Good morning, o lovely maintainers! It's been a whirlwind since DH and I got back from NM on Thursday night, but I finally had a chance to catch my breath yesterday. The laundry is done, I got groceries and did some cooking, and I moved summer and winter clothes around (not done yet). The plan for today is the gym, errands, and then work.

I still have about a pound and a half to lose from vacation but should be able to knock it off this week. I'm superstitious and think that the sooner I get rid of gained weight, the less chance it has to "stick".

Yesterday I was going through my calendar for the rest of 2009 (it's going to be really busy!) and thinking about handling the holidays. Right off the bat, I mentally heard Anne saying "it's a holi-DAY, not a week or month". So true! In fact, it's only a meal, not even a day or worse. I didn't handle last holiday season very well and gained about six pounds, which I lost by the end of February. But my goal is not to gain at all this year. So forgive me if I start talking about the holidays now, but sheesh, there's Halloween candy all over the stores already!

Time for one more mug of coffee, then off to the gym.

I'm still carrying vacation poundage which I'm going to lose this week. Then I'll be back to 135 next Monday to resume the drive toward goal.

Bargoo was right about my not being able to motivate my DH. I have to take care of my own diet and health and encourage him but not feel like I've failed if he goes off plan.

He has no plan to go off yet. He has to come up with what will work for him and I can help him then if he wants.

For now I have to cope with a week of being back to work with a grueling schedule after 10 days off. No time for a morning workout before work until Friday.

For the first time in my life I'm not really looking forward to being back at work.

I think it's ageing - I'm not bouncing back like I used to be able to do. So a healthy diet, no diet pop, and keeping my stress/anxiety under control is more important then ever.

Have a great Monday all!

Dagmar

Good morning!

I am thinking about the holidays already, too. We usually go see my family for Thanksgiving and I need to be comfortable in my jeans by then. It's 73 days away now so it's definitely doable!

I have a busy couple of days coming up and then I am hoping to settle back into my routine. Gym first, though!

No, this is most definitely Proven 3FC Maintainer Fact! If you cut down your food intake to lower/losing levels, cut the salt, increase the water, and be vigilant about exercise you can get the fat flushed out in about a week and call it "water weight". Before it's got time to "stick" to you or something... (fuzzy science there). If you don't do it within the week, the fat has a chance to congeal and will stick to your trouble spots, and not budge but for weeks and weeks of lower calories, more water, and exercise etc. After that first week it takes on supernatural properties and is much harder to move! The same holds true for Vacation Fat, Christmas Fat, and Thanksgiving Fat.

Ward, I mentioned the holidays last week too. I definitely need to be comfy in a few more pairs of jeans and cool weather clothes by the time the cool weather gets here.

Dagmar, I'm sure once you see a few of your dogs you'll realize how much you missed them! It always sounds to me like you have a pretty active lifestyle even if you don't have time for formal "exercise". Good luck with your continued efforts. Something that's been helping me stay OP lately has been to remind myself how important a healthy diet is to keeping my mood up. I've always been extremely sensitive to junky food making me feel worse mentally, and it sounds as if you've noticed this effect too. Just a simple mental reminder before I dig in really helps me take a minute to think about what I really want to eat.

Meg, I noticed all the Halloween candy too - I'm going to go start another thread in this forum about that subject, in fact!

Our visit to BF's family was very nice, and my worries were unfounded. Actually several of his family members did say "we're so glad you're here!" - didn't mention our break-up thing specifically, but it made me feel welcome. And BF's mom, aunt, nana, and DS were all there together, which is a big occasion for their family.

I was not POP as I hoped to be... sigh... but I'm totally back on track today. Work, healthy lunch and snacks packed, gym (bag also packed), book club with the girls tonight which is always a mood lifter, whether I need it or not. A friend of a friend has connections with an organic produce co-op and she is trying to see if there is interest to start a delivery to this area, too, which would be awesome if it works out (very little organic produce, or decent produce available of any kind, let alone affordable here). I've decided I'm going to try to learn how to cook different greens this fall, maybe try to grow some swiss chard in my fall garden.

How was everyone's weekend? What's on the table for this week?

Good morning!

A rather exhausting weekend for me, but fun. My animal group started its Fix 'em this Fall campaign so I was running around getting everything set up to issue the spay/neuter vouchers. Still have to hear from two more vets about participating in the low-cost campaign. Oh, I went to the big crafts festival on Friday and bought a new purse--just love handmade purses so I've been saving. It's beautiful!

We left about 1:00 pm on Saturday to go camping. I haven't been camping in 15 years, but we bought a big tent so we could put up the air mattress and bring our pillows. We were rebels and didn't set up the tent prior to getting to the campground, but it worked out fine. We got into our kayaks at about 6:00 pm and paddled around the lake for about an hour--it was rather choppy because the wind had started up. The next day we took our kayaks to two other lakes just to say we've done all the lakes in the area. Just gotta have a goal. Pretty tired last night.

Meg, the "H" word. I'm not ready to think about holidays, but I suppose it's better to plan now. Costco already had Christmas stuff up in addition to Halloween.

Dagmar, hope the first week back at work goes well for you. As Megan said, once you see your dog buddies, maybe you'll feel better.

WardHog, I admire your gym dedication!

Megan, sometimes the anticipation of an event is worse than the event. Sounds like that's the case here. I'm glad that everyone was friendly and made you feel welcome. Re: the swiss chard--easy to grow, but don't plant as much as I did. I just couldn't keep up with it, mainly because I'm the only one eating it.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

I had a horrendous week last week, and this week isn't starting out a whole lot better... Well, really, my household has had a pretty horrid couple of weeks... DH had a stye on his eye the week before his reunion so had to use antiobiotic solution on his eye that made him sick (two weeks before Labor Day), then the week after he picked up a head cold and was sick all week that week (the week before Labor Day), threw his back out helping his ex wife chain saw down some bushes Labor Day weekend so was down for the count for the long weekend with the dregs of the head cold and the back injury, wasn't back on his feet until last Wednesday, at which point I gave in to the head cold and missed the rest of the week of work. I ate 6500 calories in junk food over several days, feel bloated and greasy, am still hoarse and sick and taking cough medicine with codeine that makes me constipated and keeps me from sleeping, my throat hurts and I'm tired... I don't feel good about myself or the way I handled the last week of being sick, and I'm fairly disappointed that we aren't going to take a trip anywhere for our anniversary this year. I'm also worried about DH, he has been pretty stressed out and frustrated lately, and I've tried to be a good example, but I don't know what else I can do to try to support him in his weight loss and healthier living efforts. We have to find a sustainable life style that we can manage even when we are under stress, and we haven't done a good job of that in the last several months. I am so not ready for the holidays...

I obviously need to go back to bed and start the day over...

Megan - glad you had a good weekend!

Ward - 73 days away... we'll make it.

Dagmar - Hope you get back into the swing of things today. It is sometimes tough to go back to work after several days off!

Meg - I made it through the holidays without a gain last year, but I'm feeling out of sorts today so am really worried about this year... No Halloween candy.... Don't have to have it...

Sheila - the camping trip sounds like fun!

Have a good day everyone!

Ah. Megan, that must be why I'm having trouble losing these 10-15 pounds! They've been here so long they've congealed and are stuck to everything!!!!

The desire to lose weight MUST come from within. I totally agree with that notion. Any kind of change must come from within. Of course that change can be precipitated by an outside situation (but a wife's nagging is never that situation).

DH and I did a little shopping over the weekend. It was odd, really. First on Saturday we were picking up parts for the golf cart to make it street legal and next door is a car dealership (Desert European Motorcars--so you can imagine the KIND of cars they have there). We had almost an hour to kill before picking up DS from Karate so we decided to stop in and "look" at a Jaguar XF. I've been eyeing those for over a year. I don't even need a new car. Well, DH was reluctant at first but I assured him I just wanted to look. Now it seems as if DH is all ready to buy me one. I kind of feel guilty...

Then in the afternoon we went to the mall. I wanted new bras, so we hit Victoria's secret where I tried on a bunch and didn't like any of them. We also went to Macy's and same thing. But at Macy's we did get DH some pants, shorts and two shirts. I think I didn't find what I was looking for because again I felt guilty. Guilty for making him stand out there in the store while I tried things on. It's so much easier to shop with a girlfriend or daughter (or alone). Sunday I went to Soma alone and picked up 4 bras and 4 matching panties--all on sale! I need white and got every color BUT white, so I may go back to VS to look again (alone!!).

Shannon
You must be feeling pretty lousy. hang in there, take it 1 day at the time, 1 hour at the time, 5 minutes at the time. Meditate. You have come an amazing way, so this too will all work out.

Allison, go for the jag! My mom is considering getting one as her next car and I'm encouraging mostly because I want to drive it! =) She doesn't need a new car yet, either... but in a few years, perhaps.

Shannon, you CAN start over - from right now. I hope things get better, just stick to your guns!

Sheila, that camping/kayaking trip sounds like so much fun! I bet it was a great workout too.

Megan, I'm glad things went well at your bf's place. Also, I LOVE swiss chard. A couple of summers ago, I worked on an organic farm/CSA and got to try all kinds of new and exciting veggies. I really miss that just for the variety of things I ate that summer. Whatever I came home with, I figured out what to make with it. Now I've reverted back to the usual suspects that are cheap and easy - broccoli, spinach, etc. Nothing wrong with that but it gets a bit dull!

Meg, how dare you mention the holidays already! I'm not ready to think about them... I guess I'll be in for a rude awakening on my next target run!

Wardhog, thanks for the T-day countdown. 73 days. I'm actually going home this year so it's something to look forward to. And I hate going home wearing my "fat pants."

Dagmar, I think it's always hard to get back into normal life after a nice vacation... I bet things will pick up as you settle in.

I slept in this morning. I just have so much trouble getting myself out of bed lately. It's always been a bit of an issue, but I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong with me. Once I am up for about 10-15 minutes I am usually fine, so I'm thinking it must be mental, but I still don't know how to work through it!

Iris - I'm the same way with the getting up... I have serious trouble getting out of the bed, but if I get up and stay up longer than the time it takes to pee and lie back down I'm fine. I believe it is a mental block with me, too..

Head still congested, feels like everything around me is moving in slow motion. You know that tipsy feeling where it takes the world a few minutes to catch up when you turn your head? That is me right now... I'm not thinking I'll be getting back on the exercise train today... Unless I try the elliptical, which makes me stay balanced. Treadmill would likely be very very bad...

Hi everyone! I had a great staycation last week, with the exception of my dog almost getting eaten at the dog park and having to take both cars in for service/repairs. We got a recall notice for our 2001 Honda Civic saying apparently if the airbag deploys, the airbag inflator might explode and shoot shard of metal into your head killing you. And we've been driving around in this death trap for 8 years?

As for the dog park, well, there was a manager from the humane society there (the park is run by the humane society) who saw the whole thing and kicked the other dog out of the park for aggressive behavior. We thought that our dog Carter might have started it since he barked first, but it ended up with Carter hiding under the picnic table, and the other dog came at him again after being pulled away and corrected. I got pretty bruised and scratched in the process of trying to hang on to my dog though. I thought that my dog was the one being aggressive so I dove on top of him to hold him back, not realizing that the other dog was the aggressor and could easily have bitten me. All my injuries were due to crashing into the side of the picnic table though, so luckily no dog bites (for me or for Carter). I feel bad about the other dog getting kicked out though because they were playing fine for an hour before the incident, so it seemed kind of sudden. Apparently they already had a complaint against them.

Anyway, no time for responses but I wanted to check in. Tomorrow should be a slower day at work so I can catch up better!

Just a fly by to say hi!
I will be too busy for a few days and then hopefully things will calm down later in the week. Dh is still in Europe, I'm working two jobs, taking a class, feeling stressed and overwhelmed. No time to sleep!

I had an epiphany at the gym tonight though that I wanted to share. First of all I was proud that I went knowing I would have to stay up that much later tonight to even begin to get half done of what I need to. Anyway.... I was there and I started thinking that if I had to move to another area, I would miss my gym with my instructor and my WW leader. More than just about anything else here-- more than my job I think!! How weird is that?!?! 180 degree mental shift from me from a few years ago......

I'll check back in when I can. I've got schoolwork to do! Hard new class with a very tough professor!!

Made it through the dreaded 3rd day OP (when I usually derail) and am starting day #4 with all the vacation weight gone.

Lots of water is really helping (how dumb is that) and waaay less diet pop is making a difference too in my cravings for things.

This is finally gonna work!!! Two years and it's finally gonna work.

Gotta go - work starts in an hour.

Dagmar

Dagmar, congrats on getting rid of the vacation weight!

Went for a HIIT run last night. I think something got messed up between eating less and exercising in the heat -- I got a massive headache and then a stomach ache. Feeling fine this morning though. I guess the lesson is that if I'm going to work out in the heat after not having had much to eat, I can't wait another hour and a half to eat after finishing. I didn't think dinner would take so long to make though and I wasn't really that hungry. Oh well.

I am in a very blech mood today. It downpoured all day yesterday, with more rain forecasted for today. My goal is to just get through today without deciding eating a lot of things is a great idea and try to get lots of sleep tonight. I had a run-in with the pb jar last night. This morning I started to eat a brownie from a tray of brownies left for the taking in the kitchen. I ate one yummy bite and was so frustrated with myself for eating a brownie at 8:30 AM that I threw the rest away. But I'm still thinking about the rest of the tray. I've got to get myself to flush out anything from my weekend away before it congeals, my weight was up this morning! The blech mood is also about not having much to do at work, the weather, and an uncharacteristically subdued book club meeting last night. Thanks for listening to me whine. I'll stop now.

Dagmar, great job! Sounds like you're really on track.

Michele, you are one busy woman! It can take us by surprise how our priorities shift sometimes.

Iris, I hear you on the veggies. Broccoli and green beans are some of my faves but I can only eat then so often. I like to try and diversify! Once the fall weather hits I'm always trying to cook more veggies, anyway.

Shannon, I'm also feeling the "need to go back to bed and start over" today, but for different reasons. It sounds like you're really sick and need to rest! I hope your illness continues to clear today. Don't push yourself to do exercise if you're not up to it.

Sheila, it sounds like you had a fun weekend of paddling & camping. I hope you found the bathroom stops ok. How much swiss chard is too much to plant? Several of us at the office have gardens. There's a point each spring & fall where we all bring in big bags of lettuce to work for everyone, lol. Maybe I'll end up sharing chard too.

Have a great day all!
Megan (aka little ray of sunshine)