Liana, thanks for the eye candy. Yes, please

Shopped tonight for Phase 3 breakfast tomorrow. Toast, almond butter, strawberries/ blueberries and
yoghurt, sugar free vanilla almond milk. I am looking forward to the Big C issues going away!!!

Berries & yogourt.... I'm missing those right now. I feel jealous.

Liana, are you Phase 1 right now?

Weeeelll... Kind of Alternative Phase 2 with extra cheese & pepperoni. That's why I'm only maintaining and not losing. And big carb slipups every few days, sigh. Just feeling burned out right now from all the 'stuff' happening in my life. DH just got back from the specialist and the doc is strongly suggesting surgery (I won't go into details for DH's privacy) but in the meantime DH has to perform a twice daily procedure on himself the same as he did before the last internal grafting surgery he had (makes me cringe just thinking about it). And Senior parent health issues on both sides ongoing/deteriorating. And too much work...

Anyhow, I know if I can get into the groove I will feel better, I can have more control, and get back into all my clothes again. I just feel like I am struggling under the molasses weight of inertia. There's a big list of things that need to get done, but all I have the energy for right now is sitting in the lounger and reading a book. (and eating cheese hunks because luckily I refuse to keep carby stuff in the house right now)


Whine, whine, whine...
Liana

Liana, sorry friend . You have had a lot on your plate for a long time. A body gets tired, emotionally, mentally and then it translates to the physical. You come here and whine any time. So sorry to hear that DH is having issues too. I will keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers.

Hi ladies,

Sorry for being so inconsistent. I'm keeping my head above the water and trying to do my best which I tell myself is good enough for now. My son was really sick for 3 days with bad cold fever and now I've got the cold. Had second bone scan today and foot still not right but don't know for sure until I get report. Went up north to help parents organize cottage that is now on the maket. So hard for them both and overwhelming for my dad and his disease. Work is busy and I'm looking forward for the summer cuz clients seem to do better when there is no stress of school.

I'm binge watching Sons of Anarchy which is a great distraction.

Slip - congrats on being on phase 3 . Are you in final count down mode for summer holiday and trip to Italy? Great advice about not avoiding the site. I avoided my wi 2 weeks ago and the last week I was up 3 coach was very nice and positive and gave the gentle kick in the butt I nneeded. Number doing down again.

Liana- sorry to hear about DH health issues. What did you decide about the job offer? Good work on getting the scale to come down again.


Thanks for putting up with me
Xo

Jenny, my cousin plays Kosack on SOA.

Thanks guys! Sometimes I just need to vent a little... and write it out. Jenny, I hope things get figured out with your foot... that part of our bodies is such an amazingly complicated structure that it makes fancy suspension bridges look like Duplo, lol. I decided not to go for the ophthalmologist office job as I don't think I can handle more stress at this moment. We are not hurting for money, house & vehicles are all paid for, and some put aside for investments/RRSP's so I'd rather stick with what I feel are the perks of the job I have. If nothing else it gets an extra 9600-12000 steps into my day, lol. If I sat on my butt in an office chair all day, I'd be in real trouble,.

I have to navigate a big 25th anniversary family BBQ for my cousin & her hubby this weekend, and our family is known for huge potlucks. At least there will be good homemade Greek salad, & Caesar salad (w separate croutons for my sake), probably a kale salad, and likely a veggie platter and BBQ'd meat is always good (likely chicken breast for me). I will bring an antipasto platter with all kinds of good cheeses and meats and olives and pickled & oil packed peppers, etc. To counteract the bowls of chips set out for snacking, lol.

I have been considering going back to my clinic to reboot and may need to do that just to keep myself on track. Willpower is so much easier if someone else is looking at the scale when you step on it, hahaha.

Neato about your cousin, Laura! I've never seen the show, but can appreciate a good binge watch once in a while myself. My choices are Dr. Who, Monty Python, Black Adder (I love Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie), and any Marilyn Monroe movies.


Liana

Hi ladies,

Ugh, feeling so bloated since Phase 3 started. Pretty sure one of the foods that I added is giving me an allergic reaction too- itchy scalp and back of my neck. I am going to try elimination. The bread is gluten free, so I think the culprit is either the strawberries or the almond butter. Eliminated blueberries today, no change.

So interesting to be able to identify distinct changes in our bodies when reintroducing foods after Phase 1.

Hmmm, Laura.... the first thing I thought of when you said allergic reaction was the strawberries. If they are not organic, they are seriously contaminated with pesticides.
https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/strawberries.php

"Americans eat nearly eight pounds of fresh strawberries a year – and with them, dozens of pesticides, including chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive damage or are banned in Europe.
Strawberries tested by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2009 and 2014 bore an average of 5.75 different pesticides per sample, compared to 1.74 pesticides per sample for all other produce, according to a new EWG analysis.
What’s worse, strawberry growers use jaw-dropping volumes of poisonous gases – some developed for chemical warfare but now banned by the Geneva Conventions – to sterilize their fields before planting, killing every pest, weed and other living thing in the soil.
For these reasons, the 2016 edition of EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ for the first time elevates strawberries at the top of the Dirty Dozen™ list. USDA tests found that strawberries are the fresh produce items most likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues, even after they are picked, rinsed in the field and washed before eating.

More than three-fourths of the fresh strawberries sold in the U.S. are grown in California, the state that most carefully tracks pesticide use. California data show that in 2014, nearly 300 pounds of pesticides were applied to each acre of strawberries – an astonishing amount, compared to about five pounds of pesticides per acre of corn, which is considered a pesticide-intensive crop."

My DH can't eat non-organic grapes due to the pesticide residues that bother him (we got him tested professionally to find out - he can eat organic grapes with no problem so it wasn't the fruit itself)

Going to have to go organic! Pretty sure it was the strawberries.

Took the entire 7th grade to the Renaissance
Faire today. Really hot outside but the kids were great! No behavior issues at all. I had a protein bar while all around me, they had fried dough, cotton candy, fried Oreos, French fries, ice cream........ I am so darn strong!

3 day weekend here, tons of outdoor work to do. Picnic at my brother's on Memorial Day. Two more weeks of school!

Laura- that is awesome he's your cousin. The show is really well done. Did the organic strawberries make a differnce? My son gets horrible hives from the stuff they put on the apple slices at McDonald but only in the US ones.
Great will power at the fair. I'm glad the kids were so well behaved, you've got to be getting sick of them.

Liana- sounds like you made a wise choice to not take the new job and added stress and complication. I. Trying to be patient with the foot and get more circulation to the area.

It is hot hot hot here today. Had a great 28km ride last night and a 6km power walk this morning. Hope in got get out on the bike again tomorrow. Scale dropped 5 lbs this week I need to focus on 6 more, just trying to get thru the weekend without sabatoging my self.

Enjoy the rest of your day ladies

Hi Jenny, so happy that you are able to exercise again! Your spirit must feel so much lighter as well as the scale, yippee! Try to visualize that scale number when you are tempted to stray.

My cousin is on Bates Motel now (too weird for me). This summer he will be on a mystery type show on ABC, the one with Juliette Lewis. He has done well for himself.

As for the strawberries, I have not tried them yet. Using up the blueberries now. Phase 3 has reminded me how much I do not like breakfast. If not for C, I would eat a protein bar for breakfast forever.

Did you see that Ruth Ann posted in Maintainers?

I had a busy day at the garden centers and in the yard today. Frustrating, because I was trying to find certain plants/ shrubs and none of the 5 places that I went to had them. It was hot here too! Think we have a heat wave going. 3 days above 90. I had to remove my huge butterfly bush, hard work and I am going to be sore tomorrow.

Hi Ladies,


All the plants are planted! Need more plants to fill holes but I am redesigning areas and need to find the right perennials. My body is so sore. But... The scale cooperated and I am down 2 pounds! Goal accomplished for the Italy trip. Yahoo!!!

So happy to welcome June this morning! My kids turn 8 June 6th and I'll be 41 on the 10th. This year has flown bye

Great work on getting the plants in Laura. My DH did a garden in the back a few weeks ago. Lots of work.

Woot woot on meeting your goal!!! You are amazing and have worked so hard.

This was my most successful weekend in terms of eating well and being consistent. Then TOM came. Scale up a bit now but I know it will settle later this week.

I haven't seen Ruth's post, I'll check it out now. Your cousin has done really well. I've heard of Bates motel. I like Juliette Lewis - Let me know the name of that one if you come across it.