Hi everyone,

Attempting to use my Wii U to post instead of my phone for once. This is weird lol. I'm sorry I haven't checked in. I am feeling better justleft with some gas so that I can deal with. DH caught the bug too which is the main reason I haven't posted. He's not doing as bad as he was but still not out of the woods yet. My office is closed today so I'm getting an extra day of rest. I've mainly been laying cuddled up with the cats and watching tv with DH. That's all we did yesterday. I haven't been eating much but what I have ate hasn't really been on plan. I did weigh in yesterday and am at 244.8, I figured I would balance out from when I was really sick, but at least I lost the extra weight I gained over two weeks. Hoping to feel well enough to go to the gym tomorrow and be back to eating my veggies and regular food.

I'm going to cut this short but welcome back Pam!!! Also welcome Scoble!!!

Have a nice day everyone!!

Happy Presidents Day (for the US contingent). Morning fog has burned off, the mountain is out and one of these days normal weather is going to return and we'll all be bummed out!

Pam -- So glad that you're back with us. I've gained 36 pounds back and have been yo-yoing like crazy to get it back off so you're not alone. Sounds like you've had a lot of changes in your life -- for the positive. You've done the hard part which is getting recommitted. Congrats on the wonderful news about the upcoming wedding.

Terra -- I would have skipped the circus, too. Sounds like you had a busy day.

Ubee -- You need to get out and have some party time. WE just need to learn how to handle it. I'm getting to the point of just taking my own snacks with me. I'm glad that your daughter had a good time at the party, too. Considering that it's the tail end of winter up there, I'm assuming that not much has been done in the way of getting a new house for your son and family. Will they be building or buying an existing house? Just enjoy your grandson and start on a crusade to help the people in your life understand that you have a routine and they can adjust to it. And, yes, between Bill and my nephew, all of the leftovers were out of the house.

Tootsie -- Sounds like your DH definitely made up for last year's transgression. Now maybe train him to think that a coupon for cleaning the bathroom(s) for a month would be as appreciated as the chocolate covered strawberries (don't you love how I think there's a man in this world who can be "trained"!). Good for you on the exercise. Since I live on the side of a mountain, I'd be worried that if I jogged in place, it might shake the house off its foundation.

Sam -- Glad you're feeling better and hopefully DH will get there soon. Valentine's Day may not have turned out like you anticipated, but still sounds like a good time.

Several of us have mentioned thaat we struggle when we get out of our routines. And, I've noticed that there seems to be a high correlation between being female, being the nuturer in the family, and needing a routine to be able to stay on plan. In other words, even when it comes to our health and well being, we put ourselves at the bottom of the list. Maybe in this one little area of life we can find a way to put ourselves first. If we had a medical condition such as diabetes that required us to eat in a prescribed manner and at certain intervals, then we and everyone around us would conform to that. Well, I think it's time that we begin to think of getting healthy and leaving being obese behind us. It is classified now as a disease by the AMA and it's time that we allowed ourselves to treat it as such. So, whatever our routine needs to be to allow us to stay on plan, let's identify it and then help our friends and family understand that this is what we will be doing going forward. There are some things that are so important -- and getting healthy is one of them -- that we just have to put ourselves first for a change.

OK, enough of my soapbox. I'm off to the gym and then to do the laundry. Hope you all have a great day.

Pjvw34 ~ Your welcome, I look forward to following your journey

Ubee ~ Scott said there was a dog trainer with a dog, I've never seen that at the circus but everything else sounded the same.

Betsy ~ Yeah I might go next year and hope they have the dog and trainer

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Woke up at 10:00 a.m. this morning, I slept in late this morning. I'm late at getting to my work outs. I'm about do my 40 min. chair exercises and then at 1:30 I'll do my 30 min. 2 mile walking dvd and then at 6 or 6:30 tonight I'll do my 20 min. 1 mile work out before bed. We woke up to snow this morning and its melting already. I'm so ready for spring. Cant wait for it. I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday.

Betsy - this really hit home with me... the entire time my aunt lived with me it seemed that I put my plan on the back burner... I feel like I lost an entire year... however, I am ecstatic to be back in the saddle again and getting busy... I really need to invest in some walking DVDs as others have spoken of... I have probably had them at one time or another but no longer... thank you for the inspiration and the welcome back... for me it seems that recommitting is the HARDEST part...

Tootsie - good job on the walking... I am now determined to find some walking vids to do indoors... thank you for the welcome

Same - thank you for the welcome

Well today I did well to stay on plan... still have an exercise vid to do before bed... so ready for it to warm up... I hope you all have an awesome evening...

Good morning!
Pam I so agree about the routines BUT I also struggle with the fact that life is all about adapting. I feel we just all need to find that balance. If anyone finds it please point me in the right direction. It is so good to have you back!
Terra did Scott say what kind of dog it was? How are your meals going?
Betsy I will be honest. I think my son just wants to live here forever. Don't worry I am not going to make it too comfortable for them just enough to be supportive. Good job gifting all the leftovers. That is a big step. You can get on your soapbox any day, you always have great advice. Unfortunately it is easier said then done.
Sam glad you are better. I was happy to hear hubby got the bug too, only because that meant it was just a nasty bug. I was afraid it was something more serious.
tootsie some salads deserve the heading "The road to **** is paved with good intentions." Good job on the exercising it is one of my downfalls.
Sorry but I am feeling negative today. Just realized I did not have my coffee. I have a nice lunch planned with family members I like. I chose a place with a yummy salad.
Have a peaceful day.

Terra - Yay for good bloodwork, I dare to dream of that.

Had a horrible (dietwise) valentines weekend. Friday night, drinks with the girls, nothing excessive but still I havent really indulged since new years... the calories are usually too precious. Then we did potluck brunch which was fun but bad for the calories, went out for dinner with another friend... and then went out for drinks again on saturday. And had pizza in the middle of a nerdfest on sunday. I had a lot of fun with a lot of good people though..

Ubee - PS everything is better after you have your caffiene... at least usually. fellow Caf addict in the house... I am not myself until I have had my coffee!

Ubee: You didn't sound negative, but it's okay, even if you are. We're all in what seems to be an impossible situation. I noticed on your ticker that you've lost a decent amount of weight. WTG!

PJVW: You've lost a bit of weight as well. WTG2Y, too. Yes, we do put our needs on the backburner. I stopped going to the gym because of my spouse and kids. I was going after the kids went to bed, and my spouse and I hardly had time together because I was going 6 days/week. I decided that I would wait until all of my kids were in school. Then I would restart going to the the gym during school hours. My youngest starts this year. In reality, it was just an excuse because I'm afraid of succeeding. I'm afraid of failure as well, but not as much. Succeeding means that I have to change everything. My outlook and thoughts. Then I get the feelings of sadness from all the years lost to this mess that I'm currently in. I'm still scared, but I've realized since then, that maybe I should be looking ahead, and not back to the past.

Terra: Congrats of getting the exercise done. You're lapping the couch potatos.

Betsy: On one hand, I want to say that you're right, because it's hard to stay on track when friends and family are indulging around me. However, part of the reason that I'm where I am is misplacing the blame. Oh, it's the food manufacturer's fault for making tasty food and wanting money. It's my family's fault for having food where I can see it, and making me prepare it. I stay home because I worry about what others think. I can't have my husband change his life because I'm weak willed at times. I've learned to carry that blame and work to overcome it. I overate. I didn't exercise enough. It's up to me to fix it, not my family. All I can do is hope that I inspire others to change. I'm not beating myself up over it, anymore. I simply didn't make taking care of myself a priority before, and that's okay. I am now. Who cares what people think? What matters is what my spouse and kids think, and most importantly, what I think of myself.

Sam: Good morning. Typing from consoles is strange, especially if you have more than one. Hopefully you and you spouse feel better soon.

Good morning everyone. I don't know what's up with the weather, but spring has definitely sprung out here and it's at least 6 weeks early. So afraid we'll get one more killing frost and since the trees are in bud, I'll lose all my fruit for the season. (Everyone should have such monumental issues!).

Terra -- You must have been really tired to sleep so late or else you went to bed really late. I have to admit that my rising time fluctuates wildly since I'm retired.

Pam -- Good job on staying on plan. And I completely understand what you mean about feeling like you lost a year.

Ubee -- After I stopped laughing about your having lunch with family you like, I was able to read the rest of your post again. Your son will move on. It may involve your saying "It's time to move on" but he will eventually leave. Charge rent, hand him the grocery list and then thank him but don't pay him when he comes home, set a leave by date (kind of like the expiration date on canned goods!). Of course, there's more than just your son to consider and they did go through a tragedy with having their house burn down.

SilentArctic -- Yes, caffeine is one of the main food groups. Sounds like you had a great weekend, and sometimes we do need those. Now, just put it behind you and have another cuppa.

Tootsie -- I totally agree that finding the gumption to put ourselves first is only half the battle. And I do sometimes wonder if I haven't used taking care of everyone else as an excuse for why I haven't taken care of me.

More thought on the routine post from yesterday. Tootsie's comments got me thinking some more. I think what I'm trying to get at is that I need to be more assertive in saying, no that restaurant has nothing but bad foods or I'm sorry, but I can't go that long without eating or else I'll eat the barn. Bill has diabetes, and within reason, we eat around his schedule and serve things that he can have. He's very discplined -- Tootsie, this is the point I think you were making -- about eating selectively, but we don't go 6-8 hours without eating and then order a large pizza because it would wreck havoc on him. I'm not a proponent of every meal or snack has to be what conforms to my likes or dislikes, but I am going to be more assertive about when and where we eat. And, quite truthfully, if the grands don't like it maybe they can have a Pb&J when they get home. I don't remember my parents ever once asking me if a restaurant was ok except on those rare occasions (and I do mean rare) when we were celebrating something that I had done or won. In other words, not every meal has to be a Happy Meal from Mickey Ds or the super hamburger from some other restaurant. OK, enough soap box. Man, you'd think I had skipped my coffee today.

Off to the gym and then into town to gas up the car and pick up a few groceries. We're going into my nephew's tomorrow evening to go to get new phones for everyone and have everyone get their own cell plan. Hope everyone has a great day.

That makes more sense, Betsy... You're saying that you need to be more assertive with family members who want to go out. I was talking about when my family members have junk food and eat it in front of me at home. That is my problem, not theirs. I have healthy options here. Whether I choose to eat them or not is up to me. At certain restaurants, those options simply aren't available, unless you want to order only cold water, and your family should be respectful of that.

Hello All...

it's really great to be back here and to see the things each of you go through and that they are very similar to my issues...

I certainly agree with Ubee, Silent and Betsy... caffiene is at the top of my morning list... I have my pot of coffee daily.... LOL... well almost a pot...

Ubee - as far as being negative you were not... besides all that I think this is the perfect place to vent as far as I am concerned... I would hope everyone would allow me the chance to vent if I needed to...

I have over the past few months taught myself to crochet rugs (thanks YOUTUBE)... It sure does keep me busy and produces something pretty... it is a perfect thing to keep me busy on cold nights after I have done my exercises... it keeps my hands busy and my tail out of the kitchen... so I definitely don't mind that... I made several for Christmas gifts this year...

today was a good day... I was on plan... kind of lax on the water but I am working on getting back on track with that... I am hopeful that tomorrow it will be pretty enough to walk... I am looking forward to getting some time in on the block... my girls (weenie dog Daisy and mutt Roxy) need some exercise too and they are always ready to go...

now for a little exercise video and working on some rugs.... have a wonderful evening everyone!!!

I'm distinctly grumpy—that's a -1 on my mood scale—but otherwise fine. In the DC area, a mere 5 inches of snow is enough to paralyze the city and close schools and other worthy places, such as the mindfulness clinic where I meet with Mike, my Qigong instructor. =sigh=

As my 60th birthday draws near (it's Sunday, the 22nd) I have things to do in my studio to make room for my big birthday present (more on that later). Grace is coming on Friday and will help me sort clippings, but her contribution will be much more useful if I do some sorting myself to figure out what I've got and why I decided to clip it. Plus Bob needs room to get in there and measure the space, since he's going to make a table for all the new goodies to live on.

I'm in a complete muddle these days about food—still in the pattern where I'll be on plan for a day or two, then off plan for a tiny binge on sweets, then back on plan. I've always been sensitive to big-number dates, be they birthdays, anniversaries, whatever. I think of 60 as a threshold number. I've completed one long passage in my life so far, and am very curious about what the next phase will be like.

I have this fantasy that various members of Bob's extended family will show up on Sunday, hand me a dessert they've prepared (a chocolate mousse would be nice) and say, "Oh no, I can't come in. I have things to do and besides, I don't want to intrude on your privacy today. Happy Birthday!" The trouble with that scenario is that the people I have in mind don't know what day my birthday is, let alone that it's my 60th. And then there's the problem of what would happen if I tried to organize a little dessert party: people would bring cakes (or cupcakes) and ice cream. I can't stand cake, and have never been on speaking terms with ice cream because it makes my teeth hurt. I love desserts, by all means, I just can't cope with ice cream and cake. Am I brave enough to make a few phone calls and assemble a cake-free and ice-cream-free gathering? Do I have enough emotional capital in this family—mostly through my relationship with Grace—that people would bestir themselves for such an occasion? I don't know.

You may have noticed that "I'm on a weight-loss diet" didn't even show up as a consideration. It's just not relevant. On Monday the 23rd I will wake up a new woman, and the first thing that new woman will want to do is organize a full-force attack on this flab that hangs so unattractively all over her. But before that happens there will be champagne (French, I hope) and really dark chocolate and perhaps other yummy things.

At least I am doing my leg exercises—600 leg lifts a night, just one leg a night to give the other one a chance to rest in between. I made it up myself. Its main virtue is in my quads, which handle stairs more nimbly and spare my knees in the process. I still need to start walking, but my agoraphobia, while not as fierce as Bob's, is still a major issue. Ah well...

Hey Everyone..

Just a quick post to say hello. I was back at work today and was very busy. This weather has made us all very tired. I didn't eat much today, had a sandwich for lunch and chili for dinner and that was it. My stomach is still a little queasy so I don't have much of an apetite.

Went after work and got some new makeup stuff (my drug) and bought a roller ball of a new perfume I fell in love with a few months back. It's just too expensive to buy a bottle so the roller ball is just great. The lady at Sephora was just lovely and very helpful which is very rare. She asked if I wanted to apply for a credit card and I usually wouldn't but she was so nice I decided to help her out. Surprisingly I got approved but probably won't ever use it. She hooked me up with some free goodies too. It really made my day to have someone be so kind.

Anyway no personals tonight...just too tired. Love you all and hope you habe a lovely night.

Ubee ~ Scott said it was a small dog but he wasnt sure what kind of small dog it was. My meals are good.

Silent ~ Thanks, I was surprised by how much its improved in a year.

Tootsie ~ Thanks - LOL @ Lapping the couch potatoes

Betsy ~ Yeah I went to bed late the night before.

My pastor's wife is a spunky lady who loves to torture a non-morning person with a loud, cheery question : ARE YOU READY TO CONQUER THIS DAY???!!!

Yeah, the non-morning person would be me and most often I answer NO to that question.. But, this day is a day that needs conquering (or rather, what the day will bring) and I need to do better than I did yesterday. One day at a time is what I need to remind myself. One hour at a time, if that helps me do better. I went to McDs last night and got a bacon something or other with crispy chicken and large fries and a root beer.. then a shamrock shake on top of it all. You know what? I woke up today feeling lots of pain in my lower back, which I am sure is due to the insane amount of sodium I digested at 9pm last night... I am craving water so badly! Hang on a sec.. ahh.. ok. Just drank a big "glug" of water.. I am feeling better already. This morning I just wanted to stay in bed.
As far as the water thing goes, I read somewhere that drinking a glass (or bottle) of water before your shower helps lower your blood pressure. I have also read many things saying you should drink a big glass of water every 2 hours all morning and only begin eating around noon. Whether that is healthy or not, I don't know. But the times that I've done that I've felt pretty good. Those people also say that you should quit eating by 6pm. I haven't tried that because I'm a night owl and love eating late. I find that the later I stay up, the more I want to eat.. So maybe I should try the whole "done eating by 6pm" and go to bed early to wake up early thing..
Anyway, sorry for the rambling. Kiddos are here, snacking on little kid foods.. I'll stick to my water for now. No "big kid" foods for me for a while. Actually, I take that back.. I'll probably finish off the smoothie I made yesterday. Ok ladies, sorry for no personals today but I just wanted to get out what was on my mind.
Have a blessed day!!

P.S. SOOO excited I get to meet my newest niece this weekend!! (She's already 3 months old!)