Deborah--
I got my pedometer at Walgreens, for abt 16 bucks. It's the kind where you have to measure your stride length (for me 10,000=only a little over 3 miles). It has a 7 day memory, and it differentiates between regular steps and aerobic steps. It also tells you your steps in miles, and calories burned with your steps. It's made by OMRON.

Unfortunately, I end up subtracting some from my total, cuz I think it clicks off when I hit speed bumps, get up and down from my chair, and of course, it goes off 30 times when I go to the bathroom.



Spring

Spring, thanks for the input on your pedometer. I might just abandon using one altogether if none of them are really accurate. I was only going to use it for the President's Challenge thing anyway for those days when I didn't get any "real" exercise in, you know?

Kathy, I'm actually at the western end of the panhandle and rarely venture to Jacksonville since I hate the traffic! Not to mention it's almost 350 miles away!! You should come to one of the Gulf cities ... the Gulf beaches are so much prettier than the Atlantic Ocean beaches. Depending on when you come, the water looks like blue/green glass and you know our sand is as white as snow. Do I sound like a Chamber of Commerce ad or what? I guess you'll be flying ... I was going to say if you drive, you'll have to drive right by my town to get to Jacksonville.

I know what you mean about the bathroom! I finally found one with a start/stop button so I could turn it off. Just pulling my pants down and back up would log me quite a few steps!!

Deborah, I have an Aadvantage ticket that has to be used by mid-July or I would drive. I was going to Jacksonville to see a friend last summer, and missed the 5 a.m. flight. DH took me to work to await the second one, and while waiting I started reading the newspaper online. I saw an article about a murder a mile or so away from us. It was on a familiar street where a friend of my little DD lives, and so I called the girls who were spending the night with a friend. I said "There's been a murder on Ty's street ... I don't feel good about it" but they said they knew nothing, and assured me that it was probably okay and to go on to Florida and have a good time. I gave it no more thought because no names and/or specific addresses were mentioned.

So ... for the second flight, I got there in plenty of time and while I was waiting to check in, they evacuated the terminal for a security scare. By the time all was clear and we were allowed to go back in, and by the time I got up to the desk, they had changed my departure gate AND terminal, so I had to SPRINT to the new gate. They originally told me they would hold the flight, but as I was huffing and puffing up to the new counter, the agents were telling me nevermind, the plane was just backing out. So much for THAT! The next and third flight of the day would get me to Jacksonville very late at night, and my friend (who was recovering from breast cancer surgery and lives in Palm Coast) really wasn't up to picking me up that late, so we blew it off.

And then ... I went back to the office, got back on the computer, went BACK to the newspaper ... and by then names had been added to the newspaper story. My little DD's friend, one of her very best friends, had shot and killed his dad. I knew right then that my trip to Florida just wasn't meant to be, and that I needed to be staying in town for my DD. She was absolutely devastated ... this dad was the coolest guy, and my DD and a few of her friends used to go over to their house every day after school. These people would feed the kids dinner, and let them hang out ... and they did that for years! I was friends with the parents of course (since she was spending so much time there) and we just couldn't believe what had happened! We still don't know the whole story because Ty's still sitting in jail, awaiting a trial. It has been a nightmare, as you can well imagine.

So that's another little segment of my "open book" life -- it just keeps getting weirder, huh?

Oh yeah, I left something out. Turns out both of my DDs DID know about the murder because the night before, the FBI had called everybody on Ty's cell phone and talked to all the kids (his friends). They just played like they didn't know so I would go on to Florida and not worry about it, and then they figured out when I got back home they would tell me what had happened.

reading tonight with most interest in regards to everyone's pedometer readings...one of the first things we were told to do by the Step up to the Challenge Wellness program was to test your pedometer. Simply by clipping it horizontal to your waist-hip joint ........ walk at a normal stride for 25 steps counting in your head. Check the steps on the pedometer.......do this 3 times. If you are within 3 steps of the 25 going either way on the scale then it is working. For me, the best spot was on my pant pocket which lands right where you can feel your hip movement as walking. Now what if you don't have pants on but a skirt or if you have track pants on? They told us to clip it to the inside of our underwear with the counter part next to your skin.
This seemed to work for me but over to the side of my waist nearer my hip. One thing they also gave us was a banded safety clip for it. Because sometimes believe it or not, it would fall off......but with the safety clip on at least we did not use it. I too asked about the shoe.....however, it sits the wrong way on your shoe. it is laying flat instead of up and down to your body. (however, i never tested it out) For my 35 minute walk I do 3600 steps however, my leader gets about 3100.....the difference being she is 5 10 and i am 5 8 so my stride is shorter.........in the long scheme of things as long as i got in 10000-12000 steps a day i am happy!

painted tiles on the basement floor tonight. what a long process but we had already done the family room so we wanted to finish. 2 coats of grout paint, then we taped it off and painted marble tiles......tomorrow night i add the smaller tile at the corners.....fill in any grout paint that came up with the tape and put on 3 coats of varathane..........no i did not go for my walk....this has to count for something, yes?

time for bed, have enjoyed reading all the posts everyone keep up the great work!!

Oh my gosh, Kathy! What a horrible experience for you to go through! And how frightening that your DD's friend murdered his father! There was a case on the news recently in Mobile, AL where a teenage boy murdered both his parents ... get this ... because they wouldn't let him use their car. It is so hard for me to understand why unspeakable violence seems to be the first solution to a problem. At any rate, I do hope this trip will go off without a hitch for you, Kathy. You certainly don't want a repeat performance of the last time.

Frannie, thanks for the suggestions about the pedometer. I am thinking about trying it out clipped to the side of my shoe. That way it won't lie flat but I'm not sure if it's designed to measure foot motion as opposed to hip flexion motion. That's probably the problem on my waist. I have such a huge, rolling mound of a stomach that the pedometer can't even begin to think about where my hip flexion occurs so if I put it up front (where illustrated), it can only register the jiggle of my fat. Oh well!

Frannie, I certainly think your hard work on the floors counts. I think the President's Challenge has a category for household repairs ... I think painting and grouting and related activities would count in that area. I'm glad you're feeling better but don't overdo it! Take good care of yourself!

Kathy, you and your DD's have been through quite a drama...and it's probably not over yet! I am glad that my life is very boring....thank you very much. Sounds like you do need a little vacation. I'd be happy for some sunshine and it looks as if we'll get some today.

Frannie, I would definitely count your home improvements as exercise. I so wish that Jim and I were handy. We're afraid to mess up the house!

I wasn't good on the program yesterday. I didn't eat anything outrageous and I had the points but I was tired and we ate out twice. Stuffing at one restaurant and a bun at the other and not enough veggies. I feel real guilty when this happens. I exercised though and I'll try to do a bit extra today. Going out for dinner again tonight which is always adventuresome. Not real hopeful about my weigh in tomorrow after riding the scale this morning. Maybe there is still time to get yesterday's treats off!

Jim's cortisone shot may be working! This would be great news since it would help him avoid surgery. He actually stayed in bed all night last night. We are cautiously elated!

I've got my weigh-in tonight. I'm thinking it'll be pretty good. I've managed to say away from sugar all week now (gee, wow, 2 whole days!!) However, I will be tested during my little getaway with dh. I'm not bringing any candy, but I'm sure there will be some tempting desserts at the restaurant. But I feel strong and resolute.

It's getting colder here again. We enjoyed several days of warm temperatures (in the 40's). Oh well, it IS February, isn't it?

Kathy, you have a crazy life, that's all I've got to say. Frannie, definitely count all that household work. When we were building our house, dh and I spent every single evening for weeks either painting, staining, sanding, varnishing, etc and dh and I both lost a lot of weight. Of course, we put it right back on after the house was finished, but mine was because I was newly pregnant. Dh didn't have that excuse! Vickie, glad to hear Jim's shoulder is feeling a little better. Chronic pain is horrible. Good luck with your weigh-in - drink tons of water and maybe you'll be OK.

My mom, who is doing Core with me, has just about caught up with me for weight loss total. (She started a month after me.) Of course, she has more to lose than I do, but still, I'm so proud. A year ago, she could barely move, dealing with tendonitis in her heel and getting short of breath. Now she does 45 minutes a day on the treadmill, plays DDR with me, and is losing weight hand over fist. She lost 4 pounds her last weigh-in, can you believe it? She's just so happy she can move again.

Well, gotta go grocery shopping today, put away tons of laundry , and get ready for our Valentine's weekend. (aka shave my legs for the first time in months, pack our bags...) I'm getting pretty excited!! I'll make sure to take the camera so I can show you all pictures of how I look when I actually try to look good.

Angela

Kathy After that story I just want to give you a hug!
Frannie What are the tiles like?
Vickie YAY I'm so glad (cautiously) Any relief from Chronic Pain makes the day more bearable
Angela lol you sound like me I shaved my legs Monday for the first time in AGES
not much goign on here today
I'm tryign to figure out how I'm goign to get home from work next week b/c My gf can't take me home everyday so it's a bit to ponder

Angela, that's for your WI tonight. I surely think the scales will reflect your hard work and that's wonderful that your mom is still reporting such good losses. I know feeling better and becoming more mobile has got to be one of the greatest incentives of all.

I'm trying to whisper, Vickie, but here's hoping the shot continues to ease DH's pain. I know when I got cortisone shots in my elbow they worked like a charm for several months but my orthopedic doctor would only give me 2 shots since he wants me to have surgery. I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged about your eating yesterday but you don't need to feel guilty. You didn't eat anything really bad. Occasional indulgences are part of life and as you said, you had the points for them. I hope your WI tomorrow will reflect the nice whopping loss you deserve.

I think my WI will be a disaster. When I weighed this morning (yep, I'm one of those daily weighers), I was up 5 pounds from my WI last week. Mine, however, is very much deserved so I won't grumble too much. I have been eating Core today though so maybe I'll shave a few of those pounds back off before I weigh on Friday. Here's hoping anyway!

Good morning!

Geez Kathy, what a life? YOu should write a book. I had WI this morning., down .6 again! It's been 16 weeks now and I have lost a whopping total of 6.2 lbs. I must admit I did gain 3 back over Christmas, but I honestly thought this weight would come off quicker. Took the dog for a 20 minute walk yesterday and also walked 30 minutes on the treadmill. I'm going to try to do that every day and see if that helps. Also going to start tracking again to make sure I'm eating enough points or maybe eating too many extra. Maybe it's the oil. Gonna get some garlic flavored olive oil today.

Hope everyone's WI go well. Deborah, be really good the next few days, drink lots of water and get lots of exercise.

Well my internet connection at home has been sporadic at best so I have to get to work to catch up on the thread and post! Poor me!

Kathy - what a horrible event for your dd to deal with - and I think you were right in saying the trip was never meant to be - something to look forward to in the next few months I guess!

Vickie - glad your dh is feeling better and might be able to hopefully avoid surgery! Don't fret about your little indiscretions - they usually feel worse than they really are!

Don't (yet) own a pedometer so can't comment on how they do or do not work - but strikes me as pretty uncomfortable to clip this on the INSIDE of your underwear against your skin? Mind you, I like Deborah, am quite "fluffly" in this area, but I"m sure it would make an "impression" on me! ha ha ha ha

Angela - hang in there - sounds like you can beat the sugar monster - and most restaurants will have some "fruit" desserts so you may be in luck! Congrats to your mom - sounds like she is doing great! Good luck on your weigh-in tonight!

Now Deborah - BACK AWAY from the Pizza Hut Buffet - you asked for it! There - that'll teach you! Back to Core for you!

Frannie - I am truly impressed with your home renovations - wow! ...and definitely counts as exercise in my book!

CONGRATS LISA ON YOUR LOSS - don't forget every little bit counts!

Did not exercise last night, but I did do some floor exercises this morning (situps, pushups, leg lifts) - dh joined me, pretty funny the two of us on the floor in our jammies huffing and puffing away! Will try and get on the treadmill tonight!

Trying to plan a beach getaway w/my dd - to meet up w/girlfriend and her dd, but boy is she difficult to please - we are having trouble agreeing on where to go, when to go, how much to $$$ (she is a true Libra and has trouble making decisions). It will be a miracle if this actually happens (March break)...and frankly I am even getting turned off from going if it's this much work to plan something!....sigh.....

...and as for shaving of the legs - I dare not tell about my good fortune for alas, for most women get extremely JEALOUS of me and give me evil looks now and again!

Almost lunchtime!!!!

Frouf

Angela, I'm getting excited for you! I'm really happy that your Mom is having so much success. How much did she have to lose total and how much has she lost so far? Tell her that all of us wish her well also.

Lisa, congratulations on your loss! I lose very slowly too so I understand how hard it is to be patient. Froufy is right....every little bit counts! And, I guarantee that if you exercise every day like you did today, you will lose at least a little bit more than you have been. Exercise and the water have made a huge difference for me! I've already had 40 ounces today and I've got 24 more ounces sitting in front of me here at the computer.

Frouf, you are such a joy....even if you DON'T HAVE TO SHAVE YOUR LEGS! How on earth do I sign up for that little perk?

I've figured it out... see, the big secret is that Froufie DOESN'T HAVE LEGS!! That's why she doesn't have to shave them. You never know what kind of people hang out on this new fangled Internet thing.

Vickie, my mom had around 100 pounds to lose. She's only 4'10", so her tiny frame should weigh at most, 110. So far she's lost just shy of 20 pounds - next week she should get her 10%.

Angela

Wow, she sure is putting me to shame. Too bad we can't get her to post her menu....I need to be doing what she is doing! Congratulations to her. It's not easy at any age but certainly not at our age!