Weekly Workout Thread 8th Oct till 14th Oct

[marcy]

Hii everyone.

I am so excited the weekend is here. We watched a movie tonight (Periscope Down), had popcorn and then went out to Kohls and bought a few things at their late night sale. I had a few extras today but nothing horrid. I split a cake donut with lady at work this morning and I must admit it was a good as I thought it would be. My popcorn tonight was one of the healthy popcorn bags for 90 calories but I did put a little butter on it.
Kimberly, you are so right fluff is a great break for your brain. I like to just look at women’s magazines sometimes just to zone out for awhile. I am glad to hear the scale was nice to you today. Thank you very much for the congrats. Too funny about the devil horns.
Lorelei, I had to laugh at your hubby laughing at you; my hubby is like that too. The funny guys they are, huh? Thanks for the giving me the cheerleader smiley face for loosing so much weight. It is boggling my mind.
Sarah, thank you for the kind words; I wish I could put my body on autopilot and loose weight. Your new walking path sounds great with a nice view. I hope you enjoy it when you get to go for a walk there. You did some serious walking to get to class on time though. Sorry to hear about your elbow; I cracked mine on a window frame (just simply smacked it being klutzy) and that thing still hurts sometimes.
Mara, I hope you don’t get sick. Thank you for the nice compliment; I might just submit a story to people about the new me. Your story is so inspiring to me from how you worked to reach your goal, then had to redefine your life to get back there and maintain it. You are constantly trying to improve and change what you do to make everything work for you. Although you constantly strive to eat healthy you still have a wide variety of foods and enjoy some special treats. I am so glad you share your discoveries with us because I know it will help me once I reach my goal. You are so right that sometimes we will have a bad day or two but we also always get back on track and that certainly is the key to making this work.
Skippy, I did see your photos; they are great. I like the one you posted here better though with your smiling face to brighten my day. Brrr to 40 degrees. You are a walking machine today; yeah for all that exercise. Thanks for being happy for me loosing another pound.
Rod, thanks for the yahs for my new low. You guys inspire me too. I chuckled at your tough life comment, you are right someone has to live it and I’m glad it is you. You certainly deserve it. I am sure your loved cruising home with the top down.
TanDogMom, thank you for sharing in my happiness; it is pretty cool. Congratulations for being back to your pre-vacation weight and even a pound lower. That is wonderful news that people are noticing you look leaner and your clothes are fitting better. That is sweet rewards that contain no calories.
Tomorrow we are meeting the in-laws for brunch and I have a ton of laundry to do. I hope everyone has a great day.

 

[tdiddy]

Mara – if you are doing all that strength work with your trainer and haven’t gained, you definitely are leaning out with more muscle mass. That is awesome!

Rod – glad you got your elliptical. I am the same way about treadmills at the gym. There are probably about 20, but I only like one brand of them and literally chose my new gym partly b/c they have the StarTrac treadmills.

Skippy – you are really crankin’ out those miles, girl!

Marcy – yay for another loss!

TDM – sounds like you also have had some great progress lately – congrats!

I haven’t weighed myself this week, although I have been tracking cals. My goal was to maintain this week considering everyday/nite has been an out-to-eat celebrate the birthday type meal. I still feel better clothes fit wise, so I think I’ve stayed on track.

My Mom baked my fav Cooking Light apple cake for my cake and it was amazing. She’s making it again for the Sunday family bday dinner….can you tell my family is a little nuts for bdays? She also is making oven baked chicken, rather than fried, to make it healthier. So I am really looking forward to that.

Last nite my fiancé gave me a new Louis Vuitton handbag for my birthday gift. It’s the new LE Speedy Mirage in black….gorgeous. I was shocked as we usually don’t do that much for bdays. I guess he wanted to mark the big 30 in a special way. Then we went to a Halloween festival/event at the local amusement park. I can tell I am getting older b/c those roller coasters really beat me up! And we went through this haunted trail thing where you have to get on your knees and crawl through a tube….I could barely stand up afterwards. DF and I were like, “Man, this is meant for 10 year olds.” It was fun though.

All was well until the drive home when my transmission totally went out on my Ford EXPLODER! Yup, it’s in the shop as we speak…had to tow it last nite. The mechanic called today and said he thinks it needs a whole new transmission for like $4k! grrrr. So pretty much I am thinking I may be buying a new car. It’s a 1999 Explorer that I was going to replace next year and literally is only valued at $4k trade-in best case scenario. So that sort of stinks….although I wouldn’t mind a new car.

Worked out Thursday and yesterday. Both elliptical workouts. I started out running Thursday but got really short of breath and decided to take it easy and switch to the elliptical. Hopefully I’ll get back to running soon though.

It’s a beautiful fall day here – hope your Saturday shapes up the same way

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hello kids!!

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!

I FINALLY left my financial job yesterday (to the tune of pastries in the kitchen for breakfast to celebrate my "passing," a catered lunch from my favorite Chinese place, drinks after work with my closest office friends, and then an enormous steak dinner with my best office girlfriend. This morning I an feeling FAT, HUNGOVER, and FREE FREE FREE!!!

The scale shocked me into reality through the haze today. I weigh a HORRIFYING 148 lbs. (And for any kind soul who tries to say that's not so bad, let me remind you I'm only 5 feel tall... ) No more of this. Hopefully actually putting that number out there will cause me enough embarrasment that I'll do something more about it. I'm off the gym pronto and I've already given the HH the big box of fudge someone gave me as a going away gift (??? I don't even like fudge ???) and I'm giving another box of candy to one of my clients tomorrow along with all of her other housewarming gifts because I know she'll enjoy it.

Aside from working out today I have to go to get a plant for someone, somehow acquire some fruits, vegetables and easy to prepare protein, and then go to dinner with one of the HH's skiing buddies. We're going to Chinatown so who knows how terrible that will be for me, but I'm not going to eat much.

(Stephi - Don't read this next part.) In case anyone still cares about my scar let me say it looks better than it has since the steri strip came off right after the surgery. There is still a *tiny* hole, but it is closing up rapidyly and only just pink (instead of an angry red) and is totally flat instead of being all humped up like it was before. (Thank you Sharon!)

That's all for now! The NEW DEE is off to the elliptical!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 10/13/2007 12:04:58 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Hello kids!!

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!

HI:

DJ: Congratulations! Wishing you all the best in your new career. BTW--how is your "owie"?

Lorelei: That broken treadmill thingie just sucks!

HI to everyone else who posts here

Not much new around these parts. The weather is absolutely beautiful--more yard clean up this weekend for my DH (I am recovering from surgery #3/final), so I intend to "supervise". We will take a nice walk long today--I think I need it as I had cranberry and pistachio bread pudding with caramel sauce last night AND a bite of my DH's pumkpkin creme brulee!!!.

Enjoy your weekend folks!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Mara]

DJ...what was your lowest weight before you hurt your leg and what is your goal? Just curious because it''s funny...The other night I was very randomly thinking...it seems like DJ hasn''t been AS diligent foodwise as before since her leg wound, so I wonder if she is maintaining or if she has maybe gained back a little. I wasn''t going to ASK, so I am glad you chimed in!!! I think sometimes we know that we''ll hold each other accountable here so sometimes it''s very hard to post the number or admit that we''ve been a little too lax with the eating etc...I do it sometimes too...so I''m glad you posted and have had the wakeup call! I do think that it ebbs and flows with this healthy lifestyle thing. The thing to remember is that you can always get back on the wagon after having fallen off a few miles back. I have kind of made peace with myself that I might gain or lose ~5lbs from month to month but that''s okay with me. Life isn''t worth living for me if I can''t have the occassional splurge or week or splurges that might pack a few lbs on, as long as I stay active and do what I feel is right for the LONG TERM, that''s what matters. So yay for being FREE from the work thang, and committed again. I found when I was off from work I loved taking the time to work out, since I had hardly anything to do hehee. That was def my lowest weight point BUT I think I am carrying more muscle now.

Tdiddy, that is what I figure as well about not gaining...with all the muscle training and resistance I definitely think that I have gained some muscle!! And visually I can see so much more of my muscles and definition...so that''s a huge positive for me. It''s so interesting though because even with all the training I am doing, I still am not bulking up really, which is good because I was afraid I''d turn into some scary body builder woman, unrealistic I guess with the weights I am doing, even though it seems like a lot to me, it''s really not in the scheme of things.

So I''m hoping that my trainer will want to do legs today...and maybe no cardio...hhee. I''m feeling a little sore from yesterday. I took some echinacea last nite and feel okay today but this cold has been trying all week, kind of really low key....to get me. So I hope I can really kick it this weekend with some additional sleep and that''s that. I also think because I tend to eat more healthily now that I am probably fighting it off more naturally than in the past. When I enter my foods into fitday and then do the ''check your nutrients'' area, it looks like I am getting the majority of the vitamins and minerals I need through my foods which is great. and I am still taking calcium daily (or sometimes every other day depending on if I remember) since I read that it helps with flushing fat out of your system. So who knows if it actually does, but I''m also turning 33 this month so a little extra calcium isn''t a bad thing for the aging bones!

After the trainer I have to come home and shower and change and then head off to Target to get some goodies for my cousin''s baby shower, I love shopping for baby items at Target, they have such a great selection and all the Gerber original stuff, and I end up spending a crazy amount on stuff but it''s so fun. Then I''ll swing back home, pick up Greg and we''ll head off to the shower. Hoping for maybe a nap this afternoon and then this evening we''re going to lobstah with some friends and then maybe to this local ballroom dancing place to do a beginner dance thing (our friends are taking dancing lessons so they invited us)...we''ll see how up for THAT we feel.

Tomorrow Greg has another race at 7am in a town 2 hours from us...jeez! There is also a marathon and half marathon happening downtown that''s a big deal..my Dad is running it. I think there might be a 10k so I was thinking maybe I should walk it but then I thought ugh, getting up at 7am to do that? And possibly alone since Greg is going to be gone rowing and I don''t know if my sister will want to walk with me as it''s kidn of late notice. So then I thought nevermind that, I''ll just go to the park and do 4m tomorrow. Probably better for me than trying to push for 7 miles considering I''m trying to fight this cold.

Anyhow, hope everyone is out enjoying their saturday! It''s chilly and foggy here, but as long as it doesn''t rain I''m happy!!!

 

[jas]

Hello all!

I have been clawing my way out from under stacks of papers and from the tyranny of never-ending meetings...and here I am!

I''m still maintaining at about 3-5 pounds from the goal...my only "exercise" these days is being on my feet all day except for lunch and going up and down 4 flights of stairs about 7x a day. It''s the Monarch plan!

Even with a fairly sodium-intense dinner last night...the "pound" I normally gain in water still only puts me at what USED to be my low-end-of-comfort. The goal is so close I can taste it. It does NOT, however, taste like pumpkin creme brulee, which sounds heavenly, canuk-girl.

Today is DH''s birthday (or, as he calls it, "one step closer to death." Snerk. He spend a fair amount of time yesterday telling his sister about the random gray hairs appearing on his body (head and chest, people, don''t go anywhere else, please.) We celebrated last night because he''s on some boys trip to see a Notre Dame football game, so I''m here, with the MBTs strapped to my feet and finishing up a really yummy salad (southwestern bbq chicken...no dressing...so it''s 280 for the whole darned thing.) Of course, the German Chocolate Cake is singing its sweet siren song from the fridge, so I may give in to having a bite. I actually am getting quite good at enjoying a bite. Was it here that I read that nothing is ever as delicious as the first two bites? So for some reason that stuck with me. If I''m eating something for taste, I know that 2 bites good, 3 bites disappointing. And it works for me. But I''m weird that way.

Oh, and I also think I may be knocked up...I''ll know for sure next week. Thought I''d throw that in there.

DJ -- WHOOOOOOO! CONGRATS!!!! FREEDOM!!! Now you can enjoy working out!

Hi everyone! I have to finish grading papers and walking the puppy...I promise to come back and "chat" with everyone who has posted this week. I''ve been such a bad little PSer.

Ciao!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Just back from 65 mins on the elliptical! I went a little later than I usually do on weekends so it was a different crowd of people than I normally see. Since I was the first of the group there though I was in control of the TV so I subjected everyone to The Six Sense. See what happens when you let Dee get to the gym before you, LOL.

jas - *potential* congratulations!!!

Mara, when I started this whole adventure last December I as 159.5. The day I had the surgery on my leg I was 135.5. And really I did maintain within a few pounds of that for months, but this last 4-6 weeks has been rather bad. The good news is I know what the "problem" is and how to fix it. The bad news is that I even let the lbs start piling back on. But I really do feel like I'm making a whole new start, so this is exciting.

 

[KimberlyH]

DeeJay, here''s to the start of the rest of your life. Hooray for bravery and the elliptical workout!

Jas, I''m so jealous your hubby is at the game. We had plans to see a game this year and my parents cancelled (no I didn''t go to ND, if I''d known my parents would have paid for it if I''d gotten in I might have tried harder in HS though, I''ve just got that weird Irish Catholic thing goin'' on that makes me a fan), hopefully next year.

So I''m in N.Ca and taking a quick rest before heading out again. We went to Bandera last night for dinner. I was so hungry by dinner time as all I''d eaten all day was a bag of peanuts and my normal oatmeal breakfast. We shared some chips and jalapeno dip, I had a french dip sandwhich, with some of the meat pulled off, and about 5 bites of mashed potatoes and about 10 bites of creme brulee for dessert. It was yummy.

Today had breakfast at a friends''. We ate waffles, sausage and fruit and it was late (10am) so I''m not at all hungry for lunch.

I need to get to the grocery store so I can by the stuff I need to make dinner.

Keep up the great work, everyone!

 

[Skippy123]

I walked 2 miles w/my dad and nephew this morning. We were almost run over by some cars; people don't seem to care about pedestrians w/baby strollers and grandpa's w/canes. I think in the future we are going to have to drive to the park; what a shame.

On a happier note I met up w/a friend and met her FI. They went to the balloon fiesta this morning and then went hiking in the foothills where he asked her to marry him. They were so cute and I couldn't stop smiling because I was so happy for them!!!!

Hubby and I are just watching a movie tonight. After the park thing hubby took me to lunch to cheer me up! He is such a good guy

DeeJay, you will lose those pesky lbs! Whooo hooo on being your own boss; you will do great! I bet people love love love having you as a realtor; you have one of those amazing personality's! Congrats!

When you told me not to read (LOL) I did. I am glad you are healing!

Mara, you are such a positive wwt friend; thanks for the sweet word on my picture. . . you made my day! I love Target for baby stuff; hubby and I went shopping there today and saw the cutest bibs. Fun! Whooo hooo super woman for the workout w/the trainer! Mara, if you do the 10k yay! Whooo hoooo to your dad!!! He sounds so healthy and same w/Greg for rowing!

Sarah, I will bike a few extra miles just for you tomorrow!

Rod, I swear you are a doll, seriously; thanks for your kind words. You are very descriptive when you write; I could almost picture you with the top down and your hair blowing in the wind while you enjoy the view. I love Enya; so relaxing! Yay for a tough workout today! Hey, have you ever own a Porche?? Just curious.

TanDogMom, thanks for enjoying my pic; you are kind. Whoo hooo on the elliptical and upper body weights! Yippee for the 1 lbs loss!!!!!!

Marcy, thanks for enjoying my pics! Wow, glad you had fun shopping you clothes horse! You and your hubby are doing great, kudos friend!

Tdiddy, yay for feeling great clothes wise. That is the important thing. Mmmmm, apple cake! Ohhh, yay for the new LV bag! Dang, to the Explorer going out; I am so sorry.

Sharon, yardwork is a great workout! I always get pooped and sweaty afterwards. Yay for a long walk and yum to those desserts! Glad you are having lovely weather.

Jas, YAY for staying at your low! Hope you get preggo! You would be the best mom!!! Happy Birthday to your sweet DH!

Kimi, yay for having a great time in N. CA!

 

[gailrmv]

hi! Hope everyone had a good day! We had a great time out with some friends to a new home tour and yummy dinner, came home early since DH wasn''t feeling good and has to work tomorrow. I ate 3 slices of medium veggie pizza for dinner, which is a little too carby for me, but was very healthy the rest of the day. I havne''t been using the online tracker these past few days and I need to get back on that. Got a lot of exercise too - too my favorite weights class at the gym and did a lot of walking. Tomorrow I have a long run planned of probably 7-8 miles if my legs can handle it - still recuperating from last weekends triathlon. I am really happy with the way I am looking except I woudl like my face to be a little leaner and the whole ab area is a mess still.

TDiddy happy birthday!! Do you do most of your marathon training outside or on the treadmill? I do a mix of both (for half marathons - never done a full one) depending on the weather, time, etc. I feel like it''s easier to push myself on the treadmill but I enjoy running outside more.

Dee Jay CONGRATS on your last day at work and first day of the rest of your life! You must feel so free!!!!!!

Rod I thought of you today, one of the friends I had dinner with is a recruiter from NYC (in town visiting). She was telling me all about it, and it sounds like a very interesting line of work.

Mara I hope your dad does well in his event tomorrow. Is he doing the marathon or half? Sounds like a good idea to skip the 10K if you are fighting a cold. Hope you have a good walk and fun at the baby shower. I like shopping at Target for baby gifts too!

Jas I always enjoy reading your posts. I hope school is a little better. I hope you get the news you want next week!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

 

[marcy]

Hi.

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday. I ate some tasty food today, and I’m sure I ate a few extra 100 calories but it was all well worth it. I made homemade biscuits for breakfast and had 2 of them with a little butter. For lunch we met the in-laws and grandmother in-law for brunch, I had some fresh fruit and ½ of a hamburger, for supper we had some steak cooked on the grill, raw veggies and a baked potato. We ended the evening with a brownie and some slow churned ice cream. I made homemade cocoa brownies (1/16 of the pan is 132 calories) and they were wonderful. I immediately gave ¼ of the pan to a friend of ours and ¼ of the pan to my parents. So there won’t be many brownies left to tempt me. Hubby is leaving for a business trip tomorrow so I wanted to make some special treats for him today. There are 4 brownies left so I''ll send 2 with him on his drive to the airport and have 2 treats left for me.
Tdiddy, it sounds like you are having a great time this week. I know what you mean about rides being for kids; they really do knock you around but they are fun. My mom brought me her cooking light cookbook to look through today. Maybe I’ll see your cake recipe. When I first went on a diet last fall my mom made me the greatest pineapple cake I’ve been thinking of making. You use a one step angel food cake mix and 1 large can of crushed pineapple. You mix them together (don’t drain the juice of the pineapple) and bake it in a 9 x 13 pan. It was really good. Your purse sounds great. I am sorry to hear about your Explorer. It sounds like you may be looking for a new car soon, huh?
DeeJay, congratulations for today being the first day of the rest of your life. You’re free, you’re free! It sounds like you are all motivated to eat right and exercise. Yippee. I am glad to hear your scar is healing and looking so much better.
Sharon, good for you supervising the yard work. I hope you recover quickly from your surgery. We are definitely heading for winter today; it was very chilly today and really rained hard for several hours. I might have to dig out my Snoopy slippers tonight.
Mara, that is very wise of you to be okay with loosing or gaining a few pounds now as long as you stay active and focus on your long term healthy living. I hope my “treats” didn’t do too much damage but I actually eat a little better when my DH is out of town. I hope you had fun shopping for baby gifts and at the baby shower. Let us know how your ballroom dancing lessons go.
Jas, the Monarch plan must be work since both and you are Monarch are loosing weight. Congratulations to you! I haven’t heard the 2 bites plan but I like it. I think that would work great for me too. Thanks. That will be exciting if you are pregnant.
Kimberly, it sounds like you are eating wisely on your trip.
Take care everyone and enjoy your evening.

 

[basil]

Hi all!
Well, I am again delinquent in posting. I had an absolutely insane day on Friday and I came close to tears at some points...and I am so not a crier. I was going to go to the gym after work, but my co-worker''s car was broken into, and he needed a ride home so I skipped. Plus, it gave me a good opportunity to vent to someone who understood exactly what I was going through. Then I got home and found my sneakers still in my house while my gym bag was in my trunk, so I don''t think I''d have been working out anyway. Today I woke up and did weights in the morning, went into work to do some extra work on my presentation in the afternoon, then did the elliptical for 40 min. Today I''ve been having one of those days where I can''t seem to feel full no matter how much I eat, so I''m probably a little high on calories, but I''m sure it''s balanced by the days where I eat less so I''m not too worried.


DeeJay - congrats on leaving your job! Believe me, that sounds just about like heaven right now.

Canuk - Pumpkin creme brulee - yumm!

Mara - I have been meaning to ask, when you do arm exercises, how much weight are you lifting? I am just looking for a goal...I''m doing mostly 8 or 10 lbs now but I haven''t really been seeing results. I don''t know if I''m just impatient or I need to lift more. The problem is that I think the next step is 20 lbs, which is probably too heavy for me.

Jas - Oh, how exciting!

Skippy - loved your pictures! We used to have a balloon festival in my hometown called "Arts and Air"...with balloons and local artists. I haven''t been in years, but your photos made me wish I was back home again.

TanDogMom - that''s awesome that you are happy with the way you look!

Marcy - a few hundred cals every so often is a worthwhile indulgence!

 

[gailrmv]

Basil - thanks! Well, there is a lot I would love to change but I''m trying to learn to be happy w/ what I''ve got... and I am reasonably happy with everything except the entire stomach area.... which is pretty crucial when you think about it I was hanging out with my petite, pregnant friend today thinking I have more belly than she does! (I am not pg.)

I know how hard the resident life is- kudos to you for working out and everything while work is so crazy! Glad you got yoru workout in today. To answer your question about the arm weights - I''m not Mara but hope you don''t mind if I chime in - my gym has 12 and 15 lb weights, and I usually use those. Most days I do long sets with lower weights (depending on the exercise) and to mix it up, some days I do shorter sets with a heavier weights. The heaviest I can handle is 20 for bicep curls, but 12 or 15 feels good, and 10 is what I use for a very long set. I really enjoy weightlifting classes at the gym b/c I find they push me harder than I would push myself.

If your gym doesn''t have anything between 10 and 20, what about picking up a set at Target or similar? I picked up a set of 12 lb weights from there for home and they were not expensive at all.

I also like the resistance bands. I always throw one in my suitcase so I can do a bit of strength training when I travel. I got that from Target as well.

 

[marcy]

Basil, if you are like me when you are really hungry you are probably loosing weight. I hope so. Sorry you had such a bad day. I so agree, a few extra 100 calories are worth every one of them. I swear; it’s the only way I can do this is knowing I can have my cake and eat it too – only as long as it’s in moderation. Ha Ha.
TanDogMom, I want to start doing resistance band. I think it will be more user friendly to my arthritic hands. Any suggestions on what to do with one of them?

 

[Mara]

evening all!!

the trainer and i did legs today which was great....he started adding more weight to what we do which is harder for me but i did it. we do the squats with the big weight bar and he started me out originally with no weight and then last time added like 20 lbs and this time i think he added 20 on each side! so greg was saying that the bar is like 40 lbs or something so i was squatting like 80 lbs. which is a big deal for me hehehe. and man when he put the extra weight on i was like OH MAN and he said he knew i could do it and he was right hehe. we did about 9 diff exercises, 3x each. on the way home i was pretty darn sore. but i came home and did 200 jumping jacks, haha glutton for punishment.

then i went off to target and got lots of goodies for my cousin's baby shower. i am such a sucker for baby shopping. and my mom is throwing her a shower too in 2 weeks so i'll get her some other stuff for that one...i'm excited because i already did the target/registry stuff for today so now i can get all creative with other cute boutiquey stuff i can find if possible. at the baby shower they had some sort of mexican fast food catering thing going on, so i had a bunch of salad with a bit of too-greasy dressing but it had chicken and black beans...and then some type of veggie mexican lasagna. and they had a REALLY yummy cake from costco with custard inside and fun sugary frosting, i am such a sucker for original style aka old fashioned birthday style cakes like that, so i had two pieces hehe. came home and napped for a while. then we went out with friends for dinner at the lobster shack. i had a naked lobster roll (just plain lobster on the roll) drizzled with a little butter, and i had steamed veggies on the side, and greg and i shared a bowl of clam chowder. and a fanta orange soda, honestly i think it's been a few years since i have had orange soda!! it was verra tasty. i had some fresh strawberries for dessert once we got home...and greg already went to bed since he gets up super early tomorrow for his race. just watching some TV and then i'll head off to beddie bye too.

basil...i do a bunch of diff types of weight lifting for the arms, not just free weights, i also do machines. and the range of weight varies as well. like on free weights i really only do like 8 or 10 lbs for the most part, though i do about 12 for twist bicep curls, but on the machines i can do more or less depending on what the point of the exercise is. light weight, lots of reps, not so important on form is more what my trainer calls 'fat burn' whereas higher weight, less reps, more important on form is what they do for muscle building. it's interesting because really i don't need super heavy weights on my arms to really feel it..and when i stand in front of the mirror i can really see my muscles working. on machines i might do like 10 lbs for the light, lots of reps...and for heavier weights maybe more like 20-30 and less reps. but yeah if you don't feel like you feel enough with the weights you are doing, then definitely go heavier. and yeah i would think that you could find 12 or 15 lb free weights somewhere.

kimi, where in N.CA are you and which Banderas did you go to? because there was one in Los Altos but they changed the name 3+ years ago to Los Altos Grill...it's the same menu and it's the FAB place where we get the grilled artichoke, tuna burger and the AMAZING oreo cookie dessert that i am always raving about. the stuff you mentioned is on their menu i think but i was surprised if you did go to the same 'Bandera' that we have that you didn't get any of the stuff that is famous around here!! namely jalapeno cornbread, the artichoke (they go through TONS of them a night) and the dessert! this bandera only has like 2 desserts, one of which is a pie like a key lime and the oreo cookie is always available.

gail, glad to hear you are happy with what you have...ab area is definitely a hard area for me too. i have read that with some people it's the last place to really go and get firm. so take some solace in that maybe!! i can be really lean everywhere else with no jiggle or anything and my ab area is still the softest place from a visual perspective. i would LOVE to have some really lean long stomach with my belly button all stretched out but unfortunately i don't think that's in the cards for me...so i just have to accept that! as long as it looks okay in clothes, hehee.

jas, pre potential congrats, keep us posted! skip, yay for a bike ride tomorrow. marcy, yummy for brownies...verra tasty. DJ good for you woman on getting back on it and holding yourself accountable! you did it before, you can definitely do it again...yay for the elliptical today. tdiddy, congrats on the super yummy bday lv...don'tcha love when they surprise you with something you really want?

hope everyone had a fabulous day today!

 

[monarch64]

Evening WWTr''s! As you all know by now probably, I work 9-5 on Saturdays so this is my "Friday!" Busy day at work today, but we always order out as a group on Saturdays (company paid lunch) and today we ordered from Lou Malnati''s which is a Chicago pizza chain and very tasty. I ended up ordering the cheese ravioli wiht marinara sauce, and it was fantastic, the best marinara I''ve tasted in this area in the last 6 years since i moved here! I had three of the humongous raviolis for lunch and ate the remaining three for dinner with a medium sized mixed baby greens salad...breakfast was total crap--DH woke up early today and brought home McD''s which meant a hash brown and small Coke for me (for some reason I told him once that I loved hash browns from McD''s...what was I thinking?), so I took that to work and ended up eating only half of the hash brown itself for breakfast, it was cold by the time I got there and not worth consuming all those calories since I wasn''t really enjoying it! Workout today consisted of running my booty off for 7 hours straight and coming home to change clothes and walk the dogs for a little over 1mile. Good enough for me! The dogs promptly fell asleep upon re-entering the house and so did I for about half an hour until DH woke me up to eat dinner. Yawn....now I can''t sleep (hate taking naps in the early evening, it totally messes up my sleep routine!) Tomorrow he''s going to the Bears game and I will have the house to myself so I can clean, clean, clean, and get the week''s laundry finished and put away, plus make a batch of brownies for him and the rest of his crew who will inevitably end up back here at our house after the game tomorrow night. Exhausting, these boys!

Tdiddy: Hi, happy birthday again in case I neglected to mention it...the apple cake your mom baked for you sounds fantastic! What a sweet mama you have, that is so nice of her. Cngrats on the new LV, I love LV and the Speedy Mirage in black sounds beautiful. Please post pics in the hangout or shopping thread, I''d love to see it! Sorry your Explorer exploded on you...I hope the matter can be resolved quickly but unfortunately it sounds like you''ll be out some $. Stupid cars....

Deejay: Congrats on being free from your financial job!!!

Good for you for posting your current weight here, that took a TON of courage and you''re right, it will most likely keep you coming back here and starting again on your weight loss journey. I''ve been there, done that, plenty of times...not a fun experience. I have the utmost faith in you, though...you are excellent at putting your mind to weight loss and overall health and fitness and sticking to it, I''ve seen firsthand here what you are capable of and you''re great. You''re going to lose the weight in no time and by Christmas this year (just think, you joined this thread shortly before or after Christmas last year!) you''ll be closer to your ideal weight again.

Canuk-gal: Your pistachio/cranberry bread pudding sounds delish! Have you posted that recipe anywhere on PS...I''m intrigued!

Mara: your posts are fun to read as always...Target baby shower shopping sounds so fun...my SIL has been hinting around but refuses to register (don''t ask...I think she''s feeling awkward about the whole registry thing as she and my bro didn''t register when they got married 7 yrs ago because they had a DW), anyway I am having so much fun shopping for her anyway and Target''s one of her fave places to shop. I did send them a Nordie''s unisex diaper bag and "My First Purse"--my bro is going to be a SAHD and he loved the diaper bag, so that was my fave purchase so far but there will be more to come, so exciting.

Jas: again, your posts always have me in stitches, absolute painful, hilarious stitches! I particularly doubled-over reading "one step closer to death" (with re. to your DH''s birthday)...LOL! Soooo not touching the random gray hairs and where they have appeared...got my own aging hubby for that, hee hee. Anywho, glad to hear you might be knocked up, I think...if you are happy about it that is! I surely admire your willpower in igoring or only taking a bite out of that German choc. cake in the fridge...my mother used to make those and that is really the only chocolate-y treat I miss from "home."

Kimi: your No. Cal meal at Bandera sounds yummy...even though I no longer eat meat things like a french dip still sound tasty to me, and the mashed potatoes must''ve been great! I used to really love pulled pork bbq sandwiches which are similar but not really (LOL)...what I really loved were all the condiments/fixings that went along with like chips and pickles!

Skippy: good job on the 2m walk with your dad and nephew, glad you weren''t run over by oblivious drivers, it is sad that some people don''t pay any attention to pedestrians whatsoever, you can never just relax and walk at your leisure because you''re always having to worry about crazy and distracted drivers. I loved your balloon fiesta pics, they were fantastic!

Tandogmom: good to see you again as always...sounds like you are doing well! I love veggie pizza but it''s challenging to me to eat only a few pieces. Pizza is my diet downfall (some people have probs turning down chocolate or sweets, but for me it is cheesy, mouth-watering pizza, lol)...anyway I was reading your post and I started salivating, good thing there''s no leftover pizza in the house, DH finished off his frozen margherita style one earlier! Good luck with your run tomorrow!

Marcy: Your post has just inspired me to make brownies for DH and his season-ticket holder football buddies tomorrow...I remembered I have two boxes of Betty Crocker classic fudge brownies in the pantry that I need to make to use up a couple eggs that have been hanging out in the fridge. Brownies are not a "danger" food for me since I''m not a big choco fan, but DH loves them and will be so excited to come home to freshly baked ones and of course he can share them with his football fan buddies. I''m sort of happy just thinking about that! Typically I abhor fall/winter Sundays because DH usually comes home with his group and they take over the house on Sunday nights when I''m just thinking about relaxing but tomorrow I plan to put them all into relaxation mode with brownies and milk and send them all home feeling calm and sleepy, LOL! Hmmm, maybe I''ll start making brownies EVERY Sunday when there''s a home game!

Basil: don''t worry about being late in posting, just post when you can! Sounds like you had a rough Friday and I hope things are going more smoothly now. I''m sure everything will iron itself out and you''ll be back to your usual routine by Monday. I have experienced those days when it seems no amount of food will satisfy my cravings...usually it''s TTOTM, LOL!

Good night all! See you all tomorrow or Monday!

 

[gailrmv]

Monarch, good to see you too! Pizza.... yum. I have one slice in the fridge for lunch. Your lunch at work sounds good too! Happy weekend!

Mara - good to know the ab area is a challenge for a lot of ppl. Mine is definitely not looking good in clothes - yet - but I haven''t given up! I want to get that under control before having kids b/c if I cant get it now, how will I get it back? DH was joking that I can get a tummy tuck if I want one someday, but I said how about I take that $$ and buy a giant diamond so nobody will be looking at my stomach? Costco cake is SOOOO good, I have hosted 2 baby showers now and I always get costco cake.


Marcy, I hope you like the resistance bands! I use mine for bicep curls (with the band held under my foot or feet), and shoulder presses (same position) and rows, with the band wrapped around my feet. Also, I do tricep presses standing up with the band stabilized under my feet, and press the handles from behind my head. Unfortunately these are hard to explain. Mine came with an instruction booklet with pics of the exercises and I hope yours will too.


I''m totally procrastinating now, as I need to work a few hours for my job, do my long run, go to the grocery and a few more errands. I better pick something and get started on it!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Thanks all for the kind words and the encouragement!

Monnie, I can't believe that you spend your weeks working so hard and then do all the cleaning and laundry on the weekends. You make me feel like a slacker...

Mara, a killer leg work out AND 200 jumping jacks?! Woah--you go girl!!

TanDogMom, aka Ms. Triathaloner, I doubt your ab area is "a mess" LOL. And your face is no doubt just beautiful. Don't be too hard on yourself girlfriend.

Marcy, oh I loooooove homemade biscuits. Butter... a little appricot jam... sheer heaven!

Basil, sorry you had such a bad day on Friday. I hope the rest of thet weekend is going better for you!

Skippy, be careful out there! You are right; people in cars don't pay enough attention to pedestrians. Since I spend so much time driving around a densly populated metro area I have become UBER careful of people in the streets. Be safe!

Kimi, your avatar makes me look forward to the changing leaves. The weather here was turned but the colors haven't caught up yet.

Sharon, the scar seems pretty good today. Hole is almost gone and everything. I'm convinced the whole problem was that damn stitch.

Rod, where are you?! Hope you and Charlie were off doing something so fabulous you just didn't have time to post last night.


OK, kids, down to Hyde Park to drop off a housewarming gift for one of my clients who closed while I was in Florida, then an open house, and finally a client this evening until about 8:00. Woo hoo -- a packed real estate day!


ETA: I forgot to mention that on Friday when I got home the HH had gotten me a big bouquet of lillies (which is a joke in the real estate industry) and he'd taken a picture of me and the pups sitting on the floor the other day and turned it into a card that says: "Welcome to the new office Dee! We look forward to working with you!" Signed Dino the Demon Dog and Mr. P. Pants (the dog walker referrs to Oscar as Mr. Poopy Pants for some reason). Gotta love that man of mine!

 

[Rod]

Quick checkin Team WWT!

DeeJay, glad to know your scar is healing now that the little thingy popped out! And yayayay for finally finishing up the job and here''s to your bright future as the best Realtor in the City of Chicago!! Also to the rest of your life, glad you''re heading back to the gym as it won''t take much time to shed those few pounds that have crept back on you. Funny, I don''t like fudge much either!

If you are ''knocked up'' possible ''congrat''s'' to you Jas. I still remember the post where hoped if you found yourself with child, you hoped it would be with hubby!! LOL

Hey Gail......yes, recruiting is an interesting line of work. One has to be able to handle a lot of rejection, but the rewards can be high when all goes as hoped.

Not too much to report since Friday night. We had a great day yesterday. It was a cool morning on the terrace, followed by lunch and Sbucks under the oak. We had a great workout, then dinner at "The Wine Exchange," followed by a movie at an independent film festival held every year this time in Tampa, then Frozen Yogurt, and coffee again under the oak. We didn''t get home until after 11, so we just got ready for bed, and watched a few minutes of Saturday Night Live and settled into deep sleep.

Now, we''re about to head out for a regular ''ol Sunday of lunch, coffe, a good long workout and off to find something to fix for dinner tonight. If the weather stays so nice, we may take a walk again tonight, sans a heavy rain like last week.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

 

[Skippy123]

Morning all! I have no idea what I am doing today but Sunday night is my favorite tv night. I think I will be making homemade pizza tonight since hubby has been hinting to me "Where is the Pizza Queens Pizzas?" Small hint, huh?!

I make it very low cal w/loads of garlic. hehe

Well I want to say a big thank you to all of you; you are for sure motivating reading all your posts!

DeeJay, I am so happy for you. You should post that picture of you and the pups; I bet you look adorable! You hubby sounds like a doll!

Monnie, walking around burns up lots of cals! I bet you are a great sales person! Thanks for enjoying my photos. hehe Great job on taking the pups for a walk too! Have a good 2 day weekend starting today!

Gail, whoooo hoooo for a 7-8 mile run! Wowzers, you go girl!

Marcy, that was sweet to make some things for your hubby. You are doing great! I envy you for being able to eat just a small piece of brownies. I don't dare make them or I eat more than a tiny slice; Rod says pizza opens up the flood gates. Brownies and bread open my flood gates. hehee

Basil, I am glad you liked the pics. Don't work too hard; glad you did the elliptical; whooo hooo! That is awesome you have a balloon fair too!

Mara, whooo hooo on working out with the trainer. Wow, those squats sound hard. Yay for 200 jacks!

Hey Rod, Enjoy your lunch, coffee and uber workout!!! I wonder what will happen tonight on DHW w/all the drama those DHW's bring on Wisteria Lane. hehee

 

[Mara]

morning all...! so i guess all that leg work was really something because i'm SORE today. good sore, like i know i worked it. as long as i can still sit down without crying it's all good. so trying to figure out what i am going to do today and in what order. in terms of a workout, i am seeing my trainer tomorrow and they will probably want to do cardio with me which means that step ladder thing with lots of huffing and puffing and watching my form. so i would like to do something today that doesn't kill me for tomorrow. greg is gone until probably 2pm and then probably home for just a few hours and then has a rehearsal tonite! wah! so most of today is mine. i was thinking of just doing a good long walk like 4-5m at our local trail park...but then i was watching TV last nite before going to bed and i saw hip hop abs on TV, some infomercial for some workout set to hip hop music that works your abs. it was really interesting so i tivo'd it. the idea is that if you tuck in your abs and keep them there you can do cardio and dance moves and it will tone up your abs faster than crunches or other methods. of course they had like a bunch of people who are like 'i lost inches in just days'...and at the bottom it says 'in combination with a healthy diet' hahah. so i was thinking ,what are they eating? egg whites and veggies for 6 days? hehee. but anyhoo, skepticism aside, i thought it seemed like a fun way to burn some cals...so i might order the dvd's but they take like 4 weeks to get here, sooo i'm on my own til then. but watching some of the moves they were doing i thought, hey i could incorporate those into my 'home workouts' when i do them while watching my crap tv and see if there's any improvement. hehee. so i'm thinking maybe a home workout today and then maybe a long walk later with portia around the neighborhoods would be a good way to get some activity in today.

i also have to hit up tj's for groceries and i am meeting my sister for coffee this afternoon as well to chat and catch up. and get some laundry done. and ideally neaten up the house a bit, well it's actually visually neat already but just dust and vacuum etc.

we leave for mexico in a week...next sunday. i meant to order a new bathing suit online from bluefly that i have been admiring all summer, but of course got distracted before placing the order, i am soooo horrible about that stuff! did i mention i am still trying to get our blinds ordered for the master bedroom?? it's been a week. i swear i have to do that today. argh! i think i have online ordering ADD.

but anyway on mexico, i feel like i am really happy with where my body is at now BUT there's always a little room for improvement, esp since i'll be in a bikini for a week in a week! so i thought this week i'd try to do the low GI thing and no real desserts until we are in mexico. stuff like slow churned at night doesn't count...i'm talking bakery slice of blueberry pie or something hehe. hopefully there are no birthdays at work to derail me. but i should be able to do that for about a week...knowing that it's just til mexico. i find that if i lose a lb or two before a trip then i typically will put it back on and then come home about the same...so that's always nicer than leaving without having lost the 1-2lbs and coming home with the extra 1-2lbs!! i'm hoping that we'll be eating a lot of fish and stuff in mexico but who knows...i have never been to that area of mexico and we're on a resort so they probably cater to the typical american quite often with similar style food and huge buffets. argh. we shall see i suppose. my weakness will be frozen margaritas which i know pack up to 500-700 cals each, so hopefully i won't get too carried away but greg is all about the fun drinks on holiday so he will DEFINITELY be pushing those on me...he may not be a dessert person but he is a total tasty drink person!!

anyhow, sounds like everyone had a great saturday and is out enjoying their sunday (or doing errands inside and outside like me!). i really do want to also get my car washed or wash it myself today but don't know that i will have time. i should just take it and get it washed. a bird had an accident on the side of it the other day and it's grossing me out. OH and i forgot to mention this but i got a divot in my windshield thanks to a rock on friday. i was so sad...it's my first real blemish on the car. and i wasn't even behind a truck or anything, the rock just flew up and hit the ws and left a massive hole (okay so its not even a penny sized but it looks massive to me). my friend told me i can get it filled for free by the insurance company and it should not show up after they take care of it, so i have to look into that before it starts to spread. but MAN...i was so irritated when that happened on friday!!! so unfair.

oh and my breakfast this morning, quite yummy so i figure i'll post about it. i have the meyer lemon pecan pancake mix in the pantry from this specialty store...we've only tried it once, quite good. but i was thinking of beefing it up to make it more nutritional, so i added oatmeal to it! the pancakes were YUMMY...i threw some cinnamon in as well and let the oatmeal soak for 10 min to absorb the milk and get puffy...then made the pancakes. i always omit the oil and this time i actually forgot the egg whites, oops, but they turned out fine anyway (which makes me wonder why you need eggs in pancakes?). but the awesome part is that the mix and oatmeal with milk was only about 150 cals for my entire serving which made 4 3" pancakes! i used real butter on the pan to cook for no sticking but that was my only unhealthy add and it was def less than a tablespoon, more like a teaspoon since i just used it brushed on the pan. sugar free syrup and coffee..and then also scrambled up 2 egg whites plain in the pan just for some extra protein. yummy morning!!!

enjoy sundays all!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All,

Mara, I am in Sacramento and it probably is in the same restaurant family, Bandera is a chain that started in Tennessee. I didn''t notice jalepeno cornbread on the menu but the oreo cookie dessert was there. Their jalapeno dip is delicious, so we started with that and they only have creme brulee sometimes, although it used to always be on the menu. My g/f is a huge fan so we shared that.

Yesterday we had waffles for breakfast w/ sausage and fruit. I made dinner at another g/f''s we had beef stroganoff (low fat version) and brocolli for dinner and some slow churned w/ hot fudge for dessert.

Today I met some friends for breakfast, I had muesli (granola, fresh fruit and yogurt). I''m going to another g/f''s for dinner, we''ll probably have steak and artichokes or something along those lines.

I haven''t had a chance to get my run in, I''m already dressed and showered for the day, I have time now but I don''t want to have to shower all over again.

I fly home in the morning, I think J is ready for me to be home.

Have a great Sunday all.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I tried to catch up with everyone, but it''s hard to read a week''s worth of posts in one sitting. But I''m glad to see everyone is still plugging away!

I''ve been keeping up with my routine -- working out five days a week (usually taking Monday and Friday off, but this week it was Wednesday due to DH''s birthday). I do weights and cardio with the Firm one day and jog/walk the next. I still haven''t jogged more than 2.5 miles, but it''s over a mile to get to the track, so I''m walking 2.3 miles in addition to jogging.

Jogging is just plain hard! It really gets me breathing hard, so I guess that despite my new muscle mass and walking up to 6 miles over the summer, I still have to work on my cardiovascular fitness. The good news is that I''ve jogged maybe 6 times and I''ve gotten my time from 12 to 9 or 10 minutes per mile. I go to a park near here that has a one mile loop. It''s neat to see all the other regular exercisers out there, although I suspect that a lot of them are beginner exercisers (even at my moderate pace, I''d say I pass 5 or 10 people for every person who passes me). Knowing that the loop is one mile and not having to stop for traffic is important to me, even though I have to add 35 minutes to get there and back (I suppose I can drive when the weather gets colder or I''m short on time, and I think that not walking will motivate me to up how far I jog too).

DH and I went jogging together this week, and I ran for about 3 minutes (so 1/3 mile?) past the 2 mile mark, and then I turned around to jog back to our starting point with DH. It was uphill, and DH jogs an 8 minute mile, and I was already tired, so I thought I was going to die, but I made it. But whooo it was hard.

DH had a bike race today (his third since quitting smoking and getting in shape), and he won! He''s a naturally talented cyclist who beat all sorts of adults as a teenager, but obviously smoking and being out of shape for ten years were holding him back. So it''s nice to be the healthy new us.

 

[Skippy123]

Hubby and I biked 11 miles (2 extra for you SarahtheWarrior). Our bike ride was beautiful 3/4ths of it was uphill and then 1/4 was down hill looking out at the city (the views were amazing)

. I was so happy and it felt wonderful having the air blow through my hair. I was pooped but it was such a GORGEOUS fall day that I walked 2 miles along the golf course after our bike ride. My legs feel like jello now. hehee The golfers looked happy too since the weather is perfect! Inoticed my legs got tanned; weird!

Great job jogging 3 miles. PG!

Have a lovely evening all; for sure I am looking forward to dinner after our long and rewarding workout! Off to take a shower.

 

[gailrmv]

hi! Sounds like everyone is having a great Sunday.
I was just at the grocery and looking for Fage and NADA! I had to flag down the manager and he said they will stop carrying it! Now, there are other places around town where I can get it, but it was so convenient to get it at the local grocery. I was so mad! He said it was coming in too close to the expiration date (all the way from Greece!) and then they had to throw too much of it out. So I bought what they had in the back, which was the big containers of 0%. I eat either 0% or the low fat one, I forget if it is 2 or 4%. Anyway I asked if he would consider still stocking the small containers and I promised I would buy at least 3 a week! He said he would think about it

Ran 8.4 miles today which was great. I used some online site mapmyrun.com I think it was to map out all my neighborhood routes and extensions. I need to find a running buddy who goes my speed so I can go to the state park and run. (I don't go there alone for safety and DH doesn't run.)

PG congrats on improving your times so much! That is awesome! I realize I may not be built like everyone but I got to a point where I just could not improve my times anymore and I was getting frustrated, so I decided to start going longer instead. I actually slowed down my pace so I could go longer. It really, really worked for me. Now I enjoy doing 10K and longer distances. When I ran today, I was going super slow so that I could go the whole distance and it felt great. I am not fast by any means - I can do one mile in about 8 min if I am having a good day and really push myself, 10 min miles are reasonably comfy for a middle distance like a 10K, my half marathon pace is about 11 min/mile and my trainign pace today was about 12. One of the running books I read talking about slowing down to prevent injury and to improve speed in the long run and it definitely worked for me - just something to consider if you want to lengthen your runs!

Dee Jay you are kind but believe me my abs (or shall I say gut) IS a mess!! By the way why are lillies a joke in the real estate industry? They always seem to be in open houses.... maybe that is why. I wish I could be your client! We were disappointed with our realtor when we bought and sold last time.... we thought she would have a more analytical, strategic approach and she was more about the fluff than number crunching. I know you would be both incredibly smart and also fun to work with! Your clients are lucky!

Skippy your ride sounds fun!

Kimberly hope you are having a fun trip and a safe trip home.

Mara I am jealous you are going to mexico! I've never been but friends' photos look amazing. I love the frozen drinks too. Have one for me!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 10/14/2007 6:40:36 PM
Author: TanDogMom
I promised I would buy at least 3 a week! He said he would think about it

Ran 8.4 miles today which was great. I used some online site mapmyrun.com I think it was to map out all my neighborhood routes and extensions. I need to find a running buddy who goes my speed so I can go to the state park and run. (I don't go there alone for safety and DH doesn't run.)

Great job Gail! You deserve a big nap. heheee Awesome!

Thanks for the kudos on my bike ride and walk! I think I will check out mapmyrun for my walks, thanks! ETA: Gail that website is great! I no longer have to drive my route to figure out the mileage!

Mara, I forgot to ask where in Mexico are you going? Is it for your Bday? Yay!

 

[basil]

Ugh, Sunday night. Bums me out.

This is going to be a tough week. Call tomorrow, post-call Tuesday, dinner at boss''s house Wednesday, and big presentation on Friday. Then going to my friend''s wedding on Saturday. I really don''t know when I''m going to have a chance to work out, other than whatever exercise I get walking around all day at work.

Went 40 min on the elliptical today. I made myself dinner from my Bon Appetit magazine - penne with broccoli rabe and walnuts. The recipe had cream in it, but it was only 1/3 cup for a whole pound of pasta. I doubled up on the broccoli rabe and still made a whole pound of pasta, so I think I ate mostly greens and not too much pasta/sauce. Walnuts are high cal but they are good fat. It was tasty and I have lots of leftovers. My legs are kind of sore, I''m not sure if it''s the new routines on the elliptical or the lunges and wall-sits I did yesterday.

Mara and Gail - thanks for the advice on weights. I''ll have to look for some 12 lb ones. I have to admit some exercises I''m still stuck on the 8 lb ones - i.e. triceps. But with biceps I think I could go a little heavier.

 

[Rod]

Evening All,

It was a superb day all around. The weather was just gorgeous to boot! We had a healthy lunch at Panera, followed by coffee under the oak, then a really strong 2.5 hour workout. And since Monday is a day off, I alwasy push extra hard the day before a day or rest. So, Rod pushe his but, litterally. I added some weighted squats and did extra leg work, then I doubled up on dips and chinups and did extra pushups too. We had decided we''d take a nice walk either before or after dinner, so we agreed to cut our elliptical session to 30 minutes. But when I do that I push harder since I''m cutting 5 minutes out and I burned something like 510 calories in 30 minutes. That was pretty intense, but it felt good.

Then we went grocery shopping and got nice salads for dinner and decided to take our walk before we ate. We ran into our next door neighbor, who we just adore and she joined us on our walk, which turned into at least a 4 mile walk, so by the time we got home, the walk, with the elliptical session and the weighted squats all sort of caught up to me and my legs are already showing signs of being sore. I imagine I''ll be pretty sore in the morning, but that''s a good thing! All in all, it was a nice fitness day all around!

Mara, you''re likely going to find the food at the resort very Americanized. We''ve been to several places in Mexico and every resort we stayed had big portions, so don''t be surprised. I was so sorry to hear about your window chip. Here in Florida, they don''t repair windsheilds, they are covered under comprehensive, so no deductible''s involved in getting them replaced. You might want to check with your insurance carrier to see if windsheilds are covered under comprehensive in California too. I''ve seen glass that was "repaired" but was not impressed and you can definitely see where something was done. I doubt that''s what you want for your Mini..........

Gail.....wow, that''s a long run. Congratulations!! I plan to start running again now that it''s not so hot out anymore. I would definitely have tried to run with you had we stayed in Raleigh!

Congrats on your run too Phoenix! I''m lucky that Florida is pretty flat and we don''t have to run up hills. Please congratulate hubby on still being a non-smoker (I know how hard that is for sure) and winning the bike race! That''s a great thing indeed!

Yay for an 11 mile bike ride Skippy! Glad you enjoyed the nice fall weather and then adding a 2 mile walk afterwards!! Sounds like you had a nice fitness day!! Not sure what messes the girls on Wisteria Lane will get into Skippy, but I''ll be there watching for sure! I don''t know if you''re a vampire fan, but we saw Moonlight Friday night. I think it''s on ABC, but it was very interesting. I''ve always been fascinated with vampires, so I enjoyed it, but some people can''t handle the fangs and blood stuff....LOL

Glad you''ve had a great visit with your friends in California Kimberly. I''m sure J will be so happy to have you home soon!

Sounds like a really busy week coming up Basil. I hope you do find a little fitness time for yourself, but if you don''t, the gym will be waiting for you when you can.

That''s about all the news that''s fit to print. Tomorrow, is at least a day off from the gym and dinner at our 2nd favorite Sushi spot, so we''re looking forward to that.

CYA in next week''s thread!

 

[Mara]

evening all!! hope everyone had an enjoyable sunday....!!

i was pretty busy today, greg was gone most of the day so i managed to get a lot of things done. i was inspired by the pumpkin thread in hangout and made this chocolate chip pumpkin bread i have been eyeing on yahoo! food. i adapted it with healthy items for all the bad stuff and it tastes VERY yummy and is so moist. and it made a ton, one of the 9x5 pans made 11 fat slices and they are only like 160 cals each with about 4g fiber and 5g protein each. so def a nice morning snack for me tomorrow with tea! i gave 2 slices to my sister and greg had 1.5 and i had 1, so we have about 7 left.

so this morning while the bread was in the oven, i did a home workout watching my soap opera on tivo...did about 25 minutes of cardio activity just really to get the blood pumping and heart rate up. my legs and butt were sore from yesterday but it felt good to also get moving! seemed to work out a fair amount of lactic acid! then i went to TJ''s and stocked up for the week on healthy food goodies. came home and my sister and i walked to get coffee and have a catch up chat. then came back home and chatted with my mom for about an hour on the phone to fill her in on the baby shower yesterday and talk about the brunch we are having for my cousin in a few weeks. then greg finally got home, so we took portia out for a 2.5 mile walk. now greg is getting ready to go to rehearsal and i am just catching up on PS. i was hemming and hawing about dinner, as i have a bunch of things i COULD make since i went grocery shopping today, but i just am feeling lazy esp since greg won''t be here for dinner...like i could make us something but i''d have to reheat it for him later and that''s no fun! so i mentioned burritos and he said YES so that''s what i''ll go get in a while. it''s been about a month since i had a burrito so it''ll be a nice treat! i only eat about 1/3 of the tortilla anyway as it''s the inside goodies i love...and tortilla is like 1/2 the cals practically of the whole entire thing. california burritos are massive!

anyhow, that''s my day in a nutshell, did some laundry as well to get ready for the week.

skip, we''re going to acapulco for a week and it''s a combo celebration of my birthday and a friend''s wedding as well. so it''ll be fun to get away for a week and experience something new! neither of us have been to this area of mexico so we''re looking fwd to it.

rod, i''m sure the resort portions are going to be huge, i also am searching to find the most highly recommended places to eat out of the resort as well...as i am really not a fan of typical resort area type food...esp being half mexican and coming from california where we have so much great authentic mexican food, the last thing i want to eat is a resort''s idea of catering to mass america kind of food. blah! so if we can find some recommended off the resort places that won''t make us sick, it would be great and a way more enjoyable dining experience i''m sure!

basil, i do the tricep lifts with 15 lb weight (two 7.5 ones) where you put them together and your hands behind your head and lift up and down. it definitely works the muscles but not so much that i''m in pain. and i actually also forgot that the last trainer arm workout she had me do like 15 lbers for some bicep curls and man it was hard!!!

skip, yay for biking so much today, rubbery legs mean you WORKED!
gail, i will def be having some drinkie poos for the wwt friends hehee.

anyhow, going to order our dinner in a few, enjoy the rest of the evening all. see ya on the flip side, aka the monday thread!

 

[divergrrl]

hi!!!!

Well, on wednesday my new baby girl will be 4 weeks old, and after an easy labor & delivery, I''m feeling pretty good. Last sunday I walked about a mile & a half and was very tired...today I pushed both my kids (my almost 3 yo son & my newborn in her carseat carrier that attaches to my double jogger) for 2.5 miles at a nice energetic clip & felt great. It seems healing is coming much faster the 2nd time around. My dh says I''m a totally different "new" mom this time around.

I am ready to start working out again, and I have a complete homegym, so I just need motivation. Of course I''ll go at it slow, but I''m tired of not wearing my old clothes & feeling great about myself (I was holding onto 12lbs after the birth of my son).

Good news is, I only gained 29lbs with my daughter this time and I''ve already lost 23.5 of it as of LAST week. My loss seems to have stalled (time to watch food & start exercising) so at least I only will have to focus on losing the baby weight from kiddo #1....

My question is...who has a good website for tracking fitness information? I''m planning on returning to Weight Watchers after my 6 wk postpartum appt with my OB, but for now, I need yoga, light weights, and walking. (I''ll pace myself for a month or two before I start running again). But I want to track my progress & stay motivated...my dh bought me the iPod shoe thingie, I just need to go to the sporting goods store & get the Nike+ shoes that work with it, but that will only track my walks/runs--I need something to track my strenght workouts.

Thanks!