Hey folks, I'm still here. Babies are going through a growth spurt which is kind of nuts, but hopefully they'll settle down soon. My parents were here but are gone now. It's nice having my mom around since she cooks me stuff from Cooking Light, which I'm pretty much guaranteed to like, but having my dad around is stressful. Now I've got MIL bringing us food a lot, but to be honest her dietary habits are so different from mine that I'm not as grateful as I should be. (Also, I have time to cook now and I have a fridge full of veggies that need cooking, but despite telling her I was going to cook myself she still brought dinner two nights in a row. I think she's using it as an excuse to see the babies, which would be fine if she would bring food that I actually like, but oh well.)

I'm sort of managing to take a walk most days. My belly is still enormous and I still look pregnant, and the 30lbs I have left are not going anywhere. No dieting for me though because I need to keep up enough milk supply for these two.

Hey all... I am slinking back here in utter and complete relapse mode.

We just returned from camping. I have eaten so much the last few days it's sickening. Made the mistake of getting on the scale as soon as we got home and it shows me up 12 pounds - 12 - from when we left!!!!

My stomach actually hurts and I CAN'T. STOP. EATING. And even worse I don't want to!

I'm feeling scared and ashamed and utterly pathetic.

I'm reaching out in desperation...

Jen

Ask yourself, do I want to start all over ? Do I want to go buy a new wardrobe in larger sizes?
These kind of questions usually get my attention.