Nikki, sounds like you and your mirror are harsher critics than the man on the street :D . In the big scheme of things, you'd probably rather feel frumpy in clothes that are a little too big 'cuz you're in the process of losing and re-shaping than feel the way you did several pounds ago! Whatever games your mind is playing on you, I bet you look great, and I hope we can all get to the point where we feel upbeat about the self we present to the world.

Carol, I'll have a few days on either end of this trip to hang out with friends, but the bulk of my time will be spent in conferences, and keeping up with office work from the hotel rooms. Several old friends will be at the conferences, and I don't have to do anything but be a participant, so in some ways it will be a treat, and too much like work.

I did okay at dinner last night, didn't overdo. There's a good-bye party tonight at an all-you-can eat Argentinian (meat, meat and more grilled meat) place, so I'll have a chance to practice again. But i'm working out and watching the snacks, so so far so good.

Gotta run--judy

Judy- I cant wait til I can look in the mirror and like what I see and also when I actually see what I realy look like.

You are doing great. I have decided to adapt a no stress policy. I will eat right and workout but I'm not going to stress over the scale. Maybe that will help the lbs come off. It is wrth a shot. Today I had a glass of chocolate milk and banana and a WW meal. I will have chiken and vegies for dinner.

Nikki

Nikki yup I am stable and yes that is good. Sometimes I will stay that way for a bit then lose again. Sounds like you had an adventurous day out. That is the way it should be for you. If you keep up the things your doing more wt has to come off eventually remembering that slow is better for perm. loss. I am trying to tell myself that too.
Judy oh so much work and so little play! Take a little time to do something fun even if its only an hour or two. I have never had that type of food. But I like almost anything. WELL i HAVE ANOTHER CALL SO I GOTTA FLY!

Good morning everyone. Just checking in to report that I'm down a pound to 188 from last Friday - so I'm heading in the right direction again :carrot:.

We're off to the coast for a couple of days to get away from the heat. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

way to go penny :dance:

Hi everyone, I'm sitting in the Alaska Airline boardroom at Seattle airport and caught up on everyone's news (and Marmaduke). I am so HAPPY to be on my way home. I think I survived the trip although by the end I wasn't logging my food - it was too hard with not knowing how things were made. Mostly I think I was under my calories every day. Today, that probably won't be the case since we got up at 4 am (2 am for the time zone I live/am in now). So it's more like a 4 meal day. Overall I exercised quite a bit. One day I walked about 8.5 miles and the next morning rollerbladed over 10 miles. I was definitely tired. My quads were sore. One day I watched my mom make dinner and was appauled by how much fat was in it. Or should I say how much extra fat she added. I put it into my database and a chicken breast was about 500 calories. Only my mom can make chicken breast fattening. That was when I was was still logging so I stayed at 1500. Regardless, I'm glad I don't live there. It's quite apparent where my issues with foods comes from. At my inlaws, my m-i-l cooks light and was great in keeping me on track. Totally opposite of my mother.

Nikki, I'm sorry about the stress your under. Parents naturally gravitate toward their children for comfort. I remember a rough patch with my DH and I wasn't good about keeping my thoughts to myself with my kids. So good for you in putting up boundaries.

Judy, I've been thinking about you and am amazed how you can basically stay focused when traveling. It's near impossible in airports. Healthy food is hard to find.

Carol, hope you made your goal.

Penpal, I'll be back in Oregon in less than 2 hours. I can not wait. I miss my dogs so much. Way to go on the pound loss.

Well, that's about it for now. We did some fun stuff and were very busy. But I hate traveling so the best day of the trip is right now. In a few hours it'll be even better! :)
Marie

Nikki - I hope things are going a bit smoother for you now.

Marie - Welcome back! It sounds like you've managed to keep on track despite your Mom's way of cooking! It's funny how we notice things like that more when we've been eating healthy for a while. We just got back from the coast where we went to escape the heat for a few days. I bet you missed your puppies - I missed our cats, but they didn't even bother to say ''hi" when we got home - typical! I ordered a chicken breast with marsala sauce yesterday thinking it sounded fairly healthy and it came swimming in butter (actually submerged!!). I drained it off as much as possible but the idea of all that fat really grossed me out! Luckily it came with nice mixed veggies and a side salad. It's so hard to eat healthy when you're traveling. I hope I don't get a nasty surprise on the scale tomorrow morning! :o I don't even try to do my food log when we're out of town, but I'll get back on it first thing tomorrow. We got in a lot of walking on the beach, though, and I had a wonderful Japanese foot massage in Cannon Beach that had me walking on air! It's so hot here right now (almost 100 deg.) It's days like this I wish we lived near the beach. :beach:

Hope everyone gets off to a good start next week!

I am having a totally relaxing weekend, yaay! Got my hair done yesterday and didn't do much else, and I'm supposed to be doing chores today but I'm not...and that's going to have to be okay. It's my first weekend w/o guests or work for a while, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been reading some of the Success posts, and thinking about what I have and haven't done these past several months. I've spent the afternoon listening to music and mulling over lots of things. I'll share it once I've come to some conclusions.

Nikki, maybe you can write the No-Stress Diet book :D . Besides making you store belly fat and screwing up your sleep, it certainly makes me want to crunch and munch. Just remember to mention our little group in your best-selling book's acknowledgements!

Marie, congratulations for keeping your goals in the forefront while you were with the relatives. It's hard for me not to slip into their (mostly bad) patterns, or to stick out by not going along with the gang. Traveling has been a major barrier to my weight loss, but I enjoy traveling, and it's part of the jobs and volunteer positions I've chosen. But I can look around the airport and see that most of the other folks aren't as fat as me, so I know that I can't blame this on traveling. I just have to deal with it.

Carol, I'm definitely taking some time off for play on this next trip--two days with my grandma, a day with a friend in Monterey, and a day to myself (or with friends, if I want)--to balance out the five days in conferences.

Penny--a foot massage...ahhhh!

judy

Hey ladies sorry I missed you this weekend I went to my boyfriends.

Judy I dont know about that book LOL.

So my parents are at it again. I called my grandma to ask if I could stay by here for the night. I was shocked she said no you have to support your mom. So I'm being thrown into the support roll and lots of crying , yelling and just feeling real cruddy going on here. Also I have a sore throat I have no idea what the scale wil say but I really cant be to concerned right now.

Nikki

Nikki - I'm sorry you didn't get the support you need from your Grandma. I hope you can separate yourself from the situation somehow. I know I get along with my family much better now that we're thousands of miles apart! I hope your throat gets better soon too. Take care of yourself - I'm sending healing thoughts your way :hug:.

Nikki--I'm so sorry that your grandma didn't help you out...but I'm wondering if she's trying to distance herself from the drama, and worries that taking you in would involve her somehow in the next round of tears...who knows? Most people spazz out when confronted with other people's emotional distress. Anyway, I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. It must feel like it will never end (but it will!). I'm sending you a big hug :hug: . Feel free to come here and vent anytime you need to, okay? Although it's probably more fun to be with the BF;) .

This week I am tackling a few basics--planning and night snacking, where I've been slipping. I'm back to posting the next day's menu on a whiteboard on my frig. And I have slipped back into snacking in front of the tube instead of at my dining room table. I don't actually have a separate dinning room, and I can watch TV from the table, but it's a mental thing. So this week I'm practicing doing those two things. Even though I'm traveling next week, I'll make a point of logging my food and estimating calories, to make myself think before I eat. I've decided to get weighed and measured at Curves, which I used to do every month. Finally, I have found a "holistically trained" clinic that I'll visit later next month, and I'm even considering checking out Overeaters Anonymous, although I think I might hate it. I went to a support group long ago for child abuse survivors, and it was a bad, bad experience, and I tried Al-Anon for a while a few years back, when I was still with my ex, and it just wasn't me. But maybe I shouldn't give up on the group thing. What do you guys think?

judy

Judy, I'd give the OE a try and if you don't like it, drop it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Basically it won't hurt any and possibly could help. BTW, I think the only reason I stayed on track on my trip was to log everything and keep the calories in control. So you'll do great next week.

Nikki, I'm so sorry about your family troubles. Very surprising your grandmother turned you down. Telling you to support your mother isn't fair to your other parent. Too bad she didn't realize the error of her choice. Good luck and if food gives you comfort, have some in moderation. Judy is right, eventually it will improve. BTW, can you apply for a signature student loan and move out? It might be worth it for your health and well being.

Penpal, I totally agree with the distance with family. 2000 miles is a precious gift in retaining relationships. :)

Things are good here. DH and I worked our butts off this morning cleaning the pool area. Loads of weeds. It looks beautiful. I plan to go play out there eventually. I also WATP 3 miles and did my toning. I'm on track and am so thankful for all of you here.

TTYL.
Marie

Hi everyone -

Marie - Sounds like a busy day but very productive go you .


Judy - It might be worth checking out overeaters anonymous if you think it could help. Sometimes the group of people involved at a specific time will make or break your experiences.
Thanks for the support you all are real life savors. I find it hard to talk to my boyfriend he does not know what to say to me. Also, I am trying to support my mother because my dad is the one who wants out but I don't want to take sides because I love them both. As for my food I havent been splurging just not eating mostly or a little here a little there.

Nikki

Penny congrats on the loss. I missed my goal by .5 what the heck! Maybe next time. I still lost and almost made it.
Marie welcome back home.
Nikki hang in there it will get easier to cope with. Sounds like your accepting and adjusting better than your parents are?
Judy sometimes those groups are helpful. Maybe its worth a try? You don't have to attend if you try it and drop out. Sometimes accountability to a group helps. This is my accountability here and the little square in the closet. Oh I have been so busy haven't even done the scale but I will on friday. I have been up early in the morning painting before work and at night. The rooms are painted in the addition but now its baseboards and trim for the doors and four doors. The elec. inspector approved us todya. Hurray. Now fire inspector and a final and we are good to go. Carpets to be installed and furniture del. and thats it. For now! I have been so active with all the remodeling I think the cals I have ate wear off quick. Don't think I have gained anything but I will ck soon. Hang in there everyone ! Nikki hope things get easier for mom too. Its tough to adjust to changes and life is full of changes. Does your mom work? Sometimes that actually helps. When I was having a hard time I just worked harder and it kept my mind busy on other things instead of myself. Maybe she needs a support group to know its not just her that it happens to and how others move on or adjust to the new lifestyle. Well take care.

Morning everyone, things are going good here. Very hot (upper 90's again today) but there's no humidity so that's nice. I will probably play in my pool again later in the hot afternoon. I will slather on the sunscreen.

We did lots of yard work yesterday and today I'm going to weed wack. I've been bad this year - I haven't done it at all. Some of the weeds are looking like trees. I did go out to do some yesterday but I was out of line so I had to go to the store and buy some. No excuses today.

I did the WATP 1 mile Jog 2 times today. Who would have ever thought I could jog 2 miles. I also did my toning.

Food is going good. I'm totally on track and I'm so relieved that the trip to butter country didn't ruin that. I will weigh in on Friday.

Carol, isn't it your birthday soon??? I know it's by mine but a little earlier. Next Thursday I'll be 45. Yikes, old age is creeping up. By the time I'm 46 I will be slender and NEVER will be fat again. That's my promise to myself.

Hope everyone has a good day. Talk to you later.
Marie

Hi Marie -

Sounds like you have been busy good for you. I took a peek at the scale today and I am down a little from last week . Lets hope I can keep that up for friday's weigh in!

Nikki

Nikki, good for you, not pigging out and still seeing some progress even during this stressful time:bravo:

Marie, you're continuing to kick butt, too! WATP, toning and weed-whacking on the same day should whip you into shape you want to be in by this time next year. Congratulations on doing so well for so long.

Carol, all this remodeling sounds like hard work! I've mostly lived in rental apartments, so painting the walls is about the extent of my experience. If the home buyers markets continues to "correct" itself, maybe in the next couple of years I'll stop renting.

I had a good cardio workout this morning, and will go to Curves this evening. I'm eating on program and ignoring all the snack bags of chips that were left over from a big meeting last week. I've left a message with this "integrative medicine" doctor's office (their website says that they don't deal with insurance plans, which is unfortunate). I've found the regional OA website, and will also search around for alternatives that aren't about diet plans as much as mutual support support. I will have three-four weeks without travel, visitors or major work events, so I really want to use that time to set some things in motion before the fall craziness starts.

Have a great day, all, and keep up the good work!

judy

Judy - I hope the holistic clinic works for you. OA might be worth a try. I went to TOPS for a while, but it didn't work for me. I think of Curves as a kind of 'group therpy' - we often chat about our ups and downs on the scale and it's been a good source of support for me.

Marie - Welcome back - we missed you! Good for you for staying on track when you were away - wish I could say the same :^:. Your pool must be great with the weather we've been having.

Carol - All that painting, etc. will burn off some extra calories! I hope it shows up as a loss for you on Friday :crossed:.

Nikki - I'm glad the scale has been kind to you, especially considering the stress you've been going through lately. Hang in there - this too shall pass.

I'm going to need to give myself a kick in the butt :kickbutt: to get losing again instead of constantly yo-yoing up and down a pound or two. I'm getting tired of being in this rut and need to do something - not sure what just yet. I don't think I can eat less calories, so the only option is more exercise :(. The Japanese massage I learned the other day has been soothing for my foot (I do it every night before bed) so I'm hoping to be able to start walking again. I went to the mall this morning and wasn't limping after ten minutes like I usually do, so hopefully this will keep up.

Hello everyone! Well my sister inlaw is moved into my side of the house as of yesterday. We had my daughter, son inlaw and her grandson all moving her things. My friend came to help I burned many calories up and down the stairs, carrying mattresses, boxes and some furniture. At the same time my brother and his son were hanging doors and moldings it was crazy for a few hrs to say the least. But when I think of the way everyone from Hawaii to here helped out and worked together as a big family it felt great. My house is a little overwhelmed looking today but it won't be for only a week. Her carpets come soon, then a final inspector and fire inspector and we are good to go. Hurray! We did it! Stressful at times but it was a calorie burner. Yesterday I did eat healthy until the pizza and wings showed up for dinner but with the calories burned I am not worried. If I haven't lost wt. I surely have lost inches and gained muscle the last week or two. I feel good and at 52 yrs. old I run circles around lots of people. A little hard work never hurt me and I am grateful that I am capable of doing it. So today I will start once again to watch my calories a bit closer. Going to grill some pork chops for dinner tonight.
Penny hope you feel better soon the massage sounds wonderful I think maybe I need one too. Keep up your good efforts and you will gain some more angel wings.
Nikki keep it up your doing well. I hope everything else is settling down for you a bit and adjusting.
Judy wow no trips that is nice for you. Staying around your own place might be kind of fun for a bit. Insurances don't always make sense to what they cover. Sometimes they cover stupid stuff and not what would make sense. If you can afford to try this new idea of yours go for it. Your worth every penny you spend on your health needs. This might be just what you need and if it isn't chalk it up for having a new experience. Nothing explored nothing gained sometimes. Good luck!
Marie my B day was last week. I think you were away in butter land. Glad to have you back. It was in the 90's yesterday and very humid here. We were all doing manual labor with the move and construction not much fun in the heat. That weed wacking and yard work burns some calories away. I wish I had ate better with all my working but I REALLY was very hungry afterwards... Should of had better choices but the pizza and wings served everyone and the little ones too.
Take care a little more painting and touching up after work today then I think its ready for carpeting hurray!

Judy - good on the staying away from snacks. Being home should help you a bit.

Penny - I am glad your foot feels better try not to overdo it.

Carol- All the physical labor is sure to do good.

Nikki

Good morning everyone!!!

It's going to be another hot one here today. The last two days I've contemplated the idea of AC, but I usually hate it so I'm just enduring. I was so hot and tired yesterday evening I was too lazy to get into my swimsuit and cool off. I knew I'd feel better, but just didn't want to. I did cool off in the pool earlier in the the day after 2 hours of weedwacking. BTW, I finally have control over my landscaping again. :carrot:

Tomorrow is weighin and I don't know how it will go. I've been good, but lately I started retaining water in the evenings. My feet and the such. I don't add salt to much and have been drinking about 125 oz of water per day, but I'm having trouble. So if it's not a good scale day, I will give myself a break. I do HOPE to see a loss since I've been off th scale since the 17th.

I exercised already this morning. Walked 3 miles and did the toning. I think that the morning exercise has really solidified. It's a good thing I changed form after work / p.m. exercise to early morning. With my house hitting 87 degrees in the evening, I'd definitely not exercise.

I think today I'm going to listen to my audiobook and float on the pool in the hot afternoon (after 4 to avoid any chance of sunburn). I'm also working on a new stained glass panel of a wolf. I made one about 2 years ago and gave it to my mother for Christmas. I saw it last week and wanted it back. Since it would be impolite to ask for it I decided to make a new one. The reason I gave her that one was that as much as I loved it, I made the wolf's eye yellow (as per a wolf's picture). Well, the wolf looks just like Kody (my siberian husky boy) and I wanted it with a blue eye. So that's what I'm doing. I got the pattern re-drawn and the contact sheets for the pattern. Today is cutting those out and putting it on the glass (which I bought on Monday). Tomorrow I'll start cutting the glass out. I'm not in a hurry so I'm just enjoying the process.

Judy, thanks for the congrats on keeping going. It meant a lot. I really appreciate you. Good luck on finding support (other than from us chickies). My DH is supportive but that's about it for me. You all are my big support network.

Nikki, glad to hear you had a little loss. Here's hoping for good things tomorrow. I was just reading Dear Abby or Annie's Mailbox (online) and they had a letter about a 23 yo daughter who's caught in her parent's divorce. I almost thought it was written by you. BTW, the nutshell of the advice was to set boundaries, be supportive but not to let either parent bad mouth the other - hence the boundaries. I'm definitely thinking of you.

Penpal, definitely the weather has been too hot. I like hot, but this is even pushing my like for it. Although at the moment I have a sweater on. :D Just not for long. :( I sure hope the foot massages help your foot heal. I know I wouldn't be on track if I couldn't exercise. BTW, could you try a different form of exercise for a while to let it rest? Somehting like a recumbant exercycle?

Carol, you sure are active and generous. I bet your SIL really appreciates you. Having other move in with you is not an easy thing. (This is speaking from first hand knowledge of have DS, GF and DGS living with us). I'm very thankful my situation isn't permanent. Yesterday was a bad day with them. Hopefully today will be better.

Well, that's it. TTYL.
Marie

A quick hello from me. I just inhale a large, lovely green salad with chicken, and my stomach is plenty full but my tongue wants more...so I'm sipping mint tea and hoping this goes away until time for my afternoon snack. Didn't get to workout this morning. I use the apartment building's communal laundry, and I do laundry at the crack of dawn to avoid the rush. But I had a huge amount of sheets and towels from all the company, and it took up my exercise time. I'm supposed to see friends at a reception after work, but if they don't show, maybe I'll scoot home in time to do soemthing.

Penny--the little butt-kicking smilies are funny but sad! I hope you're able to move around comfortably soon. I can tell that the neuroma in my left foot is starting up again. I wear this goofy padded ace bandage thing on my foot when this happens, but I'm too vain to wear it in the summer when I'm sporting sandals....

Carol, you are so generous to open your home to your family. I hope everything works out with your SIL. You deserve a spa day or something, after all this manual (and financial, too, I bet) labor.

Nikki, I'm crossing my fingers, too! And hope that the scale gods look favorably upon all of your discipline and conscientiousness.

Marie--I would love to be floating in pool, listening to an audiobook! Hope you're having a good afternoon. Good luck with tomorrow's weigh-in.

Okay, gotta go. I overcommitted on what I could accomplish today, and need to stop and figure out what the best way to spend these next few hours.

bye--judy

Marie sounds like your continuing to do very well thats great. Your a great incentive for all of us. I would love to learn how to do stained glass its so pretty. The wolf with blue eyes sounds nice maybe when its done you can post it. I wanted to swim last night it was so hot but the storm rolled in and I wasn't quick enough to swim ahead of time. We are doing okay with my SIL moving in. She will have her own side soon and for now this works out. Never do I have to pickup after her or anything like that. I am not trying to change my ways too much but to be considerate of her also. There are times I like to do my own thing and I still will do that. In order to have this work we all need our freedom too. I totally agree normally its tough that is why we have to seperate areas to give each other respect of privacy but to help each other also. Sounds good hope it works as well.
Nikki I also read that same article and thought of you wow. To think we are so many miles away and are in touch with the same things. At any rate hope your doing well. I didn't have a loss but no gain and thats good. Because sometimes when I get this active I gain due to muscle etc. and I have been going pretty strong for a couple of weeks. My future son inlaw is coming over the weekend to help me finish up the final touches of the rooms. Carpet is coming tues.. and the furniture will follow. I hope by next weekend to be completed in there. I have to call the inspectors today final and fire. Oh so much junk to do and such little time.
Judy hope your feeling better today. I like mint tea haven't had tea in awhile sounds good. Hope today is a better day for you.
Well yesterdays intake wasn't bad at all. My worst thing I ate was a piece of cheese pizza my sweetest thing a popsicle one half. Didn't count my cals but lets see....just added up around 1400 cals. I am getting better with my intakes. Well more water yesterday would of been better looking back at my day.

Hi everyone -

I only have a few minutes. I am on my way to the boyfriends for the weekend. I need the break. Anyhow, I managed to maintain this week so I am happy with that.

See you all Monday
Nikki

Morning everyone. I lost 2 more pounds. So I survived the trip back home to butter land. My family uses butter like it was water. I'm very, very happy. I was doing the happy dance around the scale. Since Nikki kicked my butt into gear, I've lose 22 pounds. To say the least, I'm thrilled.

Nikki and Carol, great for maintaining. Both of you are under so many stresses that maintaining is wonderful. I definitely eat under stress so you're doing great.

Judy, ahhh, the horrible memories of laundry rooms. I do not envy you. I remember when I got my first washer/dryer - I thought I went to heaven. It always made me mad that I'd put our money into machines that wouldn't work right. We were poor young military people and it was aggravating. Good luck on the exercising and skip the vanity - wear the bandage. I used to be a sandal person but my feet feel better with my orthotics. I just occasionally wear sandals now.

Today it's supposed to be hot, but about 5 degrees cooler than yesterday. My plan is to float again. I already did my exercise and when DH gets up, we're going to take the doggies on a 2 mile walk. So floating sounds good. And I'll work a bit on the stained glass. Boy, do I love vacation from work and not traveling. :)
Marie

Carol - I don't know where you get all that energy. You're a real inspiraton!

Marie - Congratulations on losing the 2 lbs. despite all the temptations in butter land! :dancer:. Your stained glass project sounds interesting, maybe you can share some photos of your work sometime.

Judy - Doing all that laundry must have been a workout in itself! Don't be self-conscious about wearing the bandage (although it might be hard to do in sandals). I've gotten to the point where comfort comes first :). Lately, I've been putting a cold pack on my foot right away for about 1/2 hour after my walks and it's helping a lot to keep the swelling down. The one I use is Theramed universal and it has built-in velcro straps which keep it on so I can walk about with it on for a while. I don't know if this would work for your neuroma though.

Nikki - I'm glad you managed to maintain this week. Have a nice weekend - you deserve it!

I was relieved that I hadn't gained any this week after our long weekend away where I went a bit overboard with the eating. I've started walking again and managed half an hour today and yesterday. The foot massages and cold packs I'm doing seem to be helping a lot. We went for a nice walk this morning along the river on a new trail near our house. My DH goes there for his morning walks but it's the first time I've been, so I'm hoping to make this a regular thing.

Have a great weekend everybody :carrot:

Hey, sounds like everyone is doing well, despite heat, parental drama, traveling, folks moving in and other challenges. I'm just happy to have gotten through this week :jig: I interviewed some good folks, and it looks like we'll get some badly needed help with all this work, yippee!

Penny, your riverwalk sounds lovely! I'm so glad that your feet are letting you enjoy it. Re the foot brace thing--I wear an odd shoe size (10.5), which is hard to find, and the arthritis in my knees limits me to "sensible" shoes. I have a bit more leeway with sandals, although I have to have ankle straps and rarely wear anything you'd call a heel. So it hurts my heart to think of wearing this ugly bandage with sandals, or worse, wearing closed shoes all year:( . If the pain comes back in full force, of course, I'll get over it. So far it's been a few mild flare-up that have gone away. I'm not entirely sure of what a neuroma is--sounds like a nerve that's gone haywire or something. At any rate, I'll be back to wearing the dratted bandage every day once it gets too cool for sandals.

Carol, we've been following the saga of the remodleing for a while, now, and I think you owe us photos once it's complete. Good for you, not gaining while there's been all this work and traffic back and forth at your house.

Nikki, I hope you have a relaxing weekend, you deserve it!

Marie, you're putting us all to shame! I will have to ask Nikki for some of those special butt-kicks, they seem to really do the job :lol:. Re the laundry room: I've been thinking a lot about becoming a homeowner eventually, but what I mostly want is my own washer and dryer. If I had a rental that had those things, I bet I wouldn't care half so much about the other benefits of owning my own place. Isn't that sad?

I had a mini-binge last night, after having some tortilla chips and a small margarita at the reception. I got home after 9PM, hungry, and ate two helpings of chicken and veggies...AND a berry smoothie...AND a Slim-A-Bear ice-cream-like thing. God knows where I put it all. I woke up with a carb hangover. I still can't figure out what that was about, I guess something inside mutineed after so many days on program. Very annoying. I signed up for FitDay, since it looks like I can use it on my Blackberry. Let's see if having a little electronic journal is more motivating than my spiral notebook.

I'm beginning to ramble, the brain is tired....back later. Have a great weekend!

judy

Niki there is nothing wrong with maintaining its actually I think a good way to know your keeping it off. So congrats to you next week most likely it will be a loss. That is an acomplishment sometimes. Our bodies are adjusting to our new wt. as well.
Marie congrats on your loss. You are doing so well. Yes I think things are going okay due to so many demands at the moment.
I am down .5 today and I will take it. Its small but movement and that is good. So I should do a 1/2 of dance Marie around the scale as well?
Judy those things just happen to us. It is the little devil inside us saying we want it all. Once we start its hard to stop but its over so what today is another day and it will be different and better. Good luck and I am sure it will be a better choice day. They say sometimes over doing on one day cutting back the next couple make you lose. Something with our metabolism I guess. Anyways through ww there use to be something called the Dee Dee's diet. I acutally just looked its in my favorites. For some folks it really works well I guess. Check it out on line thats where it came from just do a search if nothing else its interesting. My future son in law and daughter are coming over to help do the touch ups and paint one wall on sunday. We will have another family day of helping. I am so proud of all my children, my son in laws,hubby and friends from Hawaii to NY everyone has helped with this project and it wasn't all that easy. We are so lucky to have a great support system that is for sure.
Take care all I am taking my sister inlaws Christmas and Halloween decor. and repacking them for storage today. There are so many little boxes etc. I bought 5 bins to start and I am going to get it all downsized and maybe misplace a few junkie things. Oh I am so bad! We are all doing fine yesterday she had dinner ready when I returned home from work. Now that was a treat. Well I am going to take my big loss report and run!

Hi everyone, it's been a good weekend. We drove over the mountain to Costco and bought new tires for my little car. Of course we shopped too. :) Amazing how much $$$ gets donated to my favorite store.

Yesterday I walked 3 miles (WATP) and then walked Costco (a workout in itself). I made a new recipe that I found in Taste of Home advertisement and it was good. I "lite"ened it up and it was really good. Chicken Cheesy Rice Casserole. It had about 350 calories per serving.

Today I did the 1 mile mile Jog two times and the 1 mile Yoga Walk. Then here I am. We plan to take the doggies hiking so another 1.5-2 miles will be added to my spreadsheet. On Tuesday I'll post July and Total miles.

Thursday is my birthday and that might not be a problem diet wise. DH might not be able to get the night off so I shouldn't overeat. I found a recipe for Chocolate Mousse Cake that I'm going to have DH make. Calorie wise it wasn't too bad and it looked delicious.

Well, that's it for now. No big plans for the day except the hike. It's going to be cool today (high of 76) so I might not even float on the pool. I will work on the stained glass for a little while. I might draw some too.

Well, chat with you later.
Marie

Marie your doing so well with your walking. Maybe when my addition is completed and everything settles down I can also get into it. At this time I can't even get to the treadmill.
Happy B day to you. The cake sounds wonderful too! Remember birthdays are just numbers we are as young as we feel.
I found out how to lose 2lbs quickly but it wasn't much fun. I had that awful tummy bug yesterday. I was so sick I was in bed most of the day except for a couple of hours. Everytime I got up it mad me feel worse and then I had to run to the bathroom. I took today off the boss will have to see a client for me and I am missing a meeting. But oh well I really was awful sick not fun! Today I am better and thought I'd see how much I lost down 2lbs. I knew it would be but that kind of loss isn't one that stays gone. I had a couple of poached eggs and a bagel for breakfast so far so good. We are suppose to be in the high 90's on tues... here. I think if I continue to feel better as the day goes on I will relax in the pool next door. Take a book and float around. Marie Costcos is a really nice store we don't have one here but the kids have one in Hawaii and there is one in Canada too. I have been to both of them and enjoy my shopping time and yeah it doesn't take long to drop a few donations there. Well have a good day. I will becareful of my intake today still since yesterday was only fluids and toast. I am feeling better it must be a 24 hr. thing. Hopefully no one else gets it.

Eeks, Carol!!! I sure hope your at the end of the illness. I definitely would rather keep the 2 pounds than lose it that way. I hate stomach viruses.

This morning I did a DVD I cut and spliced together yesterday. I took the 1 mile jog and spliced the jogging together for 2 miles and then spliced in the fast 1 mile walk. At the end I spliced in the yoga stretches. It's about 44 minutes long and was quite a workout. I think I will really like it. Technology is grand!!!!

DH and I are going rollerblading this morning, then to Walmart. I'm going to get a fitness ball and learn some back and nect stretches. My sister's physical therapist got her using one and she straightened her posture. My neck has hurt recently and my sister showed me the exercises when I was in Minnesota. So that's the reason for Walmart. Then later today we're going to do a 23 pound turkey on the Weber grill. BTW, when I bought Tom, I saw it was 23 pounds - the amount I've lost so far - and it's heavy. Holy moly that was mind boggling.

Have a great day!
Marie

Marie isn't it knid of funny to think of that turkey as your wt. lost. I love it! Congrats to you. I am feeling much better today. Off to work I go. Yesterday I ended up going to a site for a little while as I needed to complete at visit. My supervisor was out for the day and my director too busy. I also had a call in the a.m. and a consumer on my caseload passed away. Oh wow what a bad day to not work yesterday. But it happens I guess no control over somethings. I am going to work and calling hrs. later this afternoon his funeral is on wed. morning. He was only 54 and very unexpected. I feel really bad he was a nice guy and I enjoyed working with him. When I would take him for a haircut just an extra service. He would fly back into program and with a big smile say I feel like a new man!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great smile and sense of humor for sure he will be missed.
I didn't do the scale this a.m. I will wait til wed. then again on friday. I am taking cantalope, cuke and a yogurt for lunch. Lots of water today it will be in the 90's. I will fit a swim in later on today. Well take care and Marie your exercise ball sounds like a good idea. I bought one but gave it away as it was for someone shorter. Guess they go by ht.

trying again
 

Hi--a quick hello from my BlackBerry, as I ride the commuter train from Grandma's to Los Angeles. It was a good visit, but somehow Grandma sees me as a straveling child...Idid well not to let her stuff me with food every hour.

More when I get back to a computer. But it's good to be able to follow the check-in on line.

Judy

judy - I know what you mean by a 'carb hangover'. I get that too if I eat too many empty carbs. Hope you are over it by now. I'm glad you had a nice visit with your grandma - they do tend to want to force feed us! Nurturing=feeding for a lot of moms and grandmas. :rolleyes: I know I'm guilty of that with our son :o.

Carol - Sorry to hear you've had a tummy bug :( - I hope you feel better. Go easy for a bit until you get your strength back.

Marie - The fitness ball sounds like fun - it probably helps with your balance too. I hope the exercises help your neck pain. That's a pretty big turkey to cook on the grill :turkey:.
I bet it's delicious made that way and lots of yummy leftovers! It's fun to compare our weight loss to objects - it brings it home just how much we've lost.

Nikki - I hope things are going well with you too.

I've been walking approx. 40 minutes a day for the past week and it's been great discovering all the great trails in the local parks. It's a whole new world for me as I haven't done much walking for years because of my foot. My favorite trails are the ones that are in the woods where you can look out on the river. The weather has been fabulous for the past week - around 75 deg. and sunny (wish it was like this all year round). I hope all the extra exercise shows up on the scale soon!

Hi everyone, it's been a really nice day. I was in a b*tchy mood yesterday and am glad that's past. Even when the dreaded scale said I gained .6 pound I didn't get upset. Yesterday I would have throw it in the pool. Today I shrugged knowing there was no way on earth I could gain fat, so I was okay with it.

DH and I sat outside enjoying the beautiful weather Penpal was referring to. We didn't hardly do anything. Just sat and chatted, admiring our pretty pool and the loads of hummingbirds. Did I ever mention I'm obsessed with hummingbirds??? I have 4 feeders and have to refill them daily. In the last week or two, their desert natural source must have dried up and they invited all their friends. So I'm making their nectar constantly. We tried to o**** how many were out there at one point and DH gave up at 12 - said they wouldn't be still long enough to count them. I just adore those birdies.

Judy, I'm impressed at the blackberry message. You are a techno gal. I've never gotten into the blackberry but give me time. Sorry about the food = love thing. That was my problem in butter land. I just tossed my extra food onto DH's plate.

Carol, I'm glad you're feeling better but very sorry that one of your client's passed away. You are such a caring person and I'm lucky to have you as a friend.

Penpal, so your foot is feeling better? That is so great to hear! The turkey was divine and there's tons left over. I love it on salads. BTW, all your walking will show on the scale unless you make mine (and Carol's) mistake and eat more since you're hungrier with all the exercise. We learned the hard way this past winter/spring. :)

Talk with you all tomorrow!
Marie

Thanks Marie for your thoughts they are appreciated. I am off to the funeral this a.m. after a couple hours at the office. His family was so nice yesterday and I know how much he was loved. I have never been so overwhelmed with such nice compliments from people. I wrote a letter to the family and one to his mom this a.m. just wanting to put some thoughts on paper to them all. It was tough but better for me to lose it this a.m. alone than totally later on. It will be a tough morning for sure. I did alot of extras with him and never cared that it was above what I needed to do. Thats what its all about in my book helping others making things happen etc. I know I served him well and that I can rest with now. This jolly green giant of a man was very caring and loving to many others. Not always so easy to handle but we had a respect for one another and our friendship grew over my 6 years of serving him. It is a loss for me too thats for sure. Thanks again.
Well my 2 lbs. found there way back for a bit. I hope to re lose them the right way not being sick. Oh that was bad stuff.
Judy our families always think food is what we need. Isn't it funny but we are breaking the trend I hope with exercise and healthier thoughts.
Penny that turkey sure did sound wonder huh? How is that ankle coming along?
Marie did you enjoy making all of our mouths water for turkey????????????? It sounded so good. Wow wouldn't it be fun to all really meet in person someday. What a blast we all would have!
Gotta get going lots to do today.

Carol, I'm so glad that your client's family is appreciative of all that you did for him. Caretakers often get lost in the shuffle of family and other friends. Folks like you who are 'just doing their jobs aren't always acknowledged. I hope that the service today isn't too tough for you. You're a treasure.

Marie--I'm an inconsistent techno-gal. I only just bought a DVD player this winter (and now I have a travel one, too, which I used for a workout this AM), and I really rely on IT folks for computer issues. But I was an early adapter of PDAs, and having notes, address book and calendar in one small electronic package! The extra expense of the email/Internet on my BB is a splurge, but it's worth it to me.

Penny, way to go with the walking! Besides burning the calories, I bet it's good for your spirits, too.

I am struggling to make good choices on this trip. I worked out this morning, and hope to visit the lovely fitness center (complete w/Jacuzzi and sauna) later today. I ate sports bar food yesterday--including every last french fry on my plate--because I waited too long to eat dinner, and my stomach was still on Eastern time. Today will be better. I'm doing an August challenge--be logging onto FitDay routinely by the end of the month, and be under 230 pounds (I'm still around 234 now). Remind me of y'all's short-term goals....

Freda, Nikki and all, hope you're doing well.

judy

Marie - I'm glad you mentioned about getting hungrier now that I'm doing more walking. I noticed that I've been snacking a bit more since I started walking every day, so I'll have to nip that in the bud otherwise it will be counter-productive! I love humming birds too. We have two tube feeders and get Anna's and Rufus humming birds. The feeders are stuck on the kitchen windows and it's funny how they give us dirty looks if the feeders are empty. They are greedy little devils and empty the feeders in no time, even though we have lots of their favorite flowers. They are such bold little birds and don't seem afraid of anything. My foot has been much better since the guy at the foot massage place told me how to do the lymph drainage massage and also to ice my foot when I get home. I seems to be working!

Carol - I'm sorry you've been going through such a sad time with the passing of your client - I can tell you're a very caring person. I'm sure the family appreciated your letter of condolence.

Judy - I hope your trip is going well and that you managed to visit the fitness center. It's amazing how technological advances have come such a long way so that we can stay in touch no matter where we are (this can be a mixed blessing!) I hope you enjoy doing Fitday. I've been doing Nutridiary (similar system) for a year and it's been very helpful for me to log my calories. In fact, I don't think I would have lost the weight without keeping track of everything. It's so easy for me to have a nibble here and a bite there and before you know it I'm 500 calories over for the day! It keeps me (fairly) honest. You asked about our short term goals - mine is to lose 3 lbs. (weigh 185 lbs.) by my birthday (August 18).

I went for the longest walk yet today! 45 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon! It feels so good to be able to walk more than 10 or 15 minutes without severe pain. I still get some pain, but it's bearable (I'm not taking any pain killers) and I hope that the walking will actually strengthen my ankles.

Marie I only wish I knew as much as you with the computer. We are starting a new system soon at work where we have to punch in for the day on the computer. It is a bit hard for some of us that have such up and down schedules. I sometimes don't get right into the office. Then I guess we will have a phone available to call to and report our time. They say its new teck and we'd better get used to it. So many changes all the time but we all manage to grumble then adjust. So I will suck it up I guess.
Yesterday was quite hard for sure. I really didn't keep it together so well. I tried but lost the battle. He will be missed we were all saying this gentleman was our Jackie Gleason. Our gaint with a big heart. Grumpy sometimes but really a kitty cat. At any rate this has been a heck of a week from being sick to this. Friday can't come soon enough. On a good note my SIL furniture is coming today. She is pretty excited and we will start to decorate her area tonight. I think maybe a nice silk flower arrangement maybe in order for her livingroom. I will have to do that on my way home today.
My eating has been pretty good. I skipped cake yesterday after services. Had a dinner roll but left the butter behind. I figure its little changes that make a difference eventually. I did make dinner last night and was the only one to eat. They forgot to tell me they ate. Oh! I would of just had something simple. I guess its okay cause its there for tonight. I only at half as it was a hot meal. So I am trying. I am working on getting below 170 so close but not there. If I try hard enough it will happen soon. Its nice to have my clothes fit so nicely. I went to shop yesterday for a few min. tried on a pair of pants. I really liked them but they were from the Limited so I needed a size bigger. I found myself asking the sales girl are these jrs. she said yes then I felt better otherwise they could stay on the rack at a size bigger. But the 14.99 a blk pr. of nice dress pants came home with me.
Judy lately I have been so busy I have been tracking my food in my head. But its easy to slip things in and forget tracking on fit day is a good thing. I used to and should do it again myself. Maybe I will join you in that journey company is always a good thing.
Penny keep up your hard work. We are all going to make it with this much support it has to take us real close.
Thank you all for your support as always on this site. We have really learned to lean on one another and that is a good thing.
Nikki where are you? Hope your doing okay.
Have a good day. I am going for a bagel w/lt. veggie cc. But will be careful the rest of the day of starches etc.. Veggies and fruits lean meats.

Hi Everyone-

I'm around just going thru **** at home. As for my weight. ... I have my TOM and have not really weighed. we will see what it says tomorrow.I'm glad everyone seems to be doing good. Keep it up

Nikki