Good morning and happy new week! Did everyone survive the Fourth of July weekend?

Our Fourth was pretty quiet since it rained and the rest of the weekend seemed to be computer/printer problems and a power outage (which I was convinced I caused when I was messing with the computer ) However, I managed to get to Macys with their big "end of summer sale" signs -- what?? -- summer's barely begun! Heavens, I expect I'll see Christmas decorations the next time I go. I found a great skirt, jacket, top outfit in turquoise (which is NOT this season's colors, those are weird) for 50% off, plus I had an additional 20% off coupon.

Today I'm off to the hospital where I'm getting my knees replaced for a two-hour seminar. In preparation, I read all about knee replacements before I went to bed last night. Big mistake!! That's all I dreamt about.

The gym was pretty empty this weekend, so I'm expecting a big crowd this morning. Then groceries and a million phone calls and errands.

How's everyone doing?

Hi everyone,

I survived the weekend well enough that I can say I'm proud of the majority of my choices and had fun. I was really struggling last week. On Thursday night I found myself in a major sugar/chocolate craze. I wanted chocolate-covered pretzels. Instead of getting the smallest bag the store had (7 servings x 140 cal each) I got a box of Hershey's sweet & salty bars with pretzels and chocolate - 140 cal each, and I got my chocolate & pretzels. I was in such a craze that I felt eating only 2 was still a victory of sorts.

Friday I went to the gym early and got in a full weights workout & elliptical. When I got home my roommate was making an unhealthy brunch, and I declined and went fishing w/ BF (tuna fish and salad for lunch) instead. And I caught a big fish! We had a lot of fun together. That night we went to our friend's party. There was tons of food and drink. I didn't stuff myself, had a few drinks (vodka with light cranberry) so I felt it could have been a lot worse.

Saturday I ran 4 miles at the gym, Sunday I biked about 20 miles. Other than eating 2 more sweet & salty gb's Sat. night (I wasn't really hungry but craving chocolate) I ate OP. I don't think I've ever had a "good" 4th weekend in terms of health, so even staying mostly on plan was good (though I'm certainly considering it a starting point - working my way up from here to get rid of these last few vanity pounds). I thought a few times "what would the ladies and gents of 3fc say?" "Breathe, let it sit 15 minutes, go for a walk... " etc. I feel like I've jumped a big hurdle and am more in control now.

I finally got a good crop of basil in so I made fresh pesto this weekend! Mmm, with tons of garlic, just like my mom made it. I froze it in cubes for easy single portions. I also made a batch of watermelon rind pickles - I brought watermelon to the party Friday.

Meg, sounds like you found some great sale clothes! There's nothing better! Since we're a tourist town we're the opposite - the gym was packed this weekend and this really annoying out-of-towner kept stealing the equipment I was using. Not sharing it, or asking to work in or anything. Grumble. I hope your seminar is very informative!

I had a dream last night about the gym manager being a vampire. What subconscious undercurrent is going on there? Lol.

How was everyone else's weekend?

Clothes shopping was such a chore when I was overweight. Now it is a lot of fun, just to wear normal sizes! I scored big the other day, I bought a Calvin Klein pant suit for $75.00! This is about a$200.00 suit. It was an end of season sale, so it is meant for winter wear. I am just disappointed that I can't wear it for a few months. I go to my closet and admire it every once in awhile, though.

Good morning everyone!

Meg - looking up surgery online makes it even scarier!

Megan - I wish I was you! My exercise these days has declined down to walking the dog. :P Running four miles and biking 20 sounds like so much fun though (ha, never thought I'd see the day when I said something like that)!

Bargoo - that's a great deal on the suit!

I went shopping this weekend too, for 4th of July sales. I was going to go to Macy's but didn't feel like driving all the way out there, so I went to closer stores instead. I scored at Kohl's in the petites section! I got three nice tops for 40% off. They were totally cuter than the stuff in the misses section too.

My weekend food triumph is that I really really wanted a milkshake and I didn't get one. Yay! Mostly it's thanks to DH talking me out of it though.

Good morning everyone!

Good luck Meg at your seminar. I hope you get all your questions answered and can feel comfortable about your upcoming surgery.

Megan-- It sounds like you had a great, successful weekend! I sure understand those sweet (and salty) cravings!

I am back from my trip to Houston and happy that my weight is only up one pound. Now I need to take off that pound (or more) before I leave for Mexico on Saturday.
I had an overall great time in Houston. I managed to get plenty of exercise in. I had some not so good food choices, but overall, I avoided most of the bad things. Everyone was quite impressed with my will power. We went to a favorite Mexican restaurant and I steered clear of the chip basket. You never realize how many chips you consume! My mom in law and dd polished off most of 2 baskets by themselves! I ordered chicken tortilla soup which was delicious and had a side salad with salsa for my dressing. Very pleased with my choices.

Many, many cool comments about my weight from friends and relatives who hadn't seen me since I'd lost weight. Very motivating. I am determined to not regain this weight!! I shopped some and was stoked at the sizes I was looking at. I know I was a larger size years ago and weighed less so you gotta love vanity sizing! I bought some 4s and 2s-- when I started losing weight I just wanted to be a size 8-- I had no idea I could be less-- then again.....vanity sizing......

Off to the gym, the doctor, and the nail salon today. Plus I need to majorly clean my house!

Morning. It's a busy, rainy day here, and I'm leaving early for the weekend on Friday, so I'm looking at another short weekend (but another long weekend )

Weekend worked out pretty good. We spent most of Friday getting the framing up for our new (replacement) greenhouse. I got lots of stretching, bending, lifting exercise - and boy did I sleep well! It was a hot day, too, so it was nice to be outdoors. We cleaned up and took a picnic up to a lake at the summit of a local mountain pass. I made a variation of Barbara's chicken/cabbage salad, which was delicious as usual. (We had the rest the next day for lunch, mixed with a little leftover ww pasta, also good!) Sat is gone from my memory - don't you hate that? - though I know I did laundry and baked bread. Yesterday was church and then in the afternoon a BBQ for a friend's daughters' b'days. One was 18 on the 4th, the other 23 today.

Today it's raining, and while the gym is open, I don't see much hope of getting there. I was at work shortly after 7, and have a meeting at 7 tonight. If it stops raining, I can get in a walk at noon or right after work.

I too have been on a buying spree. I've ordered 3 jackets, a pair of pans, a dress, and 2 pairs of shoes! My Visa card is now resting in a dark room with a cool cloth over it's eyes. The 2 jakets and pants were on sale, with an additional 25% off! The others were marked down some, but the shoes were full price.....

Oh, and I may have mentioned that 3 of my GFs and I are going on a cruise next year at this time. We met yesterday to pick our staterooms (the class/deck anyway). We are all quite excited (of course) and I'm hoping this will be enough inspiration/motivation to keep me on track and be back at goal by then.....

I thoroughly enjoyed my extra day off. I did nothing productive, just laid out in the sun for a couple of hours (although I did get a head start on planning this weeks menu) and I'm thoroughly bummed to be back to a five-day week this week. I can't believe we don't have another holiday until September!

It turns out that one of the zucchini plants I bought at the nursery is not a zucchini at all but a lemon cucumber. I could not be more annoyed about this. I already have two other cucumbers and I'm not really a big fan of lemon cucumbers. They're edible, but not my favorite cucumber variety. And, of course, that stupid lemon cucumber is the only thing producing in the garden right now, other than a few cherry tomatoes. I foresee eating a lot of cucumber this summer.

Has anyone been following the story of Dara Torres making the US Olympic team in swimming at age 41? I don't normally pay much attention to sports, even the Olympics, but my local paper ran a story on her and included a picture. Wow. She would be impressive at any age. I think the story resonates with me because I've always been a swimmer and I'm quickly closing in on 40.

The scale is just not cooperating at the moment. I've been on plan since Monday, came in low every day this weekend, and still was at my red line this morning. I feel thin, I think that I look thin, my clothes fit fine, but yet the scale and my measurements say otherwise. I suspect it is water, but it is still frustrating and disappointing.

Meg: For a minute I thought you were actually having knee surgery today and I was shocked that you seemed so blasé about it. But I guess you are just learning about the surgery--that's a little less scary. And I can't believe Macy's is calling the first week in July the end of summer. The end of summer is Labor Day in my calendar! Honestly, couldn't they just call it the July 4 sale, instead of having to panic us all that summer is almost over? Sounds like you got some good deals though.

Megan: Sounds like you had a great weekend! Watch out for that gym manager, though:

Bargoo: Wow--great deal on the suit! You really can't beat that price.

Paperclippy: Sounds like you found some great deals too. I thought about trying to get to Kohl's yesterday because it did look like they had some cute stuff in the flyer, but I never made it there.

Michelle: I'm glad your Houston trip went well. You have quite the vacation schedule this summer. I wish I were on my way to Mexico.

Barbara,
I am following the story of Dana Torres with great interest too-- I am 41 so she is a true inspiration-- to still be dominating her field against teenagers! I swam in Houston and was proud that I was doing laps. Ha! My laps were slow...... I am also a former swimmer and have always loved swimming. I swam with my dd in Houston (she is 13) and she isn't much of a swimmer. I swam 2 laps for each of her one, but trust me, I was still slow!!

Megan - my grandma used to make watermelon rind pickles that were sweet and she put green food coloring in them. Are yours the same? If they're similar I'd love to have the recipe!

Michele: I swim most Saturdays but I'm pretty slow too. Dara Torres could definitely kick my butt. In fact, the old guy that lists to one side and gurgles while he swims can kick my butt. I've been swimming since I was 7 but I was never in the A group; I was always pretty much a B group swimmer. Even so, it's the only exercise I do that I feel like I'm good at; where I actually feel graceful. And I love being able to exercise outside. On Saturday mornings, when the sun is shining and the water is clear, it's such a great feeling.

Hi everyone!

Glad to hear you all had a great 4th. I just got in yesterday afternoon from my trip home. It was wonderful. I did a whole lot of nothing, which is exactly what I wanted to do. I think the farthest I went from home was the Walmart about 20 minutes away!

Hung out with my BFF and did a lot of shopping. I got 3 new dresses, a new pair of shoes, a new lotion, and new make up bag. The bag and 1 dress were my bday gift from her. I don't think I spent more than $50 on the other stuff. Love bargain shopping!

But now I'm sick. I caught some gross cold from my little cousins on the 4th and I'm still dealing with it. Let me tell you, the flight back was not pleasant! I was just praying for my right ear to pop and it never did. It is still clogged. I took nyquil and hit the bed at 9:30 last night, but still didn't sleep well. I'm taking Dayquil today and going to work for as long as possible, and then probably hitting up the walk-in clinic. Ugh. I don't get sick very often, but when I do, it knocks me out for a few days and I'm a big baby.

As a result of being sick, my workouts have been non-existant. I did great thursday at home--did my 2nd workout of my Couch to 5K. But I missed Saturday's and yesterday's since I was sick. It hit so fast, usually if I feel something coming on, I'll work out and that helps ward it off.

::sigh:: back to the real world. Probably no workout today since I still feel crummy. Luckily a sinus infection= not much of an appetite!

have a great day!

I had an awesome 4th, and I am glad you all did, too! However, I did A LOT of off plan eating Luckily, I still ate and burned around the same NUMBER of calories (which I must say I am a LITTLE bit proud of!), but I could have eaten more nutritious food! *Kicks self* Oh well, I ate clean yesterday and will eat clean today. One day at a time.

I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who gave me encouraging advice on being a personal trainer. Here is a BIG for Meg, Megan, Jessica, Barbera, Michelle, Traci, Robin, DGA, and anyone else I missed who helped cheer me up

I am going on a vacation to St. Augustine at the end of the month, which I am SUPER excited about. The vacation would not have been possible had it not been for the extra money I've been making as... dun dun dun... A PERSONAL TRAINER I think once the GF realized that, her attitude changed a little I plan to go parasailing, cave diving, surfing, and see all the historic /tourist-y sites as well.

Here are some pictures that were taken on the 4th (I had a little get-together with the GF and two of my best friends here who also happen to live in my complex!). DUMB as it sounds, I was actually surprised at how slim I looked, considering I used to think I always looked FAT in pics other people took of me.





DGA - sounds like you had a great time shopping! Bargain hunting rocks. I refuse to pay full price for anything unless it is super nice. I figure that in most stores (AE, A&F, Old Navy, Hollister, Pac Sun... just wait a month or two and pay half price ), the items will eventually go on clearance anyway!

Barbera and Michelle - I've briefly followed the story of Dana Torres. I can't say it is as inspirational to me as it is to some older folks, but I think it's AWESOME that she is kicking so much butt! I'm a crappy swimmer; I have endurance, but I am SLOW. I'm a MUCH faster runner (and of course, biker, BUT one would expect someone who rides as much as I do to be a monster at it!)
Michelle - Vanity sizing is a crazy thing, isn't it? Still, I am sure SOME of those 4's you bought weren't JUST vanity sized You deserve to fit them with all the dedication you've put into it. And it is always nice to hear flattering comments from family and friend... it's a huge motivator to keep the weight off.

Pat - I bet you will have an amazing time on your cruise!

Megan - congrats for staying so on plan this weekend! I'm proud of you. Holiday weekends are the WORST!

Meg - I hope your knee replacement seminar is informative and not incredibly boring.

You look great, love your upper arms!!!

wow, thanks... that's really flattering, especially since I was not flexing or anything

Good morning all,

Great OP day yesterday. My roommate cut up a watermelon so I spent my evening chopping up rind for more pickles while I watched the Bachelorette finale. I know, my brain is rotting out of my head - I couldn't help it, got sucked in! .

I PMed Traci the watermelon rind pickle recipe b/c I thought it would be awfully long to post, but if anyone else wants it, I'd be happy to share. Just let me know.

I also posted some funny comics here in the weightlifting section of the forum. I found them to be really funny. So true to life. The men were a'swarmin the weights yesterday at the gym (do more men work out in the summer b/c they want to look good w/ their shirts off?).

Shane, love the pics, and the the hair color! You look very slim, fit, nicely toned in these pictures! Lol about GF not grumbling about PT once you've got $ to go on vacation.

DGA, I LOVE bargain shopping when I get the chance! I hope you feel better soon.

Barbara et al, I am also in awe of Dara Torres. Her motivation and dedication is totally inspirational. I read an interview with her a few months ago (I'm 80% sure it was in Shape magazine?...) and she seems very kind and her workout/eating/overall health ethic is intense. I'll be rooting for her!

Barbara, you can ship your cucumbers to me, since some stupid pill bugs and caterpillars ate mine before they produced. I forgot that you had asked about how I prepped the flounder - BF filleted it, put a huge dollop of crab meat stuffing inside (heavy on the crab, bread crumbs, and Kraft onion dip - the kind in the tub in the refrigerated section of the store), and bake at 350 until fish is done. Eat leftovers stuffing as appetizer. Mmmmmm.

Pat, I think our credit cards are resting together. I just made a big sierra trading post online order. Of course, I started by going to get a present for BF for our upcoming anniversary... and spiraled from there. Oops. What's a girl to do? Shopping is in my blood!

Have a great day everyone!