Weekly Workout Thread 19th Feb till 25th Feb

Rosebud8506 · Feb 22, 2007

Thanks Rod for the advice

I usually do try to get myself going, but for some reason, I was not motivated at all!! I think with Jason having Monday off this week, we really did get thrown off track from our normal workout routine and I just wasn''t up for a high calorie burn. lol!

I LOVE Maggiano''s. There was one within walking distance of my old job, and that was torture even smelling them baking the bread in the morning coming into work! Even their "half" orders are WAY too much for me! I am loving their Rigatoni "D", but I am scared to even look at the nutritional info is for that... ha ha!

Today, I am off to a jeweler with my girlfriend. She is anticipating an engagement soon from her long time BF, and we are going to check out ring styles. Fun!! Then we''ll probably grab lunch. Tonight is a weight training day also. I might try to walk on the tredmill for 20 minutes or so to get in some cardio since I skipped yesterday.

Have a great Thursday

Dee*Jay · Feb 22, 2007

Oh Maggianos -- now I want Italian food, LOL! We have one only several blocks from our house but it's always SO packed and we are not good about making reservations ahead of time. We tried to go to one in the suburbs one night when we were done Christmas shopping at a mall. We were told at 9:00 pm that the wait at that point exceeded 3 hours.

Needless to say we went home and ate there!

Skippy, good for you on that great workout!

And yes, Rod, I'll be curious to see what they decide is wrong with me this afternoon. Whatever it is I hope it won't keep me from working out though because I'm starting to feel like a slug...

bee* · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/21/2007 4:17:34 PM
Author: Mara
it''s a grueling work day today but i took a PS mental break before i screamed my head off...hahaha. it''s good to check in and see how everyone is doing.

i wouldn''t worry at all about measurements changing here or there. my lower waist kind of moves between 33 and 33.25 and 33.5 depending on the day. but my jeans are fitting better than ever even though right now it''s 33.25 so i''m not stressing. and yes muscle does take up more room than fat so i would not be surprised you are gaining TG. i have read that a few times online from people who are working out and eating well...they always get stressed out that they are gaining weight but doing all the right things...but just keep at it. at least you know you ARE doing the right things for your body. over time things will stabilize.

gosh so i had this egg and cheese whole wheat burrito this morning and i was starving like an hour later!! so after i got into work, i had a 0% fage with honey, a tsp of sugar and sliced bananas. so that lasted me til now, just had 1/2 a banana and am eating the TJ''s reduced fat greek salad, which i LOVE...i am using TJ''s balsamic 25 cal dressing though and saving the yogurt greek dressing for another salad this week. i feel so snacky because i''m having a stressful workday but i am just trying to remember we''re eating out tonite and control it! lol.

kimberly i am so like you about bringing things i like to eat to places. we are having a potluck this friday at work with cake for bdays and i know people are going to bring crap...so i am going to make a big bowl of asian slaw that''s healthy, something like 30 cals for a whole cup...so i figure if nothing else i can eat that for lunch, hahaa. and then i can eat a piece of cake and it won''t be a big deal hehee.

DJ i really hope you feel better soon and it''s nothing serious or lasting!! ugh don''t you just hate being injured through some random circumstance. so frustrataing.

nejarb i have had that pain in my neck and shoulder blades, it usually goes away a day or two later, i think it''s a pinched nerve...i get it sometimes when i wake up sometimes. my neck and head hurt and are stiff and i get shooting pains when i turn my neck etc...just be patient and take it easy. it''ll go away.

better get back off to the daily grind...hope everyone has a great rest of the day!!

oh doh, my measurements etc:

weight: 133/134

arm: 9.75''

bust: 35''ish

waist: 27''

lower waist: 33.25''

hips: 36.5'' (whee progress!)

thigh: 20''

and i measured calves: 13.5''

i saw in some shape mag they had these girls who were doing body makeovers measure their calves and i was curious about mine. i have kind of stick legs...hehe. and i am so jazzed my hips continue to shrink.

bee, you asked above how you target losing weight in one area, i think from my experience it''s very hard. my body just did whatever it wanted to. it took MONTHS for my hips to start moving down though other things were changing. and now everything else is staying the same and my hips are continuing to shrink. that is like the last area of progress for me. so i figure do what you can and then stick with it and eventually all the areas you want to change will catch up to each other.

That''s great to know that it does come off eventually! I was hoping that it would come off around there sooner, but as long as I know that it does come off eventually I''m happy with that!!

KimberlyH · Feb 22, 2007

Morning All!

Rod: Way to avoid the GCCs. We can''t have them in the house, I''d eat them all! And I''m so glad you are getting comfortable in NC, getting to know people at the gym, that''s awesome!

I am a once I start I can''t stop eater, so it''s easier for me to just not start. DH has mini peanut butter cups in the house and I decded to have 2 for a snack the other day and 2 turned into 5 and ended up being my only snack for the day; not so healthy and not so good. So if I just don''t start eating those things then I don''t have to implement super will power.

We ended up not going to Wahoo''s last night. I got over my burrito craving and told J we could go wherever he wanted to so he said it was a suprise and just drove. We ended up at this fantastic restaurant we haven''t been to in a while called Parallel 33. I had about 5 oz. of my rib eye steak, it was definitely good, but not my fave cut of meat, with wasabi infused mashed potatoes, can I say DELISH!!, but I only picked at them, pea pods and shitake mishrooms. The meal was great but I wasn''t extremely hungry so I ended up eating all my veggies and only a bit of the potatoes and, as I said 5 oz. or so of my steak. We skipped dessert as we were both just full.

J wanted me to add his weekly weigh in to our thread yesterday and I forgot to so here it is. He started off, on Jan. 3, at 168 lbs., he now weighs 155.4 lbs.

Today is a non-workout day.

Lorelei · Feb 22, 2007

Dee take care of yourself! I am still hobbling with my back, but hope to workout again soon.

Mara · Feb 22, 2007

wow Kim, give J our congrats...he has done awesome! you both sound super fit and trim now.

DJ i hope your DR appt gives you some answers today, ideally some non-serious ones. also based on my own recent experience, if it doesn''t sound like what you think is wrong with you or the diagnosis really sounds like what is NOT wrong with you, push back. if i had accepted that 2nd doctor''s IBS prognosis even though i totally felt it was wrong, i''d probably be doing all the wrong things to treat myself and i''d still be in pain.

bee, don''t worry it will get there. just focus on continuing your efforts and the way i figure it is once you are trim all over, things like hips have no choice but to submit to your will lol.

awww man lorelei i am sorry to hear you are still in pain with your back. do you take meds? heating pad? maybe one good day of solid rest, no hobbling around (or minimal anyway)? take care yourself.

yeah maggianos is definitely yummy, but it''s so mass america. i don''t know if anyone read what i posted previously but they do not post nutritional information online and a lot of online blogs were kind of irritated with that. well hello there''s a reason. those huge portions, think they are remotely good for your waistline or heart? the SMALL pastas, the 1/2 servings? ONE POUND of pasta. that''s 8 technical servings if you were making it from a box. one pound is a box. and that is what they serve you as the small. and just for posterity, one lb of plain pasta is 1600 cals.

i was telling my sister and dad they should share their spaghetti last nite and the lady was like ''oh yeah get the large''...i said ''no not the large, the small'' and she goes ''oh that is for one person''..i was like ''one person to eat the entire day long you mean?''...no way does that bowl serve one person. or it SHOULDN''T anyway. they ended up not splitting because my dad was getting sausage and she got the meatball but they both took home 1/2 or more than 1/2. my ''small'' order of mussels was 20oz. that''s over a lb of mussels. the large was 40! and it''s all so cheap! $9.00 for the small mussels, add a ''side'' of spaghetti and meat for $2.95. i added a side and thought oh small plate and then as we were eating apps i thought i do not need that small side! and my sister said i could just snitch some from her, so i cancelled the side and boy was i happy i did. it probably was the size of one of those long skinny appetizer plates. but anyway, it was a good dinner...and i enjoyed it!

breakfast this morning was 2 nutrigrain waffles with butter spray, flax meal and some joseph''s syrup, yum. snack will be an applesauce bran muffin and lunch a LC chicken marsala. i am going to try to reign in the snacking this afternoon...

speaking of snacking, does anyone else feel like doing the ''lots of small meals'' thing can mentally mess with your head? i eat basically all day long, to the tune of about 800-900 cals by the time i get home. then we eat a 600ish cal dinner and i have a dessert and i''m done around 1500-1700 depending on the day. it''s working out for me in terms of maintenance which is what i want...but sometimes during the day i think gosh i am such an eater. i never used to snack AT ALL. i had like 3 big meals and that was it. i prided myself on not being a snacker because as kim says, once you start it''s hard to stop. BUT it''s better for your body to have the smaller meals more often. and i surely did reach my goal and have still been dropping body fat and trimming up. so maybe my body likes what i am doing with the smaller meals. but i hardly ever feel actually FULL. and sometimes i miss that. my coworker does the same thing as me and she thought that maybe it was because we never really feel quite ''satisfied'' with what we eat, because it''s mentally not enough in quantity to create that satiation point? so we are always thinking about the next thing to eat. i typically don''t overeat in terms of CALORIES...but like yesterday i felt like i was eating all day long...i think i ate 8 things and i was there 8 hours so that''s like one thing an hour. of course it was 99% healthy stuff...but it''s still consumption.

on one hand i think well if it ain''t broke, don''t fix it and it obviously is working physically. also what''s the alternative? go back to eating larger meals less often so i am more ''full''? my body might not like that and i surely don''t want to gain any weight. i guess i should just continue to try to retrain my brain to know it''s okay to do the snacking...even if i just have never been a snacker, it''s hard to undo like 20+ years of not snacking. hahaa. anyway random ramble but there it is.

KimberlyH · Feb 22, 2007

Mara,

I do know what you mean about snacking and it''s a tough transition because snacking was, in part, how I ended up overweight in the first place. I would worry less about that and focus on the fact that you aren''t eating a ton of calories. That''s the important part. And you''ll hear it over and over again, more meals w/ less food throughout the day (ideally 5 or 6) helps keep metabolism moving, which we all know is good!

I don''t snack in the mornings. I usually have one or two snacks in the afternoon and then a treat after dinner. So essentially I am eating 4 or 5 times a day. I don''t feel like this is too much. But perhaps you could condense your snacks, instead of one every hour have two every two hours so it you won''t be eating so often if it''s bugging you.

Thanks for the compliment, Mara, I''ll share it with J. I talked to my mom yesterday and we were discussing calorie counting and weight loss and I told her what I''m down to and she got a bit concerned "are you eating enough?" "are you too thin?" it was cute.

TravelingGal · Feb 22, 2007

Whoo hoo Kimberly...send J my congrats as well...great job!

LOL Mara, I had to laugh at your lecturing the waitress. We had the same issue awhile back when we went to Buca di Peppo. Their smalls say they serve 2 people. Which is fine if you only order that ONE dish. But who goes there and orders only one thing? She wanted us to order larges of everything (there were 8 of us). I''m like, uh...no.

When I went briefly back to 3 large meals because I was traveling, I found I was hungry during snack time. Body gets used to eating this way. I have to eat something every two hours or so. Has anyone ever seen "about a boy?" He measures his day in units. Likewise, I find the day goes by SO fast when I am feeding myself every couple of hours because life is in 2 hour units for me.

Breakfast today was a 1 egg 2 white omelette with cheese. Have no idea what I am going to eat for lunch...maybe a TJ''s pizza.

Mara · Feb 22, 2007

oh yeah TG it''s crazy about the food portions. i mean i understand they want to sell food but it''s like come on. don''t they see how many times people take stuff home?? also last week we went to get a burrito at this awesome fresh mex place...and i was asking them all sorts of Q''s like how they make their beans and rice and this and that and can they make me a small burrito but with chicken etc. and the girl acted like i had three heads. i was thinking does no one ever ask about anything like this? and then i when i asked about a smaller burrito and paying full price (which they would not do, whaa??) she was like ''how about you order everything in a side dish form then make your own burrito''...i was like okay how is that less portions? aren''t the side portions kinda big. just TOTALLY not getting the point there. anyway, now that i have 90 cal burrito tortillas in the future when we go there i will just take home the burrito and unroll it and put it all into my own tortilla. it may sound weird but i''ll be saving about 350 calories if not more by just doing that and i really like the INSIDES of the burrito anyway, not necessarily the tortilla. and no brainer, 450 cal tortilla or 90? hmm!?

Kim...yeah that is basically what i think about the snacking. problem is that once i get used to doing it, it''s a habit and it''s hard to break. plus in the afternoons the time DRAGS for me so the time between 1:30pm and 5pm is always when i consume like 350 cals. which isn''t a huge deal really, but i''m like are these necessary? maybe i can eat more for lunch. so i''m going to try experimenting a bit. and also bringing more fruit because at least if i snack then it will be more fruit and less carbs etc. we''ll see. some days i don''t snack as much and others i do. but yeah, if it ain''t broke kinda thing...i just don''t want to get TOO into the habit of HAVING to snack all day long because then your body does get upset if you change the routine.

Mara · Feb 22, 2007

heeh guess I am the only one around today...had my applesauce muffin for snack, SUPER tasty. gotta love oat bran. cup of green tea. my LC chicken marsala for lunch with some lemon carrots, and right now just had my last slice of TJ''s banana bread (god it''s good it was the last slice..!!).

hope everyone is having a great afternoon!!! it was pouring outside earlier but now it''s clearing up...good i guess!

KimberlyH · Feb 22, 2007

I''m here with nothing to report. I had tortilla soup for lunch. J is making dinner, who knows what it will be.

TravelingGal · Feb 22, 2007

I'm here!

It was beautiful and sunny, but I hear a downpour is imminent so I am not going out for a run. I got caught in the rain 3 miles from my house before and let me tell you, it is not fun running back in pouring rain with soggy sneakers. Instead, I am going to leave a bit early today and head to the gym for my 4th workout of the week. Today should bring me up to 1500 cal for the week (pilates burns pitiful calories).

I had TJ's pizza for lunch. Stuffed! I am thinking about doing an experiment. I have the biggest chocolate craving. I have a can of ghiradelli non sweetened cocoa powder in the pantry. It's only 15 calories a TB, so I am wondering if I mix that and some splenda in the Fage yogurt, would it be satisfying? Hmmm....

Don't know what dinner is going to be. I'm home alone, so maybe just leftover lasagna again. I can treat myself to one glass one wine with it perhaps...

Rod · Feb 22, 2007

Mara, you''ve described what I thnk is wrong with restaurants in America, like Maggiano''s. For me (and I guess I am a restaurant snob so sorry if I offend anyone with this) but any restaurant that has to give me a vibrating pager to let me know when my table is ready is usually not a place I want to eat. I just don''t care for the large (pun intended) chain places that serve HUGE portions of basically just OK food. I''ve been to two different Maggiano''s and had two dreadful dining experiences. And I had to wait with beeper in hand too long to get the opportunity to have "Too Much, Just OK" food. I''m all about quality not quantity. The Cheesecake Factory is another example of huge portions, long waits and just OK food.

There........Rod Rant Over.

It''s almost 5 PM east coast time and I''ll be able to head out to the gym in the next hour or so. It''s been a good day here at work, but there are still dozens of open GS cookies all over the place. Still, none had passed my lips!! We do have a big jar of mini pretzels in the kitchen and when I need a little snack during the afternoon, I just grab two pretzels occassionally and that gives me a little boost. I also have protein bars (lower calorie ones) in my desk and if I feel I need a little extra fuel for a workout, I''ll eat one of those. Otherwise, I haven''t been snacking too much lately. I used to keep a big jar of almonds in my desk, but haven''t done that since moving to Raleigh.

Please offer J my congrats too Kimberly! Sorry your back is still hurting Lorelei.

Mara · Feb 22, 2007

oh rod i am not a fan of places like the cheesecake factory either. i have to say sometimes outback steakhouse is a guilty pleasure of ours (love their frozen fun drinks) but ever since i found out that a bloomin onion is 2k cals, and knowing that greg and i would get one to share (and eat like 1/2)...scared me so badly that we haven''t gone in like 6+ months probably.

oh yeah and last nite when we were seated at this booth...the table was placed permanently so far out from where we were sitting in our booth...i was like why is the table so far out from our bodies? then realized, hello this is a permanently placed table so they can''t move it in and out. so they have to be able to accommodate all types of people in those booths, all shapes and sizes. and i''m sure there are many larger individuals that dine at places like that on a weekly or more often basis. one guy over by the bar was eating a LARGE spaghetti and meatball all by himself. that is 2 lbs of pasta!!!

KimberlyH · Feb 22, 2007

Mara, Outback is on of the few chain restaurants I will eat at. Actually, it''s the only one we''ve been to by choice (we had dinner at a Macaroni Grill around X-Mas time because our friend is the manager and he was working so we went with his family to exchange gifts so he could take his break and eat with us) in 2+ years. I always get the exact same thing (grilled chicken caesar salad, dressing on the side 1 piece of bread).

We went to this great little cafe last week and there''s a Cheesecake Factory accross the way with a line out the door and there''s tons of empty tables at the restaurant we were at and John and I said the same thing at the same time, "Why are those people waiting to eat there when they could come here?" We live in a supersized world, that''s what everyone wants...more food.

We actually had this conversation last night because they seem to have increased the portion sizes at the place we ate since the last time we''d been in. I was really disappointed that 3/4 of what was on my plate was wasted because it is just too much for my tummy!

DeeJay should be finishing up her appt. soon. I hope that all went well and the MD has figured out what the problem (and solution!) is.

Rod · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 5:10:05 PM
Author: Mara
oh rod i am not a fan of places like the cheesecake factory either. i have to say sometimes outback steakhouse is a guilty pleasure of ours (love their frozen fun drinks) but ever since i found out that a bloomin onion is 2k cals, and knowing that greg and i would get one to share (and eat like 1/2)...scared me so badly that we haven't gone in like 6+ months probably.

oh yeah and last nite when we were seated at this booth...the table was placed permanently so far out from where we were sitting in our booth...i was like why is the table so far out from our bodies? then realized, hello this is a permanently placed table so they can't move it in and out. so they have to be able to accommodate all types of people in those booths, all shapes and sizes. and i'm sure there are many larger individuals that dine at places like that on a weekly or more often basis. one guy over by the bar was eating a LARGE spaghetti and meatball all by himself. that is 2 lbs of pasta!!!

And he probably finished the entire 2 lbs of pasta and he probably has a big gut and he probably wonders why he's gotten so large and he probably just thinks that his metabolism has slowed down over the years and that everyone get's fat eventually and............(that could have been Rod at one time). Ok......second Rod Rant over. I wonder when people are going to sue more restaurants for feeding them (us) too much food when they know they are helping us to our graves, just like the tobacco companies are. Well, maybe Rod Rant not over............

PS: I have difficulty envisioning you or Greg in a Maggiano's or a Cheesecake Factory type restaurant. I think you're palate is way too refined for them!!!

Rosebud8506 · Feb 22, 2007

I''d like to add to the bloomin'' onion: the one at chili''s is even worse, I think its more like 2,200 calories and 116 grams of fat, (i''m trying to recall). I was happy to see my favorite salad, Southwestern Cobb on there was only 650 cals and then dressing was 110 ( I get lowfat ranch) and I barely eat the whole thing anyways.

this is why i hate eating out!!

I will try to be better starting tomorrow. I have an interview for a job tomorrow morning

if I get the job, and the odds are pretty good that I will since I had a friend refer me, then I will celebrate with a margarita. Did anyone else get that email today from hungrygirl & the low-cal tropical margarita drinks?? YUM. 105 cals for one marg, not too shabby....

TravelingGal · Feb 22, 2007

We have an outback near us, and I always poo-poo'd it. However, we joined some friends there recently, and found out they have some great, hard to find australian beers by the bottle! We always just thought they only had fosters on tap. Now TGuy is happy to go and just sit and have a drink...and at $5, coopers sparkling ale is a great deal.

Having my fage right now. My experiment is only so-so. There is a chocolate taste there, but it isn't fab. However, it is definitely killing all chocolate cravings I had, and I guess that is the point. At only 150 cals for the entire thing, that is not a bad snack...

ETA, I am liking my faux choc pudding snack the more and more I eat it...

Dee*Jay · Feb 22, 2007

Hello all. Not really much to report, unfortunately. They listend to my heart and lungs, did an EKG, sucked out four big viles of my blood and said to take some Aleve. There is a list of several things it *might* be but they aren't giving any real diagnosis until the tests come back. My mandate is to go to the emergency room if anything gets any worse and not to work out until they have some idea of what's going on. So now I wait, either for a diagnosis or for whatever this is to clear up on it's own. I hope this doesn't undo all the good that I've created these past few months...

Anyway, for dinner I'm having TJ's shu mai (which I think of as potstickers). There is also all sorts of other good TJ's stuff in the freezer that I had forgotten about since I hadn't peeked in there for a few days so I'm definitely not going to starve to death while the HH is gone.

Mara, have you had your shu mai yet? I'll be interested to hear what you think of them.

Kimberly, what did J make for dinner?

TJ, I am seriously going to have to find this farge stuff that you all are talking about. Anything that you can mix with chocolate is OK with me!

Rod, chain restaurants are a waste of good commercial space in my opinion. There is so much great food in Chicago that the HH and I RARELY go to one. I'm trying to think of the last one we've been to and I really can't even reacall.

Rosebud, good luck on your interview tomorrow! And if the low cal margs are any good you have to post the receipe.

And Lorelei, hope your back is feeling better and that you're able to work out again. Do a few minutes on the elliptical for me, will ya?

canuk-gal · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 7:59:32 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Hello all. Not really much to report, unfortunately. They listend to my heart and lungs, did an EKG, sucked out four big viles of my blood and said to take some Aleve.

HI DJ:

I hope when you hear the news, it is all good.

cheers--Sharon

TravelingGal · Feb 22, 2007

DJ, you may be disappointed with mixing Fage with chocolate. I was craving chocolate so tried to nix the craving this way. It did manage to curb the craving, but the yogurt is still yogurt, and the tarty tang is still evident in the aftertaste. Either that or it was the splenda, but something wasn't quite satisfying. I think the Fage is best with a high grade honey.

Just got back from the gym! Burned 650 cal or so, and now I am getting ready for a nice quiet night at home all by myself. Whoo hoo! Being totally lazy and will have leftovers for dinner, but I am going to open a bottle of wine and allow myself a 100 cal pour.

Hope everyone is having a great evening!

ETA, I meant to add that I will keep my fingers crossed for your health DJ!

KimberlyH · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 7:59:32 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Hello all. Not really much to report, unfortunately. They listend to my heart and lungs, did an EKG, sucked out four big viles of my blood and said to take some Aleve. There is a list of several things it *might* be but they aren''t giving any real diagnosis until the tests come back. My mandate is to go to the emergency room if anything gets any worse and not to work out until they have some idea of what''s going on. So now I wait, either for a diagnosis or for whatever this is to clear up on it''s own. I hope this doesn''t undo all the good that I''ve created these past few months...

Anyway, for dinner I''m having TJ''s shu mai (which I think of as potstickers). There is also all sorts of other good TJ''s stuff in the freezer that I had forgotten about since I hadn''t peeked in there for a few days so I''m definitely not going to starve to death while the HH is gone.

Mara, have you had your shu mai yet? I''ll be interested to hear what you think of them.

Kimberly, what did J make for dinner?

TJ, I am seriously going to have to find this farge stuff that you all are talking about. Anything that you can mix with chocolate is OK with me!

Rod, chain restaurants are a waste of good commercial space in my opinion. There is so much great food in Chicago that the HH and I RARELY go to one. I''m trying to think of the last one we''ve been to and I really can''t even reacall.

Rosebud, good luck on your interview tomorrow! And if the low cal margs are any good you have to post the receipe.

And Lorelei, hope your back is feeling better and that you''re able to work out again. Do a few minutes on the elliptical for me, will ya?

DeeJay,

I am so sorry you are left waiting for results, how absolutely frustrating for you.

I am so bummed for you.

John is making veal, brocolli and carrots and a green salad. He''s cooking as I type this. I have a nasty tension headache that started about 4 hours ago, so I am sitting in the dark waiting for dinner.

You''ve got that right about Chicago food...yum yum. John has to go sign some paperwork for a business deal in Chicago next month; he''s organized his trip to coincide with a trip my mom and I are taking to visit my sister. My first question was "where are you going to eat?" He just laughed at me (oh, and then said he''ll probably just eat at Coq d''Or, cuz it''s in the hotel).

Rod · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 7:59:32 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Hello all. Not really much to report, unfortunately. They listend to my heart and lungs, did an EKG, sucked out four big viles of my blood and said to take some Aleve. There is a list of several things it *might* be but they aren''t giving any real diagnosis until the tests come back. My mandate is to go to the emergency room if anything gets any worse and not to work out until they have some idea of what''s going on. So now I wait, either for a diagnosis or for whatever this is to clear up on it''s own. I hope this doesn''t undo all the good that I''ve created these past few months...

Anyway, for dinner I''m having TJ''s shu mai (which I think of as potstickers). There is also all sorts of other good TJ''s stuff in the freezer that I had forgotten about since I hadn''t peeked in there for a few days so I''m definitely not going to starve to death while the HH is gone.

Mara, have you had your shu mai yet? I''ll be interested to hear what you think of them.

Kimberly, what did J make for dinner?

TJ, I am seriously going to have to find this farge stuff that you all are talking about. Anything that you can mix with chocolate is OK with me!

Rod, chain restaurants are a waste of good commercial space in my opinion. There is so much great food in Chicago that the HH and I RARELY go to one. I''m trying to think of the last one we''ve been to and I really can''t even reacall.

Rosebud, good luck on your interview tomorrow! And if the low cal margs are any good you have to post the receipe.

And Lorelei, hope your back is feeling better and that you''re able to work out again. Do a few minutes on the elliptical for me, will ya?

Oh DeeJay, there''s nothing worse than knowing something''s not 100%, seeing a doctor and not knowing anything. DO NOT LET THIS GET TO YOU. OK?? Promise! You''re going to get good news and they''re not going to find anything wrong with you and you''ll likely chalk this up to a muscle that didn''t like being pushed so hard. At least that''s what I hope you learn. Just know you have a family of friends who are all making sure you''re in our prayers.

And I agree with you that chain restaurants are a waste of good commercial space. I guess I''m such a restaurant snob that I can''t even appreciate Outback. I find there are so many wonderful independent restaurants to enjoy and none of them give pagers to let you know you can finally have a table. Funny how I''ve learned that if there are a lot of people waiting for a table, it doesn''t necessarily mean the foods good. It often means it''s designed for the masses and I''m definitely not a "for the masses kind of guy!"

I had a fantastic workout tonight. I know your waiting till the doctor releases you to go back, so I won''t go into details. Tomorrow is Sushi night. YAY!!

Take care.........Rod

KimberlyH · Feb 22, 2007

I just found out why my husband eats at Outback while avoiding all other chain restaurants like the plague...they send food to our troops. Neither of us supports the war, but we both support the military. I think that''s sweet and endearing of him, but I''m not suprised! I should have known there was a reason for it.

We talked about the overfeeding going on in restaurants and his contribution to our discussion is that the average person feels cheated if they don''t walk out the door with a styrafome box in their hand. Neither of us eats leftovers, so that would explain part of our distaste for the "too much food" phenomenon.

Rod · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 10:36:22 PM
Author: KimberlyH
I just found out why my husband eats at Outback while avoiding all other chain restaurants like the plague...they send food to our troops. Neither of us supports the war, but we both support the military. I think that''s sweet and endearing of him, but I''m not suprised! I should have known there was a reason for it.

We talked about the overfeeding going on in restaurants and his contribution to our discussion is that the average person feels cheated if they don''t walk out the door with a styrafome box in their hand. Neither of us eats leftovers, so that would explain part of our distaste for the ''too much food'' phenomenon.

I agree with you, but I aso think many don''t leave with styrofoam containers because they eat everything on their plate and they feel if they don''t walk out of a restaurant feeling completely full, they didn''t get value for their dollar. We live in a wold that measures everything by size. Our cars have grown to be huge in size and gas consumption. I''m mean really, unless you have a passel of children how many peope really need those huge SUV Earth Destroyers? I see so many people driving huge SUV''s or passenger vans and there''s only one kid in the back or more often, no kids whatsoever. They''ve become so big, they can hardly fit in parking spaces. OK....Rant One.

How about houses these days????????? They get bigger and bigger and we feel we have to have no less than 4 toilets in every house (many have even more) and virtually every home being built today is in the 4,000 square foot range with three car garages. Do we really need this much space? Of course not, but we would be embarrased to let our friends think we would find anything smaller acceptable. When did we start needing so much space???? OK. Rant Two complete.

Have a nice evening everyone!!!

Mara · Feb 22, 2007

awww DJ I am so sorry you don't have a diagnosis yet, but just keep pushing them to get something back to you. it might take a while. i hear ya on the non workout frustration, seems like it's going around the wwt...!!

so i had a really grueling workday and i think i am going to give my resignation tomorrow. long story short, my boss is pretty much a workaholic bipolar psycho and i have been increasingly dreading going to work since i started there. she says the most inappropriate (read: really rude) things to you and expects you to take it and shut up. well i typically give her a bit of it back but today she and i just got into it big time when she flamed at me and talked to me in a way NO ONE talks to me...and hasn't talked to me in that manner since i was like 5. so we have a 'review' meeting tomorrow morning where god knows what she will say to me, and greg told me just to offer my resignation in the meeting before it even gets started. it's really tough for me to do this, and i hate confrontation, but he's right...he's tired of hearing about my boss, i am tired of feeling this draining stress about her, and no amount of money or potential money is worth this stress. i honestly wouldn't be surprised if some of my stomach problems stemmed from this work situation. anyway...i don't want to harp on it...but i am worried about tomorrow because i think she might just flip out...and i really am not looking fwd to being unemployed either...booo...but greg is totally supportive and we will be more than fine for a while as i find a new gig, but i really had hoped this would be the place for me for a while when i went there. but i have to take the high road and respect myself enough to know i don't want to work in this environment and just get out. also this place had a ton of income potential (i already got a bonus that was very nice) but seriously, not worth it.

it's just stressful for me also because i am all alone at home, and typically i would use greg as a sounding board for what will go on tomorrow and i am having this big event happen and he's not here. so while i am really happy he is out having a blast with his buds, and he deserves it, i selfishly kind of wish he was here with me instead. but anyway...i digress from workout stuff, sorry!!

so after work and all this drama occured i went to the gym...i felt REALLY out of it because i get these crazy adrenaline rushes when i am confronted or i have an angry situation at hand (really really rare, believe it or not i am really mellow in person and hate being upset) but i saw my mom there and she gave me a pep talk and i worked out and thought about what was going on and it was actually kind of mentally therapeutic and passed the time. so did 55 minutes and burned 515 cals. then i went and did arms for about 20 minutes, so i figure total was about 550 cals tonite.

came home and made myself a hodgepodge dinner, i love these because they are so fun to eat. i made a boca burger and seasoned it with asian spices and garlic...and put some soy sauce on it. i made one serving of the shu mai (total YUM DJ!) and also made a homemade asian slaw using pre-cut 3 tpyes of shreds, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, chinese 5 spice, pepper, and a bit of honey and sugar. really yummy!!! and lots of protein and the cabbage in the salad is a nice source of fiber and it's low cal for the most part. so whole dinner was about 330 cals total. i left myself about 250 cals for dessert (i'll be lucky if i don't eat the whole ice cream container during this time of stress!)...so i don't know what i want but i'll figure it out.

also at the store tonite, happened upon a nirvana!! fresh in the bakery, 130 cal 97% fat free cinammon rolls with frosting and these things are HUGE. i was like OKAY. there are 4 in there..and tomorrow when i go in for my last stand at work i'm taking my coworker/friend (who i will TOTALLY miss!!!) one of them as a parting gift, hehee. i talked to her tonite on the phone for like an hour because she was kind of involved in all the drama today and if i leave she is not far behind me, she won't last very long as she is also VERY unhappy. but i'm jazzed about having a yummy cinammon roll tomorrow morning, hehe.

lol rod about not seeing us at outback type places, we really don't go to chain places like that very often at all. but sometimes you just have a craving!!! but for the most part, we do love those more independent small kind of places where it's about quality and not quantity as you guys know i am a total foodie. there are also times i think about 'oh it'd be so yummy to have XYZ from ABC' and then i'm like...nahhh.. hehe.

anyhow, hope everyone is having a fabulouso night...oh and rod we were looking into the east coast trip and visiting raleigh in may and we might be out there the weekend of memorial day. i was checking out flights yesterday, so if we do come out there, i will definitely post and we can meet up for some sushi or something fabulous. i think we will be out there that thursday and friday before memorial day, so like the 24 and 25.

Rod · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 11:40:36 PM
Author: Mara
awww DJ I am so sorry you don't have a diagnosis yet, but just keep pushing them to get something back to you. it might take a while. i hear ya on the non workout frustration, seems like it's going around the wwt...!!

so i had a really grueling workday and i think i am going to give my resignation tomorrow. long story short, my boss is pretty much a workaholic bipolar psycho and i have been increasingly dreading going to work since i started there. she says the most inappropriate (read: really rude) things to you and expects you to take it and shut up. well i typically give her a bit of it back but today she and i just got into it big time when she flamed at me and talked to me in a way NO ONE talks to me...and hasn't talked to me in that manner since i was like 5. so we have a 'review' meeting tomorrow morning where god knows what she will say to me, and greg told me just to offer my resignation in the meeting before it even gets started. it's really tough for me to do this, and i hate confrontation, but he's right...he's tired of hearing about my boss, i am tired of feeling this draining stress about her, and no amount of money or potential money is worth this stress. i honestly wouldn't be surprised if some of my stomach problems stemmed from this work situation. anyway...i don't want to harp on it...but i am worried about tomorrow because i think she might just flip out...and i really am not looking fwd to being unemployed either...booo...but greg is totally supportive and we will be more than fine for a while as i find a new gig, but i really had hoped this would be the place for me for a while when i went there. but i have to take the high road and respect myself enough to know i don't want to work in this environment and just get out. also this place had a ton of income potential (i already got a bonus that was very nice) but seriously, not worth it.

it's just stressful for me also because i am all alone at home, and typically i would use greg as a sounding board for what will go on tomorrow and i am having this big event happen and he's not here. so while i am really happy he is out having a blast with his buds, and he deserves it, i selfishly kind of wish he was here with me instead. but anyway...i digress from workout stuff, sorry!!

so after work and all this drama occured i went to the gym...i felt REALLY out of it because i get these crazy adrenaline rushes when i am confronted or i have an angry situation at hand (really really rare, believe it or not i am really mellow in person and hate being upset) but i saw my mom there and she gave me a pep talk and i worked out and thought about what was going on and it was actually kind of mentally therapeutic and passed the time. so did 55 minutes and burned 515 cals. then i went and did arms for about 20 minutes, so i figure total was about 550 cals tonite.

came home and made myself a hodgepodge dinner, i love these because they are so fun to eat. i made a boca burger and seasoned it with asian spices and garlic...and put some soy sauce on it. i made one serving of the shu mai (total YUM DJ!) and also made a homemade asian slaw using pre-cut 3 tpyes of shreds, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, chinese 5 spice, pepper, and a bit of honey and sugar. really yummy!!! and lots of protein and the cabbage in the salad is a nice source of fiber and it's low cal for the most part. so whole dinner was about 330 cals total. i left myself about 250 cals for dessert (i'll be lucky if i don't eat the whole ice cream container during this time of stress!)...so i don't know what i want but i'll figure it out.

also at the store tonite, happened upon a nirvana!! fresh in the bakery, 130 cal 97% fat free cinammon rolls with frosting and these things are HUGE. i was like OKAY. there are 4 in there..and tomorrow when i go in for my last stand at work i'm taking my coworker/friend (who i will TOTALLY miss!!!) one of them as a parting gift, hehee. i talked to her tonite on the phone for like an hour because she was kind of involved in all the drama today and if i leave she is not far behind me, she won't last very long as she is also VERY unhappy. but i'm jazzed about having a yummy cinammon roll tomorrow morning, hehe.

lol rod about not seeing us at outback type places, we really don't go to chain places like that very often at all. but sometimes you just have a craving!!! but for the most part, we do love those more independent small kind of places where it's about quality and not quantity as you guys know i am a total foodie. there are also times i think about 'oh it'd be so yummy to have XYZ from ABC' and then i'm like...nahhh.. hehe.

anyhow, hope everyone is having a fabulouso night...oh and rod we were looking into the east coast trip and visiting raleigh in may and we might be out there the weekend of memorial day. i was checking out flights yesterday, so if we do come out there, i will definitely post and we can meet up for some sushi or something fabulous. i think we will be out there that thursday and friday before memorial day, so like the 24 and 25.

I'm heading to bed Mara, but I couldn't not respond to your post. I've been in the hiring and managing people business most of my life. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCE should you have to tolerate being treated in any manner other than totally professionally. I have had psycho bosses and believe me, it's just not worth being demeaned EVER. Of course I should have subscribed to my own advice, but if you and Greg can handle your finances without you having to endure psycho boss from hell, I'm with him. I had a suspician something wasn't right with your new job as you rarely if ever comment about work, except to report on food things. Anyway, much support from your Raleigh friend, Rod. Also, I don't subscribe to the you've got to have a job to find a job. So, do what you believe is the right thing for you.

Also, we would love love love to meet you and Greg and have dinner and show you around Raleigh. It would be great to have you guys here and you'd at least have two friends to start a new life in the area!!

Mara · Feb 22, 2007

thanks rod, you are so sweet...i appreciate it. i definitely have way too much respect for myself, even if she doesn''t have any for me...to continue as it is. i knew today after this happened i would be leaving as soon as possible...but i didn''t think about just flat out resigning tomorrow til greg mentioned it. i hate to ''give up'' but as long as she is there, i don''t want to be. and she won''t be going anywhere anytime soon, though i will put my complaints on record because apparently there have been multiple complaints against her and if mine can help nail her in the future, why not. the irony is that she is MY AGE....and yet many times she acts like a 22 year old with her temper tantrums and drama. craziness.

hlmr · Feb 22, 2007

Mara, that sucks.....I will be sending you positive vibes and wishing you strength tomorrow.......

katebar · Feb 22, 2007

Date: 2/22/2007 11:40:36 PM
Author: Mara

it''s just stressful for me also because i am all alone at home, and typically i would use greg as a sounding board for what will go on tomorrow and i am having this big event happen and he''s not here. so while i am really happy he is out having a blast with his buds, and he deserves it, i selfishly kind of wish he was here with me instead. but anyway...i digress from workout stuff, sorry!!

so after work and all this drama occured i went to the gym...i felt REALLY out of it because i get these crazy adrenaline rushes when i am confronted or i have an angry situation at hand (really really rare, believe it or not i am really mellow in person and hate being upset) but i saw my mom there and she gave me a pep talk and i worked out and thought about what was going on and it was actually kind of mentally therapeutic and passed the time. so did 55 minutes and burned 515 cals. then i went and did arms for about 20 minutes, so i figure total was about 550 cals tonite.

mara I am so sorry that you had to experince that and it really gets on my goat this type of workplace bullying. I think you are doing the right thing in looking for another position.
i just want you to know that your physical symptoms are complely normal. In fact you are just behaving in a normal way to something ABNORMAL happening. You did get a shot of adrenaline because that''s how our body responds to noxious stressful stimuli and boy does your boss sound noxious and toxic
good luck tomorrow and if possible practice your assertive responses

i

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