Nobe that old saying when it rains it pours is true. My head does feel better today; thanks for asking. How are you?

Jeanne, I looked at your accountability. I think you should grade on a curve. :)

I am going to try to keep my goals simple this week, too many and I get overwhelmed.

That's what I was just telling her! She needs to get back on the wagon so I'm forced to do so.


Yesterday was our (my GF and I... not Tori ;)) 9 year anniversary so we spent the day in NOLA. We had fried skrimp poboys with french fries, took a paddle boat cruise, went by the French Market and got some fancy deserts then stopped and got some Mexican food... since it was Cinco de Mayo. We both ate way too much but I look at it as me giving Tori a chance. Next week will be rough because there will be cake and ice cream involved... for a couple of days. After that... it's on like Donkey Kong. She better get busy or she'll just have dust in her face. Oh wait, I'll be so far ahead of her that the dust would have settled before she comes along!

PMSing like crazy, but otherwise good (although I don't know how there's any good when you're PMSing like crazy, haha). Luckily the kid is out of the house for a couple hours so I don't have to feel bad about being annoyed with him every time he acts like a toddler.

Seems like a lot of us are going to simplify this week. I was thinking the past couple of days that I'm going to get rid of my life goals and focus on health. Not that I'm throwing them out the window, I'm just leaving them out of here. Keeping it to food, exercise, sleep and water this coming week.

So it was a race to 170 pounds of food eaten in one day yesterday?

Don't talk about Mexican food; my mouth waters at the mere mention of it. Now I'm going to be daydreaming about it all afternoon and end up with a burrito or three, haha.

aww you guys...why'd you have to mention Mexican food? Never mind po'boys, shrimp fajitas anyone?

Thanks to all for your get well wishes. They worked. :)

Woke several times last night but was relatively comfortable, and was able to sleep as late as I wanted. I feel a lot better today and was able to eat a light brunch but then for dinner I had half a serving of low carb chili spaghetti (regional USA thing) and a few raw snowpeas/sugar snap peas in the pod and some fresh from the garden spearmint tea. An hour later my tummy feels fine. Arthritis bothering me so little today that when I don't think about it it doesn't hurt. Sinus conjestion all cleared up. :)

Cassie, I welcome virtual soup. Other people's food always tastes better than my own--except for meat loaf which I make exactly like my Mom did and no one made/makes it better. :p I'm so glad your day went well yesterday and that DH did OK. Prayers will continue to go up for your FIL.

Hope, how are you feeling today with the stress and headache? OMG two funerals in one week plus a car accident is just horrible. So sorry! Yes, good to get the headaches checked out. Wow, your car spinning around like that is scary! Intense is probably putting it mildly. Best wishes on the headache diagnosis and relief. Did you sustain much damage to your car? Huge hug to ya!

Nobe, I'm glad you enjoyed your walk and the outdoor market. Sounds like a lovely time. I hope you can wash away the salt quickly. I used to not crave salt, but since I've had low carb under my belt for a few years I now enjoy salty foods more. BUT at home I always use salt substitute, sodium free and low sodium versions of foods whenever possible. I guess we do things like enjoy too many carbs or too much sodium when we're in the instant gratification mood. Thank goodness we're all working on that. But we're all human and an occasional slip isn't the end of the world. We know what to do and how to do it. Yes, step-aunt is a correct word. I've never had organic free-range chicken but I've heard it's really wonderful. What a treat that must have been. You did GREAT on your food and fitness this week! Kudos! I don't do my life goals on here because of time limitations on the computer. I have hard enough time finding time to do my daily report on food and fitness.

Lizzie, I just raced through the posts today, too. Sometimes the best we can do is let the others know (as Hope said) that we're with them in spirit. That works. :)

Jeanne, Pepsi and cheese curds sounds good to me. LOL Wonderful job analyzing your pie chart. I hope your scale is nice to you when you next get on. I like your grading chart. It is more reasonable than expecting perfection all the time. But I'd like to know if you found your "report card" ENcouraging or DIScouraging or do you see it just as a valuable tool without getting down on yourself?

Mike, so glad you enjoyed your ninth anniversary with GF in NOLA! Your birthday is this Wednesday, the 9th, isn't it? How are you going to celebrate that?

Mern, how did you remember? I plan on doing 41 consecutive pushups first thing in the morning. Last year I had to do 40 and I think I was in better shape then. It'll be tough. I think I may take the day off and go for a walk.

1) 1,600 calories max/day (allow myself 1 guilt free day over 1,600) - 1554, 1596, 1529, 1738, 2613 (guilt free!), 1539, 1547
2) do 2 exercises on days I don't work (walking/weights/Richard Simmons/stationary bike) - walking (don't know how long all together - at different paces and some standing, almost 5 hrs)/weights, stationary bike 40 mins/weights, walked 55 mins/stationary bike 20 mins/weights, painted 7 hrs, painted 7 hrs, walking 1 hr+/stationary bike 20 mins, walking 1 hr/stationary bike 20 mins
3) 20% protein minimum - 27%, 21%, 22%, 17%, 21%, 17%, 26%
4) 64oz water minimum - trying for 48oz by the end of the evening, 64oz+, 64oz, 48oz, 40oz, 88oz!, 64oz+
5) calorie deficit 700+ - 898, 790, 793, 976, 180, 785, 722
6) take vitamins - yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
7) lights out by 11 the night before (except Sunday night because apparently I'm hooked on Celebrity Apprentice) - no, no, no, yes, yes, no, yes
8) log all spending daily - yes, yes, yes, yes - didn't spend anything, no, yes, no
9) clean one room of the house each non-work day - no, no, no (but kept the house relatively tidy, just no proper cleaning), worked, worked, no, no
10) get out at least one day to work in the garden - no, no, no, no, no, no, no

Like I said, I'm leaving off the life goals in the next thread. I want to concentrate on the health goals, rather than feeling bad about the red in the life goals. Has anyone else noticed that they're having trouble finding balance in their life while they're losing weight (actually I think someone mentioned this a couple of weeks ago [Jeanne maybe?] but I wasn't able to respond at the time and never got back to it). I'm trying to just accept that other things can take a bit of a back burner so I can be more successful with my weight, but I also don't want to neglect other things that need to get accomplished (like keeping track of my finances, and keeping my house relatively clean). I don't know. I know I'll be happier when I'm smaller, and have more energy for the rest, and sticking with this is important right now. Trying not to stress.

Mern - I didn't find my report card either encouraging or discouraging. More of a reality check of where I am and what I need to work on. It tells me I am not putting the effort in that needs to be put in to get rid of this weight.

I gave myself a pep talk / lecture after seeing how I did on my goals. I almost posted this yesterday but decided against it. It really applies to all of us. Here is just a portion of it:

This journey is not only weight loss, but life altering as well - choices in what you eat, how you treat yourself, how much you value yourself, what amount of effort you will put towards yourself and your surroundings to name a few. This is all about you - not others - just you. Only you can change you. You may need to ask for help from others to change you. You may need to report your actions to others to hold yourself accountable for what you do - but in reality you need to face your actions head on and accept the results and be accountable only to yourself. It's you that matters the most.

Off to a killer work week - I have more work to get done than there is physically time to do. EEK!