Hello all, and thanks to those who offered good suggestions for my dilemma. I kinda clutched after posting because I didn't want to be bringing my drama here or making a mountain out of a molehill, but "knowing" you all over the past weeks, months, and in some cases, years, I realize that each of you is very insightful and I have gotten a lot of value from watching the way you think through things.

If I am being honest, I admit that part of what is stressing me out is that my one and only child is growing up and starting to have to handle things like this by himself; I want to jump in and handle it, but that's not right, either. Between that, hubby's procedure, work stress, and today being the anniversary of the death of a close relative, I've been unexpectedly emotional.

But, the long and short of it is that I know what I need to do to take care of myself. On that note, who is ready to be a weekend warrior???!!!

Weekend goals:

1. 1300 calorie limit.
2. Exercise 3 times.
3. Get some annuals in the front flower beds and deck pots.
4. Quiz the boy with AP exam flashcards.
5. Catch up administrivia in home office (send letters, log AR, do billing).
6. Clean out emails.
7. Sleep well.
8. Drink water.
9. Log everything and post often.
10. Don't rip my boxers.

I know I can't catch up with everyone, but the posts from nobe and HKG somehow merged in my brain and I recalled a message board discussion I was involved in several years ago about whether or not people should bathe their cats (really, people have very strong feelings about this, both ways). It went back and forth, back and forth, then someone posted, "My cat sat in a paint tray. Enough said."

Hope you all are having a great day and that you have a wonderful weekend as well :).

airbabygurl, welcome! :) We're glad to have new members to our group any day they are able to jump in. I'm guessing you know we start a new thread each Monday. Are you a student or a teacher? Wow, you surely are motivated on exercise! That's wonderful! Kudos on your weight loss so far.

Jeanne, yes, you did very nicely bouncing back. Way to go! Nice thing, too, is that water weight from too much sodium can be drained off quickly. Best wishes on your life goals, too. :)

After my last log on wednesday I finished getting the boxes to the basement and then seriously thought I was dying! I pray that none of you get this flu that is hitting us here in Ontario (watch out Nobe!!). BRUTAL - I didn't even cry when I was having a baby but Wednesday aft/night I was in soooo much pain I was blubbering like a baby - every inch (including eye lids and fingertips) of my body was in pain, after that severe fever - my face felt like the worse sunburn ever! after that more pain, dizziness blah blah blah....same thing thursday - HORRIBLE - woke up today and I'm Fine! Just a sore throat! So I'm back in the game!

Stager came in the middle of the Flu's appearance and worked her magic! It looks amazing! I would post before and after pics but hubby left my camera at work. STUNNING!! (I still want to move though...lets hope this works!) We've arranged the photographer to come on Monday then the house is once again back on the market! yay

Mern - you deserve all the kindness in the world - sorry if I was hard on you - I feel bad now! You are the most hardworking person in here! And you always have so much green! You are doing amazing! :)

Cassie - your thought process amazes me in your posts - I love that you make such informed decisions!(Goal8) You've got a lot going on hun! Hang in there! I will warrior it out with you as best I can!

Mike - awesome story!

Nobe - I totally "get" your freaking out with blood - it always looks much worse than it really is when blood is involved! Hope he is doing better!

Did anybody watch Greys - Awesome episode!

Jho, I appreciate the sentiment, but it is really the wisdom of all the folks here. Thanks for the encouragement :).

I really feel for you being sick, but here's hoping that what happened to my niece happens to you...they were hit by a stomach bug that ran right through the family the weekend they had an open house! Ugh! Her husband slept in the car with a bucket while parked at the mall. BUT, they got an offer, so the general thought was that it was worth it! I hope you get an offer on your home soon, and I can tell you're really excited about the improvements from the stager. Do you know where you want to move? It's an exciting time, but stressful, too, I know.

I just had a ginormous bowl of delicious soup that my friend left me for my lunch break. I know it's healthy because everything she makes is healthy, but I'm going to totally have to guess what's in it and how much. Mostly just chicken and veggies anyway, but is that brown rice? Barley? I don't know. It'll have to wait till I get home anyway...logging food on my phone is a pain in the butt (Android app? Helloooooooo). Having a productive day, listening to good radio shows. We're going out for dinner tonight but if we go where I want to go I think I can keep it under control.

Back to the salt mines!

I'm going to be around all weekend so I shall set some goals and hopefully be able to stick to them!!!!

Saturday:
Log all food
1600 calories, max
Drink at least 2lts of water
Take Magnesium supplement
At least 3 servings of fruit and veg
2 slices of bread, max
Eat breakfast
Push myself in Body Pump!

So after dinner yesterday I just collapsed into a bowl of Cheerios ( my weird obsession) and was too exhausted to post. So here's yesterday's (red) report:

Diet:
Calorie deficit 600+ N, N, Y, N
Stick to meal plan N, Y, Y, N
stick to exercise plan Y, Y, Y, N
No cereal Y, Y, Y, N
8 glasses of water Y, Y, Y, Y

Life:
Write daily (who cares how much) N, Y, Y, N
Do 1 thing on my chores list, daily Y, Y, Y, Y
Don't stress Y, Y, N, Y
Be positive Y, Y, Y, Y
Train kitty 2-3 times a week N, Y, Y, N

It feels as if I'm always complaining about the weather on these posts. Am I just that whiny or do I really never get sunshine here?:p

Nah, you are just so close to spring you think the weather should be nice by now. Hang in there!

Boy, did I ever fall off the wagon tonight. The restaurant we went to (White Spot) has a "Lifestyle" part of the menu that has healthier options. I figured I'd get their Lifestyle chicken burger and salad and be ok. Except all I ate while working was the bowl of soup and by 7, when we ate, I was starving, which isn't conducive to making wise decisions about food. Oh, fettucini alfredo with chicken and garlic toast? Ok! Sigh. The wise choice would have been to have a snack in the afternoon so I wasn't fainting by dinnertime, but no. Anyway, what's done is done, and I'll just make it my guilt-free calories day. Back on the wagon tomorrow.

1) 1,600 calories max/day (allow myself 1 guilt free day over 1,600) - 1554, 1596, 1529, 1738, 2613 (guilt free!)
2) do 2 exercises on days I don't work (walking/weights/Richard Simmons/stationary bike) - walking (don't know how long all together - at different paces and some standing, almost 5 hrs)/weights, stationary bike 40 mins/weights, walked 55 mins/stationary bike 20 mins/weights, painted 7 hrs, painted 7 hrs
3) 20% protein minimum - 27%, 21%, 22%, 17%, 21%
4) 64oz water minimum - trying for 48oz by the end of the evening, 64oz+, 64oz, 48oz, 40oz
5) calorie deficit 700+ - 898, 790, 793, 976, 180
6) take vitamins - yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
7) lights out by 11 the night before (except Sunday night because apparently I'm hooked on Celebrity Apprentice) - no, no, no, yes, yes
8) log all spending daily - yes, yes, yes, yes - didn't spend anything, no
9) clean one room of the house each non-work day - no, no, no (but kept the house relatively tidy, just no proper cleaning), worked, worked
10) get out at least one day to work in the garden - no, no, no, no, no

Very energetic day for me, probably because it's Friday. Very green too. Except in the evening I got strangely dizzy and had to lie down for a while. I thought that maybe I hadnt eaten enough (1000 calories today, didn't feel hungry) so I had some applesauce but I didn't have any appetite and it didn't really help. It's wierd.

Diet:
Calorie deficit 600+ N, N, YN, Y
Stick to meal plan N, Y, Y, N, Y
stick to exercise plan Y, Y, Y, N, Y
No cereal Y, Y, Y, N, Y
8 glasses of water Y, Y, Y, Y, Y

Life:
Write daily (who cares how much) N, Y, Y, N, Y
Do 1 thing on my chores list, daily Y, Y, Y, Y, Y
Don't stress Y, Y, N, Y, Y
Be positive Y, Y, Y, Y, Y
Train kitty 2-3 times a week N, Y, Y, N, N

Cassie You're probably right. But it's supposed to be sunny on Tuesday! :)