Hi Everyone!
Betsy that is so cute about Toby following you around. As soon as I set our suitcase on the bed the cat crawls in it. The beach sounds so nice. I will be thinking of you. I am so proud of you for planning ahead and packing healthy foods. Do you mind sharing what kind of RV you have? My dream RV is a Born Free.
Terra I know you are working on eating a healthier variety of foods. Do you have a site on the internet that you like where you can get new recipes?
Andrea,so you had a thing for Donny Osmond! Thanks you made me feel young again. I think your schedule is crazy. Take care of yourself and tell hubby he can only share good things with you. As for your lunch maybe you could keep a nice big salad bowl at work and then squish your salad into a ziplock bag ad then it would spring into a big one when you toss it into the bowl.
Dean your weekends always sound so nice. I hope you appreciate them. I decided to face the scale today. I thought I would be up 6 or so pounds. I went up one pound. Apparently I am even a slacker when it comes to gaining weight quickly.
Donna I love your sheep picture!!!!! Thank You! So happy therapy is working and helping you to be less critical.
Sam we both need to get back here everyday! Are you feeling better? Let's both get our lives to slow down and get back in order.

I feel so out of touch when I have not been on here.
I really am starting to realize how much I don't like it that I have had a regain. I am going to stop it now. I don't take off my jacket when we are out because my clothes are getting tight. I even caught myself thinking of buying stretch pants again. That really opened my eyes.
Thanks for being here. I really need all of you.

Ahhh Donny Osmond! Oooh we are showing our age girls!
I went to an Osmond Concert a couple of years ago because my friend had a spare ticket and I expected them to be past it but they were wonderful! I then saw Donny on his own and woah!!!!! He was charming and talented and very funny.
Ubee the sheep are especially for you! We sometimes take a picnic up on the mountain near us (there is a quite spectacular wind farm). The sheep are used to people and come over to see if your picnic is worth sharing! The one ewe in the photo is especially friendly and will just stand next to you for company! I love sheep and would dearly love some Jacobs which are the brown and white ones with horns.
Betsy...have a lovely time at the beach. I am not strong on US geography...can you swim in the sea where you are going? It's my favourite thing!
Pluckypear.....that sounds like a lovely serene way to start your day!

Yep 4 dogs is pretty hard going at the moment. One is a 10 week old pup, the other is a 5 month pup so it's pretty lively when they start chasing each other around. My husband has it in his head that we will make a bit of money showing and breeding from them. The flaw in that plan is that I can think of little worse than parading myself in a ring in front of people....let alone.....do that maximal-boob-bounce run you have to do!
I have persuaded DH to let me be the best judge of if I am healthy enough to exercise. Bless him, he listens to my cough ( which sounds dreadful!) and wants me to rest and take it easy but that doesn't seem to be helping. I try to tell him about mood and immune benefits etc with exercise but he just hears me coughing and is worried. Anyway, I am going to have a gym induction next week and start the gym 2-3 times a week and swim 1-2 times per week, after dropping my boy at school. It means I am not limited by the weather and I can get in to a regular routine which really works for me.

Does any body have any info/opinion as to whether dairy products actually DO increase mucus production ( sorry if you are having breakfast...especially porridge!) I read a few bits on the web yesterday but it's all a bit vague. I thought it may be worth trying a different approach to my chronic rattly chest and sinusitis.

I'll shut up now...I seem to have rambled on rather!!!
Have a great day,
Donna

Good Morning!

Just another day at the salt mines. It is so nice and quiet being alone in the office for awhile.

I am just over my cold (lasted 3 days) and so feeling tired. I also had a meeting last night. Tomorrow morning I have to go to my ultrasound at 8 am and then travel across the city to work so I will be late for work. I also have a potluck for lunch at work tomorrow and a french exam after work. I was going to make quinoa salad but that would mean lugging it and my super heavy text book etc. to the hospital, then to work on transit when I likely will be standing the whole way. I am going to buy some crackers and hummus instead. I am already looking forward to the weekend.

TerraEither way the cooking class sounds fun. I admire your dedication to your walking.

Betsy Thanks for the lunch ideas. Yes we have a staff room with a fridge/freezer, microwave, toaster etc. So really no excuses. I am going to make a turkey sandwich tomorrow and that with some fruit should do for dinner.
Travelling in an RV sounds like so much fun. You must be a good driver to feel comfortable driving that. Have a wonderful and safe trip, it sounds lovely.

Ubee Thanks for the ziplock bag trick and I may use it. I also keep meaning to bring in a mug and tea bags to offset my yearnings for coffees in the afternoon.
I know I appreciate this place too and am sorry I was away for so long. It helps me to stay on track and people like you on this thread keep me motivated. I understand the tight clothing as my dress slacks are nipping at my waist as I type. I also get the stretch pants lure as well, on the weekends I just want to wear my yoga pants.

mountainwalker Yes I think Donny is still pretty cool. at your boob bouncing comment. I can imagine that could be intimidating if you are not ready for it. I have also read dairy is mucus causing and if it is true or not I am not sure but it may be worth a try. There is certainly nothing wrong with giving up dairy for awhile. I don't eat much dairy but cheese is my downfall, especially yummy strong cheeses and soft creamy bries etc. Not a road I need to traverse right now. I hope you feel better soon and it is lovely to have a hubby who cares for you.

Have a great day everyone.

Andrea

Have booked my gym induction for 2 weeks' time.....half term next week...where did THAT come from? And young man will keep growing and needing new footwear!!

Good Morning!
Donna yipee! for signing up for the gym! Young men do keep growing and needing footwear, pants, haircuts,... Do you have Mucinex tablets in your part of the world? I buy the generic at the Dollar General each tablet has 400mg Guaifenesin in it. It works REALLY well. I too loved the bouncy boobs and your ramble.
Andrea I really love your accountability thread. I may join you when I feel ready. I am on a bit of a eating everything in site mood and don't want to scare people with reporting that I eat enough to feed four people daily. Prayers are with you for your ultra sound. As for the yoga pants I have sworn elastic pants (aka eating pants) off for obvious reasons.

I am proud of myself today. Our coffee shop has the BEST baked goods. I gave myself a talk before I went and I came out with just a cup of coffee. I still find myself mindlessly eating and I really need to be more strict with food AND start exercising again.
Have a peaceful day.

Good morning everyone. Thought I'd get a short post (ok, that may be an oxymoron when I'm writing anything) in before I finish the last of the loading up and heading out.

Ubee -- You're not alone in your eating everything in site, but congratulations on the coffee shop refusal or maybe we should just call it going solo......a solo cup of coffee. I think only gaining a pound is wonderful. I'm still 23 pounds over my previous low point, and seem to be stuck in this decade. In terms of the RV, I have a 2005 Minnie Winnie (Winnebago), 26 feet long. I'd love a Born Free as well as a Roadtrek. I'd also still love to win the lottery. They all have advantages and disadvantages, but have never been sorry that I bought it in spite of they are basically money pits.

Donna -- WOW! You have just gone out and are getting it done. Good for you. I meant to tell you that I loved the sheep picture and would love the picnicing with friendly sheep. I'm still laughing over the bouncing boobs reference for showing the dogs. I know what you mean. I have a friend who thinks I should take up running. Aside from possibly setting off minor earthquakes in the area since I'm not exactly light on my feet, I have a fear of poking an eye out from he girls bouncing around. (Sorry, Dean, this is probably way more information than you wanted!) I have heard that dairy will cause the production of more mucus, but not sure that it's serious enough to give up milk for awhile unless you would notice a serious impact. And, finally, yes you can swim in the Pacific, but you would probably get hypothermia within about 5 minutes this time of year. It's cold year round and there are serious rip currents up here. The Atlantic is usually like bath water especially in the summer, but a 3000 mile drive is a little more than I had planned for this trip.

Andrea -- Add another person to the Donny and Marie fan club. They are tremendously talented and have definite staying power -- they've been performing for decades now. I always used to enjoy that quiet time in the office before everyone else got in.

Sam and Dean -- Hope you guys are both ok. (You guys is showing my Midwestern roots.)

OK, Toby just came in and is looking totally confused as to why I have a pile of stuff by the door and am sitting here typing away. If I get wifi someplace, I'll check in. Otherwise, catch in about a week.

I'm doing alright, but up a few pounds... 3 anyway...

I tend to get a bit cheesed off when that happens and withdraw a bit, LOL. Oh well. Back on the horse.

Doggies are well, and we've got beautiful weather on tap all week. Washed the car yesterday afternoon, and we've got a doggie rescue event scheduled for Sunday afternoon coming up.

Skipping my coffee this morning, because I have a follow-up with the doc and I don't want her to think my BP is going up, LOL.

Dean

Hello chicken friends, Hope everyone is OK ....it's a bit quiet!
Today is an amazing day.....I finally have a cooker!
We had an old Rayburn cooker when we first moved in but it was incredibly expensive to run and too hot to use in the Summer. So we sold that and over the Summer I managed to cope with my George Forman Grill, Microwave and slow cooker....but there is a limit to my ingenuity and it was hard to eat as healthily as I would like.
So we are now the proud owners of an LPG cooker with grill and 4 burners.......hooray!

Teenie weenie new pup is settling in well.....second lot of vaccinations on Friday and we will then be able to take her out for walks and ( Lord help us) to training classes with Maisy, the slightly older pup! I predict a riot!
Food been OK exercise not so...am still getting over the hideous tummy bug.
Have a great day.

Hi Everyone,

Just trying to get caught up here...I've read everything but no personals today since I'm at work and only have a short time to post.

I'm feeling a lot better and started Monday back at my usual routine. I've definitely noticed the difference of not working out for a week. It was nice to take the time off so I could relax and try and get my biological clock back in order....That's kind of the reason that I haven't been posting much this past week. I've been going to bed so early lol...I literally come home from work, exercise, eat dinner and get straight in the bed. I've been going to sleep between 8 and 9 each night haha...But at least I'm getting my much needed rest and it's making the next day a lot more bearable

Over this past week I did gain 2 lbs, but I'm thinking at the time of my weigh in I was still getting over my TOM so maybe it was water weight. I'm hoping for some better results this week. I'm actually contemplating not weighing myself for a month and see what happens but I know myself and I can't resist getting on the scale when I go in the bathroom. I don't feel as if it's running my life or anything...I'm still losing inches where I'm not losing as much weight.

I hit my 9 month mark on Sunday but didn't take any photos like I usually do. I kinda forgot about it since I wasn't feeling well, but I plan to take some photos this weekend. My goal is to get the 20 or so pounds to hit my 100 lb mark by my 1 year anniversary on January 14, 2015. It would make me really happy and feel accomplished, but if not, I just gotta keep pushing like I always have. The nights have been getting cooler here so it's been pleasant going on walks. Monday night I wanted to do my work out video but my BIL wouldn't get off the computer and it iritated me so I went on a walk...I ended up walking 4 miles ...I guess I should get iritated more often because it didn't even feel like 4 miles. I think tonight I'm going to try and get DH to go on a walk with me after work since we have left over chili for dinner we don't have to cook tonight

I hope everyone's doing well and thanks everyone for your love and concerns for me. I am not going anywhere don't worry. I know I haven't been keeping my word with posting regularly but I'm going to try and keep that going because you all do help keep me accountable and that's what I need, accountability

Love you all and will post again soon

Good Morning.
My coffee was delicious this morning. The sun is shining. The leaves are colorful with half of them on the trees and half of them decorating the lawn. I do not rake and it makes my neighbors crazy. You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl.
Betsy I love the Minnie Winnies. There are choice #2. I do not consider something that encourages such great memories a money pit. Have a fab time!
Dean I understand about the BP. I went to the dentist yesterday and they took my BP and I was all excited about it because they had never done it before. It was normal but I always worry about the day it no longer is. Will you have coffee after your appointment? Yikes the thought of a day without coffee!
Donna I am kind of sad that you got rid of the Rayburn. They are so unique and it gave me this warm fuzzy image of your house. Now I will have to picture you making a nice home cooked meal for the family. Any chance you live in a cob or stone house? When do the gym days start?
Sam so good to see you! Never worry about doing personals. We all understand the ebbs and flows of life. Just so happy to know you are still hard at it.
Have a peaceful day. Be mindful of what you put in your mouth and keep on moving.

I'm SURE I'll have to have a bit this afternoon. Nice, cool, fall day makes me enjoy it even more.

Dean

Started with a half and half mixed autumn blend and hazelnut brew... little bit of cream.

Nice pretty fall day here in TN.

Probably mow this afternoon hopefully for the last time! LOL. remains to be seen, I guess.

Have a great day,

Dean

Betsy ~ That is very cool that you bought a small VR 4 years ago and you use it for the whole family and some very trusted neighbors, If we had an RV already I know I would be ready to go on a rode trip too.

Ubee ~ Nope, I havent found one site for recipes yet, I just usually type in the food I'm looking for and search for recipes but if you know of a recipe site with some good healthy recipes I would definitely be opened to checking it out.

Pluckypear ~ Thanks for commenting on my walking, I love the cooking class I belong too, The cooking class teacher is nice and the other students are nice as well and of course we always have yummy food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. this morning, I set my alarm for 4:30 though so I could wake up before taking a shower cause the last time I took a shower after getting out of bed I was still half asleep and I got some shampoo in my mouth, it was very nasty so since then I always give myself time to wake up before I go take a shower but anyway I took my shower at 7 a.m. and then I started watching for my bus at 7:45 a.m. Before I started watching for my bus I let Clyde outside and I gave him fresh food and he already had fresh water and I cleaned out his cage. Anyway I got to school a little after 8:30 a.m. and I'll be here until 5:30 p.m. tonight cause my school is having their 30th anniversary from 4 to 6 p.m. but I thought I would have the bus come get me between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. cause the last drop off for the night is at 6:30 so I thought if I got picked up between 6 and 6:30 p.m. that will be cutting it to short. Anyway as always my plans for today are to get my 30 min/hour after dinner walk in and my 2 miles later on tonight and thats it. I hope everyone has a great day today, Take Care

Good Morning!
Terra I don't have any sites but I sure could use one because I need to do better planning my meals. Does anyone have some recipe/cooking sites that you could recommend for Terra and myself?
Dean ditto on needing to cut the grass one last time. I may wait until Mon. so I can chop up most of the leaves. (Why do it today when I can put it off...) Hmmm sounds like my diet and exercise problem.

All right so this diet really needs to get going. I am going to make a meal list idea for the days I get stuck and need a meal plan.
Have a peaceful day.

two months in and I've just hit my first plateau. been being SO good all week- even upped my exercise time and still.. not even a budge. I am so disheartened but- not enough to blow it completely. Gotta push through it but jeez... 5 days stuck at this stupid platuea!