How on earth did it get to be September this fast? Wow, it's the end of summer!

DH and I are flying down to FL tomorrow -- a VERY early flight! -- for DS's graduation, so I'm frantically trying to cram all my client appointments in today. Leaving me no time to pack, so I may just show up in my gym clothes. Food's been good this week until I got home at 10 last night, starving, and ate everything in the kitchen but the cat food. I know I have to cut out these late night appointments ... got to learn how to say no. N-O. N-O-O-O-O!!! I'm going to stand in front of the mirror and practice.

So happy new month to all of you! Please check in and let us know how you're doing -- kids back in school? Doing anything new for exercise? Tried any new recipes?

Speaking of recipes Meg, I tried your Strawberry Pie and it was wonderful. I've even tried it again and again.

Have a safe and relaxing trip,
Evangeline

Funny joke to strart us off:

Flour and water make glue
add eggs, oil and sugar and you get cake.
Now we know why it sticks to our behinds.

Good day to all.

Today is a good day - we had our power turned back on last night and cable (Yay! I have internet access again!) this afternoon. The hurricane has caused plenty of headaches but you won't hear me complain. We've got a roof over our heads and food to eat which is so much more than many were left with. I THINK I've done pretty well foodwise but without access to fitday there's been no way to really know. Admittedly, snacking is one of the few things to do when you have no power and can't leave the house for several days. So, snack I did. I've done no formal exercise for a few days but raking and pulling downed trees to the curb has to count for something, right?

At any rate, tomorrow is a new day and things (hopefully) can get back to normal this week. Given the difficulty in finding gas and having messy roads it is still a little tough to get around town so I'll probably be limited to walking the neighboorhood for exercise. It is better than nothing I suppose. For now, though, I must clean out the refrigerator and re-stock - wish me luck at the grocery store - it is a jungle out there!

Hi maintainers,

Jawsmom: Are you in the hurricane area? I wish you lots of strenght, things must be really difficult out there!

Meg - have a nice trip !

Kids are back to school so I am getting back into routine. Excercise today was good: biked my daughter to school, 10 km, and than ran 6 km outside. For this month I plan to concentrate more on food issues to loose the pounds I gained over summer.
Yesterday was Ok food wise, and I hope to continue likewise today.

Have a great day,
rabbit

Have a fun weekend Megster Buhbye!!

rabbit, I am in Mississippi but a good 3 hours inland. So, while we had some damage in our area nothing devastating. There are still power outages but those are slowly but surely being fixed. The biggest problems we are seeing now revolve around gas. First of all, it is very hard to find and if you do you are looking at no less than a three hour wait in line. Abandoned cars are everywhere because people are running out of gas while they are out looking for stations. I'm not even going to the gym because I can't justify using the gas to get there until we start to see things settle down. Plus, many of the trucking companies can't get diesel or, if they have their own pumps, can't get through the roads so grocery staples and such take a little effort to get as well. Also, we have so many people from out of town who evacuated here that the demand outweighs the supply. People seem to be working together for the most part though. Lots of carpooling, and most neighborhoods have organized "store runs" - nobody goes to the store without asking if anybody else needs something while they are out. We are taking turns driving goods to the shelters so that we all aren't eating gas for a small load, etc. It has definately changed the way we live for the foreseeable future. But, again, I am very fortunate that my family is safe and sound so I certainly don't complain.

All that cooperation is encouraging, isn't it. Human nature never ceases to astound me.

I have had a difficult few days with my 13 y.o. son and his transition to middle school. He is in a small special needs school and has many emotional/behavioral challenges. Generally I deal with the situation well and try to do the best for him that I can. Unfortunately, the past week has been very hard and I have used a trigger food to deal with my stress. It's canned grape leaves (stuffed with rice)--they aren't intrinsically unhealthy but they are high points (oil). It would be fine if I could eat just 4, but I have actually eaten the entire can. Solution one: don't buy them again until I feel more in control. Solution two: get a better response to stress. I have been exercising this week and it's felt good.

We're only human, I know, and I will get past this.

Jawsmom:
Thanks for the input regarding your situation.
Up here we are seeing such devastation that it is heartbreaking. It is nice to see communities pulling together to help one another. We are sending cash as per the Pres but it is nice to see individuals working toward a solution. I am working on the gas conservation as well. I hope things improve quickly for all those hurting.

Jawsmom: thanks for the update. Glad to hear you are OK.
Gina: I hear you talking about the gas conservation. Overhere it is a way of life. Our gas prices are now officially the highest or second highest in the world. Today it is over 1,5 euro per litre. That translates to about 7.5 $ per gallon.

have a great day,
rabbit

Hi everyone--My daughter started 3rd grade today, so now both my kids are back in school. I celebrated by doing an extra long workout at the Y. My wonderful half-time teaching job was cut, so I won't be teaching this year. I plan to try again for next fall. The difficult part is that I really want to stay with part-time work. Full-time middle school (in my area, at least) is about 100 students, lots of grading, constant paperwork. For me, it's also very emotionally rewarding so I hope I will be back at it next year.

Doing OK on the food front. I increased to 26 points and seem to be holding steady under 130 lbs. Plus I feel like I am eating enough and some variety so that is the key.

Take care.

Hi All:

Back to school is the reason to celebrate Labor day....
Things are fine in my neck of the woods. Working on reintroducing structure into my routine. Funny thing is I keep needing to reintroduce the same things... Maybe they will stick one of this time.

I had one of 'those' moments at work last night. I think last summer, I started wearing t-shirts tucked in my scrub pants to work at about 125 lbs. Somehow it made me feel slim and taller than wearing the usual tunic style scrub top.
I did it again last night and felt wonderful at 3 o'clock. After supper I was getting tired and weary and I passed a glass door. There was this belly sticking out on my reflection.
I looked and felt like a pretender. It was even too much work to keep it pulled in for the rest of my shift. I felt sloppy and unworthy the rest of the night.

When I get to goal ... when I'm actually maintaining, I hope I can remember how that felt. Just 4 or 5 pounds can make that difference in how I feel about myself. There should be no excuse for fluctuating 10 or 15 lbs. Look what I'd be doing to my delicate phsyche

I'm slipping. I was surprised to discover.
I started thinking when I was reading the thread on stress. I'd already filled in all the carbs I'd had at work last night and the greasy snack I had after midnight when I got home!
My calories are creeping. Just a little ... about a daily average of 30 or so a week.
After a rough run of about two hours at work last night, I scarfed a bran muffin.
One of my patients had a fall earlier in the shift and while I was filling out the report I had 16 saltines!
Apparently, this is one of those things that Gina mentioned. I'll have to try harder this time to manage those "I must eat while I'm thinking" moments. I'll have to reintroduce anti- "feed the worried thought" mechanisms.