Good morning ladies! It's 6.37am in Bangkok and I'm packing my gym kit in order to head gymwards straight after school. Also, it's Weigh In Day...

AND I'M DOWN! YAY! FINA-BLOODY-LY!

::dances the dance of progress::

The scales seemed to want to say 207lb, but I'm going to go with 208lb to be on the safe side. Yay! Yay! Yay! Starting to feel that my May goal IS reachable after all!

Hurrah Fay! I know you'll do it. Did you feel the China earthquake? They said it could be felt as far away as Thailand, and since I'm a geographic moron, I have no idea how far that is. It's very scary though and even being geographiclly challenged, I'm pretty sure we're too far to feel it.

We did have a little excitment during the graduation party - a tornado warning. I guess one tornado did some damage in the county we live in, although it was still 15-20 miles from my house and it wasn't as bad as the one in Oklahoma. It was strange though. DD's friends were all out on the second story deck and I kept suggesting, maybe they might want to move the coolers down to the basement family room, but no one seemed inclined to move. When the storm actually reached us, it got pretty dark and started hailing. They all did come inside then, but only our next door neighbor went down to the basement. She sat down there all by herself and watched the t.v. reports. Meanwhile, many of the guests were in the garage watching the hail. I tried to reassure my sister from California, that it's not that unusual to have a tornado warning and hail and the televsion would let us know if there was an actual tornado in the area, but of course, that's probably what the people in Oklahoma were saying just before their houses blew away. A lot of the locals here think the topography prevents tornadoes in our immediate area, but I'm pretty sure the tornadoes don't know that. It all worked out all right though. The storm went over us, the kids went back out on the deck and we had a really good time. My sister is on her way home now and I'm back at work and we may finally get some rest!!!!!

On the strange but true front, when DD23 graduated from high school, there was also a tornado warning. We didn't have a house full of guests then, but they evacuated the audiotorium where all the organized parents had arrived early to get the good seats. I didn't evacuate though. My family was driving madly through the storm because we were late, but the early birds who had to give up their good seats and take shelter were not happy! Again, we were probably very lucky since as usual we were doing exactly the wrong thing in the middle of an emergency.

I'm not even going to bother confessing my food sins this time. I was bad. I'm sorry. I'll start induction again today. It was fun. That's all.

Hey, Aud, glad you're going back to work (although I find that hard to say when I would love to be off for a little while!). Gotta go, Lynn

Hi Gang: Got off work early today (she smirks with a raised eyebrow as finishing early means a meeting out of town concluded at 2:00 allowing the luxury of picking up DD9 as she got out of school at 2:45). Pray to the spirits of moronic idiocy that I don't get tons of calls on my cell. It never fails that when I get a call and I'm really home the dogs start barking or they fight over a sqeeky toy in the background. I'm a hero. When I picked up DD I also brought 80 Little Debbie Oatmeal Snack cakes with me (hey they were on sale at Safeway, four boxes for 5 bucks). The after school kids are at this moment wreaking havoc on a sugar high I'm sure.

The tornados are freaking me out. I've been worrying about our midwest lolitas and especially about lily. This is awful. Combine it with the earthquake in China and the tragedy in Burma (it will always be Burma to me) and I'm at a complete loss.

Auddie: Congrats on the election and being back at work.

Fay: That is fabulous news. You have really lost a chunk of change! Aren't you thrilled?

I hope to see the other lolitas chat some this week. Missing everyone.

ox
SC

Holy crap - tornadoes? Meep! Very Wizard of Oz!

To be honest, I was absolutely oblivious to the earthquake, although apparently other people in my bit of Bangkok DID feel it - reading about the situation in China at the minute is just all kinds of upsetting. And this comes hard on the heels of the recent problems in Burma* - honestly, it's not looking great for people round here at the minute. (And those poor sods in Burma - it's not like they don't already have enough problems, being ruled by evil despots from ****, you know?) One of the Teaching Assistants in Nursery, next door, is from Burma, and she's still not heard any news of her brother. V. scary. We're having a collection of stuff to send over to try to help people - but, that said, the evil despots from **** are making it very difficult for humanitarian aid to get through. (Don't know what the Chinese government will be like about that.)

Interesting times, eh?

*Yeah, it's Burma. The evil S.O.Bs who run the place and who have kept the democratically elected leader prisoner for - how long now? Decades? - don't GET to choose a new name, imho.

Hello,
So my first day of re-induction wasn't very successful. I guess I thought it would be easy! Silly me!! I basically ate everything in sight last night. Mostly low carb, but too much of it. I think it was just kind of a let down after being so busy for the last month. I actually went downstairs and watched two hours of T.V. that had been DVR'd last week, but instead of enjoying it, I felt all antsy and bored. Go figure.
Yesterday I bought a huge roasted chicken breast to put on my salads without realizing it was covered in BBQ sauce. I did try to wipe it off, creating a huge mess, but I couldn't make myself take it into the bathroom and rinse it. So, I'm not sure if I'm really even on induction! I ate half yesterday and half today. I've also worked my way back up to four cups of coffee each morning and that includes some half and half and some splenda, so I need to stop that too. Hopefully I can get back to real induction one of these days. I find it much harder to control my eating in the summer and it'll be summer soon-not that you can count on anything with the strange weather this year!
Aud, I was thinking about Lily too. I have the idea that she lives on the west side of Oklahoma and I think that weather was the worst. But I don't really know where she lives.
I'm hoping to see the other Lolitias too, SIC. How nice of you to bring snacks to the after school kids. I remember when DD was one of those kids! I miss those days now that she's 16 and smarter than I am.
Well, gotta clean up the BBQ sauce and get back to work. See ya,

Greetings from our nations capitol. I'm here for a conference. There are a couple of other conferences going on at the same time. Spent the entire day today at a course toward my Internal Medicine recertification in 2010. It was boring as **** but it got the job done. The conference starts in earnest on Thurs so tomorrow is sort of a free day for me. I have a friend from residency who lives in the area and we are going to have dinner tomorrow night.

This has not been good eating for me either. I've had to take what I can get for the most part. Hopefully it will get better as the week progresses and I figure out what I can get where. I found a low carb wrap for dinner tonight.

Fay-congrats on your loss. Glad to hear everyone is safe considering the terrible weather everywhere recently. I will probably not be around a lot this year because I have to pay extra for internet access at the hotel.

Hi all. Hey. It's time for a shot in the arm. Here is my personal congratulations to everything you are all doing RIGHT. Not the least of which is paying attention to what you are putting into your body even when you are not being perfectly on plan or creep off the path of low carbedness. I'm inlcuding myself in the "you all" comment.

Lets not forget: 1) You are trying to be aware. 2) You are doing your best to be accountable 3) We are all human and can get bored with food choices 4) Exercising can be hard to keep up 5) New habits are hard to set up 6) Life interferes 7) Life interfers 8) There is more than one way to skin a cat.

I'm sensing a lot of not wanting to post from people because they haven't been perfect, they had a craving and gave in or they feel they haven't been accountable enough. Nothing will suck the fun out of posting on a support board faster than not being supported. Small successes are what lead to big successes and I pretty much believe everyone sees setbacks and has disappointments in their programs. No one has to be perfect to earn my respect and admiration, you have it already. My thought for the day, "I'm not here to stop someone from falling down but I'm more than happy to help you get back up." Its what makes the world go round.

So "Yay you" to all my lolitas. Some or all of ya may be a few laps ahead of me or someone else but I'm still darn well puttin' one foot in front of the other and heading around the track...even if I feel like I wanna barf and have to walk sometimes and even crawl sometimes. Heck. Sometimes I'm flat on my back looking at the sky while others are stepping over me. tee hee.

SC

Scalmie-I think you are right. There is no shame in posting that you haven't been perfect. None of us are perfect. We all just do the best we can one day at a time.

SIC, that ought to get the lurkers to post! I miss them too. Even though I seem to not have a problem posting when I'm off plan, thanks for the encouragement. I did a little better yesterday. I gotta get over the hungries though. I know it'll get better if I get into Ketosis, but it may take me a little while. I cut back to three cups of coffee-with splenda and half and half today.

I have mixed feelings about diet drinks too. First I think, I want a "clean" induction without the caffeine and artificial sweetners. Then I think, I need a "treat" in the afternoon. I need to have something to order when I go out for a drink- not necessarily at a bar. My treat has been diet coke with lime. I don't even mind subbing a diet coke with lime for an alcoholic drink at times. But I do mind subbing a glass of water for alcohol and you really can't meet someone for a drink and just order water, not even if you're meeting at Starbucks or somewhere. What does everyone else do about diet soda? I want to find a WOE that I can sustain for a long time and, while I drink a lot of water, I think I need to have something else to drink if I'm going to stay on this WOE long term.
Petra, a free day in Washington D.C.-sounds like fun! There's got to be lots of stuff to go see.
hope everyone else is getting ready to post!! take care,

Dear Lolitas:

Glad to read all the encoragement for those of us who are in Low-Carb trouble. I have been trying since Sunday to do a clean induction, and eveyrday I have ended up doing serious carb bingeing -- I am too dispirited to step on the scale, for fear that I have gained back what I lost last month.

Then on MondayI found out that my old boyfriend (from when I lived in the USA) was killed by a tree falling on his car about three weeks ago -- too terrible for words. He was driving his two young children to the pool -- and they were entirely unharmed, thank god. Anyway, I went way low thinking about him and the past and his poor children and wife... and binged.

And then today my wallet was stolen on my way to work!!! Jeez!1! And it had all my cards and my library card and my Tube monthly pass, and so I came home and spent the day sorting all that out, and EATING EATING EATING. Also,didn't even get to the gym for the last two days.....

But reading the messages on this thread, I have decided to write in, pull myself together, and start again in themorning.

So --here i go!
Thanks again for being such Lolitas!!!

Ruby J.

Yay, s'calm! Excellent sentiments, and I heartily agree!

Lynn - I drink soda water like it's going out of fashion, but that's because I LIKE it. It's my usual beverage, in a restaurant or a bar or at home.

Ruby - Jesus, woman, no bloody wonder you've turned to food for comfort! Don't beat yourself up about this, love - at the moment you're in the process of trying to unlearn learned responses to stimuli, and it's going to take a while. I mean, good intentions are all very well, and intellectual understanding of a thing is all very well, but until you've really programmed yourself to crave a DIFFERENT quick physical fix when life craps on your head, it's totally natural to want to return to the familiar comfort of food. I'm hoping that I'll be able to make exercise my Go-To activity (as I know people - albeit mostly blokes - who do that when they're under pressure/stressed out), but that's going to involve unlearning 30+ years of associating exercise with ridicule, failure and discomfort. A chocolate biscuit or a bowl of mashed potatoes, on the other hand, is the kind of comforting pleasure that my lizard brain clamours for when the going gets tough.

Maybe try to plan ahead for **** like this, and have acceptable indulgences in the house? Or else - if you know you're going to go off plan, try to be conscious of CHOOSING to do so, and try to minimize the damage? Maybe?

Meanwhile, in Fay World, yesterday, for the first time in yonks, I really found myself fancying cake. (I'd followed a friend's link to a fantastic cupcake store and was just blown away by the sheer range of fabulous flavours available. America - you guys really don't do this stuff by halves, you know?)

Anyway, I was all 'Grrr... am tired and hungry, maybe I'll not bother going to the gym after all...maybe I'll go make myself some cheesecake instead...' but then I ended up eating a packet of sunflower seeds (1 carb!) and then felt recharged and ended up going to the gym after all! Bloody yay me! But I still went shopping for ingredients, and this morning I've had strawberry cheesecake (half packet of Philadelphia beaten up with some whipping cream and a dash of strawberry/orange/banana Crystal Light, topped with chopped strawberries) for breakfast - because I don't want to feel like I'm dieting and denying myself something. And now I'm all happy and satisfied, without going off plan. Yay that!

I have been good with the eating and it has payed off. I am going to change my ticker tomorrow as soon as i see the number again. I just have been very busy and wed is bowling night, (did very well thankyou!) :clap: :clap: :clap: the reason was the ohter team was not there they allhad baseball games and my other team mates had a baseball game and mom had a bad back so it was just me and my boy. we were done with 3 games in 1 hour! yes I did sweat! (does that count as exercise???)

tornadoes lynn how scarry, glad that you are ok. and that bless your neighbor imangine what she was thinking. I will be stuck down here alone and all those foolish people are going to be blown away..... I love storms and think I would have been on the porch too. (I was never near a tornado though)

We have a dairly parade every june 1st and one year we walked the parade and I had 3 small kids with me. (it was for shild care) we were at the end of the parade and was just disbursed whent they told us there was a tornado warning and we needed to get home and safe immedicatly. try evacuating a parade..... I had two kids in one of those seater wagons and one 8 year old to big to fit all the kids in the wagon, I walked very fast with the kid in hand and 2 kids in a wagon all the way back the mile grabed hubby and other kid and we ran home the last 1/4 mile. and by the time we reached the drive the rain started and we hid in the house for a short time bvefore the storm passed. i rember the fear we had then. I did not like being to out in the open like that. we do not have many tornadoes (none in the 14 years I lived here except 1 week before that parade and it touched done 15 miles away and just wiped out a few trees and some damage to a golf course.


rubyj that was such a stressful time I am sure I would have caved too!!!

Yay Everyone!!!! Maybe we need to occasionally call this the "I'm o.k. you're o.k. lolitas chat". I just got home from a lovely day....mandatory sexual harassment training" . Apparently I have not been harassing people correctly so I had to be better trained. Just kidding. Its the law and all. Just me and a room full of peeps and attorneys. Always pleasant. These things always freak me out because it makes me think of all things (albeit minor... no porn posters or sex on copiers etc.) that go on at work that I don't make a big deal about. Geez. Please. I supposedly have some obligation to perform some kind of investigation anytime I hear about a hint of a rumor or when someone gets cheezed off at someone else. Again I ask as I did before...what does HR actually do anyway? I hate sticking my nose into squabbles. Color me "pull yourself together and get over it" but please.

Ruby: You are officially having a crappy week. The wallet thing would send me nuts (after reducing me to tears). Also the exbf news. So sad. I think you are doing great myself. I'd want to eat a loaf of french bread.

Fay: Cupcakes in America? Missy...you have no idea. We have a number of DECADENT designer bakeries. I point it out because one of my best friends owns one and constantly brings dozens of them to the office and I literally throw them at the staff. "Mother of God...eat these please". The days of my youth where a Hostess cupcake with cream filling were a gourmet item are over. We are talking carrot cake filled with cheese cake, red velvet, chocolate mocha, torts, mini boston cream cakes...you get the picture.


Lynnie: I say have the diet coke and worry about it if you find it is your only indulgence and its stalling you. I think we need to choose our indulgences wisely and maybe the lesser of two evils is to give into one thing for awhile so you can build on the other habits and changes you are making.

Naus: Way to go baybeeeee!!!!!


Everyone else: Still worrying about our buds in tornado country. Sending up some prayers. Goodness I'm a lucky gal. Food on the table. Gas in the car. Health in the family. Mortgage I can pay (right now anyway). A job it is highly unlikely I would get laid off from. Smelly exuberent dogs (2). A lap top with wireless so I can chat with my Lolitas. DANG I'M LUCKY.

p.s. Petra if you check in I hope you are enjoying some time away from the daily grind.

ox to all
SC

Oh, no, after yesterday I think I really do!

This was the link:

WARNING! Do not click on link unless you are braced for really seductive cupcakes threatening your dedication to Low Carb! (I recommend cheesecake/sugarfree chocolate as a mandatory In Case Of Emergency Bust Wrapper standby...)

http://www.yummycupcakes.com/yummy.html

I went to the gym last night, and I'm going to the gym again today. I rock like a rocking thing made of rock in the Rockies!

Also, I'm thinking that, especially as it's lighter earlier these days, I'll maybe start getting up at 5.30 instead of 6 and doing 20 minutes or so of my exercise DVD - I really need to work on muscletone and do something about my truly hideous flabby fat arms and my tummy, instead of just using the treadmill for cardio.

(At this point, despite having paid up front for a Personal Trainer, I do not WANT a personal trainer. I would rather they bugger off and let me get on with it. Frankly, a grinning thin chick is THE LAST THING I want to deal with while I'm in the gym. In a few months time, it may well be a different story, but for now - no thanks. Really. Back the feck off, bitca, and let the fat white chick jog in peace.* I know that weights would be a good idea, but after the sheer horror of the whateveritwas machine that the Personal Trainer chick tried to make me use [which had my thighs STILL hurting 5 days later, after using it for TWO MINUTES] I'm pretty much in a 'screw you guys - I don't need the discomfort or the humiliation' headspace.)

* ...why yes, I was highly irritated to have one of the Personal Trainers sidling up yesterday and trying to engage me in fecking conversation WHILE I WAS JOGGING AT 9K. I mean - What. The. Feck? Can you not see that I am a fat chick JOGGING? Why would I want to start talking to you right now, total stranger? I understand that she was trying to make money, but, seriously, I was more inclined to punch her in the freaking nose. And after "No thanks, I already have a personal trainer" she was all "Oh, what's her name?" At which point my courtesy and composure very nearly left me, and I was saying "I don't remember - GOODBYE NOW" through a rictus-style grin.