New Maintainers, WK of 2/27

[CorgiGirl]

I am just getting the new thread started. I am at 109.50 Monday morning. I really need to concentrate in getting below 109 again. Hope everyone is doing well. Vickie

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

Good morning Vickie and others to follow - I overdid a few things this weekend - just tired of fighting the cold and worrying about everything I eat. Hoping to get on the right track soon and get on with my WOE and exercise program. I continue to fluctuate between 104 and 108 and hate it when it goes over 105. Actually, I didn't weigh this morning but fill a little bloated. Had some lowcarb ice cream last night while watching the Oscars. I was pulling for "Million Dollar Baby". Any of you seen it?

[LowCarbRachel]

Good morning, I am up and exercised, Janina, this is 6/6 for me as well, I love my new DVD, it's what I was thinking I would like to find and then I did! It's called The Lotte Berk Method, and it's a great workout, beautiful and controlled movements with light handweights in the upper body section (I thought I'd use my heavier weights--wrong! I've been lifting weights for a while, and I was surprised at just how effective the static biceps curls are, wow!!)

...the lower body section is based on slow and focused movements that target different areas on the rear and thighs, I can still feel the pull in my upper thighs right now. Even though the movements are focused, the dvd went quickly, it's about a thirty minute workout.

Janina, my new exercise goal is to workout each AM this week before I go to work.

Forgot to answer Janina's question yesterday, I eat the most when I am stressed and feel alone. That's when food becomes my friend. When I am with other people, I eat really well, partially because I am happy and partially because then I like to be "the one who eats really well" (I know, but it's true.)

I am going to have some yogurt for breakfast, see you all later, it's going to be a crazy day at work, and I'm trying to gear up mentally for it!!

Good morning, Vickie!!

Good morning, Ann!!

<hugs>
Rachel

[Jewels]

Morning,

After much advice I decided not to obsess over my weight. I think it worked, I lost a lb over the weekend. Really I do know what to eat and what not to eat wo writing it all down and thinking about it every minute. Gosh this weekend was more relaxed.
Don't Try to be Perfect!

Most dieters try to be perfect.
(Whoops!)

FACT
When it comes to dieting,
trying to be perfect is one of
the quickest ways to fail.

Examples
Trying to lose weight too fast.
Quitting your diet if you have a bad week.

A better approach
Aim to improve your eating habits gradually.
Be prepared to make mistakes.
See an occasional binge as quite natural.

This removes a lot of the stress and
failure we feel.

And makes it MUCH easier
to lose weight.

[Janina]

Hi all,
I have desided not to get on scale. I have been doing yoga daily and already see a differance in muscle tone. whenever I add muscle I add weight, so I promised myself to do yoga another 6 times(45 to 60 minute sessions) before I weigh myself. I think any excersise that tones will add a small amount of weight and I don't want the scale rising to affect my workouts. my flexiblitiy has dramatically improved. i can now bend over and put my palms flat on the ground. I couldn't do this before. I am also going to start doing Birkim yoga with an instructor. It is yoga done in a 100% degree room to cleanse toxins in body. i am very excited to have found something i love doing and that helps my stae of mind!

Jewel, I agree with you. I think there is a middle ground that is where we should all be. I didn't go crazy this weekend eating as I wasn't thinking that this week i will be seriously dieting, I thought I will watch what I eat and excersise and then see where it takes me. on the loss!

Ann, I hadn't seen Million Dollar Babay. i am worried that it will be depressing...I have to see it now. i did see ray and loved Jaimee Foxx and am amazed he did his own singing and piano playing

Rachel, I will have to look into the Lotte vieo. I am loving my yoga soooo much now. It is nice to find the right program and workout. i look forward to my yoga and it is a highlight! My new goal is 4 to 5 times a week! You motivated me to do this..thanks!!! Steve will be home soon! OMG I am so excited for you!

See you all later!
J

[CorgiGirl]

Julie, good for you. I was just thinking that every time I join the challenge on the GY board that my weight goes up instead of down (except before Thanksgiving). It is like I am sabotaging myself. Anyway I think that with starting work this week I won't be so obsessed with my diet and food and I think eventually I will get back to 107 and that will be good enough for me.

Ann, I hope you are feeling better soon. I have not seen that movie but hear it is very good.

Rachel, I have heard of the Lotte Berk Method. Glad you like it. I had to do a streamlined exercise session early this morning.

Janina, are you following a DVD for Yoga or just exercises from a book. Have you taken a Yoga class? I need to work more on flexibility.

Vickie

[LowCarbRachel]

Julie and Vickie, I like your approach, I think it's very smart.

Ann, I haven't seen the movie, but wow, it racked up the awards, huh?

Janina, hi! Love the Lotte Berk DVD, and I am still sore tonight!!

Things are weird at work right now, many unhappy people, which isn't good in a creative industry. I am hoping that things will get better soon.

Here is my menu today:

b-yogurt, fruit
s-whole grain bagel (points)
l-yogurt
d-chicken w/capers, whole grain pasta
s-piece of dark chocolate (points)

Could have used more veggies today!! Will work on that tomorrow!!

Hugs,
Rachel

[CorgiGirl]

Hello everyone! Just a quick check-in before I get a short exercise session and get ready for work. We had about 6" of snow and the neighborhood track I use for my jog/walk is covered. I really miss not being able to get in the jog/walk. So does my Corgi Molly. She loves the snow but has to hop through it like a bunny because her legs are so short it is hard to walk through the snow.

I was at 108.75 Tues morning so I am happy about that. Have a great day and I will check back tonight.
Vickie

[LowCarbRachel]

Good morning, I am up and exercised, which is 2/5 for this week's goals!

I am getting so excited about seeing Steve on Friday night, this six weeks has seemed like a year!

I just had yogurt for breakfast and am taking a few minutes to look outside my window and enjoy the view of the mountains.

Vickie, congrats on the scale, your corgi sounds really cute!!

See you all later!
Rachel

[Janina]

Hi maintainers! How are you guys?

I have something interesting to share about my weight and workouts. As Rachel know before my waist measurement was 25 and butt was 33.5. Since doing the Power yoga, my waist is 24.5 and butt is 34..this is exactly what I wanted to happen and I wanted to get my waist back and lift and tighten my butt a bit(minus another .5 inch on my waist) My legs have tones and my arms look super buff...this ha happened with 7 45 to 60 minute sessions of yoga. I am not really on plan, just trying to not overeat. The scale is up to 111 but I have no over hang on my jeans. I am not going to get on the scale again(I will try at least) and am committing to 14 more session of yoga in the next 20 days..without diet, just not over eating. So far so good. I feel better mentally and less obsessed...

Vickie..yay on scale how is work? as far as my workouts. My husband and I stayed at Ther Hotel in Las Vegas, I went to the spa and had a 75 minute yoga session with one other woman. i loved it as the instructor showed me how to get into all of the poses. i was soooo sore all over my body I realized then the toning benifits, i also felt so good and relaxed afterwords. I do the dvds. I really like a set I bought from Avon/Mark, and also my Power Yoga DVD i bought from targetr. They have a great session. I am going to keep going and progess to a point where i can go to Birkam Yoga classes. You take the class in a 100 degree room. I have a gay guy friend with the best body..he stopped doing cardio and weights and only does yoga. He looks amazing! It is great for flexiblity and important to keep up as our bodies get older. I hope you will try it!

Rachel, I am getting excited for you girl! Today A and i are planting more flowers and such. I have been in my backyard getting it ready for summer. We had to fix the pump in heater in our pool. I am getting so excited for the summer days. Lets keep each other motivated on excersise. Challenges always inspire me. I am going to take the focus out of diet and put it all in my excersise plan. I will evaluate after a month and see where i ma at. Should be interesting!

Jewel, so true what you wrote on dieting....I am trying a less rigid approach..we will see where it takes me!

see you all later
J

[LowCarbRachel]

Janina, I loved reading this post from you, I think it's so true that once we take our minds off dieting that we can relax and lose the final pounds, I am focusing not on dieting but on choosing healthy foods MOST of the time, and in conjunction with my exercise, I have lost another two pounds, just like that. FINALLY.
CORE really helped me with this mindset, and I'm still following the basic guidelines and using more points but I am not feeling like I am on a diet in any way...a good thing!!

I am at 2/5 for my workouts this week...thanks for helping to motivate me to keep going!!

Rachel

[CorgiGirl]

Janina, thanks for the info on the Yoga. I will look for a DVD and give it a try.

I have been doing pilates exercises for my abs and I have seen some progress. However, with my age and the fact I had two children, I am not going to have the results I really want. But I like the idea of focusing on the exercise. I really don't have a lot of fat that I can lose now. I will continue to stay lower carb though.

Work is going really well. It feels good to get back to work again. Because I am providing support for several offices, I am getting in a lot of walking and stair climbing (the offices are on the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th floors of the building).

Betty, check in with us soon to let us know how you are doing.
Vickie

[Brendajm]

Hi all, I too am trying to maintain, but lately it has been hard. I was maintaining at 113-114 for months,, but then it went up to 115, and now 116. I have been eating the same,,keeping my carb count down,, I hardly ever eat bread, maybe once a week,, not pasta, no milk. I eat pretty much the same as I was at 113, could it be because I am working out more?? I have always did running as my main exercise,, I usually run about 3-5 miles 5 days a weeki,, but I have added in weigh training 2 days aweek. I get so bloated, I feel like I am holding water,, but I drink tons of it.. It is nice to see a thread just for maintainers, maybe I can get some helpful tips, I am a scale fanatic, I get on it every morning. Iti is nice to meet you all. Brenda

[Janina]

Hi Brenda and welcome!!!! Since you are eating the same and the thing you are doing differantly is weights! Bingo! My low weight with not working at at all is 105 but since I have added in excersise I am now at 110, my clothes fit the same as they did before and my waist is tightening up. I hear you about the scale thing. I am obsessed also. I used to workout with weights before and I do remeber that you will need to give your body about a month to adjust. Not to scare you but you could go higher. Try to not get on the scale for that amount of time. In the long run adding weights is terrific. You body will burn more calories just by adding muscle. When you do weights or even workout(yoga run whatever) your muscle breaks down a bit and then water attaches. Until yuor body gets used to it, there will be bloating...I have avioded any workouts since summer for this fact alone, as soon as i started working out I have gained, but for now I chose the extra weight..let us know what you end up doing and how it works out!!!

Vickie, I am glad to hear work is going well! I am sure the extra steps per day will add up. I am trying for more steps per day and just more activity. My dd and I gardened today and it was more work then I thought.

Rachel, on the two lbs. I will have to stay focused on the workouts and not the scale these days and it is hard, but I am just loving the yoga so much. i have to give it time. Friday is almost here......

see you all tomorrow!
Janina

[LowCarbRachel]

Vickie, the extra steps are awesome, and great job with the Pilates, too.

Brenda, exercise has always been the key for me to feeling good and staying slender! I think it's so important. And, the good thing is that it reshapes our bodies so that we are tighter and firmer. For example, I have worn a size 8 at 132 pounds--I have also worn a size 2 at 132 pounds. The difference was that my body fat was much lower when I was a size 2. So, even if the scale is up a couple of pounds, you're doing great things for your body!! And welcome, please post here often!!

Janina, the extra two pounds are just a bonus that show me that I am on the right track by eating healthy and working out each AM..., what I'm really happy about is that I am feeling really good these days!! I like what I am eating, I am eating most healthy foods, I am not obsessing about food and/or weight loss!! It's a good thing!!

See you all later, time to get ready for work...

Rachel

[LowCarbRachel]

ps I am at 3/5 workouts for the week!

[Brendajm]

thanks for your kind replies and helpful insight. I just got done doing 4.5 miles on the treadmill, and tonight my DH and I will be weight training after dinner. I have been eating alot of LC desserts lately,, I might need to stop that. Right now I am having a dippy egg and a piece of flax bread. I will definately be checking back in, this is a good thread to stay with.

[CorgiGirl]

Brenda! Glad to have you posting here. I agree it is the exercise and you are most likely building muscle. I have not been able to get away from my scale either but I really need to stop checking my weight. I was at 105.25 before Thanksgiving but my weight fluctuates by several lbs. Even if my weight goes up to 112, my clothes are still loose. Measurements and the fit of your clothes are a better indicator than the scale.

My weight was still at 108.75 Wed morning. Hope to be lower Thursday. I got in 30 min of wt training and ab work plus 20 min on the exer bike before work Wed morning. And I got in a lot of stair climbing at work as well.

Vickie

[LowCarbRachel]

Just wanted to stop by and say goodnight!!

See you all in the AM!!

Rachel

[Brendajm]

Morning,, I am still hanging it at 116, I did some running yesterday morning and weight lifting last night,, I am sore today so I might not do much,, just some walking on the treadmill. Ihave a 12 hour day at work. I work in a restraraunt and if it is a slow day I tend to nibble alot. I stay away from starchy things and sugar,, but I think I overeat on even the good things . Maybe some one can tell me the proper way to do crunches on a ball, I think I am doing the right but I swear my stomache is getting bigger instead of flatter!! I hold my stomach in as far as I can, I also do some callentics where you are told not to hold in your tummy. I really want it to get flat, maybe it is bloat,, I did the kimmer 3 day experiment last week and I swear the bloat went right away, but as soon as I went back to some carbs it came right bacik,, I cant eat only protein the rest of my life.. Have a great day everyone. Brenda

[CorgiGirl]

Good morning everyone! Just a quick post before getting ready for work. I am at 108 this morning and the scale almost dipped below 108.

Brenda, working in a restaurant, you must be getting some exercise just by being on the go. That is a lot of hours to put in. I try to drink water or chew sf gum between meals and that helps me. Sometimes I do just a protein day or two but you are right the weight goes back up because if you just do the protein for a few days you most likely are losing just water.

I don't intend this to be the question of the day necessarily but would like your opinion. Do you sometimes feel that other people IRL or even posters at LCF have a different (somewhat negative) attitude toward you once you reach goal because you still worry about a few lbs you might still want to lose?

Have a great day and I will check back later tonight. Vickie

[Brendajm]

I myself have not experienced this at all. I usually do most of my posting on the recipe help board as I love to cook and everyone there is so nice and they have so many great recipes and ideas.
I was thinking about doing a protein day today but I have already had a piece of raspberry carbquik coffee cake with my coffee so I guess that is out. I will just be careful with what I eat the rest of the day.. Have a good one everyone, I am off to work.

[Jewels]

Morning and Brenda!! I haven't been around as much as I'd like to be. I post mainly on the Golden Years too Vickie and with doing the Challenge over there, it keeps me busy. I do post here on the Maintain Lane, daily, and so with all that I spend way too much time on this darn puter.

Brenda, carbs bloat me up too. Vickie and both seem to be concerned about our tummy's but we are in the golden years and feel that it's there for good. Not meaning to be negative but realistic. Even when I was down to 108 and looking like a refugee, I still had a stomach! Of course women are NOT suppose to have a completely flat tummy. I read that somewhere so don't ask. With that in mind, Brenda please don't obsess too much about it. Holding it in is probably the best exercise you can do for those muscles. IMHO

Vickie, I totally agree with people being jealous of our goal weights and some of my friends even sabatoge us by saying, hey don't you think you shouldn't lose anymore, you're getting way too skinny. I have a good friend who must weight over 300 and she just told me that at Christmas time. I think they feel guilty too for not losing. I agree that I rang into this a lot since I've been at goal. It's tough to take but now I just try and ignore these comments. But if you want the truth, it was after my good friend made these comments that I began my Jan/Feb eating jag. I just thought about this...wonder if this is the problem? Hmmm Most of my friends are overweight too vrs some of you younger people who may have skinny friends. I think you hear these comments from overweight people vrs the skinny ones. Hope I explained this right.

Hi to Rachel and Janina....will try and get back here as often as I can. Have a good day. You guy's are doing great!!

[CorgiGirl]

Brenda, I forgot to respond to your question about crunches on the exercise ball. I do about 15 min of ab work each day. I do 100 crunches on the exercise ball. You do need to hold your stomach in. You don't have to sit all the way up, just come up enough to feel the stomach muscles working. I also do crunches on the floor with my legs straight in the air and ankles crossed, hands behind my head and then crunch up to bring elbows to knees. Another good exercise is the "bicycle." I also do 3 versions of "planks." As Julie mentioned, holding the stomach in is really good exercise.

Julie, your friend's comments may be the reason you started eating off plan. But we just can't let other people's opinions sway us from what we know is best for us.

Vickie

[Jewels]

You're right Vickie! I don't think I was even aware of it until I wrote it today. Isn't that funny...but now am quite sure that was one reason. Maybe I've learned a good lesson. Thanks for being here friend!

[CorgiGirl]

Julie, you're welcome! By the way, I love the new pic of Bo. He is so cute. Vickie

[Janina]

Hi all, it has been a busy day and I am posting late..better then not at all. my excersise has been so great. yesterday I did my power yoga dvd for an hour. i was so exhausted after it, I needed to lie down with my dd for a nap. The muscle is definately coming back on..my arms already getting so buff. i was avoiding muscle for so long and just wanted to reach a number on the scale. Well i reached the number and with excersise it is right back up. I have been eating more carbs but I am trying to stay away from a plan and just see what happens if i eat normally