Hey Jude! Nice to see you. I hope you get that gym time in next week!

We finally had some rain last night, and are getting more today. I'm glad it's finally started, and I hope it becomes more regular. We're still burnin' up down here.

OK, the truth is that I've been slacking off in the past few weeks. I always try to accentuate the positive, but I need to 'fess up. I've put on a few pounds instead of dropping a few. So, you all are going to be my witnesses: Tomorrow is the beginning of a new weight loss phase for me. My plan runs from May 15 to Aug. 15. There's a weight goal there, but I'm not going to worry about that number. I am going to focus on how many days I can keep my average calories on target, however. And of course, I have exercise in there as well.

Yeah, I'll let this thread stay open for awhile...

Jay

Jude - good to hear from you girl! As far as fitting in exercise, some days I just have to sneak it in there. A HUGE piece for me is having multiple things that I can do at home that are time-bound. I have several of the 10 Minute Solutions DVDs. I can CERTAINLY find 10 minutes somewhere in my day to sneak in something. On those days when I know I'm not going to even make it home before 9 p.m., I try to work in little things throughout the day - a 10 minute walk around the building, park 4 blocks away and walk the rest of the way to work, etc.

While my plan is not scientific, and serious exercise buffs would just shake their head at me - hey, I'm a 50+ chickie, and SOMETHING is better than NOTHING. I always look at it as "any exercise is a good".

Jay - we are here for you! I know you will make your goal - once you set your mind to something, not much seems to get in your way. Let is know if we can help

An OK day here - a little slower paced today. We met with a vendor for lunch at my favorite restaurant. I ordered my favorite dish and brought half back for tomorrow's lunch.

We had wind gusts that were really intense today - I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep my scooter upright. There are some disadvantages to losing all this weight
Yoga for me today. My allergies are really bothering me, so I'm opting for a flexibility routine that doesn't make breathing any more difficult

Hope you all have a fun Friday planned!

Laurie

Good evening to you all. I am here at work. Someone just walked by with yet another box of donuts. Just said no thanks and kept on walking to get my water. I am finding the more I say no the less the cravings are. Not a lot but better than before. I just have to believe what people keep telling me.
Still no exercise today but the food has been good.
I am down a couple of pounds but the trick is to keep it there and to keep going down.
I have this 6 pounds that I seem to run up and down. So now I am at the bottom of it. I would like my goal to be out of the 230's by the end of the month. That would be great. No reason if I stay on track.
DD might come for a visit next weekend. Hmmm might not help the staying on track. I have set some boundaries so she might skip it. Who knows. But I do plan to get in a good week of exercise and healthy eating.
My goal for this week coming is to eat OP but mainly to eat on time. I have a tough time with weekends not eating till noon and then by 4pm I am starving. So where did lunch go and what time would supper be. So this week I am going to pay attention. It is easier at work so will see how the week goes.
Good luck with your goal Jay you will do it. Just follow what you did last time. Isn't it a shame that weight would not just go down and stay down.

Laurie I did not know there was such a thing as a 10 minute dvd workout. I have a tredmill in my garage and I have often thought just do 15 mins on that. Well in winter it is too cold out there. It is just about warm enough to start that. So will maybe add 15 mins of time even if it is just on the weekend. Not sure I want to be doing the tredmill at 10pm when I get home. But who knows what the summer might bring.
One thing I do know is that success breeds success. I am just trying to get a little success working.

Glad you are all here. Hope the others drop in to say hi.

Talk to you all tomorrow........Jude

Hey Jude!

It won't stay down if I overeat, and I did overeat. Perhaps the dental work set me off--I don't know. But I know exactly how I went up again--I can't even pretend to be puzzled.

I think everyone who has managed to become obese has to face the fact that the way they "normally" have been eating in the past is never going to work for weight maintenance. In a way, I wish that I had been oversnacking on really good foods instead of just having too many nuts and chocolate chips.

OH WELL! Today is my new start. I know I can count on you for support.

Jay

Hi all, hope you are having an OP day!
Jude, the videos I use are part of a series (10 Minute Solution). If you Google it, you will find them. There are oodles of them - pilates, dance, weights, yoga, balance ball, etc. I have 7 in the series. There are 5 - 10 minute workouts on each DVD. Usually divided by: upper body, lower body, core, total body & flexibility.

Jay, your honesty is so refreshing. I roll my eyes at the numerous threads that bemoan a gain because the poster went on a 3 day binge.

If I overdo any food, it is nuts. For probably 20 years, I didn't eat nuts or nut butter because they were "bad", "high-fat" foods. Lot of good that did me

I added healthy fats to my diet when I started this journey. I think all of those years of NOT having them, has me sometimes wanting them more than is prudent. I've found that I still have to weigh/measure them, otherwise

A really quiet day here today. I came home from work yesterday with a nasty sore throat. I assumed that it was allergy related (not unusual this time of year after a hard rain). But, the accompanying 100+ temperature is NOT allergy related. Thus, I'm having a very quiet day on my couch with my PDA, computer, audio books, and my pillow.

I think my schedule has caught up with me. Thankfully, the several items that had deadlines at work, were all completed by yesterday afternoon. I think I knew I was getting sick, because I stayed late to submit everything, instead of waiting until today.

On a happier note, I ordered new shades for the living room and they came today. They are lovely. One downside of having a projector instead of a TV, is that you need a darkened room to get a good crisp image. My light filtering pleated shades just aren't enough to do the job.

Maybe my scores on the Wii will improve

Then again, probably not

Have a great weekend all!

Laurie

FYI - a prayer request for Meowee (Linda) was just posted on another thread. She has pneumonia and is not responding to medication.

Hi everyone? Friday at last. I have the next week off. woo hoo!

On Sunday am going out to the lake to join some friends that are camping. They are doing dinner and I just have to come. Like that idea. It will be fun and it is supposed to be a nice day. Will take a change of clothes just in case. They have a boat so we might be out in that. Not really a boat person myself. But it will be a nice day out.

Laurie those videos sound interesting. I will have to look them up. I could really use some core strenght stuff. Well I could use anything for that matter.
All the best to you Jay on getting those couple of pounds off. I have often wondered how hard it would be to work at home. Mind you this office is no picnic with the never ending sugar treats.
I am looking forward to getting to the gym next week again. Maybe move the scale a bit.
I have another of my Food and Mood classes. Not sure I mentioned that.
It is interesting.

So sometimes I get side tracked when I am off work. So if you don't hear from me don't close the thread Jay!!

Cheers to everyone..and have a good weekend.........Jude

G'morning all! Happy Saturday!

Jude - sounds like you have a fun Sunday planned! Enjoy! Take a snack with you just in case dinner doesn't fit your plan

I'm feeling a bit better today - but still running a 100+ temp. I think "feed a cold, starve a fever" is where my body is at right now - I'm below my low bumper weight - so, Jay - feel free to send a couple of those lbs up here to MI.

It is a rainy, cold day here in northern MI. Kinda depressing. But, we need the rain, so I won't complain. I do have quite a few things planned for tomorrow, so I'm just gonna lay low and hope this fever breaks today.

On a happier not, the memorial weeping crabapple tree we planted last year in honor of FIL is just starting to blossom. It is absolutely breathtaking!

Hey!

Jude, I bet we won't be seeing too much of you during your week off, but I hope you'll give us a few reports! I would love to go out on a boat... My family did a lot of boating and fishing when I was growing up. They were some of the best times.

CD, I'd be happy to send a couple of pounds up your way... gosh, to have such a problem... But I do hope that with a fever and all, you'll please take it easy! No use waiting until it gets worse.

I sure hope that meowee gets better soon.

CD, have any pix of that tree? It sounds lovely! I would like a nice flowering tree... but not one that then makes fruit. Of course, that's sort of impossible, now that I think of it. Duh.

Jude, working at home has advantages in that no one walks into my office with a tray of goodies. So no temptation there. Also, I have all my standby foods readily available, and not many business lunches to contend with. And no office parties! The downside is that if I get going on the wrong snack, there's not much to stop me (except my partner... but her main concern is that if it's something she likes, it gets replaced).

Working at home also has the downside of isolation. I'm not an extravert anyway, but it would still be nice to have some co-workers to talk with now and then. I miss that part of having a work group. Interactions take place via email, mostly, and occasional phone.

Jude, you did talk about the Food and Mood classes. Tell us more about what you're learning.

Today and tomorrow I have no work. I am finally caught up. So, of course I'm finding all sorts of little tasks. What's that? Go somewhere and have fun? Hmmm...

See ya!
Jay

Yes Jay - go somewhere - have FUN! Those tasks will be there when you get back. You talked about some short trips this year - and - if not this weekend, then why not spend some time planning them. I will post some pictures of the tree when it goes into full bloom (just starting now).

I'm doing a bit better this afternoon, my temp is slowly starting to drop, and I'm getting a few things done around the house (dusting, laundry, paying bills, etc.). My appetite is returning as well and I'm hoping to get some cooking for the coming week done later tonight.

The upside to spending so much time with my computer is that we have thoroughly researched our trip for next weekend. We know what plays we want to see, where we want to eat, even what bus to take to get to the zoo

Laurie

Hey! I guess it's you and me for awhile, Laurie.

Anyone else who'd like to join in, please do!

Well, I didn't go out and "have fun" so much yesterday--but I did get some tasks taken care of, and that makes me happy!

Laurie, I hope you continue to get better... and don't use all your energy on household stuff like I do! I think you and I both have just a leetle tendency to overwork...

Today I have some more cleaning to do... HAHAHA!!! But most of it is decluttering, and I know you approve of that, CD.

I didn't eat enough yesterday, and I was feeling just gaunt with hunger by the evening as well as having no energy. I checked, and I had set my target too low. I keep forgetting I am now a fit person, not a sedentary one! Adjustments have been made now...

Catch you later,
Jay

Jay - do tweak that calorie cap for the day. It is constant trial and error. I never liked "The Daily Plate" or my "Calorie King" software because they added back in my exercise calories.

That being said, I do like the WW approach of "flex". Too often in the past I obeyed my charts and graphs instead of listening to my body.

I calorie cycle just naturally. I eat within a calorie range each day. I do have to put a weekly total limit in place, just to keep me from eating at the upper end of the range continually

It was a lot easier to just plan for X number of calories each day, and plan out what I would eat EXACTLY. And a lot of maintainers still do exactly that.

But I think it is healthier in the long run - for me anyway - to work on eating like a thin person - to listen to my body more. I'm a work in progress - that's for sure

I'm doing better today - still stuffy and sneezing, and I made it through being liturgist at church without any embarrassing incidents It just feels like full blown allergies right now. Nothing that sugar-free cough drops and some Early Grey tea can't sooth.

I am going to let the Roomba do its thing today and do a bit of cooking for the week (which with all my gadgets isn't a big deal ) and call it good.

If it warms up (below freezing again last night) I hope to sit out in the garden and enjoy my tea.

I'm off to reacquaint myself with a couple Shakespeare plays, in prep for next weekend.

I wish you a fun and BALANCED Sunday!

CD, I use FitDay. Is that what you have been using? I seem to remember that. Anyway, FitDay has an option to add in exercise calories, and I did that for awhile, but these days I find that if I just choose the correct activity level for my metabolism, I don't have to track exercise. In fact, I'd rather not because the calories estimated to have been burned can be so inaccurate.

Yeah, it's really good to listen to one's body! And not to one's mouth!

I definitely like the idea of eating like a thin person--and that approach worked for me during the first, oh, year and a half of my maintenance! I was still tracking much of that time, but not all the time. But things went the wrong way last October, and I've been struggling since, back and forth. Now it's time to go back to losing.

A Roomba! How do you like that? Our house isn't large enough that it would make sense to have one of those.

It's certainly warm enough here, but rainy. We're going to have rain the next three days, which is a good thing!

I'm off to step class now. Can't let rain get in the way, or I wouldn't make it to the gym.

I hope you're feeling better! Hi to all our readers!

Jay

Jay - I have the PC version of Fitday and used it for most of my journey. I switched to the PDA version of Calorie King just because it was easier to track. I did turn it off in Fitday as well. No option to do so in the other products.

DH and I were discussing moving at some point in the future. Downsizing to a house that is easier to maintain, etc. For now, the Roomba earns its keep - particularly since it likes to clean the pet hair from under things - the kind of cleaning that I really don't like to do.

I'm off to take a nap - not much sleep last night. I hope this thing runs its course soon, I'm a crabby, crabby soul today!

Later, gators!

Laurie

The weather is glorious here! I took a picture of the memorial tree (for FIL) that we planted last spring.