Hi everyone
 

Yes, I'm still alive. We finished our big trial last week and start another small one on Monday so it's been crazy busy at work lately! I have been reading the threads and trying to keep up with everyone's progress.

Mrs. Jim - a bodybuilding contest - now there's a great goal!!! I'm sure you'll be successful, with your drive and determination. And what a great way to stay focused and really push yourself to reach your goals. I really need to set some new exciting goals myself. I've been sticking with the program for Challenge 2 but some days I feel like I'm just going through the motions and not really pushing. Gotta find a way to re-ignite that fire I had during Challenge 1!

Is everyone ready for Christmas? I'm doing Christmas dinner here for my boyfriend and I, his parents, my sister-in-law and one of the guys from my boyfriend's band. (What a collection, eh?) My stepkids and stepgrandkids will come by that night for desert and presents. (My husband died in 1999 - his kids and one sister live nearby and we always spend the holidays together.) I'm getting a ham and a turkey breast from HoneyBaked and will make the side dishes, and I've asked my guests to bring deserts - and take home any leftovers!! ;)

Happy Holidays to you all -

Marci

Downsizing, sounds like you're...
 

planning for success for the holiday, have a great time!

I'll be away for the rest of the weekend. Sunday will be my four week anniversary, one-third of the way through. It's flying by.


C1, D27

Slight correction...
 

Just re-read my last post, and no, I didn't ask my guests to bring deserts to dinner, but rather desserts...we're in South Florida, it's desert-like enough already, what with the heat and broiling sun and sand! :lol: (Geez, I used to know how to spell; what's happening to me?)

Howdy everyone!!! Hope you're all doing well. It's FREEZING HERE today! BRRR!

Lisa, you remind me of me in your feelings towards doing a Challenge. The weeks just seem to fly by, don't they? Except for the day before Free Day like today is for me - can't wait to have a few Sees Candies tomorrow...fortunately noone has bought us any and there hasn't been any around the office that I can see - so I'm going to walk over to the Sees store and select three or four pieces - a first for me because I usually just grab the assortments (Nuts & Chews). Naturally I wouldn't THINK of buying them for myself - but I love 'em! They are definitely a RED LIGHT food for me (quoting an old Weight Watchers phrase).

Right now I'm making chicken barley soup. I wish there were more BFL soup recipes around (actually there probably are on the BFL website - I don't go to the official one often) but generally I just start with canned chicken stock (the light version with less sodium) dilute it with water, and add some barley, chicken breasts, seasonings and whatever looks good in the fridge (in fact, I think I'll throw in that baby bok choi now that I think about it - right now I have sliced mushrooms, peas and carrots and chopped onions in there) and let it simmer. I'm not nuts about vegetables, and soup is one of my favorite ways of eating them (along with stir-frying them together with rice and eggs or chicken for a complete meal!).

I had a really great riding lesson today. BTW, have I mentioned before what a GREAT extra activity English riding is - giving the horse signals through leg aids, as well as posting the trot, two-point, etc really works the entire leg muscle group! Anyway, today I rode Butch and mostly trotted and CANTERED and just felt like I was finally getting to be a halfway decent rider - stayed on the right diagonal during the trot, kept balance at the two-point (basically that's lifting your butt about an inch or two off the saddle and leaning forward a bit in preparation to jump) and the canter was wonderful, just a lot of fun!

Not to mention a terrific shoulders/abs/calves workout early this morning! Having all those great new dumbells at 24 Hour Fitness has been so wonderful - being able to go up in 2.5 pound increments. Of course we all know they're doing it now so the weights look all shiny and new during their BIG holiday sign up period but who cares anyway??

Gotta go and do Christmas cards! Later everyone!

So where are you all???
 

Out Christmas shopping and seeing relatives, I presume??? ;)

Yesterday I took a planned "Free Meal" for our department luncheon at KING FISH Restaurant. The food there is so good, I didn't want to miss out. First we ordered a seafood platter to share amongst all of us - with crab cakes, ahi tuna won tons, raw oysters, shrimp, etc. I don't care for raw fish myself so passed on the oysters.

For the main course well there were so many good entrees on the menu, but I went for...the pan roasted chicken breast with garlic mashed potatoes and mustard greens. YUM. Plus a lot of sourdough bread which I love. Altogether a very satisfying free meal and I wasn't stuffed to the gills. Plus - I have another free meal this week - probably will have it Sunday.

This week being Week 9 of C3 for me, it was time to change up my exercises. I have been SO SORE all week but it's a good soreness :lol: I started doing squats and lunges without the Smith machine for the first time, going down as far as I possibly could (so that my hamstrings were touching my calves). Of course I couldn't use as much weight as I can with the Smith but boy did I feel it the next day! In addition, I'm really adding in a lot of deadlifts. Squats, lunges and deadlifts are killers but they are really fantastic for muscle development and strength.

Today I did shoulders/abs/calves. I've discovered a new shoulder exercise while thumbing through my back issues of M&F Hers (well new to me anyway) - the "Cheerleader" which is kind of a cross between front dumbbell raises, side lat raise and overhead press. I was using 5# and 7.5# weights and REALLY felt it (usually for overheads I use between 15-30# weights).

I'm officially joining the Natural bodybuilding Association today - sending in my $50 fee. I've told so many people I'm competing that now I HAVE to do it! :lol:

Okay, let's hear from y'all! Keep the fire burining, we only have 10 days left and the holidays will be over, right??? Definitely NOT looking forward to Jan. 2nd because the gym will be PACKED with all those 'new years resolutions' people... of course most of them will be gone by Valentines' Day - there was an article about that in the new Muscle Media...check it out (also in the issue: A free pullout BFL calendar with a pic of PAM B!!!)

Take care y'all!

Yes, MrsJim, now you HAVE to compete!

I finished finals and now have 2 of my 3 boys home. The other one comes into San Jose airport tomorrow. I saved so much money bringing them through other airports (the other 2 came through Sacramento). Oakland is the most convenient but for the money I saved, I'm happy.

I am not looking forward to the gym in January. I will be doing a lot of at home workouts!

I have been doing Callenetics. Not for cardio or weights (meaning I'm not substituing, I added it). It doesn't look hard but it is and it really stretches you out!! Ilike it.

I have BIG plans too for this year Mrs. Jim. Not as ambitious as yours but I've been formulating a plan that is fairly stringent. 2002 here I come!!!

I will start another thread in a day or two....just wanted to check in! How is everyone???

Susan

Howdy Susan!!!
 

You must be sooo happy to have your family altogether for the holidays!

I hope one of your big plans for '02 is to STAY TUNED RIGHT HERE because that's what I intend to do (and at L&S too of course!).

I had shoulders/abs/calves workout today and lemme tell ya, it was so nice and QUIET at 24 Hour Fitness this morning. At 5:15 am there were probably about 6 other people there working out (us diehards). We enjoyed it as much as possible 'cos its the CALM before the STORM of new members and 'resolution' people. Come Jan 2nd I'll probably be getting myself out of bed at 4 am (it's been 4:30 am lately) so I can get to the gym before the big rush at 5:00 am.

Also, after this week I am switching back to 1 Free Day a week, because having two free meals a week just isn't cutting it for me! What's great for me about having an entire Free Day is that I have a whole day of not having to keep track of my six meals, or my workouts. Having a free meal during an otherwise clean day just screws my schedule up incredibly. Once my brain goes into Free Mode, it doesn't want to get out of that mode until I hit the sack that night! :devil:

That doesn't necessarily mean that I spend all day Sunday gorging (I used to do that) or that I don't exercise (I usually do get a little light cardio in - just no weights and no hitting 10s). But I really prefer being able to start Free Day with a bowl of Corn Chex, then maybe having McDonald's or a burrito for lunch with a Diet Coke (I tend not to drink soft drinks during the week now). For Free Day dinner we might go and have Mexican food, or make some comfort food - last week I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes and that was soo good - plus Jim gets the leftovers in his lunch the next few days!

Sparky is doing great - we're just waiting for his new kitty condo to arrive - should be done and sent pretty soon! In the meantime I bought a bird feeder for our big picture window. The Sparkster can spend HOURS watching the birds and squirrels that stop by - there's one squirrel in particular who KNOWS that Sparky is watching intently - and teases him by parking himself on the window ledge about 6 inches away from kitty while he's stuffing himself with sunflower seeds. Just too funny! :lol:

Anyway, gotta go and hit the mall one last time...Merry Christmas all!