Weekly Workout Thread 2 April till 8th April

[Lorelei]

Happy new week all

I was thinking now April is here, it won''t be long until we can dig out those T shirts etc, so now is an excellent time to re-evaluate our goals, decide what areas need a little more work and bring that into our workout routines. Summer is 2 months away and plenty of time for us to see a real difference on trouble spots if we begin now. Abs and arms will be mine, so I am taking care of abs with the hands free elliptical, as I can''t do crunches with my back and I will be doing more reps of lighter weights so my arms don''t look buff!

Keep up the good work everyone!

 

[Ellen]

Morning!

While I had a fantastic time this weekend, I''m glad to see the food part go. I ate cake TWICE on Saturday.

That should last me til the wedding.

Glad to be back on track...

Lorelei, definitely no buff arms on ladies.

Hope everyone has a good week!

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All,

I finally feel like I am returning from the dead...my cold is much better today, my rib cage isn't hurting and I'm no longer hung over!!! I was a mess.

Lorelei, it sure is time...we're heading to Hawaii in the middle of May. My arms are my biggest concern, when I see stats for other people here, their arms are 2-3 inches smaller than mine. Perhaps they were built that way to balance out my large chest? But I really need to figure out how to at least tone them up, if they aren't going to change in size. I do free weights 2-3 times a week but see no improvement, even though I'm feeling the muscles working during my exercises.

Rod: Hope packing is going well.

Mara: Hope you're enjoying your week off.

Lorelei: How's your toe? John broke his baby toe on his right foot over the weekend and it made me think of you.

DeeJay: I hope your wading through your project successfully!

Happy first week of April all!

 

[Mara]

oh no sorry to hear about john's toe kimerly! yes lorelei how is yours doing???

well it's tshirt weather here and has been for about 2-3 weeks...actually tank top weather. give or take one or two rainy days that is. my arms have really toned up and thinned out. i would imagine they were about 2-3" bigger maybe originally? i never had huge arms but they were not toned and had a way to go to firm up. i think some people naturally have larger arms as i have a friend who is tiny framed and boned and she is fit and trim but her arms are like the bane of her existence, she can never really seem to tone them up!! and if she does arm work she gets big muscles. so they always bother her. they do not look bad at all, in fact she looks nice and athletic but that's not the look she wants. so sometimes i think it's a balancing act with what we'd LIKE our body to look like, or areas of our body and then there is the actual reality as to what the body will do. my arms got thinner than i expected which i am happy about, kind of like my hips. but i had to work at it, i do ~10-15 minutes of targeted arm weights (asked a trainer what to work on at the gym) about 3-4x a week and pushups as well at home.

speaking of arms ladies, i have read in a few mags that supposedly the time you take to lift the weight and put it back down can affect how your arms tone up. i think it was something like...the longer you take to return the weight on the way down, the more your muscles work, so the better it is for toning efforts? so if you do super fast reps you might be cheating your arms from the max benefit of the workout. also i am sure you guys all know this but you should be doing enough reps and enough weight to bring your arms almost to the point of failure, aka if you are using too light weights and you can do 50 reps before feeling anything, it's not enough weight to tone anything. don't worry about being too buff, unless you are lifting 100 lb weights! i do between 30 and 45 on the machines at the gym and i typically can do about 3 reps of 15 on about 4-5 machines before i feel like my arms are jello and going to fall off...that's when i stop. and so far it's worked out pretty well for me with toning. anyway just my experience and also things i've read ...hehe.

so i've been thinking the last few days and have decided that if i end up putting on a pound or two after i start my new job that it's okay. i actually have lost a few more lbs in the last 3-4 weeks...so my weight hovers now between 130-131 whereas where i was maintaining was 134. in reality i look pretty much the same, but i know that i have been able to work out a lot more since i have had all this time. when i drop back down to about 2500-3000 cals burned per week i will have to monitor my eating to be sure that i drop that down too because my averages have been higher now that i am working out more. i will probably have less time to eat once i start working again, hahah...which could be good because i am the type of personality where if i have nothing to do then i think oh i'll make something yummy or i'll snack on something yummy. but anyway i figured well i looked great at 134 and i look great now so either way i should be fine...so i'm not going to stress. i just do what i can, will work out when i am scheduled to, eat what i schedule, and enjoy our wkds. we'll see what the ole body does!! hehee.

it's funny because people who see me alternate between 'you look awesome' and 'you look too thin'. and sometimes the same people say both things. if i really put stock in what others thought i might be kind of confused! haha. but i know i look good and i know greg likes the way i look so that's all that matters! and i know i am STRONG! the last few weeks have shown me more about what my body is *capable* of and it's been really fun.

anyway, so the start of a new week! last week i burned 4400 cals basically. this week i am going to aim for about 3900ish and see where it goes from there, last week i aimed for around that but i just added walks in here and there when i had the time, and it worked it's way up. so it will probably be the same this week. i have a list of things to do for this week like get a massage, get a mani pedi, take stock of my closet and find out what needs supplementing for a slightly more corporate environment (but it's still pretty casual there thank goodness!), do some shopping, get all my dry cleaning done, clean the house, clean out my closet and reorganize it, get portia stocked up on foods and goodies, etc. just essentially get ready for WORK!

and greg and i are going to try to take a little mini jaunt out to some coastal town on friday and saturday just to have a little getaway before i start. i was hoping to do a 4 day trip to mexico to get some sun and relaxation in, but my start date was a week sooner than i anticipated and with easter on sunday, we already have family plans scheduled that i don't want to miss. so today i'll be figuring out where we want to go and where to stay etc.

breakfast this morning was going to be an egg mcmuffin but i wasn't feeling it so i just made some multigrain toast with SB and low-sugar marmalade and drank some coffee. i'll have some corn bran with cinnamon and almond milk soon for a snack too. lunch is my little end of baguette with turkey and st. nectaire cheese with dijon, and a TJ greek salad. for dinner i am going to make this recipe i saw in Saveur while at the gym (DJ!) ...it looked so good so i came home and looked it up and whala someone had put it online. it's tagliatelle with chives and roasted mushrooms and it looks soooo good in the picture. i'm using less olive oil and butter than the recipe calls for, as the roasted mushrooms will give the dish a ton of flavor. you basically puree the chives in a processor then mix them with the oil then coat the pasta. kind of like a chive pesto. the mushrooms are baby bellas so max flavor. definitely excited about tasting it later. and cals per serving is only like 420 for a little more than one serving of pasta so it should be filling. we'll have it with salads.

happy new week WWT'ers. hope everyone is having a fabulous INSPIRING Monday, and Rod that you woke up and felt the stretch of freedom in front of you. how exciting to have time off and know you are GOING HOME. you must be bursting at the seams. change can be very hopeful in many ways!!

 

[KimberlyH]

You're right, Mara, sometimes we just have to let our bodies do what they will. I think part of my issue is that I know I could do more to help my arms out. They are about 12" and when I look at my whole body, they don't look bad, they just aren't what I'd like them to be, definitely not toned enough. Part of it is the residule effects from once weighing 200 lbs. My skin stretched out and my body just looks different than it did before I gained and lost all that weight. I use the arms on my elliptical, thinking that will help, but maybe that's part of my problem. Who knows!

ETA: Poor John's toe. It looks disgusting. He accidentally kicked his chair, poor guy!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

It's always so inspirational to read Lorelei's words of wisdom on Monday mornings!

Last week was a wash for me, with business travel and family stuff to deal with. Then we headed up to Paso Robles for the weekend as a couple of the wine clubs/lists we're on had our spring selections available for pickup. I kinda overdid it on the wine on Saturday (couldn't help myself, there were soooo many I wanted to try!).

This week will be just as tough, but at least my schedule on the road won't be as hectic, so I'll be able to workout most days. I'll be in Seattle, which has GREAT dining, but plan to stick to yummy, fresh seafood.

Breakfast this morning was oatmeal with splenda and green tea. I'm already hungry, and plan to have my morning snack (FAGE) soon. I won't be able to workout later, so it's super-important that I make good food choices today.

Rod- Happy packing! I'm right there with you, as we're getting ready to move my parents from my childhood home into a condo later this month. Can you imagine having to deal with 40 years worth of stuff?? We're talking major downsizing.

Kimberly- sorry to hear about John's toe. I've broken mine before, and it wasn't pretty. Hawaii in May? Lucky gal!

Ellen- Hubby and I shared a piece of cheesecake yesterday. I too am glad to be back on track today!

Mara- Enjoy your last week of no-work. It sounds like you've got a lot planned.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Ugh...so I threw my hip out badly this weekend, but I''m not sure how. Its so painful!! It feels like its almost just out of place - very sharp pain, and its been keeping me up the last few nights, because I just can''t seem to find a comfortable position. I''m going to a chiropractor/physical therapist today that I used to see - he is really good about doing physical therapy and soft tissue work and stuff like that, so hopefully that will provide some relief. I actually tried to talk myself into going to the gym today, but since I can''t walk without sharp pain, I figured that that crossed the line where working out probably would make it worse instead of better, though that''s always a tough call.

On the upside, his office is right near a market that makes killer brown rice sushi, so I think I''ll get a small package of avocado and cucumber brown rice sushi for lunch. Yum!

I know there was a thread about this but I can''t seem to find it - does anyone here take a multivitamin they are really happy with? I had some bloodwork done last time I was at the doctor''s about 10 days ago, and I just got a call saying my iron and my B12 are low and I should take a multivitamin with those in it. I always worry about vitamins because they aren''t really regulated by the FDA or anything, and so I worry that they don''t have what they say they have in them, but hopefully someone here knows more?

Thanks Lorelei for the inspirational start post as usual. I have really been feeling all weekend so much pressure because I feel like I have so much left to do - its so depressing that I''ve lost 24 lbs already (and probably actually more than that, but I can''t go to the gym to weigh myself), but I just feel like I have so far left to go. Ideally, I''d like to lose at least 20 more, although my original goal was 10 more lbs from here, but just realizing that even then I won''t be "tiny" or "skinny" by normal standards, I''ll just be "healthy" looking. Somehow that just made me feel really discouraged, but checking in here helps me feel more encouraged about progress and about keeping it up and continuing to treat this as a lifestyle change and needing to just let my body see where it will go, even if that''s not skinny, it will still be much better than where I was...

 

[Mara]

amber i hear ya on sometimes feeling discouraged. at least you have lost 24 lbs!!! when i was doing ''all the right things'' i felt like no progress was being made...for months. i would imagine my body WAS changing but most of it was small changes and internally too. it was really hard to stick with it sometimes thinking ''is this actually doing anything? i could be eating bread right now!''....but in the end it was worth it.

but even knowing that, there are still days i have where i feel discouraged or down...aka if i go to the gym and the scale shows 2 more lbs and those lbs stay there for 2-3 days. i am like woah what happened. and then i think gosh even with all this working out, i still have to watch what i eat or else i am going to gain weight! but then a day later it goes back down the 2lbs. the scale can really mess with our minds. that is why i try to remind myself to go by my measurements and how my clothes fit. if the scale shows 2 more lbs heavier but my jeans are looser than last week, that is progress and continued good work. so just remind yourself how you are in smaller clothes now and that is serious progress! i think it''s easy for people to reach for the holy grail of weight loss or want to look like someone else or whatever but in reality it''s about what is good for you and where you''ll be actually happy being, and maintaining. i don''t know if where i am at right now is maintainable forever, but i think going back and forth 2-3 lbs is fine for me mentally. i just think that we have to constantly remind ourselves there is no ''perfect'' way to be and that we have to be accepting of our negatives and our positives and just take it in stride.

speaking of taking things in stride, i am so cereal crav-ey today!! i had some corn bran, and then a serving of honey nut cheerios. i am such a cereal whore, hehee.

greg and i are talking about going up the central coast for a night on friday so i am researching that today....both resorts i am looking at have exceptional restaurants and their menus for dinner look AMAZING, hahaa. i am like umm can we stay for 3 nights and just eat continuously. but all we have is one night...as i have something with girlfriends on thursday, and then sunday we have easter...so we are leaving friday at about noon then coming back saturday afternoon. so i''m factoring some big splurges and a breakfast into my whole weekly thing...as well as us going out sometime this week probably too. since this is my last week i am like lets go all out. i can always workout more...haha.

 

[royalasscherlover]

i need to jump on the arm-toning wagon as well...i am still so sore from kneading bread on saturday and it has made me aware of just how weak my arms are! i do a little bit at the gym but i think i am not using enough weight.

amber, sorry to hear about your hip - ouch. i totally understand what you mean about feeling discouraged that you will never be super skinny, as i feel the same way, but i''ve been trying really hard just to accept myself as i am and strive to be as healthy as i can for me. in order to be really thin, i would have to work out for several hours every day and watch every single morsel of food that went in my mouth with no splurges ever, and that''s just not a realistic way for me to live life. so i''ve resigned myself to the fact that i''m always going to be a few pounds above my "ideal" weight, and even staying there requires that i eat healthily, watch portion size, and exercise 4-5 days a week. i get frustrated when i see my skinny friends eating and drinking whatever they want, not exercising, etc, while i am working so hard and just treading water it seems...but then i realize that the frustration doesn''t help anything and i just have to know that i''m doing the best i can! you have made incredible progress, don''t let the pressure to be stick thin diminish that.

 

[merrijoy]

Date: 4/2/2007 2:22:31 PM
Author: shortblonde
i need to jump on the arm-toning wagon as well...i am still so sore from kneading bread on saturday and it has made me aware of just how weak my arms are! i do a little bit at the gym but i think i am not using enough weight.

amber, sorry to hear about your hip - ouch. i totally understand what you mean about feeling discouraged that you will never be super skinny, as i feel the same way, but i've been trying really hard just to accept myself as i am and strive to be as healthy as i can for me. in order to be really thin, i would have to work out for several hours every day and watch every single morsel of food that went in my mouth with no splurges ever, and that's just not a realistic way for me to live life. so i've resigned myself to the fact that i'm always going to be a few pounds above my 'ideal' weight, and even staying there requires that i eat healthily, watch portion size, and exercise 4-5 days a week. i get frustrated when i see my skinny friends eating and drinking whatever they want, not exercising, etc, while i am working so hard and just treading water it seems...but then i realize that the frustration doesn't help anything and i just have to know that i'm doing the best i can! you have made incredible progress, don't let the pressure to be stick thin diminish that.

I feel the same way as you all of the time. I feel I do more than most people do and it does not matter. The weight is not budging and I am working out all of the time.
I love the way I feel working out but hate seeing no results....ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

. I read this thread for inspiration, but sometimes it hurts as others seem to drop weight so easily.

ETA: And I have been plugging away at this for YEARS, changing things up all of the time! NADA! And I am going to start training now for a half marathon that I will run in Jan or Feb 2008. I wanted to drop about 10 pounds before TTC, and that may be in July 2008, but I don't know if those 10 pounds will be gone by then. ARGHHHH again.

 

[KimberlyH]

I''m so sad to see that so many people are feeling discouraged. Please don''t guage your bodies against those around you, as hard as that may seem. You do yourself such a great diservice.

I have a group of four girlfriends that I have known for about 6 years, we were a bit like the Golden Girls when I lived in Sacramento. One of these girls is very thin, long and lean, like Olive Oil, but blonde hair/blue eyed, etc. but has a hallow leg and doesn''t exercise regularly, but does lots of physical activity.. The other two girls, who are on the thick side, both very attractive, just not built to be waif thin, and make choices about food and exercise that don''t help them out in that dept. Our thin friend recently had a baby and was 8 lbs. away from her pre-pregnancy weight 3 weeks after giving birth (she gained 35 lbs. during the pregnancy). One of the other girls had a baby 8 weeks later and is really struggling to get the weight off. She always picks at our thin friend and it makes me so sad as she has no control over her body being thin, but the other girl does have control about what she chooses to eat and drink and whether or not she exercises. Our thin friend is very uncomfortable with her body, used to wear 2 pairs of jeans to look bigger, always covered from head to toe, etc. It''s really sad that she has such a complex as she is stunning. I guess my point is, no matter what we look like, we always want something different. J would love to have fuller breasts and more of an hourglass shape. The other two girls would trade bodies with her in a second. But we are what we are, each of us flawed, and that you are all taking such good care of yourselves should make you proud. Please don''t be so hard on yourselves, or discouraged...you''re doing yourself a great service by taking good care of your bodies!!!

So we''re going to have one of meals out tonight. It''s beautiful out so we''re going to head to Little Italy for a nice walk around and then dinner at restaurant that serves pretty ecletic food from the artic to Mexican. I just looked up the menu and I''m leaning towards the free range chicken served w/ ranchero sauce, chile black beans , avacado and rice or the chimichurri flat iron steak w/ pico de gallo, black beans, cilantro vinegaretter salad and chile honey glazed quesedilla.

I had a fantastic workout, and I did part of it hands free carrying weights. I burned 600 calories total. It felt great! Then I did some arm reps for a total workout time of 1.5 hours.

 

[merrijoy]

I did not read the rest of your post only the first line. If you are referring to me, I am not guaging against anybody else besides the fact that I am busting my butt and getting no rewards and others do a lot less and get rewarded.

 

[Mara]

mmm dinner sounds yummy kimberly!! kudos on a fab workout.

merrijoy, i think kimberly was just addressing the WWT in general, not pointing to any one specific person.

everyone here works hard whether it's physically or mentally, i don't think that saying that people are 'rewarded' for doing less is very inspirational...your body is going to do what it wants regardless of what you want sometimes. at times we have to accept that....it's all just part of an individual learning experience that i think we all have to go through. but i can understand frustration...sometimes i wonder in general if people are having a super hard time over a long period of time losing weight if they are really doing the right things that they think they are (or somehow sabotaging themselves and not realizing it) OR if their bodies just are HAPPY the way they are and won't change. at what point does it become 'okay i'm happy with what i have' rather than trying to change it. i'm speaking in general here, i wonder that about myself too at times.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 4/2/2007 3:02:15 PM
Author: merrijoy
I did not read the rest of your post only the first line. If you are referring to me, I am not guaging against anybody else besides the fact that I am busting my butt and getting no rewards and others do a lot less and get rewarded.

Wow, I wasn''t directing anything towards you specifically, nor do I think what I said deserved to be responded to in such a curt manor. You are under no obligation to read my posts, I was only hoping to provide some encouragement because several people posted about being discouraged. I can empathize with people who struggle with their weight, but I also can empathize with those who are on the other side of the fence, so to speak. This is a positive thread, for those who have reached their goals and those who are working towards them and I for one hope it can remain that way, with all of us encouraging one another to do our personal best, which was exactly my point.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

 

[merrijoy]

Date: 4/2/2007 3:27:54 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 4/2/2007 3:02:15 PM
Author: merrijoy
I did not read the rest of your post only the first line. If you are referring to me, I am not guaging against anybody else besides the fact that I am busting my butt and getting no rewards and others do a lot less and get rewarded.

Wow, I wasn't directing anything towards you specifically, nor do I think what I said deserved to be responded to in such a curt manor. You are under no obligation to read my posts, I was only hoping to provide some encouragement because several people posted about being discouraged. I can empathize with people who struggle with their weight, but I also can empathize with those who are on the other side of the fence, so to speak. This is a positive thread, for those who have reached their goals and those who are working towards them and I for one hope it can remain that way, with all of us encouraging one another to do our personal best, which was exactly my point.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Boy, I really did not think that was curt. All I was saying was that I do not look at my body and say I want to like someone else. All I was saying is that I want the satisfaction I deserve for spending 5 days a week for 2 hours each time doing 1 hour cardio and 1 hour of weights and eating exceptionally well....Being able to easily run 6 miles but not seeing any changes really hurts.

ETA: And sorry if you did think I was curt. Not my intention.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Mara and shortblonde and Kim - thanks so much to both of you for the encouragement. It really does help. I know that I have made enormous progress, and that I should be very happy with that, and I am, sometimes I just get a little frustrated by the enormity of what I still have left to do. I think its easier to feel that way when you''re injured too, because then you can''t go to the gym.

The chiro said I jammed my hip really badly, probably working out intensively on Friday, and that its really inflamed and that''s why its been so painful. So I''m icing a bunch and taking anti-inflammatories, and hopefully I''ll be back at the gym by Wednesday or so. I was kind of hoping it could be tomorrow, but that''s unlikely unless it feels a whole lot better before then.

Merri - I really do feel your pain and frustration. I''ve spent my whole life, even as a child, being told by everyone in my life that I needed to lose weight; my parents even managed to make me feel like it was connected to my self-worth, that it didn''t matter how much else I accomplished or anything. At the same time, I''ve had to work out harder, and longer, and eat more carefully, to the point of being obssessive about every single thing I put in my mouth for a while. But I think Kim gave some really good wisdom on this - you can''t keep beating yourself up, because after a while it just won''t work, and then you just end up feeling bad about yourself. If you are honestly doing everything you can (counting calories, exercising, etc...) which it sounds like you are, and your doctor has ruled out any medical reasons, maybe you need to work on trying to accept yourself as you are. I know that''s a lot easier said than done, I just hate to see all of us giving ourselves such a hard time about things we can''t necessarily help. The stress will make it all worse, if nothing else, but more importantly, that''s just not the way to live. I realize I sound a little preachy and that''s not my intention because I certainly haven''t mastered any of this yet, but I have found that counting calories and making it about an objective number, and then exercising to be stronger and to help me feel better both about myself and in general health-wise, makes it less of a loaded thing, and seems to help. Please believe me though I really do feel your pain - I''ve spent an obscene amount of my relatively short life raging against this, and feeling frustrated and exhausted and like none of it is worth it, but it is because you are worth taking care of yourself.

I really hope that you won''t stop posting here, because I think that it really does help and I''m so sorry that you are feeling so discouraged and frustrated, but I think it might be worthwhile to try to examine where you are and if you could live with that, if you''re in a healthy place, which it sounds like you probably are.

 

[mrssalvo]

happy monday all. it's been a crazy day which I knew in advance and planned on taking the day off. Had to get the girls to school and then be back 2 hours later for the Easter program. I managed to avoid the refreshment table which was cheese and cracker, fruits and veggies and tons of sweets. hubby and i planned to go to lunch at out favorite taco place right after so i didn't want to use any calories at the school. I got my usual 2 chicken taco's but no cheese this time, just the meat and some pico and a little guacamole. It was yummy and i'm stuffed. I'm going to take zoe on long walk tonight so i'm at least doing something. dinner will be light again since lunch was a splurge. hubby isn't feeling well or I'd have us both go to the gym when he gets off work. although, i much prefer to workout in the morning. I lose steam as the day passes and just don't feel like going and dealing with traffic late in the day. we'll see though..

hope every one has a nice evening..

 

[KimberlyH]

Merrijoy, Apology accepted, it''s a message board and messages can get lost in translation, I totally understand that. AG hit the nail on the head in the point I was attempted to make. We all compare ourselves to others, at least to some degree, but it sounds like it''s causing you a lot of frustration, just like others are feeling frustrated for a variety of reasons. I was offering general suggestions about the need for all of us to be more accepting of who and what we are so as to remain positive and pleased with ourselves for doing the right thing, even if the scale doesn''t say what we want it to. I''m sorry you''re frustrated.

 

[merrijoy]

Thank you Amber et al.

Really your help is appreciated. I don't understand why some struggle with weight and others have it easy (not pointing at anyone in particular, this is a statement in general).
If my husband wanted to lose weight, all he would need to do is half of what I do and he would drop 10 pounds easily. I do feel good and working out is getting easier and easier for me - A big reason I want to do another half marathon. But it ends up becoming like working for free. How would you all feel working 10 hour days and busting your butt for no pay? I am sure you all already understand how frustrating it is, I am just underscoring it.

I don't think I am really overweight - I have posted my weight and goals here before, so I will post again - 5'0", ~126 pounds (Fluctuates between 124 and 131 actually), DD breasts that I want gone as I know they get bigger when you are pregnant (ouch!); When I left Highschool, I was 118 pounds without working out and without really watching what I ate. My lowest weight was 108 pounds due to starving and running compulsively 7 times a week (All when I was 21 years old). Now as I approach my late, late 20's (28 to be exact), it gets harder.
I would love to be 115 pounds. So that is my goal - attainable or not. 120 pounds would make me estatic!!!!
I have become much more comfortable in my skin, but when you are doing what you know is right for you and your body, and not seeing the results you deserve and seeing others not doing as much and having them tell you it is easy to drop the weight, it gets beyond frustrating. (ETA: Again not pointing to anyone here at all.)

I will still plug away and hope something gives. If not, I will be at the gym and running away because I do really enjoy it. It relieves stress and does feel good to feel strong and energetic.

 

[Rod]

Happy Monday Campers!!

Yes, Mara, the smell and feel of freedom has been with me all day and it''s just been a wonderful day. I slept till nearly 9:30. Then I met Charlie for lunch and we sat outside on this fine spring day and had a cup of coffee at Starbucks afterwards. Then I went to a packing store and bought boxes, newsprint and tape (YAY!!). Then I went and bought all the vitamins and supplements we need to get us through the month (wow, we spend a lot of money at GNC each month). Then I went to the gym and did some core training then 45 minutes on the ellitptical. Now, I''m heading out to meet Charlie for a nice Sushi dinner. So, my first day of being unemployed and getting ready to move home has actually been a really nice day!

Kimberly, so sorry to hear about John''s toe. And usually, there''s nothing they can do for broken toes.

Chargergrrl, I can''t imagine how much stuff you will have to go through with your parents, but my time is coming with mine and I''ll be able to commiserate one day.

I hope you''re all having a really nice Monday. I surely am!!!

 

[basil]

Hey all -

Well, I''m back from my vacation for a short while, but I''m going away again on Friday for another 2 weeks! I feel like I need a summary thread to know what''s been going on with everyone here! Anyway, I had a great time, indulged a fair amount, but I didn''t gain any weight back which made me really happy. I was able to get access to my old college gym for free, so I used the elliptical about 4 hours/week plus the weight machines. I also tried to balance my heavier eating days with light lunches and lighter eating days in general. We also got some wedding stuff accomplished, so I''m psyched for that

Anyway, I''m going to try to go catch up on the old threads now!

 

[Mara]

yay rod glad you had a great day!!

i just went for a 4.5m walk..the first mile with portia because my ipod was charging and then came home, dropped her off and got my ipod then went out into the neighborhoods for about an hour. it''s a very beautiful day out, such a nice time of the year. came home, played in the garden for a while, had some hummus on wasa bread and green tea. this morning i was really snacky and had some chocolate covered cherries (i''ve had them in the pantry for like a month!) and some dried pineapple and the rest of my cinnamon almonds from TJ''s. but i was still hungry when i got home!

in thinking about my workout regime the last few weeks, it''s been interesting that i have really ratcheted up the workouts and calorie burn but i have not really lost any additional weight in the last 2 weeks. not like i want to but i was curious to see what my body would do with these extra cals i was burning. i have toned up a little more and i lost about 1 lb but considering i have been keeping my eating the same it was before i added an extra 1300ish cal burn a week into the routine...it''s kind of interesting that my body is kind of still where it is. so i thought well i''m going to experiment this week and eat MORE cals than typical. it works out perfectly because i have an event thurs night, and then we are going out fri and sat for our getaway and we''ll be eating breakfast, lunch, dinner out etc. then easter sunday will be a big blowout at my parents. so i am going to try to consume more like 2100ish cals per day on average. typically i''m more around 1900 average at the end of the week. according to the diff BMI calcs...i should be consuming about 1800ish per day without workouts to maintain. so then if i burn 4k cals this week, that''s about 400 extra cals per day i should be eating to maintain. so like 2200. but i figure 2100 is a good experiment. i was thinking gosh what if i am depriving myself of things i want for no actual reason??? like what if i could eat a little bit more of my fave things, and it wouldn''t matter to my weight. why not? hehee. i really just want to stay where i am and still indulge. so anyway experimenting this week and we''ll see what happens.

good to see you basil and glad you had a wonderful trip!! AG it''s so odd you hurt your hip because today i was walking and my hip started hurting!! i was like OMG sympathy hip pain for AG! it went away as my muscles warmed up but i think my body is like ''ding ding you are working me really hard'' so i have to be careful. don''t want to end up in traction! and yes i know how frustrating it is to be injured and feeling like things might get out of control, hang in there because it does get better and you will get better and be back on it. remember you didn''t put the weight on overnight so it won''t come off overnight but it also won''t come BACK ON overnight too. so just take care of yourself.

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks Rod. He's not going to see an MD, there is not a thing they can do...it just looks gross! Poor buddy.

How exciting that you managed to maintain and exercise on your vacation, basil! Great work! We have 2 vacations planned, one in April one in May, and I'm a tad bit concerned, as always, but am sure it will be fine!

ETA: AG, I didn't even tell you how sorry I am that you're hurt! I got into a pretty bad car accident about 8 years ago, as a result my left shoulder falls out of the socket and I caused long term damage to my back, which has, in turn cause my hips to hurt and become displaced. It's a pain in the butt to stretch until things go back where they belong! Anyways, I know how uncomfortable you must be feeling and I'm so sorry.

 

[FireGoddess]

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope that hip heals up quick AG, I know how much of a bummer it can be when you''re hurting. Take care of yourself.

I had my egg/turkey sausage/mcmuffin this morning again after my 45 min on the treadmill. Yummy. That little taste of maple syrup drizzle on the salty turkey sausage is out of this world!!!! Yesterday I was going bonkers and wanted to eat everything in sight - seriously I was like a caged panther who sees a pile of meat just out of reach. I can only assume it''s because TTOTM is imminent but man I did everything I could not to just go nutso on the calories. Even went upstairs and got into bed so I wouldn''t feel the temptation.

I had a TJ spring onion rice noodle bowl for lunch with a container of nonfat light yogurt and a no pudge brownie. Dinner may be the chicken with mascarpone marsala mustard sauce because I want to get rid of the stuff I have before we move! Or I may make a pizza - I bought wheat crust dough from TJ this weekend too.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks so much for the healing thoughts everyone - it really does help to know that everyone is sending those good thoughts my way!

Mara - that''s so funny about the sympathy pains. I thought maybe mine would improve with moving around, because there are definitely a lot of injuries that do. Alas, we did a lot of moving around on Saturday and the more I moved, the worse it got. And my chiro/physical therapist said I should stay off it as much as possible, my least favorite thing to hear...

Kim - I think I''m just especially accident- and injury-prone. I also had a horrible car accident (in college), where I messed up my knee and its still not back to normal. I also tore a rotator cuff in college by taking a fall while running to get to class on time. Yeah, that was pretty embarrassing...That shoulder sounds so uncomfortable - I am so sorry you have to deal with that, it sounds completely dreadful.

FG - I think I''m having sympathy hunger LOL!! I had a reasonable breakfast this morning (corn bran, ff milk, 1/2 banana), and a good lunch (one small package brown rice veggie sushi and a 2% Fage cup), but I''ve been STARVING for the last two hours. I have no idea why. I just had another (smaller) bowl of corn bran with ff milk, because DH and I have dentist appointments this evening so we''ll be having a late dinner and there was no way I''d make it!!

Where are you guys moving? Did I miss that? Are you buying or renting? Good luck with the move - I know that can be stressful!

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 4/2/2007 6:40:20 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
Where are you guys moving? Did I miss that? Are you buying or renting? Good luck with the move - I know that can be stressful!

Still staying in the Bay Area, but moving up to the San Carlos area. We're still renting, but at least it's a single family house now! Next step has got to be to own! I'm tired of moving!!

Good luck at the dentist...blech.

Hate going.

 

[KimberlyH]

AG: Thanks for the sympathy, I felt silly after I posted all my lame medical crap, but I just wanted to share that I sympathize! My shoulder doesn''t hurt, it just feels weird when it''s out of place. The hips and back can be painful...so I know how you''re feeling! And I too am a klutz, so I totally get it!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Kim - you shouldn''t feel silly. I have TONS of medical crap my doctor actually told me that I am "sickly" on paper, though he said I don''t act it, so I guess that''s some consolation...sort of

But please don''t feel silly about posting it - it helps to know there are others with medical issues who are overcoming them and still managing to live healthy, weight-managing lifestyles.

Oh and Merri - I meant to respond to your post before. 5''0" and 126 is not overweight - your BMI is just fine, and it sounds like you are very healthy will all the exercise. I feel you on the DDs though - I''m 5''3" and I have them too and HATE them! Even after losing 24 lbs over the last couple of months, they are still that size, so I think that might just be something we either have to learn to live with or have surgically altered, but I certainly feel your pain - they are physically uncomfortable and make me so self-conscious!! I do hope that your frustration level goes down, and that you''re able to find a place that is less difficult for you mentally, and I''m sorry you''re experiencing all of this.

FG - yeah, we''re renting but toying with the idea of buying. Its SO EXPENSIVE around here. We keep considering the idea of moving to some place where the cost of living is lower, but we love SF so much, its hard to decide on something like that. Renting a single family home does sound like it will be better than an apartment, though. I hope Chloe does OK with moving!!

 

[Mara]

mmm egg mcmuffin, that reminds me i didnt get to CB today to get my egg ring, darn!!! i''ve been so lazy today..maybe it''s because i know that i have a lot of stuff to get done this week, argh.

FG good luck with moving, i never used to mind moving but it seems like the last time we moved it took us so much longer to get everything unpacked and feel like our house was our home that we have a mental block against doing it again anytime soon hahaa. plus we love our townhouse. i was just having the whole rent buy convo with my neighbor...they are renters from texas and own property there, but plan to buy something here in the next year. we are trying to figure out if we want to stay here, move to another area around here or stay within this area, or move entirely out of the state. my mom has been on my case about ''upgrading'' our townhouse for a real house. it''s such an old school parent mentality...she is like ''well regular houses appreciate more'' and i was like ''well in our area, our townhouse blows the other houses out of the water in terms of appreciation, so can''t agree with you mom!''...hehe. i was telling greg, why does it seem like every year there''s some new ''decision'' to be made...why can''t we just relax and enjoy life? hehe.

speaking of relaxing and enjoying life, i think we might go out for dinner tonite. part of my whole ''i''m going to do what i want when i want for this week'' kinda thing. we might walk downtown and get some pizza at Amicis (i really want to try it!) or we might walk to this creole place nearby that we both love. we''ll see. it''s a beautiful day and greg will be home about 2 hours before sunset so it''d be fun to get out and do something together in the waning sunlight hours.

AG hope you feel better, definitely take it easy. i know what you mean about sometimes injuries feeling better with movement, at first when my hip was hurting i was like omg what is this but i kind of massaged it as i walked and also walked a little more slowly and less ''jarring'' speed walk kinda thing and that seemed to help it then when the muscle warmed up eventually it was fine. but i am going to watch it for sure. at least you saw an expert and got some advice!!

 

[Rod]

We''re back from having a really nice Sushi dinner at Waraji''s (our second fav sushi spot in Raleigh). It''s likely our last time to eat there, which seems funny, but since I''m so looking forward to going home to our favorite sushi places in Tampa, it''s not sad.

Good for you working out on vacation Basil. It''s not easy to do that so YAY for you!!!

Sorry to hear John''s toe is black Kimberly. I''m sure it will bother him to see that color until it heals, which could take a couple months. I broke a finger in Hawaii a few years ago. We were on a very small island and there was no doctor nearby, so I actually broke it back so it wouldn''t heal crooked (really really painful thing to do to oneself btw) and I splinted it with a broken chopstick. It took about two months to heal, so don''t be surprised if John has this to deal with for some time.

Mara, I''m not surprised to hear that even after ratcheting up your workouts you''ve not lost weight. That''s exactly what happened to us. I mean we pushed harder and harder and the scale did not budge. But, I''m sure I was losing fat and replacing it with muscle. As a matter of fact, Charlie was trying on a pair of slacks for dinner Saturday night that fit him fine a couple months ago and while he hasn''t lost any weight, they were huge on him. What was really amazing is they fit me fine and I used to be no less than 8 - 10 inches larger in the waist than Charlie. It''s just AMAZING what working out does to you!! Anyway, WOO HOO on toning even more. Keep up the GREAT work!!

Going to sit on the couch with the kitties and eat 3 pieces of Lindt Dark Chocolate and change the address on all our Magazines. WOO HOO!!

Have a great night everyone!!