I can help your "friend", they can just follow me around and eat everything I want to stuff down my gullet. That oughtta do it, I'm good for 2lbs/day easy.

WELCOME BACK ROSE WE'VE MISSED YOU!!!

How's darling Chico? I'll bet he was totally wagging his whole backside to be reunited with you. Welcome back honey, we've been missing you the past couple of weeks. It's okay to fall off the wagon for a while, so long as you remember how to climb back on it's all good. I totally get the "stressed out eater" thing, that is me too, I think everybody has that issue with major life changes to some degree anyway. Sorry to hear that you got some bad news about your sister. Hugs honey and welcome home.

Hi everyone!

I'm here - I'm tired, sore, a little cranky, and a little overwhelmed from my conference, but I've got ten fingers and ten toes and I got out alive.

I actually don't even know where to begin with updates, so perhaps I'm going to be lazy and list a bunch of things that happened, and then ya'll can ask me about it if you want :D In general: The conference went overall well with a few hiccups along the road. I'm still feeling pretty stressed from the activity and completely destroyed any semblance of a diet, but I'm hoping the damage is minimal.

Good things that have happened in the past two weeks I have been gone:

• I had an informal interview ("chat") with a woman whose lab I expressed interest in for a postdoctoral fellowship. I am extremely interested in this particular fellowship because it's a teaching fellowship at a very good liberal arts school (Smith College in MA). We got along famously and ended up chatting for a little over an hour. Hopefully, she gives me a good review to the search committee
• I got really re-focused on work. It's actually making me feel equal parts stressed and motivated, but I'm trying to focus on the latter
• I met up with someone who knows my constantly-broken machine and he gave me some really good advice for fixing it
• I was able to network while at the meeting to the best of my ability. I have a tendency towards shyness/awkwardness, but I gave it my best.
• My relationship with my boss has improved

Bad things that have happened in the past two weeks I've been away:

• The scale said 165 this morning :( I don't know if it's water weight, bloat-weight, tired-weight (I feel like my limbs weigh 20 lbs. each) or real weight.
• I had to stay in a very small hotel room with 3 party girls during my entire stay at the conference. They liked to roll in at 3 or 4 am - I like to go to bed at 11. You do the math - I got very little in the way of good, uninterrupted sleep.
• The drama amongst the graduate students in the lab has reached a boiling point and is making me super-stressed. I want to bury my head in the sand.
• I've gotten completely off of an eating regiment and back into some bad habits - not enough water, skipping breakfast, sleeping at odd hours.
• We missed our connection flight in ATL on the way back and had a pretty crazy time trying to get home - got home SUPER LATE Wednesday. My boss/advisor blames Delta -- I blame her scheduling connecting flights half an hour apart in ATL :rolleyes:

It's already Friday, but I DO want to post some weekend goals just to get my head back in the right place in regards to my diet and exercise!!! I haven't though much about ME since I've been gone, and it's scary how quickly things degenerate when you forget to make yourself a priority. These are going to be simple and sweet.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Goals
1) Log food again
2) Get in 64-80 oz. of water daily
3) Exercise on Saturday morning
4) Take multivitamin over the weekend
5) In bed by 11:00, no excuses

My list is usually longer, but I have to get my basics back. I think it should only take a few days to right the ship!!!! I'm really upset about the 165.0 this morning. I FEEL fatter. I feel like I can see those 4 lbs. that I gained. Even if only half of it is real, I'm really disappointed to be so backtracked. I know I'm just tired and being hard on myself, but it doesn't make it any easier to be aware, honestly. I almost logged in that 165 into my signature, but I stopped myself -- that sig is for successes!

I miss you all and can't wait to catch up properly :) For now, I need to get back to work and focus.

Love,
~Terri

Health / Fitness...
1. 80oz water daily M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
2. Limit one diet soda dailyM: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
3. No extra salt M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
4. Exercise 5 times W-Sun W: 65min, Th: 50min, F: 40min, Weekly total 2hr 35min
5. Walk 4 out of 5 work days (unless raining) M: 1.5m, T: Raining, W: Raining, Th: 2m,
6. No junk in my mouth M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
7. Post weight daily (need to lose 5.6lbs to get back to last Monday)... M: 280.2, T: 278.2, W: 277.0, Th: 276.6, F: 276.24lbs lost so far this week

Life goals...
1. Take a few minutes to de-stress daily not including walk at work M: Yes, T: Yes, W: Yes, Th: Yes,
2. List something each day I am thankful for
M: a wonderful support system at home, T: a great place to work with awesome people, W: got a surprise phone call and my dad is coming in this weekend, Th: spent some time just browsing at a store, don't do that very often

Down another .4lbs today! That makes 4lbs so far since Monday. I totally "Got this!" I worked out this morning for only 40 minutes but I was really pushing it and skipped any 'easy' stuff and went for the harder exercises to make the most of my time. Then I got ready for work and quick cleaned 2 bathrooms. My house isn't really ever dirty but I can't have people over withouth having clean bathrooms. I hate hate hate a dirty toilet! I still need to do the one in the laundry room after work quick. Dad and his gf will be here to spend the night tonight and then I'm not sure what time they are leaving tomorrow. I'm hoping to get breakfast with them tomorrow. I will gladly cook it :)

Main80 ... Yes, it was a real dremel. A rechargeable one but still a real one. Both my girls don't have good backgrounds before I got them so the noise alone was enough to completely freak them out. Mostly all of my boxer friends use them on theirs though. Especially the show dogs. ... I had to laugh on your dirty comment. I thought the same thing but I never know how far I can go with a comment without offending someone so I usually don't say anything.

Pam ... Good for you for smiling through a crabby husband. That should be enough of that goal for 2 days!!

Darlene ... Uh-oh sounds like your mom & daughter are starting the holiday foods early. Stay strong! ... Yay! on finding your hubby's gift on sale.

Amy ... You are killing your goals this week....I love the gym teacher story. Sounds like you have an awesome school system in your area. I wish we could all say the same thing....The water on the keyboard, I was thinking laptop.

Rose ... Welcome back! I've missed you and your cheery personality! It is okay to have taken a break, now get ready and get back to it!

She sounds like a mental case (no offense), count yourself lucky that she didn't turn stalker on you, crazy teenage girls are evil and relentless. I've had a few minors hit on me, it's always weird because you don't see it coming. I used to work at an architectural firm that did a ton of K-12 work. Part of my job included field measuring existing conditions, which requires casual dress (jeans, tennis shoes, t-shirt), interstitial spaces are notoriously disgusting, but you have to crawl through them for an accurate set of measurements. Since schools are locked up tight after a certain hour, I had to work with class in session, and when I needed to access the classrooms I would stay past the last bell, while one team or another was practicing or working out. Anyway I was frequently mistaken for a "new girl", and apparently there is some sort of "I saw her first mentality" among teenage boys? After one almost scary incident (hoisted up over the shoulder of a track team member and run down the hall, at top speed, upside down, apparently "pick-up" is literal to some?). I started taking my flamboyantly gay male co-worker, aka the best "jock repellent" ever! No trouble after that.

Although a flamboyantly gay man might have doubled the problem for you, eh Mike? LOL Sorry, couldn't resist.

Terri ... Welcome back! Just so you know I was up 5.6lbs at the start of this week. I am down 4 of thost pounds as of today. You can do it too. I would bet at least half is water weight to have come on so quickly like that. I have missed you and your chattiness and am glad to see you back. You will be back at it in no time. I have faith in you! :)

Ohhh laptop, now I see where you are coming from. I don't know how you can sit on a 4 POUND LOSS, and be impressed with my blue. Woman you are a ROCK STAR!!!! Rock on, (I'm pulsing the love-rock sign over my head right now and looking for a lighter).

I am totally impressed by your goals. :) I would bet that most if not all of my loss has been water since I gained it in about a week, I should be able to see it gone in about that time too. At least that is my theory. I'm hoping to hold strong over the weekend. One good thing is that this is the hubby's work weekend. I always do better on weekends when he works. That is every other week. Thank you though for the kudos!!

WELCOME BACK TERRI WE'VE MISSED YOU!!!

Very cool about the networking, maybe that will lead to something... Welcome back, and give yourself a week or two before deciding that 165 is your weight, it'll be off in no time. I've got faith in you. Besides we all know that you want to be a rocking hot hotty at Christmas, now get to it. And welcome back, you've been missed.

lol.