Starting the topic - be right back

Carla - I KNOW the stopping eating 2-3 hrs before bedtime is a benefit for me. I had that *urge* right before bedtime and if I had given into it, I know I wouldn't have stopped with that one thing. I envisioned my metabolism sucking out some of the fat in my stomach - like Oprah mentioned - and it helped! You are too funny about the exercise goddess, Carla, but good for you for getting on the bike. I hope you get to the point where you thrive on it - if not, you'll certainly get to the point where your body misses it if you don't do it - hang in there - consistency for a couple of weeks should get you there!

Tahoemom - welcome back! Working around your mom's house ceratinly counts as activity - you had a built in stairmaster! I had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's but I am very glad that the holidays are over! I'm glad you are joining the challenges!

Sabrina - Wow - that sure was a lot of coffee you were drinking! Way to go for getting to the gym regularly. I think it's a good idea to ease back into journalling and counting points. I wish we had your weather - it snowed a little over night - it's turning into quite a winter for us here in the northeast.

Tony and I had a great time this weekend - he lost a bit and I won a bit -all within budget. I ate moderately the whole weekend although I didn't count points. I also went to the fitness center, ran for about 20 minutes (I surprised myself at how long I was able to run) and did some weights #4). The trip up was a bit hairy at times - there were a lot of accidents and it took us twice as long to get there as usual but thankfully, the trip home yesterday was smooth sailing. Since I missed my meeting again this week, I'm posting the numbers from a few weeks ago. I'm going to stick with cutting off eating at least 2 hours before bedtime - I hope that helps my weigh in on Saturday!

Judy
163.6/156/135 (numbers from 2 weeks ago)

Hi all.

Tahoemom - Welcome home. I agree that all that hauling boxes up and down stairs certainly counts as exercise.

Sabrina - I cut down on caffeine several years ago at the advice of my doctor and I feel the better for it. Now when I have more than a cup or two of regular coffee during the day, I feel it. Good for you for all those trips to the gym.

Judy - Last night I allowed myself to go to bed with that "hungry" feeling. I ordered my metabolism to start sucking the fat out of my butt first. Let's see if it listens to me. Of course, if it decides to start with my stomach or thighs first, that's ok too. Glad to hear you had a safe trip to CT, a good weekend, and an easy drive home. I'm betting your weigh-in on Saturday will be spectacular.

I did so so over the weekend. Friday we got a late start so we went to the acquarium instead. Between the stairs going into the building and all the walking up and down stairs in the oceanarium, plus the hike between the parking lot and acquarium and back, I think I got in another whole workout. We went to a Peruvian restaurant for dinner. I stuck with chicken and rice (and french fries - Peruvians eat potatos in some form with everything, I think) but left at least 1/2 of my meal untouched, so I ended the day at maximum. Saturday we went to the Art Institute, but the special exhibit - Michelangelo and the art of the Medici era - was so crowded that I didn't go through it. I can't take crowds like that. We went to a Mexican restaurant afterwards where I was less good, thanks to the two sangrias. Still, I ate mostly grilled meat, so not so bad. Yesterday was a bit too snacky. Today I'm firmly back on track and fully expect to be within points. All the walking Friday and Saturday left me a bit achy yesterday and today, so no bike, but I'll be back on that for sure tomorrow. It's getting to be PMS time, so I'm going to have to be really careful. So far I've been craving raw veggies with my homemade ff garlic dressing/dip. If I keep those cravings, I'll be ok.

Have a great day.

Carla

Hi all,

As promised, I weighed myself this morning and it was great news!

162.5, down from 166.

Now if I can just get below 160 -- that has always been a HUGE hurdle for me in the past.

Yeah!!!

Sabrina

165.5/162.5/135

Hi everyone!

Tahoemom - welcome back! Stairs can be a great exercise. That's great that you're joining us in our exercise challenge for the year.

Sabrina - congratulations on a great loss! That's really great. Nice to hear your determination to carry on. Wise to cut down on your caffiene too. I only drink one or two cups of coffee in the morning, if I don't quit by noon, I'm awake till the wee hours in the morning.

Carla - what a nice weekend. Can't say I've ever had peruvian food. Good for you for ignoring the hungry feeling in the evening. I'll be walking beside you on your bike tomorrow; I'll be the one on the treadmill. And no, I didn't get my weights yet...well I sort of did. Mike was off the other day, so I told him what I wanted, and he came back with this he-man dumbbell set that I'm making him take back tomorrow.

Judy - you *are* our exercise goddess! That's very immpressive being able to run for 20 minutes...all those cardio tapes are paying off! Glad that you had a nice weekend away. And even nicer that you won a little! I did my #4 session today, only 236 to go!

I changed my avatar; that's Jasper back in October snoozing on the kitchen floor. He's much bigger now, just as cute. My weekend was good...right on track for a good loss tomorrow. Did cardio and weights at the gym after work, tomorrow will be a hill interval on the treadmill.

Have a great day everyone!

Karen

Hi again.

Judy - forgot to give you a woo hoo for running 20 minutes on the treadmill. That's great.

Sabrina - Congrats on a terrific loss! I'll be sending you a lot of positive vibes to ease you on your way below 160!

Karen - Could Jasper be any cuter? I don't think so. Congrats on a good weekend. I'll keep my eye out for you on the treadmill tomorrow while I'm on my bike. As we progress on this exercise challenge, we'll have to calculate whether we've logged enough distance to have met up with each other half way between Vancouver and Chicago. Or perhaps we can bike and walk to Judy in New York.

I've had a great day. I'm one point under maximum - making up for the weekend - and fully intend on keeping it that way. I figure if I post that intention, I'm more likely to keep it.

Good night to all.

Carla

Carla - I'm with you - wherever my metabolism starts suckin' out the fat is fine with me. Sorry to hear about the sangria - I know how that works ;-) We went to a South American restaurant with my parents during the summer - I think it may have been Peruvian. We had yummy chicken and yup, there were fries. I'm so glad to hear that you had a great day - I'm sure it ended that way! I hope the achyness (sp??) is gone. What is in your ff garlic dressing??? LOL about biking and walking to NY. BTW, I'm going to be in Chicago in April. I'll have to email you the details - maybe we can hook up for a cup of Joe?

Sabrina - Super loss - way to go! I'm sure you will get past the 160 hurdle. I'll bet all our positive vibes will send you below that 160 mark soon.

Karen - Jasper is too cute!! We just got a scanner (for Tony's business) and I'm going to have to try to get a picture of Max up here. Way to go on the workouts! I really like the fact that we can talk about where we are on the challenge - it helps me stay motivated.

I had a good day yesterday - I wasn't very motivated about exercising - I think I had some sinus problems yesterday because I was feeling a little congested in my head in a head-achy kind of way. I decided that I didn't want to get behind on the challenge in January to start off so I got on the treadmill (#5) to check out one of the heart rate programs. I did about 25 minutes of walking (with a tiny bit of running) but I didn't set the max speed or incline high enough to stay at the target heart rate - oh well, live and learn. I may try the same program again later in the week and see how that works. I did OK foodwise - I cut off my eating 2 hours before bedtime - I wonder if it *ever* gets any easier. It certainly has helped in the evening snacking department which you all know is my biggest problem. I have a dentist's appt this afternoon - last week a piece of a crown broke off. I may end up getting home a little earlier than I normally would working in the city - if I do, maybe I'll try a new yoga tape I got.

Have a great one!
Judy

Hi all,

Judy - You're going to be in Chicago? Terrific! Definitely e-mail me the details. I'd love to get together. Yep, sangria does indeed happen. And this was very good sangria, so it happened twice. I make my garlic dip with 1 point worth of ff sour cream and 1 pt worth of ff mayo. You could use all mayo, but using 1/2 sour cream gives it more volume and I'm a volume eater kind of gal. Actually, I used to love getting salads loaded with creamy garlic dressing and this is a way to re-live that. The achiness is all gone, thanks for asking. Sorry to hear about your achy head and your broken crown. Good for you for jumping on the treadmill, even though you didn't feel like a workout. You might not have been within your target heartrate, but every bit of movement helps.

I did indeed end the day one point under minimum. I had quite the argument with my metabolism just before bed. It tried to seduce me with the peanut butter Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich that was in the freezer. "Come on baby, you know you want it and you have the points, so who gets hurt?" it said. But I told it to shut up and find some fat to feast on. I was strong and I prevailed. It felt good. I've been on the bike today so I'm one more workout closer to my goal. By the way, I found a pretty good way to satisfy a pizza craving. Pillsbury makes a refrigerated pizza dough that you roll out on a cookie sheet. It's by the biscuits. I used a ff pizza sauce, some chopped peppers and chopped onions and ff shredded mozzarella cheese. It was good. It's not a pizza parlor pizza, but it's every bit as good as frozen - John thought it was better than frozen. And I calculated it as 6 points for 1/3 of the pizza. That's two nice sized slices. Definitely going into the menu rotation.

Have a great day everyone.

Carla

z;#?ies, Congratulations to all of you for exercising. I am starting a Women on Weights class through the community college tonight. I am looking forward to it. I haven't gone to Jazzercise since getting back from my trip. I had planned to today, but the bath tub called my name, and I figured since I had a few hours before my youngest got home from nursery school I could indulge myself.

I weighed myself yesterday, up 2 pounds I found a empty notebook and am using that as my journal, it is small enough to fit in my purse.

Carla I'm going to have to try the pizza it sounds like something the whole family will eat.

Hi everyone,

Tahoemom, good for you for taking the Weights class. I've been weight training since last June, and feel the benefits enormously.

Carla - Let's meet in the middle between Vancouver and Chicago (probably somewhere in Montana) then we'll head over to see Judy in New York Yay for you for ignoring the Skinny Cow - sounds like he was very persistent! Now that your legs are feeling better, get on that bike and head west!!

Judy - not setting the incline or spped high enough just means you're in better shape than you thought. That's a good thing! I'm sure that it'll get easier for you to not to snack after you get used to it. I do most of my snacking late afternoon, so evenings aren't a problem very often. Once I started declaring the kitchen officially *closed* after the supper dishes are done and out of the way, and everything is tidy & the light is turned off, I don't want to go back in and mess it up.

I weighed this morning, thinking it was Wednesday, but I'll check again tomorrow before posting. Had a good unplanned sneak peak. Eating has been good, drinking lots, and am heading for Montana on the treadmill after dinner

ttys

Karen

Minus four pounds this morning!

Hi all.

Tahoemom - Good for you for starting the weight class. How did it go? Building muscle really helps boost your metabolism. I plan on getting going with my weights very soon. Two pounds over the holidays isn't bad and it's certainly a managable amount to get back off. It will be gone in no time.

Karen - Montana it is. We should have some toned butt and thigh muscles by the time we get to New York, don't you think? I'm hoping we get there in summer so we can have one of Judy's tomato sandwiches. Do you think you could hold back a bottle of your wine and bring that with you? I'l have John bake one of his terrific apple pies and ship it out to us. Not low cal, but after all that exercise..... Congrats on a good sneak peak and what, I'm sure will be a good official weigh-in.

I'm pleased as punch to post a 5.4 weight loss! I know most of it is probably water, but it's good to see none the less. If I keep up the good work, I should be able to go to the doctor at least a couple of pounds lighter. Ended up the day with three points unused yesterday. I'll be hopping on the bike in a bit - as soon as I get my pot roast going in the crock pot.

Have a good day.

Carla

Way to go Carla and Karen!! You both had huge loses. You have made me determined to get on that treadmill today.

My class looks like it will be great. 32 women of all different sizes and fitness levels. We didn't do much yesterday, a few crunches and lunges. Most of the class period was spent going over business. Today I am suppose to take my measurements. It won't be pretty.

Carpool should be here any minute and then I WILL make it on to the treadmill.

Again congratulations on the great results of all that hard work.

Karen - We were posting at the same time. That was a great loss! Congrats.

Forgot to post my stats, so here they are.

271.4/266/140 (244 - 1st 10%)

Way to go, Carla! You must be thrilled. Like you, I'm sure a lot of my loss was water, but I'll take every ounce with glee! Mike got my weights yesterday, so I'm all set to go at home as well as the gym.

Tahoemom - you sound pumped! I knew you'd enjoy your class. Before I started going to the gym, I was terrified...but like in your class, there are women of all ages, shapes and sizes just trying to improve their health, and nobody pays any attention to what I'm doing anyways.

Have a great day!

Karen