Callystia - just stick around whether you chat or not. But you might find that once you get started, it's too much fun to stop. You know, exercise is one of those things that I still have to make myself do (I'm a natural couch potato) but I know I'll feel fabulous when I'm done. And yeah, it gives me more energy, though back in the Fat Days I used to think people who said that were completely . Guess I'm one of the crazy ones now!
We have a cat who's a retriever - does that count?
It's freezing cold here this morning, which makes it hard to get motivated to get my gym clothes on and go do cardio. Our gym finally got a few new ellipticals so maybe there won't be such a fight over them this morning. Funny how no one uses those dreadful stair steppers!
After the gym, I need to get ingredients for an apple pie that we're taking to an Octoberfest party this afternoon. I'm not a beer drinker so that part won't be a problem, but have no idea what to expect in the way of food (but am guessing it's not going to be brown rice and chicken breast ). It's a case of doing the best I can - fortunately, I'm more of a secret eater than public eater so parties aren't usually a problem.
I picked up a copy of Muscle and Fitness Hers in the grocery store - they stopped publishing for a while and now seem to be back (though not taking subscriptions). Anyway, they had some interesting workouts in it and it made me realize that I'm getting stale in the gym - time for some new exercises and routines. It has an eight week 'back to basics' diet and exercise plan - I need to check it out further because that may be just what I need to get me through the end of the year.
Oooh, I get satellite radio in my car on Monday as an early b-day present. We rented a car in Arizona with satellite radio and I got hooked, especially because we never would have found a radio station within 100 miles of where we were. And the cool thing is that I can tune in on my computer while I'm home.
I have kind of a strange question. I have been maintaining at 3 months. A large portion of that time, my exercise routine has been poor due to an ankle injury. My food intake has been on program. I've only lost 5 more lbs. since beginning maintenance but I feel like my body is reshaping. I'm having curves now more in the appropriate places. Did this happen to anyone else? I am noticing that my tummy has gotten a lot flatter and my "flat butt" that I always complain about seems rounder now. I fill the seat of my jeans out better, but am wearing smaller shirts. I am becoming happier with the way it's all turned out. It may just be that since the injury, I have used the exercise ball a lot to do leg lifts, push ups and some side sit-ups. Where before my main exercise was walking on the treadmill. I am now doing both. I just think overall that my figure is better.
Meg: Okay, I have to hear more about this retrieving cat, please.
Rabbit, yes, I bellydance. I've been practicing at home with a few DVDs for several months now, and am also taking my first class. I love it!!
Lily, I think my body reshapes itself at least a bit every few months. I used to be a total pear, but now I've got just the standard "girl curves". I know everyone says it's not possible to spot-reduce, but I think, personally, that with toning certain muscles you can definitely change quite a bit about your figure. I'm glad you're pleased with your results!
Hi, I am thinking about joining a curves gym. Does anyone know if this would still be beneficial for me since I can't do much abdominal type exercises? I can do the arms, legs, back exercises. Should I wait for more improvement with the ankle injury before joining? I am now able to walk slowly on the treadmill. Maybe I'll ask my orthopedic doctor and see what he says. Probably would be a good idea.
I made it through my DH's company picnic today without much damage food wise. I had a hamburger pattie without a bun, a salad and some watermelon. I didn't partake of the BBQ or the Desserts.
You did better than me, Lily! I think I survived Octoberfest but ugh, there's no such thing as low calorie German food. The afternoon started out at an art gallery, with all sorts of wine and cheese (but no fruit or veggies). Skipped all that. Then on to the party - when we arrived, there were baskets of pretzels stuffed with PB, snack mix, and chocolate covered pretzels everywhere. I knew if I had one of anything, I'd eat a whole basket so managed to abstain. Please note that I was starving at this point since I had missed a meal but many of the people there had known me back in the fat days and no way I was going to eat fattening stuff in front of them!!
For dinner I ate a TON of cooked purple cabbage that had some sort of sauce but hey, it was cabbage, a bratwurst and some sausage, and a bunch of salad that had real dressing. Passed up the bun, noodles, potatoes, alcohol, and ten thousand desserts. So not great but definitely not as bad as it could have been, especially considering that I had the calories for two meals to play with. I would have enjoyed a chicken breast a whole lot more but apparently Germans just drink beer and eat sausage.
But I did an hour on the elliptical (said I burned 810 calories which I don't believe for a second) and topped 10,000 strides for the first time ever, so that felt good. I'll do another hour on the elliptical to start the day and get back to clean eating. Leaf raking cardio this afternoon.
Lily, I don't know enough about Curves to answer your question - your doctor is probably the right one to ask. I do know it's machines only and they usually have ab or back support, so maybe it will work?
Callystia, the retrieving cat brings back little jingly balls when you throw them - he can get his teeth into the little holes in the balls. One of our other talented cats fields little stuffed mice - DH stands at the bottom of the stairs, she hides behind the wall at the top of the stairs, and he hurls mousies up at her. She leaps out from ambush position and bats them around. Fun for hours for both of them. My hall is usually littered with the carcasses of dozens of little mousies.
Lily, I think it isn't unusual to have things shift and change after we reach goal. I've always heard it takes about a year for things to settle down.
meg, thanks for the reply. It looks like you did well with the Octoberfest. It really is hard to go somewhere like that and the food choices not be very optimal for our new lifestyles. I always try to just make the lesser of evils with my choices.
I am going to find out Monday about the Curves gym. Which type of machines are available, the cost and such. What I would be able to do at the exercise level I'm currently at.
I am happy with the amount of wt. I have lost. I feel like I look thin, but not necessarily toned and would like to focus on some toning. I definitely like my body with clothes on, but not so much without them. DH of course, thinks I look great. He has been so wonderfully supportive.
Just popping in to say to Meg ... Yep, for an oktoberfest, I would bet on bratwurst and beer. Definitely NOT chicken breast & brown rice. And the germans also do great schnitzels, bratkartoffel & conditorei (cakes & pastries). I guess they are not much into low calorie, low fat, high protein food. Good for you that you found some red cabbage!
Yay for you on the Octoberfest, Meg! We went to one last weekend. I managed to get by with salad (sans dressing), and some chicken breast cooked in cabbage, carrots and onions. I'm guessing there was a fair amount of fat in there too! But only had a bit. A couple of roast potatoes and a bite of DH's sauerbrauten - yum - it was melt-in-your-mouth good. Not too bad all in all. Plus the alcohol was extra - and we're too cheap to drink out much.
Lily - I'll be interested to see what you think of Curves. They opened in our town about 3 years ago. I bought an introductory 6 month membership since our "real" gym had closed and the next nearest one was 1/2 hour away. I felt that I got an okay workout at the beginning, but they use hydraulics in their machine, and the way to make it "harder" (i.e. like adding more weight in traditional gym machines) is to go faster. I found it hard to maintain good form while going faster, plus I think momentum plays a role. It is however, a great place for many women to get used to exercise. You do a circuit of x number of machines, 30 seconds on each, and with a cardio 30 seconds between machines. They play music with cues for when to move and when to do a pulse check. You can start on any machine, and when it's busy, you "work in" to any empty machine. They do emphasize stretching at the end. I had many issues - unrelated to the actual exercise - with our franchise (teen aged "instructors" more interested in their friends and the phone, dirty changing rooms, etc.). I was glad when my 6 months were up, and even gladder when someone new took over the gym and it reopened.
It's frosted hard here the past 2 nights (20F this morning), but the daytimes have been glorious, bright sunshine, clear skies, crisp air! I love fall like this.
One of our close friends on the east coast had a massive stroke last week (he's 62) and we're anxiously waiting for better news. Such a helpless feeling to be so far away when friends and family are ailing. Plus we heard tonight that my FIL (aged 93) was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. He'd been complaining of feeling "shaky" when DH talked to him yesterday, but wouldn't call anyone to take him in. Finally, my BIL just went and did it. today. He's the last remaining parent DH and I have.
Sorry to be so down. Let me tell you, getting old is not for sissies!!
Have courage Pat. You're so right ... life is tough -- good, but tough -- and gets harder with every year. Or, maybe it's just that our insights deepen and our awareness rises. In any event, I'll be thinking of you.
Just time for a drive by. After months of lurking I'm back. I've been here every single day, but only to read. Work pressures have subided for the moment and with the search for new leadership well under way, there's light at the end of the tunnel. So this morning, it's off to the gym for me. Be back later.
Unbelievable. It is 47 degrees here! Where is my sweater?
The dogs are walked, DD is off to daycare, the laundry is folded, the dishwasher unloaded, and I have an hour before work. I'm going to linger over my coffee and work a puzzle before I get a shower and go. Ahhhhhh....
Hi everyone! I'm starting to get back into the exercise swing of things with walking uphill on the treadmill (4mph), but since I am having my second wrist surgery next week I'll be trying to avoid sweating on the bandages (which can't get wet) for a couple weeks after that -- ugh! I am so sick of all of this wrist business. I really want to do weight lifting and yoga and so many other things I need wrist strength and range of motion for, but as of right now the one that had surgery last month can't bend sideways or backwards very far, and the other one is about to get sliced and diced. Ick ick ick. At least the surgery seems to have fixed the problem, I just need to get over the pain from the surgery itself.
Lilybelle -- about the comfort foods, could you try making light versions of family favorites? Check out Cooking Light (their website has free recipes). We had lightened up mac and cheese last week, and light (and veggie-full) lasagna the other day. Plus there are lots of soups and stews that satisfy those comfort food cravings and are packed full of veggies.
Fall means . . . squash time!!! I love winter squash so much. Unfortunately, my fiance is not a huge squash fan, but I feed it to him anyway. I guess when he was a kid his mom grew squash in the garden, and they would eat squash every meal until they were all gone! His brother still won't touch the stuff. Yum, squash! And yams too. I'm in heaven, just throw some cranberries on top! Anyone else have favorite seasonal foods?
Robin ! I was thinking of you..actually thinking of posting "Robin - stop lutrking!" You nust be psycic to catch all those vibes!
Anne- Good for you! Smart thinking to grab every spare rest hour you can get. I am a puzzle addict, and I insist on doing the paper's puzzle in bed with my first coffee every morning...even if i have to get up at 6 am to do so!
Pat, I'm sorry you are having such a tough time right now with the illness in your family and friends. It is very hard for me to see others so sick. I have been there so many times myself. My MIL is sick now and has been for almost 3 months. She is terribly weak and the doctors really don't know what is wrong with her. She is now on anti-depressants because she can no longer stand feeling so horrible. She has always been such a strong person and a care-giver and it's hurts me to see her feeling this bad. I go and do some house work and yard work for her and it makes her cry that she can't do it for herself right now.
Pat, when I lived in Ok. City I was a member of mademoiselle, it was an all women's fitness center. I loved it. There isn't one near where I live now. Even the Curves gyms are 30 minutes away. Mainly what I need is strength training. I have a Treadmill that I'm using at home. Have small hand weights , and exercise ball, jump rope. My son has a huge weight lifting set that is packed away in our storage building. I might could have DH put this back together for me, if he ever gets time off work. My biggest dilemma is that since I'd have to drive a ways to go work out, I wonder if I'd actually use the gym much or if it would be a waste of money. Not sure, I think I'll ask DH to put the weight lifting gym back together. We do have an extra room that I could make a gym out of at home and put my treadmill and stuff in. My son doesn't have room for his wt. machine in his 1 bedroom apartment. We bought it for him for Christmas a couple yrs. ago, he's always been really big on weight lifting and enters competitions.
paperclippy, I did make some home-made chili the other day. I used 1/2 beef and 1/2 venison. I added bell peppers and onions. It was good. Since I stay Low Carb, I took mine out before adding the chili beans (which DH loves). I am going to try to make stew with less potatoes, more green veggies and such and see how it turns out. I love to cook.
It has rained non-stop here for 2 days now.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I had been trying to go a week without weighing. I made it 6 days. I weighed this morning and it was the exact same as last Tuesday, 140 lbs. I was so afraid that I had gained. I just couldn't wait another day to weigh. I'll now try to wait another week. My clothes fit fine and I am getting back into exercising.
paperclippy, I can sure understand about the wrists. I've had the ankle injury and have hated how it has slowed me down. But, I'm slowly getting better now.
You know, exercise is one of those things that I still have to make myself do (I'm a natural couch potato) but I know I'll feel fabulous when I'm done. And yeah, it gives me more energy, though back in the Fat Days I used to think people who said that were completely 
. Guess I'm one of the crazy ones now! 
We rented a car in Arizona with satellite radio and I got hooked, especially because we never would have found a radio station within 100 miles of where we were. And the cool thing is that I can tune in on my computer while I'm home. 
which I don't believe for a second) and topped 10,000 strides for the first time ever, so that felt good. I'll do another hour on the elliptical to start the day and get back to clean eating. Leaf raking cardio this afternoon. 
I guess when he was a kid his mom grew squash in the garden, and they would eat squash every meal until they were all gone! His brother still won't touch the stuff. Yum, squash! And yams too. I'm in heaven, just throw some cranberries on top! Anyone else have favorite seasonal foods?
