Weekly Update: A Day Early...

It's only Sunday, but it turns out that this coming week is going to be a week of put my head down and work, work, work. I didn't want to not post so here I am a day early.

Not much has changed from last week to this. Not surprising, eh? I mean, we're all in the same boat. Honestly, I'm okay with riding this out for the most part. I'd rather be inconvenienced and have some down days than watch those that I love die. I really believe that we're opening too early and bad things are going to happen. I've ordered masks to take the next step in our protection and we're just hanging in there.

Speaking of, Ben and Roger have been here this weekend. Other than the occasional brotherly bickering, it's been really nice. We've tackled a few small projects which has helped. One of them was cleaning out the deep freeze. Ick. It got turned off at some point so it was a bit of a chore to get it cleaned out. I'm still waiting for some of the ice to thaw so that I can wipe it out. Once I've done that, I'll list it on local sales sites to see if anyone is interested. I think that Roger and I can move it out onto the front porch. I'm only going to ask $50 for it so hopefully it sells quickly. It never hurts to have that extra little bit of cash in your pocket. I also have a flute that I'm going to sell for $75. It doesn't take up much space but it really should be being used, not just collecting dust around here.

The living room is finally feeling like a living room. I have to tidy the bookshelves, clear one more space and then attempt to figure out how to store all of the books/comics that I still need to read for reviews. I'm so far behind that there's quite the stack. I also need to mail out some books that people purchased for me and perhaps just list boxes of books on freecycle or local groups. I need to clear out what I know is going. We took 2 bags and a box out to the barn yesterday that will go to Goodwill once they open again. I got tired of looking at them in the house.

For Mother's Day, I've asked the three boys for a workday so that maybe we can tackle the barn. It's full of just stuff. Some can go, but quite a bit just needs to be organized into bins so that we can find things when we need them. It might be tough to coordinate a day where none of them are working, but I'm hopeful that we can finally tackle that project. It's a big one.

So, fingers crossed that things sell and that things can get done. It's so much easier to get through this time when I feel as if I'm being productive. I'm still missing people tons, but that's just going to have to be what it is. It's not worth the risk right now to mingle and there's no way I can travel to see "the man" right now. I'll just have to keep the course with cleaning, my work, and keeping in touch with folks the best I can.

How are all of you doing? Are you hanging in there? Let me know!

So Far, So Good

Well, this is week 2 of the desktop sticky note/daily theme plan and so far it's gone pretty well.  I've had to be a bit flexible with it since things have popped up, but it has helped to wake up each morning with at least an idea of what should get done that day.

Last week, I managed to get half a book proofread, a story written and submitted to an anthology and a major part of the living room cleaned out. I'm thrilled to report that we can now walk around the entire room. So far, so good.

Tomorrow is cleaning day again so my goal is to finish up the living room (few areas that need a pick up, bag of trash to the outside bin, and then vacuum the whole lot), do a load of laundry or two, and maybe even start on the bathroom. The overall goal is to have the living room and bathroom done this week so that next Wednesday, I can start in on the kitchen. That is one project that I am not looking forward to but that is beyond necessary.

Other than that, tomorrow night I'm attending a financial aid seminar at the youngest's school. I can't believe that we're already at college applications and how to fill out a fafsa! I do have to say though that while he seems to be procrastinating on filling out the applications, I am proud of him for coming to me about this seminar to ask if we could go before I had a chance to ask him about it. It helps reassure me as a parent that I've done something right when he shows this level of responsibility.

The rest of the week is busy...proofreading on Thursday and then the first NaNo class for the year. I've never actually taken any sort of writing classes and while this one is about organization, I'm looking forward to an evening of being out and of note taking. Do I need a course on how to be organized? Nope. Am I going to go so that I can start getting into the right mindset and to socialize? You bet your sweet bippy.

Friday is our last home football game and senior night. I can't believe it's Roger's last time performing on that football field during a halftime. I can't say the last time performing on it because Saturday is our marching band invitational and with a lot of luck, they'll be performing the show at the end of that.

So, quite a busy week ahead and there's been some extra stuff thrown in... my oldest son wanting to try out Special Olympics, still jumping through hoops for him to go to school in January, and then a doctor's office calling me today about setting up a surgery consult for January. Oddly enough, I seem to be handling everything okay. Maybe because I have a bit more routine it doesn't throw me as much when something pops up.

I know that this hasn't been the most educational or even fun post, but thank you for taking the time to read it....and I hope you're doing well.

Fresh Starts

Holy cannoli, it's Friday again! I swear each week I say I'm going to write earlier in the week, but the days fly by and here I am at Friday again. It's been crazy around here. The end of the school year tries to kill me every year, I swear. This past week included a baseball game, a concert in a hayfield and all sorts of things that the schools and teachers are cramming in at the last second.  On top of that, this is week 3 of whatever I caught. The youngest caught it from me but he didn't get the cough and it seems to be clearing up for him. I'm better, but I still have a cough sometimes during the day and at night. I'm also just plain exhausted. Combine all of this up and this past week has been a total wash for me getting new steps in place.

I'm still doing really well with my mornings. I've taken to eating 2 oatmeal packets each morning and while they're in the microwave, I go out, grab my watering can, bring it in, fill it up, and go out and water my front porch garden. I bought some more plants last weekend but I've had zero time to get them into pots. I'm hoping against hope to somehow find some time to do that over the weekend. Maybe that can happen Sunday evening. Saturday is baseball, followed by the youngest's concert with the MSBOA District 10 All Star Jazz Band. Sunday morning/afternoon will be taken up by him doing dive training and the oldest and I working on exam prep.

Since I'm going to be all over the place and controlling what I eat, etc is going to be incredibly difficult, I've decided to give myself the weekend off and start fresh on Monday. There's no point in me adding in more things this weekend to keep track of when I'm still frantically trying to sort out everyone's schedules and if my ex-husband is going to be available to help if I need it. Stress helps no one.

So, here's where I am...I'm slowly building up a morning routine that so far is really working for me. I'm still trying to get in 3 meals a day. Come Monday, I'm going back to tracking food and working on keeping within 100 calories of what the My Fitness Pal app says I should be eating. I also think I'm going to change my weight loss goal within the app to something like 2 pounds a week instead of just 1. Time is ticking down quickly for my doctor's appointment so I'm also contemplating the conversation that I want to have with her. I want her to partner with me, not bully me.

Oh! I also got really brave and posted about my concerns in a fitness group that I'm part of. The people who commented were really encouraging and I might have one or two new fitness buddies to help me on this journey soon. I guess we'll see on that!

Until next week, this is one tired me who just wants to survive the last week of school signing out...

The Numbers Are In...

So, it's Monday and here I am. I had thought I might write something in between, but it was just one of those weeks. You know the kind..you have all the greatest intentions but somehow the week just gets away from you and before you know it it's Monday again. That was my week. I'm going to be honest here because if I can't be here than how can I be anywhere else?

This last week was not about weight loss or getting healthy. Monday was awesome. I watched my youngest son win his first wrestling match and I was so proud of how strong he was (he was wrestling with a beat up toe) and how healthy he was. Due to his athletics, he's the only one in the family who doesn't struggle with weight issues. 

Tuesday and Wednesday were just days. I got distracted from my water and didn't get in my ounces. Thursday came the news that the same healthy kid now had pink eye and a nasty cold. Somehow that stopped me in my tracks. I have no idea why. Friday came along and I picked up the boys but wasn't feeling 100% myself. Sure enough, by Saturday I had a similar cold and the sinus pressure has had my jaw/tooth aching ever since. Drinking cold liquids just makes it worse. Great excuse, right? Well no. There is such a thing as warm water. 

So, last week just didn't happen. I'm disappointed in myself but refuse to beat myself up for it. Life happens, mistakes happen. You just have to pick yourself back up, dust off your bottom and try to do better. Really that's all you can do. 

This week I've decided to add in a second goal. No, my water intake has been far from perfect but this is one that I think I can do without too much trouble. Sleep. The truth is that I have an odd sleep schedule. Well, most people who know me think it's odd anyway. I tend to stay up until 3am and then sleep until 10 or 11. I know that, in theory, that's 8 hours of sleep a night. The truth is that its not so much working for me anymore. I need to start adjusting that. When I sleep until 11, it doesn't give me time to ease into my day when I have to be out the door around 3:15pm. So, starting this week, I'm moving my bedtime up. I'm not doing it in major leaps because that just leads to me laying in bed staring at the ceiling. So, my goal for this week is to be in bed by 2:30am every night. 

Sleep and water. I can do this. Now to get rid of water retention and all the ick that goes along with being a girl...and this blasted sinus pressure. I can't live off of motrin alone.

Starting Weight: 288 lbs
Weekly Weight:  288 lbs (yes, I actually stepped on the scale this morning!)
Amount Lost/Gained: -----
Workouts: -----
Average Daily Water Intake: 30 oz (Seriously need to get back to this!)

Mamavation Monday: Photo Shoots & Me?!?

This is my friend, Eric. Anyone wanna guess what he is? Go on..I bet you can given what he holds in his hand and the title of this post..Go ahead. I'll wait...
...
...
Ok, I know you got it. He's a photographer. He's a very talented and skilled photographer. He's amazing. He's also convinced me to let him take pictures of me. Yeah, me. Plain, boring, needs to lose 100 pounds me. He'd also thwap me..ok, he wouldn't thwap me..but he'd chastise me for saying those things about myself. You see, from the first time we spoke practically, Eric has told me that he thinks I'm beautiful. I tell him I'm not. He tells me I'm not allowed to say I'm not. It might have taken him weeks before I consented to let him take pictures of me.

Now, in less than 1 week, I'll be standing in front of him, nervous as can be. I think I must be crazy to have agreed to do this. I've seen the girls that he shoots. They're gorgeous. Me? I'm just me. There's nothing special about me. I'm going to do this though..part out of this see, I'm going to show you that you're out of your mind, Eric mentality and part because I'm hoping he'll prove me wrong. I want to see myself as he sees me. Two totally different mindsets but still both very real.

On top of this, I've had three different people request photos of me for use on their websites. People must be losing their minds! Luckily, at least one is just a hand shot. Seriously. I'm being sent (and hopefully they arrive on time) a pair of mittens to model while in Phoenix. The owner of the site wants pictures of her mittens at the Phoenix Comicon and around town while I'm there. I don't think that Eric will be doing those unless he happens to catch me while we're both at the con. You see, he's actually one of the official con photographers. Seriously, the man is mega talented. So, those pictures will probably just be done with my own camera. He'll be doing the others though.

I'm betting y'all may be wondering how I'm handling the stresses of something like this. Honestly, I'm doing ok with them. I actually enjoyed a small ice cream cone yesterday without worrying about anything. I just enjoyed it. I did fairly well with eating this week. There weren't any intentionally skipped meals, not even after I had to spend two days bathing suit shopping.

On Thursday morning, I fly to Phoenix. I know that Eric, Justin and my newest friend, Walter will all be there. They all know about my eating problems and will be there to support and encourage me on days when skipping meals would be incredibly easy. For some unknown reason, they all love and care about me and even think I'm beautiful. You know, I just realized they all wear glasses..maybe that's the problem. ;)

In all seriousness, I'm doing ok. I'm beyond excited for this trip and the fact that I'm going to be wrapped up in love and hugs for the entire weekend. Hugs are my healing drug and I'm going to stock up on as many as I possibly can.

Mamavation Monday - Oh what a weekend...

I can't believe it's Monday. I haven't had a weekend so packed in such a long time that I'd forgotten what it feels like to go from that into a Monday.

As some of you might remember, Friday was my birthday. For the most part, it was an average day. I went into town, ran to Walmart, grabbed some lunch (got flirted with by the guy at Wendy's and rudely gestured at by a guy while I was waiting to turn into Wendy's), got the kids and then went back to Peter's. Then, it was on the road to Toledo for my first birthday party since I was a kid.

The party was nice. Quite a few people couldn't make it, but I loved hanging out with Chris, Lauren, Bree, Chris and even getting to see Drew for a bit. Once the guys ate some pizza and everyone had arrived, they took off for Chris' belated bachelor party. It was good for them to have a guys night, I think. Then, the girls (oops, I forgot to mention Lauren's friend Ali had come!) and I hung out and talked. It wasn't really festive conversation which bummed me a little but I think they all had things they needed to talk about with the girls. I think that was good for them too. Did I mention there were balloons? And a Phineas & Ferb cake? Plus, Lauren had made me this great box filled with bunches of fun goodies that she had made. Then, there was the surprise flowers and stuffed puppy that Justin had arranged to be delivered there. I seriously felt loved.

Saturday was tons of interesting. Lauren, Chris, Mike (Chris' friend) and I drove up to Detroit to the Detroit FanFare (I think that's what it was called.). It was a smallish comic con but since it was the first one for all of us, it was a good one to go to. Chris, Lauren and I all tried to give blood. Chris and Lauren were successful. I wasn't. It turns out my tattoo is too new so I'm wait listed until July of next year. Booo! Then, we went off to collect 50 comic books each for our attempts. That was nice. I picked up 50 pretty random ones but hopefully the boys and I will enjoy them.  The rest of the day was spent wandering from table to table, meeting comic book artists and writers. I know that Chris was in heaven and I had a pretty good time too. I just wish I'd had some cash on me so I could buy a few that I really liked. It was a bit tough watching them buy and me not being able to. Oh well, there's always Christmas and it gives me new things to add to my list.

Here's where I tell you about what was the hardest for me...I know Lauren might read this and I want to start out by saying that my feelings where none of her fault. I love Lauren. She's seriously one of my best friends and I know she'd never intentionally hurt me. The way I felt was a combination of me and men.

Do you see the picture that I used? The lovely lady in the middle is Lauren. She looked ..well..smokin' hot at the comic thing. She had dressed up as Snow White and in that costume and with those shoes, well the guys couldn't help but ogle. Ok, they could have helped it, but that's what they did. She had legs that went for miles and a smile that lit up the room. I lost count of the number of guys (and other folks) who stopped us so they could get a picture with her. Me? I was the invisible assistant. It was fun at first. Then, it started to bother me. I started to feel like the ugly stepsister. I think the worst part was going up to tables and the guys would talk to her and to Chris but ignore me like I wasn't standing right there with them. They'd offer them free things. I wasn't even spoken to. They would be handed comics to check out and I'd have to ask if I could see them too. One guy stopped Lauren to give her a sticker saying she was approved by the comic. He told me to pick up his business card so I could buy his product later. I won't ever buy his comic, no matter how good it is.

By the end of the show, I felt absolutely horrible about myself. I'd heard the jokes about maybe I should have dressed up like a dwarf. I'd watched and heard the guys lusting after Lauren. I felt fat and ugly and invisible. Nobody paid me any special attention. I was just another comic book geek (which Chris pointed out that I'm not which kinda made me feel lower..I've always been proud of my geek status) while Lauren was a goddess among men. I shouldn't have let it bother me, but it did. A lot. It still bothers me. It's been a long time since I've felt like this and I don't enjoy it. I left that show swearing that by next year, I might not be little like Lauren, but I'd be smaller and there wouldn't be any jokes about how Lauren got a sticker and I got a post it note. Next year, I won't be ignored.

Average Daily Water Intake: 40oz
Workouts: Nothing formal..though I walked over 3000 steps on Saturday.
Weight Change:278.4 (-5.0 pounds)
Overall Weight Change: -13.2 pounds 

Mamavation Monday

Time is flying by and I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up! It's hard to believe but in 3 short weeks, school will be starting again. I'm not ready. I'm not ready for the obvious reasons. I haven't bought school supplies yet. The kids don't have new shoes yet. I'm also not ready because it means I "lose" my boys. They go back to their dad's and I only have them here with me every other weekend. I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready for summer to end. 

Summer is over yet, though and we have plans! Woo! This weekend, we're going down to Toledo to celebrate the marriage of my friends, Chris and Lauren. I'm so happy for the pair of them. This will be the first time just the boys and I have ever gone to a wedding reception. I don't worry about their behavior. I just hope that they have a good time.  

Then, it's home to do more cleaning and purging. It feels good to see space opening up in this house. We're not close to done yet but already we can see so much improvement in the house and it's making us all happy to see it. During that time we also have to start packing for our family vacation! Woo!

For the first time really ever, we're going on a family vacation. Justin, the boys and I are going camping labor day weekend. We're all so excited. We're staying at a state campground right on Lake Huron so there's going to be camping and walks around the campground. We're also planning on visiting at least one lighthouse and a dinosaur park. Did I mention that I can't wait? I'm so excited. I've already got lists going of everything that needs to be bought (groceries) or packed (everything else).  

What does all this mean about my fitness goals? It means that right now, they're still back burnered while I enjoy every moment that I can with my boys. We're still drinking water and we even talked about working exercise into our schedules. My boys are learning and growing with me on this journey. It's a good thing.

What qualities do you look for in a healthy breakfast? Any go-to breakfast recommendations for a busy mom?

I don't know that I have any recommendations. We prefer quick and easy. Smoothies are one of our favorites. The supplies are always on hand and it's as easy as tossing everything into the blender. As for qualities, I would say that quick and easy is at the top of the list in addition to be filling and healthy.

 “This post is sponsored by Quaker Oats and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation and sponsored by Quaker Oats.”

Wow, I was supposed to update on Wednesday and here it is Sunday and I am just now getting around to it. I haven't updated any blogs at all this week. It's just been that kind of week.

So, this week, my plan was to continue with 64 oz. of water each day, eat breakfast three times, workout goal of burning around 300-400 calories, food goal around 1500-1600 calories to keep my net calories between 1150 and 1250.

Thursday 2/17 -
32 oz. water, 1540 calories, no breakfast, workout - 340 calories, net calories - 1200
Friday 2/18 -
32 oz. water, 1320 calories, no breakfast, workout - 170 calories, net calories - 1150
Saturday 2/19 -
64 oz. water, 1470 calories, no breakfast, workout - 176 calories, net calories - 1294
Sunday 2/20 -
32 oz. water, 1754 calories, no breakfast, workout - 189 calories, net calories -1565
Monday 2/21 -
64 oz. water, 1612 calories, no breakfast, workout - 528 calories, net calories - 1084
Tuesday 2/22 -
80 oz. water, 2031 calories, no breakfast, workout - 992 calories, net calories - 1039
Wednesday 2/23 -
0 oz. water, 1346 calories, no breakfast, workout - 340 calories, net calories - 1006

As you can see, my water consumption still needs work. Instead of only getting enough water on two days like last week, this time I got enough water on three of the days. I have been eating enough calories for the most part, although my net calorie consumption is lower than it should be most of the time. I did get workouts in every day. Some days more than others but I did get a workout each day. That is something that I am actually really proud of. And we ate out quite a bit this past week, which I am not happy to report, however, I often planned ahead and chose healthier options, checking the nutrition facts online before going out. Oh, and I completely missed the bus on the breakfast thing. I really don't like breakfast and eating first thing in the morning makes me feel nauseous. I know that it's good to get breakfast in every day, but it's really difficult for me.

Things to work on this week are: 64 oz. of water each day!, eat breakfast three times, workout goal of burning a minimum of 300 calories per day, food goal around 1500 calories to keep my net calories under 1200.

Oh - and my weigh-in. Last week: 238 lbs. This week: 238 lbs. No loss, but no gain either. I will take it. I know that I can and will do better next week!

One step forward, .7 steps back.

So this morning was my weekly blog weigh in. Last week, I weighed 277.0. This week, I weighed 277.7. Hmmm ... maybe I am doing something wrong? Well, it has been a crazy week. there were some great positives, and some pretty bad negatives this week.

Starting with the positives, I started and stuck to my "moderate workout" plan. The plan includes two parts: a run on my exercise bike in the morning before work, and a run on the elliptical before bed. As a starting point, I arbitrarily chose 10 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the evening. My plan is to add time to both of those slowly until I build them up to 30 minutes each. I also want to add some light strength and flexibility increasing activities as well in the evenings eventually.

I got decent sleep during the week, and almost all of my blood sugar readings were within my established target range, and the couple that fell outside my target range did so by only a few points. My energy level got better as the week went along, leading to today being the best I have felt all week. Given all of the positives, why the .7 pound weight gain? Well, that question leads me to the negatives.

All week, I was on the go. I had maybe 3 meals at home, and that was it. Everything else was eating on the go. When I am eating on the go, I tend to pay far less attention to what I am eating than I do when I am cooking at home. I mean, I try, I am just not as successful. I avoid McDonald's and Burger King, and instead go to either Subway or a local Chinese food chain called Wong's Wok. The food is good, and marginally better for me there, but they tend to pile it on and when I run out and grab food before eating at my desk, I tend to lose myself in my work and end up forgetting to stop myself and save some for later.

So, in the end, it was a good week. Had I better controlled my eating, it would have been a far better week. So what changes do I plan for next week? First and foremost: eat at home and remember to bring lunch to work. Second, remember my granola bars (Fiber One granola bars). A couple times I needed a quick lift at work and ran down and got a bag of Combos (or in the case of one really rough day where I needed the energy, a bag of Skittles). Third, I think I can easily add five minutes to my morning ride on the exercise bike and increase my activity level.

Hopefully, next week will have a better result than this week!

Maintenance

I have exciting news, but before I get to that, I wanted to share with you some of my own personal struggles and accomplishments from this past week.

Accomplishments:
Water intake - I stayed on target every day with 64 oz. (or more) in each day. And for today, I am already at 30 ounces - and it's only 8 a.m.! Woo!

Food - Well, this one was so-so to be honest. We had some meals out (although I am pretty proud of myself!) I only ate half of my burger from Red Robin (a California Chicken burger - grilled chicken breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle and provolone cheese) and I subbed in mandarin oranges instead of having steak fries and then I had Subway another day, but I got the foot long and only ate half of that one. Probably didn't choose the healthiest option on the menu but the portion control was there. (I chose the Chicken Bacon Ranch - what can I say? I love bacon! And it was only 2 slices per 6 inch half...is that a reasonable amount?) And I had it with provolone cheese, light lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, light ranch and chipotle southwest. Don't know what's in the chipotle southwest but it's so yummy! I really should research a bit more about healthier options though.

I actually just went to the Red Robin site and discovered that my meal would have been 893 calories, but I only ate half of it, so really it was about 446 calories, which I think is okay? And for the Subway sandwich I had...291 calories for the 6 inch portion that I ate. That seems okay too, I think? Would definitely go for some feedback! I had water with both meals and for the Subway sandwich, I didn't have a side dish because honestly, the sandwich was enough.

Another day, we had the wonderfully yummy recipe that Katie shared on here the other day for stronganoff. And my JoNo (the 7 year old) had FOUR helpings of it! I had one helping of it myself. We were using styrofoam bowls that are kind of on the smaller side, so I think that was good portion control there. A small bowl that looks mostly full seems like a whole lot more food than a large bowl that looks mostly empty.

So, I think the food and the water both went okay this last week. I plan to continue with similar goals for the coming week, but more about that in a minute.

Struggles:

Exercise - I did not get the video done this past week. First part of the week, I was gone 16 hours each day, the last part of the week, I wasn't feeling well and then discovered that my seven year old's bronchitis had caught up with me.

Okay, so now for the part where I share the exciting news...I didn't gain and I didn't lose, so I completely maintained my weight. I would have preferred to have gone down in weight, but I am pleased with maintaining it as well. Back on January 27, when I first weighed myself for my tickerfactory ticker, I was 247. When I weighed last week, I was 240. This week, I am 240 still.

I found a site called, "Lose It!" via someone else's blog. I can't quite remember whose it was, because I was blog hopping and yeah, you all know how that can go, right? It's a free online tracking system. I joined and put in my information this morning. I'm planning to try to lose 2 pounds per week. Considering that I just maintained this past week, I'm definitely going to have to get that video in there this week.

So my goals for this week are to: limit calories to around 1200 per day, which means that I am going to be watching what I eat a whole lot more. But the nice thing is that "Lose It!" has a bunch of stuff already in there for recording what you ate and everything! Very cool.

Okay, so limit calories, continue with 64 oz. of water each day and an absolute must to get that workout video into the plan this week as well! My goal is to do it just once, but ideally, I'd really love to do it more than that.

Well, wish me luck! I'll check back in with you all next week to let you know how this week's goals went!




Oh - and I almost forgot to mention the part that I was excited about. I didn't realize it but my BMI is 41.2 and according to the chart that I was looking at this morning, I am very close to being "just" obese instead of clinically or extremely or severely obese. I know that it might sound weird, but that's kind of an exciting thing for me. Apparently the line between obese and clinically obese is around a BMI of 40. So I have a very attainable goal in that too!

Maintaining

Well, it's been a week and as my smiley green onion shows, I'm actually happy with what the scale says this week. Nope, it hasn't dropped a pound but it is down a few ounces and considering my body is trying to retain water, that's not so bad. I'm actually really proud of myself for this. My goal is still to drop down to 280 (and a new goal will come after that!) but I'm going to really appreciate the fact that I haven't put any back on this past week. It means I've been making some better decisions and that's a good thing!

I wonder how everyone else is doing. I might have to drop them all an email and find out. :)