Kristiina - I totally understand!!!! As far as being a bit... errr...cranky.. to your DH, don't feel bad - it's his fault cause it's his mom driving you crazy That's how I used to reason it to my DH and when I was better, he would actually laugh and say "I thought the son had to suffer the sins of the FATHER, not MOTHER", Surprise! Get in that walk, fit in some workouts somewhere, and it will help with the stress level. Honestly, I say sit with her as she expects, and still talk to others. Eventually she will either socialize too, or at least stop the pouting because she will figure out it is having no effect on you. I speak from experience. However, for the kids, it's great that she is at all their events - they do remember that as huge support they had throughout the family You totally got this girl!!!! MILs are supposed to drive us nuts - it's their job

Kristiina - you were posting as I was posting to you Yes, as of right now, still no super refined grains - not a total gluten free, but the breads/muffins are out still I weigh in once a week, so looking forward to the weekend to see if there is even more change. As of now, it's been about 3 weeks, and 3 weeks I have lost consistently even during TOM (which is unheard of for me)

Sounds like a good plan for the day!

I know exactly where you are at. It is all about everyone else and what are you left with just for you? I get that way and then I just try to remember that I will miss it when it is all gone and try to stay in the moment as much as possible.
As far as eating junk, knock it off! It just makes you feel yucky. Good luck with the fasting, I hope it cuts the cycle for you. Sounds like maybe you are a stress eater, I am too. Course, I am a celebration eater, and any other kind of eater there is too Give me an emotion and I can eat for it
I guess what I am saying is you can do this! Start now.

Summer is here already. Does anyone have BIG summer plans? Any holiday trips coming up? Family reunions? Parties?

I think I have told you all, I have a BIG summer planned this year.

May
10: Chels's Nursing Pinning Ceremony
11: Chel's Graduation
12: Chel's Grad Party
13-20: Tahoe

June
3: DH (J) Bday
4-8: Co-teaching VBS
12: My mom's Bday
13-16: OT for me at work
21: Father's Day
29-July1: Simplicity Canoe Trip

July
2: My sis's Bday
4: Independence Day Celebration
I'm sure there will be MANY pool parties in July with the kiddos

August
26: Z (my nephew's 17th)
28: N (my nephew's 8th)
31: Labor Day Weekend Simplicity Canoe Trip

September
3: Labor Day
28: Flight to Ft. Lauderdale
29-Oct6: The Keys, The Caymans, & Jamaica!!!

good morning wow u have a busy summer coming up krystal!! im going to try to work part time this summer for my program...otherwise i will be doing childcare at home again just for the summer...DH comes back tonight, otherwise a usual day for us here

i got super creeped out last night LOL home alone with the kids, pouring rain outside...our dog started growling and barking at the big sliding glass doors that lead to the deck and back yard...NOTHING was out there...he growled and barked for a good 15 minutes or so and i never saw anything but then something shook the glass doors hard and startled me!! still dont know what it was and never saw anything at all out there...i made sure all the doors were locked including the sliding doors, and then shut all the curtains but our dog continued to bark and growl at the doors for another half hour or so, a quiet growling, protective or something(?) i dunno....our dog NEVER acts like that...creeped me out(!)

speaking of creepy things, my DH said last summer something else happened here too...we had this set of metal shelving in the living room that all the kids' toy boxes were on and at the very top at the back of the shelves was a box of playdough, hidden up there so the kids wouldnt get into it...DH was home alone one day and all of a sudden the box of playdough flew off the shelf and scattered all over the carpet...i didnt believe him until he showed me the remnants of playdough crumbs still in the carpet LOL

Jo - Staying in the moment and knowing that it will be much missed when gone is an excellent view point to help keep sanity The rest of your post on eating cracked me up - I think we all "feel ya" on that one!!! I will be the first to admit I am a boredom eater, stress eater, etc etc... which is why I turned workouts into an addiction for dealing now, Although my poor family - I think I was too effective with it, cause now if I don't get in my workout and skip more than one day due to stuff going on, I bite off everyone's heads!

Krystal - Yay for the toe being 100% again!!!! That's some huge weight dropping, but honestly, yes stress can have that much effect on you. And it doesn't have to be "bad" stress... it can be anxiousness, anxiety, being peturbed, etc - in your case, your excitement grabbed the water and increased cortisol (I know it's the cortisol cause you specifically said it came off all belly)... your levels are returning to normal again, so enjoy! Sorry for your MIL losing her fur-baby...that's hard.
As for the weights, I totally agree. I have incorporated them regularly for about 7 months (except in a flare)... and each time I graduate up in weight, I see more differences and love it. There is nothing wrong with building up at all - and women don't have the testosterone to be all bulk anyway - the only thing it does is improve everything and how you feel! I say go for it and ignore those that have never done it and haven't a clue!
Super busy summer for you!!!!

Plans for me... let's see.... May 22-June 14 my parents will be here from Maine, June 10-15 my DD16 will be at arthritis camp, I am sure there will be a combined birthday celebration at BIL's place sometime at end of June as usual, and that's about it. I want to get backyard landscaping done before monsoon hits too. But between full time work, getting kiddos to their appts, getting the yardwork done, my workouts, and now (since I got my student ID # and am off wait list finally) full time college too.... It's kind of hard to plan for a bunch else I will take it though, love being busy

Alaskan - Super creepy

DD and I went shoe shopping, and now life is all better. I bought 3 pretty pairs.

Krystal, I am so sorry about your MIL's baby. Shadow is my love and even thinking about her getting old makes my heart ache.

Star: I think your theory is correct! That is the only logical explanation for this. I have never lost 5.4lbs in a week--ever!! Not even with TOM.
Cortisol rises in times of stress, thereby raising our weight, especially in the abdominal area. Once the race was over and my Cortisol numbers returned to normal, the levels balanced back out and a fluid shift occurred! Makes sense to me
And, I will defo take it! I have a summer to conquer!
Now, if I can just manage to keep the stress level down when I signed up for my next 1/2 Mary, then I'll really be rockin' this party!!

uh oh send me some willpower dust DH is bringing taco bell back on the flight tonight

let me explain....we live in a city with no roads leading out...you fly or boat out of here...we used to have a taco bell years ago and it closed...We Crave It! and i mean the whole city LOL it's a common thing to pack it in your luggage for a flight home from the "big city"...i havent eaten taco bell in probably 7-8 years ughhh and saturday's my monthly weigh in...eek!!

on a side note, that's also how we send food to the little native villages around here, airplane or boat...for example, if someone is putting a vehicle on the state ferry, it's common to STUFF it full of food for family in the village...one year we bought ALOT of holiday food and sent it back on a flight with our nephew...it all wouldnt fit in his luggage so he boarded the flight with a huge frozen thanksgiving turkey stuffed in his carry on backpack LOLOL!

Kristiina - I am so glad you got to enjoy some retail therapy

Krystal - I am telling you, that has got to be it! It's ok to stress about the next one, since now you know once you level back out it will just disappear anyway So happy that it came off for ya!!!!

Alaskan - Hard to imagine seeing him walk on a plane with a carryon having a big ol' turkey in it... what the scanner must have seen when the bag went through security

I want to go running tonight, so sucking down some water while waiting for outside temperatures to lower a bit. 98 degrees does not make for a comfy run. Here's hoping it happens fast or I will have to do something inside and I really just feel like running until my legs die

Hello, everyone. Another slow loser checking in here. I am getting frustrated with the scale and myself. I felt really hungry today, and ate 210 calories over my usual 1200. Normally, I wouldn't sweat it, but I weighed in at 159 on Monday and really wanted to stay low to see the scale move down by Friday. Probably not going to happen now...especially as I ate 2 flour wraps for dinner. Something needs to change....not sure what yet.

Guacamole, so nice to have you here

Star, 94 here today and there is no way in h3ll I would run..hehe
Not in this weather. You are my hero!!

Krystal, freaking 5.4 pounds?.?.?. I hate you! actually I am so happy for you!! Maybe I have a stress belly from dealing my with my insane inlaw....I wish I had a normal MIL. Atleast mine has not raided my closet lately, progress my best friend, the ultimate best friend i have is a man...I love his mom to pieces.....I secretly wish she was my MIL. Count your blessings that you have a wonderful MIL! -- since my mom is in Finland and P's mom is a psychopath...at times I feel so alone. Okee, enough....

Jo...omg...you are hilarious!

Alaskan, enjoy too bell....yum!

Edited to say....hate my iPad and my sucky old eyes.....eye dr this Saturday...he!

guacamole - wraps will get ya every time

Kristiina - It cooled here to about 94 and I took it and ran. Ended up having to wait so late that I did half of it in the dark though. I hate that our area is so rural that street lights don't even exist on some of the roads, but... whacha gonna do? I didn't hear any coyote babies tonight, so knew the parents wouldn't be out hunting at least.... if I wasn't so clumsy by nature I would have went faster, but... Now I think I earned my supper; DH fixed me a salad while I was out for my run Then it's shower and bed... one more day of work before the weekend!!!

Well....the usual 13 day recovery period for a 1/2 Mary run lasted all of 4.5 days for me!
I had to come get some gym time in tonight!
I'm addicted!