Further, Amarantha hath pledged to post a to any who declareth herself herein as an OFFICIAL HALLOWEEN SPIRIT TWO-WEEK CHALLENGER!!!

Ok, Amarantha, but what about all those SEVEN DAY PLATEAU BUSTIN' CHALLENGES THAT AREN'T OVER YET 'CAUSE THEY STARTED LATER IN THE WEEK?

No prob, Mysterious Questioner, 'cause it's all good and Amarantha be eagerly awaitin' the results o' all those challenges AND be thinkin' also that those who dinna want to do a TWO WEEK HALLOWEEN SPIRIT CHALLENGE, should at the end o' their SEVEN DAY THINGIE, JUST POST THEIR OWN TIME PERIOD ... so long as we're all kickin' Demonic Weight/Fitness Blah B*tt here together so there's no nasty surprises come Christmas time!!!

Even though my 7-day challenge ends Tuesday, I want in on the 2-week Sprint to Halloween. Honestly I've forgotten what my 7-day goal was ---I really should backtrack and check, that would be the honorable thing to do!

I'm declaring the goal of getting closer to my goal of 135 pounds. If I'm not there, I plan on being pretty darn close for Halloween! Also, I'll be working out every day for the next 2 weeks and I'll be posting my food journal with no slacking even if things get ugly [which they won't! ]. And I'll be trying out that calorie cycling plan that I'm so fascinated by. I'm thinking 1200 calories one day, then 1350 calories the next day, then a big 1500 calories day, then cycle back to the start. It may work, it may not. I may go mad from lack of calories and become a slavering beast, but this way I'll know for sure.

Iwent back and checked out my plan for the last 7-day challenge and discovered that I had no plan. Pretty sneaky.... Just a declaration to start whittling away at the 7 pounds I'd gained since July. When I started 7 days ago, my weight was 142, I'll weigh in Tuesday and let you know if any magically "melted away".
I hate that expression--I've never had anything 'melt away'!

Still here in Toronto, getting my fill of DH's relatives, mostly it's been pleasant but more interactive-intensive than I need. Looking forward to kicking back and getting some work done tomorrow at MIL's place.

Could have been a disasterous weekend, foodwise, because there were 3 gatherings with almost entirely high-fat, white-flour-based, high sugar foods. And little to nothing otherwise. Ugh. Last night i just made the best choices possible from what was offered and didn't eat much of anything.
Today I just ate a handful of chips because there was, at both parties, literally nothing to eat that wasn't full of white flour and/or sugar and I just needed something in my tummy. But forewent the pizza, chocolates, etc. Then came back to the hotel and had some roast chicken and salad. Should be easier to control what's available from here on in.

I'm in for the 2-week challenge, but taking it right to the 31st and overlapping with my current 7-dayer which I'll be WIing for on Wednesday. I think that gives me an extra day on my 7-dayer and one less on the 2-week, and it will more or less even out.

Lots of walking -- a couple of hours yesterday and Friday. Today DH and I walked down a trail we found close to the hotel that took us right down to Lake Ontario and the stunning Scarborough Bluffs. Beautiful, huge cliffs, multi-colored leaves. There was a wonderful, big sculpture down there too. Rugged and steepish path down to the water, strenuous going back up. So much nicer than my highwayside walking yesterday. Tomorrow I intend to go back down there and do some tai chi and back up again.

K -- must turn laptop over to DH. Love to all!

The weekend is over and there is still so much I wanted to do....hate having things hanging over my head. Ah well...can't do anything about it now, will just have to whittle away at them during the week.

I'm thinking my 7-day challenge ends tomorrow? Tuesday? Hmmm. Why is it such a bother to go back and look? I'll declare it tomorrow because I'm eager to start the new Two Weeks to Halloween challenge! Didn't do terribly this last week, but definitely room for improvement. Seem to have won the battle of whatever bug was trying to infest me, so this week I'll feel more up to exercise. I can't do daily morning posts, but I can do daily sometime posts, most likely evenings. Two weeks...I'm going for five pounds...might as well reach high if I'm going to reach! Dec 9 is approaching quickly.

No luck on the lamps at the Reuse Center yesterday. DH found a brand new ceramic butter dish, though, for $2.00. Excellent find, because I've been using a tupperware container to keep butter in, and this lovely domed butter dish looks MUCH nicer!

Also an excellent find on your pressure cooker, Kaylets!

Anagram, so glad to hear you've had a good rest and enjoyed your day!

Huzzah!!! A hearty Towel Boy kind o' to the TWO WEEK BE-THERE-OR-BE-SQUARE-GONNA-KICK-SOME-HALLOWEEN-DEMON-SOMETHIN'-ER-OTHER CHALLENGE, to Wildfire (tomorrow, and hey, the daily postie thing was just the Towel Boys blatherin' ... post when ya can, Wild Thing!), Arabella (sorry they fed ya white flour and sugar, don't ya just hate that, you did good), Eydie (great goal and you will do 'er 'cause ya always do and calorie cycling really helps, E, lookin' forward to the menu postin')

Kaylets, I'd love to have a pressure cooker. Thou inspireth me.

Aria, be thou out there?

Hallo to all s, mentioned or un ... let's have some fun!!!

LET'S GET SERIOUS!

I wanna wear a bikini in 2005.

Really.

Don't know if this be late night or early morning post! Would like to say it's my enthusiasm for challenge that has me up but the dialysis machine alarmed at 3:20 and sleep again eludes me. Going to have to do better about all this.

Anyway, my 7 day challenge was sort of vague and while I wasn't GOOD, I at least was better and did finally come up with a toehold (walking plan). So I'm declaring that one done and embarking this morning on my renewed, refreshed, rarin' to go Halloween Happiness Hike. Not being strict with me - just improving diet, water, etc. I.E., I have one HUMONGO bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer - I declare it will be gone by the end of the challenge - I have been veggie impaired. Fruit impaired as well. DHs diet alone has been a challenge and I've been piecemealing around it. I hereby declare that I will now pay attention to the health needs of both of us, opposite directions though they be.

So, ok, that's a lot of back to basics. I've really only been ROTTEN the last four weeks and, with the help of my weight lifting (DH), have not gained a whole lot. Last weigh in still decent. But of course I think of how much better I could have been. Anyway, I'm in.

And I must confess I don't feel a bit bad about the PUMPKIN flavored ice cream I had yesterday. About a lot of other things I had but not that one. And I think that's how I'll get through this - if it's something REALLY SPECIAL that isn't always available, I may have it. Otherwise, it's eating not so much to lose weight (though that's always such a thrill) but to be in a healthier mode.

AVANTI ---------

And a hearty ... well, a double to our newest TWO-WEEK-HALLOWEEN-HIKE (stole that, thanks Anagramatic) challenger, Anagram!!!!! Huzzah!!! Thou be an inspiration, Ms. A ... hike away!!!

AND, congratulations to Anagramatic for the successful carryin' out o' the seven day challenge. You really are doin' well!!! Rock on!!

Arabella, methinks natterin' on be called for right now and I love it when though natters anyhoo ... methinks we need to sound the drum, natter and yell and voice our opposition to the IMPENDING ANNUAL HOLIDAY FITNESS/WEIGHT MANAGEMENT dilemma we be facin' so we'll all arrive (or stay) at our favorite weight and the year 2006 at the same time!!! And, I do think you are right ... take care of the bod's health and the weight will take care o' itself. There are many lovely weights to be at, IMO, the GOLDEN NUMBER, for me, is just somethin' to get me mind around, to give form to the quest. It is about health and feelin' good and we must never lose sight o' that ... and I AM takin' another rest day from exercise so I can feel like doin' the spinnin' tomorrow.

My mini-goal for today in the interest o' the TWO WEEK CHALLENGE is to cycle cals downward so that the WEEKLY AVERAGE (which appears in the calendar as I update Fitday PC during the day) drops to the 1600s. THIS IS DAY 2 of no refined sugar, flour, etc., THE NEW INITIATIVE. It's no prob ... did it for seven months straight and can do it forever if need be.

WooHoo! Great to see so much enthusiasm---we're going to do this thing together, my friends!

I'm not sure that I mentioned this---but it finally happend this past Friday. I had my first sugar in over a year. We were at my favorite restaurant and they brought us a compliementary dessert. They were so kind and earnest that I couldn't refuse it.
It was tiny anyway! It was simply a strong sweetened ginger tea in a saucer with a small quarter-sized piece of silken tofu floating in it and they sprinkled brown sugar on the tofu. And it was served warm so it was like a spicy custard-thing. It was really good and comforting---and it didn't trigger me to crave more sugar at all, so maybe I can lighten up here and there within reason. I'll not be ordering dessert or buying chocolates anytime soon though.

coffee w/ 1/2 and 1/2
1 veg. 'sausage'
apples and sweet potatoes

mini ww bagel w/ lite cream cheese
1 protein 'truffle'

2 whole grain bread w/ cheese, spinach, red peppers, onion
lentil soup
Clif 'nectar' bar

smoothie [oatmilk, choc, whey protein, banana, peanut butter]

calories: 1575
water: 8 glasses

exercise: 20 min. Pilates**15 min. yoga
2 miles treadmill