Rears in Gear for the New Year - After the Crash
 

Hey Ladies... I think Jolly fell asleep on her horse. ;) I know she's been busy this week, so I figured I'd go ahead and put this up here so we can get back on track!!

I'm just about to the point where I'm going to start over next week, at this rate... I never realized how critical to my success 3FC, the journals, and this thread are. Between the financial stress, the returning to work, and trying to jump back into a plan at the same point I was last year after working out and eating right for 6 months... uhm .. I think I need to step back and punt.

So .. here are my weekly goals at this point:

Drink three bottles of water each day while at work.
Stay away from the vending machine.
Do not eat the Wednesday muffin.
Eat two fruits a day.
Ride my horse three times.
Eat breakfast every day.
Eat a well balanced dinner and have ONE slimabear for dessert.
Do one cardio workout.
Do one weights workout.
Go to bed no later than 10:00 pm.
Get up no later than 5:30 am.

Now .. this week hasn't been a total waste. Today was bad.. bad bad bad. I found out I didn't get the raise, though later I found out there are still meetings being held, negotiations being made, etc about the review and raises for everyone in the company. It's just that I'm sinking fast financially, and every pay period they delay this is that much more money I'm behind. It's getting very stressful. So I totally caved, ate fast food for lunch, didn't drink my water - suffered a headache all afternoon because of that. Then got home, drank two glasses of wine while snacking on baguette dipped in olive oil, and then ate a lovely caesar salad with shrimp. I have ridden twice, so that's not bad. I've done my cardio, now I need to do my weights. The bedtime is getting under control slowly. I haven't eaten the muffin (it's in the freezer), and I haven't hit the vending machine. So ... I just have to remind myself that even though I slipped badly today into comfort eating, it's not the end of being OP. It's just the start of another day tomorrow, another day OP.

So c'mon girls! Lets repost our goals and get our motivation back! :yes:

Hi Everyone

I'm glad to see that we are back. I was very nervous as I tried to get on this morning but I couldn't. Thought we might have crashed again.

I got Mark a weight bench for Christmas, and I am just waiting to set it up so that we can start using it.

Ok for the goals.
Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Plan my meals and make a list to take to the grocery store with me so I can buy only what is on the list.
Start doing some exercise 4 or 5 times a week
Eat supper before 8:00 pm every night.

I will start with these and then add some more after I get these down.

Raven - I think I need to find a box of Slimabears. Way to go on not eating the muffin, and staying away from the vending machines. You might have had fast food, but that is today and you can start over tomorrow. I am sorry that you don't have your raise already, but I am glad that the company is still in negotiations. I do think that you will get your raise.

I have been trying to get up all week at 5:30 to practice for next week. Haven't been to successful. Raven maybe you need to give me a wake up call. :lol: Oh well. I'll have to just do it next week.

:balloons:

Hi to everyone else and I hope they find us.
Have a great night.

Lucky - :lol: If Chach is your diet buddy, than I can be your wake up buddy? I think I need one too, sometimes. I'm getting better at going to bed on time - yesterday I made it into bed before 10, which is a big deal. I'm still not waking up on time, though. I guess that just indicates how overtired I was. I hope next week is better, and I can start dragging myself out of bed early enough to get in a short workout. Maybe the panic of knowing you have to be to work will launch you out of bed. ;)

Like Lucky said... no matter how discouraged I was yesterday, today is a new day, and what I ate yesterday is no excuse to repeat the behavior. It's so tempting to slide back into that excuse making and say "well, shoot .. it's already Thursday, this week is shot, why don't I just give up and start fresh next week." :mad: That's so ridiculous. I know I can't do that. I ate my cereal for breakfast, I have my water in front of me (now I need to actually drink the stuff - this was so much easier when it was hot out), and I had my banana for snack. I thought of something else this morning I do NOT want to deal with come summer, and that is wearing too much clothing to hide the pudge. It's HOT in the summer, and I want to be able to wear cool, light clothing. Not cover myself in layers hoping no one will notice that I'm fat. Bah. The time to start is NOW, not next week. So there. :p

Hi ladies i posted on jolly other..then i did a search as I was looking for you LUCKY!!!

I wanted to tell you how much i apprecaited your comments in my journal. Your suport meant a lot to me

Raven i comment in your journal and on jollys but you too..i appreicated your support..msn has 3oo of my emails held hostage..but they promised me they would fix it so forgive me for not e-mailing you back

GNC the company my hubby works for is having a constest about lsoing weight wiht their grapefruit stuf..though i know it does not woerk..amm gonna start again on MOnday...wish me luck

Again Raven i like your plan..nad you will do it!!!

chat ya soon!!

tracy

Hey Tracy! It's ok about the e-mail.. I'm just glad you're ok. I was really worried about you. And honestly, I didn't expect that much chutzpah from you. But I'm really amazed and impressed, girl. It was good to see you finally get righteously angry. You've taken far too much crap, and I just think it's fantastic that you found out you don't need to anymore. OMG, have we created a monster? Next you'll be telling all those snotty employers to take a hike! ;)

I don't know anything about the GNC plan, just be sure it's healthy, ok? Fad diets usually don't amount to much, and you end up still not able to change your lifestyle and keep the weight off even if you do peel off the pounds to begin with. Be careful, please?

Good Morning and Happy Friday to all.

Well I managed to wake up at 5:30 am yesterday morning (only reason is because the dog was getting ill and I wanted to get her outside) That works much better than the alarm!! I was so tired and needed a nap by 10:30am.

Tracy you have to :write: us more often. We were worried about you. How was your Christmas and New years? Since you got your spine, is everything working itself out? So what does the contest winner win at GNC? Good luck on your new start with this. You have all of our total support when ever you need it. Always.

:sp: Raven my wakeup and 5 pounds a month buddy. You are not going to have a problem in the summer hun because that is 30 pounds gone by then and you will want to wear the lighter clothes as you will be looking fabulous by then. (we will be wearing lighter clothes :lol: ) If you want to move there is a few jobs available here. You'd be back in the deep freeze though.

Jolly how are you doing? We miss you. Now we are waiting to hear about how your week went. Catch us up soon.

Happy how is your week going? Thanks to your fortunes I have been doing pretty good so far this week. Cody wanted to bake some brownies this week (microwave) and I told him he couldn't this week because I am not quite strong enough to say no. Next week! (maybe)

Chachee come on back over.....:D

Hi Erin glad to see that you found us again. I hope the others are able to find their way back also.

Have a great Friday everyone.

Hey chickies... this from Jolly in an e-mail:

"OK. I still had problems getting on the thread. So, please tell
everyone Jolly is still here. I have not run away or anything. I will
sit down and try to fight my way in over the weekend."

Lucky - :lol: Oh that is one of the worst ways to wake up, isn't it?? And you're absolutely right. I will be much lighter then. :yes: I just need to keep that thought in the front of my brain and pull it out every time I think about going off plan. And I really .. uhm .. thank you for the invitation, but *shiver* I think I'll stay down here where it's warm! :smug:

Happy, Hippy, Chachee, Erin, Brunissen (did I forget anyone?) - come hither and post!

:faint: :faint: :faint:

OK. I am awake now :rofl:

Thanks for restarting our thread, Raven. Like you said, I don't realize how important this thread is to me, and my success. Having you all to talk to throw thick and thin . . . it means a lot.

Tracy, again, I don't go into the journals. Please e me up on everything. I want to know you are ok.

I will try to post more this weekend from home. But, I am really busy through next week, so please forgive me if I don't do more than say hi. i am thinking of all of you.

:yawn:

Hi ladies!

I am here, just also posting on a new thread. I will keep checking in with you guys also here. I miss my buddies.

Tracy, nice to see you back. I hear you have been having some tough times. Hope things get better for you.

Jolly, welcome back also.

I need to scoot, but I am still on track this week and hope to have a loss to post on Monday!

Chach

Let me paste this in before I lose it as far as goals for 2004 go. Then I'll come back and respond to the thread.

I gave some thought to the things I'd like to improve for the next 4 months.

1) Lose weight obviously. My food choices aren't too bad and I have gotten away from refined and processed food for the most part. My problem is portion control. Even too much of a healthy food is too many calories. So keeping to portion control will be one of my "challenges" along with a regular balance of fruit and vegetables.

2) Exercise. I got away from it while I was having a heavy duty semester at school. I have some problems with my feet and if I don't stretch the muscles, they act up. So REGULAR, CONSISTENT exercise is a priority.

3) Finally water. Good for the diet, good for health. Not a problem in the summer when it's warm, but I don't always do as well in the winter. Another focus point for me.

I started on Monday. Each day I pick an item to pay particular attention to. This I hope will help to keep me from starting out gung ho and then losing my resolve within a month. (Another problem of mine).

So far this week except for pizza last night, I've been good. I've managed to get 2 liters of water each day, have been mindful of my food and several times a day turned down what might have been just mindful but harmful slips. As for exercise, it's my weakest point right now but I just went and did it - Walk Away the Pounds one day, Pilates another, weights another. Tonight I am going to try a new video I picked up using the big exercise ball.

I'm hoping to use this challenge to form regular habits again and see a better me in April.

Good to see we all made it back to home base again except that someone has to go lasso Brunissen. Thanks Raven for setting up the thread again. I wanted to ask you, have you picked up a southern drawl? I used to go to Tucker outside of Atlanta quite a bit at my last job and after 3 days I was so embarrassed because I'd just start talking like the rest of the folks in the office. Sounds though like you have a really focused plan. I like the weekly goals. That's less pressure than trying to do everything everyday.

Tracy it's great to have you back in the fold again. I don't know about the grapefruit thing - is that like powered pills or something? I guess what ever you can find that works as long as it's not too bizarre. I want to be like Oprah and have my own cook and personal trainer. How easy would THAT be then? :lol:

Gee Lucky, dinner before 8pm? Do you get home really late? When I had to take the train to work and was getting home sometimes as late as 7pm, I found I had to spend most of Sunday making things I could just warm quickly and serve, otherwise we'd have been eating that late too. And it seems when I eat really late, I wake up ravenous the next morning for some reason.

Well lunchtime is over, better get a move on back to work. Hellos to the rest of the crew and have a good weekend everyone. Let's hope we see some losses next week. :crossed: :crossed:

Good Morning...Good Morning!!

I was so shocked to see everything was mesed up here. It wasn't a good time because I was highly counting on you guys to help me get back on track!! Now that things are up and running again I have no excuses:o
I have myself craving junk food again and am suffering from eating alot of carbs and feeling tired and sluggish. I have been drinking water and went and bought all that I need to redo South Beach for 2 weeks to rid myself of cravings. I start out good but screw up somewhere EVERYDAY :( I know I make my own choices and I have control over this, I just need to work harder.

It sound like 5:30 is everyones wake up time! I'm so use to getting up at 5 or 5:30 that I'm up at the crack of dawn on the weekend. I would just love to sleep in!

Raven, you are so motivated right now! I would love to be able to go out in my own yard this summer and not worry that someone might drive by to see me get in the pool! Sure am glad I live in the country!! With your attitude you will be lookin fine come summertime!!

Tracy, I wasn't aware of what is going on in your life. Hugs to you and hope you are well.

I cant remember what everyone has posted so Jolly, Happy, Chachee, Kathy hope I didn't miss something important and hope al of you are reaching your goals.

Did I miss anyone? Sorry! Talk to you all later

:yikes: :yikes:

Good morning ladies! I went over to journals and dumped all my winter/cold crankies there. I woke up this morning to snow on the ground, and that does NOT make me happy.

Jolly - I know how busy this week is for you... But I know, too (and I'm blowing your cover here!), that you said by next Tuesday you'd be back on track. :devil: So we'll give you that fudge factor. But be ready for some serious kicks come next week, girl!! :drill: I hope things go smoothly for you till then, try to get some rest when you can!

Hey Happy - Actually, I have picked up a few words, but no accent. I use ya'll once in a while and my boyfriend cringes. ;) The worst accent for me is Canadian or Alaskan Native. Since I was raised around that kind of speech, if I'm speaking to someone with a prounounced accent, I have to really fight not to fall into it lest they think I'm mocking their accent. It is not intentional at all! You know, eh? :lol: I'm finding I have the same problem as you do with water. Summer - great. I can drink water till my eyeballs are floating and I'm fine. Winter. *cringe* It becomes a battle every step of the way. We even have to give our horses electrolytes so they'll drink water in the winter, so I guess it's not just us!! I'm trying to think of ways to get around that. Maybe warm herbal tea or something. There has to be a way to do this without it being a fight every time I pick up a glass of water. And yes.. I'm right up there with having a dietitian, chef, and personal trainer. Not to mention access to a full gym and swimming pool whenever I wanted it. Somehow I think it would make this whole process unbelievably easy.

Hippy! Welcome back! We're here, and we'll motivate you! It seems like this time of year is kind of tough for everyone - wanting to get back on track, knowing how to do it, and just having a real hard time getting from knowing to doing. But if we all stick together and keep pushing each other, I think this year will be a really good one for us!!

Yesterday was better for me, and I'll take it as a success. As Happy said, I don't have too much trouble with WHAT I'm eating, it's how much. And I am back to totally OP at work, which was a big hurdle. The vending machine has lost its appeal for the most part, and I bought two weeks worth of Healthy Choice lunches (they were on sale! 40% off!! I need to go buy another two weeks worth!), plus yogurt and a few of the higher protein, lower carb bars for those emergency fixes rather than running for a snickers bar. I eat a half of one, and feel like at least it's not a total loss. I did go overboard on dinner last night. We had tacos, which when eaten in moderation, are a good meal for me because I prefer to use the soft shells, and I get the low fat low carb ones. I also use no fat refried beans, etc. But ... if you eat THREE of them, no matter how low cal they are, it's going to add up. :mad: Duh. Today I don't want to work out, but I will anyway. I don't want to do anything but curl up with a blanket and pillows with a good book on the couch next to my warm fire. But I will. I need to go to walmart and see if they have any more fleece gloves, because I need to go riding today, and my hands are the worst part.

So .. though so far no loss scale-wise, I'll take this week as a victory because I'm getting that much closer to being totally OP again. I have three full weeks to achieve my goal for this month. Imminently doable, but I need to really focus, really prioritize, really make the goals happen. Like Hippy said, this is all up to me.

Happy Saturday everyone! I'll check in later to update on whether I got the exercise and riding and water in! I need to be accountable!

Hey Everyone! I wanted to pop in here quick before the day got away from me again!!! I did my weigh in this morning and I was down 2 lbs :) I'm ignoring the fact that last week I had wicked wanda and am enjoying the loss :D Especially since I haven't tracked my bloating in about a year, so there's a chance I wasn't even bloated and that really was my weight :fr:
My sister and her maid of honor are on their way over to get the bridal shower and wedding invites flushed out (I'm stamping them all), so I will post more later!
Ok, that was quick... They're here!
Later guys!
E

Oh boy! :dance: :dance: :dance: I am down 2 pounds for the week! Even with my pizza bender on Thursday. And I weighed several times this week with minor fluctuations so I have to believe this is real. I would like to be down 5 more pounds by the end of the month which would put me back to where I was in October.

I now have to admit it had to do with being focused. I watched my portions, ate low fat and healthy (for the most part), drank my water and started exercising again - just 30 minutes a day but was consistent. I'm quite happy. Now to keep it up!

Erin, hope you have those prepasted stamps, otherwise will you be making the yukky face later. Just what did they used to put in that stamp glue?

Raven, I heard that if you can handle tea without the sugar in it, especially green tea that also counts for some of your water intake. I've been trying for about 2 liters a day and that seems to be working out ok, though towards the end of the day it does get kinda blah so I'm trying the tea thing too though at this time I still have to sugar it up a bit.

Hippy, I picked up the South Beach book yesterday. Any tips or do I have to read it all myself? I also picked up Bill Phillips new cookbook. Lots of good stuff in there so that will be the basis for my meals for the week. I always liked Bill's approach to things.

We're going to San Francisco in April and I have yet to find a hotel for 2 days before we move on to Monterey. We have a delightful hotel there, right on the bay - can't wait to open the patio doors and listen to the surf. But we might be sleeping on the sidewalk in SF itself if I don't get hustling.

Hope you all have a good weekend, stay warm and cozy and let's hear some good news on Monday's check in.

Hey all. Don't have a lot of time to post, so hello, and I am thinking of all of you.

I made it to Ikea yesterday, only to find they didn't have one of the things I felt I needed. I know have to call and check on shipping prices to see if this is a need or a want. I just don't know. So between that and the huge crowds - kind of a stressful day.

I did not make it ot the gym this morning, so will try to go after the barn. I have to make it home in time to sleep, though, as I have to work tonight. I will try to post more then. I also have to go and enroll in the fitness challenge on liine tonight, as I did not have time to battle the lines yesterday.

Have a agood day all, and be prepared with the kicks for me.

Hey All! First off, congrats to Happy and Erin on the loss :cp: Saturday was the first time I have been able to work up enough nerve to get on the scale since the holidays. I am happy to say that though I haven't lost anything I did not gain at all. I don't know how I pulled that one off but I'll Take it!!!

Happy, South Beach is a wonderful book. I have read mine more than once. It explains how eating bad carbs mess up your blood sugar and bog you down, how the plan is heart healthy and how it fixes your body from the inside out. This is just my opinion but when I followed it I felt great. I had so much energy and was never hungry. I'm a junk food eater and the plan promised I would stop craving that stuff and I did. I didn't eat sweets for 8 weeks. I use to eat them everyday. The weightloss is consistant and the energy level is huge. I'm sure you are wondering if it's so great then why I stopped doing it? That's just me. That's why I'm still fat! I have a hard time keeping my motivation. Anyway, I keep reminding myself how great I felt so I'm working my way back to it. I have been to the grocery, have rid my house of junk food and tomorrow morning I will begin. Hopefully this time I will be able to hang there.
Let me know what you think about the book and the plan.

Lots to do today so better get going going! Talk to you all later

Good morning ladies!

Erin, Happy - Congrats!!! :bravo: Great week for you two!!

Happy - Consistency and focus. Great things for me to work on. You know, you mention Bill Phillips. His Body for Life program was one of the things that really got me moving last year. Maybe I should really look into doing that again as a jump start into this year. His philosophy is good, and it really does work. I felt great following the program, though I have to admit I had to watch how much protein I ate. I tend to get really sick if I eat as much as he wants. That's one of the reasons I can never do the Atkins program. I get dizzy, nauseous, lightheaded, weak, the whole bit. I'll let you know if I give it another shot. It's not an easy 12 weeks, but it's a darned effective one.

Jolly - I'm sorry IKEA didn't turn out to be what you wanted, or have what you needed. You sound very tired. Please get some rest, please don't make yourself sick with this work schedule?

Hippy - Heeeyyyyyyyy ... learning maintenance is just as important as learning to lose! I'd consider that a HUGE success!! Congrats! I've found that I now have pretty much learned maintenance, and that's a very good thing. The one time I was totally unable to maintain was during the time after my father had his accident and was going downhill and I was waiting for the money to come through to get up to Alaska, then the whole trip up there was one huge food fest provided by my brother and SIL. That was disastrous for my weight. But since then, I haven't gained any more, so like you, I take that as a success. Now it's time for us to get losing again!

Yesterday didn't work out as planned. Do they ever? I ended up working at the stable the entire time I was there. Rosa is having a really rough time with depression and lack of money (wow, it's an epidemic) this winter and she and her husband were off installing some drapes (she sews and installs drapes as a second job). She asked if we could feed, and I said sure... then I started looking around the stable, and it's obvious her depression is getting to her. Several of the stalls obviously hadn't been cleaned in days, the walkway in the barn was filthy... So I picked stalls, straightened up tack, put away tools, cleaned water buckets, swept and blew out the center walkway. We brought in Ichabok and Nelson, the only two who don't have blankets right now, and made sure they were all set up with hay, water, and their evening grain, then fed all the ponies in the pastures, checked blankets, etc. Nickie got in a good ride, she's working on re-teaching Shadow to transition to a canter. It's been a long time since Shadow had to do that, and her transitions are awkward. But she's learning again. I didn't get a chance to ride, because by the time we were done with all the chores, it was dark and the wind had picked up and frankly, I was worn out and freezing my butt off. I spent time with my pony, feeding him and combing out his mane and tail while he ate, and giving him hugs and pats. He seemed confused when I left the pasture without him. I truly love that horse. And of course by the time I got home, it was 7:30 and I still had to cook dinner. Dinner was healthy and OP, but again, I ate too much of it. I need to really start focusing. I took the time for a nice hot shower though, after the dishes were done. It felt good to get warm. :D

Today is laundry and hopefully a ride. I want to do cardio, too. It's dry, not as cold though as it was yesterday. High pressure, so the sinuses are achy. Lotion, water, lotion, water.

Oh!!! And a high point of yesterday!! Has anyone here seen Cirque Du Soleil? Nickie and I haven't been to a live show, but we watched several of them on TV last fall. My favorite right now is Dralion. One of the original singers for the show (the ringmaster, almost) is this incredible man by the name of Erik Karol. He can go to a low tenor to this incredible falsetto with such power. Or as one reviewer said "one minute he sings in a rich tenor, the next he's in a freaky stratosphere with his female counterpart." Sadly, his last tour with Dralion was here in Atlanta in 2000, and I missed it. If I had only known!! ANYway... my darling incredible unpredictable daughter used her Christmas Walmart card to order *for me* the Dralion soundtrack with him singing. And another CD - a compilation of several other Cirque songs from different productions. We listened together to the Dralion CD, swooning and laughing and drooling over Erik Karol. He looks incredible in makeup. ;) So... that made my day, my week, my month. I felt like a teenager. *giggle* :s:

So, I suppose I should get my fluffy butt moving and start laundry and maybe get on that treadmill, eh??

Yeah, it's Sunday, that means tomorrow is Monday... Hey Lucky, how is the waking up going?? :devil:

Hi Everyone.

Hope everyone is having a good Sunday.

:high: to Happy and Erin way to go.

Happy I used to work until 6:30 and if the tills didn't balance I had to stay until I could find out where the money was. Then with running kids around, then making supper we didn't usually eat until 8:00. Now with my new job, I am off work at 4:00 so I am hoping that this should push supper ahead. Wow that will be great for you to get away in April. How long will your trip be? What other places are you going? Or just to the 2?

Well Raven, after this weekend I am ready to move, so I'm coming your way. A good friend of mine split up from her husband so I moved her back home to the city an hour away from here. Half way there it started pouring freezing rain. Roads were awful. At least we got there before they closed all the highways because of all the accidents. Good thing my brother-in-law lives there so I had a place to stay. Then he bought a couple big sidewalk blocks to put into the back of our little truck so I could get home today. You are such a special person to notice the Rosa's depression and do all the chores for her. That would have made her feel better that that was done and she didn't have to wonder "where do I start?"

Jolly enjoy your time out at the barn. Then enjoy the gym visit. Would you have to pay any shipping at IKEA? Or shouldn't they just bring it in for you as it is something they sell?


Hippy how are you? I have been doing SBD also, and I could have lost more, but you are right about the motivation. But now we are back on track and we will make ourselves stick it out. Oh and you then get to be the official wake up caller. Raven first, as I think that with the time difference she hits 5:30 first then me. :lol: Do we think that I will be able to sleep tonight, as I will be to paranoid that I will be late?

Tracy how are you? Where are you? Pop on in and say hi.

Enjoy the rest of the day everyone.

Bill Phillips??????? ACCCCCKKKKKK. I thought it was Bob Greene - scheesh, them too look too much alike! I thought it was odd when everyone was talking about BFL and I knew Bob was "Get with the Program". Oh well. The cookbook looks good, the info in it is great. I have meticulously planned my meals for the week - am going to try and go back to the high protein, low carb, 5 or 6 mini meals that I started when I first began because that did work for me provided I stuck to it. Was hard to do the mini meals when I had to go back to the office but now that I'm working from home, no excuses. I had a good talk with myself and my biggest downfall is no self discipline. So I am making a list to check off. Food, water, exercise and the Preventive Maintenance things I have to do each day. Geez, I'm getting old. Have to do stuff to keep the old "car in tune" - stuff like take my vitamins so I don't get sleepy during the day, do my stretches so my feet and neck don't hurt, get more than 4 hours sleep a night and junk like that. I've been trying to make note of what I do that makes me feel better even if I am not exactly thrilled to do it.

:high: back to Raven and Lucky for being the good friend of the week and helping someone else who needed a friend.

So far this year our only trip is to SF. My husband's job might be shaky - never know and we'll wait to see how things go before planning anything else. I only get 2 weeks vacation too so I don't want to fritter it away.

Hippy, thanks for the heads up on SBD - since the forums are down this evening, I think I'll give it a look. I already planned food for the week but I have to believe BFL and SB have alot in common. Will be interesting to compare.

Jolly you are brave going to IKEA. They have some great stuff and terrific prices but geez if you ever saw the crowds there, you'd think they were giving the stuff away for free.

Heys to Chachee and Erin, have a good Monday.

Challenge for week 2
 

Speaking of Monday - here's the 2 challenges for the week. I just drew them and honest, I didn't know about it till now but gee, guess which ONE I'll be picking :lol:

1) Plan your meals for the week ahead of time and stick to them

or

2) eat 5 servings of fruit or veggies each day this week

Hey Chickies.

I'm having a little bit of a rough go of it this morning. You know when you get in a fight with your SO, and the thing that your fighting over is just the tip of the iceberg because you haven't talked about other issues in the relationship that have been there for a long time? Well, that happened this morning, and it made me painfully aware that things are not right between Richard and I, and I've been avoiding any discussion because it's too difficult. He always decides he's the victim, for one thing, and I get so damn tired of that. Plus there are some things we've spoken about before, and I will get the same answer as I got last time, so why bother. Then there are some new things, and I'm actually afraid to approach them because I'm afraid of the answer I'll get. It's so much easier to just pretend everything is ok. Well, till something scratches that thin veneer of "ok" and all the "not ok" comes spilling out.

From the few dancing around the issue conversations we have had, I am fairly certain Richard has no intention of moving any farther away from his job than he already is. I, on the other hand, am rather desperately wanting a home of my own on a decent parcel of land (10 - 20 acres) with a small stable for the ponies we have now, and the ones I'd like to have. To find a place like that I can afford, I have to move farther north. Even that will cost a small fortune, but it's something I want so badly I can taste it. It is looking painfully like I will have to choose between my dream of owning my own land/horses, and my boyfriend. Now the big question becomes can I even afford to do the land without him? Well, **** - right now with my job situation the way it is, I can't even afford to live where we are without him. Which of course I loathe. I hate being financially dependent on someone. There are options, like filing the paperwork against my ex-husband to bring child support up to where it should be, which would pretty much cover the difference for rent. And if I get the raise my boss is pushing for, that would cover the difference in utilities, so .. I probably COULD stay there. It would be very, very tight. I don't know... I'm rambling. I'm confused and frightened and just dumping my thoughts out here. I apologize.

Lucky - I'm just profoundly grateful you both made it home safely. One of the folks on the John Lyon's forum posted about their son-in-law (I believe) being involved in a horrible pile-up down in Florida. He's in the hospital in very, very critical condition. So... did you make it to work on time!? :lol:

Happy - Hmm. I need to work on both of those. Which one, which one... I tend to plan out the meals fairly well, then juggle them according to time allowances during the week. I just buy a mess of chicken breasts, lean hamburger, low fat hotdogs, some fish, and sometimes some shrimp if I can budget it in, then work from that. My whole thing is to actually COOK, not cave and buy fast food or pizza or something. So if I might, if I may, I think I'll modify that one just a tad to concentrate on actually fixing meals out of the food I've purchased, rather than whining about time. So focus on homecooking and avoiding the easy outs. Is that ok? Bill Phillips Ack?? :lol: His recipes are fairly good, I pulled a lot of great information out of his book. It's great that you can pull what you need out of a program, then toss the rest. I don't seem to be able to stay on anyone else's "perfect plan" but I certainly have learned a lot from them. Things I can use to perfect my OWN plan to work with my own body, cravings, and schedule. Sometimes this feels like one great big jigsaw puzzle.

One half pound down this Monday's weigh in. Not bad, considering how freaking tough it was to stay OP this week and start getting my quacking fowl aligned. Now to just focus on this through the emotional poo. And thinking about it, I would bet that some of this is PMS, too. *sigh* I hate that stuff. Ok.. back to work. Suppose I'd better get something accomplished around here.

Hey all. I am having a down sort of day too. Happy, I have seen the crowds there. GAACK! It is crazy. And I feel like a bull in a china shop.

I am just feeling all out of sorts. My weight is up, my life is frustrating, I have some decisions to make. So, I will leave it for now. I hope you all have a good day and week. I will work on the 5 servings of fruit/veggies for this week.

Hey Girls,

Today I am back OP. I have done my homework and have a plan. First to stay away from high carb foods, drink my water and exercise of some sort daily.

Raven, I read your journal about the puppy dog, I'm so sorry. I hate to hear that you feel like you have to choose between your dreams and your sweetie. I have some similar issues with my hubby and it's terrible to feel like there is no room to compromise. Maybe these balloons will put a smile on your face :balloons: Hope things get better for you soon.

Jolly, sorry to hear you are down today too. Balloons for you too :balloons:

Doing laundry today.....AGAIN, it seemd never ending! Working on cleaning raw veggies and so on so I can be prepared ahead of time.

Hope everyones day gets better

Hippy, so I am not the only one who feels like people sneak into the house and put extra laundry in the basket!

Sorry to hear it's a bummer day for Jolly and Raven. Sometimes you hit a crossroads.

Raven, you didn't ask for my opinion but since I've never been one to keep my mouth shut. :o Just an observation from a neutral party... In any relationship, even with your own kids there is a compromise factor. No one can have things their way entirely and even in a compromise, it's a matter of both of you feeling that each others needs are being partially met if not totally. Hard to get to that point. I can totally relate to the dancing around the issues part and the feelings on both sides that the other is being selfish. Just went through that myself when my husband wanted time I didn't have to give him when I was killing myself at school last semester. And I also understand from the other side about not wanting to move. At one point my husband wanted to move to .... ATLANTA! But, I am VERY close to my family and I wouldn't hear of it. Caused alot of strain between us until I said I'd consider it and then he blew his back out which put the kabosh on those plans. But back to you... I do believe in living your dreams and taking calculated risks. But you have to determine your priorities and the consequences of those risks. Seriously, it doesn't sound like you are quite in the financial position to make a move at the moment. And you have 2 kids that get first priority at unexpected expenses. Also doesn't sound like with his history you could depend on your ex for regular income. This is not to say that you have to abandon your dreams. I remember when you first met Rosa, you couldn't imagine yourself being able to get involved with horses again. And you did. Slowly. step by step. Might be that for the time being, that will have to satisfy your need as you work to your ultimate goal. Things are still shaky in the economy and even though I read last week people are in even deeper debt than ever before, I don't understand it. You can't always just throw up your hands and walk away from something. So, proceed with caution.

As for Richard, perhaps it is time for an honest heart to heart. Perhaps over a bottle of wine. Sometimes you outgrow a relationship, sometimes you are at different points with different needs and a little talking can open up the communication again. (God, I hope he's not like mine where I have to PUUUUULLLLLL the information out of him :rolleyes: ) Painful as it might be, it would be better to know the truth and decide rather than pretending to live a lie. I have many times gone back to the "am I better off with him or without him?" question. You deserve happiness in your life and like any goal, you have to think about and plan your approach.

Sorry, did not mean to butt into your personal business. But I do know the heartache and extreme lonliness one can feel in this situation. :grouphug: to you today.

Oh yeah, and I'm not putting down Bill Phillips. The ACK was realizing that I thought Bill was Bob. Actually when I first looked at BFL I liked the program but not the food. Bill's done a good job with this cookbook. More real stuff instead of BULGAR wheat. Yuck, yuck, yuck... :p

Happy Monday everyone (although, thank god it's almost over!)

:bravo: to Happy and Raven on your losses and to Hippy for a no gain holiday!

Raven: :grouphug: Dump whenever you need to!!!! Brian and I have been having the build up to a big production going on for a while now. I'm not looking forward to the blow or the events that precipitate it at all! I'm still working on getting over the blow out that happened 2 years ago (which sent me back to emotional eating and not caring about myself again)! We're here for you anytime you need to chat, vent, plot against the world, etc :D

Lucky: I'm glad you made it home safe! I hate icy road driving! Snow I can handle, ice makes me stay home!

Jolly: :grouphug: I hate having down days like that. I've been avoiding thinking lately to avoid them!!! And, can I add, I'm jealous of you and Happy getting to actually go to an IKEA! I haven't gotten there when visiting my family in Chicago and the new one outside the Mall of America isn't open yet! AHHH!!! :lol:

Happy: I should have clarified the stamping I"m doing. I do rubber stamping as a hobby and have done programs for some relatives' weddings and invites for many birthday parties and showers. My sis asked me to rubber stamp her invites for the wedding, shower and the bachlorette, the programs, rsvp cards, seating cards, and the thank you's for them all. The chose a pretty simple design, but it's still time consuming!!! Thank goodness I have about 3+ months to get them all done! Maybe all the paper cutting, sticking together and stamping will keep snacks out of my hands and mouth!!!

Tracy and Chachee: Hope you guys are having a good Monday!!!

I have a cute boy asking to play on the computer now, so I'm off to finish cleaning the kitchen and then chill before Mom's taxi service begins again!

Oh happy day. I will reply to posts in the morning.. right now I'm so tired. But I just had to share this. I got my raise. The one they promised me in September, the one I was depending on, the one without which I have been going in the hole every month. I will now do a little better than break even, which means I can actually start paying off bills. Slowly, yes... but progress is progress, just like weight loss! A little here, a little there. I got my raise. Thank God.

Aw Raven that is wonderful news about the raise :D :D :D Big congrats to you! It's about time and you sure deserved it. What peace of mind that must bring.

Erin good point about all that craft work keeping you from snacking. I've seen some of the stamping things. Very unique, pretty and it really adds a personal touch. I'm sure you're glad to breath a sigh that it's over tho, especially if your were working to a deadline instead of pressure.

I started out the day so well. Was just getting ready to finish work for the day, make my protein shake and do my workout when SNAP. No lights, no phone. The transformer across the street blew out a part. The power company came in about 45 minutes and said it would be several hours until it got fixed. It was twilight and though the sky was in the last throws of light, it got dark in the house pretty fast. And it was feeling cooler too. So I suggested to my husband to go out to dinner since we figured they'd take their sweet time fixing things. I didn't eat my favorite meal, instead chose a cup of soup and chicken with mushrooms and steamed veggies. However, this is a PIE restaurant. And I caved. Chose a half piece of lemon merangue ??? over my preferred banana cream. I suppose it was a choice of sugar over fat. Got home, didn't want to work out right away so I sat in front of the TV. Before you know it, 10 o'clock and no work out. I also had the strongest cravings for chocolate. Didn't help that all over the news the big story is that the local candy company is closing their doors after 50 years here. I mostly gave up chocolate but I do like their stuff and have it a few times a year. Of course I HAPPENED to have a small bag here from Christmas that is burning a hole in my brain. I tried the wait, drink water, stave the crave thing for an hour and 1/2 and finally caved in. Had 3 small pieces which I let melt in my mouth and I savored each calorie. All the while telling myself BUT YOU HAD PIE YOU DON'T NEED CHOCOLATE AND YOU DIDN'T WORK OUT!!!!! That kind of behavior will not get me where I need to be in April. So easy to slip... but tomorrow is a stronger day. Heck I had a Coke binge last week and I felt so bad about it that I haven't had a soda in 4 days so maybe an occasional slip is a positive reinforcement.

Slap me if I'm bad tomorrow.

GOOD Morning

Hey Raven :yawn: are you awake? Well yesterday I slept in, still at work on time though. I do know that as long as I am up by 6:00 and hustle my butt, I will be ok. :cheer: on the raise. :cheer: I am glad that it finally came through for you. That should put some pep in your step today. You should be able to do some running on the spot, or maybe out for a jog around the ring with the pony. :lol:

Happy thankyou for pulling those fortunes. As it happens I sat down on Saturday and planned the menu, made the list and bought only what was on my list for the next week. Hubby is complaining as I didn't buy any snacks. :fr: you would think that the world is ending by the way he is acting. I also get Bob and Bill mixed up. I have the make the connection book with him and Oprah. Then I saw the Bill book, but thought it was Bob. I thought wow did he change his program. :lol:

Wow Erin that is alot of rubber stamping. So how many cards in total will you be doing for your sister? :eek: I do have a friend who really enjoys stamping. Do you scrapbook also?

Jolly how are you doing? Sorry that you are having a frustrating day. We are here for you if you need anyone to listen. :balloons:

Tracy we are waiting...... How are you?

Will post more later, must run and get ready for work.

OOPs sorry hippy, I didn't mean to leave you out. I had already typed your have a great day in my head. :o That is great that you are sticking to vegetables and getting them ready in advance. That will be helpful so that you remember to eat them. That will be my job sometime this week also.

We ate supper at 5:30 last night, and everyone thought that they needed a snack by 9:30. DH caved and went out and got icecream for everyone.

Have a great day all.

Okay Lucky, I'll let it pass this time without taking it personal :lol: Just kidding! I read the posts but am bad about forgetting who wrote what when I'm posting :eek:

Wow Happy, You said it all about Raven's situation. I had the same thoughts but didn't want to step on her toes.

Raven, So glad to hear you got a raise! I'm glad something wonderful happened to brighten your day :D

Jolly, are you in better spirits today?

Okay, yesterday I got all of my water in, ate well all day UNTIL last night. I will be working on a plan for nighttime snacking. Don't really know why I was snacking, I wasn't hungry at all but I have never had to be hungry to eat. I know it's a matter of self control and I have to work hard to get back to the point of being able to tell myself NO!

Been dealing with alot of issues lately, no excuse, I know, I seem to get out of sorts when things seem messed up. Gary works all of the time so there is hardly no time for me and him or us as a family, it just gets old. I won't bore all of you with my petty crap, don't even know why I typed it.

Okay, Here's to great day girls!!

Hey all, thanks for the concern yesterday. Things are feeling a bit better, though now both of my "boys" are lame, and there is some problem at the bank I have to take care of. Yikes. But, I did make it to the gym this morning, so that is something.

I will try to post more later. Have to check with the bank, and get to work. See you all later.

You all are so awesome!!
 

Everytime i reead something you guys have typed..or a we care about you or even advice..i just think how lucky i am to have gotten to have you guys in my life

YOU ARE SUPER HEROES TO ME!!

I am doing a general post as I have spent like 90 minutes on hte net tryoing to fix my e-mail...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

So forgive me..i will address everyone hopefully tomorrow

Yesterday was a great exercsie day..kinda bad eating day but not as bad as before. I played tennis stairmastered and did a few weights.

Am aiming for 5-6 days of exercise 1/4 less food and more water. though i just drank a big huge class of saopy water and want to vomit!! AHHHHHHHh

Please post anything that has helped you. I am not feeling very up to speed..thus the reason for the weight loss..i just want to have more energy.

Again..all of you....make my day..every day...

Thank you.

Ps i will be able to use my pm's but cannot access the e-mail notice!!


:balloons: :chockiss: :cheer: :thanks:

Ok, I'm here and have a few minutes to really read and post. First off I want to say thank you. All of you have become real friends to me. This is the first thing I check in the morning, and the last thing I read before bed. I just want you all to know how much it means to me that you're here, supportive, caring, and it feels for all the world like we could all just meet at a little coffee shop someplace and have a blast chattering away. I hate to sound really mushy, but there are times when ya'll bring tears to my eyes because of how much you mean to me. So.. *snuffle*

Happy - My God, woman.. how could I possibly consider what you said "butting in?" I put my troubles out there for all the world to see, I can't expect anyone to keep their mouth shut about it! :p Here's the scoop on my plans to move. They can't possibly happen immediately. I'm looking at 2 years, maybe more. I stand to come into a fair piece of money as soon as my SIL sells her house, because she's buying out my third of my father's house. That will go for catching me up completely on my credit, putting a down payment on a new (or new used) truck, getting my kids into an online educational program, taking us all to disney world (the dream vacation we've never had), getting my TUMMY TUCK (so yes, I really DO NEED to lose this weight), and putting the rest away till such a time as I am ready to look at land. I expect the house will sell at some point this year, the housing market is very seller friendly up in AK right now. OTOH, I'm not holding my breath, it will happen when it happens. :dizzy: I think Richard is now regretting the day I stumbled into Rosa at PetCo. Because if I had not met her, there is little to no chance I would have gotten involved in horses - I'd given up completely on that. It didn't even enter my thought process any more. We'd still be plodding along doing what we always did, and I'd have had no big, warm, solid rock of a critter to lean on and cry into when I was trying to deal with my Dad's accident. I would still have that nagging feeling that something was missing, but I wouldn't know what. That feeling is gone now, and I have dreams again. I feel more in touch, more connected to me and reality, less depressed than I really ever have in my adult life. I know what I want to do now. Whether I actually get it all done or not - :^: That remains to be seen, but I have goals. Very cool feeling. And I know this is hard for Richard, and in some ways, I've changed the whole game plan on him. But - he's done the same to me, so... I won't feel too guilty. I do realize it's no one's fault, and if he chooses not to live with me once I buy my house, well .. I can't force him to be with me. I want him to, but can't force. I can't give up the most compelling and incredible motivation to DO something I think I've ever had in my life, however. So .. we shall see what the future holds, as it unfolds, one day at a time. And you're right. It's time for me to bite the bullet and really sit down with Richard and talk about a lot of things. Not in an accusatory way, just try to get both our cards on the table so we can move forward. We've made it through a lot of **** ('scuse) in the 8 plus years I've been down here with him, I think we can make it through this. One way or the other. Ok wow, that was really stupidly long. :D

Hippy - Feel free to step! I dumped that here because I needed perspective, and I was losing mine. I don't think PMS is helping. ;) Night time snacking. That used to be a real issue for me. I started out by keeping a huge tub of cut up fresh veggies - broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc. (I see you're already cleaning veggies, so there you go!) Then if I wanted a snack, I HAD to eat that. That was the rule. After a while I kind of got veggied out, and the need to snack seemed pretty much to dwindle. It still happens once in a while, in which case I'll drink two or three glasses of water and drowned it out. ;) And you know what? It's not petty crap. Things can get hard, and if you need someone to listen, that's what we're here for. I sure as heck dumped my stuff here, and I'm darn glad I had here to come to. I was feeling really lost and very alone. Perspective, you know? If we can help, even if it's just by reading it and giving you a virtual hug, you know we will. *hug*

Erin - Ouch... I truly hate big arguements. I hate the negativity, the exhaustion, the pain. Is there any chance you two can sit down and work things out without the blow up? Just like Happy and Hippy told me to do? ;) In any case, you know you can come here to dump, just like I did. That stamping thing sounds kind of cool! And yes... having something to do and concentrate on can really reduce the "need to feed," if you will.

Lucky - :lol: I was awake this morning because my BF came in to tell me that Artemis is psychotic. *blink* Apparently she has decided he is the grand poobah of the household, and is the one to whom she must grovel. Sadly, her groveling includes submissive piddling. So I was up at 5 this morning cleaning up little piddle trails. I have to admit, he didn't fly off the handle. He was disgusted and peeved, but not overly angry. Or maybe he was just afraid I'd start bawling again. :o And hey! I did go ride last night and it was a wonderful adventure. I'm starting to learn and use some John Lyons approaches to training, and the response from Arashi is really quite impressive. We had great fun last night! We'll be having fun tonight, too! Thankfully the weather has warmed up, so it's much more enjoyable being outside in the evening. *lol* Your husband wants snacks. Hand him a carrot! :devil:

Jolly - Both of your boys? Did I miss something? I'm assuming Chance banged himself up after his shenanigans at the barn the other day, eh? Good going on the workout! I know that can help with the stress level, too. I hope the bank issue isn't serious, and gets resolved ASAP!!

Tracy - Woo !! WTG on the working out! Sweetie.. you have been under SO much stress, it's no wonder you're feeling a little wrung out! Just make sure you don't drop your calories too low, that will drain you, make you weak, and throw your body into conservation mode. If you drop the protein too low, you risk feeling puny, as well. Soapy water!?? Gack! That sounds horrible! What new diet is that? :lol:

Ok. I started using fitday again yesterday because I really need to find out if I'm kidding myself on calorie intake. Now that some of the financial worries have lessened (or will be lessening, and there is hope), I do feel as though I'm much more capable of doing this. I was getting too focused on my job and money, and not enough time was really being spent on my eating and working out. I didn't do good on water yesterday, but food was pretty darn OP. I didn't get to bed till 11, which is BAD. Tonight might not be much better, because Rosa postponed Nickie's lesson to tonight. :tired: But I'm feeling good. Yep. Yee haw.

Hey Everyone!

It's been an off day here since K ended up staying home from preschool due to croupy/asthma breathing/coughing this morning. He's doing better, but he decided to skip dance class tonight since he still has a cough (when he wants some TLC :)). I was doing good on my food until the poptarts grabbed me. I think I'm going to be sending them to Brian's work so they aren't here to tempt me!!! Otherwise, veggie/fruit and waterwise, I'm doing ok. I'm going to go heavy on water and veggies tonight at dinner, so it'll all work out for today.

Raven: :encore: Yippee on the raise!!! I know how waiting for those things can be! And it does nothing to help any relationships! As for me and Bri talking things out. I don't think either of us is at the point where it would help. I think I need to work on me before I go there and dredge it all up again. Especially since I need to figure out if it's us or just me. I have a bad feeling it's me. :( Oh, and what's Fitday?

Jolly: I'm glad you're feeling better today!!! :dancer:

Tracy: :strong: WAY TO GO on the workout!!!

Happy: I hate how easy it is to slip.... I'm starting to have a mentality of "I slipped for this minute, but in 5 I can get back on track". Last night I was going to skip dinner because I had slipped during the day (thought about it today too), but decided that i need to nourish my body with the good stuff and it's not worth it to deprive myself of veggies, a bit of meat and sitting at the table with my family. Now, wanna pass some chocolate? ;) I have been craving it for DAYS now and don't have any! And I'm trying hard to not buy any!!!

Lucky: I have about a total of 650 "items" to do. Not all are a lot of stamping, but I get to be in charge of all the paper for the wedding. I haven't gotten into scrapbooking yet. I tend to get a bit perfectionistic, so I never like my scrapbook pages, but I usually love the cards I do.


Hippy: I have night time eating slips often too. I've been working really hard on gulping water until I feel sick to help keep me from grazing. Not the best way to kill the urge, but it keeps the calories out.

I have to toss our meat in the oven for dinner and run and get Brian now. Hopefully, I'll be back before tomorrow afternoon!!!
Have a good evening Ladies!!!

Morning Girls,

Oh Raven, the dreaded PMS. It's enough to ruin a person's day or several days in my case! I am either such a b*tch that I can't stand myself or I cry at the littlest things :shrug: Gary can tell when I have a bad mood coming on and always says he is going to spend a week with his Mom, I tell him I will gladly pack him a bag :lol: It's a standing joke around here!

I read the posts but can't remember who wanted chocolate but I have some! Yes, I blew it again last night...Brownies. Did I eat just 1? :no: I ate 3. OUCH! I have to get this figured out. I do fine all day, eat right, drink water and I have healthy veggies to munch on but choose to not eat them at night. I think it's because they make me turn :p anyway and by the time I forcr myself to eat them at lunch and dinner I have had my feel. I know there's a solution, I just have to find it. I scrapbook alot so I think I will try working on it in the evening.

Jolly, Happy, Tracy, E, Lucky, hope things are going great for you!

Better get going.....Have a wonderful day!

Good morning!

Lucky! - How goes the new job!?

Tracy - Doing good on the exercise still? How's that soapy water diet going?? :D

Jolly - How's Chance? How are you? Hanging in there?

Erin - I'm assuming K is your son? How old is he? I hope he's feeling better soon! What kind of dance is he studying? I guess he's a little feller if he's still in preschool, eh? Poptarts are evil, made by the devil, I'm sure of it. :devil: I can't keep them in the house. I know what you mean by "working on me" before you start the conversations. I hate to just be over emotional and jump the gun on something without really thinking it through. There are so many sides to things, and I know that I have my problems, too. And I hate finger pointing and excuse making, especially if its me doing it. I truly love Richard. He's been a rock for me when I needed it, and he's been the one man in my life who I felt like I could be myself around. And yes, the raise will help SO much. Richard has really been financially helping out far more than he should have to when it comes to me and my kids. And with never a comment, either. He's a good man. We have our issues, but who doesn't? I just don't want things to deteriorate to the point where the issues overwhelm the good parts of the relationship.

Hippy - You know, when I was on birth control pills, I didn't have PMS at all. And my periods were literally about one day long. But I also had the sex drive of a rock. Which is a mixed blessing, considering everything..... :p I stopped taking the pills in November, and my body is starting to readjust, so I'm out of practice with this hormonal surge thing. And yep, I was in the crying mode. It seems to have dimmed down a little today, but yesterday and the day before... sheesh. What a pain. Somtimes it's such a puzzle to find a plan and a routine that works well for us. A tweak here, an adjustment there, but if you keep trying, you eventually stumble on the right answer.

Which brings me to my latest tweaking. I've been having a real problem at night, too. Which is unusual for me - I mean, I had issues with just boredom or emotional snacking, but not the serious hungries. These last couple weeks I hit dinner like a starving person, and overeat. Even when I'm really careful to eat enough calories during the day, and especially on days when I go out to the stables after work. One of the things that I had been doing differently this time is that I was eating breakfast shortly after I woke up at home. Well, I know that is conventional wisdom, but it doesn't work for me. That starts my eating too early in the morning, and because I eat dinner so late on those days, by the time we eat I'm ready to chew the leg off the dining room table. So I'm going back to what was working, whether it's "bad" or not. I'll drink my coffee with skim milk in the morning, then when I get to work, I'll eat my oatmeal. That really helps, and it pushes back the meal times a couple hours so that by the time dinner rolls around, I'm not as likely to overeat because there has been 5 hours between my last snack and my next meal. And I must, must, MUST add in more cardio. I'm fooling myself if I think I can lose weight without the cardio. I'm doing it once a week, I've done that for two weeks, now it's time to add in a couple more times. Period. So tonight I WILL get in bed on time, and I WILL wake up early enough to do a 30 minute cardio workout. And I will do one again Friday morning. No excuses, no whining, no complaining about how tired I am. Just do it. :drill:

Oh .. and this week's muffin must go in the freezer as well. Evil muffin. Nice boss, evil muffin. :devil:

Hope everyone is making it through the week so far ok!! Halfway down!

Hi everyone.

Just popping in real quick to say hello and I hope that you all had a good Wednesday.

My job goes well. I basically just answer the phones, and phone other depots to tell the dispatchers where to send the trucks. And dispatch our trucks out to pick ups, do the paperwork, send it in to head office all that stuff. Mark has been upset that I have been late getting home, as I am the only one in the office and I have to wait for someone else to get there so I can go home, or lock up if noone is there by 5:30.

Raven Artemis is a smart dog if she has figured out who is the grand pobah that she really does have to suck up to. Lose the piddling and just maybe she might win him over yet.

Will pop in later to chat more,

Kathy

Hey all. Well Bill Phillips cookbook looks wonderful and the pictures are really pretty but... Made orange roughy last night. Was ok. Made a beef roast in the slow cooker today - it smelled wonderful - had red wine, onions, garlic, enough seasonings but when it was finally finished I was disappointed to find that it was very bland. I hope this is not a trend :(

Kathy sounds like you have the new job down to a do-able routine. Is Mark upset because you are all by yourself in the office or is it just that you're coming home later and the routine is disrupted?

Raven, I think you eating thinking is on the mark, especially if it works for you. The point of breakfast I think is to just get something in your stomach, kick the metabolism and get the day rolling. If you're eating your oatmeal at work, you're still getting something in. Maybe on your stable days you plan for a bigger lunch or save a part of it to nibble on your drive out. I find that if I have a mid afternoon snack I'm more in control when I'm getting dinner ready. And I totally agree with what you said to Hippy about trying different things, paying attention and finally after much trial and error, finding something that works for you.

Hippy, I made brownies this weekend too. Except I put in extra nuts and used 3 eggs for the "cakelike" ones. They were dry as hay. Which was good because I didn't eat them then. :lol: They are getting tossed on Friday for trash day as they are about petrified by now. Finally, a brownie I can live with!

Erin, good that you are getting back on track again instead of letting a slip up bring you spiraling down. I am attaching the last 3 pieces of chocolate I have here at the house but don't be surprised it they get scarfed by someone on the pipeline before they get over to you. Kellogg's makes a Krave bar that I sometimes use to stem my chocolate fix. It's not exactly dietary but not as bad as real candy either. They have a chocolate one and a chocolate peanut flavor.

Tracy, that's great that you are back into playing tennis again. I am jealous that you have weather you can play tennis in. And what's this with the new soapy water diet? That's not how you do a colon cleanse - hahahaha.

Jolly, hope things are going well with you and that life has calmed down a bit for you.

I'm doing good so far. Pretty much sticking to plan, a few slips but I'm trying. At least I haven't abandoned all hope yet. I am still working on the make it a habit, make it a habit thing. I am feeling more compelled to be good over bad so that's a good thing.

Happy Thursday, we're heading into the deadly tempting weekend. Take a deep breath and steel your resolve or lift that bale, tote that barge or however that goes ;)

And I don't like the clown smilies. Good thing they are short term.