[derrydaughter]

Good afternoon all, or whatever time it is where you are.... I've slipped back into old habits and am feeling guilty and bloated. Are there any tricks you guys have to jump start back on track?
Linda

[curlylocks]

day 3 walked 2 miles 30 min this mornin and walked 2 miles 30 min this afternoon

[marbleflys]

Hi everyone, thanks for your kind words....I can't type due to the fracture so I'll keep it short.....hoping you all are doing your best...,..I so miss not being able to move around freely, I SWEAR that when I recover, I won't be making any excuses about exercising, because being laid up is the pits....

take care and TTYS

[redballoon]

Good morning, all. It's Monday here. Heading into my Day 4. Going to try to make this a "losing day" even though I can't get much exercise in. I've made a new holiday weight tracker. Hope to see an 8-lb loss or somewhere around there over the holidays, which are more or less nonexistent for me, but anyhow....

marble -- !!! So glad to see you back! Well, at least posting. It sounds horrible what you went through. Carla gave us some updates. Sure hope you mend quickly and we can have you in here with us! Hang in there!

curly -- Great going on the walking. Sounds like you're really making a habit of this. Speaking of exercise and habits, I really wonder whatever happened to Chaps....

derry -- Where have you been!? Oh, come on. Don't feel guilty...the bloated part comes and goes. Be glad you're not a bodybuilder who's been working for months and months and then comes up bloated on contest day. It happens all the time. I've learned to stop looking in front of me...makes for a lot of tripping and banging into things.....no, seriously, what I mean is don't focus on what's there now when it comes to your weight, your bloatedness, your clothes fitting. It's the big picture and it's a changing thing. It's hard to see the changes, you know that. And as for "tricks" about getting back on track, I don't think there really are any, unless you call JUST DOING IT a trick. I find that really not always tuning in to how I feel is the key. If you want to tune in, then tune in to up, up, up feelings. Think of it as playing around with a radio dial and finding, NOT the music you feel at the moment, but something that is the way you want to feel, think of it as an antidote to the poison that has gotten into you. Put those powerful, good kind of thoughts into your head and go with that energy. Cruise though, don't go manic or you may be setting yourself up for a fall. On tough days, I try to have a picture of something nice in my head or I repeat over and over some scene that happened that was nice. I don't think of anything outside that scene, in other words, what happened after or what could happen. I suppose it's a type of meditation. Come on kid, you can do it!

Just listening to Belushi singing Soul Man here. Tune in to this, Linda! We are here for you!

"Coming to you, on a dusty road
Good loving, I got a truck load
And when you get it, you got something
So don't worry, 'cause I'm coming...

Got what I got, the hard way
and I'll make better, each and every day
So honey, hey, don't you fret
'cause you ain't seen nothing yet ...

Grab the rope, and I'll pull you in
Give you hope, and be your only (girl)friend
Ya, ya ya ya!
I'm a soul man, I'm a soul man"

[icedragon6669]

Hi Guys. I am still around (sometimes..)

Ok my soda challenge, although i did not make 21 days soda free, I now only drink 1-2 cans a day (instead of 2-3 litres!) So I still call myself a winner.

I have been doing another challenge though!
An ab routine everyday! 35 decline sit ups, 12 each side flat, 7 leg raises (they kill me) then 20 decline crunches.
Today is day 11! with no pause day yet.
AND I am seeing results!!!!!!!!!
I put on a pair of my usual shorts! they nearly fell off!!!!!!!!!!!!! they barely sit on my hip! SO yes the stomach is flatter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I have been frantically searching for a safety pin to tighten them, but cannot find one!)

Cant wait to see what I look like at 21 days. or beyond... I might have to keep this one going until christmas! I might get a six pack yet! (I will slowly increase the routine!)

Cheers guys!!!!!!!!!!

[Shad]

I just have some fruit to go and have finished with the calories. The exercise did not come about since the Brisbane Transport System had 2 bomb threats today and we were all off loaded at a station and made to leave the area and wait while the trains were searched. Being me and hating to wait, I rung the DB2 and then the DS2 and DS2 detoured to pick me up and drop me at my car. By that time the gym was packed to overflowing and I decided that home was the answer. Tomorrow is another day. But just let me get my mitts on the perpetrator of the hoax call. He/ She would wish that they had never been born!!

Derry - there is absolutely no substitute for getting back on track. Just get up there and do it. The guilt I can't advise on, but the bloat - well drink more water and check the sodium contents of the food you are eating. I have the same problem at the moment and I thought it was aeroplane bloat but it is still there. Obviously something I am eating has a higher content than I thought. Salt/ sodium call it what you like is a killer in the weight loss department. I have to watch it all the time. Can also cause blood pressure problems as well.

Red - Sorry to hear of the young blokes trumped up problems. Happens most places. Where I was in Japan, the police were unobtrusive and reasonably polite. I guess like in most big cities, the force is subject to pressures of every kind. They'll be on the lookout for him now. Any excuse will do I should imagine. May pay to take an escort next time to give evidence on his behalf. Thank you for thinking of me at Nagoya.
I may be wrong, but I think 'fair suck of the sav' is similar to 'for Pete's sake' or the English 'gorblimey' It is not necessarily blasphemous but be careful if you have had a few and get the mords wuddled.

Curly - good on ya for the exercise. Keep going, and going, and going.

Right I am off to get an apple and then some housework and then some mindless tv before a good nights sleep. Catch you.

[derrydaughter]

Thanks for the pep talk and the soul man quote, Red. I'm good to go today, as they say. I shall rejoin the land of the living and be able to zip my jeans up without being in pain in a couple of days, I hope! Being bloated sucks... time to regain perspective, sit-ups and contrl.
So, today is day one.... and my new challenge for myself it not a food challenge. I seem to not be doing well with regard to that, so it's an exercise challenge. I don't have to fun marathons, and I don't have to be a crazed maniac exercise freak, but for each day of the next 21 days, I really CAN do something in the form of movement. There will be very busy days and I will not have an hour to devote to exercise, but I should at least be able to squeeze in a few sit-ups and about 5 or 10 minutes on my treadmill. No excuses! I'm at an all time high for my weight and the holidays are around the corner, time to take this all very seriously, unless I want to go out and spend a fortune buying an entirely new wardrobe in the next size up.
Linda in New Hampshire, with a renewed focus (how many times can I say this over and over and still not get it right?)

[redballoon]

Good evening, all. Quick post now that I'm home and getting ready to sleep. I am giving Day 4 the go-ahead. I was good, got out and walked a bit more at lunch than I would have normally. I was good with the eating. Although it wasn't part of the challenge, I am going to try to keep a journal of all this, kind of make me be more aware of things. I really would like to get beneath 70 kg by Hong Kong, which is Dec. 7. That may be rough but I think I could do it, if I do a lot of cardio and don't go too heavy with the weights or do BOTH. Tomorrow I will promise to get this exercise machine hooked up so I have no excuse when I'm home and don't have time to make a trip to the gym. The problem is that I have no room for it. That said, maybe I could put it up in the kitchen even. I don't know. I really have NO space! But I must get it up. It's been sitting here for a couple months now. By the way, did you see the new cute smilie they have?! It's adorable.

Shad -- I tried that phrase -- "fair suck of the sav" -- on an Aussie at work but he didn't get it. I think I got it wrong though. I found it on the Net on this site with Aussie slang. Check it out. See how much sounds true. http://alldownunder.com/oz-u/slang/phrase1.htm

Too bad about the bomb scare and you not being able to work out. But just make up for it. It is frustrating though, isn't it? It seems like every time I am up for a workout, something comes up. When I am free, I'm often not up!

Yeah, the kid (all guys 30 or under are "kids" to me ) at work seems okay and was back today when there were more people on. He has a fine to pay off and legal fees but I think the company will be cool. We at our desk jumped in on his behalf, did his shifts and approached a higher up to help out, which he did. He didn't have much choice though because we (as union members) made it clear that if the company didn't help, we would be "very unhappy." They don't want any more problems with our union, which is something they can't stand as it is. You're right about this guy hanging out in the area with others. He really should do that and I will advise him to do so. That night he had been with friends but they left and he went off on his own. I think the bar owner say him as easy prey and had been looking to get a foreigner in trouble, no matter who..."they're all the same" kind of mentality.

One interesting and really rather pathetic plus from this incident came because that higher-up that we approached was someone I had long been friends with but had a falling-out with last year and he was too stubborn to talk to me all year long. I would have talked if he had, but I never did from my side because I really had nothing to say to him and felt too wronged (work related) to chit chat with him. So, it was kind of a standoff and I felt he should make up and maybe he felt I had overstepped some bounds. Well, he helped out with a character reference in this mess and I had to talk to him a few times and then thanked him for his help. I think he realized that I wasn't going to take his head off...and I just got an email from him asking me to do some work for him. I used to do a lot of work for him, always helping out with stories, layouts, photos. When he cut me out of some work he'd been promising for months and told me I could quit if I didn't like it, that was the final straw. Well, now he's asking again. It's easy work. I need the money. I suppose I should swallow my pride and do it for him. But....it's ridiculous that he sends me an email when he was at work today and was there when he sent me the mail. He is timid...if that's the word.. Ok, sorry, sorry.

derry -- Glad you liked the quote and very glad to hear you are trying again. You've been through a lot. Don't be hard on yourself. Take it slow, but be consistent and get some confidence back. You know, I was thinking about "tricks" and I don't know if this would work for you, but it's something I'm going to do. When I was a kid I used to love to make charts and graphs and I am going to do that again with exercise minutes once I get that machine up. If you have Excel you can make all sorts of neat graphs, chart things with lines or bars and that way it would encourage you to keep at the exercise every day, even maybe going a bit longer just because you know it'll look good on the chart. Maybe you could give it a try, no?

ice -- Wow! Where have you been all this time? I thought we had lost you. A lot of people AWOLed and though I asked about them (sorry but I don't know if I asked about you) they don't show up. Well, sometimes they do. Yo MEZ!! Oops, sorry, ice, yeah, well, that is super that you cut the soda anyway and have been doing this stealth challenge. Great going on the flatter stomach! Wish I that my frantic searches would involve safety pins for loose pants! Good luck and keep it up! BTW, is that a picture of you there? You look very thin as it is. And what is this with a high weight of nearly 300 lbs. Maybe I asked before....that is fantastic you have lost so much. Wow! I'm impressed.

[derrydaughter]

Hmmm.... no I don't have excell, but I could perhaps print out a calendar page and draw stars or smily faces each time I successfully do something like work out?
Good idea!
I used to have a chart on the refrigerator when my kids were little and put gold stars on it when they remembered to make their beds and brush their teeth, etc. So, why not give myself gold starts for exercise?
I like that!
Linda

[FishWoman]

Happy Monday everyone

Okay, I slacked a little this weekend and am not really looking forward to getting on the scale tomorrow.

However, today is potentially day 1 of a brand-new challenge! As everyone seems to be doing so well with their acronym-based challenges, I am starting the "ACE" challenge. That means: no Alcohol; Calories under 1500; and at least 30 minutes of Exercise daily.

I will chat more later - I am officially getting sworn in to the D.C. Bar today, and have to be sure to not be late!

[carla49]

Yay Fish! I hope the swearing in goes well. A former colleague of mine went back to law school, graduated brilliantly at age 50, and signed the papers at the swearing-in with a pink plastic princess pen complete with pink feathers and tiara. The pen that is, I think she wore regular clothes. And yes, the pen was a gift from yours truly. I'm sure you'll ACE the ceremony just as you ACE your challenges.

I've now completed Day 5(Creak) and Day 4(DETOX). I did eat way too much, including the fries, but turned down a yummy chocolate truffle... For exercise I walked over to a friend's shop about 50 minutes away and then got a ride home when he closed up. Today is spinning class, which will take care of Day 6 CREAK. My butt is already whining and whimpering. The flight to Calgary tomorrow will be a tush challenge for sure - no matter how well-padded my stomach(s) and the girls get, I just never seem to have enough junk in the trunk.

Red, I'm glad for you that you seem to be renewing your relationship with your former friend/work provider. Being right doesn't put tofu on the table, and it sounds like he's just one of those male idiots that have a nice yellow streak down their stubborn backs. Be proud of yourself for putting aside your own resentment to help your silly colleague, and consider the extra easy work your just reward. He probably did it by email because he's afraid of how you'll react. Unless I'm mistaken, you're a pretty strong, direct, don't f***-with-me kind of woman. ,cv vcccccccccccccccccccx ¯¯µ[{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{`^ .... this is Zen speaking....


And by the way, I didn't know you were unionized. Are there a lot of unions in Japan? Canada has more than the US, but the numbers are dropping. Too much competition from low-wage factories abroad (including the American South). A lot of the work I do is for unions: most of them here in Canada are national, and they need us at meetings which include their Quebec members. Many of the Quebecers have a little or a lot of fluency in English, but the reverse is not true, which keeps the likes of me nicely solvent.

This morning I'm doing this and that, including playing with you lot while my new Roomba does the vacuuming for me. The jury is still out on whether it's just a silly gadget or not. Of course it's still necessary to move my cat toys and this and that off of the floor for it to do a complete job, so it's not TOTALLY effort-free. And it keeps my big Zen busy doing guard duty.

[mezmerize]

Red – I’m here. This weekend has been terrible. A friend of mine from High School passed. We hung around in school then gradually drifted. I had seen her off and on in the past years we would chat in forever in the stores but never got together. I read in the paper she passed. It is such a shock!! I didn’t know she was Ill. It said something about Hospice in the paper. I’ve been trying to think of our last chat. ( I usually ran into her at mall) It doesn’t seem that long ago and she looked well. I would have visited her had I known. I’m feeling so guilty for not being there for her…So I’m doing A LOT of soul searching today.

Shad – I picked up a wheat bag and some lavender oil (One of my favorite scents) and some mellow music. It has come in so handy! It’s been crazy here. I’m going to check out FlyLady.com thanks for the link.

Welcome to 21 Day Challenge Stacy!!

Apple – Congrats on your 21 Day VICTORY!!!

ICE – That is so awesome!! Congrat to that flat tummy!!

[Shad]

Morning all,

Red, thanks for the Aussie slang. I'll practice a bit more to see if I can get it right. I would hate to have to learn English in Australia. They use so many colloquiallisms it is so confusing at times. I thought we all spoke English, but there is English and English and then there is Australian and maybe New Zealandish as well. Got to admit that the NZers have a way with words as well and they intersperse Maori along with the English, ie
Off to a tangi for the moko, couz.
Having a bit of a hui after.
Nah that hua is not on!
Guess we sort of speak in a bit of shorthand as well. Translation of that is:
I'm going to a funeral for the Grandparent, mate.
We will be having a party later.
No that b*stard is not coming.

It's all relative I guess.
The workout will get done. I have 4 days left for the week and 3 workouts to accomplish. It will get done.
Take the work, bury the hatchet. Life's too short to let pride get in the way too much. Some pride is good. Pride in your work is an asset. The money can be used to buy a voodoo doll and stick pins in it.

Derry - stars are good. If you put 24 on a 30 day calendar you deserve a treat - NO NOT FOOD!!!

Fish - hope the swearing in went well. Congratulations. First person I know who has been sworn in at the bar. That's a wonderful effort.
Generally my friends are sworn at, at the bar.

Carla - Roomba!?!? I take it this is a robot vacuum cleaner? The cat is no doubt wondering whether it will eat his toys.

Mez - so glad the wheat bag helped. I know they helped me on those first two days of TOM. Pity I couldn't find something to fix the prior 2 weeks. I now feel that I've been cheated out of half my life by a supposedly normal bodily function. Can't dwell on it tho' otherwise I will waste more days.

Ice - good to see you back. That exercise sure sounds like it has hit the target.

Work calls. Day 5 awaits. I've had a scrummy brekkie of yoghurt, almonds and bananas. Good soul food that.

[derrydaughter]

First, Mez, regret is part of the greiving process, I know it well. You can't bring back your friend and you can't change the past. But, you can do some things to help and you are the one who needs help right now. I highly recommend you get in touch with the family of your friend, write a note, send a contribution to the Hospice, etc. Let me tell you, I know first hand how much sympathy cards, special notes and donations mean when a person passes on. I never dreamt they would be so comforting. One of my biggest regrets, now, is that I didn't take to the time to do more of this kind of thing in the past. I shall do better now that I have gone through this myself. Just thought I'd share that with you.
Share a special memory of your friend, you'll feel better.
As for me, today was better, not perfect but better. I qualify this as my official day one.... I actually did jumping jacks, leg lifts and sit ups today. It was a busy day for me, but I MADE the time to do something.
I went to a craft store and bought this really nice graph paper and used a ruler and made a 21 day calendar of my own with bright marker. I bought stars and now this 21 day challenge chart is on my refrigerator. I have to look at it all the time and I was proud to attach my first star to it today!
Linda

[curlylocks]

day 4: 30 min (2miles) walking & 45 min circuit training