LC Our Way...April. No Fools for this one

[adillenal]

Evening all.
Had refreshments for our admin meeting this morning so I made homemade cinnamon rolls last night and baked them this morning. Also made sausage balls and had strawberries and canteloupe. I made butter cream frosting for the rolls. I was very popular this morning.
TIO - I would like to do some wholesale but I really like my job and I have a good retirement but I should be looking at retirement in 5-10 years so it would be nice to have a business built up for then.
lilmiss - I think a neighborhood exercise group sounds like fun.
DAK - Love the new avatar and your cat looks just like kritters. Your patio is gorgeous. Love the peaceful feeling.
kritter - Love the highlights. I can't decide whether to cut mine or not. I am wearing it up eceryday and for summer it is so easy. I am really lazy it seems.
I wish I had my camera this morning since I have 3 baby chicks in a dog carrier in the milking room on the table. Squeakers kitty was sitting at the front staring at them trhough the grate and it looked like she was thinking. "Oh, am I making you nervous?" The the chicken was eating catfood with the wild kitties. I guess I better start wearing my camera around my neck so I won't miss those neat pics.

Off to beddie bye.

[lil miss]

TIO I need your professional advice here. May post on the exercise board too.

Used a calculator and it says my RMR is like 1450 calories. So I should never go below that , right? So, if I am working out and burning 300-500 calories a day and only consume 1450 calories I should drop weight, right? Or is that "bad" to eat 1500 calories and then burn 500 [according to my heart rate monitor I know they are not 100% accurate]

Is it okay to aim for 1500 or should I aim for higher calories?

I am feeling good about my new exercise program since I was burning out at the gym...
MWFS, run in the am for 30 minutes
MWF weightlifting vigourously for 30 minutes
TT hour long combo walk and strength training with a rubber band

I am confusing myself and wish someone would say "eat this, move this way and you will trim down"

I am "afeard" of going too low but think I have obviously been taking in too many calories, so....

[tryinitout]

hey just a fly bly, no weight lost to report.
Moving into an office today!!
LM-I would start out there 1500, and see how it goes. What/how do you plan on eating?
Adi- Those meeting snacks sound yummy!! I'm sure you were the hit of the office that day!!

Hey Dak and Kritter!

[krittermom]

tio, congratulations on the office! There are very few offices in my company. Only VPs get them and a coule of directors. But most directors and managers get big cubes by the windows.

lil miss, your post reminded me way too much of my last 2 courses(accounting and statistics), LOL! I saw all those numbers and started having flashbacks When you run in the mornings, do you take Ben with you in a jogging stroller? I just can't see spending time in a gym when the weather's as nice as it is.

adi, those poor little chicks in the carrier. How cute! Were they okay when you got home?

Hi Dak! Are you doing your walking?

I took Meg for a great walk tonight. It was so beautiful out. Then came home and made a delicious concoction. I sauteed bok choy(where has that been all my life?), then added some shrimp that was already cooked, then added a couple of chipotle peppers, and through it all over some quinoa. Wow did that turn out tasty. I'm going shopping tomorrow to pick up more bok choy and shrimp. I think I could eat this stuff all day.

I best get off my duff and do some dishes. Also have to mix Babycakes up a batch of Bertolli's. I made it last night but now I have to doctor it with salmon, olive oil nad parmesan cheese.

[Dakini]

Hello All!

Not a lot of time to post this week, what with taxes and stuff going on. I did get all our taxes finished on time, I don't think there is anything that I dislike doing more.

I have found myself stress eating a lot this week. Not good, losing a few pounds then gaining it all back. It's just been one of those weeks.

[krittermom]

Hi guys! I'm loving my weekend. It was 85 today and just beautiful. Took Meg for a long walk this morning along the canal, then I went back for a short bike ride. I made another big batch of shrimp, bok choy, quinoa and chipotle.

I also started lifting again this week and it feels great. Tomorrow's going to be 65 and I plan on taking her to a hilly park for a long walk and then I have to come home and read and work on my paper for school. I only have 7 weeks to go and I'll be done for the summer.

I found out yesterday that my promotion went through!

[lil miss]

hey am here, OP with my nemesis, wine. Feeling good with my new workout plan and a new plan as far as how many calories are allowed...

[Dakini]

Morning!

Well, back on plan again. I hate that I make progress then ruin it all and have to start again. Thanks for putting up listening to me!

It doesn't look like we're going to have a heavy frost again this year so I bought tomato plants yesterday and planted them. I got 2 red Brandywine plants and today I'm going back for another two Marianna’s Peace. They're both big tomatoes, when I get another two earth boxes set up I want to put in 2 paste tomatoes, San Marzano and maybe a cherry, like Sweet 100's. I've never tried growing a big "beefsteak" type tomato, but I'm sure that our summers here will let them ripen. I would love to have so many tomatoes that I could just give them away.

Kritter, congratulations on your promotion!!!! Being acknowledged for all that you're doing is so important. I hope they're acknowledging you with more $$ too. I haven't gone on a serious walk since Wednesday, though I'm trying to just walk more by parking my car in the back of the lot & taking stairs when I can.

Lil Miss, I've been reading "French Women DGF" and she talks about always having wine with a meal, rather than having it before. Apparently "the full taste of wine reveals itself only when paired with the right food." Worth a try if you're not doing that already.

Adi, your refreshments sounded so good the other day, made me wish back to the days when I could eat anything and not gain. Better be careful, they may keep inviting you to come to more meetings! IKWYM about carrying a camera around, the best shots are almost always when the camera is in the house.

TIO, hope your weekend is going well!

[krittermom]

Hi Dak! The promotion came with an increase and that's on top of the yearly increase I just got at the end of March. And DH just got a raise. I'm trying to convince DH that we need a new car but it's not working .

I do the same thing at work. I park in the back, at the far corner now that it's nice out. Some days, that's the only exercise I get.

This morning it was beautiful so I took Meg to a really hilly, beatiful park. We walked for 2 hours and I worked up a nice sweat.

Has anyone ever tried kayaking? I'd really like to give it a try this year but I don't know anyone who'll try it with me.

[lil miss]

Dak, I will start anew with you! May is right around the corner.

I dont know what is going on with my body, I am gaining fat I think in a new place....

Congrats Kritter! That is such great news about your promotion and raise!

[lil miss]

Mornin All

How is everyone today?

We have 10 days left in April, I cannot face May this way so am buckling down, you with me Dak? Who else? May is scaring me!

So as I mentioned last night, my body is changing a bit and that too is scaring me, I am gaining weight in my middle, like right under my bust, I have always had a little belly, like under my belly button but now i feel like I am developing fat where I never had it before and I dont know if it is middle age settling it or a result of my miserable attempts at dieting and failing. But, trying to be positive here, I am using this as some serious motivation to get my butt in gear.

I joined Jillian Michaels site which was disappointing, it is basically the book of hers I just bought. But it did calculate how many calories I should eat to lose 2 lbs a week and spit out @1200 which is lower than when I figured it out on my own, using the formulas in her book so that kinda stinks. I dont know how to do 1200 cals and not feel deprived, at least until ketosis sets in then I think I would be fine...

Trying not to overthink, just eating with some restraint, focusing on meat and veggies and water. Ran this am and planted portulaca, in our old house pre move, when I got into running I had some portulaca and they would "greet" me each morning as I went out to run and I loved it. I am trying to recreate that here for myself for a little "cheer". Off to the gym for weights...

[Dakini]

Morning All!

Yes, Lil Miss, I'm definitely with you! Let's make some serious progress we can grow into May with! I had to google portulaca, they are pretty flowers! They look pretty prolific too, hope they do well for you.

I read that tomatoes can double in size every 12 to 15 days, I knew they can grow fast, but that fast? I already have flowers on the little plants I bought, maybe three months from now I'll have fruit!

Kritter, kayaking is so much fun! It's such a nice way to be on the water, w/o the motor. I'm too much of a wimp for ocean kayaking, you have to time the waves just right or you "Eskimo roll" but there's a place in Morro Bay that you can rent kayaks and tour around the estuary that is really beautiful. You can get really close to birds and fish, really nice way to be on the water. And it's a bilateral workout, really nice for the upper body and fairly easy to learn. You need to sit up straight and once the paddle is in the water you push with one hand and pull with the other. Much more fun than lifting weights.

[lil miss]

Good Dak! We can do this!

The portulaca, close up at night and reopen in the sun, I just love em.

We planted our tomatoes in a Topsy Turvy this year, so far its not going well, we bought a big Shepherd's hook and they keep pulling it over! I hope we get some fruit this year! We planted two heirloom tomato plants I believe...

[krittermom]

I'm with you lil miss! I have the belly fat too and it looks even worse on me because my boobs won't grow with the belly. So my belly looks even more pronounces. Now that you all have that lovely image in your heads, I'll move on to more pleasant stuff

I've been doing really good with getting great cardio on the weekends and want to try to get at least get one night of biking. And, I've been lifting weights and can feel my arms and shoulders getting a bit more toned. I LOVE that feeling. I bought some heavier weights and also ordered a book on lifting for women. I'm getting serious! Oh and my pants were a little looser today and they had gotten tight. And I'm desperate for new clothes but refuse to buy any until I'm down a size.

Dak, thanks for the info on kayaking! That's what I was thinking - it would be a great upper body workout and it would also be relaxing. I would never go in the ocean. I'm a big chicken! My one concern about the whole thing is that there's not much shade out there and no matter how much sunscreen I use I fry.

Are you going to try to can them or preserve them somehow if you wind up with tons of them?

lil miss, I hope your flowers bloom for you! That's a great idea to have something like that greet you after your run. Where do you run? Do you have some place with nice scenery?

HI TIO and adi!

[tryinitout]

hey yall, just been out of it here lately. Problems still lingering with the exBF. Maybe we were just not meant to be friends again. Oh well
Looking forward to my trip to PA though!!! I leave thursday, i cant wait!!
Weight has been holding steady, i guess it is better than gaining.

Kritter-I love to feel the "burn" or soreness when i work out. You know that increasing your strength training burns fat. I'm sharing my office with a new employee that is under me, but its better than nuthin. Too bad we dont have a window. LOL Congrats on the Promotion too!

LM- i wish i had a green thumb or even a space to grow things. How is the jillian program going?

dak-that whole "rolling" over thing is what scares me about kayaking, that and the tiny little space that is in there.

Hey Adi!

[krittermom]

Hey tio, even sharing an office is better than none . Yeah, I'm thinking I need to ramp up my weight training to help burn more muscle and I've always been able to build muscle pretty easy so I'm really an idiot for not doing it.

I love the burn too! I love having sore muscles the day after a workout so I'm reminded of my hard work and the fact that my muscles are getting toned.

Are you planning on staying where you are? Have you thought of buying a home or condo?

I woke up today sick as a dog. I was one with the toilet most of the day. It was as if I took the prep stuff for a colonoscopy. I had the same thing about 3 weeks ago when I had to leave work at 9 AM. The only thing that is the same is that I used this stuff I bought called "Better than Boullion". It's a jar of bouillon paste that I used in a soup and then last night in rice. I think that maybe it's bad and it gave me food poisoning. I've only used this stuff twice and both times I got sick. Hmmm.

How's everyone esle doing?

[lil miss]

Aw kritter, hope you feel better!

I like that sore feeling too!

Day 3 with no wine, day 2 on my eating plan.

Struggling to get my water in...

[adillenal]

Just a fly by. Had a 3 day craft show this last weekend and I am still exhausted. A one day one this weekend so I am going to bed.

Hopefully I will get back on track after eating festival food. But I enjoyed it.

Hope everyone is doing well.

[lil miss]

adi-You are on a roll, building your empire! Good for you! Hope you get some rest!

[krittermom]

I feel so much better today, whew!

adi, I'd be exhausted to keep up your schedule.

I ate clean today and went for a 4-mile walk after work. The weather was gorgeous! It looks like the weekend's gonna be rainy which is okay because I have a lot of work to do for school and work.

[adillenal]

kritter - If I went for a 4 mile walk I would have to go to be dearly. You are way more active than me.
I have a craft show tomorrow. Just one day.

I have maintained during April so May will be weightloss month again for me. But I am happy. Got my hair cut off in a bob. Cut off 8 inches to save for locks of love and then started shaping. I love it. No bangs. PArted on the side. Easy to keep.

Off to label the lotion I made last night. We are supposed to have bad weather later so I want to get my chores done early.

Hi to all.

[krittermom]

adi, I'm trying to up my exercise big time. Now that the weather's nice, there's no excuse. I got my weight lifting book and found a weight bar I bought years ago so I'm psyched to start these exercises. Another thing I like about this book is it is not anti-Atkins. It advocates a zone-like diet and says not to be afraid of fats. It's refreshing to see that in an exercise book.

Your haircut sounds adorable! Wow it must have been really long if you got 8 inches cut off and still have a bob. It must feel so nice to have it shorter, especially when washing and drying it. You've gotta update your avi now!

I had planned on taking Meg for a nice long walk yesterday but I was sick again yesterday. I'm afraid to eat anything. Right now I'm eating instant mashed potatoes.

[adillenal]

kritter - hope you are feeling better. I thought about you at the craft show with all the big dogs on leashes walking around getting their exercise. Yes, my hair was way too long for my age. All I could do was wear it up or pulled back. I like the shorter look and it seems to be a good cut since it falls into place easily.

lilmiss - I am with you on starting good in May. I struggle with water too. It just seems like I forget to drink it. LOL building my empire but I am doing well. The Spa lady cam back to my booth yesterday and said she love my soap and bout 6 more bars (retail) to try out. Maybe this will go somewhere.\

dak - Hi. And isn't it interesting what we could eat when we were younger and not gain an ounce? Sure wish it were still that way. DH has gained and is maoning and groaning and huffing and puffing. I told him he had to be the one that wanted to lose weight. Atkins or lowfat but you cannot do high fat high carb and NOT gain. Men.

Tio - Maintaining is GOOD. I did it all through APril.

[krittermom]

Dak, I was thinking of you when I attempted a yoga video today. I got through about two moves and then she said to do something called a lion(I think). You're supposed to stick out your tongue and roar like a lion. So I did it and Meg came waggling over all happy and excited and started licking me . It's not easy doing any kind of floor exercises with her around because she thinks it's play time.

adi, I feel a lot better today. My stomachs making a lot of gurgling noises but so far, no pain or nausea. I even did some of the exercises from my new book and am going to take Meg for a short walk in a little while.

How exciting about the spa lady returning. Yeah, that's the key - carbs and fat do not mix.

tio, hope you're having fun in PA. Are you visiting family?

lil miss, how are you doing with the wine this weekend?

[lil miss]

Hey y'all!

Sorry I havent been posting much, DH was away golfing all weekend and I had all 3 kiddos all by myself! We had fun but it's hard not having back up!

OMG Kritter, too funny and cute about the lion move and Meg. I just love Meg. I want a Meg AND a Squeakie to come be buds with Molly. Glad you are feeling better!

Adi-TOO COOL, Spa lady came back and purchased some more, you are on your way! Rome was not built in a day! I see your empire building, shall we call you Trump?

I joined a class that started tonight at the gym. OMG, she held up a book of Jillian Michaels [Biggest Loser] and said "this is what we're doing". OMG did I say that already? Shoulder presses, chest presses, 50, 50 [had to say that again] squats, then go SPRINT on the treadmill as fast as you can for 1 minutes, then back to the classroom for more strength training, some pilates moves and yoga. Squats and jumping up, you name it, it was something. It was tough but I loved it. I have a shoulder injury thing goin on but it was great, I just felt wimpy bc I couldnt do everything exactly right as I babied my right shoulder....

Eating Plan: BINGED Thursday night. Humiliating really. DH left and I went nuts after I finally got the kids to bed. Did fine on Friday, til dinner, then OP last night and tonight DH is home and OP but we are having some wine, so...I will see. I am changing things up a little, I figure since I keep falling off/having wine I should lower my calories somewhat so the damage isnt so bad.

THAT all being said, MAY is IT ladies. It is NOW or NEVER for me. I mean, if I cant get my act together I need to just sign off from here and retreat for awhile or something...

[adillenal]

lilmiss - I kind of feel the same way you do. Retreat. I sometimes feel like I am going two steps forward and three steps baskwards. Hang in there.

kritter - Meg was just trying to work out too. She wants to be svelte just like everyone else.

We stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home from church to pick up some dog food. I stopped to buy a diet drink then started out the door of Wal-Mart. Caught my toe on their floor mat that was sticking up on the end and fell flat on my face. One second I was walking and the next I was splat. Then I got mad becasue the "diet" drink I had bought wasn't. It was a regular Coke and a nice person handed it to me since I dropped it on the way down. I told the Wal-MArt greeter that was what I was upset about. Threw it in the trash can and on the way out and told the Wal MArt person that rug needed to go. Why have a rug going OUT the door. Especially one that isn't flat.
I am sure I will be sore tomorrow. Both knees are skinned and bruised but other than that I guess I will survive.

Off to shower and go nightie night.

[krittermom]

adi, that's awful. You would think busy places like Walmart would be careful about stuff like that considering how many people are in and out of the place each day. You know if you had played it right you could have been a rich lady. Did you notify the management and have them fill out an incident report? Then at least if the knees wind up being more than just scraped, you'd have some documentation.

lil miss, I watched a Jillian Michaels video yesterday on cable. Note the word "watched" as opposed to "did" . It had a lot of jumping jacks and push ups. I have not attempted those kinds of push ups. I do them leaning against the kitchen counter and that just about does me in.

Working from home today and waiting for the dryer repairman to come. He claims he found the part for our dryer. It only took him 3 weeks and it miraculously showed up when we told him we didn't want to wait anymore and were going to buy a new dryer. I really hate dealing with this kind of thing.