Helen,

Just think - you can be accountable to us if you want.

Write down what you are eating. That is big. If you know that you have to write down French Fries then you can think about avoiding them! It's a psychological thing but it does work.

Helen, the hardest thing is getting back to doing it. Like Kathy said, we are here for you.

Well, I intended on swimming this morning, so I got my dive bag down to grab my mask and snorkel. Only one problem, it wasn't in the bag. Last place I had it was on the Navigator and used it on the dive excursion on St. Thomas. Only three places that it could be and only two that I have a chance of finding it. I have Linda checking with Regent to see if it was turned in and to find out the info on who they used for the dive excursion. The third possibilty being that it was removed from the bag somewhere in route.

Well, pity party over. I got on the treadmill instead and shaved 1 minute, 40 seconds off of last weeks time for my 2 mile jaunt. Maybe I was walking off my anger!

That's a shame, Don, I hope it turns up!

I've did nothing the last two days, staying inside completely, working at home. The good news is that I've been good, eating-wise. Today I go for my check-up, and I will either walk home from the hospital, or walk there, not sure. It is very cold here, but it's a tad warmer today, and sunny.

Don,

I am sorry to hear that the gear is missing. The good side is that maybe you will get a new one. Any chance it's in Diana's bag and not yours?

Wendy - Glad you are moving forward and watching the food. None of it is easy but progess helps.

Thanks for the encouragement, kids. I haven't gone off the deep end yet. But you are so right Kathy, if I had to write down Super Size fries, I would have to decide between being good or lying about it!
Since my husband is doing this program as well it has been a little easier than it might otherwise have been because he is very enthused about it and I can hear him tsk'ing whenever the cookies in the break room beckon!
Cold but not snowing in Toronto, Wendy? I see that Oswego NY has 6' of snow! My brother went to school there and I remember taking him back after Christmas one year and we had to all climb out the driver's side 'cuz the snow was so high at the curb it was higher than the car! I like it here in So Cal better!
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Gratefully,
Helen

Hi yes Helen, not much snow on the ground right now. Being on the north side of the lake Toronto misses the lake-effect snow; we're often surrounded by snow in every direction, but mostly don't get dumped on (she said, touching wood!)

I walked to and from the hospital, it was about -6C. I was in a hurry because I was late, so made it there walking *very* briskly in 20 minutes, then 25 minutes, still walking fairly briskly, home. So that's my exercise for the day!

And my BP is okay!

Good news, Wendy. Glad to hear it!

Today I went to the seamstress to have some new pants hemmed. Immediately she said - Oh look at you! You've lost weight! Let's hope I can wear those pants at least for the next couple months while I whittle down.

WooHoo Kathy!

Wendy, glad to hear that the BP was OK. Boy, brisk is the word! Brrrrr! I can't even get out to walk if it is in the 30's.

Kathy, that is great. Doesn't it make you feel good? We spent part of the afternoon today organizing our closet. I had a whole pile of clothes that were to big to wear to give away.

So, Friday is my weigh-in day (I can be good during the week more easily than the weekend, lol!).

And I'm down 2 pounds!

We can't complain about the weather, we had the most glorious warm spell in January, scarily like spring--it gave the climate change arguments in this country a big boost. But now we're in the normal freezer. Today will be about the same, with temperatures over the next week predicted to be all in the 20's F. So much for those stupid groundhogs!

Way to go Wendy in taking off 2 pounds - I bet several ounces was from your brisk walk yesterday in those COLD temps! :banana: :app:

Oh Kathy, the best words in the world! "You've lost weight"! A friend up the street said that to me the other day--I was all bundled up in my parka, hood, scarf. Who knows how he could tell--but I think my face is a little thinner since I'm eschewing the wine on weekdays.

Congratulations Wendy! :app:

Hooray Wendy. We're all on board. We need to get our Cyndi back here too. You think we will want a bathing suit cruise in 2008? (I want one now - ahem- always). PIP II

Good job, Wendy! Bathing suit cruise? Hmmm. I am signed up for Antarctica in Jan '08 (not ICE though, the other, shorter one)Just hoping I am brave enuf and thin enuf to put on a bathing suit and jump in those thermal pools!
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Helen

Well, not sure about the bathing suit cruise. How about a tight bluejean and sleeveless summer dress cruise! Or a shorts and sleeveless t-shirt cruise!

Thanks for the encouragement, guys, I just hope I can keep it up--living with a vegetarian I find I'm not eating as much chicken and other lean meats as before, but plenty of vegetables (which I love, luckily.) But then there's the dairy--we had macaroni and cheese for Sunday dinner last week--yummy, but deadly--I balanced it by making a big salad. Being winter, I also make large pots of soup on the weekend, loaded with veggies and legumes of some kind (I've just been eating split pea soup), then eating it during the week.

OK Wendy, I am with ya on the tight jeans cruise!

Wendy...one of the items they encouraged me to get out of my diet is salt. Sometimes soups are loaded with that. Of course, if you're making them you're in control. I've been using Morton's Lite salt - it's suppose to be a good replacement (used sparingly) because it has potassium.

As I recall, the RICE diet is very strict on salt so there must be something to it.

Today I finished my third week and have lost 10 lbs! I've been working out a lot and swimming at the gym too.

Last week I found old swimsuitin in the bottom of a drawer - now it's hanging in clear view in my closet - I got into it 10 years ago - it's a good motivator - maybe I'll be able to wear it on my April cruise! ;)

Great going, Margo! And good advice about the salt. I have cut way back on it, mainly because I was worried about BP. I usually use about half the salt the recipe calls for when I make things from scratch. I also use Mrs. Dash, which is an interesting blend of herbs, as a salt sub--do you have that in the States? My whole family was on a salt-free diet back in the 60's when my Dad had heart disease--it was one of the few things they could control in those days. You can get used to it, but I like a little bit still.

I did about a 30-minute walk again yesterday, still very cold but sunny, a few flurries predicted, but we still seem to be missing the big snow dumps; in fact looking at a current radar map there is a ring of snow falling all around us.

Weigh To Go Margo!!! :app: Swimming is a great way to get in shape. Takes a lot of strength, very aerobic, and easy on those joints.

Wendy, now that is dedication. Keep it up!

Speaking of walking, it is a good thing that I did a triple exercise yesterday morning. I spent 20 minutes on the bike, 20 minutes on the treadmill, and did the complete weight circuit. Diana said that I should have swam, then I could be a tri-athelete! LOL Well yesterday afternoon I took a tumble down the steps at the house and got a little banged up. I hit my side on one of the steps and ended up landing face first on the marble floor, but not before landing on my left knee and left elbow. It sure could have been a lot worse. I got a little bruised and sore, so I did not make my evening walk. However, this morning I went back to the gym and got another 7.5 miles in on the bike even though my knee is still a little stiff. I'm not sure about walking tonight, but will probably still try.

Oh yikes Don, sorry about your fall! Take it easy for a day or two, these things can creep up on you and really set you back.

I've had two falls in the last two years which left me unable to exercise for a month or two--that puts a serious damper in the weight loss plan, I'll tell you. And I can't wait to move to our condo with no stairs at all--I run up and down the stairs with gay abandon, but can't wait until that risk is out of the way.

Ouch - Don - glad to read you were not seriously injured when you fell down the stairs! :eek: :)

Congrats on your 10 lbs Margo - that is awesome!! :app:

We, too, have cut way back on our salt use and when I do use salt I use Sea Salt (in baking I do use regular salt).

Wendy, I remember. I was lucky that it was just a couple of steps, but I still landed pretty hard. You remember the saying. "The bigger they are the harder they fall." Well, it's true!

Don....ouch! Hope you're feeling OK today.

Did you find your snorkeling gear? The reason I ask....I just bought some from Herrington's. I'm really excited about getting in the water on our next cruise and decided to invest in some new equipment. Anyway, if you're looking around - here's a suggestion.


[img]http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/herrington-catalog_1935_10718736[/img]

Just testing my new ticker--we could have weight-loss tickers, you know, but I think we might want to keep them to ourselves (I'm not willing to publish my poundage, that's for sure.) Let's just say I would be thrilled if I could lose 20 pounds. Anything more is probably unrealistic, but we'll see how I feel when I reach that weight!

Margo, that looks really nice. I like the split fin design. I should hear back from Linda next week, but I'm not real hopeful. At least I still have the fins which were the most expensive part of my gear, but I will miss my mask. It was the best fitting mask that I have ever had.

Wendy, I'm with you. No telling anybody what I actually weigh! :eek: Telling what I lose is another matter. After I get down to where I want to be then I can reveal, but probably not even then.

Don,

Falling down does not help the cause! It means less exercise and s-l-o-w-e-r weight loss. Just think you lost enough weight that the impact was less than it would have been last month - OUCH!

I am so glad everyone is doing well. I overdid it a little bit this weekend. Not terribly but more than I would have liked. Tomorrow is a brand new day. I have this skinny chick in training around here somewhere.

I've overdone it a bit this weekend too, but it's all uphill from here! This weekend's soup: Brazilian Black Bean.

Just got home - did 5.5 mile walk with my 3 Day training buddies - had a light breakfast with them, then went off to the gym for another 30 minutes cardio and a little weight training, steam, whirlpool and home - ah, it's good to be DONE!

Margo

WOW Margo!!! Look at you! We are going to have to go some in order to keep up. No wonder you lost those 10lbs.

Well no holding me back either. Fall or no fall. I was still a little stiff, but once I got started walking last night I was "in the zone" so to speak. I guess when you are motivated, you can overcome a lot. However, I can guarantee if I was actually injured instead of a little bruised up, I would not risk injuring myself even further.

I did my usual circuit, which is just a hair under two miles and got it done in 31 1/2 minutes, shaving almost almost 5 minutes off of the time that I was at just a couple of weeks ago. OK, don't laugh but I find that listening to aerobic music and in particular Disco, helps me keep up a brisk pace. You know though it is really hard to do all the hand movements to YMCA and walk at the same time! LOL

Tomorrow is weigh in for me and hoping the scale will be kind to me tomorrow.

Don,

I like Disco too. For some reason when you hear it you just can't sit still. Today, most people hear it and RUN!

Yeah Kathy! They run and we just WALK! LOL

Actually my I-Pod aerobic music is pretty eclectic. Disco, Latino, Rock, Samba, Mambo, Reggae, and anything else (well almost) that has a fast beat to it. You know, it's just kind of tough to walk fast to the Carpenter's! LOL

It's kind of hard to stay AWAKE listening to the Carpenter's! LOL ;)

Disco is that music that everybody loves to hate. But I really enjoy it at times--I remember in the 70's we former hippies sneaking off to the discoteques to dance our hearts out, it was great fun. On our first sailaway on the PG (it was in the evening then, not in the middle of the night), Siglo was playing "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)" sung by Alicia Bridges, just as the boat started moving away from the dock. This was all brand new to me, our first cruise, and it sent chills down my back. The song still reminds me of that moment.

On the diet front, back to the straight and narrow, oatmeal pancake this morning, made with whole rolled oats, light ricotta and egg whites. A little yogurt, lemon, splenda and fruit on top. Yum.

Wendy, that really sounds great - can you post the recipe?

I'm coming to you house for breakfast, Wendy! We had Cheerio's and Milk with banana.

I am down 20 official pounds today. My workout has been fingers on keyboard. Next week will be more physical since I will be carrying my camera gear all over Santa Fe, probably with a bunch of 20-30 year olds. The hard part will be the food. I am staying where there are healthy breakfast choices. Lunch is provided by the workshops, which will have a salad choice, and dinner in Santa Fe is not usually simple foods. It's a great food town. I will need to be VERY careful

Wendy...those pancakes sound really yummy! I'd love the recipe too.

Margo

Congratulations Kathy, keep up the good work!

The pancake is kind of heavy--it's not light and fluffy like normal, but very satisfying. So you have to try to get the hang of it. This is a South Beach recipe:

1/2 cup oatmeal (the real flakes, not the quick kind)
1/4 smooth ricotta cheese (I use a "lite" variety)
4 egg whites (I buy the little containers full of them)
Vanilla
Cinammon
Some Splenda or other sweetener (optional)

You can beat it in a blender, or just mix it well in a bowl, and then let it sit for a while.

Try to get the consistency runny enough that when you pour it, it will settle into a nice pancake shape. If not, I add a little low-fat yogurt to thin it first.

Just cook it as you would a normal pancake, not too high, on a non-stick pan with your Pam of choice, or a little margarine. It takes a good 10 or 15 minutes to cook through.

I eat it with some fruit, a bit of yogurt, lemon juice and some Splenda.

You guys are all awesome! I had a bad weekend. We went and saw Wicked (again!3rdtime! Great show)and I did ok at dinner, duck and vegggies, one little cosmo and no wine. but then my sister made me eggplant parmigiana yesterday and I lost all control. Today is all protein which has worked for keeping me on track so here's hoping I will be back in "the groove". Hey Don, try DooWops! I used to love to vacuum to the oldies which is also "can't stay still music".
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Helen