I've felt pretty motivated the last few days after several long months of struggling with my eating. The time is ripe for a new journal to capture this newfound momentum. Hopefully it will propel me to lose some more weight! :)

Between February 2001 and Summer 2006, I lost nearly 100 pounds. Several combined stress factors last year, followed by lackadaisical eating the first half of this year, helped me gain nearly 20 of them back. Right now, I'm taking it day to day, just feeling good to be eating in control. My exercise has remained consistent throughout, but I am trying to shake it up and increase the intensity now. I hope to motivate myself to eat right by working harder and sweating more. (Jessica's mantra rings true: no sacrifices, no results.)

My personal trainer challenged me to start trying to reach her "daily goals." I started Thursday -- so far, so good. Accountability with her really helps me. I think I owe it my wake-up. She has asked me to:

Drink 4 liters of water each day (this is a lot, but doable)
Do 30-40 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week (I do this regularly)
Not drink alcohol (I very rarely drink)
Eat "clean" (her definition -- we'll see how I've done when I meet with her Monday)
Do ab work and hamstrings

I feel motivated for all of these except the last one... I'll be happy if I can just keep the eating in check! :D

I've been a walker throughout most of my weight loss. To jazz up my workouts and give me a little more intensity, I'm trying to switch my walking to bicycling for the rest of the summer. My legs are my heaviest body parts, and I'd love to make them stronger while giving myself a more intense cardio workout. I've been riding about 35 minutes at a time so far -- I am hoping to increase this soon.

My little sister lives in New Jersey and has an almost-one-year-old daughter I haven't met yet. Her son is nearly 3-1/2. They are all visiting in about a month. I'd love to lose a chunk of this excess weight before their arrival.

I'm also a golfer and I take English riding lessons (beginning jump class). Losing weight and building muscle -- especially leg muscles for riding -- will help me do better with these activities.

Last year's 130-pound clothes are waiting for me in the closet... I've got LOTS of reasons to drop these pounds. I've been doing this a long time. I have built good habits and I know what works for me. It's time to get serious and do it! :whip:

Starting weight this morning: 146.6

By the end of Chapter Twelve (December?), I want to be back to the weight in my stats. I'm ready to try. Here goes!

Lisrey :wave:

Whee! I'm your first visitor!!

nice new goals, nice new 'tude! I think we're all inclined to struggle--if there was no struggle, it wouldn't be interesting-- the key is staying in the fight, I think...

I like the accountability checklist-- my big challenge will be to journal my foods.

by the way--your Tigers have quite a few fans in Seattle, and they all seemed to be staying in our hotel--and yes, they were gloating as we left this morning. :D

Calories/carbs: 1361/127
Water: 166 oz (4 liters = 135 oz)
Exercise: 15 minutes/2.5 miles bike + 2 hours raking up brush trimmings

My standard high-protein breakfast is 4 egg whites scrambled with 2 oz chopped deli chicken or turkey and 2 tablespoons of salsa + 3 oz lowfat yogurt. I had this today.

Lunch was a lettuce salad with peach pecan dressing, grilled chicken breast with bbq sauce, and 1/2 cup brown rice.

For dinner after yard work and a shower, my Sweetie & I baked a frozen lasagna. I had two 1-cup servings, a lettuce salad with lite Caesar dressing and croutons, and a peach for dessert. This was one of those meals where I really had to use moderation, and I was happy with my results. :up:

I bought a bike computer this morning, and mounted it on the bike after lunch. My tires are an unusual size (24x2.125) and I had a hard time figuring out the correct setting for this wheel size. I went on a test ride to see how accurate my calculation was... I took my 2.5 mile walking route, and the computer figured it to be 2.63 miles. I did a little Internet searching tonight and I think I've now figured out the right setting. Will change it tomorrow and try the test again.

It was windy and sporadically rainy today. The wind made my little bike ride difficult, and I got wet in the homestretch. We trimmed our trees and bushes after that, and got a few little showers then, too. Sweetie does the trimming, and I do the raking and bagging. Lots of bending -- I think this ought to count for my hamstring exercises! :laugh:

Not entirely sure what's going on tomorrow. Will do laundry and get some groceries... I have some boneless, skinless chicken breasts -- those will probably be lunch or dinner. The sun is supposed to return, so I'll ride my bike again and try to get the computer adjusted properly.

I shoot for 1200-1500 calories a day, with less than 110 carbs. I've done well with calories 3 days in a row now -- too many carbs today, but not too bad considering. I want to make tomorrow another good day before I report to the trainer on Monday. :*

Lisrey :)

Hi, Jessica! Yep, the Tigers have fans everywhere, since Michigan has been losing population in droves... but Michigan sports fans are rabid about their teams. We're watching tonight's game, but your start times are waaaay too late! :laugh:

Thanks for the visit and the cheers. I am really excited just to feel I might finally get back on track. It's been too long and I really don't want to gain any more. My life is good right now -- I don't want to be complacent, I want to make the most of it!

Lisrey :D

I'm glad you feel like you are getting back on track, it sure sounds like you are to me.

I think the raking and bagging should definitely be considered your hamstring exercises.

Awesome new place you have here.

have a great day.

Yay! I like the sound of the beginning of Chapter 12 here!

You have had a nice string of great days Lisrey, and it sounds like you are feeling pretty motivated. I'm excited for you to get the new bike computer all figured out and calibrated so you can track all of that--I know how you love data!

I say the raking and bagging definitely counts for hamstring work. I did that for hours today and right now I can barely walk. Ouch. Perhaps I'm just ridiculously out of shape, but I think you were right about "around the yard" stuff being a good workout.

Have a great Sunday!

Ilike the new journal! And you are riding...which I always like. I'm sure that you will figure out the bike computer. They are not super, super accurate anyway. It all depends on the size of your tire treads, how inflated your tires are, and how much you zig-zag when you ride, etc. What you got sounded pretty close to me...I would check it maybe one more time and call it good.

Your motivation inspires me. I need to eat sensibly as well. I will start today. So there.

I hope that you continue to have a great weekend. Take care.

:ninja:

Way to go Lisrey !!


:x

Peng

Thanks for the visits, Amanda & Raye! Yard work really used to kill me and make me sore for days. Now it is pretty much just another workout-like day. I might be sore here or there a little, but my body is used to that sort of effort from the stuff I do with the trainer at the gym. It's very cool to know I'm building strength that helps me in a practical way. :)

Hi, CFJ! Yay for sensible eating! Why it is so hard to get back on once you've fallen off, I don't know... I'm clinging to this new thread for dear life. :laugh: The bike computer setting is confusing to me, but I think I'm going to call what I've got good enough. Today I re-set it to a slightly higher setting, and it measured the same ride as yesterday slightly longer. I was hoping for the opposite effect. :o I do think you're right that it's close enough. It could be that my original measurement (with the car) was inaccurate.

Thank you so much, Peng!! Love seeing you stop by even if it's furtive, LOL. :hug:

Weight this morning: 146.6
Calories/carbs: 1575/148g
Water: 135 oz (4 liters)
Exercise: 40 minutes/7.41 miles bike

Had a really nice dinner tonight which was all healthy but slightly higher quantity than probably needed. I don't feel overly full but I didn't have "diet-sized" helpings, if you know what I mean. Grilled center-cut boneless pork chops marinated in Italian dressing, 2 ears yellow & white sweet corn from the just-opened farm stand up the street (I can ride my bike there!). Also had a lettuce salad and a plum. Sweetie grilled some GIGANTIC chicken breasts for my lunches alongside our chops. I will eat 1/2 of each split breast for my lunches. I wonder what sort of steroids they fed these birds??!! :rofl:

Had my standard egg white breakfast, and some turkey hot dogs (45 cals each) for lunch. Ate a high-protein pudding in the afternoon when I got hungry.

Rode the bike this morning after getting the laundry started. First I did the 2.5 mile loop again (read 2.7 miles today with the new setting). Then I took off in a different direction and kept pedaling. My bike computer said my average speed was 10.9 mph. I am not speedy, but I am pedaling pretty constantly and it is a good workout for me. When I got home and headed for the basement to put stuff in the dryer, I thought my legs might give out on the stairs, lol. :o My hands got a little numb on today's ride. This is a real problem for me... I am hopeful that it was just something about how I was sitting today, and that it won't continue to bother me. The gloves and my more-upright handlebars do help, but I still have troublesome carpal tunnels. Some of my gears are making a lot of noise now. I think my bike needs a tune-up soon if I am going to continue this.

The big red bug bite on my hip is still quite large, but the color had faded significantly this morning. Very relieved to see this. The swelling seems to have gone down quite a bit but it does still itch a little. Weirdness.

Cat integration is moving right along. We've let the little guys have free rein throughout the house now when we're home. They've chewed up a number of things... including the power cord to our phone/answering machine base, the open/close cords to a vertical blind in our living room, the drawstring on my favorite pair of sweatpants... They have lots of actual cat toys that they love, and keep occupied with those and sleep a lot of the time. Phoebe still hisses at them but acts as though she would like to play with them if only she didn't have to admit it! I think she is bored when they are closed off from her, but she gets stressed when exposed to their antics for too long. She definitely likes to keep an eye on them.

My schedule this week upcoming is rather frantic. Sweetie and I are not going to see much of each other. This should be pretty decent for my eating plan, and I'm excited about that.

Tomorrow I have another new staff member starting at the Library. I will spend several hours with this person, but hopefully I will also get some of my regular work done. Will have part of a monstrous chicken breast for lunch. Meeting the trainer for an upper-body workout at the gym after work. Looking forward to her assessment of my 4-day eating log. For dinner I will stop and get myself a piece of fish, as Sweetie will be out with one of his friends. I would love to get another ear of corn from the corn stand, but I know it will be closed before I make it back home. I forgot how fabulous this freshly-picked locally-grown corn is! I'm so glad it's back in season. Mmmm!

Lisrey :D

Wow, the stories on the kittens are fun. Sounds like they are enjoying their life just fine. Forgot what a kitten was like. I can't imagine what two kittens would be like, I've always had an "only cat". I tried really hard to talk Steve into two this last time, but he says we travel too much to drag two cats with us. And master Lokums doen't seem to mind getting all the attention.

Just a quick note but wanted to see your new diggs.

Jo

You sound like you are doing great! I don't think of my portions as "diet sized portions", but just a true portions... as in for the rest of my life! I am hopeful that when I get to goal, I can occasionally have more than one portion, at times, of certain things. I am really trying to retrain my brain what a portion actually looks like!! Still working on tht one.
I think your mind is in the right place to make this happen for you. For me... thats the hard part. I KNOW what to do... its just sometimes the actual DOING it that seems so hard!! Good luck... I will keep checking on you. So nice to see the moderators stay with us!

Yay for Chapter 12!!! I just got a major dose of motivation from your opening entry. Thanks, girl.

- Kuss

Glad to hear that the kittens are settling in, although chewing through power cords etc are probably not good ideas. Hopefully they will discontinue doing that soon.

I hope the numbness in your hands is just a today thing also, that would not be good if it continued to cause problems.

have a wonderful day.

Hi, Jo! Yes, I think two kitties are definitely more fun than one. We are gone so much it doesn't seem fair for an "only cat" to be left alone so long. That's part of the reason we got the boys -- wanted Phoebe to have some companionship while we are at work.

Hey, Eball! I am with you -- we need to figure out what appropriate portion sizes are like and stick to those forever to make this work. However, my Sweetie is the chef around here, and his menus are not always as healthy or supportive as I'd like. When I eat those kinds of things, I have to keep in mind what a "diet sized portion" is like. That sort of moderation can be hard for me... but I feel motivated right now to resist and get back on track. We'll see. Um... I've never been a moderator at DT. Is that what you meant? :shrug:

You're welcome, Kimmi! Glad to help. You've been motivating me with your running progress, so we can feed off each other. Whatever works, eh? I was trying to motivate myself, too! :laugh:

Hiya, Raye, we put some stuff called "bitter apple" on all of our cords and stuff around here to try to keep them from chewing, but it is only so effective. That's part of the reason they need supervision when they're in the main part of the house... Silly kitties!

Weight this morning: 148.2
Calories/carbs: 1175/111g
Water: 148 oz
Exercise: 1 hour upper body circuit workout with the trainer

Eating was great today but I got a lot of carbs from a big helping of sweet cherries. Delicious & worth it! :D Stuck to my plan and enjoyed my meals. Did not eat my high-protein pudding today -- I ate such a late lunch I did not get hungry in the afternoon.

My workout with the trainer tonight was pretty intense, very sweaty, and upbeat. Six circuits 20 reps each of 5 body parts, with 2 minutes elliptical or stair climber between each circuit. I feel great now. The trainer was very happy with my eating log and that buoyed me, too.

Good day of work. Very busy, but well broken-up. It went by very quickly. I got my new hire started and also got a few other things done.

Tomorrow's eating should be solid. I will eat both lunch and dinner at the Library, and go to my riding lesson in the evening. The forecast is for thunderstorms, so we may be riding inside.

Lisrey :wave:

Hopefully it won't rain and you can ride outside, I hope it is a good ride wherever it is.

Glad to hear that the trainer was so happy with your eating log, that is great.

I hope today is as good (or better even) as yesterday was.

Thanks, Raye! Today was great, it didn't rain this evening, my ride was fantastic. Details below...

Weight this morning: 146.4
Calories/carbs: 1275/71g
Water: 135 oz
Exercise: 1 hour horseback riding lesson

Eating was right on target today; very happy. My menus are very repetitive this week because my schedule is so tight and I am taking my Italian grilled chicken breasts for lunches and dinners. I will get a "treat" Thursday night when I eat out with my friend... When I got home from riding tonight I ate one of my pudding snacks, a peach, and a piece of deli turkey with a slice of ff cheese. I am completely full now and it was easily within calories. Sweetie is eating a number of tempting things but I am not interested. A week or two ago resistance would have been futile! :tomato:

I had a really good ride tonight. I was back on another horse that I haven't ridden for awhile. I was practicing my form -- which I needed to improve from a few months ago -- tonight the instructor told me everything looks good! I was really pleased about that. We had a pretty good canter to the left, and a really nice one to the right. I think I might finally be catching on to a few things! In the last segment of the class we did a little jumping, and that was all good, too. My class has kinda taken a step backward but it has really helped me to work on some basics that I am just now refining to where they need to be. Now when the class moves on I will be able to go with them.

I didn't really get any of my own work done today. Too much activity, and I worked at the Check-Out desk for several hours to cover for someone on vacation. It's all good -- I love seeing the place full and active. It is very rewarding indeed.

Tomorrow is a non-stop day. I won't get any exercise, though if I have any energy when I get home I may try to do abs. I am taking my car to get its radio put back in first thing in the morning, then I will work 10:30-8. I have a presentation to coordinate that starts at 11:15, so I am working a longer-than-normal shift.

I will eat my chicken breasts for lunch and dinner at the Library, and probably have some similar snacks tomorrow night when I get home. Tomorrow is my weigh-in, and I'm looking forward to it for the first time in awhile. It's funny, I realized this week that I have finally put the eating together is my PMS week, when I usually have the least control. TOM will be here in a couple of days, so my weigh-in may not be as stellar tomorrow as it will hopefully be Thursday or Friday.

I will report in the morning...

Lisrey :wave:

heh. you sent your rain to us :)

Glad the ride went well, and your eating is back on track. :up

146.6

My best weigh-in since May 30. Happy about that, but not proud of myself for getting up here again. I was 150 January 1, back down around 140 in the Spring, now back up again. Grrrr...! But I'm working on it! :)

Back later!

Lisrey :flower:

WOOHOO on the weigh in. I think you sent us some rain also.

Glad you had a good ride last night. Don't work too hard today, that is some really long hours.

Have a great day.

Hooray for good weigh-ins!! Here's to keeping up that killer momentum!!

Lisrey,

Congratulations on Chapter 12 of your journal. Glad you are feeling the renewed motivation, it always feels so good doesn't it.

Sounds like you are getting to be quite the equestrian, glad you are enjoying it and feeling successful.

And congratulations on losing some weight!!! Keep it up.

Hi Lisrey,

Nice new journal. I like Chaper 12.

We are about the same size. I go up and down with my weight. I would love to be able to maintain but that just doesn't seem to happen. The only thing that isn't bad is that my clothes always seem to fit. I don't have anything I can't wear now.

You will get to your fighting weight. :)

Carol

I knew that you would post a loss soon. You have been so driven lately. Good for you. The ride sounds fun. You got compliments from an instructor? Unheard of!

I hope that you have a great week!

Hiya, Raye! Yes, it was a very long day, especially with PMS! :laugh:

Thanks, Jessica! The mo' seems real this time. I am feeling strong against the "stupid" food behaviors.

Hi, Crazy -- thanks! I do enjoy my riding lessons, but I'm really just a novice. There is nothing that will make you a better rider but time in the saddle. Since I only ride once a week, I see lots of my classmates passing me by skill-wise. I just plod along, but I've had a few breakthroughs lately, and that's rewarding.

Carol, how tall are you? I'm 5'0", so I really should weigh more like 112. 125 is the upper max of a normal BMI for me. I really want to get there... Someday.

Hey, CFJ, thank you. I need to keep this focus and motivation level for awhile to really see progress. I've had six months of up and down... time to focus on down! :laugh:

Calories/carbs: 1250/69g
Water: 135 oz
Exercise: none

Menu was practically identical to yesterday's. I did not look twice at the chocolates in the staff kitchen (they were given to me by a salesman yesterday and I put them out for others to work on!).

Such a full day today there was really no time for exercise.

Got up at 7, showered, took car to have radio replaced. Drove to work, hosted program, worked on some of my stuff, covered the public desk from 3-8. I wanted to get gas when I got home, since I was on fumes and will just need to turn around and go back in the morning. I went to a nearby station that is usually pretty cheap -- and it was REALLY cheap -- 21 cents less than the other cheap place down the road. There were tons of cars in line! I have never been in a gas line before, although I have been a commuter for 17 years... It turned out they were only taking cash. I got out all the cash I had, and got my tank more than 3/4 full. Surreal little experience.

Tomorrow I work the public desk most of the day again, but I really need to get ready for Monday's Board meeting. Will have another chicken breast for my lunch, and am going to meet a friend for Mexican for dinner. Depends on when I get home whether or not I will exercise. I'm guessing it will be too late and too dark, but we'll see. If nothing else I will try to do those abs! :o

Lisrey :wave:

I have never been in a gas line either, and I certainly would not have been able to pay cash. I would have been out of luck, I very very seldom carry cash with me. Other than a few bucks that is.

However, for 21 cents less than elsewhere, I may have picked up some cash on my there.:) I am glad I am not the only one who waits until the vehicle is on fumes to fill, I absolutely hate filling gas. I used to love it, and ever since I was pregnant with my oldest and the fumes made me sick, I hate it. Maybe I need to teach my 11 year old how to do it?:laugh:

Have a great day.

I have been in gas lines. I lived in Houston during the late 70's and early 80's. There were always long lines for gas in the late 70's.

I used to say I was 5'2" but am not that tall now. Maybe 5'1" or even less. I am doing the shrinking woman thing. When I was in my early 40's I weighed 125. I was able to hold between that and 135 till I hit menopause. I eat less and am as active but my metabolism has really slowed down.

Carol

Hahaha, Raye, as a commuter, I am expert at getting every drop out of my tank! I have to get gas often enough as it is. ;)

Carol, it does sound like we are a similar size. Since I have been working with the trainer, my body is much more compact than before -- even at this higher weight. I am leaner. My clothes fit me longer than I thought they would.

Weight this morning: 146.8
Calories/carbs: 1900/155g
Water: 141 oz
Exercise: none

I ate well for breakfast and lunch. Knew going in that tonight's Mexican restaurant would be a challenge. Did not eat tortilla chips until mid-way through my meal, but by the time we finished gabbing (hours later) they were gone. :sigh:

Did not have a chance to exercise today. Tomorrow I must do something.

Active workday. Got some stuff done; need to get a lot more done tomorrow. Must prepare for Monday night's Board meeting.

Tomorrow I will have another good breakfast and lunch. Need to discuss dinner plans with Sweetie. I need to get lettuce and fruit from the store -- completely out. I also want to ride my bike in the evening.

Lisrey :flower:

get that exercise! You've inspired me with the breakfast thing--my eggs are cookin' now.
I think when I gained my weight, because it was such a lifestyle change to go from "healthy former triathlete/runner" to "completely sedentary," my stuff was super-NOT compacted. And though it took me a while to gain, because I guess the muscle loss kept the scale from nose-diving, once I did it was like watc hing jets pass overhead--FVVVVVVhhhhwoooooooM!

have a great Friday leading into a great weekend!!

Hi Lisrey - great weigh in! You have been very determined lately and so have I. We must rubbed off on each other :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

- Kimmi

Hey, the trend is back down. Good for you. And ride this wave of motivation as far as it will take you... My wave was more like a little ripple, didn't last long.

I have so much going on right now with "events"... food is a real challenge. Last night we went out for dinner for our annaversary - had some wonderful Salmon for dinner but then also had a dessert. This place has what they call "mini" desserts for $1.99 - so it wasn't terrible. But still.

Sunday we are going to a baseball game with folks from the office. Will tailgait first, and that bunch always puts on a huge spread of food.

Then I have a week of somewhat normal life, followed by my trip to Chicago. Which I am so excited about. The friend I am sharing a room with has recently lost a ton of weight, so she won't be dragging me out for a lot of food. However, I expect there will be some vendor and politician events with free food. And I will have to make sure that I eat something on a routine basis or I will really pig out during those. Susan doesn't normally eat breakfast. I always eat breakfast. Maybe take Zone bars and have some tea? I'll figure it out.

In the meantime I'll try to get some walking in, weather permitting. And not pig out at home.

Jo

Hi, Jessica! Yep, got some exercise. Check! Good for you with the breakfast -- I think getting back to my breakfast routine was a key to my eventual re-dedication to this... I had even for awhile stopped taking my vitamins, which is just stupid. :tongue:

Yep, Kimmi, there are a few of us now who seem to have gotten it going again. Let's keep it there!

Hey, Jo... I think breakfast is important. Have you seen those snack size Zone bars? Maybe have one of those with a yogurt or a fruit? How did this person who lost a bunch of weight do it without eating breakfast?

Weight this morning: 146.4
Calories/carbs: 1300/126g
Water: 130 oz (need a few more)
Exercise: 44 minutes/8.05 miles bike

Healthy eating today all the way. A few more carbs than I'd like because I had 2 ears of corn for dinner with my fish, salad, and fruit. The fresh corn is just TOO good right now. It is incredible and I can't resist. Could definitely be worse things to take second helpings of! :laugh:

Bike ride was different tonight. I tried staying back, off my wrists, and my rear end felt it more by the end. The back of my neck is really tense and sore now -- I'm sure my form is terrible. I was on one road with a little more traffic than I like, riding into the sun. That made me nervous that someone in a car might not see me. I do not want to get run over! :O Then I went through a residential area that had a lot of humongous speed bumps... And at the end I got a catcall from a very icky looking guy in a beat up car. He pulled over and stopped his car just to do it. I was disgusted and annoyed. Why do people have to do that kind of thing? Don't they have anything better to do than bug 40-year-old librarians who are just trying to get some exercise??? X-(

Anyway, my average speed was 11 mph. Pretty slow, I suppose, but I'm frankly amazed that my chubby legs can actually handle pedaling that long! I wish I felt I was getting more of a cardio workout. It's definitely working my legs as much as they can handle, but I'm not getting my heart rate up where I'd like it.

Had a productive workday today despite being on the public desk. It was quiet and I got my Board meeting materials prepared, plus a little extra. :) The weather today was absolutely gorgeous -- sunny, low humidity, mid-70s. I delivered the Board packets around 2:00 so got to enjoy it for a little while. It was almost too cool by the time I rode my bike (7:00). We may have a record low tonight.

This weekend I am getting together with two friends I haven't seen in a very long time: one Saturday, the other Sunday. Tomorrow's friend is also a librarian, and wanted to see my library. So I am driving back up there (it's kind of midway between our cities) to meet her at noon. I'll probably go in an hour or so early and try to make my office look presentable... I'm going to take along my walking shoes just in case she wants to do something active.

I will have lunch with the friend, and I am planning to suggest the yummy cafe across the street that has fabulous salads. We'll probably gab a lot and follow it up with shopping... Not sure if we'll still be hanging out together at dinnertime. With this friend, my guess is that we will not. I will try to get in another bike ride if I get home early enough. The Sunday friend is coming here to my house, so I will also have to do a bunch of clean-up when I get home tomorrow! :caf:

Lisrey :tomato:

Lisrey, glad you got your things ready for Mondays meeting now you can really enjoy your time with your friends. Hope all goes well, and be careful on that bike, lol.

the main reason I semi-dropped riding is because the only heart rate affect seems to come from either hills or driver freaks. Neither are particularly...um... rewarding or welcoming; you'd want more of both...why?

And yet, I love the bike, because for all the gah, there's aaah, scenery, fresh air, wind against skin, move peadal, move many feet.

sounds like your weekend will have much exercise--if only on the cleaning front :D

Lisrey, I will figure out something about breakfast. I can't function without it.

My friend and her weight loss is an interesting situation. Several years ago she had gastric surgery to lose weight. Had a lot of complications and they took it down (??), and then did the band surgery of the stomach. She developed a severe neuropathy and is disabled. I personally think the neuropathy is related to her surgery but they haven't told her that. On top of all that, she still was fat.

A year or so a doc (new one) started giving her B12 shots and that has helped her neuropathy some. He sent her to a dietician and she has been dieting (counting calories) and lost over about a hundred pounds. She has to eat very small meals because of the band surgery. She does have tomato juice for breakfast. I think she said that she normally eats around 1200 calories a day. Exercise is not easy for her due to the neuropathy.

I've tried to help her get signed up at DT, but she has had trouble figuring out how to post. Hopefully we will get it figured out some day. She is a really nice person, has had a lot of not so good things happen to her in her life. And she is a political junkie like me.

I remember getting ready for Board Meetings. I had to schedule our vacations around the Board meeting when I was at the hospital. Some of the Board members really liked me and one of them got me a crystal fish when I retired. I also have a letter of commendation that they gave me. Still, it was stressful getting ready for the meetings. I presented the quality report and gave them an update on potential or actual lawsuits. It could get dicy since often I gave them bad news.

Of course, when I left the lawsuit situation got a whole lot worse as the hospital had a bad run of cases that resulted in getting sued. I always thought it was in part due to the fact that they had the VP take over my position as Risk Manager in addition to her other jobs. They did hire some other people to do the day to day work, but there was no one who really watched what was going on. (The VP didn't particularly like the lawyer part of the job.). Finallly about two years ago they hired an experienced Risk Manager and things are looking better.

I don't miss that part of my job at all.

Jo

Don't they have anything better to do than bug 40-year-old librarians who are just trying to get some exercise???

:laugh:

OMG. Too funny.

Congratulations on every darn thing -- the new journal! sticking with your eating plan! drinking all the water in the Great Lakes! riding better than ever before both on wheels and on four hairy legs (not your own)! sniffing in disgust at all the gooey, cheesy, fatty items Sweetie brings home! being on the downward trend with weight loss! working your buttocks off in the gym and the yard! giving catcallers the finger while still maintaining somewhat passable bicycling posture!

:party::party::party:

I've missed ya, my friend! It is so GOOD to hear you are doing so well.

I knew you were a smokin' hot librarian, from your pics. You can't blame the guys for trying! I've always wondered what the mentality behind that is though--surely that doesn't actually work for them. Have you ever seen some dude hollering from a car at a red light or at a construction site that actually lands a chic that way? I've never seen it happen, but somewhere it must have happened once and now it's the stuff of legends.

It sounds like you have a busy, busy weekend planned too! I am hauling furniture up and down the stairs and doing lots of yardwork, so at least it's some exercise I guess. No catcalls in my yard yet, but I'll keep you posted. :laugh:

I think 11mph is not bad at all--you are too hard on yourself! A year ago you wouldn't even get on the stationary bike for 10 minutes. This is progress, for schizzle.

Crazy, I tried to be careful on my bike today... read below for the details! :O

Hiya, Jessica -- I'm glad I'm not alone feeling this way about the bike. I know it's doing my leg muscles a ton of good. They burn and I am pushing their limits. That's gotta be a good thing.

Jo, the friend I am seeing tomorrow had the gastric bypass surgery. I'm really interested to see how she's faring, more than 2 years later...

Thanks, Chum! I appreciate the shower of kindness. I am trying really hard to make this a positive start, with forward progress and no looking back. So far, so good!

Hahaha, Amanda -- my exercise bike attempts were all rather pathetic, weren't they? I still don't understand why I couldn't keep going on that thing. It's a recumbent bike and very comfortable, very adjustable. I don't think I can make any excuse that it doesn't fit my body. It was just HARD. :laugh:

Weight this morning: 144 :jn
Calories for today: 1450/146g carbs
Water: 135+ oz
Exercise: 33 minute bike ride

Ate healthy stuff again today but again more carbs than desired. Funny, most all of the stuff on my menu I would not have considered eating just a few years ago. :) Had a salad for lunch with chicken and a bunch of crunchy things on it (carbs). It came with pita breads and a little tiny two-bite brownie. I ate one small pita and my little brownie for dessert (carbs). For dinner I made a big chicken Caesar salad with 2 more ears of corn (carbs!!).

My bike ride was eventful... I put the bike in my hatchback and drove to a little park 5-10 minutes away. There is an historic mill there, and a mostly-paved path that winds up and down along the river and RR tracks, connecting several parks in a chain. Today's weather was gorgeous, and there were lots of families and couples out walking, riding, fishing, canoeing, having picnics, etc. I was slower than on the road because of the traffic, plus there are hills, and areas where the path is wood chips or wood bridges. There was one place I had to ride on the grass to avoid a family of geese! :)

I rode to the second park in the chain, went all the way around it, and headed back to the mill park. The mill itself sits on the side of a hill. At the top of the hill is the parking lot. There is a sign up there at the start of the path that says "slow -- steep grade." The path curves around the side of the mill, so the people at the top can't see the people at the bottom of the hill. I wanted to see if I could actually ride up the big hill. I was going very slow but I was still going, when I heard a woman yell "slow down!" The next thing I knew, a very out-of-control kid on a bike was flying around the curve and down the hill at me. I got myself as far over on the path as I could and prepared for impact... The kid could not stop and did not do a very good job of turning, and plowed her front tire into my leg. I stayed standing, she slid. Both bikes were fine, I have a huge bruise and red tire-tracks on my shin. She tore up some skin below her knee. I offered band-aids from the first aid kit in my car; she & her mom accepted. We walked back up the rest of the hill, I shared my band-aids and found out the girl was 9. I asked if she was still going to go for a ride, and she said yes. They were off, I loaded up the car and came home...

I went to the park because I thought I'd avoid the icky guys and dangerous traffic I'd encountered in my neighborhood. Not sure now which is safer!?! :rofl:

Had a good time with my friend. She didn't have a lot of time to spend, which was okay. We gabbed a lot, I showed her my library, and we went shoe shopping. I didn't buy anything, but I did most of the talking, LOL. We always say we need to get together sooner next time -- I hope we actually do! She is using e-mail now, so maybe that will help.

Talked to my Mom for a long time about 1/2 way through this post... Did a load of laundry, cleaned up the house a bit. I need to do some vacuuming and cleaning of bathrooms in the morning.

The friend I am meeting tomorrow had the weight loss surgery a few years ago, so last I knew ate very small meals. We may go to the Mongolian BBQ, which I know she likes, or I will suggest a couple of other options for lunch and let her choose. She wants to go to IKEA, so we will do that plus some other stores in that area that I could stand to visit. Should be fun if I don't spend too much money! It was a bit of a challenge today to get all of my water in and be out and about for several hours... Tomorrow will be tough in that way but I will do my best. Not sure when the friend will want to head home -- I know she has arranged a babysitter for her daughter. If we have dinner together as well I probably won't get to exercise. If she goes home before dinner I will ride my bike again -- somewhere! Sweetie would like to have leftover lasagna if I am home, so I will moderate and see what I can do.

Lisrey :wave:

Ikeas are huge, so walking around that mess will be a workout! OK, well maybe. hahaha

I can't believe you got treadmarks on your shin! Poor little hot and foxy librarians. If the men aren't whistling and trying to lure you into the backs of their pickup trucks, then they hire little girls to knock you down so they can better see you sprawled on the grass, ala Gina Lollobrigida. haha

Try to have a good day tomorrow! And have a blast with your friend!

YAY!! Happy weigh in, and shame on the kid and her mom, being all...silly like that... I love IKEA, miss it, need to head in soon...

Hiya, Chum! Yeah, the corn is a different kind of carb, but in my trainer's book it's a carb nonetheless. I love, love, love the corn! My friend took some home tonight -- we stopped at the stand before she left. She called me several hours later just to tell me it was the best corn she's had in her life. It really *is* good! :D

Thanks, Jessica -- the accident was definitely silly. Had fun at IKEA, though I didn't really need anything I somehow spent $14 on some fun little gizmos.

Weight this morning: 144.8
Calories/carbs: 1575/188g
Water: 123 oz (not quite enough)
Exercise: 37 minutes/6.6 miles bike ride

Did not make eggies this morning 'cos I slept in a bit. Had a Fiber One bar and a yogurt instead. Our Mongolian BBQ lunch was delicious -- I had tilapia with diced tomato, pineapple, rotini noodles, edamame and bean sprouts, with orange sweet sauce. Was yummy -- had a little brown rice with it and 1 tortilla. I love that place. :)

Sweetie made our dinner really, really late. He did grill me a whole bunch of chicken breasts beforehand, for which I am grateful. We ended up eating our hamburgers and corn at about 10:30... 8-| I ate a whole bunch of fruit and a salad while waiting. No idea really if my calories are even close, but I tried.

My friend headed home around 5:00, so I went for my bike ride then. I went a completely different direction today. Our subdivision is just outside the northern border of a fairly large city. Our township has a greenspace ordinance, and has a lot of farms and wetlands. My earlier riding was to the south, in "town." Tonight I rode down the big busy county road a little ways (had to stop for passing ambulance and fire truck), then turned North on a dirt road that goes out into the cornfields. It was pretty flat, though bumpy in places. I liked the minimal amount of traffic. It was more difficult to go fast on that rough surface, but I know I was getting a workout. Still not sure what I like as far as where to ride, but at least I have variety. :o

Shopping with my friend was fun. I found most of the stuff I was shopping for, plus a little more! My friend has lost about 150 pounds now and looks great. She does have a lot of loose skin she is thinking of dealing with later, but for now she is just getting comfortable in her new size. She is also separating from her husband of 20 years... I was really curious if her weight loss had something to do with the decision. It sounds like in a tangential way it did, but not in the way I'd guessed. I am proud of her for deciding to do what will make her happy, although it won't be easy. They are mutually agreed on separation, and are being very responsible as far as their kids are concerned, etc. I hope she will be happier this way.

Gonna sleep in a little again tomorrow. I think I will do the ab exercises the trainer wants me to do regularly, but that'll be it for exercise. I have to work from noon until whenever our Board meeting concludes. I will go in a bit early to eat a chicken breast lunch there, and will have the same for dinner. Should be good!

Lisrey I-)

Way to go with the bike rides. If you are having wrist, back, and neck pain, then you probably don't have your seat set up right and are bending too far forward. You want to:


Have the ball of your foot directly over the axle whenever you pedal, and to set your fit.
Adjust the seat forward and backward such that when the ball of your foot is over the axle, you are seated, and your foot is at the 3-o-clock position; that if you drop a weighted object (like a small bolt, scew, etc.)that is tied to a string down from your knee, the weightet object hits the top of your foot directly over the ball of your foot and the pedal axle.
After that is set, adjust the seat height such that when the pedal is all the way down, you can barely stand on the heel of your foot with your butt barely touching the saddle.
Adjust the saddle tilt to be flat to begin with, and adjust as desired later.
Adjust handlebar height to be right at the height of the saddle to start, but raise it if you continue to have pain in the hands and wrists.

That should get you started to riding more pain free. I hope that it helps. Take care.

Good luck with the bike! I never really enjoyed riding the bikes at the gym so I stuck with the elliptical machine.

Once I get in better shape, I would like to alternate between the elliptical machine, bike, treadmill.

I would like to fly Fagan out here to actually position me on my bike. I went to a place once and they were not helpful. Then maybe I would ride the damn thing (it has been gathering dust since we moved here six years ago this month).

Why was a Mongolian BBQ offering tortillas???

I still think corn is good for you. I stand by my corn! ;)

I think it is fascinating that your friend and her husband broke up after she lost all that weight. Do you feel that anything has changed for you and Sweetie since you've lost so much weight? Or are things basically the same?

Well, it is all food for thought anyway. Good brain exercise! hahaha

Have a good day today, my friend!!!

Eek! Kids. I tell ya. Well, at least you were okay enough to get her a band aid. Your poor leg. You are such a nice librarian. :)

Yay for healthy eating!! Yay for action-filled bike rides!! Yayy for being awesome!!

Have a great week,

Kimmi

Wow, glad you are both ok from the bike accident. Crazy things happen, sounds like you were very nice to her, what a sweetie you are. Hey, you should have seen if she had bandages, you might have gotten a Barbie or Dinosaur bandage, lol.

How kind of you to ask if she would ride her bike again.

Lisrey,

Interesting about your friend. She did lose a bunch of pounds, but it sounds like she has done well all in all. As for the marriage breaking up, I don't think it is that unusual when one partner loses a bunch of weight and then there is a breakup. While I was at the hospital there were two women who lost a significant amount of weight and then got divorced. One of them acutally went crazy, going on-line and meeting up with men and then going to meet them. She had been married over 20 years, had a nice farmer type of husband. The other divorce was more of a run of the mill type situation.

It does change the dynamics of a relationship, especially if the person who had weight problems also had self-esteem problems. I think if the relationship was fairly sound to start with, it is not such an issue. But I was really surprised about the gal who went so crazy. You would have never expected it.

Good for you to see the 144s again. Keep it up, it is happening.

Jo

Glad you are okay from the bike collision, that sounded painful. Luckily neither of you were hurt too badly.

Have a great day.

Hello, my friends!! :D

Thanks for all of the bike adjustment info, CFJ! I actually had my handlebars swapped out and had my bike professionally fitted a few years back. I have carpal tunnel issues and my wrists don't actually hurt when I ride, they (and my hands) just go numb if I keep them in the same position and put a lot of pressure on them for a long time. So the handlebar swap helped a lot; so do my gloves. I don't know why I had the back/neck pain after one of my rides. It only happened the one time, so I think I must have been over compensating for the wrist thing or something. Anyway, I will double-check all of those little tests you were kind enough to write out for me. I appreciate it!

Hiya Angus, welcome! I don't care for the elliptical, myself. The treadmill I can go forever. My leg muscles are pretty wimpy and the bike is hard for me, but I do better outside where I have scenery to distract me, LOL. Good luck!

Hey, Chum! Our Mongolian BBQ chain brings your choice of rice plus these little tortillas to your table while you're out getting your bowl put together. I have never had this anywhere else, so it seems normal to me!?! I think the food is good whether you use rice or tortilla, but I usually want a little of both. :o

Hahaha, Kimmi! Yes, I was okay after the collision. It was one of those situations where you can see the impact coming but you can't do anything about it. When I knew I was going to get hit I thought it would be a lot worse than it actually was... I was braced for it. This morning shaving my leg I realized just how bruised I am, though. 8-|

Nope, Crazy, they did not have any bandages, that's why I offered mine. I was glad she was still going to ride, but I also told her to be careful going down that hill!

Jo, my friend's break-up story had a lot of elements to it, of which her weight loss was only one. I am very interested in how a big weight loss affects a relationship, so I specifically asked her about it. I think that if nothing else it gave her courage to go for what she really wanted. If she was still 300+ pounds, she might have stayed in her marriage, thinking "who else would want me?" But other than that, I think the two of them came to a mutual understanding that psychologically they were wired too differently. They also have a son with Asperger's Syndrome, and his condition put a strain on their relationship. There's more to the story, but it's not my story to share. I agree that the way a big weight loss impacts people is fascinating.

Thanks, Raye! It could have been worse. I was reminded of CFJ's collision with the deer -- I wasn't hit by anything that noble or (thankfully) that large -- luckily it was just a 9-year old! :laugh:

Weight this morning: 145.2
Calories/carbs: 1200/56
Water: 135+ oz
Exercise: Abs exercises this morning; no cardio

Eating was great -- very on-plan since I had my chicken breasts available and was at work for meals. :*

No time for much exercise since I worked the later shift. My Board meeting was a quick one, so at least I got home before dark tonight.

Tomorrow I will work 9-6, then go to my riding lesson. I will eat both meals at the Library again, so it should be another solid eating day. I am feeling good about the eating part of this again -- quite a relief after being so off track for so long. :)

Lisrey :wave:

Congrats on having another good eating day, Lisrey! It is wonderful to see you back on track and feeling good about it!

Have fun at your riding lesson!

About the bike thing, I'm glad that you got fitted. They probably did a different version of what I'm talking about. You can also fit a bike doing body measurements, and looking at the rider on the bike and making adjustments on-the-spot.

I think that your sore neck and back during that ride were due to you stiffening up because your hands and wrists were hurting on that ride. Just make sure to move your hands to different postions while you ride on those new handlebars. Shift your weight to different areas and pressure points on your hands (palm-centers, sides, hand-heels, just below finger joints, etc.). That is one of the big reasons mountain bikers put bar-ends on their handlebars, and why road bikes have so many different angles and surfaces for you to put your hands on while you ride. On longer rides, moving to different saddle positions can also be important (moving forward and back on the saddle, standing, etc.).

Sorry for all of the bicycle talk. I'm a man obsessed, you know.

I've also seen a lot of relationships like your freinds, that broke up after a serious change in one of their lives (weight loss, sickness survival, post pregnancy, successful alochol/drug treatment, etc.). Not just weight loss, but that is very common as well, I think. I have never seen it happen just because the person who has the big change wants to...break out, party, date, etc. It usually happens because there was something else pretty significantly wrong with the relationship in the first place. Usually, the extra weight, or whatever, seems to have kept them together longer than they would have stayed together in the first place. In the case of weight, it often seems like staying together often makes losing weight harder. Anything that keeps your self esteem low, like knowing that your spouse wants to leave you, can have a pretty devastating effect on treating obesity. For sure.

Sorry so chatty. I should post less, but more often. Take care. Don't work too hard, and keep doing what you are doing.

Thank you, Chum! I am happy and excited that I seem to have it back together for the moment. We'll see how it goes. :)

Hey, CFJ, please post all you like here! I am always happy to get input on stuff and hear others' viewpoints. Especially when you have so much expertise. I am glad you think my bike sounds okay. I have the mountain bike-style straight side handlebars, and it doesn't seem like there are a lot of options for hand placement. My rides right now are fairly short (35-45 minutes) but I'd like to get up to an hour if my hands and legs can withstand it! I am more and more in awe appreciating your walk away from your deer crash. The bruises on my leg are looking worse and getting more painful as the days go by... I am a wimp! :o

Weight this morning: 144.8
Calories/carbs: 1300/89g
Water: 130 so far -- will drink at least 5 more oz
Exercise: 1 hour horseback riding lesson

Food today was good with one slight exception. We had a big kids' program this morning and some little graham cracker cookies were part of the snack. The leftovers were in our staff kitchen... I ate a bunch of them before I realized what I was doing. (Good example of stupid food. Duh!) :tomato: Otherwise, proud of myself and looking forward to my weigh-in tomorrow.

Horseback riding tonight was very interesting. I rode a new horse, a mare named Silver. She is big and very broad. It felt very different to be astride her after some of the other horses I've been riding. Her gaits are very smooth and she is friendly, but a little hard to steer. We had a very good canter in one direction, but were kind of all over the place in the other. When it came time to do some jumping, things were a lot different than the other horses I've ridden. She jumped earlier and I found myself flying out over her neck more on the landing. I couldn't get the hang of her style very well. It didn't help that her reins were very sharp-edged and cutting into my hands (should have worn my gloves!), and it was painful to keep control. I got her going a bit slower over the jumps so that I could get a more controlled feel -- and on one jump somehow the reins cut up under my index fingernail. I was bleeding a lot and felt silly for having such a ridiculous injury... The next time around I lost both of my stirrups and barely stayed on... We did a few combinations of two jumps at the end that were passable, so left on a positive note. Then she stepped on my foot when I got her back in her stall! 8-|

Not sure if I will be assigned to ride her again next week, but I will take my riding gloves just in case. I think getting Silver to ride today was a sign that my instructor thinks I'm ready to move up a bit. She's definitely a more challenging horse and I hope I am actually up for it! I am not the most confident rider, but I do want to make progress. I also want to broaden my experience and gain more confidence. Tonight was good in that respect.

This morning on the freeway I saw the aftermath of a terrible accident. My side of traffic was the gawking side, and it was moving very slowly... There was a lot to gawk at and it was sobering. I have seen too many of these things in all my years of commuting. Not good. I was about 10 minutes late for work, between that & a train. I hate being late, but I am thankful for arriving safely.

Busy workday, eventful and positive. I got some things done that needed doing, although they weren't on my list... Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to check a few things off.

Sweetie is out tonight visiting a friend and will not be back until the wee hours of the morning. I am trying to keep the kittens away from electronics cords and entertained while I type this... they are integrating pretty well with our older cat when she will tolerate them, but still need a lot of supervision. I am going to attach a silly picture of me with the boys to this post. :cat: They are getting big!

Tomorrow's breakfast and lunch should be fine; still eating my chicken breasts. I'm meeting the trainer after work. She was going to talk to the other girl some more to see if we could still try the co-training thing. It might start next week. I am sure the trainer will be happy with my food log. Hopefully that and my weigh-in will inspire me to keep it up and moderate well with my dinner. Not sure what Sweetie has in mind, but I want to be prepared! :laugh:

Lisrey :ex:

when I saw the thumbnail, I thought the pic might be of your niece or some young hot thing-- no wonder drivers hoot, holler, adn honk when you ride!

sorry to hear about the lesson's wounds--will you be walking by the end of this brutal week?

Your progress is awesome-- that determination is mighty impressive to see!! Keep it up!

144.6 :)

Thanks, Jessica... I don't particularly like that pic of myself, but I do like the kittens! :o I have additional bruises around my ankle this morning, apparently from where the stirrups hit me when I came flying out of them. They're only on the already-bruised leg, at least.

Sweetie came home late last night and did not feel well. He spent a good deal of time in the bathroom with his IBS-like symptoms, then fell into bed snoring heavily. I am very tired but still hoping for a productive day. We'll see!

Lisrey :flower:

Why oh why can I not see anyone's THUMBNAILS? I sent a note to John. I hope he can help b/c I enjoy seeing photos of my friends. :(

Wow, the ride sounds challenging and sort of scary! It is a testament to your progress that you weren't freaked out by her but just figured out a way to wrok well with the sweet little foot stomper (that must have hurt too btw!).

Hope your day did end up being productive!

Stepped on your foot, ouch, that had to hurt alot. Glad you are ok though.

Great pic, they are growing like crazy!!!

Hi, Chum! I'm sorry you couldn't see the picture. I'll e-mail it to you. It was scary jumping Silver. I won't deny that! You don't learn unless you try, though. After nearly falling off I made myself go over a couple more times until I got some better ones behind me.

Hey, Crazy -- my foot was okay. If she'd wanted to hurt me she could've done worse! :laugh:

Calories/carbs: 1575/165g
Water: 114 so far (probably not going to make 4L today)
Exercise: none

Did not have time to make eggs this morning. Had a quick Fiber One bar and a yogurt before I was out the door. Lunch was good; for dinner Sweetie & I had leftover frozen lasagna. I ate 2 servings, as I did the first time we ate it. Moderated pretty well.

I was supposed to see the trainer tonight but it was looking like I was going to have to work a 12-hour shift (one of my employees was hospitalized). I finally found someone else to work, but I had already called to cancel the workout. Now I am meeting her first thing tomorrow morning.

My inner thighs are very wrung out from last night's riding, so it is maybe just as well that I did not do the gym. I decided to take a rest day when I realized how slowly I was moving leaving the grocery store, LOL.

It was rainy and cool today, for a change. Work was fairly productive but I was on the desk a lot so it's all relative.

Tomorrow I meet the trainer at 9, shower at 10, work at 11. I can stay at work later if need be since I will have my workout complete for the day. Will eat eggies in the morning and have a chicken breast for lunch. Not sure what Sweetie will want to do for dinner, but I will try to be careful. :)

Lisrey I-)

Hi Lisrey! Pretty woman, your kittens are adorable :)

I really want to try riding. My boyfriend used to own horses and race them. He always talks about it and shows pictures. So cute. One day, we'll own our own ranch. I can see it now.

- Kimmi

Hi, Kimmi! What style riding does your bf do? I have been fascinated by horses since I was a kid. My parents thought it was a phase I'd grow out of and I never got to act on my urges. Only when I'd lost a big chunk of my weight did I try this, rewarding myself with riding lessons. I *so* wish I'd been able to learn to ride as a child. Kids' bodies learn how to ride properly very quickly, unlike adults who have to un-learn all kinds of stuff. And kids really don't have the fear, either... I'm not scared that often, but when I am, I am! I hope you are able to try riding sometime and see what you think. I have decided that I love it, and no matter how slow or hesitant or inept I am, I want to keep it up. :)

Weight this morning: 144.8
Calories/carbs: 1725/158g
Water: 136 oz
Exercise: Lower body workout with the trainer

My estimate of calories is probably low?? I ate well until dinner today; Sweetie made pizzas. They were thin crust and topped with turkey pepperoni, but pizza nonetheless. I ate more than I'd planned -- felt hungry and the pieces seemed really small. :sigh: I guess the scale will tell.

My workout with the trainer this morning was good. She challenged me quite a bit with some different things than usual. She liked my eating except for when I ate really late (because of Sweetie!). I feel good about that. The person she wanted to get into co-training with me backed out. I guess she got freaked out that I am some sort of superstar client that would be too much competition for her??? Uh, Nope! Anyway, I guess that's out for now. We'll see if the trainer finds anyone else to try.

Work was fast and furious. It was a busy, exciting day. Got some stuff done and feel as though a bunch of things are starting to really come together again. My work seems cyclical in that way...

Tomorrow should be exciting if everything goes according to plan. I am putting out our new playaway digital audiobooks in the morning, then going to an all-day city-wide outdoor carnival sort of thing. We will have a library booth, and give away stuff and talk up our services. The only damper is that it is supposed to thunderstorm... :( We hired a guy to make balloon animals for us; should be fun. I will be out there until at least 7 p.m.

I will take two of my chicken breasts for my lunch & dinner. Sounds like Sweetie will probably be out when I get home, still working (he is going to play golf during the day). No exercise time for me. Hopefully I will be able to do something Saturday and Sunday.

Lisrey :cat:

aaak, the weather! I thought it was summer??!! I'll train with you :D trouble is, the commute would be rough... On the cyclical note: I find I go through "uber productive Jess" moments when demands are high and I fly through them, then I have "oh my god, I'm tired" moments when demands are meh and I'm struggling to meet them. Hm, rather like my weight loss/fitness, it'd seem. --Hope the weekend goes well for you!
I wish i had words of wisdom about the late eating, but I know it's important to have time with mates-- sometimes meeting on their terms... :shrug:

Sounds like a fun day! Maybe you can learn to make balloon animals, then it would be way cool next year for the actual LIBRARIAN to make the balloon animals! hahaha

Eating late would be a huge problem for me. I have problems sleeping if I eat something very late in the evening. Thank goodness my better half would rather hammer a spike into his brain than eat later than 7 pm. hahaha If I forget to eat supper some evenings when I'm on my own, then I rarely eat at all. A little snack maybe, but never a full-blown meal. Food seems to wake me up (except after Thanksgiving dinner but that may be b/c I always overeat).

I like that turkey pepperoni stuff. I got some awhile ago and put it on those Wasa fiber rye crackers with a bit of whipped cream cheese and cucumbers. It was yummy and less than 100 calories (much less, as I recall). It is hard to find here though.

Hope things keep falling together for you at work -- and with the trainer!!!

Hi, Jessica! My cyclical thing at work is different, and I haven't figured out why it works like this. I'll have all of these different projects going on, that I work on for varying lengths of time... and suddenly they'll all reach completion at the same time. I can then breathe for a short time until I get a whole bunch more projects in the hopper, and it starts again. * I'd totally love to train with you, BTW!! :D

OMG Chum, the balloon animal guy was a riot. He did not share any trade secrets, but he was just weird enough to attract a ton of people to our booth. He embarrassed a lot of people walking by, like a candid camera sort of thing. When people would walk by with dogs, he'd shout "look at the kitty cat!" He was wearing a microphone and his ridiculous antics were perfect.

Weight this morning: 145
Calories/carbs: 1475/122g
Water: ??? Impossible to measure -- probably not enough.
Exercise: Nothing formal

I didn't get to eat dinner until after we shut down our booth -- probably 7:45. Then I wolfed it so I could get out of there. I was starving. When I got home I ate a bunch of snacks... Had lite microwave popcorn that upped the carbs, then I ate a handful of peanut M&Ms. Grrrrr.... X-(

I worked from about 9:30 until 8 pm. I didn't get to exercise but I did do a ton of walking/standing. The bottoms of my feet are either blistered or bruised. Not sure which, but they really hurt. I hope they are better tomorrow for my outing with my friend.

The staff person who was sick did not call or report to work today... I had to fill in and catch up work for her before getting all of my other stuff ready. I hope she will be better and be there next week. Getting stressful. :caf:

Tomorrow I am going to drive an hour south to meet a friend I haven't seen in nearly a year. We are having lunch at a place I've never tried before -- she said they have good shrimp and other things (I don't remember exactly what she told me). Will try to moderate and make good choices. After we eat and catch up, we'll probably be shopping. The one place Sweetie really wants me to go is an Italian food store where they sell wonderful pizza makings. I am to take a cooler and stock up...! Probably not in my best diet interest, but it's what the man wants. Ack.

Looking forward to seeing my friend. Not sure when I'll get home, not sure if I'll get a chance to exercise, or where I'll be at dinnertime. We'll see...

Lisrey :wave:

Hey you !!

I hope you have a nice day tomorrow...as busy as you are you deserve a nice day out.

Break before breakdown right


Dont pig out though !!! Treat yourself with something you dont have to swallow !!!


Have fun and keep on going !!!

:x

Peng

You lead such a busy life! Your journal is starting to sound like Jessica's! hahaha

I hope your visit with your friend was fun and that you ate delicious shrimp. I love shrimp. In fact I'm going to make some for lunch tomorrow, steamed with Old Bay and corn. Yummo.

Seems you are seeing friends a lot lately. That is great! Summer is a nice time to catch up! Wish we lived closer.

BOY HOWDY has Sweetie crossed the line now making you BUY the unhealthy foods he wants to ingest that you try not to eat! Some nerve. You are such a Sweetie yourself to get them for him. Or an enabler, not sure which. hahahahah I'll admit I enjoy Italian shops too. My favorite cuisine and always interesting things there.

How are the kittens? Do they roam free when you are gone?

Thanks, Peng! I tried to be good today, but this evening I ate some munchies I didn't need. :tomato:

Hiya, Chum! I wish we lived closer, too. :) The kittens are only out in the downstairs part of the house when we are home to supervise. They eat different food than Phoebe, which makes it complicated, and they also chew up inedible stuff when we're not looking... :caf:

Weight this morning: 145.4
Calories/carbs: 1700/195g
Water: ?? Not enough
Exercise: None

Well, I really did try today. Last night I broke down after posting here and ate a lot of carbs I did NOT need. Microwave popcorn, wheat crackers and lite Swiss cheese, then a little ice cream... Ohmigoodness. So I think the carbs need to get flushed out of my system again because tonight I want them even more. I had macadamia mahi-mahi fish & chips for lunch, and dinner was a salmon burger. Not bad except for the chips. On the way home I had some popcorn out of a bag... and when I got home some baked chips and some more wheat crackers and cheese. Ugh. I hope I am done now. Sweetie is eating a pizza. 8-|

No exercise today. I had a great time with my friend, though. We had a ton to catch up on, and she is an extremely interesting person. It was great. We also did some good shopping! :)

Not sure what's going on tomorrow. I would like to ride my bike a little, but also have the opportunity to play twilight golf with Sweetie & one of his friends. If I am to golf, I need to get other stuff done first (groceries, laundry, etc.). Sweetie wants to have bratwursts and corn for lunch... Gonna try to be careful, but calories will be tough.

Lisrey :shrug:

Weight this morning: 146.2
Calories/carbs: 1750/225g
Water: Not enough
Exercise: 18 holes golf

Eating was better today than I'd feared. Sweetie decided that instead of bratwursts he wanted to make bbq chicken sandwiches. So we had those about 3:00 in the afternoon for "lunch," and I now have chicken breasts for my lunches this week. We golfed from 5-9, got home and got in the shower, and ate some ff cheese and crackers late. Probably too many crackers, but no bratwurst, and no pizza, LOL.

Did not get a chance to ride my bike today, so no cardio, but did play golf. Had a great time -- I played well for me! Had only one par, but shot matching 51s. We saw two pairs of sandhill cranes and one lovely young deer that was munching on a bunch of plants near one green. :)

What else did I do? Went to 2 grocery stores, did 2 loads of laundry (one still in the dryer), made Sweetie a jello with peaches in it, did a lot of stuff with cats...not sure what else but I was constantly busy. Now Sweetie is balancing my checkbook and wants to pay bills. I want to go to sleep! 8-|

Tomorrow I will have a chicken breast and an ear of corn for lunch, and I will meet the trainer for an upper-body workout after work. Sweetie is going to visit a computer-gaming friend in the evening, so I will pick up a piece of fish for myself and try to get my eating back together!

Lisrey ;)

isn't it funny, how good it feels to be up, and how invincible up days feel, then all the sudden a carbfest salt thing happens and it's like...:tomato: oops!

hope today goes well for you-- I was hoping the S man and I could do golf yesterday, but we gymmed together instead. then went to a high-end Mexican place (again... :tomato: )

OMG Jessica, that is so true... :tomato: is exactly how I've felt the past few days. WHY?? Why the stupid food choices?? I think/hope I'm over it now. Good food day today (work structure helps) + sweaty trainer workout + a new thought: I could have a good body. I have never really thought about that before. It never seemed attainable -- it seemed like a taboo thought after weighing 200+. I realize now, it's true. Do I want to be healthy? Yes. Do I want to be fit? Yes. But "Do I want to look good?" has never been a question I've thought to ask. I think the answer should be "Yes" to that, too. I'm gonna work some more on my body image and try to use this to inspire myself further. :mus:

Weight this morning: 147.8
Calories/carbs: 1275/119g
Water: 137 oz
Exercise: 1 hour upper-body circuit workout (40 reps/1 minute cardio each body part, X3)

Got a bit of a late start this morning; did not make eggies. SBD bar + yogurt for breakfast. Tomorrow that changes. Lunch was a bbq chicken breast and an ear of corn. For dinner I had Caribbean-crusted snapper, and had a high-protein pudding in between.

Workout tonight was very sweaty and energizing. I pushed hard on some of the exercises and I think the trainer was really happy with me. It felt good and I think it will motivate me to focus again. I *can* eat better, and if I am working this hard I should. I want results!

Many issues at work today. My check-out desk staff are suddenly dropping like flies. I am going to have a staffing crisis this next few weeks. I will probably end up working some unplanned shifts and will not get my own work done. :sigh:

Tomorrow should be a good day for my plan. Will take more chicken for lunch and dinner. Horseback riding lesson in the evening. It's supposed to be HOT...

Lisrey B-)

ew. sorry about the work staffing thing. "good body" is a state of mind, for me, adn I will think harder on that in my journal, so as not to hijack yours :) Best I can think about for the weird salty carb days are demonic posession *or* a very strong magical force that the bad foods are using against us... But sacrifice= result; resistance to stupid foods+ good actions=results.

Hey buddy!!

It's like you are revving up your motor and just waiting to take off!

you will... finding the right focus does help a ton!!!!!

I have been thinking on the body image thing as well since we talked about it the other day


When you were telling me your gym buddy had lost 200 and was looking good... I dont expect barbie... but you know what I mean


to feel pretty, sexy, so on........

tone up the flab


I do know how hard it is when work drives you nuts.... tough, but I am trying now (with your guys help) to focus on what positive things are happening right now as work seems out of control..I always seem to be left covering all the extra ****s too

mind over matter huh


I wish it was easier said than done but feeling really good about your physical being might help deal with the mental stress lol


anyhow


hang in there girl


I did exercises for about 15 minutes when outside today hauling junk... that was your fault

I just keep thinking about what you were telling me the other day about the workouts


and I am gonna keep those thoughts in my melon


have a great day tomorrow


:ex:


Peng

:wave:


I hope you had a great day today!!

I have to go to bed now ( 9:30 !!!) and read or I will empty out the fridge


major munchies girl... but am gonna fight it



have a great day tomorrow !!


:x

Peng

Jessica, I'm really glad you posted more on that topic. I probably should have written my further expounding here and not hijacked YOU, but it was a healthy (and worthwhile) conversation for me. Thanks! I feel like I really am addicted to certain kinds of carbs. If I start eating them it takes a whole lot of effort to stop the slide. If I can actually moderate them for a few days, I get back on track and can resist them. It is like magic. I would not believe it if I didn't experience it.

Thanks, Pengii!! Your posts really made me smile. I'm really glad you're keeping active. It will definitely help! And the body image thing takes time and real effort, I think. I am going to try convincing myself that having an attractive body is an attainable, desirable goal. I think it might help...!

Weight this morning: 146
Calories/carbs: 1250/105g
Water: 130 (I will drink a little more)
Exercise: 1 hour horseback riding lesson

I ate according to plan today. Made my egg white breakfast and ate my two chicken meals. After my shower this evening I had a slice of deli chicken breast and a bowl of sweet cherries.

Riding lesson went pretty well. I was back on a horse I feel more compatible with. At first when we were jumping I was overcompensating and felt a little off-kilter, but I got a couple of tips and did fine. We did a bending line of jumps tonight (kind of like a series of jumps in an arc layout). I was able to steer my horse properly and get over the jumps pretty well -- very happy. :D

A few of my staffing issues at work were resolved today, making me feel a lot better. It looks like there is only one evening next week that I may have to work extra. We'll see.

Tomorrow I must work the later shift. It is supposed to hit the upper 90s tomorrow, or I would definitely be exercising in the morning. Since I just took a shower I'm hedging right now. We'll see what time I get up! Eating should be fine since I will be at work. Not expecting my weigh-in to be too meaningful since I just had a mini-slide, but I am glad to be back on track again.

Lisrey I-)

144.4

Don't ask me how, but the scale showed me at .2 less than last week's weight. :O :D

I'm happy to have put a couple of good days together again, and today should be a third, albeit without exercise. We'll fix that Thursday.

Lisrey :spring:

yay for for happy scales! --no, wait-- YAY for hard work paying off!!!

hoping today goes great for you!

Happy scales are definitely good. You are doing so well, lately. You are catching and stopping the "stupid" food choices whne they pop up, exercising, etc. Good.:up:

Have a great week!

Thanks, Jessica & CFJ! I am reminding myself regularly that my efforts will pay off with a "good" body. I am trying to believe it to be true... ;)

Calories/carbs: 1275/87g
Water: 119 (will have more)
Exercise: none

Ate according to my plan. Chicken breasts for lunch & dinner at work, and a pudding in the car on the drive home. Had some cherries when I got home at 9:30.

Worked the late shift and ran some errands before work, so didn't get a chance to exercise. I did get to sleep in a little, which was needed! :)

Work was productive if a little zooey. My meeting tonight was productive and I feel good about the next few days. I have *nothing* on my work calendar, and am planning to clean up a little. That's much needed, too! :laugh:

Tomorrow's breakfast and lunch should be solid. I will take a pudding for my drive home. Not sure what dinner will be, as Sweetie will likely be involved. I am hoping to either ride my bike or go to the gym after work -- it's supposed to be in the 90s again, so I may opt for the A/C.

Lisrey :coach:

Weight this morning: 144.6
Calories/carbs: 1350/87g
Water: 145 oz
Exercise: 40 minutes lower body circuit workout; 10 minutes abs

Very solid day as far as eating. Egg white breakfast, bbq chicken breast for lunch, blackened swordfish for dinner. The swordfish was a new selection for me at the seafood counter (it was on sale) and I enjoyed it. :)

Went to the gym after work tonight and pushed myself pretty good. Did a lower body circuit workout with all of my cardio on the bike. I tried to push my heart rate way up to the "high intensity" zone for my age, and by the last circuit I was there. ;) Afterward did the ab exercises the trainer prescribed.

Many good things about work today, but other not-so-good things. A staff person got very angry with me (she admitted she is very stressed out) first thing in the morning over something very minor. I know I should let it slide but the things she said in anger are still bothering me. I value the good relationships I have with my staff and I don't like feeling this way. :sigh:

Sweetie is working late tonight so I got to have my fish on my own. I am starting to wonder if he will be home before I go to bed... He had to build a laptop for somebody yesterday who was leaving town permanently (but still working for the department long-distance). He did that until late and delivered it to her home (in another town) after dark. Meeting that deadline put him behind on other work, so that's what he's catching up on now... Poor Sweetie. He also was not feeling well stomach-wise and I know he isn't getting much sleep. I actually asked him this morning if he wanted to go on a "date" with me tonight, but he wasn't sure how his stomach would do... Maybe this weekend.

Tomorrow morning I have to go for a re-take mammogram. I will go directly to work from the clinic, but I will probably miss the first couple of hours. I don't have any meat to put in my egg whites (can't believe I forgot that at the grocery!), so I will have a SBD bar and a yogurt for breakfast. I'll probably order a salad for lunch from the cafe across the street from the library. Dinner will depend on Sweetie. I would love to go for a bike ride in the evening (it's been awhile), but not sure where I will go or if the temps will be suitable. It's been in the 90s here for days...!

Lisrey :O

Hey you!

Sorry to hear you had staff issues. There are days you just want to shake em !! lol

It is tough, but I hope it does not ruin your whole night

I wanted to ask you what you oftne have with your fish? Like when you blackened the swordfish...do you have a side with it?

I hope your mammo goes good tomorrow !!


:x


Peng

ps..also hope you get to enjoy your bike ride :mus:

Lisrey
I am glad you are enjoying the biking computer. I find it always gives me a bit of a kick to compete against myself and have some kind of feedback about how long and how fast I went. BTW for your bike 10-11 mph is quite good. I only ever got up to 12 on my mountain bike and that wasn't very often. My road bike of course goes20-25 mph but I am sure I burn less calories than hauling my mtn bike.


Your eating sounds really focussed with Chapter 12. I admit I love to bike just for the change of scenery. The crash with the 9 year old did not sound fun at all though!!! BTW are you reading harry potter 7 yet ( don't worry everyone I won't post spoilers) I LOVED IT!!!

Hiya, Peng! :D I was going back and forth about the staff thing a lot last night, but was mostly able to forget about it today. My trainer's plan for me has me eating 4 small meals a day. The dinner meal is a salad, a meat, and a fruit for dessert. No sides if I am on plan. If I am eating with Sweetie I will eat a little something else, like an ear of corn or maybe a little bit of potato or rice. On the trainer's plan I usually get my carb side at lunchtime.

Hey, CJ! No HP7 yet; actually I am reading #3 right now. I kept requesting #3 at the library when it was new, and every time a copy would come in, it was so beat up and dirty and gross I would send it back rather than read with it during my lunch break. I finally gave up... until now. :laugh: I do like my bike computer. It seems to work well and makes everything pretty easy. Do you really think 11 mph average is okay? My bike is a hybrid and has road slicks. It also has 24" tires since I am so short. I really don't understand how all this impacts speed since I have done so little biking and have nothing for comparison. Tonight I was a lot slower because I had so many steep grades to cover... and it was 90 degrees out. I also got going the fastest I've seen on my computer -- 22.8 down some of the hills. I could have gone faster, but I was a little nervous on the unknown terrain. I don't want to do what that 9-year-old did, LOL!

Weight this morning: 144.8
Calories/carbs: 1500/197g
Water: 127 oz (need a few more...)
Exercise: 40 minutes/6.5 miles bike

Eating was extremely weird today. The day did not go as planned (more below). Breakfast was a SBD bar and a yogurt. For "lunch" I had a Zone bar and an individual-size bag of honey wheat pretzels. Sweetie & I went to Mongolain bbq for dinner -- I had a bowl with tilapia and shrimp with a little brown rice & 1 tortilla. For an evening snack I had a little Caesar salad, a high-protein pudding, and some cherries. Needed more protein, but sometimes you just do what you can.

This evening Sweetie dropped me off on the edge of the U's North Campus. There are some nice bike paths in that area and that's where I rode the hills. It was fun and I would do it again. He had to go pick up an Rx so he came back in about 40 minutes. I called him with my cell phone to let him know where to pick me up. Worked pretty well. The beginning of my ride was a lot of uphill -- probably the first 16-18 minutes. Then a lot of downhill, then the last 10-12 pretty flat, smooth, and straight. I would like to try this area again, but I don't know how many opportunities I will have for the nice drop-off and pick-up! That was a treat. :)

So... My re-take mammogram was a lot different than my original one. I wound up getting an ultrasound as well, and the findings were still inconclusive. I was told to come back in 6 months to see if anything is different. Since these are the first ones I've had, they don't know what is normal for me, I guess. :sigh:

I had planned to go to work from there, but when we got up this morning Sweetie told me he thought he was going to go to the hospital. He had extreme pains in his side during the night and could not get comfortable enough to sleep (I did not know this since I slept with the kittens). Luckily I did not have much going on at work today, so I came back home and took him to the ER. We were there for several hours... they think he has diverticulitis. They gave him a bunch of pain meds and antibiotics. He should be feeling better in day or two.

When we left the hospital we were both really hungry (he had not eaten anything but a yogurt all day). We drove to the pharmacy and dropped off the prescriptions, then went to the Mongolian bbq and had an early meal. Chum thought it was funny that they give you tortillas there... but some of their sauces are fajita and taco sauces. Sweetie made a fajita bowl, which I'd never considered before. Maybe next time I will try that approach. I did really like my bowl, and it was pretty healthy, I think.

After dinner we came home and switched cars, got my bike, and he dropped me off for my ride. It was about 90 degrees but the humidity was quite low today for this area so it wasn't too bad. I pushed myself pretty good on the second half of the ride and got all jello-y in my legs by the time I was done. Sweaty and happy. I know I got my heart rate up there on those hills, too.

Gonna go to bed soon. In the morning I have a hair appointment, followed by a veterinary check-up for my older cat. She hates the car and hates the vet, so it will be an ordeal. I will be asking some very specific questions about the diets of all of my felines, and hope to get advice that will allow for further integration. We'll see.

I don't have any meat to put in my breakfast eggs (still). I don't have anything to eat for lunch except a SBD pizza. For dinner I am meeting a bunch of family for dinner to celebrate my Grandma's birthday. The restaurant usually has some fish dishes and some good salad options, so I will stick with those. I hope to go for another bike ride in the afternoon if it isn't too hot. Last I saw they were predicting mid-80s. I can deal with that. Not sure where I will ride. Also not sure how Sweetie will be feeling, so that could have an impact.

While we were waiting for his pain meds to kick in at the hospital, we had a bit of a conversation about weight loss. He said he has considered joining a program his doctor (and the University) recommend. You pay a membership type fee and have full access to the U's rec facilities, including trainers, and nutritionists, etc. It sounds like all of his recent health issues are starting to make him think a little! I am not holding my breath, but we'll see.

I also (perhaps foolishly) kinda told him about my "good body" idea, and asked if he thought it was a realistic goal. He doesn't seem to think I can beat my genes and get legs that would please me. I am not offended by that, but I'm still not completely discouraged. I think it's worth a try. If I lose more weight and get closer to where I want to be, I won't be disappointed if I don't look like I'm imagining. I may never stop trying or wishing or working on it... but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? I *need* a motivator, and right now this seems to be the best thing. Gonna see what happens.

Lisrey :mus:

poor sweetie! That ordeal-- plus your mammogram-- couldn't have been fun, but it sounds like good may come of it, in terms of him "getting with" a program? I'll keep my fingers crossed...

Well, I missed quite a bit of action around here!!!

First, the mammogram stuff. I think the doctors just want to be extra sure and cautious, and I'm sure that is what they are thinking with you. Especially since you are just 40, you have denser tissue.

Now for Sweetie. Poor guy. But we've talked before that sometimes some people have to be practically threatened by our bodies before we make necessary dietary changes. I think you can tell how hard it will be for him by his choices right after being in the hospital with stomach pain so severe it sent him to the ER. Mongolian BBQ? That is a hard-core foodie, babe. Most people would be munching on rice pudding, chicken broth, and saltines. hahaha I know how hard it is for him. He is lucky b/c he has you and you've put in the hard work for so long that you have a lot of wisdom and tips to offer.

Eggy breakies...did you ever try those muffin things? Then you could have something in the freezer on the mornings you don't have time to make your egg whites? Or keep some Canadian bacon in the freezer for when you forget your deli turkey? I'm just brainstorming b/c I'm not a huge fan of those bars. hahahahaha

Your "good body" ideal is fantastic. I've never ever heard you mention that before. This is fascinating to see your evolution. I would ignore Sweetie. I don't think he can even imagine it where his head is at right now. Perhaps he is even a bit jealous -- and scared -- b/c of your weight loss and even getting to the point where you are considering having a "good body." Especially since he is a bit blobby now. It probably made him insecure -- I know he is a guy who isn't very expressive with his feelings, but that doesn't mean he is immune to those feelings and thoughts. Maybe he doesn't know WHAT to expect if you have a pinup girl's body. Maybe you will expect him to look like a GQ model. Maybe you will start making cow eyes at the FedEx guy.

How do you like the Harry Potter books as an adult? I've wondered if I should give them a go at some point. I am DIGGING this book, Three Cups of Tea, about the guy who builds schools in remote mountainous regions in Pakistan and Afganistan. Great book I would highly recommend it!! If you will ever come visit me again (I hope you will), I want to take you to the new little library in the Village. It just opened in May and is wonderful with exposed brick walls, just beautiful and has a great selection for a small branch. It is going to be my new writing hangout.

Hi, Jessica... I dunno if any of this is going to affect Sweetie's long-term choices. He doesn't seem (to me) to really correlate his weight with how well he feels. He has so many chronic stomach problems, and he used to have horrible heartburn issues... he simply believes these are things he must live with. His doctors keep telling him to lose, and he keeps racking up the ailments, but ??? :shrug:

Hey there, Chum! Nice to see you posting again. :) I did think about you with the mammogram stuff. I was not worried about it at all when they called me back for the re-test, but I don't like this 6-month thing. Grrrr... When I took Sweetie to the ER, his pain was not really stomach pain. It was in his side, and very acute. He was ravenous when I got him out of there. The first bowl he had at Mongolian just had a basic grilled chicken flavor -- he put a little peanut sauce on it but I couldn't really taste any spice. His second (fajita) bowl was really spicy, though! Are we talking about the same thing with Mongolian bbq, I wonder?

No, I have not tried the eggie muffin things. I just don't know about those for me. I don't eat the bars often, and when I do I get hungry more quickly. Good reason to minimize the bar thing. I finally got some meat for eggs today, so I will be set again for a little while.

I've never thought about the "good body" thing before -- that IS a new thing for me. I don't think Sweetie is too worried. He mostly knows what my Mother's legs look like (that's where I got them), and he knows what the legs that I covet look like (the ones that run in his family). They are quite different ideals. I think he was just being honest with me -- he doesn't think I'll ever be satisfied with my legs. Probably a fair assumption. But I am not going to give up on myself yet. :laugh:

I have heard lots of good things about that Tea book. Glad you like it! I checked out the Hunt sisters one and hope to read it after HP3. I think the HP books are good in small doses. I read the first 2 when #3 came out... They are not "kiddie" books, in that an adult would certainly enjoy them. There are other fantasies for young adults that I found more stimulating and imaginative, but I can definitely see the HP appeal. :)

Weight this morning: 145.
Calories/carbs: 2000/185g
Water: 140 oz
Exercise: 31 minutes/5.3 miles bike

SBD bar + yogurt for breakfast. Sweetie made me a toasted club sandwich for lunch; I had a small salad and some baked Doritos with it. For dinner I ordered a side Caesar salad and a salmon entree. I ate more bread than I should have, but I did not order ribs and I did not eat any birthday cake (my Grandma is 91).

I put my bike in the car late afternoon and drove to a soccer field about 5 minutes away. From there I could ride mostly on bike path and sidewalk in a nice sprawling suburban area. I wish I'd had more time to explore, but I needed to get back for the dinner party. I left the bike in the car. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, but we'll see.

Sweetie felt poorly on and off today. First he thought he was going to mow the lawn. I said "no way." Then he made us sandwiches for lunch. Once they were made he started feeling nauseous and didn't end up eating much of his. Then he went to bed; I think he had a fever. He slept while I went out to do some shopping and get groceries. When I came back he woke up and said "it's getting late to mow." I went out for my bike ride and then to dinner... he continued to sleep. When I got back he said he thought his fever was gone, and his pain has receded somewhat. He is going to try eating again now (yes, 10:30 pm). 8-|

I had to get up early this morning for my hair appointment, so I'm pretty tired now. Phoebe has gained 2 pounds in the past year -- she's over 14 lbs. now. I got some advice on food I can give to everyone, with the caveat that she might gain even more.

I'd love to sleep in a little if possible... Will definitely eat egg white breakfast. I bought a whole bunch of chicken breasts today so those will get cooked sometime tomorrow. Will ride my bike if the weather allows. Also planned: laundry, work on pictures, call my Granny.

Lisrey :flower:

How wonderful that your grandma is 91!!! And feeling well enough for a nice restaurant meal! You are so lucky to have your grandma around still.

Poor Sweetie. I wish he would see the connection b/w what he eats and how he feels. Poor guy. That must be miserable.

OMG. I finished the Tea book today and I can't WAIT for you to read it and then we can discuss it.

I hope you like the Hunt Sisters book too. I adored it.

I seem to remember you liking other books more than HP when I brought it up some time ago. My feeling is that I should probably read one so I am up on something that is such a cultural phenomenon. But I also have tons of other books I want to read, plus I have to stay up to date with dozens of magazines and newspapers for the writing biz, so I am pretty selective in my choices and I can't imagine I am willing to commit to 7 books (I think there are 7).

As for the Mongolian BBQ, truthfully, I've never heard of fajitas at a Mongolian BBQ, it was always run by actual people from Mongolia. You picked your veggies and meats and sauces (and could mix your own sauces) and they would cook them for you and bring them to the table with white or brown rice. No tortillas. But I've only been to a couple of places, so maybe I don't know.

And finally, regarding the "good" legs, just b/c you don't have his mother's legs (or whoever in his family has the good legs) doesn't mean you can't strive for an attractive body. Duh. It also doesn't mean that you can't have the sexiest short legs around!!! hahahaha Sweetie needs to expand his world view. hahahahaha

Hope you had a good day!

Hey Lisrey!

Just popping in to say "hi" and tell you how happy I am to seeing you doing so well. Between the "no stupid foods" strategy and this hot-leg-desire thing you are working towards, there seems to be no stopping you. I could benefit from some similar motivational strategies!

I second the thought that it is adorable to hear you talk about your 91-yo granny and so sweet that you still have her around. Recent health problems with my one remaining grandparent have really made me think about how lucky I am to have her around still, and she is only 81. I would LOVE to see her make it 91, that's for sure. I hope you have a nice time chatting with her today.

I bet the trainer is very proud of you for your renewed spirit with all of this. You have turned the corner again, and the scales are going back down! Whee!

Hi again Chum! Yes, my Grandma actually looked the best I've seen her in a long time. She has been getting chemo on and off for several years... the last batch of tests all came back negative, so she was happy and feeling pretty well. :)

bd's Mongolian bbq is a chain here. You go to a buffet and fill a bowl with meat or seafood, veggies and stuff. Then you fill a small cup with sauces and spices. You take it to a big round standing area where a bunch of grillers take it and cook it in front of you with a lot of noise, humor, and fanfare. They give it back to you in a serving dish with a flourish. When you get back to your table, the tortillas and the rice of your choice await. I usually just go up once and eat whatever I create, no matter how it turns out. Sweetie got the "unlimited" deal, so he got to make more than one bowl and liked both.

As far as the thing with my legs -- Sweetie has no problem with them. He actually somehow claims to *like* them. It's ME who thinks they're awful (they are), and he thinks *I* will never be happy with them no matter what they look like. I think there's a good chance he's correct about this, but I'm trying to be as positive as possible to keep my momentum going. ;)

Hey, Amanda! Good to see you posting again! I did not do so well today with my eating... Ate a lot of "stupid" food and am not proud of myself. On the upside, Sweetie has a very busy week ahead and I will be able to control my meals pretty well for at least a couple of days here. We'll see if I can get the carbs back under control.

Weight this morning: 146.2
Calories/carbs: 1700/171g
Water: 100 oz?
Exercise: None.

Ack. Egg white breakfast. Lunch: SBD pizza. Then wait, wait, wait for Sweetie to be ready for dinner. I ate croutons. Then I ate some peanut M&Ms. Then I ate some potato chips. By the time I actually ate my meal I wasn't hungry, and when I finished I was uncomfortably full. Ack. Had an oven "fried" chicken breast and an ear of corn... :tongue:

I drove over to the bike shop this afternoon. I thought I would park there and go for a ride before taking it in for a tune-up. Unfortunately, when I got close to the bike shop it started raining pretty hard. I just took the bike in and skipped the ride... and now I won't have my bike back for perhaps a week. It's getting a full tune-up and having the back wheel put back into true. I am sad to be giving it up for a whole week but I was tired of all of the noise my shifting was making, and didn't want to make things any worse.

In the morning I slept in late. It was wonderful! It was raining and dark, and easy to do for a change. I did a couple of loads of laundry, then after lunch took the bike. I went shopping for a few miscellaneous things through the afternoon. When I got back, Sweetie was finishing up the mowing. He is still feeling a bit achy, but no more fever.

I cooked our dinner, helped him with the clean-up outside, and did 2 more loads of laundry. I talked to my Granny (the AZ one) tonight, but never touched my pictures.

Tomorrow I will have a leftover chicken breast and an ear of corn for lunch. Will meet with the trainer after work. Dinner will either be fish or chicken. Hopefully after my workout I will be motivated to stay away from the carbs again in the evening... we'll see. Work will probably be nuts tomorrow since I missed Friday. 8-|

Lisrey :spring:

Okay, the Mongolian bbq link is pretty amusing:

http://www.gomongo.com/

They also have a "new" nutritional counter at the website, which I will have to try before I go there again.

Also, I found a brand of cookies at the grocery store this afternoon that was rated really highly on a diet food site that I trust. I had looked at the website for these cookies at the time and thought I'd really like to try them, but didn't want to pay shipping for them. I was surprised and happy to find them at my store. They are "O'Coco's organic baked chocolate crisps." A little pouch of them has 90 calories, and they are extremely chocolatey. I liked them! :) Unfortunately, I forgot I'd eaten them when I calculated my food for the day. :(

I-) Lisrey

Weight this morning: 149.2 :caf:
Calories/carbs: 1500/154g
Water: 117 oz
Exercise: 1 hour lower body workout with the trainer

Eating was fine today. I ate an ear of corn with lunch and two with dinner, which upped my carbs. I had fish for dinner. Mmmm.

Workout with the trainer was really sweaty. It was VERY hot in the gym today -- mid-90s and very humid outside so I guess the A/C couldn't keep up. We did not circuit since it was so hot, but did a bunch of kicks and weights and other stuff. I worked and it was good.

I was very productive this morning, buzzing along at work. Then after lunch got a call from the person who was supposed to start tomorrow. She lost her child care and decided she cannot take the job after all. Ack! I lost two weeks under the assumption she would work out. :sigh: Back to the drawing board.

Tomorrow I will work 10-6, then go to my horseback riding lesson. I have chicken for lunch and a small meat loaf slice for dinner. The weather forecast is upper-80s and rain...

Lisrey :sweety:

P.S. Check out this website: www.walkscore.com

Put in an address and it will assign it a "walkability" score. My neighborhood rates a pathetic 14 out of 100! "Driving only" is what the site deems a score of 0-25. Ack! :O

our 'hood is at 49. I would have put it higher than that, until I saw it's kind of a "how urban village is your domain" kind of rating. very interesting, thanks for sharing! (betcha Chum gets 99.976, with deductions for uneven sidewalks :) )
Sorry about the loss of not even there yet staff person--aaak, to think of all the appicants you had, and to make a choice and ...blammo? bah.
I had a hungry lake day on vacation, and paid with it at the scale this morning. bah.
Oh well, onward, with good choices and the odd sacrifice, right??

How did your horseback lesson go? You are a super-dynamo with the gym training, horseback riding, work, etc. Biking too...it takes them a WEEK to get your bike back to you with those minor repairs? They must be a great bike-shop to be that backed up, and still have people brining their bikes there for service (other places hire more entry-level mechanics to shorten turn-around time and keep customers happy).

How is the body image thing going? Not everyone is built like Holly Hunter or Brooke Shields, you know (picked a short and a tall gangly-skinny-lady). There are plenty of sexy women out there, even in hollywood, that have much different shapes and body styles (Beyonce Knowles and Lucy Lawless come to mind). Healthy and confident women are a lot more attractive than skinny or extra super-fit ones that are not healthy and/or confident. That is my opinion.

Let us know how the riding goes. Have a great week.

Hi Lisrey :)

I love catching up in your journal and seeing how well you are doing. Seems like you are really enjoying your bike rides. I'd like to fit more of those in myself.

I understand what your sweetie is saying about the leg situation. He thinks your legs are great but doesn't believe you will ever agree with him.... I personally think we can train ourselves to love what we have and gain a positive focus on our "problem" areas OR what we perceive as a problem area, at least. I don't think he "gets" it.

I went running with my man Sunday on a hiking trail at a local state park. He would run much faster than me, stop to walk and then block my way on the trail so I couldn't continue a steady pace. So, of course, I would end up losing concentration, walking a bit, got a couple side cramps, etc. I said "Wow, this is harder than usual". His reply was, and I qoute "I know, I'm not in very good shape EITHER". I almost died right there. EITHER? How dare he imply that I am not in shape. Wow, did I rip him a new one. lol. I jog 15 miles a week or more and he joins me once, ruins my rythym, and implies I am not in shape! eek. We made up, of course. He knows how to apologize, at least. He said he MEANT to imply that we are not ELITE athletes. True.

hehe. Glad you are hanging in there. I love mongolian BBQ!

- Kuss

Wow, when I am gone for a few days I always have to go back a few pages to "catch" up with what is going on with Lisrey.

I like your idea of "good body". Off and on I have tried to work on the body image thing. I actually have some meditation tapes that focus on body image. Unfortunately, they are tapes and not CDs - and one can't get much in the way of tape players any more. I do have a walkman left - so that is not any real excuse. Right now I have a problem picturing that positive image. That of course may be why I am having problems with my eating too.

They are opening a small gym about two miles from the house. Supposedly you can do monthy pay - or six months at a lessor rate. I'm not sure when it will open but I will check it out. They will be totally machines - Think it is another chain similiar to the 24 hour Fitness that I went to last year. I had no problems with doing the circuit - my problem was getting my self over there. It was a 15 minute drive one way - this one will be less than five minutes. No excuses on that.

There is also another place about a mile fart