*** Supportive Friends -- Looking to Release 50+ Pounds ***

@renae - hello! Trying for a successful week but not totally convinced of my success as of now - sigh!

@meg - not a lot that can be said to that list of activities over the next few weeks!! I thought I had a lot on at work over the next month (and I'm right - I do:grumble: ) but your list just sounds insane! Congratulations on the loss of inches - they are at least as important as the pounds and that is a good number to have lost.

@ron - well done with the 'workout'. Your vigourous denial on your page made me laugh!!

So, I've finished my two days training but I have a sinking feeling that they were, in hindsight, the easy days for the week. I've come back from holiday to find that a deadline for a big piece of work that was originally mid July is now the end of next week:noway: So I now have a vast amount to do in a very short space of time and everybody else seems to want a piece of my time and life as well. Anyway, sorry - just a rant! Pasta with salmon, broccoli and a creamy sauce (though not made of cream) for supper tonight - just waiting for my husband to get home as it's a meal that doesn't wait well.

Have a good evening all!

Hey friends! Just popping in to say hi. AND, I found season 7 of Dr. Who on amazon prime!!!! LOL, I watched 3 episodes last night :bigsmile: I don't think it's the full season, but something is better than nothing!

@Steph, I remember how I felt when TOM made it's way back into my life. Was a lovely year and a half of TOM free time with my last kiddo. I know what you mean about the salad too. For me it's green smoothies (liquid salad? lol).

@Jane, that stinks about the deadline being moved! Hope it all goes well.

Welcome Lisa! I'm a bit jealous, wish I could afford a personal trainer... Anyway, always happy to have someone new around. This is a very supportive group of people, we'll push you to keep doing well.

@Lisa - welcome to the madhouse, plenty of support and awesomeness (from Meg, she is our resident awesome artist) here on this thread :laugh: It's nice to have new people too.

@meg - if you want a personal trainer, I'd do it for free, but you've already spurned me for your husband, so your loss Incidentally Dr Who Season 7 is the most recent one, only finished here in the UK last month so you're bang up to date! I have to be honest, I didn't like the writing on Season 7 and found it a bit formulaic and obvious, though I still enjoyed the series.

@Steph - Spin sounds like something I'd love to do in my dreams with a woman of my choice, but not in real life.............. I sympathise with you on sleep, my Mum always used to say if I didn't get 8 hours as a child I wasn't fit to talk to, and I haven't changed really though that 8 has become about 7 or slightly less. If I get below 6 I'm living on the edge and likely to blow for the smallest provocation! And yes, exercise is taxing, I've managed for most of my life so far without it (though I have played sport fairly regularly from soccer, cricket and rugby at school and after, through water polo, water skiing, badminton, tennis and squash to golf) in its strict sense and have never been to a 'gym' in its current sense. I subscribe to the view that my joints have only so many movements before, mechanically, they wear out, and doing repetitive work in the gym seems like a joint wearing out excercise to me. Which is why I prefer sport, even if golf (infrequently) is my only outlet now.

@Jane - I sympathise with the deadline, mine seem to be going the other way which is good in two senses, gives me more time to do the work and means I am employed longer! It's a bummer though when things are moved up on you, still pasta, salmon and broccoli sounds like a little bit of compensation!

Well, to my surprise, my Indian visa was approved quicker than expected and I have my passport back today resplendent with shiny new Indian visa. Pity the photograph,taken in their photo booth (they insisted my photo wasn't good enough) at a cost of £8 or $12.50 make me look a) totally evil and b) like a totally evil indian, leaves a lot to be desired :laugh: Oh well, next week working from home, then off to the Fatherland (Germany) for most of the folowing week, then off to India for a week. If I'm honest, I'm looking forward to it, it's somewhere I haven't been before and therefore there is an element of excitement. Tomorrow I have to go and be punctured for Typhoid, Hep A, Hep B, cholera, etc, etc, etc, etc,.............. and get stocked up with anti nausea and gum up the *kitten* works pills, just in case, though I think it's more for when it happens than just in case! Even the Indian manager we are visiting suggest we make sure to drink only bottled water :sick: I will, of course, keep you posted!

I wish I could afford the personal trainer too lol! Fortunately, through our gym, it worked out to like $12 per session which isnt too bad. I am committed this time whereas I feel in the past I haven't been. I wanted to add in strength training but wasn't sure how so I figured the sessions could help teach me and I could go from there. I am thankful for a supportive husband . But honestly we really cant afford it and had to put off the internet bill to do it lol. Hopefully I dont disappear!!!! Thanks for the support guys and I hope to stay active.

I went to a movie last night and had my first splurge in 2 weeks. A small coke and small popcorn. I was up 2lbs this morning and am so upset! So much hard work to lose it in one snack. How unfair that I can never take one little bite of something forbidden *pouts*

Lisa a coke and a small popcorn wouldn't put 2 lbs on you, I forget the figures but I think it's something like 3500 calories per lb so you would have had to eat at least 7000 calories over your maintenenance figure (not over your MFP calculated allowance! 20% higher than that) to do that. More likely is the salt on the popcorn has caused you to retain water. If you want to know how it works, check out my blog, I've made a bit of a study of water retention as it happens to me every time I go away - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ron2e?month=201304

Drink plenty over the next couple of days and weigh yourself each morning and that extra will have disappeared!!

@Jane, what I wouldn't give for a quiet weekend! Glad you get one anyway :happy: And good workout!

@Ron, glad you got your visa, sounds like just getting ready to go to India is an adventure! Also, I'm curious to see this evil visa photo...

I'm finishing up my morning coffee, and then I'm going to go for a run. The sun is just starting to clear off the morning fog, should be a great run! The rest of my day will be spent preparing for the family gathering I'm leaving for at noon, and the next 3 days I'll be spending with my husbands side of the family in eastern Washington. And then of course, going to said family gathering. At least I only have to drive to my parents house, riding with them for the hour plus drive.
Ok, done with coffee, off I go!

@Jane - I think India is going to be difficult calorie wise as I'm not familiar with the North Indian cuisine so I think I'm just going to have to take it as it comes, weigh myself when I get back and take the consequences whatever they are. I imagine it is going to be very hard to log accurately, though no doubt I will try.

@Meg - I must remember to scan my visa and post it. Reminds me of when I lived in Africa and the local photo shops were run by Indians. Everything was black and white in those days, and you'd put a film in and it would come out with everyone looking like Indians, something to do with the exposure!!

@_tru_- nothing wrong with pulling weed as long as you smoke it afterwards :happy: I seem to remember (you have to understand it was a loooooong time ago) s*x under the influence was fantastic, strung out orgasms. Mind you I was lucky enough to live in Africa at the time where you bought the stuff for peanuts from the vegetable seller along with your potatoes and onions! Incidentally, re your coment about the water, we were advised by an American who visits the Indian office regularly "Take some duck tape with you and first thing put it over the faucet in the hotel bathroom so you are not tempted to use the water. Brush your teeth with bottled water. Put another piece of duck tape over your mouth when you get into the shower. However, despite the precautions, you will get ill, so take plenty of anti nausea and anti Diarrhea pills with you.". OMG!!

Can I just say I would be happy to be a personal trainer for any/all of you for free. Nothing I like better than shouting at people and making them suffer, both prime requisites for a personal trainer. I also know enough about exercise to stay away from it personally while encouraging others to strain every muscle they have!

Well, to my delight I have had no ill effects, and no dead arm from my injections yesterday, a cocktail of three in each arm along with a verbal warning about dengue fever and mosquitos in general (the nurse was not impressed when I pointed out I'd had malaria three times so knew sort of what to expect!) along with it being pointed out that if I was taken to hospital, say as a result of a road accident, and had open wounds, the nurses and doctors should wear gloves, as that is how Hepatitis B is passed on........ This conjures up all sorts of weird scenarios with me shouting in an Indian accent at medical staff trying to revive me "Please to be doing the needful and be wearing gloves, isn't it.....". Considering I'm staying in a five star hotel and have a limo backwards and forwards to the office it is probably overkill, but, who knows.......... I was also warned that rabies is endemic and if you get licked by a dog and have even a paper cut, seek medical advice. When I lived in Zambia, we had to carry a golf club at all times on the golf course in case of attack by a rabid dog, so I think I can cope with that! It will certainly be an experience. Thanks to it being cheaper by two thirds to fly on a Sunday, I have a day and a bit free in Delhi to do a bit of sightseeing (good excuse you see!). Delhi should be a little more civilised I hope and again I'm in a five star hotel! I may just sleep.......

To be honest I find this all very amusing, I have travelled to all sorts of places in my life, some of them very primitive, so I'm not concerned in the slightest about any of this. I should imagine it will end up being pretty ordinary. People tend to be people wherever you go.

@ron - sounds like you will be having lots of fun in India. We will expect to hear all the stories!!

@tru - love the moose video! Re: my shouting match with JM, I've toned it down as I've found shouting at her during the workout just uses energy that I can't spare!! I've made a deal with myself that I will move to level 2 when I can do both rounds of push-ups properly rather than following the 'beginner' option that she offers. At current progress I will be on level 1 for a while!!

Feel like I've had a good weekend despite being over my calories on Saturday. A little dissapointed by my sodium levels today but high sodium is fairly rare for me so not getting too hung up on it. I have decided that I will be focussing on measurements for the next few months rather than the number on the scale. Took my measurements today and they are all too high -as is body fat percentage. So, waist and body fat tackling here I come!!

Currently looking at options to have a wood burning stove installed - pricey but its something we've always wanted and given the way the weather us going in this country we'll get good use and value from it!

Work again in the morning - back to the political minefield that is the project I'm involved in - sigh! Have a good Monday everyone.

This has been a disgustingly busy week so far, they keep expecting me to do work! Most unfair!! Been very quiet around here, I know Meg's been away, but.............

@jane - you'll be the first to know about my Indian adventures, though they will probably be humdrum, airport, hotel, office, blah, blah!! Wood stoves are nice but you have to store the wood and keep it dry which can be a bit of a pain. Also you have to empty the ashes........... burn a few calories as well I would imagine!

@Steph - you may be quiet, but you are doing very well and losing weight I see!! Keep it up.

I've been shooting rats. They come out of the farm/woodland at the back of the house and feed off the pickings that fall from the bird table. I wouldn't mind but one got under the floor a couple of years ago, bit through an electric cable and died, so we had to have the floor up to remove the source of the smell and repair the cable, cost a fortune, so I don't like the little buggers............... I got two yesterday and one this morning. The dogs see them and start to bark and I dive for the gun. And before you think "cruel person", it is the most humane way to dispatch them and much better than poison which dehydrates them and they take 5 days to die. A .22 pellet through the brain does it quickly and cleanly and I'm very accurate!

@Ron – Yes, I do believe that is Alison Krauss. With how you describe India and all of the “prep” needed, it's no wonder you haven't been chosen as their official Spokesman! We'll put in a good word for ya! But in all seriousness, I hope your trip there goes without incident. And for goodness sake, do not smoke the er, potatoes and go around licking the dogs!

@Jane – That's a wonderful deal! As for when you get there, doesn't matter. Just as long as you are progressing forward, it's all good! I'm so bad at push-ups myself that I once had a trainer give up on me and recommend someone else. Love, love, LOVE wood-burning fireplaces! My parents have one as their main source of heat and it is so comfy-cozy in there house. I have a natural-gas fireplace and it does heat well, but somehow it is just not the same. I hope work is treating you well!

@Steph – Saw your loss on the feed. You are not just back on the wagon, you are driving it! Way to go!!! Hope you had a great time at your Adults Dinner!

@Ron, again – lol. I had to read that twice. “I've been shooting rats.”. It just seemed so abrupt and unexpected. Sorry to hear they are a bother, but I understand the need to kill them. I personally don't have the stomach for it, but I do prefer things suffer less rather than more.

@Meg – Glad to hear the boonies were “OK”. I cannot remember where you are in your crazy-busy schedule. I remember a July 04th in there, but I cannot remember if it went passed that. I do hope you are getting some well-deserved rest in between the craziness! I love how you talk about your exercise so nonchalantly. Excellent sign that you are in great shape. Congrats on the surprise loss; always a wonderful feeling!

I haven't been keeping up with Jillian this week. I fully intend to immerse myself back in her torture chamber on Saturday. We are hosting our annual work conference this week, so it is extremely busy to say the least. I have been doing my best to eat as well as I can, but I did have a hot dog today. It was calling my name.

My cousin and I have been looking into Iceland. We just wanted to get an idea of what to see/do while we are there. And, YIKES – it is expensive there! Had no idea. So, we are going to re-assess our “sure, let's go for 3 weeks plan”. Looks like it may be a 1 weeks adventure after all. I am also hoping that we can be there for the Viking festival – should schedules permit. That just sounds like fun! Haha! But, this trip planning does also give rise to a more real mini-goal for me. Losing as much weight (in a reasonable manner) by then is in order. I don't have any specific numbers in mind, but at least now I have more of a push to get my *kitten* in gear.

Wishing everyone well!

I should perhaps make it clear that shooting rats is not something I get any pleasure from but the military taught me to shoot, and it's the most efficient way of despatching them so I do it. Fortunately I'm not squeamish! Kinda like paying taxes, no one likes it but you just have to do it! On a similar subject a few years ago Gordon Ramsey had a series during which he raised pigs and there was an episode where they finally went to the abattoir (slaughterhouse) which came with warnings to "people of a nervous disposition". I decided if I was going to eat pork, I should also understand the process that puts it on the table, and although it was a bit sad as we'd seen them raised from piglets, it also was comforting in that the pigs didn't suffer at all or even know what was going on. I continue to eat pork.

I'd like to make something else clear. I am NOT a closet exerciser, the only closet I exercise is the one my clothes are in!! Exercise is like taxes, to be avoided whenever you can get away with it!

@Meg - damn right I'd like to be the official personal trainer for the thread. All I'd need would be a motorbike and a megaphone and I could keep up and shout at you when I thought you were slacking! Congratulations on re-aunting (? That has to be the word, right?), the next question of course is is that going to make you broody and can we expect another little Blackburn in the not too distant future? That thing with the wood stove and the burned butt made me laugh, why do parents insist on doing that sort of thing? I remember my Mum making me display all sorts of damaged personal areas to relatives "He was climbing a tree and look what he did! Ron! Pull down your pants and show auntie Mary your bruises.........".

@_tru_ - yes I had a (guitar repair) customer from Iceland once, he came over to pick up the repair, and we had a long chat in the pub about Iceland, and expensive was the word that comes to mind. Though to be fair, most of Europe is expensive including the UK.

@jane - yes too much is expected of us nowadays work wise, though I enjoy my work so much, I don't really mind, after all it keeps me away from walking the streets......! Workplace politics is something I got out of nearly 20 years ago by going independent. It's great to be able to sit outside it all and though you still get a certain amount aimed at you, you just chill and laugh all the way to the bank! It's a different way of thinking though, if I give my advice/opinion/etc, as far as I'm concerned that is paid for and whether they choose to follow it or not is up to them. I don't feel it personally, whereas as a permanent employee it can be taken as a slight.

Oh well, Friday at last, have a good weekend ahead everyone!

@Meg - listen girl, you want training, I'm your man, you wanna lose weight, I can do that, I don't think you really appreciate how wonderful I actually am! I am the epitome of don't do what I do, do what I say, I am partially evil and partially....er.... not so evil, I am the omega and the beta (WTF?) and talk a lot of *kitten*, none of which matters a damn as long as you accept my wonderfulness. When I tell you I ring my son and his phone says "God calling", maybe you will understand my omnipotence and eternal love and mercy personified. (He's spooked out a few people with that!) That is true by the way. In whisky veritas as the Romans used to say..... Enjoy (or I hope you have enjoyed) your bike ride and take with you that Queen Classic ~"Bicycle, Bicycle, i want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike" . If you can live up to the video, you're genuinely my heroine! (Heroine is not a drug by the way!)

Apologies, I am high on NSVs tonight I feel so good it hurts. I just hope the feeling lasts........................... ;-)

Specially for Meg - https://player.vimeo.com/video/28615148

And almost inevitably, though I cast no aspersions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnjF1O4eH0

purely included as the two songs ran together in the Queen 'Jazz' album and I like it!

@meg - possibly off your rocker but I think in off it with you! Hottest day of the year yesterday (apparently) and still making the cross trainer work hard - mad! Hope your lad got back with everything that he should have done!

@ron - hope the NSV high lasted - it's a great feeling. 'God calling' indeed - not much one can say to that!!

@tru - would live to visit Iceland. We talked about it last year for my birthday but as you've pointed out it looked so very expensive!

Well I made a breakthrough this weekend - managed to do one set of JM push-ups the proper way - but absolutely couldn't make it through both sets! So making progress but not going on to level 2 yet. Had a lovely lunch with friends yesterday but didn't log well at all - always hard when it's not your own food to log. But never mind - a nice afternoon with lunch in the garden and winding up their ten year old daughter who is currently practising hard to be a stroppy teenager. God help them when she actually becomes one!!

Back to work this morning - with a vow to not let all the nonsense get to me - life is too short for all that! Easier said than done but going to try. Happy Monday all.

@Jane – Work politics are the worst. The company I am at now is the first company that has minimal politics and it is such a relief. The red tape and glass ceilings at my previous company were ridiculous and frustrating to no end. Even my direct boss had secret agendas that we were not privy too. I hope that you find a way to make your time at the office as stress-free as possible. Congrats on the push-ups!!! That’s a HUGE accomplishment!

@Ron a.k.a. Alpha&Omega – I see your pig story and raise you a chicken story. Okay, these are not really related at all, but you made me think of chickens. Growing up, we raised chickens for food. Okay, when I say ‘we’ I actually mean my parents... Anyways, I have seen them hatched from eggs (oh so cute), raised to adulthood (oh so territorial), and beheaded for dinner (egad!). There are 2 scary memories that I have that are as plain as day. The first was when our rooster flew up and ripped the glasses clean off of our friend’s face. Chickens do not like strangers in their yard. And the second was when the chicken flew away after its head was cut off. Yup, you really do need to tie them down by their feet before wielding the axe. Suffice to say, after getting to know chickens as aggressive and noisy, I wasn’t all too upset when they made it too my plate. (I warned you, not really the same.) Germany is on our travel list (2016, I believe?). We have relatives in the South, so we will be travelling all over Bavaria. Have a fantastic time in Germany! And, as for India, E-N-J-O-Y!!! Safe travels!

@Meg – So, you are at about the 3/4 mark of insanity and I am uber-impressed that you are still walking and talking. Through all of this you have been multi-exercising and eating well – BRAVO!!!! So totally impressive!!! How did your fundraiser go? I am with you; had to turn the first video off cuz I am at work and didn’t want my co-workers to see boobies, boobies, boobies! (I work with all men. Sigh.)

“Fat Bottom Girls”. That takes me back. That was our theme song back in high school. Used to drive around screaming along to Mercury at the top of our lungs. Haha!

We spent 6 hours weeding our garden this weekend. I am pretty sure I broke all of my weeding muscles. On the bright side, with all the rain and crazy hot weather our veggies are all growing nicely and some have started to bloom. Exciting times! The only mystery is to why our beets have not grown, except for one rogue beet that seems to have made its way over to the lettuce patch.

Yesterday was Canada Day and, as all holidays go, it did not go without its drama and embarrassment. My neighbour texted me around 9:30am in the morning: “I have a dead bunny in my yard. Get over here now”. I walked over and she was spreading a newspaper over it. Apparently she was going to mow and saw the bunnies in her yard. So she went to scare them away, only 1 ran and the other remained. I’m not exactly sure where she was going with the newspaper... Anyways, I reached down and touched him. He was still warm and appeared to be breathing and blinking. So, after scrambling on a holiday to find answers and a service that was open, humane society was on their way. Humane arrived about an hour later and looked at the bunny. After a quick assessment that, yes, the bunny was still alive, she then went to pick him up. And, he hopped away. HOW EMBARRASSING!!!! Apparently we were terrifying the poor thing so he froze and remained that way waiting for us to leave. All we had to do was leave the poor fella alone. In the end, all’s well that ends well. And my neighbour and I are just worse for wear.

My cousin and I discussed our trip further. We are both okay with staying in hostels and possibly even camping (will depend on equipment) our way around Iceland. So, we should be able to at least cut our costs a little. But, I fear that rental car fee will be something to reckon with. I have also heard that the UK is expensive. Another place I have yet to get to; it’s on the list! So many places, so little money, so little time. Meg, when you find that money tree, let me know!

Have a great one everyone!