Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Have you gone to the same group, with the same lecturer, all along?

Yes, once I found the leader I liked.

Originally Posted by :
When you're out of breath, you know it's working! Isn't it amazing just how LONG 30 seconds can seem when you're working really hard? Sometimes I think my trainer is lying to me about how much time has passed!

Ours uses a preprogrammed music mix that tells us when to start and when to stop and move on, so we know it's accurate! :) Our current Friday series is 60 on/15 off. It's not at top energy for the 60 seconds, though, so while it's hard to do, say, pushups for 60 seconds, I end up more out of strength than out of breath. The 30/30 is supposed to be pushing as hard and fast as you can, and two of the five circuits involve jumping off the ground, so it's pretty aerobic.

Originally Posted by :
I feel so-so. I remembered to weigh this morning and was horrified at the result--up 1.6 from 2 days ago (just when I was feeling that the Evista isn't causing a problem for me). What the.....? So I ate very sparingly today and will until I get back under 130 again. No exercise today. Ate everything very slowly and mindfully and am quite hungry at the moment, but am just going to bed. Tomorrow is one of my early mornings. Hope you had a good day!

It could just be daily fluctuation, though, couldn't it? I'm up today, too, alarmingly AT GOAL. Arg. Low day today.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yes, once I found the leader I liked.

How often do you go? What feedback do they give you about your weight? Are they still giving you flak about being too light?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Ours uses a preprogrammed music mix that tells us when to start and when to stop and move on, so we know it's accurate! :) Our current Friday series is 60 on/15 off. It's not at top energy for the 60 seconds, though, so while it's hard to do, say, pushups for 60 seconds, I end up more out of strength than out of breath. The 30/30 is supposed to be pushing as hard and fast as you can, and two of the five circuits involve jumping off the ground, so it's pretty aerobic.

Your comment about running out of strength before you run out of breath reminded me of something I heard on TV the other day when I was home sick. A trainer was describing resistance training as exercise that fatigues a localized area of your body, whereas cardio is exercise that fatigues your whole body. I thought that was a great way to describe the difference. I typically run out of breath before I run out of strength, so I guess that means I need more cardio!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It could just be daily fluctuation, though, couldn't it? I'm up today, too, alarmingly AT GOAL. Arg. Low day today.

So I DID hear you screaming this morning!! LOL!!This is the first time you've actually hit your hard-stop since the first time you went under it, right? What were/are you saying to yourself in response?

And did you hear ME screaming, about 6:15AM? I was up another .4 this morning, even though I KNOW I was under 1200 calories yesterday. That flipped me out and made me wonder about water retention from my medication. My rational self managed to talk my emotional self down off the ledge. But I'm going to stay on the low end of my calorie range for a few days until I drop back where I should be. Today I'm at about 1300 calories. I'm glad I have a training session in the morning!

Hope you had a good day, and that you will be rewarded for it on the scale tomorrow!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
How often do you go? What feedback do they give you about your weight? Are they still giving you flak about being too light?

Usually I go every week, but I haven't been in about five weeks since they started the remodel and temporarily moved to a hotel conference room. Looking forward to being back on track next week!

Originally Posted by :
Your comment about running out of strength before you run out of breath reminded me of something I heard on TV the other day when I was home sick. A trainer was describing resistance training as exercise that fatigues a localized area of your body, whereas cardio is exercise that fatigues your whole body. I thought that was a great way to describe the difference. I typically run out of breath before I run out of strength, so I guess that means I need more cardio!

I definitely need more cardio! When we do something like scissor jumps or jumping jacks for 60 seconds, I get out of breath.

Originally Posted by :
So I DID hear you screaming this morning!! LOL!!This is the first time you've actually hit your hard-stop since the first time you went under it, right? What were/are you saying to yourself in response?

Nothing very productive, unfortunately. Things like, "I need to eat only veggies today!" and such. But I did eat in a reasonable way with a huge salad of all veggies for dinner, and today I'm back at 1.8 under goal, so I think it must have just been water retention. I'm not feeling great today, so maybe I'm fighting something off. That often seems to affect my weight.

Originally Posted by :
And did you hear ME screaming, about 6:15AM? I was up another .4 this morning, even though I KNOW I was under 1200 calories yesterday. That flipped me out and made me wonder about water retention from my medication. My rational self managed to talk my emotional self down off the ledge. But I'm going to stay on the low end of my calorie range for a few days until I drop back where I should be. Today I'm at about 1300 calories. I'm glad I have a training session in the morning!

I'm glad you talked yourself off the ledge. It could just be normal daily variation and have little to do with having eaten low the day before -- that does happen. It'll be good to see if a few days of low-end eating will fix whatever it is. If it is just water retention, remember that isn't fat.

Hope you had a good day!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Usually I go every week, but I haven't been in about five weeks since they started the remodel and temporarily moved to a hotel conference room. Looking forward to being back on track next week!

Do you try to do their diet at all, or do you go to the meetings mostly for the accountability?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I definitely need more cardio! When we do something like scissor jumps or jumping jacks for 60 seconds, I get out of breath.

My trainer frequently has me do a minute of jumping jacks, and they just exhaust me. I'm usually gasping for breath by the time the minute is up. I'm definitely getting better with time, though. Today he had me on the treadmill, running uphill at 5.5 mph, something I've never done before. I alternated 40-sec. intervals of running with 40-sec. intervals of walking (also uphill). I was definitely panting and could hardly talk, but I felt pretty good that I could do it at all!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Nothing very productive, unfortunately. Things like, "I need to eat only veggies today!" and such. But I did eat in a reasonable way with a huge salad of all veggies for dinner, and today I'm back at 1.8 under goal, so I think it must have just been water retention. I'm not feeling great today, so maybe I'm fighting something off. That often seems to affect my weight.

I often find that, as soon as my weight drops again, I relax. Sounds like you are experiencing the same pattern. Are you bothered at all by that? I think sometimes my relaxation (relief, really) is premature and that I should once again reinforce the basic Beck skills. I feel like I gradually slide on the skills until I gain a little, which makes me feel a little frantic and makes me intensify my behavior and self-control until the scale drops again.....only to repeat the same cycle. I'm not feeling particularly good about that, although I continue to be amazed that I am doing as well as I am, and that I've kept at it for such a long time. I think it has been just about a year now since I joined you in this journey, and you have been at it even longer. I think that's pretty awesome, and I continue to be so grateful to you as well as being proud of myself and of you. YAY US!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I'm glad you talked yourself off the ledge. It could just be normal daily variation and have little to do with having eaten low the day before -- that does happen. It'll be good to see if a few days of low-end eating will fix whatever it is. If it is just water retention, remember that isn't fat.

Yeah, I know that water retention isn't a "real" gain, but that's little comfort if it is going to be an ongoing problem. I could potentially be on this medication for years.

my report: weight was down a pound (was relieved to at least see the scale go in the right direction), had a great personal training session (burned 258 calories during that hour according to my Exerspy, which is a record burn for me), ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully, stayed OP all day, read my cards, saved a bite for Callie, contacted my diet buddy. I'm very hungry and really want something sweet to eat, so it is time to go to bed!

Hope you warded off whatever is ailing you and had a good day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Do you try to do their diet at all, or do you go to the meetings mostly for the accountability?

For accountability, though I do occasionally count points as an easy way to track calories.

Originally Posted by :
My trainer frequently has me do a minute of jumping jacks, and they just exhaust me. I'm usually gasping for breath by the time the minute is up. I'm definitely getting better with time, though. Today he had me on the treadmill, running uphill at 5.5 mph, something I've never done before. I alternated 40-sec. intervals of running with 40-sec. intervals of walking (also uphill). I was definitely panting and could hardly talk, but I felt pretty good that I could do it at all!

I've been thinking about trying to run a little on the treadmill. Not sure. My knees have always kept me from being able to do it, but I've had so much less pain from them with the weight loss that I'm wondering if it might be possible to work up to slowly jogging a mile three times a week, just to get the aerobic benefits.

Originally Posted by :
I often find that, as soon as my weight drops again, I relax. Sounds like you are experiencing the same pattern.

Totally.

Originally Posted by :
Are you bothered at all by that?

Totally. :)

Originally Posted by :
I think sometimes my relaxation (relief, really) is premature and that I should once again reinforce the basic Beck skills. I feel like I gradually slide on the skills until I gain a little, which makes me feel a little frantic and makes me intensify my behavior and self-control until the scale drops again.....only to repeat the same cycle. I'm not feeling particularly good about that, although I continue to be amazed that I am doing as well as I am, and that I've kept at it for such a long time. I think it has been just about a year now since I joined you in this journey, and you have been at it even longer. I think that's pretty awesome, and I continue to be so grateful to you as well as being proud of myself and of you. YAY US!

Yay, us! Yes, I'd like to get myself to a point where I actually feel I'm controlling my weight rather than simply reacting to changes.

Originally Posted by :
Yeah, I know that water retention isn't a "real" gain, but that's little comfort if it is going to be an ongoing problem. I could potentially be on this medication for years.

Yes, BUT: Water retention isn't the same as weight gain in a very, very, very important way. It doesn't accumulate. That is, you aren't going to be retaining a pound of water this week and then two next week and then three the week after that. You're going to retain the amount of water this medication causes you to retain up to some possible maximum. It's not like averaging 100 too many calories every day and gaining a pound every month for years on end. You will NEVER get to the point you're retaining 90 pounds of water. Maybe you'll weigh two or three pounds more than you should for several years...so?

Originally Posted by :
my report: weight was down a pound (was relieved to at least see the scale go in the right direction), had a great personal training session (burned 258 calories during that hour according to my Exerspy, which is a record burn for me), ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully, stayed OP all day, read my cards, saved a bite for Callie, contacted my diet buddy. I'm very hungry and really want something sweet to eat, so it is time to go to bed!

Good day!

Report: didn't frickin' weigh again! Arg! I went to bed hideously early yesterday (like 7:30) because I was falling off my stool in the kitchen. John came to bed at 11 and without thinking had locked the kitchen door to the garage. Jane came home at 11:30 and found herself locked out. (Uh, maybe giving her a key would be a possible solution? LOL!) So she came around front and knocked, then texted John (who had left his phone out in the family room) then finally rang the doorbell hoping her dad would hear it. (She was trying to spare me because she knows my sleep patterns.) But of course it woke me instead of him. :) And then because I'd had four hours of sleep, it was impossible to get back to sleep, so I've been up since. Gave up and started drinking coffee at 4, and didn't remember I hadn't weighed until my third cup. But I had a pretty good eating day yesterday and exercised, so I'm not overworried.

Hope you had a great day! Did you see your match?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
For accountability, though I do occasionally count points as an easy way to track calories.

Is their point system online somewhere, or do they still make you pay a membership fee in order to get access to their materials?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I've been thinking about trying to run a little on the treadmill. Not sure. My knees have always kept me from being able to do it, but I've had so much less pain from them with the weight loss that I'm wondering if it might be possible to work up to slowly jogging a mile three times a week, just to get the aerobic benefits.

My knees used to torture me to the point that I would practically scream every time I stood up, but running on the treadmill doesn't bother them at all these days. But I would imagine your knees are in worse shape than mine, and running is definitely not low-impact.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Totally. Totally. :)

Methinks she is deflecting me--totally!! LOL!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yay, us! Yes, I'd like to get myself to a point where I actually feel I'm controlling my weight rather than simply reacting to changes.

That's a good way to put it. And I agree. But, in the meantime, reacting to changes is WAY better than not reacting, which is what I used to do!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yes, BUT: Water retention isn't the same as weight gain in a very, very, very important way. It doesn't accumulate. That is, you aren't going to be retaining a pound of water this week and then two next week and then three the week after that. You're going to retain the amount of water this medication causes you to retain up to some possible maximum. It's not like averaging 100 too many calories every day and gaining a pound every month for years on end. You will NEVER get to the point you're retaining 90 pounds of water. Maybe you'll weigh two or three pounds more than you should for several years...so?

The reason for my concern is that I have seen posts online from people who claim that they gained 20-30 pounds of water weight, that their ankles swelled unbearably, that they had to take additional drugs to counter the water weight, and so forth. But I recognize the limits of anecdotal evidence, and those stories don't necessarily have any credibility. In fact, many of them sound downright implausible. Even if they are true, I am sure those cases are rare. So my concern is excessive and needs to be countered. If I gain 2 or 3 pounds and that's the extent of it, I can definitely deal with that. I think the sudden gain I saw this week was just a temporary, unexplained fluke, though.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: didn't frickin' weigh again! Arg! I went to bed hideously early yesterday (like 7:30) because I was falling off my stool in the kitchen. John came to bed at 11 and without thinking had locked the kitchen door to the garage. Jane came home at 11:30 and found herself locked out. (Uh, maybe giving her a key would be a possible solution? LOL!) So she came around front and knocked, then texted John (who had left his phone out in the family room) then finally rang the doorbell hoping her dad would hear it. (She was trying to spare me because she knows my sleep patterns.) But of course it woke me instead of him. :) And then because I'd had four hours of sleep, it was impossible to get back to sleep, so I've been up since. Gave up and started drinking coffee at 4, and didn't remember I hadn't weighed until my third cup. But I had a pretty good eating day yesterday and exercised, so I'm not overworried.

Jane doesn't have a house key?? Your night sounds like a comedy of errors. You got up about the time I went to bed! It's not a surprise that you would forget to weigh under those conditions. I hope the scale will reward you tomorrow! And I'm glad you had a good eating/exercise day.

my report: My weight was down .6 this morning, took a walk in the mall, stayed OP all day (and am quite hungry now), ate slowly and mindfully, remembered to save a few bites for Callie, contacted my diet buddy.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Did you see your match?

Nope. We've talked on the phone a couple of times this week but haven't made any additional plans to get together.

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Is their point system online somewhere, or do they still make you pay a membership fee in order to get access to their materials?

Since I'm lifetime, if I attend a meeting a month I get free access to their online materials. That's a new policy -- they used to charge everyone for online access, but recently they started offering lifetime members an access code at meetings.

Originally Posted by :
My knees used to torture me to the point that I would practically scream every time I stood up, but running on the treadmill doesn't bother them at all these days. But I would imagine your knees are in worse shape than mine, and running is definitely not low-impact.

Yes, my knees are terrible. My knee issues weren't caused by weight issues -- my first dislocation was when I was probably 13, had reached close to my full height and probably weighed 93 pounds -- but they're made worse by extra weight. So losing definitely helps, but it doesn't solve the problems. How cool that the treadmill doesn't bother you when standing up used to! That must feel pretty amazing.

Originally Posted by :
That's a good way to put it. And I agree. But, in the meantime, reacting to changes is WAY better than not reacting, which is what I used to do!

Yes, I'm trying to see it as a preliminary step in my journey to lifetime weight control.

Originally Posted by :
The reason for my concern is that I have seen posts online from people who claim that they gained 20-30 pounds of water weight, that their ankles swelled unbearably, that they had to take additional drugs to counter the water weight, and so forth. But I recognize the limits of anecdotal evidence, and those stories don't necessarily have any credibility. In fact, many of them sound downright implausible. Even if they are true, I am sure those cases are rare. So my concern is excessive and needs to be countered. If I gain 2 or 3 pounds and that's the extent of it, I can definitely deal with that. I think the sudden gain I saw this week was just a temporary, unexplained fluke, though.

20 or 30 pounds of water weight? That's a lot, for sure. But I'll bet you're right that it's rare. And I also wonder about what other medical conditions someone might have that might make it more likely in them. Ankles swelling unbearably might be as much a circulation issue as a water retention issue.

Originally Posted by :
Jane doesn't have a house key?? Your night sounds like a comedy of errors. You got up about the time I went to bed! It's not a surprise that you would forget to weigh under those conditions. I hope the scale will reward you tomorrow! And I'm glad you had a good eating/exercise day.

I know, crazy. We go in and out our kitchen door, which leads through the garage. The garage door is on an opener, and we leave the door into the kitchen open. Whoever's in last puts the garage door down and locks the door leading into the kitchen. I literally can't remember the last time I used my housekey, but I do have one on my keyring. But because she's never needed one before this, we hadn't really thought about it. I don't think Michael has one on his keyring either, and he's been driving for over four years.

Originally Posted by :
my report: My weight was down .6 this morning, took a walk in the mall, stayed OP all day (and am quite hungry now), ate slowly and mindfully, remembered to save a few bites for Callie, contacted my diet buddy.

Great day!

Report: weighed (1.4 under goal), ate reasonably, slowly, mindfully, sitting down. Left a bite of almost everything, I'm pretty sure. Didn't get much exercise, though I was actively moving around the house doing all sorts of projects -- wish I'd remembered my pedometer!




Nope. We've talked on the phone a couple of times this week but haven't made any additional plans to get together.[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Since I'm lifetime, if I attend a meeting a month I get free access to their online materials. That's a new policy -- they used to charge everyone for online access, but recently they started offering lifetime members an access code at meetings.

So that means I could get free access just by attending a single meeting? Or does the access code keep changing?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yes, my knees are terrible. My knee issues weren't caused by weight issues -- my first dislocation was when I was probably 13, had reached close to my full height and probably weighed 93 pounds -- but they're made worse by extra weight. So losing definitely helps, but it doesn't solve the problems. How cool that the treadmill doesn't bother you when standing up used to! That must feel pretty amazing.

Your knees are like my shoulders, except that I don't think my shoulders were made any worse by my weight. I will always have problems with my shoulders, and my range of motion will always be limited, but I am still amazed at how much of an improvement exercise has wrought. And, yes, it does feel pretty amazing not to have that pain in my knees anymore. I do still hear my knees crunching when I use certain machines, though. The sound is like stepping on broken glass. I think my doctor called it chondromilacia, or something like that (I know I'm not spelling it right).

Originally Posted by va1erie:
20 or 30 pounds of water weight? That's a lot, for sure. But I'll bet you're right that it's rare. And I also wonder about what other medical conditions someone might have that might make it more likely in them. Ankles swelling unbearably might be as much a circulation issue as a water retention issue.

I'm sure some of those stories are pure hyperbole. Others are probably the result of misattributing the weight gain to water when it is really fat due to overeating. And, like you said, some of them have to have circulation problems. So I'm not going to worry about it unless and until it happens, which I think is pretty unlikely based on my experience so far. The only major side effect I have noticed is a great increase in the number of hot flashes I have.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I know, crazy. We go in and out our kitchen door, which leads through the garage. The garage door is on an opener, and we leave the door into the kitchen open. Whoever's in last puts the garage door down and locks the door leading into the kitchen. I literally can't remember the last time I used my housekey, but I do have one on my keyring. But because she's never needed one before this, we hadn't really thought about it. I don't think Michael has one on his keyring either, and he's been driving for over four years.

Not so crazy in those circumstances. I do exactly the same thing. I can't remember the last time I used my house key, although I do have one on my keyring and another hidden outside. The only time I ever use the house key is when the electricity goes out or the garage door opener isn't working, which happens frustratingly often.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (1.4 under goal), ate reasonably, slowly, mindfully, sitting down. Left a bite of almost everything, I'm pretty sure. Didn't get much exercise, though I was actively moving around the house doing all sorts of projects -- wish I'd remembered my pedometer!

I heard your sigh of relief all the way over here! Yay you for the reasonable, mindful eating.

My weight was unchanged this morning. Stayed OP. Ate everything sitting down. Saved a few bites for Callie. Did not get any exercise other than doing laundry and cleaning my condo.

Hope you had another good day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
So that means I could get free access just by attending a single meeting? Or does the access code keep changing?

You could get free access for a month (IIRC) but then you have to go back for the new access code.

Originally Posted by :
Your knees are like my shoulders, except that I don't think my shoulders were made any worse by my weight. I will always have problems with my shoulders, and my range of motion will always be limited, but I am still amazed at how much of an improvement exercise has wrought. And, yes, it does feel pretty amazing not to have that pain in my knees anymore. I do still hear my knees crunching when I use certain machines, though. The sound is like stepping on broken glass. I think my doctor called it chondromilacia, or something like that (I know I'm not spelling it right).

Yeah, my knees make noise. So far so good with pain and inflammation, though -- I've even been doing some squats and lunges.

Originally Posted by :
I'm sure some of those stories are pure hyperbole. Others are probably the result of misattributing the weight gain to water when it is really fat due to overeating. And, like you said, some of them have to have circulation problems. So I'm not going to worry about it unless and until it happens, which I think is pretty unlikely based on my experience so far. The only major side effect I have noticed is a great increase in the number of hot flashes I have.

Oh, that's a bummer!

Report: weighed (up to .4 under goal, gaaa), ate reasonably until after wine, sigh, left a bite of nearly everything, went to class this morning.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
You could get free access for a month (IIRC) but then you have to go back for the new access code.

You mean IIRC is the code?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yeah, my knees make noise. So far so good with pain and inflammation, though -- I've even been doing some squats and lunges.

I can do squats like nobody's business, but I still can't do lunges unless I hang on to my trainer's hand in a death grip. I lose my balance otherwise.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (up to .4 under goal, gaaa), ate reasonably until after wine, sigh, left a bite of nearly everything, went to class this morning.

Hopefully you had a low calorie day, and that combined with the exercise will get you back into your comfort zone. When are you going on vacation--late March? You wanted to be at 111 by then, right?

my report: This was one of my 16-hour days. I didn't even get home until after 9PM. I had to eat lunch in the car, but there's really no way around it on those days. I did stay OP, and I at least ate everything sitting down, if not always completely mindfully! :) My weight was down .2 this morning. Got no exercise but have a training session tomorrow.

Hope today was a better day for you!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
You mean IIRC is the code?

IIRC=If I Recall Correctly. :) I got a code today and refreshed my memory. You sign up for etools, and as long as you weigh in at least once every two months, it's free for lifetime members. If you skip two months, they charge you $14.95 the next month and continue to charge you until you either cancel the subscription to etools or weigh in again and get a new code for two free months of etools. They set it up this way so that it doesn't matter whether you weigh in like clockwork or go the first week in February and then not again until the last week in March -- as long as you weigh in and get a code at least once during every calendar month, you'll keep your free etools. They give you a card with a scratch-off to reveal a unique 18-digit number; the instructions on the card are clear and it took me about thirty seconds today to scratch it off, get to the correct URL, log in, enter the code, and get my free etools refreshed.

Originally Posted by :
I can do squats like nobody's business, but I still can't do lunges unless I hang on to my trainer's hand in a death grip. I lose my balance otherwise.

I'll bet your balance is improving, though!

Originally Posted by :
Hopefully you had a low calorie day, and that combined with the exercise will get you back into your comfort zone. When are you going on vacation--late March? You wanted to be at 111 by then, right?

Yes, that's the goal. Five weeks or so -- still doable. :)

Originally Posted by :
my report: This was one of my 16-hour days. I didn't even get home until after 9PM. I had to eat lunch in the car, but there's really no way around it on those days. I did stay OP, and I at least ate everything sitting down, if not always completely mindfully! :) My weight was down .2 this morning. Got no exercise but have a training session tomorrow.

Yay, you for staying on plan even when you have to eat on the run!

Report: bad night, up at 2 and didn't weigh. No exercise today probably -- I'd like to get on the treadmill, but it's not likely given how busy today is. Ate slowly and mindfully and sitting down, though. Definitely will try to remember to weigh tomorrow even if I'm up early.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
IIRC=If I Recall Correctly.

Never heard that one before. I'm guessing that's text language!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I got a code today and refreshed my memory. You sign up for etools, and as long as you weigh in at least once every two months, it's free for lifetime members. If you skip two months, they charge you $14.95 the next month and continue to charge you until you either cancel the subscription to etools or weigh in again and get a new code for two free months of etools. They set it up this way so that it doesn't matter whether you weigh in like clockwork or go the first week in February and then not again until the last week in March -- as long as you weigh in and get a code at least once during every calendar month, you'll keep your free etools. They give you a card with a scratch-off to reveal a unique 18-digit number; the instructions on the card are clear and it took me about thirty seconds today to scratch it off, get to the correct URL, log in, enter the code, and get my free etools refreshed.

I should have realized they'd have it set up so that not everyone who knows someone who knows someone who knows a member can get access! is $14.95 what they charge for a meeting these days? It's been many years since I attended a WW meeting.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I'll bet your balance is improving, though!

Yep, in leaps and bounds! Well, maybe not leaps and bounds quite yet.....but you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yes, that's the goal. Five weeks or so -- still doable. :)

Definitely doable, and a good incentive.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: bad night, up at 2 and didn't weigh. No exercise today probably -- I'd like to get on the treadmill, but it's not likely given how busy today is. Ate slowly and mindfully and sitting down, though. Definitely will try to remember to weigh tomorrow even if I'm up early.

Sorry to hear you had a bad night. You really have a tough time with insomnia, and the kind that wakes you up in the middle of the night is often harder to deal with than the kind that prevents you from falling asleep in the first place. Hopefully tonight will be better.

I'm really excited. I was watching Biggest Loser tonight, and a commercial came on for the new Biggest Loser Fitness Resort in western NY--within driving distance of here! I've wanted to go to one of their spas ever since i started watching the show, but the first one is in Utah and the second one is in California, both in places that would be wickedly hot in the summer when I can travel, and both obviously involving a big travel expense. I definitely want to try to get to the NY one this summer. I tried to get to their website but I keep getting a message saying that too many people are trying at once and to try again later. I guess everyone reacted to the commercial the same way I did!

my report: my weight was up .6 this morning. Stayed OP. Had a really good training session. Ate everything slowly and mindfully. Saved a bite for Callie. Contacted my diet buddy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Never heard that one before. I'm guessing that's text language!

Started as email language, but, yes, it's now used for text too.

Originally Posted by :
I should have realized they'd have it set up so that not everyone who knows someone who knows someone who knows a member can get access! is $14.95 what they charge for a meeting these days? It's been many years since I attended a WW meeting.

I don't think it's that much -- it might be around $29 per month?

Originally Posted by :
I'm really excited. I was watching Biggest Loser tonight, and a commercial came on for the new Biggest Loser Fitness Resort in western NY--within driving distance of here! I've wanted to go to one of their spas ever since i started watching the show, but the first one is in Utah and the second one is in California, both in places that would be wickedly hot in the summer when I can travel, and both obviously involving a big travel expense. I definitely want to try to get to the NY one this summer. I tried to get to their website but I keep getting a message saying that too many people are trying at once and to try again later. I guess everyone reacted to the commercial the same way I did!

I went and looked -- it sounds like fun! Expensive, but since it's basically all-inclusive, maybe not that much more expensive than many vacations.

Report: weighed (1.4 under goal), did the wicked Wednesday class that always leaves me gasping for breath, ate a very reasonable breakfast but went out to lunch with the hubs, so a little more than normal there but not too bad. Feel like I need a nap, though.

Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by va1erie:

I went and looked -- it sounds like fun! Expensive, but since it's basically all-inclusive, maybe not that much more expensive than many vacations.

I know it's really expensive, ridiculously so. But I still really want to do it. I went to the website tonight and read it thoroughly. The only hesitation I have is that is sounds like they expect you to eat what they put in front of you, which could be a huge problem for me, given my picky eating. When I looked at the sample menus, I saw lots of stuff I wouldn't eat.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (1.4 under goal), did the wicked Wednesday class that always leaves me gasping for breath, ate a very reasonable breakfast but went out to lunch with the hubs, so a little more than normal there but not too bad. Feel like I need a nap, though.

YAY for being well under goal, a good exercise class, and a special lunch out. A nap is never a bad thing, either!

My weight was unchanged this morning but will be up tomorrow. I have not had a good evening, eating-wise. I just wolfed down 4 or 5 extra NS desserts after talking on the phone to my match. I seem once again to be at that point of absolute ambivalence, caught in the exquisite agony of an approach-avoidance conflict. (I'm going to visit him in his hometown on Sat.) It was a good day up to that point, though. Oh, well, move on. :(

Hope your day was great!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I know it's really expensive, ridiculously so. But I still really want to do it. I went to the website tonight and read it thoroughly. The only hesitation I have is that is sounds like they expect you to eat what they put in front of you, which could be a huge problem for me, given my picky eating. When I looked at the sample menus, I saw lots of stuff I wouldn't eat.

I bet they can adjust for you.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was unchanged this morning but will be up tomorrow. I have not had a good evening, eating-wise. I just wolfed down 4 or 5 extra NS desserts after talking on the phone to my match. I seem once again to be at that point of absolute ambivalence, caught in the exquisite agony of an approach-avoidance conflict. (I'm going to visit him in his hometown on Sat.) It was a good day up to that point, though. Oh, well, move on. :(

:( So you haven't taken your desserts out of the house yet? What do you think you'd do if you got off the phone and felt that way and didn't have a supply of NS desserts?

report: weighed (1.4 under goal), ate slowly, mindfully, reasonably, left a bite. Went to class yesterday, didn't exercise today. Probably going out to dinner with my daughter, as John went out with a friend. Not a bad day! :)

Hope you have a good one tomorrow, and feel less anxiety over going to your matche's hometown!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I bet they can adjust for you.

I'm going to call and find out! It wouldn't be a deal breaker either way, but I want to know before I get there. I also want to know if I would be allowed to bring in NS food to supplement theirs if I have a problem with their food.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
:( So you haven't taken your desserts out of the house yet? What do you think you'd do if you got off the phone and felt that way and didn't have a supply of NS desserts?

I took care of them today (trash day) by throwing out the few I had left. I feel better having them gone. I don't know what I would/will do next time I feel that way, but at least I know what I WON'T be doing.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed (1.4 under goal), ate slowly, mindfully, reasonably, left a bite. Went to class yesterday, didn't exercise today. Probably going out to dinner with my daughter, as John went out with a friend. Not a bad day! :)

Glad you had a good day. How did your dinner with Jane go tonight?

I've been meaning to ask you how your tooth is doing. I was reminded of it today when I had an emergency dental appointment. I've had a mild toothache that has been gradually building for several weeks. The tooth has felt a little weird ever since I had the lumpectomy back in Oct., and now the gum tissue is sore as well. My dentist thinks the root may have gotten cracked when I had anesthesia. I am going back to the endodontist who previously worked on the tooth, next Friday. This is the same tooth on which I had a root canal by drilling through the existing crown and then had to get a new crown afterward anyway. I have also had two gum surgeries on this tooth. Thousands of dollars have already been poured into it and now there is a good chance I am going to lose the tooth anyway. It is also the only lower molar I have left on that side, so I would probably need to get an implant to replace it--in other words, lots more pain and expense. Sigh....

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope you have a good one tomorrow, and feel less anxiety over going to your matche's hometown!

There is definitely some anxiety there, but mostly the feeling is one of conflict. Obviously I have issues about relationships, which I know are right at the core of why I have been fat so much of my life in the first place, and I know that I need to resolve them. I am watching Nightline on TV as I write this, and just now there was a segment on a woman who has lost a lot of weight and has been rewarding herself for each 5 pounds she loses by buying a night with a gigolo!! Maybe she has the right idea!! :D After all, I already have enough charms for my bracelet!

my report: weight was up 1.2 this morning (ACK, but no surprise), had a good OP day, ate everything sitting down and mindfully, took a walk, contacted my diet buddy. I have a training session in the morning, so I need to get to bed now.

Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I took care of them today (trash day) by throwing out the few I had left. I feel better having them gone. I don't know what I would/will do next time I feel that way, but at least I know what I WON'T be doing.

So you're going to try going without them at all for now?

Originally Posted by :
Glad you had a good day. How did your dinner with Jane go tonight?

We ended up ordering in, but I made good choices, so I'm happy!

Originally Posted by :
I've been meaning to ask you how your tooth is doing.

Had the permanent crown permanently affixed yesterday -- so far, so good! :)

Originally Posted by :
I was reminded of it today when I had an emergency dental appointment. I've had a mild toothache that has been gradually building for several weeks. The tooth has felt a little weird ever since I had the lumpectomy back in Oct., and now the gum tissue is sore as well. My dentist thinks the root may have gotten cracked when I had anesthesia. I am going back to the endodontist who previously worked on the tooth, next Friday. This is the same tooth on which I had a root canal by drilling through the existing crown and then had to get a new crown afterward anyway. I have also had two gum surgeries on this tooth. Thousands of dollars have already been poured into it and now there is a good chance I am going to lose the tooth anyway. It is also the only lower molar I have left on that side, so I would probably need to get an implant to replace it--in other words, lots more pain and expense. Sigh....

Sigh, indeed. Arg. Fingers crossed that it's not the worst case scenario!

Originally Posted by :
There is definitely some anxiety there, but mostly the feeling is one of conflict. Obviously I have issues about relationships, which I know are right at the core of why I have been fat so much of my life in the first place, and I know that I need to resolve them. I am watching Nightline on TV as I write this, and just now there was a segment on a woman who has lost a lot of weight and has been rewarding herself for each 5 pounds she loses by buying a night with a gigolo!! Maybe she has the right idea!! :D After all, I already have enough charms for my bracelet!

LOLOL! OMG, that is too funny.

Originally Posted by :
my report: weight was up 1.2 this morning (ACK, but no surprise), had a good OP day, ate everything sitting down and mindfully, took a walk, contacted my diet buddy. I have a training session in the morning, so I need to get to bed now.

Not a bad day, considering.

report: weighed (holding steady at 1.4 under goal), went to class this morning, took the car to the shop and walked ~1.2 miles to get some breakfast while they were working on it, ate slowly and mindfully but forgot to leave a bite.

Have a good day tomorrow with your match!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
So you're going to try going without them at all for now?

YES. They seem to be nothing but trouble for me lately.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
We ended up ordering in, but I made good choices, so I'm happy!

Good job!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Had the permanent crown permanently affixed yesterday -- so far, so good!

And hopefully that will continue! There's nothing like a nagging toothache to put a damper on your day. I'm glad you'll be rid of it.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Sigh, indeed. Arg. Fingers crossed that it's not the worst case scenario!

I'm crossing my fingers AND my toes, and any other appendage that is remotely crossable!!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
LOLOL! OMG, that is too funny.

I thought so, too! She was completely unabashed about it. She said that her doctor told her, "Whatever you're doing, it's working, so keep doing it." That was pretty comical, too!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Not a bad day, considering.

It was a good day, and today was even better. My weight was down .6. I had probably my best (but also most exhausting) training session ever. I burned just under 300 calories according to my Exerspy, a record by far. I did several things I've never done before, like running up and down stairs with a 20 pound weight in each hand. But the best thing was that I finally was able to do lunges (albeit a tad shaky) without holding on to anything, and with weights in my hands (I think they were 10 pounds each). That tickled me! Anyway, I stayed OP all day, consumed about 1400 calories and burned over 2100, which I think is the most I've ever burned in one day! Ate everything slowly and mindfully and sitting down. Definitely a good day.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed (holding steady at 1.4 under goal), went to class this morning, took the car to the shop and walked ~1.2 miles to get some breakfast while they were working on it, ate slowly and mindfully but forgot to leave a bite.

Sounds like you had a good day, too, and I bet you'll be rewarded with a loss tomorrow.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Have a good day tomorrow with your match!

I'm excited about it. He called me today to ask how I would feel about hiking a trail that is probably wet and somewhat muddy, and I said that sounded great, and meant it! It's supposed to be in the 50's in his area tomorrow. He warned me at least 3 or 4 times about the dangerous roads with hairpin turns, so I'm intrigued to see what the area looks like.

Hi, Val! Hope you are OK! I just got home from WV and once again am in deflated balloon mode. This time my fatigue is a combination of barely getting any sleep last night, 6 hours spent driving through the mountains, and 2 strenuous hours hiking in rough terrain, in addition to the emotional tiredness. My day was wonderful, though, on numerous levels. When we got up to the top of the mountain and could see 50 miles in all directions, I just had this moment of deep gratitude for all that life has brought me lately and for all of the things I can now do that would have been either physically or emotionally impossible for me to do not very long ago.

My weight was unchanged this morning (surprised me; I was definitely expecting a loss). I ate about 850 calories today other than at lunch; I have no idea how to count lunch (half an egg roll, maybe a quarter of a cup of rice, some pepper steak, and a fortune cookie), but I would think I would have to be in a calorie deficit considering the hiking. Ate very slowly and mindfully, taking care to be cognizant of every bite during lunch and to stop when mildly full.

OK, I'm off to bed before I collapse. Tomorrow I am singing as part of a trio in church, so I need to be functional!

Hope you had a good day and that all is well.

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
YES. They seem to be nothing but trouble for me lately.

Kind of a love-hate relationship? :)

Originally Posted by :
It was a good day, and today was even better. My weight was down .6. I had probably my best (but also most exhausting) training session ever. I burned just under 300 calories according to my Exerspy, a record by far. I did several things I've never done before, like running up and down stairs with a 20 pound weight in each hand. But the best thing was that I finally was able to do lunges (albeit a tad shaky) without holding on to anything, and with weights in my hands (I think they were 10 pounds each).

Impressive! You are going to be entering fitness contests soon! :)

Originally Posted by :
Anyway, I stayed OP all day, consumed about 1400 calories and burned over 2100, which I think is the most I've ever burned in one day! Ate everything slowly and mindfully and sitting down. Definitely a good day.

Definitely a good day!

Originally Posted by :
I'm excited about it. He called me today to ask how I would feel about hiking a trail that is probably wet and somewhat muddy, and I said that sounded great, and meant it!

How likely would that have been three years ago? :D

Originally Posted by :
It's supposed to be in the 50's in his area tomorrow. He warned me at least 3 or 4 times about the dangerous roads with hairpin turns, so I'm intrigued to see what the area looks like.

Hi, Val! Hope you are OK!

Sorry! Had an odd day timingwise and lost track of the fact that it wasn't still the day before which meant I'd already checked in!

Originally Posted by :
I just got home from WV and once again am in deflated balloon mode. This time my fatigue is a combination of barely getting any sleep last night, 6 hours spent driving through the mountains, and 2 strenuous hours hiking in rough terrain, in addition to the emotional tiredness. My day was wonderful, though, on numerous levels. When we got up to the top of the mountain and could see 50 miles in all directions, I just had this moment of deep gratitude for all that life has brought me lately and for all of the things I can now do that would have been either physically or emotionally impossible for me to do not very long ago.

Wow! I can only imagine. I hope you had a camera with you! That photo would be one for your memory box! :) It sounds like a fantastic day, even with six hours of driving. Where in WV were you hiking? I love that area. I've always wished I lived closer to an area of natural beauty. Cincinnati is just about as far from recreational areas as it's possible to be. It's a three hour drive just to get into the foothills of the Appalachians.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was unchanged this morning (surprised me; I was definitely expecting a loss).

With that heavy workout and then a long hike, you may be retaining water in your muscles.

Originally Posted by :
I ate about 850 calories today other than at lunch; I have no idea how to count lunch (half an egg roll, maybe a quarter of a cup of rice, some pepper steak, and a fortune cookie),

AND CHINESE FOOD? You go, girl! Yeah, that's hard to count -- some egg rolls are huge, others are tiny, and then you can't know how much oil is in the pepper steak

Originally Posted by :
but I would think I would have to be in a calorie deficit considering the hiking.

I would assume so, too. You moved like crazy.

Originally Posted by :
Ate very slowly and mindfully, taking care to be cognizant of every bite during lunch and to stop when mildly full.

Which is fantastic, given that I'm sure you had plenty to distract you! :) And it sounds like even though you're emotionally exhausted, it feels like a good sort of emotional exhaustion. Maybe a little like the tiredness/soreness you feel after working out is a good sort of tiredness?

Sorry for not checking in! report: weighed both days, stayed the same (1.4 under goal) and I'm fine with this weight, even if I ended up staying here long term, but I still want to pull off a few pounds before going on vacation so I don't risk coming back over goal. Ate reasonably even though I was at a charity fundraiser party where one of the fundraising ploys was getting people to buy things to consume -- jell-o shots, raw oysters -- and the other was voting on the best chili, which meant everyone needed to take a taste of all eight. I had one jell-o shot, one oyster, and the smallest possible tastes of all the chilis, didn't add any cheese or sour cream or crackers to any of my tastes, skipped all the desserts and only had one appetizer -- a woman in our group makes her own smoked salmon, and she'd brought some, so I had to have that -- and one glass of wine. I felt pretty good, considering. Didn't get any exercise. Spent the day making bread for the party, making chili, and going through old photos to pack some up to send to a place that turns them all into jpegs and posts them in an online storage account.

Hope things go well with the singing!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Kind of a love-hate relationship? :)

TOTALLY.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Impressive! You are going to be entering fitness contests soon! :)

LOL!! Yeah, I can win the Most Improved Klutz Award!! :D

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Definitely a good day!

The BEST, on many levels!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
How likely would that have been three years ago? :D

A loooooooong shot, to say the least!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Sorry! Had an odd day timingwise and lost track of the fact that it wasn't still the day before which meant I'd already checked in!

No problem. I often feel like I've done things, or told people things, because I did them or said them in my head!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Wow! I can only imagine. I hope you had a camera with you! That photo would be one for your memory box! :) It sounds like a fantastic day, even with six hours of driving. Where in WV were you hiking? I love that area. I've always wished I lived closer to an area of natural beauty. Cincinnati is just about as far from recreational areas as it's possible to be. It's a three hour drive just to get into the foothills of the Appalachians.

Nope, no camera, but I should definitely write a memory card. I was in a tiny town of 2000 people, maybe 40 miles or so southeast of Parkersburg. It was truly breathtaking. I've never thought of myself as someone who could really explore or fully enjoy an area like that, but I can definitely imagine it now.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
With that heavy workout and then a long hike, you may be retaining water in your muscles.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that, but I bet you are right.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
AND CHINESE FOOD? You go, girl! Yeah, that's hard to count -- some egg rolls are huge, others are tiny, and then you can't know how much oil is in the pepper steak

The egg roll was tiny but very crispy-fried. And I have no idea how much oil would have been in the pepper steak, but I didn't eat a whole lot of it--maybe a third of the container at most.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I would assume so, too. You moved like crazy.

I did! And I wasn't even particularly winded!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Which is fantastic, given that I'm sure you had plenty to distract you! :)

Oh, yeah, plenty of distraction for sure.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
And it sounds like even though you're emotionally exhausted, it feels like a good sort of emotional exhaustion. Maybe a little like the tiredness/soreness you feel after working out is a good sort of tiredness?

Yes, it was definitely a good tiredness, both the physical and the emotional components of it. I slept really well last night.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Sorry for not checking in! report: weighed both days, stayed the same (1.4 under goal) and I'm fine with this weight, even if I ended up staying here long term, but I still want to pull off a few pounds before going on vacation so I don't risk coming back over goal. Ate reasonably even though I was at a charity fundraiser party where one of the fundraising ploys was getting people to buy things to consume -- jell-o shots, raw oysters -- and the other was voting on the best chili, which meant everyone needed to take a taste of all eight. I had one jell-o shot, one oyster, and the smallest possible tastes of all the chilis, didn't add any cheese or sour cream or crackers to any of my tastes, skipped all the desserts and only had one appetizer -- a woman in our group makes her own smoked salmon, and she'd brought some, so I had to have that -- and one glass of wine. I felt pretty good, considering. Didn't get any exercise. Spent the day making bread for the party, making chili, and going through old photos to pack some up to send to a place that turns them all into jpegs and posts them in an online storage account.

Good for you for being comfortable with your weight. I think that's half the battle. And it sounds like you did a great job of controlling what you ate and drank at the fundraiser, under some pretty challenging conditions. When you are in a situation like that, especially when there is no way to know exactly how many calories are involved, what is your strategy for deciding what to eat?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope things go well with the singing!

The singing went great! It was a very good day. Weight was down .2, stayed OP all day, ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully, and took a walk. Hope you had a good one, too!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Nope, no camera, but I should definitely write a memory card. I was in a tiny town of 2000 people, maybe 40 miles or so southeast of Parkersburg. It was truly breathtaking. I've never thought of myself as someone who could really explore or fully enjoy an area like that, but I can definitely imagine it now.

That is the coolest thing ever -- feeling new possibilities open up to you!

Originally Posted by :
The egg roll was tiny but very crispy-fried. And I have no idea how much oil would have been in the pepper steak, but I didn't eat a whole lot of it--maybe a third of the container at most.

Very crispy can actually be better -- it can mean it was fried at very high temps, which means you don't get grease soaking in. Sauces are tricky at Chinese places, though. In most cooking styles, a clear sauce is a lower-calorie sauce. In Chinese cooking, a clear sauce can be high in fat or sugar.

Originally Posted by :
Yes, it was definitely a good tiredness, both the physical and the emotional components of it. I slept really well last night.

Yay for you!

Originally Posted by :
Good for you for being comfortable with your weight. I think that's half the battle. And it sounds like you did a great job of controlling what you ate and drank at the fundraiser, under some pretty challenging conditions. When you are in a situation like that, especially when there is no way to know exactly how many calories are involved, what is your strategy for deciding what to eat?

Really it's just to limit portion sizes and avoid the really worst things unless there's some compelling reason (generally that it's something I don't often get) to try something, and then again to limit the portion.

Originally Posted by :
The singing went great! It was a very good day. Weight was down .2, stayed OP all day, ate everything sitting down and slowly and mindfully, and took a walk. Hope you had a good one, too!

Yay, you!

Report: up latish for class this morning so didn't weigh, but I feel kind of heavy and blah -- going to have a very low day today. It's a good day to as I don't have any eating events planned except for lunch with my friend Sue. Jane's off school, and she wants to babysit Sue's 3-yo and 1-yo grandkids, whom Sue watches most days for her son and daughter-in-law while they work. She told Sue she'd take them for a couple hours if Sue wanted to run an errand, so I'm taking Sue out to get lunch. (She's blind and doesn't drive.) But Sue is a very healthy eater, very calorie-conscious, so we'll likely go somewhere we can get a salad. Walked to class this morning even though it was coooooold, so got both planned and spontaneous exercise. I'd like to get on the treadmill too, as I'd like to start getting on daily even if only for fifteen minutes. I left my sneakers on when I got home from class, am planning on not taking them off until I get on the treadmill. That'll give me incentive because I really hate wearing shoes and never wear them unless I have to.

Hope you had a great day! Were you off today?

Update: got on the treadmill for not quite 20 minutes, yay me! Did some one-minute intervals of running and walking, which is a new one for me. Even one minute of a very slow run (4.5 mph) started to make my calves ache and twitch, and they couldn't do more than three running intervals in a row without slowing to a fast walk for the "work" intervals, which tells me how out of shape they are. But my knees seem to have held up, so yay for that!

Val

Originally Posted by va1erie:
That is the coolest thing ever -- feeling new possibilities open up to you!

It really is. I hardly have the words to express the sense of gratitude I often feel lately. I feel like a little kid in a lot of ways--a happy kid ready to play and explore!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Very crispy can actually be better -- it can mean it was fried at very high temps, which means you don't get grease soaking in. Sauces are tricky at Chinese places, though. In most cooking styles, a clear sauce is a lower-calorie sauce. In Chinese cooking, a clear sauce can be high in fat or sugar.

Hmmm, that's interesting (and good to know) about the super-crispy egg rolls. I would have anticipated the opposite. I do know that the sauces on Chinese food can be really fattening, though. And they also have MSG, right?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Really it's just to limit portion sizes and avoid the really worst things unless there's some compelling reason (generally that it's something I don't often get) to try something, and then again to limit the portion.

That's simple but effective--and capitalizes on the sensory-specific satiety effect.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: up latish for class this morning so didn't weigh, but I feel kind of heavy and blah -- going to have a very low day today. It's a good day to as I don't have any eating events planned except for lunch with my friend Sue. Jane's off school, and she wants to babysit Sue's 3-yo and 1-yo grandkids, whom Sue watches most days for her son and daughter-in-law while they work. She told Sue she'd take them for a couple hours if Sue wanted to run an errand, so I'm taking Sue out to get lunch. (She's blind and doesn't drive.) But Sue is a very healthy eater, very calorie-conscious, so we'll likely go somewhere we can get a salad.

Wow, it must be challenging to take care of two toddlers without being able to see. Hope you two had a good lunch! I would love to go out to eat with someone who watches what they eat. Most of my friends seem to gravitate toward the most caloric thing on the menu!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Walked to class this morning even though it was coooooold, so got both planned and spontaneous exercise. I'd like to get on the treadmill too, as I'd like to start getting on daily even if only for fifteen minutes. I left my sneakers on when I got home from class, am planning on not taking them off until I get on the treadmill. That'll give me incentive because I really hate wearing shoes and never wear them unless I have to.

WOW, YAY YOU on all fronts! I applaud your intent to get on the treadmill for 15 minutes daily, just to establish the habit. My trainer recently asked me to get on my treadmill for 20 minutes each day, but I admit I haven't done it yet. My reasons are that I can't stand the thought of getting up any earlier, having to change my clothes an extra time, and using the treadmill when it's so cold in my garage. But those are all just excuses--and not even very good ones!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope you had a great day! Were you off today?

Nope, it was a normal work day, but it was a good one. I got my student evaluations back from last semester, and they were wonderful. In addition to all the appropriate and relevant comments about my teaching style, there were several comments about my looks--mostly about how nicely dressed I always am and how professional I look. But then there was one saying that I have "the best legs on campus." The feminist in me knows enough to feel guilty that I'm not offended and outraged by comments like that. But the 57-year-old former fatty is pretty tickled!

My weight was down .8 this morning (finally!). Stayed OP all day (much easier without those darn desserts around!). Ate everything sitting down, slowly and mindfully. Got no exercise other than intentionally parking in a spot far from my destination at the mall.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Update: got on the treadmill for not quite 20 minutes, yay me! Did some one-minute intervals of running and walking, which is a new one for me. Even one minute of a very slow run (4.5 mph) started to make my calves ache and twitch, and they couldn't do more than three running intervals in a row without slowing to a fast walk for the "work" intervals, which tells me how out of shape they are. But my knees seem to have held up, so yay for that!

Whenever I do get on the treadmill in between training sessions (less often than I should), I do the one-minute intervals, so I know what you mean. It's very tiring. But the fact that your knees can take the strain is a great thing! Have you been back to your orthopedist lately to see how your knees are doing? And BTW, if it's your calves that are tired, there's a machine at my gym that has strengthened my calves to an amazing degree. Maybe your gym has one, too. You sit with a weight clamped down on your lower thighs, put your toes on a little ledge, and then repeatedly flex your calf muscles to lift up the weights repeatedly.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. In addition to my classes and a personal training session, I am going out to dinner with a colleague from school, and then we are going to a play at the campus' PAC. We're going to Applebee's to check out their new low-calorie entrees that I keep seeing advertised on TV.

Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
I do know that the sauces on Chinese food can be really fattening, though. And they also have MSG, right?

Generally. MSG makes food taste good. As long as I don't get it often, I don't worry too much about it, but some folks are sensitive to it.

Originally Posted by :
Wow, it must be challenging to take care of two toddlers without being able to see. Hope you two had a good lunch! I would love to go out to eat with someone who watches what they eat. Most of my friends seem to gravitate toward the most caloric thing on the menu!

She manages. She's "only" legally blind -- can see to get around as long as the light is right (dim light is best for her), can even read large print with a very strong magnification lens she puts on the page and puts her eye right up to it.

Originally Posted by :
WOW, YAY YOU on all fronts! I applaud your intent to get on the treadmill for 15 minutes daily, just to establish the habit. My trainer recently asked me to get on my treadmill for 20 minutes each day, but I admit I haven't done it yet. My reasons are that I can't stand the thought of getting up any earlier, having to change my clothes an extra time, and using the treadmill when it's so cold in my garage. But those are all just excuses--and not even very good ones!

They aren't =bad= excuses, but they do seem to be ones you could overcome. Maybe only do it on days you don't have a blindingly early class, put a space heater in the garage and turn it on as soon as you get up so it'll be warmer by the time you're dressed and ready to walk, start with committing to -five- minutes on the treadmill?

Originally Posted by :
Nope, it was a normal work day, but it was a good one. I got my student evaluations back from last semester, and they were wonderful. In addition to all the appropriate and relevant comments about my teaching style, there were several comments about my looks--mostly about how nicely dressed I always am and how professional I look. But then there was one saying that I have "the best legs on campus." The feminist in me knows enough to feel guilty that I'm not offended and outraged by comments like that. But the 57-year-old former fatty is pretty tickled!

Hey, it's only offensive if it's not welcome. :) There's no need for feminist shame for enjoying a man's appreciative attention. Gloria Steinem seems to manage looking hot AND being taken seriously.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was down .8 this morning (finally!). Stayed OP all day (much easier without those darn desserts around!). Ate everything sitting down, slowly and mindfully. Got no exercise other than intentionally parking in a spot far from my destination at the mall.

Hey, that's something.

Originally Posted by :
Whenever I do get on the treadmill in between training sessions (less often than I should), I do the one-minute intervals, so I know what you mean. It's very tiring. But the fact that your knees can take the strain is a great thing! Have you been back to your orthopedist lately to see how your knees are doing?

I haven't. I'm actually thinking of changing docs -- this one has gotten so big and famous that the word is he doesn't do his own surgeries any more. His fellows do them. I want to know who is going to be cutting into me and that I'm not part of anyone's training process.

Originally Posted by :
And BTW, if it's your calves that are tired, there's a machine at my gym that has strengthened my calves to an amazing degree. Maybe your gym has one, too. You sit with a weight clamped down on your lower thighs, put your toes on a little ledge, and then repeatedly flex your calf muscles to lift up the weights repeatedly.

I don't have a gym, other than the little studio, and it doesn't have ANY machines. Everything we do is free weights or using our own body as the weight. But I used to do something similar to that machine -- every day I'd do thirty times up and down on my toes slowly. No extra weights, but I could just build to doing it with weights in my hands, or even pressing myself downward by clamping my hands under the kitchen counter to put more 'weight' on the calf muscles.

Originally Posted by :
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. In addition to my classes and a personal training session, I am going out to dinner with a colleague from school, and then we are going to a play at the campus' PAC. We're going to Applebee's to check out their new low-calorie entrees that I keep seeing advertised on TV.

What's a PAC?

report: didn't weigh at home, but did weigh at WW meeting, .2 over goal with clothes on and after drinking a ton of coffee and having breakfast, so I count that as under goal. No exercise yet, and I haven't put on my exercise clothes to get on the treadmill -- usually when I'm trying to build the habit, I put on my exercise clothes and shoes first thing in the morning and don't let myself take them off until I've worked out, but this morning I had to be at an appointment at 9:30 and a second one at 11, so I had no time. May go put my exercise clothes on after this, though, as I don't have any more appts today.

Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Generally. MSG makes food taste good. As long as I don't get it often, I don't worry too much about it, but some folks are sensitive to it.

MSG causes water retention, right?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
She manages. She's "only" legally blind -- can see to get around as long as the light is right (dim light is best for her), can even read large print with a very strong magnification lens she puts on the page and puts her eye right up to it.

"Only" legally blind still sounds like a pretty major handicap.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
They aren't =bad= excuses, but they do seem to be ones you could overcome. Maybe only do it on days you don't have a blindingly early class, put a space heater in the garage and turn it on as soon as you get up so it'll be warmer by the time you're dressed and ready to walk, start with committing to -five- minutes on the treadmill?

That all sounds very reasonable and doable. But I'm not ready to commit to it right at the moment. The motivation just isn't there. :(

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hey, it's only offensive if it's not welcome. :) There's no need for feminist shame for enjoying a man's appreciative attention. Gloria Steinem seems to manage looking hot AND being taken seriously.

I guess what I'm saying is that I know it is SUPPOSED to be unwelcome!! But I just can't help myself! :D

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I haven't. I'm actually thinking of changing docs -- this one has gotten so big and famous that the word is he doesn't do his own surgeries any more. His fellows do them. I want to know who is going to be cutting into me and that I'm not part of anyone's training process.

Hmmm, that's definitely the downside of having a doctor who's "too" good! I definitely agree with you, though.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I don't have a gym, other than the little studio, and it doesn't have ANY machines. Everything we do is free weights or using our own body as the weight. But I used to do something similar to that machine -- every day I'd do thirty times up and down on my toes slowly. No extra weights, but I could just build to doing it with weights in my hands, or even pressing myself downward by clamping my hands under the kitchen counter to put more 'weight' on the calf muscles.

I knew you go to a small place but didn't know it has no machines. But there are always ways to accomplish the same goals without all the fancy equipment. In fact, in many cases, I think all of that equipment is just a money-making racket!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
What's a PAC?

Performing Arts Center. The play was great--really intense and draining, but incredibly well done. There were only four actors in the whole thing, with one of them being involved in virtually every single scene. I can't imagine what an undertaking it would be to memorize that many lines.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: didn't weigh at home, but did weigh at WW meeting, .2 over goal with clothes on and after drinking a ton of coffee and having breakfast, so I count that as under goal. No exercise yet, and I haven't put on my exercise clothes to get on the treadmill -- usually when I'm trying to build the habit, I put on my exercise clothes and shoes first thing in the morning and don't let myself take them off until I've worked out, but this morning I had to be at an appointment at 9:30 and a second one at 11, so I had no time. May go put my exercise clothes on after this, though, as I don't have any more appts today.

I think you are definitely safe in saying you are well under goal! Were you successful in getting on the treadmill?

My weight was unchanged this morning. Had a good personal training session. Had a new dijon chicken entree at Applebee's, which is supposed to be less than 550 calories. Otherwise OP. It's been a long and busy day, and I am very tired.

Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
MSG causes water retention, right?

I think I've heard some people say it does for them. Food that has MSG often also has a lot of salt, though.

Originally Posted by :
"Only" legally blind still sounds like a pretty major handicap.

Yeah, it is. If there's a dropoff or something, she's very careful to always keep someone else between her and it because she just wouldn't see the edge of a deck or of a cliff. She recognizes people by their voices and then at noisy events by the general large pattern of their clothing once she's seen them. She's got an amazing memory. And she manages. She's a good cook and baker, for instance. And she'll take the kids out in the stroller on her own. She and her husband intentionally chose this particular neighborhood because we can walk to so much -- we can walk to the grocery, produce market, the library, the post office, bank, shops and salons, restaurants, even all three schools our kids attended thru 8th grade. Once she knows the way and knows about any obstacles like uneven spots in the sidewalk or whatever, she'll go out on her own.

Originally Posted by :
That all sounds very reasonable and doable. But I'm not ready to commit to it right at the moment. The motivation just isn't there. :(

Baby steps. You're already doing a LOT of exercise. One of these days -- maybe when it's warm and you don't have school -- you can develop the habit. :)

Originally Posted by :
I knew you go to a small place but didn't know it has no machines. But there are always ways to accomplish the same goals without all the fancy equipment. In fact, in many cases, I think all of that equipment is just a money-making racket!

I agree. I think I read somewhere that their real advantage is that they force you into good form so are good for beginners, but the major disadvantage is that they target one muscle or muscle group so exactly that the surrounding muscles don't get worked out. When you do pushups, you're working out your entire upper body plus your core. When you do lunges, you work out all your leg muscles, your core, and develop your balance. So in theory you get a lot more out of the workout as long as your form is good.

Originally Posted by :
Performing Arts Center. The play was great--really intense and draining, but incredibly well done. There were only four actors in the whole thing, with one of them being involved in virtually every single scene. I can't imagine what an undertaking it would be to memorize that many lines.

Oh, I misread you to have said you 'went to play at the new PAC.' LOL, I was thinking some sort of playground-style workout center for adults. :)

Originally Posted by :
My weight was unchanged this morning. Had a good personal training session. Had a new dijon chicken entree at Applebee's, which is supposed to be less than 550 calories. Otherwise OP. It's been a long and busy day, and I am very tired.

Good day for you! How was the dijon chicken? I've heard Applebees has a lot of low-cal choices. I think they may even have partnered with WW at one point.

Weighed (1.8 under goal), ate VERY reasonably all day -- bar for breakfast, huge salad for lunch, veggie soup and curried cauliflower for dinner -- but didn't get on the treadmill because I remembered I'm not supposed to sweat for at least 24 hours after getting my hair straightened, which I did yesterday morning. Actually I had it straightened last Wednesday, but a little section didn't take so I had to go back for a touchup yesterday. Normally I schedule it for just after a workout so I don't have to miss one because of my hair, but this was his only free time. Also couldn't go to my class this morning because of the hair, but I can wash it in a few hours.

Hope you had another great day!

Am I missing a post by you? I'm having computer issues! Will be back tomorrow!

report: weighed (1.8 under goal), ate slowly, reasonably, sitting down. Didn't leave a bite, shoot. Went to class this morning. Meant to walk but lost track of time and then it was too late.

Hope you manage to get back on soon!

Val

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I think I've heard some people say it does for them. Food that has MSG often also has a lot of salt, though.

That's what I've always heard about MSG.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yeah, it is. If there's a dropoff or something, she's very careful to always keep someone else between her and it because she just wouldn't see the edge of a deck or of a cliff. She recognizes people by their voices and then at noisy events by the general large pattern of their clothing once she's seen them. She's got an amazing memory. And she manages. She's a good cook and baker, for instance. And she'll take the kids out in the stroller on her own. She and her husband intentionally chose this particular neighborhood because we can walk to so much -- we can walk to the grocery, produce market, the library, the post office, bank, shops and salons, restaurants, even all three schools our kids attended thru 8th grade. Once she knows the way and knows about any obstacles like uneven spots in the sidewalk or whatever, she'll go out on her own.

Wow, she must have an AMAZING memory to accomplish all that. And she must be very confident, too. I like her attitude!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Baby steps. You're already doing a LOT of exercise. One of these days -- maybe when it's warm and you don't have school -- you can develop the habit. :)

Today my trainer was talking about how hard he'd like to push me once school is out and I have more time. ACK. He was reminiscing today about where I started and reminding me of how far I have come. He said he never would have believed at the start that I'd ever be capable of what I am doing now. In fact, he said he thought he was in way over his head when he started training me because he had no idea how to deal with someone with such low capabilities. Like I said--Most Improved Award goes to.......MOI!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I agree. I think I read somewhere that their real advantage is that they force you into good form so are good for beginners, but the major disadvantage is that they target one muscle or muscle group so exactly that the surrounding muscles don't get worked out. When you do pushups, you're working out your entire upper body plus your core. When you do lunges, you work out all your leg muscles, your core, and develop your balance. So in theory you get a lot more out of the workout as long as your form is good.

That makes perfect sense and squares with my experiences. Whenever I first use a new machine, I always try to identify precisely what muscle group is targeted, just from the way I feel, and I usually can.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Oh, I misread you to have said you 'went to play at the new PAC.' LOL, I was thinking some sort of playground-style workout center for adults. :)

LOL!!! No wonder you were confused!!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Good day for you! How was the dijon chicken? I've heard Applebees has a lot of low-cal choices. I think they may even have partnered with WW at one point.

The dijon chicken was excellent (after I had them leave off the portabello mushrooms, of course!), although I was really glad I asked for the dijon sauce on the side, since it was incredibly strong. Your memory is correct regarding WW. Applebee's has both an "under 550 calories" menu AND a WW menu. The WW dishes are listed by points rather than calories. I find it confusing to have those two separate menus, though, because I wonder if one menu is somehow healthier or more appropriate than the other.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Weighed (1.8 under goal), ate VERY reasonably all day -- bar for breakfast, huge salad for lunch, veggie soup and curried cauliflower for dinner -- but didn't get on the treadmill because I remembered I'm not supposed to sweat for at least 24 hours after getting my hair straightened, which I did yesterday morning. Actually I had it straightened last Wednesday, but a little section didn't take so I had to go back for a touchup yesterday. Normally I schedule it for just after a workout so I don't have to miss one because of my hair, but this was his only free time. Also couldn't go to my class this morning because of the hair, but I can wash it in a few hours.

I didn't realize that you straighten your hair! And I didn't know that sweating afterward was an issue. But even without the workout, it sounds like you had a very good day.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
report: weighed (1.8 under goal), ate slowly, reasonably, sitting down. Didn't leave a bite, shoot. Went to class this morning. Meant to walk but lost track of time and then it was too late.

Hope you manage to get back on soon!
l

A good day for you!

I have had two good OP days in a row now. Weight was down 1.8 this morning. Feeling in control again. Had a good personal training session today. Ate everything sitting down, slowly and mindfully. Phew!

I also saw the endodontist today for an evaluation on my tooth. He didn't think trying to redo the root canal would be helpful, and he is sending me to my periodontist for another look. But I have an infection, and he also thought he could see a crack in the tooth below the gum line, so I am most likely going to have the tooth extracted--after several years of constant procedures, costing thousands of dollars. Oh, well, move on. :(

Oops, looks like I need to let you know via email that I managed to get back on here! Had another good OP day. Weight was down another 1.6 this morning--3.4 pounds in two days! How crazy is that? Almost as crazy as gaining 3.4 pounds in one day! Feeling in control again. Ate everything slowly and mindfully and sitting down. Got only minimal spontaneous exercise, though.

Hope you had a good day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Oops, looks like I need to let you know via email that I managed to get back on here! Had another good OP day. Weight was down another 1.6 this morning--3.4 pounds in two days! How crazy is that? Almost as crazy as gaining 3.4 pounds in one day! Feeling in control again. Ate everything slowly and mindfully and sitting down. Got only minimal spontaneous exercise, though.

Hope you had a good day!

Whoops, sorry! So yay for you, down again after the Evening O' Breakfasts. :)

Bummer about your tooth -- what a pain. Literally, I'm sure.

LOL about your trainer licking his chops over you having summers off! You'll end up running a 5K by August!

Re: the WW stuff. It used to be a pretty straight 50-calories-per-point with a bit of leeway for healthier foods (50 calories of french fries would be a point, while you might get 75 calories' worth of something like shrimp or oatmeal for a point) but they've taken that a little bit further to even more strongly encourage healthy choices, and now you need to look things up in the directory to be sure. But generally you can still assume it's -around- 50 calories per point. Only if the choices were particularly healthy (non-starchy veggies, lean proteins, whole grains) would you be getting more calories than 50 per point. So if it's 7 points, you can probably figure it's around 350 calories.

Hm...I think I forgot to weigh. Did I? Oh, wait, I did -- at 2am, when I got up. 1.8 under goal still. So-so day yesterday. I took a class in fish butchery and we ate what we prepared. Yummy, but definitely not low cal. But I ate a reasonable dinner, and I'm not up, so I guess I did okay. Class tomorrow!

Hope you had a great Sunday!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Whoops, sorry! So yay for you, down again after the Evening O' Breakfasts. :)

LOL!!! Evening O' Breakfasts!! I like that!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Bummer about your tooth -- what a pain. Literally, I'm sure.

Definitely. Today was not the best day--fine, eating-wise, just not very productive due to the pain.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
LOL about your trainer licking his chops over you having summers off! You'll end up running a 5K by August!

Aren't YOU the funny one!! ACK

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Re: the WW stuff. It used to be a pretty straight 50-calories-per-point with a bit of leeway for healthier foods (50 calories of french fries would be a point, while you might get 75 calories' worth of something like shrimp or oatmeal for a point) but they've taken that a little bit further to even more strongly encourage healthy choices, and now you need to look things up in the directory to be sure. But generally you can still assume it's -around- 50 calories per point. Only if the choices were particularly healthy (non-starchy veggies, lean proteins, whole grains) would you be getting more calories than 50 per point. So if it's 7 points, you can probably figure it's around 350 calories.

The friend I was eating dinner with did WW years ago and also said she thought a point was 50 calories. Some of the Applebee's WW entrees were 12 points--not exactly low-cal! I am out of NS breakfasts at the moment (due to the Evening O' Breakfasts), so I bought some WW ones to tide me over. I had the first one this morning. It had 240 calories (compared to the 220 I normally eat) but didn't fill me up nearly as long as my usual breakfasts do. I guess there must be some truth to NS food being low on the glycemic index/

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hm...I think I forgot to weigh. Did I? Oh, wait, I did -- at 2am, when I got up. 1.8 under goal still. So-so day yesterday. I took a class in fish butchery and we ate what we prepared. Yummy, but definitely not low cal. But I ate a reasonable dinner, and I'm not up, so I guess I did okay. Class tomorrow!

If you weighed yourself at 2AM, no wonder you don't remember! I didn't even go to bed until about 3AM last night (or this morning, actually). A class in fish butchery??? I must say that that sounds a tad unappealing--not sure I could even enjoy eating a fish after I finished butchering it!!

My weight was up .6 this morning (don't know why, but I know I didn't overeat yesterday). Had another OP day today. I'm very tired and actually planning to go to bed shortly. Tomorrow is one of my 16-hour, eat-in-the-car, days. I am definitely not looking forward to it, with a toothache.

Hope you had a terrific day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
The friend I was eating dinner with did WW years ago and also said she thought a point was 50 calories. Some of the Applebee's WW entrees were 12 points--not exactly low-cal! I am out of NS breakfasts at the moment (due to the Evening O' Breakfasts), so I bought some WW ones to tide me over. I had the first one this morning. It had 240 calories (compared to the 220 I normally eat) but didn't fill me up nearly as long as my usual breakfasts do. I guess there must be some truth to NS food being low on the glycemic index

Interesting! I don't think I've ever heard that WW items are low-glycemic, so maybe they aren't!

Originally Posted by :
A class in fish butchery??? I must say that that sounds a tad unappealing--not sure I could even enjoy eating a fish after I finished butchering it!!

It was actually very cool learning how to start with a whole fish and end up with filets. We learned to do both a "round fish" (like a red snapper) and a "flat fish" (like grouper.) The benefit to starting with a whole fish is that you can tell by looking at a whole fish that it's fresh and hasn't been frozen. So it's basically a way of getting the freshest fish possible, which here in Ohio isn't easy.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was up .6 this morning (don't know why, but I know I didn't overeat yesterday). Had another OP day today. I'm very tired and actually planning to go to bed shortly. Tomorrow is one of my 16-hour, eat-in-the-car, days. I am definitely not looking forward to it, with a toothache.

:(

Report: forgot to weigh, but got up and did a yoga class with Jane this morning. She wanted to try a 6am yoga class, and I went with her instead of to my normal class. It was good, and she ended up feeling energized even though she'd had an hour less sleep than she normally would. I'm going to go to the 9:00 session of my regular class, which Giselle teaches. Ate reasonably, slowly, mindfully.

Hope your day was better than expected!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Interesting! I don't think I've ever heard that WW items are low-glycemic, so maybe they aren't!

The same thing happened this morning! I have a NS BBB on the way, and I am looking forward to having those breakfasts back. The desserts? Not so much. I'm a little afraid of having those around! I used to be able to handle those. :(

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It was actually very cool learning how to start with a whole fish and end up with filets. We learned to do both a "round fish" (like a red snapper) and a "flat fish" (like grouper.) The benefit to starting with a whole fish is that you can tell by looking at a whole fish that it's fresh and hasn't been frozen. So it's basically a way of getting the freshest fish possible, which here in Ohio isn't easy.

Well, you're certainly right about getting fresh fish here, and I absolutely adore fresh fish. But I can't see myself butchering one, no matter what! When I was in China, the restaurants would generally have live fish swimming in tanks. You could pick out the fish you wanted to eat. It would then be brought to your table before being cooked, and the waiter would let you write something on it with oil. Then when the cooked fish was brought back to you, you could see the words you wrote cooked into the fish, so you knew it was the same fish--and definitely fresh! It wasn't butchered, though. The fish was cooked and served whole. Ugh.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: forgot to weigh, but got up and did a yoga class with Jane this morning. She wanted to try a 6am yoga class, and I went with her instead of to my normal class. It was good, and she ended up feeling energized even though she'd had an hour less sleep than she normally would. I'm going to go to the 9:00 session of my regular class, which Giselle teaches. Ate reasonably, slowly, mindfully.

Do you and Jane exercise together on a regular basis? Or is this something new? I think it's awesome. Has she recovered from the mono?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Hope your day was better than expected!

It was, actually! My meeting at the main campus was over in an hour, as opposed to the normal four hours. Works for me!! My weight was up .2. Did not have to eat in the car after all, which was nice. Stayed OP all day, ate slowly and mindfully. I'm still tired, though, and my tooth is still hurting, so I'm off to bed. Hope you had a great day!

Hope you are OK!

I had a good eating day (perfectly OP) and have had for several days in a row now, but my weight was still up .4 this morning :(. I had the most strenuous personal training session today EVER. The trainer had me in continuous motion, from treadmill to machine to machine to treadmill with no resting whatsoever. The last thing he had me do, after 50 minutes of constant, rapid motion was to run a full mile uphill at 6.5mph. Previously I'd never run more than 90 consecutive seconds, so I was amazed that I could do a full mile, especially at the end of the hour! It was a struggle, though, and I was sweating like crazy and panting so much that I couldn't talk. It just so happened that a former student was on the treadmill alongside mine, and she ran with me to help me keep the pace and kept encouraging me, while my trainer was cheering. My pulse was close to 240 after all that. Yikes. I REALLY wish I had been wearing my Exerspy, because I would love to know how many calories I burned! HAD to be a record.

I made an appointment to start counseling on 3/9. My old therapist was actually very happy to hear from me, and we had a good conversation. I also made an appointment to have my tooth extracted on 3/16--and I had to BEG to get the appointment that soon. I am hoping the pain will abate once the antibiotics do their job.

Hope you had a good day and that all is well!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
The same thing happened this morning! I have a NS BBB on the way, and I am looking forward to having those breakfasts back. The desserts? Not so much. I'm a little afraid of having those around! I used to be able to handle those. :(

I suspect you still can in any circumstance other than this particular one. And I have ZERO question that you can get past this, too. You were really sort of blindsided by this. A romantic relationship is something you haven't given a lot of thought to in years, and your feelings about it are all tied in with your weight, your weightloss, and food, plus lots of other emotional stuff on top of those things. It's not surprising that it would be THIS issue that is causing this problem. It doesn't mean you now can't handle the NS desserts when you used to be able to even when you had trauma in your life. It means THIS ISSUE is a biggie, and you need to work on it.

Originally Posted by :
Well, you're certainly right about getting fresh fish here, and I absolutely adore fresh fish. But I can't see myself butchering one, no matter what!

It's actually surprisingly not that hard! This class was specifically aimed at people who had some cooking experience -- already have basic knife skills, etc. -- and pretty much everyone in the class managed to cut pretty good filets.

Originally Posted by :
When I was in China, the restaurants would generally have live fish swimming in tanks. You could pick out the fish you wanted to eat. It would then be brought to your table before being cooked, and the waiter would let you write something on it with oil. Then when the cooked fish was brought back to you, you could see the words you wrote cooked into the fish, so you knew it was the same fish--and definitely fresh! It wasn't butchered, though. The fish was cooked and served whole. Ugh.

I'm too paranoid about bones, and what I've found when I try to eat a whole fish -- or even if I find a single bone in a filet -- is that I start combing through the fish with my fork, basically turning it into minced fish. Ruins the fish for me. I love this because I can go over my filet with a fine-toothed comb (a pair of needlenose pliers, actually) and get out EVERY BONE before cooking it. (Wednesday morning 7:31) EEEK! Just found this sitting waiting to be submitted! I'm sorry! I must have been working on it and gotten distracted and never got back online!

Originally Posted by :
Do you and Jane exercise together on a regular basis? Or is this something new? I think it's awesome. Has she recovered from the mono?

We've never exercised together, so this was very cool that she wanted to. I would love to get into a routine of exercising together.

Originally Posted by :
It was, actually! My meeting at the main campus was over in an hour, as opposed to the normal four hours. Works for me!!

Whoa, that's unheard of in my experience! God, the number of meetings I've sat through that either went longer than planned or the final twenty minutes was a race through the agenda. The person running that meeting must be good.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was up .2. Did not have to eat in the car after all, which was nice. Stayed OP all day, ate slowly and mindfully. I'm still tired, though, and my tooth is still hurting, so I'm off to bed. Hope you had a great day!

Sorry your tooth is still hurting, but glad it was a pretty good day anyway.

From your Tuesday night post:

Originally Posted by :
I had a good eating day (perfectly OP) and have had for several days in a row now, but my weight was still up .4 this morning . I had the most strenuous personal training session today EVER. The trainer had me in continuous motion, from treadmill to machine to machine to treadmill with no resting whatsoever. The last thing he had me do, after 50 minutes of constant, rapid motion was to run a full mile uphill at 6.5mph.

Wow!

Originally Posted by :
Previously I'd never run more than 90 consecutive seconds, so I was amazed that I could do a full mile, especially at the end of the hour!

I'm telling you...he's going to have you do a 5K run by the end of the summer.

Originally Posted by :
It was a struggle, though, and I was sweating like crazy and panting so much that I couldn't talk. It just so happened that a former student was on the treadmill alongside mine, and she ran with me to help me keep the pace and kept encouraging me, while my trainer was cheering. My pulse was close to 240 after all that. Yikes. I REALLY wish I had been wearing my Exerspy, because I would love to know how many calories I burned! HAD to be a record.

Oh, me too! You don't always wear it to work out?

Originally Posted by :
I made an appointment to start counseling on 3/9. My old therapist was actually very happy to hear from me, and we had a good conversation.

Very cool. Good for you for dealing with this.

Originally Posted by :
I also made an appointment to have my tooth extracted on 3/16--and I had to BEG to get the appointment that soon. I am hoping the pain will abate once the antibiotics do their job.

Can't they give you anything for the pain until then? At least to take at night so you'd be able to sleep?

Report: weighed (1.8 under goal), ate slowly and mindfully and left a bite, went to my WW meeting yesterday and to class this morning, sorry about missing contacting my diet buddy yesterday. Hope you had a great day!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I suspect you still can in any circumstance other than this particular one. And I have ZERO question that you can get past this, too. You were really sort of blindsided by this. A romantic relationship is something you haven't given a lot of thought to in years, and your feelings about it are all tied in with your weight, your weightloss, and food, plus lots of other emotional stuff on top of those things. It's not surprising that it would be THIS issue that is causing this problem. It doesn't mean you now can't handle the NS desserts when you used to be able to even when you had trauma in your life. It means THIS ISSUE is a biggie, and you need to work on it.

Intellectually, I know you are probably right. But, emotionally, I fear that you are wrong. Obviously I need to keep countering those sabotaging thoughts with more helpful and rational ones. The relationship issue is indeed a biggie, the biggest of the biggest of the biggies, and I need to deal with it so that my fears of regaining my protective barrier of fat won't come true. I think that, until very recently, I saw the possibility of a relationship as so utterly foreign and impossible that I essentially made it a non-issue. Then I had to go and ruin it by getting so healthy and happy that I dared to consider the possibility of "having it all".....and then I panicked at my own audacity.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
It's actually surprisingly not that hard! This class was specifically aimed at people who had some cooking experience -- already have basic knife skills, etc. -- and pretty much everyone in the class managed to cut pretty good filets. I'm too paranoid about bones, and what I've found when I try to eat a whole fish -- or even if I find a single bone in a filet -- is that I start combing through the fish with my fork, basically turning it into minced fish. Ruins the fish for me. I love this because I can go over my filet with a fine-toothed comb (a pair of needlenose pliers, actually) and get out EVERY BONE before cooking it.

I'm totally with you on the bones. In China, in my efforts to find every teensy sliver of bone, I picked at my fish until there was nothing to eat except a few shreds. So more power to you!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
We've never exercised together, so this was very cool that she wanted to. I would love to get into a routine of exercising together.

VERY cool. I think exercising together would be wonderful for both of you, on numerous levels. I often think it would be fun to have a friend to exercise with.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Whoa, that's unheard of in my experience! God, the number of meetings I've sat through that either went longer than planned or the final twenty minutes was a race through the agenda. The person running that meeting must be good.

Nope, he's not particularly good. He's an administrator who has been fired and is in his last week of work, and he just isn't invested enough to care at this point. So he just barreled through the agenda. I didn't mind, though!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
I'm telling you...he's going to have you do a 5K run by the end of the summer. Oh, me too! You don't always wear it to work out?

Yeah, sure, right after I find a cure for cancer and negotiate world peace!:D

I normally do wear my Exerspy when I go to the gym, but sometimes I just barely have time to change from my school clothes to workout clothes and just can't deal with the Exerspy.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Can't they give you anything for the pain until then? At least to take at night so you'd be able to sleep?

The pain is only in my gums, not my tooth, since the tooth has had a root canal. And at the moment the gum pain isn't too bad, because the antibiotic is working.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed (1.8 under goal), ate slowly and mindfully and left a bite, went to my WW meeting yesterday and to class this morning, sorry about missing contacting my diet buddy yesterday. Hope you had a great day!

Your weight has been steady for quite a few days in a row now--YAY! Don't worry about missing your post. Stuff happens.

My weight was unchanged this morning. This was another 16-hour, eat-in-the-car, day. (Unfortunately, this time the meeting really was 4 hours!) No exercise. Stayed OP all day. My BBB arrived, and I ate ONE dessert tonight. YAY! Off to bed for me. Tomorrow is one of my early days. I have happy hour to look forward to tomorrow evening, and then Friday morning I am leaving for upstate NY to stay with a friend for the weekend and attend a Longaberger event.

Hope you had a terrific day!

Originally Posted by 4EverLearning:
Intellectually, I know you are probably right. But, emotionally, I fear that you are wrong. Obviously I need to keep countering those sabotaging thoughts with more helpful and rational ones.

Yes, you do. What sabotaging thoughts are you having, exactly? Can you put them into words so that we can brainstorm a few countering helpful responses? We can use the CBT strategies for this just like we used them for the actual weightloss. The skills are transferable.

Originally Posted by :
The relationship issue is indeed a biggie, the biggest of the biggest of the biggies, and I need to deal with it so that my fears of regaining my protective barrier of fat won't come true. I think that, until very recently, I saw the possibility of a relationship as so utterly foreign and impossible that I essentially made it a non-issue. Then I had to go and ruin it by getting so healthy and happy that I dared to consider the possibility of "having it all".....and then I panicked at my own audacity.

I'm smiling at the word audacity. Not because I want to trivialize your fears! But I know you know it's not audacious to want what every human being wants -- a deep and lasting connection to one other person, one person in the world that you can say anything to and they'll be interested, someone to come home to. There's nothing greedy about wanting that in addition to the other good things you've already gotten from all your hard work.

Originally Posted by :
I'm totally with you on the bones. In China, in my efforts to find every teensy sliver of bone, I picked at my fish until there was nothing to eat except a few shreds.

That's the word I was looking for instead of minced. Shredded. Fish should be eaten in nice bite-sized flakes, not shreds.

[quote]VERY cool. I think exercising together would be wonderful for both of you, on numerous levels. I often think it would be fun to have a friend to exercise with. [/quotes] For me it's one of the best things about exercise classes! You see the same people regularly, and they miss you when you aren't there. That helps me keep up my motivation.

Originally Posted by :
Nope, he's not particularly good. He's an administrator who has been fired and is in his last week of work, and he just isn't invested enough to care at this point. So he just barreled through the agenda. I didn't mind, though!

Ah! Well, maybe the person who takes over the meeting from here on will make them shorter in a positive way.

Originally Posted by :
Your weight has been steady for quite a few days in a row now--YAY!

But unfortunately up today to .8 below goal. I deserved it, though, had Thai last night because I didn't feel like cooking.

Originally Posted by :
My weight was unchanged this morning. This was another 16-hour, eat-in-the-car, day. (Unfortunately, this time the meeting really was 4 hours!) No exercise. Stayed OP all day. My BBB arrived, and I ate ONE dessert tonight. YAY!

Yay, you!

Originally Posted by :
Off to bed for me. Tomorrow is one of my early days. I have happy hour to look forward to tomorrow evening, and then Friday morning I am leaving for upstate NY to stay with a friend for the weekend and attend a Longaberger event.

Nice! What kind of Longaberger event?

Report: weighed, ate reasonably except for dinner, attended class yesterday but no spontaneous exercise, contacted my diet buddy! Hope you have a great time at happy hour!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Yes, you do. What sabotaging thoughts are you having, exactly? Can you put them into words so that we can brainstorm a few countering helpful responses? We can use the CBT strategies for this just like we used them for the actual weightloss. The skills are transferable. I'm smiling at the word audacity. Not because I want to trivialize your fears! But I know you know it's not audacious to want what every human being wants -- a deep and lasting connection to one other person, one person in the world that you can say anything to and they'll be interested, someone to come home to. There's nothing greedy about wanting that in addition to the other good things you've already gotten from all your hard work.

I would be happy to brainstorm that when I have a little more time and am not half drunk (had two glasses of wine at happy hour, and I am a very cheap date these days!). But you have brought tears to my eyes with what you said about someone to come home to. You get it.

[QUOTE=va1erie;4236199] That's the word I was looking for instead of minced. Shredded. Fish should be eaten in nice bite-sized flakes, not shreds.

Originally Posted by :
VERY cool. I think exercising together would be wonderful for both of you, on numerous levels. I often think it would be fun to have a friend to exercise with. [/quotes]
For me it's one of the best things about exercise classes! You see the same people regularly, and they miss you when you aren't there. That helps me keep up my motivation.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about an exercise class in terms of consistent companionship. But that is a very good point and a great reason to go to a class.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Ah! Well, maybe the person who takes over the meeting from here on will make them shorter in a positive way.

I can only hope!

Originally Posted by va1erie:
But unfortunately up today to .8 below goal. I deserved it, though, had Thai last night because I didn't feel like cooking.

I would think that Thai food would be relatively healthy?

Originally Posted by va1erie:
What kind of Longaberger event?

Our team (consisting of about 20 people) is having a sale of retired Longaberger products, where we each set up a table. (My friend and I are going to share a table.) There are also games and door prizes. These events are a lot of fun.

Originally Posted by va1erie:
Report: weighed, ate reasonably except for dinner, attended class yesterday but no spontaneous exercise, contacted my diet buddy! Hope you have a great time at happy hour!

Overall a good day!

My weight was down .6, stayed OP until the two drinks at happy hour (but didn't overeat), had a personal training session, contacted my diet buddy.

I am not going to take my computer with me over the weekend and am reluctant to use my friend's computer to post here (considering what happened after I used Bethy's computer), so will not be able to report in tomorrow or Saturday.

Also, when I got home tonight, I had a phone message from my eharmony match asking me to go on a roadtrip with him TOMORROW. It was too late to call him so I had to email to tell him (or remind him, since I had previously told him) that I was busy this weekend. HUH? I don't get it.

Hope you had a great day! Talk to you Sunday night.