Marbear, don't let the scale mess with your mind! Unless you were in the hotdog-eating contest at Coney Island this weekend, there's no way that you could've "gained" 4 lbs in a day. I'll bet you anything that it's a combination of fluctuating hormones and added muscle. think of how much you enjoyed your walk. Keep it up!

Mystical, I expect to see a lot of smilies in your next post . Hope you burned off a few extra calories trying to figure it out.

Penny, congrats on another 2lbs gone! I love sushi, but that's not a very patriotic way to celebrate the Fourth, you Brit!

I'm feeling relatively relaxed, for a Monday. I did nothing connected to my job for three whole days, beyond thinking about things from time to time. Yesterday I did 65 minutes of cardio at the gym, and bought a few odds and ends at the mall. I've been trying to get a little extra walking into the course of a workday. It gets hot and muggy in DC, so morning's the best time to do it (especially if I'm in my work clothes). So a few mornings, I ride a bus and get off a little distance away from my usual Metro stop, which give me an extra 20 minutes of brisk walking. I walk past buildings like the Holocaust Museum and the Depts of Agriculture, Treasury, the Washington Monument, and lots of tourists! I call it my morning constitutional, get it?

judy

Yeah I finally figured it out LOL

Good morning ladies. I had a dream about cajun trail mix last night, which is super good and super not on my diet. *Sigh* No cajun trail mix for me!

Hope everyone has a great day!

marbear24 Trail mix what a wild dream Hope you are doing well today. How's the exercise going? I have been hit and miss with that this last week but at least I am getting my eating on plan finally. Have a great day and I'll check back with you soon

Marbear - Like Judy said, there's no way you could have gained 4 lbs. so quickly - it must be water weight. Good for you keeping away from the Cajun trailmix . That stuff is just too more-ish! Luckily dreams don't have calories .

Mystical - Glad you got the hang of the smilies - they are fun to use .

Judy - Maybe I can start a new trend in Independence Day foods! After all sushi has red tuna, white rice and bluefin! It sounds like you're getting in lots of exercise. What a good idea to get off the bus early. You certainly have an interesting route to work!

I hope everyone else is having a good day.

I had a good workout at my yoga class yesterday. The hour and fifteen minutes goes by very quickly. I'm still on track and I feel much more in control of my food lately. I think I may be coming down with a summer cold as I've had a bit of a sore throat. I'm taking lots of vitamin C, etc. so hopefully I can head it off.

penpal Good job on the yoga I would like to find a yoga class in my area after our move maybe I can find one. It is a great feeling when you have control over your food isn't it. I hope you are not getting sick, get lots of rest!

Do any of you use splenda or stevia? My husband love his ice tea and I was wandering if that would be better to sweeten the tea with for him?

Mmm yes – trail mix = yummy = baaaaaad

Penpal – I hope you shake whatever it is before you get sick . Vitamin c is good. Stock up.

As for the yoga… I'm not really sure if this is an improper question, but here it goes anyway...

So I've always been a bit leery of yoga. I’d like to try it because I’ve very not flexible (never have been, even when skinny). However… my roommate in college did yoga and it “relaxed” her enough so that she was always farting REALLY loud while doing her video. Is this normal, or was it just her?

I don’t think I’d be comfortable putting myself in a situation where I or those around me have that problem… I have a 7th grade boy sense of humor, and I'd probably be giggling to hard to do anything...

Marbear - So far no farts! My class is in a senior center so there's quite a few older people and they seem to have good control of their sphincters. I would advise against eating cabbage or beans before a class though. All joking aside, I get an amazingly good workout in my class (I can tell by my sore muscles the next day - especially abs and thighs). I have severe osteoarthritis in my spine, hips, knees and ankles, so if I can do it anyone can. Also, you only go as far as you can without it getting painful - everyone has a different limit to how far they can stretch. Nobody is judgemental if you can do a certain pose. My instructor is in her late sixties and as limber as a teenager.


Mystical - I don't use artificial sweeteners and find that stevia has an unpleasant aftertaste. I use agave nectar (from the same plant they make tequila from). It has a very low glycemic index and has healthful qualities. It has a very faint taste of honey or maple syrup and is sweeter than sugar so you only need to use about half as much.

Thanks for the advise I will have to try that out and see if my hubby likes it just as well.

Hi All! Trust you're doing well. I'm still mulching, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I think we can get it finished tomorrow. The exercise I got from mulching has been good.

Tomorrow I have to have blood work. I am taking the advice you all gave me the last time and that is to keep hydrated. I've been drinking a lot of water all day. I'm trusting they can "poke" me only once and get it the first time. They are doing 5 different test. This will show if my thyroid is out of whack. I'll get the results when I go to the doctor on Monday.

I was down .4 lbs today. I'm still struggling with my eating. I've been on an ice cream binges. I seem to have to have some ice cream every night. For the most part I do well during the day with eating, but in the evening I want to munch. I'm working to keep on plan every day. I'll get there again.

Mystical - I use splenda in my ice tea. To a gallon of tea I use less then 1/4 cup. You would need to do it to your taste. We don't like sweet tea.


Have a great Wednesday everyone.

Kathy
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Hello everyone. Looks like a lot of new folks. Nice to see the site is going so well. I have been super busy still trying to get a grip on being healthy. Just came back from camping and kayaking. Off to PA on wed. for a few days to shop an visit the beautiful amish lands. Well I will catch up when I get back been exercising with walking and gardening , kayaking etc.
Have a great day I am working on looking good in MAUI in Sept.

Yum, yum, yum, I just had a delicious dinner! I stir-fried some scallops with onions, garlic and snowpeas, with a few spices and a bit of oil. Tasty, if I do say so myself

Kathy, WTG on being a little lighter, despite the binges . Good luck with the blood work.

Marbear, I took a yoga class a while back, and one of the ladies was a bit farty, from the twisting. Besides Penny's good advice, try not to eat two hours, or 1.5 hours before your class, that will help. I'd still like to check out the AM classes at my gym, but I haven't gotten up early enough.

Mystical, you are workin' those smilies I have some stevia, but I rarely use it. It has a very slight licorice aftertaste. I grew up on southern-style sweet tea, but I've learned to settle for a little bit of sugar and a lot of lemon.

Penny, thanks for talking up yoga! At the very least, I'll get back to using my Yoga for Weight Loss video, which I really like.

judy

O2Bthin Glad to hear you are getting your exercise and that your mulching will be finished soon. Good luck with the blood test I hope all goes well for you. Thanks for the tip on the splenda... We like our tea just barely sweet so that should work for us.

cacmsc54 Have a great time in PA with the shopping and keep up the good work on your exercising!

judydc I am going to get some spenda and try it the next time for my DH. I am actually doing well with not drinking any diet pop or tea at least for today

Tomorrow is my big day! I have a trainer that I start with tomorrow. We have a counseling session but not a real workout yet so I am a bit nervous about that. Hope I can still move after she's done with me. Tomorrow is also my first week Weigh-In so I will let you all know tomorrow how I did. Wish me luck!

I made it through the blood test. I did get a little lite headed, but I managed. I'm anxious to get the results on Monday when I go to the doctor.

Mystical - How did it go with meeting your trainer? I'm sure it's exciting to begin this new step in your life change journey.

Penny & Judy - Hi to both of you. I trust you are doing well.

camcam - What part of PA are you shopping in? I live in central PA. Have a great time and enjoy yourself.

I should go out and do more mulching, but I don't know if I have what it takes to do that tonight. Maybe I'll get a burst of energy after I eat dinner.

Have a good evening.

Kathy

Hi, Carol, welcome back . I was wondering if you've been busy kayaking, camping and cooking!

Kathy, I'm glad you made it through the blood test . It never bothered me when I was younger, but now it's harder to get the sample, and I find that I get a little woozy if I watch, so I stare off into space, chatting away as if I were riding the bus.

Good luck, Mystical! I'm seeing my trainer on Friday.

I had a good visit with the nutritionist. She reminded me that I don't have to have "breakfast" food in the morning, among other things. I got to the gym before 7 AM this morning and had a good cardio workout. I've been on program with eating. Now I'm making the popsicles for tomorrow's staff picnic.

judy