Hi everybody,

Glad to report that my dad is doing ok. I had to take him to the ER but luckily nothing is broken! Home again. Before I left for the hospital, I packed a sandwich and measured out exactly 1/4 cup of trail mix in case I got stuck there.
Turned out we got out in time for dinner, so I ended up with an on plan day and didn't eat the trail mix out of boredom or nerves in spite of sitting in an ER all day. I call that a win. So many great comments here. Will respond to each of you tomorrow.

Hi all! Love the activity on this thread! Makes it so much fun to read and stay motivated!

Uber: Glad your Dad is doing ok. That's scary stuff! And way to go on the eating part of your day. You're doing great with not allowing stressers to throw you off track.

Mandy: That's what I have, a Polar FT4. I tried it out at spin class today. It was interesting to see the spikes in my heart rate. It showed a lower calorie burn for the class than what MFP shows. I kind of thought that MFP might be too high, but either way, now I know for sure that I don't want to eat back too many of those exercise calories because they may not really be there. Your chicken dinner sounds good!

ArticMama: Sounds like you are keeping on top of your weight gain with your pregnancy. Good for you! That was a killer for me, after 2 kids. I didn't worry about what I gained, and I've struggled ever since then. And my youngest is 18 years old, so it's been a long struggle.

Lili: Welcome! Glad you are joining us! It sounds to me like you have a good, solid plan ready to go. Your goals are very aggressive, but I think you have the right attitude and I'm sure you'll be able to meet them! And we'll be here to support you through it all!!!!


Went to Spin this morning. It was really tough, but really good. She played that "This time, I'm going to be stronger, I'm not giving in" song again. It really means a lot to me. Reinforces what I'm doing.

Have a great day everyone!

Diane - I have a handful of "inspirational" songs in my playlist for that exact reason. When it gets really hard to continue, I throw on Eminem's One Shot or Christina Aguilera's Fighter. I am always so impressed by your workouts.

Uber - Those stressful times, especially when they're physically draining (there's something about sitting in a hospital that seems hugely exhausting, for some reason) and anxiety-inducing, are really hard. Way to take care of the really important things without sacrificing your eating plan. Glad to hear your dad is better.

Taryl - So great to see you on this thread. The way that you're able to maintain weight loss in spite of pregnancy and nursing stressors is so incredible.

Lili - Great to have you join us! The support is overwhelmingly important. And, I too have been kicked off an amusement park ride. It was so great when I was able to fit comfortably. You sound like you're totally prepared for this ride.

Mandy - Such exciting news about the job possibility. And your food sounds so great. =)

Gearing up to road trip it over the Fourth of July weekend. Destination is 13 hours away, and will only be gone for a few days. Gonna try to get in some walking stops, do some physically adventurous things, and eat as well as reasonable.

Diane: I have a polar HR monitor too. Haven't been using it lately, but I did really enjoy using it when I got it.

Fera: What a wonderful June! Kudos to you and you will soon be in twoderville!

Lili: you are doing great! and you can definitely do this! Seat belt phobia is a great motivator. I know once I'm into the 270s airplane seat belts get dicey and that's usually enough to keep me scared straight.

Laurie: your dinner situation sounds so frustrating. You sure don't want to waste calories on things like veggie salad with mayo! On the other hand, he really needs to be a little bit more understanding-- he sounds like he equates food with love. :-)

Arctic: I'm sure it must be hard to watch the scale go up after your wonderful losses, but bear in mind that part of your anxiety is just mind games. People gain in fits and starts during pregnancy-- it seems like it should be a smooth arc, but it never is. Maybe you'll put on weight early and then really slow down. I'm sure you'll strike a balance. After delivering a 10.6 oz baby for my second pregnancy, I managed to really keep a tight rein on my diet after that. Didn't want to push out any more ten-pounders-- especially since I did it all au natural. Such a wonderful time being pregnant-- and I'm sure you'll find the right balance between healthy eating, growing your baby, and not letting your weight worries rule the day.

As for me, was dreading scale this am as I could tell I was bloated and rings were tight-- most likely from sitting in hospital all day. Happily, I was down another pound in spite of bloat! Maybe that means I'll go down evener more once I shed the water. Proud of myself for staying on plan even though my life has become a lot more stressful. My next big hurdle will be staying on track through vacation, but that's still more than a month away. Right now, I'm sitting at 17 pounds down since I started in late May. Eight pounds until my first mini-goal seems very doable by vacation-time.

Good morning everyone! I'm white knuckling my way back on plan today and tomorrow, will enjoy staying as close to on plan as possible on the 4th, and continue on with the white knuckling.

I'm looking at it and I've given into bite/lick/taste issues, and then justifying all sorts of things I love, like oatmeal, but that don't love me back. I do better at lower carb levels than that, unfortunately. Still, for the time being I'm going to take it one food at a time, no excuses.

So far I'm doing well today. 3 hardboiled eggs and some Dijon mustard, 8 strips bacon (breakfast, really hit the spot), some dark chocolate (15 grams) and a diet coke, lunch will be a salad and a tin of sardines, snack is an iced coffee with sf syrup, dinner will be some hot wings from one of my favorite restaurants. If I'm munchy after dinner I will serve myself some in-shell peanuts.

The carb count on the day is nice and low and the calories are in line. The foods are on plan for me, too, which is good.

I don't usually have to plan so strictly, but at this point I need to get back in the right mindset and overcome my cravings.

Uber - Glad to see that your dad is doing okay! I use my rings to gauge how much water retention is going on, too. Some mornings (after really carby or high sodium dinners) they will barely move, other mornings they spin on my finger.

Diane - HRMs are so handy. MFP was way over estimating my burns, too. I mean, I know bigger people use more energy to move, but apparently I've gotten so used to moving my bulk around that I was burning just over half of what MFP said I was burning.

LaurieDawn - Have fun on your road trip! Try to make good choices, but don't sacrifice a fun time to do it! I tried that. It was unpleasant. You're on holiday. My holiday rules are eat at maintenance, not deficit, and enjoy it.

Arctic - Planning ahead always helps me get back on track, but I'm not sure I'd be able to stick to it in the face of pregnancy cravings!

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My day here was pretty laid back and lazy. Business is a little slow for me right now (I work from home, and sell Tastefully Simple... no parties on my schedule, but I did get a client call and place an order this morning, so there was that?)... So I spend a lot of time at home. Hubby spent his morning doing a research project for his brother about what the bible has to say about divorce and remarriage because unfortunately that's looking like it might be on the horizon for my brother in law, and my in-laws are very religious people. So... who better to ask than the pastor-to-be? (Yeah, I'm still wrapping my head around the "pastor's wife" thing...)

Kitty is still recovering from her surgery, and the other one isn't happy that she's in the apartment... So, reintroducing them (again) is gonna take some time. I let them see each other through a crack in the door every now and then and it's all hissing and growling from Pixie (the healthy one) and Brownie's all like "what gives?".... Starting Sunday we'll let Brownie out in the living area during the day when we can keep an eye on them and make sure they don't fight, and put her back into the guest room at night.

Dinner tonight was chicken boobies again... this time stuffed with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese and drizzled with bbq sauce, side of steamed mixed veggies. Dinner was delish and not too far over 500 calories.

Time for my nightly bite of chocolate, then bedtime soon. Good night, y'all!

I love reading about what everyone is eating. So interesting how we all accomplish the same goals doing such different things.

So here's my dinner:

5.5 oz salmon poached in white wine with chopped herbs from my garden.
chopped cucumber and tomato salad with olive oil and garlic
shredded carrot salad from the garden with a bit of olive oil, lemon and white pepper.
Pasta that I did not eat.
Sugar free popsicle for dessert.

See you tomorrow.

Hi all! So glad it is a short week this week. I struggled getting up today. Tomorrow, the gym is having a debut class for that new spin class that uses the HRM. It is later than I normally go, so I'll get to take my time in getting up and getting there. That's good! I want to get there a little early to make sure I can get a bike. I'm not sure how many people will be there and I really want to be a part of it. Today was body pump. It seemed harder than Tuesday, so I might have been sore. I won't be able to go to body pump next Tuesday because of my very first colonoscopy............. ugh. I want to get my doctor off my back about it, so I'm doing it. One of those things they suggest when you are 50. whatever.

Nothing planned for the weekend, just stuff around the house. I'm looking forward to that, actually!

LaurieDawn: Enjoy your road trip! I kind of like going on road trips. I am not afraid of flying, I just don't like it as much as driving. Hope you have a fun time!

Uber: That's great that you lost another pound! I am like you, too, that my ring tells me all I need to know about water retention. I like it so much better when it comes off easily!! You'll make it through your vacation. You have a great mindset and it won't completely set you back, but I do think you shouldn't be too restrictive with yourself. We have to live and have fun, too!!

Taryl: Well, I am impressed with your choices during your pregnancy. It is so wise to not lose control! It just makes it that much harder to get it back after the baby is born!

Mandy: So, when do you find out if your husband gets the new job? Waiting would be so difficult. I think you'll make an amazing pastor's wife! That's too bad about your brother-in-law. That is difficult, no matter what.

Well, I'll be around this weekend, so I'll be posting. If I don't talk to you guys over the weekend, I hope you have a happy 4th of July!! Be careful! And, we'll be back here next Monday!

Hi everybody!

Diane: good luck with the new spin class! It will be very interesting to use the HR monitor while you spin. When I was running a lot, I used to see my HR go way up early on and I'd get exhausted, then I could actually "see" my second wind. Very interesting. I STILL haven't started exercising but I'm really looking forward to it.

Fera: Glad you had a quiet day. I am keeping my finger's crossed for your hubby's job! Being in limbo is always so hard.

Arctic: Oh I HATE the white knuckle stage!!! But it actually does pass and then it's all so much easier. I've been thinking about trying the SF syrup-- I like to drink ice coffee in the afternoon.

Laurie: Hope your 4th of July trip is much fun!!!

So, rings still tight this morning. Weight holding steady. I'm feeling very depressed and stressed. Yesterday was the exact type of day I'd normally soothe by eating candy. Had to go out to get a walker and special commode for my dad. He has mild dementia, and now, since falling has all kinds of trouble walking around. Plus he has no sense. I'm getting home health care in, but it takes some time to set up. Several times in the car I just burst into tears. Woke up this morning feeling sick of my "no breakfast. just coffee" routine. I'm down 17 lbs which is AWESOME but not enough to really notice a difference-- just that my regular clothes which were getting a little tight fit normally now.

So, what's keeping me going now is determination more than cheerfulness. When I was in the home health store, there were two morbidly obese people buying things-- one was buying an extra wide scooter and the other one, I could see that he had serious circulation problems in his lower legs. I remembered what Diane said about losing weight to protect mobility-- and boy can I see that now. My dad is thin and used to be very athletic and he is having a devil of a time getting around. If he were obese, forget it.

Sorry for the long rant. Hope you all have an awesome 4th! I have no big plans, so no tempting barbecues to turn down.

Uber - Would you believe I've *never* had salmon? It surprises me every time I read a salmon recipe and think it sounds good, but I'm not quite sure because I don't know what salmon tastes like! I hope things get easier for you and your dad soon. I've seen folks in my family go through the same thing with older family members and it's never easy, especially the dementia. Chin up chickadee. Eye on the prize!

Diane - This call process for new pastors is a long one. It's a lot of waiting around. There are *so* many steps. Here's a basic order of events:

- The first step is the matching of paperwork at the bishop's office (this happened in mid-May).
- Contact is made and an interview is set up with the church council (late-May).
- If the call committee likes the candidate, a 2nd interview is set up (early June)
- If all goes well there, they vote, and if 2/3rds approve (he got a unanimous vote!)
- Then his name is submitted to church council (mid-June)
- Then church council calls and sets up an interview (July 15)
- If they like him there, they vote (again, 2/3rds majority)
- If *that* vote goes through, they schedule another visit for a meet and greet and possibly leading worship for the congregation
- Then the congregation votes (again 2/3rds)
- If THAT one goes through, then the church will issue a call.
- Once the call is issued, ordination ceremony (in Virginia), we'll move up there, then have an installation ceremony (in Indiana)

So yeah, it requires a LOT of patience. But, the good news is, the biggest hurdle to get over is the call committee and generally speaking, most times if the call committee votes yes, then things tend to proceed fairly easily to a call being issued. It's much more common that votes go through, than not at this point. So, we're hoping things work, and that we get to move up there by the end of August. I'm hopeful, because the call committee said the congregation is pretty excited about having a young pastor (And at 31, hubby is considered pretty young for a pastor). I am really excited about this place. The people were wonderful (the 6 that I met), the church is gorgeous, the parsonage felt like it could be home, and I adore the area. It's so small town, middle-of-nowhere farm town with LOTS of space. Sorry for the huge answer, but there's a LOT to it!

I'll also be around for the weekend. We're thinking of maybe going to the next county over (like 45 minute drive) to the peach festival they are having on the 4th. Lots of peach-centric foods, a revolutionary war re-enactment, a classic car show, lots of arts and crafts booths, live entertainment, and closing out with fireworks. Could be fun. Saturday we're gonna go to a cook out with some friends of ours that we haven't seen in a while, because she lives out of the state and is in town to visit with her boyfriend. I'm taking turkey sweet Italian sausages (they are so good) and making a dill pickle dip (with greek yogurt) and some gluten free cookies. It'll be good times!

And for everyone struggling now... I saw this and thought it was pretty awesome.

Fera: Salmon is just delicious! Even my most picky eater kid will eat salmon. And the bonus? It's relatively low in calories, so you can have a pretty big piece. It is one of the world's most satisfying foods. Usually people who don't like "fishy fish" still like salmon.

I love most seafood, white flaky fish is my favorite... We eat a loooot of tilapia here. Do you have a favorite salmon recipe? I like Italian-y flavored foods. Lots of garlic and parmesan.

Yesterday went great, today I caved to fresh chocolate chip cookies. Grr! I actually cried out for public help on my low carb forum, because it's been several months of burnout and regain and I just can't seem to get it together, after almost six years of being on the ball. Seriously?

The good news is that I didn't fall into the what-the-**** trap. I wrote the cookies down and kept the rest of my food on track. I have sensible plans for dinner still. I am NOT giving up. But whether or not I should go back to, say, induction for this, or stick with a more moderate plan to get my weight loss mojo back is what I keep vascillating on. Too permissive and I go completely off the rails. Too strict and I struggle with food aversion and nausea, yay pregnancy. So I'm a little stuck right now but NEED to mitigate weight gain.

Fera - candidating is stressful for both pastor AND church, it's a ton of work most people don't realize!

Hi all! Happy 4th of July!!!

So, started the day with the new spin class, MOI - mind over intensity. Oh boy, was it hard! I thought I was somewhat of a beast on the spin bike, but this class kicked my butt. I think it will be good to have once a week, but there is no way I could do it much more than that. They help you determine your max heart rate and then you spend most of the class trying to obtain certain levels. I could meet some of them, but certainly not all. I was trying to decide if I enjoyed it... not so much... but then I talked to the instructor and she said that it might take a while before you can get your heart rate up that high. So... after recovering from the hour long class... I have decided that it is a good thing, a much bigger challenge, but something that I need to keep improving. But it was hard. My legs were like jello after the class. I took a shower, got ready for the day and then was on my way to the store. I drive a truck with a clutch and when I was leaving the parking lot, my leg would shake when I pushed in the clutch! Oh well. I'm still somewhat feeling it even now.

But, having a very relaxing day. We're making some homemade ice cream, so I've been fairly careful with calories today so that I can have a nice bowl. If I go over, that's ok. Need to enjoy a little bit!

Uber: I'm sorry you're having some struggles. Just keep going, I know you will lose more soon. With the issues with your Dad, I'm sure you have tons of stress. It might be the stress, and if it is hot where you are, could it be that, too? I don't know. Hang in there! You're so right about mobility. I know it just scares me to think about being so restricted because of weight.

Mandy: Wow, that is a process. I know you had said before that there is a lot to it. Patience is a virtue, I guess! Ha! I love the motivational saying. I saved that. It is just so true!!

Taryl: Hope you are hanging in there. You are doing well. Sometimes, you just gotta have a cookie!

Well, have a great night everyone!!