Susan--I hope you feel better soon!
For your cold, try taking 50mg of zinc once a day. Zinc does wonders for keeping the sniffles at bay!! I don't think your menus sound boring at all--I thought you had a good variety in your post in the recipes thread. I get really bloated too at times. I can gain between 5 and 10 pounds on one free day with too many carbs and too much sodium and not enough water.

I think I'm the only one who isn't able to access the Main Board at L&S - wassup???

Hope everyone is having a great day! I am except my NEIGHBOR IS BACK. You might have heard me talking about her before, she works in the office next to mine and has the world's loudest voice (she also keeps five candy jars on her credenza). She was off the first few days this week and it was so nice and quiet around here - heaven!

I completed my form for CPB this morning. Can't wait to see those menus - I start on 6 October. After hearing about all the yummy stuff that the 'new' CPB has on it, I'm really eager to see what she comes up with for me!

Susan - You're NOT boring in the least - all ya need are some fresh ideas for food! I tend to get comfy with the same old same old as far as regular 'clean days' go - eggwhite omeletes, protein pancakes, chicken breasts with veggies, oatmeal, cottage cheese...

Marie - both Jim's mom and his brother Todd (the muscle guy) live in Vista. We stayed in Cardiff. I agree that SD is gorgeous but next time we're FLYING down. The traffic in SoCal is so bad these days, what with all the new houses going up.

Mel - Not like I'm a doctor or anything, but I'd be willing to bet that your problem has to do with menopause. I don't know much about it - other than the PMU foals situation (farms outside the US that keep mares pregnant for the urine they use in Premarin - most of the foals are sold in killer auctions - truly awful and sad situation http://www.tierrescue.org/premarinapp.htm ). But after reading that very short chapter in "Your Body Revival" I think I have a better understanding of the whole thing. Right now my boss is going through it - and she's been gaining weight, much to her disappointment. Losing bodyfat is an uphill battle anyway, but going through 'the change' at the same time sounds like going uphill WHILE pushing a boulder in front of you - just makes it that much tougher (at least that's what it seems like to me). My mother never went through menopause as she had a hysterectomy prior to that time.

Keep pushin', though - I think you're doing awesome

Marie - did you see that 3FC has a journal option? I haven't tried it yet, but those of us who want to can put their workouts there. Looks pretty cool-I'll have to give it a try soon!

Moxiegirl - I did bis and tris today myself. Felt really strong too

Well, I'm waiting to hear back from QZ on the L&S board thing. Anyone else having problems accessing it or is it just me?

Yesterday's workout of "new" exercises just about killed me. I've been glugging glutamine and am wondering if I could make a paste of it and rub it on my hamstrings and inner thighs! I did heavy sets of "plie" (like the ballet) squats: legs wide, toes waaaay turned out. Hit the inner thighs and inner glutes so hard. Then leg press with feet together really low on the platform- that killed my quads. Then lunging with weights thru the parking lot (always a fun way to meet your neighbors). Cardio this am was kinda limp.

I bought a pair of size 2 RL jeans today, and a pair of size 4 Calvins!! I can even breathe in them! But probably not eat. YET.

Karen- I'm sure you are right about my fat loss/hormonal problems. And I made a typo in my last post- its only been 2 pounds in 4 weeks! But at least I'm not getting BIGGER like most of my friends my age! They mostly have developing stomach pillows, even the previously slender ones. I swore years ago that I would not be fat going thru menopause because everyone said it was so much harder to lose after that . I just started this journey about a year too late!

Susan- Whenever I think I'm getting a cold I use something called zicam(?) that you squirt up your nose. It's basically zinc. It seems to work really well at stopping the cold, or shortening it. Got it at any drug store. Hope things are looking up for you.

Moxiegirl- Sounds like a lovely day. It's finally raining here at the other end of the state!

Off to cook MORE chicken- I'm gonna buy a flock and grow my own!

mel

I'm really sleepy today, even though Thursday is my sleep-in day (I work out after my yoga class after work). Anyway, Susan, a cold-fighting recipe my mom recommends (although it's totally not a "clean" food) is to drink hot water with lemon, honey and Bourbon. This always makes me feel better, although that could be because of the whiskey. . .

Mox

I also just noticed that somewhere along the line, I became a full-fledged member (instead of just a junior . . .) Mox

CONGRATS MEL!!!! Now stay off that scale young lady! If this doesn't prove the scale is a total crock of...I don't know what will!

I think as long as you can BREATHE in them you can EAT in them (just not Free Day!) as long as you're LYING DOWN at the same time. Jeez. I'll probably never see a 2, oh well, I'm happy at a 4!

AACK! I still cannot get into L&S to save my preferences! Every time I try to, I get the screen saying I can't access. I can read the board, but when I try to post or change the prefs then I get tossed out. It really sucks!

I hear ya on the chicken. BOK BOK! Fortunately Safeway has boneless skinless chicken boobs on sale for $1.99 a pound this week, so I will be STOCKING UP big time. I've been using Rich's recipe for making a lot of chicken at once, this will be the fourth time I've whipped up a batch of these puppies!

JC - ya there yet? How's everything going in Oz?

Mox - I think that once you reach a certain number of posts, you become a regular member. I notice Moxiegirl is using the journal feature - let us know how that works...

Ya I am here but just trying to upload our website at work.
Will post soon!

JC

Hey I can get in L&S ok....

Moxie: It’s incredible – I had it on pamcakes this morning and they were so delicious. Pam emailed me about the moderate cardio so I have a better idea of what to do now. No – we don’t get the food network over here and even so I don’t watch TV at all. I find Pam’s meal just different since I have been on an old program of hers anyways. I just needed a change of food. She actually has me eating a lot more fruit than I normally do which is interesting.

Mel: I said the same thing to Pam actually. I asked her to remove all of the bread and the high-glycemic carbs etc, and she had no problem with that. Hey if you are already fairly lean then you may not lose any weight at all?? Just try and focus on your clothes size – which is awesome!

Mox: I just became a member as well!

Damn I have to work!

JC

I am such a sucker for workout journals. All I did was click a little button after reading Suzanne's post and voila! the journal button was under my name. I don't know yet if I'm going to use it or not, it'd be nice to be able to log my weights and such on something other than paper. I'll have to think about it.

Tonight was my free meal for the week--Mexican! Yummy. Although right now I'm very very full. Beans and rice will do that to you. I decided to do it tonight so that I can take pictures and measurements this Saturday without all the bloat.

It's starting to rain here thanks to the tropical storm and I have to get to bed, so have a great night ladies!!

Maggie

I'm definitely doing Mexican on Sunday since it's my wedding anniversary this weekend - and a REAL Mexican sit-down dinner...not just a burrito from Pancho Villa (though they are wonderful - that's been my usual Free Day lunch lately)!

What is it with Mexican over there? You all love it so much!

My normal free day lunch is a lebanese chicken kebab with garlic sauce - yummy!

Have a great weekend everyone if I don't catch up with you before that sicne it's FRIDAY here!! Yippee!

JC

Mmmm. Mexican food is my most favorite free food. It's probably what I miss most about living in California. About the most authentic Mexican food you can find around here is at Taco Bell and the place I went to last night (about 45 mins away). My ex-boyfriend from CA was Mexican, and he introduced me to many many yummy things. His mother didn't like me all that much, but that's a whole other story. He's actually traveling in Australia right now, JC.

Still raining here, going to try and get to they gym for a treadmill run later this afternoon. I'm thinking the gym might be a little crowded, though, so maybe I'll use the elliptical at home. Decisions, decisions.

I'm drinking all my water today in preparation for pics and measurements tomorrow. I'm excited to measure because I know that I've lost some inches. My 6s are loose on me now right out of the dryer and too loose to wear after one washing. I don't have the money for new jeans right now, so I don't think I'll try and lose any more for the next couple months. Pretty weird that I have to gauge my leanness on my budget!!

Congrats, Mel on your new jeans! I always gauge my efforts on what size jeans I can fit into. A year ago it was tight 12s, today loosed 6s. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could wear a 6 someday. You must have a bigger jeans budget than me--I wear Old Navy jeans!! Keep it up girl and stay off that scale!

Hello girls,

Everyone seems to be doing so well.... What is this ?? You girls are all in sizes 2 and 4!! Arggg.... I'm envious.... I'm still in a size 14, although its loose, but still can't get into a size 12.... I think sizes are different in the States and Australia, because when I read here and at L&S that people are the same size as I am from the descriptions and they wear a size 8 or less... I get confused ...

I haven't had a good week I must be PMSing I've eaten 3 granola bars 2 days in a row, then last nite had some chocolate that my D brought home from school to sell, not alot of it but still I had some...I'm exercising so that's a good thing... thank goodness... I think I may have some kind of bug my stomach is sore, like a pain in it... It's hard to describe really ... When I'm hungry it really hurts, then when I eat it subsides but comes back half an hour later....

Hubby and I are off today.... we're still in the painting mode but we should be finished this weekend... The house is a terrible mess and becaue of my stomach pains I don't feel like cleaning...I'll putter around tho because it MUST get done. The house looks like we're about to move or something.... It's awfully depression....

Hubby thinks the stomach pains may be stress.... I was very stressed about work a couple of weeks ago, because they've eliminated one secretary and we are soooooooo busy we can't even look at each other in the office and have some decent conversations.... The guy I work with around 1:30 in the afternoon is pooped after a full morning of go.go.go.go constantly... I've finally stopped verbally stressing about it and just try to do the best I can in the time I have at work.... NO ONE in the office can finish their day's work and we CANNOT work over time..... So things are pilling up on our desks....

One thing that is encouraging, for me, is that I won't be there for long because I'm a temp and my post will be filled soon... and I will be able to say buhbye to this position and leave....

Mexican food is NOT one of my favs at all.... I do like spicy foods but Mexian nope....

We can't get SF syrup around here either I've been looking.... the NY state border is near here and sometimes we go shopping there so I may pick some up next time... I asked the lady in the health food section in the grocery store about it the other day and she said that it's so full of chemicals that she doesn't carry it and won't because you're better off eating a bit of the regular stuff than all those chemicals....

Well girls, have a good weekend, I don't envision any free day per say, because of my down falls this week but maybe a glass of wine to celebrate hubby's BD... You won't believe this but I forgot his BD, it was yesterday, and I never thought about it till 7PM or so... I am so bad.... He would NEVER foget mine I know it... but he may now.... yikes... time to make up...

Oh and another thing before I go how do you download a pic to this site or an avatar with your pic on it?? I scanned a couple pic the other nite and tried to send it as an attachment, but the file was too big... so let me know K?

Later all............take care............

Hello again girls, I just got this in my e-mail and thought I'd pass it on to you....

>A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape...but a woman of strength builds relationships to keep her soul in shape.
>A strong woman isn't afraid of anything... but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.
>A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her... but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.
>A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future...but a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings and capitalizes on them.
>A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face... but a woman of strength wears grace.
>A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...but a woman of strength, has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.
>Pass this on to GREAT WOMEN ... I just did!
>
>
>
Marla Davey-Light

I actually like being a "junior member" – it made me feel younger . . . now I have to be a more responsible "member". How intimidating.

Well, maybe after 7 or 8 weeks of struggling to get up in the morning, perhaps my body & sub-conscious is starting to get the message. I woke up briefly this a.m. (at 5:30), looked at my clock and realized I had another hour to sleep – which I, of course, took advantage of. During this hour, though, I had a dream about getting ready to work out, convincing my family to join me, and then going to the gym!!! I can't get away from this even in my sleep.

Anyway, I can't wait for my free day tomorrow. In addition to having work out dreams, I've been craving all sorts of bad things. I'm chalking the cravings up to TOM.

Mel: Awesome job! I can't recall the last time I was in single digit jeans. Right now, I'm just happy that all of my clothes are feeling a little looser! But keep up the good work.

I don't have a lot else to report -- I'm getting a little bored with the BFL routine, but am sticking with it. I'm a bit envious of those of you doing the Pam-Camp-thing. Sounds like fun. (And I've always enjoyed starting new things -- sticking with them is a bit more difficult.)

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Be safe. Mox