Hi everyone, just a quick note to say I'm still breathing through h*ll week. But it's nearly at an end so tomorrow I will read the posts I missed, then post more. But quickly, food is right on target and so is exercise.
Marie

Rain rain go away I hate camping in the rain. Oh just thought I'd ck in quickly ate my b and was good with cals for now. Going to take a healthy lunch w/ ww pita, turkey and veggies, peach. Later on I can't promise to be great but I will be ordering one pizza with lots of veggies no greasy meat. I will have a few ck wings but I think I am going to stop to get grilled ones for me at least that is a bit better than fried I am trying. Oh yesterday the store had a real nice apple pie it made its way in the cart for camp then I ck'd the cals at 350 a piece and put it out of the cart so some good choices. I still need to get it tog. totally but its coming along better than in the past month. I just need to keep tweeking!! In the long run it will make a difference. I am not overally concerned with tonights dinner as I know kayaking and hiking are in store inbetween rain drops sunday is to be the best day we can stay there most of the day will just pack up early so that is done. Have a super day and a relaxing weekend sounds like us girls here need a little love thee self day!

Yay! I got to take today off! I just wish the weather would cooperate so I could go to the pool. It's almost over - waaaaah! Well, at least I can look forward to some more tomato sandwiches- I don't eat them at work since they're so messy. Today will be a cleaning and grocery shopping day- getting ready for the weekend.

I think my cookouts have been reduced by one , so now down to just Sunday and Monday. Sunday should be ok, the traditional family cookout where I normally just take my own veggie burger along and try to stay away from the other stuff. I usually end up having a little something bad, but not too much. Monday we're cooking out here at home, with our neighbors, and I expect to have a "real" burger then, but we're having some sensible side dishes with NO POTATO SALAD!!! I will, however, also be having cake, but it's a WW recipe, so it's ok . I haven't made this cake all summer, and it is soooo fruity and summery, it just has to happen once!

Carol, what a busy week you're having! Good job on the ditching of the apple pie! Have fun camping, and maybe the rain won't get ya - it's all hit or miss.

Penny, yeah, I used to have my tomato sandwiches on the unhealthy white bread, too, but they're just as good on healthy bread! Never had one with butter, always mayo. They're still good with fat free mayo now. Mmmmm, I can't wait til lunch time! Hope you get some sleep and feel better soon!

Marie, TGIF! H*ll week comes to an end at last! Hope you're still whooshing right along!

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Wow, it feels like late October around here--cool, overcast and dampish, which makes me want to...eat comfort food! Help! Everything is ganging up on me lately. Okay, I'll admit that it's raining on a few million other people in the area, too . But it's not making all of them hungry!

Carol, I decided to hold off on buying a place. Condos still cost way too much here, and who knows what's going to happen with my job over the next few months. So I'm moving to a less expensive rental to save a little money and wait for the housing prices to come down for another year or two. Hope your camping trip isn't too muddy!

Penny, you're right, quitting isn't an option! You have had a lot of physical challenges, and I think you've done great to hang in there and not pile the pounds back on. Two steps forward, one step back is still a step further along.

Marie, Hades Week is over! Congratulations.

Auntie G, it sounds like you're doing a great job of thinking about how to make good choices this holiday weekend.

I am feeling better. The achy-ness is almost gone. I have a huge painful scab still on my elbo, I'll stop at the store and find something to put on it. I did 60 minutes on the cardio machines this morning (the first time the fitness room since my ignominious fall), and that felt good. Alas, I'm not eating as if it were Whoosh Week, so I'm going to have to celebrate Super Whoosh Weekend . I let the Carb Monster out of the box on Wednesday and now he won't get back in.

No big plans for the weekend. Looking at bedroom furniture, going through stuff I don't want to take with me when I move...maybe treating myself to a movie.

Have fun, everybody--judy

Here he is... the carb monster...

Judy, he is very dangerous when he's on the loose. He often visits me around PMS time, the evil little beast. I hope you can beat him into submission!

Can you tell it's raining here, too, and I'm spending too much time on the computer? LOL! Have a good one!

Carol - I hope the weather clears up for your camping trip and that you have a great time. Good for you saying "NO" to that apple pie. I often see a nice looking recipe in a magazine and then see the mind boggling calories and take a pass.

Auntie G - Wow your Carb Monster is a scary guy - he's a bit 'balanced' with the cheese on his head though! I hope you have fun at your cook outs over the weekend.

Judy - I think fall has arrived early here too! I've been having the carb cravings like crazy. Maybe I should just keep looking at Auntie G's carb monster - he'd put anybody off their grub! I hope you are healing up ok after your fall. I think that's a wise decision not to buy right now. It's also hard to say if the market has bottomed out. I hope you have a relaxing weekend.

Marie - Good to hear you are on target. I'm sure you're looking forward to your weekend off - TGIF!

We're taking it easy and just doing some yard work this weekend. We may go for a drive to the coast if the weather is nice. I think I have a tooth problem developing. I haven't had any tooth problems for years so I guess I'm due! I hope it's not going to be a $1K root canal job! I have a dentists appointment on Tuesday so I hope it holds out till then.

Have a great weekend everyone!

3 more lbs gone this week - bringing me to a nice round 40, so far! Yay!!! Now if only I can be sensible over this weekend...

Penny, I did notice the cheese on the head of the carb monster, but what carb isn't made tastier by adding some cheese?! LOL! Mmmmmm, cheese... I hope your tooth holds up over the weekend. I know what that's like for sure. Ugh! Try to have a good one!

Well, I'm off to try to convince my brother to go to the ER. He seems to have gotten some sort of internal injury from a fall a few days ago, but refuses to get checked out because he doesn't have insurance. He is very pig-headed, so wish me luck!

Well I guess my subject title says it all. I like Judy's more appropriate name for the week. I was still working at about 8:30 last night. But I'm done. I'm not naive, I know that the start of the year has problems, but I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel so I'm quite happy. Nearly delirious.

I have been exactly on target food wise and if my mobile windows would ever finish synchonizing, I'd see how I did from last week. I know I'm making downward progress even though there are blips upwards (always the morning after swimming). No biggie on that anymore. I rarely even point at it with my middle finger. Ooooo the scale's and my relationship is maturing.

Exercise, I'm too obsessed with it. You all know about my morning exercise fix, but lately I've added another workout in the evening to rejuvenate after work. Even on day (Thursday) I found time to swim 1/2 mile after work. I know, really being honest here on this one, that I'm not going overboard because of trying to lose weight. I feel so much better, that I'm not feeling the bipolar knocking on my brain as much as it did a month ago. So I'll keep going. Now if only my heel would heal miraculous as I don't give it any rest except on the evening workout when I swim. I figure pain is better than bipolar drugs. Can you all tell I HATE those drugs????

Auntie G, you are the whoosh chickie!!!! Congrats on the big loss. I remember noticing your loss when you joined us 6 weeks ago and you are flying. The top side will give in eventually. For now, enjoy the skinnier pants.

Judy, I too missed the new apartment choice. Good for you making a reduction in rent payment since your job is tenuous with the new director. Very wise. I hope you're healing and not ripping the scab from your elbow. Me, I'm a scab picker and it's a bad habit.

Carol, I hope your camping trip is wonderful and the kayaking peaceful on the lake. Were the quilts you and your DGS looked at beautiful. I love homemade quilts. I have the material to make a new one for my bedroom but I'm not getting anywhere on it. Maybe I'll get started some day.

Penny, up 8-9 pounds in a year full of medical woes is absolutely a success. I'm up more than that I've not had any major medical problem. So be proud of yourself. You'll be losing in no time.

So the weight loss for this week is about 2.2 pounds. I've lost 4 pounds in 3 weeks. So I think that the increase of cals to 1500 cals was good advice from my best chickie friends here. Not only did I lose more, but I got to eat more...

Marie

Hi--

I'm trying to have a productive weekend, although I really want to space out on the couch. I've been shredding old fiancial papers, tossing magazine articles I'd clipped several (ahem!) years ago, and otherwise getting rid of junk. I also went looking for bedroom furniture. I've never actually bought a "bedroom set" before. They are a lot more expensive than I thought!

Auntie G, no wonder you're whooshing...what an active imagination you have. I hope things are okay with your bro.

Carol, I hope you're enjoying your camping trip.

Penny, the weather here has perked up, and it feels more like summer, although the leaves are already falling and an acorn hit me on the head yesterday.

Marie, you are doing great with food and exercise. No, I'm not a de-scabber. I get a dark scar if you look at me too hard, so now that I'm supposedly a grown-up, I'm trying to let things heal without help.

I won't get on the scale until Tuesday. I think I can at least get back to 210, which has evaded me for weeks. Now that I've looked directly into the eyes of the Carb Monster (thanks, Auntie), I've shoved him out of sight. I think I will be a "vegetable-tarian" this week, with extra fruit, to keep the sweet tooth pacified. I bought an enormous honeydew melon the other days, and some lovely peaches from the farmers market.

Back to worrying about friends and colleagues in the path of the latest hurricane. Let's hope it won't be as bad as it looks!

Just a quickie-

Marie, I never imagined any public pools would be heated and open year round! I'm so jealous! I always assumed that ours all close on Labor Day because the lifeguards are school kids. It probably is a money thing, though. PA winters are all about salting the roads. Oregon's sounding better and better to me!

Bedtime! Hope everyone's weekend was fun!

Marie - Wow, you sure put up lots of food for the winter. You must have a huge freezer. We just have a silly side-by-side fridge, half of which is filled with frozen raspberries from our bumper crop this year. It must make cooking a lot easier when you have so much of the prep already done.

Judy - I'm eating more fruit too. I just discovered the tiny round watermelons - they are so sweet. One of those is just right for the two of us and lasts a few days. Melon is very filling a not too many calories. We're also eating more oranges and grapes. I've started making more spinach salads instead of cooking the spinach as they say raw foods are so good for you.

Auntie G - I hope your brother is doing ok - it must be very worrying for everyone. Guys seem to only go to the doctor's as a last resort. Potato salad season will soon be over - so enjoy it (in moderation)!

Carol - I hope you had a fun time camping.

We went to a birthday party yesterday and I was on fairly good behavior around the buffet table. Luckily, I can't stand sheet cake with that fake icing and couldn't believe people who wanted extra icing - that stuff is so gross! I concentrated on the veggie items and stuffed mushrooms. Like Marie and Auntie G, I got the 'cleaning bug' and did some housework, which was long overdue as I haven't done any thorough cleaning for several weeks. It's nice to have the bathrooms shiny and clean and no more crunchy things underfoot in the kitchen and family room! I may even do the kitchen and dining windows today. I'm going to have to really watch the carbs as they have been calling my name lately!