My tummy looks a little bloated this morning, SB

But that's because I slept very little, I was up all night thinking. When I don't sleep well my weight usually shifts up a bit.

Which leads me to my next point, though I will be following my diet plan and still trying to lose, my daily accountability with this forum will be dropping. Reason? My fiance and I have set a date for our wedding.

3 months from today.

I'll spare you guys the long story and explanation I posted in the 20's forum, but it comes down to wanting to get married before we move to Prince George to be with his daughter, him wanting to move before her birthday (Feb 21st), me somehow finding a way to make it through Christmas and my own birthday (Dec 28th) while still saving money for said wedding and move.

Last night we came up with a guest list, possible venue, and found a commisioner we like that I need to contact. Then I laid there planning this all in my head, I'm an over thinker and planner.

Now I feel a cold coming on. Time to get tough! I can do this!

(I have to choose a new dress now due to weight loss, I don't know if that's good or bad! I never bought it but it seemed easy because I found something under 200 dollars that was elegant and would fit my larger body)

Loaded up the swim gear last night, put it in the car, drove to the pool with all intentions of buying the multi-pass and getting in a workout ... and discovered that the kid's swim team has grown so huge that they've stopped the adult evening lap swim except on Fridays. Okay. So back in the car, went to local HS pool with exact same intent ... and apparently Wednesday is an off night. Color me "aggravated". On top of that, we lost power due to the winds at around 2pm, and it was still not back on as of this morning. No shower, no hot tea for the ride in to work. And I'm still obsessing about saef's cream-cheese stuffed pumpkin muffins - I probably gained six pounds overnight from mentally eating more than a dozen of them. So I searched. This may be "the one": http://http://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/?p=12683 . Let it be known, however, that leftovers will be turned over to the vultures at work.

It can only get better from here, right? Right????

Oh, Becky, I should never have brought up those unmentionable baked goods in a public venue frequented by fellow food addiction sufferers.

I didn't partake, but my mother bought four, intending a solitary orgy, no doubt, & I was appalled at the big spreading oil stains they left on the outside of the brown paper bag in which they were placed.

I'm remorseful today.

And extremely happy for Jay, to read that her efforts are paying off. No more Slough of Despond.

StephanieM, if your life becomes absolutely insane, feel free to come here & freak out periodically. Because what else are online support networks for, really? Here is my free pass to you:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^ FREE PASS FROM SAEF: ^
^ UNTIL MY WEDDING DAY, I AM ALLOWED TO BE WHINY ^
^ ABOUT STRESS IN MY LIFE at least 2X PER DAY ^
^ (Not for resale or transfer. Renewable under ^
^ special conditions. Valid to bearer for 90 days. ^
^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Literary allusions, no less! You made my day!

Jay

Sznn, I run about 5K 2-3 times a week, but I really ought to bump it up to 4 times a week. Have fun at the race!!!

Jay, congrats on the 4 lbs!!

SB, yay for slimming tummy and thighs!

Stephanie, yup, yup, life happens even when we are trying to eat healthy and exercise. Many people come and go depending on the seasons in their lives. In addition to saef's wonderful license to whine, I'd encourage you to have some sort of accountability during this time, either regular weighing or trying on a well-fitted pair of jeans. Sometimes with lots of exciting changes, the scale can creep up...ask me how I know!

Becky, drat!!! You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men (and swimmers, apparantly). Can you try some pumpkin oatmeal with some walnuts and a little cream cheese stirred in to hit those flavor points?

As for me, stupid scale. Whatever. Foods been on par and, like SB, my tummy feels slimmer. So fie on you, stinking scale.

How's everyone else?

Hahaha! For all of us who have not found the magical balance for juggling it all:

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co...-be-adult.html

(For those of you have it all figured out, feel free to skip the link. That would include my sister, except my sister's not on 3FC....hahaha!!)

Becky, that is so annoying about the pool! I hate how it's so hard just to find a pool to swim laps in when you want to. The place I go always has at least 3 lanes open for lap swimming, but it can get pretty crowded when they're using the rest of the pool for swim lessons or some such. I usually go Sunday mornings. The local high school pool is actually cheaper, but since they have swim team practice there it's almost never open for public lap swim.

Weight is still up in the 138 range for me. Not sure what's going on. It magically jumped up 2lbs and isn't going back down. Next week will be back to losing. I ate too much last night after dinner even though I wasn't hungry. DH and I talked about it some this morning -- I really think the reason I keep eating after dinner is because DH is munching all night long. He's still recovering from a leg injury so he's not running like he was before, and he claims that when he doesn't run he gets hungrier (seems backwards to me, but whatever). I told him that there are two different things he can do if he still needs to eat after dinner. 1) Eat things I don't like. Last night he ate a tin of mackerel. Zero temptation for me. Of course, then he went on to eat raisin bread with peanut butter and half a bag of grapes, which is a whole different story. 2) Eat in a different room. If he eats in the kitchen while I'm watching TV, I don't usually notice what he's up to. If he makes a snack then comes and sits next to me on the couch to eat it, I see it and I want it.

Meanwhile, DH is driving me a little nuts with his cyclical complaints. He is upset that his leg is recovering and he can't run. Then he says "why do I bother, I just get injured." Then he says he's fat (he's not) or his belly is big (it's not). Then when I say his snacking is making me want to eat he says I'm picking on him and I think he eats too much. Then he says his muscles are too small and he has chicken legs. Then he says weight lifting doesn't work. Then when I suggest he see a physical therapist to help heal his leg, or that the reason his legs are weaker is because he gave up weight lifting for 2 years, or that he's not fat, he either ignores me or says I'm wrong. Argh! Maybe I am just stressed because TOM is coming up.

Ah Jessica - men, you gotta love them, or else you'd kill them!

Becky - totally aggravating about the pool(s). Our HS pool is cheaper too (as well as closer for me) but has lots of other activities. Luckily retirement has allowed me access to the daytime slots, which are much less crowded. Now to use those times.

Jay - YAY! for 4 pounds.

SB - how's the firewood project going? DH declared the sawing part at an end yesterday and cleaned and put away the chainsaw for the winter. There are however many pieces around the property to be hauled to the carport for dry storage.

My agreement with my doctor was that I would go pack on the yucky medicine that makes me feel dreadful - at a lower dose - once I got back from vacation. So I started it again on Sunday. By yesterday I had the side effects back, though not as badly as with the higher dose. The only good one is that I get full sooner. THe downside to that part is that some healthy foods become totally unpalatable - like most greens. Weird. I promised him 2 weeks, after which we'll reevaluate. Maybe I can at least lose a few pounds during that time.

Becky - arg that is so annoying about the pool - but I think you get 2 gold stars for the effort.

Pat - med changes suck, and it sounds like you have been dealing with much ickyness for months due to it. Hope it passes soon.

silverbirch - yay for tummy looking leaner

Jay - 4lbs in a month is super!

midwife - if everything is on track, I wholeheartedly support ignoring the scale. Do you ever try the dry brushing to stimulate your lymph system? It has realllllly reduced by water retention amongst other benefits (goodby cankles!).

I am doing awesome while away from home. I managed to find sashimi at the airport for lunch. Took onto the flight edamame, seaweed salad, banana and a tuna sammich I removed the bread from. Slightly under calories, but I felt good about the choices (and none too carby). Today I had real sugar and milk in my coffee...so little sugar and it was way too much. Haha. Splurged on some lifechanging cheese: testun al barolo....but no bread! Got some greens and a granny smith and made a salad with it.

*Redeemed*

I am an easy going person. I swear, I am. I'm totally laid back. I would NEVER consider myself to be a bridezilla.

Setting a date should be an easy thing. My fiance and I agreed on it. I texted his best man who said it shouldn't be a problem. His fiance who is my maid of honour told me she would make sure he was there (he had a hockey game to film that night but got it off). So I put in a request at a possible venue, one that is low price that my grandma is offering to help pay for. Our wedding would be on a Friday and I was thinking we would have people arrive around 6 but the ceremony start about 7.

I hear my fiance on the phone with him yesterday and all I hear is 'yeah, well Steph chose the date' I knew I wasn't going to be happy with what was being said.

Then he says to me 'It would have been nice if you had picked a Saturday, because no one works on Saturdays except you' Obviouslly I would have this day off (vacation booking is coming up), but are you serious? Do you know how you sound right now Dylan?!

His bestman still works in the day, but get's home around 6 normally, he would have time to change and come over. It's not like he has to do his hair!

I actually woke up irritated this morning.

*end rant*

Hm. Groomzilla.

Jay

Up .7 pounds from last Friday, which could be lingering fluid retention from my period as it ekes out its last few days. Or it could be due to my thing for plain dry-roasted almonds during my mother's visit. I forecast this slight increase based on my stomach's appearance. It's sad that now I can always tell. It's that center line thing, as I've said before. When that's gone, I'm up a bit.

Despite the scale, I am feeling smaller, mostly due to weight-training three days a week for several months now. My mother said my upper arms are smaller & tighter than they were earlier this year. She said this on her own, without prompting from me, so I believe her. (Because I have a history of eating disorders, my family had long, painful, teary midnight hugging sessions with me, years ago, during which we discussed all their comments about my body and weight over my lifetime -- since those cathartic talks, my mother is very careful & sparing of any remarks on my appearance.) I still see batwings when I hold my arms straight out before me, but I do believe they're reduced in size.

I checked my journal from 2009 & I'm three pounds lower than I was this same time last year. Oh, the joy of putting on the same clothes from last fall & finding they all fit. And that the boots I bought, which were so hard to zip, are just a bit easier to zip, till I get about two inches from the top. Then they're pinchy & I still have to literally push my calves inward so the zipper sections lie parallel & flat & I can zip them. Once zipped, they don't feel so much like a tourniquet. I'm glad I kept the boots. (Bought online, so I had to guess at how they fit.) This year, I may actually wear them.

Thanks to all for the kind words about the pool misadventures! Since then, I picked up the phone and talked to live human beings, and now have a better picture of the scheduling. Might make a foray this weekend, but will definitely begin tracking yardage beginning Monday.

Holy cow - speaking of Monday - it's NOVEMBER????

StephanieM - sounds like the adventure is beginning! A big positive for you is that even though the timing is short, that will also minimize the amount of time spent stressing over it. Congratulations, btw!

saef - remember the thread about "food porn"? You get a quadruple-X rating for that one. Actually, the link I posted is for a reasonably-healthy version of that muffin that would probably come in calorie-wise right around the suggestion for the oatmeal (great idea, midwife!). And should not produce the oil stains. Those freak me out too. I'm about to buy my first-ever pair of dress boots and I know where you are coming from with the calf diameter. My only rule for footwear is "comfortable", even to the detriment of style. I discovered Footsmart - which carries boots for the larger calf, and caters to comfort.

sznn -

jay - 4 lbs is a major victory. Well done!

midwife - I'm having the same week with my scale. Agree, sometimes you gotta say, "Whatever". If everything else is going right, it can only be the fault of the device. Your link is MAGNIFICENT. Described me to a "t", and it's such a huge relief to see that another human being feels this way. The graphics had me giggling big time!

paperclippy - So hear ya about the crowding - it can be a PIA especially as I get faster. Right now, sharing lanes with slow folks won't be a problem. Isn't that why breaststroke was invented?

waterrat - I'm doing my darndest to earn retirement for that very reason. Bummer about the greens tasting funny - what the heck is it you're taking?

xty - thanks for the gold stars! In the grand scheme, though, the effort has to come from INSIDE the pool in order for fitness to occur! Your note spurred me to get my skin brush back out. Why did I forget how good that feels? Thumbs up on your food choices!

Pat - thank you for asking! I know you understand. The others will tell you that I have become a monomaniac whilst you were away. In short, the project continues. The site is small and the house even smaller so everything has to be done in the right order. Can't erect the wood shelter until end of shed painted (done). Can't build shelter until old doors taken apart for uprights (doing last one - just having a break). Do you know we finished the kindling store - it looks so good! And so do my arms, especially my forearms.

Glad your sawing phase is over. And that you'll be re-evaluating that medication quite soon.

to all. Stand fast!

SB - we had our first fire of the season last night, and another again today. It was spurred by a $20 increase in our natural gas bill (which includes 3 heaters, stove, dryer and hot water heater). Of course some of that is attributable to the increase in rates - grrrr.

I'm reevaluating the medication right now! TMI - it made me so very constipated over the 4 days I took it that I didn't take it last night, and I'm calling for an appt this afternoon so he can decide what else we'll try. I went from feeling fine to feeling as badly as I had in Aug/Sept in the space of 2 days. Becky - it's an adjunct medication to my regular diabetes medication, very new, injectible, and supposed to both lower blood sugars and help with weight reduction. My theory is that the side effects make you feel so rotten that you eat less, hence lose weight.

Also need to get an appt to have my snow tires put on. My regular garage decided not to do that anymore. Sigh. We have 2" of heavy wet snow overnight, mostly melted now, but definitely as sign I should put the tires on sooner than later, eh?