Hubby and I got up early and did my Workout 1. To save time we only did 8 counts and not the 16 I have done before. It still took an hour. I got to 'play' personal trainer and remind Hubby what the exercises were and how to do them correctly, but I had a good time. LOL, I'm not sure Hubby would discribe it as fun though.

We get to go to the dentist later today and do some running around plus grocery shopping.

Hope everyone is ready for the new week.

Hi, everybody! I'm on vacation this Monday and Tuesday. Today I have an appt with a dermatologist; tomorrow's the followup for my thyroid. My mom called me yesterday - she was being admitted to the hospital for viral bronchitis. Now they're hanging on to her because they're suspecting COPD. Smoker, drinker, overweight ... sigh. Her dad was diagnosed with COPD at 67 himself and died from it several years later. She's a stubborn, smart lady who knows the consequences of her choices. I'm sure many of you can relate to this dilemma.

Marie - your new baby is adorable! What a happy-looking pack they are!

penguin - I don't think there's anything wrong with lose/maintain/lose/maintain/lose/maintain. All things in their correct time! I so envy you your willingness to work out ... I haven't done it yet and I'm a pound from my (preliminary) goal! Better health is better health - whether it's incremental or sudden!

I've beat the cold, and I'm headed for the pool tonight. This week I'm just going to stretch out and make sure everything works.

Hope everything is going well for all!

CruiseCAT: I find it so much easier to not eat out, too. And it used to be such a source of pleasure that, for awhile, there was a fair amount of grief that came with this realization. Now, it's getting to the point where I would just rather eat at home and do so as often as I can work it out.

Marie: I'm glad the doggie introduction went so well. The pictures are lovely -- you have such a happy pack. Yay for another pound!

Onmyway: glad you're feeling better!

patchworkpenguin: can't remember which books I mention on which threads, but the Judith Beck books are the ones that got me to just do it. That it's not about motivation and willpower, it's about behavior and strategy.

Hydra: So sorry you aren't feeling well. Hope the doctor can help out.

ICUwishing: Thinking of you and your mom -- parental illness is tough. Have fun at the pool!

Okay, time to get to something productive. I'm play with a time management system that I've just learned about called The Pomodoro Technique.

Hi Everyone.. another week another goal! I am trying to get motivated or should I say STAY motivated here-- was out of town for a few days with my fiances family and they are all about RED MEAT ( which I dont really process very well) between that and the crap they have laying around ( snacks etc-) really built character QUICKLY when I saw the scale when I got home last night. -- Ugh.
I stayed on all my WW points last night on the drive home from up north ( 8 hours- as its so easy to snack in the car on long rides)

My fiance left for a week as did my son who went to his dads so this is ME week to work and get back on track. I diet so much better when I am on my own!

When others are around its easy to "eat for fun!"

Not good.

I just want to feel balanced again.
My dad is coming into town in a few weeks and I have tons of work this week to process which is good.
I am getting the house take care of for fall., which is fun, I just feel a bit anxious these days.

It is a lifestyle, i have to say THIS TIME... I hope that i can work it. Sometimes I eat because I feel pressured to "fit in" ( Everyone ELSE is doing it.. Ordering steak. etc.. so why not me?) when in turn it makes me feel awful~

Anyway, its nice to be here and share, I am new here. I hope to find alot of support and a place in which to be accountable!


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LessThanZero welcome!

Marie, your new dog is beautiful and I'm glad everyone is adapting well!

ICUWishing I hope all goes well with your own dr's appts, and that your mother is alright...

Penguin How nice to exercise with your DH!

Me, I'm largely housebound again. My youngest son was home sick from school a couple of weeks ago, and now he will be home sick again. He's got a fever, and I took him to the dr, where they swabbed him for swine flu. We'll get the results in a couple days, and until then he has to stay home. Which he would have anyway, given his fever. DH left for a couple-day trip so I'm on my own.

Newleaf - best of luck with nursing the illness! Not envying you the timing of DH's trip - eek! Stay healthy!

lessthanzero - enjoy your week alone! I'm the opposite - I behave better when under at least a small level of scrutiny.

Dermatologist appt was fun - 2 nurses and 1 doctor tell me I have great skin! He burned off my one aggravating dark spot (leftover from pregnancy) up on my cheekbone with a little electrical wand - it's just pink now! Oh, how I hated that spot ... if I'd known it was going to take 60 seconds and $55, I would have dealt with it years ago! It was my 20# reward, though. The other blotchy patch on the other cheek doesn't lend itself to that treatment - I got a prescription fade cream for that. All in all, a fine experience. It doesn't even sting. Cool!

I feel like a lurker, even though I hardly ever come on anymore! ;-(

I just can't keep up when the threads get long, but this is manageable.

I am doing okay and Marie, you are not kidding, its a slow laborious process. I have people all around me dropping very quicky using shakes and cereal bars, but I don't want it to come back this time. I got very small by starving myself about 4 years ago, and this time I want to do it right, because the minute I ate something, I gained it all back, but it is slow.

I missed the pics of your puppies, how many dogs do you have now?

Newleaf, sorry your son is sick, its so hard when family gets sick.


Gardenjoy, pomodoro, I have to check that out. I just stated using quickenonline.com for free! So far it saved me from overdraft this month!

ICUWishing, I am not sure I know what COPD is, I have to look it up. I am sorry you are dealing with that.

Penguin, at least you have a buddy. I think I might try to get up early to do a workout. That might kick this thing in gear!

Take care all.
dm

Looked up COPD, I think my dad had that. Not good!! He smoked for years too.

Patch - very cool that you and DH are working out together. I know for me having a workout buddy really helps.

Welcome LessThanZero, You've come to the right place for support. The life style change was key for me this time. I didn't go on a diet I made a couple changes; I started counting calories and exercising. Although daily treadmilling and bowflex are my primary workouts I am enjoying more outdoor activities including hiking most weekends. BTW - You are in a GREAT area for hiking. I just did Mary Jane Falls last month and LOVED it!!! Mt. Charleston has 20+ hikes ranging from easy to strenuous. I would be on that mountain several time a week if I lived in Vegas.

Heidi - sure hope DS is feeling better.

Becky - Nice reward and well worth it.

dmc - We're here.... check in when you can. We all understand life gets busy. As for those around you they will not be able to maintain. I think most of us can go on a "diet" and drop a bunch of weight but a true life style change is necessary if I am going to have long term success. I can live my life watching calories and exercise I cannot live a life of shakes, bars, or cookies..... yes cookies..... the latest "diet" my sister was on.

Have a good night ladies!!!

Quick update on Mom: COPD was ruled out (thank God), but it appears she's having a weird reaction to the prednisone nebulizer - it's making her blood sugar spike up. Blood oxygen still too low, but at least she's not coughing up blood any more. Specialists are now involved. Thank you, everyone, for the positive thoughts!

Becky - GREAT news about your mom.

I'm moving a little slow this morning; didn't get up until 4:45 when two of the pups had enough of my ignoring them and decided to take a more direct approach by jumping on the bed.

They are calling for rain today and I'm planning on crawling back in bed with a book; this of course AFTER I take the pups out and wear them out. I still need to get on the treadmill but no cleaning today. The kitchen is all that is left of the "deep" clean and I plan to do that tomorrow.

Well Hogan will not leave me alone so I guess it's time to take them out.

Marie: hope you and Sasha work out the pack walking thing! That sounds like a real challenge.

lessthanzero: Welcome! Lots of good insights you have there -- you have a great start on this journey! My husband is allergic to red meat. It started with just not feeling good and eventually turned into hives all over his body. That was enough to get family to always provide an alternative!

newleaf123: hope you can find something relaxing and/or rejuvenating while being at home with a sick boy.

ICUwishing: so glad the dermatology experience was great for you! Glad there's some good news on your mom.

dmc2009: I'm finding I have to be pretty selective about 3FC. I follow this thread in the morning, the Beck diet thread in the evening, and that's it unless I have some unexpected free time and am in the mood to browse. I post on an exercise challenge thread, but I ignore all the other participants. I don't feel too bad because only a few people use that thread for conversation.

I have chicken stock on the stove. Later it will be applesauce. I'm also going to do a little garden clean up and make pesto from the rest of the basil. Feels like fall!

LT0, welcome to our group. You will get lots of support. Newleaf, I hope your DS recovers quickly. With the flu warnings, it’s a scary time to be sick.
ICU, you’re selling me on going to a dermatologist. It sounds like you had a great visit. I think the mole on my back has grown and I decided to call one. It’s a bit of a drive but then I can ask about the cosmetic stuff and find out the cost. Thanks for the info! And I’m glad your mom has specialists on her case now! DMC, you have your head in the right place. You’re not in a race with your friends – you’re in this for your health. And I have 4 huskies now. I do believe this is my limit.
Cruise, I echo your words on counting calories and exercising for life. I can do that – I can’t give up good tasting food for fat-free yuck or weeks of grapefruit. Enjoy your doggie walk. My pack and I had our first training with Liz yesterday. After 15 minutes of Sasha and Kai, she described the concept of my Sunday walk with all 4 as suicide. BTW, by the end of our walk (a 30 minute walk that took 90) Sasha was a little princess on the leash and Kai was still a little mule. I asked if she had plans any night this week or could she walk with me. We’re supposed to get your rain as well so the training might be delayed but it is so worth it. Since my life revolves around my pack and specifically Sasha’s adapting to her new home, that’s about it. Things are really going well with them and I even heard in my DH’s voice last night on the phone an interest in Sasha. Cool!

I had a huge post typed out then the electricity blinked just long enough to shut the computer down!

Joy, I was flipping through a Beck book at the store and found a sentance like "when a think person is stressed or upset they would never turn to food for comfort because it would never occur to them". That thought has me reeling because although this isn't the first time I've heard this concept its the first time it stuck. So what do thin people do when stressed?? probably exercise!

Marie and Cruise, I have this one voice that says 'losing weight isn't that hard and you've done it before you can do it again" the the OTHER voice says 'you'll be deprived and unhappy, you won't be able to keep the weight off, you'll just fall back into old habits, so whats the point it losing it only to gain it again?" I used to have an exercise mantra; 'who do I want to be?" It refers to do I want to be the 'overweight unhappy person who sits on the couch ' or do I want to be the 'fit happy energetic person?" Maybe I need to dust it off and figure out who I want to be again.

ICU, eeek on your mom's med reaction but glad to hear she's better. How nice to hear that you have great skin. Nice reward! I think in my case its more of a lose/regain/lose/ regain. . I was a confirmed couch potato so working out started with a WW tape from the library. It ws 20 minutes long but I acted like it was a marathon. Over the past few years I joined an exercise forum and have gone overboard with my life revolving around exercise or doing nothing at all to somewhere in between. Most recenlty nothing at all. Once I stop for a while such as the recovery from surgery, I find it very difficult to restart. I do get the endorphin high but have to work pretty hard to get it so in some cases I feel there's no 'reward' to the exercise even though I know it helps my body phyically. I've gone through stages of only doing cardio, to trying to lift the heaviest weights I can, to a balance of the two. I feel the balance works best, as in most things.

DMC, sadly, the workout buddy is very sporadic. He says he wants to workout but can often find something else to do. I find if I workout in the morning I'm less likely to skip it later in the day.

newleaf, Hope your DS feel better soon.

LTZ, I find that I do better sticking to my eating during the week when Hubby is at work. He has a much faster metablism than I do and either wants to eat every three hours or stuffs himself and eats two HUGE meals a day. Neither approach works for me, since I eat so many meals alone and was raised to eat meals together I want to eat with him on weekends not alone again.