Stiebena - $30 an hour sounds pretty good to me. It's less than half what I pay.

And you're paying in U.S. dollars (although ours is getting pretty close to yours these days). I did a couple of one-on-one evaluation sessions with a trainer for $75 CN so $30 is a GREAT deal (depends on how good the trainer is too though).

Dagmar

Hello to All!

What a whirlwind life has been for the last while! We've been out buying a new house and me working off-shifts as well. I have managed to maintain my exercise regimen and eating, but haven't seen a loss at all. How great to find all of you still here!

I'm beginning to wonder if I have some kind of issues with grains.... if I don't severely restrict them I end up with a bloated middle and no weight loss at all. Seems like that's gotten worse with age and I think I need to just shift my carbs over to fruits or sweet potatoes/potatoes and such. It is a devilishly hard habit to break.

Anyone else have this thing with grain??

As for the new house, we are downsizing and now that we've bought it, we have to unload a lot of STUFF. Some of it will be a relief to get rid of--I'm thinking of all the fabric that I've never used for all the quilts I never had time to make. Anticipating that this could be a good thing! And glad that I'm still lifting the weights so I can better weather hefting boxes...

So--speaking of summer fare, for me summer is about sweet black cherries! Michigan boasts a good crop and I have 'em daily.

Best to all!

cuppa

cuppa - I'm no doc and definitely not one for self-diagnosis but you may want to consider checking with your doc to see if you have celiac disease (esp. if you notice having other digestive problems when eating grains) -- your GI tract could be getting inflamed from reacting to the gluten (found in several grains, most notably wheat). And congrats on your move & the cherries sounds yummy, *almost* worth dealing with the pits for me

Today I've been good about staying on plan, but I anticipate a busy schedule this week (work & social activities) so it'll be tricky to squeeze all my exercises in. I know Friday evening is shot so I plan on doing a little more on Thursday & Friday morning. Hope I can actually get up early this time around.

Here's my report on the first of my 2 July "seven-days no-white-flour really-clean-eating" experiments. I imagine the week's odd spacing of pound loss had to do with pre-TOM's water-retention.
-
1st day - one pound of above-ticker weight down
2nd day - 2nd pound of above-ticker weight down
3rd day - exact same scale number
4th day - exact same scale number
5th day - exact same scale number
6th day - exact same scale number
7th day - 3rd pound of above-ticker weight down

I feel right on track with my July plan and only have 1 more pound of above-ticker weight to shed. Now for 7 days of emphasis on just maintaining, including some treats to be sure I don't start feeling like I'm in deprivation. Then my next 7 days of really clean eating.

cuppajoe, I am a scrap-saver and don't want to let any go, from backing-size to snippet, but then I'm not needing to move anytime soon. I say, if it brings you happiness to anticipate using it , keep it. If it concerns you and seems at all discouraging, let it go out into the world inspiring someone else. Hugs to you for 'so many quilts, so little time' - I know, I know.

Life is so hectic and I have zero time to chat as I'd like which is disappointing - Best of July success wished for everyone!

I bought a digital food scale. I had been thinking about getting one for a while, so I finally went to Linens N Things and bought one.

I knew that I had been underestimating how much I was eating for some foods. I weighed chicken and my rather large cherries.....wow, I've really been underestimating how much I've been eating.

I had been trying to portion my chicken according to the size of the palm of my hand or a deck of cards, but using the scale is much, much better and much easier.

It's kinda fun weighing things. This is really going to help me to be aware of how much I'm eating, especially as I buy less prepackaged, processed foods and more whole foods.

And I can use it to weigh postage, too.

Good afternoon everyone

I got off work at 6 am this morning and I went to Curves and the grocery store on my way home. I slept from 9 am-2pm and now I have to go back to work (just for a 4 hour meeting though). I need to jump in the shower and fix something for dinner.

Have a great day. Jane

Barbara and Dagmar - good to know that they're charging a fair price! I will talk to my parents about it and see what they think. I used to be involved in fencing, and before than other martial arts (which got pricy!) and I'm not doing that anymore, so they'll probably be okay with kicking in a little bit for a trainer.

GreenT - I have been contemplating getting a food scale as well - interesting to know how helpful they are!

I am having a very off-plan day. A business lunch where they served breaded chicken and eggplant parmesan (no other choices) and it's just gone downhill from there. I also haven't made it into the gym yet and am having trouble motivating myself to go. I really need a kick in the pants. Tomorrow will be better.

GreenT--I love my digital scale! One the best investments I made, in addition to the personal training (and so much cheaper ). I use it at every single meal and most snacks. I've taken to using it instead of measuring--that way I don't have to wash measuring cups, etc.

I really hate to have stuff sitting out on my counter, but my scale and my salad spinner almost never see the inside of a cupboard. I use my scale for postage too! That thing is really worth it's weight...

Yesterday was insane! I couldn't believe how many things were coming at me! The highlight of the day was when my DH and I sat down for a Summerlicious Dinner at a restaurant in Toronto. We haven't been out by ourselves in a long time. It felt real nice! I had the best tasting glass of wine I've ever tasted (probably more to do with the stress of the day and how long I have been craving a glass of wine for dinner, but have been staying OP till then).

Then we went to hear Jonny Lang live. THE BEST CONCERT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO! He is INCREDIBLE! If you ever get a chance to see him live, GO! He oozes emotion from every fibre of his being, coupled with perfect pitch, a huge vocal range. Add to that, phenomenal guitar licks and you have an artist like no other!!

OK, back to the healthy lifestyle plan. I have been hungry tonight, but it sure helps to not have much selection in the kitchen. I biked to my doctor's appointment today. Glad I finally got some exercise in.

I look forward to tomorrow. I think it should be a quieter day. We'll see!

Oh Carolyn, it sounds like you had a lovely evening!

I helped my husband cut rafters and jacks for our porch roof and then went out for ice cream.

I did originally buy a scale for postage. Now it's in the kitchen.

Wheat is a fairly common intolerance. Can you just experiment without and see how it goes? I wonder sometimes is if this is part of the secret why folks have such good luck restricting refined white foods.

Barbara - It's so nice using the scale instead of measuring cups! I love being able to put food right in a bowl or plate instead of measuring first. I love the zero/tare feature! And I don't have to wonder if I put too much or too little in my measuring cup.

Carolyn - It sounds like you had a great time! I haven't been to Toronto since April. I love it there. It's a 90-minute drive for me.

Well, I started my day with a Chai Latte instead of fruit.

Lunch is almost here and all I want is a bowl of cereal with blueberries. Not so bad except it is not OP for me. What to do. What to do.

I have a canker sore. That is a sign of my immune system being at a low. I tend to get canker sores in place of a cold. I find I crave more carbs and sugars when I have a canker sore, which only feeds it further!!!

OK, that's it! I will not feed this insanity! I am going to have a glass of water followed by a vegetable wrap.

Thanks for listening! It helped to check in.

I started my day with a new Quaker Oatmeal and Raisin breakfast cookie.. 170 cals, 4.5 grams of fat.. and quite delicious!! I don't know if anyone has ever had them, but they are whole grain, so it's good carbs, eat it with a banana or something and it is very filling!!

On a side note, I don't know if anyone likes Harry Potter, but I just love the movies, I saw the new one last night and it is soo good!!! I love all of them, but the new villian/teacher in this one is especially evil! Ok, sorry, just wanted to share, carry on...

Have a great day!
Patty

Yesterday started out good (yogurt, coffee and half an egg salad sandwich), but then succumbed to a muffin. Lunch was half a panini with salad and water. Dinner was a lovely blue crab and zucchini spaghetti dish and wine. And I ate the whole thing! I probably should have picked out the crab and zucchini and left some of the pasta. The sauce didn't seem too rich--not like an alfredo sauce, but more of a thin white sauce.

Today started with the same breakfast and then I dropped DS off at the convention center and returned to the hotel where I'll hang out most of the day. It's still early, so no shopping yet. That's where I get most of my walking in.