Healthy Living Thread

[marcy]

Zoe, the movie was not very good. LL was pretty bad in it. We went to my cousins about 10 years ago so Marty could help him with his PC. I sat in the living room with his very unfriendly and unhappy wife (she doesn't like him hanging out with his family) and she was watching lifetime. I was there practically all day. It was torture for me. That is probably the last time I watched that network. Cravings are very hard to deal with. Sometimes you can try a bite of something or something small but if sugar is a no-no that just makes it worse. I can't eat turkey or chicken but I sure want it. If you order in today (pizza?) can you get yourself a thin crust with veggies?

I stayed up until about 12:30. Marty got home about 1:30 and startled me when I heard noise so then I had a hard time going back to sleep. I got up about 7:30 and am setting here almost falling asleep. Maybe I'll go test another bed here and take a nap. As soon as I do he'll probably get up. D'oh!

Marty has been using my old 13" MacAir and recently converted it to his work laptop. Now he wants a MacBook because they have faster processors and so naturally I want one too. Decisions, decisions. I love the size and weight of my 11" MacAir but it doesn't even have a SD slot. If he gets a MacBook I could take the 13" Air back but it is an older generation so it is slower than my 11". I could sell both of the Airs to gazelle and get about 3/4 of my money back for my MacBooks. The MacBooks also have CD / DVD slots which the Airs don't have. All I really do on the laptop though is my checking account / bills and a monthly newsletter. Is that really enough to warrant a new laptop? Probably not. Does that ever stop me? No.

Have a great and healthy day!
Marcy

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Zoe--my exercise routine varies. I have been athletic all my life and therefore it is part of my lifestyle. I don't think about it being anything out of the ordinary anymore than having a shower. Maybe that is why it continue to stay and appear fit. In fact, I love it.

When I work--I don't go to the gym. There is a gym in the hospital but my schedule often is not conductive to going at lunch, and after work I want to get home asap as traffic is horrid. Strenuous exercising at night is out for me as I have insomnia and exercise stimulates me--unless it is a nice walk in the warm weather or a golf game in the summers eve.

The other thing about my routine is that I try and make it not so routine--since doing the same thing all the time is boring and I believe less "results" result. I work with three other girls who are dedicated exercisers and we all agree, variety is the key to sticking with exercise--especially if it it outside your usual repitoire. My colleagues like spin class and zumba. One is training for a marathon after losing 50 pounds.

I go to the pool and run against the tide in the lazy river--it builds great core strength and provides good cardio. I have aquasox I wear in the pool for grip. If I don;t feel like running the river, I simply run laps in the pool waist deep in water. Great work out. Keep your arms active at all times--up/down/back forth. You can do jumping jacks or whatever you want. I don't do the classes because I get a better workout on my own. But aquasize is popular--if you work as hard as the instructor suggests.

Then I use my training fins in the deep water/have a flutter board and cycle, and do bench type presses with the boards, ab work, toe flips...the gamut.

Thing is, I don't time myself. I do as much as I can then rest. When I am tired or tired of the water, I stop. Then I go to the gym and do the treadmill on the highest incline and run or walk very fast....again unitl I am tired. That is often 10-20 minutes. I find the clock is a deterrent.

All in all, my workout is anywhere from 1-1.30 hrs. If I am not at my job/working, I will go three times a week to the gym. Yoga in between. Or shovelling snow. Or skiing. Or biking in the summer and running outisde or frequently both where I cycle up to 20K and run. Or go walking with a friend 10K and gab. We have gorgeous trails local and take advanatage of them.

I don't know what interests you in terms of exercise but there are no shortage of options. It is good that you make making a committment to your health--changing your life and lifestyle. Eating to live vs. living to eat requires change as does dedicated exercise. This is a laudable goal and the results awesome!

Don't give up what you've started... (except for ((occasional)) the fast food!). Hope your dietition helps inform your food choices.

cheers--Sharon

 

[zoebartlett]

Marcy, too bad about your husband's cousin's unfriendly wife. If we do order pizza today, it will be thin crust with veggie. If my husband orders Chinese, I could get steamed chicken with veggies and brown rice, but honestly, it's way too bland. I think take out might be too tempting though, so I may stick with making my own dinner of stir fry chicken, brown rice, and red pepper.

Sharon, thanks so much for going into so much detail about your exercise routine. There were things I loved doing when I was little (gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, and I played softball for a season), but as I got older, I became more sedentary. When I wasn't running around at school or work, I stayed in and was less active. While my sister and my dad were off skiing or hiking, my mom and I would stay behind and read, watch a movie or go out and do something else. I developed a lot of bad habits over time, unfortunately. I've gone through spurts of exercising, but it's never really stuck permanently. I hope it does this time. I'm taking it one day at a time now, and that seems to be working. As far as food goes, while I still don't dream of salads and lots of fresh veggies and probably never will, I know I do a lot of really good things. I drink skim milk, eat whole wheat bread and brown rice, and stick with low/lower fat options whenever possible. Portion control, pasta, and treats are hard to keep in check, but I've succeeded for 2 weeks now, so I know I can do it.

We went to the gym and I did 40 minutes/7 miles on the bike. I could have done more but I don't want to push it too much. That, and my husband was ready to leave.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Zoe, You are welcome. I did blab a lot--the point is one should make the best use of their time whether it is ten minutes or an hour and 10 minutes. Research shows longer periods of exercising is not necessarily "better". But sticking with exercise is, moreover finding what you love to do and works for you.

Seems to be snowing again. Ugh.

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Zoe, you are doing fantastic on food and exercise. Congratulations!

Sharon, I like what you said about finding what exercise you like to do and what works for you. That makes all the difference in the world. Boo to more snow.

I picked up fast food for us for lunch today and we had ww toast with PB for supper. I have been yawning all day but I can't fall asleep if I try to nap so I don't try. I changed our sheets and washed the blankets. I decided just doing things around our new house is getting more exercise. I wander around in circles mostly because I don't remember where things are yet.

More cold and snow tomorrow. I have an appointment for an estimate on my car in the morning.

I think I am going to bed early. Hopefully I will sleep like a log since I haven't slept well for a few days.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Marcy, I still wander around my apartment looking for things… many of which I never actually find! But yes, it definitely counts as exercise. Hope you slept well. I went to bed later than I wanted and then stared at the ceiling for a while. Grrr… And who needs an excuse to get new technology?! I am in semi-lust with the iPad mini, even though I have both an iPhone and an iPad, and one of these days I will just give in and get it!

Zoe, for me portion control is key. I had an interesting conversation with an endocrinologist (at least I think that’s what he was) about the idea that our hypothalamuses (hypothalami?!?) are being trained to ignore the “I’m full” signal that would normally make a person stop eating because we’re so used to over eating. I really try to pay attention to that now and when I’m full I push the plate away.

Sharon, I totally agree that variety is key in terms of enjoying working out! I envy that you have a pool convenient to you. When I was in Chicago the local gym had three pools, and although the water was always a little cool for my taste (I like it like a bath!), once I got in I enjoyed it.

Deegee, I am also a migraine sufferer and I feel for you. Good job on getting the bathroom painted! I am a lousy painter, mostly because I’m such a perfectionist so I always have to touch up *just one more thing*… and it never ends! Did you guys decide if you’re going to make an offer on that one house that you liked?

Nothing exciting to report here. My weight is holding steady at the low end and I haven’t worked out since I had the flu… mostly because I’m a$$ deep in the CPA review right now. Ack. Plus, in addition to the Becker class, I have two other regular classes (personal income tax and intermediate accounting) so when I’m not at work or in school I’m doing homework. Double ack. The CB is still here and our current plan (if nothing happens to change it) it that we’re going to drive to Chicago next Sunday and I have an interview at a company there on Monday (for a position that I'm not too hopeful about, so no one get excited!), then I will fly home in time to go to class. No rest for the wicked!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone!

Dee Jay, I hate when I can't fall asleep. I did sleep pretty well. Good point we don't need an excuse to buy a new toy. I agree wandering around looking for stuff in our new places counts as extra exercise. Sounds like you are studying a lot. When do you take your CPA test? Good luck on the job interview in Chicago. How could they not want to offer you a job? You can list us as a reference. I am sure that would impress anyone.

We woke up to -36 windchill today. Who wanted to stay in bed then? All those with telekinetic abilities raise my hand! The house was even kind of creaking and cracking. When I went to get the estimate on my car it was up to 6 degrees with -16 windchill. Glad we got to go inside for most of the estimate. They can fix the little spot for $834. My deductible is $500. I almost shouldn't have reported the accident since I am sure my rates will go up next year. Marty has a ticket and I wrecked the car. Bad M&M!

I picked up an Arby's junior for my lunch while I was out. This afternoon I felt like I was starting to get sick but I had some alka seltzer and I don't feel bad now. We had leftover soup for supper. It tasted good on a chilly night.

Tomorrow we might get up in the 20's with windchill almost to 0. I will hardly need my parka.

Have a great day tomorrow.
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Marcy, -36 wind chill?!? BRRRRRR!!!!! It's 15 here (not sure what the wind chill is) and I decided to wear a SKIRT today... I didn't realize how cold it was because I take the elevator down to my heated parking garage in my apartment building, but when I got out of the car downtown--holy cold wind right up my skirt batman!

Nothing new to report on this end. Have been very good with the food, mostly because I'm too busy to eat! The CB and I are going out to dinner tonight though.

And please bear with me while I have a small pity party... So I started my personal income tax class last night and the guy is just a TERRIBLE instructor. All we did was go through the book section by section. Guess what buddy--I READ THE DAMN BOOK. We didn't even cover the most basic of information (filing status determination, etc.). I was really hoping this class would help me with the CPA review since we are talking about tax stuff now, but alas, not to be the case. Plus I really hate the idea of wasting time in a lousy class when I could be taking a good class. And I haven't even started my intermediate accouting class for the quarter (that joy begins tomorrow). Can you say: overwhelmed?! OK, pity party over.

 

[zoebartlett]

DeeJay, good luck on the interview! I forget, did you sell your house in Chicago when you moved or were you renting it out? Any chance you could move back there or will you look for something new?

Marcy, yikes, that's COLD! We've had a mild week so far, but I think it's supposed to go down to the mid 20s on Friday. We're supposed to get snow tomorrow (not much, 2-4 inches, most likely, according to the forecast). I wonder if we'll have a delayed opening.

My husband and I had decided last night to go to the gym this morning at 4:30. As it turns out, both of us were awake (in different rooms -- he snores and I need my beauty sleep ) but neither one of us bothered to get the other one. We were both praying that the other one wouldn't be awake so we didn't have to go. I DID go after work though, so that's good. I did what's now becoming my usual - 7 miles, 40 minutes on the bike. I didn't go to the gym yesterday and even taking just one day off made it harder today. Is that possible or is it in my head? It was hard but I'm so glad I did it.

Are your husbands/boyfriends on the same page as you when it comes to exercise and/or eating well? My husband and I both have the same issues, and I find it very hard when we deal with it differently. He's been on board with some things but I wish we could work on this together even more than we are. For now, I'm just doing my own thing and it's not easy.

 

[deegee]

Sharon-I'm envious of your exercise routines. I come from a very active family and was always on the move until I had the injury to my spine and all of the broken bones from my car wreck. I was in PT for nearly 2 years, but I never got myself back. Taking a long walk every day is about it for me. It sounds like you have lots of outdoor activities you can take advantage of.

Dee*Jay-good luck with your interview! I knew last week at work when my tongue and bottom lip started tingling that I was in for a doozy of a migraine. I haven't had one that bad in several months, and I sure hope to avoid another one anytime soon. Do you have certain triggers? I've been extremely careful reading labels and keeping a food diary. I don't have a clue as to why this one hit so fast and so hard. Grr. Having a lousy teacher is the pits. If I went back to school now as an adult, I'd expect top notch everything since I'd be shelling out my own hard-earned money!

Zoe-I agree, portion control is everything. I weigh or measure everything I eat at home so I can drill in my head what portions are supposed to look like. That's funny about you and hubby both hoping to blame not exercising on the other person. My hubby is very supportive of me with the eating healthy and walking every day, but he still buys tons of junk food and candy. I'd rather it not be here at all. He's joining WW at work next week, so I'm hoping that will kick him back up on the wagon with me.

Marcy-ouch with the car repair. How aggravating! How can you stand it being so cold outside? Yikes! Matt and I were walking last night and were about a half mile from our house when it started freezing rain. My cheeks were so cold that the ice really stung when it hit my face. Winter is not my thing! I never use my MacBook Pro any more so Matt has taken it over. He hates Apple products though, especially iTunes, so he's not loving the MacBook. I'm giving a lot of thought to a solitaire or a 3-stone with pear sidestones. I haven't taken my ring to the jeweler yet. I'm half afraid they'll find that the stone is chipped, even though I couldn't see anything with my loupe. I need to check my insurance to see if damage to the mounting is covered. The whole ring is kind of integrated, so the sheared off prong may be more costly to fix than I want to spend. I've already had this setting fixed twice!

I spent an hour and a half at the DMV today getting my license renewed. WV complies with the federal real id requirements, so I had to gather up a bunch of documentation. When they finally called my number, I was at the counter for maybe 5 minutes. Argh! I had cottage cheese and a banana for breakfast, vegetable soup for lunch, and meatloaf, potatoes and green beans for dinner. I was starving by the time I got out of the DMV! No walk tonight as it is freezing rain outside. I have enough points left for a 6 oz glass of wine, so I'm going to drink it and go to bed. We have a board meeting tomorrow, so it's going to be a long day. Have a great day!

 

[marcy]

Dee Jay, I can see you as Marilyn with the wind blowing up your skirt. LOL. Being a star. Sweet. Marty’s grandfather used to call that a lazy wind - it goes right through you. We are getting above freezing finally tomorrow. Your instructor doesn’t sound very helpful at all. You can read the book. How many weeks are you in his class? Hopefully he gets better and learn something from him. Definitely study up on taxes though so I can pester you with questions. I always use Turbo Tax online to do our taxes.

Zoe, that is pretty funny you and your husband were being very “quiet” so you wouldn’t have to get up at 4:30. That is the kind of thing I would eagerly hope Marty would forget. Honestly one reason we’ve never joined a gym is because Marty wants to go in the morning and I’d want to go after work. We have that problem too where one of us drives the other one off when we are sleeping. I snore bad and he snores some plus he moves and kicks a lot. It’s rough sometimes. It does make it easier if you and your husband are on the same page with food and exercise. It is really difficult if he has food around that is tempting you. Marty is very supportive of me and has never complained about eating healthier.

Deegee, your migraine does sound like a doozy. I can always tell when mine are starting because I can’t see very well. I get kind of a “fog” spot then I see flashing lights and it’s not bling. I am really leaning towards a MacBook (and I truly don’t need anything new). Marty is trying to decide which laptop to get for him. I am a total wimp when it comes to being out in the cold. I swear by Land’s End coats though. I buy from the warmest category and always get wind blocking - an important feature in Wyoming. They are worth whatever they cost. I was actually surprised how much I like my solitaire. It really makes the diamond stand out and I’ve tried on many anniversary bands with it and the one I currently have is the only one I like with it. It adds just a bit of sparkle but doesn’t detract from my diamond and also doesn’t make both rings too thick on my finger. I really like 3 stone settings too. Maybe go try some on and see what appeals to you. My solitaire ring and the setting I have for my EC diamond were kind of my last options in the store. Neither one appealed to me in the case but I hadn’t found something that really popped for me. Once I tried them on with my diamonds I loved them. I sure hope you didn’t chip your diamond. That is scary. I know every time I knock one of my rings on something that loop comes out for a careful and intense view of my stone.

I had 2 people out today so I was quite busy at work. Marty and I thought of running down to Best Buy tonight (50 miles away) but the wind has been howling all day so there are drifts, ground blizzards and icy patches every where. I actually almost got stuck getting in our driveway. So Marty cooked steak parmesan and pasta for us for supper. My friend that lives about 1/2 a mile away texted me to see what was for supper. Her BF and kids are both gone this week so we invited her over for supper. She brought shiraz to go with dinner. We played a round of darts then she went home.

Well it is well past my bedtime.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

Zoe, I did sell my house in Chicago (and this company in KC chunked in a TON of money toward that sale, and I’m only 6 months into a 36 month relocation agreement, so that’s another consideration… ). Honestly, I would probably rent, at least for a while. Crazy coming from a real estate agent, I know, but the truth! And LOL on you and your hubby being quiet at 4:30! My ex-husband was a work out fiend (EVERY day, and HARD). He would go after work, and so would I, but we would get home at different times and at some points went to different gyms, so we never went together.

Deegee, this job may be the perfect storm… It’s working three days a week for a private equity firm. I LOVE the idea of working less than five days at a regular job because that would give me enough time to effectively do my real estate business on the side, and I would also like a small accounting practice at some point. But we’ll see. My migraine triggers are mostly hormonal, and not always during TTOTM. The ones I get at ovulation can we KILLER. Did I say KILLER? KILLER!!!

Marcy, my class is 8 weeks long (so 7 to go). As for tax questions—ha! Let me be clear: Even after I become a CPA I still don’t plan on doing my own taxes! Even if I have an accounting with a tax component, MY CPA come April 15 is my best friend! Your dinner sounds wonderful! The CB and I went to Cooper’s Hawk (kind of a “winery restaurant”) last night. I had a chicken dish that had a lot of lemon in it (which wasn’t described well on the menu) and didn’t get to eat very much because my tongue was itchy.

The scale said I’m up a pound today, and we’re having the pasta lunch that got canceled from last week. Rut ro!

 

[zoebartlett]

Deegee, ooohhhh, a new ring? You're thinking of getting a RB with pear sides? Those are my favorite! In fact, that's what my engagement ring is.

Marcy, my winter coat is from LL Bean and I love it. No, wait, I think it's from Land's End actually, but to me, they're the same place. You're in Wyoming? For some reason I've always thought CO.

DeeJay, my husband goes to the gym with me on the weekends but during the week, I go alone. I want to get it done early in the morning but I can't drag myself out of bed. I get up early enough as it is. I've been going after work instead, and I usually get there by 4:15 or so. If I waited until my husband got home, it wouldn't be until close to 7, and that's too late for me.

We have a snow day today. We're only supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow but the timing of it (morning commute) was what made everyone around cancel. I went to the gym at our clubhouse earlier this morning. I did 45 minutes and 8 miles on the bike, which is 5 minutes and 1 mile more than what I've been doing. Eventually I'll aim for an hour, but for now, I'm happy.

It took my husband 2 hours to get to work today, and it usually takes him just under an hour or so. He was not a happy camper when he arrived. I told him to stay at a hotel near his office so he wouldn't have to do the drive in bad weather twice in one day. He said he'll think about it but he'll probably come home.

Be back later!

 

[deegee]

Marcy-I have looked at those ll bean and lands end coats,but decided it doesn't get anywhere near cold enough here to justify one. I'm just a big baby! I do like coats that come to my knees at least. I'm definitely not one of those stylin' chicks with the coat that doesn't even cover the rear! Seriously, if we had the kind of weather you have, i think I'd hibernate for a few months. My evil MIl never got used to the weather in Montana, and they lived there for 15 years. Migraines completely suck. When it hit last week, Matt brought me a bottle of 7-up, an ice pack, and a trash can. Isn't that love? Does Marty like the Apple products? Matt doesn't like them because the file structure is hidden. He's loving his android phone and will probably replace his computer with a windows version. His desktop got fried last summer when we lost power for several days after the dereco, and he hasn't replaced it yet. He is worse than I am about picking things out!

Dee*Jay-working less than 5 days a week would be freaking awesome! You could get your time in and earn your $$, and then do something that really interests you. Getting back into real estate would be really fun. I've told Matt that if we relocate for his job, I'm getting a part-time job and volunteering at a no-kill animal shelter. So, I'll ask you to settle a dispute between Matt and me. Our goal is to have our house in move in condition when we put it up for sale. It's almost there with repairs, paint, and upgrades. Is it better to give a carpet allowance or replace the carpet before the house goes up for sale? Our house is 15 years old, and the carpet is original to the house. It's pretty worn. I have pets...

Zoe-I am tired of having my current setting repaired so I'm thinking of starting over. I think I have a picture of your ring saved in my ideas folder. I almost changed the setting last year but bought a tennis bracelet instead. There is no way I could commit to getting up early to exercise! We take our walk after work and dinner, so it's late when we get finished. I'm looking forward to moving closer to work so we have longer evenings at home and not on the road. I'm hoping to join a gym so that I could go right after work and still get home before I do now. That would be awesome! I don't blame you for encouraging your hubby to stay in a hotel tonight. I hate snow.

Food wasn't great today. My 18th anniversary was Monday and my 45th bday was today, so we went to eat at our absolute favorite local Italian restaurant. I hade pasta primavera with marinara sauce (homemade pasta & sauce and fresh veggies) and a glass of very good Merlot. For dessert I had about 1/3 piece of lemon berry cream cake. Yummmmm. My very sweet employee surprised me with a batch of very tasty, WW friendly carrot cake cupcakes for my bday. I had one of those and a Kashi meal for lunch and cottage cheese for breakfast. We walked 3 miles this evening, so hopefully that will counteract the bad stuff from the day. The problem is that I have to have bloodwork done in the morning for my insurance premium for the next fiscal year. Holy crap! I hope the gobs of sugar from today work out of my system by tomorrow morning. I'm not eating anything until after my bloodwork...at 10:30 in the morning. Yikes! Have a great day! (Think of me starving until about 10:45!!)

 

[marcy]

DeeJay, that is kind of funny that as a real estate agent you rent. Boo to migraines. Mine are mostly stress related. I admitted today I’ve lost too much sleep over worrying about what people think. Must stop that silliness NOW! Is there another instructor that you can transfer to their class? 7 more weeks will be a long time to put up with someone like that. I hear you on having someone else do your taxes. Sorry to hear your tongue was itching last night so you couldn’t enjoy your dinner. Do you get allergic reactions to things? That silly scale. It will go right back down. I would love working less hours; sounds like a great job (hours wise).

Zoe, I love RB stones with pear sides. They are very pretty. LL Bean has great clothes. I have a sweatshirt from them with the sherpa lining. It is very warm (long and pink). That is awesome to hear you are doing more minutes and miles on the bike. How awful it took your husband so long to get to work. That makes for a miserable commute. Did he stay at a hotel tonight? We go to Colorado a lot for shopping and something to do. What state do you live in again? Has it quit snowing yet?


Deegee, both LL Bean and Land’s End do end of season clearance with great prices. My down coat from LE was only about $55 dollars. I like the longer coats too. They are toasty warm. I would like to hibernate on cold and snowy days. Too bad I have to go to work though. I miss my driver (Marty) on those days. You would think Marty would be like Matt about Apple products being in the IT, networking, tech field but he loves them now. I think he spent too many days and night troubling shooting weird problems that he likes the reliability we’ve had with Macs. He actually got me a Mac first because he was sick of all the stupid spyware, viruses, problems, etc I had with Windows. Marty actually order his MacBook tonight. I am going to see what I think of it and get my 13” Mac Air back then decide what I want to do. That is totally love that Matt brought you a survival kit for your migraine. I love it that you have an idea folder for your ring. Not like I’d ever do that - ha! Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to you and Matt. Those are great reasons to go out and celebrate.

We work insane today. I had 2 people out again so at least we were all very busy. I met Marty and a girl friend for lunch. She wanted to go to DQ for their $5 deal. They give you a burger, fries, drink and small blizzard for that. Yep, not one of those things were healthy but they were tasty.

We had a few tacos for supper. I had a problem at work that I had to dial in and look at but it turned out to be a false alarm. Marty laughed at me making phone calls and writing up emails about it - he sure doesn’t miss those days.

Well, take care. It is once day closer to Friday.

Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Real quick because I'm getting ready for work.

Deegee, happy birthday and happy anniversary! Italian food: mmmmm. if I was buying a house, I'd LOVE that it was move-in condition.

Marcy, we're in NH. My husband ended up coming home last night, which I figured he'd do. It didn't take him as long since the roads were cleaned up by then. It had stopped snowing sometime in the afternoon.

Hi DeeJay!

Food was pretty good yesterday, but it could have been better. We had tacos for dinner, well, taco meat and black beans, but no rice, shells, or toppings other than a bit of RF cheddar cheese. For dessert, I had 2 bananas and 1 serving (2TBL) of peanut butter. For lunch, I had 2/3 cup Asian rice crackers, 4 slices of turkey (Thin 'n Trim Santa Fe turkey is delicious!), 1 string cheese, and diet coke. Breakfast was 1/2 cup cottage cheese with one of those pre-made fruit salads of blueberries, strawberries, and kiwi.

Have a good day!

Has anyone been to a Silpada party? It's one of those jewelry parties. I was invited to one next week and I'm trying to decide if I should go. It could be fun but I don't want to spend the money on anything (I had just gone to another jewelry party and bought tw pair of earrings). I also don't want to be temped by food, and I'd miss my date with gym. HA! Get it? I crack myself up...

 

[Dee*Jay]

Deegee, the irony in working less than five days a week *in a regular office job* is that I would work just as hard the rest of the days outside of the office, LOL! Regarding the carpet, replace it. Seriously. People LOVE fresh carpet, and if you have pets they will have an automatic bias against your current carpet even if there is not one stain or hit of odor. And I hate it when you have bloodwork done and can’t eat anything before hand. Last time my appointment wasn’t until 1:30 in the afternoon and I was really ready to chew my own arm off!

Marcy, this the is the only guy teaching the class this quarter or else I would change in a minute! Oh well, I will read the book, do the work, and muddle through. I have a citrus allergy. It won’t kill me (or at least it hasn’t yet!) but my tongue and mouth get itchy, and it has sometimes progressed to hives. Not pretty… !

Zoe, LOL at cracking yourself up! I’ve never been to a Silpada party, but I really hate those kinds of things. I always feel obligated to buy SOMETHING and then I’m p!ssed off about it. Plus, whatever that something is always ends up in the salvation army pile the next time I go, so then I’m doubly p!ssed off about it!

Yesterday was the pasta lunch they forgot to bring last week. I at WAY TOO MUCH. And then I decided to have a (small) piece of cheesecake at the end just because I wasn’t stuffed enough… ack. I only had yogurt and a granola bar during the breaks for my class, but I did have a back of 100 calorie chips when I got home last night. Scale is back at it’s low point, but I’m sure it’s a lie!

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi all! How is everyone?

Not much news to report today. Food has been great so far. I had a string cheese and a few crackers and peanut butter for breakfast, a Yoplait Greek yogurt for a snack, cottage cheese with blueberries, an orange pepper, and hummus for lunch, and leftover tacos with black beans (no shell or rice) for dinner. A banana with a little peanut butter and a cup of tea is the plan for dessert later. Went to the gym and did 8 miles in 45 minutes. It was hard towards the end for some reason.

DeeJay, I usually don't like those kinds of parties either, but some have been pretty fun. I don't let myself feel pressured into buying anything. Most of the time I walk away without getting something, and I've only bought a few things afterwards (before the rep. closes out their show a few days later). I'm mainly going to this one because a coworker asked if I'd go and I thought I'd live on the edge and go out on a school night. I'm such an old lady at 39.

Speaking of which, random thought...I discovered a chunk of grey hair today on the side of my head. Not a few wisps, a CHUNK. I thought it was pretty cool and my husband, knowing my old lady tendencies, said "you WOULD like that, wouldn't you?!"

 

[deegee]

Today was a frustrating day, and I apologize in advance for my upcoming rant. Our insurance provider contracts an outside company to come in once a year to measure waist circumference, take blood pressure, and do blood work for us. This year, in addition to waist circumference they decided to also check BMI. My waist measurement was great for me (I was darn pleased), but I didn't know I was getting weighed so I had on a heavy sweater over a think undershirt, winter weight pants, and knee-high leather boots. On top of that, I was starving by the time of my appointment and had consumed 3-24oz bottles of water. I know that wouldn't add a ton, but dang it...my BMI barely made it to the overweight range. The lady who took my blood couldn't find a vein, and then she said my vein did something "weird" when she stuck it. My hand immediately hurt and I got a head rush which turned into a headache. She had a hard time filling up the little tube, and then she had a hard time getting the bleeding stopped. She told me it would definitely bruise and knot, and to put a cold compress on it as soon as I got back to my office. (I went straight from there to a 2 hour meeting, so the compress did not happen) THEN they took my blood pressure. Guess what? It was elevated! Shocker there. I'm 5'9, have a small waist and wear a size 4 in pants, but for insurance premium reasons I'm overweight and have elevated blood pressure. I was in a foul mood the rest of the day! I'm going to have to sign up for one of their "improve your numbers" plans, or my insurance premium will go up. I had a banana for breakfast afterwards and the other half of my pasta primavera from last night for lunch. I'm making pizza for dinner-veggie for my side. Matt is interviewing people tonight so he'll be home late. We'll try to get 3 miles in this evening. We're trying to get back to at least 4. I talked to a friend today about her gym in town,which has several low-impact machines. I'm definitely going to join somewhere when we move.

Zoe-I have never been to one of those parties, but my haircut lady sells it. I haven't bought anything, mainly because I wear the same jewelry every day (which isn't much). One year I went crazy and bought a bunch of accessories to go with outfits, but I ended up giving it all away. i generally don't like to go to sales parties because I always end up buying something and I usually don't want it! You're doing great with food & working out. Are you counting calories or just trying to eat really light? Glad your hubby got home safe last night.

Dee*Jay-yeah, I figured we'd have to replace it. We only have carpet upstairs so it won't be too bad. The awesome house we looked at had new carpet which was a definite plus. We didn't put an offer on it because it just seems so big. It hasn't sold yet, so if it is still there in another month...it's going back on my list! Since I can't figure out another trigger for my migraine and it was TTOTM, maybe that was it. That stinks that your tax class has 7 more weeks. For some reason, Matt loves preparing taxes. He actually reads tax code. I still can't figure out how we ended up together! He's a chemical engineer and super smart, and I'm me. Ha! Can I have your scale?

Marcy-I'll watch for end of season sales. I wouldn't feel guilty for spending $55 on a toasty warm coat! Matt's whole issue with Apple is the file structure thing. That and iTunes, he really hates iTunes. My whole group has been at work this week for the first time since before Christmas. If we make it through tomorrow, we'll be 5 for 5 for the week. Woo-hoo! Although I don't feel like I'm actually there because I'm working on this project 9-4 during the day. Boo. Matt goes out for that DQ special every now and then. They have a DQ really close to his office. Thankfully there isn't one near me or I'd be in trouble! How's your mom doing?

Sorry for the rant. Tomorrow is a new day, and it will be a better one. Have a great evening!

 

[marcy]

Zoe, NH? Cool! Glad the roads were better by last night and your husband got to come home. Too funny about your date at the gym. Nice that you found a streak of hair. I was thinking of getting my hair streaked or frosted but probably will just get a cut. Living on the edge going out during the week? Sounds like me.

Dee Jay, I think you’d keep busy no matter what you were doing. Darn it that you can’t change instructors. Hives are certainly no fun. I get them from poultry and pork. I agree with you about going to those parties then buying something you don’t really want. I go to be “nice” then naturally buy something. That is why I don’t have parties because I don’t want my friends to feel obliged. Scales don’t lie. Sadly.

Deegee, I agree with Zoe and Deegee that having your house move in ready is a good idea. How rotten what happened with your health “tests” today. Seriously, size 4 and they are worrying about you? That is insane. Sorry you had all that frustration and stress. That is very cool the house you really liked is still on the market. Take my word for it those big houses don’t seem so big after you move in. Nice that your group has almost made it for a week. Toasty warm coats are the best. My mom is about the same. She saw her orthopedic doctor yesterday and they said her knee is doing well. Has your dad has his surgery yet? Rant away!

I got to work about 7:30 today knowing we would be short handed and busy. We had a very busy day but made decent progress. The swing shift lady did come in today but she sure stills pretty miserable. Tomorrow we might have 5 of us there. I didn’t take anything for lunch thinking I’d run some errands but didn’t have time so I had an easy mac and a few crackers.

I met a friend for supper tonight. We split a personal pizza and a small cookie and limited ourselves to one glass of wine. Her BF is out of town and her kids are with her ex this week.

Marty left for Arizona this morning. He is going to a funeral tomorrow, seeing his family and will get together with some of the people he used to work with down there. He texted me it was 68 degrees and felt like 68 degrees. I gave him a hard time that “ooh” that’s some wind chill.

This is my first night in the new house by myself. I will probably stare at the ceiling all night. I should have drank more.

Tomorrow is Friday!

Take care.
Marcy

 

[deegee]

Marcy-I swear the screen today was rigged. They make the programs a PITA to keep up with, so most people drop out and they raise your premium. I won't get the official results for a few weeks, but I expect bad. When I lost weight, it didn't go from my chest so I'm top heavy. If I lose any more on the bottom, I'm going to tip over! And speaking of toasty warm, I bought 2 pairs of UGG boots (brown and black) on clearance from Zappos. They're not the fashionable kind that everyone around here wears. They are really nice leather, mid-calf, and lined with sheepskin (wool?). They're awesomely warm and waterproof. I love them. Dad hasn't had surgery. He had shots in December and is back to putting it off. I'm glad your mom is doing better. Get some sleep!

 

[marcy]

Deegee, that is too bad they make you guys go through that and threaten to raise your premiums if you don't fit their predetermined mold. Your Uggs sound warm. I hope your dad has his surgery soon. It is miserable for awhile but both my parents are doing well with their new knees and they didn't find it very painful.

Marty shut a bunch of floor vents upstairs to try and help heat the basement. I opened them all tonight. Ha!

Okay it is 10:30. I best start getting ready for bed.

 

[zoebartlett]

Deegee, that's too bad. I don't like mixing health related issues with work. We have a company come in a few times per year to talk about healthy eating. It's a "maintain don't gain" type of campaign and it bugs me. We took these dumb quizzes before Christmas break and the winner got a scale. If I had won, I would have been mortified. I hope your day got better after your meeting.

I haven't actually counted calories yet. When I do, I'll enter everything into our database at home and that will keep track of everything for me. For now, I want to get in the habit of eating really well and measuring (most) foods again. I'm breaking it into really small steps.

Marcy, Arizona sounds nice, especially during these months, but I'm sorry Marty had to go for a funeral. How'd you do in the house by yourself last night? I've lived in NH most of my life, and I work in the next town over from where I grew up. It's great, and I love the small town community.

I'm happy today is Friday. Tomorrow, I'm taking a day trip to MA to see my college roommates for lunch and then on Sunday, I'm meeting a friend I haven't seen in a while for breakfast. I'll have to check out the restaurants' websites and plan my meals carefully.

Do you have Monday off? We do. I'm looking forward to watching the President's inauguration. My husband has to work. He was thinking of taking the day off but I think he wants to save his PTO.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Zoe, I have Monday off, but it’s going to be a crazy weekend. CPA review on Saturday from 8 am – 5 pm, dinner with the Porsche club, eight hour drive to Chicago on Monday with the CB, interview (at a Starbuck in blue jeans!) on Monday morning, fly home in the afternoon, class at night. Final step: Drop from exhaustion!!!

Deegee, we have health assessments too, but they don’t raise our premiums, they actually lower them if we meet certain criteria. I think I get $50/month off this year from the points I earned last year. Hopefully your results are just find and there won’t be any impact on your premium.

Marcy, how was your first night in the new house?! I have the marvelous talent that I can (typically) sleep anywhere, but when I moved into the apartment I’m in now it was a little of a rough transition because there is so much damn NOISE. Especially the heat/air conditioning. Even now I am sometimes woken up when it comes on in the night.

Yesterday I was BAD. I had pasta twice (once for lunch and again around 3 pm for no good reason), and I also had two chocolate covered graham crackers from Starbucks. I’ll be with the CB through Monday, but come next week, back on the wagon in a big big way!

 

[Skippy123]

hey group! good to see you all, DJ, Degee, Marcy, Sharon and Zoe! sounds like lots of good changes going on with everyone!

I thought I would jump in here when I can! The boys keep me busy but as soon as it warms up I need to work out more! I did go to Costco today. I think I need to get better at healthy meal planning; it is hard with little ones though! I did buy up chicken, salmon, eggs, fruit and spinach. The boys love fruit which is a good thing!!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Skippy! I could use some practice planning meals, which is what I think you said. I need to figure out a way to add spices and more flavor in general to the proteins we make to liven things up a bit.

DeeJay, what a busy weekend you have planned! Have fun!

I was looking forward all day to going to the gym (did I really just say that?), but once I got home, it was the last place I wanted to be. I forced myself to go but it was tough getting through my workout. I did 45 minutes on the bike again, but I had to talk myself into continuing beyond 30 minutes. Then 35 minutes. Then 40 and 42 minutes. It was ridiculous. I argued with myself the whole time, and by the time, I was wiped out, and not really from the biking.

I had a Nature Valley oats 'n honey granola bar (well two, there are 2 in the pack) for breakfast. Small Ritz crackers with peanut butter (a package) for a snack. Lunch was turkey salad and soup. I picked the turkey salad off the bread. One of my coworkers was impressed that I'm sticking so well to my no pasta "diet" that I actually took the noodles out of my chicken noodle soup. Salmon and brown rice or a brown rice/quinoa blend is for dinner.

I'm going on my day trip to MA tomorrow to see my college roommates. I looked at the website for the restaurant we're meeting at to plan my lunch. I think it's going to be a grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side and no croutons. I'll have to sit on my hands to prevent myself from lunging at the bread basket.

 

[Skippy123]

Zoe, yeah! When the boys were babies (we never slept they woke often) so the cooking we did was warming up frozen food but now that they are eating with us, I want to make more nutrition meals but I don't have time like I use to, to run to the grocery store. Anyway, I need to get better at mapping out the weeks dinners, then I have all the ingredients and just make the meals which are nutritious for all! Have you heard of Skinny Tastes? It is on Pinterest and there is a blog. let me see if I can get the link, brb. Here it is!!! I have made the carnitas, and chicken rollatini's and a few other items and it is so good! http://www.skinnytaste.com/

have fun visiting your college roomie!!! Yay for getting yourself to the gym; I bet you felt great doing that!

 

[marcy]

Hi!

Zoe, we have to take health assessment quizzes every year at work and while right now it doesn’t impact your premium they then bug you all year with phone calls, emails and brochures in the mail to improve your health. While that is all good and fine it seems like it is unsolicited help. Also our company will only give you money towards a HSA if you take the quiz. You also have to pledge to be tobacco free to get another $10 per pay check. Great idea to be focusing on eating healthy and watching portions. That is a big key to making it a lifetime habit. I slept really well last night so it wasn’t as scary as i thought it would be. Sounds like you live in a really nice place. It sounds like you have nice plans for the weekend. Enjoy getting together with your friends. I have to work Monday. Good for you going to the gym even if it wasn’t where you wanted to be. Great idea to check out the menu for your lunch so you can plan ahead on what to order.

Dee Jay, you do have a very busy weekend planned. Good luck with the interview. Don’t drop from exhaustion - you might hurt yourself. That is great you get a discount on your premiums. I have a lot of problems adjusting to sleeping in a new environment but I did pretty well last night. Marty turned the fan on the furnace to run all the time so while I heard it all night it was like white noise for me. Have a safe trip to Chicago.

Skippy, I am sure your cute little boys keep you very busy but fun busy. Do you take them on long walks? I am sure planning healthy meals is a challenge at time being so busy. Sadly quick foods are not always that good for us trying to eat healthy. Thanks for the link to skinnytaste. I will check it out.

I did survive the night and didn’t wake up until about 5. The furnace fun running all the time kept me from hearing and then worrying about any noises outside. Of course being the only house in any directions for a block or more it is pretty quiet here anyway.

We were only short one person today so the work load was a little easier to handle. I took in leftover pizza for lunch. Tonight I had leftovers from dinner the other night. We had our astronomy meeting tonight. An 8th grader and his dad came and he latched on to me asking tons of questions. He is pretty excited about the stars.

I am working on laundry tonight and maybe I’ll run to best buy tomorrow and look at laptops. I have a wedding reception to go to in the afternoon. I think I’ll go see how my mom does with my iPad.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[zoebartlett]

Skippy, thanks for the link! I haven't heard of the blog but I'll definitely check it out. I'd like to make healthy chili in our new crockpot. Would you happen to have a recipe for that, by any chance?

Marcy, I'm glad the astronomy meeting went well. Sounds very interesting!

Have a great day!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone.

Zoe, crockpot chili sounds great. Astronomy is definitely one of my favorite topics.

I went to bed late and got up late for me. I didn't really have anything in the house for breakfast so I headed to the grocery store.

I stopped by my parents house to show them how the iPad works. My mom was not interested and didn't even want to look at it. My dad watched but of course he has never used a computer or sent email in his life.

I then headed to the mall. I needed some makeup so I wandered around for awhile.

This afternoon I went to a wedding reception and have been watching NCIS replays tonight.

Marty is coming home tomorrow. I think I will make lasagna for supper.

Laters
Marcy