Woah LG, what a trip. Grandmas tend to be that way. They want you to eat, eat, eat. However, yours just didn't get the message. I can not believe that she uses clorox. I think that would make anyone sick. Anyway I hope that you are able to get to feeling better soon.

Stormy - winter here starts in may/june normally.. although our seasons are a bit moody at the moment.. but will definitely look into the diving thing maybe while we are in aus!

LGH - sorry to hear you had issues with your GM over food.. it is hard when people see it as an extension of their feelings for you. But pleased that you had a good trip and stood your ground. The whole sneaky cleaning thing cracked me up! he he.

I am sooo tired. It is sooo hot here and I can't sleep.. grrr.. seriously, the only time i seem to be able to sleep is between 0600-0800.. when I am meant to be getting up.

anyway will chat more soon I promise, just got sore wrists from all my spreadsheeting and don't really want to type too much.
Ciao Bellas
Tiff

NBK - I'm so sorry it's that hot! Do many people there have A/C?? Hope that's not a dumb question but my dad is near Queensland (in the mountains near by) and no one there has a/c. They just die in the summer months (right now). Hang in there - it will be fall in no time!

Stormy - thanks for the support about vacation (NBK you too). I am glad to be home. I had a great time and it was so nice to see everyone! I saw the doctor today and while my liver took a real beating I was fine otherwise. I am glad to be back to my own food styles :) I made soup tonight and am going to cook cubed steak with a rice gravy tomorrow. :) Yummy food :) :)

Talk with you guys soon. I am going to shower and hang out with BF. He smashed his finger today and has been tryign to poke a hole through the nail since.....it's several hours later!

LGH - there is a really funny story about houses and buildings in australasia... most exisitng, pre 1980 houses don't have much insulation, double glazing is almost non-existant and a/c? pfft in your dreams! lol.. actually the climate here is pretty temperate, but where I grew up, it swung from 35°C in summer (but as dry as a desert!) to -5° and frosty in winter....I think the reason most of our buildings don't have these sensible things, is that they were built after the english model for houses? Thankfully work has A/C and so does my car... my father who has MS and suffers in hot temps a lot has just been given an A/C unit for his appartment by his friend so that's pretty cool! Literally. I am really looking forward to the heat in QLD actually, last time we were there i noticed it was a lot drier than here, but I suppose that's the difference of being on the east coast vs west coast where I am now. But yeah, us down under do seem more inclined to tough things out rather than pay for a solution to them!

Hope the BF's finger is ok, if he's not too squeamish try drilling a hole in it.

Well I hope everyone else is having a great day, not much else to report..having smoked chicken salad for dinner tonight.. yum yum..
Cheerio
Tiffany

Hi all!

I'm still around, but this is the first time in a week that I've had time to sit down, read posts and make a post myself. Work is absolutely crazy right now -- this is our busiest time of the winter and the Y is just mad!

I haven't been eating well, but am getting back on track this week. I did horribly last week, but am trying to get back on plan. Still drinking tons of water. However, the exercising is non-existent. I did so well those first 3-4 weeks, getting up early and walking, but I'm so tired from work lately that I can't make myself get up any earlier than required for me to be on time for work. Then, I'm again so exhausted when I get home that I don't want to change and workout.

If anyone has some suggestions on how to manage this, I'm all ears. I really can't get into a routine right now, because I'm working between 8 and 12 hours a day, around 55 hours a week.....argh!!!

Well, I've got to go work on invitations to my friend's baby shower...and then get to bed. Tomorrow is my long day, I've got volleyball, so I might not check back until Thursday.

I miss you all and was glad to read that you miss me as well!! :) Have a great night, and I hope to chat soon!!!

Kelly :D

Oh, and I haven't weighed in since last Sunday. If I get a weigh-in in in the next couple of days, I will post it. Otherwise, I'll wait until Sunday.....

Have a good one!!!

KK

KJK,
Glad you are still around. I know that it is hard to manage but you can do it. I think that you just need to make time for it. It will give you more energy. Just get it over with in the morning as you doing before. I know how you feel. I work full time and carry a full school load. I feel so much better and alert when I exercise and eat right. You can do it. I'll be here if you need me.

12 more days in our Valentine Challenge. C'mon ladies, we can do it!

hello everyone!

NBK - he IS most definately squeemish!!!! Last night he did manage to poke a hole in his nail though. He seemed to be feeling a little better. I think he's going to urgent care with it today. Thanks for the A/C update :) A lot of people living in northern US - especially in older houses - don't have A/C either. When they have heat waves it really hits them hard! Our schools didn't have them either growing up, so anytime the temp got above 90f we were all sent home. That happened a LOT - so finally they started putting A/C in the schools.

Kelly - all you have to do to help with stress and to start the weight loss is 30 minutes of walking. I know that sounds like a lot but it's easier to wrap my mind around that "oh man, I'm so tired and now I have to exercise." I just have to get up and walk at any pace for 30 minutes and I feel better by the end. I'm sorry things are hectic right now - especially since you're probably not getting paid anymore to deal with the extra burden!! Hang in there - unfortunately people will give up on their new years resolutions pretty quickly and you're life will return to normal. :)

Stormy - how is your challenge going?? I haven't been able to read to catch up with everyone yet! I hope things are going well. I had several cheat days put together - the best cheat was a dove ice cream bar. I had to drive to 3 grocery stores before I could find them in AR, but it was so worth it :) My little brother and his best friend thought I was crazy driving all over the place for icecream UNTIL they tried it :) I have to say though, it's much nicer being back here and feeling in control of my foods and my diet. I feel much better emotionally now than I did there, eating off the diet. That's a big improvement for me - usually I'd just say "I'll eat whatever I want now and I'll deal with it later..." This time I was much more aware that the stuff I was eating could make me sick and it was hard to enjoy it. I probably need to feel exactly that way right now :) helped a lot to get back on track.

okay i have to get to work. Talk to everyone soon! Meri

KjK - nice to see you back. You can do it! Just like LGH said, try getting your exercise in in the morning!

LGH - hmm my school never sent us home, no matter how hot or cold it was... poor us.. we even had to go swimming in the out door, un heated pool when the water temperature was 6°C and the air temp 10... oh what a hard life I have had..lol

Well ladies, I went to my pump class tonight.. I am getting so frustrated at the moment. I'm not losing at all, no matter what I do or don't eat... maybe I am growing muscle at this point as my weights do feel "lighter" and no I am not using the aluminium plates! lol.. but the thing is, my biggest motivator in the gym is seeing my muscles working. Now I can with my arms and my back... but my thighs are still coated in fat and I can't really see anything moving when I am doing my squats or lunges..and it really guts me. and as for my no-abs all flab.. well the name says it all. I have a puku. I suppose I should step up the cardio.. but it is just too hot! he he... well that's my excuse for being lazy.

Anyway now i would like to boast a bit.. today I have a flat inspection (lovely scheme dreamed up by the rental management company so they can be nosey). Anyway we don't really take notice of them anymore, as our flat is generally pretty tidy and to be honest we are excellent tennants, always pay on time in full etc no damage, aside from stuff that can't be avoided. Anyway I mentioned this to BF and while I was in the shower this morning, he is making the bed, tidying my room, vacuuming the house and this is ON TOP of him helping me with the rubbish last night *smile* and he even manages to look like he enjoys rubbing my anti-stretchmark cream on my lower back and thighs.. mind you.. I'm always putting sun-block or after sun stuff on him but still.. yay yay yay :dance:

It was funny tho, as he said he thinks the vacuum cleaner works better than bug spray, he sucked up 15 moths (still alive) with the vacuum, compared to the 3 or 4 he usually gets with the spray each night.

It's another hot day here in taradise... still i am starting to get more used to it, so lets see if I can get some cardio done today!
TTFN
Tiff

Heh guys, good to see you're around. Grass, sounds like you went through ****. That sounded awful. I think I would have left. It's hardly about love when someone is abusing you. Storm, NBK, hi there. Sorry, no time to write now. Haven't felt like writing either. Nothing to say really except that I've been too busy. So discouraging to know you've been unable to do well and then have to talk about it. . . :( Crime girl, where are you? NBK, I forgot to say I like your new avatar. Did you do that in the sand?

Hi everyone-
Just a quick note to let you know I am trying to read and keep up but my life has decided to overwhelm me. I called and cancelled my cable today because I am paying for something I never get to watch. Sigh!
Sorry I haven't been on- things are crazy with school and we are going through a million changes at work as well. I have been pretty good with the exercise- I missed one day last week and one day this week so far so not too bad.
Food on the other hand is not being kind to me- I get hectic and I grab some kind of food to keep from starving and of course it is bad for me.
Anyway- I have missed you guys-
Red- Cheer up! I will start back with your horoscopes in an effort to cheer you up! Hang in there!
Little grass- glad you are back! Sorry your grandma doesn't see she is hurting you instead of helping. I know it can be hard to try to get someone to stop doing something they think you need.
NBK- like the new avator and congrats on taming the bf- sounds like you two are having a blast. Ironically enough I have a realtor coming to look at my place tomorrow. Small world-
Michimesh- hang in there- jump on when you can
kjk- it will be OK- maybe we need a new challenge starting on VDay?? Really keep track of this one. Let me know- I need motivation as well. Hope work gets better.
stormy- how is school? is it this weekend you have to go back?

Okay well hope I at least talked to everyone-
Sorry if it is brief- I will try to jump on later and talk more.
Hope you are all well -
Have a great night everyone!

Yay!!! Nice to see you both Red and CG.
Red - don't stress about us.. aslong as we know you are ok.. and alive we're happy. I miss talking to you but I understand about not feeling like it. Just remember we all love you and think you're wonderful!!

CG - hmmm try grabbing carrots. they taste good, fill you up and you can eat them on the run! Or bannanas.. they are the perfect natural fast food! Fibre, protein, potassium.. etc.. good luck with the realtor and getting all your school stuff done. And getting your cable cancelled, I'd take that as a pretty big sign of committment to your new active lifestyle! yay!! (and the extra $$ will be nice too)

My avatar, well the BF, before we were going out, went and drew it in the sand one day, took a pic and sent it to me, saying "have a happy day!" the best part was, he sent it to me on my worst ever day at work (i cried infront of my boss BIG TIME).. he couldn't explain why he did it, he just said he felt like I would need cheering up that day! doo doo doo doo.. that sort of thing happens to us all the time.. we get wicked coincidences occuring...but it is at the beach we go to most often.. there is a car park where we go to eat our junk food, and he takes his daughter there a lot to play on the beach and also at the play ground.. the coastal walkway goes right past it too!

Smiles and Hugs all round
Tuberculosis

CG, I am going to school this weekend. I fly this time and next and I was able to catch one out Friday morning before class. I lucked out. This will save me a little on the hotel. Good news, I get my car back Thursday. I am so excited. It has been in the body shop for 13 weeks now. So after my next two weekends I will start driving the 7.5 hours again. Hopefully, I will be doing okay with eating while driving.
I am happy to hear that you are still exercsing. You should really try to cook some healthy things on Sunday for the week. The preparation is worth it.

NBK, what a sweet thing your boyfriend did for you. How long have you two been together? Don't get discouraged with the lack of change. You are attending those pump classes so it will come!

LGH, are you detoxified yet? Are you happy to be home? You really make me want to try those Dove bars. I'll have to do that on a cheat day. My challenge is going by okay. The weight loss is slowing down. I know that I am trying my best though so I will get there eventually.

Red, cheer up and get you butt in here. Come and tell us how you feel. We are here to support each other and hold each other accountable.

gaah more blood tests results came back!! Basically I am one sick puppy. But for once my background iron levels were almost normal! seriously, I'm still technically aneamic, but it was my 3 highest count ever! woo hoo..

gotta fly, but stormy, bf and i got together in march last year, but didn't really start going out till june.. man it's too hard to explain, lets just say I learnt to have patience with him! he he...
take care, lose well
I can and I will
Tiff