Howdy all,

This thread is occupied by loverly ladies -gents welcome, I suppose. We're all on a journey to find good health and all that goes with it. Join us,we're friendly!

We're in the last week of school here. Mix that in with work and a sick child and things are a little crazy around here right now. One good thing I did for myself, though, was join a gym. I've been thinking about it for a while, did some research, and took the plunge. I'm getting up in the mornings (4am) to work out. I've been doing it for a week now, and except for the sleep deprivation, I'm loving it. It's wonderful to have the exercise done and not have to worry about it in the afternoon. Also, it puts me in such a great frame of mind for work. I just feel more mentally with-it after a work-out.

This positive attitude has carried over to other areas as well, and the scale is finally starting to move in the right direction. I haven't been upset that I've pretty much been going in circles as far as losing goes for the past couple of months. I knew it was me, and not the program. I just feel good to be back in the saddle, so to speak, again.

Let's hear how everyone else is doing!

Michele

Dora, I'm so sorry about DH being laid off. Boy, is that going around. Did Dell at least give him a severance package? My company just had its fourth round of layoffs since January. So far most of the people I know who have been laid off are already employed again -- at better salaries. In spite of all these layoffs, there's still a big market for people with computer-related experience. Here's hoping your DH finds something wonderful soon.

Michele, 4 A.M.????? Holy tamole! Boy, am I impressed. Now, that's dedication! Sounds like you're doing really well. It's great to find that groove, isn't it?

DH and I had a wonderful vacation up north. It couldn't have been better. We ate a LOT of good food, but for some unfathomable reason I didn't gain weight! I'm guessing it's because I ate a lot of fish (not fried), but I also ate a lot of other stuff, so I have no idea. Anyway, I can't complain.

DH also had good test results at the doctor's today; the doctor is pretty sure he doesn't have cancer. The only way to know for sure is through a biopsy, which we've elected not to do right now, in part because the test results are good. He's going to be re-tested in four months; if there are no changes, he's probably home free. Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers. We could really feel the difference they made during our vacation and this week.

--Lauren
274/215.5/down

Howdy all,

Lauren -thanks for your thoughts and wishes for my hubby. It's interesting you said most of your ex-coworkers are working at higher salaries, now. We have prayed that God will supply our needs abundantly (He always has in the past) and today Chuck found an ad that looks tailor made and STARTS at his old salary. Course, nothing is in pudding, much less concrete, but it was thought-provoking.

Michelle -good for you in finding a gym. I feel so much better when I work out.And that's been a big bugaboo lately.. Today I absolutely forced myself out of bed for a short walk. Not only have I not exercised, I've been waaaaaay off-program. And I suspect the two go hand in hand.

I promised to meet my neighbor for a 5:30 am walk (I'm sleeping in compared to Michelle) so tomorrow is already looking brighter.

Y'all be good!

Howdy all!

Made the early walk and am here to publicly proclaim my intent to be ON-program today.

Michelle, I hear you about the end of school. Why is it so crazy? In my case, I'm homeroom mom and am going to the EOS party today and attending the talent show tomorrow and bringing home a few kids to swim afterward. Add my DD evening swim practices and my days are shot.

Next week practice goes to 7:30 am. I like that much better. Get it done and out of the way first thing. It's one more challenge for me to get that walking in early

School is officially out, and to celebrate, I'm taking a 4 day weekend. It just really works out that way because DH still has to go into school today to finish up grades, etc., so I took a vacation day, and then of course there is memorial day weekend. We don't have any big plans, which could be nice if the weather decides to cooperate. I have a full day planned today running errands and such with the 2 kiddies in tow. One of the errands is to go to WI. I missed yesterday because I worked. I'm hoping for a really good week. I could use one. I've been completely OP and feeling really positive. I hope the scale reflects that.

Dora - I don't know which one comes first, the exercise or the OP, but I think they go hand in hand. When I exercise I'm more inclined to be OP, and when I'm OP, I'm more motivated to exercise. I think a big part of the reason I'm back on track in a big way is the exercise. By the way, as a side note, I am convinced that one of the big reasons I am a 'morning' person and like to get up and going so early and work out is that I did swim team in a major way as a kid. We'd be up at 6 am 6 days a week to practice, even in the summer. The amazing thing to me now, as an adult is that my father was willing to do this every day before work.

Lauren - Glad everything is looking good for your DH. I'm happy you had a lovely vacation, AND didn't gain any weight. You're probably right about the fish. I wish I enjoyed fish more, but I just never developed a taste for it. Every once in a while I get up the courage to try it again, and I'll eat it, but I can't say I've ever had a fish meal that I thoroughly enjoyed. My loss, I guess.

Hope y'all have a great weekend and let's hear from everyone!

Michele

IDIDIT!IDIDIT!IDIDIT!IDIDIT!IDIDIT!

GIZZI - CONGRATULATIONS !

Michelle , I have a hard enough time getting up at 6:30 . I can't imagine , willingly doing it at 4:00 . But that's wonderful . You certainly are very determined . I'm sure it'll be worth it .

Lauren , that's good news about your husband . we'll say a prayer for the 4 mo check-up .

Dora , i'm a firm beleiver in fate . I'm sure something is waiting for your hubby that'll be perfect . Maybe the job he read about .

I've had a very active week . Did mega outdoor home improvement stuff , to the point of exhaustion . I'm gearing up to weed eat . It's 6:56 pm , Washington time . I was going to start going to water aerobics , had my suit on , went to the pool & IT WAS CLOSED ! A kid had had a potty accident in the pool . I was bummed .

TA TA for now . Kathy

Woo Hoo Gizzi!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bet you're feeling proud of yourself, as well you should. Keep it going down.

Kathy - Good to hear from you. I wish you could come light a fire under my tuckus to get some stuff done around the house. It needs it. Luckily DH is off for the summer soon and I've been working on a honey do list. Not to say he'll do it, but some is better than nothing.

Well I actually got to sleep in this morning. The gym doesn't open until 8:00 on weekends. I just got up and it feels like half the day is gone. But now, I'm off to get my workout out of the way.

Have a safe and healthy weekend everyone.

Michele

Howdy all,

Pull up this thread and see a wonderful tribute to "hanging in there". WAY TO GO, GIZZI!!
And now for your next trick......

Kathy -your yard must be up for a prize soon. Either that or some good-looking hunk will jog past while you're working away. Mine is looking better. We've had mega-rain which has kept the temps the lowest ever. I'm not sure we've even hit 90 yet, which is very unusual.

Michelle, you've inspired me to go to the gym right after these postings. That would ge a good thing as it's closed tomorrow for a big maintance job. I tend to agree more with the exercise inspiring the desire to be OP. (except for me,recently) I like to exercise more than I like to journal and be accountable. And it seems silly to use that elliptical trainer for an hour and then blow those points on something stupid.

Y'all , I think that I'm stressing inwardly and it shows in my lack of OP-ness. May was a pain with my DD's swim practice hours and homeroom mom crap. Then with DH being canned, I'm trying to be really stringent on our groceries and not buying our normal stuff. Then, I feel sorta out of control with life and start stuffing my face with whatever is handy. I have got to re-frame somehow. Anyway, I did get to WI at 6.8 up (thank you very much!) and the secretary told me to get with her when I run out of coupons and she'll get me a discount while the hubster is unemployed. Which is really sweet that she even noticed who I was. Now to work some free veggies back into our diet.

OK, now is the time to get my butt back on track. (if I keep saying it, will it happen?)

Y'all drink that water!

Greetings to all you diligent posters! I haven't posted in more than a month, I believe.

I also haven't Weighed In for that long, either. I did a lot of business traveling that caused me to miss meetings and then took a two week vacation - Vancouver, cruise in Alaska, Anchorage.

Vacation was wonderful. I didn't track points, but I did try to be smart about eating. Fish at almost every dinner, moderation in the buffet, etc. But, I did eat fried eggs about 5 or 6 times; I can't remember the last time I had them. Boy, are they good!

I was pretty shocked when I got home, weighed on the home scale and found that I'd gained over 10 lbs! It didn't seem conceivable, since that meant about 3000 extra calories a day. In the 4 days I've been home, I've seen more than half of that gone, so I suspect a lot of it was water retention -- lots of salt in food prepared in restaurants. But, still I find myself once again still a few pounds away from the elusive goal of 100 lbs gone.

Yesterday, I started tracking points again. It felt good to get that control mechanism back in place.

What's happened to the summer challenge? Swan - is it still going? I had challenged myself to jog more than 1 mile without a break by June 21st. I've certainly done that and am now working towards a faster pace for that 1 mile.

Now ... catching up with folks ...

Dora - I'm sure your husband will be able to find a new position sooner rather than later. Lots of organizations are cutting back, but those with computer skills are still a hot commodity. My team has just added 15 more of them and we had to get most of them from outside the country cause there are so few folks around the Boston area available who have computer skills.

Lauren - glad your husband had good news. Hope the 4-month check-up yields the same result. Isn't vacation great?

Kathie - glad your mom is okay and that your vacation was fun too.

Gizzi - how exciting to get below 200! Way to go!

Hello to everyone else.

Judy in rainy MA

Gizzi -- WAY TO GO!!!!!! Woo-hoo!! W-A-V-E! That's so exciting!

Judy, great to see you back again -- way to go on catching the curve before it got out of hand. Business travel can really do it to you.

Dora, I hear you about the stress. When I'm REALLY stressed, I undereat (like when we were waiting for DH's test results). When I'm just SOMEWHAT stressed, like now -- waiting for the next round of layoffs from my company, which will probably be this week and which will probably get me this time (since I refuse to travel 100 percent of the time) -- I eat way too much. So the past couple of days have been nasty in that department. I haven't even been writing it down. Today I'm at least going to write it down again. Then tomorrow, add back the exercise. Then the next day, stay in my points ... baby steps is usually what gets me back on track.

I think I'm up a couple pounds, but I'm also finishing TOM so I'm going to wait to weigh myself until I'm done.

Michele, I wish I were more of a morning person. But I'm a confirmed night owl. So I try to get up by 6:30 or 7 to do my workout, then dash around madly to try to get to work on time. Another reason I'd love to work from home! Corporate America does NOT understand night owls. (There's a lot that corporate America doesn't understand, actually.)

Rainy and cold here, which makes it perfect weather to get my job applications in order.

--Lauren

Howdy all,
other than drinking water, I can't say that my baby steps are getting my anywhere. I've gotten to the stage where I turn off the alarm clock in my sleep!!

Judy -welcome back and thanks for your kind words. Our local paper has several articles today saying the same things about companies still hiring. IT's kind of wierd that a year ago the word "Dell" conjured up all kinds of thoughts of riches and today it's more of a death sentence.

Lauren - you do have that resume all polished and shiny, right? Does your company still have any kind of severance package? I bet by year's end that Dell won't be nearly so generous when it boots folks out the door.

My DH and DD will spend Memorial Day together. Friday I made a Cinderella list for DD. She managed pretty well after an initial "why me"? I think tomorrow she can scrub the tile floors. It's really hard on my knees, so she can take it on. Otherwise she will spend the entire day reading.

We did have our first real swim meet Sat. 2/3 of the way thru, a gigantic wind/rain/thunderstorm came flying in. I was literally hanging onto the cabana structure that covered the concession stand. Then, we had to hang around til the officials called things off. Yikes! What a cold,watery mess. Today we hit the low 90s and I got in our cold pool for the first time this year. BRrrrr. We're enjoying it now, and also my electric bill which was under $200 for the first time in centuries. Let the hot times begin....

Y'all have fun!

Howdy everyone. I had a small victory today. This morning, we decided to take a trip over to Stone Mountain (big granite mountain outside of Atlanta with a carving of confederate heros on the side, but more of an attraction to us for the park and activities that surround it). DH wanted to run around the base of the mountain (5 miles) so I decided to hike up the mountain with the kids (1.3 miles). It's not that bad of a climb, except for the last quarter mile which is quite steep and taxing. The last time I did it was a little over a year ago with my son's 3rd grade class. Then, I huffed and puffed and thought I was in serious danger of a heart attack by the time I got to the top (was too prideful and stupid to be safe and admit defeat). Not this time, though. While I won't say the climb was easy, I did it, and when we made it to the top I was not all red faced and unable to catch my breath. Now that's progress! I was quite proud of myself.

Judy - Welcome back. Congrats on being back in control. I envy your trip to Alaska. I lived there for 4 years as a child (can you say Army brat) and have always wanted to go back. DH and I talk about a cruise, but it costs so much, and he's much more inclined to spend the money on Europe. I guess Alaska is on the someday list.

Dora - We have yet to turn on our AC, which is very unusual by this time of year, and I'm loving it. DH took DD swimming today and they stayed in the indoor pool because the outdoor one, which opened this weekend, was too cold. Kudos to you if you can get your DD to scrub the floors. I get so tired of the energy it takes for the fight to get my kids to help out around the house. They'll do a little here and there, but the fight to get them to do something like the floors would take more energy from me than for me to do the floors myself. Let me know what your secret is.

Lauren - I hear you about corporate America. I've waged a battle about working from home for years. At my office they just can't get past the need to see my body at the office and make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Forget the fact that the work getting done is proof. Another battle I just don't have energy for anymore.

Well that's it for tonight. I'm off to bed.

Nighty Night.

Michele

Howdy all,
STILL did not get control of eating today. I'm going to the grocery store tonight to stock up on my normal stuff. I am way out of control at this point.

Michelle, I put off the floors for right now. DD half-did her bathroom. The same one she cleaned on Friday and was totally trashed today. So we did have a confrontation over getting it done. And I'm kinda ticked that DH did nothing worthwhile all day, including supervise the child. Grrr.

And I'm really put out at a prospective customer who wanted a very complex gazebo. When I asked my boss to take over one particular aspect, the man told bossman that he was too stupid to understand what was wanted and that he wouldn't do business with such an idiot! Really! He even said on the way out that he would do business with me, but wouldn't give the boss a nickel! What a stupendous jerk! We are better off without his business, but it still stings.

Kathy -did you forget about us while you daydream all day about beach boys?

Judy & Michelle, DH and I discussed maybe getting a cheaper home just to cut general expenses. I, for one, would love to travel everywhere. (almost) but we're pretty much maxed out just living right now.

Today the house temp reached 87, so the AC is officially on. If it cools down this evening, we may open the windows again.
Tomorrow we go to SeaWorld! Yeah! Haven't been since the mid '80s and DD has never been. It will be great fun, I hope. Got lots of sunscreen and another new hat.

Y'all be good!