Alright, that last one was getting a wee bit too long for me!!!

You guys are so right about that $@^@*$ scale! I never should have allowed myself on it yesterday. Aargh!

Copperblu - that's great you finally got some cuddle time with your dh! I am taking advantage of the time I get with mine now, because come spring/summer/fall he'll be working lots of overtime. He's an ag mechanic, so he works farmer's hours and then some!

Have you checked out the St. Petite's thread? If you are interested, they are a great bunch of people -- lots of support!

MiniMony - I wouldn't feel too bad about a couple of days of little splurges -- it's the overall picture that counts right? And you are doing so GREAT!!

Well, I'm off work tomorrow, and so will not get to a puter til Monday! So have a great weekend ladies!

MarvinTM


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166/162/130
St. Petites Goal - 158
7 Inches Lost So Far!!

Hi guys!

Great idea to start a new thread, MarvinTM! So much scrolling!!

I saw the St. Petite's club + thought about posting in, but I don't know if I have the stamina to add another group on my list to keep up with! I'll keep it in mind though.

I'm glad to hear you got your Kashi! I love mine, and only like it more and more as time goes on! It makes me feel like I'm starting the day off healthily too, which always makes me feel good.

Good news! I exercised last night (Firm: Basics Fat Burning), bringing my week's total up to 3 (which is my minimum goal)! Yay! It's becoming more and more habitual to just pull out the tall box + pop in the tape when I get home, even if I'm tired, which is great.

Had my healthy burrito for lunch + dinner yesterday (Kashi for breakfast of course). Doing mostly well on the eating, but I have to beware the urge to snack in the late afternoon. I know in my heart of hearts that I'm not actually hungry, that I feel that way because I haven't been as good about drinking my water lately, but it feels like hunger...

I allowed myself my weekly weigh-in this morning (of course I cheat + check in sometimes during the week to make sure I'm still on track + not fluctuating wildly) -- lost another pound! That makes it a total of 3!
I measured myself too -- it looks like I've lost an inch here + there, but I'm going to hold off on declaring those results as "official" yet, since I can't be sure I'm measuring exactly the same place as last time. I'm allowed to measure again in 2 weeks, so then we'll know!

Signing off + wishing you all a good weekend! My mini-goal for today is to drink my water!!

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-copperblu
160/157/130

Hi, I'm ageoldie, and I've been posting on 3fc for almost a year now. I am down 30 pounds from where I was when I started. Yes,it's been slow, but maybe that means it will stay off. I have been watching your thread for a while now and decided to jump in. Tell me about Curves. Is it large, small,coed, girls only,indoor pool? What do you do there. Do you the the circut, group sessions, or just work out on your own? I've been a member of one club or the other about 12 years now. (By the way, I'm a old hen, not a spring chick) I have done mostly water exercising for the last few years because of arthritis in my knees. I recently changed jobs and am working for a large medical center hospital. By working at the hospital I am eligible for a 50% discount to the health club associated with the hospital. It just happens to be the top of the line, state of the art facility in the Dallas area. I joined Monday, and aI went Wed & Thurs mornings and did my water workouts, but the have a treadmill that is underwater!!! I walked on it for about 6 minutes to start with. This next Wed morning I have an appointment with a personal trainer to do an assessment on me and set me a program to follow. I can't wait.

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Barbg
288/258/156

Hi Ageoldie!

(Ok - I copies this from what I wrote on the St. Petite's thread -- call me lazy!!)

Curves for Women is SENSATIONAL! I adore it! I am like the best unpaid spokeswoman in our town!

Curves is circuit training. There are 18 stations in our circle. (other ones may vary - there are different machines available)

Every second station is a platform that you jog/walk/dance in place on to keep your heartrate up. Then the other stations are machines for resistance training. There's 3 for legs, 2 for arms, 1 for butt, 1 for abs, etc... You do each station for 35 seconds at a time (which is way more than enough!) and then you change to the next station. (They play a cd that tells you when to change stations, as well as dance music to keep you going) Also, every 8 minutes, they stop you and get you to count your heartrate for 10 seconds, and then, using a chart on the wall, you figure out if you're doing too much, too little or just right!

You do the circuit three full times, with a stretching session after. The best part is that it only takes 30 (40 with stretching/changing) minutes to do, and it's as hard as you make it. Some days, like yesterday, I really work hard, and it was satisfying, but other days... well, it's still a good workout.

They also have a diet program, which I haven't been very interested in. It's mostly a limiting your carbs sort of thing, with a meal regimin for the first couple of weeks. I'm not really into having to follow someone else's plan, so I just keep following my own reasonable goals.

Anyway, I highly recommend at least trying Curves if you have the opportunity. The one here lets you have your first workout free to try it, so you wouldn't be out anything but a little time!

I love Curves! (Did I say that before?!?!??!?!?!?!?) I am unable to motivate myself to do exercise on my own (like videos or walking), but because I am going to Curves with my Mom and coworkers, I feel an obligation to go do it, even when I really don't want to. I was swimming in the mornings before, but I found it too easy to skip it! With Curves, I go right after work in the afternoons, so it's like an appointment, and then it gets done!

Also, check out www.curvesforwomen.com for info...

More later,
Marv




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166/162/130
St. Petites Goal - 158
7 Inches Lost So Far!!

Ok, I'm back!

What a long weekend! I went shopping on Friday and then went to see "The Cast of Beatlemania" (Beatles impersonators) with Mom. They were excellent! Pretty good eating on Friday -- not enough water.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty quiet days spent with dh. Again, not enough water (noticing a pattern?) and no actual exercise. I did buy a second hand Kathy Smith video on Friday and had great intentions on doing it on Sunday, but.... (lazy, lazy, lazy!)

Yesterday was Family Day here in Alberta, Canada, and we spent it with dh's family. Ate really well - didn't overdo on portions and only had a small serving of dessert. Apple crisp with saskatoon berries instead of apples - yum!

Anyway, back on track today for exercise. I'm looking forward to Curves today, and will weigh-in again for the St. Petite's!

Wish me luck!
Marv


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166/162/130
St. Petites Goal - 158
7 Inches Lost So Far!!

Back again! Hi ageoldie, welcome!

This weekend I was so pleased because I went for long walks with DH + even squeezed in 30 minutes of Pilates Saturday AM before DH woke up! (note: remind me not to do those int./adv. tapes again before I get used to a beginner tape! OW!)

But THEN, like an IDIOT, I went and stepped on the scale after my happy weigh-in on Friday! By my scale, it looks like I gained those 3lbs back! I know that can't possibly be right, but as we all know, of course it makes me upset anyway! So dumb!

Sigh. Well, it's a brand new week.
T: Firm Basics Fatburning
W: Firm Basics Sculpting w/Weights
Th: Firm Basics: Fatburning
F: unlikely to exercise

I'm annoyed because not only does the scale show a gain today, but I /know/ my eating is going to be all messed up this week. I /had/ healthy lunches planned, but now I have to go out w/my boss one day + have a business lunch on another! So frustrating!

PLUS, I want to move on to the beginner/intermediate rotation from the Firm's website, but the 2 tapes I ordered that are necessary for the rotation are on backorder!!

Gah!

Thanks for letting me vent. Hopefully the exercise tonight will improve my mood...

Hi gang! Welcome ageoldie

Well, after an unintentional break I got an exercise workout today. I've been suffering from a sore shoulder since around Valentine's Day. And I have used that as my excuse not to exercise for the last week. Never mind that I probably could have done cardio or lower body just fine. Basically I'm lazy.

Here's my plan for the week.

Tue - Kathy Smith Step workout
Wed - Firm Basics: Abs, Hips Thighs; abs; Karen Voight Stretch
Thur - Tae Bo & Crunch workout; abs; upper body weights (hopefully all the soreness should be gone)
Fri - Firm Basics: Sculpting w/ Weights; abs; A.M. Yoga
Sat - walk; abs
Sun - rest


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Mony
179/162/135
valentines day goal - 164....yes!
st. patricks day goal - 161


Progress not Perfection

Hi all!

MinyMony: Welcome back on the wagon with me! I know how you feel about the laziness! But just think -- if you truly were lazy, you wouldn't be getting up + trying again, and you wouldn't be taking care of yourself like you are. It's hard to come back from an unplanned break or a little slump! ****, I find it hard to come back from the weekend. You're not lazy, you're dedicated!

MarvinTM: Going back over the thread, I saw something in your post that absolutely applies to me -- not enough water on the weekends!! I have my water bottle with me all day at work + generally get at least 64oz -- but it all goes out the window over the weekend! And then I wonder why I'm tired + feel hungry all the time on the weekend! I've got to start carrying a waterbottle around with me on Sat + Sun too.

In news: I exercised last night, as planned, and even (shh!) looked forward to it! Egads!
I also figured out that one of the videos for my next rotation that I thought had been shipped incorrectly (wrong tape), is probably the right tape after all. For some reason they've taken to calling it by the same name as another toning tape, but it's 44 minutes long, which the other tape is not. So I'm not grumpy about that anymore.
ALSO, I learned a valuable lesson about counting one's losses + gains before they're "hatched". I should have waited to see if my weigh-in of 157 stayed for a few days like I did at 158 to make sure it was a real loss + not just a fluctuation. And I should have avoided the scale on Monday + not taken it so seriously (especially after a dehydrated weekend). Because I'm back down to 158, which is where I was stable for several days + is much more valid as an estimate of my current weight. NOT THAT I SHOULD CARE! (stupid scale).

Boy, I can't WAIT until my 2 weeks are up + I can measure again so I don't have to rely on that ****able machine for my progress reports.

I'm ALSO trying to remind myself that I'm not doing this for purely cosmetic reasons, and even if I don't show a loss as quickly as I'd like, I'm definitely getting healthier. I feel better about myself, I'm already not as easily winded, and I even sleep better too. I should be proud of myself for sticking to this, even if I don't lose weight right away. So that's my internal mantra for the week. Otherwise I run the risk of getting discouraged + falling off track because I don't /see/ immediate results. And I DON'T want to fall off track.


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-copperblu
160/158/130

I had a terrible day yesterday! A customer came in and reamed me out for something someone else did! What a great way to wreck my entire day...anyway, let's not dwell...

Oh, copperblu.... tell me about it! Water on the weekends in impossible! I can make myself drink losts all week at work, where I'm a "captive" audience and my bathroom is less than 10 feet away from me, but as soon as that weekend hits, the last thing on my mind is water, or exercise!

BTW, great vent! I felt the exact same way when I weighed last week, when I knew I ws bloated from TOM! What a bonehead I was!

And just do your best with the lunches out this week! That's all part of learning to eat healthier, making it through eating out, without going completely overboard. I know you can do it!!!!


Hi MiniMony! Great to see you've come back to us! ITA with Copperblu that you aren't lazy! It does take commitment to get back on track, and I have that problem every Monday!

It's hard not to see immediate results. I admit to being disappointed yesterday when I weighed in at 162 still, although I was glad to be assured that the 163.5 from last week WAS water weight! But, after I ran across my yard with my dogs on Monday night, I could still talk! There's visible progress!

Yak, yak, yak.... I better shut up now!
Marv


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166/162/130
St. Petites Goal - 158
7 Inches Lost So Far!!

MarvinTM: Congrats on running w/the dogs! I think that's among the list of "little things that count" that we should keep in our heads as real measure of our progress!
I noticed today that I could touch my toes! I am not a toe-toucher, believe me. That small increase in flexibility is just the sort of little boost I need to remind me that I'm on a lifelong path to fitness..."slimness" just happens to be a great side-benefit.

Thanks for the encouragement regarding eating out -- I talk a big game about eating healthily when dining out, but the truth is that at a good restaurant, I always cave and order "bad" food, because I don't want to "waste" the opportunity. I'm fine with ordering just a small burger at a fast food place or whatever, but set me in front of a menu of entrees with at least 3 adjectives in their description and I'm putty!! I've got to remember that eating something better for me isn't "punishment", and is still yummy, enjoyable food.

On the plus side (literally!), I've been feeling too hungry throughout the day lately, + it occured to me that maybe I was eating too little -- so I calculated my BMR (I'd forgotten it), and lo and behold, I've been taking in about 300 calories LESS than my body needs just to operate healthily!! No wonder I've been so hungry, no wonder I'm not losing as quickly as I think I should be --- my body's gone into starvation mode!! It's true you must reduce caloric intake to lose weight -- but that means reducing the # of calories you consume for maintenance, not going below your BMR, which is extremely counterproductive. My maintenance intake is about 1900-2000 cal/day and my BMR is about 1500. I've been taking in about 1200. So from here on in I'm upping it to 1500-1600 per day, which is still about 500 cal less than what I'd need to maintain -- which should result in weightloss -- but not so little that my body holds on to every calorie in desperation.

I'm gonna go get me some string cheese!

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-copperblu
160/158/130

Ok, so let me get this straight... I just went and checked my BMR, and it's between 1500-1600 calories a day. And my maintainence level is 1900-2000 per day. (hee,hee, same as you!)

So.... I should aim for about 1600 calories maybe? I've actually usually around 1800 according to my dietwatch journal, so if I could cut out a little more, I'd probably see more loss, right?

Are any of you on WW? I don't do any sort of plan, but I am coming to the realization that I am probably underestimating my calories. About the only "plan" that I know of that lets you eat what you want is WW, but I don't like the idea of joining a group. I guess what I'm thinking is maybe by having the materials (points calulators etc...) I could keep my self more accurate and accountable. What do you all think?

Thanks!
Marv

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166/162/130
St. Petites Goal - 158
7 Inches Lost So Far!!

Very interesting guys!

How would I go about calculating my BMR? What's the formula? Ever since I've started journaling my food at www.dietwatch.com I've noticed that quite often I eat TOO little food.

BTW, I weighed 162 on Monday...but I won't even tell you what the scale said today. Talk about fluctuations! :confused:

copperblu How are you doing on the Firm Basics tapes? I think I am starting to out grow them. I still enjoy Sculpting w/ Weights but I really had to push myself to get through Abs, Buns and Thighs today. I didn't break a sweat at all - that feels like a wasted workout. I have a couple of the Classics tapes that I'm going to try. I've heard they are much more intense and I'm kind of intimidated....wish me luck.

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Mony
179/162/135
valentines day goal - 164....yes!
st. patricks day goal - 161


Progress not Perfection

Hi guys!

MarvinTM: I think that your plan of cutting another 200 cal out per day is a good one -- that's an extra 1400 cal per week! Let me know how it goes though, and we can trade feedback to work out the best calorie range for us (seeing as our BMRs are the same + all ).
I'm not on WeightWatchers -- I just keep a little log on my own. I also plan out my meals ahead of time though, so that makes it very easy; I bring my breakfast, lunch, + snack to work, so I always know the cals, fat grams, fiber, + protein of what I'm going to have that day.
Incidentally, one of my best investments in that area was a little kitchen scale -- that way I can measure out 10oz of carrots or whatever + not underestimate how much I'm eating. And of course I also measure out my Kashi portions + so on.

MinyMony: Like you, I feel like I'm starting to outgrow the Basics tapes. I never had Abs, Buns, + Thighs, so I've just been rotating Fat-burning + Sculpting w/Weights. I feel like I'm ready to take it to the next level -- but NOT to the scary Classics yet! I was going to do the beginner/intermediate rotation off the website + see if I like it -- I have Prime Power Lower Body, but am still waiting for Prime Power Fat Burning. I definitely feel like I need a step inbetween the Basics + the Classics!
About the BMR, I used to know the formula, but have forgotten it, so here's a link to a website that will calculate it for you based on your height, weight, sex, and activity level: http://www.mentalagility.com/bmr.htm

In news:
I exercised last night, which was quite a feat. I was very proud, because I was convinced the whole way home that I was going to bag it + crash on the couch. But I didn't! Boy, you've got to love force of habit! Also, I told myself I'd have no one but myself to blame if I felt fat later this week, because I had the chance to do something good for myself + didn't.
Lesson learned -- I can't get home later than expected w/out a healthy snack inbetween, because my faint hunger turns into a rabid desire to eat everything that isn't nailed down.

And that's the news over here! What's the "weather" like over there?


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-copperblu
160/158/130

Yay! Yesterday was the second day in a row that I got all my water in! And then some! I was so thrilled with myself...

And then, when I mad supper last night, I omitted the ground beef from the recipe for a good savings on cals & fat! And hubby didn't even notice! Double yay!

Copperblu, I wish I could preplan my meals ahead of time. I just cannot force myself to eat anything that I don't want. That's part of my problem. For instance, last night, I made myself a tuna wrap for lunch today, but even last night, I knew I didn't want it, so I ended up bringing leftovers instead. All I can do is try to make the best decisions that I can at that time, right?

Had another great workout yesterday, although because the outside temp is a bit warmer than lately, I sure noticed the difference at Curves. It was harder to get really moving, because it was sooooo hot in there! I can't even imagine what it will be like IF we get a real summer! Yikes!

Anyway! Enough for now!
Marv



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166/162/130
St. Petites Goal - 158
7 Inches Lost So Far!!

Hi all!

MarvinTM: I know what you mean about forcing yourself! I think I have an easier time now just eating whatever it is I planned because I went through a long period where I really didn't have the luxury of choosing, because my budget was that tight. So by now I'm used to just eating what I brought. I don't plan each and every day down to the last calorie -- I just buy some stuff for lunch, like black bean soup or the makings for a huge salad w/tuna, or I estimate what leftovers from each dinner I'll be able to take in during the week. I keep stockpiled, so if I don't want the leftovers I was planning on taking that day, I just grab a can of healthy high-fiber soup instead. It doesn't really matter, if all of your options are essentially healthy.

In news: the good news is that I exercised last night as well, bringing me up to my minimum of 3. The bad news is that I'm getting sick + feel horrible. I'm hoping that a lot of rest this weekend will head off the beast. But then soon after it is TOM! Gah! I really hope this doesn't throw my exercise program off track, because I'm really pleased with how dedicated I've been.

Other good news: although I can't see a difference, hubby noticed my butt was much firmer! I thought he was joking, but it's true! Underneath that fat I can feel firm muscle! And I'm much less jiggly. Hooray for hover squats! Progress reports come from the strangest places.

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-copperblu
160/158/130