200+ Haulin' Off The Weight

babyworms

It's making me nervous that so many of you ladies were married around my age and divorced so soon after!! Have any of you ladies been married early (20-23ish) and it worked??? Because i'd like to remind you all that i'm 22 and will be when i get married... I'd like to hear some success stories!!! hahaha!

Oh well. Other Half and i are going away for the weekend Taking all our own food and renting a cottage in a national park. We're taking the pups with us too, so we'll be able to take them for long walks and picnics and stuff. I'm super excited. Just heading off to a... shall we say "grooming appointment". (you know... the kind that you drive to even though it WOULD be possible to walk there... )

Laceylala

Hosanna I married my first husband because I couldn't stick up for myself to my mom nd just say I wanted to live with him. When I did tell her a week before the wedding that I didn't want to marry him she told me he'd take care of me and provide for me and people were already coming in for the wedding. She was a product of divorced parents and that skewes her visions of marriage and relationships still to this day. So yeah. Don't think you can't make it just because some don't. If you love the person and are willing to fight to make it work, and there are times that you wi have to do just that, then you will be okay.
Have a great time on your weekend!! I've always wanted go do that sort of personal grooming as well and never have. One of these days.


On another note I guess it's good I've got some of you overseas and customers in Asia and Australia to answer emails right now v
Because it's 10pm here and I can't fall asleep. Wide awake am I.

babyworms

well that's different then. Other Half and I have been through hell together already, so we're pretty sure we'll be ok forever

anvy0530

Good morning, ladies! Checking in for Wednesday: 2168 calories burned/ 1626 calories eaten/ 542 calorie deficit.. You guys were pretty chatty as I was snoozin'! I love how much everyone is talking this challenge!

Pam: West Virginia is pretty. How do you like it there after being in DC? I lived in Alexandria, VA and then moved to San Antonio, TX (which is not a small city by any means) but it still took a while to get over my love of the DC metro area. OMG- once you start shopping ideeli, you won't ever stop. And their deals change every day so you HAVE to come back and see what's on sale. It's addicting and horrible and awesomely lovely all wrapped into one. You're ruined forever, though. It's ok, me and Lacey are too. I've also never tried Power 90 but I hear that it is kind of like the step below P90X so if you aren't quite ready for P90X, then Power 90 could get you there (or you could get P90X and modify the moves so that you don't kill yourself - that's what I'd do as I'm too cheap to buy Power 90 with the intent of coming back and buying P90X).

Kerry: wow, you had an Uber-fancy wedding! When I am invited to fancy events like that, I make sure my gift equals the niceness of the event. It's so sad that people don't really have manners these days. Thank you for the parenting compliments. That makes me feel better for the times I let him play Call of Duty for hours on end. (it's really hard not to raise a kid who is into nerf guns and shooting things when half the family is cowboys (Trav's brother even runs a gun store in Idaho) and The Hubbs is a military guy - I just don't fight it) Also, I wanted to add that you need to ease into those Nike Free's so you don't get injured. Minimalist running shoes changes your foot and if you don't ease into it to allow time for your foot to adapt, you could injure yourself. Go to Runnersworld.com and search for minimalist shoe articles for more specific info.

Megan: It's hard to comment back to everyone when the thread is as active as it has been. No worries, just do what you can, no one will get offended. I also like Lacey's "do I get a kiss if I win" thing. You should do that the next time he dares you to do something.

Lacey: I feel like a shopping machine that has gone a bit out of control. I'm reigning it in though. (and in the back of my head, I'm thinking- "at least I'm not eating junk food") I also can't talk to my mom about se(x). No way. No how. Luckily, I have a friend or 2 for whom TMI does not exist so I always have somewhere to vent or ask questions on that front.

Jenn: Good job with the healthy pancakes! It's proof that we can eat the foods we want but in moderation.

Kristina: Under is under - great job! And a crush...hopefully there will be more to follow on that....?

qofsheeba: Welcome! You can be as active as you like on this thread. Most of us check in daily and we weigh in and post our weights here anytime between Friday and Monday. Some people check in a couple of times a week and some a couple of times a day. You decide how much support or talk you need. The ladies here are great!

Nebraska: How did you hurt yourself? I hope you feel better!

Hosanna: I saw the Tutankhamen exhibition when it was in San Francisco in 2010 and it was awesome! I don't think it's a nerdy hen party at all (of course, I've never been to a hen party, so what do I know??). Um...I wish I could give you a happy young & married forever story but I got married to my ex husband at 18 and was divorced 3 years later. We were high school sweethearts and I came from a really bad home situation (violent and drug abusing father, etc) so when the chance to get out of that presented itself, I took it. Unfortunately, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted at 18 and, after a while, it became very apparent that we weren't heading in the same direction. So I broke it off and joined the military to "find myself". It worked. I ended up meeting and marrying The Hubbs at 23 and we'll be celebrating 10 years together this coming December. I'm gonna agree with Lacey that you can make it work if BOTH of you are willing to. I married The Hubbs with all kinds of emotional baggage attached and we've had issues over the years with it but we've always been motivated to sort ourselves out because we adore each other and can't imagine what life would be like without each other. So...you'll be fine. Marriage isn't easy but, if you have the right person, it's totally worth it. Enjoy your weekend! I used to have those "grooming appointments" regularly when I was in America but the Germans aren't really into that type of grooming so it isn't as easy to find here. Sigh.

Ok, I think I'm caught up. I have been in a bit of a funk for the past 2 days and I can't bust out of it. I think it's due to the minimized exercise. Boo.

I've got a weird question for you guys...has any of your significant others noticed you slimming down in your...uh...groin area?? The Hubbs told me last night (probably TMI for there, sorry) that my groin area is getting "bony" (he wasn't saying it as a bad thing, just a thing he noticed while he was...down there...*blushes*) And now I'll shut up.

babyworms

Amy - BAHAHA!! That's funny as. Sorry... couldn't help laughing, i just love how open everyone is in this group. Can't say Other Half has mentioned anything, but he doesn't spend much (any) time in that area... Maybe i should use that as a suggestion... "hey honey... could you go and check if i'm thinning in the groin area..." Also, I'll take the fact you and hubbs met when you were 23 as a good thing Other Half and i have both had very full on upbringings, and have both had to grow up fast in our lives. Therefore having met at 20 and 21 we were surprisingly mature, and aware of exactly who we are and what we want from life. The last 12 months that we've been living together have been crazy, with so many issues that have crept up - health, family, work - and we've gotten through them all. We're both confident that we'll be ok. My parents married when my mum was 21, and they're still together 25 years later, so at least i've been exposed to a long and happy marriage growing up.

Other Half and i went for a walk with the PupDogs this evening. i've been working on being able to let them off their leads in public and letting them play around free. Other Half hasn't believed me when i tell him how amazing and well behaved they are, probably thinking i'm talking them up. He got to see it today, and was absolutely gobsmacked. We got a nice walk in there too

We're off for a weekend away tomorrow, so i'll check in tomorrow morning before we leave - as all you lot are across the pond and seem to do all your posting while i'm in bed! Then i'll have a super huge lot of posts to get through when i get home on Sunday!

anvy0530

Hosanna: Glad I could make you laugh! I have been working really hard the last year on getting my dog to be able to walk well off the lead (I felt like a slacker because the German people's dogs are all REALLY well trained and I felt like my dog acted like a bull in a china shop). Now that The Hubbs is walking her while I'm laid up, he commented on how fabulously she walks off the lead. He said she doesn't even chase the horses out in the field or anything (she used to go a wee bit bonkers for horses as she had never seen them before we moved here). I felt really proud of myself because I had to do 100% of her training due to The Hubbs' complete lack of patience with all creatures who don't know as much as he does (this extends to The Kid as well). Now that we have the new dog, I have to start all over again with him as his previous owners pretty much let him do whatever he wanted and he doesn't even know the command "come." Sigh. Enjoy your weekend, maybe ask the other half to check the thinness of your groin area.

ETA: Damned ideeli - I found (and bought) these boots: http://www.ideeli.com/events/56103/offers/1818470/latest_view/1386134. I have been looking for black boots with little or no heel and at least 16 inches around the calf as my calves are big (stupid calves) and these fit the bill perfectly. So they are now mine. Now I gotta stay off that site!!!

rainvc

Good morning! So glad the end of the week is approaching. I need a weekend in the worst way!

KatheryneLynne: I thought of roller skating. I used to love those parties! He's never been roller skating though, so I don't know if he'd enjoy it.

Hosanna: Hubs and I got married 6 months after college graduation. We were 22. On 11-11-11 we will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary. We've been together 8. I know everyone says this, but he is honestly my best friend. We have our issues, but life without him seems like no life at all! Best of luck to you!

Amy: No talks of my groin getting slimmer, but good for you! Last night as I was hopping in the shower my hubby said "Either your stomach is getting smaller or your boobs are getting bigger." I certainly hope it isn't the latter. I have absolutely no more room for boobs. I'm already an H cup. I hate them.

Off to another craptastic day at work. Yuck.

megruder

Amy - If anything good has come of this entire situation with the in-law grandparents it's that my M-I-L has realized how much work is involved in taking care of the elderly and has told the wife on a number of occasions that she doesn't want to put her kids through the same stress. Unfortunately, she has done nothing or seems to be planning to do anything regarding financing said long-term healthcare. So... not sure if that will help any. As for the slimming down question, um.. yes and no, the wife uses the term 'panis' to refer to the fat that hang on the abdominal area either above or below the belt line. She says it is a medical term, but I can find no proof of that. We both have an upper (above the belt) and a lower (below the belt) panis, sorry if TMI. She has told me both my upper and lower panises/panii (not sure on the plural form) are getting smaller, so I guess the answer is yes.

Lacey - The jobs I've been looking at in the immediate (1 hr commute radius) have been a stretch for me as I have not completed my master's degree for the part-time community college faculty position nor do I have the electrical or carpentry training necessary for the lighting technician/scene shop asst. The other part-time position was strictly a university student position with Federal Work Study money.
I going to try NOT to get on a our-health-care-system-sucks-soapbox, but I think part of the problem with caring for the elderly is that healthcare is too damn expensive in the US. Plus, the healthcare system is more concerned with money than quality of life. I have seen a physician actually talk family members into keeping an elderly, obviously in-pain, patient alive a little bit longer, giving them hope that every single staff member on that floor KNEW was false. WHY? So, he could charge the patient's insurance for a few more days worth of inpatient visits. I WISH I were lying. I just deleted a sentence that I KNOW will lead to a tirade on my part. Let's just leave it at yes, I agree with you whole-heartedly.

Pam - My nieces birthday party is actually this weekend and I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, we're going to get her. She is basically telling everyone to "just get me whatever, that'll be fine." She's going to be 5 and we have NO idea where this is coming from so maybe we're just stop by the party, whenever and wherever it ends up being. My brother isn't really big on planning things out ahead of time, it's that whole Y chromosome thing we were discussing earlier this week.

Kerry - Ok, now I'm feeling kind of bad about the amounts I've spent on wedding gifts. Granted it has always been more than $20 and I've always tried to put some thought into them. But, I was a college student and knew my friends didn't spend TONS on their weddings. Your wedding does sound like it was fun though!

qofsheba - Welcome!

Nebraska - I hope your hip is happier today.

Hosanna - I'm sorry to hear you are having a problem with the Other Half. I wish sex wasn't such a taboo topic. I've attempted to help many a female friend get over their shyness about sex, but women just don't seem to want to talk about it. Well, actually I think we do, it's just we don't feel it's appropriate or decent or whatever. We've been taught that it's not lady-like. I say screw that! I think less women would feel alone, inadequate and/or self-conscious if we all were more open to discussing such matters. Unfortunately, MFP doesn't allow such discussion on the boards. BTW, I think those gift ideas sound great!
That stinks that you don't have many options, especially ones you're passionate about, in your area. Since there seems to be a real need for any of those specialties, have you considered seeking out a physician in the area and working with him to create a clinic of some sort that might address one or more of those medical needs? I know it would definitely be a huge undertaking, but it might be worth it for you and your community. As for the situations of your current patients, I am familiar with that as well. I worked at a hospital for many years (dear god, 13 yrs and I'm only 32, that ain't right) and I work on a medical floor. We would get frequent flier patients that their family was trying to take care of them at home but obviously couldn't. They'd get sick, family would bring them in, we get them better, send them home and the patient would be right back in a couple weeks, rinse, repeat. Very sad. My wife is a nurse, but has only really worked cardiovascular so hasn't seen this and doesn't understand the stress all this home care puts on the family. I feel like a *kitten* when I don't offer to help, but I'm trying to keep my distance so that I can concentrate on making sure my wife takes care of herself, which as she is a nurse is already a full-time job.


Grr... I've messed up my sleep and some how my body is back to a night shift sleep schedule, so I've been up all night. Hopefully, I'll get to sleep soon after I post this as the alarm is set to go off in about 4.5 hrs. Yay! So, I have finally found a theatre job posting that is exactly what I'm looking for and I have the ability to do all the job requirements, just haven't actually done some of them before. How difficult can payroll be to learn for a small community theatre with only 6 employees? And being able to handle accounts payable/receivable for same small community theatre? I can pay bills and balance a checkbook! Unfortunately, the job is 2.5 hrs from here, which means commuting is out of the question and I would need to move. Moving means the wife and I would be living 2hrs away from each other at least 50% of the time for probably the next year as she needs to stay here to take care of the grandparents. I'm also concerned as this was suppose to be a time for me to focus on my mental health. I'm currently driving 2 hr once a week, 1 hr there 1 hr back, to see a therapist that specializes in my particular problems/disorder. This would put me 3.5 hours away, one way. I know, I know, I need to just apply and see what happens. The problem there is that applying for a job absolutely fills me with terror. Just typing this and thinking about it makes me start tensing up and I become so utterly overwhelmed to a point of wanting to bury myself in the backyard. Probably why I couldn't sleep last night. I need to deal with my mental health so I can live my life and succeed in my professional and personal life, but I WANT to start my career. I hate being torn like this. I hate having to apply for a job. The frustrating part is that I don't really have a problem with the interviews. I just literally freak out over putting together a cover letter and resume, filling out an application, and finding references. It just seems SO stupid and irrational. It's f 'd up and bass ackwards. Why am I like this?! I need to just back away from the keyboard and hit "Post Reply." TGIThursday, a.k.a. therapy day. Only 7 hrs.

ETA: Sorry for the extremely long post and the bonus craziness.

treehugginpam

Hosanna, I love your idea for a hen party! I've always wanted to see the Tuthenkahmen exhibit (I took a couple of anthropology/archaeology classes in college and loved that stuff), so I think it's a great idea. Your weekend in the park sounds like fun too!

Hosanna/Lacey/Amy, I married my high school sweetheart -- met him when we were 16, married when we were 21, and divorced at 26. To this day I don't have any hard feelings though; he was actually a great person. Unfortunately, we were young and hadn't really learned a whole lot about ourselves yet (unlike you and your husband, Hosanna), so it just became more and more apparent that we both wanted different lives. I'm an introvert and usually don't like going to big parties, being around a lot of people, etc. (sometimes I like it, just not all of the time), and he was an extrovert who was a drummer in a punk rock band and who loved being around people all the time. Kind of a big difference there. I chalk it up to experience...we were young and didn't know what we wanted from life yet, but we're both much happier now (we don't keep in touch, but I know he's happy because we still have some mutual friends). I definitely think marriages can work when you get married young, you just have to work to grow together instead of letting your changes make you further apart.

Amy, I actually lived in Virginia too, it's just always easier to say "the DC area" in case people don't know the area. In high school I lived in Vienna, VA, then I moved around to various places after high school (Manassas, Centreville, Falls Church, even Gainesville), and I wound up in Reston for a several years before I moved out here to Morgantown, WV (about 3 hours away from Reston). I have to say, I LOVE it here! The pace of life is just so much more relaxed, it's beautiful, things are WAY less expensive, and it's a college town (West Virginia University is here) so it's more progressive than people imagine West Virginia to be, and there's plenty to do. Also we're only about an hour and 20 minutes from Pittsburgh, so if I'm craving a city it's not TOO far away. The only thing I miss about the DC area (besides my friends) is that they have just about every shop known to man so you never have to want for anything. Plus there's so much history there and so much to do! We still go out there quite a bit though (usually once a month, sometimes once every two months) to visit friends and the bf's family who lives in Herndon, VA, so I can still enjoy it. Every time we go there though I always wind up saying to the bf "Can you BELIEVE this traffic?! Ridiculous! SO glad we don't have to deal with this anymore!"

Lacey/Amy, you're so right about ideeli.com. Here's the dress I bought yesterday:

http://www.ideeli.com/events/56759/offers/2073267/details_popup?color_id=1399822

I have a dress in a similar style and it looks good on me, so I have high hopes for this one. The catch is that I bought it in a size 14, and I am not a size 14 yet. It is going to help motivate me....

Katie, I wish I had some good advice for you...I'm trying to think what I might do in your situation. I'd probably apply for the job but be terrified, like you're feeling. I'm not sure I could handle being that far away from the bf, but I know you are dying to get your career started. What does the wife think about all of that?

Amy, I'm not getting thinner there yet, but it's something to look forward to. Also, about the "grooming"...it's so crazy expensive that I started doing it myself with a kit I got off of amazon.com called the Gigi Professional kit. If they don't do it in Germany, you could always go that route. It takes a lot of patience...ok, it's a huge pain in the @ss sometimes, but works well and is about a million times cheaper.

Okay, that's totally TMI about me, isn't it?

anvy0530

Katie: I don't think you're crazy. I really don't. We're here so you can vent or worry or whatever. It's all good. My mom's doctor refers to that area as a panis, so I think that's the right term (if infrequently used - no idea how to pluralize it). I think that if you took time off to get your head right, then maybe you should get your head right before looking for the new career. I know you want to get started right now, but 32 isn't really that old (I say this because if it is, then I'm old and I don't wanna be old) - I'm sure you have time to get the mental issues straightened out and then start on the career of your dreams. It will also give the wife's grandparents time to...uh...die, I guess (that's so terrible, I just have no idea what else to put in that sentence) - I'll rephrase as: give the wife's grandparent situation time to resolve itself so that you can move closer to wherever you'd be working....that sounds better...right??

rain: I wish my boobs would get bigger...they're right on the edge of B/C (as in they've been C cups for a long time and seem to be moving swiftly to B territory).

To shake up the "work-out" routine, I did the EA Sports cardio boxing workout on the Wii (I sat on a stability ball rather than stand) and it burned some serious calories (way better than chair aerobics!). It's also been 2 weeks since surgery, so I am able to put some weight on my surgery-foot. I traded 2 crutches in for one and I am beginning to believe that the day will come when I can walk normally (and it better be BEFORE Paris or I'm gonna get pissy). I told you that I've been going down the stairs on my butt (like a 3 year old). Well, this process usually involves The Hubbs or Kid meeting me at the top of the stairs and carrying my crutches to the bottom for me while I scoot down the stairs. This morning, no one was within shouting distance when I wanted to go down stairs (I'm not a patient person) so I grabbed the crutches in one hand and scooted down the stairs on my butt and with my other hand (kind of like one handed chair dips for the triceps but while moving down the stairs). I got to the bottom of the stairs and The Hubbs looked at me blankly and said, "did you just do that one-armed?? What are you, He-Man??) Yay for muscles!! (Thank you, Tony Horton - who I mostly hate)

anvy0530

Pam: You and I posted at the same time! OMG, DC traffic is seriously the worst traffic I have ever experienced (and I've been in LA, SF, London, Rome and Munich traffic). I love halter-style dresses and that one is so pretty. It's good to have a motivation outfit. You'll fit in it in no time!

ETA: I actually HAVE that Gigi professional kit but when I tried to "groom" myself, it hurt so bad that I nearly passed out (and I've had my chest cut into by an open-heart surgeon, so I'm not exactly a wuss).

KendalBeee

Pam- I love that dress! It's so pretty!

and Amy- no, you don't want bigger boobs. I'm stuck with bigger boobs and it sucks cause no tops ever fit. Shopping for a dress to wear to the wedding was difficult cause my waist down is a 16 but my boobs make me wear an 18 (or 20 in some styles) up top. I had a reduction when I was 15 and went from a DD to a C. It was fabulous. It just looked like I lost weight- no one really noticed (of course I had it over summer so my friends didn't really notice when school started back up). They've since grown back to DD and while sometimes it's nice to have tons of cleavage and I want them to be proportional to my size, I wish they'd shrink a little and make it look like I've lost more weight.

treehugginpam

Amy, you just made me LOL! I had the same problem when I first tried the kit too, but I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I just have to make sure the hair is on the short side (way too much TMI) and be as quick as possible about it. A glass of wine beforehand helps too. That's awesome about your He-Man muscles!!

Amy/Kendal, I can't wait to get into that dress!

Kendal, I feel your pain. So many times a dress will look good everywhere else, but the boobs will just not fit in there right. And the coverage on SO MANY tops and dresses is just not enough! I'm hoping I lose some weight there too. Not too much, but some.

pinbotchick

I had quite the delima thus morning - run or answer you ladies.... RunnIng won - 9 miles done and 1345 cals burned... My running buddy had plans so she wimped out at 6... Next week I bump to 10. 5 weeks until the race. I'm almost getting burned out. Race day can't come soon enough. My friend is willing to keep running outside all winter. It should be interesting.

Sorry I dont have time to reply to everyone.

Hosanna - I was friends with my husband in highschool. We didn't start dating until college. We were married at 21 and 22. This year we celebrated 20 years of ups and downs. Staying married is hard work but worth it. Cheating or abuse would be reasons to not work at it. I've been blessed to avoid those. We have our ups and downs and do argue. Making up is fun. You will grow together and apart and together again. It can be done and is worth it.

navajoon

Alright you ideeli buyers... I've resisted so far (since Lacey sent me the invite), but man... all the cute stuff y'all are getting! I also have a membership with Rue La La which is very similar if anyone's interested, I can figure out how to invite.

Kerry, OMG your wedding sounds awesome. One of my top places I'd want to get married (if I don't run off to Mexico) is the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It's totally badass, and you can have your reception among the dinosaur bones and stuff. I'm a huge nerd. But yeah, I'd be annoyed too. But then again, like I said, I have a bad habit of overspending for gifts, and I irrationally get annoyed when other people don't put in the effort.

Megan, Karaoke is so much fun! I hope you guys go out again soon.

Lacey, I don't work from home much... generally because I'm not as productive work-wise. I'm hugely productive housework-wise though. I haven't watched Roseanne's show yet, but I saw a commercial for it yesterday and was interested. Didn't she have some sort of psychological meltdown or something?

Kristina, are you and the guy on friendly enough terms that you could ask him to go to lunch or something?

Hosanna, your hen party sounds amazing! I'm a huge ancient history nerd too, so I totally think that's awesome. Have fun at the cottage this weekend!

Amy, when you said "bull in china shop" it took me mentally to an episode of Mythbusters where they tested that. They set up a bunch of shelves in rows in the middle of the bullpen, and sure enough, the ran around them and in between, but never knocked over anything! haha As for the "area" discussion, I've noticed a difference, but the BF hasn't said anything about it. When I still had Showtime though, there was a show called the "real L word." Reality program about lesbians in LA... and they always talked about "FUPA" which is fat-upper-p*s*y-area. The p can be changed to penis, obviously, and my BF and I are always making FUPA comments because it cracks us up. Also, I too am in the B/C club. When I was down at 193, I was definitely a B, but putting on weight again has put me back in that weird limbo state. But I totally am happy with the tiny boobs. Makes shirt shopping easier.

Katie, I am DYING about "Panii." Totally made me giggle. Don't be afraid to do a long distance job though if it's what you want. My dad recently took his Dream Job in a small town in Louisiana designing a rice mill from the ground up (he's a mechanical engineer). Now, he's a 7 hour drive from mom. He only gets to come home once every three weeks or so, and I know it's super hard on my parents, but he's happy.

Pam, you are a BRAVE soul for self-grooming. I went and had that done professionally, twice, and hoo lordy. Now I just have a lady trimmer that I use and get close as possible without shaving/waxing. I have super sensitive skin and getting those waxing/shaving bumpies down there is NOT CUTE. NOT EVEN A LITTLE.

So last night, I had a mini meltdown to the BF because I'm SO not happy with my job. I'm just idle a lot, and I hate that. There will be a huge spurt of activity, then I'm sitting on my duff again for 4 days. It's just not my style. I love the travel aspect, because I get to see cool, new places, but otherwise, my job just isn't fulfilling. I want something that I LOVE. Not that I'm just okay with. I think I'm just having minor bout of everything sucks I'm down mode. It's showing in my eating and personality. I'm usually the one who loves to go out and last night I just let Joe go out without me.

I'll snap out of it and get everything back on track, but for now I'm just so MEH! Guh.

navajoon

Victoria, good on you for the run!

PS... the way I respond to everyone is to take notes on a post-it. haha

Laceylala

Okay, Thank God nothing on ideeli has caught my eye enough to buy it. What gets me into trouble with that site is the fact that some items don't ship for nearly a month so you don't have to pay for it right away, so ist not like I'm dropping money all over the place all at once. Yeesh. My first round of dresses and those beige kitten heel shoes should arrive to work tomorrow but I won't be here..

Amy and everyone else - I have absolutely noticed that my Fupa area is smaller and so to the nether regions aren't...droopy anymore. When I weighed 220 s e x was so uncomfortable, nothing fit right, was no pleasure at all. Now its better and I weigh around 207. Goes to show that even though I've not lost much weight I've gained more muscle and burned that fat off..down there. lol. If my hubs has noticed he hasn't said anything but I've noticed.

On another lower body note...Right above my butt cheeks more towards the hips is an area my hubs and I refer to as the A s s Shelf. It hangs out farther than my cheeks..kindof like a tire all the way around but where most people get that in the front having a baby, I got more on the backside. Anyways, I noticed last night that my A S S shelf is almost freaking GONE!

As for boobs. I had a reduction when I was 21. I went from seriously I kidd you not saggy droopy nearly 80 year old grandma EE boobs (like they nearly hung to my belly button) to nicely scarred up D's. Then I had G and they went to DD+ and now are slowly going back down to a nice small D. One of these days when I get the weight off and keep it off for a year, I am going to go back in for another reduction and have the Dr clean up the scars. I think my scars are pretty bad. they don't bother me because I feel SO much better physically, but I feel like I got chopped up sometimes. There are some pretty nasty scar parts that didn't heal nicely.

I decided I am not allowing myself to whine anymore about P90X. I am taking the rest of this week to do what I need to do and then come Monday I am back to the full program again. I've got fiveish weeks to go and there is no reason I can't keep up with it and get what I want out of it.

Okay we are headed out to the Scandinavian Fest soon to eat meat pies and drink vino. and then I have to come back and get some work done on a cloudy head. Ugh.

And tomorrow is SPA DAY!!! YEAY!!!

KatheryneLynne

A lot of the convos this morning were running along the same lines so I’m just going to write it out block style for the most part.

I am so glad I had such a liberal upbringing, and felt that I could (and sometimes still do) talk to my mother about sex. My husband, on the other hand, was raised in an ultra-conservative Southern Baptist household. When we moved in together his dad actually pulled him aside and begged for us to elope. He had great fears that my husband would go to Hell if we co-habituated. (apparently he wasn’t as concerned about me—being Anglican I must already be on Hell’s list anyway, right --he about had an heart attack when he learned that there would be real wine during the wedding service, and that when the Bishop comes we have a mimosa brunch after mass ). Needless to say, the two families, while they get along (mostly because they only talk once every 3-4 years), they don’t exactly see eye-to-eye.

I was 21 when I met my husband, 23 when we got married, and I am happy to say that I am as happy now as the wedding day. My parents are divorced, and his mom has been married seven times (she’s with number eight right now—I couldn’t even tell you his name; we just call him Ocho). I always found that ironic considering the upbringing I mentioned above, but whatever. Hubbs and I met on-line when I was in graduate school in Kentucky. He lived in Arizona (luckily he worked for an airline so was able to get free airline tickets to fly out to see me every other week or so.) Early in our relationship we instituted a “seven day rule.” That if we, for any reason, were upset with the spouse, we had seven days to complain about. If you didn’t say anything in those seven days you were silently acknowledging that whatever it was wasn’t really a problem. It was hard at first, but now it’s second nature; and I truly believe that it is the best thing we could ever have done for our relationship.


As for the bra size, I’m a DD/DDD and will be absolutely devastated if they get any bigger. And I feel your pain Kendal. When all of my friends were buying prom dresses, my mother had to make mine. I was a size 12/14 hip, size 8 waist, and size 16/18 top. She literally had to buy three dress patterns and cut and paste them together to get something that would fit me. And buying bras was all but impossible. Until I started putting on all the extra weight I wore a 32 DDD. I looked like frigging Dolly Parton. And for those of you here who were blessed enough to be A, B, or C cups and have never had to look at the larger cup sizes, let me tell you that you CAN NOT buy 32DDDs in stores. Most of the time the rib cage starts at 38/40, or the cup stops at B.


Katie...throughout my childhood my mother and Aunt had an ongoing feud about kid’s gifts. My aunt always bought make-up for the girls (i.e. me and my sister). So in retaliation my mother always bought messy educational gifts (play-dough, paints, markers, sticker books with hundreds of stickers). Personally I may just be nerdy, but I always wanted the gifts my mother bought. So maybe that would be the way to go.

Amy…don’t feel bad about Call of Duty. Look at it this way: it’s a video game so it teaches eye-hand coordination. The on-line sections are each based on actual military operations so they can be an excellent opportunity to teach about Cuba, Vietnam, Siberia, etc. It requires strategy, organization, planning, and teamwork. The weapons used in the game are real examples of weaponry. The educational aspects of the game abound. Sure it has a lot of gratuitous violence, but so does history/current events.

Okay, I think that was everything I wanted to comment on.

Check in—I’m doing crappy on the diet aspect this week, though the scale is only up one pound. Hoping I’m able to get back by Sat, as I would rather maintain at 280 then go up any. It really helps that I have to walk a mile and a half to and from work each day. The way my week has been going that’s the only exercise I’ve been getting.

anvy0530

Katheryne: I'm not overly concerned about the violent video games I let The Kid play. He only plays Call of Duty with his dad and he doesn't do the zombie bit because it freaks him out. And you aren't kidding about the hand-eye coordination. He's ridiculous. I, on the other hand, could do with playing more video games. My hand eye coordination must be that of an 80 year old blind person (or it feels that way when I play video games with The Kid or The Hubbs).

Lacey: I obviously don't need a breast reduction but I would TOTALLY get a lift (or even implants if I move into the B cup - I like being a C cup) once I'm done with the weight loss. The only thing that gives me pause is that I don't know if they can do a lift since I have nipple rings. Maybe they can, I don't know. I've got another 28 to 30 pounds before I'd even be in a position to think about it. I also cancelled that boot order on ideeli. I did some research and saw that the boot runs a bit small and ideeli didn't have the next size up available. So I guess I'm still gonna be on the lookout for boots in Paris. I am also staying the hell away from ideeli until further notice (which will probably be until tomorrow - my will power sucketh majorly).

Nava: dangit, do NOT give me yet another place to spend my money!!! And if you aren't hapy with your job, you really should put out feelers for something else. At my last job I spent 4 years being miserable. It's not worth it. (I didn't even get paid all that well) You need to do something that you like so that you can be happy. Just look around and see what else is out there, what could it hurt??

Victoria: I think it's awesome that running won out over sitting on the computer talking about boobs and feminine landscaping. You chose wisely.

Pam: I KNOW I need to do more trimming for the waxing to work better but I never got over the misery of the first time. I will. I hate shaving because (as Nava said) razor burn in that area is soooo not attractive. I just miss my sweet Brazilian lady in Monterey who could rip it all off in under 2 minutes and send me on my way (I say Brazilian not because that was the hairstyle I was going with - I'm more of a landing strip kind of gal - but because the lady was from Brazil).

I went through my closet and chest of drawers again to cull the old clothes that no longer fit (and to make room for my new clothes that are coming!!!). I got a HUGE bag full of stuff that no longer fits (and I did this not too terribly long ago and got rid of a bunch of stuff). I am keeping a pair of shorts that I bought at my highest weight so I can put them on and remind myself of how far I've come. I put them on today and The Hubbs did NOT believe that I was ever big enough to fit into them. Yay for MFP!!!!

rainvc

Lacey: How come there was so much scarring after your reduction?

I can't believe how many of you ladies have had a reduction. I dream of one. Right now my weight is 241. I've been told like a bajillion times in my life that I carry my weight well, whatever that means. 241 is 241. But I blame it on my chest a lot. I can wear size 18 bottoms now, but still need a 22/24 top. Bra shopping in a store hasn't been possible in a looooong time. I was like a C cup in 8th grade. I hate them soooo much.

Nava: I despise my job, and coming here everyday is challenging. Thus, grad school haha. I just keep telling myself "you are heading in the right direction, it won't be much longer" So I can sympathize. I know what it is like to be unhappy at work.

As for all of the "grooming" talks, I've never been brave enough to get it done professionally but have always wanted to. I bet it hurts like heck though. I tried one of the at home kits. Never. Again. haha