Good morning and happy new week! I dragged myself out of bed, turned on the coffee, logged in ... and no 3FC! Help! Fortunately it came back in a few minutes, but it was panic attack time there for a while. How can I drink coffee without 3FC??

What a week! I worked every day, including Saturday and Sunday, and my next day off will be next Sunday. So I'm halfway through the marathon. We had a special Breast Cancer Awareness Spa Day yesterday, with special spa services (super luxury facials, massages, manis and pedis) and all the proceeds (including my time) being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It turned out to be very successful but I sure wished that I was one getting the spa services instead of working!

Because of my crazy hours, I haven't been to the gym since Wednesday. My weight is holding steady because I'm trying hard not to fall into the comfort food trap. What's suffering is my mental outlook -- boy, am I cranky without exercise! Thank goodness, I can spent 90 blissful minutes there this morning, sweating out all the stress and tension. Can't wait!

I threw together a pot of chili last week and have been living off that since I didn't have time for my usual Sunday bulk cooking. Luckily I don't get tired of eating the same thing every day, else I'd be in trouble! Today is grocery day before work and I should be able to stock up for the rest of the week. If I can get a bag of shrimp cleaned and marinated before I leave, I'll grill it when I get home and that will be this week's dinners. Grilled shrimp + steamed broccoli + a little brown rice =

I'm been thinking hard about the holidays and trying to make a game plan so I don't end up with a gain this year, like I did last year. Maybe next week we can start a thread about holiday challenges? I'm counting the aisles of cheap Halloween candy as the first holiday challenge! The old-timers here at 3FC know that it gets very, very quiet around here at the end of the year, so the most important thing we can do is to keep posting about our challenges and strategies. No matter how rough it gets out there, don't disappear!

Enough from me, time for the gym. I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for a terrific week!

I'm in good shape to start this week. Writing everything down and really making an effort to finally get to goal before Christmas.

Meg Why don't you book some of the spa services for yourself after your work marathon? You certainly deserve them. about not getting in the exercise as much as you'd like. I get really cranky without the stretching (the dog walking Mon.- Fri. is a given).

Good idea for the holidays. Our Thanksgiving is this coming weekend. I have a lovely lower cal menu planned for just DH and myself this year. Since his relatives are so far away and mine have never invited us we get to celebrate by ourselves. The one indulgence will be chocolate cake but I'm buying just two pieces.

And for some reason I'm not drawn to the Halloween candy this year. Probably because it's in its own section of the store and I don't go there on purpose. I had enough problems with those darn chocolate bars on sale!

Have a great week everyone!

Dagmar

Good Monday morning, maintainers. I like your holiday strategy, Meg. I tend to disappear when things aren't going well. It's easy to post about good workouts and on plan days, but I just want to hide at other times. I really want to minimize the end of year gain this year, especially since I am sitting above my redline already!

Group Ride + Group Power is the plan for this morning. My legs are already sore from yesterday's run but I am sure I can get through it.

Hope everyone has a good, on-plan Monday.

Hi maintainers,

Meg - Gruesome work hours! to get you started on the 2nd half. You are doing wel!

dagmar, ward

I've survived my first 3 weeks back on wokouts and I'm adding tallying my calories as my next "good habit" to add. I find it difficult, but so far I can tell how much I've had today. Thats good.

And I can tell its working: I switched to a smaller pantsize today. I still cannot button my skinny jeans, but I am getting there.

Meg - I'm there with you on the holiday challenges. I sure cannnot use holiday weightgain. My plan for the next monts is to get rid of the 2008 holiday pounds, and we all know they are more difficult because they are sticking already.

Have a great day all,
rabbit

Meg, do you at least get some time off next week for working so much the past two weeks?

Dagmar, great job being OP this weekend!

Ward, good luck with your workout!

Rabbit, I'm still working on the 2008 holiday pounds too.

I'm back from my conference. Weight is up 2lbs, but I'm not worried yet because 2lbs is a pretty common water weight gain for me. I'll worry if it's not gone by Saturday though! Plus this week is TOM, which always means a gain anyway. I got in all my workouts while at the conference, and I ate relatively well. The first day I was an eating angel, bt my willpower to resist the desserts went steadily downhill after that!

Tomorrow is DH's and my second anniversary. We will probably celebrate with a small defrosted piece of our wedding cake (yes, we're still working on that top layer -- we had a big top layer because we intended for them to serve it, not save it!).

Good morning everyone,

I am very happy that I stayed OP and had a lot of fun this weekend! I just ate all the food I had brought camping, drank my planned 2 glasses of wine, and since it was BYO everything it wasn't even a big deal (for my friends or for my jawas). The spring diving was ok, but honestly I prefer open water diving. We ducked into the cavern but diving with something over your head, even if it's several feet away, is much different than diving in the open water and very claustrophobic. I will never be a cave diver, no thanks. I also got to go to the organic co-op and stock up on staples from the bulk bins, and really enjoyed the theater yesterday.

I put together my bean salsa for lunches, will work on some protein pancakes and cut up veggies tonight. I got home rather late and was busy unpacking groceries and camping equipment last night.

Meg, enjoy your gym time! I completely understand what you mean about gym time moderating your mood. I'm the same way. Even if I'm eating OP working out is what keeps me on an even keel. I'm with you for the holiday challenges! I think 3 years ago, 2006 was my holiday healthiest holiday season. I remember it well b/c my sis was getting married. I'd gained a few pounds (oh, to weigh 143 again!) but I could not gain another ounce to fit in my maid of honor dress. I kept up my workouts and truly only had the occasional treat through all the holiday parties. What shall our challenges be this year?

Rabbit, congrats on getting in a smaller pants size! Keep up the good work!

Ward, have a great ride this morning!

Dagmar, I'm also not walking down the aisles of Halloween candy (or the Christmas candy aisles that are popping up, for that matter!). Out of sight, out of mind.

Jessica, happy almost anniversary!

How is everyone else doing? Have a great week everyone!

I had a good weekend. Saturday was filled with driving DS around to his various Karate demonstrations and babysitting his electronic health class baby while he did his Karate. That thing was obnoxious!

Sunday we drove into Fullerton to see DD and meet up with my brother, SIL and niece who were visiting for a soccer tournament. We all got to see DD's apartment and meet her roommate. He's a really nice guy and it's kind of comforting that they're friends with mutual interests (music).

So lunch Sunday was soup and salad for me, salad and sandwich for DH and DS and DD shared a salad and burger. We got home last night and no one had any desire to eat dinner. DH and I munched on a few chips with salsa and DS ended up having a bowl of cereal. So that should have been a low eating day for me, but I'm up a pound. No worries, it should be gone tomorrow! I got up early today and got in a good workout on the treadmill.

Good morning!

That's a stress schedule, Meg. Glad you were able to get to the gym today. I agree about booking some spa time for yourself. Good point about not disappearing. I have to confess that I do that when I'm not doing well, which is the worst time to disappear.

Dagmar, I read somewhere that it was Thanksgiving up north. That's always a hard one since it's so food centered. Sounds like you have a good plan, though.

Have fun at the gym, Wardhog!

A smaller pant size, Rabbit--way to go!

Happy Anniversary, Jessica--hope you enjoy your cake. Sadly, I don't think I've ever had cake left over to freeze.

Just the mention of the word "cave" make me shiver, Megan. Glad you had a good time at the theater. Sounds like you had a fun-filled weekend.

So they really do those electronic baby things, Allison. I always though that was just a TV thing. Wonder if they've done studies to see if they keep kids from having babies. How's he dealing with it?

Yesterday I was doing something at the table when I heard a dog yelping loudly out in front of my house. It was a horrible sound. I'm pretty sure what happened was that the dog belonging to our new neighbors got out, and the guy was hitting it. Now I've never seen the dog, but I've heard from other neighbors that it gets out and poops on lawns. I've seen the result on my lawn. Just after I got to the window, I saw the neighbor's garage door closing. This is all conjecture, of course, but I'm fairly sure I'm right, and I've heard similar yelping before at night preceded by a guy yelling. I keep thinking that if the guy hits a dog for doing doggie things, then when his kid gets older, what's he going to do when the kid does kid things? I also have never understood why people call their dog, then hit it when it comes to them. You should reward that behavior. I'm obviously still upset by that horrible sound of the poor dog.

Well, I got to the gym once last week. I'm shooting for at least twice this week. What happened to the woman who was at the gym six days a week for almost two hours per session? *Sigh*

Have a good week, everyone

Sheila, you can report him to the local SPCA. That's abuse, and in some places there are fines and they can take away the dog.

Jay

Sheila, what Jay said. In many places it is illegal to abuse animals (though sadly not everywhere). Here is an article about reporting abuse from the humane society of the US, but you will need to contact your local humane society, SPCA, or animal control. Dogs can take a lot of pain before they start yelping, so if you heard yelping it probably qualifies as abuse. It's possible that they'll say they can't do anything if you didn't actually witness what happened, but it is worth calling about.

Howdy! Busy Monday here, and a wet and cold one as well. We've had enough wind and rain in the past week that all the leaves are now off the trees - and a good many still on my lawn, but I'm done with them. These ones will get off the lawn in the spring.

Had a so-so weekend. My meals were fine, but too much snacking, esp at a square dance party on Sat night. Sigh. I'm back on the wagon today and determined to have a good week. I'm going to an out-of-town 3 day meeting on Wed evening (there through Sat lunch) so it will be a challenge. I'm taking my own breakfast stuff - HB eggs, hot cereal, yogurt and doing a lot of self-talk around the other meals.

Exercise is going okay. I'm scheduled for lifting M/W at home, and F at the hotel. (I taking some bands in case they have no weights) Cardio is Tues and Sat, and I know the hotel has a pool so that'll be a fun change from the elliptical.

Meg- I second, third, whatever the idea of booking some spa time for yourself. And I agree about exericising. I know that when I exercise regularly I eat better.

Jessica - happy anniversary. Doesn't seem like it was 2 years ago already!

Megan - great job on the weekend away and keeping to your plan. I don't like close quarters either....

If it's a relatively young dog it may just be yelping from being scared. It does sound like the guy, although maybe not abusing the dog, doesn't know what he's doing in terms of training it.

Hitting a dog is in no way a good training strategy. Unless you see the guy actually hit the dog I don't think the SPCA can do much. They can talk to him but, if he's the abuser you think he is, he then might take that out on the poor dog.

Sorry, I wish I had an answer for you. I've tried to intervene in several incidents down at the off leash and been told (in no uncertain terms and with liberal use of the "f" word) to back off.

Dagmar

If you heard a man yelling and a child screaming, you'd call the police, right? So why would you not do the same just because it's a dog?

I wouldn't confront the man directly--that could be dangerous. But a talking-to by a Humane Society enforcement officer might change things, you never know. To do nothing is to consent to what's happening, IMO.

Jay

Good morning! I read this thread yesterday, but never made it over here to post. Up & down weekend led to not much sleep Sunday night led to crazy Monday. Got some sleep last night, so hope today is better. I also exercised when I got home yesterday, and rearranged all the exercise equipment in my garage to make room for my new bench & rack, which got out some of the tension left over from the weekend. Brought my clothes to go to the park after work, but it is raining now... I thought it was supposed to be partly sunny and 70 today, not raining! Might be treadmill when I get home after all. Though, I passed several people running on the way here, so might give it a shot anyway. If it is just cloudy and cool with no rain I think I can handle it.

Meg - crazy work hours! Glad you are over halfway done. I also tend to eat the same thing over and over without getting bored, it does definitely make it easier to plan that way.

Dagmar - I avoid the Halloween candy section of the stores as well. It helps that at my local Target the section is in the back corner of the store. I don't pass it unless I'm going to bathroom supplies or automotive, and even then I can go the other way and miss it. Whew! Good job on the journaling!

Ward - do you run on the sidewalks or at a park? I find myself afraid of the drivers around here so the sidewalks intimidate me a little...

Rabbit - on the pants size, and the 3 weeks of exercise!

Jessica - happy anniversary! Funny that they froze the entire top layer of your cake! Good job on the exercise on your trip!

Megan - I have a friend who goes caving and I've seen his pics. Small spaces, dark, creepy. I can't imagine being in one under water. good job on the food this weekend!

Allison - I bet the pound yesterday was from sodium in the soup... And, I have never seen a real one of those health class plastic babies either. How is DS handling it?

Sheila - you can get to the gym twice this week, I know you can! And, definitely keep an eye out to see what is going on with the dog. A conversation with someone from the Humane Society isn't a bad idea. I've called in lots of times, sadly, I don't think anything was ever done in response to one of my calls and I know one of my neighbors shot their dog in the front yard when I was living at my old house. I had called several times to report abuse of the dog attached to a chain all the time with no food or water and left out in extreme temperatures. Sad.

Pat - ooo, pool. Fun. Enjoy your trip!

to everyone!

Well, DS gave the baby back yesterday and he sure seemed relieved. I think the worst of it was the fact that it was a doll. Boys just don't play with dolls. The thing was heavy, too--about 10 pounds to really be like a baby. Other than the weight it just looked like a doll.

I'm back to 150 just as I predicted. Now to get under that!

It's gotten cold here. Ok, relatively speaking, it's gotten cold here! We still have windows open in the house, but on the way to work this morning it was only 57 degrees. Highs have been around 80 which is just heavenly.

Not much to report. Everyone have a great day and

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JESSICA!!!