Good Morning all and happy Labour Day! Hope everyone in North America is enjoying the last long weekend of summer, and everyone else has had a great weekend too!

Do you have a long-range plan for September, a shorter one for this week, or are you just going on OP as usual ?

Have a great week!

Dagmar

My DH remarked yesterday that Canadians measure the summer by long weekends - May "two-four" is the start and Labour Day the end.

So to celebrate the start of a new season I officially am now free of diet Pepsi. Drank my last bottle of the stuff yesterday afternoon.

I was anxious all evening about how I'm going to get through the day at work without my little jolts of caffeine. And I think I'm going through a little "withdrawal" . That sounds so silly!

But I went to bed at 10:30 and slept through until around 6:15. I can't remember the last time the clock showed a 6 instead of a 5 or 4 for the hour when I woke up.

So it's mostly positive so far . And today we're going on the monster kayak (yesterday was too hot/sunny for DH) so that will keep me away from the DP (diet you know what).

Happy (belated) birthday SusanB

Dagmar

My DH said yesterday that he's tired of the belly ( it's not that big ) and wants to start a diet today. Considering he's never been on one and hates chicken and fish, this should be interesting. So the house gets cleared of all junk food today, and meals will be of smaller portions but still flavorful for him.

My September includes 5 days of vacation so dieting will be difficult but not impossible , the first 3 days will be restaurant eating , I will handle that by avoiding cream sauces, gravies and desserts, 2 days of the vacation will be at the home of a relative who will probably knock herself out preparing scrumtous meals, here's where portion control comes in. In addition I will get in as much walking as I can.

Good morning. Well, my plan for September is a biggie. I'm quitting smoking tomorrow! I'm very nervous. It isn't my first time, I quit once for 2 years and I've quit with both pregnancies. Dumbie for starting back up! This time, it's for good. Dh and I are doing it together. We don't want our children watching their parents smoke while growing up and we want to live long enough to meet our grandchildren!! Smoking is stupid! I'm tired of it and want to be healthy again. I hope I can do this.

My plan for September is to have protein at lunch and dinner every day and to increase my vegetable intake. I have a lot of chicken and vegetables in my freezer because I haven't been eating them as often as I should.

feelingroovy - Good luck quitting smoking!

SusanB - I hope you had a Happy Birthday!

Good morning All!

It sounds like everybody has exciting resolutions for the end of summer! I am a little sad that summer is ending, but excited at the same time because it brings me that much closer to finishing my thesis and finally graduating.

For me, I really want to get back on track...I'm going to start going to the gym in the mornings, because I have a little more flexibility in my schedule now that school is starting again. I'm going to run 4 times a week hopefully. And eating will be better! I'd actually really like to adopt a more vegetarian way of eating, but I don't know how that will go over with BF. I also say a "more" vegetarian way of eating, because both my parents and BF's parents are not particularily open to vegetarianism.

Good luck to Dagmar and Groovy with your resolutions! Good luck to bargoo on your vacation!!!! I know it can be hard (I fell off the wagon on mine!) but you can do it! And Thinny, enjoy having your DH on the diet...it may make things easier on you!

Groovy - Good luck... quitting smoking is a toughie! My DH is a type 1 diabetic and the last thing he needs to do is smoke. He finally quit SUCCESSFULLY using Chantix. Not sure if you'd consider pharmaceutical help, but it worked wonders for him. Even when playing with his band (one band member in particular takes LOTS of cig breaks), he said he had ZERO desire for one. He did two rounds of it, and he's been off chantix now for several months and doing well. Just a thought...

Ah... September. Means back to work (I teach high school) for me. Sadly, the last 2 years I have really dreading going back, which I know is a sign of burn out. The administration at my school is a cluster%^$#, and the stress of the job is getting to me. I know I'll be ok once I start, but I am just dreading it. I've been a bit blue the last few days, and I know that's why... eating has followed suit (not great). I have biked the last 2 days, and I'm getting ready to go on a walk/run. But what I really need to do is do better with calorie counting... consistency. I need to focus on losing rather than maintaining. 5 more lbs. would be great for me.

Ok. Enough whining ...Sorry for complaining about work... we all have to work (well most of us), and I know I'm super fortunate to be able to have the summer off in the first place (aside from the stint of summer school I taught). So, I will refrain from whining about that anymore.

Happy Labor day, gals. Have a healthy and happy one!

Nic - we posted at the same time... good luck with finishing this semester (or do you have another year). I need to focus on having a more excited attitude toward school. I know that will come once I get started... always does.

Also, you and I are just about identical in where we are and where we want to be. We should keep an eye on each other...might be motivating to see if we can both drop the last 9 lbs. (well, like I said, I'll be pretty psyched with 5!!). Have a great day!

Good morning!

Saturday, I sat down and planned out 2 weeks worth of dinner menus--most from Cooking Light. Lunches will remain the same--usually salads or a sandwich with vegetables on the side. Lately breakfast has been ff cottage cheese and fruit, so that's all good.

This morning, DH and I got up early to beat the heat and spent 2 hours cleaning our back yard patio, grill and furniture. Once or twice a year we do a major cleaning like that, then when we use it, all it really needs is a good brushing off of dust. The grill is covered, so it doesn't get dusty, but several months of use had made it rather greasy and messy. It all looks so clean and new! But it looks like I'll suffer dishwater hands for a couple days!

I think I'll do a little shopping this afternoon. There are 3 stores that I should go to and see what fits. I was hoping to have gotten rid of this excess weight before shopping, but I cleaned out my closet and drawers yesterday, so I need to shop! I tried on and got rid of all my old suits. I don't wear suits much any more, and lord knows why I hung onto them for so long--none of them fit any longer. DH said they looked horrible and baggy on me! Yay!

Yesterday, we all went out to lunch and then to a movie. Dinner was light because lunch was so big.

Well, that's my Labor Day weekend!!!

feelingroovy~DH and I both quit smoking years ago (almost 18 years for me--when I was pregnant with DD). DH took a bit more convincing--but he read an article in the paper that said to pick a date in the future as your quit date and then stick to it (it sounds like what you have done). Maybe we have good will power, but we don't smoke any more. But, what is weird, for many, many years, we would find ourselves in "situations" where we wanted to smoke, and we often would, but the next day we'd quit again. Twice we went on extended vacations where we smoked daily for a week or more, but once we got home, we quit. That lasted a couple of years, but for the past 4 or 5 years, all cravings for both of us has stopped. It is hard. It will take a long time. But it is worth it!!! Good luck!

Good luck getting back into the groove Claire! I can understand that having a a bad administration can really put a damper on a job that you otherwise might enjoy...thats the same reason that I really don't want to go back into the lab to finish my thesis...my supervisor is a big jerk. We can do it though! Stay strong, and focus on what you enjoy about your job! You have an important impact on many young people's lives...teaching is such an admirable job!

I'd also be pretty happy with dropping another 5 pounds...but lets go for gold...we'll try to motivate each other!!!! Good luck!

Allison - Enjoy your shopping!!!! And wow, on the major cleaning event! BF and I need to do that in our apartment....

P.S - I have one more semester of school. I'm in co-op, so my program takes 4.5 years to finish

Hello everyone!

So I've returned after a summer away from 3FC. I must admit I missed it, but between work, friends, and some summer courses (yes I am crazy) I just didn't have time to really concentrate on my weight loss or to really come on the boards.

But I'm back! And back on featherweights, which is one of my fav boards here.

Groovy-goodluck with the quitting smoking. That's gonna be tough.

Mudpie - Did you used to drink lots of diet soda? Caffein withdrawal is horrible. When my mom quit coffee years ago she got shaky and had horrible headaches. Goodluck.

Allison - I know the feeling about shopping. I avoided going and buying pants all summer because I kept hoping I'd just lose a little more before I really needed to buy any... but since I needed some jeans I finally caved and bought some. I've decided to get them tailored if (when!) they become to big.

stiebena - what program are you in co-op for?

Welcome back Cats Tongue!

I'm in the genetics co-op program at McMaster University in Hamilton What program are you in?

We do sink into a bit of a torpor in summer, don't we?

Allison Sounds like you and I did a similar housecleaning this weekend. It was just too darn hot (and I'm super cranky from the diet Pepsi withdrawal) to kayak so I tried on a bunch of my fall clothes and donated a bunch of summer ones to a local addiction group (given the diet Pepsi situation it seemed appropriate). It's hard to give up on clothes you used to wear a lot and even harder to give up the "mistakes". I had about 6-7 items that I've never even worn (mail order shopping does have its drawbacks) so I was very conscious of the cost of giving them away. My closet looks a whole lot more organized though.

Stiebena Sounds like you're OP long term for the fall. Partial vegetarianism can be easier to do if you coax people into it. My DH actually prefers meatless meals so I had no problem alternating meat days with meatless ones. Maybe as a start you can ask your collective parents to make an extra vegetable with some meals and to cook more chicken?

Bargoo It's hard to diet when at a great cook's home - so many hurt feelings when you turn down things that they have spent hours preparing. I think your idea of portion control is great! Maybe you can find a smaller plate to eat from - make it look like you're eating more?

Groovy I quit smoking 4 times. My DH 5 before we both stuck with it. You probably will find it easier since your DH is doing it with you and you can support each other. I had to give up drinking alcohol and coffee for awhile (I was sooo cranky the first 3 weeks) with the smoking because the associations between all were so great. YOU CAN DO IT!!

walking2lose My DH's work situation sounds much like yours. So hard to go in with a positive attitude when you know that management is absof#*kinglutely messed up. Hope that once you're teaching it gets a bit easier.

Cats tongue Sounds like you're ready to be a little bit less squishy this fall!

Have a great week everyone! I'm dragging DH out for a walk before the TV narcoticizes him.

Dagmar (Diet Pepsi is DEATH!!)