Flex Talk #13
 

Hello fellow Flexers!

Here's a place where we can discuss Flex and WW, as well as issues of our everyday lives. New Flexers are always welcome, so please join in, to give and get support and encouragement on your weight loss journey.

Flexers that attend meetings, At-Home Flexers, and anyone just curious about Flex are all welcome here.


Our old chat thread was bursting at the seams. Please continue chatting in this thread :)

If anyone needs the old thread, it is here: http://3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144004

I am sorry I have been MIA from our chatting recently. I've been kept pretty busy at work, and the best I can do around 3FC is get my meals planned and answer a couple of threads before I have to off and do something else! I promise I will get better :)

I am leaving for my sister's house this afternoon. It is my niece's 4th birthday in a couple of days so we are going to Dutch Wonderland in PA to celebrate - it's a little theme park for kids. I am going to do my best to eat healthy... We'll see how that goes. Theme park food is notoriously terrible. Even if something is billed as a "healthy" choice it probably isn't - like the salads at restaurants that are 1,300 calories. :rolleyes: We'll see. I'm hoping I can keep it together.

I did make some yummy blueberry oatmeal bars last night to bring to my sister's house so I can have a dessert treat with everyone that I don't feel guilty about. The recipe is here, if anyone is interested - they are vegan and oh so tasty! Kroger had 2 lbs of blueberries on sale for $5 so I just had to take them up on it :p

Anybody else doing the 3FC 5k this weekend? I think I will try to do it tonight since Saturday will be spent at the theme park (I will definitely do 5k walking there I am sure, but I don't count that!). Though that means running at my sister's house, which I've never done - time to find a route through her neighborhood that lasts 3.1 miles! :D

Hope everyone is doing well!

I have been SO busy this week... haven't had much time to do anything. I am up to 166, but have been maintaining that. I think I need to let go of the thought of losing any more right now, especially since we are TTC and be happy with maintaining. I mean, I'm not unhappy with it, so why push myself to do something I'm not really motivated to do?

Hope everyone is doing well!

Jaime, What do you do? You majored in English in college right?

Mod, I don't understand your post at all! What is TTC?

Well ya'll spank me and call me sweetheart - I fell off the wagon - what's new???? My dear husband had a birthday. So for 2 days before until today I've strapped on the feed bag. :moo: The good news is that I'm only up 6 pounds - not too bad for how long and much I've eaten. The bad news is I've gained 6POUNDS!!! Good grief!

I was going to go back on Medifast to get it off quickly, but after reading through here yet again, I feel more comfortable. There are so many choices; it's complicated. Okay, I'm done whining.

I've applied for a couple of jobs in the area and I'm SO nervous about whether or not they'll call. Wish me luck! :hug:

Hey michelle... lol - there are time that I don't fall off the wagon, I voluntary jump off! :rofl: But.. like you, I get back on!

Went shopping today for a few items to get me by until the end of August. This is the frustrating part of losing weight. You can't really buy clothes or plan a wardrobe. You have to buy stuff to get you by for a month or so, and then buy more after that. So, planning is the key with that I guess. I don't want to buy a lot that won't last me very long.. kinda like when you have a baby, you buy enough to get by because the baby wont' wear them very long.

Anyway, the last pair of jeans I got were a size 18 and those were getting baggy. Can't pull them off without unzipping or unbuttoning them like I had the others, but they were getting really baggy in the behind and legs as well as the waist.

So, I needed an outfit that didn't have denim in it for Monday, so I went to the mall to one of my favorite places - CJ Banks. Guess what???!!!???

I tried on a 16P and they fit!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :cheer: The sales lady who was helping me didn't quite know what to do when I yelped in the dressing room.. poor soul. LOL. My daughter was with me and had me open the door and her jaw dropped to the floor! DH was out sitting on a bench waiting patiently and I went to the front of the store to show him.. :) My top I had tried on was a 1X instead of a 3X or 4X!!!! LOL.. I am just giddy.

I did make a comment to the sales lady about vanity sizing, but dismissed it because I didn't care. Vanity sizing or not, I wouldn't have been able to pull up a size 16 over my knees 3 months ago.

When I left the store, I immediately thought of everyone here! I wanted to share it right away with everyone! You know, I like to think that I am doing this on my own, but really I am not. I am not so sure that I would be as successful as I have been without all of you.. Thank You Everyone!!!!!!!

:cheer::cheer:YAY for Chey!!!!! Totally cheering for you!!!:cheer2::cheer3: That is SO exciting! I know just how that feels, it's happening to me lately too, but you are REALLY doing great! Keep it up and SOON it will be time to buy a REAL wardrobe!

I am lovin' the positive energy at 3FC lately...SO inspired by everyone changing right before my eyes!

Happy August Flex Chicks! Make it a good one! :D

Suite, I remember Dutch Wonderland! Sounds fun with the kiddies. Didn't realize it was 5k weekend. maybe I'll catch the next one...

:congrat: Chey!

Michelle, good job getting back on the wagon, TTC is trying to conceive, best of luck to you Mod, the best thing is to stay healthy and not get stressed.

Things are going well, we went to a little small town parade over the weekend, it was really cute, but there were many evil snacks in the area, but they got sent home with others, so back on track again.

best to all :sunny:

nothing from Faerie?? miss you!

Mod - If you are happy, you are right - you might want to focus on maintenance. Have fun with the TTC ;)

Michelle - Yep, majored in English. Now I work for a research/consultancy company, which is exactly what it sounds like - I research and write reports. It's kind of interesting on occasion. :p You know you can get right back on that wagon - birthdays are notorious derailers! Which makes me afraid since mine is at the end of the month! :eek: Good luck with the job applications too!

Chey - :congrat: :celebrate: That is awesome!!! Doesn't it feel great to get into a smaller size? I have a pair of shorts that are 12's but they fall off me far too regularly, so in this pair of shorts I could have gone with a 10. I am a 14 in everything else. So there is no way I am a 10 but hey, I'll take it anyway ;) Own your success, it is all yours! You are doing great!

Manick - :wave: Hey you! Nice to see you finally found plurk, too! ;)

keli - good job sending evil snacks away with others :p I think Faerie should be home soon, but I imagine once she's back she'll be busy re-settling in ... and her wedding is coming up too so I bet she has a ton to return to!


Well, as expected, the plan went out the window over the weekend while I was not at home. I am so terrible at staying OP away from home! I am showing a gain today, but hopefully I can work it off before WI on Saturday. It's just... well... there was this awesome homemade coconut cake and... what can I say? I'm a sucker for fresh coconut... :p

In other news, I am regularly using a smaller notch on my belt... :D I have already gone through my old set of belts because I ran out of notches, this is a new (smaller) one that when I bought it I had to use the longest setting, now I am moving in on it... And all the casual 14's (denim mostly) I own are getting obnoxiously large. But my dress 14's remain snug (I couldn't even fit in them before I started WW) - I guess dress clothes are sized smaller? Anyhow, I can feel I am ready to start making that nice transition to 12 soon! :D

Well, better get back to work. Hope everyone had good weekends and happy Mondays :wave:

Hey Y'all! I just wanted to tell you all a few highlights from my trip to Chicago. We decided to put our loft there on the market so we flew out last Wednesday morning. I went to my WW meeting Tuesday night and the topic was about visualizing positive results, I can't remember what the exact title was called. But my leader--who is awesome--told us to make a movie in our head of what we wanted to achieve that week. I knew I was leaving the next morning and would have normally thrown caution to the wind and just ate to no end. Giving myself the reasoning that this could be our last trip to Chicago for a while. But I didn't.

Instead, I went home we sat down and narrowed our favorite restuarants down to 5 and decided we would eat at those places for 5 dinners during the week. We then made menus according to what place we were going to eat that evening. As soon as we got "home" we got in the car and went to the grocery store. Since there was no food in the house, only beer in the kegerator :), we had a fresh start.

Parked the car and did not move it the entire week. We ran every morning, walked everywhere we went, packed our loft and ate all the foods that we loved--in moderation. We had Uno's pizza, ate at Ditka's, ate at Smoque, and even spent one evening at Pippins and had some drinks and bar food. It was a great week and just proved to me that I can eat foods I love and enjoy them and still have results on the scale, I was down 4.6 last night. You just have to plan. Who knew that one slice of Uno's did the trick rather than the WHOLE PIE!!!

Anyway, sorry for the long post, just wanted to share my excitement!!!

Hi everyone -

Newbie here but not to WW and I would like to join you all starting OP tomorrow :^:

Stephanie - I had to post when I was reading about your trip Chicago...that is my home town and I just sighed :( You did a great job with all those yummy places!:carrot:

Look forward to chatting with you all - been lurking for a while and debating. I had great success in the past with WW but did not follow through :mad: and then spent a few years bouncing around from program to program only to come back "home" :D You all are doing great and have terrific attitudes!

Thanks so much :)

Lily--I love Chicago. I live in Jacksonville, FL and met my fiance while he was working here in 2001. His home was in Chicago and since he travels alot for his job and his contracts take him to various cities for 6 months at a time I have always stayed living here close to my family. We have kept the loft in Chicago all these years and spend as much time there as possible, but not enough anymore to justify keeping that mortgage any longer. We still have lots of friends in Chicago and will still go back often. I would love to live there but I have a child and would hate to move her away from my family. We are "dysfunctionally" close as my finance says :) However, I don't think I could handle a Chicago winter--I am a Florida girl!!

Steph - Wow, you did awesome during your trip to Chicago! Who knew eating just one slice was the key? ;) Way to go!!

Lilydear - :welcome: How are you doing? Jump in anytime!

I hopped on the scale this morning in need of a little reassurance. Last night during my run some idiot yelled out at me from his car that dreaded three letter word: FAT! (I blogged about it if you want the whole recounting of it.) Needless to say it got me down for the rest of the evening, and I am still struggling to put it behind me today. So yes, hopped on the scale, looking for good news to overpower the bad, and got what I wanted - I saw 191.6 (my WI at the meeting Saturday was 192.8)! I am really creeping up on the 180's and on 25 lbs lost. It felt great to see 191 down there. I really feel like I am on the brink of great things :) In the past I tend to falter right about here, I think my brain is afraid of getting smaller (change! oh noes!) and I start creeping back up into the safety of the mid-190s. This really feels like a turning point. I am excited about what I can do with the rest of the year!

I am going to go stick a bunch of NSVs in our long-neglected NSV thread... I have a pile of them today as I try to focus on everything BUT what happened last night. Idiot is not worth my time. :/

How is everyone else? Chat's been so quiet! Anything new going on?

Jamie - there are always people who are stupid out there. You are doing the right thing ignoring the comment and concentrating on positives. Besides, you are doing this for yourself, not some jerk yelling out the window of a car. Talk about immature!

Nothing new to report here.. just slow and steady. Working a lot, been very tired, not getting all of my water in and reminding people (and myself) that I am taking my breaks and lunch time and not skipping meals.

I have been really hungry lately and trying to avoid the 'snacks'. I think it is stress more than anything else - work is really getting to me with everyone getting back for the summer and being overly dependent on me to remember their passwords.. lol.

Jamie - I have all the info for the nutrition info, just need to get the motivation to put it all together in an understandable format! :)

Heeellllooooooooooooo all you Flexy Ladies, you!

:grouphug:

I'm back, and I'm gonna get right into it.

If you didn't get the chance to read my other post here's the short version: I mess'd up! :p

But! Good news. After confessing my food sins to 3FC I had an overwhelming need to rush to WW immediately and start again. Okay, so I couldn't exactly run out from the office, but I did go to the first evening meeting. Got weighed in, got a brand spankin' new tracker, took a deep breath... and remembered why I love the WW group and plan.

Officially I'm up 5.8 lbs... probably more from last week's binge than the previous 7 weeks... regardless, I must re-change.

More good news? I'm excited to be starting again. Not in that "I'm gonna lose so fast" excited way (although that's always nice) but in that I'm remembering how good it feels to eat right. How tingly and wonderful it feels to get on the treadmill and just walk until my legs burn, and sweat pours off my face.

A few months ago I was in the best shape I'd ever been in my entire life, and I plan to surpass that.

It's really good to be getting back to normal. And I'm so happy to have you fantastic flexers to lean on... Can't wait to catch up and share a little about India! :)

Goooood Happy Wonderful Morning! :D

So, being that this is "back to normal" here's what I did today to make that happen:

1) I've set up my tracker for the week. (Dated it, wrote down my daily points target & week #...) Small, but important for me to be able to get up and track immediately.

2) I stopped off on the store this morning and picked up enough fruit for my day at work. I picked up a little pre-cut veggies package. Some cottage cheese. Fage yogurt. A pre-packaged SBD meal. (I just think they're tasty, and their 5 points so...)

3) I made my usual morning coffee. Okay, that doesn't sound like much, but it signifies me returning to a solid routine.

Anyway, that & working will pretty much be my day :)

Hope you all enjoy yours!

:grouphug:

I, too, have been absent. I'm trying my absolute best to keep on track. I had to stop doing point shifting because I noticed a trend in my last few weeks of weigh ins. I have just been playing around with the same two pounds. I finally made it to the 170's but then the next week I was back to the 180's. My body is adjusting to this new weight (like it did 20 pounds ago which made me start point shifting) and I need to break it out of the cycle. I changed my breakfast (3 cups of melon instead of cereal with milk and blueberries) and started having different lunches than what I am "used" to. Hopefully I will break through this most recent plateau and continue to lose.

Jaime - Your blog post makes me so angry! Not at you, just at the insensitive :censored: in the world. I hope the guys in the Byward Market in Ottawa ended up spilling beer (brewskies, bro!) all over their favourite popped collar shirt, aviator sunglasses and jelled hair that night. As for the guy shouting at you while you were running... :club: Don't let that guy get to you. We've all been there--all of us--and I know I can speak for everyone when I say I know exactly how you feel. It's horrifying to know you work so hard only to have one jerk break you down in a split second with some wreckless words or a foul glance. It sucks! Accept that it sucks, accept that some people are just awful and remind yourself that you're better than that person because you don't walk around with your nose in the air thinking everything in life comes easy and you're entitled to judge and publicly bash others. Your whole blog post was heartbreaking for me since I've been there hundreds of times--but I'm still going. And so are you. And you're going to go out tonight and run. That jerk is not going to slow you down.

Chey - Congrats on the 16's!! :high: That's so awesome. :) I grinned from ear to ear. I feel your frustrations of not being able to plan a wardrobe. Any updates on the crew from work who all seemed so gung-ho to join WW?

Stephanie - Your trip to Chicago sounds amazing. I have such a soft spot for the city. I lived there for one year (downtown at State and Erie) and have gone back to visit many times since I have left. The pizza there is incredible, isn't it? :jeno: Whoever says NY pizza is better than Chicago pizza needs to get their head checked.

Faerie - I would love to hear all about your trip to India. India is high on my list of places I want to go. My ideal situation would involve taking 5-7 weeks off work (6 being ideal) to backpack around the country and take in as much as I can. I would also like to go alone. How did you do it and what was your reason for going?

=============================

It's been a whirlwind adventure for me for the past few weeks. I went to Alberta, Canada, to visit my best friend. It was great to see him again and we even took a side trip to the rockies to visit another good friend of ours. This weekend, my BF and I are leaving work early on Friday to drive to VA to see the John Butler Trio. :hyper: We have to drive back immediately after the show is over so we can go home, take a nap and then be at the Philly airport by 6 AM for our 7 AM flight to Houston! Whew! :tired: We're flying to Houston to see his favourite band, Nine Inch Nails, and also to check out the area a little bit. I've never been to Texas and I already have plans to get some delicious Tex-Mex food. It doesn't so much fit into my plan, per se, but it's a one time thing and I don't want to deprive myself of it. Then the following weekend, I'm flying to Columbia, SC, to surprise my sister for her 30th birthday celebration. She has no idea I'm coming--I've been in cohoots with friends of hers to orchestrate my airport pick-up. :) The weekend after that, my BF and I are heading to my hometown in Nova Scotia, Canada, for the Labor Day weekend. I'd like to say things will slow down after that but we have plans to go camping in September, a Phillies game, two more shows (Matt Nathanson and Of Montreal [different weekend nights] and a crazy night with a soap box derby. I am going to need a lot of strength to stay on track through all of this without blowing it.

LeeAnne - Good for you being so aware of your weight trends, and being proactive about changing it. A lot of people give up, you know, and look at everything you are doing! Hopefully shaking up your food intake will help. What about exercise? Maybe your body is used to that routine too, and needs a break? Thanks for the kind words about what happened the other night (and what happened so many years ago…) Some people are just so terrible to others, and part of what upsets me so much is that I cannot identify with them, empathize, understand… It’s so beyond me that people would be so nasty to each other, but judging by the feedback I’ve received from that post, it happens often! I just don’t understand it! I think I am pretty well over it, though. I am going to convince myself to get out there tonight, I’m due for another run. Idiots be damned, this is about me and not him.

Wow, look at all of those activities you have planned! It sounds like fun but exhausting to no end. I hope you have fun at the show Friday, Wolf Trap is a gorgeous venue. Last time I was there I saw a production of Oklahoma! with my dad, it was campy cheesy fun :p Enjoy everything, it sounds like great fun!

Faerie - :carrot: Bravo for getting back into a routine. I’m sure you’ll feel better about it in no time. I find being in a routine again is very comfortable and things will just start to feel like second nature again. Keep us posted!

Chey - Thanks for the kind words :) Good for you setting boundaries with people even though they need you and your important self :D They have to know that you come first in your book, you need those breaks and you gotta fuel your body to run around helping people with their passwords! Is the busy-ness temporary start-of-school sort of stuff or do you expect it to continue?


Well, I'm not sure how much I've posted around here on our living situation... basically the landlord wants us out ASAP so he can find someone willing to sign a year-long lease (we are month-to-month). Since students are filing back into town it'd be good for him if we could vacate soon. We aren't legally obligated to get out til Oct 1 but if we can move, we might as well.

Anyway, we decided to move to D.C. to be closer to my sister who is about to pop with child #2, and to be in a place where DH has a good shot at finding an academic job and I have a good shot of career advancement once I choose to leave here. We were all set, we found a couple of places we were interested in. Then DH goes online and looks at reviews of these places which are all seemingly nice places... And they all talk about mice, roaches, and ... bedbugs. *shudder* Mice I think I could handle. Roaches are gross but they mind their own business most of the time. Bedbugs... freaking YUCK. So we started having doubts about these places we were going be applying for... Then we looked back at the budget to see if we could afford a nicer place... And started getting financial cold feet even thinking about all of the extra expenses of moving to DC.

So last night we started talking about staying here in Charlottesville but moving to a new apartment. At least we'd be comfortable money-wise, but there are lots of logistical problems with it - like if he gets an interview in DC he'll have to take the Greyhound up, if he gets a job I guess he'll have to get a place there while I'm still in Cville. I just don't know what to do, and it's really stressing me out! I am trying not to drown my worries in sugar and simple carbs but it gets tough.

Ugh. That was long :p But that's what I'm dealing with... I am pressured by my sister & Leo's potential job situation to move to DC, but both Leo and I (and our money) says to stay in Charlottesville. It's a tough call. Blah!

Well Hello ladies.... Hope I can join you in here!

For sure, Courtnie, jump on in :D

Well I'm going to jump on in too ;).

I've not been following my points at all and the scale is really letting me know. I'm not gaining because I'm exercising more than I used to...but imagine how much I could have lost by now if I'd been eating right along with my exercise the last 6 weeks! OY! Oh well...tomorrow is a new day. Maybe tonight I'll finish off the ice cream so I can't eat it tomorrow ;). Just kidding...mostly.

Here's to a great Thursday!!

LeeAnne - I have been wondering lately about forced plateau's. Kinda like working on a maintenance for a time and then re-starting. Don't get me wrong, I like the weight loss, but with all that I have been reading about people flirting with a couple pounds here and there each week I am just wondering about that. Getting the body used to a certain amount of food/exercise enough to maintain a weight for a time and then work on losing again. Not sure about my philosophy for that - just a curiosity I guess. :) I am finding that I am in a rut too as far as what I eat and my routine. I think I need to change things up too.

As far as the 'group' at work. We haven't gotten together to walk yet but we are all eating lunch together and kinda having mini-meetings while we eat each day.. lol. I am not sure how serious a couple of them are, but that is ok - it is a start. No one is reporting losses, but they ask me each week.

A couple of others came into work early today to get their rooms ready and saw me in the hallway and they were shocked. They haven't seen me since the end of May - made me feel really good. One had said she had heard I had lost a lot of weight, so I must be the talk of the town among staff.

Sounds like you have a some wild nights planned! 9 inch nails!!! :) The Line Begins to Blur is one of my favorites. Very strong message - wish I had heard it when I was younger and thought I had to lose myself to please others.

Jamie - yeah, this is just the start of the hectic chaotic time. It is actually starting early - it will typically end after Thanksgiving.

I would be totally stressed out about moving with that uncertainty. Especially if your landlord is pushing you guys out. You would think he would like the fact that he has guaranteed rent for when you are there. Cost of living in DC, from what I hear, is terrible though. Your DH would have to have a pretty good job to tide the two of you over until you became employed. But.. there is always a but isn't there? You two are young and don't have children yet, so if you were to decide to move it would be a good time. Decisions, decisions.

sotypical and maqz - jump in anytime. Sometimes we get pretty chatty and it is hard to catch up with everyone, but no one takes offense if you miss commenting on something.. :) I know I have a time or two, three.. lol :)

Jaimie,

Wow! so many decisions to make. My husband and I decided to move to S.Fla 10 years ago on a whim. I had a job but we knew no-one. We lived in a 3 mo rental when we first moved. We lived on a wing and a prayer. But I am doing the work I have always wanted to do and making some kind of difference in the world (I hope). So follow your dreams, nothing is reversable and Charlottesville will always be there as a back up.

Just 2 cents from a non-risk taker that took a risk. I hope I am not being too pushy! Good luck with whatever decision you make.

-Phil

Jaime - Thanks for the props. I've come too far to be a sitting duck and hope for the best without actually doing something about it. I also have no problem switching up what I eat since I love trying and preparing new things. :) You asked about switching up my exercise--while you're right that I should be switching it, I should tell you I already am! Haha. Excellent suggestion if I wasn't, though. I switch my workout every 4 weeks including the way I do cardio. I've noticed a trend with my body, though, that I hit a plateau for a few weeks every 20 pounds so I think this is frustratingly natural to me and I just have to make a change to break out of it like I have done before. I got a bunch of new fall clothes at Anthropologie (first time I was ever able to shop there!) and told myself that I'm not allowed to wear them until I see two weeks of loss in a row--meaning it's a true loss. Hopefully the cute outfits in my closet will speak to my body and send messages of loss. :goodvibes :lol: I've never been to Wolf Trap but I'm really looking forward to it. I absolutely love John Butler Trio. :) About your housing situation, I would move to a new city. Don't take my advice, though... I've had 18 addresses in the past 4 years. Hahaha.

Courtnie - Welcome! :) Another Canadian! I'm a transplant to Philly but I only recently moved here. I miss the mother land.

Magz - Welcome to you as well!

Chey - I sort of understand what you mean about forced plateaus. I was thinking just last week that I might force myself to maintain over the holidays this year instead of focusing on a loss. Maintenance would give me a little breathing room and also set me up for no losses and no gains which, if you're expecting it, is much less stressful than trying to lose and gaining instead. Hopefully that makes sense. I've been at this for a long time and, for me, it's not just about losing weight. It's about living life, living with my decisions and being healthy. I don't like the word regret so I don't want to create any for myself. ;) With your group at work, do you feel like suggesting a time and day you all get together to walk or do you feel you're better off without them or leaving it up to them? Just curious. They might need another push to get outside as much as they needed a push to be mindful of what they eat. I'm thrilled to see you know some of NIN's music! :cool: My favourites are Fragile, We're In This Together Now, Closer (how could you not like Closer? :devil:), In This Twilight and The Hand That Feeds. Looking at the setlists for the past few shows, I think Closer and In This Twilight will be a lock so I'm jazzed about that.

==============

Last week at my WW meeting, a girl in my group was very down on herself for continuing to hang on to some of her baby weight. She gave birth just 8 months ago and is torturing herself over about 10 pounds. I spoke and said, for one thing, she should be proud of herself and her healthy, happy baby instead of feeling weight pressures. I then asked if she was feeling pressured by Hollywood. At first she seemed confused and then I said, "You know, you see it in the magazines all the time. Bikini ready after 3 months! Lost the baby weight in 8 weeks! Flat stomach 2 1/2 months after baby! Do you read those magazines or take note of the stories in the store or on TV?" She thought about it for a minute and decided she was taking in those messages and feeling bad about the fact that she wasn't doing it as fast as them. She decided to avoid the stories as best as she can, think about only herself and try her best this week without being destructive. I'm heading to my meeting at lunchtime and I'm really crossing my fingers for her. I'm also going to tell her about an article I saw on MSNBC that talks about that exact problem with new moms. I couldn't believe my eyes when the article was on the front page of their site on Monday. :lol: Maybe there's an MSNBC reporter in my WW group and they stole my idea!! :lol: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26081703/

So, since I am going to my meeting, that means weigh in is today. Everyone cross your fingers for me. I broke into the 170's and then gained 0.8 last week to go back to the 180's. Boo! I'm hoping I will go back down to the 170's today and then go down even more next week. I guess we'll see. :) Last night for dinner we had grilled apple turkey burgers and they were interesting and delicious! I'd be happy to give the recipe to anyone who wants it. I watched a bit of the Olympics, talked to my Dad on the phone and then crashed by 10 PM. I've been staying up late the past few nights watching the Olympics and I think it caught up to me. :) Anyone else following the events?

Magz - :welcome: You know what you need to do ;) Why finish off that ice cream when it would do you more good in the trash? Take a few minutes to survey your tools - what you have to work with in your home - what is in your fridge and cupboards. Make sure you have set yourself up for success and march forward!

Chey - You have shown them the way, it is up to them to proceed! They should be thanking their lucky stars they have you as an example. About the moving thing, I would still have my current job as we move up to DC, as my company has an office there. So we'd have one definite income but I am still pretty entry-level in my salary. It's still a tough decision. I don't think it would even be an option if NO one had a job if we moved up there.

PhiladelphiaB - You are not being too pushy, don't worry. It is nice to hear others' experiences. I am not a huge risk-taker either... And I feel like moving to DC would be a *huge* risk! Thanks for your thoughts.

LeeAnne - I am loving the fall stuff coming out now. I got a gift certificate to New York & Co a couple months ago and just spent it on some of the new stuff they've brought out, I can't wait to get my shipment. I ordered everything a size smaller than last time I shopped there, which is either motivation or reward since I can't really tell what size I am right now :p I hope you get to wear your Anthropologie clothes soon!! :D And 18 addresses in 4 years?? Wow! I am such a homebody compared to that - I got all my desire to move out of my system as a kid in a military family!
Good luck at your WI today, let us know how it goes. We'll be rooting for you.


I peeked at the scale this morning and saw a very surprising thing... there was an 8 in my weight where no 8 existed before. Hmm. Nothing is official till WI day though. I am excited though :) Oh crud, I just remembered I won't be in town for my regular meeting since we are going to MD tomorrow evening. Hm, I think there is a meeting nearby to my sister's house on Saturday morning, and if I want that 8 to be official I better get my butt over there...

After much discussion, I think we are leaning towards staying in Charlottesville for a little while longer. I don't think we are ready to move to DC just yet - though that time will come soon now that we are focused on our goals. We were pretty directionless financially before so we weren't very disciplined, but with actual goals in mind that can change pretty easily. It's actually kind of fun living frugally, I think - it's a challenge and I like challenges. Sort of simplifies life, too, in a pleasant way. Thinking of things to do that don't cost money. Being creative with gifts instead of just buying the latest DVD or whatever. Spending more time outside. Etc.

Anyhow, I'm out - hope everyone has a great day! It's almost Friday!

WOW you girls write a lot... I dunno how I am every going to keep up with y ou guys!

LeeAnne - a friend of mine lost her baby belly in like 3 weeks! I couldn't believe it! I mean there might of been a tiny one, but it was like gone - all gone! How I envy her! We were at her baby shower and everyone was like "are you sure you just had a baby?" Good luck with your weigh in!

Jamie - I hope to one day be able to live frugally. I am trying! But I have a horrible habit of spending too much money. I am DEFIANTLY trying to make more gifts for xmas this year and limit the amount I spend. I crocheted a baby blanket for a friend (same one mentioned above) and it turned out so nice I decided to do a blanket for my dad, dishrags for everyone and a scarf for my sister and a friend... hope I can have it all done in time for xmas! Yarn can be expensive but better then buying some pointless gift and spending too much money like every other year! I have also started xmas shopping (just a few things) so it is not one big blow all at once! I find eating superfoods expensive but it is my health I guess... so I shouldn't be frugal in that.

But next week we are off to vegas and a concert.... I am sure I will spend too much money! But I have never been to vegas before. I am more concerned about what I will be putting in my mouth! argh - I just want to be back in the 160's and finally reach the 150's... I have been trying for two years! I am hoping superfoods and whole grains will help... trying to cut out white carbs for the most part.

We signed a lease! Wheeeee!

The new place has hardwood floors, two bedrooms, a balcony, a seasonal pool, a small fitness room with nice machines, and a dishwasher! This is a major upgrade in quality of life for us. Plus we're on the top floor (3rd) so there will be no one stomping around above us, which is what we've lived with for the past two years. It's also not that far away from our current place so moving should be pretty straightforward - except for the packing and unpacking bit :p

This also means I'll be able to go to my own meeting Saturday, which is comforting. This may sound silly but one of the reasons I really didn't want to move to DC is that I LOVE my current meeting, every single person in it is awesome. I would hate to have to try to find a new one that I like.

Courtnie - I am knitting a baby blanket for my sister's new one and I must get a move on if it's going to be done in time! I think I have two rows complete :eek: One way to get cheap yarn if you don't mind doing work is go to goodwill and find a knit sweater made of yarn you like. Carefully unravel it and wind it in a ball at home and there you go! A sweater's worth of yarn for $3 or whatever. I have a number of balls of yarn reclaimed from old sweaters. Hope you have fun in Vegas!

Well I'm going to jump on in here and just start talking ;)

This is my first day back OP and I'm feeling better already!

Jaime-Yay on the lease! The new place sounds great!

Courtnie-Have fun in vegas! I know what you mean about trying to be less spendy. I wish I could crochet and try to make something, but I'm not too good at it. :) My mom just crochet a winter hooded jacket for my son and she did a great job. I'm jealous. :)

LeeAnn-Good luck at your WI today! I hope you see the 170's! Yeah I still have my baby weight and my son is almost 2! LoL

Mags- :wave:

I lost 1.6!! Woohoo!!! I'm 0.4 pounds away from losing 120 total!! (The little bottom tracker must do rounding).

Jaime - Sexcellent about the 8 in your weight number. You have to get yourself to a meeting soon to make it official. Congrats on signing the lease! Your new place sounds pretty rad. Got any pictures? I love hardwood floors because, oddly enough, I love area rugs. :lol:

Jennifer - Good luck with staying OP! Welcome back. :D

Courtnie - Who are you going to see in Vegas? The best advice I have for you there is to eat at the buffets. The buffets in Vegas are a huge attraction, they're all great and they truly do all have something for everyone. If there's something that you want that you don't see presented, you can usually ask if they have any. Similarly, with fish and chicken dishes, a lot of the sauces and creams are added after the items are cooked right before they're put out on the buffet. When I was in Vegas last August, I had a number of buffet attendants go to the back room and bring me a piece of chicken or fish that didn't have the sauce on it (additional fat, really). Same goes for vegetables. A lot of places didn't seem to mind that I wanted something simply steamed if there were none available. Going to the buffet also allows you to be in control of your portion. Circle around and see what's there. Have a big plate of salad. Then go back and take only reasonable portions of healthy things that you really want. :) Honestly, it's easier than eating in a restaurant while you're there--not to mention much cheaper!!

I suggested to the girls at work for a long time that we all work together. No one seemed interested. Then someone else suggested it and suddenly we were all walking. LOL Then we started doing some running. Then we all joined the gym. Now we spend at least an hour and a half a day six days a week working out. Sometimes it just takes one little push to get everyone going.

JAIME!!! Throw ice cream in the trash!!!??? OY I think that would make me fall over dead. I’d rather eat one spoonful a day for the rest of forever than see it in the trash ;). Thankfully ice cream is the only “bad” thing in the house.

Congratulations on the new place! How exciting! I love setting up a new home. :) Good luck with your meeting!

Courtnie, I know around here you can find good quality baby yarn at the dollar stores. I guess sometimes stores discontinue a certain color so it ends up there. It’s worth looking into! A trick a friend of mine uses is using two strands of yarn. Yes you use more yarn, but if it’s only $1 it’s not a big deal!

Hey, Jennifer! Isn’t it great how one day OP makes us feel so much better?! Makes me wonder why I ever stray ;).

Great job, LeeAnne!

Baby belly? My kids are 13 and 3. At this point can I still blame it on them? ;)

I think someone stole my log in and signed on as me yesterday. Surely it wasn’t me that said I was going to start counting points again today…was it??!! Sigh. Thankfully even when I’m not counting I’m making decent choices, but I’m SURE I’m going over.

Jamie: The new place sounds fantastic! Congrats!! Good luck with the blanket! Mine took me a while but it was beautiful in the end, I was sooo proud of it! I made it with cotton yarn, took two rolls so cost me $15. (plus I had to buy hooks and books to learn, but that is a forever thing in the end, lol) Picture of it here.

Jennifer: IMO crocheting is easy! That blanket I posted above is my second attempt at crocheting, I crocheted a HUGE granny square when I was 10 or so. So really this is my thing thing in a long time. I just double crocheted over and over (probably the easiest stitch) until I had something the size of a blanket, LOL.

LeeAnne: CONGRATS!!!! We are not seeing anything in Vegas but the same day we get back we are going to see 3 Doors Down!! (with hinder, staind, and econoline crush) so I am pretty excited about that to! Next Thursday we spend a night in Vancouver and then fly down Friday morning, we leave vegas first thing Tuesday and are back around noon and go to the concert that night, spending another night in Vancouver and then come back home on Wednesday.

Magz: Our dollar store only has this fuzzy crap that is good for about nothing! LOL I think I found the yarn I want to do my Dad's blanket with, it is $3 a ball and I wanna use two at once. It will probably use a lot of balls - but even if it takes 10 (maybe it will be more if I am doubling... i really dont know, haha) that is only $30 and I usually spend more then that at christmas anyway! The dishrags I just buy HUGE balls of cotton yarn and cane probably make like 20 or so for $7 - so its not that bad....

Jamie - your new home sounds wonderful! I am a hardwood floor freak and like LeeAnne I am sure it is because I like area rugs! LOL :) When would you be moving? Ha.. you saw an 8 ehhh? Sneaky.. LOL - I am crossing my fingers for you!!! :) I usually sneak on the scale on Thursday mornings to see how I am doing for the week and when I snuck on this morning I was pleased with what I saw too. :)

Mags - just jump right on in! Sometimes we are pretty chatty (sometimes?) even the rambler that I am has a difficult time keeping up. :)

LeeAnne - Congrats on the 1.6!!! AND the new clothes! Aggg.. I am so jealous! I am afraid of buying any cute new stuff! I am just buying to get by for now but am going to have to look at getting some new tops soon. The ones I am wearing I could fit two of me in - comfortable yes, flattering no.

I have an eclectic taste in music - there is a lot of music that I like that surprises many people. I have a teenager who is into musical angst at the moment and she laughed as I sang along with one of her favorite bands Slipknot. LOL I like Rammstein too.. LOL Du hast!

Magz - I feel the same way when I don't go with what I have planned for the day - I am sure I go over, but then upon review I realize I am more on target than I thought I was.

sotypical - I crochet hot pads.. that is it. I just make a chain and go around both sides until they meet again and then 'sew' the seam up with yarn. It makes a square and they are wonderful to put under hot dishes (if made with rug yarn) on the table or depending on the yarn very nice potholders that are easy to wash in the washing machine. Besides, I don't have to count.. lol

Jen - How'd day 1 end up working out? On to day 2 now, right? :D

LeeAnne - Awesome on the 1.6!! What a milestone you are about to achieve! As for photos, I don't have any at the moment... Even if I had taken some when we visited you wouldn't want to be subjected to the current tenant's decor - yikes. Not the cleanest person alive, that's for sure. Once we get set up I will take a couple of photos.

Magz - That is awesome about the girls at work! It's like a snowball rolling down a hill. And hey, if tossing out the ice cream will keep me from eating the whole carton in one day, I will toss it. But others may have more self-control than I :D

Courtnie - That blanket looks adorable, from the little piece in the photo! I am impressed!!

So I don't know how to crochet, but I hear it is faster than knitting? I tried once - I made the first stitch in a chain - but then for the life of me couldn't figure out what to do to make a second stitch! I was so confused I gave up on it. :lol: I would love to actually learn, you can crochet some really neat stuff that is harder to do knitting.

Chey - We are moving next weekend. :eek: It all happened so fast... I am still so happy for you, with what you posted in the other thread - you are awesome! :D


Well, this weekend is going to be pretty boring. We're going to start packing up everything... We have so much stuff! Books especially! I also have a project for work I need to finish. between working and packing we'll just be a barrel of fun...

We are thinking of hiring some guys to come help us move. It's kind of an unnecessary expense but since it has to happen over a weekend and it's not exactly easy to get everything over to our new apt, it might be best if we don't add that stress to our lives, and let others handle it. Sure it'd be great exercise but... I'd still rather not :p At our new place when you go in the front door you have to go up a flight of stairs before reaching the apartment, and really the last thing I want to do is push a dresser up those stairs... or carry 50 little boxes of books up those stairs.... :eek:

Anyone else have weekend plans?

Chey - my dish rags could probably be used for hot pads as well! They are pretty easy, I just do a chain and then go back and forth in rows until its square, lol.

Jamie - I don't know if it is faster then knitting... I figure that blanket took me approx 12 hours. It was a fair size.... 36 by somthing - I find that cotton yarn sometimes hard to work with, but it turns out so beautiful after and I love the feel.

When we moved we hired movers... oh it was so nice. I had my boxers packed but then they came in the house took everything into the truck and then put it all into our new house... did it in one trip, set up our bed, put our furniture where we wanted it... I would do it again, it was worth it! We just helped the people moved into our basement suite and it took lots of trips and took all day, it was such a pain... our move was so much easier and we had more stuff and had to take everything up a flight of stairs.

So I was at Zellers (like a canadian wal-mart but more expensive, lol) last night and they had bins of yarn that was 50% off. There was a bunch of just a variegated regular yarn - its brown/blue/beige - so I got 8 balls of that to do my dad a blanket! I might end up needing more cuz I want to double it so it goes faster, LOL. Hopefully I won't need too much more.

I weighed in this morning and the scale was up a pound... from like over 4 weeks ago (last weigh in) - blargh. Anyway whatever, hopefully it doesn't go up much more when I am in vegas. I finally caved and made a doctor's appt for next week to get a referral to get some blood tests - just to make sure there is a thyroid problem or something.

As for this weekend... my friend wants to go to the river Saturday night but I dunno... with going to vegas next week and being busy all last weekend I might just want to stay home. Sunday my dad and I are going to visit some family friends for lunch... of course they live aways away so it turns into an all day event..... LOL I just want a relaxing weekend of sitting in the yard, sun tanning, cleaning, reading and crocheting, lol.

Jumpin in, feet first!
 

Hi all! Decided to just jump in and say hello! I finally decided this morning to start Flex and so far so good. I've enjoyed lurking this site -- it's given me the encouragement (more of the kick in the pants that I needed!) to get started what with all the success I've been reading about. Wish me luck!
Since you started talking about crocheting, I was wondering if anyone did any quilting. Since I enjoy sewing, about 8or 9 years ago I attempted my first quilt and have been making patchwork quilts for all the new babies that have come along (friends, family) since. I was not very successful at crocheting; took too long and I was not great at following the directions. Knitting was eaven worse!
Anyways, I've got 48 pounds to lose (sounds better than 50) and if you guys can do it, I'm gonna do it too!

JoJoLo.. :) Fellow quilter here!!!! Now we are talking! LOL - not that I don't like crocheting, but I LOVE to quilt! :) As soon as number two son finally gets done with college and gets a place of his own, his old room is mine! DH got number one son's room for a computer room. My room is going to be a sewing room! :) Good for you for jumping on the wagon here! Yes, if others can do it you can too! It isn't always easy, but this place here and the people can make it fun.

LOL... sotypical - I do the round and round thing because mine don't end up being square. Something about counting.... :rofl:

Jamie - I would hire movers too! So much easier and less stressful. That way all you have to worry about is cleaning the place up and unpacking. Heck - the unpacking is probably worse than packing IMO. Thanks for the kudos too. I am still giddy about it. I just can't believe how shocked I was. I think that was what made me cry so much.
__________________________

DH and I had date night tonight. Went out to dinner and then shopping. I HAD to buy new clothes for work. Officially we start back on Monday and my baggy jeans just aren't going to cut it as we have to 'dress professionally' during contract days. That is difficult for me as I crawl under desks, climb ladders running cable and move computers around so clothes have to be pretty sturdy and no skirts or dresses.. lol. This year is going to be so much easier for me than last year! I don't mind getting on the floor and crawling around so much now.

Anyway... I am officially out of the women's section of the stores!!! DH made sure I tried everything on and then went into the 'regular' section and found some slacks and asked some lady to bring them to me.. :rofl: I tried them on and they were regular 16's. The tops are 1X now or XL depending on the style. I am also down 2 sizes in my bras, but the cups size is the same.. :( Panties are also 2 sizes smaller. I was wearing 24 pants and 3 or 4X tops.

Even my shoe size is smaller! This is very strange to me because when I was thin, my feet were the same size that I had been wearing. I tried on new shoes and I had to go to 8 1/2 instead of 9 1/2 or 10. Has anyone else had that happen?

Courtnie - Yeah, I think crochet is faster than knitting, or else I'm a very slow knitter! I expect my baby blanket (36 by 42 or something?) will take me at least 24 hours. :eek: Smart to go to the dr to make sure everything checks out, I hope it goes well for you!

JoJoLo - welcome! I don't quilt but I would love to learn. I have been collecting pieces of fabric for a long time, so sooner rather than later I ought to do something constructive with them!

Chey - Great news on all the clothing changes! And yes, I have had my feet shrink some too. Think of all th weight you don't have pressing down on them to make them spread out!


I am having a hard time focusing today at work, so here I am. My mind keeps running back to all the things we need to do at home. Plus we haven't actually been "verified" by the new leasing company so while we have signed a lease we don't have the go-ahead to actually live there til they do credit check, employment verification, landlord references, etc. I expected to hear back from them by now, hopefully they call soon. We have great credit and references so I don't anticipate a problem but it's still unnerving to be making plans to move this weekend when we haven't technically been approved for the place!

I made lots of good progress on the baby blanket this weekend. When faced with the alternative activities - working or packing - I chose knitting :p This is the most complex pattern I've ever tried (it involves counting! Usually I just go knit knit knit knit until I run out of yarn...) and it's really fun to see it work, to see the pattern emerge behind my needles.

I am just a ball of nerves today. Maybe I'll go make some tea and try to settle in here, I have a ton to get done..... Hope everyone had a great weekend!

JoJoLo - Welcome!

Chey - the only time I count is when I chain ;) But even then, I normally just go till it looks good, haha.

Congrats on the smaller sizes! My feet haven't seemed to shrink much, but I heard that it is common to lose a shoe size!

Jamie - you must post a picture when you are done! I have never done a pattern (only made two blankets and a few dish rags! lol)! I started the blanket for my dad but I am going to start over because I think I am making it too big (read, will take too long and use too much yarn!) Good luck with everything! I can NEVER focus at work!

This weekend wasn't too bad... I think I ate not bad, expect maybe last night. But overall it was better then normal! I started reading a book 'Mindless Eating' - started on that blanket for dad, and finishing up one more dishrag for my friends birthday present. Today I had tons of laundry to do and need to pack for vegas!

Hi Everyone! I just popped in to say "Hi!" and post about India. I wrote this a couple of days ago, but hadn't gotten a chance to post it. I'm catching up on quite a few things right now. (Lots of busy work at the office.) But, I'll pop in when I can this week. And try my best to keep updated.

India:

I stayed in Chennai. A major business district city in Southern India inside the state of Tamil Nadu. They speak Tamil there (not Hindi). In fact, there are a lot of languages in India... and people from different states often have to communicate in English, because that's the only common language they know. (I found that so... weird.) Almost everyone we ran into spoke some English. Don't get me wrong, it was convenient, but a little disappointing. I somewhat liked the idea of having to learn more to get around. That aside...we traveled to a few places. Went to Pondicherry to see an ashram of a mentor-type woman called "The Mother". She designed a place called Auroville. Where people of all different countries come to work and live in peaceful soul-searching & self-finding. Yeah, it's a hippie-commune. But, it really is cool. And part of me always wanted to join a hippie-commune.

We (co-workers & I) also traveled to Kodaikanal. A gorgeous hilly/mountaneous area with these beautiful views. It was so ridiculously wonderful.

Within Chennai we got a chance to see the Theosophical society where we ran into an elderly New Zealand man named Conrad who proceded to twirl his knarled crooked cane at us while preaching life advice. "Don't worry if someone else is having a bad day, don't give it back to them. Instead say 'I'm sorry you're having a bad day, brother,'" he used brother, like Desmond from Lost uses the word, "'I hope that your day gets better.'"

One of the most unexpected part of being in India was how much attention I got for being light skinned. This is just something that never occurred to me. Here's the background: Having fair skin is considered an attractive feature in India. Almost like having tanned or bronzed skin here is the cool kid thing to do. (One always wants what they don't have, isn't that the case?) I even saw some people walk around under parasols.... Parasols! :rain: Okay so, knowing that, and the fact that there aren't exactly an overabundance of caucasians walking about India, meant that suddently I was some sort of pseudo-celebrity. Coupled with my blue eyes & (albiet fake) red hair, people actually asked to pose with me for pictures. They'd come up to us out of nowhere and talk to us in (limited) English. The strangest part? They'd touch me. I got used to the stares. (Smile and wave back.) But I was in a store and distracted looking at clothes & things when I felt someone touch me. Not in a "Oops I bumped you" way, but in a "Hey I just really wanted to touch your forearm" sort of way. I looked back, a little confused, at a smiling woman who was just staring at me as she put clothes back on a rack. I mean, I guess I was flattered. But, it was also just the tiniest bit creepy. >_>

The driving was crazy. If you don’t know, they drive on the left. Not unusual. But, they don’t actually follow many rules of the road. They push through wherever they can get through, they honk… constantly… they swerve to avoid the various cattle & animals running all over the road. Lots of scooters. And not just one person on a scooter, no. But entire families. I saw five people on a scooter… several times.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of poverty. It was a heartbreaking juxtaposition to come from a 4 star hotel and watch as families sleep on the street. To have beggars, often crippled, come up to your window during stopped traffic…Even in the street, there’d be women who would send their toddlers up to beg.

Trash is left on the streets. There aren’t many drains, so when it rains it floods a lot of the streets. There’s lots of construction there, as there is in the US, but stuff actually gets done there. Many things are in disrepair, though. Old posters are plastered over all the buildings.

India is a strange, beautiful creature. Where the people, land, and surroundings are an odd mixture of both from the 1970’s and Ancient. Temples next to cell phone stores. Women wearing saris, men wearing wide-lapelled floral shirts and flared jeans. Dust covering just about everything.

Everyone has a cell phone. Everyone.

Men… this is an oddity for me, because guys in America just… don’t… do … this. Men in India think nothing of frequent skin contact. If men are close friends they think nothing of walking arm in arm, or even hand in hand down a street. They grab each other, wrap their arms around each other, lean on each other… It’s so strange, this very playful & touchy behavior. Like young boys. I guess I’m very American. I’m used to my personal space, where few people are allowed to venture.

Which reminds me, forget personal space in India. There are far too many people for that luxury. Masses & masses of people. I come from a relatively populated area of the US, and the amount of people there are in India still overwhelms a bit.

There is also bargaining in India. There are stores that have set prices… but there are others where they’d think you were an idiot to buy at the price they ask. You can usually haggle them down to about half. But, I have to admit, living is cheap in India. Even the starting price of most of the goods is low for what it’d cost in the US.

(I bought plenty by the way… I bought a beautiful sari to wear for giggles, and some Indian silk scarves to give to the women in my life. Lots of treasures for family & friends. I had to buy a whole ‘nother bag to fit all the crap inside. Also, I ended up leaving India with a fetish for small bronzed Ganesh statues.)

And then of course, every area of the world has its own unique smell.

I finally put my finger on it in my last weeks there. India smells like jasmine, cardamom and body odor. Now, wait, hear me out. It’s not wholly unpleasant, and the smell of India is a fond memory. (It’s a fact of life that plenty of people do not wear deodorant.)

Well that’s about all I can type about India right now. It was a fantastic place to go. I was so happy to have the opportunity. I loved the culture shock. And now I just have to get back to see the Taj in North India. ;)

I could get addicted to this whole “travel” thing. :lol:

Courtnie - Sounds like the concert you are going to will be a lot of fun. :) What is it you're doing in Vegas when you go?

Jamie - Are you all packed for the move? ;) I am so sick and tired of moving. I don't envy you. When I moved to Philly, I immediately painted the walls of my place hoping that it will make me stay for longer than a few months. So far it's working. I fully support hiring people to move everything for you. The last time I moved, I sat around sipping some lemonade while these two big burly guys set everything up for me. It was awesome. I am not the type to get a U-Haul because, well, I do not haul. I get a 'someone-else-Haul'.

JoJoLo - Welcome! Looks like you have found a buddy already in Chey. :lol: Good luck to you!

Chey - Congrats on the new clothes! It's about time you went shopping. :) I hope you were thrilled leaving the store with your purchases. What I don't understand, though, is why you would be upset over not losing cup sizes in your bust. I lost a cup size and, quite frankly, it was a size I didn't want to lose! :( I went from a C to a B. I hope they don't continue to shrink. The other thing that shrunk for me, like you, is the size of my feet. I didn't notice it until I had lost about 80-85 pounds but now I know for sure that all of my shoes are too big. It's a shame, too. Ever since I started working professionally and making a decent wage, I treated myself to nice shoes and handbags. As a single girl with little responsibility, I ended up with a lot of expensive shoes.. and now none of them fit. It's really a shame because they range from my favourite Steve Maddens to "only worn them three times" Christian Louboutin's. Chin up--better to spend money on new clothes and shoes than on medical treatments, right? :)

====================

So.... WOW! What a weekend. :dizzy: Driving the 3 hours to VA to see John Butler Trio was totally worth it. It ended up taking longer than 3 hours, of course, but we made it with some time to spare and made our way into the venue. The venue itself is gorgeous. If I had known about the chill scene there, I would have gotten lawn tickets and brought a picnic like a lot of others did. Oh well. There's always next time. :) We left halfway into G. Love's set because we weren't feeling it and decided to beat the traffic. A lot of the crowd had thinned out and it was clear that most people were there to see JBT, who stole the show. We drove back and made it home around 1:30. We went right to bed and then the alarm went off at 4:50 AM. Yikes. :faint: We got dressed, made some coffee and were on our way to the airport to fly to Houston! We spent the day there shopping around and then went to the Nine Inch Nails show. Ha, what a show. The band was fantastic and the crowd was really interesting to watch. I love people watching and this was the place to do it. After the show, we walked around until we found El Ray Taqueria. I had been looking forward to this place for some time and it did not disappoint. I had planned for this well in advance and I happily ordered the three taco special. I carefully made my selections: a grilled fish taco with a touch of habanero mayo, the Cuban taco with chicken, plantains, black beans and a touch of sour cream and the summer special taco with grilled shrimp in corn tortillas with tomatos, cilantro, avocado and mango. It wasn't that these ones sounded "healthiest", it's just that they sounded the best and most interesting after pouring over the menu. SO. DELICIOUS! :eating2: It was hard to decide which one was the best of the three! They all had their strengths. My BF tried a bite of each one with me and we decided that while the habanero mayo was the best individual element, the Cuban taco stood out as best overall. I'm surprised he was even able to help me with the taste test--he ordered this thing called The Giant Burrito (everything is bigger in Texas) and he couldn't finish it. That's the first time since he was in middle school that he hasn't been able to finish something. He looked very defeated after it was all said and done. I couldn't help but laugh. I know that with all of his progress, his stomach just couldn't handle it! :lol:

I would go back to El Ray Taqueria in a heartbeat. The restaurant and it's flavours inspired me to create a Spanish/Mexican/Cuban influenced menu for the week. :)

On Sunday, we woke up early at the hotel and all was back to normal. I had a great breakfast at the hotel loaded with fresh fruit, cottage cheese and some coffee. :) After our food settled and we browsed the Sunday paper for coupons (an obsession of ours), we hit up the gym for some solid cardio. I wanted to go for a swim after that but it was too late. We showered and left for the airport to catch our flight. Lucikly when it was time for dinner, we found a Quiznos where I safely ordered the Honey Bourbon Chicken sub for 6 points. Not bad for an airport meal.

Even though the tacos were delicious and the first planned 'cheat' I've had in a long time, I was glad to get back home and start my morning with my usual coffee and a bowl of melon. :)

Now I need to have a good week although I am sure the scale won't be very kind. TOM is due tomorrow or the next day and then I have my WI on Thursday. Friday afternoon I leave for Columbia, SC to have another big weekend--my sister's 30th birthday. It never ends!

Faerie, I have to make my response to your post my own post on here. I don't know if you (or any of you) know this about me but I was born to travel. I have a lot of knowledge of India for someone who has never been there but it's planned as my next big conquest. I don't know that it will be my next trip, per se, but it's my big fish. I won't go unless I have 6-8 weeks off to tour around the entire country to the best of my ability. I also don't want to go with anyone else. :p

Anyway, on to my reply. I'm in love with your post and it's possibly one of the greatest ones I've read. :)

This surprised me as well. I work with a number of consultants who travel stateside from India to work on site with us here. I have made friends with many of them and have learned some cool tidbits about the country. One man knows 22 state languages, insists they're all drastically different and is glad he can use English on a day to day basis. :lol: Whatever works, I guess. :) I hope you picked up some useful Hindi phrases. :)

Me too! Then again, I am a hippie so that's really no surprise. :)

I experienced the same thing in Indonesia! I also experienced the touching--both strangers touching me and men touching one another. I think it's heartwarming to know there's a broad spectrum of people out there who don't have this misconception that they're entitled to their own personal space. I think they must have a much greater sense of community for their lack of fences and dividing arm rests.

Did you have the people who would take your picture like the paparazzi? That's the only thing that bothered me. I didn't mind stopping for photos when I was travelling around Indonesia or even Malaysia but, especially in Indonesia, some people would run up, flash their camera in my face and then run away.

Did you see any girls in skirts or saris riding side saddle? That really bothered me in some Asian countries I've been in. At least throw your other leg around! The other thing was the smell of the scooters. I think they burn diesel.

This is sad and unfortunate. One thing I always hear about India is that there is no middle class and it's fairly obvious that people either have money or they don't. Truth?

This is my favourite thing about Asian countries! You don't get this kind of stellar treatment in Europe or North America. When I travel, I carry a little pocket calculator with me so that I can type in the new price I wish to pay and take the haggling from there. You never know when someone is going to "forget" how to speak English or start using lots of slang in their local language--making it impossible for me to understand. :dizzy: I love to haggle, though, and have gotten a lot of good deals because of this. Good for you for building a collection of bronzed Ganesh statues!

The only thing you left out of your post is the one thing I want to know: did you get the $hits? According to travellers lore, it's a right of passage to get the runs when you go to India and have their street food, water and local fare. Even fruit! I want to go there and get it over with on my first day there! :lol