Here we are at the start of another week. Yesterday's 100 Days lesson was "I Can Do It" -- and I know that to be true. I can and will lose weight and lower my blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. It may take longer to achieve some goals than others, but I will stick with it this time. I want to and I need to. Today's 100 Days lesson is "Help Me, Please". And you ladies certainly do a great job of that by providing advice, encouragement and friendship! Thank you all so much! And just like I now miss it when I don't exercise; I miss my Worldly Chick GFs when I don't check in. Thank you again!

The scale was up a couple pounds this morning making me really wish I'd worked out more this weekend...I didn't Friday because of snow and I didn't on Sunday because my back was really sore - even had difficulty grocery shopping. But I worked out for over an hour on Saturday and really pumped up the intensity. As I was working hard on the stepper, I saw a young woman do amazingly difficult core exercises - much harder than any of the Pilates moves I've ever seen. I actually felt compelled to go up to her after she was done (she probably thought I was a total weirdo). I told her that I was amazed by her core strength and asked her how long she had been working on it. She said she was a gymnast for 12 years. And she stopped working out awhile ago and got out of shape, so she's had to work hard to get her strength back. She said she works out for 1.5 hours a day with just 20 minutes of that being cardio. That explains her core strength. I'm not sure I'll ever get to where she is, she is after all in her very early 20s and in great shape, but she did encourage me to keep working on it because my core strength will improve. Sounds like great advice! I've got to keep remembering that it took me years to get this out of shape, and it will take me at least a year or so of consistently working at it to get to where I want to be...and even after that, these are lifestyle changes that need to be permanent, especially since diabetes never goes away...but it can be kept under control through dedication and diligence.

I had a great chat with my niece who is getting her masters in Diet and Nutrition Science. She has been doing internships in hospitals working with diabetes patients for the last couple months, so we talked at length about the importance of proper eating and exercise. She said that she is glad I'm going to see a Registered Dietician in a week or so to work out a meal plan. I told her what I am currently eating and about my exercising, and she said that she's very proud of me because I'm doing the right things! It was really neat for my niece (who I am extremely proud of) to be telling me that she is proud of me! She says she's seen diabetes patients who have gone blind and lost limbs because they've had difficulty controlling their diabetes and some have stopped trying. So she said she admires my commitment to improving my health. That really made my day! My next blood test is April 12, so I've got 3 weeks to continue my efforts toward lower my blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride numbers! And I appreciate all your support as I do this.

Happy - It's so sweet of you to make kitty blankets! What a great idea! And much cheaper than you'd find in a pet store. I'll have to go to Kohls (so I can use my employee discount) and get a couple snuggly blankets to cut, hem and take over to the humane society! I just checked their website...They also need more practical things like dog and cat food, cat litter, etc. I'll pick some up at the store this week and take it all over together. The Washington County Humane Society which is about 10 minutes from my house isn't nearly as big or as well-funded as the Milwaukee Humane Society or others that are in more populated areas. So I'll do what I can to help them out. See what a great influence you are, Happy! And you're right...the cute doggie and kitty faces really do pull me in and make me want to take them all home. Since I can't do that, I want to do whatever I can to help them. Dove chocolates are my favorites too. Especially Dove dark chocolate and the dark chocolate truffles Yummmm! I totally agree with your opinions on outsourcing jobs overseas.

Shad - I LOVE to do lists! And there's a great sense of accomplishment when I can check things off. I find it so much better to write things down than rely on my memory. LOL Good for you for staying focused on getting household tasks taken care of and on taking care of yourself too! I would love to have the photo of the orchids as a screensaver. I'll pm you my email address.

Holly - It sounds like you really did have a wonderful Easter weekend! The photos you posted are great! What adorable children! Congrats on your DS' team doing so well in the playoffs!

CeeJay - Sorry to hear that work was so chaotic on Easter. I hope the rest of your day was nice.

Carla - Good for you for doing the Spin Class and giving away the leftover fruit crisp. That would've been hard for me too! As for my 100 days, I've read the lessons and done the writing, but I haven't been 100% successful on walking the walk. Just a couple little things....like the "not right now" suggestion...no one offered me food that day, so I couldn't respond "not right now, I'll have some a little later". You're right...it's not about perfection, it's about learning tools to be successful and I'm DEFINITELY doing that!

PW - As my doctor, my diabetes educator and my personal trainer all tell me...it's about PROGRESS not perfection. Keep making progress.

Ruth - 180s by next week!! YGG!! I hope to be at 200 by my next blood test on 4/12 and below 200 by the time of my doctor appt on 4/18. It's great that you enjoyed such a nice nap yesterday! Sometimes naps can be just what the doc ordered!!

Mel - I am really enjoying the 100 Days book and doing the writing. It's really helping! My book arrived on Saturday - signed by the author! What a nice touch! We're supposed to get a rain/snow mix most of the days this week...hopefully not too much ice or snow accumulation as I really do need to get to the gym and I hate to do any extra driving when the roads are really dangerous. I'm with you on the 100 Days wider road -- it feels like a slippery slope to me. At least until my next blood test, I am not going to cheat. I really want to see how good my numbers can be if I stick to the program.


My apologies for the extremely long-winded post! Here's to a great day and great week for all of us!

Love and big hugs,

Hey Rennie - I forgot to say "hi" to you. Sorry about that. I used to have great difficulty getting enough sleep. Sure enough...it was sleep apnea. The mask I have to wear is far from attractive, and I sound like Darth Vader, but my DH really appreciates it because between my snoring, stopping breathing and gasping for air, it allows him to sleep much better now than without the mask. I'm hoping that as I lose weight, I'll be able to wean myself off of the sleep apnea mask some day. For now, I feel much more rested than I used to. Take care.

wow...too much to read right now...will back track later. We had a good Easter, but glad it is over. need to go to the gym...my back is killing me. it feels just like a weather change, not like I hurt it. Have a good MOnday and I will be back later to finish reading and post indies later!

Just popping in to say hello.

di
It really made a difference for me losing weight and the sleeping thing. Oh ya, don't you just look like the most sexy thing in the world with that mask lol. Hubby would call me his wife from another planet lol. Said he didn't care how it looked, would drive him crazy and scare him to death because I would stop breathing all the time and he never could sleep very well always waiting for me to stop breathing. We both sleep better now. I just got rid of mine a while ago. If nothing else, just not having to wear that thing was well worth the effort to lose weight. You should have seen me at the camp groups with that thing. The machine on the outside of the tent lol.

happy
I found the same thing, thought maybe it was just me. I eat a lot of chicken and fish toss a bit of pork and beef in there to make it nice and balanced but if I eat beef and pork more than once a week and more than 4 oz at a time. Oh I feel yucky and my tummy hurts.

Anyone wants to chat after 9 pm my time lol. I have free min on the old cell phone. I love to chat. Just send a pm and let me know.

Morning all,

Rushing in, finished at the gym and am eating breakfast, drinking coffee and trying to post here. Good thing we women can multi task hey??

Rennie - hope you had a good weekend with the guests and family. No doubt you are no clearing up after them. Glad you managed to get rid of the sleeping mask. That is real progress.

Michelle - good for you for getting to the gym over the weekend. I know what you mean about that lady doing the core strengthening exercises. I usually do a Body Balance class on Saturdays which has vastly improved my core strength and even better given me a lot more flexibility than I used to have. I do like that class - it's a mixture of yoga, tai chi and pilates and although it doesn't feel like you are doing much movement, it really does give a good workout.
Picture is on its way to you.

Mel - hope you have recovered from the runs. Such exercise Well they say that laughter is the best medicine. Glad the picture came across and that you can sit an laugh at my naughty orchids today.
Hope Jen feels better soon.

Ruth - my regards to Claire and Doug and to Joan when you next see them. Hershey is not Queen Victoria - she is fussy and not frustrated. After all you don't just want any old Calvin do you?? Sometimes I don't know how I keep up with this lot, but I've got one of those hats - you know the one, baseball cap with 2 peaks and a slogan that says I am their leader, which way did they go. Since I have to chastise from time to time, I think I am entitled to the hat! Don't let Joan throw out too much stuff. We are getting a lot of Canadian programs on our Paytv at the moment. I think of you lot every time someone goes ootdoors or into the hoose or gets aboot their business. Love it. Reminds me also of the joke where the Scotsman went to a Canadian Hotel and saw the mounted head of an animal on the wall. When told it was a Moose, he said: Aye, if yons a Canadian Moose, ah wonder wha' a Canadian cat looks laik!

Carla - why does the gym put the basket full of those nasty little eggs on the front counter just where you sign in??? I'd have thought they would put an apple or a peach there - mind you the eggs would be cheaper!!! Glad to see it is not only my gym that does it. I got offered some, but said no thanks, I'm allergic to chocolate. That stops them in their tracks and they usually end up eating my share as well. Aaah well as I tell them, they too will get old and fat like me one day.
Well done on the disposal of food. Sounds like the book is doing some good for you. I'm proud of you. Fruit crisp yummy. Now there was self-sacrifice.

Happy - what a pain that the shelter was closed. No wonder they have trouble getting volunteers. If they don't treat them well, how do they expect that they will come back.
No thanks to the ham and Potato salad although I really love both of those things. I'll pass on the beans too. Yesterday was not a good food day for me and I will need to be on my game today to get things together again. When I say a bad food day, it was okay for breakfast and dinner, but lunch..........well let's just not go there okay. And I didn't need that icecream at supper. Glad to hear you are still carrying on with the 100 days. We can skip bits, repeat bits, catch up but never give up.



Holly - the Salmon sounded wonderful - until I got to the dill. Hate dill. Hate the smell. We used to wonder through fields and hillsides of that weed when I was a kid. Didn't like the smell then, don't like it now. The kids look well and happy. Glad to hear you are making some money now. It will be a big help to the finances.

Okay - coffee is nearly finished. Time for todays list of to-do and then get on with achieving it. Ring vet first on list. This cat is driving me crazy. Forget the birds Mel, try wringing the cats neck.

Shad
I wasn't at my house I was at their house. No cleaning required by me lol.

Good evening all! Made it to the gym!!! Had so many plans and kept trying to go over the weekend, but I never made it...so happy to go today! OK DD1 and my sis are at mom's house and I have DS and brother here for the night. I think I much prefer the girls, much quieter and easier to please. Will try for the gym tomorrow and will take the kiddies swimming as the hours are extended. Still having leftovers...and pie am trying to limit tho to keep the calories at a min...too bad mom and Sis2 are both trying to lose too, so they would not accommodate me and take some home. Back to some normal vactioning...but have to throw some laundry on tomorrow...would love to just throw away! LOL

Rennie~way to go!! No cleaning!!!!

Shad~I love your morning schedule. So nice to see I am not the only having coffee and posting at the same time. Have fun with your demolition...but try not to kill any more of your new appliances!

Ceejay~ right back at you!

Michelle~Sorry you have to wear the mask...I never had to, but I did have the sleep study done..UGH Good that it helps...a good night's sleep can make the world a different place.

Mel~One's body has it's ways of telling us that we should eat that kind of stuff...hope you are feeling better, and your runs are not so urgent! Glad you and shad had a chance to chat

Ruth~hope you accomplished your goals in your sewing room. I never know how stuff accumulates! I barely have enough room to store things, and I always have to keep going thru! Glad you were able to enjoy a night out!!!

Painter~enjoy your painting...hope your leg feels better!

Carla~yay for getting rid of the fruit crisp...as I said I still have pie here...but good thing DH is on vacation, so he will help.

Happy~I have ham too, but I will take the potato salad. The salt in the ham shouldn't be too bad, just drink some water and it should flush out!

Holly~So good to hear from you! Yay for DS hockey! and DD looks so cute in her skates. A heavy metal fan...I have gotten into it, mostly because of DH...as it is he is playing his guitar right now. What bands do you like?

Annie~You made surgery sound like a splinter. Take care of yourself...DD will need you. Will keep praying for your family...hope they can help DD

Gotta go for now, my knitting is calling, I am slightly encouraged...it is actually looking like a little blanket. Have a good night everyone!!!!

Don't know if you all heard the resounding crash, but that was the sound of my fruit-crisp-abstention halo falling off. Everything was fine until I got mugged by some discount easter chocolate and ju-jubes. Now I feel slightly nauseous, and definitely need a good re-read of my 100 Day workbook... Like Michelle, I'm calling on the worldlies to drag me back onto the narrow road.

Shad, my spin classes aren't at a regular gym but a spin studio, and most of the clients are 2% body fat mutants who are super-active and burn off tons of calories every day. Just a few regular folks like me. So the chocs or candies usually aren't a big deal.

Annie, I'm sure glad you realized in time there was a serious problem, and that your surgery went well. Bad luck about DD's cervix - I had a bunch of bad cells lasered off years ago. No fun at all, but no bad Paps since then.

Holly, very cute kids! And nice that the finances are so much less stressful these days.

Happy, what a bummer that you didn't get any time off for Easter! Or a chance to play with the kitties either. I sure hope you're doing better staying on program than I am today!

Diyana, at the rate you're going you may find a lot of your health problems reversed, even the diabetes and sleep apnea. It's certainly worth the effort. And don't let the two pounds up bother you too much - it's probably just a little water retention and will disappear in a day or two, especially since you've been eating well and working out a lot. I always seem to weigh in higher the day after a heavy workout session, no idea why.

Mel, can you parcel up a dose of the trots and send it off to me? I have a belly full of I'd like to unload really fast. I like to make lists too, but have a bad habit of thinking that writing it down is the same as doing it. I have little piles of lists all over the place, every so often I consolidate them and cross of the few bits that are done. Actually I have a lot of little piles of all kinds of things all over the place.

Ruth, Painter, Shy, Ceejay, upswife, Madcat, Shaker, Roseblush, and anyone else I've missed - and

Consider yourself roped back into the fold Carla.

Don't fret. It's over and done with. Chin up, pitch any leftovers and keep stepping forward.

Cuz that's how we do things in these parts

Carla
Kick those buggers off your wagon wheels. Climb back on the seat and face those horses in the right direction. You will be back on the dust trail before you know it.

Thank you all for the lovely get well wishes. I am back to work, full force today.

DSs surgery went well yesterday, he is home recooping in the lazyboy chair. My SIL is going over at noon to check on him and take him some lunch. Family is the best...at least mine is today. ;^)

Co-worker was mugged in our parking lot yesterday. Broke her nose and messed her face up a bit. They got her purse. God lover her. She will be ok, but I am sure scared for life about this.

Easter was at SILs sister's house. Was very nice. She sent gobs of ham home with us. Don't know how much more I can eat. Maybe make some ham fried rice or something with it.

All take care and again thank you for all the good wishes.

Love and hugs,

Good morning everyone -

Great evening last night. I went to the gym and met my coach. We set some new goals and kept some of the same goals. He's pleased that I'm doing so good with the fruits, veggies and water intake and with the exercise. I am committing to focusing on my abs for the next two months (in addition to the aerobics and strength training that I already do). Strong abs helps make for a strong back.

Shy - It used to really scare my DH when I would stop breathing. He started to sleep so lightly (or not at all) so that he could pay attention. I had him go with me to the doctor when I told the doc I might have sleep apnea. John told him that I stopped breathing several times a night, and sure enough...the doc sent me for a sleep study, where it was quickly determined that I needed a CPAP machine. That does sound funny going camping with the machine. I've been wondering how to do that. LOL Good for you for losing weight and being able to get off the machine! That gives me something to look forward to!

Shad - Thanks for the orchid desktop wallpaper! It's lovely! That Body Balance class sounds terrific! My gym has a lot of good cardio, strength and ab classes, as well as Yoga and Pilates, but not a mixture class like yours.

Ellen - Hope your able to get to the gym today! I feel so much better when I go.

Carla - Looks like Happy and Rennie have already brought you back up on the narrow road! One little slip onto the wider road doesn't mean you'll end up in a ditch. Just swerve back to avoid the candy!

Annie - Glad to hear you are feeling better and that your DS's surgery went well. How scary that your co-worker was mugged in the parking lot. I guess that gives good incentive to walk out to your car with someone. Do you have company security? Or work with any big guys? If not, maybe you and your co-workers could arrange to leave together. There's usually safety in numbers. Take care.

Here's to a Terrific Tuesday for all us Worldies! Remember what Shad always says...."Don't forget to sweat!"

Good morning ladies,

Only have time for reading not greeting today. Am really tired and I overslept this morning. Hugs all around.

Diyana

We have security and that has been beefed up. We actually are in a very good part of town also. It is all so surprising. Guess it shows it can happen anywhere. I am a bit more observant when walking to my car, etc.

I need to strengthen my abs also. I need to do some weights to strengthen my arms too. I am very proud of your efforts and really a bit jealous. wink wink.

Hugs