OVER 200 CLUB WEEK 7 (OPEN GROUP)

Hi 200+'s-

I just started using the site after Easter and have been posting regularly on another thread,but found this one, and it appears we are all in the same boat, so to speak.

My starting wt was 245 on April 13th--the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I just had a birthday and decided that NEXT year, I would like to give myself the gift of the loss of 100 lbs. Ultimately, I would like to be 125, but I don't think it is realistic to count on that much lost in a year.

Since this is cardio challenge week, from what I have gathered from reading, I will mention that I went out today and did a 4 mi walk on a trail near my home. The community I live in has several paved walking trails in close proximity to populated areas. They are a great alternative to walking next to a street, and much easier to access than driving a distance to hike in the woods--something that I am not enthusiastic about doing alone, as a 50+ woman.

As of a week ago, I was down 4 lbs. My weigh in is Sat or Sun. I am thinking about making it every other week, but for right now, I think having it weekly is a motivational tool that works for me.

I try to walk about 2-3 miles per day on the days I have to work, and at least 4 miles on the days I don't.

Today I was VERY fortunate to finish my walk when I did. We had some showers today, and I did manage to get wet, but that was NOTHING, compared to the cell of thunderstorms that came through here about an hour ago.

I was waiting for the baseball game to be finshed on FOX so that they would start showing the NASCAR race, and there was an emergency alert from the Nat'l Weather Service covering a multi-county area of Oregon and a couple in SW Washington, where I am. No sooner did it finsh and I could hear the thunder. The warning included the potential for 60 mile per hour winds.

At the time, I couldn't imagine how that could be, since there was not a breath of wind to be had around here, but about 5 minutes later, I heard this noise and within about 30 seconds, the flap on my doggie door blew open and the rain was coming down sideways, straight into my living room!! I got up and shut the dog door, and my two dogs were very unsettled. In about 3 minutes, the wind stopped, and in another 5 tminutes he rain was over as well. The sun almost came out soon after.

I have never lived in the part of the country prone to tornados, but I know that area can get intense thunderstorms. I have never seen one like this in the Pacific NW., but I imagine it might have made someone from "Tornado Alley" feel right at home.

I really like this site and there are some nice people on it as well. There was a post going on about Swine flu in the last few days that kinda got "out there" but I feel this is a pretty positve place to be and I wish everyone success in their efforts to live healthy and lose weight.

Barb