Well, 2002 was an exciting year....lots of changes. I went back to college in August. Initially, I was very nervous about this. It's been 12 years since I've been to college. But I realized that if I want to progress beyond where I'm at now, I've got to get my degree....so off to school it is. I'm majoring in Accounting and plan on getting my CPA in the next few years. Yippeee!

As far as weight goes, I've managed to lose 17 lbs so far, so I'm happy about that. I had been neglecting exercise. But...it's a new year. As of the first I started walking every day. It may only be a mile or two, but it gets my heart pumping. I've stopped getting my lunch at the drive-thru. While I truly miss Taco Bell, I feel much better about eating at home. :)

My goal for 2003 is to get to 150. That's 48 lbs to lose. If I break it down, that's only 1.04 lbs per week. That's definitely doable (is that a word?)

I woke up this morning and decided that I wanted to go out to breakfast. While I could have made the same thing here, basically...I didn't want to. So, to justify the calories and the expense, I walked to the restaurant. It's only about a mile away, but it was fun. Yes, I realize that this was justification....I had fun anyways. I felt good about the walk, and I ate reasonably.

I'll probably take the pups for a walk later tonight. One of these days, Pinky will get the idea that a walk is much more fun if she doesn't try to pull mom down the street....I hope.

Well, I'm off to read other journals....then to clean the house. :D

Hey Badelle,
Welcome here! Always nice to have more people join us.

The walking sounds great and hey, 1-2 miles is very good.

Just wanted to let you know that we have an exercise chat here on Tuesday nights at 9 pm your time. We talk about exercise of course and we also keep track of our 'minutes' of exercise and report in at the chat. I am the chat leader and have a notebook to keep track of everyones minutes. It isn't a contest between participants but some people like to make goals for the month and see if they can reach them.

Well, come check it out if you like.

Keep up the good work, and yes 1.04 sounds very doable. Congrats.

Thanks Nancy,

I'll try to check out the exercise chat this next week. I guess I need to start keeping track of how much time I spend exercising. I really haven't been concentrating on it. I've just been happy to get out there and do it.

Talk to you soon!

Hello and welcome to DT.

the walking is great exercise. i too walk when the weather is good but for now i do other exercises at home.
my goal for 2003 is to lose 50 of the 66 pounds i need to reach goal then work from there. i lost 36 so far.

your doing great and passing up fast food is hard. i know firsthand as i work at Burger King but i am not so tempted there as i see the same food every day and it loses its appeal.

well have a good weekend and hope to get to know you better.

Thanks Minnie. What part of PA are you in? My parents live in Chambersburg (south/central). They moved up there about 5 years ago for their retirement. It's funny, most people retire to Florida, they retire and move away. LOL

Hi Badelle,

Thanks for stopping by my journal. Sounds like exercising isn't much trouble for you, I wish I had the same attitude. Good for you that you're happy to be able to, and lucky you that it's warm enough down there that you still can. 32° outside right now, needless to say I'm not going out anywhere if I can help it.

:wave:

Hello Badelle ~

My daughter also lives in Florida, and she has her Master's in Business Managment. Accounting was one of her Majors, and she intends to get her CPA license also. Where in Florida are you. My daughter lives in Maitland, and she did work for Time-Warner, but she has recently left there for greener pastures.

I think you are doing really well if you are getting in 1-2 miles of walking every day, or even 5 days a week. I would love to, but physical limitations get in my way. I struggle to get in 1 mile minimum most days, and I'm glad that I do. I know it is doing me good, even if it's not always "comfortable" doing it........LOL.

I'm glad that you have found our community and decided to join us. Good luck with your weight loss program. I'm sure you will do just great! With all the support we get here, it's kind of hard not to.

Keep smiling ........... :)
Sandie

Welcome to DT Badelle!

You are so motivated!...You sound great!

I read about your walk to the restaurant for breakfast!...I do not see it as justifying...I see it as balancing!...Good for you!...

Keep up the good work!

What kind of dog do you have?...I have a pug...as you can see...her name is Olive!

Hope you had a good weekend!

mcmarto

Thank you so much to everyone who's posted today. This is so nice. It's great to have support.

Well, the pups and I didn't get back out tonight. Tomorrow's another day. I'm still happy with the morning walk though. I went out and bought a pedometer today (thanks Minnie....you got me motivated). I think I'll end up walking to church in the morning instead of taking the car. It's about a mile away...downhill on the way there, so it'll be easy. Uphill on the way home, so I'll be exhausted by the time I get back...LOL.

Julie, I wish I could say it's true that exercise isn't a problem for me. I would much rather curl up with a good book or watch a good movie (that's what I ended up doing tonight). Once I decide to go though, I'm excited about it. I also enjoy myself while I'm walking most days. It got down in the twentys last week, so that walk was a little chilly. It did make me pick up the pace though.

Sandielynne, I live in a little town called Brooksville. It's about an hour north of Tampa. I've worked for a CPA firm for the past three years and I love it. I finally decided to go back to school and found that I truly enjoy that as well. College is a lot easier as an adult...maybe because of life experience. I'm sorry that you've experienced physical limitations. I do think it's wonderful that you are able to get in at least a mile on most days. It's much more than I've been doing over the past year. :)

Mcmarto, Olive is adorable! I've got two dogs and two cats. It makes for an interesting life...lol. Pinky is my dalmation. She's about 3 years old and doesn't understand the meaning of the word calm. She wakes up hyper and stays hyper until about 9 pm. Then she crashes. She looks so sweet and innocent when she sleeps. You'd never guess that much energy could reside in one animal...ha. My other dog is an 8 year old chihuahua/rat terrier mix. He's a sweet old guy. Whenever I'm sad or not feeling well, he plasters himself to my side and won't budge until I'm better. Taz's favorite past time is getting the squeeky toy from Pinky and then tormenting her by playing ring around the dining room table. It can get truly amusing....and loud.

Well, I'm off for the night. I look forward to getting to know you all better.

Oh wow...what an interesting life you must lead with all those pets!

I pug sat a friend's pug last year...and with him and Olive...it was too much!...I always wanted another dog...but Olive demands so much attention...she is by my side or on my lap all the time...even when I am trying to read!...I love it though!

I have a good ol' pedometer too...haven't worn it in awhile...guess I should dig it out!

You should go check out Curves...they have a free week advertised (on TV)...you just might like it!...30 minute workout...3 times a week.....can't beat that!

Hope you enjoy your Sunday...I better get to bed (I did sleep 4 hours...and now I am back up)...or...if not...I will not be enjoying my Sunday much!

mcmarto

Yeah, life gets interesting at times. I love animals so I've never been able to pass a stray without trying to help. Consequently, I've had many, many, many animals go through my home.

Well, I'm off and running today. I need to get ready for church. It'll be time to leave soon. I'll walk there and back, then I need to run to the grocery store before I decide to do something like order take-out. Repeat after me..."Take out is bad idea....do not order take out...bad idea...bad idea" ha.

I slept really well, but now have to face the cold. Yes, it's cold here in sunny Florida. I know I probably won't get any sympathy from you northerners, but it's 40 degrees out...and it's warmed up some this morning. We don't know what to do here when it gets below 60..LOL.

Well, enough complaining. Time to get my behind moving. Talk to you all soon.

Yeah...no sympathy from me!

It was 12 degrees here all day...and 0 with the wind chill!

I went to walk Olive and I had to actually run with her to stop myself from freezing!

...................Stay away from fast food!...Unless you can make a better choice.......get this one...I stopped at McD's last week for the flatbread chicken sandwich (no cheese)...390 calories...a caesar salad...250 calories...and a mini fruit n' yogurt parfait...200 calories..........................My DH was like..."They sell that stuff at McD's?"...hahahaha!.................................

Keep up the good work!...Enjoy that walk!

mcmarto

Brrrrrr.....it's cold. It's not so much the temp., but the wind. I walked to church and back. A total of 2.75 miles today. It was really hard getting home though. It's uphill almost all the way home, and my legs were a little sore from yesterday. I made it though, and felt better for doing it. I did end up going out to eat. I had a big salad and 2 slices of pizza. All in all not a wonderful lunch, but I've burned enough calories to burn off breakfast (oatmeal) and 100 cals. of lunch.

I'm hoping to make the 10,000 step goal for the day. So far, I've only got in 5,789, so I have a bit to go. Initially I put the pedometer on my ankle, but I noticed that it was calculating way more steps than I was actually taking, so I put it on my waistband and it's pretty acurate....go figure.

Well, I'm off to read some other journals. Talk to you soon.

Good for you for walking!

Pizza is good in moderation......I love...love...love pizza...its my vice!...hahahahaha!...I had some last Sunday on my free day...but I do by lower calorie frozen versions that I enjoy at least twice a week for lunch or dinner!

Hope you have a good week!...Keep up the good work!

mcmarto

Hey there Badelle ~

My goodness woman, you are just a walking machine here. Walking to the restaurant. Walking to Church and back. I can just imagine how that trip up the hill felt too. Living in the mountains, when I walk outdoors, hills just come with the territory. They can really drain your resolve quickly at times.

It sounds like you have a good home life, with the pets to give you entertainment and laughter in large quantitites. I have a blue merle Australian Shepherd ( Emily ) and Miss Rosie, a calico cat. Emily is quite elderly now, and Rosie is not quite 2. So it makes for some good entertainment here as well. Just like most cats, she sleeps more than she is awake, but those awake times certainly make up for it. She is here, there and everywhere. On the walls, tables and anything she can find to leap up on, over, around or under.

Well girl, I'd say you were off to a great start exercise wise anyway. Now make sure you have your water in too. Don't want to forget that. Keep up the good work, and that scale has no choice but to continue in a downward spin.

Have a great week, and keep smiling..... :)
Sandie

McMarto, there's a low cal. version of pizza...do share. I checked out the frozen ones in the store the other day and almost had a coronary! I couldn't believe the calories...and definitely couldn't justify them, so I had beef/broccoli instead (400 cals.)

Sandielynne, Emily sounds beautiful...the blue merles are the ones with the reddish coats right? I think I've got my breeds right. One of my friends (Paula) just adopted one from a rescue mission. She's absolutely georgeous...red/cream coat/Hazel eyes/brown nose. Her eyes almost look like they're human. It's really weird.

Well, I've gotta go. Just wanted to pop in and post that I lost 1 lb.!!!! Yea, I'll take what I can get...one pound at a time. There isn't a part of my body that isn't sore today though...LOL.

Talk to you soon.

What a day!!! No additional exercise today. I did walk a little over 2 miles in the office, but that's normal, so I don't really count it. I ate reasonably, drank lots of water, and floated home. :)

My pastor and his wife invited me over for dinner, so we had chili. MMMMMM...good. I didn't get home until 9pm, so I don't think I want to go out and exercise now. Well tomorrow's another day.

I'm thinking about curling up with a good book. Have a great evening everyone, I'll talk to you soon.

Hey Badelle,
Thanks for stopping by to visit my journal! I've been reading your journal and you are doing G-R-E-A-T! WOW,,You are getting that walking in and losing those pounds. You are doing it right!!! Keep up the good work!!! :cheer: :cheer:

Congrats on the 1 pound loss!

Well...when I get a pizza...I just look for the one with the lowest calories...then I split it with my DH...I get one here that is from Jewel (don't think you have that food store)...and for 1/2 the sausage it is 680 calories...but its a lot of pizza!...I enjoy this with a salad often!...In fact...its my dinner for tomorrow!...I can't wait!

Hope you have a great week!

mcmarto

Thanks guys. Well, it's a new day, and I will make healthy choices for today. I'm thinking about oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and ???? something light for dinner. Of course, I normally want a snack at night too, so I'll have to think about the evening choices. Maybe turkey vegetable soup for dinner...we'll see.

Well, I'll post late tonight...I have to go visit an elderly friend this evening. She just got back in town after a month up in Tallahassee visiting her daughter. She's a sweetie, but completely dependent on me to meet her social needs. It's so sad when people ignore the elderly...why is that???? Well, I've got to get ready for work. Talk to you all soon.

Good to pre-plan!

Hope you had a good day!

mcmarto

Well, I didn't eat quite like I expected today, but I'm still happy with my choices. I ran too late this morning for breakfast, so I ended up skipping it all together. I know this isn't a good choice, but neither is being late for work. :o) I ate a veggie sub for lunch, and a huge salad for dinner (chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, red leaf, iceburg, spinach, TINY bit of cheese and a little honey mustard dressing)...Mmmmm good!

I got home and had the munchies bigtime!!! I grabbed a handful of pecans and ate one gingerbread cookie to handle the sweet cravings. While I feel slightly guilty about the cookie, I still think I did pretty good today. I walked about 2 1/2 miles today, but didn't get any other exercise. I got home after dark, so I didn't get to do the pm walk. I'm curious to see what the scale says in the AM....drum role please............

Mcmarto, thank you so much for posting so regularly. It's really an encouragement to me. How are you doing up there in the windy city? I visited up there several years back....stayed 2 weeks and loved every minute of it. It was absolutely georgeous out and my friend and I enjoyed walking around and visiting the different sites. I brought one really nice dress with me because he wanted to take me out to a nice dinner one night. It was a simple sleeveless (I was skinny back then). Well, we went up to the hotel, got changed...I walked outside...and the temp. had PLUMMETED!!!!! The wind was blowing and we had to walk to the restaurant (about 2 blocks) After dinner, my friend decided he wanted to take me on one of those horse drawn carriage rides. All I could think was...tooo cold...tooo cold. Well, we went anyways. I froze! Still had fun though.

I hope to be able to get back up there again one day.

Oooohhh...you did quite well with your eats!...I like to add avocado...egg...and or chicken to my salads to ... this helps me enjoy them a little more!

I have been doing well........I went out and bought this biscotti I like today...now to limit myself to one a day...Their are 22!!!...ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Glad you enjoyed your visit to the city...it truly is lovely especially in the spring and summer!

I am off for girls night...mcmarto

Oh...I forgot to mention...I keep oatmeal at work...its the oatmeal express...already in the cup...you just add water and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes...voila...fast breakfast!...They are a bit pricey...but you just need a few stashed away for days you are running late!...I had one of those days today!...

mcmarto

MMMM...biscotti....they're wonderful. I've been busy for a few days, so have neglected my journal. :(

I also didn't want to record the horrible day I had yesterday...or was it the day before? Ugh! I hate when that happens. Anyways, I did so so today. Bagel for breakfast, veggie sub for lunch, and szechuan chicken for dinner (chinese is my favorite food of all time!!!!! I even learned to use the chopsticks. :D )

Well, I have to get back to schoolwork. I'll catch up on all the journals tomorrow or Sunday. Sorry for the neglect everyone.

Ok...just don't lose focus!

Don't think of them as bad days...just think of them as free days...or indulgent days...then balance them out by eating less or healthier the next day!...Maybe add in an extra 10 mins of working out!

No food should be outlawed or should make you feel bad!...Just have less...and in moderation!

This is for a lifetime of health!

Have fun this weekend!

mcmarto

Hi Badelle,
I just wanted to drop by, check up on you and see how you're doing?? Hey, Sub has got really good weight loss sandwiches! And your salad sounded delicious,YUM!!! You are doing good!:)

~Hugs,

Well, I've neglected my journal for about a week. I'm so sorry. The good news is, I've lost 3 more pounds! Yea! 2 more to go for the 5 lb. challenge :)

Tax season has started and I've been excessively busy. Today starts the begining of my weekend work days, so I'll check in as often as I can...not sure if I'll be able to do it every day though. I'll check out some other journals tonight.

Must go update my stats (I love saying that!) :D

Congrats Badelle!

This is great news!

Don't let these busy days compromise your plan!

Stay focused!

mcmarto

Thanks Mcmarto! Busy days are actually wonderful for my diet. If I'm busy...I tend to forget about eating. It's when I have too much time on my hands that I get in trouble....guess I tend to get bored.

Well, I weighed again and have lost another 1.2 lbs. I haven't been here in years, so it really makes me happy. :) I'm waiting for that 190 mark, and it's coming up fast!

Talk to you soon.

Oh...great to here!

You are so close!...Good Luck!

mcmarto