Tree? there's supposed to be a tree? Why does no one tell me these things?? Since DH wants a real tree, we won't have one until next week.... We do have a wreath - a large one with lights - on the house, but that's the extent of our decorations to date. Presents needing to be mailed are gone - ones for here, some aren't even bought (or delivered). No pressure Lydia, it will all come together - or not. Everyone will enjoy the holiday anyway.

Lydia - while I celebrate this and not this , I still feel your pain. It's a crazy time of year. I too have presents to buy, cookies to bake and lots of functions and parties. If you're like me, lists always help. Yes, it's simple but having a list and writing down when I'm going to do what, calms my nerves a bit. Or just go do a little of this! or this It will all be okay!!

Cheryl - nice to hear that you're coming along!

I did bake another batch of cookies tonight. They're in the freezer now but I can't say I didn't taste one or two. So far I've had a week full of work treats and one of our company holiday lunches and I've made it through without too much damage on the scale. I have two (yes two) dinner parties tomorrow night so that will be tough. Let's just hope I don't eat two dinners!! I will make it to January...I will make it to January

Oh!! good and shocking news....my DH actually joined my gym!! Not shocking to you maybe but he hasn't seen the inside of a gym since university, and that's a lot of years ago! I'm not sure if it will "stick" but I'm looking forward to the company sometimes and hoping that this helps me actually get there on the weekends! I must admit that I was a Monday to Friday exerciser, except for a run when the weather was decent. Weekends are busy and I never actually pushed myself to get there on my own but maybe things will change. Either way I hope it's great for him and it can't be bad for me!


And finally, I'm going for another fitness assessment at my gym. Somehow they neglected to tell me that you can have one done as often as every 8 weeks if you want to track your progress. Wow, I wish I'd known that before. I hope it goes better than last year when, some of you may remember, I was quite upset by what I was told was my BF%. I've since really started to believe, given my height, weight and fitness level etc., that it was not entirely accurate but it hit me hard so we'll see.

Have a great weekend everyone!

jamsk8r, how do you plan your excercise day and food program? just wondering. you seem to have a quiet drive or push to do things. tell me or i might have to send my cat over to steal your breath away...

My main problem is appetite. I took Meridia (a prescribed appetite suppresant) once for a few months and it squashed the appetite, but it was psychological too; I ate right and tried to help it along and so I am not taking it anymore and wondering how does everyone control appetite. Any tricks?

jennifer

Here to report I am really feeling my step-ups that I am doing as part of my weight lifting. Sheesh. I haven't felt this part of (excuse me) my buttocks since....... EVER! It's crazy!

Here's how crazy (and tell me how crazy this is....) I'm thinking of digging out all my step dvd's (or vhs ) and getting back into step aerobics for some cardio. I was a step queen in the late 80's and I can't believe I've lost all that tone from then!

I eat 5 or 6 times a day. I don't let myself get too hungry. I eat protein each time I eat, along with fruits, veggies, and complex carbs. I drink a lot of water. I avoid simple sugars that by body will burn through too quickly. I plan out my foods. This makes sure I am eating enough, cause eating too little is a recipe for disaster for me. When I have eaten my planned amount, sometimes I want more---either out of habit, stress, or just cause it is yummy. I drink water, have a chocolate calcium chew or a protein shake, and wait. The urge to overeat will pass.

Fran - I'm a secret step lover too!! It's not particularly trendy anymore but I still love it. I have trouble finding classes to go to but my gym still has one or two a week. There's a new one I've been meaning to try but it's been a while so I have to psych myself up for not quite being as good as I used to! It's odd because I hate (I mean really hate) most kinds of traditional "aerobics" classes but I've always loved my step! Keep me posted!!

Fran! Another stepper here - probably not to the level of but an enthusiast. THose classes passed quickly and the music kept you moving. I too have some videos - and a step - but haven't dragged them out - yet.

It's crazy cold here - minus 15 degrees F - but with the new snow earlier in the week, and the sun, it's gorgeous out. Like living in a postcard. Our city is having a Colony* Christmas celebration today. Lots of craft fairs, Christmas music on outdoor speakers, a train from Anchorage with more shoppers, culminating with a parade and fireworks this evening. I'm staying way, away until the fireworks. I don't like crowds of people, and there's nothing beyone groceries and gas that I need to buy.

* Palmer was the site of a government "colony" for midwest farmers during the depression. They were moved here, given 40 acres and some cash, help with building their homes, etc. It was the largest of several, and the most successful. The Colony Christmas celebration (and Colony Days in the summer) celebrates that. There's a documentary making the film festival circuit called "Alaska Far Away" with a website of the same name.

Jennifer- I also eat 5 times a day and space my calories out fairly evenly. But there are still days when I'm famished and I just have to tough it out or have something very low cal and high bulk. Eating protein at every meal really helps.

I haven't done step in years, though I do still have my Reebok step which I use for all sorts of exercises, and a second one that I rescued from a neighbor's bulk trash I think I still have all of the Jane Fonda tapes where she is wearing the blue leotard and sparkly leg warmers, but thankfully, our vhs tape player broke

Today has been a hungry day. I did legs heavy this morning and my hamstrings already hurt. That last drop set of lying curls did them in. Not a very exotic workout, but effective.

Cheryl- the benefit of cardio 2X a day is burning MORE calories! In the morning, I usually do a 45 minute elliptical session. I've been adding a 20 minute treadmill HIIT session in the evening when I get home from work. My pants are getting a little looser, but I'm exhausted.

As lydia pointed out, the result of exhaustion is possible injury and most certainly the lure of carbs, or anything edible. I fell into that trap last night and I'm sure the extra calories burned were a lot less than the calories consumed. Dumb, and I know better but...well, just but.

Going to see a friend daughter dance in Nutcracker tomorrow.

Have a good one,
Mel

Mel, LOL on the Jane Fonda thing...my sister C has one of those tapes that she uses all the time. It cracks me up to watch it, because it's like a bad flashback, and they all have smiles pasted on their faces. My position is that if you can smile like that, you're not working out hard enough! Thanks for bringing me up to date on the 2x cardio idea. Last I heard you were doing the longer session in the mornings, so I was curious as to what the new plan was.

Lydia, the decorations are supposed to match? As in some sort of Martha-ish color coordinated way? You're making that up! I consider it a success if I just remember to get it all put up before Dec 25, and packed away before June, lol.

Jenn, what they said on the meals and the protein. Workouts, I plan out what I'll do at least a week ahead of time, at least knowing I'm doing lifting these days and what kind of cardio each day. If I trip up, I just try to jump right back in and go again.

Fran, I like the step-ups...that's one of my favorites, except when I get up to where I can't hold enough weight to get a decent workout. If I can avoid injury this time around, then I plan to tackle that obstacle by practicing with the barbell along the way, and/or getting some lifting straps, so I can hold heavier DBs for the step-ups. I tried Mel's single leg squat torture, but I am not there yet...maybe when I get some more weight off..?

Okay, got to get off the computer, for real, and get ready for skating!

ETA: Dang! All that, and I forgot to report! I did do my workout on Friday, just a single set of 10 reps for UB. I'm going to stick with the single set of 10 for the next two workouts, then if everything is still good with my arm, I'll add in a second set and do that for a week. I figure it can't hurt to ease into it, in case the old tendons and whatnot are needing a reminder of how this all works. Next lifting workout is set for Monday morning.

Hi all,

Lydia, You don't want to saddele any future in-laws with problems do you? Like "at my moms house the decorations always matched...". I have a tree up, and that is it. No coockie baking, no cards...only mailed presents to my cousin in the US. I'm going to my sister with christmas, and for the rest of the time...I've started on beck, DD is figuring out the whole glutenfree thing, asd DS basically will eat anything that looks like fries or junkfood, and does not like vegetables and fruit. So I am afraid there is very limited common ground for us to have a norman rockwell family moment together.

OTOH, as long as we all survive the holiday season in reasonable jioy, it is OK with me. DS still has very limited mobility with his knee, so we'll mainly be visiting family and staying at home.

Pat, thanks for the website tip, I'm definitely going to check that out.

Good news for today: I put my treadmill next to my bed again and dragged on my workout clothes and hit the threadmill when I rolled out of bad this morning. I was putting of wotking out because I am so tired that I thought if I would exercise i would not get all the other stuff done. I now have found out that 15 mins of running does NOT wear oneself out for the day, and Im going to try to keep that up for the next days.

Have a great day all,
Rabbit

Rabbit- Why is dd going gluten free? Did she get a diagnosis of Celiac's? It's really not so hard...ds and I have been gluten free for the last 2 1/2 years. We are just being told now by his gastroenterologist that it may not have been necessary

No workout today- my legs are sore from yesterday and I really needed the rest. The tree is up but only 1/2 decorated (only half the family celebrates Christmas ) and I haven't found Hanukkah candles yet (the other half of the family.) This year the holidays coincide. I'm not sure if that's harder or easier!

Mel

Morning, all!

It's Monday. Normally, not that exciting, but it's a lifting day for me, LB, and the arm feels good, so I'm looking forward to another workout. It'll be another easy workout, but it still feels good to be lifting again. Lay offs drive me stir crazy!

Mel and DePalma, in a never-ending effort to live up to your high standards, I did attempt the SL Squats again yesterday. Still not able to go deep enough to call it a squat, but I'm getting closer! I worked on my balance some, too, so that when my muscles are up to it, I might be able to do them without holding onto the wall. I'm going to put some single leg balance practice into my daily routine, to try and improve that faster, which won't hurt for skating, either.

Okay, need more caffeine now. Waiting for my boy to get home, so I can get him going on his chores and school, then I'll be free to do my lifting workout. It's a winter wonderland out there, still, so I'll be working out at home today.

hi all,

Mel - XH has had a diagnosis of celiac's when he was young & often had digestion problems. DD is very small & skinny for her age, and had stomach pains 5 days out of 7, and often has painfull mouth sores. We could not find anything against the mouth sores, and she could have them for a month before they cleared up. Then I read on the internet that it is a celiacs symptom, so I put her on gluten free. The sores cleared in 3 days and DD remarked that strangely she also had no stomach pain for those 3 days, which put me thinking. She is late in puberty, and all part of my family is small & skinny, and the heart condition also did not help to make her big and strong, but we thought to give it a try and see how it goes. Maybe she does not grow because she gets little nourishment. Also, from baby on she likes fruit and vegetables and hot meals a lot, but she does not like bread and cakes and such. Sofar, she likes having no pain better than she likes bread and pasta, and we have been able to find some alternatives. I did not go to the doctor because I heard the diagnosis is a painful test, but I might go in the next week or so to see if she has some helpful suggestions.
Why does your DS doctor think it might not have been necessary for you both to go gluten free ?

ladies.. Exercise wise I am working my way back unto the wagon. I am typing this with shaking hands. I went to 1 hour of power class and I really really needed that workout.

have a great day all,
rabbit

Rabbit- There is a blood test for Celiacs but it is completely unreliable if the person has already gone gluten free. After a few weeks/months of gluten free, almost all the tests are inconclusive. My biggest mistake was believing "alternative" doctors and feeding ds gluten free for 2 1/2 years without proper diagnostics first.

He is just as frequently sick gluten free as he was with gluten....we are still trying to figure out what is wrong with him. I'm now doubting my mother's celiac diagnosis which was made by the same alternative medicine doc. She, too, is still sick. The gut is a mysterious place!

Legs today with a new workout partner Should be fun.

Mel

Hi Mel,

Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear your DS is still often sick. Did the gluten free help you yourself in any way? I definitely think I'll go to my GP with dd next week. Still, so far she has much less stomach ache. The gut is mysterious indeed.

On a completely different note...I gave my DS probiotic bacterium pills some years back when he had health problems some years ago, and that seems to have helped. He had a bacterium that is usually no big deal in the majority of people but he had the symptoms of the remaining minority, got antibiotics to kill off the bad ones and I fed him the good bacteria to re-populate his guts with the good guys.

I'm sore and feeling virtuous from my workout yesterday.

Have a great day all,
Rabbit