Very Good Sign, hys!!
Soooo, how did the phone call go?? Got an actual F2F interview?
I'm vicariously excited!

Good Morning Everyone!!! I finally got a chance to check in here on everyone. Yes, it's been THAT crazy!! It seems lately that in the AM, I get a quick check in on "the book" and I'm in to my day from there...been trying to get to work around 645, then if I'm lucky out by 5- and who the **** wants to go to the gym at that point.....I made my core class on Monday and didn't make it back at all after that this week. Though I have tried to walk every day for my lunch break- I just set my timer for 25 minutes and we have a loop around the shop that's 2 decent hills and a lot of sand....I get a little over a mile in. I did (walk) a 5K cancer relay on Thursday evening. That was nice- did it with a friend- which was good- she pushed me, so we had about 14 minute miles. Oh I hula hooped on Wednesday too- I knew I did something else, just couldn't remember what it was...lol- Tonight, we are going to the Figawi Ball. It's a big formal event that is held every year -next weekend is the big Figawi sailboat race from Hyannis to Nantucket. We won't race, but hopefully Monday, when they race back, we'll take a ride out and over towards Hyannis harbor to watch them come back. The boat is set to launch next Friday- praying for good weather. So, that's been another added stress, helping DBF work on it to get it ready- waxing a boat is a great arm workout by the way- it might as well be the Queen Mary instead of a little 32 footer. It feels like it's 1000 feet when you're waxing-lol. So for this evenings festivities, I pulled a dress out of the attic that I wore to an "adult prom" about 15 years ago. -My SIL used to rent a local golf club and throw a "prom" -and we HAD to treat it like a real one- gowns, tuxes, the whole 9 yards- she did this for a couple of years and it was great fun- I even won the prom queen lottery one year- anyhow- I went to the tailor with it and they took it in, when I went for the final fitting, she had adjusted the halter strap too high so I couldn't zip- major panic attack- (it's since been corrected) but- my reality to that was -for a few minutes anyways- oh my god, I need to lose weight it's too tight...it really freaked me out for a few seconds there.....it's awesome though, I don't have to wear anything under it except a pair of panties that aren't going to show any lines....(read thong-TMI- I know....) The one distress I do feel though is the loose arm skin...though I'm working at it, and yes- it's SLOWLY improving....it's definitely a beacon in my eyes....being a clothes hoarder DOES have some benefits....I also was able to give a girlfriend a dress to wear - one more thing gone from the closet....the one I gave her woudln't really have been able to have been modified, if we do the ball again next year- anyhow- one of the great things I am looking forward to is wearing those shoes I got for my sons wedding- crazy as that sounds- I loved them....anyways- so today is final preparations for the boat- my stuff- loading and stowing all the housewares, toiletries, extra clothing, - I make it in to our summer getaway- so the only thing when we go out to her that we need to bring is our food. Tomorrow is supposed to rain, so I want to get it all done today - then next Friday morning, any last minute "forgets" can be attended to, and I can do my final dusting and vacuum, close it up and wait for the boat hauling company to come get her. I suddenly feel like I shoudl have started this post with "Dear Diary" So, for all the stresses of this week, I stayed with in my 125-126.8 range. Had the 126.# reading more than normal (it's usually We'd and Thursday) ((yes, I'm kind of back on that foolish bandwagon of every day...)) I think part of it was the salt- and yes, for all my staunch "NO to NB's" see that bad fling out the window..???? Yeah- Whoel Foods Honey Roasted. My rationale is that I am not exceeding my calories or fat macros based on MFP- in fact my obsession has had my question going in to starvation mode?? Not sure and maybe that had something and not salt with the "stickyness" of 126## not getting back to the 125 as quickly as normal. My rational brain is rolling it's eyes at me right now. Anyhow...that's my update for the week. I'm planning to eat normal for today, skipping the Combat bar snack and tonight- let the chips fall where they may and enjoy myself.
Beth, I'm sorry about all the job stress that you have been going through - I'm thrilled to hear about the callback. Please let us know how it went!! How is your DD? That had to have been a pretty scary experience! I'm glad to hear that DH has been able to get back out with you- and in case I dont' get back on before it happens- CHEERING you both on for the 13 miler!!!! Thankful that I can keep up with you on "the book" I really really hope you get the FTF and a couple of more call backs so you get your choice of positions. Also glad to see that the family get together went smoother than expected. Phew!!!
Sue-your vacation sounds nothing short of amazing!!! Don't stress it- eat mindfully (someone else said this too) I find THAT has been my savior. Is it worth it? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it really has helped...Besides, you are on a once in a lifetime vacation- enjoy the local flavors!!!!!
Blue- I have the somersaults also, but one thing my coach said was to treat it as a carb (duh) that if I have it in the afternoon snack- probably avoid my dinner having a carb - so they actually don't come out often-(not that I have carbs with dinner that often) and the serving size is only like 10 - so that's kinda off putting for me kwim?
Cand-Congrats on P4!! Blue put it perfectly-
Blue--sounds like you had a great time on your vacation! Did you end up going to the cooking demo? Is the plant sale this weekend? Nice to keep up traditions isn't it?
Lianne-How have you been doing?

An absolute "ball" last night- great fun, food, festivities - and today - strict P1! I threw caution to the wind and ate with abandon- mostly crap= ice cream, cake, fudge/brownie thing, macaroon, oysters on the half shell, seared scallops on thin slice bread (is that crostini?) same type thing with seared beef, couple of glasses of water, some dancing (nothing too vigorous) joked that I was going to pop a seam on my dress - but I did give myself permission to just eat without thought. Then when we got home - I finished off (because I said screw it- tomorrow is P1-) the rest of the small thingy of Honey Peanut Butter that I bought Friday night at Whole Foods- There were some gorgeous gowns there - and when I mentioned that on the way home, DBF said that mine was one of the top ones- noting how many people told me how they loved my dress- not bad for a 15 year old Consignment shop find...lol

Liana - YES! I spoke with the HR rep Friday - we did about an hour over the phone and based on how well it went, I am expecting a F2F before Friday They have one major concern though and that is the position is a step back from supervisory (team of 3) to a one-(wo)man show / 900 employees...BUT, as I emphasized in the phone interview, the position would also open other doors in the HR area as it is both payroll & HR / HRIS. Salary would be the same, commute = same (not worse which is a bonus in the DC area) and benefits sound great. I am also interested in their commitment to employee training / continuing education - something I've severely lacked the last 8 years. for a call back today or tomorrow.

Linda - OMG!!!!! You and DBF looked so frikkin FANTASTIC on Saturday <3 I know most of us are connected on 'the book' now, but please post that picture here!!! Saw you survived your P1...keep in mind the scale could be a little nasty still today, but don't be disappointed!
lol on the nut butter...I am slowly weaning. I am not buying any more NB's, except DH's Skippy's, for awhile. I know I said I was going to P1 for a couple weeks before my bridesmaid debut in July, but have decided the strides I've made running / weight training are more important to me than the scale.
I AM going to axe nuts / nut butters for 2 weeks following the June 4th half marathon. This is more to flex my will power muscle than anything...it's like any muscle, if you don't use it, it will get weaker (imvho)
Plus, the dresses came in this week and yes, I will toot my own horn, I looked fantastic and it fit perfectly.
I am going to have to be careful about my chest though...even back in February, when I was still in the 140's, the dress was snug through there and I can see where I am building muscle...I don't have the fat pushing up on the sides anymore (yay!) but too much muscle would be an issue too
I hear ya on crazy - this weekend was non-stop. I started posting here on Saturday while we were driving, but by the time I got back around to finishing, Safari had rebooted and I lost everything.

Another 3 full days of RAIN!!! and food...
Linda may have seen my Friday night smorgasbord - chicken/beef/shrimp kabob with corn, sweet potato, and a slice of cornbread...although in fairness, it was mostly carb / low fat
Saturday we took SIL and her granddaughter bowling and for BBQ - oh YUM! That was definitely the treat meal with real BBQ baked beans and coleslaw
We did get out early yesterday morning (up at 6:30) and knocked out 8 sloppy, soggy, mucky miles. Last long run prior to June 4th...It was glorious DH went on his own to run his race pace (7:30's) & I didn't slouch, even though I was tired and unmotivated when I started out (9:50's) Didn't overeat yesterday and the flax/chia powder I am using daily is a god-send!

Of course TOM strikes today too, so I am going to actively avoid the scale.

Busy week
- waiting on the call back / scheduling a F2F interview for potential new position
- moving week at current job have to be 100% packed/ready to go by 4pm Thursday
- other project deadlines to meet before 4pm Thursday, as I am off Friday
- absolutely must get my toes done - finally a break in the weather and it is suppose to be in the high-80's Friday / Saturday / Sunday (sandals!!!!) DD11 wants to get hers done too so I need to move workout schedules around and make it fit probably today...

So as I complain about how busy it is time to go - happy Monday to all and hope everyone has a fantastic day / week

213.jpg]Well, there's one - they had a red carpet at the event too I'll try to upload one tomorrow

Linda, you look absolutely gorgeous!

Wow Linda, that dress is amazing and you look fabulous!

Thank you- prof positive that this diet was/is my magic bullet and IT WORKS!!

Linda - I <3 that picture even more ((((hugs)))) you are so rocking that new body!

Linda – WOW!! Just WOW!!!
The dress is amazing, and you look fabulous in it. And may I say DBF looks darn good too. I’ll bet heads were turning everywhere you two went all evening. So glad you had a wonderful time – both partying- wise and eating-wise. So great to have an evening enjoying the food, and knowing all will be well in a day or two!! It’s an absolute confirmation that this diet works, into maintenance, and you, my dear girl, are the poster girl for maintenance.
Hope all goes well with getting your boat ready, what a great thing to have all summer…are you taking a holiday on it this year?

Beth, great news on the call back, and here’s hoping for the interview!!. New job maybe (no scratch that, let’s be positive!) coming so fast, WOW, you must be floating.
This seems to be the season for dresses, your bridesmaid dress sounds fabulous, funny isn’t it, there’s just something special about putting on a fancy dress and looking great in it, Maybe because we don’t do it often. Well, not me for sure. Actually, I do not at the moment have even one dress in my closet, and I too have a wedding in July (just a guest, my niece’s wedding) and I have to go shopping for a dress, I have no idea what style suits me now, so I don’t even know what to look for…I guess I need to take a day and find a good store and go try some on.

We had our yard sale/plant sale this past weekend, we do it mainly for the plants, since we need to split and move stuff every spring, and besides, it’s fun. And then we thake the $$ and go to the garden centers and buy more plants!! Plus, it forces us to go through the house and get rid of stuff!! This year I decided to put out the clothes I still have around from during the diet (a LOT have been donated, given away over the past year, but still a bunch left). I did sell some. One woman came by and bought a pair of capris, 18W. She came back a few hours later, after we had closed it up, she had her eye on some crystal glasses she saw earlier, and she was wearing the capris. So she bought the crystal, we were chatting about my weight loss, and she said she loved the capris, they fit her perfectly. I had a few more left, so she bought them too. Funny thing, she’s about my age, maybe an inch or 2 taller. And it gave me a picture of how I looked a year ago. Big difference from 18/20W to 8. And I realized that I’d really forgotten how overweight I was, how I used to look. I’ve gotten used to this new me. A strange feeling. I do wish I had kept one of my largest pants, to take one of those pictures, you know the ones…the skinny me wearing the big pants. Did any of you keep anything, just to remind you?

I’ve had a few days that seem to have been filled with indiscriminate nibbling, something I am going to have to watch. Nothing major, just a handful of somersaults (definitely have to watch out for those!) or almonds, or berries, the occasional cookie…salty stuff and sweet stuff, just seemed to be having munchie attacks for some reason… a bit is fine, but lately more than I should. Wouldn't even call it a splurge. But yesterday the scale was up to 134.4, so I decided to have a clean p1-ish day yesterday, got it back down to 132.0 today. My usual has been 132-133 ish, though it’s been in the back of my mind to try to get just below 130, I find 135 is about the high limit for me, so just for more wiggle room…I might try to do that over the next month.

So glad the weather is finally gotten around to realizing it’s spring. Lovely week here. Have some work to get done this morning then I’m heading out for a long walk. And did I mention – a couple of days ago I picked the first RHUBARB of the season – we had foolishly given away our plants a couple of years ago, last year when I rediscovered rhubarb goodness, I had to go over to the neighbours and get a chunk back to plant!
And we have a farm about 5 min down the road, local asparagus YUM!!! I could eat it every day. One of my favorite meals is salmon with asparagus, I’m off to the local fishery later today to put in a salmon/pickerel/perch order for the freezer, they vacuum seal it for me, so nice to have it on hand.

This past weekend was the holiday weekend here in Canada, the first hol wk/end of the summer, for us it always seems like it marks the start of summer. It seems like it's been forever getting here. Hope it's a fabulous day for all of you.

Hey gang!!! I'm home!!

Linda - that dress, and YOU, look amazing. So glam.

I haven't caught up on posts yet. Hope everyone is doing well.

Cruise was fun and worth every penny. I gained 6 or 7 pounds (I forgot what my weight was when I left), but I've already lost 3 being back on P1 for just 1 1/2 days. I mostly ate P3 breakfasts, light but carb-y lunches (usually fruit and pasta), and then a vegetarian or fish dinner with all the sides and desserts. I got up every morning at 6:30 and used the fitness center on the ship before it got busy. By the end of the trip I was sick of eating. LOL. It feels good to be back on P1 and I'll just eat this way until I get back down to a weight I'm satisfied with, probably 1-2 weeks.

Real life hit hard when I got home. My DIL is due to deliver Baby #2 any day now. DH's next surgery is a week from today. On Sunday, my mom fell and broke her hip (surgery was yesterday).

Hope to read and post more tomorrow.

Hi everyone.

Oh my gosh Linda!!!! You look absolutely gorgeous!!!! I love that dress. Wow. Amazing!!!

HIS Welcome back. Seems like you did well on your cruise. Before IP, I didn't realize how much we gain from carb bloat...seriously, that weight gain will be gone in no time. Glad you had a great time.

blue I love the perspective taking you were talking about with the 18W pants. I have a lot of old stretchy dresses or shirts...I have a bit of a hippie style, but I recognize I have to wear a scarf or leggings under old dresses because they gape open too much. I love that you have a plant sale. How cool is that?

Beth Wow what a promising job!!! And so soon!!! That's a really good sign. I hope you get it, but even if you don't, you clearly have the credentials to get a new position very soon. Wow. I am impressed. Glad your bridesmaid dress is fabulous.

Just got back from Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I gained two pounds, so I am doing a mostly Phase 1 day (Phase 1 plus cheese). It's so hard to eat healthy at a music festival, but I had a generally low carb breakfast and minimized the bad stuff at the festival. Now we leave for Disney for the weekend on Friday night...so I have a few days to get back on track before another challenging event.

Wishing everyone all the best.

Just want to say...
Awesome photo Linda!
Hys - good luck, but it sounds like you don't need it, .
HIS - good work on the cruise, glad you had fun. Never been on one and I keep looking, but the cruises that interest me are all WAAAAY too expensive (Baltic cruise, European River Cruise, Antarctic, or anything by SilverSeas, lol) compared to the vacations that we plan out for ourselves.

Liana

Liana - I've done that Baltic cruise, but only because my dad paid for it. On domestic cruises, I try to wait for sales or specials that get me down to around $100/day, per person. Sometimes that means getting an interior room, but I'm willing to go cheap and then spend more money on the excursions.

Candi, you don't usually hear "eating healthy" and "music festival" in the same sentence. lol. Hope you have a great time at Disney!!

Beth, we'd better get a pic of you in that dress, ya hottie.

blue, I haven't gotten rid of any clothes yet. My daughter took a lot of them, the sizes 12-16s, as she was losing weight. I still have a huge pile of the 2XL stuff that I need to take to the donation place. They're all ugly and I can't imagine ever wearing them again! My new size 8 stuff is way cuter.

Some thoughts about food and vacations.... Before the cruise, I was somewhat panicked about how much weight I might gain. But a few days into it, I realized that I have the tools to manage things when I get home. It was a great relief to not worry about gaining a few pounds and then have the weight slowly keep climbing. So I ate pretty much whatever I wanted (within reason). I definitely felt a little puffier by the end of the trip, but all my clothes were still fitting. I think the two things that helped the most were 1) regular exercise (including taking the stairs ALL THE TIME), and 2) BCAAs. I didn't take them on the trip, but I think they've really helped build muscle mass over the past 4-6 weeks, which in turn burns more calories.

2 1/2 P1 days under my belt and I've lost 5 pounds so far. Another 5-10 days and I'll be back to my goal weight. Gotta love this protocol!

HIS: What are you doing with the BCAA's.... I got some from GNC, but I'm not sure when to take them and the package info is really next to useless. Is there any point if I am not lifting or doing other resistance training right now? I am doing 9600-12000 steps per shift at work (not counting the rest of my day) so it isn't like I'm not getting exercise at all.
Fill me in on your BCAA 'schedule' if you wouldn't mind, thanks!

Liana