Weekly Workout Thread 24th Dec till 30th Dec

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday all!

I MADE myself go to the gym. Oh, I had all these *brilliant* excuses why I shouldn't go, but then I just put on my big girl pants (mainly becuase my little girl pants aren't fitting me right now

) and went. 40 mins on the elliptical, 10 mins on the treadmill (damn shin splints!) and 17 mins on the bike for an (alleged) total of 600 cals.

Food today has been pretty good, and I just had some left over chicken and zucchini for dinner. Last night after dessert I made the HH throw the rest of the yule log away. (

) It was MUCH better than I had thougt it would be and I just knew that leaving it on the counter would be virtually the same as smearing it right on my a$$, so into the garbage it went.

Hello Michelle--welcome to WWT! We're thrilled to have you!

Stephi, did you ever get the results of your knee MRI?

Mara, I braved a few stores today too, but just to get holiday cards for next year. I send out so many because of my business that it pays to get them half off.

Linda, what are *rum balls* and when should I expect my package of them from you to arrive?

Jackie, chocolate, cream, alcohol and salt -- sign me up girlfriend!!

Marcy, you're lucky to have an extra closet you can expand your clothes into. I kicked the HH out of the master close long ago, so he's in the guest room closet, but we don't have any more to use!

Lorelei, we have no snow at the moment (as a matter of fact it's been in the 40s for the past few days, which is way above normal), but according to the weather I should have some snow to send your way in a day or two.

Rod, honey, where are you?!

Kimi, hope you and John are off doing something fun!

CJ, I'm dying to hear about your seafood feast from the other night!

Steph, Andrew's excitement over Santa bringing him all those toys is TOO CUTE!

 

[monarch64]

Happy Holidays to all of you wonderful WWTr''s! So here we are, smack in the midst of enjoying the bounty the holidays have to offer...I know we are all enjoying the goodies and loving it!

I don''t think I mentioned in my previous post that DH has come down with another yucky cold/flu and has been miserable for the past few days. Poor guy...this is never a good time of year for him health-wise, even though I encourage him to eat well and stay somewhat active, all he wants to do is hibernate and watch t.v. as this is his slow time of year for business. Every year he has typically thrown his back out (tg that hasn''t happened this year), or gotten really sick...I''m starting to wonder if he has S.A.D. (season affective disorder). I talked to his mother about it once just to see if she''d noticed the same pattern while he was growing up but she wasn''t very helpful and said I just needed to cook him a good meal and be more understanding.

Lord knows I''ve tried that sort of thing and if his mind is set that he doesn''t feel like eating the food I cook for him just goes to waste anyway...and he is totally averse to doing anything workout-wise this time of year, especially the stretches and exercises his chiro, back surgeon, or phys. therapist have recommended. I guess my next step for the new year is getting him to a psychologist/psychiatrist to figure out whether he has SAD, which I think is sort of obvious that he does.

This year the plan was that I would at least drive down myself to my parents (five hours south) and spend Christmas night/morning after with them and drive back tonight, but DH was so ill that I hated to leave him and I ended up staying here and telling my parents I would be down this coming weekend since I have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off and will be able to spend more time with them anyway. I couldn''t bring DH with me this year anyway, my dad has health issues of his own and one little cold could send him straight to the hospital, so we couldn''t risk me bringing germs into their home which might make him ill. And DH''s sister has been ill with pneumonia for the 2nd straight Christmas so we didn''t want her to get sick either....so DH and I just stayed home yesterday and he rested while I hung out with the doggies.

I took both dogs for a walk yesterday afternoon and at least got to wish some of our other dog-walking neighbors a Merry Christmas as the weather was warmish and everyone was out walking their furbabies, so that was nice and I got about a 30 minute workout in. I came home and checked on DH, let him sleep a couple more hours and then made him some eggs and hash browns...I think you''re not supposed to eat dairy when you''re sick (or is that a myth?) but I couldn''t think of anything else quick and easy to make at the time, hee hee.

I wish we''d planned a warm-weather trip this year for January/February...we talked about it this fall but didn''t end up booking anything due to lack of funds. I could really, really use a nice vacay to look forward to at least. Just a couple days in FL or AZ would do it for me and give us something to set our sights on and maybe get us over this slump, ya know? Maybe I will go over our finances once again these next couple days and figure out whether we can do something in the way of a trip. We could both use it!

Sorry this is such a dreary post, I didn''t mean for it to be!

Anywho...I have enjoyed reading the thread this week. You should all be proud of your accomplishments here this year, and know that I''m so happy to be able to come to this thread and hear about everyone''s experiences every week.

SDL: welcome, friend, this is definitely a positive place to be...plan on getting lots of wonderful PS advice here from us individuals who love to discuss health and overall fitness and exercise, you''ve come to the right thread if you''re in need of a sustainable life change and plenty of support along the way. It''s nice to participate here because you can be a little negative as we all have our bad days, but there is lots of encouragement and knowledge to be shared as well. You''re in good hands, and you''re motivated, and there''s a recipe for success right there.

 

[Rod]

I''m here DeeJay, sorry for being MIA. We actually made a deal there where would be no computer time in our house on Christmas day, so hard as it was not to check in, I did agree. Anyway, your food fest for Christmas sounded like a great time and good for you putting on your big girl pants and going to the gym. You keep that up and soon you won''t need any "big girl pants!!!"

And thank you Dear Skippy for copying my Christmas Eve post to this week''s thread. With the holiday, I completely lost track of the day of the week and just kept on waiting for posts to keep on appearing in last week''s thread!! I''m glad you had a nice holiday and your dinner turned out yummy, I''m sure!!

Thanks for the link to last year''s holiday week Lorelei.......Oh my, did that bring back memories of us trying to be happy to be Raleigh, which as you all know just turned out to be somewhere we just didn''t belong. Anyway, thanks for the trip down memory lane.........LOL I hope your holiday Turkey was superb!!

SDL, welcome to our healthy happy family. Stick around and hopefully you''ll find lot''s of motivation to work on losing those pounds!!

Mara, your pendant is just beautiful!! I''m glad you had such a nice holiday!! AND congrats on the $1,000 Gift Certificate too!!

Jas, yay for Sanibel!! It''s been a while since we were there, but we love it there. Charlie was just saying today that he wants me to take him there for a long weekend for his big birthday coming up. So, please keep track of the great restaurants and let me know where you thought the food was really great so I can get a head start on making reservations!!

Kimberly, it would have been such a nice thing if you and John HAD come to Tampa for our Lobster fest (more on that in a bit). And yes, what a difference a year has made for Sakai. We have been thinking so much of that lately. She actually had the feeding tube inserted through her neck last December 16, 2006 and we fed her liquids through that tube evey couple hours for 2 straight weeks. One year later, she''s just a little butterball and so so so happy to be back in her sunny Florida condo. Thanks for thinking about her!!

CJ, you won''t see this, but I hope you have a fabulous trip to Switzerland!!

Hey Marcy, thanks for reading about Sakai in last year''s thread. I''m glad your holliday was nice and I''m betting everyone was 100% honest when they told you your dinner was yummy!! Yay for the Gren Saphire!!

Steph, I''m betting you had such a wonderful time with Andrew being so excited about Santa!! That''s one thing I miss about Christmas is not being around children and seeing the wonder of the holiday through their eyes!

Linda, I don''t think those 4 pounds will be around long. And a person''s weight can go up and down up to 5 pounds in a day. So don''t fret too much about them, OK??!

Monnie, I''m so sorry HH was not feeling well again. I hope you had a nice couple days of rest!

So, yesterday was just the nicest day. We woke up around 9:00 AM and fixed coffee and read the paper on the terrace. The weather was just so fantastic. Then we came in and fixed Whole Wheat Buttermilk pancakes (we found the mix at Fresh Market) and fresh sausage. Since it was Christmas, I put butter and pure maple syrup on mine and it was Oh So Good! Then we cleaned up and got our skates and walked out to our beautiful waterfront sidewalk and just started skating. Next thing I knew we had skated about 10 miles and to be honest, it didn''t feel as though I had done anything. There was a time before "Rebuild Rod" began that I could only skate a couple miles and then I''d need to rest. But after two straight years in the gym, skating 10 miles (and you know me, I pushed really hard), didn''t even seem to get my heart rate up and I was breathing as if, I was just strolling. I''m just not sure if I got any real cardio benefit from the skate, but it was a beautiful day and such a pleasant thing to be doing on Christmas day.

Then for lunch we had the New England Steamers (soft shell clams - YUMM) and then we opened the few gifts we had gotten, which turned out to be just a lot of fun. Almost everything we got each other fit perfectly. Including the new workout shirt that Charlie got me, which he bought a size smaller than I would typically buy, but looked just perfect on me none-the-less!

Our lobster dinner was just wonderful. We had sauteed potatoes with butter and parsly and fresh green beans with sliced mushrooms on the side, but the real star of the meal was the lobster, of which Rod ate every single morsel of his 3.5 pound crustacean and then finished off Charlie''s too!

But, the absolute best treat of the day was my huge piece of the best chocolate cake I can remember having. And Rod ate EVERY single crumb of that chocolate cake and man was it ever a treat. Maybe I should allow myself a bit of chocolate cake more than once a year (and Mara is shaking her head in agreement!).

Today, we did have to return a couple small things and we also hit the 1/2 Yearly Men''s sale at Nordstrom and I got a couple really cool nice fitting shirts as did Charlie, then we headed to the gym and worked off the indulgent calories from yesterday and now things will go back to our regular workout and fitness schedule.

So, that''s how our holiday turned out, which was such a treat after last year''s difficult holiday.

I''m so glad to see everyone had a nice time with their families and friends!! I''ll be working tomorrow and Friday, ugh. I''m not sure I''m ready to go back, but I guess I must...........

I''ll check in again after tomorrow nights workout. Night night everyone!

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. Well, this was my last splurge day and I way over did it. I starved all day to eat what I wanted at the Olive Garden and I am now MISERABLE. Oh well, it makes me NOT want to eat anymore today and I am back on track tomorrow so I guess I will be more motivated this way.
We went shopping today so I got in many hours of walking. I bought a Christmas table cloth, a hoodie and v-neck t-shirt, my DH bought some shirts and some PS3 games.
I washed my new clothes from Christmas and could not find any extra space in my drawers to take care of them so I guess I’d best quit buying new clothes for awhile. They have some spring clothes out already but since we don’t get warm for at least another 3 months I am not going to start buying spring clothes yet.
I had the urge to look at laptops while we were out today. Sony has pink ones and my husband also likes Toshiba’s so he said I could get either one of them. If I get a new laptop he will take my Dell Inspiron and we’ll use his older Toshiba in the trailer.
Lorelei, thanks for the tip on the TM. My husband is going to put up a TV on our wall too. I picked up resistance bands today too. I am ready to start a new routine in 08.
Mara, thank you for explaining a yule log to me. They sound great. We always have cookies and fudge so I guess that is why I’ve never heard of them. Thanks for going through the highlights of that book again. I need to pick it up to read. I have been eating a lot of junk for a few days now and have finally reached my “okay that’s enough – no more goodies” point. They just don’t sound that good anymore.
Jas, yeah for being able to go to the beach. It sounds like you are having a marvelous time and you certainly deserve it. Send me some warm and sunny weather. We are going to have a high in the teens tomorrow with more snow.
SanDiegoLady, welcome to the WWT group. Trust me, this is a great group of people and we are here for you. You’ll loose those 15 pounds in no time. I have at least 40 more pounds to go and hope to make it by this time next year.
Linda, sorry to hear the scale showed 4 extra pounds. No worries though, they will come right back off. I am afraid to look for fear of “scale shock”. I don’t think I will weigh until Monday at my normal time of day. I accidentally washed our jeans in warm water instead of cold and my tightest jeans fit me fine today so that was a relief.
Skippy, we were out shopping for games today as well. I always look for bejeweled since that is a game I like to play (probably more for the name than anything else). Sorry to hear about gaining 4 pounds. You’ll loose it again in NO time. I think it’s great they are doing something at work to encourage people to loose weight. I will contact the HR lady Monday to see what I can do to help. I think they should give me bonus points for past success. Tee hee. I do like all the Bourne movies. We recorded the original Bourne Identity the other day but haven’t watched it yet. It’s even in black and white so it should be interesting to watch.
DeeJay, yeah for getting in a good workout today. LOL at smearing the yule log on your behind. I wish I could move DH’s clothes to the spare bedroom but since I get up before he does it made more sense to have my clothes in there. You can have some of our snow. We are developing a glacier at the end of our driveway. The rate we’re going it won’t melt until May.
Monnie, sorry to hear your DH is sick. I hope he feels better soon. That is too bad you didn’t get to spend some time with your parents on Christmas but that’s great you’ll be able to spend time with them this weekend. I hope you can work in a vacation to a nice, sunny location. That would be fun.
Rod, I put up my laptop on Christmas but since our company went home about 4:30 and my DH was playing games on his PS3 I didn’t feel bad getting my laptop back out. I sure miss being online when we go camping. It sounds like you’ll be planning a nice trip to Sanibel for Charlie’s birthday. I am so glad to hear Sakai is well and a little butterball content with her life in sunny Florida. Your skating sounds really fun. Yeah for getting a smaller size workout shirt. Your chocolate cake sounds divine; I am delighted to hear you enjoyed it so much.
Well, take care. I am going to go mess with my resistance bands. I’m such a Trekkie though I keep saying “resistance is futile”. My husband just laughs. He knows I’m easily entertained.
Laters my WWT friends.

 

[Linda W]

DJ

They are yummy little round things made with cookie crumbs, dark rum, coca, corn syrup and rolled around in coconut if you wish to. Some do, some don''t. There are various ways of making them. The ones I had, didn''t have coconut.

They are very addicting. If you search them on google, tons of recipes pop up.

Linda

 

[monarch64]

Marcy, I used to make Yule Logs in high school because I was a French student all four years...they''re AKA "buche du Noel." And if I could make them in high school, anyone can, LOL! Sooo yummy...and lots of fun to make.

 

[marcy]

DeeJay, rum balls are quite yummy.
Linda, I have a recipe for rum cake too. It’s pretty tasty.
Monnie, I will have to look for a Yule log recipe and try one next year. I took French all through junior high, high school and college. I’ve forgotten most of it by now though.
SanDiegoLady, good idea to take a “before” picture. I will post an updated picture of me probably this weekend. I take one every month and do a collage picture. Sadly I didn’t think of taking one every month until I’d already lost about 75 pounds. It is amazing to see how much a few pounds can change us. I usually drink tons of water too; I am glad I like it.

 

[Mara]

monnie so good to see you woman!! sounds like you''re plugging right along.
marcy, sorry to hear that you feel sick, that sucks!! i definitely learned my lesson previously about starving myself to eat a big dinner, i never feel good later.

rod...yay for a wonderful xmas day. i am sure that your 10m skate was beneficial even if you didn''t feel like you were really working out. many times for me now i am exerting myself and not even realizing it but then the next day i am sore and i think, okay well that was actually a good workout then! or when we go walk...it feels like we can walk forever but next day we are sore. your lobsters sound YUMMY too. and YAY for chocolate cake. and yes i think you can do it more often, say like 1x a month.

by the way i was at cost plus today picking up some goodies for our party on fri and they have these yummy bake your own scone mixes from sticky fingers bakery. i have had the pumpkin cranberry and they are so good, so i picked up another one and a lemon poppyseed and they had a tart cherry! i was thinking oh i wish i knew rod''s address because i would send him a mix! lol! and they aren''t that bad for you either, like the whole mix makes 12 scones (good sized too) and they are only about 150 cals each and like 6g sugar and a few grams fat. and tasty.

whew...so when greg got home we went out to our fave dive burger place, they have 1/2 price wednesdays and the tastiest fries with ranch...mmmm!! i ate all my burger and only about 1/2 the bun and lots of fries with ranch hehe. then we came home, suited up in our ''its friggin cold'' gear and put portia''s sweater on her and went out for a walk...every time we go out we try to take a diff neighborhood so we can slowly see everyone''s lights before they take them down. there was this one neighborhood we still hadn''t gotten to, so we zigzagged around there, and then felt ambitious so we went further up and into these multimillion dollar homes (like $4-6million) and walked around there to see what they had! so then we had to walk home...all in all we were gone for an hour and 45 minutes...it was crazy! and is 43 degrees out which is COLD for us!! so now my body is trying to regulate temperature and i keep getting chills in the house haha. so i''m eating warmed blueberry pie because uhhh..my body needs it. hehee. this is the last of the pie and it is seriously one of my favorites...we had it last year and it''s amazing. so i''ll be glad and sad at the same time to see it done!

for additional exercise, today before greg got home i did a bunch of muscle resistance and ab work on my own on the ball and also with arm weights. it felt good to be active today. tomorrow i''d like to get a run/walk in but it depends on how cold it is, we are supposed to get under freezing here (bbrrr ) tonite and then rain at some point tomorrow. so it may be the gym for me.

hehe for those talking about indulgences, i am going all the way through til new years. we just have too many ''party'' things going on between now and then to worry overly about what i''m eating. i am just going to do what i can and stay active then get back on track come new year and work it off then if i need to. but so far i am surprised that i seem to be pretty steady or maybe it''s my pie goggles i have on hehe.

anyhow, hope everyone had a fab day...sorry for those who have to work tomorrow...i am enjoying being off but i have so many things to DO....it seems like it''s not super relaxing haha. oh well!

 

[tdiddy]

Hi all….i’m back from the holidays and checking in for the first time in almost a week (it’s so weird to not have easy access to a computer!).

Sounds like everyone had a great holiday….Marcy, your green sapphire ring sounds FAB. Mara, love the new BLING and your xmas dinner sounds yummy! Welcome, SDL. Skippy, did you take any pics of the balloons? That sounds beautiful!

Dee Jay, re: shin splints on the treadmill. Sounds like you need to stretch before you do a treadmill workout. I had the same issue when I first started running and went to an ortho to have it checked out. My calves and feet were so tight that I had basically no flexion in my movement and running/walking (esp. on a treadmill) will totally aggravate that and cause shin splits. Even if I do just a few calf stretches for 30 seconds each side 2-3x right before my workout, it makes a HUGE difference. Might be a worth a try…

Marcy: My gym is having a biggest loser contest starting Jan. 1, too. I doubt anyone will come close to your progress. I watch that show sometimes and the winners don’t usually hit your numbers in terms of progress. Such an amazing journey that you went on this year!

My Christmas was fast and furious. I am only up 0.6 lb on the scale and that might very well be water weight from the unholy amount of sodium I have consumed the last 3 days. I was more conscientious this year than last and definitely tried hard to make either a good choice (double green beans instead of double mashed potatoes) or eat the bad stuff in moderation (only ate half of the most divine peanut butter cake concoction EVER). And I managed to ward off my mom’s attempts to send the leftovers home. But I did enjoy the splurges while I had the chance and this upcoming weekend will likely bring on some more holiday get together feasts.

Today I went back to the gym (skipped xmas eve and day) and did my usual cardio. Thursday is back to work for me, but it should be really slow as the industry I am in pretty much shuts down between xmas and new year’s.

Hope everyone is enjoying their time off or having a slow work week!

 

[marcy]

Mara, I don’t usually starve myself but I ate very little for BF this morning at about 9:30 and we didn’t eat again until 3:30 so I was very hungry by then. A little Alka Seltzer has fixed me right up this evening. 43 degrees is pretty cold; but walking around looking at the lights does sound like a great time. I am enjoying my week off too. Your hamburger sounds wonderful.
Tdiddy, welcome back! I have been enjoying my green sapphire ring, thanks. I must check out the biggest loser sometime. I continue to be amazed at how much of me is just “gone”. That is marvelous news you didn’t gain anything over the holiday. I’m probably in the gained 4 pound group. Rats. Enjoy a quiet time at work.

 

[Lorelei]

Rod, I bet that is the MOST fun, being able to skate all that way, I would love to try skating again one day, although I used to ice skate and have never tried roller blades!

WELCOME SDL!!!! I hear you about the eating disorder background, but you can move on from it. With things like WW, I did it years ago, but I found that just having to be on a diet and being told what to do didn''t suit me, I wanted to be slim and not have to live in that way which I personally found too restrictive. I am not knocking it as I know that WW has helped thousands of people, but for me it is a no go. As Mara says, you will find your way as I have and now I am in my forties, I have finally found MY way which works!!! It is such a relief to be able to feel in control finally. I have my treats and enjoy them, but the most important lesson I have learned is to not expect perfection and to see this as a lifelong journey - to lose the being on a diet for 6 weeks mindset. You too can do it, just take the first steps and if you fall, just pick yourself up, put it behind you and go onwards. As Rod and I say, slow and steady wins the race, and it does!!!

Dee, I will be waiting for snow reports!

Monnie, I hope your Hubby feels better soon, have you looked into light box therapy? You can get bedside lamps now which are useful for SAD work in a similar way, might be worth a try.

Marcy, good luck with the bands, I have some and do find them useful.

Hey Skippers, tdiddy and Linda!

I got in my workout last night and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it! 30 fast mins on the treddy and 20 ellipticising, so pleased with that. I am also eating a little more in the way of protein with the ham and turkey and tons of water, jeans feel fine!

For those of you who have weighed and found an upswing, don''t worry too much; lots of holiday food has tons of sodium so water weight there, so once you get back to eating normally, you will probably find things level out.

 

[jas]

Hello and happy whatever day it is for you (for me, it''s Back on the Water Wagon Day -- I''ve been rather remiss in drinking it since arriving on vacay)!

DH and I walked for a glorious hour and twenty minutes along the beach yesterday. Nothing strenuous, just the type of walk where you feel the warmth on your shoulders and there is little spoken except for the occasional barely articulate musing about how happy you are. Then home to do a little reading and then we grilled our burgers and made gigantic salads. They were not particularly impressive, but we were so hungry it was like manna from heaven. With ketchup. And Coronas.

There is nothing like watching the sunset from the (screened) porch, holding DH''s hand. And Coronas. We''re staying at my in-laws winter home here (minus the in-laws) and it just is starting to quiet my mind a little. That''s my New Year Goal, I think, as part of JAS Extreme Makeover...quiet the mind, improve the bod...I think one leads to the other.

Today we''re going on a bike ride. I haven''t been on a bike for 20 (!) years and I am, for some reason, a little nervous because the bike paths here are crowded. I would not be surprised if I did a spectacular over-the-handlebars flip in the middle of a crowd. I never manage to do that sort of thing in private. Of course, they say that riding a bike is like ri...well, you know.

SDL it is good to see you here! I''m sure your voice will blend in perfectly!
Skippy, Rod, Mara, Linda, Lorelei, Monarch, Marcy, DeeJay, TDM, Steph, lurkers all -- I wish you well today!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday morning all!

I''m happy to report that my butt is a little sore this morning, so all that crazy working out yesterday must have done *some* good.

Foodwise yesterday I was pretty good from a cal standpoint given that it''s still "the holidays" but I realized as I was eating my SECOND Walker Brothers Butter Cookie of the day that half of those cals had come from sweets... cookies, Tofuti Cuties, chocolate Fiber One bars... Yeesh!!!

Jas, it''s sounds like you''re having a wonderful time--and you deserve it! I hope you have a great time on your bike ride. I never learned how to ride a bike so I''m so impressed by you people zipping around balancing on two thin wheels getting where you want to go!

Gotta hop. Lots of things that suddenly need to get done like RIGHT NOW. Who said this real estate thing would be easy?

 

[marcy]

Happy Thursday! It feels great to be back on track today.

Woo hoo.
I did assess the damage this morning – yes I gained 5 pounds. Aak. Oh well, easy come, hard to go; that is my life.
I am taking it easy today. I wanted to start cleaning our spare bedroom but DH has a friend over playing games on the PS3 and I think they’d want to leap out of their chairs and kill me if I keep walking back and forth in front of them.
Lorelei, thanks for reminding us slow and steady wins the race and not to worry about gaining a few pounds. I am anxious to try out my resistance bands today. My husband’s friend that is over here is a PT so I will maybe ask him for some tips. I don’t know when; they are pretty engrossed in shooting bad guys right now.
Jas, your walk along the beach sounds divine. I am sure the sunset is beautiful. Have fun on your bike ride.
DeeJay, yeah for noticing some soreness from your workout. I picked up some 100 cal snacks yesterday so I will work them in today for snacks like I normally do at work. It sounds like you are always busy with your real estate job.
Have a great day.

 

[appletini]

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Today is my only day at work this week and my first day to exercise in 2 weeks...I did 30 min on the elliptical during lunch and I''m so glad I did. Between birthday, Christmas parties, getting a light cold, and preparing for Christmas at my house I haven''t had much time to exercise. But the good thing about being the busy hostess was that I was too busy to go overboard on splurging too much...so I actually behaved quite well in regards to food...still had portion control, just a small portion of everything.

I was reading the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens while on the elliptical and it had some great organizing tips, which inspired me with some organizing and decor ideas of my own.

 

[steph72276]

Hi, guys! Just a very quick check in. My parents are still visiting. I took them to a seafood rest. at the beach today that is right on the water. Had grilled fish and veggies, but a big slice of yummy bread. But we walked it off with a long walk in the sand, so no biggie. I am going to get back on track big time when they leave tomorrow. Anyway, just saying hello to everyone and hope you all are doing well

 

[marcy]

Okay, I’ve been very good all day. I did try my resistance bands but will need to have DH make sure I know what I’m doing tomorrow.
I am very cold and lazy right now but I guess I’ll make us some supper.
I keep getting emails from the girl filling in for me at work; I think she’s ready to smack a few people. She’s got her hands full but I told her I was completely enjoying myself, I’m sure she found that helpful. Ha ha.
Appletini, it sounds like you’ve been very busy but you are doing a good job not eating too much over the holidays. I’m glad you inspired on getting organized.
Steph, your lunch and walk on the beach sound terrific. The only view I have from my house today is white. I think there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground out there.

 

[KimberlyH]

Hello WWTers!

Dee, John and I were in LA for Christmas with my family. My mom came home with us and she''ll be leaving tomorrow.

Rod, John said your dinner "sounds like the best meal ever" and then asked if we could go to Anthony''s so he can have lobster for dinner on Saturday night.

Skippy, I''m so glad your dinner was good.

As I mentioned, my mom is visiting; we pulled in early this afternoon, had lunch then went on a great walk. We''re going out to a diner for dinner and then Christmas light looking. Should be fun. She goes home tomorrow then life will go back to normal. I''ll definitely have some work to do after she leaves, but my jeans are still fitting loosely, so I''m feeling okay about my indulgences.

Have a great rest of your day, all!

 

[Skippy123]

Hubby and I did some cleaning today (he has off till Jan 2). I vacuumed and we took the comforters and bedding from our room and the guest room to the laundromat (we have a washing machine and dryer) but we wanted to wash everything at once. Then we went to lunch; we were going to walk but it started snowing. I went and got my allergy shots too and hubby met the sweet nurses. One of the nurses sons I went to high school. I turned bright red today because she told me and my hubby that her son use to have a crush on me (I never knew)!!! I thought it was sweet but I get super shy about that stuff because my parents were strict when it came to boys and still I blush over that stuff. hehee

I will either walk tomorrow or go to they gym. I think I might take down the tree tomorrow or Saturday!

Kimi, I am glad you are enjoying LA w/family!

Rod, roller blading is a blast! I have some roller blades. heeheee Your meal sounds wonderful too!!!

Mara, yay for having the week off!!! Hope you are showing off the pendant. hehee

DeeJay, the doc said I have softening that I need to stregthen my muscles around the knees or I will have problems down the road and that I need to take glucosamine (sp?). I hope it will help. Glad you got a workout in and ate healthy. I am one who safes bags and bows from gifts!!! I agree you need to stretch the shins, I hate shin splints and stretching helps me. Oh, yah, I lost 1 lb of the 4 I gained!

Monnie, good to see you sweetie; glad you get a break!

Marcy, yay for a laundry day and getting your clothes in order! I need to do the clothes organizing thing. You will lose it quick.

Hey SDL!

Tdiddy! Great to see you; I did take a few pics of the balloons but they didn't come out very nice, oh well. Yay for going to the gym!

Hey sweet Lorelei!!!

Jas, your trip w/hubby sounds fab!!! I am glad to see sweet you posting again!

Appletini, yay for exercising today!

Hey Steph!

Lots of posts and everyone sounds well! Have a FAB evening!!

 

[marcy]

I did stick in my calorie range today. Woo hoo! I’ve been making sure to drink lots of water too.
Kimi, it sounds like you had a lovely Christmas and are having a nice time with your mom visiting. Have fun going for a walk. We never stuck our nose out the door today; the high was about 16 and we got about 5 new inches of snow.
Skippy, it sounds like you were ambitious today. My husband is off work until January 2nd too; I have to go back on the 31st. That is cute the nurse told you about her son having a crush on you in front of your DH. Yeah for loosing 1 of the 4 pounds you gained. I didn’t do a thing on organizing my clothes today but maybe will work on it tomorrow.
Have a great evening.

 

[tdiddy]

Hi all,

Just a quick check in. Breakfast was bran flakes, lunch was a baked potato with light butter and a 1/4 cup of 2% cheese and a 1/2 c 2% cottage cheese on the side, dinner was a bowl of black bean soup and a 1/2 sierra turkey sandwich at panera. Snacks were plentiful today

I had a tiny piece of fudge, a small rice krispie treat square, a few chips, and frozen vanilla yogurt with semisweet chocolate drizzled on it. Tis the season to snack I guess! I really enjoyed my sierra turkey sandwich at Panera though. Lately I have been sticking to just soup there or their lower cal salads, but it was a delicious splurge!

I worked out 50 minutes tonite - a combo of bike, elliptical, and the rowing machine.

Tomorrow is Friday and the start of another long weekend....wheee!

 

[Rod]

Evening Everyone!!

It''s nice to have a few days off. BUT, it''s not nice to go back to work after a few days off. I had a whopping 497 email waiting for me this morning and I was just slammed at work. At least I got through all the messages and got some things done. They announced more layoffs today, but they were at the corporate level. Still, it makes everyone even more nervous. Oh well, if I''m cut again, so be it. I survived the last time and I certainly will if it happens again. Actually, I won''t be nearly as upset if there is a second time, so at least that''s a good thing.........

Charlie left work early and went the gym as he still has some PTO he needs to use or he''ll lose it. I didn''t get to the gym until nearly 6:30, but I was determined to have a really strong workout and I did, which felt fantastic. One guy I hadn''t seen for a couple weeks, actually came over and told me he couldn''t believe how much my biceps had grown. That was pretty exciting! That''s about all the news from my day. Tomorrow''s Friday, YAY, so we''re doing our usual Friday Sushi, Frozen Yogurt and Coffee under the oak tree. We''re so predictable..........LOL

Mara, one of the trainers was originally a pretty overweight guy and he lost a huge amount of weight and became a personal trainer in the process. Anyway, he said he would allow himself a three hour window, once a week, where he could have anything and as much of anything as he wanted. He''d actually eat an entire chocolate cake and still he lost weight because he worked out so much and was very dedicated. So, I think you''re right, I can indulge a bit, maybe, possibly, more often! Cost Plus?? We don''t have one here in Tampa, but thanks for thinking of me when you saw the scone mix. You know Rod loves his Saturday and Sunday morning Tart Cherry Scone from Panera!! At least that''s one indulgence I do permit........Enjoy the rest of your week off!

Yay for a sore butt DeeJay!! You know what they say......"no pain, no gain!!"

Marcy, I got a chuckle out of your "Resistance is Futile" joke. Truth be told, I too am a "Trekkie!" You won''t have much trouble getting rid of the 5 pounds. And Like Lorelei commented, with all the sodium in holiday food, it''s probably just water weight anyway!

Good for you getting in 30 minutes on the elliptical Appletini!!

Lorelei, if you could ice skate, you''d likely be able to inline skate. They''re very similar. So, I''m betting you can do it for sure. Just come on over the big pond and your friend Rod will take you skating!!

Glad you enjoyed your lunch and walk on the beach with your parents. Ah the joys of living in Florida this time of year!!

Kimberly, I hope you take John to Anthony''s for lobster this weekend. We do lobster EVERY christmas, so you two can just plan on coming to dinner next year!!

Skippy, yay for a pound down and like I said to Marcy, it''s probably just water weight anyway. We''re lucky that we can skate year round and it''s also pretty flat in Florida. Hills and roller blades do not mix well. I love love love to skate, but don''t get to do it too often. Don''t forget that if you haven''t bought the Glucosamine yet, get it with Chondroitin. The combination is really good for your joints.

Jas, I''m so glad you''re enjoying your stay on Sanibel. I hope the bike ride was fun and you didn''t do any acrobatics in public!!

 

[gailrmv]

hi guys!
I feel like I have read the posts kind of out of order, so I'm sorry if I am missing anyone or commenting on old news.

Marcy I am glad you like the resistance bands! I always travel with them. I think I get a good workout with them.

Monarch sorry to hear your DH is not feeling well. I think SAD is a very real thing, plus all the germs floating around this time of year... I hope he feels better soon.

Mara are you getting mad compliments on that new neck bling?

Rod thanks for the suggestion to check out Baileys. I certainly will! I have been to some restaurants in Cameron Village but never been there just to shop, so I need to check it out.

SDL Welcome!!!

Jas I am glad you are enjoying vacation!

Dee Jay I always enjoy reading about your dog adventures - are you really thinking of a third? I would LOVE a third, but the vet and boarding expenses add up so fast... plus I have finally got my two into a good routine, I'm not sure about mixing that up. But wouldn't it be FUN?

TDiddy glad you are back into your routine - sounds like you did really well through the holidays!

Skippy I hope you get those hoops soon!

Mini threadjack about birthday bling... which do you guys think I would wear more, .50 ctw huggie hoops or the 1 ctw WF bangle bracelet? (The only downside of the bracelet is that I don't know if it's very comfy, plus, I really like tennis bracelets so if I got one in a few years, would I ever wear the bangle anymore)? Would love opinions. Another option is to have DH save the $$ and I could get something else in the future when I am more decisive

Like a lot of us I was back to work today after the long weekend - just two workdays til another long weekend - I love the holidays! I have a couple of interesting projects going on right now which is great.

I kept up a pretty healthy routine throughout the holiday weekend, and got in a lot of workouts. I did eat more takeout than I usually do, but nothing too awful. Last night we went to On the Border, a Mex chain, and it was pretty dissapointing as both a foodie and a healthy eate. It is easy to see why our country is battling an obesity epidemic. I ordered grilled chicken soft tacos (usually a pretty healthy bet for Mexican), and I asked for everything plain, all sauces on the side. I didn't realize I needed to ask them to hold the onion rings. Who puts onion rings on tacos? The people at On the Border, apparently! I picked off the onion rings and ate 1 and a half tacos and the side of beans (skipped the rice) and that was plenty of food for me - but that was less than half the entree. The menu said things on it like "Why? because you can" all over. That's the last thing people need! And, our grand total came to only like $20 (for 2 people) before drinks. I could hardly cook that much food for $20 - I'm sure I couldn't. So what I am saying is, it's convenient, it tastes good, it's cheap (encouraging people to go out more), yet most things are oily and cheesy and loaded with the bad carbs, and the portions are HUGE not to mention marketing slogans encouraging people to order more food "because they can" etc... that is the last thing our nation (as a whole) needs! Bear with my tirade, I almost never eat at chain restaurants and last night reminded me of why. I didn't even enjoy the food especially and felt kind of gross after

The atmosphere was better than fast food (which I also don't eat - with the exception of Wendy's chili if I have to have fast food), but I have to wonder if the food was maybe even less healthy than your typical fast food, because the portions were crazy huge!

Tonight I did 30 min of elliptical plus some abs, then my crazy intense boot camp class. This class is only offered a few times a week at my gym and it is always PACKED on thursday nights. You have to be early just to get a tiny spot of floor. It is wildly popular. The instructor is a cute guy, maybe that is part of it. I can't decide if this class is a good idea or not though. They work us super hard, and I am always sore, which is great, but the reps are so fast I feel like I might not have my form right - plus lots of the moves seem to stress my back. It is not worth getting injured. I like to take it slower when I weight lift and make sure my form is right. Man we worked hard though! That class kicks my butt every single time and there are not a lot of things that do that.

Have a great night!

 

[gailrmv]

Oh, Rod, you will find this funny speaking of skating. When we were over at North Hills last weekend they had an ice skating rink set up. I was like COOL! I love ice skating - but how are they doing that in Raleigh? Upon closer inspection it was not really an outdoor ice rink at all but wood painted grey to look like ice. Little kids were trying to skate on it and of course, couldn''t. I was laughing because it was one of the lamest things I have ever seen! I hope that they were planning on making ice at some point - otherwise there would be absolutely no point to this thing!

 

[gailrmv]

Oh! Mara sorry for the threadjack but I wasn't sure where best to get your attention. Thanks for your reply re: the bluenile hoops, if I order them I'll let you know what I think. I'm pretty sure if I do get hoops I will get .50 tcw huggies, but I'm still looking around. I'm intrigued..you said you saw the hoops from WF and liked them...was it the exact ones from their site - these? http://www.whiteflash.com/Fine-jewelry/Diamond_Studs/Huggable-Diamond-Earrings_1133.htm The price is great but I wasn't sure that .14 would be very visible - what did you think?

 

[marcy]

We watched the 1988 TV mini series “Bourne Identity” tonight. It was good. My husband said it followed the book pretty closely.
Tdiddy, yeah for getting in a good workout today. I am hungry for a baked potato so plan on having one tomorrow.
Rod, sorry to hear they had more layoffs at work. That is wonderful to have someone comment on your biceps; I sure that put a smile on your face. I’m glad I gave you a chuckle with my Trekkie joke. I hope to see better numbers in the morning on the scale. I did drink lots of water today and avoided salty foods.
TanDogMom, I think I will like the bands once I figure out what to do with them. I am not a natural athlete so my DH will help me get going on them. I do think I feel something from it; I didn’t push too hard since it was the first time. I’d pick huggies over a bangle bracelet mostly because bangles drive me crazy. I hate them banging on things. I do love them though; I’ve had a few but always end up selling them. I agree they give you way too much food in restaurants. It sounds like your boot camp class is quite a work out.

 

[jas]

Moooo from Florida.

Three hours on the bike yesterday. Three!!! After a hesitant first few minutes figuring out proper seat height (I have freakishly short legs), all was well. We rode all over this little island, to the point where yours truly was even playing with gears! I was instantly transported back to grade school when my bike was my freedom and my power.

The only negative was that I rode my FIL''s bike. He has a special seat built for men who have prostate issues. Additionally, it has zero padding on it, so the seat felt like it was digging into my pelvis looking for buried treasure. Ow!

During the trek we snacked on some sweet-and-salty bars, which hit the spot after hour #2. I was so proud of myself!

Lunch was a few pad thai noodles (waaaay too salty but so good) and some raw veggies. We then went for another walk on the beach for 90 minutes yesterday! We spent a lot of time watching pelicans fish. If you''ve never seen pelicans fish, I highly recommend it. I was so excited to be getting so much exercise, but I did not match it with healthy eating.

We went to dinner and although I tried to order healthy (swordfish and veggies) they were swimming in butter, and therefore irresistably good. I had a sweet potato as well, or should I say, a pound of butter with a sweet potato on the side. I know I''m supposed to ask about stuff like butter, but I forgot (or I chose not to. Who knows why I do what I do?)

To top it off, we went to the local ice cream joint and I ordered what I think is the world''s best flavor ever -- it was basically malt-flavored ice cream with malt balls and chocolate chips. Heaven in a cup. Here, once again, JAS thinks she''s doing ok by ordering a small, but apparently the owner/scooper was so frickin'' amused by DH and me that she doubled the portion (according to the locals we passed). I ate about 2/3 of this and using all my willpower, brought the rest home and put it in the freezer.

To the best of my calculations (and I do conservative entries on Sparkpeople), I burned about 750 calories yesterday and ate about 2200??!!! So even factoring in the exercise, I still went over my budgeted calories. Ugh.

I know it will come off, the problem is with me, these sorts of mini-rises in weight take a looong time to take off. Easy to put on, though.

I desperately need to stay away from that satanically delish ice cream place!

Yeah, so, boo hoo me. I''m eating well, I''m outside having fun and my only worry is I''m supposed to have one more meeting with Zippy the Pinhead next week (which I am trying to figure out how to do over the phone with a fax/email combo thrown in...there''s no reason to meet in person) and three more rehearsals for the school play. And that in a few months my cobra runs out (which makes me panic). But other than that, I am leading a rather charmed life.

DeeJay -- Hooray sore butt! I am glad things in the current world of real estate are actually hopping for ya. Unless they are making you hopping mad, in which case, never mind.
Marcy - Yea for being back on track! LOL about walking in front of the PS3...that would certainly lead many to what they believe is justifiable homicide. Another LOL about your email to your coworker. Funny!
Appletini -- Hooray on your hostess-with-the-mostess eating plan! How great that you have some decorating ideas!
Hey Steph! Sounds like you did the whole beach-fish-veggie thing the right way!!!
Kimberly -- Loose jeans = gratification! Way to go! Hope dinner w/ your mom was fun.
Skippy -- I am certain that lots of kids in school had a crush on you! How cute that you blushed.
tdiddy -- awesome on the workout. Panera is my carb downfall, but boy your sammie sounds so good!
Rod -- so sorry about all the stress at work. Nothing like putting everyone on edge, huh? Rod and His Amazing Bulging Biceps! Whoo!
TDM - That boot camp class would intimidate me; I am so impressed you are doing it! It''s a good point about form, though. Does anyone ever get injured from the pace, or are all of the students super fit to start with? LOL and EWWW about onion rings on tacos. You''re so funny with your description!

DH is up and stirring, so another day of biking, getting a sore fanny, and fun will now start in earnest. Tonight I''m grilling so at least we know exactly how many pounds of butter we''re eating.

Lordy I loves my vacations!
Have a wonderful Friday!

 

[Mara]

morning all!! happy friday to those who are working today....!!

greg is working from home today (in quotes hehee)...he was like well i have a few calls but other than that, why go in to just come home at like 2pm. good point! so we love having him around, feels like a weekend.

tonite we are having a cocktail appetizer post-holiday party for some friends....a lot of people are out of town but we thought it'd be fun to get together anyone in town to celebrate post xmas, pre new year style. so i'll be making a champagne punch and hot mulled cider, we'll have wines and spiked eggnog...and about 8-10 appetizers with about 3-4 desserts.

i am so happy to report that the cookie overload in our household is coming to an end. we have about 3-4 of the ones i still like, we ate all of alj's chocolate chippers (so yummy) to the tune of like 3-4 per day...hehee. our desserts are gone basically, which is good. so seems like i'll be back on track quite easily after the new year. and i've been staying active so i'm not worried. i don't plan to weigh myself for at least a week after new year though...why bother getting depressed over something that will just come off the first week of back on the wagon anyway? hehee. and my stomach is still flat thank goodness! must be all this ab work i am doing.

so yesterday i went out into the brisk cold and did a 2.3 mile walk/run with portia...i could have kept going but i could tell she was done for and wanted to come back inside. i was going to the gym today but last nite i was SO tired i fell asleep at like 10pm so i don't know if maybe my body wants extra rest today. we plan to do another walk/run tomorrow and then i will work out sunday morning before we leave for mendocino so i am thinking maybe today is an okay day to take off, esp with the party prep i am going to be doing (and cleaning).

last nite we went over to our neighbors for one last dinner with her parents before they head back to austria. her dad the chef made some yummy apps for us, we brought over tamales to share and then they had TWO desserts for us! homemade crepes filled with fruit and drizzled with chocolate, whipped cream and ice cream scoops!! and then they had shared the rest of their 'christmas cake' with us which was kind of like a rolled yule log with whipped cream, chocolate light spongy cake and cherries....so yummy! and then i came home and had a dessert sweet tamale and a cookie! whee. on a roll hahaha!!

this morning we had breakkie of ff english muffin (love the TJ's 100 cal ones, they are so soft and spongy, way better than thomas's 100 cal ones), overmedium eggs and center cut bacon with coffee. lunch will be tamales at home hehe. then i'll start prep for the party! anyway hope everyone is having a wonderful day...

steph your walk on the beach sounded lovely and your food sounds good too!!
marcy and skip, don't worry ladies...those pesky lbs are probably just sodium bloating and water weight or something. it's almost impossible to gain 4 lbs in a few days unless you ate an extra 3500+ cals per day over what you typically do!!
jas yay for bike riding and i was dying laughing at the seat digging for treasure, you crack me up lady.
DJ yay for making a dent in the holiday eating with a good workout.
rod, sorry to hear that work is sucking again...but at least the wkd is around the corner and yes you can indulge more buddy!! you guys work out so amazingly hard, i know you can do more than you believe in the way of indulgences. hehee.
gail...i will live vicariously through your hoop search for now. those huggies are the ones i was looking at on WF's site but yeah i wasn't sure how blingy they'd be at such a small ctw. also they are pretty tiny. so i don't know, i might see what WF can do in the way of a stock setting with melee or something, not sure what options they have as it's something i haven't looked into but i will let you know if i do ask them and what they say. blue nile could be a good gamble on those, for the price, you can always return them!

and thanks everyone for the great words on my beautiful new pendant, i am seriously loving it and it's so big, sometimes i am like WOAH!!! hhehe.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hello all!

I went to the gym again this morning (yes THREE times this week so far!) and did 65 mins on the elliptical.

Yesterday I stayed within my cals, but I ended up eating dinner really early because I was taking a client out at 6:00. When I finally went to bed the HH looked over at me at one point and said, what the hell is going on in there? And he pointed to my stomach. Apparently the growling wasn't being contained by the covers, LOL, but I was too tired to get out of bed and eat anything.

Tonight we're going to Alinia, which is allegedly the best restaurant in America right now. The HH opted for the 12 course menu as opposed to the 24, but even still they told us to allow 3-1/2 to 4 hours for the meal. What if you do the 24 course--you bring your jammies and stay over?!

Mara, the HH has been working from home all week. It just adds to the "every day is Saturday" feel that I've been operating under ever since I gave up my old job.

Jackie, malf-flavored ice cream with malt balls an and chocolate chips?! SIGN ME UP! Oh, and put a little hot fudge on there while you're at it!

TDM, NO we are not seriously considering a third dog!!! It's just that the HH volunteers at the anti-cruelty society and there are just so many great ones that come through who need a home. (Remind me I said this later when I post that we did indeed add to the family.

)

Rod, I'm sorry to hear your company is having more lay-offs, but you will be fine, no matter what happens!

tdiddy, I love the rowing machine--I wish we had one at my tiny gym.

marcy, the problem with those 100 cal snacks for me is that the first bag is sometimes just like an appetizer to the second bag, LOL.

Stephi, let me know if the glucosamine helps. I've read mixed things about it's effectiveness, but if it works I'll be popping them right there with you.

Kimi, sounds like you have a great visit with your mom.

Steph, all this talk of great seafood makes me want some too!

appletini, good for you for getting a quick workout in.

 

[KimberlyH]

Ah, and now it''s back to my regularly scheduled programming. My mom left a little bit ago, John has put our house back together and it''s another week off for me, HOORAY! That means my elliptical and I can be good buddies, I have lots of free time to read and relax and do a bit of school work, at my leisure.

I weighed myself this morning: 128.6. Not too shabby for all of the eating I''ve done. Shouldn''t take much to get back to normal over the next week.

Mara, have a great time at your party tonight! I think you said cocktail, what are you serving?

Rod, we''re going to the auto show tomorrow and Anthony''s for dinner afterwards. If I tempt John with Christmas in Tampa with lobster next year he''ll start making plans today!

Marcy, that''s too cold!!! I wouldn''t have left the house either.

TDM, I would choose the huggies personally. I would wear a bracelet less than earrings. But I''d want both eventually.

Have a great day all! I''m going to curl up with my book.