Healthier Lifestyle Thread 13th April till 19th April

[Rod]

Hey, From MIA Rod........Sorry I''ve been absent. I just needed a break from pretty much everything and I''ve not felt 100% for a few days. I didn''t do much of anything over the weekend. Charlie was visiting his family in Buffalo, and I just didn''t really do anything. I didn''t sleep well either. I needed a break from the gym, so I didn''t really have much to say. Charlie''s flight home was delayed to the bad weather out there yesterday, so I didn''t sleep well again last night. Today, I was just a zombie and for the first time since I''ve been at my job, I left work early, came home and just took a nap. It was a dark, rainy, dreary day. The kind of day you just want to pull the covers over your head and not get out of bed. Well, aren''t I just a ray of sunshine......LOL I''m going to go to bed soon, do my best to get a really good night''s sleep and have an "uber" Wednesday, including the gym after work. CHarliehas to work tomorrow night, so that was one reason I decided to come home early and do the gym tomorrow instead.

Sorry for not saying hi to everyone individually. I did want to congratulate Lorelei on the new elliptical. WOO HOO!

Skippy, thank you so much for worrying about me and for writing me earlier. You''re such a sweetie!

bee* WOW WOW WOW on the weight loss. 31 Pounds?? You go girl!!

Welcome to our two new friends here, stepcutnut and BeachRunner.

And finally......Kimberly I''m so glad to see you''re back. I had asked where you were several times and just wanted you to know I too missed you!

OK.......I''ll check in tomorrow night after my workout.

 

[lliang_chi]

(My dog is barking at her reflection in the sliding glass door. James calls her reflection the dog on the patio)

Marcy, Boy do I know what you mean about the weekend not being long enough!!! Tacos for supper sounds tasty!!! An hour walk sounds pretty good! What kind of engineer is Marty? My sister and James are engine'rds I LOOOOOOVE asparagus. I was tempted to pick up more @ the grocery store, but didn't. Now I'm kicking myself for not.

How do you usually make it?

Kim, I'm glad you're liking the job! I hope you get to go back again next year too. I really admire teachers. I definitely think I'll make a horrible one, so all you guys that do it, my hat's off to you!

Dragon, Yay! New shoes!!! I usually run in Mizunos but bought a snazzy lookin' pair of Pumas last time because they were out of Mizu's in my size. Both are good, but I'll prob go back to Mizu's.

Beach, WELCOME!!!! Good luck on the 5K. I also like running in races for charities. But I think I'm going to try to do more running. Now that the weather's "warming up" maybe we can do same day race weekends. Anyone else wanna join us in our virtual running group?? You should try an 8K. If you do 5K's it's not that much further. Then 10K's will be a piece of cake!

Steph, Wow! Great on the size 8!! on the way to 6!!! What changes did you make in your diet? Just whole grains vs more processed carbs? E.g. brown rice vs white, whole grain bread vs. white, sweet potatoes vs regular? I'd be willing to try that. Can you share a little bit more?

Skip, MMMMM Pho!!! Now you have me hankering for some!!! Maybe sis will want to go out for it with me. We'll have to take James since he's never been. But she and I are also both hurting for a Chinatown trip (need to restock our pantry) and we always do dim sum on those occasions... Is pho & dim sum in the same weekend overkill??? Funny how you say it's supposed to get cold again tomorrow. It's FINALLY warming up after 2 days of rainy yuckiness. Boy do you tell the truth when you say skipping rope is tough. It totally is!!! Yay for the smaller sized jeans. I'm a shorty too and I always need my jeans hemmed. I bought a sewing machine and hem it myself now, both for me and my sis.

Dragon or Skip what are sumo squats?

Bee, great you have someone to kick your toosh into shape. I've fallen off the wagon for the past two weeks and really need to get back on the horse. So are you salsa adept now that you've taken all those classes?

Dee, I'll be up for trying not-so-hot-yoga. I don't think there's THAT much of a difference between 95 & 105. If you and your friend ever want to try the Moksha yoga I highly suggest it too. I hope your knee doesn't give you any more problems? Does the magic knee doc say anything about your stair climbing? I'd think that's probably kinda hard on the knee but I'm not magic knee doctor.

I was just going to ask where Rod is, but we must be posting @ the same time. Rod, sorry you had a blah weekend. Have a good uber day tomorrow.

 

[Elmorton]

I will come back tomorrow to respond to others'' posts - I just have a quick minute before bed - and I''m really excited about this week and wanted to share. DH and I were talking on Sunday night, and I said "I think my days would be better if they started out with working out. Will you do that with me?" and so Monday morning, before work, we made plans to go to the gym. I did NOT want to get out of bed, but DH enticed me with a small pre- workout bfast in bed (whole grain waffle with sugar free strawberry jam - I love these), and an hour and a half later, I was out the door on my way to work, and HAPPY in the morning, which I''m usually not. Same thing today - DH brought me bfast in bed, and we went to the gym. I felt great! And...I''m about to go to bed, and I''m laying out my gym clothes for tomorrow...

I really think I can keep this up, because my week so far has just felt GOOD. I always thought that I''m more productive in the afternoon, and thus I should work out then (but of course I''m exhausted or sidetracked at the end of the day), but I''m finding that starting out the day with a workout works much, much better for me.

 

[steph72276]

Hi, lliang! Yep, pretty much cut out white foods....white flour, sugar, white rice, white potatoes, etc. and went heavier on the protein and less carbs. I am still eating some healthier carbs though, like sweet potatoes, tomatoes on my salads, berries for my fruit. Just cut out a lot of sugar and it has really worked for me. I had PCOS, so I really have to watch my sugar intake. I really hold on to the weight even if I keep my calories low. I just figured out that this is the only thing that really works for me. I still plan to have a treat now and then, I just can't make it a regular thing. Here is a sample meal plan for a typical day:

Breakfast: 1 egg and 1 egg white scrambled with a little 2% shredded cheese and two pieces of turkey bacon. Coffee with sugar free french vanilla creamer.

Lunch: My "ultimate salad". I buy one of those roasted chickens already made from the store and cut that up along with mixed greens, a few cherry tomatoes, radishes, mushrooms, a handful of almonds, a sprinkle of 2% shredded cheese, and lite balsamic vinagarette dressing (I like Paul Newman's kind).

Snack: either 1 string cheese with a handful of almonds or low sugar yogurt with a few mixed berries.

Dinner: Any kind of lean protein with any green veggie and I either add in a side salad, sweet potato, or brown rice.

I usually have at least a cup of green tea in the afternoons...I have found this to cut my appetite. Hope this helps!

 

[geckodani]

Hi all! I''ve been sick all week and am trying to catch up at work now.

I hope everyone is well!

 

[BeachRunner]

Good Morning, and thank you all for the kind welcome!

lliang- I''m sure I could do an 8K now; I may be a little sluggish at the finish, but, I could get it done! Unfortunetly, my town does not offer lots of 8Ks. Yeah, virtual runs would be fun! I usually do a longer run on the weekends (I''m never sure how many miles I do, I MUST properly program my pedometer).

And, for breakfast I am currently enjoying two egg whites with pepper and just a dash of salt, hot green tea with one tablespoon sugar, and some granola.

I am also trying to remove enriched flour foods from my diet. It''s hard! We''ve switched from white to brown rice, I''ve always eaten whole grain bread, but now am more conscious to make SURE I buy the 100% whole wheat breads. I have removed all diary from my diet (intolerance, not just for diet, as I am not an advocate for removing entire food groups), and I feel so much better!

My problem: snacking! I''ve switched from sweets to cutting up an apple and eating with peanut butter; improvement but still shouldn''t be eating at 10pm!

Happy Wednesday!

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All,

Bee, congratulations and way to go! You should be super proud of yourself.

Steph, this lifestyle can be frustrating at times, especially when you throw medical issues into the mix. I''m glad you''re back to what works for you and sorry that it has been such a difficult process.

Rod, I am thrilled to be back. But not motivated! More on that in a minute.

Dee, the cookies are almost gone, next time I make some I promise I''ll send some your way.
Welcome, beach runner. For some reason I have it in my head that you live in the San Diego area, I''m I totally wrong? Hope the 5K goes really well. Good for you.

Skip, I''ve thrown food away before, it''s hard to do as it seems wasteful, but sometimes necessary.

Lliang, I''m lucky to love what I do, but we all have our niche. I was asked yesterday to take over an after school reading class for 1st graders through the next month, I am not sure I can fit it into my schedule, but if I can I would love to do so. I have to talk to the woman who is giving the class up today.

El, that''s awesome DH is going to workout with you. I''m so glad you feel good!

Gecko, get better!

So I''m having a difficult time getting back into a routine after not working out for 6 weeks. I didn''t manage to workout yesterday and I need to do something today. So if someone would be willing to say "Kimi, go workout today!" it would be really helpful. I''d like to get back to 4 days a week, but I''m really struggling to do so. Food-wise I''m doing the same.

Have a great day all. I have work, a training, (WORKING OUT!!!), then I''m kidsitting this afternoon.

 

[BeachRunner]

Date: 4/15/2009 9:54:45 AM
Author: KimberlyH

Welcome, beach runner. For some reason I have it in my head that you live in the San Diego area, I''m I totally wrong? Hope the 5K goes really well. Good for you.


So I''m having a difficult time getting back into a routine after not working out for 6 weeks. I didn''t manage to workout yesterday and I need to do something today. So if someone would be willing to say ''Kimi, go workout today!'' it would be really helpful. I''d like to get back to 4 days a week, but I''m really struggling to do so. Food-wise I''m doing the same.


Have a great day all. I have work, a training, (WORKING OUT!!!), then I''m kidsitting this afternoon.

Hi Kim! No, I''m an east coast girl. Although I desperately want to travel to the west coast, but FI and I are still finishing the east coast

I know how you feel about getting back on track. I took about 8 weeks off during my hibernation for winter. I''ve started my routine again, and it feels awesome! I feel great, looking more toned, and have more energy, for sure! Just pick a Monday (or whatever day) and tell yourself that is when you will start! You''ll soon kick yourself for not going back earlier!

 

[Skippy123]

Good Morning friends

My nephew is coming over soon and it looks like it is going to rain today (we need it so I won't wish it away); he loves putting puzzles together so maybe we will do that for fun. After he leaves hopefully it will warm up so I can go walking; if not I will do the 30 day shred. I am going to make chicken brocolli strfry tonight w/TJ's yummy island teryaki sauce for dinner and I have leftover brown and wild rice.

LISA,
maybe dragon can explain better but it is like a squat, that targets the inner thighs and your turn your feet out and sit back while keeping your chest straight. Maybe google it and there are demonstrations; you might already do them. Chicago has lots of yummy places to eat!! hehe to 2 trips to Chinatown. I have not had dim sum; I did try the Costco version but I would be interested in trying the real thing. Glad it is warming up, yay!!! Thanks for the kudos friend. That is why I took up sewing so I could hem my pants too!


ELMORTON,
aww, what a sweet hubby to make you a preworkout breakfast, too cute! Yay for the morning workout! Very exciting; it is great to have a partner!

STEPH,
hi friend, yay for eating healthy; I eat many of the same things, wow, like for breakfast I have lean turkey bacon, or canadian bacon, light cheese but I do have a whole grain high fiber english muffin, dinner is very similar to yours; we have a salad every night. Yay, I should try your lunch! How is little Andrew?

GECKO,
hope you feel better.

BEACHRUNNER,
having you, Steph, Charger, Rod, and LLiang the runners, is very inspiring!!!

KIMI
"GO WORKOUT" check in after too if you can!!! Have a great day. Oh throwing it away and throwing something like icky trash on top helps; I have done that a few times or if I throw it in the big dumpster it is gone. Yeah, I don't feel bad either. hehe Yay for kidsitting; I am too!

ROD,
glad Charlie is back home safe and sound. Sorry you didn't sleep well on the weekend; glad you got a nap!

APPLE,
wooo for 1 & 2 of the Shred!!!!

 

[stepcutnut]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!!!

It looks like everyone is off to a great week!

My goals this week are to eat 7-9 servings of fruit and veggies-fruit is no problem, veggies is a whole other issue! I am kind of on overload right now. And, I am on a gluten-free diet, so I am trying really hard to add in more whole grains(alot tougher now). Also, to work out a exercise schedule that I can stick with!

 

[Elmorton]

Stepcut - Welcome! In terms of veggies - there are two things that I''ve found help me get them in (though my problem is almost opposite of yours, since I love veggies but dislike some fruits'' textures). The first is a Rachel Ray tip: when you get home from the store, wash and cut everything. That way it''s really easy to throw them in a baggie raw for a snack, cook with them, etc. The second is that when I''m crunched for time, I get fresh veggies in my produce section at the store that are already washed, cut, bagged - and you just pop ''em in the microwave, and two mins later, you have steamed veggies. It''s an expensive alternative to doing that all on your own, but super quick.

Skippy - mmmmm, dinner sounds AWESOME tonight!! I hope you had fun with your nephew.
I was looking in older threads and saw that you''ve done Weight Watchers before - do you still go to meetings? I''m thinking about attending a meeting tonight for the first time and I''m wondering what to expect. A good friend of mine and I talked about it last night, but she''s only been doing it for 13 weeks (and lost 22 lbs so far - I''m really impressed/proud of her!) so I wondered if you have any long-term tips?

BeachRunner - Another welcome! Yay for your re-start and upcoming 5k!

Kim - Kimi, go workout today!!

I ditto BeachRunner''s "you''ll feel great!" attitude.

Gecko - Feel better!!

Steph - Your "daily menu" sounds awesome. Do you have a specific type of green tea that you like?

K, I''m off to double check the Weight Watchers mtg time for tonight - I feel really confident about working out and that I can keep that up (well, with the help of my sweet DH!), but food, for me, is an entirely different issue. While I know "diets don''t work" (and so I do have some skepticism about WW) I also think that food is an addiction, and I think I''m finally ready to face it. Whew. That''s hard to say!

 

[bee*]

Thanks so much again everyone! I''m definitely proud of myself. LLiang-I wouldn''t say I''m totally adept to salsa now but getting there! Her classes are brilliant so it doesn''t feel like a work out to me. I''ll try and get on tomorrow and reply more to everyones posts-have to go study now! Night!

 

[KimberlyH]

Hi All!

Beach, I wish I had never stopped, but it wasn''t by choice, it was doctor''s orders. So I''m a bit sluggish and my body is in a different place than where it was when I was told to take it easy. I can''t wait to feel better again! Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. It''s too bad you aren''t on the west coast, if you were in SoCal I''d go running with you.

Skippy, El, and Beach, I did what I was supposed to and came back to report. It had to be a short one as I had to get from one job to the other, but I did spend 35 minutes on the elliptical.

El, WW was a great stepping off point for me in regards to food. I wasn''t totally sold on the program because my problem was food and sitting around talking about it wasn''t the right solution for me, but I learned a lot about my eating habits by attending, and then when I got what I wanted/needed from the experience I went off on my own. I was quite successful (I lost 70+ pounds and have kept it off for over 6 yrs) and I hope you find what works for you!

So, I worked out, as mentioned, and now I''m home for the night, waiting for DH to make dinner (pasta, veggies). Today I was asked to take on an additional class, which takes place after school, through the month of May. I couldn''t say no, but this really messes with my workout schedule. I''m going to have to do some toying to figure out how I''m going to make this all work.

Have a great night everyone.

 

[marcy]

Hi.How is everyone doing?I left a roast beef cooking in the crock pot today and some potatoes to bake in the oven.It’s great to come home to dinner already ready.We pull the rest of it apart for sandwiches for lunch.

The tour after work last night went well.They asked a lot of questions so we didn’t finish the entire tour but walking around for over an hour.It was fun.

I cut myself with a knife pretty bad this morning.I was going to cook a roast in the crock pot and it was still pretty frozen.I was trying to cut the fat off the bottom and the knife just slipped out and really cut my left index finger.It’s hard to type.The stupid thing is still bleeding.I can’t type very well, the bandage keeps hitting 2 keys so sorry for any typos.

Kimi, I hope they offer you a job next year.I hope you feel like your old self again soon.I know you’ll get back to your workout routines in no time.How fun to take on another class.

Dragonfly, yay for some great new Nikes.

BeachRunner, welcome to the thread.Good luck with your 5K this weekend.

Steph, I agree we are all different and have to find what works for us.Congratulations for being back in size 8.

Bee, congratulations for losing 31 pounds.

Skippy, yay for throwing out the PB bunnies.I will do that too.Congratulations on fitting in to smaller jeans.How fun your nephew love puzzles, those are one of my favorite things to do.

DeeJay, glad you found out what is wrong with your knee.That is nice you don’t need surgery right away.

Appletini, good luck at the weigh in tomorrow.

Rod, sorry to hear you have had a few blah days.I hope you are doing better now that Charlie is home.

Lisa, too funny about the dog barking at her reflection.Marty doesn’t have an engineer degree; he has a military background in electronics (mostly radar and signal jamming) and worked his way up at his current job from technician to engineer manager.He is in charge or networking, encrypted, encoding and things like that.How fun to have sisters who are engineers.We put a little olive oil and season salt on the asparagus and bake it in the oven.

Elmorton, I hate to miss a day’s posts here – it’s hard to catch up.How wonderful to enjoy working out before work with your husband.I hope you enjoyed the WW meeting.

Dani, feel better.

Stepcutnut, sounds like you have your food and workouts well planned.

Take care.

Marcy

 

[stepcutnut]

Date: 4/15/2009 5:14:27 PM
Author: Elmorton
Stepcut - Welcome! In terms of veggies - there are two things that I've found help me get them in (though my problem is almost opposite of yours, since I love veggies but dislike some fruits' textures). The first is a Rachel Ray tip: when you get home from the store, wash and cut everything. That way it's really easy to throw them in a baggie raw for a snack, cook with them, etc. The second is that when I'm crunched for time, I get fresh veggies in my produce section at the store that are already washed, cut, bagged - and you just pop 'em in the microwave, and two mins later, you have steamed veggies. It's an expensive alternative to doing that all on your own, but super quick.


Skippy - mmmmm, dinner sounds AWESOME tonight!! I hope you had fun with your nephew.

I was looking in older threads and saw that you've done Weight Watchers before - do you still go to meetings? I'm thinking about attending a meeting tonight for the first time and I'm wondering what to expect. A good friend of mine and I talked about it last night, but she's only been doing it for 13 weeks (and lost 22 lbs so far - I'm really impressed/proud of her!) so I wondered if you have any long-term tips?


BeachRunner - Another welcome! Yay for your re-start and upcoming 5k!


Kim - Kimi, go workout today!!

I ditto BeachRunner's 'you'll feel great!' attitude.


Gecko - Feel better!!


Steph - Your 'daily menu' sounds awesome. Do you have a specific type of green tea that you like?


K, I'm off to double check the Weight Watchers mtg time for tonight - I feel really confident about working out and that I can keep that up (well, with the help of my sweet DH!), but food, for me, is an entirely different issue. While I know 'diets don't work' (and so I do have some skepticism about WW) I also think that food is an addiction, and I think I'm finally ready to face it. Whew. That's hard to say!

El-Thanks for the tips, for me the washing and cutting veggies right away is an important one

I normally don't have issues with veggies, it all went down hill when we join an organic veggie co-op! We were getting boxes each week of yummy veggies, when all of the sudden we started receiving an extra box with like 11 heads of different lettuce varieties(obviously a great lettuce growing year). I did give many of them away, but hubby and I were eating 1-2 huge salads per day(and still not able to use up all the lettuce)---since then both hubby and I have kind of petered out on veggies---it was really just too much! So it unfortunately became kind of an avoidance!

Today, hubby and I have decided to start a detox, beginning next Monday-need time to gear up for it!

Today, I am super excited to go check out a new yoga/pilates/spinning studio that just opened!!! We have moved to a small town and thus lost many of our workout options and this is on of them that I am super happy to finally have back

El-good luck with the WW, I have had many friends and relatives that have had really great luck with them and changing the way that they view food and how it was used.

Maryc-bummer on the finger, I hope it feels better soon!

 

[appletini]

I had a great PT session today. He took us outside so it was a nice change of scenery.

 

[dragonfly411]

Hey everyone! Sorry was absent yesterday, I was recouping from a mini panic attack. I was supposed to go to church but I panicked at the idea of going alone... really and truly. TERRIFIED. I did an easy workout last night with jumping jacks, jump rope and cross punches mixed with crunches, some weight moves, and squats. Tonight will be more hard core.
Sumo squats - You know when sumo wrestlers step their legs out, turning the toes out and squat? That''s sumo squats. You stand with feet a little wider than hip width (wide enough when you squat your knees won''t go over your toes), with your toes turned out. You keep your chest and back tall, and I usually put my hands on my hips, but this can be done with weights adding a curl as well. Then Squat. Skippy you were pretty dead on. It targets your inner thighs, but also develops your core because it is forced to work to balance. I usually do at least 30 of them in one workout. I hope that helps!!!

Tonight I''m hoping to either do biggest loser cardio, or do a mixture of jumping jacks/jump rope with sculpting moves again. I''m back on track eating now that the birthday is done. Thank you sooo much to everyone for the birthday wishes. It was a blast. The restaurant gave us free champagne as well!

Skippy - you''re a dear
lliang - hope all is well with you
lorelei - whereforeartthou?

 

[Skippy123]

Hi Friends, last night hubby and I went out to eat after my nephew was picked up and I ate bad. I had a gift cert that was going to expire at this Winery; I actually didn't eat much during the day but at dinner I had this chicken pesto and hubby and I split an apple cobbler dessert and I had a sip of hubby's wine. The place was just okay and a huge tourist trap! At least we know now what it is about.

My nephew made me laugh yesterday because he is only 3 and he is starting to like ghost stories. I was reading him a book on Halloween stuff (soooo not scary and kind of cute) but he was too funny because he was holding my hand so tight. I talked to my sister about it because she and I loved scary movies and and ghost stories at a young age. hehe I wonder if those things are hereditary?? too funny.

I am going to Sports Challenge tonight. Hope everyone has a great Thursday!!!!

STEPHCUTNUT, I eat 5 servings of veggies and fruit; that is lots of veggies and fruit. hehe Maybe making spinach dishes which shrinks down and you can get more servings in or like a veggie lasagna or soup.

ELMORTON, the thing about WW I like is the support at the meetings and the things they talk about; I think you could attend a meeting for free but they won't give you the materials so you can see if you like it. I would call and ask which is a popular WW leader because a good leader can be quite motivating and inspiring because they lost weight too. I like doing WW because w/my monthly pass I get etools which is free and I track what I eat and there are recipes and meal ideas. Wow, congrats to your friend. I think thinking of eating healthy and having lots of meal ideas and making it a lifestyle change is the biggest tip. Like you can eat what you want but if you want the pizza eat smaller portions (or eat a veggie soup w/the pizza to keep you full and not craving more) and know what works for you; they have a lot of tools to figure out what type of eater you are and what things you can do to help you based on your type. Sorry for the long post. I think you are right on food is an addiction; they give you a list of filling foods which keep a person satisfied and they say to eat those when you can since carbs seem to be addicting. I know we talk about foods being green light, red light (meaning you induldge and can't help yourself), yellow light and doing what works for you like red light foods not being stocked in the house so it is out of sight out of mind. I would just go to a meeting and talk to your friend about what she does that works for her and the leader will have weekly discussions that WW uses and they are quite helpful. hope that helps. hehe

KIMI, Kudos for working out!!!! Even if it isn't as long as you wanted that is great; I use to think my workouts had to be an hour or they were worth working out and now if I get a chance and can walk for 20 mins that is better then nothing, just saying that I use to get stuck w/an all or nothing mentality. I am guessing you are not this way.

MARCY, oh yum to your dinner. Oh no, sorry about your finger, ouch. thanks for the kudos. Oh you and my nephew would get along perfectly; he can do puzzles for hours. heheh

APPLE, great job on the PT. I bet it was nice to be outside!

 

[bee*]

Evening everyone. It''s miserable weather here so I''m just sitting in studying this evening. Having one of those days where I can''t stop eating but luckily it''s all been healthy food. It''s my night off the gym so it''s nice to relax on the couch.

Kimberly-hope you''re feeling better soon! Sorry to hear that your workout schedule is going to be messed up. I hate things getting in the way of that.

Marcy-your dinner sounds fab. Hope that you''re finger will be ok! Ouch!

stepcut-best of luck with the detox. Enjoy checking out the new studio.

appletini-glad to hear that you had a good session.

dragonfly-sorry to hear about the panic attack! Enjoy the workout tonight.

Skippy-dinner sounds fab last night. Your nephew sounds like a dote.

Well better get another hour of study done. Talk to you all later!

 

[Elmorton]

Thanks everyone for your feedback about WW! Skippy, I THOUROUGHLY enjoyed the long post, so thank you!!

Kimberly - YAY!!!! Glad you made time for your workout! 70 lbs - WOW. That is AMAZING. Thanks for your input about WW!

Marcy - I hope your wound is better!

Stepcut - Whoa, that is awesome about your organic coop! But I can see how you''d get disintrested in veggies. Glad to hear you have a great new studio in town! Let us know how it is.

Appletini - Doesn''t it feel great to go outside after being in the gym for awhile?? Glad to hear you had a great session.

Dragonfly - sorry to hear about your panic attack

those sumo squats sound kicka$$! Have a great workout tonight!

Skippy - what''s sports challenge? I''ve never heard of it. Hope your Thursday was fun!!

bee* - enjoy your relaxing night!

WW recap - so I went to the meeting and it was super crowded at weigh in so I actually missed the first few minutes. I felt really rushed. The mtg was about working out though, not food, so it was actually kinda neat. They''re doing a 5k challenge, and that''s my summer work-out goal, so that coincided nicely! The meeting was really short!

When I got home though...everything changed. I was sure I''d made a HUGE mistake about joining. I realized I didn''t know what I was doing with the points, and no one really walked me through being a new member - my friend had said that they''d consult with you etc, but since everything was so rushed at the beginning, apparently that never happened - I never even found out how many points I''m allotted! I realized that I''d kinda learned nothing in the meeting, I''d just paid for something, and I didn''t even know how to use the plan. Like a baby, I started crying, because I felt like I''d made a stupid decision and I''d been really excited about it, and now I was let down. Then I shook it off, got online, and started reading, and started doing the points tracker with my food. The online thingie told me how many points I''m allotted, had recipes, tips, etc... DH called because he had to work late, so I went to Subway for dinner, and it was easy to even log that. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and I''m feeling good about this again. I didn''t feel starved yesterday, and when I started looking at the points system, I don''t think I will (plus, I''m logging some pretty good extra activity points!). So I hope this is a jumping off point - I need to lose weight.

This morning I went to the gym and decided to do the treadmill since I was thinking about my 5k goal. I briskly walked for about 10 mins and then ran for about 3-4 before I thought I was going to fall over, so I started walking again. At that point, one of my feet was throbbing. I tried to walk it out a little longer, but it still felt icky. Went to the rower, and did that for 10 mins. I thought I was nice and cooled down...but when I got to the parking lot, I kinda "lost breakfast." I didn''t feel like my workout was that much more intense, and I''m not sick, so I don''t know what''s going on. DH lifted today, so I think we''re going to go swimming tomorrow, since we''re both feeling a little creaky this evening.

OMG...I just wrote a book. If anyone read all of that, thanks for being patient with me!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Just popping in to say that I tried to do an hour on the dreadmill today (just walking) but it hurt so I went to the bike instead. Booooooorrrrrrinnnnnngggg. Whatever. I stuck with it.

I stretched for a long time too. I can''t remember if I said this the other night about my knee but the doctor said I have hamstring tendonitis (which is why BOTH of my knees now hurt in the same way, LOL) so stretching is important. He said it is almost impossible for someone as flexible as I am (seriously--circe de soliel has asked me join the two o''clock show, LOL) to have this, but I do. Dee is just *special*!!

Anyway, enough of my maladies.

El, I just wanted to say that I think you are just a bit overwhelmed right now. The WW thing IS a lot of info all at once, and if you upped your workout (along with *thinking* a lot about your workout) you could have overdone it, physically and metally. Relax hon (easy to type, hard to do, I know!), it will come. We are here for you!

Hello to everyone else. Sorry for not responding to all of you personally but I have to go and deal with my crazy clients right now.

Later gators!

 

[steph72276]

Hello: Just saw this article and thought it was interesting. Have a great night everyone!

http://food.yahoo.com/blog/yahoofreshpicks/7939/surprise-nutritionist-no-nos/

 

[Skippy123]

Back from Sports Challenge, the instructor now changed the name of the class to Boot Camp. It was kind of like boot camp but still the same, lined up bosu's, squats while lifting the bosu over your head, walking lunges with the bosu while lifting it over our head (she loves us lifting it over our heads), push ups, jumping jacks on the bosu, lots of sprints, ab work, etc.

I was exhausted and there were lots of new people. In fact after class this one really fit lady said it was her first time (we were stretching and talking) and she is a runner and she felt it was better workout then her runs. I still sometimes think I am crazy for doing the class and I am out of my league compared to some people who are in uber shape but I do take breaks so I don't pass out and keep showing up to class. I see a few people step out of the group stuff and walk so they get their breath back; I also do the same but I know eventually I keep getting stronger. The instructor was saying that she pushes us so hard so we move to the next level and we are always challenged so that is pretty cool. If anyone has a class like this offered at your gym I really encourage you to try it. I can feel myself getting stronger ever so slightly.

I came home and made chicken stirfry with steamed broccoli and Trader Joe's Island teriyaki sauce and a side of wild and brown rice. I have been craving french toast so the other day I bought egg beaters, double fiber bread (1 pt a slice for Weight watchers) and sugar free syrup and made one slice of french toast for dessert; it came out yummy and probably only 150 calories.

Tomorrow I am going to core/muscle hour that my friend teaches so I am looking forward to seeing her. Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.

STEPCUT, yay or a new yoga pilates spin studio!!

DRAGON, some how I missed your post when I posted; I am so sorry about your panic attack. Those can be scary; I don't get them but I have a friend who does and it seems like the worst. (HUGS) yay for your workouts; you are in such great shape!!!

BEE*, Oh gosh, I know those days; I hope tomorrow is better. maybe go for a walk? sometimes that helps me.

ELMORTON, after class they are suppose to go through the point systems. I wonder why they did not do that? Okay off to look at my materials to see if I can help. brb. Okay, on page 15 of Book 1 Start Eating Smarter (the cover shows a fork next to whole wheat pasta) it gives you a few questions for determining your Points target. Once you figure out the number you eat that each day and you have 35 pts to use in addition for the week; so I have 21 pts a day but if I am still hungry I can use some from the 35.

The points finder, gives you an example on the bottom for figuring out your points, you only slide it to line up dietary fiber w/calories and then don't move it but follow over the fat amt and next to that is the points. They have some recipes in there and meal ideas. I wish I could help you; I am sorry, hopefully your friend can help or just wait till next week, no biggie. I hope I didn't add to your stress but maybe this week just focus on writing down what you ate and next week they can go over the plan. I heard they are doing the 5k challenge; I will hear about it on Saturday. Just going is a great start; it does feel overwhelming at first but I promise it does get easier. (((HUGS))) you know, just starting is a huge and positive change so KUDOS!!!

DEEJAY, yay for your workout on the bike, sorry it was boring. ouch to tendonitis; tonight I used that foam roller to stretch out my legs. I love that thing; it is some sort of torture but feels so good. hehe

 

[Rod]

A quick hey to everyone. I didn't check in last night. I didn't go the gym last night. I had such a frustrating day at work, I won't go into details, but it took every ounce of decorum I had to not just quit. So, I came home and got comfy on the couch with Sakai, had a salad for dinner, purposely did not turn on my laptop and just watched drivel on TV. Today was a bit better at work, but I have decided it's time to start looking for a new job. There are only 3 of us left in the office and the atmosphere is just not pleasant anymore. For those of you who remember my candidate who got trapped in Denver during the blizzard a couple weeks ago, on his way to an interview in Casper........HE GOT THE OFFER TODAY! He so truly deserves this job, but you just can't believe the hoops he had to jump through to get a job significantly beneath his previous professional level. It's so stinking awful on the employment front these days. At least he got the job and he was truly grateful for everything.

I didn't leave the office till after 6 tonight, but I was determined to go to the gym. And I'm glad I did. I had a typical "Uber-Rod" 3 hour workout and just turned off the world and concentrated on my routine. Tomorrow's going to be a typical Friday night as we're going for Sushi. I'm looking forward to that.

It's late and I need to get ready for bed, but just had to say hey to everyone.

Kimberly, I'm glad you worked out. I'm sorry you weren't able to under doctor's orders for six weeks, but you have to push your butt back out there, or you'll lose so much of the good things you've done for yourself and then it's just utterly frustrating to start all over again. When we joined the gym 3.5 years ago, another couple joined at the same time. They worked out hard and made such tremendous progress right along with us. Only after about 1.5 years they disappeared. A couple months ago, they came back for one night and I was horrified to see that they had completely returned to their pre-gym bodies. They did about 10 minutes on the elliptical and looked like they were going to die and I've never seen them since. So my dear friend. You have to push yourself to keep on the healthy physical journey you started. Your body will thank you so very much!

Havve a great Friday everyone............

PS: Have you all seen the video of the 47 year old lady from Britain's Got Talent (I'm pretty sure her name is Susan Boyle). If you haven't you must go to youtube.com and watch it. It will literally give you goose bumps (at least it did me). She's such an amazing talent and to see her be discovered at this stage of her life when people actually laughed when she walked on stage, was just awe inspiring.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.I still can’t type worth a darn.I sliced the tip of my left index finger and it’s still tender and of course is right where your fingers rest to type.

Marty had a meeting till 6 so we picked up a few tacos on the way home for supper.I did a batch of laundry tonight.

Can you believe it we are getting snow again?Our lights are flickering I hope the power doesn’t go out.

Stepcutnut, I keep raw veggies ready in the frig.I eat them when I am cooking supper.It fills me up a bit and keeps me from snacking on things I shouldn’t.I would get tired of veggies too.Good luck on your detox.

Appletini, it’s always nice for a change of scenery.

Dragonfly, rats for a panic attack.How fun to get free champagne.

Skippy, it doesn’t sound like you ate that much and dinner sounds good.Too cute your nephew likes spooky stories but wants to hold your hand.I would love to work on a puzzle with your cute nephew.

Bee, yay for having healthy snacks while you are studying.

Elmorton, I was feeling so bad for you being disappointed in WW but I am glad you had a happy ending.My mom lost about 50 pounds on WW and is maintenance now.She still goes and weighs in to stay “honest”.

DeeJay, of course you are special.

Steph, thanks for the great article.

Rod, how strange I was going to ask you about the Casper job offer.Woo hoo for your client.I hate to hear things aren’t well at work.I did hear that woman sing.It gave me goose bumps too.I was pretty upset at the “looks” people had on their face when she came on stage but she sure showed them.

Take care, be safe and stay warm.

Marcy

 

[lliang_chi]

Marcy, OOOOH!!! OUCH on your cut!! I''ve cut myself a few times very badly. Both have been on dull knives so now I obsessively sharpen my knives. I''m not as bad as my brother though, he was a cook for 7 yrs and he''s a crazy person with his knives. Wow, I''m so impressed that Mary worked his way to engineering manager. I love to have bosses like that because they really know what they''re talking about. James and Leena live and die by their techs, Leena tends to get a lot of use out of them because 1) she''s a pretty girl and 2) she buys them donuts. She calls them her "grease money." James works on RF jamming stuff. Leena works on IR jamming stuff to jam missiles. I''m really proud and jealous of both of them because they have a much cooler job than I do.

Beach, how''d you get yourself back on the horse after 8 wks?!? I''m struggling after 2-3 wks. Ugh! And the weather''s getting warm too so I really have no excuse. If you do a race you will definitely NOT be sluggish because you''ll have a lot of ppl cheering you at the finish and will want to push out a good last few yards. My one exception to this was the 8K I did in March that it was snowing. I didn''t care about anything I just wanted to freaking get home. I''ve been snacking like a FIEND these past few days. I need to up my workouts (from nothing) to counteract it.

Skippy, Yay! Glad you had a fun time with your nephew. I can never do scary movies. James doesn''t like either so we''re okay on that front. But James doesn''t like a lot of movies and I do, so I always have to watch movies with someone else. The only thing we can agree on are historical movies, heist films and Pixar/animated movies. Everything else I watch with my sister. My sister and I were also throwing around the idea of doing some kind of boot camp. Maybe we''ll do an at-home-boot-camp-workout since Leena''s work and commuting schedule (1.5 hrs each way) makes it hard to do a class. Hm... time to hit Borders I think

Stepcut, I LOVE veggies. My sister and I did a CSA also for the past 3 yrs when we lived together. The first year we got the large share between the two of us and turned into bunnies I dont''t think we''ll do it this year since James isn''t as much of a veggie eater as Leena and I are. I miss living with my sister sometimes...

Kim, how far/often/much do you go running. In my head I told myself I want to aim for around 9 miles a week with eventually getting up to 15. I''ve done... zero this week. Probably only 3-5 miles/wk in the last 2 wks. I need to get my butt in gear!!! Sounds like everything is getting really busy for you, when is the school year over? Are you going to do any teaching in the summer?

Dragon, I hope everything is better for you today. Sometimes we have days when we just freak out. Hugs.

Bee, I grew up in Miami, if we ever get together we should go salsa dancing I''m glad it''s such a good workout and the music is awesome!

Elmorton, I''m glad you shook off your panic about WW. I think it''s a great tool. I toy with the idea of joining from time to time. Sorry you got sick after your workout. Yay for another 5K-er! You can totally do it! Definitely start with intervals of walking and running and then lengthen your running and shorten your walking intervals. There''s a lot of "couch to 5K" training programs out there that are free. Just google them. And always listen to your body. If it''s screaming "I can''t do this anymore" listen, no matter what the 5K training plan says. You''ll find yourself ready for a 5K soon. Oh and sign up for one now so you have a goal & deadline. I''d think something in late summer would be good for you so you can train up.

Dee, tendonitis! Yikes!!! Sucky part you can''t really do anything about that. Let me know if you and your friend want to hit that not-so-hot-yoga. I think I might need to hold off till after next week. It''s James''s b-day next Friday and still need to get his present etc.

Rod, sorry that everything has been such cr@p at work. I''m glad you got to blow off some steam at the gym. I also watched the Susan Boyle Britain''s got Talent clip. I loved that she stuck it to them! There was a thread about that in the Hangout

This week has been a horrible wash between eating & not working out. My working out has decreased and eating has increased. I''m going to tyr to start it better tomorrow, if not next week. I guess I''ve been really "blah" with the weather earlier in the week (grey & rainy).

 

[marcy]

Lisa, this is about my 4th incident with a knife in a year. One was really bad with a bread knife. How cool your brother is a cook, has he had any knife accidents? Sorry to hear you''ve cut yourself badly too. One of the girls used to work for me really teased me about needing a hug and being a cutter. It sounds like James and Leena have great jobs. I am very proud of Marty. He does have a great understanding of how everything works and interacts since he has done so many of those jobs. He is well thought of and consulted by the VP''s and directors. Of course his phone never stops ringing or his emails going off. I am such a supportive wife after about the third call I move to the spare bedroom. I love Pixar movies. I hope your weather improves.

 

[BeachRunner]

Happy Friday everyone

I''ve had a good week; worked out and ate well.

Steph-Thanks for the link to the article! I eat granola daily; maybe I need to reconsider this idea.

Dee-Jay-Yay for the bike, but I''m sorry it was boring! we have a lovely trail by the river to ride/run. Occasionally I will bike, but my butt gets so sore after ~20 miles. ouch!

Skippy-Sounds like Sports Challenge will really kick your butt! I love a good challenge! Yum to your dinner and french toast!

Rod-I''m sorry for the work troubles, but I''m glad you got a nice work-out in. I bet it felt good. Enjoy sushi tonight!

Marcy- I''m sorry for you finger! My FI is a chef and he''s come home with some brutal cuts. I have to mend his wounds as he gets faint when he sees them for himself. We ALMOST had to go to the ER for one; darn thing would not stop bleeding! I made tacos as well! Yummy

lliang- It was my winter hibernation

I just felt sluggish, tired, and noticed I was not as toned. So, I decided enough was enough! I picked a Monday and started my routine again. I love the feel of races, people are cheering for you, and the whole atmosphere is just great. I do it not for "the race", as I''m not a fast runner. It''s fun and something I enjoy! Pick a Monday (or whatever day works best for you) and just do it! You''ll feel better!

Elmorton- Thanks for the welcome

 

[appletini]

I just did the 30 day shred sessions 1 & 2...what a workout! I''m off to the garden center to get some flowers to plant in the yar even though its supposed to rain all weekend I''m going to try and squeeze in planting between rain storms.

 

[lliang_chi]

Marcy, YES my brother had many a knife/blade incident. One was really bad and he was off work for 2 wks. I''m not going to get into the details though... He told everyone in the family NOT TO TELL my mom because she would freak out. She found out anyway and, of course, freaked out Funny about you being teased at work. Here''s a hug for you {Hug} no more cutting yourself!

Beach, I''m totally not a fast runner at all either. You''re going to inspire me to turn over an old leaf and get back to working out again!