Good morning LWL!

as I'm up early today (3 am NY time),even earlier than mrs Jim, a lovely and chilly good morning from Lyon.
Yesterday was lousy, so we sat stayed home day and did chores. SH actually fixed up the sofa with new grey velvet cloth. Hurray for the handyman!
I got an extra special present on friday: a brand new iron.... so I did that in stead + some other stuff we never have time for.
Have to go now, gym is opening.

Wonderful day all!

GG

G'day mates! Monday is ending here, off to pack my lunch and gym bag. Went to a monday night pilates instead of my Saturday because the instructor is in a wedding on Saturday.... kind of rushed to get there after work but I sure loved those stretches and my back is oh so happy

Must go get some zzzzzzz's.

Have a good one everyone!
N.

Just to tell you that it was someone's birthday on the weekend.... She knows who she is!

It's a BEAUTIFUL day in the neighbourhood here today!!

So on that note it's almost 8AM and I'm off to the gym to do legs, and I'm actually going to wear shorts! The gym will never be the same!!

Back later...

Hi Ilene, Jack, GG & Nola,

Oh, its so nice out today. I cannot wait til it warms up even more. Good Morning everyone!!

Had a great weekend, spent it with hubby just hanging out and doing errands, nothing too exciting but we had fun together. We worked out together yesterday afternoon, my chest & tris were sooooooo tired, it was great. Hubby is squatting 315# - eeks, I was impressed. He's in such good shape, I'm jealous!! And he never cheats on his diet, only maybe 3 or 4 times a year. Its crazy, but at least he helps keep me on track.

Didn't do so well with my Friday evening meal, Mom & I went out for dinner and I was too hungry, I couldn't pace myself. But Sat & Sun were great & today I feel awesome in my size 4 capri's!! Yippee!!! 5 more days til Florida, so I'm going to be REALLY good this week.

Enjoy this great weather if you're getting it. BTW, Ilene, I live in NH, live freezing or die!!

Anne

Hi all,

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I spent the entire day yesterday outside. I did legs and cardio Sat. AM and then went bike riding with DD and one of her friends on Sunday. It was a GREAT!!! Of course, my legs are killing me today. Oh yeah, I went up 20 lbs on both the seated leg press and the calf press. Go Tiki, Go Tiki.

I grilled a bunch of food yesterday for us to eat the next few days..... Man I LOVE warm weather.

How did everyone else's weekend wind up?

Tiki.

Happy Monday all!

Jack, you are inspiring your entire neighborhood. Good job!

Tik, I LOVE grilled food, especially grilled onions, steak, and tomatoes. YUM!

Anne - size 4?!? WOwzers!

Lanaii, how are you doing? You always have the nicest posts. Thanks.

Greekgirl, how DO you get up so early?! I just can't do it, have to get those evening workouts instead..

Today I am wearing my Calvin Klein jeans I haven't been able to wear in like forever. And what's between me and my Calvins? AIR! ha ha ha I waited too long to reach for them and now they are a bit loose!!!

I've always been a stress eater but something has happened to reverse that. Last week was extremely hellish and for the last few days I have really been struggling to get in 1000 calories. I don't know what to do. It seems like I just cannot eat and then when I do I feel like I'm gonna barf. If anybody has any suggestions I'd appreciate it. I wrote a note to myself in my journal, back on track today. I just pray I can stick to that!

The good news is that stress is a great change-inducer. I like windy weather because it brings change. I guess there's a part of me that really identifies with Bill Phillips about how stress is a guaranteed part of life and you can use it to spur your focused goals. (I think this is around page 100 in the BFL book.)

So I'm taking this stress to renew my promise to myself: all the way, no matter what, no excuses. Because when you use excuses, they are all you are left with.

Ok off the soapbox now. I really had to get that off my chest. Thanks.

Jennifa

242/191.5/lookin good

PS I haven't considered competing in bodybuilding competition but I have considered competing in LIFTING competitions.....

Anne - SIZE FREAKIN' 4!!!!! Good for you! Florida I'm envious!!

Jennifa - Loose Calvin Kleins? That's the greatest feeling! So I guess excuses can go both ways -- to force yourself to eat healthy when you are eating too little OR too much... But they are both equally important! I only wish I had the problem of eating too little, but it doesn't happen very often... Jenn I just noticed your numbers there girl, you've lost 50.5#... no wonder your Calvin's were loose!

Hey guys,

I haven't been around much lately sorry - I have been crazy busy with work and the move etc. Dove - I am moving to the Sunshine coast in a month's time and looking forward to the warmer weather!

Eats haven't been good but the food isn't the issue it's the eating bit - I keep forgetting!

Take care all,

JC

Good morning, everyone out there!

It’s been a strange few days. The Boy has chickenpox and he needs a lot of cuddles. The Man’s mother has visited. We only see her about once a year. She’s a peculiar woman, queen in her own castle, queen in everyone else’s, oddly ungenerous, very unaware of other people. She gave her only grandson nothing, not even an interesting pebble from the beach or a leaflet to read. Her only granddaughter receives many gifts. There was scope for things to go haywire but we’ve all coped well, despite the stress. I’ve been in charge of food so it’s been good (!) And she’s gone now. I intend to resume hula hoop training sessions this evening!

One question for you all. I was detailed to meet the Outlaw Mother’s train and it turned out to be 1.5 hours late. So, rather than starve, I went to the nearby Chinese restaurant, made what I thought were good choices (clear soup with meat, paper-wrapped prawns dim sum) but found they weren’t good choices at all (soup far too salty and prawns deep-fried, not steamed). I know some restaurants are a bit more sophisticated than others, and that different regions of China have different food but … what would you have chosen? Or if you don’t have Chinese restaurants, what would you have done? (Pookie - you've answered this question! Very, very good work in the diner!)

Dove - There is no doubt, you will succeed. No doubt about that. One step at a time and please watch out for those falling coconuts and mangoes!

Ilene - 'It's like we're not getting older, we're getting better.' Quite right! Bravo! Encore! Couldn't have put it better myself.

And Anne - size 4?! (I think that might be UK size 8 which I can hardly envisage at present ..)

Hullo to everyone else out there. Have a good day, friends. I'm focusing on digestion today and it's going well so far.

Silverbirch x

Silverbirch - about Chinese food - I usually try to go to a Chinese buffet, which there are many of in the US (!), where I can pick different parts out of different dishes. I will usually have just a little sweet and sour soup, and then will eat unbreaded chicken with veggies. If I had to order off of the menu, it would be "chicken and broccoli", which is a common dish at places here, skipping the rice.
Cindy

Ahhhh, I remember when my crew had chickenpox. DS had it on his 2nd birthday (which was also Easter that year). He was miserable cause he couldn't play with any of his cousins. DD got it when she was 8 mos old. 6 months later, the vaccine came out but I'm glad mine got it the old fashioned way and got it over with. I am leery of new vaccinations. Just keep him cool and happy. He will be up, happy and eager to get into stuff in NO TIME.

I did both bike riding AND running yesterday. DD and I rode bikes up to DS' football practice. After it was over, they rode the bikes back and I ran home. It was pretty cool, but I wore the wrong shoes. My NB's are better suited for outdoor sidewalk running, my Nike's are better for treadmills and cushy indoor tracks.

Food is off again, but not far gone like last week. Rein it in girl, rein it in!

Peace. Tiki.

Chickenpox!! I remember back when I was a kid - all FOUR of us got it simultaneously. What I remember is calamine lotion and the socks Mom tied to our hands and feet to keep from scratching ourselves. (I went through it again during my 7-year-old summer - not from chickenpox but from a week at Girl Scout Camp and the POISON IVY I came across just before the end of the session... )

Wish we had bike riding weather here - it's been raining the last couple days.

Chinese food - I LOVE IT! Unfortunately it's generally very salty around here...at least the stuff I like. Figures. When I was in NYC last November, I went to a Chinese takeout and was able to get steamed veggies with the sauce "on the side" - did my 'dip and stab' like I do with salad. The only issue I have with chicken at Chinese restaurants is that it seems that they generally use a lot of dark meat (at least, that's what ends up in *my* dishes...). I'm not all that familiar with Chinese food other than 'American Style' but my boss just came back from a 3-week tour of China and said the food was delicious. Lots of veggies and fish (steamed mostly). She did have a couple of nights where they were served Beijing (Peking) duck with those little pancakes though. Calorie laden but it sounds pretty tasty...

I'm back!

Wow, I missed you guys and thought about you all every single day, especially Sunday morning after the Saturday night birthday feast (guilt). Yes, it was I who had a birthday, and BIG THANKS to all for your wonderful messages.

Ya know, this had to be the best birthday I can remember. It's been a long time since I have been this happy, if I've ever been this happy. I love being this age - 52 - and I love that I look almost *normal.* I loved the fact that I could wear clothes that flatter me rather than those I used to choose to cover me up. I love that I feel healthy and can do things that I couldn't do well before. The differences between last sailing season and this mini-vacation were phenomenal. However, there was one thing that stood out that truley came as a surprise and has befuddled me:

I've read on these forums, and have heard on TV shows like Dr. Phil and Oprah about how obese people are treated badly, or practically ignored. I never related to that, because I *thought* it never happened to me. Well, it did - but I didn't realize it until people I have seen for 2 seasons, who could hardly be bothered to say "hi" in passing, are now suddenly friendly and talkative. It took a few days for me to get what was going on. I used to think, especially of the folks with the really big boats, that they were snobs. Well, they are snobs, -prejudice snobs. The marina personnel were also very different to us also. And believe me, after I got it, I made a concerted effort to go over and talk to an obese couple, also boat owners, who were new. The experience was quite the eye-opener. I am naive in many ways, especailly because I believe that everyone out there is as nice and friendly as me. Some day I'll learn.

I left by myself on Thursday morning to clean and put things away. I really enjoyed the alone time, but by the time DH got there on Friday night, I about talked his ear off. We got to sail on Saturday and Sunday, but the wind was so strong, I would have preferred it to be a little bit calmer when learning this new boat. It is bigger and heavier, has a steering wheel instead of a rudder, an inboard engine instead of an outboard, and just overall a whole new ball game. But we had a great time and can't wait to go back this weekend. DH left Sunday evening and I came home last night.

Eats were clean for the mostpart, but I didn't do any walking other than the trips back and forth from the vehicles to the boat with loads of stuff. We are on a different pier and the walk is further. It was just like moving. Now that we're pretty much set up, I'll have time to walk/run in the future. I hit my treadmill this morning like a banshi, and will be going down to lift in a bit.

Ilene - my sweetie queen - I forgot the camera so no pictures this time! I didn't wear the red/white striped top because I was doing much cleaning, and with bleach. I did ruin a new pair of pants with the bleach, and ended up making them into "cut-offs."

Pookie - I was reading back and you are on fire, girl! Keep up the great work, and I'm so proud of you.

Hi to everyone! and sounds like you're all doing well!

Jennifa - Hang in! We all have something at one time or another, and we all don't always earn a gold star in the coping dept.

Meg - so great to hear you're back at gym already, even if just to walk. That was awesome news to come home to!

Well, down to lift and I hope to get back this evening and check in.

Hugs,

dip

Soooo Dipster...

Is it okay to talk about this week's episode of Deadwood yet??

Hi Everyone,
The week is off to a good start here. Eating clean, lifting hard. Maybe a little too hard. I did arms this morning, then a client cancelled and I had an extra hour, so I did MORE arms. Another hour's worth Tomorrow they will probably fall off, but that's ok, it leg day Only need to be able to hang onto the squat bar or barbell for lunges. Now that the weather is lovely, it's back outside for parking lot lunges

Who has chicken pox? I must have missed the original post. My dd had it horribly- her back looked like hamburger and I was petrified she'd need plastic surgery, but there's not a single mark. Amazing. My son got the vaccine because the miniscule case he had when he was 6 months old wasn't enough to confer immunity I worry about the longterm, too. We had an adult friend who contracted meningitis after chicken pox ( not uncommon in adults) and died.

Dip- What a wonderful time you had! I had such a similar experience when I lost weight. I always just assumed I was "invisible" because I was a woman over 40. Doesn't say much for human nature that people are so much friendlier now. Maybe I'm more outgoing now too, tho.

I love Chinese food but try to avoid it. When I have it, I write it off as a lost meal. I don't think there are any good choices if you go the traditional dish with sauce route. And the buffets are an invitation to disaster for me.

SilverBirch- Ah, now I see who has the chicken pox! Hope you are coping. Your Man's mother sound like MY mother. You described her to a T including ingoring the fact that I have 2 children.

Hi to all, JC- hope you come up for air soon!

Mel