Evening all,
Bloody weather. Cold and grey, blue skies (while we are working) and torrential rain on the way home. Bah humbug.
Also bah humbug on the MyFitnessPal exercise thingy. I did 60 squats, 60 leg raises, 60 crunches and 40 sit ups tonight and it tells me I haven't burnt a calorie. I'll get over it, but just remember, it seems to think that strength training doesn't burn calories at all. Anyway, despite all that, I have come in just under my calories tonight. JUST.
I'm hitting the bed early tonight, as I didn't sleep much last night. Though I was tired, went to bed and the brain switched on. Nothing I could do. Then the phone went at 11.55pm. Someone had forgotten the time difference between Brisbane and NZ. So that was that. Was well after three before I slept again. Not that I talked all that time, three hour chats only happened with Mel. Brain was still switched on. I hate it when that happens, can't stop thinking.
Happy - that picture is Valerie Harper at 73, she has had some work done I would think.
Susie, thanks for the comments on MFP. I used to run a lot, however these days it is mostly down hill and not often. I'm trying to get into it again, although I will never make a runner.
I might try the couch to 5k this year and see if I can do 5k again.
Ceejay - good that you are doing your challenge too. Good Idea to have one that you can do when you travel.
Annie - you sound a bit depressed. How long until the babe is born????
Laura - Good to be able to work from home in that sort of weather. Not nice to be out in I am sure.
Michelle - glad you enjoyed the wedding. Good to hear that the job is going well.
and that is about it from me. I'm going to try to sleep for a change. I'll be back.
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Good morning all,
Ack it is still very cold out. Ok, I am ready to be done with this. Good thing we have had sunny days - if it had been cold AND gray I would have had to start drinking
We are supposed to go out to buy deer corn today - DH doesn't really want to go out but he is having cataract surgery in 2 weeks and I told him he should probably stock up on a few extra bags of corn because I'm sure he will not be able to bend or lift much for a while after surgery. I don't remember much about his last surgery recuperation, just that it was very successful. I hope this is the same. I suppose I should make a list and stop at the grocery store too - we will be running out of milk and coffee creamer soon.
Shad - I'm not sure how recent those pictures of Valerie Harper are but I can say she's got very good genes and does not look anywhere near her age. I watched a television program where they were filming her as she started treatment for her brain cancer and there were times when she was "au natural" and of course looked just like a regular normal person, but then when she had the benefit of professional hair and make up - she was still a looker. And as Michelle said - she was also one of the more popular contestants to appear on the Dancing With the Stars show. Sounds like you are just getting awful weather out your way. Isn't this supposed to be summer? Or is this what Wellington summers are like? I guess you must need a bunch of rain for all the lovely greenery in the countryside. But enough already as you say. I do hope you got a good night's rest last night. Very frustrating to be dead tired and then the minute your head hits the pillow - ping! eye fly open and brain goes into hyper drive.
Michelle - yes I do find all those people inspirational as well. It is nice to see that the Osborne children matured and because responsible adults. I really like Michael J Fox too but I was disappointed with his new TV show. It seemed like they were trying a bit too hard for the laughs. Watched 3 of the shows and then decided it was not for me. But I think he is popular enough that the show is doing well so that's good. I have the same problem with intolerance to temperatures - been that way since the thyroid went kaput. I have a range between 60 to 80F air temp - anything outside of that I get really cold or really hot which means yes, when I get in the car in winter I am freezing. It's especially bad because when I was driving alone I'd turn up the heat all the way and as well as cranking the fan as hard as it would blow and would enjoy that lovely heat blast. Now we go places together and DH gets hot fast and so he tends to just have the heat directed at the feet which means the right side of me gets frozen to the cold metal door next to me. We have the opposite problem with the air conditioning - he cranks it all the way up and I keep turning it down. It's good that you have plenty of room to store your food at work. Now you just have to find someone to lunch with. How is your ex-DMIL handling the Wisconsin winter?
I guess the rest of the chicks are sleeping in this morning. Guess I'll go write out checks for a couple of bills and go make my grocery list. Have a good day all.
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oh and Shad - I thought I had commented but maybe not - I too am not that crazy about the MFP exercise tracking. It seems like it's not very flexible and forces one to modify their square peg to fit MFP's round hole. I've had to adapt a few things too. My thinking is at this point, at least I am tracking it. And tracking keeps me mindful of cutting calories and at least entering something into the diary for the day.
I can't remember if SparkPeople does a better job - will have to pop over and have a look.
Shad – Bummer about the MFP not giving you calorie credit for your strength training! Not fair. Good job with the exercise! I tend to not track my physical activity on Sparkpeople, nor in the WW etools when I use those tools. It’s tedious enough tracking my eating... I hate when I can’t fall asleep! I hope you’re catching up right now (worltimeserver dot com says it’s 4:18 am as I type this). Hope the weather improves for you!! The rain and otherwise cloudy/gloomy stuff gets old quickly.
Michelle – LOL, I think I saw that poem floating around on FB – I believe other states have been inserted, haha. It’s always interesting how people react differently to the temps, or even how sometimes I react differently. Some days my feet are cold for what seems like hours, others, I’m just fine. Yesterday I switched from my sheepskin scuffs to an old pair of fleece slipper socks so my entire foot would be enclosed. I wonder if this time next year you’ll be feeling the lower temps more than you do now… Re the fridges at work – nice that you can keep food at work. I’ve found when it’s right there, it’s so much easier to keep on track than when I have to leave the office/building and be tempted by all the other options. And of course, eating out is just so expensive!
Happy – Congrats on your success fixing the computer problem!! And hopefully the vertigo stays away so you can do the yoga and pilates workouts. It would be nice for you to get back to biking. It’s a nice way to enjoy nature. I’ve never done “off trail” type riding. I don’t know if I’d enjoy that very much because the focus would be mostly on not getting tossed from the bike due to the rough terrain and not on enjoying the scenery! I got my squat and ab challenges from the site 30dayfitnesschallenges.com. Glad you didn’t have to work at the shop yesterday. Hard to imagine people being out and about for purposes of browsing a thrift shop. Between the cold and the road conditions, I didn't want to be out any more than necessary - i.e., necessities. Sounds like you kept yourself very busy. Re the hand cream – yeh, I’m always washing my hands and always having to reapply the cream. With cooking and pets, that's just the way it is.
Ceejay – Good challenges! I like that there’ll be no excuses as far as the bike is concerned, LOL. Wow, 2015 isn’t all that far away now!! I’m betting time is going to fly for you, especially once your boss friend leaves. Hopefully the HR folks are planning for his departure and the transition of his duties so they don’t try to stick you with responsibilities you’re not comfortable taking on.
Susie – Gosh, sounds like the training for that half marathon would be painful for you if it has to include icing and cortisone shots! What do you think your doctor would say about that? Re MFP – I suppose I could give it a go, but like you said, once you get set up on one system and have saved a lot of foods to your favorites and manually entered new foods/recipes…not so appealing to make a move. I’ll give it a go one day this week and see how it compares to SP. I honestly can’t remember how MFP was for me. I just know that on SP I can do the food tracking, as well as exercise tracking (if I wanted). There’s a blogging feature (if you visit there, go to community and then to sparkpages and my page is under my username laura7051), and then there’s a point system that keeps you motivated to keep tracking, read articles, read blog and make comments on them and in the discussion forums. They also have recipes, and video exercise demos. It’s a nice site.
Annie – How’s it going in the Hoosier State today? I hope you’re getting a gradual warm-up like we are. Okay, we’re still in the single digits, but the wind is slight, so it’s not quite so bad today.
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Nothing much to report. I’m back at the office today. Like I told Annie, the temps are very slowly going up and the wind has really gone down, so it’s much more bearable outdoors today. Trains were even running on time (give or take a few minutes).
My two days of working at home were quite productive. I got the PITA project, or should I say the PITA portion of the project completed, so I’m happy about that. I also completed that pesky compliance session. I’m glad to say I didn’t have any connectivity issues with the laptop, so I might be more likely to consider working at home should situations arise that would make it worthwhile. I’m definitely going to be more diligent about taking home the laptop when the weather forecast looks ugly.
Because the office was closed until noon yesterday, the WW meeting was canceled and the meeting be added onto the end of our session. I have to say I’m a bit relieved to have been given a reprieve…but I have been braving the scale regularly during the 3-week hiatus. I’m up about 3 pounds from where I last was before the heart of the holidays hit, sigh. I have to get back to the gym and back to tracking my eating! It was tough being at home because there’s still some holiday goodies in the cabinets. Today I brought my lunch and snacks, so I’m good to go.
Hi Happy - You were typing over my head this morning! Re the car hvac - our car has a dual setting for the temps, but not for the fan speed, which would have been nice. Can't recall if it has dual controls for where the air vents - feet, face, etc. Bf and I don't have too many issues with that. Seems like we have more disagreement over the sunroof being open all the way - bf with his short/shaved hair obviously doesn't have the same feeling as I do with my long hair, LOL.
Okay girls, my mfp username and pw still work, so if you want to find me, my username is mfplaura.
I was watching TBL last night and they were talking about moving forward and no excuses...and a mantra came to mind, "I can either make excuses or I can make it happen." Which is sort of like Happy's new signature! I am making it happen. I've got my workout clothes in the car and will stop at the gym on my way home. Last night, I had a bit of tummy distress after eating a big salad for lunch, so my exercise was just walking Santa. Today, on the way into work, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some instant oatmeal, which made for a delicious breakfast.
I really love how this new job and being so close to home will allow me the opportunity to go to the gym after work. And the office park is located in some beautiful small hills with walking trails all around. I might even walk a bit at lunch time today. I also am enjoying the new job itself...and not just the short commute and beautiful surrounding area.
It looked like it rained a little overnight, though it was probably not a measurable amount as the news didn't mention it. California is having a very dry winter, and we really need a bit of rain.
As for MFP not calculating calories burned doing strength training, I remember that was one of my pet peeves from the last time I used it a year or so ago. Oh well, we know that strength training builds muscle and boosts the metabolism, which means more calories are burned even while sleeping...so strength training is still a very good thing. At least WW e-tools gives you an exercise point or two for strength training.
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Shad - Bummer about the torrential rain on the way home. I hope you stayed fairly dry and that the bucket in your apartment didn't overflow. I hate it when I want to sleep and my brain just won't shut off. Late night phone calls used to happen to me when I lived in Wisconsin. Some family members thought Wisconsin was two hours earlier than CA.
Happy - I didn't know that your DH was going to have cataract surgery. D needs that done too. So this is his second time with this. I'll be sending lots of positive energy and prayers for him. Hmmm, now that you mention the heat/cold intolerance associated with thyroid problems, that could be the reason for ex-DMIL's always being too hot/too cold as well. She's not loving this particularly harsh winter, but she's managing. She's got a space heater for her room so she can keep it warmer than the rest of the house. I agree about MFP's tracking being better than not tracking at all.
Laura - I am glad about the frig at work. Like you, I do much better when I have the healthy food here than when I leave the office and have to drive by fast-food restaurants. Good for you for getting so much work done from home!
Annie - Was your office open today? Is it any warmer there? Sending you lots of hugs.
What a befuddled mess this office was in when I arrived. (They moved us on Friday/Saturday. Had me in the wrong cubicle. Had two directors office switched. Had to move all the equipment and crates myself (4 total offices). My body hurts, the weather sucks, I465 around Indy is like a interrupted ice skating rink. Slick, icy, bumpy, people off the road, ambulance slid into a ditch with a patient. All were ok, just had to wait on another ambulance. I am over this crap. Now I get to do it again on the way home. INDOT has done a crappy job of removing the snow. My neighborhood has not even been plowed. (We pay HOAssocation 250. a year and street cleaning is supposed to be included). Can you tell I am not very happy right now. Sassy is not happy, C freezes all day long, complains of his fingers freezing when delivering. Sheesh maybe I just shouldn't post till I get some good news or am in a better mood. I am sorry girls to be such a beeeeeaacchh today. Many pardons. Love and Hugs
Annie - I'm so sorry you and C and Sassy are having such an awful time of it. You'd think that INDOT would be able to do a better job with snow removal and ice management. So the homeowners association is responsible for contracting out snow removal? The city doesn't take care of that where you live? Wisconsin has bad weather, but at least in most areas the cities and townships do pretty good with getting the roads to a driveable condition as quickly as possible.
Hi Ladies! It is warming up a bit in Ohio. We made it to 20 today!
Now that nasty salt is on everything! It is hard to keep it off the shoes and clothes getting in and out of the car. Once it is warm enough to run the car through the car wash (that should happen here this weekend), I'm going to be in line with everyone else!
So fun to see everyone on MFP. Yes, it is a pain that it doesn't calculate the calories burned for strength training..but hey, my body knows it! One of my friends on MFP doesn't "eat her exercise" meaning that she looks at what her true food total was in relation to the calories she is in-taking. It must work as she has lost over 100 lbs.
Shad: You are doing great with your food and exercise! I'm sorry that you were having trouble sleeping..that is the worst. When I have that I fall asleep about 2 hours before I have to get up. It is hard to turn the brain off sometimes. I hope you sleep well from here forward.
Happy: Yeah for you for fixing your computer issue. Isn't it nice to feel accomplished?
You too are doing great on MFP...seeing all the tracking is really helping me. You mentioned that tracking it each day does make a difference...it's all about being aware isn't it?
Laura: We are connected on MFP. Yeah! You asked what my doctor would say about the cortisone and icing. I have to do that know about at times. I get the shot about twice a year..it helps keep the pain and inflammation down.
He has told me I can do about 2 races a year as long as when I train I use the bike and the elliptical most of the time to build my endurance. So that is my plan.
Michelle: Oh how I envy that you can take a walk outside at lunch time. I'm jealous of your weather right now. I enjoyed the poem you posted.
Glad to have you on board on MFP.
Ceejay: The weather has been hard hasn't it? I get so tired in the winter with all the layers and dragging in and out of the house. And then to deal with issues with a new office and a co-worker....ughh! I'm sorry you are dealing with all of this right now. How can I help?
Ok..got to go eat dinner, log my food and then sign back on to my work computer to get a couple of things done that need to be done first thing in the morning..got asked when I was leaving for the day to try and get them done if I could or I could come in early. I will do them tonight.
I've been having a tough time at work. A couple of big water leaks in the distribution system and one high service pump froze. I was going into panic attack mode last night and came home and crashed. I did however ride the bike which got out some of my anxiety. Then another leak today.
I wasn't sure if the other post got here or not. The internet at work went out about the time I got ready to post.
My boss friend has decided to buy this computer and I was going to take it to him this morning but I didn't feel like unhooking every thing. He told me to wait till Monday morning. He's gonna transfer his personal files to this computer. I'm already missing him and he's not gone yet.
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Michelle
I didn't realize that the Biggest Loser was on. I'm glad that you are liking your new job.
Shad
That's why I don't bother to post anything. I get side tracked on calories in verses calories out and either punish myself or starve myself to make up the difference. This time it's any thing goes just don't eat a big meal at dinner. You are doing great with the squats, etc. I'd be so sore I could not move.
Laura
I really need to log my food and like Michelle there should not be any excuses not to. So starting tomorrow I will log my food in my blog. I need to eat more healthy.
Happy
I'm sure that your dh will do just fine with the cataract surgery. Both my aunt and uncle had that done and did perfectly well.
Susie
We are in a heat wave today also. Made it up to 30. I'd forgotten how cold zero degree weather could get. At lest my car started the first time. I need to wash my car this week end if it's not to cold.
Annie
Don't you have any help to move all that stuff around in the office? That's exercise in itself. I saw the ambulance accident on the news and thought about you having to drive in that stuff.
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Quick post for me. I have to get up early and be out of the house early tomorrow.
Thanks to using MFP I was particularly mindful of my food today. Made several substitutions and gave careful thought to my selections. Thanks for that.
I also did more in the way of exercising. My muscles are weak because I have ignored them. So I am starting slow - have to be careful with the knee but every little bit helps and one gets stronger as they go on I have to believe.
Finally I did drink more water today than I probably have in the last 3 months. Another habit I have to redevelop, particularly with as dry as it is.
On the bad front, DH and I went out to pick up Subway sandwiches for an early dinner. When we got back and he went to put corn and seed out he noticed oil leaking from the 4Runner. It was too cold to get on the ground and check it out. He is hoping we don't have a very serious problem (ie cracked engine block). We are checking to see if insurance will pick up the tow for the 1 and a half hour ride to the Toyota dealer. We were looking to replace the car but I kept holding off until we really needed to replace it. Now it appears I may have waited too long. We have certain requirements for a vehicle and would probably want another 4Runner which are in short supply around here. On an even badder front he said when he started the Avalon up this week, it was leaking radiator fluid. He's hoping it's just because the car was very cold and this is nothing bad. We really cannot afford to replace both cars right now - the 4Runner is 12 years old (longest we've ever had a car) and the Avalon is 11 years old. We stick with Toyota because they have been very, very dependable for us. We got our money out of it. I'm ok if we have to replace one car but pray we can get the other fixed (without too much expense).
He's going to check the Avalon out tomorrow and if it appears to be ok, he will take me into town where I have some things to do before I do my shift at the shop. Not only do we not want to be without a car, but we are supposed to get a warm up in the next few days - that will make the hill up to our house impossible to navigate with the sedan if it partially melts and then freezes back at night. I am trying not to stress about this and so is he.
Morning all. Train was on time today, but there was a wait when we got close to the station today. There must still be problems with switches and signals I guess.
Happy – That’s a late post – you’re quite the night owl! I’m so sorry to hear about your potential car problems. I sure hope neither of the problems are serious and don’t cost you the earth to fix. Unfortunately, it sounds like that tow alone will be costly – sure hope your insurance covers it! Our car’s been the same way lately, and it’s nine years old. The most recent thing is what we believe might be the power steering. Hope some additional fluid will do the trick because I understand that's an expensive thing to replace. Smart of you to start slowly back to exercise – you don’t want to injure yourself or end up so sore that you have to get out of a groove to wait til you're feeling better enough to re-start.
Ceejay – Sorry you’ve had problems at work. Are the leaks also related to this cold weather? At least it’s going to be warming up in many parts of the country now. Good for you riding the bike – I’ve always found exercise to be a great stress reliever. Nice your boss friend will be able to buy your computer. I think it’s always nice to be able to repurpose things. I recently received an e-mail from my Relay for Life team captain (the charity event I do each yr) saying she was collecting Christmas cards for the St. Jude’s charity, which uses the card fronts to make new cards that they sell to raise money. Some are so cute or pretty, it’s nice someone else would get to enjoy them. I think I'll go through mine and send some in this year.
Susie – Yeh, the car washes will have long lines once it’s above freezing, LOL. Re MFP and the exercise tracking – I shouldn’t get too broken up about not seeing strength training calories – it’s actually difficult to accurately figure that – in terms of exertion and the actual calorie burn for a specific person. It’s like those cardio machines – you enter your age and weight, but they don’t know how fit you are/aren't and how much more or less efficient your body works compared to whatever standard they use in their calculations. Regardless of that, I’m glad to be on MFP, and I’d forgotten how many recent/frequent foods I already had accumulated from when I used it in the past. Entering my food yesterday was relatively easy. Good to know your doc’s aware of your physical activities.
Annie – Sorry things are such a mess by you. Terrible that your subdivision hasn’t been plowed, and that the roads are in such bad shape. This extreme cold makes it hard to treat the roads – salt won’t work when it’s too cold. Very unsafe out there when it’s so slick. Hang in there girl!! As for the office debacle – I assume you had professional movers handling this??!! What a mess! Can’t believe they goofed it up so badly. Are things getting settled by now?
Michelle – I like that new mantra of yours!! I’ve had gut issues after having salads sometimes – especially if they have a lot of spinach. Wonder if that’s a "too much fiber" type of issue? Glad you’re liking the job, the commute and the location.
Hi Shad!!
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Having trouble finishing this post – many interruptions. Darn job!!
I’d forgotten to do my squat/ab challenges on Tuesday, so I did two days of it last night. Good thing it’s early in the challenges, so it wasn’t too much. Today are rest days for both. Glad they coincide – I’ll have to see if they sync up for the rest of the 30 days.
Tracking on MFP went well yesterday, not that I was within my calorie range. I haven’t fussed with what MFP “gave” me as a daily calorie goal – under 1300 calories - but I do know it’s way too low, LOL. I’ve never been able to achieve that, be it on my own or on WW. And yet I’ve lost weight. So as long as the scale and my clothes indicate positive results, I won’t worry too much about that daily calorie allotment.
Nothing much else to report. For some reason, my feet are freezing today! Getting ready to put my snow boots back on to see if that helps.
So I've decided to give MFP another try since I can do all three, blog log calories and exercise in one place. I'm Arkansasbee if any is interested or pm me your username and I'll add you to my friends.
Laura
Yes most of the issues at work was related to the freezing temperatures. We usually have one person on call for water/sewer problems for after hours but this week two people on call. People didn't realize that the temperatures would get this cold and water pipes froze and burst, some were smart and left the water dripping
Happy
I like Toyota's also. Hopefully there isn't to much damage on the cars. It's always a wise thing to start with minimal exercises. My knees have been yelling at me lately, but not sure if it's the exercising or cold weather or both. I most definitely need to drink more water.
Hello's to Michelle, Susie and Annie
I'll be back later. Need to get ready to run some errands.
Super quick post for me as even though I'm "at lunch", I'm prepping for a meeting where we will be discussing the new website, outstanding issues and possible launch date.
So far food tracking on MFP is going well, though I am hungry right now and I finished my salad for lunch about 25 minutes ago, so I shouldn't be hungry. I may have to adjust my calories or what I eat and when.
I just learned that my good friend who had cancer got some bad news at the doctor. He's got another mass in his leg. He will need surgery that may involve cutting the peripheral nerve (which would mean he'd lose feeling in his leg), and he's going to lose a substantial amount of muscle tissue and have to undergo chemo. He's not even fully recovered from the last surgery/radiation combo. He's very, very depressed...and I wish there was something I could do for him.
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Ceejay - So sorry to hear that the weather caused so many problems at work. Are you off today?
Happy - That's awful about both cars. I hope both repairs are relatively inexpensive. My ex and I have had Toyotas for years, and we both like them.
Susie and Laura - Sounds like you both are doing well on MFP.
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Well... first of all I sincerely hope and pray that we have not turned an ugly corner this month with all of us having lots of troubles. Geez, things were going so well and I was NOT taking that for granted - believe you me.
Both cars had to get towed today. One is leaking antifreeze, the other is leaking oil or transmission fluid. DH was on the phone most of the day. We have roadside assistance (via a third party) through our insurance company but he went back and forth and got 3 different answers from 3 different people. Both cars are Toyotas - one got towed 50 miles away to the Toyota dealer, one got towed to a repair shop in town which services Toyotas because they said the insurance will only pay for one tow to a dealer After we got arrangements for the cars, DH called the insurance and we got a 4th slightly different answer I told DH I was proud of him for not being a guy and blowing his top like he typically does. He has very little patience for stupidity. As it turns out, they were supposed to tow it to the repair shop in town rather than the dealer but the insurance said they would cover it. It's good the 4Runner is going to the dealer, we can have them estimate repairs and then decide what they will give us for a trade in because it looks like we will give up my baby after 12 years of loyal service I did not have to go to the thrift shop today because apparently their furnace broke night before last and it's only 40 degrees inside the store. This extended cold is really taking it's toll on things. And this is unusual for even up this way. One of the tow truck drivers said he is sick of jump starting cars as that's all he's been doing for the last month. But... we are warm and safe and at least we didn't break down out in the woods somewhere that we'd have to tromp 10 miles through the forest inadequately dressed so I am grateful for that.
Michelle - I am sorry to hear about your friend's cancer. I'm not sure what to say other than he has to find the strength to fight the good fight. And only he can decide if he has that in him. I'm sure it must be devastating to find out there is more cancer once you got over the initial shock. Take him out and treat him to lunch, let him talk, drag him out of the house to get his mind off of things or let him through talking, talk on how he is going to deal with it. That is a bummer you are hungry. I am ALWAYS hungry when I decide to diet. So I have to play games with my own head. The only things I have found that tend to fill me up are eggs or beer cheese soup. Guess which is the better choice Seriously, for me I find I really need the protein - if my meal is too carb based - like cereal in the a.m. - I am starving an hour later. Perhaps you could make up a batch of clear veggie soup and have a cup of that with your salad? Even Progresso's Lite based canned soups are good save for the sodium.
Ceejay - I have added you on MFP. Thanks for joining in. Yep, it's a whole set of issues with cold in the south. I was laughing at the water spigot covers when I first saw them - odd looking they look like fake boobs and I had no idea what they were for but apparently people use them to cover their outside water taps for the winter. I hope things quieted down at the plant. I know how you feel knowing your boss is going to leave. Did they force him out then?
Laura - yes I was up late last night - we were looking at car options. Sometimes and I do mean sometimes I miss living in Arlington Heights where everything was easier to get to and access. Good points about MFP or any other plan having a hard time figuring out calories expended on strength exercises. Regarding the Christmas cards for St. Jude - do they want more because we have 2 baskets of odds and ends cards people donated and I'd be glad to throw some money in the till to buy them and then send them on to a happier home somewhere. I know they want to get rid of as much of the Christmas stuff as possible. Let me know.
It's hard to type right now as I have a cat on my back whacking my face with her tail. I have a small heater on my desk and I think she is cold so she jumps on my back and enjoys the heat coming off the heater. She does not care that I cannot breathe with her back in my face. Now she has decided my hair is dirty as she is grooming me. No thanks, I showered this morning... She is also on the hunt for the stray Asian beetle that randomly shows up here on the wall.
How are things going for you Shad? Is the weather holding up better or are you still sleeping in the closet? Any word from the landlord? I'm glad to hear you got a normal power bill at long last.
Susie - I agree with you about tracking and being aware of things. I can see myself tweaking things that I would have otherwise mindlessly plodded along with. I am so glad you suggested this! I see you and I share a love for a cold Coca Cola I quit the smokes but just can't seem to give up the Cokes... How motivating is it that one of your friends lost so much weight! I'm sure they are a great cheerleader and have lots of helpful suggestions.
Annie - I'm sure it can seem like everything is in the dumpsters but you can't let it get to you. We used the same moving company all the time where I worked and we wound up moving our own stuff because they ALWAYS screwed up. We complained, they ignored us. A couple of times people actually hurt themselves moving boxes but nothing ever changed. Like Mel - it's not all on your head lady - remember that. As for the roads I see how awful it is by you. They are warning people of black ice and we have had several accidents on those scary overhead bridges up in Duluth. Everyone has to be extra diligent it seems which makes me even madder at the goof nuts who continue to drive like it's the middle of August and dry pavement. Just stay cool lady - they don't pay you extra to get angry or frustrated.
I have a turkey breast in the oven roasting. It does smell really good but I'd better go baste it. Have a good evening everyone.
Good job with the exercise! I tend to not track my physical activity on Sparkpeople, nor in the WW etools when I use those tools. It’s tedious enough tracking my eating... I hate when I can’t fall asleep! I hope you’re catching up right now (worltimeserver dot com says it’s 4:18 am as I type this). Hope the weather improves for you!! The rain and otherwise cloudy/gloomy stuff gets old quickly. 
It would be nice for you to get back to biking. It’s a nice way to enjoy nature. I’ve never done “off trail” type riding. I don’t know if I’d enjoy that very much because the focus would be mostly on not getting tossed from the bike due to the rough terrain and not on enjoying the scenery! I got my squat and ab challenges from the site 30dayfitnesschallenges.com. Glad you didn’t have to work at the shop yesterday. Hard to imagine people being out and about for purposes of browsing a thrift shop. Between the cold and the road conditions, I didn't want to be out any more than necessary - i.e., necessities. Sounds like you kept yourself very busy. Re the hand cream – yeh, I’m always washing my hands and always having to reapply the cream. With cooking and pets, that's just the way it is. 
Wow, 2015 isn’t all that far away now!! I’m betting time is going to fly for you, especially once your boss friend leaves. Hopefully the HR folks are planning for his departure and the transition of his duties so they don’t try to stick you with responsibilities you’re not comfortable taking on. 
As for the office debacle – I assume you had professional movers handling this??!! What a mess! Can’t believe they goofed it up so badly. Are things getting settled by now? 
After we got arrangements for the cars, DH called the insurance and we got a 4th slightly different answer 
I did not have to go to the thrift shop today because apparently their furnace broke night before last and it's only 40 degrees inside the store. This extended cold is really taking it's toll on things. And this is unusual for even up this way. One of the tow truck drivers said he is sick of jump starting cars as that's all he's been doing for the last month. But... we are warm and safe and at least we didn't break down out in the woods somewhere that we'd have to tromp 10 miles through the forest inadequately dressed so I am grateful for that. 
Seriously, for me I find I really need the protein - if my meal is too carb based - like cereal in the a.m. - I am starving an hour later. Perhaps you could make up a batch of clear veggie soup and have a cup of that with your salad? Even Progresso's Lite based canned soups are good save for the sodium. 
Just stay cool lady - they don't pay you extra to get angry or frustrated. 
