Healthier Lifestyle Thread 30th November till 6th December

[tlh]

skippy - I am so happy you are enjoying the time w/ your nephews! How wonderful, and I must admit a twinge of jealousy! enjoy the pizza, homemade ones are my favorite dish ever... probably because it is fun w/ family making it in the kitchen!

lisa- ha! I hate snow too, I''m glad the dog likes it... that makes me smile! sorry your alarm was misset! I hope that you have a terriffic day in spit of the rocky start!

Rod- I''m praying for your friend. I hope she recovers quickly and is not in too much pain. OOO I do like that quote! Clarence was such a good angel!

Marcy- brrrr, better put on your booties, cuz that is COLD! What an early wake up call for marty.. LITERALLY! poor guy, I hope the crisis is averted due to his expertise! Prayers out for your mom for a swift recovery - bone bruises are terrible! I''m so happy she is alright though, and didn''t badly break anything!

Everyone HAPPY THURSDAY! I''m having another fantastic day! I''m almost through with my shopping, and I''m excited... my cards are out - and now it is just cocoa time- and running w/ my tights. I have to start digging out my winter wear for the vegas run. It will be only in the 30''s during my race - and my heart just can''t pump the blood fast enough to warm my bones when it is that cold. I''m meeting some friends up there, and we''ll be running together. My girlfriend is going to try to qual for Boston again this year.... and I hope she makes it. She missed it by only 45 seconds and let me tell you - when you miss something by less than 2 seconds a mile - it is really heart breaking... and kinda devastating... There are a lot of different styles of runners.. I''m more your go out and have fun and enjoy the ride kinda thing... she''s in to feel the burn and pain - for the short duration of the race for future forever bragging rights. Let me tell ya, when you''re trying to PR - the entire time it is miserable. You stress about your clothes, how you tie your shoes, if you did your business... etc. When you don''t worry about 2-3 minutes off your personal best - and just go out - it makes for a much more enjoyable experience... for me at least. But if she quals for Boston, that is something that is AMAZING... and I hope she acheives it! Not only for her - but a bit for me too... when she missed it last time for like the 4th year in a row she got REALLY REALLY depressed. Anywho... I''m happy cannot wait to be there and have a great time!

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

 

[Rod]

Hey.......Work was a bear today. I didn''t get out till well after 6:30 and then traffic was all backed up, so I just came home and never made it to the gym. As hard and as often as I work out, I feel guilty for not going. That''s kind of sad in a way. I won''t be able to work out till Saturday now. But, I''ll work out extra hard. We had salads tonight. Charlie was off today and he spent the entire day decorating the tree. It''s beautiful as always!! Tomorrow''s Friday.......YAYAYAYAY. We''re going to have find something to have other than sushi on Friday as we''re having sushi with our friend I wrote about last night who had breast surgery.

Lisa, if you have direct contact with Lorelei, Skippy or DeeJay, they have my contact information. I work for Lucas Group. We''re on the web as www.lucasgroup.com You can call the main number and ask for Rod in the Tampa office. They''ll give you my office number. Andre, if that''s too much information, I''m just tring to offer one of our family some career advice.

Oh Marcy.......that''s just toooooooooo cold for this Florida boy!!! Plus snow.......Oh no.......... I hate it when we''re woken up in the middle of the night. It is almost impossible to go back to sleep. I''m sorry your mom fell and I hope she''s OK. I think you''re just lucky to know 3 guys from DC., who are pretty nice, if I don''t say so myself!!! LOL Our friend had her double mastectomy almost 6 months ago and fortunately, she didn''t have to have chemo or radiation. I spoke with her twice today and she was doing pretty well for the day after surgery.

dragon......I''m with you. Money is the root of most of the unhappiness in the world. Well that and sex and world domination, but those are other topics altogether..........

Well a big YAY for another fantastic day thl!! Wow for running in temps in the 30s. I''m sure once you get going, you''ll warm up. I hope your friend is able to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I''ve got Sirius Satellite Radio in my car and the 40s station has gone all Christmas with sogns from that era. So cool and they run clips from movies like It''s a Wonderful Life and I heard Clarence''s voice with that line and thought of you!!

OK.......I hope everyone had a good "Friday Eve" and the real day is good........

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.The wind chill right now is -8.

Woo hoo!Baby it’s cold out there.We had pasta for supper and I made a batch of garlic cheese biscuits.They were great but of course that is why they are about 125 calories each.

Marty got his 26” PC monitor.Wow; it’s HUGE!

Hi Dragonfly.

Tlh, poor Marty gets a lot of calls in the middle of the night.He’s a good trouble shooter though.Wow you are super organized there with getting out your cards and finishing your shopping.I am usually through with shopping and working on cards by now but I haven’t done much of anything.PS dust for your friend to qualify for the Boston marathon.

Rod, sorry to hear you had a bad day at work.How nice to come home to a decorated Christmas tree!

Glad to hear your friend is doing well.

I am off to pace the house.Maybe it will warm me up.

Marcy

 

[deegee]

Hi everybody!

tlh - you have almost all of your shopping done AND your Christmas cards are out? Holy Cow! I''m totally the opposite of you! Last year we gave up trying to get Christmas cards out, and I only have one present bought so far this year. (Darn niece suckered me into buying her a Coach purse when we were at the outlets!) I''m hoping that tree shopping tomorrow will knock some Christmas spirit into me!! Have a blast with your LV run, and good luck to your friend too.

shiny - sorry you''re not feeling well. Hugs, and hope this passes soon!

Lisa - He-he, you don''t like Christmas Vacation? We hadn''t seen that for a long time, so we watched it last year. We had never seen It''s a Wonderful Life until last year, and then we watched it 3 times! I overslept this week too...I woke up at 8:30, and I start work at 8:30! It was cold and pouring the rain outside, and I must have turned the alarm off when it went off at 6:15. Oopsie!

Rod - that''s so wonderful of you and Charlie to take care of your friend. My director just finished chemo and just began her 37 radiation treatments, and she''s a little spitfire. She bought wigs, but doesn''t wear them because they make her head itch. She has not one stitch of hair on her head, and she has to go give presentations to our state legislature, the governor, and all kinds of other important state entities, plus she lectures at the WVU College of Law - and she does it all with her totally bald head. She''s a very strong, awesome woman! Sorry work was a bear and you didn''t get to work out. It was raining really hard last night so we didn''t get to walk, and I felt like I should walk twice tonight to make up for it!

marcy - gosh, I hate to hear your mom fell. I hope she''s okay. I have balance issues caused by lingering issues from my wreck, and I''m always so afraid of falling. I don''t have time to recover from another broken bone! I was thinking about asking for a Kindle/Reader/Nook for Christmas, and am trying to research to figure out which one would be best. I''m always killing time waiting for Matt (we carpool, and he''s SLOW), so I thought that would be a great thing to keep in my purse! Matt has to go out of town next week, but he''s thinking he''ll be back by Thursday. Yay for new furniture! I hope you love it!! I just signed up for Sparkpeople, and I love my daily emails!!!!

Hi dragonfly and CJ!

We took our walk a little earlier tonight while it wasn''t raining and it was a little warmer, a balmy 39 degrees. I hate winter!!!! Somehow I had lost 2 pounds at weigh-in yesterday. Not sure how that happened, but I''ll take it! Soooo close now. I had a ton of points left over today from hoarding them all week, so we ordered pizza tonight and it was super tasty. I''m in a weird place right now in that I''m almost at my goal, everyone is telling me that I don''t need to lose more weight, I''m wearing a size 6 (still check the sizes before I put my clothes on!) and I''m 5''9 so I know I can''t look as heavy as I see myself in the mirror. When will my eyes let me see the new me? Did any of you have that problem? How''d you get over it? I still haven''t found a before picture, so I can''t do the before/after thing. I guess I see myself every day, so I just don''t see the significant loss. We had dinner with friends we hadn''t seen since March, so they saw me for the first time after losing 58 pounds and were shocked. I wish I could see the me they see! (did that make sense?) Oh well, tomorrow''s FRIDAY and everyone have a great weekend!

 

[lliang_chi]

Thank goodness it''s almost Friday!!!! We had our trainer workout today Yay! Go us! It was really good. We did super slows again 10 count negatives: seated row, dumbell bench press, standing bar row, skull crushers on swiss ball. In between each super slow we did side step ups. Then abs and some balance exercises. It felt good. I got a Le Creuset dutch oven as a wedding present from a good friend and I cracked it open today to make some pot roast for dinner tomorrow. Crisp''d some bacon, then seared the pot roast, then added onions, garlic, wine & thyme. Added the bacon & meat, brought to a simmer then stuck in the oven at 275. I''m having it go for 3 hours while we''re sleeping. My oven has a cook time feature that will turn off when the timer goes off. We''ll see how it goes. Dinner tonight was grilled cheese & tomato soup. It was SOOO cold out. Sneaky cold!

Marcy, Brr, brr brr!!! Aw, that you and Marty didn''t get much sleep last night. Hope you guys go to bed early tonight. Sorry to hear about your mom. I''m glad she''ll talk to her doctor about her balance though. Sometimes parents are so stubborn! I LOVE Charlie Brown Christmas too! That''s actually my sister''s favorite Christmas carol. Cool about those ebooks. I''m tempted to get one too, but I think I''ll miss turning pages. I''m such a dork. YIKES! about Marty''s finger! My brother lost a bit of his thumb when he was working prep at a restaurant. It took a while to fill in a bit but his thumbs are not the same size.

Dragon, Hi!!!

TLH, Glad you had such a good Thursday! God! I can''t beleive you''re almost done with your shopping! We''re just finishing up our Thank You cards, I do''nt have the motivation to send out Christmas cards. I''m your kind of runner, just have fun.

Rod, Sorry work was so bad today. I asked Deejay for your contact info. She''s the only person I know directly That''s so sweet that you did so much to help your friend. I hope you enjoy sushi. Mmmm!!! It''s too cold for sushi here, but all your talk about sushi every week is making me want some

Deegee, talk about a late start in the morning! I feel so out of whack when I''m rushed out like that!! Sigh! I set the alarm this morning and left LATER than I did the day I woke up late. I''m so with you, I hate winter. But at least you''re loosing weight in the winter. I used to fall into the "It''s my winter weight" camp but now i"m not taking any of that as excuses!

Talk to all of you later. Rod I hope we''ll be able to talk soon.

~Lisa

 

[tlh]

Rod- I''m glad you enjoyed decorating the tree. I''m sorry that you feel guilty about not going to the gym. I have that same feeling, and it is a stinkpot! We have equipment in the house on those can''t make it days, and I try to go through a different routine - to keep things fresh. Like just using my own body weight for stuff. Like wall sits, lunges, squats, pushups tri tips - etc. We also have this really good tube pully thing attached to our door so we can workout from home. Sometimes the mental hurdle is only associating the gym with a workout, and it is nice when you can do some of those activities at home. THAT SAID. Try not to beat yourself up about not going when it clearly isn''t a habbit. You are a rock star - you work far to hard to beat yourself up. I''m glad you got xmas tunes to keep you smiling too!

marcy- holy cow those buscuits sound delicious!!! YUMMY! That is super cold, and I hope you can stay warm! Wow, that moniter is HUGE!

Warning to deegee-- this one is long.. so grab some popcorn and settle in!- I cannot believe you got a coach purse for your neice... YOU SO ROCK! ha!!! Congrats on another banished 2 pounds! Ugh, the former fatty syndrome. It is a MONSTER. Sometimes there is the mental block which for whatever reason, you''ll see yourself as still big. It is hardest for those that were heavy as youngsters during the developmental years - because that is when the self image is formed or so I''ve heard. I am a reformed former fatty. I don''t think it matters how others see you, if you still see yourself as large. I know for me personally I was a FAT kid. That was my identifier growing up. So unfortunatly I still see myself as big. A very weird thing for me, was the wedding I was in. Probably because my BFF and bride weighs 86 pounds so I''m used to being the "fat friend" when around her, when in reality I''m just the normal sized friend. All the bridesmaids wore a size 8 dress, myself included. I saw them as THIN. Me, I was the "fat bridesmaid". I''m not fat. I know I''m not fat, but it is the stupid monster in my head. To be honest, the only time I don''t feel "fat" is when I''m running. Sure my thighs jiggle, and stupid under armour compression garments cause rolls on my body that I wish weren''t there. But when you''re moving no one notices... and honestly NO ONE other than me cares. Thing that is so freaking messed up... These girls probably weigh MORE than I do... and I know I look thin to them. But I''m a HEFFER to me. It is all in my head. As much as I love my mother, I know it is HER that made me think of myself this way. (I would NEVER in a million years tell her that. She thinks I am a confident young lady, which I am... but still)
My mom is almost 5''8 tall. I''m 5''3. My mom''s "obese" was 130 and her 125 was fat. 115 was her happy weight... at 5''8. My mom always had that last 5-10 pounds to lose and is thin and beautiful. Yeah imagine if Demi Moore was your mom, right? I''m the Rumor Willis. My mom always told me I was beautiful, and I KNOW she never saw me as fat. But I''m only 5''3, 5 inches shorter than her and this morning I weighed in at 125 pounds. That number to me says, my god if that is my mom''s fat.. that is MY OBESE. I am heavier than my norm by about 10 pounds, yeah, winter weight!

... but even when I''m 115 (my "acceptable weight")- I still feel like I should be 10-20 pounds LESS. It is a sickness, and one I fight by staying healthy, and using my life choices as an identifier and not this magic number. I think in ways we all have this magic number in our heads... sometimes determined by when we were younger and see a picture and go.. I looked "GOOOD" then.. so that is our magic number. Running has taught me, that getting older is cool. Heck you get a new age group to compete in... and you could be the best in your age group. They forgive you for going slower, so you have "new goals" and not trying to beat your times from when you were 14-15 years old. There are lots of runners, big or small, and heck, running makes me feel good. It makes me happy. I use the scale as a tool. I weigh myself before and after each run, mostly in the summer to make sure I can properly rehydrate. But I''d be lying if I said that "number" didn''t have another meaning other than 125... and yes unfortunately when I see that I instantly feel bad about myself. then I go look in the mirror, and go - heck.. I look good. F the number... and then I put some clothes on. So I don''t really have advice, but I want to let you know, you aren''t alone. Sometimes you have to know it is more than a number. It is loving YOU for what you can do. For WHO you are. Inside and OUT. ((HUGE HUGS!!!!))

Lisa- your dinner sounds fab, and I''m super glad you worked hard! you deserve to punish yourself again!

I love that you are a have fun runner... it is the best way to be!!! EEEEW your poor brother and his thumb! Love that you aren''t making excuses on the winter weight... only I call it my santa jiggles.

Everyone Happy FRIDAY! I leave for Vegas tomorrow and I''m pumped! This morning I went on a run and it was cold. 38*. I had only a shirt and pants on w/ gloves. Trying to get used to the cold is tough. My skin was stinging for 2 hours after wards. But I''m warm enough while running - it is just when I stop that I freeze out as my blood goes back to the organs. Anywho, I''m excited and having a terrific day. I wish you all the best and the same!

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

 

[somethingshiny]

Sorry again for another fly-by.

Still no workouts, although I feel a bit better today. I think I''ll try again this afternoon. Unfortunately, it''s too cold to go for walks with JT. It''s about 19* right now. I haven''t gained any weight. Not that I expected to have any pregnancy gain this early (8 weeks) but I was afraid I''d put on a few just from not exercising. Of course, how can you gain weight if you don''t keep food down?!

My first real craving hit....pineapple. I have to go to the store and buy a bunch! I think it''s amazing that any body but especially a pregnant one will "crave" what you''re missing.

Have a great weekend all!!

 

[AsscherGirl]

coming out of lurkdom to say GOOD LUCK to tlh in Vegas! I know you''ll have an awesome, super fun terrific time and you''ll do great in the Half!

 

[Skippy123]

quick check in. I have an new appreciation for moms; it is hard work! hehe I caught a head cold so nothing exciting on my end; I baby sat the boys and they are such loves!

I couldn't tell if they were sick or I got it from them (I hope they don't get sick); my hubby said baby germs. lol silly guy. happy Friday; I am going to go eat soup.

It is in the 40's here (I think?)

ROD, yay for your dedicated workouts!!!

MARCY, yay for your walks. stay warm; we have no snow.

DEEGEE, wooohooo for 2 lbs; you are practically at goal!!! wooohooo girl!!!

HI DANIELLE! how are you?

TLH, YAY I am cheering you on you super star!

LISA, aw thanks! wow you and your uber workouts, you go girl!!! Yay for a Le Creuset cooking, yum

SS, that is cold. hope you feel better

sorry if I missed anyone. hugs to all

 

[tlh]

Shiny- I''m sorry your still sick- please feel better soon. Is this like the worst morning sickness ever, or a cold? Well try to stay hydrated!

Danielle! Thanks so much! I''m excited about it!

skippy- I love baby germs. Something so cute about little babies no matter their condition, and you have so much love to give, you make a rockin'' awesome auntie! Thanks for your sideline support!

 

[somethingshiny]

tlh~ LOL, no this is not the worst morning sickness ever, just normal! Plus the prenatal vitamins are hard to hold down.

 

[Rod]

Hey........It was another super long day. Sorry for this fly-by, but after working late (on a Friday no-less), then finally meeting Charlie for a bite to eat, I had to rush home to get a project completed and sent to a client tonight, which I just finished. So, I''m just beat and need to shut this laptop off and unwind a bit before trying to get some sleep. It was a really chilly, dreary and rainy day down here. Hopefully, it won''t be as bad tomorrow. Charlie''s off the whole weekend, so we''ll go to the gym tomorrow and maybe see a movie on Sunday.

I hope you all had a good Friday........

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.I am glad the weekend is finally here too bad the forecast is contains nothing but cold weather and snow.I want to go shopping tomorrow but don’t know if I will be too motivated to run around much.We have eye appointments at 9 am so we have to go out anyway.

Deegee, trust me girl I know EXACTLY how you feel.I see something different in the mirror than when I look down.I have not lost those few extra pounds yet and my pants are still tight and so in the mirror I see nothing but flaws, hips, fat, etc.I try not to get stressed about it because it never was about exactly how much I weigh but about my health.For most of my life I was always the fattest person in the room.Now I am not; I am very normal sized but that mentality has not gone away.I was morbidly obese most of my life and while I like what I see looking back I struggle with accepting my limitations.I am so excited for you losing 58 pounds; I am sure people are quite surprised when they see you.It is harder to see changes when you see yourself every day.How nice of you to buy your niece a Coach purse.I really fear falling too; my right knee is so bad it doesn’t bend very well and unless I am near a couch it is practically impossible for me to get up off the ground by myself.I certainly understand why you wouldn’t want another broken bone.My mom said she felt okay last night.I wait for Marty at work a lot too and thought the little Sony pocket reader would be perfect for keeping in my purse.I like to read but don’t read as much as I used to so I think I would use one a lot.Plus it comes in pink.Let me know what research you find on the readers.Sorry to hear Matt will be out of town next week; glad he won’t be gone long.Glad to hear you signed up for Sparkpeople.Look for me on the astronomy team.

Lisa, your pot roast sounds divine.I was thinking of cooking one Sunday to warm up the house a bit.My mom really forgets things now so hopefully she will remember to talk to her doctor about it.Yes, parents can be so stubborn.I have the Peanuts specials on DVD but still try to catch them on TV.Glad to hear your brother’s thumb filled in with time.Marty quit wearing the bandage and it is lucky he only got cut on the top; it’s about 1 ½ inches long and it could have easily cut off that side of his finger.

Tlh, Marty’s monitor is huge.I keep going in and looking at it.The TV in our bed room isn’t that big or nice.Your words to Deegee hit home with me.It’s tough to overcome our self perception from childhood.I can’t believe you don’t wear warm clothes running in that cold of weather.It made me colder just thinking about it.You are one TOUGH lady!Good luck in Vegas!

Somethingshiny, pineapple is a good thing to crave.I hope you get over being nauseated.

Hi Danielle!

Skippy, I agree being a parent is a lot of work.I hope you get over your cold.My niece in Texas said they had snow there today.

Rod, I hope you sleep well and get rested up this weekend.

Marcy

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Gangaronni! How are you?????

I have been working a bit and not around PS at all....and not exercising either

...not not not! But today is the day--we have 5 foot snow drifts outside my door and I have to get out the blower out, so that should be quite a workout....hope I don''t faint from the work!

Hope everyone is well and keeping fit and healthy!

cheers--Sharon

 

[CrownJewel]

Hi guys. tlh, marcy, deegee I found your thoughts on the weight loss journey very interesting. I am so inspired by your dedication to being healthy. I think a lot of people around you, including myself, are more focused on admiring your endurance and strength rather than your size. I mean, tlh, you know how jealous I am of your runs. I don''t think there''s much point to losing weight unless you gain health and strength in return. I used to work with a woman who was very proud of her "shape" and she watched what she ate so that she could maintain it. I went to the gym with her and was shocked at her poor cardiovascular and muscle strength. What made me sad was that she just laughed it off. She''s bigger than me in terms of frame, but my gosh, she had like a quarter of my strength and endurance (and back then I didn''t think much of my strength). I work with an elderly population at the hospital, and they''ve taught me that in the end, it''s not about who is the slimmest or least wrinkly. What really matters when we turn 60, 70, 80 etc, is our physical health. The better your cardiovascular strength, the better our brains function. The stronger we are, the better we are able to bounce back after surgery or illness. I know that won''t cure your thoughts of your former selves, but perhaps it will provide some insight into what other people are thinking. I hope all that made some sense.

So...physical health. Ha. I had an MRI last night on my bad knee. Since last Tuesday, I''ve had a lot of pain and sweilling in my left knee. I had my ACL reconstructed in 2003. I chose to have surgery because I wanted my knee to be strong so that I could continue to be physically active. That was the plan. Unfortunately my knee has been keeping me from getting back to my formerly active self. Once in a while I have so much swelling and pain in my knee that I''m out of commission for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. I don''t do anything high impact at all!!! So my docs think there may be debris or scar tissue, or a damaged flap of cartilage impinging on the joint. It''s getting to be more frequent, rather than less. So I''m like, tearing at my hair because it''s so frustrating. AAAaaaaarrggggghhhhh!!!!! Even swimming is impossible. So sad. I''m gonna have to invent some kind of upper body cardio trend. Like arm dancing. Or seated boxing. Hopefully I''ll get a report from my surgeon soon and see what he recommends for physical excercise. Poo.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/5/2009 12:36:42 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

Gangaronni! How are you?????

I have been working a bit and not around PS at all....and not exercising either

...not not not! But today is the day--we have 5 foot snow drifts outside my door and I have to get out the blower out, so that should be quite a workout....hope I don''t faint from the work!

Hope everyone is well and keeping fit and healthy!

cheers--Sharon

Cooee Sharon!!

 

[Rod]

Hey........It''s been a nice day. A chilly one too. I slept till 10 this morning. It was too cold to have breakfast on the terrace, so we made Sakai happy by being inside with her. We actually lounged around for a long time. Lunch was Panera (I tired the new mac and cheese and Do NOT recommend it - too soupy, blech.....) followd by coffee under the oak (dressed in warmer clothing of course). We made it to the gym around 3 PM. We worked out hard for about 3 hours, then we met our friend who had the surgery Wednesday and her daughter for sushi. Our friend is doing really well for someone who had an expander surgically implanted in her breast on Wednesday. Tomorrow''s going to be an errand kind of day. We''ll fix dinner at home, but we haven''t decided what that will be.

I''m sorry it''s cold and snowy Marcy. We''ve written about what we see in the mirror before. I still see "Fat Rod" in the mirror. I''m not sure I''ll ever be happy with what I see. But I am happy I decided to make the changes in my life (now 4 years ago) that makes me feel at least better about the image I see in the mirror.

5 foot snow drifts Sharon??? Oh my. I''m sure you got some good exercise blowing the snow. You stay safe and warm, OK?

CJ, for me it''s about physical health (and......[hopefully]) looking better and living a longer life. As the oldest member here, my mortality also plays into things that motivate me to workout and eat healthier..........I''m so sorry your knee is an issue for you. I hope the surgeon has a good solution for you.

OK........It''s after 11 already, so I''m shutting down for the night. I hope everyone had a really good Saturday and your Sunday is nice.......

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone from the bitter cold Rockies.The wind chill makes it feel like 2 degrees.It‘s going to be snowing between now and Tuesday.I spent most of my day shopping.We had our eye exam, went out to breakfast then we went around to our 3 (count them 3) local furniture stores looking for an end table and since we didn’t find one Marty came home and I went back out shopping.I did some Christmas shopping and spent 90 minutes in the grocery store because I had a huge list and the store was busy.I hope I don’t have to go back for awhile and I also picked up what I needed to bake Christmas cookies.I might make my first batch tomorrow; the oven might help heat the house.

My vision hadn’t changed much at all so I didn’t need new glasses or contacts. Marty needed bifocals so they are ordering in new lenses for the glasses he wears now.He’s starting to have trouble reading things and he’s not happy about it.I went downstairs to see the desk he is building and it is going to be quite nice.

Sharon, I am sure digging out 5 feet drifts will count as a major workout!We had some that big in our storm last month.

CrownJewel, thank you for your thoughts on my journey.It is still the little things that make me realize how much I’ve changed.Just today my blood pressure was fine at the eye doctor; my veins are normal and healthy, I walked around stores for over 5 hours and I can get up tomorrow and not worry about being too sore to even walk around the house.I should never judge myself or success by comparing myself to others; I need to focus on where I came from and trust me I am very happy with my results.I hope they fix up your knee soon.My right knee started getting my attention about the last few minutes at the grocery store and off and on the rest of the day.I think something is catching on my joint.

Hi Lorelei!

Rod, I know you still see Fat Rod; it sounds like we think alike on the results and decisions we made to change.I think that is why we always keep working at it.I too continue on this journey for my health but I don’t mind looking better too.I watched “Four Christmases” tonight.It was a good movie.

I will check in tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi all,

It''s been a while since I''ve ventured into this section of PS. I might post this in tomorrow''s thread as well because I know a new thread will be started. I''d like to get back into the routines I had set up for myself a year ago, but I''m having a very hard time motivating myself. To say this year has been hard would be an understatement, both personally and professionally. Hopefully 2010 will be a lot better! Basically, I''ve abandoned many of the positive things I had in place, and I''d like to get them back. I''d love some help staying motivated. I''m sorry to say that since I haven''t kept up with this thread, I''m not sure what''s going on with all of you. I hope everyone''s doing well though.

 

[marcy]

Hi Zoe!

It''s good to see you here. Sorry this has been a rough year for you; that always makes it hard to stick to a healthy lifestyle - comfort food generally wins out.

All you can do is decide what works for you and start working towards it. We hope you will post here whether you had a good day or bad (food, life, etc.) because we will be here to cheer you on and offer encouragement when things are not going so well. Take care of yourself.

 

[Rod]

Hey......It was a fun day. Still cool outside, so we had breakfast inside, which gave Sakai two shoulders to lounge! We just had a cup of soup for lunch, then we went to a mall nearby just to get some ideas for Christmas. I bought one present for Charlie at Banana Republic, but it was something he pointed out as liking, so it won''t be much of a surprise. I''m sure one will be under the tree for me as well, which is just fine as I liked it a lot. I got a cool new case for my iPhone. I have like 3 different shell cases now, but it''s kind of fun to change color''s ocassionally. We found king crab legs for $6/pound (that''s quite a deal) so we had that for dinner and Charlie made homemade coleslaw (Yummmm). I wish we had one more day before starting a new week, but such is not the case. Oh, I was sore when I got up this morning, which is a good thing. In particular my chest, arms and glutes were sore, so I know the extra push I had at the gym yesterday was beneficial..........I''m glad I had today and tomorrow off from the gym before going again Tuesday night.

I''m sorry Marcy..........That''s just too cold.........brrrrrrr. It''s good that your prescription didn''t change. I never wore glasses until my 40th Bday, but I went directly to progressive bifocals in my first pair. I''m sure Marty will adjust to them fairly quickly. Tell him it will take a while to train the eyes to find the right spot in the lenses to read from. But once he does, it will seem like second nature. You and I are much alike in how we see ourselves in the mirror. We should both just be really proud of the great things we''ve done to be healthier!

Hey Zoe.......It''s nice to see you. I''m sorry it''s been a rough year on all fronts. I''m glad you''ve decided to make health and fitness a bigger part of your future. It''s been a rough couple years for us and to be honest, it''s fitness that''s helped me get through all the changes we''ve epxerienced. It''s the one thing that makes me forget all the negative and it makes me appreciate the positive, plus I feel so much better every time I work out. Anyway, you''ve been missed and I''m glad you''re rejoining the HLT!!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and the upcoming week is good too!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!I hate to see the weekend winding down.I did not get as much done as I intended but I did get my first batch of Christmas cookies baked.Marty and I each had 2 of them then the rest went in the freezer.

The wind chill is minus 12 now and tomorrow’s high is expected to be 7 with wind chill minus 20.Can I call in cold?

Rod, it sounds like you had a great day.I am sure Marty will adjust to his bifocals pretty quickly.He couldn’t get the no line because his astigmatism is so bad the eye doctor thought it was a bad idea.I know we are both very proud of our accomplishments and we should be.It’s nice to be healthier.

See you in next week’s thread!

Marcy