DivaStyleCoach

Check out the sporting goods stores and ask if they have "lifeguard" style suits - they don't ride up, you can move in them, and they cover the important parts :crying: They are also sometimes made of different material and hold up better against the chlorine and such that is used in indoor pools. When I worked as a lifeguard, I went through suits like changing my clothes - the chlorine just kills the "consumer" suits. Once I broke down and paid some money for them (unfortunately, they are NOT cheap all the time) they lasted years instead of weeks. Go Kago! Go Kago! That's awesome!

I felt the same way - I think he was one of the nicest guys, and his obvious struggle to lose the weight and be healthy brought me to tears multiple times. It's good to hear he's doing well, and I can't wait to see what he looks like at the finale! :crying:

Based on the Woot face, I'm guessing you don't think that's a bad thing... I'm glad you're leaving the toxic crap behind...goddesses don't do well with toxic crap - we tend to start kickin' a** after a while... I hope the "next thing" is a perfect fit for your talents and abilities and they worship the ground you walk on (as it should be!) :biggrin:

Miss you too, BBK - how are you? :crying:

Diva! These are great resources - thank you for posting them! I'll add them to my list as well. Depending on which side of her heritage Heartfire's baby girl gets her hair from, these could be extremely useful. Side note: I'd love to have hair like the woman on the Tightly Curly website *sigh* her hair is gorgeous!:cursing:

That's why I was pissed this morning - I don't put up with that crap either, and he knows it...suffice to say I had an apologetic message on my work phone and my cell phone this morning after I left the house. I made no bones about my being pissed and why! That is so cool about Dan - he is one of the contestants I'm most looking forward to seeing next week when the eliminated bunch come back...

Go Mac Go! Keeping up with my walking routine - mornings, lunchtime, and the past couple of days I've walked when I got home as well. I'm halfway through a killer Statistics class that is taking up a lot of my evenings, but once that's over (about 5 more weeks) I'm going to add some weight work back into my routine. Keep up the good work, everyone!:cursing:

That's so cool that Dan is a good guy - he seemed to be a good guy during the show, and I was definately rooting for him. It doesn't surprise me that Jillian is gay - I don't see her strong personality putting up with some of the typical nonsense that can happen in guy-girl relationships. None of that "I'm the man, I'm the ruler" crap...:cursing: My DH got on my nerves this morning...can ya tell?:tt2:

Thank you for the compliment, PattyGreen! I have looked into coaching / counseling but never really took steps to formalize it. I do love giving advice, though! Thank you for the compliment, Susan! :tt2: It's cause I'm getting older and I've made so many mistakes that now I can pass along what I've learned in the hopes that I'll help someone else avoid them! :cursing:

At the risk of sounding too PG, she's probably conversing with her guardian angels...my son used to do the same thing, and so did my daughter. I think it's adorable...just as long as you don't hear her getting answers :cursing:

Hi Heartfire, Your baby girl sounds gorgeous! I think you're doing the right thing with the braids - I would encourage you also to braid her hair slightly damp and use big braids - small ones can cause almost as many tangles as they prevent! I would also investigate Pantene's Relaxed and Natural hair care line - I use their products and they are very good at keeping moisture in the hair (read - more defined curls) and helping to detangle. They also have a Curls line, but I think that's more for caucasian-based hair and it might be too drying for your baby girl's hair, since she's half African-American. See if your local store has sample packets available, or try a beauty-and-barber supply house. The thing I hope you don't have to do is to put chemicals (i.e. a relaxer) in her hair. That, IMO, causes more damage than can be offset by the relatively easier combing time. How old is your daughter now? If she's still under 5, her hair may change as she gets older. Because it's fine, she will have the curls probably most of the time - if it starts to get heavy (as it gets longer) the curls may relax somewhat. There is a terrific website - nappturality.com - which is primarily for women of color with natural hair. I bet you'd find additional help there, since that's also where I went when I decided to go natural after 30 years of relaxing. I believe there are links to sites for women with curly hair as well there. Please feel free to PM me if you need further help, have more questions, or anything...I'm happy to try and help!:cursing:

Sorry for the delay in my reply...I use a mild vinegar-and-Water solution, but infrequently. Oddly enough, only once after my cycle, and occasionally after sex, because sometimes I don't like the smell of semen afterwards...like the next morning after night fun... I have found that I don't have as many challenges now that I douche less often. If your doctor is recommending something for you, though, I'd trust him until you don't get the results you want. My mom used to say "They don't make a prosthesis for eyes" meaning that you should take your eye doctor's advice before trying something on your own. I would say your reproductive system is the same - no prosthesis for that, so trust your gyn until they give you reason not to... There are holistic / natural remedies for UTI's, ask your doctor if there is something you should change in your eating plan (I hate the word diet) to help you prevent them. Good luck...I hope all works out and your next post is to say you are perfectly healthy! :thumbup:

Carrie, I feel your pain and hurt...here's a risky suggestion: Have you told him how his lack of notice makes you feel? Sometimes men can be incredibly DENSE and they don't realize their actions are hurtful until we figuratively smack them in the forehead and tell them. It's risky, because if you aren't ready for a potentially hurtful answer, don't ask the question, but you might also be pleasantly surprised. Men sometimes forget (if they ever knew) that some women need to HEAR it. I am like that to a certain extent...I need to HEAR occasionally that my DH finds me attractive and sexy. He is fond of SHOWING it, but I still like to HEAR it. It was a difficult conversation, but he understands me better now and makes an effort to express his feelings verbally. If you feel comfortable doing so, consider telling your DH how you are feeling - use "I, me" sentences: I wonder sometimes if you still find me attractive... It would really help me if you told me what you like about my appearance... I love hearing that you find me attractive, it makes me feel good about the progress I'm making... If you phrase it in "you" sentences, he may just shut down: You never tell me I'm attractive any more... What's the matter? Aren't you attracted to me any more? You never mention my weight loss - are you okay with it? These may put him on the defensive. To borrow one of my mom's expressions "Keep it light and airy". If the conversation seems to start out too intensely, he may clam up for fear of offending you even more. Please let me know how you're doing...:thumbup:

WTF was THAT all about? He really needs to grow a set...dang! :tt1: Filipe pissed me off - not only is he a whiner, but he didn't even mention the work Jillian put into him, and hello - he had better numbers with Jillian than with Bob! I agree - time for new trainers! I love Jillian too, but if she has another BL grand champion, it will be hard to get rid of her. Can't wait for next week to see how the kicked off contestants did - wonder if Joelle lost any weight?:w00t:

Hugs to you, Susan, and to your DH. I have not been through what you have, but I understand your pain and wish you and your DH all good things. I applaud you for sharing your story and the resolution. So many times we hear about the bad stuff and never about someone who works through the challenges and makes their marriage stronger as a result. You are an inspiration to me...I've had my challenges with my DH and we too chose to work it out and make our relationship stronger rather than seperate. Thank you.

Mornin' Warriors! Had a good workout day yesterday...walked in the morning with DD, DH and DDog, then did my hill walk at work at lunchtime. When I got home, I felt like walking again, so I took DDog and got in another long walk like I do on the weekends before it got too dark. I know he can use the exercise, and so can I! Felt great - and the scale is moving again...I'm nearly to my next goal, and by my weigh-in day on Monday, I think I'll be there! :tt1:

I totally agree - Tara is da bomb diggety! *singing* You see me, hi haters! I agree - it would have been a good time to send one of the guys home, but...this group is very soft-hearted and doesn't seem to have the killer instinct. Big ups to the gal who lost 100 lbs - that is a HUGE accomplishment, and I wish her well. I'll be crazy happy when I hit that mark - my goal is to be there by my next birthday.:w00t:

I've been the "financial" head-of-household before...especially while DH was still on active duty with the U.S. Navy. I handled all the finances, because, well, he could be unavailable for months at a time due to deployments. It was really a big issue for me - I felt so honored that he trusted me with his money, :w00t: especially since his ex-wife didn't do a very good job of handling things when he was deployed while they were married. :tt1: You know - once bit, twice shy? He never hesitated...and I've made it my personal mission to make sure he never regretted the decision. Now that he's retired, I gave it back to him - he handles "family" finances, and I have an account of my own that I use for designated stuff...shopping, the business I used to run, our daughter's college fund, etc... This is a big deal...so many couples I've talked to don't have joint accounts, or don't seem to be able to integrate their finances...it speaks well of your DH and of you!

What a cute dog! My bull mastiff mix is a shedder too - seems that whenever my DD sweeps the house, she can get up enough hair to make a small dog on a regular basis...

I understand how difficult that can be...it's going to take a special effort on both their parts to reconnect, but it can be done. If they both want it to work, they can make it through this...please encourage your friend to put aside her hurt feelings as much as possible and give it a shot. Her husband may not respond positively the first time, but if she gives it a good try, no one can blame her if it eventually does not work out. I would also encourage your friend to read a book by Gary Chapman called "The Five Love Languages". Maybe physical touch is her husband's primary love language and by rejecting him, she has caused him to be more hurt than he can let on. Perhaps if they BOTH read it, they can get past this and heal their marriage. I'll keep a good thought for them...

Hi Cindel, and Welcome! I post multiple times a week - some of our more dedicated veterans post daily. It's their way of being accountable - they don't want to post that they haven't done anything, so they work out. Walking is a great start - I don't know if you saw my other post about my Bodybugg fitness tracker, but when I walk, I burn more calories than just about anything else I'm doing. Walking is a great way to get stronger - just take it easy at first, try to be as consistent as you can, and either up the speed or the distance when you feel it's getting too easy. Good shoes are a must! I would recommend getting fitted for your first pair by a knowledgeable retailer, and then you can search EBay for future pairs after you know what size and model fit you best to save some money. Good luck - looking forward to your first report!

I've noticed that too, Chris...I seem to be using a LOT more lotion this year than in past years. I already had dry skin, but this is ridiculous! How did last month's support group meeting go in New Haven? I missed y'all, but I was down sick with a virus and didn't think y'all would want me to share...

I think they should compromise and he should have a short-term deadline...if he goes 1 week without looking at porn online, she should make love to him. Note - I said make love, not just have sex. That way, she'll be validated as well. If he's willing to abstain for a week, he can make it two weeks, then a month, then who knows? As long as they are dealing in absolutes with no "wiggle" room, they could end up getting divorced and neither of them will be truly happy about that...

Way, Way, WAY TMI! :ohmy: I don't think I would have wanted to see that...Wow, just WOW...