My day has been great so far! Blue skies today...again! Not as warm as yesterday, but 70 in March in Michigan is hard to beat!

Got my workout in this morning between 10-11 while watching Starting Over. I like that show and it inspires me sometimes. I think they do a great job of "teaching" the audience as well as the people in the house. I'm a sucker for Reality Shows, so...anyway! Did 32 minutes and 10 miles (yes!) on the bike! Did my weights and toning exercises. I have noticed that the main area I have been losing is my legs (upper). I will see when I measure on Weds if that is really the case, but sure seems like the saddle bags are getting smaller and the pants are looser in that area when I sit down! Hmmm! I have also noticed that my triceps are really toning! Yea! I don't like my arms much. I have what my Dr. calls a "fat pad" just below the deltoid on my left arm and it's always red and really ugly. I am hoping this will disappear soon, just like it appeared! Gonna keep doing the exercises and hope for the best!

Got all my little breakfasts (scrambled egg with a touch of cheese, for my tortilla wraps in the am) and lunches ("Jennifer Special"--chili & rice) in the freezer for the week. I also sliced up some chunk cheese into one oz. snack baggies and put some in the fridge and some in the freezer. Have plenty of deli meat (Hillshire Farms deli cuts were on sale at the grocery this week for $.99/6 oz. packages) and snack stuff too! Made up little snack bags of carrots and celery as well! So I have NO excuses this week to veer off course! I am also hoping for a loss on the scale on Weds, but if not, it's my own fault!

Food for today so far:
B-fast 2 eggs scrambled, 2T salsa, 1 T lowfat sourcream, 2 T shredded cheese, l slice ww toast w/ 2 tsp. all fruit, coffee & creamer (2 cups)
Snack:1 oz. deli ham, cr. cheese spread on it, pickle (all rolled up) YUM!
Lunch: Small bowl of chicken veggie soup (had to taste it), deli turkey & cheese sandwich w/ lettuce.

Water: 32 oz. so far!

I see that I need to get in more whole fruit & veggies so for supper will have a salad, some kind of fruit and some sort of meat (maybe I'll make up some taco meat and do it into a salad!)

Well, DD is attempting to cry herself to sleep! She got up waaaay too early today and has been a bit on the crabby side this afternoon! Cry, cry, cry! Sometimes I wish I could just cry like that until I have no more tears left! Poor baby!

Catch you all later! Hope you are having a good Monday...and Jennifer...did you get to come home early??

OMG, tonight I finally saw the boob girl you are all laughing about on the eDiets ad! Jeez- usually I have my browser window set smaller, and I miss all the ads on the right!

Didn't get home early, but thankfully the bane of my existance left around 3pm, so 2 hours without her was like heaven! Ahhh...bliss! I tried to read through my lesson at lunch, and then again this afternoon, but Cindy is just being unreasonable! Next week we have a luncheon at our Lake Worth office, which is a good hour away from ours, and would mean traveling during morning rush hour...she immediately volunteers that we can ride up together, then spend the day working in that office to get things done...which I don't want to do in any way, shape, or form.

I got an email newsletter tonight, and something really stood out. Here's an excerpt:

As I was writing that article about Personal Trainers, it occurred to me that a total fitness plan also demands other kinds of change as well. For example, one of the most damaging assaults on your desire to create healthy change in your life, is non-support from those around you. And worse than non-support is outright sabotage. If you are serious about change and ready to embrace a healthier lifestyle, sometimes you have to be mindful about those people you keep company with and allow into your new life. Simply put, if you spend most of your time with people who don’t care about the shape of their bodies and the state of their health, you put yourself in a very tenuous position. As that old saying so aptly states, “Birds of a feather flock together”!

People who don’t support your desire to get fit and healthy, typically become the weak link in your new lifestyle chain. If you really want to create the healthy life you dream about, surround yourself with other like-minded people. Those that interfere or outright sabotage your efforts for healthy change can deplete your emotional batteries, seduce you back into old unhealthy habits and steer you away from the road less traveled. In the spirit of Personal Trainers, I call these people Personal Drainers!

If you are really serious about creating healthy change, I suggest you do a little inventory regarding those people you keep around you. Create a list of all those people who you interact with regularly and then put a notation next to each regarding whether they help or hinder your efforts. I then suggest that you approach each of those who are helpful and personally thank them for their support.

Regarding those Personal Drainers in your life, depending on your relationship with them, I would further suggest you minimize or eliminate your exposure to these people. Psychology teaches us to reinforce behaviors we want repeated and ignore behaviors we want eliminated. The fewer Personal Drainers you have in your world, the more likely you are to get fit and healthy and reach your goal.

Those people that you keep around you and interact with on a regular basis are key characters in your life and play significant roles in your wellness journey. Choose your friends wisely and beware of Personal Drainers!

Cindy is a drainer...so is Monica, but I can't avoid them in the workplace- I can, however, continue to do what I am doing, and when push comes to shove, I can tell her that this isn't a "diet" as she has it pegged, this is now the way I eat, and the way I take care of myself. If she starts in, I'll play her own game against her. "Cindy, I see how you're struggling to come to work every day with your shoulder & back pain, and how you complain about early signs of arthritis, and blood pressure, etc, and I just want to do everything possible to prevent this from happening to me."

And, chickies, I want to personally thank each and every one of you- for being my motivators, my friends, my support...you are all wonderful women, and I'm so glad we found each other here. I'm looking forward to our next challenge together, and strengthening the friendships that have begun here.

((( )))

Hi chickies!! This is just a quick check-in. I am on overload today. I have done yard work until I am shaking I am so tired, and I shuttled 3 wild boys to baseball practice(I had no sitter for my younger two), and then I rushed home to throw them some supper together, and now I have over 100 Easter Eggs to stuff for various hunts. This all occured after I taught Kindergarten 1/2 the day (which was an adventure). Oh - I also went to the grocery store with all 3 boys. I am in tears I am so ready to sleep!!!!!

I did great with food today - right on points. I exercised this a.m., and also with the yard work. But, I drank NO water! It didn't even occur to me to drink any!!

Julie - great on the exercise girl!! All that screwing yesterday didn't even slow you down!!! LOL!!!!!!!!

Jennifer - Glad you had at least a couple of hours of peace at work! Yea!!!

Lucy - I'm glad the concert was good!! I know you were looking forward to it. Your road trip sounds like so much fun!

Well guys, theres a lot more I want to tell you, but I need to run.
You are awesome chickies, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart!
(((hugs)))
Lisa

Jennifer, thanks for that article...great info and you all are the best and my true motivators. I think some times I have an addiction to this website! LOL!

Lisa...hope you got some much needed (and deserved) rest last night! DRINK YOUR WATER TODAY!!!!!!!!!

Lucy...you just keep plugging away and soon, you will be in that size 8 you so desire! Glad you had fun at the concert!

Well this morning, I hopped on the bike and before I started I checked my heartrate. I don't usually think to do this until after Ihave started to pedal for a few seconds. Well, at resting, it was 65!!! And it kept going down. Who knows what it would have been if I had waited for it to stop. It was scaring me! LOL! So I started pedalling and I couldn't get my heart rate up past 137 this morning and that was after 20 minutes with several minutes of hard exertion! I don't know what this means or if it's good or bad, but there it is!

Did the dishes, ate my breakfast (scrambled eggs w/ cheese & sausage w/ salsa & sour cream which I froze and nuked this morning...not the greatest, but filling), have downed almost 32 oz. water and I need to go get in the shower! Last night I had a bad headache so went to bed at 9! Food went well last night! No binging on stuff! Yea!

Will check in after work today sometime...probalby later tonight! Have a great day and thanks for being here for me!

Well, chickies, I did not exercise this morning. Remember how tired I told you I was?? Well, I was heading for bed, and realized my 4 year old was sick- coughing until throwing up! I stayed up until 1a.m. with him. He dozed fitfully until 4a.m. and woke up doing the same thing again. I ended up with about 3 hours of sleep on top of already being exhausted. My plan is to take a nap when the baby goes down at 1:00, and then do my bike late afternoon.

Promise to the chickies - I will drink my water today (Julie, I promise!)
I will exercise on the bike.
I will eat sensibly.

Could I do this without you guys?? I don't think I could. Thank you all for being totally awesome. Jennifer - thanks for the article! How's the cardio going today??

Lucy - Hope you are feeling super today!

I'll check in later! The walking zombie must go teach kindergarten now. (Say a prayer for me please)

(((((millions of hugs))))))
Lisa

All rightie! Having a really good day- I got to sneak out at lunch & see hubby, which is always nice. It's like playing hooky when I get to steal a few extra minutes with him.

I need to get my patootie moving, for sure. Tonight when I get home, I have to do the processing of the chili- hubby's going to make more taco meat, and then I'll have to package that up. I'm down to the last tortilla in the 10pack, so time to get more later this week when we shop.

Lucy- glad you had such a great time at the concert. I saw Godsmack here about a year and a half ago in a big outdoor event. And I have "Voodoo" on my MP3 Player to bike to So, what's the "close to natural" color & when do we get to see a new pic? Hmmm? I gotta say, the changes in the body- aren't they amazing? You're kicking butt, girl. I love the search for bigfoot idea- that's hysterical...ahhh, to be young again... Now, as far as upping that cardio, I wonder if hubby's heart could take it...lolol After 9 years together, I'd say we haven't settled into old-fogeydom.

Lisa- the poor little guy! I'm sorry you didn't get more rest- it's going to be a long day for you. Wishing for a quiet day for you, and a few extra hours of sleep. (((Lisa))) And LOLOL at the cardio- maybe I can fanagle my way into another "workout" this week. Crap, if it's a quickie & under 20 minutes, can I count it as a workout????

Julie- I know for sure that I'm addicted to this site, and to my chickies. I must peek in here half a dozen times on a slow day. I didn't get out early yesterday, but I am leaving here at 4pm today, come heck or high water. And so help me if someone gets in my way...lol- I'd have to beat them senseless Now, about that heart rate...that's a great indication that you are becoming more fit. Your body doesn't have to work as hard as it used to. Your heart is better conditioned now. Awesome, girl! Excellent!

All right...I've got a half hour to kill...gotta go check out the journals, and then start cleaning things up here. Catch you all later on!

to check in with you all!

My day went pretty good. It was busy, so that helped! Lunch was on target...water, great! I have at least 50 oz in already plus a 20 oz. Diet Coke...does that count??? LOL!

Now, about cashews, Miss Jennifer...where do I count them? I ate waaaaaay too many of them today. If it's like pecans or mac. nuts, I probably have my fat intake for the week...or maybe even a couple weeks in today alone! Oh well! I think I ate about 2 oz. of them! Yummy! And also, somewhere I read something about combining foods. Like cheese, for instance...if it's regular cheese, do I count that as one protein & one fat (assuming it's one ounce!)? I just don't know and can't find the answer anywhere on the Zone website! Please help me here!

The bad news today is that I am up 2 lbs. from last week's weigh in! I should have figured...and really didn't want to weigh today, but did anyway! UGH! So now, instead of the scale being BACK at 174, it was at 175! I can't win! I wish it would just melt off...and maybe it is, but the scale is NOT showing it at all! I know I had a few bad days last week, but I can't imagine that I ate 7000 more calories than I burned up!! Gads-Zooks!

Well, chickies...I left work early so I could come home and get some work done on the computer...not play! So, I guess I better get going so I won't be up til midnight doing all of it!! I'll be checking back in and if anyone wants to send me a PM, I'll be on line!

Hugs!
Julie

Julie, don't obsess. I'm up .8 pounds from yesterday, after a nice drop. What the heck was up with that??? But then again, not sticking to the exercise, so I gotta rev that up come 4/1

Hello everybody! I made it through the day - yahoo!! I took a long nap this afternoon. I am still tired, but I made it better today than I thought.

Food - was right on points! Now, I did sneak in some hash browns, and 1/2 of a Snickers egg, but it didn't knock the points, as I ate veggies at lunch, and I still have about 5 points for supper - so, I will be o.k. But, nutritionally wise, I didn't do that fabulous today. Water - I'm at about 30 oz. I am not wanting to drink it - I am being a spoiled brat - somebody tazer me immediately!!

Well, I have not been on the bike yet. I will!! I know the challenge hasn't officially started, but I am ready to make that change.

Julie - You CAN count up to 8 oz of the diet Coke if it is caffeine free ( well WW lets you anyway) I hope you got lots of work done on the computer. And, step away from the cashews immediately ! Just teasing.

Jennifer - Maam, you must have at least 20 minutes of "alternative cardio" for it to count LOL!!!!! Hope you had a great day, by the way!!!!

Lucy - Where are you today girl????? I hope you are still full of energy!!!

Chickies, I am in the mood to just write and write.....but I have supper to cook, kids to bathe, homework to help with, laundry to do (OMG - somebody come help me!)

I'll come back after my wild crew is asleep.

Jennifer -- wow!! You like Godsmack?! Not a lot of folks around here do... a big church-area, I guess, and they aren't exactly peaches n cream. *G* But, I love them. I touched the lead singer once. Woo!! New pix should be available sometime late today, if I can get my crappy webcam to work at all with color, which it sucks at doing. *G* I'll do it as soon as I can, tho. I am definitely happy in the body changes, which are pronounced! SCORE!! *g* I figure that I'm only young once, so I'd better get all of my goofiness and odd ideas out of my system before we have kids in a few years. No need to subject my children to my craziness.

Julie - Speaking of cashews.... I have a can of them right here! I absolutely disagree with the nutritional facts on the can, however. There is no way a 9.25 oz can could hold 9 servings. MAYBE 5, but that's pushing it. 16 cashews are not a serving. I refuse to agree. I just can't take the fact that my favorite nuts *drool* have so few to a serving.

Lisa - I'm around!! I had a chiro appt. this morning and I've been a busy chickie. *G*

So, yesterday I didn't climb my butt on the bike, but I was like a madwoman all day cleaning and fixing stuff around the house and cleaning more, etc. So technically no workout, but I did a way more intense cleaning than normal, so I have considered it myworkout. Then, we went on a nice 1-mile walk in the 75-degree evening, and watched tv for a bit.

Today, no -actual- workout, but that's okay. I've decided to ONLY work out on Monday, Weds. & Friday. I've found that if I'm doing this and taking off days, my body seems to kick into shape a lot faster. Weird, but it works.

Food today is good. WAY under calories... but that's okay. I didn't work out today, and it's pouring and cold now, so no walk tonight, etiher. I figure that the days I workj out, I can have a higher cal-intake than the days I'm sittin around w/o a workout.

Food today:
B - granola w/ milk, apple & 1 avocado (the apple didn't sit well and I had 2 slices...)
L - 1 bagel w/ cream cheese, a can of tuna, and 1 string cheese. And a handful of cashews...
D - Club salad w/ salsa for dressing.
After dinner - POPCORN!! YES! I've been dying the last few days w/o it! What've I done to myself?!
*G*

Umm, other than that... I'm buried to my neck in laundry (lisa, I feel your pain...), covered in dirty dishes and SOOO tired. I want to go take a nap right now, but I know I need to do my tapes for the day. Blech!

Talked to the hubby about doing a daily run around the block, and he's not sure. I totally want to, but I don't want to do it alone. *G* I am way too self conscious, still. Oh, well. No biggie for me.

By this July, I'll be back to wearing my shorts & tights under 'em. (I like being pale, plus I have really ugly huge veins along the backs of my legs, so I don't do plain-skin very often, and I -never- wear shorts in public w/o long johns or tights. I'm weird.)

Anyway, off to work... ugh! Have a great day you guys!!

Yesterday went well until I got home from work! It was a busy day at work but I left a little early to get some work done which I brought home!

Here are the lessons I re-learned from yesterday!

Lesson#1. Do not wait until the night before to get done what I could have gotten done a few days earlier. (Isn't procrastination my middle name, though?) I gave DH (in the middle of an arguement) a bunch of lame excuses as to why I waited...never good!

Lesson #2. The computer will fail you every time if you wait til the last minute to depend on it!!!

Lesson #3. Procrastination brings on stress.

Lesson #4. Stress brings on waaay to many bad behaviors (fighting with hubbby, over indulging in "bad" foods, fatigue, *****iness...)

Lesson#5. Overindulging in chocolate late at night just because it's there does not make one feel very well in the morning! (Oooooh does my stomach hurt!)

Lesson#6. Never tell your friends you are going to do something (like exercise first thing in the morning) unless you don't plan to eat chocolate the night before!

Sorry guys...I just can't! Even DD was asking me if I was going to ride the bike. When I told her no she asked if I was going to do my video...even she is being supportive! I don't think she really knows that she is, but she knows I like to workout in the mornings and it throws her off if I don't!

Well, without going into long sordid details, that was the jist of my day. It all turned out ok and now my computer (and internet) is back running fine after a good (I use that term loosely) night's sleep! LOL!

Today I have to go to work and this afternoon to a funeral of my former boss. We have been friends for several years, so she is more than just a former boss. I really hate funerals! But I will go as a caring friend. She would do the same for me!

Lucy, can't wait to see the new doo! And about those cashews! Can't get enough of them!!! OK, missy...it's back to the workout today for you! Hope your house is spotless!! Now go enjoy that popcorn! LOL!

Lisa, I feel for ya! I hope the kiddos are all feeling ok today! Having ONE child is enough to worry about with all the illnesses and such, but having three has got to be such a job! And working on top of it! How do you do it? Now go drink that water, girl!!!!

Jennifer, how was the exercise today? Maybe you could do a bit for me? LOL Too bad it doesn't work that way, eh? We'd all be exercising for each other on a regular basis!! Hope you were able to get all that chili and taco meat processed!! I had taco salad last night for supper, BTW. DH always takes the left overs, so I hid it in the fridge last night...wonder if he found it to take to work with him!? If not, I'm having taco salad for lunch today!

So today starts our new challenge, eh? I can do a workout tonight, for sure...when I get home. I won't be so stressed tonight and DH will be gone for the evening, so no fighting with him! I don't feel so good right now, but I feel motivated to start fresh! Can't wait to check out the new challenge board!

Happy day all!

Quickie post this morning- we have a big meeting from 9:30 to noon, so I will be missing in action, and having quite the day.

2 issues...

Issue 1: after several days of nice drops, yesterday I was up .8, and today I am up another 1.4....what the heck is with that??? Shoot, it's not like I went out & ate a bucket of fries, and a greasy double cheeseburger...I have been right on target with food & water.

Issue 2: Apparently you can have your food and water in, on target, but if you sit your lazy butt still for 7 days, this is what happens. My very scientific reserach (pure anal retentiveness & sometimes obsession) proves that we all need to get our buns in gear, and keep them moving. Could be just a blip from water, or anything, but I don't like it. In my head, I know it's swelling fat that should be melting off instead. My fat is now retaining water. Grr.

Tomorrow is the big day- I'll unroll the new challenge thread in the morning. Tell me what you think about posting a link to it in the "buddy up" section, and posting a link in the journals, inviting people to join. It seems that there's been a flurry of new people on the journal side, and maybe some would be interested. Let me know...

Ok- the incredible news....I'm down 18.4 pounds. Would have been 20, if not for being a lump & sitting around more often than exercising & having those 2 blips up back to back. Still, I think that's an amazing result. I'm proud of that accomplishment, and I'm pushing on to the next level, starting tomorrow, with the new challenge. Tonight, I'm going to get a schedule worked up for the basics, like the WATP tapes, and bike, and then schedule in the Upper Body and Lower Body workouts. I need to preview the FIRM standing legs tape to see if that's one that I can do now, or if it's still too advanced for me. And I think I want to try the TaeBo instructional to see how much that kills me.

I'll peek back in this afternoon....as soon as we break

((( chickies! )))

I typed up 2 posts, and each got somehow deleted. And I typed a 3rd post, and when I hit "post quick reply", I got a message on my screen that said - You do not have access to this page.

I can not type that long post again!!!!!!!! Hope you all are well. I'll come back later and try my luck.

Well... woooie!! My sun is all gone. But I guess it's coming back this weekend, so I'll deal with it. *G* I totally can't believe it's Wednesday already!!!!!

My total losses:
Pounds: just over 6 (I have a cheap crappy scale, so let's call it 6.5)
Inches: 4 from each arm, 3 from each thigh, 1 from each calf, and 4 from waist. That adds up to a total of 20 inches lost. WOW!!!

I may not have reached my goal of a size 12 on time, but it's close enough. Sheesh. I've changed my body's shape overall, and that's a big thing, even if I DIDN'T drop a size yet. If I can drop 2 sizes in 3 months, I'll be fine. *G* Sounds totally doable to me!!

Today's food kinda sucked, but I totally don't care. I am still under my calories, I'm still working out, I'm still totally healthy, and I think I am therefore allowed. I shouldn't have done it for BREAKFST, tho. Darnit!!

Food today:
B - 2 1/2 cookies, popcorn. (Let's not go there, okay? I felt icky so I had some popcorn, then I just grabbed a cookie and it all went down from there...)
L - Tuna Fish (plain from a can!) and asst. veggies w/ ranch for dipping.
D - Stir Fry Veggies w/ Rice.

Total cals for today: EASILY under 1300 on this plan!! So, I am totally allowed to have chips & salsa late tonight if I want it. *G* Score!

Workout for today:
Balance Ball tape (all except the upper arms, because my right shoulder got sore, so I had to quit).
10 min on stepper (no ankle weights), with free weights
25 minutes of situps while I watch tv this afternoon. (So definitely over 500, but I decided I'll just do 25 min a day, and not count 'em).
20 min bike while reading.
Also, a walk tonight, if possible. The rain is supposed to stop sometime this afternoon, and I want to go outside and play!! agh!!
I did get in about 1 hr of cardio over the past couple of days, so that counts as major calorie burning, right?

Other than that, I plan on getting in a good hour or so of foosball tonight w/ the hubby. I love that game. *G*

I am happy, in general. I've overcome some serious issues, such as letting people take advantage of me and walk all over me. I no longer have crazy mood swings, which is always appreciated.

I think, randomly, in addition to my normal workout today, I may dance around with the blinds closed for a half hour or so. I feel like dancing. I, however, have NO rythym, and I don't want anyone to call 911 because they see a pale chick having a seizure. (Yeah, it's that bad... and my friends wonder why I won't go out to a club with them?! HAH!)

Anyway, I'm listneing to Prodigy today (fast techno) and cleaning and whatnot. Woot!!

Julie - get your butt into gear, my dear. And what a sweetie your DD is!!

Jennifer - You gained the 1.4 lbs out of jealousy because I got to touch the hotness and you didn't. *G* :P

Lisa - Sometimes, computers like to believe they're smarter than us. Don't be fooled. They may ACT like they're smarter, but without that cord plugged in... they can't outsmart us!! *G* Teach that server who's boss!

I'll give the good news first because that way if you don't read any further, you will think I am doing so wonderful! Yea, right...who am I trying to fool??

So, I decided to try my luck again today on the scale...just for grins...and lo and behold...I am down 3 lbs from yesterday...to 172~~! Great Big Happy Dance here!!! All I can say, is it's about dang time!!!!!!!!!!
I was jumping around and hugging everyone! I'm only .5 lb away from actually losing 10 lbs since January...


which doesn't sound like much, but has been awful hard for me to get to! And this next bit might explain some things...

We had a birthday party at work today (I'm an Activity Director in a Nursing Home...) with the usual cake (which I normally don't have too much of a problem with) and ice cream (a bit harder, but usually just a small serving will do).....NOT TODAY...Nooooooo....what ever overcame me did with a mighty roar and I had three bowls (yes 3) of icecream...good portions...and two pieces (yes, they were kind of small, but two anyway) of cake! I had fried chicken breasts for lunch with coleslaw (skipped the biscuit and taters) which wasn't too awfully bad, but not the best lunch ever. Had to go to a funeral after lunch and then back to work. Maybe it was the awful stomach ache I had in the morning, but geesh...even I would consider that to be a bit on the piggish/binge side!!

So I came home, worked out for 30 minutes on the bike, did my weights and am having a healthy serving of steamed veggies with a small serving of chili & cottage cheese! Am drinking my water and hope that tomorrow I can do a sort of "flush" of the system and rid myself of all that sugar!!! eeeeeuuwwww! I am going to try to double my water tomorrow and go for 120 oz. (slosh, slosh)...maybe add some lemon. Easy on the protein and heavy on the fruits and veggies. Anyone else got any suggestions! It's a new month and I need to feel "fresh" again!

I promised DD I would only be 15 minutes and she is watching Shrek without me! So gotta run!