Good Morning All! Hope you see a leprechaun and find your pot of gold this day (did I mention I live with an Irishman?)

What's up this week featherweights? Hope all of the "newbies" are getting comfortable and the "old-timers" are coming up with new inspiration.

Have a great week!

Dagmar

The Bowflex is becoming more of a reality . DH has actually cleared some space in the garage. Now I have to sort out and sell all of my unused furniture to make room for the big machine .

I'm thinking of buying one used but need to find out if there is "tech support" for it from some kind of dealer. I'd like to know if I can get it fixed, get new parts and what add-ons are still available.

I'm also checking into getting a personal trainer to guide me through the first month of workouts . I'm leaning toward a "Bob" type rather than a "Jillian".

And : I'm down a lb. of fat.

Dagmar

Wow Dagmar - sounds like exciting things on the workout horizon for you!
And good for you being down 1 lb! yea!

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone Is anyone celebrating? We normally go to a really fun party on St Patty's weekend, but the couple moved, and this year there was no party (which is fine). However, what is NOT fine is that I have gone back to my fitday from last year (I always wrote my weight in journal). I had a St Patty's goal of 136... I never quite make goals which is ok because I set them a little on the low side, but I had been at a 3-4 week plateau of 142-- and I broke it and hit 138 on St. Patty's Day...

And... today... here I am... sitting at a bloated feeling 145. Last year I was exercising MUCH more regularly, I was doing a better job of daily calorie counting, ALL THE THINGS I SHOULD BE DOING....

So, I think it's a wake up call for me... if I continue to put on 7 lbs. or so a year... goodness, in a few years I'll be 160, 170, and up and up.

So, I have to get BACK TO THE BASICS. Just wanted to let everyone know so I can have accountability here too. Friday last week was a loss and this week needs to be a loss as well.

Here's to a healthy St. Patty's day to all... and if anyone wants to send a butt kick my way, FEEL FREE!

Okay... 2 weeks in and I haven't lost an ounce... Well I lost a 1lb and a 1/2 and it found it's way back! I've calculated points, drank a good amount of water, and have worked out 5 days a week... And still nothing.

I think I need to stop thinking about the # of points I can eat... And instead think about eating when I am hungry and stopping when I am full.... I'll try this and see if I can get back into "bathing suit shape".

I'm still here. Not a pound lost, but not anything gained. I made my vat of soup for the week and am pretty happy with how it turned out but am starting to think about viable menu options for the summer....cold soups? Can I make them hearty enough? Will I really need hearty options, I tend to eat super light during the summer anyway, the heat (fortunately) just kills my appetite.

Other than that, I've downloaded some workout logs and am planning on starting weight training in earnest this day!

Good morning all. Happy St. Pat's day! No celebrating here - I will be volunteering at Bingo tonight and I'm saying a prayer that the warmer weather will squash some of the crabbiness that our players have had for the last few weeks. blah! It is so hard to keep smiling when everyone is complaining and has the gimmes.

Lekhika - I am so looking forward to summer eating. Fresh veggies and grilling out! And eating out on deck - I always seem to eat less there. I am so hungry for fresh tomatoes.

Good morning!

Um ... uh ... I guess I slept in ... I'll have to come up with something clever to say a little later.

Um, yes .... I'll catch up.

mmmm!! me too. i eat so much healthier in the summer because i work (well, barter) on a CSA so i get all kinds of produce every week.

Lekhika, there's two yummy cold soups i've made in the summer: a nice gazpacho and a cold cucumber soup. the cold cucumber has a yogurt base with cucumbers, dill and walnuts... i'm trying to think if there was anything else. i also like grilling in the summer because i agree with deb, i don't think i eat as much then! and i LOVE grilled veggies, they taste so good that way.

no st. patty's parties for me - i am going in to work again tonight because as usual they are short and i picked up the shift. *sigh* but i'm looking forward to my day off tomorrow when i'll have time to get to the gym!

Hi all. So this is what I am up against this week. My kids are off from school, my one son is sick with a fever and bodily fuctions from both ends. I have also chosen this week to potty train my other son, and he is just not getting it at all. So, all I am doing is cleaning them up and doing lots of laundry. And to top it off, I am also sick - beginning flu like symptoms. I am try to keep my sanity and keep it all in perspective . I can't imagine there is any way to stay on plan this week. Maybe I'll lose my appetite.

I did weigh in this morning and I was down only .5 lbs, which was disappointing. I can't be too surprised though, I did have quite a lot of wine on Friday, a brand appropriately called Mommy's Time Out (isn't that a great name for a wine). At least it wasn't an actual gain yet.

Thanks for letting me vent, I feel better already.

Your new pal,
Amy

I needed dressier winter boots this year but kept putting off buying them .

They just came. My first pair of knee-high (did I mention I have really large calf muscles ) black leather boots with 3" heels. I was a little hesitant about buying them, afraid that I couldn't zip them up .

MY GOD! This is the sexiest freakin' footwear I've ever owned! Just gimme the whip and black leather corset now!

WHOO HOO! Sometimes shopping online brings you the best surprises!

Dagmar (I LOOOVE my new boots)

Evening dawlin's. Spent some time in the Ontario health care system this afternoon. I will explain tomorrow. Narcotics on board .... must sleep.

So I'm sitting here wearing my sexy new black leather boots. And thinking of taking a shower and maybe modelling some little leopard print naughties DH gave me for Valentine's Day.

Suddenly I hear a noise from the backyard. It sounds like . . .
a Sawzall???

Sure enough. DH has picked tonite to start the demolition to install the connecting door between the garage and the shed.

Hmmm. Maybe if I model the leopard and leather while holding a claw hammer ? I'm sure his comment (he's very focused once he starts a project) will be

"Dear, do you think it's safe to use that while wearing those?"

Perhaps we'll leave this for another time.

Still, it's such a good feeling to put on something that looks absolutely great! All the hunger, denial, sweat, and effort are worth it for that moment you look in the mirror and go "WOW"!

Dagmar (did I mention that I LOOOVE my new boots?)

Hello everone
So it was my third day working from home, and I'm bored to death already . I guess I really need to figure out a plan to make this work better for me.

Not so good on the eating front either, but I guess it could have been worse.

Anyway, just checking in. See you all tomorrow.

I'm wearing my green today! You'd never know it from my name, but I part Scotch-Irish (and part Hungarian--can you say sunburn? ).

I'm really struggling with motivation right now. My on-plan days are POP but I had a couple of off-plan days last week. The problem is that I just don't have a goal to stay on plan for. Since the holidays, my goal was the Mexico trip and it really kept me on target. Now that it's over, there's nothing to stay on plan for. And I just can't decide if I care about losing any more weight. It would be so nice to add a few hundred calories to my daily allowance (or even to see how many calories I can eat and still maintain my weight). Heck, maybe even go out to dinner or have a glass of wine once in a while.

Dagmar: Since you are considering hiring a trainer, you might want to interview potential trainers before you invest in the Bowflex. Once you talk to trainers, you might find you don't need it. The trainers at my gym don't use a lot of the weight machines and they definitely don't use them consistently. They usually prefer the free weights, resistance bands, Bosus, and various exercise balls (all of which are probably cheaper than a Bowflex). That equipment is supposed to be better than weight machines in terms of building muscle because the machines do part of the work for you. The advantage of machines is that they force you to use proper form, but with a trainer helping you, you don't really need that (that's part of your trainer's job). Also, a good trainer will include a lot of variety in his workouts (my trainer never has me do the same workout twice) and the machines limit their options in terms of exercises.

Congrats on the boots! I have a pair of knee-high black leather boots with spike heels that I adore. I wear them with a grey pencil skirt and a white button up shirt. My SO refers to it as my "sexy school teacher" outfit.

Lekhika: How about switching from soups to salads and sandwiches in the summer? I eat a lot of soup in the winter, but when it's really hot, I don't want to cook. You can make some very hearty salads with pre-cooked meat or fish. There are endless varieties. Sandwiches can also be very filling and don't have to be traditional--you could make pitas or wraps, for example.

Susan - I hope you are doing better. Get lots of sleep and let us know how you are!!!

Dag- You never need post your goal pic, so maybe you can put on your Christmas dress, your hot boots, and get DH to put his hammer down to snap a pic... maybe, just maybe, he will get distracted from his project

I had an ok day, but all I did for exercise was about a 20 min walk with DH. Better than nothing, yes, but not much better!