Happy new year ya'll!

Ideally I'd want around 120lbs, but realistically I don't think it'd make much difference to my life, I'd like to be tiny as I once was though.

What I am focussing on is stepping up from vegetarianism - I was vegetarian for 4 years, then ate fish again for a while but not other meat, now back to proper vegetarianism lately - to veganism. It isn't going to be easy and I don't imagine I'll get it "right" all the time but all I can do is try. Emphasis on vegetables, soy, whole grains and so forth. I am so tired of worrying about what could be in animal products or how animals are treated that I think its worth trying. I never liked meat, milk or "obvious" egg tastes anyway.

Julie! New Year's Day is a great time to join the feathers! Hope to see you in the weekly chat thread often!

Dagmar

Hi Julie and Emily!

I've been complacently absent from Feathers for a while, during which time I was busy gaining about 7 lbs It's great to be back for the support and accountability.

Emily, I eat meatless several days a week, though I'm not vegetarian. Health-wise and ethically too, I think veganism is very worthwhile. Frankly I don't know if I could give up eggs, as I do eat them several times per week. It would be very hard, but it sounds like you are ready to make the change. Once you make the adjustment, I'm sure you will find it fulfilling.

Hi Dagmar and everyone else. I eased myself back into exercise yesterday, and let me tell you, I have really let myself get out of shape. I did the Leslie Sansone's walk/jog for 30 minutes, followed by 10 pushups. I have really gotten out of the exercise habit, so I am starting small. I need to build back up to where I was.

Anyway, have a healthy day, ladies! I'll check in later... or tomorrow.

I haven't done any strength training for 11 days and, after my fairly light workout yesterday, I have enough sore spots to tell me the workout was overdue.

We lose so quickly in the exercise end of things and soo slooowly in the weight end - wish it was the opposite !

Dagmar

Hello Feather Ladies welcome to the new Feathers

I didn't workout today, I just cleaned up the Christmas decorations and will call it a day, I feel very nauseous, I just hope it's fatigue and not some kind of flu... So needless to say that food was easy to keep control of ...

See y'all later...

I want to maintain my loss. My goal weight was a little high because I thought I was 5'2 " but my doctor's office says I am between 5' and 5'1" so I am at a better weight now for my actual height. My resolution for the new year is to eat more fresh vegies and fresh fruit.

Ugh....my strength training has been so spotty lately. Every time I get in a routine and start making progress someone gets sick and I have to miss the gym for a few weeks. I need to make myself do at least pushups and dips at home, but I never do.

I do all my strength training at home. I have two sets of hand weights, the rubber band thingees, and a body ball. And I use the stairs for cardio and the basement sink and walls as supports for various exercises.

I did invest in 8 sessions with a personal trainer to get some basic routines tailored for myself. Now I'm adding to those with things out of a magazine. They feature 3 exercises in each issue using the ball and/or hand weights.

No need for the gym so I save a bunch of travel time and don't have to wait to use any machines or anything. Works for me!

Dagmar

Hello ladies

Been missing in action for a while. It was just such a hectic month of December and I am glad to be on to another year. Well I planned to maintain in the month of December but i did put on 2 lbs. Still, not bad for Thanksgiving through Christmas.

My plan for the new year is just to be healthy. I just want to eat better and exercise more and most importantly I am trying to quit smoking. Today is my second day and while I know it will be hard (I've tried many times before) I am determined to quit this year. I just want to feel great and I know this is my time to do it. I'm not really exercising that much yet but man am I a cleaning machine! I think that counts as exercise for now .

I'll try to stay in touch a little more. Hope everyone is doing great on their New Year's resolutions and Ilene I sure do hear you on that 52 year old metabolism .

I finally quit in 2003 after 14 years and many failed attempts. I too knew it was my time to do it so I just did. It is without doubt the single thing that has had the biggest impact on my well-being. I had no idea (because I felt fine) how completely different I'd feel when I stopped and how compromised my health had been. I read loads at the website whyquit.com and it kept me going. I wish you all the luck in the world.

Wat to go abbyin! It took me 4 tries in a 6 year span but I finally did it way back in 1983. And I haven't had the desire, EVER, to smoke another cigarette in 25 years.

My DH's sister, her husband, and 2 of their 3 kids all smoke, as do most of their friends. My DH took my duffle bag with him to see them over the holidays and I had to throw it out when he came back. He was only there 2 days but everything he had on and took with him stank when he came back.

As did all the Christmas gifts he brought back with him.

If you need any cheerleading abbyin I'm there!

no more cigarettes

Dagmar (smoke free for 1/4 century - h*ll I'm getting old )

I'm going to surprise myself on Monday. There is a scale here but my "holiday eating events" end today after dinner. I have very carefully avoided going into the room with the scale in it for two weeks now.

I've been very consciously cutting my calories back on the the days after off plan celebrations occured so I'm curious to see what's happened. I also haven't been dogwalking with the same intensity I do normally so again I'm curious to see how that has affected my weight.

Whenever I actually post a goal/time frame I never seem to make it so I'm just going to keep my next goal in my mind for now. I don't seem to be motivated by "outing" myself, quite the opposite.

Dagmar (in scale limbo)

Thanks Doughnut and Dagmar for the support. Today's been pretty tough. My DH's boss got kicked out of his house on Wednesday and has been staying with us. He just invited himself. He too, is a smoker. I told him on New Year's eve that I was quitting smoking and that he could not smoke in the house after that night. Well first thing in the morning when I walked by the bathroom, I smell smoke. I was so upset. I never ever even smoked in the bathroom. It's just a small room and holds that smell in bad. I told my husband and he talked to him about it and he said he would only smoke outside. Well this morning I get out of the shower and walked by our guest room and guess what I smelled? I was sooooo mad! I told my DH that it just shows disrespect for our home and I wanted him out. Now my DH feels like he is put in the middle and we have been upset with each other all day. I know it's hard to kick your boss out of your house but I told DH he is going to have to find a way. I left the house and was gone most of the day and now I'm back home and they are gone. His boss's stuff is still here so I assume he is coming back. I am not a happy camper .

I haven't smoked today, but my eating has not been good and at this point, I don't care. I talked to my DH on the phone and told him he needs to get a date when his boss is leaving. This is not fair to me. He said he would, but who knows.

Sorry, I'm so down today. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll have my house back but I'm not counting on it.

Abbyin, I hear you. I think a lot of smokers convince themselves the smell won't spread anywhere else, and will disappear after they stop. And of course neither is remotely true. I don't mean that in a judgmental way. Lord knows I have bad habits that others don't have.

Your husband really is between a rock and a hard place it sounds like.

Mudpie, how are your clothes fitting? It's funny, but that doesn't always correlate with the scale for me. Usually it seems I'm using the fit of my clothes (good) to make me feel better when the scale is up; or I'm wondering why if the scale is down so nicely my clothes don't feel different I think the clothes get looser before the scale goes down, sometimes by a couple weeks.

I want to get some resistance bands and chin up bar and at least take up a few compound movements to work the chest / back / shoulders, and the big muscles of the legs / butt.