Good morning all,

With the lovely weather comes gardening projects. Saturday I went out and bought dirt. Okay, good dirt, but still dirt. We also cleaned off the patio enough to put the chairs out and take the cover off the table. Sunday we started digging a new bed for the berry bushes. It wasn't as easy as we both thought. We had to lift the mulch, cut the ground cloth, and then deal with some larger than expected tree roots.

And the funny part - I've been using the treadmill (consistently) since January. Even jogging a little lately. I've been lifting weights for 6 weeks (seriously). And today, after digging/working in the garden this morning - now, I have a sore knee. Not the usual walking too much one, but behind the joint. Seems quite silly, doesn't it. It does feel a little better this morning, but really, a little digging in the dirt does this?

Ruth - I suppose the positive about this is that you can see better. I'm sorry about the wheelchair. I can imagine that this is something you want to avoid. So do pop in a little more often and perhaps it will help you stay on plan. I don't know why, but posting my daily food choices on my blog makes me a little more accountable (even if nobody is reading it I still think since I'm going to make it public).

Terri - getting two cats to the vets is bad enough. They have to go together otherwise there are massive fights afterwards. I can't imagine doing it with six dogs. Hope you had fun on your trail ride.

Heather - hope you had a good weekend away.

(Hmmm... and I spent mine in the garden)

Lilion - that's what I'm afraid of once I'm in school in the fall. I'm so not a morning person and I doubt I'll get up in time to workout before school. And I remember that I wasn't into exercise after work, although school will be slightly different. Parking at the end of the parking lot will help a little, but probably not enough.

Bernice - hello there

Hope everyone is starting the week off well. Today will be the first day I try to work my regular exercise (including the pool) in with garden work as well. I know, I know, I'm pretty lucky at the moment that I'm not working a job into that as well!

(just bumping this up - next time post in old thread first!)

Hey all! I only have 5 minutes before the work-day starts in earnest so I have to rush.

RUTH! SO GLAD TO SEE YOU POST! Sorry you have had a rough time of it. Keep us informed!

I never got near a computer this weekend. Saturday we had a small SCA event here locally, of course it was drizzly and freezing. Never hit 60 all day and so damp! I never got warm until I was practically sitting on the campfire. Sunday, of course, was beautiful! So I was going to mow and do yard work and realized I couldn't even get to the mower - it was burried under junk. So instead I cleaned the garage. And cleaned the garage, and cleaned the garage. Started at 3 and stopped at about 8. And I'm not done yet. But I can say I got lots of exercise - carrying lumber and junk in and out and organizing as I went. I needed it to combat the pizza and pasta we had for dinner.

It's beautiful today too and supposed to hit about 80! So tonight after I get home, I'll mow the lawn...seeing how it didn't get done and the mower is now accessible.

And my 5 is up! Got to go dispense justice.

Happy Monday, ladies. It's the last week before final exams, so I think it's a good time to get myself back OP. I had a decadent 600 calories breakfast, but that was planned, and I'm counting.

Ruth, Hugs to you, and much love.

Anne, Take care of yourself in that garden! No more garden injuries.

Lilion, Have fun mowing!

Hi all
This is the week I get weighed and I don't think it will be pretty. I have until Thurs. so maybe I'll be down a pound or two by then. Right now I feel like I won't be and I'd like to play the coward and call off, but I really have no good reason to do so. I've just had too many temptations - dinners out with friends, etc. Not enough exercise to burn it all off. I've been working at the computer to get a project done - and that is done now so I'll have a little more time outside. Hmm. No good excuse really
Wish me luck.
Bearcub

Hi ladies,

Weigh-in tonight at the fitness center was good. It has been so long since I've had consistent losses. It feels great. I am down another 2 pounds. And I was able to do 16 minutes on the elliptical.

The weekend at the horse camp was a blast. We rode for two hours both Saturday and Sunday. And my legs are sore! I was a little embarassed by Hammer, the horse on loan to us, because he's so thin and scraggly looking. I wanted to put a sign on his butt that he's not mine or else he wouldn't be this thin. However....I could not have asked for a better trail horse. He took the hills, rocks and water like a champ. I completely trusted him and it was wonderful to ride knowing that he knew what he was doing. We did very strenous riding. A lot of hills and mud areas. Good workouts for both me and the horse. I told the farrier/trainer that loaned us Hammer that he wasn't gettin him back for a while. He's working on making Spanky just as good. But I'm hooked on the horse camps.

Bearcub - Drink lots of water between now and your weighin and get in lots of sweat-inducing activity. Good luck!

Angela - Good to see you. How is it going with your mom and the new apartment?

Lilion - Did you get the mowing done? Come on over to the west side of the state and clean my barn! I need a week off to get caught up. Time to get planting in the garden too.

Anne - I see you're signed up for the Biggest Loser challenge. Me too! Sounds like you're working hard and making progress with all the outdoor chores. Man, I'm falling behind! Take care of that knee. I've had pain in the back of the knee and it took anti-inflammatory to get rid of it. Take care of it!

Ruth - Good to see you too. Hope you're doing better!

Take care and to all!

HI Ladies -- Just a quick check in. I had a LOVELY weekend. We went to FL to see DH's family and spent a lot of time at the beach. I got a little burned, but loved walking on the beach and in the water. The waves were fierce and we had to walk hard not to get pounded onto the shore! We also had a good time with DH's sister and her family whom we hadn't seen in YEARS (not since before I lost weight). It was good to connect and to relax....

Well, the mowing is done, but I did very little of it. I went home from work early to do some other stuff and at 3:00 I thought DS will be home soon, I'll not start until he's home and he can do some. By 4 he still wasn't home - 1/2 hour late - and I was getting frantic. So I went to his best buddy's house and there he was! I said about 2 words to the boys father - who thought he had called - but to DS I said, "GET IN THE CAR!" He said "Mom, I called!" Yeah, he called and left me a voice mail on my office phone - which I didn't get, because I wasn't there! He was in SUCH deep doo-doo and he knew it. So my DS got to learn the joys of yard work. And he'll be learning more the next two weeks while he's GROUNDED! And you know, he didn't say a peep about it...maybe he's learning more than yard work, cause he'd have lost a lot more than free time if he'd complained.

Today, when I get home it'll be weed and feed time. It's raining but should be done by then, so the grass (weeds) will be wet and then tomorrow we should have sun again. Maybe I'll get that yard work done after all.

Good afternoon all,

I'm amazed how much just an hour or so of gardening does me in. It would be so bad if we were just doing clean-up and such, but it's digging and transplanting. I know they're pretty hardy (the berry bushes), but I use the fork to loosen them and then you really have to put your back into it to get them out. The new bed is done with six large clumps of mixed canes. It's a mix of the old canes, plus new ones that have rooted everywhere. Boysenberries are not unlike blackberries - they grow long runners in the summer that if you don't watch it tip into the ground. By next spring you've got a new plant. And then the lovely thing is blooming and you don't have the heart to pull it out, because you'll lose the fruit you know. Three or four years later it's suddenly got 8" plus of tap root. I'll clean up the bed we aren't touching tomorrow and see if there are any gaps. Then I'm going to see if any of the neighbours want the clumps we'll have left.

Angela - the injuries are fleeting (which is good). Yesterday I didn't have any problems with my usual exercising (well a twinge at the knee doing barbell squats), but ended the day with a sore shoulder, elbow and wrist. They seem fine this morning so no big deal. Usually my big deal in the garden are bruises and scratches. I've only scratched myself twice this year (although one was nasty) but I'm a fast healer so that's good!

Bearcub - Terri's advice was good. I'll wish you luck though!

Terri - In a moment of insanity I decided to sign up for the challenge. Everything does seem to be falling into place. My exercise schedule is doable, the work outside is nice (although harder than I expected), and my food is perfectly on track. I've actually increased my cals just a smidge to see if I can find a touch more energy. I was finding by Thursday I was just hoping for the weekend and my two rest days. Now that I'm going to be working outside as well I figured I'm safe adding just a little for a few weeks. If it affects the weight loss I can easily cut them out again.

Heather - a walk on the beach sounds lovely. I know my vacations will be non-existent for the next few years, and that makes me a bit sad. I so enjoy travelling to new places, but I've got plenty of time for that later on.

Lilion - well, at least you now have a yardwork person for the next two weeks.

I can't believe it's almost 6pm. I don't know where the day has gone. Oh well, can't complain since it was a lovely day again. They keep forecasting rain, then changing the forecast. This is always a good thing until you need to start watering because of it.

Hello ladies, How are all of you? I am feeling much better now that the pain has decreased somewhat. I won't take pain meds unless it is a MUST, so I have had to let the advil do the work. Not perfect but it helps.

Yeah, using a wheelchair is not what I want to do, but when it is neccessary I am so thankful my Dr. insisted I have it. Pride goeth before the fall! He knew that sooner or later I was going to have to use it. He took care of it before he retired. Sweet man. Lots of problems besides being obese!

Today I plan to go and see if I can find a new dining set for the kitchen. Oh joy, The one we have is old and getting unsafe. LOL! It is rattan with swivel chairs with arms. I love that old thing and hate to part with it....it is so comfortable! Has nice thick cushions. I think I will have a hard time adjusting to straight chairs. All of the swivel chairs we have seen have casters, not for me! I would probably wind up on the floor.

Thought I would pop in and say my hellos before I move on. Not that I am moving on very well these days. I will be glad when I can bend my knee again! Walking stiff legged will wear you out in a hurry. Oh well, so much for my pity party.

Hope you are all doing well and food is not a problem. Have a happy op day.
Ruth

Are we a dead thread now? Has everyone quit posting here? Hello!

Mornin',

I don't know about anyone else but here the weather has been fantastic and I've been away from the computer enjoying the birds and flowers of Spring.

Food could be better but I'm getting there.
Ever hopeful,

Happy Sunday.

J-Ann, enjoy your nice cool weather. Here in So. Calif. we are dealing with 100 degrees and more fire in the mountains nearby. Supposed to cool down starting tomorrow, and will get down into the low 70's, upper 60's where it belongs.

Today, I stepped on the scale and am down 2.2 lbs. from last week. I started SB last week and am gradually losing. I started at 311 about a month ago and I was doing Atkins, but it didn't agree with me. I have thyroid and pre-diabetes problems and it was too much fat and not enough carbs - don't need many, but I do need a few. So, I tried SB and it works great. Two more pounds and I'll be under 300 - not bad for someone 71 years young.

I won't do much around here today as it is just too hot and my air conditioning is broken. At least it was cool when I got up this morning.

Have a lovely day.

Ruth - we do seem to be a little quiet. I know I seem to have less free time and sometimes get caught up on one thing and let other things slide. I would kill for a comfortable kitchen chair. The ones we have are okay, but not really comfortable. We don't have a large dining area so it's unlikely we'll change them. They don't really encourage you to linger at the table though. I'm hoping for a decent summer so we can eat more meals outside.

Judy - our weather has been unseasonably warm as well so we've been taking advantage of it. Starting tomorrow we're back to colder as well as rain. Although the grass could probably use the rain, so it's not such a bad thing.

Kathleen - the upper 60s and even some low 70s is what we've been enjoying. I know I wouldn't like the 100 degree weather. The warmest we get in the summer is perhaps low to mid 90s, but with tons of humidity. Usually though we won't see that until August. I do think that South Beach is a more reasonable diet than Atkins. In the end I stuck with calorie counting. I'm more of a mid-range carb person. And you're right, not bad for someone 71 years young. My mother is an 80 yr-old youngster. Age is very much a state of mind. Good luck at breaking the 300 pound mark soon!

Me, I'm just working in the garden, swimming a bit and hanging around. I got my big jobs done this week (moving plants from one side of the yard to the other), and today we just tidied up a little. After our rain passes I'll likely just go back to getting the pots ready to plant. I cleaned them all out last fall, so it shouldn't be a huge task. We don't do much planting until close to the end of May, so I've got time.

I'll assume that everyone else is just enjoying their good weather. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.