Just calling in to say that I'm hungry this evening.

Also to say that I'm losing weight.

There is some connection, I think.

Becky, I connect you with something to do with semi-precious stones. Part of my brain databank has been corrupted but I think this is correct. Future possibility or yesterday's project?

I am TIRED today. Again. And need it to get cold outside so my constant sinus drip will clear up.

I'm also soooo tired.... And cold.... and hungry....
Woke up at 3:45 and started thinking about dh's surgery today....

Waiting to hear back from the surgery center. I already bothered them and he's still in apparently.

Doubt the gym will happen today even if I can't pick dh up for awhile. I'm hoping I can at least hang with him in recovery. Gotta get more work done first. Sigh.....

How is DH today, Michele?

Yes, how is he?

Shannon, what is the temperature in Atlanta? (Just realised I can look it up!) 7C, 45F? That's not particularly warm.

If I lose weight, however much, my back will thank me. Won't it?

Supermarket. 15 mins walk up and down hills in wind and rain, as prescribed by physio. About to make a pot of tea (blackberry and elderflower). Perhaps a clementine.

Birchie - I went for a run at the park after dropping DSS at school - 38F/3.3C. It was chilly. My feet are still frozen. And yes, your back will thank you.

Yes, chilly. I agree. It's only been that cold here once or twice this winter. Things can change though.

Re. my back. Thanks. I need to be reminded, I think. Health before vanity.

Silverbirch, yes - I am still sitting on a fairly comprehensive gemstone collection (though part of it is still in California being analyzed on some cutting-edge technology). I have all the training information and equipment ... and it is still definitely in the running for future entertainment/employment.

JayEll, spot on. I am going to be very careful about interviewing potential future employers. And this time I will be adamant about off-the-record discussions with possible future coworkers. This "fast-paced, dynamic work environment" stuff is for the birds. I see that and all I hear is "we like to change things all the time and under crisis pretentions, so everybody has to react like it's the end of the world."

Happily, the meeting with the financial advisor was very positive - I am not "financially independent" for another ten years, but I can afford to look around and choose what I want to do next, even if it means a career change and some steps backward in order to go sideways. It was what I needed to hear.

I am hoping that the resulting stress reduction will make some of the facets of losing weight again a bit easier.

I posted in the chat forum. He's doing as well as can be expected. He is not able to care for himself yet so I had to take the day off. Hoping I can go in tomorrow but we will see. He's got so many nurses....me, our two cats and our dachshund we brought the Doberman up to see him so she wouldn't worry.

He's got so much equipment! A giant brace, a cooling machine, crutches, and a movement machine. Someone is coming later to do physio.

That sounds great, glad that you received some encouraging feedback. I also really like your response to JayEll about "crisis pretentions" etc.; I sent that quote to my husband since that's his workplace in a nutshell.

Silverbirch and Shannon, it sounds like you're both in a good place with exercise and/or eating habits. Way to go!

Michelle: ha! it's important that Dobies don't worry Best wishes for his speedy recovery

I'm not doing well this week. The anxiety for pending big events is getting to me. I fly out for an interview in less than two weeks and I still don't have my talk close to finished. I'm also very far behind on two book chapters (as in, almost a year late turning them in) and the section editor is ready to kill me. In my defense, my co-author contributed most of the lag but I'm responsible for choosing her and therefore for getting them done. And my recent stress eating is BAD because last night I tried on my nice pants for interviews, and both pairs were tight.

I'm in a good place right now - I've seen weights just below 150 twice this week, here's hoping I can make it through the weekend and see it again on Monday.

Michele - hope you made it to work today.

JZJ - Sorry you are having a hard time. No great advice on how to get through it other than 'try not to stress', and I know how hard that can be.

I'm losing weight very nicely since I started in earnest 16 days ago. I've set up a weekly average on my spreadsheet, as used by Becky and Shannon. (Is that actually the average you use, or is it something different?) 4lbs down and my tummy is looking much better already. All I have to do is stick at this and I'll be laughing, come the spring.

Becky, I'm all in favour of stress reduction wherever you can find it. That sounds positive about work and the future.

Michele, I hope DH is getting better day by day.

JayZeeJay, am sending you an oxygen tank in case it might help with breathing calmly. I've had that 'nice pants for [something important] are much too tight' experience. It's really not nice at all. Have you got time to buy something new?

Shannon, great news on 150! Stay strong!

Hang in there, JZJ. If it helps: a potential employer who is willing to fly you out for an interview already thinks you are something pretty special.

Silverbirch & Shannon: Congratulations on the successful weight loss! Progress...

Michele: Ditto on your DH's recovery. Hope you are able to find some time for your own mental recovery.

Not much to report here. I navigated two dinner parties, one Friday night and one Saturday night, with reasonably good success. I drank water both nights, which helped to keep calories down, not just because of the calories in the alcohol but also the mindless eating that becomes so tempting after a couple of glasses of wine.

Of course, abstaining also meant that I was the designated driver for our family and for some friends who overdid it a bit. Driving tipsy people around at 1 in the morning is not my idea of fun, but in the greater scheme of things much better than the alternatives.

//kaw

I have to admit, I only stood on the scale for a few seconds today and didn't let it stabilize. I weighed on Saturday morning and Sunday morning and was still under 150. Had popcorn on Saturday and homemade tacos on Sunday - even controlling the calories nicely the tacos are still salty. I can tell I'm puffy this morning, and I opted not to see it.

In that same vein, DH is also working to lose weight, and he has asked me to join him in not weighing the rest of December while continuing healthy eating and exercise and weigh in on 1/1. He says that during the three weeks and two days of plateau at 153-154 I was a word that the censors will clip out every time I stepped on the scale. According to him, I was grumpy in the morning for a solid two hours some days after weighing and referenced it multiple times during the day and into the evening. Now, he's probably right. I'm not great in the mornings anyway, so any glitch makes it worse. I told him I am a daily weigher normally and don't know if I can do the rest of the year without it. I proposed a once per week compromise. Right now I weigh every day and track it on my spreadsheet, but only change the ticker weight once per week. He thinks that would be a good compromise, I told him I needed time to ponder it. What do you guys think? Good idea or bad idea going into the holidays?

kaw - good job on the dinner parties, though I get the annoying at being the DD.

Birchie - I track my daily weights on a chart with weekly averages as well, I tend to change my tracker once per week and use whatever that day shows, whether up or down. I don't use the weekly average on there. Though, that would make a lot of sense to use now that I think about it.

Tricky, Shannon. Annoyingly, as your DH is male, he's probably likely to lose weight more easily than you. Everyone does things differently and what suits him won't suit other people, such as you.

I know you're keen on data but it could be interesting to go data-free for a while. You know, investigate another side of your personality. Especially if you've got a companion.

Am building in more cardio on the recommendation of my physio. I'm walking as it fits in the best at present. The wind is getting up again and so I had the additional uneven struggle with it as part of the walk today. It was good.