how's the video been working out?

oh well for the xrays .. at least you got the biggest test out of the way. When do you get the results?

I went in to see the orthopedic doc .. basically told me that I was getting old .. at least that is what I interpreted it as when I got home to do a little research on his terminology. Degenerative disc disease (i think) .. bone spurs on two of my vertebre .. bulging disc inbetween them two .. his remedy .. bed rest when the symptoms flare up .. exercises for my back .. lose weight .. don't sleep on my face (???????) .. no heavy lifting .. exercise .. lose weight .. did I mention .. lose weight .. ?? He did .. a few times I believe .. I don't think he really even looked at me to form a conclusion that I needed to lose weight .. because by looking at me .. it doesn't look like I need to .. referencing my weight .. it would seem like I do .. I carry a ton of muscles in my legs .. that whole office is whacked .. we (me and my 3 kids) waiting 2hrs 15mins before we even got in .. we arrived at 1pm .. my appt was at 1:30 .. we didn't get in until 3:15 .. they double book their patients then apologize for being behind .. duh

I have an appt with the gastroenterologist (spl??) .. I have crohns disease and haven't been to see a doc in about a year .. I need to establish myself with a gastro around here before something happens and I'm left scrambling trying to find one ..

i've been doing good with the ww .. i think it would help you out also .. i'm doing the flex program .. it has been easy for me to keep track of everything .. my sister has been doing it for a few months and has lost over 20lbs so far ..

Well, I FINALLY got that stupid ball inflated all the way, after having had to buy a new pump because the one that came with broke. I really like the "For Dummies" video. It's very straightforward and thorough. I also started using the ball as my computer chair. May as well work on my balance while I putter on the 'puter.

Oy, doctors' offices are a real pain in the hind end. Hopefully the back exercises will help. It would be quite interesting to see someone actually sleeping on their face... I hope things work out well with the new gastro. doc. With luck, you'll have plenty of time to make sure you've got a GOOD doctor in case something happens.

I got the results from my bone scan back. I have Osteopenia, which is a step down from Osteoporosis. The doc said to bump up my calcium to 1500 a day, and my vitamin D to 400, and repeat the test in a year.

I looked at the new flex and core plans, but I was a bit befuzzled by them. I think I need something a little more disciplined, so I'll stick with the Winning Points system for now. I just seem to function better with the idea that if I run out of points in a day, I can earn some back with exercise. Different things work for different people, though. I'm glad that Flex is working out well for you.

we can earn points with the exercises we do .. and we get 35 extra points for the whole week .. so .. on a daily basis I have 24pts to use .. if I exercise then those points would count towards anything over the 24 .. if I use up my exercise pts then it would come from the 35 pts for the week .. it is pretty simple .. however .. if you are used to your system then I would stick to that unless it isn't working .. but you say it is .. so why fix it

now that you know what is ailing you .. you can keep check on that .. just make sure to follow the doc's orders ..

I went out and bought a dvd for the ball .. haven't tried it yet .. I plan on doing it today .. hopefully .. can't get out to do anything because it's done nothing but rain here for the last three weeks .. mosquitos are like nothing i've ever experienced before .. i swear they are trying to bore holes in our front door to get in .. you can't step out the front door without getting swarmed .. yesterday I opened the front door and told the kids to "run!!!!" for the car .. they are horrendous .. I think all 3 of the kids got bit before they reached the car ..

The more I hear from other people about the flex plan, the more similar it sounds to the old one. It sounds like instead of the extra points, the old plan gave a range of points to eat between.

It is HARD to remember to take that third calcium every day. I'm just not used to it. And that bottle will run out a bit faster than it used to, but oh well. Such is the price for staying healthy, eh?

Which DVD did you end up getting? I can't do mine early in the morning on weekdays like my other videos, because it's longer, and I can't get myself awake any earlier. So, I'm going to try to do mine tonight, if my husband will relinquish the TV.

Mosquitos are just starting to get bad up here, too. The other night, I went on a historical home walking tour downtown, and I think I got in a cardio workout from swatting at them so much. They were even worse at the drive-in. There's a cream repellant by 3M that's supposed to be really good. I think Wal-Mart sells it. I'm going to have to try it...

lol at the cardio workout .. i'm not sure off hand what the name of the video is .. it is upstairs in my bedroom .. i'll let you know next time i see it .. i think the flex is very similar to their previous one .. i did the at home one a few years ago .. and aside from not being able to carry over your points .. i don't think there is any difference .. I'm down 5lbs so far .. yipee .. i can finally change my weight tracker .. I have been using the weight that the new scale shows me .. the weight I've had listed is off the old scale ..

how's it been going for you?

It's great that you're back on track! I've been on a mini yo-yo for a while now. I seem to lose 3 one week, then gain 1 back the next, lose 3, gain 1, etc. Overall I'm still going down, but it's a zig zag down.

I'd like to get a new scale soon. It's not that I don't trust the numbers, (though I do question them from time to time) but it just feels kinda flimsy. The plastic feels kinda cheap, and I'm always afraid of cracking it somehow. If I get any money for my birthday I'll probably shop for one.

Getting up early and doing a workout video before work has been going well so far (*knock on wood*). I hope I can keep it up. Developing good habits can be as hard as breaking bad ones...

I'm not so good at getting a routine going .. I try .. that's the best I can do right now. I've constantly got three kids under foot. I'm just mainly trying to manage my meals. I didn't do so well the last half of the week. I went in for a CT scan on thursday and they made me drink 3 awful tasting nasty drinks .. I wonder how many calories that was .. then I had to go eat lunch because it was like 2pm and I had not eaten anything all day .. so my daughter and I went to taco bell .. the rest of the week kind of went down hill .. I'll pick it back up tomorrow.

Boy, I know how that goes.

I fall apart when I go on trips. I caved in to a combo meal at Wendy's on Friday, and also went bonkers at the candy factory nearby. (I was supposed to be buying chocolate covered almonds for my dad, but couldn't stop there. I got dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and dark chocolate covered coffee beans for myself!)

On top of that, my mom must think I never eat because she feeds me feasts every time I visit. Giant steak barbeque cookout on Saturday, and practically a Thanksgiving dinner last night.

I go home tonight, so with luck I'll get back to normal eating habits, too.