Apples2

Arlene...thanks...it's ALWAYS a great trip to the lake! Can you feel my excitement? I am sure your pouch has shrunk, Arlene. Ppl do the 5 day pouch test (Great does the 5 nugget pouch test) and their pouches shrink in just doing a couple of days of liquids. You are one tough lady to do 3 months of this. But, this will give you a different perspective when you finally start with solids again. Just always try to think back to the reason you are going through this and the hard work you are doing.

This is a place that we can ALL post about our feelings, things that are bothering us, ppl that we just don't understand, etc. That's what is so nice about this thread that Janet started...our posts just don't have to be about food issues. We can vent. The more we stuff our feelings, the less free we are to deal with emotional eating, etc. So...vent, do whatever it takes. I am sure there are things that I gripe about and you guys are thinking "Why would she complain about that?". And, I know the lonely feeling that you have while your DH is gone and now you are also an empty nester again. I think the biggest reason for my weight gain was being lonesome. DH working 24/7, stuck out on this farm, not in the working world any longer. DH has done a wonderful job of now hiring a great percentage of the work done. He is seeing the light. He still works 12-13 hour days but he is finally now taking time to relax in the last 3 or so years. He made me a happy woman by seeing the light and dealing with his workaholism!:thumbup:

Great...try not to think about you leaving your volunteer job and not getting a "thank you or goodbye, etc.". Try to think of it as it did not cross anyone's mind, they were very busy at the time, the supervisor you left the note for was having an extremely busy day...etc. I bet you were appreciated. Things ppl do just don't get acknowledged when they should sometimes. One of the reasons I read "The Please and Thank You" book to my 2 sons over and over when they were young. I wanted them to appreciate ppl and what is done for them. Maybe your supervisor's momma did not read that book to her? LOL I learned at my last volunteer appreciation banquet that 1 hour of volunteer work at our hospital was worth $20/hour to the hospital. Just that statement made me see that I actually was contributing even though there were times I felt like I was spinning my wheels. How ya doing today, Julie? Hope better.

Good Morning All...looks like another beautiful day. Sun keeps peeking out at us and hoping he will stay. I am thinking that the dog and I will hop in the pickup and head North to the lake sometime this afternoon. Second day of trucking corn to town so feeding a few at noon. Not even sure what it will be as I was not expecting them to truck today and did not take any meat out of the freezer. Thinking some potato salad and tuna melts. Have bars and cookies I can take out of the freezer for dessert. Eva...your job sounds as busy as Janet's. Do you see it slowing down at all. I don't know if I would go so far as doing cement work (it would look like crap) to work out my frustrations. Just not talented in cement work. I listen to you guys about everything you go through with your jobs and I think I am certifiable for ever thinking of getting back into anything like that again. Grass is always greener. Funny about the grass is greener....you look at my prairie and see a summer home. I look at your mountains and desert and see a winter home. I guess we sometimes forget to look and see how beautiful our environment is. As soon as I am done posting, I'm going out to my sun porch and going to take it all in. Mornin' Janet....wish you did not have so much responsibility and stress in your job right now. You can always rent a cement mixer for the weekend! LauraK...I admire you for running. I used to be in track in college. Ran the mile. I just cannot do it though I love to walk at a good trot. Been putting mega miles on my bike lately. Better get back after it. Need to pack the clothes I need for the spring and summer for up at the lake. Also, need to stock the freezer up there. Then I will be completely moved in. I have a stack of books (more like a pantry full) waiting to be read and a lounge chair that's lonsome. You all have a good one. Will catch up with you on Monday (if I don't talk to you b/4 I leave today)

I would need to wear them every day for 20 yrs to notice a difference in these chicken legs that I have!:thumbup:

Aren't they great, Cheri? I read your frustrations with your job, your daughter's troubles with getting what she needs for her child. It makes my blood boil. So many children fall through the cracks. So sad.:thumbup:

OK...here's my product promotion for today. When in FL, I picked up a couple of pair of Sketchers "Tone Up" thongs. Been wearing them the last couple of days. Did not even have to break them in. They are sooooo comfy and I notice that they do make me have better posture while wearing them. Just a thought for anyone looking for sandals for the summer. I LOVE them.:thumbup: Linda...had to laugh. Your DH sounds like my DH and DS. They do a lot of building of implement trailers and farm implements in their shop. Both are perfectionists and "b" about each other taking too much time and being too picky. Of course, I'm the mediator when they come in and complain about each other. When DH puts together a kit or whatever like your DH is doing with the swing, he always says. "How is it that a person ends up with a whole bag of important looking sh_t when they are done?" You talking about it reminded me of that.

Great...no. I'm somewhat of a free bird this year except for the books and feeding my two and running for implement parts, etc. I will have days like this when they are trucking. I know the guys and do not mind at all. But, was putting a lot of $$$ out feeding (have done it for over 30 yrs) and the workers will change daily. They can pack there own lunch since they are not on our payroll. And, I end up in the house with ppl I do not even know...so they can just pack a lunch like normal ppl have to do. It's just something that is done in this part of the country when farmers hire, they feed the workers their meals. We will be paying someone to line all the workers up and they pay their own workers....hope that explains it. I'm relieved we made this decision. You could have at least gotten a "Good Bye it's been good to know you" and a free cup of coffee for your volunteerism! Arlene...good going on the weight loss. You are doing so well and sound so upbeat. Bet you feel like you've turned the corner on this?????

Woohoo, LauraK!!!!!! :cool:

Laura...you are welcome anytime. Have to warn you...you'd probably be bored stuck out here on the farm but you are welcome! Your parent's place is so pretty. Cool photos. Your dad looks so happy about the flowers that Nels cut for him. A priceless photo. Another "good going" on the gym. Ppl can be funny about responding to weight loss. Sometimes I think they think it is better not to respond when it comes to someone's weight. I know I've wanted to knock some ppl across the room or run them over with the grocery cart for not having the sense and making rude comments. I would say no comment is better than a rude one. OK...off to town to run my errands. The meal was a hit and am surprised there weren't buttons popping off shirts for as much as they put away. The ribs turned out so nice and tender and tasty. That dessert tray was just about cleaned out. A couple of the truckers grabbed some of it to eat later on as an afternoon snack. I am so happy I cannot eat like that anymore.

Joyce...after PT appt, just hope in that shiney red car and we'll sit and visit over a glass of wine! Julie...good to hear from you. Hope in the next 24 hours or so you get some relief! Take care. Laura...good girl on the gym. Also, happy to hear your dad has some new-found freedom and can take a dip in the pool. That has to make him feel good and change the attitude some. He's dealing with a lot...as are all of you going through this with him. I feel for ya!

Hey HotMama...welcome. Sorry you are having some troubles in your life and with your band life. First of all...you food should NOT be coming up on a daily basis. Sounds like you might have your band a little tight. IMO, the best restriction to have is where you get hungry every 3-4 hours after a meal. It's not good for you to be having food pop back out on you. Is it PBing or are you vomiting? Do you mind sharing what you consume on a daily basis? That would help any of us that had advice on how to "tweak" your menu. Sounds like you need just to get back on plan. We have a great support system here on this thread and you are welcome to stay and hang out with us for support and info. You've lost the 60lbs...that's a plus. Hope you can get back on plan and into losing the next lbs you are hoping to lose:thumbup:

:biggrin:First photo...Janet's home off to the west Second photo...Eva's cement project is that pin dot in the distance Third photo...Linda's place Fourth photo....the other pin dot in the distance is Phyll and Earl's RV toodling down the interstate

Good Morning Everone...in full spring mode here. Lots of action and extra for lunch today due to grain hauling (my favorite guys, so I happily feed them). Country style ribs on the grill, homegrown sweet corn from freezer, agrautin potatoes, homemade corn/bacon bread and a dessert tray that consists of strawberry/applesauce cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, white chocolate drizzled dark choc brownies and peanut butter cookies with macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Don't mean to make anyone's mouth water....just had to share what I've been up to this morning. I just love days like this. Got all my books in place for the new business year yesterday, tax payment checks ready to put in the mail and all bills paid up to date. Spring cleaning is 99% done and life is good (except for paying the damned taxes). Makes me feel like I need to go find a paper bag to breath in. Nice sunny day...mild wind compared to yesterday. That's what we get on the prairie. I should go out and snap a couple of photos of our landscape. I swear we can see to the east AND the west coast from our place...it's so flat. I have an afternoon of farm errands to run in town and then going to try and get together with one of my girlfriends for coffee. She is having troubles with her partner. I listen and am tired of telling her to dump his A$$. She needs to figure that out and make the first step to get out of that situation. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Janet...hope that tax payment is just a mistake. And, there's just something not right about taxing the dead. Hope it works in your favor. Great...your volunteer job at your hospital sounded like mine. I was working in medical records. Had to do the few days of classes on confidentiality, etc. But, what they were giving me to do was a little iffy for a volunteer. Don't get me wrong, I would rather be super busy when I volunteer, but just was dealing with some things that only employees should be seeing. IMHO. Anyway, they would just throw a pile with no instructions so I would have to find out who to chase down and go through many channels until I got the answer and by that time I was done for the day. I do love volunteering but have not had time (or made the effort) since last fall. I am thinking of calling our woman's advocacy group to see if they need someone for a day a week. We live in a rural community and really difficult to come up with ideas for volunteer work. I ususally pick a assisted living home or retirement home and take a few trays of baked goods once a month and call that my volunteer work. I also cook meals once a week for our Habitat for Humanity group when they are in the construction stage of the project. I think since I have not worked for more than 10 yrs (off the farm), I need that volunteer stuff to make me feel like I am actually contributing to something in our community. And, I could certainly do more...just don't have enough ideas on where to do it. Have not hit the shower yet so better get a move on. You all have a great day!

Good to hear from you, Phyll. I take it when you mentioned the "favorite" pants, they were the Champion ones. You really got some good deals...a girl after my own heart. Sounds like you and DH are making the most of your trip home and enjoying yourselves. We miss you around here. When I grow up I am going to have an RV. I am going to make the loop and pick up each one of you guys and we'll all do a road trip....gotta dream! Have fun on the last leg of your trip, and, watch the crossroads! Love ya, too, Phyll!

Well, you guys are in for a real treat in having to put up with my anxiousness while I go through the next couple of months of dental appts. But, it's something that I have wanted to do for years and will just bite the bullet.:cool:

Arlene...I think any of the protein supplement products tend to cause that bloating and rumbling. I'm as slim as I want to be and after eating certain things, feel like a bloated cow. I detest that feeling.

:eek: Sounds like you could fuel your own ride to Walmart to pick them up, Deb? They really are worth a try. We all react differently to products but I consider them to be something that is going to do the trick for me.

Hey Cindy...welcome and congrats on your upcoming surgery. Fire away with any questions that you might have. Let us know about what is required of you for a pre-op diet, etc. I think we were all anxious prior to surgery. It's pretty normal. You can feel comfortable asking any questions you might have. Everyone here is so welcoming and willing to help. :thumbup:

OK...doing a product promotion here. There are certain foods that blow me up like a nickel balloon. Chili, some fruits, cauliflower, etc. Sometimes afraid to be around sharp objects cuz if I stuck myself, I would float right through the hole in the ozone layer. I went to Walmart looking for something other than GasX which seems to not work for me consistently. I picked up CharcoCaps. You take them when you know you are going to be eating something that will blow you up. I have to tell you they work. I had chili for a snack this morning and it didn't even phase me. This is the end of the ad

Woohoo! Just did the happy dance in your honor, Clag! Way to go on the weight loss. And, getting moving really does make a person feel better, doesn't it. You are on your way!:thumbup:

OK, Girls...I have a Julie update. She called me a few minutes ago and asked me to post cuz she is absolutely SHOT with no sleep last night, the trip to get her shots and in pain. She will post again in the next couple of days when she feels like she can hold her head up. She said the doc actually showed her a picture of where the needle went to and he felt they got the shot into a place where it will give her some relief. Time will tell. She did say that she was told it could get worse b/4 it gets better so she could have couple of miserable days ahead of her. She sounded really tired. Let's all cross whatever we have available to cross and keep the faith that this will do it for her. She's had a long road with this crap.

Linda...a true admiration for getting your butt to the gym and being so committed to exercise. I always get a pang of guilt when you guys talk about your workouts. I have never joined a gym. Just not a logical thing based on where we live. I'm active...basically just do some weights and do the treadmill when I need to work off some excess energy. No real workouts for me. Guess I could say I am fairly active on a daily basis though. Thanks for sharing your brownie recipe. Hang onto that Flexie...you will have a wedding, etc. coming up and will be happy to have it under a dress. You hit the nail on the head with not depriving yourself but using moderation. I get my chocolate fixes with my protein bars. I have quite a variety that I keep on hand and have DH and DS grabbing them for in between meal snacks and breakfasts.

My childhood dentist had half of his face that was a blood red birthmark, which to a 5 yr old, is scary in itself. And, did we have the same mother? Mine (even in kindergarten) would have me walk all by myself to my appts. and sit in that waiting room alone and cry. I would go in to the examining room crying and that dentist will yell and tell me to quit crying. Truly tramatic. No wonder I am no where near "normal".

Arlene...you gotta take the only out of the above sentence. 2lbs is 2lbs. If that 2lbs was just lost in a week, that's the above normal. It's not a race! Congrats of the baby girl. We have a few new neighbor babies at our lake resort this year. What's nice is that I do get my Granny time and can set time limits on how long I watch them. I usually let the mothers know they can always ask but I can always say no if I feel like it. I took care of one last year quite a bit. Big brother needed momma time (feeling left out) and I got to just sit and rock with her. She's an angel and just would rock and sing. I tend to limit time spent with the criers. :thumbup: