[redballoon]

Heh, a whole day has gone by and there hasn't been a peep. . . .

[stormy1]

Hi Red balloon,it is 7 AM I just woke up. I should have checked in last night. I was up until 1:30AM doing school work. What a wild life I have, huh? Up studying on a Friday night. Big fun! The cruise goes to Playa Del Carman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. Since we are avid divers we have been to 3/4 places. We are doing the cruise thing b/c that is what my parents want. I see them about 4 times a year and I realize that we have to spend time together. This way we can spend time together but we can all do our own thing when we want to.

For Valentine's we are going out to eat but we are doing it tonight instead of Monday. Giving the guy chocolate? Nothing for the girl in return? That isn't right. Speaking of chocolate, I am about to go to the store and buy brownies to make for my hubby for V Day. He likes me to put cream cheese frosting on them. Yummy! I guess I'll have 2 cheat days in one week. I may not meet that V Day goal.

Have you worked out? Get back to it as our new challenge starts Tuesday, right?

I need some Fung Shei in my house. I used to have my front door painted red in our old house. I have thought about painting it red in this house. Red is a good color for the door according to Fung Shei.

So what is the purpose of this holiday? I am soooooo happy that you get the day off. You deserve some "me" time. Give it to yourself.

[Crime girl]

Sorry I have been MIA- school has been crazy and I just worked 19 hours in 2 days so I was pooped last night. Didn't even turn on the computer which is not like me.
Anyway- things have been going good so far. My bf and I were both really tired last night and wanted to order out food that was bad for us. We managed to talk ourselves out of it and have grilled chicken instead. Things are working good with the extra support now. The only other obstacles we face now are VDay and Feb 15th which is our anniversary. He wants to go out to eat and I want to eat in and still eat somewhat healthy. His argument is that it is a holiday but every day counts torward me losing for graduation. On top of that we have spring break coming up and we are both off work and school and we want to take some day trips to area around here. He wants to forgo the diet on those days too. If I add them all up that is alot of time eating like I use to.
Anyway- as for exercise. Still working out with Maya and doing the DDR game. I am going to add a walk in the evening to this week and see how that goes. Trying to stay as busy as possible- parking way back in parking lots and across campus at school so I have to walk. Going to dig out my pedometer and see if I can up to 10,000 steps a day.
Today I should hook up DSL as well so I am excited. I am expecting one last part and then I am in business.

Shanberg- Great idea motivating yourself with the treadmill and how much you had to spend. If you are like me you hate to pay for something that you are not using. It sounds like you are doing a great job with the walking and I know it must be hard for you if you have knee pain. So - Good JOB!!
I also think your food diary is a good idea. I would be interested in your form if you want to email it to me. (I will PM you my email address). I am with the others though that fitday.com is good as well. I guess it depends on your internet access. I am around computers I can use all the time so it is easy for me to use. Occassionally though I just like to write rather than type. Seems more personal.
To answer your question- the challenge with the bf is going pretty good. I am glad we are doing it at the same time and motivating each other. It really helps me because he seems to take his cues from me. If I cheat- he will cheat. If I eat healthy- he does too so it is pressure for me to eat right or affect both of us.

stormy- Amen sister with the school work. I feel like such a nerd sometimes sitting home on a Friday or Saturday night reading for class. We should start our own club- the study people of the world unite! Okay- I think I have "gone round the bend" as my grandma would say.
Congrats on your cruise! That will be so much fun for you and much deserved!

little grasshopper- I am using you for my inspiration for walking! You are motivating me to get out there and walk!
That woman you use to work with unearthed the reason I want to do forensic accounting. There is SO much in companies that you don't see and so much illegal going on in a lot of them that I think it will be fun to go in and tear the books apart and find the fraud. Not that yours was doing accounting fraud- just illustrates that the employees don't know half of what goes on behind closed doors.
I have to jump on the bandwagon and say when you said "I got balls" it out in my mind a very bad version of the "Got milk?" campaign.

red balloon- I feel your pain with the getting on plan and falling off over and over again. I have been yoyoing the same pounds since we started this board. If I could get below 280 I think I would throw a parade. It puts me in a state of obsessiveness sometimes. Always trying to stay motivated and focused on losing this weight. EEK!
I say go for it with the nose piercing too! Make the outside look like the inside if that makes you happy. The heck with what people think. Japan sounds a little scarey though. You wouldn't be picked on with one would you? You freaked me out with some of the things that go on over there. I knew the mafia was a presence but not that open of one. I also didn't know about people being lured into clubs and taken advantage of when they try to leave. I guess when I think about it though- that kind of thing probably happens to a degree in a lot of big cities. New York, Chicago, etc. Just be careful red!
How was India to live in? What was the cultural like- I know it is probably the most diverse place on Earth. It is also the second biggest democracy to us I believe. Are certain areas certain cultures or do people blend together?
Another thing I wanted to ask is what in the heck is "Foundation Day"? (as she eagerly gets out her "holidays for fun" notebook).

Red's horoscope for the day-Today you will encounter someone who will change the direction of your thinking. Not everyone is who they appear to be. Take a chance on love and open new doors in your life.

Okay happy campers- I need to get my day started. Glad I had a chance to catch up. Today is reflection of the week day so how about we look at one low point and 2 high points in the week? How was your week overall as well?

Question of the day:
What three traits do you admire the most in another person??

[stormy1]

three traits I admire -honesty, motivation and a willingness to serve others

[redballoon]

Good morning. Sunday morning here. Weigh-in, but I know I will be so up. I have more or less given up but just do it to record my ascent into fatdom. Ah well, I must keep at it. I really don't want to go riding this morning. I think it's really, really cold out there and the ground may be frozen. Plus I think I have to ride in the big (scary) ring because some beginner is in the small round one where I usually ride. I know I have to get out into the bigger one but it is scary and I can't concentrate on the things I have to. I freeze up and my mind goes blank, whites out kind of feeling. I must be brave but it's hard when you're feeling physically weak and tired as I am now.

So glad to see some action around here. It was lonely yesterday.

**********

stormy -- no, didn't have a day off the other day. Holidays don'T matter at the paper. It just means the trains may be less crowded early on and the office will be quiet as some sections don't come in but other than that, nothing. We don't even get extra pay anymore. That all has been cut recently. I will have to look up those places you mentioned for your cruise. Only heard of Belize. You remind me that I need to spend time with my father. Really, it's not good being so far away. He is getting older and I have seen so little of his life. Luckily, he has a wife to keep him company and my brother and sister do get to visit regularly. The times I do get back though are often not pleasant and I find myself wondering why I bother. He/we can only talk it seems when we are half a world apart and on the phone. Perhaps that is OK too. Yeah, VDay here is stupid. And it's not just giving one guy chocolate, your beau, it's about giving all the guys in the office chocolate, even your bosses and whatever. There is supposed to be a reciprocate day, March 14, it's called White Day, but very few guys observe it. Big surprise! No, I haven't worked out. But yesterday I did walk more, got on the train three stops later than usual and off one earlier than usual. I was all sweaty at work and then chilled but was really glad to have done that. I saw a feng shui thing on TV that was saying how bad red was in the house but maybe you're right about the front door because I think a lot of doors in China are painted red. They were saying beige and green is good inside. I don't know. It seems to weird but maybe. My only fear is to get too into it and then too superstitious. I don't know. I have always had an aversion to red in the house though and red in general is not a color I feel comfortable around except in small doses. Maybe there is something with its energy. Foundation Day celebrates the founding of the nation according to Shinto mythology and that is connected to the Emperor and the belief that he is divine. That is the old belief and was more or less abolished by the Americans after the war and most people probably don't think about it consciously but there are many elements in the culture that still adhere to this belief, such as the flag and the national anthem. So, because of the connection to this belief and this day, you get the nationalists out for pep rallies and trucks with loudspeakers blaring nationalistic songs. It's real noise pollution but nothing is done, basically because the cops are more or less tied in with a lot of underground and rightwing elements. No kidding. It's kind of like a Deep South town where all the cops are Klansmen.


shanberg -- speaking of colors with stormy before, I read that purple is the color you will want around yourself when you are working on self-empowerment, bringing more confidence and self-esteem into your life so maybe this is why you are so fond of it now. You seem to be doing this, putting yourself first more than you probably were, wanting to do things for you and you alone. Purple Haze! can be a good thing!

Crime girl -- Hmm. meeting someone who will change my thinking? Uh-oh, this sounds scary. I understand how busy you have been. Thanks for doing my horoscope. It really gives me a lift when I find it in the morning, a little present just for me. As for the eating with your boyfriend, even if you do go out you can try to eat healthfully. You can make a game of it, rise to the challenge, compromise that you can eat out as long as you can find a place where you have a choice, not one where you are forced to eat as he does. I have to do this a lot with people even say at lunch and it's disheartening to realize how people will not go out of their way to accommodate my needs and/or wishes. I have to end up just not eating because they will insist on going somewhere where there is nothing vegetarian. I've given up though. I just don't go with them. They're not friends if they can't support me even a bit. I'm glad now there is a new young guy at work and he is, though not a vegetarian, a nonmeat eater and is willing to go to the places I can go. Usually I have had no one to eat with so I brought stuff but sometimes it's nice to go out with people. I have dragged him places twice this past week. Good going on the exercise Crime girl. It is motivating when others talk about what they're doing. I think I should get the pedometer out again too. Gives us a goal that's tangible. "Going around the bend" does that mean crazy, or does it mean the worst is over? Couldn't tell. Yes, I am so discouraged that I have done nothing as far as results go this year yet. What has happened? Why am I so stuck? Oh, well, mustn't think about it. Ok, CG, it's getting late, I will try to write more later. to be continued . . .

[redballoon]

Hi all. I'm back and I see I haven't missed a thing! Where is everyone? I even thought maybe the new thread had been started without me knowing about it. But no, I guess everyone is just busy. Oh well, I have been too and considering that it is now only 3:30 a.m. on the East Coast I guess everyone is slumbering, seeing as NBK is still vacationing I guess.

Ok, well, largely thanks to stormy saying I had to get there, I did get to the gym today! Hurrah, Hurrah! It was the first time in weeks I think. I knew that if I went riding and then came home first as usual I would never get out the door again. A object at rest tends to stay at rest and all that. So I took my gym stuff riding and then got the train directly there afterward riding. That involves transferring twice and I was tired, falling asleep on the train as usual and I almost said, "forget it" but I remember how I wake up and just pushed myself to get there. I did and jogged a bit, biked a bit and did some weight training, then walked home. So I really got some exercise in today.

I had two near misses today too but caught myself. Twice I went into the convenience store thinking I would get some cashews as usual and then I remembered, Oops, I gave those up! so I didn't get them.

And I'm also glad I went riding because I did OK in the big ring because there was no wind and the sun was out and the horse didn't spook. Hurrah again!

Crime girl, I still haven't thought who this person could be changing my thinking but I'm still waiting. It's fun when you write a horoscope and then I'm looking for it all day. It's like an Easter egg hunt or something!

I also went to another gym in my neighborhood on the way home from the other one. I used to be a member there too and may join again. I realize how the distance of the other one just gives me an excuse more often than not and I just don't exercise in my room though I could get on the bike. So I'm thinking it may be worth it. It has a pool too and that can just be nice for relaxing. I was realizing today how I have these cruddy image of myself, this fat, strong, aging person and today in the mirror though I saw that too I saw a glimpse of something much nicer and I got thinking, if I can just see myself as that other person then I can work toward that, I can live like that person would. Recently, I've been living like a fat, middle-aged woman and that's what I'm looking like. I have NO role models! Help. I want to see women my age who are cool looking, well the way I want to look. But I don't see them and somehow I just can't picture myself looking the way I'd like to. I will have to go through the magazines better. I see the clothes but I never see the age (40s). And if I do, they're sticks and I don't want to be a stick. Oh well, blah, blah, blah. calling this a post. till later. . .

[redballoon]

Ah ha! I just had a lightbulb moment. I said in that last post that I wanted to see women who are cool-looking. Well, I just realized I don't need to!

If I start living, eating, exercising LIKE a cool person, I will begin to look like one!! What do you think?

[Crime girl]

WOW- poor Red. We have just abandoned you- what happened everyone? We seem to be dwindling....
Okay well- I am going to move the thread in a sec but wanted to post a post just for Red so:
Red- Sorry I haven't been around much- I will make more of an effort to get on here several times a day instead of just once.
Congrats on going to the gym! Starting to get back in the swing is the hardest part. I think the gym you went to last sounds like a good one. I think the most important part is whether you feel comfotable and empowered in the gym- and of course a pool helps.
Good for you not caving on the cashews as well- it is hard to stay self discplined and you are doing great!
As for strong women "your age"- first, age in my opinion is a state of mind. Two, there are PLENTY of strong role models in their 40s. For example- Demi Moore. Did you see her in picture in the trailers etc for Charlie's Angels 2? She has a muscular build and looks better than most 20 year olds. Also her pic from GI Jane- she is built better than most men. Anyway- there are plenty out there.
Also- wonderful job with Heidi! I knew you would do fine in the big ring! It has to feel good when everything comes together and you get in a really good ride!
By the way- "around the bend" means going off the track- out of the norm- implies going a little nutty! My grandmother has all kinds of colorful sayings and my bf is Cuban-Columbian so he was raised by parents that do not speak English- so when I use these sayings he looks at me like I am crazy. Getting a sudden chill is "rabbit ran over my grave"..getting a "hitch in your gettie up" means getting a little burst of energy.." off your nut" is also a little crazy.."see a man about a horse" well that is excusing yourself to the restroom. My grandmother has lived in the deep south all her life so she has quite an arsenal of colorful and funny language. I love it!
Okay well need to run and get this thread moved...
Red's horoscope of the day-
Today moves you forward torward a person of interest. Open your mind to new things and prepare for change. Your day will be unpredictable and exhilarating.

[Crime girl]

Here is the link to the new thread....
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...203#post777203
See you there!