I did not want to face today. Cranky people at work, head cold and no me time... However, the day worked out and rather than doing my usual, I opted to go for a 35 min walk with hubby. Great to have company, private time and walk.
Goals for the week and results (it's all about the results:rolleyes:)

• 1000 daily calorie deficit yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
• Elliptical 3-4X per week yes, no, no, yes no
• Balance ball stretching no, yes, yes, no, no
• Read a book started---- noooooooo
• Limit coffee to one cup per day yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Here's looking forward to a great weekend.... ;)

Well, today is (or was) the day I originally set my goal to be at 200lbs. I did not make it, BUT I am darn close! MUCH closer than I was anyway. I weighed myself this morning, and came out at 204! Probably only a couple more weeks and I will be there. I have done REALLY good this week with keeping UNDER my daily calorie goal – VERY proud of myself since I think this is the first week I’ve done this since I started posting here?

Still need to work on some of my life/personal goals, but I am hoping to do some tonight like work on my budget and get a little reading in.

I haven’t had much time to read through everyone’s posts, but I did see Sandi say she reached maintenance – that is FANTASTIC!!!! Congratulations, I hope that someday I will be able to join you in saying that Sandi!

Since I didn’t reach my goal this time, I feel like I should set a new goal. So I set something that I think should be attainable – I want to be 195, or under, by the time May 1st shows up! I’m keeping my fingers crossed, and mentally prepping for this! Wish me luck!

Health/Fitness Goals:
1. Eat between 1200-1500 cals/Day 1376, 1289 (with ice cream!), 1487, 1344, currently have 1147 planned (will need to have a little something else when I get home)
2. Get at least 7 hrs of sleep/night Yes, No (dogs didn’t want to let me sleep), Yes, Yes
3. Consume 100oz. of Water/Day Yes, Yes, Yes, No (I forgot?)
4. Take Fish Oil & Rosehip Supplements RH-Y FO-N, RH-Y FO-N, RH-N FO-N, RH-N FO-N
5. Exercise with EA Active for Playstation 3x/Week (Tues, Thurs, and Sat) No, No
6. Limit myself to 1 Diet Coke/Day Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes

Other Life Goals:
1. Spend 20 minutes/day reading one of my books Haven’t done this all week!
2. Vacuum the floors, and Mop Dining Room & Kitchen Haven’t done this either!
3. Complete Budget for April 2011 Or this! :-P

Jen, congrats on getting sooo close, you'll be there really soon.


I've been feeling really stressed lately so loaded the mustang on the trailer and I'm going to the drag strip tomorrow. :) I figure the smell of race gas and testosterone in the air may brighten my day. I'll get some video of the mustang going down the track. Then I can do something constructive with my time and make another YouTube video.


Back To Basics!

Health & Fitness:

1. floss 7 times yes, yes, yes, yes
2. gallon of water per day yes 147.6, yes 130oz, yes 140oz, yes 140oz, (still drinking)
3. Vitamin Daily yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
4. Fish Oil Daily yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
5. Weekly calories consumed to be +/- 500 burned :eek: -54, +36, -227, -131, -364 (but ate like crap)
6. Workout (like a beast) 3 times no yes no yes no
7. 200 Chinups :eek: 30, 45 (15 of which were weighted!), 0, 65, 43 (I was able to do 20 in a row) [183 & counting]
8. get back to my journal no, no, no, nope, no
9. Protein Shake ONLY FOR POST WORKOUT (get nutrients from real food) yes (none), yes (PWO), yes (none), yes (didn't even have one PWO), yes (none)
10. Weigh in Monday morning and Sunday morning and post #'s (stay +/- 1 pound) 170.4
11. Push, motivate, or encourage the next person (behaze) no, no yes:)& also do one of their goals.
Non Health & Fitness:

12. Business drop-ins once no, no, no, nah, nope
13. Call 10 current clients and touch base 2,3,3,2,2 Total = 12
14. Say something nice to a stranger (not flirting) 3 times no, no, no, no, not yet
15. One RANDOM act of kindness no, no, no, yes, no
16. yes, yes, yes, sort of, yes

stacey: I totally take you up on your $10 bet! I'll find you! hehehe.

Cassie: Feel better soon! Darn those familial germs!! I hope you have some great wonton soup -- that does sound good! :D

sandi: SUPER CONGRATS on hitting maintenance! That must feel so good. :D

Bubbs: I hope you had a blast on your walk. Those feel really good and are often far too rare in this busy life :)

Jenny: You will be there in no time! You're doing everything right and your body will (eventually) reward you for it. And even if the numbers on the scale don't show up, and it's frustrating, take a look at everything else that's changing for you - how good you feel, or maybe take your measurements, or put on some clothes that haven't fit in awhile!

Mike: Looking forward to your video, I LOVE watching fast cars even if I don't know anything about them!

Friday Report Card

Fitness, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:
1) Under 1400 calories, track everything M: yes, 1,355 T: yes, 1,448 W: oh yes, 1,725 Th: yes, 983! F: yes, 1143
2) Average 30% protein for the week M: 17% T: 29% W: 15% Th: 45% (that's more like it!) F: 30% (weekly average: 27%)
3) 96 oz. water daily M: yes T: yes, 104 W: yes Th: yes F: no!
4) 5 hours of exercise, split between weights and hard cardio M: day off T: 15 minutes cardio, 45 minutes lifting. W: No exercise Th: 60 minutes hard cardio (HIIT) elliptical F: No exercise, but was on my feet all day
5) Use heart rate monitor each workout this week M: N/A T: Totally! W: N/A Th: Yes, and holy cow!! F: N/A
6) Use new protein powder in a shake after each workout: M: N/A T: No W: N/A Th: oops! forgot F: N/A

Non-Fitness Goals:
1) One hour of needlework every night M: not quite an hour, but close T: No W: Yes Th: No F: Yes
2) Rework 2 original chapters for book by Wednesday M: DONE! Go me! T-Sun: N/A
3) Focus on extra work coming, do whatever hours are necessary this week/weekend M: N/A T: N/A W: Oh boy, did I. Th: Yes! F: Extra work started!
4) Buy a couple of small plants for the apartment, the place needs some green! M-F: No, probably this weekend

Had an awesome 12-hour workday yesterday, and the trend is probably going to continue today (hopefully, I have tomorrow off). The scale said 195.8 this morning. I had to laugh at it. Whaaaaat? I've been very, very good the past couple of days. I don't know if it's because I didn't get my water in yesterday (no time, dirty hands, couldn't refill my bottle) or what, but I'm going to consider it a late April Fool's joke :rolleyes: No weighing again for me until Monday, that's an "official" day anywho! Hopefully there is not another random plateau coming on...

Also, add my name to the "avatars are gone poof" list, I can't see anyone's lovely pictures anymore.

~Terri

An update on my progress for this week:


1) Keep calories between 1200-1500-try to bring my deficit from 850 average a day to 1000 a day through calories and exercise

M-1453 T-1367 W-1467 T-1250 F-966
I also managed to bring my deficits up from 650 average to 1000 average on Thursday and Friday :)

2) Drink 2 liters of water a day M-NO 1.5ltr T-No .5ltr W-Yes! T-No 1ltr F-No .5ltr

3) Exercise 30 minutes minimum/5 days-Walk 30 minutes minimum/5 days- introduce Jump roping 5 minutes/3 days
Monday No,Yes,Yes(10 min jumprope); T-Yes,Yes,No; W-Yes,Yes,Yes(10 minutes Jump Rope T-No,Yes!! 6m,No F- No,Yes,No Plan to double up on exercise today and tomorrow (hopefully) to make up for the time missed :o

4) Get Off the Breads! I'm suppose to be gluten free M-No, T-No, W-No, T-No, F-No :mad: Shame on me!

5) Measure myself to start recording monthly M-Yes!
Non-Fitness Goals:

1) Finish the Lace Project and start the new one for my class Still working on it, but believe I can have it finished by tomorrow night

2) Organize Closet Will hit that tonight possibly

3) Finish Laundry Didn't do it Friday, will do some tomorrow
4) Treat myself to one night of REAL pampering (Havn't done it in years)Not Yet, but will this weekend Hopefully.

5) Work on my husbands anniversary gift for this coming month Will this weekend

Mike, what exactly does testosterone smell like? Never mind...don't wanna know.

Great progress from folks; it's motivating me to get going. Terri, you are so steady chipping away at your goal, Crimpet, Jenny, Jacqueline and Mike are rocking it, too. Terri, I'm hoping to get some plants going this weekend, too, though for me it's just repotting into larger pots and might get some strawberries going and refresh the herbs.

Quinn, hope your daughter got off safely and that she has a great time, and that you enjoy the down time you've earned.

Still have the head cold going on: throat, sinuses, headache, but I feel better if I keep busy. We're having company tonight but it's a good friend, low stress situation.

Gonna catch up my goals and try to be a bit more active here for weekend support, especially since company tonight and snacks will be on the table :p

1. Stay on calorie target (changes daily, depends on exercise). Almost; off by <100, Yes, No, Yes, Yes
2. Balance the pie chart. I'll give it a B, B-, Fair, Fair, Fair, Fair (this is hard for me when sick)
3. 2-3 big blue water bottles daily. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Sleep 7 hours per night (I will get this goal this week, dammit!). No-6, No-6.5, No-6.5, Yes! Yes!
5. 5 fruits and veggies per day. No-3, Yes, No-3,Yes, Yes
6. No sodas (had given them up, then diet ones snuck back in). Yes,No, No (wow, this has become a habit again :mad:), No, Yes

7. Work on office. No, Yes, No, No, No
8. Finish trim in bedroom and bathroom over weekend, no excuses. Not yet
9. Shop for fashion-challenged DH before discount coupon expires Saturday. Not yet
10. Follow up on outstanding billing. Not yet

In a bit I'm taking my son out to shop for the hubby. He needs new clothes desperately but is soooo picky and, to put it bluntly, picks out stupid stuff when left to his own devices. I could vent forever on his wardrobe. Not that he has to dress to please me, but he essentially has the adult version of Garanimals, which constitutes his entire summer wardrobe. No twill, no cargo...nothing. He did agree that he would have an open mind if we went and got things and brought them home, so wish me luck!

Oh, and he wears Crocs with socks, which embarrasses my child to no end :p. So some nice sandals may be in order also!

weight
~ eat on planm no, t yes, w yes, t yes, f yes 99%
~ 90 oz of water each day m no, t yes, w 3/4, t yes, f 3/4
~ log all food i eat m no, t yes, w yes, t yes, f yes
~ cardio 4 times this weekSUCCESS GOT 5 DAYS IN
~ strength 4 times this week
~ yoga 3 times this week T yes, s yes
~ write in my notebook how i'm feeling when i 'want' to eat something off plan m no], t yes, w yes

non~ weight
~ continue doing hair & basic makeup every day. SUCCESS
~ clean apartment & get back into a routine. having a hard time with this one. m no, wed no], t yes, S YES

jacqueline ~ i hate dealing with cranky people...lol...i don't blame you for not looking forward to today. that's awesome that it turned out better than you thought. how nice to have a private walk with hubby those moments are so special.

jenny ~ you are so close that's awesome. those 4 lbs will come off before you know it & then you'll be in 'onederland'

mike ~ that sucks that you've been feeling stressed lately, but your plan to feel better sounds like a blast. have fun. hey what's your youtube channel i've never seen any of your videos.

Terri ~ omg i can't remember what i bet you...lol...but okay take me up on it ;)

Cassie ~ ever wonder what that 'special' smell that radiates off of men's shoes? that's testosterone lol. hope you feel better soon.

omg i can't believe i actually got on here to post...lol. boy friend has some over time so he'll come later tonight. i have a bingo to work tomorrow yuck, but it's my part-time job i co-ordinate it so i make sure there are enough people at the bingos for the Boys & Girls club. man people lie to me all the time...lol. doing to big clean up today, get some food in the house, go for a walk, get an oil change done on the car etc.

still waiting for my dance teacher to give me her input on music i want to get started as they could take awhile. going to try on the costume i bought & see if the belt fits yet. i think the bar is still to small, but i can fix that. omg so much to prepare before june our student hafla (recital), but we really dress up. belly dancers often like costumes, makeup & glittery stuff...lol.

i was down again today to 158.2. i can't believe how easily i can go up & then how hard it is to go back down. i'm planning the menu this weekend so that i will eat on plan.

okay i think i've babbled enough...lol

good news partly i tried on the costume i need to work on. the belt fits :D when i bought it, it didn't, but fits at the waist it needs to sit more on the hips, but i have until june soooo i'm sure as i lose more weight it will sit more where i want it to. so i'm not worried about that. plus i can move two of the hooks to give me a little more room. the bra on the other hand needs some work which i knew when i bought it off this lady. i need to extend the back strap which i knew & i think i need to 'add' gross grain ribbon to the cups, but maybe not as i lose weight my chest should 'shrink'...lol. but i was happy that the belt fit...woo hoo. the bra i can alter.

cassie, I almost answered that but I caught myself.

I'm back from the track. I edited the video and I'm uploading it now. the "01GT4.6" is the Lamborghini Orange (and black) mustang. I bought her new back in late 2000 off the car hauler. It was Mineral Grey. I had a lot of fun with it and put a lot of miles and money into it. I changed just about everything, motor, suspension, rearend, I added nitrous, etc, etc. I ended up having a bad 3rd quarter about a year and a 1/2 ago and needed money badly. So I sold it to my good friend, David. Since everywhere he went, everybody would talk to him about how he had "Mike's old car" I think he wanted to make it his own, so he changed the color to orange along with some other changes. It now sits in a garage and he very rarely drives it. I told him that I didn't want to race it this time b/c i think he needs to drive it and enjoy it. So I stayed behind the camera today. :D I'll post the video up when it's done.

Going to the track did help some but I don't know what is going on with me. I had another meltdown last night. I feel like I'm losing control of my emotions and the stresses that I have are overwhelming me. That on top of not getting an uninterupted night of sleep (but maybe a few times in the past year) has taken it's toll on me and I just snapped. I don't feel like myself and I know that I haven't been very pleasant at times to be around. Last night Chole' was my victim. She would not lay down and sleep. She was up and down all night. I don't think that I got more than 1-2 hrs of sleep before she'd wake me up and I finally had it. I got on to her and threw her out, into the back yard. She'd never had to sleep outside, ever. She didn't this time either. She sat at the back door and whined and whined. I left her out there for maybe an hour and let her back in. Today I get home from the track and saw that she is covered in mosquito bites I was heart broken, but I feel like if her and Mytsie don't let me sleep (or I don't get help with them during the night) that I'd have to get rid of them. That is not like me at all. Those two girls are my babies. I really feel like a schmuck. Well that's it for my rant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0-Z6lI4IUA

mike ~ glad that you are feeling a little better. poor you. it is horrible when you feel not like yourself & feel on edge & are snappy with those we love. why aren't you sleeping? could there be underlying medical issues? i'm sure most of it is stress, but could you have something else going on you don't know about so when the stress comes it's like the straw that broke the camels back? i feel for you & know you don't want to feel that way.

Stacey,

I'm a light sleeper and my GF is a heavy sleeper. I rarely get to bed before midnight (she usually works late and got in the habit of going to bed late). Mytsie has a bladder about the size of a pea. She'll wake me up (b/c I'm will actually wake up) a couple times a night to go potty. Then there are the few times that I wake up b/c she has all fours in my back and she wants to remind me that it is her bed. So her little 9 pound ass pushes me all night. So between those 2 thing I probably wake up 4 times a night. When I'm drinking a gallon plus a day of water I'll usually wake up twice, b/c I don't wear depends... yet. So on a good night I'm in bed by 12ish, may fall asleep by 1am and only get woken up ~6 times. Chloe' has claimed the love seat as her bed a couple months ago. One of the girls had a friend stay the night and between them they tied up the sofa and love seat. All night Chloe' paced back and forth whining b/c someone had "her" love seat. Oh yeah, she also has a bed in my bedroom and in the living room. So she had options but instead she chose to keep me awake.

the video I posted will take you to it.

Quickly reporting before bed, I'll check out videos etc. tomorrow!

Saturday Report Card

Fitness, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:
1) Under 1400 calories, track everything M: yes, 1,355 T: yes, 1,448 W: oh yes, 1,725 Th: yes, 983! F: yes, 1143 Sat: yes, 1,100
2) Average 30% protein for the week M: 17% T: 29% W: 15% Th: 45% (that's more like it!) F: 30% Sat: 22% (weekly average: 26%)
3) 96 oz. water daily M: yes T: yes, 104 W: yes Th: yes F: no! Sat: yes, 104
4) 5 hours of exercise, split between weights and hard cardio M: day off T: 15 minutes cardio, 45 minutes lifting. W: No exercise Th: 60 minutes hard cardio (HIIT) elliptical F-Sat: No exercise, but was on my feet all day
5) Use heart rate monitor each workout this week M: N/A T: Totally! W: N/A Th: Yes, and holy cow!! F-Sat: N/A
6) Use new protein powder in a shake after each workout: M: N/A T: No W: N/A Th: oops! forgot F-Sat: N/A

Non-Fitness Goals:
1) One hour of needlework every night M: not quite an hour, but close T: No W: Yes Th: No F: Yes Sat: No
2) Rework 2 original chapters for book by Wednesday M: DONE! Go me! T-Sun: N/A
3) Focus on extra work coming, do whatever hours are necessary this week/weekend M: N/A T: N/A W: Oh boy, did I. Th: Yes! F: Extra work started! Sat: And the twelve-hour days continue..
4) Buy a couple of small plants for the apartment, the place needs some green! M-F: No, probably this weekend Sat: This will probably not happen :(

The days just keep being long for me. The person who's helping me with my equipment has given me lots and lots of bad news, but we may be able to scrape my magical machine together with duct tape and a dream. Unfortunately, there's lots of waiting involved, so I spent 12-hour days at work, but 2/3 of them are just gettting up....checking..."Nope, not ready yet..." and trying to find something else to do. It will continue tomorrow. I'm not like to get my exercise or some of my other goals in, but work is important, I suppose. All I can do is try to control my calories and keep my spirits up.

There's a lab-party at my boss's house tomorrow. I know there will be turkey tettrazini, homemade bread, and wine. If I plan accordingly, hopefully I'll get away alright on calories. I'll have to give my "best shot" when entering on Fitday, so we'll just have to see!!

~Terri

Back To Basics!

Health & Fitness:

1. floss 7 times yes, yes, yes, yes, no, no
2. gallon of water per day yes 147.6, yes 130oz, yes 140oz, yes 140oz, no 120oz,yes 130oz.
3. Vitamin Daily yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
4. Fish Oil Daily yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
5. Weekly calories consumed to be +/- 500 burned :eek: -54, +36, -227, -131, -364, -60
6. Workout (like a beast) 3 times no yes no yes no, no
7. 200 Chinups :eek: 30, 45 (15 of which were weighted!), 0, 65, 43 (I was able to do 20 in a row),[183 & counting] 0
8. get back to my journal no, no, no, nope, no, no
9. Protein Shake ONLY FOR POST WORKOUT (get nutrients from real food) yes (none), yes (PWO), yes (none), yes (didn't even have one PWO), yes (none) no (had one but didn't workout)
10. Weigh in Monday morning and Sunday morning and post #'s (stay +/- 1 pound) 170.4 167.6 I ate like crap this week:confused:
11. Push, motivate, or encourage the next person (behaze) no, no yes:)& also do one of their goals.
Non Health & Fitness:

12. Business drop-ins once no, no, no, nah, nope, no
13. Call 10 current clients and touch base 2,3,3,2,2 Total = 12
14. Say something nice to a stranger (not flirting) 3 times no, no, no, no, not yet, no
15. One RANDOM act of kindness no, no, no, yes, no, no
16. yes, yes, yes, sort of, yes, BIG NO!!

Mike,

Sorry to hear you're going through a lot right now. I'm a super light sleeper, too. I swear I never go into a really deep sleep... ever. I hear things that go on all night long. Sounds like you're simply stressed out. A change of scenery, even for a day trip, helps me sometimes... just to get my brain off of whatever's bugging me, even for a few hours. My hikes are therapy for me as well. When I'm really stressed, I push myself until I'm totally spent and that really keeps me from snapping at family or whoever.

Today, speaking of depressed, our forecast calls for 2-4 inches of snow. It's like a freaking blizzard outside right now. We're actually under a "winter weather advisory". Can you believe it??? I could just spit. But, I have to keep focused and not binge. Think I'll balance the checkbook and other "inside" tasks today... yuck.


Cassie,

My daughter passed through Georgia on her way to Florida early this morning and sent me long texts about the beautiful Magnolias and Spanish Moss. She said, "Mom! The trees have leaves and everything!" LOL (Poor girl hasn't seen living vegetation since October!)

thanks Quinn. I really think to get away for a day or two would do wonders. Right now I'll just have to close my eyes and imagine myself on the beach with a tan instead of sitting at my computer burnt to hell with a nasty farmer's tan... well farmer's burn. My poor head looks like a read balloon and guess what... I now have a redneck. ;)

Mike,

I'll trade you the farmer's tan for my freaking blizzard! ;)

I hear you... stress with kids, jobs, just life in general, can really accumulate all at once. Just know that you're strong and keep focused. Look at all you've accomplished in the last year. I know it's easy for others to say not to stress (when it's not them!). But, things always have a way of working out. I'm a true believer in things always happening for a reason. You may not know why now, and it may seem tough, but you'll be stronger for it, I'm willing to bet. :)

Thanks quinn.

Hey Everybody, I've been AWAL for a few days, we went to the in-laws house. I was over my calories on Th & F but managed to keep it in check on Saturday and Sunday (so far). We arrived at the in-laws on Friday and I went straight from "normal mode" to "bottomless pit mode". MIL always serves things that I can't keep in the house because I have no self control, pita chips, spinach dip, bar cheese, Trader Joe's 3 Ginger Snaps, caramel pecan bread, etc etc, and once I get started, well we all know how it goes after that. So of course one of my SIL's is complaining that I eat like a sumo wrestler, and it makes no sense that I've lost weight. Anyhow the next morning we are all eating breakfast, and I grabbed a yogurt out of the fridge, Dannon Lite & Fit. I get them all the time at home and I love them, especially the peach. It tastes fine, but as I near the last bite, my MIL speaks up and says "wait wait wait, what's the expiration date on that one?" :eek::eek::eek: 9/11/09, seriously. They've had an expired yogurt in their fridge for 2 freaking years!!! Who does that sort of thing? At first I was okay, then starting about 2:00-3:00pm I started feeling nauseous. I ate a fairly light dinner and thought afterward that I was going to blow, but in the end I just suffered through it. So the morals of this story are that she who stuffs face stands to be poisoned for the effort and to ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS, check the expiration date on any food at the in-laws house. Good grief, the horrors stories I could tell you on that one (the medicine cabinet is light years scarier than the fridge). I'm taking my own food from now on, and that should really help to keep me on plan over the course of a visit.

almeeker, you should have said that you can eat like a sumo wrestler b/c you'll chase it down with expired yogurt. Tell them that that's the secret to your weight loss!

Almeeker, Wow! That's just insane! Who doesn't clean their fridge out in two years to check for expired foods?! That's serious stuff there! I'm glad you're okay though, but sorry you had to suffer for something like that. =( mY MİL is insane obsessed with checking for experation dates ever since my little brother in law got food poisoning a few months ago from pizza. She checks for everything and if it expires within a month (even for stuff that is totally normal for it to) she wont buy it.

My update: Since it's late Sunday and I count that as my weeks end:
I feel I did wonderful keeping my calories within range if not slightly lower than I wanted to. I just wasn't hungry by the weeks end, but I would force myself to eat healthy stuff. I did manage to stick to 90% of my exercise goal and even walked 3 miles today, and our walking route has stairs EVERYWHERE plus we live on the 4th floor with no elevator. I jumped rope longer than expected, so it made me feel good. Overall I felt great about myself this week, and I was confidant I would have lost at least 1.5lbs. I went to the mall today to use their BIA scale (checks weight through electric waves or something very accurate) and I hadn't lost NOT ONE OUNCE! It checks body fat too, and it didn't improve at all...so what happened? I havn't got a clue =(
I calculated my calories according to the varying activity levels fitday lets us choose, and either way I should hae lost at least 1 lbs. I weigh my food on a scale too..=(

What could prevent me from a loss? It left me discouraged, but also vicous angry and determined to bust my butt harder this week than ever. So I'm taking up Hatha Yoga 3 days, Jump Rope 3 days, Walking 7 days, Calisthenics 3 days. I'll post it on next weeks Thread for next weeks goals. GRRRR!!:mad::D

Almeeker! So glad you lived to tell the yogurt story! I'm surprised you didn't need to be taken to the emergency room. Sometimes stuff like that just happens where we cleaned the fridge, but an old yogurt or whatever got put back in accidentally.

I am being good today after going over Friday in carbs from "illegal for me" mac & cheese and in carbs AND calories on a small slice of illegal spice cake. Yesterday was all on target.

Mike, I found a sugar free angel food cake at my grocery store, but put it back when I saw it's 17g net carbs per slice. With my net carb allowance at only 25g per day, even just half a slice would have been too many net carbs for me with strawberries and whipped cream.

Today I had PLANNED to have an after dinner dessert of strawberries on a low carb tortilla softened (like a crepe) in strawberry juice and topped with sugar free whipped cream. But then the carbs I had for breakfast used up so much of my total carb allowance for the day that I'd have zero carbs left after our early Sunday dinner. So I went back into my food tracker and gave up the dessert in favor of more filling mashed cauliflower with zero carb cheese and just two fresh strawberries sprinkled with artificial sweetener for dessert.

I'd better be rewarded for the dessert deprivation or I'm gonna be darned mad at my scale! But I have to keep reminding myself, it was also for blood sugar control, not just for weight loss. Wasn't much fun explaining this to my husband as was shoving full sugar black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream into his mouth. :rolleyes:

Mike,

I saw your post and I totally get it. It's a tough time to be in insurance, banking, finance, etc. My husband is in corporate banking and although we're not commission based like you, with the fall of the economy everyone's hurting. I think everyone in the country is feeling it, one way or another. I could never work in anything to do with money... it is really "cut-throat"; commission-based, especially.

Hang tight... better times are ahead. Taxes suck in general. ;) The only thing worse than working in finance, are taxes... and you got hit with both. :mad:

The good news is... it stopped snowing! ;)

...p.s. What's up with the avatars?

Okay, it is true that maybe a yogurt could be left in the dark back corner of your fridge and you miss the exp date a few times and it gets expired. That part I get, it happens and I will confess to eating yogurt that was a week or two past it's exp date. 2 full years expired, in our house would never happen, but I can see how it might in a fridge that doesn't have kids raiding and spilling in it as often as ours does. We have to clean ours pretty much once a month.

However I should explain that it's not a matter of "forgetting" with my in-laws. My FIL has issues with wasteful behavior, and I'm sure he knew it was expired and exactly how long it had been that way. I really don't know where it comes from, he's not old enough to have been a depression era child, although I suppose his parents were. Anyway, he won't throw out anything that could possibly be the least bit useful, and he's been like this for years and years. Believe me when I say that their medicine cabinet is downright frightening. At one point they were renovating the bathroom and I bumped into the medicine cabinet and knocked a glass bottle to the floor. The top of the bottle broke off and whatever was in it spilled all over the floor. When I picked it up it had a type written label listing that it was a prescription narcotic for a relative I'd never heard of and it was dated 1943. When I asked my MIL about it she said that she used to rub it on the kids gums when they were teething.

EXCUSE ME? My husband was born in 1972, so he would have been teething in 1973 and at that time the medicine was 30 years old!!! Good grief. And here's the weird part, okay now the bottle is broken and the medicine is mostly gone, so what does the FIL do? He puts a piece of saran wrap over the top and a rubber band. We're talking a couple of tsp full of medicine that is 65 years old and probably has some glass shards in it, AND HE KEEPS IT!!! And it's still in the cabinet, I checked.

Mern, where have you been? Have I been missing your posts?? Yeah with that low of a carb allowance you have to leave that one alone. What if you had a small piece though?

Quinn, you saw that huh? You must be pretty fast. ;) Yeah, I love everyone here but felt like I was just putting too much out there and nobody really what's to hear a grown man cry, right? This is my 1st commission based job and it is a learning experience. Feast or famine is a reality. When it's good, boy and it's good and when it's bad... well you know, it's bad. You really have to learn to save up for that rainy day. But as you read earlier, my rainy day turned into a monsoon season. ;)I just have to keep pushing ahead and know that I'm doing the right thing by not being a pushy salesman and that in the end it will all be worth it. I swear I turn down more business than I take b/c I look at the big picture and see that many of my prospects and clients are struggling to to make ends meet. I tell them all the time "Don't take food off the table today to try to meet a need for tomorrow." They appreciate that more than anything especially when I look at all there other things and find many ways to save them money, all the while I'm not getting paid. It does make me feel good though to be able to help so many people and touch so many lives, I just can't wait until the day comes and I'm not struggling to make ends meet.

avatars
 

I think the board had an update and the result is a broken link in the avatars. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come!

Mike,

Understood. I'm glad I was around. The "motivational thread" isn't just for weight-loss, you know. ;) We all need to vent and think out loud sometimes... and isn't this a great group to do that with? :D

quinn

Almeeker, holy crap! I take back what I said about how the yogurt incident could have been accidental. No excuse for that. Sounds like they don't believe that expired food and expired medicine can be poisonous.

Mike, I've been posting just once or twice a day for the past several days just due to being busy with other things. I have no self control when it comes to sweets--wouldn't be able to stop at just a small piece of that planned strawberry dessert. If it tasted good, I'd make and eat more. But I did enjoy two medium strawberries sprinkled with artificial sweetener. One day you will be rewarded for having such a good conscience and caring about your prospects' well-being. I hope that day comes soon.

Well, those strawberries ARE almost gone--probably only enough to make half that faux strawberry dessert crepe. Maybe I'll try to save room tomorrow for half a portion for about 7-8 carbs. Still almost 1/3 of my carb allowance for the entire day. I'll think about it to decide if it's worth it. Today I was too hungry, so was glad I traded for cauliflower with cheese.

Mern, thanks. You always have something nice to say! I wish I had your attitude sometimes. :D

almeeker, did you check out my channel?

quinn, you are absolutely right. I do feel better getting it off my chest. I even just took Chloe' for a walk, it was like a bonding moment. :)

almeeker, re forgotten yoghurt, it means that she probably didn't wash the inside of her fridge for quite some time! You are lucky you ate the yoghurt that was safe in its packaging, and not some loosely lying veg. Think of all the germs that had been breeding in there for so long....
I think I'm going to wash our fridge this week :)

Weekend Report card

- keep my protein intake up yes no yes no no no no
- drink my water!!! no yes no yes yes no yes
- work out 4 times this week only twice (6 ks, 5 ks)
- drink only one cup of coffee per day yes yes no yes no yes no
- track everything I put into my mouth no, not once
- work on my dissertation hardly
- calorie deficit of at least 400 yes, but only Tuesday and Wednesday

Well, the above chart is clearly proof that I screwed up completely last week!! However, I somehow managed to lose another pound :confused:
Biggest downfall came on Saturday: I was invited to a garage party and overdid it with the liquor (I did ok all evening until one of the hosts decided to serve shots of yummy colourful liquids... I think I had about six, seven or eight?!).

I was slightly more successful with my running: I'm currently trying to contentrate on speed rather than distance and one of the side effects is that I really need to watch what I put in my mouth before a run. Fatty foods and pasta are a complete no-go. :D

I'll try to get better with keeping up with everyone's posts!! :)

A little, the girls and I watched the racing, and then my oldest DD clicked on one about shopping at Express. And then we watched Stacey dance. Now my girls and I all want to drive fast to the mall, spend some loot and take bollywood.

I went AWOL this weekend, too, just between being sick and trying to keep busy so I wouldn't notice I was sick (well, that backfired; I feel worse today than I have so far). I met my sleep goal and my painting goal but probably nothing else. No energy to exercise, though I did walk Thurs and Fri on the treadmill. I know you're okay to exercise if your symptoms are above the neck, but I can't figure out how to do that when I can't breathe. It's frustrating because I can't take any decongestants due to a heart rate problem that I've had in the past.

Oh, and I met the shop for the husband goal. There was some whining and gnashing of teeth at first, but I gently explained that not only was he wearing the grownup equivalent of Garanimals, he was putting the hippo with the lion, he got it. Only had to one round of return-exchange. Win!

Mike, I'm really sorry you're having a rough time. The only thing I can say is to wait it out, focus on what you can control, and try to let go what you can't. It is rough out there. My referrals all come from state agencies (court, protective services) and those budgets are dwindling, so I imagine for you likewise it feels like holding your breath waiting for a turnaround. You will make it. Do your best and be smart about what you do and know that you are providing a service in an ethical way and trying to help others with their needs; you are probably better at it than most and when things start to turn, your business will reflect that. If it leaves you with some free time now, use it to work on things you've been putting off and you'll get a boost from that accomplishment.

Quinn, hope your daughter enjoys her trip! Yes, our trees and flowers have been blooming for 2-3 weeks now and the weather's perfect. It's my favorite time of year here...so pretty

Going to jump over to the new thread in a bit and get some goals going for this week.