Hi everyone,

sznn, I could definitely use a buddy when I restart SB induction in early January. With all the fruit I'm eating right now, I just can't start it, so I'm counting my calories and hoping to maintain although I'm still above my goal.

Megan, glad to hear you finally got your oven installed. I'd go nuts without mine, I broil my dinner meat most every night. If not broiled, I use the outside grill but it's too cold for that right now.

Meg, wow, 10 kinds of cookies and minimal damage. You are a saint.

Sheila, big congrat's on the size 8's.

Rabbit, unfortunately I'm the muffin top right now. I even wore a sweatshirt with my jeans last night to try to hide it. All my clothes are form-fitting and umm, they just aren't fitting right. We're going to Karaoke tonite and I dread getting dressed. First time I've felt this way in a long time.

Shane, congrat's on the job interview.

Lisa, I never watched anything either about weight loss or dieting before I started losing weight. I'd flip that channel so quickly. My kids constantly ask me now "why do you love watching shows about Fat people?".. LOL, but I have got my skinny son interested in buffing up and he loves to watch The Biggest Loser with me while he uses his hand weights.

Pat, since my DH changed to Oil Field work, he has mentioned lately that after our girls graduate HS that he might be interested in us moving to Alaska for him to do off-shore drilling. Hope he has fun with that, cause I'm staying right here, LOL.

I paid all my December bills yesterday and should be able to finish up my Christmas shopping this Monday. DH gets a big bonus on Jan. 2nd, so my house remodeling will start then. I'm wondering how hard it will be to start laying down the ceramic tiles. We're gonna start with the laundry room for practice, LOL.

Ah, Lily, you'd love summer in Alaska!

Not much happening in my part of the world except same ol' working stuff. I had an awesome, right on eating day yesterday which felt wonderful. Today is off to the same start - had 1/2 apple, steel cut oats, and ww toast for breakfast. This is the last weekend without a party until after Christmas. Next weekend I have 2, and the weekend after there's 3, plus another potluck during the week of the 17th, and a city noon time thingy on the 24th (after which we're off work). Maintain is my new mantra too!

Happy Friday everyone!

DD and I spent a lovely day at the University of Redlands. We took a tour, met some students and sat in on two music classes. DD was amazed at how small the university undergraduate population is (2500). She's not sure she wants anything that small. IMO--she'd sure get her money's worth--the student:teacher ratio is 11:1!! She'd never get that at CS Fullerton or USC.

Eating was horrible yesterday. IHop for Breakfast (stuffed French toast) and lunch was an appetizer sampler from a Mexican restaurant (we shared). It sounded good, but it was swimming in grease from the Cheddar cheese (shouldn't it have been Monterey Jack???). We did walk a fair amount and I have the blisters to prove it, but my weight suffered (more from the food than anything as I had also run in the morning).

So for those of you struggling with weight--I'll join your club! Let's get motivated to get rid of those excess pounds!!! I intend to get going right away and get back to ticker before the big holiday.

Wow, skip a day or two and there's a hundred posts to read!

Yesterday, I had my med check appointment with my psychiatrist and she's decided to ween me off the 'new' med that helped me take off 50 pounds. All her other patients that were on it developed tardivdisconesia which are involuntary spasmodic muscle movements of the face. I'm starting to show some of the precursor signs.

As she decreases the 'new' med, she's gradually introducing the 'third' med which unfortunately has side effects of weight gain, irritability, restlessness, and stiffness. I'm really disappointed that I have to make the change because the 'new' med was doing such an excellent job at controlling the voices and visions I hear and see at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. And the 'third' med is an unknown to me if it will work with my specific brain chemistry.

Carolyn, that stinks!! I can tell how distressed you are by the medication change, especially when #2 was working so well. Of course, your mental health is your first priority, but we've all shared in your delight in your new, tiny figure and we know that weight gain isn't something you want to deal with either. Let's all hope that the third med does what it's supposed to and doesn't have any side effects. If you're vigilant about your food choices, perhaps you can avoid any weight gain, regardless of what "they" say about the possibility. Be sure to keeping checking in here and we'll try our very best to help you with some coping strategies if you feel like you're starting to go up a few pounds.

Hi everyone!

Carolyn - I hope the new med won't be too terrible!

Megan - yay oven!!! I use my stove top much more than the oven, but I'd sure be upset if I didn't have one!

Lily - house remodeling sounds exciting. I wish I got a big bonus to spend on whatever I want! Instead I get a little bonus, and it goes directly into the retirement fund. Oh well, I'd rather be able to retire early than have a shopping spree.

Eating has been good over here for the most part. I made an exciting (fat free!) Ethiopian-style lentil stew last night. Didn't cook the lentils quite right but it was still yummy. Plus I must have gotten a lot of vitamin c because this week DH and I ate an entire box of clementines. YUM!

OTOH exercise has not been so hot this week. I went monday and tuesday, wasn't feeling great so went straight home wednesday, had to skip because I had a massage therapy appointment thursday. I know I need to go today, but of course, just because I was planning on going, my thighs are feeling sore, my knees hurt, and it feels like I twisted my ankle and stubbed my toe! I hate how stuff always hurts on gym days. I'm sure it's psychosomatic -- I don't really WANT to go to the gym so my body starts aching so I'll have an excuse to skip!

Carolyn- Wishing you the best outcome with the new med. I lost most of my weight while taking a med that was known to cause weight gain- so maintenance should be possible! Of course, the years that I steadily gained weight, I was also taking a different med that was associated with weight gain...but I wasn't eating right or doing the kind of exercising that I did to lose or that I do to maintain. I also was briefly on a med which caused weight loss. It was wonderful to be able to maintain easily, but the side effects were so drastic (stupidity and dry mouth, mainly) that it wasn't worth t! I hope you have an easy time of it.

Lily- you made me laugh with "have fun with that". When I was a kid, my dream was to live in the Alaskan panhandle and grow big cabbages. Somewhere I was a picture and it sparked my imagination. Sorry Pat, I no longer want to live in Alaska. PA is cold enough right now!

Shane- good luck!

Hi everyone else!

Mel

Ah Mel, you don't hurt my feelings. I'd trade this weather for anything more temperate. I've whined about winter often enough here. I love the scenery, the summers, and of course my friends and my job, so I'm not likely to move anytime soon, but as soon as I retire (5/2010) we'll be spending more of each winter in warmer places.

Hi maintainers,

Just a quick word of support to Carolyn...pity about med 2 & its side effects, and good luck on med 3. Is there any chance that maybe having med 2 in smaller doses could lessen the side effects ?? Anyway I want to 2nd Mel's and Meg's supportive words. Probabely the majority of users on med3 were less prepared than you are to maintain.

lily, Shane, meg, mel, pat & all others...I loved reading your posts. I'm there in the group to struggle to get thorough this month with minimal damage. So far food has been bad...excercise- 5 hours this week and I'm not sure if I'll be putting in the 6th hour as I need to finish some home redecorating. I've put in 2 new doors & need to paint them and put in the glass panes.

Lily - let me know how the ceraminc tile works out for you. I've been contemplating work on my bathroom, but shrink from the tiling idea.

Have a great weekend all,
Rabbit

Good Saturday Morning Maintainers.
I'm off to eat breakfast out with the kids and then to get a tree. I PLAN on having a saintly bowl of oatmeal, but may need a stiff drink before it's all over. Tonight is dh's Christmas party at work. The last one since the new management takes over Jan. 1. I'm going to try to be festive but reasonable. Tomorrow, three of the kids are in the town cantata. I've got Mary, Baby Jesus and an unnamed shepherd. I will have to avoid all the hot cocoa and cookies afterward. I may take my own thermos of tea. It is time to get seriously in control here. This week has been a bit of a train wreck. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Carloyn, I hope everything works out for you with the new medication. As far as you gaining weight, I think you know what to do in order to maintain your incredible weightloss and therefore the medication at this point was only a teeny, tiny factor in keeping you at your current weight.

Good morning, everyone!

Surprisingly, the scale said 160 this morning, 2 pounds lighter than yesterday (and my lowest weight so far). I haven't been running because I've been sick, but I've been more careful about my eating this week. I'm chomping at the bit to get out there and run but I'm taking another day off to make sure I'm completely well. My husband and I are going out to dinner tonight, probably to the Cheesecake Factory, and I'm quite sure I'll have an absurd number of calories. I'm ok with that -- I feel like I have a bit of a cushion to enjoy something "sinful" tonight.

As an early birthday gift, my husband took me to see a production of Romeo and Juliet last night at this great little theatre that we love -- they do an incredible job with Shakespeare there. We were in the front row and it was a very interactive production, highly entertaining. It renewed my love of Shakespeare, and I needed that to happen. When you teach it to students who are (to say the least) far from receptive, you can get frustrated at the challenge of Shakespeare's language and temporarily forget how much you love it. I always said that one reason I hesitated to become a teacher was that I didn't want to lose my love of literature because it would become "work" for me instead of a passion. But I'm learning to balance it and to forgive my students for not always sharing that love! Luckily, sometimes I get to help a few of them find a passion for it themselves. It doesn't happen often enough, but it happens enough for me to keep at it.

Haha...I'm geeking out now, sorry.

Cheerio maintainers,
I just wanted to pop in and say hello to you all, its been a busy stressful week with my MIL in hospital plus my aunt died too. But on a happier note, my 3 holiday vacations pounds are almost gone, todays weigh in 145.5, so I am only up a mere 1/2 pound now. Yippee! I think I will try and continue to lose a few additional pounds though before the holidays, because I am sure I will be out boozin and schoomin over the holidays with my girlfriends from highschool a night or two, and if I am under my goal weight, I really won't care if I gain a few lbs, so that is my latest game plan that I am now putting into action.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET AMOR!

Morning. It's a nasty blustery day here, which is too bad since it's our little town's Colony Christmas celebration. There are a ton of craft fairs (with shuttle buses to take you there) plus all sorts of Christmas related activities. At 1:30 a train arrives from Anchorage with more shoppers (the local merchants love it) and at 5 there's a parade, followed by fireworks at 6:30, if it's not too windy.

Me, I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I don't feel sick exactly, but achy and very tired. DH left for a skating thing about 7 am and after putting in a load of laundry, I took the cat and we went back to bed - for two more hours! So much for early morning gym and present wrapping. I'm bagging the gym and working up to finishing the laundry and wrapping presents! I'm laying low for the day, hoping to shake anything that's trying to keep me down.....

Have a great day everyone.