Happy July, Chickies!! Well, ok, technically it's still June, but I don't know if I'll have time to do this tomorrow. So tonight it is.

Tomorrow is the big move. I am tired of being tired, tired of being stressed, tired of eating yuck food, tired of not working out. I'm getting the horses moved here, and then things are going to get back on track. The only goal I've got right now is to just get back into eating right and working out. I don't really care about workout goals other than I just need to start doing it. Whatever "it" is. As far as eating goes, I realize that a big problem I run into is total boredom with food. Now that I'll have a little more time in my days without that huge commute to see the horses, I can start exploring some new recipes. LindaT has some wonderful ones, plus there's that Chili's Carribbean Salad... all sorts of stuff, I just need to have the follow through. I'm going to try to leave work early tomorrow, then I will be off for four days. Enough time to make lists for groceries, get errands taken care of this weekend, and get the housework done. And spend plenty of time with the horses getting them used to the new place.

I'm half way through the year. I can still make goal by the end of the year if I quite dorking around and focus. I WANT to make goal. No matter how scary it is, or sometimes how stupid it seems, I WANT it. I guess that means I have to work for it.

The halfway point of the year, Chicks! Lets make the second half count!

Heh all. I'm well into July here. No time to post now. Just want to say I'm doing fine, busy as ever. Will be in touch. Good luck to you all.

Thanks Raven, for the new thread!!

For July, I also want to get my rear back in gear. I think I did really well from March through last month. Last month, I let myself get distracted. So, I want to focus on putting myself in the path of my dreams. To choose faith, and not get stressed out and distracted.

Good luck with the move today, Raven. I hope all goes well.

By the way, I read an article the other day that really intrigued me - triathalon training. Now, first, I would need to be physically able to run again. And, I would have to wait until after the eye surgery, as I have too many problems with leaky goggles. But, if I could do both of those things, how cool (and crazy) would that be? Not the Ironman - Iam not certifiable. But the mini tri's - 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. I don't know. Something to think about

Here's to a good month for all of us.

Morning all,
June was .... well way off kilter for me. I am awaiting the package containing Jolly's industrial strength duct tape and Chachee's bat. Just like a dog shaking off a wet coat of water, I will put an end to my evil ways. Time to truly get the rear in gear again.

My goals for July. Food, water, exercise - all to become a regular, daily routine again. Start slow, build momemtum. Do I dare give a scale goal which always trips me up? Let's just say to end the month weighing less and improve those measurement numbers. Don't let another month slip by.

Again good luck with the move Raven - you must be at wit's end. A mini-tri sounds like an ambitious goal Jolly but you can do it. Would your occasional off shift work hours interfer with training tho? I would think that's something that would take a whole lot of focus. But I'm sure the rewards would be great.

The official BBQ weekend of the summer is upon us. Looks like rain Sunday through Tuesday - so much for fireworks.

I did get word that I will have a job until the end of September when they finally close our office. At least that's 3 months of steady income to find something else. Geez I hate looking for a job - nothing like bringing all your insecurities to the bubbling surface - like trying on swimsuits in front of an auditorium filled with people.

To your other question Jolly, no - oddly enough tho I'm sure I was up at the time, I did not hear or feel anything regarding the earthquake we had the other night. Many people reported a very loud noise - one person said they thought a nuclear bomb went off in downtown Chicago - the noise was that loud. That's why I don't understand how I could have missed it. Did you notice anything?

Well, I've got things to conquer today as we wind down to a long weekend - yay!!!! Here's to day 1 of a clean living month challenge - I'm toasting water of course

Good morning gals!

Happy, we went to Florida, Panama City Beach to be exact. The town itself isn't much but the beaches and the ocean are beautiful. There's something about the white sand that amazes me. We also like the fact that it takes us 11 hours to get there from home so we drive it at night and start our vacation when we get there. I bet you feel a bit of relief knowing that you have a little time to find a new job, hope all works out.

Raven, hope all goes well for you today.

I haven't done very well on getting back on track since I got home. I haven't drank a drop of water and as far as eating I haven't eaten real bad but not real good either. I did grill some squash and to my surprise I can eat it and Jordan liked it. Therefore my goal today is to start filling my water glass and get off of the bread and so on. I keep telling myself the year is almost over and if I don't get on the ball another year will be gone with my usual 20 pounds gone but no more. I definately have to desugar my system after all of the stuff I ate on vacation and all of the daiquries I drank. For me, it will be a big task to take that step and go back to giving up things that I love but it has to be done.

Chach, Jolly, Red, hope things are good for you.

Michelle, my heart goes out to you in your time of need. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Will be keeping her in my prayers.

It's going to rain here from today through Sunday morning. They say it will clear off in time for the fireworks but we shall see.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Good morning, ladies!

July is going to be an aggressive month for me and being totally on program. If I start to slip or fail a little, I am counting on several smacks from all of you ladies. This is my focus month before surgery and I need to make big strides this month. Plus, I wanted to have 50 pounds gone before my mom gets here. I doubt that will happen, as I would need to lose 17.8 this month, so I am going to shoot for 40 pounds gone. I can do that!

Goals:

1. Keep up exercise regiment: 2 mile am walk, 5 times a week; weights three times a week; walking at work on breaks
2. Stay within points range! Use no flex points.
3. No eating after 7:00 pm, if I can help it.

That’s it in a nutshell.

Wish me luck and good luck to everyone else. If we are slipping, let’s get back on track. I need a good support team this month before surgery!

Chach

Heyall. Here's to a terrific month for all of us. I am trying to keep that picture of how and who I want to be center in my mind, and ask myself how do I get to that person. No more slipping for any of us!

Happy, I didn't feel a thing. OF course, last week when there were tornado warnings, Islept through those too. As for the mini tri goal, we shall see. I work out pretty much every day as is, so it would just be a matter of restructiring my workouts to the training program. I have run 5ks, so I know if I get my joints healthier I can do that portion. Maybe not fast, but it is doable. the biking is no problem. I would really have to focus on the swimming. We shall see what life is like after eye surgery.

Off to make an omelet for supper. Catch you all later.

Morning ladies -
The start of a 3 day if not soggy and wet weekend is upon us. Hope the clouds break enough to enjoy the BBQ and fireworks tomorrow. However, you have to figure that once every few years we'll get rained out for the 4th.

Besides the BBQ, I want to spend some time getting organized around the house. There's a better sense of purpose when things are orderly and I'm starting to create my little piles again of "things to attend to when I have time"

Hope you all have a fun weekend - I expect that we all will be talking about how virtuous we are over the next few days, right?

You are funny, Happy. Actually, I am on a better path right now. I keep asking myself, "who and what do I want to be, and how do I get there?" OK. Kind of the long, overweight person's version of WWJD. But I am want to constantly put myself in the path of my dreams and goals, not in the path of triggers.

On a good note, my horse was moving out quite nicely last night. So, my worries about permanent muscle damage are relieved. Just have to finish getting the abscess drained, and we are back in business.

Only a two day weekend for me, but hope everyone else has a great weekend.

Geez that sure is scary about the horse - didn't realize a shot could be that damaging - just as risky as with humans huh? Good to hear that things are getting better for you. Gee Jolly, don't you get Monday off? We'll have to form a workaholics club for you and Red.

I was wondering... if I try to be good and eat right and drink water and exercise and yet I always seems to stray away from those things... if I think the opposite and say I'm going to stuff my face until I burst, sit around on pillows all day long and drink everything BUT water - will I stray the opposite way to goodness? Or would I still pursue the path to become Jaba the Hutt?

Hello Ladies!

Jolly: I'm so glad Chance is okay. That must have been an incredible scary time for you. I loved your WWJD analogy. Lets call it WWSPD? (What would skinny people do?) Works for me. Or WWRD--What would Raven do? Our group leader!

Happy: I'm right there with you on the organization stuff. I did that downstairs, now just going to sell it or donate what doesn't sale. Need to get it out of my house. Virtuous is right!

Hippy: I am also trying to desugar myself. It's amazing how bad a few decision can affect you. I was doing so well, then had the week from **** last week. Well, no more. Lost sight of my big (thin) picture. Not again!

Hi RED!

Okay, I have a NSV for myself to share. (As I think we all should be doing on a semi-regular basis.)

I went out to dinner last night with a friend. We tried a new place--mexican of course. Well, it was Taco Del Mar and it's one of those that you can have them custom make your tacos/burritos/salads. Well, instead of the beef burrito with all the fixins, I had them make me a black bean, rice and veggie taco salad. Had a little guacamole, and lots of salsa. I ate only about two bites of the shell. Compared to what I was going to eat, I saved myself big time! The scales are starting to move back in the negative direction, so I am very happy!

I'm doing our garage sale this weekend and hopefully going to be very active. I almost talked myself out of my morning walk this morning, but the Inner Raven in my kicked my own butt and actually grabbed the puppies and took them along for the walk. They looked at me like, "Woman, don't you know it's 5:15 am? We are suppossed to be in our warm beds, not on this cold pavement!". They kept up and didn't pant as badly as I was after I walked up the hill!

I'm feeling good and motivated, so let's keep it up!

Happy 4th to All!!

Chach

Oh, a friend of mine from another thread might be joining us soon. Her name is Linda and she is awesome! We posted on a WW thread together, but it was beginning to get too hard to keep up with all the threads. I told her I was going to concentrate on my two threads over here and she thought she might join us. I'm sure you will all welcome her!

Hello people. I guess you're all celebrating the Fourth. Happy fireworks! I'm doing OK, busy as ever. Back from the gym, where I trained with weights and then ran for 5K. Using the heartrate monitor is great. I can see where I'd been slacking. Other times, like after a heavy weight-training session, I can see where I don't have to push it so much to get and keep my heartrate up there into the 140-170 bpm zone.

Well, gotta work. It's Sunday night here and work awaits tomorrow. Must get things done.

Sorry not to write much. Hope you're all doing well and enjoying the holidays (those of you who have them)!

Ciao for now!

hiya ladies! warning, a deffinate ramble to follow as i sort things out in my head. sorry i havent posted in so long. i have been struggling, well thats putting it mildly, on whether i was ever going to post again. i had written Raven, Happy, Cachee, and Lucky for guidance , help, a namechange, a hug. but i never sent it. it still sits in notepad. god this is hard, the more i want to open up, i can feel myself closing off. lets approach this a different way.

there are 5 people in this world who truely love me. all of me, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the parts of me that even i am afraid to look at. one is alcant, three our my children. ( due to circumstance within and beyond my control, we are separated. i had at one time touched on this. stating that i am trying to recover from my own personal **** of pain and agony....... welcome to gates of my ****) the 5th is my mother, she doesnt like me ( tons of history here, the emotional and mental we have dealt each other...... ) but she does love me as i do her. we just have no common ground..... cant this is extremely difficult as it is to write. anyway 4 of those people had gotten hurt, very hurt due to a post i had made in this thread. i in know way meant to hurt them but hurt them i did. i take full responsibility and the consequences that come with.

at first i didnt. the first immediate reaction was anger and hurt...... i mean how in the world would my children know of 3fc or that mommie posts here? or their other significant grown-ups? who told them i was here? why would they do that? is nothing in my life private? not even my battle of the bulge? is there no place to go and say whats on my heart or whats happening in my life that wont be used against me? ( are you seeing a theme here........ me.........me..... and more me) i had hoped there was one place i could go and just talk, share a smile or two, encourage, be encouraged.....hide-away is not the word i am looking for but its all i got for the moment. you know a place where stress, tragedy, the major realities of our life wasnt the focus for a little while. i wanted to blame that anonymous person. who? i dont know who it is, but obviously they knows me, my situation, and them. and to whoever you are(if you are reading this post too) i am sorry i aimed all those horrible thoughts at you, dumped this situation, even if only in my mind, on you. forgive me. at the end of the day it was me and my actions that caused all this.

oh and to clarify to any of you still reading this (thank you if you are) to unconfuzzle you the post that caused all this turmoil was the one with my first wedding pics. i had stated that alcant and i were planning 3 weddings. civil, spiritual, and one in the states, for my family and friends that couldnt be here. now my children and mother knew that i would one day marry him. it was just due to circumstances (laws of this country being a major one) that it was sooner then any of us had expected. and i didnt tell them. only god knows why and i am not going to waste any words on this page trying to justify a wrong.

i excell at compartmentalizing (is that a word? and did i spell it right?) i have sections for my family, for my friends, for my social life, for my personal life, for my joys, for my saddness, for my weight loss, for my schooling (an exciting and new opportunity about to begin) for my daily grind, for my dog........ this is an issue i need to work on, a melding of sorts. things just cant be put away and taken out nice and neatly. and if i continue on this venue you will be reading for what another hour? so we will just leave it at that for the time being while i work on this.

what all thes words boil down to is this....... i am not leaving 3fc, rears in gears, you ladies. i am not changing my screen name either. i ams what i ams. i ams not perfect. i make major mistakes (like this one, and even bigger....trust me there have been bigger) and i make a million little mistakes all the time. but inspite of all my faults and failures there are many good qualities about me too. possibly more........we just havent found them yet ~gives them a knowing little smile~ and because i have nothing to hide and obviously cant even if i wanted too <~~ a wee attempt at lightening the moment...... Back to the Basics of this board and why i am here with you ladies!
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for July...... eep sorry gotta go back. i had gotten sick around the 28th of june, so sick i actually let alcant drag me to the doctors. a blecky infection , antibiotics, yada yada...... and yesterday was the first day i was up and feeling much better. due to this illness i lost 5lbs. yay!! thats the most i lost in a week since i started all this back in march. you guys know how i have been just turtling along. maybe this will give my body a jump start.... hopefully this will give my body a jump start? okies first thought....... it was because i couldnt eat, but i am ready too. tum is still jacked up so i am afraid of overloading it to soon. so doing all the soft no worries eateroo`s that you should. chicken soup, egg and toast and have graduated up too no fat vanilla yogurt with itty bitty strawberries thrown in. NOW if anyone has some mild fruits or veggies i could eat i would so appreciate it. make that anything, i need food but i am afraid. i have drank no less the 4 liters of water a day, possibly more i lost count after 4. i knew i needed plenty of fluids and water was the only thing i liked that liked me back. and like i said yesterday i was feeling pretty good and the weather was gorgeous so alcant and i took bosko out for a slow stroll. and what i thought was only 20 minutes turned out to be 40. yes i ended up back in bed but its all good ~grinz n winks~

so i start this month at 192, only 2 lbs away from the 180`s again!! ~please please please~ i will take slow strolls with bosko in the evenings with alcant with me till i feel strong enough, then back to mornings and evenings. my friend shelly brought me a yoga and pilates dvd and after watching them i think i can do it. so i am gunna. i would like to start some core exercises and light weights for my arms....boy did they scare me the other day............shhhhhhh, you dont want to know ~laughing~

i hope everyone had a great 4th of July and i am so glad to be back! 6 months till christmas ladies........ we have a plan, lets do it!! ~rolling her arm thru the air calling out~ whooooooooo whooooooooo whoooooooooo

sincerely,
sassy

Good morning all. Sassy, it is too bad that your family read something that was supposed to be personal, and took it badly. I hope you are able to work things out soon. And congrats on the weight loss, though not on the infection. Take it easy, and feel better soon. Red, congrats on getting back to the gym, and Chachee on taking your babies for a walk.

I had a 3 pound loss this week. 250. Hurray. NOw, to keep the momentum going down down down again. I am behind on my weight loss, so have to make up for a few weeks' slacking. Don't let Bat get too far away, Chachee.

Here's to a great week all.

Sassy - *big hug* I'm glad you stayed. How old are your children? *waving to them if they read this* You know, my daughter reads 3FC. She reads my posts, she reads my journal entries. At first that really bothered me, but now I've forgotten about it and I write what I would write if she didn't read them. Like you, I need a place to be me. The good, the bad, the ugly, the parts I love, the parts I despise. There are parts of me that I hate. I'm trying to change them, working hard to be a good person, a better person, a person I respect. And like you, and everyone, I make mistakes. Sometimes really ugly ones. Sometimes mistakes that hurt innocents. I can't change the hurt thats been done, I can only move forward and try so hard not to let it happen again. That's all we can ever do. Hiding will change nothing. Running away, being so ashamed that we can't face others or ourselves, letting things stop us from trying to be better - none of that will do any good. The only way things change is if they change. And we're the only ones who can change ourselves. I too had to leave my kids for a lot longer than I wanted. 3 1/2 years of agony. They were young, and now I know how things were then, and I hate that I left them. But at the time, I didn't know how bad things were for them. I have apologized to them - repeatedly. They know how much I care now, and that nothing will ever stop me from being with them again if they want to be with me. I hadn't moved out of the country, but it almost might as well have been. One foot in front of the other. I'm glad you're feeling better, and getting back on track. Maybe this will be the month we all pick it back up and get in gear again.

Jolly - on your loss!! That's fantastic!!

I've been dealing with the backlash of emotions resulting from the relief of stress. I've been under so much stress for so many months that now that the pressure is off I find myself falling apart. I cry at anything, snap at my kids, sleep too much, and in general I think I'm just trying to put all these puppies to bed. Finally. The horses are in their new home, they're happy, relaxed, and safe. Artemis is happy in her new home, Shadow belongs to us and no one can ever neglect her health again, or put riders on her when they don't know what they're doing and use her for lessons when she hadn't even been trained.

Nick and I rode yesterday for the first time at the new place, and had a BLAST. Short rides, but it just felt so darn good to be on our horses again. The indoor arena should be finished this week, so that will give us a place when it's raining, barring lessons being given. I found out that the other arena will actually only be the secondary outdoor arena, and they are going to be building one very close to the barn. I'm looking forward to that. So yesterday we rode in what will eventually be a pasture, but isn't fully fenced yet. It was the first time I'd ridden my horse on anything but a sand arena. After much sacking out, he did SO well. I was very proud of him. And Shadow, bless her big ol' stubborn, mule-headed self... was a dream. And is moving free and smooth, no lameness at all. Today I hope to ride again, and perhaps lunge Eve. It's amazing to be able to go to the stables, then come home, eat lunch, do some chores, and then go BACK to the stables again. *lol* What a wonderful novelty. I actually have time to do things besides drive. So I'm thinking this is a great week (payday) to start planning the getting of my rear in gear again. I keep trying, but haven't made it so far. I don't think I have any excuses left, though.