i made 45 minutes on the elliptical this morning - I've started changing the incline every five minutes along with the various resistance changes because it gives me little blocks of time to focus on instead of the entire 45 looming in front of me right from the start... I also did a different video this morning - a ten minute yoga stretch. I was feeling a little stiff today - We are working on teaching my stepson to sleep in his own bed all night and he got up and came into our room five times between midnight and 4:30... most of the time he went back easy, but two of them took a little more work... so, not much sleep for anyone in my house last night! And of course, he was up and running this morning at 6:00am while DH and I were dragging around. I wish I knew where all that energy came from! We went to the park this morning also and he ran hard for almost two hours with no signs of stopping... Amazing...

Amanda - I like the tweak on your mini-goals... It is like my five minute chucks of elliptical training - breaks it down into pieces that are absolutely attainable. I'm sure that you will be motivated to lose more when you get to the 155, and look how many small goalpoints you will already have behind you!

Puffin -Sound like the walk was beautiful! Yay! The ten reps of 1min intervals sounds great - I've read a lot of things that say that is one of the best ways to train because it speeds the heart rate up and then lets it slow back down, then back up, back down, etc... The uphill both directions is a little odd... like the "I walked ten miles to school in the snow uphill both ways with no shoes when I was your age" story...

Claire -You've mentioned in earlier posts that you have a lot of practice getting your husband out of bad moods and motivating him... What do you do? I've been trying to tease my DH out of his funk for the last week or so and it isn't going well... I'm beginning to wonder if me being successful at the weight loss is de-motivating him somehow - we started dieting and exercise more because he wanted to lose than me and then i kind of took over...
And how is the green drink going? I'm intrigued by it... I just started smoothie pretty regularly this past week so anything I could add into them sounds good to me right now!

My ticker just showed up too!

Good Sunday night all!

Here it is, girls... drumroll... http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/healt...0071105_350/11

This is roughly the recipe I used, but I actually originally followed a recipe I found on a different site, so measurements were slightly different. I ended up using a whole container of spinach (5 oz), one whole cuke (not 2 cups as called for), and a 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime. We are really lucky to have a nice garden, but spinach is not a summer crop here in hot Virginia. But the cukes have come from my garden. DH went to Lowe's yesterday and was sweet enough to buy spinach seeds for fall - we have not grown it before, but I'd like to try it. As long as the rabbits don't get it, we'll be in business!

Dr. Oz made his in a blender - I believe a high powered blender, I'm guessing a Vitamix (I would love one, but they are $200). My blender couldn't handle all these veggies, plus I can't imagine how THICK and pulpy it would be if made in blender! Also, the prep would take so long - core and peel apple, peel cuke, peel and seed lemon/lime, etc. The beauty of this juicer (I'm so lucky it feel into my hands) is that I throw all the veggies in with NO PREP-- rind, seeds, peel and all!! Yes, I do have to chop them in pieces to get them in the feeder hole (like a food processor), but this is easy. I've made the drink 3x now and am still loving it! Have I said how much I love the Acme Juicerator??? Love it! (And this is my first experience with any kind of juicing)

In other news, the exercise front has been bad - none yesterday or today (drat). I am back at work this week, and between work, 2 away hockey scrimmages (one an hour away), book club with friends one night, hair cut appointment... well, something had to give and unfortunately that has been exercise. Not good, I know. I really should have gone yesterday early in the day to get something in (or at least a dvd). However, my 9 year old niece was to come over yesterday to do a cooking night/spend the night with me ... I kept piddling and house cleaning thinking I had time to go for my "wog"... next thing I knew, SIL called and was ready to bring her.

So, tomorrow, I must at least squeeze in 30 minutes of something... you all are going to be my inspiration this week!

Puff - I LOVE the image of the beach being uphill - both ways! Sounds like my kinda luck! Great plan you have for the week.

Hey Shannon - hmm... I think I'm going to have to give some thought to the husband thing because I'm not exactly sure how/why he has an interest in exercise and healthy eating. I do think part of it is due to my gentle cajoling, encouraging, my example, and the fact that I ask him every day to do something with me (answer used to be NO -almost always), but I also believe he is being influenced by the fact that his father is quite ill right now. Our dad's our the same age (67), yet mine is full of vigor and life, whereas his dad has poor quality of life. My parents are active - they eat quite healthfully and exercise regularly. They don't ever mention or complain about health ailments (though they both have some). They take good care of themselves and live life fully.

His dad is in the midst of radiation for prostate cancer, and he has a long list of other health issues, some very serious. He is on tons of meds, and his life largely consists of tv watching and napping. We visited earlier this summer, and my husband has been visibly affected by it. So, I have to say that is a big part of his new 'get healthy' motivation. He keeps talking about the fact that his dad always took terrible care of himself (smoked, drank, never exercised, had very stressful job), so I know he is seeing the connection to lifestyle. I JUST HOPE IT LASTS!!

Your husband sounds like he is in a bit of a funk, and yes, he may well be a little deflated to see you on a roll... and realize that he's not in that place yet. I think you should just keep on doing what you're doing - keep up the motivation yourself and keep gently encouraging him (we know nagging doesn't work too well ). I bet he'll turn around.

And by the way, Nelie and a couple other 3FC'ers make smoothies with a handful of spinach thrown in... maybe you could try a little, test it, and move up to a handful? My typical smoothie, which I make for DH a few days a week), is frozen berries, plain lowfat yogurt, milk (or unsweetened almond milk) - blend. I usually throw in a little stevia. If I have bananas I throw one in and also sometimes a tablespoon of ground flax. DH has some digestive issues, so he takes daily probiotics (man, have they helped). If he has a smoothie, I put powdered in, but if not he takes the capsule. Oh, and if it's all he's eating, and if I have some, I put a scoop of whey protein powder in (Trader Joe's brand).

sorry so long... couldn't figure out how to quote more than one person's response... maybe it's too late??? Night all

Hi guys - haven't posted in a day or so, but I'm still here! After already exercising in the AM on Sunday I decided to cut the grass Sunday night while DH was studying for school, so did 30 minutes on the elliptical on Monday AM with my ab video. Did 45 minutes this morning with a pilates video.

Still haven't put the Weider together, but I did get everything ready so we can hang the ceiling fans we bought for the garage tonight. That should leave us open to put together the actual exercise equipment tomorrow night....

Claire - thanks for the smoothie suggestions, and the DH advice! He did get up and exercise this morning, and said that he felt pretty good after he was finished. I'm hoping that the Weider will give him a little more motivation. I imagine that your father-in-laws health would be a big motivator for your husband - my father-in-law has emphysema from smoking so long and I think some liver trouble, but otherwise is pretty darn healthy... otherwise, the smoking and the drinking would have killed him by now. DH has gotten a little worried about himself lately because he realizes that his health isn't great and now he has a 3 year old son whom he would like to see graduate from high school. I'm hoping that will push him a little.

And no, nagging doesn't work at all! I'm trying to be more subtle... Hard, but I'm working on it!

Shannon, my DH and yours sound similar - mine is ALWAYS psyched AFTER he works out ("that was awesome" "I need to do that more," etc.), it can just be like pulling teeth to get him to start.

Have you tried out your new equipment yet?? How exciting!

Yesterday I did a 30 minute wog and then about 45 minutes of a yoga dvd (with DH!!!).

Have a healthy day, girls!

We ran into a few snags trying to hang the ceiling fans last night, so didn't get started putting the Weider together yet... sadness... I would like to think we will start on it tonight, but it is likely grocery night so I figure we won't have time. We have SS tomorrow night, so that will mean we won't get started until Friday... That's okay - it gives me something to look forward to for the weekend!

I slept a little late this morning - made the 45 mins on elliptical, but didn't get a workout video in. I'm going to try to do it tonight while DH is studying. He is taking a certification exam in the next few months so has been doing a lot of studying...

Claire, you and I are about the same height - I'm curious, how did you pick your goal weight? I'm still not sure about mine...

Happy day everybody!

Our thread is getting a little slim this week! Hope you guys are all hanging in there!

I did go home last night and do my ab video while DH was studying, and I decided to add in a 20 minute lower body workout. I can really feel it in my legs today...

So, this morning I did a yoga stretching video to recover from the lower body pummeling of last night and 45 minutes on the elliptical. I think tomorrow it is time to switch back to stationary bike for a day or so - my heart rate was consistently 10-15 beats lower than my normal exercise level on the elliptical today. (Though, to give myself credit, it stayed around 155, which is 75%ish percent of my target, so still not too bad...)

Have a good day ladies! Hope to see more people back in the net few days!

So far this week, for structured exercise I've logged 16 miles of walking/jogging and 9 miles of cycling. I'm using Leslie Sansone's WATP dvd. My goals are 30 miles of walking and 15 miles of cycling this week. I do use light weights for the WATP dvd and I've had 2 days of weight lifting this week. I use 1, 3, 5, 8, and 12 pound weights. I sometimes use TBL Power Sculpt or The Firm upper body tapes. Otherwise, I design my own weights routine.

Next week, it's super sets for lifting and power yoga and Pilates. It will definitely be a toning focused week. I'll scale back to 1-2 miles of walking/jogging each day. I may add in 2 miles of cycling, I haven't decided yet.

Btw, as far as equipment I own a stationary bike, an aerobic stepper, an aerobic step, a trampoline/rebounder, 5 sets of hand weights, resistance bands and cords and various yoga/Pilates equipment. I'm looking to replace my broken treadmill in the near future however, I may just get an elliptical.

I've been collecting exercise videos since '95. I have some of everything including old school Donna Richardson, Taebo, Denise Austin, The Firm, Kathy Smith, and the 10 Minute Solution videos. I probably have at least 50 tapes and dvds.

Welcome cmichele - sounds like you have a great setup!

I didn't exercise this morning, gave myself a morning off. I'm planning to go home tonight and do one of my ab videos and some yoga while DH watches the Falcon's game...

Hey girls!

Shannon - you are right... our thread is lagging! I'm going to try to post daily - it keeps me accountable, and of course, I love to chat I've just been so daggone busy this week with the two hockey scrimmages and with being back to work for teacher work days. I'm moving rooms, so I have a ton of work to do, and I just feel overwhelmed!

On a bright note, Thursday, DH and I did yoga dvd again. I didn't get any cardio in, but I was glad to at least do that before my scrimmage (it was over an hour away, so it was an all day event). Then last night, we went to the park to walk, and lo and behold, he wanted to walk the first half and run the 2nd half! We did this last week too. Mind you ladies, I am dealing with a very reluctant exerciser here, so this is good stuff! It was a great work out for me - DH is 6' 4", and now that he has his mind set on exercise, he has cranked up the intensity. His brisk walk pace forces me to jog a little - just to keep up. And then, like I said, we ran the last half of the loop - me behind DH.

I have a much needed pedi at noon with one of my best buds (2nd one this summer, and I can't wait!!!!), so I will probably work out today late afternoon (when toes are dry ). I'd like to do a little stretching (pilates or yoga) and some cardio.

Shannon - to answer your question from above, I arrived at my goal weight by... well, from sheer frustration really! Most of my life I've been a fairly slim size - I weighed in the upper 120s or at most in the low 130s for MOST of my adult life. I did push up a couple times to a pudgy 145 or so, but I also could lose it when I set my mind to it. I grew up doing lots of sports - competitive swimming, field hockey, and from college through early 30s I was an avid cyclist - mountain biked a LOT and even did century rides on the road. Well, around age 34 or so I had some weird health issues - very sore joints/muscles, fatigue, weakness, etc. I was tested for lots of things like lupus, arthritis, etc. I couldn't exercise much and felt pretty crummy for around 18 months at least - had good days, but didn't feel like myself. I eventually got better (never knew what I had, but seemed to be some autoimmune issue), but I have never exercised with the same intensity.

My age, I believe, also has something to do with my extra weight - I'm a late bloomer - married DH at 36, and I'm now 40. I was a slim and fit looking bride - size 6/8. Not sure of weight, but I know it was 130 or high 120s. Well, I gained about 20 lbs. in first 2 years of marriage, and have been struggling ever since. My initial goal was 125 (!!!), but I have had to work so hard to lose every pound, that I finally realized/accepted that was unrealistic for me. I actually feel (and look, IMO) pretty darn good at 135 or so, so I have just adjusted my goal UP because I've found it so challenging to lose. For most part I eat well and exercise (of course I have my moments), but really, I have to do that just to MAINTAIN my 145 or so and not GAIN. So, as I've accepted that my body has changed some, I have adjust my goal up, and I'm now ok with it. I just don't think I could see 125 again without and INCREDIBLY regimented effort (and that just ain't gonna happen). As it is, I'm fairly regimented! Also, to be honest, I'm pretty thin at 125, so I don't really need to be that tiny again.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Ok gals, have a healthy day! Let's all TRY to check in at least every other day and post (at least a short one) of what we did (or didn't) do. Accountability, you know?? Alright girls, I'm off to tidy a bit.

p.s. Hi to Michele!!!!

By the way, Shannon, losing just the 10 lbs. I'm aiming for is really tough for me - can you give me some tips on how you've done it? It's hard to believe losing 10 lbs is so darned hard!! But it IS.

Thanks for sharing your story, Claire! Sounds like you and DH had a great workout Thursday! and I'm jealous of the pedi... I'm well overdue for one. I need to find an excuse to drive down and visit SIL, she and I always go for pedis when we get together! I also broke off all of my nails and have put off getting those done, too... I think I'll make a point to get them done next week - I've worked too hard on the diet and exercise to have icky, broken fingernails...

I've never been a highly athletic person, but in my younger days I weighed in the 130-14 through most of my 20's, until I married an alcoholic and started really hating life... Divorced and turned 30 in the same year, stopped paying attention to the weight. I remember thinking "when I hit 145 that's it...", "when I hit 150 I'm really going to do something", then started kickboxing and yoga at 150 but still drank Venti Caramel Mocha frappucinno's every day... moved to Soy Chai latte, thinking it was healthier, still ate 500-700 cals every day of pastry and latte... So, worked out every day in order to over indulge... stopped working out, said "160 is the highest I'll get..." When I started dating my now DH in 2005 I weighed 167... Increased activity, we got out more, I didn't snack as much, I felt better about myself, etc - all led to losing down to 135 by the time we got married in fall 2006. Then, in January of 2007 I gained back up to 145, have been hovering around there ever since, until May when he and I decided we had to change the way we were headed... And, here I am today at 128.3... I'm 36 now, by the way.

I set 127 as my goal because it was 20 pounds less than where I started, but now that I'm almost there I'm really thinking 125 will be my target. I still have a pretty noticeable tummy pooch... Though, once I finish assembling the Weider (no, didn't get it done today... we went to a used record store downtown and went to the greatest hamburger place I've ever been to today, so didn't do any real work...) I'm wondering if some core exercise will help with that and keep me at the same weight. Still pondering it... I have a small frame - I wear a 4 ring and when I wrap my fingers around my wrist the thumb and middle finger overlap past the first knuckle on each one. I figure I'll see where I end up, but I feel like I should be thinner than I have been historically, have felt that my whole life, just wasn't motivated enough to change it...

How have I lost the weight... I started with calorie counting. I'm pretty obsessive about it, actually. I target 1200, with a range of 1150-1250 per day. I have a spreadsheet where I log everything and have a chart for common food items I eat out and meals I prepare. I'm pretty regimented on snacks and such - I have a lot of trail mixes from Trader Joe's that give me protein and good fat. I got a nice food scale recently and discovered I was lowballing some of my items because I was rounding off scoops and spoons, but I'm pretty darn accurate for the last two weeks. I allow myself one cheat day, usually on the weekend where I'm not as tight - I'll go up to 1700-1800 (2000 on the worst one...) on that day. That had me at an average of 1300ish per day for about 2 months. Of course, I realized I might have been off by as much as 100, so my average could have been 1400 during that time. Two weeks ago I added in whey protein to my morning smoothie and as an occasional night time milkshake snack. This week I had lost two pounds when I weighed in, the most in one week so far. It could have been from being more accurate with calories and not having a big day last weekend, but I suspect it also had something to do with the whey. It is supposed to help you burn fat faster - not sure how, but there are some studies and discussions about it on here in other forums. And, finally, I have exercised all but 8 days since June 10th for a minimum of 30 minutes, most days for about an hour. I exercise at the 80-85% range of target heart rate, I'll probably have to lower the intensity soon as well. I haven't had any health problems come up, but I know that I have a genetic predisposition for arthritis and I can already feel my joints starting to stiffen somewhat. I'm trying to get in what I can while I can without doing anything that will hurt me in the long run. I do all kinds of things as exercise too - clean the garage, cut the grass, yard work, etc. I also have Comcast cable with Exercise TV so there are 20-30 different workout videos at any given point to choose from.

I know as a teacher that you have less time than I do most likely, I work in HR and have a pretty standard 9-5 work day at the job I have now. (first time in my life I've had that, I probably exercise all the time because I'm so used to being busy and working 60 hours per week that I fill the time with exercise.) I actually wanted to be a teacher at one point but decided I just didn't have the 'right stuff' for the job - finished school, got the teaching certificate, never used it a day... I have nothing but respect for you guys who do it every day!

I'll tell you - going from 147-135 was a lot harder than from 135 on down. I plateaud around 137 and stuck there - went down a pound, went up two, came down one, went up three... Once I hit 135 I hung for a few weeks, when it dropped to 134 it started going a lot faster... I guess my system realized I was serious and it decided to cooperate with me instead of working against me! You can do it too, I have faith!

oh yeah, last night I didn't work out like I planned - we went to play trivia with some of DHs friends from work and I was done when we got home. Not up for any kind of exercise. I did do my ab video this AM and 45 minutes on the elliptical - definitely have to do the bike tomorrow though, had a hard time keeping the HR up on the elliptical today and don't want to get myself too used to the exercise.. Have to mix it up a bit!

Long post - sorry about that!
Have a good day everyone and hope to see more people back on soon!