well, i'm back from the ww meeting already and just thought i'd report in. i lost 1.5 lbs, so i was stressing for no reason. now i have another dilemma, i've been debating on going back to my TOPS group or staying with ww. my leader is going to be gone for the summer. she is the main reason i stuck to ww still. it took several meetings for me to find a good one and now she is going away for the summer. what to do, what to do??

julia - good for you for getting moving!! we had to set a goal for this week and i put exercising 3x at least. if i get in 3 good sessions that will be a good start for me and i will be happier with myself. i'm not working this weekend (for a change) so i have no excuses for sat/sun.

have a good friday!
kathy

I might as well admit that I don't have a scale at home so in order to weigh myself I HAVE to go to the gym. Well, day #1 I went to the other branch of the gym and when I got on the scale (the sliding doctor's type) it didn't move within almost a 10 lb range - i.e. my weight could have been anything within that 10 lbs. So I had to go back to my regular one the next day in order to find out how much I weigh which was my real motivation for going day 2.

Good for you Kathy!

HAPPY = that little ticker thing sliding! YAY!
(my first slide!)

Congrats on that loss, Kathy!

I'm a little disappointed because the scale is back up a bit after a drop right after vacation but, then, I've had salty things the past two nights for dinner so that could be partly the culprit. I just can't ever seem to stay consistently losing anymore. The scale is constantly up and down within a 3-4 pound range. SO frustrating.

Exercise is pretty much a constant in my life now. Last year, I was exercising 6 times a week and found myself getting really resentful about not having much downtime from it so I fell back to 5 X week and that has proved to be "just right" for me. And it's often enough that I can get a good mix of cardio, weight training and toning. I am a really big proponent of having a good balance of exercise. I think that, being over 50, if I had lost my weight without weight training and toning all along, I would have found myself a LOT less happy with my body right now because I think it would be droopier. As we age, we lose the collagen in our skin and it doesn't have the ability to "bounce back" as well. All the toning work I did while I was losing seems to have helped since the first place my guy friends noticed my weight loss was in my butt and thighs. heh

I know how hard it is to get started with the exercise and to build that habit though. Just keep working at it and get those good habits built. It was pure agony for me to build the habit of working out before work in the morning but it is such habit now that I hardly give it a second thought. And working out as often as I do was not an easy habit to build either...I'd always been a person who thought that working out 3 X a week was the most I could do.

Good luck to everyone in meeting their goals!

Hey Sheri - even if the scale isn't moving you at least know that a better diet & exercise will make you healthier and it will eventually get going again.

Congrats on the loss Kathy

Thank you so much for that, Julia. That's what keeps me going every day--that I know it's the right thing to do for my health and it's not just about the scale or what size I am. At my age, and with my family's medical history, the importance of this cannot be discounted. I have already brought my cholesterol and triglycerides way down, my bone density is better and my blood pressure is better managed...all because I've been eating healthy and exercising regularly for almost 2 years (anniversary coming up July 1!).

Two things that the plateaus have taught me:
1) Weight loss isn't always going to happen on MY timetable. My body is going to do what it's going to do and I have to accept it. So I gave up on timetables a long time ago. At this point, I'll be elated just to lose the rest of the weight SOME DAY but hope it will be within the next year!
2) I'm going to be okay when I DO lose the rest of my weight and get to maintenance because I've already lived what maintenance is like through being on two months-long plateaus in the past two years.

good sunday morning! i hope everyone is having a great weekend. mine has been ok. i spent most of yesterday cleaning my upstairs rug, because my dog was sick. what mess that was and just how i wanted to spend the 1st saturday i've had off in a long time. today i am working on my getting the computer area organized and then going to a picnic later.

sheri- thanks for the words of encouragement. i'm sure your scales will be dropping back down. i found out last week when it was soooo humid that if i don't take my water pill daily (like i am supposed to) that my weight fluctuates 6 whole lbs. i couldn't believe it. that is a 1st for me. i think it is also age related.

after i work on my computer area i am going to do my watp tape for my 1 exercise session this week.

thanks everyone for the encouragement! have a good day!
kathy

Hi folks. Just popping in to wish everyone well this week!

Cheers!

Hello…..I am back!

I don’t have time to go back and read and catch up right now……got home last night at 2 am…… and have been unpacking and doing laundry and getting some errands done and RESTING!!!!

Had a great trip…..lots of walking….really thought I might actually lose weight on the trip but gained 4 lbs…not so bad for a 2 week vacation to Europe and I never deprived myself of anything……but walked A LOT!!!!!

I will try to write more in the next few days!

Lilybutt

welcome back lilybutt! way to go!! 4lbs isn't bad for a trip abroad. that will come off in no time. i've read that europeans do a lot of walking and that we should do more.

i got in a good 2hour session of hand mowing tonite. what a workout that was. it's all uphill. i think i sweated buckets. i feel good,even with sore feet.

not much going on here. where is everyone?? having a good week i hope!!
kathy

Welcome home, lilybutt! I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

I'm having kind of a "blah" week...kinda down in the dumps and real busy at work so I haven't been around as much.

Hope you're all have a great week!
Sheri

hi singles! we are finally on the downside of the work week. i got the rest of my place mowed and i'm good for another week i hope. i hate wasting my weekend mowing.

shere - i'm sorry you are having a "blah" week. be patient, the weekend is coming. you are probably just getting back into the swing of things after a nice vacation. i know i hate it when i have to go back. i hope your thursday is a good one!!

are we playing hide-n-seek?? i can't seem to find anyone.
kathy

Thanks, Kathy! I AM feeling more positive today, though I can still feel the "grumps" from yesterday lingering just behind me. I'll try to keep 'em at bay today.

Sheri: glad to hear you are felling better!

I've never heard of TOPS... I read the website... do you guys like it? What exactly is it? (thanks in advance)

P.S. HANDmowing! Good for you! Good exercise!!

Okay..finally feeling up to function again…let me just say….jet lag sucks!!!!!!

Got back hoe from my Europe trip at 2 am on Monday night/Tuesday morning. The trip was WONDERFUL!!!!! Spent 3 days in London….very nice city. It was so clean for a big city! And the people could not have been nicer! The highlights in London were going to the theater and seeing Brooke Shields in Chicago and seeing the Queen and Camilla in the Queen’s birthday parade!

Then we moved on to Paris….not to offend anyone, but it was not my favorite place. The locals were rather rude, as I had been told they would be, and I guess I was not impressed. We went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, a riverboat ride on the Seine, Sacré-Coeur, Norte Dame, and just the sites in general.

Then we took a train overnight to Florence, Italy….Italy was awesome!!! Florence, Assisi, and Rome! LOVD THEM!!! The weather was hot and sunny, the sites were beautiful, the people were gracious and helpful, and the food was wonderful!!!! Assisi was my favorite…a quaint little town nestled in the mountains…..it was beautiful!

So that was the trip! Walked EVERYWHERE…but ate EVERYTHING, so gained a few pounds, but back down to the starting weight…so now tie to buckle down and get serious about it. I am setting small, reasonable goals. Exercise, eat healthy, and just take care of myself! Good to be back!

Lilybutt