kaylets-glad to hear that all you needed were new batteries in the training headsets at work. i too am so ready to always assume it's me when things don't go right. this is a helpful reminder for me to check out a situation before making assumptions.

i adjusted my weight upwards in signature to reflect weight gain. yuck! it is partly due to steroids but still means i have not been moving AT ALL in the right direction for far too long now. the last couple of days i have been feeling better again physically and have also been working on cleaning up my act, so plan to stick to this more stringent food plan in effort to move demon scale back in the right direction!

Hello all!

Ok, am starting my water challenge again today as the minute I got to work, my schedule was rearranged and I forgot all about the water... I have nearly finished 2 pts (why arent the bottles all the same size so those of us who are math challenged can keep track better?) ... and am am hoping I am will continue drinking all day...

I keep thinking of the line from Finding Nemo "just keep swimming"...
but for me its "just keep drinking... just keep trying... ".... Maybe I should go see the movie ...

Anyway...

Wsw- I have friends who have seen very rapid weight gain on steroids so don't be too hard on yourself... could very much be like my battery experience or Arabella's loose wire...
Sometimes, it really ISN"T our fault!!! !!

***
Thought of the day :

Don't judge;
rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles.
---Sir Thomas Browne, English author



Question of the day:

"If you were to define the word courage by giving an example, how would you do it?"
-- --From IF (2) by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywel
***

I have a training review of my phone calls today. All calls are recorded...
Am not looking forward to hearing my voice but then again, who likes their voice when recorded... ?? ah well, at least I can look for some pointers and hints...
am really going to try very hard not to take any of it too personal...

Keep smiling!
Keep swimming!

KETTLE IS ON!

Just wanted to share this: yesterday I was at a bookstore and purchased one of those pocket nutritional guides and the gentleman at the register said, "its always the thin women that buy these!" Oh that silver-tongued devil! Made my day!

What a daymaker, Eydie! Was thinking of you this a.m. as I had my early morning encouragement on the crispy patio. So serene.

Ceara, enjoy! You deserve a nice weekend away after all your tests and aggravation, etc.

wsw - know well the prednisone route and the gains from it. Love how it gives me energy though and sometimes it's tempting when I'm in a bad flare but (like you I'm sure) I save it for when I must because of past gains.

It was so great to get the reports from Wildfire and Wood Nymph. I too felt like I was a part of the get together. And it truly is a first for the group to have had real, non-virtual contact.

Ah,, Kaylets, I think I too will be coming in up from my start on this sprint. Not a lot and I have until tomorrow a.m. but right now I'm up about a 1/2 lb from the start of the sprint and a pound and a half from my "one day trip to onderland". Nonetheless I am down 5 or 6 lbs from when I got back from FL in March. My pants are baggier and I'm really starting to see a tiny bit of muscle in my upper arms so I am not discouraged.

Empress - you are SOOOOOO missed. Hope things are looking brighter. Zadie, Cerise, Punkin, Frogger - come home.

My fun for the day (that was one of my sprint goals) is that we're going to a summer theater production this afternoon. Am recovering from a real down day two days ago (yesterday was somewhat better until some poor test results for dh) and hope to get in some relaxation today.

Hello all!

Eydie! Too kewl! And reminds me of an earlier thought of mine about how when I see an overweight person I think, " I know how out of control that feels like..." but when I see a trim fit person I automatically think " That person must have the metabolism to be able to eat whatever they want..."

In other words, I never assume the fit person HAS TO WORK AT IT! HAS TO MAINTAIN!

In fact, this same discussion was a lunch discussion a couple days ago and the comment was made " That's what's so depressing, you have to do this forever." and my answer was, "Yes, you have to work at it but just the same as bathing, brushing your teeth, washing clothes, dishes, etc..."
I know this is a fairly new concept for me... I've been more of a fan
"Life is short, eat dessert first " but now I realize " Life WILL be short if I keep eating dessert first".......

But I'm supposed to be congratulating you Eydie! so a big "YAYYYYY!!" when the clerk notices how slim and fit you are!

***

Thought of the day :

"The miracle is this-- the more we share, the more we have."
---Leonard Nimoy

Question of the day:

"If you could have your license plate say anything at all, what would it be?"
---
-- --From IF (2) by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywel
***

Did ok w/ water yesterday but want to do better today...

Kettle is on!
(with decaff!)

Thanks, Kaylets! Your post makes me wonder if I'll ever be completely rid of my "phantom fat". When I'm doing Pilates in a position to see my own legs they still don't quite look like mine, I still remember when they were so much bigger--does that make sense? I was telling Garry about my encounter with the bookstore clerk and he said, "You know, you just weren't fully happy for a long time. Your weight effected every aspect of your life." He's right--breaks my heart, but he's right. But that was then, this is now, baby! And I'm so ready to maintain constant vigilance for the rest of my life!

Had a food revelation today. A friend visited me at work and I shared my lunch with her, so I only ate half of what I'd planned to, and it was perfectly satisfying. Physicaly satisfying , if not visually! Makes me wonder if I should try the several mini-meals theoughout the day again.

Truly missing Cerise---I'm going to see if I have her e-mail address to write to her today.
Where's Punkin? It's Friday!

Eydie, I love the "phantom phat" image!

Was up a tad more on scale as we ate out last night - Italian - at a restaurant owned by longtime friends who took a lot of time to visit with us - unfortunately his kidney transplant has failed after six and a half years and he's back on dialysis and a transplant list. So sad and they're so ok with it all - at least on surface.

Fun for today - off to play w/princesses for a day or two and an early celebration of the 4th birthday. Lots of exercise! Have a good weekend all.

I don't think I mentioned this, but my best friend is getting married today and I'm the MATRON of honor. Did you get that? "MATRON?" Yeah, I think my maiden days are behind me; that ship has sailed, as the saying goes. Anyway, I've never been part of a wedding party before and am honored. I'll also be glad when it's over. It's a 2-minister wedding and I hope they don't try to outdo each other! And I have a nice skinny-fying dress too!

So my special challenge today besides not losing the ring is to not overeat at the reception. I've been doing so well these past 15 days.

Have a great weekend!

Glad you're still enjoying your trip, Wood Nymph, and so happy you're keeping in touch.

So how was the "Matronly" role, Eydie? Fun, I hope. My last stint in a wedding (other than "Mother of..." was when I was 35. My youngest sister's. When she asked me to be in her wedding, I asked if she had noticed I was 35 (she was 21). She said had I noticed I was still her sister. Of course, I was still a nice size 12 then!

Had a ball w/the girls. Older one was taping doors shut and hiding keys when we were ready to leave yesterday. Finally started sobbing which broke down her old Grandad. So today when we're ready to go she starts the same but this time we had to come home. Makes an old granny feel wanted. And so soon she'll be so busy it'll be had to make time in her life for us. I really hate to leave her. Will probably see her in 2-3 weeks again but it sometimes seems so long. She's annoyed we don't live closer to them (not that they don't live closer to US).

Ah well - Fresh Start needed tomorrow. Could easily chuck this batle tonight but won't because I must keep working on health. Did partially achieve last sprint goal of putting more fun in my life but didn't do well on the weight thing overall. A few good days and a temporary new low but I'll be avoiding Demon Scale for at least the next few days.

Six pages in two weeks! And we've been slow! I guess not too bad.