SBF2: Reboot Boogaloo, week of March 22nd

lotusfromthemud

Wow, March is going fast, huh?

Today I have a session with my trainer scheduled (my first in over a month) we're just going to work out for half an hour, as we're trying boxing. Then, later today I want to go walk on the treadmill in my new "gorilla feet shoes" (this is my husband's term for them).

Other than that, it's the shopping/meal planning I didn't do yesterday. And, trying to find someone to come over and diagnose/fix my desktop pc, which just died spontaneously. (it's been acting strangely...but now it's just turned itself off and will not turn back on. This would happen on the day after my husband just bought a new computer to upgrade his old system, blowing our current budget.)

Thinking of switching back to pencil and paper, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

Holton

Let us know how you like your "gorilla shoes". I have seen them and thought they would be quite interesting. Do they provide enough support?

lotusfromthemud

Let us know how you like your "gorilla shoes". I have seen them and thought they would be quite interesting. Do they provide enough support?

The whole point of them, actually, is that they provide no support...so your foot/leg muscles are allowed to strengthen themselves. On the advice of my (rather non-traditional) chiropractor, about a year ago I quit wearing orthotics and switched to shoes with little or no arch support. My back, knees and feet feel better then they have for quite a while. I spent my entire childhood barefoot, so it brings out the kid in me.

That being said, every body is different. They might not work for everyone, but I'm excited to see how they work for me.

cp005e

Have fun with the shoes, V. I'm a little jealous of you guys. I did just the tiniest bit of walking around the house barefoot yesterday (i.e. I was barefoot all day, but wasn't really doing much), and my arches are sore. It feels like a catch-22: my feet might hurt less if I spent more time barefoot, but I can't go barefoot with making my feet hurt. Sigh. Sorry about your computer! Sounds like maybe a power supply issue.

Just about the only thing I accomplished over the weekend was a long run - almost 6.5 miles, and over 10K! So I guess I know I can run a 10K. There's a 15K run this weekend, but I think that might be pushing it a bit.

I am feeling down in the dumps. I didn't get much done yesterday, and then I burned a sweater this morning with the iron. :frown: I want to go get a donut. But I've been doing too much of that lately. So, the goal for this week is back to one dessert a week. Plus running and pushups and dance and all the regular stuff.

New week, new willpower, boogaloo. :flowerforyou:

yoginimary

Just about the only thing I accomplished over the weekend was a long run - almost 6.5 miles, and over 10K! .

:huh:
the ONLY thing, yeah ok

V- expect to walk a little slower as your feet adjust. I wore regular sneakers yesterday (it was cold outside!) and they hurt my feet. I can't wait to get my other pair as I need to rotate them a little more as they are a little stinky.

Today, husband is having gum surgery - they take skin off the roof of your mouth and graft it on to your gum line. Ouch. It's soft foods week here.

Yoga, biking, and maybe a walk are on the schedule. If only there was a triathalon of yoga, biking, and walking... I could see it: 108 sun salutations, transport a weeks worth of groceries on the bike, and walk the entire movie length of "Hamlet" (Kenneth Branagh) - ok, if there any fellow geeks, while looking up how to spell Branagh, I saw that there was a Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart - while I'd rather see those two in a comedy, oh my, Dr. Who and Captain Picard? Speaking of, if you're a fan of Stewart, see "Jeffrey" so funny.

Movies, boogaloo.

lotusfromthemud

Just about the only thing I accomplished over the weekend was a long run - almost 6.5 miles, and over 10K! .

:huh:
the ONLY thing, yeah ok


Today, husband is having gum surgery - they take skin off the roof of your mouth and graft it on to your gum line. Ouch. It's soft foods week here.

Yoga, biking, and maybe a walk are on the schedule. If only there was a triathalon of yoga, biking, and walking... I could see it: 108 sun salutations, transport a weeks worth of groceries on the bike, and walk the entire movie length of "Hamlet" (Kenneth Branagh) - ok, if there any fellow geeks, while looking up how to spell Branagh, I saw that there was a Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart - while I'd rather see those two in a comedy, oh my, Dr. Who and Captain Picard? Speaking of, if you're a fan of Stewart, see "Jeffrey" so funny.

Movies, boogaloo.

CP: repeat the following statement "a 10K run is enough."

Mary, ouch for your husband.

I've been thinking about training goals, and have brainstormed my own bizarre triathalon (or at least 2 out of 3). One is to use the stairstepper to train up to 2579 steps (the amount of stairs to climb to the top of the CN tower) and the spin bike to ride a century. I want one more, and then to do them in the lead up to my 40th birthday (about 16 months from now). The sun salutations one sounds like a contender for the third leg. How long would that take? And is there significance to the number 108?

yoginimary

I've never done the 108. I've heard it takes about 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on your speed and rest - yes, you are allowed to rest. There is usually a studio that does it around the fall equinox.

Here's what I found on it (I think the first one is the reason - I think some of them are just playing with numbers):
* 108 is the number of "Upanishads" comprising Indian philosophy's "Vedic texts".
* 108 is the number of names for Shiva (a really important Hindu god).
* 108 is the number of names for Buddha.
* 108 is the Chinese number representing "man".
* 108 is the number of beads on a Catholic rosary.
* 108 is the number of beads on a Tibetan "mala" (prayer beads, analagous to a rosary).
* 108 is twice the number "54", which is the number of sounds in Sanskrit (sacred Indian langauge).
* 108 is six times the number "18", which is a Jewish good luck number.
* 108 is twelve times the number 9, which is the number of vinyasas in a Sun Salutation.

cp005e

Just about the only thing I accomplished over the weekend was a long run - almost 6.5 miles, and over 10K!

:huh:
the ONLY thing, yeah ok

CP: repeat the following statement "a 10K run is enough."

A 10K run is enough for anybody! :laugh:

No, I'm not trying to be a pain. It's definitely enough exercise-wise. I just felt like I didn't accomplish much in the rest of my life this weekend - cleaning or home/garden maintenance or laundry or anything. So it feels kind of selfish if the only accomplishment was exercise. You know?

I like your triathlon, Mary. I read some of the Upanishads in college - I'll see if I can find any good quotes when I get home. And I love Patrick Stewart. :bigsmile:

yoginimary

Didn't get a bike ride in yesterday, so I'm planning one today. Looks like the weather is going to be nice on Saturday, and I won't be able to get out of doing the 40 mile ride. I'm not ready.

I had so many good things happen yesterday: I got my new shoes in, the trains started running in Austin, I went to yoga, my husband's surgery went well, and I found out a friend is moving back to Texas.

40 miles, boogaloo?

lotusfromthemud

Just got back from zumba...yay! It's a whole new routine and some of it is really fast! I guess I no longer have to feel guilty that I'm not running. Later today is yoga with my favorite teacher. I also had an interesting conversation with another yoga teacher yesterday...I mentioned in passing (about pneumonia when she was really shocked) that "I catch everything with my weak immune system." She then counseled me that she'd never recommend bikram for someone with compromised immunity. Apparently, sharing hot, moist air with 30-40 people in a closed room for 90 minutes a few times a week. She said "think airplane air, but jungle-y." So, I have some thinking to do. Now that my new gym takes the idea that you shouldn't do yoga in a freezing cold room (they keep the heat set to 80 during all the yoga classes) I haven't been missing Bikram. And it's expensive. I've pretty much decided to take a bit of a break and see if I miss it. My class card had two classes left on it the last time I went, and I hesitated to buy a new one. Had you ever heard that before, Mary? It makes perfect sense.

Other than that, my big plans today are to go to the dentist and then reward myself (I hate the dentist, even though I have a good one) with a mani/pedi before a study session at the coffee shop/gelataria.

Thank god for returned energy, boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

Never heard that, but it makes sense - since the windows are probably not opened, no fresh air gets in. I assume you bring your own mat and towel? That makes a big difference. I think the mats should be washed in the machine once a month at least (though I'm not sure where you would hang them to dry in a cold climate. My husband uses purell wipes for his mat).

If you want to come visit in August, we can do the Bikram sequence outside :happy:

Oh, another thing that happened yesterday - a class opened up at the gym - Sunday mornings. It was amusing - the day before I was having a discussion with my husband about whether I should pursue more yoga classes or just let them happen. We were also lamenting that there weren't any good yoga classes on Sundays. hmmm - I don't know if I get the class though.

cp005e

It's Tuesday, and still no MM? :huh: Hope things are going better and her paperwork is finally getting sorted. Bobbie, how's your week? And while I'm naming absentees - wonder how WL and Arianne and Niccole are doing? :flowerforyou:

Mary, glad you had so many nice things happen! And V, yay for Zumba and feeling better. I ran last night but didn't do my pushups. To be honest, I am getting bored of pushups. I need to get my mojo back so I can finish the hundred and be done with it! I have been thinking I should do some other strengthening exercises to help with running, so I might try switching back to a morning strength/evening cardio program. I did that for awhile and it worked OK as long as I went to bed early enough. It just feels like too much sometimes to try and fit cardio and strength in after work (while working late and needing to get dinner and spend some time with my husband, etc. etc.)

Tonight is dance class. My knee is still a little wonky, but it's not getting worse, so I just keep on keeping on.

Plate balancing, boogaloo!

mechanicmom

Hey everyone,
I haven't checked in because - well, I'm not quite sure why. I guess really weight loss just hasn't been a priority for me. I want to lose weight, I need to lose weight, but the motivation has not been there. I haven't had a lot of time to work out, though I've been a little more active everyday, but not much. I did work out today, but my heart just wasn't in it. I did it because I feel flabby and I think I need it and I'm running out of clothes to wear. I'm not depressed (I don't think). I'm not as stressed (At the moment). My heart just isn't in it. I don't know how to help that. Things have also just been busier, so I haven't made the time to check in or work out.
We are waiting to see if we'll hear about a court date today or it could be tomorrow. Alex got his glasses yesterday (my profile pic on FB is a pic of him in them.). He's been doing okay with them, but this morning he had a major meltdown. I'm kind of wondering if it might have been because of the glasses. I'm not convinced they are the right strength for him either. I think I may take him back to the office tomorrow to see if he can read an eye chart okay with them on. We will need to take him to an ophthalmologist at some point to get further testing done.
I guess that's it. You all have been busy on your posts!
V, I looked at those Vibram finger-toe shoe things. Alex's OT has him wear toe sponges to help him use his muscles better and to understand balance better. The shoes and toe sponges seem quite similar in what they are trying to accomplish. It's interesting.
I think I hear Alex whining. I'd better go check on him. I'll try to check in again soon.
MM

lotusfromthemud

Morning, pebbs...

Today I have a tech. coming over to see if my data is accessible on my old computer. If it is, I'm going to have him dump it over to an exterior hard drive and see if my old machine has any re-sale value. If it does, I think I'm going to have him scrub it so I can put it on Craigslist. I'm on a mission lately to fix things that stress me out that I can actually do something to fix (and to work on letting go of worries that aren't within my control). So, if buying a new computer gives me peace of mind and alleviates a tiny bit of stress, that's valuable enough to spend money on. It helps that I found out yesterday that I was awarded a sizable and unexpected scholarship, that will almost cover a new mac. I love it when I'm wallowing around in a case of the unfairs and I get a little nudge that says "you are taken care of. don't forget that."

Today is a scheduled day off from working out. I may go for a walk this afternoon, as it is beautiful and sunny. But, between the computer tech coming, an appointment downtown this afternoon, and church choir tonight, that might not happen. I find the new funky shoes make me want to go experiment with them, which is exactly what I was hoping they would do.

I'm also working on a new motivational technique. I read an article that talked about self-discipline as self-punishment that got me to thinking. Essentially, the idea was "work on what you're passionate about" So, instead of "I need to work out because I will be a bad fat person if I don't" it's "I work out because I am passionate about being healthy. Working out decreases my stress levels, which in turn strengthens my immune system. I work out to celebrate this body." I smiled almost the whole time in both workouts yesterday, so...progress! (?)

All those words to tell you "I'm probably not working out today.":laugh:

Celebration boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

I'm not sure "not working out" is an option for me. I have dreams of yoga retreats, walks in the woods, and gym equipment. My ideal day would be: a leisurely breakfast, a morning walk through the woods, fantastic lunch, a short walk or gym break after lunch, a 2-3 hour yoga session, afternoon tea (with cookies!), another walk in the woods, a healthy dinner, reading and talking then bed. Just thinking about it makes me happy. What's your ideal day?

Today - yoga and maybe a bike ride to the library. The bike ride went well yesterday, but it was tiring.

How are the shoes, V?

Ideal, boogaloo!

lotusfromthemud

I'm not sure "not working out" is an option for me. I have dreams of yoga retreats, walks in the woods, and gym equipment. My ideal day would be: a leisurely breakfast, a morning walk through the woods, fantastic lunch, a short walk or gym break after lunch, a 2-3 hour yoga session, afternoon tea (with cookies!), another walk in the woods, a healthy dinner, reading and talking then bed. Just thinking about it makes me happy. What's your ideal day?

Today - yoga and maybe a bike ride to the library. The bike ride went well yesterday, but it was tiring.

How are the shoes, V?

Ideal, boogaloo!

The shoes are awesome. I have some muscle soreness in the side of my feet, but other than that I feel better instead of worse after wearing them. My zumba shoes (puma sneakers with no tread or support, but a semi-small toe box) felt like they were scrunching my toes, but I'm not sure I could manage the fast footwork without the semi-pointed toes. I go barefoot all the time (unless I leave the house) so it feels really stable to have my toes spread out.

My ideal day would involve long walks and looking at pretty things, and finding a safe place to ride my bike. I would love to go to a yoga retreat, too. Even my "non workout days" are so active they would blow the seven-years-ago-me away. For example, today so far I've cleaned my kitchen, done laundry, de-cluttered three drawers, and later in order to get to my appointment, I'll walk for thirty minutes and climb/descend a ton of stairs. I do confess that I enjoy days that don't have super sweaty workouts in them. Mostly, my ideal day would involve silence and sunshine.

I truly would have described my ideal day about a decade ago as "a day I stayed in bed all day long." Bo-ring!

cp005e

Hi everyone. I am a good mood because I went for a shorter run tonight but amazed myself with how fast it was. I am beginning to wonder if either mapmyrun.com is calculating the distances wrong, or if the treadmill at work is calculating my speed wrong - because I keep end up running faster outside than I usually do on the treadmill. AND I don't seem to feel as tired running outside. It's probably the temperature - I have a feeling my speed is going to drop like a stone once it starts getting hot. But for now, I am enjoying myself.

My ideal day would probably include sleeping in (but not TOO late), a leisurely brunch, a nice hike someplace beautiful/inspiring on a sunny but not too hot day, maybe stopping to read/write/think for awhile outside before hiking back, refueling with dinner, a nice massage, followed by a long interesting conversation over dessert and coffee (or maybe a glass of wine). Ahhhh. That sounds perfect. :bigsmile:

Good luck, MM, on getting your court date squared away! And congrats, V, on the scholarship.

Running fast, boogaloo!

lotusfromthemud

I'm excited/nervous because I just booked a bike for tonight's spin class. It's been over a month since I've gone..so I'm a bit nervous. Last night I had a really hard time singing (it's been over a month without that, too) so that's evidence that I'm not quite up to full par yet...I think that's laryngitis related, and not lung related. The spin class will tell.

Other than that, not much planned. Just some around the house stuff and going to the mac store (yikes) at the mall to do some hands-on research. My data is all still there on my old machine, and my hard drive is in fine condition, but I need to replace my power supply in order to get it. The very nice tech dude wants to re-build/upgrade my pc, but I'm sick of it. As nice as he is, I never want to have to call him again. :ohwell:

Anxious consumer boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

I'm doing a whirlwind trip to Fort Worth for my sister's 25th birthday today. We are driving up for dinner than driving back. I'm going to get a walk in this morning, so the driving won't be too awful. We will also decorate her apartment.

I'm hoping my dad nixes the ride on Saturday. I'm not up for it, and it looks like I won't get to bed early tonight. If I ever organize a ride, it will start at 10, rather than 8 (though this one is gracious enough to start at 8:30).

Drive by, boogaloo.

cp005e

Hi all! V, how did spin go? I still need to try that sometime. Mary, hope you had a fun dinner trip! I know what you mean about the morning races. I am looking at a bunch of running races for the summer and I do not know how I am going to be able to do it - a lot of them start at 7 or 7:30! So that means waking up and getting ready and parking, and what the heck am I going to eat/drink so I don't have to "go" during the race or feel ill (I usually don't eat within 2 hours of running)? :noway:

I worked late, and am getting up early tomorrow to work early. Sigh! So, my main accomplishment for the evening was cooking a healthy dinner (my husband almost always does the cooking, so this is a bigger deal than it sounds). If I can, I'll turn in early (i.e. soon) - falling asleep is not always my forte.

Sleepy time, boogaloo!

mechanicmom

Hi everyone,
I wasn't planning on posting today because I didn't get any real exercise in and I didn't eat well. I did do some shopping and quite a bit of cleaning. BUT I had a very productive and blessed day other wise!
Last night at church we realized we just haven't been praying for the adoption like we were. We know it's going to work out, and we've been getting weary with how long it's taking so we just haven't been praying. Plus we have had so much other stuff going on that we've been distracted. Well, our pastor encouraged us to start praying again and more about it. So we started last night. This morning we get an email that we have been approved for a grant! Out of about a dozen grants we've filed for we finally got one! We're SO excited. It's a matching grant so we will have to ask people for money (which neither of us really want to do) but their donations will be matched by the grant place. So $10 will be $20. They approved us for up to $10k! That means we can raise up to $5k and they will match it another $5k! Amazing! We were thinking IF we got the grant it would be maybe $2000-3000 at most.
THEN this evening we caught the rat! I didn't see it. I didn't want to but Steve said it was about a foot long and really fat. I hope that's the only one. It was even getting at our bedroom at night while we were sleeping! UGH! :noway: Gross! Neither one of us slept well last night. We were freaked out that it was in our room. So I really really hope that was it. No more please! I'm pretty sure I blocked the hole though.
AND tonight Steve checked on the FBI fingerprints and it says the return envelope was shipped out today which means we should get it tomorrow! I hope and pray that it's not a rejection letter. It's a 13 week process that they managed to get done in a week! I hope.
So that's just a glimpse of the power of the God I serve. I am amazed! Totally blown away.
Also on a good note, my house is cleaner and staying cleaner. I will try to get exercise as I can but I'm just realizing it can't be a priority right now. The adoption is priority now. Maybe I'll get the other back on track soon, but right now I just have to concentrate on getting my little girl home.
Sorry I don't have time to comment on everybody's posts. I need to get to bed soon. I'll try to check in again tomorrow if I have time.
MM

lotusfromthemud

Made it through spin class brilliantly.

Also, gave Steve Jobs all my money. When you switch from pc to mac, they practically throw you a parade. It didn't hurt that I bought two computers in under fifteen minutes. I'm grateful I was able to do that.

Discovered that my motherboard was fried in my old desk machine...but the tech guy was able to get most (not all) of my data. I thought I had lost my grade books, but found them after about an hour of frantic searching. Phew. . .I was panicking a bit. I had most of the stuff backed up, but hadn't backed up after I recorded their last assignment. That would have sucked.

lotusfromthemud

Morning, pebbs...

I'm up early due to pre last class of the school year excitement.

Today, I have my "personal fitness assessment" scheduled at the gym. A bit nervous to be weighed, but they have a pretty high-tech looking scale that measures hydration and body fat percentage, etc. I'm also going to ask the trainer about metabolic testing. I'm about to start calling around to hospitals to investigate this...as I can't seem to figure out how to drop the extra fat. Or I should get over myself and be happy here...but, well, you know...

Last day of teaching (well until summer semester, which I won't know if I'm teaching until a day or two before it begins) boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

Glad all is going well.

Yeah, to get up for an 8:30 ride? 5:30am, so I can eat, shower, drink my coffee, etc. That's just crazy. Should be a nice day tomorrow though - a little drizzle in the morning, but a high of 80. I just hope the winds are reasonably calm. 40 miles are going to hurt!

Dinner yesterday ended with a dessert that was like 6 scoops of ice cream on top of a brick of brownie - shared between three people, but really? We didn't ask for it - he brought it since it was my sister's birthday, but still charged us for it!:huh:

So today is just teach yoga and run errands - oh, and eat lots tonight.

Rest day, boogaloo.

Bobbie145

Oh my gosh! I did not realize I was a whole week behind with checking in! I only got in two spin classes this week. I made an appointment today with my doctor to ask her about being tired. I do about everthing pretty good, so I'm not sure why I am so tired all of the time. Husband says we are just getting older. Maybe so, but I'm going to have blood work done to make sure nothing's out of whack. Glad it is the weekend. 17th Anniversary tomorrow. Spring break for the boys next week. Going to spend some time with them.

Checking in, boogaloo!

Bobbie

lotusfromthemud

The trainer who was going to do my assessment was sick today, so I had to reschedule that for Sunday. Just as well, as I was running late and forgot to pack my lunch.

Oh, and today I got another bursary (again, unexpected) making my new computers totally paid for. :noway: :bigsmile: I'm still trying to get stuff off of the old computer, but it's unbelievable that I made a scary purchase that ended up not scared at all. (Well, believable but very very cool.)

I was wondering where you went, Bobbie...life intervenes, huh? Sounds like you're doing well. MM, I'm so glad you caught the rat! I hope there is never ever another one. You already have enough stress/excitement without vermin!:flowerforyou:

yoginimary

Morning, it is.

The weather people wanted me to ride today. Yesterday, the forecast was 5-10 mph winds, today, the forecasts is 15-20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. I'm hoping that doesn't really pick up until late this afternoon, or we will be riding right into it at the end. I should just tell my dad that we are following the yellow markers (20 mile) rather than the blue (40).

I love Google - they just added bike routes on their maps (at least in Austin). I was checking to see where the ride started and I noticed you could get directions by bike. That is incredibly awesome. (I looked up Toronto, no luck, V - Rochester and DFW are in there though).

Windy :frown: , boogaloo

mechanicmom

Happy anniversary , Bobbie!
Glad everyone else is doing well!
Getting a walk in this morning. I was going to go alone which is a rare treat but DH woke up grouchy so I said exercise would be good for him. So we are all going! Don't really have plans for the rest of the day. More grant paper work. My fingerprints were rejected again so I have to go on Monday and try again. This isn't fun anymore (fingerprinting that is).
That's it for me!
Have a great weekend. Hope your ride goes well Mary!
MM

lotusfromthemud

Morning, it is.

The weather people wanted me to ride today. Yesterday, the forecast was 5-10 mph winds, today, the forecasts is 15-20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. I'm hoping that doesn't really pick up until late this afternoon, or we will be riding right into it at the end. I should just tell my dad that we are following the yellow markers (20 mile) rather than the blue (40).

I love Google - they just added bike routes on their maps (at least in Austin). I was checking to see where the ride started and I noticed you could get directions by bike. That is incredibly awesome. (I looked up Toronto, no luck, V - Rochester and DFW are in there though).

Windy :frown: , boogaloo

We have a few sites that will map a cycle route. I'm just scared of car doors. I think google maps is going beta with bike routes here. I wish they'd get on public transport. The TTC has a beta trip planner, but it's really bad. Sort of directs you 30 blocks east by way of Osaka, Japan.:laugh:

Also, I'm scared (a bit) to go back to the yoga/pilates class this morning, but I'll go.

Lots of stuff off of my old computer is messed up with a capital F. (sorry...couldn't resist the NSFW) I tried to dump it onto an external drive, but it went weirdly. So, I've just saving my old laptop and getting them as needed. (truthfully, it's mostly clutter...and I still believe in printing major things out and keeping them in a binder...and they all need to be re-worked.) If I had to have a computer do the big firework, it really was the perfect time for it, as all my projects are in the percolating, notebook and pen stage.

Mary, are you still thinking T.O. this summer? Or did Vancouver win? Confusion, I have it. We stayed at a pretty nice hotel downtown that was in a primo location. I think you can use the same points system as Westin there. Anyways, may the wind be at your back.

Sunshine, hooray, sunshine boogaloo.:flowerforyou:

mechanicmom

I finally got some decent exercise in. 3.5 mile walk run, mostly walking but I did run some too.

V, we found more rat droppings the next morning after catching the fat one. I think we have one more left...I hope that's all. A friend brought over some electronic sound thingies that bother the rats and keeps them away. We'll try that too.

Just had to post that I did some actual exercise!
MM

lotusfromthemud

Well, that was depressing.

First of all, no matter how much you believe in full disclosure, don't tell the trainer doing your assessment that you already have a trainer (and they can't expect to sell anything to you).

Also, be strong of will and self esteem on the day that you go.. According to the very official looking printout, I'm supposed to lose 18 pounds to be ideal. (although I am in the "normal" range of weight...I'm still over-fat...at least I know I don't have body dysmorphia...so, progress?) The good news is 60 pounds of me is muscle. The bad news is, 47 pounds of me is fat. Seriously? I mean, I know I'm a thick girl, but 47? Dang. The other 47 pounds is stuff of an indeterminate nature...water, blood, lattes, that sort of thing...

My next line of attack is to consult a nutritionist. Or order five pizzas. But, probably a nutritionist. As far as "doing everything right and nothing is moving"...well, I'm there. Pretty cranky about it just at present.

Sorry about the rat having a friend, MM.