Snark mostly my back pain is either my overdoing either yard work or exercise or something like that. I do get pain from years of hunching to see either schoolwork or sewing. {in class, we had to sit up straight and lay the book flat in school regardless, no holding up the book so I could read the print}. Even with the print blown up on the computer screen I have to lean forward to read, so that's a form of hunching, which I try to minimize.

Rennie, I have no interest in tent camping. Too rustic for me; I must have certain luxuries! ;)

My back is doing much better, In order to baby my back I've been using my legs more {um, like I'm supposed to} so my quads are sore, too, now. Always something. :dizzy:

Hello all...sorry to all those not feeling well, hope y'all are on the mend now. I woke up this morning with a pretty bad headache and some nauseousness.....felt like the beginning of a migraine which I do have a history of..I think I nipped it in the bud with some migraine meds and caffeine.....

Im giving my body a rest today..taught an easy class this morning. Will do some push and squats......I'm feeling really "mushy" lately...I'm wondering if I could ever really "tighten the junk" up at this age. I guess I won't know unless I try, right? There's a gym that is only 15 dollars a month, its clean and has good air conditioning...it doesn't have classes, only machines which is what I want. I figure I could go there twice a week to lift weights. Im wondering if that is a smart move right now given everything that is going on in my life......

My goal for the next week is to low carb it and get back into my size 6 Levi's ...Im going camping with my diversion guy and need to look "campy"...I can't afford new jeans at this point....and I have six pairs of Levi's...so that's my mini goal..wish me luck!!!

Zumba Size 6!!! I am jealous! You can do it!! -- Have fun camping. I have been doing weight training since April. Not religiously, but a few times per week. My arms look better now than they did last time I was in my 150's, even in my 140's...so it is worth it. I still hate every minute of it. Ugh. I don't think I'll ever learn to love it.

I am down a pound even though I ate out yesterday. I am getting better at this! I ordered a shrimp salad, dressing on the side and it was yummy. I think my total calories for the day were around 1200-1300, not too shabby. I also walked 4.7 miles.

Today I have to skip my workouts unless I go to the gym later on at night, but I am usually too tired. I am spending the day volunteering at the Finnish Center.

Today is my 8th day OP since my last over eating episode. Woot!

Everyone, Have a Beautiful Day!

MrsSnark So sorry to read about your setback earlier this week

Sum I haven't been using my fitBit lately because I pretty much know the patterns. If I'm exercising and putting movement at the forefront, I do 11,000 - 12,000 steps a day, over 6 miles. If I'm not exercising, I come in around a piddling 2,500. It really goes to show the power of exercise! Lately my DH has been wearing it to get his patterns figured out. How about you? I hear you about getting fearful with new, low weights. Same pattern here, unfortunately. Glad to see you had an on plan day 2 days ago and planned out a nice lunch yesterday. Good job stringing together 8 OP days.

Penguin I hope your back is feeling better :hug: My DH has tried to get me into campfire cooking. I never really got into the pots, etc. But did like to cook over the fire. Haven't been camping in a few years, though, so no advice.

Kelijpa Sorry to hear your vacation is in jeopardy. Will you still go and do other fun things in the area?

ZumbaChica Here's to a new life... Hope your head feels better today... Camping with DG; sounds like fun! I hope you have nice, fall weather. Hold onto those old Levi's. IMO, they are so much nicer than any jeans you can buy today...

love2B I hope your back is better and your weight stayed down!

Ugh and yuck here. As you can tell, since I've been MIA. I have had a toenail issue ever since Patagonia last March and I got it taken care of at the podiatrist on Tuesday. Painful as all get go. Did you know that pulling toenails out is literally a form of torture in some countries? Well... lets just say that luckily they use a little local anesthesia at the podiatrist's office. But it did set me up for 3 days of poor eating, which I can only blame on myself. I *knew* I shouldn't have gone on the Trader Joes run last Saturday. Now I have all this junk in the house, which I have been eating. Today is a new day. I am done.

Haven't weighed myself in a few days. I'm sure it's not pretty.

Penguin, I understand the luxuries for sure ;) and I am with you on that :D. Glad your back is better, I need to use my legs more also. I keep telling myself that I'm not getting any younger, so I gotta keep what's still good in working order :)

Zumba wow a size 6. I don't know that last time I wore that size or even an 8. You go Girl :high:

Sum way to go, nice choice at lunch, a pound down, almost a 5 mile walk and 8 days on point. You are doing your thing, keep up the great work :high:

Thanks Heidi, I do feel better than I did on Tuesday but not like I wish I would feel. I didn't sleep well last night, I couldn't get comfortable for the life of me, smh. I hope your toe feels better soon. My toenail was pushed back a few years ago (door hit it) and I remember it hurting like crazy but not as bad as my back. :) I hope you have some relief soon. I've been at 188 for the last two days, but I've got my meals planned today and prayerfully I can stick to them :crossed: so far so good with breakfast :D

Back to work today, walked with my daughter to the bus stop this morning, doing ok not as well as I'd like, son has plans for tomorrow that will be more walking. Praying for strength and endurance.

Have a great day everyone :hug:

Oh my goodness Heidi, the toe thing sounds TERRIBLE! I had a couple toenails fall off with training for a half marathon, but fortunately it wasn't painful -- just really ugly. Nothing like what you just went through!! Sending you lots of healing thoughts!

Zumbachica -- I've recently added a body weight strength routine I can do at home for the same reason -- hoping the mushy could improve! Fingers crossed!

Well... it wasn't the falling off that was the problem. That happened pretty uneventfully back in June. It's been the regrowth, which ended up ingrown, which I kept hoping would take care of itself. Fast forward where even a kleenex touching my toe caused intense pain, and off to the podiatrist I went. Hopefully the nail doesn't regrow ingrown. If it does, they will deaden the root in that area so it doesn't regrow. Ick!

Let's see -- Peru Trek resulted in a scar on my chin. Patagonia trek resulting in a dead toenail. Hmmm... any treks in my future? Not right now. Loved the treks, though, and wouldn't trade them for anything!

I've been cleaning house today. Soaking in the tub helped my back yesterday, but vacuuming and moping today didn't help much but it had to be done {it was getting icky in here}. I confess to not being a great housekeeper. I sense an icepack cuddle on the couch in my future, hopefully that will help.

Heidi, OUCH! just thinking about your toes make mine hurt. of course I did run my big toe over with the vacuum twice, today. I think we might start small, with a skillet and a few eggs/bacon. I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff and then find out we hate cooking over a fire.

Sun, great job on your 8 days!

Rennie, I feel so much better when I exercise. I don't understand why I keep stopping like this. I realize its in my best interest to keep it up but then I just quit. More fun to sit on the couch than sweat.

Heidi OUCH! That sounds painful!!! Wishing you fast healing!!! :hug: -- I am totally addicted to my fitbit, it keeps me walking, I hate to see those low step days. I also like the calorie burned aspect of it. I try to keep my calories consumed at -1000.

Rennie How is your back today? Do you see a chiropractor? Do you think chiro would be beneficial?

:wave: to Mrs. S! :) I hope you are doing well.

Penguin How did your date go with the icepack? Don't over do it!!!

Hi all , just wanted to check in quick. Made it to Cali safe and sound. Got I a 4 mile walk yesterday with DH and not too bad on food for a travel day.

Thursday I did week 5 day 3, couldn't imagine I could jog 10 minutes, I kept telling myself the program thinks you can so keep going and I did it. Will catch up later, thanks for Neig there for me Chicks :wave:

:sunny:

Hello all...stop being jealous..I said I was "trying" to get into size 6 levis, I didn't say it was going to happen, and given that i'm at a high weight today (PMS AND SUGAR BINGE) and I only have five days until we leave for new Hampshire I don't think it is going to happen ....sigh*** The worse part of this trip is that I really have no money to go and buy new cute things to wear, so I'm going to have to really be creative. I am going to invest in a good pair of hiking sneakers...luckily my boys were both scouts up until last year so I have those warm thermal socks I can borrow and a box of hot hands! We will be in tents for two nights and then DG got us a hotel room for one night in a cute inn...hubba hubba...now I REALLY have to lose some bloat!!! We plan on hiking and maybe biking so it should be an active weekend, I am so NOT going to worry about what we eat....on a weekend like that its all about survival.....this isn't a camp ground but just some land that has been cleared, so it is totally roughing it....I keep telling him its going to be like the Hunger games.....I hope one of us leaves alive...LOL

Newleaf...all I can say about your toe is OUCH!!!!! That has to be the worse pain ever, next to labor pain......glad you had it taken care of and hope you don't have to go through that again.....

Sum: I read your posts and all I can say is your so gosh darn cute! I love how you take care of yourself. You go and weight train even though you hate it.....not sure if I would have the same tenacity for that. Are there a lot of Finnish people where you live? you're always talking about the finnish center.......

Penguin, Ive been cleaning too today. even though I am moving out of this house soon my children still live here so I had energy today and am trying to tidy up their rooms. Not sure what its going to be like after I move out because my husband can't clean like I do, but it really isn't my problem. I'll be in my new cute beach house and it will be spotless. I got off on a tangent here.....protect your back as much as you can, we only have one of them......

Snark: what kind of routine do you do? I think I'll take out my kettlebells today, they came with a few short videos.

Love2b: I am praying that you are having a good weekend.....good for you for walking....movement is a good thing no matter how much or how little of it we do. as a fitness instructor I truly believe that.

well back to my cleaning and then son has violin lesson.....I'm baking some pies today for the boys because I have a ton of apples from our orchard, I'm hoping I can refrain from eating too much of it. I will allow myself a sliver with a cup of coffee later :)

Planning on going to the beach today, got a walk in. We're planning on going to state parks near Yosemite and sneaking in somewhere if we can.

NewLeaf - so sorry to read about your toe, that stinks, I have a weird thing, sometimes with my second toe nail, it'll be sore for a couple days then be ok, like pressure under it, makes it tender.

Anyhow, will check back later.

Mrs Snark - hope things work out for you and Acadia, it still feels like vacation, not watching the news as much as I would be at home.

:sunny:

Pretty lazy day today. I'm in a hurry to finish my sweater vest so I've been working on that while watching episodes of CSI on the DVR.

Hubby gets home tomorrow afternoon, so it will be nice to have him back, but he has to go into work Monday as usual. :(

My back has now switched to my left side, {rolls-eyes} but My Icepack and I are hanging out today. They keep telling us its going to rain but it never does. but no point in planning yard work and I'm not sure I want to tempt fate anyway.

Just a quick check-in;

It is a date night. We are going out for sushi. Fish yesterday, sushi tonight; I love fish! I could eat it every day. Actually, I often times do.

So far my day has been successful. I had a light lunch and I am saving my calories for tonight's treat. No alcohol, so the calories should stay relatively low for the day.

I walked my 4.7 mile loop and hit the gym for some weights (And no Zumba I did not like it a bit :D). Scale is inching down, better low than high, right? I am hoping to get out of the 150's in 10 days, that is my mini goal. Officially I gave myself until the end of the month, but I am pushing myself a bit hard to drop weight faster. -- All my winter clothes are size 8 and I need to be able to fit into them soon. I am actually wearing size 8 pants tonight, with spanx ;) But most of my closet does not fit me. I did a lot of buying last year in size smaller than I was, now I finally just need to drop the weight that I could fit in them. -- I can do this!!

Hey all,
The weather by me is starting to turn cooler and autumn-ish. And all I want to do is eat carbs and fat and get ready to hibernate. I think I am part bear. After an active summer, I can feel myself slowing down. The shorter days don't help either.

I was thinking maybe we need a challenge. Say for veterans day, or the Wednesday before Thanksgiving day (also its the 1st night of Hanukah). Who has any thoughts. Should we start another Challenge Thread?