I'm still here. Just playing on the computer. When I was cycling a lot I had a wireless computer. When the battery started dieing it would say I was going 18 mph (probably right) one minute and then 704 the next! Then it would say I was at 3..the funny thing is that my average never fluctuated much. My next computer was NOT wireless. I had to keep it covered most of the time though. Cycling for me had a 30 minute warmup period. So I was miserable and wanting to quit for the first 1/2 hour of my ride...a computer would have made that much worse. Funny thing is that I have a 5 minute warm up with running - and with mountain biking too. I guess the way you sit when cycling on a road bike made a big difference in how I breathed.

Tomorrow I've decided I'm going to get in the sauna after my fitness test. I'll drink tons of water! The test was moved to the end of the day, so why not? Will just move more toxins out of the body faster

Well I won't keep you, just excited to see someone on line Have a great day!!!! Get warm fast!!

good evening ladies!!!

sounds like everyone is having a good day.

CG - no biggie about the exercising. everyone has those days, and I completely understand because you're sick. i know that i wouldn't be working out if i wasn't feeling up to par...don't sweat it. just get back into things when you're feeling better and i'm sure you'll pick up right where you left off.

to those of you checking out pilates classes - good for you! i find it very fun. like someone said (little gh, i think), it tends to be the kind of class where the people aren't quite as serious as during yoga, and can laugh at themselves if they can't quite do a move or hold it long enough. at least that's what i've found, and it makes the class really enjoyable.

thanks to those of you constantly boosting me and keeping me going! i'm telling you -- if it weren't for this group, i don't think i could do this. continuing to try and eat well, as well as exercise, isn't easy....but having this group makes me want to keep going and succeed! thanks as always!!!

have a great night!

kelly

grass -- what is this fitness test you mention? Is it for work?

And kjk, hi there! Glad to hear we're helping you out. Everyone here is sure a big help to me too. Isn't the Net great? Being able to make friends and reach out to people through it? Well, I'll be making my day work for me while you're all sleeping. Look forward to hearing lots more from you all soon!

hi kjk! you should be proud of yourself...I mean a real "look at what I did" kind of proud! You're having a great week!! Keep it up

Red - the fitness test is something at my gym. They'll check cardio, flexibility, and strength. They'll do weight, measurement and a fat percentage test with one of those pincher things. They do arm, inner thigh, and belly. Then she'll set a routine for me based on my goals...which are core strength, cardio fitness, and weight loss. I'll meet with her 3X and I can decide how to space them. I'll probably meet her next week and then in 1 month. I'm use to working out so unless she comes up with something really different I think I'd rather use her as a checkin and to bump me up to the next level in a month.

Go have a great day!!! Ride, walk, spin in circles - just move! You're doing a great job too!!! All this time without caffeine in the day. That's huge. I'm off it and scared to ever try it again - hard to believe how difficult it is to break the addiction to something so simple. Anyway, have a great day!!

grasshopper -- thanks for the fitness test explanation. yeah, those things are good for a check if you're used to exercising. they're really great for beginners, people new to exercise. I tend to forget that some people are new to gyms and such. The gym has been quite an integral part of my life for over 20 years now and I think I will always want it in my life, or at least, some sort of regular exercise.

yeah, that caffeine is quite a drug. And I guess I have to realize what a difference it makes when I'm not hyped on it like I had been. I mean, really, I would down a strong coffee right before going in to the gym and I was really revved. I am sensitive to such things to begin with. People sometimes would ask if I'd been drinking that's how up I was! But I think back now and realize it's no good.

Just yesterday I was listening to a girl babble away and thinking she's got to get off the stuff. I think she's a nervous type anyhow but she told me she's been popping caffeine pills and I said that stuff is bad. Now I think this is how it's affecting her, babbling, disjointed sentences. It sounds all breathless and pumped, great for the gym but it's really bad for the body. I mean, it is a powerful stimulant. I hate the way the building magazines push all these stimulants and fat burners. If you look at a lot of the models in the mags, they tend to have bad skin, not really bad, but no luster and the pores are large. It's definitely skin that is reflecting a lot of stimulants in the diet and/or sugar. Too much of these "nutrition bars" and shakes and such instead of just good wholesome vegetables. I say to myself . . . And grasshopper, if you ever are tempted to get back on caffeine (which I doubt from the sound of it), just read that book Caffeine Blues and it'll keep you away!

Hi everyone! This talk of caffeine reminded me of a tip I would like to share with you guys. I do not drink it but I though that this was interesting. A study at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows that you will stay more alert if you spread your consumption over the day instead of all at once. A few ounces hourly should help you stay alert. My hubby leaves with a travel mug of coffee each day and if he does not have that coffee watch out! I would assume that it would be difficult to have just a little bit throughout the day secondary to the inconvinence. Anyhow...

Red, do you sometimes ride your bike to the gym? I love my cats too. I have three also Panjka, Stormy, and Cosmo. They are so sweet. I love the way that they each have their own personalities. I start school Friday, but I am flying up Thursday. My car is still in the shop so I am having to fly in Thursday so I can make it to class Fri morning. I decided that since I am renting a car I will stop at a store and pick up some fruit and a couple of other healthy things to eat while I am up there.

KJK, you are doing great. Woohoo!!!

GH, good luck with your test and hit that sauna. I thought of you a little while ago. My hubby is watching tv in the other room and there was an emergency test. I have never thought about it before but it is pretty annoying. How's your finger today?

CG, I hope you feel better soon. When does your first class start?

stormy -- yes, I love riding my bike to the gym but hate it when it's cold. That's why I love the summer and get to the gym a lot then, because the bike makes the trip there so short.

Love your cat names. Is that where you took your handle from? and Panjka, does that mean something? While we're on pet names. . . I have Mu, Shachi, Nozomi and Tetsu (normally called Tiger). Mu is the Chinese character for "nothing," one) because it was short for "buji" which means safe, and also because "nothing" as in she's all black and would hide in the closet as a kitten and not say anything and all I could see would be her eyes so it's like she wasn't there but was. Nozomi means "hope" and since i found her in a park nearly dead from starvation but she came up to me and rubbed her head against my leg and I thought all that was keeping her alive was her hope that someone would take her in. Shachi means killer whale because that's what he looks like marking wise and Tetsu means steel because I found him in a pool of blood hit by a car and he miraculously survived after two weeks on nothing but intravenous-like shots. Broken jaw, bad hit to the head, no response whatsoever for a week, couldn't walk for months, obvious brain damage effects for over a year. In fact, when I found him I thought he had but minutes to live. So my wish for him was to be as strong as "steel."

Ahhh, so how is Tetsu now? Poor baby. You chose a great name for him. You are an angel to all of your kitties. Rescuing them changed their lives forever. Panjka is Indian and I can not remember what it stands for. She was named after a doctor my hubby worked with and she was a stray. She is now 11. Stormy is 10 and he was named b/c of the situation we found him in. He was a kitten in a storm drain. It took almost nine hours for us to get him out. So we had to keep him. He is somewhat blind and I am not sure if it was b/c of the amount of time he spent in the dark drain. As soon as we got him out it started thundering and pouring down rain. He would have probably drowned. Cosmo was found in a litter that someone abanoned at school. He is a little over a year and loves to spend his time chasing the older ones. The two older ones are overweight. There, see it all goes back to weight loss. I had to tie it in somehow!

Oh, well, if you want to tie it in, I can do that too! Because dear Tetchan (that's a nickname for Tetsu, you add -chan to the ends of names in Japanese as a form of endearment) is so big I am embarrassed to take him to the vet because I'm sure he'll scold me for letting him eat so much. He eats and eats and eats. I think it's his way of being a "good boy" for me, thinks he has to be. He is eating right now. I think there is a little brain damage still. But, I don't know how he was before the accident.

You sound like you're quite a cat guardian angel, yourself, stormy, ah, what a story there. I thought Panjka was Indian. Cosmo is great for the older ones. Nozomi was like that with Mu, who didn't want to move. She used to be fat but now, she and Shachi (they are siblings and both bobtails) both have this horrible inflamed gums/throat and it's so heartrending. They say it can't be cured and they are in such pain. I take them to the vet for steroid shots to get rid of the pain but the shots are wearing off sooner and sooner and I don't want to think of how this is going to end. Well, don't want to end on a downer note. We can only try to touch their lives in the ways we can. I think that's why they are put in our paths, so we can touch each others' lives.

I love your kittie names! It's great when so much thought goes into a pet's name! And I love that you guys rescued and took in needy animals. I with there were more people like that in the world. I know mine are dogs but I'll still share how I got them. I wasn't even shopping for a dog - wanted one but roomate didn't. We went to the fairgrounds and Mac was the leftover puppy from a previous litter. He's all black and was huge compared to the cute cuddly tri colored aussies. Not many people were playing with him because he looked so odd. One little girl had him. When he saw me, he wiggled out of her arms and came bouncing into my lap. He immediately went to sleep. Everytime I tried to put him down he'd scream like crazy. Well my roomate was so shocked she said I had to take the poor dog. I was in love already. He was beautiful - like a baby black bear. And that's how I got him. He's named after a girl I went to highschool with. Funny thing is that I hadn't seen her since school and about 4 months later I saw her again. Turns out she lived about 4 miles from me all that time. Never did tel her I named my male dog after her Maggie came to us already named. It fits her well but the names sound too much a like - she can never tell which dog we're calling. Mac has it figured out but he's a super smart guy.

Stormy - will you be able to keep in touch from school? Or is it too hectic to even try? Good thinking getting fruit and veggies...that's a few less wraps you have to eat. Be strong - you're in the short rows. One more year. You can make it!!

well guys I'd better get to bed - have an early morning tomorrow. Sleep tight!!

Red, I am not sure if you can buy this in Japan but Purina makes a lower fat cat food. I buy the kind for weight management plus hairball control. I used to leave food out for them all day but now I feed them smaller portions, once in the AM and once at night. How did they develop the gum disease?

Gh, what a sweet story about Mac. I will keep in touch during the day at school b/c I will have my laptop and we have wireless in the classrooms. I will check in a couple of times during the day when we get a break. We are in class about twelve hours each day so I will need a break.

OK I need to go and study and then go to bed. Hope everyone has a great day and night!

grasshopper -- love Mac's story. He obviously knew who he wanted to be with! Funny, isn't it how people don't like the oddball out. Those are the ones I always go for. . . reflects on the owner I suppose. me, not you!

tell me, why DID you name your male dog after a female friend? Was she a jock?

stormy -- yes, I have actually bought that food. They don't seem to like it much and unfortunately, I really have to have something out for them to nibble on. I'm gone so much and also, with the cat hierarchy and all, some won't eat when the others do and I usually just have to slap something down and run. As for the gum disease, no one knows where this is coming from. Apparently it's a big problem all over the world. Some of it of course is from bad teeth but this is also in the throat. They really don't know the cause, are thinking from fleas or something but don't know.

*********Hello Everyone, I am Angie, I live in the coldest province in Canada Called Manitoba. I am a sahm of two very active little girls ages soon to be 6 on the 19 and soon to be 2 on the 23 both in this month. I have been with my hubby for almost 10 years married almost 5 years. We live in a small town just out side of winnipeg. I have tried atkins last year lost 15 pounds keeped that off thank god and now i want to lose the rest which is 80 pounds. We bought a treadmill last year and i maybe have used it 5 times the rest of the time it hold my hubbies laundry because he is to lazy to put it in the laundry room, and since i'm not his maid i refuse to clean up after him. Well i got on the treadmill today for 15 min and i thought i was going to die. I did five min of a warm up then i went to buring fat the next step up and man i am sore.

My goal is to be 110 by the end of june i am 190 now. The reason for such drastic weightlose is so i can apply to our police department and you need to be in exellent shape.

I need the motivation that my hubby can not give seeing he is a rail and never weight more than 145 in his life. The man can eat and eat and eat.

He just doesn't understand what it is like to be over weight and feel so ugly inside i look at my self in the mirror and see me as when i was thin back when i was 21 i was 110 pounds and boy did i have energy. I want that person back and i need your help in getting there.

I just celebrated my 30th birthday back in sept and we went to a social to have some fun and my ex boy friend was there and the look he gave me was somthing else the look like what the f*** did you do to your self kind of look.
All i could do that night was drink and drink some more so i didn't have to feel stupid or explain why and how i gained so much weight.

I belonged to the atkins forum and had no support there and was off line for awhile and now back and i am ready to get down to buiness and shed my extra person i am carring.

I really need the support and from reading this forum i no i can get some help and motivation.

Oh by the way i am a very stubborn person and very hard to push when my mind is set but i am not perfect.

Can someone be willing to keep me in line and help me lose this weight please

Thanks Angie i can be reached on msn if anyone wants to chat one on one
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Hi Angie, welcome aboard! Our leader, Crime girl, will surely be whipping your hiney into shape soon. She keeps us all organized with lots of reminders about goals and everyday assignments that keep us thinking about just what it is we're all here for! There are about 8 of us I'd say, without going back for a head count.

I can't talk much now. Just wanted to say hi and expect to start thinking of daily goals and just how you're going to get in shape for June. By the way, I think an 80-lb loss in five months could be potentially unhealthy, if not very hard to meet. Do you really have to hit a certain number? I think you could be quite fit by then though, though maybe still overweight. Anyhow, just my opinion. Whatever gets you moving toward your goal is good though. I just don't want to see you setting yourself up for a fall.

You can do this though. It must be hard losing weight up in the frozen north. Do you have a lot of snow now? Can you exercise outside at all or at a gym? I suppose it's hard with the two kids too. Well, gotta run. Hope to hear lots from you!

Hi Angie!

Welcome!!!

As you can tell if you've read a few of our posts here, we are a very supportive group! We love to hear about each other's successes, but also help get each other through the rough days as well.

Crime Girl is our moderator, and she does a fantastic job of motivating everyone. We usually have something each day that we share, whether it is a motivational tip, meal plan, exercise ideas, etc. We weigh in on Sundays, if you'd like to share that with us. And CG usually has some crazy question that she asks just to add some humor!

Glad to see that you've joined us, and welcome again! Please check in often and share with the group - we love new friends!

Hope everyone had a great day -- CG I made all of my goals again, that's 3 points for me. Hopefully you'll be feeling even better tomorrow and you'll be back up to speed.

Have a great night, talk to you all later...

kelly