Posts by akela9

Computer is working today. Go fig. 

ally- I can  totally do that... I'm a food fiend, too. I can so eat 3500 calories in a day... But I TRY not to... (Obviously.) But lately... I don't know. But, I'm "that bad" too, so you aren't alone. For whatever that's worth. 

brit- I'm so sorry you're struggling, but so glad you're back. You are super sexy, but I'm glad you're getting back into this for health reasons, if nothing else. Last time we talked (ages and ages ago) and you were telling me your "plan" I was thinking... Well... If intuitive eating was that easy for us, we wouldn't be here, you know? So I'm glad you realized it's not something you can just DO and that you're back here using the tools, etc. I know I get seriously psyched, inspired, etc. when I see others doing well, and it's even helpful to know that we aren't the *only* ones fighting... Although, obviously, that's not something we want anyone else to be going through, it's nice to know we aren't alone. I'm sorry your mom doesn't "get it". I do, hon. I so do. And I think the rest of these ladies do, too, and we ARE here for you. You know we are.

I have a pair of "those" jeans. Yeah. I do. Mine are a size 20. They look so hot. I can't wait to be able to wear them. I *personally* think you need to spring for a scale as soon as you can do. I got my digi at Wal-Mart for less then 30 bucks. When you're ready. It'll just help you keep more accurate track of how well you're doing, even if you're only weighing in once a week or once every couple of weeks. That's just me, though. I LIKE knowing how the numbers are going, without obsessing about it. If that makes any sense.   

dalma- Size 8? Seriously? I'm going to cry hysterical happy tears if I can ever fit into a size 16. I don't know if my imagination is good enough to imagine myself in an 8. My elusive size 20 jeans seem... "Skinny". *lol* Girl, I am so proud of you. You just have no idea. I don't have the words, but in short...

YOU ROCK. 

Good luck with the Thanksgiving thing... I'd say just enjoy the day, but then I'm not so close to my "final" goal, so it's easy for me to talk. 

boots- You're new place is AMAZING. It's like... I can't even describe it. I've certainly never lived anywhere fancy like that, and I can't really imagine it. I'm mad jealous, but happy for you, too. Good luck with the move, and hope you love your apartment. :) 

movies- I rarely go to the theater, but next time we go I'm totally sneaking in a bag. (Of popcorn) The popcorn wasn't even that good, and I swear the three of us spent something like $40 all together for 2 small popcorns, 3 medium drinks, and a bag of Reese's Pieces. We could have gone out to a fancy dinner for that kind of money. Stupid. Enjoyed the flick, though.

alcohol- I'm a beer girl. That's just how it is. And I don't MIND light beer, but I'm frugal. (Well, we're poor. However you want to look at it.) So down at my local I can get a pint of PBR for $2 or a 12 oz bottle of lite beer for the same price. The lite beer is obviously the better way to go, but I just can't pay the same (or more money, depending) for less beer... I don't know. I drink 2 nights a week and I don't drink in moderation by any means. Even drinking light (as I do on Saturday's) those 100 cals a can start adding up. I should just quit drinking, period, but it's one of those little joys in life that I just really look forward to every week.   

shapie- You only gained a couple of pounds after being off track for a stretch? I know none of us never want to see any kind of gain, but really, hon, you should be proud. That's not too shabby at all. Means you weren't AS off-track as you might have thought. So sorry about Lulu, but you're posts still make me giggle. Hope she's okay, soon. Taco Bell was invented by the devil. I think they put heroin in their food. I can pass up all other fast food... Except Taco Bell. It's not the worst place ever to eat, in all fairness, but I love me some homemade tacos and burritos, too, and then you can do chicken and lots of veggies, etc. It's not Taco Bell, but sometimes it kicks those cravings and is hella healthier.  

kari- You know it, girl. ;) (Now I've got Devo in my head. Thanks.) Hey, you know we care about your opinion. Always feel free to share. We don't all agree with each other 100% of the time on all things, but that doesn't mean that we don't like hearing the thoughts. If we all agreed with one another, unconditionally, on all things life would be pretty damn boring. Share, girl. Always. And you're totally one of my gurus, now. 60 lbs in a year? Seriously?? You have as much credibility in my eyes as everyone else up in here and way more then some of us. (Me.) *lol*

Sorry for such... Rambling posts, girls. I try to be coherent but I'm getting interrupted 15 times every other sentence, so sometimes they don't make much sense. Currently my son is running through the house with a pair of my purple underwear on top of his head, laughing hysterically. Yup. That's MY boy. *Sigh*  

I'm going to go see New Moon tonight... Yes. I AM a 13 year old girl. Whatever.

And I'm (probably) having popcorn, too. So there, akasha. *raspberry* 

Okay, well, actually I'm going to choose. 

1. I can have popcorn and some candy tonight, OR

2. I can go drink beer with my folks tomorrow

But I *can't* do both 'cause have the big pot-luck dinner with the fam on Sunday. So, I'm still trying to decide what I want to do. If I were a responsible person I'd give options 1 and 2 a miss to make room for Sunday, but I don't know that I'm that responsible. 

I'm also very "live for the moment" so I have a sinking suspicion that I'm not going to stick to my guns very well, across the board. But we'll see. Sometimes I surprise myself. I will play catch-up a bit later if I can, girls. It's been a busy day. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving... Anyone else stuck with MULTIPLE meals for Thanksgiving? Like, I've got the big extended family pot-luck thing to attend on Sunday and then another meal with my folks on Thursday... And I know Mom will make me take home leftovers. Seems like a lot of heavy eating in a short period of time. But part of me is inclined not to stress it 'cause it the holiday's for goodness sake. On the other, other hand... *lol* I don't know. This is my first holiday time trying to deal with healthier eating. I don't know if I should just not worry about it, or if I need to not go too crazy 'cause I don't want to do too much damage, just getting back on track and all... Or trying to. 

Ally- I make a mean carrot cake. I made my first one for David's first birthday. I have no issues with him having sweets, occasionally, but we don't let him have much. I'm proud of us for that. Anyway, 'cause I was making it for him and it was his first cake, ever, and I wanted it to be a LITTLE healthier, I used applesauce instead of oil and about 1/2 the sugar they called for. I'll bet wheat flour would be good, too, but I haven't tried that, yet.  I can't give up cream-cheese frosting, so it's still a little calorie dense, but I like to actually TASTE the cream-cheese... I've seen recipes that call for us much as 4 cups of powdered sugar per one block of cream cheese. Eww. No. I use very little sugar in the frosting. It's not "healthy" but it's really not TOO bad. And with the fresh grated carrots, and eggs, and applesauce I delude myself into thinking it's at least got a LITTLE nutritional value. Good luck at the gym, chica. Sorry the work lunch was heavier then you wanted it to be. 

msn- (Kari)- YOU'RE BACK! SQUEE!! I knew "stuff" was going on, but didn't know exactly what. So sorry about your guy... But glad you got away from all of that, and that you're happier, now. And also sorry about the gain... But so proud of what you've accomplished this year! Wow, girl, you're doing great.  

kathleen- Ha. :) Great job on your paper! 

ally- Just got done stalking your picture gallery. You're looking really good, hon. Seriously. I know that you sometimes feel like you should be doing "better" but look at how much you've DONE, already! And you talk about slipping back to your old habits, sometimes, but so far you've always caught yourself and got back in here before *too* much damage is done, and that's something to be super proud of! You should seriously feel accomplished. Just keep at it, girl. Look at how much you've obviously learned not to slip permanently back into those bad habits! You're amazing. I'll keep fighting, and you will, too. 

c25k- Have only really run week 1 "perfectly" a couple of times. Have a podcast for week two, but only tried it once. Thought I was going to die, afterward. *lol* I really enjoy it, but can't seem to get anywhere with it. I'm going to try again this spring. Or maybe I'll shake up my walk tonight and do a session of that. I always feel more accomplished getting through even week 1 then just plain walking. I hate trying to commit to anything outdoorsy this time of year, due to the snow and general yuckiness. BUT my walking friend has an elliptical, so I have a feeling I'm going to get to try one of those out finally before the winter is out... I'm really looking forward to that. 

Welcome to our new girls! I hope you stay! 

iftheymet- Weigh-ins are always welcome. :) 

dalma- I was strong. I drank a bit too much last night, but managed to avoid the kitchen. I hate going to bed after beer without munching something, but I was firm. I just went to bed instead of eating frozen crap. Yay me? *lol* I'm a big (BIG) supporter of a big breakfast now, too. Quite a conversion from the girl that wouldn't touch breakfast with a 10-foot pole up to a few months ago, but I've fond it's easier to stick to my calorie target during the day if I have a huge breakfast. 

watchme- Glad the S. sutton is working out so well for you. It looks like a super awesome idea and the meals sound yummy. Keep us posted on how it's going, and good for you for taking the plunge and replacing your fast food (and other crap) with healthier stuff. 

iwill- YOU LOOK AWESOME, girl!! I LOVE, love, love the new hair. I really do. You look great and it really brings out your features in the best possible way. I'd tell you you look thinner, but I don't want to put that all on the hair if it's just 'cause you know... You're thinner. *lol* Thanks for the shout out... I think everything is going to be okay with David and with me... Just life and snags and having to be made aware of some things. 

Girls... I love my walking "dates" with my girl. I really do. So like we've been meeting for sure on Tuesdays, Fridays OR Sundays and sometimes early Saturday. So I'm guaranteed that I'm at least getting out 3 times a week on our "date" and doing 2.5 or so miles on those days. (Plus some reps on some stairs.) It's cool having someone else who wants to go out with me. Allows me to do different routes besides just the school close to home. Plus (right now) it seems like even if I'm like "meh" and putting off calling her, she calls me, and if she's not calling me, I'm calling her... (Which was the whole idea. Yay!)

Hope you're all keeping well. Off to peruse the fridge and pantry for a low-cal snack. I'm suddenly starving.  

Thanks, girls, for the baby advice. 

David, of course, after I panicked has been the model child the last two days.

We went out of town so I could get a winter coat (Just in time... SNOW today. Yuck.) and he was just perfect. (Of course, right?)

I guess the incident was just kind of a wake-up call for Dan and me and we're going to have to be super vigilant (I thought we were, anyway, but I guess there's always room for improvement...) especially when we're leaving places we don't go to, often.  

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

My son will NOT listen. Usually it's little stuff, and not that big a deal. but today he ran into the street when we were leaving a friend's house. (Walk date, yay me!)

Luckily the car coming at him saw him and stopped a ways back, but it SCARED ME TO DEATH. He would not stop. I don't shout at him often but I yelled, Dan yelled, and David just laughed and kept on going. It could have been terrible. Very busy street. And I couldn't get to him in time. I bawled all the way home and my heart is still racing. I don't know what else to do. Dan and I are starting to feel like we're being ineffectual in our parenting, but I just don't know what else to do. We discipline David, but when the chips are really down, seems like he's going to do (or try to do) things HIS way and Dan and I can just go take a flying leap. That's just being two, I guess, but when his safety is involved, I can't just "let it slide". This can NOT happen again. And he has GOT to start listening.

Any advice, thoughts, etc.??

I feel like I'm taking Crazy Pills Today.

dalma- You go, girl! That is so awesome. 

I'm having one of those "frustrating" weeks, girls. (We've all had 'em.) I've had a good deficit going, getting my exercise in, and eating fairly healthy and that scale won't budge. I know it's just a number, but when I'm being good I expect it to MOVE, damnit. 

*lol* 

Well, off to go do some dishes, and move a bit. Hope you're all having a great day.

Vanilla- Looks truly fabulous. *Wipes drool from corner of mouth* Wow. That really does looks awesome.

Hipships- Thanks for the tofu "tips" hon. I need them.!  

pinzywinzy- Here I was all bragging about my wide culinary palette, and now I've got to confess to having never had Thai food. I live in a hick mid-western town and its just not around here. :( (We don't have local Indian stuff, either. It stinks.) So If I'm going to try it, I'm going to have to make it. 

We're going shopping tomorrow eve... I will let you all know what I end up doing for my "Virgin Tofu Experience". :) 

All- Thank you so much!! This all looks awesome. I tried looking up stuff in general on the 'net, but thought I might have better luck asking CC folks. So far, I haven't been disappointed! Keep sharing, I love it. 

pinzywinzy- I love food. All food. Good food. Not-So-Good food. Good for you food, food that will clog your arteries and make you gain 15 pounds if you even think about it.  (I'm an ex-smoker. (Not tobacco.) Wink-wink-nudge-nudge. I think that's one of the reasons my weight got SOOO out of hand.)

I love herbs and spices. I like a little heat. I like lean meat. I don't care for dark meat. I know from a chef's perspective the best meats are the meats with bone and fat, but I can't deal with either of those things. But otherwise I really don't have a lot of food aversions . I was really lucky growing up that my Dad liked to cook all kinds of stuff, so I grew up with a wide variety of foods. Mexican style stuff, some stir-fry, Italian, etc. I didn't have my first curry until I got to visit the U.K. when I was 18 or so, but I fell in love with East Indian cuisine. I don't really know how to cook much of it, but I love it.

I hope this helps. I'm pretty easy going, I just never heard good things about tofu until I joined CC and I'm intrigued. I think I'd like to try it out.    

I sent you a PM, hon. I really would love to hear back from you. Keep us posted on your situation. Hope you're doing okay! 

Very out of order.

1. You're beautiful. 

2. You're CURRENTLY at a fairly healthy weight. So where do they get off?

3. I know it doesn't mean much, but your CURRENT weight is my GOAL weight... And you're taller then me! So I'm sure you look fantastic.

Don't let stupid people get to you, hon. And don't start thinking of YOURSELF as "fat" or "thick" or anything else. Because you're not. If you want to drop a few pounds (5-10) or do some toning, I totally understand, but you are NOT fat. 

Edit: It's very late and I'm sleep deprived, but I just got to thinking about paraphrasing an old Winston Churchill line... SO if this should EVER happen again, you need to go up to the person and say, "I might not be as skinny as you, but I'm getting healthier every day. And even when I am svelte and hot, YOU'LL still be a bitch."  

STILL haven't been to the store. Grrr... I hate Wednesdays. Dan gets home so damn late... I should just suck it up. He does the same trip on Thursdays for me while I work... But he doesn't... I mean, he doesn't have to be with David ALL that time with no breaks whatsoever, so it's not quite the same. But he's the breadwinner, so I guess he deserves a night out. 

David's just so damn AWKWARD right now. It's exhausting. (Whine, whine, whine, I know.) ;) Sorry, girls, I'm done. 

But I had some squash that had been sitting on my counter for freaking ever, so I made a squash soup (Two acorn and one butternut.) Girls, the butternut was just amazing... It smelled vaguely like cantaloupe when I cut into it. Very sweet and numbly. I keep a little $4.00 packet of saffron around the house (enough for one dish, really.) so made a chicken rice curry to go with the soup. Also made up some flatbread. Pretty good meal.  I haven't eaten since breakfast (back to doing the huge 500+ calorie breakfast thing) so wasn't hungry all day. Which is nice. I still have a few calories left for a snack later if I want. (Yay! That NEVER happens.) Really need to go walk, but it's decided to be winter all of a sudden, so don't know if I'm going to make it, or not. (It's still above freezing (technically) though, so I think I will go.)

Okay, here I go... Vroom. 

watchme- Checked out the Seattle Sutton website last night and I'm mad jealous! I'd love the convenience of being on a plan like that, but really can't justify paying for it. But you can swing it, so go for it, girl!! Sounds awesome and the "fresh" factor is a definite plus. (Obviously.) It really does look awesome. 

ally- I've been told one should weigh once a day, first thing in the morning, after you use the bathroom, but before you eat or drink anything. You can def. weigh more then once a week, but it's not usually recommended to weigh yourself more then once a DAY due to the crazy mad fluctuations out bodies go through. Hooray for having a new scale! 

antiquitas- Feel better, hon. :( 

akasha- Gym?? What's a gym? (I know I'm EVENTUALLY going to have to go to one, but they're still too scary, so good for you, girl!) 

amocatte- I'm seriously of the opinion that so long as you're working out, the time isn't AS important as getting out and doing something at some point. I'd just try to find something that works for your schedule that you can do every day, around the same time of day, so that it becomes a "habit". 

ana- Feel better, girl. Ewww. Gatorade. I'm so sorry. I know it serves a purpose, but it's so gross to me.

mladdy- You're a vet so I know you know what you're doing, but it sure seems like you're pushing yourself awfully hard. Just a sideline observation. Hope the stress is less, ASAP!   

kathleen- Whoot for getting back on track! I love reading other peoples blogs. :) I have a livejournal account that's gotten all "diet" oriented, but I still like posting in it. I'm thinking of starting to post pics of meals. Diet food porn. Mmmm.... Food Porn. 

iwill- Don't be too jealous, hon. I'm just covering the same ground I've been covering the last 5 months. Keep juggling the same pounds. It's not that impressive. Really. I know what I need to do, I just need to DO it. 

dalma- I hope the calorie increase will help... Zig-Zagging the calories when you stall really does seem to help. In your case, you're getting so close to where you probably want to be that I know it must be frustrating, but it's got to be comforting on SOME levels... I mean, your body is slowing down the loss for a reason. :) You're almost there!! That dress is hot. Hang in there, girl! 

akasha- Life is good, and the weekend was great. Our accommodations weren't swell, but it was still nice to get out of the house for a bit. 

This is the feedback blurb I sent to Days Inn following our weekend stay:

It’s my understanding that our Days Inn in Emporia is “privately owned”… You might want to send an incognito rep down to make sure you still want to rent your name out to this place. Our story started with a snafu back on the 17th of October… My folks rented my husband and myself a suite as a wedding gift. Due to situations truly beyond the hotels control, our room was not available that night despite our booking. To make amends the hotel manager (Jeremy) offered us a room, gratis, at a later time. Very kind of him. While I truly appreciate the gesture, we were sadly disappointed with our accommodations. The room was spacious enough, but not particularly clean. (Used bars of soap left about the room, hair in the shower, and a big pile of… something… near the air-conditioning unit.) It also wasn’t in particularly great shape. (Little things like the broken heat-lamp in the bathroom, light switches that didn’t turn on any lights, lamps that didn’t work, and I’ve never seen a television running cable that had static like my set did back in the days of rabbit-ear antenna.) We were really looking forward to some time, pool-side… I know that hotels are notorious for keeping their hot-tubs REDICULOUSLY hot, and I don’t mind this… I just avoid them. But I’ve never before gotten into a swimming pool that was hotter then any bath I usually run for myself… I was literally sweating. We brought along our son for some swim time, and I’ll admit, a two-year olds skin is a bit more sensitive then most peoples, but I still found it a bit alarming that he was lobster-red 15 minutes after being in the water. Needless to say, that was the end of our pool time.

There were several little things here and there (like the fact that I was dying of thirst at 2:30 in the morning, but we had neither ice-bucket, nor drinking cups in our room) none of them epic in their own right, but all of which contributed to a fairly unpleasant stay. This is the first negative experience I’ve had with a Days Inn, and I implore you to look into this place. I can’t imagine referring family or friends to our *local* ever again. 

watchme- I do "do it yourself" pre-packaged, quite a bit. (Lean Cuisine, Kashi, Healthy Choice... (All of which claim, now-a-days that they're prepared with no preservatives.) And a couple of the girls just turned me onto Progresso Light Soups which are the best "snack" for me, ever... Sometimes it's just easier if I'm fixing the boys something that I'm not comfortable eating or whatever. Sodium is a bit high, of course, but if you're getting your water in, it shouldn't be a huge issue. Sodium is going to be high on the home delivery stuff, too, and this is SO much cheaper, there's way more variety, etc. If you're eating a stand-alone type meal I'd just try to make sure you're finding entres with vegetables in them. If you've got more time at home you can supplement a side veggie of your own, when applicable. Make sure you're supplementing your pre-packaged stuff with fresh fruits and veggies (when you can) and dairy, if you eat dairy. 

For me it boils down to a money thing, but I guess if you can afford the home-delivery stuff and if you think it'd be better then frozen, I guess you're going to have to work with what's best for you. I might be deluding myself, but as they say frozen VEGGIES are *almost* as good as fresh, I can't help wondering why lower-cal frozen meals are such a bad thing... So long as you're getting in all the nutrients, etc. that you need throughout your day.

Then again, I'm the first to admit that I'm not as big of a health-food nut as some of the other ladies are. I'm eating SO much healthier then I have done in years and the things I do now are such a huge improvement over my previous fast-food life style that maybe I'm too easily content. But when I'm behaving, I feel good and I lose weight and those are the things that are *most* important to me at the moment, so for now what I'm doing is enough.