Good Morning all, I woke up this morning at 3:30 with a headache, stomach upset..yuck! Called in sick to work.

Lori, I hope you have good weather and the snow is delayed untill you get back. I agree with Laurie. Those trips and the weather make me want to eat! pack lots of fruit and some good snacks to get you through. That, plus all the exercise, and you should be fine.

Laurie, Sounds like you're having a great time. Take lots of pictures to share!

Jay, I miss it when I get out of my routine too. We are such creatures of habbit. Now, if we can make those GOOD habits...

Linda, Sorry you're having problems with the insulin. But you're right, the BS has to be controlled. Does the water rentention stop after your body gets used to it?

Jude, Hi. how are you doing?

Freda

Just stopping in to say hi. Hope you are all having a good week.
CD: I wish I was out in that 80 degree weather. Afraid I would be at the pool though and not hiking.
Jay it is great to hear you talk about the fit of the clothes. I kept a good weight going in my life until I introduced the stretch material and elastic. At one time there was no such thing as stretchy clothing.
Here is to you Lori for taking the kids camping. Wow that is huge and a lot of exercise to boot. I agree with CD that I would be packing some healthy snacks. The stress level would be way too high for me.
Freda I have to say that I am so not motivated to exercise. I am the one that you have to take kicking and screaming all the way but when I am done I love it. Go figure.
I am on the west coast and the weather has been lovely and sunny which is great for the mood.
I am working on an article on optimism and some positive affirmations. It is a great article. I am sorta middle of the road optomist/ pessimist. So not completely off the deep end. It is a journey. Funny how life always looks so much better when we are making a concious effort with our health.
Food plan has been good so far today. I made it over that 5pm lull that I always have. Went for a nap on my break.
It worked. Have any of you heard of HALT?? Never get too hungry, too angry, too lonely, or too tired.
Had to pass all the Halloween treats to get where I was going but after my nap there was no problem.
So I hope to have a good day behind me and success will breed more success.
I am going to get back to the gym next week. By then my jaw should be ok and not feel sore with every step I take.
I would like to move my tracker pretty soon.

Nite all.....Jude

Linda - hope you enjoyed the mall crawl. I thought of you every time I walked the mall with my MOM in TN

Freda - hope you are feeling better soon. I was out of work two days with this nasty bug last week.

Jude - hope you can get back to they gym soon - in the mean time, grab a stretchie band and some hand weights and do what you can I agree with you about success OP breeding optimism in other areas of my life. It really does spill over.

Jay - happy travel!!

We had a lovely day in SF. We hiked Land's End, then had a picnic lunch at the Arboretum and finished the day at the new Academy of Sciences - which includes a planetarium, aquarium, 3 story rain forest and living roof.

Attachments include:
view from Land's End, Labyrinth (DH) at Land's End, Rainforest, Living Roof, and Golden Gate bridge.

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Hi everybody!

I'm happy to be back home. I'm not up to speed yet, though. As for weight--don't ask. I did manage to drop a pound overnight, which is typical, but there are more to be dealt with... It was great to be back at the gym yesterday, although I didn't do much.

No more traveling this year! I've had it. I never thought I'd say something like that.

CD, thanks for the wonderful pictures! Makes me "homesick." One of the things I like about living in the Tampa Bay area is that it's like SF in many ways. Beautiful bridge, ships and boats, lots of cultural activity.

Jude, yes, HALT has been very useful to me! Helps me to realize where anxiety is really coming from--sometimes it's as simple as that.

flowingair, how was the camping trip? Camping is something I gave up several years back. I went on a two-week study trip in the Sonoran Desert, and it was rough camping out the whole time. I was so distracted by my physical discomfort that I missed a lot. Anyway, that was the end.

Freda, are you feeling better? I hope so.

meowee, I don't remember that you went back on insulin--I must have missed that. My mother was type II diabetic, and later in her life she lost weight such that she no longer had to take insulin. Did you enjoy the mall crawl? Not my idea of a good time...

Hi to all our other readers out there!

Jay

Good Morning . . .

Looks like this will be our last day of sunshine for about a week . . . on the good side though, temperatures are supposed to stay in the low double digits (low 50s F).

Another "on the good side" seems that 3 pounds of www left me overnight last night. I'll take it.

Nothing exciting for me except a few more errands to run while the sun is actually shining. See you later.

Good Morning all. I am feeling much better today. Yesterday was a total bust. The stomach thing lasted the day and seemed to slow down last night. So I was totally OP yesterday!! ha!! NOT the way to lose weight.

Laurie, Thinks for the pictures of the beautiful scenery. So lovely there.

Jay, always good to be home, isn't it? I like traveling, but I miss my routine after awhile.

Linda, Enjoy that sunshine that is left!

Jude, I have to say that I think motivation to do something is highly overated! I think that it's much easier to just have a set time and just do it. It becomes a habit after awhile. And you do feel so much better afterwards.

make it a good day, Freda

Good point Freda. I think you may be right. I go to work because it is something that I have to do. Might just say that every weekday at 10am I am expected at the gym.
I will get going again on Monday.
My food plan has been pretty good so am happy with that. The odd slip but getting better all the time.

CD loved your pics. What nice weather. What is that thing your DH was walking in and why??

Jay are you going to share any pics with us?

Meowee I hope you can get back to the point that you do not need the insulin. Good luck with the exercise and weight loss. We are heading into the wrong time of year for outdoor things....

Have a good day everyone. I am REALLY struggling with this d@#m Halloween candy this afternoon. Hate this. May need a nap.

Jude

Hello!

Jude, I didn't take any pictures! I don't own a camera... I just haven't made the transition into digital.

Well folks, without saying for which party or candidate, I am doing political action today. I've spent some time this morning contacting voters about early voting and voting by mail, and this afternoon I'm going to be out on a street corner with some signs... I think we should all get out there and vote this election! Millions of people don't, every time, and it could make a huge difference.

And on other fronts, I'm still working away here... But one of my clients forgot to put my last invoice in for processing. I'm really irritated because this isn't the first time... O the joys of the freelance life...

It's bright and sunny today!

Jay

Hi all - a quick fly by.
Linda - 3 lbs. Congrats!!!!

Jude - a labyrinth is a sort of maze that is usually walked in contemplation, meditation or prayer. There is a cool labyrinth at Grace cathedral too. The one at Land's End has been there for quite a long time, and although it is makeshift - done with rocks found in the area, it is well maintained It holds a special place in my heart. 1.5 years ago we visited the labyrinth for the first time. There are many stairs going down to it's location. I was terrified that I would get down there and not be able to get back up, so - while everyone else enjoyed the scenery and walked the labyrinth, I snapped a few pictures and started the trek back up to the top - just so the rest of the group wouldn't have to wait for me to stop every couple flights and catch my breath. It was one of those "DUH" moments for me - I couldn't lie to myself any longer - my weight WAS affecting my quality of life. It became one of those pivotal moments for me on my journey.

Freda - I so understand the weight loss with the stomach bug. For me, although it wasn't a great beginning to the trip, it really helped me start at the bottom of my maintenance range. And - so far - I have maintained the loss. But, not changing my ticker yet - two 3 more days of vacation to go ...

Jay - how disappointing about a delay in getting paid. Hopefully they can get the invoice through quickly. Glad you are back safe and sound. And - good for you - working for your favorite candidate. Florida is still a hot spot. Michigan seems to be a foregone conclusion.

We visited the Oakland rose garden yesterday and went sailing It was quite fun, but I think I got a bit too much sun - then again, we are going home to snow, so maybe not

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

Laurie

CD, I love the Berkeley rose garden! Was it wonderful? I love sailing on the Bay, too--as long as I don't have to work too hard.

Years ago I took a basic sailing course on SF Bay--I loved it! But one day it was quite blustery, and we were doing the "man overboard" drill--where one has to toss a life ring over, then circle back and pick it up again under sail. Well--I missed that ring five times, and by the sixth time around, I was getting seasick... Arrrrr... It was awful! After that I learned two things: ginger capsules half an hour before going out, and always carry chocolate, preferably dark chocolate. For some reason, the latter works if you're starting to get sick. I haven't had to try it since, though--and I had no chocolate that terrible day.

I agree with Freda--exercise has to be an appointment just like anything else, at least to start. If I had waited until I "felt like exercising," I never would have gone.

Standing out there on the street with signs was interesting. There are always a few folks, regardless of party, who have to yell that "______ sucks!" or worse, or have to flip you off. I always yell back, "God bless you!"

Jay

Sorry I've been missing . . . bit of a family crisis -- nothing devastating; just time consuming. Hopefully my life will be back to so-called 'normal' tomorrow.

Sunday for me is weigh in day and I am down 2.5 pounds. I tried to change my tracker but I think you have to be a rocket scientist or something.
Having a quiet day here. Am going to get some cooking done for the week. Chili etc. I am following that FAA plan and it is tough and I have not been 100% but I can see life without sugar in it. Amazing!!!

Have a great Sunday everyone. I like the sound of the ladybrinth. I should build one in my back yard.
Cheers Jude

Oh I figured it out....Yaaaahh.

Hey Jude!!!

You go! Doing great!

Jay

It was the Berkeley rose garden today (Oakland garden on Friday). Beautiful - even in October. Good thought about ginger and chocolate. I do get motion sickness fairly easily. Fortunately, the winds were very calm for our jaunt.

Linda - I hope things turn out OK for your family.

Jay - I admire your commitment to stand out there and be heckled. And - I LOVE your response!

Jude - 2.5 lbs!!!! That is AWESOME!!!!!


Well, gotta fly - we have to leave for the airport at 4 a.m., so we are heading out for dinner, then packing and bedtime

I should be able to catch up with everyone on Tues. night.

Hope you had a GREAT weekend!