hi singles! last day in relaxing and then it's back to reality. yuck!!!

sheriva - i did relax all week. spent time at the pool, caught up on some reading, etc.. it was nice while it lasted. today i am doing laundry and getting packed. after i post this i will go outside for a while to get the last rays of warmth to carry me over till summer time. i also walked every evening and i plan to keep up some kind or routine when i get back. i am finally free of appointments and have plenty of free time so there are no excuses!!!!

christalynn - congrats on the downsizing. i have seen (can't remember which website) a clothes swap forum. it is a good idea. i couldn't do it because i work with chemical and they ruin my clothes. i have lots of holes. that's why i but cheap stuff.

chica - welcome back! i hope your headaches go away.

well, i'm off to pack. talk at ya soon!
kathy

WOOHOO to both of these things! Great idea to keep up a routine when you get back after such a great start while in Florida! Have a safe trip home...sorry you have to come back to winter!

Another weight loss/healthy eating board I'm on has daily homework that is posted by the board owner or members. The homework for today I thought might be fun to do here because it would help us get to know one another a little more as well as help us think about things ourselves. I'll post the homework and then post my answers. Please follow suit with your answers if you choose to participate. (Credit to Dawn for these questions.)

1. What's for dinner tonight?

2. What is your prefered exercise?

3. What exercise do you actually do?

4. What is your favorite food?

If it isn't inherently "healthy" Do you have a slimmed down version of it?

5. What food do you really hate?

6. What is a food you don't really like, but know you should eat?

7. What is one food you could "NEVER" give up?

8. What is a food you do like, but if you were told you could never eat it again, you wouldn't be that upset?

9. Would you consider taking a "Healthy" vacation? For example a health food/exercise cruise, a very exercise intense focused trip (riding your bike hundreds of miles while camping along the way, a major hiking trek...)?

10. What is one name brand food product you couldn't live without?

1. What's for dinner tonight?

I usually have some idea but, tonight, I dunno. I haven't done a good job this week on planning for my light worknight dinners (I eat my main meal for lunch and then dinner is really more of a snack/light meal because of how late I get home from work and how early I go to bed--though on Friday nights, I don't have to go to bed so early cuz I don't work the next day).

2. What is your prefered exercise?

Probably my favorite exercise is a long powerwalk outside on a beautiful spring or fall day (warm enough to be comfortable outside for over an hour but cool enough not to get overheated).

3. What exercise do you actually do?

I work out 5 times a week, which usually translates into 3 days of cardio and 2 days of toning and/or weight training. Within that framework, I do:
a. At least one Walk Away the Pounds workout but no more than two (4 mile express is my favorite, but I usually choose 3-mile for weekday mornings cuz its shorter).
b. At least one other cardio workout on tape (two if I don't go to the gym or walk outside). I was really psyched about the Tae-Bo Cardio workout in the beginning but, because I work out at 5 a.m., I find it harder and harder to face that energetic and difficult a workout at that hour. I also rent a lot of workouts from Netflix. This week, 10-Minute Solution Carb Buster.
c. Tamilee Webb's ab and arm workouts once a week each.
d. The 10-Minute Solution ballet workout once a week.
e. When I go to the gym, I use the recumbent bike, elliptical, treadmill and weight machines.

4. What is your favorite food? If it isn't inherently "healthy" Do you have a slimmed down version of it?

I don't think I have one favorite food. Pizza ranks pretty high up there, but then so do a lot of things. In the first year of my journey, I gave up real pizza entirely and made my own healthy-topping mini-pizzas at home but I was using a store-bought white flour crust and that started to be a problem (because of how I metabolize white flour). In the past 2 months, I've gone back to real pizza but I order it plain and then add my own toppings and I portion control what I eat for that night and freeze the rest.

5. What food do you really hate?

I'm a picky eater, so there are a lot of these. I find most seafood pretty disgusting, esp. crabs. The smell of morel mushrooms sauteing would make me run for the hills when I was a kid (my dad picked them wild by the trashbag full). Liver. Asparagus.

6. What is a food you don't really like, but know you should eat?

I finally got myself to eat yogurt last year...even at it regularly several times a week. But then I got really burned out on it. I can't eat it if it isn't sweetened but yet I hate sweet stuff in the morning and I was trying to eat it for breakfast.

7. What is one food you could "NEVER" give up?

Wow, that's hard. Based on what I crave when I want fatty food, I guess I'd have to say high-quality burger & fries or pizza. And chocolate for sure.

8. What is a food you do like, but if you were told you could never eat it again, you wouldn't be that upset?

I was a huge fried chicken fan 2 years ago. When I started eating healthy in July 2003, I stopped going to KFC. I have only been back once in almost 2 years. It AMAZED me how little it bothered me to give it up.

9. Would you consider taking a "Healthy" vacation?

Absolutely would love a spa vacation or a healthy cruise type of thing. A super exercise-intensive vacation...like the biking hundreds of miles thing or an intensive boot camp thing...nah, I wouldn't enjoy that. Wouldn't mind exercising on vacation (I often do) but super intensive exercise wouldn't be a vacation to me.

10. What is one name brand food product you couldn't live without?

Wow, another tough one. Geez. I really can't think of one. And I tend to be quite a brand-loyal shopper. But I eat so much fresh food now that I just buy a lot less store-bought brand name items.

1. What's for dinner tonight?
HAHAHA, I just went to the fridge to make dinner and I found the ground beef I planned to use has gone bad!! So, now I have no clue what to eat, plus I can't cook so that totally limits what I can make!

2. What is your preferred exercise?
Umm, I like the treadmill and the bike now. I am starting to use the weight machines at the gym but most still confuse me. I like taking classes like mat pilates and yoga (hey, I live in LA). I actually like the feeling after you workout when your sore, sick isn't it! I wish I had someone to workout with it would make the whole thing more enjoyable.

3. What exercise do you actually do?
Treadmill, bike, and weight machines. The Precore is my enemy!

4. What is your favorite food?
Wow, it's like asking a parent which is your favorite child! I like seafood (sorry SheriaVa), pasta, rice & soda (that's a running joke with my friends), garlic chicken or shrimp, tiramisu, cheese, Italian, Japanese, Thai...I could go on forever!

If it isn't inherently "healthy" Do you have a slimmed down version of it?
Um, instead of eating white rice I chose brown rice, I haven't eaten pasta since going WW. I know drink diet coke which is was such a big deal for an avid cola lover like me!!The foods I really like I usually eat when dinning out and I have really cut back on that.

5. What food do you really hate?
I don't like spicy food, anything that is soo spicy you could be eating the tablecloth but wouldn't know it. I hate olives, honeydew melons, pesto does that count?

6. What is a food you don't really like, but know you should eat?
Milk. I hate milk!!! I try to drink the low or non fat milk but I have started taking calcium vitamins instead.

7. What is one food you could "NEVER" give up?
Rice or good burgers.

8. What is a food you do like, but if you were told you could never eat it again, you wouldn't be that upset?
Soda

9. Would you consider taking a "Healthy" vacation? For example a health food/exercise cruise, a very exercise intense focused trip (riding your bike hundreds of miles while camping along the way, a major hiking trek...)?
YES

10. What is one name brand food product you couldn't live without?
Don't have one.

1. What's for dinner tonight?
I think I am making up a crockpot full of chicken mole (mexican), I like to cook in "bulk" on the weekends so that I have healthy choices readily available once the week starts and gets inevitably busy.

2. What is your prefered exercise?
Lately it has been swimming and water aerobics....and belly dancing! Anyway that I can disguise excercise (home repair, yardwork, out dancing) works for me too!

3. What exercise do you actually do?
I've actually been doing a lot of the above plus arm weights in the morning.

4. What is your favorite food?
I would say my top favorites would be Thai and Indian food...they are my top choices for going out.

5. If it isn't inherently "healthy" Do you have a slimmed down version of it?
I have made some healthier stir-fries and curries that have come somewhat close...but still not as good as the real thing.

5. What food do you really hate?
SEAFOOD...all kinds, kind of sad that I was born in Boston and can't take advantage of it....I keep trying at different times, but can't get past the taste/texture.

6. What is a food you don't really like, but know you should eat?
Fish again, I take fish oil capsules to make up for it.....I'm also anemic and should eat more red meat, but I much prefer chicken.

7. What is one food you could "NEVER" give up?
Cheese....I love all kinds, feta, goat, swiss, american...it's the perfect food! Oh and coffee, my coffee maker broke the other morning and I was seriously showing signs of withdrawel...sad but true!

8. What is a food you do like, but if you were told you could never eat it again, you wouldn't be that upset?
Apparantly sugar and white flour....I've mostly given it up and don't seem to miss it all that much!


9. Would you consider taking a "Healthy" vacation? For example a health food/exercise cruise, a very exercise intense focused trip (riding your bike hundreds of miles while camping along the way, a major hiking trek...)?
Definetely...it's all about "disguising the excercise", when you do something in the context of fun you usually have more endurance and benefits without realizing it. I love snorkeling, kayaking, hiking....any of these would be a great vacation.

10. What is one name brand food product you couldn't
Diet Dr. Pepper.....

hi singles! i made it home safe. i didn't get a chance to post sooner because i was unpacking,etc.... went to work tonite and supervisor asked why i didn't come in at 7am today. i had gotten a day job and nobody had told me what day i was starting. each supervisor thought the other had called me. now i have to go in tomorrow at 7 after working till 11pm tonite. i am going to be one tired puppy. i had specifically told 3 different supervisors the phone # where i could be reached in florida to avoid this problem. if i had known, i would have worked on changing my sleep schedule last week. can you tell they aggravated me.... thanks for letting me vent.

does anyone buy "Self" magazine?? i signed up for their yearly "self challenge".
i was wondering if anyone wanted to join with me. it is a 3 month challenge that you can start within the next few weeks. each month they give you 3 challenges to get you into a healthy routine. 2 are exercise challenges and 1 is a food challenge. you can also go to self.com to sign up and learn more.
anyone up for it??? just thought i'd ask.

have a good tuesday!!!
kathy

hi singles! i made it thru my first day on 1st shift. not too bad on 4 hours
sleep. i have to set up a whole new schedule for myself. one good thing is i didn't eat much. they are really strict about break times on this shift so i only brought fruit for my short breaks and a tuna sandwich w/carrots on the side for lunch. tonite will be the 1st time in a few years i will make a normal dinner and eat it while it's hot.

well, i'm off to do my cardio challenge.
have a great wedneday!
kathy

Hey kids! I've been out of town for the long weekend visiting my best friends in Delaware and just returned today. Hope you're all doing well!

hi singles! welcome back sheriva! i hope you had a good time visiting your friends. it's been kind of quiet here the last few days.

not much exciting here either really. i don't know what to do with myself at nite now. i just finished some cleaning. i'm going to try to clean a room per nite to get things caught up. i guess it would be early spring cleaning. i'm too pooped from work to exercise tonite. i'm not used to being on my feet a whole 8 hours.

well, i hope everyone has a good thursday!
kathy

hey kat, I'll check out the self mag. website.

I haven't been up to anything either. I am still trying to stick with the WW thing. I worked out on Monday and Tuesday. But I am not counting Tues, I didn't do much at the gym it was not my day!

I did great on exercising while I was out of town staying at my friends' house, but I have done AWFUL since my return. Tuesday I planned as an off day from exercise because I knew I would be driving directly from Delaware back to Virginia for a work luncheon then straight from there to grocery shopping and straight from there to cooking and packaging my lunches for work. But then, on Wednesday morning, while I did set the workout alarm, I blew it off and went back to sleep. I stayed up an hour later last night to watch the season finale of Project Runway and, as a result, ended up blowing off my workout alarm AGAIN this morning. I'm disgusted with myself but I am trying to remember that this is a VERY VERY rare occurrence for me and that I did do great while in Rehoboth (I only did 15 minutes of abs one day but did an hour of Walk Away the Pounds the next and did lots of walking while there).

Hellooo? (hello...hello...hello)

I've been waiting to post until after someone else posted but it's been a long, quiet few days with no posts, so I thought I'd bump this up and see if we can snag another newbie.

Hope you all are doing well. I have been pretty down this week in regard to my weight. I had been so happy about my weight the week before (I had actually lost a little bit of weight) but then I gained weight over the long weekend in Rehoboth...not from lack of exercise or from the meals I ate...but purely from sugar. I discovered semisweet chocolate truffles at the chocolate shop where I went to buy cocoa (I ran out a few weeks ago and love their brand) and I had THREE huge truffles over the course of the weekend. If that wasn't bad enough, one of my friends' roommates made these ooey, gooey cookie bars with coconut, nuts, chocolate chips and a graham cracker crust that I found delectable and unavoidable. He put 4 of them in my bag the morning I was heading home and, instead of throwing them away, I ate all 4 of them within 24 hours. As in control as I can be about SO many things, I still find myself out of control (or close to it) with a lot of sweets. Because I live alone, I can just not bring them in the house and so I can get by. But, going to other peoples' houses, it is a nightmare of self control. When my friends see me eating these things, I feel like I have failed them, because they seem to look to me as a role model of healthy eating and self control. Or maybe that is just my disappointment in myself that I am projecting onto them. Either way, I have been feeling pretty crappy. I am a control freak and that includes self control. So when I'm not able to control myself around a food, it makes me feel weak and awful.

I will survive, of course. It's just hard to have such a rock bottom experience after a week when I was finally seeing some positive change.

hi singles! it's been a busy weekend. i had to work all of it. when i was on my way out to my car from my full time job on friday, my old part time job called me because they were in a pinch so i worked there friday nite, then i worked both sat and sun at the full time job. they are in desperate mode there. first, it's the end of the month which is always a run for the money, plus we are very behind in our orders. i haven't been offered a sunday in years. i guess it's will be getting offered a bit now. i get double time for that. i'll be appreciating that paycheck this week, because i didn't get paid for my last trip to florida. so needless to say i'm pooped. i just woke up from a 2hour nap in time to catch some of the "oscars".

sheriva- this past week had been a nightmare for me too. i haven't had the energy to exercise at all. i had switched to a day job and my sleep schedule is screwed up and the job i switched to is very physical. i'm sooo tired when i get home. i think i will do better when i get adjusted to working days. we will both survive and move on to accomplich our goals.

i hope we both (and everyone else) have a better week!
kathy

Hi Everyone,

It's been awhile but I am finally back. Things have been pretty good for me. At least for the most part. I found out that the weight I thought I had lost wasn't accurate. Since it was such a large amount of weight the gym's scale reading said I lost, I decided to weigh myself at home. Needless to say there was a BIG difference. It turns out that I had actually lost 6lbs since my home scale is the one I calculated the Dec reading on. Not as well as much loss as the gym's, but when I thought about it it was still pretty good progress. Especially when considering that up to that point my exercise routine had been sporadic at best.

Since then, I have lost an additional 6 lbs for a total of 12lbs. That I am pleased about. I have NOT reached my goal of 5 days a week yet. Heck, I haven't even been exercising 3 days per week. But I have gotten up to 2 days and have been pretty consistent for 3 weeks now. I will be shooting for 3 days this week and let you guys know how it goes.

SheriaVa and Corning Kat:

I also haven't been eating as I should. I'be had icecream a couple times this weekend, one of my tea concoctions, pizza hut, pepsi (a DEFINITE no no for me considering I was a pepsi addict... I'm talkin a 2-liter a day ) and stuffed flounder with garlic mashed potatoes... a FEW times last week. not once, not twice, but a FEW!!! Now you KNOW I ain't right... lol. So, seeing as though I was the worst out of the three of us, you guys are doing an outstanding job considering my binge week. Seriously ladies, we have to keep in mind that we are works in progress. Every week will not be ideal, we will have our ups and downs. The thing is that we realize our mistakes and make adjustments and improvements. I am proud of the two of you for two reasons. You have made life style adjustments and have done well with your diet/exercise routines. And you encourage me to keep going. We aren't perfect, but we are working towards our goals and that is key.

Ok.. I've strained your eyes enough and will close out by saying keep up the good work and don't sweat the small stuff.