Quinn I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I'm sending a great big cyber squeeze your way. It's so hard to focus on your own health when everybody is pulling you in 10 different directions, good luck on that front as well.

Cassie, I hear you on the mirror, I used to own one, but that was several apartments ago. I think when DH and I bought this house it broke during the move, and I've never replaced it. That was 13 years ago. I eyed them a few days ago at the store, I know that it helps me, but it's so hard to face.

Mary, I'm cracking up over your post. Should someone your age take up a hobby that requires your health card and doctor's name? Darn tootin', they're the only ones that can afford a sailboat. LOL. You know my 65 year old mother just bought a new horse. He's a beautiful long legged palomino, nearly 18 hands high, but just barely green broke and a little high strung. When I first saw him I was like "um, mom he's a lot of horse for a little girl". She gave me that look, and said that she didn't buy him for the grand daughters, she bought him for the grandmother. I think if a hobby enhances your life, why not? Sounds like a ton of fun to me and a great way to relax and "get away from it all" for a few hours. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger right?

Main, don't sweat a day where you didn't make all your goals. I have those all the time. Heck I have entire weeks like that. The important thing is to get right back on it and not give up.

Speaking of giving up, Canary, oh canary, where are you? It's very hard to nag someone on fitday if they don't log in.

Well I'm up and dressed and I have to get off-line and get my workout in or it won't happen. Have a great day everyone.

Quinn: So sorry about your Mom, am sending prayers for you both

Terri: Very glad to hear about your bp

Mike: Hope you are feeling better, you did really well even with the Wendys

Cassie: You're doing great, stay strong, don't let the suits get you down

Kumochi: I heard 22 was "adult brain" for both boys and girls. Who knows? I teach college classes sometimes and they still seem crazy even in their 20s

Almeeker: I am back, bug away! I must say you are amazing, renovating a church on top of all the other things you do (just minding the kiddos as you call em is work enough.) Thank you for the rib help but sadly we will not be making them with the BF. He broke up with her last night, the night before her History Regents (for which she did not study at all.) Ironically he said he wanted to try dating "a good girl" but he just didn't have "those" kind of feelings for her. Plus DH is suffering from job and money woes. So it is pretty gloomy around here. But others have it so much worse. Your friend and her family sound like they are going through a terrible time. I hope they are OK.

Fitness
1) 1600 calories max: 1545, 2240
2) stretching every day yes, yes
3) walk or gym 3x a week minimum no, yes with DD
4) 8 glasses of H2O minimum: er 6, 8
Other
1) 1 hour "real" writing every day, not just journaling yes, tried but was totally blocked
2) 14 minutes meditation yes, yes and it was blissful
3) Trust. And worry less. yes, sadly no, not once DD came home so sad

I have been so worn down the last couple of days, whew! Thank goodness DD16 was home yesterday to straighten up the house. I'm also having some trouble with my new puppy, she is 10 weeks old and very high strung. My potted plants on my porch are not gonna survive her! Got out of the house for a couple of hours last night for some time with BF, it was great! Gonna be a long day today, cleaning out desks and closets at work and then parent program tonight at church with kiddies.

Daily fitness goals:
Eat clean (fruit/veggie) lunches. yep, tomatoes, yum Yes, rice and veggieschips and cheese dip, ugh
Three pink containers of water. yep, yes! yes
Walk/dance 30 minutes daily. dirtroad walk with kiddies,Nope, was lazy walked down riverbank with BF
No nighttime sodas. ugh, had 2!none!no sodas but a mixed drink

Non fitness goals:
No nail picking/biting. Yes!!, yes! (day four of no nail biting)yes! day five down!
Clean out daughters dresser.Not yetnot yet started!
Clean out kitchen cabinetsnot yetnone yetugh not yet
1 load laundry per day.nopedid 2!yep

I'm also gonna steal "smile more, bitch less" Monday was a bust on this one, better luck today!!happy all day!another good day

Quinn - praying for you and your mom, hope everything gets better, take care of yourself tho, you will be no help to anyone else if you dont.

Cassie - good luck with the bathing suit choices, a full length mirror is def a must!

Mike - Wendy's is a weakness of mine, I can pass on the fries (sometimes), but I love the cheeseburgers....

Yeah, I didn't realize how uncomfortable my seat are until my PITA. I was in my office by my house all day but ended up having to run out to New Orleans to write some life policies. After exchanging a dozen texts with a friend on my pool league and me telling him that I wanted to sit out b/c I was in pain, he still scheduled me to shoot. He said he thought that I really wanted to shoot. I was like "dude can you effing read?" I ended up having to rush straight back from my appointment to pool league. :mad:

Tuesday Report

Went nuts on skinnless baked chicken trying to keep away from all the ice cream, cookies, pastries, candy and other sweet stuff in the house. I made it through slightly over in low carb and OK on sat fat but went way over in cholesterol and calories. All food eaten was allowed on plan, just too much of it.

Calorie limit 1600 1577, 1599, 2155
Calorie deficit 800 per day 961, 885, 219 deficit
Carbs less fiber 25g 22.9g, 22.5g, 25.6g-not horrible
Saturated fat target 12% 15%, 9%, 11%
Dietary Cholesterol target less than 300mg 362mg, 354mg, 408.5
Track grams & % of calories from protein 115.3g or 38%, 149.3 or 37%, 181.9 or 35%

Artificial sweetener limit 1 packet per day 0, 1, 0
Sugar free candy limit 2 pieces per day YES YES No-five pieces, which is one full serving

Water 64 oz. YES YES YES
Exercise 30 minutes, 5 days--no lame excuses YES, 20 Minutes, Day Off

Be sure the day's custom foods in FitDay have sat fat & cholesterol listed. YES YES YES

quinn: Baby coyotes really DO sound like crying babies, it's kind of crazy. GREAT JOB on your BMI! Congrats, your hard work is paying off!! Sorry to hear about your Mom, my thoughts are with you both, take care and I hope that things turn out okay.

Hope: Heat affects some people with low bp and not others -- I just happen to have that effect. There's lots of different types of low bp, it's actually kind of interesting. Mine is considered chronic but non-serious, and my doc has been monitoring it pretty closely since I'm losing weight, making sure it doesn't dip into dangerous-land. So far it's been steady - I have an appointment at the end of June and I'll see how it's doing.

Classes are always great for keeping focus, and having a time and place seperate from family to get into that writing gear without feeling guilty, or like you're missing something else. I'd love to read your stuff! :D I hope you find your focus!

Mike: Thanks, my goals are always this ginormous list -- sometimes I think I try to be too specific! I hope you're feeling good as the week goes on; I have an idea for what to do with BF, but I'm going to let it percolate

Cassie: Woo-hoo on being close to bikini weight!!! That must feel so awesome! You're also right about it being an art to REALLY listen - oftentimes I wonder if I'm listening to my body, or just not giving it 100%. It's a balance. I don't want to use my low bp or bad ankle as crutches, but neither do I want to injure myself or make myself sick. Every day is a new day.

Mary: Totally true that the teenage brain is "re-wiring" -- actually what's happening is that the part of your brain that tells you "no, you shouldn't do that" isn't fully formed until after the teenage years, so teens unfortunately have a legitimate excuse ;) Awesome job on getting that holiday weight off! And sailing sounds like a great idea!

Wednesday Report Card

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:

1) Achieve a 7,000 calorie deficit through a combination of eating and exercise M: -685 T: -1,160 W: -765 (Total: -2,610)
2) Week Average of 1200-1300 calories, with no one day going over 1450 cals M: 1,238 T: 1,015 W: 1,158 (Week Average: 1,137)
3) Do the 30DS six days a week (one day off per week is allowed): M: no (day off) T: yes W: no :(
4) Two "extra exercise" cardio days per week M: No T: No W: no
5) Week Average of 50% carbs or less M: 64% T: 36% W: 52% (Week Average 50.66%)
6) Week Average of 30% protein or more M: 21% T: 33% W: 15% (Week Average 23%)
7) 120 oz. of water a day M: no (104) T: yes W: no (96)
8) Take multivitamin and fiber pills every day M: no T: yes W: no

Other Goals:
1) Make an effort on my appearance every day possible: M: Not possible, I was working with animals all day and dressed accordingly in scrub clothes T: a bit W: Meh...
2) Do something nice for BF - he needs and deserves a good surprise M: Not yet... T: Haven't given this good thought. Presentation looming. W: Maybe have an idea
3) Budget out upcoming trip home M: No T: No W: No
4) Clean the darn bathrooms (weekend goal) M-F: N/A

Ugh. Had a killer day at work yesterday with one of those getting-ready-to-go-out-the-door emergencies that kept me there 3 hours later than I had expected. PLUS, I had texted BF that I was on my way -- and then was interrupted by a grad student needing assistance, and I left my phone on the desk of my office. Fast-forward 2.5 hours later, there had been a terrible thunderstorm, and I wasn't answering my phone because it wasn't on me -- also, because I had gloves on and was handling some pretty nasty chemicals. BF was worried, and had called like a dozen times (due to the storm and worrying about me driving in it). So when I got home I got a lecture about keeping my phone on me...

I ended up plopping in front of the TV and watching the Bruins win their first Stanley Cup in 39 years!! Definitely a mood booster, but suffice to say I did not work out, and I had a REALLY low protein day yesterday... dinner was sort of a mish-mash of leftovers (I need to go grocery shopping) and ended up being turkey dogs, some leftover salad and a couple tablespoons of frozen corn. I usually have a lot more protein with dinner than that.

Have a presentation on summer research today, I will be VERY happy to see that behind me. I always worry that my ideas aren't solid, but we'll see what the firing squad says today :)

Oh, and idea for BF -- he had his first short story published not too long ago - I was thinking of having the acceptance letter framed and the story manuscript bound for him professionally. I'm worried it's too late to be meaningful (it was published a couple of months ago) but he's recently picked up his writing again and I want to encourage him and remind him of past success (also, it's a great story!!). What do you guys think?

Happy Thursday!

~Terri

Quinn, keeping you and your Mom in my prayers. Big hug to ya.

Terri, I think that would be a lovely gift. Don't worry about the timing...It's something he'll have forever, and if you don't go ahead and do it, then he won't have it at all. Doing it now will also bring back the good memory of when it was accepted, so I say your idea is a win!

Mern, singin' my song, lady. Good food, just too much. I'm sure you'll be back on track today.

aspikes, ship one of those mixed drinks up here, would you? ;)

Hope, sorry about the breakup. I know it must feel pretty powerless. I'm sure you'll help her get through in your loving and nurturing way!

Mike, apparently he can't read, or read between the lines. Take two inversions and get a good night's sleep!

Long day today; I'm trying to cram all my outside appts. in since the kid is in a tourney that begins tomorrow and another that starts Monday, so that knocks out some working days. Sometimes the schedule is a logistical nightmare. Hope everyone is doing well and I'll check in later this evening.

Thinking of you Quinn...hope all is well.

Terri, it sounds like a great gift! Very thoughtful. And not too late, I don't think.

Cassie, thank you, as always, for your kind words. Yeah I felt pretty bad and tried to help but mostly in the way of listening (and stupidly offering to help her study for the Regents. Such bad timing to tell her the night before. He knew she had the exam because his sister had it too.) There was not much DD wanted to hear. And she certainly didn't want to study! But she got together with his sister after the exam (which they said was easy) and went out (for fast food; like me, she is an emotional eater :() But at least she went out. She was saying she was never going to care for anyone, not even a friend again. (a little dramatic maybe?) And I had worried that the BF reltionship was gonna affect the friendship, especially after the inevitable break up. So fingers crossed; this kid has been pretty miserable for months and BF made her happy. I was hoping that could last a liiiiiiiiiitttle longer. Oh well.

Congrats on the bikini: I could never wear one even when I was thin.

Terri I think that sounds like a great gift, very creative and thoughtful too. After yesterday maybe you should get him a hip clip for your phone too, sounds like he might appreciate that too.

I wish I had more time to read the thread today! I haven't been able to keep up with all of you. But I do care and send congrats to all who are doing well and big cyberhugs to all who aren't.

Cassie, best wishes to your son in his tournaments. "Cram"--the operative word. :rolleyes: Seems many of us have the same difficulty--plenty of stuff for the kids to do, but not enough hours in the day to take care of all the kids' needs AND all of our needs. But one day we'll look back and miss all the activity-packed days with them, so I guess we'd better make the best of it, eh? :) Oh, and congrats on being so close to that bikini bod!

Terri, holy cow! Your days are jam-packed, too, with work, your writing, presentations, and grad students needing assistance. So cool that bf had a short story published! I remember how excited I was for my late sister many years ago when Woman's Day magazine paid her for and published her craft idea. :) What a great gift you have planned for bf! I agree with Cassie--never too late for the gift you have in mind. Yeah, go for it!

Thursday Report Card

Health and Fitness goals:

1. Average calories 1,500/day. 2,274, 1,500, 1,430, 1,603 (average 1,702)
2. Drink 96 oz of water. Y, Y, Y, Y
3. Cardio 3 hours. 48 min, 30 min, 0 min, 30 min (total 1:48)
4. Weights and calisthenics 3 hours. 0 min, 0 min, 0 min, 0 min (total 0:00)
5. Abstain from grain 2 days. N, N, N, N
6. Weekly calorie deficit 3,500. -271, -993, -481, -990 (total 2,735)
7. Average 30% calories from protein. 25, 23, 31, 27, (average 27)

Other stuff:

8. Finish planting garden. a little, a little, No it rained today. No rain again.
9. Weed flower beds 2 hours. N, N it Rained, No
10. Help kids get 1 4-H project done (each). A little bit. A little, No, YES!!!
11. 1 load of laundry daily. Y, Y, YN
12. Clean house MIL is coming :eek:.
Monday: Kitchen
Tuesday: bathrooms and dining room
Wednesday: Living room and 1 bedroom
Thursday: 1 bedroom, stairs and hallway
Friday: Master bedroom and den
Saturday: basement and porch

Swim meet tonight, dead dog tired. 'Night.

Don't:
1) lift weights no, no (I miss it already), no, no
2) weigh myself yes (bad habit I guess), no, no, no
3) miss a day logging food no, no, no, no
4) miss a day posting here no, no, no, no
5) eat junk/snacks no, no, yes (Wendy's), yes (Reese's Blast:))
6) drink less than a gallon of water per day yes (I think I came up short), no, yes :mad:, yes

Mike, your reverse goals are making my head "asplode"!

Reporting in:

1. Daily calories 1300 or less. 1241, 1389 (honestly, was too hungry to fall asleep, so had a quick snack. Boo for me), 1297, 1357
2. Exercise 6 times. Ran at the park, Cardio tennis, Weights, Swam laps & exercise bike
3. Rest shoulder three consecutive days. Yes, Nope-tennis, Nope-but should be able to now, Probably not with the swimming
4. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes (though had to guess on the Chinese), Yes
5. Journal mood/reasons for eating. Yes, Yes Nope, Nope. I stopped due to some concerns with security of the website.
6. Weigh in daily. Yes, No, Yes, Yes

7. Get vacation plans nailed down. Narrowed it down, Ready to finalize tomorrow, Tried to finalize and now vaguely homicidal with the rental agent, as what was billed as possible per the website is supposedly not Yes!
8. Get new cell phone contract, or renew/renegotiate. Hubby's got the lead on this one; I've got the vacation legwork
9. Finish painting the last of the trim; touch up walls. Wait for weekend
10. Stay caught up with work. Somehow the less I have to do, the less productive I am!? On a good timetable today, On schedule! Still okay, but need to stay on it, Sort of

Over my cals by the three hard candies I grabbed out of the dish at work. Did you know Baskin Robbins makes ice-cream-flavored hard candies?? I passed on those but did have a couple cinnamon ones and a peppermint. Some days are like that.

Thursday report:

Calorie limit 1600 1577, 1599, 2155, 1491
Calorie deficit 800 per day 961, 885, 219 deficit 961
Carbs less fiber 25g 22.9g, 22.5g, 25.6g-not horrible, 20.5g
Saturated fat target 12% 15%, 9%, 11%, 8%
Dietary Cholesterol target less than 300mg 362mg, 354mg, 408.5 156.4mg
Track grams & % of calories from protein 115.3g or 38%, 149.3 or 37%, 181.9 or 35%, 116g or 34%

Artificial sweetener limit 1 packet per day 0, 1, 0, 3
Sugar free candy limit 2 pieces per day, which is one full serving 2, 2, 5, 4

Water 64 oz. YES YES YES YES
Exercise 30 minutes, 5 days--no lame excuses YES, 20 Minutes, Day Off, 10 minutes

Be sure the day's custom foods in FitDay have sat fat & cholesterol listed. YES YES YES YES

Pushing my calorie limits but enough exercise to keep my defecit where I want it. Feeling very motivated. I'm back into loser mode. Ran into a colleague yesterday who was looking slim and trim. When I mentioned it she passed me a note ( we were in court) saying she had lost 53 pounds! We can do it folks. Mary

Almeeker, congrats on getting a 4-H project done with each DD! Have fun with MIL. :) Special congrats on that calorie deficit tally. Your protein is getting close--that's a hard one.

Mike, I want a Reese's Blast! Ooh, come to think of it, if I was really, really good I could make one with Carb Smart Ice Cream and sugar free Reese's candy. Mmmmmm.

Cassie, congrats on getting the vacation plans nailed down. So tell us about that. :) I was trying to figure if what Mike was posting was good or bad. LOL on his reverse goals making your head "asplode." Hey, 1357 calories is fantastic when your goal is 1300. Congrats from me on that red number--only over by the three hard candies. I didn't know about the Baskin Robbins ice cream flavored candies. And congrats on that exercise. You put me to shame--10 minutes was the most I could force myself to do last night and I really did try--just didn't have the stamina even after eating a dinner of fish, cole slaw, celery with peanut butter.

Mary congrats on all the exercise, strong motivation, and losing mode. It really is encouraging when we see friends achieving great things. :)

Fitness
1) 1600 calories max: 1545, 2240, 2120
2) stretching every day yes, yes, no
3) walk or gym 3x a week minimum no, yes with DD, no
4) 8 glasses of H2O minimum: er 6, 8, 9
Other
1) 1 hour "real" writing every day, not just journaling yes, tried but was totally blocked, that's all I did, write all day and then eat all night at the movies
2) 14 minutes meditation yes, yes and it was blissful, no :(
3) Trust. And worry less. yes, sadly no, not once DD came home so sad, yes DD's friend (ex BF's sister) came through and cheered her up

OK Mike gotta admit reverse goals very confusing and I feel for your plight. It sucks to want to work out and to be hindered. It's enough to make you want to suck down a Blizzard or three.

Thank you, Mern :). Hey, ten minutes is better than none, right? I have no doubt that if a low carb Blizzard or Blast can be created, you are the one to do it!

Hope you got some rest, almeeker. I know what it's like to be dead dog tired; I'm running on caffeine fumes now after 4 1/2 hours of sleep. I can only hope I don't eat my way through it come this afternoon. Where we got this idea that summer would be relaxing is beyond me. Good luck with the MIL...mine was coming, but canceled due to some medical things. Would it be bad to jump for joy (not that I don't want to see her; I just didn't want to prepare for it)!

Dang, Hope, if eating all night at the movies only gets you to 2120 calories, you did an awesome job!! I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's been a stressful week.

Well, I bit the bullet and did it this morning; I called and signed up for hydrostatic weighing to measure my body fat. It's in a mobile van that's coming to a country club near us (okay, so will it be me and a bunch of people who have the time and money to have personal trainers and exercise all the time :eek: ??). It's $25 and I'll get a reasonably accurate percentage, as well as a breakdown of my resting metabolic rate and calorie burn. The latter information is what sold me; that's just too interesting to pass up. It's next Saturday, so we'll see how it goes. Should be interesting to see how it compares to the number I get on my scale.

Hope you all have a great day; let's all enjoy the weekend without making any really big unplanned slip ups! :D

I'm so glad everyone thinks the gift idea is good!! The more I thought about it the more I liked it. I'm going to have to be sneaky about it and get a copy of the manuscript while he's sleeping this weekend, but I think I can do it. Cassie, I loved how you put it - it can either be something he has forever, or something he has not at all. That really motivated me, thank you :)

almeekerL LOL! A hip clip. Maybe I should! :D He'd laugh. I worked late yesterday too, but diligently called home to let him know about it

Mern: I guess my days are busy days, but I'd rather be busy than bored!! How wonderful for your sister. BF didn't get paid for his story, but it's a start, and SO proud of him for keeping up with it and trying. Writing is so hard.

Mary: That is awesome encouragement, thanks for sharing!

Cassie: Oh man, I want to know how that testing goes! Sounds super-interesting!!

quinn: If you're reading this thread, still in my thoughts :)

Thursday Report Card

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Goals:

1) Achieve a 7,000 calorie deficit through a combination of eating and exercise M: -685 T: -1,160 W: -765 Th: -907 (Total: -3,517)
2) Week Average of 1200-1300 calories, with no one day going over 1450 cals M: 1,238 T: 1,015 W: 1,158 Th: 1,258 (Week Average: 1,167)
3) Do the 30DS six days a week (one day off per week is allowed): M: no (day off) T: yes W: no Th: yes
4) Two "extra exercise" cardio days per week M-Th: no
5) Week Average of 50% carbs or less M: 64% T: 36% W: 52% Th: 49% (Week Average 50.25%)
6) Week Average of 30% protein or more M: 21% T: 33% W: 15% Th: 23% (Week Average 23%)
7) 120 oz. of water a day M: no (104) T: yes W: no (96) Th: no (72 :eek:)
8) Take multivitamin and fiber pills every day M: no T: yes W: no Th: yes

Other Goals:
1) Make an effort on my appearance every day possible: M: Not possible, I was working with animals all day and dressed accordingly in scrub clothes T: a bit W: Meh... Th: yes
2) Do something nice for BF - he needs and deserves a good surprise M: Not yet... T: Haven't given this good thought. Presentation looming. W: Maybe have an idea Th: Doing it this weekend!
3) Budget out upcoming trip home M: No T: No W: No Th: yes
4) Clean the darn bathrooms (weekend goal) M-F: N/A

Stepped on the scale this morning to see 176.3. That's crazy! That's 4.3 lbs. since last Monday all of a sudden. I know I was plateauing there for awhile and the quick drops are probably a result of what I was doing during those weeks and being relatively steady this week -- but is it weird to say I feel like I don't deserve it? I'm happy to see the number but it just feels odd as all get-out. I don't know if 176.3 was a temporary low or what - I'll see again on Monday.

Busy day today with lots of really random projects - working on re-vamping a paper, and Parade Magazine contacted me for an interview (eek!), and I also need to get some literature together for my boss to read. Worked really late last night (hence the low water, I got out of my water routine) and am determined, today, to leave before 6:00 to get home and get some rest. And perhaps to the gym for extra cardio.

Happy Friday! Yay Friday!

~Terri

So exhausted...I've been ready to crash since about 6 PM.

1. Daily calories 1300 or less. 1241, 1389 (honestly, was too hungry to fall asleep, so had a quick snack. Boo for me), 1297, 1357, 1327
2. Exercise 6 times. Ran at the park, Cardio tennis, Weights, Swam laps & exercise bike, Planned day off
3. Rest shoulder three consecutive days. Yes, Nope-tennis, Nope-but should be able to now, Probably not with the swimming, Yes
4. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes (though had to guess on the Chinese), Yes, Yes
5. Journal mood/reasons for eating. Yes, Yes Nope, Nope. I stopped due to some concerns with security of the website.
6. Weigh in daily. Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes

7. Get vacation plans nailed down. Narrowed it down, Ready to finalize tomorrow, Tried to finalize and now vaguely homicidal with the rental agent, as what was billed as possible per the website is supposedly not Yes!
8. Get new cell phone contract, or renew/renegotiate. Hubby's got the lead on this one; I've got the vacation legwork
9. Finish painting the last of the trim; touch up walls. Wait for weekend
10. Stay caught up with work. Somehow the less I have to do, the less productive I am!? On a good timetable today, On schedule! Still okay, but need to stay on it, Sort of, sort of

Hi Everyone,

It's about 6a.m. and I'm just getting around to checking my email for the first time in about 4 days, so I thought I'd check in quickly before I shower and get back over to the hospital to let you know I'm still alive. ;)

It's been a pretty touch and go week but, I have to say, that when I saw all of the wonderful well-wishes, I was really touched. Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers... you'll never know how much it means. Truly, you'll never know.

Without going into detail, here on the intertron, let me just say that it's been a pretty tough week. For those of you who have followed my story over the last year and a half, (you know who you are ;)) let me just say that my only blood relation, besides my mother, my brother, left to vacation in Europe for a week, while my mom and I awaited multiple biopsy results. To put it mildly, I'm not impressed. Once again, I'm left being a "one-man-band", which is alright, I guess... I just get tired of making excuses for him to my elderly mother who, at the very least, deserved a visit.

Luckily, my son and husband have, once again, stepped into his shoes. I'm really proud of my 28 y/o son. Maybe more than anyone, he can read me like a book, guards me against fatigue and picks up on the tiniest of cues when it's time for me to take a mental break. He's like a part of me... I can't fool him, and he knows it. He has tried to step up as "the man of the family" in my brother's absence, and I'm really filled with pride as a mom. He's going to make a terrific dad, one day.

As far as my health and eating, I'm doing well, surprisingly. :) On the second day, I found that our hospital has the best salad bar in town! Lots of wonderful, low fat choices, plenty of protein add ons, like grilled chicken, etc. It's sold by the pound. So, a HUGE salad with grilled chicken and tons of veggies in a take-out container has been costing me only about $2.00! Tons of low-fat or no-fat dressings to choose from as well. I'm seriously considering using the hospital as a go-to source for a "fast food" meal source, even after this whole ordeal ends. I've made it a point to weigh myself daily to make sure that I don't gain or lose... I just want to maintain good health and stamina, at this point. So far, I have done just that and stayed at the same exact weight.

Looks like about another week or so until this settles down. Again, thanks for your support. You guys are the best.

quinn

Quinn, thanks for taking the time to post and let us know how you were doing. I've been thinking of you and I know all of us here are pulling for you and were hoping you were okay.

Sounds like, given the circumstances, you're getting through very well. It's definitely to your credit that your son is such a responsible and caring man and I hope the pride in that helps carry you through the stress of these times a bit. As for your brother, well, it's a frustrating situation, but probably falls under the "accept what you can't change" umbrella. I hear what you're saying, though...you can suck it up on your end, but when it affects someone you care about, it's still hurtful.

Big props on doing well with the food and hitting the jackpot on the salad bar! At least that's one worry that doesn't take extra time, stress, and coordination.

Hang in there, and I hope things get better soon. Give me a shout if you want my email to vent or kvetch or have a psychotic break (lol!). You're doing great!


Everyone else, hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far! I'm off to tournament again this morning, well, most of the day...check in with y'all later :).

I made it through foodwise yesterday except on the sat fat target. The overage there was from too much of both mayo based salad dressing and sugar free dark chocolate. And my exercise sucks this week.

Calorie limit 1600 1577, 1599, 2155, 1491, 1514
Calorie deficit 800 per day 961, 885, 219 deficit 961, 860
Carbs less fiber 25g 22.9g, 22.5g, 25.6g-not horrible, 20.5g, 18.6g
Saturated fat target 12% 15%, 9%, 11%, 8%, 17%
Dietary Cholesterol target less than 300mg 362mg, 354mg, 408.5 156.4mg, 118.6mg
Track grams & % of calories from protein 115.3g or 38%, 149.3 or 37%, 181.9 or 35%, 116g or 34%, 99.7g or 29%

Artificial sweetener limit 1 packet per day 0, 1, 0, 3, 2
Sugar free candy limit 2 pieces per day, which is one full serving 2, 2, 5, 4, 6 :eek:

Water 64 oz. YES YES YES YES YES
Exercise 30 minutes, 5 days--no lame excuses YES, 20 Minutes, Day Off, 10 minutes, None

Be sure the day's custom foods in FitDay have sat fat & cholesterol listed. YES YES YES YES YES

Mike, happy Father's Day!!

Quinn, so glad you had the time to check in. Wow, you certainly have every right to be proud of your son. You deserve a lot of credit for how he was reared--the values you and DH instilled in him... Wonderful how he looks after you. Kudos to you for maintaining your health and weight. Great that the hospital cafeteria is so accommodating to your eating lifestyle. Our local hospital, just on the border of a residential and commercial area, has such good, reasonably priced food, an outside entrance to the cafeteria, free and easy parking that many people DO use it for nutritious carryout meals on a regular basis. You and your Mom continue to be in my prayers. Big hug to ya.

canary, kudos to you for your posting this week, whether you met your fitness targets or not. Great job on the water, writing, meditation, and trust/worry issues.

Terri, I'd rather be busy than bored, too. I've never had a problem with that--even as a kid I could always find something to do. When my sister's craft article was published she told me the little bit of money she got paid ($100 or $200) didn't matter at all--it was being published that was most important to her. Wow, so exciting about the interview for Parade Magazine. :) "I know I was plateauing there for awhile and the quick drops are probably a result of what I was doing during those weeks..." Hey, girl! That proves you DO DESERVE the sudden weight loss. You EARNED it! Kudos to you!

Cassie, yeah, ten minutes is better than no exercise. Often doing just five minutes spurs me to do more.... Need to improve next week. I can make just about anything low carb, LOL--just that when I do, I often eat way too much of it. That's so cool about the hydrostatic weighing, resting metabolic weight and calorie burn reports. $25 is a bargain price for all that. Kudos on your calorie overages being so teeny. You have to be proud of yourself for such great control! Wow, you have a glowing report this week. I hope you got a good night sleep last night. Hope you can find a different place to journal where security won't be a question. Maybe you could just journal to yourself on your hard drive instead of on a website? Had a chuckle snooping on your post to Quinn. I know a woman who means to say she thinks she's psychic but she mistakenly says she's psychotic. I just smile and say, "I agree--I think you ARE." Takes so little to amuse me. LOL I hope the tournament goes well.

We're going to a Father's Day cookout with relatives this weekend. I'm going to try to be really good. I'm taking a low carb pasta dish (so delish that no one will know) and a fruit tray. Someone always brings a veggie tray, so adding a bunless meat will complete a filling low carb meal for me. I'll take some sugar free/low sat fat Werther's Original hard candies with me to help me avoid the dessert table. Also thinking about buying a low carb protein bar in case I find I need something both sweet AND chewy to avoid the dessert table. Well, I have good INTENTIONS--hope I can stick with them...

Well... so, I pulled the emergency brake on myself because I was just partying too hard and letting the summer lifestyle consume me.

Downside:
1. Kind of, almost got myself barred from my favorite bar because of drama. Lame.

Upside:
1. I've lost 9lbs in the last month.
2. I now measure as 37-31-37 (Saaay whaaaat?!)

mhibdon, oh, drama. I was quite the drama queen in my younger days. Had to learn to not let people get on my nerves so badly. Took me until my very late twenties to learn I was sabotaging my own happiness. :rolleyes: On the upside, wow, girl! You got CURVES! Congrats on your weight loss and hourglass figure!

Thanks Mern. I went MIA yesterday, b/c I've been so damn busy this week. I'll post my numbers for yesterday and today later tonight.

Went over on the calories today however had an active day so hope they balance out. It was worth it sharing ice cream cones and the sunset with my son and grandsons at Sauble Beach after a day filled with activities. Mary

I have been a little lost these past days, had to go out of town, a graduation... trying to catch up.


Quinn, hope you are still hanging strong and also taking care of yourself. That salad bar is great news. Hope next week is better for you.

Almeeker, thanks for your words, I think I haven't completely recovered from a cold but it should be ok soon.

Canary52, sorry to hear about break up and I hope your daughter is doing well these days.

aspikes, you must be very busy with that new puppy!

Mern, hope your cookout tomorrow goes wonderful!

Terri, that gift is a very sweet idea! Congrats on the loss, that plateau is totally broken! You deserve it, you have had great deficits all these weeks.

Cassie, congrats on getting your vacation plans sorted out. The hydrostatic weighing sounds interesting, hope you get all the information you want.

Mike, happy father's day!

Mary, you have been doing great! Your sunset ice cream sounds lovely.

mhibdon, great measurements! Hope you manage to avoid unnecessary drama and still get to enjoy your summer!


Report

1. Calorie limit of 1250 weekly average 1190
2. Drink 3 L of water a day. Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No
3. Exercise 4 times during the week. Yes, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes
4. Take the dog out to walk 3 times. No, No, No, No.... also forget this one.
5. Go to sleep by 10:30 pm Monday to Thursday. No, No, No I am pretty much forgetting this one.
6. Make a To Do List. Yes
7. Work on at least three things on the list per day. No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, No

Hey MAIN80, glad to see you again. Sounds like it's been busy for you; hope things slow down so you can rest up and knock out that cold. You have awesome willpower with your calories!

Mike, yes, do enjoy your Father's Day tomorrow, as our token dad on this thread. Hope you're feeling okay.

Mern, good plan for the weekend. Don't be too fussed about yesterday's sat fat; that's why I love that weekly pie chart that pops up in the Reports section/ Your body doesn't care if you balance it out daily, weekly, monthly, etc. The psychic/psychotic thing is funny ;). Seems basic, but...it's like people occasionally still think I can read their minds. Or when I meet someone socially and they assume I'm analyzing them. Um, do you do your jobs in your free time? No? Neither do I! Oh, and yes, I slept 8 hours, and it was very lovely!

Mary, your day sounds like mine. I went over on calories, but it was kind of unavoidable and worth the enjoyment. I'm glad you had a good day!

mhibdon, your life is truly an adventure. You've got the beach; who needs bars! Nice job on the measurements; very hourglass :D.

My check in:

1. Daily calories 1300 or less. 1241, 1389 (honestly, was too hungry to fall asleep, so had a quick snack. Boo for me), 1297, 1357, 1327, 1487
2. Exercise 6 times. Ran at the park, Cardio tennis, Weights, Swam laps & exercise bike, Planned day off, Jogged the neighborhood
3. Rest shoulder three consecutive days. Yes, Nope-tennis, Nope-but should be able to now, Probably not with the swimming, Yes, Yes
4. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes (though had to guess on the Chinese), Yes, Yes, Yes
5. Journal mood/reasons for eating. Yes, Yes Nope, Nope. I stopped due to some concerns with security of the website.
6. Weigh in daily. Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes

7. Get vacation plans nailed down. Narrowed it down, Ready to finalize tomorrow, Tried to finalize and now vaguely homicidal with the rental agent, as what was billed as possible per the website is supposedly not Yes!
8. Get new cell phone contract, or renew/renegotiate. Hubby's got the lead on this one; I've got the vacation legwork Contract is up on the 26th, will do then
9. Finish painting the last of the trim; touch up walls. Wait for weekend
10. Stay caught up with work. Somehow the less I have to do, the less productive I am!? On a good timetable today, On schedule! Still okay, but need to stay on it, Sort of, sort of Not so great

We were at tournament from 9-4 today. Had to have lunch out, which threw me; we also went for Italian ice after, plus I made cannoli this evening because my tub of fat free ricotta expired today. I did end up with an overage of my calorie goal but I'm not sweating it. The pie chart balanced, this morning I was .4 lbs away from my preferred weight, and I still had a couple hundred calorie deficit, so I think it's fine.

Hope everyone enjoyed their day!

Happy Father's Day Mike and other male lurkers to whom that may apply!!!


Friday & Saturday Report Card

Health and Fitness goals:

1. Average calories 1,500/day. 2,274, 1,500, 1,430, 1,603, 1,892, 1,719 (average 1,736)
2. Drink 96 oz of water. Y, Y, Y, Y, Y, Y
3. Cardio 3 hours. 48 min, 30 min, 0 min, 30 min, 0 min, 0 min (total 1:48)
4. Weights and calisthenics 3 hours. 0 min, 0 min, 0 min, 0 min, 0 min (total 0:00)
5. Abstain from grain 2 days. N, N, N, N, N, N
6. Weekly calorie deficit 3,500. -271, -993, -481, -990, -389, -431 (total 3,555)
7. Average 30% calories from protein. 25, 23, 31, 27, 21, 15, (average 24)

Other stuff:

8. Finish planting garden. a little, a little, No it rained today. No rain again. some progress, some progress
9. Weed flower beds 2 hours. N, N it Rained, No, No, No
10. Help kids get 1 4-H project done (each). A little bit. A little, No, YES!!!, progress, progress
11. 1 load of laundry daily. Y, Y, Y, N, Y, Y,
12. Clean house MIL is coming :eek:.
Monday: Kitchen
Tuesday: bathrooms and dining room
Wednesday: Living room and 1 bedroom
Thursday: 1 bedroom, stairs and hallway
Friday: Master bedroom and den
Saturday: basement and porch

Struggling a little with calories, but it's much harder to keep it in check when I'm working outside all the time. It's also really hard when I'm at the garden, because my parents refrigerator isn't nearly as lean as ours. I'm not too worried about going over because I've been busting my butt in the garden and I've reached my deficit goal for the week. I really need to get back on the exercise because I think between that and the gardening I could lose some weight even if I don't keep the calories in check.

I'm going to take a few minutes to read the last few pages, but I don't have time to respond this morning as I have to go get supplies to make jam. I have about 15-16 quarts of berries calling my name.,

I couldn't resist. Just had to pop in again and post a few words.

Quinn, when you count your "blood" relatives I think you need to cross your brother off the list and put the son's name on there instead (technically he's on the list anyway isn't he?). I think that would make your expectations and your frustrations even out a little. I got choked up reading your post, congratulations on being such a fantastic mom. You see I firmly believe that when a child turns out so wonderful, that the mom should get at least 65% of the credit. Maybe more. I can totally relate to the brother situation, I have a brother somewhat like that, he lives far away and is so beautiful that in college he had groupies (I'm seriously not kidding, he was an athlete on scholarship). Fortunately I have 2 brothers and one of them lives next door to the parents.

Cassie, very very cool on the testing. Let us know how it goes. I have no idea where I would even find such a thing around here, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to know anyway. $25 sounds like a steal for that information.

Mern, if you come up with a recipe for that blast business, do share.

mhibdon, you now have the curves of a Barbie doll. Holy cats woman, I might be a party animal with all that too. If it's any consolation I once was escorted out of a bar, but they let me back in a week later with no problem.

Terri, I took your "make effort with appearance" goal out for a spin yesterday. Early in the day I went to Fashion Bug, I needed some more shorts, and ended up buying 2 pair of shorts and 3 skorts (which I've never really worn before). The skorts are all cotton/poly and look like something you might wear to play tennis, very stretchy, very comfy and not overly-warm like skorts sometimes are. Then I went out and worked in the garden for 3 hours. When I returned home DH wanted to go out to the pub for dinner (kiddos stayed w/ grandparents). So I washed up and changed into a clean black tank top and for lack of any other clean clothing I threw on the new black skort. I kid you not the host at the pub actually hurt himself rushing to open the door for me, and made a big deal out of seating me in my chair. Now this is a pub we go to a lot, and seriously he's never done any of that before. After that I caught at least 3 other men ogling me from different angles. So either the effort I made to look better is paying off, or something about that skort says "EASY".

Almeeker I'm still laughing about the skort remark. I just bought a couple golf golfing. Maybe that's why the male golfers let up play through last week! I'll have to try wearing it to the pub!.

Back on track now .and heading for the Y The grandkids have left although I spent several hours playing with one so his dad and brother could sleep in for father's day. Jack is autistic and hard to keep quiet while inside so we got an early start on the day outside. Good for burning off the bacon and eggs we did for breakfast. Mary

Skorts are very flattering and comfortable, almeeker; I'm glad yours worked for you. Did DH like it? I had about four of them a couple summers ago and I loved them. I've had to pass them along now, and one of my goals for the coming week is not to buy new clothes, so sadly I'm rather skortless this summer. Although I did use a gift card from Christmas and bought the "whenever skort" from Athleta; a little pricey (thanks, Mom), but it is the single most comfortable and flattering piece of clothing I own.

Mern: I’m glad that I learned this before I turned 21. I’m not going to let people bring unnecessary drama around*

*Unless they’re really cute and/or I’m bored :P

MAIN80: Thanks! I managed to avoid most of the drama last night and am totally set on enjoying life!

Cassie: Haha, thanks! This is why I love Charleston! I’m so stoked about my measurements! Now to learn how to dress to accentuate them…. Shopping spree time? Oh yes!

Almeeker: You just made my week! I’m so going to start using “holy cats”! Fortunately, I wasn’t actually escorted out, and I was able to go back last night and save face, but it was still ridiculous at the time. Haha, I’m considering posting a picture on here so you guys can see just what your party animal coed has been up to! Hint: Lots of heels and animal print ;)

Way to go at the pub!!!

Cassie, thanks! I think have sweated off the rest of my cold. I normally have my calories under control, today however pizza and ice cream did me over.:eek: Congrats on being so close to your preferred weight.

Almeeker, your skort story is fabulous! I think it was just that you looked amazing because I don't think skorts say easy, at all. :)

Mary, hope you enjoyed the time with your son and grandkids!

mhibdon, oh do post a picture! Looks like the ban was not so bad and you saved face!


Report

1. Calorie limit of 1250 weekly average 1263 oh well.
2. Drink 3 L of water a day. Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, No, Yes
3. Exercise 4 times during the week. Yes, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No
4. Take the dog out to walk 3 times. No, No, No, No.... also forget this one.
5. Go to sleep by 10:30 pm Monday to Thursday. No, No, No I am pretty much forgetting this one.
6. Make a To Do List. Yes
7. Work on at least three things on the list per day. No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, No, No

MAIN80, if you can clue me in as to how to have so few calories with pizza and ice cream, I would be forever grateful!! Very impressive :D. You must have amazing willpower, and you're over by such a negligible amount. Good week for you! Congrats, and I hope your goals are getting closer.

Final check in for the week:

1. Daily calories 1300 or less. 1241, 1389 (honestly, was too hungry to fall asleep, so had a quick snack. Boo for me), 1297, 1357, 1327, 1487, 1399
2. Exercise 6 times. Ran at the park, Cardio tennis, Weights, Swam laps & exercise bike, Planned day off, Jogged the neighborhood, Weights
3. Rest shoulder three consecutive days. Yes, Nope-tennis, Nope-but should be able to now, Probably not with the swimming, Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes (though had to guess on the Chinese), Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
5. Journal mood/reasons for eating. Yes, Yes Nope, Nope. I stopped due to some concerns with security of the website.
6. Weigh in daily. Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes

7. Get vacation plans nailed down. Narrowed it down, Ready to finalize tomorrow, Tried to finalize and now vaguely homicidal with the rental agent, as what was billed as possible per the website is supposedly not Yes!
8. Get new cell phone contract, or renew/renegotiate. Hubby's got the lead on this one; I've got the vacation legwork Contract is up on the 26th, will do then
9. Finish painting the last of the trim; touch up walls. Wait for weekend Yes
10. Stay caught up with work. Somehow the less I have to do, the less productive I am!? On a good timetable today, On schedule! Still okay, but need to stay on it, Sort of, sort of Not so great, Not so great but not done yet. Kicked butt on my home to-do list today, though

Full length mirror purchased, bathing suits identified for keep/return/exchange, check! Although it undoubtedly would've gone better with a few margaritas.

Went over in cals today but lo and behold, the scale was at a happy number today. I'm back to my preferred weight and it's a huge relief. Amazing how that works when I don't screw it up! Thanks to you all for being there and giving support. You all are the best!

Cassie: The secret is being slightly lactose intolerant. :O I had a light breakfast, then the pizza, then a snack, then got offered the ice cream, I haven't had it in very long so I asked for a sundae, half way through I realized my stomach wasn't happy with my decision and I bloated (sorry if its TMI). So I really couldn't have dinner, had I had dinner calories would be way over!
Congrats on being at your desired weight!