Just finished my healthy breakfast of 2 poached eggs and some flaxseed toast. Good start to my day. I have also packed some fruit and made some im. crab salad for my lunch which I will pack into a ww pita. Moving forward I am trying anyways. Called the guy at the gym got a price I am pleased with it will cost me no more than the current one which went out of business. This is a top rate gym Golds Gym with a pool etc. My ins. pays 300.00 of it as I choose this year a healthy and fit ins. program. Very exciting for me and I am pleased to have a clean place, new equipment and a pool with lots of classes here too. I am trying to get a friend to join me. That would be nice but if not I will go it alone. They have a trainer that will take a small group out weekly and introduce you to a different area of equipment and exercise. I may ck that out. So wed. is it after work to meet the guy and get a pass til Oct 1st. when my ins.starts. Feeling good this a.m. and I agree with Judy sometimes just wearing an outfit that is different puts a spin on your well being for the day. I have recently purchased a few new things and am wearing a new top today. Feels great!

Judy your doing great keep it up. Just think before you know it the numbers will be where you want them. Being determined to reach them is the thing to do and sounds like your motivated to do so. I am trying to get my #'s in the 160's! That for me is an accomplishment one I am striving for.

Marie good for you jumping back into the pool and gaining back your motivation. We all seem to be doing well at this time.

Penny have a safe trip I couldn't recall exactly when your leaving but have a great time with the family.

Hope our other friends return soon Nikki where are you????

Oh forgot to mention that the one coworker got the job she interviewed for. So some changes are due our way. I think this is not a bad thing cause when folks are unhappy it makes the moral go down across the board. Work is tough enough without extra tension. SO bye bye I say!!!!!!
Take care girls.

Judy - I followed your advice about irrigating my sinuses and it seems to be helping. I found a new product called Nasa Mist which is a pressurized spray containing sodium and bicarbonate of soda. It's in a little can - kind of like a mini whipped cream can with about a 1" nozzle. It's quite handy to use and you can spray as much or as little as you need. I hope your visit to the nutritionist goes well tomorrow.

Marie - You are doing so great! You're inspiring me to get back to my lowest weight (this time anyway) of 185. I was at that weight for about a split second and started gaining slowly. At least I'm staying well below 190 now and I'm hoping to maybe even lose some on my trip as I'll be doing more walking.

Carol - I'm glad you found a gym - it sounds very nice. It's good that these days employers are giving people the option of a gym membership as a benefit. I've also bought a few new things lately and it's nice to be able to easily find something that looks good on me and I don't have to stand in front of my closet wondering what will make me look less heavy!

I hope everyone else is doing well.

I'm leaving on my trip on Thursday so I'll be incommunicado for about 10 days as I probably won't be near a computer (my parents never got one). It will be a strange feeling as computers have become so much a part of my life. If I get desperate I can always check out an Internet Cafe (they have lots of them over there). My family will probably be surprised to see the change in my appearance as my hair is totally different and I've lost about 40 lbs. (3 stone over there!)

Marie, so you cought your hubby's eye, huh ;)? That's always nice, and especially when it's rare.

Carol, your meals today sound yummy! And I'm glad that the situation at your office is still on the upswing! Good luck with the new gym.

Penny, we will miss you while you're away, but I'll think of you when ever I watch BBC America. :D And don't check your email unless you have lots of time...it really stacks up quickly. Of course, the easy thing to do is to just come directly to this site and avoid your inbox altogether.

This morning's weight (drumroll, please...): 221. I know it will go up and down over the next few days, but it was nice to see it, finally :carrot:. I did 40 minutes on the cardio machines this morning, and ate on program until late this stressful afternoon, when I absent-mindedly (:stress:) inhaled half a cup of cashews--practically a day's worth of fat for someone on a low-fat diet. So I just had veggies for dinner, and am about to make a protein shake for dessert.

I was trying to watch The Biggest Loser, but I can't. The soap opera music, and the drama hype, are driving me insane. I'll just peek in later on to see how people look as their weights go down. I pasted before and after pics from magazines into the front of my diet log (yes, I'm still keeping it!).

Hope our other posters come back!

judy

Penny I wish I could see your families faces when they see you for the first time. You go girl cause its not easy to turn over a new leaf and make a difference for yourself. It takes a lot of effort. We are all very proud of you and your accomplishments. Have fun and we all would love to hear from you during that time but if we don't we totally understand. Just enjoy!

Judy sounds like your getting it down there soon it will be below that mark how exciting. I am stopping at the new gym today and most likely will start thurs or fri. One of my all time favorite gift shops os going out of business so I think I will venture to take a day offto do some early christmas shopping thurs. My intake yesterday was good maybe a bit to muc coffee but I drink it blk. Thats one positive thing.

Marie hope all is well and everyone else too!!

Hi, again--

I was dragging this morning, so it will be my official morning off from working out. I get to have one a week, unless there are extenuating circumstances (like being lazy :p). If I feel peppy this evening, I'll do something. I've eaten on program today, Eggbeaters and ham for b'fast, almonds for morning snack, and a LC chicken and spinach for lunch, with a side of chickpea salad. I'll have a burger and salad for dinner. I forgot to bring an afternoon snack, so maybe I'll have one of the veggie burgers in the freezer if I'm feeling hungry later.

Carol, I wish I were organized enough to do Xmas shopping so early! Sometimes I'll see a perfect gift for someone and buy it, no matter what time of year it is, but I've been know to forget that I have it, and find it some months after the holiday :dizzy:.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying not to be so quick to "tweak" my program. Too much ad-libbing isn't good for me.

Ladies, I hope that no news is good news! Even so, come back and reassure us!

judy

Judy, I totally agree that I can't ab lib. Straight calorie counting is the only thing that works for me. Sorry about the 1/2 cup of cashews. Don't you hate when they disappear and you don't even remember enjoying them?

Carol, I agree about when people look for another job, there's a reason. So did your current employer as this co-worker to stay and match the salary??? If not, take that as a BIG compliment.

Penny, you're flying off tomorrow. Did you know I think of you every day??? I love my orange blossom soap. I think I'm an addict, I stand in the shower and sniff the bar for quite some time. I do love it so. The first bar is getting thin but 11 to go. Enjoy you time with your parents. We'll just hope you don't shock them so much with how great you look that they have a heart attack. 40 pounds is so significant!

I swam again today. I'm getting the art down of how totape my wrist and hand. The first day I left the thumb out and that hurt a bit, and I also didn't make it go up my arm enough. Monday (swim 2) I did a back dive into the pool. DH said no but I did it. Probably the worse backdive of the season but that's okay. I couldn't break the water with my hands. Today, I taped it perfectly and front dove as the back dive was hard on the arms. The front dive wasn't easier but at least my ribs don't hurt. I've also improvised the splint for normal wear as my wrists are really thin and the brace wasn't holding it steady enough. Now perhaps it'll start to improve.

Cals for yesterday adn Monday 1210 -1220 both days. Walked the doggies 1.5 miles both days and SWAM 1/4 mile on Monday. So exercise is good. So is food. Even the evil square box is being nice these days. I'm weighing daily again and trying not to be mad at gains. (I'd been losing for a week straight and yesterday it said I'd gained .6 pounds. Today it plus another .2 was gone. I'm thinking that the every day may have more fluctuation but then I see it go away faster. Truly a mind game...)

Well, time for my nightly ice cream cone. TTYL.
Marie

Judy - I was thinking of watching The Biggest Loser. I've never watched it but I heard that Alison Sweeney was the host and I used to enjoy watching her on Days of our Lives years ago. The sound effects seem a bit distracting though, so maybe I'll just peek at it now and then to see how they are doing. I just finished watching my first ever "survivor" type show - Design Star on HGTV. It was very good and I'm rooting for Kim to win - she has an amazing sense of style and taste but is completely self-taught with no formal interior design training. You can look up all about it on the HGTV website if you're into that sort of thing.

Marie - You're a real trooper doing all that swimming and exercise despite your injuries! Sounds like the scale is cooperating these days. I'm glad you're enjoying the orange blossom soaps. I'm taking a couple of little bags of the petals I had left over when I made your soaps and some cucumber loofah soaps for my Mum.

Hi Carol, Nikki, Jennelle and Emma - I hope all is well with you.

I'm off to the airport soon, I can't believe this trip has come around so quickly! Thanks everyone for your good wishes for my trip. I'll have a "cuppa" for you when I'm over there and if I can get to a computer I'll check in and say "hi".

:wave:

Hi everyone may I join your thread ??? This morning I woke up in a good mood...still a little sleepy but I put on my sweats and a T shirt and got on the ab lounge to excersise....and it woke me up :) Now I am here at work and I have been drinking water all day long, and had a trailmix snack and now I am going to eat my left overs from last night. I didnt grab a ton of it...but it is spaggetti. Just a small portion is all. I also brought fruit. So far so good... how is everyone doing???

Bon Voyage, Penny!

Hi, JayaGoddess :welcome2:. Nice meeting you. Good luck on your mission, i can relate to that. How are you planning to reach your goals (besides staying awake on the ab lounger :D)? I'm on a lower-carbs, god fats plan, and working out most days.

Marie, you little water baby, good for you! When it gets too cold to swim, you'll be happy that you made the extra effort, despite the problems with your wrist.

I did well today. My weird snack combos are helping keep me full--half an apple and an ounce of smoked tofu, or four celery sticks and 2 oz. sliced ham--in the morning and afternoon. I've also discovered chocolate-covered Altoids, which totally quell that late afternoon must-eat-now-or-else panic that drives me to an extra 200-calorie snack.

Take care, everyone--judy

Thank you Judydc...!!! What my routine has been so far is I get up and walk the dogs in the morning for like 15 minutes, of course they do most of the walking....then I do the ab lounge for 10 minutes because I am just starting out with the excersising. Towards the end of August I went to the doctors for a regular physical. When I stood on the scale I kept seeing the nurse move that darn metal balance and the weight up farther and farther. I was afraid to ask my weight. I said so how much do I weigh. She says oh 230 pounds I was like feeling so much heavier after she told me that. When I got home I sat down just wondering well I am over way over weight and I need to do something. I started to changed my eating habbits. And then in a week I lost 5 pounds. Next I started a body cleanse because well I am sure that my body could use the cleanse. So I weighed myself this morning I lost 2 more pounds. I now weight 216. So I have so far lost a total of 14 pounds. I have not had a soda since last weekend... and I am not going to lie I do crave it a little but I have been really good in just drinking water. I have cut back on my food intake because I was eating like everything junk food. Tonight I will be going to the gym in my complex and walking the treadmill. I will do that for 15 minutes. The starting tomorrow I will be doing the treadmill 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the evening. :)

Oh so this morning I have had the following:
(1) Cup Of Trail Mix
(4) 8 oz of water
And in 15 minutes I am going to have a chicken pot pie for lunch. I brought fruit an orange and an apple for a snack. I think the only thing we have left at home is hot dogs, so that is going to be dinner...not so great but have to eat ..... Tomorrow I am going to shopping for all the right healthy foods. This weekend is going to be a real challenge for me because I will be home with my teenagers ......!!! Meaning no junk food .....hehehehehehe :)

Welcome Jaya. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Do you read the nutritional labels on the trail mix? I was always under the impression they're really high in calories per serving. If yours aren't, what kind do have? That would be a great snack.

The scale continues to be friendly. I am blessed that the scale was so evil a week ago Tuesday after the sweatbox of southern Cal and not eating great for a while. I'm down 9.8 pounds from that awful weighin. I know about 4-5 was mostly bloating from bad foods and the traveling, but I'll count the rest. I'm now 4 pounds lower than when I went to Alaska. I'm even wearing my jeans - I've avoided them since I got back. Just in the nick of time for the weight loss as the high this weekend is supposed to be only in the 60's. Brrrr. The jeans will make it better.

Yesterday Stats: 1290 (a bit higher, but ok) and walked 1.5 miles
Wednesday's Stats: 1178 cals and walked 1.5 miles and swam .25 mile

I am so thankful it is weekend. This has been a horrendous week at work. I'm guessing next week won't be better but I get a reprieve for 2 days. 3 hours, 34 minutes till weekend!!!
Marie

:cheer2:Hi Marie,

Ya um about the calories on the trailmix well....I didnt check that... I am going to go shopping tomorrow, and am going to look to see if there is anything that has low calories...hahaha..the other trailmix that I have seems to have gotten stale....blah....:)

I am looking forward to the weekend....sort of scared because I have been doing so well and wondering how well I will do this weekend...I think I will do good. :) I need to go and get more water though because all the water I am drinking is going quickly ...hahaha... :) Well it is 15 minutes until time for me to leave for home yay!!!!! :)

I hope all of your have a great weekend, oh and I am sure I will check in tomorrow because I will be heading to the library to go online. I dont have internet at home.....thats a real bummer.....but hey less time sitting on my butt I guess....lol.... talk to you people tomorrow.... Bye !!!!!

Good morning! This is my last weekend to myself for a while. My sinuses are really bothering me. I got up and put on my workout gear but so far I haven't done anything :(. Maybe it's not meant to be today, we'll see. The scale is still at 221.5, and I would like to see 219 before going to the nutritionist on Wednesday. So I'll eat lightly today, work out later if I perk up, and focus on kicking this congestion to the curb.

Jaya, there's nothing like having a lady in a white lab coat say your weight out loud as she writes down on a chart! I always say the same thing: "Well, it was [four pounds lower] when I weighed myself this morning!" But alas, the number she wrote doesn't change. And I as I get off the scale, I move the slider down so that it's under 200...it's pathetic, but what can I say?

I love trail mix, but I agree with Marie, just a 1/4 cup is usually a lot of fat, calories and sugar grams, but it's hard for me to eat so little of it and walk away. I'm sure you'll figure out what will work for you. The main thing is that you're being intentional, not just eating whatever.

Marie, wow, despite all your adventures this past month or so, you're still doing great :carrot:. Although i'm picking up a faintly negative vibe regarding work ;). Hope you enjoy every minute of your weekend.

I need to do some chores today--laundry, groceries, bills--and will go into the office for a bit on Sunday. It's beautiful outside, so I'll be sure to spend time walking out in the sunlight. I am sticking with my planned meals and my log, but I didn't work out yesterday, so I want to be sure to ride that stupid bike or get in other workouts almost everyday between now and when I leave town next Friday. So mucus, begone! I need to breathe!

Take care-judy

Hi everyone!

Judy have you gone to an ears, nose and throat specialist? You sound so much like my sister in how many sinus infections she had. She went to an ENT and they did some hocus pocus (surgery) and she's been pretty much infection free for a year (I remember one this past April). There actually could be something clinically wrong that a reg. doctor doesn't find. This is a do as I say, not as I do since I mentioned to DH that if my wrist doesn't start to improve in 2 weeks that I'll think about making a dr. appointment. Today is week 4 since the accident.

So Judy, where are you going next??? I don't know how you do it. We went over the mtn. today and I'm wiped out. I hate traveling 75 miles more or less all over the country.

Jaya, you've bummed me out. I had hoped you'd found a lo-cal trail mix. :( So where in California do you live? I live about 6 miles from the Cal-OR border.

Today DH walked the doggies with me. We went the big block minus the big hill since I can't walk down it. I walk up it every day, but down would kill the knee. Then we walked all over Lowes and Costco. 2.5 miles on the doggie walk and probably another .5 to 1 mile in the stores. I only counted the doggie walk. We bought supplies to start building the pedestal for our wood stove. Nowhere had the piping and DH will buy it in town this week. I'm so excited to have a fireplace. I just hope the asthma willl stay at bay during its use.

Drum roll, I lost another 1.2 pounds. I have 4 more to see my lowest ever and about anther 3 to where I was last spring.

Yesterday's stats: 1212 cals and walked 1.5 miles

I'm starting to think I'll stay on Marie's Induction period diet for a while (that's my 1200 cal goal). I'm liking losing weight regularly. :)
Marie

Hey all!! I really missed you guys! I've been back for over a week but was so busy with work I never got the chance to post on here. I just got the chance to pop in and say hi. Everything is well, I didn't gain which is good. I'm still on program and trying to get exercise in whenever I can.

Will post later :hug:

Hi everyone, things are going good today. According to the scale, I gained .8 but since that's not physically possible, I'm not worried. I think the weighing everyday is making gains and losses more in perspective.

DH and walked the doggies 1.5 miles today and then we went out rock "shopping" in our yard (several acres) for the rocks that will be part of the base of the wooed stove. It's looking cool.

Right now I'm watching Nascar and Packer football - yes 2 TVs on at once. And I'm surfing. I was researching double coverage health insurance in case we add DH's insurance during open enrollment. Trying to decide if it will help or hurt. I need more info on mine but the federal employee insurance websites are much nicer than mine. So we'll see - I send mine an email requesting info on double coverage.

Emma, I'm glad you're back. I thought you stayed on vacation. :) Good job on not gaining.
Marie

Hey everyone! I'm trying to find the time to post on here which is really hard with all the idps and salary reviews going on at work.
I think I'm going to revise my birthday goal, there is no way I can be 225 by 19th Sept which is on Wednesday so I'm going to make it my goal for September instead.
Did 20 minutes on elliptical and 30 on treadmill yesterday *yay* hoping to catch my exercise buddy later for an hour of exercise in the evening.
Food wasn't great yesterday, will try to make up for it today.

Penny ~ I hope you had a safe and easy trip

Jaya ~ Welcome to the thread, I hope you'll love the support here as much as I do.

Judy ~ I hope the congestion easies down, go easy on the exercise, I know how hard it is when you can't breath! Let us know what happens with the nutritionist.

Marie ~ I wish my vacation was longer, it was amazing! I was weighing in everyday before I went on vacation and you do get upset sometimes when the numbers go up so I decided its not worth it. I wouldn't count the .8 as a gain either. yay for 1.5 miles done, how is your wrist feeling?

Carol, Nikki and Jennelle ~ Hope you guys are doing okay!

:dust:

Emma, it's not doing great. No improvement, no worse. I'm actually thinking of calling my dr. for a consultation on it. Now that my swimming season is over :( because we're taking down the solar panels early (long story) I don't care whether it's casted. I have my priorities right - swimming was more important than the wrist... I don't get into specific goals anymore that I can't control (number of pounds) only the one I can (number of calories consumed). Som my goal is an average of 1200 or there abouts for the enar future. I figure I control what I can, the other will happen when my body is in the mood. BTW, the scale was even meaner this morning. Amazing that I gained another .4 pounds when I ate 1200 both Sat and Sun. It's not irritating me as I know it's a fluctuation (probably because I had loads of fiber this weekend). But, I do give the scale a nice view or my middle finger. :) just for the fun of it.

I did a 5:00 am doggie walk - another 1.5 miles. Now that swimming is over, I'll have to find something to give a little exercise after work. I need to really try and get into yoga. I need to work on my balance and coordination (as the bike accident suggests I have none of). Maybe I'll stop at the store and find a beginner yoga DVD. Yoga for Idiots??? I think I've see that before. I wish blockbuster rented them to try.

Back to work. Yuck!!!!
Marie

Yikes. I think my head's going to explode! Not from the congestion, but from work--too many things do all at once, and people are steady coming up with more for me to do...

Emma, I'm glad you're back. With Penny on vacation, and some of the newer folks taking a while to get into the swing of nearly daily check-ins, it might be a little quiet for a few weeks. You did well to maintain during your vacation. Good luck with your new-tweaked goal for next month.

Marie, don't think too much about these fluctuations of less than a pound. Hormones, water retention, etc....even if your calorie counts are off by a few hundred calories, between your careful eating and exercise, you've gotta be on the right track! I thought you were anti-yoga :yoga:. I like the Gaiam/Living Arts Yoga for Weight Loss.

Still fighting the congestion, I think we may be in the early stages of infection (yet again). I'll have to break down and see my doc so I can nuke the germs away...it might be useful to see a specialist, but because it's just annoying, not debilitating, it's hard to get my primary care doc to take it seriously.

I'm still on program. Based on two days' weigh-in, I've changed my official weight here to (drum roll, puh-leeze) 220.5! :cheer:. My weigh-in with the nutritionist is Wednesday, so I'm doing my best to be as close to 219 as possible by then. Macy's had those Rocket/Magic Bullet blenders on sale for $25, so I've been having fun using them for shakes (instead of my old stick blender).

judy

Hi everyone, today is a much better work day. I was with Judy on the workday woes yesterday. I have a pile of stuff and more gets dumped on my desk and that's more important. My boss dumped something more on me and I said I was working on her project that teachers have been clammering for - so which one did she want. Apparently the project won. But by that point I'd had enough. I hate the "drop everything, my stuff's the most important" mentality.

Yesterday's stats: 1225 cals and walked 1.5 miles. The store I stopped at discontinued carrying exercise DVDs - is that another sign of America's obesity problem??? So I still don't own one. I may go to KMart as Walmart is the only other option and I hate them. Maybe I'll do Amazon and just wait. Both the marts are evil. Today lost the .4 of yesterday's gain but not the .8 yet. C'est la vie. It'll go when it wants.

Jaya, try evening those calories out more through the day. From what I've read, skipping meals is a great diet downfall. I hope for you that your dinner was good cal-wise (and taste of course).

Judy, I hope your day is going better today as mine is.

Carol, where did you go?
Penny, I hope your trip is wonderful.
Nikki, where are you?
Emma and Jennell, I hope your diets are going great.
Marie

Thanks, Marie, today went much better than Monday, I still feel as if I'm running behind a train. Re videos, I've bought 'em online from Collage Video. You should try Googling for the site where people swap their old fitness DVDs. I wonder if anyone on the fitness threads here know of the site. Some cable networks now have FitTV, which is an on-demand channel with a library of videos. I just found out today that the yoga studio that I went to a couple of years ago, for "gentle" yoga, has reopened. It's in my neighborhood, and I really like the owner, so I hope to check it out soon.

Hey, Jaya! How's that treadmill? I wish I could go all day on one meal, but I'm a grazer, especially if I'm in one place (like the office). Bagel, cream cheese and lox :drool:. I can't eat bagels (problems with gluten), but sometimes I have lox, sliced tomatoes, and string cheese for b-fast with some other veggie. Your motivation is good, keep it up!

I ate on program today, a small b-fast 'cuz I was running late (one chicken sausage and a glass of kefir), half and apple and a string cheese for a snack, a big salad and mixed nuts for lunch, and celery and sliced ham for afternoon snack. I didn't work out this morning (running late) so I'll bike for half an hour after work. I wonder how long I'd have to ride it to lose another 1.5 pounds? :ebike::ebike::ebike::ebike:

Hope everyone is doing well.

judy

Oh, what a beautiful day we're having! I wish I could spend more time outside, enjoying the sunlight, instead of sitting behind a desk. I'll be running around this afternoon, though, dr's appointments and getting my hair done later on.

Jaya, I don't know if there's a set amount you're supposed to drink. Once I read that you should aim for at least 8 oz for every 20 pounds you weigh, but I've also read that 64 oz is a plenty for anyone who isn't out running in the heat or something. So I aim for at least 64 oz, and usually drink closer to 80 oz. Plus eating lots of fruit and veggies also adds to your water intake. At first I was rushing off to the bathroom every few minutes, but now my body complains if I don't stay well hydrated. Mostly it keeps me full between planned meals, and helps me tell the difference between thirst and hunger. Sounds like you're on top of it :carrot:.

I did a cardio video this morning, had a protein shake and a couple of slices of ham for b'fast, and a slice of smoked tofu and half an apple for a snack. I'll have veggie soup for lunch. My weigh-in is this afternoon, so I'm not taking any chances!

Hope everyone out there is having a great day!

judy

Judy ~ I agree with you on the water, 64 oz is plenty. Good luck with your weigh-in, let us know how that goes :)

Jaya ~ I've never had fresh artichokes but I love the canned ones. I usually chop them up in salads, on pizzas and in pastas. Sometimes just like to eat them on their own with a squeeze of lemon. I think your doing well on your diet and exercise, keep it up!

Marie ~ I always get my videos off Amazon, they have a wider collection and I remember visiting a website that lets you see snippets of the videos, can't remember it now. I got my beginners yoga video off there, the best yoga, stretch and pilates videos I've tried are by gaiam.

Carol, Nikki, Jennelle ~ Hope you guys are doing okay!

I got my exercise in yesterday with my buddy. We chatted the whole time we didn't feel that a whole hour has gone by. I did elliptical for 20 mins, treadmill for 20 and the recumbent bike for 10. Don't know but my knees started hurting when I was on the bike so decided to go easy until I got used to it. Food wasn't bad considering that it was my birthday and we had double chocolate cake! I think the worse thing was that everyone had a huge piece on their plates while I had a 1x3 inches piece. But I'm glad I didn't indulge :)

Will post later ~ Emma.

thank you all ..... !!! I am really trying...:) Do you ever get in a darn stand still where the scale is not moving..hehehe... ...I want it to move..I know that I am not giving up I am bound and determined. I hope everyone is having a good day.....talk to you all laterz .....

Cheers:hat:

This wil be quick, as I'm about to head out the door, off to the airport. My weigh-in went well, the last time I was there was when my weight was trending upwards in May, so everyone was really pleased. I felt like a kid getting a gold star in school :D.

Emma, it's good have an exercise buddy to help pass the time. I also like to mix up the machines in a single workout.

Jaya, don't get me started on the scale! That's when it helps to track your other measurements (inches, blood pressure, energy and other things that benefit from exercise and healthy eating). If you focus too much on the scale from day to day you may get discouraged.

Off to a weekend in Chicago, one of my favorite eating cities :devil:. But I will remember my Columbus Day goal, and choose one small treat, at most, a day (Garrett's carmelcorn? yummm:drool:) and work every day--including today--in the hotel. I'm looking forward to looking smashing at the wedding!

I will check in when I can. In the meantime, I hope everyone else is able to make good choices!

judy

Hi all, I didn't disappear with Carol and Nikki (we know that Penny is in England and we don't need to worry where she went). It was a long week. I took Thursday off - DS2's birthday - and the rest of the week was so busy at work. But it's almost 6 am on Saturday, so I'm back.

It's TOM and the scale is being mean. But I'm doing really good with the daily fluctuations. It's no longer freaking me out.
:bday2you:Emma!!!! Good job on the cake. I made my DS2 a coconut layer cake. When I was making it, I was pretty sure there were millions of calories in it. I've never made something that just had ingredient after calorie laden ingredient in it. I'm think of putting it in my diet software just to see how bad it is. But it was awesome. Like you, I had the thinnest slice I could cut.

Judy, enjoy Chicago. I like it more than most other downtown cities. I have an aversion to downtown cities because of the one way streets and ridiculously high parking costs. But Chicago has found memories. We'd taken DSs there when they were 8 or 9. We all rollerbladed through the city. People kept pointing at us, look a rollerblade family. It was very fun.

Jaya, I've been told half your weight in in ounces for water. Pretty easy calculation that way. I usually get about 100-125 but I also have a history of UTIs that have become kidney infections. They're horrible so I drink and drink to avoid them. And the scale, I give mine the finger if it's not nice. Juvenile, yes, but it makes me laugh and then it's not as irritating. :joker:

No big plans this weekend. DH is working on our wood stove. The base is awesome. Instead of tiles I wanted flat rocks from our year, so we went rock shopping in our yard. He built andn oak base and on Thursday did the cement and rock placement. Today he's putting the white grout between them. It looks awesome. He bought the pipes yesterday (wow who'd have guessed $500 for the simple pipes???) and will be installing the stove the rest of the weekend. I'm so excited to have a hot house all winter and no heating bill with it. Next weekend we'll start going to get wood. DH got the permit from the nat'l forest service yesterday. The woodstove is almost "paid" for with my exercise. Jaya and Emma, to get myself into exercising, I "paid" myself per mile, per tape, laps, etc that would go for a cool prize. I earned a new projector for the home theater, a new iPod and lastly my wood stove. The stove was bought on "credit" as it was on end of year sale last March 31. I have about $200 left to pay (last April 1 I had over 1200 to pay so I'm making progress). Once it's paid for I don't know what I'll walk, swim, bike, etc for next. It was the greatest motivator. I probably don't need to bribe myself after 2 years, but heck, it makes me go when I'm not in the mood and alsom makes me push myself farther. Lately, after the bike accident, I'm not earning as much but I'm still earning. Anyway, I figure I shouldn't have to "earn" the piping. Let DH do that.:D I'm thinking large screen TV is next but I won't tell DH that.

Last night we use the projector and watched We Are Marshall on pay per view. It was a good movie. And it's so big on the big screen. Better than a theater has I was in my lazy-boy. And no lade with poofy hair sitting in front of me blocking my view. :o

Okay I guess I've rambled enough. Unlike Jaya, I need breakfast!!!
Marie

A quick hello! I just left the hotel's fitness center. I've been twice so far this trip. No time to tomorrow, tho, I have a flight out very early in the morning. I'm having a great time, revisiting some of my old haunts in Chicago and have a girly weekend with my friend. The wedding's today, so we'll go to Marshall Fields and get free makeovers. Well, sorta free you have to buy something in exchange for the person's time. I want to look great in my dress and heels, but not too frumpy.

My eating choices haven't been too bad. I introduced my friend to the addictive Garrett's carmelcorn, and I had a couple of drinks at a jazz club last night. But all in all this is a healthy trip. I would like the scale not to jump up on me Tuesday AM.

Marie, it's good to hear from you. Hope everyone else is doing well!

judy

Hi everyone. Sad but Sunday's coming to a close and that means the weekend is almost over. This week will be long. I have car traveling from my job on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. As I don't like sitting in a car, it's not a pleasant week that's upcoming.

TOM got me today. I'm about 250 cals over where I'd like to be this far into the day. But a lo-cal dinner is on the menu.

My Green Bay Packers won today!!! It was so awesome. They beat a GOOD team. So now they're 3 - 0. I'm really glad I bought Sunday Ticket on DirecTv to watch Brett Favre in what's probably his last season. So it was fun. I did work through the whole thing, but I will take the time back later in the year. The work is almost over except proofing all the data. DH said he'd help (he's a sweetie).

Yesterday's stats: 1350 cals and 1.5 miles walking.

And I laid around in bed this morning for 3 hours. I haven't done that in years. It was so decadent. :)

Judy, I hope the wedding is fun and the cals stay within your guidelines.

Carol, where are you???

Hi to everyone else!
Marie

Judy ~ Yay for exercising during your trip, I'm sure you'll look great for the wedding. I'm glad that you're having fun, keep up the good work :)

Marie ~ Yay for the stove! I've tried paying myself for reaching certain exercise and weight goals but it never worked, I guess I'm not that patient, when I want something I want it now! :D

Jaya, Carol, Nikkie, Jennelle ~ Hope you guys are doing okay!

I've been to the dietitian yesterday and I'm up 1 lbs. I am not surprised because I did go over my calorie limit for the past weeks and did skip a few days of exercising. Its also TOM this week so it could be water retention.
However, its reality check time, need to refocus and recommit.

Will post later ~ Emma :hug:

Emma, good luck on the re-focusing. I find when I deviate off course, it takes a good kick in the butt to ge me back on track. My kick was in the from of my scale 3 weeks ago. It's funny, I never deviate from exercising, just the food. I like exercising and in the same vein, I like eating. I hate being hungry (as I am right now and it's 3 hours till lunch). I'm thinking of making a lite decaf mocha but I'm trying to wait a bit.

Carol, I'm getting worried about you. What's going on???

When does Penny return from England? Does anyone know.

Judy, I hope your trip is still going great. Too bad you didn't head a little north of Chicago and land in Green Bay where my Packers had a glorious day yesterday. :) I'm still enjoying seeing a glimpse of what their great mid 90's were like.

Yesterday's stats: 1350 cals (considering I'd been on a course to go about 300 cals over my 1200, 150 wasn't bad) and 1.5 miles walking.

I guess I should work now. :(

Marie, congrats to you and to the fine people of Green Bay...I was in Bears country, but most of their focus at this moment is on the first-place Cubbbies.

Emma, I'm with you! I'm too undisciplined to wait for my rewards, I have to use really, really short-term goals--like earning extra fruit today or oatmeal in the morning--to treat myself. I'll have to refocus, too. I'm spending my says this week in a seminar, so I'll have to get up earlier than usual, have working lunches in restaurants, and attend evening events. If I don't focus, i'll skimp on my exercise and load up on the food....

The wedding was beautiful, at a local conservatory. The ceremony was held outside just as the sun was setting behind the couple. I had a glass of wine and some mashed potatoes, but otherwise ate close to program...except for finishing up my carmelcorn :ink:.

I think our Penny was abandoning us for a few weeks, so maybe she'll be back in another week or so? In the meantime, Hi Jaya! Nikki and Carol, what gives? Your voices are missed here!

:grouphug:

Marie ~ That 1 pound served as my kick in the butt. My problem is when I deviate its from both exercise and food. I was in control yesterday which is a good start. How's the wrist?

Judy ~ Good luck with the lunches, if you stick to broth based soups, salads and grilled protein you'll be doing okay.

Yesterday wasn't bad, food wise went okay. got a whole hour of exercise in, treadmill and elliptical 30 mins each chatting the whole time with my exercise buddy, her foot is better so she was able to work out with me which is great for my motivation :) have serious cramps and a headache from TOM, wish I could go home and nap for a while but have development plans to write for the staff today..urgh..

Will post later ~ Emma

Hi everyone :wave: I'm back! I got in late last night (1am) as the flight into O'Hare was pure **** with a really bad storm over Chicago that had us circling in a roller coaster ride over Wisconsin for an hour and a half . I would have missed my connecting flight, but that was also delayed 3 hours so I eventually got home after being up for 24 hours straight.

I had a good time seeing everyone in England and had a very hectic schedule with some kind of excursion planned each day. It's great to be back home and now I have to get up courage to stand on the scale after 10 days of pigging out!

I hope everyone is doing well - I noticed that Carol has gone awol and we haven't heard from Nikki for a long while. I hope we hear from them soon.... Looking forward to getting back on board with healthy eating.

I'll catch up with personals after I get over my jet lag a bit! :tired:

Hi ladies, we're sure getting to be a quiet little board. Penny, welcome back!! I'm glad you had a good time. Just stomp on the scale and show it your middle digit if it's mean, then jump back on track. Your travel sounded delightful... I'm in your neck of the woods at the moment. I'm a dumpy Red Lion in Hillsboro. Yucky!!! But I'm only here for the night. A co-worker and I drove up at 4 this morning and attended a conference till 7, and start back up at 7:30 tomorrow. Then at 2 we'll be heading south. I wish I could see you, but we're barely here. Plus you're beat from traveling, I bet. And your DH might be missing you.

Judy, how do you live through so many conferences????? Holy smokes, I'd die of boredom if I had to do this daily. You a much tougher lady than I.

Emma, I'm glad your exercise buddy has mended. I'm not an exercise buddy type of person by nature. I'm a loner. I walked to Starbucks today with my co-worker (the one that I motivated to get exercising every morning before work) and by the time we got back (we were running out of time so I was speed walking) she was lagging behind. I felt bad and had to slow my pace. Anyway, the skinny decaf iced mocha was great. ;)

DH saw my wrist for the 1st time last night since the accident. He was sort of angry with me as he thinks it's a bit deformed. I still think it isn't/wasn't broken but we'll find out on Tuesday. I told him that deep down, I swear on my beloved doggies, that I don't believe it's broken. If it is, then we'll know that I was right when choosing not to be a doctor. :)

Well, I'm beat and think I'll get ready for bed. I'm listening to my ipod while my co-worker is studying. I surprisingly chose classical music and since I got up at 3 this morning, it's putting me to sleep.

Oh funny note about the dump. I chose it because it had a fitness room. The ONLY reason. We went to the room and it has a broken recumbant bike, a broke regular exercycle and a stair climber/jogger thing that killed my knee in two steps. So exercising in the morning is out. We decided to go to the conference early - park the car and walk way past Starbucks and on the return trip get another decaf skinny iced mocha. We're making the best out of the dumpy hotel situation. This is my first and last time at a Red Lion. Icky. TTY Soon!
Marie

Girls I am up and running again had to reset my password etc...... Many emails to try and straighten it up. Oh so glad to be back on here. I will catch up later I have caught up to all the reading as I could get on just not respond that was tough. I am okay and I knew you wondered where I went not far. But I have been being pretty healthy with my choices not on the scale yet but feel good. Guess that counts for something.
Talk to you all soon.
Carol

Marie - I feel for you at the conference. I only go to one or two a year and I think I'd rather have a root canal! I get a bit claustrophobic with a lot of people in a room and feel like running away. Too bad about the crummy hotel - that's false advertising when the exercise equipment is broken. Sorry it didn't work out with us getting together this time, but I'm sure you'll be up our way again and maybe we can get together. I hope your wrist is ok, it sounds very painful. I'm glad you're getting it checked out next week.

Carol - I'm glad you're back and looking forward to hearing your news.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

The bad news is that I've gained 4 lbs. during my trip. The good news is I'm back on track and hope that at least some of the gain is water weight as my legs are still puffy from flying. It's amazing how quickly I can gain that much weight and how very long it takes me to lose just a pound! I'm determined not to let this be a slippery slope and will get back on the exercise wagon too.

Our son Mike is home for his 24th birthday today and will fly back to Boise on Sunday. It's great to have him home. He looks so different as he's shaved off his beard and mustache.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Well its good to be back in touch girls. It was a bit of a crazy work week and added to some stress so a little more carbs than normally. I am trying to be better and ensure that some exercise gets thrown in. One day this week I did manage to go kayacing after work. That was stressless and exercise too. It was like 91 here. I got some pictures from my kids in HI and she looks wonderful. The baby is due 11/25 a little turkey guy is on his way and momma is looking good. She takes good care of herself and thats important. I can't wait to go see them in 2/08 but for now the pictures are proof that they are doing well. I am going to join a gym this week. My back is feeling so much better and my neck turning range has improved greatly. I am cutting back on my chiro. to one day a week starting this week. My co pay inc. to 40 oh that hurts it was 20. But all in all the ins. is a better package deal with the 300 a yr towards a exercise program. So yah have to give up something I guess.
Penny oh I just decided to ck my scale first time in awhile I am up and not happy even if some of it is water wt. its not good at all. See the little white box when I stray away from it brings me nothing but grief. So why don't I learn to ck it at least once a week? I have to get back starting today to chart my intakes again. Going by my looks and how I felt wasn't really working now like I thought and thats a shame for sure. So time to make a difference I am with you lets get going starting right now!
Marie sounds like you got back into the swing of things good for you. Years and years ago when my babies were little I fell down some stairs at my mom's doing laundry. I went to grab the rails to save myself and hurt both wrist. Didn't go to the drs. til a wk. later he said one had been broke the other sprained. But he left them to heal on their own as the process already started other was it was resetting the one. Not nice. I hope you are the one right this time and not DH. Good luck.
Judy you also seem to be doing well. I need some of the support now and a kick in the pants. Guess using a scale makes the difference overall. As much as sometimes we try to avoid it the dang thing helps balance us out. I am in hopes it was a little salt wt. too. One can only hope sunday will tell.
Emma hello don't ever lose your password its not so easy to get one again. I really was at a loss with out my buddies here. Now its lets go!!!!
Off to go to the lumber yard with the hubby. Trying to get things done before s flies. Lots of things to get done and we are going camping next weekend so I am going to be sure to plan my meals with lots of veggies and fruit etc.... Preplanning makes a difference for me and now I need to. Take care everyone and have a great day. We need to liven up this site a bit so lets all get motivated and together we can make a difference in our health and well being. The connection here for me does help make the difference!!!