[MistySeptember]

Jen-I really feel for you you are in a tight space. I really hope taht you stay well and it all works out. I think it is totally unfair, when you are sick you are sick and like you said you are risking lives with a simple cold. That is alot of pressure and responsibility. Perhaps going in sick and making them send you home is the only way they will accept that you are sick. It's not fair and totally sucks though. We're here if you need to vent!!!!!

Elana-I wish we could have groceries delivered! That is a service I would pay for in a heart beat. Unfortunatly we live in a really rural area. My shopping choices are 20 minutes away (where I work now so it's not as bad as it used to be), we have two very small local stores. Thier produce selections are the length of my kitchen counter. You're lucky you can find mozerella cheese let alone fresh parmesean or heaven forbid something low fat, 100% whole grain ect. The one carries better stuff that the other. But you are hard pressed to eat healthy b/c 1 it is really expensive and 2 it's just not available. We have a couple of stores just slightly larger about 25 minutes away in the other direction. I have an issue with the one store there b/c everytime I buy meat there it is bad within 1-2 days and milk often spoils in 3. Also in this town there is no Walmart or BJ's where I can stock up on stuff other than groceries, so I still need to go to my last shopping choice which is Olean or Hornell. They are 45 minutes away. The stores are bigger, not huge like you would see in a city. But they offer a bigger selection, fresher and more abundant produce and healthier options. But when I am talking 20 minutes or 45 minutes it's on curving, hilly roads that in the winter are barley plowed enough for one car let alone trying to pass on coming traffic. In the summer it's not as huge of a deal. The biggest issue though is my husband. He didn't grow up jotting to Olean for groceries. They bought what they could at the teeny little stores. We have stuff in the house, stuff like hamburger helper, boxed mac and cheese, hot dogs, white bread (which I detest) that DH bought on sale at the local store. So DH is happy. I don't know it's so frustrating that this is always an issue. It's such a simple matter.

I'm glad to hear you are back on track though. It's so hard once you veer off. It's great that you turned it around!!!

Well I have to go help my mom today (which is almost in Olean so I'll try to grab some stuff as long as teh kids aren't miserable). Have a great weekend everyone!!!

[Jen]

My problem with groceries is not so much location as price. Fresh healthy foods are so much more expensive than cheap food, that is why people with low incomes are overweight, they can't afford quality food. I find the only thing is to make what you can and just not eat that much of it. Like Hamburger Helper, I'll make it with less than 1 lbs as it says on the box and I use lean ground beef. After I brown it I rinse it under hot water in a colander to get rid of the extra grease. So a cup of that made up with the sauce and noodles should be a little less calories than on the box and then I have some kind of veggies with it, generally salad or carrots or peas are about the only vegs my husband will eat. That is a problem too, that he won't eat a lot of different stuff and also I am feeding a 5 year old who is also very picky. Still my son will eat more veg and fruit than my husband will so that is something at least!

[MistySeptember]

Yeah the price thing hits hard here too. In the summer it is far easier and on occasion frozen veggies go on sale. But it is very expensive to eat healthier. Whole wheat bread and pasta are TWICE as much as regular and rarely go on sale. But hamburger helper goes on sale all the time, often for a dollar a box. We get beef free and even if we had to buy it I could feed my whole family for what...$6? But since we don't have to buy it I can feed everyone for $2 including frozen veggies.

I ended up buying stuff locally yesterday when I ran to town to buy cough medicine. I spent around $75 which will have to last me at least 2 weeks, hopefully 3. I watched Dr. Oz on Oprah and then his show on discovery health. He said that if your waist is over so many inches (I Think 40) you have the smae risk of dying as you would if you had certain types of cancer! Yeah taht scared the crap out of me. I ordered his book, it was only $15 on Amazon and included a exercise sample dvd. I typically don't rush out and buy diet books, but this guy made alot of sense.

I did well today. I walked 2 miles on the treadmill, ate a good breakfast. I went to my mom's and helped her. My gramma and uncle came over too, so I bought stuff to make a salad before I got there so I knew I would have a healthy choice. I had the salad and a small portion of spaghetti and a half portion of dessert.

I had to buy some clothes. NONE of my shirts fit and I only have 2 pairs of jeans that fit. I really needed at least one pair of pants for each day of the work week, that way when I do laundry on thursdays I'll have enough for the weekend. 2 pairs is so not enough! Plus all my shirts show my fat roll. I am so disgusted with myself! I need to get back on track. I spent WAY too much on clothes this spring to not be wearing any of them.