Wow! So many new posts since I last read/posted! I had a good week -- I lost 7 pounds (well, a lot of that was water weight) and am now just below 260. I also got to the gym at work 3x last week -- I was going to go on Friday also, but I was pretty darn sore & stiff so I thought I should give my body a break.
Seattlegrrl, I travel a lot too. For eating well, I pack some Luna or Clif bars and have those for breakfast -- I'm not much into breakfast anyway. Also, I might have one for dinner if I've had a heavy lunch and don't have a business dinner. For strength training on the road, you can get a set of bands that pack very easily in the luggage. It's hard though -- I get off track very easily when I travel and it was my travel that got me off track this summer.
Quiggs -- I use calorie counting -- I like it the best cause I can eat whatever I want as long as I count calories. One thing I learned when I started my journey last fall was that in my previous attempts, I had
way under ate in the past & I was starving hungry all the time. Right now, I'm aiming for around 2000 calories/day. I used a thing at 24 Hour Fitness called "BodyGem" to figure out how many calories a day I needed. I was surprised at the number -- I think it was 2500/day just to maintain my weight -- course I weighed a lot more then.
Ammi--Sorry to hear about your back pain. I have really had some bad times with back pain over the years. One thing I have found is that strengthening my "core" -- the tummy and back -- helps with the back pain. I have to go slow because I don't want the muscles to spasm, but crunches for the tummy and planking for the back are very good. I think it was you that posted on the plank exercise -- the way I do it is to get up on my forearms -- with my elbow to wrist on the floor parallel to my body -- and on my toes and hold that as many seconds as I can (15 to start with working up to 30-60). I think doing it on your hands is for the advanced chicks
or the skinnier ones
.
Erika--Congrats on the apt and Amanda's job!
Katt--Congrats on the new job and on getting engaged! My partner of 5 years and I got married last month on October 30 -- one of the best days of my life
.
Terry--Hope your migraine is better -- I have had those before and they are awful. Glad you're here!
Melissa--Good for you for doing strength training. Everything I've read says that strength training is important to add to cardio if you want to lose weight. Don't worry about the amount you lift -- just keep your form good and do the right # of reps. (6 or 8 if you want to lift heavy, 12-15 if you want to lift light, 2-3 sets with 15-45 seconds rest in between -- the rest is important but you can keep your heart rate up by doing something else in between -- like if you are working legs, rest the legs and work your arms during your rest period and then go back to legs).
Andie-- Your post about buying men's pants when you were 13 brought me a flashback from my teenage years -- a party game where you had to put men's clothes over your own in some sort of race -- none of the clothes would fit over mine
-- I was so embarassed.
Sharon--I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with depression -- you're not alone. Hang in there!
Jill--I hope you get to see the penguins in Australia -- my first ever international business trip was to Australia -- I was in Brisbane for 1 week and Melbourne for another week -- my work colleague and I went to the penguin colony -- what a hoot!
Katy--I hope your mom recovers from her surgery & I know what you mean about it being a motivator. Last summer, my mom had a knee replacement and my dad had a quad bypass. Both are doing fine, but it made me realize that I wasn't going to live forever. At the time, I weighed 310 pounds, was sore and tired all the time, and just felt like I was waiting to keel over from a heart attack. I honestly felt like the only way I could ever lose weight was to have bypass surgery, but the 1% mortality rate scared me. I decided to go to 24 Hour Fitness (cause it was close to work) and sign up to work with a trainer. I learned so much working with her -- from what to eat to how to exercise. She eventually quit training because she got pregnant and didn't have good "numbers" (selling stuff) -- I never really "clicked" with the 2 trainers I had since and am now doing things on my own -- but I am so grateful that I ran into her and learned what I learned from her. Life is too short to be miserable all the time!
Luan--Sorry that you had such a rough week with your kitty, grandpa, and mom. Hang in there!
Rayne--Hope you and your fiance are able to come to an agreement about how you work out together. My partner used to be kind of a wuss when it comes to exercise -- she didn't want to sweat
, so when she wanted to start working out again, I suggested strongly that she hire a trainer. Now that she's had someone else push her for a while, it works well for us to work out together -- she knows how it is supposed to feel when she lifts weights and I can show her workouts I learned from my trainer or from the net. She even gets competitive with me now
.
Ingrid--Welcome!
Misti--Congratulations on your 70 pound loss!
Lilion--95 pounds! You go girl!
Junonia swimsuits--I have ordered stuff from them and also from Lands' End. I've found that for me, the simpler the better -- simple straps last longer than hook & buckle closures. I like scuba diving & snorkeling (although haven't been in a while) & you need at least 2 suits if you're doing that (one to wear, one to dry
).
Internet romance--I did one and what a disaster! Glad it has worked well for so many of you. I think that the big problem was that it is so easy to only see/show the parts of them/you that you want to see. My partner and I met in real life and were friends for 2 years before we started dating. We took it slow at first and also got couple's counseling early -- that worked really well for us and now it has been 5 years and we're an old married couple
.
MBA program--I can't remember who asked me about this, but if you are interested in business, I'd highly recommend it! I think the program is 1/2 about what you learn & getting the degree and 1/2 about building your professional network. I have come to believe that "job security" is a thing of the past -- it's about "career security" -- who you know and what you've done. I hope I retire from my current employer, but I know that things change and that may not happen. I was not going to take off work for 2 years to get a degree (I'm the primary breadwinner in our family), so I researched online and part time programs. There are more & more options now that allow you to work full time while you get your degree. I ended up choosing the Babson College Fast Track program -- they just started a cohert in Portland, Oregon which is where I live. It is a
lot of work -- I am doing school work 2-3 nights per week and 1/2 day on the weekend at least. But, I am impressed with the quality of instruction. PM me if you would like more info. My only regret is that I didn't do this years ago (I tell my classmates.. I'm 25.. in base 20
) -- but I wasn't interested in business until my late 30s.
Whew! That was a long post -- sorry that I didn't reply to more personally...
300+ And Ready To Try Again..#1058
I have been thinking about it for over a week and then this morning I flipped on the home shopping channel and there was Tony Little and his Gazelle! Now that is what I call a sign! 
So I decided to by myself an early birthday/Christmas present and I ordered it. The shipping and handling was free and it comes with 4 of Tony's workout DVD's so I feel like I got a good deal. It may take up to 2 weeks to arrive and I can't wait. Seeing Ammi's success on it and now how enthusiastic Misti feels about hers makes me think I will really enjoy it too!
Going down a clothing size is awesome!!! Keep up the good work!!!
to you to for being in 22's. I look forward to the day my 24's are sliding off me like yours are! What an awesome feeling!
I know you are right about the site itself being a counsellor because of all the different advice and views etc being posted here. But it definitely helps to have people like yourself who just know the perfect thing to say 
It definitely does seem like a sign that you were really considering getting one and then what should be on your TV but the man himself showing you how great the riders are. Those two weeks waiting for delivery will drag by, but I know once you get it, and set it up you will be having as much fun with working out as the rest of us Gazelle devotees including my new recruit, Misti 
, I'm on the computer alot and it just makes it easier to do online. Not to mention I type waaayyy faster than I can write
. Wow, am I lazy or what! LOL 
I haven't been the gym yet, but I will let you know how it goes. 
for so long now and I am finally fed up with how it makes me feel and how much weight I have gained from it. Which is why I decided to rejoin the boards and get back on track before it got too out of control! I plan on stocking up today and getting things that I can prepare ahead of time or that can easily be made, so that I can avoid the Fast food chains altogether!! I fell into the pitch of it being "fast" because of all the long hours I have had to put in at work. It was just too quick and easy to just pull in there and grab something on the way home. But all of that is over for me now! 
That's OK, we can get back on track now.
