Well guys. My plan backfired. I took my lunch as planned, to work. But one of my job duties working for the day program associated with a group home is to go to the home, leave my car there, and drive the clients to the day program in the handicap van, and be there til the end of my shift when i take them home and end back up at my car. And I managed to leave my lean cuisine in the freezer at the home this morning... essentially being lunchless at the day program building some 19 miles away. So I had bbq from the only restaurant within walking distance. Ugh. And I had a bean burrito from taco bell for din. It's higher in cals but at least I have some fiber to go with my tortilla-ness. No exercise today other than a 30 min walk on my lunch break, but I figure working from 6am til 10pm being on my feet all day was exercise enough. Weight's been all over the place this week, probably a lot of water weight change cause I've been eating sodium rich foods, but it'll even out soon. :-) Hiking tomorrow!

And, Wednesday! Go...

I'm waiting for Hurricane Earl to brush on past this week, I'd like the rain to come and go before my friday afternoon, thanks very much!

I did fifteen minutes of a dance video yesterday after work, not quite enough to bother counting in the weekly challenge, but better than doing nothing. I got to figure out a better time for exercise than right after work when I am exhausted.

Trying to sign up for Yang Tai Chi, but the Karate center is not checkin' their email. O.o; Probably should just give them a call and find out what's up and if they even have any openings for new students.

Well, that's my update. How's your Wednesday going?

Good morning Team!!!

Alyssa- u can make it a better week, hang in there!

brooksrm- sorry you had a bad day pick up the pieces and move forward

Zan- you are doing great you are knocking on onederlands door!!!!! Nice work

Its tom for me but im not letting that stop me I am tired of talking about the 220s I need to see them. Ive been in the 230s since the end of june. I have to make it there my goal is to make it to onederland this year and if I want to I have to work HARDER than I have been especially with my diet!

So far today's better. Hanging out on here trying to keep out of the kitchen as I'm home alone today and bored. Went hiking for a few hours but managed to get stung by a yellow jacket on the way down the mountain. Ouch.
Ate a 6" turkey sub for lunch, no mayo, no cheese, and baked chips. Go me. It's a new month so I'm going to forget yesterday and monday ever happened >

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Zan, what is Yang Tai Chi? I'm intrigued.

Matilda, you are so close to the 220's! You can definitely do it!!!

Brooksrm, sounds like it's been a really health day! Good for you! (But I'm sorry about the yellow jacket!)

I could really use some advice from you all.... So yesterday I was able to get up before work and go to the gym (my husband is an early riser and I made him promise to force me to wake up). It was actually a better work-out than I was expecting, so I'm pretty excited about that. Then, yesterday I had a regular day seeing patients in the office followed by an overnight shift in the ER. So, I planned out all my food and brought it with me, including lots of healthy snacks like green beans, sugar snap peas, apple, blueberries, yogurt, etc. The problem is, I was ravenous all day. I ended up eating more than half my food by noon and it was conspicuously all the higher carb foods. At 4pm, I was so hungry that I started fantasizing about the chocolate chip scones in the coffee shop in the lobby. I had healthy snacks literally by my side, but I couldn't stop craving the scone. I just couldn't resist, so I ended up eating a scone and a 6-pack of oreos. I was so pissed at myself. The rest of the day/night went ok and I ended up 400-500 calories over my goal.

I realized today that it's TOM, which always makes me hungry. Plus I think exercising in the morning increased my appetite. But what do you guys do when you're just starving? It's hard to tell whether this was true hunger or just craving carbs, but either way it was so powerful!!! I know I've read about people drinking water, chewing gum, etc. But all I can say is that I wanted that scone SOOOO bad and I didn't want to distract myself! Does anyone else struggle with this? What do you do?

Thanks guys!!!!

Hi Ladies!

JenB – I always get really hungry before my TOM too. It sounds like you are light on the protein, could you try working more into your plan? For TOM cravings, I just give in and eat what I want, but much less than I want of it

Brooksrm – Great job with the healthy lunch choice and the hike (one of my favorite things to do!) I agree, forget about yesterday and move forward!

Matilda08 – You can totally do it!

Zanheltangia – What dance video do you like? I would love to try some, but they would have to work in my like 8 sq. ft. living room! And yay! For martial arts! Lost a bunch of weight about a decade ago when I was doing karate.

Alyssa McN – Could the bloating just be from hot weather or something? How was day 2 of c25K?

Mickeypnd – Yay for your loss! Boys are really lame and jealous sometimes. I always used to like the line “if I wanted to be with ____I would be. I choose to be with you” Often shuts them up ☺

Misstraveller – you can and WILL make your goal for the challenge! Do it!

Abluvion – Happy late birthday!

Envelope – Busy lady! I have one kiddo and am totally overwhelmed, you’re doing a great job with your weightloss though! I love the setting a reminder idea.

So I’m having a pretty good week. Despite TOM, I’m working out everyday. I just signed up for a new pilates class at the comm.. college my DH teaches at (I get to take free classes, yay!) I’m having major sugar cravings every day though. UGH. Anyone have any excing plans for the holiday weekend? I’d like to pretend its already here

JenB If you can pop onto youtube, this is Tai Chi (Yang is the style) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFZUIgaxlsI I want to do this before changing to a karate class (I'll keep practicing Tai Chi once I get the forms down) because I could use the improvements in balance and flexibility first. Also, I find certain things make me crave more food (Never happy with just a bag of baby carrots for example, got to have something else). That could have something to do with the hunger (other than the usual suspect of TOM, that is). Maybe you need a protein snack like Denice suggested, maybe some nuts or something (especially after exercise)? But 400-500 extra calories is not that bad for a rare occurance, in my opinion anyway . As long as it doesn't become a habit, a scone every once in a long while won't hurt.

Thank you, Matilda!

Wasp! Ow! Sorry to hear that, Brooksrm!

Denice, I did a freestyle dance on a Dancing with the Stars DVD I picked up from walmart, my timing is way off so it really looked like I was flailing around as they danced on my computer screen I was so glad that no one could see, haha! I has a few latin dances as well, but I only did the 15 min freestyle one with hand weights.

(I like the dance game my mother found for the Wii, but I don't have one a system of my own yet or I would stick to that. I'd like to get a Dance Dance Revolution game to play too, but I'd need the pad for that, and the system too. Bah! I am attempting to block the potential hole-in-my-wallet that the video games would create with the dance DVD maybe I will remember the steps for next time. e.e)

I still haven't got a call back from them, so I'll call them myself. I would really like to start Tai Chi, but I hope my experience with the dance DVD and my poor timing won't make me look too funny when I try it out for the first time. Haha! But I am determined!

Grats on the Pilates class!

I'll be spending the weekend away from home, so hopefully I can get some Wii time in down south to count for this month's exercise!

Happy Thursday all!

Hi team!

brook - sounds like you're doing so great with the activity! I miss being able to get out and into the woods and struggle up a mountain! I grew up in the mountains of east TN, but now live in coastal Georgia, where it's very flat and not incredibly pretty outside of the beach. Yay for the diet win ! Did you go to subway? I love that place...

Zan - Sometimes I wonder if they don't make those dances on the videos hard so that they can laugh at the thought of all of us out there trying to do them! I have a Wii, but have yet to invest in the DDR game and pad. It looks like it would be awesome, and I've seen some people have some success with using it as cardio. Thinking about going to the mall arcade and trying it first to make sure i'm coordinated enough to handle it!

Jen - To avoid that problem, I work out at night. I found that when I exercised in the morning, I was RAVENOUS all day long, particularly for protein and junk. Plus I'm not a morning person anyway, so it really worked out in the end! TOM is a whole nother factor. I'm dealing with that too, and last night i had a snack sized mcflurry from mcdonalds, because I HAD to. It was good, and it killed the craving, and didn't put me too far over my calories for the day. I'll live with it, deal with it and move on. Today is a new day

denice - Oh wow, free classes, that has to be awesome! Let me know how the pilates goes, I've never done it before, but have heard it is very challenging.

I had a setback yesterday that involved a McDonald's McFlurry. It seems many of us have had a challenge of some kind this week, but i'm not gonna let it get me down ... here's a funny quote I found that makes me feel a little better about where I am and how far I've come:
"If I had been around when Rubens was painting, I would have been revered as a fabulous model. Kate Moss? Well, she would have been the paintbrush." -Dawn French

I'm SO ready for the weekend, I am going to North Carolina to visit a dear friend and go to another friend's wedding. The BF and I are staying at a Bed and Breakfast up there, am hoping it will be very romantic and good for both of us just to get away! Anyone have any other plans for the weekend?

I know I am not coordinated enough for most things I plan on doing, Misstraveler, but I'm planning on working on that now. Tai Chi is actual a martial art, and I figure if the elderly can get in there and do it, than I sure can hope that I can as well,

Just pick the easiest song first! Some of those are darn well impossible (until you practice for a long period of time) I got a pair of friends who can do nearly most of them on the highest difficulty.

Miss T - I had a weakness for McFlurries, but this summer I was given a very berry smoothy to try and it was good, and I usually do not like anything with strawberries. Now when I really need a frozed treat and am out and about, I grab one. The small smoothies have 210 cals. compared to a small mocha frap at 450.

Zan - You have given me a great idea. I may get my soon to be 11 yo a dance game for the Wii for his birthday, then we can both use it. Is there only one available for the Wii, or multiple? If there are a few to chose from does anyone have a recomendation?

I have been getting up early to jog 30 min before school and am enjoying it. I registered for my first 5K for Oct. 30. The course it takes is fairly hilly, so I will have to start tackling the hills. I plan on restarting the C25K program and doing the hills in my neighborhood, the intervals really keep my metabolism fired up.

It's called "Just Dance" [Wii Game], and the warm-up alone made my and my mother's arms ache a little, we were non-exercisers at that point . http://www.walmart.com/ip/Just-Dance-Wii-Wii/12535124 I like that it just uses the remotes and not another accessory like a dance pad.

Hello Team!!


TOday I wi at 231.0 Im very pleased!

Woohoo, congrats! You are getting so close to those 220s, Matilda!!

hello all!

Matilda congrats on the success!!!

so I weighed myself today and I'm still the same 206. but my poor tummy has been hurting me lately. I haven't eaten much and if you don't count working I haven't worked out much. I'm just glad I didn't gain any weight.

I want to be down at least two pounds by next weigh in! I know I can do it!!

Ugh. The guy I went hiking with yesterday is an ex I've been trying to be "just friends" with for a month (his idea, not mine). And the problem is, I love him and want him way more than a friend, so what do I do? I blow up at him last night cause I finally just can't take it anymore, and tell him that I can't do this charade anymore, and it would be better if I just deleted him from my phone and cut him out of my life. Having to live with that now, and it's for the best, but it sucks so bad. Who will I hike with now? NOBODY in my friends or family likes to do that outdoors activity stuff. So sad today.