Lisa: yes, I still have short hair. I grew it out a few years ago and decided short hair is better for me. I have thick, naturally curly hair and when it grows, it's so heavy. So short hair, it is!

I'm so happy, I have almost 7,000 steps in today. I'm fixing hamburgers tonight. Left over baked beans as well.

Bert

MaryLynn- thanks for the words of encouragement. i surely am trying.

Bert- congrats on the steps, but sorry you got caught in the rain.

Jeanette- the only stevia i have NOT tried is leaves off the plant. i do have a green powdered one (just dried, ground up leaves), and i have to admit, i prefer the taste of the processed kinds. like you, my body doesn’t do well with table sugar. your circus ballet sounds delightful!

Cindy- i have tried plain face yogurt, not with honey, but with stevia and fruit (and sometimes nuts) i like it. what REALLY tastes good to me is the full fat version of ‘greek god’s’ plain yogurt with goodies added in, but MY is it loaded with calories.

Diane- glad to hear you had a good day and enjoyed the Nike Fit workout! based on this pilates dvd i’m attempting…. i also need to work on my core! i also envy Patti’s classes and MaryLynn’s hiking thanks for the recipe “fake-out” importer tip…. my favorite recipes were handed down to me from my mother

I’ve been doing some “closet” running….. not much, just 1/2mi to 1 mi intervals. i was trying not to get my hopes up in case the hip pain returns. today, though, i went so over calories i had to “admit” my exercise to compensate, hehe. so, you could say i’m “out of the closet” and keeping my fingers crossed.

Myra

Late check-in here too. Did not make the best choices today. Tomorrow is another day. Sorry -- don't have personals in me -- but congrats to Karla and Lisa. Vikki, I get an occasional migraine but it sounds like you've really been hammered. Patti, just reading about your workouts makes me tired and sore!

Went to my friend's mother's funeral and to the cemetery to support her. Her brothers and their families are lovely people (they all live out of town). There were not a ton of people at the service but it was beautiful. The priest had known Meg's parents for many years and the homily was done with the loving care of a friend.

Ran a few errands then came home. Talked to my ex's mom, who is having a tough time after her cancer surgery last week. Just wanted to hear her voice and tell her I'm thinking of her. Medically, the surgery went well but she is very heavily medicated right now. Only one lymph node had any evidence of cancer. Praying they can get what tiny bit is left. So it's been an intense day.

Have a couple of appointments tomorrow then may try to get a nap. Things calm down after tomorrow so I hope for some quiet time -- may even screen calls very carefully. Haven't had any appreciable downtime since before Christmas so need to gather my thoughts and keep my own counsel for a few days. Maybe next month I can get away and go off the grid for a few days.

See you all tomorrow!

HI Ladies-
Well two days in a row with NO snacking- that is an NSV for me.
Suzi- glad there is a light for your daughter- we are still struggling in my world..... the good Lord will give me strength to keep moving forward.
Karla- doing the happy dance for you on another loss this week. You inspired me to move more during the day so I am using the printer with the most steps between me and it- I get 107 round trip instead of 10 every little bit helps.
Patti- don't over do it with the exercise you need time for the muscles to recover too. Backlight Zumba sounds fun.
Suzi- have fun camping- despite the warm weather our season is a long way off still.
Diane- good for you eating popcorn before dinner- i bet it filled you up too and got you through the hump period while it was cooking.
Janet- Sometimes just hunkering down for a bit is necessary- It is sweet you are still close with the ex's mom- I'm sure she treasures you as we do.
Bert- you rock the short hair! Congrats on so many steps
Myra- Has the pain started to return? Go easy.
Jeannette- do you teach all types of dance? I'm impressed.
MaryLynn- what is your average temp this time of year- sorry about the groundhog- Hopefully all his days are filled with sun now.
Lisa- Keep up the great exercising- what is your favorite thing to do?
Need to run but so glad I checked in today and got personals done for a change.
Until later
Cindy

Morning ladies! Wanted to pop in to say hi. I am so impressed with the way everyone is working out!

Patti: I saw that new workout you posted about and I did a class like that last year and it just about killed me! It was so intense and the instructor was in her 50's and I kept thinking I could do it, but had to ditch it eventually bc I was wiped out for the entire day! You are tough!

Lisa and Myra: Saw where you got some running in, good job!

Lisa: I was so impressed by your profile picture too! Those muscles, wow! I thought your screen name was ICU, like an ICU nurse, but is it instead an "L"?

I am not able to comment on Diane or Karla's newsfeed due to some glitch but can "like" their status. Hopefully it was just temporary.

Question: I am wanting to invite a friend to join us. Can you tell me how she can find our group on here? Thanks!

So yesterday was not a good day as far as eating for me and when I worked out, my heart was just not in it. Think I burned myself out a little bit doing too much last week and I was tired of doing the same cardio workout. Should have went for a run outside bc it was warm but it was really windy so I went to the gym instead. Going to do some kind of workout today, just not sure what yet and I will do my abs as well. I might look into some classes at our gym to change things up a bit.

Have a great day ladies!

Vikki

Good morning to everyone,
I am struggling with trying to change my sleep and wake patterns. Need to get to bed earlier and not read as long. My days seem to start later and later. I only have morning days at the gym on Thurs and Friday, so no incentive to get up earlier, lol. I appreciate everyone's words of concern on overdoing it at the gym. When my knees ache I take a break. I never really seem to have issues with any other part of my body and for that I am grateful. We will be leaving early Friday morning so no gym for me from Friday-Monday. My TRX trainer has always said that when you feel like you need a break, take one, whether it is physical or mental. When you are forcing yourself into the gym or your exercise it can be counter productive in the long run. I always hear her voice in my head when I have a day that I just can't push myself to workout. Going to Hobby Lobby for more ribbon samples for the wedding invites, all I have chosen so far have been rejected, but that is how it goes. She keeps apologizing for being so picky and I keep reminding her they are her invites and should reflect her style not mine. This ribbon thing is the only part we have struggled with and there is plenty of time to get it right. My new radio for the car came yesterday and is installed, only to find out the driver's door speaker doesn't work, but that is a project for later. We have music and that is what matters. Having a CD player in the dash is such a luxury for me, my old system had the cd changer in the trunk.

Janet, I know you ex's mom cherishes you like a daughter and I'm sure your call cheered her up, even if she wasn't totally in the here and now she will remember. I know it had to be an emotional day for you all around so please, please, please find that time to decompress. Maybe visit your friend on the east coast that you are so spiritually connected to. That always seems to do you a world of good.

Mary Lynn, I could read your comments all day. You add such a graceful twist and wisdom in all your comments to us. So glad you have joined us.

Jeanette, I love to dance but Edd only dances in "emergencies", seriously that is what he says. The only emergency we can think of is if someone is shooting at his feet. So I have contented myself with dancing with the girls at our parties at the river. When I lived in Denver my boyfriend and I took country/swing dance lessons and were even in some competitions. We never won any but we practiced and dance about about 5 days a week. We both loved it and I can tell you I have missed it sorely even after 30 years. I can just see you with the little ones, you seem like you would be so very patient and kind and get them to do their very best. Any chance you could video and post any part of your next production?

Diane, you made me laugh when you said you were "taking the lazy way out" by doing the elliptical for 30 minutes. I can tell you that would kick my behind. I lose my mind after about 10 minutes and find that if I push myself to stay on longer I feel like I am dying. It counts, it is not lazy.

Cindy, great NSV, especially since you have been struggling. I pray things settle down in your world. I can't imagine reading bad print but I know you have committed to it and will get thru it. Hope the other 3 books prove less challenging.

Myra, hope your running was painless. I have a mental picture of you running in your closet. I have never been in to running. Have always said if you see me running you better keep up cuz something bad is coming. Wishing you much success

Bert, we got that same horrible downpour but I was lucky enough to already be home and it stopped just before I left for the gym. But it rained the rest of the night and we have flood warnings. Lots of the yards around me have standing water. Have fun with your puzzles. I love doing them but get obsessed and can seem to get nothing else done. So I save them for when I am snowed in.

Lisa, those little treats, like bacon fat and real butter, are a must to not feel deprived. I love bacon as a flavoring or addition to a dish but don't care to eat it by itself. Guess I'm just weird. You are really rocking the exercise. I know I need to add more weight training into my schedule but don't want to give up any of my classes. So I am hoping TRX is a close substitute.

Suzi, glad to hear that some progress is being made for your Jessie. I know it has to be a weight lifting, even if only slightly at this time. How nice that you are retired and can spend the time with her when you want/need to.

Karla, I know you are having fun with your Dad and brothers and will enjoy you time with the class reunion folks. Bet there is nothing that will interfere with your eating plan right now, you are on a roll. Congrats on another awesome loss.

If I have left anyone out I apologize, but my post may now take 2 pages, lol. So better sign off and get going. Lots of little errands to run. Just got off the phone with my Mom. She called to thank me for my help yesterday and for an organizational tip I gave her that really worked out. She is so sweet and always verbally thankful for every little thing that I do. Words cannot express how grateful I am to be able to do anything for her big or small.

Patti

Hey Patti....Found it! But had to use the search function and narrow search to the limit only to groups. Thank you!

Lisa: I LOVE bacon! I went over on my calories one night last week because I made French toast and bacon for dinner. I would've been fine had I stopped at two pieces of bacon, but there was some left over and I couldn't resist myself as I was clearing the table!

Lisa, thank you for the tips. I think the biggest problem is, and I was surprised to find this out about myself, there are too many things I don't like. I always thought I was not a picky eater but now think that maybe I am. I don't like cereal of any kind, never have. As a child I became ill whenever I ate breakfast and my Mom would insist I eat it anyway because she felt sending me to school on an empty stomach was tantamount to being a bad mother. Finally the teacher asked her to quit feeding me because I would go to school and get sick. I love breakfast casseroles but they are so full of fat and sodium, even with light cheese and turkey sausage. I have tried quinoa in all sorts of different recipes but there is just something about it that I don't care for. I could eat my weight in nuts but that's not good. I'm probably the only person on the face of the earth that doesn't really care for bananas. I like stuff made with them but I'm not a baker so someone would have to bake for me. I'm going to try to eat pasta more. My husband doesn't care for beans other than baked or chili beans. I do sneak black beans into any Mexican dish I make. So I tend to cook things we both like so as to not cook two different meals when there is just the two of us. I've been worried that by eating the full fat versions of some items that I always eat low fat may back fire on me. I think if I could find a good calorie dense lunch it would go a long way to getting me in the right ballpark with my calories. I eat red meat so rarely because it was on my "do not eat" list, maybe I will start having it a bit more. I will try to incorporate some brown rice, don't care for white or wild. So long story short, I guess I am just too picky for my own good. I got fat eating burgers and fries, chips and dips, mac and cheese, pizza and anything with an alfredo sauce. All of which are on the do not eat list for me now. Thanks for listening, I will get it figured out because I want to get this weight moving and I have no intention of stopping the exercise.

Speaking of which, I best eat some yogurt and get my self ready for Zumba.

Patti

Good afternoon ladies,

Found a helpful resource from NIH. Body Weight Tracker - input your own data to get personalized recommendations, charts and expectations in terms of results over time.

Just click on link:
https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html

Been gone most of the day, so still want to get active here.

Hugs,
MaryLynn