tapshoes

Excellent, TulipStar! Congratulations.

I got through Easter and figure the same approach will work for all holidays/food festivals. I take a little of everything, move it around the plate, keep conversations going, and act as (or help out) the host. Revelation to me: no one was watching what I ate; most people are too busy feeding themselves to notice.

Once a week. More than that I would start to become obsessive about it. So, I just accept that during the days and week my weight will fluctuate, and I weight once a week, the same day of the week, on the same scale wearing the same thing.

Excellent post, IndioGirl. The truth and nothing but the truth!

OK VV - I enjoyed my nuts last night - good news, it is the last of the whole almonds. Bad news - I had 2 servings, not 1. But, over all I feel good about my significantly restricted consumption since Ezma (bless her) began this thread. Hope everyone had a 'good' weekend - no major food blow-outs!

Once I started on 'real' food, I was very cautious - fearing the slightest thing might cause PBing or slippage or a thousand and one other catastrophes. Within a few weeks, I relaxed and just learned to eat, or rather learned to chew! That was the difficult thing - really taking the time to chew and chew and chew and chew and chew! I tended to gulp food.....open wide, swallow almost whole and shovel more in fast! I did that a few times - OUCH! Each time I think, well I'm never doing that again. But, I'm human, even 8 months later, sometimes if I am really hungry I forget to chew - and relearn the lesson. chew chew chew chew chew chew.....train your body NOW before you start getting fills. This is a lesson you MUST learn.

I always wanted to try kayaking - that made sense when I lived on the coast! Now being landlocked, it doesn't have the same appeal. Glad to know you had a great time and that you weren't sore after. I often wondered - what are those foam dumbells and gloves supposed to do for a swimmer? I see them being used at the Y, just haven't yet asked anyone why they use them.

I am the opposite of Michee - in my pre-band days, when I would say I was going to exercise daily, the first time for whatever reason I missed it, it would be the excuse to say Well, obviously I can't do this, so I gave up. This time around, I said I wasn't going to set myself up for failure, and that I would set a reasonable goal of doing something 3 times a week. Now at 6 months after making that commitment, I am doing a lot more things, and doing them on average 5X a week. Some weeks its 7 days, other weeks 4, but I give myself permission to take the occasional day off. This seems to work for me. In terms of what I do, I started in my basement on the treadmill - didn't want to be embarrassed in front of people (fully expecting those perfect perky bodies in second-skin lycra)... I started walking for a slow 30 minutes on the level. Then started increasing incline and speed. Finally joined the Y - discovered not everyone had the perfect body, those that did were too busy concentrating on their workouts (and they do work out HARD) to even notice me. Began adding some swimming into the routine, then added some strength training, then cycling, then 'the wave' torture machine. Do I like it? No. Do I do it? Yes. I switch up the activities, and am now looking for more things to do and try - maybe a few aerobics classes or something. But I do it...a minimum of 4 times a week now, and it is a rare week when Im not doing something 6 days a week.

Nov 1 20 minutes of upper body strength training 40 minutes cycling

Yesterday B: 1/2 bowl of oatmeal L: 2 oz cheese S: ff yogurt D: 1 cup spaghetti squash with 1/2c meat sauce S: 1/3 c whole almonds.......yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Catching up on Sunday morning - not as many posts as last weekend! She - sounds like a very successful shopping trip - and a new car! My 10 yr old Toyota should be good for another 5 years, right??? Susan - merging political threads - great idea or move them all to a separate forum because we KNOW they will not stop once the election is over. They will rehash, argue and regurgitate the same discussions over and over and over!!! Hallowe'en - not a single child came to the door; DH is munching his way through the minipac's of smarties, and candybars etc. Good thing I don't have a sweet tooth! They make a nice addition to his lunch, and save me from baking! LuLuc - how are you feeling? Did you run or walk? It is a beautiful Sunday morning - sun is just peeping out over the horizon. Coffee is hot. House is quiet. Life is good.

If you want to go to the wedding, go. However, you are not running a taxi service, so your other sister goes when you go, and she shares the driving, and pays for the gas. As for the personal trainer, well, we don't know - maybe she paid for a year in advance or something. However, as Beth has said, your sister will not learn to stand on her own two feet, nor has she a reason to, if someone will always be bailing her out. Helping her out once or twice, ok, but it seems like you are her walking/talking bank.

Today B: 1/2 bowl of oatmeal L: apple with peanut butter S: ff pudding D: handful of grapes, yogurt, apple Not a good protein day; just wasn't interested in any.

Nope. Never discussed, never asked. Don't own any scales so that curbs any discussions about weight.

OUCH is right!!! Mine is just below my belly button

Oh, ick! I heard about them; finally tried them. What a horrid thing to do to a nice crisp vinegary salty pickle!

OMG - He is gorgeous.....and I want him.

My butt has almost disappeared....if I could relocate some of the boob fat to my butt, I would be a more sensible shape! As it is I'm a chesty butless wonder! A good bra does do wonders...but without the girls harnessed, when reclining the boobs hide in my armpits!

You WILL, RSG, you will.

Even though I am not south-beaching, I read this thread and encourage your efforts. YEAH Ezma - you are doing so good!!!

Don't forget the soda!

Hmmm...well in snow country, they probably could - no worries about it melting!!!

Today - 45 minutes on bike 35 min walk

Yesterday B: 1/2 bowl of oatmeal with chopped apple (nothing like oatmeal when the snow is falling) S; ff yogurt L: 1/2c sweet and sour pork; apple D: veggie stir fry with rice; ff pudding S: ff yogurt

I left the clinic 3 hours after surgery. No reason to stay; I could sit in the car for the 3 hour drive home just as well as lay in a bed. My doc - no one stays UNLESS there is some additional surgery done (eg hernia repair) or some unexpected event. Otherwise, once awake, out you go!