hello everyone,
today was a snow day! well half a snow day for me. i didn't get in to work until 12pm. the roads were terrible this morning so i had to turn around and make my way back home until they plowed the roads. i did the 2 mile walk this morning. still feeling rather blech though.
holly- your menu sounds great, i also have noticed when i stopped planning all those little snacks for myself, i didn't want ot graze all day. hmmm learn something new everyday! i like your self challenges! you can do it! good luck tonight at the WI.
spores- glad you were able to sift through my words and come out on the positive side. i think really just being aware of what choices we make is a good thing, a really positive step in the right direction. good luck looking at your choices. it is all doable you just have to find what works for you.
mychoice- great job with no seconds! it is tough at times, starting a new semester at school and still settling into your new job are really rough. you can manage it though! keep looking forward!
girlie- that is so great that DH is working out with you! it feels so good to have support. i wouldn't worry too much about what he is eating after, just the idea of him supporting you is great! keep up the good work girl!!
judy- welcome! hop right in! psycological food issues haunt me too, the fat cells aren't any help either. looking forward to getting to know you. we're all in this together! and we'll make it to 199, just one step at a time. good luck!
debbie- it is really interesting the snacking issue i mean. i was always under the impression i needed something every few hours to keep me going, in reality i just don't. good luck with the fast food issue! it is a tough one.
Good Morning All
Thanks for the good thoughts about my Dad. He is home again after aggressive antibiotics in hospital and there seems to have been no problems with his heart as a result. The pneumonia is starting to clear. I have been reading about the sacrifices we all make for our families and careers. It is true. We all make choices for SO's in our lives (including careers) that effect how we treat ourselves. That is why my New Years Resolution was to get healthy w/o pressure. If I lose weight as a result...great but the goal is to take care of me and my family's health. To that, my answer is get my family on board. I found myself making two meals at dinner, one for kids and one for me and DH. Now I make one healthy meal that everyone must at least try. If they don't like they can have a bowl of semi-healthy cereal or make a peanut butter and jelly on ww. To my surprise, I have met with no resistance. The kids will just as easily sit down to a chicken, rice, and veggie dinner instead of a chicken nugget and fries. They will eat baby carrots and apple wedges as easily as chips or cookies as an after school snack. They actually get excited about the "new" thing they get and are learning what foods are healthy and which not so much. I love that I can set the example and set the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy eating. It's my job and the last thing I want is adult kids with the same eating problems as me. It does take a lot more time to do the healthy thing and I work mostly from home so I can't imagine how difficult it must be for all of you working full time and then some. Sorry- rambling here. It seems as though everyone is really looking at the whys and hows of making a plan work for them and thinking about ourselves a little more. This is a crucial step toward a lifetime change and that is TERRIFIC. Thinking about just me is really hard for me BUT if I don't take care of myself I won't be here to take care of my family. I love the positive energy from all of the posts.
I wish everyone the best day ever and the strength to do something good for yourself!
Suzy
DH grumped because I washed his work shirt. Whatever. DS is in a MAJOR quandry because there is soup available at school for lunch today.What if the other kids dont get it. What if he doesn’t like it. Whatever.
Kids are bickering over who had the blanket first. There are only 5 available.Whatever.
I wieghed in and was up 4 lbs. I know it is water. I have had a week of PMS and spotting. Things are flowing now. It is still depressing to see the #. I have been so tired. Iron is probably low(had steak last night). I went to bed at 9 last night. Had a good sleep. Had an adventurous dream. Beach, cruise ship, hiding out from bad guys..........
3 kids this morning til 12:30. DD is going for a play date. I am picking DS up from school and taking him for N.E.T. ( neuroemotional treatment). It is a combination of talking through stuff, pressure points, massage and essential oils. I helps him. It helps ME. I wish we could afford it all the time.
The new book club is meeting tonight. We will decide the format, times etc.... I am curious to see who has signed up. You see the same people around town. Who are the bookworms???? LOL.
I will focus on water, fruit and veg today!!!!
10 min til the bus and then a 1/2 hour of peace. I will chit chat then.
Good morning. I feel really bright today. I'll explain!
When I was at 60 minutes my DH came in to the gym and got on the elliptical next to me. I finished up and took my shower and he was still there when I was ready to leave. I was so proud of him. He says he's really starting to like the elliptical. It feels very unnatural when you are not used to it, you just have to get used to taking the strides and it gets easier and it did for him. I was so proud of him that I went to the grocery store after I left the gym and bought a few things to make him reduced fat biscuits and gravy. It's so good to see him there and I hope he keeps it up. Seems like this schedule (of being a FT student) is working for him. His classes are at night, so basically he comes home from class and stays up all night, goes to the gym with me and then goes to bed while I'm at work.
I did a good job at the gym today. My usual 65 minutes, but I'm trying to get in more distance/strides. I went my longest distance today which was 5.2 miles. I usually finish around 4.8-5 miles so that's a good accomplishment. I'm going out to dinner with a friend tonite and I'm kind of dreading the menu. I know I love the chicken tenders at this place, and I will probably get them, so I'm taking it easy today. I'm going to sub the french fries with a veggie instead and bring home half the tenders. I brought a Lean Cuisine salmon and orzo entree for lunch today and carrot sticks, FF pudding and the 100 cal pak of Oreo crisps. I was running late and didn't really eat breakfast although I did have a bite of DH's biscuit with gravy.
Susie:
I love your story about the singer! Yes, woman, you still got it!
Jodi:
I think the snacking issue varies with people. I mean, they say that it's best to have six small meals/snacks each day. I find that I have to munch and I let myself, as long as I've planned it all in. I think I got that from when I was doing Weight Watchers. I still keep a lot of things I learned in the program in mind. Some people have trouble with portion control at meals...I find that I don't really, I can't eat that much at one time...I'm not a binge type eater...I just feel like I have to eat often, so I go with the way my eating style is and work with it.
Suzy:
What you are doing for yourself and for your family is GREAT! That's a great way to make total lifestyle changes and I totally commend you for it! I'm so glad you're not getting any resistance!
Holly:
Your weigh in will get better. I hate stupid TOM! For me, it's a hard time for exercise and weigh ins as well. Your DS sounds very emotional and I'm glad that the NET works for him. Just curious, has he been diagnosed with anything, or is he just very emotional in general?
Hope everyone has a good day. Oh, I have to explain why I feel so bright. Lane Bryant website has a lot of good stuff on sale and I bought a few sweaters and the most flattering pair of knit pants I've ever had - they are black and boot cut and I just feel good in them with my heels I bought a cardigan/shell set in a lime green color. DH says this color looks so great on my caramel colored skin. I just feel very bright. I bought a sweater that's almost fuschia, a jogging top that is pink and grey with matching bootcut grey workout pants, a berry colored cardigan and a bright pink scarf/belt. I'm trying to put more color into my wardrobe. I'm always so drab. I am wearing dangly earrings and DH was making fun of them yesterday. He was looking at them again today and I said, "are they really that ugly?" He said no, he's just not used to seeing me wear things like this...he said, "you look like...a girl..." LOL Well, that's the point eh?!!!
PS, if anyone is looking for a few new things, LaneBryant.com has a good sale going on. They have grey workout pants in petite that are bootcut that fit just fine...and they are on sale for $10 or $15. It's always so hard for me to find that stuff. Also all the long sleeve tees are $6.99, etc. If you find stuff you like, I have a coupon code for 25% off your order if you want it!
I have had DS to tradtional and holistic Docs, therapy..... there is nothing technically wrong. He is VERY emotional, sensitive, insecure, anxious and yet very busy, social,sporty, loud, fast, fun ......... He has always been this way. Any change is a set back. We have been blessed with wonderful teachers and coaches so far. He is great at home usually but when there is something coming up it all stirs up. It is all about reinforcing, teaching, not losing my cool.......And not accepting the bad behaviour.......
It is a hard journey in a lot of ways because it is daily and endless for now. Every day ,for 6 years of some drama is exhausting.
He is also very sweet, compassinate loving and VERY popular with the other kids.
Hi all. Am in the throes of exhaustion, so will be brief. New classes starting, old classes continuing (I teach at two schools; one with semesters, one with trimesters, and it gets very confusing), failing students crying and trying to tell me why i should give them a break after not turning in ANY work for four months (!), bf's new promotion at work keeping him busy and too exhausted to pick up my slack, and the cold has now definately taken hold; I feel like my head's a balloon. So I'm going to give myself a break. Not worry about exercise or writing down food or journaling or all the stuff I'm supposed to do. Just flop on the couch with my book (does anyone else like David Foster Wallace?), some tea, and a ton of water. Trying to do this whole "listen to what your body needs" thing.
Thanks to everyone for the insights and info in all your posts -- keeps me going! I'm just amazed at everyone's lives and struggles and attitudes, and how we all keep finding ways to do what we need to do.
Holly:
Thanks for the update on DS. It's got to be so frustrating at times! I hope that I can be a good mother like you are! I guess when babies are born, out with the baby goes any bad tempers and you automatically get a whole lot of patience! I definitely don't have a lot now!
Spores:
Hope you feel better. I haven't gotten sick in the last year I don't believe. When I start to feel anything coming on, I get a couple of bottles of Simply Nutritious "Mega C" juice by Knudsen's and drink hot tea and konk out early.
Seems to work, so I'll take it...anything than getting sick.
I had flashes of social anxiety last night.
First ,I will say that the Book Club’s first meeting was excellent. I was excited and thrilled.
8 people showed up. 1 man. I knew 1 woman from church the rest were strangers. I was the youngest by about 15 years. We brainstormed ideas of how to run it. We will meet once a month,all read the same book. We will take turns “hosting” the evening and providing a snack. We all threw out suggestions of titles or Authors and then put them all in a bowl. We picked 4 out for the next 4 months. Very cool.
Our first book for Feb is Fall on Your Knees- Anne Marie Mac Donald then Mar- Life of Pi- Yann Martel, Apr-Robertson Davies-your choice, May- No Great Mischief- Alistair McLeod.
After I got home I had embarrassing flashes about how I was at the meeting. I am not sure my feelings are accurate but I had them anyhow. I was excited and animated.I talked about different books and things, as did other people. I had a great time while there. Now I am second guessing my behaviour.
I haven’t felt this way for a few months. It kind of snuck up on me.
The background to this is a couple of years(around the time I had DS) that I went through a lot of personal and professional change. I had a few major things happen where I was personally attacked for things beyond my control.I didn’t have the experience to handle it as well as I could have.I was very involved in a women’s support and business group. I taught seminars on female entrepeneurship, put on big fundraising events, had a small amount of local acclaim.... Then with closing my business,making the family choices I did, people drifted out of my life. It was a lonely time. I did reunite with some old friends and had a couple of good years. Last year one friendship blew up, it turned out this woman had had serious jealousies, insecurities about me for 10 years and had been dishonest in her friendship.That stirred up a big whirlwind of issues in the whole crowd, people took sides etc. I walked away from all of it. Very lonely once again. The upside of this was that DH and I rediscovered each other on a more friend basis instead of being gerbils in a wheel working our asses off for our family. We became close friends with a family in our community here and were making all kinds of plans for camping etc for last summer and then the husband was killed in a car crash. We are still very close to the family but again the dynamic has changed. I had babysat for an awful family last year and dealt with terrible guilt from letting them go. Then they gossiped about me.
It has been a good few months of building confidence and letting go of anxiety and being more secure in my own identity.I have made several lifestyle and personal changes that have improved the quality of my life and that of the family as a whole. Everyone is pretty happy. I have never marched to the drum of the “norm”. I married a quirky guy. I am content with who I am.
I really love that we have started a book club in our community. I was excited about how well it went. I think my fear is about blowing it somehow for myself. I know I cant control everything around me. I can control myself though.
The people who tend to not like me are rigid or have a lot of insecurities. It is their issue but it still hurts me. I am not a bad person. I am vibrant and social. That is just who I am. I like to talk. I am very open. Is it wrong in a group(club) setting for me to be this way? Should I hold back a bit and observe? Do I jump in and be my usual self? What if I am not liked? I realy liked the people who were there. I dont want to blow it because I have a big mouth or weird ideas. *sigh*
I will meditate this aft at nap time.
3 kids here today.Had a good morning with my crew. DS has a special “boys day” Japanese style at school. Very excited. He ate his soup yesterday and the world didn’t end. LOL.
DH is staying in London tonight to install a dishwasher, pick up car parts and visit with the guys. It will be nice. I am gald he is getting out more. In the beginning he still acted like a bachelor which was not okay. Then it was moderate social stuff and lately he is just hanging at home. I tried to get him to go out for pickup hockey with some of the other dads. At least he is seeing some friends more. Ya gotta have more than work and kids in your life!!
I am feeling better physically today. I usually dont have any pms at all except that I cry at tv commercials the day before, LOL. It’s been more than a week of odd stuff going on. I will watch for it next month. I am fine today.
It’s friday, wow. Not much going on. A late hockey game tomorrow. SS on sunday.
I still need to finish DH’s books. I will putter at that. Nice.
Have a glorious day. it is -36C here but the sun is shining.Yippee!
Holly -
I'm SURE you were AWESOME at the meeting! Don't second guess yourself. Just from knowing you on the boards I know we'd all say that you are very confident and have great ideas and have a strong will - so I can guarantee you that you kicked butt at the book club meeting!
I kinda understand how you feel - when I was in college I did poetry readings and was much more social and outgoing and I'd just go up to complete strangers and talk to them (that's how I met DH!). Now though, I'm so much more hesitant about something like a poetry reading - I wonder if my style will suck, if my writings are boring or if no one will "get it", etc. Back then I was so confident in that way! But I know that we all still have it in us. And I'm sure you did a great job!
Today was a day when I almost didn't wake up! I mean, I turned off my alarm, but it was just one of those times when I could have closed my eyes for a moment and never gotten up. But I thought about how well I've been doing and even if I don't lose weight this week, I'm in a great routine and am making exercise a part of my days...and how I'd just ruin it if I didn't get up today. So I did. I did my routine and I felt good.
Usually I'd skip Saturdays, but we're going to a Scottish dinner tomorrow night to have haggis and listen to bagpipers and I want to do a little workout to help defray those calories since I weigh in on Sunday. I'm nervous about it. We want to feel that our efforts are doing something and we get that validity from the scale instead of the smaller everyday successes like we should!
YUM! Haggis. Yummier yet, men in kilts playing bagpipes. MMMMMMMMM!! Lucky Girlie!!
You are the workout queen!!!
Spores~ how are you feeling today?? Rest is underrated!
Suzi~ I LOVE your resolution. I have ALWAYS cooked balanced "grown up" meals. The kids eat most of it. DD is pickier. But I dont cater to them. We have a "kid" meal once a week, like mac and cheese or fish and chips.My kids love things like hummus, shrimp, and curry..........
It is tough to change the old ways. Good for you for sticking to it! Glad your Dad is home and on the mend.
Jodster, Debbie, Susie, Susan,Judy..... Whats' up? How are you all doing??
Hi Everyone,
It's so good to get here. I couldn't make it yesterday and all I could think about was what you ladies were up to.
I just got up about a half hour ago. I never sleep this late, but I really do think I'm tired. I've noticed that when I'm tired I tend to overeat.
We had a lot of snow here in Ohio on Thursday (with more promised for today), so I didn't get to go to my TOPS meeting and weigh-in because it was cancelled.
Today I'm planning on catching up on some housework and then my magazine reading and letter writing. I'm sort of looking forward to the bad weather they are saying we will get today, it's an excuse to stay in and not go anywhere.
Holly: About your behavior at the book club; Just be yourself! You are wonderful the way you are. I'm a very social person also and I get very excited about new things; sometimes that weirds people out..you know what..that's their problem. I'm excited about the book club for you. I would love to be involved in something like that, but with school I can't commit to it. I love to read, it's the one thing that I truly relax at. Thanks for sharing the titles of the books. I'm writing them down, so that when summer comes, I have some books to put on my list to look for and enjoy.
Girlie: I love Lane Bryant. I think I have a pair of those pants you described and I love them!
Suzy: I don't have kids, but I don't eat a lot of grown-up meals. You've inspired me. I'm going to try to start preparing at least 2 a week (and then I'll have the leftovers for lunch..that's a great idea!).
Jodi: Aren't we having lovely weather here in Ohio? Glad to see that you are feeling up to exercising again.
Spores: Hope your head is feeling better. You would love having me for a student. I'm the type that obsesses about having things turned in on time! and I try to never miss a class..the reason being is that I have to be there every time or I don't understand what's going on. Right now I'm a 4.0 student. I work very, very hard to keep that. People say I shouldn't be so worried about getting A's, I don't work hard to get the A's, I work hard to understand what I'm learning and to pass the class...the A's are just a by-product of that attitude.
I hope everyone has a good day. I'm hoping to check back in later in the day.
It's been a few days since I've posted, Had broncitis. Feel better!! Well, I did my weigh in and only lost a pd down to 249.One pound is better than none I say. For all of you folks where it's snowing, Glad I live in the deep south, to me 50 is cold Ha! Ha!. Hope the sun shines soon and you warm up.
Girlie: Yes, fluids and vitamins and sleep. I also heard there’s a product called Airborne that’s supposed to help with colds...will have to check it out. I know what you mean about readings. I do poetry readings and improv acting, and every time it is the old “what if I say something stupid” thing. But the more I do it the more I figure, “who cares? at least i did it.” And I know what you mean about not getting up...I slept til noon yesterday! I am giving myself a break since I’m still a bit sick, but getting up on my day off is hard. Friday and Sunday are my only days off, and since my bf goes to work on Friday, it is easy to sleep the day away, and then I feel all awful and angry with myself for wasting the day. Funny thing is, my dad also does this on weekends. So I guess there’s a family pattern to look at. Sometimes getting out of bed is the biggest challenge for the day. PS: Haggis? I heard an NPR report about someone going in search of good authentic haggis...I must say, I can’t quite see the appeal, myself! Sheep stomach, right? Ag, not for me!
Holly: Wow, good for you for getting out there and starting a book club! I myself do the same thing you described: feeling very good during a social encounter, and then later going back over it and feeling dumb about it all. I think that whenever we let our guards down and really engage, we have to turn off that internal editor voice that wants to say “no don’t say that; that’s dumb” et cetera. So then when we leave the encounter, the editor voice pipes back up!
Susie: You are so right: school is about getting something out of it for yourself, and if you are really engaged, A’s are the natural result! I am always trying to get my students to understand this, but the younger ones are still in that have-to-go-to-school mentality. I started a class today that is mostly people over 35, and it is SO refreshing to be in a room with people who want to be there. They actually took notes when I lectured! Hm, it occurs to me that I should be applying this lesson to weight loss: it’s about the experience and feeling good and healthy, and the natural result will be dropping numbers on the scale.
sueisme: Congrats on the pound! One pound is a huge success! Yay!
Thanks all for the well-wishes. I feel better today and am looking forward to getting back on the horse. My treadmill should be here next week!
Trading Spaces tonight is a special called Trading Castles? Guess where? Scotland. They are decorating rooms in castles. I am very excited.
A major blizzard is happening just south of us. We are getting the wind. I drove to the city for the good grocery deals. Whoosh, they had a foot of snow. I am still thrilled to have all the 2 for 1 deals on shrimp, chicken breast, organic salad greens, mushrooms, onions,carrots, grape tomatoes....... Yummy! I had a delish salad for supper.
Hockey was canceled ,so all 4 of us hung at home today.Very nice and relaxing.
Spores~ glad to see you are up and about.Why are we so hard on ourselves??Most people are kind and good. The schmucks aren't worth it. Take care of yourself.
Susan~ Congrats. Nice and steady. You are awesome!!!!!
Susie~ your day sounds devine. You put in a long hard week. Sleeping in and relaxing is allowed!! LOL!!
Girlie~ how were the boys in kilts? Yum. I am hoping to sneak a peek at a few tonight. LOL! Seriously though, how was your night out??
