Happy Monday from the not-so-great White North.

Sunny again to melt the snow and also to melt the ice on the rink! The guys flooded it around midnight last night but it didn't freeze enough although the temps were well below freezing. This could be the end of outdoor skating for the season.

Big day ahead so I won't linger. I am off to the coffee klatch at the Church, need to be back by 9 to meet Paul and the propane guy, then a Mill Board meeting at Anna's, then serving hot dogs for lunch at the Rec shack and then home to see what I can salvage from the day. Checked weight this morning and have stayed the same through this disastrous week. Hoping to drop at least a pound before I have to deal with Georgia cooking.

I'll try to pop back in later to see how the week looks for the rest of the beachies.

Have a super day!

Good morning Ruth and chicks to come. Looks like another jam packed day for you. I giggled about your Georgia cooking comment. My BIL is originally from Georgia. There was nothing and I mean nothing healthy about yesterday's lunch. I am not weighing myself today lol. Kudos for maintaining this week.

Today is a bunch of to do's. I'll spare you the boring details. We did have a nice time yesterday. DS is leaving tonight to drive to Georgia with 2 friends. I'm not pleased with this decision at all, but can't do anything about it. They are driving to drop off one of the guys at his military base. I will be stressing about this until they return late Wednesday.

Hope everyone enjoys their day.

Good morning!

Jennifer, safe travels for your son. I hope all your boring stuff gets accomplished

Ruth, another busy day. I hope you are home and relaxing.

I slept in a bed and now I am resisting oh I need to do before work. I have promised myself to exercise in the morning so that has to happen. Smoothie, too . I guess I'd better get moving. Have a great day!

Good morning!

Funny about Georgia cooking - my daughter goes to college in Alabama, she said there is literally nothing they won't fry.

I hope this is the end of winter! I want to bring out my patio cushions and get the cover off the pool - hubby thinks I'm jumping the gun.

Today's big thrill - I tried steel cut oats vs regular oatmeal. I liked them too, but I'm not sure why everyone raves about them being so much better when the nutrition information is literally the same. Today is an off day of exercise, my hips will thank me for a rest. My husband is off seeing his parents for a few days so it's really quiet around here all alone.

The goal for the week - lose 1 more lb by Sunday/Monday - I had wanted to lose 25 by the time I saw my sisters. They haven't seen me since I started this.

Hey chicks. It has been a Busy day. Sister and I have been sorting, piling and disposing. We are making good progress; although there is more to do the end may be in sight.

Trying to stay somewhat OP today although there was dessert last night. Oh well. We are taking a short break and then will go for a walk since it is so sunny and warm outside.

Have a great day everyone!

Amy, the difference is in how much the the oats have been processed. The glycemic index increases as the food is processed more.So steel cut has more fiber, rolled oats comes next, and instant oats have been processed quite a bit. So if you can use the steel cut oats that's great. The nutrition may look the same but our bodies process them different.
It's the same with rice. Brown rice has more fiber than white rice which is why we eat brown rice on South Beach. Instant rice has been processed more even if it's brown so it's not such a great choice.

Good evening,

I am back, have unpacked, but I am tired- 10 and half hours in the car is too much for one day. Eating was not good, never is when I go down there but did the best I could and did not snack in between, plus we walked the bridge every day by the hotel and that is 3.4 miles round trip. I will weigh myself tomorrow and see how it goes. I have to go into work tomorrow as well.

Looks like everyone is getting the warmer weather everywhere. We are still going to be in the 70's for the rest of the week until Friday....crazy

Beth wow Winter break? DD2 only gets basically half a week for spring break and that is it.

to everyone else....I did read posts to catch up.

Good morning,

Figured I might be first one in since I have to go into work today. Busy agenda ahead of me today and then tonight I am going to start clearing out the kitchen so we can do the floors this weekend.

Have a great day everyone!

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday which I sometimes call Choose Day. Today I choose to stay home although I may walk down for the mail.

Yesterday was a whirlwind day but I got through it. Scale is down 2 pounds this morning since I managed to avoid the goodies at coffee, the Mill meeting and at the Family Day at the rink which went very well. There was enough ice left for skating although it had melted down to water over concrete at one place.

Met with Paul late afternoon and reached a decision on the oil tank problem - my usual company (35 years) will replace the tank, do the furnace bother upgrades TOMORROW! So relieved to have that done before I go away since frozen pipes are not fun. The house water can be drained but the outside pipes from the well would really make things difficult. So today I need to tackle the shelves going down to the cellar and clear them completely so stuff doesn't get broken when the lads wrestle the tanks up he house.

Rose, the weather is nuts up here too but we still have lots of snow and ice. The warnings have been posted on all our lakes to stay off. We are The Township of Rideau Lakes and every second house has a snowmobile.

Amy, patio cushions? My deck chairs are already cushioned - with snow! Spring IS coming though - I see sproutage in the sheltered strip beside the house on the south side of the house. Guess I should change my avatar.

Debbie, I didn't know that about steel-cut oats! Thanks for the explanation.

Beth, if you and your sister need more bonding time together, come on up and tackle my storage area. The Christmas stuff is still dumped in Guestroom 1. :blush:

Jennifer, is the whole world heading to or returning from Georgia? My kids are in their fifties and I still worry about them driving.

Bruce just showed up playing his guitar and singing Lightfoot's "Pussywillows, Cattails, Soft Winds and Roses". He also plays piano and violin but claimed the piano was too heavy and the violin to delicate to lug over in the cold. I'm sure the neighbours think us insane! I guess it's time to make some coffee and see if I can persuade him to help me with the clearing of the cellar stairs shelves.

Good afternoon!

I'm still plugging along, the scale EXACTLY the same since Sunday. 1500 cal/day, exercising 45 min/day - exactly the same. C'mon people - one lb until 25! This Thursday marks my 12 week sbd anniversary! I finally took measurements - boy that was depressing. I also picked my real end goal...sigh 48 to go! Good grief I'll be hanging in here a long time. And it's really not the food - I am absolutely fine with the food, and it's not that I'm dying to binge on anything or cheat. I think it's the time. Which I get on one level 12 weeks - that is nothing. And 6 months from now - boy I will be one hot biscuit! Losing this amount of weight is about so much more than the food and the scale. Meanwhile, no one in the real world has said a thing. Maybe they haven't noticed, maybe they don't want to sound rude, and really I don't want to talk about it - but is it possible I've lost 25 lbs and it's made no difference in how I look? Since I see myself every day it's hard for me to see anything. I think my face is thinner, and I am down a size in a clothes. On the bright side- I was starting to get concerned about my blood pressure - it was consistently in the 130/90 range and higher. I've been checking it and last reading was 116/68. I don't know why I'm having a tough time, I know I'm doing well with it, the enormity feels overwhelming.

Amy, sorry you are feeling overwhelmed at the moment. When I got frustrated I would try hard to remind myself I didn't just wake up this size/weight it happened over time.Gaining for most is always easier than losing. The rewards of losing make it worth it! Did you know for every pound loss that is 7 less pounds of stress on your knees. I like that math! If you are wearing a smaller size sometimes people don't take notice because your clothes fit! Another bonus. When we wear clothes that are now too big for us, people will comment. Sometimes when we are pushing a size to it's limit people don't say anthying to be polite. I think some of us have worn the extra long shirt to cover problem areas rather thank go up a size (guilty). The weight will continue to come off. Some weeks it will be minimal and others you will get a nice surprise. Don't be upset with your measurements. Exercising daily you are firming up your muscles. The fat that hides the muscles will start to disappear as your muscles get stronger. You are doing an amazing job. In twelve weeks you've lost 24 pounds. On average that's 2 pounds per week which is impressive and healthy too! Hang in there. Not sure how old you are, but those of us in our mid/late 40's will tell you hormones like to mess with our success at times.

Ruth great job resisting the temptations. Bruce sounds like a lot of fun!

Pearlrose welcome home. Great job getting your walks in. I'm sure if you gained anything it will be minimal. I bet you are excited to get the floor started!

Debbie I am a big steel oats fan. I make them in the crock pot. Otherwise I seem to burn them lol. I didn't know that about rice. Very good info.

Beth I remember how "challenging" it was cleaning out my grandparent's house. It was our home (I grew up with them) for a very long time. I felt terribly that my mom had to do it. We did manage to make the best of it. I remember she was amazed that i could get the dryer upstairs from the basement without any help. Fortunately it was getting pitched (it needed it after I got through with it lol) Glad you and your sister get along well.

Well DS was somewhere in NC this morning so they are making good time. I'm still worrying, but that's my job as a mom. Nothing terribly new or exciting here just work. Tonight will be an early night as I had to be all the way downtown this morning by 8 (ugh) I did manage to replace the outside light switch. An easy job, but when I couldn't determine which breaker was for that light I opted to replace it with the wires live. I DO NOT recommend working with live electric no matter how small the current. I felt like I was playing a very delicate game of operation. Thankfully there were no oopsies lol.

Have an enjoyable evening.

Evening, chicks. I am back at home. The clean-out project ended on a very positive note: we have contracted with a guy who will come remove/sell all of the remaining items in one fell swoop. By the end of March the house will be totally empty and on the market. Yay! If any chicks know someone who is downsizing google "senior move managers" and check it out.

My meals were mostly OP but there were too many snacks and desserts the last 2 days. I will try something close to P1 for a few days to clear out the damage. The good thing is I suspect my SB cheating days are still healthier than the way I ate before.

Pearlrose, glad you are home safely and that your trip was enjoyable. The floor project sounds great! Btw, I suspect DD starts her summer vacation long before I do. I could never figure out why we go so late.

Amy, ditto to what Jennifer said. I know it is easy to get discouraged, especially when the rate of loss slows but hang in there! And non-scale things like blood work and blood pressure are also great victories!

Jennifer, I hear you on moms worrying about their kids and traveling. DS2 had to drive to Syracuse yesterday for a follow-up on the shoulder injury; he made the round trip without incident but that doesn't mean we weren't worrying! Hope your work day was uneventful and DS has a safe trip.

Sorry Ruth, but I think my sister and I had enough bonding over stuff for now! ;-) With regards to your beau, sometimes insane is ok.

Just about time to hit the hay. Have a good one, chicks.

Fly-by this a.m. as I am still not completely ready for the crew who are to be here at 6. Did get some shelves cleaned yesterday but Moel came in with a book for me and was here a good hour and three coffees. In mid afternoon the Parson showed after his usual hour walk and he ended up staying for dinner! All good fun but the stairwell is only half cleared. Going to tackle the rest of it now. I have the thermostat turned high to warm the house because the furnace won't run with no oil in the tank. Not looking forward to the day one bit and am hoping this can all get done today.

Good morning,

I am headed into work today as well lots of meetings on my calender, ugh. Well, somehow I did not gain any weight while gone and I am back to eating healthy. Tonight I need to swing by home depot and get the silicone for the edges of the floor and stop by the grocery store, hope I feel up to it after work. Yesterday I did not manage to start sorting anything out of the kitchen.

Amy hang in there, people did not start noticing I was losing weight until my clothes got loose on me as Jekel said I was wearing too tight clothes as I did wish to purchase larger sizes.

Jekel when I can't figure out which breaker, I will turn the main breaker off, electricity scares me.

Ruth your new man sounds great to me

Beth glad you found someone to finish taking care of the house

Debbie how did the belts work for your pups?

Have a great day everyone!

Good Morning!

I did not get here yesterday. Trying to adjust to new routine with DH back over here. Lol I brought some stuff for lunch at work yesterday but then made some scrambled eggs with jalapenos and ham instead. It could have been worse. I did not make my favorite burrito. Today I take mom to appointments leaving at 8:45. I'm trying to fit some chores in before we leave. DH helped me turn the mattress and I'm washing all the bedding right now.

Amy, what an accomplishment that your BP is reading normal now. Mine did the same-dropping to normal long before I lost all my weight. What a powerful statement to the benefits of eating healthy. Keep going. I have never had to return to my BP meds.

Rose, what an accomplishment not to gain during your vacation. Kudos for back to healthy eating! Belts are working well. A pain to take on and off, etc, but much better than cleaning the carpet. Both pups waited all night and got great praises before going out this morning.

Ruth, best wishes with your project today. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible. Nice that Bruce stayed for dinner last night. I love he is so musical!

Beth, great that you are back and have a plan for the remaining items at your folks. Glad you and your sis got to tackle the project together.

Jennifer, I. too, don't like live wires. Such a funny feeling getting zapped. Like Rose, I am a fan of shutting everything off. Is DS in Georgia by now?

OK, must check laundry and I think it's light enough that the pups can go out. They just do not understand "why" they can't hang out early anymore. Weather is supposed to be in mid 70's in Denver today. Tomorrow is snow. I'm going to dress "summer" today and enjoy the thought of what's to come.

Have a great day everyone!