It's October! It's 4 years since DF and I first started going out Awwwwwww!

Anyways, the weekend has been variable. I did as best I could given the circumstances. I had chicken stir-fry at my friend's on Friday night, however she only had cereal for breakfast, but not to worry since I was kickboxing straight after. Pretty much clean food most of Saturday. Sunday was slightly less clean since I was baking gingerbread men as a trial before the wedding (we are having gingerbread men bride and groom favours!!!) and I them, however I only ate 2, so that was ok! I also picked up some 60% cocoa lindt d'or balls, and I had 2 of them! Er.. I think most stuff was ok until I got a bit bored and started missing DF around 9pm, when I had cereal and a cherry bakewell tart thing. *sigh* Damage limitation though, I turned out the kitchen light and shut the door and shut everything up for bedtime when I realised quite what I was doing!

It's NEW GYM day today! I'm really looking forward to it! I would've made an effort to go before work, but I left my gym card here and my trainers, so I couldn't. Never mind, I might make it tomorrow morning.

I miss this forum! I want to post something! But I haven't found my weights yet. I think today I'll mosey around work doing some lunge walking and push-ups off the desk and so on ... I really liked being a Lady Who Lifts

Morning Fru and SusanB and all the rest of LWL!
Last week was a little crazy, but I'll try to be here more this week.

SusanB-Find those weights! I can't imaging NOT being a Lady Who Lifts! You're going to lose that hard earned muscle

Fru- Have fun at your new gym Sounds like you did quite well on damage control with all the gingerbread people carousing in your kitchen.

We had a second birthday party on Friday for my ds who turned 16 last weekend. He was tired, grumpy, and generally in a fould temper due to a weekend long Boy Scount Camping ordeal, plus his grandparents were sick. Si We redid the whole thing this weekend- everyone was healthy, plus my dd was in town. BIG food on Friday, kind of crept over into Saturday. I managed to keep up the workouts and even got in an extra 3 1/2 mile run yesterday. No weighing, but my jeans are back to falling off.

Last week I quit my gym job and took a job at a new private training studio opened by my old boss. I'm VERY flattered that all of my clients have followed me and will be spending time this week contacting old clients who I've trained over the years to let them know I moved again. Some I lost when I went to that gym last January- it was just too far for some to drive and I'm back nearer the same geographical location where I started. Sooo, I'm hoping I can get some of them back. It's a huge studio- plenty of room for 5-6 trainers with clients to work, a big EMPTY space in the center for all our bizarre stability ball and other balance and functional exercises. I love it!

Today is leg day for me.

Gotta go,
Mel

SUSANJ: Take a deep breathe.....Has your head stopped spinning yet? As if just caring for your 2 year old grandson wasn't enough...If you happen to be interviewed for the show be sure to let us all know when it will be aired.

Hello 2FRU: Enjoy your new gym today. Having a new place to go sounds like a lot of fun. During vacation this past summer I took the opportunity to use a gym in the city I was visiting. Great fun. I tried all kinds of new things because I knew that no one knew me there and if I looked like an idiot, they would never see me again. LOL Oh, but wait, you will be going back....Have a great time! I also love the gingerbread idea. It's a pretty popular cookie in our house too. MMMmmmm.

SUSANB: Walking lunges too and from the water cooler sounds like a great idea. Maybe it will catch on...

MEL: Your new training studio sounds wonderful. I have no doubt that your previous clients will be thrilled to know that you are back!

Have a happy leg day!

My diet was pretty clean this weekend. I survived my 20th class reunion on Saturday. Fortunately they had chicken breasts for dinner. Once I dissected the chicken from its breadding, I was good to go. DH placed a piece of chocolate cake in front of me. I think it must have sat there for two hours before someone finally carried it away.

I'm taking the next two weeks off from the gym. I haven't done this since I began this little adventure a year ago. Hopefully my DS will let me sit on the couch to rest this stress fracture for the next ten days. Maybe if I get all the playdough he could ever want....

Wow! Chocolate cake in front of you for 2 hours! All hail Lydia! *BOW*

I am taking a chocolate cake on honeymoon with us - so I can share the love equally!

Thanks Mel for your response in last month's forum. I know that my goal should be how good I look and how well I feel... but after having a number on the scale be my focus, it is so hard to lose that mentality and work towards a new, and actually better, focus. So I will take advantage of my six months as a newbie and see what happens.

So you guys use your clothes as your guideline instead of the scale? Or, do you use a combination of both? I lost my preg weight about 10 yrs ago, but didn't keep myself accountable and gained it back, plus some. So I know I need some type of measurement for accountability.

I'm very excited today! I am wearing my size 20 petite pants (finally!). I tried them on this morning, expecting them to still fill a bit too snug to wear. I was wrong! I put them on, then checked myself in the mirror and woah they look damn good. To top it off, I put on a top that I bought over a year ago but was way too tight for me to wear. It matched the pants and it looks damn good! I'm going to start throwing my size 24 pants into the give away pile when I get home

As for this weekend: On saturday, we were supposed to go hiking so on friday, I decided to take a rest day from working out. My legs were begging for recovery time. Then on saturday, I was so bummed because it was raining and DF said we couldn't go hiking. So we decided to go shopping. I wanted to try to find some casual pants that fit me so we headed to an Old Navy that carried plus sizes. I was disappointed with their selection and the fact that they told me they don't carry petite length pants in their store. I decided to try on some size 20, 22 and 24 pants in regular length. The legs were too long but I was surprised that their size 20 was comfortably loose. It really made my day. I ended up actually buying a pair of size 18 crop pants mostly because they cost $1 and I couldn't pass that up I can't zip them up but I know I will be able to some day. I also ended up buying a few tops each for $1. We then walked around the mall (which was huge) so I at least got some walking in.

On Sunday, we ended up going to downtown DC and walked, and walked and walked. My pedometer registered at over 15k steps and about 5 miles. I realized that pavement made my legs more sore than the hiking trails that we do.

My eating this weekend wasn't fabulous but wasn't too bad. We ate out a bit and I expected to weigh more today than last week but my weight hasn't changed and obviously my inches went down. Actually on Sunday, we ate out with other people and we were starved when we ate. After having walked around and only had a light late breakfast, we were looking forward to our late lunch. I noticed that my DF and I ate less than others that were with us. It seemed amazing to me. Partly because they are all really skinny and because I would say we all had about the same hunger level when we were eating. I felt like I ate so much but in reality, it wasn't all that much. I was proud of myself.

Frus - what is your new gym like? I'm glad you found one you really like. As for chocolate cake, my mom was a bit annoyed when I told her that instead of a wedding cake that we'd be having chocolate cake from the restaurant we are eating at. I want chocolate cake for my wedding damnit and I'm getting it

Mel - good luck with your new job. It does sound like a lot of fun. If you ever moved to Maryland, I'd be your client

Susan - I'm with Mel, find those weights!!

Lydia - Good job at the reunion. I never cared for the idea of reunions myself and I skipped out on my 10th reunion a few years ago.

Softballmom - The scale is nice but clothes and the tape measure are a much better gauge of your progress. I always liked the idea of buying a pair of pants that fit tight or not at all and then using them to gauge my weight loss. My wedding dress has partly been my gauge for the last couple months. It sounds kind of dangerous but the thing looks so much better now than it did 3 months ago.

I hope everyone has a good week!!

What a way to start the week, thought I had lost my house keys, biked back to the gym and then half way home, DH calls to say they were in my gym back after all. He is so great. At least today is a school holiday so we were not trying to make the Green Turtle bus.

Gym workout was great until I pulled my back muscle, sticking to cardio for at least the next 3 days to ease it out. I took a couple of Tylenol. It was towards the end of my workout and I am thinking I was getting tired and careless.

A new yoga class is starting at 7 on Tuesdays at my gym, just have to see if there is DD coverage,. my SIL is always willing ot help out so I plan to try the class. It is on a trial basis to see if enough people show up.

Farmer's market today - those apples are great, I have to watch it though, I can really put away some serious apples. The market has all kinds of heirloom types, so the variety is wonderful.

I have decided Irish oatmeal is worth the extra money, again with an apple, but it is so good. My next food goal is to try mixing with the egg whites, everyone talks about it, but I am just not getting it yet.

2FRU - What is up with the screaming over 4 years w/ DF??

MEL - so happy to hear your upbeat tone this morning and the new place sounds great.

SUSANJ - How was the weekend??

SBMOM - I use clothes and scale as indicators to my size. Right now, it is more a matter of getting rid of my gut which is really driving me crazy. I don't think my stomach stuck this far out when I was 9+ months pregnant.

NELIE - You are doing damn good in those 20's wahoo. Size 18's for a $1, what is not to love, unless of course it is those seix 16s that are in your near future.

Off to get some protein drink, thought I had some in my desk, but don't, so am off to Whole Foods for a packet.

I was screaming over it being October...

My new gym is luvverly, I used dumbbells that had what weight they were printed on them, rather than having to count up the plates. I used a lat pulldown machine that has a little shelf to rest my workout notebook on, and a wicked cable seated row machine. I used the assisted dip machine too! Then I did an eliptical trainer for a few minutes while my friend was finishing - it had no arm thingies though The BEST thing about my gym is that I can stroll there, do my workout and have 10 minutes spare to do some random cardio before I have to stroll back to work!

I am going to go to a Pilates class there on Wednesday after a good workout. Oh and there's also a bosu ball thingy that I find hard even to get on, let alone do any squats or anything on it! They have a vibroplate too, but it costs £5 for 20 minutes!

Afternoon all. It's a crazy day here at work - basically we're shorthanded, and will be most of the month. It means that I spend more time working on the circulation desk and my admin work gets pushed aside.

Had a good weekend. Did a great cardio workout on Sat morning, then a square dance demo (about 40 min dancing) at a Fall Festival in the late afternoon. It was a glorious day and there were a lot of folks there. Not sure how many were interested in seeing us dance but it was fun anyway.

Ended up taking yesterday as a rest day as when I was planning my week, I realized that I have nothing to prevent me from going to the gym every day after work this week! I have one meeting at 7:00 on Thurs, but that's still enough time for a weights session, and a possibly a short cardio. Just need to pack some food....

Frus and Mel - new workout settings! Whoopee. They both sound loverly.

Softballmom - I watch the scale, but I am much more aiming for a clothing size. I know from long experience that as long as I exercise, I can wear a smaller size at a higher weight (does that make sense?) It means that at ~170 I can wear a size 12 and look like this.




This was taken when I was last at 166, which I'm shooting for again. At 61 this makes much more sense to me than being a wrinkly, out-of-shape 135!

Liza - sounds like me getting halfway to work and trying to remember if I turned off the curling iron! Grrrr. Whenever I go back it's off, but I'm just afraid that someday it won't be.

Lydia - hope your leg heals with a couple weeks off it. My SIL stepped in a hole over the weekend and broke both bones in her lower leg She's seeing an orthopedic guy today and find out what has to be done. She's hosting Thanksgiving for all of DH's family (in Maine) and I've sent off a quick note to let her know that I can do the work - but as we've already got plane tickets, we're going!

Okay, time to eat before my lunch hour is up - leftover flounder and beans, with an apple for now or later. I love apples too! And there are such good ones this time of year.

Frus, I can't believe it is October either... time goes by so fast. Last October, I moved in with my DF I only have a a month and half until my wedding and any weight I need to lose before then! I'm going to shoot for 249 because I'd love to be in the 240s. I already know I'm going to be in the 250s.

I also had a very exciting thought today. The thought is merely: Size 16. I would love to wear a size 16 pant. I've never worn one before. I know I'll need to lose 30 lbs or so before I get there but I am excited at the thought! I also know my current size 20s will be baggy when I'm a size 16. I'm shooting for early next year

Uhm. Yeah. I DONTthink so. Trust me had it been the right kind of chocolate cake then I would not have been able to pass it up. This was just your standard issue chocolate sheet cake. Not so hard to do. Now. If DH had placed a piece of german chocolate cake in front of me, well that would have been different. Besides, I was far too busy "working" the room so to speak. Most of the people at the reunion I had not seen in ten to fifteen years. I'm also glad to hear the new gym scene is going to work well for you. Being able to walk there from work is also a great bonus. Less time traveling means more time sweating!

NELIE: You must have found the sale of the century this weekend. How fun. And congratulations with your new pant-o-meter. You will be sporting those new crop pants soon too. I hear you with the whole petite sizing thing though. It is sooo hard to find pants that are short enough. I sometimes even put on petites and find that the legs are dragging on the ground. You can often hear me grousing in the dressing rooms about someone else's idea of petite.

SUGAR CUBE: I really hope your back is feeling better this evening. Waking up in the middle of the night with muscle pain is not fun. Enjoy the apples at the farmers market. Heirloom apples sound wonderful. I just rarely make it to our farmers market but when we can it is worth the effort.

WATERRAT: YOUR POOR SIL. She broke BOTH of her lower leg bones? OMG. I hope you make a mean pumpkin pie because I bet the job will be yours this year.

Wow, if she has to have it pinned... YIKES.

Yup, both bones. We're waiting to see what the ortho has to say about pins/plates, etc. I do make a mean pie crust. Thank goodness it's a skill like riding a bike. I make only a few pies for DH these days, but they still come out fine! I'm more than willing to run the kitchen on T-Day for her - it's what I'd be doing if I stayed home, plus she has this cool new stove!

Morning gang!

Cardio done, chest and hammie workout on tap later.

Back later for personals!

Mel

Good morning gals!

I'm doing well - feeling great after this morning's cardio. I didn't get any in this weekend due to a bum knee - I have a very tight ITB (iliotibial band) on the left leg, and it pulls my kneecap out of place. If I happen to bend my knee while it's like that, the knee becomes irritated, swells some, and puts me out of commission for any repetitive activities for a few days. I'm working on getting it more flexible, but could use more ideas - does anyone have any good ways to stretch your ITB? It's pretty hard to isolate and thus hard to stretch!

Food was pretty good this weekend - only a few snacks, so no real free day! Hurray for me!

My engagement ring is feeling a little looser these days, which is a welcome sign that I'm moving in the right direction - my hands and feet always would get a bit smaller first, then my body would follow.

I made Dad's Great Green Chili from the EFL book this weekend - if you have the book and haven't tried the recipe, do! It's wonderful! I only use half the green chilis and no jalepeno, and it's nicely spicy for me. If you like spicier food, by all means add what is suggested.

Speaking of the Eating for Life book, are there any other recipe favorites out there? I used to make the Singapore Shrimp a lot, but the shrimp prices are ridiculous lately!

Well, time to get to work - I could spend all day online if it weren't for my job!
Cindy