cjohnson728

I'm sorry to hear the latest news, MunaAmin. I know you will do the best you can in whatever situation you find your family. Maybe something will come through, but if not, know that you are strong enough to handle anything.

quinnesec

Got on the scale this morning and the damage wasn't as bad as feared. Up .6 lb. I deserved much worse. After enjoying seeing my back yard free of snow for the last week, tomorrows forecast is for 6-12". If I didn't have my dad's Irish skin, I would seriously be thinking tanning bed.

Food & Fitness:

1. Limit calories to 1200 and log everything. yes
2. Keep BMI under 20. yes-19.57
3. 100 oz. of fluids daily. yes
4. Trail walk at least twice this week, weather permitting. not yet
5. Take multi-vitamin, calcium and ground flax daily. yes-flax is yummy in yogurt. Kind of tastes like graham cracker crumbs! lol 6. Lose 1 more pound this week. Trying
7. Floss every day. yes

Personal Goals:

1. Continue with "do something nice each day". yes
2. Be a more patient, sympathetic person. trying
3. Be encouraging to husband and daughter by complimenting them each day on something that they did well. yes

Mern

Stacey, feeling any perkier today?

Quinn, .6 lb. regain isn't bad at all and likely could be primarily water weight. I'm up half o'pound and just told my scale it's either wrong or lying because I've been super-good, so I'm not recording it. LOL. You are doing well so far this week. Congrats on that.

Julia, way to go on the food control and exercise!

Muna, big hug to ya! Keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Terri, it's really great that you appreciate your grandparents so much, especially that spunky little Irish grandma. My Mom believed children were to be seen and not heard, so when we were around grandparents we were to only speak when spoken to, be polite, and then go outside or into another room to quietly play or read while the adults visited. My maternal grandparents had thirteen children, so I guess Mom figured they needed a rest. LOL "Thanks for the curves." LOL I got my big butt from my paternal grandma, as did both my paternal aunts, and I suspect my daughter and one granddaughter may also battle that in the future. Cute that you have marriage proposal guidelines. Sure was sweet of BF to run around looking for roses on Valentine's Day. No pork chops at our wedding reception. LOL

Cassie, wow! Your family had real "togetherness!" Sounds like it worked out great for you. Geez, your DH and mine must be related--marriage proposal(?) very similar! LOL Your Dad sounds very practical. Hee Hee Hee You're off to a great start on this week's goals. Congrats on that.

Mike, I have a question, but I suspect the answer is because of the program you're following. Since fiber is a carbohydrate that does not impact blood sugar, why do you not deduct it your total carbs? There are many ways to low carb--I'm just asking. I don't always eat eggs for breakfast. I do just general low carb, not a specific plan, so I can eat whatever I want. If you are not following a plan that tells you specifically what to eat, some other ideas besides eggs are:
--leftover meat and veggies from the night before
--yogurt with ground flaxmeal or textured soy veggie protein
--textured veggie protein as cereal
--a big protein shake
--cottage cheese with cinnamon
--anything rolled up in a high fiber low carb tortilla.
--flaxmeal muffins are great if you can handle Splenda.
--French toast made with Aunt Millie's Healthy Goodness Whole Grain Light Bread--only 7 net carbs per slice.

I love almonds, but don't find them filling enough for a snack all by themselves. But I agree the protein shakes are great for snacking. I guess you'll be compiling a list of "work portable" snacks that are more satisying.

I never feel sluggish on low carb--in fact, I feel the opposite--way more energized without all the carbs that caused my blood sugar spikes and plunges. (But maybe that's because I'm pre-diabetic.) Be sure to allow yourself a good volume of food--just takes practice to figure out the most volume of food you can "buy" with your carb allowance. I measure things in terms of broccoli, which I love: e.g. do I want another tablespoon of salad dressing or a whole cup of broccoli for the same two net carbs.


Monday achievements:

Calorie limit 1600, actual 1450
Carbs less fiber limit 25g, actual 19.2
Protein goal 120g, actual 150.7
Flaxmeal goal 2-4 tbsp. daily, actual 4 tbsp.

Water goal 64 oz., actual 46 oz.

Exercise: 1 mile + 2 minutes non-stop walking at the park

quinnesec

Muna,

So sorry to hear that things aren't going as you had hoped. You're in my thoughts.




As far as gifts, I definitely fall on the side of practicality. I'm not a flower or jewelry girl (at all). I'd rather have the cash! lol The leaf blower doesn't surprise me at all... it's sounds exactly like me. I usually ask for something that the family needs and call it my gift.

As far as romance, as I've said before, I hit the jackpot with my husband. I don't know if it's his French/Italian background or that he was raised with 4 sisters within 5 years of his own age, but he can read my mind and anticipate my reaction to a lot of things. I'm a lucky girl. If he was ever "disconnected" to a woman's needs, his sisters would correct him in a hurry!


I need the help of all of you with a personal issue that I am struggling with and I trust you guys to give me honest feedback. There's no one in my family that I can talk to about this. My oldest, married child asked my husband and I to spend Father's Day doing outdoor activities with a small group of people including an ex-family member, that through the years, has proven time after time to be very unstable, both in his life and emotionally. He actually scares me. And, my husband, as patient as he is, can't stand him.

My husband said he can't think of anything he'd rather do less on Father's Day. So, do we tell our grown child the truth or do we make up "plans"? I'm afraid it may become an annual Father's Day event. My husband is such an awesome father that it would kill me to see him spending Father's Day doing something that he would actually hate.

What do I do??? Any ideas? Is it better to be truthful or to "keep peace" and make up other plans? HELP!

staceyalberta

weight:
~ food wise stick with my plan m 90%
~ log all foods i've eaten m yes
~ do cardio 6 days m yes, t yes
~ do strength training 6 daysm yes, t yes
~ get 90 oz of water in m only got 60 oz in
~ continue to not emotionally eat. be real with what i'm feeling at the moment & talk to someone, write it down, come here & vent, but don't stuff my feelings down with food. m yes
~ be honest to myself when weighing myself. m yes

non weight goals:
~ put effort in every day in what i'm wearing & how i look m yes
~ get back to my routine in organizing my house m yes
~ write in my fitday journal at least three times. 1 yes, 2 yes

staceyalberta

quinn ~ is there a reason the ex family member is being included in the Fathers Day Celebration? as an adult child i think i'd feel better that my parents told me the truth that way i'm given the chance to change things if i felt i had so that my dad could be there & feel comfortable.

julia ~ great job on taking your own lunch. you were smart having the apple to eat while others are eating pizza you go girl. i HAVE to ask what is punjabi cabbage? sounds very yummy to me.

muna ~ sorry to hear that your other option didn't get approved. good luck with the letter. keeping you & your family in my thoughts.

mern ~ right now i'm feeling perkier, but i slept a lot last night.

mike ~ do you have to eat eggs at breakfast? you can make up some ground turkey or chicken patties cook a bunch so they are there to just grab at breakfast. they can all be pre-portioned a head of time. like mern said left over meat is good at breakfast. big thing i've learned is don't be eating something you don't like.

you guys i'm so tired of the cold. it was -32 this morning & yes i walked to work this morning. my son comes home from his dad's today woo hoo can't wait to see him.

almeeker

Monday Report Card:

1. Keep calories in check 1,500 M-T-W-Th-Sun and 2,000 F-Sat. Um nope, 2,425
2. Drink 96 oz of water. YES
3. Exercise 6 hours. 2 hours
4. Keep carbs to 45% or lower. Nope 54%
5. Calorie deficit for the week of 3,500. -280
6. Take DDs up to school for "walk the halls" at least once. YES

Non Fitness Goals:

7. Average 5 items from the "list" daily. NO
8. Sign up for race and call SIL about same. NO
9. Clean 2 rooms (15 minutes each) and do 1 load of laundry M-F. NO
10. Clean out 1 small area of basement Sat-Sun. NO

The kids had a scheduled day off yesterday, which I totally forgot until DH reminded me. Of course he waited until after I'd gotten up early and worked out. Geez, I could have slept in another hour . Oh well, got in a great workout. Then I totally blew my nice calorie deficit by going out to lunch at an all you can eat Chinese buffet. I started out with a plate of sushi which is low cal and nutritious, but ended up at the fried cheese rangoon and ice cream bar and tossed a couple of tiny brownies on the top just for good measure. Yikes, that was a big fat lunch!

You folks are sure prolific, I logged on Monday morning and now again Tues morning and I had to read 4 pages just to keep up, which is a good thing.

Sounds like I have much in common with many of you, extreme practicality, especially in terms of gifts. DH has 2 sisters and a mom who are not the least bit practical, so it took him a long time to understand that yes sometimes the best mother's day gift you can buy for the wifey is a new vacuum cleaner. Or at least it is if she wants a new vacuum and is 7 months pregnant and shouldn't be displeased for any reason...

DH and I have sort of reached a compromise on the gift issue, for Valentine's Day and our anniversary he goes with romantic and everything else (birthday, Christmas, Mother's day) is wide open for practical gifts. But seriously even on Valentine's Day he's not super romantic, usually he gifts me with chocolates (small box), non-rose flower arrangement (because roses are 3x more that week) and a 6 pack of red beer. The red beer is in observation of our first date which happened to be on Valentine's Day. So although it's more romantic than practical, it's romantic in a predictable sort of way. Now on our anniversary I get red roses, one for every year we've been together, and that's getting to be quite an armload anymore.

Stacey congrats on the show going well, I know that you were a little concerned about it last week.

Mike do you eat your eggs the same way every day? I love omelets, and the eggs sort of take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. My personal favorites are broccoli/mushroom/onion/cheese and sonora. I fill my sonora omelets with shredded chicken and salsa, a little cheese and some salsa on top. The other thing I do with the eggs is to whip in about a tsp of cajun seasoning. You might also consider baking your eggs casserole style (ham, onions, broccoli, sausage, cheese etc etc) and then just heat up what you want for breakfast.

Cassie, that's so nice that you had all those relatives nearby. Growing up my grandparents lived about 2 hours from us, close enough to visit them for holidays but too far away for them to babysit us. My brothers and I used to spend a week with each of them during summer break, and that was always a ton of fun. Of course we live 3 hours from the in-laws now and DH wouldn't have it any other way... We only live 15 minutes from my parents and the kids are really close with them and I count my blessing every day over that relationship.

Muna, so sorry to hear that you haven't been able to resolve your immigration issue. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a resolution will turn up and allow your family to stay together.

Welcome aboard to the new folks, this is a really motivational spot, you're gonna love it.

Quin, I don't know what to tell you about the family issue. My gut is telling me that you need to have a gentle but clear discussion of the problem, especially since it doesn't look like it's a one time thing. Chances are that they have similar feelings about that person. But I might also suggest that you plan something better to do for that day, maybe something that can become a regular thing. Maybe something with sentimental value like an annual fishing trip, a baseball game, IDK exactly what, just something that DH loves.

Mern, I do that same exercise, especially when I'm faced with things like the 100 calorie packs. Just for kicks make a 100 calorie pack of a favorite veggie and then set it side by side with a 100 calorie pack of cookies. BTW you have to use a gallon zip lock bag to make a 100 calorie pack of broccoli, it's waaaayyyy more than the cookies.

taubele

Cassie -- It's funny, my grandparents lived nearby, as well as some aunts and uncles, and now we're all spread out. Some in CT, some in MA, some in SC, and me now in FL. I sort of miss the ability to just get together whenever we felt like it. It's a great way to grow up, knowing there's always loving family around. I felt very safe.

And what is with these proposals?! lol! Boyfriend and I have certainly talked about marriage a lot and things we'd like or not like to do, and financial aspects of it, but none of this "Well, get ready woman!" I expect a baseline of behavior We've been through a lot of ups and downs, and sometimes I just suspect that romance will all come later, since we've been forced into practicality by our life situation (Money has always been tight. If it's between roses and fancy dates and paying the rent, rent wins!). He does find some ways to be romantic, but it's just not in the traditional sense. You gotta tilt your head a little to see it

Mike -- Sounds like a decent first day! I hope your energy catches up with you

Muna -- That sounds really tough and stressful. I hope that things work out in the best possible way for your family.

Mern -- I love my family!! They make you who you are in so many ways. I'm lucky that my grandparents are both still with me. And oh my goodness, my family is so loud and noisy and crazy and haphazard, I'm not sure any of us could be seen and not heard My grandmother (Nan) in particular; you KNOW when she's got something to say! But thirteen kids!!! Yikes! My family is much smaller, only one or two kids on all sides. And hahaha, the big butt curse. In my family it's called "The Keen Can" -- "Keen" was the last name of my maternal great-great grandmother, and apparently that big butt gene has just got passed right down. I have the Keen Can, so does my Mom and my grandmother (though my sister has escaped!). And yes, the roses were sweet, and he did find some. I made a HUGE deal about it ;: Maybe we'll have some pork chops at OUR wedding, who knows!

Quinn -- That is a tough one. I can only say from personal experience, with parents who have lied to me about many important things (unfortunately), that I'd usually rather be told the truth. In a gentle way, of course. I think it would be worse to have the day collapse with someone's temper lashing out (or worse) than to simply let feelings be aired beforehand and hopefully discussed in a rational manner. However, I'm not a parent, and I don't know what it's like from the other side of the looking glass. I'm sure others will chime in!

Monday Report Card

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle goals:

1) Drink 64 oz. water daily. Get to 72 if I can. -- M: 91!!!
2) 1400 cal. daily limit -- M: 1,185
3) Exercise five hours this week, at least 3 hours hard cardio --
M: One hour hard cardio at the gym last night. I think I hit some exercise-high in the middle of it for the first time (Total 1 day, 1 hour hard cardio)
4) 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily -- M: 4
5) No boxed/premade lunches or dinners -- M: Yes
6) Eat one big salad a day for lunch or dinner -- M: Yes, had 2!
7) Balance protein to at least 30% of nutritional chart -- M: 39%!

Other Life Stuff:

1) Re-start my needlework. Try to work on it for at least an hour a day. -- M: Nope
2) Call my grandmother -- M: No
3) Schedule hair appointment -- M: No
4) Doctor's appointment on Tuesday afternoon, don't forget!! M: N/A

01gt4.6

Muna, I sorry to hear about the recent rejection. That really sucks. I wish y'all the best!


As far as my plan. It doesn't say to go by net carbs but if I can make it through this week, next week I'll probably go by net carbs (just need to figure out how many net carbs to shoot for). I can eat anything low carb for breakfast, so I probably will do leftover meat or a protein shake. I use to love eggs but at one point ate them so often that I almost got myself sick on them. Now, just eating them once seems like more than enough. My energy level felt good until I went to work out. I usually go at it pretty hard in the gym and it took a toll on me last night. It may not have been due to the diet, I don't know.

Today is Mardi Gras! Wooo Whooo.... and I'm staying home. I got invited to go with a friends and his wife and kids but it's supposed to rain, so I'll stay how and be bored. Hopefully I don't eat the house down.

staceyalberta

almeeker ~ yeah the show did go well. i was pleased with how it went. i also think the business owners liked it as well & that's the important part.

mike ~ left over meat is always good when going low carb.