Grammy, it has been a bit cool here too. The walks have been a bit brisk! Where in Michigan are you? We go up to Mackinaw City about every summer.

Shy, I'm glad to know your name!

Still, I'm glad to be here with you and Shy and all of the others that I'll get to know. Good for you for walking and parking the car! Gas prices are crazy! Not walking to work on crutches? No sense of adventure!! lol I think losing a few pounds past goal would be ok, but if by chance you don't make it, don't worry about it.

I had my aerobics class this morning. almost everyone in the class has heart rate monitors, so I splurged and bought one. I was feeling a bit dizzy during class, and my heart rate was 180! I talked to the instructor after class and told her. She said that is high for her, so I know it is way too high for me. When I did see it was that high, I slowed it down a bit. Don't need to have a heart attack or anything. We have a weigh in next Wed. The last time I weighed there, I had gained, so I'm hoping for a loss. I know that I am building muscle, but I sure wish the scales would move in the right direction!!

Found out this morning that they are going to continue the chisel class in July and 1/2 of August! Hooray! It ends at 9:00, and I saw on the program schedule that there is a water aerobics class that starts at 9:40 beginning in June. I think I'll go ahead and sign up for it since I'm already there.

We just had burritos for lunch. I tried to make them as healthy as possible so I wouldn't feel too guilty. I still have plenty of calories left for a nice dinner and possibly a snack tonight after class.

Still ~ The trip sounds like great fun but the the surgery. I don't blame you on the timing with the crutches. One of our faculty broke her foot and was on crutches in the winter and she had a heck of a time getting around.

Tammy ~ I live in Shepherd Michigan but the closest place that is bigger than an ink spot is Mount Pleasant where the Soaring Eagle Casino and Central Michigan University are located. I live it here in the middle of the mitt as they say. I complain about the weather but I can't image living anywhere else. I would say you were working a little to hard in your chisel class.

Well I have accomplished a lot so far today but much more to do. I can't figure out where all this work is coming from but as soon as I do I will make sure to nip it in the butt. LOL! Just kidding.

Talk to you all later.

Grammy
Thought the same thing when I walked outside today. I went back in and got a jacket. Gosh it was nippy out there.

Still
Darn, I missed your message lol. Good thing I saw her lol. Glad to have you both here with me. I am always glad to have you with me and I missed Tammy. I never could find the other thread we chatted in :). Good idea to have all the work done at once. If you are going to be on crutches might as well have it all done while the weather is nice out. It is no fun on crutches in the snow. Been there, done that, didn't buy the tee shirt because I didn't want the memories lol. Might be a good idea to lower your in take of fat and carbs while all this is going on. You aren't going to be getting around much. Not sure it is necessary to worry about going past your goal just keep an eye on what you are eating.

Tammy
Glad to see they are going to continue your classes. I know you enjoy them so much. Nice that the other classes will be starting while you are still there. I love beef burritos. I have found since I started using 96% beef they are very healthy so I can have them again. They don't cost any more to make even with the better beef because we are eating so much less meat. I really have found it doesn't cost anymore to eat healthy as it did to eat unhealthy. We eat so much less than we use to.

Grammy, the son of friends of ours goes to CMU, so I know about where you are. I definitely agree that I was overdoing it in the class this morning.

Shy, I used lean beef, ff cheese, tomatoes, black beans, rice in the burritos. I ended up eating one for dinner too. We eat much less than we used to also. Well, our son is home from college for the summer, so that might make a change in the grocery bill!!

I just returned from water aerobics. It was fun, and the water was reasonably warm tonight. sometimes it is really cold. I think I have a couple of the women convinced to sign up for the same class that I'll be taking starting mid-June. It will be fun. One of the instructors is a woman that I used to teach with, and we are in a retired teachers organization together.

I am meeting a couple friends for lunch tomorrow. We're meeting at Mcdonalds. I plan to have the Asian salad. I love that!

Grammy, so sorry to hear about your situation. I can understand your frustration with your husband. There is always someone worse and if he has a treatable condition...then...take care of it and move on. My husband has a heart condition (quite severe, actually) ....sometimes it's little things wrong and he'll get so down....I try to be supportive but I'm just like...it could be worse...so let's not tempt fate and be more upset than we should be. But people handle things differently and I'm still struggling with that. Keep praying for your daughter!!

Oh, wow, Grammy, you've been having a bad year, haven't you? On my cat board, one of the Admins has had her mom die, her hubby ask for a divorce (she had no idea they were even having problems!), her son suddenly start cutting himself and so depressed he was on suicide watch, sick animals, bad things happen at work, etc...it seems like every other day something not just bad, but horrible happens to that poor woman...I truly do believe that when it rains it pours!

I know what you mean. My mom died of Lung cancer. We found out October of 2001 and buried her the first week of December 2001--that's how fast she went. I really feel bad for Atheists...I mean, they have comfort, no hope do they? I may not know exactly which religion is the "right" one, but I do know there is a God, that as the Universe is ordered, as physics follow the laws God has set, that there is a just the same time of plan and order in our lives and afterlives, and that since He thought it was important that they were here in our "flesh" lives, I'm sure they'll be there in our "spiritual" lives as well--and that includes animals! I'm sure you'll see your sweet horse and your wonder "sister" again. :hug:

Tammy, I love tacos and stuff, so what I do to have less fat and calories is add fat free canned refried beans to the extra lean hamburger...plus low fat cheese and wraps, of course! :smug: And that was me talking about St. Marys--wonderful place!!

Guess what everyone!? I've gone from the 300 into Deuceland!! :carrot: Onderland is calling!!

Gaia-that is WONDERFUL! CONGRATS! KEEP IT UP!

Thanks TINKY- I am trying to get at least a couple pounds lower than goal. 153 or something would be nice! I just hope I dont hit this wall like last year. I was at 160 for months, could not sneak past that at all! THen I fell apart and bounced to 181!!!! But I am back and almost there (to 160) again. I have more motivation this time.

My big thing is (with my weight) I have a bad ankle. For years. I have had 10+ surgeries already, looking at the next one in July. And obviously the heavier you are the more stress you put on your joints and the ankle is a bad one for this. So, I am really motivated to stay at a good weight for that. The DR's had initially told my family I would never walk again, most likely, and they should be ready for that if it happens. Well I overcame that and I have been battling ever since. So I am hoping that this surgery will be the trick!

hello, ladies :hug:

Grammy - I hope everything will be ok with your husband, and I'm so sorry about your friend :( it's not fair when good people are taken from us, but I believe we'll see them someday. you still have time left with her and you can say goodbye. I believe it's a bit easier to cope with death if you have the chance to express your feelings to your loved ones. I hope you'll get through all of this . I'm sending you the warmest virtual hug there is :hug:


as for me, today I came home ( I'm on university in another city and I come home 4-5 times a year) and first thing my father told me was that I've lost a fair bit of weight :D I haven't told my parents that I'm calorie counting yet, but they said that it's noticeable... first thing that they comment on is my weight and I find it annoying:^: but they are my parents and I love them. But if they told me I gained weight (after losing 13lbs) I think I would start screaming :D

I decided I won't count calories here because I don't have my fitday and my mother cooks. I want to relax and I'm happy to be home. bad thing is, I started to behave like I'm home which means that no chocolate is safe when I'm around :D
My official weigh-in is sunday so will see what will scale say:D

another thing, next week I'll be away from internet, because I have a field work/trip in botany and vertebrates (two of my faculty classes) so I'll be wondering around with my professors and collect plants and vertebrates :D
It'll make a great cardio , if only I could find something low-cal to eat :D bad thing is, I think I'll be left with pizzas as the only choice :( I'm still trying to figure this one out :dizzy:

Oolong-If I were you I would be VERY careful of your PORTION size while you are at home, since you will not be formally calorie counting. I am sure you have a fair idea of what things add up to. So just be super cautious of portions and you may be ok. As for the pizza...yeah a tough call. Can you take some granola/cereal bars along and have 1 before digging into the pizza, maybe that will make you full enough to only have 1 slice?

Good luck and congrats on the parents noticing! That is great!

Thanks you all! I'm trying! woo hoo!!

Tinky, I had a collie/shepherd named "Shep" (real original huh? LOL) and he died of heartworms back around 1969--there was no cure or prevention back then-- I STILL have dreams of him and I know he's waiting for me. I can hardly wait to grab a handful of that lush, thick, long fur of his, bury my face into his neck and cry for joy!!! As I get older, dead doesn't bother me so much. I'm beginning to eagerly await finding out what's next and seeing my loved ones--human and otherwise. :hug:

Granola and cereal bars are probably healthier to a certain degree, but they have a LOT of nuts and sugars, and depending on the type (I like the 140 calorie bars from Nature's Valley) they can have up to 275--as much as a slice of pizza. I think I'd go with the pizza. The fat will be more "filling" and you'll really enjoy it. The "average" pizza slice is only 250 calories, anyway! You could have TWO pieces if you don't drink a regular cola and just have water....just count the calories! BTW--I had Hunt Brother's Sausage and Peperoni Pizza today--370 cals for a good sized slice. I've still got 800 + calories left for dinner tonight and a snack later! (Probably FF buttermilk. I'm addicted to it and it is soooo satisfying--almost as much as a potato! LOL)

Remember, "calorie counters don't deny, we just simply satisfy. We count what goes into our bellies, doesn't matter if it's salad or jellies. But when our calorie count is hollow, we eat nothing else until tomorrow--so carefully we must spend each calorie that we take in--!"

gaia, congrats on getting to deuceland! It's a good feeling to hit a milestone, isn't it?

Tinky, my Asian salad was as delicious as usual! One of the other women ordered it too, and she agreed with us.

Still, I think my body is weird. My knees hurt more now that I've lost weight than when I was heavier. My rheumatologist even thinks I'm strange! lol

Oolong, pizza is still doable, just don't eat as much as you would have at one time. Good luck on sticking with your plan while you are at home. I can relate on the chocolate!

Talking about all of the pets we've lost. Our dachsund died in January. He had just turned 14, he had seizures and was on medication for several years. We knew he was slowing down. He was at the "doggy hotel" one weekend while we went to visit our son at college. We got a call on Monday morning that he didn't make it through the night. The owner's husband is the one who called, and he and our dog were buddies. He was crying when he called me. We don't plan to get another one because we are retired and want to travel. It wouldn't be fair for the dog to be at the doggy hotel all of the time.

I've done great today with the calories. I have plenty left for a nice dinner and a snack later. Aerobics again in the morning. I will make sure that I am paying closer attention to the heart rate monitor before I start getting dizzy this time!!

Since I feel like I am starting fresh, I changed my tracker to show the 2 pounds that I was up from the last time I created it. One of these days it will go in the right direction!!!!

Tink - Im hanging in here, feeling better all the time about Teddy, and remembering what its like to have a puppy!!! LOL (not sure yet if thats good or bad)

As for dieting ,,, well its going ok - have had a couple slip ups, but have not let it get me down, in the past I would just say oh forget it and totally pig out - but havent dont that this time - just said ok, tomorrow is another day - and its been ok!!!! I think maybe becasue I have given myspef permission to mess up this time, its better - if that makes sense! here comes the hotdog! :carrot:

I'm new and thought I'd check in. I've hit my first plateau. It was very expected. I need to dig into my sewing box and get my measuring tape. The change in measurements always get me through plateaus.