Weekly Workout Thread 22nd May till 28th May

[Kaleigh]

Doing a happy dance for you ROD!!!

Congrats!!!

 

[peachy]

I''m so glad for you Rod... Congratulations. And the more senior position could be a possibility for the future.

 

[Mara]

Amber I can totally relate to you stepping on the scale now that you have reached your goal weight and freaking out internally at the sight of basically 1lb creepage. I experienced this very frequently after I reached my goal weight. I was totally paranoid. It took me MONTHS to really realize that was just the way it goes...days of stepping on the scale and going WHAT 1 lb more? or YAY 1 lb less. and then realizing that was just a pattern. One day I got on the scale and it was 4 lbs heavier than 2 days ago !!! Then 2 days later it was back to normal.

So really, now that you have reached goal weight you will really mentally struggle from time to time with the scale. I can tell you that it gets better!!! Finally I am kind of coming to peace with the scale and feeling more Zen about it all. Why? Because it''s been a few months and the scale goes up and down but guess what? My clothes fit the same. There isn''t as much stress about it because I know that''s just the way it goes...with the scale, and as long as my clothes fit and my measurements don''t change for the worse, I am GOOD!!!

CONGRATS Rod on your big win with the company. I hope it''s everything that you hope it turns out to be.

So today I discovered something phenominal. Wow Cow FroYo. Has anyone tried this? My coworker told me about it and I was like what?? I am not a big FroYo fan but there is a place like right across from our buildings that sells it and I was reading how Reese Witherspoon has been eating it and still losing her weight after she split from her hubby and I was like gosh maybe I should look into it, if it''s lighter than ice cream I could have it more often...hehe. So we went over to this place and they have this Wow Cow stuff which is basically a base and then they add all natural flavors to it, it''s low in carbs and cals and it''s non-dairy. It''s basically 10 cals per ounce!! It comes in like 20 diff flavors and frozen yogurt stores carry it...they usually have like 2-3 flavors a week. I tried the Cappucino which was REALLY good, creamy even! They also had a Grasshopper mint flavor and I read online that Peanut Butter was REALLY tasty. I got a child size and had them not load it up too much (they will give you like a super tall one!) so I figure that it was about 90-100 cals for the whole thing, which is sooo awesome. I am so going to be doing this all summer long when I want a treat. It FEELS bad but it''s not. I love it.

Anyhow, I am going to eat some fage most likely soon...but the frozen yogurt kept me full as my afternoon snack up until now which is AWESOME. Tonite we are going for a walk around the neighborhoods and then I am making us BBQ chicken quesadillas to finish off the TJ''s bbq chicken before we take off for our trip. Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful evening!!

 

[sevens one]

************ I''M SO HAPPY FOR YOU ROD ****************

 

[Rod]

Thanks Lisa, Mara, Peachy and Sevens One! Since Charlie couldn't have dinner with me tonight, I wound up at Panera and had a roast beef sandwich with chips and then I had a cherry scone (one of my favorite indulgences) with coffee for dessert under my oak tree at Starbucks. Not exactly celebratory food, but we'll celebrate this weekend when we're at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota! I must admit that even though the job may not have been all I was expecting, it will be a fun and challenging position. They had laid off a recruiter I would have wanted on my team just a few weeks ago and even though I haven't even started, I got the go ahead to hire her back. So, my team is already growing and I haven't even officially begun!

No fitness for moi today. Which is actually a shame, because the stress level was oh so high. But, I'll be back in the sadle again tomorrow and I'm sure the day off didn't hurt my muscles in the least. In fact, it may have helped them to rest just a wee bit.

Thanks again for everyone's congratulations and support. Maybe the RodCoaster has come to an end. What will you all do with a 'settled' Rod on your hands, huh??

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Rod, well done! Enjoy your new job!

For some reason I seem to be craving cherry scones........

cheers--Sharon

 

[Rod]

Date: 5/21/2007 8:57:02 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

Rod, well done! Enjoy your new job!

For some reason I seem to be craving cherry scones........

cheers--Sharon

Thanks canuk-gal!! There must be a Panera somewhere near you? They have the absolute best Tart Cherry Scones I''ve had anywhere. Yummmmmm.

 

[divergrrl]

Hey, I haven''t been on here much, but I have been sooooooooooo good about working out.

This preggo mama to be is averaging four 2.5 mile walks a week, one yoga class, 2 trips to the gym for 25mins on the elliptical & 30 minutes of weights.

I substitute taught a yoga class at another studio last week & the students came up to me afterwards & wanted to know how the heck I was holding "standing bow pulling pose" for so long while looking around the room talking...LOL...(its on one leg..I''m almost 6 mos pregnant) I had to chuckle, but really I think I''m just blessed with good balance. Stems from learning how to figure skate at 3 years old I''m sure.

So I''m being pretty darned good & I have to admit, I feel SO MUCH BETTER about my appearance when I work out. Not to mention that I''m sleeping so much better. I think that if you are having a healthy pregnancy, exercise is a big help in how you feel. My back goes out a lot on me this time (SI joint pain due to loosening joints, my OB said not much I can do) but I''ve noticed it does it less on the days I work out. Hmmmmm...coincidence?

As for food, well......that''s another story. I am getting a great amount of fruits and veggies each day, but part of me loves junk food now. Part of my problem is that I can''t enjoy my nightly glass of wine, so I substitute a food treat. LOL. I''m trying to stick to lowfat frozen yogurts & reduced fat/low sugar icecreams, but that Key Lime Pie in the freezer isn''t helping.

but I''m going to be sensible about it. I''m making a big salad with spinach, strawberries, pasteurized feta, walnuts & a non fat rasp. dresssing....that way I won''t feel so guilty about the pie. LOL.

I have to log onto my WW recipe guide and search "key lime" so see if I can find some low calorie Key Lime pie alternatives.

Thanks for the FroYo tip Mara! I saw Reese eating those in my US mag, & was wondering. I wish we''d get a TCBY by my house, that''s my fave....but noooo, we got a Cold Stone instead. I tried that once & thought it was gross. I actually PREFER frozen yogurts to heavy icecreams.

Soo...I''ve gained 16lbs at 22 weeks...more than I wanted to, but within the "appropriate" amount. I bet I gain 34 lbs again (recommended gain is 25 to 35 lbs) since I''m right where I was when I was pregnant with my son.

Cheers everyone!

Diver

 

[gailrmv]

Rod, thanks for answering my question re: careers. So glad it is working out so well for you two. and CONGRATS on your new gig!!!

Amber, don''t be discouraged! You have achieved SO MUCH and I am so happy for you! 1 lb fluctuation is nothing, it might be gone tomorrow - literally.

Today I did a bad thing.... grocery shopping while hungry and I had a donut!!! So bad! At least the rest of my day was healthy.

mara that''s awesome about the yogurt. There is a place around here - actually you can check it out when you are in Chapel Hill - called Yogurt Pump. It is really good and many of their flavors are 10 cals/oz. Peanut butter is my favorite. It is tucked away behind Caribou Coffee and it is totally worth making the trip!

 

[mrssalvo]

will have to catch up more tomorrow but wanted to jump in and say a big congrats to Rod...that is so wonderful

 

[AmberGretchen]

CONGRATULATIONS TO ROD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much Rod, Kim, Mara and Gail. I was really feeling down today about it but that was a great boost to read such encouragement from all of you. I've actually decided that my "real" goal is another 10 lbs from here. I'm trying to think about it as "just" 10 more lbs, because that's not really so intimidating. But I'm also trying to work on the idea that if I don't lose that weight I'm still OK, and I need to learn to live with it. So I'll keep doing what I've been doing, which feels pretty darn good most days.

Kim - I really hope you are right that these lifestyle changes stick. I've said it before and I still feel like you are my biggest inspiration as someone who is battling what's so similar to my situation - being significantly overweight and having your whole family be overweight and having to overcome that. I'm amazed at how far you've come and I remind myself of your continued success when I get discouraged. It sounds like you guys have had such a great time in Hawaii - I can't wait to get over there with the DH.

Does anyone else get crabby when they get low blood sugar? Today when I got too hungry in the afternoon/evening (got caught up at the animal shelter I volunteer at socializing a litter of 6-week old border collie mix puppies - SO INCREDIBLY CUTE!!) I was really crabby on my drive home. I didn't actually feel very hungry, but I was super-crabby and short-tempered on my drive home. Fortunately DH had to work late tonight so he didn't have to be on the receiving end of that LOL. Does anyone have any good ideas for snacks that are less than 100 cals that I could keep in my car? Do you all get crabby when you're over-hungry?

Mara - I totally want to find some of that fro-yo. I LOVE a good fro-yo when its warm out

I'm sure they must have it somewhere in SF.

ETA: welcome Lien!! This thread is great for motivation, and also for keeping you honest

Best of luck with your weight loss and healthy lifestyle goals.

 

[Rod]

Thanks Mrssalvo, Gail and Amber. I truly appreciate all the support.

And Amber, I can''t say I get crabby when I''m hungry, but I do get light headed. I''m sure everyone is quite different when they''re hungry and it affects the blood sugar for everyone at different levels. I always found that raw almonds mixed with raisins was a great snack and helped me immediately if I was feeling a little light headed in any way. I always kept a stocked plastic container in my desk and used that as my mid morning and afternoon snack too.

 

[Mara]

AG i'm sure you can find the wow cow in SF...it's in LA too apparently. i'm already planning my visit tomorrow, hahaa. gail i will write down the name of that place and see if we can pay them a visit...it would be so nice to throw a 10 cal/oz dessert into the foodgasm haha. some semblance of sanity!

amber i do get cranky if i am hungry a lot of the time. in terms of what to keep handy, i like the 100 cal balance bars but if you want something smaller, something like some trail mix or similar might help you out. usually i try to gauge my day in terms of what and where and if i think i might be hungry i grab a yogurt or something but that is perishable so i know i have to eat it typically.

so this evening, we got home from work and then went out and did a 2.5m walk around the neighborhoods with portia...then i made us BBQ chicken quesadillas with TJ's bbq chicken, 2% jack cheese, red onions, garlic powder and la tortilla factory tortillas. yummy! i also made us a mixed green salad that had shredded carrots and sweet corn with TJ's balsamic..which was REALLY tasty. for dessert i had a small piece of this really good bittersweet dark chocolate with rice crispies in it that i got a while back at whole foods and a little bit of sf AFC. my cals today were really light, around 1250 total but that's okay because again, i know we are gearing up for a foodgasm.

also tonite i picked up, finally, a box of cocoa via bars...i always see hungry girl recommending them but had the hardest time finding them in stores out here. randomly, a drugstore had them...the dark chocolate regular bars and then the dark chocolate snack bars. they are packed with vitamins and antioxidants i guess. the snack bars are only 80 cals for a smallish 22g bar (think chewy granola bar size) but supposedly they are tasty so i picked up a pack. figure i'll toss a few in the bag for the traveling too. better than a snickers bar right?!

we started getting our stuff ready tonite, i am so daunted by being gone for 10 days, the last trip we took this long was on our wedding and honeymoon. it's times like this when i am like 'whose idea was this?!' (typically it is always my idea which seemed good at the time hahaa). but it'll be fun, we are looking fwd to it. i already printed out our itinerary as well as our reservations for dinner at places, where we plan to visit, names of this and that, and tips and advice i wanted to save kind of thing. i had to clean off the tivo as well to make sure that all our stuff records while we are gone, thank goodness most of the season finales already happened but i hope to watch the tivo'd bachelor and desperate housewives shows tomorrow night before we take off so we know what happened at least.

anyhow tomorrow is going to be a busy day, i have an 8:30am call so i plan to be in the office by then hopefully to take it...and then i am hoping to go at lunch and get a manicure and a polish change on my toes at my salon. then after work it's gym time. then dinner will just be something easy, most likely TJ's enchiladas which we have in the freezer, and another salad or maybe just some steamed veggies or something. our flight is mega early on wed AM (again the whole whose idea was that (mine)).

hope everyone had a great day..kudos to the workouts gotten in and the eating done well!!!

 

[Phoenix]

I''m such a dork!! I began responding in last week''s thread and realised I should have responded here!

Lorelei, sorry to hear you had a bad day. But I tell you this, you definitely have the right attitude and philosophy!

To me, to be thin is not just for the sake of being thin, its abt being fit and enjoying your life, living it to the full and making the most of it. Most of all, it''s abt being happy within one own self and loving your loved ones.

Rod, thanks for your kind welcome. CONGRATS on your job and WTG for growing your team

! I am sooo happy for you! Have a great trip to Dallas and enjoy yr celebratory weekend.

Kimberly, thank you too for your kind wishes and words of encouragement. I do try to do that, the balane thing, if I eat a piece of dessert, I try not to have too much starch and/ or protein in my main meal. What you described abt your meals is making my mouth-water though

!! Sounds like you had a fabulous holiday!!

I''ll am definitely going to cut back on the wine. Imagine how much more money we''ll have in our pocket too!! LOL (if you guys knew how much wine, or booze in general, costs in S''pore, you''d faint!

).

Ok, so yesterday i weighed myself, I was 116lb. I did 45 mins of cardio and sit-ups and stretching. Today, i''m going to do abt 1.5hrs of cardio and weight. I plan to join yoga classes later on too!! Thin me, HERE I COME!!!

 

[Lorelei]

I wanted to welcome you to the thread too Lien - great to have you join us! Thanks for your kind words and Amber also, it does help to share things like that as sometimes we can wonder why on earth we are feeling this way, is it just us, etc etc... I think a lot of it for me is due to my scoliosis, if my back is sore and the muscles tight, then it pulls me forward which makes my abs feel bloated and larger, it can really hurt to try to stand up straight - but if I can I feel instantly slimmer.

CONGRATS ROD - I too think as Peachy and the others do, the senior position will be in your future, but anyway, thats wonderful - I am so happy for you!!!!! YAYYAYYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a great workout yesterday on the treadmill for my usual 45 mins, I need to do a buying binge at Amazon as I don''t have many DVD''s left to watch, I really prefer working out to the TV rather than music!

 

[Ellen]

Lien, glad you dropped in, hope this place helps you get to where you want to be!!

Rod, CONGRATS!! Woohoooo! I''m really happy for you, and I''m even happier we can put the dust away now.

I was REALLY bad last night, although hopefully I worked/walked most of it off. I spent 3 hours walking a huge mall shopping for the wedding. I got a dress, wrap and shoes. Found a purse that went pefect with my shoes, but it had a flaw, so the gal gave me all the info on it and if I don''t find anything else as good, I''ll call and have them send me one.

Then my girlfriend and I went to dinner and split a bunch of appetizers (at 10:00 PM).

But gosh it was good.

 

[mrssalvo]

good morning all.

that froyo yogurt sounds interesting..it will be years b/f it shows up here though, i''m sure. Have you west coasters had Pink yogurt( I think that''s what the place is called). it''s frozed greek yogurt and they can mix in fruits to make smoothie''s or cone''s. It really low in calories too and pretty tasty. I tried in when I was in LA last month.

today will be a walk with Zoe, then I''ll hit the gym for the elliptical for 45 min. before my kids swimming lessons. This is the last week of school and the pools will all open full time next week. I''m excited to start going every day b/c it''s easier to get out of the house and only pack along healthy snacks for me and kids and swimming always makes us HUNGRY, something about just the smell of chlorine triggers my I need food buttons. So, we''ll go and swim for bit, eat our lunch, swim some more and come home for healthy dinners. That''s my general plan anyway. summer in some ways is harder b/c there are so many BBq''s with all my favorite comfort foods which are not always heathly. especially when you''re going to friends who don''t make the lower fat versions. But, we''re going to keep tabs like we''ve been doing and see how it goes. As long as hubby continue''s to loose weight I''ll be happy, even it the rate slows a bit for summer. Of course the nice weather does makes it nice to be outside so maybe we''ll actually be burning more calories and they will kinda of offset? oh-well, rambling now and I guess time will tell.


mara- I watched the bachelor too, you''ll have to report your thoughts here since there is no thread in hangout...

Off to start the day, i hope everyone has a great one...

 

[gailrmv]

Good morning!

Mara, didn't know if you saw my note above but I recommend checking out Yogurt Pump when you are in Chapel Hill (on Franklin St near Caribou). I'm still figuring out the scoop with my bezel pendant... I feel guilty getting it so soon after my earrings but I think it makes sense to buy something I'll really be happy with, not just something inexpensive. (I'm deciding what size). I'm realizing that I have a hard time spending money on myself. (Then as soon as I do, I'm glad I did!!) Anyway - thanks for your help with that last week.

Everyone, I am SO SORE from yesterday's workout with the trainer! She had me doing all kinds of lunges and lunges always make me really sore. I also did some lower back exercises which work the glutes as well. My glutes are the more sore! It was hard even to get out of bed!

My old work is taking me to dinner tonight at an Italian place and I feel I need to work out to burn some calories so I think I will go for a gentle slow jog in a bit. My goal w/ dinner tonight is to eat 1 piece of bread only (if it looks good, 0 otherwise) and to eat only half my entree if the portions are big. Also, to order something with protein.

MrsSalvo, I completely agree about the chlorine smell making me hungry! Also, too much chlorine makes me nauseous when I am swimming. So, I love swimming, but I don't do it that much b/c too much can go wrong!

 

[bee*]

hey all, decided to come back here for another check in now that the exams are nearly over. Went to the gym today and varied my routine to try and get over the plateau that Im at for the moment. So very tired at the moment!

That''s a great OP Lorelei-body image is definitely something I struggle with although its definitely a lot better now that the 32 lbs are gone. Some days I feel really good and then there are other days when I feel huge. I think its also because a lot of my clothes aren''t fitting me anymore and I dont want to buy more until we go to New York, so Im kind of living in big clothes, or clothes from when I was skinnier that are starting to fit, but dont fit perfectly. Oh well-its only 6 and a half weeks till we go and D has been constantly talking about the new clothes that I should buy so at least he''s not going to be shocked when he sees all the bags!!

I know exactly how you feel Amber-I was out on Saturday night and I was feeling really good but there''s this other girl that was out too and she was so tiny, I felt like a big horse beside her. She was so dainty and graceful, and I just am not like that and I dont know if I ever will be. D definitely gets crabby when he doesnt eat-I can always tell when he''s like that so I''ll stop at the shop and buy him something small to eat before he gets very ratty.

Congrats on the job Rod!!

 

[NYCsparkle]

Yay Rod!!!!! congratulations!!!

Best of luck to you.

well i went for a nice walk yesterday and when dh comes home today i''m going for a jog in the park---approximately 4 miles. i hope to jog half of the way. well i feel better now that i''ve eaten healthy and controlled my portion sizes again. i was gorging and afterwards feeling

. dh is going to the yankee game tonight so i''m going to eat a big bowl of cheerios with blueberries for dinner.

. the weather is nice today so i''ll probably walk for a mile or so with the baby in addition to my jog.

summer salads are great meals.. does anyone have any good hearty salad recipes?---healthy of course.....the lettuce salads get boring after a while and dh doesn''t like them as a full meal.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Mara and Rod - that''s a great idea re: the trail mix/dried fruits and nuts. I am going to check out the options at Trader Joe''s when I''m there next and plan to keep a bag in my car from now on. I''m normally pretty good about planning my meals/snacks, but the nature of what I do (lab work) can be really unpredictable - its hard to know exactly when something will finish, and I can''t walk away in the middle of it and we''re obviously not allowed to eat in the lab so that makes it a little tough. Yesterday was my fault though - I just got caught up in the cuteness of the puppies at the shelter and how much fun it is socializing and training them!

Lorelei - I completely agree that this is such a great reality check here, to know that all the things we''re all going through really are normal and that others who are going through a similar process of making themselves healthier experience the same things.

Bee - that''s so hard to be around the tiny skinny girls. Actually pretty much all my girlfriends that I see on a regular basis are pretty skinny - I read a study somewhere that SF is the skinniest city in America, so that could explain part of it. But yeah I''ll never be dainty, and so being around people who are really makes me feel huge and clumsy sometimes. But it sounds like you''ve made awesome progress and that shopping in NYC sounds like a TON of fun - I''m so jealous, I wish I had permission to go on a huge shopping spree!! You''ll have to share all the details when you get back

 

[Mara]

amber and bee i will never be dainty either at 5'7", so don't worry, you are in good company heehe. i have some really tiny friends as well that i will always feel huge next to (even if i am only one size off from them or something which is the case in a few instances). but then i have a few friends who are wanting to lose weight too and i guess i am an inspiration to them so that is nice as well. i think that it goes both ways.

amber also re: the trail mix etc...dried fruits and nuts have a ton of calories in them actually so i always read all the labels and pickup the one that has the least cals. i have found that whole foods has the best lower calorie ones...TJ's existing mixes are all pretty high. one mix i really like has almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, peanuts and little m&m's in it from whole foods. i forget what it's called but it comes in the little square see through containers, not the pulldown bins. it's 100 cals per 1oz which is actually quite good, a lot of the other ones are more like 150 or 190 cals per 1 oz. also i tried another one from the ones in the pulldown bins called chocolate something mix which has dried cranberries, raisins, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter covered raisins, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. that was like 120 for 1oz and it also gets my chocolate craving satiated as well. and lastly i just got one the other day from the bins which i have not yet tried from another WF that has pineapple, cran, raisins, almonds, chocolate chips and something else i can't recall. but this one was also 120 for 1oz. it seems like diff WF's carry diff types of ready-made mixes because the latest one i got is not carried by the other WF near our house (this is one near my work) so i just check the labels as i go along and try different ones. also if you are like me, portion control is hard with the trail mix as it's really easy to go over 1 oz a serving..1 oz is not that much!! so i usually just try to buy 2-3 servings at a time so that even if i go nuts and eat the entire bag one day while starving, it is not that bad. buying the plastic container of the 16 oz one could be bad, one day i was so hungry and busy at work i just ate like 1/3 of the container (like 5 servings?) but that ended up being my lunch as well. but yeah the cals do add up. so maybe a few servings of trail mix and then a few 100 cal granola bars or something could work for you.

gail yes i did see your note, thanks, i added it to our list of things to check out, it will be great to throw in a 10cal/oz dessert after all the food we will be eating out there i am sure. we found a really cool brewery and pub in carrboro (did you see my note in the other thread about carrboro, what is it like? seems like it's right next to chapel hill?) that we want to check out so i think we will go there for lunch. i also forgot to say this in the other thread but we ended up booking a hotel in chapel hill for 1 night as well. so we'll be in raleigh/crabtree on wed and thurs and then go up to ch for friday day and evening, drive back into raleigh for a dinner, then spend the morning of sat in ch and then head out for greg's dad's house in MD. we decided to do the ch hotel after realizing we'd probably be really interested in that area as much as we are in raleigh (and probably figuring wake forest wouldn't get too much of our time since it seems pretty out there) and also it's the cutest hotel (the one owned by the university) so it'll be fun to stay in a boutique kind of place after the not-so-great-looking raleigh options hehe. anyway we are excited and thanks again for your thoughts in the other thread and all the tips.

NYC re healthy salad recipes, try cooking light and also eatingwell.com has a ton of great recipes with nutritional information. i really like adding chicken to greens in salads and then doing something like black beans, corn, and carrot strips with a light dressing for lots of fiber and protein. i also love doing crab cakes on top of a salad as well. or you can do an ahi tuna salad over greens, sear the tuna, slice it thin, then layer it over the greens with edamame and carrot strips in the salad. i am a big fan of carrot strips in salads now, they are verra tasty and TJ's sells them ready shredded so its easy to just add a handful onto the salad, low in cals and high in fiber.

 

[KimberlyH]

Good Morning All!

Congratulations, Rod!!! I am just so excited for you. I''m sure you are breathing a huge sigh of relief. Enjoy that trip to the Saratoga Ritz and have a fantastic celebration!

AG, I''m so flattered and thrilled to be able to inspire anyone! That''s why I love this thread so much, it''s so positive,helpful and realistic. As for the skinny girls, I know what you mean as I never have been nor will I ever be one of them...I am working really hard to love the skin I''m in and be proud of what I do to take care of it. The meals we''ve had in Maui have been fabulous, but I''ll be paying for them, so to speak, when we get back home.

Mara, hope your last day of prepping for your trip isn''t too stressful and that you and Greg have safe travels. Sounds like such a fun adventure! Going home is always harder for me as I know I''ll have so much to catch up on when I return.

So we had our last meal on the island and oh my goodness it was truly spectacular. We ate at Gerard''s, a french restaurant attached to a beautiful B & B in Lahaina. It once was a plantation house and it''s the most perfect victorian building that serves dinner on the porch. We both started with a green salad w/ jicama and heart of palm. I had osso-buco in a light curry sauce served with brown rice and veggies. John had mint crusted rack of lamb, potatoes au gratin and tomatoes stuffed w/ olive puree. For dessert I had chocolate and coffee ice cream laced with butterscotch and chocolate sauces, John had a tarte tarin made with banana and topped with vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect last evening.

Our flight is at 12 and then it''s back to reality. I work the next three days and have a ton of school to catch up on. One of my cousins is hosting a family reunion on Sunday and if I can get all my school work done I''m going to drive up to my parents'' on Saturday and spend a few nights with them and attend the party.

Hope everyone has a terrific day!

 

[gailrmv]

Mara, is that the Carolina Inn? If so, very classy!
Carrboro is cute - it flows right from CH. It is artsy, also has some not-so-nice areas. My favorite place to eat there is Carrburritos which is AWESOME healthy-mex. Try the fruit salsa if you go! I''m not familiar with a brewery in Carrboro, but I''ve been to the Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill which is highly recommended (for the beer and ambience - the food is pretty good, not the absolute best.)

 

[Mara]

yep Carolina Inn. Looks super cute and says 'fitness equipment' so bonus!! we're excited about that for sure.

greg loves breweries and pubs so he's jazzed about that.

 

[royalasscherlover]

congrats rod! hope you will be happy there (again)!

i totally hear everyone about the scariness of scale fluctuations and feeling bigger compared to your friends. the truth is that you don''t get to store up points for being good about food and exercise - you have to keep being good for the rest of your life. it can be a little daunting sometimes. for me, i think the key is not to panic about small fluctuations, but to be aware when there starts to be an upward trend so that i can tighten up the routine a little. i want to catch it quickly because i don''t want to get back to a place where i have 10 pounds to lose...

i have been putting alot of pressure on myself lately because i''m going to my college reunion this weekend and really wanted to look as sleek as possible. but with traveling (and eating out) all last week and then not working out very much this week because i''ve been sick, i don''t feel like i''m where i wanted to be. which is ridiculous, really, cause i know i don''t look any different to anyone else than i did 2 weeks ago, but i somehow feel disappointed in myself. i was reminded of how silly i am today, cause i''ve seen 2 people who i haven''t seen in 3-6 months, and both have commented on how i''ve lost weight and look good. it''s a tough balance sometimes to not be too critical, but still be vigilant enough that you keep up the healthy routine.

anyway, i am still feeling a little congested and yesterday i was absolutely exhausted, so i skipped the gym and took a ~1.5 mile walk outside instead. i am planning to hit the elliptical after work today. i''m craving pizza for dinner so i may try and come up with a healthy version for tonight.

have a good one!

 

[Dee*Jay]

What a crazy day! I go to my office about 7:45 and the office manager was like, um, what are YOU doing here? Huh??? Well, I had accepted an invitation to a regulatory meeting about two months ago but for some reason the reminder didn't pop up on my calendar yesterday and I completely spaced it. Fortunately it started at 9:00 and I was close enough to walk even, but it was not what I had planned for the first half of the day!

I ate a whole grain bagel on the way to the meeting so I could successfully avoid the pastry table, but I did have some decaf with half and half at the break becuase I was so cold. Lunch was a cobb salad, and even though I ate all the bacon and avacado, I had virtually none of the dressing. Plus I ate so late (almost 2:00) that I didn't go looking for any sort of afternoon snack.

I thought I had a hair appointment tonight but it's actually tomorrow night so I'll be able to get in a trip to the gym. The past three time I've worked out I've done he bike and I haven't had any chest pain afterwards. Tonight I'm tempted to just try 30 mins or so on the elliptical and see how it goes. Of course if I do have any chest pain I won't know if it is due to the elliptical or just becuase it will be my fourth workout in a relatively short period of time, LOL. And dinner is up in the air at this point. The HH is going to the grocery store on the way home so who knows!

 

[katebar]

Congrats to you Rod

. Your company is certainly lucky to have you back in the fold and I'm sure they will quickly appreciate your efforts and hopefully this will translate to a more senior position with more money

.
My body redefining has been rather derailed lately due to my daughter's accident but she is now recovering and back at school half time.
I kept up the 5 meals a day during the last 4 weeks and have lost 2 kilos. Unfortunatlely I have been drinking 1-2 glasses of wine a night but I plan to resume my alcohol free weekdays soon.
I did the elliptical most days for a half hour which really helped with the stress but my twice weekly pilates with my instructor had to go by the way side and boy does my body miss it!!!. I am so stiff in my hips and that is due to the lack of stretching but also my fall that i had 3 months ago. I desperately need to get back to pilates and hopefully will this week.
I have been lifting free weights which has also been great and i really have started to build muscle.
But today I took possession of a brand new Bowflex home gym which I bought with the compensation I got from the store I fell over in. I had outlaid over $700 in physio chiro and accupuncture and big whoop the store reimbursed me. So instead of paying me I bought the the Bowflex

.
I got it for an unreal price on ebay. Fully guaranteed and the newest model. Now all I have to do is fine someone to put it together. DH tried last night but this is a man who really struggles to change a light bulb (no really

)

 

[Rod]

Hoping not to leave anyone out.......Thanks SO Much Lorelei, bee*, Ellen, NYC, Kimberly, Shortblonde and Katebar. If I missed anyone, it was most certainly not intentional.

Kimberly that dinner in Lahaina sounded absolutely perfect. What a great way to end a wonderful vacation. I guess you won't have the problems we East Coasters have when returning from Hawaii. The time zone changes for us are a killer. I remember waking up at 3:00 AM ready to start the day, but quickly adjusted to their time. The trouble is getting back on East Coast time. It usually took a whole week to get back on track.

Sounds like you're doing great Katebar and Shortblonde, don't put so much pressure on yourself (the pot calling the kettle said!) LOL We all are so super critical of ourselves and we should just be proud to be working towards being healthy and fit.

I didn't sleep well last night. I guess the day was just too overwhelming to me yesterday and I hope to sleep much better tonight. I was actually toying with not working out at all this afternoon, but then that angel stood on one shoulder and the devil stood on the other and well you get the picture. The angel won and I made it to the gym and had a very nice 2 hour workout and it felt really good afterwards.

Charlie's still entertaining business people tonight, so I had a salad on the terrace all alone. It was actually pretty nice. It's super breezy tonight and there are white caps and waves in the bay, which is unusual because the part of the bay we live on is pretty protected and rarely looks very wavey. Anyway, it's such a nice breezy evening that I've decided to go for a nice long walk on the bayshore sidewalk. It should be a lovely evening to walk.

Thanks again to everyone who's wished me well. I truly appreciate the friendship and confidence in me.

Have a great evening everyone!

Oh and Mara, I hope your packing is going well. I still wish we could dine with you Saturday night at Second Empire in Raleigh. It's really a lovely restaurant and I hope you enjoy it after all the hype I've given it. Remember, if they have lobster on the menu, get it. The chef really knows how to cook lobster and it was completely out of the shell, so no work involved. I'll be interested to see what your impression of Raleigh and the surrounding locations is. I'm sure you'll find it a very pretty place to be to be for sure. And from the looks of it, it's not fully summer up there, so there won't be any blistering heat to wear you down while you're there. Also, if you can write this down if you go to Mura for Sushi. Ask for Hamed. He was our waiter and tell him Rod and Charlie (the guys who lived in the same apartment complex he lives in and who he waited on every single Friday night for nearly 5 months) sent you. Make sure you get a Screaming Orgasm as one of your rolls (it's not on the menu, but it is fantastic).

 

[Dee*Jay]

Well that felt GREAT! I just did a fab 30 mins on the elliptical (OK 31 mins; I had to get to an even 300 cals before I would stop!) and I really enjoyed it. Much more so than the bike. I was really tempted to keep going but I thought, no, this is a test to see how my chest feels, and I made myself stop. Fingers crossed for no discomfort please!

That salad I had for lunch really stayed with me. I didn''t even eat anything before I worked out and I just had a 100 cal pack of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies becuase they sounded so good when I came home, but I imagine I''ll only eat one more small thing tonight becuase I''m not really hungry at all.

It''s finally warming up here and I hope I manage to lose enough weight that I feel good in my summer clothes this year. For the past few years I haven''t been too excited about taking my fat arms or my chunky white legs out in public. Hmmm... wonder if I can lose another 20 lbs before summer really hits, LOL! But today I wore a pair of pants that even a few weeks ago were still a *little* too tight on me. Small progress, but progress nonetheless!