What is a CSA box please? I'm thinking about joining one of those co-op things where they deliver a box of organic produce to your door once a week. Is it similar to that?

Thaks,
Dagmar

Hi All!

So I'm not doing that well foodwise today, as I'm about 500 calories over for the day...but I guess that's not the end of the world. It just makes today a maintaining day rather than a losing day. Tomorrow will probably be similar as we're going out to celebrate BF's birthday. I'm not too worried though. I'm making better food choices and staying pretty well on track, so I know that I can get right back to it after tomorrow.

Dagmar - I have friends that use a program like that...its really neat! An organic farm that's nearby delivers a box full of produce to their house weekly.

I'm in a bad mood because I got a bad haircut yesterday... went to donate to Pantene Great Lengths (a program that makes wigs for kids with cancer). My hair was WAY more than long enough for the requisite 8 inch donation, and when they first took the donation it was shoulder length, and I was thrilled because I love my long hair. Then the stylist (and this was at a top NYC salon, I should add) just kept cutting and cutting, even though I told her that my biggest criteria were having as much length as possible and being able to pull it into a ponytail. Now, I have this trendy/edgy cut with the front about chin length and the back about shoulder length - it's almost like a mullet. I am SO upset... called the salon today and asked if they could have someone else fix it and even it out to a basic bob (they said maybe, and are going to call me back). I really don't want short hair because I need to be able to pull it back, but it just looks like a mess right now, and I hate having to go into work with it like this, because I feel like people won't take me seriously with a mophead. Can't decide whether I should just grow it out and deal with it for the next month or so that it will be a mess, or if I should cut it down so at least it's presentable in the meantime.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. On a more 3FC related note, I've been trying to channel my anger into exercise. Last night I couldn't get to the gym until 20 minutes before closing, but I did a quick 2 miles on the treadmill, and then this morning actually got myself up early enough to do another mile so that it kind of makes 30 mins for yesterday. Then tonight I swam laps for 30 mins, did a great lift for 20 mins, and also exercised along to the 20 min Tank Top Arms segment of a DVD. So, I guess there's a positive side to all of this.

Dagmar: CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you buy membership shares in a local farm in exchange for a share of the bounty. More from the USDA on it here: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml.

In practice, CSA membership means that you get a weekly box of locally grown produce, usually organic (depends on the farm). Some CSA farms deliver to homes, others to a central pick-up spot, others not at all. Membership often gives you the right to go to the farm itself for u-pick, but that's going to depend on the farm, too.

We're going to split a box with some friends who live nearby at first, and see how it goes.

Kim

You gals have given me a light bulb moment again! What would I do without you It's about having a house full of groceries once a week or once every two weeks. I can pig out on anything ... junk food, good food ... don't matter.
Yes, I do do a bit of stopping in to the grocer to get something nice for tonight. Now, I'm seeing that it is an even better idea than I thought. I used to think it was vaguely decadent.

On the French Women books thing ... Yes, this is about the 4th or 5th book I've read in that sort of line of thinking. There's lots of good ideas and some bad. Like most books, it has a little something you can take away and make your own.
My favourite so far has been Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Ollivier. It was fun.

My problem with tips like the leek soup is that while the author might be well intentioned about using this for a weekend for 3 or 4 pounds ... someone is gonna try it for weeks ... and crash!

Kim, I hope that's not too political. I love finding ways to be more ecologically responsible. I do feel quite blessed to live where I can walk to a grocer and a vegetable stand easily. But we are not affluent folks so proteins on sale go in the freezer! So then I drive so I can get ... some ... too heavy to carry.

Today (my only day off this week) I am driving. About once every month or 6weeks I go to a larger centre about 40 minutes from home. In a bulk food store, I'll find some grains and dried goodies for breakfasts. In a lovely big dollar store I'll find some things I need because I'm the entertainment for a get together at our church this evening. Then I will wander through the mall with an eye out for very chic french things ... and sales racks.
I'd also like to try some soaps that I might find at the bulk food store. It's a nice one, very much health oriented.

Well my goodness I'm chatty today.
That's enough!
Be good everyone!

Hi Everyone. I am glad to see that everyone is keeping to their goals and a few new chicks too. Sorry I haven't been around for awhile...I fell off the wagon (but I'm back on!). I finally decided I can't do this alone, or even with fat chicks...I joined weight watchers. I am only allowed 21 pts (which kind of sucks, my mom joined with me and she is allowed 30). I am back at 147 after only 1 1/2 wks (which is where I was originally when I lost weight and then kept gaining and losing the same few lbs). I was a bit disappointed in the claims of "no food is off limits", but I should have realized that I can eat anything I want and then pay a DEAR penence later by eating just celery, etc. I think WW will help because I am paying more attention to eating healthier and now just low-cal. I am eating a lot more fruit and veggies and drinking more water. Now, I just need to get back on track with my exercise!

Scenestealer...I used to wear my hair long too...about 10 years ago I had it cut to just touching my shoulders and love it at that length. It is quick to dry and easy to style or I can pull it back still. I have had it pretty short since then too and think it is more work than long hair was. I too have been a victim of the mullet cut when I first had it cut off...I kind of had a mullet-like Wynona Judd hairdo...horrible (even my hubby noticed it looked bad!)! It took 1 1/2 years to get it straightened out. She cut the top layer about 2" long....I still harbor a lot of hatred for that stylist You're pic is so cute, I 'm sure it will look great regardless!

Scenestealer~I'm so sorry about your haircut. I can't imagine that they'd call that trendy--right now the trend in short hair is to have it short in back and longer on the sides (think Posh Spice, whatever her name is).

Kim & Susan~there used to be a thread here about "what's in your CSA box this week." I don't think it's political at all. We don't have the program here but it makes a lot of sense.

Gotta run. Have a great day!

Good afternoon from not so sunny Southern California Although it's much sunnier than it has been.

Our pool is a big stinking mess (although I should thank my lucky stars that is all we have wrong). It is filled with dirt, ashes, and tree branches and leaves. The pool guy is out there right now "looking" at it. I think it will have to be drained and acid washed.

I haven't posted in quite a while. I have been doing well with my eating and exercising. Well, I have been doing the same! I just maintain. I guess I should be glad about that though. My original goal was 125 and then I changed it to 130 and I've been maintaining at 133 for at least a year. I suppose I could kick it up a notch but maybe I'm too lazy?!

We have had to work 12 hours a day, no days off since the fires started down here so I've pretty much done nothing but work. The freeways were closed a couple of times up here where I live but they let us go through to get to work (lucky me! haha!). It was kind of nicely surreal driving on a freeway in Southern California with virtually no one else on it.

Anyway, hope everyone is still doing well with exercising and eating. I am trying to read back through the posts to get caught up.

Talk to you later. Jane

Jane~So glad to hear from you!!! I wondered where you had wandered off to!

Sorry to hear about the mess in your area, but be thankful you have a home. We've been experiencing the smoke last night and today and I assume it will last for quite a while. I'm sure it's a heck of a lot worse down there.

Sounds like you're doing okay diet wise. Maintaining is a challenge and it's nothing to shake a stick at. I've maintained for a year now, despite the fact that I want to lose 10 more pounds. Oh well.

Take care!

As long as you're not gaining any significant amount of weight you're suceeding in my book! Staying at the same weight for a year can be tougher than losing weight. I'm not looking forward to doing this for the rest of my life but that's the way it has to be if I want the size 8 jeans.

And I do want them.

Dagmar

I'm finding that clothing is a waaaay more motivating than I thought it would be. I have had a regain of over 20 lbs within the last few years (maybe 2 or 2 1/2 years ago) but I don't know what I'd do if it happened now. I seriously would have nothing to wear!
I'd miss my jeans, my jackets ... it makes me feel a tad shallow. But it's practical too. I can't afford to start buying expandible clothing again.

I am SO excited - I ran in the Poland Springs Marathon Kickoff in NYC this morning, and did really well. Basically, Poland Spring sponsors a 5 mile race the weekend before the NYC marathon, and it's supposed to be kind of a light and fun event for people gearing up for the marathon; however, anyone can run it. I am nowhere near being ready to run a marathon, but I thought this would be a neat chance to run with some talented runners and get a sense of the excitement.

Well, I got a personal record!!! This summer I was running 5-8 miles almost daily, and my pace was completely steady no matter what the distance (2 miles or 10 miles even). Once I moved down to NYC and started work, I didn't have as much time to run, so now I do about 2 miles on the treadmill every 3 days, and other cardio (swimming, elliptical) on the other days. Apparently this is working really well, because I dropped a full 63 seconds off my pace!!! I am really amazed and so happy.

Additionally, weighed in today and I lost about four pounds this week! I'm calling it three on my tracker because last week when I started I weighed in with some water, and now I'm trying to do first thing in the morning right after using the bathroom, so I figured if there was a big discrepancy I would at least split it over two weeks. But WOW I am so excited. Apparently all I needed to start losing was really being diligent about my diet and my gym time! However, this is a low I've reached before in my yo-yo of 6 pounds or so without trying too hard, so we'll see if I can keep it up for the next week... also, my mother was in town this weekend, and we went out to a delicious but not too healthy celebratory brunch after the race, so I'm expecting a bit of a setback.

Hope everyone else's weekends are going spectacularly well

Hey everyone.
Hope your weekends were successful.

I lost 0.6 pounds this week. What a shock, since I lived off of junk food. Still I'll take it.

That brings my total loss for october (since september) to 3.4 lbs and 1.75 inches. How did everyone else fair this month?

Nice job on the run Scenestealer! And on the loss. Nice.

That CSA sounds really interesting. In my hometown over the summer I'm always going to the farmer's market, or trying to buy local. Even in the regular grocery store I try for local produce.

Susan - clothing is such a motivator for me. I love that my jeans are getting looser. At the same time I can't afford to go out and get myself several new pairs of jeans... Anyone tried tailoring jeans? Is it expensive?

Cats tongue, I don't know details about price, but I know that a lot will depend on what part is big (waist, butt, legs, etc). Some alterations are easier than others.

Cats--I had a pair of dress pants taken in and it cost less than $15. It was definitely cheaper than buying a new pair (plus I had the thrill of the tailor exclaiming over how much weight I had lost ). Jeans might be harder to take in, so they might be more a little more expensive, but probably not significantly more expensive.

Scenestealer--Swimming does really make a difference in your cardio endurance because you are forced to regulate your breathing while you do it. I try to swim once a week and often times, when I do, I see a noticeable improvement the next time I run on the treadmill. I'll actually be able to set the treadmill speed a little faster.