Back To Basics - August
 

Welcome to a new month! Can you believe it's August already?!? It's a new month and a new start.

I had a really good weekend. Got lots of things done around the house, exercised and watched what I ate. I lost the 2 pounds I gained while on vacation!

Today I plan on walking at noon and going to the gym after work. I had a bowl of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal for breakfast and brought a Lean Cuisine meal for lunch.

Have a great day! :D

Way to go, Roxy - for starting our thread. I can't believe it is August already either.

I had a good week. I lost 4.1 pounds. Hurray! Now I just need to keep it up.

Have a great day all.

Jolly - that's great! Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Roxy. I didn't make the healthiest choices today, but I also wasn't grazing. So, I am going to shrug, say ok, and remember tomorrow is another day.

Have a good one everyone.

Good morning everyone. I'm back! I've been away tending to my mom and dad and sorry I have not been in touch. I also have been really not watching my weight at all, too much stress. But, being home and getting on the scale again was a eye opener. I was back on program yesterday and plan on being back all week.
How are things going everyone?
Linda

Good Morning! I finally made it back to the gym last night. It felt so good, but I was so worn out when I got home. But that was okay. Anyway, more of the same for today.

Nice to see you checking in derry. I hope everything is ok with your parents. I know how stressful it can be.

Last month I lost 13 pounds, so I hope August is good to me also!! I can't believe I've been good for a full month! I've never EVER been so good for a full month! One more reason to prove that I'm fully committed this time around!

Yesterday was a great day!! I hit right at 1200 calories (I try to stagger them through out the week and average 1500 per day!) I also did 30 minutes of cardio, and 50 crunches!!

Roxymom, CONGRATS on losing your vacation weight!! I hope if I do gain while I'm on vacation next week that I lose it back as quickly as you did!! I hear so many wonderful things about that Kashi brand, but we don't have it here :(

Jolly, 4.1 pounds?!?! Way to GO!!!! I love big weeks like that, they are so motivating to keep my butt in gear! I hope this week is just as good for you!

Derrydaughter, Welcome Back :) I know that frustrating feeling of stepping onto the scale after being away for awhile :( I wish you the best of luck in staying on program again!

Good morning, everyone. Glad you are back, Derry. Sorry things are so stressful for you right now, but good job getting back on track. Good job getting to the gym, Roxy. Good job on the loss and staying on track, Legal. You rock.

Just trying to stay sane here. Still working on finding a new barn for the horse and an apartment for me and the hounds. I did get out and had a VERY nice run this morning. Felt very good and reviving.

Food is ok. My big thing right now is resisting the urge to splurge. Now that I am moving, I really want to do some major redecorating. I do not have a budget for major redecorating. Must stay focused . . .

Have a great day all.

DERRY! I'm so glad to hear from you. I think about you every time I post. I hope things are well with your family!
Great work Jolly! I'm sure your exercise program is really kicking in. You will keep reaping the benifits! Keep it up!
I had a bad eating day yesterday so I'm going to be very strict today.Wish me luck!

bailing out of the pity party....
 

Hi there. Got a bit of time to post here so I thought I'd say a bit more than the usual couple lines these days.

Roxy -- Thanks for starting up the new thread. Yes, isn't it amazing that it's August already?! Darn, this year is flying by. My birthday is next Monday and I don't like the number...oh well, I'm still going to celebrate. I always do. Want to be pampered or pamper myself on MY day! :lol: Good to hear you lost the pounds you put on over vacation. That's what we always should be doing, nipping things in the bud. Unfortunately, with me at least, a setback sends me hunkering down for the long haul it seems and I put on a good solid five pounds of pure fat, lose tons of muscle, etc. etc. Gotta stop doing that!

jolly -- What is this?!!? 4 pounds gone and you're not jumping for joy!! :shrug: Man, I would be ecstatic. Come on, girl, this is major. :bravo: No shrugging and saying "ok." It should be "Great balls of fire, look at me!! I am awesome!!!" :woo:

derry -- Hello there. Glad to see you're still with us. I know you're going through a major rough time, with lots of stress and emotional downers. I hope we can help in some way. I'm sure glad to see you. :yes:

Legal -- Look at you go! Wow! 13 pounds last month! Line up for your medal! You should be SO proud, girl. And exercising too. They say the combination, watching your eating AND exercising is the only way to go! Good for you! :twirly:

Apple -- Heh there. One day does not a habit make. Enjoy your goof-off days. They make life fun!

Well, I'm determined to not let my lack of progress be seen as any stroke of fate from the heavens or an evil curse from ****. It's just an indication that I'm not doing something right. That's it. Pure and simple. Take the emotion out of it and look at it objectively. I was thinking yesterday about how little sustained aerobic exercise I do these days. I used to jog 5 K at the gym at least every other day. No wonder I had less fat. The weight training and walking just don't hack it for me, although they have helped me get tighter again. For a few months there I was doing nothing and I hated what it did to my body! Recently, however, I've raised the bar and then was wondering why the fat was still hanging on me. I was whining and wingeing and saying, this ain't right! Well, it is right because I just am not doing enough to burn off the stores of fat I've put on. So, that's what I'm going to focus on now. Pull out the heartrate monitor, start racking up deep breaths, heaving chests and pounding hearts. Oh yeah! And come fall (well maybe Christmas) I'll be out there causing a bit of that in the guys! :rofl:

:df:

Happy Wednesday!


Red - thanks for the support. I just love your posts. You are a great support for all of us.

Legal - 13 pounds! That's great! You are an inspiration.

I'm really tired this morning for some reason. Hard to get motivated. I did bring my workout clothes to work and plan on going to the gym later. Also plan on my 30 minute walk during lunch. The exercise part has been easy. With me, it's the food. I really need to consentrate on that this month. It really helps when I write everything I eat down. I just get lazy and forget. So my goal for August is to NOT forget. Write it down!!

Have a great day!

Hey all.

Red, I agree - I do love when you post. I am happy about the loss. I am just being realistic that I am still making some food choices I would be better off without. I am just glad I am not going into full all out combat stress eating.

Roxy - I hear you on the tired morning. I skipped the gym :) Ah well. I too have more issues with portion control and food choices than exercise. One day at a time, and one choice at a time.

Have a good one all.

Red- I know what you mean about the exercise. It's pretty crucial to weight loss. I'm not doing much at all right now, just 4-6 laps at the pool maybe 4 times a week or so. I'm hoping to get into some king of routine once the kids are back in school. Mean while I'm trying to keep the calorie count low.
Today has been kind of a weird day. I'm taking my mom to the airport later tonight and I feel like I'm just waiting around for that errand. Kind of a blah day. :p I'm doing really well on my eating though, and I'm just going to have a Lean Cuisine for dinner and that will be it for the day.
I want to move my ticker!!!! ;)

somebody put a whip to me!
 

Good morning all. Just a quick flyby. I am spending the day at the hospital with a client that is havng surgery. Joy.

Did not get my run in this morning. I went to take the dogs out, and it was lightening something fierce. Because the client's surgery got rescheduled to EARLY, I didn't have time to hit the gym, BUT . . .. (drumroll, please) I did throw in my yoga tape. So at least I got something done.

Have a wonderful day all.

Hi everyone....
Red, good point about paying the price. I want this "buff" body as well. I'm now 50 years old and when I look in the mirror and see a double chin and if I turn to my side and see a roll of FAT over the top of my jeans it is bothering me. I'm not doing this for anyone else, I need to feel good. I'm not going to reverse the clock, but I can make me feel better about me!
I blew it again yesterday and I sit here this morning debating why I did that to myself and why I continually do this time and time again. What the **** is wrong with me?
Talk about a pity party.
It's time to give myself the proverbial slap across the face and crack that darn whip. No more, no more.
I need the whip guys.
This continual situation with my parents is not going away and not going to change in the near future unless one of them unexpectly dies, literally, but the way things are going they could linger on for a long time and I need to find better ways to deal with the several phone calls a day and dad trying to "escape" from the nursing home he accuses us all of holding him prisoner at. Life is too short to wallow in this, isn't it?
One day, I could be in that nursing home and I need to review the quality of my own life and what I am doing to myself.
I wish a better day to us all today.
Linda

I kicked major butt...mine!!!!
 

Hey ladies, just wanted to write and let you know I won't be around for a week or two very much... DH had a family iemergancy and we're running out of town as soon as he's finally packed!! (Who knows, with him! That could be tomorrow :lol: )

I did pretty good yesterday. Got my walk in and went to the gym! Did good on writing down what I ate until in the evening. Still need to work on that. Today is my break day from the gym. I plan on walking at lunch and then doing some hand weights at home.

Have a great day!

Legal, good luck with the family emergency. Roxy, congrats on getting to the gym. I hope your energy rubs off on me this morning. Derry, just a big hug and my thoughts and prayers. This must be an incredibly difficult time for you. Remember to take care of yourself. Congrats Red for what sounds like a great day.

My day was hectic and crazy. I was eating on the fly when I could leave my client. I also didn't get home until late, after a 12 hour day, so ordered pizza I ate too much of. Not something I am proud of, or feel good (literally) about today. Ah well. Off to the gym I go.

Have a good one everyone.

Just a quick post this morning. Got a busy day and weekend. We are starting to move DD back to college. Moving some things this weekend and finishing up next weekend. I'll be eating out lots, so hopefully I will have the willpower to make good decisions. Talk to you on Monday. Have a great weekend!

I'm down a pound! If it's still off tomorrow I'll move the tracker. :hat:
Yesterday was just a regular eating day which included some potato chips :nono: I didn't count up the calories but I think I came in OK. Today is going along OK too but my dinner choice will be important. I'm planning on lean cuisine but.....
It's so hot. I am really fed up with it and we still have a good month of hot to go. :hot: I haven't taken a walk in a long time. Maybe I'll take the kids out to the coast again tomorrow and go for a short hike. I've been there twice this week though. It's about an hour and a half away.
Hey Derry and Red - I'm seeking that body too. *sigh*. I'm looking forward to having the time to do something about it. Mean while I'm trying to eat less and at least move around a little more.
Hope everyone's week-end goes well. Legal- I hope your emergency is nothing too serious!

Hi all. Hope everyone has a good weekend. I will be looking at apartments tomorrow. I am on call this weekend too, so I hope things go smooothly. And I need to stop eating badly. Did not have a good day.

Take care everyone.

Moving the ticker!!

Hurrah, Apple!! :encore: :cp:

Hurray Apple from me too. Well, this weekend has been full of bad food choices, and missed workouts. I was busy looking at apartments yesterday. I liked one - should find out tomorrow if they accept my application. Hopefully . . . I also should find out tomorrow if we can go back to our old barn in that area. Keep your fingers crossed.

I am on call this weekend. I didn't go ride yesterday due to apartment hunting. And today, I got called into work, so I wont make it out either - poor baby. I am finding time to do some cleaning and packing, so all is not lost.

Have a good day all.

Just read Red's message and I had to laugh at the comment "you could be getting drunk and doing hard drugs,etc." I did make an effort to have more than my usual glasses of wine on a few nights, but all that did was give me a headache the next day and make me have to get up and pee all night! No point in that.
Food is and has always been the drug of choice for me, sadly. I have to find ways to feel better about what is going on in my life and learn to deal.
You are right, Red, in that I need to look at what I've done RIGHT for a change vs. the wrong!
Hope the family emergency works out ok, Legal, keep us posted. I sure know lots about that kind of stuff.
Roxy, moving someone into a college dorm just reeks of junk food in my mind! Good luck with that for sure!
Also, Jolly, try to keep calm with all the hectic things you are doing. Sounds busy!
As for me, will be driving North to visit my dad today and heading home really quickly. My daughter is in a play and has dress rehearsal this afternoon... so much to do!
Linda

:woo: :hb: HAPPY BIRTHDAY RED!!! Hope you have a great day!

Had a bad weekend, eating wise. We ate out lots with moving. We will be finishing up the move this coming weekend. We are moving DD back to college. This year she won't be in the dorms. We got her an apartment. She is so happy. You are right, dorm food is so bad. She's not a big girl but did gain the freshman 15. Over the summer she lost half of it and still working on the rest.

This is a new week and I plan on being a good girl!. Going to the gym tonight.

Hey all. Just a quick howdydoo. And happy birthday too, Red.

Well, good news. My apartment application was accepted, and the person I used to board my horses with in that area is making room for my horse - so all is right with the world. I go next week to see the barn, sign the lease, check out the gym, yadda yadda yadda. Now that I know all that is taken care of, maybe I can stop sucking down Zantec.

Ah well. Off to finish putting together my kitchen chairs. Have a good one all.

thank you, thank you!!
 

Good morning all. Just wanted to post that I did get out and run this morning. Hurray. Nothing else is new. Have a great day all.

Hello all!

Well I went over a little last night on my eating, but at least I know what I did. I wrote everything down! So that is a start. I plan on walking and getting to the gym tonight. I had oatmeal for breakfast, while I watched the space shuttle land. Running errands at noon so thought I would stop by Subway. Chicken for dinner. That should get me back on track.

Do any of you drink green tea? I have been ready about all the health benefits and thought I would get me some. I'm a tea drinker, both hot and cold.

Have a great day!

Heh, Roxy. I drink green tea. After all, I'm in the land of it. I like it both hot and cold but usually don't drink it hot unless someone else has made it for me. You know you can't let it steep at all. It's like in and out. They have little special teapots for it. And the water should not be boiling, just under the boiling point. In the summer I drink a lot of it cold because it is also in all the vending machines and this is also the land of vending machines. They have so many types now, more bitter ones and less bitter ones and blends made from green tea and herbal teas. It still has caffeine but it seems much gentler on the system. I have been going off coffee. Somehow my body doesn't want it anymore. I do need the adrenalin kick in the morning I think but at other lows (I try to keep caffeine to no more than twice a day) I am trying to have green tea instead. I think there are lots of blends in the States with sugar and so but this I think ruins it. Green tea is never drunk with milk or sugar here. You are starting to find things like green tea ice cream though and there are sweets (Japanese style) that have tea in them. Can you find it readily by you? If not, I can send you some. There are convenient teabags too although the vast majority of people use loose tea. Well, good luck. :)

jolly, good going on getting your run in. :yes:

Hey all. So, does putting a dining table set together constitute an upper body workout?? If so, I'm in. I bought a new table set, and instead of waiting to put it together after I am moved, I of course had to put it together today.

I was way over on my eating, but otherwise had a good day.

Have a good one.

Good morning all. Well, the only workout I am going to get today will consist of cleaning up after dog. I don't know if it is stress, heat, or what, but my Justin has his tummy problems again. Greaaaaaaat. Clean up in aisle 7!

Here's to a great day everyone. Make the most of it!

Good morning all.... I am both a coffee and tea drinker, but have not been able to get into green tea as much, though I have found a few of the blended drinks with it pleasant, but they seem to have many other herbal teas and sweeteners in it, so maybe that is the taste vs. the tea in general?
Yesterday afternoon was a true eye opener, my daughter and I went clothes shopping. Eeeewww.... we're both way too fat and nothing makes you understand that more than going clothes shopping. We're going back to WW later on tonight!
Linda

Good Morning - getting a late start today.

Red - thanks for the info on green tea. I bought Lipton green tea bags. (They had several brands but thought I would buy a brand I'm familiar with.) The box had 6 different varieties: regular green tea; lemon; mixed berry; honey; mint; and orange. Thought that way I could see what I like. Right now I'm drinking them hot, but DD has started making it and drinking it cold. So far I think I like the plain green tea the best. I never put sugar in tea. YUK!

Hava a great day!

Good morning again.... not much posting here so I guess I'll do my own thinking out loud, so to speak....
My daughter and I went back to a WW last night. It had not been all that long since I've been, but for her it's been sicne March or so. She's put back all her weigh except for about 2 pounds and so have I. Bummer.
But, it's my own fault. The WW program works if you use it and stay on it. I know this.
I will be working hard and trying again. Did I tell you all that we are going away for the week next week to Rhode Island? Trying to lose weight on vacation is difficult, but I will give it a good try. I'm very motivated again. I wish I could bottle this kind of motivation and sell it as that is truly what it takes to stay fit and healthy. You can take ANY weight loss program, I am convinced, and make it work for you if you can keep up your motivation!
So, gang, what is your motivation today?
Linda

Wow, Derry, I'm sure glad to hear you're motivated again. I was doing well then kind of lost it again, but could still save the bit I lost if I got back into it too. I see we're about the same weight. I would love to be at 135 too. I don't know what my motivation is. Well, I do, but it's never strong enough to win out over the immediate gratification I get from eating. I was just thinking tonight though, I don't even think I love eating so much, it's the preparation, the money for eating out, these are things that stop me and I just reach for some junk. Hmm. How to make the motivation stronger when the only things I have to look forward to that I know of are just ifs, possibilities. The feeling healthy I already have. Can you think of any things that we could do? It's be good if we good do this together somehow since our weights are the same and it's probably just as hard for you to take it off as for me.

Hmmm... am about ready to get off line but this requires some thought and I wanted to aswer you before getting off line...
First of all, if preparation is an issue, you need to plan ahead my dear.
What about keeping individually frozen boneless chicken breasts on hand that can be quickly thawed/cooked? Frozen veggies or canned are good as well and require little time and preparation if you have a microwave, and who doesn't nowadays? I like to open a can of kidney beans or chick peas (garbanzo beans) and have those as a starch alongside my meals rather than preparing potatoes, rice or things that take time. They are full of good things for your body and much better sources of protien and fiber. I can have a meal like that on the table in less than 15 minutes and none of it is junk.
I do the same thing with canned tuna, salads that come in a bag (so easy!) as well as small portions of fish or a grilled/broiled lean hamburger patty. I'm a "meal" kind of gal vs. a sandwich kind of gal, even for lunches and find that a small can of tuna, with beans on the side and even a canned vegetable is a good and FAST and easy choice.
Would you try those kind of things on your own? Also, just one thing about snacking vs. a meal. I like a sit down meal, even if I am eating alone with me and a magazine or me and a book, etc. I like to feel as if I've "eaten" and snack foods don't make me feel like I've had a meal, though I could consume the same amount or more of calories in my snacks. Another thought is that if you cook pasta (use whole wheat if you can enjoy it, it's better for you!) don't just cook enough for one meal. Cook the entire box and put it in a container in your refrigerator. It will keep about 4 or 5 days, won't it guys??? So, when you want pasta, just sccop it out in ONLY one cup servings and heat it in the micro, add a tiny bit of water to it and it will be like fresh. I do this all the time, it's so fast! I love putting canned diced tomatoes over top of pasta and a bit of low fat cheese. It's very satisfying and the tomatoes have no fat as regualr pasta sauces do. I have found FF feta cheese in the stores that tastes great and can put that over top of my pasta and it's yummy! So, there are some ideas for you to try, Red. Let me know if anything appeals to you.
I know you live alone, so making meals can be a problem. So, what about cookng a few really nice things once in awhile and freezing them? I love soups and chili (even in hot weather 'cause I'm weird) and they are filling and good for you as well. I am "ok" with "lite" breads and can make a meal out of soup and two pieces of the lite bread.
Are any of those ideas good for you?
Also as far as being "good" and having things that we both could do, I'm am willing to work with you or with anyone here as a team to accomplish this.
I was to lose 10 pounds by September 18th, we have this black tie thing coming up and I want to look great for that! I'll be in NYC and want to look fabulous for that event!
Also, Red, do something really nice for yourself as well. I got my hair highlighted yesterday. I went to pick up my daughter afterwards and everyone loved it and one woman said to me "it takes 10 years off you"! Wow, we should all have days like that. How can you not be super motivated if someone says something like that to you? : )
Linda