It's Monday and another day closer to summer vacation. 2 1/2 weeks to go. Bring it on!!

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty busy. We went out for dinner and took in some of the Jazz Festival events on Friday nite. I had my dragon boat races on Saturday and we did very well. There were 76 boats registered and we were somewhere in the top 15 I think, so very pleased about our performance. Can't wait to do this again next year.

Out for dinner again Saturday nite with friends and then entertained more friends last nite for dinner. Anyone see the common denominator in all of this? At least I got some exercise to offset all of the eating

Does anyone have any big plans for the week?

Thanks for getting us started Seasaw!

My weekend was really busy--went to Chicago for a meeting and managed to break my toe! Really stupid way to start the weekend...of course it was Friday the 13th. Anyway, thankfully I had taken a pair of sandals and they were loose enough that it didn't put too much pressure on my toe. (It's the right foot, toe next to the little one.)

Yesterday was my DS last soccer game for the summer so now we can relax a little.

We're winding down our summer orientations here and I'm getting ready to get the final stuff mailed out by the end of the week for the kids who didn't make it to one of our summer programs. Then I'm off on vacation for a whole week! Woohoo! No big plans, going to visit my cousin for a few days, do some things around the house and then attend a wedding the following weekend.

Eating wise the weekend wasn't all that good, I find it really hard to stay on track lately.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Good new week to all.

I have no summer vacation to look forward to. Boo Hoo. (took all my tme in the winter). But I did enjoy the weekend with lot of gardening, visiting and sadly a whole lotta eating. The good news is that i felt so yucky about the binge-a-thon on Sunday that I think I can control myself next time. and there will be a next time...

P.S. Seasaw I saw someone with a DragonBoat tshirt on this weekend and I thought of you!

Melissa hope the toe feels better soon!

Hello ladies!

I finally have a few minutes to post - too busy at work today....

I went to the WW leader training this past weekend. It was stressful but wonderful. The trainers were fantastic - if you want to see people who absolutely LOVE their job, these ladies are it! They were so positive & I met some other great gals from the Wisconsin/Illinois area. It was very intense - I think I may have dropped a couple of pounds from the start of training on Thursday nite to when it ended on Sunday - - ya gotta love that!!

So now I need to figure out to fit in a meeting or two into my schedule - it may involve moving my regular Friday day off to another day. I am looking forward to doing this & hope that I can be successful & effective.

Melissa - OUCH!! sorry to hear about your broken toe - will it affect your walking at all?

LM - sorry about the binge but it sounds like you're back on track already.

Seasaw - DH & I are off on Friday, so we have plans to do some boating, I'm sure. It is supposed to be quite hot here all week & by the weekend it's going to be in the low 90s.

Catch you guys later - I'll try to check in on Tuesday.

Katie
191.8/145/153WW/142-145 personal goal

Hi, ladies - Remember me? Work has been crazy, but I just realized that my 20 year high school reunion is exactly one year away. So, I have one year to get back to goal and get myself otherwise looking as good for my age as I can! So, it's back on the bandwagon with journaling, posting here, exercising, and attending meetings!

Weekend was very hectic - we did errands, went out to eat, and took a family swim on Saturday. On Sunday, we traveled about 2 hours to visit our in-laws and show our kids around the college campus where DH and I met and married 16 years ago. We also stopped by the church where we had been married. Then, it was a 2-hour trip back to Austin, and we had a cook-out and had a single friend over for dinner. Whew - I'm exhausted!

I cannot believe that school starts in four weeks. Isn't it only the middle of the summer? We start on a Tuesday, August 14. This seems ridiculous to me. So, now the next few weeksare going to be a blur of haircuts, shopping for school clothes and backpacks, tidying and re-organizing study space in our home, back-to-school night to check class lists, tour classrooms, and meet teachers, etc. Somebody please tell me that life will slow down to a reasonable pace when they go off to college. Granted, that is 13-16 years away, but still ... it would be a small, bright light at the end of the tunnel!

Work is crazy - that's why I haven't posted for the lastcouple weeks. We have no summer vacation plans - boohoo (who would have time anyway?!) We took our big vacation to Lake Tahoe at the beginning of the summer. Now that we have entered our second week of 3-digit temperatures here in Austin, I am regretting taking the vacation when it was still relatively cool in Austin. Next summer, we need to plan our vacation for later in the summer!

Toodles, all. Have a great rest-of-the-week!

Well, it finally rained here this morning! The weather has been so dry here - I heard on the news yesterday that in the past 28 days we've had only .06 of an inch of rain (until this morning). Our grass looks like straw.... but now, the sun is back out & it is supposed to be hot & humid for the rest of the week.

AustinGal - I have wondered where you went - wow, August 14 for the start of school - most schools start around here at the end of August & quite a few start after Labor Day.

Going to meet a gal I used to work with for lunch today - we are going to Panera - pretty good soup & salad place and many low point choices to pick from.

Later,
Katie
191.8/145/153WW/142-145 personal goal/under 140 dream goal

Welcome back AustinGal. Being childless, I am totally amazed and fascinated by "family" life. Why in h--- does school start in the middle of August? In certain areas of New Brunswick - my home province - school started early so that the children could take two weeks off later in the fall for harvest season. I don't know much about Austin but being as it's a city, I doubt that the early start would be for the same reason. How do the kids concentrate in the heat of your summers?

Katie: I'm so happy that the WW training went well and that you are going to continue. You never know what doors this will open for you.

Melissa: Are you getting around ok with the broken toe? How did that happen? I always get a kick out of hearing broken-bone stories because most of the time the incidents are hilarious! (Not for the one feeling the pain - just everyone else)

LM: I had my own binge-a-thon last week. It involved chocolate and the story wasn't pretty. I'm happy to say I'm feeling much more in control since.

I'm determined to weigh in on Saturday and to stay for the meeting - it's been ages. I would like to know if any other lifers feel like I do every few months or so - FAT! My clothes fit the same and the scale reads the same but it's like all the weight shifted to my middle and I feel gross! Anyone else experience this little twist?

Hi everyone!

I know everyone is waiting to hear how I broke the toe...now no laughing...although now it is funny to me. I was shaving my legs in the shower and had my foot propped on the back of the tub and it slipped--I swung my foot back up and *crack* caught the tub--of course the tub wasn't one of those plastic jobs but rather a porcelain type. Anyway, the black and blue is going away...I'm wondering if I just maybe bruised it good because walking isn't too bad. I'm just being a little cautious as to how I'm putting pressure on it.

The weather here has turned hot & humid again so my outdoor walking is curbed a little. I am trying though to get out and get whatever in I can.

Seasaw: I can totally relate! Lately I've felt like I'm bulging out but in reality I'm not...I'm wondering if it's not due in part of the summer heat and feeling like I'm carrying extra weight around. I haven't totally figure it out.

Austingal: Glad to hear things are going well. Hard to believe the kids start back to school so early. Here in PA they don't start back until August 27th. The university starts back on the 29th.

Katie: We could use the rain as well. It's been so dry here that my lawn looks like hay. I just can't see watering it because we're on a meter and it would be so expensive.

I'm anxiously waiting for fresh tomatoes from my garden. Anyone else have a garden? Hope everyone is surviving the summer.

good evening everyone,

just came from ww meeting, my first as a lifetimer. As I've mentioned they don't allow free weigh ins except for once a month. So I weighed at home and either lost 1 pound or stayed the same, so that's good! I do love the meetings and our leader is so terrific.

it's been very dry here, but right now i hear some thunder rumblings so maybe we'll get some rain. my tomatoes are not doing much of anything. a few little green marbles. The lettuce is still going strong though. It hasn't bolted yet, so I'm enjoying big fresh salads while I can.

austingal great to see you again! Your life sounds so hectic. I don't think I could keep up.

melissa hope the toe is improving. do you have it bandaided to the next toe over? That helps splint the little devil.

Seasaw , it's so funny you mentioned that about feeling fat, though the scale and the clothes say otherwise. Just today a ww friend mentioned the same thing to me. Maybe it's the brain's way of sabotaging us? Who knows. Just ignore it. Drink some more water...???!!!

kt that is so great to hear about leader training. I'm toying with the idea of being a receptionist or weigher-inner.

I have been extremely fatigued lately. Getting home from work and taking 2 hour naps or should I say passing out for 2 hours. I'm not sure why, but I think the stress is catching up to me.

Anyway, I guess I'll go to bed. When in doubt, hit the hay!

talk to you tomorrow.

L.

How is everyone today?

Laurel: Do you have a large garden? I have a sweet pepper plant and a tomato plant on my back deck and they seem to be doing well. We've only ever done veggie gardening in containers because our back yard is in shade for much of the day. Congrats on the successful weigh-in.

Melissa: I just knew that the broken toe story would be a good one. I do hope you're not in too much pain.

Thanks for your comments re "feeling fat". It's nice to know I'm not alone.

Where's lalala this week?

Seasaw: I knew you'd enjoy the story! Anyway, the purple is starting to go away although there are times I can feel it "thumping". It's not as bad as when I broke 2 toes in a fall down our basement steps. This tale was much more amusing. It is hindering my walking as I haven't been able to do any major walks like I'm used to.

Lauren: When I get stressed I get really tired and lethargic. I find that by walking or doing something I enjoy helps to relieve some of the feeling.

I went to my meeting today and was totally taken off balance...I figured I might have gained maybe a pound but not the 2.8 that they calculated! It took every bit of self-control to sit through the meeting and try to make a positive out of the gain. The good thing that I can see from this is that it's an alarm for me to get back to journaling and watching portion sizes and snacks. I'm hoping that maybe part of this gain is also the hot, humid temps we've been experiencing along with my not getting in all my water. I keeping telling myself Take the hit and move on look ahead and not at what the scale said today.

The downside of this gain is that I leave for vacation on Friday and will be attending a festival...I know I can work things into my daily foods, I'll just have to plan better and make sure I get my water in.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

Good Afternoon, all!

Well, we received another round of rain here this morning, but the sunshine is returning & it is quite steamy out here. But, this is what we wait for all winter, right?, hot weather.

My meeting is tonight & I'm hoping for a loss, although on my scale at home I weigh 2.5 more pounds this morning than on Monday morning! My body must know I have to weigh in tonight & is playing with my mind!!

Seasaw - I've been thinking about your "feeling fat" remark. For me, I am so more aware of my body & the difference that a couple of pounds make. When I was overweight, I could gain 10 pounds & not be aware of it being that much. Maybe that is part of your fat feeling; you are so much more cognizant of your body, that you can feel smaller daily or weekly fluctuations. I think the warmer weather can make one feel a little "fluffier" sometimes, too.

Melissa - great broken toe story - glad you can look at it as being funny. Sorry about the gain - I bet that really took you by surprise. You are right tho, Take the hit & move on. Good for you for staying for the meeting - that's when you really need to stay.

Take care all,
Katie
191.8/145/153WW/142-145 personal goal/under 140 dream goal

katie, seasaw, melissa, and lm, thanks for the "welcome back." Hello, also, to lalala, wherever she is!

I stayed OP yesterday, and worked out this morning, so I think I am getting back into the swing of things. I wish I had been around when the 12-week challenge started. That really sounds like a good motivational tool. When I go to my meeting tomorrow, I think I'll get one of those 12-week journals.

It is SO HOT here - 55 percent humidity and 95 degrees. Altogether now .... YUUUCCCCKKKKKKK!

Just wanted to say "Hi" and let you know that I really appreciate how supportive the members on this board are. You guys are great! Toodles.

Another evening and my eyelids are drooping, but had to say hi.

I think lala is on vacation. That child seems to never be home...

seasaw no i only have a small vegetable patch and this year i've stuffed it with a lot of lettuce and about 6 or 8 tomato plants (and a zillion volunteers that I haven't had the heart to pull) and 2 zucchinis. I do have a very large flower garden, several beds of perennials, daylilies, peonies, roses, etc. Fortunately they mostly take care of themselves because I seem to have less and less time to putter. My yard is getting much shadier too.

melissa i'm sad about your gain. that's a crumby feeling. you are being so mature about it. I know I'd be home crying my eyes out. But you are right, just keep on going. Hope you have fun on your vacation. I'm sure you'll get plenty of exercise and that will help.

hey austingal it's not too late to jump on the 12-week bandwagon. We can always just keep going on after the 12 weeks. Isn't that right, patch?!!!

kt good luck with that weigh in. let us know.

myra did great this week. And... everyone else
keep up the good work. We're all in this together.

Yawwwwwnnnnn, good night!!!

Hey there gals. Lauren - how did you KNOW I would be checking this thread out today? And yes yes yes, I'm thrilled to have AustinGal - and would be really jazzed in any of you above gals wanted to join in the fun.

And yes again, most definitely, we'll start up another one after this one culminates. By my feeble calculations we have 'til the end of August - literally - for this first 12 Week Challenge to "end". Week 12 starts Aug 27 - Sep 2nd. With round 2 week 1 starting Sept. 3rd.

So that gives anyone jumping in now 7 full weeks (counting this week) to really track and compare week to week, etc. One thing I've really noticed is looking back at particular days, e.g. a Saturday or Sunday and see how just in the past 4 1/2 weeks I've started to curb my weekend binges. This is a real trouble area for me. It took 4 weeks for me to start really working it, and for results to start showing. It may sound like a lot of time, but it's really flown by.

Seesaw - you bettcha I've been feeling that a lot lately. I threw my back out about a month ago and couldn't do anything much less exercise, and I've been feeling like a slug. Just this week I started walking again. I felt as if all the hard work exercisewise over the past 4 years went down the tubes...even though I was beginning to lose the 14 lbs I put back on.

It's amazing sometimes the tricks our minds play on us.

Mellisa - so sorry to hear about your toe. It's the worst. Your weight gain is temporary, remember you just can't be as active with the toe hurting. And like LM, I too would have had the screeming meemies after that weigh-in. But we've all been through these ups (and downs). Hang in there!
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