I did it!
Yesterday I did the lower body portion of the DVD... today I am suffering for it! I can walk but to sit down and stand up... ouch!! I guess I should consider this a good thing

I am really not fond of lower body workouts so I hope I can motivate myself to do it again. I'm thinking Tues/Thurs lower body to start. Does anyone know if 2x per week will be good enough? Then I'll do upper body Mon/Wed to start. And when I get really motivated, I'll throw in a couple days of cardio too Think that will be enough?

So, I'm having a problem lately. I'll do real well in the morning and reasonably well in the afternoon. Then evening will come and I'll throw all that out the window by pigging out. Yesterday evening I had two granola bars, some reeces pieces and some sour skittles. I think in total it was probably about 500 calories worth of junk! It definitely threw me off from my goal for the day (1400-1600) and by far! Why do I do this to myself!? Any clues?

Anyway, I'm trying yet again so I'll at least give myself that... I haven't given up! I think I need to find a healthier snack option and allow myself a serving at night. Perhaps a planned 'bad' will help me not to go all out!

How's everyone elses week going?

Anyone else plan to watch The Swan tonight?


Christine
181/178/130

Christine - YAY TO YOU!!! Yes, the soreness (ouch!) shows some muscle damage was done, which is what we want, because when it's repaired the muscle is bigger and stronger!!

I'd say definitelly plan on a little "bad" snack in the evening...look forward to it. During the day, tell yourself, "no, I don't want (whatever) now, 'cause I'm going to have (whatever) tonight".

re The Swan...I have such mixed feelings about cosmetic surgery. Literally split half and half. I think people should be free to do whatever they want to help them feel beautiful...and I'm annoyed that society pushes that beauty is slender build with big boobs. Yes, I want big boobs

I over-indulged on Easter cookies yesterday. I will keep that in mind for the next couple of days, to try to keep the calories down due to that.

*sigh* my husband was complaining that he had a headache, 'cause he's cutting down on coffee. I asked why he was cutting down on coffee? as I didn't think he had problems sleeping. He said, "coffee makes it harder to lose weight, as it decreases your metabolism." I said nothing at first, stifling my rolling of eyes, and wanting to say, NO, eating as much as you want and NO exercise slows your metabolism. I paused, and then said, "do my Gilad tapes with me!! it'll be fun" (which I have offered many times before) and he said, "no, I'm too old". He's 3 years older than me. I said, "you know, you'll feel so much better, I do" and he said, "someday."

I really wish he would try, I would love to share feeling this good with him

okay, everyone have a great day!!!

Good morning, all. I hope everyone is going great!

Well for the first time since Monday, I exercised this morning! It’s my TOTM, and the cramps, etc., really hit me hard this time. I have been feeling lousy. But, today, I felt a little bit better, so I just did a 30-minute tape & a nice 10-minute stretch. I feel great that I did it, even though the intensity was less than my usual workout.

Holly, my sister mentioned the coffee thing to me, and I said, “That’s where I draw the line. I’m not givin’ up my coffee!” The thing is, there’s always one theory or another out there, but to me, the main thing is simply calories in, calories out. Less of the former, more of the latter & you’ll lose weight.

My eating has been par, not better, not worse. I’m going out on Saturday night, so I’m hoping that I won’t really blow it. Easter’s not really a problem because there have never really been any Easter goodies that I can’t do without.

Bye, now, gotta get to work!

Good morning all!

I didn't do my upper body workout yesterday and I'm STILL aching from the lower body one two days ago. I think I may motivate to do upper today and wait until tomorrow for another lower body... I think my muscles need a little more time to recover!

Does anyone here do Yoga? I feel like I need to incorporate some sort of stretching exercise in too. I feel so tense from this weight work and I know stretching really helps! I was wondering if Yoga is good for that.

I did watch The Swan last night. I am not totally for plastic surgery either. I mean, there are a few things I wouldn't mind having done (mostly due to the effects of having babies!) but I don't think I'd really mess with my face or lipo out my fat. If I really want to get rid of the fat, I can work it off with a little determination and self discipline!! However, there is not much I can do to lift and tuck in certain areas I doubt I'd ever even do that though, as I'm very fearful of the risks of surgery and if its not a necessary surgery, why should I put myself at risk!?

I found an old food diary today. It was from right before I got pregnant with Kairi and I weighed around 150 lbs! I noticed that day after day, even when I fit in some 'bad' snacks, I was still hitting my calorie goals. There were only a couple days that I had stopped counting or went over. I don't remember ever being so well behaved with my eating! Now, how to get back to that point.

So far I've avoided the Easter candy thing but then, I haven't opened the packages for the kids yet so we'll see. I know Alexa will down her own candy but I got a little bit for Kai too and she may need help eating it I'll try to behave though.

I guess I need a new goal too. Its almost TOTM here so I'm at my weakest on the self discipline scale! I know I'm not losing 3 more pounds in 3 days so I'll be needing something else to work towards! There are 3 weeks left in April so perhaps I'll just move my goal to then.... 175 lbs by the end of April... that's doable!

Hope everyone is having a good Thursday.... I'm off to be productive or something

Christine
181/178/130

Hi, All. I thought I'd post before I sign off for the night. Tomorrow's Good Friday, & I'm off work. Yay!!! It feels so good to have a 3-day weekend (I'm really not rubbing it in; I'm just happy --lol

I just received a new workout that I bought for $5 off someone on another forum I frequent (yes, I'm an Internet ho). I'm psyched to try it, but I'll be doing it tomorrow night since my husband will be at work & I'll have the living room to myself (I'm not wasting this opportunity to sleep in, hence the night exercise).

Christine, good luck resisting that Easter candy. I don't have to worry about that temptation since I don't have kids, but I must admit those Robin's Egg candies might have tempted me.

Have a great night!

Happy Friday, Everybody!! What a wonderful day I've had! I didn't do anything really special, but I had the day off for Good Friday. It's been so relaxing just doing things at my own pace today.

I did my new, used tape today (new to me, but used). What a great deal I got for $5! It's Cathe Friedrich's PowerMax; it's an hour long, but it flew by.

Even though my exercise was good, my eating wasn't. Today's my birthday, and my husband insisted on taking me out to eat chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (he knows that's a favorite of mine). I did manage to leave 1/2 a pancake on my plate--LOL!! The only other thing I've eaten all day is a hard pretzel, some cheese, and a pear. The bad news (I guess) is that my husband is bringing home pizza for dinner. If I can just have one slice, I'm hoping that will minimize the damage

How's everyone else doing?

Hello all!

Christine, I don't do yoga,...I think aphil does? Stretching is great for us. And maybe you could do a day of aerobics, if you're upper/lower parts are still sore from strength?

and resist the candy, if you can! You have power over it!!

vmelo, the Internet Ho I have over 2000 posts at another forum, that I joined in Oct. of 2002 - do I qualify for ho-ness but I've also actually met people from that forum, so I don't feel it's Internet fantasy-land.

and vmelo, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRL! I wish you a wonderful remainder of the day! and congrats on the "new to you" cathe tape!

Hello to everyone else!

I picked up my bike from the mechanic's yesterday, I had dropped it off Wednesday for inspection and a new front tire, and asked for a pre-season check-up; and I told him we were road-trip bound in a few weeks. After checking it over, he found that I also needed front brake pads. So I picked her up (her name's Cupcake, my road name ) yesterday afternoon, new tire, new brake pads, new inspection sticker, fluids topped and ready for our trip! Now, if I were ready....!

Have a great evening, everyone!

Hi, Everybody!

Holly, thanks for the good wishes! That's cool that your bike's ready, but it sounds like you are too. After all, you lost that 2 lbs., and you seem like you've been chompin' at the bit to get riding. You already look gorgeous, so you ARE ready!

I did a mega exercise session today. After so many days earlier this week feeling like crap because of my TOTM, I felt so good today that I figured I'd go all out. I did 45 minutes of weight lifting (The Firm Body Sculpting), an ab tape (Firm 5-day Abs), and a 30-minute cardio tape (Cathe Friedrich's 10-10-10). I've also walked my dogs twice already, so maybe I burned off some of those calories from the chocolate chip pancakes yesterday!

Come on, where is everybody? Holly, Christine, and I are lonely here!

Hello all!

Happy Birthday, vmelo! Could you send me some of that motivation? I can't even get myself to do my 20 minutes of Kathy Smith again... blah! I'm so NOT self-disciplined!

My eating still isn't going well either. At this point I'm about ready to just give myself this weekend and start fresh on Monday. I hate to do that but today we're going to my mom's to color eggs and bake Easter cookies and then tomorrow there will be Easter candy all over the place and of course Easter dinner. I don't see myself gaining control until after this holiday is over!!

I think its been a while since its been asked so.... Does anyone have any favorite healthy foods that help to keep them OP? What is your favorite breakfast? lunch? dinner? snack? dessert? What about a breakfast food that keeps you full enough until lunch? I have a real problem with this... if I eat breakfast, I'll be starving again before lunch! Hunger is my morning problem and then in the afternoon its cravings I have to fight!

Anyway, I'm off to start my day... wish me luck in my battle against those cookies today!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!


Christine
181/178/130

Hi Christine and vmelo

vmelo, whoa, what a workout you did!! I'm sure you blasted away any choc.chip pancake calories!

Christine, hmm, well, what I have for breakfast is pretty standard, but like it that way, keeps me from thinking "what else can I have". And it keeps me filled for about fours hours...it's a 1/2 cup of Kashi, mixed with a cup of nonfat yogurt, and a piece of fresh fruit cut up (apple, banana, or orange). It's crunchy, creamy and sweet . A different breakfast choice could be maybe 3 eggs, but take out one of the yolks; scramble with chopped broccoli? (I microwave broccoli first to defrost it) and two pieces of light bread/toasted. And maybe a piece of fresh fruit later as a snack. Many benefits to "mini-meals", but the problem there is portion control. But it's good to fuel the metabolism throughout the day with small portions of good choices.

Snacks - My weakness is sweet/starchy,such as a "Fruit and Grain" bar. About 140 calories. I have it in the afternoon with a cup of coffee. I cut the bar into like 8 pieces to make it last

Good luck with everyone resisting candy!!!!

Hi, Everybody! Hope everyone is having a great day! It's pretty dreary here today, but since the last two days were nice, I can't complain too much.

Christine, I'm a variety nut, so I'm always looking for good things to snack on. Like you, I would be starving if I didn't eat anything between breakfast and lunch. So, I have two snacks a day along w/ my meals. My first snack is at 10 a.m. or so (I eat breakfast at 7 - 7:30 a.m.) and my second snack is around 2:30-3:00. Here are some of the things I have for breakfast:

1) A Vitamuffin w/ a glass of 1% milk (ladies, if you can find these muffins, they are truly delicious, nutritious, & only 100 calories. They're supposed to have more vitamins than an apple. I found them in the freezer case at ShopRite. I like the double chocolate chip the best. You'll never believe they're just 100 calories).

2) cereal w/ 1% milk - I try different cereals, but my current fav is Optimum, an organic cereal. Like Holly, I would also recommend Kashi.

3) Instant Oatmeal - my fav is McCann's Irish Oatmeal, apples & cinnamon flavor.

4) A banana & a glass of 1% milk - you'd be surprised at how filling this is.

5) A fruit smoothie - frozen banana, frozen berries, (or whatever other frozen fruit you like) blended w/ about 3/4 cup of 1% milk. It has the consistency of a milkshake & tastes great! Yum!

Here are some snacks I like:

1) String cheese w/ whole wheat crackers or one of those large, hard pretzels
2) 1/2 apple w/ 1/2 tbsp. peanut butter spread on whole wheat crackers
3) carrot sticks dipped in black bean dip mixed w/ a tbsp. of sour cream
4) Hot cocoa (I use the recipe on the side of the Hershey's unsweetened cocoa tin; I use 1% milk & only 1 tbsp. of sugar. This is a good way to get some dairy in your diet, as well as that all important food group: chocolate).

Hope that helps, Christine.

Well, today I'm sure feeling the effects of the workout yesterday! That's okay, though, the soreness makes me feel like I've done something. I really don't have a problem w/ motivating myself to exercise; it's the eating that has me stumped. I know I need to go a few days w/out eating dessert at night. It seems like once I get into that habit of having something sweet for dessert, it just spirals out of control. I thought I had conquered that demon, but I guess I didn't. So far, so good, today. We'll see how it goes tonight.

Good night, ladies.

I should repair a boo-boo - the muscle strands get LONGER and stronger, we want to elongate those muscle strands!

Happy Easter, we had dinner at my sister's. I had way too many calories, but I'm okay. I think. vmelo, I echo what you said exactly about exercise not being an issue; I wouldn't mind cracking a video every day, not just 5-6X; but it's hard for me to do the eating portion control as I should. Well, every day is an adventure, each day is a chance for me to do a little better.

I gave my kids just two items of candy each - a single-serving bag of Cadbury eggs, and a small cream egg, plus a fun key-chain - a little plastic chicken; you twist off it's head then pour in some little round colored candies; then it poops out the candies I'm thankful that husband didn't get me any candy.

Will it EVER get warm here?!? barely got to 43 today, limited sunshine. Sigh!

well, have a good evening, and do your best tomorrow!

Hi everyone,

I went to my sisters for dinner yesterday. I took my day off from my eating program yesterday instead of Saturday. I took a dish called Berries in the Snow,(strawberries, cream cheese and angel food cake). It has 219 calories and 3.9 grams of fat per 1 cup serving and is very yummy. I am back on track today. I also took cornbread salad, whick I always make low in fat as much as possible. Everyone ate them both up, not knowing they were "diet" food.

That berry cake sounds so good! It reminds me of my MIL's 'Cherry yum yum' she makes.... its layered graham cracker crust, cherries (I'd prefer she use strawberries though) and a whipped cream/cream cheese topping. I'm sure hers is a ton more calories too... lol
I'm not even going to discuss how I did yesterday. I'll just say, I'm starting fresh today!!

Christine
181/178/130
(No weigh in this week due to TOM and Easter)

Hello, you guys. I hope everyone is doing well.

Something nice but weird happened this morning. Yesterday, I finally got the digital scale I ordered from Amazon. As you guys know fr/ my past posts, I’ve never been one to weigh myself regularly, but I ordered the scale to try to help me get my butt in gear as far as my eating goes. I figured that if I have the threat of weighing myself once a week hanging over my head, I’m more likely to forego my beloved Haagen Daaz. Anyway, when it arrived yesterday afternoon, I didn’t want to weigh myself, of course, because I’d eaten 3 meals my then. So, I just tested it for accuracy by weighing my dumbbells, and sure enough, it was accurate.

So, this morning, with much trepidation, I stepped on the scale . . . and found out that I’ve lost 4 lbs. since the last time I weighed myself!!! I couldn’t believe it. I even stepped off again & reweighed one of my dumbbells to be sure that it was accurate & it was. I haven’t weighed myself in about 2 months since I left the gym. I was 145.4 at that time & this morning I weighed in at 141.4. I was astounded because, as you all know, my eating hasn’t been the greatest. The funny thing is that prior to receiving the scale yesterday, I went shopping at TJ Maxx. Now, I know there sizes are often irregular, but all the size 8’s were loose on me & all but one size 6 fit me well. I didn’t think much of this (chalked it up to irregular sizing) until I stepped on the scale this morning & saw the loss.

I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth & all that, but I just keep thinking that something is wrong. I wonder if my gym scale was inaccurate.

I think I’d be more inclined to believe my scale if my current clothes were fitting any differently. I suppose they might be a little looser in the legs & butt, but not really in the waist area (where I need it most, of course).

I suppose it’s not that inconceivable that I could have lost 4 lbs.; after all, I weighed myself about 2 months ago & that would be only about ½ lb. per week lost. Even though my eating hasn’t been good, I have had SOME good days mixed in w/ the bad, so maybe that explains it????

Who knows? All I know is that it made my day!

Just wanted to share . . .

SW: 180"ish" Sept. 2002
CW: 141.4 April 2004
GW: 135 (or so)