Ty, ya know that is what I thought too, I thought that you were supposed to go at it the hardest and fastest you can for the 2 circuits, which is just what I am doing. But, what do I know anyhow? I mean, I wonder sometimes. Not that i would be mean, but, there are women there that just go to be around people I think, some of them do more talking than anything, and I go there for the work-out and I do sweat so much it drips off of me...That's a good thing right? Although, you cannot tell her anything, then she gets Bchy...I just plan to go alone. then I can leave when I want...Not going to wait around any more...TY an hag1

: Yes!! I weighed in at 232 today, down 2.5 pounds! That water weight finally went away. No more Mrs. Marshmallow! Not for another 3 weeks, anyway.

Diana, I don't see a thing wrong with telling your MIL that you'd like to drive separately. I know you'll approach the subject kindly and your reason isn't anything hurtful, just realistic. She might feel weird about making you wait while she continues on her course, so maybe it will be a relief to her, too. Maybe you could try to go at the same time, but just in separate cars; that way it's a compromise and it won't seem you're trying to avoid her, just to make better use of time.

Jill, Saturday meeting? Blah! Can you power nap? Howie can, and it makes me sick. He can lie down and sleep for 15-30 minutes and awake recharged and ready to take on the day. Me? My naps are 2-3 hours long. I try not to nap because of that...I need to see some daylight, after all.

Aimee, when do you hear? Hoping good things for you! By the way, do you pronounce Aimee "Ah-may" or "A-mee"? I've known one other Aimee and she pronounced it "Ah-may", French, I think.

You posted when I did - Just saw yours. Definitely you're doing the right thing by working up a sweat. Challenging yourself is good! Life ain't no social club, ya know?

Whoa, is Curves telling people to use resistance machines (weights) as quickly as possible in the 30 seconds at each station? I have been told plenty of times in multiple gyms that working out quickly is NOT good for your muscles--jerking them back and forth does not work them at all compared to the slow, controlled movements that feel more resistance. You're also not supposed to let the weights rest completely in between each rep--keep the resistance on your muscles the ENTIRE time, which is hard to do if you're moving too quickly. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you guys are saying, but it sounds pretty insane to work out fast like that--dangerous, too, for it's a lot easier to pull a muscle when you workout too fast. Also, when you do the circuit, do you just do each machine once for 30 seconds? I'm not sure how that's an effective workout either, for my trainers have always had me doing 3 sets on each machine (2 to start off with until I could handle all 3). When I worked out, I would do upper body one day and lower body the next, and doing just one upper or lower body workout would take me about 20-30 minutes, so it would be almost a good hour for me to get a good full-body workout in one session, then follow it with 20 or so minutes of cardio. Like I said, maybe I am misreading/misunderstanding, or maybe I even have a warped concept of what exactly is involved in the Curves circuit (since I have never been to one), but something doesn't quite sound right in my head.

Yeah, Aimee, when do you find out?!

Kimberley--I nap like you...a few hours at a time. If I sleep for 20-30 minutes or whatever, then I still feel tired when I wake up, like I got cheated out of more sleep Congrats on that pesky water weight finally letting go of you!

Diana--Regardless of how much you're supposed to be doing at Curves or whether you can do the circuit more than once or whatever, at least you're out exercising instead of sitting around! You're doing awesome, and I would think that even if you don't get the muscle workout on the 2nd time around, I'm sure you're still sweating, which means you're still burning!

According to the new national dietary guidelines that came out in January, we are supposed to work out for 60 minutes most days of the week (I'm not sure if by "most" they mean 4, 5, or 6...) just to maintain our weight, and 90 minutes most days to lose. Like I have 90 minutes most days to workout (and you know it really takes longer because you have to account for changing clothes and showering and such). How insane! Besides, if you're trying to lose weight, I would think ANY exercise would be enough, since you most likely haven't been getting enough if you seriously need to lose weight, ya know?

Wow, lots to catch up on here!

That pic is GORGEOUS, Kimberley. Wow. I think because so much of NYC is so unsightly, I consider going to botanic gardens and the parks such a relief. Congrats on the great loss!

We love Lost. Boone was a good sidekick for Locke, but the producers promised to kill somebody off. (That means he's really dead.) Lots of good looking guys on that island! We got the tv guide with Sawyer on the cover (the blond bad guy), whew! And all those actors get to work in Hawaii! Now that's a tough life.

Diana, you're sinking a lot of time, energy and money into Curves, and you're doing it for you, so I wouldn't feel bad about nicely telling MIL that you'd rather go solo. It can be tough enough at times to stay motivated, I figure I'm going to make my gym experience as good as I can. (I went this morning, yeah.)

Aimee, I wish you were here to be my clothes consultant. I have to admit most the time it's t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes on this broad. Now that I don't have to dress up to go to work, I tend to wear comfy clothes. I've got everything crossed for you too. (Even some things that shouldn't be!)

I'm going to have to go, will post more later.

Take care of yourselves, ladies. Your health, mental, spiritual, and physical are important! We're fab and we deserve it.

On that note, I lost 1.2 lbs today. Very happy about that. The gym's making a difference already. I'm really glad I joined.

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Whoa, is Curves telling people to use resistance machines (weights) as quickly as possible in the 30 seconds at each station? I have been told plenty of times in multiple gyms that working out quickly is NOT good for your muscles--jerking them back and forth does not work them at all compared to the slow, controlled movements that feel more resistance. You're also not supposed to let the weights rest completely in between each rep--keep the resistance on your muscles the ENTIRE time, which is hard to do if you're moving too quickly. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you guys are saying, but it sounds pretty insane to work out fast like that--dangerous, too, for it's a lot easier to pull a muscle when you workout too fast. Also, when you do the circuit, do you just do each machine once for 30 seconds? I'm not sure how that's an effective workout either, for my trainers have always had me doing 3 sets on each machine (2 to start off with until I could handle all 3). When I worked out, I would do upper body one day and lower body the next, and doing just one upper or lower body workout would take me about 20-30 minutes, so it would be almost a good hour for me to get a good full-body workout in one session, then follow it with 20 or so minutes of cardio. Like I said, maybe I am misreading/misunderstanding, or maybe I even have a warped concept of what exactly is involved in the Curves circuit (since I have never been to one), but something doesn't quite sound right in my head. ~~Jill...

U must have mis-understood me lol...or maybe we described it wrong, no, it isn't speed lifting or anything like that, but it is kind of like lifting combined with arerobics, I can't describe unless you have gone...it isn't really the length of the work-out as much as the quality to me anyhow...it is a 30 minute circuit, you start out on a pad that is cushioned, and you walk or jog or dance for 30 seconds then you go to a resistence machine and do that for 30 seconds, then back on a pad and walk or jog, then to a machine. then when you get to where you startd, you go around again. I start out with a slow walk , then the next pad I jog, then next time I do lunges, then the next I do other things ( free weights, etc)...It really keeps you moving, and I like that. I have so much more energy now. It has been proven to work, and is very successful...It is also designed for 30 mins because so many women do not have time to go work out for hours for the same benefit. I think I just get tired of it because I feel like I want to get all sweaty and am not there to win a beauty award...I push myself because I enjoy that. I am not there to gossip or anything. And I am not there to prove I can do something longer or faster than anyone else. She kind of annoys me when she says she isn't breaking a sweat or doesn't feel like it's working or whatever...So, I will be meeting her there and leaving when I am done. No biggie, lol...Sorry if I confused you and got you worried,

WTG, Ladies, all with the losses, hopefully, Sunday, i wil have good new there too!!

Goodmorning! I'm feeling tired today, again, another night of waking up at weird times. I got up with Josh at 3am, and then again with my brother at 6:30am, and then slept until 9:40. My brother spent the night here, and then headed to Victoria today.

Diana - if you don't feel like telling the MIL that you don't like waiting, just tell her sometimes you have to run errands, or are running late, or early.. and it's just more convenient for you to drive yourself. I know with MIL's you just dont' want to offend them, because it can be pure ****. I wish you the best of luck with that!

Kimberley - congrats! 2.5 pounds, yay!! There is a slight possibility that I gained them ( I ate ice cream last night!! I don't even like the stuff!!), I deserve it.. but my scale still says the same. I was in the bathroom in the middle of the night feeling sick (no details!), and I just thought, enough of this, I NEED to sleep better, and feel better. So I'm REALLY going to try today. My name? I just go with the English version, most people can't pronouce my name in French. A few people try, and I giggle, I grew up speaking french and english fluently. I did lose the french quite a few years ago though.

Marge - everything I wear is comfy, except shoes sometimes. I think you can be stylish and comfy all at the same time. However, on my days off of work? You can find me in sweats, sweat-type-capri's, and t-shirts. I am addicted to flip-flops, and runners.. its bad sometimes!

Alrighty, I am sorry this is so short.. I gotta shower.. cuz.. you guessed it.. I'm running late!! lol, just a given. I'll be back in a bit..

-Aimee

Tell you sister to move here -- I'd love someone to talk to when working out, at least while swimming. The time spent swimming last night went quickly because I had my MIL to talk to. I don't get as bored on the machines, thankfully. Once I get back into the habit I'll be okay, but it's hard. Y'all can understand that, I know.

Howie hit a plateau this week, right when he was so close to getting under 300lbs. I sure feel for him! I can't wait to get down to 220lbs - that's my wedding weight, something I've not seen since 1992.

We're going to see "Fever Pitch" tomorrow evening. Anyone seen it yet? We like both Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon, plus Howie's on this baseball kick. He got a Major League Baseball radio subscription for $15, so now he can listen to all the major league games online all season. You can tell the excitement in my voice, right?

Diana--that part is what confused me. I got this horrible image of women just flying on these machines--sure, that'll give you a cardio workout, but instead of building muscles, they'll all just hurt! What you said makes more sense to me now. Thanks for explaining.

I know the Curves my mother went to actually had those little trampolines in between each machine so you could jump on those instead of jogging in place. At first, I thought that sounded so fun, but then reality struck, and I pictured my 310-pound self bouncing up and down on a little trampoline with my feet sinking all the way to the floor every time I landed on it, and I became mildly horrified. I prefer the freedom of the gym. Something I say to Jeff ALL the time is, "I want what I want wen I want it!" I was looking in one of those little astrology horoscope booklets at the checkout of a grocry store a few weeks ago (the Cancer one, since it's my sign), and it actually said that people born under this sign "wants what he wants when he wants it." Exact words! Of course I had to show Jeff so he knew I was just a Cancer and not a spoiled brat But I guess that's how I am at the gym, too--if I want to just sit my butt on a bike and ride for 30 minutes, I can. If I want to work my biceps for a few minutes and then use the elliptical, I can. If I'm all gung-ho and want to just lift weights for an hour, I can do that, too. Just my personal preference (though I suppose it would be nice to have a regular structured program, too, especially since you have the freedom of changing what you do in between machines).

Alrighty, bout half an hour till I get to go home and clean while I wait for Jeff. Hope ya'll are having a Fabulous Friday!!

Jill- I'm glad you now have a better understanding of Diana's curves gym. I also want to add that the machines are built with a hydrolic resistance and not an actual weight system. Therefore if you push or pull faster or harder you create more friction making your "weights" heavier. If you go slow you're going through the motions but it would be like leg pressing a bag of marshmallows, if you push quicker your forcing the hydrolic together making your marshmallows into cement bricks. Hope this creates a better visual for you!

Kimberly- Yea for you girl!!! I love to see big drops on the scale!

TY Treefrog great explantation,,hehe..Hope this all makes more sense now Jill...she said it perfectly...okay, having grilled burgers over a bed of lettuce with tomatos ,lettuce, pickles, etc..no bread...we started eating them like this last year and I love them this way now...okay ladies have a great night, bb 2 morrow!!

Good morning all. Im sorry I havent been here in a while. I had strep and was trying to get better. Not to mention ex-hubby drama with my children. But today is beautiful, I will not be upset that I turn 35(age is just a number anyway, and DH is younger so he will keep me young..lol) I have missed you guys, and will have to get on a little later to read everyone's posts.
Congrats to all of you who have done what you wanted this week, and congrats to those who might not have, but still get back up and do it again the next day. We have solved the cake dilemma. DH is making me cake, b/c, in his words, you can't be w/out 24/7. So I'm getting my chocolate cake, and eating a small portion of it, and then getting the rest of it out of the house asap..lol.
I'll bbl. My kids get to stay w/ me for the day today(they go to their dad's every weekend) so I don't know when I"ll be back, but I will.
((((((all of you)))))))
~Heather

Hey, Heather - good to see you! Hope you feel better soon and can really enjoy that birthday cake!

We're working outside today. Well, Howie is...And I will be soon. I'm enjoying some Kashi and blueberries with my "morning" coffee before I get out there. Ahhhhh, Saturdays.