I'm back! My parents left and I survived, although I didn't have the guts to get on the scale this morning. Tomorrow, I promise.
It was just as tough as I thought it would be, on both me and DOOD. And in addition to the strange family dynamics, it's sad to see how much my parents have aged, how limited their mobility is, and how their various illnesses have affected them. But it's over now, and I should be good on visits for at least another year--although they'll want everyone to come home for Christmas, now that there's a baby. We'll see.
Sarah: WTG with the 1.5 pound loss. Even with fudging the food a bit, that's a wonderful loss to post!
<-- Bananas are a good food to celebrate your good eating! I know that when I get in the doldrums, the last thing I want to do is exercise sometimes. And it's just what I need to pull myself out. Odd, huh?
Maria: The lack of a scale movement IS frustrating. But just look at those numbers you're posting in terms of activity. Wow. That's fabulous! The scale will follow. How are your proposal apps and letters coming along--a lot of work, but worth it, I hope. The work you do is so very important, and your serving people whose needs so often go overlooked, so I hope you know how much I admire you for what you do.
Re: your response to Beth. I know the first time I dumped a lot of weight, I was really strict with my diet and exercise, all with the mindset that I'd only have to do this once. It wasn't a lifestyle change, of course, but a temporary move before I could go back to chowing on fries, downing milkshakes, and eating giant chocolate bars. Bwa ha ha. We all know where this mindset led me: into owning four different clothing sizes.
And feeling miserable when I was in the deprivation mode and bloated in the binge mode. Luckily, sometimes things get through to my thick skull, and now I'm focusing on the long term. (With all of you out there to remind me when my thick skull gets in the way of hearing the things I need to hear.)
Beth: The end of summer is a hard time for everyone I think, in terms of a challenge. I know we "suddenly" have all these requests for end-of-season visits or parties, etc. So all the more reason to have the challenge points in the back of my mind; even without careful tracking, I know I was more aware of what I was doing. So thank you.
I'm more determined than ever to make up for lost time and to look forward and not backward.
Congratulations on your fabulous running and racing. You've reached such a high base of training that you can run a 1/2 and still work out every day. Excellent news! Did you post a RR somewhere? I'll look for it, of course, but I'm notoriously lazy...
Two more pounds down at your home weigh-in!! Most excellent news! (I'm ignoring the spa weigh-in. I always go by my home scale for consistency.) Your conversation with your leader--and your thoughts which you've posted here--are so spot on. I know I've said this before, but I think you could/should be a life coach/leader/whatever label. Just look at what you told your friend who wants to drop that last 10 pounds. I so wish you could meet and mentor my mother (although that's another story for another time). Right now, I just consider myself lucky to have you in my life. Anyway, you have every right to be happy--and thank you for passing it on to us!
Cindy: Yay for the post-vacation weight loss! I understand entirely what you mean by DH's and money stress. DOOD is the same way, although we don't speak about it much (which is probably makes things more tense, now that I think about it). I hope both of us are there for marathon weekend in January. I'm sure your drudge run was an anomaly, nothing to be concerned about. Especially if you compare your race times for your recent 10 miler. Of course you're in sleeker, better shape. On to more fun news.... I loved hearing about your BIL's commenting on your Madonna-esque look.
(Hey, those arms/shoulders are nicely defined.) Just the kind of motivation I would need to continue swimming. He's a sweet talker, and would probably make a good PT.
Wendy: I need to catch up on your presentation--I'll be visiting that thread tonight--but already know you did a fabulous job. You're so charismatic that it just leaps off the WISH pages. I can only imagine how much more charismatic you are in person! And you'll have no problem getting ready for the DL 1/2--I mean, Disney's what keeps me motivated when the training gets tough.
As for me: As I said, the parents came and went. I can't promise that I ate perfectly, but I did eat better than I'd hoped for. I probably drank too much at night, after we'd parted (they stayed in a hotel), as my nightcap. But I also worked out every morning and kept to my training schedule, although I didn't put in the extra time I usually do.
It's sad to see my mother though. Unlike the things Beth has been talking about recently--seeing the long-term effects and making lifestyle choices--she continues to use food as her comfort blanket. One example: we were having lunch downtown at a small cafe--more of a coney-island fast food kind of grill (my parents like that kind of food)--while waiting for our duck tour to start. (Side note: Do a duck tour--they're fun, and a good choice if your family has mobility issues with either young children or older people.) DOOD ordered a gyro sandwich (it was awful); I had grill cheese with a cup of tomato soup (fully admit I should have had the Greek salad), my dad gets a hamburger (no fries??), and my mom orders an ice-cream sundae. For lunch. Yep, that was her meal. Then, when we take an afternoon break at a coffee/ice cream shop (we took lots of breaks), she had another double-dip ice cream!!
(Full disclosure: I had a skim latte and split a cinnamon roll with DOOD. So you might as well call me pot and my mother kettle. We're both black.)
And part of my mother's conversations with me during this visit--as with all visits--is to compliment me on how healthy and fit I look, then turn around and talk about how much weight she has to lose. But she eats like this, apparently regularly. And although she goes to Curves, she made a point of saying she wasn't going to exercise while "on vacation." Their vacation is 2 weeks long! I grew up knowing the calories in my foods because my mother was always "on a diet," and she's been a member of Weight Watchers, TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly), Jenny Craig, etc. all my adolescent and adult life. I know she knows what she needs to do, but she's NOT willing to forgo the ice cream, the cookies, the chips.... Is it any wonder she's moved from overweight in her life to obese and now headed to (and probably is) morbidly obese? Or that she is on multiple medications, and can barely walk a block without breathing heavy, let alone climb three flights of stairs?
I don't know precisely what my point is, really, but there seems to be a message in there for all us Lean Meaners. Something you can have all the external tools at your disposal--the knowledge, access to doctors and gyms, and support systems--and ultimately it's still up to you. It's a mental process as much as physical one. A series of small decisions, made every day. And if you don't always reach the goals you set for yourself--say, you eat that cinnamon roll
--you don't have to throw in the towel, name yourself a failure, and declare game over. As Beth said, we just have to work at it day by day, looking forward and moving forward, and keep our head in the game.
Sorry this was so rambling, folks. Guess I needed to get it our of my system. Lots of process from this visit (and to think, this is just one of the things I experience when seeing my parents. I'll spare you from the passive-aggressive comments about my life, the political baiting my father attempts, and their comparisons between me and my brother, the "real" athlete.)
) Work is showing no signs of improving anytime soon - the girl who broke her wrists now says her doctor thinks there may be an 8 week recovery, so I get to fill both positions indefinitely. All week I went in early, stayed late, and came home and drank 2 glasses of wine and didn't work out at all. Pattern must change! I did manage to cook dinner each night, so I had reasonably healthy lunches each day and fruit for breakfast instead of fast food. 
I know you're in Chicago, having a well-deserved celebration after the RnR inaugural, but congratulations on everything you've accomplished. Yay for your back-to-back races and PRs! Your post on the struggles of maintenance describes me to a 'T.' I can't wait to hear how your 1/2 went!
You, on the other hand, have increased your mileage! 
I, too, was disappointed by Harry Potter, and couldn't believe all the positive reviews it received, even with the caveat that audiences needed to have read the story to follow the film. If someone has to read the book to follow the movie, it's not a good movie. Good news on Bailey's health, from what I read. And WTG with your continued weight loss! 
I am looking for movement tomorrow!
People don't change much......but we can change how we react to them. That's what I tell my kids all the time! 
I may not look like an athlete, but I can be athletic!
Hope your work week isn't too stressful.
