 |
 |
|
|
|
|||
New You Feb 1st Comment on this item
Submitted by Hope on Mon, 01/31/2005 - 6:10am.
Our new thread All you gals with Valentines Day goals need to put your nose to the grindstone. Have a life changing month all Bookmark/Search this post with: delicious | digg | reddit | google | yahoo | technorati | stumble upon | sk*rt( categories: A New You )
Related items you may be interested in:
 Drinking water as we speak.Not sure I have made it a day with all 8 glasses down the hatch but I have most certainly given it a girl scout try and uped my intake! Banana, peanut butter and graham crackers for breakfast. Jana Humphand that is all I have to say on the subject of Valentines Day. I think it must be all of fifteen years since I received a Valentines card. I carried my pedometer all day one day last week, walked miles all around London with DS13 and some friends all day and when I got home it only said 2000 steps. I was carrying it in my pocket, and it had turned upside down and stopped counting! I will try again with the pedometer, my plan is to wear it for a week and get an average of how many steps I do each day and then set myself a target of 500 or 1000 steps a day more than I usually do. I'll start tomorrow. Anyone care to join me? Not much to say for myselfI've been so occupied with house changes this past little while that I'm not putting much thought into healthy living. I have been planning ahead for when I'm resettled though. The plans involve that evil *exercise* I've found my new fast food vice. Quizno's turkey, bacon and guacamole(sp?)sub w/lettuce, tomato and onion. Oooohh yummmm!! Quizno's is going to be a 90 second drive from the new house, McDonalds is a 60 second drive. I think I'll make the longer drive just to get the good sub I cannot brag about exercising, as I'm not really doing any routine right now. I am busy from morning till night though. Does that count for anything? Packing and painting don't work up a sweat, but at least it's not sitting on the couch watching news all day. I've been getting compliments on my skin lately so I'll pass this on. A couple of weeks ago I felt dull, dull and dull. Like I was stuck in dead old winter skin. I tried a couple of things with no success. As I was freshening up my kitchen with baking soda one day I got to wondering if it would brighten and freshen ones skin in the same way. I figured if it was safe to eat and put in bath water it should be safe to put on ones face. So I went to one of the "baking soda uses sights", and sure enough, there it was. A baking soda scrub for the face. All you have to do is wash your face, then in the palm of your hand put a tablespoon or so of baking soda with a few drops of water(just enough to make a paste), massage it on your face and rinse. It has a very mild abrasive action, lifts off any imbedded makeup or grime, blah blah, whatever else baking soda does. The after results ar not so dramatic that you feel like you've had a face change, but other people seem to notice something different. Hhmmpfff...how many bucks have I spent on products when all I really needed was a box of baking soda??? Too many!! Onward with me, my house won't clean itself. Have a healthy day gals, and drink and get a bottle of water to keep by the puter. You can glug on it while you catch up on everyones news Water is a funny substance JaWater is a funny substance Jana. It seems the more you drink of it the more you want. I *never* used to grab a glass of water when I was thirsty. I'll bet there were many days when I didn't even drink one glass. Now I find I actually want or crave a glass of water if I've not had one in a while. It tastes clean and refreshing. Sometimes when I'm hungry I'll drink a glass of water and find out I'm not really hungry after all. I was just thirsty. Six ounce glasses of water go down easier than eight ounce glasses, you just have to have them more often to make the daily quota. It's easy to down a six ounce glass every 1/2 hour. Honey, I'm impressed I forgot.......about your subzero temperatures Hope. I wouldn't want to go out either if my extremities were likely to drop off Here in England............one just gets soggy extremities, not frozen ones Today's eats - 2 slices of toast (breakfast) Scuttling away shamefacedly to hide from you virtuous souls...... Trying Not To Stress EatI'm under a lot of pressure at work right now; lots of deadlines, lots of people who want what they want NOW. It's always like this in January & February, it's just harder since I am now only part-time. I do have one very unpleasant situation that will probably get more unpleasant. I'll just be glad for it to be over & done. Anyway, I'm feeling good. Will most likely get all of my water in today. Had my vitamins this morning. I've done a lot of walking around; I need to find my pedometer and clock my steps. Well, I'd better run. DH and DD are out front riding bikes. It is too cold for me right now. It's a wet-cold if that makes sense (it will to any of you from the southeast) & that is so much worse to me! Have a great evening! Vonnie yucky dayThe weather is good but I am coming down with a truly nasty cold with attendant sore throat, headache, pain and chills. I mean really bad-- usually I say "it's just a cold" but today is bad. So today at the doctor's when I told her I hadn't eaten all day because it hurt too much to swallow, she said to take some Tylenol to bring down the pain enough for me to eat. I did that, and now I've had a cup of tea with honey and a Nutri-grain bar. I may have some cereal later and DH says he plans to pick up some frozen meals tonight. If he doesn't do that, I'll order in I guess. MIA=new me!Yes, well...it's been a busy week! I didn't get to a WW meeting last week, with my wacky school schedule and driving MIL to Cleveland Clinic last Thursday when the president was there that morning for a speech...not a fun exercise: urban-streets-and-sharp-shooters-on-rooftops driving! My eating has only been borderline-under control. I've been using all my points and the weekly flex points, too. That's gonna cut my loss way down. By the time I add on the pound or two of mid-cycle hormone bloat....I may not lose at all this week. I'm going on Thursday morning, anyways....for the accountability, at least. I have quite the pile of schoolwork to do...and a quiz on Wednesday. My first Interior Design project board is due next week and I need to get ahead on that, too. Maybe if I just stay busy, I'll forget to eat. Ya think? I can always hope. I'm headed to the U of A site to enter a post on Jeffersonian Educational philosophy in the post-Revolutionary War era.....yawn..... Love to all! Blessings, hiHope you are feeling better soon, Becky. I wore my pedometer yesterday and even though I did an exceptionally high amount of walking for me, I only managed 9,500 steps. Eek. I'm wearing it again today, I want a weekly average and then I'll decide on my daily target. Other than that I still struggle with my three targets of drinking water, eating breakfast and getting a reasonably early bedtime. I'm doing quite well on the bedtime this week (before midnight, at least). I'm hopeless with breakfast and water. I'll go and eat some breakfast right now  A New GoalBecky, it sounds like you have what we have had, and if so -- I am sooooo sorry! It feels like the flu, except that it comes on more gradually. Oh, on Monday and Tuesday I had such chills. Now I feel like "just a cold" but the first two days were tough. So, my new goal: Tracking food is so hard for me, so I have limited my scope. I am tracking what I eat from 10 am to 5 pm. That means dinner and breakfast and any after-dinner snacks are not tracked. The bonus is that I don't have to calculate the points for my dinners (Weight Watcher points, that is), but of course the catch is that most of "not good" eating happens between 2-5 pm. I'm hoping to keep it to about 10 points in that time period. I usually eat a healthy breakfast and dinner (or "healthful," for all you grammar fanatics out there) so I'm not going to worry about them for now. I've also realized that I'm in a vicious cycle with my immune system: no exercise = lower immunity = illness = impossible to exercise = lower immunity. Gonna have to work on turning it around so that by next cold and flu season I can fight off some of these bugs!! BTW I did get a new Valentine's day outfit. Ralph Lauren fringed black wool wrap skirt, 80% off at Marshall Fields, plus a red cashmere turtleneck, 50% off! Got both, plus a cotton RL black turtleneck sweater, for less than the original price of the skirt! I think being sick has jumped started my weight loss enough to make sure they fit comfortably enough to sit down and eat dinner in. Shaun that's what I have all rightI'm into the "just a cold" stage for real now at last. No problem there, a decongestant and some Tylenol and I'm all set! I finally admitted to myself that I have no extra energy to cook this semester, so I'm making more of an effort to make healthy choices in frozen foods or eating out. Today I did have fries with my burger but I made it a Boca burger, and I had frozen food which was more on the healthy side. I need to start drinking juice too, since too many actual fruits and vegetables can cause me problematic and time-consuming consequences. Don't 'cha LOVE a bargin!Good for you, Shaun, on the great shopping! I'm also glad to hear (here and elsewhere) that you and your DDs are on the mend from your "bug." I'm planning on getting to a 9:30 am WW meeting for an official weigh-in tomorrow. I'll post after that...probably something pessimistic and whine-y I need to type out a "Learning Log" journal assignment for one class and the agenda for a meeting at church tonight, so that's all for me right now! Blessings, The Officail Numberis -8.4 pounds! That's an additional 1.2 pounds since my last weigh in. It's not much, but at least it's not going up! I've set a new goal for 10 pounds off by valentines, which is definitely possible (my original goal of 15 pounds off by Feb. 14 was reaching, I guess!) I'm good with that, though! ...unfortunately, the Girl Scouts are convening her in less than an hour to work on kitchen/cooking skils. Of course the recipes are cookies I must BE STRONG! Blessings,  Hey there...Sorry to hear some of you are sick! Hope, when will your move be complete? And give yourself credit...painting and packing is hard work! Vonnie, we have wet cold in PA, too. That's the kind of chill that won't go away until I either hit the hot bath or crawl under the covers! Needing my chiropractor. My regular appointment is next Wednesday morning. Got the tingly thing going on at the base of my neck when I try to do desk work. Not good for someone like me! Other than my small amounts all the time, and my nuts at 10 a.m. so the protein will keep me from being too hungry at lunch time, I've really not been paying a lot of attention to food. It's been one of those weeks when I've been lucky to remember my own name! I have, however, been going to Curves about four days a week. Yea me! Congrats on the bedtime, Honey. Have you been feeling better during the day, or have you not noticed any change? Guess that's all I know for now. Take care everyone! Jul The New Old MeHere's something new -- could I be having symptoms of perimenopause?!?!? I'm only 35! (Which apparently puts it in the realm of possibility.) Mainly my periods are becoming increasingly frequent -- this last one was a 21-day cycle --after being very regular up until the second baby. Will have to go to the Dr., I think. Yuck!!! Feeling a bit better today, but also in that restless, not well enough to do anything, well enough to feel bored phase. My tracking plan is working so far-- gets me thinking about food choices, and it gets me to wait to eat in the afternoon. If it's 4:30 and cruising the kitchen, I might just decide to wait, which means less snacking overall. Gotta get something done! Shaun what the heck, Shaun...go ahead and get checked. I was tested recently because my periods were becoming lighter and lighter--and then I had none at all if I stopped taking the pill. Plus I was EXTREMELY warm all during the late summer, which is not like me at all. I was wearing tank tops to the office where I normally wear two layers plus a cardigan! Anyway, I really wanted to know for sure, mainly because of the psychological ramifications of being 37 and single and having it come early (Mom was only 40). So, I was tested, and it turns out that my levels are normal for my age. Go figure. Don't know what all that other stuff was about. Off to my Grape Nuts and bubble bath! I think I mightwelcome menopause, or at least the absence of Aunt Flo and extra medication to keep my zoo limited to two! But I suspect there are plenty of disadvantages to it coming early, and probably the calcium problem would be high on my list. I hope you find out what it is Shaun and that whatever it is turns out to be okay. Well done Lenora... as long as it's coming off it isn't going on, so that's a double bonus!! it sounds like all of us are having ups and downs so far this year, with quite a few downs. I'd suggest it's maybe the weather, and certainly for Shaun I imagine it is partly, but I have no idea what my excuse is. unless maybe it's the 6yr old screaming abuse at me from the other room and yelling that I'm mistreating him for not letting him eat lunch - it's not quite 11am! Of course if he had ben nice all morning he might have been given a small snack to tide him over, but he's been obnoxious from the moment he woke me up this morning. It's really very wearing to have a child like this. I though I could at least wait till he was a teenager before getting insulted by my offspring. And I think he should've grown out of the terrible twos by now. He hardly watches any television, except videos I've chosen (we're talking Winnie the Pooh and The Sound of Music, not Pokémon and other nasties!). He has limited computer time. The only outside influence he can possibly be picking this behaviour up from is school. So I am going to dump all the blame on the working parents of all the rude kids in his class who teach him bad behaviour! sorry... that deteriorated into a totally off-topic rant. But hey, the screaming in the next room has stopped for a while. basically there is no New Me because the Old Me is just trying to survive my son at the moment. There is no energy to spare for extras. Kerri. I'm Just Hanging Tight Right NowIt's been a harried week work-wise. As is my typical under stress/pressure, I get really foggy and it's hard to concentrate. Thus, I haven't posted on this thread since Monday, I believe. I did post my stress on Flybabies. ANYWAY, we're getting ready for our trip & I got a lot accomplished today (I don't work on Thursday mornings now). I have every piece of clothing we have clean with the exception of what we have on right now. I've also straightened up and pre-packed a few things. Tomorrow is weigh-in. I had lost one more pound earlier this week; we'll see if I maintained that loss. I haven't overeaten; thankfully, I tend not to eat when I'm stressed. I don't eat, but I want to sleep a lot. I feel so much better today, though, I think I'm going to stay up a little later tonight and get the floors done before bed. Not getting my water in, and not doing well eating b'fast. That's my list next week, stress or no stress. I have to remind myself that I will handle the stress better if I am fueled properly and exercise. Has anybody read the Step Diet? I bought it today at Target (that's pronounced 'tar-jay' LOL!). It came with a pedometer. I'm going to try to read it a little before bed. I'm taking on our trip, not that I'll get to read it with the motor-mouth friend we are meeting! She booked a suite for both our families so we will have NO privacy! I'll have to go to the facilities to have a moment, and that's not even guaranteed with her! Y'all have a great evening! Vonnie Minus 1 Pound!I'm happy with that, given that Aunt Flo showed up this a.m.! I will lose some water weight as she makes her way back out of town. I'm at Minus 16 pound total! Woohoo! Well, gotta run. I'm running behind this a.m.; what a surprise! Vonnie TGIFCongrats on the pound, and especially on the 16, Vonnie! Hope your trip is good. My goal this weekend New-You-Wise is to get some meals planned and organized. Each week is going to be busier than the last, so I'd best be prepared. Have a nice weekend, everybody! Jul Hi allIt's been a rough week I'm afraid. I've not posted since Monday, but not for lack of trying. Several mornings I've had a problem logging onto this site, and later in the day I seem to be too busy. I still have my cold, although I can tell it's giving up. DH has it full force now. Aunt Flo is also visiting here, but should move on in a couple of days. Which means, if my calculations are correct, that there are a number of you that are totally PMS'y right now wanting to eat everything in sight. Clapping for those who are seeing the scale move in the downward direction. Man, if I lost 16 pounds I'd have a whole new set of clothes to wear. I must have three different sizes in my closet. Shaun and Becky, I hope you two are beginning to feel better. The good: I'm drinking lots of water. I'm eating fairly healthy when I eat, and keeping the portion sizes reasonable. The bad: I've been hit & miss with breakfast. I'm not eating enough veggies. I'm not exercising. That said, I'll go and have some cereal right now. Later gals CongratulationsWell done Vonnie on the 16lb weight loss! You have been so focussed about losing since before Christmas, I don't know how you do it. Well done! Is Karin still doing it with you? Have you heard from her at all? I miss her posts, here and on flybabies (I lurk Hope Becky and Hope soon feel better. I am feeling like a new me lately, though not because of diet and exercise. I am (mostly) getting a reasonable amount of sleep, and getting to bed (mostly) before midnight. It has made such a difference to my energy levels and my mood. I am getting more done and feeling happier! Happy FridayI hope some of you are enjoying some beautiful weather. We sure are -- might try to get a walk in, depending on what's happening when DH and DD get home. Hungry hungry hungry! I'm so glad I didn't buy crackers this week, or I would have eaten the whole box. Gotta break out those oranges. Vonnie, you are my inspiration still! I gotta keep going in the downward direction. I've lost a few, but haven't weighed in lately. I'm really hoping that next week I can get back into exercise. Have any of you tried "Molly McButter" or anything like that for popcorn? I sure do miss the butter taste. Chinese leftovers for lunch today, but I was pleased to see that hot and sour soup is fairly low point for WW, and then I had a bunch of leftover veggies and tiny bit of rice that I shared w/ Iris, so I think it was all in all a good one. Making "Mac and Cheese Lite": this is family favorite, baked noodle casserole with carrots, cabbage, mushroom, and cauliflower, with cheese and buttermilk, and -- the key ingredient -- caraway. *Everyone* loves this, and it comes out not so unhealthy. Better than a big pile of noodles and cheese with no vegies, anyway! Shaun I love LAWLHi ladies, It's been awhile. Well, I've lost 13 lbs. on LA Weightloss since 1/4/05 and Wednesday i had my 2nd measurements done and i've lost 8" on my chest, waist, hips, and thighs! I'm absolutely thrilled, it's going very well. I've had some cheats too, especially around Aunt Flo's arrival, but the cravings were less. It's hard to catch up with you guys. I'll have to post more later. Peace, (posted here by me, as Michele posted on the wrong thread accidentally and I've copied it over so that no one misses her) hey allMy cold is much better but DH's father just had a heart attack and is in the hospital. Depending on how he does I may or may not be on here much. SaturdayBecky! I'm sorry to know that your FIL is so ill. My prayers are with you and your Dh, and his family. {{{{{{hugs}}}}} My confessions are over on Declutter...but they're not too bad! DH and I ended up sans children at dinnertime last night so we went out! I had saved my points all day, expecting to eat Chinese take-out, so I had plenty to go around! Today, I'm making fresh French bread and Spaghetti and meatballs, so I'm saving for those high-point meatballs! I've got plenty to get done today so I'm banning myself from the forum until I finish my paper for China! (You guys are better than "candy" for motivating me to get stuff done!) See you all later Blessings, Just a Quick PeepI'll have to go back and read what I missed since Friday morning. We got in from our trip to Memphis about an hour ago. It was OK; as OK as it can be with this couple, anyway! They just get on my nerves. We keep getting together with them for the "children's sake". LOL! Sounds like a couple staying married for the children, huh? I don't think I gained any over the weekend. The other couple are self-proclaimed health & exercise nuts, so we didn't eat really bad and we walked a lot. The fitness room wasn't much more than two exercise bikes, but we did laps around the hotel. I got a pedometer and wore it & I clocked over 11,000 steps on Saturday. Hardly any today, though; we were in the car most of the day. Well, tomorrow starts a new workweek. I have a lot to work on personally and at the office. I'm going to take it a bite at a time -- both food & work! If I can get my water back on track and walk 5 days this week, I will be fine. I am still feeling really good & am not gaining. That is progress for me. I'll check in with this thread tomorrow, if nothing happens. Have a great evening! Vonnie Lazy QuestionI think I would probably find the answer to this if I scanned the forum closer, but I am going to be lazy! Isn't there someone on this thread who has crohns and uses a juicer? My office manager has crohns and just started using a juicer & she was wanting to email with someone about it & get some suggestions on what works/what doesn't. I thought I'd check & see if I remembered that correctly. Anyone? Vonnie Someone gave me a juicer......as a housewarming gift for our first house (1993). I gave it to charity when we moved here (2001)...it had never been opened! Somewhere I have a bread machine that needs a new home, too....I make bread often, but hate the bread maching: it takes all the "fun" out of it! I've been pretty good with my food choices. I'm really working on my "stress" eating. Since I'm not smoking (much) either, that has really been a challenge. I'll weigh-in on Thursday, but may not post here before then...too much to do! Love you all! Be well! Blessings, This can't be good...When I am posting back-to-back on the "New You" thread...all is not right with the world! Come on, friends!!!!!!!...not giving up on that "healthy-you" already, are you? Maybe we need a challenge? I think the water is a "doing that" healthy habit (well, for everybody but me!)...what are we missing??? Everybody got the vitamins/supplements available...did you know that you really need about 8 weeks (yes, eight!) of consistantly taking a supplement/herbal) to derive benefits from many of them? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Did you know that you can OVERDOSE on certain vitamins? Vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored in body fat and you can build up toxic levels, especially if you mega-dose. Let's be careful out there! The other vitamins: C, and the B-complex are not stored, so mega-dosing on them just makes your trips to the bathroom pricey! I take a multivitamin with iron and calcium + D, then I take an additional Vit. C, a vit. E, and a calcium + D supplement. (I eat little to no dairy which is why I double up on the calcium.) I wish I could eat well enough to not take any supplements....but I don't. How are you ladies about taking your vitamins? Blessings, Lenora - perky person you!!!!I am cursing you in a **NICE** way as you are dddrrrraaaaagggginggggg me ever SO slightly out of my foul mood! I feel like crap, look just a tad better, and just plain don't wanta face the world. I hope this is just a cold and not the FLU but not sure yet. Today is the anniversary of the death of my girlfriend baby so that is not helping matters. AND as if I am TRYING to set myself up I have not been taking meds regularly! I have just been falling into bed and then saying to myself....oh forgot my meds......I take them an night since they make me draggy so taking them in the day is not an option. Well, enough of my whinny hinny self I am gonna go and find a rock to crawl under. See ya in MARCH! Jana Just for you, Jana..I declare February banished from all polite society! Hence forth and starting today we will order the days of this month as "March minus21" and so forth! Blessings, FIL is doing betterHe is home from the hospital. The doctor said that the number one thing that will determine how long he lives is whether he quits smoking. Vonnie, I don't have a juicer myself, but I do buy a fair amount of both fruit and vegetable juices. The advantage is that I am then able to get at least some of the nutritional value from fruits and vegetables that I can't digest whole (for instance, I can't digest citrus pulp, but I can drink citrus juice). I read recently that people with any type of inflammatory disease should avoid tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes, but I am not sure I can stand to do that. I ate the same on this trip as I do at home. DH has been pretty scared from his FIL's heart attack and wants to exercise more. He resents the time exercise takes up, and I pointed out that lying in a hospital bed takes up time as well, so that seems to make him feel better. Anyway, I have to get up early so I'm going to bed. Night! Lenora - you are truly a sweetie! I love the way you think!I have the flu so not much eating or drinking here. Although a hot toddy may help! Jana Gong Xi Fa CaiHappy New Year, Kerri Glad to hear that your FIL is home, Becky. Hope he manages to quit smoking. Hope you're feeling better, Jana. Did you get my email yesterday? My recent food choices have been reasonably good, though quick to prepare as I'm busy painting. I am snacking from the fruit bowl in between times. Aunt Flo is here at that moment so the last thing I feel like doing today is lying on the floor trying to paint the skirting board under the radiator. That's today's next job Onwards and upwards.... Lenora!!!!I'll take that bread machine--it's on my wish list! Glad to hear about your FIL Becky. Jana--feel better! Honey, I'm glad the extra sleep is helping you. Now you have incentive to go to bed early, since you've experienced the benefits! Well, I totally forgot that I had set a meal-planning goal for last weekend. Oops. I am, however, still going to Curves faithfully. One of these days I'll actually be brave enough to get on the scales. Take care, Julie, It's Yours!We'll have to look at the calendar and make plans for lunch! I did lose another pound...9.4 in all. I was hoping to hit -10lbs, but I'm just going to have to accept that until I start some kind of deliberate exercise, I'm just not going to lose much more that a pound a week. On the "New Me" front, though....I had my hair cut (REALLY cut: about 6.5 inches) and colored last night. I love it...and DH was very complimentary! I've got some housework, and some school work, and scouts to accomplish today. I'm actually looking forward to "doing" my hair and face! This haircut really emphasizes my eyes, too, which is always a good thing! Have a great, healthy Friday, friends! Blessings, I Forgot to Weigh Today!I'll have to do it in the morning and post my results tomorrow. It has been a hectic week for me & I haven't been very good in the exercise dept. I'm doing OK with food, though. We are buckling down money-wise, so I'm going to be challenged to make frugal and healthy meals. I have some good books that I'm going to get down and read this weekend & I'm going to the library when I get off work. I hope everyone is doing better than me. I knew that eventually life would "happen" and I would not do as well with my plan. Hopefully, I at least maintained this week even if I didn't lose. I'd be happy with that given how this week has gone. Y'all have a great weekend! Vonnie slinking on by...I think my whole family is gonna be on some kind of detox programme for a week or two. I cannot believe how much and how often my BIL and family eat!!! It was just a moment between one meal and the next all damn day. And some of the meals were big. Even the snacking was pretty serious, though to be fair they bought about a TON of fruit when we were in Malaysia, and they often eat seeds and other weird Asian favourites, so it isn't all chips and chocolate like Western snacking usually is. Four days of that on top of CNY and followed by a BBQ. It was all DH and I could do to finish the appetiser combo and a dessert between us at Hard Rock on Monday lunchtime. And even I didn't order Coke, which when it's free flow should tell you it had been a pretty drastic few days! We're having an omelette tonight (DH and I actually skipped dinner completely because we were still full from our lunch!), tuna tomorrow... I'd like to indulge in veg after the large quantity of meat and seafood but like Becky I don't always digest too well. I haven't had problems with fresh squeezed juice - it's very common here - so maybe the juicer would be a good help for your office manager Vonnie. But like all gadgets there is always a danger of it ending up a white elephant. I've moisturised my legs so far but done very little else. I bought some eye cream while I was away (Malaysia's cheaper for most things) and I've used it once so far. I went for L'Oréal since I've had very little trouble with other of their products, and they are surprisingly cheap compared to other fancy creams. Unlike my other fancy cream - Elemis - which cost a bomb in any currency, but can be used to minimise dryness even when my skin is having a major outbreak of itching. It doesn't cure the itching but it eases the dryness which used to make any outbreak ten times worse. For that I agreed to the price tag. Actually it normally costs a lot more than DH paid because he was having a meeting with someone from the company when I asked him to buy it! He got it for £43 instead of £75 - you do the math. Honey - pick yourself up off the floor please! Better get myself gone so I can actually prepare that omelette... Kerri. weighed inGood morning-- Today is birthday week, though, and with all my friends taking me to dinner, I'm going to do it up right--I can't afford to take myself out anymore, so it's a bigger treat this year than ever! Have a gread day! Julie, you go, girl!Happiest of birthday-weeks to you...go enjoy every moment of the festivities planned for you! We'd be taking you out this week, too, if we could! (OT note...I've got the pieces and the instruction book for the bread machine! E-mail me your schedule and we'll plan a get-together. I'm off (no school, anyways! Back on-topic: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ (big blank space where all my healthy "New Me" accomplishments should be.) I weigh in (WW) tomorrow...it probably won't be pretty. On the bright side, I DID NOT eat a big box of chocolates this week! I only snitched a couple of the DD's Hershey Kisses. Thank heaven that chocolate, while a yummy, occasional treat, is not a food on which I can binge AND that DH listens when I ask him to NOT buy me candy! That's as "New Me" as things get around here! I must be off for the day! See you guys later! Blessings, Looks Like My New You Accomplishments, Lenora!I haven't been on track at all. I think I've maintained my weight loss, but haven't lost any more. Life just keeps coming at me like bullets, so I just have to deal with what I can & do my best with the rest. On a positive note, DD is enjoying her swimming lessons. She was so tired from them that she slept 12 hours last night! I had to wake her at 7 a.m.! I am NOT complaining, believe me. If we could get on a 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. sleep schedule, I would be very happy -- no estatic! Well, I have a busy/stress-filled morning at work ahead. I am just trying to take things one bite at a time & do what I can do. I am so different today than I was a year ago. I was still so work-oriented then & now I am realizing more and more every day that these days with my DD5 are fleeting & I need to take full advantage of every moment with her. It won't be too many more years that she won't want to be with her embarassing mother! My brother went through that; fortunately, I got along very well with my Mom all through the teen years. Well, it's turning into a ramble, so I will go. I need to get DD out of the shower (she fell asleep before I could get her one last night) and get her ready for school. Y'all have a great day! Vonnie I am just maintaining but come Monday you will see a whole newME!!!! I am going away for the weekend with a girlfriend and we are reconnectign to ourselves and plan on coming back with a whole new plan! We are both tired of feeling so out of control and chasing our own tail! Much of it is something we bring on ourselves sooooo we are getting away to clear our head and have a whole new take on things when we rejoin our families! Jana That Sounds Divine, JanaI always feel like I am on a carousel that I can't get off of. If I could just have about 5 days and time would stand still, maybe I could get a grasp on everything I want. Time almost never stands stillit doesn't even slow down much I'm afraid Vonnie!! But you're right, it does sound like a wonderful idea. I keep getting these retreats tossed at me through the Comfort Queen newsletters and they just sound so fabulous that even my SIL was tempted and believe me she's not a very inward looking person at all! I think she just liked the picture they showed of the ranch in Taos. the nearest I get to time shifting around here is when DH goes away. This one is just a 4 day trip, which is wonderful. Just long enough for me to recharge my batteries a bit, get caught and have one less person to fuss over. Meals are usually very basic when he's away (my choice, not his) and of course my evenings are free. Last night I was asleep before 10pm and I didn't wake up until DD came into me asking a question about her Chinese homework at 8:30am. She's very good about starting it straight away in the mornings (remembering that she goes to school from 11am (when the bus comes) to 7pm so there isn't much homework time in the evenings). I just wish she'd think to wash her face, brush her teeth and/or eat breakfast before she launches into it, but I can't exactly complain. Ummm... new me?? More spots than ever, more itchy dry skin than ever too so no chance of using salicylic acid based shower gels to help with the spots! Ouch!! Bunged up nose, plenty of bad hair days from a cut that went too short and now feels shaggy after only two weeks... let's see what else.... ah yes, bad belly and Aunt Flo to cap it all off! Ok, that'll cover the moaning. Still keeping it quite light on eats this week, but I'm also trying to help clear up the living room of CNY snack foods, so although main eats have been healthy enough the snacking isn't great. There again the pineapple tarts are probably better snacks than some of the junk I normally eat. exercise?? You're kidding right?? It fits right in there with the water - I walk DS to school in blazing heat (we've had bush fires all this week!), walk home and collapse with whatever cold drink comes to hand. Surprisingly that first one is usually a can of leftover Coke from CNY, but I'm trying to keep the rest to Ribena. That's why DH bought cans... at least I have a limit on cans, but on 2l bottles... things can only get better...! oh, and I got my Valentine's card from Jana last night - so sweet, and so gorgeous. How you contrive to make them look so simple yet so elegant I don't know, but I'll say it again, you should start selling them. Not a huge business maybe, but just a few in a local bookshop or something. Homemade cards cost a bomb over here and they're not nearly as nice as the ones you make. Take the idea with you on your retreat anyway, toss it to your friend, see what she says. Kerri. I LOVED my card, too Jana!It was beautiful. Made me feel special to receive a card from someone other than DH or DD! Can I come, Jana?I'm jealous, although I do get two more dinners out this weekend. Then it will be all over. Thanks, also for the card. It's always so much fun to see your handwriting in my mailbox! Lenora, we'll talk in a couple weeks about making a date. Things are too hectic right now, and of course we can't rely on the weather either. Thanks for rounding that stuff up! Must go, DarkER scary places...that would be my "new you" accomplisnments this week. Big. Empty. Dark. Scary. Place! I was a complete bum yesterday. I didn't get to my WW meeting, nor do anything else of much interest. I even had the scouts work on their own! Sheesh....I'd feel guilty if I hadn't already been pretty darn productive this morning. I'm starting "fresh" today, though....healthy eating within my daily points is my main goal. I'm going back to journaling every bite, too. That is a pretty effective strategy for me...I need to keep on it. I've got quite a bit I want to finish before the girls get home...and then another bit for them to do before DH gets home. The plan is to have all the clean sweep done in the living/dining room, Easter decorations up, schoolwork put away (hopefully with some actually finished Happy, healthy Friday, all! Jana, I hope you have a lovely week-end! Blessings, How to survive it all?Hi all I am soooo busy right now I could not even tell you what I've been eating. I must be consuming something though, because I'm still alive and seem to be the same size, WLW(whole lotta woman). I'm trying very hard not to eat after 7:30pm. This is so difficult for a bedtime reader and snacker, but must be done. The only snackfood I have in the house right now is some cheddar rice cakes, which are not bad tasting at all and only have 60 calories in 8 little rice cakes. 0 trans fats too I got some Chai tea concentrate at the store last week and it's great. So easy! I just have to put equal parts, 1/2 cup of concentrate and 1/2 cup of milk in a cup and heat in the microwave. Then I just give it a quick whip with my little battery powered whisk and voila....I have a Chai tea latte with a head of foam. YUM The move is sneaking up on us here. All of a sudden March 31st feels not so far off. I have to do some thinking on my new way of living(to include exercise It's slow around here, I hope you're all doing well and working hard at being fit. I should go back and read the posts I've missed, so I don't ask any stupid questions Later all, don't forget to enjoy Well,I have an exercise plan. And I am gonna stick with it. I want to drop 10 pounds and then go from there. I walked 30 min this morning before work. I have a partner who I will be checking in with so this should help. We also walked on Saturday. I will let you know how it goes. Food is not really my issue. Getting up and moving is! Jana Me tooSame here Jana, exercise is what I'm missing. I've always hated exercising, and do try but keep wondering why I can't be one of those people who get high on exercise. You know...the ones who love it. I just don't understand that. I know it has to be done though, and that it's one of my biggest downfalls. It's going to be the #1 priority in my plan beginning April 1. My focus is way too scattered right now to begin any plan, so I'm just trying to do as little damage as possible until I can put my full energy into it. My cold is back in a nasty way. My chest started burning yesterday and my ears are plugged up again. GGRRRR, I thought I was over it. I don't know what we're going to eat today, I don't feel hungry at all. I will drink lots of water though, and have already had my vitamins. Have some vegies today gals...they're good for you strange food dayBreakfast: IHOP- hash browns, 2 pcs bacon, 2 fried eggs, half-caf coffee, milk, and a dry English muffin. I'm planning on a snack later- bowl of cereal and some grapes. I'm very hungry today. Either Aunt Flo on the way or early pregnancy, no way to tell. No exercise happened today. Tomorrow I'll be at school and will make sure to go for a long walk around campus. Or take the stairs in the education building if it's raining and I can find a place to stash my backpack (it's on wheels, too heavy for 12 flights of stairs). I guess I ought to check the weather. no changeI think the only way people like us (Jana, Hope, others! are ever gonna exercise is if we find some activity we enjoy and can do fairly regularly. For me those would be walking and swimming, and I'm hoping that my upcoming lifestyle change will help me fit both of those things in better - I know roughly where the pools are because my mother joins a friend and swims not far from where we'll be living (the friend lives in the same area we'll be moving to) and the climate and scenery should both suit walking better than here, though I have a feeling I'm gonna be too damn busy to start with. just don't think of your chosen activity as 'exercise' or it won't do you any good at all! my GI specialist kindly gave me a referral to a dermatologist yesterday and I didn't even have to remember to ask... just showed him one of my superzits (it was on my arm anyway) and he started thinking of some nasty disease (with gangrene in the name) and decided he'd better have it checked out. But on thorough examination of superzits past and present he doesn't believe it's that at all or they'd be more purple - lovely! my weight's going down, but mostly because my appetite has been a bit on the weird side for a while - at least my GI didn't freak completely when he heard me tell him that, though he did insist on weighing me. I'm about a couple of kilogrammes down I reckon, not being the type who really keeps track and I was wearing jeans! Just nice timing since I have the Company dinner on Sunday night... about the only formal 'do' I go to all year, except the odd wedding. I haven't taken tablets in ages, don't take vitamins at all, have been drinking more Coke than water and probably haven't had any fruit since some plums about 10days ago. so there! Kerri. pyoderma gangrenosum?That's what I had in 2003-- one of the many things I had when I was in the hospital. It was pretty nasty. More common in people with IBD (and shares some of the same treatments) but can occur in people without it. oh by the wayP.G. was something I happened to have on top of everything else when I was in the hospital; it was not something that needed to be treated there! It continued to heal just fine with outpatient treatment. However, if you take your pills, they might help with the superzits if they turn out to be one of the (many) skin manifestations of IBD. Good morning!Enjoyable exercise? Isn't that an oxymoron? I don't enjoy the exercise itself. I do enjoy the people--that's why I signed up and why I keep going. I can't wait to see pics of the new house, Hope. How exciting! It's looking as though my portion control plan is going to be finance-driven. I just know I cannot live without the restaurants. So, if I stick to just a yummy little appetizer, I'll stay on the wagon in both respects. Sigh. Someday I will figure out how to have it all.... Jul plan half-workedIt poured and rained, AND due to errands I ended up walking a lot, all over campus. I mean really a lot. Got very wet despite my poncho. I ate my five (I know, now it's seven, but baby steps) fruits and vegetables yesterday. Now I'm going to see if I get punished for that today. I overindulged on sugar too, yesterday. No one's perfect! Is no one else new?Just me and Becky? I got back to Curves tonight. Sure feels good. Stay warm and dry, Becky. Later, Not even close to "new."...in fact, I'm creeping right back up to "old" pretty darn quickly. Blessings, hi!Today's food: breakfast: lunch: snack: snack again: dinner will be: Still clearingup all the leftover junk food from Chinese New Year. It's nowhere near as bad as Christmas, but we do have a lot of junk around at the moment. It was the last day yesterday so maybe I can get back on track finally and sort myself out properly over the next few weeks. I'm trying harder again on medication. Nothing like slapped wrists to spur me on for a while, and a pending bone scan to increase my enthusiasm for my neglected calcium tablets. eating has been a little out of whack recently. I can't quite get it up for lunch, and breakfast/lunch tend to only happen if I'm hungry. Dinner's healthy enough... sort of. But at least I haven't been much in the mood for the junk either... small wonder I'm skinnying down a bit. Exercise... I walk DS to and from school but it's too damn hot to do anything else other than nap. Hottest in 29yrs, and by Singapore standards that can't be good - we've been having bush fires! so not very new, but I haven't given up completely.. just in a bit of a lull. Kerri. Long post lost!Argh! I tried to catch ya'll up and was just peeking in while cleaning up the office. Highlights: Hang in there guys! Shaun Morning allIs everyone struggling along right now or does it just seem that way. Becky is at least eating her veggies I'm just trying to function with this nasty cold. I sure don't have time to be sick right now. It's taking a bite out of my appetite though, I don't feel like eating at all. I noticed yesterday that my jeans were slipping around on my butt abit.....that's a good sign Aunt flo should be along for a visit soon. Hey, this will be her last stay at this old house. She'll be moving with me to the new place next time around. Great, just great! Boy my timing bites. I'm up very early this morning. 4am Becky mentioned oatmeal in one of her posts, and reminded me I had some packets in the cupboard. I think I'll have some for breakfast. Leftover lasagna is on for supper tonight. I doubt I'll have much more than an orange for lunch. I think I've pretty much had my coffee quota for the day already. I might make myself a jug of ice tea to sip on the rest of the day. Does green tea make good ice tea? Ooooh, do the Chai seasoned tea bags make good ice tea Shaun? Maybe I'll try it and see. Exercise? Sorry, I have no time for that nonsense. One of these weeks we'll have to have a salad challenge. Time to make one more coffee...later gals Gosh! So soon!that really brings it home to me how soon you're moving Hope - I'm a bit amazed you've left the selling so late, but I guess you probably have good ideas on what your property market is doing. Might not be a bad idea to take one single day to really fight the cold Hope. Very often when we think we can't take time out is the time we most need to, before your cold ends up as pneumonia or something. My mother's first kidney infection was brought on by moving house and I know every bout of illness and skin problems I've ever had has been caused by stress, or at least exacerbated by it. So take just one day to really pamper your body, get some rest, knock yourself out with some dire concoctions, soak your feet in a mustard bath... whatever you need to do to get well. Don't tell me you can't afford to take the time becaues I'm fairly sure you can't afford not to take it. You really don't want to be hospitalised when you're supposed to be moving! oh yes Becky... that was the skin problem my GI mentioned but he wasn't very convinced, and the more I've read since then the less convinced I am. I'm almost 100% sure it isn't. There again I haven't figured out what it might be. I have this irritating habit of preferring to have a good stab at diagnosis before I go near a doctor so I'm not completely floored or left confused by something I've never heard of. Didn't stop me being gobsmacked when my GI announced I didn't have IBS but Crohn's, but at least I knew what he was talking about and had tried to prepare myself for that 'unlikely' possibility. don't have anything useful to add on what I said earlier so I'm going to take the rest of my tablets now. I took the calcium this morning - can't take calcium and iron together of course. Kerri. Yes KerriI should have a down day. I'd love to snuggle up with my blanky and lay in front of the tv with some hot rum toddys. Maybe Sunday or Monday. I just cannot avoid the happenings of the next few days. Yes again, it is late to be getting the house on the market, but it is the perfect time to do it. Winter market slows down here, and this is when people start looking at properties again. In a few weeks the market will be flooded with houses for sale again(seems like everyone lists their house in spring) so I want to get started while the market has little to offer. OK....Chai tea makes the BEST ice tea Hello....Hi, all Wow Hope, you're moving so soon! It doesn't seem long to me since you first mentioned it! Hope you feel better soon, too. I started reading the Dr Phil book again. .I started it once before and didn't get through it. Is it you that was also reading it, Hope? Someone was, I'm sure.I did a couple of the activities today and it brought a few things home to me. One activity was to write down your thoughts about your weight, your shape, your ability to change, and stuff like that. I wrote quite a lot and it wasn't until I had finished and reread all I had written, that I realised I had not said one positive thing about myself at all. My feelings about myself are so negative.......isn't that awful that I feel like that about myself? I know I can be quite negative, but I didn't realise how badly I see myself. I'm a bit shocked, and sad, and not quite sure what to do about the discovery. Hmmm. ThursdayHi everybody-- Honey, that's a bummer what you said in your last post. Maybe if you try to concentrate on the good, you'll realize that it is there--even if it's not your style to let it out in the front of your mind naturally?? I think we all need reminded of these things every so often. So, guess what... I had lost three pounds as of a couple of weeks ago. I got on the scale at Curves this morning, sure that I had gained it back. I mean, last week was Birthday Week with it's Restaurantapalooza, and I hadn't been to Curves at all since I was busy eating! Nope. I lost an additional two pounds--five total. Sure makes for good incentive for me! I really think it's got something to do with that cereal every night--I mean, the rest of the day I eat whatever I feel like. Although, I am still eating small amounts constantly. Who cares. Me For HoneyYears ago when I was in Weight Watchers and nearing my goal weight, we started talking about visualizing what life would be like if you were at your goal. Since I had lost a lot weight by then, it occurred to me that life was so far nothing like what I pictured when I imagined myself cavorting in bikinis on the beach and cute minidresses at a club, and it wasn't likely to get any closer. Once I realized that I was the same old me and would continue to be that same old me at any weight, I almost burst into tears right there in the WW meeting! I was really surprised by my reaction -- shouldn't I want to be me, just thinner? It is a bummer, but I think making the discovery is all you need to "do" for now Honey. Awareness is everything, or at least about 90%. Hope I will have to try that tea. Trying to keep to liquids only after 8pm -- wish me luck! Shaun I am sticking to no eating after 8pm!That is about all I can say. Been raining cats and dogs so the walks in the am have been out! Jana Post new comment |
. I know I dated it with tomorrows date, but heck....we needed a new jump start so why not start next month today 
. It gives us a mental day to consider our action plan for Feb.
.
. Much, much better than those dang burgers. Quizno's also has really good broc/cheddar soup.
some water today.