Hey, even tho was feeling a bit crook, started to improve so thought I'd go to the gym, so I did and did my whole work out, thats 25 mins uphill treadmill, 15 mins bike and weight training for arms,thighs then stretches, was really hard work altho doen't sound much!! lol
Nancy, hubby will not even have a clue that I knew. Your brother lives in Maui, how cool! I hear ya about flying. I have flown once and was very uncomfortable so I have decided not to fly again until I loose the weight. But then again, Maui, I might just make an exception for that.
Emilymay: Good for you exercising when you are not feeling well. I have been doing that too. It feel so empowering doesn't it? I sure hope you are feeling better very soon. All that swimming talk makes me want to go. I think I will. lol. The last swim time at my pool today is from 12 to 1 and it is 11:20 now. I guess I'll have to do better next week and go back on Monday. I have been doing all of my other exercises though and it has been amounting to about 45 minutes a day. I am up to 26 minutes a day on my bike. Next week I will shoot for 30 minutes a day all at one time instead of the 26.
Charlen: Thanks sweetie. I am feeling better already. You know how TOM goes. lol. I think that is sooooo smart to go online and look over the menu that you have a choice on before you get there. You gals are brilliant.
Jilly: Feel better soon sweetie.
nancy: Oh, I hope you go to Miami. If anyone deserves a "working vacation" it is you my dear. I know you can do it. (the plane thing). Is it possible to get two seats or first class? I rode frist class from Missouri to California once and boy oh boy did it make a difference in the room! lol. I hope you get to go.
Patti: I'm so sorry that your weight isn't moving for you. Hang in there and maybe shake it up like Lilion is doing. I have no answers for when our weight doesn't move. I get as upset as you are but I hope you hang in there. Glad your knee is getting a bit better and you are enjoying the low impact workout. Is there a pool where you can swim near by? That is very low impact oo.
Michelle: You and your hubby should take a Sunday drive and take the 20 something miles East from Spokane into Idaho and drive to Coeur D alene Lake. It is beautiful. There are lots of shops you can look in and places to eat lunch. You can park and walk around the dock too looking at all the pretty boats etc. It is worth the drive. Glad you are enjoying your new homw so far.
Well, I feel pretty good today considering TOM is here. lol. I am going to go snuggle back in bed for a little bit. I made my Sweet Joel a double batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for our cookie jar. I never get tempted to eat his sweets that I bake him but last night I was thinking to myself, "boy a big glass of milk and a few of those cookies would be fun right now". I walked past the cookies to the laundry room where I have the devil scales and put them both down and like always came up with three different weights. The good news is that they were not weighing over 500 pounds. All three were under 500. The lowest one of them was 486 and the highest was 492. That would mean I lost from 13 to 19 pounds. lol. So, I was so happy that you coldn't pay me a $1000 dollars to eat even one of those cookies! And this morning I feel back how I have been, not even wanting any of his sweets. I am so excited. I am going to do this.
Wishing everyone lots of stamina for exercises, lots of willpower to avoid the sweets in your lives. Big hugs if you need it and a good hearty belly laugh today too.
Blessings all,
Annie
Sorry, I am just too exhausted to do a proper post. I went to town today, planning on having a lovely time getting presents for Daren for Valentines day, then we were going to have lunch, and just have a nice day out. It ended up snowing, and it all came down so fast and without any warning. All the buses were stopped, taxis didn't run, people were advised not to drive, AND all the schools shut early. Caleigh was in school, but Beth was with us as her school had already decided to stay closed. Anyway we all ended up having to walk home which took 90 minutes. We had to buy wellington boots, hats, scarves and gloves too, so it turned out a much more expensive day than I had planned Now my feet ache, my back is in two, and I am so tired. I did have a sleep when we got in, but physically I am just a mess. All I can say is thank god I have lost the weight I have or I NEVER would have made it home
Anyway I am off to watch some TV now, and I'll probably fall asleep again. Sorry I am not up to personal replies. Take care all and bye for this snowy Friday.
PATTI~ Thanks! Spokane is nice so far! So glad to hear your knee is getting better!
EMILY~WTG! You are doing awesome with your exercise!
ANNIE~Oh yeah I saw some pictures of that place! It looks really pretty! Its just nice to see trees/grass in general! We will for sure take a drive over there in the next months. That is so great about the scales! Congrats hun! WTG on not eating the cookies! Chips are my main problem! I literally could just eat a whole bag of chips! Again you are doing awesome hun!
AMMI~You have had quite the day! Get some rest and stay warm!
Well I am off to make some phone calls. Take care all!
Ammi how much snow did you get? nice little workout! thanks Annie for your encourgaement .. mean old scales.. and i have been doing good this week too.. ah well i will keep plugging along!
Well, I was going to go and take a nap but decided not to because I had to make a run to the bank. When I got home there was a call on the answering machine from that 1st job interview that I had on Tuesday of this week. I called him back and he offered me that job starting on the 16th of this month. I am so nervous but excited. I finally have a job. I am trying with all my heart to think only positive thoughts and not go to any negative place where my mind wants to take me to I can't do it's. lol.
Ammi: Wow, you really must have gotten hit by the snow! It sounds like a pretty normal winter day for here. lol. You poor baby. I'm glad you made it home safe and sound! Rest up.
Thank you all for the support. I am pretty excited. Now for a good weigh in tomorrow at Weight Watchers and I will be really having a good weekend. lol.
Blessings all,
Annie
Well, here goes... I tried to do some of these messages during the week, but my computer wasn't cooperating.
First of all... HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER AND SHARON!!!!!! I would add lots of bells and whistles, but I did that before (when my computer 'protested')and don't want to jinx myself.
Annie - That is FANTASTIC news about the job! I hope it proves to be exactly what you want. I KNOW that you will be exactly what THEY want, and I hope you feel the confidence in yourself that we all have about you. I can't wait to hear how your first days go.
Melissa - It is wonderful that you have finally moved and are able to see some trees again. I hope you get settled in fairly quickly and are able to appreciate your new surroundings. How long does hubby get off before he has to start in the new position?
Sharon - I hope you are feeling better soon. I can only imagine how hard it must be to look after two active little boys when you are feeling 100%, let alone when you are not well. Take care of yourself and get well soon.
Ammi - Sorry to hear that the weather hasn't been exactly cooperating. That walk certainly would have burnt off some calories, which is about the ONLY benefit I could see to walking for 90 minutes in bad weather! Oh... I don't think I've told you how gorgeous you look in your latest photos either.
Patti - I am really glad that your knee is getting better, but I DO have to agree with Ammi and I hope you still go to the doctor to see if you can find out what the underlying problem could be.
Nancy - MAUI!!!!!!!????? Wow! Sounds like a wonderful deal to me. What a place to visit for a 'working' holiday! If you don't decide to take your brother up on the offer, I could always go in your place. I am ABSOLUTELY hopeless at accounting, but I could definitely make a good job of the 'holiday' part of the deal.
Katt - I was SO sorry to hear about little Sooty. I know how much you adored your 'babies'. I hope that the pain is easing a little now. Do you think you will get a new friend for Sweep?
Erika - I hope all is going well with you and Amanda. I know you will miss your friend and her little girl if they move out, but hopefully they will be able to get settled somewhere soon and you will be able to visit.
Well... now for the latest about me. Not a lot to tell really. I have decided that after I have posted this message I am going to change my tracker. I have been kidding myself long enough that this weight is just 'temporary'. I am only adding 7 pounds, although as of today I am about 11 pounds above my lowest weight. I actually feel as though there has to be a good reason for this latest increase, as the last 4 pounds only went on this week and I trule feel as though it is just fluid, so I'll give it a couple more weeks before I change the tracker again. I am disappointed that I have to change it at all, because I have been doing all of the same things that I have always done. I'm pretty sure that I haven't been eating more than I should and I have certainly been doing enough exercise. I am going to show my food diary to my dietician friend so she can see what needs 'tweaking'. I am wondering whether I originally just settled at a weight that my body wasn't happy with, and it wants to be a little higher. I'm not sure I'm happy with that, but I may have to live with it. I don't want to have to starve myself if that is what it takes to get to a lower weight. I know that I have anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds of excess skin (could even be more, but I don't really know) so I have to keep that in my mind when I talk about my 'ideal' weight. I am trying to not let my weight gain mess with my head too much. Now and then I am successful, and other times I come down on myself WAY too hard. I KNOW I am healthier than I have ever been before. My recent blood work shows that. And I am fitter too, because I am able to do things I never even thought about doing before. I have to keep reminding myself that weight is just a small part of this whole journey and as long as I keep doing the right thing I won't put all the weight back on again. I have actually worried about that a little lately and I have to get my head back into a positive position about it again. I know I wouldn't let any of you let yourselves talk badly about any weight gains, but I am the FIRST to do it to myself. I won't get you to kick me, because I am kicking myself on a regular basis. I WILL win this battle of the minds!!!!!
I have also had to rethink my exercise a little in the past day or so. My dietician friend (Jodie) saw me walking early in the morning the other day, while it was still dark and she told me that she was concerned for my safety. She walks with a friend and they had been 'chased' by a car with 4 young guys in it a little while ago. She is worried that I shouldn't be walking on my own in the dark. I think she may have worried Neil a little too, so I am sure he doesn't want me walking in the mornings anymore. Well... I still have the treadmill, but I was enjoying the walks outside, because they added some variety to my workouts. So, today we went looking for Cross Trainers and I bought one that I think will be pretty good for adding the variety I am looking for. It is a Pro Form 900 CardioCross Elliptical (You can see it here if you are interested: http://www.proform.com/webapp/wcs/st...29281_-1_21664) Neil put it together for me this afternoon and I have been on it a couple of times. It is harder than I thought it would be, but I think that could have had a little to do with the fact that I was doing it later in the day and I had been out and about all day. I am hoping that I will be able to go for a little longer if I use it in the mornings. I managed to get in two sessions of 10 minutes, but even they brought out a good sweat! I have a feeling that I will come to love this as much as I love the treadmill. I know that I will still use the treadmill, but now I have even more variety.
The first full week of school went fairly smoothly. I only had 20 students, and 16 of those were the same kids I had last year, which made for a very smooth start to the new year. It was quite nice hearing them tell the new kids... "Mrs K doesn't like you doing that" and "Mrs K wants us to do it THIS way"... well, stuff like that. They were doing my job for me, and doing it quite nicely indeed. I am getting a new little girl on Monday. She was at our school, in another class, last year, and her mum sent her to a private school for the start of the year, but she isn't settling, so she is coming back.
I don't have school on Monday, because I have Professional Development. I have already booked SEVEN days with a relief (sub) teacher for this term. Two days are to prepare me for the testing that is done in this year level and 5 of the days are for the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) role that I will be taking on half time next year. I am sharing the position, and we have quite a bit of training for that role throughout the year. At least I was able to get the same relief teacher in for the whole 7 days, and the kids love this other teacher, which should make things a little easier on them. I often feel guilty for leaving them too much.
Tomorrow we are hoping that it will be nice enough to go to the zoo. We haven't been for a few months and I have been missing it. We had some very hot days last week, but lately it has been very reasonable (sitting around 80/90F) which is just about perfect for me.
I had better head off now, as it is my bed time. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend so far.
Sorry to those wonderful people who I have missed answering. I had to work from memory as I am in a hurry and only read the posts on this page.
Zelma -- I'm sorry about the weight gain, especially as you don't FEEL you're doing anything different. Do you think all the stresses about your dad are a contributing factor??
I was just going to suggest shaking up your exercise routine, and you went and did that already!!
I know that a lot of the other maintainers talk about the "reduced obese" -- people who were obese and lost a lot of weight. Apparently it is the contention of many in the medical community that our bodies are different, and more prone to weight gain, than the bodies of people our same age and weight who have never been obese. Now, the research on this is still new and ongoing. Though I find it depressing, I also know that some people do keep the weight off and I plan to be one of them!
I do, however, think this is a battle we will be waging our entire lives. We have to be on guard for weight gains and learn to bring ourselves back in line.
I refuse to let myself get depressed by this (although sometimes I have to work at NOT being depressed). In some ways, it helps me to know that I am not alone and that a lot of the things I go through, others go through too (and that's why a community like this is sooo valuable!). I know it's normal to experience fluctuations and normal to exercise a lot, etc... So, knowledge is power.
Okay, I think I got off on a diversion there.... anyway, from me! and enjoy the new crosstrainer!
I've had such a hard week. I just can't seem to get back on track no matter how hard I try. I do fine in the morning, and then just go to pieces by night time. I'm starting to wonder if I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is my first full winter here, and the half winter I was here last year was a very mild one in comparison. It's so cold right now, it's 20 below zero. I got out yesterday, and took the bus one hour, one way to go pick up a computer card for my husband's computer. It was $40 off, and I 'd have taken a bus to **** and back for that good of a deal. I got lost trying to find the return stop, and walked quite a way. I did tell myself that two years ago, I couldn't have even walked to the stop at the end of our block, so I have made improvements. I just can't seem to get fired up anymore. I guess if I have to start over every day for the rest of my life, then that is just the way it is going to have to be.
Now for part two of my clipping on Baby-stepping. This one is on Exercise.
#1 - Go Walkies. Grab the kids and hit the pavement for a fun trip in any weather. In winter, walk all the way to the toboggan hill.
#2 - Park 'n' walk. Park further away from the office and walk 10 minutes each way. Or take a quick turn around the block after lunch.
#3 - Start stairing. If you have a few minutes, walk up and down a flight of stairs a few times. Try it a few times a week and slowly increase the number of trips or the speed. Watch your endurance and thigh muscles improve.
#4 - Cut a rug. That's right, turn on the tunes, roll up the carpet and have a family dance party. Little kids love this and the fun is infectious.
#5 - Do double duty. Next time you are flaked out in front of the tube, think about trying a few sit-ups, leg lifts or push-ups. By the end of a season of Grey's Anatomy, you'll see real progress.
I just picked up a copy of the Canadian version of GNC's health magazine, and it has lots of good articles. Next time you guys get the 10 things you should do before starting a diet. I'm anxious to see how many things I missed.
Now my feet ache, my back is in two, and I am so tired. I did have a sleep when we got in, but physically I am just a mess. All I can say is thank god I have lost the weight I have or I NEVER would have made it home 
We will for sure take a drive over there in the next months. That is so great about the scales! Congrats hun! WTG on not eating the cookies! Chips are my main problem! I literally could just eat a whole bag of chips! Again you are doing awesome hun!
Annie!!! That is wonderful news!
