The weather here in montreal went from mild warm to friggin cold...ack! So now I have a cold and I am not walking to work and back anymore...too cold...so now I have to add an extra 20 minutes or so of exercise at home to make up for the hour long walk I would do...darn it...but its just too cold to walk anymore.

I cylced for 10 minutes last night and did the pilates dvd...I just didnt have it in me to cycle for longer...this cold has me beat a wee bit. I will try again to do the same routing except do the abs pilates dvd and longer on the bike.

I ate more cake last night...I had three servings of cake throughout the day...I guess I am lucky it’s the low fat kind...yep...thats funny...saying that chocolate cake with icing is low fat each piece has 210 calories..I had three pieces for a grand total of 630 calories...sigh! but the good thing...I didnt bring any to work like I did yesterday...learned quick not to bring it in because I will eat it. So now I have the evening to make it through with out touching it...I hope my Dad will eat some of it...there is like 1/2 of a cake left. I left it on the top shelf in the fridge...so hopefully he will be encouraged to eat it.

Meal Plan for today
breakfast: carnation breakfast with skim milk
lunch: chicken tikka masala with white rice...about a cup of chicken and 1/2 cup of rice
dinner: beef steak with carrots and maybe salad
snack: banana, yogurt and mixed berries
beverages: water, tea and diet cola

exercise: cycle and pilates

Have a super duper day

Hi Everyone, Things are going ok but I have a bit of a cold. Haven't done much lately as I haven't been feeling great but good enough to work and come home and sleep. Cyan, guess what?? I am coming down to Montreal this weekend for Thanksgiving with my sister!! If you have time, maybe we could meet for coffee (and no cake). She lives 5 mins from downtown in Westmount area. Newie, great to hear from you!! It has been a while and you sound sooo busy. Always blows me away how much you get done--I think I would lose it if I had that much stuff on my plate. I like to take things at a bit of a slower pace I think. Lisa, glad to hear from you too.
Gotta get back to work on my invitations! I am throwing an engagement party for my girlfriend who just got engaged. All of us bridesmaids are putting a fun bash together!!

Cjunk

Hey Cjunk...That would be so much fun....you can call me when you get to town at 514-842-0568. I am always home in the mornings on the weekends..so you can call between 9am and 11am and you will be sure to find me there. after that I usually set off to run some errands. This is gonna be so much fun...I cant wait to meet you. I have a car so its not a problem to pick you up and I am close to westmount...in the plateau actually right off of sherbrook street. So I hope to hear from you soon

hugs

Cyan

oops my real name is Mariette...so ask for Mariette LOL

Oh my goodness, Life is happening so fast! I'm not behind in school....all the house stuff put a wrench in the works. Today I'm taking my dog to my parents house in Liberal, Ks, about 4 hours away. The trip almost got put on hold (for the second time) because my 5 year old broke his arm last night! He was playing on the trampoline and he landed wrong. Poor guy..it's right above his elbow on his left arm. He's getting lots of attention though. We're going to go ahead and make the trip and hopefully I can get caught up on school work on SAturday..

I haven't been monitoring my food very well...but I feel like I'm losing weight...
I bought a pair of 16 jeans and they fit very very well! With room to spare! I'm guessing the jeans are made big? Anyway maybe I've just been too busy to eat lately?

Well, I'm off.

oh..and tomorrow is my birthday! I'll be 29...so this is my last birthday per say...after this, it will just be a celebration of my life and I won't actually get any older!

Lisa

ps...I'm so jealous of you Cyan and Cjunk...I wish I could go and meet you guys also! Have a great time!

Hey Cjunk I didnt hear from you sad ..oh well...hoping you had a wonderful time in montreal.

Thanksgiving was good...lots of good eats but I dont think I over did it. Cold is finally better..stopped taking meds on sunday...and actually cycled last night. I did do heavy duty house cleaning on saturday and sunday so not bad with the physical activity

Hope everyone had a good weekend

take care

Cyan

Well the last week I was sick, this week hasnt been too hot but now its time to pick myself up by the boot straps and start working hard again. I have been unmotivated lately in a lot of things I am doing, especially my weight loss program. So its time to get serious again and focus on doing that. I think it will help me in the long run in other areas of my life.

So no exercise or eating well the last couple of days but that will change right now. I will stick to my meal plan...if I make the time to write it here I will use it...yeesh! ok here goes

Meal Plan for today
breakfast: peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat with metamucil
lunch: tuna sandwich
dinner: oven baked trout with carrots
snack: mixed berries and yogurt
beverages: water, tea and diet cola

exercise: cycle

thats it, have a good day

Cyan

Hey girls...I'm still here. I think life is finally settling down. I never actually went on my trip to my parents house. My son ended up having to have surgery on his arm on Friday to put pins in. He did very well..but it was a challenging day and I hope I never have to send one of my children into surgery ever again. It was not a good way to spend my birthday!

Food wise, I'm doing terrible!! I just can't get on track. I'm so hungry all the time! I need a cyber kick!!! I've been lazy and unmotivated! However, I have an A in school and that feels great !

See you all later!

Lisa

Hi, girls--it's been so long--over a week for sure--I think I last posted on the 6th. I've been so busy. Between regular teaching work, meetings (the school is being evaluated this year), parent-teacher conferences, the usual carting of my own children to lessons, etc., and just day-to-day business, I am just shoving through each day one after another. Last weekend hubby and younger daughter went to Ohio to a model car show (hubby builds NASCAR models), so I was left with teenager--she was grounded for being mouthy, so most of my weekend was being alone--she was in her room most of the time. It was wonderful!!!!! I haven't had that much solitude since I was single, and I loved every minute of it. I'm a person who loves to be alone. Food is up and down--if I am stressed or really hungry, of course I go for the quickest thing, which is usually a cookie or a piece of chocolate. OK occasionally, but it can put on the pounds if I do it too often. Tonight I ate chinese food--I was a bit upset by news at school that parents are trying to interfere with the school (it caused a serious problem last year) again this year, and I ate too much very fast. I guess I won't be eating before bed tonight, because my tummy hurts!! I am really loving what I do this year, even though I am working my bottom off (too bad it's not a literal thing). I wish these parents would just leave the school to the educators. What they are doing is really bad for the kids, the school, and the church. I bought some tops last weekend--size XL. I am pretty amazed. I think the sizes are running bigger than they used to. Weather has become truly like autumn here--nothing like what you are experiencing, Cyan, but the rain and chilliness have started. Well, I am going to get going. I just spent about 3 hours making a big geography test, with pictures and everything, and I am pooped. Also, in about 10 minutes I have to get older daughter from choir practice. More soon. Thanks for being here, even when I'm not.

Well I went to meet with the admission’s rep from the nursing home...She is a very nice woman might I add, very professional and answered all of my questions. For reinforcement, my friend who is a doctor accompanied me and she councelled me and my Dad to wait until a room is available in the alzheimer’s ward....so my Mom is on the waiting list for a room there. I feel so much better about this....the other floors were not for my mother...the patients there were mostly bed ridden, wheelchair bound and very frail physcially. My Mom is full of energy..much like the the patients in the alzheimer’s ward at the nursing home are. So the admission’s rep also agreed once I described my mother to her that the alzheimer’s ward is the place for her and not the other floors of the nursing home.

So now its back to waiting for a space to become available on that floor. And if there is ever the case where My Mom gets worse very fast, she will be placed in any ward....worse case scenario. So thats it for now...We continue things as they are. I am happy about that because my Mom still knows who I am and that she is at home. It would break my heart to put her in with physically very sick patients who’s mean age is 85. On the alzhiemer’s ward, the mean age is 55 years old. A huge difference for her and there are more nurses and people to watch them.

As for me, a huge weight of guilt and sadness has been lifted. I am so thankful to my friend Bernadette...who is pregnant and a busy doctor...for taking the time off to come with me...she is also coming back with me when I meet next with the chief nurse at the nursing home to talk about my mom and explain her case. Bernadette says we need to put a face on my Mom’s case so that she is not forgotten and placed in the alzheimer’s ward.

Bernadette is my angel on earth right now and she has helped me be strong in my moment of weakness, if it were not for her, I would have felt pressured to put her in the nursing home this week on any floor instead of wait for the right floor for her.

So now I will go back to my usual schedule of work, trying to lose weight ...so here goes

Meal Plan for today
breakfast: peanut butter in a bun
lunch: deli sandwich with side salad
dinner: roast beef with potato
snack: 5 halloween chocolate candy..yes I know...bad.

Have a good day

Cyan

I am so glad, Cyan, that you have such a good friend there to help you and give you the advice and love that you need. That is so important for us women to have.

I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I am just doing one thing at a time and trying not to look to far into the future (like minutes) so that I will not become overwhelmed. Our house still has not sold. I am getting tired of living with the in-laws even though they have been very nice. I really really really need my own space. My own kitchen. My own everything. Sadly...or maybe not...I really miss my right to leave things messy if I so choose. Does this make sense?? I have definitely learned alot about myself so far in this ordeal. By realizing the differences in myself compared to my mother-in-law. I actually think I like myself better now.

Well, food wise... I just can't seem to get into the groove. I keep telling myself that I should just keep eating the way I'm eating and then just exercise but I haven't done that either. My excuses are...(1) I have a horrible case of plantar fasciitis..(2) My back is in horrible pain..went to the chiropractor yesterday and felt great...until this morning...probably need to exercise to help it (3)It's starting to get cold now and I don't want to get my baby out in the cold...(4) I don't have time

Are those good excuses??? I need some motivation!!!!! I'm begging!!!!!!!

Lisa

I'm back again!! Cyan--sorry I didn't get a chance to see you in Montreal. We ended up going down basically for about one full day so it was taken up by visiting. We plan to go again sometime so I will definitely get in touch!

I am in a friend's wedding party and I got measurements done for the dress and discovered that I have gained an inch and a half in my waistline---Yikes!! Amazing how it creeps up on you when you can wear hip-hugger jeans and dress pants all the time. Time to get back into shape!!

My measurements are now as follows:

39 bust, 30 waist, 42 hip

I think my bust size went up a bit with my waist too. Ski season is coming up soon. Just registered for an evening ski pass at a local ski hill for some exercise. We are booking a British Columbia ski trip to the mountains for February. I need to get to the gym to get my quad muscles back into shape so I can actually ski and also get my waist into shape too!!

Cyan, I am so glad that you have such a great friend who can give you both friendly support and free advise from an educated standpoint. I imagine it gives you peace of mind. Try not to be too hard on yourself for letting your diet and other areas of your life go lately as I imagine that thoughts about your mom and your family have been the most important item on your agenda for the next little bit. Use exercise as a diversion instead of a task to plan and you may find it a bit easier.

Newie--you are always so busy!! I have no idea how you manage to fit it all in but I think it is amazing that you can do so much. I can understand why parents try to get involved in their kid's education. After all, it is their children and parents have a responsibility to ensure that they are getting what they need in terms of education. In Canada, our system is great but occasionally there are some teachers who are not after the interests of all the kids in their classroom--one bad apple spoils the bunch--although I know you are not one of them some parents are very cautious these days understandably.

Lisa-It must be challenging sometimes to share space but it sounds like there have been some positives in the situation as well. I am going to give you a bit of a kick though and say that injuries and all, there are many forms of exercise where you can participate without pain in a graduated way. It's a matter of modifying your exercise to something like say aquafit etc. It is manageable. On that note, I haven't exercised much lately so I am not good at practicing what I preach!! So a big CYBER KICK to BOTH OF US!!

Gotta go,

Cjunk

Well I am crawling my way back down...this morning I am at 161.5 down from 163 earlier this week...so that is good news...I goal is to see 159 by sunday morning and then start anew from there. I am not going to lose and gain the same friggin’ pounds any more!!! Here me speak body...NO MORE

Yes you are right Kimberly...I have to stop having those halloween candies...so I wont have any today.

I cycled last night for 20 minutes and pretty much stayed on track with the eating...I have to slowly scale back on the calories...lately I cant seem to eat less than 1500 calories...the foods that I choose add up to about 1500 cals...so starting next week I would like to do a 7 day varried cal intake ranging from 1600 cals to 1200 cals ...just to keep the body guessing. So that means planning out a week of meals to make sure I meet those criteria.

So lets see...monday will be 1200 cals, tuesday will be 1400 cals, wednesday will be 1200 cals, thursday will be 1500 cals, friday will be 1300 cals, saturday will be 1600 cals, and sunday will be 1400 cals. Let see how this will work for me.

Oh My friend invited me to go to a Sauna Yoga class...you do yoga in a very hot room...you are supposed to sweat lots...So I will give it a try this saturday if she is going. I will keep you posted.

Meal Plan for today
breakfast: carnation breakfast with skim milk
lunch: frozen meal...lasagna
dinner: frozen meal....individual size pepperoni pizza
snacks: lipton cup of soup
beverages: water, tea and diet cola

exercise: cycling

Yes I know, not the best meal plan today but I dont feel like cooking, so frozen food will have to do. It adds up to 1535 calories and 61 grams of fat. Fat is too high but I really want the pizza...I will have to think about this...maybe I will have something else for dinner.

Ok have a good weekend

Cyan

I get to work and someone has messed around with my computer!! One of my monitors is not working and I just got it...its a 19 inch flat screen sony monitor and it is not working...Also, I was disconnected from the internet...very fishy...My boss is back from Vegas so he should be in soon and I will ask and see if he did anything to my computer...but I suspect it was the cleaning guy.

So this weekend was good for exercising...I did Mosksha Yoga...Hot Yoga...wow....It was very hard but I felt great afterward..I am going back next saturday to do it...wooohooo

I also cycled and did pilates...Food was good...stayed pretty much on plan so I am so hoping to see a loss by this friday...saturday the latest...the challenge is to stick to plan all week long....I should be motivated cause I am getting ready to go to Vegas this january for a business trip and one of my client is VERRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY CUTE and single....and did I say HOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTT Anyway, I wanna look my best...Did I say that he is underwear model HOT!! ok...anyway, he will be there...so that is motivation for me to finally lose these last 20 pounds and get into tip top shape....heheheheheh

Food Plan for today
breakfast: carnation breakfast with skim milk
lunch:homemade lasagna
dinner: chicken with mixed green salad
snack: carrot juice and another piece of fruit
beverage: water, tea and diet cola

exercise: cycle

Have a super duper monday

Cyan

Hey Cyan--Nice new pic!! I would love to hear more about this HOT Guy!!! Congrats on keeping your exercise plan going!! I must say that the one day I spent in Montreal, I found that so many of the women there are so skinny it is like being on "Friends." A little bit warped compared to the rest of Canada, so I have to say that it might be a tough place to try and diet with all the skinny's around all the time. Seems like most live on cigarettes and coffee. Was that a bad observation or accurate???

Hope everyone is doing well! Not much going on here--weekend flew by because I worked on Friday until late at night. Kind of feeling a bit burned out and trying to slow my weekly schedule down a bit. Too many appointments!! No time for me. Gotta take some time for me before I lose my smiles!!!

Talk to you all soon,

Cjunk

Hey gals! Posting has really slowed down a bit for all of us it seems, but we're still here and it's nice to hear from you.

Cyan, nice pic! You are gorgeous!!! You'll have no problem at all snatching that hot guy in January!!! He won't be the only underwear model when you get done!!

Cjunk, when is the wedding and how is it going? You need to send pics of you and the sweetie!

Well, today is Monday. Mondays are my clinical days and today was our first day in the hospital for our Critical Care rotation. It was an orientation day mostly and it was SOOOOOOOOO boring! It was hard to not be home because baby is sick and then later on when I called home, hubby hadn't gotten my daugter to the bus on time. He just slept the morning away. Luckily he got her to school on time. He also came to the hospital at lunch so I could breastfeed the baby and such. It's a rough way to start the week because for the rest of the week, I'll just be trying to recover and catch up. I went to the grocery store and spent almost $300. I didn't just get groceries though, I got some new nursing bras and a slip and a girdle. I'm tired of looking pregnant.

Food wise..of course today being the beginning of the week, I was all ready to get a fresh start. I had mixed fruit for breakfast and some boiled egg whites. Then, when I got to the hospital, our NEW clinical instructor had brought Krispy Kreme doughnuts and they were sitting right next to me. ARGH...of course I had one...and since you can never just have one...I ended up having 3 more!!!!!!!!!! I had Taco Salad in the shell for lunch...and of course..I ate the shell...and then I had baked chicken and green salad for dinner. Oh yeah...after lunch..our clinical instructor had sugar cookies with frosting for us. He's just trying to be nice...and so I didn't insult him...I ate 3 cookies as well. Hopefully all the walking up and down the hospital halls did some good. I bought good food for the rest of the week and I have a good plan.

Well got to go. I have to give my son a bath...I can't wait for the cast to come off of that broken arm!!!

Lisa