You're not my fat friends anymore!

Have you noticed how, well, thin we're all getting? I mean, I realize that is the point and all that, but as I look at pix of all of you guys these days, I am continuously struck by the fact that if I passed by many of you on the street these days, I wouldn't think you had "food issues". Which is not to suggest that I walk down the streets judging the fatties, but you know how we all have a tendency to sort of size ourselves up (or maybe that's just me...).

Anyway the point is that I've been following many of you since the first of the year and in that time you've lost a bunch of weight! So much that you're not instantly identified as someone with a weight problem. I can't think of ANYONE who has been at this all that time who isn't a lot thinner!

But I can think of a few bloggers who aren't blogging anymore. I can't say for sure that they aren't continuing to lose weight. I hope they are! But I am pretty sure it is not a coincidence that those who post regularly continue to lose weight. So I guess what I'm saying is, BLOGGING MAKES YOU SKINNY!

You heard it hear first!

Happy Wednesday!

Thank you all for so sweetly listening to my belly-aching yesterday! I really appreciate all the comments. It has been a long time since I let the bastards get me down, but I guess the stars aligned yesterday because I was sure mucking around in it for awhile. I do feel better today. Nothing has changed, but bitching doesn't make things better!

I know I need to look at making some changes, but I am definitely safely ensconced in my comfort zone. Switching jobs is a big thing I need to consider, but this job offers some perks that I probably won't get anywhere else. I have a lot of autonomy here and I have some flexibility with my schedule. I also can have my kids with me at work which is sort of a mixed blessing. I love that my kids are around me and not being raised in a day care (No offense to those with kids in day care. Mine have been there before.). I also love not having to pay for day care. But I also have to put up with kids in my office which can be distracting. Luckily they are only here a couple days a week for a few hours and during the school year after school. Really my biggest job related complaint is that I don't have health insurance. I used to pay for it out of pocket, but I cancelled it last month. I wish my boss would prioritize things like insurance, but he always cries broke when the subject comes up. I have a stressful and demanding job. I wish, like most people, that I was appreciated more and that my boss could see how difficult this job is, but the health insurance is the biggest issue. That and time off. I would love to have more PTO (I get 10 days a year total for sick and vacation). I've worked here for 9 years.

So I go back and forth between the idea of staying and going. I apply for other jobs and figure if I am actually offered something different, I will make the decision then. I usually apply for two or three jobs a year. But as I consider leaving, I'm always filled with anxiety and stress. Really I could probably work here happily for the rest of my life if the vacation and PTO issues were resolved.

My plan was to start my own company and work for myself. I did that, but I just have a couple of clients so it isn't anything major. My mom was going to buy an investment property for me to manage after she sold some property in Washington state, but the sale fell through so that dream is in limbo.

So...what else is up? I weighed in this morning and am down another 2.2 lbs. (.99 kg). I am thrilled with the weight loss, BUT that puts me at 69.8 lbs. (31.6 kg)down (so close to 70 lbs.!) AND that leaves me at 210.2 lbs. (95.35 kg) (so close to the aughts!). So I'm sort of in weight limbo too.

Last week at my weigh day I was lamenting being in the 210's since 6/25. I guess I'm going to be there a little bit longer. Sigh!

But look at how close to ONDERLAND I am! I was hoping to be there by the end of August. I revised my goal to the end of September, but I think realistically I will be there by the middle of September. I am so excited!

The last time I weighed this much, I was about 6 months pregnant with my second daughter. I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

I tried on a dress size large from my closet and IT FIT! I didn't wear it today, but I might wear it soon. I have another dress in the same style that I have been wearing in an XL. I wore this large dress to have a family portrait taken when my youngest was a baby and I weighed more then than I do now so I knew it would probably fit, but it's nice to be able to wear a large.

Boy this is a really long post.

I have been eating more lately. I was eating about 800-1,000 calories a day, but now I am eating closer to 1,200-1,300. I could probably use a small fill, but it isn't in the budget right now. I actually like the restriction level I'm at now and I'm okay with the rate of my weight loss too. I can eat any food I want. I don't get stuck. I don't PB (unless I drink anything within 30 minutes of eating). I stay full for 3-4 hours after a meal. I can eat my food without issue, but I know when I'm full and need to stop. I feel like I'm in a good place, but I was worried about the calories. I don't think I'm going to worry anymore. As long as I'm losing weight, 1,200-1,300 calories is a good place to be.

Do you ever have one of those days? Or weeks? Or lifetimes?

My iPod won't turn on this morning. I woke up more than an hour early and couldn't get back to sleep. I thought I looked cute yesterday and took a photo of myself in a full-length mirror. I looked at the photo. YUCK! Not so cute after all. I've wanted to eat for the last three or four days. I'm broke. My kids argue too much. My daughter says she might not to play soccer anymore. My fella has been unemployed since December. My boss is in town and every time he sees me he says, "Are you leaving early? Don't you work until 6:00 PM?" No. I've worked 9:00 to 5:00 for years, but thanks for automatically looking for something to criticize every time you see me. Tomorrow is my weigh-day and I'm scared. I don't have health insurance. My nephew's in jail. I'm worried about my mom. I hate my job. I'm afraid to find a new job. I'm not happy in my relationship.

So basically everything sucks. That's all.

Happy Monday!

I am so tired. I could curl up on my desk and fall asleep. I took a Tylenol PM last night for the first time in ages. I used to take them every night, but I haven't been taking them for a few months. After the first few nights, I found I sleep just fine without them except for perhaps two or three nights a month. Last night I fell asleep without issue, but I woke up when my fella came to bed and then lied there for 40 minutes and finally got up and took a pill. I guess I'm paying for it now!

My daughters are off at camp. This is the first year my youngest has been able to go. I'm not used to being without them. It is weird. I miss them a lot already. I know they're having fun and will come home safe and dirty on Wednesday with stories of all the fun they've had.

We stopped for pizza on the way home from dropping them off at camp yesterday. I love pizza so much. It is without question my favorite food. I love that my lap-band allows me to eat it and I especially love that one piece is all I can handle. Pre-band I would easily eat three pieces plus a salad bar salad dripping with dressing. I might eat four pieces if I thought no one was looking. A salad and four pieces of cheese pizza is at least 1,300 calories. That's just one meal. I love that my lap-band lets me eat the foods I want, but keeps the portions small so I can still lose weight.

Dogs and dogs and dogs

My nephew Jon with Brody

I love my daughters and my fella, but they usually complain when I try to get them to take a walk with me. There's one member of my household, however, that never complains when I put on my walking shoes and ipod and set out for the neighborhood park: my Australian Shepherd dog, Brody. In fact, he does a little happy dance when I get out the leash. He doesn't care if it is raining or 90 degrees (32 C).




We walk every morning, rain or shine. Usually we walk for about 30 minutes. Sometimes we go out again in the evening. On Sundays, I take him to my mom's for a playdate with her dog, Tucker, and a walk at her place.

His funnest activity is going to the dog park, but it is several miles from our house and I have a hard time justifying the gas to drive over there just to take a walk.

I have had five dogs in my adult life. Each one was very different from the others. My first dog was a pomeranian mix named Bear. My second was a cocker spaniel mix named Cubby. My third was a viszla mix named Perrita. Brody was fourth and the fifth was an old Australian Shepherd named Sydney that one of my former tenants left behind when they moved. I moved to Mexico in 2000 for six months with every earlthly possession I owned packed in my 1996 Hyundai Accent including two dogs (Cubby & Perrita) and a cat. This was P.K. (pre-kids).

Years ago, I worked in an animal shelter and saw all of the unwanted dogs and cats. It was really heart-breaking. One of the things that commonly resulted in pet dogs being relinquished by their owners was behavior problems. I came to see how important it is for dogs to receive daily exercise. Behavior issues, you see, are often caused by a lack of exercise and boredom, both of which are treated by a short daily walk. Most dogs don't need a ton of exercise. 10 minutes in the morning and evening is sufficent for all but the most active breeds. Many people assume that their pets will exercise themselves in their fenced yard, but few actually do. Brody, for example, spends his outside time sitting at the sliding glass door and waiting to be let back inside. Very small dogs can get sufficent exercise indoors, but nothing can replace the mental stimulation they get from sniffing the grass and barking at the other dogs walking in the park.

Many people don't walk their dogs because they pull too much on the leash. If this is your issue, I would suggest purchasing a head collar. Gentle Leader and Halti are a couple of name brands. Head collars work in much the same way as a bridle works on a horse. Imagine attaching a body harness to a horse or a collar around the neck and trying to control the body weight of the animal to get it to go where you want. But a simple bridle on the head allows you to lead the horse without issue. A head collar allows you to control the dog as easily. If your dog pulls on a leash, this type of collar will instantly eliminate the problem. The only thing to be aware of is that some dogs are bothered by the feeling of the head collar on their face. It is important to have yummy treats on hand when you first apply the collar and as you work with the dog the first few times. If they start fussing with the collar, distract them with a treat.

There are a few commands that I insist my dogs know. I do take Brody off leash at the park when there are no other people and dogs around, so he must come every time he's called. Once a few years ago we were walking in the park and Brody was on his leash. There were two little black poodles that live next door to us and torment Brody at every opportunity. These dogs were off leash and they charged him and then began to run off. Somehow Brody managed to slip his collar off and went chasing off after the dogs. I shouted, "Brody! No! Come!" and he lerched to a stop and returned to me, looking all innocent. I also expect my dogs to sit and lie down upon command. Brody gives high fives and jumps in and out of the bath tub and car when I tell him to. Among his other amazing features is that he has never gone to the bathroom in the house except one time when he was a puppy when he peed on the hard wood floor and he never, ever barks unless a neighbor cat is on the fence. He is good with the chickens, the cats and my daughters' rats. For our family, he is the perfect dog.

Just when I think I know what I'm talking about, I don't

I'm feeling kind of insecure this morning. Yesterday I was cocky and felt like I really knew what to expect from this lap-band. Today, not so much. I had my weekly weigh-in this morning and I am down another 1.4 lbs (.64 kg) for a total of 67.6 lbs (30.7 kg) down since February. I am fine with this weight loss, but it is less than I've been seeing most weeks which has triggered the insecurity. Now I'm worried that the things I've been saying about not dieting, eating all foods in moderation, etc. are not going to work for me.

The fact is I cannot explain why I lose 4 lbs (1.8 kg) some weeks and not others. My behavior doesn't change much from week to week. When I'm doing well, I attribute the big losses to all the fantastic things I am doing. When I don't lose big, well, I start to worry that the lap-band won't give me the results I hope for.

I know part of my issue is that I spent years trying to lose weight unsuccessfully. I felt like I didn't mind dieting, but if the results were minimal, it wasn't worth it. I felt like my body had betrayed me. I was mad at myself because I knew the real issue was that my metabolism was wacky from years of yo-yo dieting, binging and purging, starving, compulsive exercise, etc. I was also eating too much on Weight Watchers, the diet I typically followed.

I eat less now. A lot less. I don't deprive myself, but it doesn't take as much food to fill me up. I like the way I am eating now. I also like that I have been getting good results. If the results stall, then what?

I realize I did lose weight this week. 1.4 lbs. is not a stall; it isn't a plateau. I know this problem exists only in my brain and not in reality.

Part of me thinks that if I were just under 200 lbs. (90.7 kg.), I wouldn't mind the slow down. But I'm 212.4 lbs today (96.3 kg.) I've been in the teens since 6/23 and I've still got at least another week there. By comparrison, I was through the 20's in just two weeks. The 30's took three weeks. The 40's took four weeks.

So it is looking like I probably won't hit Onederland by the end of August like I'd hoped. It is more realistic that I will be 206 lbs. (93.4 kg.) by the end of August and in Onderland by the end of September. I also haven't dropped any sizes in a while. I am solidly in a size 18 and XL. All of my clothes in those sizes fit just fine. Nothing is getting too big. Sigh.

Camping Weekend (and swimsuit pix!)

Greetings Blogland! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I took off Friday afternoon and went camping for the weekend. I've lived in this area for about 8 years, but I didn't really know of any good camping places. My sister has a campground membership at a RV resort so we usually go there, but it is on the Oregon coast which means the weather isn't great, even in summer and it is an RV resort so there are rows of campsites all together in the open. It would be fine for RV camping, but since I tent camp, it isn't my favorite destination. So I bravely set off for locations unknown and found a really nice camping area. There are probably 10 or so small campgrounds (20 or so sites) along a creek. We stayed at Bedrock Campground (Yabba Dubba Do!) along Fall Creek.

It was pretty rustic. We had to go to another campground to pump water. Damn my arms are STILL sore! There were outhouses, but no flush toilets and no showers. There was a great swimming area right behind our camp site. We had to climb down huge boulders to get to it, but my kids had a great time swimming in the icy water.

I like to camp and I remember 100 years ago when I was first banded thinking about how I would handle camping with the lap-band. Specifically I wondered if I would eat badly while camping or if I would manage to stick to my food plan. I was looking at it like a diet at that point, I guess. And we usually cheat on diets on special occasions, right? Flash forward 5 months and I am astounded by how different my life is now. First of all, I don't diet so there was nothing to cheat on. I eat whatever foods I want, in moderation. Secondly, my lap-band really keeps me from getting into too much trouble. I eat small portions and I don't get hungry as often as I did pre-band. So a meal of 1/3 of a vegetarian hot dog ("not" dog) and four or five doritos is completely satisfying. I don't officially log my calories anymore, but I did a count on Saturday just to see where I was at and I finished the day at 1,300 calories. This included a s'more AND a Slippery Nipple (Irish Cream and Butterscotch Schnapps). So basically a huge SPLURGE day with a lap-band came to 1,300 calories. WOW! It is easy to see why this is such a powerful and effective tool.

I promised a swimsuit pic and so here it is. I am resisting the urge to pick my image apart and point out all my flaws.

I was showing my oldest daughter the pictures from the trip and specifically a video I'd shot of her swimming and she asked me not to post some of them here or on facebook. She didn't say why, but I suspect she was unhappy with how she looked in her bathing suit. This makes me so sad. She is only 9 years old and is really beautiful. She is starting to develop and has a more womanly figure than many of her friends. I have told her that in the past, but I remember feeling the same way at her age. I see so much of my struggle in her and I really wish I knew how to help her. I hope I am a good role model for her and I talk to her about my experiences, but I think we have to figure some of this out on our own.


So I guess that's my weekend recap. I am mulling over some more thoughts about my daughter and also about my younger sister and especially my mom. I've posted before about our family's weight issues, but I think the time is coming for another post about it. Until then, happy Monday!

Chobani, I think I love you!

Thanks to all of you in Blogland, I discover Greek yogurt a couple of months ago. I have had a hard time finding it at my local grocery stores, however. They all have at least one kind of the stuff, but not necessarily one of my favorite brands. Also two different stores (Walmart & Winco) have had certain brands at one time and then different brands another. Strange. In addition, I have discovered that not all Greek yogurts are created equal. I usually buy Chobani brand, but one time I bought another kind (sorry I can't remember the brand). The flavor was pomegranate which I loved, but as I was eating it I noticed it had 240 calories and only 7 grams of protein. Chobani has 140 calories and 14 grams of protein so there's a huge difference, but boy oh boy, it sure was yummy!

Anyways yesterday I noticed that Costco now has Chobani Greek yogurt in the 12 pack for $11.95! That's less than $1.00 per yogurt which is less by about half than what I pay at Fred Meyer.

I bet I get a bunch of SPAM comments from this post ~ lol!

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my post yesterday. I was feeling a little strange about posting my weigh-day results for the week and everyone basically told me to get over myself. So without further ado, I weighed 213.8 lbs. (96.9 kg.) on Wednesday. I am down 66.2 lbs. (29.6 kg.) since February and 3.8 lbs. (1.7 kg.)since my last weigh-day two weeks ago.

I am hoping to hit Onederland by the end of August. My ultimate goal is 180 lbs.(81.6 kg.). Really I'd like to be smaller than that, but if that's as far as I get, I'd be happy. When I began this journey, the idea of losing 100 lbs. (45.3 kg.) seemed completely overwhelming. I figured it would take 18 months. I hoped I'd be in Onederland by my first Bandeversary. For me that will be 80.1 lbs. (36.3 kg.)down. In fact I believe it was the NUT who told me it would probably take 18 months. She was the only health care professional involved in my WLS that I didn't really care for. Of course I am not there yet. I have 13.9 lbs. (6.3 kg.) to go to Onderland and 33.8 lbs. (15.3 kg.) to go to 100 down. Those original dates may be completely realistic and that is okay. The thing is I think I look pretty good right now. Maybe not FOXY-GOOD, but okay. Not disgusting and repulsive. Unless I take my clothes off and then WOO-EEE! Look Out! Let's just say that everything is heading south and a good, stiff wind starts everything flapping away. But oddly, I'm okay with that too. I know things will firm up a bit and very few people ever see me naked anyway.

What is amazing about this is that I am okay with where I am at. For the first time in my life, I'm not trying to change anything. I know the weight loss will come. I won't do anything differently to get there nor will I do anything differently when I get to goal. I know I will always have to work on my weight/food relationship, but I now have a really, really powerful and effective tool to make it possible. It isn't easy, but it also isn't hard. I think this must be sort of like the relationship normal weight people have with food.

I know that last paragraph would have been a great place to end this post, but I want to say two more things. #1 - I am going camping for the weekend and I can't freaking WAIT! #2 - I am following the blogs of several people who are trying to lose weight through more conventional means. It is really strange to hear about their experiences and mentally compare them with my own. Some of them (like Draz) are practically honorary Bandsters. They totally get it and their own philosophies and struggles really mirror our own. Some of them - not so much. I feel like I can relate to where they are at, but have been down their road already and I know there's just a dead end at the end. But then I think that that was MY experience and maybe it will be different for them. And then I think, no, no it won't and I want to tell them. I am like a lap-band evangelist. "Salvation is possible! You don't have to wallow in despair and deny yourself the foods you love. Isn't that denial just giving those foods as much control as binging on them does? Won't this abstinence end in a binge like ALL of the other diets before it? Why are you doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting different results?" Anyways...I have 151 followers as I post this. Let's see how many I still have after the weekend!

I feel guilty for being successful

I feel guilty for being successful. I have been publishing the results of my weekly weigh-ins, as many of us do, but all of the sudden I feel weird about it. It is partly because I know that some of you have been struggling. Others are doing all the right things, but not seeing the results they want. Sometimes they post what they are eating and I know I eat more than that. The fact is I do not know why I am doing as well as I am.

I've been fat for about seven years - since the birth of my youngest daughter. I've tried countless times to lose weight during that time and it has always come off so painfully slow that I become frustrated and give up. I realize now that I was eating too much. On Weight Watchers I was probably eating 1500 - 1800 calories a day. I can lose on that, but not quickly. And any time there was a special event (like a birthday party, meal out, etc.), I wouldn't lose for the week. I don't count calories any more on a regular basis, but every once in a while I work it out in my head. I'm eating 800 -1,000 calories a day. I exercise every day by walking at least 30 minutes and I ride my bike several times a week. I also lift free weights while watching TV a few nights a week.

So does it help to know that even though I am doing well now, I've struggled in the past? Am I just being stupid or does it make people feel bad when they see others do well? The last thing I want is to make people feel bad.

So I've updated my ticker, but for this week anyway, I'm not doing a celebratory "Look at me! Aren't I awesome!" post.

Does it make you feel better to know that EVERYTHING on my body is heading south? We all think we want fast weight-loss, but it is not without it's saggy, saggy price!

The Hippies are in Town

I live in Eugene, Oregon and every summer in the woods of Veneta (20 minutes away), people break out the tie die, the booby paint, and the fairy wings and attend the Oregon Country Fair. It is a time of peace, love, and strange performances perfumed by the wafting smell of marijuana smoke.

Children run and play and grind their own snow cone ice. Most of the food vendors serve tofu burgers and vegan ice cream.


There are jugglers and costumed people on stilts. Parades of musicians and gnomes and wood sprites pass by on the dirt pathways. Women of all shapes and sizes walk around without shirts, their breasts artfully decorated by painted flowers.

It is, in short, a weekend of debauchery and perhaps the best people-watching in the world.

Taking time for me

Am I the only one that has neglected their own needs while caring for their children, spouse, job, home, pets, etc.? I know this is a pretty common issue for women and some men too.

I had a revelation this morning. Lap-band surgery has meant that I've HAD TO take care of myself, at least somewhat. First there was the self-care required to prep for the surgery and the after-care following it. And then there is the expense of actually paying for the surgery. There's also going in for fills, the focus on healtful eating, exercise and even buying some new clothes. All of these are things that I do, JUST FOR ME!

Overindulging in food, speacial meals and treats used to be the way I "cared" for myself. Now I care for myself by, well, taking care of myself! How cool is that?

New Follower

Amaris is a new follower of my blog and is expecting to be banded next month. Let's send her some support!

Lap-band basics

I have some new followers and it seems there are a bunch of newbies in Bandland so I thought I would invite the rest of us (the "old-bies") to share some wisdom. I have found myself making comments on some posts of late and saying essentially the same things. Which is probably more of a reflection on me than on others, but here we go anyway, in no particular order:

1) I believe that the lap-band works because it encourages behavior that mimics so-called "normal" eating behavior. Specifically the lap-band requires one to BE MINDFUL while eating, TAKE SMALL BITES, CHEW THOROUGHLY and EAT SLOWLY.

2) Diets don't work, at least not for me. I have heard that somewhere in the neighborhood of 95% of all diets FAIL. I bet that figure is higher for the obese. Most people assume that it is the dieter that fails, but I don't believe that. I think the entire system is flawed to begin with. Naturally thin people don't diet. They eat what they want, in moderation. They eat when they are hungry. They stop when they are full. Some of them exercise and some do not.

3) Diets make people gain weight in the long-term. We have all experienced this. Statistically most people who diet and lose weight eventually re-gain that weight. And then some. One could even make the argument that if your ultimate goal is to make someone obese, you should put them on a diet.

4) There are no such things as "good" foods and "bad" foods. Yes, some foods carry greater nutrition than others. But food just is. We are the ones who identify it as "good" or "bad" and think, "I shouldn't be eating this." or "Man, I should ONLY be eating this." The funny thing about humans is that we have a tendency to covet that which is forbidden. From Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to me on my last diet longing for a bowl of Cherry Garcia Ben & Jerry's (and every illicit love affair, corrupt politician and heist both big and small in between), mankind has wanted what it could not have.

Which is not to suggest that we should eat whatever we want all the time. No one can do that except maybe teenage boys, but the best, most healthful diet, is one of moderation.

5) Satisfaction is really important. I ate food for 20 years of my life and NEVER allowed myself to truly enjoy it. I ate as much as I could until my brain started shouting at me that I was a pig and then I stopped. I was never satisfied, never had "enough", because food and eating were about shame and frustration and defiance, not about nourishing my body.

6) We have to reclaim the innate ability to recognize hunger and satiety. Every baby is born knowing when they are hungry and when they are full. Very quickly the rest of the world becomes involved in attempting to change how those things are perceived. Parents want the baby on a feeding schedule for their convenience. Children that cling to their innate sense are labeled "picky eaters". We don't celebrate that they recognize that their hunger is satisfied by a tablespoon or two of food. Instead we lament that they are hungry every hour and try to get them to eat more at mealtimes. We teach our children to eat in a certain way. This happens to every child, thin or fat. But to those who eventually grow up to have a weight problem, something else occurs. At some point, either external or internal forces cause that person to believe that they need a diet to tell them what and when and how much to eat. But what we really needed was to learn how to eat according to the needs of our body. The diet actually makes it worse because it teaches us that we require some external force (the diet) to tell us these things. We become further alienated from our internal sense of hunger and satiety. Eventually eating becomes about everything but hunger and satiety. It is about soothing jagged emotions or entertaining ourselves when bored, but not about nourishing our bodies. And the thing is that if you are eating for any reason other than nourishing your body, it is nearly impossible to become satisfied. So we keep eating.

As you can probably tell, I am really passionate about these issues. I hate that we live in a world that says that if you aren't thin, you are a second-class citizen. I hate that my own self-esteem is wrapped up in these same ideals. I hate that I walk into a room and size myself up against the other fatties and that I read posts from Bandsters who started smaller than I was at the beginning and I judge them for it. But I don't regret that it took the lap-band for me to begin coming to grips with all of this stuff. Much of it I knew before I was banded, but I couldn't figure out how to implement it in my life. To me the idea of quitting dieting was an excuse to binge. I believed all foods were equally valid, were "good", but I couldn't get the hang of the moderation part of it. I needed the lap-band to teach me to mimic the naturally thin behaviors that I listed in #1.

So please, for the newbies and the old-bies, share your wisdom. You don't have to have a lap-band to participate. An opinion and a brain will suffice.

Hiya! I'm experimenting with mobile blogger. Oh yeah, my new word is "foxy". As in, "You are looking Foxy!" Yes, I know I'm a dork.

I weigh less than it says on my driver's license!

I had to show my driver's license yesterday and I noticed that I now weigh less than it says. When I renewed my license last year I totally lied about my weight (by about 60 lbs), but now I really weigh less. Would it be crazy to go in and have it changed to 217.4?

Do ya follow?

I have been meaning to ask if I am following you and if not, please post your blog address so I can. I read as many posts as I can and even comment sometimes.

This was such a lovely weekend! Sunday morning I particpated in a 4.5 mile (7.2 km) fitness walk with a friend of mine. We also did a practice walk on Friday. It has been ages since I've gotten together with her and it was so nice to catch up.

Before the walk
At the finish line

I spent the rest of the holiday doing very little. I took a nap. We had a BBQ in the evening and my mom and sister and her family came. When it got dark, we lit off some fireworks. Prety low key.







I always have high hopes to get lots of things done over long weekends, but yesterday it was like pulling teeth to accomplish anything. I spent most of the day re-reading the last Harry Potter book and watching a couple of shows. I did manage to weed the flower beds in the front yard and sort through a bunch of clothes in my closet, but I didn't want to! Oh yeah, on Saturday I took my daughters to see Eclipse. All in all, it was an uneventful weekend, but pretty relaxing.

On the band-front, I spent most of yesterday having issues. I had some toast and peanut butter for breakfast and then spent an hour PB-ing. I've been able to eat pretty much everything without issue so I was kind of surprised that it gave me trouble. I had black bean soup for lunch and then we went to McDonald's for dinner. I had three or four fries and BAM!- totally stuck! More PB-ing. Ack! Although I had no issue with some left-over Jello cheesecake later on.

Three Day Weekend!

I am counting the minutes until 4:00 PM. THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!!

Happy Independence Day U.S.A. Be safe and have fun, my friends!