tapshoes

Vodka, clamato juice, worchester and tabasco sauces, a dash of lemon juice and the lemon wedge, in a glass rimmed with celery salt, with a celery stick thrown in. My fav christmas drink.

'Tis a wonderful thing, isn't it? Congratulations.

Ezma, I am sorry to hear of the trials and tribulations you and your hubby are having! Did anyone at least have the decency to apologize for trying to give him the wrong chemo? Remind the care team that it is his body, and HE controls what is done, and to disrespect that is both ethically/professionally WRONG and illegal. If reasoning/ explaining doesn't work, use the legal action card - it will cause them to rethink what they are doing! And no matter what stage of life your DH is in, he is still living and therefore deserving of respect. He may have a disease, but he is still living, not dying. OK rant over...I just have had too much experience with hospitals, and certainly having spent way too much time seeing how the care team can treat patients, and have become quite adamant in my time on how (and how not) to treat the person.

I CANNOT relate! I love christmas - the bustle, decorating the house, stringing lights on the tree, 'tree trapping' (cutting one down), wrapping presents, polishing the silver, cooking more elaborate meals, baking, socializing, the smells, the excitement, enjoying a caesar (the only time I drink them).....it's all good! But only in December, not November, not October, not January. December.

so that explains why your hands are in your pants!

I want to be back to a 'normal' BMI, and that means I must be commited to the plan.

Today 30 min brisk walk 30 minutes elliptical - forward 10 min elliptical going backward - OUCH!!

Yesterday (ate lightly after Sunday's grand grazing fiasco) B: ff yogurt with a sliced banana L: bowl of three mushroom soup S: ff yogurt D: 1 oz cheese; ff pudding Back to normal food today.

EXACTLY the image his comment invoked! In honor of Veterans Day (US), Remembrance Day (Canada) Lest we forget.

Neighbors have their lights on the house, and turned on at night! The topic at the Y this morning - decorating the houses so that they are nice for Thanksgiving.... Apparently it is time we start combining holidays - thanksgiving and Christmas; Halloween and thanksgiving; etc

My treadmill is 3 years old and has probably 4 years of use! I use it when the outside weather is snow/ice/sleet; the students who rent my apartment use it as well in Sept-Mar. I put on my IPOD, grab my 2 litre bottle of Water, and get a break from the work waiting upstairs in the house!

Sweetner in coffee - ICK!! I like my coffee strong with no additives - no sweetner, no flavors, no cream. Just coffee. Strong hot coffee. Other than that, if the plan is close to what your doc says is how to eat, then you should be good to go.

Aw, thanks Ezma, thanks RSG. Just feeling ashamed and angry. I have my soup for lunch, but that 'negative nelly' in my fat brain is saying, "See, you can't do this. See, it's going to be just like every other diet. Why bother?" I know this will pass, but right now, I'm struggling...that's why Im here. My fellow VVs and other bandsters will help - give me a swift kick in the rear!

If it is possible to read 'tone', you sound sorta down RSG. Hope I am mis-reading.

I'm with you on this one. Added to eggs, or casseroles, or stews, or soups, or salsas or stuffed or.....

I was such a glutton yesterday....I have to get back on track!

Oh how I wish it were that simple!!!! As I didn't have any dried chickpeas ready, I used 2 cans. Drain, rinse and let them dry for a bit. Put oven at 350. Put chickpeas in a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, add some chili powder (to taste), I also add some chili flakes (I like spice), and some garlic cloves - whole peeled. Throw in a jellyroll pan and bake in oven. At 15 minutes stir them, then put in for another 15 min. Remove from oven. EAT. They should be more firm (like a soft nut). I also eat the cloves of garlic (soft and sweet by then)...tends to keep people away the next day!!!

Yay Georgia! As for me...yesterday was a complete and total failure. Not only did I not do anything, I grazed all day. Nothing was safe - in the fridge, on the counter, in the freezer, in a cupboard. Let the chastizing begin.... Today - 45 minutes hard cycling; 20 minutes upper body/arms; 30 min brisk walk.

Tap is sad....Tap is angry with herself, and sad. Tap is also bad. After feeling so good about reaching a 'normal bmi' last week, she blew it this week. I know I only just squeaked into a normal bmi (by a mere .3 of a pound), and I did eat like a horse yesterday, but still.....wahhhhhh!!!! OK - back to eating properly - although today I think I will stick with liquids to give my gut a break.

Weight yourself on your scales just before you go to the docs - that's a quick way to test it's accuracy. So, going on to phase 2 or stopping now?

The nuts were not a problem this weekend - however everything else was! I had company for dinner Saturday and ate way too much (no sweets though) then yesterday the weather was crappy and I felt crappy and proceeded to make myself feel worse by grazing all day....if it was in a cupboard, in the fridge, or on a counter it was at least contemplated and most things were tasted. I mean REALLY what was I thinking?? I had 4 cups, FOUR cups, four cups of chilied chickpeas last night AFTER dinner. I'm pathetic. Back on track today....

How could someone NOT like mangoes? But what a perfectly dreadful thing to do with them...put them with squid??? A nice juicy sweet mango with little chewy garbage bags??

Immediately post surgery I was back to walking from work - about a 1.5 mile walk. It would take me about 45 min immediately (as in a few days) after surgery. Now I am doing it in about 25 minutes of a brisk walk. I do that on average 3 times a week - usually weather dependent though, and heading into the long cold winter I expect that will decrease. I certainly have 'upped' my exercise though - I joined the Y at month 4, committed to going 3 days a week, then 4. Most weeks I am going 5 or 6 times, but not all. I have been switching up the activities too - from swimming, to adding cycling, treadmill to the elliptical and have added upper weights/strength training. I notice more a body shape change then a weight change - I was doing all of this was when I went through the horrid plateau, and that was 6 weeks with NO change in weight. But maybe it takes a while to 'kick in'. I don't know, I just keep doing it in the hopes that it does make a difference.

Test your world geography.... Traveler IQ Challenge It is (for me) addictive, and very annoying - lots of different games - I gave up on identify the world flags!

You and your family and friends are most welcome! Any food allergies of which I must be aware??