Morning, ladies!!

This is a quiet week coming up for me. I want to get a lot of course planning done (classes start in a few weeks) but can do a lot of work from home if I like.

My eating and exercise are finally doing better. I FEEL like I'm in more control again. Hopefully I'll keep it up and losses will follow.

Morning ladies,

What a beautiful morning for August. Maybe it is helped by my outlook about Monday mornings. I am working hard at not griping about going to work; just being grateful for what I have.

I had a great weekend. Very lowkey. Watched Olympics. Pulled weeds. Trimmed shrubs. Played in the pool. Studied. Rode Spanky. Snoozed. Played with the dogs. Made Toll House pan cookies. Ate two; freezing the rest except for a few I left out for DH.

I'm listening to FitGirl this morning. She's a personal trainer that does podcasts. Very motivating.

Not much else is new. to all!

Lilion!!

Rene - I've not heard of anyone doing the hypnosis. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Good morning all,

I did to my weigh in Sunday and to my surprise I lost 7 more pounds, that is cool down to 331. I was hoping to get to 299 by Jan 1 2009 I am going to work as hard as i can to move that date closer.

Terri thanks so much for the positive comment! ..I hope I can make one person get as motivated to make good choices as everyone here has done for me! you don't have to even talk to anyone just read their stories, the struggles and the accomplishments and setbacks... this is far cooler than the olympics to me!!!

Lilion thanks for the words of encouragement! (what is TWG! ???) I am computer literate but there are always new things I haven't seen..lol

I just got back from a 2 mile walk this morning and I stopped in to write before I go and do some push ups ..etc.. walking is 7 days a week and calisthenics is Mon, Wed and Fri!... so the cup of coffee sounds good I might have a second one..

Have a wonderful day!,
Elliott

Oops, sorry Elliott for the "morning ladies".

Morning ladies and Elliot!!

Good morning everybody, i'm Paige, i'm 42 and as of this morning weighing 303...which a month ago was 320...i'm very frustrated though, it was 304 last monday and I have been dieting and excersiing all week and all i lost was a measly one pound. I am still motivated but then again not really. Its great to see that there is a site for ladies over 300 and also over 40. Most places I have looked are women that are 20 or 30 and weighing 150...i only wish i was 150....ok so i'm not in a good mood....sorry...i'm usually perky and happy. I guess I just wanted to say helllloooo everybody.
Paige

Good Morning Ladies and Gentleman!

Quite possibly because I meant to say WTG - as in Way To Go - but my fingers got in the way! I have to say Elliott - Your loss is fantastic! You get another TWG this morning too!

Terri, glad you had a relaxing weekend. I haven't watched the Olympics, but kept up on Michael Phelps - which was cool. A guy from my hometown was competing in the shotput - is that how that's spelled? But I never heard how he did. I may have to look that up today.

To everyone else - got to run!

Happy Monday, Everyone!
I was in a bit of a funk last week and so did more lurking than posting...but I had a good weekend. On Saturday, I got the big part of my final project done for my MBA class. I still have some stuff to do, but it is mostly downhill from here. Yesterday, I went on a 30-mile bike ride with my pals from work. It was hot, but not as hot as Fri/Sat (which was over 100 which is way too hot for Oregon!). Then, this a.m., I had an appt with a physical therapist (never did that before) to figure out why my hip hurt so bad and (most importantly) what to do to keep it from happening again. I learned a bunch of stuff -- probably the most important thing I didn't know is that stretching is not just to relax your muscles -- it is also to "oil" your joints (with synovial fluid) -- that as we get older, our joints can dry out and that's why you get the "snap, crackle, pop" going. She recommended warming up for about 5 min, then some stretches to make sure the joints are all oiled up, and then go lift weights. So, I'm gonna do that .

This weekend, I'm going up to Mt. Rainier with my work pals -- although I have been to Seattle many times and I have lived in Portland for 5 years, I have never been to Mt. Rainier. It sounds gorgeous, and I hear you can see mountain goats. Then, Labor Day weekend, then finish school, and then two weeks of vacation/backpacking. Woohoo!

It's kind of lonely around the house these days -- my 5 y/o step-grandson is in CA visiting family this month. He comes back on Labor Day weekend and then starts kindergarten. It is so cool -- he is going to start school the same week I finish my MBA

Paige -- Welcome! Good for you for losing so much your first month! I have heard that 1-2lbs/week is a good steady weight loss. I have found that in my first month or so, I lose a lot of weight -- some of it is undoubtedly water -- but that as time goes on, my loss slows some. Hang in there and keep doing what you're doing -- it will work!

Elliot -- Welcome and congratulations on your WI! It feels so good to be able to get out and about, doesn't it? My friends and I were talking about all the homeless we saw on our bike ride - one of my friends was saying that she didn't understand how people could live like that. Although I've never been homeless, I do know the despair of feeling bad, knowing that you could be living a much better and healthier life, but feeling like you are in a pit that you can't get out of. This way of life is so much better.

Terri -- I will have to check out the podcast. I keep subscribing to podcasts, but I don't download or listen to them very often -- apparently iTunes "helps" you by deleting your subscription if you don't listen for a while . That's great that you had a relaxing weekend and that the work stress is lessening!

Heather -- Good to hear you are getting back on track! Hey, are you in academia? I'm thinking about making a major career change and getting a PhD in business, and always interested to hear other people's experience.

Rene -- Hope you're awake by now! I have never tried hypnotism -- I'd be interested to hear how well you think it works for you.

Lilion -- Congrats on your loss! I think there is a lot of sexism in the Olympics, but I still watch it . There have been some amazing performances this time.

Annie -- on your engagement! You sound very happy! And, of course, you deserve love no matter what your size. Good that your fiance understands that .

So, back to work for me. I am going to post a couple of pix in the photo thread -- from a backpacking trip last month up to Ramona Falls (the one with me in the pix) and Mount Hood (the one of the flowers and mountains).

Elmay -- I am in fact in academia with a Ph.D. and I'd be happy to talk to you about it. I typically tell people not to get a Ph.D. unless they need it to do a specific job (e.g., be a professor). Something to think about, especially as you may be able to get a full time job in academia with an MBA -- unlike other fields where a Ph.D. is virtually required. I think that's because it can be hard to attract people with business degrees to academia because of the low pay. Frequently, they can make more money elsewhere. I'm at a small school, things may be different at bigger, research oriented schools, but those places are typically hiring people who will be seeking major research grants.

So, I would advise you check out schools in the area and see if you could get a job you'd want as an MBA (provided that's the direction you're thinking).

PM me if you want to chat more about it!

Morning ladies and Elliott!

I am going to try to post a little more regular but won't have as much time. My schedule this week is to get up early, study, exercise, off to work and then exercise, time for DH, dogs, riding, eat, study, sleep.

I'm posting again in a blog. The link is to the left under my avatar. You're welcome to read my blathering.

Elmay - How great that you are so close to having that MBA finished. What is your emphasis? I did mine in Finance. What new career are you thinking about? Inquiring minds need to know.

Elliott - Two miles a day is a great walking program. Especially that you get it done every day. Keep up the great work.

Heather - Does it seem that the summer has flown by for you and that its just wrong that its almost time for classes to start again?

I better get busy. to all!

OMG, YES!

I'm done with my MBA program on September 5th. Actually, to be precise, my team is done presenting our final project by 8:45am Pacific time on Friday morning. I am still in class after that, but I will be done done done! So, according to some website I found, I have 15 days, 20 hours, and 34 minutes left. But who's counting ?

As far as what I will do after this, for about the past 7 or 8 years, my career objective has been to become a general manager, running a $20-$100M/year business, and having profit and loss responsibility. However, what I am realizing this summer is that I do not want that much stress in my life. A couple of years ago, I lost around 65 pounds in about nine months. Then, I changed jobs from engineering into marketing and started my MBA program. Within 6 months, I had over 100,000 miles flying United and was on the road a lot. Even though I had worked hard to put structure into place so that I could stay on track with my eating and exercise while I was traveling, I didn't. I started spending all my time at work either working on work or working on school instead of exercising and preparing healthy food. I gained back 60 of the 65 pounds I lost.

Through a convergance of events, I have had a fairly stable spring and summer (even though I haven't changed jobs). I have slacked off some on the school work. The last business trip I took was in January. I have been focusing on eating healthy. I have been exercising. And, I've taken my weekends to spend time in the mountains hiking or on my bike. I realize I do not want to go back to being on the road all the time. I do not want any more stress in my job than I already have. I have been sober for 8.5 years -- I would not take a job that would jeopardize my sobriety. Yet, I have been jeopardizing my health with how I've approached my work. Other people perhaps can do this type of work w/o jeopardizing their health. I am not sure I can.

At the same time, I have always thought about becoming a professor. I got interested in behavorial economics when I read "Predictibly Irrational" by Dan Ariely on one of my business trips. A few months later, I was taking a class in managerial accounting and started talking with my prof about behavorial econ -- he said, "We've been doing that in accounting for years -- it's called behavioral accounting." Turns out, he is one of the seminal researchers in the field. What intrigues me about this is the idea that I can combine my interest in how and why people do what they do with my interest and fascination with analysis and numbers. So, I'm strongly considering a career change (in 2 years at the earliest!) -- leaving business, going to a top-tier school and getting a PhD, and then getting a tenure track position at a university.

It would mean a major change to my lifestyle -- not only in terms of what I was doing day to day but it would be a significant impact to my income. I'm not going to jump into anything -- I'm going to look at all the angles. However, whatever I do, I'm going to make sure I put my health first, not job, not school, and especially not income.

A long-winded reply to a short question, but that is what's up with me!

Holy cow, Elmay! That is a huge change in career. But it sounds fascinating. The older I get, the more I want change myself. Somewhere along the way, you realize that there is life out there and you want to be part of it. Go for it!

Elmay -- Behavioral accounting sounds a lot like psychology!! Very cool! All I can say from experience is that there IS stress in academia, but I do think a very different level/kind from what you'd be leaving behind!

Hi everyone.
hope everything is well with all of you. elmay-wow-you really have your head together knowing your priorities. I really admire you.
My husband and I are on our way out to walk the dogs but I just had to catch up with everyone It keeps me motivated.
rene