[Amarantha2]

Hi, ho, thin people! I started a new thread, but you knew that, right?

I'm on Day 54, finished a very busy day with 1790 calories ... counted the extra exercise I had on the job as my second walk, as I walked all day doing interviews and didn't sit down until evening. I'm going to dump this client as soon as the present job is finished, though. I'm thinking of taking a job in another town and moving from here and I hope the stress will not cause the binge fairies to land here.

Babette: Congratulations on your 3.5 pounds down. You are doing so well.

Everyone is doing well and it's just a long, day-by-day process. Sometimes it is hard, but other times it just seems to flow effortlessly ... embracing the chi or something. It flows up and it flows down and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes not so good. Much like the stock market.

I seem to be drifting into stream of consciousness here so probably my blood sugar is low and I should go eat breakfast.

Have a great day, everyone!

[sychie]

since i just blindly added on to #7, i guess i'll post here to bump it up above that one....

guess it pays ot pay attention once in a while....

[morrigan]

I am doing better today. It helps that two days of splurging didn't affect my weight. I am still holding at 157.

[sychie]

still doing well. splurged on cheese fries last night (oh they were GOOD), but it wasn't so bad as i had eaten rather well the rest ofthe day and exercised a lot.
so, i'm still feeling pretty good here on day 11.
i hope i stick ot it through the weekend-that tends to be a problem sometimes. we shall see.
i hope you all are doing well.

[Amarantha2]

And doing reasonably well. Switched to yoga for my second workout each day after doing the market research project, which is quite aerobic in itself, so feel myself getting tight and overtrained. Losing ground on weights, though, but will pick that up in a few days. Still walking in the a.m. Calories are on the high side of my "streak" plan, but within the parameters. Still want to go lower. We shall see.

Everyone seems to be hanging in well and that is encouraging me. I'm in such a hurry now, which is why this message seems a bit disjointed!

Downward and downward!

[JoJoJo2]

I am happy that eveyone is doing so well. It is a struggle, so let's just make that struggle a day-to-day effort in our lives. It is worth it. I am worth it.

Our 18-year old granddaughter is moving out from our home after 2 1/2 years with us. She is a full time college student and a part time fast food worker. It is time for her to be on her own, but I must confess that the parting is a bit stressful. I wish her well of course,and I will miss her. And of course she may be back if independence becomes too difficult for her. Life is a series of events, isn't it? Nothing stays the same.

The weather here is beautiful. Cool at night, and moderate during the day. Crispy and clear. We have had snow, and more will be coming. Autumn is far and away my favorite time of the year.

Stick with it, everyone. The victory will be ours!!!

JoJo

[morrigan]

My weight is still holding on - probably because I have been sick all week and not wanted to eat all that much.

I had to work at the football game last night. I was sucking on cold lozenges all night and taking liquid niquil. I actually had 2 kids ask me if I was drinking. That probably would have been better than the niquil. I could hardly drive home.

I need a day to just sleep or something. I am supposed to go to a halloween party tonight and I don't even have a costume.

[Amarantha2]

Still in a streak mode hanging on to my program by a thread, but determined to go to Thanksgiving, then we'll see. I'm sure weight is up again, though. For some reason it's just doing this up kind of thing and I'm not sure why, since my calories and activity are ok. We'll see.

Sorry you are sick, Morrigan. Maybe you should just say no to the Halloween party and take the time to sleep. Surely people would understand! But hope you feel better soon at any rate.

JoJoJo: It is good to "see" you. Hope the "empty nest" syndrome is not getting you down too much since your granddaughter left. Enjoy your lovey autumn day today. It is rather hot here again.

Sychie: Those cheese fries sound so good I may have some today. They aren't too bad a choice once in awhile.

Everyone, have a great day! I'm going to go wind some tatting shuttles so I can have something to tat when I take a break from working today. I am just making bookmarks lately until my concentration gets better. I've been extremely scattered for the past month or so. Very worrisome.

[Arabella]

Hi All,
I'm always very thrilled to get an extra hour. It seems to take a bit of the pressure off. And then, of course, it will make getting up in the morning a little easier, too. I'm all for it!

Well -- it looks like our house might sell! People put in a (low) offer on it yesterday, and we countered and we'll see what happens. It seems quite possible. We want to offer on a house in town (oh, my! to be in town!) and will do that immediately if we get to an agreement! High stress time, but I am very determined not to get off track. I made the decision at some point yesterday not to be overly concerned about my points for the day, because we have a monthly potluck dinner with a group of friends and it was last night. I'm pretty happy with how it went; I ate enough, but not too much. Ended up a little bit high, but not disasterously. 33 points, counting my exercise. I did the nautilus routine, did yoga and a.m. chi. This morning DH and I went for a 5 mile walk and then I did a.m. chi when we got back, so today is starting off great point-wise. Tonight we're having nachos and a movie, so the extra points will pay off. Plus I had breakfast at lunch-time, so I should be able to save enough to do it OP. Yay!

Crone, are you just assuming your weight is up again? It seems like your weight doesn't fluctuate much. Mine can easily fluctuate 5 pounds when I'm maintaining. I bet you have a good weigh-in (tomorrow, isn't it?). Tatting sounds good. I've been thinking of taking up knitting - good stress relief, plus I really love sweaters! Guess you don't need them so much in the southwest.

Morrigan, I second Crone's suggestion. Your first priority should be to look after yourself well. I'm sure that all the stress you had with the obnoxious parent(s?) didn't help you fight off your illness. Hope you're feeling better! Try to take it easy.

JoJoJo, I feel for you with your granddaughter moving out. I just became a grandmother last month and I'm amazed at the bond! I keep picturing you in Wyoming. I think it might be a bit too rugged for me, but it sounds very romantic!

Sychie, cheese fries sound good to me too - but what the heck are they? In Canada, we have something called "poutine" which is french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Quebecois. It's really yummy if all the ingredients are good.

Have a great day, Everyone. We shall prevail!

xo
babette
231/211.2/160 (so nice to be typing lower numbers in the middle!)

[Arabella]

Hmmmm. Just me again, dropping in to say that I had a good day. 30 points taken in and had 6 or 7 points worth of exercise, which takes me down to around 24 points. Great!

Sweet dreams, All.



xo
babette

[morrigan]

I did end up skipping the Halloween Party. I went out to dinner with my DH and friends, then called my mom 1/2 way through dinner. She picked me up and drove me home, so my DH could stay out. It was really nice of her. I am still sick, but I have absolutely no plans to interrupt getting well today.

I did really good eating yesterday. I just want to get back to a workout routine. This was the week to do it, and I have felt so crappy I haven't been to the gym at all.

[Amarantha2]

... and counting. Haven't lost any pounds so still up from where I thought I was (or something), but that's ok. Still on streak and consistent behavior is what keeps me steady in life, so I'm cool. The market research work is not helping in that regard, but I'm hoping to dump it soon. I know it is that stress that makes me crave sweets.

Morrigan: Glad you are resting. Hope you feel better soon. Maybe instead of the gym you could just do yoga or gentle walking at home for a week or so until your body regains balance.

I have a highly unscientific theory that gentle walking and mind-body exercise rids the body and mind of toxins and focuses the spirit ... kind of like those people who walk around in circles on labyrinths or monks in Tibet who practice walking meditation. When my brother was alive, he had a lot of emotional problems and used to pace, pace, pace around the house all day. His family thought it was a manifestation of illness, but I know it was a seeking after balance and a way to soothe and heal himself (though it was not enough). Alzheimer's patients and other people with neurological problems tend to pace, too. One of my family members has mentioned that to me a number of times as an illustration of why she thinks pacing is dysfunctional.

But I pace around a lot, too, here and there, around the house, garden, yard, neighborhood, while working, reading, talking on the phone, on the desert. I do my fitness walks, but the pacing is something different and it seems just as important in my weight management program as the intense exercise. If I am not centered, balanced and well, I don't see how I can do anything, let alone keep weight off.

Since I live alone, there's no one around to tell me the pacing is crazy, so I'm left in peace to do what comes naturally. It also burns more calories than lying on the couch.

So if one doesn't feel exactly up to a kick-*** workout, a gentle pacing stroll can be a way to come back to a state of well-being where intensity is again possible.

Good luck on your house sale, Babette! Funny, you want to move to the city and I want to move further and further away from it. You are right, we don't need too many sweaters where I live, though they come in handy at times. When I first moved here, I tried to continue knitting as I'd always done, but to me it's just basically too hot to even want to look at yarn, even in the winter. So now I tat, which is a cooling activity, though one of my old, old tatting books recommends NOT tatting in the summer as one's hands might sweat, thus ruining the lace! I always thought that was amusing.

Downward, everyone! Have a great day, whatever it brings.

[sychie]

hello all. just checking in to say i'm still here and doing ok, i guess. fri and sat were not the best of all possible days, eating-wise, but they could have been worse, too. i just finished cleaning the house and i'm thinking of doing some yoga. trying to keep moving (also helps keep warm-it's getting cold here)
take care everyone, keep up the good work

[Arabella]

Hi All,

Another day down. I'm feeling so much better! I did eat at a shower this afternoon but tried to be judicious and ended up with 27 points when i factored in all the exercise I got today. Yay!

Crone, your points about pacing around are very interesting. I think the fact that pacing (like walking a labyrinth) is not in a straight continuous line but sort of back and forth and here and there is what makes it therapeutic. There's a fair amount of neuropsychology research that suggests that moving the body through space in a non-linear way (like dancing, or tai chi, for example) is very good for psychological health and may even forge new neural pathways. I'm trying to come up with an article outline tying this into Tai chi, so I've been thinking about it quite a lot lately. Know what you mean about the knitting -- I couldn't begin to look at yarn on a hot day!

Hope everyone is doing well!

'Night All!

xo
babette
231/211.2/160

[Amarantha2]

Having a hard time staying under my calorie limit tonight, but should make it if I go to bed!

Babette: I'd like to see your article when it is published. I see how Tai Chi is related to the kind of thing I was talking about. Actually, though, I sometimes do walk back and forth in a more or less straight line but that's usually just a fitness walking thing. I have a very long hallway, so when it is too hot to walk or jog outside or I just don't feel like getting dressed and going out, I use my "hall treadmill" to get some exercise. I walk back and forth and I like to count the trips as I go. This is fast walking usually; the counting seems to keep my mind occupied and eliminate thoughts of quitting. Sometimes I cut exercise short because I get scattered, e.g., thoughts about what I have to do that day or what I want to do or whatever intrude and make me want to stop.

I do this outside, too. We have a long street that used to back up to the desert but now backs up to a housing addition. I tend to exercise in perfectly straight laps, back and forth, and count. This is fast walking or jogging.

So, I guess you could say the straight-line walking is more businesslike, an objective to an end (weight loss and fitness), while the pacing around and about is more of a spiritual or emotional release. But the latter incidentally produces a byproduct of increased fitness as well as mental clarity. Which seems to me to be the objective of Tai Chi, ballet, Pilates and yoga.

I think I'm rambling again, a privilege of cronedom. Good-night all!