Hi, I'm back! It's been a couple of months - I didn't realize I was going to have such a tough time staying on track during the summer. I've been up and down a bit (mostly up) in the weight department, and my eating and exercising has been consistently inconsistent.

I just realized, though, that I only have 4 months left to make it to goal if I want to keep my New Year's resolution. It's still doable, but it would have been easier if I hadn't wasted several months.

Well, now I have to go catch up on my reading.

Hey there 2SW That goal is VERY doable by the end of the year. I lost more than twice that in 4 months, so just get focussed an hop on back in the wagon. Nice to see you back again

Cindy- sorry to hear about bf, but I'm sure it'll improve the BF. Hope things are OK with you :

I'm headed back to the gym for 2 evening clients. I did a long cross-trainer session this morning because I wanted to hear more of The DaVinci Code. This could be a good way to peel off a few more pounds

Mel

Hello everyone!!! LTNS!!

Well, the last few months have been busy!! We moved locally into a larger house, and I am no longer working. I have been working to obtain my real estate license....more flexible hours This has given me the opportunity to cook at home more, which is great, and I am sure it is healthier too.

I was doing a low carb diet for 8 months. I stalled out in April, and have not lost an ounce since. I did everything other low carbers suggested on other boards, but nothing worked. I realized that the only way I was going to lose again would be to cut back my carbs to about 20-25 a day. I was consuming about 40. So few carbs would mean more or less a meat and cheese diet, with a few veggies thrown in. UGH! It also was giving me no energy at the gym. Plus, I kept thinking to myself, how on earth am I going to lose weight on 2500 calories a day that is 70 percent fat?

After some searching, I came upon a cookbook I had from a show on Food Network called Cooking Thin. She advocates a more traditional diet of portion/calorie/fat control. Yet, her approach is to take "baby" steps towards better behavior. It is also very informal. I was very worried I would balloon upon re-introduction of carbs, but that has not happened. I am really enjoying being able to eat carb again...I had not realzed how much I missed them!

I am also back in the gym, doing weights, and I will be adding cardio and pilates to my routine. Hopefully I will be around more

Robin

Just lost my post, not sure what I did, but I won't do it again.

Got up this morning, not feeling great, but decided to decorate house for the BD girl, frosted the cake to look like a unicorn and got to measure her on the door. She has grown 3 inches in one year. Wow.

I guess I have either allergies, getting them later in life is good in that I spent a long time without them, or I have some nasty summer cold, because my stomach is upset. Not sure but I am going on vacation as of noon today.

CINDY - Thanks for the Tami Hoag recommendation, this place is way better than Oprah. Take a lot of time for yourself now, take it easy.

ROBIN - I have also stalled on the lowcarb, I don't think I can go above 35 a day. I had added in some cottage cheese, or at least was learning to, as well as a half cup of brown rice or WW pasta. I don't really miss them, but was looking for some more balance. I have heard good things about Cooking Thin, really seems another way to say moderation. I have to keep up on the study. I am heading to Nova Scotia tomorrow, and am definately going to stay on track, we are camping and I am the head chef, so I am planning lots of seafood, and no ice cream.

JACK - You would be proud of me, I shifted the three boxes of submittals this morning, they got delivered to the front desk and the person who brought them off of the elevator looked like ****. I told him I would get it taken care of, I was hoping he didn't collapse at the front desk. Well, with my new upper body and lower strength, I was able to shift the boxes, each with 8-10 reams of paper, to my office. No backache, and not even a sweat. Amazing what one month of working out can do for a person.

Have a great week everyone and a safe labor day, and for all the students, may this be the year of the straight A's.

Liza

I had one of those incredibly horrifying days at work today. Had to take a spare break to go and cry for a bit. Got home still shaken and got into the Coors Lite. Of course now I feel like a slug and haven't done one stitch of exercise.
Probably if I plugged the BeeGees in my ears and went walking, I'd be glad I did.
Man, I'm glad each morning is the start of a new day!

Hey y’all — just poking my head in real fast to say that I’m back from Orlando and missed everyone! It was a whirlwind trip to get DS settled in college, but we managed to get his new apartment completely set up and furnished before I left. We got some awesome bargains on a mattress set and some used furniture, bought out Target, completely equipped his kitchen and bathroom, and laid in at least three months of groceries — all in three days. Add in two days of driving down to FL and two days driving home and that was my week. Unfortunately, it didn’t include gym time and eating clean was tough, so …. tomorrow is back to basics here.

Orlando was hit hard by Hurricane Charlie two weeks ago and the damage was still quite evident everywhere that we went. I’m going to attach a photo that I took in DS’s apartment parking lot — note that the wind was powerful enough to pull the curb right out of the asphalt along with the tree!

I’ll try to catch up on my reading tomorrow, but need to catch up on my sleep tonight, so please forgive me missing out on what’s been going on this week.

Glad you are back safe and sound and let's hope for no more hurricanes in Orlando!

missed ya!

Mel

nelie - love your new picture in your avatar! You look really beautiful! Also congratulations on lost pounds! What school are you going back to? I’m a student too – I’m in grad school doing psychology and my semester started last week. It’s sort of good to get started again.

Mel – I tried your lunges with the medicine ball and rotation yesterday – I didn’t manage very many and I really feel it in my legs today! Excellent!

BfL_Cat – sorry about your breakup, hope you’re doing OK. And SusanB too: sorry you had such a lousy day at work, hope it got better.

I’m looking for ideas for easy-made protein snacks (no meat).
I do the cottage cheese + salsa dip (yummy!) for vegetables. I do smoothies with plain yogurt, fruit and protein powder. But I’m looking for more ideas – what do you guys eat for snacks?

I did my last introductory week at the gym this week (had 4 weeks introduction when I started lifting weights). Next week I’ll start adding weight and lifting to failure, starting on Monday with lower body.

A quick note to say that I’m back from travelling. It’s good to be back and I’ve missed you all. A few random thoughts follow.

1. Some trips are just difficult. Face facts. Allow decompression time after them. A day or two and then I’ll feel better and more like myself. Chocolate may be involved. That’s for the serotonin, you know.

2. A posture tip. Buy a t-shirt for a friend, relative or pet with whom you spend time regularly and are not competitive. I recommend a t-shirt which advertises a ballet company. You look at the t-shirt, you think your friend must be in the ballet company and, by association, so are you! You hold yourself better immediately. (The Boy has just been given a Royal Ballet hand-me-down. He loves it and the effect on me is magical.) I think it works because it’s a bit unusual. Sports kit stuff is a bit debased. It doesn’t work when everyone is wearing football strip. Obviously they can’t all be in the national or local team. Clearly my four-year-old is in the Royal Ballet.

3. An idea brought to you by sleep deprivation. I can’t believe how this training idea passed me by. When L2L said she might compete in October, I should have immediately offered to be her virtual body double and got into training with her. In case she had a cold or something. So my hair is fair? So I live on the other side of the Atlantic? OK, another time, maybe. No hard feelings.

4. Stress and toxins. They are dangerous things. They have to be minimised. They can mess things up.

Ilene – a fortnight is two weeks - short for fourteen nights, I suppose. Shakespeare talks about a se’enight for a week (ago) but that seems to have got lost in the ebb and flow of language. You win some, you lose some.

Cindy – if you made it, it’s the right decision. Good luck with the den. Every woman should have one.

Susan – bad days at work. Grim. Onward and upward.

Off home now. It’s my birthday tomorrow. 49 doesn’t seem how I feel, at all. How have I got here?

Thank you mette

I'm starting school in a couple weeks at the University of Denver in a CIS masters program. I am actually pretty excited but ever since I decided to go back to school, I decided to concetrate on my exercise and diet so that I'd have that straight before the stresses of school started.

Mette -- I used to do this recipe with CC :

boil 1/2c water add packet of sf Jell-o, disolve jello... add 1c frozen strawberries... add 2c cottage cheese... whir it all in a blender or hand held mixer... refrigerate... this made 2 or 4 servings... depending what you wanted...

Gotta go to the gym....I haven't gone in 3 DAYS!! I can feel it... and I haven't eaten very well in 3 DAYS...

TTFN....

I did go for a walk after all last night. Headed out the sideroad and came back cross the fields. It was great and I felt sooo much better. I should never underestimate the holistic healing value of exercise.
We moved the princess back to school today so I've got some 'lifting' in. I'm gonna do some upper body and abs then we're off to a party!

I have given myself my birthday present which was to go to the gymn. (That’s the kind of present you’d give yourself, isn’t it?) First time in three weeks. It was very, very good. No wonder I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts. Can you detect the endorphins?

And now a further positive report from Planet Parent.

1. I did not put on any weight or detectable inches whilst away. So hip!

2. I had my six-monthly look at my starkers (trsl: completely and utterly naked; nude) body in their bathroom mirror. Yes, there has been some improvement. Particularly in the tummy department (smaller) and in the arms (there’s definition going on, definitely). So hip, hip!!

3. One night we went to the nearest bridge to see a steam train go through. My dad, my uncle (who was a fireman on steam engines, shovelling the coal, and who knows a thing or two about strength, fitness and wet weather), the Man, the Boy and me. And about fifty other people. Great excitement. Loads of steam, smoke and whistles. The Man was holding the Boy. The woman next to me had two children so I offered to lift one of them so he could see. He was a six-year-old whopper, a wriggler and a shouter – of course, it was thrilling – but I was more than a match for him. So that’s hip, hip, hooray!!!

There’ve been some nice posts about LWL anniversaries. Ladies and gents: we are influential. I think my first anniversary is coming up too. I’ll be mulling it over. You really are the nicest group of friends to have around.

Love, Silverbirch.

Well, with a joining date in April 2004, my first anniversary isn't coming up yet! I suppose it just feels as though you've always been around.

More work on brain cells needed.

Happy Birthday Silverbirch!