Hey all. I really wish I could post from my iPad. Hubby is on the computer a lot! MFP needs to get that up and running.

I can really relate to "if nothing changes . . . nothing changes". That's been me for a while now:

SW: 156
LW: 138
TW: 138

My cold came back the last few days. I'm just not feeling good. Yesterday, I discovered at 10 pm that my fitbit was dead. The flex doesn't give me a buzz, and email or anything to warn me. I definitely liked the Force better. I've been keeping an eye on the new FitBits coming out . . will probably upgrade soon. Now, if only they could come up with a device that works out for you . . .LOL!

Sarah, enjoy the nice weather. A jolt of arctic air hit here today . . no outdoor walking for me

Lois, great will power woman! You inspire.

Light, I hope you get better soon. I'm with you. This cold just hangs on, but so far it hasn't gone into my lungs. Take care.

Kelly, I can't decide if our dependence on our little devices is good or bad, ha ha! Have a good week and prove the device unneeded, Here is that 15 - 20 minute weight workout I promised to post for you:

First, you will need a device that times 30 second intervals. I have a "gymboss" that beeps in intervals that you set to whatever you want. My kids tell me there are also apps you can get on your phone that will do the same. Or, you could just watch a second hand on a clock.

Second, you will need a set of dumbbells. I use 10 or 12 pounds, but will sometimes drop down to 8 or even 5 if I do four rounds of this.

Third, just go at a normal pace, no need to rush or go fast. 30 seconds is usually about 12 reps.

Fourth, go through each exercise on after another. One round takes 5 minutes. You should shoot for 3 rounds, which would be 15 minutes. I like to go 4 rounds, but will sometimes drop the weight down (due to fatigue, ha ha ha!). I typed the list in big letters, and taped to the mirror in my workout room so that I can see it as I do it:

1. See-saw Bent-over Rows (see-saw is alternating arms, squeeze your back muscles)
2. Squats (hold the dumbbells in front, at your side, you can also drop one if needed)
3. See-saw Overhead Presses
4. Calf Raises
5. Alternating Bicep Curls (really twist your pinkie finger in at the top of these and squeeze)
6. Lying Chest Presses (on the floor is fine if you don't have a bench)
7. Lying Knee Raises (just drop the dumbbells and put your hands under your butt for support . . . it's an abdominal exercise)
8. Straight Legged Deadlifts
9. Overhead Triceps Extensions (both dumbbells or just one if needed)
10. Upright Rows

You can find videos online demonstrating any exercise if you want. YouTube has a lot.

Good luck! I'm off to do this now

Sarah, if all you are doing is walking, you may be losing muscle everywhere else, or you simply may not have the general muscle thru your body to be burning what your little device is estimating you are burning. Add some weight training to your arms and core. Elastic resistance bands, hand weights, what ever. Look up some exercises that work for you or use Sheesh's weight resistance routine (looks like a wonderful plan and I am going to have to print that off for myself for those times when I don't have the time for one of my exercise dvd's). Once you build up some muscle, you may not have as much of a struggle. I know how frustrating all this can be...

Sheesh, sorry you are sick again. Take care of yourself and make sure you are getting plenty of fluids. Love the routine you posted... thanks

Kelly, bummer on leaving your fitbit charger behind when you went home. I find I'm quite devoted to seeing my numbers, too Love the view from your work, beautiful scenery but oh, man, do you deal with the cold!!

Lois, good for you for sticking to your guns in regards to what you should and should not eat. I'm not always that faithful :P Of course that's what got me where I am now, isn't it? And where neither of us want to go again...

I am still sick. After a week on the antibiotic, I am still coughing up and blowing yellow and you can hear the junk in my lungs when I cough. Getting a second round of antibiotics and gradually getting better though. I am beginning to get a bit more active but haven't yet restarted my exercise routines. I should at least be able to restart the pilates this weekend I think. We'll see. Changing positions still bring on coughing, but then again, coughing helps move that crud out.

Without the exercise, weight loss is slow.
SW 198
LW 178.8
TW 178.2 down another 1/2 lb. Not as good as I'd like it but right where it should be considering my non efforts so I'm not disappointed. Let's see what this next week will hold as I ramp things up a bit. I lost some of the initial momentum but I'm still ahead of the goal I started at the restart. I wanted to be at 176.8 by the 12-4 weigh in and I'm almost there now It's not always how much you lose, but how consistently you stick with it. Even 1/2 lb a week = 24 lbs/yr.

Kelly, good idea to have a charger both at home and at work Good move on your part.

Sheesh... taking your suggestion, put on some good music and spend some exercise time dancing. See if you can't make an impromtu cardio workout while doing some dance moves... after all, isn't that pretty much all there is to zumba? Ever seen a fat ballerina? Glad you are feeling better I see your steps are moving up again, which shows you are feeling better. Yeah!~

Lois, take a look at what you are eating and see if you've added stuff back into the plan which weren't there when you were losing weight a while back. We all have to make the choice to either maintain over the holidays so we can enjoy some of the seasonal treats or to avoid them and keep losing. Either choice is fine, but we have to accept the choice we made.

I've been trying to watch my fat and sodium levels but I'm also trying to cut out any refined flours for a while now... cutting out all processed foods if truth be told. I slip from time to time, like when a couple gals at the office bought me pizza for lunch, I enjoyed every bite of it and worked it into my meal plan. Generally, I cook all my food from scratch and have for years but I'm really trying to redefine my ingredient list. Seems to be working as the weight has been slowly but steadily coming down. Even the last week when I've been so sick and not doing any exercise. We didn't do a chest xray to confirm (wouldn't have changed the treatment plan), but I seriously think I've had pneumonia and just getting over it. I'm a little better each day but I still have some in my lungs I need to get rid of. No fever other than one day. I'm so glad to be feeling well enough to be getting up and doing thins again.

Good Saturday morning, all,

Kelly, it's cold here this morning for our area, but nothing like you're experiencing. Wow. But you know something--I have noticed that on those cool evenings that I've walked outside recently, my burn doing my regular 3 mile hilly walk is higher than on warmer days. Since the time spent is not that different, I don't think it's simply that I walk faster to get out the cold. I think the body uses energy to warm itself as well as propel itself.

On Friday evenings, I have a short window of time between the end of regular work and the beginning of community service work to get in dinner and a walk. Last night, I needed to spend a chunk of that time on the phone with my sister dealing with some issues related to my aging Mom. Hubby had something come up with his work that precluded his being able to fix dinner, so getting to the mall to walk was not possible. And it was raining a cold rain, so outside was not an option. So I decided to put some fish in the oven and while that was cooking, do an exercise video from the On-Demand feature with our cable.

If you look up klutz in the dictionary, you hare going to find my picture there. Honestly, I embarrass myself. I chose what was supposed to be a walking video, but it was more like aerobic dancing. Man, the top of my body does NOT want to move with bottom of my body. But I spent a half hour moving and I didn't strain or break anything, so I guess that's what counts. I just hope no one was looking in the window. If so, they owe me big bucks for the free entertainment.

A friend of ours who is a chef by trade showed me the readout from his fitbit on his cell phone last night. He walked more than 21,000 steps in his regular work day. And this man is 64 years old, has had two knee replacements, and had surgery for spinal stenosis about a year ago. So I figure, if he can do that, I can certainly get myself up to 10,000 steps a day.

Light, I am glad you continue to be on the mend, and Lois, everyone loses their mojo for a short time every now and then. The important thing is just to keep trying. I looked around a room last night that had maybe 75 people in it, and it's sad how many were significantly overweight. I could be there in a flash and I know it, given my genes and my job. So although we may not be where we want to be, we're certainly not where we could be, and we're not where we're gonna be! Watch for my weight loss this week. (And now, having said that, I CAN'T log the same old weight again.)

Man, what a day. I started work at 8 a.m., and it's 6:30 p.m., and I've hardly had a bathroom break today! All of the "must be done by end of the year" stuff is pressing hard. And I'm a little bummed out, but trying to just keep on course. On Wednesday of last week, I weighed 145.2. On Thursday, I weighed 144.0, which cheered me up a bit, since I suspected that salt and water was affecting me on Wednesday, and that sort of confirmed it.

So feeling a bit heartened, I've added some aerobics (DVD) that includes using some hand weights to my walking to mix things up and also to test the shoulder. I have done better with sodium, too. Yesterday it was less than 900 mg. But yet--when I weighed this morning, I was at 146.6.

But there's nothing to do but just press on, and of course, log in here to vent a bit. It's still cold and rainy here. There was a little sleet and snow mixed in last night, but thankfully the ground and roads are still too warm for it to stick. So I'm going to haul my behind to the mall soon, and then I plan to do the DVD again before bedtime.

Something seriously crazy is going on. According to the scale this morning, I have gained 3.3 pounds since last Thursday, despite my deficits of more than 500 calories a day. I'm weighing and measuring food and logging everything, I have a daily deficit of more than 500 calories, so how can this be?? I thought my scale was going whack-o, but I weighed a series of dumbbells and it seems to be pretty close. My two pound dumbells each weighted two pounds, and the two together weighed four pounds. My five pound dumbbells each weighed 5.2 pounds, and when weighed together 10.4 pounds. I then decided to weigh all four, and yep--it's 14.4. So it the scale is off, it's less than a half pound. No symptoms that my thyroid is off, but I'm definitely going to talk to the doc tomorrow. I think I'll take it my bodymedia spreadsheet for the past month.