Gary, congratulations on a successful year!

I made it to the gym at 6PM tonite. The heat was terrible (104 degrees here) and it made me again realize why it's best for me to workout early of the morning. By evening I always feel wiped out. I did do a really good workout though and left feeling great. My problem tonite was that the gym was packed and I often had to wait for the machines that I wanted to use.

Lacy told me today that she wanted to start losing weight again. I offered to take her with me to workout but she declined . She did eat on plan and then used our treadmill some at home. She says "I'm too fat to go to the gym". For now she plans to get her exercise at home. I'm hoping she'll eventually feel confident enough to go back to the gym with me.

Gary , big congrat's on your weightloss and year of "better choices".

Detachable penis I completely forgot about that song. It is hilarious. Doesn't he lose it or it gets stolen at some point and he has to buy it back from some street vendor?

I don't think I really grew--by all counts that is impossible at my age (although I will never give up hope ). I think that with all the strength training and core work that I do with my trainer, it's improved my posture and I'm standing up straighter. But I don't care how I got that inch; I'll take it!

Shane: 1) You should seriously look into renter's insurance. It is cheap and I think that it typically has no or a very low deductible, so it probably would have covered the loss of your bikes in full (of course nothing can replace the sentimental value, but at least you wouldn't be out the $$$). I had it when I rented and I was way poor at the time, so it must have been really cheap. 2) Taller people do look thinner! They can see better at entertainment and sporting venues (why does the tall man wearing a hat always sit in front of me?), and they get more respect. Ah, what I wouldn't give for another couple of inches.

Megan: The problem with adding commercial pectin is that you have to add a lot more sugar to the recipe to counteract the bitterness of the pectin. I'm always trying to make things with as little sugar as possible. I didn't time it, but it didn't seem like it took that long to cook down the apricots or the plums for my jam (although I added as little water as possible to the apricots and didn't add any water to the plums because they were already really juicy, which helped decrease the cooking time).

Oh, and I didn't mean to suggest that you should eat 1400 calories per day, I was just using that as a example. For me 1400 is a little tough, but it's doable if I'm careful about what I eat. But I think I'm shorter than you, so I don't need as many calories (yet another disadvantage to being short!) For several months, when I first started losing weight, I ate only 1200 calories per day. And I didn't really know what I was doing so I didn't always make the smartest choices. I don't know how I survived at that level. I'd do it again if I had to but I really hope I don't ever have to.

paperclippy: I agree with Megan; making your own bran flakes is pretty impressive! I also cook a lot but making my own breakfast cereal is out of my league! Luckily I go through cereal pretty slowly. But then I also eat my hot oat bran and oatmeal even when it is 100 degrees out. Bring on the heat!

Meg: I've had to spend a fortune getting my pants hemmed too. I'm right at that borderline between petites and regulars, so petite pants are almost always too short in the inseam but I'm usually walking on the regular ones. Although, come to think of it, the last few pairs of regular pants I bought, I didn't have to have hemmed (although I do have to wear heels with them). I'll have to look into those knee replacements that make you taller.

EZ: Congrats on losing 31 lbs!

Rabbit: I'm sorry things aren't going well for you right now. Just hang in there. You lost the weight once; you'll lose it again.

Sheila53: Great response to the doctor!

lilybelle: It is way harder to exercise when its hot. I know the temperature at my gym is always set to the same level, but it still feels hotter in there when its hot outside. How disappointing about the child support payments!

Gary - Congratulations on a whole year of your "Journey of Better Choices". I do like the name of your journey.

Have you planned a reward for yourself?

CONGRATULATIONS GARY!!!!!!

You've had QUITE the year! Looking forward to spending many more successful years with you and meeting you right back here for anniversary #2.

Hi, I read all the posts, still trying to get to know everyone. I know I will in time.

Barbara,I would love to be a couple of inches taller too. or i'll take even 1. I am just 5'1" and even the petite sizes are too long for me. I have to hem them too.

Shane, Your pictures are great. You look so fit! Sorry about your bikes. I just don't understand why people think they have the right to take things that don't belong to them! We work so hard for the things we have. Just makes me so angry! I hope you get them back.

Lillybell, I can't work out in the heat! I just get sick. I try to walk in the morning or late; evening. But I don't belong to a gym, I just exercise at home too. I don't know who Lacy is, maybe your daughter? All we can do is support someone trying to lose weight. It's really an individual thing. So, just keep being supportive.

Hi to everyone else. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.

make it a good day, Freda

Hi all,

Barbara, pectin makes jam bitter - that's a revelation to me! I will absolutely try a cooking down method next time I make it, b/c like you, I would rather add the least amount of sugar needed. I'm still a jam novice. I understood that the 1400 cal was just a hypothetical cal limit, but just hearing the number made me imagine myself in that place. I might make it two days, lol. I'm a hungry girl!

Jessica, the idea of making bran flakes amazes me so much b/c I have no idea how you would achieve the right texture. I read the recipe you linked to and I sort of get the idea, but am still dubious. How did yours turn out? If you ever decide to start making your own bread, you don't need a breadmaker of course, but here's a tip: there's always a $5-10 perfectly good breadmaker at every yard sale. It's like a law of nature.

Congratulations Gary!

Lily, it's HOT outside. I've also been considering going to the gym early, b/c I get more tired in the summer heat. I just don't know if I could sustain getting up early enough. Stay cool! Poor Lacy, I remember as a teenager exercising in front of others was SO embarrassing for me.

Sheila, I love that response! It is so annoying when people assume things about your body - I think, I've had it for 26 years and you just met my body. I know it a little better than you!

Rabbit, hang in there. Enjoy your vacation with your kids.

Hi Freda, Robin, Bargoo, Meg, Mel, Gary, Allison, Pat, BillBlueEyes, and everyone else out there. Have a great Wednesday!

Hi everyone!

Nice pix, Shane. I would be devastated if someone stole my bike. That sucks.

I'm quite astonished at the doctors' comments for Sheila and Allison. I am about ya'll's height. I think 138 would be unattainable for me, and we are the same height Allison. I'm being very nosy about these comments cause I am not sure what a good goal weight for me would be right now. Weight is just part of the picture. What about muscle mass? I'm not sure I could actually get where your doctors want you to go without losing muscle. So....I'm just pondering weight and muscle mass this am.

Have a good day all!

PS I am wearing my 15 yo DD's pants today. They are stretchy, but they are size Medium----juniors!!

Gary - congrats!

Megan - the flakes turned out really well texture-wise! I think personally I would prefer non-nutty bran flakes though. Call me crazy, but I don't particularly like nuts (unless they're in PB form). My parents have a bread machine that they never use anymore, I'm sure they'd be happy to mail it to me. I should call and check on that . . .

Actually come to think of it a while back my dad offered to ship me his home gym system that he never used. I declined at the time since we have a gym membership, but now that we're not going to the gym because we don't want to leave the dog alone for too long, it sounds more tempting. We do have quite a large basement, and it doesn't need to be finished to be a gym . . .

GOOD morning!

I have such wonderful people in my life. Today, I told one of my clients about how my road bike got stolen and he said he had an extra racing/road bike that he never used and would be more than willing to give it to me he is dropping it off at my place tomorrow! I have also realized that ANY bike I own will eventually have sentimental value, seeing how often I ride them. I'm in the process of shooting a pretty awesome video of me doing BMX stunts through a disheveled trailer park.

Midwife and Shiela- In my personal opinion, percent body fat matters MUCH more than weight. If I had a dollar (or heck, even a quarter!) for every healthy weight, overfat person I see every day, I would be richer than a successful lawyer. On the opposite end, I have a friend who is 5'8" and 170 (a teensy bit overweight according to the BMI chart) but is estimated to be in the 140-155 range by most people, can bench more than I can (and outside of her, I'm the strongest girl I know personally), and I believe she is under 20% fat.

After I hit my initial goal weight, reducing my percent body fat was my biggest goal. I happened to lose 10 more pounds, but my body fat dropped from 22% to 17.5% (the last time I checked) as well. My goal is 16% but my weight while I am at 16% is irrelevant to me.

As I previously mentioned, I think some doctors are pretty silly about weight requirements. They often like people to be as THIN as possible without taking MUSCLE mass into consideration. Most of them see weight from a very old school perspective and base their weight guidelines on someone who just watches what he/she eats and goes on a walk every day, as opposed to someone who is into strength training and other forms of bodybuilding activities.

the slim me- Working out in the heat can make me feel moderately nausious, as well, but the feeling isn't overbearing enough for me to stop unless I start feeling a hypoglycemic reaction coming on (which most likely doesn't apply to you, but heat has a weird way of giving me low blood sugar). I'm also the sort who would probably throw up and keep going After all, I DO live in Florida
Thanks for saying I look fit
Oh, also, I see you are relatively new to maintainers... !!

Gary - congrats on your one year of "better choices"!

Rabbit - sorry to hear you aren't doing so well with staying on plan; stress DEFINITELY makes it hard! I know you will be able to get back into the zone...all of us temporarily lose focus at some time or another... what makes us maintainers is the ability to be aware of it, eventually overcome it, and attempt to stay back on plan

Hi everyone,

Yeah, the whole front of my gym is nothing but windows. Even though they keep the temp set on about 76 degrees, by evening it's much hotter in there (especially when crowded with lots of people). I'm glad though that I got over my embarassment at sweating, cause I definitely work up a sweat. I'm still too embarassed to lift anything heavy enough to cause me to grunt like some of the others do though. Well that plus the thought that I don't want to strain anything and not be able to work out for awhile. That would really mess me up.

Freda, Lacy is my 16 yr. old DD. She has struggled quite a bit with her weight. Last night she said "mom, it's frustrating cause I need to lose about 50 lbs.". I said "no, Lacy you aren't anywhere near that overweight". She is 5'8 and weighs now 171 lbs. I told her that losing even 15-20 lbs. would put her in the "normal" weight category. She definitely has the mentality that she wants to be a size 0 like some of her friends, although she is 6 inches taller than most of them. Her biggest problem is that her waist is very round and people always ask if she's pregnant. Her legs and hips are slender. She wears a size 9 in juniors jeans right now but has started wearing mens t-shirts cause the girls shirts are too small..

I also hate exercising/walking outside in this heat. I do usually walk the dogs for 1 mile of the late evening, but it's still hot at that time. During the hot part of the day they only get walked a short ways and I try to stay in the shade with them.

Shane, I feel like just what you described. I'm wondering if my Dr. will say I'm carrying a few extra lbs. I'm sure he won't notice that I'm working out hard every day, lifting weights and my muscles are getting stronger.

Gotta go meet my workout partner now for another fabulous workout.

Less than 24 hours to go until vacation (and I still haven't packed!).

Meg~thanks for the blog link. That is interesting about never doing crunches again (and reinforces my dislike of them!). I have experienced low back pain and I know that stronger abs will help but also know that some ab exercises can aggravate back pain. I may have to pick up the new rules for lifting book.

Gary~congratulations!!!

Lily~I wish I had a workout partner (although DH actually suggested that he'll bring workout clothes on the cruise so we can work out together! It's definitely a start for him!!! Perhaps he'll remember what it was like back in college and will join me at the gym when we get home.)

Shane~my DS seemed to have a hypoglycemic "attack" the other day after karate. He didn't look right, was quite sweaty, and when I asked him if he was okay all he could do is say no but couldn't really do much else. He sat down and drank his water and within 2-3 minutes he was better. Later he said he saw spots all over his eyes and he had felt dizzy. I know I've had those episodes when my weight gets down and I'm exerting myself. It isn't pleasant, but I tend to just keep going myself, too.

midwife~I know what you mean about being the same height and not feeling like you can get that low. There are several people around here that are around my height and are weighing in around where I started and they're happy where they are. It's obviously a personal choice (and possibly the underlying body structure has a lot to do with it). I have been as low as 127 a few years back. People said I didn't look healthy and it was impossible for me to maintain. Just two years ago I was 136 and jumped between there and 139 for a whole year and it was all good for me. I felt good, I didn't have rolls of stomach fat hanging out anywhere (and my bra fat wasn't quite as noticeable). As soon as I started gaining (about a year ago) I first noticed that my underwear didn't fit as well as it had been (it made my fat bulge out--it's hard to explain). When I sit, all I feel is my mid-section lolling around. It's not comfortable and my pants are too tight. While being at about 143 for most of this year has been an okay weight, it still didn't sit right with me. I feel better below 140 (and I really don't think it is psychological--I have more stamina, I have more "get up and go" and less "let's just sit and watch TV rather than go for a walk" feelings). Right now I'm actually about at your weight (152 this morning) and I desperately want to get back below 140. I've maintained at around 135 for years (previously) and feel that I can do it again. Lord knows what on earth has caused this slide, but no way will I ever allow myself to go all the way back to where I was. Oh, and because I haven't been working out as much as I should, I know that my gain is all fat--I can lose fat and not much muscle to get back below 140.

Can someone remind me what the benefits of flax seed are? Can it help you lose weight? My MIL is saying a friend of hers uses 2 T ground flax seed in water once a day and she's losing weight. Somehow I don't remember that being a benefit of flaxseed.

Didn't you know about the magic pill, flaxseed, Allison? Gosh I thought everyone knew, take some, pffft! The weight disappears! You don't even have to do any exercise or eat healthy or less or anything!

Just kidding, lol. Flaxseed has lots of good omega-3's, so it's healthy fat, and also has lignans, which are thought to be good for your heart and possibly anti-cancer. I just googled and found this website here. I grind them and put them in Mel's protein pancakes or protein muffins/bars I make at home, but you can also put them in various baked goods, sprinkle on cereal, yogurt, etc etc.

Morning.

Alison - hope you have looked at the weather in Alaska lately. Bring your jacket! It's been an unusually rainy summer.

Barbara - my height - standing tall - is 5'4" and I absolutely cannot wear regular pants. I swear I was put together from spare parts. I have a normal to long torso, very short rise, and fairly short legs. I also have short arms! Petite pants are usually just long enough, but they fit in the rise. I almost always wear flat shoes so it works. I often have to have the sleeves of my jackets shortened too, though shirts are usually okay. I was at the doctor yesterday, but they didn't measure me. They did weigh me and I was the same as the last time. Hopefully when I go back in 3 months I'll be down some more.

Rabbit - sorry you're having a tough time right now. Hang in there.

Shane - how cool that someone is giving you a bike! I'd love to have you come here and train me. The gal I was hoping to hire in the spring was not available all summer (kids out of school) but I'm going to try again once school starts again.

Lily - you're doing great back on your exercise program. I couldn't work out at all in the heat.

Gary - Congratulations on your full year! You've done great!

Hi to the rest of you......

BILL ~ I hope to reward myself with ANOTHER year of better choices than even this year! Oh, and Angie and I went to a great Italian place for dinner last night. Swordfish, red potatoes and broccoli for me...1 Bierra Moretti and 1 cannoli


THANK ALL OF YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WISHES! IT'S BECAUSE OF GALS LIKE YOU THAT MAKE THE JOURNEY A LITTLE EASIER! MANY