Weekly Workout Thread 3rd Dec till 9th Dec

[Lorelei]

Happy new week all!

Well, the Holidays are now just around the corner, what a fast year it has been! I was looking back on the thread from one year ago, most of us are still posting and doing well on our journeys!

I remember Marcy asking a while ago, how we approach our eating and exercising over the Holidays, so now is an excellent time to think about how we are going to tackle the Holiday food minefields. Personally, I believe that I work too hard for most of the year to not indulge in a few goodies! But also I choose my calories wisely ( or try to!) I won't eat everything in sight, but have what I particularly like.

My plan is going to be similar to last year. I shall eat what I want for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after, which we call Boxing Day in the UK. This name comes from Victorian times, it was traditional for the master and mistress of large houses to give their servants gifts on the day after Christmas - hence the name Boxing Day.

If we go out anywhere and the food is worth splurging on, then I will, but I will work out a little harder the next day, drink plenty of water, and then not worry about it!

So in a nutshell, I will choose my food with care and then enjoy it to the fullest!! But for those who would rather keep a tight rein on their eating, that is fine too, it is about whatever works the best and that you are comfortable with.

Also it is important to try to keep things in perspective. If you do go overboard with eating around the Holidays, it won't make any difference in the long run! It is only once a year and remember if you eat that way for a month then you will gain weight, just for a day or 2 won't hurt or hinder your progress.

Have a great week

 

[steph72276]

Good Monday morning everyone! We got back last night from our anniversary trip. It was soooo much fun, Adam did such a great job...he has never been one to really plan out surprises before, so this was great. I got up on Friday and he told me to take the dog to the vet and pack our bags with swimsuits and nice clothes and that he would work a 1/2 day and come home and we were leaving. Andrew was going with us too, since we don't have any family around here to watch him, so he was excited about our trip too. We ended up going over to Marco Island, which is about an hour and a half away. We stayed at this BEAUTIFUL resort in a wonderful beachfront suite! The general manager of the resort is a friend of a friend, so he hooked us up with the best suite in the resort where the beach was literally a few steps from our door. When we arrived, we had a whole set up of wine, cheese and crackers, fruit and choclate covered strawberries that looked like the ones on our groom cake. We spent all day Saturday at the beach having a blast with Andrew, then Adam had set up a photographer to take pictures of us on the beach that we are going to use for our Christmas cards this year. He is supposed to be shipping me the cd of the pics today, so I will have to post them when I receive them this week. After the photos, we had a wonderful meal at a beachside resturant...everything was so perfect. I tried to make healthy choices during the weekend, but I did indulge in cheesecake for desert and a few tropical drinks

. I weighed myself, and I up 2 pounds from my lightest, so not too bad. It is back on track hard core now until Christmas. Hope everyone is doing well. I will post a few pictures of the beautiful resort...

the living room/dining room

 

[steph72276]

the food set up when we arrived...

 

[steph72276]

The view from our room...

 

[steph72276]

The beautiful beach

 

[steph72276]

Andrew in the water

 

[steph72276]

fun in the sun!

 

[steph72276]

Sunrise from our patio

 

[Lorelei]

What fab pics Steph! Your son is such a cutie, you are gorgeous and your Hubby looks like actor Jonathon Rhys Meyer!

 

[steph72276]

Thank you Lorelei for the sweet compliments...I''m not sure who that actor is, I will have to look him up!

I share your thinking on induling a bit on the holidays....if I don''t give myself a break during special times, I feel deprived and am more likely to binge,

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All,

What great pics, Stephanie, thanks for sharing!
Lorelei, another wonderful opening. As we get ready for our annual Chicago Christmas trip (we leave Friday) it reminded me that every year at this time I splurge a bit, choosing carefully, and I always end up right where I started weight-wise.
Marcy, your fresh fruit sounds similar to what we had yesterday, yummy!

Speaking of splurges brunch turned out great. I made pralines and pecan baked french toast, a ham and fresh fruit. I had 1 sliver of ham, 1/2 a serving of french toast and a big bowl of fruit. Last night I had coconut shrimp and some fries for dinner. Lots of good food, now it''s time to return to normal!

I''m working today, and return to school tomorrow for my last curriculum based class before student teaching and the seminars that are paired with it. Student teaching still isn''t straightened out, I''m waiting anxiously for it to get settled so I know who I''ll be working with -- long story, big administrative disaster.

Have a great day everyone!!!

 

[appletini]

To expand on what Lorelei said...when it comes to holidays if you want to watch your calories try to drink cocktails/wine in moderation...you can drink way more calories than you can eat, plus the less you drink the less chance you''ll have of a hangover the next day and then can actually exercise..however if you have too much, don''t forget that alka-seltzer is your friend.

Last night I went to bikram yoga, but I almost didn''t make it b/c I had to take DH to the airport and there was a wreck on the freeway, so I took a detour and drove as fast as I could...so glad I went, plus I hadn''t done any exercise since last Monday. I had planned to go to yoga on Friday but while I was driving there I got stuck at a left turn light that wasn''t working, so after waiting through several light cycles I just told myself that it wasn''t meant to be, but it actually worked out b/c I finally found a red berry wreath that I have been looking for.

Today I plan to go to my total body training class, but I have a conference call before so hopefully it won''t run over. And I don''t have any luncheons scheduled this week so I should be able to workout during lunch everyday...but I''m sure that one day someone will twist my arm to go out, but at least it will be an improvement over last week.


Steph, Congrats on your anniversary the trip looks amazing.

 

[Lorelei]

Good reminder about the calories in alcohol A''tini, as I don''t drink I can have more food!

Funny thing is, I love liqueur chocolates and can eat them till the cows come home..

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Lovely pics Steph! I am envious given the -1 one million degree temps we are presently experiencing......

Too many lunches and brunches this week....I will exercise at home since i am pressed for time. We had a lovely weekend, out for dinner at our favorite French place and tons of bubbles.

Hope everyone is well, and enjoy your day folks!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Skippy123]

Steph, fab pics!

Your son is so cute!!!

Lorelei, great opening!!! I agree w/you and that is my plan right now because there are lots of party invites so I plan to eat soup broths before these parties and bring a diet soda w/me in case their isn't any. hehee

Kimi, you are going to Chicago; how exciting!!! Are you going to the gem show w/Dee and Monnie (if so pls pack me w/ya)?! What fun! Gosh, I hope they get all the admin stuff figured out soon! Glad brekkie was a success

Appletini, dang to missing yoga. Enjoy sculpting/muscle hr tonight and hope your call isn't long!

Sharon, yay to bubbley and good food! Enjoy your workouts and hope the knee is improving!

Rod, good for you being at peace w/things you can't control; you are amazing w/your positive outlook!

Marcy, hubby has been to your town; I didn't know it was so close to CO!



I lost 2lbs (1 of which was gain due to gobble gobble day), Yay!! Today is my day off and tomorrow is muscle hour! I am feeling pants again for not sleeping, oh well. Have a great day all!!!!

 

[Mara]

morning all! yep holiday gorging is among us. last nite we had our first holiday party and my friend makes this absolutely wonderful baked bree with preserves (apricot this year), rosemary, and cayenne in a phyllo. you scoop it up with crackers and bread. it's DIVINE. she makes it maybe once a year, mostly for me because i cry and whine, but she didn't make it last year so it's been two years since i've had it!! so i literally mowed on the thing, i ate maybe 1/3 of the bree wheel! hahah. so that made me really not hungry at all for dinner. but i didn't want to not eat any dinner, so i had a tiny piece of turkey, a few carrots, a few tomato slices, 1/4 of a roll of bread, and some lettuce. then i tried all three of our desserts but none of them were very good, sad to say and pleased at the same time since i didn't want seconds! my friend made a fab apple pie but it had to sit for an hour to congeal and she made the pie as we were having dinner so there was no time. so last nite both greg and i felt pretty bloated and nasty from all the food.

and i realized i really do have to reign it in a bit this season. we have another birthday at work today, we got this enormous fruit tart from whole foods for the 'cake'. and while there yesterday i picked up a mini pumpkin pie for greg and i. but honestly after last nite it seems so unappealing. i would really LOVE to do another week or 2 weeks low GI diet detox kind of thing, but we have 2 more parties this wkd...and i don't like not indulging during the holidays. so i might adopt the whole 'during the week' thing more strictly than i have. not like i am gaining weight, if anything i have gained .5 lb in the last month and a half (and it's probably muscle since i lost fat), but i just feel a little too loose with my eating to feel comfortable, esp heading into a busy eating season. so we'll see how this works out for me, if i can do it!!

this morning i'm having egg whites with 2% cheddar and coffee. out of fiber wraps. snack will most likely be low sugar maple oatmeal. we're going to lunch for my coworkers bday but she loves sushi so hopefully that can be healthy.

steph your vacation looked wonderful, yay for warm weather! kim, i love brunch, yours seemed like it was divine. tasty. sharon, glad the champagne made your insides warm even if the weather is cold!! hehe. apple, boo for missing yoga, better luck today.

 

[Linda W]

Good morning all,

Steph: Love your pictures, where on earth do you live???????? It is so beautiful there.

Well, our Christmas Party is this Saturday and I have been running around like a chicken with her head chopped off, trying to get the house ready. 28 people coming. I am going to cook a ham and DH is bbqing tri-tips, plus a variety of salads.

Mara: The brie sounds exactly like the one my girlfriend Jan is bringing. She also makes it every year. It is so delicious.

Hope everyone has a great day, I have to go to Macys for the last day of their sale. I need a new pair of black pants. Mine are too big. Yay!!!!!

Linda

 

[appletini]

Yay! Conf call wrapped up just in time for me to make it to my TBT class.

 

[Kayakqueen83]

Hello everyone! Things have been so busy lately with my job.. hopefully they will start settling down soon. I only got the chance to work out 3 times last week but I’m glad I did what I could. I love working out on the weekends when there isn’t a crowd at the gym, but alas I was doing so many errands that I didn’t have time. I’m going out of town on Saturday to Tampa. My mother and I are meeting there (It’s halfway for both of us) so that we can go to The Nutcracker together. We’ve been going every year since I was three… a few hundred miles apart isn’t going to stop us now.

I’m really looking forward to it and I’m hoping that I can still get in at least one good workout on Sunday when I return to Miami.

Lorelei what a great opener. You always know what to write to motivate me. “
So in a nutshell, I will choose my food with care and then enjoy it to the fullest!!” <-- I think that is a great way to look at things

steph72276- your anniversary trip looks wonderful! I’ve never heard of Marco Island, but it looks so beautiful that I might have to make a trip there sometime soon! You and your husband make such a cute couple!

Appletini: How do you like bikram yoga? I’ve always wanted to try it.

Skippy: Way to loose 2 pounds!

Mara: that baked bree with preserves sounds wonderful. I would have eaten the whole thing!

I hope everyone has a great day. I’m looking forward to getting off of work. The air conditioner in my building broke and it feels like it’s 100 degrees. I’m finishing up some Christmas shopping this evening and pre-making dinner for Tuesday so I can go straight to the gym after work tomorrow. There is a water aerobics class at 6:30 and I’m hoping to try it.

 

[appletini]

kayak, I love it! Its very intense, but you should try it at least once. The first time I did bikram I thought I was going to die, but 10 minutes after the class I had so much energy. Everytime I go I can really feel my body benefiting from the practice in so many ways.

ETA: Make sure you have time for a shower afterwards...you will be drenched in sweat from head to toe...last night I had to wring the sweat out of my hair...gross!

 

[marcy]

Happy Monday. I’ve been running errands all day, went to lunch with my DH and just got lasagna ready to bake for supper (low fat of course). Woo hoo to having lunch for most of the week!
I bought some Levis this morning; not exactly designer clothes but something I haven’t worn for a long time. It just hit me recently, I need to buy some regular, zip up, non-stretch jeans.
Good news, they didn’t even X-ray my mom at the doctor; they think she just bruised herself. They gave her some muscle relaxers. I spent an hour on the phone moving my dad’s trac phone number and minutes to his new phone. I was setting there thinking I’d pay the extra $10 a month to add him to our cell phone account over setting here for an hour – oh well it should be working in 4 to 48 hours for him. Aak!
Lorelei, I can’t take credit for your inspiring words of wisdom this morning. I don’t recall asking that question but I hung on every word you wrote and think you have some great points and ideas. Last year I had to make the cookies for the family get together so every night I made one type of cookie and ate one hot one. That was my treat for the day. It worked great for me. This year we are doing a cake for my niece’s college graduation so I only have to show up with my cheesecake (a new one not the one I left out for 8 hours on Thanksgiving) and some candy cane cookies. I plan on having some holiday goodies but keep it in moderation and stick to my routines as much as possible.
Steph, what a sweetheart of a DH you have taking you to such a beautiful and romantic place. The room and view are awesome. The food spread is divine and you and your family are adorable. Thanks for posting the great photos.
Kimi, I bet you are anxious to get your student teaching assignment. That will be fun. I am sure your class will love you. Have fun on your trip to Chicago.
Appletini, alkaseltzer has helped me through many days and days after. Now that I don’t over do it often so I don''t keep it in my purse. I hope you had time to make it to your body training class.
Sharon, sorry to hear it is so cold there. We are in the 50’s today but we have wind gusts in the 60 mph range. My hair looks “great”. Definitely have the wind blown hairdo today. I hope you had some bubbly for me; I love it.
Skippy, your DH has been to my little corner of Wyoming? Cool. Yay for loosing 2 pounds, woo hoo! Sorry you didn’t sleep well; I hope you sleep great tonight.
Mara, I’m glad you got to have your fill of the delicious cheese wheel; it’s strange how bad just eating so much can make you feel. I know I sure can’t eat as much as I used too; even if I’m really hungry.
Linda, I am sure you party will be a great success. Yay for needing smaller pants.
Kayak, have fun on your trip to Tampa to meet your mother and see The Nutcracker. Have fun Christmas shopping tonight. I wouldn''t miss my air conditioner today but I’d be pretty upset if the furnace wasn’t running. I hope they get your AC fixed soon.
Well, I must get some papers graded and get ready for school. Take care my WWTrs friends.

 

[KimberlyH]

Hi All!

Had a great day, until the very end. One of the kids bangs his head when he''s upset so someone has to sit behind him to protect him from himself, he became agitated and threw himself, skull first, back into my face. I have a terrible headache that is not going away. I''m going to lay down a bit and then make chicky pot pies for dinner.

Skip, I am not going to the gem show with the other PSers. We''ve got a lot planned for the trip already, and only have three full days to fit it all in, but I can pack you and you can go with them.

Marcy, I''m really excited about going, we always have so much fun. Two years ago December 14 we got engaged in Chicago, so it''s become a tradition.

Have a great afternoon all.

 

[gailrmv]

hey - just a quick check in - steph happy anniversary! Thanks for sharing your pics - they are great! I gave up alcohol for a week now to see if that might be holding back my progress. No difference! Well, one thing tried, anyway. I''m trying to pick my splurges like Lorelei suggested (great advice!) and keep on with my regular gym routine. Hope everyone is having a good week-

 

[steph72276]

Good evening everyone! Thanks for all the anniversary wishes and kind compliments on my pictures...hope you didn''t mind me sharing

Kimi...your brunch sounds so yummy! The pralines and pecan baked french toast sounds wonderful, was it hard to make? Good luck with your student teaching! To answer your question, yes, I really miss teaching kindergarten. It was a lot of work for sure, but I was excited to go to work everyday and left everyday knowing that I was making a difference in these kids lives. I think I will go back to it when my little guy is in school.

Appletini, good thinking on consuming too many calories through drinks this time of year at parties and such....those things can really add up quickly!

Hi, Sharon...I would love love love to see snow....Adam and I decided it would be a ski trip next year for our anniversary Keep warm!

Skippy, thanks for the sweet compliments on Andrew...he had so much fun! Way to go on the 2 pounds girl! Hope you get some sleep tonight...I hate that feeling

Mara, the baked brie sounds like it was to die for...yum!

Linda, we live in South Florida near Ft. Lauderdale...we went over to the other coast of Florida for the weekend Yay for needing new smaller pants, that is great!

Kayak, have fun at the Nutcracker....how fun! Thank you for the sweet compliment....I loved Marco Island, it was only about 1 1/2 hours from here, right up 75 so super easy trip.

Marcy, good news about your mom...Your candy cane cookies sound yummy, I love anything peppermint flavored this time of year!

TanDog, thanks for the anniversary wish! Do you think you are eating too much sodium? I have recently started watching my sodium intake and can see a major difference in my weight with that.

 

[Rod]

Hey.......It was just a plain lousy day. I won''t go into details but it just sucked. Dinner tonight was very nice though, and I had work related things I still couldn''t get too, so we skipped having Yogurt at the shop and just brought some home which I just got around to eating. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day, but if it''s not, at least I''ll have the gym tomorrow night and can beat up some machines........LOL

Thanks for the good opener as usual Lorelei!!

Steph, your weekend sounded fantastic and the pics of you all were wonderful!!

I''m not going to make this very long. Charlie did finish up the tree today and I took a couple pictures. Somehow though, the pictures really don''t show the magic of hundreds and hundreds of twinkling lights and all the ornaments. It''s kind of like trying to capture the beauty of a diamond on a camera.........which I never seem to be able to do very well. Anyway, here are a couple shots of the tree.........

 

[Rod]

And here''s another shot........

 

[Rod]

Last one I promise.......

 

[Skippy123]

Ah, great tree Rod; I love nutcrackers!!! Here is to a better day tomorrow; so sorry!

Marcy, do you mind pls posting your candy cane cookie recipe in my holiday cookie recipe thread here when you get a chance.

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. My lasagna turned out great. My DH must have liked it; he ate several big servings for supper.
Kimi, I’m sorry to hear about your headache. He must have really smacked you; I hope you sleep well tonight and feel better tomorrow. That is really neat you return to Chicago to celebrate getting engaged.
TanDogMom, your experiment must mean it is okay for me to drink. Woo hoo!!! Of course, I like mud slides and I am sure they are loaded. I do have an occasional glass of wine.
Steph, it sounds like you were a very caring kindergarten teacher; I am sure the kids loved you. I hope you go back to teaching when your little guy is in school.
Rod, your tree looks great. I hope your day goes better tomorrow.
Skippy, I will post my recipe on your link. It’s a favorite of most of my family. I am the official family cookie baker too so I will look through my recipes and see which ones I want to post for everyone. Your PB balls sound great. I think I gained a pound reading the recipe and drooling on my laptop thinking about them.

 

[tdiddy]

skippy, yay for 2 lbs!

steph, that resort looks FAB!

rod, love your tree. i agree pics never seem to do trees justice. sounds like you guys are light junkies like me....i have 1500 twinkle lights on my 7.5 ft tree!!! can''t have too many lights.

not much to report today. i got a vaccination today for my upcoming India trip and had a reaction to it. my arm is still really swollen and sore so i skipped my workout. lunch was a bowl of the LF roasted tomato and corn soup at panera with a piece of baguette. dinner was grilled tilapia with mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini....yum! breakfast was bran flakes. lunch was light so i ate a half bagel with FF cream cheese and red peppers on it for a snack.

the good news was that the scale at the doctor''s office matched my home scale loss - my brain always give more credit to the medical office scales even though they are just as likely to be uncalibrated. so that made my day.