Back on Track and well over 50

[BytheSea]

Hello from a "name from the past "!

Hey Chris, bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth ! Life gets busy and just gets in the way sometimes, but thankfully we can find out way back. I caught up on the messages and looks like several posters fell by the wayside. Like I said "life". Well here, my and DH eating style has "run amouck"(sp?)
and our sloppiness has caught up to us. Need to get back on track and fast - another wedding and dress this fall (#1 son) #2 son was married in November . Started today on full Phase I. The wildlife ate well last night --- they're all suffering from bloated bellies this morning ! Hello to Feminist and Lisa - hope your day is going well. It is a beautiful, nearly summer day here - but I am inside and will not see the day until 4 pm. Catch up with ya'll later ~ gail

[Chris55]

Wow! A real blast from the past, Gail! I do remember you but it's been so long....Instead of my rereading all 133 pages to find you again, refresh our memories!!! I never left, have slipped quite a bit, but still trying to get down to my ideal weight.

[BytheSea]

Refresh the memories --- must be a song somewhere with those lines I live on LI, three kids all grown (now one married, one getting married and one still searching) DH & I have done SB (yo-yo) since 2004. I'm the one who likes to take all the cruises! That's what happens ---- those darn cruises !!!! Last time around on SB Committed I managed to lose 35 lbs and since the wedding (November) 10 have come back --effortlessly so I'm trying to stop the damages and get back on track for the next wedding (October) and since I already have the dress -- I see your youngest is attending NPaltz now, when we last "spoke" you were taking on the mighty heroic job of home schooling - God bless ! You did good!! It's now 2 pm and thus far I've stayed on course - egg beaters for B; celery with Laughing Cow (what IS so funny?) for am snac and grilled chix salad for lunch . My desperate hours are coming ( 3:30 - 5:00) I could eat the shingles off the house then Good to chat with you ~ gail

[Chris55]

OK, Gail, remembering now. Do you kayak a lot?

Yes, my youngest is out of the house and really doing well at NP. Thanks to Feminista (aka Jo) for suggesting their Asian Studies program. Having a few issues with a shrinking department, which they had assured us was not happening, but hopefully it will work out.

Cruises, non-stop eating. You should check out beachingit's journal on the journal page. She's constantly doing cruises or all-inclusive resort vacations with her family, but actually spends hours taking advantage of all their exercise programs, so she does really well. She's also young, a lot younger than us

Glad to have you back!

[feminist54]

Hi Chris, Lisa & Gail: just back from our trip to Chicago--wow that city has been rejuvenated...very walkable. The river walk, the Millennium park...conference was good, the meeting with the editor better (he asked for a full blown proposal that he can take around by the end of summer). Ate pretty SoBe, had wonderful pan grilled sea scallops on Saturday night. What is interesting in Chicago are all the popcorn stores, Garrett's had a line that stretched down the block...a woman on that line said that she has stood on line there once for 2 hours...we did break down and get some (tho' just plain, big & air popped--not cheese or caramel, or mixed with nuts... as tempting as they looked)
What's not so good, is that AmTrak took an extra 3 hours to get back to Albany...oy! Going to hit the hay early tonight (after I finish catching up, laundry, e-mails, etc.) Tomorrow is a full day--faculty retreat where we rehash and reinvent the wheel, from 5-7 is the UnHappy hour--tomorrow is the day that women's earnings finally catch up to men's 2011 earnings...and then there is a public hearing tomorrow night on using the (free) waste water from fracking to de-ice our roads (lets just poison our drinking water, food etc...)
Also LK and I are making a concerted effort to banish our pots--bellies, that is...we have to do a function honoring Kate Millett on June 24th which should be full of old feminist friends....
LK is heading south again (tomorrow) to work on a short doc film, and to spend time with an old friend who is a designer/inventor and wants LK to help organize her patents....Lk thinks there is material in Olga's life for a doc...so she'll be able to walk on the beach everyday .... I will be home finishing the semester, grading and writing and doing SoBe Ph 1 to kickstart and banish my pasta & ice cream cravings...
So tomorrow will be day one of Ph1 (redux), tonight to sleep, perchance to dream...

[Chris55]

Sounds like you had a very productive trip!! Don't know if I'd stand on such a long line for popcorn, as much as I love the stuff. Must be pretty spectacular stuff, lol!

Trying to get my stomach back to normal. Finally had a good night's sleep last night after being up with a nasty tummy the night before. I've been eating yogurt after every meal, and too many crackers, but hoping it's finally settled. I need to be able to digest all my veggies!

I have a friend who is doing a liquid fast inspired by some documentary. Has been eating juiced organic veggies and nothing else for 30 days, is taking a few days off by adding some protein, then going back for another 30. She looks great, dropped a lot of weight, and claims to have energy and no arthritis pain. Quite extreme to me, especially since she didn't try any other kind of diet program first. She's an awesome cook and baker, would have thought she'd try something like SB first. Many of her friends think she's crazy. I haven't decided yet, but she seems pretty happy. I, however, am enjoying actually chewing my veggies!

[BytheSea]

Good Morning !

And it is such a sunny day here - but I really do wish it would rain, a real good soaking. I relocated a few plants/shrubs and the soil was bone dry - and of course perfect conditions for brush fires, with no pun intended, we're not out of the woods for that problem.

Juicing for 30 days - I have to admire her willpower, I suppose as long as she feels good no real harm in giving this way a try......I like to chew

Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well Chris. There has been some bit of a bug going about here - fortunately has left me alone, but many at work have been hit, seems like a 24-36 hour and ranging from upset and blah to full blown ---- well you get the picture. And yes, I do the kyak thing - it really is relaxing and now that I have a waterproof camera I'm able to take some great pictures of birds, folks fishing etc.

Feminist54 - Nice to hear you had a good trip - the popcorn sounds WONDERFUL!! I love the stuff, but my crowns and bridge work , not so much I see you are a Marist Professor - our youngest attended Marist , graduated in 2004 - computer programmer and now happily employed.

So, I am on day 2 of ph 1 - a soooo trying to stay focused after many months of free living! egg beaters and turkey bacon; am snack - cheese and celery stix; lunch is again grilled chix salad; dinner chicken sausage grilled with asssort veggies and WOOHOO sugar free jello for pm snac! Everyone have a wonderful day and success on the Beach - catch up with ya'll later ~ gail

[feminist54]

Hi all, day one Phase one was ok...stopped off at ShopRite on way home from my very full day to pick up stuff to make turkey wraps, hummus, chopped cuke/tomato salad...so I will have no excuses...I decided against buying anything dessert like (i.e., sugerfree fudgcicles or puddings) so that I really purge the carb/sugar urges...
Chris, friends of ours saw that juice fast documentary too and went out and bought a super juicer and for 2-3 weeks juiced off 10 pounds each, and they said they felt wonderful, but long range, not such a good plan for them, they too like to chew, and its hard to travel and juice--they juice in the morning now, and eat the rest of the day...
my phone went off in class last week so I have to bring something to that class on Thursday;rule is, if anyone's phone disturbs the class they bring in pizza or something for the whole class--so I will bring in hummus & veggies....
The faculty retreat could have been e-mailed to us...arghhhh, a wasted morning...but afternoon meeting with the poli sci department was productive...at this point the full time faculty in poli sci are all women--very rare for the discipline! We did actually hire a young male and had to make the case that it was an affirmative action for us to hire him...LOL
So, Gail, how did your youngest like Marist? The computer science program here is growing...there is actually a gaming track...
The temp is dropping here--supposed to have a freeze tonight--a 60 degree swing --it was 91 yesterday! Glad I did not give in to my urge to plant things last week... Rain is coming this weekend, and hopefully will drench things--with no snowmelt, I am sure this summer will see draught conditions (I am going to look into buying a rain barrel, to use on our garden...)

Well, going to prep my classes...

[BytheSea]

Good Morning Beachers !

Ok, we REALLLLLY need the rain here - another large brush fire yesterday pm, the school had to cancel practice(s) because ash was falling everywhere and my brother and his wife were sitting on their belongings after being notified to be prepared to get out. I remember the one in 1995, it took me nearly three hours to get home from work which was usually a 10 - 15 minute drive! From the end of my road, looking east, it looked like the whole east end of LI was on fire and it wouldn't stop until it reached the water. God bless those volunteers -

Feminist54, I like that rule, you ring - you bring My son enjoyed his Marist days. The first semester was a bit rocky, DS who was there on an academic scholarship was placed in a room with a young man who was there on a athletic scholarship. DS who went to a school that did not have a football team so therefore was not into football, shared a room with a young man who lived, breathed and ate football. It just wasn't working out - they were cordial to each other, but - thankfully - second semester DS made friends with someone who's roommate never materialized and he was able to switch. Grades improved and life was good again. Yes, he was upset about the gaming program being offered the semester after he graduated, but his education has served him well and is now writing programs for a hospital (s).

Day three of ph 1 and still on the mark - tonits, chicken fahitas without the tortilla - or chips - or sangria - oh well. Breakfast was the same as the previous two days and lunch is dinner leftovers. I found two new "flavors" of Laughing Cow wedges - Strawberry Cheesecake" and " Creme Cheese". The strawberry can take the sweet tooth edge off without pushing you to want more.

Chris, hope all is well with you and that your job search proves successful very soon. Where I work, we're facing a LOT of layoffs and have no idea of where they'll be cutting, who's safe and who's not and what will happen next. Not much I can do about it but wait like everyone else.

Have a wonderful day on the beach - catch up with ya'll later ~ gail

[Chris55]

Another gorgeous day here, but cooling off a bit. Just met a friend (the liquid diet friend) and walked for an hour by the ocean. Had to put the liner back in my jacket and luckily grabbed my gloves. By the end, I was carrying the jacket.

Food is good, keeping the grains to a minimum. Had a half small sandwich for lunch yesterday but dug into some triscuits last night. So off the grains today. I get instant bloat from them. Planning on turkey chili tonight if I remember to buy beans on my way home from yet another interview. At least I'm getting interviews!

Funny about the gaming program at Marist. My son was looking for a similar program when he started school, too, and there was nothing. He ended up majoring in music, wants to compose. Just spent time at a gaming convention in Boston making contacts so he can hopefully write music for some indie game developers. The lieutenant governor of Mass. was there talking about what they're doing in terms of trying to keep the tech jobs in Mass. There's a college there with a gaming degree now, too. Guess our kids are really ahead of their time, lol!

[BytheSea]

Good Thursday Evening ,
Hope all is well with everyone. A very emotional day here at work today. the layoffs the County Ex office has been threatening was made official and we are losing a very sweet woman from our office. A single mom with two children in college. They expect a total of 400 + to be terminated county wide.

Did a spin thru the grocery store tonite, saw the Triscuts and thought of you Chris. I knew I'd be the same as you, can't be trusted with a full box. Left them sitting on the shelf, at least for another few weeks. Still going along on track, another night of tuna salad, it seemed a little easier today and I was even able to ignore the birthday cheesecake at work! The real challenge will be the weekend, need to keep busy with something maybe some gardening. We should be getting the much needed rain on Sunday.

Well, everyone have a great weekend, stay well ~ gail

[Chris55]

I had a similar day yesterday. My former boss and good buddy at United Way has a wife who is a sweetheart and works at LLBean as a wellness coordinator. I worked with her this past December. She had the "good" job, he's working for a non-profit because he loves it. Well, her job got cut yesterday. Really tough times ahead for them. But she's a resilient person who has worked two jobs before to make ends meet. It makes me nervous, too, and I'm thinking I need to settle into something soon. DH has job security, but you NEVER know in these times.

Food was OK until I heard about this layoff yesterday, then dug into the mini cadbury eggs on the admin asst's desk. Agreed to come in and do some more volunteer work, mostly helping with huge thank-you bulk mailings. It costs me in gas to get there, but I love the people and they're being very supportive with my job/career search. Had a tiny scoop of ice cream last night, too. Not a good choice. Then couldn't sleep and realized I was hungry, so had a nice dish of plain yogurt with some agave syrup. I guess my dinner was too light - some thin seafood soup and a salad.

[feminist54]

Today is the Day of Silence--to bring to light the harassment/bullying/discrimination of lgbtq people & children ... I am not sure how its going to affect my class today (I will speak about it though, the class is Contemporary Political Thought).
I had to return the turkey I bought at Shoprite,because it was so dry it crumbled...
I like "if it rings, you bring." The kids liked the hummus --with sliced cuke, green peppers, or tortilla strips. I made roasted red pepper hummus, and I keep some of the garbanzos whole so there is texture. I made over a quart but I had none to bring home after I had some for my late lunch yesterday.
Its day 4 of Ph 1 redux for me...breakfast: hard boiled eggs w/ cuke & cheese, lunch turkey rollups with low fat provolone, wedge of ww laughing cow lookalike cheese--they make a blue cheese that tastes good, though the smooth plasticy texture I can do without -- & some garbanzos for snack, dinner will be grilled salmon on mesclun salad w/ veggies.
Well, off I go into this bright sunshiney day...

Eat SoBe all

[lisa0702]

Good Morning Everyone!
Jo- Glad you had a nice trip to Chicago. I could not imagine standing in line for popcorn and I have plain popcorn a lot for a night snack. Your hummus recipe sounds good. Maybe you could share the recipe. I will have to try cuke. I have never had that. I eat Kale, spinach and brussel sprouts a lot. I love Kale.

Chris, Hope you're feeling better. I do hope you are able to find work soon.

Gail - sorry to hear about the lay offs. It is pretty scary now a days. One just never knows. I have been employed at my job now for 21 years and I still say you never know.

My job does keep me very busy and I work a lot on my time for the company on the weekends. I look at that as job security.

Sounds like everyone is working hard on the SB and doing well. I am trying to maintain and still would like to loose 3 more lbs but decided not to dwell on it so much. Running and workout really works for me with my weight loss but I tell you having that hysterectomy in Dec was a killer. I am so glad that is over.

Well I am off to run. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[feminist54]

Hi all:

recipe for hummus (from a mideastern friend many many many years ago)your measurements might vary, I will approximate--

3 -4 cans garbanzo beans well rinsed --you may have to try a few can brands, some I do not like texture at all, or they add some preservative in them, or too muchsodium... (or if starting with dry 1 package or 4 cups of beans follow directions to re-hydrate)

1-3 cloves of minced garlic (to taste)
3+ T tahini (in a pinch peanut butter can be subbed, but if so, use less)
1/4 c combo olive oil & sesame oil
juice of one lemon (or for change, lime) if you like real lemony hummus use more...
1/4 cup parsely (chopped)
salt & pepper
(can also add in roasted red pepper, caponata, etc. One restaurant I worked in also added mayo to stretch & smooth out texture, I don't like this)

I do mine my hand (its great to make with youngsters--Evan loves to do so), but using a pestle or cuisanart works

in large mixing bowl we squeeze the beans to a pretty good pulp, leaving a few whole for texture
adding in along the way the other ingredients (a few turns of a spoon helps to also make sure the bottom of the bowl gets flavorings at end)
refrig for a few hours so the flavors meld
Serve with sliced cukes, celery, peppers, endive, etc... Enjoy


****
Day 5...
read about kelp & shirataki noodles-- as an almost calorie & carb free sub for pasta, so I am going to hit our health food store....
Feels like rain so I am going to do errands now...

ciao