Weekly Workout Thread 22nd May till 28th May

[Rod]

Skippy, enjoy your trip. 3 Miles Woo Hoo! We haven''t decided which movie to see yet, but Charlie''s leaning towards the Waitress movie about her pies and her moods, while I''d really like to see the new Spiderman movie. I''m betting Charlie will win as he doesn''t like block-buster-mainstream-action-everybody else likes ''em- movies. LOL

Good deal on the weight there Kimberly. I knew you didn''t really gain weight on your trip!! Have fun with your family too!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 5/26/2007 12:06:00 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 5/26/2007 11:56:46 AM
Author: KimberlyH
Morning all,

In more thrilling news, I got on the scale this morning and I''m at 125.0, so I''ve lost all my vacation weight.
~K

HI K:

Good for you! I simply do NOT know how you resisted pina colada''s while recently in Hawaii--altho I normally do not drink such ''fancy'' cocktails--last summer in Hawaii I do believe they were my ''staple'' and even had several in one day????

Enjoy your long weekend folks!

cheers--Sharon

Sharon,

The last time we went to Hawaii (August ''07) I managed to gain 7 lbs while there, all from alcohol, I''m sure. That was enough for me to be content drinking my delicious wine. I mispoke when I stated I only indulged once, I actually indulged twice. One night we went to the hotel bar to have dessert and they didn''t have any (wierd!!??) so I had a pina colada, and one afternoon we stopped at a bar and I had a Kahlua Colada.

Enjoy your weekend as well, Sharon.

Kimi

 

[Skippy123]

Hey, I just saw the Chicago Gem show GTG! I must say DeeJay you look fit/awesome!!! Whooooo hooooo.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/chicago-area-gtg-and-gem-show-on-may-26th.62081/page-3

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 5/26/2007 7:56:09 PM
Author: Skippy123
Hey, I just saw the Chicago Gem show GTG! I must say DeeJay you look fit/awesome!!! Whooooo hooooo.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/chicago-area-gtg-and-gem-show-on-may-26th.62081/page-3

Oh aren''t you too sweet! Actually, I was kind of embarrased by how I still look in that photo, but it was the better one of the rest of the gals so I sacrificed myself, LOL.

Last night the HH and I went out for a FANTASTIC dinner at Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel on Michigan Avenue. We had the tasking menue which was:

Pineapple and guyere cheese pastry puff
Crab and, um, something, on a big white spoon, LOL
Deconstructed casear salad (I have the HH my anchovie... )
Tuna tarar with rhubarb, asparagus and chamomile
Beet salad with arugula and roquefort foam
Pea soup with grilled lemon zest and eucalyptus
Scallops with leeks and prosciutto
Risotto with morrel mushrooms and white truffles
Salmon over couscous with bacon and thyme
Kobe beef with potato puffs and mushrooms
Various cheeses with fruits and nuts
Several chocolate desserts, plus a "birthday cake" for the HH
And of course marvelous wines with every course

We ROLLED out of there, but it was worth every calorie!

Tomorrow and Sunday will be workout days for me--I need it!!!

 

[Skippy123]

Quick note. you are making me drool over the food DeeJay

 

[Rod]

Oh my DeeJay, that dinner sounds absolutely fantastic!!! Sounds like every calorie was special and worth the indulgence!! The pics of you at the Gem show were very nice and congrats on the eternity bands. They look great with the bigger bling!! Good job!

After leaving earlier this afternoon, we finally got a quick bite to eat at the mall and had a battery replaced in one of Charlie''s watches, then headed to Starbucks and we just got lazy there. All of the sudden it was like going on 4 and we hadn''t hit the gym yet. But, we decided to go and do a shorter workout which was nice and we left the gym at 6 (still 2 hours of working out) and we decided to hit this local diner and have Turkey Cheese Burgers on Ciabata bread with side salads and we split a single serving of baked beans. Sometimes, like Phoenix''s meal, comfort foods can be so nice.

Then we decided we''d go to the Waitress movie so, we needed to drop some things off at the condo and figure out what time the movie was playing. Unfortunately, by the time we got home, it was too late to make the movie and the next showing at any of the theatre''s reasonably close to us were after 10:00 PM. Sorry, that wouldn''t work for us, even on a Saturday night. So, we headed back out to Starbucks for coffee and dessert and it was just a lovely evening of people watching and the breezes were just terrific under a sky filled with stars and swaying palm trees. Man, I love it here!!

Then we came home and after having such a nice time in the spa under the stars last night, we decided to take another dip tonight and now we''re all settled with kitties in our laps. I must say that we are supremely happy back in our lives back in our condo back in Tampa!! To think we almost gave this up.......what must I have been smoking??????????

We have no real plans for tomorrow. Maybe we''ll see the Waitress movie and of course we''ll hit the gym. Charlie mentioned going for a nice long skate, which is something we haven''t done in many months. We live on one of the best and longest waterfront sidewalks in the world and it''s just a terrific place to skate, so maybe we will take an 8 or 10 mile jaunt on our skates too. We''ll see............

I hope Mara and Greg are having a nice time on their trip east. Mara, I''m still waiting to hear what you thought of Second Empire in Raleigh. I hope it was a special evening for the two of you.

Have a great rest of Saturday evening!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Rod, thank you for the nice comments--I really appreciate it! I went back and compared the pics from the December show to this one and what a difference! Now only 30 more pounds to go...

Skippy, the dinner was divine. Of course it cost almost as much as I spent at the gem show today, but being a foodie, things like this are as important to the HH as bling is to me so I go with it!

Off to an early bedtime with a good book. And I do need to read over my posts before I hit submit; I mean the "tasting" menu, not the "taking" menu -- AND I misspelled menu. Not to mention I "gave" the HH my anchovie, and tomorrow and MONDAY are workout days for me (not tomorrow and SUNDAY). Geez...

 

[Miranda]

Hey Dee Jay - I just wanted to pop in here and tell you how fab you look in the Chicago GTG pic! All of your hard work has paid off!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Thank you Miranda--it's very kind of you to say that! (Now I'm off to the gym to work on looking good (better!) for the pics for the next GTG in August, LOL!)

 

[Lorelei]

I ditto Miranda Dee - you look GREAT!!!!

Sorry I haven't been checking in much, have been busy with a new project, but I have been working out! Keep up the great work all! And congrats to MrSalvo on his weight loss!

Kim I knew you would drop the 'weight' but thanks for posting that you did, as it makes those scale fluctuations more bearable.

 

[Skippy123]

This morning I got on the scale and I lost 2 lbs; yeah! I am off to catch a plane

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!!

 

[lumpkin]

Date: 5/25/2007 7:02:54 PM
Author: monarch64
Just touching base here! I''ve been MIA all week, I know...I had a lot of appointments with the orthodontist and oral surgeon and dentist, and I also managed to get all my annuals planted. I finally had to take a break from the computer, I was spending a little too much time on the couch with the laptop and after a few weeks of being off work due to my recent dental work I was getting antsy to just be outside.

Eating is going much better now, I can finally chew pretty well but cleaning out my mouth afterwards is a PITA. I have so much going on in there right now I have to use a water pik, a toothbrush, and flossing takes forever around the braces, then I have this prescription rinse stuff and I have to expand my appliance with a key twice a day. So I''ve lost about 10 lbs in the last month...mainly from lack of snacking and all the portion control! Please don''t congratulate me...I purposely let a little weight creep back on over the previous few months in anticipation of this weight loss, so I''m back to where I was last fall and am pretty happy with that. Just this week I''ve finally felt up to taking more walks and getting outside and have gotten the ok to go ahead and work out but to be careful and not overdo it, I definitely can''t do anything where I could potentially fall and bump my face as I still have swelling and my bones will take awhile to regrow back together.

Everyone is doing well here, keep up the great work and physical fitness and healthy lifestyles!

I''m not really sure what you had done, and I did briefly look to see if I could find out but had no luck. I''m sending heal quick vibes to you! Whatever it was, it sounds painful, but it sounds like you are getting better!

 

[lumpkin]

Rod, thanks for the sushi description -- we have it at a few restaurants and at the grocery store. I''m working up the courage to try it.

Well, I''ve upped my mileage to 2.75 on the treadmill. I was both tired and exhillarated when I was done. I''m really humbled by the 3 hour workouts I see on this thread! OMG, you guys must be absolutely magazine cover ready! It will be a VERY long time before I''m where you guys are at, but I''m doing a heck of a lot more than I was.

Weight Watchers is going well. I am really glad I''m doing it -- it''s a huge eye opener. Both my kids are string beans and I sometimes worry they don''t eat enough -- so much that I think I was, in a way, eating for them ("See, this is how you eat, watch Mom!") Well, they are eating a lot of very healthy food and I kind of added up how many points they eat, and they eat a lot more than I thought, so it''s really a relief, and it gives me a lot of insight into how I got so overweight. We really don''t need to eat that much! So far I think I''ve lost about 2 pounds, but I will know on Tuesday when I go to my second meeting.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Yay on the 2 lbs Skippy!

Lumpkin, LOL, we''re not ALL doing three hour workouts like Super Rod!

I spent 45 mins on the elliptical this morning (to the tune of 457 cals) as a test to make sure my chest pain doesn''t come back, but even when I get back up to my hour that''s about my MAX. If I feel super motivated I go for 65 minutes, but at the end of those 65 minutes I''m out of that gym like a SHOT!

The HH and I are off to dinner tonight at what is called the best Chinese restaurant in Chicago. They have a three course appetizer/entre/dessert special on Sundays and Tuesdays for $25. I''ve been there twice before and remember it being *good* but not *fantastic* so we''ll see. The portions are huge though, so I''m sure there is some left over Chinese in my breakfast future for tomorrow morning...

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

 

[monarch64]

DeeJay, you''re looking just fabulous as evidenced by the pic on the GTG thread! Again, so sorry I couldn''t make it this time. Stupid sinus infection that I did NOT need right now!

 

[gailrmv]

hi!! I am back from a family reunion of sorts, which was a lot of fun! I haven''t fully caught up on the thread but I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. I ate SOOO much while visiting with my family and friends. I could definitely have eaten more, and held off on some extremely yummy desserts and tried to keep my portions reasonable, and I also drank white wine instead of the more caloric cocktails. And, I ran 4 miles yesterday morning before the festivities began. Still, my work is cut out for me these next couple weeks burning off the extra cals I ate! It was a lot of fun though - so worth it!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!!

 

[Rod]

Lumpkin, I would avoid grocery store sushi. It''s just not the best introduction to sushi. If you have a restaurant noted for sushi, you''d be better off in a real Japanese Sushi Bar/Restuarant. Good deal on 2.75 miles on the treadmill!

DeeJay, good going on the elliptical. Sounds like your pains are a thing of the past!! I hope your Chinese dinner is what hoped it would be. Ever since I read how incredibly high in Sodium and fat Chinese food can be, we just haven''t had any in a long long time.

Skippy, you may not see this, but wishing you a wonderful trip!! Great job on losing another 2 pounds too!!

Welcome back Gail. Sounds like you had lot''s of food and fun with your family!

It was a very very nice day in paradise. It''s been super breezy for over a week now. This is actually pretty unusual for this time of year, but we''re really enjoying the breezy and not humid conditions for late May. We started the day with a fresh toasted bagel and fresh fruit and coffee on the terrace. We actually had to move to the terrace off the master bedroom as the wind on the front terrace was just too much to handle. We had a nice simple lunch at Panera, followed by coffee at Starbucks. Then we hit the gym and did just shy of 2.5 hours including a very intense ellitptical session. 579 Calories in 35 minutes and over 4.5 miles. Woo Hoo!

Then we went to the moves and saw Waitress, which is very cute. I had popcorn and was thinking it was the first time we had actually been to a movie since we left Tampa last November. Wow, I''m not sure how we never went to the movies in Raleigh, but somehow we never did. It was really nice to just sit in a packed theater (even though Waitress isn''t mainstream, the theater was packed) enjoying a movie and fresh popped popcorn!

Finally, we went to our favorite sushi restaurant Yoko''s and enjoyed a wonderful dinner, followed of course by another coffee and a brownie at Starbucks. A very pleasant day indeed!

Hope you all had a great day too!

 

[mrssalvo]

Hi everyone. sounds like everyone is doing great despite the long weekend.

hubby and I had a wonderful dinner friday night. sat. am, I got up early and went to the park where I hike with zoe and a friend. we then met up with our hubbys at our local bagal place for breakfast and sat outside. it was so nice to have a quiet sat. am. i''ve got family in town now and have been busy doing family things but it''s been great. getting up early to do the hike tomorrow too.

hope everyone enjoys the Holiday tomorrow!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Rod,
Sending you good wishes for going back to work on Tuesday!!!
Hubby is on a diet now, working out on a regular basis, and loves reading this thread. He's gotten lots of good tips, and is inspired by all of you . He won't post, but I can say thanks on his behalf!!

 

[Rod]

Hey Lisa and Hubby of Lisa!! Glad you''re getting good things from this thread, but do go ahead and feel free to post. PS isn''t just about diamonds and it isn''t only for ladies either. Feel free to come play with us on this most healthy thread!! Of course, if you won''t, you won''t. And Lisa, thanks for the good wishes about Tuesday. I''ll try to check in from Dallas through the week.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hi Lisa''s hubby! I hope you''re enjoying this thread and glad to hear that someone else is benefitting from all the great ideas and advice on here - I know I have been!!

DJ - I loved those pictures from the gem show, and your new eternity bands are to die for! I think I''ll need some new bling in the near future as well

Rod - your Tampa days sound so lovely and relaxing, it makes ME sad you have to go back to work LOL

Skippy - congrats on the 2 lbs lost and have a fantastic time on your vacation - it sounds divine and relaxing!

Sounds like everyone is chugging along. I''m happy to report that I''ve been doing the same. I actually only lost about 1/2-3/4 lb this week, but I started taking some weight training classes which are kicking my butt and I''ve been really sore and my DH who used to do bodybuilding as a hobby said I am probably a bit swollen all around from all the soreness, since we both agreed I look smaller and my clothes are definitely fitting looser. So we''ll see where the scale settles out once I get a little more acclimated to lifting again.

I had a really fun time on Saturday hanging out with my mom - we had a really yummy brunch/lunch at one of my all-time favorite breakfast places (whole grain raspberry pancakes TO DIE FOR - and I didn''t even feel that guilty, since they weren''t super buttery or sweet!), and we wandered around a cute little town in between where we both live with her little doggie, who had a huge fan club there. She''s such a sweet dog and very cute - she always attracts lots of attention. Then we stopped into a Banana Republic that had really excellent salespeople. After I tried on a bunch of stuff that was mostly too big, one of the ladies there convinced me to try cropped pants, which I''d been convinced I could never pull off - she brought me slim cut, tapered capri pants (like pedal pushers) in a size 6, and I thought she must be smoking something, but they fit PERFECTLY and are so flattering!! Not to mention comfy for summer. So I got a pair of those in black and a pair of more relaxed fit ones in a cute brown and ivory very fine stripe, because they were both on sale. When I tried them on for DH, he actually said I looked "leggy" and that I was "getting so skinny."

Anyway, so that was a lot of fun - I have to say the shopping side of things might just be my favorite part of losing weight. I went to Nordy''s today and tried on some cute jeans and the classic Ingrid dark wash COH''s are still my very favorite jeans (just three sizes smaller than the ones I got for the holidays in December

), but I think I''ll hold off on those ''till I''m sure I''m at my "final" weight, whatever that is, since they are pricey and NOT on sale.

 

[gailrmv]

AmberGretchen, I am SO happy for you. Your weight loss is really inspiring. I would love to go to Banana and wear a size 6! You have totally inspired me. Isn''t shopping so much fun in a smaller size? Even though I have not made as much progress as you, I love getting size 12 instead of 14. Just one size makes a big difference!

I''m off to the gym shortly. I planned to get up early and go but I kept hitting snooze. Oh well, it is a holiday! I plan to do about 40 min of total body weights and then cardio for about 40 minutes as well. My new gym has a circuit training room and it is a lot of fun. The time flies!

 

[Dee*Jay]

This morning I got up at 7:15 with every intention to going right the gym, but two hours and one quick nap later I finally made it, LOL. I was going to do a gentle hour on the elliptical but about 40 minutes into it I heard tapping on the door and there was my HH. One of the other people at the gym opened the door for him--and in he walks with The Demon. Dogs aren''t allowed in the gym and I didn''t want to send them away once The Demon had seen me (he freaks out when "the pack" separates) so I gave in and quite. Not sure how many cals I was at; probably 350 plus. Oh well, then we took a long walk along the river and went for a romp in the dog run (the HH has reapired the entire fence over time so there is much less chance of swimming in the river!) and now I''ve got to go get myself together so we can go over to Sports Authority and take advantage of their sale.

Happy Memorial Day to everyone!

 

[Phoenix]

Thank you for you welcome again, Mara and thanks also to Shortblonde and TG.

It''s great to see you here also, Lumpkin.

It''s so wonderful to see everyone here doing so well / determined to lose weight and get in shape.

I''d just like to share that that I''ve been successful at keeping my alcoholic intake to 1-1.5 glasses a day this past week, despite having i) with my best friend in town (which meant A LOT of going out) and ii) hubby completed his triathlon and us celebrating!! I did eat quite a bit more than I''d wanted to, with everything that''s been going on, but did manage to squeeze in 5 work-out sessions at the gym. Today, tomorrow and Wed are a bit tough for me, what with the tradesmen buzzing around the place, but I''m going to try to go to the gym once or twice before Wed weigh-in, even if it means having to get up extra early or going to the gym late in the evening. I''m also gonna try not to over-eat or indulge in something calorie-laden. So hopefully when I step on the scale this coming Wed evening (which will be Wed morning for most of you), I''ll not be seeing any weight gain, fingers crossed!

Oh and I love sushi, actually sashimi more. We''re so lucky that there are tons of Japanese restaurants here and we have one favourite that we go to quite often. In fact, we went there last night and had tons of sashimi! YUM...

Speak again soon...

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, I definitely overdid it with alcohol yesterday and ended up having an impromptu and scrumptious meal with DH and my in-laws, where I had lamb and mashed potatoes. Oh boy. It was really good, though.

So the scale says 128 today when I was 126 yesterday. I don''t usually fluctuate so that''s disappointing.

Also, I could have sworn my thighs measured smaller yesterday. Today they''re 23 and 22 1/4, down from 24 and 23 1/2, but yesterday I swear each thigh was 1/4 inch smaller. Did the alcohol, lamb, and mashed potatoes head directly for my thighs?

On the plus side, I went shopping and got some pants from Ann Taylor Loft -- size 4P in their curvy fit. They fit really well, although getting them on over my rear is a challenge. That''s motivation to keep losing.

Obviously I am thrilled to be a size 4 because I was recently a size 8 in the same store, but I know that if it were ten years ago I''d probably be wearing an 8 (at least). No one with thighs like me can actually be a size 4!

I went for a 5.4 mile walk this morning before I really realized I had a hangover, and I used Map My Run for the first time, so I was able to figure out that I walked almost exactly 4 miles an hour, at least for the first hour.

Another bonus is that my arms are now 10.5 (down from 11). I can definitely tell a difference.

Alright, so I think alcohol is the next thing to axe/moderate. It''s my last remaining vice, but I definitely want to get back to 126 and below.

 

[Rod]

Happy Memorial Day Team PS!!

It''s my last day of unemployed freedom. Seems odd that I have to pack for a business trip to start my first day on the job, but such is life. Today, we''re going to have a nice day. We had a scone, coffee and fresh fruit on the terrace overlooking the bay this morning. There were loads of jet skis and sailboats out this morning. Always such a beautiful sight to see. We''re going to walk along the bay to a little restaurant by the pier about 2 miles from our condo and have lunch. Then we''ll walk back and head out to Starbucks, then the gym for a nice long workout. We won''t really be able to work out for 4 straight days because of business meetings, so I need to make today''s workout really count, hence the walk and workout. Tonight, we''ll probably just cook something at home for a change.

Lien......good job on limiting the alcohol and on increasing the workouts!! I also love Sashimi, but we eat mor Sushi than Sashimi.

DeeJay, I have this image in my mind of you pusthing your bunns on the elliptical when HH and Demon walked in the gym!! 350 Calories is a good deal on a holiday, so don''t feel bad at all. Enjoy the sale at SA!!

Gail, I hope your workout was great too!!

Amber, good deal on the size 6 fitting you so well!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Awww...thanks Gail. Its so odd to be called an inspiration, but I really appreciate the nice thought

I totally agree on the being able to buy a smaller size - like PG said, there is definitely size inflation, and no way was a 6 with my build 15-20 years ago, BUT, I try to focus on the fact that six months ago I was buying 12s and 14s at the same store, and I don''t think the vanity sizing moves quite that fast, although things definitely vary between brands - I''ve gone down 4 sizes at Banana and more like 3 at other places (Ann Taylor, my beloved COH jeans which I''m not buying until I''m at a stable weight because they are so pricey and a pain to get hemmed, etc...). Anyway, I guess my point is that I think you are both right, gail and PG, that focusing on the amount of progress over a period of time is more important than the absolute number/size, because that can change so much between brands and over time without you changing at all.

Congrats Lien on limiting the alcohol consumption - I know that can be really hard once you''re in that habit, but it sounds like you''re doing a terrific job!

Thanks for the nice thoughts Rod

Sorry to hear you''re packing already for your business trip, but I hope it goes well and is a pleasant re-introduction into the company for you

 

[gailrmv]

Rod, thanks for the welcome back and the workout wishes! I wish you well on your first week back to work.

AmberGretchen, your progress is remarkable!!

PG and AmberGretchen, about size inflation, I think you are right. throughout high school/college I was an 8 or 10 depending on the store. This was in the 1990s. Anyway I don''t have measurements to compare but I am sure I was much much smaller then than a size 10 is today. In fact I remember when we first got Old Navy in my town around 1996 and I could wear a 6 there even though I wore an 8 or 10 everywhere else and I loved shopping at Old navy for the vanity factor!

AmberGretchen what has been your basic approach to your weight loss? It sounds like it has worked fabulously!

I had a crazy good workout just now. I realized that a spin class was starting up and so I took it for 1 hour. I was not wearing the right cycling shorts since I had planned on running but I still got by. I hate thigh chafing! Anyway, then there was a 20 min abs class after that so I did it too. Then I ran a 5K on the treadmill in 32 minutes. I was at the gym for about 2 hours! I am sure I burned a ton of cals. Now I am going to scramble 2 eggs with mushroom and eat it in a whole wheat tortilla b/c my trainer said it was very important to eat protein within an hour of your workout!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Gail - that sounds like an awesome workout. I love those days when you just get doing at the gym and end up doing everything and you''re there for hours and you''re so sore but you feel so good afterwards! That sounds like a fantastic after-workout snack too.

I''ve really just been counting calories and exercising. My calories I''ve been aiming for (and hitting) about 1200-1500/day, with occasional splurge days where I don''t count but might get closer to 2000 or 2500 (by occasional I mean like once or twice a month for special occasions). I eat tons of fiber, veggies, and whole grain everything whenever possible. When I was trying to lose intensively I did only cardio, but with high resistance, and on a "random" program so my body didn''t get too complacent on the elliptical for about 60 minutes 4-5 days/week. I''m fairly active otherwise, because my "job" doesn''t involve a lot of sitting (I am a grad student and I work in a medical science lab, so lots of moving around there), and I also volunteer at our local SPCA and walk/play with dogs 2-4 times/week for several hours at a time. So all that keeps me pretty active. But mostly I think it was the calorie counting.

Now that I''m much closer to my target weight (actually at my initial target, but have decided I''d like to lose 10 more if possible), I''m adding back in some weight training with circuit training-type classes where you do sessions of weights/strength training interpersed with sessions of cardio, so it keeps your heart rate up and is very challenging (and I''m sure burns a ton of calories) but still gets the strength training in. I''m making it a point to bring protein powder that I mix into a shake with some water within an hour after class to drink.

I''m not skinny, as I said before, and I probably never will be, but I do feel much healthier now than I did 35 lbs heavier, and I''d really like to stay where I am or even go lighter. Thanks so much for the nice thoughts though - its definitely been hard work, but more than worth it.

 

[Mara]

hey guys just checking in from greg''s dad''s house in MD for a second...we''ve been so busy so i havent read the thread in a few days at all...so hope everyone is doing well!!

rod i just wanted to say real quick that SE was fabulous, greg loved it even more than 115 but i loved them both in diff ways. we had a wonderful time...the food was phenominal! overall very impressed with the food in that area. we had lunch in carrboro on our way out at this awesome pub and found a co-op that had california cherries and fage and other stuff, woo hoo. so i stocked up on our way out of NC. eating has been totally hit or miss as is typical with traveling and family visits, a big party yesterday, lots of fresh strawberry daquiris...but i am trying to also eat lots of fruits and veggies and drink lots of water even as i am having a scone for breakfast or whatever. tonite i think we are going to have some maryland blue crabs which is the thing out here which should be lots of fun. then tomorrow we head out for greg''s mom''s in PA for a few days. so more eating there.

on the plus side, we have gotten in serious activity every day...there is a fabulous YMCA near greg''s dad''s and we went yesterday, and today we took a 3mile walk, and tomorrow we are going back to the YMCA before we hit the road. at his mom''s house we''ll find a gym and also take long walks. so i feel like i am maintaining pretty well, my clothes all still fit which is a huge positive, but i will definitely need to do a little work when i get home on the eating side i am sure to feel like i am back on track. i feel kind of bloated overall, but it could also be the humidity which i am unused to. in the pictures we have been taking i look the same so that''s a plus.

anyway happy memorial day!! and hope everyone has had a really enjoyable weekend!! i''m sure i''ll check in at some point over the next few days once we find some time and a wireless connection hehee.