I'm not done yet.
I want to declare that I am 42% body fat. I knew it was a big number. I didn't need to be measured but I was. This number is consistent between both the skin caliper and the electronic gizmo methods. Even though my BMI says 30. I realize that the BMI is not defined to be the body fat % but is supposed to be "strongly correlated." The BMI does not take bone structure or gender into consideration so I knew that for me it was a bogus number. It feels good to feel "vindicated." Yes, I am fatter than the blasted BMI indicates. Funny how we need some kind of official declaration of it. Funny how I need to be vindicated so that people don't tell me I'm crazy for having my ideal goal weight be 110. Yes, I have small bones. I've seen them on x-rays and asked the ridiculous question "are those actual size??" and had the x-ray tech exclaim at how tiny those bones are.
People are so anorexia-paranoid. It's ridiculous. I'm extremely obese - for me! I read on the forums how other women are my height and weight and are size 12. Not here. If I lost about 40 pounds I might fit into a size 12. I am extremely fat and it feels good somehow to have it confirmed.
I'm not mad that I am fat. I'm just mad at the General Thought Patterns Of The World as I perceive them. If that makes any sense. I do want to correct the fatness, but that is not what is making me angry.
Thanks for listening.

Thanks for all the welcomes and good advice. I'm certainly hoping that losing weight will help with the stairs/hips issue!

Spinymouse -- you're certainly entitled to your anger. Isn't that one of the things that exercise is good for? To channel all that anger into positive energy? I remember one job I had where I would be furious at least once a day, and on especially bad days I would storm out of the office and walk to a nearby shopping mall. I would walk so fast, that by the time I got there, the anger was, if not gone, at least manageable, and I could go back to the office feeling much better.

Thanks, Bloomer -- I'm only this furious about once a year so that is partly why it feels so foreign to me! I do need to channel it into some sort of exercise, besides attacking the keys on the keyboard. I really don't want to break them. :)

Spiny, is it always this same time of year?

BTW, when I was at my highest weight my body fat percentage was 44%. My BMI was 35.1.

Body fat percentage is a much more important indicator than either weight or BMI.

Jay

The idea of New Year's Fury is a new one to me -- I kinda like it :) Maybe it's your system revving itself up. Love your socks :)

Thanks!
I don't know that it's the same time this year, but it just doesn't happen very often, but I like the idea of getting my system revved up. I've been hibernating too long! I think it's time for some KICKBOXING.

Jay,
Thanks, yes I agree that the body fat % is the most important. I did some googling and found this link to a correlation equation
http://www.halls.md/bmi/fat.htm
I didn't realize that there is supposed to be this much of a difference between the values. So a little more knowledgeable now, but just as fat.... :)
Need to do some kicking and punching. Strange for a pacifist like me.
And maybe I'll suggest to the fitness center that they enclose the cardio room with a cagelike perimeter and put sawdust on the floor.

Good idea, the sawdust etc. Could also put water bottle holders on each machine, so you could put the bottle in upside down and slurp from the little drip spout........

Jay

excellent! and the pedals or treadmill etc could activate the wheel around each machine to make it go around. do we have any cartoonists in the group?

Well, I WISH I were a cartoonist. The mental images your ideas conjure up are pretty funny. I especially like the water bottles on the machines. :lol:

Anger
 

:tantrum:I can only say I hear you on the anger issue. I turned on Dr Phil as he had a weight loss thing going on on Tuesday. A lovely lady stuggling with her weight looking for help. But when she said she had his book but had not read it he sent her back a "fat dig". I was appalled. Turned the show off.
I hope you are feeling more peaceful by now. I just got a meditation CD on aligning your chakras. Should be great as soon as I make some time to listen to it. :listen:

Hope everyone has a better day tomorrow. :hug::hug:
:dust:
Judi

I think its time you buy that TV Jo.....something to scream at maybe...wink

NO! Gary, No, No, No!
No TV!!!!! One vice I do not need or want - I negatively/inversely/retrogradedly want it. I'd rather be taunted mercilessly by defective robots in front of childhood enemies.
TV.
Hrmpph.

Hey! :wave: :coffee:

Spiny, I looked at that formula linking BMI and body fat %--it's a derived formula. I wouldn't pay much attention to it.

The important thing with all these measures is change over time. So, I've gone from 44% body fat to 33% body fat (current). I believe this result is due to exercising while losing.

hijude, I generally think Dr. Phil is a jerk. :p

Gary :wave:

Gail :wave: How's it going? Done any shoe shopping yet?

CountingDown, are you back yet?

Now about the TV thing. I used to be in your camp, Spinymouse. But I've since gone over to the "dark side"... ;)

Jay

P.S. Here's a short video that was going around awhile back. I think you'll find it interesting...

http://bonehead.oddballs.com/NobodyElse.html

Hi . . . :wave:

Finally home again . . . although the visit to Ontario and the time with all the relatives was great . . . I am thrilled to be home. Now to get back to the good eating and good moving routines.

The winning gift this year was the WII given to the middle nephew (he's 27) by his older and younger brothers . . . I want one, I want one. Great fun and it actually gets even we older couch-potato-types up and moving. Did I mention that I want one? ;) Too bad they are as scarce as hen's teeth right now; but I am looking. :yes:

Not much else new -- Khat Khids are all fine -- although they did break a few things while I was gone; nothing that cannot be replaced. Guess they got a little bored. Trip home from the airport was hideous in blizzard conditionsa and took a good three hours (usually under 1.5). Luggage didn't make it until the following day. Some idiot snagged it at Halifax airport. Think I'm going to paint something unusual all over my bags to make them more distinctive since people don't seem to like to bother reading the name tags. :mad:

Hope everybody is having a great 2008 so far . . . see you later . . . :carrot:

meowee! :hug: :hug: We missed you! Glad to see you back.

Jay

What's a WII?

Jay, that is a great video. I'm glad it is part of a workshop or instruction for girls. At one place I used to work, I participated in a program for "girls in science" which was designed to give girls age 12-14 some other role models than the glamour-pop-star heroines they tend to have; and we did science workshops that they could participate in. The idea was based on the fact that although in elementary school girls and boys have equal interest and aptitude in math and science, something happens around puberty which makes girls think their mission is to be pretty, and "hot." Or is it "cool." I guess if you were both "cool" and "hot" that would be ideal, but then that would make you lukewarm. Hmm. Yes, lukewarm. Anyway we were out doing our thing to keep the math and science fires burning.
Funny I never got bit by that glamour bug when I was an adolescent. If anything I went out of may way to rebel against it and to look The Wrong Way. I remember asking my dad, who had never cut a head of hair in his life, to chop off my hair with the old household scissors from the tool drawer. That and wearing uncool polyester pants that were "too short" but too short for what I'll never know. Anyway, a very good video. We can no longer say "the camera doesn't lie," can we?

Sorry . . . I think it is actually Wii (I typed it wrong) . . . anyway Wii is the latest Nintendo game system that connects to your TV. It is very, very interactive and is actually a few bucks cheaper than some of the earlier systems. It has been the 'Cabbage Patch Doll' and the 'Tickle Me Elmo' (remember the years' that everybody had to have those toys?) craze for the 2007 Christmas Gift season.

I'm baaack! It was a crazy day - due to weather back east and mechanical issues, our flight was delayed over two hours which means that we missed our connection. Delta had already reserved seats on the last flight out of the day, which took off 15 minutes after we landed in Cinncinati. So we did the "sprint through the airport" routine and made it with about 2 minutes to spare. I'm thankful to all of my 3FC friends that have encouraged me over the last 6 months. I couldn't have made it on time if I hadn't been doing cardio all these months and was still carrying that 50 extra lbs. Thus a HUGE NSV for me.

In Grand Rapids our car was covered in snow and ice - welcome home to Michigan :( We finally made it back home in the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, our bodies were still on California time, so the drive wasn't too bad. Now lots of mail, laundry and such to catch up on - ugh.

Good discussion while I was gone. Jay - I liked the video. Dove is doing a nice job with their Campaign for Real Beauty, I think.

Spiny - we have a similar program in our school to interest girls in science and math. I have worked with the technology portions of it. It has always been a passion of mine. I was a science and math nerd in HS, when nerd was NOT something most girls wanted to be. I never fit in great with my group of friends, I was always a bit of an "odd duck". So was DH which is probably why we hooked up with each other. I wish I was a cartoonist - I would definitely draw that image - I'm giggling just thinking about it!

Linda - glad you made it back safe and sound, and that the kitties are doing ok. Our "beasts" were a bit rowdy while we were gone too. But they are soooo snuggly today! We always tag our luggage with weird stuff so that it stands out. DH almost lost his bag the way you did once. Glad you got it back, even though it was late :)

hijude - I'm not much of a Dr. Phil fan. Since I don't hardly ever watch TV, I haven't seen much of him - but what little I have seen didn't impress me. Anecdotally, a neighbor across the street applied to be on his show and was accepted. She had lost a huge amount of weight through WLS. She thought they were coming to interview her about how WLS had changed her life for the better. She was so excited. They filmed the background stuff here in MI and then flew her and her husband to CA for the show. They took her out partying (without DH). She found out when they taped the episode that the real topic of the day was how WLS can affect your significant other. They showed clips of her flirting in the bar with all of the Dr. Phil staff members, and then asked her DH how he felt about it. She was really upset because she felt she had been misled. I never saw the episode, and she wasn't a person that I spent any time with, but - at least from her perspective, it sounded like an underhanded way to try to get ratings.

Well, I better get to that laundry! Have a great day all!

Hi! I'm just starting my second week and actually WALKED today -- just a couple of blocks between several errands, but it was good to get outdoors and MOVE :)

I started WW online, because I couldn't face going to a meeting and signing up and failing again :( But I had a very good first week, and am still motivated. So I switched to the monthly plan and will go to a WW meeting tomorrow.

I had a small NSV -- the errands were very frustrating. The usual -- unhelpful clerks, crowds, lines, waiting in one place forever only to be told to go wait in another. My usual pattern was the "I need a reward" or "I'm mad so I'm going to eat cake" or something along those lines (yes, I am over 6). This time I just growled, kicked some pebbles and came home.

Hey Bloomer! :bravo: So glad to hear you are walking! Good luck with the WW meeting--I hope that it's as positive a program for you as it has been for so many folks!

Wow, you must be on a roll! You even fought off the urge to use food as a solace for things not going your way! :congrat:

Hey, I was a nerdy kid, too! :D

Jay

Hi there. Say Bloomer I think you are doing great. I am trying to put the fork down and get to the gym or out for a walk. I am going to aim for at least 30 minutes once a day. Good for you with the WW. I too have done it but does not seem to be the plan for me now.

Spiny: I do not hear of too many people that do not watch tv. Good for you there are plenty of things in life to do. Unfortunately I am a tv person. I work afternoons though so I try and tape things of interest. I certainly do not watch much but have a weakness for the reality shows. So there are a couple of them I like and I really like the Biggest Loser.

Counting: Nice to hear all about your trip. It sounds like you had a fabulous time and have a great family and partner. You are a lucky woman. And the weight you have lost is an inspiration.

JayEll: I think everyone thinks they are a nerdy kid. I am not sure where I ranked but I sure felt like there was always something wrong with me.
My mom was anorexic as I see now. I was maybe 10 pound overweight but I grew up being told that there was NOTHING in the STORE that fit me. That was when I should have been wearing ladies and she still had me in the kid section. I have never thought I looked slim. I went to her funeral at 129 lb and was told I looked skinny. That was a shock to me. Unfortunately it did not last.

Gary: Love those doggies!

So here is to some better choices and talk to you all tomorrow. I think they have finally finished off all the chocolate here at work. We have a suggestion box and I suggested removing the chocolate bar machine!

Cheers Judi :coffee:

Hi everybody!
All of these recent posts are great. I feel like I am really beginning to know everyone! I really enjoy reading about what is dear to everyone; what annoys everyone; and of course I enjoy feeling free to express that myself! You all are so caring and supportive also. I hope to learn from all of you. Thanks for your support and understanding!

Today I worked out my hind legs. Ow. Upped the weights and/or amounts of everything. Lunges, squats, calf raises on the step; the machines: prone leg curl, seated leg curl, leg press, ab/ad machine, leg extension, and sets of everything not just one go around, and now I feel like singing the John Mellencamp song Hurts So Good. This had better work.

Good morning! :coffee2:

Spiny, poor mouse! Sore, eh? Well, I hope the soreness works out of your hind legs quickly. :lol:

I did some hand weights yesterday evening--was good but some of my joints are complaining today. I need to give them more support, as in, anti-inflammatory medicines, ice pack after lifting. I did a couple of sets of biceps, but just one set (12 reps) of everything else.

hijude, my mom was very very thin when I was born--but she put on weight later on. Sizes were never discussed when she and I went shopping for my school clothes--in my case, it was that she and I had clashing tastes. She wanted me in pinks and lavenders with big flower patterns, and I wanted solid brown, blue, and black... Funny!

Hope you all have a good day!

Jay

Good Afternoon . . . :grouphug:

Wow . . . everytime I blink I seem to find something else work-related that has to be done urgently. Oh well, keeps my busy and helps me eat on track. Pretty good yesterday and so far today is really great. Sure helps that the sun is shining brightly and the temperature is climbing up to the freezing mark finally. Hope to get some of this mess cleaned up in the next day or two; get my laundry done; and get back into exercise mode (all four of my 'legs' need a little work).

Have a great day, gang -- keep things moving and shaking -- :carrot:

Bloomer- way to go! Not rewarding myself with food has been one of the hardest things to change. You are off to a great start! Good luck with your first WW meeting :)

Judi - moms can certainly screw up our heads about our weight. I think the more my mom nagged me about it, the more I ate - just to spite her. How sad is that?

I like walking too. It has been a great way to keep me moving, even when I haven't been motivated to do much else. I love using the WATP videos when the weather is cold and nasty (most of the winter here).

Spiny - Wow, sounds like you got a great workout on those hind legs! I'm tired just reading your post :lol: I have to get back at the weights. I did Leslie's firming video with the pink stretchie this morning because I couldn't motivate myself to do a full weight routine. Now that I am back home, I gotta get back in the groove...

Jay - Mom was a cheerleader in HS and was always picking out all of these "cute" clothes for me. She wanted me to look "just so". I wanted none of the stuff she picked out. With blond hair and very pale skin, I looked awful in all those pastel floral frilly things, anyway. I was a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal. I still hate pastels and frills! Some florals are ok, must most are :barf:.

DH is working today, so I am enjoying a quiet day at home. Trying to clean, finish the laundry, and get bills paid - the usual Saturday stuff. The weather is really gray and dreary here - not very inspiring to get much done. I'm thinking a good book and a cup of tea are calling my name :)

Hi Bloomer-

I am a teacher too. My prep and luch are together so I try to walk then including those dreaded stairs. I have the same problem with stairs. Up is fine but down those stairs is very hard on my knees.

Spiny- I love your sense of humour...how about you try the hamster version of Cage Fighting?

I am at a spa in Palm Springs CA. Tomorrow is my 50th birthday...scares the **** out of me.

Mermom, don't sweat 50. I am in better shape now than I was at 49, and 48, and 47 ....

Seriously - 50 is fab! I love it! Got my AARP card for discounts as I travel, I am now able to dispense wise and sagely advice just by opening my mouth, I've only found one gray hair (OK, so my eyesight isn't what it once was) :lol:

Happy Birthday Mermom. What a great place to be and do not worry about 50 you have a whole decade to worry about 60.:hat:

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I am working some OT today as retirement is a ways off.
I have plans to start back to the gym on Monday morning. So am trying to keep that commitment to myself. Think I will start the week with 3 alternate days of cardio. Maybe do some weights on Tue and Thur.:lifter:
Oh it is all so good in my mind. My body is sore from all the overtime I have been doing. May need to rethink that and take some better care of myself. I am getting real stiff from sitting at a computer all day. :comp:
You are all doing great so my turn to report some progress and Spiny good for you. That was some workout. Hope you can still walk.:D

I would not be able to. And yes we all happen to be a product of our mothers in some way. Thank goodness mine was not a cheerleader she was difficult enough. :cheer2:
So enjoy the weekend and the sun if it is out. It is cold here too but not below freezing. Just wet.
Cheers Jude:sunny:

Mermom, :bday2you:

Capricorns rule! ;)

Spinymouse, how are those hind legs? :lol:

CountingDown, hijude, bloomer, meowee, and all else who wander in! :wave:

Jay

Mermom - here's wishing you a creatively cosmic, astonishingly awesome birthday! Welcome to 50!

Yes, my hind legs are still in pain. Whatever good I did on Friday is being overruled by my lack of motion yesterday - I could hardly even get in and out of a chair! Someday when this exercise becomes more routine, it will get better. Somebody please tell me this is true????
I have decided on a cardio alternative to those hamster wheel machines. I am going to make the most of my lovely iPhone - the iPod function of it, and just dance and kick and jump around to the tunes I like. I don't have a lot of room at home to do it, but I have at least as much room as a hamster wheel would take up and I can dance in that space. Or there is my friend's house, or the office, or the class-studios at the fitness centers that I can use during non-class times. Or the beach! And thankfully I don't care if people think it looks stupid. I actually have a smiley face when I dance this way, as opposed to my expression while on the elliptical/bike/arc/treadmill things. Ever notice how everybody on those things has an expression on their face that looks like they just stepped in dog-doo? Nobody looks like they are having any fun.

Jude - a product of our moms: oh, man oh man oh man. I should not even get started. Mine was a mean woman. God rest her soul. I am still in the mom recovery process. I wish it were just a matter of conflict over clothing styles. Oh, she was mean.

Well, happy Sunday, everyone! Be it a day of rest or a day of intensity, may it be a day of wellness for all!

bombs away
jo

Hey Spiney, just wanted to say that it is normal to be somewhat sore when starting a new exercise routine; however, there is such a thing as "overdoing it." ;) Unfortunately, lots of people think that they need to go from zero to over the top when beginning to exercise--and then they get discouraged. I'd like to say, go try it again! But don't do it so long or so hard this time. :yes:

Dancing around sounds good, too, as long as you keep up with it.

Jay

Thanks for the birthday wishes gals:D

I am hoping that 50 will be fabulous. Maybe I can finally get an updated version of the body I had at 40. The last decade has been a decline and now I want to head up the incline and reach the peak of health and well being.

Mermom - :lol: Oh, I hear you girl! I lost about 70 lbs in preparation for my 40th birthday. I kept it off for a couple years. Then I started a new - very stressful job, and slowly put all 70 plus another 10 back on. Here I am again. I didn't get motivated in time to get it off by 50. Thankfully, finding 3FC helped me realize that I couldn't "diet" it off this time. And dang - if menopause didnt' throw a nasty curve ball at me. It is a LOT harder this time around.

Here's a toast http://smileys.sur-la-toile.com/repo...pagne-4821.gif to being fit and fabulous at fifty!

You're not going soft on us now are you JO? :hug:

Happy Birthday MERMOM...it is my wife's birthday on Monday, #48....shhhh!

JUDE I hope you get that gym work in tomorrow!

COUNTINGDOWN Well we had dinner at Claim Jumper with the kids tonight...my son and son in law had dark beer on tap...I had my MGD's...tasted theirs....stuck to my MGD's!

HI JAY :wave: my son and daughter just got home from a week in Florida...they say it is cold there!!! They went to the beach and froze their butts off!!!

HI EVERYONE!

Angie and I celebrated our 12th anniversary today by going to see the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, after church. We had a great time then met all the kids for dinner.

Have a great week gals! ~ Gary

Hey EZ--sorry your kids visited during a record cold snap for some places. Why, it got into the 30s one night here, which for us is Brrrrrr. I had a fire in my fireplace a few days running--a relatively rare treat! We're going to be back in the 80s during the day soon.

:wave: Everyone!

Jay

Good Morning everybody . . . :wave:

Life is a little chaotic right now. Hopefully I'll be back to my normal dull and boring existence really soon and then I'll be able to get more time to post around here.

Have a great day . . . :carrot:

Gary - I hope I am going soft! Ya see, I never really learned to be nice to people.
I learned to not be obviously mean and nasty, but that is not the same as being nice. I learned to let people be mean and nasty to me - Believe it or not I once caught someone in the act of robbing my purse that I had left on a desk, and I actually apologized and walked away!!!! BUT that is not the same as being nice!!!!! I hope to learn how to be nice someday. (But that doesn't mean I have to start calling people "Honey," does it???) :p

Every day when I am walking from my car into work I repeat this mantra, "Be positive, be upbeat, be kind." It's not that I am naturaly mean but it takes a lot of effort to be kind. Being kind to people all day long is very exhausting. It is so much less demanding just to ignore them.

Yes, you are right. Being kind to people is a lot of work. Usually I just try to "mind my own business" and be semi-invisible but that is less than ideal!
I may adopt your mantra.