Well, I finished my daughter's hooded cape just in time for the party she was invited to. I love that she is appreciative. I was stressing out that it wouldn't be finished in time(she was a little late to the party) but we made it.

Julie, I'm glad you're back and talking about any kind of spirtuality is no problem for me. I realize that I know very little about the universe..
I hardly ever take baths (I DO shower ) I think I ought to try to relax in a tub full of hot water by candlelight. I fear that I would get antsy but maybe if I was tired enough......
Well, I didn't follow through with my water committment. I had one bottle and I'm on my second one as I write. Progress. I did have herbal tea.
I really haven't felt like binging today. This process, writing and feeling your support is really working for me. I've had a half gallon of ice cream in my freezer since I started this and haven't been tempted. This isn't to say that temptation won't come up in the future. I know it will but I know that this support that we give each other is like insurance that when that time comes, there is an alternative to pigging out and if I do pig out, I can stop. This process isn't an all or nothing one.

I stuck with my eating plan today but I haven't had dinner and I didn't make stew.

I'm having chicken and asparagus salad.

Tired, I think having three boys would be wild and fun. I'm glad that I have a girl but sometimes I see my friends with their teenage boys and I get a wistful feeling. That mother/son relationship is so tender AND playful.
Oh! The turkey meatballs were really good. I carmelized onions and mixed them in with the turkey and some curry powder. I cooked them with very little garlic olive oil and at the very end deglazed the pan with 1 tablespoon of greek yogurt cheese (from Trader Joe's) and 1 tablespoon water. yummmmm. Well, I need to sign off for tonight. I still haven't eaten and I need to pick my girl up from her party soon. Thank you both sooooooooooo much. Talk with you tomorrow.

Hi everyone , thanks Roll, hope your daughter had fun at the party, I,m glad for you that she liked her cape, it,s the little things that count hey I just read an article in my AUSTRALIAN SLIMMING and herbal tea can be used as part of your daily water intake , if thats of any help I,ve tried to cut back on my it,s a big it adds to fluid retention which I certaintly don,t need I know what you mean about baths , and of course I am sure you do shower DAH my son is the same he,s not into baths either prefers showers, but every now and then I run him a hot bath with lavender oil in it and it calms and relaxes him and gives him a good nights sleep he,s 20yrs old and has ADHD thankfully it has calmed down alot since he has got older, the turkey sounded yummy, hope you enjoy your dinner I love asparagus, anyway thats it for me ,today has,nt been to bad thanks to your uplifting input, bye for now BLESSED BE JULIE

Hi all, I'm checking in for that daily encouragement and yes, it's here! Thank you! Thank you! Julie, share all the spirituality you'd like - I read lots of spiritual works in all kinds of religion. I love to explore my spiritual side. Actually I had such a good week last week that I thought the positive energy and your kindness from the thread was truly reaching me. Keep on sharing. You are a very interesting person. I look forward to all your thoughts.

Good job Roll. You're doing an awesome job! I'm so excited about having you join us. Many of your challenges are similar to mine in terms of food.

I went out to dinner last night. I had a delicious salmon dish - fairly low cal and instead of dessert I had a wonderful cup of herbal tea thanks to your suggestion. I enjoyed every warm sip of it since it was a crisp, cold night.

Today I'm much hungrier. I'm going to drink a few seltzers before lunch and then I'm going shopping. I'm going to buy a number of little be good to me/be healthy treats like bubblebath for the tub - I love it!, more sugarless gum, and some kind of sugar free, low cal chocolate treat since every now and then I crave chocolate.

I'm going to try to combine my reading for the course and using the bicycle machine this week. I'm actually getting a bit caught up which makes me feel good.

Take care. Thanks for the encouragement. I need your support and I thank you for it. I hope to be there for you too.
'

Check-In
breakfast: coffee, smoothie (350)
snack: apple (135)
lunch: tofu dish (500)
dinner?

Good morning,

Well, I ate my salad last night at 10:00. When I woke up this morning, I felt bloated. I haven't lost any weight in 11 days. It's not really such a mystery. My body is probably trying to stabilize at this weight and I need to exercise. I also use too much fat and too much protein. NEED MORE VEGETABLES!
Well, at least I'm not gaining the weight lost and I know what I need to do.
We have twin girls staying with us Monday and Tuesday nights. They moved to another state a few months ago and they're coming back for a visit. Another challenge. They are picky eaters. I think I'll make a big pot of soup. It's handy and comforting.
Today:
breakfast 2 scrambled eggs with red peppers and mozzarella cheese

lunch- asparagus salad

dinner-chicken salad with pine nuts.

I know I've been all over the place, here. I make a food plan and get side tracked and change at the last minute. It's interesting to watch and helpful to write down. I don't feel the need to be perfect here. I just need to keep my eye on my goals and not give up on myself because I'm not doing this perfectly. Perfectionism- all or nothing- is one of the states of mind that got my body into this condition.
I need to keep that in mind when it comes to exercise as well as food and water. If I can do 10 minutes of calesthenics at home, even though its not an hour at the gym, it's 10 minutes off my butt. A 15 minute walk, 10 minutes of stretching, 100 situps; they all count. I know I can fit exercise in here somewhere, if I can allow myself to do it imperfectly.
Well, I've got some housework to do and my daughter needs to do some schoolwork. I don't think she'll get much done with visiters here. We make plans........ But girls just want to have fun. Right, girls?
I'll later. Tired, thanks for the mention of bed as a remedy for being tired. Sometimes I'm like a 5 year old when it comes to going to bed. It's so goofy. I need to grow out of that stage. Thanks for listening, guys.


sw/172
cw/164
gw/120

Hi,
Just a brief check in to keep me on track. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I need to tend to. I'm getting enough water and eating right. I think I'll go for a short walk with my daughter. We haven't tried our pedometers yet. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks.

Good morning, thanks for the input about spirituality, sometimes I,m reluctant to talk about things to do with Tarot reading or runes, or dream reading, anything to do with the physic realm , I,ve spent all my life with people thinking I,m wierd , but then thats me all over sometimes its to be different other times not my daughter has a presence in her house its not very pleasent my son lives with her and he takes after me he can feel things and see things but she dose,nt believe in that sort of stuff, she thinks we,re both off the planet :lol I could get rid of it for her but she says I,m just loonet , who knows maybe shes right anyway not much to report I guess I,m pretty boring today, glad you love your bubble baths Tired and I hope you succeed in combining your reading and exercise you definately are getting your plan organised, and its good to see your aiming for QUALITY not QUANTITY, Roll you sound as if your on track I know the feeling of late night eating and waking up feeling bloated and yuk, good luck with the twins sounds like fun, I have 5 grandsons and 2 of those are twins thier 3, your doing well in the exercise area its good you know any movement is better than none I,ll have to take a leaf out of your book ,been pretty slack with exercise this last week put it down to mood no excuses but I know I,ll get there just need you guys to give me a kick in the butt once in awhile. I,ve given up on weight watchers its easy to follow but I,m used to counting cals and knowing how much fat and carbs are in what I eat , the points system I know works but I get maybe going back to counting cals will help me out of this slump and back on track well raved on enough if you stayed to the end of this , bye for now BLESSED BE, JULIE

BREKKI / YOGHURT, APPLE, ABOUT 350 CALS
LUNCH / TUNA SALAD, ICED WATER, GRAPES 375 CALS
DINNER / QUICHE FLORENTINE, SALAD ABOUT 500 CALS
SNACKS / 6 STAWBERRIES,APPLE. ABOUT 150 CALS
TRYING TO STICK TO 1400 CALS SO NOT TO BAD FOR TODAY

Hi Roll and Julie, Just checking in to keep on track. I did fairly well today.
snack - trail mix (350) it was healthy and yummy but I ate too much
dinner - pork, squash, applesauce, peas - really tasty. I've been making a big meal on Sunday lately. Everyone seems to appreciate it. I don't add butter to anything any more to cut cals. I don't add sugar either. I grilled the pork - it was boneless so I sliced thin slices. I went over but I skipped the corn bread and desserts so I'm still doing a lot better than I would be without this plan. I don't even crave ice cream or desserts. Now the goal is to get some exercise and portion control.

Thanks for listening. I could not do this without your support. I also like the fact that you're listing your food and calories. It gives me good ideas. I had a decaf cup of tea tonight - very tasty and comforting. A new good food to add. Take care.

Hi,

We programed our pedometers and went for a walk - 2 1/2 miles. It was pretty fun, checking our progress every 5 minutes. This twenty dollar pedometer tracks miles, steps, time exercised, calories burned and time of day. We had fun.

I'm going to keep this pretty short. I don't want to have a late dinner tonight so I'm going to go make that chicken salad. I'm going to get to bed early tonight because it's going to be pretty wild around here with the girls visiting.
Tired, I used to read on the exercycle (years ago) It was a good combo for me. Sometimes I'd see people at the gym riding the exercycle without music or reading. Seems like hard labor to me.

Sorry to be so boring tonight. I'm tired.
I'll be in touch tomorrow.

Keep up the good work, Tired and Julie.
You're doing a great job and I appreciate your support and attention.

Good afternoon from here downunder, glad your both well I don,t find you boring Roll , just to know your there and keeping in touch helps believe me, glad you and your daughter had fun on your walk 2 a half mles way to go, I,m like you and Tired I find the indoor bike boring if I,m not doing something I like to listen to music I just finished a workout actually felt a bit guilty you guys are moveing and I was sitting on my but anyway I put on ANASTASIA some of her tracks are really hitting home for me I can identify with alot of what she sings which is positive and what I need at the moment, I,M SO PROUD OF YOU TIRED YOU ARE REALLY GOING GREAT GUNS KEEP IT UP, you are both an inspiration to me for being there, well just dropped in to say a quick hi,bye I am off to visit with family and friends for a week as you know they are 5 hrs away, I ,ll try to check in if I can but don,t have access to computer unless I go to the library there so you both take care , AND I EXPECT YOU TO STAY FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED, JUST LOOK AT HOW GREAT YOU ARE BOTH DOING, I WANT TO READ GOOD AND POSITIVE STUFF FROM BOTH OF YOU , BYE BLESSED BE s are what you are JULIE

Good morning,
I don't have much time to post this morning. The sun is shining here. I need to vacuum and dress before our guests arrive. Julie, I hope you are having a terrific time with your family and friends. You'll be missed. I hope you are able to get to a computer during your visit. Tired, I love your idea of having one special meal a week. I am all for ritual and tradition. It does create great memories for the kids AND adults.

Plan:

breakfast- smoothie

lunch - shrimp salad I need to create a recipe for low fat salad dressing. I've never found a bottled product that I like. I've been pouring too much fat over those healthy vegetables.

dinner- chicken vegetable soup and a small salad

Tired, I can post my calorie contents at the end of the day. I've been using fitday.com to calculate the nutritional values of my meals but I only get totals after the fact.

Gotta run (I wish).

Take care and keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be thinking of you both today.

Hi just a quick G,day and check in for me , hope your both doing well today has started out good.
BREKKI / SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH MUSHROOMS, TOMATO, LOW FAT HAM AND LOW FAT GRATED CHEESE. ABOUT 400 CALS.
LUCH / /SOMETHING HEALTHY MAYBE A SUBWAY SALAD 350 CALS
DINNER / / NOT SURE BUT I,LL TRY TO STAY AROUND THE 500 CALS, IF I CAN HARD WHEN I,M WITH THE GRANDKIDS THEY LOVE KRISPY CREAM DONUTS WHEN I VISIT HAVE TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION
WELL BYE FOR NOW STAY FOCUSED REMEMBER WE CAN ALL DO THIS BLESSED BE JULIE

Good day. Yes, Julie you'll be missed. Have a wonderful time! I'll look forward to hearing all about it when you return.

Roll, it sounds like you're eating well. The walk sounded great! I can't wait to take off for a nice walk like that - perhaps I can tell a colleague we should walk and talk instead of just talking while we sit.

I've got a big test tomorrow night for my course so I'll be studying tonight. I also have to give a 20 minute presentation. I've done the prep, but I have to practice the presentation more.

I feel like a truck ran over me today - it's that time of the month and I have a cold. I'm contemplating taking the day to rest. It would really do me good as I'm beat up, but I hate to take the day because the class routine gets off balance. I'll probably just go to bed early and wake up early to study - that's what I'll do. Thanks for letting me work this out.

breakfast - banana peach yogurt smoothie (400)
lunch - salad with turkey, small orange (350)
dinner - chicken/broccoli in light sauce, squash, applesause and a little trail mix. I'm sure this brought me up to 1500 or a bit more.
dessert - green tea - very comforting

I'm not going to study this coming weekend as we're having a neighborhood Halloween party. I'm looking forward to bein active even if it is only cleaning my house and walking about the neighborhood to trick-or-treat with the kids.

Hi,
I had the smoothie...........Our guests came and it was off and running. I didn't stick to my plan.
Lunch : I had tuna wrapped in iceburg lettuce, 2 oz. extra lean hamburger with cheddar,also wrapped in lettuce.

We went to a matinee and I had cheddar rice crackers and a thermos of coffee. Not a high fat snack but not particularly healthy either. Could be worse, could be better.

Dinner : salad with 1 tbsp ranch dressing and BOILED CHICKEN?!?!? I started making chicken soup and didn't finish. It's in the refridgerator. Well, it's easier to skim the fat off when it chills anyway.

Not enough vegetables or water today.

The good news is that I only had 1300 calories today - my fat intake was lower than usual and my protein intake was lower.

I gardened for about 2 hours later in the afternoon (the house got pretty small with three 12 year old girls in it) That was satisfying and counts as some form of exercise in my book.

I have lots on my list of things to do and I'm not getting much done so that's troubling me. This state of mind is a bingeing state of mind. I'm so glad I can post this here. I can see, in black and white, that I'm not acting out with food as much as I feel like I am. Thanks for listening.
Tired, Good luck with your presentation tomorrow night. I hope you sleep like a baby.
I need to go to bed soon. It's really critical that I get enough rest when I'm feeling so anxious about the things I'm not tending to.
Goodnight.

Hi,
So much for lots of sleep. We had a wild storm last night. It was really noisy. I got 5 hours of sleep. I'm glad I don't have a test or presentation today. I hope you are rested.
I'm glad to have this post because a simple plan today would be of enormous help.
breakfast- turkey sausage scrambled eggs

lunch- chicken vegetable soup

dinner - chicken vegetable soup

That should be easy enough. I'm going to finish making the soup while making the big breakfast for our guests.

I have a busy day, too.
Piano lesson and visit with teacher. Our visiters shared our beloved piano teacher.
journalism class
shopping for a halloween costume for one of our visiters
games at our house with a few extra children invited

many phone calls
scholastic goals for the week emailed to our contact teacher
Today is the anniversary of my husband's death.
I don't feel like I have time for grief.



What's a mother to do? Play ball on running water.

Drink lots of water and breathe deeply.
None of this is bad, there's just too much of it.

Thanks for being here. I will be thinking of you and your test/presentation.