Howdy y'all!

Another *HOT* weekend here in Sunny Cal has come and gone...

ready for another SUPER week!

First I gotta hit the shower though...

Ok I re-posted this here, since last weeks thread is closed


YIKES!!

I take off for the weekend and y'all were quite busy

Welcome, Red Balloon

I have had a rough last few days to say the least. Long story short.....I am in a job now that I can't stand. I took it after being on unemployment a few months, and the money was good and the hours were also......I come from a retail sales background, so working days and M-F was very attractive. But, it was business to business phone sales - glorified telemarketing. I found out rather quickly I did not like it, but it paid the bills. Needless to say, I have not done well - this company has overhired, and the people hired with me or after me are having problems also. What it boils down to is they are trying to make me quit. Friday my boss was using the fact that I check in with my kids constantly during the day on the phone, and she wrote me up for that and asked if I needed to be home with them, then asked me if this job was truly for me, and bla bla. I know sales/pressure tactics when I see them, and she was trying to use it on me. While I can deal with that, it still upset me a great deal - I have always done very well in my jobs, gotten good reviews from peers and supervisors, and never gotten written up or anything. So, I was quite upset and just did not want to eat. I wanted to curse her out and quit, but that is what they want. And, when I get upset, I don't eat, I don't do anything. Not a good thing.

So, I figure I will start to look for other options....in the meanwhile, if they want to get rid of me that badly they can fire me - at least that way I probably will get unemployment. UGH!!

Thanks for hearing my vent.......I am better now, and only work 3 days this week before I go out of town for another 5...thank heavens!!

Robin

Good Morning to all!!!!
Robin- Hang in there. It sounds like you are going through a stressful time, but you will get through it. Don't you just love insecure people that will sabotage your success to feel better about themselves??????

RedBalloon- WELCOME. I have enjoyed reading your posts, and hope you post often!!

Welcome Back Meg!!!! I hope you are recuperating well. You better be, with Lanaii working you out like that!!!!!!

I am trying to get out of the pity party I have been hostessing and get back on the right track. My weight loss is still very slow and when I weighed at the gym on Sat., I was up 2 pounds. I got so frustrated I could barely focus on my workout. Then, to top things off, I went out with friends yesterday and ate french fries and popcorn. Yes, that's right...BOTH. It was like Carb Fest 2003. I feel very disgusted with myself. ( I eat well 99% of the time). Today I feel like I have a hangover from the trash I ate. I am back on track today though, and I need to keep reminding myself that even if I don't lose these last blessed 20 pounds, I do feel much healthier in this lifestyle. I could relate to the comments about healthy living being more expensive..but the way I rationalize it, is this: The cost of a trainer, organic healthy foods, and gym memberships, etc, is sure lower than the costs of obesity related problems anyday. ya'll have a good day!

Red – Yes, working back and legs on the same day is unusual. I’m not used to it either but I got this workout in a magazine it’s called Escalating Density Training (EDT) , it’s quite different, I’ll type it up at a later date and let everyone know what type of workout it is, maybe next week when we come back from our trip. I usual do a 5-day split, one body part/day. I had done the EDT last winter and gained a lot of muscle doing it so I thought it would be a nice change before going off on vacation and starting the Fall season, gosh I’m talking about fall already!!?? Yesterday I did only ONE leg exercise. Step-ups, one leg at a time, only five reps per leg, 15 second rest in between each set, for 15 minutes straight !!! I was holding 20 lb. dumbbells too! Yikes!! It was tough...

Robin—Sorry to hear about your work issues, but we are thinking of you and sending positive vibes. Hang in there!

Jackie – Gee your Carb Fest 2003 only lasted one meal by the sounds of it, so don’t feel so badly. I like the saying I read on L&S : “You are only 2 hours away from a clean meal” ... so just chalk it up to a mistake and 2 hours later you carry on eating clean ... At least you stopped when you did...

I had just an OK workout this morning (dang sorry Meg). I must say my body was tired from working out 8 days in a row trying to make up for our vacation this week. But I plugged through it although I took longer than usual and in the end I was in a sweat... THEN I came home and I’m doing housework, this is silly but I like the house clean before we leave, because I hate to come home to a dirty house...

Any who gotta go... still have more cleaning to do and take a shower and get to my esthetician for my nails... Later all...

Robin, hang in there! I was in a very similar situation a few years ago, business to business sales and glorified telemarketing. After the first 6 months I hated it but gave it my all. I had been assigned a new product that sold like hot-cakes to the point I ran out of product. I made alot of money but management dragged their feet getting more product and couldn't meet the demand, they told me to promise delivery dates they couldn't meet. Not only were they messing with my integrity, they were messing with my money. And I had to take the guff from the customers when their product wasn't delivered as promised. Talk about stress! 9 hours a day of it. They eventually got more product, I sold it doubling all previous months but I had a bad attitude against the management, so I got fired. First job I was ever fired from. But they did me a favor. Driving home that day I felt so liberated. I then got a part-time job as a cashier in a pharmacy and was happy, which inadvertently led to me to what I do now; part-time - homemaking for seniors who can't do things for themselves but aren't quite ready to go into assisted living. I set my own hours and enjoy what I do. And they appreciate not only the help, but the attention. I get many referrals because I don't over-charge like agencies or take advantage.

Finally saw Seabiscuit last night, and ate popcorn. Also had a few sips of real Coke too. OK, and a few Skittles. But not enough of any of it to make a difference on the scale this morning.

Well, breakfast has digested and it's time to work my upper. Have a great day, y'all!

dip

How many you bought the Southbeach Diet Book and are Beachbunnies as we speak???


Seriously, what's the deal w/this latest 'diet?' Anyone have the word on it?

Hey Mindi- Count me in the South Beach crowd.... I decided to try it 3 weeks ago after reaching a plateau which was not moving. Because I had been eating healthy for so long, I did not have the drastic results most people see. But that was OK with me. It did move me off my plateau at the rate of 1 pound a week (3 total). I would recommend it for short term. The first two week induction phase is difficult and restrictive, but after that it seems pretty healthy. It is fairly low carb, but you can have whole grain carbs (all I eat anyway). It is much healthier than Atkins though, because it involves little saturated fat (unlike Atkins). I am now back to my basic WOE, which is compatible with the Phase 2 of South Beach. Overall, I think it is fairly healthy.

Hey all!

South beach? Nah. BFL is working great for me. 6 weeks and 10 inches gone!

Robin, hang in there!! Call your kids on your break times and write it down. Then, if they want to write you up for that, you can show them that it was NOT on their time. Two can play the written documentation game, and you have the added experience of writing down everything you eat. And remember, no matter what, you are in control of what goes into your mouth!

Here I am week 7, eating clean and enjoying life! I hope that I can get my workouts in the next few days, it's Auntie F come to visit and lots of pain and suffering always follows...

I had a bad bad week last week but I did keep tracking. I had 2 days where I went up to 2200 calories and then one day I ate a chicken burrito at a restaurant because lack of sleep messed up my appetite. Thank goodness I always bring 3x as many EAS bars as I might need - those things ended up saving my week. I don't like to eat them much, but I shudder to think what might have happened...

How did I survive? JOURNAL JOURNAL JOURNAL, WORKOUT WORKOUT WORKOUT. I hope the damage was not too bad. I now understand fully the importance of designating FREE DAY - if you don't, the "oops" factors will add up to more than one day!

Went shopping for new bra and got very annoyed at saleslady who *measured* me at a 40D when my 38C is too big for me. Why don't they listen? I am a tall tall girl and have a different build than most. Next time I am going to pretend I don't speak English....

Jennifa
242/226.5/170

Thanks for the support guys....I am hanging in there. Still on pins and needles today. I will write more later!!

Robin

First off - I am ALMOST officially leasing Dakota!!!

Rode him again in my lesson with Dee Dee on Saturday - we'll be doing the lease paperwork this coming weekend, and the lease will 'officially' begin September 1st. His owner and I get along great! Of course, with the soft market in horses right now, it's VERY tempting just to buy my own horsie at this point... but I am a cautious person by nature - and my plan has always been:

1) lessons until I am a 'competent' rider (Dee Dee feels I'm a 'low intermediate' at this stage, ability-wise);

2) leasing to get a feel for what it's like to actually own a horse;

3) save my pennies and advance in my career until I can truly afford to buy (and more importantly, keep!) a horse of my own.

I guess I'm being even more cautious since I spend a large amount of time at horse rescue and auction sites (my favorite one is www.tierrescue.org). A good many of the horses that end up in feedlots, rescues, or low-end auctions are purebred, registered horses whose owners could no longer afford to keep them. Horses are a HUGE responsibility and I want to be 100% certain that I am ready - both financially and otherwise - to own my own horse...especially in this area where horse board is high priced and in demand!

Also - we went to see Tower of Power at the Fair on Saturday night. They were GREAT - but I think I'd rather see them somewhere with RESERVED seating. The area was PACKED - and from my point of view, there was a preponderance of very overweight, VERY drunk people around. I don't consider myself a snob, but I absolutely cannot stand the smell of beer. Ew! Fortunately we found a great place to stand - right where we had a side view of the band, close to the rhythm section (drums and bass). Francis Rocco Prestia (TOP's bassist for 35 years) is a MAJOR influence for Jim - so naturally he wanted a good view of the bass action. Rocco was out for the past couple years with kidney problems - serious ones - but he seems fine now - he had LOTS of energy!

Gotta run...have a doctor's appt in a few minutes...more later

Congrats Mrs. Jim! Dakota is GORGEOUS. Stay up on your riding and you will soon be expert.

I don't know if you all saw the Arlington on Saturday - Gary Stevens was thrown from Storming Home at the finish line. He's lucky, but still in the hospital, I'm sending healing thoughts to him, hope you can help.

Get well soon, Gary!

Robin hang in there girl. I know it is frustrating though. Sometimes I just wish I could leave here too.

Jackie my weekend was way worse. We had friends drive in and surprise us. I had no food in the house so there was lots of eating out and lots of wine to go with it. Oh well, today is another day and I am ready.

Min I am still on BRx as you know. A friend of mine tried the southbeach diet and it made her feel sick all of the time. She is reading my copy of BRx right now. I am trying to convert her.

I am going to actually get to lift today. I am so happy. It was miserable sitting around all last week and let me tell you my clothes are telling the tale of it too. I will check in later with the results of the workout after a 2 week break.

Hey, Mindi! I did a modified version of SB Phase 1 to restart my metabolism after a month-long plateau and it worked. I was just looking back at my journal this morning and noted when the plateau happened and the frustration resulting from it.

No, I didn't buy the book because there is enough information on the Internet to get the jest of it. I allowed myself the forbidden cup of fat-free, sugar-free yogurt each day. And on the mornings I had poached eggs for breakfast, which was 5 of 7, I had them over a piece of rye toast broken up in pieces. The one significant thing about SB that I continue is the ingestion of low-gly carb vegetables. Also, it got me into the habit of using Fitday.com and measuring/planning, as well as grocery shopping for clean food. The SB Way of Eating cleaned out my system of those bad carbs and sugars that made me want more and more and more. The first few days on Phase 1 absolutely suck - low energy abounds. Also, the first week drinking water all day and into the evening, my sleep was interrupted during the night to go to the bathroom. Not healthy or good for the mood which is effected by the low energy anyway. I still drink at least 88oz of water each day, but try not to drink anything after 6PM. Also, Monday thru Friday whenever possible I strive NOT to eat anything after 6PM. If I get the munchies before bed, and my caloric and carb intake can handle it, I will have a little peanut butter on a piece of rye toast.

I joined 3FC at the same time I did SB, and found this thread, and wonders of wonders, Ms. Meg. When I read her story so eloquently and straight-forwardly written and viewed her photo journal, I determined that's what I was going to do. The Book I did buy is Body for Life, and I consider myself 'in-training' because there is much to learn that is foreign to me. However, the philosophy behind it is very familiar to me because I used the same concept for the past 25 years to change other things in my life, thus my signature line. I have accumulated weights and benches the last few weeks at auctions, and on the look-out for more. But I have more than what I need for now for a total of $51.00.

So maybe because I got so much out of what I learned from South Beach, I should send the good Dr. the price of the book. The result since 7/1 is 10 pounds gone and 4" off my waist, and more energy than I know what to do with some days. For an old fat lady, I'll take it!

dip

hi all,

i haven't bought the south beach diet book but have read a lot of info on it. it sounds too restrictive in the first two weeks and i know that if i tried it and goofed it, i would beat myself up mentally so why bother? i loaned my "skinny" friend my BRx book - she is trying to gain muscle. her hubby practically lives at Powerhouse so between him and some solid reading, i am hoping she succeeds.

as you all know the motorcity was lights OFF for the weekend so i hopped on my daughter's bike friday and saturday for cardio. it was great - good exercise and a great way to cool off. i am looking at a weight bench to use in my house for those days that I can't make it into Ballys. Any suggestions?

Hey gals!

I just thought I wouls pop in and say I'm back - my exams went well but were more gruelling than I expected. The law one I could have kept writing for another 3 hours after time was up - it was very comprehensive.

Anyway now that that chapter is over in my life I can move on to my new challenge. I started it yesterday (Monday in Australia) and so far so good. It’s a mixture of Get Lean and NHE. I put together a journal with a star system a few weeks ago and yesterday I got my gold star so it’s a good start.

How is everyone else doing? Hello to the newbies!!

Well I will be around A LOT more very soon but I have to catch up on work first.
Talk to ya all soon.

JC