contest!!!

[julie409]

Julie ~ Oh wow we will be celebrating our birthdays right there together! Yea I love your idea!

I did my exercise DVD for 30 minutes and it was great for beginners workout that gets your heart rate up there. I left it in the DVD player so that I could maybe get back to it later but right now I am cooking some broccoli for lunch and ate some baby carrots and planning to serve up a delicious salad. I make a mean salad. So too bad we are not already in the program  - I could rake up some points today!

I love having my birthday in the spring - don;t you?  It's sort of like a re birth!  And we always celebrate my birthday on Easter since I was born on the day though the date has always been different each year since.

I will think about the new thread some more and see if anyone else is interested.  I would like to start it on the first day of spring.

Great on the exercise - keep it up! 

Julie

[jkate]

Julie ~ You were born on Easter - how neat! My birthday has been on Easter 3 times in my life but I wasn't born on Easter. Of course Easter is always on different Sundays because Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first equinox.
Yes I love having my birthday in the spring. Both my DGK's birthdays are in December!!! One before Christmas on the 12th and he was actually due Christmas day but they induced early then the other is December 31st.
Keep me posted about the thread - I hope others will be interested too!

Crickadoddle ~ Thanks for the info on the strength training. I have some resistance bands that I got for Christmas and I need to get them out and use them! I love walking though - it is so relaxing when the weather is nice - which it hasn't been here lately but spring is just around the corner so will be soon.

Hope you guys are having a good weekend.

[crickadoodle]

jkate -- I love walking too, because I don't have to think about the exercise.  We really need both kinds of exercise.  The more I read, the more I see that we can so easily skip the strength training, though.  It is crucial, as we lose more and more muscle mass with each passing year.  See my thread on muscle and metabolism.  I think I explained it clearly there.  It's all starting to click for me.

[KathyPrulhiere]

Crick,
Good job on the research.

I've been doing exercises class 3 times a week for a year now. It has taken that much time for my body to stop screaming at me. Monday and Wednesday we do 1/2 hour of cardio, 15 minutes of weights and 15 minutes of floor exercise. I still don't dare push as hard as the rest of the class, but I try to do a little more each week.

Fridays they started Zoomba and since I'd been conditioned to go to class for the past year I've stuck with it. I hate most of the music and it is too loud for my old-fogey ears, but the moves are really great for conditioning my body and the hour goes by fast. Even when I think I'm not doing much, I'm sweating by the end of the class. My husband says just put in ear plugs and go anyhow, so I have. I'd rather walk or swim, but if I keep this schedule, I will be getting what I need to stay in shape. I am amazed at how firm my legs and arms are getting. I'm 67 and it is fun to be able to pick up something that weighs around 40 pounds and carry it, if I need to. I love gardening and don't like being dependent on someone to do all the heavy work.

All this to encourage you gals to keep up the exercise. It pays off. I'm living proof.

Kathy

[jkate]

Kathy ~ Thanks for sharing - That is just AWESOME that you are able to do all that and that will keep you young. My mother in law is 84 this year and still raises a garden and works out in the yard every pretty day and I know that is what keeps her so strong.

[crickadoodle]

Kathy, thanks so much for the inspiration!  I am starting to feel stronger and it is so empowering.  I love that I can jog up the stairs, rather than have to hold on to the railing to get to the top.  Today I had gone to Sam's for groceries and I did the whole thing in under 10 minutes (from the car to the register) and got lots of stuff -- laundry soap, 3 pineapples, 1 honeydew, 2 cantaloupes, chicken breasts, lamb, 10 lb. bag of onions, 10 lb. bag of oranges, big bag of grapefruit, strawberries, 6 lbs. of bananas, celery and maybe more.  (My husband was waiting in the car and needed to get to work.) Then when I got home, I carried everything up the stairs and into the house.  I was telling my husband that before losing my weight and getting fit I could have never done this so easily.  It feels so good to get healthy and fit.  I know what I have to do now to stay healthy and fit -- and this is better than any health care Washington could come up with. 

[Deborah D.]

crickadoodle you are so right....this way of eating is wonderful and makes you feel better and better each day.

Deborah D.

[KathyPrulhiere]

Deb

I was thinking after I went to bed last night how great you are doing. Your chart says it all. You are steadily losing and not gaining. I'm really proud of your steadfast progress.

Kathy

[Deborah D.]

Thanks Kathy I guess its better to lose slow and steady then it is to gain.  Some times I wish it would come off faster, but this time I know it is coming off so I am happy with slow and steady.

Deborah D.

[KathyPrulhiere]

Deb
I don't have as far as you have to go, but believe me I understand. I've been at a standstill for awhile. But not gaining is progress. We just have to look at it differently.

Kathy

[jjelli]

Hi Everyone!!!
The contest is drawing to and end....the 12th.  I have been trying to walk everyday (and of couse it has to rain) and been eating LDL.  My plateau has come to an end finally and my weight has been dropping.  Hope its enough to be in the top three.  If not, I still win cause my weight is down and getting more exercise.    .  My resistance is up  to...a high school boy stopped by tonight selling candy bars for his fund raiser.  I only bought ten        and the wraper has a coupon for two dollars off a pizza......which I won't use.  Put the candy bars in the garage freezer so don't even have to look at 'em.  I'll  post my weight loss on Monday and the results as soon as I get em.  JJ

[crickadoodle]

Jjelli, give those bars away.  You don't even have to prepare for failure -- you are a winner!  It was a nice contribution to give, though.  Look at it that way.  You helped out.  Other than that, you don't need that candy ever -- start thinking about all the delicious watermelon coming up soon!  Dream about pineapple, canteloupe and berries -- Oh, my! 

I can testify that once you get to your goal, this way of living makes it easy to maintain your good weight.  Get focused on getting there.  Stick to your plan and keep losing until you reach your destination.  I have to confess, now that I'm at goal and below there are times -- the exception and not the rule -- that I eat out and get something a bit off plan.  The key here is I do it usually at lunch and I still eat my fruit breakfast and light, mostly fruit dinner.  I have absolutely no trouble keeping my weight where it needs to be.  I stay between 125 - 130 lbs.  Jjelli, don't feel deprived while following this plan, though.  But the way to not feel deprived isn't eating non LDL foods, but finding some LDL foods that you look forward to eating.  Like for me it is my bean soup I eat practically every day at lunch.  I love the taste and texture of it.  It is a treat to me, even though it is healthy and slimming. 

You can do it!  Whether you win the contest or not isn't as important as getting your life back and I know that is most valuable to you.  You have come so far!  You go girl!  We are proud of you!

[jjelli]

thanks Crick,  I'm in a pretty good spot right now.  Went for a walk last evening (went the extra mile)  Walked 3.5 miles which is 1 mile more than usual.  Drove it with the car today to see how far I went. 
  I'm wishing the price of grapes would come down.  I use them in my smoothies.
Also, got a new set of partials last month and the bottom ones are a real nightmare.  They don't feel to bad when I have them in, but when I eat something there is always  pain.  One dentist told me is was because of my "skinny" gums.  Hope I can get use to it. 
The candy bars don't bother me in the freezer cause I don't see them and actually I forgot about 'em.  jj

[julie409]

JJ - You are already a winner!  Congratulations on following the plan, exercising and getting great results!  I have found some watermelon already in NJ. You should see them soon! 

Julie

[jjelli]

        I thought the weigh-in was April 12th...        not til the 29th  jj

[crickadoodle]

wow, you have lots of time to do even better. 

I didn't congratulate you on your awesome weight loss!  Way to go, girl!  You are doing so well.  I hadn't noticed it until the other day and I forgot to mention it to you.  Doesn't it feel great?  And you will maintain it so easily.  I can vouch for that. 

[jjelli]

Hi Crick,
Thank you.. Isn't it nice to look at a ticker and see there's more gone and the goal is closer?  Yes, it does feel great!!!  I used the money ticker because of the contest. 
The last day is April 29th....I should be able to follow the plan and get in some walking...we're going to my brothers in Ala from the 21st to 27th for his 25th wedding anniversary party and renewing their wedding vows.
How is your mother doing?  Sounds like she is doing pretty good.  jj

[crickadoodle]

Well, we're having problems with the pouching of her ostomy -- not sticking.  We have the hospital ostomy nurse helping us now and she is going to cast a mold on Monday, if the kit comes in.  They'll make something to put on Mom that's supposed to make it stay on longer.  Hopefully, this will work, but if not, the nurse said there are other things we can try, so there is hope.  Mom is feeling fine, otherwise.  Thanks for asking.