Rears in Gear for the Not So New Year - November
 

Well wow. It's November. Where did my year go? My year to make goal? Where did my motivation fly off to? I won't say this year was a total write-off. Not yet anyway, but it has been a year full of so much that was NOT weight related.

I have two months to do damage control, but realistically, that's about all I can do at this point. It's not as though the end of this year will mean the end of my chance to lose weight, not at all. The new year always brings new resolve, but I just wonder how this year got away from me like it did.

This weekend was so busy, again. Horses, kids, dogs, Halloween, moving furniture, cleaning Machine's room and switching dressers - all left little time for me.

Last night, after the kids got home (they went trick or treating with their dad), Richard got an IM from a woman he works with. Apparently one of the guys he knows from work passed away over the weekend. He was very young, only 29. He had recently gone through the gastroplasty surgery. He had been losing weight and doing really well. His father had passed away recently from complications due to high weight, and he wanted to reduce his chances of dying young to to being massively overweight. No one knows, at this point, the cause of death. His doctor's visits had all been going very well, so there was no obvious cause. Richard made a comment that we just never know when something is going to happen, and I told him that I had realized that and that was precisely why I was pushing so hard to do the things I'm doing. My mother died before my dad and she could enjoy the retirement both of them had worked so hard for. The same thing happened to Richard's father. I don't want to be dying and so sad that I didn't wring every last drop of living out of my life. Maybe Richard will understand that a little bit more now?

I didn't mean to be a downer on the new month's entry. But it has given me something to think about as we start our new month. What will THIS month bring?

Good Morning and Happy November.

Well I guess at this point I will say that I will just have to start practicing now for my New Years Resolution.

Well I must run and get ready for work, but I will post more tonight.

Have a great day.

I don't think you were a downer, RAven. So many of us spending our time waiting for the perfect weight, job, alignment of stars, or whatever to really live. Why wait? We should be enjoying the journey, not waiting to start it. That moment may never come. You weren't a downer, you were giving some much needed perspective.

I too need some damage control. The whole episode with TOPS, plus my own personal demons, really derailed my focus. I have gained 5 pounds. I have gotten my exercise routine back. I did weights this weekend and cardio. I am going to quit the racquetball league, as my ankles have been hurting way too badly afterwards. I just need to get the food back under control. Have money, will eat. Will not have money, will splurge buy on food anyway, just to say "HA!" Anyway. Lots of work to do.

Lucky, hope thihngs are going well. Everyone else, hope to hear from you soon. And here's to a great November for all of us. Maybe we can start thinking about what we are thankful for, and ways to stay sane over the holidays. . .

November is for being thankful for me.

I am thankful for the following:

A lovely family
Good health
A job with a good income
My friends

and...

The power to control where I go with the journey of weight loss.

The last one is where I need to focus my attention. Enough of this stalling. Enough of not moving in the direction I need to. It’s time for a change.

My goals for this month are:

Weigh 210 by month’s end.
Eat within my points
Weekly (only) weigh in on Fridays
Keep up the good exercise.

I can do this because I CHOOSE to do this. December’s goal will be to weigh 199.

Lovely ladies, lets keep our goals at the forefront, no matter what type of goals you have—weight, monetary, work, etc.

Happy November!

Chach

Hi peoples,
Ever the occasional lurker, what can I say - moving is a @#*(%$&@&$*@# - had I known this before I might have kept quiet and never tried to pursue a relocation. There is soooo much to do (have I said this before?). And now that the house is really getting spruced up, I am a bit of melancholy to actually leave it. Still hasn't fully sunk in that I'm leaving anyway tho I do dream about different aspects every night and I am quite nervous about the unknown ahead.

Our house should be going on the market next week, when I see the sign in the yard I guess I'll have to accept that we are really going forward with this.

My eating is a mess - some planned, healthy meals and some last minute on the spot, grab what you can. I'm really feeling the extra weight and all this work and moving around is not making any changes on the scale. I have winter clothes that will be tight and I'm not happy about that but I need a few more weeks before I can really focus on me again. Stop the scale at your current weight and don't let it go any further.

Jolly, I think that was a great point on focusing what we're thankful about this month - thanks for bringing it up. I'm glad that I HAVE a job, benefits are good and there are new adventures to be had. If we do get a house with a pool of our own, I will be VERY happy come next summer. And I am grateful for the support around me.

Sorry to hear about the ankles, but there's no sense in tearing yourself up in a league if you're not quite to snuff yet. Play occasional friendly games if you can and continue to get the good mix of activities that you do.

Raven, the last few months have been a tailspin of activity for you too - mostly unplanned. You have handled it with grace and finesse - settle on your priorities and don't lose sight of your dreams and goals. Sometimes we try to do everything at once, be everything to everyone and some of those things we knock ourselves out for just don't matter in the long run. I hope things settle down for you finally as we wind down the year.

Chachee - you go girl!!!! What an awesome December goal you have set for yourself. And I know you can make it - even if you are baking, cooking, sewing, organizing and gazelling all at the same time. I look at your posts and realize that I too, could be walking in your shoes if I applied myself a bit more.

One of the downers of not having an office to go to anymore is not having any place to dump off the leftover Halloween candy. We only had about 3 dozen kids, I am always afraid to run out of candy tho I should know by now that we just don't get many kids anymore. Most of the stuff I bought I don't like and I will just have to bag up the deadly M&Ms in the bottom of a bag to take to my sister's at Thanksgiving and feist them on some unsuspecting soul.

Lucky, look forward to hearing from you again. Same for Red, Hippy, Tracy and those we have lost along the way.

Don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!!!!!!!!! Take care peeps

~following the lil trickle trail of m&ms.....hey worked for ET he found his way home...........visions of drill sargent raven filling her head, she quickly spins the itty bitty delecatables around. gingerly placing them back upon the path for any other weighward poster to return~

nope nope nope sassy wasnt eating them raven factory rejects....nodnodnod..... these arent even m&ms there w&ws..........look! ~laughing~

hello ladies long time......... life, what a kick in the head eh ~laughing~ good things, bad things, but in all things....... we are here .........Yay us!! just popping on to let you know that i'm back. of the 25 lbs i lost i only gained back 10. which gives me a solid see ya later bye of 15 lbs!! new years eve is just 2 months away and i soooooooo wanna look pretty in a new pretty for the new year! okies so theres some major eating fests coming up....... but i see no reason why we cant handle these like we handled the others that came up.......easter, 4th of july, birthdays, anniversries....yada yada...... and hey TURKEY is good for us! Turkey is our friend!! we can do this. i know we can ladies. i am already scouring the web for good goodies for us gals. so give me a hoot if you dont want to pollute that new, new years resolution!! ~laughing~

and with the new year comes new resolve and all things possible. its going to be a great year for me....big wonderful things happening..........2005 sassy comes alive!! before that i was living a nightmare, barely exisiting, living but having no life. without my children, for me, there was no life. BUT...this past year i have been laying a new foundation in all aspects of my life both internally and externally. and in 2005 i will see my dreams become realities once again!

i am back on the good eating track but i will be goll derned if i can get down the water........ geeeeeeeeez, who would of thought. so thats my november do.....get at least 2 liters of water daily.

i adores you ladies and its good to be back!

sincerely,
sassy

Good morning Ladies

Just popping in quickly as I have to get ready to go to work.

Well it is so nice to see everyone back. Now we just need to hear from Hippy and Tracy.
Pop in Ladies.

Have a wonderful day.

Kathy

Good morning all. I want to repeat what Happy said - VOTE! No candidate is perfect, and all will promise things on the campaign trail that they can't or won't follow through on. But it is so important that we get educated on the issues, and make our voices heard. MSNBC had a wonderful site that gives a bare bones, non partisan comparison of their stands on some key issues. I really liked it.

So, here's to us. HEre's to strong, intelligent women who make the best choices for themselves.

Have a great day all.

Hi Ladies!

Things are going well here. Just busy and my little man is sick. Hubby leaves for Hawaii tonight, so we are rather busy.

Happy: I can only imagine what you are going through. Packing up, selling your home, lost your job and got another one, moving....geez woman, it's a miracle you still can speak in sentences. Most people tackle those issues one at a time! :)

Sassy: Welcome back! I'm so glad to see your smiling face around here. Good job on not gaining it all back. Keep us in line with Sgt Raven and we'll all be much better for it!

Lucky: Howdy and I'm glad you are popping in also!! :) How is the water intake going?

Jolly: I'm voting right after work. For once our votes in Alaska may count for something--the Senate race. We may have the final vote on if the Senate stays Republican or goes Democrat. Should be a highly contested race. It's been a nasty one anyway!

Happy Tuesday!

Chach

Good morning

Just popping in to say goodmorning.

We are packing up to move into our new house. Have to get everything ready to move the horses.

Will catch up more later when I get home.

Have a super day.

Ohmygosh, Lucky! You got the farm?!? That is awesome. Congratulations. Hope your move goes smoothly. Just think of all the calories you are getting packing and moving.

Hi Ladies,

Yay, Lucky got the new house! Happy and Lucky both moving and starting new adventures. How very cool is that?

I emptied out all the candy from the house this morning and brought it to work. Had to wait for hubby to leave so I could do it. I don't need that temptation at home with me when I am bored!

I also gave away the chocolate turtle pie my hubby gave me last night for my birthday. The recipient was very happy to have it and I was very happy to give it away!

We got about two inches of snow last night. I went out at 4:30 this morning and shoveled. Yes, I have a snowblower, but I just didn't feel the need to crank it up for a couple of inches. Plus, I got my exercise in this morning by shoveling.

Not much else is going on.

Happy Wednesday!

Chach

:hb: :hat: :gift: :cheers: Belated Happy Birthday to you Chachee. Kudos to you on giving away the high calorie, I don't really need it Turtle pie. :cp:

:cb: :cb: :cb: And a big congrats to you too Lucky on your new farm!

Welcome back Sassy, good to hear from you again.

Just a quick drive by here, the real estate agent is coming by tonight for us to sign all the paperwork. I guess this means I'm really committing to this move :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: My eating has been total garbage today, I think mostly because I'm nervous. Well, it's off to burn some of that off by scrubbing floors and packing.

Have a good one everybody. The sun is shining and it doesn't look half bad out there. Snow Chachee? Ahhhhhhhh :yikes:

Hi Everyone.

Chachee sorry that I missed your birthday. It is not listed on your profile. :gift: I hope that you had a great day. You are my hero. You gave away your pie? Wow I would not have had the willpower to do that. :hungry: I would have eaten it. More than my share probably had it been here. :cheer:

Happy have you had a chance to look for a house to move into yet? Or will you wait until after the holidays. Hope it all goes well with the real estate agent tonight. We are of course only moving 12 miles away, so your move will be much more of an adventure.

Jolly hope that you are feeling better today. So have you had a chance to go out riding at all lately?

Red I am so sorry that I forgot to say hi to you in my last post. I sure hope that everything is going ok for you.

Raven how are you doing? Have you found a new place for your horses? We probably have room for 3 more. :rofl: I would love to have them. Its only a little ways from where you are now. I am just so witty today arn't I? We actually only have 4.5 acres so we don't have alot of room.

Hi Sassy how goes it today?

Well the kids rode in a horse show on the weekend. Cole placed 4rth in his costume on a lead line class and Kristi got 1 3rd place, 5 2nd place, and 1 1st place. In the last class there was only 2 of them competing, so the judges were trying to think of a safe way to make the course a little harder. So then they came up with the girls had to do the first round on their own horse, then switch horses and do the second round on the other horse. The other horse is a 15 year old trained show horse. Kristi's is not. Though guess what horse Kristi figures we should buy now! Well I hope everyone had a great day.

Hey all. Real quick message. I have a sick client home today who needs watching.

Lucky, congrats on the farm and the show. I have to admit to a bit of jealousy. Though, you say you have some room? After the election this week, maybe Canada isn't such a bad idea. Will wait and see.

Chachee, a very happy birthday to you. I am sorry I missed it. I still don't know how you find out birthdays. But I hope you had a good one. And congrats on passing up the turtle cake.

I am still stressing. Still overeating. And still suffering from acid reflux. Which is still interrupting my workouts. Ain't life grand. On a positive note, my horse and I are doing remarkably well. I think he has finally grasped the concept that if he just does right the first time, he gets praise and doesn't get worked until he drops. Much nicer.

Have a great day all.

ok wow. sick for days. staring at a wall like a zombie sick, not the coughing head cold sick. better today, at least at work, still feel like yuck.

got the treadmill belt adjusted. I think. I'll find out this weekend when I actually use it.

I have a question. Has anyone here just gotten totally, completely, utterly TIRED of food? Tired of thinking about it, tired of eating it, tired of buying it, tired, tired, tired. Tired of trying to think of something good and inexpensive and healthy. Tired of the same stuff over and over. Tired of trying to think of new stuff. Tired of being responsible for feeding three other people. I say we go back to eating leaves. *small huff*

Chachee - It was your birthday and I missed it?? ack! *warm hug!* Happy Birthday!!! (a little late)

This has to be really quick, I'm supposed to be leaving work so I can (WHEE) go to the store. *scowl* It looks like the barn owner with whom I am boarding is going to come down to the price I want and cover the round bales. This is an amazing and wonderful thing, it means I don't have to move the horses.

I am hoping to feel well enough this weekend to start walking on the treadmill again. I promised myself I wouldn't push it very hard at all, just get my body back in the habit of moving.

More later.. or maybe tomorrow. Sooooo far behind at work! :(

Hi Everyone

Raven I sure hope that you are feeling better. Yes to answer your question, I am at that point about food. Mark has been cooking because I can't even come up with ideas anymore. That will be one goal that I will look at once we move. Using the crockpot more.

Jolly when you are at the page that shows all the forum titles, scroll down to the very bottom and it shows birthdays. It didn't show Chachee's though.

Happy how did it go with the real estate agent?

Chachee how is your little guy feeling? Better I hope. When does hubby come back?

Linda I am so sorry that I forgot to say hi to you last time. How is everything going?

Sassy...come on back and say hi.

Tracy come tell us how you are doing.

Hippy hello to you also.

Red hope you can log on soon also.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Hi everyone

Quiet weekend here.

Went out and looked at the new place so that we can measure for curtains, and paint colors and stuff. 7 more days and then we can move. I am fairly excited.

Well I hope that everyone has a great weekend.

Kathy

Hi all. I have been very busy getting ready for my vacation this week. I have to get refocused on my eating. I have been still letting things get to me, and eating too much. Too many bouts of acid reflux. Well, I am going to enjoy this vacation. Relax. And come back recharged and ready to go.

I hope all is well with everyone, and we have a great week.

Hey ladies -

Ok. It's a conspiracy. I know it. I hopped on my treadmill yesterday morning and wouldn't you know it, the belt is slipping. Needs to be retensioned badly. Of course I didn't have time to fight with it yesterday morning so I promised myself I'd do it last night. Did I? Noooooooooo. Did I wake up this morning in time to do it? NOooooooooo. I'm tired of fighting even more than my own lack of motivation. These stupid little teensy weensy speed bumps are enough to completely stop me in my tracks. It's HORRIBLE!! ARGH! Oh, and then I need another adapter jack because the one I have for the headphones is - for some flipping reason - only carrying one channel. So I only hear music in one ear. I can't cope. *twitch* Every time I solve a little problem and think "hey, I'm ready to go, yay!" *splat* I trip over another problem and land on my face. *fume*

Yes, I'm venting.

OTOH, I had a most fantastic horse weekend. Good training with Shadow not to clobber me in the head whilst hoof trimming, though it took much time and work on our part, but we made serious inroads in getting her to stand nice and quiet for having her feet done. And my Arashi was golden Sunday night for our ride. Our barnowner decided to drop the price and cover the round bales, so we can afford to stay. This is a very wonderful thing.

Now .. tonight... do I go work with horses? Or go home to adjust the treadmill (and ultimately end up sitting in front of the computer playing City of Heros instead)? Decisions, decisions.

Food is getting better. I've been pretty good at cutting out the "obligatory" desserts and after lunch treats. I'm starting to get water in again. I'm feeling much better, and things like thanksgiving seem like minor blips on the radar compared to fighting with things that need to be bought or fixed before I can get back to working out on the treadmill. *sigh* I'm getting there... I am.

Sorry I've been MIA. Lots of things going on. I'll explain later...

Chach

Another quick fly by....

Son starts preschool next month in the local Christian schools. We thought it would be over a year, due to the placement on the waiting list, but he got moved up. Very good!!

My grandmother is very ill and may not make it very much longer. Her iron count is down to 8. When it reaches zero, you cease to exist. She has extremely low blood pressure and appears to have some internal bleeding.

Hubby got home from Hawaii. No presents yet.

Oh, and I'm doing okay on the diet and exercise. Still haven't heard anything on the jobs, so I am guessing I didn't get either one. Oh well.

I'll write more when I have time.

Chach

Chachee - Congrats on the school thing.. I really hope your son likes it. Sounds like you're buried under wayyyy too much right now. I'm not used to seeing you chopping things off like that. I hope you're ok. *warm hug*

I'm doing better. I got the treadmill belt re-tensioned and then re-aligned again. That took pretty much all the time this morning that I would normally use for working out. So tomorrow, hopefully, I'll be able to actually WORK OUT.

Last night, I took myself to the stables and did round pen work with Eve, and rode my little Arashi again. :D Good fun!! And good for me, mentally and physically.

Tonight more horse time, then hopefully to the mall to pick up contacts for V and a new stereo jack for me!

Food is still sucko. *blink* One thing at a time.

Hi Ladies,

Okay, I have more time now...

Raven: Yep, I'm alright. Not 100% okay, but alright. No news on my grandmother yet, but we should hear something today. My son will be attending Anchorage Christian Schools, the one at Prevo's church. I don't particularly care for him, but you can't beat his school. I was working out on my treadmill this morning and it just stopped, the belt that is. I think the motor got overheated, but I'm going to double check it tomorrow. Gosh, don't need something else going wrong.. :)

Hubby brought me back a Thomas Kincaide music box. It's numbered and signed, and it's gorgeous. Such a thoughtful gift. Plus, he brought back bags of onion and garlic macadamia nuts. Yummy!

My mental state is cloudy right now, but I am working out of it. I'm sad because my son is growing up and going to school. And that he's leaving where he is at right now, because the babysitter is incredible. But, we all grow up and I'm so lucky to be able to afford to send him to such a great school.

No news on my grandmother. Now don't think I'm horrible for saying this, but I'm not really affected by her illness. She has been truly horrible and evil to my parents the last two years, and that is after she moved in with them. When someone messes with my family, then I come out fighting. My parents were kind enough to let her in, and her nasty self made them have problems in their marriage. So, am I sad she is ill? Um, yes, because I hate that anyone gets sick. I'm also sad because my mom may lose her mom, but the fact remains she is a very mean and nasty person. If she passes on, I'll mourn the loss of a relative, but I can't say that I'll be sad. Is that horrible? Just the way I am. Yes, I do hold grudges, especially when someone messes with my parents.

We found out last night that our neighbor, who is very close with my son, is in the hospital. She's had emergency surgery for a blocked artery. Her daughter and I had a good talk and she thinks she'll come home today or tomorrow. I usually don't got a day without talking with her a couple times a day, so when I didn't see her for two days, I knew something was wrong. If you all could keep her in your prayers, I'd appreciate it.

Day off tomorrow, and I am going to the fabric store and stocking up! I plan on sewing this weekend. It's a wonderful stress reliever! (Kinda sounds like I need it, huh?)

Alright, time for work. Oh, yippy skippy!

Happy Wednesday! Enjoy your day off tomorrow, if you get one!

Chach

Hey Chach - Looks like it's just you and me here. :)

Nothing against your choice on schools and all, but .. Prevo is creepy. I really, really don't like that man. But like I said, I hope your kiddo is happy with his new school, that's what is the most important thing. I hope I didn't transfer my bad treadmill karma to you. :( The music box sounds so pretty! I love music boxes. There used to be a store here that sold ONLY music boxes, all different kinds.. they were amazing and lovely. What a sweet gift. :) I don't think what you're saying about your grandmother is horrible, Chach. No more horrible than me saying I wish my father would pass away. It hurts me to say that, but in so many ways he died a year ago, and he isn't "living" he's just prolonging his dying. I can really understand you being protective of your parents, and it's very hard to tolerate someone being mean to them. *warm hug* I hope your neighbor is home soon, and gets better very quickly! You do sound stressed, yes. More than usual. I hope you have a great weekend sewing and doing all your amazing things.

I actually worked out today! Amazing. Still no stereo adapter jack, but I just made do with listening to music without headphones. I didn't do much, only 25 minutes of a brisk walk, but it's a start. It occurred to me that my lack of motivation on working out really hit hard when two things happened. My horses went lame. (All three at the same time for different reasons. That is NOT supposed to happen!) And my treadmill belt tore. That was pretty much all it took to completely and totally derail me not only from working out, but eating right and everything else.

This year has been an interesting one, full of twists and turns and unexpected happenings. What bothers me is that I let all that influence my way of life to the point that I gained weight. Am I going to do that every time life gets lifey? Something to ponder.

I have enough time at this point to (I think) at least get back down to my lowest weight this year. At least that is what I'm going to aim for. I'm really hoping that the increased exercise will have a direct impact on my thought processes and will help me to change my food choices.

It's raining today, and it's cold (oooo cold - it's in the 40s - freezing!) so working with the horses is not going to happen. Tonight will be a good night to watch Shrek 2 with the kids.

Things are weird again with Richard. *sigh* People are weird.

Hello all (Raven)

Did a lot of shopping yesterday. Got all the fabric I'll probably need for the entire winter! :) They had a huge polar fleece sale, so I stocked up. Nothing like hitting a sale that is 50% off the sale prices.

I weighed in today, and am down to 225.5, which is a loss of 3.5 last week. Still up 11.5 from my lowest in July, but I am dealing with that.

Thanks for your understanding Raven about my grandma. Just one of those things. She goes in for an upper and lower GI Monday. We'll see how it goes.

Treadmill belt stopped again this morning. Grr....it's getting annoying now!

Happy Friday!

Chach

Well, looks like this thread is dying a slow and painful death. I'll probably just move on over to the journals again soon.

Chach - Have you figured out if the motor is going out on your treadmill? How long have you had it? Would it still be under warranty?

I just found out that my dearest friend in Alaska was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It floored me, and I'm having a rough time right now. Laura and I met when I was pregnant with Valeska and she was pregnant with her daughter Rachel. We bothed worked for BP at the time, and V and R were born a week apart. They were like little twins, and grew up inseperable. Laura's mom isn't in the greatest health, and her dad is lost in his own vicious mental world. Her ex-husband is a total loser. She has Rachel (coming up on 16) and Robin (almost 14). She has fought so hard in her life, and it just breaks my heart. She deserves better than this. :( She's a tremendous woman, and doesn't even realize it. I'm just so heartbroken.

I know I'm pretty much talking to myself but...

Two miles this morning! I had to crow. I did intervals again. And I did 2 miles in 25 minutes. Not bad for starting over. I'll sit with that this week and see what happens.

More exercise over the weekend in the form of riding bareback (trying to work on that sitting trot thing) and rasping Arashi's hooves, which wore me out completely. That boy is getting some seriously hard hooves going on!

Food is total crap. Water... needs to improve starting today. Food needs to improve too. I think I'll start working on that as well. It's been too long.

I wonder why it is that my closest friend who has just been diagnosed with MS telling me "Marian, you better live while you can." to get my *** in gear. *heavy sigh*

Hey to Raven, since we are the only ones here lately.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. That is heartbreaking and I totally feel for you. Really brings it to light that we must live each day as it's out last, huh? I'll keep her and you in my prayers.

Didn't do much this weekend, but did get caught up on the sewing and did some other craft stuff. Put up the sewing machine until after the holidays, so I can concentrate on other things.

I believe the treadmill motor is going bad, so I pulled out my receipt. I have a 90 day return policy for it, so I am just going to exchange it here locally. It was purchased September 24th. I'm well within my 90 days. Just a pain in the butt to get it back over there. Good thing I kept the box, huh?

Well, last full week without company. Hubby's family gets here next week for two weeks.

Happy Monday, and hope the others find their way back.

Chach

Hi Girls,
It's been nuts here. I'm barely home and when I am I have to rush out because someone is showing the house. Good news is that it's getting shown alot 2 to 3 times a day, bad news is that it's such a hassle picking up and leaving all the time. I hope to have a stretch of quiet time tonight to do a proper post. Take care chickies...

Hey Chach - Thank you for the kind words. I did talk to her for a long time, and we laughed together. It's frightening, that something can hit so unexpectedly. I know it's not an immediate death sentence for her, and I know people have managed to survive not only MS but much worse for very long times. It means a lot of changes for her, a lot less independence. I think that's the most frightening part.

Did your grandmother have the tests done yesterday?

I thought that treadmill was new. That's rotten that the motor would go out so soon!! I'm a little worried about the motor in mine, but .. .it's ancient! I'm really lucky it's held up as well as it has for so long.

This is the first holiday season we have to worry about anyone but our little unit.. and it's already causing consternation in the ranks. :lol: Richard is all grumbly about having my ex and his gf over for Thanksgiving. I wouldn't make an issue about it if he had his own place, but right now he's living in one of those extended stay places, and geez... com'on, it's THANKSGIVING!! :rolleyes: Some people get a little to wrapped up in their own little worlds sometimes.

Happy!! Glad to hear you're still kicking! Feeble as it may be! ;) I know this must be hectic as all get out for you, but good to know the house is showing! Hope everything else is going ok!

Well, I was going to do pilates this morning because I thought my daughter was going to be using the treadmill, but she decided she's going to do it at night. Ok. So, the lure of the treadmill won out, and I did another two miles. I managed one 2 minute run (jog) interval, and then did a few at the end with 1 minute walk, 1 minute run instead of the 2 minute walk. So small progress for my second day. I'm happy. Did my 2 miles in about 24 minutes this time, so cut about a minute off my time. Now I'm just sweating all over the desk.

Food was better yesterday, not perfect. I didn't avoid the M&Ms after lunch. I didn't avoid the chocolate after dinner. All in all though, much better than I have been doing. I didn't get the 4 bottles of water in that I wanted, but I got 3. Today I'll work towards 4.

And that horrifying high on the scale has dropped back to a somewhat less horrifying but still disturbing 187. My first goal is to simply lose the weight I gained and get back to my low of 172. Then I'll focus on my larger goals of getting down to 135, 5 pounds at a time. :D

Hey Raven,

I think it's weird that you and I both gained back 15 pounds almost, huh? Working it off slowly, one little ounce at a time. :)

Oh, I wanted to share that I found a wonderful bread at the store yesterday. It's called "Watching my Carbs" and although I'm not really watching my carbs, one slice is 60 calories, 4 grams of fiber and only 0.5 grams of fat. It's a pretty healthy slice also. On WW it's a free item, so I'm all about that!

I'm sorry Richard is being strange. The holidays are about giving thanks and helping out those less fortunate. Maybe he'll be visited by a holiday spirit and be reminded of that fact. As if you are dying to get back together with your ex, but all men think like that. "If he comes over for dinner, she's going to sleep with him" is their mentality. My hubby is the same way! MEN!

Grandma didn't have her tests done. She's decided that she really doesn't want to know what is going on with her, and has signed a directive that no invasive procedures are to be performed on her. Basically, she told my mom that she is 87 and has lived a good life. She's ready to die. So, they will get that notarized and on file this Friday. The doc's best guess, because she can't do the procedures she wants to, is that my gram has cancer of the stomach and has internal bleeding. Can't say I wouldn't do the same thing, though.

So, here I am again, working towards the goal of being under 200 by the end of the year. I think I'll change my ticker to reflect that.

Happy Tuesday!

Chach

Hey all. Sorry you have been lonely. I got back Saturday from my trip, but brought a bad cold with me. I haven't been up to much since. No working out. No horse. NOthing but snot, snot, and more snot. (sorry for the grossness)

I finally feel like it is breaking up. But, am still going to take it easy until it is better. If I sleep ok tonight, I will try to get to the gym tomorrow. Weights if nothing else.

Sorry to hear about all the family and friend worries you guys have been having. I hear you, Raven, on worrying if this is always goign to be the response when life gets "lifey." I worry about that too. But, look at all the patterns you have changed. It takes time and baby steps. I think with a lot of practise and effort, we can change that pattern too.

Take it easy all. Celebrate the victories.

Jolly

Jolly - Welcome Back!! I'm sorry to hear you're still feeling crappy... I hope it clears up soon! I know Valeska was down for a full week with an upper respiritory thing, then coughing in general and stuff for a good several days after that. Thank you for the reminder about the patterns I've changed. I needed to hear that. You're right. I told Valeska this morning that when I get discouraged about not being able to start over this time and jump on the treadmill and run like I used to, I remember back so many years ago, the year my mom died, and how completely out of shape I was, and SO overweight. It almost makes me cry now to remember back then, I decided to start using the treadmill I'd inherited from my mom. I told myself if she could do it, darn it, so could I, right? First time I got on that thing, I couldn't walk for more than about 5 minutes at 2 or 2.5 mph. The next time, I walked for 7 minutes. Then 10, etc. You're right. I've changed a lot about my life, definitely for the better. Thank you.

Chach - I've found that I really like wraps, and I use the "low carb" wraps - like you, not because of the carb issue, because of the calorie count! :lol: Whatever works, right? Men are odd. Richard has been a little better lately. He's moody. Whoever said women are the only hormonal ones had a screw loose. ;) I can certainly respect your grandmother's decision. It's one I hope I never have to make, but .. sometimes I think we hang around far too long for no particularly good reason. I dunno.

Pilates, yes! I finally did it. And it kicked my butt. Argh. Ohwell... just like I did last time, just keep doing it. This time I *KNOW* it gets easier, I'm not just hoping.

That was my positive. The negative was Dairy Queen (to include a blizzard) last night. :o

But I came to an important realization this morning. I was really down on myself for eating junk last night, and then I found myself trying to use it as a rationalization to not work out. You know.. the "I've already blown it, why not just forget about the working out, it's not like it's going to correct the over eating anyway." Tsk. I was perusing 3FC journals and something just made me decide to go do pilates. And then writing in my own journal, I realize that even though I THOUGHT I had them as seperate issues in my mind, I truly did not. Intertwined tightly are working out, food, and water. If one fails, the other two collapse along with it. And that's silly. They are totally seperate entities, if you will. What I eat has NOTHING to do with whether I work out. If I drink water has NOTHING to do with what I eat. Etc. If I eat poorly, that's one issue. It has no bearing on whether I should or should not work out. I suppose that seems REALLY easy to get, but it was a real revelation for me. How odd. The three things are totally independent of one another. Wow.

I think I'll go fill up my water bottle now. :D

Howdy Ladies,

Jolly: Welcome home. Sorry you aren't feeling well. Take it easy and just concentrate on getting better!

Raven: 3 separate entities, huh? Why haven't I thought about that either? Usually when I eat badly, I've already had my water and I allow my bad eating because I exercised already. They shouldn't affect each other, but they really do, huh?! Good ramblings! We swapped out the treadmill and hubby is putting it together tonight for me. Second round!

I've really been thinking about my goals and how I keep slipping away from them. I think my goal for December (yes, I know, always thinking ahead) is going to be focused solely on exercise. I plan on walking two miles a day on the treadmill, five days a week. That will be 23 walking days, which will be 46 miles walked. If I get adventurous, I'll shoot for 50 miles, but we'll see how it goes.

I'm feeling fat this morning and need to be reminded of the end goal, not just to be happy where I am right now.

Happy Wednesday!

Chach

Hey Y'all. My eating is actually not too bad right now. Amazing how less hungry you feel when your sinesus are blocked. I really, really, really want to get back to the gym, though. I was slipping so much the weeks before my trip. I just know I need to feel better first. So, again, if I sleep tonight, tomorrow I work out.

Wish me luck.

Have a wonderful day, all.

Ya know, since both our threads seem to be thinning, maybe we should combine for December????? Just a thought.

I've made it back!!!!!
 

People, I just got my computer connected!!!! I actually figured it out!! A friend GAVE me a computer!! I will be back. I've missed you all so much. :dance: :dance: :dance:

Red!! How wonderful to see you again! I've missed you! You realize you have a LOT of updating to do, yes?? :D

Jolly - Just take your workouts easy, don't overdo it! I hope you're feeling better tonight!

Ok, well .. today food was much better, but work was so hectic I forgot water completely! Argh.

Had a great night working with Eve. We're working on in hand work (on the ground with only a bridle) and she's really picking it up quickly. I can see our dance getting more refined slowly but surely. :) And did as much hoof rasping as I could before I lost daylight. Was a good night!

Hello! Welcome back, Red. Glad you got a computer, and hope to hear more from you. How are things going.

Raven, glad you had a good barn night. I have to get out by my boy tonight, and hope he doesn't make me pay too much for my long absence.

I finally slept last night. ONly woke up once. So, I did go to the gym this morning. I did 20 minutes of cardio, then my lower body weights. Felt good to make it back. I even hopped on the scale, and have not done too badly, considering vacation, sick, and not making it to the gym for about two weeks (and pretty sporadically before that). So it is back to business for me.

Have a great day all.

sleepless in tokyo
 

Heh Raven, Jolly, thanks for the welcome backs. I got back out of bed 'cause I couldn't sleep. Too much coffee, thinking I was going to get some work done tonight, then never did and now I can't sleep. Two stories to write. Three more on the burner. Deadlines loom. Ugh. Things are more hectic than ever but seeing as today I finally got this computer hooked up and the ADSL modem that I had sitting around for over a year, I'd say I'm seeing some light in the end of the tunnel. Please, please, please, let that be true.

Raven, I can see I have some catching up to do here but hopefully I can just wing it from now on. Never been one to peruse the past posts. Feels so lurkerish! Well, gotta get some work in if I'm spending these hours up. Will catch you all on the fly. Ciao tutti!