Yesterday was day 20!

DH made me breakfast for dinner again last night - we had bagels with cream cheese/lox/onions/tomato. This morning he asked if I wanted him to make me low-calorie waffles for dinner tonight. It was so cute, when I told him no, i think I am going to make a chicken ceasar salad for dinner, his face just fell. He's all, but I like making you b'fast for dinner. Just one more reason I love my hunny-bunny :)

I tell ya, Carla, if menopause means no more stabby cramps, bring on the hot flashes. TOM started today, and I am just quietly sitting here at my desk wishing that it didn't feel like a knife in my abdomen :( It is only bad for the first two days, but boy do those two days seem to take forever. I am not humming, but I am laughing thinking about humming :)

Curly - way to go with the circuit training! You are going to be so strong by the end of this challenge :strong:

Hang in there, Red! Just remember we are here for you and your crazy 10-part challenges :lol:

at least the hot flashes only last for a lil bit maybe 10-15 min at time lol.. and they come and go i get them for maybe a few weeks then no more for 6 or 7 months.. but i do think its the pre-menapause issue that is making my weight stay stuck... cuz i really havent lost as well as i did in the months when i was having TOM

Hey Red :drill:, as Helen Reddy would say, "I am woman, I am strong!" So get that shapely butt in gear and jump back on the challenge wagon! Let US inspire YOU for a change! I know it's hard to compete with the likes of Fishwoman, who barely eats, exercises faithfully, and just gallops thru her challenge ( :lol: )... And if you need some time off, take it. We're here, and we'll be waiting for you when you're reddy. Which will be very soon, I hope.

No exercise yet today, so no report on Day 3 of CREAK. Starting today, reddy or not, it's back to the no-booze, no-chocs, limited caffeine challenge. It's the only thing that works for me... :shrug: Yesterday I realized how far gone I was - some considerate soul gave me a huge container of jelly beans. I ate half and tossed the rest. But I forgot to pour disgusting things all over the discarded goodies, and I had just changed the garbage bag, so... long story short, I "retrieved" most of them for a bedtime snack. :o This new challenge is the DETOX challenge, and for today, so far so good.

Derry, there is a week-at-a-time thread that might work for you as an add-on? You get kudos for each day of the week that you meet your goal - no need to start at Day 1 if you err. Fish and I post there too.

Curly, the problem with hot flashes only lasting about 15 minutes is that there are 24 hours in the day, which leaves lots of time for hot flashes aplenty... :hot: :cool: :hot: :cool: :hot: :cool: :hot: :cool: :hot: etc.

On another note, I was out in the car and starving and decided to go to Wendy's, where you can get a salad instead of fries for a side. The pouch of salad dressing they provide would easily dress a huge family-sized salad! Something to be wary of...

After glorious fall weather yesterday, today it's miserable: grey and rainy and windy and biting cold. :rain: Still better than that miserable humid heat last summer, but at this point I can hardly wait for snow and sun again.

Hang in there Red! This is your :coach: speaking.

Right, well okay. I am back and in for a challenge. I jumped on the scales yesterday - should have jumped a bit harder I think - anyway I have lost one pound while I have been away and that was with airplane bloat and not taking my fluid tablet yesterday as well. It's quite pleasing to come home from holiday and not have to re-lose what you lost before you went.

So my challenge is to:
1. continue to eat the vegetables and soup - just like I was doing in Japan.
2. Keep up the exercise routine - 5 days per week
3. Drink lots of water.
4. Keep the calories down to 1200-1300.

I'll start this challenge tomorrow morning 11.11.05. 21 days with 2 pause days. I can do this. I know I can, I know I can.

Now lets see if I can catch up with some of you.

Red Take your time to think about what you are doing. You have so many other things on the go at the moment. Where is this big race meeting that takes you out of Tokyo? Please try to take a few minutes per day to just rest and renew. You probably work in one of the worst industries for freneticism and anxiety. It's no wonder you feel wrung out and hung out to dry. How is that young silly bloke who went to jail? Someone should tell him not to drink!

Carla - Hope you have done that exercise by now. Naughty girl on the jellybeans by the way. I don't have a sweet tooth so it doesn't faze me to have sweets in the house. They are not my poison. Cheese, pickles and savoury type things are.

Mez - I know that feeling you describe about TOM. Mine used to be just AWFUL. The 2 day pain was the culmination of a 2 week period where I steadily got fatter and more bloated and would often place a 1 foot exclusion zone around the whole body. The pain just before and during the first days of TOM were incredible. I am pleased to report however that one day they just stopped. No hot flushes, no pain, no TOM, no exclusion zone, no medical interference, nothing. Just Joy in a reasonable frame of mind (for me anyway) for 30 or 31 days of the month. It was the most wonderful feeling and I thank who ever I can for menopause and the relief. I hope this happens for you. Looking back it seems like I wasted half my life living in pain and being angry and featherbrained because of the pain. Have you tried a heat pad for comfort while you are sitting at the desk or at home? Might provide some temporary relief.

Hello to Fish and Curley and Derry and Apple. Better go do some work since I am back in the office again. They just may expect it.

day 3>> 30 min walking (2 miles) & 45 min circuit training

Just squeaked in under the wire with Day 3 of CREAK. Day 1 of DETOX under my belt (not that I'll be wearing belts for some time yet...)

Visit to the doc today, who has gently suggested I try a local doctor who does a sensible weight loss program that works. That makes two doctors this week hinting that my feet - and my blood pressure - would be happier if I unloaded a ton of blubber. Motivating, I must say. (I've never had anything but low BP before, so being even slightly high is a wake-up call.) And I've re-adjusted my ticker to a more realistic weight - the binge-related weight gain I've been dodging finally caught up with me. But not for long! I am strong! I am invincible! I am diet-woman!

Today's exercise: 15 good minutes on the clothes rack - er, Gazelle. At least 15 minutes walking from here to there and back again.

Red, when you go away to these races, do you have to commute, or do you stay over? Will this extra work give you some extra $$$? I hope so, that would sure take some of the pressure off...

Nighty-night! :wave:

back on track...
 

Woo Hoo! Day 21!! My second challenge completed :carrot:

I have to think of a new challenge now! I will probably keep on with the calorie counting, but want to add some other component to it.

Red - your life seems very NOT simple. I agree that maybe a simpler challenge would help you keep in focus :)

Shad - your challenge seems great! I may have to steal part of it for myself :devil:

LMAO @ Carla >> the clothes rack/Gazelle cant even hang clothes on mine its folded up and against the wall!

Carla – Thanks for you info on TOM. I didn’t feel you gave to much info you told how it was and that is what I need to know. It makes me more prepared for asking my Dr. questions. I told my DH to be ready for some major humming next month! Won’t say what he mistaken for but glad I got him set straight. LOL Did cheer me up my side was hurting from LOL still makes me lol thinking about it. I love reading your post! The Jelly Bean Story had me rolling! lol I hope you don’t take that in a bad way just been there done that and glad to know I’m not alone with things I have done!

Red – Have decided on a challenge?

Fish – Congrats on making 21 DAY!!! I’m so PROUD OF YOU!!!!!! :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :hat: :hat: :hat: Aww that was such a sweet story about your DH. So your not going to give the humming a try? Did the lol thinking about humming help? I heard that lol helps with pain.

Shad – Your post gave me hope! Thanks so so MUCH!!! I have an electric heating pad on my bed. I turned it on and it does help. One of my best investments!

Day 19 done! Wow, I'm almost finished!!
Sorry I haven't posted. Alot of stuff going on. Both my mother AND mother-in-law have been in the hospital recently. My husband is actually still with his mom, looks like she'll be OK but it was kind of scary. I am overwelmed with all the things I need to do around the house and the baby just spilled my coffee (DECAF) creating more work and I don't want the kids infront of the TV all day (off from school) so we have to get out of here :blah:
I can't linger here....congrats Fishwoman!!!!! :carrot: So how much did you lose on your challenge? Curious, because some day I'm hoping to string together 21 days of low-cal......

I don't feel I'm ready for a challenge right now but I am watching what I eat. I'm going to give it a bit then start one.

Apple - That is great your on day 19 only a wink and you'll be on 21! Sending good vibes to your mother and mother in law. When I'm overwelmed with housework. I break it down. I go breifly over the rooms and do a quick pickup and vacume. Then I pick one and break it down. Right now I'm working on my kitchen. I'm going through all my cupboards/Frig/pantry and getting rid of expired food and wiping them out. It's not something I can do in a day. I plan on it going into next week. Since I made up my mind to only do one cupbard a day. (non on weekends) So sometime next week the kitchen will be very clean. Just the basics will need to be done. I cleaned my living room last month going over mag/books/cds/vhs movies and such throwing out what wasn't good and taking what could be used to the Good Will. Now just dusting and vacuming at it's good. No more old books and such laying around. I spread it out over a week or two. I know it may sound like alot work but getting rid of that clutter makes for an easier house to clean. Just a thought.

Apple blossom - I lost only four pounds. And that was with pretty regular exercise. I think I need to up my exercise, because I can't really lower my calories anymore and not be miserable. I hope your mom and MIL are feeling better soon.

Mez - I could make a 21-day challenge out of cleaning my house :lol: Every week I say I am going to go through the closets and the basement, and every week I put it off. Right now I just clean around the clutter. We keep the kitchen, living room, bath, and bedroom pretty clean, but my office, the closets, and the basement tend to degenerate. We did recently clean out the laundry room - that was an accomplishment :)

I am probably not going to start a new challenge until monday, but am 90% sure it will involve calories and exercise. Only 2 more months until my cruise!

Hurrah for FishWoman!!!
 

Freedom....my mantra...Jimi, not Janis....
 

Morning all,
Today is day one for me and my new challenge as described yesterday. I've had a mango yoghurt for breakfast and brought in a lunch and some fruit. Today should be good foodwise. Exercise starts tomorrow - the first of five days. Water comes after my morning coffee. Can't go without the coffee.

Fish - CONGRATULATIONS. I wouldn't mind 'only' losing 4lbs. In fact just one or two would do.

Red. I'm not sure of my serious, stabilising voice here, there are some that would take you up on that, but hey if you have a vision of me being serious and sober citizen then that's okay. One day it may happen. I may have to grow old but I don't have to grow up as they say. I like the sound of your challenge too. Glad to hear the Brit is to be sprung. I sincerely hope he has learned a lesson. Doesn't pay to mess with Japanese officialdom.

Mez - For my 2 days of TOM misery, I used to take those wheat bags to work and heat them in the microwave. Don't know whether you have them where you are. They are often used for arthritic pain. Small pillow like thing, which is filled with wheat and stays warm for ages. I loved my heat bag. Don't need it anymore tho' I think they now come in different shapes and sizes for different parts of the body. Sometimes I sprinkled lavender oil or rose water on it and when it came out of the microwave hot, the smell was wonderful. Havbe to do something to cheer yourself up on those days. Small hot water bottles work okay too.
Your house cleaning sounds like FlyLady.com. She has some good ideas for cleaning that girl.

Apple. Your challenge is very nearly done. Clever girl. :cp: :cp: So sorry to hear about the Mothers. I hope they are all doing much better and will be up and about soon.

Carla Glad to hear that the clothes rack - errrrrr Gazelle is getting a workout. Exercise will do that BP the world of good. Mine went right down when I started serious exercise. For that alone I would have kept going to gym.

Right well I better go do some work. I have to create manuals and screencams for 52 BW (Business Warehouse) reports today. Aaaaah pooh! Why wasn't I born rich instead of beautiful? :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3:

Freedom
 

Let's see - I know Janis said "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."
And, I know we all have something left to lose, or we wouldn't be posting here.
But, Jimi says "Freedom, give it to me/That’s what I want now/
Freedom, that’s what I need now/Freedom to live/Freedom, so I can give."
Therefore - You want the freedom to make your own choices to better your life rather than feeling trapped by imposed societal choices.

Do i get a gold star?

Fish!! You are fabulous!!!! You are obviously on my wavelength and though that could be seen as grounds for commitment to certain institutions, I, see it as the highest honor!! It must be the red hair!

ROCK ON!!! :spin:

Hi everyone! I was invited to come join the group by...well...I can't remember her screenname, I spoke to her on yahoo. Anyway I think I'm going to try a challenge. I'm going to start off with an easy one. I want to drink 2 bottles (=2 liters) of water a day. I do good on gym days but then on off days I slack so this should be a good way to keep me going. I look forward to getting to know you all :carrot:

hello!!
 

Hi all. I'm wrapping up Day 2 of my new challenge. I was careful today, had a big salad too. Not much exercise at all, but with work and more work, that was inevitable. How y'all doing out there?! :bubbles:

I've wrapped day 1.
Should have had more water but I scraped through on what I had. On to day 2

Early morning here. Raining out there, I hear. Trying to get out and see the horse, then in to work late. :o Shad, I see we're neck and neck here! And our weights are about the same. It'll be a good motivation. Makes me feel good to see someone else on kilograms too, not pounds. I feel less weird! Glad this is not just an American thread. Well, gotta run. This is my Day 3. Ah, it feels good to be back on track and not feeling too restricted. I like the feeling of choice. :spin: BTW, I had never heard of wheat bags but googled them and found them. mez, google wheat heat bags or wheat bags and you'll find them. Sound interesting. I would get one but my three feline "wheat bags" keep me warm when I'm sleeping so I probably don't need 'em. Still, may be nice.

Ummm Red, you may get stampeded by the Canadians if you say 'just an American/ thread. :lol3: They have a way about them those Canadians. But I know what you mean. Actually the Canadians can be quite good about kilos, centigrade etc. They just like to forget about them.

And I know what you mean about the motivation. Yes we are about the same height and weight. When I came home from Japan I had lost .5K however I see it is back. That's due to airplane bloat, planned no exercise days, lack of water and plain ordinary old slothfullness. It will disappear again after today.

Speaking of which. Time to get on with the day. Have a good one.

Just got back from the gym - ran 4 miles in 40:25 :carrot:

I drank three glasses of wine last night to *celebrate* finishing my challenge :headache:

Red - it's totally the red hair! Every knows red heads are on their own funky wavelength ;)

Day 1
 

Day 1 ... hmmm that sounds familiar.. Well last nite after work i guess i was having a relapse with the dang cold,flu, bronchitis what ever the mess was... :( ... so when i got home from work i laid down and went to sleep till @ 4 am..

So in order to make things easier for myself.. I am just starting over today.. I must have needed the rest.. cuz today I did a full hour of circuit training, plus when hiking with a friend for @ an hour!! :carrot:

anyway.. I finally feel 100%

oh my I am a redhead!! :lol:

Well, I'm not sure if it's time to start over or just a rest day... No exercise yesterday or today, so 2 pause days gone on the CREAK challenge. (Has CREAK croaked?) I may in fact abandon that one since I know I won't do my 30 min per day, and it just makes me feel guilty, which makes me eat. Speaking of which, I'm still okay on the wine, even turned down an invite for a little after work glass while visiting a colleague's new mansion. (I almost HAD to drink to cope with the waves of envy. A HUGE, beautiful place with perfectly designed closets and storage, and so neat you could eat off any surface.) But in spite of the wine challenge going okay, there were treats (little mini oh Henry bars, chocolate cookies, scones...) just begging to be eaten, and I succumbed. As I will tomorrow. (I may have to stop working for this client. Too many goodies.) So today is my first pause day on Challenge number 2 - DETOX. On the plus side, I seem to be weighing in 2 pounds lower again, so even a few days of no wine has an immediate effect. Amazing! No ticker changes until I've completed challenge number 3...

Yesterday I bought a silly new toy - a robot vacuum cleaner called a Roomba. The jury is still out on whether this is another case of more money than brains... But if it does the job (seems okay so far, but a little noisier than I expected) the house will be a lot less disgusting. Next stop: washing all those little cat prints off the once-shiny hardwood.

Fish, many congratulations on your victory. You are amazing, and you deserved every drop of vino.

Red, I like your new challenge: it's a bit like the one I tried (and failed) at - living like a thin person. I need at least a few clear limits to succeed. Maybe if this continues to go well for you I'll get inspired?

TTFN

Apple, tomorrow is Day 21, isn't it! Hurray!!!
:carrot: :carrot: :cb: :bravo: :cb: :carrot: :carrot:


Shad, you want to watch what you say about us Canadians - we have a way about us, you know? (insert threatening music here). :lol3: As for the metric system, we're a bit spotty on that one. We still use pounds and feet to measure people, we drive in kilometers, buy food by the lb/kilo (they actually show the prices that way, and we'll ask for 300 grams of sliced ham and two pounds of potatoes), we use Celsius except when it's REALLY hot and it sounds more impressive to say 80 or 90 or 100..., our milk is in litres, as is our gas (or petrol as some foreigners insist on saying). Cigarettes are sold in packs of 25 (not that we ever buy the evil weed any more) :nono: ... Are we confused? Yes! Do we care? :dunno: :shrug:

Wow, a whole flock of redheads! Fish, you know, when I was a kid, all the girls riding were redheads. There is something definitely different about 'em. Curly, I never would have thought of you as a redhead. Carla, are you? That I could see! :lol3: Oh, and Shad, I meant NORTH American thread.... ;) We got two of "them" here at work. But compared to the Aussies and Irish, they seem quite demure. Well, just typing this quickie at work. I got out to ride this morning! :sunny: see my girl, and then in here to the slog. The coworker is sprung! (think I mentioned that before) and will be in tonight. We're going to try to coax him out for some beers at break (never takes too much coaxing) and give him ****! :rofl:

I am a fake redhead. Not sure if that counts ;)

Day 2 down!

No, sorry, stace, no fake reds. :nono: It's next to impossible, if not totally impossible, to fake the soul of a redhead! But you can keep trying and come up with a damn good imitation! ;) Just stay in here and we'll be your mentors! And, congratulations on getting through Day 2!! :cp:

Day 2 finished.

Did okay. Just wish I wasn't so tired.

I'm not a redhead fake or otherwise. Sort of streaked mouse that's me.

OK, streaked mouse, Shad! :lol3: Great going on Day 2!!! :cp:

Wow. I just spent a totally entertaining 10 minutes catching up on the thread. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! You are all so funny.
Yes, I finished my challenge! :carrot: Amazing, but it was probably too easy. (Thanks Carla, for your confidence in me!)
My next challenge will probably start on Monday. I think I'll keep up with the sit-ups and add some weights for my fluffy arms. My coffee consumption I believe has been corrected, no need to challenge there.
Red, I tried a similar challenge once. I wanted to resist temptation. But temptation would change from "no I won't have any potato chips" to "I'll have just one potato chip" to I'll just have a few potato chips" to "I won't eat the whole bag". No dicipline I guess. :dizzy:
Fish, I think I am going to go out this morning and see if i can still jog. I miss it so much. 4 miles used to be my regular gig, 10 minute miles, just like you. Some day I'll be a runner again!
Carla, I hear you on the guilt induced eating. But have a little more self-confidence! You can do it! I highly recommend my whimpy little exercise challenge that requires only 5 minutes a day.
I'm blonde. And I don't want to hear anything about air.... :lol: ;)
Hello to Stacy! You're going to love it here! We're all behind you and you'll find plenty of advice and inspiration. Good luck!

day 2:

walked a total of 1 hr .. 30 min this morning (2 miles) and 30 min this evening (2 miles)

Not a redhead. A greying brunette (still lots more dark brown than grey, but the process does seem to be accelerating lately). Two years ago I was briefly streaky/patchy/tortoiseshell, and may go there again.

Not demure either, although of course much more so than those Aussies. :lol3: (Throw another shrimp on the barbie and call me sheila, right Shad?...)

Apple, enjoy that well-earned break. Breaks are always my favourite part of these challenges. :rofl:

Red, are you sure taking the wayward colleague out for drinks was a good idea? :hat: I hope he behaved...

Curly, don't know how you do it - two hours every day! It took all my get-up-and-go to do a brief spin on Zellda.

Against all odds, today both CREAK and DETOX were on target, which makes Day4 and Day3 respectively, with two and one pause day used up. Twenty minutes on Godzella, and a short walk; no wine or chocolate; extra points for giving away the potato chips provided in the free box lunch. Extra points taken away for eating bacon at breakfast. I think I'll keep on with both challenges, and if I run out of pause days on either and feel the need to sin, then will be the time to start over. It may be a little tough next week as I'm travelling for work, and the client always has plentiful (and taboo) coffee break goodies. But I guess if it wasn't hard it wouldn't be a challenge, would it!

Throw another shrimp on the barbie and call me sheila??????? Well that's a bit mild! Why don't you try:

Fair suck of the sav Mabel. Don't you come the raw prawn wi' me. Anyways did youse blokes bringthegrogalong?

The saying that 'He has kangaroos in the top paddock' applies to a great many Aussies.

As for Sheila - was he looking for his sheila and needed to whistle her up or was his sheila's name Sheila? And of course there is the umbiquitious 'dunny' otherwise known as the 'thunderbox'. Geez wayne you could get a bit stumped with the lingo over here. I frequently do, but then I am a quiet, shy, polite Kiwi blokess with a ton of bro's and cousies as opposed to the bright and brash Aussie sheila!!!!! So I am told anyway.

Enough of this linguistic nonsense. Day 3 is wrapped. My dinner is cooking - a salad and some chicken - at least I think that is what it will be. I said that the other day and went out to pick up the laundry and somehow or other it become a blackened mess. Yuk. Eggs did it again! Hey, my brother's the chef not me. Speaking of whom, I went to his place today to sort out his computer (again). Message on my answer machine when I got back from Japan - help, my internet is not working. Got that back up and running again. Showed him a couple of tricks and some photos from Japan and then had to fix his phone. He has the other brothers number but can't put it on the phone list. Hello! Hello! is anyone home? Still can't complain too much. He's pretty good to me.

Okay to get back to what I originally came here to say.

Day three is a wrap. Have a good evening Red. For the rest of you, stay warm, sleep tight and behave!

im just doing 1 hour this time carla.. since i am getting my strength back from being sick..

hitting the hay....