Megan - I am with you, I need to refocus too. I think mine is related to not getting enough exercise. The past two weeks or so I've been eating a lot of junk and it needs to stop. I need to find something new and healthy to snack on!

Well, I'm back from the doctor. Here's what happened.

1--my weight has gone from 154 to 150 to 156. Of course that's higher than my scale says, but still way above my redline (but still below what I weighed when I got married 20 years ago!).

2--he suggested that I buy Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution. Sounds like it's really low carb. Does anyone know anything about this book? I'm off to Amazon in a few minutes.

3--he suggested my optimal weight is 138 (right about where I feel the best, so I agree wholeheartedly).

4--due to my latest lab tests (which I got for "free" because of applying for health insurance) it appears my cholesterol has gone up over the past 2 years. Since I have this, a personal history of smoking and a family history of heart disease, he is recommending that I get a Berkley HeartLab test. Apparently it's a really expensive lab test that looks at several factors that contribute to cholesterol and it does marking for heart disease and stroke factors. Does anyone know anything about this test? I'll do the test after my vacation, then I have to go back to the doctor 5 weeks after that so he can go over my results.

5--I have to have my boobs smashed (again) but then who doesn't? Other than that, everything looks good and healthy. He warned me to be careful when I start up running again and gave me a series of good stretches and he said to do 3 sets of 50 crunches after each run (something that I had not been doing).

Allison - 3 sets of 50 crunches??? That sounds really weird to me. Maybe inclined crunches or crunches on an exercise ball, but 150 crunches just sounds kind of silly. Maybe the personal trainers on here could weigh in.

Alison - is this your Alaska cruise? Too bad we don't overlap. I'll be in Juneau the weekend of August 15 (and in Skagway earlier that week) Where exactly do you stop?

Pat~DD posted the itinerary on her Facebook. Here you go:

Thursday:
4:00 AM - Leave for LAX
11:20 AM - Depart from LAX to Vancouver
2:05 PM - Arrive in Vancouver
4:00 PM - Check-In at Vancouver Hotel

Friday:
Depart from hotel to Canada Place Pier onto Holland America Cruise ship

Saturday:
At Sea

Sunday:
Ketchikan
10:30 AM - Rain Forest Canopy Zipline Expedition

Monday:
Haines

Tuesday:
Juneau
8:00 AM - Mendenhall Glacier Whale Quest

Wednesday:
Sitka

Thursday
Hubbard Glacier Cruising

Friday
7:00 AM - Arrive in Anchorage
5:00 PM - Depart from Anchorage
11:19 PM - Arrive at LAX
HOME :D

Oh fun, Alison. Haines and Sitka are two of my favorite towns! And I had no idea there was a zipline in Ketchikan! I did one in Costa Rica and had a great time.

My GFs and I are taking a Holland America Alaska cruise next summer. I've heard good things about them.....

Hi to everyone!
I am back from my trip to Mexico. We went to a dude ranch and had a fantastic, fun and relaxing trip. I got exercise in most days (horseback riding) but it was a different kind of exercise and not as much aerobic (except when the horse rolled over with me on him!). I did not have control over my meals and I noticed my clothes getting tight after just a few days. I cut back my portions and tried not to worry too much. I got back yesterday, went to the gym yesterday, and weighed myself today. I am up about 3 pounds so I wasn't too devastated. I was worried it would be more because I had no access to a scale (and I'm scale obsessed:o), my lack of meal choice, and the reduced exercise. I am over my red line, but just barely, so I am cracking down again.

Shane-- you look amazing! Like you could be in a fitness magazine!!

Barbara-- I agree with you-- it is cold here! I went out in a sweater today and came home and put fuzzy slippers on-- a little ridiculous for late July but I guess better than Alaska!

Anne-- I think you are doing fabulous for 6 weeks postpartum, and yes, taking care of two little ones definitely counts as exercise!

Meg-- I'm sorry you are having difficulties with your back. I hope the shot helps so you can take care of your knees.

Robin-- that is cool about all of your great compliments!!

Hello to everyone else. I am glad to be back and able to refocus.
I read a ton of books on my trip and really enjoyed "Such a Pretty Fat or Why Pie is not the Answer" a memoir by Jen Lancaster. I think someone mentioned it here before, but I highly recommend it-- we can all relate!

Ah, Allison, I'm jealous! That was the cruise that dh and I were going to take about 5 years ago for our 25th anniversary. I can't remember if I actually booked it or was in the process when he finally admitted that he really didn't want to go on a cruise :( We ended up hiking and climbing in Yosemite then sloshing our way through Sonoma, which was all great fun too. But I still want to go on that cruise!

Anne- hang in there...they do grow up. Then you just have to drive them everywhere and do a lot of laundry :lol3: Or worry about them driving everywhere :dizzy: How long is your maternity leave?

Meg- If you can get those jeans off, you KNOW you're doing something right. Your goal was to be super-fit going into surgery also. I know you wanted to be lighter, but being the strongest implantee on the block is nothing to sneer at. :hug:

Pat- Why are you taking an Alaskan cruise??? You live there! Go to Mexico :dizzy:

Papperclippy- I agree! 3 sets of 50 crunches seems...gruesome. I do 3 set of 15 harder crunches.

Robin- I had to submit pictures and "proof" too. It was hard to find pictures because I hid so well for so many years.

We had horrendous storms here last night and it's no longer dry as a bone. There are tree parts, big ones, down in some of my neighbors' yards. Luckily, ours all stayed up there :)

Great pictures, Shane! You are a little intimidating.

I'm back in "gotta lose it" mode. I'm a few pounds over my red line and my head was screwed on backwards for the last 3-4 weeks. I need to buckle down and eat clean, clean clean!

Mel

I'm back from the doctor and it's confirmed that I'm an inch taller. 5' 3" and 1/2 instead of the 5' 2" 1/2, which is what my height was before I started all this exercise. :broc: So it wasn't just a fluke--this is now the third time they've measured my height at this level, which makes it official in my book. I :love: being taller! Now if I could just figure out a way to pick up a couple of more inches--5' 6" would be just perfect. :idea: Maybe if I were stretched on a rack. Maybe my gym has one somewhere in a dark back corner (although probably not, I'm sure if they had one, my trainer would have made me use it by now :lol:).

alinnell: I know my trainer would positively scoff at your doctor's suggestion of doing three sets of 50 crunches each. My understanding it that the abs are just like any other muscle. You wouldn't do 3 sets of 50 bicep curls, would you? The article "From Muffin Top to Six-Pack: A Guide to Getting the Abs Everybody Wants" that Meg stickied in the exercise forum also says that it is a waste of time to do those kinds of reps, even for ab exercises. I don't know about your doctor, but most doctors have no training in either nutrition or physical fitness, so they aren't always the best sources for advice on your diet or exercise program.

Michelle: Welcome back! Sorry you have to come home to such cold weather, but I guess it makes you appreciate Mexico all the more.

WaterRat: It's true, as I was whining about our 70 degree weather, I was thinking about your weather report and feeling very thankful that I don't live in Alaska!

Paperclippy: Yes, it would be warmer if I moved inland a bit, but even Livermore is only seeing a high of 77 today. If weather were the only consideration, I would love to move to Arizona, particularly the Tucson area.

Megan: Thanks for the link to the canning website; it looks like it will be very useful. I made apricot jam over the weekend that is very low sugar, only 1/4 cup to about 24 oz of apricots. It is about 20 calories per tbsp and plenty sweet enough. I made plum jam with the same recipe, but that used more plums than apricots (about 32 oz) and came out pretty tart. I think next time I make the plum jam, I will double the sugar, which increases the calories by only 6 per tbsp. You can easily fix the runnyness in your peach jam by dumping it all back into a saucepan and simmering it down some more. You can open all the jars, simmer the jam down, then re-run them all through the boiling water bath (be sure to use new lids) or just do it one jar at a time, as you open each one. With jam, it less about the pectin (in fact, I never use added pectin for either jams or jellies) and more about simmering the water out of it until it is the consistency you want. You can even make jam out of fruit that has very little pectin, like berries, without adding pectin. The jam will also probably thicken up if it sits in fridge for a week or so; I've definitely found this to be the case with my jelly. Maybe let an opened jar sit in the fridge for a week and see if it gets thicker before bothering to simmer it again.

Hey Allison - wave at me when you're in Vancouver - that's where I live :wave:

I hear you all about being anxious about going to the dr. and getting weighed.
I have a checkup appt this wed. and I think my weight it up about 15lbs :o
Dang - maybe it will scare me straight.
I have upped my exercise 10 fold - but the scale just seems to keep going up.

Somethings got to give someday - sigh

-S

Originally Posted by :
Pat- Why are you taking an Alaskan cruise??? You live there! Go to Mexico

:lol: Mel. It's a quilting cruise for a start, and it's in SE Alaska, or along the panhandle, which is way far away from where I live in southcentral Alaska. It's a gorgeous part of the state though and totally different from where I am. But, it won't be much warmer than home for sure.

Originally Posted by WaterRat:
:lol: Mel. It's a quilting cruise for a start, and it's in SE Alaska, or along the panhandle, which is way far away from where I live in southcentral Alaska. It's a gorgeous part of the state though and totally different from where I am. But, it won't be much warmer than home for sure.

Quilting on a boat??!! There's no way that would happen for me. I'm seasick just thinking about it. :barf:

:rofl: Not only would I be seasick on a quilting cruise, but I'd look like a pincushion spouting blood from poking holes in myself with the needle.

Michele, I remember that you were concerned about being sick in Mexico but it sounds like you have a wonderful time. Three pounds is nothing and will be off in no time. You did great! :)

Barbara, what's your secret?? I want to get taller too, then I wouldn't have to hem every pair of pants I buy. I told my knee doctor that I want the special knee replacements that make me two inches taller. Springs in them would be nice too. :lol:

Allison, even if your weight is a little higher than you'd like now, you deserve a big congratulations for being lower than when you got married. :cp: How many of us can say that? I'm not familiar with the book or diet, so if you read it, let us know what you think. It seems like the diet emphasis today is on controlled/good carbs coupled with good fats -- kind of a healthier Atkins. :crossed: that the heart test turns out perfectly.

As for crunches, I'd have to agree about the 50 not being too useful. If your goal is to build core strength, there are many more effective exercises that you can alternate. I remember a seminar I went to where the instructor said if you can do 50 of any ab exercise, you're either not doing it right or it's too easy. Crunches should be done slowly and very controlled, with an inhale, pause at the top, and visualizing that you're pulling your belly button down to your spine.

Shane, you look fantastic!! Wow, you've got some great muscle development going on! :carrot: You definitely could be in a magazine. And I'll bet you're going to get tons of clients. :D

Jessica, you won't hear me laughing at your 2# DBs. I used one pounders after my shoulder surgery and they kicked my butt. It was a big day when I graduated to the two-pounders!

Yikes, there's more to say but I've got to jump into my gym clothes and hit the road. Thanks for all the well wishes for my back injection today. :) When I had a series of three last year, I think I wasn't allowed to work out the next day so I'll have to do a double workout this morning. :strong: Here's a funny story about the gym ... I was listening to my portable satellite radio yesterday morning and a song came on called "Detachable Penis" and I nearly choked myself laughing. I'm sure everyone around me thought I was insane. :lol3:

Later!

Hi everyone! My friend left this morning (a 6 AM flight!), so I can finally check in.

We got up at 4 AM. I was back from the airport by 5:40. It was pointless to go back to sleep for an hour, so I worked out! Yay! I did my Couch to 5K workout and some weights.

We went to dinner at a famous bbq place downtown Friday night and I scared myself! I weighed on the big scale they had there and it said 131 pounds! I knew that couldn't be right...at the Dr. a month ago, I was 116! luckily, it was wrong for Amanda too. Sunday at the science museum, i weighed on a scale to "measure my weight in gold" and it is $1,131,400 or roughly 113 :) Thats better.

I am feeling very "ugh" and fat. I think b/c TOM is near and b/c I just haven't been doing great with eating well and exercising. I've made a deal. Once I get back from all this traveling this weekend and work settles next week, if I work out 4 times a week for a month, I'm buying this:

http://purse-n-bootz.com/images/larg...raffeprint.jpg

I'm obsessed with Giraffe print.

Ok, off to make a good breakfast since I'm ahead of my usual morning schedule. Have a great day!

Michele - welcome back! Horseback riding is totally exercise. Especially for your abs!

Originally Posted by :
That was the cruise that dh and I were going to take about 5 years ago for our 25th anniversary. I can't remember if I actually booked it or was in the process when he finally admitted that he really didn't want to go on a cruise

Okay, I just had a great idea . . . a 3FC cruise!!! Forget the husbands who don't want to cruise. We can all go on a cruise together and make sure that it involves lots of exercise and healthy eating! I think you can get some kind of discounts for a chartered cruise -- DH's old job used to have an annual company cruise to Mexico (which he never went on, of course).

Barbara - I wish I was an inch taller! My doctor's office keeps telling me I'm 5'3", but my sister's doctor tells her she's 5'4" and I'm taller than her. :shrug:

Meg - I hope your back feels better!

I'm trying to gradually transition myself to a whole foods diet, or at least cut out the HFCS. I'm also trying to make more things from scratch at home to save $$ at the grocery store on prepared foods! So I made my own raisin bran this weekend and ate some of it today. It was pretty good, but the recipe needs some work! Does anyone have a homemade bran flake recipe?