Me again and how is everyone this wonderfully chilly evening??? (or brisk day for you red and NBK).
I just finished supper- we had grilled pork chops, brocolli, and peas. It was SOOO good. And I discovered a wonderful dessert ( I love sweets)..it is sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding and it is wonderful and low in calories. So - after I get back from my walk I am rewarding myself with some puddin'!

Red Balloon- What is barley tea? Is it hot tea or cold tea? native to Japan??
Sounds good- I love good tea especially green tea. Sorry the tea kept you up though- insomnia is the worst!
The guy was so right on the subway about spanish. My bf is Cuban-Columbian and his parents can't speak English even though they have lived in Miami for over 40 years. Even between his mom and dad the spanish is a little different. On top of that bf's sister lives in Spain and her dialetic is completely different from either parent. It is really fascinating how languages change when spoken in completely different areas. If you think about it- all languages are this way even English. I worked with a girl from England who asked me for a "rubber" her first day. After I nearly swallowed my tongue she explained "rubbers" in England are rubber bands. MAN- she made me wonder what in the heck she was talking about. I thought for sure I had heard her wrong.
You have a great attitude about getting out there and living your life. Carpe Dieum!! Viva la Red!! Good for you!
I am glad you like your horoscope- it is so much fun writing them and I try to relay my hopes for you for that day in the text. I got the lucky numbers from a friend of mine who actually believes in that stuff- she emails me the lucky numbers of the day every day.

little grasshopper- Wine can be really mean some times. I am not a good wine drinker that is for sure. Sorry you were so sick- next time you drink try to take some B12 before going to bed with a big glass of water.
I have to admit I am a bit freaked about the stomach adjusting thing. Sounds damn painful! Does it really work? for any kind of stomach problem?
I like your goals and I think it is good you are going to enjoy your vacation instead of worrying every moment how it will effect your weight loss goals. Have fun! How long are you gone and when are you going anyway?

NBK- Thanks for the explanation about Kia Ora! I have added that to my mental list of new phrases and such. I , like grass, didnt know NZ has two languages. Cool fact!
I have to ask though- what is a crab stick? Sounds great because frankly crab in any form is yummy! Is this like a fast food item there?
You are lucky you don't have as many fast food restaruants. They seem to be everywhere here. I can't even go to Walmart without seeing McDonalds. On top of that I pass about 30 different fast food joints going to school. They are like the roaches of the food world- mass numbers and completely indestructible!

Okay- better go walk before it gets too late. Have a great night everyone!
I will try to pop on again before bed. Tomorrow is school day so I won't be on much tomorrow.
By the way it is now 50 degrees in Florida. YAA HOO!

Hi everyone!

Glad to see that everyone is making goals. We have three weeks until Feb 14th and so that means we can lose anywhere from 1-6 pounds so hey that is something, right?

Red, you may have to start looking into decaf tea. Does the jasmine have caffeine?

GH, sounds like you tummy is better. When are you leaving for vacation? Are you driving or flying?

CG, have a good day at school Tues. Do not get too stressed! Good job with Maya!

NBK, you are better off without Taco Bell. We would all be better off without any fast food crap. How long has it taken you to lose your 17 pounds?

Well I worked out for an hour today. I did abs, legs, and cardio boot camp. I feel much better! My knee did not bother me!!! I did well eating too. I am back on track!

Hi everyone -

CG - the stomach thing only works to pull your stomach down but if what ever is going on is a stomach thing it does help it get better faster. Also, some types of back pain are caused by the stomach being up all the time - freaky isn't it!!!! I didn't believe in it for the longest time..but it's yet another freaky thing I've seen work.....you can pull the kidneys up too I'm not sure of any other organs that move though haha!!

Stormy - I leave Thursday a.m. I'm flying but my flight is through DC so I'm hoping the weather clears by then. I'm going to Arkansas until next monday night. Really looking forward to it!! I haven't seen my brother and sister there in two years. I'm long over due for a visit.


Well guys I need to do pilates and catch up on shut eye. Talk to you later!!

Me yet again...
I just finished doing another workout with Maya- 30 minutes this time so that makes 45 minutes for the day and I ate 1400 calories today so I am so back on track. On top of that I took my dog for a 1/2 mile walk. I am feeling good! Why don't I exercise more often?? I love the natural high..someone remind me of that would you?

Little grass- I still think it is freaky about the stomach moving but I can see how getting everything in line in the body would help everything work better. I wish I could get someone to move my kidneys sometimes- I have the worst kidney problems sometimes.
I am excited about your trip- are you there for a week or do you mean 5 days? Have a great time!!!

stormy- great job!! Good news about your knee! Relief, huh?

Alright wanted to check in- excited about doing more exercise today then I do in a week- I hope I can keep it up because I am feeling no stress right now!

Good night everyone!

OMG It's sooo hot here today! lol. Just been for lunch with the BF. I was good for the main, had corn fritters (only ate 1 1/2) with salad and a couple of prawns and ate about 5 wedges from bf's plate.. but then we had chocolate mud cake and DAMN it was good! lol I had yoghurt not cream and only really ate 2/3's of it... but still that means we won't be having a bbq for tea, just a smoked chicken salad..(BF gorged on wedges, but then he had been for 2 surfs already today!) lucky him can go for a swim now, however I am stuck in my office looking wistfully at the sea.. or at the mountain! it's beautiful today!!

CG- That rubber thing always cracks me up! he he.. Rubber also means eraser in england or here! he he he The worst one is that Fanny in NZ means your front bum..so when people on tv say get off your fanny or "it's here in my fanny pack" we get some giggles and some weird mental images! Having fanny as part of my name (if it is *******ised) is SO fun, not. Although some creative chick at intermediate (yrs 7-8, ages 10/11-12/13) school called me tiff-diddle for a while. :-)

LGH- nope that stomach thing still sounds really evil to me! ouch ouch ouch ouch... surely bouncing on a trampoline would work just as well? lol.

Yes New Zealand has two languages. We also have two cultures. 1 is Maori, they are the tangata whenua (people of the land). They are the polynesian peoples that colonised New Zealand about 400-600 years before europeans came to NZ. The second cutlure is that of the "Pakeha" or european NZ.. personally I object to being called pakeha as it means foreigner.. so I just call myself a New Zealander/Kiwi. There are no full blooded maoris left in NZ due to intermarriage and also the effect the introduction of european illnesses and to a lesser extent muskets, had on the maori population in the late 19th century, early 20th. Anyway we are such a young country, (155 yrs) my family have been here for 4 generations, but then we all have babies late, so some families that have been here for the same amount of time have had 6 generations or more! he he Anyway NZ is a really cool place and I am very lucky to live here.

With regards to my "mud cake" episode at lunch, I have decided that instead of beating myself up and feeling guilty about eating high sugar/high fat foods, which in my case leads to feeling more down and then eating poorly for the rest of the day in a "what's the point" kind of way, i'll just enjoy the "bad" foods and then make up for it by being healthy the rest of the day. As long as I find a balance it should work, and also when i am happier, I am less hungry as I don't get bored and depressed. And also I don't feel like I am denying myself anything which can lead to pig outs! I know this doesn't work for everyone, but I have noticed that in the last 3 weeks since I made certain foods mentally off limits, I have been craving and caving on them more than I had in the preceding 2 months when I was using my balance philosphy.

What do you ladies think?
Cheers
Tiffany

Hi people. I am being severely tempted by the smell of licorice and the thought of it. I had it on a shelf above the washing machine and when I went there I smelled it. I think it's all bagged but I have a dog's nose. I must resist. I've already had my sweets for the day.

There has been so much posting and I want to catch up but I MUST finish proofing a manuscript.

I have had an emotional draining day. It involves a dying dog, and I don't know if she's dead yet, but in any case, she soon will be but I can't be with her. All I can say is that perhaps it was good I saw her today. I will tell you more lately, or maybe I shouldn't. Crime girl will be in tears. But I probably will. Well, probably no one will be on here anyhow before I have to turn in. I'll try to get to you later.

I have, by the way, been good with eating and I rode today so that's always good exercise and walked about an hour. I want to get to the gym early tomorrow before I go in for some work with that publisher. Not looking forward to being in an office when I really just want to stay home and care for myself but if I think of the money and that that money is going mostly to the animals I care for, then I guess I'll be ok.

One question I remember, barley tea is just that, tea made from barley. It has no caffeine and no sugar. It's mostly traditionally drunk in the summer here but you can have it hot or cold. It takes a little getting used to. I didn't like it in the beginning but now I love it. If you like green tea, you would have no problem. And I think for those who don't like green tea, it's better because it doesn't have that "grassy" taste. It's more full-bodied. Anyone want some, I can send you some if you like. Also, there is buckwheat tea, which is the same, no caffeine, no sugar, zero calories. The jasmine tea I drank was made with green tea so it had caffeine. I think regular jasmine tea is a semi-fermented black tea, like oolong but I'm not sure. I bought a ton when I was in Hong Kong but gave it away. Jasmine, in large doses, by the way is a hallucinogenic. I wonder if this is what Seals & Crofts were singing about in their song "Summer Breeze"??!!

. . . Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind . . .

Good morning!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. I auctually slept 7 hours last night so I am feeling pretty refreshed right now. I plan on working out this afternoon.

NBK, if you can eat "bad" once a day and control it then that is wonderful. I know people who can do that without any problem and they are super skinny. The problem that I have is if I have a little sugar it tends to spiral out of control. I do not know if you saw my question earlier but I was just wondering how long it had taken you to lose 17 pounds.

Red, I am sorry about the dog situation. I hope maybe things turn around and then dog lives. Be sure to workout today. No excuses, right? Watch out drinking too much of that jasmine tea. I bet that is what they were thinking about.

Hi everyone!
Today is school day- I got lucky because my bf asked for the day off so I don't have to go to campus until 12:30 now. Normally I go early in the morning because otherwise I can't park on campus. Since bf is going to drop me off and pick me up I can stay home- do some exercise with Maya, finish my reading, have some breakfast etc. It is going to be a good day!

NBK- Don't sweat the mudcake too much. Like you were trying to say I think treats now and then are not a big deal. You can adjust your eating and cut back somewhere else to compensate. I am with stormy about the cheat day- if you can do that it is a good way to get the foods you crave and get right back on the program the next day. I am also with stormy on the fact that one day turns into 2 then 3 then...well you get the picture when I attempt to try a cheat day. Too tempting for me.
Thanks for the clarification of language and culture. I bet it is fascinating!

Red- I am so sorry about the dog- you are right though- I will probably cry when you tell us what happened but that is OK. If you need to talk- let it out. I can't blame you- that is a hard thing to carry around by yourself. So- what happened?
Also- I didn't know you have a permanent gig with a publisher. Is it a steady M-F thing or do you contract work from them? Are you finished with the paper?
Stay away from the candy!! It is evil and will tempt you. Candy has no shame! You can not trust what it is telling you which I am sure is for you to get it down and feast. Deceitful candy!!
I am glad you got a ride in and some walking- good for you! How is your horse? and what is her name??

Horoscope for the day:
Even in times of sadness there is hope and reflection. It may feel as if life has reached a crescendo, and now everything is falling apart. But there is a deep reorganization going on within your psyche now as you process events in your life . You can ride a magical wave of change, bringing you greater freedom and increased awareness. Find an acceptable way to express your buried feelings -- especially sadness -- or potential rewards can elude you.


stormy- good sleep always helps! Good job scheduling a workout. Have a wonderful day and don't get too stressed. Everything in its time, right?

Okay folks- need to go read the last few pages for school and eat some chow. My plan today is to do the routine with Maya at least once for 30 minutes. I think I am going to run up and down the stairs of one of the tall buildings at school today too. One of my fitness mags says that it is a good way to build endurance.

Have a delightful and insprired day today everyone!!
Remember today is: a support day and a day to look at why we want to get in shape and lose some weight. What are the short term things you hope to accomplish with weight loss? Are there things you don't do now because you feel overweight?

One thing that I do not do is wear a bikini b/c of my weight. I also try not to wear shorts in public b/c I just do not like the way I look in them.

Hey Ladies!!
Congrats to everyone on losses this week!!
I'm FINALLY back I stayed the same this week But I didn't exercise at all... I had a VERY long week...my best friend from high school has been in the hospital, and will probably pass on in the next week... so that's where I've been.

Jacque, welcome back. I'm so glad to see you again. I was worried you had deserted us because you had thrown in the towel on your weight loss efforts. Glad to see you haven't. I am so very sorry to hear about your friend. This must be incredibly hard on you. Is she ill with a terminal illness? Has this been going on for a long time or did it come on suddenly? If you need to talk, please do. I'm sure your being there with her has meant so much. Take care kid.

Jacque,
I am so happy that you are back. I am sorry to hear about your friend. You and your friend will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Good morning ladies!
Well yesterday was lovely. I stayed op as such and made a salad for dinner, it had smoked chicken, mesculin salad greens, carrot, cucumber, tomato and toasted walnuts. It was sooo good! BF didn't even want to drown it in dressing or tomato sauce! hehe.. then we went for a walk down the beach and foreshore which was lovely, except some nasty sand fleas decided I looked tasty!! he he.. We looked for rock crabs too on the way home, it must have looked funny a 36 yr old guy and me clamboring over the rocks like 5 year olds screaming with delight when we found them! he he... the best part was too, that we decided to leave the garlic bread we got for dinner until we got home, and when we got home we decided we didn't need it! and only had 1 small piece of cheese each! (we both love the stuff!!).. so overall my food for yesterday wasn't too bad. That's the thing tho, a small cheat a day works a lot better for me than 1 cheat day, as I'll get sneaky and not count having a chocolate bar or biscuit as being the cheat day - in my mind cheat day is like a kiddies birthday party type deal! lol...I used to be able to eat this way and stay skinny, it was just when other factors got introduced that I got fat.

But I am off to the dr today to talk to her about a couple of issues, I think my b12 has gone kaput again for starters, which would explain why I am so tired all the time at the moment!

Jacque. I am so pleased to hear from you, I too had begun to worry that we had lost you! I am so very sorry to hear about your friend. I hope she is comfortable - if you need to talk, i'm only a pm away.. Mad hugs to you and your family!

Red, sorry about the puppy.. that makes me really sad. You have so much love in you girl! it's amazing! So how well do you know about the hallucinogenic properties of jasmine tea aye? tea is good. I only drink green tea. It's the only hot drink I drink! he he ooh except for hot black current juice, now that is heavenly!

CG- hey way to go on planning your exercise, and also working out ways to build it into your day! you are right, stair climbing is great for fitness, endurance and also encouraging your body to increase it's oxygen carrying capacity. Unfortunately for me with my budget blood (thanks mum, dad and the spanish raiders!) it hurts like **** when I climb more than about 7 flights.. but I too am trying to get better at it. We could have a flight tally competition going each week if you want?

Stormy - Sorry I never answered your question! There was something else I meant to reply to today too and i have forgotten. My elephant must be sick at the moment.. anyway, I have been trying to lose weight for about 10 months now. it took me 8 to loose the 17 lbs and since then I have been maintaining or so it seems. Anyway it is a long time for so little, but I wanted to do it slowly to give my body time to adjust... I have dropped 7% body fat tho, and immensly increased my strenght. I know I have put on a LOT of muscle the last few months. At the start, I had a few appetite control issues. You see due to having smaller bloodcells than most people and there fore carrying about 1/4 the oxygen in my blood and iron that most people have, I have to eat regularly otherwise I get the death shakes, and get pretty sick. It took me a while to find a match between my energy intake required with all the activity I was doing, and what I needed to lose weight and also to get rid of my "i better have this too as I don't want to feel crappy in an hour" eating. Also I must admit for the first couple of months, and really until about october, my diet still had junk food meals in it at least 3-4 times a week. When you cook for yourself it's pretty boring eating the same food 3 days in a row cos you made too much, and sometimes I would be so tired I wouldn't want to cook. Also for a while I had a relapse of my SADS.. which leads to me eating crap. The thing is tho, that often when my weight hadn't changed as such people would still comment that I had lost weight, so I think my body just builds muscle before I notice much fat loss.


Ok, CG's questions: Short term goal - fit my porno jeans comfortably with minimal overhang by end of feb, long term goal - have a toned stomach
The only thing I don't really do I suppose is wear tight tops or crop tops in public.. I scare the rest of the world with my bikini at the beach, but realisitically, especially with the ethnic mix of people in my town, there are people in a lot worse shape at the beach than me, and I am happy with how I look so no one else has the right to make me feel ashamed!

Well work calls..
Peace
Tiffany

Hi people. Morning here. I don't feel like doing much of anything but have so much that must be done. I have been putting off writing up that interview and the deadline is upon me. I just need downtime and there is none for me. I don't know. It always seems that the hardest times emotionally are the very times when I have the most that needs to be done. I cannot just sit around and nurse my feelings. I have to put on a game face and get out there and pretend I'm up and interested in my work. This is ****. Today I have to work at that publisher and it's the last thing I want to be doing. Screw it. If I don't act pleasant I will make a very bad impression. I am extremely in debt and don't know where the money will come from. Keeping the horse is killing me I guess. Maybe my wanting to do it all is crazy. I don't know. But I must get out there and keep going. I have to have incredible staying power. Really, I don't know how I do what I do myself. But something inside tells me just to keep going, keep going. I will just have to try to slog through it all.

Crime girl -- thanks so much for the horoscope. Yes, I must find acceptable ways of dealing with sorrow. And that I will do when I can allow myself to think about it, which usually entails crying so I can't do it now. The dog's story is just one of millions here, neglect and eventual death from either/or starvation and exposure.

I have to get out. I can't write now or I'll just have to cry again and I have to like I said banish all thoughts. It takes incredible mental power to keep the thoughts at bay. I can't be surprised by them. I can't allow myself to think of things or I can't function in order to do the things that need to be done. This is not good in that it does not allow for a mourning process, a healing process. All it does is put things on hold. Then again, this is not a loss like a human's death, a friend's death or relative. It's that but it's just a dog. Instead it is so wrapped up with anger and hate at people for how they treat animals. So my tears are both hot angry tears mixed with sadness, the worst there are I think because they leave you feeling so small, so powerless.

It's just another chapter of many of the same in an animal lovers' life. I have never understood how people can consider themselves compassionate if they only care about other people. My respect for the human species is at a low, as it often is. I need a philosophy to deal with this but have yet to find it. Perhaps, I have. If I were to harden my heart so it didn't hurt anymore I would be no different from those who can look suffering in the face and turn away in indifference.

Ok, sorry to be cryptic. I'll explain more later. Then again, I probably should just shut up.

Others, I will try to catch up later today at some time. Since this is supposed to be a weight loss forum and not a wailing wall I will say, I have been stubbornly determined to eat right and did yesterday. Many of your stories inspire me to keep on. Keep it up. We can hang in there together. These victories add up and amount to great things. They affect all parts of our lives, not just the numbers on the scale, the amount of fat on our bodies. Attaining a lean, strong body, as I think we all are striving to do, is just as much about attaining strength of spirit.

NBK, just saw your post. Will catch up later, as I said. I do feel better now. I am going to get out and slay monsters and make this day MINE!