01gt4.6

Heath and Fitness:
1. Lose 5 pounds (starting wt. 188.4)
2. Gallon of water per day yes, no
3. 4000 Calorie deficit -1375, -925
3. 4 servings of fruits/veggies per day yes, yes
5. 2 servings of bread for the week 1, 0
6. Workout 3 times day off, yes
7. Walk 10 miles (who's coming to New Orleans to do the 1/2 marathon with me?) 0, 0
8. Daily:
a.Fish oil yes, yes
b.Vitamin yes, yes
c.Glucosamine yes , yes
d.Floss yes , no
e.Fluoride rinse yes, no

Other Goals:
9. Write 2 policies no
10. Push next person to post goals , no, no
11. Clean garage yes
12. Finish pressure washing driveway and sidewalk yes
13. Two random acts of kindness yes, no

I'm failing at my #10 goal. I totally forgot to push Mom8TN... Mom8TN, where are you??
I forgot to do something nice yesterday, and I only worked for 1/2 hour so no policies for me.

Cassie, it's okay. I'm sure I'll be doing the race all bu myself again. No, really... it's no big deal. I can handle being lonely in my journey to the finish line, I'll be just fine. I'll be sure to keep y'all posted every mile.

01gt4.6

Joanna, This bunch of cackling hens wouldn't let me drag from behind the wagon. They threatened me until I got back on. Seriously, Mern pulled out her whip and was about to start leaving marks on me.

almeeker

No no, it's B for better half, I'm sure of it. He probably refers to me as B&C (ball and chain) behind my back.

cjohnson728

Welcome back, Joanna and Amy!!! This is like a family reunion happening in stages .

Hope you had wonderful holidays.

Amy, dying to hear how the bunnies went over...and are there pictures?

quinnesec

Good Morning Everyone!

Dear 2012,

What do you have in store for me??

Daughter is back to school, husband is back to work, house is clean, goodies are gone... it's going to be a great day. It's SO nice to have a quiet, clean house to myself! Have some errands to run (and a delivery to set up ) but I'm going to wait a little bit as it was 2 below zero this morning when I woke up. The sun is out, so it should warm up pretty quickly.

Thanks for all of the condolences. It was especially psychologically hard because it was my mom's best friend, but we're all doing well. Although she was elderly, it was still somehow unexpected, especially at Christmas. That makes my mom the last survivor in her circle of friends, which has been hard on her (...and me in some odd way.)

Glad to see so many back... We missed you!

Time to get off my rear and start my day. Hope you all have a great one!

almeeker

Well good morning and Happy New Years to all of you lovelies (that includes you too Mike). Anyway the last couple of weeks were of course nutty, and seriously I was dieting the whole time, see food dieting, I saw food and then ate it. Ugh, I feel like Jabba the Hut, can't button most of my jeans, it's awful. I have to get serious NOW, because buying a whole new wardrobe is completely out of the question. Anyway I'm off to a good start this morning, 75 min workout (check), 2 bottles of water (check), kept breakfast under control (check), so climbing back on the wagon, sugar shakes and all. I'm so glad to be back it's not even funny, it's so good to read all of you this morning, although catching up would have been easier without SO MANY PAGES! 12 already, you guys rock! Anyway welcome to all the newbies, we're glad to have you aboard, we're chatty here, but friendly and understanding.

Health & Fitness Goals:

1. Calories 1,400 tops.
2. 100oz of water.
3. Exercise 5 hours.
4. Make calendar for workouts.
5. Calorie deficit of 5,000 for the week.
6. Log.
7. Report weight.
8. Take measurements.

Other stuff:

1. Pack up Christmas.
2. Start rabbit cages.
3. Housework, 30 min daily + 1 load of laundry.
4. Organize 1 messy thing daily.

I haven't committed to a New Year's resolution yet, but I will. I can only handle 1 per year, so I have to think carefully.

For the newbies, I'm a SAHM, but I'm also a registered architect, do a bit of consulting on the side. DH and I have 3 children of our own (all girls ), plus I take care of 3+ more. I'm very involved in whatever the kids are doing, so momentarily it's Girl Scouts, 4-H, I've been roped into leading both. Anyway that's my life in a nutshell.

I would love to be able to respond to everyone, but I had to speed read to get through it, and I think I'm confused now. Oh no wait, that's where I live, the State of Confusion, moved here from the Land of Denial... Lol.

almeeker

The bunnies were a HUGE hit, I have pics, haven't loaded them to the computer yet, but will, pinkie swear. The 10 year old AG doll was also HUGE, today the kiddos went back to school, so this is the first day that the doll hasn't been in arms sunup to sundown. The bunnies are getting the day off too. The poor bunnies are just puncture wounds and dog spit away from being mauled every day, but that will make them perfect for showmanship come fair week.

taubele

Oh boy, I'm going to try to catch up here. So sorry if I miss anyone!! We're a chatty bunch, as usual

Lisa: I started out at 1500 calories/day when I started and I found that it was good for me. I think you just need to listen to your body - are you ravenous on 1500/day, or does it feel good? Mh also gave you great advice! So sorry for the loss of your father - certainly understandable that you lost focus. I hope you're able to find balance.

Mike: I'm used to you forgetting about me by now The Breast Cancer Donation, my triumphant return... it's all nothing to you!!! (I'm kidding, of course!). Sorry about your work computers - I understand ALL about that, we always get POS computers in Universities too. You'd think we'd have the latest and greatest, but it's always hand-me-downs. The one I'm typing at now is about 6 years old. The only fancy computers are the ones hooked up to the fancy microscopes.

mhibidon: Not sure if I've told you lately, but your multicolored posts always make me smile. I hope that things go awesomely with your PPD this Friday. Driving 8 hours round-trip is definitely a good sign if I do say so myself. You're so sweet to be taking care of your "Babymomma" friend. I don't know what advice to give you either, other than to keep reiterating what you've already been telling her.

Hi, Luv! Nice to meet you! I love your moving avatars! I am so very un-internet-savvy, I was proud of myself when I figured out how to bold and color my posts, haha! Finding your routine is a really good process to go through, and we're here to help! Thanks for the compliment; I think I'm boring, but I'll take your word for it, haha! It's awesome that you're taking control of your Pre-Diabetes now - I will say that after looking at how Mern has been able to handle hers, I think you'll find that FitDay can help if you make goals that make sense for you. You might not use the website in the same way as another person, but that doesn't mean that the site and the forums can't help!!

Pam: I would love if BF went to college, but I know he feels really unstable right now, given that we're only here for about 6 more months or so. I really hope that one day he does decide to go back to school. I think my illness was given to me by one of the graduate students, but I have no evidence to my claim - just a hunch. I feel more badly that my whole family now has come down with it - it's a nasty one, and my Dad has a compromised immune system. But he seems to be doing okay. The Master's Class I'm teaching is "The Biological Bases of Behavior" - and the class will mostly be full of students looking to become Social Workers and School Counselors, so they're going to be focused on diagnosing illnesses etc. - my job is to teach them about the brain as it relates to disease, how and why the body metabolizes pharmaceuticals different ways, etc. It's not precisely my area of expertise, but I think I can do it. Luckily, they were able to provide me with the previous instructors' lectures, and while I think they could use vast amounts of updating, I can at least see where the focus of his lectures was and work off of that. Congrats on your weight sticking over the holidays - that's an accomplishment!!

Darlene: Thanks! It's good to be back! I love the story about your MIL's drying noodles, that sounds like a fun house to be in!

Mern: Your ALL GREEN reports are back!!! Woohoo! I am so sorry about your hurt back, though - isn't it weird the things that will tweak us? When I was will at home for Christmas, I hurt my shoulder by, I kid you not, *walking down the stairs*. I wasn't carrying anything or walking funny, I just took a step down and got a sharp pain in my shoulderblade that was enough to make me sit on the stairs for a moment and just breathe until it died down. The pain lingered for about 9 hours until I went to bed - really bizarre. I hope that your Walk Away The Pounds helped it! That's crazy news about your friend with the memory loss from pills. It's sort of amazing and scary the power that doctors can have over us; how one mistake that lingers can make such a huge difference. I truly hope that she gets out of her fog and back to the lady that you remember before taking the medication. Thanks for the insight to my New Year's resolution - you're totally right. While others' opinions matter a lot (for instance, I take the advice given here to heart), I just have to remember to keep ME in the equation. I don't do that enough!!

Quinn: So sorry to hear about the death of your friend - my sincere condolences. Thanks so much for your encouragement! BF and I are going by the mantra "One thing at a time" right now. A lot hit us at once - his job ending, the car, the illnesses, the lost baggage - but we're feeling healthy, and our bag was returned safely... so we're hoping maybe one more thing will start to go better, and then another thing. It's helping keep us concentrated and level-headed. I'm laughing about your McD's promotion - I think you should ask the manager about that

Tori: Good job on the calories, and SO SO Sorry about the "Pee Shoes" even if it's sort of hilarious. Yikes!! I hope you gave that guy a good thwap!

Lizzie: Welcome back and happy new year! I see you trying to sneak!

Cassie: We should take pictures of our dish-drainer towers and compare architecture....! I guess crazy is sort of my m.o -- I just wish it were otherwise and am in denial A job up north would be great, though being near my family might be both a blessing and a curse, no? lol.

Amy: Good to see you! The bunnies look ADORABLE!!! Back on the wagon!

To all who asked: Well, BF had submitted an online application (as requested) for an auto tech position at the store he's interested in. However, the position he was told to apply for (C-Tech) wasn't online - they only had a position for "Lead Technician" which he is not certified/qualified for. He called, and they told him to fill out the Lead Tech one anyway, and that they'd just read his application as if it was for C-Tech. So, he applied, but once he submitted he immediately got an e-mail telling him his application was bounced back because he wasn't qualified for Lead Technician. (Duh). So yesterday (Monday) he decided to drive down to the Firestone shop and explain what happened. He had been thinking about just calling, but I told him showing up in person might prove beneficial so he could more easily explain the website issue.

Turns out it was a good thing he showed up in person, as he caught the manager and was able to explain the problem directly to him. The manager was confused about the website problem and told him it shouldn't have bounced back - said he was glad that BF came down there to explain and that he would call his district manager this morning (Tuesday). They ARE down a man for the C-Tech position, the manager confirmed, and would love to be able to hire BF because he already knows all the Firestone policies/equipment/tools and it would save them the hassle of training him, since he worked at a Firestone affiliated store before (Firestone is basically the parent company of the place he worked at that was shut down). The manager told BF that if he doesn't get a call by 1:00 today, to call back and check. So BF will be placing a call today if needed. BF said that he felt good about what the manager had to say and feels like they want to hire him, so we're keeping our fingers/toes crossed for one more day. He said he'd call me when he finds out any more news, so I'll update you guys then!!

Monday Report Card

1) Log calories every day. Everything. M: Yes, even the handful of M&Ms I had for dessert
2) Try to keep calorie average for the week between 1200 and 1500 (giving myself a little more wiggle room than usual here, because my illness is making my appetite unpredictable. Some days I'm ravenous, other days I only eat one meal.) M: 1,116. Was not a hungry day.
3) Keep track of daily expenditures M: no, but I will go backlog it right now!
4) In bed by 11:30 every night, no excuses M: No
5) Keep positive and level-headed for BF M: yes
6) 80 oz. or more of water daily M: No (64)
7) Weigh in daily; report here. M: 163.2
8) Name something wonderful that happens every day. M: I had a moment of panic when I thought I lost the instructor's materials for the class I'm teaching. But then I found them, and that was wonderful!

Need to focus on getting my materials together today - I was really scatterbrained yesterday getting back into the groove of working. I think I can be more level-headed today, though, after checking in here. Luckily, the first class is just going to be an "introduction" sort of class so I can just lay out my expectations and get contact info for my students before diving in. The first few lectures are going to be the most info-intensive (Nerve cells and Neuroanatomy - lots of physiology to go over) so I think easing in is the best for me, as I haven't taught in about 3 years. I'm excited, though!

If I get any news on BF's job, I'll be sure to post.

Also, the scale jumped down to 161.6 this morning. Happy to see that number, though I guess I must have been up in water weight or something on Monday? Maybe from all the cold medication, who knows. I also didn't eat much yesterday, my appetite is still wonking out from the cold. I just had a small bowl of cereal, some yogurt, a turkey breast sandwich, a piece of tilapia filet and some cilantro-lime rice all day, as well as a handful of M&Ms before I went to bed. Maybe I'll get a little hungrier today.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

~Terri

Mern

Amy! There you are! Welcome back!

Yo! Joanna! Welcome back to you, too! Only a 3 lb. gain during the holidays plus on vacation is fantastic! Well done! New Year's resolutions aren't a requirement--great to confront problems as you go along--as you do.

Tori, congrats on a good day yesterday.

mhibdon, nice avatar. Congrats on your water, vitamins, and exercise yesterday. Aw, thanks for your concern. No, I didn't use a heating pad on my sore back--but only because I didn't think of it until I read your post right before going to bed. But the very modified walking DVD exercise I did yesterday as an attempt at self-help physical therapy may have helped. Today it's not as painful and I don't need a cane to take pressure off while walking. Great that you are looking out for your friend but it sounds like she needs some professional help with her eating disorder. I realize that may be easier said than done.

fit4luv, forgot to tell you my doctor approved for me Nature's Bounty brand of odorless fish oil capsules as safe and of good quality. I also use Nature's Bounty vitamin D.

Cassie, I started snickering over your post to Terri about her crazy December being her m.o. --I almost dribbled coffee onto my keyboard. Had a HUGE chuckle over your dishdrainer tower that seems to defy the law of gravity. We've had stuff actually fall to the floor a couple times when the circus balancing act failed. Kudos on the homemade noodles tasting like Grandma's. But, OMG, I never thought about the toll it would take on your shoulder. I hope my weight loss mojo lasts--sure would be nice if we could bottle it and post or PM it to each other when needed by others. I forgot to weigh today, but maybe that's better--I don't want to get addicted to weighing.

Pam, so wonderful that you reported a near perfect holiday. Nice that you have a bit of time to yourself, though, to get other things done. I don't respond well to nagging, either, so I knew better than to try to nag DH into doing low carb which helped to reduce his blood pressure. He's also shedding some pounds now. Great job on your goals Monday!

Darlene, congrats on your great start on this week's goals! Sounds like you and your DH already have a great plan to get him eating more healthfully. Trick will be to get him to eventually find healthful food that he considers "good food" i.e. yummy. I have a lot of dishes that make me feel like I'm cheating but I'm not. Thanks for your good wishes for my friends. I don't know how people get through a crisis without faith--I often have to look for those "footprints in the sand" so I don't fall apart. Congrats on your wonderful hike. Hope your headache goes away pronto! My back still hurts somewhat but is feeling better today--I think making myself do modified exercise yesterday to keep mobile helped a lot. Thanks for your concern.

Lizzie, welcome back! Wise to start out simple and just log, log, log this week before formulating more detailed goals.

Mike, lot of green in your goals! Congrats! "...forgot to do something nice." You are one of the nicest people I know--seems to come natural to you. I don't need to be a cackling hen--whip cracking works just fine. LOL

Quinn, two below zero! Yikes! I take it your power is restored at your house and your Mom's now. Nice you have the house all to yourself! Mine is a little disorderly right now, but I'll deal with it later. I can't imagine the lonliness of being the last in the circle of friends or siblings to pass away. My heart goes out to your mother.

cjohnson728

Terri, hope it's good news .

Mern, yes, now I'm campaigning for a pasta machine . Wish I'd had that idea before Christmas; now I'll probably have to wait till Mother's Day. The cookies this year killed me, too...I've started a "mixer fund" I'm contributing to monthly, so I can get one of those kick-butt machines before the holidays next year.

Glad the gifts were such a huge hit, Amy. My jeans are not my friends these days, either, but we did it before, we can do it again, right? You're off to a good start.

Quinn, enjoy your quiet time and stay warm. I was whining because it's 27 here now...such a weather wimp I am.

Unexpectedly meeting a friend for Chinese in a half hour. Need to rework my plan for today. Rats.